#and leona making it up even higher than last year

[tartppola]

oh malleus draconia our twstblr sexyman.....

[ventique18]

~ Malleus and his self-expression in the Japanese language ~

Just a few random things that Malleus enthusiasts might find interesting...

As we're probably aware of by now, the English version is not exactly a 1-1 translation of the Japanese version. This is unavoidable, as a lot of culture nuances just can't be faithfully expressed without having to explain them in detail like this. One of those is Malleus' way of talking. He's often presented in English as talking as if he woke up straight from the Victorian era; and while that's also true in Japanese as he talks somewhat formally, there's something about his self-expression that wasn't carried over in the English version: in that he speaks in a masculine way.

In Japanese, there are typically three ways that a person can express themselves through speech: feminine, gender-neutral, and masculine. There's also varying degrees of these three depending on "bluntness" or "softness"-- and when you think mega blunt, you can imagine Leona's way of speaking that's actually accurate to how he physically acts. The thing is, Malleus also practically talks like that; just removing some pronouns and particles that would come off as rude.

Basically, he talks in an assertive, masculine way while actively avoiding mansplaining superiority to his conversation partners, which Leona and a few others tend to do.

Another interesting thing to point out is what some of you might have noticed in the audio: his preference of using "Boku" as a personal pronoun. Boku is one of the pronouns used by masculine people. While "Ore", which Leona uses, is more masculine, it's not Malleus' preference as it comes off as a lot more aggressive while Boku is more polite. This is why Ore is also frequently used by most men (people can swap pronouns depending on the situation!) when they're in casual situations; because it gives off a message that they do not appreciate being submissive among peers. If you've noticed, Ace, angry Deuce, and most of the third years use Ore as their pronoun.

The last mentioned point is important, because you might question why doesn't Malleus use Ore as his pronoun when he's literally higher ranking/more important than anyone else in the school? Because it's more formal than Ore, and this is just my personal conjecture, but it gives off a mighty message that he doesn't even need words or pronouns to assert how naturally dominant he is.

But if he likes being formal that much, why doesn't he just use the very formal pronoun "Watashi", like the headmage Crowley? Because, going back to the very first point, Boku suggests masculinity while Watashi does not. He also actually doesn't structure his sentence in an overly formal way like the headmage because doing so would omit the air of masculinity which he rather prefers.

So yeah, that's just an interesting topic I thought some would be curious about. The first time I heard him, I also didn't expect he'd express himself in an assertive way because of the beautiful elegance he always carries with him. Actually, this makes me appreciate Twst more; because it doesn't really conform to societal norms--that yes, a man can wear makeup and heels and it's not anyone's business how he decides to express himself.

Some other non-Malleus notes: this topic is incredibly nuanced and vast. There's no hard rule for this and it really depends on the individual to mix and match depending on how they want to express themselves. For example, Furina as the Hydro Archon is feminine but uses Boku as her pronoun as a message that she is not to be looked down on by men. This is interesting to me, as rather than associating pronouns to gender like in English, Japanese pronouns can carry other messages depending on the person's intent. That's why we prefer to call it masculinity or femininity, as it really is more of a self-expression rather than gender identity. There are actually other more self-expression patterns outside masculine-feminine-neutral!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I'm a bit confused about how the classes work at Night Raven... like, can students of different years go to the same classes at the same time? because we know Yuu goes/we go to the same class as Ace/Deuce, but I was doing some lessons w Floyd and he says something like "I think I'll go to your class today, Little Shrimpy!" ...is it just a Floyd Thing™️ where he randomly attends classes that he shouldn't, or are older students allowed to/have to go to some of the same classes that younger students have? Bc like... if he goes to the same idk, history class Yuu is at, wouldn't he just... be attending a class he practically already took? (Like how Leona says that he doesn't attend most classes bc he already saw that last year)

(also maybe this is just a silly question and it's a common school system thing in other countries, but at least on my country we don't really do that? I think? Classes are divided by years unless it's like a club activity or some other stuff like that, that's why I'm confused... or maybe it is based more on how a university operates? I haven't enrolled yet so I wouldn't know, sorry if it sounds like a stupid/obvious question 🥲🥲)

I go into more detail about class scheduling in this post. To put it simply though, here are the take-aways that are relevant to answering your questions:

There are “joint classes” where students of various grade levels are in attendance. Students mention this many times in various vignettes. However, it should be noted that joint classes most frequently happen in the context of P.E.

Some classes cannot be joint because there are different materials covered per grade level. For example, Magic History II covers the Just Judge but Magic History I does not.

Additionally, higher level classes require prerequisite courses first be passed. For example. first years’ classes are stated to be mainly theory based and second/third year classes involve more actual use of magic.

As far as we’re aware, NRC’s schedules run like a normal high school’s, meaning the classes are back-to-back and the only significant break in the middle of the day is lunch (a time which everyone seems to share). So when any boy says he’ll follow Yuu to class, it’s not as though he is on an extended break outside of lunch period.

All of the characters have Lesson lines similar to what you described for Floyd. The most likely reason why they say they will “follow you to class” or “do whatever you want to do” is because there is a separation between gameplay mechanics (Lessons) and the actual narrative (main story). For example, Malleus is canonically stronger than all of his classmates but this is not reflected in all Malleus cards having higher attack power; in fact, Dorm Uniform Riddle has the highest power of all student cards. Clearly, it does not make sense in-universe for the characters to take any class in whatever order they want just for the hell of it. However, the feature still exists as a way to level up your cards and to give fanservice to the players via voice lines (because it creates the illusion of bonding/spending time with the boys).

If you’re wondering how it works in universities, you’ll generally have some students from every grade level. Introductory courses may be mostly freshmen while specialized courses are mostly upperclassmen, but you might still get a few people outside of the usual grades interested and taking the class or even accelerated younger students in the high level classes. Electives especially can be mixed. It doesn’t really matter as long as you meet the prerequisites for the class (as you may need to have passes other classes to qualify for enrollment).

[adrianasunderworld]

F!Yuu/Mc that has been taken under the wing of Leonas sister in law, the queen.

The continuation of this.

This one has a bit more Leonax reader than the last one, if you wanted more of that. And because I don't want to keep referring to the queen as only “the queen”, we are going to call her Asha, so she can finally have a name.  

Mc does her damndest to not let Queen Asha down. She studied, got extra help, even picks up some extra credit work just so the savannahs queen will be proud of her. And she is. After the next quarters grades come in and Mc is on call with her, Asha tells her how impressed and proud she is of Mc efforts.

As stated in the last one, half the stuff in the care packages Leona gets is actually for Mc. His sister in law often sends mc the latest clothing items, accessories, snacks, beauty products. Even bolts of high quality fabric if she has any interest in sewing. In their regular communication, the queen has continued to teach Mc about the Sunset Savannah. From their language to their fashion. 

 Despite his grumpy nature, Asha had known Leona since he was a small child and saw him as if he was her own brother. So rare was the occasion that he brought school friends, it was only fitting to give her the best treatment. Then the queen found she liked the girls company and so it continued. Once she learned about Mcs living situation, she couldn’t in good faith let her go back to that. Women in the Savannah looked out for one another, and mc was certainly in need of that kind of support. Asha knew the average expenses of an NRC student, the cost was nothing more than a drop in the well to her. During their regular correspondence she found a genuine affection for Mc that was similar to the sisterly one she held for Leona. If only Mcs good habits would rub off on him now...

The queens influence started to show on Mc. She started to walk with her head a bit higher. Sit with her back a bit straighter. Talk with more confidence in her voice. She had found that her classmates began to listen to her more. Leona knew the reason and found it hard to not be amused. He had seen the real thing in action, and Mc still had a very long way to go.

Leona has never been one to get homesick. But he does find he enjoys seeing Mc wear the things Asha sends. From a blouse tucked in her skirt, or a silky scarf braided into her hair, or the colorful beads around her neck. Mc looks like a walking reminder of home, and Leona has found an odd sense of comfort in it. 

When summer rolls around, the typical servants are sent to bring all of Leonas luggage, only this time there are a couple more sent for Mc. Asha upon hearing Mc had no plans or place to go during the summer, insisted she would stay with them. After all, she was clothing, feeding, and paying for her schooling. Mc was her responsibility now, and that did not stop when the school year ended. At least that’s how Asha explained her reasoning. 

When Mc was not hanging out with Leona or Cheka, she was often with Queen Asha and her attendants. Mc had started to undergo training to be a proper Lady in Waiting/attendant to the queen at her suggestion. After all, if Crowley could not find her way home, she needed to make a life for herself after graduation. Even if she chose not to stay in the Sunset Savannah, Mc had made many friends of high influence that may find her learned skills useful. 

This proved to be very correct. Mc could not be sent back, so after she had graduated, she returned to the palace to finish her training and work in the royal families household. Queen Asha had now found herself her most loyal Lady in Waiting. 

Cheka is obviously older now, around ten or so. He’s known Mc as a close family friend since he was five and has taken to calling her “Auntie” over the years, as you sometimes do. Some of the more snobby members of the court find this highly inappropriate, since they view Mc as only a dressed up servant rather than a former ward of the queen. But Asha and Leona often shut them down. 

Mc is pretty much the only attendant that is allowed to give Leona shit. In public, everything is proper. “Yes your highness.” In private day to day in the palace? “Hey dumbass, get up. You have things to do.” 

         “Shut up, Herbivore. Let me sleep.”

          “Hmm...you know Cheka doesn’t have lessons till this afternoon. Perhaps I'll fetch him. I’m sure he’ll love to play with you.”

           Leona glared from under the blankets. “Evil!” 

          Mc simply threw open the curtains. “I know. Now up.”

Despite this nonsense, Asha knows better. She knows Leona and Mcs feeling for one another, because she has eyes and they work. Leona has always spoken more through actions and not words. So when she sees Leona actually putting in effort to do things for Mc, wanting his head in her lap in her down time, or giving anyone who looks at her funny a dirty look she knows.

Loves to tease her young friend about her relationship with her brother in law. Trust that there is a betting pool amongst the queens entourage that Mc does not know about on whether or not they will get together. Asha will have Mc for a sister in law if it kills her.

Asha literally finds any and every excuse to put these two together, and she’s done it since they were in school. At first it was for etiquettes sake. “Mc is your friend and guest, its only appropriate you escort her to the event.” Now its for chaos. “Oh Leona you have to go into the city for something? Take Mc with you, I was about to send her of anyway, you may as well go together.”  

Yes, Falena enables this. He ships it too. On his end he tries to encourage his brother to go for it. To which Leona is not having it.

The day they get together is the day the rest of the family celebrates.   

[junowritings]

Hello! Can I request hcs of the dorm leaders having a crush on reader please? Normally reader is a pretty shy and serious person. But one day, they see reader from afar (alone or with Grimm): Reader is acting happy go lucky and goofy, without a care in the world. How would they react? (Reader is the type to be silent and introverted in social situations but when they are alone or with someone they are comfortable with, they act bubbly and lively) Thank you!

dfghjhgfds okay so I really got carried away with this one and it shows - this focused less on the crush and more like moments between them so I hope that you like this hun~! ------

Riddle

♡ How someone so serious and reserved managed to wrangle Heartslabyul’s first years into an unlikely friendship is anyone’s guess, but it really didn’t take long after your appearance at Night Raven College before Ace and Deuce started hanging out with you and Grim. Riddle’s heard talk about you before actually meeting you for himself - it seems that even despite your shy demeanor, you’ve become fast friends with some of the other dorm members. Trey’s talked about you coming over to watch him bake, and how you were pretty adept at listening to instructions; and Cater often brings you up in conversation, bringing up some of the selfies he’s roped you into taking with him and showing them to Riddle, lamenting about how you seem to clam up at the mere prospect of large crowds.  ♡ It’s because of this that he’s somewhat prepared when the two of you initially run into one another - if only the circumstances were better given the whole unbirthday party issue. Still, that doesn’t seem to ward you off, if anything, Riddle finds you visiting Heartslabyul even more often after that event ♡ All things considered, you and Riddle actually get along rather well - whilst you don’t talk much, preferring to let the people around you do that talking for you, you’re rather pleasant company to have around. You don’t know even a quarter of the dorm’s rules, but he recognizes your effort to adhere to them as best as you’re able when you come to visit, and for what it’s worth the effort doesn’t go unappreciated on Riddle’s part, especially on his journey to be a little more lenient. He’s not exactly sure when you start winning his favor, or when he starts paying attention to little details about you when you’re around, but he notices he seems to act a little softer during your interactions, though he swears to himself that’s an unconscious reaction to a friend and nothing more. ♡ He’s heard Grim mention that you’re way more outgoing when you’re at Ramshackle alone, and Riddle has to ponder on if it’s because you’re more comfortable being yourself on your own. He’s the first to recognize that you’re more bubbly and lively when you’re comfortable, but doesn’t see it for himself till later on.  ♡ He’s walking through the dorm halls on his way back to his room, when he hears snickering coming from the common room. Nothing too unusual, but he finds himself idly wondering what’s going on in there, so he makes a small detour to double check, just in case there’s trouble brewing. Riddle walks past the common room, watches a familiar black furball go flying up into the air, and promptly backtracks to see what’s going on. He’s already preparing to chew what he assumes is some plucky first years making a mess of the common room, when he spots you, arms outstretched as Grim falls and drops on top of you, where you skillfully catch him.  ♡ You’re beaming at such a simple action, scritching Grim behind the ears as you hold the monster back up; Riddle doesn’t understand exactly what you’re doing until he watches Grim go soaring back into the air thanks to you promptly tossing him up at the cat’s signal. The sight is weird - especially because he’s pretty sure that Grim could fly just fine the last time he checked, but you genuinely look like you’re having a lot of fun throwing the feline up into the air and catching him, getting progressively higher each time. ♡ It appears Grim must trust you more than he lets on to let you do this, either that or the head pats you give him every time he comes back down is enough of a bribe to go along with the little game you’re playing. It’s rather childish, and not something he expected to ever catch you doing, which is exactly why he justifies staring at the scene for as long as he does instead of stepping in. There’s something about the way that you’re acting now that seems almost carefree, nothing quite like the stern, solemn look on your face back when he’d first caught sight of you at the induction. In all honesty it’s an almost enviable expression, or at least, that’s the feeling Riddle assumes he’s feeling when a warmth starts welling up in his chest the longer he watches the two of you play together.

Leona

♡ Has no idea how he ended up crushing on you - you’re quiet, keeping to yourself most of the time unless you get dragged into other people’s problems. That honestly suits him just fine since it means you’re less of a pain to have around - he doesn’t have to concern himself with needless blabbering or deal with the stunts the more reckless ones of his dorm seem to have a field day trying to pull off. 

♡ The longer you and Leona are around one another, the more he’s convinced that there’s more to you than what you’re letting on. Sometimes, he’ll see little flashes of something beneath your usual silent demeanor, especially during moments when you’re happy; it’s like you want to express yourself more, be more open with your feelings. But every time he sees those flashes they’re gone just as quick, which makes him start actively keeping an eye out for those little moments.

♡ One such moment is where he gets a proper glimpse at what you’re like when you’re truly comfortable. Leona was more focused on trying to nap rather than entertain guests, so he’d let Ruggie take care of you while he found a spot to get comfortable; he’s in and out of it, only half paying attention when the sound of giggling rouses him. With a grumble, unamused at being disturbed, Leona cracks an eye open to see what Ruggie’s up to now - fully expecting you to be the latest recipient of one of the hyena’s latest trick when he sees the two of you sat on the floor, legs crossed and facing each other.

♡ It’s easy to assume at first that Ruggie’s just using his unique magic on you to make you follow along with his expressions and actions, but the longer Leona watches the pair of you, he notices that your reactions are just a beat slower than Ruggies, as though you’re waiting for the hyena to move first and acting accordingly. If imitating Ruggie’s your game, you’re doing a pretty good job of it, but every time you mirror his expression Leona can see the pair of you physically struggling to stop yourselves from laughing, watching you bite your lip and seeing the corners of your eyes crinkle in an effort to steel your expression even as a smile tugs at your lips. Ruggie’s not much better, grinning like a fool as he works to make you pull the silliest expressions he can muster, making himself look equally ridiculous in the process.

♡ It’s a childish game, and you’re sure that you can hear Leona huff at the silly display, but that doesn’t stop him from watching the scene play out, easing himself up from his previous napping position into one more comfortable to keep watching. He’s more focused on you than he is Ruggie, watching your expression contort every which way before breaking out into that same grin when a snort of laughter ruins the otherwise quiet of the game. You don’t look as serious and timid as what he’s used to seeing, and you’re interacting way more than you usually do, even sticking Ruggie with some spicy retorts every time he snickers about how silly you look. It’s actually kind of refreshing, in a way, to have his suspicions confirmed that you weren’t just that silent stone wall that others had stuck you to be, so he finds himself looking at that grin of yours like he’s trying to carve it into memory.

♡ Leona makes a comment about your expressions, a little jab that you’re used to hearing by now after being around him for so long; but Leona’s surprised to find that you’ve got a little backbone this time around, sticking him with a defiant huff as you stick your tongue out at him. It’s bratty behavior, but he at least appreciates the cheek you have to pull that face at him before you whirl back around, hands excitedly patting your legs as you egg Ruggie to keep going with this little imitation show. You can’t see it, but that action earns you a raised brow before Leona shakes his head, running a hand through his hair as he flops back down, making you assume that he’s trying to get back to sleep as you continue playing - and he would be, if he didn’t want to keep listening to the sound of your carefree laughter for just a it longer. 

Azul

♡ Azul knows better than to just assume that everyone shows their true personalities without hesitation - keeping your cards to yourself until it’s safe and avoiding moments of vulnerability around those you aren’t close to are traits that he knows all too well. And it’s precisely because of this that he doesn’t immediately judge you based on your initial shyness, instead opting to give it time and see how things pan out. Besides, after the events of that whole contract incident, the way you ended up handling it, and the things that have been thrown at you since, has piqued the dorm leader’s interest.

♡ Visiting Monstro lounge after hours has become a common occurrence, to the point where Azul’s more used to seeing you sitting somewhere in the lounge than he is not - there’s an unusual emptiness to the place on the days that you can’t make it, even if Azul’s not always interacting with you outside of the nod of acknowledgment and initial greeting. Whether you enjoy the quiet atmosphere or the company is anybody's guess, but when you’re visiting on your own you hardly cause any trouble, so Azul doesn’t mind you coming around in the slightest. Plus, you have a tendency to keep Floyd occupied when things get slow, which works out for everybody working there since he enjoys having you around as well. Today’s one such day where you’ve got his attention, as you’re helping to move some of the stuff people have left behind on the counter for the brother’s to pick up. Upon seeing the little collection of cups you’re making, Floyd doesn’t think twice about sliding one over to you, with little warning other than telling you to catch as he does so.

♡ You’d acted without thinking; all you’d seen was a glass coming at you from the corner of your eye and you swatted it back the way it came, almost immediately realizing your mistake as you whip your head around to watch the cup coast back over to Floyd. He looks down at the glass with a look of surprise as he catches it, but in the next  moment that confusion is replaced with an amused grin and he nudges once again over to your side of the counter. This time you actually grab it, and after a second of skeptically eyeing the glass and Floyd you send it back at him; and, just like that, your new little minigame is afoot.

♡ The glass whizzes back and forth, getting progressively faster with each clink across the counter. And it’s that clinking that draws Azul’s attention, as the sound is enough to draw him into turning his focus over to the counter, watching the two of you play. You’re focused, tongue poking from the corner of your mouth as you focus on the glass as it comes back towards you; Floyd’s also thoroughly invested by the little game, and Azul can see his grin getting a little wider every time you have to lean over to bat it back over in his direction. It’s only a matter of time before something happens, Azul can see that clearly with how fast the glass is moving, but instead of calling out to the two of you to stop, Azul watches the exchange anyways, if only to wait for that moment to come.

♡ You must have underestimated the shot, as the next time that the glass goes whizzing towards Floyd it slips right past him and rockets off the counter. You both yell and make a grab for it even though you’re on the far end - Floyd just about falls off of the bar stool trying to snag it only to hit the floor hard enough to make the shelves rattle. Thankfully, Jade’s able to pluck it right from the air right before it hits the ground, sauntering back to the kitchen and carrying the leftover glasses from the remaining tables with him.

♡ Floyd pouts and mourns the loss of your playing glass, but you burst out into a cheer at the nice save, clapping for the Leech twin as he nods in your direction and offers you a smile as he disappears into the back room. The sudden outburst actually shocks Azul, who regards your shout with wide eyes; he’s never heard you yell before, much less that loud, so the sound catches him off guard. It seems that you catch yourself just as fast however, as the second you spot Azul looking at you, your face visibly flushes, embarrassed over him watching over the little scene, face only turning brighter when he flashes you a smile upon noticing you looking at him.

Kalim

♡ Honestly, the two of you couldn’t be more polar opposites to people on the outside looking in. Kalim’s good vibes personified, whereas you’re incredibly introverted and shy around people that you don’t know too well; it makes for an interesting dynamic between the two of you, but Kalim takes it all in stride! Regardless of whether you’re the shyest person in the world, or if you’re the most outgoing, Kalim has a way of finding the best in people and wants to be friends if you’re up for it. So when you first meet at the induction ceremony and you greet him, timid and nervous, Kalim’s really excited to greet you back, already armed with a slew of questions and things he wants to know - what can he say? He’s always interested in getting to know new people! And you’re no exception.

♡ You’re not much of a talker, preferring to let Grim or your other friends do the talking for you, but Kalim doesn’t mind in the least! Though he’s the kind of person that tries to take any and all opportunities to coax you into talking more, which can be very overwhelming during the first few weeks that you spend getting to know him. Fortunately, Jamil’s almost always there to rear him back and stop him from getting overly excited whenever he starts noticing that you’re getting uncomfortable or overwhelmed. It helps that Kalim gets Grim to warm up to him really easily, as seeing that your dormmate actually wants to hang out around him too makes you feel a bit more comfortable hanging out around him and letting loose a little more than you usually would.

♡ And Kalim’s not the only one excited for your visits. His magic carpet’s got a mind of its own and a playful streak that’s apparently only amplified whenever Grim’s in the vicinity - looks like the fluffy monster makes for a prime playmate. You, frankly, find that fact adorable, but Grim gets so miffed being constantly hounded by a magic rug that he actively goes out of his way to avoid it, even if that means swallowing his pride and hiding under or behind something until it’s gone (a fact that you love to bring up when it’s just the two of you - that’s gained you more than a few singed hairs). Unfortunately for your fluffy companion however, neither of you have really been good at knowing where exactly it is when you drop by Scarabia to hang out with Kalim, which means you either don’t have any interactions with it at all, or you do and…well, you get situations such as this.

♡ You’re walking in stride with Kalim, listening to him as he talks - he loves that you’re such a great listener, though that’s only an added bonus thanks to your usually shy demeanor (not that you’d tell him that, he looks so happy every time he gets to ramble you could listen to him talk all day). He’s mid conversation when you spot something whizz across your vision from the corner of your eye - you have no idea what it is, but you’ve got an idea of what it could be when you spot another flash of vibrant fabric. 

♡ Unlike you Kalim’s completely oblivious to this, and you’re still not quite sure what you’re seeing till you finally watch a blur round the corner. The carpet spots Grim, and in the next second Grim’s gone from his spot and zipping down the hall on the carpet's back. His scream is abrupt and loud enough that your ears ring, but the sight of the cat clinging to the fabric and cussing up a storm of curses you didn’t even know he knew makes you react without thinking.

♡ You burst into laughter, throwing your head back before you can even stop yourself watching Grim disappear from view down the corridor. As soon as he hears you laugh, unabashed and unrestrained, Kalim just falls so hard. He’s seen you smile - he’s actually been responsible for making you smile on more than one occasion, and he loves that he’s been able to do so - but there’s just something about the pure joy in your voice, tinged with disbelief, that makes this moment different. It’s the type of laugh that has you leaning against the wall for support and clutching your side, and you only laugh harder when you hear Grim’s voice in the distance, shrieking at you to stop laughing.

♡ Your laughter is contagious, and it isn’t long before Kalim joins in laughing alongside you; that really doesn’t help calm you down, if anything it spurs you on into a spiral until both of you are laughing hard enough that you’re leaning up against each others shoulders every time you hear Grim’s voice carrying on the wind - it’s a moment to remember for sure.

Vil

♡ You’re shy, reserved and keep to yourself unless it’s something you need to actively get involved in, so perhaps it's exactly that reason that you fly under Vil’s radar for so long. Back at the auditions you had looked as though you’d rather be anywhere else rather than being swarmed by your fellow students, visibly shying away and keeping to your small little bubble of friends right up until the moment that the auditions started. Perhaps it was an act of mercy that you weren’t picked as one of the main performers, and he’d fully expected that to be the last direct interaction that he had with you and that fuzzy little thing that hovers around you all of the time.

♡ Only it isn't, even after the events of the VDC it's as though you’d resolved to go out of your way to visit Pomfiore, having gotten attached to your new friends and wanting to make the effort to keep them close even if it was through quick visits. Your self proclaimed task seems easier, given that little Epel has been unanimously adopted into your little gaggle of potatoes and you’ve gotten rather close to some of the other Pomfiore members since meeting them.

♡ It seems like you’ve wormed your way into the hearts of the Vil’s dormmates - Epel’s hanging around you just about every time that he’s spotted you on school grounds, and Rook is ever doting. Vil’s not really one to talk however, given that he’s the first person to greet you whenever you come to the Pomfiore dorm for one reason or another. This is one such instance - apparently one of your little group had decided to cook some desserts and had an abundance of fruits and treats leftover, so you’d brought a couple to share, with Ace and Grim in tow as you offered Vil a rather excited greeting upon seeing him at the door.

♡ An impromptu call had pulled him away from the group momentarily, and by the time the whole mess was sorted out he was already preparing for the chaos your friends must have caused in his absence (seriously, it’s like they go out of their way to nearly break something). However, as he comes to stand in the doorway, he’s accosted by the sight of what looks like a piece of fruit skimming through the air only to land in Grim’s mouth as the monster zips up to snag it. It appears that while he was gone you’d started up a little game of throwing food across the room for Grim to catch, and given the lack of mess on the floor it appears the monster’s been doing a fair job of catching what you toss. You’re biting back a chuckle as you reach for the next piece of fruit, aiming an apple slice in Grim’s direction and asking if he’s ready - in response he grins and rubs his paws together. 

♡ You toss the piece, watching it move through the air and waiting for Grim to catch it. It looks like your trajectory was a bit off however, as it ends up sailing directly over Grim’s head and towards the windowsill where Rook’s sitting; your face immediately flashes to one of panic as you start to rise from your chair, the beginnings of a warning starting to form. It’s almost seamless how swift Rook turns his head, and before you can even blink he’s holding the apple slice between his teeth, flashing a wink before eating it and praising you for the impeccable aim.

♡ This is the first time that Vil’s seen you visibly brighten at the sight of a challenge, and he finds himself pausing in the doorway as he watches you straighten up in your chair, leaning on your knees as you reach into the pack for the next piece of fruit. This time you pull out a grape, and you shoot Rook a grin as you rear back, aiming the fruit over at his direction as he swivels around in preparation. 

♡ This goes on for a few more tosses, and while Vil feels as though he should break up the little exchange, he can’t find it in himself to step in as he watches an orange slice sail across the room in a swift arc and Ace dives from his seat to slide across the floor and catch it, joining in on the fun. The moment he does a roar of triumph rips through the room, and you throw your hands up as you hollar and laugh at the successful shot; only to underestimate how far you’d leaned back and topple right off of your chair. You hit the floor, disappearing from sight, and your friends immediately make a move to check if you’re okay when they hear you laugh, still giggling to yourself by the time your head peeks back up from behind the counter.

♡ You’re disheveled from the fall, hair mussed and collar and tie left askew and loose - had this been usual circumstances, Vil’s first thought would have been to admonish you for letting yourself get into such a unkempt state and he’d have stepped in to correct the slight immediately; instead, his thoughts are trained on your expression, how different it looks from the carefully neutral facade you usually wore. How far that face had come since he’d first met you, now so warm and full of energy, it was as though you were alight with life with each little mark and awry hair only adding to your appearance. You looked...happy, imperfect but somehow...better than beautiful.

♡ Rook’s voice breaks him from entertaining that thought further, clapping his hands together and promptly announcing Vil’s sudden presence to the rest of the party. Vil watches the surprise cross your face, head ducking down so that only your eyes were visible behind the counter as you offer him a timid wave (though the reddening tips of your ears are enough to indicate your embarrassment). He’s swift to stride across the room, rounding the counter to where you’re still kneeling on the floor. You seem shocked when he offers you a hand, and Vil has to ponder just why you’re so shy in his presence as you eye the outstretched hand; you take the offer though, and honestly have to marvel at how soft his hand feels as it holds yours and tugs you up from the floor.

♡ You expect him to move away from you once you’re back onto your feet, but you’re hardly steady again when the hand holding yours moves to your shoulder, balancing you as he gives your disheveled state a once-over. He makes a noise akin to a hum before you feel a hand carding through your hair, smoothing out the otherwise untamable mess with precise fingers and you probably would have flushed under the attention were you not so surprised by the action. Instead of admonishment, Vil finds himself urging you to be careful - potatoes may be sturdy, but he’d rather not have this one getting hurt.

Idia

♡ In all honesty, Idia’s just as introverted, if not more so given his penchant for locking himself away from the world and sticking to the safety of his dorm room at any and all opportunities. So if there’s any chance of you interacting with him, it's either from pure luck, or because you befriended his brother - which given the circumstances, is definitely the latter of the two scenarios. Your shy and reserved personality around others and tendency to clam up in social situations reminds Ortho a lot of Idia, so after his first interaction with you during the Pomfiore auditions he makes an effort to get to know you! It takes you off guard, and Grim butting into the conversation every other minute to ask the boy something arbitrary really doesn’t help with your feelings on the situation; with time, and a little work however, you start opening up a little around him, and with the open and practiced way he approaches you, it isn’t long before the two of you actually become pretty decent friends.

♡ Idia just doesn’t know what to make of you when he hears of your first few meetings relayed directly through Ortho. It’s like you’re some kind of anomaly or glitch that slipped under his radar up until this point in time, and he doesn’t know what trick you’re pulling, but so long as you don’t have any malicious intentions he figures he can tolerate hearing about you. And boy, does he hear it - it’s like you’re involved in just about everything that goes wrong at Night Raven College one way or another, though it seems like it’s through no fault of your own if what he’s seen through the cameras is anything to go by. In a way he almost kind of sympathizes for you, being dragged around every which way by the other dorm heads and students looks exhausting, and you really seem to hate being around all the large crowds that all the school’s events attract. It’s like the only moment of respite you get is with your new flame-haired friend and that talking cat monster, Grim, but Idia doesn’t have much first hand experience when it comes to interacting with you.

♡ The first time you actually meet him face to face, it’s a complete accident. It’s not like he even knew you were going to be coming to the dorm because he hadn’t heard anything about it - it must have been an impromptu invitation, which is really unlike his little brother to do - so imagine his surprise when he rounds a corner and narrowly misses running headfirst into you. He knows what you look like, has seen it through his monitor a few times; hell, you’ve even greeted him through the tablet at dorm leader meetings once or twice when you were close enough to it. But seeing you through a monitor, and seeing you now in the flesh is so jarring that for a hot second he freezes up, looking at you with a baffled expression. You look so different face to face, and he watches you regard him curiously, head cocking to the side as though trying to size him up. It’s only when you give him a confused look and offer a quiet “uhhh,hi?” that Idia realizes what’s going on, and within the next moment he’s gone so fast that you have to double check that he was even there to begin with.

♡ Needless to say, not the best first impression, and Idia’s about ready for the earth to swallow him whole after that incident when you actually go out of your way to approach him the same day. You don’t try to burst into his room or demand him to come out like most of the others, instead you merely knock to announce your presence and mutter out a quiet yet surprisingly serious apology for scaring him back there, mentioning that you hope everything’s okay between you, afterall, you don’t to upset the person that you friend looks up to so much. And then just like that you’re gone, giving him some space as you go off to seek out Ortho.

♡ The friendship between you and Idia is definitely a slowburn, and often has Ortho as the middleman so to speak, being the more outgoing of the three of you when Grim isn’t following you around. Slowly but surely, you open up and start talking to him more, even asking him questions about his games and the kinds of things that he likes to tinker with - it’s a lengthy process, but as Idia spends more time answering your queries he realizes that he’s started to get used to having you around, even kind of looking forward to you coming over.  ♡ Idia recognizes the beginnings of a crush, being able to distinguish that these feelings are different than just friendship, and he gets so worked up about it. A lot of his pining is done from afar, as he’d rather keel over and burn the dorm down before he admits his feelings out loud - he’s always thinking of the worst case scenario with social interactions, and just thinking about all the ways you could possibly reject him is enough to make him feel nauseous, so he sticks to just keeping it to himself and lingering on these feelings safely behind closed doors. He’s sure he can keep it to himself, convinced of it...until he sees what you’re like when you’ve warmed up to someone.

♡ He’d crashed in his bed after staying up way too long grinding for an in-game event, leaving you and his brother to play whatever multiplayer he’d dug up for the two of you to take a crack at; Idia’s the first to admit that sometimes he can sleep like the dead if he’s particularly sleep deprived, so it’s not a surprise that he doesn’t wake up till quite a while later. What wakes him up however is laughter - one voice is Ortho’s, he recognizes it immediately, but the other voice takes him by surprise, and he finds himself peeking his head out from the covers, mindful to keep his hair underneath lest he give away that he’s awake.

♡ Idia finds the two of you giggling to yourselves, with you laughing so hard that there’s tears in your eyes as you clap a hand over your mouth to muffle the sound. Ortho isn’t much better, thoroughly entertained by your laughing and trying to hide his own chuckles as you struggle to recompose yourself - it’s a bizarre scene to watch, and Idia has no idea what’s got you so chuffed until you compose yourself enough to inch back over to your controller. Upon looking at the screen, he sees that you’re still playing that game - there’s a cutscene playing, however it doesn’t take much to realize that the model looks wrong, some kind of bug giving them hilariously static poses that look awkward as the panels switch from scene to scene. There’s a split second where it looks like the bug’s corrected itself, and the laughter dies down into breathy chuckles as you move to click the button prompt. But then all Idia sees is the flash of a stock horse model whizzing across the screen and into the sky and Idia watches you and his brother just about crumple with a wheeze all over again.

♡ He’s never seen you even laugh like that before, much less act so ridiculously silly over something as small as a game glitch, but he’s practically glued to watching your reaction, watching this new, boisterous side of you with a rapt fascination. It’s hard to compose yourself while fighting off the giggles, attempting to imitate some of the bizarre cutscenes as you ramble excitedly about how weird and funny that whole thing was. Ortho also makes an attempt to follow suit, and that starts the pair of you off all over again. Idia would be hard pressed to deny that the sight of you and his brother, grinning without a care as your face flushes from all the yelling, didn’t make him ridiculously happy. If this is what you’re usually like, then does that mean he hasn’t unlocked that with you yet? He’s quick to shake away the thought, instead continuing to watch the scene unfolding in his room - he almost wishes that he could join in on the fun.

♡ Well, it looks like that wish comes true, as Ortho spots his brother out of the corner of his eye and greets him as he excitedly points at the screen, wanting to fill him in on what’s happened while he’s been resting. Your head snaps over to his bed, and he sees the flush on your face turn a deeper shade now for a different reason as you offer a timid greeting of your own, still smiling that bright smile as you apologize for waking him up. At being caught Idia doesn’t know what to say so he reacts without thinking, letting out a choked noise and diving back into his covers so you can’t see his face burning in embarrassment, though the way his hair flares up makes the action futile. 

Malleus

♡ Malleus garners that you’re rather shy when you first cross paths outside of Ramshackle. He’d heard talk about what you were like, as Lilia had taken a particular interest not long after you’d first arrived at the school, having become what one might consider unconventional lunch buddies between breaks. Lilia spoke rather highly of you, though Malleus had yet to place a face to the name until he’d met you on the dorm grounds. He’s no stranger to others shying away from him or being scared in his presence, if anything, it’s the reaction that he expected you to have at the sight of him lingering within the grounds' poorly lit walkways. However, he’s quick to discern that the way you act in his presence isn’t because you’re scared of him, it’s rather just the way you usually act around others. 

♡ This suspicion is confirmed the next time he sees Lilia and brings you up in conversation; at the mention of your name, Lilia’s expression practically brightens up, interested in the young man's apparent newfound interest in you, and doesn’t hesitate to pry into what Mal wants to know. When it comes to your unusually silent demeanor, Lilia’s quick to add that you aren’t always like that - just give it a bit of time for you to warm up to him, and he’s sure that Malleus might well see that there’s more to your personality than what he’s seen. 

♡ Mal’s got no idea what Lilia means, but regardless he still finds himself coming back to Ramshackle - when his usual haunts become occupied he thinks little of finding another secluded location, but this time he finds himself returning. At first, you’d only come outside to check that it's him and not someone out wandering the dorm grounds, but after a handful of meetings, Malleus is intrigued to find you following in stride with him during one of his walks. You don’t give any explanation, nor do you bother with asking any arbitrary questions - which honestly suits Mal just fine - instead, when you cross paths, you just start to walk alongside him for a while. The nighttime strolls have no need for talking if you’re not the speaking sort, and he’s hardly the type to complain about trivial things like that - Malleus is fine simply having the company on what would otherwise be a solitary excursion. 

♡ The longer the two of you spend these nights together, the more he gets tiny flashes of your warmer side. You begin opening up a little more with talking, making small comments about the weather or any upcoming events of note - it’s mundane things, but the small talk is...surprisingly endearing when previously you said nothing more than what you absolutely had to. Perhaps this is what Lilia was on about back then, is what Malleus thinks to himself; either way, it's just another little thing that keeps him coming back. Mal honestly doesn’t see himself having a crush just yet - it’s just that he enjoys the company, and the way you interact with him, shy but unafraid, intrigues him in such a way that keeps him coming back. That’s how he rationalizes it at least.

♡ His first glimpse of your more open personality is by pure chance. Usually at this time of night he would find you wandering somewhere around the Ramshackle grounds, either actively seeking Malleus out or looking for some fresh air to shake off the stress of the morning hours; however when he can’t seem to find you at your usual spots, he resolves to approaching the ramshackle dorm to search for you. Chances are you’re just late or you aren’t interested in accompanying him tonight - either way, he’d rather find that out for himself so he approaches the dorm with little hesitation. All of the lights inside are off barring one, and Malleus finds himself walking around to see if he can make out whatever’s inside, hoping that it’s you.

♡ And he finds you, but the sight he’s greeted with catches him off guard. He can hear the music through the windows, an upbeat melody that Malleus would never quite pin you as a fan of until now. And as he gets closer to the lights he can see you inside the living room, sliding into view. At first, he doesn’t have a clue what you’re doing, moving across the floor in a weird way that’s not unlike shuffling. After a beat though, Malleus soon realizes that you’re dancing, spinning and jumping around the room without a care in the world, belting the words out at the top of your lungs loud enough that he’s sure you’d wake up your dormmates if you had any, though he can hardly make out the lyrics from beyond the glass.

♡ The sight is...oddly mesmerizing, in a way, not because you’re particularly professional, but because of how lively you’re acting. You look so happy, so carefree compared to the shy and silent persona that you usually convey around others - it's a bizarre sight, to say the least, but at the same time it’s a welcome one, and Malleus simply can’t tear his eyes away. He doesn’t know how long you’ve been at it, but it isn’t long before you tire yourself out, whirling around a final time before you finally stumble and topple back onto the floor. You fall so suddenly that Malleus would have moved closer to check that you were okay were it not for your surprised shout filtering off into giggling once you shake off the shock. You’re frazzled, with hair askew and breathing hard, but at the same time you’re visibly giddy, lost in your own little world and grinning like a fool as you run your hands through your hair and rest your head back against the floor.

♡ Malleus has no idea why, but the sight of you smiling, so unburdened by the world outside has him entranced - it’s like you’re practically glowing with energy that he hasn’t seen before, and he’s transfixed to soaking in all the little details, as though wanting to commit this image to memory. He probably would have strayed a moment longer had you not suddenly moved, rolling off of the floor and scrambling onto your feet as you disappear from view, apparently called away by someone - probably Grim - and as the moment’s broken Malleus finally catches himself, cursing himself for getting so distracted.

♡ He ends up completely forgetting what he came over to do, and ends up taking that walk on his own. But he finds his thoughts during that stroll almost completely occupied by the moment, replaying the scene in his mind and thinking back on that vibrant, beaming smile that had lit up your face - the way you looked when you laughed and moved without a care in the world. A part of him is a little sad that you’re not like that when in his presence, but at the same time he finds himself understanding why you keep that side of yourself so closely guarded. Still, that doesn’t stop Malleus from entertaining the idea that sometime in the future he can see that vibrancy face to face, maybe even directed at him - perhaps there’s something he could do to reassure you that you can open up around him...

[twstarchives]

Jack Howl・Voice Lines

Additional Voice Lines

Beans Camo event card

Scary Dress event card

School Uniform - R

Unlock Card “Are my ears really that weird? You keep starin’ at them.”

Groovy “I’m not gonna lag behind the upper grades just ‘cause I’m a first-year.”

Home Setting “Make it brief.”

Home Transitions “I’m just wondering why the guys who sleep away their classes even come to this school.”

“I was just about to head to the library. ...Is the idea of me reading really that surprising?”

“I hate aimlessly sitting around. But it is important to take a break every once in a while.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “My uniform feels tight around my waist. I think that means working out every day is starting to have an effect!”

Home Taps ��The Ramshackle Dorm is so dusty; it’s making my nose dry.”

“You can get points on tests if you just do the questions in your workbook. I don’t mind it.”

“...What? It’s not like I was waiting for you or anything.”

“I’m hungry. Bread really isn’t filling at all. Meat is where it’s at.”

“I don’t like hanging out with people. Leave me alone.”

PE Uniform - R

Unlock Card “What’s on the training regime for today?”

Groovy “You wanna run together? ...Hm. I’m not going to wait for you to keep up.”

Home Setting “Alright. Let’s get to campus.”

Home Transitions “I should have all this physical strength, but I’m always losing to Leona in magift... It’s annoying.”

“Ruggie asked me earlier if I ever get tired of training all the time. I’ve never thought about it before.”

“120... 121... ‘What am I doing’? Squats. Just keep watching and you’ll see.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “If you skip one day of training, you’ll lose three days worth of your muscle-building. Remember that.”

Home Taps “Deuce and I are both in the Track & Field club. I’m not gonna lose to someone in the same grade as me. Neither am I going to lose to anyone in the upper grades.”

“Don’t just suddenly jump into a rigorous workout; you’ll strain your muscles... I wasn’t worried about you though!”

“There are always people who try pickin’ fights with me just ‘cause I’m big. I hate pointless fights like that.”

“The one battle I want to win more than any is the one with myself.”

“Stop acting so buddy-buddy with me. I don’t remember us becoming friends yet.”

Lab Coat - SR

Unlock Card “I’m not good at detailed work... but that’s not an excuse.”

Groovy “You’ll make progress in any of your classes as long as you take it seriously.”

Home Setting “Are you ready for our lab?”

Home Transitions “Oh, it’s you. I thought you were Professor Crewel... I’m not really comfortable around that guy.”

“I was going to go tend to the cacti in the Botanical Garden. They look like they might bloom flowers soon... What’re you looking at??”

“The odors herbs give off when you cook ‘em messes up my sense of smell.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) *sniffs* “...I think the strong chemicals I was working with last period stuck to my lab coat.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Class A is going to have a quiz next period. Question 3 is a trick question, so—hah? ‘I’m sweet’? I-I just felt like telling you! That’s it!”

Home Taps “There’s this guy named Epel in my class. I don’t know how to put it, but he’s kind of weird... Nevermind.”

“Leona snapped at me to not interrupt his nap and shooed me out of the Botanical Garden. I hate how he acts like it’s his territory in there.”

“If you just take proper notes you won’t have to do something as lame as supplementary lessons.”

“I told Ruggie that I’ve never gotten a red mark before, and he went ‘Seriously!?’ Rude...”

“Oi, stop poking at me! It’s ticklish.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “You need to focus during labs. One slip of the hand could end up in an explosion. ...But it’s not like I’m not worried about you or anything.”

Ceremony Robes - SR

Unlock Card “You really shouldn’t let people look down on you based on their first impression of you.”

Groovy “I’m not used to these clothes... Oi, stop laughing!”

Home Setting “Is this how you’re supposed to wear these?”

Home Transitions “Ruggie told me ‘If you see Leona, get him so he can’t run away’...”

“Today’s ceremony is an assembly for all the students in the school. You’re not ready yet? You’re going to be late.”

“Wearing these ceremony robes makes me feel really dignified. I don’t want to ever forget this spirit I’m starting out with.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “These fluttery robes seem like they’d keep getting caught on everything around here.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Aah? Do you need something? I-I’m not saying you need a reason to talk to me, though.”

Home Taps “Ugh... My ears don’t fit well under this hood. And my tail has no space to move either... Grrr...”

“It used to snow a lot in my hometown. So I’m very familiar with clothes that have hoods like this.”

“I’ve never put makeup around my eyes before, so I don’t really know what to do when ceremonies come up.”

“I knew the teachers would all take forever with their speeches... but the Headmaster really is somethin’ else.”

“Oi, quit pullin’ at me! It took a long time to get this outfit on.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Your hood’s down. You’re the prefect here, so you need to look sharp. ...I’m not mad or anything.”

Dorm Uniform - SSR

Unlock Card “...What? I’m not interested in hanging out with anyone.”

“If you’re going to fake being someone’s friend, then try somewhere else. I just do what I need for myself.”

Groovy “Our dorm is a survival of the fittest. I’m not gonna obey anyone weaker than me.”

Home Setting “Let me show you Savanaclaw pride.”

Home Transitions “Seeing Leona lead his students reminds me of how amazing he really is. I wanna catch up to his level soon too.”

“I like how the Savanaclaw uniforms are durable and easy to move in. Fluttery clothes wouldn’t suit me that well...”

“There aren’t any elaborate rules in our dorm. ‘If you want others to recognize you, then get strong.’ That’s it.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Wearing this uniform makes it really sink in that I’m a part of Savanaclaw.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Apparently anyone’s allowed to swim in that water hole in the Savanaclaw lounge. Can you swim?”

Home Taps “The triangular folds around my neck are supposed to give off the impression of the King of Beast’s mane.”

“We can sense other people’s strength on instinct. But that’s not an excuse to shy away from fighting the strong ones.”

“I’m not really my best when it’s hot out.”

“I just realized that I think Ruggie takes advantage of me a lot. I don’t believe it...”

“Did you grab my tail just now?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “There’s a lot of aggressive guys in our dorm. You shouldn’t come here so casually just to visit me... I-I’m not saying that ‘cause I’m worried about you.”

Duo Magic Jack: “Ruggie, let’s knock ‘em dead!” Ruggie: “Jack, you’re so fired up.”

Birthday Celebration Outfit - SSR

This card was only obtainable during Jack’s birthday event (Oct 9 - Oct 14, 2020).

Login on Birthday “Did you come to wish me a happy birthday...? Oh. Thanks. At least let me say that. ...M-My tail’s only wagging ‘cause I’ve been training, not ‘cause I’m happy or anything...!”

Unlock Card “So I’m the star today...? Alright. I’ll show you what I’m like one year bigger.”

“I can’t believe even the upperclassmen came to say happy birthday... I gotta remember to return the favor for their birthdays too.”

Groovy “You remembered my birthday? O-Oh, er, you did... Th-Thank you.”

Home Setting “This sash is so embarrassing...”

Home Transitions “Epel gave me an apple pie when I got to our classroom. It made the whole room smell amazing; I got really hungry.”

“Deuce gave me a towel as a present. You really do pick up on what each other wants when you’re running partners.”

“Isn’t it kinda overboard to decorate the entire dorm...? Wait, who put lights on my precious cacti!?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “What? A birthday party for me...? I-I’m not opposed to the idea, but hold on a sec. I’m gonna hurry up and finish my daily workout!”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Is there anything you want for your birthday? I-I’m not trying to give you one as a thank-you for today! I’m just asking.”

Home Taps “My birthday resolution? I guess I want to be someone that’s really tolerant, like Ruggie, and... D-Don’t tell him I said that!”

“Did you try some of the roast beef that was put out at the party? I heard Leona’s the one that brought it. I’ll have to thank him for it.”

“My little brother and sister used to make me pear compote for my birthdays. They were really bad at cutting it, but it always tasted especially good.”

“I work out, but I’m still going to have some cake. A light amount of carbs and fats isn’t going to hurt. The important thing is to keep it balanced.”

“You never really see brooches shaped like cacti. I don’t wear little decorations like this normally, but I kinda like this one.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “I’m not that comfortable with all this noise everybody’s making... I think I’m going to step outside for some air. Wanna come?”

Duo Magic Jack: Are you just trying to make me look good, Jamil? Jamil: It’s your special day, Jack!

Tutorial “I’m going on ahead. If you don’t wanna get left behind, then follow me.”

Lv Up “Alright, let’s keep goin’!”

“The results of my training are starting to show.”

“Hmph... What? I never said I wasn’t happy.”

Max Lv Up “Working so hard really does pay off. I have to keep putting in my all even more.”

Episode Lv Up “Wolves hunt with their packs. So why don’t we team up when we’re after the same prey? ...Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

Magic Lv Up “I want to become a powerful mage who can wield even more kinds of magic.”

Limit Break “Not even the sky’s the limit! I’m gonna keep going even higher!”

Groovy “This doesn’t feel bad at all. Makes me want to go out for a run. Wanna join me?”

Select Lesson “Which class are you taking? ...Hm, that’s a coincidence. I was thinking of taking that one too.”

“Studying is the same as working out. If you don’t keep training regularly, you’re gonna lose your skills.”

“I’ll wake you up if you fall asleep. ‘Cause of course it’ll get in my way if you doze off right next to me.”

Lesson Start “Alright, focus!”

Lesson End “I learned something new again today!”

Battle Start “You’d have better luck just curling up your tail and getting out of here.”

Battle End “That was pointless. Come back when you’re actually ready.”

Other

Profile Quote “I don’t plan on gettin’ along with anyone.”

January 2020 Trailer “If you’re scared, then turn your tail and scram. I’m fine by myself.”

Countdown Poster “If you’re going to fake being someone’s friend, then try somewhere else. I just do what I need for myself.”

Login Bonus Greeting “Oh, you’re here? It defeats the purpose if you don’t do your training everyday.”

Player Birthday Wish “Oi, I heard it’s your birthday today. Here. It’s a present. I-It’s not like I waited till you were alone before I came to give you this. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

[shoujolover-666]

You never know what you are missing until it’s gone

Here you have the RookVil amnesia fic that I promised you guys. I hope it is to your liking.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29162448

“Sorry, but I do not know who you are. I remember everyone else, but it seems like, as if I never met you before. What was your name again?” Those were the first words he heard from Vil on the day after his Overblot.

After Night Raven College lost to Royal Swords Academy and they were out of sight of the audience, Vil lost his consciousness again. Unlike the others, who overblotted before him, he didn’t have the chance to get enough to regain his energy.

The fact that he had to show a perfect performance on stage only made it worse.

That something like that would happen wasn’t something that was completely unexpected. What was unexpected was the fact that Vil lost his memories. To be more specific, his memories of Vil.

Strangely, the dorm leader could still remember everyone else, even those who didn’t belong to his own dorm.

Rook was smiling, as he mentioned some things they have done together, like the disciplining of the first years or even their training before the Vocal and Dance competition.

He even told the other how he was the one that stopped Neige from drinking the poisoned apple juice, but Vil just shook his head, saying that the face of the person who called out to him was a blur and apologized for not remembering, for the other did seem as if he was someone important to the other.

The hunter just kept smiling, telling the other that it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t blame him for not remembering, even if he felt as if an arrow pierced his heart. Was that what his prey usually felt?

“Don’t worry, Roi du Poison. I will stay by your side.”

Vil’s face turned to a grimace and shook his head. “I would prefer it if you wouldn’t. Instead, I would choose Epel to be by my side and help me. He might still be a potato, but he progressed a lot, so I think he would do at least decently.”

Epel, who was also present to visit him out of worry, looked at him with big, blue eyes, an expression of disbelief was on his face as he pointed at himself. His mouth was slightly gaping as he stuttered for a second.

“Me? Acting as a Vice?”

He nodded as the one who was lying on the bed got up and put his hand on the shorter man’s cheek, caressing it with his thumb. “Yes. Your looks have improved a lot, and so have your manners and your obedience towards me.

Also, I do clearly remember how you said that you believe that I can see how you have become the poisoned apple that I wanted you to be… but that isn’t the case. At least not yet. You can become it though, and I do appreciate the fact that you wanted to help me out by standing in the center, even though I do clearly remember that you despised standing on stage. I trust you enough to help me.”

Warmth was in his voice as he told the man with lavender coloured hair of his decision.

“Wait, I do believe that -” Rook wanted to say something against it, how it would be better for him to remain as the Vice to help Vil, but Epel took the dorm leader’s hand as his eyes were filled with determination.

“I am going to do it. You will see, I will become the poisoned apple and become even prettier and stronger than you expect me to be!”

There was a certainty in his voice that the hunter never expected, and he could see a gentle smile bloom on the taller man’s face. The man didn’t know what to think of it. On one hand, he was happy to see the growth of the diamond in the rough, on the other hand, he had a bitter taste on his tongue and couldn’t help but wish for a second to pierce the shorter man with one of his arrows.

For the last two years, he had been by Vil’s side almost all the time, aiding him and taking in his beauty from the front seat as his most trusted.

He never doubted even once that one day, he would lose this position, even after he had chosen to vote for Neige. He balled his hand to a fist, trying to calm down before he excused himself and left. Right now, it was obvious that Vil didn’t feel comfortable having him by his side, so he would leave.

🏹

When the sun rose, he was already up and on his way to Vil when he heard the voice of Epel to his surprise, before the memories of yesterday came up again. This time, he couldn’t help but grimace slightly before he turned on his heel to return to his own chambers. Usually, he would have helped the other with his clothes, and if the other was especially indulgent, with his make up.

He wasn’t needed anymore, which was why he would just go back to sleep again.

His shoulders were slightly slumped, but it didn’t matter, for no one else would be awake around this time of the day, at least not at their dorm.

Well, there was at least one good thing that came out of it. Rook would have more time to enjoy himself with some of the students of Savanaclaw without any complaints from his dorm leader.

That didn’t really comfort him, but at least it would distract him a bit of the loneliness he felt right now.

The hunter didn’t even change his clothes as he let himself fall onto the bed again, grabbing the book in which he had gathered the pictures of Neige. In the past, they always cheered him up when he was feeling down, offered him a light, but this time… even his idol couldn’t fill the hole that losing his spot left him with.

It almost made him regret what he did during the VDC, but he just couldn’t lie to himself.

Neige’s performance simply won him over with cheerfulness and happiness. It was something that made him feel warm.

Would Vil have remembered him if he stayed loyal to him? Or would he have forgotten him either way?

Rook wasn’t sure if the memory loss was a part of the betrayal that his dear friend, his queen must have felt during the moment he admitted it, or if it was because of the lack of rest after the Overblot.

At one point, the blonde closed the book again and sighed, putting it carefully on the table as he looked out of the window.

The sun was higher up, which meant it was time for class. Even though he was used to getting up that early while doing more than he did today, he felt more exhausted than ever. After he glanced at the mirror quickly to check if he was still presentable, he left his room to go to class.

Even if Vil didn’t remember him, he was sure that he still wouldn’t accept it if he were sloopy when it came to his looks as a fellow dorm member.

🏹

Rook wasn’t sitting at the same table as Vil and Epel for the whole week in the cafeteria, but he still had the chance to watch them from a place where they wouldn’t notice him immediately.

He was watching them carefully, his ears didn’t miss a single word they said. It was mostly Vil criticising Epel once again, but this time, the man with lavender coloured hair just took the criticism and was even willing to follow the other’s demands.

Usually, he wouldn’t have done that, always looking uncomfortable, unhappy.

This time, he almost seemed… happy to be able to spend time with the fellow blond, almost as if there never was even the tiniest bit of resentment for the other.

The students from the table next to him widened their eyes when the hunter bent his spoon with one hand and scattered away from him. Not that it mattered to him.

What he didn’t expect was Leona taking a seat beside him, a smug grin was on his lips as he swished his tail lazily.

“It is surprising to see you being apart from your oh so precious dorm leader. What’s wrong, trouble in paradise?”

Leona’s voice had a hint of amusement to it, something that was unusual when he was around the hunter, but Rook didn’t care too much about it right now. If he were in a different situation, he would probably have been delighted by it though. Instead, he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork as he smiled back at the king of lions. “Why would you say that, Roi des Lions?”

He looked at the brown haired man through half lidded eyes. At the moment, these kinds of taunts were less than appreciated.

“It is obvious by how you are not by his side at the moment, and by how your leader didn’t even glance at you. What, did you have some lover’s quarrel?”

Ah, of course the other wouldn’t know what was going on. After all, it was only Epel and himself who knew of the other’s situation, so -

“Or is it that the rumour of him having lost his memories of you is true?”

His head snapped to Leona as he looked at the taller man with a murderous look while the other was simply leaning his head on his hand.

“How -”

“So I didn’t mishear when I passed the infirmary. Heh.”

This time, the lion’s grin widened a bit more. Normally, Rook enjoyed playing with his prey, but he was really considering if he should get rid of Leona once and for all. After all, it was the hunter’s job to get rid of animals like him, wasn’t it?

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend on telling anyone else. Still, I find this situation rather amusing. Well, good luck getting him back. You should act fast though, or else the twerp might get the better of you.”

Did he mean Epel? Why should he? As far as he knew, all the other felt right now was admiration, maybe even pride, so…

When he looked back to the two other Pomefiore students, his eyes widened slightly. Now that he considered what the other told him… Wasn’t Epel a bit too close to Vil? Didn’t he let his touches linger a bit too long?

And the glint in his eyes… no, it couldn’t be. Was Monsieur Cherry Apple really in love with Vil? Not that it would be difficult to imagine it, a lot of people admired and adored Vil because of his beauty, but… no.

This was more personal than the love his fans had for him. He knew that Vil would be unreachable for those fans, but Epel did have the chance to have a hold on his chance.

Rook though… he had lost the chance when he still had it. Did it mean that he lost his chance on a Happily Ever After?

No, he couldn’t let it go like that.

👑

Vil returned back to his room, his mood was pretty good, even if it felt as if he was missing someone by his side. The student with the bob who visited him a week ago… he had a feeling that he had somewhat of an important role in his life, but he couldn’t say what it was. Every time he glanced at him though, he could feel a pain in his heart that just wouldn’t go away, unless he distracted himself. That was why he appreciated Epel’s presence so much lately. He was very diligent and tried his best to aid him as his Vice, even when he was inexperienced and still had a lot of work to do before he could become a beautiful but poisonous flower, his perfect poisoned apple.

As he opened the door to his room, he was surprised by the hand that grabbed him and pulled him inside. Without a warning, his world was flipped before he looked into pools of green that reminded him of fresh grass. What was the man doing here. He could feel a hint of pain, but it was drowned out by the other’s presence and scent. It reminded him of a strange mix of nature, dirt and cologne.

A silent voice in his mind commented how it perfectly fit him. His train of thoughts were suddenly disturbed as he felt the sensation of chapped but warm lips against his.

His eyes widened as he pressed his hands against the other’s chest, unsure if he should pull him closer or push him away, before his head started to hurt, bits and pieces of his memories returning from his unconscious mind as he started to remember why he had forgotten Rook in the first place.

Fairest One of All.

Vil used his unique magic on himself to make him forget the one who made him feel so betrayed under the condition that he would only get his memories back if the other were to kiss him with the expectation that it would never happen.

After all, didn’t he love Neige more than him? The dorm leader had given up on his love for the other after it was revealed that he had been number two of the Neige fanclub, for it meant that he had been dedicated to the black haired man for a much longer time than he had been to him. Something, that had made him feel so incredibly jealous, and it hurt him more than the fact that he lost to Neige LeBlanche once again.

Like that, he wouldn’t burden the other to stay by his side anymore, and he would have gotten the chance to forget his unrequited love and move on. So why?

“Why did you kiss me, Rook?”

He must have spoken the last sentence out loud, for Rook answered him.

“Because it should be obvious that I love you, my queen.”

Rook must have noticed that he had gotten his memories back as well, for he caressed his cheek ohh so gently, something that he didn’t dare to wish for since his Overblot.

Vil could feel the tears that started to gather as he tightened the grip on the other’s shirt, holding him tightly. How could the other still spin such sweet lies for him, even after he admitted that he liked Neige?

It was almost as if the hunter could read his thoughts, for he leant his forehead against his as he looked him in his eyes. A shiver ran down his spine, and he looked away, the intense look on Rook’s face was too much for him. Rook didn’t seem to like this though, for he grabbed his chin and gently coerced him to look at him once again. “I do admire Neige, but he is nothing more than an idol to me. You though, you are the queen I honestly adore, and I can’t bear it to be apart from you any longer, Vil.”

With that, Vil started to sob while Rook kissed his tears silently while whispering sweet nothings, holding him close to the other’s own body. He was shaking, he must look like a mess, but the other didn’t seem to care as he simply stayed by his side until he calmed down a bit.

Vil started to press his face against Rook’s chest at one point.

“I love you Rook, please don’t leave me for Neige.”

Finally, he dared to speak of the fear he had since Rook revealed that he was a Neige fan.

Even though Rook told him that he loved him and not Neige, he couldn’t help but expect the worst. Would the hunter be appalled by his greed and push him away after wishing for something so selfish? Would he be disgusted by his greed and leave him alone again?

Instead of being or doing any of that, he simply pulled him closer as he wrapped his strong arms around him, hugging him tightly as the shorter man’s warmth spread to him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ever leave you, Roi du Poison, my beautiful Vil. As long as you accept this humble hunter and allow me to stay by your side, I won’t stray from you for as long as I live.”

[opalmaplehibiscus]

Notice After They’re Gone

HC on how Jamil and Kalim’s friendship became after Chapter 4

·       After Obing, Kalim realizes how Jamil must’ve felt while having to suppress himself from wanting to become higher this whole entire time, and starts to subconsciously distance himself from him

·       Jamil wouldn’t think much about it and would think in his head that he finally gained his freedom and it’s about time too. In fact he would appreciate it and feel like he gotten ridden a hindrance

·       Kalim would start becoming closer buddies w/ Yuu/MC and grim, hanging out with them more. He might annoy the 1st year crew, but Yuu/MC wouldn’t mind

·       Yuu/MC and Kalim would’ve gotten closer to each other to the point that Kalim spills out everything he suppressed and have a good crying session

·       Kalim would also get closer to the Octavinelle trio, Floyd being the one to get dragged in his chaos while Jade chaperones and Azul recounts his profit seeing how his business boomed after Kalim lended a hand

·       Jade and Floyd likes innocence and naivety? Oh heck no. Sorry, that’s gross. But when it comes to Kalim, he makes life a whole lot more interesting so they wouldn’t mind becoming closer to him. Heck they would probably try to make Kalim into a bad boy. (we all know how that’ll turn out though)

·       While Kalim is going around making friends, Jamil starts his conquest to get 1st place and achieve his goals

·       He wouldn’t hold back when taking tests and turning in assignments. Like excuse me, see that 100%? Yeah, that’s mine.

·       It would be a lie to say that it didn’t triggered Azul and Riddle. Azul would try get Jamil into making deals with him while Riddle starts seeing Jamil as a rival for 1st place. He can see his spot getting taken during finals and heck no, momma didn’t raise a quitter!

·       But of course, Jamil would be facing backlash from majority of the school. After all, the whole incident went live on magicam. And it was during winter break too. Who wouldn’t watch it?

·       The whole Scarabia dorm students would be giving him nasty glares or completely distancing themselves from him out of fear and disgust for what he did to Kalim. Other students from other dorms would either do the same or bully him over it

·       Don’t worry though, he has nothing to lose now. He lets his tongue rip those who harass him apart, and roast the living crap out of them. If that doesn’t work? Oh, don’t worry, there’s a reason why he’s good at ancient incantations after all

·       When Jamil and Leona pass each other in the hallways, Leona would give him a knowing smirk and would sneer at him saying “Oh, I thought you never once thought of killing your master?” Jamil would answer back with his own  saying “Well I didn’t kill him, now did I?”

·       War of snake vs Lion commences afterwards

·       But during the whole showdown, Jamil finds himself angrier and frustrated when Leona mentions about Kalim’s breakdown after seeing and hearing Jamil’s true thoughts on him. It’s not like their relationship was going to last and it’s not like he actually cared about Kalim. So why the hell does he feel like this?

·       As time goes by, Jamil starts to rise from his position and started to be viewed as one of the top tier students and admired upon while Kalim becomes more independent and hangs out with others more. Of course, Kalim also gets better at studying thanks to his new buds helping him out but the fact he can finally stop suppressing his feelings was more important than that

·       Jamil suddenly starts to feel weird seeing how Kalim doesn’t come to him as often as before. In fact, the only times they were now together are when both needs to play vice dorm leader and dorm leader for the students. Heck when holding banquets, Kalim doesn’t asks for Jamil’s help like usual. He organizes  with the help of Yuu/MC and the others.

·       When Jamil confronts Kalim about it, Kalim answers “You must’ve felt burdened with having to prepare the requests I made right? I realized how selfish it was, and thought that this was the least I could do since I feel bad about it”

·       It’s worse that Kalim says it with his normal, cheerful smile

·       What shook him the most though was that Kalim was be able to actually pull it off without his help. Heck even better when Jamil used to do the actually organizing of the banquet. And for some reason, it makes him feel bitter

·       Jamil starts to suddenly resent Kalim again. His head is filled with thoughts of how he was the one who used to organize the events, who always saved Kalim’s life when Kalim nearly entered death’s doors, the one that stood next him since a baby and there for him when he broke down

·       But now, he feels like he’s being left behind. Forgotten. Like he didn’t even mean anything to Kalim.

·       One day, while Kalim hung out with Yuu/MC and the other first years, Jamil suddenly comes over to secretly chat with Yuu/MC

·       Jamil asks question here and there about Kalim, whether he’s fine and what not about his well-being.

·       Yuu/MC naturally answers to their best of their capabilities yet Jamil didn’t expect to be asked “Jamil-senpai, is there something bothering you?”

·       “What do you mean by that? I’m just here to check up on Kalim as vice dorm leader. Isn’t it natural for the me to worry about him?”

·       Yuu/MC would point out how he looked frustrated for some reason, that there seems to be something that’s bothering him. Or else, his eyes wouldn’t be filled with some unknown resentment.

·       Jamil gets completely taken off guard when it gets point out but would soon quickly fix his expression to one that’s neutral. He would talk about how Kalim seemed to become more irresponsible, not coming to him for important talks and not communicating with him frequently about updates.

·       In the end though, all of his complaints would sound like excuses as to cover up his frustration on why Kalim isn’t close to him anymore

·       Yuu/MC, being the mc they are, would feel slightly annoyed by how Jamil was complaining about the distance he now has with Kalim and would point out that wasn’t this what Jamil, himself, wanted

·       When Jamil hears those words, he would freeze. Yuu/MC would go on and refer back to what Jamil had said during the events of in chapter 4, reminding him how he was tired about how much crap Kalim would put him through and how it was Kalim and his family’s fault for making him push himself down

·       Yuu/MC would also remind Jamil what he said to Kalim about his true feelings for sunshine boy

·       Jamil would then snap, telling the other to shut up and what place they think they had to lecture him like this

·       In the end though, he realizes that he’s the one to cause their friendship to start shattering into pieces and for them become more distant

·       When Kalim gets poisoned after trying save Jamil from Vil, Jamil realizes how much he actually liked Kalim as a friend and how much he missed hanging out with the boy who always brought chaos and smiles along the way

·       So as Kalim lays in his bed, Jamil finally starts crying from guilt and realization of his pettiness

·       It wasn’t Kalim’s fault that he felt suppressed nor was it Kalim’s fault for making Jamil feel resentful of his position

·       Everything starts falling together as Jamil stays next to Kalim’s side

·       When Kalim wakes up after being in a 3 day coma from the poison, the first person he sees would be Jamil sleeping peacefully next to him on a chair

·       Jamil would notice and wake up after hearing some shuffling and quickly ask Kalim how he was feeling

·       Kalim would reply that he felt kind of off and then tries to apologize to Jamil for the trouble he must’ve caused only to be stopped by Jamil pressing a glass cup of water onto his lips

·       Kalim would realize how messy Jamil was, as if Jamil just went through hell and back seeing his hair not in it’s kept manner and dark circles around his eyes as he drunk the water

·       A few days later, when Kalim makes a full recovery, Jamil would avoid Kalim for a couple of days, worrying the boy

·       On the other hand, Jamil would avoid Kalim unconsciously, out of the guilt that he felt. He felt like crap and didn’t deserve to stay by Kalim’s side. Not after how he treated him

·       Soon enough, everyone would get tired from seeing Kalim being depressed and Jamil’s sudden habit of blanking out so they all started planning how to make the two reconcile and get back together

·       And boy oh boy, were these two in for it. Yuu/MC and the first years would convince Kalim that they were going to hold a party in one of the second year’s classroom while Jade and Floyd would go after Jamil throwing toy bugs at him. When Kalim and Jamil enters the classroom, the sound of the door getting locked would be heard by the two, making them realize they were stuck with each other in the room

·       They would try to convince everyone to let them out first, but when they realize that their voice wasn’t getting heard, they gave up.

·       To say it was awkward would be an understatement. Both would look away from each other, Kalim trying to start small talk while Jamil would brood about the whole situation

·       Eventually the two would start talking with the basic pleasantries of how are yous, and what’s going on until things escalated when Jamil sneers at him, when Kalim starts to talk about how he was making more friends and becoming closer to others

·       The banter of “what do you mean” and “you know what I mean” would be thrown back and forth between each other until they started to shout at each other

·       Eventually it becomes a heart-to-heart argument, both spilling their feelings for each other until they realize they were both crying on the ground

·       Kalim would try to laugh by asking why the hell Jamil was crying while Jamil retorts back with a shut up and the same question

·       Both would start apologizing to each other through their tears until they calm down

·       Then Kalim would get up, offer his hand, and repeats what he said in the final scene of chapter 4 with his usually, sun-like smile

·       This time Jamil would give Kalim’s hand a glance before taking it and answering with a soft “fine”

·       It would be then that they realized that the door was unlocked, and both would start complaining about it until they burst into laughter and head back to the dorms once again as best friends, side-by-side

[silverscreenmusicals]

Every ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special’ Performance Ranked

In late 2019, Disney+ premiered the first season of the highly anticipated spin-off series ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’, based on the Disney Channel franchise ‘High School Musical’.

A year later, the series released its very first holiday special, in which the cast member detailed their favourite holiday memories whilst performing covers of some Christmas classics (including two originals).

Below is a ranking of every performance from the least good to the best of them all! These rankings are based on both the performance and the quality of each song. So let’s begin!

13. ‘Last Christmas’ - performed by Matt Cornett

Much like any Christmas musical special, a cover of the Wham classic was featured, and this time it was Matt Cornett (E.J. Caswell).

Whilst the vocals were fairly decent on this one, Cornett’s cover lacked the emotion, fun and vibrance that one would expect from a ‘Last Christmas’ performance. The song is known for either its high-tempo and exciting nature or its ability to captivate an audience with its emotional lyrics and somehow this version attempts neither of those.

The visuals appear to be based around Matt Cornett’s car, forcing us out of the Christmassy feel the song is used to giving off. 

So with the fact that the visuals are pretty plain and how the performance lacks much feeling, ‘Last Christmas’ is unfortunately the worst performance from the special.

12. ‘Hanukkah Medley’ - performed by Julia Lester

Julia Lester is an incredibly talented cast member, but this performance doesn’t leave much to remember her by.

Although the medley of Hanukkah songs is decent, it is (at times) pitchy and awkward, with the performance being particularly plain.

Lester isn’t the show’s best dancer, but she is definitely a powerhouse vocalist, so perhaps she should have gone for something that could have showcased that instead of attempting a dance-pop number like this.

Saying that, the song on its own isn’t bad and is a fun pop song, but combined with the clunky visuals and uncomfortable-looking outfit, it doesn’t leave a great taste in your mouth after watching it.

11. ‘What Are You Doing New Years Eve?’ - performed by Kate Reinders and Mark St. Cyr

What is dubbed as Mark St. Cyr’s (Mr Mazarra) first televised musical performance, the Margaret Whiting cover is a fun and decent addition to the Holiday special.

We witness a cute few minutes of Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn) and Mark St. Cyr calling each other on the phone and singing to one another.

Whilst there’s nothing that is vocally spectaculor, Cyr and Reinders put on a corny cute performance together with their quirk and great chemistry.

10. ‘White Christmas’ - performed by Larry Saperstein

With his background in theatre, there’s no surprise that Larry Saperstein (Big Red) is able to pull of a great performance. Throughout the number we see Saperstein setting up the stage and then donning a suit and tie as he takes on the Christmas classic.

The performance is sweet, and the vocals are nice, but it appears to lack much beyond that. Saying that, it’s not a bad performance overall, it just isn’t quite as good as the rest of the special, so for that reason, it’s our 10th best of the group.

9. ‘Little Saint Nick’ - performed by Joshua Bassett and Matt Cornett

The second Matt Cornett song of the special delivers a lot more than his solo. This duet with Joshua Bassett (Ricky Bowen) is a fresh and vibrant take on the Beach Boys classic, whilst not straying away from the boisterous vibes from the original.

The visuals also follow suit with the song, and whilst they’re not the most re-playable of clips, it’s still a fun and sweet performance attached to a vibrant song.

8. ‘This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)’ - performed by Sofia Wylie

Kicking off the show we see Sofia Wylie take on Donny Hathaway’s song ‘This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)’. Wylie is known as the show’s best dancer - by a mile - whilst also being a pretty decent singer, and this number is a great example of both of those.

The performance has its slight downfall with the vocals being slightly off at points, but when that happens, she makes up for it with her great dancing and camera presence.

A Sofia Wylie number would be expected to rank a little higher than her performance did here, but nonetheless her cover was still enjoyable. A more dance-focused visual may have been more beneficial for the young starlet, but this cover still does its job, and starts the special off to a wonderful beginning.

7. ‘Feliz Navidad’ - performed by Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez

Out of the three duets of the special, this ranks highest as the chemistry, visuals and vocals carry this performance to better heights.

Joe Serafini (Seb Matthew-Smith) and Frankie Rodriguez (Carlos Rodriguez) are the show’s most underrated couple, as their characters lack the screen time of many others but still manage to make the most of it regardless. The same can be said here in this exciting cover of José Feliciano’s Christmas hit.

Much like Julia Lester, the two probably would have found a better result with a ballad, but unfortunately not everybody could be given that opportunity. Still, Serafini and Rodriguez knock it out the park with this amusing and cutesy cover, which is combined with adorable visuals of the two decorating a Christmas tree.

6. ‘That’s Christmas To Me’ - performed by Kate Reinders, Julia Lester, Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini

In this thrilling Pentatonix cover we see four of the show’s best vocalists prove their place in this programme here. This cover features no instruments other than the vocals of the four performers, and it’s clear that they don’t need anything else.

Serafini is the standout of the group, but that isn’t to take away from the talent of the rest of them. The four vocalists create a perfectly spine-tingling cover that is both sweet and enticing.

5. ‘The Perfect Gift’ - performed by Joshua Bassett

Another original song that also features on the show’s second season is Joshua Bassett’s ‘The Perfect Gift’, which he also wrote. This song is one of the standouts from the soundtrack, giving the romantic, coddling vibe that we’re so used to Ricky and Nini offering.

The lyrics of the song are sweet and warm, proving that ‘The Perfect Gift’ is a song that can easily become its own Christmas classic - and Bassett’s charming vocals make sure of it. This is a phenomenal song that one can imagine being serenaded with by the fireplace on a cold, Winter evening.

Its one letdown are the visuals, which could do with more ambitious B-roll, but other than that, ‘The Perfect Gift’ makes us even more exciting for the sophomore season.

4. ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ - performed by Dara Reneé

Vocally, this is the greatest song on the soundtrack. Dara Reneé (Kourtney Greene) hits every note and makes sure that the “replay” button is hit repeatedly.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the visuals only feature two different shots and are combined with the closing credits, this performance isn’t placed as high as the song deserved.

'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ has been covered by some of the greatest musical icons of all time, including Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis and Michael Bublé and - it appears that Reneé can find her place on that top 3 podium (sorry, Bublé).

3. ‘Something In The Air’ - performed by the cast of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’

One of the two original songs from the special, ‘Something In The Air’ is actually a part of the second season; the Drama Club creates an Instagram page and uses this to attract more viewers to the page.

The song itself is very Disney Channel-esque (in a good way), giving very similar vibes to ‘Set It Off’ from ‘Descendants’. But what really brings the tune together are the ambitious “one-take” visuals. It definitely took more than one take, and each scene is also most definitely not filmed consecutively, but that doesn’t retract from how seamless each transition is and how much hard work went into perfecting each shot.

Sofia Wylie is the clear star of the performance with her breathtaking dancing, whilst everyone else delivers with their impeccable timing and impeccable energy.

The song is fun, but the visuals are even greater, making ‘Something In The Air’ one of the special’s best numbers.

2. ‘River’ - performed by Olivia Rodrigo

This Joni Mitchell song has been covered by Ellie Goulding, Lea Michele, and many more, and much like Reneé’s take on ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’, this deserves the same recognition as its predecessors.

Olivia Rodrigo (Nini Salazar-Roberts) can be given a piano and a microphone and create some of the greatest Disney musical magic we’ve seen, and her cover of ‘River’ is the epitome of that.

Her chilling vocals and solemn emotion gives this sad festive classic the mood it deserves, and makes us almost wish it were a part of the show’s canon with how sentimental Rodrigo makes it feel. This is a standout on the soundtrack, and definitely worth revisiting again and again.

1. ‘Believe’ performed by Dara Reneé

If it were possible, we’d rename this show ‘The Dara Reneé Show’ as both of her performances take our breath away. Reneé’s cover of Josh Groban’s ‘The Polar Express’ song is the best song of the special. It is thrilling, emotive, and proves just how talented the young star is.

Reneé proved in the freshman season of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ that she is one of (if not, the) best performer out of the cast, and if anyone were to ask you why you think that, ‘Believe’ would be your proof.

This stunning cover comes with so much charm and a fabulous set that it leaves no room for questioning why it is the best performance of the night.

What did you think of the special? Do you agree with these rankings? What performance was your favourite? Let us know!

‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special’ is available to stream right now on Disney+!

[alphi-writes]

Hello, I've simplified my request and hope it works better! Can I have: Opera cake and scary stories with Lilia, and haunted houses with Idia (the reader for both enjoys scary stories and finds creepy things cute). Particularly silly shenanigan fluff for both.🥺✨ Take care on your part and thank you! <3

Okie dokie, can do cœur! Thank you for being so kind, and I hope you like your requests!(╯✧▽✧)╯🧡

⚠️⚠️TRIGGERWARNING⚠️⚠️

The scary story for Lilia mentioned abuse, gore, and murder. The haunted house for Idia mentioned fake (makeup) blood and gore. Read with caution!

Characters: Lilia, Idia

Items: Opera Cake, Scary Stories, Haunted Houses

Lilia Vanrouge

Usually when you hung out with Lilia, it was at the Diasomnia dorm, but tonight you'd settled on spending the evening in your dorm. Much quieter that way without Sebek here complaining

You were out on the roof, sitting under the stars enjoying each other's company.

"So this is Opera Cake? I don't believe I've ever had any." Lilia remarked, looking at the treat.

Unlike other cakes, Opera cake was made up of almond sponge cake, multiple coffee ingredients, and chocolate glaze. It looked something akin to wafers covered in chocolate.

You took your time earlier in the day to prepare a whole batch of the cake, which took almost four hours, so you were hoping Lilia would like it.

When he raised the cake to his mouth, he suddenly pulled it away.

"No garlic, right?"

"Lilia!"

"Alright alright, I'm eating it!"

He laughed off your unnerve and took a bite, chewing for a moment before absolutely swooning.

"'This cake is-" he stopped to chew, "- immaculate, astounding!"

He ate the rest of his serving in a heart beat, laying backwards on the roof. You only laughed loudly, clutching your stomach.

"Now, was it really that good, Lilia?"

He sprung back up, "of course! I loved it, no one ever bakes sweets in Diasomnia."

You smiled sweetly, watching as he droned on and on about the cake.

"There's more... right?"

You laughed, "of course."

He sighed in content, laying one hand on his stomach, and another behind his head. You both laid on the roof for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence before Lilia piped up.

"Oo~ let's tell scary stories, that'll be fun!"

He sat up, pulling his knees to his chest and staring at you expectantly.

"Me? You want to hear one of my scary stories? Pffft."

"Uh, yea, let me hear what you humans consider 'scary'." He giggled, staring at you.

You folded your arms and crossed your legs, thinking for a moment.

"Hmmm.... oh! Okay-" You situated yourself and held your hands up.

"This tale is of a young man who hated his father. As a young boy, he would often see his father beating his mother. It was so common that the boy was used to being hit night after night." As you spoke, Lilia's eyebrows creased.

"After years of dealing with torment from his father, he finally snapped! His father had beat his mother for the last time, and he was not going to stand for it."

Lilia's eyebrows perked up again.

"He went straight for his father, and taught him a lesson. He made his father feel the pain that he and his mother had endured for years! But he went over the line, and murdered his father. He tore his stomach open, and gutted him!" You mimicked guts falling out of your stomach.

"Its said that, even after his own death-" you swung your hand out to the horizon, "he still haunts those who will inflict abuse upon the undeserving."

When you finished your tale, to sat back proudly. Your eyes opened when you heard Lilia clapping.

"Go human-boy!" He chanted.

You laughed, sitting forward.

"That story isn't told a lot. The original hand-printed article is much more graphic."

Lilia nodded, smiling at you.

"Well, you tell it beautifully, and I enjoyed it very much, Y/N."

He reached up and gently ruffled your hair, smiling a toothy grin at you.

Idia Shroud

You had invited Idia to join you at a haunted house this evening, which brought you to this large, age-worn château.

It was odd, you were coming here for the frights inside the castle, when honestly the town it resided in gave you more spooks on the way over. Houses practically crumbling to the ground, large dogs on leashes barking loudly, and absolutely no lights on throughout the town.

Now that you were st the château, you laughed off the eeriness of the town and focused on Idia.

Although he was a bit unnerved with all the people around, he still looked excited to be here, staring at the castle with large eyes.

"Hey, this is gonna be fun, Idia!" You smiled up at him, patting his arm lightly.

He nodded, smiling down at you sheepishly. He looked excited, so full of life. It was honestly a bit unusual, and absolutely adorable.

When the line had finally shrunk and you were at the opening of the haunted house, you heard multiple noises.

Screams, chainsaws, buzzing? There were so many different sounds that you were beginning to feel your nerves again.

"Wow, look at this place. This would be the perfect horror game setting." Idia remarked, looking at the structure of the château.

Soon, you finally made it into the haunted house, and you looped your elbow with Idia's.

"W-what are you-"

"So we don't get separated, heh."

You were nervous, but you didn't want Idia to know that. You'd gone haunted housing in your world before, and it wasn't too bad.

The part that scared you about haunted housing in Twisted Wonderland was that the people who lived here had a much higher bar for what was and wasn't scary.

Hell, normal people here like Malleus or Leona could be considered scary!

What would the monsters for a haunted house be like?

You were already trembling and you'd only made it into the first room.

For the first couple minutes, you were only nervous due to the sounds and eerie absence of any other life.

That is, until someone who was much taller than both you and Idia jumped out and screamed loudly.

They were covered in what appeared to be fake blood and guts. The yell didn't get you to scream, but you did jump.

The smell was putrid, causing you to gag and pull Idia roughly.

"W-woah hold on Y/N-!" He didn't have much time to actually speak because another person had jumped out, causing you to shriek.

Everyone once in a while, you'd laugh instead of scream. For example, when you walked in a room and saw a person dressed in not only a fur suit, but also a maid dress over it.

For how sheepish Idia is, he only ever cursed or shrieked a couple times.

When you finally made it out, stumbling past the hanging curtain, you jumped in joy.

"That was awesome! We should go again!!"

Idia was sweating, trying to catch his breath.

"You-you were... screaming the whole ti-time.." He finally stood up, still slightly breathing heavy.

"Aw, but that's the fun part! I won't scream if I go another time 'cuz I'll know where all the scares are."

Although he was exhausted, Idia agreed to go through the haunted house with you again.

You still screamed throughout the maze, but this time you were screaming out of happiness, if that makes sense.

Because who doesn't love getting spooked while hanging on tight to your favourite person?

[unblot]

@tsukimyo​​:    the pain’s excruciating & it tears his body in half, metaphorically. he’s never felt an exhaustion like this, never felt the magic wane from his body like this, in his life. it’s a different type of exhaustion, however; it’s the type that comes with the blood loss, the type that comes with using one’s unique magic enough times for a second overblot, the type where one feel like their legs could possibly give out from under them. the savanaclaw dorm head stands his ground, nonetheless, with his faith in diasomnia & savanaclaw coming back to aid them acting as his pillar.

malleus is beside him, bruised & battered just as he, but he has no time to dwell on that as a terrifying yet deafening roar nearly bursts their ear drums. the monster that they had been fighting nonstop since thirty minutes ago pressing a clawed foot down roughly enough to create severe cracks in the floor. it looks like nothing leona has ever seen, fights like nothing he has ever been prepared for. but the prince is prepared to momentarily join forces with his rival, with the person he finds warmth in. so, he protects him. “malleus!” he shouts, growls even, when he uses the last of his waning strength to shove the young lord out of the way. there are claws, razor-sharp & tinged with suspicious red liquid, swiping in their direction — there’s barely any time for panic, for distractions, so he raises his voice & shouts with all his might, despite the stinging & aching pain in his chest / despite the blood that stains & streams down his visage, pools at his sides, streaks down his legs.

“i am hunger! i a—“ but he never finishes for he fails to sidestep the heavy blow from the bright-eyed fury monster. it’s a hard hit to his ribcage, causing him to see black spots & for blood to splutter past his lips as he coughs violently ( they wrack his battered form, breathing becoming heavy for him & at this point, leona wonders still if it’s worth it ) , his entire body folding over in immense pain. leona can barely move at this point, his head throbbing as if someone is driving a sword tinged with fast-acting poison through his chest o’er & o’er again. his vision slips from him fully, pain strangling him in its vice grip, before he completely falls unconscious.

      DESPITE THE INCREDIBLY DIRE SITUATION THEY’RE IN, malleus’s composure never falters. he has no fear of injury, death & he certainly has no fear of the beast before him. there’s an undeniable arrogance in that. & if malleus were a wiser man he would consider the consequences of such dangerous levels of courage. but he’s not a wise man. with all the lord’s notably exceptional qualities, he lacks something as simple as wisdom or fear. that will likely be his downfall in the end. 

      MALLEUS’ DOWNFALL COMES IN THE SHAPE OF A MAN, a handsome man with violently green eyes that rival none but his own. there’s a fierceness in those eyes now, a kind that malleus has never seen before. even in all the antagonism & anger leona has displayed to him, malleus has never seen such savagery, such desperation in the lion’s gaze. despite the fae normally enjoying the wildness of the other man, this particular look leaves him only unsettled & maybe...worried? 

      HOWEVER MALLEUS DOESN’T GET THE CHANCE to linger on whatever odd emotion he’s feeling as leona roughly shoves him out of harms way. the gesture triggers yet another incomprehensible emotion in the fae. his chest feels tight, reptilian eyes widening as leona takes the blow in his stead. malleus cries out, his voice slightly strangled as he nearly falls to the ground. ❛    kingscholar! ---    ❜  in that moment malleus briefly wonders if this is what fear feels like. 

       THE ANSWER COMES AS SWIFTLY & INTENSELY as the question prompting it, coming forth as leona crumples to the ground before him. the next few moments seem to move in slow motion, the air still & silent as malleus’ heart drums loudly in his chest. he moves without thinking, his body practically advancing on its own as he rushes to leona’s side. lithe arms encircle the lion, a fierceness of his own overtaking malleus as he shields leona in his embrace. it’s a brief moment in which his arrogance has shifted into outright foolishness, forgetting the beast, the chaos around them & everything else except for the limp body in his arms.

      ❛    WHY? KING-- LEONA...WHY DID YOU---   ❜  malleus can’t even finish his own question, stricken with anguish, fear &...something else he can’t quite describe. in the end he knows why leona took the blow for him. after all those murmured words have not left the fae’s mind ever since the lion uttered them several months prior. malleus knows & yet...he has never understood the reason behind them. that confusion has never felt stronger than at this moment, holding his unconscious lover in his arms like the hero of an ancient tragedy. why would leona ever love him? what of malleus has ever been lovable? he cannot comprehend it. could someone really sacrifice their own life for him...simply out of love? 

      LEONA HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENT FROM THE REST. he is not bound by duty or obligation to be at malleus’ side. each moment they’ve spent together has been on their own volition. & while malleus fails to understand when lust became love, he has no doubt in his mind now that leona’s love is true. he also knows that the weight of this truth is more terrifying than the beast before them & anything else malleus has ever faced. 

      MALLEUS HAS NEVER BEEN CERTAIN OF HIS HEART. he never knew how to be. things like love have never really had the opportunity to present themselves in malleus’ life. & even after leona’s love had made itself known, the prince could never find the right descriptor for how he feels in return. therefore he hasn’t brought up leona’s confession & has since pretended he never heard it. it would be cruel to lord over something so intimate over leona’s head without having a proper answer. & malleus may enjoy teasing the other but he is not cruel & never has been. 

      BUT AS HE CLUTCHES THE FALLEN LION in his arms, tears falling from his eyes unbidden, malleus wonders. is this love? is this aching pain in his chest the result of that love? it’s unlike anything he’s ever felt before, more painful & more terrifying than any physical wound the beast could’ve inflicted on him. could this be what it feels like to have loved & lost? it can’t be. not when he hasn’t been able to tell leona, to finally accept that love that had been offered to him in the warmth of leona’s bed. he can’t lose leona yet...he won’t.

      THERE’S A FLASH OF LIGHT, AN ANIMALISTIC CRY & then the moment of grief is gone, the beast lunging forth to deal a final blow to the pair of men. however the hit never comes as malleus hands --- no, his claws reach forth & take hold of the beast in a fierce grip. the fae’s vision is blurry, a sharp pain overtaking him as his body transforms before their very eyes. malleus cannot remember the last time he’d transformed from his humanoid form. he doesn’t care for how he feels as a dragon. he cannot wholly control himself nor can he maintain the raw power of his magic when in this form. & yet it was the lack of control in itself that has him shifting into his own beast. he hasn’t lost his control like this since he was a child. 

       EVEN AS MALLEUS TRANSFORMS, his body rising in the air as his wings sprout from his back, he does not release his hold on leona. in fact his grip only tightens on the lion as they both rise higher into the air. in his beastly state malleus cannot comprehend anything save for the primal need to fight & protect, along with this boiling hot anger unlike anything he’s ever felt before. green flames erupt from the dragon’s nostrils & mouth, flying through the air until it makes its mark across the other beast’s face. 

      STILL KEEPING A TIGHT HOLD ON LEONA, the monster lunges forward with an animalistic ferocity that malleus has so desperately tried to keep a lid on all these years. he can’t speak, he can’t think, he can’t do anything save for fight onward. had malleus been fully sentient at this time he would know he should still hold back. with how powerful his magic is & how unfortunately sensitive the man often can be, malleus is almost constantly at risk of overblotting. it’s only due to decades of training & control that malleus hasn’t lost himself in his own power. & in a way he does know that the path he’s headed down now in this fight will lead him down the dark path he’s dreaded all his life. but he doesn’t care. he won’t stop, can’t stop until the beast before him is vanquished. 

      IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE BEAST TO FALL. whether it be due to the unbridled power malleus is using or simply the raw fury in his gate they will never know. what can be known is when the beast falls the fae falls shortly after, his figure shrinking until he is once again the man & not the monster. malleus can feel himself shaking as he keeps his hold on leona steady even now. behind him he can hear the sound of rushing footsteps. no doubt it’s lilia & the others returning with reinforcements. not that it’s needed anymore. the beast has fallen, nothing but a small charcoal colored cat lying unconscious in the grass. 

     ONE PAIR OF FOOTSTEPS DRAWS NEARER. malleus does not have to turn his head to know the identity of the person approaching him. the prince has known the light but purposeful strides of lilia vanrouge for practically as long as he’s been alive. a gentle hand places itself on malleus shoulder & it’s only then does the fae realize that he’s still crying. ❛    l - lilia...he saved me. please, please get him a healer. i don’t think he has much time.    ❜ 

      NOW IN THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE HE TRUSTS, malleus finally releases his hold on leona, letting lilia take his lover somewhere safe. in the meantime he can hear the hurried footsteps of silver & sebek reaching his side. he can hear his guards’ frantic words but only faintly, as if malleus were somewhere off in the distance & far away from anyone around him. blood & tears streak his face as his vision goes in & out. he’d managed to stop before he’d reached the point of no return...but just barely. even so he had used a great deal more of his strength than he ought to in the last several minutes. this becomes evident as his own exhaustion takes hold of malleus, collapsing into the strong arms of his brother before going completely unconscious. 

when he wakes up in the infirmary, he’s relieved to find leona sleeping soundly beside him. 

[diveronarpg]

In fair Verona, our tale begins with ULRIK BRAUN, who is FIFTY years old. He is often called ULYSSES by the MONTAGUES and works as their MEITITORE. He uses HE/HIM pronouns.

TW: death, child neglect

He was born from an ABYSS; a seed shed from a fruit wicked enough to slip from God’s hand, leaving a honey-sweet trail along His chin and through each one of Eden’s skies, and not a single whisper of sound as it tumbled onto mortal earth. Such was how Ulrik viewed his own conception; a DIVINE OVERSIGHT. An error in the machinations of fate. A random challenge imposed on nothingness as it was dared to coil around itself and not be warped into a womb. Empty air, vacant space, a void taste on the tongue – that was all Ulrik could recall from the meager years preceding his adoption, and for a while, he would grow to forget it; although the years were meager still. At the beginning, his parents lavished him with love as though he had always been their own, caring for him and nurturing his quiet, closed-up growth; invigorated and eager to watch him flourish in a way that was nearly desperate. They made him the apple of their eye, but in turn, they made themselves blind. For when Ulrik unfurled, blooming and revealing himself to them at last, they wailed as their eyes began to bleed, DAMNING him as though he had poked his small, thin fingers into them.

He had always been strange; gifted with sharp senses and peculiar instincts, mannerisms that were more animal than human. If it was indeed a GIFT, then it must have been given to him with love as the ultimate PRICE to be paid in exchange, for his parents had no more of it to spare once they saw him for who he truly was. They scowled at him whenever they caught him sniffing the air or burying his nose in his food. They tugged at him as though he were a hound on a leash when they found him with his teeth sunken into the arm of one of his bullies. They stared at him in fear and trepidation when he would return from spending the whole day in the woods, feet filthy and bare, gaze sharpened and nose twitching. And it was then that Ulrik sought other worlds to escape his own, immersing himself in novels and poetry, imaginary friends and playing-pretend. It introduced him to the only happiness that he would ever come to know, and it also opened him up to his CURSE. Ulrik developed an appetite for fantasies, and as he devoured tales of princesses locked in lonesome towers and kings who were half-man, half-shadow, he grew to see himself in those stories. After all, why else would he have been born with these strange instincts? Why else would his parents cower away from him and condemn him as unworthy of their love?

It comforted him, to finally have an answer for his mystery-riddled existence. Yet even as he went on to harbor it in his heart for safe-keeping and hold it against his chest every night while the whispers lulled him to sleep, the years were still as MERCILESS as ever. When Ulrik was old enough to bear his teeth at them and condemn them in return, he decided that curses were made to be FOUGHT. So he began to rebel, snarling at his parents’ stares and hollering in response to their cruel words; weaning his knuckles on the taste of his bullies’ blood and teaching himself to find sustenance in the fear of others. Yet the higher he climbed, the harsher the fall whenever he would inevitably lose his footing; and at sixteen, he decided to run away from it all. He sought out his uncle, the only person in his family who had ever cared for him unconditionally. His uncle worked as a special agent for the government, and the longer Ulrik stayed with him, the more the man took note of the keen, otherworldly intuition he possessed. Only he didn’t shy away from it or seek to destroy it; instead, he PRAISED it, perceiving it as a talent that ought to only be honed and embraced. Finding long-lost acceptance and latching onto it with force, Ulrik went on to live with his uncle, shedding his family’s name and armoring himself with the one he had been given at birth. For the first time in his remembered life, the whispers of his curse were silent and still.

He grew to seek work alongside his nearly-retired uncle. Impassioned and driven as he was by the pseudo-training he had received since starting his life anew, Ulrik THRIVED, soaring through the ranks and earning himself the elite, covert position of cleaner. In the wake of any kill order, he was to be on the scene, warping it and disguising the murder so no trace of government involvement could be found. He found HOME in the detached dark of the job, in the brimming apathy and exquisite intimacy of SHAPING BRUTALITY into his own design, all at the hands of the very same gift that had once left him shunned and ostracized. It was everything that he could have wished for – until the abrupt passing of his uncle. The rotten hand that stole him away must have belonged to a fool, in Ulrik’s eyes, because it was immediately clear to him that his uncle’s death had been staged. Believing his superiors were behind it, he abandoned his position without a second thought. Yet before he could even entertain the intangible notion of a normal, quiet life, he found himself being HUNTED. They were nowhere, and they were everywhere; predators of his own caliber who lay in wait, silent yet HEAVING as they awaited the fateful baring of his throat. But Ulrik was no prey, and so he sought protection in the only place where he could find it – deep in the belly of beastly Verona, beneath the glaring, blood-red Montague crest. He offered them his unique skills and vast realm of experience, and in the face of such power, it was only natural that the living gods would not find it in themselves to refuse. They took his offering, and in return, pulled him into their embrace, crowning him with the title of meititore, their reaper, and laying the entire city out beneath his aching teeth. The Montagues were keen on stoking his hunger, but they ought to beware this ABYSS-BORN man. He is glad to be eating from their palm, but let it be known: Ulrik Braun can only live through biting the hand that feeds.

FAUST CONTRERAS: Curse-wielder. It happened shortly after Ulrik had joined the Montague fold, during a celebration of the new recruits in the hallowed Capital Library. In a remote corner, far away from the indulgence and the merriment, Faust stole a place for himself at Ulrik’s side; waving away the blackened mist of his solitude, bracing an elbow atop the table, and whispering of the Capulets and the death of Ulrik’s uncle. He claimed that the mob was behind it; roused into action after his uncle’s operations began to interfere with their business, and he cited his own network and prior knowledge of Ulrik’s work as evidence. Just thought you should know, he then muttered, shrugging and making a casual exit as though he hadn’t just ripped the scab of Ulrik’s grief clean from the wound with nothing more than his clawed handful of words. Ever since then, Ulrik has been plagued by uncertainty. What gave Faust the impression that Ulrik would care, or aim to act on the information? How had he come to unearth so much about Ulrik’s buried history? Was the motivation simply cementing his loyalty to the Montagues, or something else entirely? Ulrik seeks answers, and he has every intention of finding them.

REGINA DALY: Plaything. Either they have information on the death of Ulrik’s uncle or they have directly participated in it. After all, who would know better about Capulet justice than the very tool that is used in exacting it? As a spettro, Regina wields the only blade that could cut the truth from the lies, and so far, Ulrik has been content to simply watch her fiddle with it. He corners Regina where he can, relishing the tension the taut, predatory pull between them. Unused to being likened to prey, Ulrik’s prowl clearly eludes them; a fateful string that has tied them to one another from the moment Ulrik’s nose latched onto her scent. He has great interest in what Regina may or may not know, yet he’s driven to do nothing more than tug on his ties to the Capulet and watch how far they can stretch before they snap. It’s a game to him, and beyond that, it’s a test of his own will – of how far he can manage to starve his grief before he either throws it a scrap of bone, or lies helpless as it devours him.

LEONA GWAN: Shadow. The moon hangs from the hollows of their eyes, beautiful, but futile when it comes to concealing the emptiness that pours at the call of its tide. Yet when they first met, Ulrik could only watch in awe as light – dim, frail, lively light – slowly overtook it, and it’s been shining through their gaze ever since. For all his idle detachment and cold curiosity, for all his willingness to watch from afar as all things good and fulfilling rotted before they could make their way into his life, Ulrik couldn’t resist their pull. It’s a dangerous thing, to be seen. He knows that. Yet he knows just as well that safety could be found in it, if one only knew to look for it. Once he glimpsed it in Leona, there was no turning back. Now he calls them his wolfling, catering to their darkness as though it were his own and promising them the world on a golden platter, as a meal for the two of them to share.

HARRIET D’ANGELO: Light. He is a man who yearns for light just as fiercely as he craves shadow, and Harriet is one of the few damned souls who have allowed it to shine upon him. It must have been for the best, then, that he was lured away by his promotion and she was caged into her responsibilities well before anything could fully bloom between them. They recently reunited, only with far too many skeletons crowding into the space between them. She has lost her son, and he has lost his uncle, but they seem hesitant to share anything beyond that with each other. Ulrik fears what might become of her if he gets too close again, yet he fears, and the fact that he does intrigues him far too intensely for him to make any genuine effort to pull away from her. At least if she burns, he’ll burn right alongside her.

Ulrik is portrayed by MADS MIKKELSEN and was written by JEN. He is currently OPEN.

[andrewdz]

Favorite Albums of 2019

2019 was a big year for me in music. According to my Last.FM stats, it’s the most music I’ve listened to in one year. That played a big role in why I have a top 50 albums list for the year. There was a lot of stuff I really enjoyed.  

I tried to find new bands this year because I’m over 30 now which they say is around the time you stop seeking new music and I want to prove that wrong. 14 out of my top 50 were brand new artists to me, which I wish was higher, but that’s a goal for next year now. 

I also reignited my love for some bands. I got really into the Go-Betweens in 2019. I bought a documentary about them, a book about the two founders of the band, and got a box set of their last three albums that is now one of most prized music possessions. I also found some Deerhunter records in Nashville that I listened to quite a bit. I also got to see them live this year which was a real treat. Other artists I got really into this year was Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Bombay Bicycle Club, Chris Isaak, Hightide Hotel, The Brave Little Abacus and Titus Andronicus (who I was already into, but got almost all of their albums on vinyl now).

It was another terrific year for live shows as well, as I got to see a lot of artists I loved as well as ones on my bucket list. Kacey Musgraves, Sharon Van Etten, Priests, mewithoutyou (2nd time), Tigers Jaw, Titus Andronicus (2nd Time), Angel Olsen (3rd Time), Deerhunter, Trampled by Turtles, and Miami Horror. The best month was late April to late May when I got to go to five amazing but very different shows. It was one of the most fun months of my life. I got to see the Drums (2nd Time), PUP, Ratboys, Doomsquad, Operators, Desire, Chromatics, and Passion Pit! All of them were some of the best shows I’ve ever been to.

Now enough about my music year, let’s get to the list. I only wrote things about the top 30 but wanted to highlight some other ones so expanded the list to 50. Like I mentioned earlier, it was a really great year of music. Not sure if I will release a list of favorite songs this year, but we’ll see. I’ve lately become more of an album fan instead of singles. Let me know what you checked out this year!

50. Chromatics – Closer to Grey  

49. Hatchie – Keepsake

48. Nilufer Yana – Miss Universe

47. Denzel Curry - ZUU

46. Pedro the Lion - Phoenix

45. Proper. - I Spent the Winter Writing Songs About Getting Better

44. Turnover – Altogether

43. Jay Som – Anak Ko

42. Big Thief – Two Hands

41. Jimmy Eat World - Surviving

40. Titus Andronicus – An Obelisk

39. The National – I Am Easy to Find

38. Priests – Seduction of Kansas

37. DIIV – Deceiver

36. Mildura - Mildura

35. Jamila Woods – LEGACY! LEGACY!

34. Doomsquad – Let Yourself Be Seen

33. Charly Bliss – Young Enough

32. Operators – Radiant Dawn

31. Black Marble – Bigger Than Life

30. The Get Up Kids – Problems

I was late on the Get Up Kids (I know, I know, I’ll turn in my emo card after this article), and I’ve been trying to catch-up these past couple years. And what perfect timing because it’s the first album in eight years (They also had a terrific EP in 2018). It’s a really good return album from them. They can still write amazing pop punk anthems, and few bands leave songs stuck in my head as often as the Get Up Kids do. It’s interesting that the early wave of emo are now elder statesmen of the scene and they touch on that a little in this album. Reflecting on the past and what it means to be a band in 2019. It’s always good to see a band not only not just rely on nostalgia to tour on, but still release relevant music that stands up with some of their best material.

Favorite Track: Satellite

29. Bon Iver – i,i

It’s interesting where Bon Iver has gone in the past decade. First bursting on the scene with the perfect story of going to a cabin and recording a heartbreaking breakup album. Since then he’s won some Grammys, been featured on Kanye West songs, and embraced the synthesizer. For some reason, however, this album reminds me more of “For Emma, Forever Go” than his previous couple albums despite still using the more electronic approach. It has that same raw honesty that his debut had. He’s not alone in the woods anymore. He’s commanding a large group of musicians now, creating this huge sound without losing any of his heart. He also sounds more assured in himself. It’s seems like the beginning of a new era for Justin Vernon and the last song “RABi” sounds like his “riding off into the sunset” moment. Awaiting the next adventure.

Favorite Track: Faith

28. Yola – Walk Through Fire

A really strong debut album from singer/songwriter Yola. It’s really soothing with a nice wall of sound production that just sweeps you away. It also helps that she has such an amazing voice. Songs like “Faraway Look” & “Lonely the Night” feel like songs I’ve known my entire life, but was just waiting for Yola to record them. Really excited to see what she does next.

Favorite Track: Lonely the Night

27. Prince Daddy & the Hyena – Cosmic Thrill Seekers

“Cosmic Thrill Seekers” is an ambitious album, like “The Monitor” level of ambitious. It’s written almost entirely by Kory Gregory about his cycles of struggling with mental health with allusions to Wizard of Oz. They take you on a journey on this album. The feelings of self-destruction, to wanting to escape from people who aren’t even your friends, and not quite fitting in with rest of the world while also playing the most anthemic guitar riffs and crashing cymbals.  I can only imaging what the experience is like seeing this album performed live. It would have to feel like a sonic tornado, and you would wonder what just happened after you’re walking away on the street. This album didn’t make it number one on any charts, but this album is going to mean so much to so many people. Also, the last track goes right back into the first one to begin the cycle again.

Favorite Track: Lauren (Track 2)

26. Strange Ranger – Remembering the Rockets

It’s amazing how much this album reminds me of 90’s indie rock. It is so easy to picture Strange Ranger playing this album in between sets of Mazzy Star and Teenage Fanclub. I had not really clicked with Strange Ranger’s earlier stuff, but this album just seemed to make sense to me. It sounds like a fully formed album with a band that is confident enough to be more adventurous. There are some incredibly poppy hooks, but also some interesting synth beat choices. Also the switch of singing songs about the end of the world to being excited to go on a date gives the album a little extra something. A good mixture of despair and hope.

Favorite Track: Leona

25. Lost Under Heaven – Love Hates What You’ve Become

I love when a band just says “F*** It! Let’s make songs meant to be heard in a stadium,” even though they will never get a chance to. This is one of those albums that is meant to be turned all the way up with you screaming along to every chorus in your car. They are definitely wearing their hearts on their sleeve on this one, encouraging you be the best version of ourselves so by the time the album reaches it’s colossal closer “For the Wild,” you are ready to take on the world. It’s fun when a band decides to be super sincere on an album. You actually feel like rock and roll will save us, just like you did when you were a teenager and first found music for yourself.

Favorite Track: For the Wild

24. Mark Ronson – Late Night Feelings

I think my favorite thing about a Mark Ronson record is how much they seem like an awesome compilation album, and this one lives up to its name and is a perfect soundtrack for late night out on the town. He’s got a great ear for collaborators creating the perfect songs to best suit their voices. Lykke Li, Angel Olsen, Alicia Keys, and even Miley Cyrus have some terrific showings on this record. There’s no super hit like “Uptown Funk” on this album, but it is a fun listening experience, and I cannot get enough of Angel Olsen’s “True Blue” on here (Which really should have ended the album. It’s a perfect end credits song).

Favorite Track: True Blue

23. The Drums – Brutalism

The Drums are a group that has had quite a decade. They’ve released four albums, and every member but Johnny has left the group. “Brutalism,” however, is still a strong album in one of the best indie rock discographies of the past 20 years. There are some throwback songs to the early Drums days (Body Chemistry), a rare acoustic ballad (Nervous), and one of the catchiest songs they’ve ever written (626 Bedford Ave). The Drums get overlooked, but they’ve quietly created an impressive catalogue that is just begging to be reevaluated with “Brutalism“ adding a lot to that conversation. Not many indie rock bands make it to five albums, let alone having songs on that fifth album that fit along their biggest hits.

Favorite Track: 626 Bedford Ave.

22. Brittany Howard – Jaime

When I first heard this album was coming out, I thought it meant that Alabama Shakes were done as a band and Brittany was going to be an exclusively solo artist now. However, after listening to this album, I understand why it was not an Alabama Shakes record. This is a very personal record that just wouldn’t sound right as a band collaboration. This is Brittany’s story. She’s singing about life on the road, her faith, first crushes, family, and making sense of what it’s like growing up in the south. This solo record also gave her a chance to explore some different sounds than she would have on an Alabama Shakes record. You can hear some Prince influence, especially on the final track “Run to Me.” Not sure if she plans to release more solo records, but I hope this isn’t the last.

Favorite Track: History Repeats

21. (Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar

“House of Sugar” has probably got my favorite Side A of any record this year. It just gives a chance to showcase what I love about (Sandy) Alex G so much. You’ve got the psychedelic drone style and that fast almost folk-punk style. It’s just filled with this fun eclectic sound and his voice, while probably viewed as limited in sense of range, just captures so much emotion in the music. I found this record to be one that rewards you the most the more you listen to it. I feel like I’m always discovering something new with each listen. I always enjoy checking out the latest (Sandy) Alex G record because his albums are always adventurous, and “House of Sugar” is definitely that. I would have a tough time describing this album. It’s like when you’re in a dream and there are those moments that completely change the scenario and location, but for some reason it makes sense to you in a way you can’t explain. That’s what this album is like for me.

Favorite Track: Gretal

20. Angel Olsen – All Mirrors

If I had to describe this album, I would say it’s Angel Olsen’s “Nebraska” if she had Bauhaus as her backing band. This is a big sounding record, and it’s easy to let the emotional crescendos take you away. You feel every emotion she’s putting on this record, and it is a wild ride. It’s a breakup record, and this album does a good job of capturing that feeling fresh off a breakup that just feels like a tornado of feelings. It’s a storm of emotions, but sometimes there’s a beauty in a storm as well. She said there’s an acoustic version of this album that will come out next year, but I’m glad we got to hear this version first. We get to feel the real raw emotion on this, and then when more time has passed a chance to be softer with a more reflective look back.

Favorite track: All Mirrors

19. billy woods + kenny segal – Hiding Places

It really sounds like Woods is letting it all out on this album; frustrations with music, other people, the current state of things, and his intensity is only amplified by the beats from Kenny Segal. The samples on this album are not catchy, and they shouldn’t be. This is an album that wants you to reckon with what Woods is saying. That’s what makes the final album so impressive. It’s a perfect blend between Wood’s lyrics and Segal’s beats. Complimenting each other in frustration and uneasiness. I was not familiar with either artists before this album, but I’m definitely a fan now, and I hope they will collaborate again in the near future.

Favorite Track: Red Dust

18. Truth Club – Not an Exit

There is something very old school about Truth Club. They’ve got this post-punk nasty guitar riff energy that just make this an album a delight to hear. They sound like a band with something to prove, delivering exactly what you want from a post-punk record. Sweet riffs, monotone vocals, and done in less than a half-hour. Love it.

Favorite Track: Student Housing

17. Helado Negro – This is How You Smile

Sometimes records just feel like a dream as if you can just see the music and travel in it. That’s how I feel every time I listen to “This is How you Smile.” The mixture of electronic and folk makes such beautiful music and Roberto Carlos Lange’s voice is perfect on top of these amazing collections of sound. Apparently he invited a lot of different musicians to play on this record and it really sounds like a group of friends got together and had the perfect jam with Lange’s artistic vision taking the lead. Some songs tackle today’s issues with even some field recordings from an Abolish ICE March in Brooklyn and singing about being proud of being Latinx, but not being confrontational about it. It’s beautiful music with a message.

Favorite Track: Please Won’t Please

16. Deerhunter - Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?

You’ve got to give credit to Deerhunter for continuing to make really interesting albums throughout all of the 2010s, and this one seems like a good one to end the decade with. When so many of their contemporaries have disbanded or walked away from music, Deerhunter has kept going. Not resting on their past success, but creating new sounds and challenging their audience to go somewhere new with them. They can still write an amazing hook and the lyrics are as sharp as any previous album. It’s an ode to a world that seems to be on the brink of destruction by its own design.

Favorite Track: Plains

15. Anderson Paak – Ventura

Anderson Paak is on quite a creative streak with this being his fourth album in five years and I think this one may be my favorite. He’s got some amazing guests singers on this album including Andre 3000, Brandy, and the legendary Smokey Robinson. It just sounds terrific too. The 70’s soul-funk inspiration makes for some of the best grooves I’ve heard this year, and it’s a perfect album for a night drive.

Favorite Track: Jet Black

14. PUP – Morbid Stuff

Few bands do “ANGER” as good as PUP, but Morbid Stuff is not the typical angry record either. It’s like “I’m angry. You’re angry. Let’s be angry together” kind of record which is perfect for the general attitude of 2019. PUP inspires a real passionate fan base, and on this record it’s easy to see why. They packed it with cathartic anthems for the disenfranchised. Not getting along with your family? Not quite over your ex? Feel like you missed that turn you were supposed to take in life about four years ago? Get over here and let all that anger out by singing along with us. This album is community even though you can’t be with this group in person. It also helps that this is a band that can PLAY. The musicianship is just fantastic which is probably helped because this is a band. These four guys have been PUP since the beginning and they sound better and better on each album. So let’s get angry!

Favorite Track: Kids

13. Raphael Saadiq – Jimmy Lee

It’s been eight years since the last Raphael Saadiq album, and it’s understandable because this album is dealing with a lot of heavy issues; addiction, incarceration, faith, and losing family. It’s also an album that Raphael Saadiq could have only made after being a bit older with some life wisdom to look back at. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable to listen to, but also necessary. It feels like a very personal album, and you can tell how much work must have been put into producing it. The album sounds terrific, which makes sense for how much experience he’s had producing other projects in-between albums. I also forget how talented of a singer he is. This album is a real showcase of his vocal skills. Some songs sound like he’s pouring his soul into it, and just somehow keeping his voice from breaking. You get swept up in that anger he feels. This album will make you really think about where the world has been, where it’s at today, and where it’s going. A powerful and necessary album for 2019.

Favorite Track: Rearview

12. Orville Peck – Pony

Orville Peck’s music is the kind of music that would sound just as perfect being performed on stage at the Grand Ole Opry as it would hearing it off a jukebox in a dive bar in the middle of nowhere. Peck’s really tapped into that timeless country sound that just seems to sounds good anywhere in any situation. Feeling sad? Perfect. Feeling that freedom you get from just hitting the road alone? Perfect. That baritone voice is so beautiful to listen to as well. It’s a new generations Roy Orbison or Chris Isaak. Beautiful but haunting, and it wouldn’t sound out of place in a David Lynch film. The storytelling in the lyrics are also astounding. I can picture the desert riding while listening to “Dead of Night.” It’s fascinating to know that this is Peck’s first album because it’s so well formed in terms of lyrics, vocals, and hooks. Makes me even more excited for what the next album will sound like.

Favorite Track: Dead of Night

11. Great Grandpa – Four of Arrows

“Four of Arrows” sounds like a level up album from Great Grandpa after their terrific debut “Plastic Cough.” It’s a great example of a band expanding their sound without losing the identity that made their first album special. The band sounds tighter, richer (especially with the addition of strings and synths on some songs), and more ambitious. It also helps to have the amazing Alex Menne vocals. She really conveys an energy that escalates these songs’ emotional payoffs. Especially on a song like “Digger” where she sings (almost screams) “That’s why I hate you,” “That’s why I love you” with almost the same energy. You may not know what each song is about, but you certainly know how it feels.

Favorite Track: Treat Jar

10. Holy Ghost! – Work

Sometimes all you need is great dance album in your life, and Holy Ghost! provided that for me this year.  They have a kind of style of dance music that has fallen out of critical favor by the end of this decade, but I still love to hear it. They continued the tradition of Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” of applying their flavor to 70’s dance music, and it’s terrific fun. This album is super catchy, has wonderfully danceable grooves, and features a 7-minute plus dance closer. A perfect dance record.

Favorite track: Do This

9. American Football - American Football (LP3)

With emo revival being a big topic of conversation this past decade in certain music critics’ world, it’s only fair that one of the greatest emo bands ends the decade with a terrific album. After reuniting a couple years ago for an okay album, I’m glad they went back to studio to create an album worthy of comparison to their first album that influenced so many amazing artists. The musicianship on this album is just stunning, with a rich tapestry of melancholy permeating throughout. They also happened to create possibly the best duet of the decade by having fellow emo legend Haley Williams join them for “Uncomfortably Numb.” Just beautiful. #defendemo

Favorite Track: Uncomfortably Numb

8. oso oso – Basking in the Glow

To be honest, I feel invested in oso oso. I remember a few years back he released “the yunahon mixtape” as a pay what you want on Bandcamp and planning to walk away from music. I checked it out, and loved it on first listen. Then the album got some nice shout-outs from critics and other artists and eventually found an audience. So to see not only oso oso stick with music, but to release this terrific follow up record as well, feels like a win for everyone. There is a common misconception that emo=sad music, but this album shows that is not the case. There’s a joy on this album that is super infectious. He wants you to feel a part of his joy. It’s an album of positivity that we needed in 2019, and it helps that so many of these songs are very catchy. This is the “dance around your bedroom” kind of album, and just let yourself go for a half-hour. I’m so happy that this album is getting recognized on so many year-end lists. It feels like a win for the entire emo scene that usually gets ignored. The fact that it happened to oso oso makes it all the better.

Favorite track: The View

7. Big Thief - U.F.O.F.

I always thought of Big Thief as a perfect band for fall. Something about their music feels like the end of something before dealing with something that will be tough but necessary. That they’re the ferryman taking us into the next stage in life, and the cost is you’re going to feel a little sad listening to some heartbreaking tales. U.F.O.F., their first album of 2019, can break you down. In the first track “Contact” we hear lead singer Adrianne Lenker let out these howling screams. Giving ua permission to let yourself go. Be your most pure self as this album takes you on a journey. I don’t mean to make this album sound depressing, because even though there’re numerous allusions to death it is quite hopeful. You get to LIVE because one day you will die. It makes life more important because it has an ending.  This album doesn’t have a lot of hooks on it, but it just makes it more important to listen to it as an album. It’s one big piece that feels so right together. It’s hard to imagine anyone having as creatively successful year as Big Thief did in 2019. Kind of apt they got it in right before the end of a decade. A necessary end, I think.

Favorite Track: Cattails

6. Mini Dresses – Heaven Sent

Listening to Mini Dresses’ “Heaven Sent” feels like I found some hidden album demo from the early 2000s that was secretly a masterpiece. I truly do not know why hardly anyone seems to be talking about this album. If it came out in 2008 it feels like it would have been huge on indie blogs. This album is so catchy and a style of indie rock that doesn’t seem to be big anymore, which is a shame because it’s too good to miss. This album reminds me of Blondie if they would have been part of the indie wave of the mid-2000s, which if that sounds cool to you, please check this album out.

Favorite Track: Rank and File

5. Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center

After hearing “Would You Rather” on Phoebe Bridgers’ phenomenal debut album “Stranger in the Alps,” I suppose we were all secretly hoping for more songs from Conor Oberst and Phoebe. There are few songwriters that can capture the feeling of loneliness and emptiness, but still have that sense of hope that it can somehow get better like these two can. “If you’re not feeling ready, there’s always tomorrow” on their last song “Dominos” really hits that point home. Their voices sound great together and the production on this album is fantastic. They’ve got the hooks, they’ve got the ballads, and they’re ready to make you cry, but they will be the first ones to help pick you back up. This album feels like an old friend that knows you get sad sometimes, but is always there for you when you need them.

Favorite Track: Dylan Thomas

4. glass beach – the first glass beach album

There’s nothing better than when a band just goes for it on an album. I haven’t listened to an album that has made me think of emo, Disney, Hellogoodbye, and Playstation video game soundtracks all before I’ve even made it to track 5. It’s like they threw everything on the wall and everything stuck. I would not be surprised to find out that this band is around my age. It sounds like an album that only someone who grew up in the 90’s and early 2000’s could make.  Just picking sounds from everything in that era and making an album out of it. It’s pure chaos, but somehow completely makes sense. This album is not for everybody, but if it clicks with you, it’s like it’s looking into your soul.

Favorite track:  cold weather

3. Slaughter Beach Dog – Safe and Also No Fear

I was a big fan of Modern Baseball, like all good emo revival fans should be, and was super sad to hear they were going on indefinite hiatus. When I heard Jake Ewald was starting a new project as Slaughter Beach Dog, I checked out some songs from his album “Birdie” but didn’t really connect with it. Probably because I wanted something more like Modern Baseball. Then when this album came out, it had some buzz from critics whose opinions on music closely line up with mine, and I checked out this album. Whatever opinion I had on the first album, this one was the exact opposite. I really connected with. Listening to it feels like those times where you visit your old hometown, driving around the old spots you used to hang out. Then you realize these spots don’t mean what they did to you anymore, and they never could. No matter how much old friends want you to be that old person again, you can’t go backwards and you’re fine with that. This is also a beautiful sounding record. It sounds like Jake let the other musicians have a bit more say in the sound, and it does sound like a band collaboration. It’s a sweet indie/folk/alternative sound that just pierces my soul. If we don’t get another Modern Baseball reunion, that’s fine. It sounds like Jake has moved on, and I’m ready to follow wherever his new music takes him.

Favorite Track: Black Oak

2. Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

It’s always exciting to witness an artist make the album they were always meant to. All of her work has lead up to her masterpiece. You feel her soul on this record. Not one moment feels faked. She’s not hiding anything from the listener. Talking about letting go of your past self (I Told You Everything), making a new version of yourself (Comeback Kid), letting yourself love again (Jupiter 4), and what it’s like to be a mother (Stay). Also, on this record she embraces the synth and it makes for some tremendous production. The anthems have an extra kick to them. Not only is this a terrific album for 2019, but one of the standouts of the decade from an artist who already had an impressive discography these past ten years. I’m not sure where she will go next, but I’m hoping this is a sign of what to expect from her in the 2020s.

Favorite Track: Seventeen

1. Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains

This is my favorite album of 2019, and it’s not even close. I was not familiar with David Berman until I heard the first couple singles before the album came out. His name was one that I heard critics tweet about or referenced by other artists, but had never really checked out his music. However, after hearing “All My Happiness is Gone” and “Darkness and Cold” I could not get enough of this music. The melodies were incredibly catchy, I thought the lyrics were super memorable, and they just felt like they really connected with me. He sounded like a natural storyteller, and I was hooked on every word he said. I’m not usually a lyrics person, but I paid attention when I heard these songs. Then when the album came out, it was a treasure trove of an album that I could really dive into. This heartland country sound with a terrific backing band, Woods, complimenting David Berman’s unique voice. I loved it immediately. Then when the tragic news came out of David Berman’s passing, it hit me hard. It’s difficult to talk about this album without acknowledging David committed suicide shortly after it was released. However, I don’t think of this album as a suicide note. This really felt like an album about life. There are struggles, but there are the good moments too. Find the happiness where you can. Margaritas at the mall, that lovely connection of a child with their parent, and if the snow is falling and it’s looking bad, enjoy how warm it will be inside. Berman’s legacy will be everything he contributed to culture; his poetry, his wit, his dark humor, and especially the music. Every once in awhile now when I hear “All My Happiness is Gone” on the radio or if it comes up on a shuffled playlist, my eyes start to well up. Not because I’m sad, but because I’m happy David shared a piece of his soul with us. That’s the real power of music.

Favorite Track: All My Happiness is Gone

[ragnarokdad]

OKAY LADS considering I’ve been getting a couple of q’s and prompts re: my original work and universe (which I remain baffled about but THANK YOU!), I decided to make a more comprehensive explanation of my world and characters so that it hopefully all makes a little bit more sense (and if you’re sick and tired of hearing about me gushing about my original work... I’m sorry)

Setting

So. Because I’m basic as all hell, my original work is in a sci-fi setting, in a solar system called Arcturus. It’s very Mass-Effect-y in the sense that it’s all set after the expansion from the planet Terra, to all the other planets in the solar system- Avo, Juni, the Lutuma Cluster, Silvis, Dolium and Copium. Avo, Terra and Juni are known as the Inner Planets.

I could go on and on about how the expansion worked and who lives where and what this is all based off of but that may be a little much for one explanation post. In any case, most of my writing is set in and around Juni, the first planet that was inhabited after the expansion into space began. 

Juni has a moon called Pan, and you’re about to see some strong Ursula K. le Guin influences here (who is my favourite writer In The World). Pan is a base for pirating, but also for resistance movements. It’s lawless and seen as dangerous, so naturally it is where most of my story is set. 

Characters

Alright, so the ‘main character’ (or just the character I enjoy writing the most) is William Wick, or Will. He’s from Juni, and was lured into a resistance movement at age 15. Despite being critical of his early recruitment to the movement, he stays on Pan and works with various pirating and resistance groups before eventually joining the larger group called the Verzet and working his way up to the leader’s right-hand-man at age 25. His family is still alive and well on Juni, ‘cause I ain’t no angsty bitch who’s gonna give all her original characters dead parents. 

Okay this is already getting longer than I expected, so the rest of the characters and even more information is under the cut: 

Will has a crew of five on his ship, the Conrad. 

Nina Kay is the ship’s navigator, and if this were a TV show she’d be a hot contender for the actual main character. She’s the youngest, a girl from Terra who moved to Juni for school and promptly dropped out when the war in Arcturus worsened. She began helping with smuggling missions for the Verzet in the docks of Juni’s capital, Laika, but eventually moved to Pan to join Will’s crew. 

Robin Marquez is the Conrad’s main pilot most of the time. They’re by far the most badass of the crew. They were a pilot in the Inner Planet Alliance (see below for details) before realising the shady political situation and subsequently joined the Verzet instead. The best pilot the resistance has, and also Will’s best pal. 

Leona, or Leo, the ship’s engineer, is originally from Copium, but moved to Juni as a child due to complicated political reasons oh my god why did I add so many political layers to this world. The point is, she never really finished school or anything and worked instead until she got a few gigs as an engineer on military ships, but eventually joined the Verzet to be an engineer for them because of how sketchy the military is. She’s also 6′2 and Swole. 

Caroline Novak, or Carol, is the oldest member of the crew, having been around since the last war in the Inner Planets, where she worked on Avo, which sucked. She joined resistance groups there, and as years went on and she watched the solar system descend into yet another war, she moved to Juni and ended up on Will’s crew. She acts as a mentor to Will, despite him having a higher rank than her. 

Alistair Bishop-Herveux is from the prosperous Lutuma Cluster, the son of famous media star Elana Bishop. In a fit of rich kid angst, he joined the Verzet to stick it to the man and promptly accidentally fell in love with Will and didn’t really leave. I love him even though he is definitely The Worst. My oldest character, modelled off of Montparnasse from Les Mis back in 2014, and despite the fact that I’ve grown a lot as a writer since then, I never really changed him. 

Political Backdrop 

To make things just that bit more complicated, there’s a whole political things going on in the backdrop of all this. 

So. The Inner Planets had a big ol’ war for a while that left them run down and unappealing- many people moved to the Lutuma Cluster during and after this war. To end the war, Lutuma created the Inner Planet Alliance (IPA) and installed the crownsguard and their own government heads on the planets to keep the peace. The Verzet was created in retaliation to that. 

The Cluster is a wealthy collection of moons surrounding the planet Lutuma, where innovation and business is key. They (illegally) occupied parts of Copium, the planets with the most resources, to help with their own businesses, never giving back to the communities that they were taking from. 

After they left, Copium attacked the moon Europa in the Lutuma Cluster, which was unsuccessful. Despite this, Lutuma retaliated by creating the Europa Fleet- a military alliance that united the military powers of Silvis and the Lutuma Cluster. 

In response to that, Copium and Dolium created the Colium Union, which Lutuma saw as a threat and subsequently attacked Dolium for. And so begins the war. 

In a bid for power, The Europa Fleet created the Ceres Union, which united the Europa Fleet and the Alliance- so that’s Avo, Terra, Juni, the Lutuma Cluster and Silvis all working together against Copium and Dolium. 

However, the Alliance has next to no resources and isn’t a very strong power. Additionally, most resistance groups in the Inner Planets are working with the Colium Union to aid them into defeating Lutuma. And that’s where our story starts. 

The gist of the political situation is essentially Colonialism, Imperialism and Capitalism is bad. 

[newmayhem]

Characters: Higher Nyeusi

Disclaimer: None of this is mine, everything was collected from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ old websites, the wiki, and the old message boards. Anything written in the first person is a direct quote from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. For all the entries in the The Den of Shadows Reference series, check the tag or this page.

Zadre and Diosa

Zadre and Diosa were human twins who sought immortality together by making a deal with the fire elemental Leona- their human mortality for her immortality. However, it soon became evident that Zadre was willing to go further to achieve it. In the ritual with Leona, it was Zadre who actually offered his blood for sacrifice. Doisa lived through the ritual; however Zadre was reduced to his raw immortal power, and not a mortal body. Thus, their abilities varied. Zadre and his descendants were stronger than Diosa’s, though he and his creations are all limited by the need to feed from living, mortal power. 

Diosa’s descendants, on the other hand, can usually sustain themselves with food and beverage, as humans can. Zadre’s descendants do not age and (with the one strange exception of Siete) do not breed. Diosa’s lack that agelessness and immortality, but are capable of breeding.

Zadre’s Descendants

Fariza

Fariza’s background is less well known. What is known is that with Zadre’s power, she founded a nation. She set herself up as a goddess, granting enough power to her priests and priestesses to maintain the illusion of divine grace. Her people betrayed her, and in her fury, she destroyed them. Only the priests and priestesses with whom she had shared her power survived. However, without her direct support, they needed to feed... as all Nyeusi do. Such was the creation of the solar vampires.

Siete and Triste

The twins, Siete and Triste, were abandoned in the woods as newborns by a superstitious mother hoping to avert bad luck. Immortals cannot give birth, so the infants fascinated Leona. She and Zadre raised them, in the process infecting them so thoroughly with their power that by the time the twins had reached adulthood, they could manipulate that power easily. They both learned to build their strength by feeding on humans and other mortal creatures, locking Leona’s immortal power into their mortal forms. Later, both began to experiment. Triste taught a small handful of disciples how to manipulate power, and granted them immortality; these students are now known as Triste witches. Siete dealt more directly with the question. As blood was the essence that held his immortal power, he shared that blood with his chosen ones, and in doing so created the lunar vampires. 

Diosa’s Descendants

Cera

Cera was a child in the village who learned to flawlessly change her form into that of any animal she chose in order to run with the animals of the woods and fly with the creatures of the sky. In her travels she met the Siete, and the two began an affair. Leben was produced, the only of the nyeusi ever born already immortal.

Macht 

After Diosa and Zadre parted ways, Diosa traveled to a human village, there she met Macht, a local wise-woman. Diosa passed some of her power to Macht in order to protect the village. Macht's power was passed along to her daughter Vida, and to a lesser extent the rest of the village, they became known as the Macht witches.

*Leben*

In her travels, Cera met Siete. At this point, both of them were young; neither was even completely nyeusi. The two had an affair that lasted several years, and in the end produced Leben, the only nyeusi ever born already immortal. Leben was mostly raised by his mother, but it became evident as he reached adulthood...and never grew past it...that he took after his father more. After his mother’s death, he left his homeland and began to travel. Over the next several millennia, he shared his power with many groups, creating the various vie elavie (Shapeshifters). 

The Kiesha'ra series includes myths that tell how Leben created the serpents and falcons of the Dasi. Falcondance tells how the Avians were created.

[indescribablechoices]

How Long It Takes - Part Six of Enchanting (TRR)

Enchanting follows the story of Liam and Alicia (MC)’s daughter Lyra as she enters the social season in search of a husband. Familiar faces, sibling shenanigans and naturally; romance, all await along the way.

Part One/Part Two/Part Three/Part Four/Part Five

Tag list: @brightpinkpeppercorn @iknewyoudcome@mitalijoshi@mynameiskaylabella @cocomaxley@boneandfur @museofbooks @moneyfordiamonds

Summary - Tensions of all kinds brew as the court heads to the Regatta. (I’m not mega happy with the flow of this chapter but I wanted to post it so I can move on with the plot so please be forgiving)

Rating - Teen; discussions of sex and sexual attraction.

Word count - 5437

Enchanting Masterlist

“It’s fairly simple, Dad. We have to cancel the season.”

Liam looked at his daughter from where he sat at his desk as she paced back and forth, lecturing him about his health, about how they never should have gone to Lythikos after what the doctor said about the time he had left. He smiled to himself as she went. He had been no different when his father had been ill, wondering if he too had been this self-sacrificing.

They had travelled back to the palace from Lythikos earlier than planned so that he could rest before the Regatta, which had caused both his wife and their eldest daughter to attempt to convince him to cancel the following events for the sake of his well-being.

“Lyra, sit down,” he said quietly.

Her head snapped to look at him and she drew breath to say something, but let out a hard sigh, taking a seat opposite him.

“We are not cancelling the season.”

“Dad, you-”

“Let me speak,” he insisted and she sat back in the chair, hands clasped in her lap, “If I only have months left to live, I am going to spend it travelling around Cordonia with my wonderful family, watching my beautiful daughter find the man she wants to spend her life with. I don’t want to spend it at the centre of a media frenzy and wasting away in my bed.”

“And if it kills you quicker?”

“Then I will die a happy man.”

She glanced away from him as tears burned in her eyes. He let out a heavy sigh. God, had his father been this stubborn?

“Darling, look at me,” he said quietly. She turned her eyes back to him and he felt his heart break at the sight of her tears, “I am going to die. There is no stopping that. But I need to know that you are happy, that you’re all going to be okay when I’m not here anymore.”

She sniffed back her tears, “Dad, I…”

She trailed off, the words falling silent on her tongue. How could she say it? How could she look at her dying father, the best man she had ever known, and tell him that she wasn’t ready to be queen? The one thing that she had been preparing her whole life for?

She let out a shaky breath, holding herself a little higher, “I’ll make sure everyone’s okay when… when the time comes.”

He held his hand out to her and she gave him hers, letting him hold it across the desk.

“My darling girl,” he sighed wistfully, “I’ll never be able to express how proud I am of you.” He gave her hand a squeeze, offering her a warm smile, “Now, enough doom and gloom on my behalf. Tell me about the plans for the regatta.”

“Dad, you hate the regatta,” she reminded him.

“Maybe, but it’s an important year,” he pointed out, “I was going to ask which boat we’ll be cheering for, but I think I know to look out for the Beaumont colours.” He met her mildly alarmed look with a grin, “Don’t look so shocked. I’m old, not blind. You barely kept your eyes off of each other all throughout the Winter Ball. I’m sad I missed the end of your dance.”

“There wouldn’t have been much to miss if it weren’t for Bartie,” she admitted, “I was ready to run out after you, but he kept us dancing to make sure you could slip out easier.”

“Clever lad,” he nodded, “I would have expected nothing less from Bertrand’s son. Though from what I hear he’s got a mix of his uncles in him, and Maxwell and Drake aren’t two personalities that mix easily. But the two of you were close when you were young.”

“Are you analysing Bartie?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps,” he said quietly then flashed her another smile, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to invite him in here whilst I polish my shotgun and demand to know his intentions. I just want to make sure that you’re happy.”

“I am,” she nodded, “I really care about him. But I’m not just marrying for me. I’m marrying for my country. I need to know if he’s up for it.”

“And if he’s not?”

“Then I’ll do what’s right for Cordonia.”

***

“She’ll do what’s right for Cordonia?” Queen Alicia’s eyebrows rose as she and her husband sat in their suite later that afternoon.

“That’s what she said,” Liam sighed, stirring the sugar into his tea.

“I don’t want that for our little girl,” she told him, “She deserves to be happy.”

“I’ve tried to tell her before, but she’s got such a focus on her duty that she-” he was cut off but a short hum of laughter from his wife, “What?”

“She gets that from you,” she pointed out, “All she’s ever wanted was to be just like you. And far short of cutting her hair off and dressing in suit vests, she’s pretty much there.”

He smiled at that. He and Lyra had always been close, but it warmed his heart to hear his wife remind him of it.

“She doesn’t need a husband to help her rule,” he said, “She’s going to be a great queen no matter who sits beside her. But if she must marry, she deserves to have it be someone she loves.”

“There are a lot of good young men that have come to compete for her hand,” she said with a sip of her own tea, “Even Jack, which surprised me.”

“I hadn’t considered him at the beginning, but it made sense for Liv to ask him. He’s his father’s son, he would be good for Lyra.”

“If Leona didn’t scratch her eyes out first.”

He frowned, “What?”

Alicia snorted into her drink, “Liam, my darling, you act like you know so much about women, but when it comes to our daughters you are clueless.”

He looked at her, “You’re not saying that Leona is interested in Jack?”

“It’s gone far beyond that, my love,” she hummed, “They’ve been having casual sex for three years.”

His mouth fell open, “Three years?”

“On and off, naturally,” she told him, “I can’t believe you didn’t know.”

“But… my little girl…” he stammered.

“She’s all grown up, Liam.”

He slumped back in his chair with a defeated sigh, “I hardly know my children.”

She rolled her eyes, “Don’t be such a Drama King. You do know your children. You’re just a bit out of touch with their… personal lives.”

“Turns out I was quite grateful for it,” he ran his hands over his face before he looked back to his wife, “So that’s Jack out of the running.”

“Edward? I know he’s Madeleine’s son but-”

“Hard no. He’s Eli’s mysterious texter.”

“Oh,” she said, a considering expression on her face.

“What about Percy?”

“Good kid,” she nodded, “He’ll be a good Duke one day; kind to his people, but I don’t know if he’s cut out for the crown…”

“This is because of the poodles, isn’t it?” he smirked.

“You know I love all dogs, and I’m glad they help Pen with her anxiety. But I’m not having our first grandchildren be poodles dressed in squid costumes and crowns, Liam.”

Their eyes met and they both burst into loud laughter. But as the laughter faded the reality of what she said set it.

“God, grandkids,” he said quietly, “Something else I’m going to miss.”

She leaned across and cupped his cheek with her hand, letting him lean into the warmth of her palm, “Never say never.”

“Alicia…”

She shushed him softly, wrapping her arms around her shoulder to rest her forehead against his, “I know. Just… let’s have this moment.”

He pulled her gently into his arms and they sat holding each other, not knowing what the following weeks would bring.

***

The morning of the Regatta came with a glimmering sun and clear skies as the court left the palace and headed for the docks ready for the day’s events. As the royal motorcade arrived, the Rys children stepped out of their limo in their usual fashion to wave to the crowds and pose for the press before heading for their private seating.

As Lyra slid out, the press clambered forwards, and closer to the front this time, Lyra spotted Charity Jones.

“Princess Lyra!” she called out, “Care to answer the questions many of us have concerning the seemingly convenient gas leak at the palace last week?”

Lyra sighed to herself, then turned to Charity’s camera with an overly charming smile, “It was all too convenient for the catering staff as most of my sister’s delicious homemade cakes were already snapped up. It’s a shame you didn’t get to try any.”

She noticed some of the other journalists smirk in Charity’s direction and jot down Lyra’s words.

“But the photographs…”

“Were perfectly unclear enough for you to tell whatever story you wished,” Lyra pointed out, “The gas leak was a small accident and it was sorted very quickly, though with the amount of people in the surrounding area it was the safest course of action to get everyone clear. Luckily, no such thing happened at the Winter Ball, which was a fantastic event, thanks to our hosts; the Nevrakis family.”

“Your Highness,” someone else said to her, turning her attention away from Charity, “How are you feeling knowing that Jackson Walker is the representative for the Nevrakis family?”

“Jack is a dear friend of my siblings and I,” she told him, “He has been since we were children. I couldn’t think of anyone better to represent the Nevrakis name in the upcoming weeks… Now you must excuse me, I want to take in the full measure of each boat before the race begins.”

She slipped away onto the docks, the water filled with various racing and sailing boats for the morning’s events, but the ones that had taken precedent were the ones her suitors would be sailing. Until her father’s season, it had been tradition for the ladies of the court to hire a crew to man their boats, but after her mother won with the help of her godfathers Maxwell and Drake, it had been decided that the suitors themselves would have to sail with the help of people they trusted.

Her father had given some speech to the press telling them that the reason for the change was to encourage the suitors to prove their leadership skills by not only selecting those closest to them, but by leading by example. He had told Lyra afterwards that he simply wanted to make his least favourite part of the competition more exciting.

She wandered along the docks, greeting and spending a brief moment with each of her suitors until she came to the far end where the boats of her friends were tied.

She came to Edward’s boat first, and the tall blonde greeted her almost warmly with a brief kiss to her hand.

She smirked at him, “Is that a smile, Lord Edward?”

One dared to show on his face at that, “Perhaps, your highness. It is a lovely day after all for sailing.”

“Of course,” she nodded, “So tell me about your team.”

“I do not have a lot in the way of… friends, per say,” he told her, “So one of my cousins from my father’s side has flown over from England, and naturally, my sister.”

“Because we all know I’m the only one in this family who can sail worth a damn,” Elizabeth called to them from the bow of the boat.

Edward rolled his eyes to himself with a bemused sigh, “She is, unfortunately, right. I’m a terrible sailor, and god help me if I fall in.”

“You’d think long-legs would float, but he sinks like a stone,” Elizabeth told her.

Lyra let out a soft snort of laughter, “I’m sure you will be fine.”

“Can Elias swim?” Elizabeth asked.

“He prefers to lounge by water, but he can definitely swim, why?”

“Just in case Ed here falls in and needs someone to rescue him,” Elizabeth laughed, flashing a smile at Lyra.

Edward let out an even longer sigh, but a blush played in his cheeks, “Yes, yes, you’ve had your fun… I should help finish with preparations.”

“Of course,” Lyra nodded and waved goodbye to them both as she wandered further along the docks.

“Ahoy, Princess!” a voice called down to her as she passed by the next boat and she looked up to see Percy waving to her, his dark curls hidden beneath a white sailor cap.

She gave him a salute, “Ahoy Captain Beaumont.” She wandered closer to the boat and saw Alodie and her Uncle Maxwell busying themselves with preparations, but they both stopped and made their way onto the dock to greet Lyra with a hug.

“Hey little sapling,” Maxwell gave her a tight squeeze, as he always did.

She hummed with laughter at that, “You told me you were going to stop calling me that when I turned eight.”

“Yeah, well, old habits die hard,” he smiled.

“How are you feeling about the race?” she asked.

“Well, I helped your mom win, and we’ve got Hana Lee’s daughter on our team. What can’t we do?” he beamed proudly as he glanced at Alodie.

It was a fact known only by the court’s inner circle that Maxwell was Alodie’s biological father. When Hana and Kiara had decided to try for a baby, Hana had known instantly who she wanted to be their sperm donor, and with Kiara’s close relationship with Penelope, it hadn’t gotten complicated. Kiara had the most viable chance for successful insemination, so they had given it a try. Nine months later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. And Maxwell, in his naturally loving way, had always looked out for Alodie, but had never crossed any boundaries. He knew that it was likely that she knew, but they never discussed it.

Lyra folded her arms across her chest, a joking smile on her face, “Some would say that’s an unfair advantage. She could probably sail the thing on her own.”

“You’re both hilarious,” Alodie rolled her eyes.

“Hey, funny’s all I’ve got,” Maxwell hummed with laughter.

“Guys, come on!” Percy called down, “I’ve got hats for all of us.”

Maxwell grinned, “That’s my boy.”

Lyra glanced at Alodie, “I’ll leave you to do.”

“See you at the beach party,” Alodie told her with an exasperated sigh, clambering back onto the boat, “Okay, Percy, but mine had better match my outfit.”

Lyra continued her wander along the docks, stopping alongside the red-sailed Nevrakis boat. Jack clambered down to greet her, the pair of them posing for a photograph from one of the few reporters who had been given full access to the docks.

“Don’t waste time with me,” he murmured in her ear as the reporter asked for a casual shot, “Move on and see your man.”

She glanced up at him with a smile, “Maybe I want to spend time with my friend.”

“You can spend time with me at the palace later when we don’t have four hundred people and the world media watching,” he said.

“Oh, I was talking about your sister,” she nodded towards the boat where Natalia was adjusting some rope.

He barked out a laugh, earning one from the princess herself. The reported got the shot of the pair of them laughing together and thanked them for their time.

“Seriously,” he insisted, “I’m here to play Nevrakis-place-holder for the papers. Some people are actually here for you.”

She felt her heart jolt in her chest at that. She and Bartie had discussed their feelings and his intentions in Valtoria, but it still made her heart swell with affection to realise that other people were noticing it. She gave him a nod of thanks and called up to Natalia that she would see her at the beach party before heading to the final boat.

Bartie was in the middle of having some photographs of his own taken by a reporter, posing in a few different positions on the dock. Lyra watched him for a moment, taking in the natural way he talked to the reporter, charmed him into laughing. The media had always loved Bartie. As the heir to the Beaumont name, and being the first child from the court’s inner circle, he had been in the papers his entire life. From cute pictures of him in little suits at the royal wedding and his parents’ wedding to the interviews over the past few years, he had always been his best self. A few side pieces in gossip magazines about his romantic escapades, but nothing overly scandalous.

The reporter asked for some photographs of them together once he spotted her and she agreed, stepping naturally into Bartie’s arms as they posed, trying to remain casual, despite the fact that she could feel his heart beating hard in his chest when he pressed against her.

The reporter moved on after a few more shots, wishing Bartie luck in the race.

“Which I should probably leave you to prepare for,” Lyra said, moving to pull away but he kept a hold of your hand.

“Hey now, I didn’t get here an hour early to set up so that I couldn’t steal a quick minute with you,” he smiled.

“You really got here an hour early?” her eyebrows raised.

“The journalists weren’t even here yet. Just some of the crowds wanting to get a good spot. I had to get everything ready so that I wouldn’t waste any of the already short time we have,” he told her, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand, “I want to show my commitment to you, to all of this. I know I have to prove that to you.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” she said quietly, meeting his grey eyes.

“No, I do,” he sighed, “At the end of this, you’re going to be expected to marry whoever you choose. And whatever feelings are between us; marriage is a huge commitment. I want you to know that-”

“Bartie!” Bertrand called over the back of the boat to him, “The race is about to start, you- Oh! Princess Lyra, you…”

She let go of Bartie’s hand, looking up to offer him a smile, “Good morning Duke Ramsford.” She glanced back to Bartie, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek, “We can talk more later.”

He watched her go as she hurried off of the dock to the stands to take her seat beside her siblings, her heart racing at the thought of what Bartie had been about to say.

“You okay?” Drake leaned over to ask her quietly as the King gave the welcoming speech and told the racers to get ready on their marks, “You look rather…flushed.”

“Fine, fine,” she nodded quickly, unable to keep the smile off of her face, “It’s just rather warm today, isn’t it?”

“Forget warm,” Elias interjected, leaning forward to join the conversation, “Let’s heat this up even more. Small wager. I’ve got twenty on Edward.”

“Fifty or go home,” Leona smirked.

“Fine. Fifty,” Elias said.

“Put me down for Jack,” she told him, “He’s got Nat and his dad sailing with him. That’s like the dream team.”

“Edward’s cousin in an Olympic sailor,” Eli reminded her.

Lyra rolled her eyes, “I’ll take that bet. Fifty on Bartie. It’s a full Beaumont boat; Bartie, Bertrand and Gareth. There’s your dream team.”

“Fifty on Percy’s team,” Drake said quietly. Their heads all snapped to look at him and he frowned back at his confused looking siblings. “What?”

“Nothing,” Eli grinned, “Just never thought I’d see the day when you’d join in on our shenanigans.”

The starting pistol fired and a cheer went up in the crowd as the boats lurched forward into the water.

For the first few minutes the boats were neck and neck but as the wind picked up, a handful of boats began to pull ahead of the others as their crews expertly caught the wind in the sails. Lyra kept her binoculars firmly to her eyes, her gaze fixed on Bartie’s boat, the family’s squid sigil proudly presented on the sail as she watched him tying down some rope, chewing her lip as his back strained against his white shirt, the fabric damp from the spraying water and-

A cheer echoing through the crowd snapped her attention back to the race as four boats approached the midway point at near matching speed. The perfect turn here could mean the difference between victory and defeat, and within seconds all four Rys children were on their feet cheering for their prospective teams, not just for their wager, but for the sheer fun of it.

The boats rounded the buoy just as the wind changed direction and as Edward and Percy’s boats took the turn too wide, Bartie and Jack’s turned perfectly, slipping past the others and racing towards the finish.

Crowds rushed right to the docks’ edge, desperate to watch which one of them would inch ahead to claim the win, but just ten feet out from the finish line, Jack’s boat shunted slightly, giving Bartie the opportunity to sail past him and cross the line.

Everyone in the stands was on their feet for the winner as the other boats sailed back to the line, reporters flooding towards Bartie’s boat to interview the winner. Lyra sat back in her seat with a smile on her face, feeling her heart swell as Bartie climbed down from the boat and blew a kiss in her direction.

The rest of the morning passed with little excitement, other boat races and sailing events took place as the suitors all piled onto their boats for drinks and food. Lyra and her siblings wanted nothing more than to be down there with them, but they were expected to sit in the stands and watch the other events. Not that that stopped Eli from exchanging a range of texts and overly dramatic ‘bored selfies’ with Edward, some of which included his siblings, and receiving pictures from the small party on Bartie’s boat.

Eventually the afternoon began to kick in and everyone was whisked off in their usual limos to the private beach where the party was always held. As soon as they arrived, the entire atmosphere that came with the court melted away and a sense of relaxation filled the air. Yes, today was an event in the season to impress the princess and show off for the press, but it was also meant to be fun.

Across the sand, people began setting up blankets and stripping down to their bathing suits to lounge in the sun or head down into the water.

As soon as his feet hit the sand, Eli had removed his clothes, dumping them safely with their pile of belongings, shouting goodbye to his siblings and sprinting full pelt down the beach. He launched himself into the water, resurfacing with a loud cheer that was echoed by other party goers.

Drake rolled his eyes to himself, grabbing his camping chair and setting it up under a large umbrella. He grabbed a book out of the bag of supplies and began to turn to find his page.

“Are you seriously just going to sit there?” Leona pouted as she started to tie her hair up to go swimming.

He glanced at her, set his book down in his lap before rolling up his sleeves and trouser bottoms a few inches each, then going back to his book. She let out a snort and removed her dress, revealing her pale blue bikini underneath. She kicked off her shoes, playfully letting one of them hit his ankle before racing off after her twin brother.

Lyra laughed as she watched the entire exchange, setting a glass of iced tea next to Drake before ruffling his hair and heading off down the beach to start greeting suitors. She made the rounds, consoling the losers of the race, laughing and joking with Percy; his captain hat still perched on his head, insisting to Edward that he should ask Eli for swimming lessons because there was no way her little brother was getting out of the water until they dragged him home, and congratulating Jack on a near-win, which he insisted was only that close due to his dad and sister’s skills.

She glanced around in search of Bartie and found him standing up from where he’d been chatting with his brother, removing his shoes, then unbuttoning his shirt. Lyra couldn’t help but watch him.

She had always known that Bartie was an attractive guy. He had been cute when they were kids, not in a way that she had ever recognised, and when puberty hit; it had been very kind to him. There had been a few awkward years, watching him grow at odd rates; her best friend suddenly changing in very odd ways, but when it was over he had come out gorgeous.

But just because she knew that he was attractive, she had never found him attractive; their close relationship had put such things out of her mind.

Until the night of their first kiss.

It had been the first time she had seen him in that light, and oh boy was that light appealing. But then they had drifted apart, and she had never considered that she would be standing here right now; watching her childhood best friend walking towards her, bare chested in nothing but swimming shorts, physique cut like a Greek god; perfectly captured in the sun as a smile spread across his face.

Oh that smile.

Bartie stopped just in front of her, noticing her eyes roving over his bare chest and purposefully flexed a little as he met her gaze, “Am I distracting you, Sunshine?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, suddenly snapped out of her trance, unbuttoning her blouse, letting it fall open to reveal her white swimsuit underneath. She removed the shirt then shimmied out of her shorts, shooting him a smirk as she watched his mouth all but fall open, “Oh I’m sorry, were you saying something?”

“Not a damn thing,” he said quietly, running a hand through his hair as he took in the sight of her.

“Good,” she smiled, then tossed her clothes at him as she took off running, “Last one in the water’s a loser!” she called over her shoulder.

He dumped her clothes into the sand and gave chase without a second thought. He caught up just before they met the water’s edge and he looped an arm around her middle, tackling her into the surf.

She let out a squeal of laughter as they splashed into the water together, rolling a few times in the damp sand until she came to rest on top of him, the waves lapping against them both.

“You’re a damn menace, Beaumont,” she was breathless from her laughter, “I should know to keep you away from bodies of water in the future.”

“Yeah, but I’m your menace,” he beamed.

She matched his smile, leaning down to steal a kiss but the sound of someone clearing their throat gave her pause. They looked up to see Natalia peering down at them, a smirk on her face.

“Before you two go getting your kits off in front of the entire court, you might want to find somewhere a bit more subtle,” she teased.

Lyra blushed bright red and rolled off of him immediately, clambering to her feet, muttering some excuses and running off to find her clothes on the beach. He called after her but was cut off right as a large wave crashed over him.

Natalia let out a cackle of laughter as she looked down at the drenched future duke, “Let her go, Bart, she’ll be back.”

He got to his feet, glaring at her as his damp hair flopped down across his face, “You always have to get involved, don’t you Nat?”

She flicked at a stray wet curl on his head, “Of course. If I didn’t meddle, do you really think you’d have gotten in this deep with her already?”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Don’t you remember who encouraged your two’s first kiss?” she raised an eyebrow.

He nodded slightly, remembering his and Lyra’s first kiss, back when they were teenagers. It had been her sixteenth birthday. There had been a ball for the nobles in the palace, then their small group of friends had camped out in the gardens and played truth or dare with a stolen bottle of whiskey. Nat had dared Lyra to kiss Bartie, and god what a kiss it had been. It was the kind of kiss that was written about in romance novels where the rest of the world melted away, leaving just the two of them, wrapped up in nothing but each other.

The thought of that kiss still made his heart race, especially their conversation afterwards when she had admitted that that’d been her first ever kiss. The trust she’d had in him, the years of love and care that was shared between them, the fact that he had considered the fact that things could have gone to the next level between them that night if either of them had made the move…

“Earth to lover boy,” Natalia snapped her fingers in front of his face, “If you two could stop staring at each other for more than ten seconds, you might actually get somewhere.”

“What do you mean?”

“You two haven’t been able to keep your eyes off each other all day. I may have been on the other boat, but I saw the way you were together before the race. And Eli told me that she was watching you rather aptly the whole time. Then just now you both had hearts in your eyes watching the other strip off. I was scared to come over in case I tripped over the tension between you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You two need to find somewhere for some private time, work out your tension, let the poor girl know if you’re any good in bed before she goes deciding to marry you, and let the rest of us enjoy the party without watching you two eye-bang each other.”

He stared at her, stammering over his words as he couldn’t even string together a response. He wasn’t sure which part to address first; but before he could say anything she reached up to pat him on the cheek, told him to take her advice and left him standing dumbstruck in the surf.

Across the beach, Lyra had found a little quiet space a little off the beaten path to take a moment to herself, her thoughts completely consumed by Bartie. Today was bringing all sorts of questions and scenarios to her mind but the main train of thought led to pure and simple sex. Up until now, all they had done together was kiss, and though it had gotten a little heated the first night in the pure excitement of it all, there had been no other expectations.

She knew that she was meant to appear neutral in her choice until the competition was at least nearly over, but the thought of having anyone else kissing her, touching her, going to bed with her, that wasn’t Bartie made her stomach churn with nerves. She was still nervous when she thought about Bartie, but they were butterflies instead, an excited nerve; anticipation.

She returned to her pile of belongings next to where Drake was still sat reading and pulled out her phone, noticing that she already had a message from Bartie.

Sorry about earlier. I should have at least tried to be subtle, I know we still have to play along with the press and the court for a while

She typed out a reply.

Don’t worry. And besides, we were both there, we can both share the blame

The three dots danced on her screen as he replied, but after a minute or so they stopped, but there was no message. She glanced across the beach and saw him stood alone by the drinks table, brow furrowed in thought.

She took a deep breath to calm the butterflies and quickly typed her message.

Come to my room later?