#and! and also!! learning enchantments and magic and song from his mother and grandmother

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

oughghhg i'm thinking about dior being taught to fight by both his father and grandfather... his style a marriage of edain and iathrim movements and steps and techniques and sequences... falling down the stairs rn

[apiscircensis]

ok so here’s the first of the ocs

"Are you prepared for what's next?”

Morgan Heerser 🦑 bio under the cut (wall of text ahead)

Biographical Information Gender : Male (Squid merman) Age: 18 Birthday: February 28 Star sign: Pisces Height: 168cm Eye Color: Ice Blue Hair Color: Seafoam Green Family: Grandmother, Mother

Professional Status Dorm: Octavinelle School Year: Third Occupation: Student Club: Board Game Club Best Subject: Magic History

Fun Facts Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous Favorite Food: Shrimp, pastries Least Favorite Food: Stale bread Dislikes: Liars Hobby: Gambling Talents: Playing the piano

Personality

He’s gloomy, distant, and temperamental and is perfectly willing to demonstrate it. He has little patience for incompetence and becomes angry easily when people get on his nerves. He values loyalty and a strong will.

Though he was knowledgeable about it, he had no actual experience with life on land before coming to the NRC, and his human body can be a bit frail. His true merman form however is massive and incredibly strong.

Despite being a reclusive loner, he’s also a hopeless romantic. He’s an avid reader of poetry and lover of music. Though he would never admit it, he yearns to one day find a love as strong and vast as the sea itself.

Inspired on Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)

Biographical Info 

- Morgan was homeschooled by his very elderly grandma and absent party mom. They're both very intelligent women and powerful witches. Mom is very loving but just too much of a free spirit to commit to the life of a single mother so she leaves often, sometimes for days at a time. Morgan doesn't resent her for her absences, but does wish she had been around more often while he was growing up. Grandma is more strict but not at all restrictive. She is very well educated and knowledgeable in general, and tells interesting stories, but is just too old to be fun to be around lol

- His family lives past the outskirts of the nearest town , and even in town there aren’t many children so he’s mostly interacted with adults throughout his life. There are a few people in his hometown that he has good relationships with, but in general children and adults alike tend to find him a bit creepy so they avoid him a little. He's reclusive by nature so he's never cared much.

- Despite that, it is known that he is a powerful being and mage just like his mom and grandma, so he has had his run-ins with people wanting to use that for their own benefit, which has made him generally weary of others' intentions. He hates being lied to.

Trivia

- Morgan was an infinitely curious child and would spend most of his free time either exploring the deep sea or educating himself on anything he could about the world at large, from history of any given country, to science, to shitty popular media. He recognizes there's still much he doesn't know, mainly in regards to common things like sports, entertainment, technology and such (as those things move really fast) but he's never afraid to ask "stupid" questions.

- Aside from being an intensely lonely child with too much time and easy access to bad romance novels and couples’ mementos found at shipwrecks, his love for love comes from his fondest childhood memories being of the time he would spend with his mom being told countless stories, legends, and songs, all of them ultimately revolving around love.

- It was at one of said shipwrecks that he found the piano he learned to play on. He told his grandmother about it and she enchanted it so he could play it underwater. She also taught him the basics of musical theory, but Morgan mostly taught himself to play by ear through trial and error (Grandma, also being a weary, reclusive loner has always been more content to have Morgan exploring the depths alone than mingling with people, so she was pleased at this development).

- He never really had any intention of visiting the surface world until the possibility of studying at NRC came up. He's undecided about what he wants to do next because he's still very much a reclusive loner lol, but at the same time his previous life seems a bit too quiet to him now.- The hardest part of adapting to school life for him has been the sheer amount of people he's made to exist around at all times.

- He originally intended to join the Pop Music Club, that is until he found out it was actually just chill & chat hour for the extroverts lolol. He'll still play with them if they invite him to tho, and occasionally plays at the Mostro Lounge as well.

- Despite being rather antisocial he has good people skills that he uses to get what he wants out of others. This includes sweet talking Heartslabyul students into inviting him to their tea parties (he has put on a bit of weight since he came to school lol (not that he cares)).

- He loves trinkets as much as the next merfolk but is content with just looking at them. He’s fascinated by Jacob's bottled ships, but not so much the snow globes. He absolutely despises those tacky feathers Blake wears on his hat.

- He struggles with chronic leg pain. It’s a bit of a mystery what exactly causes this but the working theory is that some ingredient in the potion that allows him to take human form may not fully agree with his body. He has been doing research with Prof. Crewel to figure out what’s up with him and how to fix it, and has sort of unwittingly become a case study for Pomefiore students interested in the field. He’s careful to not overexert himself and manages fine most of the time but it’s not rare to see him using his cane in the late hours. However, one too many flights of stairs or a particularly heavy PE class can have him miserably limping his way through campus the rest of the day. He keeps his discomfort to himself, but it's known that he becomes more temperamental when he's in pain. Generally he gets better with rest but sometimes Jacob will offer to massage his legs for him if he notices him being particularly sulky.

-

Morgan was the second character of this batch that I thought up and the first I designed. I wanted to give him something of a frail appearance, with a bit of a “young master” vibe, because I like the idea of a character that seems unassuming at first glance but is actually fearsome and imposing.

[cherrysung]

pairing: soulmate!jaemin x reader

genre: guardian angel au / fluff / slight angst

warnings: language, sad themes, character death (car crash), suggestive (not explicit, I suck at smut), my shitty writing (I’m so sorry)

summary: the glimmering boy from the accident would often visit you in the depths of your dreams with eager eyes, your imagination the only place where he could allow you to see him. that is, until you finally became an adult.

word count: 10.2k

note: this is my first time writing a long fic, it might seem rushed or confusing but I’m sure I’ll improve with time, so feedback will be greatly appreciated. anyways, I truly hope you enjoy the story from the bottom of my heart! also, thank you @glossyjaems for hyping me up on this!

cherrysung’s navigation

The rain poured violently, hitting the car windows in near agression as you mindlessly watched the drops race down, ‘till they eventually disappeared from your view. The roads were hugely engulfed in a sea of haze, and it was complicated to decipher the direction in which the car was heading towards, amidst all the fog surrounding. You remember a gentle song playing quietly from the radio, and if it weren’t for the furious banging of the weather, you’d be fast asleep. Asleep, in the warm arms of your mother, who held you so dearly. No one expected what was to come. The anxious stirring from your father, the deafening crash, the cries of the woman who now held you tightly with fear, or the pitch black darkness that consumed everybody in an instant.

Four years, you were only four years when you lost your entire family; and you were supposed to leave with them. Softly, the song kept playing, when you caught a gleaming silhouette in the distance. Just like that, consciousness slipped away from you.

Years went by quickly, time left but memories stayed. The helpless screams of your father and your mother’s tears that fell onto your chubby cheeks; you remember them vividly. You thought memories were supposed to be cherished, but yours only managed to haunt you every progressing day of your life. A life that was meant to be taken away from you, a life that was meant to be spent with your loved ones. You lost one option for the price of the other and you weren’t sure what was worse, there was no way an answer from something as intricate as existence could be obtained. All you knew was the shimmering light before blackness tugged at your vision. Tall, lean and majestic; you wished it would’ve been one of the few memories that did stay, but it seemed like it was fading away more and more as the clock ticked by.

Attached to several tubes and beeping machines, you had woken up disoriented that day, completely unaware of your surroundings. So confused, you couldn’t even process or fathom what just had happened; the death of your parents, or the cuts and bruises that stung your delicate, baby skin. A nurse was walking by the room you were in when she noticed the small of your figure sitting up on the hard hospital bed, immediately bursting through the door with shock plastered on her young face.

You were not expected to survive a coma. You were not even meant to survive a deadly car crash. No one was really expecting you to wake up. In the midst of all the chaos that had eventually formed by the surprised nurses and hospital staff, you could only stare through the small-framed window, at the bright spark that shined outside in the empty streets. Only for your eyes to see.

Growing up with your grandparents had its perks. They were very pure beings; always trying the best they could to keep a content smile on your bruised face, always trying to show you the love their own children couldn’t. Their mythical, fantasy tales were your favorite; the ones where everything and everyone was magical, where anything could happen because suddenly animals and plants could talk, and the Earth wasn’t as soulless. Your lovely storytellers successfully distracted you from the harsh truth, that an innocent child like you had to learn at a very young age their family; the woman who birthed you and the man who held you in his arms for the first time, were gone. Just like they had left, the time came where their own parents had to step off the journey of life, too. This time, you were fully alone to face the frightening reality and malicious threats of those who weren’t happy. Fifthteen years old, you were now totally by yourself.

Or so, you thought.

Forming part of your grandparents’ usual anecdotes and short stories, was the tale consisting of soulmates. Soulmate, someone destined to be by your side forever. You knew they loved talking about myths and legends, so believing that something as harsh as life already had prepared an individual to cherish you, seemed impossible. More so, when it took your parents from you in the worst way possible. Naturally, you brushed the thought aside despite your grandmother’s last words, asking you to wait for the letter, one that was soon to come. You didn’t know what she was talking about, and quite frankly, you were too distressed to care; helplessly watching the world take yet again, someone from you.

Every night after the accident that almost took your life, images began forming in your head. What were images turned into short dreams, and soon, they were a common occasion every time you slipped off into slumber. After giving a final goodbye to your grandparents, those visions only seemed to increase. There, you would always meet him. The boy with excited eyes, somehow he always appeared remarkably delighted to see you, although you couldn’t understand why. Who was he? Why was he in your nightly thoughts all the time? You didn’t know, but you didn’t mind either. He was divine, always formally dressed in a white suit; black, lustrous shoes and hair combed back so carefully accompanied by a slight part enough to show some of his forehead. A person so tremendously handsome, you usually wondered how your young mind was even able to create such a heavenly man.

You never failed to meet him in your dreams. Enveloped by all the loneliness you had been left with, you looked forward to see him until the sun decided to rise from within the towering mountains and over the vast horizon; the sultry warmth of a new day bringing you out of the place where only the two of you knew. Life was mostly dull unless you were having your fair share of time with the celestial boy in the depths of your imagination.

Age seventeen came through, gifting you with the fading of majority of the scars that had been left on your skin as a daily reminder of what happened years ago. One of them, though, chose to accompany you forever. It was fine, you assured yourself, no matter how dark it sounded, it was the closest thing to your parents that you had. Rather than despising it, you’d enjoy it.

The town you lived in wasn’t all that special. It was small and far from the bigger cities, home to a low population of friendly people. Everyone knew each other; and everybody knew what happened the winter of 2006, when your parents died. The year your whole world came crashing down; like the angry ocean waves would hit at the random, jagged rocks that stuck from beneath the water. In spite of the tragedy you had to endure, nobody treated you with shameless pity, and instead taught you that yes; life can be threatening, but it can also be marvellous. You realized that living is unexpected; one day you’re breathing, the next one you could be gone. It’s difficult to accept the fact that everybody’s fate is exceptionally different. Sometimes they might leave with pride, sometimes they might leave with fear. Of course you didn’t know what the world had in store for your future, but you certainly didn’t want to keep drowning in your sea of miserable grief.

Sighing, you put an end to your train of thoughts as you plopped down on your bed’s soft mattress. Your grandparents’ wooden house was the same as it was the day they left; cosy, warm and vintage. You would often dream here about what the actual cities looked like, your last time catching the bright, colorful lights being the same day of the accident. Grandma didn’t want to tell you much as she usually avoided describing the occurence in detail, but she did admit you were on your way to visit her and the rest when the early winter storm caught up with the unplanned trip. Maybe, if your father would’ve chosen to spend one last day at your old house, they would be here today.

The endless questions and memories that consumed you everyday were enough to lull you off into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, everything around you looked magical and extraordinary in the sea of green, healthy grass that kissed at your bare feet oh so tenderly. Several flowers that accompanied the slightly flowing ocean of emerald were colorful; blues, pinks, yellows, purples. Every single shade thinkable was present. A sky so heavenly azure, and a small amount of white, fluffy cotton clouds decorating it beautifully. You discovered, you were no longer in reality. You were in your dreams. Far off in the distance, your eyes spotted the same white suit you had grown accustomed to seeing, and your feet immediately headed in the direction of the clean attire. There he was, the same boy who was nothing but absolutely ethereal, sitting on the soft field of tulips and roses under a large oak tree. He didn’t have to search to know you were there; he felt your presence from miles away, even when you were not meeting him in your lovely thoughts. After all, he had always been there with you. You just weren’t aware of it.

Despite the tall grass that occasionally tangled with your feet, you reached him easily, quietly taking a seat next to him on the velvety ground. “Hello.” He simply greeted, still looking off into the horizon as he slowly grazed his hands through the flowers surrounding him. Features so enchanting, his face looked like it had been sculpted and carved by the gods themselves. A defined nose and jawline, narrow eyes that only conveyed pure compassion, with a final touch of the smoothest skin you had ever seen before. He was literally glowing with beauty.

“Hi,” you replied shortly with a small smile, “we meet again.” He turned to glance at you, his eyes surveying lightly over your own features. He thought you were breathtaking.

He slightly nodded his head, the setting sun offering a nice dew to his warm skin. “We do.” A pause took over, and you wondered why he was so quiet today; usually, you were used to him being more talkative, even flirty. Before you could say anything else, he spoke up with a graceful smile. “You’re turning eighteen soon, right?” You could only nod, a huge knot forming in your chest at the thought of spending yet another birthday without the company of your family, you wished they would’ve been able to watch you turn into an adult. “Don’t be sad, just because they’re not with you physically, doesn’t mean they’re also not with you emotionally. If you think about it, they have never left.”

It had become a common feeling to be taken aback by his sudden rightful guessings of your thoughts. You never understood how he was able to tell what you were currently thinking, and honestly, it didn’t seem like you’d ever know, for his answers had always been along the lines of having a strong intuition.

By now, the bright sun had almost completely set behind the horizon, engulfing the vast grasslands with warm hues of oranges, yellows and reds; while the quick approaching night brought with itself a sea of blues, purples and pinks. The colors mixing together created a stunning evening sky, a view so captivating you could misinterpret it for a famous Italian painting. “I guess you’re right,” you agreed with his previous statement, “but I just wish I was able to spend a day meant to be so special with my family. In the flesh, I mean. I’m tired of spending my birthday by myself. Turning eighteen was supposed to feel exciting, but I can’t seem to find eagerness anywhere within my emotions when I know I’ll be on my own again.” Exhaling with slight disappointment, you softly pulled at a honeysuckle beside you and allowed yourself to savor the sweet taste of the nectar that it gingerly left on your tongue. You wondered if there was anything else more sugary than the tasty honey of the tiny flower.

“I understand.” He replied with a slight nod as he watched you grab another honeysuckle. Then, he did something he had never done before, and his hand grasped yours delicately. You were certain this was only a dream, still, you could feel him. You could feel his skin and the warmth that radiated from his hand, along with the creases on his much bigger palm. Somehow, the skin there wasn’t soft like you imagined, in fact, it was sort of rough; either way, they still managed to feel silky as they held your own. “But hey,” his eyes twinkled with happiness as he beamed, “I promise you, you won’t be spending your eighteenth birthday alone this time. I promise, really.”

“I hope you’re right,” you let the boy intertwine his fingers with yours, “I’ve been meeting you in my dreams for the longest time. Things like this don’t happen, so I believe you might be telling the truth.”

His eyebrows furrowed adorably as he shook his head, “I always tell the truth, lying is wrong. Besides, I would never do that to you.”

“Indeed.” You grinned lightly, and only now had you remembered this had been the first time in a while where you had shown genuine merriment. Night had taken over, and now the dark sky was covered in multiple little stars that, although from your perspective they barely sparkled, you were sure they glowed the brightest if close enough. Sometimes, what shines the most is not always the first thing noticed. The boy holding your hand frequently questioned why you couldn’t see that on yourself; why you couldn’t see how dazzling you really were, like the twinkling balls of fire that called themselves stars. Sighing with joy, you kept staring up at the endless heavens, the lively moon being your only source of light. “Hey?” You spoke up again, earning yourself a hum from the handsome boy. He didn’t seem to age, he still looked the same as he did the first time you ever saw him in yours dreams. Now, you realized his features resembled the same as a regular teenager like you, except he was obviously striking. “I’ve been meeting you here for as long as I can remember, but I never got your name.”

He chuckled, thinking you sounded cute. His free hand gently pulled at a fully bloomed rose, its scarlet red shade so bright and vibrant in the scarce night light. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that yet, love.” He shook his head, releasing your hand and instead replacing his own with the beautiful rose. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough, you just have to wait a little bit more. Then, you will get an answer to all your questions. They say patience is key.” Standing up, he carefully pulled you up with him too, pressing a faint kiss to your forehead. “Lovely, it’s time for you to leave.”

“But I don’t want to.” You muttered, not quite looking forward to another lonely day.

The boy laughed lowly as he began walking in the opposite path from where you initially came from. “Dont worry, you see me here everyday, right? I’ll be waiting for you here on your next dream. And the next one, and the one after, and the one after. I will always be waiting. Just do me a favor, will you? Take that rose with you, consider it my early birthday gift. Keep it, and care for it. Also, remember my promises, I won’t ever break them.”

Just like that, he disappeared in the multitude of blooming flowers, as you felt yourself fade away from the world you wished was your reality.

You woke up from your deep slumber, a smile etched across your face as you thought of your little secret, who you always encountered in your dreams wearing the same white suit. Your conscious itself was still adapting to the daylight of a new day and the comforting heat radiating all the way from your window. Hair disheveled, and eyes puffy from sleep, you had not woken up yet completely. As your senses adjusted, strangely enough, you felt something smooth against your arm, only then noticing the red rose resting nicely next to you while its petals softly kissed at your skin. A gasp left your lips instantly, and you quickly scurried off the bed as fast as lighting to stare incredulously at the flower laying on it. You were a hundred percent sure that was not there before drifting off. Yet, as freaked out as you were, the boy’s words filled your mind, and you reluctantly picked up the gorgeous plant to place it in a vase of fresh water.

The brand new day carried on as always, unwanted and repetitive. Many outsiders who traveled from the bigger cities claimed your small town was breathtaking; here, they didn’t have to deal with the awful sounds or smells that the multiple factories over there emitted, they didn’t have to deal with the large streets full of traffic and impatient car horns from people who were desperate to get home. Here, your town was everything but the opposite. Streets were not paved, instead, they were nice dirt paths created by the town’s own people so cars could drive by easily. It was mostly rural; adorned with greenery, flowers, crops and the overall touch of unbothered Mother Nature. A huge pond occupied by different, colorful fish was located in the center of the town, also serving as a usual meeting spot for friends or couples who wanted to have a lovely day out. Lastly, the most special detail; a large river stream ran through, which had been decorated between the passing years with several tiny shops and homely bakeries that had slowly started forming alongside it. Generally, it reminded you of pictures from Venice, Italy that you’d see on the internet.

In spite of how gifting your little town was, it’s not like you could enjoy it when you had no one to explore it with. You had your fair shares of adventures around it when you were young, but as you inevitably grew older, so did the cravings for companionship, for a friend. A friend you didn’t have. Growing up without any parents somehow prevented children at school from befriending you, claiming it was weird to not have a mother or a father. You never blamed them, nor did you resent them; they were merely young kids, who were almost just as clueless as you.

Due to many unpleasant experiences, you began believing this town had nothing else in store for you other than remind you of the unforgettable truth, so you often refrained from going out when it was unneeded. Living alone had also slowly become bearable; either way, you had to learn how to because there was nobody else who would be able to guide you through life. There was no choice but to become independent at an early age.

After taking a warm shower and placing the unexpected rose in a vase, you decided to make yourself some chamomile tea. While waiting for the water to boil, your eyes spotted a rusty note that was messily folded, laying on the kitchen counter. It appeared almost crumpled, like it had been bunched up in a rush. You confusedly stared at it for a short moment, trying to remember whether there had been a note there last night when you cleaned the kitchen isle. A sudden whistle interrupted your puzzled thoughts just as you were about to open up the strange looking letter, bringing you out of your daze as the loud hiss reminded you the boiling, hot water was finally ready. Cursing under your breath, you quickly whipped around in a hurry to turn off the stove, forgetting about the wrinkled paper altogether.

The rest of your day went by unbothered, the night sky catching up quicker than you had presumed. Regardless, it didn’t faze you. Rather than upsetting you, it only caused a huge wave of excitement to travel along your body; you knew what the night meant. You let out a squeal that bounced off the walls as you observed through the window the dark sky that had engulfed the whole town, decorated by the bright moon that had replaced the yellow, warm sun. It was only seven at night when you read the time on the digital clock hung on the thorough, wooden walls. You hurried off to your room, where you quickly readied yourself for sleep.

Not long after, you found yourself barefooted in the same place as always, although this time autumn season had began. Unlike reality, time worked distinctly in your dreams. When it was nighttime in the real world, it was daytime in your thoughts. Yet, you couldn’t understand why the season suddenly changed, you weren’t quite sure this had happened before. Right in front of your eyes, the oak tree you were so used to see standing gracefully with flowing, vibrant leaves, was slowly becoming leafless while the few ones that did manage to stick to the branches jumped between different, several warm and golden tones. The grasslands that were once a blanket of only verdant green with the occasional colorful flowers that would stand out, was now an ocean of faded orange mixed with a faint tint of pinkish red. Underneath the oak tree sat him, but this time he was not dressed in the same white suit from always; he was wearing casual clothes, and his typical perfectly brushed hair was left down and fluffy, covering most of his forehead.

White denim jeans paired with a white denim jacket, and a loose light, grey t-shirt tucked carelessly inside his pants; he seemed to already know what you were wondering, and answered your question before you even got the chance to take a seat on the dried autumn grass. “Everything is different because something important is nearing. No,” he giggled when he noticed you lean forward with a new question ready to be asked, “I can’t tell you what the special occasion is. Chill, you’ll find out in no time.”

Whining, you slightly sulked with an annoyed look plastered on your face, “I’m tired of all these weird clues.”

“Don’t worry, the answers are closer than you think. Quit sulking, drama queen.” He grinned warmly. The scenery appeared ridiculous when compared to his radiant smile, it was a battle he’d win right away effortlessly. A sudden breeze passed by, offering a pleasant warmth that felt sensational as the air slowly became cooler every time the season developed more. Whenever you met up with him, you always had new things to interrogate him for, but just recently your inquiries had gotten much bigger as you found yourself in stranger situations leading towards him. You turned to glance at him, despite his side profile being the only sight you could get from your current view, you knew he still looked unreal as ever. “I noticed you kept the rose.”

Your eyes widened in surprise, “how do you know?”

“Can’t answer that either.” He shrugged with a cheeky grin, exhaling with calmness as he rested on his elbows, basking in the warm, soft breezes that blew by every now and then. His chestnut brown hair moved fluidly along with the infrequent winds too, letting his forehead show up for a split second. You thought he seemed so peaceful like this. Truthfully, he always looked peaceful, but today his features were particularly serene as they emitted a feeling of tranquility, even you felt it. He hummed, opening his eyes for a short moment before closing them again, “you forgot to read the note. I’ll get rid of that one and send a new one when you wake up. Make sure to read it, no excuses.”

A small huff of disbelief escaped your lips, as they soon turned into a smile. “Are you sure you’re not a witch? You were the one who put the rose on the bed, right? Because how else would that magically be there? Please answer me before I go insane.” You massaged your temples gently to simmer down all the jumbled emotions that had fallen upon you. “I thought you were just part of my imagination, but I’m doubting that now. Oh my God, what are you? There’s literally no way I can bring a flower out of my dreams-”

“Just part of your imagination, what am I? An imaginary friend? Sorry,” he laughed, “I’m not that. Yeah, I was the one who placed the rose next to you; but no, I won’t answer how.” You could tell he was having fun watching you experience an existential crisis in the middle of your dreams, it entertained him more than he would like to admit. “Today you seem very curious, that’s no good. So, we will be parting ways sooner than we usually do.”

“Wait, no, what-”

With only the snap of his fingers, it was nighttime, like a light switch had been flicked and suddenly the brightness was turned off. Due to the fast approaching winter lurking just around the corner, it was freezing cold, the temperatures so low you stared at the unfazed boy like he was crazy. You immediately began shivering, and he calmly took the time to place his denim jacket over your trembling shoulders. Honestly, the piece of clothing didn’t really provide you with much cover, but the warmth of his body that had stuck to it was enough to decrease the clattering of your teeth and the goosebumps that had formed on your arm the moment the temperatures abruptly dropped. “You can take that with you. For now, we have to go. Goodbye lovely, we’ll see each other soon.”

Your body shot up on bed in shock, anxiously feeling around your shoulders where indeed, a jacket comfortably rested on. His jacket. You felt like crying from all the utter confusion, so many questions swirling in your head that you wanted to desperately ask. Breathing irregular, you stood up with a slight stumble as you made your way towards the bathroom with a failing vision until you were able to grip the small counter, your reflection showing back on the flimsy mirror. There was no tone to your skin, which was accompanied by a light dampness; your throat felt like it was stinging and your nose was extremely runny. Was this a cold? A sharp pain hit at your temples before a grunt left your lips, demanding you to get some rest. Using all the strength you could muster, you went back to bed, falling weakly on the soft mattress.

“You fucker, now I’m sick.” You gritted through you teeth with irritation. As if on cue to your words, another crumpled ball of paper flew onto your forehead, gently bouncing off and onto the bedsheets. You cursed again, rolling your eyes before opening up the letter. It looked old, the delicate paper was covered in several creases and ink stains that were smeared all over the page; inside, was the messiest handwriting you had ever seen before. Squinting, you tried your best to make out the tangled words that were scribbled down.

Before I even start; you got to stop cursing young woman. The Heavens are watching and won’t be happy at you. Now, off to the actual letter. You must still remember your grandmother telling you about it, this was the note she was talking to you about. How are you? I hope you’re dealing alright with that nasty cold, honest, I knew you’d catch one after that weather. It’s alright though, it won’t last longer than three days, enough for you to spend your awaiting birthday without any bothersome sicknesses. How does it feel to be turning eighteen years old in four days time? Maybe you didn’t believe me, or maybe you did, but I’m still keeping promise to my words, and I assure you; your eighteenth birthday won’t be spent alone, neither will be your other birthdays to come. You’ve come so far in life, you have battled so much and yet you’re still overflowing with strength. You definitely deserve answers to all the questions you’ve often wondered about.

Remember all those fairy tales you would hear all the time from your grandparents? The ones you loved so, so much? Many of them were really only that; tales and nothing more, just something to keep you entertained, except for one. No, soulmates are not a lie, or merely another created narration from your lovely storytellers, they’re a real thing. You’ll meet your soulmate soon, I promise. I could tell you who it is, but I’d rather wait and watch you find it out yourself. For the meanwhile, you can look at your wrist the day you turn eighteen, you’ll notice some words engraved on it. They’re meant to be your soulmate’s first words ever said to you; in person, so the flesh and bones. I feel like I gotta make that clear because you’re so dense. When you do finally meet them, the words will fade away. Overall, you’re going to get a gut feeling when you meet the right person, you won’t even need to check your wrist to know. Everybody is destined to meet their soulmate sooner or later, you would know about it more if you ever left the house, lazy. Since you don’t, you’re not really aware of how many people out there have already found their fated lover. Even your folks were destined soulmates. Everybody is.

You certainly are curious. No, don’t be scared, stop thinking I’m a witch, I’m not. Yes, I can read your thoughts and I can feel your emotions. Yeah, even though I wrote this way before you read it. I can already decipher them from days, hours, minutes and seconds before. What’s up, I hereby officially present myself to you as your Guardian Angel. Just as one gets assigned a soulmate, they can also get assigned a Guardian Angel, way before they’re even born; life is weird. Truth be told, your family already knew me. This is why your grandmother asked you to wait for the letter, otherwise she knew your stubborn self wouldn’t have budged. Someone like me can only do much, I don’t really form a part of what The Heavens decide; therefore, I wasn’t aware that you were involved in a car crash along with your parents. As your Guardian Angel, I can only save the one assigned to me, that being you. And, as far as decisions go, it had also already been determined by The Heavens they would be taking your parent’s lives early. I don’t know why, but they must have their own reasons. One thing I can assure you though, is that their last breath was peaceful. All they wanted was for you to be fine, and they knew you’d be.

No one from your family had a Guardian Angel for themselves because it’s actually a rare thing to get one assigned. You were part of the small percent who did attain one. I’m not just a creation from the depths of your dreams, but it was the only place through which I could communicate with you for the meantime. Our situation though... it’s a little complex, or different, but very special since it barely ever happens. Little to no chances, I mean. Again, I’ll leave that for you to figure out. Look out for my visit on the 28th, your birthday. Once you turn eighteen, I’m allowed to see you. Not in your dreams, or thoughts or imagination, just reality. See, right? I promised you. You won’t be spending your birthday alone anymore, and I never break my promises.

I also want you to know, your parents and grandparents; they’re fine, they’re resting well. I really am sorry that I was not able to do anything to save your parents, trust me, if I could have, I would’ve. Thank you, for always thinking so fondly of me and calling me your hero when you were young, even though you didn’t even know what I was. I’m glad you looked up to me. Don’t worry, and don’t cry, remember I can feel when you’re unhappy; I can already tell as I’m writing this letter that you are in tears. Don’t be, I know you frequently worry about your family, if they left happy or sad; or, if they left in peace or not. They’re totally happy in The Heavens, where nobody suffers. You don’t have to be concerned over them anymore, they’re in peace and their wish is for you to be too.

Yes, silly, Guardian Angels can age. Mine was just frozen at twenty until I meet you. I still have a lot of explaining to do but you have to figure out the important part first.

I hope this letter answered all your big questions, it seems like it did. I apologize again, that I couldn’t save your parents. But, do believe me, they’re all fine. Stop crying, it makes me sad too. I can’t wait to finally meet you, I’ve been already waiting more than eighteen years. Anyways, I’ll be ending this here, lovely. I know your grandma said it was only a note but this got longer than I had planned, oops. See you soon,

Na Jaemin, your Guardian Angel.

Your hands shook as the crippled letter fell from your trembling grip, tears running down your face uncontrollably. You wouldn’t say your cries were of anguish, but rather, peacefulness. Peace because now you finally knew your parents were fine, and peace within yourself after that discovery. It was a question you initially thought was impossible to get an answer for. For the longest time, you had felt guilty you were given a second chance while they were not; but, although you still firmly believed they were taken unfairly from you, at least you knew they were okay. Words were not enough to express how you currently felt. So, the world that you thought to be so ugly and malicious actually had things such as soulmates and Guardian Angels? You always doubted they existed, much less were you able to process you were gifted with the two. It never crossed your mind that the boy in your dreams, Na Jaemin, was the reason why you were even alive.

You always told yourself the world had so much to make up for after taking away your loved ones. Little did you know you had been meeting with the most important person in your life for the entirety of it. Suddenly, it was you who had to make up for so much. The question was, how would you do something greater than what Na Jaemin did for you? He was after all, your literal savior.

And you’d be meeting him soon.

November 28th finally arrived, your cold long gone as the time hit twelve o’clock at midnight. Anxiously, you looked down, and time felt like it had slowed. Although the seconds kept counting down just fine, you couldn’t help the shock that ran through your veins as you watched black, cursive words gradually show up on your wrist. ‘Hello, lovely.’ You exhaled with a shaky breath, gliding your finger over the words swiftly; they looked like they had been tattooed on your wrist for a long time now despite their recent appearance. Astonished, you cursed before glancing around your bedroom, unsure of what to do and completely ignoring the angel’s previous scolding for your bad habit of swearing. It all seemed unreal to you, but the constant burn of the pinching you inflicted upon yourself assured you it wasn’t. Your heart rate was beating at rapid speeds, and you began wondering if it would eventually thump out of your chest to escape from all the unstoppable adrenaline rushing chaotically through your entire body.

“Alright, calm down, fuck.” The angel could only watch you in amusement from afar, shaking his head at your raw language.

The midnight winds were tremendously cool as the winter temperatures continued to drop, the heater or the cosy clothing you currently wore were not enough to fully rid you of the icy atmosphere. You wished you’d meet the angel in your dreams, so you could be welcomed by a warm and sultry weather. Unfortunately, you had not gotten to see him after the day you read the long, messy letter he wrote. It was weird to not have the daily visions you had grown so accustomed to.

Somewhere during the very early hours of the morning, you managed to drift off into a deep sleep, unable to meet the angel once again. You woke up to a much more pleasant climate air, and you would’ve been happy about it if it weren’t for the many doubts you awoke with. It had been four days since you had last seen him. The usual scenery you always magically appeared in with the help of your brain didn’t develop in the deepness of your thoughts; you didn’t care about your birthday anymore, you cared for the boy from your dreams. You still had to learn to call him by his actual name, but it was harder than you expected when he had basically been nameless for most of your life. Na Jaemin, you had never heard that name around your town or anywhere else, it was just as unique as him.

“I heard you calling?”

You shrieked, tumbling off the bed and onto the hardwood floor as your chest heaved up and down in fear. Quickly, you stood up on your feet, where you locked wide eyes with the charming smile you always admired, a grin beaming with pearly whites showing through that could light up the whole world. There he stood gracefully, unlike you, wearing the same attire he had been sporting the last time you saw him; of course, minus the denim jacket you occasionally hugged to sleep. Instead of the same brown hair he always had, it was now a light shade of blonde, to the point where it nearly looked silver. Eyes still widened in alarm after his unexpected arrival, you carried on taking in his features and tall figure; lean and majestic, exactly as you had described him the first time. He was absolute breathtaking, and his beauty only seemed more glorious face to face; you were utterly speechless.

An almost quiet giggle went past his lips, a smile still adorning his features as he carefully approached you upon noticing your frozen state. There was a slight glow that outlined his physique, similar to the one you always caught sight of as a child, but not as strong. With gentle movements, his hand softly came up to cup your cheek, tenderly caressing at the skin before pulling you into a warm embrace. You gasped, his swift actions successfully bringing you out of your daze; and ultimately, with shaky hands, you wrapped your arms around his torso tightly as well. He hummed lowly in satisfaction at the feeling of your returned hug, already loving how it felt to finally be held by you.

Hugging him felt oddly nice to you, there was an emotion inside that you couldn’t quite describe, but you knew for sure it was a feeling you had never experienced before. You felt free and no longer alone, like you had known him your entire life; not just because of the dreams where the two of you conversed, it was a feeling more personal than that, like he had always been there with you. Not all your senses worked in your nightly thoughts, and only now were you able to bask in the sweet smell that engulfed him; he smelled like home. Like the tall, grassy grounds he was always sitting on under the same familiar oak tree as he waited for you. Like the roses and tulips that were fully bloomed in all their grandeur by summer time, and like the warm sunrays that never failed to make his skin naturally glow with dewiness. You had never smelled anything in your dreams, because it simply was impossible, but you didn’t have to; you knew right away he was the epitome of the place where you always met up, in all the five senses. The enthralling landscape, the soothing sounds of nature, the sweet taste of honeysuckles, the feeling of the flowing grasses, the earthy scent of threes and flowers; all put together into a human body.

Not only did he feel like home, but his embrace also provided a sensation of comfort and safety that nobody else could emulate. Your heart was beating rapidly, but this time it wasn’t out of shock, it was nervousness. You felt like you had made the biggest discovery ever, yet you were not sure what the find was. Still, everything somehow felt right amidst the thundering thump of your chest that rang loudly in your ears.

“Hello, lovely.” He whispered in your ear, feeling the smile on his face as his lips gently pressed against the side of your head.

Overcome with emotion, a tear ran down your cheek before slightly pulling away so you could properly look up at him. “Thank you, for saving me. Thank you so much... Jaemin. How will I ever repay you?”

“Silly,” he simply chuckled, “you don’t have to repay me with anything, meeting you is enough.”

You nodded as he ran his fingers through your hair, confessing, “I feel very comfortable around you, even though I just met you. Well, in person, I’m still confused.”

“It’s totally normal,” Jaemin replied as he pulled away from his tight embrace, softly patting your back, “technically, I’ve always been here, you just couldn’t see me. Reminds me; happy birthday, lovely.”

Heart fluttering at his words, you began feeling all giddy and fluffy inside despite not understanding the reason why. You could not fathom why he was having such a huge impact on you already. “I have a question.”

“Not surprised.”

“Do you, perhaps, have any wings or a halo?”

Jaemin giggles in amusement at your question, shaking his head. “I don’t, but I used to. We only have wings and halos when we’re in The Heavens, not on Earth. I’m meant to form part of Earth from now on, so I can’t really show you, except for the glow around my body. That, I choose whether I want you to see it or not.” You opened your mouth to speak, but he beat you to it. “Yeah, I’m still a Guardian Angel, your Guardian Angel specifically.”

Your cheeks flushed a faint tint of pink, muttering as you looked down at your feet, “stop reading my thoughts.”

“What? Are you scared I’m going to hear something naughty or weird one day? Don’t worry, I’ve heard plenty of those. Also heard multiple times you think I’m god-worthy handsome. Thanks, by the way. Its okay, it’s normal for me now. Just keep your thoughts in check, where did you learn all those dirty things, young lady?”

“Jaemin!” You screeched in embarrassment, your cheeks only becoming redder than they previously were, his grip tightening around you lovingly.

The boy shook with laughter, a melodious sound to your ears that you wanted to keep hearing for the rest of your life, and if it weren’t for the awful embarrassment you were experiencing, you would’ve surely relished in the contagious cackles more. Being with Jaemin was natural, it didn’t feel awkward at all, you instantly knew you could trust him with anything; besides, meeting him in your dreams for the past fifteen years was enough time to warm up to him.

“Come on,” you grabbed his hand, letting go not long after when a jolt shot through your arm. “What the hell! What was that?”

“You better stop cursing around me,” Jaemin jokingly warned, narrowing his eyes at you, “you have to find that out for yourself. I never thought you’d be this clueless, to be honest.”

“And lastly, this is the basement; tour is finally done! This used to be my grandparent’s house from mom’s side, where I spent my whole childhood in. My dad’s parents lived a little farther away and their house wasn’t roomy enough to take me, but they still visited here constantly; it felt like they all lived together, honestly.” You explained to the tall boy. You had decided to show him around, still rocking your hideous pajamas, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Jaemin hummed as he listened to you, eyes skimming over the wide, empty room; of course, he already knew every single part of your house like the back of his hand. He had been watching you your entire life, chances are he even recognized it better than you. Though, as he gazed at you with loving eyes, you seemed too excited showing him around so much that he chose to remain quiet and carry on pretending he was unfamiliar with everything surrounding him.

Your grandparent’s house was extremely welcoming; as most houses in your town, this was also built solely out of pure wood. It wasn’t exactly a cabin, but rather a small suburban home. Everything inside consisted of mostly vintage items left behind by your folks, the only modern objects around being the ones they had bought for you. As for the backyard, it wasn’t really spacious, but it was well appreciated and cared for since majority of the homes in the town didn’t have one. Your grandmother was always making sure her garden looked appealing at all times; and in memory of her, you would regularly keep it neat in spite of your hatred for gross bugs and itchy plants.

“I used to always come down here when I wanted to play with old stuff, like landline phones or typewriter machines, I thought they were quite fun.” You smiled automatically at the fond memories. “Oh! I also remember accidentally catching Grandpa and Grandma kissing, it was disgusting.”

Jaemin laughed, recalling the time you found your grandparents being way too romantic for your young mind to comprehend, and your startled eyes before running off as soon as you had identified the scene in front.

You sat down on the dusty wooden floors that were in strong needs of some good polishing and sweeping as you called Jaemin over. Complying, he took a seat next to you, creating a feeling of familiarity just like you would usually sit together in your dreams; except this time, the two of you were in a basement desperately screaming for a deep clean. You were certain his white clothes would be totally dirty by the time you left the room. “I forgot to tell you, you were right about the whole soulmate words thing.”

“Did you think it was a lie?” He cocked an eyebrow, paired with a sly smirk.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” You waved your hands in the air fearing he had gotten the wrong idea.

Giggling, he nodded and brought your hands down gently, “I know what you mean. Tell me about it.” He might’ve been a holy being, but he had never experienced love for endless decades. Now that he finally found you, he couldn’t stop the crazy thumping of his heart.

“Okay so, I stayed awake until midnight yesterday - well, today, actually... anyways - besides the point.” Jaemin smiled adoringly at your cute stutters and fumbled ranting. He had learnt years ago that you stumbled over your own words when you were ecstatic about something. Hearing your thoughts in the distance was nearly impossible when he was so close to you, and it was inevitable to catch what your mind was currently thinking. You were talking, but your mind kept saying he looked ethereal right now next to you, going as far as comparing him to the most prepossessing events from Earth itself and claiming he was still prettier. “So, as I was telling you, I stayed awake ‘till midnight and you were right! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I noticed small letters appear on my wrist out of the blue, it was freaky to see it firsthand. Do you want to see?”

A cocky smirk was threatening to show up on Jaemin’s lips sooner or later, whether it be for your thoughts about him or what you were about to find out; yet, he fought the feeling and simply agreed at your request. It felt like euphoria was devouring him whole, but outside, he maintained a serene stance when you raised your wrist up to his eyes. As expected by him but not by you, the words were no longer there. A piercing shriek that hurt his ears left you upon realizing your wrist was not marked with the cursive letters anymore. Jaemin could only internally crack up at the sight of you scrambling away in panic, rushing towards the small window on the wall to get a better look of your arm with the aid of the sunrays. There was, in fact, nothing there.

The angel pondered playfully, humming specially loud so you’d be able to catch the mischief in his tone, “I thought you wanted to show me something? I don’t see anything there.”

Eyes wide like they were about to jump out of their sockets, you turned to look at him with a frightened expression, whining. “What do you know that I don’t?”

With a grunt, Jaemin got up from the floor as he brushed off the dust on his clothes, rolling his eyes at your question. “Silly girl,” he approached, your feet moving backwards the closer he got, eventually stopping when your back hit the wall behind you, “you’re so bad at this game.” He smiled cheekily before flicking your forehead.

“Ow!”

“Lovely, what did I explain it meant when the words faded away? Do you remember what I first said when I arrived?”

Oh. You realized what the current situation was. Jaemin was your fated soulmate, and as always, you did not notice because you were distracted; unsurprisingly, distracted by him. “But you’re not exactly human? How is it possible?”

He shrugged, running a hand through your hair, “Heaven and God are complicated. Angels can have human soulmates if that’s how The Heavens decide it, the only benefit you get, is you get to know when you’ll meet them - unlike humans who have no idea if they’re even gonna be fated to somebody or they’ll leave the world tragically because of their wrongdoings. The downside is that angels can take thousands and thousands of years to meet their soulmate; I was lucky to only have to wait three hundred.”

“Three hundred years!? But how come you’re twenty years old, how did you become an angel? Does me feeling all happy and sappy around you have to do with all this?” You were freaking out, but you didn’t want him to misunderstand.

Jaemin nodded, pulling you down onto the floor with him again, “there are two different types of angels; angels and Guardian Angels. Angels are people that died before their innocence was tainted which is basically all newborns or young children; teenagers and adults can too, just not as often. Guardian Angels are beings created by God himself, so unlike angels, we never existed in Earth first.” His hands were fiddling nervously with the end of his t-shirt, fingers adorned with a few silver rings. “We’re only allowed to meet our soulmate until they turn eighteen, so our age freezes at twenty while we wait. Angels can’t see their soulmate like I did in your dreams, but since I’m your Guardian Angel, I’m required to watch and care for you at all times. So, it’s acceptable to reveal myself to you discretely. And yeah,” he sheepishly giggled, “that’s why you feel all happy and sappy around me. I do too.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I guess. Someone dumb like me can only handle so much information, Jaemin.”

He snickered. “Yeah, you’re right.”

You pushed him away playfully, a small smile lingering on your lips before a blush took over your features. You never had a boyfriend previously, and you had no idea what to do from now on. Jaemin looked lovely as ever, the attraction you had for him only heightening as the bond became stronger. His once fully white clothes were now slightly covered in dust, as so was his face. Despite that and his tinted cheeks that you assumed were like that because he intruded your thoughts once again, he was the same handsome boy from your dreams that never failed to make you smile. Now, he’d be by your side for more than your usual six hours of sleep, and you were thrilled, to say the least. Meeting him for real got your heart rushing and doing flips, you didn’t know what that initially meant; but now you were sure it had to be love. It felt strange to feel something as deep as love for someone you met minutes ago. Then again, Jaemin was more than a soulmate; he had basically been with you the entirety of your life, your love went higher than a mere soulmate bond. “So, what do we do now?”

Rosy cheeks, the angel was still not able to look at you after listening to your thoughts. He knew he had to stop doing that, but it wasn’t easy when they sounded so loud and tempting in his ears. “Can I kiss you? I’ve really wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you.”

A series of wild coughs took over you upon hearing Jaemin’s confession, your reaction only making him feel giddier than he already was. “I - sorry,” the attack in your throat gradually slowed down, “I’m just, Ive never had my first kiss before, I’m new to all of this.”

He scurried closer with cheeky eyes, the darkening daylight that managed to show through the tiny window in the room signaled that the sun was beginning to set, the basement now drowned in a vibrant, saturated mandarin shade. Your breath hitched instantly when he cupped your cheeks, his eyes fully sparkling with love and adoration for you, gaze traveling down your features until it landed on your lips. He wet his own unknowingly, slightly parting them as light, irregular puffs of breathes left him. Jaemin leaned in, closing the short gap that was once between the two of you until the same jolt of electricity from before warmly hit you.

His lips tasted sugary sweet, like he had been previously sucking at the nectar from the honeysuckles you loved to have in your dreams. Now, you were certain that there was indeed something sweeter than honesuckles. Not only did he taste sweet, he felt sweet too. His mouth moved against yours slowly, the rhythm at which you two kissed was a little bit sloppy, but neither of you cared about it; hands still gently holding your cheeks while your own found their preferred location, lightly grabbing at his shoulders. Jaemin pulled back, chest heaving with pants as he attempted to catch his breath, leaning in again after whispering lowly against your lips.

“Hadn’t had my first kiss either.”

“Na Jaemin, you’re supposed to be an angel from Heaven!”

The boy ignored your protests, keeping you trapped between his body and the wooden wall as he continued a fiery assault on your neck, lips trailing all the way down to your collarbones where he mercilessly sucked hard reds and purples at the delicate skin.

Months had quickly gone by after finding out the angel was your fated special someone, and time flew peacefully as your feelings for each other grew more and more at rapid lengths, if it was even possible to be any more infatuated than you already were. A lot of remarkable things had happened once Jaemin officially stepped into your life; you weren’t low-spirited anymore like you used to be, coming to terms with yourself that Jaemin was happiness itself, it was impossible to remain miserable with someone as bright as him around. Although your biggest dream had always been to visit the wonderful cities that you knew awaited outside your small town, you decided to stay here; often reminding you of the views you’d always encounter in your imagination whenever you met up with the angel, instead of your parents like you used to believe.

Christmas was the best holiday you had spent, drowning in all the love Jaemin cherished you with while his arms held you tightly to his body as you both cuddled in front of the warm fireplace, under large, fluffy blankets. Or, the softness of his lips that pressed against yours in utter passion after he had shamelessly placed random mistletoes all around the house as an excuse to kiss you all throughout winter. It was little things like that, that made you fall deeper for him. Spring was slowly coming to an end as summer prepared to engulf everybody in the heat of its shining sun and the hot temperatures that gradually became warmer every day. You couldn’t wait for the orangey sunsets that were soon to come so you could take Jaemin out to the small shops located along the river, accompanied by the relaxing sounds of the streaming fresh waters and forgotten 70’s songs that the old ladies from the stores never failed to play.

With time, you found out Jaemin was tremendously clingy and overwhelmingly sappy. For a while, he seemed absolutely pure, the tittle well deserved since he did belong to the vast heavens that he described as divinely glorious. You believed him, for his looks and personality where the exact same. Though, your perception of innocence that you had for him might’ve gone overboard, because even a harmless angel like him could sometimes overflow with a burning fire of love and want.

“Are you even allowed to do things like this?” You whined under his towering frame, refusing to let out any sounds of satisfaction. He was supposed to be a holy and saint being, yet here he was, licking and biting at your skin with no remorse. No matter how hard you tried to keep quiet, the shocks of pleasure that his naughty kisses sent throughout you entire body were inevitable and tough to neglect, when the feeling was so exquisite.

He was panting with need, wasting no time in taking off both your shirts as his hands instantly began roaming around your unconvered, warm skin, pulling you impossibly closer to him, “it’s fine.” His hands slowly moved up towards your flushed face, taking their own sweet time to run over your tummy and all the way up to your chest, which received special extra attention, until he eventually reached your cheeks and brought you into a rough kiss. Jaemin’s lips devoured you like there was no tomorrow, like he was a starved man, occasionally biting gingerly at your lower lip before lightly swiping his tongue across, engaging the wet muscles in a battle he would surely win. “Please, touch me.”

You pulled away shortly with ragged breaths, lips a cherry red and fully swollen from all the endless sucking he had inflicted on them. “Na Jaemin, are you sure this is right? I’ve never done anything dirty yet I swear I feel like I’m corrupting you so bad-”

“Stop swearing, it’s wrong.”

Jaw dropped in disbelief, you glanced up at the shirtless boy who still had you pressed against the wall with no way out, “I - you’re saying that while trying to get into my pants! I’m pretty sure swearing is the least of concerns here.”

“I’m not the one who’s thinking about sex all the time, you expect me to go through my day calmly when you’re thinking such naughty stuff?” Jaemin whined with a pout, running his fingers through his blonde locks in frustration before unexpectedly picking your flustered self up. He hurriedly carried you towards the bedroom, ignoring your loud screams demanding to put you down as he gently threw your body onto the soft mattress. “I’m literally a teenage boy, I have needs and your thoughts don’t help,” he kept complaining, “this is totally normal, it’s fine as long as it is with your soulmate, I promise. Now, please, woman.” The angel proceeded to leave a trail of feathery, wet kisses down your neck again, eyes landing on your bra straps before they locked with your gaze and wordlessly asked for permission.

Nodding slowly, you pulled Jaemin down and locked lips once again; though, this time it felt like all your unsaid emotions were pouring out into the desperate kiss, love being the biggest one swimming in the pools of several, different sentiments. He returned the kiss delicately as your hands slightly tugged at the little hairs that rested on the back of his neck, eliciting tiny moans and groans that rumbled in his hard chest. Breaths of pleasure that you swallowed escaped his mouth, the kiss progressively becoming messier and harsher as you allowed yourselves to get lost in the euphoric feeling of your bodies pressed close together, the warmth the radiated from your bare skin igniting a huge fire of arousal within the two of you.

“I love you. So much.” Jaemin pecked your lips one last time with a sincere smile, hands gliding over your shoulder blades as they unclasped your bra, gently sliding off the straps with eyes that twinkled with nothing but absolute love, lust and devotion. “I’m gonna take you higher than Heaven.”

“Jaemin! Don’t be rude!” Right then and there, you knew you were exactly where you were meant to be; in the arms of your lover as he showed you a deeper intimacy than you had ever shared before. Despite all you had gone through, life gifted you with the greatest present, Na Jaemin. You didn’t have to dream anymore to feel at home, he brought it with himself.

A celestial angel, indeed. Life was no longer unbearable for you, it was the best thing ever; and you were ready to live it at its fullest.

[khoicesbyk]

Beloved.

A/N: I'm officially obsessed with Wolf Bride and what does one do when she's obsessed with a certain book? She writes an AU about it! 😁 So, Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Mature. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: Roman (LI) and Naia Evans (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 3,970 words. (more or less. I stop counting after editing and re-editing. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

Prompt Time! Using @theworldofprompts story prompt of “You get put into an arranged marriage, only to find that the person you're engaged to....is a shapeshifter.”

Missing a chapter or want to read a chapter again? I got you covered! Click ——> Here

Song And Story Inspiration: Burn Slow-Ro James. | Survivor-2WEI feat Edda Hayes

Tag List: @shewillreadyou @choiceslady @txemrn @pixie88 @secretaryunpaid @aussieez @lucy-268 @bebepac @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @otherworldlypresents @hopefulmoonobject @theworldofprompts @choicesficwriterscreations

This series is rated Mature. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

This series may contain spoilers. If you wish not to see spoilers, please do not read any further.

(Also this series is a slight deviation of the original story. In the original story, the werewolf hunter is a woman. But in this series the hunter is a man.)

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or dm me and I will gladly add you. 😁😘

Chapter 6.) Burn Slow.

Oohh... Shit… How you wanna feel? Do you want it raw? Do you want it real? Ima give it to ya. Ima give it to ya real honest. Yeah...

You ain't never had it like this before. Roll in my sheets while we rolling paper. Trying to get you higher than them scrapers. Catching vibes, catching vapors. You should call in sick. You should call in favors. I promise...

When Naia came to Hunt’s Peak it was to learn why her mother left and why she never wanted to talk about it. Never in a million years did she think that she’d meet Roman, who is the man she had been dreaming about for weeks. Nor did she think she’d meet Trent. A mystery man that enchanted her the first time she met him.

She definitely didn’t think she’d be kidnapped. But that’s exactly what happened. She was in the back of a white van with a hood over her head and her feet bound by zip ties. She had no idea where they were or where they were taking her. Wherever they were it was off road because she felt every bump they went over.

“Ow dammit!” She hissed as she hit her head on the floor.

When the van came to a sudden stop, Naia had one plan. She was going to run like hell and not look back. When the doors opened she knew it was now or never.

“Come! It’s time for the preparations to begin!” The man commanded.

“Eat a dick! I’m not going anywhere!” She hissed.

“We’re wasting time!” The woman said to her.

“Does it look like I care? Matter of fact does it sound like I care?” Naia asks.

Rather than answer, the man yanked Naia out of the van and threw her over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” Naia shouted.

The two ignored her as they walked her down a strange path. Naia tried but couldn’t wriggle herself out of his grip.

“Goddamn this idiot is stronger than he looks. But I have to get away! I need to get away.” Naia thought to herself as she struggled to get free.

They came to a stop and the next thing Naia knew, she was being thrown onto a bed.

“SERIOUSLY?!”

Neither one answered her, instead the woman ripped the zip ties off with a yank. It scared Naia to witness how strong both of them were.

“This is where you will be until the ceremony at sundown.” The man told her.

“Sundown?! You can’t just leave me here!”

Both left her in the room alone, scared and confused.

She looked around the room to get her bearings, it was set up like a guest bedroom. Complete with candles on the wall, a plush bed and a fireplace. The room had no windows and the entrance was a stone door that she couldn’t move.

“I came all the way to West Virginia to learn why my mom left and I got kidnapped!” She says to herself.

Naia was just about to give up before remembering that her cell phone was in her pocket. When she pulled it out though, there was no signal.

“Well this is absolutely peachy!” She fussed.

As she looked around the room, she found herself slightly impressed.

“Not my taste but not bad.” Naia thought to herself.

She didn’t know what it was but something called her to the bed. She wasn’t tired but she felt the pull to rest. When she laid down her mind was lulled into a peaceful rest. It didn’t take long for her to doze off and dream.

You ain't never had it like this before. So don't you lie. Don't you tell me that you gotta go to work baby. Cause I can pay you for the whole week in bed. I just wanna get lost with you. That mean you belong to me. I wanna wake up.

Waking up to you in the morning. It's better than sunrise. So we can keep the curtains closed. Just light a few more candles and burn em' slow. Baking up with you in the morning. Trying to get a little rewind. Cause I ain't really ready to let you go. No no no no no No no no… Just light a few more candles and burn em' slow.

Elsewhere Roman was preparing for the ceremony himself. With Noemi at his side, Roman was eager to prepare.

“My my! You are eager, my child.” She said to him. She was like a grandmother to him.

“Indeed I am. I have waited for this day for so long, Speaker.”

“What are you most eager about Roman?” She asks.

“It is our bonding ceremony, Speaker. We will finally be together. I am eager to finally welcome her home.” He replied.

“This is indeed a momentous occasion. But, we mustn’t rush, you must remember that she knows not of our ways.”

“She can learn, yes?” He asked.

“Of course she can. But you mustn’t force her. It will only cause her to recoil and reject.”

“I understand, Speaker.”

“Very good. Now let us prepare.”

Oohh... Shit… Girl that Honey Jack put us on our back. When we on our back we get back to that action. Pour up Pour up. And let us take another round down. So we can get in another round. Yeah… I don't need no breakfast 'less it's you on my face. (Then we wake and we bake)

Waking up to you in the morning. It's better than sunrise. So we can keep the curtains closed. Just light a few more candles and burn em' slow.

Baking up with you in the morning. Trying to get a little rewind. Cause I ain't really ready to let you go. No no no no no No no no… Just light a few more candles and burn em' slow.

Noemi had Roman wade into the sacred springs as she prepared him.

“Mother Earth! Hear my call. Prepare my child for the bond of his Beloved. Open their hearts, minds and souls to receive one another.”

Roman inhaled then exhaled slowly as he closed his eyes. The Primal Magic flooded his being and guided his thoughts and soul to hers. He was transported to her dream. He was in the woods as was she.

Naia didn’t know how she wound up in the woods at night but she wasn’t scared. In fact she felt giddy because this time she was human. She was eager to run. What started out as a brisk walk turned into a jog, that turned into a sprint that turned into a full run.

She felt free as she ran through the woods. The wind in her face and the ground underfoot gave her a sense of invincibility. She felt like nothing could stop her. As she ran, she heard the sound of water. Whether it was the river or the creek she wasn’t sure. But, she followed the sound. She felt the water calling to her.

When she came out of the woods she came to the edge of a lake with a waterfall. She was out of breath but exhilarated. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the roaring waterfall soothe her.

Even with her heart thundering in her chest, she felt this strange sense of calmness. When she opened her eyes and looked out on the water she saw Roman. Only he wasn’t himself, he was a werewolf. He was huge, monstrous and beautiful. He held out his massive hand to her.

“Beloved…”

His voice was a low growl. And it should’ve terrified her but instead she trusted him. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around him and felt his arms embrace her. Her trust in him is strong and absolute. She felt safe, she felt loved and when he stepped back from her, she felt powerful. She watched him throw his massive head back and howl. It was commanding and made the woods around them come alive. When he looked at her with his now golden eyes, she woke up.

When Roman opened his eyes, they were golden and determined.

“Did you see her, my child?” Noemi asked.

“I did.” He replies.

“Are you ready?” She asks.

“Yes. Begin the ceremony.” He replied as he waded out of the springs.

Cause I ain't really ready to let you go. No no no no no… Then we wake and we bake. Waking up to you in the morning. So we can keep the curtains closed. Keep em' closed. Let's burn baby.

Baking up with you in the morning. Rewind Rewind… I just wanna get lost with you. No no no no no No no no… Just light a few more candles and burn em' slow. Ooh Shit…

Naia shot up in the bed breathing heavily with her heart pounding. She frantically looked around the room and quickly remembered where she was. She didn’t know what just happened but whatever did happen in that dream felt real. She was face to face with a werewolf. She was in the arms of a werewolf.

“Impossible. Werewolves don’t exist.” She thought to herself as she tried to make sense of her dream.  

That’s when she heard the stone door move and the man and woman who brought her there entered the room.

“It’s time. The ceremony is beginning!” was all he said.

Naia knew that fighting them was pointless. So, she decided to play along for now and she would find a way to escape later. She followed them out of the room which was connected to a corridor inside a large cave. She saw what was a makeshift kitchen, other pieces of furniture and a massive fireplace. It looked like the living room of The Flintstones.

When she stepped outside with them, it was nighttime. She had been asleep for hours, yet it only felt like she had a 20 minute nap. Naia followed the man and woman through the woods, formulating her escape plan as they walked.

Thought I couldn't breathe without you. I'm inhaling. You thought I couldn't see without you. Perfect vision. You thought I couldn't last without you. But I'm lastin'. You thought that I would die without you. But I'm livin'. Thought that I would fail without you. But I'm on top. Thought it would be over by now. But it won't stop. Thought that I would self destruct. But I'm still here. Even in my years to come. I'm still gon' be here.

They arrived at what she thought was a poor man’s Stonehenge. She saw people standing around the stones and a large fire, chanting in a language that she couldn’t understand. All she knew was she had to find a way to get the hell out of there.

“Ooooooooooooookaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy…I’m in a cult. Yup I’ve been kidnapped into a cult.” She said quietly. Or so she thought.

“Quiet girl! This is no time for jokes!” The man snapped at her, before he and the woman joined the group that was chanting.

Naia looked around for a way to escape. And when she found it she knew all she had to do was turn around and run. That’s when she saw Roman. He was dressed in leather and body paint. When they locked eyes her heart did backflips. He took her breath away.

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn! This is creepy as all hell but sheesh! He’s fine as wine!” She thought to herself as she looked at him. She couldn’t help but notice every last one of his muscles.

There was something about him that turned her fear into curiosity. Any plan she had to run like hell was gone. She just stood there frozen in place. Her eyes never left him.

“We have been waiting for you.” He said to her. His voice was low and commanding. As the others around them chanted, Roman spoke again.

“Precious Mother Earth, we have gathered here to welcome Naia home to us. With her now returned to us the Pack is and will be stronger. We will thrive with her among us. We thank you! We worship you! May you live and flourish within us all.”

Naia thought she was seeing things when she watched his eyes turn golden. Roman had his arms outstretched to her.

“Come to me Beloved…”

“Roman I—“

She felt like she was in a trance by his words as she walked to him. She felt she was a puppet that was being controlled by someone else. She was beyond terrified but at the same time she felt that fear was irrational. She knew that he wouldn’t hurt her. Nor would he ever allow anyone else to hurt her. She knew she was safe as long as she had him.

When she felt his arms wrap around her, she felt like she did in her dreams. Loved, desired, needed and wanted. She felt at home in his arms. She could feel his warmth, love and devotion for her as they stood locked in each other’s arms. Whatever thought she had of running for the hills was long gone.

“Do not be afraid, Beloved. I’m here.”

“I don’t understand how any of this is happening.”

He tipped her chin up to look into her eyes. His gaze was deep and smoldering and made her knees weak. As weird and frightening as all of this was to her, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but there in his arms. He rested his head against hers which put her at ease. Listening to his breathing calmed her own.

“Welcome home Beloved.” He whispered softly to her.  

She looked up at him and was lost in his eyes. He took advantage of the moment and kissed her. The passion, force, intensity and power behind his kiss was intoxicating. She wanted more. She needed more. She wanted him. Their kiss ended because something was wrong. She felt a pull towards someone else. It was powerful enough to make her stagger.

“Beloved? What is it?” He asked her.

“Roman…something…is…wrong…” she replies before losing consciousness.

When she woke up the next morning, she was dizzy, disoriented and her head was pounding. Thankfully Roman was by her side.

“Beloved are you awake?” He asked her.

“Yes.” She said in a voice just above a whisper. She was holding the side of her head.

“Are you hurt?” He asked.

“It’s just a headache.” She replies.

“Still…drink.”

He handed her a cup of water. After drinking the water she was able to get her bearings.

“How did I wind up back in this room?” She asked.

“This is our room.” He replies.

“Our room? Where are we?” She asks.

“The den Beloved.” He replied.

“I was here earlier. I was brought and left here.”

“Yes I know. I apologize for that.”

“You knew I was here and never said anything?!” She asked.

“Yes but let me explain. I gave Jett and Isobel the command to bring you here.” He replies.

“You mean you told them to kidnap me?” She asked.

“Yes I did. I had no idea that they would treat you the way that they did. And for that I am deeply sorry. I want you to know that I have no reason to lie to you, Naia.” He replied.

Naia sat completely still trying to process what Roman had just told her. He openly and honestly admitted to having her kidnapped. And she needed to know why.

I'm a survivor. I'm not gon' give up. I'm not gon' stop, oh. I'm gon' work harder. I'm a survivor. I'm not gon' give up. I'm not gon' stop, oh. I'm gon' work harder. I'm the survivor. I'm gonna make it. I will survive. Keep on survivin'.

“If you wanted to see me all you had to do was ask.” She said with a teasing smirk.

“I can’t apologize to you enough. How can I make it up to you?” He asks while taking her right hand in his. His touch was electric and warmed her skin.

“Tell me why I was brought here? What is all of this?” She asked.

“Today was our bonding ceremony, Beloved.” He replies.

“Our bonding ceremony? I don’t understand. What does that mean?” She asked.

“Our hearts, our minds and our souls are connected forever. We are bonded until the end of time.” He replies.

“Like an arranged marriage?” She asks.

“Not exactly. Just an awakening of what was always meant to be between us. You are mine Naia and I am yours. Always and forever.” He replies.

“I believe you. As weird as all of this is to me.”

She could feel the sincerity in his voice. Something in his tone and poster relaxed her. She wasn’t afraid of him. She was intrigued by him.

“Come. It is time for you to meet your people, Naia.”

He stood up holding his hand out to her.

“Let me show you what you were meant to find.”

She took his hand trusting him just as she did in her dreams. She spent the day getting to know everybody. Most like Layla, Callum, Noemi and Grayson seemed nice while others like Isobel, Jett and Barrett left much to be desired. By the end of the day, Naia was tired but not sleepy. Not yet anyway. Roman found her sitting in front of the fireplace in the bedroom, lost in her own thoughts.

“You seem distracted, Beloved.”

“Just trying to process everything that I’ve learned today. That’s all.”

“Come. Allow me to show you something.”

They walked out of the den and to a clearing in the surrounding woods. When they sat down in the grass, they looked up and saw the stars clear as day.

“I wanted to show you this.”

“It’s beautiful! I love to stargaze.”

“Do you Beloved?” He asks.

“Yes! My daddy bought me a telescope when I was a kid and we would look up at the stars with it. My love for the stars inspired my tattoo.” She replies.

He cocked an eyebrow at her then asked, “you have a tattoo?”

She gave him a small smile before moving her hair out of the way, to reveal a tattoo of butterflies and stars along the back of her left shoulder blade.

“It’s beautiful. What does it mean?” He asks.

“The stars represent my dreams and the butterflies represent freedom. And together they mean the freedom to follow my dreams.” She replies.

They went back to looking at the stars. She felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her closer to his chest. She relished in the warmth that came from being close to him. When a shooting star streaked across the sky, both looked up.

“Make a wish, Naia.” He whispered softly in a husky voice. She closed her eyes and made a wish.

“What did you wish for?” He asked.

“I’m not telling you! That would ruin the wish.” She replies.

“I bet that I can guess what you wished for.”

“Oh yeah? What did I wish for Roman?” She challenged him.

He tilted her chin up and kissed her. The kiss was soft yet deep and powerful. For the second time in less than a day, Roman took her breath away. When the kiss ended she was desperate for him.

“That is what you wished for Beloved.” He whispered against her lips.

“Damn…you’re good.”

While her brain was screaming for her to run, her heart kept her in his arms. She was right where she needed to be in that moment. A yawn indicated that she was getting tired.

“It’s late. You should rest.”

“I am not the least bit sleepy.” She said as she yawned again.

“Come Beloved.”

“But I want to stay out here with you.” She whined.

He shook his head at her and smiled. She was perfect to him.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was getting sleepy. It only took 20 minutes for her to doze off. He tightened his arms around her. In one motion, he stood up with her in his arms. He carried her back to the den and put her to bed.

When she woke up the next morning, Roman was gone. As she scanned the room she noticed a giant paw print on the ground. But there wasn’t a dog in sight. The print was wider than her hand.

“Ooooooooooooookaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy apparently there are very big dogs here too…this place just gets weirder and weirder.” She thought to herself as she walked into the main den.

“There you are!” Layla called out to her.

“Layla! You’re here too?” Naia asked.

“I live here.” She replied proudly.

“Why didn’t you tell me about all of this?” Naia asked.

“Because much like everyone else, I thought you already knew. I heard about what happened.” Layla replies.

“You thought I knew about this?” Naia asked.

“I thought your uncle told you that the bonding ceremony would happen.” Layla replies.

“So he knew about this too? Who doesn’t know?” Naia asks, clearly frustrated.

“To be honest, I’m sure the whole town knows.” Layla replies with a shrug.

“Yuuuuup. This whole place is weird. Just weird.”

Layla chuckled.

“How has Roman treated you?” Layla asks.

“He’s made me feel comfortable and welcomed and he’s given me space.” Naia replied.

“Well that explains the look on your face.”

Naia blushed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh. Then why are your cheeks flushed?” Layla asks.

“They aren’t flushed.” Naia replies in protest.

Layla just smirked at her.

“Where is everyone?” Naia asked.

“On a hunt. They’ll be back soon.” Layla replies.

The two chatted and laughed until the Pack returned from a successful hunt.

Later that evening, Naia found herself walking along a creek watching the sun set behind the clouds. That’s when she ran into Trent.

“Naia! There you are!” He said in relief.

“Where else would I be?” She asks.

“I went by your uncle’s place and he said he hasn’t seen you in days. So I figured I’d check near the den to see if you were there.” He replied.

“Well yeah. That’s where I’ve been.”

“Are you alright? Have they hurt you?” He asked.

Naia noticed the panicked urgency in his voice.

“I’m fine and no, they haven’t hurt me.” She replied.

“We have to get you out of here! You’re in danger.”

“From what?” She asks.

“Roman isn’t who you think he is. He’s dangerous Naia. You need to get away now.” He replies.

“What are you doing here?” Roman asks. His voice was booming. And he was flanked by Callum, Jett and Barrett.

“Naia’s coming with me. I’m sure you won’t have a problem with that. After all, you were the one who had her kidnapped!” Trent snapped at him.

“Leave now!”

“Happily! As long as she comes with me.”

“Do NOT test me Trent!”

“Or what?” Trent asked, challenging Roman.

Before Naia could intervene, Roman let out a howl and started to transform along with the others. The muscles on his body contorted, claws and hair sprouted as he grew bigger. Naia watched in complete horror as Roman went from human to a full on werewolf right before her eyes. Trent on the other hand drew his gun.

“Well! Well! Well! If it ain’t the Big Bad Wolf! I wondered when you’d make an appearance.” Trent said, almost giddy.

“She…is…mine!” Roman growled.

“HA! Not if I have anything to say about it!” Trent said through gritted teeth.

I'm a survivor. I'm not gon' give up. I'm not gon' stop, oh. I'm gon' work harder. I'm the survivor. I'm gonna make it. I will survive. Keep on survivin'.

Naia stood frozen in absolute fear. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Roman is an actual werewolf.

[vampiresuns]

Manmarziyan | Haider x Anatole

✴︎ 5.3k words. The Earth has no option but to orbit the Sun, and Sun has no choice but to shine on Earth — only it is a choice, one that Haider and Anatole cannot keep pretending they do not make.

Haider belongs to @atypicalacademic. CWs: contains mentions of 🍋, though it’s not 🍋

Translations, courtesy of Kani: Priyo - darling, Amar shona - my love, Amar Jibon - love of my life.

Title song: Manmarziyan - from the Lootera OST.

Anatole had been learning about the different religions and belief systems of the world since he was little. From mythologies to now-a-days-religions, he found the subject fascinating, even if he didn’t have a personal sense of religious faith. He had done so with Amparo’s and her grandparents, with Milenko, his mothers and his uncle Blasio, and he had done so with his great grandfather’s one. 

The belief system Valerian had been raised in had common motifs with others, but it was a little different to what Anatole was used to. He didn’t quite understand this Death of theirs very much, even though Valerian had told him neither did he when he was his age. However, it made up for being the most confusing with having the best stories around it, in Anatole’s opinion. 

One of Anatole’s favourites was the story of the Sun and the Earth.

The Earth had become enchanted with how beautiful the Sun was. Though it understood the Sun could not always be around —that the object of its affections being gone was necessary so green could grow on Earth, for the Rain too was a blessing— being apart from it was unbearable. 

Thus, the Earth came up with a way to always be close to the Sun. The Earth shook itself and roared until from its flats it created mountain ranges all over the world, each of them competing with each other to see which one would be the tallest, and the closest to the Sun. The Mountains were divine and magnificent, beautiful and awe inspiring, commanders of great respect. 

And just like the Earth had aimed for, some of them had grown so high they could pierce the clouds. 

So the Earth told the Sun: “I did this so we could be together.”

To which the Sun told the Earth: “My foolish beloved! Doing all of this when I shine on you so we can be together. I nurture your plants and I shine on your oceans so I can be with you, and you with me. I have never left you.”

The Earth didn’t understand. It thought the Sun had not liked it’s gift. When the Earth said as much, the Sun laughed.

It told the Earth: “I do love your gift. Not loving your gift would mean I do not love you.”

The Sun cradled the Earth in its hands and with a kiss it said: “And you’ll find not loving you is something impossible to me.”

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

His knock on the door was answered with a distracted ‘come in’ from the other side. His uncle was barefoot, curled up in one of his sofas, reading a book, his reading glasses sitting on the edge of his nose. Anatole called for his attention, and he lifted his index. 

“I am almost done with this chapter, Aelius.” 

Anatole waited, trying not to fidget too much — his uncle always noticed his fidgeting. Other people could take it as talking with his hands, thinking, or impatience, but not Valeriy. Fooling his uncle was as difficult as his uncle fooling him. Instead, he occupied his hands looking at the volumes in his personal parlour’s library, until he heard Valerius close the book and fold his glasses away. 

“Sorry, Aelius, I did not want to lose my track, and this book is very interesting.” 

“Is it the one about the art smugglers you told me about last week?” 

“Very much so. I finally had time to put my hands on it again — wine, dear nephew? I want to see what your coffee-ruined taste buds have to say about my first experimental batch.” 

Anatole indulged him. When he was his private self, Anatole had a very hard time denying his uncle. Especially now that their relationship had improved significantly after it’s mishaps, and he was ever so eager to have his opinion on things. Like he did when he was young, and prepared to fight every Prakran and Balkovian political office to have his nephew working with him. 

“What is it?” He asked as he poured some wine into a glass. “We’ve both established I cannot lie to you, because you notice, and you cannot lie to me, because I notice. So better get out with it instead you pretend it’s nothing.” 

“I need a favour.” 

“Who in the Court do I need to have a chat with?” 

Anatole laughed, accepting the glass of wine when he was sure he wouldn’t spill it. “Nothing like that, this is personal.” 

“Go on. Don’t clam up now, sit with me and give me something I can tease you about.” 

He hesitated for a moment, exhaling slowly, biding his time to make up the courage to just say it. His uncle raised an eyebrow at him. “Out with it. Unless you poisoned someone, nothing you say can be worse than something I’ve done, so do go on.” 

“Val.” 

“Tsk, don’t worry about me, and don’t ‘Val’ me. What is it?” 

Right, better get on with it. “I wanted to know if you could help me find a painting by Thasveer Wazim.”

His uncle looked clearly surprised, putting his glass down, and curling his fingers against his own lips. “Wanting to start your own collection?” 

“It’s a gift for someone else.” 

“Why haven’t I met him? Or them?” 

Anatole made a non-committal gesture and Valerius actually laughed. 

“You began going out with your someone, who must either have a streak for Zadithi painters or is actually related to Wazim, and you didn’t plan to take it this far, but now you’re scarily fond of them”. 

Anatole tapped the side of his nose. “Like a fool.” 

“You’re a lot of things, but not a fool. Who is it then? I will spare myself the comments about his suitability for you, but I will not spare myself the remarks. If we’re going on a little hunt on auction houses and private collectors, at the very least tell me his or their name.” 

“His,” Anatole paused. “It’s his son.” 

“You fell in love with the line of an overthrown aristocrat,” Valerius laughed again, and Anatole threw a small cushion at him, which he caught. 

“How charming of you,” the comment made Anatole roll his eyes. “What’s his occupation now?” 

“He owns a restaurant.” 

“From riches to rags, but well, my great grandmother was a smuggler.” 

“And your grandmother, a partisan.” 

Valerius winced. “Don’t remind me.”

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

Anatole had known Haider Wazim for around a year, they'd been sleeping together for 11 months, and they still hadn’t made anything official, even if they both had agreed that in a month, they’d do something for the year mark. Haider wanted to take Anatole to his studio in the Catclaw desert. Anatole has been in love with Haider Wazim for around 9 months and three weeks, and he still hasn’t told him.

He was already aware how much of a bad idea it was continuing to keep it to himself, as he was aware his ‘casual’ arrangement had absolutely backfired, and given how Haider was, it was questionable if it was ever meant to work. He knew. He lived with that knowledge every day, every time they touched with a little more meaning, every time the sentiments and intentions in Haider’s words drew past his barriers. Because yes, Anatole could use his magic to check on Haider’s feelings, but he felt like it would be an intromision. If Haider wanted him in any other way than sexual, with the added benefit of the pleasure of his company, he would’ve said something, right? 

What Anatole didn’t need right now was his friends and cousins questioning his logic. He knew. 

“My guy, listen,” Leonore said, clicking his mouth, “you are the smartest person I know but I also think you’re being purposefully daft, like proper, massive stupid.”

“I hate to agree with him—”

“Aw. Asra, you warm my heart.”

“Anyway, as I was saying, I know Haider, and I think there’s a chance you’re both acting the same way because no one has said anything. Anatole I’m not going to tell you what to do, but don’t you think it would be better to just say it?”

“He might not, but I will,” Amparo said, “so I compel you to say something. You both are pining, he is acting like your official date, and you’re the Consul. Don’t you think it’s better to clear that up?”

“There’s nothing to clear up, it’s not like I’m madly in love with him or whatever.”

“You know, you are amazing at redirecting topics when you don’t want to answer something, and you might be good at doing the Diplomatic vague statements at work,” Medea said, tenderness in her voice, tenderness that shifted into an accusation as she poked her finger at his chest, “but you suck at doing it with yourself.”

One of the Palazzo’s staff cleared their throat, telling Anatole Haider was looking for him. 

“I asked if there was anything I could do for him, and he asked about you, sir.”

“Right, right, I’ll be right back, I’ll find him, thank you.” 

Once he and his friends were alone again, he was met with no nonsense stares from all Leonore, Medea, Asra, Amparo and Milenko. The latter snorted. 

“I don’t remember your non-official affairs, the non presented to the public, the ‘oh, I’m doing this one for me’ deals to have the power to summon you through your staff. How was it Amparo?”

Amparo’s impression of Anatole had always been good. She cleared her throat. “‘Wait until everyone is gone, and then we’ll attend to each other, does that work for you?’”

“Oh, fuck off. Fine, fine, fine, I’ll tell him soon enough okay? Gods, you’re all terrible.”

“We love you, and we don’t want you to be hurt, or sad, especially by your own hand when there’s no reason.”

“You don’t know that, Amparo, I don’t know that.”

“May the moon hold me tenderly in the face of stubborn asses,” she said, “what happened to the brutally hopeful man I knew in my cousin?”

“Oh, I never said I didn’t hope, I said I didn’t know.”

“Smartass.”

“Oh, my, it might be that we are related, Amparo Elira.”

She stuck out her tongue at him as he straightened his clothes from imaginary wrinkles, finding a mirror to freshen himself up some, evaluating his look. 

“I can feel you all looking at me, and no, this isn’t because I’m about to see Haider.”

“Stop lying,” Leonore said, walking in circles and extending the final g. “I already have enough of your betrayals with you picking up his pronunciation on rasgullas.”

After Anatole was gone, they all stayed behind a bit longer. Amparo was the first to break the silence, asking if they all wanted to bet that Anatole would not actually have the conversation with Haider. As bets came and went, Milenko remained quiet. He disagreed: Anatole would have the conversation with Haider, because he was terrible at lying to himself. He was fairly sure Haider felt the same way about him, too.

However, they would have the conversation at the worst possible time. “Trust the Earth to be as stubborn as the Sun,” he said with a sarcastic snort.

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

In his defence, Anatole did try to have the conversation with Haider. He didn’t try very hard, but he tried. It just so happened that he hated to admit it, because it meant he would have to deal with feelings he didn’t precisely want to deal with outside of himself — the possibility of being rejected if he wanted something more, twisted him up too much. He had tried battling with it, reasoning with it, and just letting it past and taking assertive action and it still loomed over him. 

His friends were aware, his family was aware. Haider had met his parents last November, for Anatole’s birthday. They both had mentioned how happy they were for Anatole, that he had found someone who loved him so transparently. When their son told them this wasn’t that kind of relationship, if it was a relationship at all, they both exchanged concerned looks.

His mother had said: “Oh, honey,” and gave him a pat on the cheek.

Anatole never introduced people he was ‘just sleeping with’ to his family. Ever. He didn’t let those people become part of his routine, he didn’t let them take care of him, he very specifically never subbed for them in sex, because while he did enjoy it from time to time, it required him to feel safe in order to even consider the possibility. Haider had done all of that without even being his boyfriend yet.

They were celebrating anniversaries without being boyfriends yet. Maybe he was a fool. 

In his defence, he had tried. He had tried during said not-anniversary trip and failed catastrophically. He had planned to say ‘Haider, I believe we need to talk’. He had said: “Haider, I want you” instead. When Haider grabbed him, lifting him by putting his hands under his thighs, Anatole had wrapped his legs around his waist instead of stopping any of them to have the dreaded conversation. 

In his defence, Haider was a very good kisser. In his defence, it was very hard not to be tangled in each other. They had begun seeing each other merely because they thought they were hot and flirting was nice and came easy between them. Anatole had a mental catalogue of looks he found positively indecent that Haider had thrown him — categorised alphabetically, by situation, and by date — and he knew he had thrown Haider some which were equally disrespectful.

He had also said Haider had an ass like those very thick and fluffy pancakes, and given a dreamy whistle about other bits of Haider more than once. Like his arms, or his lips. Or his dick if he was going to be honest. 

The first morning of their not-anniversary Catclaw trip, Haider had made him breakfast, Anatole had asked why he was always so good to him, Haider replied “Oh, you know why”. Anatole had gotten him a variety of art supplies and a couple of sketching notebooks as a present, when Haider asked, his reply was the same. It’s what they always said when any of them wanted to say ‘because I love you’ but back tracked on it. Both of them blissfully unaware they were doing the exact same thing. 

He had spent the weekend doing some short hikes and looking at the stars with him — or looking at his hand while Haider pointed at things. When they weren’t acting like a couple, Anatole was too busy putting Haider to his knees. So, once again, in his defence, he was distracted. 

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

Anatole rolled around the bed finding a cold spot to put his feet against, bundling himself up in sheets that weren’t his own. He was still too asleep to register the hour, or the lack of Haider at the other side of the bed, let alone the smells or sounds coming from the kitchen. 

He almost registered it but sleep won, his mind going to his private, faraway dreamland as he slept naked in Haider’s bed, even if mornings like this were on themselves a dream. 

He would only fully open his eyes a quarter to ten, half complaining about Haider kneeling by the bed and giving him small, light kisses, and fully complaining when Haider tried to move again, dragging him back to the bed with him. 

“You’re my prisoner now,” he mumbled, groggy. 

“What about your willing captive?” 

Haider’s fingers had begun tracing figures over his spine. 

“Hm, you can’t say things like that so early in the morning, or I’ll end up saying very compromising things.” 

Haider chuckled, pressing a kiss to the crown of Anatole’s head. “Why?” 

“You know why.”

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

When he returned to work on Tuesday, Medea raised an eyebrow at him.

“I promise I will talk with him, alright?”

After that she dropped the topic, more interested in knowing if her friend had had a good trip rather than telling him what to do.

Anatole had always danced around people he wanted until he knew he could make a strategic move without stepping on false, prone to collapsing ground. Furthermore, this wasn’t the first time Medea has seen him do this dance where feelings were reciprocated but no one did anything. It had happened with Leonore’s older brother, Navneet, it had happened with Julian Devorak. Medea has known Anatole for 10 years. The preliminary dance wasn’t surprising. 

However, both those instances had their reasons not to prosper, finding friendship in the two men instead of a romantic relationship, and they didn’t last as long as the Haider dance was lasting. Granted, one could argue the Navneet one had lasted a couple of years, but once Anatole had become aware of it, it burned and crashed in three months, both parties moving on with their lives. 

This was an abnormally long dance. 

During the two months after their getaway, Anatole’s job got in the way. It seemed more busy than usual, giving him little respite for anything outside of it. When he did get some of those blissful moments, he preferred winding down rather than having emotionally charged and stressful conversations. He loved his job, but it was requiring a lot of his attention, and Anatole wasn’t sure if he would be able to be at his best capacity if everything went wrong with Haider now. 

Something inside him asked about the possibility it went right. Then, Anatole thought, it wouldn’t be a problem, but he would prefer to gamble with the scenario when he wasn’t about to leave on a diplomatic trip.

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

Along the same time Anatole was supposed to be on his diplomatic trip, Haider would be visiting his family for three weeks. Anatole would be close enough to make a detour and see Haider, if he wanted to; given both their travelling schedules, if Anatole took a week after his work trip was done, he could return to Vesuvia with Haider. 

He wanted Haider to want him to be a part of his life to that point, he wanted what they already had but without the weight of yearning and the domesticity between them. He wanted to hear stories from his childhood from his grandparents, and he wanted to have the option to wear one of his scarves or shirts to work, because they shared a room, because they shared all of them with each other. His issue was he had no excuse to shimmy himself into it, nor he felt he had a right to meet Haider’s family, even if he would love to. 

He’d do anything for Haider. He didn’t know how it made him feel.

Around two weeks before he left, Haider and him were standing close to each other, Haider hugging Anatole from behind, both of them swaying to imaginary music. Haider’s thumbs went back and forth over Anatole’s sides, making him want to feel them over his naked skin. 

When Haider began asking about his work trip, he didn’t expect him to ask what he himself had not dared to suggest, the words echoing in Anatole’s head and his heart on his throat. 

“If you wanted, you could make a detour and stay with us. I know it’s not wise, and out of place for me to ask, but I’d love you to meet—”

“Yes. Yes, I’ll go. I’d love to go.”

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

Nadia’s green light was both a relief and a nightmare. The former because he would hate to make Haider hope for something and then take it back. Anatole wasn’t someone who took, he was someone who delivered and was proud of it. The latter because he would meet Haider’s family despite them being formally nothing. 

Natiqa didn’t miss a chance to tease him as soon as she was informed she would be delivering a written report on Anatole’s behalf to her sister. Also involved in the trip as a diplomatic envoy, Anatole’s old acquaintance took more than one chance to remind Anatole of the Vesuvian saying about Consuls and their spouses. 

“Don’t you say that ‘good Counts make their Consul their friend, while good Consuls keep a happy marriage in their beds’?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Anatole said without looking up from the report he was writing. 

“Given that began with your family one would think you do.” 

“We’re not together, Tiqa.”

“Nana, you’re meeting his family.” 

“I know.” 

Though she made a few more jokes at his stake — which was fair, Anatole thought — all she said on the matter was she was there if he wanted to talk. “Even if I haven’t forgiven you for preferring the Vesuvian Court to working with me, but we are still friends, Radošević, because I’m gracious like that.”

Out of time crunches, they didn’t quite get around that chat but Anatole appreciated it all the same. Soon came the time they had to depart, Anatole handing her the full volume of his preliminary Diplomatic report to Nadia before hugging Natiqa good-bye. 

“You’re adorable, Radošević, I’ve never met anyone with more worries, and Nadia’s my sister.”

“I don’t know how to take that.”

“As a compliment.” 

As Natiqa embarked herself in a Vesuvian-bound ship, she turned away to yell at him: “You’re a great catch, Radošević, anyone who doesn’t see that is an idiot!”

Her cat-like, dastardly grin was all the confirmation he needed to know she had done that on purpose.

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

The trip towards Haider and his family was uneventful. Anatole occupied most of his time reading for leisure, or finding things to occupy the passing hours with. It was an 8 hours ride, the distance too short to merit taking a ship there. He arrived past sunset but before the night fully settled in.

Haider was waiting for him, wearing a sky blue scarf that contrasted with his mahogany eyes and his black hair. Anatole didn’t think of it twice, running towards Haider on impulse. He caught him in his arms and spun them around while they hugged. He didn’t let Anatole go when they stopped spinning. 

“Can I kiss you hello?” 

“After not having seen you in so many weeks, I surely would hope you did.” 

Haider, as always, indulged him.

He offered to help carry his things inside, Anatole joking about how he should be thankful he was only carrying two trunks. His third one along with the rest of his things — except for his sword — had gone back to Vesuvia with Natiqa. Anatole accepted the offer, but not before taking a piece of chalk out of his bag and writing a series of glyphs over his luggage. He took a deep breath before putting his hands over each inscription and releasing, the words shimmering and disappearing into the material of the trunks, imbuing themselves in it. Haider couldn’t help staring, marvelling at this facet of  Anatole.

When they both lifted the trunks, they were almost weightless. 

“Comes in handy, doesn’t it?” 

Haider and him exchanged talk about their specific journeys, what the former had been up to with his family, and how Anatole’s work trip had gone, as well as his trip there. 

The closer they got to the house, the more nervous he got. 

“They will love you, I’m sure.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You always frown in the same way when you’re nervous.” 

“And how’s that?”

“As if someone had put some really atrocious ensemble together but you were obliged by politeness to not say anything. Something that’s awful in a non-charming way.” 

“That’s certainly one way of putting it. It’s just— it’s just I haven’t met anyone’s parents in a very long time, that’s all.” 

What he didn’t say was: What will be the use of them loving me, if there’s a possibility you might not. Not how I’d like. 

They were inside now; it was too late to turn back. 

“Everyone, this is Aelius Anatole, my— I mean, the Consul of Vesuvia.” 

“Hi,” Anatole said, with his most confident smile, “it’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

That might have become the most delightful week of Anatole’s life and he still hadn’t had the conversation with Haider, his excuse now being it was a terrible idea to have such a discussion during a trip. 

Haider’s family was lovely. Lively and colourful, a myriad of humbled aristocrats and bohemians who had preferred a life lived with others, for others and for art in its many forms, than a life of privilege. In so many ways it reminded him of his own, with its mismatched ends and its stories that seemed almost like legends of their own. 

There was also Haider. So much of him, under the sun and under the moonlight, clothed and unclothed, in the privacy of their bedroom and in furtive looks stolen when they thought no one else could see. There was Haider and the water, Haider and the kites, Haider and his hands on him, and his lips on his own.

There was him on the veranda, trying to do mehendi on Anatole’s hands and there was them ruining it on accident, too overtaken by craving each other. Most of the paste had ended up on Haider’s skin, but some had on his kurta too. No one had come to retrieve them, so they had no reason to stop. Wasn’t it always like that anyway? Once they began, they couldn’t stop, too much unsaid between them as always, too many things to act on?

Anatole did not regret missing dinner. He was too busy riding Haider in the veranda. He didn’t even mind when, later that night, they both were having dinner in the kitchen, wrapped around each other and looking like a mess of disheveled clothes and henna stains when Haider’s grandfather walked in. Haider had felt compelled to explain themselves, which ended up being more embarrassing than anything else, since Asghar clearly did not buy into Haider’s ‘I was showing him around and Anatole tripped’ excuse. 

His cousin Shaan had walked into the kitchen to get some water right when Haider was explaining, though he stayed until Asghar was gone to make any comments. 

He took a look at them, and gave them a sly, cheeky look. “Yeah, I’m sure there’s plenty to see.”

Haider’s blush intensified, but Anatole raised an eyebrow at him, a cat-like grin on his face. “I don’t know,” he said, nonchalant as could be, throwing a look at Haider’s chest, “I’ve seen that before, so not really.”

Shaan laughed, stating he liked Anatole and asking if they could keep him. Anatole didn’t say how, if Haider wanted to, he’d stay forever.

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

Anatole should’ve known his incapacity to say anything to Haider would come back to bite him on the ass. He had slept in — courtesy of not having had a vacation in a while and staying up until a little too late with Haider. Their pillow-talk had drawn out to the point of becoming another round, so they didn’t go to bed until two am. Haider was gone with Shaan and some of the others in the morning, having left a note and breakfast for him, telling him to enjoy a lay in as much as he wanted. 

Haider came back around lunchtime, walking into the kitchen to find Anatole helping prepare it, looking worried in the way he always did when he tried to pretend whatever which troubled him wasn’t important. He looked that way all over lunch, and he continued to do so when Anatole pulled him away into their shared bedroom to ask him if he was okay.

“I’m just tired, priyo, that’s all.”

“Seriously? You’re going to hit me with the I’m tired line?

“I thought you didn’t do the language magic thing with me,” Haider said, trying to joke.

Anatole pursed his lips. “You’re evading the topic. We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I’m here for you, if you do want to talk.”

Haider sat down on the bed, he sat up again, turning over himself to look at anywhere but at Anatole, until he was looking only at him. “Nana, why did you come?”

“What?”

“You took a purposeful deviation from a work trip. You skipped personally informing the Countess of a serious enough diplomatic trip to send her Consul to.”

“I don’t think Nadia minds me taking a couple of weeks off, since I’m always working, and I sent a full written report with Natiqa, so I don’t see where your question is going.”

“But you always say you don’t do those things.”

“Haider, I can’t even remember the last time I said such a thing. I’m here, isn’t that what matters?”

“Yes, but why, Nana?”

“Oh, Haider, you know why.”

“What if I don’t?”

If someone would’ve had access to Anatole’s mind in that moment, he would’ve heard high pitched screaming. A note so high it was only audible to dogs, never mind Anatole’s voice register wasn’t nearly as high as such a thing suggested. Dreads settled in his gut as they started one of the most stupid circular arguments Anatole has ever witnessed or been part of. It was like there was a duplicate of himself watching them fight, shaking his head at him, saying ‘I told you so’  while he realised that if this was it, if for some reason this was how it ended, as dramatic as it sounded, he didn’t know if he’d ever fully come back from it. 

The argument was too stupid for Anatole to let it fester any further. 

“How can you not know that I love you, Haider? How can you not realise that I’m in love with you?” 

Well, he said it. It was out. The only way to get out of this conversation was there was no way to get out of that conversation now. Unless, of course Anatole climbed out of the window without breaking a leg in the process. 

“Iloveyoutoo,” Haider blurted out without missing a beat. A somehow candid and terrified look on his face, which went away when he repeated the words, more slowly, more surely. “I love you too, amar shona.” 

The certainty in his words made Anatole forget how to breathe. “You— you love me too?”

“I do. More than anything.” 

Anatole barely let him finish that sentence. He made his way across the room in a flash, walking over the bed (thank the Gods he was barefoot) to close the distance between them as fast as he could. He climbed on Haider, pulling him into a kiss, and Haider caught him in his arms — Haider would always catch him, Haider would always be there, and he was a fool not to realise it sooner. 

“I love you,” Anatole said against his lips, “I’m so sorry I didn’t say it sooner.” 

Haider kissed him back, wrapping his arms around him like Anatole could evaporate in front of him at any moment. All his family had told him not to let him go, and now, now that he knew himself loved and Anatole knew he loved him, he would hold onto him until he had a chance to say it for all the months he wanted and didn’t. 

“I love you too,” he said between kisses. “Amar shona, Amar Jibon.” 

Anatole knew the language. He didn’t need Haider to translate to know he just called him both ‘my love’ and ‘love of my life’. Haider repeated it in every space between kisses where he could fit the words, over and over again.

✴︎ ✴︎ ✴︎

When he was around ten and Valerian had told him the story of the Earth and the Sun for the hundredth time, he said he wished someone loved him like that one day. 

Valerian had kissed his forehead. “You will find your Earth, I’m sure of it.”

Now that he was lying on top of Haider, spent and happier than he had ever been, he knew he had. 

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

Can I ask what types of relationships does your school and their students have with NRC and their students?

It’s here, and it’s a behemoth lol. Thank you very much for your ask, Anon! It ended up being super long, lol. 👀

WNA-NRC: The two have a long history together and are considered to be part of the top three magical schools alongside RSA. However, due to their similar values and principles WNA and NRC have always had more of a closer bond. The two schools have a ‘monthly campus visit’ policy in which students from both schools are able to make visits between campuses. WNA girls usually visit at the beginning of the month, while NRC boys return the favour at the end. The purpose of those visits is to have the schools maintain their friendly relationships with each other and observe the going-ons of each institution. NRC’s more modern approach has become of high interest to WNA, who’s more traditionally inclined, and their Headmistress has insisted very much on this bond being preserved even now. The schools are often considered ‘siblings schools’, with WNA being NRC’s sister and NRC being WNA’s brother. 

The students themselves have a much less formal relationship. WNA are stereotypically extremely shrewd and mischievous, a bundle of chaos hiding behind the face of an angel. They enjoy visits to the NRC campus because it gives them the opportunity to go wild and have fun, something that WNA’s more strict environment doesn’t permit them. Moreover, visiting gives them plenty of opportunities to create mischief and flirt with the boys there for their own amusement. 

Moreover, WNA also organises the Spring Debutante Ball every year in March which is an event that brings the three schools together for a night of socialising and dancing. The girls actually have a small notebook which lists all the boys’ charm points and use it as a means of choosing “targets”.

Ruggie, Jamil, Deuce and Jade ended up being extremely popular among the students population of WNA due to various reasons, while people like Leona, Malleus and Vil are considered part of the ‘look, but don’t approach’ category because they’re considered annoyingly difficult to deal with. 

During the Magift Inter-school Tournament between NRC and RSA, WNA girls are known to lead the chants for the two schools, with drums and megaphones, much like an ōendan. They also attend the VDC as spectators each year, and they look forward to seeing the boys perform songs and dances. 

Ursa Astoria: The Headmistress of WNA is familiar with both the Headmaster of NRC as well as its History teacher. Ursa’s more strict and formal approach often clashes with Crowley’s more laissez-faire attitude. Many have noted that they look eerily similar to a grandmother scolding her unruly grandchild when they interact, since Ursa is quick to lecture Crowley on not keeping a tight enough grip on his students and letting them run wild at school. “A little mischief is good to keep the heart young, but they should never need more than a glance to know when to stop.” However when she’s not scolding him, the two get along quite well, getting together for tea every three months or so. Crowley himself bends rather easily in front of Ursa due to the sheer power of her personality and presence. 

She and Trein know each other from when they were young, and he was her NRC escort during the Spring Debutante Ball. According to Alkin they even dated for a while but broke up due to their very differing personalities: him being a cat person, and she a bird one. The break up was amicable, and even to this day they remain good friends.  

Frau Perchta Yaga: Though she refuses to reveal how, it seems that Yaga is familiar with Crowley. Though they rarely interact, because Crowley goes out of his way to avoid her whenever he’s visiting WNA. 

Alkin: Crowley once mentioned that he does not get along with cats, and this applies to his relationship with Alkin to a certain extent as well. Though the two are not hostile to one another, Crowley gets rather irked by the way Alkin dismisses his presence or ignores him when he doesn’t feel like dealing with him. Alkin simply does not care much for the NRC Headmaster. Though the two seem to have a past together, neither really talks about it all that much.

Moreover, Alkin seems familiar with Lilia as well and on much more neutral terms. He does however comment that he finds it odd that the fairy would agree to pose as a high school student at his age.

Rosenhex

Traditionally Rosenhex students have always had good relations with Pomefiore, and it is especially true for this generation as well. The two dorms have similar attitudes regarding beauty and how to achieve it through hard work, however while Pomefiore specialises in potions and poisons, Rosenhex specialises in charms and enchantments.

The Prefect of this dorm, Rosalia, is a work colleague of Vil and the two have collaborated before on some modelling gigs and movies. Rosa admires him quite a bit because he is in a similar position to her (wishing not to be typecast anymore) and his refusal to take any more villainous roles has also inspired her to speak up and tell her manager she’ll be dropping the role of ‘Cherry’. The two have an amicable relationship that is mutually beneficial to both parties. 

Vil was also the one who introduced her to Jack, who is her love interest. Because Rosa wanted to audition for a role that required a ‘wild image’ she asked Vil for advice, who referred her to Jack suggesting that she observe him and his mannerisms since among the Savanaclaw dorm, he considers Jack the best example of what a proper beastman should be when portrayed in media. Rosa and Jack get along quite well, as both enjoy exercise and sports. It’s a typical teen romance and Rosa’s first actual crush that ends up going anywhere. Though for the longest time she was very scared of taking a step beyond ‘crush’ for fear of ruining their relationship, so it took Jack taking charge and confessing to actually make realise it was time to move to the next stage. 

Much like with Vil, Rosa seems to have a positive relationship with Rook, who does praise her for trying to adopt an image that tends towards ‘wild beauty’, saying that is also fantastic to witness. Among the many negative comments Rosa received on her Witch Dance performance livestream, Rook’s was one of the few positive ones.

She doesn’t have a good relationship with Cater on the other hand, since he constantly asks for a selfie with her due to her celebrity status. She’s left behind the image of ‘Cherry’ and so she doesn’t want to be associated with it anymore. 

Grimmaire

Traditionally Grimmaire students have had good relationships with the Octavinelle dorm, but the recent change in leadership has caused the Prefect, Blanche, to distance herself from it. She does not approve of their underhanded way of doing things, thus it seems that she’s become rather close to Heartslaybyul instead. 

Riddle is Blanche’s love interest and fellow study partner. The two met during his first year at NRC where during an Unbirthday Party, Blanche commented on the lacking form of the then Prefect who was unable to recite the 810 rules of the Queen of Hearts. After Riddle became Prefect he invited her back to Heartslaybyul to ‘wash’ the dorm’s reputation in the eyes of WNA. Because both are rather studious they often communicate with each other to discuss all sorts of ideas and articles. In typical Grimmaire fashion, Blanche left an encrypted note containing a riddle in one of the books she lent him and ever since then the two have started to talk to each other via this method. They enjoy this highly intellectual rapport they have with the other, even though it does take both of them quite a while to realise they’re romantically interested in the other.

More surprisingly, Blanche has a good relationship with both Ace and Deuce, but for completely different reasons. Deuce looks up to her as a fellow model students he wishes to learn how to emulate to make his mother proud. Ace initially considered her a stick in the mud, and overly serious, until she unexpectedly cracked a really good joke and he was blown away by the contrast. Now both of them look forward to her arrival but for entirely different reasons. Blanche herself is rather fond of them too, and even strives to tutor them sometimes, with Ace finds bothersome and Deuce appreciates very much. 

Kriegskald

Under normal circumstances, Kriegskald would get along best with Ignihyde given their interest in magical constructions. However, due to the girls’ forceful personalities and the boys’ more reclusive nature they tend to clash quite often. The fact that Kriegskald tends towards steampunk, while Ignihyde tends towards cybernetics also makes it more unlikely that they would get along. The current Prefect, Marcia, was initially interested in trying to recruit Idia as a sponsor so her broom racing career to take off properly, but has had no such luck, so she gave up and set her sights on somebody else. 

It just so happens that that somebody is none other than the heir of a multimillionaire family. Whenever Marcia visits NRC she always pays a visit to Kalim, to hang in Scarabia, enjoy the good food and try to talk him into giving her money and/or become her sponsor. Kalim himself seems quite willing to do so, since Marcia’s enthusiasm for flying is on the same level as his, so the two have a lot of discussions on this particular topic. Her attempts at getting him to sponsor her always fail however due to Jamil’s interference, who always reminds Kalim he can’t give out his money away like that just because someone asks for it. He and Marcia don’t have the most positive relationship as a result, with her complaining that he shouldn’t be so strict on Kalim, and him pointing out she just says that because she wants to scam him.

Another person Marcia keeps bothering about sponsoring is Leona, who as the second prince of the Afterglow Savannah should have the necessary funds to sponsor an athlete. She did not have much luck there either as Leona either completely avoids her, or pretends he’s in deep sleep when she does come across him. They have spent more than a few afternoons in this position in which Marcia patiently waits for him to wake up, while Leona actually falls asleep while pretending. Though he is annoyed by her persistence, he does find her efforts impressive in their sheer stubbornness.

Marcia has attempted to talk to Malleus on this topic too, but has always been stopped by Sebek, who yells at her about bothering the ‘Young Master’ and being a suspicious person. The two don’t really get along, as Marcia finds his constant interventions annoying, and Sebek is enraged that she would dare bother Malleus about this sort of thing. It’s generally a disaster when Sebek catches Marcia trying to get into Diasomnia.

Galdtrea 

Because plants are often used in alchemy, Pomefiore and Galdtrea usually have a positive relationship. However, the current Prefect seems to not be able to get along at all with Vil, due to their clashing worldviews. June has a similar opinion of his dorm as she has of Rosenhex: frivolous rich city kids who never worked a day in their life. The fact that Vil is on good terms with Rosa only strengthens her opinion and she tends to avoid Pomefiore and its students usually, since she flies off the handle easily. The only exception to this being Epel, who eventually becomes her love interest. She did not think much of him at first, as she considered him a mere scaredy cat, rich and spoiled kid, but was very surprised when he shot off at her after becoming angry enough. As fellow farmers they understand better than anybody what it means to struggle with hard work and responsibilities, so June feels like there is someone who finally understands what her struggles are. 

When coming to NRC she usually spends her time in the botanical gardens checking out the plants and planting techniques used there. Because she avoids Rook, since she thinks he’s creepy, she usually accidentally bumps into Trey, who she considers more bearable. Though she gets frustrated if they get on the topics of families, since his ‘Big Brother’ aura makes her incredibly annoyed. They usually just stick to the topic of plants as a result.

Another person June seems to potentially get along with is Jamil. I say potentially because while they seem able to bond over their shared helplessness in terms of not having autonomy over their own person, June gets annoyed by the fact that Jamil does not simply tell Kalim off when he’s being unreasonable. She does not understand Jamil’s loyalty to his family at all, and just gets annoyed at him not really doing anything about his situation. She’s very much ruled by her emotions so his calculated approach is not something she can resonate with.

Monarchia

Traditionally Monarchia has always been close to Savanaclaw due to their similar aesthetic. The two dorms are sufficiently wild that they mesh together quite well, and they are most at ease in each other’s company. Moreover, Monarchia girls are rather respected among the Savanaclaw dorm and often adopt a big sister-like figure to the boys. It’s most prominent with Monarchia’s Prefect who is also treated like a Big Sister by her girls. Diana’s wild tendencies and close connection to animals make her blend right in with Savanaclaw’s roughness. As a citizen of the Afterglow Savannah and a follower of pack hierarchy, she respects the Kingscholar greatly, and thus Leona by default. Though she claims she is a bit disappointed by how Leona doesn’t display the same ferocity he did three years ago since she considered it ‘beautiful’. Leona on his part says he dislikes being nagged like this, but also seems to appreciate the fact that Diana takes him as he is and doesn’t compare him to his older brother. She is also on good terms with Jack and Ruggie who she treats similarly to how she treats her younger brothers.

Because she is a big eater, she also frequents Mostro Lounge and ends up spending time in the company of Azul who is her love interest. Their first meeting was a disaster, with Diana calling him “a newborn calf” due to how unstable he was on his feet during his first year on land. Spurned by anger, Azul made it a point to try and get her to sign a contract to steal her magic and humiliate her in return, but it just lead to a game of cat and mouse which eventually resulted in feelings forming. Though he’s very much in denial about it for a long time. 

Diana also gets along quite well with the Leech brothers, in the sense that they recognise each other as fellow predators. The two are somewhat impressed by her utter fearlessness as not even Floyd’s threats of ‘squeezing’ her seem to have had any effect on her. Because she’s proving to be quite amusing they became fond of her, though that feeling is always subject to change. Floyd calls her ‘crocodile-chan-senpai’ and likes to bother her for stories about the beasts and monsters she tamed and fought throughout her life. He sometimes even listens to her requests, in the same vein he listens to Rook and Vil. Jade is amused by her sharp mind and killer instincts, and likes having discussions on various topics with her. They both like to needlessly grill Azul about his feelings for Diana for their own amusement.

Diana’s oddest relationship is with Rook, who seems to find her wild tendencies very charming and fascinating, while she’s annoyed by him due to the fact that he calls himself a ‘hunter’. Having had a bad run in with poachers in the past, she does not take kindly to people hunting animals for trophies, rather than sustenance. Rook’s presence makes her alert and cautious, and his general oddness just makes her more suspicious of him. Rook’s own fascination for her seems to stem from the fact that, as he puts it, her eyes occasionally sparkle with something inhuman in them. Like she’s more beast than human.

Oraluna

Traditionally, Oraluna has always had close ties with Scarabia, as both dorms have an interest in star movements and researching their patterns. While it continues to maintain them, the current Prefect, Cassandra, has shown interest in forging relationships with Diasomnia as well. This is mostly due to her vested interest in learning more about her fairy heritage and having heard that the future King of the Valley of Thorns is attending Night Raven she thinks it would be nice to be acknowledged by him as a fairy as well. Unfortunately, her shy nature makes it difficult for her to approach Malleus. She respects him greatly, to the point she idolises him, but it also means she finds in difficult to get along with him since she’s always worried about offending him by accident. So she tries to work up her courage to talk to him, while Malleus simply regards her as a bit odd, and is uncomfortable with the fact that she acts so scared around him. He merely wants to experience a normal high school life so he does not understand why Cass behaves as if he expects everybody to treat him in a special manner.

Cass also shows a lot of respect towards Lilia too, which means that she falls for his pranks rather easily. He always claims to teach her about fairy customs and traditions but he mostly makes up stories for his own amusement. Cass does not contradict his claims no matter how absurd they are, because she thinks it would be rude. On the other hand, she seems to actually consider Lilia’s cooking delicious which endears her to him greatly and makes him approve of her eventual friendship and relationship with his son. Out of everybody in Diasomnia, Cass feels closest to Silver, who is her love interest. His diligent nature and kindness won her over completely and she thinks of him as the knight who saved the damsel in distress her grandmother would often tell her about when she was young. Silver himself seems to find Cass a bit odd due to her professed love for his father’s cooking and other quirks, but overall sweet and endearing.

She seems to have a somewhat positive relationship with Sebek too, since she idolises Malleus too, so they often openly praise him to one another. Sebek seems not to mind Cass’ presence as much since she obviously understands Malleus’ greatness. However, after Lilia begins to teach her how to embrace her fae ancestry, he’s among her only victims when it comes to the pranks she pulls. They are extremely innocuous and rather lame, as Ace might bluntly put it, but Sebek still falls for them every time to everybody’s amazement. 

She also seems to have a bad relationship with Azul since he tried to talk her into coming to do some fortune telling for Mostro Lounge customers as a special treat. She categorically refused him since it reminded her too much of when people asked her to tell their fortune just to profit off her abilities. Ever since then, she’s completely avoided him whenever she comes to visit. 

Eliksia

The dorm which Eliksia normally got along with would be Pomefiore, since they both have a clear focus on alchemy. However, current Eliksia Prefect, Agatha, seems to deeply dislike Vil due to him being one of those ‘shiny’ people she despises. His positive relationship with Rosa, which Agatha also hates, only makes her more convinced Vil is not the sort of person she wants to have around, so she has completely avoided him and the Pomefiore dorm building ever since she became Prefect.

As a result, whenever she visits the NRC campus she mostly hangs around Sam’s shop, who she considers her ‘Big Brother’ due to him having helped her gain a human form when she first expressed a desire to explore the surface world. His help has gained him her eternal gratitude so she makes sure to visit each time she’s on campus. She merely huddles in a corner and makes conversation with him about various topics which invariably freak out anybody who eavesdrops on them. She likes how Sam won’t judge her for behaving the way she does, and makes sure to always buy something as a show of appreciation for letting her hide in there. 

Other people Agatha can’t stand are Kalim, Ace, Deuce, Rook, Cater, Trey, Riddle- It would actually be easier to count the number of people she does like and that’s mostly only Ortho. Though she was initially skeptical of him due to being related to Idia (who she thinks is not good enough for her Big Sister), she eventually warmed up to him when she realised how knowledgeable and how absolutely deadly he actually is. The fact that he does not make fun of her appearance and has even complimented her teeth (because they look his Idia’s) has only made her fonder of him. So she does not mind if he approaches her for a chat when she’s on the NRC campus.

She does not get along at all with the Leech twins, since she considers them bigger predators and Floyd annoys her Big Sister, nor with Azul, since octopuses eat crustaceans too, which are the main food source for flashlight fish like her. She generally tends to avoid them since she can’t really stand them all that much. 

Noctasis 

The dorm’s dark elegance and grace has traditionally made it a good fit for Diasomnia who exhibits a similar aesthetic. Though that would usually be the case, the current Prefect, Vita, is much closer to Idia, which is natural given that the two are engaged and he is her love interest. As they were betrothed when they were five and six years old respectively, they are childhood friends. Vita’s more forceful personality often clashes with Idia’s more reserved one on the surface, but they are in actuality pretty in sync. Vita appreciates Idia’s intelligence as well as his mean side and takes delight in encouraging him to express his displeasure more loudly, rather than be afraid of what others might think of him. Idia cannot understand how Vita can care so little for what others think about her, but also admires this side of her. She’s very devoted to him, but does not mean she will hold back when she whips him in shape so he’ll be a more functional person and more confident in himself. On the whole the two get along quite well, and are gaming buddies, since Idia taught her how to play video games when they were younger. She’s become quite proficient at it however, much to Idia’s ire since it means she often beats his high scores. He’s also tried getting her into anime, manga or light novels but has had no luck on that front yet. Vita also calls him ‘husband’ generally, which he initially found embarrassing but now doesn’t mind anymore. The two also have a dog (Kerberos breed) together who spends most of the time with Vita, but is extremely attached to Idia as well. 

Vita also has a good relationship with Ortho, in theory at least. Because he’s Idia’s brother she treats him well and is very pleasant to him, but is also uncomfortable in his presence to a certain degree. His creation goes against her family’s beliefs and Idia clings to him as a security blanket which makes it difficult for him to learn how to move on from the past, which bothers Vita quite a bit. But she understands it’s not Ortho’s fault so she takes most of her complaints to her husband, something that causes quite a few fights between them. Ortho himself is unaware of this.

Incidentally, it was Ortho who gave her the nickname ‘Vita’ when they were young children and it stuck The fact that Ortho uses it even now gives her mixed feelings.

Another person Vita gets along with is Ruggie since she found him amusing in his attempt to get close to the Shrouds because they’re a noble family. His mischievous personality also endears him to her more and thus she’s become fond of having him around or taking him to Mostro Lounge to buy him lunch and get the latest gossip regarding the students of NRC. Ruggie himself also seems to like Vita since she’s very generous with her money and sometimes jokingly even calls her ‘Big Sis’ (in the same manner delinquent girls are called ‘big sis’ within their group).

Vita also finds a lot of enjoyment in annoying Azul ever since she met him at Idia’s club. Whenever she drops by Mostro Lounge with Ruggie she also seeks out Azul just to entertain herself on his behalf by trying ruffle his feathers. For a provocation expert like her the task is very enjoyable, though she also has to put up with Floyd’s unpleasant presence too. She is on better terms with Jade who is somewhat similar to her in that he enjoys trolling him, and the two often have repartees whenever they have time to chat, speaking in metaphors and odd allusions.   

These are all the very condensed versions, but I plan to make some posts dedicated just to relationship mapping since I find it interesting. 👀

Also, I know there are some peeps that have WNA OCs so do feel free to join in with how your OCs interact with NRC if you want to!

[selfships-in-spanish]

In the magic AU you implied that violence against non-gifted wasn’t uncommon (when a wizard was angry at a non-gifted, that only meant trouble). Now I’m imagining the boys, with all their power and privilege, occasionally hear of “isolated” incidents of attacks against non-gifted among the other white noice of things that don’t concern them. They always shrug and think “so why should I care?” And go about their day. 1/2

But now they are slowly growing closer to this fiery, beautiful, amazing, non-gifted gardener who speaks to them as equals. (Not once do they recall being honestly called out for their shortsightedness. They assumed it was because they were incapable of such missteps, but she had no problem correcting that notion. It was… refreshing) and suddenly they find themselves growing fonder of her. And they care. They care very, very much 2/2

AAAAAANOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!! YOU CAME TO SLAP ME WITH FEELS? Yes please come in, have a seat. Do you want some tea?

But here, have this. It has been sitting on my drafts quite a while, mulling over details and if I was happy with where this was going. 

For now I think I am, though! Enjoy this little monster of almost 3k words! :DDD

Isolated attacks weren’t uncommon. They weren’t given many media coverage, which only helped in keeping the people unaware of such incidents.

But still, they happened.

The soft sound of music coming from the old radio filled the silence of the living room. Connor was revising some important documents he had to take home, while Richard enjoyed a well-loved book. He insisted on leaving the windows and doors open, letting the sounds of summer inside. Richard enjoyed the birds chirping on the magnificently well cared garden, the bugs joining in. He also found that he quite liked the sounds of Ona gently working over the plants and flowers, humming along the song on the radio. The soil being moved, bad sprouts cut, water cascading down the leaves, the fresh smell of wet earth…

“We are sorry to interrupt this lovely song, but we got some breaking news to deliver. Don’t worry our fellow music lovers, we won’t take too long,” the voice of the radio host took them three out of their thoughts. 

Connor lifted his pen and looked at the old radio (Richard insisted on enchanting it. He liked the aesthetic); this might truly concern him. Richard stopped mid-sentence and waited. Ona kept working. 

“There have been reports of a great fire burning down Oakheart High, on the non-gifted district of Frostford. There has been no casualties reported, although some minor injuries from smoke inhalation and general panic. It is suspected that the fire is of magical origin, performed by isolated individuals.” Both Connor and Richard heard Ona’s tools clatter to the ground, followed by the sound of a pot shattering into tiny pieces. “It is known there are a lot of conflicts on that area due to the proximity of the non-gifted district to the Goldcrest district. We will keep you updated.”

Music resumed as it was before. Connor and Richard shared a worried look. They heard about the confidential plans for demolishing the ‘slums’ to build new high-end residences for wizards. People were at edge, ready to jump, and this was not good news for anyone. Richard threw his book on the sofa, sprinting outside while Connor dropped the pen on the table, probably smearing ink on the documents. They came to a halt on the doorframe when they saw her standing eerily still. Ona had her hands on the workbench, head hanging low between her shoulders. Her gloved hands were squeezing into fists, the fabric protesting for the abuse. The tools remained on the floor next to the shattered pieces of ceramic mixed with fresh and healthy soil. The cheery jazz song filled the suffocating silence, but the tune felt like knives on their chests. 

Connor waved his hand and turned it off.

“Ona?” Richard felt brave, taking a cautious step. He stepped on one of the broken pieces. The crunching sound resonated all over the little greenhouse, making Ona visibly flinch. Richard noticed it, knowing there was a story behind it. They couldn’t see her face, her fluffy white mane covered it, which made the brothers worry even more.

“Are you…?” ventured Connor.

“No, I’m not okay.” her voice was hoarse, as if she had a knot deep inside her throat. “How can I be okay?” Connor’s face softened to a pained expression.

Richard came to a halt next to her quivering form. He didn’t know if his touch would be welcomed right now, but he had to try. His big hand gently covered hers, squeezing lightly, and he felt her sob shatter her entire will. He took her on his arms, not minding how his clothes were getting absolutely ruined by the wet soil on her gloved hands. He could feel the warm wetness of her tears soak his shirt, her body tremble with every barely stiffed sob. Richard held her tighter, his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back while the other hand buried itself on soft curls.

Connor felt his heart squeeze painfully inside his chest. To see Ona, brave and fierce and beautiful Ona crumble like dry clay was gut-wrenching. Her determination and tenacity were enviable. She could move mountains with it, change the world, change…

Change them.

She changed them. Opened their eyes to the sheer horror they perpetuate with their laws, their lack of empathy for fellow human beings. They had to do with this, with the never-ending attacks on innocent people. Their silence was complicit. What were they afraid of? Why did they need to prove and reaffirm their supremacy? The more advanced species? Connor understood it now. It felt like a bitter revelation.

Deep down they knew that non-gifted were an unstoppable force through their sheer will. They could accomplish anything with only their brains and hands, no cheat codes, no magic to aid them.

Dear Lord, they had been such heartless imbeciles, driven by the most human emotion.

Fear.

“I’m sorry.” Came Ona’s muffled voice. She untangled herself off Richard’s chest, cheeks burning in mild embarrassment at the wetness she left there. Richard shushed her, still caressing her back.

Connor approached them with a handkerchief he summoned in his hand, offering it to her. Her tears still ran down her cheeks, unable to stop them. She took it with a barely noticeable smile. Connor felt his insides freeze painfully.

“Why don’t we get inside?” he tried, his hand softly grazing her arm. Richard nodded at him.

“C’mon, let’s take these out.” Richard gently took her gloved hands in his and pulled off the heavy gloves, dropping them on the table. She let him, not fighting his warm hands. Richard softly tugged her to follow him, Connor already inside preparing a soothing glass of cold lemonade. He knew Ona loved it in summer.

Ona left jugs and bottles full of homemade lemonade, her grandmother’s recipe, complaining about the absolute disgrace of a lemonade they bought. She somehow managed to revive the almost dead lemon tree and used it for cooking and drinks. 

Connor set a glass right in front of her.

They made her sit down between them, their body heat somewhat comforting despite the hot weather. Ona took a sip.

“I…” she didn’t know where to begin. She wanted to say a lot, everything, but at the same time she wanted to curl herself up and cry. She should start somewhere, though. “I attended that school. We used to live close to the border before my mother found a better job. I remember the building as an old tattered thing, cracks on the walls, broken chairs piled up in corners, fields that saw better days… But it was our school. We grew up there, made friendships, learned about things and the world in there.” both brothers listened, eager to know more about this brilliant woman. She usually didn’t share much about her past, only tiny bits here and there. “It hurts to know it’s on fire. My school is burning, my childhood is burning!” her voice gained a painful edge, starting to lean towards rage. “But it’s… It’s not…” Ona took a deep breath.” Crudely, it’s just a building, but what fills me with despair and so much anger is the fact of knowing that there were children there. It’s still being used, it’s full of people and those… those pathetic excuses of wizards decided it’s cool to set a busy school on fire.”

It was true that the behaviour of those wizards should be punished, pursued and brought to justice. But both Connor and Richard knew how very unlikely it was for that to happen. They knew far too well the procedures of such deeds. ‘Isolated cases, unstable individuals, disturbed youths…’. The wizarding society was unable to see the mistakes they were doing. They prefer to cover their ears and eyes, to hold onto this veil of ignorance, than to actually do something about the injustices they committed.

Ona stared at her feet, a somber expression covering her face. Connor and Richard didn’t know what to do, how to handle this situation. They were in fact a part of this problem, accomplices. Ona took a shaky breath. 

“What…” Her voice was barely a whisper now, hurt and pain coating it. “What are we to you?”

Those last words felt like a knife twisting in their guts. 

What are they? To wizards? To them? What is Ona to them both? They felt her words choke them in the realisation of the nature of their kind. Connor rubbed his hands together in a nervous attempt to ground himself.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ona.” Connor suddenly felt brave enough to try to say something, but the words tasted like dust. “I know how my words cannot make it all go away, or fix it, no amount of ‘I’m sorry’s’ will ever be enough for what we have done. To your people, to you.” He decided to venture a look to her face, the knife twisting further at her fresh tears. 

It seemed his words helped Ona to open up further, to spill her feelings and fears.

“You really don’t know how it is to not know when the next attack will be. If you will be trapped in it, if you or someone close to you will be the next. You live in fear.” She attempted to dry her tears with her hand, but more kept coming. “This feeling that you are not allowed to exist by simply being… you. That we are some kind of crime. Why? Why do you despise us so much?”

“We do not–”

Ona chuckled wetly.

“Yes you do.” Ona could recall the offended looks when they bumped into each other on that rainy day, as if she was some sort of annoying fly. 

The brothers felt sick. 

No.

No no no. 

NO.

“How could anyone hate you?” Richard whispered, upset at the thought of it. She was brilliant, strong, fierce, absolutely amazing. Magical.

Ona waved on the radio’s direction, her puffy eyes boring into Richard’s blue ones.

“Ask them.”

Both brothers didn’t know what to do, what do say. Guilt was eating at them both, remembering all the times they ignored the issue, frowned when a non-gifted crossed their paths, when they heard about an incident how they thought that maybe it was justified, somehow.

How they treated her the first time they met. Oh, dear Lord.

Ona’s rage and pain dulled into a strange calmness, but the brothers could see how her heart was bleeding grief and sorrow. She suddenly stood up, setting the half drank glass of lemonade on the coaster on top of the beautiful oak and glass table.

“I’m… I’m going to retire for the day, if you don’t mind.” Connor and Richard immediately stood up as well, following her with their eyes like two lost pups. They both made the attempt to reach out, to hold her hands and reassure her she was being listened. She paused on the doorframe leading to the main hall and the big and beautifully crafted stairs. Ona looked like she was about to say something but stopped herself at the last moment.

She disappeared and went upstairs to her wing of the house. Connor and Richard heard the creaking of the stairs under her weight and the thud of her steps on the regal carpet.

The brothers felt a dull ache in their chests. They felt like they should chase her, wrap her in their arms, safely tucked in them, and—

Richard went to the cabinet where he stored his finest liquors. He poured a considerable amount of whiskey on two glasses and came back to his brother’s side, offering a glass. Surprisingly, Connor took it and sat down. The amber liquid burned down his throat, hoping it would burn and melt too the ache inside.

Silence engulfed them. It was thick, threatening to choke them both.  They could hear the antique grandfather clock ticking loudly on the corridor, its sound almost drowning the chirps and buzzes of the cicadas and birds outside the garden.

The brothers looked defeated. What was the point of being powerful, an authority, if they couldn’t help those who needed them most? Richard drowned the rest of his glass in one go, looking at the beautiful garden without really looking, lost in his thoughts.

“We have to do something.” Richard’s voice was strained, still not looking away from the spot he fixed his gaze on. “We cannot… This has to end. We cannot turn a blind eye anymore.”

“How do we do this?” Connor sat back on the sofa, crossing his legs and frowning upon considering their possibilities and choices. “Amanda is a straight no. Neither is Perkins.”

“Markus is an option. The Manfreds never agreed with the laws concerning the non-gifted. They could be even called allies. Carl Manfred was always frowned upon his choices, but maybe someone as powerful and controversial as him will make people listen. Somehow.” Richard set the glass down on the table.

“What about Anderson?” Connor’s eyes shifted to his brother’s, who in return did the same.

“He is a wild card.” Richard stood up, pacing around the room while considering their options. “After the incident with his wife and kid…”

“I know.” Connor tapped his lips, deep in thought. “But we all know who the real culprits are, don’t we?”

“True.” They took part in the investigation but were ordered to keep it down. Hank knew, but he was too tired from the hospital visits to his son and grieving his loss of a wife to care about anything else. “We could make him finally move and pursue the culprits. Use his case to show the cruelty of wizards and how it’s truly mindless violence, directed at anyone who stands in their path. How it affects us all.”

“It would be like a domino effect.” Connor stood up with a hopeful note in his voice, pointing at Richard for his idea.

“We can do this.” Richard could feel Connor’s enthusiasm spread all over his body. “We can change things.”

“We can change the system.” Connor could feel a smile tugging at his lips.

“If she changed us, us–” Connor’s grin was contagious and Richard could feel it. He walked over to Connor with his hands spread on each side, conveying the spirit he was feeling with quick gestures. “We can change them.”

The brothers stood mere inches from each other, panting slightly in their excitement. Twin grins evolved into tiny giggles that ended up as thrilled laughter. They pressed their foreheads together as they used to as children, the laughter shaking them. Richard grabbed Connor’s nape, squeezing as if channeling the power and strength of his words. Connor did the same, reciprocating the raw spirit of their determination.

“We are doing this.”

It was past lunch that Ona found them on the living room with all kinds of papers, documents and ink stains. They brothers rolled out their shirt-sleeves, took off their vests and unbuttoned the first buttons of their shirts, and had glasses of lemonade next to them. They were completely absorbed by what they were doing that they didn’t even hear the steps coming towards them.

“What the hell are you two doing?”

Connor will never admit the startled shout he let out, pen flying out of his hand.

“Merlin’s beard, Ona!” He placed his hand on top of his wildly beating heart, his other one summoning the lost pen back to his hand. “Oh, uh, nothing? Just, wizard work. Yeah.” He didn’t need Ona’s raised brow to know how lame his attempt at bullshitting was.

Richard frowned, looking at her still puffy red eyes after putting away the paper he was reading. He commanded a slightly wet and soft cloth to appear on his hand. Richard stood up, walking over her and gently wiping her face from dry tear tracks.

“We are taking the corrupt government down.” Richard deadpanned, as if it was something mundane that you did just after breakfast.

Ona’s eyes widened, not believing what she just heard come out of Richard’s mouth.

“You–what– you are doing WHAT?”

“Taking the corrupt government down. It’s high time things changed, and you made us realize it.” Richard cupped her face in his hands, a soft smile gracing his lips.

Ona’s mind went blank.

“Holy shit.”

[catvicddlm]

Grenetine D’Chessur

(Riku: So, yeah, as this blog deputy, it’s my job to introduce this girls to their respective fandom... Sorry for those who may find me unbearable, but this is how the blog works. Anyway, since D’Chessur here is the one who has the most complete paperwork, she’ll be first)

Name: Grenetine Dioica D'Chessur Manjary (though she mostly goes by Grenetine D’Chessur)

(Riku: Thankfully)

Name Meaning: Grenetine comes from grenetina (Gelatin). Dioica is meant to be the Pimenta dioica (Allspice).  Manjary= Mangiare (Italian)= Eat.

(Riku: What does D’Chessur stand for?)

(Grenetine: I thought it was obvious)

(Riku: Well, no)

(Grenetine: Then we’ll leave it for them to investigate!)

Nicknames: 

Greenie (family and Dahlia)

My Lady (Jolly and servants)

Strawberry Shortcake (Mudira)

Heartslabyul's Little Duchess or the Little Duchess (Reappina, Suha and several others)

(Riku: How original...)

(Grenetine: In my defense, you don’t get to chose how others nickname you)

Twisted from: The Duchess (Alice in Wonderland)

Affiliations:

D’Chessur family

Manjary family

Lilyaceae family

Night Raven Collage

Heartslabyul Dorm

Dormitory: Heartslabyul

Year: 2nd

Age: 17

Birthday: October 6th

Likes: Sweet treats, savoury foods, literature: poetry, novels, etc, puns, puzzles, getting references.

Dislikes: Bland foods, the noble court, people messing with her things, open endings, being called pig, being mocked for the curse.

Hobbies: Reading (especially mystery), writing in her diary, baking, playing the violin and the piano, gardening, anti-stalking: learning about other persons routine to avoid them (guess why)

(Riku: You need more original hobbies)

(Grenetine: And do you have better hobbies?)

(Riku: Touche)

Occupation:

Student

Competition judge (informal)

County heiress

Personality: 

Most of the time she’s a calm person that tries to be polite as much as she can. Truth be told, most of the time she comes off as rude. This is because most people only deal with her in class wich is...not the best. Grenetine is the type of person that thinks that is crucial for one to make things by themselves. So she not only rathers to work alone but also doesn’t offers a lot of help. She also is the type that takes very seriously responsabilities and duties... and she will always insist on them. She has a really strong determination. Always keeping a regal like posture.

The only exception is if she notices that the others are hopeless, in wich she’ll be more sweeter and helpful. Right now she has a soft spot for the “poor things” that are the Heartslabyul first years.

Those who talk to her outside academic situations see a different side: a more laidback girl who likes to have really long talks about anything. Some are even surprised of how easily she can change the topics. They also notice how she overanalyzes everything and how much she mutters. She’s a much more curious person and is willing to more things. This doesn’t mean she’ll do anything, she quickly realises when they are trying to take advantage of her.

Again, this is not easy to reach, so many consider appeal to the “duchess” as a last resort. This plus her cute looks gained her certain fame.

Alligment: Lawful Neutral

Skills:

Disappearance and appearance.

Hide presence and amplify presence.

Stunner spells.

Transformation spells.

Weapon summoning: The Pepper Grinder. This weapon has two forms: a hidden form that looks like a key and the other, the true form, a pepper grinder shaped gun. It also has three modes:

Non-lethal: the target weakens phisically but the proyectiles don’t actually harm them (they do hurt though)

Magic piercer: affects only to magical manifestations (force fields, magic levels, enchanted objects, etc). Magical beings can be harmed.

Lethal: self explanatory. Acts like a normal weapon but magical.

(Riku: I just checked a picture of this...You have a fucking machine gun?!)

(Grenetine: It is not a machine gun)

(Riku: It looks like a machine gun, it behaves like a machine gun, IT’S A FUCKING MACHINE GUN! How are you even allowed to summon this?!)

(Grenetine: A lady has her secrets)

Backstory: 

Grenetine was born as the second child from the duke D'Chessur and a noble lady from the infamous Manjary family. They have curse wich would turn them into pigs at some point of their life. Grenetine and her siblings knew from an early age what was coming for them as a lot of nobles excluded them, sometimes outright mocked, for “ruining” their family. She was the biggest target as she was the one that more resembled their mother (and also was very fat). 

Out of all her siblings, she was also the one that showed more magical potencial and more learning capacity. She was a very lonely child so she spent the time reading and developing a more analytical mind. 

One day, her grandmother, the last of the Lilyaceae line, decided to educate her to make her the heir to her county. During this time, Grenetine got fed up of the humilliations and decided to end the curse that ruined her life. 

She, along with her father, spent years finding several clues of the curse’s origins. Then, they discovered that all of them lead to Night Raven College. So when she recived an invitation from the institution, she didn’t think it twice.

Theme song: “Fairytale”- Alexander Rybak

Relationships within the dormitory:

Riddle: It’s complicated. He doesn’t like her very much due her noble status, but at the same time, he kinda wants the approval of an actual noble. He’s also annoyed by the fact that she spends zero time at the dorm yet somehow became quite popular. On the other hand, she avoids him as much as she can. She thinks he hates her guts and it reminds her too much to the court at home. Still tries to please him, she has better thing to do than to face the leader’s wrath.

Ace: Not friends but not total strangers. He likes her better when she’s sweet and willing to help, especially on school problems. She thinks he’s quite likable but doesn’t trust him too much. They usually have long conversations.

Deuce: Similar to Ace’s. They do bond a lot more due their similar interests. He’s impressed by her and is very curious about the whole curse investigation. She also prefers her on her sweeter side but understands and respects her work mood. This is why Grenetine prefers him a little more over Ace.

Trey: Just like the rest of the dorm, Grenetine trusts Trey as a deputy. Surprisingly, he seems to prefer her more serious side, as she’s one of the few that can get work done right. However, they do clash a lot, mostly due to her “stay out of the dorm troubles” policy. He’s one of the responsable to drag her back.

Cater: Also complicated. Cater likes to tease her everytime he gets the chance, wich she dislikes. Nevertheless, they actually enjoy each other company, as they surprisingly discuss more mature themes. Grenetine considers their interactions as necessary break. She allows herself to be sarcastic and intentionally rude with him. Along with Trey, Cater is the other responsable for bringing her back.

Jolly: Her cat companion, her family adopted him along with his siblings when Grenetine found the abandoned as kittens. Jolly is more than a mere pet for her, is a dear friend. She’ll constantly demand respect for him. She’s one of the few people who Jolly likes to talk to as she likes to listen him.

Relationships outside the dormitory:

Dahlia (another OC): They are bests friends. They met due to a similar interest in flowers and haven’t separated since then. Dahlia is one of the few who can influence her and usually dissuades her from her more unhealthy habits. Grenetine is one of the few who knows Dahlia’s complete backstory.

Idia: Even less than acquaintances. Since she’s friends with Dahlia, she has spent a lot of time at Ignihyde. He kinda reminds her of her older brother in personality. He thinks she talks too much but sometimes makes very interesting questions.

Chausiku (another OC): Not really friends but they get along and hang a lot together. Chausiku likes that Grenetine isn’t a princess like girl or a rich spoiled brat. Grenetine admires her determination but doesn’t share her goals. She also kinda wishes to have Chausiku’s imposing presence.

Ruggie: They have a relationship totally based on favors (Grenetine pays him to do some simple jobs for her, usually in form of either money or baked pastries). On ocasions, they have worked together to keep order. They interact mostly through Chausiku. Ruggie is actually disgusted of how insanely rich her family is, but doesn’t reject being paid. She thinks he’s competent enough and a little greedy but doesn’t blame him for that.

The Tension Quartet (again, OCs): Grenetine serves as some kind of judge for them. This often translates to keep them out of trouble. Even though they hang a lot, she mostly keeps herself professional.

(Riku: Take a shot for everytime “one of the...” appears.)

Phrase: "You can't spend a day doing nothing! There's always something to do"

[kseniainneverland]

DESCENDANTS 3 - REVIEW

WARNING! SPOILERS UNDER THE  CUT, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE!! from this point onwards, reading is on your responsibility. you have been warned.

Alright, Descendants 3, where to begin with this...

First off, thinking that this is Cameron Boyce’s last movie ever, it makes me feel very sentimental and sad and I hope that the movie would’ve done him justice more. But I’m afraid that  while it was a cute and aesthetically pleasing movie, that is about it.

After watching it a couple of times now, I have one word for D3: clusterfuck. I’m not going to lie. D1 was great, D2 was good but D3 wasn’t really the ending this saga deserved. NOW KEEP IN MIND that I haven’t read the books and I personally think that the movie still should take time to explain things. Plus the books came after the first movie anyway so...

In a nutshell, the plot is inconsistent, the movie is rushed and lot of the character development (save from Mal’s and Audrey’s) is pretty much murdered and just ditched away. 

Beginning with a song like (Good to Be Bad) like every Descendant movie, it gives the movie the energy that it lacks towards the end. The VK’s choose Smee’s sons, Celia and Dizzy to come to the Isle and return to Auradon, only to get them after giving them time to pack their things.

Next thing we see, Ben and Mal are getting ready to embark to the Isle with the VK’s. They stop in front of the Beast statue though and Ben sings (short acoustic verse “Did I Mention”) to Mal, then proposing to her. Audrey is not pleased but hey she’s back and damn she’s rocking that hair! 

Now this is where things go a bit off the rails. I understand Audrey still holding resentment to Mal even though at the end of D1 she seemed to be amicable with her so - what’s the dealio Audrey? Of course we can assume that her resentment grew back during D2 - the movie she wasn’t in. Her grandmother is there and basically gives Audrey shit cause she lost Ben to Mal (like wth is it with this hatred from grandma, chill out lady...).

Mal, Ben and VK’s go to the Isle and while they’re leaving back Hades tries to break out and use his ember but Mal fights him (as a dragon) and gets him back inside. In Auradon, Audrey sits in her room and embraces her darkness (”Queen of Mean”, one of the best songs in my opinion, holy shit), stealing the Queen’s crown and Maleficent’s staff turning to Dark!Audrey and suddenly possessing magic and knowing how to use it without any training? Okaaay, shady much? I mean it could be the staff also controlling her so I’ll give the benefit of a doubt here.

Alright so Hades tried to get out, Mal makes the hard decision to shut down the barrier forever with Ben after reasoning with him and feeling guilt for possibly endangering Auradon. Cut to Evie’s little cottage-manor, Audrey pays Mal a visit, cursing her to turn into a hag. That kind of didn’t really serve a purpose in anywhere else than maybe Audrey’s mind if she thought that Ben wouldn’t love her? Idk man. Anyway, Mal can’t reverse the spell because “there’s nothing that can reverse the staff’s spell”. Oh but waaait....

The VK’s decide to get Hades’ ember, going to the Isle and suddenly Mal turns back again because dark magic doesn’t work in the Isle. So... Mal/VK’s just forgot that? I doubt it because they did live there for such a long time. Oh well, moving on. Celia is with them cause she runs errands to Hades. Meanwhile in Auradon, Jane’s having her birthday party and Audrey crashed it, cursing everyone asleep. Except Jane cause she jumps into the Magic Lake - again something that can reverse the staff’s spell that is supposedly non-reversable? Did anyone actually fact-check the script, I wonder... And well - she takes Chad with her. Oh the loyal, dumb puppy.

Alright back to the Isle, Celia gets the key and we meet Dr. Facilier shortly, he’s actually a nice man (oh and btw so was Dizzy’s grandmother aka. Cinderella’s stepmother before too...) which I have kind of hard time imagining BUT nonetheless I kinda like it? They get out and find Harry + Gil and couple other pirates stealing their bikes (same kind Mal took to the Isle in D2) and run after them. Celia and Mal go to Hades’ lair. 

They find Hades napping, but then he wakes up, Celia trying to distract him so Mal can get the ember. But whoops, he grabs Mal’s hand. And then we learn something shocking! (not really) “Hi Dad.” Oh well look at that, Hades is Mal’s dad. Even though I recall that in the first movie it was said to be a human male? But then again, makes sense why Mal has such great magical powers. They argue and get a nice rock’n’roll duet together (”Do What You Gotta Do” and boy I’m fawning over Cheyenne Jackson’s voice!). Celia kinda does background “ooh”s which is... so weird really. Like why?

I’m not gonna lie, I kinda enjoyed the bickering chemistry between Hades and Mal as father and daughter. He clearly cares about her but tells her that her mother was not an easy person to be with and he never stayed in contact with Mal. Now this is about everything that we learn about their relationship. Mal has a certain resenment at him but Celia reveals that Hades being her father explains him asking about her. Mal tells her that Evie is the only one that knows.

Meanwhile in Auradon, Audrey visits Ben making him an offer to make her his queen again but he thinks she’s under a spell and Audrey realises he doesn’t care about her. She uses magic to turn Ben into a Beast and also turns Fairy Godmother running towards the Museum to get her wand into a statue (not shown how she made that happen really... but later on we see that she can apparently see ppl in the staff u know, like a CCTV kinda thing).

VK’s get back to the portal and when they cross over, Harry and Gil do too. They try to stop them and in the midst of it the ember drops to the water (spoiler: if it gets wet, it stops working). Uma catches it and then turns back into human. They strike a deal when Mal makes a promise to let any of the VK’s that want to get out of the Isle, get out. 

So Uma, Harry and Gil are now going to Auradon with the VK’s to help them. Kinda reluctantly. Gil gets all pumped up for fresh food and all which is kinda cute x’D And Harry ofc is trying to steal money from a sleeping student but Jay stops him. Dude is awake though and tells the VK’s what happened. They go to look for Ben and go to his castle, eventually finding the walls clawed and end up in a fight between some armors that Audrey controls (”Night Falls”). 

Eventually they beat Audrey together and almost celebrate. But not quite cause they are enemies. Evie is trying to play the middleman, suggesting an icebreaker game which doesn’t really take off. But props to her for trying. Also I should say that she suggested trying to be friends when they met Uma, Harry and Gil at the entrance to the Isle.

After the fight they split up - the boys go into the woods trying to find Ben while the girls go search Audrey’s room and Uma finds her diary where she mentions the fairie’s cottage. Then the girls go back to Evie’s where they found Smee’s twins and Dizzy sleeping as well as Doug. Evie tries too wake him up but can’t (duh, he’s under a spell). Uma’s all like “he’s under a spell. is she not a fast learner?” and Mal tells her that Evie’s emotionally involved. Which brings us to the ah so sweet - true love’s kiss (”One Kiss”). But Evie is unsure cause they haven’t used the L-word yet. When did Evie become so insecure though? She has been super confident throughout the series even though imho her storyline with Doug has NOT gotten the moment in spotlight it deserves. But wait, she kisses him after the song and he wakes up! Aww so it is true love. Bitches I wanted to see more of them before this bc they’ve been in the background (also can I mention that Doug has turned into like a young Nicholas Cage clone with his long hair and all and dam he’s cute!).

The boys find Ben, now in beast form and trying to kind attack them (and failing adorably) when Carlos calms him down and takes a splinter from his paw (i mean... he has paws now?). Kinda reminds me of Tinkerbell and the Neverbeast when Fawn took a splinter from the Neverbeast’s paw :’D Anyway, back to the story. Then Jane arrives with sort of a hose, getting Ben all wet with the water from the Enchanted Lake and he turns back too human - except he has a little beard/stubble and kind of fangs? Also Carlos and Jane meet again and are all cute together. Harry tries to make a move on Jane but Carlos literally blocks him, lol.

Back to Evie’s. Mal and Uma are talking when suddenly boards start covering the house. Audrey’s magic has gotten stronger cause Mal can’t reverse it alone but when Uma joins in with her shell, they manage to beat it, making Audrey angry. 

They build up a plan and Gil, Doug and Jane go look for the Fairy Godmother while the other’s go to the Fairie’s cottage, finding Chad locked in a closet. They walk out and then comes the moment of truth. Evie tells Ben that Uma + the pirates joined them cause Mal promised that the kids from Isle can come to Auradon. She reveals that she lied to everyone, making her friends mad. Celia takes the Ember, throwing it into a pool of water. Uma and Harry leave. Evie faces Mal, who obviously feels awful and her friends are mad at her. Then poof, they’re turned into stone. Mal sings what is - I assume - the song to build up her confidence/self-searching (”My Once Upon a Time”) and confronts Uma asking for her help to beat Audrey. But Uma turns her down even after she tells her that she saw the good in Uma - that she really cares.

Next we have Celia calling for help cause Audrey has her on top of one of the towers. Mal turns into a dragon, trying to battle Audrey but can’t do it on her own. Uma and Harry happen to come back and Uma’s suddenly like “she can’t do it on her own, i’m here girl, i’m here” forgetting that Mal totally lied to them and kinda screwed them over and helping her igniting the ember again. With the help from the ember, she beats Audrey. Everyone is awakened, except Audrey who’s fading away after being hit back with the magic. Mal can’t wake her up even with the crystal and tells Ben, Beast, Belle and everyone else in the room that Hades could. While they doubt it, Mal tells them that he’d do it - for her, he is her father after all. Ben is a bit shocked but sends guards to get him from the Isle.

He’s brought to the Castle in shackles and he works his magic, waking Audrey up. She apologises to Mal and then Mal apologises to her as well as Ben and then Audrey’s grandma apologises to Mal. It’s an apologyfest, and all is fine again. Yay? Hades is escorted back to the Isle and has a nice little moment with Mal, giving her the ember. Celia, Uma, Harry and Gil also go back to the Isle. Mal and Ben attend their engagement party and she surprisingly declares that she can’t be the Queen of Auradon - she can’t turn her back to the Isle. So in conclusion of a long speech, they open the barrier (even though the Beast is against it but Ben shushes him :D) and Mal becomes the Queen of Auradon and the Isle. (”Break This Down”) The people from the Isle (with Uma’s leading) notice this too and meet some of Auradon’s people halfway and have this big closing number with lost of  dance and singing.

And then people rejoice. Gil and Jay seem to have sparked a friendship. Harry brings comedy to the scene being like “so she’s deeeefinitely taken?” bout Mal, then trying to make a move on Evie and finally Uma who’s not having it. And then Harry ends up dancing with Audrey. Okay, seems legit. Then there’s Hades, being happy for Ben and Mal (and also giving Ben the “i’m watching you eyes”). They dance into  the palace yard (or somewhere) and the scene cuts to the core four, staring at the passageway to the Isle, apparently to go meet their parents (cause they didn’t come to Auradon?) and the end credits roll.

ALRIGHT.

Plotwise yes, it’s a clusterfuck. The whole movie is very rushed, it’s like they tried to include too much things. Like said, at the end of D1, it seemed that Audrey and Mal were somewhat civil, then Audrey was spending some time in the fairies cottage/seven acres woods/something like that in D2 and we didn’t see her at all. Suddenly she’s all hateful and resentful again and her grandmother is being a total jerk to her. Whole turning into evil happened almost right after the movie opened so there was no proper lead to it really. Nothing to explain WHY Audrey went back to resenting Mal and Ben and Auradon.

Then Mal’s father. Alright, pretty much everyone knew by now that Hades was gonna be Mal’s father even though I recall that in the first movie or somewhere else it was said that it was a human male. What happened in their past could’ve and more so SHOULD’VE been dug into a little more cause Mal is resentful at him for not being around - but why wasn’t he around? Why didn’t he call her? After all, he had been asking about her from Celia so obviously he does care for her.

The other VK’s were even more pushed to the side than before. I do get that Mal is kind of the lead here, but they did kind of sideline their character development. The other VK’s were in such minor roles I could easily say that they might as well be taken out altogether. Evie tried to be a peacemaker, she gets a few lines in couple of songs and one song to herself. Her character has also been very confident and craving for love, kind of seducing Doug in the first movie and making him accidentally jealous in D2 and suddenly she’s insecure? Yeah, love can be scary sometimes but of all the characters I just don’t see it characteristic to Evie to suddenly become uncertain of herself in the terms of love. Jay’s more like acting as a guide to good to Gil and Harry for the time being and Carlos is just being his adorable self. Still can’t believe there was no Jarlos kiss! (also he got Jane a pendant saying “Jarlos” as her birthday gift, how adorbs!)

The main problem is that there isn’t really a proper climax in the movie. It starts off god and then falls flat on it’s ass. May I also point out that not ONCE in these movies have Mal and Ben had a duet together - yes they’ve shared songs but also with other people in them - and they are the “true love” couple after all which is a bit disappointing. I mean Ben has been kind of put into thee background in the movies too - and in this last one even more so, whenever the core four have been side to side. But even in the last movie - since they’re engaged after all - I was surprised that when they opened the barrier, Jay was next to Mal (as well as Evie), squishing her hand and her leaning into him. In the end Ben is the king and Mal’s fiancee so in my opinion, he should’ve been next to Mal, not behind her (as much as I do love Mal). And I mean I was also waiting that the other VK’s would’ve met their parents too. But no. Disappointment. 

In a nutshell D3 is a movie about Audrey being a resentful brat and turning dark, introducing Mal’s dad pretty shallowly adding pretty much nothing into her story arc or character development. Except her forgiving her father pretty fast. Too much is trying to be fitted into 1hr45mins. Mal and Hades could’ve had their own movie working it out. Audrey could’ve had a thorough build up to what led her to the dark path.

Aesthetically it’s very pleasing and I enjoyed the music and I do love the cast. The end was kind of bittersweet and the whole movie was a bit unreal once you know that Cameron is no longer with us (rest in peace). So this is and end of and era. Despite this honest and well - unfiltered - review I thank the cast and crew of Descedants  from the bottom of my heart that they have brought these  movies to us.

Long live the VK’s!

[laisselfreemaiden]

Grandma’s Ring pt.5

Warnings: I’m not sure. Maybe cussing? And more backstory 4 u

A/n: Can ya’ll tell I got my writing mojo back?^^

    With Bilbo seated in his chair, you go back to the company of dwarves. They quieted down after he’d passed out, but they still murmur about the journey to Erebor, the key, and what lies in wait for them. You carefully pick up the contract and curl it back up, placing it on a table away from them. Brushing your hands along your trousers, you turn back to the fourteen men.

    “When do we leave tomorrow?”

    A mixture of confusion, surprise, a glare, and a knowing look are turned to you. Gandalf seems amused as he watches the dwarves react differently, though he still watches you with a careful, almost protective look.

    “You will not be leaving,” Thorin says, staring you down.

    “If Bilbo goes, so do I. And I know if I go, he’ll come as well. He’s a hobbit, a closed in race, but he’s protective of his friends. He wouldn’t let me travel alone with a group of males.”

    Bilbo would have joined regardless before your influence, but with you here now, with you being close to him, you aren’t entirely sure. You don’t want to take any chances, though, and this is your best idea. Besides, you want to go either way. It’s the journey of a lifetime, too. How could you possibly miss this chance?

    “Can you fight?” Dwalin asks.

    That makes you stumble, your arms crossing in a defensive manner. “Well...not exactly...I’ve been living here, so how do you expect me to? But I can learn.”

    A few of them grunt, the ones you assume are the strongest fighters. Just as you’re about to back off and busy yourself in other ways, Gandalf motions his hand to you.

    “If you can learn and if Bilbo does join us, I think you will be a valuable member.”

    “I do not want her being extra baggage on us. Your burglar will be enough as it is,” Thorin growls, making you bristle slightly.

    “Bilbo is much more than you know, Thorin Oakenshield. I promise you that.”

    A bit later, you, Bilbo, and Gandalf are with each other, Bilbo awake with a mug in his chair.

    “I’ll be alright, let me just sit quietly for a moment.”

    You pick at the skin by your fingernail as Gandalf turns to reply to him.

    “You’ve been sitting quietly for far too long. Tell me; when did doilies and your mother’s dishes become so important to you? I remember a young hobbit who always was running off in search of elves and the woods, who’d stay out late, come home after dark, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young hobbit who would have liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps; it’s out there.”

    A smile cracks your expression. “That sounds like a very different hobbit to me.”

    “I can’t just go running off into the blue. I am a Baggins, of Bag-End.”

    “And a Took,” you add again, looking up at them.

    “Yes, you are also a Took. Did you know that your great-great-great-great-uncle, Bullroarer Took, was so large he could ride a real horse?”

    Almost instinctively, you look up at the portrait of said Took on the wall. Funny, you’re fairly certain that’s what the camera in the movie does as well.

    “Yes,” Bilbo says.

    “Well, he could. In the Battle of Green Fields, he charged the goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard, it knocked the Goblin King’s head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won, and the game of gold invented at the same time.”

    A small chuckle escapes you before you can stifle it.

    “I do believe you made that up.”

    “Well, all good stories deserve embellishment. You’ll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back.”

    “Can you promise that I will come back?”

    You look up at Gandalf, knowing what would be said, but curious nonetheless.

    “No. And if you do, you will not be the same.”

    “That’s what I thought. Sorry, Gandalf, I can’t sign this. You’ve got the wrong hobbit.”

    Bilbo walks away from the both of you, passing Thorin and Balin, and leaving you with a sighing wizard.

    “Do you still wish to join us?” he asks you after a bit, after watching the exchange between the dwarves.

    “You know I do.” 

    His eyes stay on you before he stands up. “I do. You are like your grandmother in that regard.”

    “What was she like...here?”

    “Here?”

    You sigh softly, tugging on a loose strand of your hair. “I’m...not from...Middle-Earth,” you murmur. “There’s no magic in my world, no journeys like this, nothing. I don’t know how I got here or if I can go back, but knowing she was here...what was she like? Did being here change her? And will it change me?”

    “She was...one of the kindest and stubborn person I’ve ever known. She loved learning the languages here, loved being a part of everything. Most importantly, she loved. And because you have her ring, she loved you. So, no, I don’t think she changed, but I think you will.”

    “Will it be a good change?”

    He stays quiet for a bit and it worries you.

    “It will be good if you want it to.”

    You nod slightly. “Gandalf...how well did you know her?”

    “I knew her as a student. I taught her as much as she wanted. That ring was enchanted by her before she left. So she could always come back to her second home.”

    “But why give it to me and send me here? I didn’t make a wish, I wasn’t in a horrible place in life, this isn’t an escape for me.”

    Gandalf sighs again. “Maybe she wants you to change something. Perhaps...there’s more to her ring than you know.”

    You fall silent this time, looking at your hands. Her ring. The weight against your collar is cool and heavy, and, when you cup it in your palm, it’s smooth. No engravings, no gems. You aren’t gonna risk ruining it to try and find glowing elvish in it by throwing it in the fire, but there’s something about the ring you can’t place. It’s enchanted, yes. How much can it do, though?

    “If you truly are sure about this journey, I suggest you go rest. You will need to be up quite early if you wish to keep up with these dwarves.”

    You nod again, getting up while still staring at the ring. Did your grandmother send you here to fix the story? Maybe she wanted you to save the Durins from Azog, maybe she wanted you to protect them. Protect all of them.

    “Goodnight, Gandalf.”

    “Sleep well, child.”

    However, when you walk into your room, you don’t get in bed right away. You stay by the partly open door to hear the dwarves still. You know they’ll be singing soon, one of the most calming songs in your opinion. Though, maybe that’s just because of Thorin’s, or Richard’s in your world, singing voice.

    “Far over the misty mountains cold

    To dungeons deep and caverns old

    We must away ere break of day

    To find our long-forgotten gold.”

    A small smile graces your lips as you lean against your doorframe. You almost don’t notice as your eyes drift close, slipping into a calming sleep at your door. As you fall asleep, you can almost see the Lonely Mountain standing in all its glory. The bustling of dwarves, the sound of the forges ringing, of how beautiful it’d look with it cleaned up from Smaug’s ruling.

    The sun shining in your eyes wakes you up and, hearing the hushed voices and the movement of dishes and furniture, you know the dwarves haven’t left yet. You quickly change into the clothes you arrived here in, they seem the most like travel clothes, and you pull your cloak over your shoulders like a shawl. With a tug of some boots, you stumble out to find them packing.

    “Ah, Y/n!” Gandalf says happily, carrying a wrapped bundle in his arms. “So glad you could join us. If you are coming, please sign the contract on the table.”

    “And grab what you may need,” Balin adds, walking past with his pack in hand.

    “Then come back to me.”

    You nod and quickly scrawl your name, adding a note to Bilbo to not forget his handkerchief, then going to get your own bag. You don’t pack much, just some clothes, food, and some other supplies. You still don’t have weapons, though, but you aren’t sure how to use them anyway. So, you just go to Gandalf again, where he has laid his bundle on a table. There’s a small, almost happy twinkle in his eyes.

    “I did what you guys told me. Now what?”

    He motions you beside him before slowly pulling the cloth away. In the bundle is a quiver full of red tailed arrows, a bow with carvings along the wood, and a sword with a dark belt of leather. The buckle of the belt is a shiny polished silver color with a few small pouches on the side.

    “What...where did you get these?”

    “They were used by your grandmother. Since you do not have any weapons yourself, I am sure she would want you to use these ones.”

    You carefully pick up the sword and pull it out of the sheath, watching as the sunlight catches the metal. “Wow…”

    “The ponies and dwarves are waiting outside. Come, we don’t want to keep them waiting too long.”

    A quick nod follows as you fasten the belt around your waist over your tunic, the hooking the quiver and bow over your shoulders. You quickly grab a handkerchief, though, just in case Bilbo forgot anyway.

    “Which pony is mine?” you ask, walking up to the dwarves.

    One of the ponies tosses its head, it's braided mane flying out into the cool morning air. You carefully place your hand on it’s nose, making it huff against your skin. Its bright eyes follow your face as you coo to it.

    “What about this one?”

    You see Bofur shrug. “That lad’s up for grabs if ya want him, lass.”

    Humming thoughtfully to yourself, you nod and pet his head. “How about...Amicus?”

    Ori looks over to you. “What’s language is that?”

    You can almost feel Thorin staring at you. Luckily, it isn’t any elven language.

    “It’s Latin for friend. Grandma taught me some other languages when mom would work.”

    Amicus snorts again, nudging his nose into your shoulder.

    “I’d say he likes it,” Balin says with a smile.

    “Come, we must be off if we wish to make good time,” Thorin calls. “Mount up and let us move out.”

    You let out a soft huff as you pull yourself onto Amicus’ back, making sure your new sword doesn’t hit him. With one last glance towards Bag-End, hoping that Bilbo would come out before you all left. However, you know he won’t.

    “Walk on, Amicus,” you say, nudging his sides gently before he falls into line with the other ponies.

    It’s a fairly silent ride out of the Shire into the sunny world of Middle-Earth, though some of them do mutter, “waste of time” and “use a hobbit” under their breath. You have to bite your cheek hard almost to the point of making it bleed to keep from snapping at them. If only they knew how much he’d help them on this journey.

    “Wait! Wait!”

    You stop your pony first, turning him slightly to look over at the running hobbit who comes up behind all of you.

    “I signed it!”

    Balin takes the contract as you grin widely at your friend.

    “I’m so glad you made it, Bilbo!”

    He gives you an out of breath smile as Balin says, “Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield.”

    You cheer along with the other dwarves, though Thorin could be less impressed.

    “Give him a pony.”

    “No, no, no, no that-that won’t be necessary, thank you, but I-I’m sure I can keep up on foot. I-I-I’ve done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once-WAGH!”

    He’s cut off by being lifted onto a pony. You slow Amicus down to walk beside him.

    “I really am glad you decided to come.”

    He looks at the reigns almost like they’d hurt him. He looks even more uncomfortable when his pony tosses its head. “Well…I couldn’t very well leave you travel with all of them on your own. N-not that you could not handle it!”

    You laugh softly. “Thanks, I appreciate that someone thinks I can do this.”

    “Come on, Nori, pay up. Go on,” Oin calls before Nori tosses him a sack of money, followed by the other dwarves exchanging money.

    “What’s that about?” Bilbo asks.

    Gandalf pulls up with you both. “Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you’d turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn’t.”

    “What did you both think?”

    Gandalf hums as you smirk, turning in the saddle to look at the two princes.

    “Guys!”

    You catch the two packs of money thrown at you and hand one to Bilbo. “Never doubted you, Master Baggins.”

    “Neither did I,” Gandalf smiles.

    “Oh, and, Bilbo?”

    He hums and looks at you as you hold out his favorite handkerchief. 

    “Just in case.”

[vermiculus-incipiens]

OOC INFORMATION:

What’s your name? Mah

Preferred pronouns: She/Her

Timezone: BRT

IC INFORMATION:

Character Name: Emmeline Violet Vance

What’s a hobby or pastime that your character enjoys? Emmeline’s favorite hobbie has always been drawing. Interestingly so, this is due to a great influence from her mother, Amelia, an spell inventor whose curiosity with muggles led to her involvement with some of the things they consider as hobbies. A few years before she was born, Amelia created a spell capable of bringing drawings to life in the form of illusions, something along the lines of 3D and Cinema; it quickly fades, though, as she has no muggle bases so far to improve the effects of the spell, and no interest in doing so. As a young girl, her mom would tell her stories in bed-time and sometimes use this spell to show characters from books almost as if they were alive. This fascinated Emmeline, who felt a lot more comfortable surrounded by these beings instead of real people (she’s always had anxiety near others). At the age of four her mother noticed this interest and found a way to bring her pencils and muggle-paper, hiding it quite safely in her room as they wouldn’t receive many visitors in that part of the house. Within the years her love for drawing surpassed talent, turning into something she does both for calming her anxiety and simply for there are no set expectations - the only thing she refrains from tracing are people, as she isn’t sure she’ll be able to capture them in a light that would make them justice. Even then, she still has some drawings of faces she prefers to keep hidden. Another hobbie of hers is music, which relates to the family. Even though they don’t have a deep contact with muggles, music has always filled the Vance’s house, since long before she was born and way longer anyone can remember. They are proficient in enchanting instruments to play whichever song, the same way both her parents and older brother show talent in one or more. Emmeline herself can play the violin and piano, the first a choice of her own and the second quite mandatory at home.

Do you have any preferred ships or anti-ships? I’ve always “secretly” shipped Emmeline with Mary. What truly fascinates about this character, however, is how much it’s unknown, which gives us players the power to write all kinds of different situations, including relationships, with her. I don’t have a preferred or anti-ship despite what’s stated at the beginning because what appeals the most to me is getting to know the characters and through that creating relationships based on chemistry (be it healthy or angst ones). So yeah, pretty open here!

What do you think your character’s Boggart would be? If their greatest fear isn’t something that could easily take a solid form, what is it? Why? Emmeline’s boggart takes the form of a number of people, one at a time, all pointing at her and saying out loud she’s both a failure and the reason why somebody - anyone - has died. They tell her she is unable to act in battle, inefficient on her job and a burden instead of an asset, as well as show their opinion of her as somebody not worth knowing or spending time with.

What’s your character’s biggest pet peeve? Emmeline’s biggest pet peeve is having her way barred by people who stop in the middle of a crowded path - as somebody who is very anxious when around others, especially in situations in which there are a number of people she has never met around, she flinches whenever somebody obliges her to stop and spend more time than the necessary in the middle of everybody, even if it’s just for a few seconds. Still extremely polite and afraid to speak her mind, all she can do is ask ‘please’ and ‘excuse me’, even though far from always she’s listened to.

What would you consider to be an eccentricity of your character? Emmeline tends to speak higher when she’s lying, which often call people’s attention instead of deviating it from her. She gets immediately nervous and fidgets constantly as well, often letting people know she’s not speaking the truth by then.

What is/was your character’s favorite subject in school? Why? A simple question indeed, Emmeline never faltered in answering Herbology. She’s shown a talent for the subject the minute they started studying it back at first year, and have always silently admired how much it can influence people’s lives without then even noticing. She is aware of the healing powers of plant, as well as of its effectiveness, even though another thought haunts her since a nightmare after a friend was mistanly poisoned by a  higher-than-necessary dose of a medicine: the fact that plants can also be used as weapon. Of course, a subtle and less dramatic one, yet effective if needed. Despite that, the Hufflepuff prefers its normal and expected usage, which aligned with her wanting to heal and learning more about caretaking only turned her into someone possessing a knowledged in the area closer to expertise.

What time of day is your character’s favorite? What time of year? Emmeline’s favorite time of the year is the dawn. She’s realized how calming it is, and beautiful at the same time, with not many people awake yet late enough some could be if only she asked them to. It’s a balance, and it shows harmony - despite, of course, the beauty in the sky whenever the sun first show its traces. Her favorite time of the year has always been spring, more specifically around her brother’s birthday, as they keep a tradition of him taking her to magical forests and botanical gardens since she admires the plants and nature so much.

What’s your character’s Patronus? If they can’t conjure one, what would it be if they could? Why? Emmeline’s patronus is a beautiful, cute, small shrew. She’s very proud of it, no matter its small size - as it doesn’t matter at all - and her memories focus deeply in her family and the ones in which she is feeling the most comfortable and free (in a sense of having nothing to fear) with friends.

What is your character’s biggest vice (bad habit or immoral craving)? Not unexpectedly, Emmeline’s biggest vice comes from her own worries - often, relating to the many ways things could go wrong. Emmeline spends a concerning amount of time not evaluating situations and outcomes, but rather focusing on the negative impacts each action could have. She often forgets thinking positive is needed and, either when under pressure or when an outcome might have a negative influence for her or others, ends up creating a number of scenarios in her mind that could easily erase the closest possible to reality.

What is your character’s diet like? What’s his or her favorite food? Emmeline’s diet is pretty normal, as somebody who is not too concerned about health, but aware of it. She eats what she thinks is necessary, trying not to eat too much or too less. Even when she’s worried, it doesn’t reverberate to any bad eating habit. Furthermore, her favorite food is a cake her grandmother used to bake any time she went to their house, and she keeps the recipe, often doing it herself and sharing with her family and friends.

How do you think your character’s psychological issues have manifested and changed your character up to this point? I believe Emmeline’s issues have molded her into a great part of who she is today. It’s always been hard for her to separate herself from anxiety and have a good notion of reality, which means within time she turned more and more into somebody afraid of acting and speaking her mind. She much prefers to stick to the background and do what’s expected of her without never letting people hold too much expectations, as she is afraid of not meeting them, and even at Hogwarts she never made too much of an effort at school because of that; even if she had potential, she had watched as her brother went from a brilliant first year student to somebody great at some subjects but moderated in others at the last ones, and how his parents weren’t as proud as they could be. On the other hand, Emmeline doesn’t realize she acts with brilliancy in things she actually is brilliant, like healing for example - even when people point it out and say she’s doing great without much of an effort, she is quick to deny and doesn’t realize they’re telling the truth, rather thinking there are many better than her at both the necessary actions of wizard’s medicine and dealing with patients. For this reason, back at her teenage years, some people even told her what she had was false modesty, but this couldn’t be further from the truth; her anxiety and low self-esteem have always prevented her from seeing herself in the light of reality. These traits have also greatly molded her role in the war. Mildly good with duelling spells and not at all focused or confident enough to be great at it like those who get out of Hogwarts to become aurors, she’s never been interested in fighting like they do. Which is to say, even when needed, her anxiety gets the best of her even when she has to fight and there’s no way of running - panic attacks are common since she was a fifth year and a girl tried picking up a fight after Emmeline whispered back words of repulse when this girl showed prejudice to a friend of hers. She learned to keep quiet since then, and understand she’s better with her hands and mind at healing than in actually acting brave like most people expect of warriors. The saddest thing is Emmeline doesn’t see her own value, sometimes wishing she wouldn’t carry herself wish such cowardice.

Give us a headcanon for your character. Anything is acceptable. I have this headcanon for Emmeline that she’s pretty unaware of her own talents, which are often useless in a war yet a source of light and happiness. Despite her skills with drawing and playing instruments, she’s pretty great with both singing and dancing, even though she doesn’t practice it in a proficient manner neither tries to improve; it’s just something that comes naturally, and more often than not her friends request a song or a dance as a way to keep their heads off of the war.

[ladyeternal178]

There is no Song In My Heart

Dear Adam & Eddie:

If you’re going to try and rip off Joss Whedon this blatantly, you need to not be so phenomenally bad at it.

Seriously:  the infant son of a hero and a villain is kidnapped away from someone that was taking him to be hidden from one of his parents for his own safety.  He is taken to a demon dimension by his kidnapper, where they raise him like their own child and train him to serve their agenda. When he gets back to his parents’ dimension, barely any time has passed for them but he’s a fully-grown adult because time flows differently where he was raised, and he starts going after the good guys and his family because of the machinations of the bad guy that raised them.

Am I talking about Gideon from Once, or Connor from Angel?  The only way to tell them apart is the fact that Connor actually managed to beat Angel a couple of times, whereas Gideon has never gotten the better of Rumple.  Even when Gideon was using the Dark One dagger, Rumple outmaneuvered Gideon at every turn.  Somehow, A&E managed to make the son of the Dark One, a character that could’ve been a huge wild card that completely realigned the balance of power in Storybrooke, totally fucking useless and only slightly less relevant to the story than the dwarves are.

But now they’ve also completely wasted the potential of a musical episode at the same time they were trying desperately to pull it off by using a similar set-up to BtVS’ Once More With Feeling.

See:  Once More With Feeling used magic to make everyone burst into song, too.  And it played with the idea that music, when combined with magic, can be used as a weapon.  But where The Song In Your Heart utterly and completely failed to live up to its spiritual predecessor is that, rather than having the musical curse woven into the modern setting and illuminating something about the characters’ current emotional states, or revealing something critical that had been kept hidden from the others before now, they decided to cram yet another flashback confrontation between Snowing and the Evil Queen into an already overfull backstory.

All in the name of giving Emma’s massive inferiority and martyr complexes an opportunity to rear their ugly heads again and then allowing for a deus ex machina, a/k/a Henry, to come in and rescue her from them.

It makes no sense that Fiona and/or Rumple didn’t go after Henry when they were rounding up everyone in Emma’s immediate family to use as hostages.  Henry might not be able to use his author powers to affect the Final Battle, but he’s still the Truest Believer.  He above anyone would be the person most likely to keep Emma from being mired in self-doubt, since he has absolute faith.  And maybe Fiona doesn’t know about that part, but Rumple does, having been privy to the events in Neverland and therefore knowing the reason why his father wanted Henry’s heart.

Not to mention that Henry is Emma’s son.  You’re trying to tell me that the woman who turned herself into a fairy and very nearly used the Dark Curse’s precursor to banish all children in the Enchanted Forest to another realm in order to protect her own son didn’t think that holding the Savior’s son as a hostage wouldn’t get Emma to do anything she wanted?  I doubt it, considering she didn’t even have compunctions about harming children to achieve her own ends before she became a fairy.  And it’s not like his adoptive mother/step-great-grandmother, step-great-great-aunt, grandparents or step-father-to-be were in any position to stop her from hurting Henry, considering they were all her hostages, too.  So why have she and Rumple leave Henry out there free to act instead of using him to leverage Emma?

Answer:  A&E decided that the plot device they wanted to use was cool enough that the audience would ignore the plot hole and forgive the deus ex machina needed to pull it off.  And they were wrong on all three counts.

The hard-won admission by Buffy to most of her loved ones that she’d been in Heaven when the Scoobies had resurrected her at the climax of Once More With Feeling was a cathartic paradigm shift for the characters and a gut-wrenching emotional pay-off for the viewer at the same time.  We’d been hanging on the edges of our seats waiting for that reveal to happen, and the way we got it was pitched perfectly.  Emma’s emotional epiphany in The Song In Your Heart didn’t have the same impact because we’ve been here before.  We’ve been watching Emma re-learning this lesson in various ways since the Neverland arc in Season 3, and A&E are clearly running out of ways to keep convincingly putting her through this particular emotional journey.

But I think perhaps the biggest sin this episode commits is the aforementioned shoe-horning in of the musical confrontation between the Charmings and Regina.  The Song In Your Heart isn’t even the first episode this season to be guilty of throwing something into the characters’ pre-Curse lives to set up a Chekov’s gun that will be used in the very same episode.  But even with the pre-first-Curse timeline being a bit murky, A&E are running the raggedy edge of feasible when it comes to how much they’re trying to claim happened between the Charmings’ wedding and Regina’s first casting of the Dark Curse.

Magical settings don’t give you carte blanche when it comes to how much can reasonably fit into your backstory or timeline, and the advent of online fandoms with on demand access to re-watch, scrutinize, analyze and categorize every event in every episode has largely eliminated showrunners’ ability to rely on Bellisario’s Maxim when it comes to them prioritizing the cool factor of a plot device, twist or arc over the cohesiveness of their world-building.  Flashbacks to the time before the first Curse are this show’s stock-in-trade, but even in the context of a musical episode, this vehicle could’ve been used in far better ways than it was here.

For example:  in the modern Storybrooke era, the Black Fairy has cast a spell compelling the characters to sing what’s in their hearts because there’s something she needs to know from one of them that will give her an advantage in the final battle.  They’re singing because truth potions/spells don’t necessarily get people to speak the truth of their hearts, but music always gets at the emotions we think we’re keeping hidden even from ourselves.

You could’ve had Snow & Charming waxing rhapsodic about their own wedding which dovetailed into a flashback about the ramp-up to the ceremony we saw in the pilot.  You could’ve had Regina singing about how her mother’s pursuit of revenge, and her own, have robbed her of getting to have a wedding day like Emma’s, paired with a flashback of the Evil Queen observing the preparations for the royal wedding and finally snapping over Snow getting to have the happy wedding that she and Daniel nwere permanently denied.  You could’ve had Zelena singing about how everyone’s making such a huge deal out of the wedding and it’s not as important as they’re all building it up to be before slowly revealing that, unlike Emma, she has no one that cares enough about her to want to give her a special wedding day and she is still mourning the one person that would’ve possibly ever wanted to marry her to begin with.

And then at long last, you have Emma singing about how she’s happier than she’s ever been and looking forward to marrying Hook, but the part she's not letting anyone see is that she’s frightened of losing the family that it’s taken so long for her to find and build and accept:  if not to the Final Battle then to some other evil because there will always be darkness for the Savior to fight.  That she knows they’ll carry on if she dies because that’s what they do, but she doesn’t know how she’ll go back to being alone again if something happens to them because she needs them to remind her that she’s no longer a lonely, unwanted orphan girl.

Cue the Black Fairy now knowing what she needs to know and cursing the town so that when Emma wakes up the morning after her wedding, she’s alone, isolated from everyone she loves, and she has to face the Final Battle without the support system she’s come to rely on to remind her of her own self-worth.

Was this episode fun for the OUaT cast & crew to make?  Probably.  The actors certainly seemed to be having a ball with the musical numbers, and some of the vocal performances were unexpectedly good.  But it didn’t really serve the overall narrative, it didn’t give us any insight into the characters that we didn’t have already, and the emotional pay-off didn’t have anything to do with the musical device.  The emotional pay-off was the wedding, and while I’m glad they didn’t fuck around with the actual ceremony (ruined weddings are one of my top five most-hated plot devices ever), there was no dramatic tension at all in the 50 minutes leading up to that moment and no interesting character development to make the time feel like it was spent wisely.

A&E should’ve called Papa Joss to consult.  We would’ve gotten an episode with some heart for the songs to be in.

[evcrafter]

Maleficent “Mal” Bertha

Face-claim: Dove Cameron

Status: semi-active

Biography:

Lady Maleficent "Mal" Bertha is half-fairy, and the main protagonist from the Disney Channel films Descendants and Descendants 2 She is the daughter of Maleficent.

As a natural born leader, Mal takes charge of carrying out her mother's evil plan to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand and enjoys drawing and casting spells, as she feels they’re needed.

As the movies progress, Mal lets go of much of her fears and goals, becoming in tune with her true self; thus she abandons the hollow life of evil, for a life of being good. With friendship and love, Mal ended filling the hole in her heart that couldn't be satisfied through what her mother had taught her.

Mal is a sneaky, smart, and ruthless girl who is a natural born leader and skilled at artistic things involving spray paint. Though she is compassionate to a degree she is also vengeful and doesn't forgive others easily. She is artistic and has a knack for casting spells, but only if needed. As the daughter of Maleficent, she wants to be like her mother: pure evil. Yet whenever she tries to prove herself to her mother, she often disappoints her instead.

But she does enjoy coming up with evil plans and is the most feared at her previous school because of her reputation. She isn't fond of beautiful surroundings or anything pink and finds them to be horrid, but she does sometimes wonder about how life would be off the island. Despite this, she is not necessarily immoral; she is just misguided. Her "mean girl" facade is an act because she does not want to be seen as weak in her mother's eyes; being one is the only way she is respected by Maleficent, who never cared about Mal. Ben is the only person who saw through Mal's act (including herself), and saw her for who she was, a good person and he is the only one who knows Mal's middle name. She also tends to be overly-sarcastic.

In the prelude novel, Mal is introduced as the daughter of Maleficent, the worst of the villains. Mal was born and raised in the Isle of the Lost, along with her mother, best friends and their parents. One evening, Mal dreams of being in Auradon on the edge of a beautiful lake with the soon-to-be-king Ben (to whom she did not know).

She doesn't always do so well in school, except for Advance Evil Schemes and Nasty Tricks taught by Lady Tremaine. For her Ultimate Project she chose to humiliate Evie in which she fails to do. However, when Diablo was reanimated and informs Maleficent of the return of magic to the fairy's staff, Maleficent instructs Mal to retrieve it to prove herself evil. Mal convinces Jay, Evie and Carlos to get the staff back from the Forbidden Fortress in the Isle of the Doomed, an area near the Isle. She saves Evie from getting cursed by the staff at the cost of the the staff losing its magic once returned to Maleficent. Afterwards, the four teens become friends.

In Descendants, Mal is first seen spray painting a brick city wall. Then, she and her friends wreak havoc across an area of the Isle of the Lost. ("Rotten to the Core") After taking a lollipop from a toddler, her mother Maleficent comes. She gives the news that the four have been chosen to attend Auradon Prep. She gives the four a task to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand, and hands over her spellbook to Mal. When they arrive at Auradon Prep, they are welcomed by the Fairy Godmother and Prince Ben, who made the decree that they be given a chance to live among them. Audrey, Ben's girlfriend and the daughter of Aurora, is unwelcoming and rude. Mal and Audrey exchange awkward looks, before Audrey takes Ben away.

Mal and Evie become roommates to a room Mal finds "gross," but what Evie actually really loves. At night, the two girls enter Jay and Carlos' dorm room while Jay and Carlos were enjoying they almost forgot what they are here for then Mal tells that it is their one chance to prove their parents that they are evil.

Then they went to the museum after knowing where the wand is being held. Mal successfully puts the guard into a deep sleep, and they go look for the wand. They enter a room, which contains statues of their parents; Mal stays behind, having a vision of her mother encouraging her to go through with the plan to steal the wand. ("Evil Like Me") They find the wand, but Jay accidentally sets off the alarm when trying to take the wand. They narrowly escape, thanks to Carlos reporting the alarm as a malfunction.

The next day, they have school; Mal aces Remedial Goodness as it's a no-brainer what answer good guys would choose. Jay and Carlos are in the Tourney team, and Evie is asked out by Chad Charming. Mal befriends Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, to get the wand; she plays on Jane's insecurities about being pretty by making her hair more beautiful. Lonnie, Mulan's daughter, asks Mal to change her hair to a cool style likes her; Mal reluctantly agrees, since Lonnie will pay $50 and Evie needs more material for sewing her outfits.

Finding out the wand will be used in the coronation, Mal hatches a plan to become Ben's girlfriend to get close to the wand, since only his folks and girlfriend get to stand up front. She begins baking a love spell into a batch of cookies; however, she finds that a tear of true sadness is the only ingredient missing. Lonnie bothers her (other girls want Mal to change their hair as well), and Mal reveals that the parents on the Isle of the Lost never showed them anything like love before when Lonnie remembers when her mother made her cookies whenever she was sad. Lonnie cries for them; Mal pretends to kindly wipe it away, flicking the tear into the cookie batter.

The next day, Mal uses psychology to trick Ben into eating the cookie, by making him think he doesn't trust a treat offered by the child of a villain. To Mal's surprise, the love potion works a little too well, as Ben breaks out into a song about his love for her after winning the Tourney game with Jay and Carlos' help. She readily accepts his request to attend the coronation with him, but feels a bit sorry for Audrey, who is shallow compared to her and choose Chad Charming (a manipulative jerk) as a rebound boyfriend.

Mal goes on a date with Ben to the Enchanted Lake. While on the date, they find they have some things in common, such as embarrassing middle names, and the status of their parents; Ben explains that while he has the "poster parents of goodness" and her mother is Mistress of Evil, they're not automatically like them as they get to choose who they get to be.

She is then taken aback when Ben tells her that he can see goodness when he looks into her eyes, not evil. While Ben takes a swim, Mal begins feeling conflicted since she's falling in love. ("If Only") When Ben doesn't surface, Mal attempts to save him despite not being able to swim; Ben saves her, albeit a bit confused. Mal points out that there's a barrier around the Isle of the Lost, preventing swimming. When asked if she loves him, Mal says that she doesn't know what it feels like to love; Ben says he might be able to teach her.

Prior to Family Day, Mal and her friends can video chat with their parents. Hearing her mother's subtle message, Mal decides that they're all goners if they don't succeed. Come Family Day, Mal attends with her friends and is introduced to King Beast and Queen Belle by Ben as his new girlfriend; the experience is mutually uncomfortable for three of them.

Playing a game of croquet prior to lunch, Mal meets Audrey's grandmother, Queen Leah, who initially mistakes her for her mother in shock. Ben explains the situation, but Queen Leah is furious at the very memory of her daughter needing to be raised by fairies due to Maleficent's curse. Feeling sorry for the misery her mother caused, Mal attempts to apologize, but is stopped by Chad Charming, who has never trusted Mal or her friends. After Evie knocks out Chad with a sleeping potion, Mal is left feeling hurt and confused more than ever; Ben attempts comforting her prior to leaving to prep for the coronation the next day. Jane and Audrey make fun of Mal, who snaps back at them by undoing the makeover she gave Jane's hair; she threatens to do worse, telling her friends she's looking forward to the coronation.

The following day, she rides with Ben in a carriage to the coronation. He eats a cupcake with the antidote to the love potion in it too early; however, she learns Ben has been free of the spell since their first date, thanks to the Enchanted Lake washing away the spell. Wondering if Ben had been had been faking his affection for her, Mal is left happily surprised he entrusts his signet ring to her. This however, causes her to begin questioning if she should give up this happiness love has brought her, in order to fulfill her mothers' evil desires.

During the coronation, Jane snatches the wand to give herself a makeover; however, the magic backfires and makes a hole in the barrier surrounding the Isle of the Lost. Mal takes the wand, and after encouragement from Ben, decides to choose good as it's brought her more happiness than evil ever did and states the fact that she wants to live here in Auradon because it brings her happiness. Her friends agree, just as Maleficent arrives to take the wand. With everyone but herself and her friends frozen in time by her mother, Mal finally stands up to Maleficent, saying she's never considered what her Mal wanted. Having a stare-off and using a spell, Mal shrinks her mother down to a small lizard, which is equal to the love in her heart.

Fairy Godmother unfreezes time, freeing everyone. Mal shares a moment with Ben, while telling Fairy Godmother not to be too hard on Jane since it was her fault for putting the ideas in her head. With her mother locked up, Mal decides to enjoy the after party with her friends. Mal dances with Ben to Set it Off. She then narrates "You didn't think that was end of the story, did you?" while giving a smirk to the audience as her eyes glowed green.

In the sequel, Return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos find themselves right where we left them in the movie. Enjoying everything that Auradon has to offer. In the Library, she then tells Ben about putting a fake nose on Pin. Meanwhile, she now has great friends, interesting classes, a world filled with hope instead of dreary villains and no future. They originally expected to hate it, but as we all know, they not only decided to stay, but to find their inner goodness. (And when there’s handsome princes, Tourney matches, puppies, and spontaneous musical numbers galore, who can really blame them?)

But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay find themselves falling into their old habits. Evil spells, stealing, and breaking the rules comes naturally to them, it’s not really their fault, it’s how they were raised! In addition to becoming Rotten to the Core once again, they discover a dark mystery at the Isle’s core, and must combine all their talents, both good and bad, to save the Kingdom.

Mal first has a daydream of her, Jay, Carlos, and Evie, huddled around a bubbling cauldron. She casts a spell on some apples to make the taster wicked. The four are then shown passing out apples and watching chaos break loose. ("Ways to be Wicked") She then is being crowded by several reporters in the front of the school asking her questions about the Cotillion and her life in Auradon. Ben and the Fairy Godmother intervene to veer the reporters away from a very relieved Mal. Ben talks to Mal about spending time together, before remembering that he is late for a council meeting and leaves abruptly after apologizing to Mal. Evie and Mal then walk away to get fitting for Mal's dress for the Cotillion.

Mal is then shown in her Cotillion dress getting fitted by Evie in their room. She complains her discomfort to Evie about the dress, along with the stress of all the events she has to attend to even after the Cotillion. She then asks Evie about what they would be doing if they were still in the Isle, which Evie laughs off. The TV then shows Mal and Ben on their tour of Auradon dining with Aladdin and Jasmine, which they stop to watch. The TV goes on to talk about the days until the Cotillion when Mal would officially be a Lady of the Court.

Mal gives a surprised gasp, at this, as she counts the days on her fingers. She walks over and picks up her spell book. She then chants a spell to remember everything she reads at lightning speed and starts to go over a book for "Lady Manners." Evie notices and scolds Mal about how dishonest she was being which Mal shrugs off saying that she was a mess before she started using her spell book. Evie takes the spell book away and when Mal begins to protest, she tells her that her spell book should be put in the museum along with Evie's Magic Mirror. After reluctantly giving up, she asks Evie if she ever missed running wild and breaking all the rules. Evie gives a shocked "no" asking why would they. She takes Mal and leads her back to the TV saying that they were in Auradon and that they were Auradon girls now. They watch the TV talk about Mal's love of strawberries, showing Mal and Ben on a romantic date eating strawberries. As Mal looks sad, Evie tells her that Auradon is the land of opportunity and that they could be whatever they wanted to be. Evie asks Mal to leave the past in the past, and when Mal still looks sad, she cheers her up by showing Mal her Cotillion shoes.

Mal then is shown walking through school with Evie, Jay, and Carlos. Jay flirts with some girls and Carlos asks why he hasn't picked anyone to bring to the Cotillion already, which he responds that he's going solo so that he can dance with all of them. After Carlos calls him the expert, he asks him on advice on asking a girl to the Cotillion, and Jay jokingly responds that he has to look like him. They run into Jane, who addresses Mal, but Carlos cuts in. He nervously asks her if she liked the carrot cake the night before, and Jane says that she had the pumpkin pie. After Jay drags him off, Evie addresses Lonnie and Jane if they wanted a spot for Cotillion fitting at three, and Lonnie hurriedly says "yes". She apologizing to Jane, saying that she will take Jane later. Jane starts asking Mal about decorating at the Cotillion. Mal says she has to get to class, but Jane says that she can nod if she likes it. Jane hurriedly starts listing decorative items. Mal starts to protest after Jane asks her about party favors, but she interrupts and starts listing more items. Jane stops to ask about pen toppers, and Mal eyes glow green. She closes them for a moment, and then smiles at Jane, agreeing with her. Lonnie comes around and tells Mal that she is excited to see what Mal's wedding will look like, and Mal, dazed, agrees before looking surprised. Jane tells Mal that the Cotillion is like getting "engaged to be engaged to be engaged." Mal started stuttering about not knowing about it and that her entire life is just laid right in front of her as Ben walks up behind her. Ben addresses Mal and tries to talk to her but is drawn aside by Jane as Mal waits for him. Jane then talks about Ben's present to Mal at the Cotillion, which turns out to be a stained-glass window depicting Mal with Ben kneeling before her. After Ben reminds Jane to make Mal's eyes green, he says goodbye to Mal, who walks away. Jane then asks about the different shades of green to use, and he chooses one.

While Mal is at her locker, Ben walks up to her. He tells her that he has surprise for her, and she laughs about how many presents Ben gets her. When Ben looks into her locker, he sees her spell book, and asks her if she is going to donate it to the museum. She closes the locker door to block his view and muses about how she had forgotten about it. She says that she has to get to class, but Ben stops her and walks her over to a purple scooter with a bronze bow on the handle. Mal gasps in surprise and tells Ben how she loves it. She then says that she didn't get Ben anything. He reminds her that she told him that she would take him on a picnic with all his favorite foods. Mal says that the picnic is going to be on Thursday. They start arguing about it being Thursday until Ben takes his phone out and shows her. Mal covers up her surprise and says that she was just joking. She says she needs to bake only one more thing, and when Ben reminds her about class, Mal says that she will multitask and walks away laughing.

Mal runs into Carlos's room as reporters follow her and she slams the door, panting. She locks the door, then walks over to the TV, which was talking about her, and turns it off hurriedly with the remote as Carlos watches her. When Mal's eyes glow green, Carlos tries to calm her down. Mal starts to rant about how reporters are always running after her and taking pictures of her. She asks him if he ever missed screaming at people and making them run away from him. He tells her that she was thinking of Carlos's mother, Cruella, which he was usually being the one running away, and tells her no. Carlos then asks Mal if she brought "it" (a truth gummy) and she starts to open a small container. Chad suddenly opens the room silently and stealthily, unaware that Carlos and Mal were in the room, and closes it. When he turns around, he looks surprised to see Carlos and Mal there. He awkwardly says hi, and then tells Carlos that he just wanted to use his 3D printer. Carlos asks Chad about how he got the key to his room, and Chad says that he printed it off last time he was there, when they were sleeping. He tries to defend himself by saying how good Carlos's 3D printer is, but Carlos tell him to get out and leave the key. He angrily walks out and slams the door. Carlos then reminds Mal about the "potion," which turns out to be a truth gummy that will allow Carlos to say what he wants to say to Jane. Mal cautions him about if he really wants to take it because it will make him say the truth all the time and remarks that if she took it, she would get sent back to the Isle. Carlos tells Mal that he will take his chances, but before Carlos takes it, Dude jumps off the bed and eats it from Mal's hand. Dude then starts to talk, much to Carlos's and Mal's surprise and disbelief, remarking that the gummy was "nasty." He continues, chiding Carlos about "man up," and to scratch his butt. Mal, shocked, told Carlos to scratch his butt, then awkwardly turns and leaves. Carlos protests about Mal just leaving him there with Dude.

Later, Mal and Ben are sitting together on the picnic date near a lake. She feeds him a hors d'oeuvre which Ben remarks is the best thing in the world. Ben said that she had made every single dish Mrs. Potts made for his parents. He asked Mal if it really took her three days to make it all, which she jokingly asks him not to even ask her. Ben told her that it meant a lot that she stopped and did all of that for him, and that they didn't have a lot of time being just "them." Ben then asked if there were any napkins. He reaches into the picnic basket, and Mal tries to stop him saying that she can get them herself. However, Ben takes Mal's spell book out, to Mal's shock. She quickly makes up an excuse saying that she threw the book in the basket at the last minute in case it rained during the date. However, Ben started to read the list of spells that Mal had tabbed showing him that she had used the spell book to read quickly, turn her hair blonde, and cook all the food that she had "made." Ben starts to get angry, telling her that he had been falsely complimenting her for fitting in well. Mal, desperate, tries to spell him into forgetting the moment, but she messes up. Ben jumps up from the table, figuring out she was trying to spell him. They start yelling at each other, Mal saying that transitioning into Auradon was hard, while Ben retorts that becoming king has been hard as well. Ben says that Mal has been lying and keeping secrets from him and reminds her that Auradon isn't the Isle of the Lost. Mal retorts that she knows it isn’t and explains that she isn't a pretty pink princess or a Lady of the Court. She then grabs her spell book and casts a spell over the feast which turns it back to "what is real," which turns out to be a peanut butter jelly sandwich and a glass of milk. She then walks away, despite Ben trying to call her back.

Mal returns to hers and Evie's room dressed in her VK outfit. She grabs a pencil and pierces air holes into a blue and black pencil box. She drops it, then starts to cry saying that she doesn't belong in Auradon. She picks up the box again and walks over to the glass cage where her mother, Maleficent the lizard, is kept. She opens the cage, takes out Maleficent and places her in the box. She then smiles weakly and says that they're "blowing this popsicle stand," then places the lid on the pencil box.

Afterwards, Mal drives her purple scooter wearing a purple helmet to a cliff at the edge of Auradon overlooking the sea and the Isle of the Lost. She stops, breathing heavily, and takes off her goggles. She quickly takes her spellbook out and casts a spell on her scooter that will take the driver anywhere. She then drives across the water trailing green magic, slightly hovering over the water and bouncing into it occasionally. Mal rams into the barrier, but passes through it with a gasp of surprise. She then is shown driving through the "market" causing many people to shout in surprise and move out of her way quickly. She stops at a corner and takes off her goggles to see a poster on the wall advertising the Royal Cotillion showing Ben and Mal together. An eye patch is drawn over Ben's right eye , and Mal's face has and "x" over it with "GOOD GIRL" written on her. Mal peels the poster off the wall, crumples it, and throws it over her shoulder. She puts her goggles back on and drives off, many people staring at her as she leaves. She drives on until she reaches a building, turns right, and parks her scooter in an opening. She takes off her helmet, grabs a rock off a nearby table, and throws it at a sign reading: "Danger: Flying Rocks" hanging to the side of the building. It folds to the wall, then a door slides upwards revealing a flight of stairs leading up the building. Mal then starts walking up the stairs to the room above.

Mal later is walking down to Lady Tremaine's Curl Up & Dye. She gets to the doors, but notices that there is hanging sign that says the shop doesn't open until midnight. She pushes the doors open and walks inside to reveal a hair shop with walls and furniture splattered with paint and bubbling bottles. She spots Dizzy Tremaine sweeping the hair-covered floors while listening to "Rather Be With You" on her headphones. Dizzy notices Mal and exclaims with surprise, asking if Evie was with her as well. Mal chuckles and tells her "no", and Dizzy looks disappointed. Mal tells her that she forgot that the place doesn't open until midnight and compliments it saying that it looks good. Dizzy chuckles, and Mal asks her if her grandmother has given her any customers yet. Dizzy responds that she only gets a witch here and there. She goes on saying that she usually does a lot of cleaning. Mal asks her if she did Evie's hair, and Dizzy tells her yes, and that she thought of the little braids that Evie wore. Mal asks Dizzy if she had any ideas for her, and Dizzy examines her. She begins criticizing Mal's hair and nails. Dizzy asks Mal how far she can go with her hairstyle, and Mal tells her to make it so that Mal feels like herself, but way worse. Dizzy squeals happily, then grabs a large pair of scissors. She dyes Mal's hair magenta, then cuts some hair off. Dizzy straightens Mal's hair and paints Mal's nails black. After it is done, Dizzy spins her chair around and Mal gets up to look herself in a paint-splattered cracked mirror. She then pulls out money from her pocket and gives it to Dizzy, who asks her if the money is for her. When Mal says yes, Dizzy exclaims in happiness and runs over to the cashier laughing.

Dizzy stops when she sees Harry Hook walking into the entrance. He tells her to give him the money, and calls her a runt. She reluctantly gives him the money in his outstretched hand. Harry then tells her to give him the rest of the money as well, gesturing to the cashier by hitting the desk with his hook. Dizzy walks slowly to the cashier while Harry puts the money in his mouth. Dizzy pulls out the money from the cashier and gives it to Harry. He says thank you and starts to walk out, unaware of Mal's presence, while Mal watches while chewing some gum. Mal speaks up, asking if Harry still runs errands for Uma or if he gets to keep what he steals. He turns around, shocked, and calls Mal's presence a "nice surprise." Mal says hi to him, and Harry starts walking towards her, telling her that Uma will never give back Mal's old territory. Mal says that it is okay, because she is going to take it back. He chuckles lightly, using his hook to brush through Mal's hair saying that he could hurt Mal. She suddenly grabs his wrist, and takes the chewed gum out of her mouth and places it on the tip of Harry's hook. She looks at him telling him that she bets that he couldn't hurt her without her permission. Harry lifts the hook and eats the gum off of it. He then walks towards the entrance, sweeping the counter with his arm, sending multiple objects flying to the ground. He turns back to Mal, makes a mock bow, and walks out of the shop. Dizzy, who was still behind the cashier, sarcastically remarks about how much more sweeping she has to do now.

Ben, Evie, Jay, and Carlos arrive at the VK's old hideout, and Jay opens the entrance with a rock. The three VK's wait outside while Ben walks up the stairs. He finds Mal in a room with walls full of graffiti. She is unaware that he is there, since her back is turned because she was using spray paint to draw herself, Jay, Carlos, and Evie with black spray paint with the words "Rotten to the Core" while standing on some boxes. Ben comments that at least she didn't draw him with horns and a pitchfork jokingly. Mal lets out a gasp of surprise and whirls around. Ben apologizes to her about their fight, saying it was all his fault and begs Mal to come home while lifting up her ring to her. Mal walks down the crates and tells him that she is home while walking towards him. Ben pushes on, telling her that he brought the limo. Mal says that she doesn't fit in in Auradon even though she gave it her best shot. Ben then says that he can change, that he will skip school, have more fun, and blow off some of his responsibilities. Mal cuts in, saying no and that she is a terrible influence on him. She tells him that one day she might do something so messed up that the kingdom will turn on both of them. Ben shakes his head, pleading her not to quit "them," and that he and the people of Auradon love her. He asks Mal if she loves Ben. He takes the ring and places it in Mal's right palm. Mal looks down at it, and takes it in her other hand, smiling slightly. She then places it in Ben's hand and closed it into a fist. She sadly tells Ben that she needs to take herself out of the picture because it was best for Ben and Auradon. Ben starts to protest, walking towards her, but Mal backs up, clearly uncomfortable with Ben being to close. She tells him that she can't do this, and that Ben should leave. She walks over to the boxes, grabs the spray paint can, and steps up. When Ben keeps standing there, she asks him again to leave. Ben walks slowly away, and Mal looks miserable.

When Ben walks out of the building, he tells Evie, Jay, and Carlos that Mal refused to go back to Auradon. Evie insists that she will talk to her and walks over to an object that resembles an ear trumpet stuck to the wall while Ben walks away. She asks Mal to let her talk to her for a second. On the other line, Mal walks over to another ear trumpet in the room and pulls a heavy lever next to it, then tells Evie to "go away" then Carlos asks Evie and Jay where Ben is. They stop and look nervous, while Evie calls Ben's name. They see a shadow walking over to them through a dark aisle, and Evie angrily tells Ben to not scare them like that. The shadow turns out not to be Ben, but Harry Hook. He says that scaring is his specialty. Jay angrily demands what Harry did with Ben, and Harry said that they captured him. He says that if Evie, Jay, and Carlos want to see Ben again, to have Mal come to Ursula's Fish and Chips alone that night. He goes on saying that Uma wants to have a little visit with Mal. Harry turns to Jay, and makes a mocking sad face saying that Jay has lost his touch. Jay lunges for Harry, but Evie holds him back while Harry laughs and mockingly barks at Carlos. He turns around and walks casually back into the aisle, whistling. Jay turns and starts climbing up a ladder leading up to the top of the building, while the others follow.

After Jay, Carlos, and Evie explained what happened, Mal starts scolding them saying if they hadn't brought him along, he would have never been captured. The other three explained that Ben would've come anyway, and asked Mal what they were going have to do now. Mal says that "they" are not doing anything and that the matter is between Uma and herself, and she would get Ben alone. Carlos tries to slow Mal down, saying that she will still have to go through Harry Hook and his wharf rats to get Ben, and Jay agrees saying that she will need them to help. Mal reminds them that she has to go alone and Jay responds saying that they would wait for her until she gets back. She comes to Ursula's Fish and Chips and talk to Uma, who challenges Mal to an arm wrestling match when Mal was winning and her eyes glowing green then Uma says to Mal for her to bring the Fairy Godmother's wand to distract her and wins also tells her to bring it to her ship at noon.

Carlos, Jay, Evie tells Mal there's no way they're going to bring the wand and Evie commented about Mal's new hairstyle and told her that Dizzy had done it and they were talking, then Carlos interrupted them and Mal resumes to go over the plan to fool Uma and Mal remembered Carlos's 3-D printer he can use it to make a replica wand and also use smoke bombs. While Carlos and Jay returned to Auradon to replicated the wand, Mal and Evie went to Lady Tremaine's Cut Up and Dye and Evie saw Dizzy and she showed Evie a scrapbook and then they made colorful smoke bombs, when they returned to their old hideout, Mal told Evie that she was not returning to Auradon then Evie said I'm staying with you and Mal told her you're an Auradon girl and I'm just a girl from the Isle. Then Mal tossed a rock at the sign and they climbed the stairs to a landing and discuss what they’ve been feeling towards their situations.

After they return with the replica wand Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and Lonnie face Uma and her pirates. But Uma wanted to see if it's real, Mal made up a fake spell to make Dude talk to fool Uma. Mal gave Uma the replica wand and Uma gave Ben back to Mal. Once Uma had the wand, she tried to cast a spell with the wand to lower the barrier and nothing happened. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, Ben got into a sword fight with Uma, Harry, Gil and the pirates. After using colorful smoke bombs to distract the pirates Mal and the VKs with Ben and Lonnie escaped the from the Island and return to Auradon. Once they got back, Lonnie returned to swords and Jane approached Ben about Cotillion and he asked Mal did she want to cancel it, but she didn't say anything. Evie came to Mal telling her we need to talk but Carlos stopped them saying he was tired of them running off to have a girl talk so told that they are her family and told them to sit and talk. After the talk Evie told her that her dress will be there if she wants it and Jay asked Mal that if she can't stand one more day there he would drive her back himself.

At Cotillion Mal was introduced as future Lady Mal, she appeared in her Cotillion dress came down the stairs talked to the former King Beast and Queen Belle then Evie taken her hand to ask if she's alright they turned to look at the stairs when King Ben showed and told Mal he wished he had time to explain when Uma appeared. Uma talked to Mal and started to dance with Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and Lonnie started to leave when Jane told Lumiere to show everyone Ben's gift to his lady and unveiled the stained glass of Mal and Ben. Uma got upset and wanted it covered up and it was refused, she wanted Ben to order the Fairy Godmother to lower the barrier and she refused. Mal told Evie that Ben had been spelled and Evie said the Uma found Mal's spell book, Mal kissed Ben to release him from the spell.

Uma upset then tried to take the wand from Fairy Godmother and Evie was between Fairy Godmother and Uma to keep Uma from getting the wand. Uma then reached the railing of ship, Mal tried to stop her from going over but Uma's necklace glowed, and she went over, after she went into the water she changed to have tentacles like her mother. After seeing that, Mal moved to an area on deck and changed into a dragon in front of everyone and went after Uma they were going to fight but Ben jumped into the water between them to stop it, Uma was rejected and defeated, she gave Ben back the ring and she then left. After Ben climbed back on board the ship along with everyone seeing Mal as a dragon return to the ship and in purple smoke changed back to herself with a different dress, approached by Evie telling her "I did not know I can do that" and Evie saying "Tell me about it" who then blown a puff of a smoke off Mal's dress. Then returned to Ben and kissed him again, afterwards everyone started dancing and Ben placed the ring on Mal's finger and watched everyone bow to the couple.

Verses:

Self-proclaimed Queen of Everything: Mal on the Isle

Possibly a Princess: Mal in Auradon

In the Dragon’s Sights: Once Upon A Time verse

Road Less Traveled: all AU threads