#but i brought two friends (who will show up on another day's post) so it'll be ok!

[judeyswife]

not what i’m looking for. — jude bellingham x reader. II

genre : angst

word count : 928

note : hii lovies, this is official part two of the series not what im looking for !!! (part one) please let me know of what yall think in the comments! there will be a part 3 guys so don't worry, but it'll probs be a wrap up for this mini series since i want to get started on some other fics too + made a few format changes and writing from author's pov this time -- but thats it! enjoyyy! requests box always open !!

‏‏‎ ‎ ———————————————————-‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎

"i'm sorry"

it's horrendous how fast people switch up. or i'd say men, in this case. it's been roughly about six months since that conversation had happened. it was honestly one of the worst days in your whole life. i mean, yeah you'll get through it. but why? every once in a while you think about what did she have that you didn't.

but this is a topic that hasn't been brought up in about a month. and a certain individual isn't mentioned anymore in your life thank the lord.

you have gone to a beach house near where you live with a few of your best friends, layla, jess, and liv. yall needed this vacation after months of torture. or studying.

they've been with you since day one. truthfully you'd say who needs a relationship when you have your homegirls?

"Y/N, come here right fucking now." -- layla screamed from our room in the house.

you could literally think she had been getting murdered with the way she was screaming honestly.

"oh my god what!"

"whats his name posted a fucking video of missing someone LOOK."

who? jude.

you sit next to her curiously taking her phone from her hands in order for you to take a look at the tiktok she was trying to show you.

( for the sake of the story, jude has tiktok xoxo )

you were shocked. who genuinely who would've though that he'd actually miss us? it didn't even sound right thinking about it.

"maybe it's about her layla" you shrugged getting up to grab your water bottle from her desk.

"are you stupid girl, he's obviously thinking about you, i mean look at his caption." - 'didn't think a situationship could hurt more than an actual relationship' don't be a fool y/n"

liv and jess had entered the room a few minutes ago listening to the conversation making liv enter the conversation.

"ain't no way he has the nerve to do that bullshit on social media"

you stood there listening to them diss jude for about 5 minutes straight. but your lost in your thoughts. i mean, why would he ever miss something he supposedly never had? it's genuinely so draining and confusing.

"guys just drop it, its whatever. lets just go hang out at the hot tub, i really fucking need it"

your friends just looked at one another not saying a single word. they knew better. not to make you sound like a maniac or anything, but they knew how you were with bottling up your feelings. jude was a sensitive topic for you. they didn't want to be the cause of ruining your vacation over some dumb tiktok captions. they simply agreed with you and started getting changed to go out the the hot tub.

•

it had been a few hours since you last seen your phone and you're now inside getting ready to have dinner with the girls and settling down. so you took these few moments, unlocked your phone and checked out what you had missed.

you furrowed your eyebrows trying to figure out who this number could possibly belong to. since you and layla are sharing a room for the trip, she was getting ready at her vanity and noticed your confused expression.

"y/n what's up?" -- asking you meanwhile putting a face mask on.

"i don't know, this random number just texted me with my name i'm just hella confused"

"that's weird. ask who it is obviously"

you nodded listening to what she had advised you to do.

you had this conversation silently without saying a word to layla about who this "mystery person" was. mainly because you wanted to fight your own battles. i mean you basically already had jess and liv involved. not that your mad at them or anything, you know they want what's best for you. clearly they're on team jude. those girls.

"who was it?" layla said getting up from her chair to grab her phone from the charger near her bed. "no one important, they got the wrong number and person" you honestly don't know how she believed you. you hate to admit but you were feeling jittery after having that conversation with jude after so long. even if it was barely a conversation.

you hated that you needed to lie to layla, but you truly believed it was honestly for the best. when you and jude were talking, they knew every single detail about the relationship you had with jude. and by they i mean your friends and his friends. always involved. one of the main issues why miscommunication was lacking horribly in your relationship. so that's why you want a new beginning. not just to "lie" to your friends but to feel the sense of control in your life. even if tomorrow was the last conversation you had with jude, you wanted to keep the moment to yourself.

•

without saying a word to anyone, you and jude had been chatting it up all night. just a catch up with each other. you guys went from telling every detail of your day to each other, to not saying a single word for months to each other. it felt nice being able to slowly regain that comfort you once had when you guys would text or facetime all night long.

you were honestly praying for the best in tomorrow's conversation, you had no idea what it could lead up to.

but the overthinking was done on your pillow all night long, plus his texts of course.

[regulusrules]

Hi! Okay so you seem like a very well-read person and I’d love to know if you have a list of your favorite Merlin fics. I just bookmarked all the ones you recommended in relation to the 10 best episodes and now I need more! I’m going on a training camp and would love to have something fairly long to download to my kindle so I can read on flights and when I don’t have data 🥰

Thanks so much in advance!

(Also, I LOVE your writing, I’m so glad to be part of this fandom with talented people like you!)

Hey! Thank you so much for your kind words! OF COURSEE I'd love to recommend you some fics! Likewise— the creativity of this fandom never ceases to amaze me :)

*cracks knuckles and pretends my eyes aren't lighting up rn because my time has finally come*

Long fic recs (50K-100K+)

1. to the world that never let you be by ImperialMint. Look. I'll hand out my own throat so willingly to any scar reveal fic. The trope is just so dear to my heart, and this one in particular was something else. It broadly covered every single feeling you might be looking for in a Merlin fic, and its characterization of both Arthur and Merlin was top tier. I basically sell my soul to any fic that does justice to their characterization, and this one did so much more than that.

2. What I'd Have Done by @flight-of-fantasy. I solemnly swear you will never read something like this fic. I read it in one day from how on edge I was all the time. I had to recount it to my friends in the timespan of three hours because of how much screaming and dramatic pauses there was. Simply, the brilliance of plot here is unmatched. Arthur's characterization as a strategist shook my innards, and Merlin's unapologetic nature was chef's kiss. It's so hard not to give away the plot while recommending this so just.. just read it.

3. Redemption by flakedice, Zerda. Soon, you will find a parallel post to the best 10 episodes with the worst 10, featuring first and foremost The Disir. Honest to God, I could literally go on ages ranting about how much agony this episode brought me. It was the blow that awoke my eyes to the possibility of fuck, this show isn't going to end well. I once thought about shitting on that episode like I did with 5×13 in My heart is readily yours, but fics like these hold me back because they already gave us everything. It gave us the ending we deserved. Gold. Everything in this was gold. The world building, the character development, the fact that Arthur has been given time. Truly a fix-it that fix-ed my heart.

4. Talking about deviations from The Fucking Disir, The World I Built for You by Fulgance is a must. It was the first fic I've read from the How They Didn't Find Out (magic reveal one-shots) series, and from then on I was * s o l d *. Whichever fic you decide to read from this, I guarantee you, you will have the time of your life. Fulgance is the one author I will always recommend without a shadow of a doubt. There is not a single work of theirs that will disappoint you. They will only break you.

5. Deep In My Heart I'm Concealing by @citharaposts. True story about this fic, I squealed when I read its summary. “I'm not standing here as a king, Merlin!” was the quickest catalyst to ever make me start a fic. I specifically wrote a spoiler-free comment for the author and left it in the first chapter so that anyone who's thinking about whether or not to go into yet another 100K fic will rest assured that it's an amazing ride. Have real fun with this one.

6. It Was One Kingdom, Once by queerofthedagger. Two things, if they happen, you leave everything behind and go thank your God for blessing you with it: @queerofthedagger posting a new Merlin fic, and it being a Royal Hanahaki AU. Like so many other tropes the author has nailed, this was the best Hanahaki I've ever read (across fandoms). It's so intricate and detailed and the world building is on another level. If our world was burning and I had only one thing to save, it'll be the works of this author.

Hope I helped, and hope you have so much fun in your camp!◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕

[Short fic recs]

[callalillywrites]

An Unconventional Pack Part 2

Part 3 / Series Masterlist

Relationship: Alpha!Reader / Beta!Ransom Drysdale / Beta!Nick Vaughn

Word Count: ~1340

Summary: Ransom's never been all that lucky in finding a pack unlike his best friend, Angel. He does find some promise with one Alpha though, but even that becomes complicated when he realizes that her hidden other isn't an omega but another beta.

Warnings: abusive parent (Linda), implied past abuse, Ransom Drysdale (sad boy, soft, protective), Nick is a sweetheart, fiercely protective best friend!Angel, angst with happy ending, hurt/comfort

A/N: This story was one of the hardest I've had to write so far in this series, and I'm still not sure I'm satisfied with it. Ransom is absolutely a lot softer than I originally intended, but he's what the story ultimately intended. I do heartily recommend reading Their Sweet Omega first because it'll give you more insight into Ransom's characterization for this story. Either way, I do hope you'll enjoy this angst-ridden but happy ending story.

I also do not give permission for my work to be copied or posted on other sites or fed into an AI machine.

*****

“Not only did you touch and threaten my betas, but you struck a claimed omega that wasn’t your own. Those are indeed serious crimes.”

Ransom’s gaze met Alpha’s for a moment though she kept her attention focused on his mother.

Linda sneered at Alpha, which only seemed to amuse Alpha.

��Maybe I should call this omega’s alpha and see what charges he’d like brought against you. As for my betas, well, I guess I’ll let them decide if I should pursue charges.”

At this point, Alpha turned toward Nick, then Ransom.

“Would you like me to press charges? I’m quite content to do so after witnessing the last minute or so of that wretched exchange.”

“I won’t speak for Ransom, but I’ve survived worse, Contessa,” Nick assured.

Alpha’s gaze shifted to Ransom.

For all that he’d learned this evening and his own revealed secrets, nothing could’ve prepared him for this. The Alpha he could come to really like wasn’t protecting an omega while getting to know him. She was protecting another beta.

That begged the question of why.

Why would she pursue him, show interest in him, when she already had a beta? Was this some game to her? Have they been having a good laugh at his expense?

He needed to get out of there, and he needed to get out of there now.

Angel sensed the change in him and gently pulled him toward the nearest exit. He could make out the fact she was talking to someone, but the words refused to process as his mind raced with more plaguing thoughts.

Outside the venue, she managed to sweet talk her keys from the valet without having the valet retrieve the car. Keys in hand, she took off with her hand still firmly wrapped around his wrist until they located her car. It wasn’t long after that before they got in and took off towards what he assumed to be her home with Steve and Jake.

“She has a beta,” he said, finally breaking the silence.

Angel spared him a glance before she returned her attention to the road. Her voice was soft. “I know. I’m sorry, Ran.”

When he would’ve thought that was the end of it, Angel surprised him by adding, “Maybe this isn’t as bad as it seems.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? How could it not be worse than it is?”

Another glance in his direction. Her voice still as soft as before.

“Nick couldn’t take his eyes off you since he spotted you some minutes before he worked up his nerve to join us. He watched you almost the entire night, even while he was playing. I think he really likes you.”

Ransom opened his mouth, but Angel cut him off, saying, “And I know Alpha likes you. It was so clear how much she did that day in the café. It was the same way tonight, Ran. She even called you her beta. She might’ve claimed Nick first, but I think she really wants to claim you, too.”

“Have you ever heard of an alpha who claimed two betas?” Ransom paused to give her the chance to shake her head. “It’s because it doesn’t happen. No alpha in their right mind takes two betas. There’s no chance of children. It’s why there’s only two acceptable pack forms, kitten. The traditional one like yours with Jensen and Rogers, and the less traditional but no less valid of alpha and omega.”

Much to his annoyance, Angel doesn’t back down or admit he’s right.

Instead, she countered, “When have you, Ransom Drysdale, ever cared one fig for tradition?”

She had him there.

He didn’t care for most traditions, especially where a pack’s makeup was concerned.

Yet, that didn’t stop him from believing he’d be the only beta in the group. To share that position with another, especially someone as nice as Nick seemed to be, where would that leave him? It wasn’t unknown by those who knew him that he could be overdramatic, bratty, and just downright spoiled. Who would choose him when they had someone like Nick as their beta?

“You could’ve told me,” Angel said, changing the subject.

“Told you what?”

Ransom’s gaze dropped to the sleeves of his suit, wishing more than anything he had his favorite sweater instead. As old and frayed as it was, that cable knit had come to mean a lot to him since Angel gifted it to him the day they graduated. It certainly brought him more comfort than this suit ever could.

“That you weren’t doing well financially. I could’ve paid for your day at the spa with me.”

“It was your birthday, kitten.”

He knew how upset Angel had been that day after her alpha and beta unknowingly messed up. No way was he going to add to that. Besides, he’d been certain he had enough funds. He still insisted he did.

But that didn’t change the truth of how he didn’t in the end.

So, he’d done what he’d always done. Went back to his family and asked for some money, ready to play whatever monkey role they had for him. It’d been too easy to do it, too, which made the whole thing that much worse.

Maybe he wasn’t meant to be more than his family’s scapegoat. The black sheep as it were. They lived to regale him with his past as a playboy and all the mistakes he’d made. Why not continue to live that life if it meant keeping the lifestyle he had along with his family’s unyielding expectations?

Lost in thought, Ransom didn’t realize Angel had pulled into her home’s driveway until she rested her hand on his.

“Ran, I can see the wheels turning. Don’t listen to Linda’s poison. You are so much better off without the Thrombeys and Drysdales. You are worthy of all the love and care and friendship you can find. You deserve to have nice people and things in your life.”

He didn’t necessarily believe Angel, but he couldn’t help believing it was nice she thought he did.

“Now,” Angel offered a small smile, “you’re staying here tonight. No way am I letting you go home with Linda on a rampage. She wouldn’t dare turn up here. It’d only tarnish her image coming to this side of town despite how nice it is. Plus, I might need someone with some muscle to help me corral Steve and Jake once they see this.”

She waved at her cut cheek.

Ransom grimaced at the sight.

He’d witnessed how swiftly Jensen and Rogers could react where Angel was concerned. It might take all the strength and effort he had to keep them from hunting down his mother and pressing those charges for hurting Angel.

Unaware of his thoughts, Angel added, “Then tomorrow, I’m treating you to a hearty breakfast before you meet my favorite accountant. Dennis has been doing my company’s books for about a year now, and I know he can help you with your finances. He’s a real wizard with numbers, and he’ll make sure you never have to go back to your family for anything again.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, I do.”

The two soon went inside where Ransom did end up using most of his strength and effort to keep Jensen and Rogers from going off and doing something stupid.

Though, he could’ve saved a lot of that strength and effort if Angel had threatened them with no more ‘playtime’ if they did anything stupid sooner. That had them backing down, albeit quite reluctantly but far better than anything Ransom could do on his own.

Angel soon had him settled in for the night.

It was too bad the lovely, cozy bed she’d made him didn’t shut his mind down so he could rest. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, his thoughts constantly going back to those moments with both Alpha and Nick.

Could they really want him like Angel said they might? Did he dare to hope?

*****

Verse Masterlist / Main Masterlist

[lovvecherrymotion]

everyone has been posting about their 2023 and how much jere and joker out have impacted their lives and i guess it's my turn now

this is pretty long and all over the place but... i have a lot to say, i guess

i'm a big eurovision fan but not to the point of watching all the national finals or preparties or anything. i'm pretty invested in it during may but prior to this year i haven't really gotten invested in any artists (at least not to this extent)

anyway, this year, for some reason, i ended up watching cha cha cha the day after the umk final and i was in love. i didn't even need to listen to any other songs - i knew right away käärijä was my 2023 winner. i decided to check other songs that were already out and... guess what other song i liked right away? yeah, carpe diem

and then the universe decided it'd be lovely if bojan and jere met and it fundamentally changed the trajectory of my year. their friendship made me so happy at a time of my life i was struggling so much in terms of mental health - and with their friendship, their music, their interviews, and the rest of the kä crew and joker out

i started lurking around tumblr again. i didn't feel comfortable enough to participate in fandom, but i did love seeing all the content and all the discussions everyone was having. i hadn't felt this excited joining a new fandom in... years, literally. and despite all the shitty moments i've had in 2023, both jere and joker out have helped me a lot and i've felt so happy thanks to them

when i got the ticket for the tavastia show, i spoke to non fandom friends, expecting them to tell me it was a silly idea to fly to the other side of europe just to see joker out (and potentially experience the next bojere reunion), but they all said the same - we haven't seen you this happy about anything in a long time. you should go. and it was one of the best concert experiences of my life

then i also booked an entire trip to dublin to see jere AND I GOT TO MEET HIM? and now i'm getting my first tattoo ever? and, sure, i also got covid for the first time in my life, but it was yet another AMAZING concert experience and one i'll never forget, both thanks to jere and everyone else i met in line. dublin will forever be in my heart. it's one of those experiences that seemed straight out of a fanfic and i can't believe it all happened to me

and finally, it was time to see joker out in madrid, which was a little bit of a birthday gift to myself. i was awake for 30 hours straight and i don't even know how i survived, but it was PHENOMENAL. i truly loved every second of it

after dublin, i made the decision to start being a bit more active around here and got to meet some more lovely people and... while i still feel a bit weird, because i'm not exactly the best at interacting with others and i often feel like i'm the kid who transferred schools mid school year and is still trying to figure out exactly how to fit in, i do love how wonderful this community is. our silly joint fandom has brought me so much joy and i can't wait to see how it'll be in 2024

i'm not exactly ending this year feeling great, in terms of mental health, and i've been feeling quite down about certain things both jere and joker out had helped me feel a bit better about - body image and my own writing being the two main ones - but i seriously believe the positive impact they've had on me will influence how i deal with this during 2024 and i do hope to get to a better place

i wish you all the very best and thank you for being a part of my wonderful fandom experience and making my days a little brighter 💖 and i guess this is a good moment to say that my messages/inbox are always open and i'm always more than happy to make new fandom friends! also, if any of you are going to milan, just let me know (and, yes, i'm still deciding on some more joker out dates for next year because i can't resist spending money on them, it seems 💀)

[pastelprince18]

Thinking of Rayman and Rabbid Mario now grgrgr,,,I brought this up in a VC..I think but I will bring it up again here to share before I head to bed. This does contain some spoilers for the DLC a bit, if you have yet not played or not want spoilers try to skip this post <:3 OKAY SO.... In the very end of the game, Rayman explains that he will be staying to help the rabbids with the space opera network ratings [which is super sweet he wants to give rabbids a chance and help them out with their shows]. There is a way for both Rayman, R.Mario R.Peach and Beep-o to visit each other or even go to other places with the portal. {Basically a way for Ray to go home or probably even visits Mario and his friends if he wants!}

I really enjoy the fact R.Mario likes to be around Rayman ever since they shook hands, he even gave him a hug not wanting to go yet! cause of this the two always have a hang day at the studio or walk around the mushroom kingdom showing Rayman the place as talk about their homes, what its like being a hero for different situations they're both in and other things they joke about. The more they spend time with one another the more the two feel a bit odd around one another that they couldn't put a finger on it, mostly rayman. R.Mario seem to begin to grow a even more stronger feeling towards Ray, which cause him to semi panic worried that this was a bad feelings {he's proud of being pan but didn't wanna lose rayman friendship}. However it was the say for Rayman! He was confused, nervous and wasn't sure how to feel about dating a rabbid since he never liked them till knowing the hero's and other friendly rabbids along the way. With sleepless nights thinking about one another, or just the two can't help but swoon seeing one another, both were just terrified to confessed worried the other will hate them and cut ties. This needed to end, at least for R.Mario, he needed to confess to him just to get over it or else it'll eat him alive, so he arrange a talk between the two later that night at a spot they two usually hang at the Mushroom Kingdom [Which is a pretty spot seeing the castle + Toad Town] R.Mario had sound very serious about it, causing Ray to be even more of a fumble mess thinking maybe he knew about the situation and this will be over for the two and they would no longer be friends. With night arriving the two meeting at the spot, they talk for a while, asking how they been, if their okay and seeing how beautiful the night was. Soon they speak more of a deeper convo about one another, how Ray felt scared meeting the rabbids due to trauma he has with them and what they did to him and his home, he still feels that way with some rabbids but not all. Meeting the group was the best thing ever, even being around him made him feel all happy and safe. He never thought he could enjoy a species he had hated before and now grow feelings for one. R.Mario never knew this before and just hugged him telling him that he didn't deserve to feel that way and he will always keep him safe. As he tells him as much he loves being a rabbid and merging to who he is today, he sometimes feels he can do better, how he wishes he can be like THE Mario, he wants to feel special and protect everyone he loves, to protect his home, worried he won't be a hero or can't do that duty. Course Rayman comforts him the same way, telling him he's doing such a great job and appreciate he does everything he can for his home and just keep rayman safe! It made the two just feel warm inside grow, now the real moment happens, Rabbid Mario confesses to him if Ray liked anyone, to which he replied "yes". Rayman ask the same question, to which he too got a "yes". Both looked at one another not wanting to break eye contact, as their faces turn red and giggled, realizing they both liked each other as all the anxiety and stress went away <3 Finally happy their dating. However wanted to keep it low tho till they were ready to come out. [Mostly Rayman friends and Family is what makes him more anxious since he isn't sure how they'll act]. But for now things are slow as their love grows bigger and bigger by the day <:3

[forabeatofadrum]

Hmm.. I'm always so happy when I win, but then I realise I never know what to prompt lol

I'm gonna do the same for you as I did for @rockitmans and pick three small prompts from @caramelcoffeeaddict's Klaine prompt gdoc for you to choose your favourite from ;)

You’re always seated in my section of the diner and one day you look really sad so I brought you a free dessert to cheer you up

You’re the doctor explaining my surgery to me and I have no clue what you’re saying because I’m too mesmerized by how attractive you are

Someone stole my lunch out of the fridge in the teacher’s lounge, so you offer to share yours with me.

Just half an hour ago, I told myself I'd finish this fic and then I was struck by inspiration, so here we are!

I love all these prompts, but I am besotted with no. 1 so here we go. Gwen, I am blanking on a title though, so please, help me out, so that I can post it together with the two other fics and then it'll be my 69th work in the Glee fandom on AO3 (nice). I mean, I can post them separately, but do it for the 69!

***

Kurt doesn't love working at the Spotlight Diner. It's a survival job for him, Santana and Rachel. Luckily, there's always some good things to be found. He likes that he gets to sing and people genuinely seem to enjoy it. And he also has some loyal customers that always sit in his section. His favourites are two elderly women who tip heavily, and Eyebrows.

Eyebrows is an attractive guy who dresses neatly and he has a warm smile. He's always incredibly kind towards Kurt and his colleagues and yes, okay, Kurt might have a small crush on him. But Kurt needs to be professional. That's why he's never asked for Eyebrows's name. Santana came up with Eyebrows as a placeholder, to Kurt's dismay. She named him after his triangle shaped eyebrows.

Kurt has another shift, but to his surprise, Eyebrows shows up. He usually never shows up on Monday evenings. Something else is off.

“Eyebrows looks sad.”

“Do not call him Eyebrows, Santana!” Kurt hisses, but his friend is right, because Eyebrows looks like he’s been crying.

Santana covertly nods towards Eyebrows.

“Talk to him.”

Kurt hesitates. Eyebrows looks like he doesn’t want to be bothered. Kurt tells Santana that, but she rolls her eyes.

“He’s gone to a public diner and you’re his waiter,” she points out. She has a point. Kurt does have to serve him.

Then he has a small idea. Kurt rushes to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Kurt walks towards Eyebrows, holding a small sundae. It’s not much, but it’s all he could get. Gunther definitely doesn’t approve of giving freebies, even to loyal customers.

“Here,” Kurt puts the sundae on the table.

Eyebrows was hiding his head in his hands, so he is startled. He looks up to see Kurt. Eyebrow’s eyes are gorgeous, even when they’re filled with tears, which is kind of a weird thing to think. But Eyebrows is gorgeous!

“You probably need it,” Kurt shoves the sundae closer to Eyebrows. He gives him a comforting smile.

Eyebrows’s looking at Kurt as if he was sent from the heavens above.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asks. It's definitely a rhetorical question. Eyebrows look far from okay.

So Kurt isn't surprised when Eyebrows shakes his head.

"Do you, uh, want to order or do you want to talk?" Kurt asks. Gunther would scold Kurt for taking more time, but Eyebrows might need him and Kurt doesn't mind talking to him.

"I... got fired from my dream job."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Eyebrows looks like he's about to burst into a fresh round of tears, but he does pick up the spoon. Kurt sees that as a win. While Eyebrows shoves ice cream into his mouth, he tells Kurt about what happened. Kurt listens attentively and makes affirming noises every now and then. It does sound terrible. Eyebrows was on Broadway. He was going to write music for a show, but due to "creative differences", he was let go. Kurt also dreams of going to Broadway, so he's crushed on Eyebrow's behalf.

By the time the sundae is gone, the story is over. Eyebrows looks calmer.

"Sorry for unloading that all on you."

"It's fine, I get it."

"You do?"

Kurt then tells Eyebrows about his Broadway dreams. Unlike Eyebrows, he never realised them (although Eyebrow's dreams aren't coming true either now), but he understands the wish to make it on in the Broadway scene. He went to NYADA, for Christ's sake, and he's still a waiter with a lot of student debt.

"So, truly. I don't mind."

Eyebrows laughs awkwardly.

"Thanks. I needed it. The venting and the sundae. How much do I pay for it?"

"It's on the house," Kurt quickly reassures him.

Eyebrows is radiating gratitude.

"The usual?" Kurt then asks.

"Yes, please."

--

The next day, Eyebrows appears again. He looks happy. Kurt tells him that when he greets him.

"I am!" Eyebrows sounds exhuberant, "I got my job back."

"Really?"

"Yes! Some other people in the creative team disagreed and they fought the decision and apparently the person who fired me didn't even discuss it with the others. Now his position is being questioned! My role might change a little bit, but I am back on board."

"Eyebrows, that's amazing!" Kurt says and in his excitement, he doesn't realise he called Eyebrows Eyebrows.

"... Eyebrows?"

Kurt, embarrassed, explains the context. Luckily, Eyebrows laughs and he seems to enjoy it.

"I am flattered, but my name is Blaine."

"Kurt," Kurt says back.

"I know."

Right, Kurt has a name tag.

"I don't mind being called Eyebrows, but in case you need a reminder," Eyebrows - Blaine - opens his pocket and he takes out a wallet. He hands Kurt a business card.

Blaine has a business card, which is professional, but Kurt doesn't know why Blaine's handing it to him. Yes, Kurt told Blaine he has a Broadway dream, but Blaine isn't influential enough to help him get a job.

"... Thanks?"

"My name is on there. And my number as well."

Oh.

"Oh."

Blaine's eyes light up.

"Well it is very important information for me to remember," Kurt says coyly, "The name is important as well."

Their moment is cut short when Gunther tells Kurt to hurry up. Kurt tries not to roll his eyes and Blaine also looks saddened by the interruption.

"The usual?"

"Always, but add a sundae to it," Blaine says with a wink.

Kurt does his job. He doesn't have a lot of time to stop at Blaine's table, but he doesn't mind. Kurt has the feeling he'll talk to Blaine more often, even outside of work.

[gren-arlio]

Puyo Fans are in a drought. I'm here to give a bottle of water to them all. Or at least, I plan to.

All jokes aside, hello there. First time poster here, but I want to explain myself for that header. Currently, as a mere Puyo fan myself, we're going through a real bad drought, like we're rhinos who haven't seen rain in a decade. Besides alts from Quest, we really don't get much things nowadays when it comes to stuff, and a majority of the Madou Monogatari games are sadly not translated, besides Madou Saturn and maybe 2 other games I'm forgetting. Even the Puyo Nexus is running a little dry with that sort of stuff.

So why don't we change that?

I have a very specific game in mind: Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon. From my findings from both online and on this site, there doesn't seem to be a translation for the entire game. For small sections? Yeah, I've seen them, and I'm happy they're there, but we can do more than sections. How about...a majority of the main story?

...At least for Schezo's route.

For those unaware, the game has 3 stories, the protagonist varying, but it's the ARS Trio from COMPILE, Arle, Rulue, and Schezo.

AKA: These Guys.

And I plan to translate a good amount of Schezo's story for the time being. This is mostly for the main story, as mentioned before, and some stuff mentioned in the in-game Bulletin Board. If you wish to try to do the other two, by all means, go ahead, the more the merrier. I've done some bits already before even making this post, and some parts range from Schezo calling Rulue a bitch to him giving Serilly therapy (Trust me, it makes sense.) It's a chaotic ride and I'm all for it.

So how will I do this, you may ask.

Unfortunately, I have a severe case of I'm Broke As Hell and cannot afford a SEGA Saturn, let alone the game itself. Thankfully, I do have what other people gave back then, especially on more niche YouTube Videos, Niconico, list goes on. If someone has the game and is willing to help just a bit, please let me know! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is one of the videos in question. It's the opening to Schezo's story, probably the best story out of the main ARS Trio. It shows off a bit of the gameplay as well as bits of story. As of posting this, I'm only about halfway through the video itself (When you fight Skeleton-T) and trust me, doing this takes a lot of time.

I also just want to mention that Schezo swears. A lot, actually, no one is truly safe from his way of words. On one hand, if we want to stick to the kid friendly Puyo stuff we're mostly used to, I could edit them out...But on the other, he does so often that I just want to keep them to show how funny he is with this stuff.

A few more things before I conclude:

I do NOT speak fluent Japanese, at most I can do a few phrases. This is mostly being done with stuff like translators, context clues, and some help from friends.

Translating takes time. A lot of it. Please do not expect me to do full videos within a day or two. These can take as long as a few weeks, or about as short as three or so days. Also, I have school, so there's that. However, if you wish me to translate a few bits of lines to see what they mean, that's fine!

Some of the translations might not be correct, and if they don't seem correct, or flat out aren't, let me know! I won't take any offense to it and it'll help out a lot!

Credit is something that might get brought up. If someone uses this to make let's say...a English Patch, then yeah, I'd like to be noted for that. Otherwise, it's for everyone.

If you wish to do your own translation, or do another storyline, by all means, go ahead! I'd love to see what others see, and it'll make the workload a lot better for everyone.

With that, that'll be all. Thanks for reading!

[twotommyolivers]

This is me (lady)bugging you

So, as a direct response to this post (and less directly in response to bits of fandom I've seen that take the fun out of children's television, I will make a public confession: Miraculous Ladybug has captured my imagination so fully that I have created a Bad-On-Purpose Overpowered Self-Insert OC whose role in the story has evolved over time but basically serves as the kind of character I would write if I were still in high school.

(Note to actual high schoolers: yes, your writing isn't good, but in the same way a toddler's ability to walk isn't good. It'll get better as you learn more and more about how to write)

Because his adventures are much more fleshed out (and my other fun scenarios are a bit too citrusy for main) here are some of his highlights. Be warned that this is long, is not great on accuracy (it took enough time to write all this down, I'm not fact-checking) contains spoilers, and comes with a minor content warning for self-harm.

(Note that this character has evolved over the past couple seasons because one of the secrets of storytelling is you don't have to know everything at the beginning.)

He has no name, but that's because I am normally crap with names or titles except for the rare times my third eye is open and I see all nomenclature forever. Also, the names that I would use for a self-insert are either taken or dull

He's an American, but from Washington, DC to keep things interesting. His dad is a diplomat working for the US Embassy in Paris, which is his excuse to mix it up with the upper-class as well some extra deus ex machina shenanigans. Whether his parents ever show up in the story is currently unknown but not terribly necessary.

His origin story (revealed during Season 4):

He was on the bus when Socqueline was warning Marinette about Kim before their Spider Date. He spontaneously got off the bus when Socqueline did and offered to help. As an American, his speech is clunky in non-English dubs. He gets to the pool but Kim has already released the spiders so all he gets to see is the aftermath and the two girls on the upper floor recording it.

Immediately after the meeting Socqueline is kicked out of CFD, my OC has a pre-orientation meeting with Principal Damocles (yes, he's a mysterious transfer student). He sees Socqueline on her way out and makes a promise to help protect Marinette.

Sabrina and Chloe had yet to clear out from the principal's office so when they see the kid from the pool rock up, Chloe tries to get him kicked out, too. They're about to get away with it when my avatar pulls out a pocket voice recorder that's been on the whole time and then explains fluently that it would be a shame for the press to learn how the Mayor is so mad with power that he would blatantly ignore the diplomatic immunity of a child who just wanted to go to school. Suffice to say, he doesn't get kicked out.

When the Spider Date gets brought up in the present day and Kim sings the praises of Chloe, my OC (who has been sent as a secret chaperone by the friend group) turns to Ondine with the deadest stare of all time and asks "this your man?"

For most of seasons 1 and 2 he's just another member of the cast. He hangs around the main friends group but also is a big supporter of Juleka. During the episode in S4 where everyone is overly patronizing to Rose, his part is being an intentionally overt wingman for Juleka to try and make both of them smile. He's super hype when Juleka becomes Purple Tigress and during the incident with the career surveys, he tries with Rose to talk Juleka down before becoming Reflekta.

He has no demonstrable romantic interest in Marinette (he knows better) but maybe he gets akumatized because he's lamenting about how everyone else is getting paired off but not him. Maybe a bad blind date with Alix or something sets him off. A coupling with Zoe is briefly hinted at later, but nope, they're just friends who are both ex-pat Americans who hate Chloe.

At some point in season 2, he gets ownership of the Wolf Miraculous from the western canon for reasons. The main gimmick is that he has scent tracking while transformed. Dunno about anything else because I'm garbage with action scenes and fight styles. I assume the kiwami's name is Howll or something.

His civilian power having multiple brain cells at all times, either inherent or because of his dad. He's not down with most of The Gang's more ludicrous attempts to make the perfect Adrienette moment happen. He doesn't have an Alliance ring because (per his dad) a government employee shouldn't have yet another listening device and his phone already does what the ring would do. He also is the only one who intentionally changes his voice if he's trying to hide his identity.

Further evidence of not having Int or Wis as a dump stat:

In the S2 finale, he uses the akumatization from Scarlet Moth to try and fight off the other akumatized heroes as a diversionary tactic but that doesn't last long.

He's not as smitten with Lila as everyone else but he tends to give her leeway. This changes when she gets Marinette kicked out of school. Going forward he starts to more openly challenge her stories. His initial interactions with Felix are the same level of maliciously compliant politeness you see when Spider-Man interacts with J Jonah Jameson.

He finds it quite odd during Wishmaker that Viperion was able to immediately sus out what the Lucky Charm was for.

During episode 100, he freaks out when Viperion doesn't push the button. He also subtly tries (and fails) to keep Adrien's post-reveal ego in check ("nice ring you have there...")

At the premiere of the Ladybug film, he adds to Thomas's series of harassments by asking a series of obnoxious fan questions (he also thinks Adrien did a oddly fantastic job as Cat Noir).

During Furious Fu instead of Cat Noir flailing away against a Chinese martial arts master, it's my OC absorbing every attack he can before his opponent realizes that he's stalling and our heroes ran away.

During the NY special he help Ladybug and Cat Noir escape conflict with not-Superman and not-Batman after Uncanny Valley was revived, because even though he says he's willing to fight for his friends, the notion of actually fighting the World's Finest scares him to tears, earning enough sympathy to de-escalate the situation safely. In lighter news, he pokes fun at Jess and Aeon because they too Ship It. He also comments that he didn't trust New York hot dogs before and he certainly doesn't trust them now.

In later seasons if he's in a scene while someone is getting akumatized and they cut to a group shot of civilians, he's usually in the background trying to exit or has already left.

During Season 4 he has an arc with Alya:

He is the one that triggers the Gang of Secrets. While Marinette is moping about Adrien and Luka, my OC strong arms her into taking a walk and just conversing about stuff and how her friends love her. This upsets the Gang who thinks this is a secret date which goes against their wishes of hooking her up with Adrien again.

At some point after Sentibubbler he (as his Miraculous form) does a welfare check on her but openly questions whether she has the Fox Miraculous. Alya dodges, but something doesn't smell right.

During Glaciator 2 (in which he almost throws hands with Cat Noir after almost getting Marinette akumatized; my OC apologizes later) he fights as a civ alongside Alya with slightly better results.

My OC helps to talk Cat Noir into working with Scarabella because he thinks she's a friendly but secretly because she smells like Rena Rouge.

During Rocketear, my OC draws tremendous amounts of aggro during the fight with akumatized Nino by making fun of his Nice Guy/Incel based powers and what a knobhead he's being. A postscript conversation with Alya has my OC saying how cool and awesome she is and even though he's just a friend she deserves to hear that.

During Strikeback, he's the one to collect Rena Furtive's Miraculous. During the act he gives her her proverbial flowers and also mentions he figured out all of her identities a while ago

And then there's the S4 finale/Season 5:

During Risk, it's revealed that he's been tracking akuma activity and whatnot through the Ladyblog and various security footages. This is how he learned of Alya's identity and has also concluded that because of all of her interactions in S4 plus how the Ladyblog has changed to no longer worry about Ladybug's identity, Alya knows who Ladybug is. He assumes this and other factors lead to him assuming Ladybug is Marinette. His Risk is that he keeps giving less and less subtle one-liners implying that he knows who people are. He also is pro-Marinette when it comes to Adrien leaving with Lila.

Because he has the Fox Miraculous, my OC joins up with Ladybug at the Agreste Manor when Shit Goes Down. he nearly puts Adrien through a wall.

Somehow by the end of episode 2 my OC no longer has the Wolf Miraculous thanks to some very nice people who may or may not have automatic weaponry.

Because he's studied the tapes, my OC looks incredibly nervous all throughout the episode where Luka is put on a bus.

Because the author is a nerd, when Nino tries to play guitar badly, my OC makes a reference to the is-nino-actually-luka tumblr (the answer is no).

The Kagami Arc:

When Kagami leaves after being weird on the boat, my OC and Adrien split up to find her. My OC finds her on the bridge and starts to panic. After she's akumatized he's the one that runs off to LB & CN and tells them to nonviolently engage to her. After everything's wrapped up, he's super happy she's okay even though they hadn't really interacted up until that point. It turns out that before spiders and miraculouses and everything else, my OC was feeling depressed, alone, and isolated in a foreign country. He had gone to the same bridge one night overlooking the Seine but instead of being akumatized, he was thinking of doing something much worse. However, as he was about to do it he broke down and instead sat against the bridge crying until Officer Roger found him and escorted him home. My OC's investment in Kagami's well-being was because he went through similar things and didn't want anyone to go through that ever again…

And then she becomes Riposte Prime. My OC joins the confrontation slightly miffed and talking loudly in Japanese (up to this point he's the only one that's stressed the "Ka" in "Kagami" instead of "ga") to try and draw her attention. During the confrontation my OC mentions how people care about her and how he shared a very initimate part of himself with her, to which Riposte Prime says that his was a lie to manipulate her. This "activates" my OC, as the kids say. He does the "catching a sword with both hands" trick and near single-handedly stops her rampage. He also deliberately starts calling her "Tsurugi-san" instead of "Kagami" because if she believed him nearly jumping off a bridge was a lie and believed it enough to say it even in anger, then he can no longer consider her a friend.

My OC is at the masked ball that Marinette sneaks into. After freaking out because Marinette is there (and laughing at Chloe's ignorance) he Nopes Out the instant Argos reveals himself. He tries to be stealthy and follow the action, but is eventually caught out. Luckily, he talks he way out of being snapped (what happens if he wants to go to America?) but is then tasked with talking down Tsurugi-san. When it's revealed that Marinette got snapped my OC goes Deer In Headlights because that further confirms Ladybug's identity to him.

When Argos "liberates" Kagami from her car, my OC decides to join up with one of the Tomoe clones since the enemy of his enemy is his friend and there is no love lost for Felix. During the confrontation in the catacombs, my OC comes off looking bad to Kagami but he flat out has the same amount of vitriol as Ladybug did.

The Chloe and Lila arc:

In spite of Riposte Prime causing my OC to no longer be casual with Tsurugi-san, he still volunteers to take her back to Lila (he also tells her during the episode that Lila may not have her best intentions at heart). He also takes the opportunity to call Lila out to her face and warns her to squash any beef she may have with Marinette. They don't have to be friends, but they should be able to coexist in the same space without drama. My OC also points out how Lila wasn't at PSG to help Kagami but to quote him: "I'm sure you had a reason."

When Monarch conspires against Scarabella and Kitty Noire, my OC is the one to put the final nail in Chloe's coffin. After Chloe threatens she'll crush Zoe & the rest, he mentions she has no power after the Bee Miraculous was taken away and spent the intervening time being worse instead of getting better. Sole Destroyer tracks my OC into the locker room where after some banter, it's revealed that he was duping her and gets her with a steel chair after a lovely one-liner. This is how The Resistance was able to tie her up in the first place.

When Lila and Chloe try to kick Marinette out of school again, my OC immediately remembers how there was an invisible villain before and that Sabrina is conspicuously absent from the event site. He also catches Chloe and Lila in 4K and wishes "Spider Girl" a happy anniversary.

During the class rep re-election, my OC volunteers to run against Lila instead of Marinette. His decision to run was to ensure that the election was not about the two girls' relationship but to figure out who would best represent the class. He taps Adrien as his 2nd because of his connections but secretly to tweak the opposition. When a brainwashed Alya heads to Marinette's house, she and my OC have a quick fight. She knocks him out, but she is spirited away by Ladybug by the time he comes to.

During the incident with the career surveys (his fake one said he wanted to return to America and not come back, which he couldn't be mad at), Lila objects to lengths Marinette went to discredit her. My OC agrees with Lila, but his solution was instead to have everyone's reports notarized and duplicated. He and Marinette were witnesses along with Ivan because he didn't wear a ring and is too introverted to speak out. After presenting the true reports, he says that he wanted Lila to bury the beef with Marinette but she couldn't, and that was the one truth she couldn't cover up.

Chloe is able to get him kicked out of school at the same time as Ms. Bustier. He laughs and congratulates her for a job well done and she has no idea what she's done. As he exits he begins a series of cryptic phone conversations with a mysterious third party. Gabriel's plan to set the Mayor up happens to coincide with my OC's plan which was again, to go to the press about his overbearing control over the school system and blatant regard for international relations.

When Mayor Chloe tries to come for my OC initially, it's a scene reminiscent of her stalking him as Sole Destroyer. As part of the banter he suggests Juleka help with Chloe's vocabulary. Once Chloe corners my OC and tries to capture him, it's revealed she's been hunting a hologram and that the real him is somewhere safe. He also concedes that "democracy" may indeed be hard, especially since Chloe will have to get used to a different, much simpler word. One with three letters.

As LB and CN are about to de-transform, a smoke bomb is fired at the dais and someone yells out to rush the stage. As a postscript, my OC explaining on the phone he has a function to get to and doesn't know anything about a missing crowd suppression gun.

The S5 finale:

Due to a paired assignment my OC has to go to the Agreste mansion to get some stuff from Adrien. While waiting, Gabriel tries to insinuate that my OC should try and date Marinette. My OC immediately sees through this which results in Gabriel giving a version of The Crepe Speech. My OC's rebuke is that because he's the son of a diplomat he has to be a student of history, like his father. One constant thing throughout history is that the people with Vision eventually disappear and the visions they have change. Similarly, Gabriel will one day die and his power over Adrien will disappear. Both parties agree Adrien will e-mail his part of the assignment instead.

My OC's phone suddenly becomes able to detect midichlorians (shut up) so he knows Felix shows up to the school dance after Chloe is deposed. When he suspects he's trying to dupe Marinette, he decides to go with her just to make sure she's okay. They make it to the school together, but he gets separated by Tsurugi-san. My OC is supremely angry with the deception but she warns him not to talk during the performance and disappears, locking him in. As a postscript, he's walking home talking on the phone. The door to the room he was in shows a broken lock. It's implied that he saw the entire performance.

The entire class wakes up, all restrained in a government facility. My OC walks in, accompanied by Uncanny Valley. After the Strikeback incident, the US government can no longer rely on the heroes of Paris to deal with Monarch and has been using my OC as a double agent. He reveals that US knows that everyone in the room has held a Miraculous at some point. (Luka is being held over in Los Angeles.) Also, there is a clear conspiracy between the Agrestes, the Tsurugis and Monarch, and Adrien is a person of interest due to his one-way trip to London. My OC confronts Marinette and demands she help because otherwise the American military will step in and it won't be good. He asks as her friend, but she refuses so he has both she and Adrien detained. Socqueline chides him for this, but my OC questions why she's here and also wonders why his movements are so sluggish. He then wakes up realizing that this was a Nightmare, but it's one that he can control.

Mylene is stopped from putting on an Alliance ring by my OC who says in a threatening manner that he was looking for her. He had anxiety due to lack of sleep and wondering if she had any holistic solutions to keep calm, like tea or meditation. He's also holding Mylene's wrist extremely tight.

After everyone realizes the ring stuff is all a trick, Alya notices Plagg but is reluctant to take the cat Miraculous. My OC volunteers instead and is surprised when Alya reacts to this with shock. He does have a plan for Alya though and will give the signal when it's time but for the time being, my OC gleefully asks Plagg to transform him.

My OC becomes Tuxedo Cat. It's exactly the pastiche you think it is. When he gets to the Agreste mansion, he's able to divert the attention of Monarch and his goons. He has his stick and knows how to use it, but he also has multiple extra weapons thanks to the parts of the Nightmare that were true. He uses a microwave gun that shoots an automatic shutoff code to some of the Miraculized ring holders in order to neutralize them. TC also spends a lot of the time dragging Monarch, using the context that he's Gabriel Agreste and he's likely doing this because of his "family." He also declares him under arrest on behalf of the United States government His barbs cut sharp and deep and it becomes Captain Marvel vs Thanos levels of ownage, but the numbers eventually overwhelm TC and he's forced to retreat and relinquish the Miraculous.

And that's the story so far. Thanks for reading, sorry for the length. (This is why I don't write, I wouldn't have time for anything else lol)

[tahanann]

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮

❝ To whoever finds these letters, I hope they reach you well ❞ ✎▫✧⭒....

Fandom: Hetalia Relationship: F/M Pairing: Alfred F. Jones (America) / (Female) Reader Chapter list: 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Also posted on: AO3, Wattpad, Quotev

Chapter 10: " They don't understand. "✎▫✧⭒…

Sun rays peeked through the young woman's blinds as she lay dormant in bed. Beside her was her phone which played music from her favorite playlist. The room was mostly quiet, aside from the songs that came and left every few minutes. (Y/n) continued to stare at her blank ceiling with her mind churning and grinding its gears. There were many thoughts running through her head. A part of her wanted to get up, but her body refused to move at all. 

It was like something was keeping her there. Her blanket held her down in a warm embrace, but she wanted to get up.

It might have been more than just her blanket holding her down today. 

The thought of opening another letter from Jones made her want to stay in bed longer. Opening a new letter signified the start of the day. She could skip opening a letter today to help herself, but she remembers doing that before.

It happened a few days ago before she hung out with her mother. Strong feelings wouldn't rise up until halfway through the day. Guilt ate her up that day, all because she never opened a letter from Jones that day.

She felt guilty because her mind thought that she was abandoning Jones. She had already told herself that she would be there for Jones, and yet she didn't even say good morning to him that day. 

The woman wasn't aware of how bad her attachment is. She had an idea but didn't think it was severe to the point where she felt tied to him. The letters seemed more like a burden to her rather than light reading. 

But did she want to move on from Jones? No. Not when she felt as if she had some duty to uphold to the soldier.

who is most likely already dead. 

She lingered in her spot longer, until she heard her phone buzz. Her head turned to look at the phone before she moved slowly moved her arm. She answered the call that came through and brought it closer to her mouth. 

"Good morning." Her voice was hoarse. 

"Vee~ Buongiorno, (Y/n)!" Felicia replied over the phone. "You sound very sleepy? Did you just wake up?" Hearing her friend's voice brought a smile to the young woman's face. Finally, some movement happened. 

"I just woke up recently," the woman lied, "I should have woken up earlier than this. Are you coming by right now? I can get out of bed." She would try, anyway. 

"No no! I was just calling to let you know when I'll be coming by! It might just be me today. Claire said she doesn't want to go out of the house today since she has a lot of work at home to do and Sorella is busy at work so it'll be just the two of us! Sorry to change our plans!"

"It's okay. I don't mind hanging out with you alone Felicia. Besides, we'll have more time for ourselves, you know?"

(Y/n) could hear the Italian woman squeak through the speaker. A small laugh leaves her lips as she turned her body over. More movement meant good news for (Y/n). She listened to Felicia talk about the plans for today, even if she's already heard these before. With these distractions at play, (Y/n) no longer thought about Jones.

She no longer felt paralyzed. 

"I'll see you later, okay?" Her voice was growing louder, although still a bit hoarse. Felicia bid a small goodbye to her friend. (Y/n) put her phone down back on her bed while her music continued to play. Her (e/c) eyes stare up at the ceiling again. She hums as her thoughts continued to roam around in her mind. Each one fought for her attention, but she didn't seem to focus on them right now. 

The young woman moved her fingers a little to show see if she was moving or not. When little wiggles turned to wrist flicks, she escalated to move the lower part of her body. (Y/n) propped herself up, her blanket running down her chest. She moved it aside. She slipped in her slippers before walking to her closet to gather clothes. She wanted a cute outfit that fit the season. 

Spring, although it was turning to Summer soon.

She continued to the bathroom, where she took a long warm shower. She lost the habit of staying in the shower for a short while. She liked having long, warm showers since it felt like her blanket warming itself around her. It was a comforting feeling, especially since she hadn't been feeling like herself recently. Her water bill could suffer for all she cared. 

She needed comfort and that warm embrace. 

(Y/n) turned off the water and stepped outside. She gently pats a towel around her before getting dressed. She moved to the mirror to get her face ready. A natural look would look good today. Humming softly, she entered her bedroom again. She subconsciously approached her bed.

The box was underneath the bed at the exact spot she stood. 

Her smiling lips faltered to a frown. Her mind started to turn its attention to Jones again and she found it hard to move. She couldn't do anything. Her stomach gnawed at her, biting and twisting and turning until she gave it attention. 

She decided to pull out the wooden box and look at the bundle of letters. 

There weren't as many as the rest have been opened. The end of these letters was coming close. How many more months of letter opening should she go through now? Three? Three more? She wasn't sure. It was already May. 

Would there be a change in his pattern of letters? She wished that there was. She wished that whoever was writing these letters, be it Jones or someone masquerading as a World War 2 soldier, reveal that it was all a prank or that it'll end out well. She wouldn't know what's worse though.

Falling in love with someone's character that wasn't even real in the first place, or someone that had been alive in the past and is now dead. 

The latter? No, maybe the former. 

(Y/n) picked a letter from the small stack and sat on her bed. She gently ripped open the envelope and plucked out the paper. She hesitated to unfold it, expecting the worse to come from him. 

"Please be okay," (Y/n) whimpered. She doesn't know how long her mental health can keep eating up Jones' sorrow and making it her own. She was clearly already dwindling, but she wanted to stay strong for Jones. It was all for him after all. 

"What do you have for me today, Jones?" She pretended to be oblivious. 

She already knew the answer.

Her eyes scanned the paper in her hand. It didn't have the normal letter format, rather, it looked like a journal scrap that made its way to the envelope. It couldn't be from a journal though, since it was the same size as standard letter paper. 

A pitying smile made its way to (Y/n)'s face as she stared at the words. It looks rushed, with words some illegible. Some of the words were crossed out and replaced. There were tear stains on the paper again. 

He's rambling.

I was having a good day today, for once, but then all of a sudden Alex puts me in a room with Charles. We sit around for a few minutes and then, all of a sudden, Charles starts talking. Charles says that he shouldn't be in the same room as someone useless and incompetent. I know damn well he was referring to me because of that look he gave me. I know my glasses are broken and I can barely see without them, but I know that look of disdain.  I don't even know what I did to provoke that sort of response?! I was just sitting there! I didn't even look at him! I know he hates me. I know he blames me for everything. I know he blames me for James' death. I know he blames me for us being here. He doesn't say it outright but I know damn well that it's what he's feeling. But come on, I didn't even look at him and he still chooses to put me down. I didn't want to say anything to him. I already know the truth. I already know all the things he hates me for. I hate myself for those things too, I don't need him telling me what he hates about me. I already tell myself the same shit, it wouldn't be any different.  The conflict would have been avoided if I just left the room, I know, but I didn't want to leave. I was doing it for Alex. It looked like he had good intentions, although, I'm not sure if it was like that. He wants me to reconcile with Charles so we could work together again. Alex said so himself, since I didn't say anything to defend myself. It made Charles angrier though.  I wanted to continue the silence, but then, he said something so fucked up. I don't have pride in myself anymore, but I have pride in my relationship. Charles can talk shit about me all he wants but as soon as he talked shit about my girl, everything just seemed like a bottle blowing up. He has no right sullying my girlfriend's name, especially when the bastard has one of his own.  I remember his words vividly. "You're still thinking about that broad of yours huh? You're always prioritizing her over what's going on over here but does she do the same? No. No, she doesn't. What do you think she's doing now that you're not back at home? She doesn't even send you letters back. For all we know she could be marrying someone else now!" It makes me want to scratch and tear my head. I want those words out of there but there's a stupid echo and I just don't know what to do anymore.  I don't want to think that she has someone in our bed. I don't want to think that there's another guy in her life. I'm doing so much for her. I don't want to think about that.  No. NO. He doesn't understand. He can't understand. How could he? He was never there to see it happen. He was never there to see her. He says I'm selfish for prioritizing her over everyone else. Well of course I would! She's my everything. She's all I have. She's all I'm clinging on to because I clearly can't tell anyone else what the hell is going on with me. He would understand if he cared more about his damn girlfriend. I hate him. I hate him for it. I hate him.  He doesn't understand. He says I'm crazy over a relationship. I don't give a shit about him anymore. He can go to fucking hell for what he says.

(Y/n) stared at the letter in her hands. She thought about how a journal scrap could have made its way inside the envelope. Maybe he had confused it for something else? Why would he treat this letter like a journal and proceed to send it back home? It was odd. She can't piece together Jones' thought process for this one. 

Maybe the soldier was thinking that if his beloved saw the letter, she would sympathize with him? Well, it was kinda working for her. A part of her sympathized with Jones, but it could just be her way of trying to make him feel better.

Still, she didn't want to think much into it. Her mind didn't want to work too much today, considering that she has to conserve her energy to keep up with Felicia today.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jones," is all she could say. She wished there were more words.

The woman pressed her lips against the paper and tucked it back into its envelope. She hid it away in her drawer and sighed. 

(Y/n) walked around her home and visited her backyard for some fresh air. She needed to pass time and she needed to distract herself. She can't think about the soldier she had to care for. She needs to think about herself.

If she had the capacity to do that anyway. 

The woman stood around in her backyard and stared at the lush trees around her. She learned something on the internet that helped with a busy mind. It said to have something else in her brain. It was best to distract herself from the topic she constantly thought about.

She tried thinking about anything else, but her mind drifted off into the faceless soldier. His pain managed to nestle itself in her chest. Her lips pursed into a frown. She sighed and closed her eyes.

She needed to calm down. 

For a moment, she tried being still. She erased everything in her mind, from thoughts about today's outing to thoughts about Jones. She worked tirelessly to push everything aside just to have a piece of clarity and peace.

Calm. 

Composed.

Happy.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. That must be Felicia.

(Y/n) sighed and pulled out her phone. She wore a smile as she entered her home again to grab her things. She could hear the cheerful Italian ramble in the speaker as she walked to the driveway. There Felicia was, sitting in her bright red sports car. 

"Ciao, Bella!" Felicia called over, "Come on! Get in here before I race out of here! They have a sale at the plaza today and I want my hands on the new Prada bags!"

The young woman rolled her (e/c) eyes and got inside the passenger seat. She buckled up and rested her back against the leather seats. She took in a deep breath as she looked around. Nothing much has changed, except for the new smell of flowers. The last time she had been in this car, it smelled like cherries.

At least the smell isn't strong.

"I haven't been in your car in ages, Feli. I forgot how comfortable these chairs are," (Y/n) mumbled. She pulled the lever to recline her seat just a bit.

"I changed the leather a few weeks ago so I don't know how it feels to other passengers. Sorella told me not to change them because they would be too tight or something like that. I don't know what's she's on most of the time!"

Felicia pulled out of (Y/n) driveway and drove off. 

The drive to the shopping center was quiet, aside from the radio. It played a variety of tunes, ranging from English, Italian, and Spanish. Felicia had offered (Y/n) the aux cord but the woman refused, saying that she was too embarrassed to put on her own music. 

They argued about it for a bit before Felicia let it go. She was happy regardless of whether (Y/n) played her music or not. 

Once the women pulled up at the parking lot, Felicia made sure to lock her car and made sure that everything inside was secure and out of place. The woman patted her short skirt and fixed the ruffles of her top. She put her sunglasses up, showing her bright brown eyes to (Y/n). 

The woman's (e/c) eyes stared at them and sent a small, tired smile. She felt her friend hook her arm on her own and dragged her outside of the parking lot. (Y/n) assumed that they were headed to the high-end fashion boutiques today, which are things that she couldn't really afford. The items inside were pretty but they were never really something she could get. 

The (h/c) haired woman followed the cheerful brunette's steps as they walked around the mall together. Every once in a while, Felicia would look down at her phone and eagerly type something. (Y/n) had to take the lead, which made them wander around. 

(Y/n) was almost confused as to why she was letting her lead, especially since she doesn't keep track of where the high-end fashion stores are at. The woman looked at her friend, who still stared at her phone. She saw the curious curl at the end of her hair bounce with every step.

"Hey," the (h/c) woman called out to her, "weren't you in a rush to get to the Prada store or something?" 

Felicia looked up from her phone. "Oh!" she squeaked, "Mi dispiace! I was! Sorella just kept texting me about Claire. Says I should get her something in the Prada store while we're there. I guess I ended up daydreaming about what to get her. Why are you asking?"

"Because I've been leading us around and I didn't want to ask where the store is," (Y/n) confessed. "We've been walking for like... 20 minutes anyway, so it's not really a big deal. How long is the sale gonna last?"

"For the entire day," Felicia answered. Their walking pace slowed for a moment. The brunette took in the information and (Y/n) watched as her lips twisted into a smile. 

"We can just visit the Prada store last! Or even all of the high-end stores last!" The Italian looked at her friend, "You're okay with that right? We can visit the stores you want to go to first while I think about what to get for Claire! And maybe for sorella too!"

"Are you sure? Isn't it first come first serve for stores like that?" (Y/n) frowned, "We can always just visit your stores first before we can explore the place, that way we could finish shopping for your things. We can just do window shopping afterward."

"Yeah but if we do mine first, we're going to be carrying a lot of bags."

"True." A sigh of defeat leaves the (h/c) haired woman's mouth. "We can do window shopping for now, but you have to tell me where to go afterward."

There was a bright look on the Italian's face. Looks like she was scheming something again, but (Y/n) doesn't know what. Frankly, she doesn't want to know what her friend has up her sleeve this time. The young woman focused her attention elsewhere, letting Felicia cling on to her arm.

(Y/n) had to look at her banking app first to see if she had enough funds inside her bank. She doesn't want to milk herself dry, especially when she has some bills to pay this month. She looked at her numbers and softly smiled.

She had enough to indulge herself today. She put her phone away in her pocket and stared straight ahead. They wandered around the complex together, visiting stores that interested (Y/n). 

Felicia would follow her like a puppy. She made comments about everything the woman pulled from the racks and shelves. They were pretty light and some were questions.

Whenever they were near the register, the brunette would pull out her wallet and offer to pay it for her. (Y/n) would always turn her down and pay for her own things. Felicia would buy things for herself too, but they were small things like jewelry and trinkets. 

The women agreed to share the burden of carrying the bags. Felicia tried to take most of the work for this too. They had a small disagreement before Felicia let it go. (Y/n) had a small smile to show that she felt happy winning that one. 

Felicia and (Y/n) took their lunch break after an hour of shopping. They rested at a restaurant inside the complex that cooked Italian food. It was apparently a place that Felicia frequented whenever she visited this building. The two women gently sipped their drinks and talked amongst themselves, with Felicia leading the conversation. She mostly talked about her family, her relationships, and the paintings she's been doing. 

Things were going smoothly for the women, but then Felicia focused the light on her friend.

"How about you? How have you been feeling?" There was concern in her friend's voice. That look in her light brown eyes said everything too. (Y/n) could see out of the corner of her eye that Felicia was reaching her hand toward her friend. Of course, the woman let their hands link to one another as a sign of comfort. She wanted to know that she was doing ok.

Well... mostly okay, anyway.

"I'm okay," (Y/n) lied. 

The last thing she wanted was for her friend to get worried about her. She was glad that she didn't have to put too much effort into things since Felicia takes her word for it. 

It made (Y/n) feel bad, but she had to.

Felicia's eyes brightened up again and a smile was seen on her face. "I'm glad! That's very good!" The Italian squeezed her friend's hand. "What about relationships? Have you found anyone special yet? Like, come on it's been months! Surely you're seeing someone by now!"

The young woman didn't know what to tell her friend. As a response, she nervously laughed. Felicia didn't seem to think that she was making her friend uncomfortable. The Italian was staring her down, expecting an answer. 

(Y/n) had to lie again and doing so ate up her consciousness. A wide smile made its way to her (s/c) face as she connected eyes with Felicia. 

"I'm not really seeing anyone and I'm not really interested in seeing anyone right now."

But her heart yearns.

"Oh! Well, that's okay! If you ever need like, you know, some people to know, I have a few options!" Felicia giggled. Her friend nodded and made her smile smaller.

"It's okay. I think I'll find love on my own terms," (Y/n) spoke. 

Their conversation seemed to die down, as (Y/n) didn't want to carry over to something happening in her life. It was strange for Felicia. Her behavior for the past few months really has been concerning and it's come to the point where it's bothering Felicia. She's been friends with this woman for a while now and she cares about everyone in her friend circle.

She knows the little things and sees signs of when friends aren't feeling well. Felicia figures that her friends could just fix their own things without having her around, but it seemed that (Y/n) was still struggling with something. 

She had been eating up (Y/n)'s words without actually digesting them. 

The Italian reached over and grabbed her friend's hands.

"Call me later," Felicia spoke in a hushed voice.

"Why?" (Y/n) asked, tilting her head to the side. It was so out of the blue.

"Just do it, okay? If you don't call me later, I'll call you. I'll spam your phone if you don't pick up! I'm already warning you!" The brunette tried making her threat lighthearted by giggling. 

The other woman nodded and hummed. After their agreement, they finished resting at the restaurant and returned to their shopping trip. (Y/n) followed Felicia around this time and stood beside her. She didn't know much about designer fashion and gave comments when necessary. Felicia made most of her purchase and soon it was time for them to go home. 

The bags were placed in two separate corners so the two could differentiate which ones belonged to who. They retreated inside the car, where they would rest for a few minutes. Soft music played on Felicia's radio as the two women leaned against their seats.

It was silent between them again, with a few "vee~"s from Felicia. (Y/n) thought about the call. It made her a bit anxious. She thought she could lie her way out of Felicia's grasp again, but she finally caught on today. She wanted to believe it was something else though, like maybe buying an engagement ring for Claire. 

Knowing Felicia though, she would happily talk about that in public.

Just what did she want to talk about in private?

As (Y/n) was lost in thought, Felicia started her car. The soft growl of the engine caused the other woman to snap out of it. The (h/c) haired woman propped her chair up so she could sit comfortably and buckled her seatbelt. Without warning, the Italian sped off.

The drive was calming and quiet. Felicia seemed satisfied with her shopping today and was glad to hang out with her friend. When she pulled up to (Y/n)'s driveway, she helped her with the bags. When Felicia was escorted to her car, she gave (Y/n) a tight hug. The women lingered there for a while before (Y/n) tapped out.

"If you stay here any longer, you won't be able to give those gifts to Claire," (Y/n) hummed, "I'll be fine here. If you call later, I promise I'll pick up."

"You better!" Felicia grinned, "You'll never hear the end of it from me if you don't."

The woman smiled back. "I will. Don't worry."

They exchanged "good nights" before Felicia drove back home. (Y/n) lingered on her front lawn for a while. Her eyes stared at the empty streets, contemplating everything. A soft breeze hitting her face ushered her inside. After locking the front door, she slumped on the couch in the living room and turned on the tv to have some background noise. 

She rested her head back and looked up at the ceiling. She sighed softly to herself.

There were a lot of things in (Y/n)'s mind. From the thoughts about Jones to what topics Felicia would talk about in their call. It was like wandering around a dark, dense forest. Her yearning for Jones was taking a hold of her though, as it mostly occupied her thoughts. 

The letter from this morning.

It wasn't meant to be sent back home.

Whatever the letter was originally supposed to be is now gone. 

Did the originally mean anything to her though? If it followed the same pattern and same tone that Jones has in every letter, then it doesn't really make much of a difference. It'll still be pages of words filled with an anguished man's thoughts. There was nothing good in any of the letters anymore. The piece of her that hoped for something positive in the letters is quickly dying.

Why does it continue to persist?

Maybe it's because she wanted Jones to be okay in the end.

(Y/n) continues to lounge in her living room and doesn't leave until she had to get up and eat dinner. Doing her regular nightly routine, she ends up in her bed with a refreshed face and a warm blanket around her. Her (e/c) eyes stare up at the ceiling as her brain focused on Jones again. 

Her phone played songs to fill the noise, but that would soon come to an end when her phone starts buzzing. 

Felicia. 

(E/c) eyes stare at the letters on the screen. She knew Felicia would confront her about something. She wanted to hide but she had already promised. Maybe it'll end up being something completely different. Maybe it'll help distract her. It would help her with whatever is going on with her right now. 

(Y/n)'s lips pursed together as she answered her friend's call. She put it on speaker since she didn't want to bother sitting up. She could hear the background on Felicia's end. Her sister is in the background talking and she could hear another voice. That must be Claire.

"Ciao!" Felicia greeted, "I'm glad you picked up! I was really going to keep calling you until you picked up the phone." The woman snickered. (Y/n) kept her eyes on the ceiling, a small smile appearing on her face. It was nice hearing Felicia's voice. It cleared up her mind a little. 

The two women exchanged their greetings and asked each other if they had eaten dinner. Things were light between them, but the conversation started diving into (Y/n)'s personal life.

"Is something going on with you, (Y/n)" Felicia asked, "You've been out of it for the past few months. I didn't really want to say anything about it because I thought it was really personal. I didn't want to sit around and see you mope around though. I'm really worried about you, you know. If you need to say something, say it, I'm here to listen."

Words raced through the (h/c) haired woman. As much as she liked Felicia taking concern over her, she wasn't sure if Felicia would shun her for her problems. She might not. She doesn't seem like the type. The shame was forming inside (Y/n)'s chest as she thought about her problems. 

Her attachment to Jones was the source of her change.

But she didn't know if she should say something about it.

(Y/n) kept her frown as she stared at her blank ceiling. Silence took over their call. Sometimes something could be heard from Felicia's side of the phone. 

"Are you-"

"I have someone in my mind, Felicia," (Y/n) confessed. 

It was better to come clean and tell someone about how she was truly feeling. Bottling it all up wouldn't be any good. The thought of telling someone about the whole Jones situation was overwhelming her, though. She only spared hints to close family, but never to friends. 

Felicia stayed silent. Nothing was heard from her background either. She must have hidden in her room for some privacy. (Y/n) appreciated the effort she spent. It meant a lot to her that she cared so much. 

(Y/n) took her time to explain everything that's happened to her for the past few months. She got some motivation to walk around her room. She converted the voice call to a video call so she could show Felicia the letters she's been storing inside her drawers. She pulled out the card that Jones sent home and the fragile pressed flower.

Felicia stared in awe at her friend's collection of relics.

"You can sell those you know! The letters can be put in a museum and stuff!"

The (h/c) haired girl looked at her friend, her eyes wide. "I can't...I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I want to keep them."

"But why? Wouldn't they just be sitting in your drawer all year? You have a piece of history in your hands! Wouldn't you want to share that with other people?"

The woman shook her head. (Y/n)'s lips arched into a frown as she held on to the letters in her hands. These were from the first few months when she could feel Jones smile.

"Why not?"

There was that question again.

This time, (Y/n) can't seem to answer.

They were quiet again. The (h/c) haired woman considered Felicia's suggestion of giving them away. That thought made her bitter. She'll break the promise she made to him. She can't do that. She doesn't want to give Jones away.

(Y/n) tried her best to think of words she could say to her friend. She had some, but they were stuck in her throat. Something was keeping them there.

Fear bubbled in her stomach as she clung to the letters tightly. 

The fear of being judged poisoned her. It mixed with the bitterness she had previously. 

She didn't feel good.

"(Y/n)," Felicia called out to her friend.

The woman was frozen in her spot. (Y/n) kept her head down as she stared at the letters in her arms. He didn't belong to her, but she didn't want to lose him.

"I can't lose him, Felicia," (Y/n) spoke. Her voice was shaky and breathy. "There's no one to remember him. I don't think he has a family."

Everything was still for a moment.

"You don't know that. He might already be dead. There's nothing to lose, (Y/n)." Felicia's voice was softer this time. There wasn't a hint of disgust, but pity. "There's something more, isn't there?"

(Y/n) breathed in as she looked down at the letters in her hands. Her finger ran down the sides of the envelopes. 

"Don't tell me that you love him."

The silence was enough for Felicia to piece it together. Felicia's lips arched into a frown.

"How many letters do you have, (Y/n)?"

"91 letters left."

Felicia took in a deep breath. "(Y/n)." Her soft voice trailed off. "I don't want to tell you what is right and what's wrong, but you have to know that this is taking a toll on your mental health. The recent letters aren't going to make you any happier."

"I know," (Y/n) responded. "I just feel bad for him."

"And you love him."

"I do."

(Y/n) studied the envelope in her hand, then one by one she placed them inside their drawer. She heard Felicia sigh once more.

"I don't want to dictate what you can and can't do...but I want to help you. Just talk to me whenever you're feeling down, okay? If I can't help you with your relationship with Jones, then at least let me be there for you." 

The (h/c) haired woman knows that her friend was feeling down too. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at her friend again. "Thank you, Felicia."

Felicia shared the smile with (Y/n). The women bid each other good night before they hung up. The room sat still, with (Y/n) back in her bed. Her eyes stare up at the ceiling once more. 

She can't guarantee that she'd always talk to Felicia about how she's feeling. She might have opened the bottle for tonight, but she'll close it again. It'll stay like that for a while.

For now, anyway.

(Y/n)'s consciousness slipped from her grasp as the night progressed. Her mind didn't run a dream tonight. She didn't see her imaginary version of Jones and she fears that it will slip away too.

What was there to do?

Nothing.

The dark shifted today as the sun rose. The morning birds cried their songs as the wind blows through the tree branches. There (Y/n) laid in her bed, eyes open, with the familiar sight above. Eyebags lay under her eyes. Her body was motionless, but her brain was racing. 

There was nothing to do today. 

(Y/n) eventually crawled out of bed and into the bathroom. There she took a long, warm shower, got changed into new clothes, and refreshed her face. She pulled the corners of her lips to smile, but it reverted back to a neutral frown. She didn't linger there. She knew she had business today.

She had to open another letter from Jones. Her heart raced with its little amount of hope. It wished for today's letter to be joyful. 

Her hands grabbed the box underneath her bed and plucked an envelope out. She tore through and brought out the piece of paper. This one seemed to be properly written like a letter. There were no odd markings on its surface and it was neat cursive handwriting.

A moment of peace, it seemed, but will it be filled with the same enthusiasm? 

A smile appeared on (Y/n)'s face once again. 

"Good morning Jones," she greeted.

Good morning, my angel, I'm not sure if you had done something to give me some sort of fortune today, but breakfast was good today. I don't think it's any better than what I've had back at home, but it's nice to have something fill me up. If it was your doing, or if by some chance, God took pity on soldiers today, I thank you and him. I wanted to ask if anything is good over there? I know that you don't send letters, but I would still like to know. Ma and Pa haven't really been telling me things. It's always about me and if I'm okay. Apparently, they heard from a few folks that this fighting isn't good for people's brains or something. Well, you know how I am. I told Ma and Pa that I'm okay, that I had been feeling okay. I know censorship is still strong over here, so I never really bother with telling them how I really feel.  I want them to be proud of me. It's the only thing that's giving me a sense of pride and dignity since I feel like I can't achieve it by myself anymore. You help out too. I know you're proud of me back at home. Whatever you're doing right now, I'm proud of you too. I know things aren't the best at home but I'm glad that you're doing all you can. You're pushing forward and jumping over hardships too.  I guess you can say that we're both soldiers, yeah? Except, I think you're more of a hero than me. That's the highest honor, babe, and you deserve it.  Well, whatever you're struggling with right now, I know you can come up with an answer to it all. Whatever the answer is, I'll be there to support you. In spirit, of course. I wish I could be there in person and hold you again, but it can't happen right now. All I can do for that is pray that luck is on my side again, and may it be on your side too.  Continue to stay safe and if you ever get letters from Ma and Pa, please write to them back. Don't tell them what's actually going on, though. Please keep these things between us only. I trust you.  Sincerely your beloved, A. F. J

(Y/n) stared at the letter in her hand, her lips cracking a smile. The bitter feelings nestled inside her stomach as she clenched the letter.

Luck be on her side? Luck left her side when she found the box of letters.

"I'm glad that you had a nice breakfast, Jones," (Y/n) commented. She followed her routine, but her lips lingered against the paper. She started thinking about a lot of things again, up to the point where it made her feel worse. Her smile skewed as her feelings dwindled again.

91 letters left.

Only 91 more days until it all ends.

[the-firebird69]

RED | Film Locations (movie-locations.com)

So I guess I ride off into one of their crappy cities good for me. I guess they wanna clear to try and come out. Talk about all day long on the radio they're just disgusting stupid people and they're nitrogen narcosis that's what it is nitrogen is stuck in there but good. I tried putting helium in they got really mad at me I kept doing it finally it'll calm down I said now you guys have to do it to each other it's very dangerous 'cause you're angry. We kept doing it one day they stopped and got screwed up again and I can't stop them as hell this is terrible. Right that's what it is so within the world in the balance you almost blew it he says. What's over that way it's a small airfield outside of Toronto and it's to the north if you go north of Toronto like 5 miles that's the airport and you go another 7 miles that's where that thing goes off and it's a city that was brought over there it's only 5 by 5 miles but it looks like a new quiz on board a nuclear weapon was on board and it did look like 4 minutes no it became seconds it looks real I don't have time to jump out but I would get incinerated and he says it looks like 4 minutes and it's speed up and that's what I say so you have to be careful when you jump I kind of know the area and I'm a mutant and I might be an alpha and they could be after us and people have to check a lot it's annoying and we do have hope that they will accept us we don't think it's real and he can't tell but he says there's an easy way to tell is that if Max are out of the way and they say you're out of the way and we know what the pattern is. So we keep ourselves and we also have several other things to discuss not really but we want our interested in the vehicle this has been a pain in the ****. He wants me to make pain in the **** bar. I don't know if anybody would go there and he says why do you think they think it's a pain in the **** there and that's funny o K kid I'm very

and that's funny o K kid I'm very

anthony hcopkins

I'm at the post office he can never remember my name it's Ian Malkovich . And yeah he can remember it but really what a show I tell you it's exhilarating seeing it and I don't know why we're putting bombs on there no we're pseudo empire and that's what we're doing and maybe the son of James Costa and he wants to know where Jim is so I know that he liked you and he's your friend and mentor and you learned a lot and I will tell you he did not die well no he was sick and he says OK so they have him somewhere and I certainly would probably know where and I know where they intend to put him so we are getting ahead of the 8 ball. He was a little bit abnormal so he's one of us. Good we should assemble the rescue Rangers and it's not a bad unit and the badger is the mascot and I had a badger as a pet for a long time two of them and they were very cute couple and they do movies and they're famous famous movies and cartoons and live movies and we know who they are they have special names and for crying out loud we're going to use the badger and we have women and men the women will be the black and white and the men of the red and white and we get that. I'm gonna try and get it going but we need uniforms and he says you might as well make part of it out of Kevlar and we're gonna go ahead and do that. People need jobs big time.

ian malchovic

we use that idea ok good he says

Olympus

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Stay With Me (Pt. 08 of 09)

Pairing: Daryl Dixon X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: Daryl found you surrounded by the dead, stuck in the backseat of a car. You were wishing for death to take you away for quite a while now, but, as you slid back and forth into consciousness, there was only one thing keeping you alive. Him, the man with blue, worried eyes and kind voice. Your beaten up body was ready to give up, too wounded and broken to keep going. But this man, who went out of his way to save your life is the only thing in the world holding you up. And, because of him, you feel something you haven't felt in a very long time: hope. Wherever he's taking you, you want to get there, and not only to be buried. For what it feels like the very first time, you want to live. He takes you back to Alexandria, but even there, the nightmares and the terror from all the torture and pain you've been through keeps creeping closer, and Daryl, your hero, is the only one who can keep that all away.

Warnings: Mentions and description (not graphic) of past abuse; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); some violence at the end of the story (a little bit graphic, but not so much); blood.

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{The Walking Dead Masterlist}

I want to thank my awesome friend @jodiereedus22, who helped me (and still does) a lot to get this story done. She's also a writer and she's amazing so please go check her work!!

×

Nightmare

It's amazing to know you're excited about the party. Luke is two months old, and since you had a welcome party in-store, you turned it into a birthday party. It'll happen later tonight, by nightfall, and you're enjoying the last moments before you have to leave the bedroom and start organizing things.

After brushing your teeth and hair, you leave the bathroom, smiling to see Daryl still lied in bed. He seems peaceful, eyes closed, so handsome in the morning light. You've been wanting to tell him something, it's been a while... But you never get the right time. Or maybe you're just a little scared...

But looking at him now, it just fades away. You and Daryl have been in a solid relationship, and despite the short time, things have been amazing. Perfect. Carol is even talking about moving out, so you and Daryl can have your own space, but you don't want to push her to it. In the privacy of your bedroom, you're fine. And living with Carol is nice.

“Hey, D.” You say in a soft voice, going to the bed and climbing on top of him. Daryl grunts something, his eyes opening, hands coming to your hips and waist. “Are you awake?”

“I am now that a kitten came to lie down on me.” He mumbles as you move up until your face is at the same level as his. You place your legs around his hips, hands sustaining your weight on each side of his head.

“Sorry.” You mutter, moving to stand up. But Daryl's grip gets tighter, and you let yourself fall, collapsing against his chest, giggling. “Alright, alright. But listen up now...”

“What is it?” He brings a hand to your face, fingers caressing your chin.

“Uhm...” Blushing a little, you clear your throat. “I... I think... No, I do.”

Daryl raises an eyebrow, and you can tell he's trying to figure it out on his own. “Ya wanna break apart?” He bursts out suddenly. “ ‘Cause if that's what ya want, I–”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely.” You say in a sarcastic tone, rolling your eyes. “I'm literally on top of you, Daryl Dixon. How can you possibly think I want to end things?” Moving to sit up, straddling his hips, you cross your arms. “What do you have in this pretty head of yours? Only hunting skills?”

“Yer very funny.” In a sudden motion, Daryl pulls you down again, switching positions so he's on top of you instead. “What is it then?” He asks, his face way too close.

“Can I kiss you first?”

“Nah. Ya got me curious.”

“Alright...” Taking a deep breath, you gather up some courage to push the words out. “I want a baby.” Shrugging your shoulders, you giggle at Daryl's funny face. “What?”

“Don't ya have one already?”

“Yeah...” Mumbling, you wrap your arms around his neck. “Daryl?”

“Huh?”

“I want another baby.” Smirking, you place a kiss on his lips. He's fast to kiss you back, a hand cupping your cheek. “So. What do you think?” You ask when you pull away.

“How are ya plannin’ to get one?”

You're not sure if his intention was to make you blush, but you're blushing anyway. “Uhm... First I need to get married.”

“Get married? People don't care about these things anymore.” He answers quickly, and you wonder if you went too far. Maybe it's way too early, and these thoughts should be kept inside your heart for a while longer.

“I know but... That's exactly why I care.” Sighing, you avoid his eyes. “I'm sorry, we haven't talked about this and I don't even know if–”

“Hey, calm down.” With his thumb and index finger on your chin, he makes you look at him again. You always appreciates Daryl's touch, it doesn't matter how small it is. It took a while for him to get comfortable enough to do this so easily, and you never take it for granted. He's always gentle as if you're a porcelain doll. He's never rough, never violent, not with you. Loving Daryl happened fast and strong, and it's a feeling that only grows, every passing day. “Ya wanna talk about it we'll talk about it.”

“It's just that... I-I love you. With all my heart and... It does feel like we already have this family thing going on and...” Daryl has fallen into this father role, and he's absolutely amazing with Luke. He can make him fall asleep in minutes, and you love to watch as he rocks the baby to sleep. And those moments always get your mind racing. He's already being such a good father so maybe he'd like a baby of his own... And you'd like to give him that. “...It got me thinking.”

“I love ya too, babygirl. But marriage... It would bound you with me on a whole different level.” Daryl sits up, and you follow his movement, your arms still around his neck, keeping him close. “I wanna make sure ya have the choice ta’ walk away when ya want to.”

“I won't walk away, Dixon. I love you.” He needs to be reassured of that from time to time, but you don't mind. You want to spend the rest of your life making sure Daryl knows he's loved. That he's desired and wanted. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life and if that's what you want too... You know, I'm a girlish girl, I'd like to get married someday, and honestly, if not with you then I won't marry anyone else.” Shrugging your shoulders, you look down, a shiver rolling down your spine, feeling his fingers caressing your bare thigh.

“Ya sure ya want this? With me? Are ya sure about what yer talking about?”

“I am.” You mutter in a low voice, blushing. “I am.” Repeating in a low voice, you kiss him, slowly at first, but soon enough his taste overcomes everything, and you think he feels the same since he deepens the kiss. Pulling him down again, you smile when his hand touches a ticklish spot on your side.

“Hey, you two!” Carol calls, knocking on the door. “Wake up. There's a lot to do today.”

Daryl grunts in response, not pulling away from the kiss.

But Carol is right. It'll be a long day and both you and Daryl have stuff to get ready for the party.

The day passes by quickly since you're helping everyone a little. The only thing you can't do is lift heavy stuff. Daryl forbade it, with Denise backing him up, you have no idea for how long. The party will happen at Rick's house since the living room is the biggest, and you spend hours there decorating everything. You try not to think too much about all the people who will be here tonight. You know them, you befriended them, they won't hurt you.

When it's finally time to go, you're impressed by how you feel. Happy, not scared, and actually excited. You never thought stuff like this would ever happen again. It's silly, but it keeps people sane, said Deanna. The sun is making its way to the horizon when you're getting dressed. You chose to wear a dress Daryl brought you from one of his runs. It's a light shade of blue, with thin straps and a nice cleavage in the back, reaching a few inches below the mid of your thighs. You never wear anything that will show the scar on your leg, you don't like it. Nor what it represents. You're putting on your flats when Daryl comes out of the bathroom, hair still damp, but completely dressed. He's wearing what he usually wears, always dark colors, but you don't mind. You really like it.

“Are you ready?” You ask, turning on your heels to face him. Daryl doesn't answer, eyes locked on you, lingering for so long it makes you blush. “D? Cat got your tongue?”

“Nah, it just...” He looks down at his feet before making his way over you. “Ya look beautiful, that's all.”

“Thanks.” Smiling shyly, you tiptoe to kiss him. “But I'll need a coat for when the night falls... Mind if I get one of yours?”

“Won't ya ever stop stealin’ my clothes?” Daryl fakes an annoyed tone, but it takes two seconds for his lips to break into a smile.

“Well, you stole my heart, Dixon. I'm just looking for revenge.” Winking at him, you search on the wardrobe for one of his jackets. “Now let's get going. Maggie and I baked this brownies and I'm dying for one.” Grabbing the jacket, you take his hand and leave the bedroom.

Carol is already there, so you just have to take little Luke and head out. He wants Daryl this time, so he's the one carrying him to Rick's place. As you walk there, the wind messes with your hair, and you try to keep it from your face.

“Who are the new residents, by the way?” You just remembered them. If the day wasn't so hectic, you'd ask Daryl to introduce you to them, just so you could know their faces before having to meet them at the party.

“Two men. Aaron found them starving to death a hundred miles Northwest. They're alright I guess. Since Deanna allowed them to stay.” Daryl reassures you, his free hand taking yours. “Ya ok?”

“Yeah... I'm excited, actually.” As you climb the few steps to the porch, Luke giggles, you're not sure why. “Right, little one?” Stopping by the front door, you step closer to the baby in Daryl's arm. “Are you excited too? For your party? Two months old already, you're growing up so fast.” You're still baby-talking when the door is opened, a smiley Carl gesturing for you to get in.

“C'mon, let's get ya those brownies,” Daryl says as you step inside.

It takes no time for people to come to talk to Luke, him becoming the center of attention. He throws himself on Maggie's arms, who happily welcomes him.

“(Y/N),” Rick says and you turn on your heels to talk to him. Daryl remains close, and you know why. But you feel fine, comfortable around these people. “Judith said a funny word this morning. I wonder where she learned it.” He has his hands on his hips, and you innocently shrug your shoulders.

“What word?”

“Damn it,” Daryl answers, not a hint of doubt in his voice. Rick nods, raising his eyebrow.

“Oh my gosh. Where could she have heard such a thing?” She learned it from you because that's what you exclaim almost a hundred times a day and that's not really a secret anymore. “I'm sure she said something like ‘dang it’ so I don't see how that's my fault. ‘Dang it’ it's not that bad is it?”

“Well, I think–”

“(Y/N). Daryl.” Deanna calls, and you give Rick a smirk, meaning you're happy to be saved from this conversation. Turning around, you focus on Deanna. “Come, you're the only ones who haven't met Michael and Daniel yet.”

“Ok.” You can't help but feel a little anxious to meet new people, so you grab Daryl's arm as you follow Deanna through the living room.

“Over here.” She gestures, a kind smile on her lips. “This is Daniel, and Michael, they were found–”

Her words fade when both men turn to look at you. Their faces are unmistakable, and you feel yourself sinking, skin burning, head spinning as it all comes back.

Their voices, touches, and threats. You're suddenly back there, in the darkness, starving, freezing, waiting, wishing for death to come before they did. You're in the basement where your screams used to echo. All of your wounds start hurting, pulsing, as if they were reopened, all over again.

You never got the names, but you'll never forget the faces. One of them, the you thought looked like Rick, has a smile on his lips. The same sick, wicked smile, the same he had every time he went to see you, never failing to draw some blood.

“Hi, (Y/N).” He says, in the same tone he used to. Low, dark, more animal than human.

What happens next is a blur. There's yelling, and Daryl suddenly isn't by your side anymore. He's a blur, moving towards both men, drawing punches. You're pulled back by someone, you don't know where, but you know it isn't Daryl. You know his touch by heart, and it's the only touch you want.

“Let go of me!” You yell, pushing whoever that was, sinking, falling backward until you hit a wall. You want to disappear again, to vanish from existence. With both hands covering your ears, you push yourself into the wall, hoping it'll absorb you, hide you.

“Take them. Now.”

“The trial happens tomorrow.”

“Lock those assholes up.”

“Enjoy your last night on Earth.”

The words have no meaning, they just keep echoing. The low chattering, the many footsteps... Why are you still here? Why can't you be strong for once and just run? Run where? If they're here... Where else could you go?

“Babygirl,” his low, calming voice is like a beacon, lighting up the darkness, bringing you back, pulling you into consciousness again. Into life.

Moving just a little, hands off your ears and muscles relaxing, you look at him, immediately running to his arms. “They're here. They're here, they... They found me.”

“Alright, calm down now.” He holds you tight, a hand rubbing your back. “Let's get ya outta here.”

Nodding, you offer no resistance when he picks you up. You keep your eyes closed, face hidden on the crook of his neck as you float away. It feels like the first time, when he was carrying you from the infirmary into what's now your house.

You flinch a little when you're pulled down, suddenly recognizing your bed and curling up, pulling the blankets over your head.

“How is she?”

“I don't know.” Daryl sounds angry, furious. “I'll kill them right now.”

“No, Daryl. The trial will be tomorrow. You know they'll die for what they did”

“I don't care!”

“You need to stay with her now.”

You know it's Carol, but still, you want her to go. You need everyone to go away now, you just need Daryl. You need to... Go away. Alexandria isn't safe anymore. You rather face the dead.

Silently, moved by fear, you get up, taking the dress off, and struggling with the first pair of jeans you find.

“(Y/N),” Daryl calls, but you ignore him, sight blurred by the tears as you put a shirt on. “Hey, (Y/N).” You don't know what to take... You just need to leave. These walls won't keep you safe anymore. If you stay... You know they'll find you again.

“I'm leaving.” You mumble, looking around and finding the white sneakers you left by the edge of the bed and putting them on.

“What–”

“I'm leaving! I can't stay here. If I stay here it'll happen all over again.” You're yelling, sitting on the bed, sobbing. “They're here, they'll take me again, they-they–”

“Shh, yer ok.” Daryl pulls you up, into his arms, and you melt. The sobs are muffled by this jacket, and your tears are certainly soaking the fabric. “Look at me, babygirl. Look at me.” Slowly, you raise your head, his blue eyes acting immediately, like a medicine made only for you. “There's a place I can take ya for the night. But ya need to be here tomorrow. To officialize their crime so I can kill those–”

“Take me away, please.” You beg, holding onto him as if he's the only thing keeping you sane. Alive. Because he is. “Please, if I stay here I'll–”

“Alright, alright.” He nods, a hand caressing your cheek. “Let's go then. C'mon.”

Everything happens in the background, you feel. Carol stays by your side in the porch, guiding you to the car Daryl took to drive you away. You barely feel your body now, out on the street, feeling their eyes on you... Their eyes, evil and disgusting, as they lust over you. You know they're not here, but still, you feel them. Wanting you to cave in, to agree to fulfill their needs in the most vile, degrading ways. You're hyperventilating when the gate opens, the woods before you suddenly looking far safer than these walls.

When Daryl crosses the gate, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, lungs burning. The sun is coming down, so there are a some shadows creeping in... But it's better out here. The wall will keep them inside, you hope.

“Babygirl,” Daryl says, getting your attention. “We're almost there, alright?”

“Ok.” You mumble, and Daryl puts a hand on your knee.

“Nothin’ will hurt ya. Never again. M’ gonna keep that promise.”

Holding his hand, your eyes meet his when he gives you a glance.

Around ten minutes later, Daryl stops the car. You haven't noticed before, but he parked in front of a small, wooden house. It looks like it was some kind of cabin in the woods since there are no other constructions around it. “C'mon.” He says when he opens the passenger door for you. Your legs feel a little weak, but you manage to stand up, immediately looking around. “There's nobody here, I promise ya.”

Nodding, you let him guide you inside, a flashlight on his hand. Daryl unlocks the door, and you wonder why he has the key to this thing. When you step in, the light coming from in between the planks on the windows helps you see the interior. There is a cough and a coffee table, you recognize it despite the dark plastic covering both things. Walking further in, you peak at the kitchen. Everything is clean and has a plastic placed over them. It kinda looks live someone used to live here not too long ago.

“I found this place a while ago.” Daryl starts, placing his backpack on the floor. “Was fixin’ it, cleanin’... So I could bring ya here every once in a while.” He gestures at the whole place in general, and you take another look around. He did say he'd try to find a place he could take you outside Alexandria, but you never thought it would be this good. “Still has a lot to do. Gonna put electricity, runnin’ water will be more complicated but I'll do it.”

“You're doing all that for me?” You whisper, hoping the dim light will hide your blushing cheeks.

“Yeah... Wanted to bring ya here under different circumstances but...” He takes the bag again, gesturing at the hall. “First door to the right it's our bedroom.”

Following his direction, you open the door to a small bedroom with a double bed, also covered with black plastic. The windows have wooden planks on it too, but there's enough space in between them so let some light come in.

“Here, lemme’–” Daryl drops the bag, walking over the bed and removing the plastic. Underneath, the light green sheets seem comfortable and you get it now why everything is covered up. To keep it clean. “Ya can lie down it ya want to. Brought some blankets.” As you move to the bed, Daryl searches in the bag, picking up two blankets and fixing them on the bed. “Ya hungry? Or thirsty? I brought–”

“I just need you, Daryl.” You whisper, drying off some tears that are still rolling down. “Can you come here?”

“Of course, babygirl.” Quickly, he leaves the bag behind and joins you in bed. Daryl pulls you close, you head on his chest as his arms hold you tightly, keeping you safe.

“I hope this is just a nightmare... That I'll wake up tomorrow and it'll all be gone.” Mumbling, you push yourself even closer to him, if that's even possible.

“I'll kill them myself, I swear.” There's a fire in his voice, hate. You've never heard him talking like that, his chest vibrating powerfully. “I'll wipe them off the face of Earth.”

Involuntary, your hand finds its way to your leg, to the scar. The pain is a vivid memory today, and for a moment you feel like you should lie down, as motionless as you can so it won't hurt. So the stitches won't rip again.

How is it possible that all the horrible memories came back all at once? On one second? “I-if I didn't have you, I... I'd die today, I know I would.”

“Nah, ya wouldn't.” Moving, he brings his index finger to your chin, making you look at him. “Yer stronger than ya give yourself credit for. Ya don't see it, but I do.” Then, he places a soft, sweet kiss on your lips, which is sadly, too brief. “But I will protect ya. Always, until my days are over.”

“Daryl, I–”

“I wanna marry ya.” He bursts out, his low voice burning through your head as you wonder if you heard him right. “When this is over and those monsters are dead... I wanna marry ya.”

Despite the terror, creeping through your skin, the darkness threatening to swallow you again, you smile. Everything fades away, and a different kind of happiness washes over you. A type of bliss you didn't even know existed. Unable to control yourself, you climb over him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I love you,” you mutter, not giving him the chance to answer, connecting your lips on his in a loving, passionate kiss.

×

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"Black Magic" *Part 6*

Part 5

Part 7

Okay so this one's a bit shorter, but like I said I want to try and keep it a "day" a chapter. Also, I don't think you want this day to be ANY longer.

....I'm so sorry.

Also also---- I'm going out now. I'M SO SORRY.

I'll post another chapter tonight....be strong my babies!

Side note how perfect is the gif with the angry barba and the smirking Olivia....I mean.... what?

Tag List:

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@omgsuperstarg

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@gibbs274

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@objection-argumentative

@aprildecker-blog

@lolliepopsicle

@madamsnape921

@stars-trash-18

-------

You arrived at the door of Rafael's office early once again, knocking this time. You looked like a million bucks. You had taken at least an hour to get ready, your outfit, your hair, your makeup. You were ready to make a move. You knocked again. There was no answer. He should be there, maybe he didn’t hear you. You knocked a little louder. Where could he be? You decided to take a peek and peer open his door to see the most horrifying sight:

Rafael and Olivia, making out on his desk. They both snapped back when they heard the door open.

“Y/N!!” He yelled angrily. “Don't you knock?”

“Oh.. oh my God I'm so sorry sir I'm really sorry. I just brought your morning coffee sir,” You were upset, embarrassed , confused , distraught unable to speak, unable to think.

“Well you should learn not to peep on other people Y/N,” Olivia gave you an evil smirk. “I should get going anyway baby,” she rubbed the lipstick off Rafael's lips. “I have a long day.”

“Oh but I'll miss you carino,” Rafael whined while rubbing his nose against hers in a disgusting fashion.

“I know baby, but maybe we'll have lunch?” She messed with his collar.

“You can count on it,” Rafael growled seductively, smacking her butt as she walked towards the door. “Two can play at your game,” she whispered at you as she walked out

Oh my god. Oh my God oh my god!! How did she know? How was it possible? So many things went through your head at that moment.

“I um, I left something at my desk,” You lied quickly as you headed out the door.

“Olivia!” You called after her angrily suddenly overwhelmed with courage. She stopped and turned and stared at you

“Really? Got some balls on you now do you?”

“What did you do?” You demanded.

“I didn't do anything to him.” She acted innocent. “He just realized that his feelings for me were there all along,” she batted her eyes mockingly. “Isn't that what you did?”

“It's not real!” You barked. “You know it's not real. It'll wear off by tomorrow,”

“Oh I really don't think it will” She held up a water bottle in her purse and it was filled with a….purple liquid? Yep it was purple. Why was it purple? Did she make it stronger? Oh God how strong did she make it?

“Olivia you can't do this to him. I stopped and realized if it wasn't real, I didn't want it.”

“Oh that's bullshit.” She rolled her eyes. “You just brought him his morning coffee. You and I both know that it has that stuff in it. You just needed to refill him but I got there first.”

“No that's not true! You yelled, tears stinging your eyes now. “And he loves me. I know he does.”

“Oh my God you are delusional,” she laughed.” Look I'm happy you had a fun day yesterday but you’re out of your league here, sweetie. He's mine and he always will be? Got it?” She smirked again, then turned and stomped away in her heels leaving you there speechless.

----

You were furious, you were confused, you were upset and then you realized that you had to still continue this day as if nothing was different. Nothing was wrong. You wondered how strong Olivia's stuff was. You wondered what the rules were. Did it block out his feelings for you completely and only focus on her? Did it wipe any memory of you and him at all? Could you break it? You had so many questions you needed to call Chloe but you know you couldn't until your break so you sucked it up and walked back into Rafael's office.

“I'm really sorry about that so earlier,” You did your best to keep from crying. He looked at you with an almost look of disdain.

“Yeah well you really need to be more professional, Y/N.” He scoffed.

"Now you really need to get me copies of these prepositions by noon so that I can go to lunch with my beloved and then go to court.”

“Your beloved?” You spat unintentionally, wanting to gag.

“Excuse you?” He gave you an angry look.

"Look I know that you have some kind of crazy crush on me, but you need to learn that what me and my girlfriend have is something you can't get between so you really need to either control yourself or I will relieve you of your services.” He glared at you.

You couldn't breathe, you felt your heart beating in your chest and your ears. Your palms were sweating, you were having a panic attack. What the hell did she put in her concoction? How did she make him turn so harshly against you?

“I... Yes sir, sorry sir, right away sir,” You whispered grabbing the papers from him running out of the office.

Finally after you got Rafael his copies and he stormed out of his office to go meet his “beloved”, you took the break to call Chloe in tears.

-----

“Oh My God, what happened honey?” She asked, immediately hearing your sobs over the phone.

“She did it,” You sobbed.

“Who did what now?”

“She found the spell! Or some spell. I don't know what she did. I don't know how she could have-- I don't know what she did!!!” You kept sobbing uncontrollably not being able to form coherent thoughts.

“Okay, I'm going to need you to slow down,” Chloe said in a calming manner. “Breathe honey. Use your words. Now explain to me exactly what happened,”

You took several deep breaths trying to compose yourself so that you could explain what was happening to her.

“I went into Rafael's office this morning, and he was making out with that vile woman,” You sniffled.

“What vile woman?”

“Olivia, his ‘beloved’,” you rolled your eyes through your tears.

“His beloved?”

“It's some woman that he works with, and apparently has been in love with him forever. She somehow, I don't know how, figured out what we did to him and she somehow found her own spell. Which I'm pretty sure is not the same one, because it was a purple liquid. AND she not only created feelings for her, she made him hate me!!” You continued to sob.

“...Oh,” Was all Chloe could say.

“OH…?!” You scoffed. “I thought you said that magic laws frowned upon spells like that, controlling people's free will!”

“It does! Good magic anyway,” She sighed.

“What the hell does that mean?” You yelled angrily.

“Well I mean you know there's good witches and bad witches,”

“Oh my God, what in the Wizard Of Oz fuckery--”

“I don't know what to tell you honey. That's how it is. There's good magic and there's black magic. Black magic is all selfish and self-indulgent and instant gratification. She must have gone to somebody who deals in that,”

“Who could it be?”

“I don't know! It's not like they're listed in the yellow pages! WAIT-- Oh my God I think I might have an idea,” Chloe suddenly paused. “...But you're not going to believe me,”

“Oh my God what does that mean?” you asked wearily.

“Well.. you've seen all the movies right? You know like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White,”

“Oh God. Are you seriously going to tell me that true love's kiss can break the spell?”

“Well.. you really don't have any other options right now, do you?”

“CHLOE those are Disney movies for fuck’s sake!!”

“Hey, remember Once Upon A Time? THAT was the ‘real world’, and true love’s kiss brought magic to our world!” Chloe pointed out.

“THAT’S A TV SHOW!!!!!”

“I don't know what else you want me to say here babe. But you should do it. Unless you want to lose him forever to this “Olivia” person. You said that she had a lot of it, right? She could keep this up for as long as she wants. AND the more she gives him the stronger it's going to be and the harder it is going to be to break. I mean he might end up really hating you and firing you, and then your whole life will be ruined. You not only need to break this spell for you to be happy, but before it impacts your entire life,” Chloe warned.

“Oh my God, oh my god…” You whimpered. “I should have never done this.”

“Hey chin up this will work out I'm sure of it!” She said in a chipper tone.

“Okay Jiminy,” You rolled your eyes as you hung up and went back to your office. You did your best to continue with the rest of the day, trying to stay out of Rafael’s way. Which wasn't hard, considering that he was in court most of the day. Around four he texted you and told you that he was no longer in need of your services for the day so you could go home early. Oh also he just HAD to add that he was going to go out with Liv. You wanted to vomit. You headed home and went to brainstorm with Chloe.

-----

“Okay so I've been researching black magic. Chloe had papers sprawled out all over her bed when you came home. “She must have used a combination of love and hate spells.”

“Wait, so you mean actual love spells? Like actually creating fictitious love? Not just magnifying what he felt for her?”

“Correct” she nodded. “I don't think he ever had real feelings for her.”

“Well he said that she and him had a thing, and that he thought about her like that when they first met. So maybe it was going off of that,” You shrugged sadly.

“Another thing we need to figure out is how to get the rest of the potion from her somehow,”

“And just HOW do you expect me to do that?!”

“I don’t...I don’t know,” She shrugged, sifting through her research.

“Chloe, give me something you DO know,” You rubbed your temples; this was giving you a migraine.

“Okay… well, maybe if I talk to my other friends they can figure out a way to counteract the effects even just a little, if you're not willing to or unable to get true love's kiss,”

“Oh God--”

“Hey, I'm just saying”

“Whatever.” You sighed. “My head hurts, my heart hurts, everywhere hurts Chloe,” You whined. “I just want this to be over,”

“Okay honey just-- just go get some sleep, I’ll figure out a game plan for you to use tomorrow,”

“Okay...thank you,” You gave her a small hug and went to your room.

You went to bed with a deep feeling of dread.

[celestialevie]

Weddings and what could’ve been’s // F.W. x F! Reader

Hi! This is my first ever posted fic, I hope you’ll like it!

PAIRING: Fred Weasley x F! Reader

Genre: Angst 

Summary: You’ve been friends with Fred since forever. But what happens when the one you love is not feeling the same and now he’s getting married to the girl he loves. Based off of this song :))

Word count: 2.5k

It was supposed to be a good day. Waking up, getting ready for another day of writing her novel about picturing a certain red head as love interest of her novel. But it all flushed down when she saw a small envelope just sitting there on the table, almost as if it was mocking her. It's been sitting there ever since it arrived yesterday afternoon, not expecting to receive an invitation to the wedding of one person she didn't want to participate in. Fredrick Gideon Weasley. Her best friend since their second year of Hogwarts. It was almost ironic how a simple wedding invitation can break a heart that's already been on the verge of breaking, tears were rolling down her face, not a single sound could've been heard besides her sobs. Her best friend/roommate ran out of her room as soon as she heard her. Not expecting to see her best friend on the floor crying over a single paper, she realises what happened, the one thing she dreaded even though it was only a matter of time before it happened. The way Fred was talking about that girl, she knew that her best friend was in a wait of a permanent broken heart. But now a day later, she decided to throw the invitation in the rubbish, deciding no matter how much she cared about her best friend she knew she wouldn't be able to handle watching him promising himself to someone else for forever. Taking out a bottle of her favourite rose, she pours some of it in a glass and heads back to her room, deciding to forget about her heartbreak by throwing herself into her fictional world where she was the one Fred loved. 

 Soon, she'll realise that not even wine and her own fictional world would help cure her broken heart. Not when the one she's so in love with decided so pay her a visit, not hearing anything from her in over a week. He wondered if she got the invitation to the wedding, the day he couldn't wait for it to finally happen. The thing is, he's not going to be able to do it, if his soulmate in a form of his best friend isn't there by his side, making sure he doesn't panic like he often happens to do in stressful situations. 

Upon hearing knocking on her door, she slowly gets up from her desk, heading to open the door, not expecting to see the person she wanted to see the least, standing in front of her. 

Every day they were closer to the day that changes everything for forever. One of them was dreading that day, while the other one couldn't want for it to come any sooner. Soon it was the day of rehearsal dinner or also known as the day before it all goes shit show for her. Everything was ready, her outfit ready for tomorrow. Deciding she wasn't strong enough to make it through the wedding alone, she begged her best friend to go with her, helping her survive with alcohol. The wedding was in the backyard of The Burrow, but it wasn't anything special or near as big as it was Bill's, both Fred and Lillian agreeing it was best to have a smaller intimate wedding with their closest ones there. Apparating a minute away from The Burrow, she walks towards the door, knocking softly before entering the house. Everyone was on their feet, final preparations for tomorrow are being made. Ginny was the first one to notice her, running towards the girl. Brining her in the hug, she laughs. '' Hi Ginny '' they pull away from the hug, Ginny looking at the girl. '' You look gorgeous y/n. I'm still angry at my brother for not marrying you. '' y/n rolls her eyes playfully. '' Stop it, you know we would never work as a couple, plus Lillian is a lovely girl, I'm sure she'll be a good sister-in-law. '' they talked as they walked upstairs heading towards Ginny's room.  What no one knew is that the night of the Yule ball, Fred was ready to confess his dying crush on his best friend, that's why he brought her to the astronomy tower. He had it all planned out  until they were interrupted, and it was all ruined. Fred often wondered if they hadn't been interrupted would've it been her who he was marrying. Would it work out or would it fail and therefore ruin their friendship. George was the only one along with Lee who knew about it. That's why the night before the wedding he found himself sitting in front of the small lake they had behind their house, wondering if Lillian is truly the one he wants to marry. Y/n found him after a few minutes, joining him. '' I knew I'd find you here. '' he said nothing, just kept looking in front of him. '' What's bothering you, Freddie? '' she gently took his hand into hers, brushing her thumb gently across his hand. '' I'm just worried if I'm making a mistake or rushing this. Before tonight, I couldn't been happier waiting for this day to finally come, but now that it's here all my mind seems to do is make me wonder if I'm marrying the wrong girl. Maybe I should just marry you, we've been friends for forever, it wouldn't change much. '' he lets out a small laugh. Letting go off his hand, I grab his face with my hands on both sides of his face. '' Fred I need you to look at me. Do you love Lillian? '' he nods his head. '' I don't think I've ever loved anyone the way I love her. '' a small smile appears in the corner of his mouth. '' Do you see yourself being with her for the rest of your life? Is she the one you want to see growing old with you? '' y/n questions him. Fred waits for a few seconds before answering, with a big smile on his face. '' Yeah, I do. God, why was I even doubting this. This is why I need you by my side, you always know how to get me out of my head. Thank you, love. '' he pulls her into a strong hug. '' Hey, if you need a getaway car tomorrow, me and George will have one prepared and then we can get married. '' she joked, even though there was some half truth in it. '' it's late, I have to go get that beauty sleep for tomorrow so do you. Goodnight Freddie. '' she plants a small kiss on his cheek before apparating herself back to her flat, before crashing down in the middle of living room, bursting into tears of heartbreak. The pieces that weren't shatter from before, had shattered now. There were no pieces left of her heart. The rest of the night she spent in the arms of her best friend, crying herself to sleep. 

 It was funny really. The story of how they met, how they became inseparable and how she eventually fell in love with him. The latter didn't come to much of a surprise. How could someone not fall in love with him, when he's the most amazing person she's ever come across. It was their second year in Hogwarts, and she was heading towards the library, deciding to prepare herself for the upcoming Potions exam. Merlin knows how much she dreaded those. It wasn't her fault, most people on her mom's side of family never really knew how to do potions. As she was walking there, someone grabbed her by her arm and started dragging her away with them in a direction of the nearest broom closet. In a second she realised it was one of the Weasley twins. Not even needing to ask why he was in such a hurry, already knowing they caused another trouble. Quickly running inside the broom closet, one of the twins put a hand on her mouth, signalling for her to be quiet. Rolling her eyes, she did as told until we heard Filch and Mrs. Norris passing by. Another minute passed on until he removed his hand from her mouth. '' I'm Fred. '' he introduced himself. '' Y/n '' she shook his hand. '' Care to explain why you dragged me into this dusty broom closet with yourself? '' Fred laughed. '' Had to move you out of the way from Filch or else you'd be in the trouble along with me. '' nodding her head, she left the closet. And that was the beginning of their weird friendship. From participating in the pranks, to making excuses why they're not in the certain classes you shared with them to Fred asking her to go to the Yule Ball with him, leading us to the night they had almost kissed. Somewhere in between she slowly fell for her best friend without intending to. It all felt like a dream. Dancing with her best friend so closely, to sneaking off to the astronomy tower because that night, the stars were shining so bright. Slow dancing in the moonlight, it all felt almost to perfect. Both of them slowly leaning towards each other until they heard a crashing noise, interrupting their intimate moment. It made her realise that it was for the best for them to be just friends, their friendship being worth more than a relationship not knowing how it'll end. Almost as if it was a silent agreement between them, neither of the two brought it up ever again. She would never want to ruin his day, so yes she had agreed to be his second best man, no matter how much it'll hurt to be there so up close seeing it all unfold almost like in a film scene. 

Next morning when she woke up, she felt so exhausted while getting ready. She barely had any energy in her body and she was pretty sure she also had no tears left. Putting on her beautiful dress, she did her makeup and hair. She was ready to stand there next to her best friend, and watch him marry the love of his life, no matter how much the fact that it's not her hurted. It was a beautiful ceremony, he looked so beautiful in his dark blue suit, it really made his hair and eyes stand out a bit more, and don't her started on how beautiful the bride was. Her gown looked straight out of a fairytale. A few tears espaced during the ceremony but when George asked her why is she crying, she brushed it off as happy tears, even though she knew she didn't fool George with that lie. During the reception she mostly stayed at her table, trying to drown her sorrow in the wine and other alcoholic drinks. She watched as her roommate/best friend danced with George along with watching Fred and Lillian dance together like it was only two of them. Molly and Ginny often came and talked to me, but it wasn't long until I couldn't handle it anymore and just drowned the rest of my drink before saying goodbye to everyone, making an excuse saying she unfortunately had to go home and finish her book, her publisher gave her a deadline until tomorrow. The last person left to say goodbye to was Fred. Tapping him on the shoulder, she gives him a smile as he turns around. '' Congratulations Freddie boy once again. But I have to leave now unfortunately, I have a book to finish. '' Before she could even say anything he took her hands and put them around his neck, pulling her closer to him. '' Just this one dance and then I'm setting you free, okay? '' He begged her. Nodding her head, they start slow dancing. '' I'm really proud of you Freddie, you finally found the one you always talked about. Hopefully one day I'm gonna find my prince charming one day. '' she rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. '' I'm sorry I wasn't the one for you. '' he said, making the tears slowly start pooling in my eyes. '' That's not for you to apologise, we're too good friends for us to work in a relationship. Us not kissing that night of the yule ball was for the best. If we kissed who knows if you'd meet Lillian, your true love. Don''t you worry about me. '' and with that she pulled away from him, placing a small kiss on his cheek before apparating home. Letting him stand there alone, her words sinking in, making him wonder again if he had made a mistake by not letting her know of his feeling that night. But soon his thoughts were brushed away as he felt the lips of his wife on his.

'' Hello love '' he greets her after she moved aside, letting him in. Pulling her into a hug, he goes into the living room, while she still stands there shocked at her door. Quickly getting rid of her thoughts, she heads over to where he was. '' Hi Freddie, what are you doing here? I didn't expect you to visit. '' she sits down next to him. '' Well it's been over a week since I've last heard from you, so I decided to pay you a visit. She nods her head. '' Yeah, sorry about that. I started working on my novel again and that's all I've focusing on recently. Didn't mean to neglect your need for constant attention. '' she jokes, even though she knew he had his fiancée know to give him attention. Fred rolls his eyes. '' Yeah yeah whatever. Listen I have a question/favour to ask you. '' she furrows her eyebrows. '' Okay, I'm listening. '' taking a deep breath, he begins. '' So as you probably know I proposed to Liliana. Speaking of that, have you received my invitation to the wedding? '' it's been over a month since they got engaged, and yet she still couldn't bare the thought of losing Fred forever. '' Yes I have, it's very beautiful Freddie, I am very happy for the two of you. '' she gives him her best fake smile, not wanting to upset her best friend. '' Thank you, love. My question is, would you like to be my second best man? Along with George of course. I don't think that I would be able to do it without you by my side. Please say yes or at least think about it. It would really mean everything to me. '' This was definitely something she hadn't expect. There goes your plan on not going to the wedding, making an excuse of why she can't make it and get drunk in her room while watching her favourite romcoms. '' Of course Freddie, anything for you. '' those words came out before you even had a chance to think about them. 

[fritae]

The Missing Piece (Ch 14)

Flirt.

gang! au / ceo! au

characters: dabi x f. oc, lov

status: ongoing

read on ao3 here.

a/n: I'm sorry for not updating for a bit, I was busy with finals. But hopefully, I should be posting more often from here on out! I hope you're all doing well in the meantime :)

---

As I make my way to the Blaze today, my conversation with Al this morning is all I can think about.

"What time are you coming home tonight?" I asked her as we both got ready to leave the house. It was rare for us to leave at the same time, Al usually sets out hours earlier.

"Probably 11-ish? The Midnight Show's on break today."

"Really? That's weird. That's never happened before."

"Yeah, we're doing maintenance today so the equipment will need to rest overnight. All our stations are clocking out early."

"How about you?" She asked me as I locked the door behind us.

We pause before our apartment for a moment, as I shrug. "Mr. Dabi needs me today. I'll probably come home late again."

Al nods. "I'll see you tonight!" She calls out before walking in the opposite direction.

"Yeah," I wave back. "But don't wait up for me!"

---

I knock on the door once and turn the knob to Dabi's office.

But my grin falls when I find the room empty.

I sigh.

"Looking for someone?"

I turn around immediately.

"Dabi," my face brightens. He's wearing a simple black suit today. My eyes unconsciously glance at his abdomen, looking for any sign of blood. I hug the morning report closer to my chest when I find none.

"Was waiting for you to come in," He registers the look on my face with a smirk. "That smile for me?"

I roll my eyes and hand him the report as he walks to his desk.

He flips through the documents, eyes skimming the pages. His fingers move up and down the paper casually, rather than with purpose as he usually does.

I take that as a sign he's not too concerned with what's in them.

Let's see.

"Is your wound better now, sir?"

Dabi nods.  "Anything urgent on the agenda?"

I shake my head. "At 4pm, you just have-"

"Around midnight, I mean."

I blink.

"Midnight sir?"

He nods, looking up at me. "I've got a deal with a big client today. I'm taking you with me."

Tonight?! My heartrate rises.

"But sir..."

Dabi raises a brow. "What's wrong? Thought you'd be happy."

"Nothing I just..." I try to think of a lie. "Me and Al were planning on having a girl's night."

Dabi closes the folder. "Got it. I'll try and schedule you in advance next time then." He doesn't seem upset at all but I don't let it go.

"No! I mean, it's okay, you come first. I'm sure she'll understand."

"I'm going anyway, Rina. There'll be other opportunities for you to come along. I don't need you there, I just thought you'd wanna be better acquainted with business."

"I am," I insist. "I'll come with you. Al can wait."

Dabi tilts his head. "You say you two are friends but who'd rather hang out with their boss than your friend?"

"We've grown distant a bit since I've left NNTV," I tell him honestly.

Of course, there's more. But there was no way Dabi would stay silent if he found out. The problem is... would I have another chance to do what I was planning on doing tonight?

I bite my lip.

It's okay, I can still make it afterward.

If it takes too long, I'll tell Dabi I need to leave early.

But Dabi is already suspicious.

"Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to patch things up then?"

Why's he suddenly asking so many questions.

"Dabi-"

"Are you friends or not?"

"We are. I think. I just haven't been feeling it lately. I don't know, maybe it's because we haven't really spoken with each other in so long."

He stands up and steps closer to me, forcing me to take a step back. "I think there's more to it than that." He eyes me with amusement. "Why do those pretty eyes look scared?"

I blush and my back hits the wall.

Can he not change up on me so fast?

"I think you're keeping things from me, princess."

There's a playful smirk on his lips as he places his hand against the wall, leaning in closer. "What are we gonna do about that?"

"Look who's talking," I cross my arms.

"And here I thought I was making your day."

I feel his breath against my skin and it makes me grow bold.

"You tryna make me happy or something?" I tease gently. 

"If you'll make it worth my while." 

"How so? Big boy couldn't even handle a hug."

A deep chuckle comes out of Dabi's mouth.

"Let's see how much you can handle then, princess."

A fire dances in my stomach at his words. Where is this Dabi coming from? The casual flirting. The mischief in his eyes.

But before I can discover what he means, he pulls away from me, a fake serious expression on his face and adds: "Ah. When you don't have a girls night planned, that is."

There's a playful banter in his voice that I love.

It reminds me of the Dabi I first met.

Suddenly, I hear Atsuhiro behind the door.

"Dabi, we on for tonight?" He calls out.

Dabi's eyes flit from the door to me.

"Would ya look at that? Guess I'm having a boys night."

"No," I immediately frown. "You promised."

Dabi laughs. "Get out of here with that bullshit, I don't make promises."

"Dabi, we out? Or are you taking Jin today?" Atsuhiro knocks again.

"Now you do," I tell him seriously. "You've taken them before, it's my turn."

"Is it though?" He scratches his head. "I thought it was girls night."

Atsuhiro knocks harder. "Dabi, you there?"

"I won't speak to you again." I narrow my eyes. "That's a promise. You can't bring this up and then say no."

"Wait, wait let's get something straight, princess. I brought it up and you said no."

"Dabi!" I groan.

"Rina," He whines, mocking me.

Its strange seeing Dabi like this but it excites me.

More so that he won't let Atsuhiro in.

"You won't regret it," I whisper. "Promise."

He considers my words.

"You sure you want to come?"

"Yes!"

"What are you gonna tell your friend?"

"I'm working late."

"Bad girl." He shakes his head in mock disappointment. "I didn't take you for a liar."

"Guess you should know me better," I tilt my head, my lips curling at the hint in my tone.

"Careful now," His voice gets deeper when my fingers find his tie. "You know what happens when you get too close to fire?"

I remember the Dabi in the car, who pulled back as soon as I touched him, and this Dabi - who teases and pulls me close then pushes me away. I wonder what's different. What makes one come out or the other.

"Maybe I want to see what it'll do."

I don't miss the way Dabi's eyes darken.

But before he could respond, Atsuhiro bangs on the door.

"Hey boss, you-"

Dabi's grin falls.

"I'm not fucking taking you tonight!" Dabi growls at the door. "If I don't answer, I'm doing something, how about you calm the fuck down?" 

There's a pause at the door and then a low "Okay" that makes my heart clench.

Dabi turns back to me. "Now-"

"Wait now I feel bad," I look at the door. "It looks like he really wanted to go, why'd you have to say it like that?" I pout.

Dabi rolls his eyes and decides to pull sway completely. The mischief in his eyes is gone. Instead, there's a bored and slightly irritated expression. He goes and sits on the sofa, spreading himself out.

"Princess, I don't have time for this, are you coming or sh-"

"Yes, yes I'm coming."

"Then don't fucking worry about him."

[oreos-and-pastels]

Day 3: Who is your biggest stuffie?

That's definitely Prism, my rainbow alpacasso!

(Celli is here for scale)

He was my first alpacasso and the first plushie I ordered from overseas. It was worth the wait!

Any night where I feel a need for comfort, I can put him at my back and Niiko (second biggest) at my front, and that usually helps. When I'm away, the two of them support and watch over my other plushies...literally!

(The only bad thing is that he's too big for a suitcase, so if I travel, I have to leave him behind. But I always give him a big hug when I get back!)

[bronyinabottle]

In a recent post on I Dream of Twilight Sparkle I said that I noticed asks that were not in my inbox the last time I decided to read through my entire ask box. So I did the same for my mod blog. And while there were some also that I didn't see before. Most are questions I feel either I feel like I may have already sufficiently answered enough with my thoughts on an episode and/or it'd be weird at this point to answer something that's obviously years after the fact.

But there is two I found that I feel like I may want to respond to. The person who sent it was someone who used to discuss the show with me almost all the time, though obviously they must no longer be on Tumblr as all their blogs are deactivated. But I still want to answer since it is sort of relevant to recent stuff. Particularly in their 2nd ask.

By the way, I'm always open to questions on the show or even non-pony topics here on my modblog. I still do love talking about G4 ponies and I wouldn't mind some questions if any of you would like to know my opinion on anything. Now that the show has been over for nearly 2 years , I can have a perspective on many topics about Friendship is Magic that I wouldn't mind sharing. Maybe some things have changed here and there, though I think I still generally have a positive attitude towards most things for certain. I stuck with the show until the very end, and was satisfied with how it ended. And I still have interest in doing more in G4's world even as G5 approaches. (Though I'm sure perhaps once that movie has aired that may be the focus of any questions sent here)

((My answer and more after the break))

For the most part, I think I still generally agree with what I said in my initial thoughts about the Season 6 finale. It's a solid episode with some great interactions between Starlight, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax. Though the way the ending is executed is a bit of a headscratcher. Maybe somewhat less so since thinking about it now, like even if Chrysalis did keep some things loyal. What would stop them from eventually seeing what Thorax's changelings did shortly after.

But I suppose I wanted to answer this mostly about Starlight. Since while the Season 6 finale made HomerJ get over some remaining feelings about Starlight. I'll admit it took literally until writing Secrets of the Dragon's Tear (A year after the show was over) to realize the sort of potential that Starlight had. The baggage from the Season 5 finale always felt like a cloud above her for the entire rest of the show's run. And I consider Season 6's largest mistake is not trying harder to endear us to Starlight. That's what that season's entire job was, to try to make us feel a little better of how rather rushed Starlight's redemption was by giving us a more expanded look into Starlight's character. And unfortunately, I feel like it failed at that in my opinion. Thus I basically disagree (Though respect the opinion of) with those who would say the Season 6 finale was when Starlight finally won them over.

Don't get me wrong, I like how Starlight is portrayed in the episode. But it would of been stronger if say the season had explained more about Starlight's past. How did Starlight get her cutie mark, and given her opinion on Cutie Marks how did she feel at the time?

Instead, we mostly just got Starlight reuniting with Sunburst that didn't exactly give any more details to her rather vague reasons for turning to darkness from him moving away other then finding out Sunburst's personality and how his side of the story went. And from there we had Starlight befriend Trixie... in an episode I still don't really like to this day.

Ironically, the character in the Hearth's Warming episode that casts Starlight as the story's version of Scrooge (Snowfall Frost) is given more reason to sympathize with then Starlight herself.

Starlight then just about disappears up until the episode that introduces Thorax. Where she doesn't do much other then be among the crowd that Spike has to convince that Thorax is not evil.

The next time we see her is Every Little Thing She Does. Which is something of a controversial ep from what I hear, though ironically despite my skepticism of Starlight at the time. I actually sort of liked that episode since it was basically Starlight's own Lesson Zero. Though I get why Starlight deciding to hypnotize all the Mane 6 besides Twilight against their will would not be approved of. Though it does feel like at the very least Twilight and the rest give her enough of a piece of their mind at the end.

And that's how things stood before the Season 6 finale happened. Even though I do think Starlight has good moments in said finale, nothing earlier in the season really dispelled many of my feelings about the Season 5 finale's ending. So despite a good showing, I could hardly care for it. I wasn't convinced yet we were given a satisfactory answer about the many questions that Starlight's sudden redemption prompted.

Another part of my thoughts I feel still applies is when I mentioned that Starlight's a "Diet Sunset Shimmer" (Which considering what I did to link the two for SOTDT, is a bit funny in hindsight). It took just one movie (Rainbow Rocks) for the fanbase to turn a 180 on Sunset. While an entire season with Starlight as one of the good guys goes by and she remained just as divisive as before if not more so by the end of Season 6.

Come Season 7, and Starlight appears quite a bit more often though under the assumption that the Season 6 finale was enough to warm you up to her. There were many complaints during the first half of Season 7 that she was appearing more then she should (Even in an Equestria Girls special where she got to meet the character she was so often compared to). Though another thing about Starlight in Season 7 in hindsight is besides from her meeting a few more friends like Maud. Starlight isn't actually given much to actually work towards. They dropped the whole student aspect so it's not like she was doing friendship lessons under Twilight anymore (Though I suppose on the bright side for the detractors, it lessened worries about her becoming an Alicorn). Season 8 and 9 does somewhat fix that by having Starlight employed at the school, first as a counselor and ultimately ending with her as the school's Principal as Twilight herself got promoted to sole ruler. Which I'm still unsure about if fans of her character feel that was a proper ending for her. Though probably the best that could of been done in context of not much having been done with her over time.

Still, at least for me personally it felt there was alot missing about Starlight and as time went on it became obvious I wasn't going to get the satisfactory answers about her that I wanted. So as a result, I only had lukewarm reactions when a new Starlight episode was coming up. It also didn't help that there were two episodes that raised my hopes of at least one interesting aspect that would of been cool to see. The first being the episode "All Bottled Up" which I had hoped would mean it would be an episode that's somewhat genie related. And then there was Road to Friendship where Starlight and Trixie try to travel to Saddle Arabia (which is an important location in I Dream of Twilight Sparkle)... and yet never actually get there. So even on the few times that I was hoping to be excited about a Starlight episode, it dropped the ball. Partly my fault for getting so hyped about something that wasn't promised, but I would of loved to at least SEEN canon Saddle Arabia.

I'd never say that I hated Starlight back during the show's run. But she was a frustrating character for certain back then. I couldn't hate Starlight as much as some others did, but at the same time I couldn't like her as much as others. She was in likability limbo. For every fun and or good moment that included her, it's brought right back by either lingering problems that arised from the Season 5 finale or otherwise dropping the ball in some way.

In some ways, she's still a frustrating character. Though that's just how it'll always be with the canon Starlight. It's up entirely now to fanon to give their approach on Starlight that was never done in Canon. With SOTDT, I obviously did a bit of a "Fine, I'll do it myself" when it comes to making Starlight a more satisfactory character for me. Though I'm sure there are many interpretations that are vastly different from how I approached it that can satisfy others and probably be more popular and better written then mine. (My interpretation might be understandably controversial just for Starlight being put back on a path where she'll likely become an Alicorn eventually. Something Starlight detractors feared the most. Though I think I at least try to explain as best I could that makes sense with the story, her cutie mark moment being similar to Twilight's, and the identity of her mother. And I myself sort of feared Starlight becoming an Alicorn might happen, so for me to actually write it so that it might be inevitable. That's just how much of a 180 I've taken on Starlight because of writing SOTDT)

I think I mentioned this before, but I can pretty much say that in a way that I can actually say I like Starlight now. But sort of in a "FiM's biggest missed opportunity" sort of way that it becomes sort of sad to look at how canon Starlight was done. Rather then me simply shrugging her off back when I didn't care so much about her. I also understand it's a bit cheating to say I like Starlight now after doing my own sort of fanfic that had her in a major role since that might be me tooting my own horn a bit.

Though I will say as much as necessary that I am very aware alot of what happens in SOTDT would have been impossible to do in canon and I don't plan on pushing what I did to expand on Starlight's backstory as gospel. It only applies to what I'm doing on the blog, I will not be making a case that my interpretation is the only correct one. I'd actually welcome seeing some different interpretations on things such as who Starlight's mother is, what they feel her past was like outside of the Sunburst leaving incident, and/or especially how Starlight originally got her cutie mark. (I've even said my personal guess is different then how I did it in SOTDT, as my guess is she got it the first time she discovered the cutie mark removal spell). Cause if nothing else, I've realized Starlight is a very interesting character that I think would be fun to explore all the possibilities with. It certainly could be something for those still on the G4 train to talk with one another about.