#and we just got some very sad news about someone who my family is close with

[tunarath]

this weekend has been absolutely awful man

[luversgirl]

TO BE SO LONELY, part two

summary: after the pouges forget her special day, y/n meets someone the pouges aren’t too pleased with. (heres part one if you haven’t read it yet)

notes: here is the long awaited pt two, im sorry this took to long. i’m in the middle of finals and im trying to get back into writing (p.s theirs another important note after the fic)

warnings: language?

after the big fight at the chateau rafe drove them to the beach, more specifically the one they first interacted at.

y/n quickly slipped off the helmet and walked towards the water without a word said.

as she got closer and closer she placed the helmet and shopping bag down and continued walking.

“y/n!” rafe yelled trying to catch up.

“y/n!” he yelled again a bit more sternly making her stop in her tracks.

he quickly caught up seeing as he was walking very fast to keep up with her “please talk to me” he softly spoke as he stopped in front of her.

“there’s nothing for me to say” she spoke back clearly lying as many tears rolled down her face.

“you’re allowed to be upset y/n” rafe says placing his hands on her face, wiping her tears away.

“how come everyone forgets me” y/n’s voice cracks as she speaks.

after y/n broke down at the beach rafe thought it would be best for her to stay at the cameron household for the night.

waking up to the sun peaking through out the expensive silky curtains the rougtledge girl rubbed her eyes.

her eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliar smell of the sheets she was laying on, turning her body around she saw a sleeping rafe.

she sat up, carefully doing her best to to wake rafe and succeeding.

y/n’s eyes gazed around the room that was clearly rafes. it pleasantly surprised her how organized his room was, the way all his expensive colognes were organized, no laundry on the floor and the pictures of his family and him displayed along the walls.

“good morning” y/n turned to rafe who was now rubbing his eyes as she was minutes before.

“good morning” she smiled as he pulled her closer kissing the top on her head.

“how you feeling baby” rafe asks.

“better now thanks to you” y/n grins looking up at him “what time is it?”

rafe grabs his phone from the nightstand by his side “its 12” he says.

“i have a shift at 1” y/n sighs leaning against rafe.

“can you cancel it?” rafe trys to reason.

y/n chuckles “thats not exactly how a job works, wheres my phone?” she asks.

“under your pillow” y/n reaches for it, hopingit doesn’t explode with messages when it powers on “i also put it on silent so we could sleep through the night” rafe chuckles.

“thank you” y/n smile up at him before checking “jesus christ” she quickly says as she was right about the phone blowing up and

scrolls through all the missed notifications.

“you okay?” rafe asks observing her face.

closing her eyes, y/n takes a deep breath then setting her phone down onto the bed and started to get out of the plush cameron bed.

“woah, woah, woah, where you going sweet thing?” rafe quickly followed now standing in front of her with his hands on each side of her face caressing her soft cheekbones with his thumbs.

“rafe” y/n smiles and tilts her head up looking at the tall boy.

“you know, not all of us can be kooks” sending him a sad smile.

shortly after rafes constant attempts to get y/n not to go to work he accepted his loss in the battle and dropped her off.

she was 2 hours into her shift and nothing had gone wrong yet, but of course she knew something was bound to happen seeing as her brother and his friends new where she worked so it was all just a matter of time.

as soon as her break hits she’s pushing the back door of the the store open for some fresh air only to be met with the pouges.

“what do you guys want” y/n spoke sitting on her usual break bench and gave into her fate.

“i don’t understand why’d you do this to us” john b speaks up first.

y/n eyebrows furrow “i didn’t ‘do’ anything to do” she emphasizes the ‘do’ “not everything is about you bee” using her brother nickname only reserved for her.

“i never said tha-“ john b interjects.

“but thats what you meant, you know i’m actually happy?” y/n humourless laughs then begins to raises her voice “i don’t remember the last time i’ve even been this happy and the second you find out its not in a way you ‘approve’ of you want to try and take it from me”

“we-“ jj tries to interject something else but y/n doesn’t even give him the chance as she grows angrier every time they say something.

“you know he hasn’t bothered you guys in months but you’re all too self absorbed in your fucking shit to even see that and where the fuck was all this when john started dating sarah” y/n’s voice quivers but also grows louder as she stands up “huh?”

“i always supported you and sarah” y/n addresses the young couple making eye contact with the cameron who continued to remain silent “nice to know kindness is a one way street with you guys”

“y/n we never meant to try take away your happiness” kie spits out as y/n starts towards the door.

she turns around to face the pouges “then what were you trying to do?” they all look down at the ground or just stay silent.

“that’s what i thought”

important note!: hi! recently i reached 2k followers (what the actual fuck) so i’ve decided to come up with a little celebration. this celebration would guys yall the option to send in a prompt, blurb, rec list request and stuff like that for any of the characters i would list (like obx for example) would that interest you guys or am i dululu as fuck? lmk through a simple anon or commenting, thanks! ♡

taglist: @faeaura @prettyboystarkey @euthoricspidey @pankowfruitsnacks @rafecameronswhore @yunho-leeknow @outeredits-jess @totallynotkaibiased @jjmaybankslittleslut

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! / This is Part 3! / Part 4 Here!

A/N: I don’t think the poll is over yet, but this one was very clearly going to have the highest percentage, I’ll do the “maybe if we were closer in age” one later though!

If you haven’t already please check out my Batman zine, it’s got so much fanfiction and beautiful art from five different artists! Please check it out, please. I need to find a way to compensate these artists. You can check it out here!

Bruce slumps in his chair, a longing glance spared to the decanter on the bookshelf.

He closes his eyes and wills away the craving. It’s always ten times worse when he wakes up the next day, and he can’t afford feeling worse at this point in his life.

Wasn’t it just yesterday he was twenty years old and he could spend all night playing Bruce Wayne’s party boy image, and be up in three hours feeling none the worse for wear. Now even after nine hours of solid sleep, he wakes up sluggish with an ache in his bones.

I have to be strong.

“Why did you keep her away from us?”

“Who?” he asks absentmindedly, his entire focus still on the brandy.

“(Y/N).” It’s the last name he expected to hear, especially from his oldest son. He looks up, hoping he’s misheard, but the look in Dick’s eyes proves him wrong.

Looks like I’m going to need that drink after all.

He reaches for the decanter, two crystal glasses retrieved from his desk drawer instinctually, glittering on his desk.

“Why are you bringing this up now?” He stalls by taking a sip, feigning casual, like the mention of your name alone didn’t set his heart racing.

“Don’t play this game with me Bruce,” Dick sounds more sad than angry, and it softens him. “Why didn’t you let us see her?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Then start untangling it for me.”

Bruce sighs, taking another sip of his father’s brandy. There’s a million reasons he could tell his son, none of which would be lies entirely, but softer than the truth.

But when he looks up into Dick’s eyes, he can’t bring himself to say any of them. Armed with nothing but liquor at the bottom of his cup, for the first time in four years, after dodging this question from reporters and acclaimed journalists and new paramours, he finally tells the truth.

“Because I didn’t want her to see you.”

A simple, ugly truth. He doesn’t bother looking up to see his sons reaction, he already knows a kind boy like Dick, a boy who’s fully believed his entire life that good prevails, won’t be able to process that his father did something like this. He makes better use of his time by refilling his glass.

Dick slumps in the chair by the time he’s polishing off his second peg, and pouring in his third.

“You did it to punish her?” He can see anger begin to replace shock, and he doesn’t blame him for it, but Bruce is angry enough at himself for the both of them.

“I wanted her to forget we ever existed.” This truth is as kind as it is ugly, and the nuance confuses Bruce even now. But three glasses of brandy affect him in a way that makes his tongue feel lighter and his mind feel free.

“I wanted to give her a potato sack full of money and jewels, and send her far away where no one knew who she was. I wanted her to meet a good partner, someone who would always put her first, and if they decided to extend their family I wanted her to be able to move on without feeling like she left anyone behind.”

“So you wanted her to have a great life, far away from you, and you never wanted to hear anything about it,” Dick’s voice is cold.

Bruce shakes his head. He wanted to hear everything about your new life. What kind of partner you picked. How you spent your days. When you got married. When you had your first child. When you had your second. Everything. And on bad days, he’d close his eyes and let himself imagine it was him standing next to you, that in some alternate universe he made a single different decision that gave him permission to deserve you.

“I was just tired of hurting her,” when you came in to his life, for the first time, he felt like he’s been allowed to have something of his own. Not as Batman, protecting to the city, or Bruce Wayne the mask he carried, but him as a man. But he could never seem to return the reverie you extended to him.

“Do you think she’d ever be able to move on, to live even a semblance of a normal life, if all of you were showing up at her house all bruised and beaten?”

Dick stays quiet now, and Bruce hates himself for having to say it out loud. His son may be an adult in the eyes of the law, but some parts of him are still childlike. After all, Bruce isn’t the only one putting Gotham first.

“I wouldn’t call the way she’s living now normal.” Dick’s been to your penthouse, he’s seen the photo albums full of tabloid clippings and the rare pictures he and his extended family post on social media. He’s seen the journal you keep, hidden on your bookshelf that he mistook for a regular novel during his bi-weekly trips to your place, full of notes on every article and picture and what might be happening behind the scenes to prompt a public appearance like that. Years of deductions and question he could have answered with a single text message a month, but Bruce wouldn’t even allow that.

Dick’s anger grows.

If Bruce had told him he did it to punish you, he’d be angry, but he would understand. Sometimes when you love someone that much, someone who’s too good for you, you grasp at any way to keep them. But this is a million times worse than that.

“If you loved her that much why’d you even let her go?”

Again, another question he wasn’t expecting. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but he doesn’t feel the sharp sting of surprise this time.

“Because sometimes love isn’t enough.”

Dick leaves. Bruce pours another glass, and when he’s sure he’s alone he pulls out his wallet, tugging out the family photo he keeps tucked beneath his black card, turning it over to see your portrait taped on the other side.

The corner of his mouth quirks up.

It was from when you’d both just gotten married, before you were used to upper class etiquette. You complained all morning about having to get ready and wear a bunch of expensive uncomfortable clothes designers had sent in for the article in the Gotham Times, emphasizing how ridiculous opulence like this was when there were so many bigger issues in Gotham.

He’d bought out every copy of the magazine in the city. He still had most of them, tucked away in a box in his closet that became the casket for your relationships. Every now and then he’ll unearth it, just to allow himself to be haunted again by your memory.

But for tonight, just your picture and a glass of brandy is enough.

“You’re so much better at this than I am.”

[reminiscingtonight]

What She Doesn't Know Won't Hurt

Lia Wälti x Reader

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: Fully inspired by all of the team pics with Myles

[WOSO Masterlist]

She’s gone. 

Despite nearly spending all your time joined at the hip, Lia’s not here. 

While normally heartbreaking and unbearable, today it’s exactly what you were hoping for. 

“Make sure to be quiet.”

The sound of something instantly crashing to the ground has you shooting a withering glare at the younger girl by your side. 

“What did I just say?” you sigh, knowing very well you’re going to have to clean up whatever just spilt later.

Alessia gives you a sheepish smile. “Sorry, hazard that comes from having long limbs.”

You ignore the dig at your height. “Do you want to see the surprise or not?”

She perks up at that, quickly scrambling to keep up with your pace. 

When you push open the door to the guest room, there’s a quiet whine before a sharp nose pokes out. 

You’re instantly plowed over by a brown blur, wet tongue dragging all over your face. Laughing, you have to fight to get back to a seated position, fingers digging through short fur. 

Next to you Alessia’s staring, barely able to hide her excitement at the sight of your new puppy. “Oh my god, he’s gorgeous,” she gasps. 

“You want to pet him? Bear doesn’t bite.”

Alessia reaches out without hesitation. Bear takes one look at the striker before his mouth closes around her fingers, lightly nipping at her digits. 

“Much,” you grin as Alessia yelps in surprise. 

She shoots your dog a dirty look as he sits down next to you with a proud look. “Aw, don’t be mad, Lessi. He’s just a baby.”

Whatever Alessia’s going to say is interrupted when he tilts his head at her, beady eyes trained on her face. You can practically hear her gulp, the blonde stiffening in front of you. 

Scooching forward, he gives Alessia an exploratory sniff. 

Whatever Bear finds next must satisfy him because suddenly he’s rolling over, offering up his stomach for some scratches. 

Alessia hesitantly reaches forward, smile breaking out on her face when he wiggles around in excitement at first contact.

For the next hour or so the two of you give Bear all the cuddles and love he could want. He’s all tuckered out, curled up in his dog bed with a new toy when Alessia finally gets up to grab her jacket, ready to leave for the day. 

“Remember, we have to keep this a secret.”

Alessia’s just slipped on her shoes when you remind her of the promise you made her make before taking her to your place after practice today. Lia had gone out with Leah for some light shopping, giving you all the time you needed to sneak Alessia in to see the new addition to your family. 

Something you and Lia agreed on when you first adopted Bear was keeping him a secret for the time-being. Of course there was no worry of the girls treating him poorly, all of your teammates being such dog-lovers, but what worried you guys was the possibility of not having another moment of peace and time alone once they all found out about him. 

So for the past two weeks both of you keep quiet about Bear. What the girls don’t know about won’t hurt them. 

But then there was Alessia. Ever since her move from Manchester she’s just seemed a little off, a little sad. She’s been spending a lot of time with Steph and Calvin to keep her spirits up, so when you adopted Bear it was a no-brainer who your first guest would be. 

So yes, maybe you lied through your teeth when you promised your girlfriend to wait a month before introducing anyone to him. But a month was a long time and you were just dying to confide in someone about your new son.

Alessia nods, pinky hooking around yours. “Just between you and me.”

---

It is decidedly not kept just between you and her.

Alessia’s got an apologetic look on her face when you run into her and a very gleeful Victoria after practice the next day. The way they’re standing by your spot in the nearly empty locker room makes you think they’ve been waiting for you to finish up.

You eye the two of them with suspicion. “Lessi. Vic. What can I do for you?”

Alessia does a quick scan of the room before deciding it’s empty enough to have this conversation. She leans in close to you, lowering her voice.

“I know you said it was just between us,” she starts, hands nervously wringing together.

“Alessia,” you groan, knowing exactly what she’s going to tell you before she does.

“The Dutch can be very convincing!” Alessia looks absolutely terrified. Of you or Victoria, you’re not really sure.

“I can be very convincing,” Victoria echos, not looking ashamed in the slightest. She gives you a wide grin before hooking an arm through yours. “Now what’s this I hear about a new addition to your family?”

You thank the stars that Lia’s gone to get her nails done with some of the other girls. 

You sigh. “Do you want to go in my car or yours?”

---

You’re not quite sure how you got here. Here being your living room, surrounded by most of the younger players on the team, superseded only by the likes of Kim, Cloé, and Jen. 

Alessia and Kyra are engaging Bear in a game of tug-o-war, Victoria egging them on while the rest of you, the older players and Lotte, are chilling with a couple of drinks. The air is light as you quietly joke around, basking in the feel of a small team get-together. 

You don’t really remember why Lia couldn’t be home today, but you ran with it, quickly inviting Alessia over. Only inviting Alessia apparently meant inviting Victoria which meant inviting Kyra which meant… well you get the point. Suddenly you were housing seven football players when you initially only intended for one. The only upside was that the girls all brought over food and drinks so who were you to turn them away?

You’re so caught up in conversations and laughs that you don’t hear the sound of the key turning in the lock. Nor the opening of said door. Or the confused murmur at all of the shoes by the door. 

What you do hear is your full name coming out of a voice you’ve come to associate with love and warmth. Only the sound of her voice tonight is followed by your heart sinking to the bottom of your gut. 

Spinning around you come face to face with an unamused Lia, arms crossed as she looks on at the sight of the living room. Alessia instantly lets go of the rope, sending Kyra flying when Bear pulls with all of his might. The Australian grumbles out some swear words as Bear sits up proudly, toy hanging loosely in his jaws. He trots over to Lia, tail thumping in excitement at the sight of her. 

“Lia, babe, it’s not what it looks like.”

Your girlfriend raises an eyebrow at you. “It looks like you invited people over to see Bear when we agreed not to.”

“Okay. It's exactly what it looks like.” There’s no point in denying what you both know is true. But that doesn’t mean you don’t try to deflect. “But it’s all Lessi’s fault!”

Alessia lets out a cry of dismay. “Is not! You’re the one who invited me over!”

“I wasn’t the one who invited everyone else now was I?”

The striker looks ready to argue, but whatever she’s going to say is interrupted when another familiar but unexpected figure comes flying in behind Lia. 

“I’m ready to see my favorite little pookie bea--” Leah breaks off when she sees the crowd of women already in your living room. Her feet come to a skidding stop, eyes darting between you and your girlfriend. 

“Oh hey, (Y/N). I didn’t realize you were going to be here…” Her eyes sweep the room. “Or half the team either.”

“Right.” Your lip pinches into a line, a sinking suspicion that you’re being played by your girlfriend. “And what pray tell are you doing here, Leah?” Though the question is directed towards your vice captain, your eyes never leave your girlfriend’s. 

Leah’s eyes also dart towards Lia, the defender not quite sure what to say or do. 

Your girlfriend on the other hand has suddenly found your dog very interesting, hands planted firmly in his fur as she avoids all eye-contact. 

“You’re such a hypocrite!” you laugh, pulling your girlfriend into your arms. Leave it up to Lia to try to sneak people in to see Bear just like you have been. Between you sneaking girls in when Lia’s gone and Lia sneaking in others while you’ve been out, there’s no telling how many Arsenal girls have already been by to see him. 

It isn’t until nearly thirty minutes later, when you and Lia have already laughed off your apparent inability to keep Bear to yourselves that Leah breaks the peace. 

“So I shouldn’t tell Beth to come over?” Leah whispers to the Swiss girl, albeit a bit too loudly. 

An offended sounding gasp escapes your lips, tilting your head to meet Lia’s embarrassed gaze. 

“You told me you only told Leah!”

[writtenbymisunderstoodnerds]

Falling in love again (Christen Press x Reader)

Writers block is being a pain at the moment so sorry it's been a while since I posted. I'll be back to trying to write my list of requests in a few weeks when I'm back from holiday. This wasn't requested, just a random idea and probably not very good but I hope you like it!

Warnings: Death of a partner, grief. If you find anything else let me know and I'll add it!

Words: 4.3K

---

Almost two years had passed since I lost my person. The person I thought I would spend my life with, the person I loved more than I thought it was possible to love someone. Life was cruel like that, giving you a person who understood you, who loved you so deeply, only to rip it away in the worst way possible. The day the phone call came, telling me Talia had been in an accident that claimed her life was a blur. Honestly, at times it still felt like a dream. The overwhelming grief, disbelief and fear I felt that day still ever present if I thought back to it. 

I had almost quit soccer for good after that, but I knew she wouldn't want me too. Talia loved watching me play, she knew how much I loved it, always encouraging me and supporting me in everything I did. So I kept going, every game I played, I played for her. The grief had faded since then. It was always there, it always would be, some days were worse than others, but it was bearable. It didn't consume me like it once had.   

One of the things Talia used to love was colouring in my tattoos. Not that I would have admitted it to her, but once we started dating, my new tattoos were purely designed so she could colour them. Our spare time was often spent with her colouring them while I drew or did random stuff. It was something I found myself doing often, especially when I was missing her.

Someone sat down next to me as I slowly coloured in one of the many tattoos scattered over my body. I didn't pay them much attention, continuing colouring, "What are you doing?"

I shrugged, not looking up at Emily, "Colouring."

"Is she colouring in her tattoos again?" Kelley asked sitting across from us.

"Yup, we really need to get her paper or a colouring book."

"Have you ever noticed even when there's paper around she still does it? Look at how comfortable and peaceful she looks. It's like a built in stress relief." I fought the urge to chuckle at how they talked as if I wasn't there. To be fair I was only half listening. 

"Why do you colour in your tattoos?"

I sighed, putting down the pen. The team had been bugging me for months now about it. These were some of the people I trusted most in the world, there was no reason to keep hiding it from them. "It reminds me of my wife. She would sit there for hours colouring in my tattoos while I drew. It became sort of a routine."

"You're married? You don't wear a ring."

I pulled the chain around my neck that held a simple black band and a silver band with a line of diamonds. "Mine and hers," I took a deep breath trying to control my emotions, "She died almost 2 years ago, I only take it off for games."

"God Y/n, I'm so sorry," Ali said, pulling me in for a quick hug.

Alex was the next to pull me into a tight hug, "How come we never knew? We've known you longer then two years?"

"No one knew except our close friends and family. At the time we weren't as close as we are now and I guess I couldn't bring myself to mention it after. We never specifically hid it, just didn't put it out there. She never wanted to the world to know who she was. Never wanted who she was with to impact her kids."

"She had kids?"

"She was a teacher at a school for kids with disabilities. They meant the world to her, she would do anything for them. It was always a worry that her suddenly being known would affect her job in some way."

"It sounds like she was an amazing person. I'm sad we never got to meet her."

"You did, you just never knew who she was to me."

"Talia? I remember you mentioning that she passed away and that's why you took that break," Alyssa asked.

"Yup, we had been married 4 years the day you met her."

"That's why you completely disappeared that day then wouldn't tell us why."

A small smile appeared on my face remembering that day. We had booked a hotel room, ordered way to much room service, gave each other massages, then had a bath and watched movies. It was simple, but one of my favourite nights besides the day we got married, "She had flown in that weekend just so we could celebrate our anniversary. We never spent one apart."

---

Christen sat down on her bed, staring up at me for a second before speaking, "That's why you turn everyone down when they ask you out? Including me."

There had been many people over the years that had asked me on dates, all being turned down for obvious reasons. Christen had been one of them though, about a year after Talia passed. Besides Talia, Christen was the only person I could actually see myself with if I ever got to a point where I felt ready. That wasn't now, but part of me hoped it would happen soon. Despite the guilt and grief that was there, I wanted the chance to be happy again with someone. We had talked about it a few times and neither of us wanted the other to hold on for too long. Talia would want me to be happy, to move on and one day, when the time was right, I would.

I sighed sitting down next to Christen. Sitting or lying on the others bed was a pretty common occurrence when we roomed together. "You know I know she would want me to be happy, but every time I even think about starting to date again, it feels like I'm betraying her. Like if I start something, I'll forget her."

"You'll never forget her. No matter what you're doing or who you're with, she will always be in your heart. She'll always be your person, but you can love someone else while still loving her just as much as you always have. It's not one or the other and if the next person doesn't understand that then they aren't worth the time. There's no rush to move on."

"Thanks Chris. Out of all the people that have asked me out, you're the only one I thought about saying yes to. I'm sorry I wasn't ready."

Christen placed her hand on my knee, squeezing gently. Something that always seemed to make me feel peace. "Don't be. I always knew there was a slim chance of you saying yes and I accepted that. I was just happy that it didn't change our friendship."

"Would you still be open to that date? Not right now, but sometime in the near future."

"Of course I would. There's no rush or pressure though Y/n/n, whenever you're ready, I'm ready. And if you're never ready that's okay too."

--- Today was two years since Talia was taken. Of course it was game day. When I realised the date it was like a weight was sitting on my chest. Christen was still asleep so I slipped quietly into the bathroom to shower and let the tears out. I had originally been thinking about pulling out of the game, but after my shower I was actually feeling okay to play. I was determined to win for her. 

The final whistle blew as I clung onto whoever was closest, my knees trying to give out on me. The rush of emotions I felt was not what I expected. Happiness, relief, grief all rushing through me as I tried to hold it together in front of everyone. Letting my emotions show in front of friends or family was hard enough, I didn't need that happening in front of the fans. 

I managed to hold it together enough to greet the fans before we made our way to the locker room. As I put the necklace back on, I broke. Tears silently streaming down my cheeks before a sob forced it's way out. Instantly, Ali's arms wrapped around me tightly as I sobbed into her shoulder. I didn't like crying in front of people, but there was no stopping it. So for once, I just let it out with the comfort of the people I trusted most. 

Once I had calmed down, Ali finally spoke up, "What's going on Y/n/n?"

"I-it's been 2 years sin-since- I'm sorry."

Ali's arms tightened as another hand squeezed mine, "Never apologise for feeling how you feel. You can always feel how you feel with us. We've got you always."

We spent longer in the locker room than we normally would as the girls took turns comforting me and making sure I was okay before we left. After dinner, most of the team ended up in one of the rooms for team bonding. There were quite a few questions about Talia, normally I didn't talk about her much because of the emotions it brings up, but everyone seemed genuinely interested in her.  Also, talking about her was actually quite therapeutic.  

Even though it was therapeutic, talking about Talia still brought up emotions so I had found myself cuddled up with Ali for comfort. I had almost went to Christen for comfort, but the guilt had started to creep in again making me decide against it.

"How old were you when you got married? It must have been quite young," Tierna asked.  

"We were. We started dating at 19, married at 23.  Possibly too young in some peoples opinions, but at the time we just got the idea in our heads and went with it. I proposed and 2 months later we were married. My time with Talia was incredible, it was fun and low maintenance. We met in college when we both didn't have a lot of money, most of our dates in our first few years were picnics, walks or movie nights. 

I mean our first anniversary, we made each other homemade cards. Talia got me marshmallows because I was obsessed with them at the time and I got her chocolate and gummy bears. We ended up at the beach, making smores before going back to my apartment and making pasta for dinner. To this day that was probably one one of my favourites. Talia never cared about fancy or expensive things, that never changed the further I got in my professional career or as our money situation changed. She was just happy if we were together."

I knew I was rambling, but I couldn't help myself. Talking about Talia before I lost her was one of my favourite things. The girls didn't seem to mind though as everyone's attention seemed to be completely on me. "She sounds like she was an incredible person."

"She was. I think she would have gotten along with all of you. Especially Emily and Kelley. Talia loved pranks and just being annoying. She wrapped up a carrot and gave it to me more than once, she would pull little pranks all the time or poke and prod at me constantly."

Later that night, Christen got my attention as I slipped into my bed, "Hey, you doing okay? I know today was hard."

"It was, but I'm feeling okay right now. I think talking about her helped. I've never really let myself because of the emotions it brings up. Turns out it's quite freeing to talk about her."

"The team would agree, it was nice to hear about her. I can see how much you love her."

"It's uh not weird for you is it?"

"No. Y/n, she was your wife, you love her, you always will. I know that. If we were to eventually get to a point past friendship, I would never expect anything else. You can talk to me about her whenever you want and I don't want you to feel bad about it."

"Thank you Chris. I don't want you to think I'm leading you on or anything. I have every intention of asking you on a date, I just need a bit of time."

"Hey, I don't think that at all. Like I said, there is no rush, there's no expectations."

---

It had been about six months since mine and Christen's initial conversation. I was finally feeling like I was ready to try dating again, all I had to do was ask. It had taken longer than I thought it would and a part of me was thinking that Christen would have lost interest by now or just didn't want to deal with my past. A part of me was tempted to not ask, to save myself from rejection, but I also knew there was no way to know unless I asked. 

"So."

"So?"

I took a deep breath, trying to clear some of the nerves that had been building. I had never asked one out let alone dated anyone else besides Talia. Christen sent me a small smile, the nerves melting away when I saw the adoration in her eyes. "Will you go on a date with me Chris?"

"You're ready for that?"

"I think so, I've been thinking about it a lot recently. It's just this is something I haven't done with anyone besides Talia so I might not be perfect or even close to it, but I'll try."

"I would love to Y/n. Just tell me if we go on this date and you realise you're not ready. I'll understand. You also don't have to be perfect, we'll figure this out as we go okay?"

"Thank you Chris. I'll pick you up at 6?"

"We're sharing a room."

"I'm going to get ready in Ali and Alex's room, that way I can pick you up."

"And they say chivalry is dead." 

---

Trying to plan a date was so far out of my comfort zone that I didn't even know where to start. Of course I had been on many dates with Talia, but that was different. It had been 10 or so years since my first and only first date. I knew Talia like the back of my hand, I knew what she liked, where she liked to go. Christen on the other hand, I knew her, but to a far lesser extent which was making me overthink. What if she didn't like what I planned? What if I did too much or not enough? 

Before I could continue to spiral, I decided to enlist the help of Tobin. Normally I would go to Ali, but Tobin was Christens bestfriend. 

"You okay Y/n?"

"No. Well yes but also no. Christen and I are going on a date tonight and I'm freaking out. I cannot for the life of me decide what to do. Every time something comes to mind, I convince myself that it's not enough. Chris will be the second person I've ever taken on a date, it needs to be perfect."

Tobin led me to sit on the bed as I had started to pace across the room. "Don't tell her I told you, but Chris doesn't care what you do, she's just happy to go out with you. Tell me your ideas?"

"I know she likes parks or gardens, beaches, picnics, museums, that sort of thing. There's not a beach around otherwise I would take her there and it'll be too late to take her to the museum but I found a nice park the other day. It has a lake and there were heaps of like lights and stuff. Was thinking picking up some takeaway and other bits to have a picnic at the park, but it doesn't seem like enough."

"Y/n, that is perfect. I know this is pretty much completely new to you, but you just need to try relax a little bit. You know Chris, she's your friend, you know what she likes. She's going to love a picnic in the park, maybe a walk around after."

"Thank you Tobs."

"Hey Y/n?"

"Yeah?"

"Chris is going into this knowing there's a chance you realise you're not ready and she'll understand that, everyone will. There'll be no hard feelings or anything. Just if that happens, please tell her sooner rather than later. I know you won't do it on purpose, but I don't want her to get her hopes up."

"I will. This wasn't a decision I made lightly, I feel ready and I'm really hoping I am. I admit, it does feel a bit weird, but I really like her Tobin. The last thing I want to do is hurt her."

Tobin smiled slightly, pulling me into a quick hug, "I know and so does Chris. Just take it one step at a time, you don't need to rush anything or do anything that doesn't feel right."

After one last hug I made my way to the door, "Thanks Tobs, I should go get ready before I make myself late."

Before heading back to my room, I ran down to the shop to get a few things. Picking out what to buy took longer than it should have. Everything I thought about buying, I ended up second guessing if Christen actually liked it. Time was running out though so I ended up picking out some wine I thought she liked and some other picnic type things.

Despite almost making myself late, I knocked on the door at exactly 6 pm, trying my best to push down the nerves. Tobin was right, Christen was my friend, I knew she didn't expect or even really like some fancy date. There was no real reason to be this nervous. Part of it was probably because of how new it was, part of me was second guessing if I was truly ready for this, but I think that was due to nerves and not wanting to hurt Christen. Another part was because it was Christen. Gorgeous, kind, thoughtful Christen. Anyone in their right mind would be nervous to be going on a date with her. 

"Hi Y/n/n."

"Hi."

Christen smiled, kissing my cheek softly, "You okay?" 

"A bit nervous, but I'm okay. You ready to go?"

We made our way out of the hotel, stopping to pick up takeaway before starting the ten minute walk to the park. Christen didn't ask about what we were doing, instead making random conversation. Knowing I was nervous, I had a feeling she was doing it on purpose to try calm me down. It was definitely working, my nerves were fading away the longer we talked and I wasn't thinking so much about if it was enough. Instead, I was letting myself be excited about it. 

When we got to the park, Christens eyes lit up as she looked around. I found a nice spot by the lake, spreading everything out on the blanket as Christen got comfortable. "How'd you find this place? It's beautiful."

"I stumbled upon it when I went for a walk the other night."

"You went for a walk, alone at night?"

"Maybe not my best idea, but I needed to clear my head away from our room, away from the hotel."

Concern covered Christens face as she straightened slightly, "Away from our room? Was I doing something wrong?"

"No, no you didn't do anything. I was trying to figure out if I asked you out or not. I guess I was worried that I had left it too long and maybe you weren't interested anymore. I also felt a bit guilty, making you wait so long. It seems unfair to you. Got in my head about it I guess. If you can't tell, I'm a bit of an overthinker sometimes."

"Well I'm glad you did. This wasn't unfair to me, I promise. You were honest about everything Y/n, you didn't give me false hope or lie to me. That was all I could ask of you. Are you feeling okay about this?"

"I am. Honestly, it feels a little bit weird which maybe you don't want to hear, but I'm really having a good time."

Christen smiled, taking my hand gently, "Look, I don't get how it feels, but I will never dismiss anything you're feeling. You can always talk to me about it. It's okay for it to feel weird because it probably is for you, I don't take offence to that."

"Thank you. Now lets eat before it gets cold."

We spent the next couple of hours talking about anything we could think of. There had never been anyone but Talia that I could talk to so comfortably without running out of things to talk about. That was until Christen came along. Long before there were any feelings, there had always been something about her that made me feel comfortable talking to her about things. Now I craved the conversations I could have with her. I wanted to get to know her more, from the mundane to the personal. 

Conversation continued as we walked around the park hand in hand then back to the hotel when it started to get late. The nerves had long faded by now, instead being replaced by giddiness and maybe butterflies. Going on a date with Christen felt right. Despite the lingering guilt, I knew Talia would approve. I knew that out of anyone to move on with she would have chosen Christen for me. That in itself brought a sense of peace. 

---

Christen slipped under the blankets on her bed, pulling me down with her. I laughed as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, mumbling something about wanting cuddles. Pulling her closer, I left a soft kiss against her forehead before speaking. "You want me to sleep in your bed tonight?" 

Christen just nodded. We had just got back from our fifth date in two weeks. They could have been spaced out since we lived in the same city, but I felt like a smitten teenager again. Instead of the nerves that plagued me for our first date, I was excited about the dates. Maybe to some it was too many too quick, but I didn't care and Christen didn't seem to either.

Despite the amount of dates we had been on, we were planning on taking things slow. It was my idea to take it slow as this was something I hadn't done in a long time. We had kissed for the first time at the end of the last one, but even though we were rooming together, we hadn't slept in the same bed yet.

"That can be arranged, but I need to get changed and brush my teeth." She groaned dramatically, but let me go with a pout. After completing my nightly routine, I took my necklace off, putting it next to the bed. It felt unfair to Christen to be sleeping in the same bed as her while still wearing my wife's ring.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking it off."

"Because you want to or because you feel you have to?" I just shrugged, Christen stood up, grabbing the necklace and putting it back around my neck before her arms wrapped around my waist from behind. "I will never make you take this off. I never want you to feel like you have to for me okay? You will always love her and that's okay. It doesn't mean you can't have that love for someone else as well."

I nodded leaning back into her. One of my biggest fears with dating someone new was that they wouldn't understand or get mad at the fact that I will always be in love with someone else. That person just happened to not be here anymore. It was scary that I already felt myself falling for Christen, she was just such a beautiful person, inside and out. I don't think I could stop myself from falling even if I wanted to.

---

Christen and I were lying on my bed as the movie credits started to play. We were supposed to go out, but I wasn't feeling up to it. Talia's birthday was in a few days and I had been thinking about her a lot. No matter how much time passed, I still missed her just as much. I was feeling somewhat guilty about the new realisation that I was in love with Christen, like I was being unfaithful to Talia. I felt guilty a lot when Christen and I first started dating. It had mostly faded over the 6 months we had been together, though it always got worse near dates to do with Talia. I just had to keep reminding myself that there was nothing to feel guilty about and that she would be happy for me.

"I hope she's proud of me," I stated quietly, mostly to myself.

Christen turned her head slightly, "Maybe I didn't know her very well, but I know she is. You've come so far in your life and career. You are an amazing person, anyone would be proud of you."

"Sometimes I wish I could have one last conversation with her. See what she thinks of my life, where I am, who I'm with. I still talk to her sometimes, almost expecting a response, but of course it'll never come."

Her fingers laced with mine, squeezing slightly, "I'm sure she's listening and she's happy that you're living the life you want. That's what the people who love us should want for us."

I rolled over so I could look at her properly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face, "Have I ever thanked you? For letting me talk about her, for understanding that me loving her doesn't take away from what I feel for you, for always being there for me on days like our anniversary, or her birthday or the anniversary of her death. It's something I am forever grateful for Chris."

"I will always do all of those things, you don't ever need to thank me. I love you Y/n, I'll always be there for you no matter what."

"Y-you love me?"

"I do. You don't have to say it back, I just wanted you to know."

I kissed her softly, trying to show everything I was feeling, "I love you Chris."

[lucysarah-c]

Hi ik you’re not taking requests but could you share what you think the canon aot characters would think about gay people?

Hi, dear! How are you?

I feel so giggly when people ask for my opinion on topics; I don't know why. So, I'll take a minute from my birthday to reply!

This is such a good question, and I'll do my best to respond respectfully as someone who isn't part of the LGBTQ+ community. I would say that overall, most characters of AoT, or at least the ones we know well (not like the civilians inside the walls), wouldn't "mind it." For example, I don't believe Erwin, Levi, Hange, Eren, Mikasa, Jean, etc., would mind it or be homophobic. I'll summarize the upcoming rant with a quote I heard once and feel encapsulates my view of the AoT characters:

"The woke of today are the fascists of tomorrow."

It's true. Everything you fight for today to normalize, to create awareness, etc., will hopefully be granted in a few years. Society will evolve, and the new generations will think we are "close-minded" to a certain degree. There will always be homophobic and misogynistic people across generations, but probably one kid or two will call us out in a couple of years. This is great because it means society is learning.

With that said, when I get asked, "Would Levi be misogynistic? Would Levi or Erwin be homophobic?" I always think, "They wouldn't… for their period's standards." I don't think the society within the walls is very open-minded by 2024 standards. Even in my own fic, I write that homosexuality is banned inside the walls, which was the case in many countries until not long ago. In some places, it still happens. Even in societies like Korea, being homosexual isn't "illegal," but you could lose your job if your boss finds out. I follow a YouTuber from Spain who does vlogs about his life in Korea, and he's gay. He has to keep his relationship with his boyfriend secret because his Korean boyfriend could lose his job and family if people found out.

It's extremely sad that people can't live their lives proudly and loudly because of this, but it's a reality even nowadays. So, I don't really think being open about your sexual orientation if you're not a cis heterosexual person would be safe inside the walls.

Now, do I think that AoT characters are homophobic? No. The only characters that come to mind who might be openly homophobic, based on the vibes they give me (not on panels or canon proof, just my feelings), are Folch, Porco, Zackly (because he's an old man), and Zeke. Zeke would probably pretend that he doesn't care but be really homophobic deep down and maybe even use it against someone.

The rest, I don't feel they would be homophobic. Maybe they would make some uncool comments, but mostly out of ignorance rather than hate, like maybe Jean. On the other hand, I do feel like they wouldn't have a 2024 approach to the topic, especially the men. I'm not saying women can't be homophobic, but historically, women and homosexuals have had a more "ally" relationship.

I think this is also due to misogyny. I can see AoT guys being like, "Yeah, we're cool with it… as long as I'm not the one that guy is into," or "As lond as nobody thinks I AM gay," which is a very usual approach for men. They fear other men being into them because men are deep down scared of being treated or seen as they treat women. Men often see gay men as "lacking masculinity," which has nothing to do with it but is usually correlated for heterosexual men. Especially in military settings, barracks, shared showers, locker talks, etc., men are supposed to be "men's environments." Particularly in the scouts, as they are all outcasts of society and very few in number. If they got picky about who they decided to get involved with, they would halve their numbers.

In conclusion, I feel like most of the AoT characters wouldn't mind at all. They might not be open about their sexuality because of societal prejudice, but their opinion about it wouldn't be as "supportive" as many of us are these days.

Thank you so much for your ask! I hope this somehow answers the question!

[g0lightly]

it's so strange to remember that sansa stark and i were both 13 when ADWD was published... but she's still 13 and i'm very much not!

when i first watched game of thrones, i immediately formed an attachment to sansa because i was also 13 and the only girly girl in my rather close extended family. she was instantly one of the most relatable characters of all time to me. sophie turner is not quite two years older than me irl so even when the promotion from my family's tv provider cut off our access to hbo some time after i watched season 1, i always thought of sansa as a peer when she came up in the pop culture osmosis since, well, we were the same age.

i watched the last few episodes of game of thrones with my roommates as a 21-year-old about to graduate from college. what can i say? i didn't want to be left out of a cultural phenomenon! during sansa's coronation, i once again saw myself in her as i stepped into a new phase of life with more responsibility. i also felt proud of her, as if i'd actually watched her progress over the seasons i hadn't (at that point) seen.

five years later, i finally watched the show in full and decided to read the books because i was so dissatisfied with how sansa was written in the latter seasons and heard there was more depth to her characterization in the books. i happened to find the books when i was dealing with the fact that being a (relatively) newly-out lesbian in my mid 20s means going through things that most of my peers went through at book!sansa's age. meanwhile, sansa is a 13-year-old girl going through things that someone my age might go through in the modern world.

reading her chapters helped me reconnect with my 13-year-old self who found sansa so relatable in the first place and now i better understand what i need to do for my inner child as a grown woman. an untold number of my therapy sessions have started with "so i read a sansa chapter this morning..." i mourn the loss of the five year gap because i think the reason grrm wrote so many main characters as children (despite saying he dislikes writing child characters) is to show the impact that one's inner child can have on one's adult self. and it kills me to think we might never see their adult selves dealing with that in canon.

i wish we could see sansa grow up into a (well-written) version of the powerful woman we see her become at the end of got in the asoiaf books but i am not sure the timeline will work that way. i would love to see her as a grown woman taking stock of what she needs to do for her inner child just as i have (with her help, in a way). of course there's fic -- this perspective of sansa very much informs the way i write her in my longfic -- but it makes me sad that we may never get grrm's take on her as a grown woman with full autonomy. because it feels like she grew up with me, you know?

[strawberryblue-blog]

Lover —Christian Pulisic

warnings: none. fluff, soft.

summary: something nice and sweet for this great man. Inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Lover".

words: +1.5k.

#sexynote: hope you like it! thank you very much for all your support i really appreciate it. take care, see you soon <3

We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January. And this is our place, we make the rules.

The holidays had ended full of happiness and harmony. Everything had gone as expected, in fact, it had been better than you had imagined. It was the first time your families had come to you home for the holidays and although they feared something might happen, everything had been perfect. Christian took your hand when midnight came and kissed you under the mistletoe, even as he listened to your father's warnings. His sister squealed with happiness as he took pictures of you while your mothers hugged each other.

And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear. Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?

You had known Christian for five years but it really seemed like you were meant to be together. And I'm not saying you were perfect because you weren't but... you just complemented each other. He knew everything about you, he knew your weaknesses and your strengths, your likes and dislikes, everything about you. You knew everything about him too, although you were sure you still had a lot more to learn about your new home.

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever?

You had fallen in love with him as soon as you had met. It wasn't typical for someone to care as much about you as he did that night. The night your friend set you up on a blind date, lying to you about it. At first glance, you knew he was a handsome guy but as the night went on, your heart knew he was a man. A man who cared about others, someone kind and caring, a gentleman who made you laugh and you liked him more and more.

And take me out, and take me home. You're my lover.

It didn't take long after your first date for you to conclude your love. It only took three more dates and he gave you his first kiss. It was outside your house, as he accompanied you in the lonely night. He had lent you his coat and insisted on walking you home. Very cliche. But it was more than perfect. Definitely what you had imagined when you were a teenager. His hands took yours, his eyes asked for permission and when he got it, he kissed you.

We could let our friends crash in the living room. This is our place, we make the call.

Moving to London was a big change for you. Especially because you didn't know what life was like on the other side of the world and you were terrified that theirs wasn't going to work out. Leaving your old life to join him in his dream still made you sweat but you'd rather take the chance than give it up and lose the one person you'd managed to love like no one else. Hopefully, you would start from scratch away from everything you knew and learn to live together in your own time.

And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you. I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all.

Definitely in your best memories, Christian was present. Like when you were frustrated and cried every night before your exams or when you received your diploma and finally, you were a lawyer. When you had your appendix removed and had to drink sparkling water, which he had bought for you, or also when the pregnancy test came back positive. He was probably the only person with whom you had shared most of your memories, some happy, some sad, frustrating or exciting. And you were sure, there would be many more.

I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

Maybe you never would have met Christian if you hadn't agreed to go on that date, but you like to think that's the way fate wanted it. For if your friend hadn't lied to you about that night, you might never have agreed to a date with a stranger. But here you were, hugging your shoulders as his kisses encircled your neck and his hands caressed your back.

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue. All's well that ends well to end up with you

You really wished and prayed that Christian would love you all your life, because you would. You would love him until the end of your days. No experience in love had ever brought you as much happiness and excitement as your relationship with the footballer. Even in your worst moments, you knew how to reconcile and fix it. Only you knew how to love each other so madly, because you had learned to accompany and support each other in spite of everything.

Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover

You were willing to give up everything for Christian, you had already done it and you would do it again and again, as long as he was willing to give it up for you. He promised you his undying love and you vowed to be by his side when he would need you most. You never even thought you would be here where you were, waiting behind the big door of the church, holding the arm of your father, who held the tears in his eyes. Stomach churning and a thousand feelings afloat. Today you were going to say yes in front of your families, friends and colleagues, and you couldn't wait for this night to be over.

And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me. And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover

Eight months ago, you found out one of the best news of your life. Together with Christian, the love of your life, you would be parents. Never before had you experienced so many feelings together, thousands of sensations, uncertainty and excitement. Even at night you would wake up wanting to give up, fearing what might happen in the future, but then Christian would sit next to you in bed and caress your back with his sweet words... then, everything go away.

Darling, you're my lover.

The first few days after your son was born, everything changed. Your husband's sparkling eyes lit up the room as you walked towards him, holding his son, you could see glimmers clearing from his eyes. His arms embraced your body surrounding you gently in his warmth, the little body between you moved feeling the love of his parents. His lips kissed your forehead, then his fingers took your newborn's tiny hand.

[violetszone]

Surprise From My Bff

Charles x fem!reader

From this and this request

Summary: Although he is 2 years younger than you, you were very close friends with Charles and you hadn't seen each other for a while. You went to Monaco to surprise her. Things got a little messy when you went to the bar together in the evening. Because at the end of the night, the friend you've been in love with for years confessed to you.

Prompts: “Supri- oh shit you’re not [insert character name].”/ “i dont like [x], i like you”/ “This reminded me of you.”

WARNINGS: Quick finish,not edited writing

You were best friends with charles, it was never a problem that you were 2 years older than him, you hadn't seen him for a very long time, so you were going to go to Monaco to surprise him, unfortunately this plan coincided with valentine's day.

But you knew it would be okay for him, he didn't have a girlfriend for a while and you were happy about it because you liked him for years, with the help of his family, you somehow went to Monaco even to Charles' house,you took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

You waited for a while for the door to open, finally the voices started coming and a beautiful girl opened the door. “Supri- oh shit you’re not Charles" The girl who opened the door looked a little confused, just as she was about to speak, Charles came to the door.

"YN I can't believe how are you really here? come inside oh i miss you so much" he pulled you in the girl behind you closed the door and started watching the two of you Charles hugged you he was very happy even if a little confused.

"I was going to surprise you but-" you looked at the girl watching you just then Carlos came out of the room "Hello YN I wasn't expecting to see you" You smiled at Carlos and hugged him too The girl came up to him and Carlos introduced her, "By the way, this is Isa, my girlfriend,"You and the girl smiled at each other and shook hands.

You went into the living room and started chatting. Charles asked Carlos if they had any plans for today, and when he found out that they didn't, you made plans to go to a bar in the evening.When Isa said that another friend of hers would be joining them, Charles seemed a little annoyed, though he didn't show it, and you didn't want to ask why.

When you finally went to the bar in the evening, there was Charles ,Carlos,Isa and a girl named Lucia with you and she was flirting with Charles.Charles was talking to her even though he realized that she was flirting with him you thought he probably liked her and you got angry. You said you'd have a drink and left your seat.

You gave your order to the bartender and started to wait, someone you didn't know came to you and you met, even though you were having a normal conversation, it was obvious that he was flirting with you. Finally, when your drink was ready, you tried to leave, but the man grabbed his arm and stopped you.

At that moment, you felt a hand on your waist and you turned to the person holding you, this was Charles  "Is there a problem YN" you turned and looked at him "It's okay, we were just chatting, right" the man agreed but his hand was still holding your arm Charles angrily pushed his hand away and pulled you closer, making you frown

"Your conversation is over, we're leaving" now you were really angry he could flirt with someone else but couldn't you, you moved away from Charles "I'm not coming, here I'm fine I want to talk to my new friend some more" Charles licked his lip and spoke in a warning tone "YN let's go" you exhaled nervously and walked past him to the exit.

Charles came after you and gave you his jacket, you didn't wear it, just took it from him, you got in the car he opened and closed the door, you weren't looking at his face "You better go back to the girl you like, she's probably sad that she's alone"

Charles hadn't started the car yet so he turned to you looking really angry "The man was flirting with you YN what are you thinking you don't even know him" you turned to him with the same anger "Charles I can flirt with anyone I want. You were flirting with Lucia too, you might like someone but I can't like anyone are you trying to say that ?"

"I'm trying to say you can't do this to me when I like you so much.YN i dont like Lucia, i like you no i love you I love you so much that if I say this, I didn't tell you that you would walk away from me, I was afraid ” You couldn't believe what you heard, your best friend you've been in love with for years was making a love confession to you right now.

"I-ı...Charles are you serious right now" Charles grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and squeezed "I'm not kidding about this I'm serious I love you" You reached out and took one of his hands "I love you too, I get sad every time I see you with a girl because I love you so much Charles"

He turned to you again and held both hands "I date with other girls to forget you I loved them too but my heart always beat for you YN" he let go of both hands, opened the glove box, took out a small box and gave it to you“This reminded me of you” There was a pearl necklace in the box.

"God Charles thank you so much this is beautiful" she took the necklace from the box and put it around your neck you ran your hand over the pearls "I know how much you love pearls the moment I saw it I thought it should be yours" you thanked again and hugged.

Charles started the car and started driving home, it was nice of you to come to Monaco and surprise him, even if it accidentally coincided with valentine's day.

[flamingfoxninja]

Pinocchio loved his father. You have to remember that as I tell you what happened. It’s crucial that you remember. Because he truly loved his father. You can probably say the same thing about loving your family, your sister and brothers, and it would mean the same as myself loving my own mother and father. But the love that I had for my family paled in comparison to the love Pinocchio had for his, or the love that his father gave right back. Maybe paled isn’t the right word, but I don’t think there is any word close enough to describe the immense difference between them and everyone else. They were each other’s world, with all the stars and moon and magic that surrounded it. Which is strange if you thought about it, since Pinocchio wasn’t in the village for very long.

It was weird when I first met Pinocchio. We live in the little village of Amanti in the country of Marienne. It was a quiet classic sort of village. Not everything had magic or witches or monsters that you hear in the stories you know. Some places are just the background sets, the places that just travel through in order to get to the real plot. That was our village, quiet and unobtrusive, and we liked it like that. Boring compared to most, but it was peaceful and everyone was happy and friendly with everyone else. The children certainly knew the other children, and I prided myself with knowing everyone in town. As much as a child would know anyway. But the one person I knew very well was Pinocchio’s father. 

He was an old man, with polished circle glasses and silvery gray hair. Though looking back, he probably wasn’t older at fifty at most. I had a habit of assuming anyone with remotely graying hair as old or ancient, because only old or ancient people ever had magic to them. And Pinocchio’s father was the most magical person I had ever known to that point. He worked as a wood carver, always tinkering away at his shop making clocks and toys to sell. But my favorite things were the puppets he made. Little wooden marionettes. It would take him a while to carve them, putting in extra care to their body and shape, perfecting them in ways that I would never even think about. About twice a month he would take his marionettes into the square in the little portable stage he had, and put on a show for the children. We watched as he made the marionettes move and dance across the stage, telling stories of knightly princes and clever princesses. It was the most magical thing I had ever seen, watching him breathe life into those puppets. 

Once, I was lucky enough to be taken by my mother to get a new clock. I must have been six or seven at the time, and saw him working on the head of a puppet as we walked in. My mother had wanted to ask about the prices or some other adult things, but I was louder and must have asked him a hundred questions about who the new marionette was and how they were made. It must have exasperated my mother but he took it in stride. He gave the warmest smile as he gently explained to me how the parts are made, how the strings are attached, and how he was able to make them so realistically. His eyes never stopped twinkling as I kept up my questions. I think it made him happy, knowing I took an interest. But then I asked why he was careful in carving the puppets. He paused, like he knew the answer immediately but couldn’t find the right words to express it. And when he spoke there was a twinge of sadness. He said, “Because I am not just creating a body, I am creating a life. And you must always take responsibility.” I was confused by his answer, but my mother had jumped in and took control of the conversation to the clocks he had available. They did their business and me and my mother went home. I saw the same sadness in Pinocchio’s father as we did. And though I knew that my mother was very much annoyed at me inside, she looked different as we left. It was the first time I saw the look of pity on someone. When we got home she took me aside and explained to me how adults can be lonely too sometimes. Sometimes, not everyone can find their True Love like in the stories. Or how sometimes, even after finding your True Love, you may still not get a Happily Ever After. It was pretty world-shattering to learn when you’re six, but she had told me how proud she was for making him happy while in the shop. Because Lonely People can still be happy too. I had made a promise to try and keep Pinocchio’s father happy for as long as I could. Even if it wasn’t as long as I had thought. 

And then life went on. The sun rose and set. The Baker baked and the Farmer farmed and I grew up. I still played with my friends and got into mischief that all children do. But I made sure every week to visit Pinocchio’s father to make sure he was happy. Sometimes I would give him gifts, small flowers or fruits I had on hand. Or sometimes I would give him good names for his newest marionettes, like Mr. Bisket or Madame Pearl-head. It would always make him laugh, and that made me feel good, knowing I was keeping my promise. 

But one day when I was nine, he disappeared. No one knew where he went, but a few people saw him acting strangely the day before. He was frantic, running all over searching for something. Then the next morning, he locked his shop and just left. No note, no word to where he was going. He was just gone. For weeks rumors sparked around the village, going from him losing a valuable wood carving to him chasing after a True Love, or just lost his mind and wandered away forever. They were almost as varied and colorful as the marionettes he used in his shows. Those same marionettes that hung lifelessly in the back of his shop. 

Then, a few months later, he came back. It was an astonishment really. No one had actually seen him return, much less expected it. Everyone thought he was dead. Or if he was alive would never actually be seen again. And yet, there he stood, opening his shop more joyously than before. His arrival was unannounced, but word spread fast and soon everyone came out to welcome him back. And we all saw that he didn’t come back alone. Standing next to him with twinkling eyes and a wide grin was a little boy, who he introduced as his son Pinocchio. 

When I first met Pinocchio, I wasn’t sure if I liked him or not. He was…new. Too new in my opinion. His rosewood skin was polished. It didn’t have any scuffs or bruises that you would see on the other children. He had the straightest teeth I had ever seen, like white-painted fence posts.  And sometimes when he moved, there was an odd stiffness to him that he wouldn’t shake off. He wasn’t inflexible exactly, but when he stretched it was like he was making sure that he was still able to move. Gently rolling his joints over and over until he was satisfied they were in order. It reminded me of oiling the hinge of a door. But more than that, I didn’t like the feeling of being replaced. Pinocchio was like the missing puzzle piece that completed his father, bringing him so much happiness and love that one only read about. It hurt seeing that. For years it was my duty to make Pinocchio’s father happy. But now Pinocchio came in and effortlessly took my spot, even if it wasn’t my place to begin with. 

I didn’t know how to process that feeling, so it started to come out as mistrust and anger. It wasn’t exactly mean, but it definitely wasn’t nice. I think his father caught on how I was feeling pretty quick, at least much faster than me. Pinocchio wasn’t in the store when I went to visit again a week later. It was just his father, who smiled brightly when I came in. I had missed our weekly visits while he was away, and I liked to think that he did too. When I entered he had me sit on his chair and said that he had a very important task for me. Pinocchio was new to the village, and he was afraid that Pinocchio might get lonely. He asked if I could show Pinocchio around the village and introduce him to the other children so he could play and make friends. I wanted to scream. I felt so sick. This was how our relationship ended, not with Pinocchio replacing me for his father, but with Pinocchio replacing me for everyone else in town. It was really silly looking back on it, but those feelings were so strong and genuine that I wasn’t sure if I could contain it all. But Pinocchio’s father looked so delighted at the idea of Pinocchio making friends. So I begrudgingly went along, agreeing to take Pinocchio to our games. I was making him happy, so I’d put up with whatever weirdness Pinocchio had. 

Embarrassingly, it actually didn’t take very long for us to become friends. For all of my worry and aggression when we had first met, he was just a normal kid. When I introduced him to the rest of the children, he got along with everyone so well. I wanted to be mad at him, that this was proof he was replacing me. But I wasn’t. I actually got along with him too. And I liked him a lot. We played every day after that, any chance we got. Tag, exploring, marbles, you name it. Pinocchio was one of the gang, he fit in so well it was like he was tailor made. There was a charm to him you know, where he would be so genuine that you couldn’t help but admire. When he laughed at your jokes, you knew he actually thought you were funny. If you got hurt, you could tell he was actually worried about you, not like most kids where you only worry if you would get in trouble. He really did care. 

Most importantly, he was honest. He was the most truthful kid I had ever known. If you want to get an opinion on something, you go to Pinocchio. He would always tell you what he thought, but he was never mean about it, or sugarcoat it. Just stated it as fact. And he would always find something he liked about whatever you showed, even if it was actually terrible. Of course, we would still get into trouble. He wouldn’t shy away from regular child mischief. But he always owned up to it, and accepted whatever punishment he was given. The first few times this happened, we had left him behind to take all the blame. No one wanted to get caught right? But he never called out anyone else. He wouldn’t lie about it, he just wouldn’t say anything to get anyone else in trouble. It must have rubbed off on the rest of us because eventually we all stayed to take in our share of the blame. He was good like that. He was my best friend. 

You need to understand, you have to understand just how honest he was. I’d never met anyone more truthful than Pinocchio. It wasn’t just a quirk or, or his personality, or even a pledge or anything superficial like that. It was a part of his core, his entire being. When he spoke the truth, there was a great comfort to it that just weighed on you to know that this was how the world worked. It was his own magic. So when I heard him tell his first lie, it killed me almost as much as it killed him. Almost. 

It was late that night, all of the children in town were out on the streets. All the adults were asleep, peacefully unaware that we snuck out of our beds for a bit of mischief and fun. It was a bright full moon, giving us enough light to play and dance under its gaze. I don’t think I had as much fun before as I had that night. At least, before she walked in. 

She was beautiful as she walked into the village square. Her face illuminated in moonlight with eyes twinkling like stars. Her dress was a void black, frayed and marked in intricate designs that covered her body. It was frayed, but it trailed behind her like an evening gown. Billowed might actually be the better word. She was so graceful it felt like the wind had summoned her, breezing through our simple lives without a care in the world. We all stopped our games just to watch as she walked closer. By the time she reached the square, everyone surrounded her. She was so beautiful. Like the night itself had taken form. She leaned on her staff and addressed all of us. She said she had a game for us to play, and seemingly out of the night air itself she pulled out a magnificent ball. It was as white as the purest snow, covered in the softest silk. It was wondrous and magnificent and promised to be the most fun for anyone to play with it. I wanted that ball so badly. We all cheered in excitement to play with that magnificent white ball. 

Soothing our excitement, she explained the rules. She will ask us a question and if we answer truthfully, we will get a turn. We all nodded, agreed to the rules. Eager to please and to take our turn. She started with my neighbor from down the street. “What is the name of your father?” she asked sweetly. Smiling, my neighbor answered, “My daddy’s name is Nico.”

A scream rang out. It was thick and ragged, coming from deep in the village. We all turned towards the sound, confusion on our faces. But the woman called to us, focusing our attention on her and her game once more. She walked up to a little girl next. “What of your father’s name?” she asked. “Robert,” the poor girl answered. Another anguished scream pierced the night. The woman moved down the row, one by one, asking each child the name of their fathers. And with every answer a painful scream. All of us cried. The children at the beginning of the line cried for the deaths of their fathers. While those at the end cried for what was to come. I myself wept so achingly because that ball still called out to me and I knew in my heart I would kill my father to play with it. Even as the night air choked on death. Even as I saw the ball writhe and squirm in the woman’s hand. Hatred burned inside me as I stared at that horribly beautiful woman who still wore that gentle smile. But I could not turn away. The ball had already claimed me, as it waited to eat my father’s name. 

Pinocchio stood next to me. His presence gave me some comfort, as little as it was, but he confused me as well because he did not cry. He looked pensive. His brows furrowed in deep thought. I wasn’t the only one who noticed as the woman approached. She turned her head slightly as she looked at us. Pinocchio looked uneasy while I sobbed. It felt like I was crying for the both of us, and that was important somehow. If I was the one crying, then Pinocchio wouldn’t be distracted with his own tears. That my tears allowed Pinocchio to think, give him time to take action and do…something. Honestly I was so racked with despair that I had to cling onto something otherwise I would go mad. So I cried for Pinocchio as much as me, and the woman saw. I think that’s why she asked him a different question, what his own name was. And Pinocchio answered truthfully. “My name is Pinocchio”. She smiled, then asked him, “And what is your father’s name?” 

Pinocchio looked uncomfortable, hesitated in his unease, then answered.

“Daniel”.

I couldn’t breathe. I was so terrified but I think this was the moment that broke me. I couldn’t breathe as I watched Pinocchio lie. Lie in the face of evil or god or whatever being it was that demanded the truth. He lied. I didn’t know how it was possible. I didn’t think that he was even able to lie. He never lies. But he loved his father. He loved his father more than himself and the moon and stars. His words lied but his love was genuine, and I wept knowing I could never have a love as profound as that. 

In my grief I had failed to notice the lack of a scream. But the woman didn’t. She frowned, then snarled. And with a wave of her staff Pinocchio fell to the ground dead. It happened so fast I didn’t even realize. Just watched his body go limp and loose and sprawled out below. I think it was my mind trying to process what happened, but it reminded me of one of his father’s puppets. As if the puppeteer that was holding him up suddenly cut the strings from his body. When I realized he was dead, I just had another reason to cry. And while I was next to be asked a question and kill my father, my tears were shed solely for my friend and his bravery. 

Then a miracle happened. Before the woman had a chance to turn away, Pinocchio’s body started to glow. It was a rich and vibrant blue, light and airy like the day sky. It rivaled the sun as it cut through the night, and blazed out of my friend. 

I’ve learned much about magic since then. Not just tricks and wizardry that most people have, but raw magical powers only possessed by the most powerful of arcane creatures. Fairies are one of them. Fairy magic is ancient. You cannot escape a fairy boon or curse. It will stay on you for all eternity and then some. But fairies know this also, and that is why when they lay their spells they are just as cunning as they are powerful. To avoid the brunt of the spell, they would use their own magic to shift the spell in a new direction. Weaving the magic to a new purpose. Changing a spell of death to eternal sleep for example. A fairy cannot completely alter the spell, and they definitely cannot remove another fairy's magic. If they do, then they will face a magical backlash of unimaginable power. 

When that woman used her magic to kill Pinocchio, she had disrupted the fairy spell that was placed on him. I don’t know how or when he had met a fairy, or what he did to receive their boon, but he had one. And it was powerful. And when that boon was destroyed, all that was left was unrestrained raw magic. The brilliant blue light came forth from Pinocchio’s body pulsing fanatically until everything was covered in its light. I couldn’t look away as magic enveloped everyone. Distantly I heard the scream of that wretched woman. I was scared, I was sobbing, and it felt like I would see nothing else but that blue light. 

Then suddenly, it was gone. The magic had vanished, leaving us still standing in the square. The woman and her staff and her horrible ball, they were gone. The night was gone too, an early morning sun gently rising in the sky. If I had not wept so harshly before I would have cried in relief seeing the sun again. The adults had come out of our homes and rushed towards us, embracing us in their own relief for what had transpired. I could have willingly drowned in my mother’s hug, fiercely clinging onto her as she gripped me. But the grief still stayed. Because Pinocchio’s body was gone too. 

The village has changed since then. It isn’t as overt as you might expect. The people are friendly enough with one another, we still have a sense of a small town comradely. We don’t go out at night. But considering the monsters that would normally lurk in the darkness, that’s just good practice. And we don’t shy away from the odd traveler that enters. They are still welcomed for their business. But really, only for their business. We don’t allow them to stay for long. But sometimes they stay long enough to realize that we never say our names. Not to each other and certainly not to outsiders. Names are a very powerful thing you know, but they aren’t needed in daily life. The Baker is The Baker after all, so we get by just fine. The only names that we say are the names of the dead. And Pinocchio’s. 

We’ve never recovered his body. It had disappeared along with the other wicked things from that terrible night. As well as his father. When some villagers tried to give him the news of his son’s death, they weren’t able to find him. His woodcarver’s shop is still closed, with marionettes hanging in dust and darkness. The villagers say Pinocchio’s name because he had died. And I know he did. But I also know that magic is a wondrous thing, and miracles can be repeated. Pinocchio’s father didn’t die that night. Pinocchio did in his stead. So I will wait for Pinocchio’s father to return once again, with Pinocchio standing at his side. Someone should greet them back properly. After all, his name isn’t Daniel.

[canirove]

In The Name of Love | Chapter 5

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Masterlist

"Stop texting him, Valeria."

"I wasn't."

"Sure" Silvia says, rolling her eyes. "Besides, isn't he playing tonight?"

"He is, but the game hasn't started yet. I sent him a good luck text and was just checking if he had seen it." But he hadn't. It was still unread, like all the other texts I've sent him during the past couple of days. "I'm such an idiot, Silvia."

"Yes, you are" she says. 

"This was supposed to be just sex, something fun. You yourself said it. Why has it gotten so… complicated?"

"Love works in mysterious ways" she shrugs.

"I don't love him" I laugh.

"But you've definitely caught feelings. And so has he."

"Valeria, Silvia!" Marc says as he walks towards us. "Thank you very much for coming."

"Of course" she smiles. "And congratulations."

"Thank you" Marc says. "Are you alright, Valeria?"

"Uh?"

"You look a bit… worried. Stunning, but worried. Do you have trouble with a kid or something?"

"Ha!" I snort. "Sorry, sorry. But yes, something like that."

"I'm sure you'll be able to fix it" Marc smiles.

"Let's hope so."

"Marc! There you are!" 

"Oh, hello, love" he says, wrapping his arm around Isabel's waist. "I was just talking with Valeria and Silvia."

"Hello" Isabel says with her usual fake smile while looking at me from head to toe. "Nice dress, Valeria."

"Thank you."

"It looks expensive. How can a public school teacher like you afford it? Did you find a sugar daddy or something?" she laughs.

"You are so funny" I say, trying really hard not to roll my eyes and tell her that she is the one who found one. Because Marc comes from a very wealthy family and is currently working for one of the most important banks in the country. Meanwhile, she tries to become an influencer. Though so far, not even the cheapest brands have wanted to work with her. 

"How is Pau doing?" Marc asks Silvia, trying to change the topic of conversation.

"Oh, he's great. Currently in England working on some new piece for the car or something. He tells me but I always forget" she says.

"Isn't that supposed to be super secret? He works for one of the most important Formula 1 teams."

"Yeah, but he knows that when he talks about those things I don't pay attention because I don't understand a word, so it's ok" she shrugs. 

"What about you, Valeria? Have you finally found a boyfriend? You are the only one from our group who still is single" Isabel says with a twisted smile.

"I'm actually seeing someone."

"Are you?" she laughs. "Who?"

"Someone." 

"Oh, c'mon, Valeria. You don't have to lie if you are still alone. It's sad, but it's ok."

"Isa…" Marc says.

"What?" she replies with an innocent smile.

"I'm gonna go get myself a drink" I say after counting to ten to stop me from punching her in front of everyone. 

"Oh, don't run away, Valeria. Tell us his name at least!"

"Congratulations on your engagement, Isabel. And I'm sorry, Marc."

"Sorry?" he asks with a confused look.

"Bye" I say, hearing Isabel calling me pathetic as I walk away.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Val… Val, hey…" someone says, touching my shoulder. "Valeria!"

"Fuck!" I yell, quickly standing up and tripping with my dress.

"Careful" Pedri says, his arms around me. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk with you."

"And the engagement party?" 

"I got tired of the bride bullying me as if we were still in high school and I left" I shrug. "Besides, the party sucked."

"How long have you been waiting here?" he asks, moving his hands up and down my arms. "You are freezing cold, Val."

"I don't know" I shrug again. "I left when the second half was starting, sat down to wait for you because my feet were killing me, and then I think I kind of fell asleep."

"While sitting on my front door?"

"Yeah" I shrug. It looks like that's the only thing I can do. 

"Come, let's get you inside. I don't want you to get sick."

"Thank you. But shouldn't you close your car or something? Maybe park it properly?" I chuckle. 

"I probably should, yes" he smiles, making my heart skip a beat. I had missed his smile so much… 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Here" Pedri says, giving me some clothes. "It isn't a Barça tracksuit, don't look at me like that."

"Sorry" I shrug for the millionth time. 

"Do you want me to leave while you get changed?"

"You've seen everything there is to see. And I think I need help with the zipper" I say, turning around.

"Ok" he says, moving behind me. "Done."

"Already?" 

"Yep."

"Oh, thank you" I mutter. I didn't feel his fingers on my back. He didn't touch me. He… he's fucking done with me.

"Do you want a coffee or something to get you warm?" 

"I'm fine" I say while I get changed. 

"So… what did you want to talk about?" he says, sitting down on the sofa as far away from me as he can.

"I… I wanted to apologize. I should have told you about Marc."

"You should have, yes."

"I'm sorry." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he says after a few seconds in silence.

"I forgot."

"Val…"

"I did. I already told you that you make me forget about what I don't want to think about, that when I'm with you I forget about everything else."

"Wait a second. The night we met… Were you trying to forget about him?"

"Kind of."

"Kinf of?"

"They had just announced their engagement and I was…"

"Jealous?" Pedri asks, arching an eyebrow.

"No, no. It wasn't like that. I was… Angry. At them, but mostly at myself."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does matter, Val. Because I need to know why you've been with me. I need to know if I'm just something to make you forget, a pastime, someone you get to fuck and that's it. I want to know if I'm being used."

"I'm not using you, Pedri."

"Then why can't you be honest with me? Why can't you open up? Is it because I am a kid like you always say? Because I won't be able to understand it?"

"That's one of the reasons, yes" I say, my eyes focused on a loose thread on the sweatshirt he has let me borrow.

"And the others?"

"It's complicated."

"Dear Lord, Valeria" he says, getting up from the sofa and starting to walk around the room. "Why can't you just say it?"

"Because I'm afraid, ok?" I say, raising my voice.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Of everything!" I'm afraid of what I've started to feel for you, of opening my heart again, of being hurt, of what being with you means, of what people will think, of the hate and backlash, of losing you. But instead of saying all that, I just start crying. 

"What kind of explanation is that?"

"The only one I can give you right now" I sob. 

"Well, that isn't enough."

"Where… where are you going?" I ask when I see him leave.

"To bed, I'm shattered after today's game. You must be happy that we lost."

"I didn't check the result. But I'm sorry."

"Sure" he snorts. "Anyway, you can sleep in one of the guest rooms, I don't want you calling for a car this late at night, it can be dangerous."

"Thank you."

"But don't be here when I wake up."

"What? Pedri, I…"

"Good night, Valeria" he says, finally walking away.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Weird thing probably, but I want to give it a try.

An hommage to all "I, personally, think Zuko is hotter than Aang, so Katara obviously would think the same" that's been said ever because if they think they can do something like it, so can I.

I moved to the other country for studies and for work several years ago, leaving all my family and friends (got new ones, good ones, but still). And I like a lot of things here, some of them are better than in my homeland. Some things I don't like, they are worse, or just "not for me". And whenever I read a zutara fic, when I still had enough hope to do it, I thought about Katara's experience with moving to the Fire Nation, which is a pretty common thing there. First, there are no things she does not like. Some social unjustice - well, of course, she must confront the nobility and have saintZuko supporting her to show the readers how perfect and amazing he is - but the cuisine, the climate, the customs, the holidays, all this stuff? She's completely fine, she likes everything and gets used to heat and spices very quickly if she even needs to get used to it at all (I still have problems with both these things here).

I can come visit my homeland one or two times a year. Guess Katara would have been in a similar situation, because zutara insist that Fire Ladies have a lot of responsibilities with internal affairs - your rules, guys, she cannot leave very often in this case.

I can contact my family and friends any day - write to them and see if they are online and read it, and get immediate answer, or call them and hear their voices, or make a video call and see their faces and the stuff they want to show me, or exchange photos and videos. Katara would not have such luxury, the messenger hawks don't fly that fast, and she can only write or wait until her friends come around (good thing Aang has Appa, and the Fire Nation has these balloons, but it's still slower and more rare that a video call through internet, and ships are even slower).

I am lucky enough to have some people of the same origin as me here - not a diaspora, but there are many of them, I often hear people speaking my mother tongue on the streets, I can find some products that I remember since childhood, I have someones to share cultural practices with, etc. Katara is often completely alone in the fics, she doesn't have many (if any) Water People to talk to, and the only Water Tribe things around her are the ones she took with herself while moving. And, not going to pretend, I am not as devoted to my culture as Katara is (partly because I am not the last waterbender and my homeland was not raided for decades I guess) - I love it, but she obviously loves hers more; it just means more to her.

I chat with my sibling almost constantly, about every little thing, we only stop if we're really busy or asleep (and we still miss each other). Katara also has people whom she's super close to. She does not have my luxury.

Granted, I do not have a romantic partner to be crazy in love with, but even if I had, they would not replace my friends and relatives, and all the things that I miss. If anything, I would be sad sometimes because being in love, being happy with someone is another wonderful experience I cannot share immediately with the people who are dear to me.

And we're down to the bottom line - who of us misses their homeland and all the stuff that made it "home", their family, their friends? Me, who has internet connection to talk any moment to any person I want; who has a company talking the same language, watching the same catoons when they were little, walking the same streets as me while growing up; who can just come and buy some food exactly like in the supermarket next to my family's apartment back home? Or Katara in zutara fanfics, living in the Fire Nation, having much stronger connection to her home than I do and much less options to be close to it in any way?

Judging by my experience with zutara fanfiction, the answer is always me. Not once have I read about Katara's experience with moving to Fire Nation and think "yes, that's how you feel leaving your home, even if you have a good reason, even if you are in a good place". More often it was like "okay, you're saying, for example, that Katara missed Sokka - where exactly did she do it, again? He wasn't mentioned once before that line". Why every time I read a zutara fanfic I felt like I miss my home more than Katara does in this fic? Much, much more! Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't it be at least the same? Like, okay, not everyone has this experience to describe it realistically, with all small details - but the authors are not even trying! They write Katara as not caring about the home she left, and I don't get it! Isn't her devotion to save her culture, to learn waterbending, best from a real southern waterbender, one of important, core, traits in her personality?

So, my take is: "I, personally, miss my home a lot, despite being happy in the place that I chose and not regretting my decision, and, comparing our sutuations, if Katara moved to the Fire Nation, she would have missed hers at least as much as I miss mine". Just as valid as their takes about preferring Zuko over Aang, I'll take no criticism.

She never does. She never actually misses anything. Even if the South Pole in the fic is told to be a fine place with good memories for Katara and not some misogynic oppressive hell.

They screwed up her character, big time, and it pained me every time I saw it.

I looooooooove using zutarians' weird "my experiences are universal, actually, so Katara MUST feel the same" against them, so congrats anon, you did it perfectly.

"Granted, I do not have a romantic partner to be crazy in love with" What a coincidence since, in these Fire Lady Katara fics, neither does Katara - after all, she never loved Zuko.

[happy-mokka]

Happy birthday to me!!! 🎂

Yeah. Hi. It's me.

Middle-aged Aziraphale fangirl did his next big step in the direction of the big 50.

Wahooooo!

Not really…

I hate my birthdays.

Always did.

Even as a child.

Now as this middle-aged queerish-dude I am still having a hard time, standing in the middle of things and being cheered on by others.

I was born. Great. Get along, people, nothing to see here. Can you all just go home please?

"Well, what the f*ck are you doing here then, right now, with this post, in the middle of an internet platform in front of a bunch of strangers?!?"

some of you might ask.

And rightly so, I must add.

Way more than 12 hours before - it is now past 10 pm in Germany - so this morning after I woke up to be exact, I had seriously contemplated the possibility to call in sick on my birthday, and hide myself from the world, quietly sobbing on my couch.

For the first time in my working life of 24 years. I had always been to work on my birthdays. No exception.

But the past months had been hard. I never really felt in control of things, still don't.

Those who know me closer, know that I like to be in control.

Always a plan at hand. Always prepared…

Only that it didn't really work out…hasn't for quite a long time.

I just never admitted it to myself. Always kept on going.

My family was always good in repressing things.

Don't show weakness.

Keep on functioning.

What will the others think?

People depend on you!

My family also never really considered me being "a success story" by their standards.

I am unmarried. Don't have children. No big career.

Ok, I've put enough on the side to live a financial solid life in a nice appartment.

But the first part really nagged at them, and through them at me.

So I was already unhappy for quite some time.

Together with an ongoing above-average and ever growing work-load at the office, this feeling of unhappiness turned slowly into dread and then deep sadness, until I felt close to breaking with the beginning of today.

Now, almost 15 hours later, I am here, writing this sappy stuff and am genuinely happy for the first time in months.

"What changed?"

Well, I was thinking about this a lot in the past hour. While sitting in the bus and later while walking home.

Honestly? Nothing really changed.

I got my eyes opened and my perspective adjusted by someone very dear to me.

That's what friends are for, and she is the best of them. My bestie.

She is the one who got me addicted to Good Omens last year and pushed me onto this hellsite.

She brought me Doctor Who and the Tardis (yeah, I know, shame on me, coming so late to the game…).

She makes me constantly re-think my opinions and keeps opening new windows to look through on things I had missed or never noticed before.

She is challenging me on a daily basis to be more than I normally would go for or did for many years.

She became the closest friend I have ever had in my life.

Sure, I know lots of people a lot longer in years. Some since Kindergarten.

But none of them digged themselves so deep into the darkest corners of my soul.

Places not even my brother or my parents ever got to see.

She made me, a life long rather shy introvert, open up, despite the fact that she is even more introverted than I have ever been.

I still don't fully understand all of it, but here I am, writing all this to an unknown audience, as proof.

A year ago, this wouldn't have been possible, not even in my wildest dreams.

"So, you didn't realize this before?"

I did. It just got pushed aside by all the negative spiralling. Sometimes you don't see, what's right in front of you.

After work, I walked her home. I like doing that. Sometimes talking all the way. Sometimes just walking in silence side by side.

At her place she handed me 2 presents and just like that, it clicked.

Sometimes, it doesn't take much, if it comes from the heart…

People, meet my new Michael Sheen mug!!!

So, we basically bonded over Good Omens and as faith would have it, we are exactly Aziraphale (me) and Crowley (her) coded.

100%.

It makes me beyond happy, knowing that everytime I'll sip my coffee with my beloved Sheeny, on the other end of town she will sip her hot cocoa out of her corresponding new David Tennant mug.

Good Omens was not the only thing we found out to have in common.

The common ground sometimes is really breathtaking and we still regularly stumble over new things it contains.

So many things that we equally love. Books, movies, music, long walks, just sitting there in silence and taking in a beautiful view…

On the other hand, we are so different in so many aspects, but with the feeling of it rather complementing than dividing us.

She loves to chrochet, I can't even hammer a nail strait into a sponge.

Speaking of which, meet my 2nd gift: Audrey!!!!!!!!!

We watched "Little shop of Horrors" (the 1986 version with Rick Moranis) a few weeks ago. Both for the first time. Loved it.

I immediately fell for "Audrey", the flesh-eating alien plant. Didn't speak anything out loud, still it didn't go unnoticed…and, yes, it is hand-made!!!

*sigh*

"So, what am I trying to say here?"

Good qestion…

Life can be cruel.

Life will be hard at times.

It will make you cry, like, a lot.

Try to not go through all this alone.

Sometimes those that you least expect it from, turn out to become your anchor in the stormy sea or the lighthouse showing you the way.

Build your own little family of friends (even if its just one).

Hold them tight, once you found them.

Love them with all that's in you.

You will get it back ten fold.

Why?

L🥰ve!

@uncleadelheid-will-eat-your-soul , thanks for being all that for me, little introverted geeky metal edgelord office girl, and thanks for enduring my annoying love for bad jokes and even worse puns…

P.S.:

Sorry btw for the storm, lighthouse, anchor metaphors with you hating all that's related to the dark blue sea…I still didn't edit them out…maybe we'll be getting there. At least I left out fishy fish…

🐟🐠🐡🦈🌊🦑

[heleeanthea]

There is only one thing that I feel having watched last episode and it's disappointment. Not even sadness, not even anger, im just disappointed.

Izzy Hands deserved better.

We all, as the audience, deserved better.

You know, when the first season came out I was one of those people who really did not like Izzy at all. I almost couldn't believe that his fans even existed. Then, before second season I thought, well, Im sure that they will give him a redemption arc but Im going to hate him anyway as there is nothing that can redeem him in my eyes. I was so very sure of it.

Wrong, I was wrong. I admit it.

I loved his arc in second season, I loved every second of it. Truly. It has done what seemed utterly improbable to me - made me Izzy Hand's nr. 1 fan. It was just such a great piece of writing. From his initial first disobedience towards Blackbeard and then his finding himself and his worth outside of Blackbeard. His singing (he's great), doing drag (so beautiful), helping Stede, being a friend to him, helping Lucius, finding a family within the crew and finally, finally achieving what - as he said himself - piracy is about: belonging. He found his place, became the new unicorn. He begun to accept himself, to finally let go of all that bitterness that he had inside him in the first season. He allowed himself to be true to himself, to show his more vulnerable parts to the world. He was starting to feel better.

And then they killed him. And what makes it even worse, they did it in such a stupid, useless and anticlimactic way.

You see, Im generally against killing Izzy. I find it to be an utterly disappointing conclusion of his arc. The guy changed so much for the better during this season, becoming a better person as well as becoming more mentally stable and I believe that his arc deserved to have a much brighter and more optimistic conclusion. Where is a scene where he becomes a captain on The Revenge and finally is at peace? Free from Blackbeard, with his found family next to him?

Where is a promise to all lost, young, queer people that thing will get better even though now you may feel no hope?

We didn't get it. What we got was a rushed sequence that was directed more toward serving Ed's arc than Izzy's.

Why did he get shot? No reason, it was just random; it wasn't in a fight, it wasn't the unicorn protecting someone from his crew (which would make his death slightly less bad). The sole reason of him getting shot was to kill him off.

Was it needed for his arc? Well, it could have been done better and make more sense, yes. But wouldn't it make a more satisfying ending to give poor guy some happiness? When the whole season was focused on him earning it and allowing himself to feel it? It would turn out much better to acknowledge his growth and give him space to grow even more.

I don't even feel like Izzy's death was necessary for Ed's growth; not when both their arcs focused on finding themselves outside of constituting Blackbeard.

That's why I hate how Izzy's actual death moment is played out. The scene isn't about Izzy, it's about Ed. It's so focused on him that it almost hurts. Why is Ed the only one who's close to Izzy? Why is the crew so far away? Izzy loved them, they loved him, why don't they come closer and show it, he deserved it. And even Izzy's words, they are so focused on him telling Ed thing's that he needs to hear to grow further but... he doesn't need to hear it from him? It doesn't have to be Izzy who tells him that the crew loves him (which, arguably, is not really true as they are still wary of him after all that happened in the beggining of the season??), especially not when it's the last chance for Izzy to be told that he is loved, he is a part of the community, to be forgiven and apologised to.

And then they get over him so so fast? Just seconds after the funeral Stede is standing there and... trying to boast what great piece of pirat he is? Trying to make Zheng compliment him?

Also, why shoot him in his left side, missing all the important bits, and then have him die anyway?

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey Cas, hope you are well.

I'm sorry about this but I just need to vent you don't even have to answer I just want to say it cause I feel sick somehow.

So when I was in my final year of high school(2021) I got into a relationship with this guy, he was amazing and everything was going good until he ghosted me, he blocked me, and then came back after a month saying his phone had died and he had no means of contacting me and whatever. Unfortunately, the relationship ended.

Anyway we went our separate ways and it was very hard for me for months after that, that is until a friend sent me some voice messages that were sent to her by the very same guy telling her that he had blocked me and everyone close to me for that month because he just didn't want to speak to me and that I was basically not enough for him, and I wasn't what he thought I was before we got together. From there on I was angry no longer sad or anything just angry and mad cause he could've just told me that the relationship wasn't working for him and I would've understood instead of doing this right??

Sadly, he was killed earlier this year (he was shot in a club), and that hurt me cause. Well, I once loved the guy right. Anyway, when we broke up, I deleted everything associated with him, our chats, pictures, everything, or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I'm going through my emails today, and I find emails from him. I had a full on panic attack and every emotion I've ever felt for him just resurfaced, the love I once felt for him, the anger when I found out the truth, everything just came back and I think I'm not truly over him. But how do I get over someone I can't even talk to anymore? There's no closure I can get anymore as he's no longer living. I'm truly confused about how to deal with this.

What makes it worse is that I'm currently in a relationship right now. It's fairly new, and I feel like it's unfair on my current partner for me to have such feelings. I literally have no idea how I'm going to deal with this, I just wanna move on and be happy, is that too much to ask?

Sorry for the long message.

Hi <3

Honestly, that IS a lot to deal with and I'm so sorry youre going through this. I think the best way to process it is to talk about it. If you're able to, it might be a good idea to try to find a therapist. Even if you just go for a short while, having a professional to sort out your feelings would be very helpful in this case.

If not, you need a support system who can talk to you about this. Friends, family, people who can talk to you and help you process. Please don't bottle it up, talk through it.

As far as your current boyfriend, I think you need to be honest. Tell him what you're dealing with and that you're going to have to take some time to process. If he needs to take some space, that's understandable, but he also might surprise you and be there for you.

You can get closure even if he's not here anymore, it just takes time and processing. I believe in you <3

Naming you closure anon!

[wenclairfamily]

Click here to read Part 1. Click "Keep Reading" below to read Part 2.

Gomez Addams was walking through an empty hall at Nevermore Academy. All was silent... until Gomez heard one faint sound of movement for a second. Gomez stopped moving his feet, as he turned his head to inspect his surroundings. Then suddenly a figure in a black cloak jumped down from the ceiling holding a small dagger in their right hand. Gomez dodged the cloaked figure's attack, and immediately grabbed his own small dagger (which was attached with velcro to the bottom of his right shoe). Both Gomez and the cloaked figure swung their daggers at each other several times; each dodging the others' attacks. Then Gomez finally hit the wrist of the cloaked figure hard, causing the figure to drop their dagger. Gomez then made a big happy grin as he said, "Very nice. You almost had me... brother."

Then the figure took off his cloak, revealing himself to be Gomez's brother: Fester. Fester then made a big smile as he said, "And I can see this school hasn't softened you yet." Then Gomez and Fester, in the midst of excitement - bashed their foreheads against one another. The two young men laughed, as Gomez said, "Ha ha. Your skull is still as strong as ever Fester. But why are you here? I've been at this school for less than 24 hours." Fester made a sad sigh, and then looked at Gomez as he said, "And it's been so boring for me back home. I've got no one around the house to electrocute or try to stab now. So I thought I'd check out your new pad." Then Gomez padded Fester on the shoulder as he said, "Well, it's good to see you brother. However I must go. I promised someone I would help our dormitory win a special school competition today known as the Poe Cup." Fester suddenly looked cross as he said, "You're gonna ditch family for a new friend?" Then Gomez grinned as he said, "Not a new friend at all. Just another member of the family."

Then suddenly a large stack of walking hair appeared around the corner, and rushed over to Gomez as it said, "Hdsads sfgfgth gffgfdgf dmfddn." Fester immediately looked very excited as he said, "Cousin Itt! That's right. I heard you were attending here as well. How are things going?" The Cousin Itt immediately sounded upset as he said, "Yhfddf dfdss dfhkdk fbdfba pdmssd." Fester then with a caring voice said, "Oh. I'm sorry you're down a man for the Poe Cup. Hey! I know I'm not a student here, but do you think they'd let me join your team and help out?" Then Cousin Itt excitedly said, "Rmfd ffdssldk nfdu amvdb." Gomez then happily patted both Fester and Cousin Itt on their shoulders as he said, "Excellent. With three Addams men together, we are sure to meet victory today!"

***

Near the river that came close to Nevermore Academy, many students were gathering in preparation for the Poe Cup. Several boats were being placed into the water by teams wearing different matching costumes. Amongst them were Morticia and Larissa (wearing black cat outfits) who were pushing their boat into the river. As the two women checked on the condition of their boat, a smiling Larissa said, "So Morticia... ready to lead us to victory again this year?" Morticia looked a bit preoccupied as she said, "What? Oh, um... yes, of course. Sorry Larissa. My mind is... elsewhere in this moment." Larissa made a sympathetic smile as she said, "I know what's on your mind Morticia." Morticia suddenly looked worried as she said, "You do? How!?" Larissa then calmly said, "It's Raine. We're all worried about her too. However she's with the best doctors in town now. There's nothing more we can do."

Then Francoise walked over to the two ladies as she said, "Looks like the principal let one of the boys dorms get some new participants last minute. Is that allowed?" Then a curious Morticia asked, "Which boys dorm?" Then Francoise motioned nearby as she said, "That dorm." Then Morticia and Larissa noticed Gomez, Fester, and Cousin Itt pushing their own boat into the river. Gomez and Fester were dressed as pirates (which included black pants, white shirts, and black vests), while Cousin Itt only wore an eyepatch tied around near the top of his body. Larissa made a warm smile as she said, "Ah, it looks Gomez is joining Itt's team this year; and they must be dressing up as Captain Kidd and his pirate crew. I suppose that works since they were used in one of Edgar Allen Poe's stories. So nice to see Gomez is getting so involved in school activities already. He certainly is a respectable man. Wouldn't you say so Morticia?" Morticia however looked like she was a bit lost for words as she said, "Um..."

***

*Several Hours Ago:

Morticia stood surrounded by fog in the cemetery as a shadowy female figure walked towards her. Morticia looked confused as she said, "What is happening here? I demand to know your name!" Then suddenly emerging from the fog was a girl in a black dress and dark braids. The girl then glared at Morticia, and while keeping an emotionless tone to her voice she said, "My name is Wednesday Addams... and I've traveled from beyond to assist you in this important turning point of your life... mother."

Morticia stood in complete shock as he said, "You.. you called me mother... but how can that be? I was told people with my abilities could sometimes be contacted by the spirits of our ancestors... but how can I be contacted by the spirit of someone who has not yet been born? This makes no sense!" Wednesday then stepped towards Morticia as she said, "Desperate times call for desperate measures mother, and the next 24 hours are a crucial fixed point in the space time continuum... which is slowly starting to become 'unfixed'. Needless to say: if my existence, and the existence of so many others are to be preserved, it is imperative that I ensure your future marriage is to occur as history says it should."

Morticia then began to look a bit worried as she said, "Wait. You said you were my daughter from the future, and that your last name is... Addams. Then... does that mean..." Wednesday nodded her head as she said, "Yes. Gomez Addams is to be your husband one day, and my father. It's hard to explain, but there are forces at work that are trying to erase your marriage to him, and erase my very existence. However I cannot allow that to happen." Then a frustrated Morticia asked, "But why him? Why not follow my own heart? Am I to be forced to marry a man just because a fortune teller says so? Why should I marry Gomez Addams!?" Then Wednesday looked directly at Morticia with cold eyes as she said, "Because there is no soul more perfect for Morticia Frump, than the soul of Gomez Addams." Then Wednesday walked away as the fog around Morticia got thick again. Morticia began to feel a bit dizzy as she fell to the ground. Then the fog began to lift away... and a confused looking Morticia stood up.

***

In the present, Morticia looked lost in thought as she stood near the boat. The Morticia turned her head to look right at Larissa while saying, "Any woman would be fortunate enough to have a man as noble as Gomez Addams in their life." Then Larissa smiled as she said, "Any woman would be fortunate enough to have you in their life." A confused looking Morticia then asked, "What do you mean by that?" Then Larissa blushed as she nervously said, "I meant... never mind. Just silly words coming out of my mouth." Then both Morticia and Larissa heard Francoise say, "Do you both find it hard to control your urges when that person you find so attractive is right near you?" Suddenly, both Morticia and Larissa looked very nervous as Morticia said, "What do you mean?"

Then a smiling Francoise looked away as she said, "Itt... he's so handsome. That big hairball look is just magnificent. I'd try to take a chance with him... but he already has the eye of too many." Then the three girls noticed that nearby: Cousin Itt was surrounded by twenty attractive female students that were all gently petting his hair. Cousin It sounded very happy as he said, "Tsdfdn fdksldm dsgdos mfsm." Then one of the attractive female students petting Cousin Itt said, "Oh Itt, you and your naughty jokes. So... are the rumors true that you never settle for less than ten girls sharing a bed with you at one time?" Then Cousin Itt wiggled his body around as he playfully said, "Rdsd lknds fgbu aznk." Then all of the girls surrounding Cousin Itt began to giggle. Morticia meanwhile looked a bit confused as she said, "Frankly, I don't see the appeal... Not to say I'm hairball-phobic... as I do consider myself an ally."

***

A short time later, all of the teams competing in the Poe Cup were in their boats, and ready to go. The female school principal then proudly stood near the water as she loudly said, "Welcome everyone to the Edgar Allan Poe Cup; one of Nevermore Academy's proudest annual traditions. Today, we shall watch as each team here shall row to Raven Island, pull a flag from Crackstone's Crypt, and then return here. Aside from making sure their boat is not sunk, no other rules apply. First team to successfully make it back with a flag: wins the cup, along with bragging rights for the rest of the school year. Now then... let the Poe Cup begin!" Then immediately all of the boats with different students took off down the river.

***

Near the water, a female siren stood on a small beach as she took a small lizard creature out of her bag. The female siren smirked as she looked at her small lizard while saying, "Now my tiny little beast. Swim through the water, bite through the wood of all of the boats that do not belong to our sisters, and then we shall win..." Then suddenly a figure with a shovel hit the female siren in the head from behind, knocking her out. The figure then emerged from the shadows as Ansel Gates, who immediately tossed his shovel down. As Ansel's son: Garrett followed behind him, he looked concerned as he said, "Dad, did you really need to knock her out?" Ansel then casually picked up the siren's lizard creature as he said, "It only takes a siren one second to brainwash you Garrett. Couldn't take the chance. Now did you bring the formula?"

Garrett then reluctantly handed a bottle with a strange formula in it to his father while saying, "Yeah dad. It's here. What is this stuff anyway? Some magic potion?" As Ansel opened the bottle, he said, "No. Just science. If you want to outsmart the outcasts, you have to out-think them. You see I've been doing research on not just the outcasts of Nevermore, but also some of their ridiculous pets... and I learned of a formula than can add a little more growth to these pets some sirens have." A skeptical looking Garrett then asked, "Are you sure we should be doing this dad?" Ansel smirked as he said, "Just a little prank Garrett; that's all. But if it gets out of hand... well... sometimes unexpected things just happen in life." Then Ansel immediately dumped the strange formula out of the bottle, and onto the small lizard creature.

***

Gomez, Fester, and Itt had their boat reach the island in the middle of the river first. The three then jumped out of the boat as an excited Gomez yelled, "To the flag men, and then to victory!" Then Gomez's foot immediately hit a wire that was on the ground, and then suddenly a large net sprung up from the ground and captured Gomez, Fester, and Itt inside of it. As Itt struggled to get free, he yelled, "Edssa dngral dhenl!" Then Fester angerly said, "You said it Itt! Whoever did this to us, deserves to be shot in the back!" Then suddenly the three heard Morticia's voice say, "Maybe we can play that game later." Then the three men turned their heads, and saw Morticia, Larissa, and Francoise walking towards them with smiles.

Gomez then began to look very happy, and made a warm smile as he said, "Hello Morticia." Morticia smiled a bit as she said, "Hello Gomez." Larissa however stood proud and composed as she said, "As you can see, it's not always smart to be ahead at first. Morticia spent quite some time last night putting this trap together. Now then, Morticia - you get the flag. Francoise and I will stand watch and make sure no one sabotages our boat." Morticia nodded, and then ran off. Fester however looked annoyed as he said, "Aw come on. Being detained in a trap set up by some girl... this is humiliating." However as Gomez saw Morticia running off, he smiled while saying, "On the contrary Fester... I'm quite impressed."

***

Morticia was running in her black cat suit through the woods. She soon saw the location where the flags were set up for the teams to grab. However, just as Morticia grabbed one of the flags: she saw smoke appear, which began to slowly surround her. Morticia paused for a moment as she felt her head begin to feel a bit dizzy. Then from the smoke: Wednesday appeared glaring straight at Morticia. Morticia looked confused as she said, "You're returned. Why?"

As Wednesday kept a very straight face, she folded her arms while saying, "The timeline is beginning to become undone. I have come to tell you that you must repair it by..." Then Morticia angerly glared at Wednesday as she quickly said, "No! You will not tell me who to love, who to marry, and who to have children with. I decide my fate! The future is always filled with possibilities, and who is to say that by creating a destiny that is different than what you speak of could not make a better world."

Wednesday then stepped towards Morticia as she angerly said, "You don't understand though. If you break the sacred timeline... then you will also break yourself." Then suddenly more smoke began to surround Morticia as she began to cough. Wednesday then disappeared into the smoke, while Morticia fell to the ground and began to pass out. Then as the smoke slowly began to disappear, a large lizard monster appeared walking towards Morticia.

***

Gomez, Fester, and Itt freed themselves from the net as a happy Gomez said, "Excellent. We're free. Good work Fester." Fester meanwhile was chewing part of the net in his mouth. Then Fester stopped for a moment, smiled, and said, "My pleasure. Chewing through rope that I'm tied up in brings back lots of fun memories of my first, third, and twelfth girlfriends." Then suddenly the three men heard a strange roaring sound from nearby. A startled Itt then yelled, "Rfsdn fpfhy xldsh!" A concerned Gomez turned to look at Itt while saying, "I don't know Cousin Itt, but that noise is coming from the direction that Morticia was running in. So I say we investigate!" Gomez, Fester, and Itt then quickly ran through the woods... but stopped when they saw a 16 foot tall lizard monster was knocking over trees, roaring... and holding an unconscious Morticia in one of its claws.

Gomez had a worried look in his eyes, but then turned to look at Itt as he said, "Itt, go find us allies to help us stop this beast. In the mean time, Fester and I will do all we can to vanquish this creature and save Morticia." Itt nodded as he said, "Ythsd dfkdd!" Then as Itt ran off, Gomez turned to look at Fester while saying, "Fester, remember that fun game we played at Uncle Macabre's wedding anniversary?" Fester made a big grin, nodded his head, and then said, "You got it Gomez." Then Fester suddenly grabbed Gomez's body with his arms, and then threw Gomez high into the air. Then Fester shot small bolts of lightning out of his hands at the lizard monster while yelling, "Hey ugly! You remind me of my fourth girlfriend's hot mother!"

Gomez meanwhile, while flying into the air, grabbed a hold of a long strong vine attached to a tree. Then as the lizard monster was distracted by Fester, Gomez took out a sword that was hiding behind his back. Then as Gomez swung towards the lizard monster, he yelled, "Unhand that damsel you foul beast!" Then Gomez had his sword make a deep mark on one of the lizard monster's hands. The lizard monster shrieked in pain as it let go of Morticia. Gomez then swung quickly on the vine, and grabbed a hold of Morticia. Fester meanwhile kept the creature distracted as he shot more lightning from his hands at the beast.

As Gomez reached the ground safely with Morticia in his arms, Morticia slowly opened her eyes. Morticia, seeing the scene, quickly looked confused as she said, "What's going on? What happened to me?" Gomez smiled as he said, "A beautiful but dishonorable creature grabbed you with its foul claws Morticia. So I came to save you." Then Morticia calmly said, "Oh my. I thought I was being squeezed by my pet cobra I keep in my dorm room. I should've known better though, considering my body didn't feel quite as near death as it typically does during my usual mid-day naps." Then a confused Gomez asked, "Do you know where that creature came from?" Morticia looked curious as she said, "It looks like a pet of one of the sirens I know at school. However it's obviously grown quite a deal. I am confused though, as that species of creature isn't typically violent."

Then as Fester continued to shoot bolts of electricity at the lizard monster, the creature grew angry and had it's claws punch at the top of a large hill that contained a cave under it. Suddenly, many werewolves in the cave ran out howling with anger. The many werewolves immediately tried to attack the tall lizard creature, but the monster began to easily swat away the many werewolves in its' path. A concerned looking Morticia then said, "Oh dear. That creature is attacking those poor werewolves. Oh, I do love hearing them howl every full moon. It would be a shame for their howls to never be heard again." Then a grinning Gomez said, "Then we shall have to put that beautiful beast out of it's misery. Do you need a spare sword?" Then Morticia suddenly revealed that she was hiding behind her back: her own very large sword; which she immediately held out proudly as she said, "Oh, I am quite prepared." Gomez made a large grin, until the lizard creature immediately ran at Gomez and Morticia with its' claws out.

Gomez and Morticia then immediately moved in unison together as they ran around the creatures' sides. Then the two ran under the creature; with both of them striking their swords at the monster's two legs in the same moment. The lizard monster roared in pain, as Gomez and Morticia ran over to a nearby tree. Gomez and Morticia immediately realized the strange tall tree before them had no branches for the bottom 40 feet of its' trunk. However Morticia immediately took out a small rope from her pocket, held it out around the tree, and then gave one end of the rope of Gomez (while holding onto the other end herself). Without any time to talk or look at one another, both Gomez and Morticia ran up the tree; holding the rope with one hand, and using their other hand to hold onto the others'. Both the rope and the others' body helped balance Gomez and Morticia's bodies as they ran up the tree.

Then once Gomez and Morticia reached a set of strong branches they could stand on, both of them immediately found a strong vine they could grab onto. Morticia and Gomez gave each other one look, smiled, and then swung off the tree while holding onto their respective vines. The creature looked confused as Gomez and Morticia swung around it multiple times... until the two each grabbed onto their vines tightly, and the creature realized (too late) that the vines were now wrapping around it's neck. Then Gomez and Morticia each threw a sword into one of the monsters' eyes, blinding it. Now unable to see anything, the large group of werewolves were able to run at the lizard monster, and began biting at its' legs. Then the lizard monster finally fell to the ground. Fester immediately shot a large bolt of electricity from his hands at the creature's head... and then finally the monster was dead. The werewolves immediately made a victorious howl into the air, while Gomez and Morticia together happily said, "We did it!" Then Gomez and Morticia immediately upon instinct hugged one another with happiness and excitement all over their faces... but then after a moment, the two let go of each other, looking a bit nervous.

***

A short time later, police had arrived on the scene and were preparing to remove the body of the dead lizard monster. Morticia and Gomez meanwhile stood near some of the werewolves (who had all recently transformed back into human form, and were now wearing loose clothing). A young werewolf man then approached Gomez and Morticia as he said, "Thank you for helping save my pack. If you hadn't injured that creature in those strategic points like you did... some of us may not have survived." Gomez made a warm smile as she said, "We were just happy to help my werewolf friend." The young werewolf man then said, "I must say though... your methods may have been different... but you battled as if you had inner werewolf spirits within you. Where did you both learn to combat like that?" A smiling Morticia then said, "Well, I can at least say that much of my training comes from the self-defense courses taught at Nevermore Academy. I am just one of a very large number of students there that are well trained in many forms of combat."

The young werewolf man looked impressed as he said, "Interesting. Werewolves are often taught that our ways are superior to all... but perhaps if I have children of my own one day, I shall send them to Nevermore Academy where they could perhaps benefit from the teachings and culture of your school." Then a smiling Gomez said, "Well I've only just started attending the school myself... but I can say with great certainty now that it has already proven to be quite life changing." Then as many of the other werewolves prepared to leave, a young werewolf woman yelled, "Come on honey. Stop talking to those wimpies. We have to go!" The young werewolf man made a little sigh, and then said, "My newlywed wife. She became so demanding immediately after the wedding. Anyway, I must go. It was a pleasure to meet you two." Then before the werewolf man could leave, a curious Morticia asked, "Sir, before we part company... can we ask you your name?" The young werewolf smiled as he said, "The name's Murray... Murray Sinclair."

***

Meanwhile, far away... Ansel Gates was standing behind a tree as he was watching the police take away the body of the dead lizard monster. Ansel immediately looked incredibly angry as he said, "Those damn outcasts... they're like cockroaches. Not even a lizard monster can eliminate them. Well... I suppose it's finally time for my endgame plan."

***

Gomez and Morticia were walking back towards Nevermore Academy together as a grinning Gomez said, "Oh, that battle was magnificent. Morticia: your skills and your grace... I never thought I'd ever meet a woman with abilities as amazing as yours." Morticia smiled as she said, "You really think so? You know the very few boys in my life I fancied found my interests and skills to be... too overwhelming for them to handle." Gomez however looked at Morticia with awe as he said, "Then they can't see the perfection that I view before me." Gomez and Morticia then paused for a moment as they found themselves just looking into each other's faces. Then the two looked down... and realized that somehow by instinct, they were holding the others' hand. Then the two found their faces slowly moving towards the others'... until they heard Larissa say, "Morticia!" Gomez and Morticia then both nervously turned their heads and saw Larissa running towards them. Larissa however had just seen what had happened, and had a nervous look in her own eyes.

However Larissa tried to remain calm as she said, "It... it's good to see you're all right. I heard about what happened with that creature. However... no one has returned to the school with a flag yet, thus technically the Poe Cup isn't over. So I must ask... did you grab the flag from Crackstone's Crypt?" Morticia then quickly took a flag out of her pocket while saying, "Why yes, I did." Larissa then quickly took the flag from Morticia, and ran off with it... while she had a few tears in her eyes. Morticia then looked at Gomez briefly as she said, "I should join the other girls from Ophelia Hall now." Then Morticia walked away. Meanwhile Fester ran over to Gomez holding a flag out as he said, "Gomez. I got your team's flag! Quick! Lets get it to the finish line before that girl does!" Gomez however remained perfectly still and happy, and as he watched Morticia walk away - he said, "Fester... for the first time in my life... victory means nothing to me... for only she does now."

***

Many students were partying right outside of Nevermore Academy, as two girls from the Ophelia Hall dorm proudly held up the Poe Cup trophy. Morticia meanwhile stood off to the side, smiling as she watched the festivities. Suddenly Garrett appeared from nearby. The young man smiled and approached Morticia as he said, "Hello Morticia." Morticia looked troubled as she said, "Garrett, what are you doing here?" Garret then put his hands up calmly as he said, "I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I... I didn't mean for things to get out of hand the way they did." A confused looking Morticia then asked, "What do you mean? Regardless, you must leave now. This is not your school. You are trespassing... which isn't smart considering many police officers are currently on the school property due to what just happened." Then Morticia saw a police officer nearby, as she yelled, "Oh, officer..."

Garrett however looked angry as he said, "Enough! You think that scares me? My father has the sheriff in his pocket!" Morticia looked a bit nervous as her body began to tremble... but then she quickly blurted out, "I've found someone else Garrett. There's another man I've fallen in love with. If you really care about me, you'll accept that and leave." Garrett suddenly had a heart broken look in his eyes. Then upon seeing that several curious police officers were coming his way, Garrett ran off with tears in his eyes. Morticia then turned and walked in the opposite direction... not realizing Larissa had been standing not far behind her, and had heard everything that Morticia had just said as well. Then Larissa turned away with tears in her own eyes.

***

Morticia was walking towards her dorm as she walked through one of the hallways at Nevermore Academy. However Morticia suddenly felt her head feel disoriented as smoke began to surround her. Then from the smoke, Wednesday showed herself as she said, "There are things we need to discuss." Morticia nodded her head as she said, "Yes, there are." Wednesday then looked directly at Morticia... then paused as some uncertainty appeared on her face... and then said, "It was wrong for me to push you to follow the destiny I set out for you. You do deserve free will... as I simply should have aided you in discovering your destiny, rather than directing you to it."

Morticia then looked at Wednesday with loving eyes as she said, "Thank you. However the truth is... I do love Gomez. I've loved him since the moment we first made formal introductions with one another. But... I don't know if I can be good enough for him. I don't know if I have the ability to truly fall in love with a man, become a housewife, or start a family." Wednesday raised one eyebrow, and then said, "No one truly ever thinks they're good enough to take on a new role in life... but if you act like you are long enough... then the act may soon enough become real." Then Wednesday walked back into the smoke as Morticia began to feel disoriented again. Then within a moment: Wednesday was gone, and soon the smoke subsided again; leaving Morticia all alone again in the hallway.

***

Larissa sat in Nevermore Academy's garden with a sad look on her face. Francoise then walked into the garden, and immediately saw how upset Larissa looked. Francoise then sat down next to Larissa as she said, "For someone whose team just won the Poe Cup a few hours ago, you don't look happy." Larissa looked down as she said, "Maybe I helped win the Poe Cup... but I feel like I've just lost something important." Then Francoise casually said, "You mean Morticia?" Larissa suddenly looked nervous as she said, "I... I... How did you know?" Francoise then made a warm smile as she calmly said, "I have my own side that I keep well hidden, so I know what disguising one's nature in plain sight looks like. So... have you ever tried to tell Morticia how you feel?" A few tears appeared in Larissa's eyes as she said, "It's not proper. It's not appropriate for a woman to have these types of feelings for another woman." Then Francoise nudged Larissa as she said, "What are you talking about? Nevermore was created as a safe haven for all outcasts to learn and grow, no matter who or what they are... and that doesn't just apply to special abilities, you know."

Larissa just looked down, and began to wipe away tears that were appearing in her eyes. Francoise looked up for a moment... and then looked directly at Larissa again as she said, "Look... right before Raine disappeared yesterday... she told me how she always felt comfortable visiting you and Morticia in that dorm of yours. According to Raine... she sensed that one day a great love would be born in that dorm room. She didn't say from whom that love would be born from... but maybe you should see if Raine was perhaps referring to you and Morticia. I mean... Morticia can't decide how she feels about you if she doesn't completely know the real you. You should take the plunge." Larissa took a deep long breath... and then stood up, smiled, and looked directly at Francoise as she said, "Thank you Francoise."

As the sun began to set, in another outdoor area of Nevermore Academy: there was a large outdoor train set located under a pavilion. Gomez was standing near the train set, as he was controlling several of the model trains. From nearby, a smiling Morticia walked over to Gomez as she said, "Why hello Gomez. I see you found the school's model train set." Gomez smiled as he said, "Of course. Designing and playing with model train sets is a hobby of mine." Morticia happily grinned as she said, "Really? Me too. Well, I did prefer more to chop off my dolls' heads when I was young. However, my father would always ask me to play model trains with him every Sunday evening growing up. Those trains always took my mind away from so many of life's more difficult challenges." Gomez smirked as he said, "They certainly do that. Come. Join me."

Gomez then moved to the side, and allowed Morticia to take a turn with the controls that operated the model trains. As Morticia operated the trains, she looked at Gomez somewhat nervously as she asked, "Gomez... the Raven dance starts in about two hours. Have you already made plans to go with anyone, like Larissa?" Gomez turned his head and then said, "No. Larissa is nice... but she's not the girl I have my eye on now." Morticia then turned to look at Gomez, and immediately the two paused as they looked into each other's eyes. The two then slowly moved their faces towards one another... but then Morticia nervously pulled her face away, and turned her eyes back onto the model train set while saying, "I just had an idea. Wouldn't it be more fun if you had the two trains on this model set crash into one another?"

An excited Gomez's eyes lit up as he said, "Brilliant idea Morticia! In fact... why not take it a step further, and blow them up just as they crash!" Morticia's face then became very excited as she said, "What a splendid idea!" Then Gomez took a hold of the controls, and changed the directions of the two small trains on the model set. Then Gomez turned to look at Morticia as he excitedly said, "When they meet at the bridge, you hit the explosion switch!" Morticia made a giddy smile, as she prepared herself. Then just as the two model trains began to crash, Morticia pressed a button - and then the two model trains were destroyed in a large fiery explosion. Gomez looked at the explosion with great pleasure in his eyes, while a very happy Morticia exclaimed: "C'est merveilleux!"

Suddenly Gomez's face looked like it was caught in a trance as he said, "Morticia... you just spoke French. Somehow... it caused me to feel... things I have never felt before." A curious Morticia then asked, "Like what?" A confused but smiling Gomez then said, "I'm not sure. However... could you speak in French again... please?" A confused looking Morticia then simply said, "C'est merveilleux?" Then a very excited Gomez put his heart over his chest while he said, "I... I feel something strange coming over me. For the first time in my life... everything feels so clear." Then a smiling and happy Morticia said, "Si magnifique."

Then suddenly Gomez's eyes widened, and then he gently grabbed Morticia's right hand and kissed it. As Gomez looked at Morticia's face briefly, he said, "I'm sorry Morticia. I don't know what I'm doing... but I can't help it." Then Gomez began to make kisses up Morticia's arm; while a smiling Morticia said, "I can help it... but I don't want to." Then a very excited Gomez looked directly at Morticia as he said, "Morticia, say something else in French. Say anything in French! Excusez moi. Soup du jour. Moulin Rogue. Anything!" Then Morticia made an excited smirk as she simply said, "Wala."

Then an over-excited Gomez immediately grabbed Morticia in his arms... and immediately the two teenagers kissed one another, while holding the other tightly. Then after a long moment of kissing, the two had their lips part (but still held the other close) as a passionate Gomez said, "Morticia... ever since the moment we made formal introductions with one another... I've felt deeply romantic feelings towards you." A smiling Morticia then happily said, "And I have felt the same. I didn't wish to speak of it at first because I thought you'd find me mad for having such intense thoughts for someone I just met." Then a happy and passionate Gomez said, "Then let us be mad together!"

Then Gomez grabbed a hold of Morticia once again, leaned her back, and the two teenagers kissed once more for a very extended period of time. As their long kiss continued: the sun set behind them, while the moonlight began to shine over them. However as Gomez and Morticia continued to kiss... Larissa came walking around the corner with a smile on her face. However as soon as Larissa saw Morticia and Gomez kissing... sadness entered her eyes, and she immediately walked away. Also in the same moment, from another direction - Garrett came sneaking in behind a bush. However Garrett too stopped as he saw Morticia kissing Gomez. Pain entered his face... and then Garrett reluctantly left the scene.

Eventually Gomez and Morticia stopped kissing, as a smiling Morticia said, "Oh Gomez... I've never felt my spirit so lifted before in my life." Then a grinning Gomez said, "I could say the same. So with that being said..." Then Gomez got down on one knee, and took a ring out of his pocket as he said, "Morticia... will you marry me?" Morticia's eyes widened in surprise as she said, "You're asking for my hand in marriage after knowing me for just a day!?" Then Gomez casually said, "Well it worked out for Romeo and Juliet, and they had a wonderful life together." Morticia smiled as she looked up briefly, and then said, "Ah, yes. Three days of marriage before committing suicide and having their remains lay together for all eternity. However... as delightful as that sounds Gomez... I would prefer to have some time to consider your proposal before answering." Gomez then stood up as he said, "Of course. Take all the time you need. But... could I at least request you be my date to the Raven dance tonight?" Morticia happily smiled as she said, "But of course."

***

In the mansion of his home, Ansel Gates was mixing together a blue formula in the kitchen. Just as Ansel poured the contents of his blue formula into a small vial, Garrett walked into the kitchen looking very sad. Ansel only casually looked at his son while saying, "Garrett, get your coat. It looks like it's about to rain, and we're going to be out tonight with work to do." Garrett then sat down in a chair looking devastated as he said, "I can't father. Morticia Frump... she's fallen in love with another man... who stole my love away from me!" Ansel rolled his eyes as he said, "Well good riddance to bad rubbish. I was already planning to have her be the first outcast we eliminated tonight after she and her friends made all those annoying calls to the police." Then Garrett looked down, with deep sadness in his eyes, as he said, "I just don't get it. How could Morticia pick Gomez Addams over me?"

Ansel suddenly had a furious look in his eyes as he said, "Addams!? Gomez Addams is at Nevermore Academy right now!?" Garrett looked up at his father with a confused face as he said, "Yeah. What does that mean to you?" Ansel then prepared to get his own coat on as he angerly said, "Gomez Addams is a direct descendant of Goody Addams: the outcast witch that murdered Joseph Crackstone and took our family's land from us! But on top of that... that psychic outcast I kidnapped yesterday, wrote down a vision she had that said Morticia Frump would marry Gomez Addams one day, and have a daughter that would be the one to end our family's work. I had already put multiple plans in place to prevent that from happening... only to realize now that I have to step up the time table of my game plan." Garrett meanwhile just look more confused as he said, "Wait. Are you say you kidnapped Raine yesterday?" Ansel then threw a coat at Garrett as he said, "Garrett, the future of our family and town is at stake. So get in the car and do as I say, now!"

***

The Raven Dance was beginning at Nevermore Academy in a large social hall. Many students walked into the event together, and many immediately went off to dance, eat, drink, and talk. Gomez and Morticia meanwhile walked into the dance room holding hands while smiling. Gomez was wearing a refined black suit, while Morticia was wearing a long black dress, with her hair running fully straight down her back. Gomez looked at Morticia with awe as he said, "The way you dressed and did your hair tonight Morticia... it's so hauntingly beautiful." Morticia blushed as she said, "Why thank you Gomez. Now then... do you know how to waltz?" Gomez grinned as he said, "Doesn't every man?" Then Gomez took Morticia's hand, and immediately led her into a slow waltz on the dance floor. As the two danced together, a smiling Morticia said, "You should be glad your cousin isn't here. He usually steals the show with his wild and elaborate dance numbers." Gomez chuckled, and then said, "Well then I suppose I should be glad Cousin Itt was suspended this afternoon after one of the teachers discovered him having a wild sex party with thirty girls in his dorm room." Then Gomez and Morticia brought their bodies even closer together, as their waltz continued.

Suddenly Larissa walked into the dance alone with pain in her eyes. She didn't talk to anyone, and just kept on walking to the middle of the dance floor where Gomez and Morticia were having their waltz together. Larissa then stopped right in front of Morticia and Gomez as she angerly said, "Having fun you two?" Gomez and Morticia immediately stopped dancing, as Gomez suddenly looked guilty while he said, "Larissa, I'm sorry. I hadn't told you for sure if I was still interested in being your date for the dance or not." Then Morticia looked guilty as she said, "No Gomez, I believe Larissa is mad at me. The two of us had come to the dance together as friends the last three years, and I hadn't informed her yet that I was planning to break our tradition." Larissa meanwhile simply looked furious as she said, "The fact that you don't even know the real reason I'm upset... is why I'm even more upset... or perhaps I'm upset because maybe this is all my fault really. Errgh. I... I hope you two are miserable together."

Then Larissa furiously walked off to another corner of the dance room. Gomez kept a calm face though as he said, "What a kind thing to hope for us. Although... I'm not sure she was completely sincere about it." Morticia then looked right at Gomez as she said, "Gomez, perhaps we could leave the dance. I'm not sure why Larissa seems so troubled, but I think we're causing it. We should create some space with her for now to give Larissa some peace of mind." Then a confused Gomez asked, "You want to cut our date short?" Then Morticia made a big smirk as she said, "I said I want us to leave the dance... I said nothing about cutting our date short. Perhaps we should go outside to catch our breath." Then Gomez made a big happy grin as Morticia motioned for him to leave the room with her.

***

As it started to rain, a car pulled up outside of Nevermore Academy. Inside of the car was Ansel and Garrett sitting beside one another. Ansel then tried to hand Garrett a small vial of a blue formula while he said, "You've broken onto these school grounds before, so do it again. I used the notes given to me by that psychic girl I took in yesterday to finally crack the formula to create Nightshade Poison in its' most deadly liquid form. That dance they're having tonight with all of those outcast scum gathered in one room will give us the perfect opportunity to sneak something special into their drinks. It'll take awhile for the symptoms to kick in... but by the time the outcasts realize they've been poisoned... it will be too late." Garrett however looked nervous as he said, "Dad, I... I can't. I can't kill Morticia."

Then Ansel suddenly looked furious as he said, "My God Garrett! Your little sister is more of a man to you. When I give Laurel a long list of instructions, she follows each command to the letter like a good soldier. Errgh. Listen to me Garrett. Those outcasts will only hurt you in the end. Just like with our ancestors, they will do more than break your heart. They'll eventually take our home, just like they did our family's original land; and sooner than we think... they'll end our lives! It's us or them Garrett! We can wait for them to make normal people like us an endangered species, or we can exterminate these vermin from our lands after hundreds of years tonight!"

Garrett however had tears in his eyes as he said, "I... I can't dad. I... " Then Ansel slapped Garrett hard in the face, and then yelled, "Prove to me you are still worthy to be called my son! Kill all those outcasts! Sneak into that dance and spike the punch bowl! End them... or I will end you. Understand!?" Garrett then took the vial with the blue formula from his dad, nodded his head while looking deadly afraid, and then said, "Yes father." Then Garrett stepped out of the car, and walked towards Nevermore Academy. However as Garrett put the vial with the blue formula in his pocket, he slowly said to himself, "Fine father. I'll kill the outcasts... but not before I kill with my own bare hands: the one who ruined everything for me first... Gomez Addams."

***

In one of the dark halls of Nevermore Academy, Gomez and Morticia were in the middle of kissing one another. Morticia then stopped kissing Gomez for a moment, as she happily said, "Un si bon embrasseur." An excited Gomez then said, "Oh Tish. The way you speak French terrorizes my soul in all the ways I love." Then Gomez and Morticia grabbed a hold of one another, and began to passionately kiss once more. Suddenly from nearby though, an angry Garrett ran up a set of stairs towards the two. With his hair wet, and murderous intent showing in his eyes, Garret yelled, "Addams!" Gomez and Morticia, clearly seeing what Garrett's intentions were without any other spoken word, slowly backed away. Morticia then glanced at Gomez as she said, "Go. Get out of here. He won't hurt me." Gomez then began to run up a set of stairs, as Morticia tried to stop Garrett. However Garrett immediately went right past Morticia, grabbed a sword from a nearby display, and ran towards Gomez with it.

Gomez then reached a higher floor of the school which was under construction (and missing a wall). As Garrett lunged at Gomez with his sword, Gomez grabbed a nearby pipe and stopped the sword. Garrett then tried to swing his sword at Gomez several times, while Gomez deflected each attack with the pipe. As Garrett swung his sword, he yelled, "Morticia was supposed to be mine! When you took her away, you ruined me, my family, and everything!" As Gomez defended himself, he looked at Garrett with compassion as he said, "You may wish to murder me Garrett, but I have no wish to murder you. A man with wonderfully sadistic passion like yours could still find a woman to have a long miserable life with. I would never want to rob someone like yourself from that." Than a furious Garrett swung his sword at Gomez again as he screamed, "Will you just shut up!" Gomez continued to defend himself with his pipe; but as he did, he looked at Garrett with pity while saying, "Garrett, I may be madly in love... but you are mad in hatred and fear... and that is a type of madness no man should bury his soul in."

Then a raging Garrett kicked Gomez in the chest, and then swung his sword towards him. However Gomez was finally able to knock Garrett's sword out of his hand, and pushed his body hard into a pillar. However, moving quickly: Garrett was able to use his fist to punch Gomez hard in the face, and then shove him to the ground. As this occurred, Morticia walked up the stairs and saw what was happening. As the battle between the two young men continued, Morticia yelled, "Garrett, no!" However Morticia's words could not be heard by the two men, as Garret got on top of Gomez, and began to throw punch after punch at his body. Morticia meanwhile stood unsure of what the best course of action to do would be as she yelled, "Garrett! Garret, stop! Leave him alone!"

However Gomez was able to get the upper hand, and then pushed Garrett off of him, and then tried to get on top of Garret's body. But then Garrett got the upper hand again, and pushed Gomez off of him, causing Gomez to roll several feet away. As Gomez laid on the ground hurt, Morticia ran to his side. However at the same moment: Garrett stood up and looked directly at Morticia and Gomez with primal rage in his eyes, and foam starting to appear from his moth. Then Gomez and Morticia looked at the fallen sword laying right near their feet. Both Gomez and Morticia then looked into each other's eyes with reluctance for a split second. Then a crazed Garrett quickly ran at Gomez with a growling sound coming from his voice. Then... the sword from the ground was lifted up...

***

Larissa was preparing to leave the Raven Dance, as one of the other students said, "Larissa, you're already leaving? The party only just started." Larissa simply had an upset look in her eyes as she said, "I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I think I'll turn in early." Then Larissa put on her coat, stepped out of the dance, took out an umbrella, and then walked into the school court yard. But then suddenly without any warning... the body of Garrett Gates fell down to the ground right before Larissa's feet. Larissa immediately screamed in terror, then looked up... and saw standing on the unfinished top floor of the school... was Gomez Addams holding a bloody sword in his hands.

***

Within an hour, many police officers were on the grounds of Nevermore Academy investigating the scene. Garret's dead body was already being put in a body bag as Sheriff Walker was talking to Larissa. As Larissa had a troubled look on her face, she had difficulty looking at the sheriff as she said, "I think he had a sword... and they had certainly had issues." Then Larissa suddenly found herself able to easily look at Sheriff Walker in the eye as she angerly said, "I don't like to tell tales Sheriff Walker... but it's all Morticia Frump's fault. They were fighting over her."

***

Within minutes, Morticia was right outside the school as she stood before a police deputy while saying, "I saw the whole thing. It was all an accident. I swear. My boyfriend... he wasn't trying to harm anyone." Then the deputy rolled his eyes, and said, "Yeah, and I just heard he's still a suspect in the investigation surrounding his own cousin's death. I wonder what other bodies your boyfriend's trial will turn up." With a pleading voice, Morticia quickly said, "All I know is that he couldn't have possibly done..." Then suddenly another deputy began to walk by while pushing along Gomez (who was in handcuffs). Gomez then turned to looked at Morticia as he said, "Tish!" Morticia then turned to look directly at Gomez, and tried to put on a calm brave face as she said, "I don't know what to say Gomez. Seeing you in handcuffs... accused of murder... I've never loved you more." Gomez made a little smile as he said, "Cara mia..." Then the deputy next to Gomez said, "All right, that's enough Addams. Lets go." Then Gomez was shoved into the nearby police car. As the police car was turned on, Morticia made a strong brave face as she said, "I'll wait for you Gomez! No matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you!"

Then as the police car began to drive away, Morticia stood still as she watched the back of Gomez's head (through the police car rear window) slowly begin to disappear from sight. Then Larissa appeared walking over to Morticia from nearby. An angry Morticia then turned to look at Larissa as she said, "How could you tell the police that Gomez murdered Garrett out of hate and spite!? I thought you were my friend Larissa!" Larissa's face, which had been filled with anger for the last several hours... suddenly was filled with a realization of the sadness her friend was feeling. Larissa then turned her head to the side as she said, "I... I'm sorry Morticia." Then Larissa walked away, just as all of the other police officers left the scene. Morticia stood alone looking brave for a moment... until her brave face broke down with sadness and tears. Morticia now began to look horrified and distraught as she began to walk into the nearby woods alone.

Suddenly though, smoke began to appear as Morticia felt momentarily disoriented. Then from the smoke... Wednesday emerged as she said, "Hello mother." Morticia then angerly looked at Wednesday with tears in her eyes as she said, "What is going on!? I thought it was my destiny to marry Gomez. Now he's being sent to jail, accused of murder; a murder that he didn't even... Errgh. Why is this happening!?" Wednesday then stepped towards Morticia as she calmly said, "You need to calm yourself mother. I know things may seem confusing, but this is all part of a greater plan." As Morticia looked up at the sky with sadness in her eyes, she said, "What great plan? Was I to fall in love with a man on this day, only to have but a few mere hours of pure happiness before he was taken from me?" Wednesday then stood behind Morticia as she said, "I understand that your young hormonal feelings for Gomez Addams, combined with my prophecy I shared with you: have confused your senses and clouded your judgment. However there was a reason for that." Then as Morticia closed her eyes, tears still came from them as she said, "And what reason would that be?"

Then without any warning... Wednesday took out a sword and stabbed Morticia through the back with it. Morticia's eyes widened with great confusion as she fell to the ground, while blood immediately began to flow out of the gaping wound in her body. Then Wednesday stood over Morticia while smiling as she said, "And you thought this night couldn't get any worse." Morticia looked up at Wednesday with pain in her eyes as she said, "How can you stab me? You're supposed to be just a spirit." Then Wednesday rolled her eyes as she said, "Actually, no. That smoke that always appeared when I showed up... I had it laced with mild hallucinogenic gases to confuse your senses. Apparently you've only just started to get visions, so that provided me with the ultimate opportunity to show up in a little puff of smoke pretending to be your daughter from the future. So glad we had notes and a drawing from the prophecy about your actual future daughter to help make me more convincing." As Morticia began to feel weaker while more blood flowed from her wound, she said, "I don't understand. Who are you Wednesday?" Then the dark girl with a pale forehead and long braids stood over Morticia as she said, "I am not Wednesday Addams. My name is Laurel Gates... and tonight Morticia Frump, is the night you die!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

*Cover art by @emeriart. Additional art by @annietheartsyartist.