#but now she’s here and ​one of my most beloved barbie dolls

[playbarbies]

i know parents shouldn’t have favorites, but there’s something about writing robin that just feels like coming home

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Shima Iwashita (Goben no Tsubaki)—Shima Iwashita was THE leading lady of Shochiku (one of the 3 major movie studios in Japan) for over 16 years, including the entirety of 1960s. She's been two-time winner of the Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress and the winner of the Japanese Academy Award of actress in a leading role in 1977. Famously known in Japan as the actress best suited to wearing kimono, Iwashita often played elegant, strong-willed, and sometimes vengeful female characters. She is particularly adept at portraying women's independence and self-reliance, as well as their delicate inner feelings, and has portrayed a number of sentimental and individualistic women in her many period and contemporary dramas. Her talent was discovered by Yasujirō Ozu, one of the world's greatest filmmakers, who told Shochiku executives at the time, "She is an exceptional talent who comes along only once in a decade." Ozu cast her as the female lead in his final film An Autumn Afternoon before he died of cancer in 1963. Now at the age of 83, she is as beautiful as ever.

Grace Kelly (Rear Window, High Society, Dial M for Murder)—The literal princess of Hollywood (she retired at 26 to become princess of Monaco), her name said everything about why she was so hot. She carried herself with a grace and elegance you just don't see anymore. Her voice was sultry without being overbearing, and she had the ability to be sweet but suggest a deep sensuality at all times.

This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Shima Iwashita:

Grace Kelly:

flawlessly beautiful and a literal princess

Her facial structure? Flawless. Her eyes? Stunning. Her hair? Gorgeous. Her style? Immaculate. Every second she’s on screen, she just exudes this elegance and sophistication. It’s no wonder she ended up marrying a prince. But she’s got this mischief in her eyes that is compelling.

She was so elegant, so beautiful and perfect I could cry for real. A fairy disguised as a woman.

the most beautiful of Hitchcock's "icy blondes". elegant, glamorous, she left hollywood to became an actual princess, I mean, COME ON

she's so pretty and refined and elegant! I'm pretty sure taylor swift's blonde hair red lip look is modeled partly after her

She's just so elegant, look at her all dressed up like a Barbie doll in the latest fashions. There's a quiet dignity about her.

Not only was she princess of Monaco she also is Stéphanie de Monaco's mother and yeah, vote for her she's soooo pretty That red dress in Dial M.... hot damn

To me, she is the first and only blonde. She earned it. Paired with Edith Head's costume design she is unstoppable. I dare anyone to watch her as Lisa Carol Fremont in Rear Window and not be completely blown away by her hotness.

SHE IS SO PRETTY AND FASHIONABLE!! Not only that but she has an alluring aura to her in whatever film I've seen her in! Rear Window is just one of my personal favorite films she was in, especially for her costumes in that. And how many actresses can you say was a princess consort in addition to being a famous leading lady?

[omgthatdress]

Re-living my childhood and working on doing a fashion history spam of the American Girl dolls!

Oh my god I can’t begin to tell you what a huge part of my childhood those dolls were. Before I go on, let me clarify my family’s financial circumstance growing up: I was a pretty solidly middle-class only child. I definitely wasn’t rich, but my mom was willing to spend a lot of money on buying me a shitload of American Girl stuff because A.) she thought they were cool, and B.) they provided a much smarter alternative to Barbies. And when I grew up and got too old for them, I was able to give my stuff over to my younger cousins.

Looking at what the brand has to offer now, it’s pretty clear that the brand has changed over time and that the emphasis has gone from the historical dolls to the modern ones. Honestly, that’s not a 100% terrible thing. I fully embrace change as a part of the universe, and if it’s a part of the survival of the brand, so be it. As long as the historical dolls remain in tact and the brand integrity is respected. And for the most part, until very recent years, it looks like it has been.

Mattel bought the American Girl brand in 1998, and from then on, you can see the brand shifting away from the original five dolls. I’m going to get waaay more into this with the spam, but really, the historical dolls until very recently have actually remained pretty great. If there’s one really broad critique I could give, it’s that the overall color palette skews towards the modern, with a lot of very bright colors and a heavy emphasis on pink, but when taken individually, the pieces remain very accurate.

HERE’S THE THING! In 2016, a new historical girl was released: Maryellen, repping the 1950s. She’s blonde and has blue eyes, following shortly on Julie, who repped the 1970s and also had blonde hair and blue eyes. You can kind of see a theme developing here. The girls from the 30s, 50, 70s, 80s, and 90s are all blonde with blue eyes. You’d think that girls in the 20th century were only blondes. But anyway I’m getting away from the point. Maryellen was released with only TWO books! The fuck?! Maryellen’s collection remained the same very immersive collection that I love about the brand, but clearly, shit’s changing.

The next historical dolls, Nenea (repping Hawaii after Pearl Harbor), Melody (repping Black girls, Motown, and civil rights in the 60s), Courtney (repping blonde hair blue eyed girls with 80s nostalgia and very little historical engagement), Claudie, (Black girl in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance) and Isabelle and Nicki (again blonde girls repping 90s nostalgia with little historical engagement) all only have two books. The brand has LITERALLY been diminished. The books were an equally important part of the playset, not only providing context for the garments and objects you were playing with, providing REAL, often complex lessons about history, making history feel real and relatable, but they fleshed out the girls, their lives, and the worlds they lived in. They made what you were playing with more than just a playset, more than just a dollhouse or Barbie accessories, they were a whole universe for girls to explore.

Like I said at the beginning, I didn’t grow up rich. I definitely had more privilege than others out there, but I still wasn’t the rich kid villain from a 90s kids movie. I had a lot of American Girl shit because my mom saw the value in the brand and was willing to spend a lot of money on it in a way that she wouldn’t be willing to spend a lot of money on Barbies.

Honestly, I don’t know the toy industry, I don’t know what little girls today want out of their dolls. I know that times change, and that what’s beloved in one generation isn’t necessarily going to be carry over to the next. But I find it hard to believe that little girls straight up no longer are interested in history, and that moms no longer want to give their daughters toys that will actually teach them things. I’ve read a lot of articles about how the brand is struggling, and I don’t think it’s a generational divide. Mattel has fucked up the brand, and I am not just saying that out of Boomer toxic nostalgia that says that everything from the past is GOOD, everything today is BAD, and that anything that changes is inherently not only bad but a personal insult. The stuff that made these expensive dolls worth buying just isn’t there.

[eepybogboy]

so i had heard that some of the newer releases of Monster High dolls were being made with a different type of hair fiber and that a lot of people were upset about this.

i did not, until last night, realize exactly how bad it is.

i had some of the original MH dolls as a kid, but i wasnt able to tap into the collecting hobby until i had become an adult, years after my old toys had already been donated (a tragedy, but not really the point) and before the new reboot was launched. so my doll collecting hobby really began with Rainbow High. i loved that they came with a second outfit, they had long, soft, styleable hair, and they had substance to their bodies! unlike barbie dolls, RH has curves and weight in your hand when you hold them. i thought that was awesome.

anyway. i knew that RH didnt use the saran hair that barbie often used, and that mattel used for MH back in the day and in the reboot. being new to the concept of different types of hair, it didnt matter much to me. i could see the pros and cons of both saran and the type of hair RH used.

now, recently, i tried to buy Skulltimate Secrets Draculaura for my roommate for their birthday, and amazon let me wait a whole month for them to ship it before saying, just kidding, we dont have it, heres your money back. RUDE AS HELL!

well fine. now the SS Fearidescent is out, so ill just get them that one instead. i see in the reviews that her hair type is different, they voice disappointment but ultimately shes still cute and theres not a lot that we, as consumers, can do about it except maybe complain.

and im thinking, whatever, im used to RH hair anyway, and yeah its more staticky but its still pretty soft, so how bad could it be?

well, she came in the mail yesterday, and we were pretty disappointed at just how bad it could be.

ive come to realize that RH hair is not made of polypropylene, the new material theyre giving MH as of this line (ive heard that theyve given g3 clawdeen this type of hair before, which is a whole other can of worms that isnt one of the points of this post), but for rainbow high they generally use Nylon (correct me if im wrong) which is still cheaper and less authentic to real hair than saran, but is still generally pretty soft.

ive never had a doll with pin straight hair (and almost no styling product) feel this BAD in my hands. its coarse, lightweight, and easy to frizz, just from a quick finger comb. i soaked her in hot water and conditioner, and shes only a little bit softer.

i had my partner, who, besides being supportive of my hobbies and listening to me talk about it, knows next to nothing about the differences between types of dolls, feel the difference between the first g3 Drac, RH Karma Nichols, and Fearidescent Drac. on a few quick comparative touches, they noted that saran feels the most like real hair, while RH nylon feels kinda soft but not quite as nice. then they touched new Drac, and all they said was, "ah. depression."

i didnt have my hopes up at all but my expectations were still shattered. i legitimately didnt realize it was this bad. the downgrade is Immense. ive seen people rag on RH hair, and this is WORSE. i seriously cant believe how much worse it is. i didn't think mattel would make a $30 Beloved Brand Name doll with all those accessories and give her DOLLAR STORE KNOCKOFF HAIR, but i guess thats on me for holding a corporation to any sort of production standard in 2023 🙃

anyway, all this is to say, hair fiber snobs, im so sorry and i get it now. this shit sucks.

[kits-ships]

💕 seraphina!!!

SERAPHINA MY BELOVED....... her lore is ever-changing and confuses me but its ok bc they are so pretty <3

warning: im free-balling everything here. g/ood o/mens lore and the biblical canon are simply suggestions to me. also bonus asmodeus (oc) lore.

tws for abuse, self hatred, and slight eye horror

angel!seraphina:

as an angel, their first job was to design animals to put on earth! she wasn't the only one with that job, of course, but she had the most fun with it! she's responsible for most of the mammalian carnivores that lived around the garden, such as cheetahs, leopards, lions, jackals, hyenas, and wild dogs. because of her enthusiasm, their next assignment was to watch over the aforementioned animals and to make sure that nature was in balance. she was named the angel of the southern savanna at this time :) sera loved her job so much that she may have ignored god's orders to leave the earth during the expulsion of lucifer + his cohorts. unfortunately for sera, a banishing of this size sent waves of horrific energy cascading over the earth and it scrambled their mind. they were essentially hit by the residual energy(?) that makes demons into demons and it put her into a constant state of pain. it also led her to extreme internal conflicts, as the demonic energy was a bit fucky on their angelic body. because she had disobeyed god's orders and wound up hurt, they essentially became a seraphim-turned errand boy. she was not permitted to visit earth, other angels would get mad that she couldn't properly preen herself, and she felt like she was constantly letting others down. in a split-decision, she sneaks off to earth to visit her animals :) and gets kidnapped by the demon, asmodeus.

asmodeus:

asmodeus personifies lust. he always gets what he wants, and he wanted sera (maybe a reference to the book of tobit?). he took them as his supposed 'bride' and kept her around like a glorified doll that he would bite, claw, and toy at all he wanted. imagine like. a dog and its favorite chew toy. asmodeus kept sera for seven hundred years(?) before getting bored of them. she had no fight left in her and it wasnt fun anymore smh

fallen!sera:

heaven was pissed. seraphina hadn't listened to them AGAIN and now she's like, a half-chewed pen cap. whats up with that? was she working with asmodeus? why'd he call them his bride? she isn't trustworthy anymore. the fall changed them and we cant keep her here anymore. bye girl. after this, depending on how im feeling, she either wakes up in a field alone- surrounded by embers from her fall- or cro/wley/azir/aphale find her. she's initially totally blind (it appears to be traumatic glaucoma), theyre covered in blood(??), and is all dirty. plus, her wings are grey now?? seraphina is, understandably, very confused. how could she be bleeding? why arent her wounds healing? and why didnt they sink into hell once she'd fallen?? turns out, hell did NOT want her. she was still too sweet and icky. i like to think jobs family or someones family end up caring for her. whether they just found her or cro/wley + azir/aphale were like "wow u did so good for god. here's an angel pls watch it for us' and sera essentially becomes an heirloom. she's like jemimah's personal barbie doll. sera will eventually get up and leave to figure stuff out, but theyre mostly a hermit until the 1800s.because human life is scary and feeling like a mortal is weird!!! what is she supposed to do?? luckily, having an angel and a demon around is nice. she finds them and gets in on their shenanigans here and there until the azir/aphales magic show. at that point shes like "woa. these guys are silly ;)" and returns to land they'd bought in mayfair a lil bit ago. sera also eventually opens a plant nursery beneath her house, but no one knows how it stays open since her chronic pain makes her hours super erratic

demon!sera

i don't know how demon!sera becomes a thing. maybe they just fall straight to hell like they were supposed to. as a demon, sera either changes their name to abaddon or baphomet. abaddon because theyre said to be tied to destruction and chaos, which would result from sera's anger towards everything, and baphomet because i think theyre cool :) baphomet also represents social order, which id say is fitting for someone who, in an au, is stuck between heaven and hell. they also kept nature in balance on the savanna, so demon!sera, like their newly, fallen-angel self, is mostly blind. they see light and darkness and very blurry shapes. as abaddon, their irises are split and look like splotches, and, as baphomet, they have horizontal slit irises like a goat's. maybe horns, too. they are also much angrier and prone to outbursts when compared to their angel self and is disgusted by themselves. they hate being a demon and they hate everyone who has. abaddon would use this rage to mostly create natural disasters, and baphomet would use it to insist on forcing things into balance- even when it would cause lots of people pain. i dont know if that makes sense they are also represented by the komodo dragon :) and they tear asmodeus to shreds. demon!sera may also be venomous.

[itcamefromthetoybox]

I am Become Barbie, Destroyer of Worlds

“Barbie: The Movie” comes out this month, and it’s looking like it’ll be a smash success, in addition to a really good movie! As you know if you’ve been following this blog, I’m pumped for this movie and have been counting down the days until it comes out. I’ve also been doing a series of reviews of current “Barbie” toys, which we’ll be wrapping up this week with an absolutely wonderful gift from my absolutely wonderful wife, “Barbie: The Movie Barbie!” Let’s see how the star of the show came out and if she’s a worthwhile edition to your Barbie collection.

Now, before we get started, I just wanna say one thing: last week when we looked at Ken, I said that because I had zero success finding the “Barbie: The Movie” dolls anywhere except online stores, it looked like the movie line was an online only exclusive. So of course, the very next day, I went to my local Target and found the movie dolls. The universe delights in kicking me sometimes.

The “Barbie: The Movie” toyline is the toyline released for the movie and is now available at mass retail. If you missed last week’s review, here’s a quick recap: the toyline is, obviously, centered around the upcoming movie, with dolls based off the cast, as well as vehicles and playsets. The dolls have a higher level of articulation, more accessories, and a bigger price tag than the standard dolls.

From what we’ve seen in the trailers, Barbie the character, played by beloved actress Margot Robbie, seems like an optimistic, friendly, cheerful go-getter with a wide circle of friends and a heart of gold. So basically my exact opposite in every way. When things begin changing in her world, Barbie sets off on a journey to the real world, accompanied by Ryan Gosling’s Ken, to get to the bottom of things. Other than that basic synopsis, I can’t say anything else about the character. The movie isn’t out yet. This is all I got.

This doll looks great. She has a very classic look to her, right down to the arched feet and the hairstyle, and is pretty much exactly what you’d want in this doll. She does a great job conveying Margot Robbie’s likeness without going into the Uncanny Valley, which is nice because you don’t want Barbie to scare children usually. Save that for the doll scene in “Small Soldiers.”

I absolutely adore Barbie’s outfit. She comes wearing a pink and white plaid dress, pink heels and a matching hair bow, and flower earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, which all comes together to make a bright, cherry doll whose accessories scream “let’s enjoy a beautiful day.” It’s a really great outfit and I feel it does a terrific job conveying who this character is. Interestingly, this doll also comes with actual underpants, which is noteworthy because most Barbies and Kens just have sculpted underpants. I feel like it’s a nice touch and a good way to confirm that no, Barbie is not going commando.

Life in plastic, it’s fantastic!

In terms of articulation, Barbie has it going on! She’s covered in joints, which means she’s here to strike a pose atop the crushed bodies of rival dolls who thought they could stand against her. I’m really happy with all the joints she has, and I feel like kids will also like them.

Barbie, seen here after ruthlessly slaughtering Jem and the Holograms.

Now, of course, I do have a few complaints. After all, nothing in life is perfect except for those special moments with the people we care for, when we’re truly connected and at ease, and even those moments are far too fleeting in the cruel passage of time. My first issue is the issue I usually have with Barbies: she can’t stand on her own. I know that’s always been a thing, but it still bugs me a little. Since this is a doll aimed at collectors, you might wanna make sure you buy a doll stand when you get her. My second complaint is with her heels. They’re pretty loose on her feet, which makes them really easy to lose. Considering how part of the point of Barbie is changing her outfits, the fact that doing so means you’re a ton more likely to lose a shoe really feels like a problem to me. Other than those two things, though, this doll’s really great.

She took the other shoe off so she could kick the Bratz’ asses without damaging her heels.

“Barbie: The Movie Barbie” is currently available at mass retail for about $25. While she’s specifically aimed at collectors, her box says she’s for ages 3+, which, considering how she has the small earrings, bracelet, and easy to lose shoes, feels a little young. Make sure the person you give her to isn’t still in the “let’s put this up my nose” stage, so you can avoid any uncertainties. And now, our moment of truth: would I recommend this toy? You bet your ass I would! This is a great Barbie! She looks great, she has a lot of articulation, her outfit’s cute as hell, and her accessories are on point! I would absolutely recommend this Barbie for your collection! “Barbie: The Movie” comes out this month, and I can’t wait to see it, but for now, this concludes our look at Barbie. Next time, we’ll be looking at a few different toys with no unifying theme before our next series of theme reviews, so that’ll be fun. Until then, this is JS signing off and wishing you Happy Toy Hunting!

[denimbex1986]

'Barbie. Oppenheimer.

A doll and a very real man. Adapted for the big screen by writer-director Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, respectively, the life stories of these 20th-century icons have become the most talked-about films of the post-pandemic era. That the seemingly opposite projects – a quasi-musical about Barbie, with her Dreamhouse and hot pink aesthetic, and a biopic about J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb and destroyer of worlds – would open on the same day (that’s today, 21 July!) and play side by side at movie theatres is a bona fide pop-culture phenomenon of its own. Like the popular saying goes: “Inside of you there are two wolves.”

One of these wolves has resulted in a deluge of content unlike anything we’ve seen before – can you even remember life before Barbiecore took over everything? Barbie is always happy and dressed like she’s got somewhere fun to be. In the movie, she’s outfitted in quite a bit of Chanel. She is also a beloved (and sometimes maligned) American product with decades of marketing behind her, so it makes sense that everyone grabbed onto this aesthetic. The crazier and more screwed up the real world gets, the more we find ourselves wishing for the “no thoughts, just vibes” lifestyle of our favourite plastic girl.

But you know who also probably wished for a “no thoughts, just vibes” lifestyle? One Mr J Robert Oppenheimer.

Of course, war itself could also be described as an American product with decades – nay, centuries – of marketing behind it. As vastly different as they look, these two films deal with similar subjects. Now I’m not saying that Oppenheimer is Barbie for men, though it’s true that people went as crazy for Cillian Murphy in a sheer Saint Laurent shirt at a recent premiere as they have for Margot Robbie’s many archival Barbie-inspired red-carpet looks. And that got me thinking about Oppenheimercore – what would an aesthetic trend created around darkness and destruction look like?

Most on the internet have equated Oppenheimer with a goth look, but Oppenheimercore is not just about wearing black – though it’s obvious bright colours have no place here. Oppenheimercore can be as classic as wearing a dark suit but with soft edges that symbolise the scientist’s turmoil. Oppenheimercore revolves around men with jobs – really important jobs. See the man in his army uniform, see the man in his lab coat, see the man in his worker’s overalls, his leather apron, his hazmat suit. Oppenheimercore explores the beauty of destruction and the physical and emotional toll of its aftermath. Oppenheimercore can even extend to include the lifelong anti-war efforts of our titular man.

Looking at the recent men’s collections through this lens was a playful thought exercise, the results of which are a bit of tongue-in-cheek cosplay, but it’s worth noting that it was easy to find matching looks. My guess is the sartorial influence of this movie will be reflected in seasons to come, but the malaise about the general state of the world, the sense that everything that we are doing will also eventually lead to our demise… Well, let’s just say it’s a trending feeling.

...(And in case you’re wondering, the correct order for a double feature is Barbie then Oppenheimer.)'

[septembersghost]

omggg they're amazing! 🤩 did you organize them by color?

thank you!!! 😊❤ they're a bit arranged by color and also together by theme! my grandparents and great aunt really started my collection when i was little, and then my mom and dad continued it, and it just became a source of happiness and warm memories - when we moved here many years ago, part of why my mom wanted me to have this room was because it has that long wall and she knew we could put shelves up and display my dolls like i'd always dreamed of doing (i didn't have a good place for them in the room i grew up in and a number of them were still boxed! which i know retains the value, but i never collected them to resell, i collected them to love!). the display has gone through a lot of iterations over the years, but it's perfect to me now. i think i've mentioned before that my room is my little sanctuary and safe haven since i'm homebound most of the time, so having pretty and fun and beloved things, and reminders of stories/characters i hold dear, all around me makes it feel less...stifling?...because it brings me joy. we had a friend over yesterday and she came back to my room and said, "i love this room, it's like visiting a museum" lol (the shelves and the barbie collection are not the only things in here, i'm quite possibly unhinged, but that's why i say it's my mermaid grotto! 🎶 look at this stuff, isn't it neat? 🎶) also! my mom and i spent countless hours over the years doing customizations and changing/altering dresses and adding details and swapping dolls, so a lot of them are one of a kind and all the more special to me. :')

[goldenroutledge]

could you do 4,14, and 15 from prompt list d with sarah cameron and a female reader?? love ur writing btw 💚💚

lost in love

pairing: sarah cameron x female!reader

word count: 2.7k

warning(s): jarah doesn’t exist, kie & sarah also never fell out in this. also i changed the prompts a bit to fit the story. angsty but happy ending of course

summary: in which miscommunication tears you & sarah apart. a night stranded on a boat allows for true confessions to be made.

a/n: thank you!! and ahhhh this is one of my favorite requests i’ve ever gotten, the prompts are perfect for sarah 💚💚

sarah cameron masterlist

© goldenroutledge || do not plagiarize, repost, or translate my work in any way

The boneyard was packed with pogues, tourons, and even kooks; each group being able to push all the drama aside to have a good time for the night.

And if there was anything that could get your mind off things, it was a kegger. Kiara suggested the idea after the stressful few days the group had been through, and it was a relief to feel your worries slip away.

Approaching John B and JJ, you stuck your head in between theirs and threw your arms around their shoulders. You laughed as they jumped at the unexpected contact.

“Jeez, Y/n. Don’t sneak up on us like that.” JJ warned, clutching his chest dramatically.

When John B didn’t say anything, you turned to face his concentrated expression and followed his line of vision. Straight to the one you despised most— Sarah Cameron.

“What the hell is she doing here?”

“We’re wondering the same thing.” The brown haired boy mumbled as the three of you watched Topper pick up his girlfriend and spin her around.

You pretended to gag in your mouth as she gave him a kiss. “I think I might barf.”

“No kidding. Isn’t that our beloved frosted tips?” JJ inquired, referring to Sarah’s new beau.

“Who? Topper?” You answered.

“Yeah. I didn’t know if it was him or not. A lot of the kooks look like living and breathing Ken dolls.” JJ quipped, taking a sip of his beer.

“Looks like he’s found his very own fake Barbie to match.”

“Ooouu, do I sense some tension?” John B teased at your jab to the blonde girl. “I thought you guys were friends?”

“Yeah. We were.” You emphasized. “As in past-tense.”

“What happened with you two anyway?” JJ asked.

A sigh fell from your lips before you swallowed the last bit of beer in your solo cup. “Sarah Cameron isn’t all she’s cracked up to be.”

-

After stating your opinion of the kook princess, you presumed your distaste for the girl was clear. Perhaps not clear enough, given the sight in front of you as you neared the Chateau’s porch in the hot afternoon sun.

Only to be met with her in your favorite spot on the couch.

“Care to explain what the hell she’s doing here?” You began, shooting each of the pogues' glares as you waited impatiently for someone to explain.

“Nice to see you too, Y/n.” Sarah muttered, eyebrows raising and lips pulling into a sarcastic, tight-lipped smile.

“We need her help.” John B informed hesitantly.

“Her help? What could we possibly need her help with?”

“Sarah got me into the Chapel Hill archives the other day. We did some research and we’re close to mapping a location for the gold.”

“What?” You queried incredulously. “Are you joking? You let her in on this?” Your eyes scanned the group for more answers, pinching the bridge of your nose as you tried to make sense of it all.

“All I care about is that her cut comes out of your share.” JJ shrugged, pointing to John B.

“What is going on?” You asked once again.

John B let out a sigh. “Sarah’s gonna help us. I know you guys aren’t on the best terms right now but-”

“That didn’t seem to stop you. You still invited her here.” You interjected. “So is this.. are you two like a thing now?”

“No.” They both answered in unison. “Look, Sarah and I are just friends. Okay? I mean I’ve been working at Tannyhill for a while now, and we get along great.”

“You’ve been friends with her? You know what, that’s almost betraying me just as much as she did! I already warned you about her. She’s no good, John B. I don’t know why you can’t just believe me on this one.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Sarah debated.

“Then go back to your precious mansion if you’re too good to be around me.” You sneered. “No one, other than John B anyway, wants you here.”

She scoffed, getting up despite John B’s attempt to make her stay. “Fine. If that’s how you feel, then I will. I’ll talk to you later, guys.” She told the rest of the pogues, making her way to her black Volvo.

“Y/n, what was that?” John B questioned.

“No, John B. You don’t get to ask me anything. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you need your head examined? What are you thinking?” You lashed out.

“Maybe you’re the problem, Y/n. You know I love you but damn— aren’t you the one always talking about how holding grudges is ridiculous?”

“I don’t hold any grudges. That doesn’t mean I trust Sarah, though.” You explained matter-of-factly. “And you know what else I say, John B? Once someone shows you who they are, believe them. I’ll never trust her again.”

“Come on, Y/n. I need you to be on board with this so we can work together.” John B pleaded.

“I am on board!” You reiterated. “As long as Sarah jumps off. I’m not working with her.”

“Whatever, Y/n. You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m reacting how anyone would if they had just been ambushed.” You stated. “Nobody was gonna give me a heads up at the very least?”

“To be honest... that is pretty unfair.” Pope added in your defense, to which you nodded in acknowledgment.

“I’m sorry for that, Y/n. But I knew you wouldn’t have shown up if I told you in advance.”

You sighed, plopping down on one of the patio chairs, closing your eyes in agony while letting your head rest on the wall behind you. “I would’ve rather you brought Rafe home.”

-

From the uncomfortable surprise reunion at the Chateau, now you were sure that your position on where you stood with Sarah was crystal clear.

The next evening, your phone pinged with a text from Pope telling you to meet him at your dock when you received the message. So you did, sighing as you changed quickly and made your way down to the water.

“Good evening, Y/n/n.”

“Hi, Pope. What’s the urgency?”

“John B and JJ are stuck out on the marsh and need a tow.” He clarified.

“So.. I’m here, why?”

“Uhh, mechanical.” He cleared his throat to punctuate the statement. “We need you for mechanical. Kie’s stuck at the Wreck tonight. Restaurant’s too busy for her to take off right now.”

“Ok. Let’s make this quick.”

-

JJ waved his arms in the air to greet you as your boat came close to theirs.

“What’s the issue?” You asked, taking JJ’s hand as he helped you onto the boat.

“Uhh, try checking the plugs. We haven’t tried that yet, have we John B?”

“No. I don’t think we have.” He answered, walking to the edge and jumping off along with JJ.

“Guys? Everything is fine!” You announced, only to turn your head over your shoulder and find them on the boat you just came from. “Where are y’all going? I need to go back home!”

The voice coming through the door of a compartment below you began to yell, just before the surface flipped up and revealed the distressed person previously trapped. Both of your expressions dropped upon seeing one another as you and Sarah started your expressions of rage towards the boys.

“John B! You can’t just leave me here, you dick!” Sarah spat.

“You don’t know what’s coming for you, Routledge! I’m gonna get you back for this shit!” You all but screamed.

“Sorry, ladies! You two have some issues to work out, a night stranded should do you some good!” John B mocked.

“There’s food in the cabin and JJ rolled a blunt!” Pope informed. “Try not to kill each other, please!”

“Oh, we will!” You shot back, flipping them off. They sped away, and you watched them until they were completely out of sight, the sun eventually disappearing with them.

-

You wasted no time in lighting the blunt packed by JJ, hitting it and exhaling slowly. “Well, this is gonna be a long night.” You passed the blunt to her, watching her hit it hesitantly before erupting into a fit of coughs. “First time?”

“Shut up.” She grumbled.

The two of you laid in your respective spots, staring up at the stars in silence. A long silence, one that felt like forever but more realistically lasted an hour. “Hey, Y/n?” She muttered.

“What?”

“Why aren’t we friends anymore?” She drew out slowly.

“What do you mean? You were the one who didn’t wanna be friends anymore.”

“Did I, though? Because that’s not how I remember it. You started pulling back first, actually.”

“What other choice did you give me, Sarah?” You asked, both of you sitting up to face each other. “You led me on.”

“Excuse me if I thought you meant it when you told me it was a mistake.” She pointed out.

“Of course I didn’t think it was a mistake.”

“Then what did you mean, Y/n? Damn, can you just explain it to me already? I’m sick of not knowing why you hate me so much. What did I ever do to you?”

You sighed heavily, eyes fluttering shut as you recollected, ready to be vulnerable if that’s what it took. Anything to move past this. “Remember when we snuck beers from your dad’s fridge that one night? And stayed up until sunrise watching chick flicks?”

“Mhm.” She confirmed, smiling softly as the memory came back to her as well.

“Do you remember the part where you kissed me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

“I thought we were on the same page. I thought it meant something. Only to see you making out with Topper a few days later.” Her eyes scattered in confusion, soon reaching yours in disbelief. “Yeah. I saw you guys at the movies. When you told me you couldn’t see me because you were too busy studying.”

“Y/n, I-”

“Let me finish.” You gulped, moving on with your story. “I was so upset, Sarah. I swear I cried that whole night because I didn’t know what to think. So, when I came over the next day to give you back that shirt I borrowed, I just never bothered to come back again.”

« “So.. are you good for midterms?” You asked Sarah.

“O-oh, yeah. I’m sure I’ll do fine.”

“I wish we could’ve studied together.” You admitted disappointedly, clutching the shirt of hers you held in your hands behind your back. One she had loaned to you because you felt uncomfortable at the beach one day. That gesture meant a lot, though it was only something a friend would do for a friend.

“Yeah. Maybe next time. But um- I kind of wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, sure. What is it?”

“You know our kiss the other day?” She mentioned, staring down at her feet but glancing back up to your eyes momentarily. Hers filled with worry and a hint of regret, your stomach swirling with the same hurt it did the previous night.

“Oh.” You started. “Don’t worry about it. We were both pretty drunk, right?”

“Yeah.” She let out, relieved but disappointed. “I was hoping it wouldn’t make anything awkward between us.”

“Of course not. Mistakes happen.” You reassured, heart panging as you said it.

“Okay. I’m glad we’re on the same page then.” She nodded, giving you a smile. “Do you wanna stay for dinner? I have a lot to catch you up on and Rose is making your favorite!” Sarah exaggerated with a hopeful look on her face.

Meanwhile you blinked back a few tears, shaking your head in objection to her offer. “No thank you. I’m not staying.” You pulled the shirt from behind your back. “I saw this in my laundry and figured I’d return it.”

Truthfully, you knew exactly where that damn shirt was, but it reminded you of Sarah so you didn’t mind holding onto it. Until being reminded of Sarah wasn’t so ideal anymore. Seeing her so happy with Topper— when she had just kissed you not even a week before— made jealousy course through your veins.

“Oh, you don’t have to. You wear it better than me, anyway.” She complimented.

“No, really. Take it back.” You insisted, placing the shirt in her hands. “I should get going.”

“Oh, okay.” She followed your rather fast trail through the home and down the spiral staircase to the door as she always did. Instead of turning around to hug her like normal, you shortened the moment to a small peering halfway over your shoulder, bidding her goodbye sorrowfully.

“I’ll see you around, Sarah.” »

Tears pricked your eyes at reflecting on that morning, looking at Sarah whose jaw slightly hung open as she couldn’t find the words to say. “I’m sorry, Y/n. I should’ve told you about Topper.”

You continued to look down at your hands, ignoring the burning feeling that twitched in your nose to the point of bringing on more tears. “It’s alright. Everything’s over now.”

“But I need to tell you that kissing you wasn’t a mistake.”

“You agreed with me that it was, Sarah. You don’t have to backtrack now.”

“Did you like me?” She blurted, disregarding your comments. “Is that why you were so upset?”

“Why are you asking?”

“I’m asking because I’ve seen the way you look at me. Before we fell off. Please, be honest.”

Her eyes wore a pleading look that you couldn’t help but give into. No thanks to the blunt you’d smoked, definitely allowing you to be more open than usual.

“Yeah. I did. But you didn’t like me back, Sarah.”

“How are you so sure of that?”

“Because you’ve never shown any interest in me beyond friendship!” You snapped. “Besides kissing me but you were drunk. That doesn’t fucking count.”

“It did to me, Y/n.” Sarah confessed. I went for it because it felt right, because I genuinely wanted to. And when I did, I felt something a whole lot more than friendship.”

“I couldn’t tell.” You muttered.

“When I realized it, I got scared and I ran. I couldn’t deal with it normally, so I ran to Topper because it was easy. And as time went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Y/n. A-and it just got worse. I needed you, my best friend. And I’m pretty sure I needed even more than that in you, too. Because everytime I remembered you weren’t around I kept thinking I might cry.”

You drew in a breath of fresh air, trying to keep your tears at bay. “Okay.”

“Okay? That’s it?��

“I don’t know what else to say, Sarah. I miss you, though.” You gave her a soft smile to which she gave one back.

She reached over and wrapped her arms around your neck, pulling you into a soothing hug. “I miss you, too.”

You rested your foreheads together before her lips were hovering over yours, only for you to pull away.

“What about Topper?”

“What about him? We broke up.” She stated with a grin, eyes lighting up at the smile now spreading across your face.

You leaned in and kissed her, with far more passion than any of the other times. It took Sarah no time to reciprocate, indulging in the long awaited moment. Pulling away for air, you pulled each other a little closer before lying comfortably under the stars.

“I don’t wanna rush into this, Sarah. I want to be with you but we need to work on some things.”

“Okay. As long as we’re together, I don’t care. I’ll be here for however long it takes.”

-

The sun rose sooner than you would’ve liked, and as a result you had to unravel yourself from the blankets and Sarah’s arms. The boys didn’t waste much time in coming to get you, anxious to see if you and Sarah made any progress.

“Rise and shine!” John B sang cheerfully. You and Sarah stood at the edge, grimaces displayed on your faces as you looked at the boys.

“Uh, oh. This can’t be good.” JJ piped up.

“So.. you guys didn’t kill each other. That’s a plus.” John B acknowledged with a shrug.

“Did you guys work it out? Are you friends again?” Pope asked, reaching his arm out for you to step back on the boat. You and Sarah smiled at each other and winked, everyone anticipating your answer.

“Something like that.”

a/n: i kinda had no idea where i was going with this but i hope you liked it!

taglist: @ilovejjmaybank @missevi @nxsmss @cameronsrafe @msgorillagripcoochie @bibliophilewednesday @tovvaa @rudybarnes @annab-nana @babeyglo @reawritesthings @moniamaybank @outerbankspreferences @laneybobeczko-g @jjpouggues @j-j-may-bank @starrycigarettes @eifhames @outerbankies @pogueslandia @kaysapogue @mildkleptomaniac @whcclxr @mrs-cameron @maybanksslut @it-was-never-meant-to-be-boys @alanniys @sunnymaybank @amourslover

[ariel-seagull-wings]

TOP 12 PORTRAYALS OF RAPUNZEL

@princesssarisa​ @sunlit-music​ @superkingofpriderock​ @mademoiselle-princesse​ @amalthea9​ @theancientvaleofsoulmaking​ @astrangechoiceoffavourites​ @notyouraveragejulie​ @tilthenextbluemoon​ @giuliettaluce​

Rapunzel, Rapunzel: lay down your hair so i can climb the golden stair! 

These are the words to call the lady named after a vegetable, so one can climb her hair and visit the tower where she is kept prisoner. At the same time that she is known for her exotic name and very long hair, personality wise Rapunzel tends to get very underestimated. Some adaptations gaved her a pretty passive role, and pop culture parodies would usually paint her as “just a girl who cries for the Prince to save her”, downplaying the inteligence and resilience to adapt into harsh situations that she showed in the original Brothers Grimm’s tale. So today, i will share my twelve favorite portrayals of the long haired heroine, that showed respect to her, gaved her carisma and made justice to her strenghts.

12º The version from ‘The Story of Rapunzel’ (1951)

At the start of his career as a stop motion animator, Ray Harryhausen made, with the collaboration of his relatives, a series of shorts based on fairy tales. Those shorts were ‘The Mother Goose Stories’, ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’, ‘The Story of Rapunzel’, ‘The Story of Hansel and Gretel’, ‘The Story of Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Story of King Midas’ (when this tale started to be taken out of greek mythology and be perceived as a medieval fairy tale in the public conscience), where the characters were silent and the voice was given to a narrator. This encarnation of Rapunzel is more on the naive and passive spectrum, but i like her design and the fact she is animated in stop motion, plus the short is historically significant for being one of the early atempts to adapt her tale , and that’s why she has a place on this ranking.

11º The version from Simsala Grimm (1999)

In this german-french, two plushies, Yoyo and Doc Croc, receive life from a magic book to have adventures inside the Brother’s Grimm tales. They go to the tale of Rapunzel and help her and Prince Egmond get together. This encarnation of Rapunzel is kept as both prisoner and apprentice of Frau Gothel, who wants to turn the young woman into a mean spirited sorceress like her. But Rapunzel can only make spells that create pretty and merry things, like squirrels and birds. It’s a nice touch of humour, and that grants her the Eleventh Place at this ranking.

10º Mackenzie Mauzy in Disney’s Into the Woods (2014)

This movie as a whole is a weak adaptation of the now classic Broadway stage musical. But it had some enjoyable elements, one of them being Mackenzie Mauzy’s performance as Rapunzel. Mauzy has a short time on screen, but in that short time she brings beauty, grace, melancholy and anger to the role, and this makes it stand out enough to be the Tenth Place in this ranking.

09º Linda Purl in Timeless Tales from Hallmark (1990-91)

Timeless Tales from Hallmark was a direct to video series that had a live action hosted by Olivia Newton John and animated segments showing the fairy tale of the day, animated by the Hannah-Barbera studio. Purl’s Rapunzel is the romantic dreamer archetype, who sings her wish to be free. She has two encounters with the Prince before getting caught by the Witch Scarlotta, having her hair cutted and exiled to the distant woods. She reunites with the Prince, who has been turned into a blue bird (i see what you did there, screenwriters), and breaks the spell over him with her tears. She should smell more onions to cry and bottle those tears, that can be very usefull.

08º Tisha Campbell in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995)

In the bayous of Louisiana, Rapunzel is taken from her parents by Zenobia the Hoodoo Diva (played by Whoopi Goldberg, by the way), who seeks to make her a protege and shows her such neat tricks as voodoo dolls and shrinking her head down. Rapunzel is reluctant to do this when she sees Zenobia is hurting innocent creatures. Rapunzel soon attracts a handsome Creole prince, who must rescue Rapunzel and reunite her with her parents, but Zenobia seeks to thwart the interloper. One of the first african-american portrayals, this kind yet rebellious encarnation is a refreshing take on the character, and that is why she takes the Eight Place here.

07º Mandy Moore in Disney’s Tangled (2010)

After her mother dranked a tea made of a magical flower, Rapunzel was born with a magical hair that is able to heal any desease and rejuvenate anyone who touches it. Because of that, she was kidnapped and emprisoned in a Tower by Gothel, who raises Rapunzel to be insecure and afrayed of the outside world. But her curiosity is more powerfull, and with the guidance of a thief named Flinn Rider, the young lady escapes the Tower and goes on a journey to discover both what is scary and what is beautifull on the outside world with her own eyes, along the way captivating people with her merry and spontaneous personality, wich gives her the Seventh Place on this list.

06º Pamela Winslow Kashani in American Playhouse: Into the Woods (1991)

The lady who originated the role in the Broadway stage musical. Like Mackenzie Mauzy, Pamela Winslow Kashani brings the beauty, the grance, the melancholy and the anger to the role, but with an extra touch of energetic humour, taking advantage of the fact that she is in a stage show and getting intense as possible. That humour in the First Act  is what makes her PTSD and tragic death in the Second Act all the more heartbreaking. Plus, she probably has the most beautifull singing voice ever gaved to a Rapunzel encarnation, and sometimes that is enough to earn a place in my rankings.

05º Mitsuko Horie/Lara Cody in Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics (1988-89)

This encarnation has a tragic backstory, having been forgotten by her parents after they received a memory spell from the Witch and they had three more kids after her. She is raised in the Tower as the Witch’s granddaughter, and develops a great talent to play the harp. Is the sound of that harp that attracts the atention of the Prince, who comes to the tower and conquers Rapunzel’s love. Sadly, when they are making plans on how to take her away from the Tower, the Witch sees the Prince climbing down, so she cuts Rapunzel’s hair and beats her till unconsciousness before exiling the poor young woman in the desert, where she learns to survive while raising the son that she conceived with the Prince, who searches for Rapunzel despite being blinded by thorns.

04º Luisa Wietzorek in Sechs Auf Einen Streich (2009)

This adaptation gives some interesting touches to Rapunzel’s story and character: until age 12, she lived a nomadic life, travelling in Gothel’s donkey pulled cart. But one day Gothel spots Rapunzel talking with a young boy, and decides to lock her in the Tower, where there is a magic golden haircomb that makes Rapunzel’s hair grow to be used as a ladder by her adoptive mother. Years pass, and the destiny brings the Prince, who was the young boy of the pass, to the Tower where the now grown up Rapunzel lives, and she has to face a dilema: continuing to live in the Tower, that brings the feel of comfort and safety, or taking risks and running away to freedom with the Prince she fell in love with.

03º Kelly Sheridan in Barbie as Rapunzel (2002)

This was my first animated adaptation of the fairy tale, and still is my favorite. In this movie, while giving some painting lessons to her little sister, Barbie tells a version of the Rapunzel story to encourage her creativity: kidnapped as a baby by the Witch Gothel, Rapunzel was raised as a house maid, receiving constant verbal mistreatments. But, thanks to her friendship with a rabbit named Hobie and a dragon cub (who still needs to learn how to fly) called Penelope, and her love of painting, the young long haired lady never lets her spirit be broken, always dreaming of someday go to live free in a castle by the sea. One night, she is surprised to find a haircomb that turns into a magic paint brush, wich can make a portal where she can escape and explore the ouside world, and in her first journey, she meets and falls in love with the dashing Prince Stefan, while asking him to not his name to her, because she is afrayed of being forced to tell it to Gothel. And she doesn’t stay long, because she fears that Gothel will get revenge on Hugo, Penelope’s father, for her escape. Talk about having a great sense of altruism, who wouldn’t want to have this lady as their best friend?!

02º Sylvia Wolff  in Rapunzel oder Der Zauber der Tränen (1988)

This german TV Movie combines the tale of Rapunzel with another, more obscure tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, called Maid Maleen. In this version, Rapunzel growed up very acustomed to the comfort and rich life provided by the Old Witch, using a magic reel to roll her hair in and make it grow to be used as a latter. Even tough she is in love with Prince Mathias, she is afrayed of going to the outside world. Later, not being enough that the Old Witch discovers her secret, cuts of her hair and blinds Prince Mathias, the King, after learning the existence of a maiden in the tower who becamed the love of his son, orders his troops to search the tower and seal its window, because he wants Mathias to marry another neighbour princess he arranged for him! Fortunally one of the soldiers takes enough pity to let a loose brick so Rapunzel can breath. She tries to use the point reel to scratch the clay that glues the bricks, and after cutting herself in the reel and crying over it, the reel regains magic, floating, opening the bricks, helping her to escape  to the outside world and search for her beloved Mathias...

And my Number One favorite portrayal of Rapunzel is:

01º Shelley Duvall in Faerie Tale Theatre (1983)

There were some small changes made in some detailles of the story (radishes replacing rampion to be more familiar with international, non german audiences,  insinuation that the Peasants Wife’s craving of the vegetal was a spell purposefully cast by the Witch, Rapunzel being traped in the Tower at adulthood instead of age twelve and a talking parrot/macaw that tells the Witch of the Prince’s visits), but as a whole, this is probably the most faithfull adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale, and is all the more benefited for it, specially Rapunzel’s character, portrayed by the shows herself, Shelley Duvall. Duvall presented a very sincere passion for the source material, and in her performance, she showed a deep understanding of Rapunzel’s character and why she resonates with so many people: her rebeliousness, her curiosity, her romanticism, her inteligence, her quiet strenght, her resilience and her sense of hope, all of those qualities that the Grimm’s described in their heroine, are all there! When i watch this episode of Faerie Tale Theatre, i don’t see an actress playing a role, i see an icon of my childhood coming to life!

And that is why Shelley Duvall in Faerie Tale Theatre is whom i consider my definitive Rapunzel.

[jimlingss]

Moirai [7]

Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 [Finale]

➜ Words: 6.6k

➜ Genres: 60% Fluff, 40% Angst, Isekai!AU

➜ Summary: Death is supposed to be the end. Or at least that's what you assumed when you're hit by a TRUCK. But the moment you open your eyes again, instead of being sent to the afterlife, you've become a baby. And not just any baby. You're the female villain of a video game.

         ❇ Royal Romances Chapter 3 -Prince Route- ❇   The darkness is pitch black. It’s heavy. Comforting. Eerie. All at the same time.   Anastasia lurks within the shadows, looking both ways with a flickering oil lamp carried in hand. She darts her head down the long corridor and when there isn’t a soul in sight, she sneaks past the archway before pressing her palm against a stone brick behind a marble pillar. There’s a shift, gears spinning and the wall pulls back and to the side, tucking itself in.   She enters through the hidden passageway and the wall seals itself shut again as it never opened.   The cobblestone spiral stairs are dusty and dank without a single window. She cringes and bats her hand in front of her nose, damning him for choosing such an awful place to meet. Who knows what’s down here!   Ugh. A bastard son born will be a bastard life lived.    No amount of effort can make someone noble if they weren’t already born with it. She doesn’t know why she was expecting that man to be dignified.   “I didn’t think you would come so soon.”   The King’s bastard son stands at the landing of the stairs. The spiral staircase seems to descend further behind him, but she isn’t curious to where it leads.   “Hmph.” She turns away, lamp still in hand, and she pulls her shawl closer to her. “I already made up my mind. I want to get rid of that orphan whore, so I’ll do whatever it takes. She dares to try to seduce my fiancé when she doesn’t even know her place.”   The corner of Taehyung’s thin lips curl. “Then by all means, I’ll erase that problem for you.”   The Duke’s daughter turns and her eyes glimmer with intrigue.   The man reaches into the sleeve of his cloak and hands her a tiny vial of green liquid. An emerald jewel on the cap shimmers against the dim candlelight that casts their ominous shadows on the walls.   “It’s poison. One drop in the Empress’ tea cup and you can frame her for it. That’s all it’ll take.”   Anastasia smirks, a rush of air leaving her nose in satisfaction. It might be easier just to dip the tip of a dagger in and stab that wrench with it, but framing her would make Jungkook lose his trust in the girl. He wouldn’t look at her twice. And she’d be executed without the real perpetrator ever being implicated in the crime.   She takes the vial, holding onto it carefully. Yet her eyes flicker up to Taehyung’s. “What’s in it for you?”   “All I want is the empire’s wealth.”   ….. .. .            ❇ Royal Romances Chapter 7 -Prince Route- ❇   Punishment does not come in the form of her stripped title or even her head rolling away from her neck. Punishment arrives in the darkened loneliness. That loss of sanity that whisper she has failed to capture the attention of the only person she ever loved. That she failed to make him love her.   Everything she did, it drove him away.   Every act of love placed distance between them.   Everything.   Liberation comes back with the music of trumpets muffled by the stone walls. “What’s going on?” her voice is hoarse through her parched throat. The servant screams when her arm reaches past the bars to tug on the girl’s dress. Her eyes are bleary as she looks up at the girl. “Why is it so noisy?”   “T-The civil war’s over.” The girl backs away and the celebrations become more distinct with the realization. “The villain is dead.”   The girl withdraws into the cell and cackles rip through her lungs, resounding across the empty chambers. The servant scurries away as the knight huffs out through his nose and shakes his head. But it’s the best news she’s received since she’s been stowed away.    That bastard son — Taehyung.    He was a liar. He tried to kill her beloved Jungkook. He dared to try and replace him. But no amount of effort can make someone noble if they weren’t already born with it.    A bastard son born will be a bastard life lived.    She may have been condemned as his accomplice — she may have been used as his pawn, too blinded by her own affections to realize. But she is mad with joy that she will not die alone.    She can only hope he died a cruel and painful death.   Anastasia cackles again.

You gasp.   Your entire body jolts and you tear yourself up into an upright position. The covers pool in your lap, your white nightgown stuck to your back slick with cold sweat. You press your palm on your forehead, focusing on studying your heaving breath. It was just a nightmare.   Or rather, it was scenes from the original game. The way it was supposed to be.   It felt so real. As if you were Anastasia and those choices and decisions were the ones you made.   The door opens and the maid entering is startled to see you already awake. “Good morning, my lady. It’s still quite early….”   There’s no way you can return to sleep after that. “Today’s a busy day so I’ll get ready now.”   The maid nods and follows after you to the vanity. “Lady Devon has a lilac gown prepared for you today, my lady. The late Queen wore the same colour during the inauguration of the last Head Priestess.”   “Shouldn’t everyone wear it then?”   “Of course not.” The young servant smiles as she runs the brush through your hair. “Only the future queen should.”   Pft. Yeah right. It’s a ridiculous idea that you would ever be queen. Anastasia never had the chance in any route or lifetime and you doubt you will either.   But rather than changing the dress like you normally would, your hand tightens in your lap.   “Bring it to me then.”   As the future Crown Princess, you’re dolled up by several maids. Your tutor paces back and forth, commanding the flurry around you on each of their actions, from a strand of your hair out of place to a loose thread sticking out. Your cheeks are powdered in a soft pink and your lips are painted in the same cherry blossom shade. You feel like a Barbie being dressed up and not in a good way. But thankfully, the dress is simple for the occasion and your hair is plainly clipped back on both sides.    It isn’t a ball after all where people are going to be flaunting themselves. The next two days marks the inauguration of the new priestess. It’ll be a day of celebration and then a day of solemn prayer and song at the empire’s largest cathedral.   Aka, it’s going to be boring as hell.   Once you’re free from outstretched hands touching your body and making sure you’re a photoshopped version of yourself without the photoshop, you head to the gardens for a breath of air. And also to escape Lady Devon’s lectures of how you should ideally behave.   But by now, you already know what she wants to say.   Don’t chew with your mouth open. Keep your back straight. Don’t back talk to your elders. Most importantly, don’t speak to Tae—   “Anastasia!”   The corner of your mouth tugs. “Lucy.”   You shouldn’t be so happy to see the heroine of this story. Not when her existence naturally opposes yours and you purely forged a friendship for your own self-preservation.   But somewhere along the way, you found that she’s the only female who doesn’t look at you any differently. She doesn’t smile just to make you happy. She doesn’t call you just because she has something to gain. Unlike so many others, you know she has no intention of using you.   The girl doesn’t have ulterior motives. Unlike you.   “Good morning.”   “Morning.” You meet her between the bushes of peonies on the cobblestone path. “What are you doing here so early? The play doesn’t start for another three hours.”    “I didn’t want to be late, but I guess I came earlier than expected.” Her smile is sheepish and she lifts her arm, a single white lily held in her fingertips. “I saw this on my way here. I heard it was lucky to have white lilies on the day of the Head Priestess’ inauguration ceremony, so…”   You take her gift. “Thank you.”   The petals are delicate and the fragrance is subtle enough that you lift it to tickle your nose. It’s then and there, while you’re twirling the stem with your fingertips, that you notice a gaze upon you.   By sheer coincidence and coincidence only, it seems like Taehyung was seeking refuge in his corner of the garden again and ran into you. The corner of his mouth lifts, distance kept yet he’s somehow close. You can’t pretend that he’s not there.   Your eyes have locked together.   Immediately, you grab Lucy’s hand and turn to her. “You have no one to accompany you to the Eastern Cathedral tomorrow, right?”   “Uh…”   Before she can answer, you take her to the dark-haired man and smile cordially at him. “Good morning, Your Highness.”   “Anastas—”   “This is Lucienne from the House of Liza.” You drag the girl to your side and she murmurs a timid greeting to him. “I’m sure the two of you must’ve met each other a few times. She has no one to accompany her tomorrow.”   “Anastasia.” Lucy shifts to you. She’s visibly uncomfortable, her brows knitted together, fingers rubbing the skirt of her dress. “It’s quite alright, I don’t need anyone to—”   “Nonsense,” you interject with another friendly smile. “It must be lonely to go by yourself. I’ll be busy with Prince Jungkook. It’s important that you get to know others as well. You shouldn’t latch onto the Prince all the time.”    She’s visibly taken aback at your insinuation. It’s not like you want to be so blunt, but there has to be no room for refusal. This is the only way.   It’s no longer about trying to avoid the three of them. It’s no longer about bringing Lucy and Jungkook together and remaining on the sidelines. If you want to save Taehyung too, you need to use the only person who can do so.   You’ll find other ways to save yourself.   But Taehyung needs her.   “I…”   Your voice remains firm. “You should go with Taehyung.”    Lucy is the heroine of this game. It’s possible that they can end up together instead. She can comfort Taehyung, change his mind about revenge, ease his suffering, rid his grief. She’s the only one who can clear the darkness stowed inside of him.   They don’t know it, but you do.   You push her towards him. The girl stumbles from the loss of her footing and he steadies her by her shoulders.   “S-Sorry!”   “It’s fine,” he brushes off quickly and then turns his head, eyes boring holes in you. “What are you doing?”   Taehyung holds his gaze, searching your impassive expression and the corners of your mouth pulls stiffly. “I’m just joining two people who I think really suit each other. Oh, look at the time! I should leave before I’m late for my morning greeting to my fiancée. I’ll leave the both of you to it then.”   You curtsy hastily and spin around to walk away.   But Taehyung is three steps ahead of you.   His strides are long and he overtakes you easily, stopping your form far away enough that it’s out of Lucy’s earshot. He grabs your arm, pulls you back and stares deeply into your eyes. His frown deepens.   “Is this because of what I did that night of the feast?” he asks in a quiet murmur that makes you swallow hard. You don’t want to be reminded of that. Not now. Not when you’re trying to pay back the favour of saving your life by saving his. “Anastasia, I meant everything I said that night. I meant everything that I was about to do—”   You interrupt him, not wanting to hear anymore of it. It shouldn’t be this hard.   “It’s not that.” You stare directly into his pupils, unwavering in your gaze. “I have to go now.”   You brush past him and don’t glance over your shoulder, even when the temptation is overwhelming.   It really shouldn’t be this hard. You know the future. You know what’s entailed in their destiny.   But why does it seem like you’re making all the wrong choices.   //   Your knuckles rap against the surface. There’s a muffled ‘come in’ and you open the door.   Jungkook is getting ready in front of the mirror. His cape is being pinned perfectly on his back, navy blue jacket with ribbons and golden buttons making him look like the picture perfect prince of every Disney movie. It’s no wonder all the ladies constantly swoon when he passes.   To you, he’s always been that doe-eyed boy afraid of ladybugs. But marrying him wouldn’t be so bad. You’re sure it would be a good marriage. At least one full of respect and mutual understanding.   It would be better than half the marriages in the twenty-first century that ends in divorce.   Jungkook looks at your reflection in the mirror. “Anastasia. What brings you here?”   “I have matters to discuss, Prince Jungkook.”   “Very well.” He looks to the attendants beside him. “Please bring in refreshments.”   “There’s no need.” You quickly stop them and the man in front of you turns, visibly surprised at your rejection of sweets and tea. It’s the main reason why you come to visit each other after all. “This’ll be quick.”   They bow their heads and the doors shut a moment later, giving you and Jungkook privacy.   He pinches the hem of his sleeve. “Did you get in trouble with your tutors again?”   “Jungkook.” Your voice is solemn, your expression even more serious. He looks up and the corner of his mouth falls into a straight line. He follows you to the sofa and sits across from you.   “What’s the matter?” He’s frowning, worried about your changed demeanor.   You take a deep breath, bracing yourself. “We should solidify our engagement as soon as possible.”   Jungkook’s eyes widen. “W...what? Why so sudden?”    “Is it?”   “You’ve never been interested in being queen before.” His eyes narrow in on you and his brows furrow more. “Is this about the Duke and Duchess? Are they rushing you?”   “No.” You shake your head. “This is about me. It’s about us.”   “But this isn’t like you, Anna.”   “Why is it so surprising?!” Your voice is pitched and instead of anger, frantic desperation seeps in. You don’t know why everyone has to make it so difficult for you. “We’ve been engaged since our childhood! It’s only natural to move ahead. Who else are you supposed to marry—?!”   As the words come out of your mouth, it slaps you right back in the face: you’re falling into the same pattern as Anastasia.   Demanding the prince to marry you. Being blunt. Curt. Upset.   It’s so easy. It was as if your entire life was set up to be the villainess.   Oh god. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know what the answer is. You don’t know what choice to make to wind down the best path—   “Anna!” Jungkook calls you for the fifth time in the midst of your meltdown.   You lift your head to find him sitting beside you, his hands firmly squeezing your shoulders. He’s asking you if you’re alright, if you need a healer or some rest to clear your mind. He’s saying how the two of you can talk about this later. But you don’t want later. It’s always been later.   Making choices now for later.   Making plans now for later.   Everything you’ve done is for later down the line and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to reap the benefits or find the happiness you were so desperate to have when you died the first time.   Now. You want someone to shoulder your burdens with right now.   “Jungkook, what if….what if I told you I was from another world and I know the future of this world?”   “What?”   You swallow hard and meet Jungkook’s doe eyes. He searches your visage, unable to comprehend where this is coming from, where you’re going with this. “What if...the only way to save Taehyung is through Lucy? The only way is if they fall in love and she saves him.”   He’s completely lost on that. “Taehyung? What does he need saving from? Who told you he needs to fall in love with her? What?”   Your mouth opens, but you don’t know where to start, how to explain, if he would even believe you in the end. “You just need to trust me, Jungkook. I know things you don’t.”   “I...don’t understand what you’re talking about.” There’s a simmering pause between the pair of you and Jungkook looks carefully at your profile. Then his lips part to speak forbidden words— “Are you in love with Taehyung?”   It’s your turn to be confused. Befuddled. Taken aback.   And Jungkook must read the expression on his face, since he replaces your speechlessness with his own voice. “Otherwise, why would you care so much about him? You’ve never brought anyone up to me before. Not even your own parents, Anna, and I know they make things difficult for you. I’ve never seen you care about anyone else more than you care about yourself.”   You rise to your feet in an instant and turn your back on the man.   “That’s impossible. It’s impossible.”   “Why? I thought you always told me it was okay if we ended up falling in love with other peopl—”   “I said it was okay if you did. Not me.” You don’t get such a privilege. Jungkook is the protagonist, the hero. No matter what route it is, which way the story goes, he always wins. He will always live. But you will either die or be casted away. “It’s different.”   Jungkook has nothing to risk. You have everything.   “Anastasia.”   “Don’t change the subject. I came to tell you that we should move ahead with the engagement. There is no reason you should refuse, Jungkook.”    You turn and leave the room, ending the conversation there.   He doesn’t know. He makes it sound easy. But you can never be with Taehyung.   The Crown Prince’s fiancée and the bastard son. What a pair that would be.   As long as you’re living in this world, in this society, any relationship deeper than an acquaintanceship would bring disaster. It’s not as simple as falling in love, calling off the engagement, eloping together far away. This isn’t a fairy tale. This isn’t a romance narrative.   It’s life. A society that scrutinizes and shames. A culture that slanders names with scandals.   The Devereux house will fail anyway and you don’t care about soiling your reputation and being outcasted. But the King would deem it treasonous. The royal family’s reputation would be marred and ruined, and he would never accept that. He was already unhappy when Taehyung danced with you at the debutante ball, when Taehyung handed you the Hunt’s prize, when Taehyung rescued you from being kidnapped. And you cannot risk your life and Taehyung’s like that any more than you already have.   Jungkook is terribly naive if he thinks it could ever work.   //   The royal court is lively with warm drums and bright flutes that echo throughout the capital.   Famous minstrels and troubadours across the empire have come to perform for the King, having made their way through the streets in the morning for the commoners as well. He smiles in approval from his throne, the middle-aged priestess to be coordinated tomorrow seated beside him and the pair look to be enjoying the show.   Your parents are no exceptions either, seemingly relishing in the festivities. They’ve brought Edith and Joan in tow as part of their entourage, faces you never thought you’d miss. The former nods her head at you in silent greeting and the latter smiles, but you don’t get a chance to speak to either of them. Not when your parents have kept their distance.   It seems like the last incident has made them rethink their involvement in your affairs. And for that, you’re glad you’ve been granted a little more freedom.   Marquess, earls, counts, viscountess and barons seated around speak to one another in between performing acts, sipping on their wine as the afternoon sets into evening. Once in a while, laughter sparks through the courtyard and thunderous applause succeed performances.   But unlike them, you can’t enjoy it.   In spite of sitting next to Jungkook and visibly smiling, the space in-between the pair of you is tense and stiff. Lucy sits a few rows down from where she is beside her father and you can tell she’s uncomfortable with what happened earlier by her expression that never seems to ease.   All of it would be easy to ignore. If not for Taehyung’s gaze.   He’s standing in the corner against the stone walls that line the courtyard, inconspicuous but not to you. A glance at a crowd and you could still pick him out in an instant. But he doesn’t watch the play, doesn’t watch the musical performances or the acrobatics twisting around. He looks at you. As if that alone could figure out your intentions, like he could deduct what’s in your mind.   You don’t spare him a peek. Even when it’s difficult to resist.   You avoid him until the very end.   //   The moon is full, a perfectly round sphere that’s golden. Like a firefly amidst the blanket of stars. It isn’t brighter than the sun, but not any less beautiful.   Taehyung stares up at the horizon and then his eyes stray to marble railings. He floats up to your balcony and his feet touch against the white, stone flooring. He won’t let you run away.   The room is dark, but he makes out a lump in the bed that’s turning and twisting. Taehyung knocks against the glass door and the figure freezes before it moves a moment later.   Within a minute, the door opens and you emerge into the golden moonlight. “Taehyung? What are you doing here? You’re not allowed to be here,” you whisper harshly, looking both ways of the castle grounds while tugging the white, laced shawl around your shoulders closer.   “I had to come see you,” Taehyung gazes into your eyes tenderly and he leans down to capture your hand gently in his. The skirt of your nightgown flutters in the warm breeze. “I know there’s something wrong. Did Jungkook do something? Did he say something?”   You shake your head.   “Then why push me away?”   You turn from him, ripping your hand away from his grasps. “I don’t know what you mean.”   Taehyung grabs your arm and your head whirls back to him, eyes connecting. “You know exactly what I mean.”   “I’m engaged.”   “To a person you don’t even love.”   Your eyes widen and your brows furrow. “You don’t know that.”   “I love you.”    It’s a bold confession spoken from his lips, his deep timbre that doesn’t lack any sincerity.    An earnest proclamation that has your heart stuttering in your chest, your breath hitching in your throat. Your heartbeat is thunderous in your ears and something stirs in the pit of your stomach at the sorrowful expression Taehyung looks at you with. He murmurs, “I was going to take that secret to the grave, but I can’t stand by and watch you like this. I love you. Be with me.”    Be with me.   A three word plea. Whispered secretly on a full-moon night. An affection full of warmth that you never had the privilege of receiving before in your past life or this life. Until now.   You never thought it would be like all those cheesy movies — Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice, the Notebook. But nope. They’re right. When you hear a love confession, when you hear someone say ‘I love you’ and ‘be with me’, it really does make you overwhelmingly happy.    It makes you want to cry. It makes you want to hug him, kiss him, throw your arms around him and scream ‘yes’. It makes you imagine the rest of your life, growing old with someone you love.   But you stagger away from Taehyung. No.   No. It can’t be. He can’t love you. No.   You aren’t Juliet. Elizabeth Bennet. Allie.   This isn’t your love story. You aren’t the main character. And this most certainly won’t have a happy ending.    Taehyung was never supposed to love Anastasia.    This is a mistake. An accident. Repercussions to your actions.   “Don’t mistake sympathy for feelings of love.” You surprise yourself at how stern your voice sounds, never once wavering. You suppose years of growing up in the Devereux household and being put under rigorous training allowed you to control your exterior well. “I don’t love you. You don’t love me, Taehyung.”   “You’re wrong.” He steps forward, closing the distance, as firm as you are. “I’ll even fight for the throne if you want. I’ll fight Jungkook if that’s what it takes for you to be by my side—”   “No!”    The scream echoes in your own ears, loud and shrill enough to bring alarm. “Please. Don’t. Don’t.”   It’s then and there, in the throes of his reckless promises, it slams into you — the realization of how desperately you don’t want to see Taehyung die.   You don’t want to witness his tragic ending. And you don’t want him to do it for you.   Taehyung’s expression is crumpled in anguish and his arm lifts, hand extending. The pad of his thumb tenderly wipes away the tear that’s streaked down your cheek. The corner of his mouth upturns, but the sorrowful smile never reaches his eyes. “Do you hate the idea of being with me that much that you’re crying?”   “No...Taehyung…”   He withdraws. “I’m sorry.”   Taehyung gazes at you and then he shuts his eyes, falling backwards off the balcony. You cry out in absolute terror and your legs lurch forward towards the railings. Your arms snap out to grab him, but your fists merely catch the passing wind.   He’s vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but traces of magic in the air.   You collapse onto the floor, grasping at the banister as sobs wreck through your body. “T-That’s...not...i-it—”   The matter of life or death should be simple. The choices should be easy. But you don’t know why each path you choose has its own tragedy, why happiness never seems to come.   Why can’t you control your own destiny?

A wheeze tears from the bastard son’s mouth.   His ruined hands are wrapped around his silver staff until his bloodied knuckles have morphed white. But it’s his leverage, keeping him standing on his shaking legs. He may have lost but he refuses to collapse until his last breath has been taken. His pride won’t allow him otherwise.   “Why?”   He lifts his head and locks eyes with the impassive Prince, dignified and noble. A hero to all. A brother who he never deemed as a brother. Only in blood and never truly in name.    “Why did you do this?”   The corner of Taehyung’s mouth curls. Even on the battlefield when they are both armoured and armed with weapons — in the moment of death — Jungkook is as oblivious and ignorant as when he was a mere child.    Taehyung spares a thought as to what it feels like to be that naive. He concludes it is a privilege.   “W-hy….d..o...you...think?”   The Forgotten Prince’s feet sinks into the mountain of brittle bones. He had to bring the dead back to life through necromancy to build an army for this war. No one would fight on his side after all. No one’s ever wanted to fight on his side.   But even so, he was never able to bring himself to revive his mother.   But it’s foolish he didn’t. She may have just been a marionette doll with tangled strings, a simple outer shell of a real human being, but he regrets not doing it. He should’ve.   Even if it was just to see her for a moment.   But it is a regret too late. He has another wish he wants to achieve in these last moments.   Taehyung chokes out that girl’s name.    He didn’t know he would have feelings for her. He was simply intrigued. Anything that belonged to his brother was always something worth envy. And he wasn’t wrong. She was a pawn on the opponent’s side who turned out to be more valuable than the queen.   “P-Please….” Blood curdles at the back of his throat, thickening his words into pathetic sputters. “Let me...see her….on.e….las...t….tim..e…”   “I’ll never let you see her.”    The Prince’s hands tighten on the handle and he rips the sword out of his abdomen in a single motion. The sound of silver cuts sharply through the air and Taehyung drops to his bruised knees. His own blood has splattered across his visage, scarlet drenched on ashy skin.   The Prince stands tall, the very furrow of his brows jarring against the cold, cordial expression he maintains. It’s an expression of contempt, of hatred and indifference. His shadow looms over him, the status he was born with intrinsic in his sheer presence.    “All...I...ever..wanted….was to be you. To be...powerful...to have everything you have.”    The Forgotten Prince rests against his staff and shuts his eyes. He ponders for a mere moment if he will be able to see his mother after this. But if there is such a thing as an afterlife, it’s still unlikely that fate would grant him such peace and refuge.   “I...d..idn’t...want….to...be...aban..doned…”   The remnants of magic surges through his veins and with a weak flick of his wrist, Taehyung’s last magic summons the girl who had occupied his thoughts. She appears in front of him, manifesting with his spell, and she screams.   Jungkook calls out to her and they embrace. He holds her, covering her body with his arm.   The two of them look down at Taehyung in fear and disdain.    But her vicinity is enough for him. He wonders when he became this pathetic. Or if he was always this way as their villain.   Taehyung chokes on the blood curdling at the back of his throat, but his lips upturn into a smile.    He mouths her name and dies at their feet.   ….   Anastasia.   You wake up with a gasp tearing from your chest. Your breath heaves out of you and tears coat your cheeks and the pillow beneath your head. Most of all, your chest fucking hurts like your heart’s about to burst. So you call for a maid at the top of your lungs and within seconds, someone scatters in.   “My lady?”    “Water,” you croak and she nods.   A glass is presented in front of you within moments and you down the entire thing, able to calm yourself down once you’ve finished. The maid notices your sweaty form and asks if you would like to change clothes, but you wave her off and she leaves.   Your worst fear came to life in a nightmare.   Instead of calling the heroine’s name, Taehyung called yours.   //   The ceremony at the Eastern Cathedral is exactly like all other events and celebrations in the castle.   Boring. Tedious. Like sitting in a lecture hall with the most unenthused professor droning on about the art of paint drying. Except you have to slap a friendly smile on you, sit straight, make small talk and pretend you’re intently listening. You wish cardboard cutouts were a thing, so you could just slap a picture of yourself in your seat instead of having to deal with it.   But the entire ordeal keeps your mind from wandering about last night.    There’s something about pretending that you’re fine that makes you feel fine after a while. Like you’ve tricked your own self into being okay.   You’re even anxious once it’s over. Once the quiet has settled back in.   Many of the guests leave, viscounts and countesses bidding their farewells from the cathedral and getting into their carriages. After you’ve sent off Lady Devon and you’re free of her scrutiny, you quickly turn around to find Jungkook and get out of here.   The last thing you want is to run into Taehyung right now. You don’t know if you’ll be able to manage your reactions, control your expressions.   But on your way back, your attention is taken by an elderly priestess dressed in white robes with a cane, hobbling around. Her hands are outstretched and she bats the air. She’s blind.   “Excuse me, do you need help?”   “Oh, yes, please, that would be wonderful.” She smiles and the tens of wrinkles on her face crease. The old lady reminds you of your grandma and the corner of your mouth quirks. You take her hand and place it on your arm, guiding her. “I’m usually not so clumsy but I lost my way and had to re-orientate myself. You can just bring me into the side house, it should be on the West side of the cathedral grounds.”   You look around and spot it around the building. “It’s this way.”   “Are you here for the ceremony?”   “Yes, I am.”   “How nice, Emelisse will make a fine Head Priestess. Her holy magic is quite powerful.”   You hum and get to the smaller building within two minutes. The doors are already open, so you peek inside to see if anyone’s there to take the old lady, but there’s no one. “We’re here.”   The Priestess reaches out and grabs the door frame. She smiles and gets up the steps herself, but not before turning around. “Thank you. Not many people would personally aid me in this day and age, and for that I’m thankful.”   “It’s not a problem.”   It’s been a long time since you’ve been able to speak so casually to someone. But it’s relaxing to forget about your titles. You don’t have to be the Crown Prince’s Fiancée. The future Queen. Or the heir of the Devereux house.   You’re just Anastasia. Y/N. A mix of both that makes you you.   “Would you be willing to hear an old secret in exchange for helping me?”   “Uhhhhh…..” You glance over your shoulder. There’s no palace guards or Jungkook in sight.   You really don’t want to stick around for too long. But you remember your grandma got pretty lonely towards the end of her life and was willing to talk to door-to-door salesmen for a good hour or two until they wanted to run away and blacklist the house from their list. Bless her heart.   You decide to indulge the old woman, so you go along with it. “Sure.”   “I once knew a woman, a kind but poor woman. She was with child,” her voice croaks and you lean in closer, realizing it’s juicy gossip and it sparks intrigue. “The father of that unborn child wasn’t very happy to know that child was coming into existence, so she, worried, came to see her fortune and her child’s on the eve of the Solar Festival.”   The old Priestess holds the handle of her cane with both hands, placed in the middle of her body. She faces the sky, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin as she continues the story.   “She came to this cathedral and they told her about doom and her child’s inevitable doom. Desperate and heartbroken, she begged to find a way to deviate from such a fate. She wanted to do anything she could to change the predetermined destiny of her unborn child.”   Your brows furrow. You begin to wonder why she’s telling you this. “And?”   “She did a ritual of dark magic to search for a soul that would protect her son.” The old woman shakes her head. “She defied the laws of destiny itself without knowing the pain it would cause.”   “But through sheer will, she broke it!” The Priestess smiles, her voice having been a murmur drawing you in. “She found a fitting soul and that soul was sent to another dimension before this one to learn about what was to come, so that they could protect her son.���   You stagger back. Breath caught in your throat. Blood draining from your face.   There’s no way. It can’t be.   But everything aligns. It matches perfectly.   “W-What happened next?”   The woman hums a low note and you realize too late that she’s the former Head Priestess, the one who had just stepped down. “I’m not quite sure what the ending to that story is since that soul wrapped in dark magic is standing right in front of me.”   The former Head Priestess smiles gently and turns around, entering inside her abode. She leaves you standing rooted to the ground on your own as it dawns upon you —   It was all on purpose.   Being reborn into this world. Having memories of your past life. Being burdened with the knowledge of what fates there are, what the future holds. All along, it was to serve your purpose: to protect Taehyung.   Your destiny was entangled with him even before this lifetime.    But you’ve already failed. You let his mother die. And now his own time is running out.   You turn around. The urge to see him overwhelms your very being. You have to tell him how you really feel. You’re not just Anastasia. You’re Y/N. And you won’t allow the original storyline to confine your choices anymore.   None of this was an accident. You weren’t messing anything up. None of your actions, your feelings or his are wrong. Nothing was a mistake. You’ll find a way to save Taehyung, to be with him.    You have to.   In the south courtyard of the cathedral, by sheer coincidence and coincidence only, you see him there. Of all the places of these vast grounds where he could be, you still found him.   “Taehyung!”   You call out to him and he turns at the sound of your voice. But then your smile falls. Your feet slow. By coincidence, an arrow soars towards him, slicing through the air.   You shout at the top of your lungs and Taehung whips his head around. The tip of the arrow freezes an inch away from his nose and clatters to the ground through his magic. But then five more arrows splits the sky and flies towards him. Taehyung dodges, stops another, but one catches him in the arm.   He sharply inhales.    A scream of his name tears from your throat.   Taehyung winces and rips the shaft of the arrow out of his skin. He looks at the tip before throwing it away. He can feel the poison spreading in his veins, bleeding inside of his body. It inhibits his magic and before he can yell at you to get away, another arrow spirals in the horizon.   He shuts his eyes. Taehyung feels an impact. But the pain never comes.   His eyes shoot open, brows knitting together and his mouth draws open when he sees you.    Your arms have wrapped around his body in a warm embrace, shielding him away, protecting him like you were meant to. The end of the arrow has pierced into your shoulder.    But you can’t feel it.   Taehyung shouts your name and you collapse. He holds your body in his arms, cradling your head against his shoulder as he screams from the pit of his stomach for help. And you watch him through foggy eyes, a smile gracing your lips.   You’re glad he’s not hurt.   Your hand slowly lifts to caress his cheek and he looks at you.   “I….fi..nally came….on time, Tae...hyung.”

[pendragonfics]

a strange fear gripped me (and i just couldn't ask)

- ̗̀  Bruce Banner Bingo 2019  ̖́-

Paring: Bruce Banner/Reader

Square filled: wedding day 

Tags: female reader, post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Happy Hogan is a Good Bro, Uncle Happy Hogan, Professor Hulk, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Post-Canon Fix-It

Summary: At the Stark house by the lake, Morgan organises an event for her toys, inviting you and Bruce Banner along.

Word Count: 2,419

Current Date: 2019-08-14

Work Text:

As per the invitation - handwritten, with the best penmanship that her gel pen could muster - you arrived at the back porch of Pepper’s house, wearing your nice outfit. You had been tempted to just turn up in normal clothes, but she’d have said over the phone in her most grown-up voice, that “weddings were for fancy clothes!”

The fanciest thing you had on hand was a black pair of slacks and a white top. You wondered if she minded if you were in the same colour as the bride, but then again, if she was being that strict, you’d be chastised for wearing pants. When you get to the house, Happy is sat on the front porch, in his usual suit. The only thing different is he’s wearing a handmade flower crown, the circlet slightly askew upon his balding head. He checks his phone, but as you near, he gives you a wry smile.

“Welcome to the wedding,” he says. His tone is dry as ever, but the fact that he’s playing along reminds you of all the years he humoured Tony with every finicky detail. “Invitation?”

You pass him the paper and notice he has another invitation beside his feet.

“Morgan roped in another person to play marriage with?” You ask.

Happy’s smile is wry. “That sounds about right.” He laughs. “But I’m under strict instruction not to disclose the guest list.”

You roll your eyes. “It seems like we’re equally wrapped around the kid’s finger.” You smile, noticing a trail of coloured in paper confetti. “I suppose that’s the way to the event?”

“Yep,” Happy pops the p. He gives you another smile and returns his gaze to the screen in his hands. “Enjoy.”

Stepping around him, you follow the litter of crayon on torn printer paper to mimic rose petals, to the rear of the house. You’d only been to the Stark house three times; when you came to check on Tony post-snap, and pre-Morgan, for her third birthday party, and … Tony’s funeral. If it weren’t for the fact that you’d promised to Pepper to be around more, for Morgan’s sake, you’d have a hard time being on the property.

Out the back has had a little girl makeover. It doesn’t matter that she’s the kid of a billionaire and the CEO of Stark Industries, there are sheets hanging from the rafters to mimic a tent, cushions sourced from the lounge room all over the garden path, and toys on the grass in a mock arrangement.

Hell, this almost looked like it was a proper wedding.

On the lawn was a pumpkin patch doll, one of those plastic robot dogs from the early 2000’s, a handful of Ken and Barbie dolls - it almost made you wonder which of the toys were getting hitched.

“Aunt __________!” Morgan cried out, running from inside the house. She almost tripped over the threshold, but incorporating her stumble into her step, you soon had a kid torpedoing into your torso for a tight hug.

“Hey, kiddo,” you muss her hair. “What’s crackalacking?”

“You’re so weird,” she chortles. “But you’re here now! We can make it happen!”

You peel off Pepper’s daughter from your form. “I hope I haven’t made you wait too long M. Traffic was horrendous.”

She laughs again. It’s nice to hear her laugh, even though it’s been less than a year since her dad passed away. “No, we haven’t waited long! But now you’re here we can have some fun!”

You watch as she runs as quickly as she came back into the house, and obscured by the security tint window, you stay where you stand, unsure what’s happening next. A beat passes, and you glance down to a Ken doll, naked except for a pair of pink board shorts. You’re sure you had the same doll as a kid yourself. But Morgan is quick in her movements, because not a minute later, you hear gentle protesting, and see...

Oh.

It had most certainly been a hot minute since you last saw Dr Bruce Banner.

Last time you saw him, it had been in Sokovia. The last time you were an actively serving Avenger. You’d broken it off with him because you knew what he and Tony were doing with the Ultron software was reckless, and after the fight against the bots, he flew off into the sun. You vaguely remember him when you materialised for the battle against Thanos, and he looked just like this.

“You’re looking a little green, doc,” you look over his body, unsure what you’re seeing. He was both Hulk...and Banner? To be honest, he looked like a DeviantArt fan nightmare, except there was a hint of sexiness that made you question your taste and life choices. “Morgan, what -,”

“Morgan, sweetie, why is _________ here?” Green Bruce said at the same time.

“For the wedding! And now you’re both here, don’t forget to have a good time.” She says, beaming.

You quietly take a perch on one of the three lawn chairs on the right. Bruce takes the other two.

As Morgan fussed over some dolls that had fallen over, you turn to Bruce, “Want to explain to me why you’re all spinach, no puff?” You whisper.

“I’m, er, - they call me Professor Hulk.” He replies. Even though he’s built like that, his voice is still hesitant. “My physical state is an equilibrium of all parts of my psyche.”

He sounds like Bruce, and smiles like Bruce, but...he doesn’t look like Bruce at all.

You scoff quietly. “I don’t know if you’re taking constructive criticism, but -,”

The music starts up. In her small hands, Morgan holds an Iron Man helmet, a mark you recognise from one of Tony’s earlier designs. From the open mouth, it plays a wedding march, and she approaches the both of you. It would look comical, but she held it like a motorcycle helmet, beside her overalls-clad side.

“Hey, stand up!” She stage-whispers, and you and Green - no - Professor Hulk follow her instruction. Ushering you both around, she places the helmet on a chair and picks up the cabbage patch doll from the ground.

It’s only when she starts reciting some words - familiar because you’ve been to a fair few ceremonies over the years - that you realise what’s happening.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to make Aunt _________ and Uncle Bruce get married-,”

Professor Hulk’s eyes are wide. “Woah, woah, Morgan -- you can’t marry people.” He says, hands raised as if to placate the eight-year-old before you. “I - we didn’t agree to be married.”

“But it’s a wedding!” Morgan reasons. “You’re here to married.”

“Do you have a license?” You ask, bewildered.

From the pocket of her overalls, she withdraws a printed A4 sheet. “Yeah!” She passes it to you. It’s from a kid’s website, printed in pink ink that reads, in Comic Sans font, Morgan Stark is a cool girl and a cooler marriage officiant! beside the coolgirlgames dot com smiley face logo. You show the sheet to Professor Hulk, and slowly, he wipes a hand over his face. “Don’t you like it?”

“It’s a - a cool license, but Morgan, _________ and I didn’t agree to be married.”

She looks almost like she’s about to cry.

You take the silence as an opportunity to speak up. Lowering yourself to your knees, you gather Morgan in for a hug, holding her close. “Uncle Bruce is right, sweetheart. I - we might have felt the same feelings that people who get married do — but that was a long time ago, and we both changed.”

Morgan sniffs, wiping at her eyes. “But Mommy said that true love lasts forever.”

“You wanted to get married?” Professor Hulk asks you, bewildered.

You glance over your shoulder, taking him in. He looks like Hulk’s nerdy cousin, and if it weren’t for the fact that Bruce’s eyes were looking out from that face, you wouldn’t be able to recognise him.

“I would have said yes if you asked,” you mumble. “… but you never did. And then there was the whole Ultron thing, and next thing I know you’re AWOL, and -,” you feel tears pricking at your eyes. You blink them away, determined not to cry. “But like I said. People change.”

The door opens again, and Pepper Potts steps out. She’s always been a strong woman, and even in her own home, she’s wearing an LBD and heels, her crisp strawberry blonde hair ironed to perfection. All of this you notice in a fraction of a second, because her façade is broken when she sees her daughter, crying in your arms.

“Oh my goodness Morgan, you-,” she takes the scene in, dismounting the porch toward her daughter. Pepper’s heels wobble on the path, and Morgan flies into her arms. “I thought this was for your toys, I said -,”

“But they love each other,” Morgan pleads, sniffing.

Pepper leads her daughter inside, perhaps to give her a stern talking-to. You wondered briefly if you had made the incident worse, but those thoughts were dashed as soon as you felt a hand upon your shoulder. Looking up, you take him in. At this angle, you feel as if you’re Morgan; Professor Hulk towers taller than the average adult, taller than the lofty Pepper Potts. Looking at him, you feel dwarfed, like a deer in the headlights. Bruce should know better than to be a fusion of Hulk around you; you had such a good relationship with the green guy, and you missed him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you plead, shrugging off his hand.

“You wanted to marry me?” Bruce’s voice crackles.

But you don’t answer him. It’s hard to, because your mind is racing, and your blood is running so fast that you can hear it in your ears, rushing around. You go to leave, but once again, Professor Hulk’s hand holds you back.

“Let me go.”

“_________-,”

“You don’t get to turn up and act like it’s okay to resume where we left off!” you raise your voice, wrenching your arm from his grip. But it’s tight, with all the strength that you remember the Hulk having. “You don’t get to just say that and act like you’re still in a relationship. Because I spent years searching for you. I did not stop. Do you know how fucking hard it was, feeling like a failure? And when I hung my boots up, you’re back on Earth, just to fight Thanos and muck around with your - your biology when that fails.”

If you were a cartoon, you’re sure that your ears would be smoking.

He lets go of your arm. You turn, pacing like a wild beast.

“I wasn’t sure how to say those things,” Professor Hulk whispers, “that you loved-,”

“I still love you, you idiot!” you yell.

You hear a silence fall across the lake house. From inside, where you’re sure that Pepper is trying to console her daughter, and Happy has perhaps moved out of earshot. The forest is silent, the wind dropping off. There’s no birdsong. There’s just the words that came from your mouth, echoing in both of your ears.

I still love you, you idiot!

You wipe a hand over your forehead, shocked that those words came out. Pinching at the bridge of your nose, you compose yourself, readying yourself to face Professor Hulk, and what he has to say to your outburst. But there’s a small part of yourself holding back. That can’t do it. Because that part is the lovestruck little person, the voice that made you search all of space and time and everything in between for the man you lost following Sokovia.

“_________,” he whispers.

“I - I’ve got to go,” you shake your head. But there isn’t a bone in your body that wants to move. You don’t move an inch, can’t move an inch, aren’t sure you ever will move an inch. “Bruce -,”

He gathers you in his arms.

It’s then you melt. You fold into his arms like a spool of cotton candy into a puddle, and he scoops you in, holding you tight. His smell is confusing, and yet, it’s the comfort of Hulk’s arms around you with Bruce’s temperament that feels like…home.

You look up; his neck craned toward yours, hesitant.

And almost like there hasn’t been any time lost between you both, you give in. Upon the balls of your feet, you reach up as far as you can, and, as soft as ever, your lips brush his cheek.

The strangest thing is, you don’t believe in miracles, or true love. That was just a story. You’d trained alongside Sam Wilson in the military, and with every gruelling day of work, there was no silver lining. Especially when Riley died. There was only the next day, and the day after that, and after the funeral, you filed for release from service.

It was a fluke that you were at Sam’s meeting the same day that the Captain America swung by. It happened to be a coincidence that you and Sam were able to help him, and Ms Romanov, with the HYDRA infestation within their government agency. It was chance that you and Sam were enlisted into the Avengers Initiative. It had been the best luck that you met Bruce Banner while training Upstate…and the worst luck that soon after, he disappeared into space.

And right now, before you, there was another sort of miracle, a moment that any other person in their life wouldn’t believe to be happening.

As Professor Hulk stood before you, there was a quirk, just like when you first encountered Hulk in his de-Hulking stage. You’re not sure how it happened, but with a ripple of skin, the shifting of his skeleton, and crackling of bone, Professor Hulk was getting smaller, less green, and more -

“I - What happened to me?” he says.

You can’t believe your eyes. Because just where Professor Hulk, a mix of both Bruce Banner and the gamma radiated creature within, was just standing, is now Bruce. Just Bruce. His clothes are too big, and his glasses too, and swimming in his clothes, he looks to you, unsure of what just happened.

“I’m sorry?” you supplement.

Morgan bursts out from the house, her once-teary face transformed into something of pure joy. “You’re Uncle Bruce again!” she cries out, jubilant. “It worked! It worked!”

You blink. “Oh, honey - Morgan, this was a coincidence, not -,”

“It was true love’s kiss!”

[californiadreaminghq]

Oh good, you made it!

Did you guys know Rhea was coming? She brought Lana May, The Lollipop! And just on time! Grab a drink, find a spot, and make sure you finish everything on the checklist. The band is just getting started – you have 24 hours to send in your account! We’re so glad you’re here!

I. OUT OF THE STUDIO

NAME/ALIAS: Rhea

AGE: 20

PRONOUNS: She/Her

                                               II. ON STAGE

DESIRED SKELETON: The Lollipop

NAME: Lana May

FACE CLAIM: Elle Fanning

AGE: 21

OCCUPATION: Backup Vocals/Keyboard for The Gemstones

                                             III. INTERVIEW

Answer the following questions in your character’s voice:

If you could do anything in the world for a living, what would it be?

‘‘Well i’m already doing it, you silly! This has always been my dream. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a member of The Gemstones? I’m young, I’m pretty and I get to sing and perform in such a wonderful band. What more could I want from life? I consider myself really blessed. Do you know how many other young girls come into this town with big hopes and dreams? But they don’t all get to sing and play like I do. So, I don’t want to be selfish. I’m truly happy with what I’ve got. But you know, if I weren’t famous, I’d probably be a seamstress just like my wonderful mama. I love fashion. I really do.’’

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

‘‘Truth be told, I’m really happy here in L.A. It’s the perfect place for me I think. But I guess maybe I’d go to New York City, I’ve heard it’s much bigger than all the cities here on the West Coast. It’d be a real adventure to get lost in New York. Or perhaps I’d go to Paris? I’ve only seen it on tv, but my oh my, it looks so glamours and chic. Audrey Hepburn makes it all looks so sweet.’’

What is one thing that makes you different than anyone else?

‘’My mom says it’s my smile. No other girl can smile like me. She says that the sparkle in my pretty blue eyes cannot be replaced with any jewelry. So, I guess maybe that? But everybody says that I remind them of cotton candy. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because of the way I dress. Does that count?’’

                                             IV. BACKSTAGE

Thumbelina emerged from a flower into this world, but Lana was created from the finest silk, sugar and gossamer - or so her mother’s bedtime stories oftentimes claimed. Born as Lana Mayor Young, she spent her idle childhood years in her hometown of San Francisco, as the only child of a local seamstress called Viola Mayor. The life of a single mother and a divorced woman had never been a fairy tale for Lana’s mother, but still the little Lana was loved and adored almost to the point of madness.

Vibrant dresses, heart-shaped sunglasses and pretty flowers in her flaxen hair, Lana lived a life most would be envious of thanks to her overprotective and caring mother. At school she was always among the favorite girls in class, simply drawing everyone in with her bubbly smiles, pretty eyelashes and saccharine personality that was practically contagious. Nothing ever seemed too hard or impossible for the young blonde; after all a girl with such a cherubic smile could solve any issue.

But when she wasn’t playing dress-up at her mother’s boutique store ( in hopes of imitating all the stunning clients ) or roaming around with her pretty Barbie dolls, Lana had the tendency to watch tv for hours upon hours and listen to the radio. There was something so undeniably entrancing about all the pretty girls in glittering dresses with shiny microphones in their delicate hands - and the way others looked at them made Lana all the more intrigued. They were revered and idolized and Lana almost immediately became enamored with the world of fame and music, and she wanted to be just like all the ladies on TV as singing in front of a tall mirror wasn’t enough for the little sweetheart.

And so it all started with the young blonde practically begging her loving mother with glistening tears in her eyes to let her join a local choir. At first, her mother had been rather reluctant to say yes to such a whimsical and peculiar wish, but then again saying no to Lana was practically impossible ( really, one cannot find a person strong enough to turn down such a delightful creature with bambie eyes ). Soon after that, she started attending regular practices and extra classes, hoping to improve her voice and make her wildest dream come true. But of course, it didn’t take her long to realize that being a part of a choir wasn’t even remotely similar to her perfect California dream.

However on one fateful sunny afternoon in Los Angeles ( while Lana and her mother were visiting one of her aunts ), a tall and older, but still rather handsome stranger in a black suit approached Lana, claiming she had the perfect face and personality for an upcoming band in his record label ( her voice was the least of his concerns ) and of course Lana was drawn to the whole idea like bees to honey. Convincing her mother was the hardest part in all of it, but too oblivious to see the potential troubles Lana almost immediately signed the pretty contract, more than ready to start a new glamorous chapter in her life.

And really, look at her now, with a new name that rolls off the tongue so smoothly, utterly fit for a stage. She has all she’s ever dreamed of and she lives inside of her pink little bubble, floating around like she’s in some silly dream. Her sweetness and charm are truly hard to ignore and she’s beloved and revered, but be aware my child, the sweetest apples are always the ones that start to rot first.

                                                 V. ENCORE

here’s a pinterest board !

[saeneras]

Marionette (Nicolae Bartholy) Chapter 2

Synopsis: Loss tugs him one way. Grief tugs her the other way. Just mere empty shells of former humans attached to strings mercilessly controlled by the past. It's the same darkness that forces them into each other's arms but can he resist her forever? And can she find what was lost? Will they love each other enough to cut their strings?

Nicolae focused on reading his newspaper, for once his father wasn't up to something, meddling in the city's affairs. "Like humans meddling..." he slammed the paper on the table, holding his head in his hands, frightened doe eyes haunting him.

"She wasn't meddling." loathing himself for what he did. "I need to apologize to her." he sighed but how? That white chemise accented her dark skin perfectly. It fit her snugly and through the cloth two dark brown points caught his eyes. Men of today loved a scantily clad woman but Nicolae loved them clothed. His imagination could run wild, thinking of what was waiting for him. Nicolae could undress her body. He couldn't undress her mind. Instantly his wandering thoughts stopped.

"Why this? Why now?" a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. Picking back up the newspaper he read the uninteresting celebrity gossip section. Anything to resist Selene, anything to forget his impending apology to her, anything to forget how much of an exotic treasure, waiting for him to come explore, she was.

The paper slammed again.

"I'm going crazy. That's it I'm mad."

"Is there a bug on the table?" shocked green eyes looked at him from across the table. Nicolae frowned. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to see you declare war against the table." Peter sat down, Bel Ami in hand.

"She's trying to brave this harsh world almost like a tiny mouse in a winter storm but the ice gets the better of her." Nicolae assumed it was from his book. "She's melancholia at it's finest Nicolae." Peter uttered quietly. "Lonely, sad, searching for something that won't be found. Be gentle with her Nicolae. Selene isn't a threat."

"Be gentle Nicolae." his consciousness warned. Nicolae easily saw himself wrapping her in blankets, holding her hand, giving her what she yearned for. He loved catering to the women in his life, his beloved mother, his dearly departed wife if he'd been blessed with a daughter he'd shower the little girl in love.

"How do you know this?" Nicolae glared at him but Peter remained unfazed. "I felt it." Envy bubbled within the older vampire soon it brewed into jealousy. "Jealousy is a mix of fear and anger." Nicolae thought. "Why do I fear this? Why anger?" Here Peter was reading the little beauty whereas Nicolae couldn't get anything out of her. His brother was the most sensitive of the three. "I'm afraid Peter and her will fall in love because he can read and connect with her on levels I cannot. If that happens I'll have to conceal my feelings and pretend I am happy for them when it's the furthest thing. I'm angry cause I will never have the chance because we are of different species and I ruined my chances if there ever was one."

He cleared his throat. "But I love my brother. If I need to force a smile for his sake, I will."

"That's impossible." he denied. "She's unreadable. When I try to glimpse into her mind there's nothing.

"She's like me." Peter simply replied.

"Someone cheated on her?" Nicolae's hands froze, clenching into fists. "That's ridiculous! She's...."

"Stunning?" Peter offered "Soft hearted?"

"She told you this?!"

"Nicolae. You're going too fast nor are you listening to yourself here. No one cheated on her as far as I know and I haven't met her but she stands in a pit, a dark one, she pays no attention to the light above her head because she can't see it. A large part of her is missing and those missing pieces are why there's no happy end in her story. If I could sense her better, I'd say she's a vampire as well."

"She's human, Peter. Humans have dark days too." Nicolae rubbed his temples, confused by everything his brother had just told him.

"You really weren't lying when you said you couldn't read her huh?"

xXx

SELENE POV

"Something else controlled me when I answered Nicolae. I was so scared he'd throw me out and I wouldn't have my second chance." fingers curled around the flaked edges of the book."I had to do it. Was it for Lorie or because I..I want to stay with her brother?"

Eyes closed, Selene transported herself to another world out in the hallway. She wasn't among the golden lamps and papered walls of the Bartholy manor but a grander home somewhere in London. Cinnamon pastries from downstairs smelt so good Selene could taste the sugar, somewhere Genevra slammed her windows and behind this door Phoebe would have been giggling playing with her dolls or whatever toys she wanted to play with it didn't matter.

"I just wanted you to stay alive." she whispered touching the door thinking about how much it weighed, wondering if an urn containing the ashes of her baby would weigh less or more. "Not the time Selene."

She practiced her smile, faking a closed one then a grin but in the end her face fell to the floor. "This isn't who I am." she smiled again but melancholic. "This isn't me."

Instead of the blue and purples she dreamt of for a little girl, her eyes were assaulted with pink. The lavish room set with princess like canopy bed, white furniture and cotton candy walls dotted with old pictures, sat a little girl. Round citrine orbs set in a round face complete with a cute button nose concentrated on her toy bunny. The bunny looked zombified, empty eye sockets, fur ripped out, the child lay it out flat on her barbie pink bed, rubbing her finger in between it's stubby legs, before adding two.

Smiling, butterflies filled her body with warmth. In front of this child Selene knew no fear, sadness or doubt, only adoration. Clutching the book. "I didn't give you life little one but here, you gave me back mine." vowing she'd protect and crush anyone or anything that hurt this girl, like any mother would do. For this angelic child, she'd easily make the choice to put her happiness over everything else. The scar on her tummy warmed up when she set those pretty eyes on Selene and held out a doll.

"Hello! My name is....."

"Can you sew and extension on my bunny rabbit?" the girl pouted not even bothering to introduce herself. "It needs to be longer right about here!" she declared touching where her fingers were just touching.

"Sur...." she then noticed where exactly she wanted the "third arm" right between's it's legs. Aghast Selene's throat produced no sound. "Is this just some child's innocent request? She couldn't...it can't be! She can't be asking for..for that? She's just a child." On her canopy bed Selene noticed a pile of grotesque stuffed toys all no better than her rabbit. They all looked demonic and tormented, missing parts, missing eyes except for one doll will long brown hair, balloon sleeves and a black vest.

"Oi! Stupid!" the child snorted, taking glee in herself as if she took great pride in her words. "My doll?"

Forcing herself to be cheery, her fake smile couldn't force itself. "Dear, your doll is fine! Why make your dolly even worse."

Lorie's face clouded over, the anger blazing behind her eyes. "MY DOLL NEEDS THIS! YOU ARE MY MAID YOU DO AS I SAY!" she screamed throwing her hands in the air.

"I won't give your doll a third arm" Selene placed her hands on her hips.

Lorie smirked. "A third arm? You're not even experienced." she taunted looking pleased with herself to have made the maid look like an idiot. "My brothers were right. Especially Nicolae when he said you were foolish."

"He said that?" masking her uneasiness and the dangerous song her blood began to sing.

"Of course." she grinned. "He thinks you're nosy, annoying and my big brother could eat you in one sitting but you'd taste awful. My taste is more sophisticated." she wrinkled her nose. "You're smelly and disgusting. No competition to me."

Laying back on her bed, she relaxed for a bit before acknowledging a dumbfounded Selene. "Ok dummy, read something to me." Selene held out the book with the story of the mother and baby mice. Lorie skimmed through the book wrinkling her nose before tossing it aside.

It pained Selene to see something precious given to her by Nicolae be tossed aside like trash. Made to be forgotten. She'd never forget...the story..her daughter.

"Lorie don't. That book belongs to Nicolae." she spoke timidly.

"Your hands touched it so it's trash now." the girl hopped off her bed reaching under it.

"Read this to me and explain it!" Lorie demanded sitting daintily on her bed once more. "A journal?" she thought. The pink leather and gold tipped pages looked elegant but when she flipped open the book, elegance was the furthest thing stuck on it.

A woman's back curved her bare breasts squeezed and fondled by a man tucked between her mouth as another man pummeled her from behind.

Another woman spread herself open, her rosy"lips" stretched apart by some kind of metal clamp as a burly man looked on.

A third woman's legs bent over head like a doll on the bed while two masked men took her.

Her fingers shook, the book fell from her hands hitting the floor. Lorie screaming how useless and dumb she was faded to the background in her shock.

"She's six! She's six!" her mind screamed "She shouldn't be reading or know about these things!"

"Lorie!" she scolded the child, suppressing the urge to frown and look upset. "You're not supposed to read these things! I am going to tell your brother!" she threatened.

"Tell me what?" a casual, uninterested voice asked from the doorway. A tall, pale blonde with predatory, amber eyes bored intensely into hers. Selene stepped back, intimidated. The fiery gaze latched on to her body like a insect in a spider's web, she struggled to tear away but he wouldn't let her. White long sleeves crossed in front of his well built physique, he darted his eyes away from her gaping mouth and wide eyes to look at the pornographic book on the floor.

Smirking, those frightening eyes landed back on her and a terrifying chill froze over her body.

"Is this what you are showing my sister?" he asked with a smirk, his voice deep and casual but the dark and dangerous almost accusing undertones were present.

Turning to Lorie, the girl had a gleeful smile, feigning innocence towards the blond male. "You got caught." her expression said.

"Wait till Nicolae sees what you're showing her." the male grinned then burst out laughing.

"I didn't show her anything!"

"So where did a six year old get such pictures little one?" he took a step forward, she took one back.

Lorie giggled "Nicolae will kill her! Won't he Drogo?"

Drogo didn't reply, his grin got wider and wider. She swore his canines' looked longer than usual. Was it her imagination?

Whatever it was, Selene's nightmare had only just begun.

xXx

Later...

She needed air. Clean inhalations of oxygen and green foliage and the light through the trees whispering her name. "Come to us." they said She wanted to join them and feel the grass tickling her feet. Anything to get rid of the sickly pink burned into her sight, the equally disgusting scent of plumerias from her hair and Lorie's shrill screams from curling in her ears. A nightmare wrapped in bubblegum pink and frills. Bending over the rails she swallowed as much air as she could. "It's a thankless job." What were those men telling her? "Thankless?" her nature asked.

"She boasts about her brother's eating you when you can very well drain her dry and harvest what's left of her youth. The next time kill her...make her brother watch."

Drogo sat down, his gaze setting her on fire with every flicker as if he were a boss who'd take great delight in torturing his workers. He insisted she was the one who showed the lewd pictures to his sisters. "I'll tell Nicolae." he threatened "What shall my dear older brother think of you? He's not the kind to like loose women especially women with pedophile tendencies." he chuckled.

"What would Nicolae think." was enough to make her obedient. Both of them ordered her around, dropped things on the floor on purpose, the youngest brother hit his sister's table in unbridled joy as Lorie tried to smack her with a brush.

"Attack her. Attack them. Make him suffer." her nature offered a humiliated Selene. Like a row of thorns covering wildflowers, that soon died but their withered heads flourished in her bleakness, her darkness bloomed, prickling at her dead heart. Harming Lorie enticed her, marching up to the child and draining her life from her. Watching her smirking little eyes roll back and her lips fall into a loose flesh. Oh the delight she'd feel when that already pale skin turn into a pretty grey or green colour.

"What would Nicolae think?"

The thorns released their hold and the flowers bloomed again, this time in colour. Precious Nicolae with his gentle deep voice chased away the ominous being gripping her nature.

It saved her from becoming a murderer. She'd already been scolded for the morning for something minor, he'd never forgive her. Lorie was her second chance at motherhood. If Phoebe were a little brat like Lorie....would Selene kill her like her supernatural nature wanted?

"I wouldn't...I can't."

And with that she weathered the storm but even after the annoying blond left, Lorie was still a handful.

Selene had yanked Lorie's hand away from her undergarments and the little girl threw a tantrum. She'd thrown her toys at her, everyone of them horribly crafted, their genital areas were ripped out. Only a plush of Nicolae remained immaculate.

Selene tried to ask her if her brothers were doing or telling her things but Lorie's face swelt like an angry beast.

"DROGO SAID YOU SHOWED ME THAT BOOK SO YOU SHOWED IT TO ME! HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE MY BROTHERS OF BASELESS LIES? DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD I AM? HOW TRAPPED I AM?" she screamed ripping off her bed sheets.

Rubbing her arms she walked past the mini mazes and statues dotting the manor's backyard towards the trees towering over, leading to the land of the unknown. "She's six. They have tantrums. It's not her fault." that familiar motherly warmth found her again. "I will try harder tomorrow. Maybe I'll ask her what she likes to eat. We'll work something out.I couldn't even read her the book."

Something beige caught her eye, looking oddly out of place in the spring blossoms of the Bartholy garden. Squinting she swore those were tiny claws, brushing the ferns aside, the soft dirt there was the final resting place of a cream coloured mouse, two bite holes dotted it's body no doubt from some wild animal.

Instinctively she looked around for said wild animal but only the trickling of water fountains and it's stone women greeted her. "I can be in danger if the animal comes back unless it's with child." Searching for the animal again to no avail, her attention focused on the deceased animal. The more she looked at the dead creature, the more the words died in her throat. Touching it's soft fur, Selene knew the poor little thing took its last breath on that very day.

[lodessa]

Responding to @talsi74656 in regards to that starting line(s) of your last 10 published fics meme.  I thought I’d propose a mirror image one:

List the first lines of your oldest 10 published stories. See if there are any patterns yourself, or have other people say what they notice. Tag up to 10 friends!

I once again excluded anything under 2000 words to get to actual fics (which eliminated a lot of my Harry Potter stuff) and posted the whole first paragraph.  Additionally I limited this to works I’d actually pulled over to AO3 (I didn’t try to go back to my original pseud I had back in high school).

One interesting thing is that these ten fics happen to align with college and the year afterward pretty exactly, cutting off right before I met my now husband.

But, @talsi74656 it’s pretty clear my way of starting stories has changed.

1. The Different Pieces (Harry Potter, June 2005)

Neville thought it was late when he got back to the boys dormitory after spending the evening wandering the grounds with Luna, but when he arrived everyone else, except Harry, was still out. Harry was perched by the window, cheek pressed up against the glass. He looked up when he heard Neville enter, which was easily noticed because Neville had managed to bump into the corner of Dean's bed and cursed in response. Harry's eyes looked glassy and Neville wondered what Harry was doing sitting up here all by himself.

2. Tryst (Veronica Mars, December 2005)

Weevil thought he probably should have been suspicious when Logan suggested the meeting place. He probably should have suspected a trap... after all he had burned down the boy's house and scared him pretty damn bad. He wasn't though, for some unknown reason, and that was what frightened him most of all. Any sane person would have told a friend where he was going, just in case. That was the kind of shit they taught you as a kid wasn't it? Problem was, Weevil didn't have any friends... and even if he did, he wouldn't have been able to tell them he was going to meet up with Logan Echolls. Of course, if he'd had friends he could tell about his rendezvous with Logan, he wouldn't need to be meeting him in the first place.

3. Eli, (Veronica Mars, February 2006)

When Eli comes home, limping and on foot, it's clear that he's lost a lot more than the bike. His grandmother must be able to see it too; because, she doesn't comment about his failure to pick up his little cousin Maria. He thinks that maybe this kindness only makes it worse. If she was lecturing he'd have something to fight against, not that he ever talked back to his grandmother verbally but at least there would be a defense in his head. Instead there is only a plate of homemade cooking, set in front of him silently. He wants to tell her what happened, but there are already too many things he has to hide from her to ever come clean; the less she knows about that part of his life the better, he's always said. It stings to think that "that part of his life" has been forever destroyed. He'd thought it was something he'd have forever... well not forever but, fuck, he certainly hadn't thought it would end like this. It makes him wonder if maybe he should have listened more to his grandmother when she brought home those brochures about colleges and trade schools. "You were always such a bright boy Eli" she used to say. Eli remembers when he was 9. His teacher, Mrs. Lockwood, had recommended him for the special advanced math group; by the time he was in 9th Grade, he had been in special math again, but on the other end of the spectrum this time. Eli brushes the thought aside. It's a useless, traitorous, thought, and he's had more than enough treachery today.

4. An Offer You Can’t Refuse (Veronica Mars, March 2006)

Veronica is surprised when Clarence Weidman shows up in her living room one afternoon, a few months after they tracked down Amelia DeLongprey's murderous ex-boyfriend and she expected she'd seen the last of him. There he is though, fingers elegantly laced together across his lap, looking like they could not be used to strangle and break, looking like he wasn't uninvited. She tells herself the sudden tightness in her chest is surprise. What was Kane software's head of security doing sitting on her couch? Duncan. It had to be about Duncan. Veronica thinks, not for the first time, that Clarence Weidman is more of the Kane Family Head of Security than that Kane Software one.

5. Unlike Minds (Veronica Mars, May 2006)

Group projects were the devil. Everyone knew that. Teachers always paired you up with whoever's work habits were least like your own and linked your grades together to provide the most awkward and uncomfortable experience possible. Today was no exception, Mac thought as she trudged across the classroom.

"Ummm… hi." Mac said, walking awkwardly up to Lizzie Manning. Her fraying t-shirt felt glaringly discordant beside Lizzie's $300 top, which could easily have been intended to be lingerie.

"Hi…" Lizzie replied distractedly, absorbed with her image as displayed by her compact mirror.

Mac couldn't really blame her; if she had Barbie doll looks like Lizzie, she'd probably spend all her time glued to the mirror too.

6. Unfinished (Angel the Series, June 2006)

It is to be expected that, after returning from a hell dimension like Pylea, the world as Wesley Wyndam-Price knew it looked better, that he appreciated it more. However, it was not the case. The world as he knew it was filled with just as much catastrophe as it always had been. In fact, things might have been worse. The moment they had walked back into the hotel and seen Willow, the brilliance of the initial return was lost and things only got worse from there.

7. Longing (Veronica Mars, July 2006)

Veronica awoke with a start, covered in sweat, to find herself in Logan's suite at the Neptune Grand. It was the third time this week that Veronica had woken from dreams about Clarence Wiedman… hot, steamy, sex dreams about Clarence Wiedman. Clarence Wiedman was a cold blooded killer, and Veronica didn't even want to know what else, and in her waking life it wasn't like Veronica found that at all sexy. Sure she might have to admit that, after they worked together to solve Amelia Delongpre's murder, she admired his cool collected calm, but that didn't mean anything other than professional respect. So these dreams, the ones where his hands had skills other than breaking and maiming, skills that had Veronica shuddering in ecstasy, they didn't have anything to do with reality of course. Still Veronica flushed just remembering the sensations she'd experienced in her latest dream, when the Head of Security for Kane Software had taken her, up on a ledge while they were hiding from mobsters. Veronica reminded herself that it was a dream, and had nothing to do with the reality of the man she was with in it, that she had no way of knowing that he actually tasted of cloves and mouthwash; for all she knew, Clarence Wiedman was gay.

8. Failed Crusades (Angel the Series / Firefly, July 2006)

Lindsey knew he shouldn’t be surprised that he wasn’t able to escape Wolfram & Hart’s grasp, that they’d found a way to make his blackmail useless. In retrospect, he supposed, he should be glad that they didn’t toss him in a hell dimension for a couple millennia to wash the traitorous urges right out of him. Of course, this ‘verse, as the people around him referred to it, might as well have been a hell dimension Lindsey suspected. He sort of wondered whether the reason that Earth wasn’t around anymore was the firm’s beloved apocalypse and whether Angel had gone evil after all. It didn’t really matter though, because much had remained the same in the world and Lindsey still had clients to deal with, just now he was on a space station instead of located in LA. The government… Alliance as it was called, had some part to play in the senior partner’s newest death and brimstone party plan, and Lindsey has been instructed to give them whatever they needed. Apparently, what they needed at the moment was some waifish girl. The girl was supposedly some sort of man-made telepath. Wolfram & Hart still specialized in the paranormal in this distant future.

9. Gravel (Harry Potter, August 2006)

He'd known she would come, his ever watchful sister-in-law with eyes that burned like embers. She was feverish to know everything that concerned their Lord; so, when Lucius noticed her watching Him pass the diary to him, he'd known she'd come looking for it. So he laid in wait. He was not disappointed either: as the sun set blood red she came creeping into his study, not the main study, but the one concealed behind the bookcases. He said nothing as he watched her steal in, crimson robes trailing on rich eastern carpets. He said nothing as she lifted the diary from its place on the desk and sat down on the floor, laying it open in her lap to examine. Her hands stroked its surfaces almost lovingly, searching for its secret. Unable to discover one, Bellatrix retrieved a knife from his desk drawer; Lucius did not wonder how she'd known exactly were he kept the little scythe-shaped ceremonial one. Laying her arm onto the diary , Bellatrix split her wrist open with a whispered incantation and the blood swirled through its pages. Bellatrix's eyes lit up and Lucius knew that the blood sacrifice had worked, despite being overkill. As her eyes glazed over, he couldn't help creeping out from his hiding place to see what the diary was showing her.

10. 5 Reasons Weevil is Unhappy Veronica is Dating Logan Again (Veronica Mars, November 2006)

It doesn't take any sort of personal grudge or long drawn out history to get that dating Logan Fucking Echolls is a dumb idea. It's pretty much a fact, not an opinion, as far as Weevil's concerned. He cheats, he lies, he's more than a little arrogant and self satisfied. He's a waste of the fucking riches bestowed upon him for no good reason and the opportunity he's not taking any fucking advantage of. Weevil totally buys that Logan's a fucking train wreck: his girlfriend murdered by his now assassinated father, mother jumped off a goddamned bridge. Boy definitely has issues. Weevil's got grounds for issues too: father who disappeared, mother who overdosed, feelings that never should have formed for a spoiled little rich girl who never knew when to call it quits and ended up dead, gang turned traitorous, and a felony conviction on his record. Yeah, Weevil gets the fodder for bitching and moaning, and maybe if he had millions and nothing but time on his hands he'd be crying about the injustice. He doesn't, though, and if he did he certainly wouldn't think himself worth any chick, let alone someone like Veronica. Not that the girl doesn't have scars of her own, but she doesn't deserve any more. He thinks she should get that but she doesn't, keeps dating assholes like Logan. He has to assume that if she were healthy enough to deal with it she wouldn't be. V's got her whole life ahead of her, open and waiting, and dating Logan is like giving all of that up and going to her worst and most pathetic self. It's a fucking shame. Seems to be the motherfucking way of the world. Anita's new boyfriend isn't any better than her last. He guesses that's what their father taught them to expect. He doesn't think he treats women like shit, though, and he doesn't know where Veronica leaned that kind of crap; because, the sheriff really seems like he's there for her one hundred percent. It seems fucked up and unfair and it makes Weevil want to hit things.

Tagging: @talsi74656, @pixiedane, @sophia-helix, @austennerdita2533, @liminal-zone, @electricbluebutterflies, @emmikamikatze, and anyone else who wants to do this.

[jonasmaurer]

2020 Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids

Sharing holiday gift ideas for the kids this year! We tend to stick to the purchasing strategy of: “ Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. We caught some Black Friday sales online, got our first REAL family Christmas tree (“She’s a beaut, Clark”), decked the halls with everything holly jolly, I caught a glorious hot yoga class, and made dinner for a family in the squadron. Oh, and I also got a new fitness certification! I’m now a NASM-certified Women’s Fitness Specialist. I’m excited to use this training with the Fit Team workouts and plans I create here on the blog, and complemented my new cert with specialty workshops in Cardio for Performance, and Resistance Training.

A couple of exciting announcements before I head into the “meat” of this post: Beautycounter’s 15% off sitewide ends TODAY. If you’re been needing any holiday gifts (or goodies for yourself!) now is the time. Check it out here. Equilibria’s sale also ends today. You get 20% off sitewide plus an extra 15% with the code FITNESSISTA. CBD has been a game changer for me and I’m gifting it to friends and family who also need a little extra relaxation, stress relief, and TLC this holiday season.

I’m really excited for today’s gift guide because kiddos really bring the magic to Christmastime. I’m basically like Buddy the Elf and thought that nothing could possibly make the season more enjoyable… and then we had kids. They just magnify all of the magic of the holidays, even during a pretty weird and otherwise bit of a bummer year. I’m looking forward to doing everything we can to maintain some of our beloved traditions (and create some new ones). Also, exciting news: the Pilot is going to be home for Christmas!!!!!!! He’s missed the last two Christmases, so it’s pretty exciting stuff.

When we holiday shop for the kiddos, we keep things on the simpler side. They get their Santa gifts and stocking stuffers, and then from us, we stick to the “something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” This checks all of the main boxes and keeps things from getting too bananas with gifts from my parents and their other relatives. [Another hack: any gifts that aren’t opened in the first couple of days are stocked away in the playroom. I bring them out on a rainy day or when the kids say they’re looking for something to do.]

Today, I’m sharing some of the things on their personal wish lists, along with tried and true favorites if you’re shopping for kids their ages (5 and almost 9) this holiday season!! I’d love to hear your kids’ gift requests in the comments and any ideas you have!

2020 Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids

Something they want:

– Horse earrings (ordered these for the girls!)

– American Girl doll. These are always a huge hit… I think we’re up to 10 now lol

– Puzzle sets

– Zingo! This is their favorite board game. They also love Guess Who?

– New roller skates or skateboard

– Animatronic baby Yoda 

– The most incredible tutu

– Barbie dream house

– Magnatiles (P has been playing with these since she was a toddler and still adores them)

– Power Wheels. We did this a few years ago and they’ve been a huge hit

– Giant Gem discovery kit

Something they need:

– New Ugg boots <— the waterproof ones last the longest

– Rain boots

– Art supplies

– Dance or gymnastics leotards

– A new jacket

– Experience gifts are always a hit, like tickets to a museum or activity they love

– A kids’ yoga mat

– New water bottle

– Practice goal and a new soccer ball

Something to wear:

– The cutest unicorn onesies

– “Ugly” Christmas sweater dresses

– A festive dress or dapper blazer

– Holiday jammies

– Flamingo slippers

Something to read:

– The Babysitter’s Club graphic novels. Liv has read all of these and LOVES them. I highly recommend if you have an 8-ish year old.

– Ivy & Bean

– Pinkalicious collection

– Fancy Nancy

– Pete the Cat

– Where’s Waldo?

– Mad Libs

– The Ramona Set

– The Boxcar Children (this makes a fun read-aloud)

What’s on the kiddos’ wish list this year? Any previous gifts that were a home run?

xo

Gina

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More:

This year’s small business gift guide

And 2020 gift guide for Her

Cyber Monday Deals for other gift guides:

Hannah Andersson up to 50% off everything – perfect for family holiday matching jammies. We’ll be rocking the tannenbaum.

J Crew 50% off with code Cyber. Some top picks: this dress for Liv, this jumpsuit, and this leopard top. 

Madewell 40% off. Love these pajamas, these booties, and these slippers. 

eufy saves the day and is over $100 off.

We love our Ring products!

Equilibria 20% off sitewide + extra 15% off with code FITNESSISTA. Orders over $150 also receive a free daily treatment oil!

Carbon38 is 30% off sitewide! I’ve been ordering all of my athletic clothes from here lately. Use the code GINAHAR at checkout 🙂

Great deal on our favorite Bose headphones for travel and work.

*Note: none of my gift guides are sponsored, and companies are not able to purchase spots on my gift guides. These are all items I curated myself and genuinely think they’d make awesome gifts for someone you love. Affiliate links are included, which don’t affect purchase price but enable me to earn a small kickback. Thank you so much for purchasing through these links and supporting small business and our family. <3

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