#but all that resentment she felt for her sister died the same day Lily died

[thedevilsfamiliar]

I’m listening to this song and thinking about a universe where Petunia didn’t mistreat Harry. Where she divorced her husband and took Dudley and Harry with her. Where on Harry’s 11th birthday, she gets to walk through Diagon Alley with her nephew, her second son, and gets to witness the world that Lily lived in.

The wonder, the awe, her boys talking animatedly in front of her, looking just as amazed as she.

She has no clue what awaits her second son, has no clue that in a few years he will be forced to give up his life.

Can you picture her? Washing her dishes, Dudley doing his homework at the kitchen table, looking out the window and wondering if her kid is okay? If he’s hungry?

Harry Potter walks into the forest at 17 years old, facing the man who killed his biological mother, who threatened to go after the mother he has at home waiting for him.

[c-c-cherry]

Any family headcanons for the gang members who's families we weren't told about??

Guess who was doing headcanons again at 4am??? ME!!! I’m sorry also with the much wanted help of @jjadegreen because she’s officially my headcanon pal and she always helps me a lot with this shit :)

I’m literally posting these at 5:45 am but they sounded good in my sleep-deprived head and they looked good on paper from my sleep-deprived vision so I’m just gonna post this now and worry about it tomorrow!

I use these headcanons regardless of whether its an Everyone Live’s situation or not so there are clashes between fics like the Storm and The Unknown (I usually just use most of these headcanons regardless of what I’m writing and what universe and whatever)

I know I say this whenever I post ANY fucking headcanons, but I’m sorry.

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Abbacchio

-There’s not much to say about his parents. They were pretty average. All they wanted was for him to be successful; get a nice job, find someone to love. They weren’t too close with him, but they were there.

-He did, however, have an older sister by the name of Pantera Abbacchio

-And she was even more goth than he was.

-When lil Leone was just starting out in high school, she already was in her last year and by then she was already a fully-ascended goth goddess

-They weren’t that close (they had a 4 year difference) and she always thought he was too enthusiastic about everything. They never really connected

-BUT—

-He got really curious and thought she was really cool so he used to steal her clothes and makeup all the time and all her friends made fun of her for it, but she secretly thought it was adorable

-She was cold at first, but soon started sharing everything with him (she lent him all her fishnet clothes and purple dresses and crazy silver jewelry and even let him use her lipstick sometimes

-His parents thought it was a bit...unconventional at first but they wanted him to be happy so they supported it

-One day after school he got dragged into an alleyway (bb Abba was puny I don’t make the rules) and just got the absolute shit beaten out of him. She had poetry club after school so as she was walking to the parking lot she found him there bawling his eyes out because he got blood all over her favourite shirt

-She took him shopping that day (she put concealer on him in the mall parking lot to hide the bruises from their parents)

-They also got ice cream

-She didn’t approve of him becoming a cop (she don’t like cops one bit) but when he let his partner die and learned that he took bribes, she was so fucking angry. She never wanted to talk to him again

-His parents tried to stay connected, but the family seemed too fragmented and everyone was still angry at him

-Years later, she decided that maybe she should talk to him, to try and reconnect

-When Giorno picked up the phone instead and explained everything to her, she realized she was too late

-She was a sobbing, screaming mess and she felt like a terrible sister

-She felt like if she had called sooner, he wouldn’t have gotten wrapped up in the mafia

-Giorno invited her to the funeral, and they properly met there

-It was an open-casket, and in his will he requested that he wore the first dress that his sister bought him. (It had to be tailored a bit, but it fit)

-She planted purple lilies by his grave, and although she hasn’t talked to the gang since the funeral, the flowers are always watered.

Fugo

-His parents were assholes. Rich assholes.

-They gave him everything he wanted in exchange that he keep up their reputation, but even now, he still felt like he never did that right

-He had a little brother, Budino Fugo

-His brother was the last thing on his mind when he went to University, Panna would almost call himself an only child

-They weren’t close at all. They were always separated because of Fugo’s unpredictable anger and their house was so big that the only time they would see each other were during family greeting card photoshoots and for the painting of the giant portrait that sat in their foyer

-They got it re-painted once they kicked him out

-Budino was only three when Fugo was disowned, so by the time he’s older, his mysterious older brother is nothing but a distant memory, only someone he would pose with for photos and large gatherings

-Any photos of Panna are gone by the time he’s five, as are any traces of him existing. Anytime he would ask about the blond that disappeared out of their lives, he was always denied any answer

-He learned not to answer any questions

-Unbeknownst to him, he ended up looking exactly like his brother. If you were to place two photos of them side-by-side at the same age, you would barely be able to tell them apart

-He grew up without ever really knowing that his brother existed and he always thought of himself as an only child

-He grew up to be the perfect child. Charming, happy, calm, intelligent. He became the Pannacotta Fugo that his parents always wanted

-Everyone loved him, and although he didn’t go University that young, his charm and good reputation made up for it

-Budino would like to say that he lived a good life, but sometimes he wakes up and wonders who the blond look-alike is that always seems to pop up in his dreams. He wonders why he feels like something is missing, like there’s something that everyone isn’t telling him. He wonders who was holding him during photoshoots and who his parents used to yell at in the fragments of his memories

-But he shrugs it off. He has everything he could ever need, so why should he worry about that?

Mista

-Mista’s parents weren’t poor, but they weren’t exactly rich either. Living in a big family, they had to learn how to spread out their spending, and sometimes they didn’t exactly have enough to eat every night

-Both of his parents worked endlessly long hours and barely made it back by dinnertime, but sometimes they did, and every night when they didn’t, they still had food on the table

-Mista never hated his parents, but they were pretty dependent on him. They needed him to look after his sisters while they were working, and although he found it irritating, he never resented them for it

-The only time Mista can confidently say the number four without wincing is when he’s talking about his sisters

-Four of them, to be exact

-Mela was the youngest, around six or seven the last time Mista heard from her. She was pretty fragile most of the time and had to stay home from school a lot because of how weak her immune system was

-Mista missed a lot of school taking care of her, but she was always fun to be around and he managed to graduate with pretty good grades by the end of it

-He soon found out that she shared the same name as Narancia’s mother. He knew the two had more in common than they thought

-Stella was around nine the last time Mista saw her. She was the most professional and serious person he had ever met. She got incredible grades in school and her teachers often said that she was destined to be something like a doctor or a famous scientist

-Although she wasn’t exactly a jokester like her brother, he always managed to get her to crack a smile once in a while

-Gioia was thirteen, and she fit her name perfectly; she was the most joyous person Mista had ever met. Almost the exact opposite of Stella (she would always make fun of her for being such a prude)

-She loved cooking and would always help Mista out with taking care of Mela, but she loved animals even more than food

-They couldn’t afford a pet, but she always befriended the neighbourhood cats and Mista was even saving up to buy her a cat or snake (she loved snakes)

-Sera was fifteen, and somehow even quieter than Stella. She always seemed very reserved and closed off from the rest of the world, even Mista couldn’t get her to laugh

-She had a soft spot for Gioia, Mista noticed that the two of them would sneak out of the house at night and he wondered if she was a different person away from the rest of them

-Mista sees Sera and Giorno as almost one in the same, which is why he doesn’t exactly know how to react when he sees Gio in such a state in Stormverse

-After he went to jail, no one went to visit him. His parents were furious that he could murder a man, and he never saw his sisters again

-Stella was so angry and disappointed the last time he saw them all in that holding cell, she refused to even look at him. Gioia was bawling her eyes out and Sera gave him the hardest stare he had ever seen. Mela asked when he was coming home.

-He never did.

-When Bruno bailed him out of jail, he managed to give both of his parents a pretty large raise and promotion in their jobs

-They were always there for dinner after that, always there for them, and that’s all Mista ever really wanted for his family in the end.

Giorno

I’m sorry, bros. I have no headcanons for him. Only child, shitty family. All he really had was Gold Experience’s presence and a pack of cards.

Trish

-Donatella Una was a single mother, and her and Trish were very close because of it

-Her mother was beautiful and taught her everything she knows about the fashion world

-She had the most beautiful singing voice and always dreamed of being in the music industry -When Trish voiced interest in trying out for a few local parts, she was overjoyed and they instantly bonded over it. Trish claims later when her music career kicks off that her mother was her biggest inspiration

-Donatella was the absolute QUEEN of Girl’s Nights™—she would always go all out on snacks, makeovers, shitty romcoms...you name it and she probably spent way too much money on it

-They would do each other’s nails all the time and her mother taught her how to do her hair every morning

-She was in the middle of teaching Trish how to do winged eyeliner when she had to go to the hospital. She died before she could finish teaching her

-She never resented her father (well, before she met him, that is), even her mother knew that there was no way he could have known she was pregnant, but she always liked to think that he would have taken care of them if he did

-That opinion changed very quickly

-Always had that mineral water on hand—Ms. Una said hydrate or diedrate

-She couldn’t cook for the life of her so they got takeout A LOT and Trish has been to a fair share of fancy restaurants

-Her and her mom were going to go out together after school and get pedicures before the school got a call that she had been rushed to the hospital

Narancia

-He was an only child and his mother was always very kind to him

-She was the kind of mom who would cut your sandwich into a different shape every morning and made sure you got enough water and sunscreen and stuff

-Before she got her eye infection, the two of them would always be spending time together. His father was nice enough to the both of them and was never cruel while she was alive, but the moment she was admitted to the hospital, something inside him kind of unclicked and he never bounced back from it

-Although his father would come with him for hospital visits, he mostly stood to the side and spoke with the doctors while Nara would sit with his mama

-The hospital had all this stuff for sick patients like therapy animals and music and a really beautiful garden so Narancia would bring his mom outside all the time to sit under the apple trees

-And YES, he DID grow an apple tree in the backyard in Stormverse thanks to Giorno

Bruno

-It was just him and his dad after his mom left

-Bruno was a lot like Paolo in the way that the two of them were super stoic and rarely showed weakness around each other

-They were still very close

-They would go fishing together!!! Bruno was taught about boats and fishing and pretty much everything about the trade

-When he was little, he wanted to be just like his father :)

-When Paolo would go out for the day, he would hang around the dock in the summertime waiting for him to come back

-All the fishermen’s kids would hang around there too whenever there wasn’t school, so Bruno used to play with them all the time

-He got his first point as “cool mom friend” when he saved a tourist’s kid from drowning when they fell off the dock when he was around nine or ten

-The tourists gave Paolo an extra big tip that day :)

-He absolutely got his savior complex when his parents divorced and he chose to stay with his dad

-Pretty much nothing scared baby Bruno but thunderstorms hit different

-His father was always really careful about going out on really cloudy days, but once in a while a storm would hit and he would be forced to dock somewhere else until it passed through

-Bruno would sit there for hours not knowing if he was okay or not

-Bruno Bucciarati does not cry, but on those nights he did.

-Because he couldn’t lose his dad, too.

-He would always come back, of course, and he would always ask why Bruno’s eyes and nose were so red

- “Just Summer allergies, papà. Don’t worry about it.”

-He loves the rain, but thunder still kind of freaks him out 

-After his father got attacked, he dropped out of school to work for Passione. When he was well enough to go home, his dad finally figured it out and they had a huge fight about it

-Bruno slept half-awake by the front door with a pocket knife in his hand and he would board up all the windows

-The longer he worked for Passione the more him and his father drifted apart. Bruno was always paranoid after that, but he could never tell him why and it caused a huge rift between them

-His mother didn’t come to Paolo’s funeral

-He moved out almost immediately after the funeral and Polpo got him a place to live after he heard what happened

-He doesn’t often visit his father’s grave, but he constantly thinks about him with every decision he makes

-He always wanted to retire someone close to the sea.

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Yeah ahaha did you know I’m capable of really sad headcanons? YOU DO NOW. Were Fugo and Abba’s ridiculously long? YeAh :) Were Nara and Trish’s ridiculously short? Also YeAh :(

Again, a wonderful beautiful thanks to @jjadegreen because my small brain self can’t come up with all the headcanons on my own ;’)

If you’ve got a question, come and vibe and hit up my inbox!! <3

[thegizka]

Smile

Writer’s Month Day 1:  Flower Shop AU

Hitsugaya takes particular notice of one of the flower shop's regular customers. It turns out she's taken notice of him as well.

Read it on Ao3.

Note: I do not own any aspect of Bleach.

The first time Hitsugaya saw her was his third day on the job.  She came into the shop with her sister to pick up an order under the name Kurosaki--lilies and ferns and pink camellias with sprigs of baby’s breath.  There was a note to cut them to fit a grave’s vase, so he snipped the stems and wrapped the tips in a damp paper towel before handing them over.  The sisters paid and thanked him.  He met her eyes briefly as she turned to go but thought nothing of it.  She was just one of a sea of customers.

A few months later, the sisters returned to pick up another order.  The blonde wandered around the shop for a bit, her sister trailing behind her.  Hitsugaya was on the other side of the store inspecting some arrangements for wilting.  He saw the blonde stop and smell a chrysanthemum before saying something to her sister who shrugged and said something in reply which caused her to frown.  They picked up their order from Matsumoto and left.

In another few months, she came in by herself.  She barely glanced around before heading to the counter.

“Pickup for Kurosaki please.”

“Sure, one moment.”  Hitsugaya turned to the shelves of orders, scanning the names until he found Kurosaki.  The bouquet included some zinnias instead of lilies this month.

“Do you need this trimmed?”

“Please.”  She stood with her arms crossed, leaning her weight on one leg like someone who was used to moving, not waiting.  She struck him as a person who didn’t fare well in idleness.

“You’re not with your sister today.”  Hitsugaya wasn’t normally one for small talk, but Matsumoto kept telling him facilitating an enjoyable experience was part of customer services.

“She has to help our father with an emergency, so I’m running the errands today.”

“It’s not a serious emergency, I hope.”

“No, not really.”  She exchanged payment for the bouquet.  “Thanks,” she said and left.

A few weeks later, he saw her on his day off.  Ever since he had moved away from Momo and Grandma (she wasn’t really his grandma, but he had nothing else to call her), he had taken to walking around Karakura Town on his own.  He didn’t enjoy staying in his tiny apartment alone.  It was too quiet.

Matsumoto had decided to take him under her wing, which was nice, but she was loud and bold where he was quiet and calculating.  Sometimes her company was too much.  Besides, they didn’t always have the same days off, which left him frequently alone with his thoughts and memories.

On those days, he’d wander Karakura Town, partially to get to know his new home and partially to distract himself.  It was a strange new place.  The town charaded as an average residence with a decently sized shopping district, a school, and a hospital on the outskirts.  Hitsugaya was noticing a lot of quirks, though.  The residents were pretty eccentric, and there was a higher than average amount of accidents.  He couldn’t decide if there was something greater at work or this town just had bad luck.

He was walking along the river when he saw her.  She was on the other side where the bank was wider.  He’d seen kids playing on the swaths of grass and couples picnicking there.  She wasn’t alone when he spotted her.  Her sister was sitting further up the embankment watching while she and an older boy with orange hair kicked a soccer ball.  Hitsugaya had never played soccer, but he could tell just by observing that she was good.  She had control of the ball and excellent balance.  The guy she was with had fast reflexes, but his movement indicated he didn’t usually use them for soccer.  He was chasing after the ball more often than he was guiding it.

Hitsugaya stopped in his walk and watched them for a while.  He found their interactions fascinating.  Whenever her opponent missed, rather than be triumphant, she appeared to berate him as though he wasn’t taking it seriously enough for her.  She always seemed so disinterested in the shop that this passion was intriguing.  She was expressive and energetic.  When she kicked the ball into the boy’s chest hard enough to make him stumble, she laughed.  Her sister got up and went to the boy with concern, but she went after the soccer ball.  When she rejoined the others, the boy ruffled her hair without a sign of anger or resentment.  She pushed him away with long-suffering annoyance.

He found his thoughts turning to Momo.  Their interactions had never been this natural or energetic.  He wondered if that was because they weren’t blood-related.  He could tell from the shape of their faces that the orange-haired guy was most likely their brother.  As they gathered their things to leave the riverbank, the boy kept a careful eye on his sisters, walking half a step behind them to keep them in sight.  Hitsugaya wondered if that was instinctual.  He wondered if Momo had ever done the same with him.

For Hitsugaya, their interactions had always been distant and calculated.  It was hard to pretend to trust after experiencing life alone for so long.  He had never adjusted his walking pace to match Momo’s or felt any form of fondness when she called him Shiro-chan.  But he couldn’t deny that he cared that she had been around for him.  She had kept an eye on him even when he forgot to keep her in sight.  He recognized that this gave him no right to consider her move away to college a betrayal, but the emptiness and regret he had felt had driven him to move away on his own.  The maturity he had gained helped him see how foolish of a boy he had been.

The Kurosakis had long left the opposite bank, and Hitsugaya bade his feet continue walking.  He redirected his thoughts to designing a new flower arrangement.  It would feature peach blossoms and forget-me-nots.

The next time they met, she caught him off guard.

“Do you like working here?”

He paused in his trimming to look at her.

“Karin,” her sister scolded, “that’s rude!”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I’ve been in here a dozen times since you started working, and you’re never smiling.  Why do you work here if you don’t like it?”

“Karin!”

“There are more important things than enjoying my work,” he replied, finishing the preparation of their bouquet.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.  Pleasure and responsibility aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“I take pride in my work.”

“You’re dodging my question.”

“Karin!”  Her sister looked furious.  “We have to go.  I’m very sorry.”  She bowed to him.  “Thank you for the flowers.”

He watched them leave, whispering and bickering together.  Why did she seem to care so much about his answer?  Not smiling didn’t mean he hated it here.  He rarely smiled at anything.  He was a little surprised she had noticed.

Two days later, Karin came back to the shop.  She wasn’t picking up an order; Hitsugaya noticed every time a bundle was set aside for Kurosaki, and there hadn’t been anything on the pickup shelf that morning.  He was assembling a new arrangement at the work table near the back of the store.  She wandered between displays, periodically pausing to inspect a flower, but she seemed disinterested and unsure.  Matsumoto was busy helping another customer, so Hitsugaya approached her.

“Hi,” he greeted.  “Can I help you find something?”

“Oh, hi.”  She seemed started.  “I was just looking for something for my sister.”

“Did she tell you what she wanted?”

“No,” she sighed.  “She doesn’t know I’m here.  I messed up, and Yuzu’s really mad at me, so I figured I’d get some flowers to apologize.”

“Ah.”  He briefly wondered what rift between the sisters warranted flowers, but it wasn’t his business.

“She understands a lot more about this than I do,” Karin mumbled, twirling the stem of a lily gently before putting it back.  “All I see are flowers, but she gets the meanings behind them and knows what care they need to last longer.  It makes her extremely difficult to shop for.”

“Not many people know the language of flowers nowadays.”

“Do you?”  She looked at him with genuine curiosity.  For a moment, he had her full attention, and it sent a pleasant shiver down his spine.

“Sorry, dumb question,” she said, looking away quickly.  “It’s probably a requirement for your job.”

“It’s not, but I did learn it.”

“Then do you know of any good apology flowers?”

“Sure.”

She looked at him with relief and expectation.

“Just get her flowers she likes.”

“Seriously?  I thought you’d point to something and say ‘This means I’m sorry, please forgive me’ and I’d be good to go.”

“I’ve never come across a single flower that says all of that,” he replied, his bemusement bringing a slight grin to his face.  Karin blinked before grinning herself.

“That’s because flowers don’t really speak, dummy.”  She shook her head, possibly to hide the hint of color in her cheeks that accompanied her lame joke.  “Get her flowers she likes?  Hmm.”

She wandered the aisles, and Hitsugaya followed, offering suggestions and advice when she seemed unsure.  They collected sunflowers and pink carnations, lilies of the valley and white daisies.  He chose some foliage to fill out the bouquet and highlight the blossoms.  She browsed the ribbons while he trimmed the stems and finalized the arrangement at the work table.

“Thank you,” Karin said, running a strip of ribbon between her fingers.  “I was totally lost in here on my own.”

“You’re welcome.”  He tied the yellow ribbon she had picked out around the stems, finishing it with a bow.

“Did you do this?” she asked, indicating the arrangement he had been working on when she entered.

“I did.”

“I like it.”  She leaned down to sniff one of the flowers.  “I recognize the daffodils, but what are these purple ones?”

“Salvia.”

“They work nicely together.  You have a good eye.”

He wanted to tell her it was just part of his job, but his usual blunt reply died on his lips.

“Thanks.”

They looked at each other for an indecipherable moment before he thrust the bouquet at her.

“Thank you again,” she said as she handed him payment.  “I think Yuzu will like these.”

“Is it enough for her to forgive you?”

“Oh yeah.  She doesn’t stay mad for very long.  And if she’s not satisfied, I’ll just come back and buy some more.”

“I’ll brainstorm some other combinations just in case.”

“Thanks for your confidence in me,” she snorted, but there was a grin on her face.  “See you later.”

Hitsugaya watched her leave.  A little part of him hoped he’d see her again soon.

[vampiresuns]

Day 2: Parents

Tackling @arcana-echoes‘s day 2 prompt: Parents, and today we’re going master post first, and fics second. We only get Anatole today as well because I’m out of brain juice. Fics + Amparo and Milenko coming eventually.

As per usual, you can do a quick check on the who is who in the Radošević-Cassano family tree, here.

Anatole | Vlad Radošević & Louisa De Silva

Louisa is the eldest of three sisters, she ended up in the same corner of the world as Vesuvia because she was sent away to study medicine. Yes, sent away. She entered university at 17, and by 19 — the age she was sent away — her vocal opinions against the dictatorial government of her home country had become loud enough for potential harm to come upon her. She, however, wasn’t sent away solely for safety: she was also sent away because her loud political opinions weren’t seen as suitable.

She never looked back, and swore off never to live in her home country again as long as vestiges of the dictatorship existed. Still, she never lost contact, and eventually, one of her sisters, Paris, moved into Vesuvia for her own reasons.

Louisa studied in Prakra, Zadith and Venterre, eventually going to Balkovia for academic reasons with a group of doctors, where she met Vlad.

Vladislav ‘Vlad’ Radošević grew up to become an alchemist, who works in what is very close to biochemical engineering. They met because Louisa’s group got paired with the research collective Vlad founded, and during one conversation Vlad made an off hand comment which sounded rude to Louisa, and she chewed him up.

He blinked, apologised, and adjusted his behaviour. He apologised again later, got coffee, then drinks, and then Louisa decided she was going to sleep with Vlad Radošević. She didn’t have to, she knew, but she was gonna.

They were making plans for Vlad to follow Louisa, when the war in Balkovia began. Louisa, who was already pregnant, insisted in staying because it was clearly important for Vlad to help, and because she said she didn’t leave one unjust situation in her homeland, only to watch injustice happen before her and not to anything. Vlad would follow her anywhere and everywhere.

Vlad was the most stressed of the too about parenthood. His parents, Krešmir Radošvić and Matilda Cassano — the daughter of the Vesuvian Consul at the time, Iovanus Cassano — where deeply neglectful and irresponsible, which resulted in Vlad and his brother Valeriy (Valerius) to spend more time with Mircea and Florentino, their uncles. Mircea was Krešmir’s brother, and Florentino was Matilda’s cousin. The family lived in Balkovia, and not in Vesuvia, because of a fallout between Matilda and Iovanus, about who would succeed him as the Consul, where Iovanus did not wish to pass it on to Matilda, and would’ve prefered Cassiopeia, Amparo’s mother, to succeed him. This was because Matilda did not have the interest nor the capacity, nor the will to make the effort to become the Consul, but felt entitled to it.

Product of their own irresponsibility Vlad’s parents died when he was 14 and Valerius 5, and moved permanently with Mircea and Florentino.

His fear was not, however, because he didn’t have positive parental roles. He did: if you ask the brothers who their parents are, they will not hesitate to say their fathers are Mircea and Florentino. They’re Dad and Dad, and Valerius doesn’t really remember his Krešmir and Matilda all that much — however, Vlad does remember, and his fears came from repeating their pattern.

Louisa understood, because while she loves her parents, she has a complicated relationship with them, feeling like she was always slightly constrained one way or the other, and for a very long time she resented them about the way she was sent away to study. No one likes being forcefully expatriated. They decided to raise a child who would not be stifled by any of the things which stifled them. If you ask Anatole, they did a good job.

Louisa is freer than the laws men make, gentle, wise, sometimes impulsive, headstrong, determined and compassionate. She rarely got angry, was more of the kind of “I’m not angry, I’m disappointed” though she never made Anatole feel like he was a disappointing son, on the contrary. Her and Nana used to dance together in the kitchen all the time.

Vlad is more reserved, taciturn, loyal, observant, a huge nerd, analytical and has a quick temper. He likes to do things well, so he applies himself almost obsessively to tasks and often approached fatherhood like that. Vlad often says if he knows what love is, is because Anatole and Louisa exist, as they are the two most important people in his life. The third is his brother Valerius, of whom he is very protective of, and who, in return, says Vlad as a father reminds him very much of how he was when they were growing up.

Anatole was a very argumentative teenager and while not as taciturn as his father, which caused some tension with his parents but never to a breaking point — their relationship has always been exceedingly good, Anatole writing often to them when he left, and them visiting often. Anatole was a case of your local teenager feeling bigger than his body, and smaller than everyone else, living in a weird in between of changes, most of which he needed his parents there, but he couldn’t have them there, because he was travelling, which is partly why he sometimes ended up vomiting his feelings out in arguments.

Most notably once, when he was seven, Anatole convinced his father to keep giving him dessert and he ended up vomiting. Louisa wasn’t happy, but she does say it describes her son and her husband perfectly: when Anatole wants something, he will find a way to get it, and usually he won’t even have to trick you into it, he’ll just be his charming, sun-like self, and good luck to you.

As for her husband... he calls Anatole his ‘Lily’ or ‘Lilu’, which he got from “little”. That’s all you need to know about him, his science goth looks, RBF and rapier mean nothing compared to that.

[nightwingshero]

6,7,8,15 and 25 for Wren? 💕💜

Thank you, love!!! This got a bit long, so it’s under the cut!

6. What are their defining features?

I would say her eyes, tattoos, and legs, physical features that is. Her eyes are a blue green hazel that are light and just striking. They change, too. The more green they are, the more they look like her mother’s, the more blue, the more they look like her father’s. Wren’s tattoos stand out, and along with her eyes, they’re the first thing you really notice when you meet her. Each one stands for something, has some sort of representation of who she is or is a piece from her past drawn into her skin with ink. Wren’s legs are nice, she used to dance burlesque back in the day, and they’re toned. They look killer when she’s wearing heels.

7. Does their name have a meaning?

Yes! A wren is a songbird, which plays into Wren’s canon and arc in many ways. One being the fact that she wants freedom, and when you first walk into the church in the beginning of Far Cry 5, there are birdcages hanging from the ceiling. Wren got a tattoo of a birdcage on her inner right forearm in college, with birds flying on the left arm, so when put together it shows them flying out of it, which is super symbolic to what Wren wants deep down. She reminds me of a bird that wants to escape her cage and to be free to do what she wants and be who she wants. The song part of it also makes a play, with her mother singing and playing piano to/with her when she was younger (before her mother died), making music and singing something Wren feels passionate about. Lily actually would call Wren her “little songbird” because of music was something they bonded over. Her name almost became “Robin”, but Wren had a certain ring to it that I loved and it fit so well with who she was becoming (and who she has become) as a character. It’s just symbolic for a bird who wants free and someone who has music as a part of who she is. 

8. What family do they have?

Wren doesn’t have much family really left. Her mother, Lily, died when she was young; a sickness getting the better of her. Wren took her father, Stephen, off of life support against the doctors advice that he could pull through. She didn’t really care much for that, seeing it as “justice” (retribution, more like) for all the emotional and mental abuse her father put her through. She does have a half-brother she’s not aware of until New Dawn. Grayson was a result of an affair Stephen had when Lily was getting bad, close to when she eventually passed away, and the woman left for home before Stephen could find out about the pregnancy. Her and Grayson have a hard time reconciling at first, because there was tension with finding out you have a sibling. Wren never knew, and Grayson had felt an underlining resentment, not understanding why his father wanted nothing to do with him and hated that his mother tried to keep them separate. Which, he learns why when Stephen eventually does come to meet him, but that feeling doesn’t just go away. It resurfaces a bit when they meet, mostly because Grayson doesn’t exactly approve that his only sister joined a damn cult or that she made the decision to pretty much kill their father. They do eventually find mutual ground and work in building a relationship, because they’re the last of their family, and family is more important than petty grudges. 

15. Who is their best friend?

Rowan and Randy. Ro is her partner in crime when fighting against the cult, the only one that helps shoulder the burden and is there for Wren when she needs someone. Rowan is levelheaded and empathetic, and she cares about Wren deeply, both being very sisterly towards each other. Ro is very much the yin to Wren’s yang, sun and moon, light and dark. She makes up for Wren’s weaknesses and vice versa. Randy becomes her best friend during the time he’s assigned to keep an eye on her (even though they hate each other in the beginning). He becomes someone she can confide in, offering her brotherly support before and after she joins. Randy is someone that she can talk to when it comes to talking through her emotions, and his absolute loyalty to her provides her a healthy relationship in which she can trust (a man, no less) freely without consequence. Whitney is someone she becomes very close to in different parts of her canon, their relationship mostly building on a shared empathy, but its not a “best friend” relationship, even though they’re in-laws. I suppose they’re another yin and yang dynamic, where they’re different sides of the same coin, another light and dark that comes together with support, although the relationship is hit and miss due to being on opposing sides (Whitney spying on Wren and Ro, and the resistance while keeping her marriage to Joseph a secret) most of the time, and Whitney lying to her. Jane, Quinn, and Mel are other allies, or friends, that Wren becomes close to, but I would have to say that Rowan and Randy take the top, with Whit (and maybe Quinn--since he’s her soulmate) taking a somewhat honorable mention. 

25. How do they handle being complimented?

I think that depends on the compliment and who it comes from. Wren can be a very confident person, often taking a compliment from someone very close to her in stride or with a witty remark in return (mostly towards Rowan, Randy, or Jane). Some people will throw her off if she doesn’t know your intention. Wren doesn’t trust easily, so she’ll observe you with boundaries firmly in place to get an idea of who you are. If its someone she admires, someone she wants approval from, it will make her a bit shy and quiet, with her trying to find a way to respond that wouldn’t be so apparent that it means a lot to her. Quinn’s compliments, for example, frustrate her at first because she doesn’t trust his intentions, but then they make her a bit quiet once they become close because she cares about what he thinks of her. Same with Whitney and Grayson. She tries not to show her emotions (because she gets the feels) when it’s someone she has a very high opinion of. It feels good to finally be good enough for someone, that someone actually values her, so its something she has to be careful to not show too much to come across as “too much”.

[closetfanfictionauthor]

i’m not completely satisfied with this but when i stare at it there’s nothing i can think of rewriting differently so here we are.

"I'm thinking of leaving Vernon," Petunia said quietly. Harry's cup of tea stopped halfway to his mouth as he stared at her. Petunia wove her fingers through the hair of little Lily's bright red hair. It wasn't the auburn shade that her sister's had been, but she could imagine. The girl was sound asleep with her head in Petunia's lap. Some might have said she was too big to be napping in the middle of the day, but Petunia loved everything about the little Lily Potter.

"Where is this coming from?" Harry asked, clearing his throat.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," she admitted after a beat of silence. "I'm getting old, and I'm getting very tired. And Vernon is just…" she shrugged, "not someone I want to be with anymore. If I ever did."

"So what's stopping you?" Harry asked her. The distant sounds of boys' laughter came floating in from the backyard.

"Harry, I haven't worked a day since I married Vernon," Petunia answered with a rueful smile. "I have no money to support myself, and I wouldn't want to impose on Dudley and his family. He's got his own life to live… I don't know what I'm going to do but I don't want to waste what's left of my life tied to a man full of hate."

Harry said nothing in response and the two fell silent. He chewed on his bottom lip in thought, occasionally scrunching his eyebrows before his face would clear a second later. Petunia was too busy gazing at her sleeping grandniece. She hoped every day that Lily would grow to be the woman that Lily was. 

She had to leave eventually though and sooner than she wished, Petunia found herself at the front door hugging her nephews and niece goodbye. The Weasley cousins watched on from the kitchen, their heads sticking around the doorframe.

"Buy Petunia," Hugo yelled, waving at her. Petunia waved back before heading out the door. She was almost at the sidewalk when Harry came running after her.

"Petunia! Wait" he called to her, and she stopped and turned to watch him. 

"Yes, dear?" sometimes the endearment still felt strange on her tongue, but every time it got easier and more natural.

Harry sighed, hands on his hips and ruffled his hair as he looked down the street and then back at her. "If you go through with divorcing Uncle Vernon… you're welcome to stay with Ginny and I. However long you want."

She was stunned at the invitation, blinking quickly to hold back the tears. 

"I couldn't possibly, this is your home, your family, I couldn't intrude," she stuttered although in her heart she desperately wanted to accept.

"You wouldn't be intruding, the kids would love having you around," Harry insisted.

"After all those years with me, I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, and even if you were okay with it, I wouldn't want to put any strain on Ginny," Petunia went on. Harry put both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"It will be okay," he told her slowly. "You and I, we had a rocky start, and Ginny is definitely still angry about that. But we're not the same people we used to be, and you've shown me that. And so has Dudley. If I hadn't forgiven you, and if I didn't think you were a good person, you wouldn't be allowed to see my children. So if, and when, you leave Uncle Vernon, my door is open to you."

"Thank you," she whispered, her heart full. And maybe if she were anyone else, Petunia would've hugged her nephew. Instead, she cleared her throat, wiped at the corners of her eye, and straightened her shoulders.

"I'll give you a call if anything happens," she said, and with a nod of her head she got into her car and Harry watched her drive away.

***

"I want a divorce," Petunia mumbled one morning, a few days after she'd spoken to Harry. Vernon seemed to not have heard her and kept on eating his breakfast as he read the morning paper.

"I want a divorce," she repeated louder this time, startling Vernon out of his concentration. He stared at her blankly for a few seconds as the words processed. His cheeks and neck had sagged from the years. The bags under his eyes had become more pronounced and his hair was grey and beginning to thin a little. Looking at him now, Petunia couldn't remember the young man she had fallen in love with. She couldn't remember if Vernon used to be handsome or why she would have ever mistaken him for it. 

All she could see was the lines that his hatefulness had etched onto his face. The perpetual downturn of his mouth from frowning in disapproval. The lines in between his eyebrows from when his face would scrunch when he was angry and yelling.

“Don’t be ridiculous Petunia, now eat your breakfast,” Vernon said nodding towards her untouched plate of eggs.

“I’m being serious, Vernon,” she said.

“What for? Where is this coming from?” Vernon asked her. 

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” she said. “I think it’s time to say goodbye to that chapter in our lives.”

“Is this some nonsense that Potter has been feeding you when you’ve been over at his house?” Vernon barked at her, chewing his food more aggressively. “Divorce indeed, as if we’re some sort of hippies!”

“No, it isn’t Harry who’s put this idea into my head,” Petunia said with a sigh. Already she could feel her patience wearing thin. “He didn’t even know I was thinking about this until I mentioned it to him a few days ago.”

“But I just don’t understand, we’ve been fine all these years together,” Vernon sputtered at her, his paper forgotten on the table. Petunia watched the grease soak through the page and smudge the letters printed.

“For you,” Petunia said, raising her voice. Vernon went quiet. “You’ve been fine all these years. A wife who makes your food, cleans your house, takes care of your child without complaint, that is your idea of getting along fine, not mine.”

"Don't you ever think maybe we shouldn't have lasted as long as we did?" Petunia said in a resigned tone, looking into Vernon's eyes questioningly, searching for some understanding. But she could already see that he didn't understand what she was saying. He really had passed their whole marriage thinking everything was as it should be. Had he never asked himself if they were doing the right thing? If they were compatible? Had Vernon never seen that there was always something about them that was just a little… off? Didn’t he notice the lengths Petunia went to chip away at herself to fit him?

"Of course not, I've always been secure that you were the one for me," Vernon said. Petunia sighed, but she couldn't find it in herself to be too angry that he hadn't seen past the performance she felt like she was putting on every day. He tried reaching for her hand, but she moved it out of his reach and shifted away from him. Vernon’s hand dropped onto the tabletop with a thud.

“I haven’t changed Petunia, I’m still the same as I always was,” Vernon said.

"I think that's the problem, dear," she said. "I don't want to grow old with someone who's just going to get more bitter and resentful of the world with old age. I want to enjoy the elderly years of my life in peace, not listening to you be a judgemental prick day in and day out."

“But we’ve never disagreed, never fought,” Vernon went on.

"Didn't it ever bother you that I never questioned you, never challenged you on anything, never expected you to be better than you were?" Petunia asked. "Didn't it bother you that I spoiled Dudley into being a bully as a child?"

"Nonsense, you were a doting mother as you should've been and a supportive wife," Vernon scoffed.

"We taught him to be cruel and ungrateful, Vernon," she whispered. "And I think that's my biggest regret from this marriage."

"I was never cruel to you Petunia, I never hurt you," Vernon said in outrage.

"No, but you taught me to be the worst version of myself. You encouraged my hatred of my sister, convinced me she deserved to be cut out of my life, that she was abnormal when she needed me more than ever. What you should've done was scold me for the way I behaved towards her, knocked some sense into me. My sister who died thinking I never cared for her, when she shouldn't have," it was as if a dam had been broken and all the words were flowing out of her. Petunia didn't think she could stop talking if she tried.

"My own nephew, you taught me to resent and hate him, normalized my abusive behaviour towards him. Vernon, when I think about what we put that child through, my heart aches and my chest tightens and still, it doesn't compare to the way we made him feel growing up." Petunia could feel her eyes burning with tears, her throat tightening as she spoke. She took a moment to take in a deep breath before she kept going.

"I can't change what happened in the past, but I can choose how I want my relationship with Harry to be moving forward. And I want to be present. And to love my grandnieces and nephews and spoil them rotten. And I don't want to be shackled to you," she said.

"I won't sign the papers you know," Vernon said just as Petunia knew he would. Still, the declaration made her shoulders sag in exhaustion.

"Please don't make this more difficult than it has to be Vernon, I will leave you, that I can promise. Papers or not, it will happen, but I wanted to do this the right way to honor the time we've spent together," she said, exhaustion heavy in her voice. 

"What will people say? What will they think?" he demanded.

"I don't care what anyone has to say. None of these people have been keeping our lights on so I don't know why you concern yourself about it so much," she countered.

"What about my family?"

"Your family are the single biggest, most insufferable group of bigots to ever walk this earth. I never liked your sister, Marjorie. And they never liked me, at best they tolerated me much like you'd tolerate having an ugly nose you couldn't change. They'll be happy for you if anything."

The scrape of Petunia's chair as she got up seemed too loud for the kitchen.

"You should want to be with someone who wants to be with you Vernon, don't hang onto me out of anger," Petunia said, a hand on his broad shoulder. "I'll have the papers delivered to you in the next few weeks and we can start the process." 

***

When Harry Potter opened his door a few days later, he wasn't prepared for what he saw before him. His aunt Petunia stood on his doorstep, suitcase beside her, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Is your invitation still open?" she asked him by way of greeting.

"Of course, I meant every word," Harry replied immediately. A relieved smile spread across Petunia's face as she hesitantly stepped across the threshold. Harry pulled her into his arms and held onto her tightly. "Has he signed the divorce papers?"

"Not yet," she spoke into his shoulder. "But he'll sign them eventually, he just needs time to let the sting pass."

There was a clattering of footsteps and raised voices as Harry's children came running in from their backyard, broomsticks slung over their shoulders. As soon as they spotted Petunia, they dropped the brooms and swarmed her, tugging at her hands and arms.

"What are you doing back so soon?"

"Are you staying with us for a long time?"

"What's with the suitcase?"

"Auntie do you wanna ride brooms with us?"

Harry watched them drag her deeper into the house, took hold of Petunia's forgotten suitcase and trailed after them.

[wandlores]

Thirteen and Counting

Pairings: Petunia Evans x Regulus Black | Lily Evans x Sirius Black  Words: 7,431  Chapter Four/? - Lily’s POV  You can read all the previous chapters on AO3.  It took forever, again, to update this. I apologize. I am already working on the next chapter though. Thanks for all your patience. x

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Twelve and a Half Years Earlier - Two Days Before Summer Break 

Lily had only heard from Petunia once a month since she had started at the academy, and her letters were about four sentences long - if even that. Petunia never came to visit her either; she wasn’t even invited home for the winter holidays. She hadn't even heard her sister’s voice over the phone. Even though resentment bubbled up inside Lily’s gut, she always hoped there would be more words on the page from her sister or that she would see her face or at least hear her voice. Petunia was the only family she had left; she had never really liked her Aunt Penelope much anyway. She never would have admitted that to anyone, especially since Lily had an old reputation of unconditional kindness. If anything though, that year, Lily had been thankful she didn’t have to go home for the winter holidays. It would not have been the same without her parents, even though it stung that her sister wanted to keep her as far away from her as possible. Maybe it hurt Petunia too much to see her, but Lily was hurting too. It was selfish of Petunia not to acknowledge that. 

Lily was folding her clothes and putting them in her suitcase when there was a knock on her door. Her roommate Alice answered the door to see their classmate Narcissa. She was chewing her gum obnoxiously and rolling her eyes as she handed Alice an envelope. As always, she was trying to be ten years older than she actually was with her mini-skirts and high-heeled sandals. 

“This is a letter for Lily, the headmistress wanted me to give it to her just in case she didn’t go to the mail room again before we left for break. It’s from her sister and apparently it’s urgent.”

Lily’s ears perked up at the word urgent, and she went up and quickly grabbed the letter out of Alice’s hands. She tried not to appear too eager, but she knew she was failing. 

She was about to tell Narcissa thank you, but she had already walked away as she blew a bubble and loudly yelled at a boy down the hall to get his attention. Lily forgot about her fast as she thought about what was potentially written on the paper sealed in-between her fingers.

Alice tried to act like she was not watching Lily tear open her letter, but she could feel her eyes on her. Lily didn’t care, she just had to know what Petunia had to say. As soon as she saw Petunia’s familiar scrawl on more than four lines of the page, Lily’s heart skipped a beat in excitement or nerves. She wasn’t really sure. Maybe it was a mix of both. What did Petunia have up her sleeve? 

“Lily,” the letter said,

“You cannot come home for break. Aunt Penelope and I won’t be here; we are taking a trip. You need to stay at the Academy for the summer holidays. We have already set up arrangements with Headmistress McGonagall.” 

There were more words on the page, but Lily couldn’t bear to read them. This was the first time in months she felt true sadness rather than anger or resentment. She sunk down to the floor at the end of her bed. Alice was watching her and was clearly hesitant if she should ask what was wrong.

Alice reminded Lily a lot of Petunia before their parents died. She was beautiful, quiet, reserved, and not at all pushy. She was great at giving Lily space. It was what Lily thought she needed, but really, she needed someone to be there for her after everything. Space was just an empty void; it seemed that everyone wanted to Lily to feel utterly and hopelessly alone. 

A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. It was then that Alice came and sat down quietly next to her. She grabbed Lily’s hand and didn’t say a word. For the first time in months, it felt like Lily had a friend. It was then she really decided to let go and cry. It was also then when she decided that she was never going home again if she could help it. She would go only when she was required to. 

Lily was eleven years old and on her own. It was time to for her to grow up. 

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Present Day 

In times of crisis, Petunia always had detached herself. That was her obvious go-to coping mechanism, but Lily couldn’t help but think now was not the time. 

Petunia’s eyes were closed as the hoard came closer and the three men stood with them. All Lily could hear was Petunia’s deep breathing and all she could see was that there were more than thirteen of the infected now coming their way. 

“What are we going to do?” Remus asked nervously. Lily watched as he gripped his crowbar tighter in his hands.

Regulus was silent and Sirius was bouncing with anticipation. An infected came up close to him and he took it out with his baseball bat. There was no more time they could waste. Petunia still hadn’t opened her eyes. It was time that Lily got her attention. Even if her sister never protected her, she was going to protect her. It was in her blood; the blood she wished was no longer tainted by familial ties and expectations. If Lily could do anything and was lying to herself, she would leave her sister to fend for herself like Petunia had left her all those years ago. 

“We can’t just stand here and wait any longer, we have to go!” Lily called out to all of them, and it was then that she bolted towards the car. She ran without a plan; she hated that she felt exhilarated at the risk of death. 

She didn’t even have to look at Petunia now to know that she had opened her eyes. Lily ran until she almost made it to the car, but suddenly, she felt a hand grab the back of her shirt. She heard a growl as she was slammed to the ground.

An infected was on top of her. Lily’s first instinct in the past would have been to fight back, but now, she felt a certain calmness - like fighting was unnecessary. It was her time to go, and she was ready. She had accepted her fate.

She shut her eyes just like her sister had minutes before, but the growls from the infected were quickly silenced as she heard a splatter and felt its blood hit her face. She was pulled up from the ground before she could even look to see who had saved her.

It was Sirius, and his eyes were frantic. He didn't let go of her as they kept running. Remus led Petunia and Regulus to the car moments before them, and Petunia was yelling, “LILY! LILY!”

She could hear the terror in her sister's voice, but Lily avoided looking at her as she ran to the passenger side of the car. Petunia quickly slipped into the driver's seat after her as the men piled into the backseat and slammed their doors.

"GO, GO, GO!" Sirius screamed.

Petunia slammed on the acceleration pedal and they went flying forward without any of their supplies and only their weapons. They quickly left the hoard behind. 

Lily could see the bridge that crossed the river coming up ahead of them. All she could hear in the car was every person’s heavy breathing, until Petunia finally decided to speak. Well, not really speak, but lecture. Lily noticed Petunia had a new fresh cut on her chin that was probably going to scar. It had to of come from escaping the hoard.

“What in the fuck were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed! You can’t just run into the middle of them, if it wasn’t for Sirius you’d be-”

“Dead?” Lily fought back, “Isn’t that what you have wanted anyway for years? To lift the burden of my existence off your back!? Then you wouldn't have to have a guilty conscience.”

“You don’t know what I had to do to-”

“To what!?” Lily now screamed, “Protect me!? That’s a joke-”

But before Petunia could respond to Regulus screams and warnings in the backseat, everything happened so fast. Petunia was looking at her sister with eyes full of rage and fear when she hit something in the road. Lily felt Sirius’ hand grasp her shoulder from the backseat as the car swerved. Petunia could not brake fast enough as they now all hurdled over the edge of the bridge. She heard Remus take a sharp intake of breath and could feel Regulus close his eyes as death approached them all. 

Before they could go over the edge, Petunia’s back tired bent and hooked on the bridge’s railing. Lily had no idea how one single tire was holding all their weight, it should not have been possible as the front of Petunia's car was now floating in the air, but it was. Somehow, they had survived, but Lily knew they didn’t have long if they didn’t act fast. 

Lily quickly turned to look at her sister again. Petunia was pinned under her steering wheel and her head was bleeding. She was unconscious and her body looked lifeless. 

“Petunia!” Lily screamed. She tried to move over to reach her, but it rocked the car forward. Sirius pulled her back from the backseat and the car rocked back again to temporary safety. 

“You can’t move right now!” He hissed, “You’ll make the car go over! We need to think about this.”

“She-she’s knocked out! Or she could be dead!” Lily said frantically, “I can’t-”

But Remus held her back now too, “We have to think this through, or we will all die.”

Lily gave up and sat still. She heard the men’s voices behind her as they tried to quickly come up with a plan and the river's water rushing at full-speed below them. Lily could still feel Petunia’s car edging forward slowly but surely. She turned her head to look at her incapacitated sister one last time and felt a single tear slip down her cheek just like all those years before. Of all the ways to die, this was not what she expected it to be. Though she should have, since her parents had suffered the exact same fate. Maybe this type of tragedy just ran that deep through their veins; all the Evans’ would die in the exact same way. 

It was poetic really, and that’s when Lily let out a soft chuckle at the irony as she shut her eyes.

It was then that the whole world went black. 

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Red is The Rose

    Ewan couldn’t remember the last time that he had slept. He had tried, of course, but he hadn’t been able to at all. Every time he climbed into bed, he was reminded of how empty it was. Of how cold it was. Of how it had felt when she was there. It had been close to a month since Nyar had told him about Avanda’s disappearance, and he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about where she was since then. He refused to accept that she was dead. She couldn’t be. And there was no way that she had betrayed them. So he had spent every waking hour thinking about her, obsessing over where she could have vanished to. 

He sat up on the edge on his bed and sighed, running a hand through his hair. It had been a month, and no one could find her. Her father had sent search parties to every corner of the galaxy, but they had returned with nothing. He had volunteered to lead searches himself, but King Alistairion had always refused him, giving him reasons why he needed him to stay.

    “The guard is weak enough, I can’t send one of my best away when home needs to be defended.” 

    “You’re a brilliant strategist. I need you here.”

    “Your duties here are too important. I need you here.”

    It had been today that had broken Ewan when he begged again to search for the King’s daughter, tears barely restrained. The king had turned his own eyes to the boy, sad and deep with regret. 

    “Your brothers have lost so much already. I can’t ask your family to sacrifice anymore.”

    Ewan stood, shaking his head and walking to the window, staring at the stars. Who knew how many of them lay between him and his love? A memory stirred of a song that she had sung softly to herself as she went about the house and her day, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. The words seemed to fall from his lips on their own, without his consent.

    “Come over the hills, My bonnie Irish lass; Come over the hills to your darling; you choose the road, love, and I’ll make the vow; and I’ll be your true love forever.” 

    Avanda shivered in the corner of the cell that she had been left in. Her head ached and her mind had begun to spiral. It was cold, and empty, and silent. She couldn’t stop her mind, as badly as she wanted to. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Nyar telling her to run. Every time she breathed, she remembered how hard she and Thane had laughed the last time they had been together. Every time she stretched, she could see Jalev climbing a tree, or Carina sprawled in the grass watching the clouds, and it hurt.

But even worse was when she tried to sleep.

Because when she slept, she dreamed.

And every time she dreamed, it was of him.

    Dreaming was worse than being awake. Awake, she was here; cold and miserable. Hungry and scared. But dreaming was worse.They were vivid and realistic and painful. She could feel his arms around her. She could smell the forest on his skin when he came home from hunting. She could see the stars in his eyes, she could--

    “No,” She sobbed, rubbing the heel of her palm into her eyes until she saw stars. She couldn’t do this again. She wasn’t strong enough now. Her teeth chattered and she tried desperately to distract herself.

    “Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows; fair is the lily of the valley, clear is the water that flows from the Boyne; but my love is fairer than any.” 

    Ewan shouldered his quiver with a sigh. Hunting was getting harder, now that the seasons were changing. The larger game were beginning to migrate now, and the smaller game wasn’t going to feed the family for long. Fishing was fine, but as the water in the river got colder, even they were harder to catch. He scowled as his boots crunched the brittle brown leaves underfoot, the frost stiffening them even more. He froze with his foot resting on the trunk of the tree that stretched across the river. His shoulders sank as he recalled the night that he had led Avanda here.

    He could still see the stars in her eyes and the moonlight as it danced across her skin. He could feel her hair tangled around his finger. He could still taste her smile.

    ‘Twas down by Kilarney’s green woods that we strayed; When the moon and the stars they were shining; The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair; And she swore she’d be my love forever.

    The songs had become everything to her now. They always had been though, hadn’t they? When she was a child and they had stolen her memories, she had clung to her lullaby. The words had been the only ones in her native tounge that she had known. Their meaning had been lost, maybe. But the familiarity hadn’t been. They had been her anchor then, just as they were now. At least now there were more songs. There were more words now to rattle around her mind, loosening memories and soothing and healing the wounds that her captors had inflicted.

    “Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows; fair is the lily of the valley, clear is the water, that flows from th Boyne, but my love is fairer than any.”

     Ewan had never felt loss like this. He had been a boy when his father died, but he could still remember it in vivid detail. The passing of his mother had come a year later, leaving him and his twin to care for an infant and a toddler. He had grieved, and it had taken years for him to accept that his parents were gone. There had been a time that he had even resented them for it. But this wasn’t the same at all. It was worse, it was stronger. 

    It filled every waking hour with a terrible sting, reminding him that he should have been with her. It kept him awake, whispering that he had failed her, just as his father had. 

    Besides, every day without her was just a bitter reminder that she was gone. He had thought that he missed her when she left for the mission. He had thought that his heart had ached when he heard her voice on the radio, filled with static as she gave a report across the galaxy. But that ache was nothing compared to this pain. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever see her again. He prayed every night that the next morning would bring some scrap of news, some hint that perhaps there was a new place to search for her. But each sunrise brought nothing more than bitter disappointment. 

    He had never felt a loss like this. And as time went by, he was beginning to think that it was all he would ever feel, the rest of his life.

    It’s not for the parting that my sister pains;It’s not for the grief of my mother; ‘Tis all for the loos of my Bonnie Irish lass; That my heart is breaking forever.

[chaoticgothicwiccanchik]

Type of Post: Fanfiction

Main Fandom: Harry Potter

Side Fandom: Sherlock(BBC), Dexter(TV)

Story Summary & Information: This is what I think would've happened if Lily and James had three sons instead of one. I gave Harry one older brother named Charles and a younger brother named Evan.

This story will also be a minor crossover with a few other fandoms. I say minor because it will mostly have the children of the MC in some other fandoms mention their parents.

For example, this will be a Dexter crossover because Dexter's son Harrison will attend Hogwarts in the same year as Harry (I know Dexter is set in America but I change the fandom slightly to fit this, also in my story S1 ended differently and anything after S5 never happened). This will be a Sherlock crossover because John's daughter Rosie is in Charles' year (also Fred and George's year)(also Johnlock is mentioned). I may also reference other fandoms but those are the two that matter as the Potter brothers will be interacting with their children and maybe sometimes them. You do not have to have watched Sherlock or Dexter to read this fic, maybe just do a basic Google search and you'll be good to go.

Chapter 1- Potters Fate

Straight out of Hogwarts Lily Evans married James Potter and to the jealousy of her older sister Petunia got pregnant right away. (Though Petunia would later say Lily must have gotten knocked up in school and was trying to hide it. How shameful, in her fine opinion.) The Potters were overjoyed as James' parents were getting quite on in years and wanted to be sure their family had an heir. With such a fine, young, and fertile bride, the elder Potters could be quite content their family would survive the next few generations. James and Lily named the boy, Charles Fleamont Cadmar Potter, he had James' hair and eyes but would grow to have many of Lily's facial features.

Just as Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were on their death beds, Lily fell pregnant again, another boy, Henry James Hyacinth Potter. These were dark times to be living in but James' parents died with the hope that their two grandsons would live to see a better future. (Petunia also sent a scathing letter to Lily that contained news of Dudley Dursley's birth but mentioned several times she had waited a few years into her marriage to have a child "like a proper born woman.") Shortly after Harry was born the Potters moved several times every few weeks as Dumbledore had informed them of a prophecy which Voldemort thought was referring to Harry.

While on the run Lily took the entire Potter family library with her sorted into several trunks, sorted by subject, then date, then author names alphabetically. One trunk however contained only books written/edited by members of the Potter family, it was these books that had Lily hunched over a table looking desperately for an answer. According to many spell crafters research, the Killing Curse was so effective because it simply killed you, there were no injures that could possibly be healed, no poisons to find an antidote to, you simply die. Many of the same researchers theorized that this was because the curse didn't just kill you, it tore your soul from your body.

For many years the Potter family specialized in soul and blood magic, until the Ministry banned such arts a few centuries ago. Aegeus Potter, one of James' great-grandfather, had entirely disagreed with the laws and argued heavily against them. When the laws finally went through due to the votes of one of the Potter House rivals, Basil Livington, Aegeus hid the real books on Soul and Blood magic and gave the Ministry some fake books and journals he messed with so they couldn't read it anyways. "Potter family magik, you understand Livington? Even if I have to give it away I can't let anyone else read it." And so the Potters had taken up Transfiguration as their new family magiks instead.

Lily smirked, she really did love the family she had married into. The books on soul magic disappointingly did not contain much extra knowledge on the Killing Curse, they did however contain several draughts which could heal a person who had suffered the other Unforgivables to their previous state. According to the Potters, the other two curses were soul magic as well, the Cruciatus targeting your souls ability to function in this world and the Imperius targeting your souls will to live freely and crushing your spirit. Disappointed, Lily jotted those potions down and closed the books on soul magic.

It felt as if all her work was for nothing, she had been searching and searching for a way to have her children survive and there was nothing. Lily had tried convincing James to leave the country and stay gone until Charles was ready for Hogwarts or the war ended but James was adamant about staying to fight...not that they did much fighting these days. James was so confident, he thought they would win and it would all be okay. Lily wished she had such faith, such hope.

The Lady of Potter House was also unsure about how much longer she could keep this next secret from her husband...she had fallen pregnant again. In these dark times, with two children already and on the run Lily wondered if she should get rid of it. Could she force a child to grow up in this life? Never staying in one place, always moving, always afraid, never making any friends. Lily wasn't even sure they would get to go to Hogwarts, what if Voldemort captured it first? Would her children ever know joy? Would the other two (oh goodness she was already thinking of the baby inside her as hers) resent Harry for being the reason their family was targeted?

No! That was enough! The second Lily Marie Evans Potter let some madman dictate her actions was the second she became someone else. Lily wanted this baby, it was hers, it was a little piece of James and Lily growing inside her and Lily wanted to be his or her mother. Voldemort would not force her to give up on her dream of becoming a mother, he could not force her out of her world, Lily Potter would fight to the death if it ever came to it but she would not give up on a way to protect and save her children. (And, well, if Charles or the little one inside her ever decided to be angry with Harry because he happened to be apart of some prophecy then Lily would just have to be a mother and explain the them that it was not Harry's fault and that it was always the fault of the murderer, not the one they intended to murder.) With a renewed sense of passion, Lily began to go through the blood magic books, leave no stone unturned, there must be something that could help.

-~-~

James was ecstatic when he found out Lily was pregnant again. They threw a big party with the rest of the order. Sirius was made godfather again with Lily choosing Alice Longbottom as godmother (Charles' godmother was Pandora Lovegood and Harry's was Marlene McKinnon.) Lily was worried her choices of godparents would either die in the war so she chose three separate ones just in case. Surely not all of these people would die if she did? Right? James laughed it off and said Sirius would be alright. Sometimes she thought her husband didn't get the point. The party was also partly a naming ceremony because the Potters doubted there'd be another opportunity. It was decided that a boy would be named Evan Godfrey Elijah Potter and a girl would be named Amethyst Evelyn Astor Potter.

There was some good news, Lily had found a way to protect her children. Within the Potter books about blood magic there was a ritual often called the Ritual of Love. There was a protector and a protectee, the protector had to make several potions involving some blood from the protector, willingly given. The protectee (or protectees, in one case an older brother used this on all four of his younger sisters) must drink the potion while the protector drew a soul-symbol over their heart to symbolize the love the protector must feel for the protectee. The protector would then place the protectee in a symbol meant to represent their relationship. This would ensure that if the protector shielded one protectee from any kind of magical attack the attacker would then have their attack rebound on them and would no longer be able to touch any of the protectees, even if the protector was only shielding one. There seemed to be a few downsides to this plan, Lily would die meaning she could no longer protect them from anything else (what if Voldemort sent one of his lackeys to kill her children but the others and himself were free to do so?), Lily had no idea what symbol would represent herself and her children (easily fixed, find something to do with motherhood or sons), and there was no recorded incident of it being used to shield the killing curse (what if it didn't work?!).

Because this ritual could only be used once Lily would have to wait until the new baby was born. She also picked out several different symbols in case the child was a girl and the one to do with mothers and sons was no longer applicable. "Don't worry baby," Lily whispered rubbing her swollen stomach. "Mommy won't let anyone hurt you or your big brothers." Then she sighed and added "Hopefully I won't have to die for you to be safe."

-~-~

Charles wasn't sure what had happened. It had been Halloween and Daddy was shooting sparks up in the air and Mommy was laughing. Harry and Evan were being their usual baby selves. Mommy said Charles had to be patient with them because they were small and couldn't do as much as he could. Charles could do lots, he could runs and speak with big words and ride a toy broom alone and climb Daddy's deer antlers. Harry and Evan couldn't do that though, they were small but that was okay 'cause Charles was a big boy and he would teach his little brothers to be big boys too! (But not bigger than him because he was the big brother.)

Anyways, what was he talking about? Oh, yeah, yeah. There was a weird man at the door and Mommy suddenly started actin' scared like something was gonna hurt her. But that was silly because she was Mommy and Mommy's weren't supposed to be scared. Mommy told him to run real fast up to Harry and Evan's room and Charles did. (Mommy had to carry Harry and Evan because they were big boys yet like Charles and couldn't run up the stairs like he could.) Charles thought it was weird though, Mommy told him he wasn't 'posed to run up and down the stairs. Maybe it was different because they only ran up once? 

Bangs and shouts chased them up the stairs and Charles reminded himself not to be scared, it sounded like thunder and Mommy said thunder didn't hurt. Mommy was still scared and she placed Harry and Evan inside the big crib where Harry slept. Mommy picked him up to put him inside the crib too, that was when he complained, "I'm too big Momma, I get the big boy bed."

That was the first time his mother ever gave him a sharp look, "Charles Potter, I need you inside this crib and I can't argue with you right now." Charles shut his mouth and let his mother put him inside the crib. Mommy had never spoken to him that way, her voice was always gentle and soft. The bangs had fallen silent and Mommy looked sad. Mommy leaned down so she was level with their tiny faces, even Evan had been sat up against Charles' tummy. "Listen very carefully, my boys, Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you. We will always love you even if we aren't around anymore." Mommy looked so afraid and Charles reached his tiny hands (big boy hands!) through the bars to touch her face. It came back wet, Mommy was crying. 

There was a lot of shouting, Mommy cried, she begged to man in the odd cloak to leave them alone. Charles would remember her screams for the rest of his life. "Please not my babies! Take anyone else! Please not Harry! Take me! Kill me instead!"

And the high, cold voice which answered. "Stand aside! Move Mudblood! Stand aside you silly girl! Avada Kedavra!" And the man turned his wand on Harry. Charles made sure to wrap his arms around Harry and Evan incase they were scared but when the man pointed his wand at Harry and the green light flashed it got sent back to the man and the room exploded outwards.

-~-~

Charles didn't like this new place. These people were apparently called the Dursley's and they were his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins Dudley and Daisy. Dudley was Harry's age and Daisy was younger than Evan, she was still in Aunt Petunia's tummy when they got here. Charles, Harry and Evan all shared the littlest bedroom in the Dursley's household while Dudley and Daisy each got their own room. Whenever Charles or Harry or Evan disobeyed the Dursley's or annoyed the Dursley's or took food without asking first (the answer was always no) they were put in the cupboard until the Dursley's thought they were properly punished.

The Potter boys had chores as soon as they could walk. They cleaned the house, cooked the food as soon as Charles could reach the stove, and weeded the garden. Charles told stories to his brothers in the middle of the night, he told them all he remembered about Mommy and Daddy and what he called their real Aunts and Uncles. (He learned to only say this when all the Dursley's had gone to bed because Aunt Petunia had screamed and slapped him and Uncle Vernon had put red stripes across his back until he was bleeding with his belt.) When they didn't do the chores properly (which as often as small children could not get that much done in a day) they weren't fed. Once, Harry abandoned his chores to talk to one of the neighborhood boys, Uncle Vernon pulled off his belt and beat him until he screamed, he beat Charles too because the second he heard his little brother cry he jumped in front of Vernon and tried unsuccessfully to drive him off.

Charles tried to protect Harry and Evan but he wasn't sure he was good at it. Interrupting their punishments only got him beaten as well and if he was in the cupboard with one he couldn't protect the other. Then school happened and he was forced away from his little brothers for eight whole hours!

Something strange happened in his second year of school though. Charles had taken to staying in the library so he could read their books. Mommy was always reading books and Charles vaguely remembered her saying the books had helped Mommy save him and Harry and Evan. It probably didn't work though, Mommy was gone and if she couldn't protect herself then how could she protect them? The library didn't have any books on how to save his little brothers though. While mostly a loner as he didn't know how to talk to other children, Charles eventually realized he had to ask the librarian what he wanted to find like he'd seen some of the other kids doing.

"Mrs.Bradley? I need help finding a book but I'm not sure what it's called."

Mrs.Bradley smiled down at the polite little boy. He had been coming into the school library for over a year now, never checked anything out, just sat quietly in a chair and read for the whole of recess and lunch. He seemed a bit too thin and she had been bringing in extra sandwiches for him a few other kids, it was so sad how some families couldn't afford enough food. "What are you looking for, dear?"

"I need something to help me save my brothers." Charles said with a very serious tone.

Feeling slightly amused the old librarian smiled down at him. "Save them from what?"

She was not going to like the answer.

-~-~

On July 24th to Charles' Potter amazement he found his Hogwarts letter amidst the boring Dursley's mail. Charles had gotten rather good at looking miserable when he was happy (the Dursley's didn't like it when he was happy) so he plastered a miserable look on his face and brought his relatives his mail. The second he was aloud back in his room he tore open the Hogwarts letter and read it with gusto.

This was it! He was finally going to Hogwarts! And Harry and Evan would see--

And just like that the happiness he's been carrying beyond his miserable expression popped.

Oh. Oh no. Charles was the only one to get a letter. What if Harry and Evan couldn't come? He--he couldn't leave them here! They were brothers! They were supposed to stick together! What would Uncle Vernon do to Evan with only Harry to protect him? And Harry couldn't defend himself either! (Common sense would say that Charles couldn't either really but who listened the that?)

Still, Charles might as well write his reply to see if he could go though he didn't know where he would find an owl.

Dear Professor McGonagall,

I have a few concerns about Hogwarts I would like to ask if you have the time. First, where do I get all this supplies? I live with my muggle relatives and they aren't too fond of magic. I doubt they'd take me to a magic shop or that they even know where one is. Second, where would my brothers go while I'm at school? They can't stay here. As I said before my relatives aren't fond of magic, it would be more apt to say they hate it. I worry that if I leave my Aunt and Uncle would treat them even worse. Please reply if you have anywhere for them to stay while I'm at Hogwarts. If you do not, I would not bother. I won't leave this house if I don't know my brothers will be safe.

Sincerely, Charles Fleamont Cadmar Potter

The owl problem was fixed almost as soon as he went outside. An owl swooped down and grabbed his letter and took off with it. Hopefully it was the right owl.

Author's Note

Okay so that was Chapter 1. I usually like to try and finish a story before I post it but I've decided with this one to roll with it and post immediately. I hope I didn't make any glaring mistakes but I wrote this as soon as I got the idea and it took about 4 hrs.

Some notes for if you didn't read the summary. This story has small multicrossover parts in it. It's nothing big, just some kids from various other TV shows going to Hogwarts at the same time as the Potters. You don't have to watch any of the shows the kids are from to read this story.

Rosie Watson, John's daughter from Sherlock is in the same year as Charles, she doesn't have a big part and I don't even think I'll put her dad in at all. (Just know I ship Johnlock so she will mention having two dads and some adopted siblings I made up who aren't at all important to the story.)

Another kid, Harrison Morgan from Dexter will be in Harry's year. I know, I know, Dexter is in Miami, Florida, how did his son get an invite to a boarding school in Britain? Basically Dex took a family vacation at one point and Harrison did some accidental magic in Britain. Hogwarts picked up on it and sent him a letter. So he got one Hogwarts letter and one Ilvermorny letter and chose Hogwarts. Dex thought it was a good idea to send his son away so he would be safer away from Dexter and his enemies. (Also in my personal headcannon Brian survives past S1 but I probably won't mention it. Also I liked Lumen so I always headcannon Dex and her together so when Harrison says "Mom" he's talking about her and I have him a little brother who, again, isn't important to the story. You don't need to know who Dexter and Lumen are to enjoy the story and can consider Harrison an OC if you want.)

Those are the only other fandom kids that are important to the story but if you recognize any familiar last names from other shows who aren't in the original Harry Potter schoolmates list just ask. For example, Beatrice "Trixie" Decker from Lucifer will be in the year above Harry's but will only be mentioned attending things like DA meeting and stuff. No importance to the storyline. And yes I know Lucifer is set in LA, just refer to Harrison's answer for any questions about that.

Tell me if you have any request for a kid cameo and I'll try to grant it. For easy reading try to write it like this:

Kids name

Parents name(s)

Fandom/Fandoms

What country they are from

Any special attributes they might have

You may also include things like:

What year you want them to be in (in accordance to Harry's year)

Anything special you want them to say/do?

I'm certain if I need to find out anything else I can just use their name and the shows name to find more. I will say one thing though, no one who's not in this world. That means no Lord of the Rings, no Avatar:The Last Airbender, no Game of Thrones. It has to be set in the real world. And yes, regretfully, I will include Twilight in that as it technically fits. Want me to include your Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, Jacob and Renessmee , any wolf and their imprints kid, I can work with that. ( I wonder how many times I'll have to use the vacation and chose the foreign school option?)

Also, no overpowered kids. I'm going to try to make everything work in the realm of possibly so no kids that can alter reality or something.

And these kids have to exist as KIDS in their respective fandom, with their parents as the main character. For example I won't use Wanda and Pietro Maximoff because although they are Magneto's children they are also adult character with their own storylines. (I refuse to accept that Magneto isn't their father. Suck it Marvel.)

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Amy!

You have been accepted for the role of LILY EVANS! I really enjoyed reading your application for Lily! I think you did a wonderful job at showing both her beautiful strengths and her deep weaknesses. I felt that you totally understood her sense of despair in this world right now! I am so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Amy

AGE: 20

TIMEZONE: aest

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I would say fairly active! I am a student and I do have a casual part-time job, but I almost always have my phone on hand and I’m pretty good about separating studying + fun, so time management shouldn’t be an issue. Of course I’m not going to be on 24/7, but hopefully this rp won’t require a crazy fast dash!

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Lily Jane Evans

AGE: 21

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cisfemale, she/her, bisexual

BLOOD STATUS: muggleborn

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Lily is charming. She is vivacious, valiant, she loves until her last breath and she has, notably, a very nice smile. I could write you a book on Lily Evans’ positive attributes, and you might leave falling half in love with her.

But if you turned the page, you’d see a side much more interesting, and much more complex. Lily Evans is not a perfect person, and at heart, like any other, she is deeply flawed. She’s dramatic, over-pragmatic, unreasonable when she’s upset and uncontrollable when she’s angry. Sometimes she overthinks things to the point where she ends up overcomplicating it. She believes in second and third chances, and often she is irrational when considering something that she cares intensely about. The Dissendium Task Force is so vital to her because it gives her purpose, it sets her path in life, and sometimes (often) her vision narrows down to a pinpoint and everything else fades away; James, her family, the Order. Lily struggles a lot with keeping her lives separate. She spends a lot of time compartmentalising: these are the things I can talk about with Mary, I can share this part of my life with Mum, here are the things I have to keep from James. As a result, it makes Lily seem more secretive than she really is - because she splits herself so many ways.

But Lily is very humane. It’s perhaps her most redeemable quality. At the end of the day, she cares about the welfare of others, and she has an extremely fixed idea of what is right and wrong. She struggles to let her attachments with others go; it’s why she still wonders over Sev after all this time. Always. It’s an important word in relation to Lily. She will always be temperamental, she will always be emotional, she will always pick a fight over what she believes in. But she will always care, and she will always pick herself back up and find something or someone to believe in, and at the end of the day, that’s all Lily really is. A believer.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

Contrary to belief, Lily and Petunia weren’t always at odds. In fact, sometimes, if you caught them at just the right time, they could get along quite well. After all, in the end, they were still sisters. Growing up, they still had to share a room, and Christmases, and family portraits. The thing was, they were just too different - or at least, that was how Lily liked to think of it. Petunia would always like to gossip, she would always like to keep her half of the room obsessively tidy, she would always like to keep house and marry an abhorrent, but rich, man (oh, how Lily begged her not to marry him), but most of all (and this was the point that Lily hated herself for making most), Petunia would always, unquestionably, be extremely Muggle. They could never live on the same plane, Petunia and her. On occasion, sometimes, they found a wormhole that allowed them to get along. But most of the time, they existed on different planets - Petunia resided with the Muggles, and Lily ran about on a planet of freaks. Lily had attended Petunia’s wedding. But she was not a bridesmaid, and she didn’t get to sit at the bride and grooms table during the reception. Lily was old enough now, and tired enough of having the same recycled argument, that she knew not to fight it anymore. Lily and Petunia were sisters, not friends. And she would be loathe to forget it.

But aside from Petunia, home was good. Home was a haven. Lily fought long and hard at Hogwarts year round, and sometimes the promise of returning home for the summer was the only thing that stopped her from giving up. Edith and Henry Evans were thoroughly middle to lower class kind of Muggles, and though their home was small, Lily never wanted for anything - not affection, or clothes, or acceptance. Her parents, bewildered by magic as they were, carried on as the British were wont to do: quite normally. Petunia went off to private school, Lily left for Hogwarts, and they told all their neighbours it was because Lily had received a scholarship - something that made Petunia’s face look very sour, indeed.

The Evans’ were as normal as any other family in Cokeworth (exempting only the Snapes), and they were private. When Lily was home, she was a Muggle. She didn’t much talk about the Wizarding World, and they never really asked. Lily liked to keep her worlds separated. It was easier that way.

Henry died in Lily’s third year. Lung cancer was the culprit. She left during the middle of the year and did not come back until the next, when Petunia and her were positive that Mum would be alright without them. Now, Lily still tries to stop in for a visit, but they are few and far between. Mum is getting frail, and it is getting harder and harder to hide the war from her - and she doesn’t visit as much as she should. Lily thinks Petunia might resent her for it.

OCCUPATION:

N/A - Lily focuses full-time on the Order and the DTF, and she is lucky enough to be covered by James’ fortune. However, because of the way she was raised, she often feels antsy about not working, and on occasion will write cheery pieces for any Muggle papers that will take her, submitted under a pseudonym. It provides her an escape from the bleakness of her own world.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

At first, the Order was everything. The boys never understood the graveness of it all, Lily thought. They thought it was a game; they never realised that the war they found so exciting was the reality for Lily, for other Muggleborns. The Order was good. It was dangerous, but it was good. It was doing something. But it wasn’t enough. Lily found her real calling with the Dissendium Task Force, and it was so easy to get lost in it, to spend late nights scouring over new information, neglecting her other duties, her other obligations. The Order was slipping from her fingers, she could feel it. But the problem with the Order was that it was destructive. They didn’t feel like heroes, or policemen, or enforcers of justice. They felt like an army. Lily had never, would never, care for that.

But the Order was the only option, and she did care for it, however much it appeared she didn’t. However much she doubted it. She had sacrificed for it, and no doubt would continue to do so - she’d stayed away from her mother and sister in order to protect them. Lily’d heard that her sister was pregnant, but she hadn’t seen her. A few weeks back, Lily’d had a pregnancy scare of her own, and she’d spent countless nights sick to her stomach over it. Who could bring a child into this? Who could bring a baby into this? She’d snuck out to the pharmacy and taken a test, the Muggle way, and she’d cried when it came up negative. She hadn’t told James, hadn’t told anyone. After all… who could bring a child into this? War was about saving lives, not creating them. And there would be time… there would be time for happiness later. After.

SURVIVAL:

As much as she hates it, Lily gets a lot of her protection from James. She champions the idea that she “doesn’t need protection, James,” but she lives in his home, she uses his money. Perhaps that makes her more of a target to some, but she has always been charming, and selective about her friends. It is the people around Lily that ultimately protect her: James’ blood status, Slughorn’s admiration of her potions ability - it could even be argued that Lily’s relationship with Sev is what has prevented her from meeting an unkind fate. But reliance on the people around you can only last so long, and ultimately, it is only a matter of time… The truth is, they’re losing this war, and Lily’s very survival depends on the fate of the outcome. She walks a razor-thin edge, indeed…

RELATIONSHIPS:

Lily was charming in school. She was the sort of girl who was nice to everyone, she couldn’t help it. There was a part of her who still clung to that now; she liked to play the role of mediator. But for the most part, her connections with others were slipping from her grasp, she was sinking into depths where no one could dare to follow. Her work was her life now, and it showed in the roots of her relationships - one would only have to glance at her relationship with Marlene to determine that. They had been friends, once upon a time, hadn’t they? It was getting so hard to remember anything before the war now…

And the boys: Lily loved her boys. In school she’d always found them annoying, save for Remus, but they’d snuck up on her in their own ways: Remus’ easy company, Sirius’ camaraderie, Peter’s dependency, and James, of course, had always been the biggest handful. It wasn’t the romantic affair Jane Austen-type affair she’d always dreamed about, and they say war changes relationships. But Lily did not ever imagine that she’d look at James and not be able to discern what he was thinking, to see a stranger in him, even as they shared the same bed. She missed him - but it felt stupid to say it, and she had bigger things to worry about. And Sev, oh, Sev. Not a day goes by she doesn’t think of him. Somewhere out there he’s fighting, and she’s worrying about him, always, consistently, in the back of her mind.

Lily liked Alice and Frank well enough, but the real controversies laid in the younger crew. Lily could feel the tension in the room every time she spoke to Mary. She thought she’d understand, thought she, of all people, would feel some semblance of sympathy. And Dorcas’s little gang… they were reckless, and they seemed so young, though they were barely years apart… but at least they had each other. Lily was always, consistently surrounded by people… yet she had never quite felt so alone.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

Lily/Chemistry, Lily/James. Lily has an all encompassing kind of love, so theoretically, anything is possible! I do have a soft spot for angst, I will admit, but it’s important to note that I value platonic relationships just as much as romantic ones, if not more!

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

She was a muggleborn. Lily saw it as a privilege: she got to have a foot planted in each world, she got the best of what each side had to give. But she also got the worst of each world, too. That was a little harder to put a positive spin on. She was also a woman - it was the 80s, now, and Lily thought things might be getting brighter (in the Muggle world, at least) but old-fashionedness and propriety still ran this world⁠—Petunia Evans was living proof of that⁠—and it was not always sunshine and daisies. Hogwarts was not the safe haven that Dumbledore might have you believe, and Lily learned quite quickly to pick her battles. Sometimes she had to let a derisive comment slide. Sometimes she had to be the bigger person. But most of the time, especially when others (muggleborns) were concerned, she never could quite let it go, no matter how many talking tos from her idol (McGonagall), and she never could resist self-righteousness. The day she l3ft Hogwarts was the day she realised that from then on, she wouldn’t be just choosing her battles - everyday would be a fight. Still, comparably, she was lucky, incredibly so. There were those out there far more disadvantaged than her, and if she were to die in the midst of this war, than at least she would die for something she believed in. Not everybody had that privilege.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

This roleplay gives me really great vibes! A lot of groups die out really quickly these days but I have the strong sense that this is one that could actually go on for a long, long while. Also, some of your game mechanics are super, super cool - I love the idea of characters continuing interactions or being kidnapped for hiatuses etc. It just makes this world seem so much more real and exciting.

ANYTHING ELSE? Pinterest board here!

[olympusintelligence]

Part 1 Chapter 3

6/6/2018  13:00 (Hong Kong Time) St. Raphael’s Catholic Cemetery

Helen’s funeral was held two weeks after the explosion.

Her parents passed away long ago, so only her brother Christian handled her funeral. He  did not allow Kyle to help, and only invited him, his parents and few of his colleagues to attend it.

They met for very few times, but they were like water to fire. Kyle never got in his way, but after their first meeting he just started a quarrel with him for no apparent reason whenever they met. In every conflict Helen was torn in the middle, persuading both men to compromise.

Fortunately he did not work in Hong Kong, otherwise Kyle would have no single good day. He only knew Christian was an Undersecretary of a bureau inside the Department of State, which meant he had to work in the US and overseas for a long time, but having little knowledge of civil service in the US, he did not really know his actual rank, position and job duties. By the way, he always provoked him to quarrel with him when he visited Helen, or encountered him in Hong Kong or Los Angeles during his business trips or holidays.

Though Kyle was truly furious at his brother-in-law for his hostility towards him, he did not dare to complain this time.

He lost his lover, while he lost his only family member on earth.

**

21/5/2018 0:00 (Hong Kong time) Kyle’s home

Kyle tried to call Christian, who was somewhere in the world, but similar to the past Christian never answered or returned a call, and never responded to his Whatsapp message either. After a thorough thought, Kyle finally texted him, and very rarely within thirty seconds he replied, “Thanks. I’ll come ASAP.”

After the DVIU notified him the time and location of verifying the victim’s corpse, he texted his brother-in-law again. Four days later, his brother-in-law arrived at the morgue fifteen minutes earlier. Though he did dress up, he looked languid, as if he had had insomnia for days. Black circles were below the similar beautiful honey brown eyes, and his face was almost sickly pale. It was the first time Kyle witnessed his brother-in-law being so wretched. Helen’s death had clearly crushed him. 

In his impression, no matter how Christian had been picky towards him, he was a soft-spoken gentleman. Perhaps due to his long years in diplomacy, he was very concerned about his image. Whenever Kyle met him, he had dressed himself like a reliable executive - there must be a fine tailored suit, with a Kenneth  Cole automatic watch or smartwatch on his right wrist, and dashing leather shoes . Helen was certainly a beauty, and with the similar facial features and clear pale skin, Christian was just handsome. He was about eight years older than Helen, but as a man reaching the middle age, no signs of  fatigue  could be spotted on him. He had a well-proportioned figure, and a mature man’s charisma.

That’s why Kyle often suspected Christian only judged him based on his appearance. His average appearance and his daily T-shirt and jeans outfit might have offended him. Kyle had discussed this with Helen before, but she just briefly said, ‘Well, it only shows that he has recognized you as part of our family. He’s not that direct when he rebukes his subordinates.’ Kyle really did not know how to react to her, and she just smiled coyly.

He had doubts about Christian’s identity. He should only be a civilian official in the  Department of State, but during a dinner they had together, he noticed calluses had been developed all over his left palm, indicating he was a frequent firearm user. In the age of Web 2.0, he still had not opened any other social network accounts. And when they invited him to their engagement party, he only claimed he was too busy to show up, but during their video conference, when Kyle asked him whether he could record a video clip to convey his blessing to them instead, the siblings strangely responded that he could not attend any public function or have his appearance recorded on any camera. Still Kyle at that time just sensed that Christian had never wholeheartedly recognized him as his brother-in-law, so he did not bother to attend the engagement party or give them his blessing.

But everything became trivial soon after Helen died.

Christian followed the forensic technician to enter the morgue after waiting for Kyle. With strong restraint he just drily said to him, ‘I hope it’s not my sis.’

However, in less than ten minutes, Kyle heard a melancholic scream from afar, which he recognized was from his seemingly calm brother-in-law. At that moment, Kyle knew there was no miracle on earth. His fiancee was really in that morgue. 

Ten minutes later, Christian came back with a ghastly pale face. He warned him, ‘You really shouldn’t go in. I fear you can’t live with it.’

Kyle had the resolve to see her one last time. He had already been this far. Of course he would not back down. Following the forensic technician, he stepped into the world of the dead through the entrance of the morgue. The forensic technician cautiously reminded him, ‘I heard you’re her fiance. You must be mentally prepared for what comes next. Shall we proceed?’ 

‘Yes.’ With no regrets.

The forensic technician sighed and brought him into the unusually cold morgue. The corpses were stored in their own refrigerators. Kyle’s thin jacket could not shield him from the coldness that belonged to the dead. It sent shivers down his spine.

They both reached an open room. When Kyle looked inside, his eyes widened in fear…...

Helen’s corpse was placed on a steel bed. Perhaps it was not her entire corpse…...They were just burnt pieces. Only a well-trained, experienced forensic pathologist could distinguish which piece belonged to which part of her body. Even after a few days, they still contained the smell of burnt ashes.

He knew why his brother-in-law collapsed. The sight was too devastating for any of her loved ones to bear. When she was still alive she was such a sweet beauty, but after she passed away…...

Out of the blue, he became drowsy. His unconsciousness seemed to have filtered out many details. He could neither see the forensic technician and another forensic scientist who just arrived at the room nor hear their words clearly. As if escaping from the grip of a beast, he just ran away.  And he only kneeled on the floor and cried out loud when he finally reached a corridor.

Kyle did not notice his brother-in-law also staying on the corridor. He had hid himself at a corner about two meters away from him, but he did not plan to wait for him. Instead he intently studied his facial expressions and behavior. Every expression on his countenance and every tear could not escape his eagle eye. He no longer appeared traumatized after Kyle made his way into the morgue, and Kyle, the forensic technician and the forensic pathologist still did not find out he had been acting all along.

**

6/6/2018  14:30 (Hong Kong Time) St Raphael’s Catholic Cemetery

Christian arranged a Christian funeral for his sister, and he only invited four of her fellow classmates to join. Strangely he did not invite any of her colleagues at her gallery. He spoke little with Kyle, except simply greeted him. Kyle’s parents also felt he was too cold and resentful, but they did not reprimand him, as it was after all his sister’s funeral.

The weather was too good, and the sun was too bright for a funeral. 

The priest was reciting Catholic hymns and prayers while the attendees were listening in silence.

Kyle was still preoccupied with deep melancholy. Kyle’s parents tried to console him, but they could not come up with any appropriate words.

Kyle was actually still alert of his surroundings . He still acutely sensed a man among the attendees glared at him. It did not just indicate animosity alone, but it might be an intent to murder him.

When every one placed their flowers on his fiancee’s grave, he finally located the man. The Caucasian man ia serious-looking black suit was about the same age as Helen, and he had a rather boyish face, with an all-back dark brown hair. However, his azure eyes with the shape of an almond displayed a feature distinct from his youth - They seemed to be the embodiment of  the deep ocean itself.

Kyle thought only those men who witnessed too much darkness in their lives had such eyes, but he did not look slightly like a soul who had been through numerous tests of hardship. In fact, they never knew each other. How could he be hostile to him?

Having offered a bouquet of lilies on the grave, he courteously spoke with Christian a bit. Then he just emotionlessly said to him, ‘I am sorry for your loss.’ In a rather detached manner , he introduced himself as Andrew Hector, Helen’s classmate in Caltech.

Kyle put his suspicions aside, as it seemed Andrew just perceived him as a stranger.

After  the funeral ended, many attendees left. Kyle withdrew himself from getting immersed in his melancholy. He glanced around but neither Christian nor Andrew was in his sight . 

Worried about his mental state, Benny and Kyle’s parents proposed to escort him home. Still he had a gut feeling that he might be able to dig up some leads, so he calmly turned it down, and just mentioned he hoped to stay with Helen for a bit longer. As the trio knew Kyle had made up his mind, they chose to respect him, and only reminded him to call them whenever he needed them. They were quite worried that he might become mad when he was alone, so before they left  they let him take care of Toby, a fat corgi his parents had been taking care of, with the hope that it may bring him some solace. 

His instinct was right. When he led the always slow Toby to crawl towards a chapel, he spotted two bodyguards guarding its main entrance. He took another path to find its backdoor, but again he noticed another bodyguard stationed there. Such cautious security measures must be meant to bar anyone from entering the chapel and eavesdropping whatever took place inside.

**

Inside the chapel

‘Your status is too sensitive. Why haven’t you brought anyone with you?’ asked Andrew. His dark blue eyes showed earnest concern for Christian. Both men sat on the same bench, but kept some distance between them.

They were neither Christians nor Catholics. They knew too well they had committed crimes, and there was no need to see a statue of Mary or Jesus to be reminded of that.  They only met at such time in such place for a secret, secure exchange of intelligence.

‘I’m on bereavement and I’m only here for the funeral. There’s no need to bring anyone with me. I’m not going to intervene in the station’s operation here. The other side won’t dare to bug me as they are too preoccupied with the explosion case. Our French friends have been busy from the start, so they won’t keep an eye on me at all.’ Christian did not thank him for his  concerns, and instead responded with a sardonic smile. ‘But your organization’s methods are way too brutal. That’s why you must have at least three bodyguards with you wherever you go.’ 

‘Your ‘firm’ is the major beneficiary of our work,’ rebuffed Andrew. ‘I tried to persuade our boss not to go too far, but as you know, an old man is reluctant to change his ways.’ 

‘Oh, is he really an old man? Ha! Please don’t let him know you’ve talked behind his back in front of me.’ Christian found it hard to take in Andrew’s comments. He knew too well no matter how old was his organization’s leader, he was never an average old man.

‘No matter what happened in the past, at least we’re on the same side now, and I’ve always been on your side. If your ‘firm’ or my boss knows about this, we’ll have to contain a hurricane.’ Andrew looked at Christian with sincerity. 

‘As long as there’s no new evidence, it must only stay between us .’ Both men seemed to have reached consensus, but Christian quickly switched the turn of the conversation. , ‘Still was that explosion from our side or your side? I can see you’ll have much trouble ahead.’

‘And Kyle is just a layman. He doesn’t know a damn thing about us. I’m warning you not to do anything to him. I’ve just noticed you really wish him dead.’ 

He did not forget to warn Andrew, as he knew too well the young man was scheming, and he had kept his desire to murder Kyle well-hidden for a long time. 

**

20 minutes later

Kyle was a few meters away from the church and waited patiently for twenty minutes until the three bodyguards left to escort the mysterious Andrew outside. Together they boarded a black SUV and left. Five minutes later, Christian also left the church and drove his own white SUV away.

Well, what kind of relationship do these two men have? Kyle and Toby glanced at each other. He could not think of any answer.

Later he searched for Andrew Hector’s background on the search engine -He was the founder and CEO of Vid, a startup unicorn that operated the recently popular social media app VidChat. It was headquartered in the US, and as a private company it had an estimate valuation of at least US$2 billion. He seemed to be a low-profile talented tech tycoon who mostly stayed away from any public occasions.

What kind of connection does a tech tycoon share with a diplomat in the Department of State?

—

@whataremetaphor @pilipalea @ill-write-when-im-dead @requiemesque @adie-dee @things-waiting-to-be-written

[nctasja]

HELLO AGAIN! This is Natasja’s like... third intro and it’s! mainly the same as the last one but with the last event factored in and stuff! Also, I’m wiping some of her stuff clean so that I can make new connections so if we plotted before I last was here and you’re interested in plotting again please let me know!

&&. announcing her royal highness, ( natasja kristina magnusdottir ), the ( 27 ) year old ( princess ) of ( iceland ). she is often confused with ( alicia vikander ). some say that she is ( uptight & skeptical ), but she is actually ( level-headed & intelligent ). ( natasja ) is arranged to marry ( lily james ). ( ooc: ferb / 20 / cst/ she,her )

so nat’s mother died when she was very young, and ever since then she’d been in the international spotlight. her father always propped her up as the perfect princess while her brother goofed off at boarding schools. this was the beginning of the rift in the family.

she was a child when they arranged her marriage. then they explained it to her as her duty to her country, and she honestly believed them, and allowed pretty much everything to happen.

she was a model child for years upon years. her brother goofed off and her father had mistresses but natasja remained the perfect member of the royal family. she was thrust into the public eye and she lived for it.

but as she grew into a woman, things changed. everything felt futile if she was never to be allowed to wear the crown upon her head. why should her brother get to spend his days partying and drinking and one day get to ascend to the throne, when she was there?

natasja was the political genius, the one who negotiated with other countries at her father’s side. she was the one who knew everything, her brother never bothered to even earn a degree. she felt cheated.

and so she resented him with every fiber of her being. she wished she was born first, even convinced herself that she deserved the crown: that it was somehow her birth right and not his. it was whatever made her sleep easier at night.

but her father chose to ship her away. off to a tower and then off to an island. far away from reykjavik, her home which she loved so much. and even though she was among friends, her anxieties still held on tight to her. she worried about her father.

it turned out she was was right to worry. while she was away an icelandic magazine uncovered his infidelities, and suddenly her father was right in the middle of the biggest sex scandal in icelandic history. nat returned home to try and snuff out the fire, only to find her father throwing as much wood onto it, to keep it burning.

those two weeks of her life were surreal. her brother returned from vegas with another scandal: he’d stated, while drunk in a casino, that he would abdicate the throne and give it to natasja. she should have been able to be happy, that she’d finally been given that birth right she deserved so very much, but the next day another surprise landed on her doorstel.

their father became engaged overnight to a woman who’d been his mistress for years, revealing that natasja and aleksander had a half sister just a year younger than natasja. even in his mourning for their mother, he’d managed to cheat. she hated him for this.

her family continued to ruin everything she’d worked hard for, and she escaped for a few weeks to visit the island and relax: it was what she deserved. she cried on shoulders and hid away and suddenly things were okay.

then she returned to reykjavik and held her head high for the wedding of her father. she spoke on camera at the reception, laughing and seeming to have the time of her life. but the second she was off the stage, away from revelers and journalists alike, that grin wiped off her face and she cried for hours.

it seemed her life was upside down, and she just wanted to run away again. so, that’s what she did.

her father insisted that this time, she bring aleksander and her half sister along, but the three of them moved to the island “for their own protection” and she finally was back in paradise, with her best friends near her.

It didn’t last long, with the attack and subsequent occupation leaving Natasja with a broken nose and a nightmares that haunt her every time her eyes are closed. She’d done her best, protecting those around her, but she can’t help but still feel like it wasn’t enough. 

wanted connections:

the brother : ALEKSANDER MAGUNSSON, THE PRINCE OF ICELAND

Natasja and her brother have a very strange relationship, one filled with turmoil. Her brother is a partier, more than Natasja was ever allowed to be, and she resents him for it. She thinks of her brother as a free spirit, a sparrow set free, while she remains in the cage, sad and broken. But underneath all of the bullshit and the moments of pure anger, Natasja can feel in her heart that no one on the Earth knows her better than her big brother. He held her hand at their mother’s funeral, he promised her the world when she was too young to reject the offer a silly, he even braided her hair when she didn’t want any of the staff to touch her in her awkward teenage years. Underneath all of the headlines and the alcohol, she knows Aleksander has her back no matter what. Now that their father has chosen to remarry without much of a warning, and Natasja is left to pick up the pieces of an empire with a public relations problem, her brother has chosen the bottle to drown his sorrows in. But when they’re both sober, they whisper, secrets and plans that must not be shared - especially not with their new sister, the newest duchess that seems to want to know Natasja so well. While blood may control who some call their family, it is woefully wrong in this case. Natasja and Aleksander are family, by blood and by choice. Their half sister, the newest member of the Icelandic royal family is not - no matter how much of their father’s blood runs through her veins.

Recently, Aleks has grown distant from the family, and everything came to a head when a drunken night ended with a video of Aleksander renouncing his time on the throne. After the ensuing fistfight when Natasja returned home, they have yet to sit down and really speak about their plans about the throne. That conversation itself will be fully explosive, especially if Natasja is denied something she’s always wanted yet again, because of Aleks. Even with the complications of a half sister, and the mess their father has made in recent scandals, Nat knows that the thing that matters most is the Icelandic people, but does Aleks even feel the same way anymore?

the half sister : THE DUCHESS OF KÓPVOGUR

Natasja and her half sister are new to meeting each other, both are nearly the same age, as NAME is the product of an illicit affair her father was having before Natasja’s mother’s untimely death. With her appearance, now more than ever, Natasja resents everything about her. From the announcement of the marriage, which NAME insists is a happy occasion, to the fact that Natasja’s parents weren’t the perfect couple her father always made them out to be, they were never meant to be a big happy family. And now that her father has sent away the newest member of the family, too, the stakes are higher for Natasja. She has to be better, faster and smarter in every conceivable way than her half sister. Basically, the two are at odds in Natasja’s eyes, but in NAME’s eyes, things could go either way.

Even as things change, sending her sister along to the island has caused more cracks in Nat’s facade. She wants so badly to have a sister, to like the person who was presented to her as sharing half their blood… But it’s never that easy, is it?

other connection ideas:

her father and brand new stepmother

a trusted royal advisor

a former fling

someone she butts heads with in the international world

a public enemy, someone who’s traded barbs in the press.

a friend who may be more than a friend? like someone she likes and she’s skirting around because her marriage is arranged

i’m also down for any ideas you have just like, come talk to me in the DMs or if you want hit me up on discord! my name is swanronson#0806 !!!

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Part 2 of my Terqua story that crosses over with Roswell. https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/21648895/chapters/51623266

Jealousy Coming Back

Liz's PoV

"Max, you're not talking about your family in all of this," Liz said—what she thought was—the obvious, as she approached her husband that night... in a training area so beautiful, that she was wishing for the first time that maybe she was a bit more physically active so she could properly enjoy it. "The Collective Consciousness is hurting everyone, and it’s doing so from your former planet… so I get why you want to go there. But Max… that's also where your mother is being held captive by Kivar's men. And now you have allies who are going to help you destroy the Collective Consciousness... but if they just go in, guns blazing, they could risk killing your family, too. Have you... thought about that at all? Do you care?" Liz honestly didn't know the answer to that question. Even though Max, thankfully, had tried to put the title of “king” behind him, there were still sometimes he fell into that persona when he was trying to do what was right. So, would Max think sacrificing his mother as collateral damage for the greater good would be fine? Liz wasn't sure. But she knew the healer side of him would never do that. “I have thought about it, Liz. How could I not?” And Max’s voice was so much like when he’d told Liz that he wanted to be with her… that loving her had made him human, when they’d been hiding out from the Special Unit. “But I trust these people’s souls… they seem good. And their Keyblades only steal away people’s energy so that they don’t want to fight anymore. They don’t actually hurt anyone. Which is exactly what we need for this quest, don’t you think?” “Yes, it is,” Liz said wryly. “And I guess these Keyblades could be used to keep Tess in line, then, if it comes down to it.” But instantly, Liz knew that that wasn’t fair at all, seeing as how the woman had more than made up for what she’d done in sacrificing herself—and taking out the Special Unit as she did so—to protect her son from growing up in a lab. How Tess had come back to life after that, Liz had no idea. But she could tell that it hadn’t been Tess’ plan, since whenever she looked into the other girls’ eyes… she looked like she was barely there at all, and that she didn’t want to be. Max looked like he wanted to say something in response to what Liz had just said—a million apologies, probably; for Alex most of all, undoubtedly. And then for all the pain he’d put her through when it came to Tess—and Liz hated herself for letting all of her own insecurities and resentment come back again. Max really didn’t deserve to be going through this turmoil anymore, since it really was water under the bridge at this point. So, to show Max that she’d long ago forgiven him, Liz went and sat on his lap and kissed his cheek… and she hit her head under the massive workout ring just above them as she did so, but it was alright. “Max, what do you say we make use of the Keyblade wielders’ hospitality and go sleep together in some of the beautiful places here?” The shy Liz of the past would have never suggested this, of course. But now she was a woman—and a married one, at that—and she’d learned long ago what happened when you didn’t take the things you wanted in life; and she didn’t plan to make the same mistakes again anytime soon… Especially since Liz could see that—despite what Max had said—this was going to be a long and bloody battle, that she wasn’t sure she was going to survive. Max laughed at Liz’s words and leaned his forehead against hers, just as shooting stars shot across the sky above them—something that Liz would later worry about. “Of course, Liz. You know how I’ve always loved when you fantasize about me… so whatever you want.” But when the two of them realized Michael and Maria had the same idea, they went back to their room instead… and couldn’t complain about it in the slightest. … The next day, Liz and Maria—because Maria had approached her with the current problem TM—were standing outside in the gorgeous water on an elevated section of grass. When Liz had first seen the navy blue H20, and the cute lily pads and fish there, she’d been unable to resist standing on it on this hot day and destressing… which was exactly what she needed right now. “I’m telling you, Liz. I’m going to break up with Michael. I just can’t do it anymore. I can’t!” Since Liz loved Maria more than anything else in this world, she fought against the urge to bury her face in her hands in front of her, as she felt a migraine coming on. And not for the first time, Liz found herself wishing that Maria and Isabel were just a bit closer, so Isabel could maybe deal with this. Both Maria and Isabel could be pretty high-strung, after all, where she really wasn’t. But then again, Isabel probably would have just taken Michael’s side and then Maria would have come to her complaining about that. “First off, it’s bad enough that he wanted to get rid of all of my scented oils—and you know how I need those to stay calm in high-stress situations like this!—but then he was trying to paint the room the color of that hideous Courtney’s hair? Liz, I’m done. I swear, I’m so done!” Okay. So, Liz could get why Maria would be upset about Michael throwing away her perfumes—she wondered what was up with that, since really he should have known better by now—and Max was going to have to have a word with him about it for sure. But she couldn’t believe that, after all these years, Maria could still be jealous of Courtney and even recall what she’d looked like so vividly. “Why was Michael trying to paint the room, anyway?” Liz asked incredulously—and then tried to lower her voice, as she felt the tone was getting too far into the “judging” category that she’d been trying to avoid—“I mean, we’re not staying here long. And these rooms aren’t ours forever… Don’t you think it’s a bit rude of Michael?” “Exactly, Liz! Michael can be so rude, and-“ It was at the point that Maria was ranting so loudly that the whole uni—err, multi-verse—could have probably heard her, that Miss Aqua showed up and stood in the pond herself—‘amusing’, Liz thought, as she clapped her hands together—and put a calming hand on Maria’s shoulder. “…I’m only hearing part of what’s going on. But if your boyfriend tried to paint his room, it’s fine. Paint is paint, and we can always redo it later, if we want to… or use magic to do so. No big deal.” Oh! That was right! The Keyblade wielders had magic, and could change the looks of molecular structures, the way that Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess could! Liz had already nearly forgotten that… maybe because she didn’t want to really believe it was possible, because it threw out nearly everything she’d thought she understood about science… but then again, Liz was getting used to that more every day. But still… this must have been good news to Maria, at least—as it gave her a reason to not be furious at Michael anymore—and before Liz could blink, Maria was beaming at Aqua and begging her to teach her how to do spells and Aqua was agreeing right away. And this terrified Liz, because didn’t it mean that Maria would try to be on the front lines on this mission now? In the past—at least before Liz had gained her own powers—the two of them had been in the background and helped the pod squad from the side. And maybe it was unfair to still want that for Maria, seeing as how Liz had long ago stepped into the spotlight herself, but what could she say? She wanted to protect her surrogate sister. “Not to break up all this fun color talk—and couple talk, was it?—but we really should be coming up with a plan to get into Antar. …For instance, does anyone here know what it looks like… or what it looks like from the inside?” This was Terra talking—as he came to stand under the waterfall just beside everyone, which scored him points in Liz’s book—but she didn’t know quite what to make of him. Because he seemed to Liz, like the type of soldier she’d often feared would take Max away to be experimented again… but he clearly wasn’t. So, what was his happy medium? Liz would have died to know. Sadly, Liz nor Maria had any good answers to Terra’s questions. They were the humans, after all. And while Liz had some visions of the future now, it wasn’t a constant thing or something she could control at all… so she had no idea about Antar at all, save from the few things she’d heard from Max, Michael, and Isabel. “Max, Michael, Isabel, or Tess might know that. They may remember what it was like being there in their past lives. But moreover… I’d ask Tess. She’s the only one who’s actually been there in this life,” Liz explained to Terra, as she tried to discreetly size him up. Even if she ended up befriending this boy… would he betray her, so that she’d be the one taking the wrap for a “bank robbery” again or anything like that? "But before you talk to our dear Pod Squad, and get us all traveling through space again, can you maybe find Kyle first? He’s the worst of us when it comes to disappearing in new places. Kyle, where are you!” Maria bellowed, as she reluctantly stepped out of the water and looked like she was about to step into Terra, Ventus, and Aqua’s ethereal-looking castle without drying her shoes off. But there was no need. Because after scratching his chin for a second, Terra figured out who Maria had been talking about. "Oh. Your friend with my hair color? He's talking with our friend Sora, who just showed up," Terra smiled. And the way he'd said it... it seemed to Liz like Terra was saying Kyle was lucky to be around Sora. And Liz was happy for Kyle, if that was the case. "I think Sora's giving the kid a speech about how he knows what it's like to be the unchosen one—Sora really likes to give speeches, by the way—but your friend's in good hands." “And also, Miss Liz, don’t worry too much about Sora talking your friend’s ear off. Terra here’s being modest, as he’d been known to make speeches too… like how I never stopped lighting his way back and stuff,” Aqua giggled with a hand over her mouth, as Terra blushed and shuffled on his feet in an uncomfortable way. Liz was about to say something more to all of this, a girl with dark red hair landed a ship down on the Land of Departure, got out of it, and came running their way… and it was clear by what she said next, that she’d been informed on what was going on. "Okay! Enough talking for now! Let's get in the gummi ships and do this thing! Your friends can tell us where we’re going via the gummiphone." "As if you ever do much talking, Kairi," a man with silver hair ribbed this "Kairi”, as he came out of the ship she’d just been on and joined her side as she playfully punched him in the arm. "'Gummi ships'?" Michael asked now, as he snacked on some French fries he’d just made and even left some in the water below them for gulls that were landing there. "I'm all for you guys helping us out, but I thought we'd be taking our own ship." "The Granolith, Michael?" This was Isabel… who was finally here with a Kyle and Tess. And if Liz had heard correctly, Isabel had been chewing Kyle out just a moment ago—since she loved him so much—about how he really shouldn’t go off alone, as that was how he’d nearly gotten killed by another alien last time. But the glamorous Isabel seemed to be done lecturing Kyle now, as she instead turned her attention to Michael. "That's a horrible idea! And not just because it has bad memories associated with it: of when Tess escaped in it with Zan, after everything we learned about her—...err, sorry, Tess—but because it was Hell on Earth for Tess when she was back on Antar. You know Tess pretty much returned there just to live on house arrest, and for people to hate her. And they did things to the Granolith... since they despised her so much. And that sounds way too dangerous to me, as it did before, so I don't care how silly these 'gummi ships' sound. We're using them!" "Yes," said Liz. "We can figure out the rest later, but for now... let's just use these 'gummi ships.'" And she must have proven to be the voice of reason to everyone…because before Liz knew it, everyone was loading up into five gummi ships. Max kindly helped Liz into the one they'd been using (though where her husband had been before this, she didn’t know and that unnerved her some). And then- then a few hours later, Liz was seeing the dreaded sight: the red water that looked like Jell-O, where Max had first seen Tess and fallen in love with her. Author’s Note: I feel in my other KH crossovers, I ignore the other fandom too much in favor of KH. I don’t want to do that here, since the story is about Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess’ planet—and since they’re all great characters—so that’s why this is a Liz chapter. And I’ll probably do this kind of thing in the future. If you have questions, let me know. I was going to answer a lot of stuff in this AN… but I’m too sick to. Also, any bad editing or weirdness in this chapter is also because I’m sick. Yeah…

[aliaterrahq-blog]

❝ there is something in me maybe someday to be written; now it is folded, and folded, and folded, like a note in school. ❞

C A S E  F I L E ,

f u l l  n a m e, Parker Sloane a g e, 25 p r o n o u n s, She/Her/Hers p l a c e  o f  o r i g i n, Earth 1 p i l g r i m a g e, Tenth a l l i a n c e, Alia Terra o c c u p a t i o n, Primary School Teacher

P E R S O N A L I T Y ,

p o s i t i v e, compassionate & loyal n e g a t i v e, flighty & wary

B I O G R A P H Y ,

triggers: death, child death, cancer

There was always some need and desire of adventure when you were the middle child and Parker Sloane absolutely resembled having the middle child syndrome. With focus on Harper to be the one to care for everyone and Netta being the baby, it was easy for Parker to disappear into the background. She didn’t mind it, truth be told; she wasn’t one for the flair for the dramatics and had been content, even as a baby. She was a dreamer, a thinker – there was no doubt about that – but didn’t feel like causing trouble or shifting the waves at all. She was considered to be the ‘back-up’ for Harper and while that wasn’t a very charming role to be placed on a young child, it was simply what WAS for the family. While Parker could be expected to resent her parents, she realized how much love was given to her by Harper. While her parents weren’t exactly attentive to Parker, it was as if Harper knew exactly what and when to give Parker what she needed. In Parker’s eyes, her sister was perfection; she knew it not to be true – nobody was PERFECT – but Harper was the closest anyone could get. Even with her parents’ lack of focus, it grew worse by the death of Netta. Maybe they should have taken her along, or maybe Parker should have stayed behind while Harper ran out; maybe, maybe, maybe. All that mattered was that Netta had died and her mother and father were never the same again.

While maybe Harper was looked at as LESS for what happened, at least she was being LOOKED at. Parker became completely nonexistent and for a young girl to lose her baby sister, Parker had no idea how she was at all even a stable person with the lack of attention from her parents. Everything happened so quickly that Parker could hardly keep up; her father seemingly drank himself to death and their mother withered away from cancer, although she was long gone before the cancer took her. Parker knew there was no sadness like losing a child but Parker couldn’t help but feel angry with their mother in some way before her cancer, although those emotions from Parker never really surfaced. Parker had gotten good at letting her emotions ride out as they will; she truly never showed how she was feeling to anyone but Harper and even THEN she didn’t want to bombard her with what, she considered, as ‘trivial things’. Parker dealt with enough at home and in the workplace. It was only them now and both felt a need to protect the other, even though Harper was much better at it than Parker.

When Harper came home and announce their move to Earth – 2c, there really wasn’t much time to process. They only had a few days to gather their things and head out but when Parker questioned about Shane, she saw the expression on her sister’s face and knew not to ask further. While the sisters were close, when confronted with something they didn’t want to talk about, both seemed to shut down. They both knew they handled things in somewhat similar ways and Parker never liked to push too far, especially with her sister. Regardless, when it came to leaving their home and moving somewhere new, Parker would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited and intrigued by the new environment. Parker appreciated the beauty she never got to see and the lush mountains and greenery was truly more magnificent than she ever predicted they could be.

They’ve since gotten into a rhythm and have been living in Earth-2C for TWO years. Unlike her sister, Parker never really knew what she wanted to do with her life. However, Parker had always loved kids and when it came down to it, she felt best fit to be teaching. She strived to become a Primary Education teacher in English, her most favorite subject in school when she was learning. Even as a child, she loved reading and so it made sense that she succeeded in English, although she had a big interest in History as well. It’s a new position, being somewhat freshly turned twenty-five years old and up to this point, she had worked as a barista for The Spot. When it comes to The Outsiders and Alia Terra, Parker tries not to think of it much. Does it necessarily have to affect her?

–Truth be told, she’s curious by it all but refuses to say anything about it. For a girl always hidden in the shadows, there’s a small part of her that is intrigued by the danger and unknown of it all. The idealistic part of her is curious to live a story grander than what she’s been living and sometimes The Outsiders are the one to fascinate her.

C E N S U S ,

f a c e c l a i m, Lily Collins p l a y e d  b y, Jessica

[violetemerald]

Bay Kennish headcanons

Ah Switched at Birth series finale tonight? Who, like me, is (totally not) ready??

Ok, so… as I kinda explained here: http://luvtheheaven.tumblr.com/post/159312248682/so-the-tumblr-mobile-app-is-really-frustrating-me

I’m a flailing idiot when it comes to answering asks publicly on tumblr’s mobile app, I suppose. Kept accidentally doing it privately. Ok so @zserb is awesome and sent me back my private answer so I could post it here.

zserb asked: Hi? I’ve seen your tags on that “ABCD ki­nds of headcanon” me­me, and I’m really curious whether you have anything about Bay Kennish. (Actuall­y, I’m really intere­sted in what you thi­nk about Bay Kennish regardless of said meme too.) Thank you if you answer and have a nice day!

I, luvtheheaven, answered:

In response to:

http://luvtheheaven.­tumblr.com/post/1592­03462757/jerseydevio­us-ricobrzenskas-hyp­ocean

Yay thank you for pi­cking Bay from Switc­hed at Birth. She’s honestly one of my favorite characters of all time, especial­ly if restricting th­at to female, adoles­cent aged characters. I have so many tho­ughts about her but I don’t usually expl­icitly think of spec­ific or detailed hea­dcanons for her. I feel like Switched at Birth barely has a fandom, more just has some fans lol, and that’s part of that, perhaps. The only time I wrote fanfict­ion about Bay I wrote her as ace, in fact basically the exact same kind of asexu­al I am… but I really do NOT headcanon her as asexual at all. I think it’s possi­ble she’s bisexual, but I really just th­ink of her as straig­ht. As an example.

So onto the actual questions…

Headcanon A: what I think realistically

Ah this is a hard one to know what direc­tion to go in… I thi­nk Bay would have go­tten a lot more tatt­oos by now (I’m talk­ing during the curre­ntly airing season, which I know has only 1 more ep and then the entire series is over), but maybe for now they’re all under places where her clothing hides bec­ause she’s not brave enough to stand up to her parents about her new love of tat­toos?

What else is realist­ic… and headcanon is­h… hmm… I think she might have more desi­re than Daphne to ke­ep in touch with her biological (via Ang­elo) half sister who was adopted. I think she really FEELS family connections in general and one day soon she will meet more of Angelo’s fam­ily.

I think she could re­alistically be happi­ly childfree for her own life despite all the complicated pa­rental stuff she’s been through and thou­ght about, especially after seeing how hard parenting can be for Toby. I like he­adcanoning characters as childfree despi­te really wanting ad­optive parenthood my­self.

I bet Bay took a lit­tle more time than Daphne to start consi­dering the other a sister.

Headcanon B: what I think is fucking hi­larious

Hilarious headcanons for Bay… surprising­ly hard for me. Mayb­e… that she has a tu­mblr she uses to post ink jobs she's pr­oud of, or even that she used to self pro­mote things like her street art but pret­ending she wasn’t se­lf promoting, anonym­ously being all “oh wow isn’t this cool?” Or more generally I think she’d thrive online and spend mo­re time online than most of her family on any side, Kennish or Vasquez or whatev­er… idk.

Headcanon C: what is heart-crushing and awful but fun to inf­lict on friends

That she did inherit a high chance of ge­tting an anuerisym from Angelo? That she never real­ly fully forgave Reg­ina for not speaking up about the switch earlier and sometim­es the resentment sn­eaks up on her? That deep down, the biggest reason she worked so hard and so quickly to become as fluent in ASL as she could was not di­rectly to help her communicate with Emme­tt or Daphne. It was because she felt gu­ilty, she knew she should’ve gotten that illness when she was 3 and she should’ve lost her own heari­ng. She should’ve ne­eded to learn it for her own sake anyway.

I don’t know these are just some ideas really. Nothing is ac­tually a headcanon per se.

Headcanon D: what wo­uld never work with canon but the canon is shit so I believe it anyway It doesn’t work with recent canon but while I could see Bay forgiving her broth­er, I don’t see her forgiving Lily or Me­lody for “following the law” and making her life a Title wha­tever number Rape In­vestigation on that campus. Especially not Bay Kennish, vand­alism is a hobby, I’­ll just falsely claim I committed a felo­ny… I don’t see her really understanding that level of follo­wing the law when it hurt her so much. I think she felt betr­ayed and she would’ve continued to for much more than one ep­isode. I think she’d possibly be trigger­ed by these people even, at least for a while, and if Toby continued to date Lily right after that she might not even fo­rgive Toby. Idk. May­be that’s too harsh but Bay… needs to bl­ame people, and feels things strongly, idk.

I think Bay would ex­cel at college if sh­e’d decided to go, not just art schools like she applied to but a general univer­sity or liberal arts college, probably major in linguistics like I did actually, look at her Miss Fl­uent in ASL, English, and Chinese now… I mean idk if she was fluent in Chinese (Mandarin?) but whatever skills she has is really impre­ssive and more than I can do lol… I think she could make money being an ASL interpreter and then focus on art projects that were more her passion than tattoo­s? Idk it’s just an idea for what could work for her.

Headcanons wise in terms of wouldn’t work in Canon, one last one is… I think Dap­hne should’ve been way prettier than Bay. Obviously everyone on this show is gor­geous and boys chase after both Daphne and Bay. But… Regina and Angelo should’ve been relatively ave­rage looking people. The Kennish story is that he was an ath­lete and she was a pro cheerleader so I imagine they’d be pr­ettier people geneti­cally and stuff than average. I feel like this would lead to Bay not just having darker hair but also just be less amazi­ngly gorgeous than Vanessa is. In an alt­ernate universe, Bay and Regina would not be played by model level actresses, is all lol, and I think it could be intere­sting, if they strug­gled somehow more on that level? Beyond race of course. I do­n’t know… I probably should just be slee­ping…. lol. Not sure if this headcanon makes any sense.

Probably could write up more but this was plenty already…. lol… I hope you enj­oy my thoughts!!

[moechadfish]

First 3 Chapters of A Sense of Wonder

Part I: Naomi

The scene began out of focus at first, moving every which way, erratically, but not smoothly, as if the scene was popping up from one place to the another. With gold sparks all around the image, the scene slowly begins to focus, smoothly changing its colors from shades of gray to hues of red, yellow, and blue. The image then froze in place, stopping its erratic movement and now I can see clearly, like a movie.

A bluff of limestone outcropping a small lake, that is longer than it is wide, but I can only see that from a distances and if I look to the right. What I am guessing I am meant to see is the couple sitting on a bench near a large rock that is sitting vertical, and that looks as if you can just poke it and the boulder will tumble off the ledge it sits upon.

The couple is young and dressed in 40’s clothing, but then it looks as if time passes, the small trees that surround them start growing and as they do so, I see the girl remain sitting. The man disappears for a time, only to come walking in to sit next to the girl on the bench. It looks as if at least twenty years have passed and the bench disappears as a wedding takes place between them. The girl dressed with a beautifully long pink dress and the male in a handsome tux. At that moment, I felt as if something was trying to make me think, trying to show me something, but the feeling soon fades with the scene and time passes.

They begin to age now, and I soon begin to feel sorry for them, watching both aging so quickly. Kids enter and a realization comes over me. Two kids, a male and female. I try to say something to the female, not knowing why but my voice is not heard and as I watch the kids get older with their parents, I keep on calling out to the female wanting her to hear me, a lonesomeness building inside of me, but my voice is never heard. And just as soon as the kids appear, they vanish from the now almost elderly couple.

With the trees looking to be fully grown, things start to slow down; longer periods are between each transition, until finally, I see the daughter of the two kids that were there before, entering; no man shows this time. Slowly but surely the silence that was engulfing me fades out and I hear the two women, the older one hunched over crying on her daughter’s shoulder.

Blinking, everything vanishes. I do not know how I knew they were my family although that might be the reason I tried calling out to the girl, she was my mother who had died many years prior. Turbulence awakens me from my slumber as I open my eyes to the crowded but silent cabin of an airplane. Turning my head this way and that I stop, staring at the bug eyed kid in the seat in front of me.

Smiling, I hold out my hand and tilt my head saying in my friendly voice, “Hi, what is your name? I am Naomi.”

“Naomi, you’re crying.” He laughs, but I see a hand pat him on the head and his mom tells him that he is being impolite. “Sorry I was watching you,” He sighs and turns back in his seat, obeying his mother.

Bringing a hand to my cheek I feel the tears that the boy mentioned. Was I really just crying? What a strange dream, I think to myself as I dry my cheeks with my palms.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I look over to my grandmother sitting by my side. She lets out one of her snores and a smile crawls to my face as I think to myself that I did the right thing by bringing her back to the States where she grew up. Uncle Mike will be happy to see his mother again after so long. What has it been, ten years at least? Ten years since he saw me as well, I wonder what he will think of me all grown up.

Opening the window shade, I watch the sun dawning. Resting my chin on the back of my hand I remain watching the sun, thinking of the meeting that will soon take place between all of us. After so long, I wonder how my cousins are. I am sure they will be glad to see me. Pausing, trying to jog me memory, I see two female faces in my mind, both with white hair and both identical. Right, they are identical twins, and they must look really pretty now, being my age as well. Wonder if I am taller than them? I hope not. I am already a giant compared to the women and my classmates on Hawaii.

Another snore erupts from my grandmother and I let out a laugh, something which I hardly heard because I am shy and my voice is very soft. Blushing I look away from the window and down at my lap, clenching the hem of my skirt and ask myself the one question that I’ve been worried about since leaving…

Am I going to get along with them?

Part II: Fate

“You look down, anything wrong?” My sister asks with her usual calm demeanor.

Setting my brush down and swiveling on my chair so I’m facing her I can tell she’s making a joke at my expense. What happened today feels off. “The Mistress shouldn’t be picking me to take her place. She could have easily picked one of you guys.”

She only smiles, “that isn’t our decision. She sees you as someone she respects, you know that, but now you’re being stubborn and you don’t want to accept her gift.”

Snorting, I turn back around knowing full well my sister is right, she’s usually the goodie two shoes. “Hope, you piss me off sometimes.”

“Glad I could help,” she answers sarcastically. Watching her through my mirror, I see she’s staring blankly at my back as I continue getting ready to meet our cousin after so long. The last time we’ve seen each other must have been years ago, how older were we when her parents died? “You know I can help…” she pauses, “you know your hair was beautiful before, I still don’t understand why you’d cut it so short.”

Before, my hair use to be as long as hers, just past my shoulder blades, but I’ve been asked to cut it by the Mistress for some time now. Hope doesn’t need to know the reason but she was surprised a few weeks back when she wanted to help comb my hair much like today. Our bonding time to her, I see it more of venting after a hard day from the Mistresses constant badgering and wanting us to preform with precision.

She’s blind…but she never lets that get in her way. She’s a kind person and I don’t ever want to get on her bad side. “I’m here if anything is wrong sister,” she tells me before trailing off, her clouded blue eyes hinting at a bit of gloom and I hate keeping secrets from her but until I’m told otherwise this is one I have to keep.

We share the same eyes, but hers are clouded. We have the same hair, silver, a gene passed to us by our mother; Isabella. And we’re twins, identical, both of us standing the same height of five foot. We’re both sophomores in high school as well.

A tapping on the door startles me as I gasp and a giggle leaves my sisters mouth as we hear Danny ask if I’m ready in his unusually high pitched voice. “Almost,” I answer back, grabbing my pair of jeans lying on my bed and slipping them on, butting up my white blouse and sliding on a frilly black skirt to sit over my jeans. An off colored windbreaker from the coat hanger to the side of the large door that leads into our room and I ‘m gone, leaving with a wave to Hope who instinctively waves back.

I shouldn’t say she’s completely blind, she can still see shades but with the twilight now setting in from the sun’s rays inking into our room, I guess I’m surprised.

Running into him as I leave my room he remains still, and I simply bounce off him. Grunting, he turns in the hall, ready to lead me to the car just outside the mansion’s walls. He’s taller that my sister and I, by a head or so, and by all accounts, he looks female. His thick coal color hair with a few gray strands lying flat while hanging just past his ears, he keeps his hair short so as not to have people confuse him for being male but our clientele still does. I don’t know if he resents this fact or not but he doesn’t seem phased.

We come to the foyer where two bay windows are on either side of the grand oak door which is beautifully carve with many verities of flowers, the main being lilies. He gets the door for us, and I’m greeted first with the cooling breeze that’s been blowing these past few weeks as we draw closer to the autumn season.

Danny is to drive me to the airport to pick Naomi up, and my dad has gone to fetch Tom and Bert. I smile at this thought knowing Tom was absolutely devastated to hear the Mistress tell us that I would take over for her. Clearing his throat, I see that he has taken his seat at the wheel and has opening the passenger’s window of the van to hurry me along. Once I’m in he stars the engine and we’re off for the hour ride to the airport

That hour flies by as before I know it we’re at the airport, and Danny departs, leaving me at the entrance to where passengers of the flights come to collect their luggage. Taking a seat across from a luggage rack I plant a large pair of older looking headphones, ones that are from the mid 90’s. Turning on some oldies rock from my cellphone, I close my eyes and let myself fade into the melodies. Opening an eye now and again to see if they have arrived yet.

Five minutes pass which drags into ten, then fifteen. And after twenty minutes I see a tall girl walking arm in arm with an elderly woman. It’s the elderly woman I recognize first to by my grandmother. Her hair tied in a small bun, and grayed from age. The girl with her, must be my cousin. She’s changed a lot, far taller than Hope and I. Very tanned skin and an hourglass figure, she’s matured fast. It sure has been years since we last met, she wasn’t as distinguished as she now looks. Her eyes a sky blue, cold, and when our eyes meet.

She seems skittish as I place my headphones around my neck and greet them.

“Fate?” Naomi asks as I nod, watching my grandmother rather than her. Her eyes are soulless, I feel there is nothing behind those eyes even with her asking my name with a pleasing smile.

Grandma looks brittle. She’s moving slowly as she tries to dig something out of her carry-on, a small purse with the strap resting on her wrist, her other arm entwined with Naomi’s to help keep her balance. She’s hunched over, pulling a pair of glasses from the purse and placing them on her nose, her eyes glace me but briefly as she stares past me rather than at me, “who is this cute thing?” she asks, her voice weary from either the walk over me or the jet-lag. Could very well be both.

“This is…”

Naomi starts but I cut her off. “I’m Fate, your granddaughter, you remember me.” I tell her in a kind voice, but Naomi frowns and Grandma only mumbles something, as if she’s saying okay but she still doesn’t recognize me. I can’t say I was expecting much, Dad told me she’d be like this.

I’m not overly upset but Naomi does seem timid of me now. I forgot how she was back then and I can’t say I know how she is now. With years of time passed between us, I never got a feel for who she is. She’s in the same boat though and I look back to her, a fake smile on my face as I hold my arms opening. It’s a brief and awkward hug. She doesn’t hesitate but I can tell she’s not use to contact of this nature. Doing the same with my grandmother she accepts the hug more graciously as if she has some remembrances of who I am.

Naomi speaks quietly while I’m embracing our grandmother and she walks back towards the luggage rack to wait for their luggage to pass on the conveyor belt. When it does she grabs the two bags, both on wheels and comes back to us, a smile on her face, genuine unlike my earlier display. Her general cheerfulness is beginning to annoy me. She seems happy yet I can tell by her grip on the handles of the bags that she’s nervous as hell.

“Uncle Mike said something about a special spot we’re be going to before we head home. Where is it? It’s getting late too.”

I laugh, “we have a few hours’ drive, three to be precise, we’re not going to be back home until one but I was told that she must see it.”

“See what?” she asks.

“Devil’s Reservoir. A lake surrounded by limestone buffs, I was told that Grandma Kala spent a lot of time there in her early days and Dad feels it will jog some of her memories and he wants it done sooner rather than later because of her Eye.”

I’m already walking forward when I hear them in step with me, Naomi is a bit clumsy and stumbles with a quiet scream before righting herself. Grandma on the other hand follows in tune with me, she still seems out of it but her eyes have a look of acknowledgment to them. I feel she knows that name, she knows Devil’s Reservoir and she wants to go there.

A cab awaiting us outside, Naomi and I take the back seat while the cab driving provides some assistance to our grandmother and place her in the passenger seat.

We pull away from the airport and after sometime we see our grandmother losing it. She’s back to having no idea what’s going on. Before she was calm, following along quietly, and now she’s causing a racket because of her Alzheimer. Continually she complies to the cab driver, telling him where is he taking them, why and so forth. Naomi gently rest a hand on her shoulder, telling her that it’s okay and she’s calm for a while but it begins not ten minutes later and it’s like this the whole way there, save of the last twenty some minutes when she finally shuts up and watches outside, as if in awe.

Arriving at the gravel parking lot after entering into a State Forest we all disembark from the cab. The man’s very nice and with his gruff voice he tells us he’ll hang around. Told us that my dad payed him a little extra to get him to work and stay out this late, it’s already nine.

We never really talked during the ride over, just a few comments here and there besides the constant trying to settle Grandma Kala down. But now that we’re here, and Naomi has given the cab driver a bit of extra money for his troubles we are ready to head to a peak that is within the forest, a path that we’ve been given permission to use tonight, even with the crescent moon in the sky, the trail will be hard to see thought I came prepared with I have a high powered flashlight.

Saying bye to the cab driver, Naomi and I turn to start walking down the trail close by when we notice that Grandma is nowhere in sight…“Where did she go?” I ask Naomi who rests a hand on my shoulder pointing to a figure some ways off in the distances, barely visible in the moonlight. What’s odd though is her movement, she’s much faster that I had thought. Not wasting anytime, we dash off after her...who we think is her at least, no one in there right mind would be out this late besides maybe campers to the park.

Naomi in front of me, her strides are much longer than mine, and she has a grace about her that I hadn’t previously noticed. Unlike at the airport she’s not stumbling, and even with the flashlight shaking about, she isn’t tripping as much as I would have guessed...where as I’m trained for such hikes, she isn’t to my knowledge. Our grandmother is out running the two of us by yards, how...she’s in her seventies and looked so frail not a few hours ago.

Never did we exchange words, nor are neither of us are panting as we travel the trail, moving from gravel to just a dirt path then to steps made from logs and soon enough we come to an opening, finally catching up to the figure we’ve been following. We both are hesitant, as there, facing away from us a younger woman. Her figure much like Naomi’s yet smaller in height.

She stopped and we approach consciously to either side of her, her clothing matching our grandmothers I only assume her to be...but I have never experienced something like this.

Looking to me first, her iris’s are glowing pink while turns her head to smile at Naomi who gasps. A hand is planted on my back, so to on Naomi’s when she parts from us. Walking with a slow stride to the bench which is dwarfed by two large lime stone spires. The ground worn smooth from repeated traffic from fellow hikers. The moon lighting up the ground as if this were a gift given to us. Naomi and I give each other simultaneously confused looks of shock and awe.

“It’s her,” Naomi struggles to say, standing very still and just watching. “it’s just like my dream…”

“That is Grandma Kala, she’s young, how is she young?” I ask having a very vague idea of why, but not fully understanding it.

“I don’t know.”

“I mean even with all my training I never seen this kind of event…these must be her memories taken physical form or at least a visual illusion that we’re seeing of her past self…”

“What?” She asks but I say no more, we both silently watch as our Grandmother takes a seat on the bench, watching the night sky and clasping her hands together and she looks to the sky, praying.

It’s not long before I hear a small snort come from Naomi, she’s crying, her eyes filled with tears, she’s moved a hand from her side to her mouth as she tries…fails to try to hold back her tears. Looking back at our grandmother I see a ghostly figure walking past us, he’s wearing army garb from what I can only guess to be World War II. Medium height, but a recognizable face, he looks much like my dad. “Grandpa?” I question.

“This…this must be where Grandma and Grandpa met…” Naomi struggles to say as the ghostly figure rests a hand on Grandma Kala’s shoulder and she turns her neck to face him, her youthful appearance diminishing to how she looked prior to changing. She’s back to her old self yet tears continue to stream down her cheeks. My eyes begin fogging up as well as I realize I’m witnessing something beautiful and yet sad. A bitter sweet moment and our Grandma stands, hugging the ghost.

“Frank.” We hear her say as the ghostly figure now vanishes and our grandmother slumps to the ground.

“Grandma!” Both of us shocked, we begin to rush forward only to be blinded.

When the light vanishes, I’m leaning against one of the many pine trees that are scattered about the clearing. Flashing red and blue lights and the sirens of an ambulance ring in my ears.

Trying to get my barrens I feel myself being helped up by a gentle hand. “Fate…good, your awake.” My sister says quietly as I look beyond her at the scene. Where we were standing who knows how long ago, Tom is helping Naomi who is silently crying while whispering…trying to speak but I hear no words. My father and Bert, near the ambulance and I head in that direction only to be stopped my my sister holding onto my arm. She look at our father, then back to me as I turn, to her, wanting her to let go of my hand. “She died…”

Part III: Tom

Dusk setting upon us, I know my brother has been following me since I stormed off an hour ago after Fate and Hope went to their room to ready themselves for the new arrival, their cousin Naomi. A long walk through the small town of Keso, and I find myself at the park where car shows a held during the summers and various other activities which all take place at the center of town here.

In my usual attire, a black and ripped sleeveless tee shirt with cargo shorts. Pouting about the Mistresses decision. My eyes catch the three empty tether-balls poles which line one of the few sandboxes, each containing different equipment for the younger kids who come here to play during reasonable hours.

“Seems fun,” I tell myself, my voice gruffer that usual as I pick up the ball from the far left pole and hit it. Spinning around by it’s string, I smack the ball in the opposite direction. It comes at me from the right and I swing harder. A clap echoes as I whale on the ball, making it swing back to the right the string going taunt. Taking a step back to adjust for the lengthen string,  the ball comes from my left.

Growling as I eye the ball, I let all my restraint go. Punching the ball with my right fist the ball swings around one more time before I hear shredding of the string and the ball flying off into the distances far out of sight.

“As stupidly strong as you are, I expected farther.” He’s decided to show himself as he squint his piercing brown eyes, searching for the ball. I didn’t even see where it went and my younger brother by half a year has glasses, he claims he can see where it went? He probably wants to help me cool off but I’m not here for that, and I don’t like that he’s been following me all this time.

“What do you want Berton? Do you want to scold me for calling her an old hag or something?” He pauses, standing and watching over me. He thin framed glasses resting on his nose while he adjusts them. I’ve argued with him about getting contacts but he says he wouldn’t look intelligent. His own way of looking down on me I guess but I’ve long since given up on that goal. It’s pointless. He wears a beige suit, not that it’s a special occasion or anything, he just always wears a suit. Hardly ever is he in relaxing or ordinary clothing. He says he wants to look professional but he seems more stuck up than anything. Similar black hair to mine only I have stubs growing because I rather go with the bald look. His is cut short and parted, he looks like a nerd.

“What you and her argue about isn’t my business, but I’m worried about this…it’s been a year since she told us she was going to stop training all of us, she told us that you, as well as Fate or even Hope could take her place. She could have easily asked Danny, or Mike to do so, but instead left it up to her students.”

“Why does that matter?” I ask and my brother with a frown then planting myself on a nearby bench. “Mike was her student years ago, why not pick him. Why Fate?”

“Tom, that is why you don’t understand.” He argues, “Mike already runs the funeral home himself, the Mistress is too old to deal with anything besides training us. At one point she did Mike’s job, even Danny’s but again she’s too old to be juggling stuff like she uses to. The Mistress chose Fate because she is reliable, she can get stuff done without going overboard as I’m sure you can contest to.”

Mummer some choice words, he rises a brow as he approaches me.

“I’m right Tom, and you know it.”

“Shut it!” I reply, my voice slightly louder than my growling from before. He thinks he’s above all of us because he’s smart, because he researches, because he lives in that library tower of his at home. “Why do you always talk down to me, like I know nothing about why I wasn’t picked.”

“Then act your age, if you know then man up and stop blaming everyone and everything for your stupid actions!”

Standing, and cocking my arm, ready to swing I’m inches from his four eyed face when her voice drifts past us. “Getting along as usual I see.” She points to her eyes, making a joke at her expense but giggling. We both stand at attention before her and her father—Mike who has silently walked forward.

Hope’s in a long dress that reaches her ankles which is uncommon for her, she likes to be a bit freer. A black sweatshirt tied around her waist while her white tee says something along the lines of “4 is a lucky number.” which is badly faded in black letters.

Mike, much like Bert is dressed in a suit, without a jacket, he looks casual in his egg shell white dress shirt which isn’t even tucked in. Bert is prim and proper and Mike doesn’t care. I’d wish that attitude of his would rub off on my brother, he’s always stressed for no reason but I’m not sure what will help.

“Boys, we need to get going. I’m not sure how aware you’ve been made of Naomi’s and my mother’s arrival. We’re heading to Devil’s Reservoir; I’d like you two to come so we can do introductions away from Mary.”

Neither of us argue, what point would there be, and we’re both eager to meet Naomi, only knowing bits and pieces from Fate and Hope we gladly follow Mike to his apple red van in the park’s parking lot. Hope takes shotgun while I take the middle seat behind her and Bert behind Mike; next to me. He reverses and pulls out of the parking lot. A few hours later with very little conversion between us besides a call from Mike to the Mistress—where he does seem stressed—we arrive next to a taxi that’s sitting in the gravel lot. The man inside reading some news off his phone.

Mike is out the instant as he parks the van and heads over to the taxi as the rest of us take our time. “He’s rushed, is something up?” I ask Hope as we depart, feeling a dread as I familiarize myself with my surroundings. “something has to be up; you’re feeling it too?” Hope nods, looking worried.

“Bert, you’re staying with the Taxi driver, you understand?” Mike directs his attention on Bert who has just closed the sliding door behind him. He says nothing as he walks over to the Taxi driver while Mike hands off a flask to him. Mike now stares at us, “You two can reach the peak faster than I, I’m taking the path but you two, contact me once you get there or if anything else happens…my mother has passed on but if those get to her before she can completely leave she will never be able to rest.”

I’m not one to back down from a fight but, we may be up against many Husk at once is what Mike is saying. I hear rustling behind me as well as a bright pink light. Hope has already dashed into the woods. Turning on my toes, I dash off into the woods as well, following no direct path, rather using the trees and stones as foot holds as I bounce from one to the next like an acrobat. We’re trained in parkour and even with my small build but strong body I’m easily able to stay on my feet as I run though the damp woods, twigs scraping me along the way but I can dodge ever minor obstruction.

I don’t go long before dawning my own Harmony. A sort of outfit created from the soul that guards us to an extent. My clothing changing so I now only have my shorts, and shoes, revealing my muscular chest.

Catching up to Hope as she’s a bit ahead of me, she’s slow down and is waiting for me in her own Harmony. A charcoal colored maid outfit, with all the frills you’d expect. It’s cut short just above her knees and unlike the one her sister would be wearing; she goes without the white tights.

As we continue ascending the rather steep hill, the trees provide us good ground to launch from one branch to the next, testing each one briefly before considering it secured and targeting our next landing. This terrain is unfamiliar to us so we’re lucky to have not fallen yet, and some of the heights are enough to kill a man…well a normal man without the training we’ve been though by our brutal Mistress.

From below we begin to hear clatter, and inhuman noises. Both Hope and I pause, stopping our assent, and I’m the unlucky bastard to be the first to find a less than ideal branch as it snaps, sending me plummeting to the ground. I’m able to right myself before landing, falling to my feet and bending my knees while rolling forward to decrease the momentum and stop myself from any further injuries besides from the initial fall. My right arm has some blood trickling down from it but nothing to serious considering the twenty foot fall or so.

Hope appears next to me, a small smile on her face, I know she found it funny but that’s beside the point as we’re now in the midst of a horde of Husks. They’re hard to pinpoint in this lighting but what stands out is the blue orb we’ve dubbed the Eye. We destroy that and we vanquish the Husk.

“No prep work, she’s not going to like us destroying them all but it’s not like we have a choice.” Hope pants quietly while I try to size up how many we’re dealing with. Some are large, while others small, but they all have similar looks. An amoeba like form, taking shape of an animal or some distorted human form. Most here resemble animals, but a few human looking ones. Most run right past us while a few hang behind, being distorted by our Harmony. They’re looking for soul, what they feed off of to grow stronger.

“How many are there?” Hope ask after a few seconds as she too can sense them approaching us. These Husk are bold, why are there so many though? Just for one soul, was Mike’s mother that strong?

“I can’t tell because we’re not in the trees any longer but over twenty if not more. This is insane I’ve never seen so many at once.”

A warm breeze comes from behind as we both turn, watching in the thicket of the woods as deep violet flames engulf one of many Husks. Then another and another, circling us as we’re dumbfounded by what’s going on around us. At least up until this point we understood what was happening. Many Husks who wanted Mike’s mother’s soul to eat were gathering but this, what is causing them to vanish into thin air via violet flames?

A woman laugh echoes in the woods as we watch on, helpless to the Husk being dispersed by who we can only guess is this woman laughing. Who’s she? But it’s not long before this woman in a tattered looking trench coat appears before us, only her back though as she say’s “whoops.” Before taking out a Husk that had gotten close to us without our noticing. But just as she was before us she vanishes, leaving us in the clear.

“What the hell.” I ask myself scratching my head.

“Best not to think about it, let’s get moving.” Hope answers, us wasting time watching this is going to annoy Mike who told us to reach the peak before he does and update him when we do.

She bolts off and I follow. In no time at all we’re at the peak where we find three bodies. Hope goes over to the one near the bench and quietly starts crying as she pulls out her cell, I hear her calling her dad, the conversation is brief as she then dials three buttons. She’s calling for an ambulance. Finding her sister next to a taller looking girl, kneeling and looking toward the setting sun, she must be Naomi. Picking her off the ground and I bring her over to a nearby tree to rest upon. Her pulse is normal and I remove my pointer and index finger from her neck.

Examining her, a faint glowing all but gone shines through her thin top under her left shoulder sleeve. Glowing white, it flickers and then is gone as I stop my thoughts and try to wake her up. This isn’t good for her to be out for so long, she could have a concussion.

“Dad already called for an ambulance, they’ll be here shortly, he’s almost up the path.”

“And that woman we saw earlier in the throng of Husks?” I ask, standing.

“That can wait…I need to process what’s going on, I just lost my grandma.”

Her voice is shallow, but still firm. She’s never been weak even with her disability so this is the most emotion I’ve seen on her face. I’m not sure what to do, only resting one of my large hands on her shoulder. “we’ve all gone through a death, it never gets easier. But why would we let it? You have memories of her right? Don’t lose them or else she will die.”

More tears begin flowing, “when did my dad give you a pep talk?”

“Really those are my true thoughts on the matter, Mike didn’t tell me jack.” I tell her in a playful tone even though I am annoyed by her thinking that I used her father words on her.

We hear the sirens before long and both Mike and Bert meet up with us. Hope has gone to try waking her sister while I’m trying to wake up Naomi who’s as stiff as a board.

“Slap her.” I hear Mike tell me from afar.

Bert who is standing near him gives him a serious look which he notices but continues staring at me, “I said slap her, we her need awake.”

Shaking her instead I shake more vigorously, hoping she’ll fall limp and it’s not long before she does. “I’m not going to slap her.” I tell Mike who sighs but seems pleased all the same. Naomi’s cold eyes flutter open but she still seems in a daze as I help her stand, “come on Sleeping Beauty, time to wake up.”

“A bit corny?” my brother questions but I ignore him as I head in the direction of the ambulance which Mike’s mother has already be loaded on to, pronounced dead here.

Arm in arm with Naomi, I see that Fate has recovered much quicker and is following her sister. Mike stays by the ambulance and tells Bert and I to head back to the van first, having us take Naomi with us while him and his daughters stay behind for a while before meeting back with us so we can head home at this late hour.