#best blinds in adelaide

[michelmaxwell]

Enhancing Home Security with Best Blinds in Adelaide

Here is a blog post underscores the vital connection between home security and the choice of blinds. Shayona Blinds emerges as a reliable partner for Adelaide residents, offering not just window coverings but a comprehensive security solution. By understanding the dynamics, exploring smart options, and choosing the right materials, homeowners can fortify their residences without compromising on aesthetics. Shayona Blinds stands as a beacon of quality, providing custom solutions that blend security with style, making them the go-to supplier for enhancing home security in Adelaide.

[northsidecurtainsandblinds]

The Best Dual Roller Blinds in Adelaide

Northside Curtains & Blinds offers a wide range of dual roller blinds in Adelaide, providing homeowners with a perfect combination of style and functionality. Dual roller blinds consist of two layers of fabric, allowing for versatile light control and privacy options. With a simple adjustment, you can switch between sheer and block-out fabrics to suit your needs throughout the day. Northside Curtains & Blinds ensures high-quality materials and expert craftsmanship, ensuring durability and longevity. Whether you want to create a cozy ambiance or block out harsh sunlight, dual roller blinds from Northside Curtains & Blinds are the ideal choice.

[distinctivecurtains]

Top Notch Quality in Zipscreen Blinds in Adelaide

 Distinctive Blinds and Curtains provide top-notch quality Zipscreen blinds in Adelaide. We offer superior quality zipscreen blinds at affordable prices. We have over 30 years of experience in this field. We also provide services in curtains, and plantation shutters. We offer the best quality material and customized designs. For more info contact us-08 8296 3954.

[liahaslosthermind]

~ 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 ~

Past Rhysand x OC (Adelaide), Eventual Azriel x OC Part 4 of Betrayal Summary: What becomes of a family so fractured? Warnings: Suicidal thoughts and ideology, Attempted murder of family, Hurt/No Comfort, Death of a loved one, Grief, Cheating, Betrayal.

Shadows cover his vision, taking away the pleasure of seeing Rhysand's face as Azriel wrapped his hands around his brother's neck, intending to not let go till he is long gone.

Azriel couldn't even think at the moment, nothing on his mind but the sheer hatred he felt for his oldest friend. Nothing on his mind but Rhysand's continued betrayal to Adelaide, even as her body lays still in its eternal resting place.

If she couldn't get revenge for the betrayals right now, Azriel would be her warhorse, having gotten good at the art of revenge over his long life.

So filled with anger, Azriel forgets to leave the walls around his mind locked up tight. It usually wouldn't have been a problem, even at their weakest, breaking into Azriel's mind was no easy feat. But the fear Feyre felt for her mate was enough to fuel her abilities. Suddely, Azriel went slack on top of Rhysand, having been knocked out by Feyre's daemati powers. She hadn't meant to fully knock him out, but she was far too worried about her mate to care all that much right now.

Cassian grabbed Azriel, restricting his arms and wings so he wouldn't be able to attack his brother if he woke up, but not tight enough to hurt him.

The room was silent apart from Rhysand's heavy panting as he caught his breath and Feyre's cooing as she tried to comfort him.

"Are you stupid, boy?" Amren asked, but everyone knew it was rhetorical. "In what court would it be a good idea to tell your grieving and suicidal brother that you made the woman you left his best friend for, the dead best friend he is grieving still, your wife and High Lady?"

Again, it was posed as a question, but Rhysand knew better than to try and answer it.

"We had talked about this, brother. Until we saw that he was better, we couldn't tell him. You may have had more reasons that just wanting to make Feyre your High Lady, but Azriel won't care for the politics of it."

"He was going to kill himself, Cassian! He isn't going to get better. I didn't mean to tell him like that, gods know I can't blame him for what he just tried to do, but we all need to get it into our heads that he is not who he was, that he won't ever be. We lost him the day we lost her." Rhys' voice broke at the end as he said the quiet part out loud.

Truly, as well as he could, Rhysand did see Azriel's side. Love had made him stupid and blind and he knew he did things that the man Rhysand was a few years ago would have also killed him over, but love had changed Azriel too.

Not wanting to partake in the difficult conversation, everyone seemed to disappear, leaving the High Lord alone with his brothers. One unconscious and the other wishing he was so he wouldn't have to talk about what they were certainly about to talk about.

"You had told Addie time and time again that you had no wish for marriage, no wish to tie her to all the responsibilities you had, no wish to put a target on her back. Had I been in slightly worse state of mind when you first told us, I would have tried to kill you too over your hypocrisy, so would most of us."

It was true, the entire family, sans the Archeron sisters, wanted to kill their High Lord for his stupidity, for his continued betrayal. Once Nesta had been filled in on the details behind why it was brutal for him to make Feyre his High Lady, Nesta ran to her sisters to tell her, disgusted that he would continue to hurt his late lover like this.

Only her sisters didn't bat an eye. They knew. They didn't care.

They had their own reasons for their dislike for Adelaide. In Feyre's mind, Adelaide stood between her and her mate, playing the role of the evil mistress trying to break the happy couple apart, even if Feyre easily fit the description too.

For Elaine, it was more skewed. She blamed Adelaide for taking Azriel from her. While the girl had been alive, she had tried to bring the two together after Elaine confided in her about her feelings for Addie's best friend. When Adelaide gushed about how happy she was to hear that, how she had noticed the way the Shadowsinger looked at the youngest sister, Elaine felt as though a boulder had been taken off her chest. Addie never mentioned Elaine's mate, never made her feel bad for not having feelings for him, for wanting another man.

But a few months before she died, Azriel stopped with all the flirtation. He closed himself off from Elaine, remained only by Adelaide's side, and Elaine had assumed it had been her doing. That Addie had gotten jealous when they almost kissed and commanded her best friend forget about Elaine. It made her so mad she wished the stupid girl was dead.

Then when she did die, Azriel was a ghost. No matter what Elaine tried, he just wouldn't get over his misery and grief. So she blamed Adelaide for dying, for closing any opportunities she would have had to get the Spy Master back.

Rhysand didn't reply to what Cassian had said, didn't even give any indication that he had heard the male. Standing up and brushing himself off, he spoke as much as he could with the damage Azriel did to his vocal cords, "Put him in her room. Not his, he doesn't sleep there anymore. I'll call Madja to check on me, and then him. Maybe its time we keep a closer eye on him and if we must, get him help that isn't us."

Cassian was surprised at Rhysand's command. Despite the High Lord knowing he was fully to blame for most of this, Cassian hadn't expected his brother to be so forgiving of his other brother's suicide and murder attempt. But he did as the High Lord said.

It was the first time the General got a good look at Azriel in a while. He had spent the day before with him, but even then Azriel was closed off, hiding his emotions. When he was asleep, Cassian could take in his gaunt face, his pronounced eye bags, and the wrinkle lines that had yet to smooth down from his constant frowns.

He was still beautiful, nothing could take away the Shadowsinger's unnecessary handsomeness, but he wasn't the same as he had been the past 500 years. Cassian had seen him through some of his hardest moments, seen most of his brother's scars form, but he had never looked like this. He looked more lifeless than Adelaide did in her casket.

Gods, what a mess this already dysfunctional family had become.

[kristinamae093]

Ghosted

Ghosted - One Step Forward (Chapter Nine)

Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.

Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)

A/N1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

A couple of mornings later, Liam stood beside Madeleine with bright lights blinding his vision. They were arriving at an early interview with an international broadcast team to spread awareness of their upcoming union. They made their announcement of the updated tour a few days prior, and the public was very receptive. Constantine, Regina, Adelaide, and Godfrey all presented a united front for the cameras with Liam and Madeleine; the only one who seemed opposed was Godfrey, who said it was a ‘wasted opportunity’, but still went along with the majority and showed his support. 

Ever since, Liam found himself incredibly uneasy. He knew it was a bold move, but hoped having everyone rally behind him would work to his advantage. So far, he had been correct in his assumption. However, he realized that could easily change at the drop of a dime. The current moment of peace was incredibly unsettling as everyone waited on pins and needles; the fear of the unknown, along with the plethora of endless unanswered questions, ran rampant through his mind. Despite his attempts to portray himself as a strong, dominant leader, he knew those closest to him could see right through the cracks.

Liam met Ray briefly the night before. He and Olivia explained everything they were working on and Liam couldn’t believe so much went by them. Even Olivia expressed the same notion, but they both agreed that having Ray in their corner gave them a sense of relief. Although, the stress of a rebuttal heavily loomed on everyone’s conscience; all they could do was follow the leads they had, and hope for the best.

As they entered the studio, a boisterous voice caught Liam’s attention. They hollered at a few stagehands close by, drawing the attention of everyone around. “Do you not recognize this beautiful face? Let me in, baby doll. I need to get to my brother.” 

The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t let you in without authorization.”

“I’m sure you can make an exception, can’t you?” 

“No, I can’t–” 

“Cummon… I know you know who I am, or who I used to be, anyway…” 

“I apologize, but I can’t just–”

Liam approached and gave the woman a sheepish smile. “My sincerest apologies, but he is with me.” The woman flushed, but nodded and stepped aside.

“My man!” Liam suddenly found himself enveloped in a tight hug, his feet nearly lifting off the floor. “It’s so good to see you, Li.” 

“You as well, but what the hell are you doing here, Leo?” 

Leo flashed a smile as he pulled away. “I got a call from a little bird who said and I quote, ‘your brother needs some kind of emotional reinforcements; please come and assist before his tears stain all of my clothes’.” 

Liam chuckled before he asked, “Liv?” 

Leo nodded. “Yup. She did not give me details, however…” 

“I’ll fill you in as soon as possible, but we have to be careful.”

“Say less. How are you, man?” Leo took in Liam’s tired eyes and slightly slouched posture, and knew he wasn’t doing the best. However, Leo could admit Liam must have stepped up his stoicism game; if Leo didn’t know exactly what to look for, he would be oblivious to Liam’s struggle just like everyone else. 

“I’m fine, Leo.” Leo stared at Liam with a knowing expression. Liam let out a slight huff and emphasized, “I am, I mean – my mind’s racing a million miles an hour at all times with a plethora of what ifs, but…” 

“We need to catch up properly later, brother.” 

“That we do, Leo.” Liam gave him a sad smile before Leo pulled him into another hug. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot, especially now.” 

“I always got you, Li, always.” Leo tightened his grip on Liam. 

The stagehand from before approached the pair and timidly spoke, “Sir? They’re ready for you.”

The brothers stepped away from each other and Leo playfully punched Liam on the arm. “Go get ‘em, tiger.” 

Liam walked away with a small smile and made his way back over to Madeleine. Madeleine made eye contact with Leo; she narrowed her eyes and visibly clenched her jaw, to which Leo smirked and blew her a kiss. 

They ushered Liam and Madeleine around the studio and sat them on a couch in a small, but ornate set. The only other people in the vicinity were the camera crew, Leo and Penelope. Liam was undeniably tense, but knew this was what needed to happen; at least until they could get a solid lead, pointing them to what transpired with Riley. He had no other choice but to conform and show whoever was holding the cards that he was playing along.

After only a few moments, a tall woman with a slender frame appeared and bowed to the pair. “Your Majesties, I am Vivica Whittaker, a lead reporter for the International Gazette. It’s an honor to be here with you.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Whittaker. We’re thrilled to be here. Aren’t we darling?” Madeleine asked Liam, her face trained in a bright smile.

“Of course,” Liam replied, trying to mimic her elated expression. 

“Let’s get started, shall we? I understand you were on an international engagement tour, but decided at the last minute to stay in Cordonia. Can you explain the thought process behind that?”

“We have decided for the greater good of Cordonia we are going to tour our homeland. International support is important to us, and we plan to go on our intended venture at some point. However, we feel we need strength within our borders first.” Liam answered. 

“We hope that by doing so, the people will see us as the united front that we are.” Madeleine beamed at Liam, the sight causing his breakfast to roll in his stomach. “Cordonia is our number one priority.” 

“How is that going? Are the two of you enjoying your travels?”

“Indeed, we are,” Madeleine claimed. “It’s like living a fairytale every day with Liam. He makes me feel special and valued, like I’m the only woman who’s ever mattered.” 

“What a special connection the two of you must have! Your Majesty, do you have anything to add?” 

“I echo Countess Madeleine’s sentiments,” Liam responded in a flat tone. He wanted to scream his true feelings for all to hear, but kept his intrusive thoughts at bay. He cleared his throat and quickly added, “The sudden changes have gone over well, and we are thankful for that. To our international counterparts, I’d like to once again extend my sincerest apologies, and we hope you’ll consider joining us.”

“How do you balance your work and personal life, sir? I understand the busy life of a monarch, and I’d assume it would be fairly difficult to find the time to spend with your fiancé.” 

“I make it work.” 

“He’s being modest. He continuously blows me away, making sure I know just how much he loves me.” Madeleine reached for Liam’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “I know how much he cares, and that’s all that matters.” 

“You two are couple goals!” Vivica clapped her hands. “But I have to address the — elephant in the room.” She spoke to Liam specifically. “The night of your coronation, you chose a different suitor in front of Countess Madeleine. Can you tell me what was going through your head at that moment, and how it has affected your current relationship?” 

Liam could only stare at the woman before him. The lighting suddenly felt like infrared, beating directly down on his face. Sweat drenched his brow in an instant, and moisture gathered in the palms of his trembling hands. He counted to ten to steady his rapidly thumping heart, swallowed thickly, and responded in the calmest manner he could. “A lot was going through my mind that night and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t see the answer sitting right in front of me the entire time, and I regret not seeing it for so long…” He trailed off.

Although he hoped it was a vague answer, the truth the statement held momentarily hit Liam like a ton of bricks – because it was true, just in a different context. Until he opened his eyes to the truth, questions about that night were easy to divert; now, it was simply a daily reminder, a constant trigger for his unending guilt. He momentarily let himself get lost in the never-ending sea of things he didn’t do or neglected, further letting this chaos fuel itself.

Madeleine noticed his forlorn expression and babbled to direct attention back to herself. “He’s more than made up for his errors in judgment since then, and I hold no animosity toward him. What kind of woman would that make me if I did, Vivica?”

Vivica looked at Madeleine in awe. “You truly are such a role model. Let me ask what your thoughts are about the scandal against Lady Riley. She was one of the top contenders, some even saying above you before her scandalous departure.”

Liam visibly tensed beside her, but Madeleine straightened her posture and smoothly answered, “We have since moved on from that as well. We truly hope Lady Riley and Lord Tariq are happy, and we thank them for ridding themselves of our court.” 

Madeleine shook her head and studied Liam with tears dancing in her eyes. “I can’t believe she would do such a thing to the people who gave her a life here. She betrayed her future King; he did nothing wrong, all he did was offer her the world. For her to throw it away, throw him away, as if he was irrelevant breaks my heart. But I’m thankful in the end; I’m the one who got to pick up the pieces.” She stroked his cheek, her vacant, calculated stare piercing into his soul.

Liam had to use all of his willpower to force a smile. Her touch felt like slime; it took every ounce of strength not to slap her hand away. He knew she was good, but not this good – if he didn’t know any better, he would believe her, too. 

Vivica peered at them with longing eyes. “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say I’m glad everything worked out in the end. Where is your next stop on your engagement tour?”

“The next official event is in Portavira. However, tonight I will celebrate our upcoming nuptials with my closest confidants at my bachelorette party.” Madeleine smiled. 

The rest of the interview concluded without incident, nothing exciting or newsworthy; it was mostly Vivica and Madeleine speaking of the wedding arrangements, as well as Madeleine discussing her plans as a future monarch. Liam interacted when appropriate but stayed silent otherwise. Although he carefully kept the appearance that he was listening to the women as they animatedly spoke before him.

When the questions concluded, Liam quickly stood and made his way over to Leo, who was talking to a brunette beside the refreshment table. Liam cleared his throat as he approached, and Leo shooed the woman away. “You didn’t have to do that, Leo.”

“Nah, she was killing my vibe, anyway.” Leo snickered. “Dude, I almost thought you really loved Madeleine. Like, wow. You guys are fucking convincing!”

“Thanks, I guess.” 

A bout of silence overtook the brothers as Leo tried to think of what to say. He remained unsure of what was going on, as they hadn’t received the chance to speak in a private setting. “Hey, Li, did I hear her right? It’s her bachelorette party tonight?”

“Yep.” Liam slightly chuckled. “It’s not funny, but… Olivia has to go.” 

Leo howled with laughter. “What do you mean ‘not funny’?! That’s hilarious!” 

“She doesn’t think so. I believe her exact words were, ‘We’ll see if I make it through the night without making a kabob out of her’.’’ 

“Good. Saves us a lot of trouble.” The brothers shared a small laugh, but another stillness came shortly after. “Li, if the devil is gonna be busy anyway, let’s go do something, man; take your mind off all this bullshit.” 

“I’ll try, but–”

“No, no buts. You need to get out of here for a bit; let your hair down, and try to relax.” 

Liam scoffed. “Relaxing is the last thing I should do right now, Leo. You don’t understand what’s been going on–” 

“Exactly! How can I help if I don’t know what the hell we’re dealing with?”

“You’re… right…” Liam sighed, as he truly considered the offer. “Okay, we’ll do something later.” 

“Way ahead of you, brother. Figured you’d need an escape after a morning of press ops, so I booked us a spa for the afternoon. Even secured enough spaces to bring Max and Drake along.” 

Before Liam could respond, Madeleine’s voice rang out through the nearly deserted studio. “Penelope! Where the hell is my lemonade?!” Both watched Penelope scurry toward Madeleine and timidly offer her the drink. Madeleine took a sip and practically threw it back at her. “What is that?! I asked for sweetened, you imbecile!” 

Penelope shrieked as the cold liquid covered her face and drenched her hair. “I–I–” 

“I–I–” Madeleine mocked. “FIX IT!” she bellowed, causing Penelope to flinch and run away.

Leo scoffed. “Wow.” 

“Tell me about it,” Liam answered. “All day, every fucking day.”

“So we have upgraded ultra cunt to super duper ultra cunt? Free of charge?” 

“Unfortunately, so. This is mild compared to some of the things I’ve witnessed. Once, she made Penelope cut her skirt and put it on the ground so she wouldn’t have to walk through a puddle.” Liam rolled his eyes. “She’s absolutely out of control.” 

“Why’s Penelope letting her treat her that way?” 

Liam shrugged. “I would guess to appease the soon-to-be Queen and try to stay on her good side.” 

“That seems extreme.” 

“If the past couple of weeks have taught me anything, it’s that nobles will go to extreme measures to get what they want…” Liam trailed off, an air of sadness and regret notable in his tone.

Leo clapped Liam on the back, reassuringly squeezing his shoulder. “Come on man; fuck them, fuck the court, let’s go relax.” 

Liam sighed. “Leo, I want to, but I need–” 

“You need to relax for a bit, Li. Spend some time with your brother. Whatever is going on, Olivia is handling. Let her do her thing, and let’s unwind a bit.” 

Liam remained hesitant to agree, but Leo made a valid point. Plus, the thought of being away from everyone telling him how to act and who to be sounded incredibly cathartic. A small smile crept onto his face and he finally answered, “Alright, let’s go.” 

“Bet, I’ll call tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb.” 

Liam and Leo met up with Drake and Maxwell a short time later and made their way over to the spa Leo reserved. As they arrived, everyone started in a changing room, where they shed their clothes and wrapped themselves in warm towels. A staff member led them to a big, ornate room with one larger pool in the middle and another smaller one to the side. 

They lowered themselves down into the bigger area, each letting out a content sigh of relief. Liam reached for the tray of drinks that was left for them and passed them around to the group.

Leo sighed as he sat back and took a long swig from his glass. “You know, this cider is still one of the best spirits I’ve tasted – and I’ve sampled a lot.”

“I don’t think being an alcoholic classifies as bragging rights.” Drake retorted. 

“Ha!” Leo howled. “Are you fucking kidding me, Mr. ‘all I drink is whiskey’?”

“Whiskey isn’t just alcohol, it’s art – thank you very much.” 

“It’s alright, but what about literally anything else?” 

“I don’t need a pussy drink to get a buzz,” Drake responded with a shrug. 

“What about my pineapple paradise punch? You love that, right?” Maxwell asked, his expression hopeful.

“Nope, sure don’t. I only drank it last time because you hid all the whiskey, didn’t you?”

Maxwell sank further into the pool. “No……”

“Mm hmmm, bullshit. I’m on to you, Beaumont. I’m lucky I didn’t start my period drinking that frilly shit!” 

“Man, I remember the last time I had that stuff. Well, barely…” Leo recalled as he stared off into space with a crooked smile. 

“Yeah, isn’t that when you got caught with your pants around your ankles behind the staircase at your last Bash?” Liam chimed in as he hid a mischievous grin behind his glass.

Leo’s eyes shot open, his jaw dropping instantaneously. “Dude! You swore you’d never tell!” 

Liam snickered. “I didn’t tell them — you did, right after it happened.” 

“For real?” Leo asked Maxwell and Drake. 

“Oh, yeah.”

“Big time.” 

“Huh…” Leo raised his glass and took a sip. “Well, no shame in my game, I guess.” He said with a shrug. “Needed to rub one out and I couldn’t find a decent selection. It was that, or try to get it up for Maddy.”

“That’s still pretty fuckin’ weird,” Drake responded with a mortified expression. 

“No, what was strange was when he continued even after being caught,” Liam interjected with a shudder. 

“What was I supposed to do?! Put it away?” 

“Uh, yeah… Regina was absolutely mortified.”

Drake downed the contents of his glass in one gulp. He forcefully sat it down next to him and stood. “On that note, I’m gonna hit the cold plunge for a bit; soothe my bones.” 

“Alright, Grandpa.” Leo chided. 

“Fuck you, Rys.” 

“Can I come?” Maxwell asked with a hopeful expression. 

Drake pondered it as he looked from Liam to Leo and sighed before he finally relented. “Fine. But I swear to God – if you say one word about a goddamn peacock–” 

“I won’t!” Maxwell exclaimed as he climbed out and ran toward the smaller pool. Drake reluctantly followed behind, shaking his head and grumbling to himself as he went. 

Liam and Leo laughed at Drake and Maxwell’s antics before a tense silence came over them. Liam submerged himself in the water and lay with his neck against the edge, trying his hardest to let the gentle ripples wash his worries away. Leo racked his brain, trying to calculate how to approach the conversation that brought him here; Olivia gave no information over the phone, but he knew if she was calling, it was something serious. Leo also recognized Liam would not reach out for help; even if he was on fire and needed water, Liam would suffer in silence and shoulder the burden alone. 

Leo was there to ensure that did not happen, no matter what.

Leo drained the contents left in his glass and sat it down before he started, “So… Seems like you’re a little on edge...”

Liam scoffed. “That’s an understatement.” 

“Oh? Anything you want to talk about?” 

Liam sighed and sat up. He kept his gaze on the pool water in front of him as he softly answered. “I just have so many unanswered questions…”

“Riley?” Liam nodded, so Leo continued. “What exactly happened?”

Liam cautiously looked around the room, leaned in, and quietly told Leo everything they knew. He left out the grimy details regarding the maid’s murder, but redacted nothing otherwise. When he finished, Leo stared wide-eyed into the pool in front of him, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “Wow…”

“Yeah… I can’t wrap my head around everything. I knew something was off, but I let everyone around me convince me I was wrong to feel that way.”

“You mean father?”

Liam nodded with a remorseful expression. “Yes, along with Madeleine, Regina a few times, and not to mention the tabloids. I look back now and wonder how I could have been so stupid, so blind to the truth.” 

“Look, I know how relentless our father can be. How do you think I ended up engaged to Madeleine? I didn’t pick her because I wanted to — I chose her because he made me feel like I had to. He hounded me day and night about it. Again, why do you think I was constantly escaping from Bastien?” 

“I know you understand how he can be. But once again, I feel like I’m being backed into a corner. Even with the alternative route on the tour, we’re still running out of time and we’re no closer to getting answers than before. I know I must marry Madeleine, but how can I even fathom such an idea when there’s a very good possibility someone plotted to put her there?”

“You think that was their goal?”

Liam finally turned his gaze from the pool in front of him to Leo. Leo saw a world of emotions flicker through Liam’s eyes, his bright blue orbs darkening to nearly black. The unending rage he felt flourished; coursing through his body and creating a tidal wave of unaddressed emotions.

“Absolutely. It’s the only theory that makes any kind of sense. Someone removed Riley from the situation and either staged or altered pictures to paint the scene that she left to be with Tariq. Someone blackmailed Olivia to force her away, and she would have been my second choice; Madeleine essentially won by default. In the two months between the coronation and the beginning of the engagement tour, nothing happened because I played right into their bullshit. Once I started asking questions and poking my nose around, they started eliminating loose ends.”

“That makes sense… you said something about a guy you hired?” 

“Yes, but keep that between us. Bastien doesn’t even know his true intentions; nobody does besides a select few I know I can trust. I can’t risk another incident like with the maid; we can’t lose any more leads. He’s checking into the source of the article with Olivia and attempting to locate Tariq and Riley. Until he uncovers something or the forensics comes back, there’s nothing we can do.” Liam quietly answered and turned his gaze back to the pool in front of him, the dark clouds of despair threatening to take over once again.

A silence overcame them as Leo tried to figure out how to respond. However, Liam spoke again before he could. “Leo… the more time that passes, the more I feel like something truly terrible happened that night. There’s no reason for either of them to be completely untraceable. I mean, you know Tariq! The man is practically fucking useless out in the real world! There’s just no way…” He shook his head. “I can’t fathom it. Where did they go? Why hasn’t Bastien been able to find them?”

“Well, Li, you and I both know Bastien is kind of stupid. He didn’t even make running from him that hard, to be honest. That guy has the capabilities of a premature fucking kitten.” 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Liam slightly laughed. “I know… but I’m hopeful Ray, er, Harold, will find something, anything leading to her whereabouts. I care about locating Tariq, but Leo – I need to see that she’s okay. As much as I hate to think about it, I know someone injured her before she left. That maid told us she was unsteady but seen walking down the hall, so I guess it’s reassuring that nobody carried her out, at least.” He spoke just above a whisper, his tears threatening to flow freely. 

“Liam, I know what kind of pressure you were, and are still under. I understand, more than most. Honestly? I don’t know what I would have done in that situation; it’s an impossible thing that nobody should have to face.” Leo shrugged. “But… the most important thing is you’re doing what needs to be done, and that’s what matters now. We’re going to find them, Li, I just know it.” 

“I… I’m trying to stay hopeful, Leo, I really am…”

Leo nodded with a sad grin before he quietly started again. “Liam… brother to brother… tell me, in all reality, are you going to marry Madeleine?” 

Liam sighed and remained silent for a long while to gather his thoughts. “I–I’m not sure at this point. I don’t want to, but I know it is what’s expected of me.” 

“Who says?”

“Tradition dictates that–”

“Liam, fuck tradition.” Leo interrupted. “You did what you were supposed to do to ascend the throne; from there, it’s your call what happens. I know you want to do right by those who have worn that crown before you, and I get that, I do – but you can pave your own way and do things how you see fit!” 

Liam looked at Leo with a torn expression. He opened his mouth to respond but was silenced when Leo spoke again. “Liam, you are in control here, not anyone else. You can do whatever you want! You don’t have to let our father, or anyone else, dictate what you do. If you want to follow your heart and say fuck it all, there’s not a lot anyone can do to stop you!”

“What if people doubt me? What if the court questions my decision-making? Because as rough as it is to admit, you and I both know Madeleine would make a decent Queen! And they already think I’m unstable because of what happened at my coronation."

“Liam, fuck what people think. You’ve spent your entire life bending over backward for the throne, even when it wasn’t yours to inherit. You’ve never done a single goddamn thing for Liam. I heard stories about you and Riley during the season, and I wish I had been around to see it. I saw pictures of the two of you from the Regatta and I have never seen you so happy. If that happiness is within your reach, I want you to take it. Fuck everyone else.”

Liam didn’t respond, only kept his vision to the pool in front of them. Leo took in Liam’s dejected expression and added. “I also know about a certain clause that could be useful if you were to see fit…” 

Liam sighed. “Trust me, I’m familiar with it. A part of me wants to call off the rest of the tour and the engagement alike, but I know that won’t help us figure out what happened to Riley. I’m convinced someone in the court is responsible, and to disperse them would make this more of a nightmare. For now, I must act as if I truly intend to marry Madeleine. I’m at least trying to project that I’m okay with it, but – you and I both know how she is, especially with a Crown in her sights.”

“Boy, do I.” Leo guffawed. “Listen… I understand why you’re continuing for now, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through with the wedding. You already know what to do to call it off; the only thing stopping you is yourself.” 

“I just hope we can get some answers before I have to decide,” Liam responded with a heavy sigh. 

“I’m sorry, Liam…If I never would have abdicated…”

“If you never would have abdicated, I never would have had a social season, which means I never would have gone to New York and ultimately never met Riley. She’s the greatest gift life has given me… All I can pray for is her safety, wherever she may be,” Liam replied with a sad smile. 

Leo placed a reassuring hand on Liam’s shoulder. “We’re going to figure this out, Liam. I’ll do whatever I can to help you, and I’ll do the absolute most to keep dad off your ass.”

Liam half laughed and pulled Leo into a tight hug. “Thank you, Leo. It means the world that you dropped everything to come here for me.”

“That’s what big brothers are for,” Leo replied as he squeezed Liam tighter, hoping to calm his brothers’ heavy anxieties. He didn’t know what he could truly offer, but regardless, he was going to provide Liam with a sense of grounding; when the weight got to be too much, Leo would be there. 

As Liam and Leo released each other from their embrace, Drake stalked toward them with Maxwell trailing behind. His face was red with exasperation and he walked with his hands balled at his sides, determination in his steps.

“Okay, I’m done entertaining Maxwell. Hope you two had a touching family bonding moment, but it’s over now.” Drake griped as he reached them. 

“Oh, come on! I didn’t even mention peacocks!” Maxwell pleaded. 

“No, but I shouldn’t have to tell you I don’t care how comfortable your nuts feel in your goddamn underwear!”

“They’re ball hammocks! I’m just trying to help you out!”

Liam and Leo shared a laugh at their nonsense. After some extra time at the spa, they agreed to rest and have dinner later. Liam smiled, knowing Madeleine should have already left for her festivities by now, so at least he knew he shouldn’t have to deal with her until morning. However, he couldn’t stop his mind from racing as he wondered how Olivia and Ray were faring, and if they had come across any answers. 

Olivia bobbed and weaved her way through the mass of people in the high-end lounge hosting Madeleine’s party, Ray not far behind. Although this was the last place she wanted to be, she knew it was time to make her presence known; she was ready to go back into the lion’s den and rejoin the court. 

So far, the search for Riley and Tariq brought no leads. Ray reassured Olivia that he still had places to look, but that only calmed her flourishing uncertainties for so long. On the plus side, he worked his magic and had insurmountable success with the article. 

Ray hacked into multiple accounts and finally landed inside the photographer’s correspondence. The woman was merely a paparazzi and posted everything using a public computer. It was tricky, but he not only found the digital receipt for the bank transfer, but also the initial message requesting service. They offered a hefty payday, as well as detailed instructions for entering the estate and what specific shots would be required; attached at the end was a word-for-word story written out, only missing an author’s name. A comparison showed them the finished product mimicked what they sent word for word. When he tried to look into the sender’s information, Ray could not trace it; firewalls and other encryptions blocked him at every turn. Regardless, he stumbled upon a golden piece of evidence. 

Ray deciphered the receipt and collected the account number of the sender. From there, he transferred the information to a well-trusted associate; someone Olivia had used herself for aid in the past. The goal was to attach a name to said account and then – they would finally have a solid lead. 

Olivia was confident an answer was looming in their near future — it was so close she could practically taste the satisfaction of the victory on her tongue. In the meantime, it was time for her to ‘show her support’ and play pretend, the same as Liam. Olivia and Ray couldn’t think of anything else they could accomplish or uncover in the shadows; it was time to broaden their spectrum and test the waters of the nobility, starting with the other former suitors.  

Olivia approached the table where the ladies were sitting and put her hands on her hips. “What a coincidence running into you here, Countess.” She chided.

Madeleine visibly tensed. “Olivia? What are you doing here?” 

“Surprised to see me? Perhaps that’s because I didn’t receive an invitation to this little soiree.”

Madeleine clenched her jaw as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Can you blame me? Why would I want you here?” 

“Well, first off, let’s not forget who the first choice was...” 

Madeleine’s jaw fell to the floor. “How dare you,” she turned from her usual shade of porcelain to ruby in an instant, her annoyance escalating rapidly.

Olivia smiled warmly. “I didn’t mean it as a slight, my dear Maddy… I’m only stating facts. Regardless, you’re welcome.” She batted her eyelashes with an innocent expression. 

“I owe you nothing,” Madeleine growled with narrowed eyes. “Why don’t you go crawl back to Lythikos and stab a tree, or some other barbaric nonsense that your kind practices?” 

Olivia snickered. “Come on, Maddy, you know as well as I do that it's tradition for all the suitors to attend the engagement festivities. I’m only doing my part...” 

Madeleine rolled her eyes. “Your presence is unappreciated, but noted. You may leave – now.” She emphasized, trying to shoo Olivia away with her hand.

Olivia howled with laughter but stopped as she took in Madeleine’s intent gaze. “Oh, you were serious?” 

“Absolutely!” 

Olivia plopped herself down at the booth. “Well, unfortunately for you, I do what I want. Now, what are we talking about, ladies?” 

Madeleine growled and mumbled something under her breath, but Olivia couldn’t make it out. Kiara and Penelope shared hesitant looks, both seeking permission from Madeleine to speak. Olivia ignored their silent conversation as she realized something; even without Riley, they were still missing a suitor. 

“Where’s Hana?”

“Who?” Madeleine answered, avoiding eye contact.  

“Hana… Hana Lee.”

“Oh! Right! Hana!” Madeleine exclaimed after a long moment. “I extended the invitation, but unfortunately, she declined to attend.” 

“Did she say why?” 

“No, she didn’t.” Madeleine eyed Olivia suspiciously. “Why do you care?” 

“I don’t,” Olivia snapped. “I was only making an observation, is all.” 

“Humph.” Madeleine lifted her nose to the sky and crossed her arms, turning her body away from Olivia. The three women quietly spoke amongst themselves, intentionally excluding Olivia; not that she cared. The only reason she was there was because she knew it would be heavily publicized, and true to fashion, the reporters snapping photos of them inside at random moments proved her theory to be correct. Since she was absent from the first few events, she figured jumping in with this ‘intimate gathering’ would show she was going along with the ruse as well. 

Throughout the night, the ladies attempted to put space between themselves and Olivia, but she would promptly follow them. Kiara seemed less off-put, even trying to converse a few times. Penelope, however, wouldn’t even make eye contact, let alone speak to Olivia. In a couple of occurrences, Olivia caught Penelope intently watching her. She quickly averted her gaze, but not before Olivia noticed, and she lost count of how many times it happened. The expression she wore each time piqued Olivia’s interest; equal parts curious and apprehensive. 

The ladies bounced their way around the dancefloor most of the night. Olivia didn’t join, but stood still as a statue close by with Ray not far away, intently watching their every move. At one moment, Ray tapped her shoulder and attempted to tell her something, but Olivia couldn’t hear him over the surrounding commotion. He motioned to a side door and pulled her to it before Olivia could protest; the noble ladies slowly fading from view. 

As they made it outside, Ray studied the area to secure their privacy. “What’s going on?” Olivia tentatively sought. 

“I got the details on that account.” 

“And?” 

“We have a name.” 

Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m not in the mood for games, Harold. Spit it out.” She snapped, her patience quickly dissipating.

“Penelope Ebrim,” Ray answered with utmost confidence. However, Olivia started laughing, hard enough that tears were forming in the corner of her eyes.

“I’m serious, look.” Ray reiterated, holding his device to her. He showcased a comprehensive report on all incoming and outgoing transactions from their target and started listing them off. “Charity donation, coffee, coffee, dog food, a hefty charge to some online place called ‘American Girl Dolls’, but here, this one –” He pointed to a specific line. “– The date matches, the account numbers match, and it’s the exact amount offered in that correspondence.” 

“Ho-ly shit…” Olivia gasped. Out of everyone who could have been involved, Penelope was the last person she could have suspected. “We have to question her.” 

“Is she here?” 

“Yeah, inside with the others.” 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” 

Olivia nodded, and the two took off into the crowded vicinity. They sped to the area the ladies were in when they left, but there was no sign of them. After checking there, they went back to the booth from before, only to find another party occupying it. They searched the bar, bathrooms, and anywhere else they could think of. After a while, Ray and Olivia decided they were gone and opted to leave and resume their search for Riley, intending to speak with Penelope at a later time. However, as they exited onto the street, they saw someone crawling into a taxi, and upon quick inspection realized it was Penelope. 

“Penelope!” Olivia yelled. She knew Penelope heard her because she suddenly moved quicker. Olivia rushed over to stop the vehicle, but wasn’t fast enough. 

The cab drove away and Olivia could see the back of all three ladies’ heads in the window. Penelope, however, was the only one who glanced through the back windshield and locked eyes with Olivia. She noticed the tears that glistened on Penelope’s cheeks in the dim streetlamp lighting, even from afar; the glistening of her running make-up sparkled as it ran down her face. Olivia wanted to believe the clueless, ditzy, poodle-obsessed Penelope couldn’t have been involved in something of this nature, but all the signs said otherwise. 

The car faded into the night, leaving Olivia and Ray cemented in place on the nearly deserted street. Frustration coursed through both of their veins, as more questions seemed to pile themselves on top of the already unending list.

Regardless, they now had a name and concrete, undeniable evidence that Penelope was involved – she wouldn’t be able to deny knowing something. It wasn’t much, but it was a start to what they hoped would be the end of this never-ending spiral of madness.

All they had to do was get to Penelope and make her talk. Considering the next stop on the tour was Portavira, Olivia knew that opportunity would present itself, and soon. Penelope could run, but once the thunderous hand of her inquisitive monarch was added to the equation, she would have nowhere to hide. 

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[melbourneskybourne]

My Sky Characters Part 12

Wagga -

A popular street performer of The Sky Kingdom, Wagga once performed with his brother, Zeleck, to bring fun, excitement, and entertainment to the masses, but while Zeleck abandoned him to pursue more sinister means with the spells they learned, Wagga stayed and continued his act on his own.

He found interest in entertainment when he met an elder performer named Adelaide put on a show that presented to him the beauty of spells she would use. He would soon ask to be her apprentice, and worked his way up with Zeleck to eventually take the leading role while Adelaide decided to retire from the show, but she still helps Wagga with supplies for his acts, and even trained him to create his own spells.

Wagga loves to make people laugh, and his cheery, happy-go-lucky personality has given him a name for himself that even members of The Elders Council bring him in for his services if court sessions cause tempers to rise.

While he has his fans, he’s become best friends with a particular council member who’s been his biggest fan for the longest time; Bungle. Even though Bungle can’t see Wagga’s performances due to his blindness, he loves the magical sounds from the spells Wagga uses.

[slinket]

Tangible

@spaceyaceface

I picked prompt 24 'how can I be the boy you dream about.'

This is my first time writing fanfiction ever, I have no idea what I'm doing, and just wanted to go for it. Turned out much longer than I expected. Not easy writing this entirety on my phone while on a cruise vacation either lol.

Tangible. 

Ominis x MC (Amy)

No warnings. 

I stood at the entrance of the great hall, taking a moment to scan the tables and find the smiling faces of my friends. When I spotted my fellow Hufflepuffs, I started over to sit across from Poppy and Adelaide, greeting them while pulling a pancake onto my plate. 

"Amy, we were just talking about you!" Adelaide exclaimed while passing me the syrup.

"It's barely 8am, what could I have possibly done already?" My smile flickered at my own teasing. 

Poppy snickered, "Well, more like Duncan Hobhouse was talking about you.

Now the smile fully sank.  I sighed and shoved a bite of the pancakes into my mouth.

"Bleh," I said as I was chewing. Adding after swallowing, "that was in reference to Duncan, not the pancakes." All three of us girls giggled at that. 

"I just don't understand it, how can Duncan be afraid of plants and puffskiens, but he feels completely comfortable asking me for a date?"

"Well that's simple enough, sweetheart," Sebastian stated as he and Ominis sat down, one on each side of me, "unlike puffskeins, you don't bite."

"I'll bite!" I scoffed.

Ominis took the opportunity to retort, "Ahh, but will you stick your tongue up his nose?". 

"You got me there". We all laughed. 

The conversation continued, easing from one topic to another, avoiding any more talk of Duncan. Not only did I want to stop thinking about his unending interest in me, but I also knew too much Duncan would have Ominis seeing red.  I could understand the dislike, but the utter abhorrence Ominis felt towards Duncan was a little much. 

As breakfast was coming to an end, Ominis held his hand out to me, indicating that it was time to head to class.  

"I would be delighted for you to escort me to my napping area" he teased.

I grabbed his hand, relishing the way our fingers intertwined, always greedy for any contact.

"I believe the rest of the school calls it History of Magic." I laughed as we stood, nodding at my friends in farewell. 

History of Magic was my favorite class. Ominis and I have always shared a desk, and I had learned so much over the past couple of years. Intormation like how long I could continue holding his hand after we sat down.  The current record being 30 minutes. Which hand Ominis would usually lean against as he fell asleep (it was his left).  How I could tell he was dreaming when his lips would raise into a slight smile.  Oh, the absolute best part of class was always when Ominis would catch himself slipping off of his hands and would grab on to me to steady himself.  It didn't happen often, so I made sure to grab back at his arm to support him when it did occur. 

We arrived and I smirked at Ominis who was settling down for his nap. He was still holding my hand as he lifted it up to his mouth, pressing his lips tenderly against my knuckles. I made a noise or surprise, and Ominis turned his head towards me.

"I needed something nice to think about before falling asleep, too much talk of Duncan today and I do not wish to dream about him." I laughed at his explanation. 

Class continued, and Ominis fell into his usual pattern of slipping off into sleep. He has a habit of tapping his fingers against the desk when he would awaken. I would watch his pale and lengthy fingers tap with no apparent pattern. 

"Ominis, why do you always tap after you wake up?  I can't ever remember a time that youve skipped that action"

"Oh, it is because of my blindness. When I wake up, often it can still feel like a dream because I see nothing different. Tapping, touching something tangible will ground me, lets me know that things are real, that I am real.". He paused for a moment. "I…does that make sense?  I've never explained it to anyone before."

" I understand the feeling, though the context may be different. After everything with Ranrok, life didn't seem real to me. I would go through the motions while feeling that I might as well be a character from a story, that everything I was to do had already been written. No choices, no surprises, no real life.  Actually, you are one of the reasons I was able to leave those feelings behind."

Ominis hummed in question as he tried to make eye contact with me, furrowing his brow. 

I giggled, "Your sarcastic demeanor, the way you really pay attention and listen, the way you make me feel…it brought me back to life."

I was leaning closer to him, feeling that if there was ever a moment for Ominis to be convinced with words to kiss me, it would be now. I licked my lips as I watched him move closer, and then heard Ominis groan as we both heard my name called.  My head fell back in annoyance.  

"Duncan, how are you?" I asked him with a polite smile. He may be a bit annoying, but I didn't have any real reason to be rude.  Yes, he continuously asked me out, but he was a gentleman about it, never being pushy or overbearing. A simple no and he would be on his way, placated for a while.

"Amy, I am glad I ran into you, I wanted to see if you would be interested in joining me to Hogsmede, to, uh, talk or uh, spend time together."

Ominis smacked his hand on the desk and growled. "Get a clue Dunkein, she's not interested." 

I watched as Ominis stormed off. I sighed, and turned back to Duncan. 

"I'm sorry Duncan, while I don't appreciate his attitude, Ominis is correct. I'm not interested."

I watched Duncan slouch in defeat, "Amy, please, how can I be the man you dream about?"

He looked so sad. And I felt guilty, but still found an answer slipping from my mouth. "Ominis. You'd have to be Ominis." While I said it in a whisper, I was still surprised I said it at all. Duncan's eyes opened wide as I lowered my head and pushed past him. 

Weeks passed.  I continued the little game with Ominis, where we both seemed to reach out to each other for more, but then pulled back, confused and worried of what would happen, of what the other would think.  I was trying to be more bold, at least, I honestly didn't think I could be more obvious without physically throwing myself at Ominis. I often wondered if his blindness affected other parts of his perception as well.  Duncan continued to inquire with me to spend time together, and I always welcomed him to spend time with me and my friends, but no to any alone time. 

A day came where I found myself in the library with my usual study group, Sebastian, Ominis, and Poppy. When going to sit at our usual table, Sebastian and Poppy raced to sit to ensure Ominis and I sat next to each other.  We were preparing for a history test. 

"Amy, do you have notes on Grimbald Weft?". Poppy asked.

I ruffled through my parchment, "Eh, it seems not." I gave her an apologetic look.

Ominis turned his head quickly towards me and asked "How could you not have the notes?  I know I sleep through class, but you don't.  I don't remember you missing any class!"

"Oh, I didn't miss a class, I just must have um" I bit my lip and glanced back and forth between the three of them. Ominis looked concerned, while Poppy had a growing smile and Sebastian was trying not to laugh. "I.. I must have dozed for a moment. You were sleeping Ominis, there is no way you would know not if I had also fallen asleep." 

Poppy winked at me.  She knew the notes were missing because I was busy counting the freckles on the face of the boy next to me. That I may have been thinking about how good it would feel to run my fingers through his hair as he slept. Or, as I started to blush, thinking about other things that pass through teenage hormonal minds. Whatever the reason, Binns might as well have been speaking in an unknown language. I didn't pick up anything he said. 

"So Amy, when are you going to take your relationship with Duncan to the next level?"

I looked at Sebastian in confusion. "What do you mean?

"She has no relationship with Dunkien, and unless the next level would involve her shoving him off a bridge and forcing him down, there is no where for him to go."  Ominis was always adamant that nothing between Duncan and myself would ever happen.

Sebastian looked at me again, "I mean, when are you taking your relationship with "Dunkien" to the next level?"

Obviously, Ominis couldn't see that Sebastian had put quotes around Duncan's name. Poppy gave him a smack on the arm before laughing, and I am sure I flushed red. 

Ominis stood up suddenly and put his face towards Sebastian.  "I just told you that there is nothing going on between those two, leave it alone Swallow.  

I stood slightly and put my hand on Ominis's shoulder, gently pushing him back into the chair. I left my hand there and rubbed his back a bit before telling him that I could live with Sebastian's teasing. Ominis gave me a concerned look, and feeling daring, I leaned close to whisper in his ear.  "Sometimes it's fun to be teased."  

I hadn't realized how close I had been that my lips had actually been brushing against his ear, but the look on his face after I pulled back was both breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time. Red color rising over him, showing me his clear embarrassment, eyebrows looking to scowl, but lips twitching into a half smile. 

"I best be off, I've a letter to write and send out before the end of the day.". With that, Ominis abruptly left.

"I will kill you, Sallow!" I said with anger, but my face gave away that I did find the situation comical. 

"I can't help it that you're so clearly in love with a blind boy.  Maybe in an act of jealous rage Ominis will grab you into a kiss!" 

"I think it's more likely that he would grab Duncan into a fight."

Poppy nodded and agreed with me.  "Ominis is probably just too nervous or too much of a gentleman to ask."

"Well he is stupid then. Sometimes you have to just go for it.  Or, you could go for it yourself Amy.  In fact, I'm going to just go for it."  And with that, Sebastian stood up, grabbed Poppy by the face and kissed her hard.  "You're beautiful and I absolutely adore you."  Sebastian took off quickly, while I stared at Poppy in shock, and she seemed stuck with her mouth slightly parted and eyes wide and wild. 

"Did you..has he ever said anything about liking you?" I exclaimed, as I really was at a loss of words.

Poppy coming out of her shock, turned to me, "did that just happen?"

"It happened"

"Wow." We laughed as we packed up our things and headed out. 

I immediately ran off to the undercroft to see if Sebastian or Ominis were there.  I was lucky to find them both, overhearing a bit before they noticed me. 

"...so I kissed her.  Sometimes Ominis you just have to go for it, nerves be damned."

"Well I'm so happy for your relationship advice Sebastian, unfortunately I find it hard to believe that you just kissed Poppy at random."

"He did, I saw it." I said, walking over to them. "Sebastian, I didn't even know you were interested in her… you are interested in her, yes?  If you kissed her just to prove some point I will kill you."

"It can be a little bit of both yah?  I proved a point, to you at least, and I got to kiss a beauty.  All around great time for me… was she happy about it?" He asked, suddenly nervous.

I laughed while answering, "yes, she was happy, I think a bit shocked, but happy."

"Perfect, I'm going to go track her down and see if I can kiss her again.  Or do the whole talking about our feelings thing, if we must.". Sebastian waved goodbye and left for the lift.

"He really did that, just no warning, no fear, no vomiting from nerves?"  Ominis asked.

"Well I can't say what he did after he left the room, so I suppose he could have vomited, but otherwise yeah, he just went for it.  I replied. "Maybe he is right, about just going for what you want…". I trailed off, knowing still that I would not have the confidence to kiss Ominis.  

Ominis hummed, before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the undercroft.  "Lets go, my dear, taking bets on how quickly he can mess this up."

Of course the kiss was all we talked about for the next few days. Excited because it happened, but more excited to find out what happens next.  Poppy and Sebastian seemed to be moving forward quickly, already having gone on a date or two.  Talking to Poppy, she told me that the whole thing had been crazy, but she couldn't have been happier, and she encouraged me to make my move on Ominis. I had been considering it. This being our final year at Hogwarts, I always worried in the back of my mind that regardless of how close we were now, after graduation we would go our own ways. That fact alone helped pressure me to do something, because it's a lot harder to say goodbye to a lover than it is a friend. 

It was nearing Valentine's day. I was determined that Ominis would be my boyfriend before that date. Or that it would all fail miserably and I would spend eternity in my dorm alone. 

I was looking for Ominis around the castle, but had a hard time finding him. I did however run into Duncan.

"Amy, Amy," he called, chasing after me. 

I paused with a grown, but trying to be forever pleasent, I put on a smile and turned around.  "Hi Duncan, what can I do for you today?"

"How about that date?"

"Sorry, have to pass.  Oh, have you seen Ominis lately?"

"Actually I have, he was saying something about going to the docks."  Duncan gave me a smile. Then he ran off.  

"Oh, well that's great Duncan, thanks for letting me know, see you later." I slowly turned my direction towards the docks. Bit if a long walk in the cold, but I have my scarf and my confession cannot wait. 

I reached the docks in probably about 45 minutes.  Had to be careful about all the ice. No luck with finding Ominis.

"Damnit!" I yelled out to the water. "Merlin, I just want to tell Ominis that I love him, why are you making this so hard!"

That's when I heard him, "Amy, you..you love me?"

Turning around, Ominis was close behind me. I swallowed and walked up to him.

"Well that certainly made the confessing part of this a lot easier."  I took a breath and leaned in close to him. What do you think? You in?"

He didn't answer. Ominis grabbed onto my robes and pulled me to him. Our lips missed, but I laughed and redirected so we could finally sink into each other. Time seemed to stand still as kiss after kiss went by.  

"Amy, let's head back before we get too cold."

I smiled up at him, Ominis, who I would be calling my boyfriend now.  We linked hands and made our way back up to the castle. Life felt serene.

Soon we approached the top of the hill, and I saw Sebastian there, packing together what I would guess was a snowball.  I shouted at him and waved, and when he looked over, I raised my and Ominis's locked hands.  I had the biggest smile on my face until I watched Sebastian face go from carefree to very, very concerned. 

"Ominis, why do you think Sebastian isn't happy for us? He's been pushing me to open up to you for ages."

"Don't worry about what he thinks Amy, in fact, forget about him. Lets get into the castle another way."

Ominis started walking in another direction, but I pulled him back to me and began dragging him over to where Sebastian had been.  We approached together and I looked again at the angry faces of Sebastian, Poppy, and ….Ominis?

I dropped my Ominis's hand and took a step back.  

"Stupify," I heard Sebastian yell.  My Ominis fell to the ground.  Sebastian and the others came running towards me.

"What the hell is going on?" I wailed, tears about to fall from my eyes. My Ominis had gotten back up, but now was bent over and coughing.  I watched in horror as the Ominis I had so recently confessed my feelings to, and spent a good amount of time making out with, shifted into Duncan Hobhouse.  

I swear at that moment that flames could have been shooting out of my ears. I could not hold back the tears anymore.  "Duncan, what..a polyjuice potion?  You absolute asshole.  I told you that I loved you…well him…Ominis.  We kissed several times!" I retched. 

Hearing a growl, I looked over at Ominis and saw pure rage.  "You kissed her?  You put your scummy lips on this precious gift of a woman?  I'll kill you." The last of his words screamed as he ran at Duncan and tackled him. 

 I felt Poppy come up next to me, wrapping her arm around my waist as a form of comfort.  Ominis was on top of Duncan and smashed his fist into the face of the liar.  Sebastian was doing his best to pull Ominis off of Duncan.

Poppy and I walked over to the boys and I yelled at Ominis to stop while Sebastian went flailing backwards. Ominis sat up ready to attack again, but I rushed forward and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Stop, please. I need him to be able to talk and explain himself." 

I heard a grunt, which I took as an agreement, Ominis stayed on top of Duncan, keeping him held down. 

"How the hell did you get a hold of a polyjuice potion?" I asked Duncan. 

"Heh, Weasley." He replied. 

Ominis pulled Duncan up by his robe and slammed him back down.  "Spill, everything," Ominis snarled. 

"Okay." Duncan leaned up on his elbows and began to explain. "Remember when I asked you how I could be the man you dream about?" I nodded but stayed silent. 

"You told me that I would have to be Ominis. So I was just meeting your demands. I got Garreth to make the potion by trading him some of the giant venomous tentacula leaves I had taken from the hidden herbology basement back in 5th year." 

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "I think you may be misremembering that particular event."

"Anyways," Duncan continued, "Garreth didn't ask questions. Getting some hair from Ominis was easy with how often he falls asleep in public. You wouldn't give me a chance, so I did what I had to do to get that chance."  He smiled up at me, "your lips against mine, simply perfect." 

"Those lips are for me to be kissing, not you, not anyone else." Ominis started as he stood up.  "Get the hell out of here, Dunkein." 

"You guys okay?" Sebastian asked.

Ominis hummed softly, "could Amy and I have some time alone?"

"Of course," Poppy answered.  She grabbed Sebastian's hand and the two of them wandered off together. 

"Ominis, I swear I didn't know.  This was insane - I thought…." I trailed off.

"You dream of me?" Ominis asked.  

I looked down at the ground, feeling the embarrassment of confession creep across my face. "Yes, I do," I said in a whisper. 

"Good." When Ominis said that, I looked back up at him and saw his ears turning red. I felt comforted knowing he was going through the same nervous emotions that I had.

"It was hard enough to convince myself to confess my feelings for you once, now to have to do it all over again, heh, you think it would be easier."  I closed my eyes and took a breath.  "It almost seems harder, considering I just made out with the guy you hate most on this planet."

Ominis put his hand to my cheek, which I leaned into, loving the feel of his cold fingers against my burning skin. 

"Now now my dear, he is only the person I hate most at Hogwarts, the planet contains several people I hold lower than Dunkein."

He felt my cheeks raise in a smile. I placed my hand over his, and slid it over to my lips, kissing his palm lightly.  I could feel the pace of his breathing alter.

"I do love you." I whispered.  

Ominis pressed his forehead against mine.  "Yes, making out with my mortal enemy is an excellent way to say 'I love you.'"  

I lifted my head away with a wide smile on my face ready to teasingly push Ominis away.  When I placed my hands on his shoulders, I heard him breath out the word 'don't,' as though he was afraid I would push him away forever. So instead I moved my arms forward until my hands linked behind his neck.  My eyes closed as I saw him leaning towards me. Our lips met, tentatively, and I remembered that Duncan could not find my lips. Of course Ominis would know exactly where my lips fell on my face, there was no chance he would have missed. 

This kiss was different from the one with Duncan.  It was slow, steady.  Every break was devastating, each nose rub a question asking to go forward.  The slight moans were music to my ears. There was no comparison. Had Ominis and I kissed previously, there is no way Duncan could have fooled me. This kiss with Ominis felt like two souls reconnecting.  

We pulled away after a few moments.  Ominis put one hand on my cheek, the other on my shoulder.  He started tapping his fingers against both.  "Everything ok?" I asked.

"More than okay. It's just that, this is like a dream, so I needed to feel that it was real, that you are real, and that I am fully awake. I need the tangible touches." He kissed me quickly. "I love you."

"You can have all the tangible touches you could ever want."  I kissed him again, and decided to never let go.  

[drchenquill]

Adelaide

~Wip Intro~

German and English Cover

[Genre: Romance/Drama]

Synopsis

"Adelaide Blackmore, the gossip of all Povington. Growing up as the youngest of four children, with three full-grown and well-behaved sons, she was the worst thing that could have happened to her parents. Wild red hair that the maid had to style every day in vain. Her chemise dresses always had to be dark in color, as she didn't feel the need to avoid puddles or stay out of mud. The look in her dark eyes was penetrating, never receding. She grew up with three brothers, her whole childhood was spent fighting with the boys, so her noble mother couldn't expect her to grow up as a lady, not when she had to assert herself on a daily basis. But Adelaide must be married, or her poor mother may never rest in peace. Enter Mr. Duncan Gilingham. A young man in his early 30s, he has just moved to Povington with his dear mother to find peace in the country. How nice, he was not married yet! But… oh dear, no wonder he is not married, the poor man was blind. How will Adelaide deal with this? Will she have pity on him, or is not even his blindness safe from her sharp tongue? How will she react when she finds in him a match for her rude nature, a man she thought incapable of taking care of himself?"

Characters

Adelaide Blackmore

Burn Your Village

I could burn your motherfuckin' village to the ground I do not roll over like a motherfuckin' hound I could crack your skull between these motherfuckin' thighs I could doom your lineage with one look from these eyes I could name the date in which they'll put you in the ground You're the one who said it's justice watchin' witches drown (mother!)

Touch me again and I'll cut off your hand There are some things you'll never understand You do not dance everyday with the fear Of living in headlights, the hunted, the deer

I could tell your mother 'bout that night you held my drink What I wouldn't give to empty you into my sink You can think you own me 'cause you pay to see my loins But I'm the one who's naked with a pocket full of coins You can slay the dragon like a motherfuckin' man But give me three days, you'll both be eatin' from my hand

Whore, mother, sister, slut I am the, I am the divine goddess of the smut Nurse, sinner, virgin, bitch I am the, I am the vengeful daughter of the witch (mother!)

Labor

Apologies from my tongue, and never yours Busy lapping from flowing cup and stabbing with your fork I know you're a smart man (I know you're a smart man), and weaponise The false incompetence, it's dominance under a guise

If we had a daughter, I'd watch and could not save her The emotional torture, from the head of your high table She'd do what you taught her, she'd meet the same cruel fate So now I've gotta run, so I can undo this mistake At least I've gotta try

The capillaries in my eyes are bursting If our love died, would that be the worst thing? For somebody I thought was my saviour You sure make me do a whole lot of labour

The calloused skin on my hands is cracking If our love ends, would that be a bad thing? And the silence haunts our bed chamber You make me do too much labour

All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid Nymph then a virgin, nurse then a servant Just an appendage, live to attend him So that he never lifts a finger 24∕7, baby machine So he can live out his picket fence dreams It's not an act of love if you make her You make me do too much labour

Duncan Gillingham

Here

Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this An anti-social pessimist, but usually I don't mess with this And I know you mean only the best And your intentions aren't to bother me But honestly I'd rather be Somewhere with my people we can kick it and just listen To some music with the message (like we usually do) And we'll discuss our big dreams How we plan to take over the planet So pardon my manners, I hope you'll understand That I'll be here Not there in the kitchen with the girl Who's always gossiping about her friends So tell them I'll be here Right next to the boy who's throwing up 'Cause he can't take what's in his cup no more Oh God, why am I here?

Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here? Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here

Mein Hass tritt dir die Haustür ein

Mein Hass tritt dir die Haustür ein Er wird versuchen, nicht zu grob zu sein Hab keine Angst, er bringt dich schon nicht um Für den Fall, dass du noch kannst, kehrst du dann besser nicht mehr um Mein Hass tritt dir die Haustür ein Hab' ihn gebeten, nicht zu grob zu sein Doch bei bösen Jungs hat er sich nicht im Griff Und du gibst ihm jeden Grund, dass er die Bitte gleich vergisst Meine Hände bleiben sauber und die Weste, sie bleibt weiß Du aber nicht verschont, ich schicke dir noch wen vorbei

Er richtet dich hin oder zu Von deinem Kinn tropft dein Blut Und werd' ich dich wiederseh'n Ist mir egal, ob du kriechst oder gehst Er richtet dich hin oder zu Von deinem Kinn tropft dein Blut Und werd' ich dich wiederseh'n Ist mir egal, ob du kriechst oder gehst

[Translation]

My hate will kick down your door He'll try not to be too rough Don't be afraid, he won't kill you In case you still can, you better not turn back My hate will kick down your door I asked him not to be too rough But he can't control himself with bad boys And you give him every reason to forget the request My hands stay clean and my vest stays white But you won't be spared, I'll send someone over

He'll kill or injure you Your blood will drip from your chin And when I see you again I don't care if you crawl or walk He'll kill or injure you Your blood is dripping from your chin And when I see you again I don't care if you crawl or walk

[all pictures taken from Pinterest]

[pocket-lad]

CH 8- Aftermath

Prev

Adelaide screamed. It was a heartbreaking scream, one that started deep in her belly and burned her throat. She screamed and she cried until her voice was hoarse, and still she kept going.  

It all happened so fast. 

Alan had no idea what to do. He didn’t want to look after her and he didn’t want Ian to run off and get himself killed, no matter how much he disliked the man. Alan tried to give Adelaide back, holding her out awkwardly in-between cupped hands, but Ian was already too far gone. “Ian!” he called uselessly.  

Adelaide demanded that Ian come back, that Alan put her down and let her go to him. She didn’t care how illogical it was, or if anybody could actually hear her over the rain. It was unfair of Ian to make this call and take away her agency. She tried to claw her way out of Alan’s hands, using anything she could – her fingernails, her teeth, her knife, but Alan hardly flinched. Whether he was used to pain like this or not, Adelaide didn’t know and didn’t care, but she kept going even when his fingers started to bleed. Heavily. Tears unwillingly leaked from her eyes.  

“Adelaide, stop! Adelaide! I’m sorry!” Alan yelled over the rain, holding her away from his body.  

The Tyrannosaur roared yet again and this time, without the walls of the car to protect her ears, Adelaide’s hearing went fuzzy. She still heard the rain and Alan’s voice, but it was muffled. She covered her ears, but at this point, it was useless. That didn’t stop her from trying to get out, though.  

Alan’s hands were rough, wet, and slippery, making it hard to get a hold of anything. The cave they created sealed her off from the world, rendering her completely blind. Adelaide was soaked from the rain, from sweat, from Alan’s blood, maybe even her own blood. As she fought, she ended up in a position that allowed her to peek through Alan’s fingers, and the sight before her made her freeze.  

The dinosaur was just rearing up and it smashed its head into Ian, sending him flying in the air like a rag doll. He crashed into the bathhouse, the roof collapsing on top of him.  

All the air was sucked out of Adelaide’s lungs. She let out an agonizing scream. “NO!” she cried, renewing her efforts to get out of Alan’s hands. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.  

Alan saw what the Tyrannosaur was about to do to Gennaro, so he closed his hands a little tighter around Adelaide, blocking her vision from what he expected to be a gruesome image. He was right.  

With the dinosaur’s attention turned back toward them, Alan knew he had to act fast to save everyone who was left. He doubted anything he said to Adelaide at this point would make a difference, so he made an executive decision. He placed her roughly into his pocket, buttoning it up behind her so that she could neither fall out nor climb out.  

The next ten minutes were a haze for Adelaide. She collapsed into the bottom of Alan’s pocket, sobbing. She weakly shoved at his chest, begging him to go back, begging him to see if Ian was okay. There was no way he could hear her over the commotion though, and slowly, her attempts died out. She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. She was soaked from head to toe in who-knew-what. Her best friend in the whole world was dead. Her life was now and probably forever in the hands of a stranger. All Adelaide had the energy to do was sob.  

Her body was thrown left and right, up and down as Alan moved around, probably trying to save the kids. He was noble like that. Occasionally something heavy would press against her. It didn’t matter.  

Let me die here, she thought.  

She couldn’t shake the image of Ian getting thrown through the air out of her head. He always seemed so confident, so sturdy. Nothing could shake him. Yet there he was, as light as a feather as far as the T-Rex was concerned. His body was just as frail as anyone else’s.  

Adelaide hated Ian for getting himself killed. She hated him for leaving her alone. She hated John Hammond for creating this stupid park and she hated everyone who participated in it. She hated herself for letting this happen.  

If she’d tried just a little harder during literally any step of the process, they would both be safe and alive. She could have convinced him not to go on this trip, to stay behind with Ellie and the Triceratops, to stay put in the car. But as always, Adelaide was useless.  

The tears in her eyes had long since dried up, but she still couldn’t force herself to move, or to even hang on for that matter. That was, until she was suddenly drenched by rushing water.  

The pressure of the water shoved her against Alan’s chest, but it quickly dispersed. The now soaked pocket clung to her skin and she felt like she was going to suffocate. Adelaide struggled to push the fabric off her, gasping for air, but every time she pushed, it came right back as if it was coated in glue.  

She didn’t hear, but rather felt Alan’s voice rumbling beside her. She kicked at his chest, hoping he would let her out.  

“Alan!” she called. “DR. GRANT!”  

With her hearing gone, she couldn’t tell if he acknowledged her yelling. She didn’t have to wait long, though. The fabric contorted around her as Alan fidgeted with the pocket button. When he got it undone, he blindly reached in.  

Adelaide wasn’t sure if she was scared or relieved at the sight of the unfamiliar, muddy hand. Regardless, it was coming right for her. She braced herself the way she normally did when Ian pulled her out of his pocket, but Alan was not Ian. Instead of wrapping his fingers around her to guide her into his palm, Alan pinched her body with his fingers, using his thumb to pin her chest to the tips of his other fingers.  

Immediately uncomfortable, Adelaide started wriggling and shoving at his thumb. It didn’t budge, and Adelaide was yanked through the air. She forced her eyes shut to avoid vertigo.  

Belatedly, Adelaide realized Alan was talking to her, or at least trying to, based on the faint rumbling. She was held right in front of his face, so when she opened her eyes, he took up all of her vision. She flinched, not expecting to be so close. He was definitely saying something, but Adelaide felt like she had cotton in her ears. She looked at his mouth to see if she could read his lips but immediately regretted that decision when all she could think about was how she could fit inside of it. Her soft hazel eyes flickered back up to his piercing blue ones, but she was so close that she had to turn her head to look from one to the other.  

“Dr. Grant...I can’t...I can’t hear!” Admitting it out loud made Adeliade realize how scary the situation was. As a borrower, she relied on her ability to hear well. She could even argue that it was more important than sight, because you could hear a Bean (or any predator for that matter) long before you could see them. If Adelaide’s ears were permanently damaged, she wouldn’t be able to survive on her own. She’d either die quickly or be forced to rely on a Bean for the rest of her life.  

Those thoughts sent Adelaide into another panic, and she started wriggling again, kicking her legs at nothing. “Please... please, you’re hurting me!” she cried. The pressure of his thumb felt like it was getting stronger by the second.   

Alan opened his fingers, letting her tumble into his palm. Still, he held her close, worried about her condition. He could see faint tear tracks on her small face, but he was never any good at consoling people, especially if they were crying.   

Adelaide wasted no time getting to her feet. She had to look confident for what she was about to say, though she wasn't sure how well she was pulling it off.

“We have to go back! We have to go find him!” she demanded. Adelaide knew she had no power in the situation, and demanding something of a giant was risky, but she didn’t care. Only one thing mattered right now.  

When Alan didn’t immediately follow her orders, Adelaide let out a frustrated noise and scrambled toward the near side of his palm. If he wouldn’t help her, she would find Ian on her own. She leapt out of his hand, aiming toward his chest. It would be hard and dangerous, but she could scale down his clothes. Probably.  

“Woah!” Alan said, not expecting her to pull a stunt like that. His hands reacted automatically and caught Adelaide against his stomach. He lifted her back up to eye level again, his hands cupped a little higher this time. He didn’t close them around her completely, not wanting to send her into another panic, but he also didn’t want her to jump again.  

Adelaide sat up in his palm, a little disoriented and breathing heavily, but her initial panic subsided now that she wasn’t constricted. “I don’t know what to do,” she admitted pathetically, looking down at his hand, unable to meet his eyes. The hand was so similar to Ian’s, but so, so different.  

She didn’t blame Alan for stopping her. Ian would have done the same. Hell, anyone would have done the same. It was stupid to think she could find Ian on her own. She didn’t know where he was. She didn’t even know where she was.  

Adelaide felt weak. This trip had only made her realize how small she actually was, and being small, above all else, was just embarrassing.  

There were little things, like Ian flicking water at her in front of Ellie. But then there were bigger things, like the way she was shown to everybody on the helicopter without her consent. It was clear to everyone there that she didn’t want to be in that situation, what with the awkward way she stood on Ian’s palm, but she had no control over it. It was the way she had to ask to do things, or the way other giants made her flinch and cower despite her best efforts not to. It was the way she couldn’t save her best friend on her own. Pathetic.  

Adelaide realized Alan was talking again, but still she only heard mumbles. He also waved at her with his other hand, trying to get her attention.  

“I know you’re scared,” Alan said slowly and calmly. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but he spoke just in case she could pick anything up. “But Tim is up in that tree. I have to go get him, so I’m going to leave you here with Lex, okay?” He made vague, grand gestures while he spoke, hoping any of it made it through to Adelaide.  

She got the gist. She turned behind her to see Alan approach the girl, who was crying. The girl couldn’t seem to pick what to focus on – Adelaide, Alan, or the car that held her brother. At least she wasn’t staring.  

The two had a short conversation, and Adelaide of course heard none of it. She could tell that Alan was calm, but the girl was terrified. And rightfully so.   

“Stay here and watch Adelaide,” Alan ordered Lex.  

When Alan’s hand extended toward the girl, Adelaide knew for sure what was going on, and she wouldn’t let it happen. She took off again, but Alan was quicker this time, anticipating that Adalaide would try to flee. He tilted his hand, sending Adelaide tumbling backward and into his other hand.  

Thinking fast, Adelaide clung to the nearest thing she could find, which happened to be Alan’s index finger.  

Alan blinked a couple times, shocked and a little annoyed. He tried to shake Adelaide loose by lightly flicking his hand, keeping the other one beneath in case she fell. When that didn’t work, he tried to slip his middle finger between her arms and his finger. When that didn’t work, he pinched her waist with his other hand and tugged gently, but she held fast.  

Adelaide was disoriented again, and the tugging hurt her ribs a little, but she could not give in. It no longer rained, but everything was still slippery and muddy, so she clung as if her life depended on it. It probably did. Adelaide had spent this whole trip feeling like decisions were made for her, not with her. If she could prevent one thing, it would be falling into the hands of a child.  

Alan sighed. He didn’t want to hurt Adelaide, and she wasn’t showing any signs of letting go. He held his finger to his face and made sure she was looking at him before he pointed to his pocket. If she was coming with him up the tree, she would stay in there.  

Adelaide didn’t like the thought of going back in the pocket, but that seemed like her only option. It wasn’t like she could sit on his shoulder while he scaled a giant tree. She nodded, but before he could move, she said, “Please don’t button it.” There was no demand in her voice, no anger. Just resignation.  

“Okay,” Alan said, and with that, he awkwardly stuck his finger in his pocket until she let go, flopping to the bottom.  

The suffocating feeling instantly invaded Adelaide’s senses again. If she thought the humidity was bad earlier, it was infinitely worse now, what with the rain and evening heat. She forced herself to take slow, steady breaths, but as she felt Alan start to climb the tree, she couldn’t take it anymore. She climbed to the lip of the pocket and threw her arms over the edge. At least the air was a little fresher out here. Barely.  

Adelaide was aware of Alan faintly mumbling to himself, and as they made it further up the tree, she thought she could start to make out words here and there. At least her hearing wasn’t completely damaged.  

Besides that, Adelaide was in for an uneventful ride. The jerkiness of Alan’s movements combined with his heavy breathing forced Adelaide to hold on tight, but her vision was restricted to tree bark and the occasional leaf. A stray raindrop fell on her head, drenching her and plastering her hair to her face. At this rate, she doubted she’d be dry ever again.  

By the time they reached the car, Adelaide could make out most of what Alan said, even if it was still muffled. When she spotted the boy - Tim, she remembered – she noticed his lips were moving but she couldn’t hear him. So, she pieced together the conversation from Alan’s side of things.  

“You okay?” Alan asked. Tim said something, then Alan said, “Oh...that’s okay. Here, just give me your hand....... I won’t tell anyone you threw up, just – just give me your hand.”  

Reluctantly, Tim took Alan’s hand, and Adelaide saw that as her cue to settle back down in the pocket. For the first time in a while, and despite all odds, she smiled. She may not like kids herself, but Alan was unbelievably obvious about his distaste, and it was kind of funny. Even partially deaf, Adelaide could hear the “I-would-rather-be-anywhere-but-here-with-this-kid-who-just-vomited-everywhere" in his tone.  

She listened to Alan calm Tim down and only worried slightly when he helped Tim onto a branch, but Alan made sure to keep the boy away from the pocket she was in.  

“It’s just like coming out of a tree house. Did your dad ever build you a tree house, Tim? .... Yeah, me too. Now, the thing about climbing is you never, never look down, that’s all.......I’m gonna help you get your footing,” he said. By the end of their conversation, Alan sounded more than annoyed.  

Adelaide thought about climbing and how Beans were so often opposed. She wasn’t scared of much, and heights definitely weren’t one of those things. Climbing was second nature to borrowers. As soon as a child was able, they were hauling themselves up skyscraper-sized furniture, because the alternative was starvation. Borrowers needed to climb to survive. And apparently some humans had a fear of doing it.  

There was a snap somewhere in the tree loud enough for Adelaide to hear. Alan urged Tim to go , and that was all the warning Adelaide got before their descent rapidly picked up its pace. Alan kept shouting at Tim to move faster, and there were sounds of crashing in the background. If she knew any better, she’d say the car came loose from the tree and was seconds away from knocking them to the ground and crushing them. Haha. Imagine that.  

The whole ordeal had Adelaide’s heart pounding, but she didn’t really know what was going on. She guessed if she did, she’d have been a lot more scared, so she counted her blessings.  

Alan must have jumped because suddenly, Adelaide was airborne. She yelped, but landed safely in the hammock that was his pocket as he landed on solid ground. She felt a heavy pressure push her into Alan’s chest as he leaned forward - his hand. She geared up to fight it, but realized it was the only thing keeping her from falling out. He was protecting her. Another, much closer crash startled Adelaide and then...silence.  

It lasted so long that she wondered if her hearing had gone out again, but she faintly heard Tim say, “Well, we’re back in the car again.”  

“Well, at least you’re out of the tree,” Alan responded.  

Confused, Adelaide pushed against Alan’s hand holding her in place. He removed it and sat up straighter, allowing Adelaide to climb to the top of the pocket. At first, she only saw darkness, but as her vision adjusted, she saw they were indeed in the car, though it was upside down and on top of them, reaffirming her belief that she was better not knowing what had just happened.

Alan stood and ushered Tim out of the car. Once they had all regrouped, Adelaide felt safe to take a long, deep breath.  

“Who’s that?” a young, annoying voice said.  

Adelaide looked up to see Tim staring directly at her, seemingly no longer bothered by their near-death adventure in the tree, and froze. The girl stood further away but was also staring inquisitively.  

Oh yeah.  

It wasn’t that Adelaide forgot about the kids. They were right there the whole time, but with the rain and the dinosaurs and fighting with Alan and losing Ian, that fact got pushed to the back of her mind. Honestly, with dinosaurs on the loose, children seemed like the least of her problems. Until now.  

“Oh, uh...” Alan trailed off, looking between Adelaide and Tim, no words coming to mind.  

“I’m Adelaide,” she said. “I know you’re Tim, and... I’m sorry, I think I missed your name.” She looked at the girl. She knew she heard it multiple times, but she could not remember for the life of her.  

“Lex,” the girl said, her voice hoarse and quiet from screaming. Adelaide had to strain to hear her.  

“It’s uh, nice to meet you, I guess...” Adelaide said. She didn’t want to talk to them, but she had to take control of the situation. She couldn’t let these children see her as anything other than a real, human-ish adult. With the kids seemingly satisfied, she turned to Alan. “So-”  

“How do you know my name?” Tim interrupted. His voice was loud, making Adelaide flinch a little.  

She swallowed. “You said it earlier,” she explained shortly.  

“When?” Tim asked.  

“When you introduced yourself to Dr. Grant.”  

“Oh.”  

After a pause, Adelaide felt it was safe to ask Alan her question. “So-”  

“Why are you small?” Tim interrupted again.  

“I don’t know, why are you big?” Adelaide retorted. That stopped Tim in his tracks and forced him to think for a bit.  

“Dr. Grant,” she said, looking up at the underside of his chin. When he heard her voice, he looked down, and Adelaide steadied herself. God, she hated this angle. “I have to find Ian and see if he’s okay. Please.”  

Alan looked away for a moment, putting together his thoughts. He looked back at her. “Adelaide, we’re going to find him, but at the moment, I have no idea where he is and I have no idea where we are.”  

Adelaide looked around, realizing for the first time that they were in a completely different location from when the Tyrannosaur appeared. Alan registered the confused look on her face and answered her question before she could even ask it.  

“We came from up there.” He pointed way up at a concrete ledge, even higher than the tree. “I don’t see a way to get back up there directly, so we’ll have to find something else.”  

“Oh,” Adelaide said. Her heart plummeted a little further.  

She didn’t want to be in the pocket anymore. It was stifling outside and even worse in the pocket, even with her head poking out. She gathered two handfuls of fabric on Alan’s shirt and started hauling herself up to his shoulder.  

“Hey!” Alan said, hands automatically reaching for her. He stopped short though, not wanting to startle her or knock her off.  

Adelaide froze when she felt his hands approach but picked up the pace when nothing happened. “Relax, I do this all the time,” she said, feeling a little more confident.  

She secured herself on his shoulder in no time, but when she looked up, Tim stood a lot closer. Could he teleport? How could he move so quietly when his voice was so loud?  

“My size is normal for people,” he said. “I’m not big. You’re small.”  

“I wouldn’t exactly call you normal, shorty,” Lex joked.  

“Can I hold her, Dr. Grant?” Tim asked.  

Adelaide’s heart stopped. She thought she was successful in establishing herself as an autonomous adult, but the way Tim talked over her proved otherwise. Alan wouldn’t let Tim hold her, would he? She stiffened in place, ready to make another run for it.  

“Guys, why don’t we uh...why don’t we leave Adelaide alone,” Alan tried. “Come on, let’s find a place to stay for the night.” He waved them along ahead of him. They took off, bickering and laughing.  

Adelaide let out a relieved, grateful sigh. Lex and Tim weren’t horrible. Like all kids, they were loud, fast, and annoying, but at least they didn’t try to grab her. At most, it looked like she was just going to have to deal with an onslaught of patronizing questions, which she expected from most humans anyway. Adelaide would obviously still keep her guard up, but with Alan backing her, she might be able to handle this...Maybe.  

***  

Ian faintly heard voices as he was unwillingly dragged into consciousness. He needed to let them know he was there, but the best he could do was groan. Footsteps approached.  

“He’s put a tourniquet on. Ian? Ian?!” the voice of Ellie called.   

“Remind me to thank John for a lovely weekend,” he said weakly.  

Ian went to sit up, but remembering himself, patted his pockets down first to check for Adelaide. When he didn’t feel her, he frantically glanced at the area around him, not wanting to crush her. Again, she wasn’t there.  

It took a couple seconds for him to recall the events that previously unfolded. The dinosaur. Shoving Adelaide into Alan’s hands. Running.  

He looked up at Ellie and Muldoon. “Where is Dr. Grant? Are they safe?”  

Ian said 'they’, but Ellie knew what he really meant. Was Adelaide safe.  

“We don’t know,” she said sadly.  

Ian sat up too quickly, making his leg throb and his head pound. “What- what do you mean you don’t know? What happened?”  

“We don’t know,” Muldoon repeated, harsher.  

“Then why are we sitting here? Come on, let’s - let’s go!” Ian demanded.  

“You’re not going anywhere like that. You’ll be of no help to anyone if we don’t fix that leg,” Muldoon said.  

“Those kids are out there, um, Adelaide is out there, and there’s a - a Tyrannosaurus Rex on the loose-” Ian’s words built in intensity until Muldoon interrupted.  

“Oh, there’s more than just a Tyrannosaur loose.”  

“How do you mean?”  

“Most minor systems are down – phones, fences....” Muldoon explained.  

“Even more reason to find them then,” Ian urged impatiently. He didn’t regret his decision to hand Adelaide over to Alan. Ian himself was badly injured from the incident. Who knew what could have happened to her? Still, he was worried. How could he not be? He trusted Adelaide and he trusted Alan, but these were unprecedented circumstances. Dinosaur and man were not meant to coexist, and he didn’t like man’s odds in the inevitable confrontation between the two species.  

“Ian, we’re doing the best we can. You said Adelaide’s with Alan? Then there’s nobody better to get her through the park. They’ll be okay, I’m sure,” Ellie said.  

Ian scoffed. Alan knew more about dinosaurs than anybody, but he worked with fossils, not the real thing. And this wasn’t even the real thing – these were genetically modified assumptions of what dinosaurs were. Still, Ellie was right.  

Before they could argue more, they heard the roar of the T-Rex in the near distance.  

“Can we chance moving him?” Ellie asked Muldoon.  

“Please, chance it,” Ian said. Nothing mattered more to him than getting Adelaide back, but even he admitted that he would be no good to her dead. 

Muldoon helped Ian get up and slowly walk over to the rescue Jeep. Ellie continued to look around, spotting the car over the edge of the enclosure. She called out to the others and Muldoon came over to see for himself. Ian wished he could have looked with them, but there was no way he could walk on his own.  

A familiar tremor shook the ground. “Anybody hear that?” Ian said to himself. “You know what that is? It's an impact tremor is what it is. I'm fairly alarmed here." As the footsteps got larger, he called out to the others. “Come on, we have to get out of here. We have to go. Now. Now! Right now! Let's go!”  

Ellie and Muldoon ran back and hopped in the car just in time. Muldoon slammed on the gas as the T-Rex crashed through the foliage and chased after them.  

They raced through the jungle,  and Ian backed away from the rampaging dinosaur out of instinct. Fear wasn’t an emotion Ian often felt. He worked best in chaos and unpredictability, but in this moment, he was truly scared. Scared for himself, scared for the kids, and scared for Adelaide. But not only was he scared; he was angry. Angry at himself, sure, but angry specifically at John Hammond. When he got his hands on that man, he was going to go ballistic, God save him.

.

Next

[devin-kin-ward]

Brothers and a Sister: A Backstory

It was morning on Flak’s apartment, the day after Dev was finally released from the hospital, and the wear from the task had left the aasimar man with a sink full of dishes he hadn’t had the energy to clean the previous night. Not a huge issue but a necessary chore nonetheless. Flak had always prided himself on maintaining a position as a role one could model themselves after even when nobody was around.

Only there was one issue. The damn sink. The sprayer handle would get stuck sometimes, and when the water sprayed his chest, leaving warm but rapidly cooling air on his simple night shirt, there was a long pause before a scream, a combination of pain and horror. It was enough to wake Adelaide, who had a habit of sleeping in most mornings. As the orange-red haired woman bolted around the corner, her silvery grey nightgown half falling off one shoulder, her pale yellow eyes instantly set upon the sight of her boyfriend on the ground, clutching his chest, longed blonde hair strewn about the tile floor of the kitchenette of their apartment, a panicked expression on his face and his equally pale eyes staring into space

“Oh my god, Flak.” The aasimar woman darted to his side, taking one of his hands and holding it to her chest, her heartbeat breaking him from the apparent vision he was experiencing and the horror it brought with it. Eventually his breathing slowed and his expression became one of exhaustion rather than fear as he went limp for a moment before sitting upright

“Sorry about that…” guilt in his voice.

“You don’t have to apologize for having a panic attack, dummy.” She hugged him, a deep breath of relief escaping her spirit-touched lungs. “You still planning on keeping this whole thing private or am I finally gonna learn what these are all about?”

“… yeah okay… you should probably know the whole story eventually, and I… it was vivid this time.”

“I’ll make breakfast. Take your time and go at your own pace.” He smiled at her words before standing and moving to their dinette table, taking a few more moments to slow his heart rate and catch his breath.

“So… it’s about my brother-“

“Uh, don’t you mean sister? I thought you said Dev was trans?”

“She is. This isn’t about her. Well it is but it’s not and- I need to start at the beginning for this to make any sense… you’ve heard me say the phrase “last life” sometimes, right?”

“Blue moon but yeah. You said you can remember your soul’s last cycle.”

“Exactly. It’s… not something that’s supposed to happen but I’m an exception. I’ll get into why later but for now… last life. It was in France. Couple hundred years ago. Two brothers were born on a pig farm, not twins for the record. Their names were Adrian and Laurent Dumont. And one day, their father left them, and so it was just the boys and their mother. And they all had to work hard to keep the family afloat. Adrian took pride in his work and did his best to step up where his father had stepped out, where as Laurent was resentful, thought he had been dealt a poor hand and was get he didn’t deserve to be abandoned and then forced to work so hard.

It got worse when their… when our mother got sick…” it was around this point Adelaide got the bacon on the heat, the smell quickly hitting the air. There was an awkward pause

“Oh, sorry, is that insensitive?”

“No it’s fine. Helps bring it back a bit, makes the image in my head clearer” He chuckled before continuing. “Mother got sick, we were only teenagers at the time but now all the work was ours. We had to break our backs extra hard too because she needed medicine and extra food to fight off the sickness, but it never seemed to be enough. Never enough food, never enough medicine, never enough money. And every day we didn’t have enough, Laurent got more and more resentful. I was too blind to see it though, because I had my eyes elsewhere. My head was held high for my ability to overcome, at least by my measure, the circumstances, and I was proud to take care of my family, but I also knew France was suffering.

And then whispers of a word hit my ears. Revolution”

“You were a French revolutionary?”

“… no… I’m uh. Getting to that part. The Bastille. It was going to be stormed. It wasn’t going to be clean or easy but the Revolution needed to start there because it needed the resources and the structure and the symbolism. And people all around were preparing for it in secret. Myself included. Secret from everybody… secret from my family too for that matter. Until the day I was to leave.

I looked Laurent in the face and told him what I was doing. I didn’t realize it then but it broke him. He said that things like ‘you’re going to leave us and take the horse with you just to get yourself killed’, or some other point about how what I was doing was selfish. I couldn’t see his point. To me I was trying to help make France better for everyone, us included. But… inadvertently, I broke the last shred of humanity my brother had. I turned my back to walk away, and the next thing you know, the tip of a kitchen knife is sticking out of my chest, hot blood soaking my shirt and cooling my skin as it hit the air.”

“Ah…” Adélaïde had started scrambled eggs at this point. “So that’s what set you off. Flashback.”

“Yeah… the worst part wasn’t the murder though. Not to me anyway. It was that he was stopping me from helping people… maybe that’s some stupid savior complex or something but-“

“Flak you’ve always and I mean always tried to help those in need. You’re one of the most genuinely compassionate people I know and it’s why I love you.”

“Addie…”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No it’s fine… anyway, that quality I had got me hand picked by an ancient spirit after I died. Cariel… they were something else. I should have been terrified but their energy was just so… honest, and mind, and so powerful it should have been terrifying but I wasn’t afraid. And they decided that they wanted to take me on as their subject. Said I could help people in ways I never thought I could.

You know about the war, right?”

“Be specific?”

“Nox- or rather Samael. Ethereal war over 800 years. The reason some spirits call themselves demons.”

“Ah that.”

“Well Cariel trained me to fight in it. I was their student, their soldier, and eventually their knight, and I stopped a lot of bad but I couldn’t stop everything. And even if that hurt I wouldn’t have been bothered at all, but… then he showed up.”

“Laurent?” Adelaide brought the food to the table at this point, eggs bacon and toast, the breakfast of those who are half assing but avoiding garbage.

“He was calling himself Asa by then, and I was calling myself Flak. And we wound up fighting eachother a lot. And I had my reservations but we still had to clash… between you and me I could have destroyed him a few times but I couldn’t bring myself to do it… not until I had no choice… sorta anyway.

It was a little over 30 years ago. Cariel told me they were going to be reborn. Become what’s called a Druid, a human with an ancient spirit’s power, but that when they did, I needed to actually stop Asa, and either destroy him or at least force him to have to reincarnate.”

“Damn… that’s rough. Your mentor tells you ‘I’m leaving forever kill your brother.’ Kinda fucked up.”

“Yeah… that kind of thinking got in my way. To skip over an arduous explaining of our fight, the decisive moment at the end… I got him but he also…”

“Oh fuck”

“Yeah… so I dragged his half broken soul to the river and then… I beg”

“Beg”

“I don’t wanna talk about the other ancients right now. The short version of story is that I begged for some strings to get pulled for me to have a second chance and be the brother Asa needed this time. It wasn’t easy to convince them but they let it happen. But there were conditions. I would have to keep my memories so I could know my duties… and by duties I mean two. Try to keep Asa on a good path this time, and also help protect Cariel.”

“Wait, are you saying Lee is-“

“Yeah… anyway things were,.. odd. I had to be born an aasimar so my body could manage having my memories but it’s not like being born with an adult mind. It came back in bits and pieces over the years, in flackbacks like the one I just had there… and eventually I decided to take the name Flak again but-“

“Wait I just put that together, is Flak not your real name?”

“Legally, it’s Phineas.”

“Pbbbbt. Sorry. Sorry. Just-“

“And that’s why I changed it… anyway Asa wasn’t Asa anymore, and they made sure Asa didn’t end up an aasimar like me either. But they still weren’t Dev yet… that didn’t happen until way later. Not until after Lee and after Nox and after basically everyone else in our little circle. Dev… she was starting to show signs. See, since they didn’t end up an aasimar, they can’t remember their last life, but that doesn’t mean it can’t affect you, and Laurent’s, Asa’s tendencies were starting to show. It made sense. A forced reincarnation is never clean. So we had to set up a ritual of sorts

It was a long and messy process. But eventually it worked. We purged Dev of those stains in her soul, well most of them anyway. But there’s never not consequences to rituals. And as it turns out the consequence is Asa… he’s out there somewhere, probably hurting people. And it’s my fault. Because I was too busy patting myself on the back for roughing it out I didn’t realize that the people close to me weren’t taking it in stride.”

“Flak, that’s not true. You were doing your best to survive. You had every right to be proud of yourself every day if you wanted to be.”

“I know that” Flak took a bit of bacon that caused a long pause “but still. I can’t help but feel like I failed my mission letting him get out like that… I wanna find him eventually. And I wanna try to do better for him so he can have a chance to be better.”

“You’re a Saint, you know that?”

“Nope. Just a pig farmer murdered by his brother who then turned his brother into his sister but also his brother still actually. At least I can still help guide her…”

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Red

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Jordan Peele’s Us is a divisive horror film, mainly because everyone takes in-universe guesswork at face value. But what I don’t think anyone could call divisive is the film’s antagonist, a doppelganger (or Tethered, as the movie calls them) who decides that living trapped underground ain’t all it’s cracked up to be and decides to take on the surface. She’s an absolutely fantastic villain, and…

Well, let’s just start this before I say too much. Take heed of that warning, though, because this review spoils the film’s big twist.

Motivation/Goals: I mean, it should be obvious that her goal is to no longer exist in the underground and to be free to experience the upper world. Who wouldn’t want that, right? Does living off a diet of rabbits and being forced to crudely mimic the actions of the person you’re a duplicate of, all while having only basic levels of intelligence and being kept out of view deep underground sound like a fun existence to you? In a way, the actions of our villain are completely understandable. She just wanted out, the chance to have the freedoms and opportunities her victim was offered and that she was denied down in those tunnels.

Performance: Lupita Nyong’o is pulling double duty here, playing both the protagonist Adelaide and the antagonist, Red. She’s killing it in both roles, convincingly portraying both characters while giving each of them distinct and distinguishing traits to differentiate them despite one being the doppelganger of the other.

Final Fate: In the final battle, Red is fatally wounded by Adelaide, who takes her son and escapes with her family. It ends up being a pretty dark ending, for reasons that will become clear shortly.

Best Scene: The final battle is a work of art. Red deftly maneuvers around Adelaide, dancing about and toying with her while diving in for strikes here and there. The music, the movement, the foreshadowing of the movie’s big twist… That’s what cinema is all about, baby!

Final Thoughts & Score: Did this all seem kind of vague and brief? Well guess what, that’s because there’s a big twist here! You see, while Red is undeniably the main antagonist, there is another villain in the film lurking right under our noses… And the one this review is also about.

Psycho Analysis: Adelaide Wilson

In a heavily foreshadowed and kind of obvious twist, it turns out that Adelaide was the original doppelganger and Red was the original Adelaide, and during that fateful night on the boardwalk their places were switched. Adelaide damned Red to a lifetime of suffering below ground so that she could escape and live her life freely, without a care for the other disenfranchised Tethered wandering around in the tunnels, feasting on rabbits and being forced into a psychic link with those above.

Ultimately, it reinforces the core theme about how those in the higher echelons of society tend to get there by standing on the backs of the disenfranchised, as well as how even those who clawed their way up from poverty and whatnot can forget their roots and turn a blind eye to the same pain they once suffered so long as it’s happening to someone else. The numerous weird logical inconsistencies of the film are almost daring you to pick at them rather than acknowledge the simple yet uncomfortable truths Adelaide herself embodies.

It’s ultimately hard for me to truly label Red as a genuine villain as opposed to a victim of circumstance who decided violent, bloody revolution against the ruling class forcing her and the Tethered to exist in squalor was necessary, especially since she was subjected to horrific trauma (including rape, considering the way she talks about how her children were conceived). But at the same time, it’s hard to label Adelaide as truly evil as well—Can I truly fault her when, as a child, she did something drastic and cruel so she could escape her own torturous existence? Would she not have been subjected to the same horrible existence that Red was, only without the hope to one day spark a rebellion due to the nature of the Tethered? She only got as intelligent as she was because she was given opportunities and privileges the other Tethered are denied, so if she hadn’t switched places the events of the film could have been avoided… which means the Tethered would still be suffering out of sight and out of mind.

It’s an interesting dilemma we have on our hands here, and it’s one of the reasons why the movie is so fantastic. Is anyone truly evil here, or are these just the actions of desperate individuals who want to improve their lot in life and see no other way than to resort to extremes? I think that both things are true in this case. While both women are incredibly sympathetic in their motivations, both still do some incredibly heinous actions.

Adelaide is the more obvious of the two in this regard: It is her actions as a child that set this whole plot in motion. Surely there was a better way than knocking out the girl she was a clone of and forcing her into the miserable life she herself wanted to escape? Could she not have simply tagged along after her, and maybe lived as a twin or even just alerted the world to the presence of the Tethered? It may seem rather excessive to hold this against a child, but she never made any effort to rescue her family or Red from the life she left behind. She seemed to simply forget them until the Tethered uprising began. It’s rather cold and cruel, especially when considering how good a mother and person she was able to become while blending into humanity.

Red may not seem quite as bad when the twist comes around, but I think it actually reveals just how bad she had become in her years of isolation from humanity. She manipulates her son Pluto into immolating himself, and she refers to her daughter Umbrae as a monster. It’s to the point where, in Umbrae’s dying moments, all she can do is quietly sob until Adelaide gives her comfort—likely the only maternal affection the girl ever experienced. Need proof? I saved the Best Quote segment for here, taken from her introductory speech:

“Once upon a time, there was a girl and the girl had a shadow. The two were connected, tethered together. When the girl ate, her food was given to her warm and tasty. But when the shadow was hungry, she had to eat rabbit raw and bloody. On Christmas, the girl received wonderful toys; soft and cushy. But the shadow's toys were so sharp and cold they sliced through her hands and fingers when she tried to play with them. The girl met a handsome prince and fell in love. But the shadow at that same time had Abraham. It didn't matter if she loved him or not. He was tethered to the girl's prince after all. Then the girl had her first child, a beautiful baby girl. But the shadow, she gave birth to a little monster! Umbrae was born laughing. The girl had a second child, a boy this time. They had to cut her open and take him from her belly. The shadow had to do it all herself. She named him Pluto, he was born to love fire. So you see, the shadow hated the girl so much for so long...until one day the shadow realized she was being tested by God.”

While the fact remains that their births are surrounded by horrible implications, they are ultimately innocent children that their own mother inflicted her suffering upon, and who she freely used and discarded without a care because she didn’t see them as “real.” Even her Tethered husband has a moment of hurt at how dismissive she is of him. Where Adelaide blended into human society and learned how to blend in and be a good person and a good mother (despite her wicked actions as a child), Red grew to become a cold, unfeeling monster molded by her brutal circumstances. Red’s humanity was stripped from her, and she became more like the Tethered than even she would like to believe.

So, what do I even give these two characters? They’re evil, but they might be some of the most sympathetic villains I’ve ever covered. It’s genuinely hard to fault their actions, but it’s pretty impossible to defend what they ultimately accomplish. If I have to boil down these incredibly complex and multifaceted characters to a simple numerical score, I’d say that they both deserve an 8/10. But that's an 8/10 I feel is a bit reductive.

[soulmateprinciple]

INDEPENDENT SELECTIVE MULTIMUSE FOR THE NIGHT WORLD FRANCHISE (FEATURING THE FORBIDDEN GAME, DARK VISIONS) BY L.J. SMITH. LOW AND SPORADIC ACTIVITY.

IF YOU WANT TO INTERACT, BUT DON'T KNOW WHO TO CHOOSE (BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW THE FRANCHISE), THEN SEND A MEME ANYWAYS. CHANCES ARE I WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE FOR YOU (AS LONG AS YOU SPECIFY THE SENDER. <3)

A MOBILE MUSE LIST CAN BE FOUND UNDERNEATH THE CUT.

MUSE LIST. LAW. MEMES. OPEN STARTERS.

PRIMARY.

POPPY NORTH. SHE/HER. MADE VAMPIRE/LOST WITCH. SOMETIMES PORTRAYED AS HUMAN. BUBBLY AND BRIGHT. FC: AISLINN PAUL.

JAMES RASMUSSEN. HE/HIM. LAMIA VAMPIRE. LONELY SOUL. FC: MAXENCE DANET-FAUVEL.

ASH REDFERN. HE/HIM. LAMIA VAMPIRE. MISCHIEVOUS AND CUNNING. HIS EYES CHANGE COLOUR DEPENDENT ON HIS MOOD. FC: LUCAS TILL.

MARY-LYNNETTE CARTER. SHE/HER. HUMAN. COURAGEOUS ASTROPHILE. SURVIVED A WEREWOLF ATTACK FROM HER ' BEST FRIEND ' AKA JEREMY. FC: KAWENNÁHERE DEVERY JACOBS.

ROWAN REDFERN. SHE/HER. LAMIA VAMPIRE. ELDEST SISTER. PROTECTIVE. FC: ADELAIDE KANE.

KESTREL REDFERN. SHE/HER. LAMIA VAMPIRE. MIDDLE SISTER. HUNTRESS. FC: FREYA MAVOR (SOMETIMES IMOGEN POOTS).

JADE REDFERN. SHE/HER. LAMIA VAMPIRE. YOUNGEST SISTER. HOPEFUL. FC: JOSEPHINE LANGFORD.

JEREMY LOVETT. HE/HIM. WEREWOLF. MECHANIC. LONE WOLF. HIGHLY TERRITORIAL. HARD TO CONTROL HIS INNER WOLF. FC: TOM MADEN.

THEA HARMAN. SHE/HER. WITCH. PRIMARY. HAS AN AFFINITY FOR ANIMALS. CONNECTED TO NATURE. FC: VIRGINIA GARDNER.

BLAISE HARMAN. SHE/HER. WITCH. CRAFTY LOVE WITCH. MAKES JEWELS. LOVES A LITTLE CHAOS. FC: LULU ANTARIKSA.

JEZEBEL REDFERN. SHE/HER. HALF-VAMPIRE. MONSTER HUNTER. CAN CONJURE BLUE FIRE. FC: KATHERINE MACNAMARA.

GILLIAN LENNOX. SHE/HER. LOST WITCH. LONELY SOUL. GHOST WHISPERER. HEADCANON. FC: MADISON ISEMAN.

SECONDARY.

ERIC ROSS. HE/HIM. HUMAN. VETERINARIAN. BRIGHT LIKE THE SUN. FC: NICO MIRALLEGRO.

SELENE LUCNA. SHE/HER. WITCH. A CALM SPIRIT. HOSTS LUNAR CEREMONIES. FC: HUNTER SCHAFER.

VIVIENNE MORRIGAN. SHE/HER. WITCH. HAS AN AFFINITY FOR HEALING. A WITCH'S BEST FRIEND. FC: SADIE SOVERALL.

RASHEL JORDAN. SHE/HER. HUMAN. VAMPIRE HUNTER. HARDEST OF HEARTS. LOST HER MOTHER TO VAMPIRES. FC: NAOMI SCOTT.

PHILLIP NORTH. HE/HIM. LOST WITCH. HIS SISTER CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD AS A VAMPIRE. FC: ALEX SAXTON.

JOHN QUINN. HE/HIM. MADE VAMPIRE. ANOTHER LONELY SOUL. LOST HIS FIRST LOVE OF HIS LIFE. FC: RHYS WARD.

DAPHNE CHILDS. SHE/HER. HUMAN. ASSISTS RASHEL WITH VAMPIRE HUNTING. METAL GIRL. FC: GIORGIA WIGHAM

MORGEAD BLACKTHORN. HE/HIM. VAMPIRE. LEADER OF A VAMPIRE GANG. FC: GAVIN LEATHERWOOD.

RAVEN MANDRIL. SHE/HER. VAMPIRE. A PART OF THE VAMPIRE GANG. FC: VANESSA MORGAN.

ARADIA CROWLEY. SHE/HER. WITCH. BLIND MAIDEN. SEER OF THE FUTURE. FC: JAZ SINCLAIR.

TOBIAS NIGHTSHADE. HE/HIM. WITCH. APPRENTICE OF GRANDMA HARMAN. CHAPERONE THAT DEALS WITH TOO MUCH BULLSHIT. TESTING. FC: ALFIE ENOCH.

RAKSHA KELLER. SHE/HER. SHAPESHIFTER. CAN TRANSFORM INTO A PANTHER. "LOVE IS WEAKNESS." :( FC: ANYA CHALOTRA

DELOS REDFERN. HE/HIM. LAMIA VAMPIRE. PRINCE. FC: BEN BARNES.

MAYA HEARTH-WOMAN. SHE/HER. MADE HERSELF INTO A VAMPIRE. WITCH FROM THE STONE AGE. MALEVOLENT. EVERCHANGING EYE COLOUR. FC: GRACE PHIPPS.

TERTIARY

GALEN DRACHE. HE/HIM. SHAPESHIFTER. CHANGES INTO A LEOPARD. FC: ADAM DIMARCO.

MAGGIE NEELY. SHE/HER. HUMAN. SOCCER PLAYER. ON THE PATH TO SAVE HER BROTHER MILES. FC: LUCA HOLLESTELLE.

MILES NEELY. HE/HIM. HUMAN. CURSED. CAN SHAPESHIFT INTO A FALCON. ROCK CLIMBER. FC: CAMERON MONAGHAN.

HANNAH SNOW. SHE/HER. HUMAN. OLD SOUL. LIKES BOOKS. FC: LILI REINHART.

ILIANA DOMINICK. SHE/HER. WITCH. DREAMY AND REMINDS YOU OF A FAIRY. FC: HANNAH MURRAY.

SARAH STRANGE. SHE/HER. DRUID. CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE (AKA CONSTANT MIGRAINES). HAS TWO SOULMATES. FC: KATIE DOUGLAS.

KIERLAN DRACHE. HE/HIM. SHAPESHIFTER. LIKES TO CAUSE TROUBLE. FC: DYLAN ARNOLD.

MAL HARMAN. HE/HIM. WITCH. KEEPS TO HIMSELF. FC: BLAIR REDFORD.

HUGH DAVIS. HE/HIM. HUMAN/OLD SOUL. WANTS TO PROTECT HUMANS FROM HARM, BUT ISN'T MUCH OF A FIGHTER. SURVIVOR OF A WOLF ATTACK. FC: DANNY GRIFFIN.

OTHER MUSES OUTSIDE THE NIGHT WORLD/TEST.

DEIDRE "DEE" ELIADE. SHE/HER. SPORTY AND COURAGEOUS. MARTIAL ARTIST. FC: LOGAN BROWNING.

ANNA EVA WHITERAVEN. SHE/HER. PSYCHIC. CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ANIMALS AND COMPEL THEM. FROM THE DARK VISIONS BOOK SERIES. FC: ??

LEWIS CHAO. HE/HIM. PSYCHOKINETIC/TELEKINETIC. YOUR RESIDENT TECH-GUY. GOOFY AND JUST WANTS EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY. :') FC: ???

LYDIA ZETES. SHE/HER. RICH GIRL WITH A REBELLIOUS STREAK. HER DAD IS A MAD SCIENTIST THAT EXPERIMENTS ON YOUNG PSYCHICS. FROM THE DARK VISIONS BOOK SERIES. FC: EYLÜL KANDEMIR

TESSRIEL. SHE/HER. FALLEN ANGEL. CHOSE LUCIFER'S SIDE AND LOST THE LOVE OF HER LIFE. FALLEN THE BOOK SERIES. FC: DEBORAH ANN WOLL.

[northsidecurtainsandblinds]

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[amarantine-amirite]

Ripple Effect

Eleanor was the last person to exit the school on the last day before Christmas break. Or so she thought. Two tenth graders hid in her blind spot, followed her, and then shoved her into a locker.

Those two dipshits had marked days off on their calendars as they eagerly counted down the days to the week before Christmas, the week they could be as naughty as they wanted. One of them found a loophole in the Naughty And Nice List. If Santa checks who's been naughty or nice all year, there is a seven-day grace period before Christmas where you can be as naughty as you want and get away with it.  

Only the threat of getting coal in their stockings kept those two kids in line. With the fear of not getting gifts gone, both of them metastasized into complete psychopaths.

And the result? When the holiday break ended two weeks later, the school custodial staff had to remove Eleanor’s cold, lifeless, emaciated body from the locker. The family couldn’t host a funeral until the first week of February due to a simple condition known as a lack of money.

Eleanor’s funeral left much to be desired. They had the funeral in the auditorium at school because it was the cheapest place Eleanor’s parents could afford. They had Eleanor cremated ahead of time. Her ashes sat in a Murano glass vase. Other than a minister, speakers included Eleanor’s mother, those grad students of hers who never knew what they were talking about, a few teachers, and all 72 kids in tenth grade. Their attendance was mandatory. 

Yolanda showed up wearing a black and green dotted mermaid dress with a high slit, feather hemline, and frilly halter corset top, a four-layer necklace with an oversize cross, fishnet stockings, and black vinyl boots. Her boobs nearly fell out of the dress and it fit tightly enough to grab her rolls of fat. She also brought her guitar with her.

Lily-Anne may have arrived in a more tasteful outfit than Yolanda, but she was definitely in a worse state of mind. Even though she showed up all cried out, she was so upset over the loss of Eleanor but she had trouble walking and couldn’t keep anything down. Adelaide had to help Lily-Anne to her seat, but she couldn’t go anywhere near her until she was empty. Waiting until Lily-Anne stopped throwing up took way longer than it should’ve. 

Yolanda looked around and saw the kids pull out their notebooks and go over their speeches. Penelope tapped Lily-Anne’s shoulder and asked, “Lily-Anne, what happened to your notebook?”

Lily-Anne sat there in disbelief. “What?” she gasped quietly.  

“You know, after these guys are done, then we have to give speeches”

Lily-Anne shook her head. “That's a joke, right?” she asked tensely. 

“No joke,” Yolanda reacted, “It's like 75% percent of your English grade, too.” She gestured to her guitar. “I’m already covered because I’m doing that thing with Eddie, Penelope, and Adelaide.” 

Not only were the speeches or musical performances worth 75% of the kids' English grades, but the school would live stream the student speeches on the internet for everyone in the world to see and possibly laugh at. The teachers received instructions from Eleanor's family to factor online responses into the grade.

 “That's just not right,” Lily-Anne whined, “It's bad enough that my best friend just died, but now they made her funeral into a homework assignment? That is beyond wrong.” She then made a beeline to the champagne bucket because she felt like she was going to barf, but only got as far as falling out of her seat.

“Hey, you're lucky, Eddie whispered, “I still have to go up there and play the violin. I'm so nervous.”

“But you play the violin well, you don't need to be nervous,” Yolanda commented, completely ignoring the fact that Lily-Anne still lay on the floor. Thankfully, she just dry heaved. 

Eddie blinked. “Uh…no. I don't. If my dad finds out I can't play the violin, he'll kill me.”

Sadly, Eddie had a point. He can't read a note of music and most likely never showed up for a single lesson. 

Meanwhile, Adelaide had a problem far bigger than Eddie’s incompetence. Everybody would see the frets on her upright bass.

After sound waves go in your ear and bounce off of your eardrum, it goes into something in your inner ear that looks like a snail shell. The snail shell converts it into the signal your brain registers a sound. However; Adelaide’s brain isn’t connected to the snail shell. As a result, she’s completely deaf.

Because of this, she has frets on her upright bass. People who play string instruments in the violin family freak out if you have frets. They go on and on about how "it ruins the sound", "if you have frets, you'll never learn how to play properly" and so on.

The frets are an assistive device, not a crutch. It’s like a blind person having a screen reader on their computer. She didn't have time to tell a crowd of edgy strangers to stop fretting about frets. 

As the event progressed, Adelaide realized she didn’t have much to be concerned about as she thought. Her classmates gave terrible speeches full of garbage not even remotely related to who Eleanor was as a person, or even how she died. Nearly all of them had read the Wikipedia page for some random court case, didn't understand it, and panicked accordingly. Someone well-versed in law would have responded to them with OK, English is not your first language, you don't have a law degree, you're 16 years old, and you wrote this at 2 AM when you couldn’t sleep, shut up. 

Only one kid didn’t do this. Kevin somehow thought the funeral was a theater audition. Nobody knows what kind of play he was auditioning for as his “audition” consisted of juggling invisible fruits. 

The other thing you could do for this assignment was a musical performance. Only 11 kids took this route. The five solo performances, duet, and quartet were slightly better than the speeches, but not much. The bulk of the kids couldn't sing, nor could they play instruments. They all played either “My Heart Will Go On” or “Over the Rainbow”

Yolanda, Eddie, Adelaide, and Penelope took the stage. Had Eddie worn something better than denim shorts and a tuxedo T-shirt or Yolanda‘s outfit had been less ostentatious and fit better, they would’ve looked exactly like a Celtic Woman knockoff.

They played “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles. Or at least, just Yolanda and Adelaide did. It became obvious that Eddie couldn’t really play the violin. Penelope gave him a bad time. 

Penelope shot Eddie a glare comparable to a cat who wants his litter box cleaned out. "It's not that hard, Eddie. C, D, and G," she uttered with an edge of disgust, her frustration evident.

She glared as Eddie continued to watch SpongeBob SquarePants on his phone. "Your father said you played beautifully,” Penelope barked, “What gives?" Her patience with Eddie wore thin.

Eddie's eyes darted around. He quickly realized that this was the moment everyone could see through his lie.

Out of nowhere, Adelaide uncorked this hilarious rap during the bridge:

death blow

when someone blows you up, it's not you

it's something else entirely, like puking on the laundry

death blow, we're gonna miss the death blow

I'm a soft banana, yo

please to make me feel like something 

feel like absolutely nothing

what the hell was that?

You’d be forgiven for not understanding why Adelaide decided to do that. It probably didn’t matter. Only a handful of people reacted to it. 

The drama teacher shrugged his shoulders and mouthed "What?" The chemistry teacher looked down at his hip flask and wondered what the hell he just drank. One of the parent chaperones tried not to laugh. The superintendent shook her head. What the hell was that, indeed. 

Everybody else either felt excruciating emotional pain because someone so young had died so suddenly or felt fed up with being force-fed blustery rhetoric interspersed with awkward renditions of so-called “important” songs like "My Heart Will Go On" and "Over the Rainbow". 

Thanks to Kevin's disastrous “audition”, the video of the funeral went viral. Some record executives saw the music performances. By some miracle, the duo and three of the soloists got signed to a record label. As for Yolanda and Adelaide, they got the opportunity to write the theme song for the next James Bond movie. 

@lyralit

[gudvina]

The sea fig, ch. I, Emma.

(First chapter of this series, posting just because I'm proud of this prologue)

It was an early morning when London was awakened by horns bellowing, accompanying ships that were approaching the city. The sky was of an ashy colour, darkening as the clouds filled with rain, and the Londinium’s sentinels struggled to identify the ships’ banner as water, sky and air blended and created an untouchable barrier. When the boat was finally visible, though, seeing the Norman banners filled them with release, and soon the visitor was let in.

When Queen Emma was alerted of a visit from Normandy, she was surprised. She hadn’t received a previous notice, and her brothers’ last letter had come just after Canute’s departure, congratulating for her new marriage. She sat on her throne, her niece in law Gytha by her right and her lady in wait Aelfwynn by her left, waiting for the visitor to come.

They didn’t have to wait long, for soon the blue doors opened and let in her guards, Lord Godwin and a mass of Norman soldiers. In the midst of them a young woman came forth. She was tall with dark brown hair braided in a simple updo, clad with a brown furred coat that was fastened with a sun shaped golden broach. Emma instantly recognized the symbol; it was inspired by the oriflamme of Saint-Denis, once raised by her grandfather’s parents.

She bowed after her, and Emma got up from her sit to walk to the girl. One of the Norman soldiers approached her, greeted as due and spoke.

“My Queen, it is an honour to be before you. We are men of your brother, Duke Richard the Good, and we are accompanying your niece, Lady Adelaide. The duke wishes for her to stay with you and sends his best regards”.

Emma listened closely. She knew her niece, though last time she had met her was a long time ago. Now she was before her, bowing not anymore as a wild child but as a young woman with the usual Norman countenance. And she was surprised. Her brother loved his daughters, they were the jewels he prided around anytime he could, and her sister-in-law was a devoted mother. What could have prompted them from wishing to part from her?

Her curiosity needed to wait, and she got down to gently hold her niece and help her into a standing position. She could feel Godwin’s eyes on her, surprised of her sudden display of affection to the girl, but she ignored it and smiled softly at the young girl whose face was so familiar.

“Niece, welcome to London. Why would my brother part Normandy from one of their gems?”

“My Queen, my father wishes me to marry the Lord of Lyonnais. I refused.”

Queen Emma turned to see Godwin’s face drop, his expression showing how impressed he was with her niece. “As you can see, Lord Godwin, Norman Ladies have a tendency for impertinence”.

She saw the Lord regain his composure and come forth to curtsy, almost embarrassed to have lost his poise. “Adela, this is Lord Godwin, Jarl of Wessex. He is the right hand of King Canute”. Adelaide greeted him properly, and Emma couldn’t help but beam with pride, grateful that her brother had educated her niece in the same fashion as their father had.

“Adela, now tell me, do you have any good news from Normandy?” asked Emma as she sat down the throne.

“The good news is that my father’s work to legitimize our claim to the motherland is bearing its fruits. My sister is growing steadily, and my younger brothers have already started their training”.

“That’s very good. And my children?”

“They are well and are being trained by our Uncle Geoffrey. Before coming here I visited them, and I am happy to report that Edward is advancing in his studies and Alfred is following suit”.

Emma couldn’t have been happier to hear news of her children, and to know that they had a cousin such as Adela brought her much relief. Despite this she wasn’t blind to Adela’s shifting and rigid posture, showing some signs of the fatigue she tried to hide.

“Well Adela, we have much to share still, and I am delighted to have you here. I think you’ve earned your rest! Gytha, Aelfwynn, please show my niece to her rooms! Lord Godwin, please show the Norman soldiers for their quarters”.

Lord Godwin nodded and promptly left the room followed by the soldiers, as Adela was welcomed by her ladies in wait and swiftly taken to her quarters. She was pleased to see her niece become acquainted to Gytha, they were close in age and would have benefited greatly of each other’s company.

Left alone in the throne halls, Emma saw the potential of having under her wing her brother’s daughter to further Norman roots in London. Richard and Judith were busy with their younger children, but she could give Adela what they couldn’t. And if her brother didn’t have a change of heart she would provide for the girl.

Satisfied she got up and retired to her chambers. The corridor was dimly lit by the windows on the left walls, her steps loudly echoing on the stone floor.  London wasn’t Normandy. When she married AEthelred the narrow corridors and deafening silence almost drove her mad. Normandy was colourful, and she and her siblings had filled its halls with laughter and mischief, but she had learnt quickly that London was the exact opposite. Where Normandy shined, London darkened. With time she adapted, and became a perfect English Lady, but she was still a Norman. And now that Viking rule was softening the English manners, she knew her niece would help dissolve that grip completely.

When she arrived at her rooms she sat on her desk, where parchment and ink awaited her. She took her pen, dipped it in the ink and started her letter to her husband. Little pleased her more than acquainting him of their new guest. And if the weather allowed, she’d also write to her brother and sister.

[rainbowxocs]

BIO:

Name: Yukai Mori (愉快森)

Alt Names: Yukai Hayashi (愉快ハヤシ)

Special Titles: Former Wakagashira (ワカガシラ) of the Hayashi Family

Username: infochan

Nicknames: Kai-Chan (快ちゃん)

Age: 21

Pronouns: She/Her (In English.)

I Pronoun: Watashi (わたし) (A neutral/formal way of saying I in Japanese.)

Sexuality: Lily (Yuri 百合, Lesbian), Polyamorous, Demisexual, Demiromantic.

Gender: Cis Girl.

Species: Human.

Disorders: Insomnia, Bulimia, NPD, Autism, PTSD.

Physical Conditions: Lazy Eye, Legally Blind (Wears Contacts.)

Active Addictions: Nicotine (Cigarettes), Caffeine.

Religion: Atheist.

Job: Barista, Vtuber, Local Newspaper Journalist, Museum Tour Guide.

Major: Journalism.

Lives in: Okutama, Tokyo, Japan, 2024.

Languages: Japanese, English.

Height: 5’8”

Race: Asian.

Ethnicity: Japanese

Accent: Yamanote.

Vehicle: Black Motorcycle.

Voice Claim: Yanfei from Genshin Impact (JP Dub)

Weapons: Scissors, Pistols.

Weaknesses: Normal Human Weaknesses. No known special weaknesses.

Alignment: Neutral.

Text Color: Red.

Main Hobbies: Sewing, Gaming, Writing, Puzzles, Chess, Reading, Bonsai, Hanafuda, Poker.

Favorite Drinks: Black Coffee, Watermelon Monster Energy, Jasmine Tea, Sake.

Favorite Fruits: Oranges.

Favorite Meal: Omurice, Curry, Spring Rolls.

Favorite Snacks: Hot Chili Seaweed Chips.

Favorite Dessert: Cherry Kakigori, Chocolate Chip Icecream.

Favorite Flower: Spider Lilies.

Scent: Cigarettes.

Handedness: Ambidextrous.

Blood Color: Red.

Awareness: Suspicious, But Doesn’t Care. (Effect: None.)

Birthday: December 8th 2002 (Sagittarius, Horse, AB+)

Theme:

Playlist:

Fun Facts: She was the head writer of the Newspaper at her Highschool, Has information on literally everyone in town.

Special Interests: History, Sonic, Quilting.

Comfort Object: Soap Shoes Sonic

Stims:

Stims with one of these.

Stimboard: LINK

Moodboard: LINK

Fashionboard: LINK

Family:

Shi Hayashi, Tentei Hayashi (Parents)

Chie Mori and Makai Mori (Sisters)

Adelaide Yami (Former Goat)

Friends: Are Yoru. (BFF)

Romantic Interest: Odoroku Bakari (Girlfriend)

Pets: Senshin (専心) (Akita), Chiryo (治療) (Black Cat), Katsu (かつ)(Pigeon), Chizu (チーズ)(Black Rat.)

Brief Personality: There are many faces to the name “Yukai Hayashi” some people see her as a tormenter, a vile woman who would do anything and cheat any rule to get what she wants. But if you look more closely at her, looking past her intelligence and her ability to know everything about everyone. She is dealing with allot of emotional trauma.. Now that she’s going by the name Yukai Mori, she has shown a softer side to herself and an ability to change her story.

Brief Backstory:

The Hayashi Family comes from a long line of matriarchal yakuza. And when Shi Hayashi had her first born. She was expected to follow in those footsteps.

Born Yukai Hayashi, She is the Golden Child of her family. The eldest of her sisters and also her parents only biological child. She only has vague memories of when she wasn’t doing crime. Of her and her former best friend Odoroku playing on the play ground, until her mother decided to get her family into organized crime.

Yukai learned to lie, cheat, and break anyone that comes in her way. When she was in Highschool, she made an information empire, selling anyone’s information, dark secrets, weapons, hits, to the highest bidder.. She became the Head Writer of the Newspaper as well, which allowed her to control all the information at her school.

However, after graduating Highschool and starting to become an adult, Yukai, broke. She finally couldn’t take the constant pressure that her mother and father had put on her. The constant pressure to be the best, to be good. So she cut off all her long hair and ran away. Changing her name and never looking back..

Yukai is slowly learning how to love herself, and to repay for what she has done. Thankfully she has her Best friend Are, and her new girlfriend Odo, to have a support system.