#and they usually gather there for some important date and for reunions

[one-half-guy]

Vision of this dawn: Sonamy with 4 kids, all of them adopted during their travels.

Basically the almost nomad couple found these orphans and Amy was like "We're adopting this one now" every time and Sonic was like "Ok, sugarplum :)👍" every time.

Living about 360 days per year far from your house seems crazy and impossible to everyone, especially if you're taking your family, but these six not only make it work, they also make it look easy.

[ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff]

A Reunion to Remember (John Price x Nikolai x Reader)

Summary: It's a special day, not that John realises as he walks right into a set-up of his lovers’ making.

AN: This is part of @bunnyreaper's Valentine's Day Fic Swap for @bookobsessedram <3 I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Content warnings: Allusions to sex (18+ only, minors DNI), reader wears some lacy underwear (not specified), pronouns not used but John calls the reader "sweet girl".

Masterlist

It was once in a moon as crystal blue as his eyes that Captain John Price got the opportunity to collect on intel and deals for himself. After a month of Sundays was when he felt up to it. Usually there were officers undercover, various rats, CIA operatives who could handle that kind of thing – Kate having her own networks of underlings to seek out the truth.

Yet today John made sure that he was the person going to gather this and Kate allowed it. Both of these actions were made with the same reason in mind: it required an interaction with Nikolai. Neither John nor Kate told the brass that, of course. Fed into their paperwork was something about maintaining relationships with allies in important places across the world.

Three train rides, a red-eye flight and a hired car brought John to exactly where he wanted to be: a familiar hanger with an apartment built along the side, fit for the purpose of his visit, overcast clouds hiding their illicit rendezvous from the glare of the sun.

Nikolai spotted John before John spotted him, scaling down the plane and sauntering out the hanger. The two men engaged in a light jog. Delight burrowing in their cheeks and chests, they clapped hands, hugged, and – with the absence of the task force to observe – shared a whiskery kiss, engine oil mixing with cigar smoke in a bitter reunion.

“Glad to see you, Captain.”

“Been too long, Nik.”

“Good thing I coaxed you over, impeccable timing too.” Though his brow creased in curiosity, Price didn’t question – for now – what his boyfriend meant by that whilst following his lead back into the hanger. He spoke briefly about the state of his journey before Nikolai’s gloved hand grasped John’s jaw.

“Do you know what day it is?”

“Fourteenth, why?”

“Anything springing to mind? Anything important?”

After a moment’s consideration, John shook his head slightly with a suspicious squint. Cocking his head over one shoulder, Nikolai let out a two note laugh and whistled sharply through his teeth.

Your arms popped out first through the open canopy, shortly followed by your head as you crowed, “Surprise!”

John’s hearty hoot echoed around the hanger as he removed his hat to clutch to his chest while catching his breath – the one that you took away from him every time he saw you. These occasions had grown more scarce nowadays. If two of your throuple meeting up was like finding a four leaf clover, then all three of you coming together was an entire landscape of the bastards.

Trying to work out what you being with them had to do with the date and felt a fleeting flash of fear at the impossibility of it being your anniversary. It wasn’t. So, while he watched you clamber down the steps with Nikolai holding your hand, John wracked his brain for the connection.

“You are a sight for sore eyes,” John approached the foot of the steps.  

Rolling your eyes, you pointed semi-accusingly at him, “You, Jonathan Price, are a difficult man to get a meeting with.”

“Kate knew?”

Nik kicked over a footstool, “She knows everything; I thought you understood that.”

“Enough about work.” You dragged the stool over with the tip of your foot, stepped up on it, grabbed John by the straps of his vest and tugged him to your level for a long-awaited kiss.

Sandwiched between the barrel chests of your two lovers was your new reality. Some idealist cell in your brain sparked in hope that it could be your permanent home with John on your lips and Nik on your neck – right where a crick was just emerging.

Forced to pull away, you stretched out the muscle on your neck, “Fuckin’ hell, I’ve been folded in that cockpit for half an hour waiting for you to show up.”

“Good thing today’s all about treating you,” Nik squeezed your shoulder and you prayed this was a precursor to a full back rub. Your Nik was very talented with his hands like that.

You cupped his cheek, swaying on the spot as he moved down to hold onto your hips, “Too right.”

Simultaneous to your affection exchange, John was frowning again. The date, the expectation of the day, the apparent arrangement that had gotten him and his two partners in the same place…

His eyebrows relaxed and his face cleared.

“It’s Valentine’s Day,” He said quietly.

Locking onto John’s confounded expression – a rarity that you relished - you ribbed, “You’re just now getting that?”

John coughed a laugh out to cover his embarrassment, “I’m out of practice.”

Your eyes flashed in amusement and the recollection of rumours of Price being a bit of a bunny in his rookie days – rumours that probably had no foundation. Your source had been Soap while he’d been stirring for the circumstances of your relationship to his Captain.

“We’ll be sure to warm you up a bit first then,” You promised as you led John like a pleasant smell wafting from a kitchen, into Nikolai’s private apartment.

Familiar décor welcomed you in, plus the smell of candles that Nikolai was lighting. Apparently he was going all out with the classic stuff. John found himself not turning up his nose at them, nor at the idea of potentially being fed chocolate like in an advert he’d seen on plastered on the train. Once he’d locked the door behind him, John found himself faced with an outstretched rose from Nikolai. You were already beaming behind your own flower.

“Nik,” Price’s cheeks were determined to show him up, shifting in shade to match the roses. His eyes rolled but were clearly contradicted by his grin and how he was unable to hide it.

“What?” Nikolai replied innocently, “I can’t get my partners flowers on the most romantic day of the year?”

“But I didn’t get either of you anything.”

Rose tucked in the crook of your elbow, your thick jacket protecting you from the thorns, you took off John’s hat, tossing it off onto Nikolai’s desk. It clashed into the pencil pot and covered up the photograph taken of your throuple the last instance you’d been together (post-helicopter ride across Belarus). You didn’t acknowledge it, choosing instead to run your fingers through John’s cool cropped hair.

“You didn’t even know it was Valentine’s Day; no shit you got us nothing,” You ribbed before getting serious, “John, we’re just glad you’re here with us.”

His nose nudged down into the petals of his rose, and you scratched the back of his neck where his hair stubbled. Like a cat, he hummed in encouragement.

“I’ll make it up to you anyhow,” He whispered, “Sweet girl.”

“Yeah, there’s always next year,” You gave a playful little tug before releasing him. As if he didn’t know that there was nothing to forgive and you meant every word: you just wanted to be near him.

 Nikolai swooped in to peck John on the lips. A peck turned into a more intoxicating kiss, one that shut up his boyfriend effectively.

John would’ve happily let Nikolai take all the kisses he wanted but he spotted you, in his peripherals, watching dreamily sat on the desk. Your legs swung back and forth gleefully. His hat was in your lap as you twisted the rose around by the stem. Nikolai drew away and in a deep breath at the hearts your pupils were shifting into.

“Get back over here,” He said with two fingers coaxing you over, “And take that jacket off.”

Dutifully, you followed his instructions. A gift from your previous engagement, your jacket was draped it where Nikolai had done the same to his signature tan leather jacket, leaving John feeling overdressed when he caught a hint at something lacy and meadow green peeking out where your skin showed, your shirt caught on your jacket removal. Greed suddenly sprouted from his blooming heart and latching onto you by your plush hips when you were within reach, hauling you close and murmuring how much he adored you while you twisted Nikolai’s chain between compliments and neck kisses as if idle. You were about to be anything but, in for one hell of a reunion.

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

I made your love language physical touch because you’re away from your boys so much that you just wanna soak it up when you’re with them. Nikolai’s is gifts (like when he gives Price his favourite gun and his hostages <3) because he loves seeing how his partners react to something that made him think of them. Price’s is words of affirmation because he’s a man of his word and equally loves seeing how his partners are affected by them.

[silverbladexyz]

Can I request how Ayatsuji and Fyodor would spend Christmas with their s/o?🎅🏻

Ooooh yes! Christmas with some of the smartest and hottest INTJ characters in BSD for the win!

The images do not belong to me. They belong to their original owners.

TW: None

Ayatsuji and Fyodor spending Christmas with their S/O

Ayatsuji:

-I feel like Ayatsuji doesn't celebrate Christmas that much because he's stuck in that small office everyday. And he doesn't really have anyone special to celebrate it with, so the most he would do was wish Tsujimura a 'Merry Christmas'

-But things changed when you became his s/o. Now Ayatsuji isn't dumb; he knows fully well how Christmas is celebrated and why, but he just doesn't see the point in celebrating it. It's just a day in December where everybody gives each other second-hand gifts and have a big awkward family reunion which nobody wants to go to but they're only there for tradition and the food

-So educate him! Be patient and take things slow, because Ayatsuji is the stubborn type. Start by wishing him ‘Merry Christmas’ and give him a gift. Not a too expensive one, but one that’s enough to be important for him

-Then slowly advance onto food and decorations. He might like drinking hot chocolate, and would even allow you to hang a few Christmas decorations around his office. Don’t hang too much though, because he doesn’t want Tsujimura to see it lmao. Christmas is something that he celebrates with you and only you

-Ayatsuji still might prefer celebrating Christmas more quietly, because he dislikes having loud gatherings that drain all his social battery same here lmao. During this time, he would put up lights and decorations, light a fireplace in his office (don’t ask me how he got it), put on some Christmas songs that he likes, and just overall spend the night cuddling with you in front of the fire

-Now onto Christmas gifts. He wouldn’t prefer anything flashy or expensive, because as I said he doesn’t see the point in it if he was never going to use it. So I would recommend you to get him a watch, or a new pipe, but of the more fancy side. It helps him with his cases and it’s something that he would actually use often

-Get him a nice-looking doll!!! Ayatsuji would love it and he would definitely add it to his collection. That doll would be cleaned and maintained to the perfect degree, because he treasures it a lot maybe even more than his other dolls

-If you can make him a doll, even better! I feel like he would love hand-made gifts more, because they are made with thought, devotion and patience. So get some sewing materials and carefully stitch together a beautiful doll, and Ayatsuji would cherish it for eternity

-Now Ayatsuji would also give you small gifts. He would also make a doll for you! Or take you out to have a coffee date. Or buy a new cat for you! He secretly loves gifting you stuff, but he’ll never admit it

-Slowly, very slowly, he might even be more romantic on Christmas. Because he gets to spend it with you and you only ♥

Fyodor:

-Fyodor also doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, but he’s more flexible and relaxed at the idea of it. He’s quite busy all year around, and would love to take any chance to spend time with you. And that was exactly what Christmas was for

-Now that he has an entire day off with you, he’s not wasting a single second of it. Definitely buys all sorts of gifts for you and takes you out to nice places

-I feel like Fyodor just wants Christmas with you to be calm, loving, and traditional. He doesn’t invite any of the Decay of Angels members to celebrate with you two, because he only wants to celebrate it with you

-His anaemic self does not have enough strength to put up a Christmas tree and hang all the decorations, but frankly he doesn’t really care for those stuff. He definitely lights a fire in the fireplace with the excuse of ‘it’s for the Christmas mood’ but we both know that he’s just very very cold

-Also more romantic than usual on Christmas. Fyodor calls you affectionate nicknames in Russian, incorporates kisses nearly every 5 minutes, and even waltzes with you at night time. If you aren’t blushing already, do the same to him, and he’d secretly be very happy

-In the very rare moments, you might catch him humming a few carols under his breath. I headcanon Christmas was one of the most memorable holidays when he was a child, so he would be singing Christmas carols every now and then. Sing with him or play it on your instrument! He would be pleasantly surprised

-Fyodor plays the cello for you on Christmas. Since he’s in the mood, he might play an entire concerto, and it sounds so damn good that you’re always left wanting more. He would play anything you asked him to, from Schubert’s cello sonata in A minor to ‘Paint it Black’, but he would prefer Schubert more

-Make a traditional Russian dinner for him! He probably hasn’t had any real good Russian food in a long time, so get some ingredients and cook him some Peljmeni or Kutya and Fyodor would be eternally thankful. He loves your cooking and might even teach you how to make some other Russian foods if he wasn’t feeling too weak

-On the topic of gifts; Fyodor doesn’t really mind what you get for him, because he is going to cherish any gift that he receives from you. Get him some brand new clothes because I bet he’s been wearing that same outfit for months, and it probably is kind of musty too. You got him a pet rat once and he was... amused

-Late night cuddling is a must, and this is the only time you truly get to see vulnerable, soft and touch-starved Fyodor

@pixyys @pianotross @nekokinax @xxelfmamaxx @yuugen-benni @lakeside-paradise @yukitomybeloved @irethepotato @arisu-chan4646 @voyagewiththesatan @i-just-like-goats @chuuyas-beloved @catzlivedforbsd

[slythering-snake-boys]

It's Been Awhile Ch. 6

Characters: Sebastian Sallow x Reader/MC

Series Masterlist

Words: 4741

Warnings: fluff, a little angst, Sebastian being jealous and insecure, some cursing

Taglist: @cloudroomblog

He looked down at you, almost becoming deaf to the excited chatter around him. But your eyes looking at him made his heart stutter and his palms sweat. You looked so sweet beside him like that's where you'd always belonged. Just the way he belonged by yours, supporting and helping you as you wished.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Sebastian asked you with a hopeful smile, pink visibly dusting his cheeks even in the dim light of the candles. He'd been dreaming of this ever since he'd read the reunion letter: asking you to be his partner, seeing you at the top of the stairs coming towards him, dancing with you, holding you as close as possible for as long as he could.

"Of course, I'd be delighted to!" You laughed as if it was the silliest question ever and let yourself be led to the middle of the room under the many candles floating above. One of his hands went to your lower back while the other one picked up your hand, with your free one holding onto his shoulder. After the first few steps, which went off without a hitch, you watched as Sebastian grinned playfully before pulling you flush against his front.

You gasped from the sudden movement before smiling in response, trying to get your feet to move in such a way so you wouldn't step on his. But he didn't seem to care, his grip on you tightening until you finally relaxed and moved with him. The movements seemed like second nature and there was no hesitation in either of your steps. There were smiles on both of your faces as you spun around the dance floor, having eyes for no one else but each other.

Hearing the crescendo of the enchanted instruments, Sebastian only held your hand above your head and spun you around thrice. You laughed before he finally caught you and brought you back into his arms, both of you breathing heavily as the music ceased. The sound of clapping surrounded you as the couples and those on the sidelines applauded everyone who'd just danced.

Sebastian and you looked at one another, heat radiating from both of your bodies as your hearts gradually started calming down. There were ecstatic smiles on both of your faces as you stared into each other's eyes without any regard for anyone else around you. Your chest heaved and he licked his lips with how much he wanted to kiss you right then and there, wanting to take your breath away just for a little bit longer.

"MC, can I-"

"Sebastian!" Turning around, you both saw Ominis moving through all the people now slowly dancing to a calmer tune, his pulsing wand guiding him and his cane clanking against the wooden floor. You watched him curiously as you waited for him to reach you two. "I need to talk with you. It's important." Sebastian looked back at you, almost feeling regret at having to leave you again before he even managed to kiss you. And yet, you only smiled reassuringly.

"Go. Don't worry about it. We'll talk later." You kissed his cheek softly and squeezed his hand that was still holding yours before letting go. You went over to where Anne and the other girls had gathered while he and Ominis went somewhere a little more secluded, away from prying ears.

"What is it, Ominis? Is something wrong?" Sebastian was worried about his best friend, though there was also the smallest bit of impatience laced in his tone, which he tried his best to conceal. He wanted to be near you, feeling as if he didn't have enough air in his lungs whenever you were away from him. Ominis looked nervous and paler than usual, but it might've been because of the lights that night.

"Has Anne told you about...us? About-"

"About the two of you dating for the past 2 years in secret? Yeah, she mentioned it in passing." Ominis groaned and Sebastian laughed, patting him on the shoulder. The blind man deflated a bit and shook his head - he probably thought he'd get decked for liking his best friend's sister and dating her without letting him know.

"Sebastian, I'm sorry, truly. I wanted to tell you, but I just - I didn't know how to tell you and we weren't talking, so-"

"Hey, hey, easy..." Sebastian smiled sympathetically. It was one of the very rare times when Ominis was actually nervously stumbling over his words and it let him know how important Anne was to him. "It's okay. I already had a feeling you two liked one another, ever since we were younger. You two spent a lot of time together, whether you realised it or not." Ominis was quiet, nervously biting his lower lip before lifting his head as if he could look at the freckled man in front of him.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"I couldn't have thought of anyone better for my sister." Ominis visibly exhaled in relief. Then he took a deep breath in and gulped, face serious. He felt as if his heart was trying to burst from his chest but he still tried to appear calm.

"Then, is it okay...if I ask for your blessing?" Sebastian swore he hadn't heard right. His eyes were wide as he stared at Ominis.

"What?" The shock was evident in his voice and Ominis puffed up his chest and stood tall in an attempt to gain the small bit of confidence needed to push forward. It was finally out in the open; might as well ask what he'd been pondering about ever since he'd started thinking about Anne romantically.

"I want to ask Anne to marry me." Sebastian said nothing, glancing at Anne to see her with you and the other girls, laughing and having a good time. It was almost as if she'd never gotten sick in the first place with how well she was getting along with everyone. He couldn't deny either of them even a shred of the happiness they deserved.

"I'd love nothing more than for you to become my brother-in-law. You have my blessing and I can't wait to see the two of you happy already." Ominis smiled and hugged Sebastian tightly, feeling his best friend pat him on the back encouragingly before pulling back.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I promise I'll try my hardest to make her happy if she'll have me." Sebastian reassured him that she most definitely will, his eyes briefly glancing at her, then at you. You were laughing with Anne and the girls about something, his eyes seeing Imelda clearly blushing. You were probably teasing her about Alexey.

"What about you? Any plans with MC?" Ominis' voice and words brought him back to the present and he turned back to his best friend. Though he couldn't help looking back at you. You were simply there and he couldn't make himself look at anyone else.

"I don't know. I'd love to ask her to be mine again... Hell, I missed her so much I might actually ask her to marry me." Ominis chuckled.

"Knowing you, and her, she'd probably say yes. It doesn't really seem as if you've been away from one another for the past 7 years or so. And from what I've heard from others, you two seem awfully close." Sebastian snorted, playfully elbowing him in the ribs and making his friend chuckle.

"Want a double wedding now, huh?" They both chuckled before going silent, with calm smiles on both of their faces. "I'm trying to get her to be mine again, I really am. But people just get in the way and I can't ask her anything this way. It's like the universe is taunting me." Ominis laughed outright and shook his head with a wide smile.

"About the wedding, I'll have to ask Anne first. After I propose to her. As for MC... I think you're closer than anyone here to getting her to become your girlfriend again. And a wife? Even more so. I'm sure you'll be able to get enough time alone to ask her."

"I really hope so... I mean, she's so...gorgeous, amazing and brave and talented... How could someone NOT try to steal her away?" Sebastian sighed, ruffling his styled hair, uncaring about how it may look. "I didn't even get to kiss her tonight, Ominis! And I was so close, too..." Then his entire mood seemed to drop as he looked at the floor with furrowed brows. "But...what if she won't want to be with me anymore? What if she's scared of me because of what I've done in the past?" Ominis shook his head as he heard him.

"There's no way. You do know she can beat your arse if she wants to, right? She always beat you in duels. And don't tell me you were going easy on her, because we both know that's a blatant lie." Sebastian chuckled and nodded in approval. He always tried his hardest in duels and never held back. Not even against you. But he did like losing to you. "The point is, Sebastian, that she certainly doesn't seem scared of you. Not with how much you two have been around one another since yesterday."

Sebastian nodded, clapping his best friend's shoulder amicably. "You're right, I should just go to her and-"

Just as Sebastian was about to go to you, he saw Theodore Golding approach you as you'd left the girls' side to get something to drink. He immediately hugged you and Sebastian could see your shocked expression turn into a mix of nervousness and half smiles as Theodore kept firing questions your way while his hand kept holding your own. It didn't look like he'd be letting go of yours anytime soon. Jealousy started taking hold of Sebastian. He always hated when others would look at you like that. Like you were supposed to be theirs, almost like a trophy.

"Bastard..." He hissed, making Ominis look at him questioningly. Sebastian had been fine up until then and now there was clear venom in his voice.

"What's wrong?"

"It's that prat, Theodore Golding. He's prowling and sniffing around MC like a dog in heat." Sebastian hadn't felt this sort of jealousy until he'd met you and for no one else after you. Merlin, he hated how easily jealous he'd get. But you were special to him. He couldn't control that damned green-eyed monster even if he wanted.

You were immensely popular even back in fifth-year, seeing and hearing guys and girls alike praising you and complimenting you. He'd fight off his jealousy whenever he saw another person come up to you to request they talk alone with you about something important, whether it was before, during or after your relationship with him. You always left only a few seconds later, appearing nervous, but relieved, followed by another dejected-looking nobody who'd confessed to you and been shot down.

After you stopped hanging out together due to his...poor choices... A lot of people saw your break-up with the freckled Slytherin as an opportunity for them to be seen with the Hero of Hogwarts, especially as your lover. You always rejected whoever confessed to you, much to Sebastian's joy. But Theodore hadn't been deterred by your relationship with Sebastian, your other admirers or your rejection. You had told Sebastian once, while you were still together, that Theodore had told you he'd try until he succeeded or died trying.

"Then let him die" Sebastian had simply answered at that time, making you laugh and hit his bicep playfully, telling him to stop being mean. He still remembered when you had rejected Theodore back in your fifth-year. Then the sixth. Then the seventh. He wondered how many others were just like Theodore: undeterred and willing to keep trying to ask you out in hopes of wearing you down and making you accept. The mere idea made his blood boil and his fists clench.

"What are you going to do about it?" Ominis asked him, bringing him back to the present. Sebastian gritted his teeth, nostrils flaring when he saw Theodore place a kiss on your knuckles before he let go and went back to his friends. Natty, Poppy and Anne came over and worriedly asked you something each before starting to talk animatedly, the awkward air surrounding you dissipating in seconds as they tried to keep you from being accosted by other potential suitors. That's one of the reasons why you'd stayed with them whenever you weren't with Sebastian or Ominis.

"Nothing. What can I really do, actually? I can't do a damn thing about it, that's the truth. We're not together anymore. I can't just go and deck Theodore or any of the others in the face, as much as I'd love to." Sebastian grumbled and glared at Theodore, who seemed oblivious to his glare as he kept glancing at you, along with his friends.

"Don't you want to be with MC again, Sebastian? You've been talking about this since yesterday. What's with the sudden change in attitude towards getting her back? Thought you'd stop at nothing to get what you wanted?"

"Don't be daft, of course I do. I've wanted to be with her since I first duelled her in Defence Against the Dark Arts and helped her sneak into the Restricted Section 7 years ago. Not to mention that troll attack in Hogsmeade." His voice was low as he glanced at you again before he looked down into his half-empty cup. He felt conflicted about his next course of action. Was Sebastian asking you out a bad idea? Was it too soon? Did he even stand a chance? Against all those who wanted you as well? Who still wanted you?

"But what if she doesn't want me anymore? What if I'm still not good enough for her? Guys like Theodore Golding are everything she deserves: someone with money, a respectable job, a good family... He could lavish her with gold and buy her the finest clothes and jewellery. Plus, he most probably never killed anyone." Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed and the insecurity in his voice was almost palpable to Ominis. His best friend frowned.

He couldn't lie about it - he felt bad about Sebastian and you. You two seemed to balance each other out as well as hype one another when needed. You were literally trying to bring the best out of each other and do what you thought was best for each other and those you knew. So to know his best friend was so anxious and upset by the prospect of not being able to make you happy was almost heartbreaking. But he decided to be the voice of reason and make Sebastian understand that you two were made for each other - a fact he was certain of.

"And how do you know that's what she wants, Sebastian?"

"Huh?" He looked up, Ominis' hazy blue eyes staring directly at him, almost as if he could see Sebastian.

"The Goldings are purebloods and an old family. That's not necessarily something bad because there are many purebloods who are more than decent people. But the Goldings are just a little less stricter than my family. Theodore might be more open-minded, sure, but his family isn't. And they certainly don't think anything good about others, whether they're Muggles, Muggle-borns, half-bloods, goblins or even beasts. So how do you think they would react to finding out their oldest son is dating a witch who's also working on improving relations with goblinkind, whom they despise and consider inferior?" Sebastian was quiet, looking at the bit of punch on the bottom of his cup before glancing at you and then at Theodore.

"You should ask her what she wants instead of assuming." Ominis added before smiling at him. "She never was the type to want fine clothes or jewellery. Or anything insanely expensive, for that matter. She was just happy to have some Butterbeer, toffees and a Niffler or any other beast nearby after a day of beating up a bunch of poachers and Ashwinders. Remember?"

Sebastian hummed and sighed with a smile, agreeing with Ominis. The memories of you laughing as you were being ambushed by all the beasts you'd rescued, munching on Honeydukes sweets while studying, enjoying a Butterbeer after a challenging class or a successful trial given by the Keepers... He fell in love with you with each passing day and everything you did.

Still, the doubts were clouding his mind and he felt his emotions slowly starting to get the better of him. Before he could reply to Ominis' words, Imelda suddenly leaned against the wall, flanking his other side and startling him. He glanced at her before downing the remaining bit of his drink. He audibly huffed and frowned, not ready to deal with Imelda and her knowing, smug smirk.

"What is it, Reyes? Came to make fun of me or something? Cause I'm not in the mood right now. Go back to your husband and pester him like Merlin intended to." It felt weird to put Imelda's name and the word husband in the same sentence. Imelda smirked and he was ready to roll his eyes, but he only felt a brief, sharp pain on the back of his head. "Ouch! What the hell?!" He turned to look down at her, seeing her right hand up in the air. She may have been shorter than him, but she was certainly strong.

"Just came to see if you're done sulking, Sallow. Are you gonna try getting MC back before any of those hungry wolves try to get to her first?" He scoffed at her words and looked away, though his eyes couldn't help glancing at you. You were the most beautiful there that night. You always were in his eyes. He wanted you so badly that his heart ached. "I heard Prewett was also among them~" She almost sang and Sebastian choked on air and started coughing, Ominis' hand hitting the back of his neck. Once he was better, Sebastian scowled at her, though he was growing angrier the more he watched her smirk.

"What's it to you, Imelda? Aside from watching the drama." She hummed and smiled, though there was a serious look in her eyes that made Sebastian bristle. She was like a mother bear and you were her cub. He didn't want to know how she'd be if she ever had kids and someone dared to mess with them.

"MC is my friend. I know that none of these losers wants to actually be with her. They only want her as arm candy." Sebastian's jaw clenched, his grip on his cup tightening. "And I also know that she's been glancing at you every few moments while you were sobbing like a little bitch in the corner." He looked up at her before looking at you. You had a small smile as you watched your friends laugh and talk, standing closer to Anne, as if you were trying to protect her from whatever might come her way - it made his heart soar. You didn't really seem to be paying attention to them or their words, though - at least not entirely.

"I know she's a hopeless romantic. Especially for you, ugh, though I still can't understand what she sees in you," she scoffed in mock disgust and Sebastian glared at her, "but I told her to settle for someone else if you won't make a move tonight." Sebastian glowered at her as fiercely as he did whenever he was in an intense duel. She smiled and raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Up for the challenge, Sallow? Or shall I tell Prewett and the others waiting in line that it's free real estate?" With a quiet growl, he pushed himself from the wall at the same time he slammed his cup on the closest wooden surface, spilling the juice from other cups nearby on the table. Then he left the now quieter Great Hall, everyone's eyes on his squared shoulders and tense body as he stomped away. Including yours.

"Way to go, Imelda." Ominis rolled his eyes before pointing his wand at the juice to clean it up, having heard a few people groan about the stains it would leave on the tablecloth.

"Oh, shut it. I know exactly what I did. You may not see, but MC just ran after him." She laughed, sounding just the slightest bit evil. "I hear wedding bells~" Ominis sighed, rubbing his forehead. He could feel a headache incoming. But he hoped Imelda was right.

-

"Stupid...fucking...googly-eyed motherf-"

"Sebastian? Where are you going? Are you all right?" He stopped grumbling to himself, not turning around to look at you. He couldn't or he'd kiss you like there was no tomorrow and embarrass you for sure, just to show Leander, Theodore and everyone else that you were only his.

"I'm fine...but I'm tired and not feeling like myself right now. So I'm going back to the common room to sleep it off. I had fun, MC... Thanks for indulging me tonight and for bringing Anne. For helping her. I shan't forget this." He sighed, rubbing his forehead before huffing loudly while you watched him worriedly, not knowing how to approach him without making things worse. "Good night, MC. See you in the morning." His voice was deadpanned, but he was angry and frustrated at the gaggle of suitors, how you were making his blood rush through his veins with your concern and how much he wanted you at that moment. The brunette felt as if the universe was taunting him - he was so close to you, but there was always something or someone getting in the way.

He started walking away, eyes dark and jaw clenched. He had to get away before he stormed back in there and punched each one of those idiots who were trying to get you.

"W-Wait! Sebastian!" He heard your footsteps coming closer and faster until you stopped behind him, almost bumping into his broad back the moment he stopped walking. You watched his back rise and fall with every quick breath, as if he was trying to keep himself calm and in check. "Did something happen? Did I do something to upset you?" He shook his head vehemently and you felt your chest get a little lighter. Though you were still anxious and unwilling to let him leave just like that.

"You know you can talk to me...right?" Your quiet, worried voice barely reverberated in the empty hallway and Sebastian gulped. "I still care about you, Sebastian. I always will. Don't forget that." His shoulders were still tense and he breathed heavily in and out, his fists clenching and unclenching. You deserved better. Not Leander fucking Prewett. He was an idiot who wasn't even worth your glance - but someone better. Better than Sebastian.

"I can't fucking do this... I have to get out of here..." His voice was quiet and his words were exasperated and full of frustration. "I'm not myself right now, I'm sorry." He shook his head and started walking away once more in long strides. Your shock only lasted for a second before you chased after him again, heels noisily clacking against the stone floor while you held your dress so you wouldn't trip on it. This time, you ended up grabbing one of his elbows to stop him. You almost thought you saw his younger self as he left you behind the day you broke up. You didn't want a repeat of it. You wouldn't be able to bear it again.

"Sebastian, please, stop running away! Don't do this to yourself again! I can't..." You felt your eyes filling up with tears, despair filling your heart and knots making your stomach tense as you sniffled. "I can't lose you again... P-Please...don't leave..." You heard him breathe in sharply before he turned around, his eyes looking at you to see your teary eyes before he was pulling you into his strong arms. You embraced him without a second thought, grasping onto his back tightly.

"I won't leave you and you won't lose me either... I love you, MC... I never stopped. I couldn't. You've been the one since you beat my arse in Defence Against the Dark Arts..." He heard your warbled chuckle and allowed his hand to go into your styled hair, pulling you even closer. He closed his eyes as he pressed a kiss to the side of your head, sensing your perfume and feeling your warmth. He couldn't think about anything or anyone else at that moment. Only you.

"I can't bear the thought of seeing you with the likes of Theodore Golding or, Merlin forbid, Leander fuckin' Prewett." You chuckled a little louder in amusement, feeling the smile in his response just by his voice and tone alone. "Please, give me another chance. Just one. And if I mess up, you can use every spell I've ever taught you on me and I won't fight it." You nodded your head with a brief laugh, going as much as you could on your tiptoes to hug him even tighter. He responded in kind, smiling and feeling all his anger gradually leaving him as he bent down so you'd hug him comfortably.

"I love you, Seb... I always will... No one else could ever take your place in my heart." You both smiled as you pulled back just a little, the joy visible on both of your faces. He grinned at the nickname, seeing that sweet smile he loved before he wiped your cheeks of the tears left behind. Then he looked down at your lips, beautiful and beckoning him as one of his thumbs moved to them, barely swiping over your bottom one. You seemed to read his mind because you put one of your fingers against his lips. "Let's save this for upstairs... I'll want more than just one kiss..." The brunette grinned before kissing your finger, pulling your hand away and pressing it right above his heart which was thudding rapidly.

"And I'll give you plenty more, that's a promise. But first..." With a quick glance backwards, Sebastian saw the two of you had attracted quite an audience, including the two men who had apparently thought of trying their luck with you. With an almost evil grin, the freckled man you loved held you tightly and suddenly leaned you backwards. There was a squeak of surprise as your eyes went wide and your hands held onto him for dear life while you looked into his beautiful, dark brown eyes. With a wink, his lips slotted against yours, putting all of his jealousy and anger into it - just to show all those watching that they'd never have you and to show you that he was the one for you.

Once the initial shock wore off, you kissed him back, holding onto the hair at the back of his head and the bicep of his arm that pressed against your back to keep you from falling. You could feel him smile widely as he kissed you more intensely and you couldn't help the smile blooming on your lips. There were gasps and even whistles coming from the crowd. Sebastian distinctly thought he heard Garreth yell Go, Sallow!, but except for a twitch of his mouth, there was nothing to indicate he'd heard him.

The kiss that started so suddenly and intensely ended softly, his lips slowly separating from yours. He pulled you back up, holding you tightly as he pecked your lips one more time before looking over your head at the crowd with a triumphant smile. You didn't dare turn back, feeling how hot your face had become as you buried yourself deeper into his arms that were around you. You could already imagine the teasing in the morning from the girls.

"Find yourself another girl, Golding - she's mine! You too, Leander!" Sebastian smirked as if he'd won his toughest duel ever. The two men in question looked away, blushing as others started looking at them and gossiping. With a smug grin aimed at Imelda, who was smirking back, Sebastian picked you up bridal style before he used the nearest Floo Network to get you to the Room of Requirement directly.

[mask131]

Autumn feasts of France: Samhain

From "L'inventaire des fêtes de France d'hier et aujourd'hui"

The Celtic holiday of Samhain - a mobile feast that usually placed itself at the beginning of the month of November - was a celebration that all had to attent, be them poor or rich. It closed the year that had passed, and opened the year to come. People wrongly translated Samhain as "end of summer" (people reading the "sam" part as the Celtic word for "summer"), but in truth it is an Old Irish term meaning "assembly", "gathering," or "reunion". Ending up located at the fixed date of the night of the 31st of October, Samhain and its neighbor days (three days before and three days after) are considered to be a "time outside of time" (just like the Twelve Days) - a time when the human and divine worlds fuse into one. This nocturnal feast was primarily religious - far away from the macabre carnival of today's Halloween, the celebration that replaced Samhain.

The date of Samhain corresponded to the return of the "dark season", the same way Beltaine (between the 30th of April and the 1st of May) opened the "bright season". During those two nights, the Otherworld (the Sid or Sith) was everywhere: mankind usually could not reach on their own this land of gods and supernatural beings, but on these nights some mortals could reach, or be guided by messengers towards this world of marvels and eternal youth. Later, Samhain became associated with the celebration and remembrance of ancestors.

Samhain also corresponded to the end of the harvest, and to the return of the cattle from the pastures. The night was marked by great feasts and ritual-banquets for men of all social classes, with a lot of pig meat and a lot of alcohol (wine, beer, mead). Fire had a great importance: not so much the outside fires, needed for the banquets, but the domestic fire, the "new fire", which was used in a similar way to the fire of the "Christmas log". After extinguishing all the fires around, the druids lit up new flames and distributed firebrands to people so that they could set alight their own household fire. This celebration was also the occasion of legal assemblies, during which justice-related matters were debated. On top of all that, being a magical night, divination rites were also practiced.

As time went on, new beliefs were added to the lore of Samhain. Some were about the tricks played on humans by supernatural creatures and by ghosts (associated with night and fog) ; others were about light, bonfires and vegetable-lanterns ; a third was about children going around begging from door to door and promising a good future. The fusion of these various superstitions are what led to the manifestation of Halloween as we know it today.

[auburnandamberangel]

Who says you can't teach an old Roman new tricks

"...I'm perfectly calm thank you, Marius. Behold no broken furniture, axes in doors or otherwise violent actions." He liked mentioning axes it usually sparked something in his makers eyes that he found heartening. He got a kick out of it. "I'm just informing you that the likelihood of you touching me in any intimate fashion, at some point in the near future lessens every time you effectively shush me with rhetoric in a court session." Armands voice not that high but it carried so we'll, especially to ears pre-programmed to those smooth velvety tones. Warm brown eyes beginning to blaze with a amber flame.

"Am-Armand." Managing to not say something even more potent to stoke his fiery loves ire. Though this didn't stop Armand pausing his stride and pivoting himself to look at his maker eyes. A Freudian slip that, terribly bad timing considering the topic of contention. "Be reasonable, I disagreed with you." Best to stand firm, leave no quarter - the Roman thought to himself.

That's it stand firm, that's the Roman way - a familiar voice whispered in his mind. Marius pointedly not looking the owner of said voice lest he provoke their mutual love further.

Daniel 'had' been minding his own business in Armands' suite when he'd heard them approach. Hard not too, the air electric with their tension. Would they continue the too and fro verbal sparring or skip a few steps in this potential foreplay and go straight into making up. Should he slip out now, nope that could prove more awkward than them collapsing in passions on top of him on the settee. So he observed noting Armand had tilted his head, smiling up in a way some would mistake for open and contrite. Possibly seductive. My what big teeth we have... would his Roman grandsire fall for that trap. "Agreeing to disagree is one thing but you disrespected me like a weary tutor. I'm not the one you monikkered a brat remember. Next you'll grab a switch and threaten me with a good time." Armand said with a languid tone. "The whole coven knows we've had a honeymoon period, vocal as we are, now the only noise they'll be suffering is you removing your foot from your mouth." Brushing off something on Marius' shirt, making contact but not allowing it in return as he spun on his heel and turned his attention to Daniel. "Sorry I'm later than planned someone delayed me. Still want to go out. We can still do ice skating?"

"Out?" Marius parroted, not wanting to show how he'd stopped his hands going to reach for Armand just a second ago. Clasping eachother now instead. Hand in unloveable hand... Not liking to be stood up in an argument unless it was on his terms. They'd after all agreed to not go to their death sleeps on a quarrel. Not that he wanted to join in on the date, he'd not done ice skating often himself, ice not giving him any warm fuzzy feelings especially since he'd been buried under it. Searching his mind for the last time as it seemed important for some reason.

Daniel for his part did notice the aborted movement, giving the older vampire a look of sympathy. This reunion was an up and down process. Not all of which was pleasurable. Eyes soon tracking back to meet his makers. "Yeah. Though not the film now, we'll miss the start." Meaning they could still go skating and perhaps if he was lucky then hunt together.

"Yes out." Armand liked ice skating on the Night island, he still had an affinity with certain activities from his Slavic ancestry, though all vampires craved the warmth. "I have a prior engagement with Daniel tonight, a date night if you will." Letting that sink into Marius' consciousness. He wasn't sure if his maker had gleaned the finer points of dating and significant others in the modern age as yet. From what he'd gathered from his sister's in the blood, a whole training session in toxic masculinity might be in order in itself for their mutual maker. "Ice skating. Did you wish to defer this discussion to tomorrow or did you plan on joining us?" Puzzled by his less erstwhile these days loves expression, though not for a moment letting it show on his own.

"Ice skating! Marius!" Picturing the scene as he beamed looking between the two. Eyes resting on the ancient. "Well you weren't exactly pro-level when we went to Island on Ice that time." As soon as those words left his mouth Daniel tasted instant regret. Because that time referred to his wilderness years and Marius had taken him to cheer him up and help him reconnect with his past. Not something they'd spoken of to Armand. Yet. *Shit! Sorry I think I've just thrown you into the fire*

Marius' reply at first was a resigned inner sigh. Withholding information incase it rocked their burgeoning love boat, and apologising in hindsight seemed to be his go to strategy in regards to Armand. Something his beloved was attempting to ween him out of, a habit he was trying to ween himself out of *I think I'm already in singed territory as it is Daniel.*

Nostalgia slapped Armand in the face as he heard that name, Island on ice, a rink on the Night Island, often frequented by them. He hadn't thought about it at all in a long time. Certainly not visited, but Daniel had and not with himself. By the look on Daniels face he knew he'd spoken of a trip he hadn't known of until now. Gaze cooly looking between the two. Not a huge transgression, on the Romanus fuck up scale - but something he'd missed out on decades ago, again - but it did rise a lick of anger in his belly all the same. Letting it sit there, first things first. "You speaking of a time after the night island gathering aren't you." The question open to either. He didn't need to shout, the tone of his words all he needed to convey his displeasure.

Observing the guilty pair. Sometimes Armand managed to ignore the twisting pang at the thought and sense of his fledgling and maker communicating through the mind gift, something so natural especially to him blocked by blood on both counts. Most nights he tried not to let it taint interactions. Tonight unfortunately wasn't one of those occasions. "You know you both have distinct tells when your communicating up here don't you ?" Tapping the side of his temple for enthusis. "You just ever so slightly twitch your lip like your fighting the urge to mouth out internal words," revealing Daniels tell to him first. "And you, you over compensate and frown." He told Marius next. "Not a passable poker face between you!" Both could learn to master their masks better. "Hardly in the spirit of our renewed relations. To be open." Gaze flicked to Daniel.

Falling silent and waiting for one of the other two to speak next. Though Armand knew which he'd rather hear from first. Turning to face the taller vampire. "Did it slip your mind until now?" He added hoping for a rise.

Marius obliging to speak up, not wanting any fall out daniels way. "It was my idea, I gleaned from memories of a happier time that place. To help him be more grounded by the past for the present. It's not the worst of my failings, we can both agree on that." Self deprecation never hurt, though he knew facing his fiery fledgling those words would encourage Armand to counter challenge with a much more potent example of his transgressions. "It didn't seem pertinent to the here and now I admit."

"I could have told you too, not all on him." Daniel moved to stand interjecting as he leaned toward being the referee with these two. Trying to help as he knew it was the little things that cut the deepest when Armand felt out of the loop with his loved ones.

"Daniel, no" his name spoken in stereo by Armand and Marius to tell him to stop. Both quite clear this wasn't his fight. So he stood like a gangly third wheel and hoped he could at least stop the physical fisticuffs. Most liking his prone form on the floor would pause the fight effectively.

Armands attention back on Marius. "Apologies did you want me to give a pertinent example then, granted Maestro." Smallest bite to that title, gestulating with his hand. The Italian mannerisms came to the fore when verbally dueling with certain loved ones. "Did it slip your mind like when I found out Daniel had been with you for quite sometime via a veritable stranger Thorne."

"You shouldn't have pried into the mind of a guest." Marius parried back, taking the high ground. Though he knew from experience some of these elders weren't as savvy with the mind gift as those younger in the blood. An irony that nicely balanced things out at times. Some veritable novices to his exceedingly competent little psychic siren. Chest swelling with pride though now was not the time to was lyrical about Armand. Perhaps later when the storm passed he could whisper these words into the shell like ear, whilst stroking through those auburn silky curls.

"I'll send him bouquets of flowers as a belated apology tomorrow," He said with breath taking aplomb, Thorne was as stuffy as some of the ancients. He certainly hadn't shot the messenger. "But his mind was quite open, there he was bashful about the fact you'd shared a bath I gathered when I arrived to the trial." Judge jury and executioner Marius. Not that it had surprised him the Romans made entertainment out of death.

"It wasn't like that, he was a non judging soul to share my story with..." he managed to say before his love plowed on.

"'Oh my Marius has himself a stray red head, more burly and older than I thought his type but good for him, if the bath was anything to go by. If he fancied sampling an ancient beau as a change who am I to question. But no not that skeleton in the closet, my daniel in the basement!" That instance still struck a nerve, a record whose grooves had paused of late what with one cataclysm after the other, Marius assumed dead by Rhoshamandes hand. It equalised passed slights.

The flames in the fire flicked and gained height Daniel noted. Wondering who was responsible for that. Someone was listening at the door. Boy did they pick the wrong group.

"He gained nothing from my vulnerability. Unlike David." Marius sniped back. The hearth snuffed out. He'd never asked either about that interview in the attic, didn't mean he hadn't imagined much. He glanced to the door making it shake, scaring the eavesdropping fledgling who had no business listening let alone being on this floor.

"Oh what do you think David gained other than my story as I wished to tell it." Moving closer but not touching Marius. Eyes holding their own flames, as it relit. "Do you think he sampled the goods."

"That's not my business what you gave him." Icy eyes surprisingly heated. Looming over the smaller vampire, as if he'd ever intimidate Armand - who realised this too was a thrill, inciting passion.

Lights flickered one of them or some of the chateau spooks Daniel wondered. Should have brought popcorn just for the drama aesthetic.

"I gave him a piece of my mind, not my arse." Armand hissed, hovering to be on the same eye level. Fire now licking the up the edge of the huge stone mantel. "Do you think I gave him a live re-enactment of the juicier chapters." Slipping into ancient Venetian and not knowing.

"I'm sure he wouldn't have known what to do even with instruction." By this point so had Marius.

Daniel hooked even if he only understood a word or two recording to Google translate later.

"Well if I'm such a slut in your eyes. I'm sure I could teach him plenty." Arms folded stubbornly floating. Not looking at his maker now just the flames that shone bluer.

"If you wasted your innumerable charms on him, I'll make sure he tells me and realises how he should count his blessings. And mind his hands in future. You'd just re-entered society after trying to end it... Bloody opportunistic librarian!" Voice booming now after cracking at 'end it', famous self control be Damned. Registering the first part of Armands sentence. "Never that darling! Did he call you a slut? How dare he. Even a Englishman can still learn manners. Do you want me to go there?" Switching back to English having realised he was being rude to Daniel.

Daniel sitting down sensing a truce as they'd gone wildly off the topic of ice skating, touching on slut shaming and the possibility of Marius throwing hands with David. Who said bourgeoisie were boring.

Armand was also paying attention, Marius defending his honour even in hindsight charming. "No...not in so many words. What I want is to talk about past errors another time, explain the fallout. What I wanted was to bond over ice with you and Daniel. And perhaps get to see you fall on your pompous roman arse!" Gaze softening as he closed the distance to touch Marius' lips. "Promise he didn't get to tell how soft these were." Kissed the others fore head, then mouth.

Marius entirely charmed by the switch from anger to amorous just stared, arms wrapping to support Armand despite him levitating. "Ofcourse my love. We can ice skate. I'm sure Daniel has photos somewhere of me waddling like a giant penguin" He assured between kisses.

Daniel stopped the recording. "Wow a new make up record." Sitting back down with a indulgent grin.

~ Fini for now ~

A gift for @the-apostates-martyr

[nhientong]

Tết

If you ask me “What is Tet?”, I will probably say “It is the combination of everything, of reunion and gatherings, of renewing and refreshing. It is the turnover of nature and a new beginning”. To explain in a theoretical way, it’s basically Lunar New Year.  Yes, that explanation is totally correct; but to me, Lunar New Year is a very objective term to describe Tết. Tết and other countries’ Lunar New Year are slightly different and maybe that’s why we call them with different names.

     According to Wikipedia, “Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar, which is mostly based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar and usually has the date in January or February in the Gregorian calendar”. In another way, our traditional holiday is quite similar to Christmas. We usually go back to our hometown to celebrate it with our family; and instead of buying Christmas pine trees, we buy flowers that represent spring. To us, flowers, such as peach blossom (in the North) or apricot blossom (in the South), symbolize the turnover of a new year. When all flowers start to show off their beautiful colors, it means something good is coming. There aren’t any ornaments, mistletoes, or Santa Claus figures, we decorate our houses with rituals written on red papers or fruit trays; and instead of receiving presents, kids usually receive red envelopes for luck.

     On Tết, the buzzing and busy cities turn into forlorn houses. People leave those big cities to return to their small and true house-to where they call home. And that’s the reason why Tết is so special and important to every Vietnamese. Tết allows you to eat every traditional food, which may be unhealthy, without thinking about your weight and help you resolve conflicts. It’s when you leave your phones alone when your playlist is full of Tết music instead of Taylor Swift or Shawn Mendes. To me, Tết is not only a holiday, but it is also an occasion for you to realize the importance of family and to reconnect with your relatives. It is the time when you truly live for yourself and be yourself, a time to rest and a time to think about a new start.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance to return back to my hometown in Tết. I’m in Canada and repairing for my finals. Yes, I was desperately sad and missing my home and my family in Vietnam, but at some point, I realize that Tet is not a permanent place, it likes a wind that will follow you wherever you go. Finally, to all the people who live far from home, Tết is family and family will always be with you.

  If you have a chance, come to Vietnam and experience it. I guarantee you, Tết only needs one try to win your heart.

[lavendersugarplum]

☂︎ZEROᵗʰᵉ ʳᵉᵈ ᵘᵐᵇʳᵉˡˡᵃ

(The Umbrella Academy x Sibling! Adolescent! Reader)

sᴏɴs ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀs

─━━━━━━⊱☂︎⊰━━━━━━─

ZERO WAS OBSERVING HERSELF in the mirror imagining what her day would be like this morning. The change in the weather already had her feeling gloom, but she didn't really expect much from today. It was probably just going to be just like every morning, or so she thought.

Seconds later, Pogo came in, gently, through the door. "Miss Y/n, Luther, and the rest of your siblings are here." As soon as those words fell out of the chimp's mouth she froze as if she didn't know how to process what he just said. She couldn't believe it. Zero didn't think that they would even attend. After how so Sir Reginald treated them, this must be some kind of joke. Once Zero fully processed what was happening, she positions herself around and raised an eyebrow. "Why hadn't you told me they were coming before?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Pogo smiled gently at her before walking up to fix the tie on her uniform. Once he was done tying it, he looked at her with his big brown eyes. "You'll do fine. Just talk to them." Zero nodded in understanding, eyes furrowed. "I see....... and Pogo?

"Yes?""You don't have to call me Miss. I'm not quite grown up, as you can see."

"Well, I think you've grown to be a mature young lady," Pogo said smiling.

"Too bad Mr. Hargreeves didn't think so." Zero thought as she walked out of the room.

~☂︎~

TO SAY THAT SHE WAS nervous was an understatement. It had been forever since she had seen any of her siblings at all, including Luther. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Zero's head in anxiousness. Within every step she took getting closer to the living room, the feeling of her throat closing up came with it.

When Zero arrived in the living room, the first person she saw was her bulky brother Luther along with Diego, Allison, Klaus, and Vanya. They had all looked so grown up. It almost made Zero envy for how mature they had gotten.

"Zero has arrived." Pogo announced causing the five to have their eyes zapped straight to Zero. Vanya was the first to walk up to her with welcoming arms. "Zero." Vanya went over to hug her, causing Zero to back away trying to contain her abilities from being triggered. "I'm sorry." Vanya apologized as she backed away.

"You came back." Zero said, putting what had just happened aside. She was just overjoyed and slightly overwhelmed to see her family again.

"I told you I would come back." Vanya shyly smiled, running a hand through her dark brunette hair. The next person to the conversation was Klaus.

"Oh my, Zero! Well I'd say you don't look a day over..... Since I last saw you!" Klaus said acting surprised but was just really being a tease."Some family reunion, huh?" Zero slightly rolled her eyes at him. "Go on, M-I mean Zero. Go sit by Luther." Pogo held his hand out in the direction of the couch. As Zero made her way over to the couch, she tried to avoid eye contact with her siblings in pure shyness.

"So do you come out of your room now or is it just for stupid occasions like these?" Diego asked, clearly annoyed.

"Diego." Allison warned.

"It's fine." Zero said quietly, voice barely above a whisper. As soon as she said that Klaus's eyes widened.

"Wait. She can talk now?"

Klaus asked, but everyone just ignored it as a question.

"Why am I always the last to know about stuff?" Klaus groans as he fixes himself a drink.

A pensive silence starts to enclose over the room. Zero understood it was kinda awkward because none of them saw each other in such a long time.

Zero observed her siblings as they had their moments of silence. She looked to Luther who looked the same just as when he had left. With the chimpanzee DNA he took, he had gotten taller. She remembers when they were younger, with him being the leader. She knows Luther tried his best, but Reginald didn't think that was enough. Luther was always the leader, and she could feel how much it always got on Diego's nerves. Those two were always getting into rivalries.

Sh started to feel bad that he's going to realize he went to the moon for no reason. Reginald didn't read his reports at all; and she knew that.

Even though Luther was raised to be the best and most useful, Zero couldn't deny that he went through some trauma. They all did. He was raised to believe he was the best and a leader. Another example of Reginald's bad parenting. And as a result, his ego is still here, as Zero noticed. He's the only one that still cares for his father, while Zero just doesn't know how to feel after all the things he did to her. They say it's always better to forgive, but Zero just doesn't know.

Luther loved being hero more than anything, she had to  just hope that he wouldn't put that over himself and his family.

Her pupils bored over to Diego. He may be brash, but deep down Zero senses that he's insecure and still wants to prove himself. Still trying to measure up to Luther, even though Diego has become very skilled in Zero's eyes. She still remembers the time when they had first interacted.

~☂︎~

ZERO WAS WALKING DOWN the hall with Reginald's reports in her hand; taking them to him. A thud into her shoulder made every last one of the reports fall out of her hand, but like magic, she reached her hands and the reports defied gravity to arrive back into her possession.

"Sorry"

Zero was about to walk away but Diego stopped her.

"W-wait. I heard you in my mind. What kind of ridiculous trick are you playing on?"

"...... I can read minds and feel emotions."

"Well don't do that on me. I-i don't need a weird girl like you looking through my mind." With that Diego walked away, keeping a guard on his mind.

~☂︎~

ZERO THEN PEERS AT ALLISON. She had grown up to be a very pretty girl, as so Zero thought. Allison was always nice towards everyone in the Umbrella Academy. She never once talked bad about anyone behind their backs, which is quite admirable to Zero. How much Allison craved for attention is what she didn't notice.

Then there's Klaus. Still the same rebellious person he is. Zero admires how he can just move on and not dwell on the past too much. Sweet and vulnerable as a boy, and also her other close friend thanks to Ben. Besides herself, Klaus got experimented on by Sir Reginald the most. Through the years he has become not all himself, which awakens her concern for his well-being.

Finally, there's Vanya. Zero learned that she became a writer. She remembers when she sent her book to Reginald, but he never read it. Zero finds herself wondering how her music career was doing. Though in the past she seemed aloof, not want to have anything to do with her siblings, Zero had always watched them from afar, knowing their feelings and insecurities.

But sometimes it would be too much feelings and insecurities.

Zero's thought process was interrupted when Luther began the gathering speech.

"I guess we should get this started. So, I figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. Say a few words, just at dad's favorite spot."

"Dad had a favorite spot?" Allison asked, astonished, an expression of surprise crossing her face along with the others.

"You know, under an oak tree. We used to sit out there all the time. None of you ever did that?" Luther asked, like it was a usual thing.

Not all of us were his Number One, is what Zero thought.

"Will there be any refreshments? TV? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner." Klaus asked as he nonchalantly popped a joint, joining his siblings in the living room, drink in hand. Luther's face scrunched up at Klaus.

"What? No. And put that out. Dad didn't allow smoking in here."

"Is that my skirt?" Allison says in tone, referring to the skirt Klaus was wearing. "What? Oh, yeah, this. I found it in your room. It's a little dated, I know. But it's very breathy on the." Klaus motions his hands. ".... Bits."

"Listen up. Still, some important things that we need to discuss, all right?" Luther proceeds.

"Like what?" Diego asked dryly and uninterested.

"Like the way he died."

"And here we go." Diego rolled his eyes, uninterested.

"I don't understand." Vanya mumbles. I thought they said it was a heart attack."

"Yeah, according to the coroner."

"Well, wouldn't they know?"

"Theoretically," Luther explained.

"Theoretically?" Allison asked.

"I'm just saying, at the very least, something happened. the last time I talked to Dad, he sounded strange."

"Oh, Quelle surprise!" Klaus exclaimed gurgling his drink.

"Strange how?" Allison asked.

"He sounded on edge. Told me I should be careful who to trust. Hearing these things made Zero look up from her lap, at Luther.

"Luther, he was a paranoid, bitter old man who was starting to lose what was left of his marbles," Diego said walking over to him.

"No. He must have known something was going to happen. Zero, you must know something. Did he say anything out of the usual to you?" Luther said kneeling to Zero.

".........No." Zero replied, looking back down.

Luther sighed and got back up. "Look, I know you don't like to do it, but I need you to talk to Dad," Luther said referring to Klaus, causing Allison to scoff.

"I can't just call Dad in the afterlife and be like, "Dad, could you just...stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?"

"Since when? That's your thing," Luther encourages.

"I'm just not in the right frame of mind," Klaus replied.

"You're high?" Allison exclaims.

"Yeah! Yeah! I mean, how are you not listening to this nonsense?"

"Well, sober up, this is important. Then there's the issue of the missing monocle." Luther said.

"Who gives a shit about a stupid monocle?" Diego said.

"Exactly. It's worthless. So whoever took it, I think it was personal. Someone close to him. Someone with a grudge."

"Where are you going with this?" Klaus asked.

"Oh, is it obvious, Klaus? He thinks one of us killed dad." Diego said, eyes trained on Luther.

"You do?" Klaus said in awe.

"And I already know exactly who is the main suspect is. He thinks Zero did it." As soon as Diego said that everyone's eyes went wide and Zero tensed up.

"No, Zero. That's not-" Luther reached out for Zero, but she backed away.

"Why......do you lie?" That was the last thing she said before walking out of the room, heading for her bedroom.

"How could you think she would do that," Vanya said in disbelief.

"She's a kid, Luther," Diego said.

"You're crazy, man. You're crazy. Crazy."

Klaus, Vanya, and Diego started to storm at the room not wanting to continue with the conversation anymore.

Allison started to walk away too with a disappointed look on her face.

"That went well," Luther said sarcastically. He sighs and settles down on one the couches and rubs his head in exhaustion.

"Master Luther."

Luther's thoughts were halted by Pogo, who walked in; wooden walking stick glued to his paw. Luther had called him in to ask him about Sir Reginald's Monocle which turned to be missing.

"I'm trying to locate Dad's monocle. Have you perhaps seen it?"

Pogo simply shakes his head.

"No, unfortunately I haven't, but I would assume it would be one of his personal findings."

"It's not there... I've already checked." Luther goes silent almost about to give up.

~☂︎~

ZERO WAS IN HER BEDROOM reading the book Ben gave her. She already read it a thousand times, but this book is the only thing she has of Ben. She soon started to hear the music play in the house. She shook her head and kept reading. Zero' started to think about what Luther had said about their father seeming off. It wasn't just him, she also noticed he was a out of character months before he passed. Reginald started telling her more about the world beyond the Academy. Of course they would have their usual sessions, like playing chest or eating breakfast together. Sometimes they would just sit by the fireplace in silence. No lectures, no teachings, just silence.

Zero's thought process was diminished by a Thunder clap and sound clouding her ears, along with bright blue shadowing over her room. Zero decided she would stay in a room since there is no way she was going outside. A blue glint casted her eyes as she just stared in awe at the illuminating glow. It was some sort of a wormhole forming in mid-air. She saw her siblings going out to look at it as well.

"And just what do they think they're doing?"

She saw Klaus coming out with a fire extinguisher throwing it in. She then saw Luther directing them to back away from it. All the Hargreeves just stared at it with the wind ferociously blowing. The unbelievable happened. A small figure fell from the whole. As soon as the person hit the ground, the wormhole instantly closed up.

The siblings started to inch closer to the figure, along with Zero who examined the person with curious eyes, eyes widening at what it was.

It was her missing brother.

Five Hargreeeves

[cabinofimagines]

Leo's ABCs

A/N: Hi I hope you’re happy to see me around -Danny

Request: Y'all I need more Leo x reader in my life! Idea: Leo knows mores code. Reader catches him tapping out cute little messages and taps back. Weird lil conversations ensue. I just really need some fire-boy fluff rn // Anything sweet with Leo qwq there's not much with him

Warnings: None that I can think of.

Words: 1,380

Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Leo would be happy just watching you do your thing, or if it’s you the one who has free time, he would let you hang at the workshop and he’d ramble about his new projects– If both of you have some time to spare, you usually just watch movies and cuddle

Beauty - What do they admire of their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

He loves the way you love. The way you treat your friends and family and how you express your feelings, he thinks it’s unique.

Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Leo is an expert at rambling, he’ll talk for hours and hours if you need a distraction, if you need a break from life he’ll take you to one of his hiding spots and will let you stay there just chilling, maybe brushing your hair gently while you breath in and put your thoughts in order.

Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Honestly, he still has a bit of trouble picturing a future, but not because he doesn’t want you in it! It’s just demigod life, you know? He prefers living in the present, and either way, time goes by so fast when you’re having fun…

Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

I think it depends on the day. If Leo’s too distracted with a project to eat or to make plans with you, you’ll take the lead. But it’s usually a shared thing, he loves planning your outings and dates and you love making proper schedules so you can attend your duties and still have enough time to hang out together. It’s about equals <3

Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Leo is the kind of person to walk away when he knows he’s wrong and that pisses you off, but he comes around eventually and apologizes properly. When it’s you the one who messed up, he really isn’t good keeping score about that stuff, his brain is always running so he usually forgets about your fights and treats you like nothing happened. You apologize anyway, even if he tells you it’s no big deal.

Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Leo is grateful even for the things he shouldn’t be lmaoo He just feels like having you in his life is enough to thank you every day.

Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Sometimes he has a hard time talking about his bad feelings on the spot, but he eventually gathers the courage to talk to you about it. You have to be patient though, sometimes he won’t mention it until it’s been a month or so.

Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

LEO KNOWS HIS VALUE!! HE KNOWS HE’S WORTHY OF LOVE!! AND YOU DID THAT!

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Would love to say no, but he definitely gets jelous. He’s the pouty type tho, won’t yell at you or treat the other person rudely, he just sits there and grumbles under his breath until you smoother him with kisses.

Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

He could NOT believe someone actually wanted to kiss him. Him??? on the lips??

Every time you guys kiss his brain goes !!!!!

Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

I think he either blurts it out while being sleep deprived, or it’s you the one who takes the first step. But boi does he love to flirt…

Memory- (What’s their favourite memory together?)

Probably the first time you guys ever talked for more than two minutes. It was like sparks were flying, the chemistry was just THAT good.

Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

Probably just your name in general, bc it’s his s/o name! I also think ‘Mi vida’ bc he’s that kind of guy, also sunshine bc I strongly he just likes the word

On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

He’s such a lovesick fool, a stranger on the street could tell he’s in love. A very touchy fella, he needs to TOUCH to know it’s real (not in a icky way, just like, hand holding or stuff like that)

PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

He just found the love of his life and you expect him to be quiet about it? PLEASE

Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

He’s really good at solving problems on the spot, once again his brain is always going fast af, you never have to worry about a mishap when he’s around. Also morse code, he taught you how to use it and now he’s always saying ‘I love you’ to you all day

Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

He’s so creative in the weirdest ways, and you love it. It makes the relationship extra interesting. Again, bc he’s a lovesick dork, he’s also a hopeless romantic. He would give you the moon if he could.

Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Mr Valdez is known in every single one of your clubs and teams bc he’s that loud dude that’s always shouting stuff about how cool you are even when you’re just standing there.

Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

He’s a sucker for routines. After moving around all his life he just loves to know there’s a place he can just sit and enjoy stuff, he gets his excitement whenever he starts a new project and honestly that’s good enough, he doesn’t need another life-changing quest when he’s got you. He’ll never get tired of what you guys have

Understanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Leo knows your entire schedule by heart at this point. Whenever you cry he hugs you tight against him bc he doesn’t want you to see he’s crying too. He really feels every single one of your defeats and wins as if they were his own.

Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

YOU. ARE. HIS. LIFE. Sometimes the thought scares you, having someone who depends on you can be draining, but Leo has never put you on a tough spot, he loves you more than he loves himself but he’s considerate with your feelings to the point that he’ll give you space if you ask for it. All he wants is your happiness.

Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

When he’s especially happy he will snuggle his face on your hair and hug you close. You’re like his real-life teddy bear.

XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

YES.

Yearning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Poor puppy, he tries his best to hide it when he’s with others, he laughs and continues to be the life of the party, but he usually calls you by iris message every morning so he can see your face, the reunions are always worth it.

Zeal - are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Ride or die, this bastard would die for you more than once and then come back just to die again. I hate him.

--

Taglist:   @beneaththeiceandsnow,  @bandshirts-andbooks

Leo Taglist: @diaphragmjellyfish​

[solicuttle]

Hello :) Could you possibly do a fic about Kuboyasu and the reader trying to keep their relationship a secret from all their friends cause it’s both their first relationship but slowly everyone starts to find out on their own but hide it to themselves since they think they’re the only ones who know (and saiki is ready to just out their relationship since it’s just getting ridiculous at this point) im sorry if this is a lot

Howdy! It’s fine 😊 I really liked this idea too, anyways:

———

The Not-So-Secret Secret

———

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: None

Characters: Kuboyasu Aren

———

“No one is here right now,” at your words, Kuboyasu slinks into the classroom after you, shutting the door behind him. He’s a bit nervous; then again, it’s not his fault, today has been one of the hardest days since he first started dating you! Kuboyasu wouldn’t trade your relationship for anything in the world (especially considering he’s already thought of a perfect house for the two of you with a great view) but also because this is Kuboyasu’s first time in a relationship, and he doesn’t want to mess it up.

Messing things up is the special skill that only belongs to Nendou and Kaidou – and as much as Kuboyasu considers them part of his friend circle, he knows they’d blow things out of proportion! Your privacy would be over, Kaidou and Nendou always around to coo at you guys or just be general nuisances.

It didn’t take much effort for you to convince Kuboyasu that you should keep your relationship on the “down low” until you felt prepared to take the next step together. But that made moments like these much more special, much more desperate so forgive Kuboyasu for being antsy to kiss you. It’s not his fault you’re so damn attractive! In his haste, Kuboyasu hadn’t locked the door.

Usually that wouldn’t be an issue at all but today just happened to be the day that Kaidou was hunting down Dark Reunion. And for some unknown reason Dark Reunion was lurking around your class. Kaidou glances past the class – no Dark Reunion there – but there are definitely two people in a corner. Could they be possessed? Kaidou leans in, pushing the door open slightly -- expecting to catch supernatural activities; instead he catches you and Kuboyasu… making out.

Kaidou nearly screams but instead bites his tongue. He’s about to cry from the pain but you two are too focused to see him. Kaidou leaves immediately, in shock from what he’d seen. He’s got to tell everyone now.

And then he enters class, ready to divulge your secrets but for some reason he can’t speak. (You owe Saiki a favor for that). Could this be some higher power telling Kaidou not to out your relationship? He is the only one who knows… it must be his task to protect your relationship! That’s it!

“Oi shortie, why are you standing there like an idiot?” Kaidou blanks at Nendou’s words, is he getting called an idiot by Nendou of all people? Nendou?!

“Take that back, I’m not stupid like you!”

“Duh, it’s ‘cuz you’re stupider!”

By the time you walk in, Nendou and Kaidou are going at it like a bunch of wild cats.

———

If you ask Kuboyasu, he’s been doing a great job at this “hiding your relationship” game. Sure, he’s almost kissed you twice when Takahashi walked by; Kuboyasu had to grab a chair to threaten Takahashi into silence – it’s not one of his finest moments.

You’ve managed to only call him by his first name twice, and Saiki had been walking by, but the pink-haired male hadn’t reacted, so you should be safe for now. Truthfully Saiki had heard everything clearly (Saiki could even hear Kuboyasu’s overly romantic thoughts) but Saiki would much rather pretend he heard nothing to avoid having to hold a conversation with you two. Saves him the hassle.

And things were going perfectly too – and then they weren’t because you’d called him Aren and Hairo had passed by. Unlike Saiki, Hairo didn’t seem willing to let it go.

“Oh wow, when did you become that close?!” His excitement isn’t dulled by the awkward expressions you and Kuboyasu are sporting. Your boyfriend is tempted to knock Hairo out and run away but the red head would get up almost immediately.

“Last weekend!” “Yesterday!”

Hairo ignores your double answer, “ah is this something private? That’s okay then! Don’t mind me!” He leaves, leaving both of you dumbstruck. Kuboyasu lets out a sigh of relief – today you’d once again escaped being caught.

Unbeknownst to both of you Teruhashi had been hiding in a conveniently placed closet (not because she’s stalking you or trying to hide from her adoring fans, definitely not) and had overheard everything. The minute you leave she’s scrambling out with a squeal, barely containing her excitement.

They’re so cute! I wonder if I could have a secret relationship with Saiki in the future…

(Saiki unconsciously shivers in class, for some reason he thought he felt someone with bad intentions…)

———

The next person who finds about your not-so-secret-secret relationship is Toritsuka. He didn’t mean to find out, but one of the ghosts Toritsuka had been begging to help him get a relationship had mentioned it.

“Your behavior is the reason you aren’t in a relationship like [Name] and Kuboyasu!” Toritsuka had purposefully ignored the ghost’s rebuking, instead focusing on the important part. Kuboyasu is dating you! That swine Kuboyasu hadn’t even thought to mention it! Was Kuboyasu purposefully making fun of the eternally single like Toritsuka?

He’s about to question the ghost further but the ghost vanishes before he can ask any proper questions. This leaves Toritsuka one option.

Stalk you both to get the evidence with his own eyes! When Toritsuka finally gathers concrete proof, he could burst in and have his righteously earned yelling match with Kuboyasu. You don’t just not tell your friends that you’ve gotten an S/O and get away with it.

His plan is foolproof, just follow you guys around. It’s actually surprising how Tortisuka didn’t notice earlier.  Kuboyasu tends to drift towards you, sometimes without even knowing. In group projects you’re always partnered together… it’s like you’re conjoined twins.

Is this the will of the universe, that those who are blessed will naturally be lucky in their romantic endeavors? Toritsuka glances to the side and catches Yumehara and Teruhashi fawning over Saiki – he barely stifles a sob.

On the upside if your relationship is secret then you can’t flaunt your relationship! It’s the reason he doesn’t say anything even after confirming that you two must be dating. As far as everyone else is concerned, all three of you are single.

———

You think you’re doing a great job at keeping your relationship secret! You know you have to be doing a great job. No one has noticed yet! What you don’t know is that literally everybody is aware.

And Saiki’s getting tired of the shenanigans that surround it. At first, he could just ignore everything, but that was before Kaidou found out, then Toritsuka, Saiko, Yumehara, Mera and even Hairo and Nendou! He could stand everything until Teruhashi found out – your relationship seemed to give her fantasies about the possible secret relationship Saiki and Teruhashi “should” have (it’s not going to happen).

While he could barely tolerate those antics, it hit a boiling point when you started to use him as an excuse. Someone ask what you were doing with Kuboyasu? Your instant reply is that Saiki had asked you to get something from Kuboyasu. Normally that would be fine, but Kaidou had taken it upon himself to hound Saiki into “giving up on [Name]”, as if Saiki had been interested in the first place.

Approximately half a month had passed, and Saiki swears if you try one more word, he’s going to tell everyone and get it over with. Kuboyasu had been wanting to mention it for a while too, so it shouldn’t cause that big of an issue.

The only good thing was when you finally admitted that you were dating Kuboyasu, and everyone had to put on their best “I’m totally surprised face”.

Spoiler alert: No one was surprised.

[danijimenezv]

Jill Valentine: All About the Past

Date of Birth: February 14th, 1992

Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York

Home: Valentine-Westbrook Estate, in the outskirts of Manhattan.

Family: She’s the third child of Haley (née Westbrook) and Matthew Valentine, and the second daughter. The oldest, Lucas Valentine, was born on January 12th, 1882, followed by Katherine Valentine, born on March 16th, 1884. The youngest, Ivy Valentine, was born on April 18th, 1994.

Growing up, Jill was a total daddy’s girl. And the Valentine girls had Matthew completely wrapped around their little fingers. He would go to the ends of the Earth if his girls asked him to. She wasn’t as close with her mother; the two of them had similar strong character, so they usually clashed, but their relationship was still strong. All of that was until the moment Jill decided to pursue human medicine instead of veterinary medicine, like she was supposed to. Her decision created a huge rift between them, and although they didn’t disown her and still paid for her education, her parents didn’t save their comments to themselves. Both of them, but especially her mother, made sure that she understood how disappointed they were in her. They thought she was throwing away her life, all they had built for her. Jill got used to those resentful comments and passive-aggressive remarks, but they still did their fair share of damage, and her relationship with her parents was never the same after that.

Jill is much closer with her older brother than with any of her sisters, because they share the most similarities, but the four of them are tight-knit. Lucas is ten years older than her, and the considerable age-gap caused their relationship to be as smooth as it could get between siblings. Since the moment she was born, Jill became Luke’s little princess, he spoils her immensely and he’s defensive and overprotective when it comes to her. In turn, Luke became Jill’s hero, and she looks up to him for absolutely everything. And when the time came, Luke was the one to really believe and support her, unlike their parents.

Her relationship with Katherine varies from time to time. Kat is eight years older than Jill, and acts as a protective and bossy older sister as much as she can. The age-gap is enough so they don’t exactly fight for possessions or games like a pair of sisters would. Though, much to Jill’s dismay, Katherine is almost an exact copy of their mother, so she clashes with her more than with the rest of her siblings. It also doesn’t help that Jill grew up being constantly compared to Katherine, so there’s a residual resentment underneath that make their relationship rocky from time to time. Still, the two love each other deeply and would do anything for one another.

With Ivy, the dynamic shifted, because she was no longer dealing with older siblings; with her, Jill became the older sister. she’s two years older than Ivy. She’s protective and defensive of her, but without being overbearing like their two older siblings would. Being closest in age, they shared most moments growing up and bonded over their similar experiences together. Between them, existed the usual fights for toys, games, clothes and make-up that didn’t exist with the other two, but also a better understanding of what the other was experiencing. Still, while Jill is a close copy of their older brother, Ivy resembles Katherine more, so they clash from time to time.

Jill grew up in a privileged home, as part of a wealthy family. Though, her parents didn’t want a nanny to raise their kids, so they got involved as much as they could and were really hands-on. They had a butler, Roman, that was just as involved as their parents, but never stepped in as a replacement for them. She grew up with three siblings, two older and one younger, in the family estate, in the outskirts of Manhattan.

Coming from a traditional family with old money, Jill’s upbringing was different from what anyone expected; it was a pretty strict environment. As per custom, at the age of six, each Valentine has to take a set of important decisions, established from generation to generation; they have to choose an artistic skill to develop, a music instrument, a language to study and a sport, so all of them would be educated in every area. Jill chose dancing, piano, French and tennis, respectively. And, coming from a family of veterinarians, at the age of ten each Valentine gets a pet, so they can learn to be responsible and mature from a young age; each of them are in charge of everything their pet might need, including food, exercise, medicines, etc. Jill’s first pet was a cat named Theo.

Even though she’s from a wealthy family, Jill was taught to do chores and earn everything by herself. She was taught to cook the basics, do laundry, sweep, vacuum, wash dishes, clean bathrooms, dust, mop, iron clothes, mow the lawn… And once she turned fifteen, she was also expected to work half-time two days a week at the Veterinary Hospital with her parents, to learn about hard work. She had a trust-fund, but she never used it because she only spent what she had truly earned.

Growing up, she also struggled with really connecting with people outside of her family. Because of her vibrant personality, Jill got along with everyone, but she only considered one of them her true friend, Hunter Griffin. Hunter and Jill became inseparable from the moment they met, when they were merely five years-old, and their friendship only grew stronger with time, and she was sure Hunter loved her for exactly who she was, that’s why it was easy to open up to him. Jill always hated how most of people either wanted her for her family’s fame or money, or expected her to be a clone of her older sister, so she learned to not get too attached to people, friendship-wise and relationship-wise.

All in all, it was a pretty strict and intense environment. It didn’t help that, in her eyes, her older sister, Katherine, was apparently perfect in every aspect, and Jill always felt like she was living in her sister’s shadow, being constantly compared to her. All of it combined only prompted Jill’s partying habit to break out, as a coping mechanism. And even if she partied up as a teenager, she was always the responsible one, never drinking nor doing drugs, but simply letting loose.

Even though Jill lived to her party girl reputation, she kept up her grades close to perfect, which was the main reason her parents could never ground her for going to any and every party and staying out all she wanted. She attended Léman Manhattan Preparatory School with perfect record. She kept up her GPA and was appointed Valedictorian and Prom Queen, just like the rest of her siblings and family members before them. As a teen socialite, she was constantly bothered by paparazzi and also quite under the spotlight, so every little thing she did ended up being public knowledge, to the point where she’s also been photographed for a few magazine issues. She was a debutante, like it was custom for everyone in her family, and has attended more balls, galas, reunions and charity events than any normal teenager. Though, even if she gained quite a reputation, in public events with her family she’s always been seen as polite, diplomatic, elegant, and downright charismatic, which earned the media’s favor.

Most of it continued all the way to college. She moved away from New York when she was accepted into Harvard; however, she wasn’t a known public figure in Boston, which was something she welcomed deeply, so she finally earned some peace and privacy. She toned down her party girl habits to only from time to time when she felt like it, and instead focused mainly on her studies. Jill quickly became the top student of her class and graduated with honors, part of it because it was something she was passionate about, and another part of it to prove her parents that this was the path for her.

From the moment she turned fifteen, her family set them up with one of her classmates, from another well-known family. His name was Augustus Danvers. The two of them got along great and even though they both tried to make it work, for their families’ sakes, they quickly discovered they didn’t have any actual romantic feelings for one another. Their first time was with each other, but not because there were feelings; it was more because they were used to each other and wanted to get over the curiosity. After that, they came to an agreement, to keep it an open relationship, where both of them could see other people and date whoever they wanted, but for family gatherings and social events, they pretended to be together. Even though they weren’t really together, they agreed to break-up, secretly, during winter break in their senior year, and later amicably broke-up in public after their prom dance.

It was Jill’s only ‘serious’ relationship. Given that she had learned to not get too attached to people, friendship-wise and relationship-wise because of her family name, she never got too close to anyone, and never felt the true want to commit to a single person. She had a long string of casual dates and hookups, but never an actual relationship. It also didn’t help that, from a young age, Jill was witness to Katherine’s devastating heartbreak after being left at the altar, and since that moment, Jill swore to never let that happen to herself. Though, she’s always honest with anyone she’s seeing about what she wants and what she doesn’t, because she would never get someone’s hopes up just to destroy them. She’s mature enough to know what to say to keep things honest and transparent, drama-free, and when to walk away when it’s not something that works for her or the other person.

Once she moved to Boston, she kept things short and casual with everyone. At Edenbrook, she pursued a friends-with-benefits, no-strings-attached kind of relationship with Bryce Lahela, and even went on a couple of casual dates with Rafael Aveiro. Though, Ethan was the game changer. She didn’t realize she was falling for him until it was too late and there was no going back.

Bonus:

A few of Jill’s magazine appearances

For @openheartfanfics Meet My MC Event ☺💕

Tags: @jamespotterthefirst, @takeharryandgo, @aestheticartsx, @choicesfanaf, @fireycookie, @liaromancewriter, @trappedinfanfiction, @tsrookie, @genevievemd, @lucy-268, @writinghereandthere, @queencarb, @gryffindordaughterofathena, @ohchoices, @anntoldst0ries, @bluebellot, @schnitzelbutterfingers, @mysticaurathings, @iemcpbchoices, @itsjustamesshonestly, @shanzay44, @lsvdw-blog, @heauxplesslydevoted, @starryeyedrookie, @casey-v​, @mercury84choices, @chaoticchopshopheart, @quixoticdreamer16

[dawatyanproject]

When the Phases of the Moon Pull the Tides of Time | 明月几时有 光阴墨潮生: #1 (First Quarter)

First Quarter Moon / Neap Tide / @11:25pm from Toronto, ON

During the pandemic lockdown, I like to watch “How-To-Wear” videos of people putting on their traditional/ethnic clothing, as the content provides a sense of connection to the outside world.

One day, I came across a video introducing the Emirati kandura, a regional variation of the Arab garment also known as a thawb or dishdasha (note1). The presenter mentions that the Emirati kandura is often worn with a long tassel-like piece called a tarboosh (plural: tarabeech; note2), dangling from the neckline. 

Dating back to the nomadic history of the Bedouin people, the tarboosh is an important cultural and poetic object in Arab culture: before the travellers left home for a trip, their family members would infuse the tarboosh in fragrance, so that the scent from home could stay with the travellers during their journeys. 

In history, especially during times when travelling was more difficult and long-distance communication took significantly longer, people of different civilizations had found creative ways to make the concept of home, family, and memory portable. 

...人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

—— 苏轼 《水调歌头·明月几时有》

“While humankind experiences joy and sadness, separations and reunions, the Moon experiences its dark eclipse or bright crescent, fullness or absence: such are historical cycles that are impossible to be broken.

I can only hope the loved ones can remain together for the longevity of time itself, and they are bathing in the same moonlight even if they are thousands of miles apart.”

- An excerpt from “Shuidiao-Getou (Water Melody)” by Su, Shi. (Translated by Eric Chengyang)

Throughout history, ancient Chinese poets had used the Moon as a symbol of remembrance, and as a medium to express complex feelings in regards to separation and distance, due to the fact that the moon is always available and has its changing phases. For instance, during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the year 1076 AD, Su, Shi (aka. Su, Dongpo; 苏东坡), a famous Song-dynasty poet wrote and addressed his famous ci to his brother from afar. 

Since the date of the Mid-Autumn Festival is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar that tracks the phases of the moon, in the evening, the moon is always round, full, and whole. As indicated in Shu, Shi’s ci-poetry, the full moon not only symbolically represents reunions but also serves as a reminder for gathering. 

Interestingly, the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节; on Sept. 21 in 2021) shares similarity with the Canadian Thanksgiving which took place yesterday, with regards to their approximate timing and modern festive customs.

I have always felt a special connection to the Mid-Autumn Festival because of my love and constant craving for mooncakes; unlike most Chinese festive foods, the mooncakes are not available all year round. 

In Canada, Asian grocery shops and bakeries usually start to put out the mooncakes for sale, as if the shops are reminding their customers that another Mid-Autumn Festival is near, and the beloved yet brief Ontarian summer is packing its bags and is departing soon. 

Since mooncakes are seasonal, each year, I always felt a bit sad when I ate the last piece of mooncake over coffee, as I wondered where the unsold, leftover mooncakes had gone after the festival.

At the end of this past summer, when I went shopping in an Asian supermarket with my mom, I saw the stacks of mooncakes at the entrance: a sight that felt so normal that I forgot we were still in a pandemic.

Seeing the boxes of mooncakes again, I recalled a conversation I had with my mom last time when we shopped together. At the time, while we were picking out mooncakes, we were discussing why some mooncake brands had such an unbelievably expensive price tag, and I jokingly told her that maybe those mooncakes’ salted egg filling contained actual gold foil.

This conversation felt so fresh and vivid, that I had the impression as if it had just happened sometime in the summer. However, when I picked up a mooncake box and saw the expiry date, I suddenly realized that the reason I was seeing the mooncakes again, was because a full year had already gone by since we last shopped together.

Image: a Cantonese mooncake (left) & a Suzhou-style mooncake (right), with a cup of dry chrysanthemum-osmanthus tea served in a gaiwan.

After having spent months indoors without leaving the Suburban neighbourhood during the pandemic lock-down, I feel like the grains of time have been unknowingly seeping through the spaces between the grasp of a hand. 

Like the recurring cycles of the Moon’s phases, I have managed to locate my position in time not from a calendar, but rather through the return of the mooncakes, although this year, I was not feeling the sadness because I ate the last piece of mooncake as the festival passed. 

- By Eric Chengyang (墨月无觞) of Dawat Yan Project, on Oct. 12, 2021 (@11:25pm)

To be continued in the form of a visual poetry as the Moon moves. Thank you for reading part #1 and visit the Dawat Yan.

______

Notes & Citations

1. To learn more about the diverse styles of the kandura / thawb / dishdasha, please refer to the following article. Img #01 shows a model with a tarboosh hanging from the neck, and img #03 shows what an Omani tarboosh looks like.

Gulf: What differentiates the Dishdasha from the Kandora?

https://gulfnews.com/photos/lifestyle/gulf-what-differentiates-the-dishdasha-from-the-kandora-1.1601284787970?slide=1

2. Reference for the “tarboosh/tarabeech”:

“Bracelet inspired by the Emirati Tarboosh: Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts x Loreta Bilinskaite-Monie”, by Dubai Design Week

https://www.dubaidesignweek.ae/programme/2019/bracelet-inspired-emirati-tarboosh/

3. A fun fact: due to the different styles of mooncakes (as shown above), Chinese people from different regions tend to eat the mooncakes in distinctive ways:

Northern-Central Chinese tend to eat the mooncake in 1-2 single bites, because their variant of mooncakes has a flaky crust. 

Southern Chinese such as Cantonese, like to cut up the mooncake with a knife, and either eat or share the smaller pieces over tea. 

As someone from a Cantonese background, I personally think that mooncakes also go well with coffee.

[themilky-way]

toil and trouble

gif credit: toyboxboy

pairing: spencer reid x gn! reader

summary: soulmate au!: halloween only comes once a year, and what it brings around tonight is a little more than just scary movies and ghost stories. based on this ask. 

warnings: none i think. pretty sure this is gender neutral reader so i labeled it as such :)

author’s note: THIS IS SO BAD AND SHORT IM SORRY BYE

----------

none of it had been planned. as much as the team persisted that it’d been garcia’s idea, it wasn’t truly anybody’s. to have a simple gathering amongst coworkers to celebrate halloween had been a unanimous decision, one that required the toughest of the toughest to fit themselves into a costume. rossi had proposed his apartment as the location seeing as most of his team’s reunions predominantly occurred there. penelope being her usual preppy self volunteered to decorate, and so she set off to hang orange fairy lights, spooky props with boisterous sound effects, and to throw in a touch of her own glam, a couple of glittery jack-o-lanterns. 

the rest of the unit debated between their most normal choices, and for a while they were puzzled as to what might be the right pick, but the date came too quickly. on halloween night, hotch appeared at the doorway dressed in his traditional suit and tie, claiming to be “too busy” to fix up a costume, and shook hands with an italian renaissance painter, rossi. morgan invested his creativity in wearing a purge mask with all-black loungewear, while to accompany him came penelope as a cat. her faux whiskers aligned perfectly, her pink nose scrunching up at whatever corny joke rossi shared. then, her feline ears picked up the sound of her other two friends, and looking over, she came face-to-face with a ladybug and a fairy. 

“oh, look at these pretty ladies! where did you get those wings?” she animately asked jj.  “nevermind, not important-listen, stay away from morgan, he thinks he’s a murderer or something.”

“what?” emily chuckled. the three women turned to observe what garcia implied towards, and they all discovered said man- mask on and everything- hitting the italian bob ross with a foam stick of some kind. they couldn’t resist breaking out into fits of laughter, eyes glued to the scene before them. “is that a pool noodle?”

“yes, he’s bonking him,” garcia managed to voice. she reached out to grab a hold of each of her friend’s hands to guide them to the kitchen for drinks. still in the effects of what they’ve witnessed, emily grabbed four mugs out of a cherry-red, wooden cupboard-one of them for you, she’d pointed out-and placed them on the counter next to the stove. in the meantime, jj busied herself in making the hot chocolate in a large saucepan. “hey, do any of you guys want some?” one polite refusal came from her boss, and a couple grunts were heard from the men still fighting their dual. so, she continued her portions for her friends who had agreed, and although you still weren’t present, she’d added extra ingredients just in case. 

soon enough, the delicious smell of her concoction started flowing across the apartment, the spicy tinges of cinnamon, mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate and sugar, were enough to settle any tricks at hand. garcia was finished organizing the desserts on a skeleton platter, indulging in one as she rested an elbow on the counter to observe her friend’s cooking. 

“so, what’s in the cauldron, weird sisters?” you’d been sneaky enough to tread inside the kitchen without them noticing, rather odd considering they were supposed to notice a foreign presence. they’d each produced their very own distinct response: prentiss jumped up and reached for a nearby butterknife, jennifer dropped her spoon, and penelope choked on a crumb of cookie. “geez, relax! it’s just me, i swear!” you yelped. 

“you have a mustache, who are you?!” 

“you seriously don’t know- it’s me, for god’s sake!” confused by their newfound inability to actually recognize you, you removed the imitation hair on your upper lip along with your top hat. “see, i’m friendly.”

“young lady, do you want to make me go into cardiac arrest?” 

“no, but it’s halloween, so why the hell not, huh?” that earned you a not-so-friendly punch from the analyst. “i’m friedrich nietzsche, by the way.” 

the rest of the night flowed calmly. board games were brought out, popcorn was made, candy wrappers compiled in a large bundle in the middle of the circle-it was a familial setting, a warmth encircling the room as everyone participated in announcing eerie ghost tales or rolled their eyes at a silly dare. not everyone was exactly present, though; somewhere in the back of your head, there lurked a tiny worry surround spencer’s absence. if he really had turned down his invitation to come, he’d tell someone, right?”

“where’s reid-do you know?” you whispered to morgan, leaning in to the side to ensure your question’s safety. 

“he’s running late. he should be here any minute,” the agent caught the expression of worry, a hint of disappointment lingering in your features at his response. being the teasing friend he was known to be, he continued, “why, you got a thing for him?” 

“what, me? no, i don’t-i was just asking. just being a good friend.” he flashed you his infamous smile, one that knew what you truly felt despite your superficial attempts to disguise those feelings, but said nothing else.

eventually, it was your turn to refill the snack bowls. your suit fit loosely around your form to help you maneuver in the ways you needed to. at the moment, that was to stretch high enough to reach the top of rossi’s fridge, which was ridiculously tall compared to that man’s actual size. seriously, he was five inches shorter than you, how could he reach these damned boxes?

“here, let me help you.” you recognized it instantly, and what made you fall back wasn’t the voice’s spontaneity, but the hand that elongated to grasp whatever the hell you were there for. “here you go.”

struck by the sudden lack of speech, you looked at spencer up and down, then a few more times for further inspection before it hit you. bewildered by this-and you by his attire-the both of you widened your eyes and stepped back. 

“you’re checking me ou-”

“-you’re friedrich nietzsche!” and alas, the young, oh-so-intelligent man took the liberty of scanning you over to observe your claim. it was as if he were looking into the mirror, minus the the ownership of his own fake facial hair and differing height. 

“no way! are we-did we-?”

“he’s my favorite philosopher, i had to,” you clarified. 

now aware he was still holding a box of cheez-it’s, spencer quickly handed it back to you, interlocking his hands behind his back in a nervous attempt to hide his coyness. “he’s my fav-uh-he’s my favorite, too,” he stuttered.

as much as you resisted not to, you beamed at his attempt to sustain his formality, and you didn’t really mind being dressed as a super-ideological crazy man from the victorian era because, well, he was dressed like one, too. he came forward to help you refill the plates once the awkwardness fled the kitchen, and amidst minor cleaning and trash-bag replacing, you learned he couldn’t find a mustache that resembled the one he wanted. the only right thing for you to do was offer yours to him, which prompted a neat rebuttal from reid, yet you kept insisting he take it until his only option was that. 

on the way back, you sat alongside each other with penelope on your left and morgan on his right. unbeknownst to either of you, garcia tugged on your sleeve while morgan pulled on his ear. 

“you know he’s your soulmate, right?-” she’d said to you. 

“-pretty boy, you know what this means, right?”

and with the luminous rays of the full moon, and the fragrant aroma of autumn enveloping you both, you answered in hushed unison. 

“yeah, i know exactly what this means.”  

[justahopelessssromantic]

My Bad!

A/N: @mayans-girl I’m so sorry I lost your request as I stupidly deleted the post to resubmit it after I was having difficulties with the site. Regardless here it is for your request for another member hitting on you and Coco gets pissed. Thank you so much for the request I hope you enjoy and a big thank you to everyone for reading! ❤️

Also shout out to my twinnie @starrynite7114! Thank you so much for helping me brainstorm and work out the idea. You truly inspire and motivate me everyday! 💕

*gif not mine*

Warming: Angst and some fluff

The music was thumping around the clubhouse as one of the famous Mayans MC parties was in full swing. The place was packed with members from charters all over who came by to celebrate Santo Padre’s charter’s rise to the top.

You had just split off from your Old Man to find yourself a drink leaving him to chat with Oscar from the Stockton charter. Weaving through the people you smiled at the familiar faces when your phone buzzed from the back pocket of your tight jeans. Slipping it out you stopped and leaned against the railing of the steps that led into the clubhouse making sure that you were off to the side and out of the way.

Your phone lit up with a new message from your half brother Miles. You haven't seen him in forever and tried your best to find him throughout the years with no such luck. The two of you had been seperated after the death of your father, thrust into the system to fend for yourselves. Now after so many years later he had found you and reached out.

You practically raised him growing up. Your mother's were no shows throughout your lives leaving you with your drunk of a father. You didn't blame them for leaving him but you did always resent them for leaving their children alone with that man. You did everything in your power to protect him from your father's rage, help him in his schooling, to keep him alive. You were the mother he never had and the mother you never got.

You smiled reading the message from him saying he couldn’t wait to see you again tomorrow. You were so excited and had a day full of events planned out for your reunion. Coco knew how important this meeting was for you and was even helping you make all the arrangements. He was just as excited to meet the brother he had only heard childhood tales about but most importantly he was happy for you to have your family back. Just like him you had had it rough. If anyone deserved some sliver of real family to hold on to it was you.

You sent back a quick ‘me too’ before slipping the phone back into its resting place. Whipping around the railing you bounded up the stairs and into the building in search of that drink you were after in the first place. The room was filled with people, it seemed as if literally every Mayan was here as the whole place was just bursting at the seams with men in the leather cuts and then on top of it you had the friends and families of members all there as well. You made your way through the cloud of smoke, past the table where Bishop and Taza were involved in a round of poker blowing them a kiss and sending them a wink before sliding up to the bar. You landed on a simple beer smiling and thanking Chucky before heading towards the back hoping to sneak out where it would certainly be a little less packed and quiet to catch some air.

Slipping in and out of the crowds rather smoothly, this wasn’t your first rodeo, you were just about to your destination when an unknown man from the Spokane charter who was leaning against the wall caught your attention.

“If I knew the woman in Santo Padre were as sexy as you I would have stopped by a long time ago,” He grinned bringing his lit cigarette up to his lips inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke out towards you as his eyes raked up and down your figure.

You rolled your eyes internally giving him a tight lips smile. One of the problems with big events such as these was that not everyone knew who you were. At least at the smaller gatherings it was well known that you were Coco’s Old Lady and he, your Old Man. You were just about to correct the man opening your mouth when he practically shushed you. Now you were pissed.

“Nah baby,” he purred, “Save that pretty little voice for all the screaming I’ll be having you doing tonight.”

You scrunched up your eyebrows looking to the ground as you gathered your thoughts. Bringing your head back up you tilted it slightly crossing your arms with your beer up, “Does that line ever work? Like do some girls actually respond well to that, to you?”

“Careful what you say bitch,” he snarled, pushing off the wall as you crushed his ego with your few words. Most men were the same as him, insecure and trying to make up for their tiny packages with tough guy acts. “Do you even know who I am?”

You scuffed snickering as you kept your gaze dead on his eyes not backing down as he got in your face, “Do you even know who I am?” You asked with just as much arrogance as him, “I’m Johnny Coco Cruz’s fucking Old Lady. Yeah the man who could put a bullet through your brain even in this crowded room without you even knowing what’s coming.” You smirked as you saw the realization and fear flash in his eyes before he recovered quickly. “You’re lucky he can’t kill one of his own,” you continued with a threatening tone, “Now I suggest you call it a night before that pretty little voice of yours gets you in any more trouble.” You took a swig of your beer all while remaining uncomfortable eye contact with him before spinning around and heading out the back door as you were intending on in the first place when that jackass so disrespectfully interrupted you.

You were staring at the screen of your phone, your now empty bottle sat on a pile of cinder blocks beside you as you scrolled through your feed more annoyed than anything now. You hated when drunk assholes hit on you but it was even worse when it was one of Coco's brothers even one from another charter.

Miles saw you standing there with your back turned to him. He chuckled to himself as he snuck up behind you. He knew you'd be here as he knew you were dating a member from the Santo Padre charter but he wanted to surprise you with his new cut. You were his rock growing. Everything you sacrificed for him wasn’t lost on him. More than anything he wanted to make you proud.

Sneaking behind you, the jumper cabled your sides just like he had when you were young. You helped jumping away from the shock causing your phone to slip from your grasp and onto the hard rocks beneath you. Bending over you cursed under your breath picking it up and dusting off the screen. Straightening up you whipped around expecting to find Coco fully ready to tear him a new one. Your mouth dropped as you found your not so little anymore younger brother, not Coco, standing there before you. He had changed so much throughout the years but you still recognized those dark eyes of his and could picture those chubby cheeks he had.

"Oh my God," you gasped out, "Miles?" You instinctively pulled him into your arms hugging him tight, "What the hell are you doing here?" You asked, pulling back just enough to give yourself a better look at the man he had become, "And what's this?" You asked, pulling at his cut, "You're prospecting?" You grinned meeting his eyes once more. You were so incredibly proud of him.

“Yeah, Spokane charter,” he replied proudly, “You look really good.”

“And you look so…. big,” you laughed still shocked by the sudden surprise.

“Well I’m not that eleven year old kid anymore.” He chuckled, taking you in just as much as you did him. The moment seemed so unreal, almost as if it was a dream.

“Shit I have to pee,” you said feeling all your drinks hit your bladder seemingly at once, “Don’t go anywhere. I will be right back.” You scurried off in the direction you came from stealing one more glance back to check that he really was there before heading into the door to find the bathroom.

Coco was shooting the shit with Angel, Gilly, Creeper and various members from all over as they had a smoke. The sky above was dark, almost back with the stars sparkling like diamonds as a cool breeze blessed them with some relief from the usually unbearable heat.

One of the men from the Yuma charter approached the group directing his words straight to Coco, “Hey man some fucker from the Spokane charter was hitting on your girl hard. Being real disrespectful. She shut him down but I thought you should know. So you can set him right.”

Coco threw his cigarette to the ground stomping it under his boot. Patting the man on the shoulder as he stomped past he thanked him ready to find that asshole with Angel, Creeper, and Gilly on his tail.

He made his way into the clubhouse asking around when someone pointed him in the direction of the back. He knew that was your favorite place to go to get some solace during hectic events such as this. From what it sounded like the man was out there with you ruining your peace and Coco wasn’t having that.

Busting through the door he met eyes with the prospect from the Spokane charter. He was leaning against the fence beer in hand. Now Coco was fuming. A fucking prospect had disrespected his Old Lady. The kid had a lot of learning to do but he couldn’t do it here, he had to take him to the ring, do it right and use him as an example for any other fucker who thought they could talk to his woman like that.

“Yo prospect! I heard you were saying some real nasty shit to my Old Lady,” Coco snarled, stepping down the steps slowly Angel and Creeper close behind as Gilly stayed by the door.

Miles looked at him confused. He had talked to a lot of women during the night but couldn’t recall flirting with a single one of them. He was mostly too busy being ordered around and given chores. “Look man I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think you have the wrong-”

“I suggest you stop talking,” Creeper interrupted him standing next to Coco, “You ain’t getting yourself out of this now.”

“Come on prospect,” Coco spat out, “We settle this in the fucking ring.” Gilly came down the steps meeting up with Creeper and taking the prospect with them towards the ring giving him no room to protest.

Coco looked over at Angel, “Find my girl. Let her know what’s up,” he requested of his best friend, “She’s not gonna wanna miss this,” he smirked. Giving each other a nod Coco set off in the direction of the cage ready to kick some ass.

“Yo (Y/N),” Angel called out, swaggering up to you exhaling a puff of smoke as you excited the clubhouse to the back expecting to find your brother, “I’ve been looking all over for you. If we don’t hurry we’re gonna fuckin’ miss it.”

“Miss what?”

“Coco’s getting in the ring. Gonna show that asshole who was hitting on you his place.”

That must have been where your brother went, to watch the fight. You grinned at Angel, happy someone had noticed and that the guy hadn’t listened to you hanging around despite your warning. “Well what the hell are we standing around here for then?”

Following his lead the two of you headed towards the ring. You loved the cage, your favorite part of these parties was watching the fights, and you especially loved watching your Old Man get in the ring. Something about watching him take out another, bare chested with his tats on full display, covered in sweat and blood really turned you on. To top it off he’d be giving that asshole a good beating. Let’s just say Coco was going to be a very lucky man tonight.

The sound of the crowds cheering got louder and your adrenaline was pumping as you approached the ring. Angel shoved his way past the people gathered around making a perfect path to get you to the best spot. The fight was in full swing, you had missed the first portion of it and were a little disappointed but once you saw Coco and he made eye contact with you briefly a grin on his face you forgot all about it.

“Fuck him up!” You screamed eating up every moment, the smile never leaving your face. You turned your attention to the other guy and that’s when your smile fell as your eyes went wide. Coco wasn’t fighting the guy who was hitting on you earlier. He was fighting your fucking brother.

From what you could see Coco was in the lead, looking a little better than Miles. The two men were circling each other, arms up, waiting for the other to strike first. Leaning up against the cage you grabbed onto the metal calling out to Coco. Against his better judgment he turned to look at you expecting to find your gorgeous smiling face but instead was met with your terrifying scowl.

“That’s not the guy,” You screamed at him over the noise. He furrowed his brow looking at you.

“What the hell do you mean?”

“That’s my fucking brother!”

Turning back to face his opponent he could now see the resemblance although it was too little too late. While he was distracted your brother took the opportunity swinging a brutal right hook to Coco’s jaw the moment he turned back around.

The crowd erupted in cheers and jeers. The men who had bet on Coco clearly disappointed in the events that played out before them.

You gasped watching him fall to the ground wincing along with him from the hit. He looked up making eye contact with you glaring as he rolled his jaw spitting out blood.

You grimaced giving him your best apologetic look as you yelled out, “My bad!”

That night you ended up starting your family plans early with you patching up both men in your living room. Letty was so kind to assist you working on Coco while you took care of Miles. You all chatted getting to know one another bonding over the events of the night. Thankfully there were no hard feelings all around from the misunderstanding.

“You got quite the fuckin’ right hook, hermano,” Coco complimented Miles as he held an ice pack to his jaw.

“Yeah he really did a number on you Coco,” Letty teased as she pulled out an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit.

“Hey I had the fight up until (Y/N) distracted me,” he chuckled smiling at you, “I guess I learned where your real loyalty lies.”

You shook your head laughing lightly as you began stitching up your brother, “Blood is blood,” you teased back playing along.

Miles chuckled along hissing as you stitched up the cut on his cheek, “Thanks man, you throw a mean one yourself.” He flinched away hissing some more as you reached the middle of the cut, “Clearly.”

“Stay still,” you scolded leaning in closer to get a better view.

“What do you say next time we take down that fucker together,” Coco suggested as

Letty dabbed at his face causing him to wince.

“Deal.” Miles grinned. He liked Coco. He was a good match for you and had seen first hand just how far he was willing to go in your defence. All he ever wanted for you was someone to defend you and take care of you like you had for him all those years.

“Excuse me but I think I handled him just fine,” you said interjecting on their plans. It had already been tried once and this is where it ended, with your brother and man beating each other to a pulp.

“Of course you did mami,” Coco smirked over at you as he lit a joint taking a drag and passing it to Miles, “But just imagine the damage the two of us could cause.” He said exhaling.

Rolling your eyes you finished the last stitch to your brother’s face before perching down by Coco on the ground and settling between his legs. He wrapped his arms around you resting his head on your shoulder. Miles passed the joint to Letty as she sat next to him. Leaning forward she completed the round passing it to you and then lounging back on the sofa. You took a hit yourself giving Coco another one as well.

The four of you spent the rest of the night sharing stories and catching up. The conversation flowed easily as most of the time you all had smiles on your face. This was your happy place, just hanging out with your family, whole once more. You snuggled closer into Coco feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath that tickled your neck as you listened to your brother and Letty discussing their favorite shows. Closing your eyes you relaxed enjoying the feeling of home.

Everything Tag List: @jad3djay @fairygardenss @carlaangel86 @briannab1234 @starrynite7114 @agirllovespasta @howaboutash @gemini0410 @naytraydr @knowles-morgan

[shadowdianne]

You wanted a prompt? The blob has a prompt! Cissamione, if that's OK. Boat ride from Azkaban -- both Narcissa and Hermione were there (the reasons are up to you) and share a Tense ride back. Bring on the angst!! (or don't! Maybe you've hit your head and become The Master of Fluff, who knows!)

Sweet sweet blob, fluff? I don’t know her!

Thanks for the prompt tho, Nara. I hope this one it’s to your liking 😉

PS: Some non-canon thingies going your way. JK can suck it. Also, pre-relationship. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you)

The soggy wood beneath her fingers gave up a fraction of an inch as Hermione grasped into it, eyes lost into the slowly disappearing Azkaban tower, the grey waters lapping mercilessly against the rocking boat that slowly made its way to shore. It didn’t matter how hard or long she stared at her back, however, as she could feel the stormy eyes that had been following her every move ever since she had looked at the enchanted boat with her feet firmly planted into the pebble-covered road that made its sinuous way towards the main entrance of the prison.

She had known what she had agreed to when she had offered up her name when rumors about Narcissa Black being permitted to visit her sister had spread all through the Ministry. Yet, when she had asked for the permit, pulling up the rank her status as one of the Golden Trio gave her, she had felt just as dirty as she now felt the back of her throat to be: as if something had gotten stuck there, a non-said spell, an almost swallowed curse. And now, as the blonde witch kept on looking at her, beyond the sea waters, beyond the invisible set of magical wards they kept on slowly trespassing as they moved away from Azkaban, she felt as if about to implode.

“You don’t need to keep on gloating.”

Narcissa’s voice reached her beyond the sound of the waves as they kept on moving: two witches aboard the only magical way left to reach and return from the dark island. She sounded defeated, tired, and the younger witch pursed her lips at the words, knowing there was very little she could say in order to defend herself. It was, after all, what could be perceived as what she was doing: staring, gloating.

She always had found difficult keeping her mouth shut, however. And knowing she already was halfway into a hopeless discussion couldn’t really make her do it.

“I wasn’t.”

She turned towards the prow of the boat, glancing at Narcissa fully for the first time since they had left the deepest caverns that took their root well beneath ground level back at Azkaban: the humidity of the air visible on the dampened rocky walls. The blonde looked paler than usual, grey tint around her usual ice-like eyes. Back straight, however, hands neatly folded on her lap, the previous Malfoy matriarch still looked very much the nobility-holding title witch she had once been.

A shadow of something close to a sneer colored the rictus on her lips, though, and Hermione couldn’t do anything but roll her shoulders, knowing the conversation they were about to have was long overdue. After all, she had expected to have it such when they first had embarked in that very same boat a few hours prior; with the blindness the still-yet-to-have met up brought with it.

But Narcissa had remained silent then, eyes piercing the horizon rather than Hermione and a part of the brunette had been happy for it. Relieved. It seemed, however, that her luck had run out.

“Don’t even try, I know you insisted on coming, Miss Granger.”

The words didn’t quite hurt as much as the use of her surname. The brunette could remember how their last lengthy conversation had ended: with them waiting, surrounding by press, witches, wizards, mages, as the Lestrange trial started beyond the Wizengamot’s closed doors. She had made a promise, after all. A deal with the devil.

She could remember Narcissa’s eyes then, blue, like gems, as she had tried to feign she wasn’t about to cry with every bit of shame and guilt making them glow with unshed magic. She could remember the way the older witch had broken, like glass against stone, the way she had used her name as she had uttered how she knew it was far too much to ask, for her, who had suffered so much back at Malfoy Manor, for, at least, the ability to be able to visit the dark-haired woman whose fate was already sealed.

And yet, when the resolution had been shared, despite her promise of trying, Hermione had eyed Harry, had eyed Ron, and she had walked away. She hadn’t felt remorse from her decision, but she had seen the eyes, the glances, the magic, the promise taken ahold inside her chest.

Lowering her eyes, she looked back to Narcissa’s fingers, to the way they were pressed together, interlocked, knuckles whiter, magic dribbling through.

“I know you had been insisting on the visit. I wanted…”

She halted there, not knowing what exactly she was supposed to say. She had asked for her being the witch assigned to the task out of a sense of duty she couldn’t quite understand after all. And so, not even explain.

Ron had gurgled out curses when she had shared what Narcissa had asked out of her, with Harry looking at her with that mix of curious and doubtful glimmering its way through his irises. She ought to have felt much more incensed, she had told to herself: the gall the blonde witch possessed of even asking maybe too much for her. Yet, she hadn’t quite reacted to the words, numbness slowly eating her insides while she merely nodded, knowing beforehand she couldn’t really give a straight answer of what she could do.

War wasn’t always about battlefields and dates that became important once they passed: it was the remains what mattered and, by the time of the trials, there were far too much fragmented pieces of her still being rebuilt for her to have been capable of answering the tiniest fraction of a question.

She also knew that Narcissa, deep down, had understood her hesitation. Yet, expecting a logical answer from either of them when Bellatrix was involved was too much on itself. And so, she let her tongue fell flat, firmly between her teeth as she tried to find a way of adding to an already rotten layer of words.

I was concerned.

That was probably the best type of answer, but it implied much more, and Hermione glanced at the foam gathered against the external walls of the boat as the tension kept on mounting: Narcissa’s eyes following her once again. She had, indeed, been concerned. About what could potentially happen to Narcissa, to Bellatrix, to the reunion that had been bound to be difficult from the start.

Because, as they had quickly confirmed, Narcissa’s own necessity of checking that her sister was alright despite her situation, her condemnation, the older Black sister didn’t feel the same. Her screams had followed them both out of the caverns, the expletives as bad as -and even probably worse than- the ones a younger Hermione had once heard in the Black mansion, when she had been little more than a teen and there still had been adults padding the way to war.

She feared what any other mage, any other wizard or witch, would have done with an obviously devastated Narcissa whose divorce had already been long and extraneous enough.

Yet, concern and pity hold the same image when reflected into the Black’s mirror and the brunette knew that it wouldn’t be accepted so she sighed, deeply, while glancing up once more, the shadow of something close to land beginning to extend at Narcissa’s back.

“You had the privilege of a visit. You deserved it.”

It wasn’t much of an explanation and she tensed as Narcissa tilted her head, eyes as piercing as before but a glow of rendition on them. The grey around them had been red before stepping into the boat, the very much mortal and human wardens around the island silently watching as they retrieved their wands from where they had needed to leave them: open mockery and hate on their postures. Hermione knew she should never mention that detail: not in her report, not to anyone else.

Looking away from the brunette for the first time, Narcissa crossed one leg over the other while remaining as upright and as unbothered by the rocky waters as before, pushing the question inside Hermione’s subconscious if she had gotten her clothes magicked in some way.

Ironing lines that weren’t truly there, picking up lint that was indeed invisible, the Black sister sighed, lips pouting for a moment, before she took into Hermione’s form once again.

“And I suppose you are expecting some grateful words due to it.”

The younger witch shook her head. She didn’t deserve them: she had been duplicitous and they both knew it, a way of both shooting the guilt she felt and the words they both had shared during the trials. She wasn’t proud of her decision, but she knew there were worse actions to take.

“But I will ask on being your assigned witch if you ever wish to come back. The permit let you such, if you wished it so.”

And, despite her words, Bellatrix hadn’t said she didn’t want to see her sister anymore so…

The blonde hummed as the boat rocked and stopped, the small bumping motion against the shore the signal they had reached their final destination with more gates to cross until they were considered to be completely clear. Standing, the older woman stepped outside the boat and looked quizzically at Hermione, following her steps while the scent of salt filled their nostrils, seagulls framing her answer.

“I suppose it’s fair. Hermione.”

And so, she turned, her footsteps leaving prints as light as smoke on the wet sand. Her words, however, heavy.

Thank you

[noragami-ru-manga]

Chronology of Noragami

To match the events in Noragami with real-life data, we’ve used everything: festivities mentioned, important events that have occurred in Japan, natural disasters, seasonal flower blossoming, study trimesters, exams and school holidays, moon phases that have appeared in the manga, solar and lunar eclipses, Hiyori and Yukine’s birthdays, Hiyori’s diary, and even Yato’s clothes.

Several members of Noragami_ru Manga discussed the series and its time frames, armed with both inspiration and critical thinking. There was a lot of information to process; some of the manga events were very easy to match with the calendar, while others really fell out of the timeline. A prime example is chapter 73. It was impossible to reconcile with any given date and broke the straight string of the events that did line up. Sometimes Hiyori’s diary would cavort and list its dates at random. However, we do know that the events of Noragami happen within the time frame of a little over a year. This one’s easy to check and  prove. The manga started when Hiyori met Yato, several days later they found Yukine and a year later, right after his first birthday, Yukine was accosted by Mizuchi and ended up stinging Yato. Yato then decided to end his father’s attacks once and for all and went to confront him.

Adachitoka started working on Noragami in 2010, and the first chapter was published by Kodansha in January 2011. These dates were the first ones to come to mind. Naturally, other years were carefully examined; members of the fandom stocked up with “magnifying glasses” and “microscopes” and meticulously checked and double-checked several other calendars and tried to reconcile them with the events of the manga. But years 2010-2011 were the ones that fit the best, and very soon you’ll see why. Get ready, dear members, readers and (un)expected guests. We can’t promise you over-the-top fun times. But we hope that you will be pleasantly surprised and look at Noragami and its amazing universe in a different light. Let’s go!

This is our first main clue:

Hiyori says that it’s been two weeks since she first met Yato and became a half-ayakashi. The same day in the evening, they’ll find Yukine. “We had an early snow that day… I wonder if that’s why Yato named him Yukine?”, Hiyori will recollect a year later. It was 29 November, the end of 2010. The sky is overcast, it’s snowing, the moon can’t be seen so it’s impossible to match its phase with the calendar. But we will reconcile memorable dates with moon phases later.

Here we can see young moon behind the trees. It’s an early winter evening; Hiyori comes home and brings Yukine along. Judging by the moon phase, it’s sometime between 10-12 December 2010. Hiyori’s parents come home and say that they’ve been at the class reunion. Those are usually held on Saturdays. If so, the date is 11 December.

The encounter and the first fight with Bishamon happen during fool moon:

First signs of indelible blight start showing on Yato’s skin; Nora appears and tries to persuade him to give up on Yukine and use her instead. The fool moon at the picture looks like it’s been marred by dirt. Date-wise these coincide with 20-21 December 2010. A full lunar eclipse happened that night in real life. In Japan it could be seen in the evening, after the moon rising. Here is a quote from the Russian Wikipedia: “Since this lunar eclipse coincided with winter solstice, 21 December became “the darkest day” in the last 372 years. The next lunar eclipse on 21 December will happen only in 2094”.

The next is “Christmas” chapter (22-26 December). Yato is wearing a Santa cap, there’s a festive shop sign on the wall:

In chapter 9 Hiyori goes on a temple visit to Tenjin’s shrine and New Year’s celebration with her friends. She miraculously avoids death on 1 January:

7 January to 25 March is the last school trimester in Japan. Hiyori is wondering where Yato is. It’s the 3-4th lunar day, when there’s no moon yet, but there are signs of a very slim crescent.

Yato’s epiphany in girl’s bathroom

Soon enough, Yato and Yukine will have to go through misogi – the ablution ritual.

By the way, these two important events changed places in the anime. There, Yato was dying from blight sometime near the end of December, perhaps on that same “darkest day” of the lunar eclipse. Several days later, on New Year’s, Nora set her ayakashi on Hiyori.

Yato meets up with Nora during another full moon. Why can’t they just sleep on these moonlit nights?

Is it 20 January 2011? Or is it already 18 February?

Yukine meets Suzuha when the first spring flowers start blooming:

Hiyori is graduating from middle school and preparing to enter high school. Plumes are blooming (which means it’s either February or March), and Hiyori has her promotion exams coming when she is kidnapped by Kugaha. Yato and Yukine rash to Bishamon’s residence to rescue the girl:

Yato engages Bishamon in battle on the night of the crescent moon:

If we try to match first flowers blooming on the ground with plum blossoming, then it can’t be February, which means it’s the beginning of March. A crescent like this generally appears on 7-9th lunar day. Date-wise it lines up with 10-12 March 2011. The date that interests us is 11 March, since it was a memorable one for Japan. A huge earthquake occurred that day on the eastern cost of Honshu, resulting in a giant tsunami. Nearly 16 thousand people died and 2.5 thousand went missing.

In Noragami this event leads to the gods’ council in Takamagahara:

Bishamon manages to prove that her fall was the sorcerer’s doing, so the Heavens start their hunt on Ebisu. As a result, the actual perpetrator who’s used Aiha and Kugaha to set two warrior gods against each other goes unpunished, whereas Ebisu becomes a scapegoat.

Sakura starts blooming when Hiyori enters high school:

First trimester begins on 1 April. Hiyori is ignoring Yato. According to the calendar, it’s the new moon. Fujisaki enters the scene.

However, as soon as Suzuha’s sakura starts blooming, Hiyory gathers Yato and Yukine, Tenjin, Kofuku and Bishamon and their shinki for flower gazing. There’s even a date this time – 13 April.

The events of chapter 26 happen in early May. End of April – beginning of May are holidays in Japan, which Hiyori spends at home with her parents. Her diary, which we will examine later, is absolutely blank during this time. Hiyori’s mom says that it’s only May, but the water reservoir is empty. There’s also a newscast on TV about possible water shortage in summer, possibly due to abnormal weather conditions

This time Nora appears on a moonless night and kidnaps Yato. Two weeks later Hiyori is seen looking for Yato, asking Daikoku and Tenjin about him. She is doing it with a purpose, since she has plans for 8 May.

Hiyori’s diary here deserves special attention:  

It’s easy to match the dates with the calendar. For example, 10th is a Monday, January, therefore, 11th is a Tuesday. The next page of the diary has another Monday on it – 17th. The dates on the second frame are hard to match with anything, but there’s a mention of the picnic on the third one – 12-13 April, the days are Tuesday and Wednesday. On the fifth frame the pages with dates from 25 April to 7 May are empty. But there’s a trip to Capyper Land scheduled on Sunday.

Yato says he’s been living at his father’s for a month when he is sent to rescue Ebisu from Yomi:

Hiyori’s friends make her go to Capyper Land with them on one of the May weekends. Yukine has been in Takamagahara for a while, where the time flow is different from Earth’s, which is why he’s lost track of time for a bit and only realizes that summer is coming when he meets Hiyori:

There’s unrest in the Heavens. A storm is also brewing on Earth, as noted by Mayu:

2011 was an unlucky year for Japan. Typhoon Songda approached the country at the end of May. Here’s an extract from a real-life news article: “Disasters come treading on each other’s heels. Typhoon Songda, which has been raging near Japan, is approaching Fukushima-1 nuclear station. Bad weather might cause floods and landslides, which the experts fear might result in another radiation leak”.

During old moon Yato is still in Yomi with Ebisu. Storms are raging in Japan and in Takamagahara. A partial solar eclipse is approaching, which you’d think would bother the goddess of sun herself. In Japan it’s supposed to happen early in the morning on 1 June. But?.. Apparently off-screen, Amaterasu lifts her divine ass and goes searching for… the god of the moon, who went missing from the world of the living?

Amaterasu helps rescue the gods from Yomi. When Yato flies out of the vent straight into Hiyori’s arms, it’s already 15 June – there’s a full moon in the sky. According to the calendar, there was a full lunar eclipse that night. Yato is covered in dirt and blight:

After meeting with the reincarnated Ebisu, Yato releases Hiiro:

Judging by these frames, it was Hiiro who used to cut Yato’s hair. Sometime later it starts growing out, so Yato has to pull it into a ponytail since he doesn’t have his free hairdresser now. Though he will get one in Takemikazuchi several months later.

Yato misses Hiyori’s birthday on 28 June. However, he takes her to Capyper Land on one of the weekends. School holidays start on 20 July. Hiyori is seen wearing either dresses or sundresses. It’s also summer when Hiyori sees Yato’s memories and learns about the god’s greatest secret.

Hiyori starts going to school in chapter 48, so it’s September. The month does not begin well: Fujisaki asks the girl to leave Yato alone, and she challenges him. Right after that he uses the second brush from Yomi to summon ayakashi. Those cause chaos at the hospital that Hiyori blames herself for and starts turning into an ayakashi, going further away from the Near shore. It was also in the beginning of September 2011 that tropical storm Talas approached Japan, resulting in 59 casualties. The damage it caused is considered to be one of the biggest ones in the last 20 years. It’s no wonder Hiyori is blaming herself for the disasters; after all, as early as March, right after Yato’s battle with Bishamon and the unrest in Takamagahara and on Earth, Tenjin said to the girl that Yato did that because of her and nearly turned into an aramitama (raging spirit).

In chapter 53 Yukine is secretly reading Hiyori’s letters and says that they haven’t seen each other in two months:

Which means it’s the beginning of November. Fate brings Yato to another Iki and returns him to Hiyori once more. Their ties are written straight with crooked lines.

Yato starts preparing for Kamuhakari and makes clothes for Yukine and himself. Kiun appears and demands that he attends the divine council itself as well. It means that apart from feasting on free food, which was Yato’s intention, he will also have to participate in boring god meetings.

Tama the cat, who also appears at Kamuhakari, ruins this whole line of calendar match-ups. She died in June 2015, not long before chapter 58 was released, and Adachitoka honored her this way.

Bishamon misses Kamuhakari because she goes looking for the burial hafuri. Kazuma comes to Iwami. Full moon is shining through the window, which means it’s 11 November:

Hiyori goes back home from the festivities while Yato has to stay at the boring part of Kamuhakari. The girl notes that it’s been three days since she came back, and recalls that it’s been a year since she met Yato. It happens around 14-16 November. She also thinks that they should throw a party for Yukine, cause it’s almost a year since they found him (two weeks after she met Yato). Yukine’s birthday will be on 29 November. But a lot of events will happen in Takamagahara before that.

By the way, the time flow in Takamagahara is just as messed up as in Yomi. One day for Yato is the same as three days for Hiyori. The moon is old again. And the time in Takamagahara flows three times faster:

There’s also a peculiarity to Yato’s clothes.

“Yato comes to Kamuhakari in white clothes. But then the battle with the Heavens begins. Yato loses his divine white sleeve in his fight with Takemikazuchi. Then only the white cape remains. Finally, he appears in front of Amaterasu dressed in black.

We don’t know how long the battle lasted, but the time in Takamagahara flows differently than on Earth. It’s possible that it’s been two weeks on Earth between the beginning of Kamuhakari and Amaterasu’s trial. Also, during the new moon (when the side of the Moon facing the Earth isn’t lit by the Sun) the sun and the moon go side by side; sometimes the moon overshadows the sun a little, partially or completely. Yes, I’m still hoping an eclipse happened during the trial. Compare this: when Bishamon was at the brink of falling into the state of aramitama, her blight was dark. But Yato’s is black, and the stains it left on Amaterasu’s clothes are black”. (Ivan)

And the calendar? A partial solar eclipse happened on 25 November 2011. Japan was not supposed to see it. However, a black spot landed on Amaterasu and scared her.

“I think that’s the whole point, that the solar eclipse wasn’t seen in Japan. It could only be seen in Antarctica and partially in South Africa and New Zealand. So the picture in chapter 71 is correct. Amaterasu is showering every god and shinki present with her sunlight, then the eclipse starts. Yato, who is tired of the battle and tormented by his shinki’s sufferings, catches his “wave” and tries to make the eclipse happen in Japan as well (albeit figuratively – by striking down the sun goddess), but Take interrupts the moon god’s show of power. Amaterasu looks somewhat tired throughout the trial; maybe she isn’t feeling well, among other things?” (Yana)

The full moon in chapter 73 messes up all the calculations once again.

See, there has already been a full moon not that long ago. Hiyori had spent a day at the Kamuhakari, then waited for Yato’s return for three days, and there’s only one week left till Yukine’s birthday. There can’t be a full moon twice in two weeks’ time. Perhaps Adachitoka started the chapter with Ebisu’s kidnapping as an extra first and then turned it into a full chapter; they added the mention of Yukine’s birthday but either left the moon the way it was drawn for the extra or simply forgot about it.

The next chapter messes up the dates again.

27 November is on Monday in Hiyori’s diary and there’s a note “Fujisaki-senpai was absent again today”. The thing is, 27 November 2011 is Sunday. It was Monday in 2017, when the chapter was released. It was a hard year: one of the mangakas had to take a long sick leave, and the manga soon went on a 14 month long hiatus.

Sometime before the birthday the Heavens summon Yato and he’s questioned by the sacred treasures and then Amaterasu herself.

Yato wakes up covered in blight after Yukine’s birthday. Take’s shinki conduct another misogi, and Yukine admits that Nora kissed him the day before.

Yato goes looking for a shinki that can help him take down Fujisaki. Amaterasu has set a deadline for him on Ooharai, the Great Purification ritual (30-31 December). There has to be a crescent moon in the beginning of December – a very slim one, shaped as a bow. Kazuma comes to Yato and becomes his shinki.

In chapter 79 the dates in Hiyori’s diary are correct: 28 November is Monday, 29 November – Tuesday.

And it’s almost full moon in Chapter 81 when Yukine starts wondering about his past, with the crack on his name growing.

Please focus your attention on the top frames with the moon. Keep your hands on the table and lift your eyes off the bottom frames.

The next full moon is on 10 December 2011, and it’s supposed to be a lunar eclipse, too. Unfortunately, since chapter 81 there hasn’t been any other chapter that had a full moon in it. However, we do have Hiyori’s words in chapter 85 about missing the chance to spend Christmas with her friends. It means that the events of the latest chapters take place between Christmas and New Year’s.

Ooharai is near.

***

Author of chronology: Yana Tarasova

Inspired, came up with ideas and then checked and double-checked them: Darina Episheva, Yana Tarasova, Amoeba Proteus, Ivan Ivanov

Comprised into an article by: Ivan Ivanov

English translation by: Anastasia Bazheeva