#can’t wait to see what magic you create for us & know if you aren’t too hot on the trope then you don’t gotta use it!!!

[kedsandtubesocks]

Hey lovely Erika! 🖤

This challenge sounds so fun! Any chance I could have Marcus Moreno and 11 if he is still avaliable?

Thank you, love you! 🖤

My sweet Jett oh my goodness my heart is so full rn I’m so happy you’re here to join 🥹

Marcus Moreno & Rodeo rescue + 4…

4. Star-crossed Lovers

-

Oh this combo already has my heart aching!!

Kedsandtubesocks Wild Ride Writing Challenge

[zhelin-thames]

Translated ver of this post by @doby-mans

Translated by google

Another idea I had for a DC x DP crossover, remembering canonically that Danielle went off on her own to different parts of the world.

This time, Young Justice. Danielle becomes part of the team, and everyone assumes she's a Martian, given that she focuses more on her magical abilities and skills like camouflage and phasing through walls.

But one day, Miss Martian falls ill and can’t use her telepathic powers to keep the team connected during a mission. They all turn to Danielle. Despite the setback, the mission goes well—they recover a dangerous magical artifact, a box with strange inscriptions. Finally, someone speaks up:

Superboy: “Why didn’t you establish a psychic link during the mission?”

Danielle: “Because I don’t have telepathic powers?”

Superboy: “We all know you’re a Martian like Miss Martian, so…”

Danielle: “I’m not! None of you understand the true nature of my powers, and maybe you never will! You don’t know what it’s like to be me!”

Robin: “What is it we don’t understand? Being different? Having powers no one fully comprehends? Being a teenager with raging hormones?”

Danielle: “No! Being an artificially created clone made in a secret lab!”

Impulse: “Let’s see, Superboy, Red Arrow, Robin… and now Danielle. Am I forgetting anyone?”

Danielle: “Wait, what?”

Superboy: “You’re not the first in that situation here. So, Martian DNA?”

Danielle: “Worse… The true nature of my powers… ghost DNA.”

Zatanna: “If that’s true, then you’re exactly what we need. According to the box’s inscription, only a halfa can open it.”

Danielle: Attempts to open the box but her hand starts melting. “Ah! I can’t… My ghost powers aren’t stable. This hasn’t happened in years.”

Robin: “Too bad there’s no other halfa to open the box.”

Danielle: “Well… that’s not entirely true. Besides me, there are two others. One is a dangerous villain—my creator—who disappeared years ago. And the other…”

Zatanna: “What about the other?”

Danielle: “The other… well, he’s…”

The entire Justice League, Young Justice, and Batfamily, who were either present or on the comms: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE GHOST KING?!”

Danielle: “He’s the only other halfa left in this world, and he’s much stronger and more stable than I am. Do you want to open the box or not?”

Batman: “This could be important. Call him.”

Danielle: “I already did. I asked him to meet us here at the Gotham base.”

Nightwing: “We might have a problem. We were in the middle of a Poison Ivy attack when what looks like a flying boy froze her in seconds.”

Batman: “Froze her?”

Red Robin: “That’s not all. Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face were attacking on the same street, and the same boy let out some kind of super scream that knocked all of them unconscious, including their henchmen.”

Danielle: “Oh no… He’s mad.”

Robin: “Uh… The same boy just duplicated himself and locked every villain and criminal in the city inside what looks like a box made of his own energy.”

Danielle: “Oh no, he’s really mad.”

Danny: Appearing directly behind her. “Of course, I’m mad! I told you to call me the moment you became unstable! You know what could’ve happened!”

Danielle: “I know, I know, but you don’t have to worry. I haven’t needed an ectoplasm injection in years. Meditation usually works.”

Danny: “Have you been melting before?!”

Danielle: “Don’t be so overprotective. I called you for a different reason.”

Danny: “Don’t change the subject. Don’t make me ask Clockwork to keep an eye on you.”

Red Hood: “Clockwork?”

Danny: “The Ghost of Time.”

Batman: “We need help with this box.”

Danny: “And who’s this furry?”

Danielle: “That’s Batman, the hero of this city.”

Danny: “Well, terrible job. I’ve been here for two seconds, and I already had to clean up the mess. That box… it looks a bit like Pandora’s Box. Where did you get it?”

Wonder Woman: “But Pandora’s Box should be protected by…”

Danny: “Pandora herself. In my realm. Exactly.”

Danielle: “We recovered it during a team mission. Apparently, only a halfa can open it, but I couldn’t, and it destabilized me.”

Nightwing: “I don’t know what confuses me more: the box thing or how many powers this guy has.”

Danny: “That’s easy. I have classic ghost powers, including the ones I used around the city. But as King, I have access to ancient magical artifacts, like the Crown of Fire, which greatly amplifies ghost power. Along with the Ring of Rage, the power would be infinite, but I made a deal with the former king. He keeps the ring and his freedom as long as he doesn’t cause chaos. Then there’s Aragon’s Amulet, which basically gives dragon powers. There’s also the Ghost Key, which can literally open any door, whether in my world or this one…”

Danielle: “Is the list of magical objects really that long?”

Danny: “I was just missing the Reality Gems, which could change reality itself as we know it. But, of course, I already destroyed those…”

Batman: “The box is the priority.”

Danny: “Right. We shouldn’t open it. If it’s like Pandora’s Box, then whatever’s inside is very dangerous. But fine, if that’s what you want…” Opens the box and immediately both he and Danielle feel overwhelming discomfort. “I know this feeling. It’s… a Blood Blossom.”

[georgiapeach30513]

A Snowflake Melts, Part 2

Summary: a blizzard is coming

Pairings: Steve Rogers X Reader

Rating: mild

Warnings:  mild language, just one bed, stalking, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 3.5K

Previous

Series Masterlist

A scent. It wasn’t much. But Jack has gone off less than that before. It was getting a bit close to Christmas, but he had already made early rounds. Who cares if winter is longer than usual? He had bigger problems; finding you. You are what’s important. Your family even said so. They are growing suspicious of him, which means you are talking to someone, but spreading lies about his relationship, and what actually happened.

He never got a chance to explain. Winter relied on him. And you, just like a coward left. He growls, sitting down on the tree branch as he looks at the beauty he created. Once you told him that he made things look magical. That you loved winter, and would always stay in winter. You promised on your stupid cat that you couldn’t live where there wasn’t snow…

He jumps onto the crystallized snow, his feet leaving large craters in the icy white, and he just walks. He smelled you. Marshmallows. The best thing he’s ever smelt. You are close. He knows it. Blowing out a long breath a large gust of wind stirs up more snow. He cracks his neck as he starts to trudge through what you called the most beautiful thing on earth. Fresh fallen snow. Purity. A new start.

He would find you. And you would be his.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you get on to your Mistletoe who perches on the counter beside you. Her judging green eyes watch you as you look out your kitchen window. Winter is getting worse. You thought you had chosen a place that snowed a lot, but this is different.

“I know what this means,” you are out here all alone. And with winter like this, you shouldn’t go outside and care for the animals. The very ones that were keeping you alive. “Missy, they’ll starve if I don’t.”

She snarls and hisses at you, looking out towards Steve’s cabin. “I can’t…we barely know him.”

Meow.

“I can’t go out in the snow even if I wanted to. Jack will find us. And judging by this storm that wasn’t on the radar…Missy, he’s close.”

Meow.

Mistletoe jumps down from the counter, and lifts her paw to scratch at the door. This cat is too smart for her own good. She wants to collect Steve. And you’re sure he doesn’t understand her way of communicating. You aren’t even sure you did, or if it’s because of your seclusion.

“What are you going to do, tell him to get his butt down here with Sugar Cookie, and we live in the cabin for the rest of the winter and make him sleep on the couch?” Missy stares at you, pawing at the door again.

You couldn’t stop looking up the road, waiting for him to come back down here to you. It is ridiculous how everyday you would hope for a visit from him. You enjoyed his company. He made you not feel so alone, while also it was nice to look at him. And he was funny. He was kind. He was everything you had always wanted.

His eyes. My goodness he had the sweetest eyes. His dog is very cute as well. And…

Mistletoe scratches at the air and lets out an angry hiss towards you. “You know I can’t go out in the snow, and I don’t know how to get in touch with Steve. He just shows up at the right time.”

She growls at you again, and you exhale loudly. “Fine,” walking over to the door, you give it a tug, letting her shimmy out. Her toned legs carry her directly towards Steve’s house. With a bit of a struggle, you close and lock the door immediately. Dropping the curtain.

Jack would want your Christmas to be miserable. Bitter and cold. Sighing, you start to close all the curtains around the house. If he couldn’t see you, he couldn’t find you. If you didn’t invite him in, he couldn’t get to you. There is enough stuff in the basement to keep you well fed. Steve had even stacked up firewood beside your heater, even more on the porch.

You didn’t talk about Jack. He just knew you were afraid of winter. And they were the same thing.

—

Steve jolts in his chair when he hears the tiny scratches, and even Sugar Cookie wiggles her entire body as she moves for the door waiting on her owner to open up. Mistletoe dashes in, meowing up at Steve. “Well, hello, you little bully. What can I do for you today?”

Circling Steve’s feet, she walks over to the door, looking back to the man, and Sugar Cookie joins in to look at him. “She’s not in trouble is she?” Mistletoe huffs, looking up at Steve. “So…is your mom just wanting me to visit? Clearly we need to exchange phone numbers. I don’t turn my phone off. Okay, okay,” he grins, grabbing for his phone and coat. Opening up the door to let both animals out, but Mistletoe stops.

Her ears twitch around, and her eyes look all around before she dashes down the road. “Sugar, let’s go, sweetheart. That cat never gets in a hurry.”

His feet slams into the snow as the wind whips around the odd trio. Beating the animals to the porch, he knocks quickly on the door, and it isn’t until Mistletoe lets out a blood curdling meow that you look up from the middle of the floor, “Missy?”

Walking to the door, you press your head against it. Fear courses through your veins after that sound, “Baby, are you alone?”

“Holly, it’s me.”

“Steve? She brought you? I’m being so rude,” you get an eerie feeling when you open the door. Inhaling deeply, just to be sure. No peppermint. You are safe, for now, “Thanks for tapping the snow off,” even if you hadn't known him long he always seems to remember your needs.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” You couldn’t deny your splotchy face and red rimmed eyes. But you don’t want to talk about it either. Steve would think you’re crazy. No one would ever understand your family dynamic. Instead you just shake your head, wiping away the stray tears on your face.

“I don’t want to force you, but you gotta give me something. Missy kinda scared me.”

“There’s a storm going on, and…it wasn’t on the radar, and I don’t want to be alone,” unannounced storms always meant Jack’s anger. He still hadn’t forgotten. He is still looking for you.

“Okay, you gotta couch,” even though his fingers are ice cold from outside, when he touches your arm, and pulls your body into his, it’s pure warmth. A coziness that feels like hot chocolate running down into your tummy. “I’ll leave the animals here. Let me get some more firewood loaded up, and clothes, and some extra food because I eat a lot. We’ll have a freeze-in, okay?”

“Did it smell like peppermint out there?” You hate that scent. It always meant Jack was near. He doesn’t laugh or look at you like you’re crazy. His smile softens as he hugs you again.

“No, let me get all that ready. The way this snow is coming down, I don’t have much time. I’m sure it’ll be piled all the way up to the windows. You stay here. Keep the doors locked, and breathe. When I come back, I’ll let you make some of your amazing soup while you tell me what’s really going on. I’ll even make brownies.”

You don’t want him to leave, and still understand why he needs to. Biting at your lip, you nod your head. “Don’t start cutting any vegetables until I get back, okay?”

“Okay,” he bundles himself up before heading towards the door again, “Steve, be careful, okay?”

“I will. You stay right here. Wood, more food, and clothes.”

“Toothbrush.”

“That, too. Stay warm,” he playfully demands before swiftly squeezing through the door.

“So, you gonna tell more about it?” You take a sip of your hot chocolate, your eyes staring blankly at Sugar Cookie and Mistletoe snuggling together by the door. Mistletoe always stayed close to the door in winter. Sometimes she’d hop into the bed with you, but she stood her guard by the main entrance. She is a smart kitty after all.

It had been so long since you fully got to snuggle with someone during your favorite time of year. You should be joyful, and instead you let your photography stop, you quit calling your parents, hell you left the most magical place in the world all because of Jack.

You now lived in so much isolation, you lost a bit of yourself. You turn your head away from Steve as you gaze at the curtains covering the big window in the living room. You loved snow. Loved to watch the tiny little snowflakes drift to the earth. You would have never had the curtains closed. You couldn’t even remember if Jack watched the snow with you.

So much of the good times were forgotten as his forever cold heart couldn’t take your glowing warmth. A joy that burned brightly in your soul like embers in a fire.

“You love and fear the winter,” he isn’t even asking. He hasn’t known you long, but he can see it. You nod your head, still keeping your head turned away from him. Having to wipe away a tear that didn’t want to stay put. “You don’t have to talk about it, Holly. I’m just trying to understand. We got a few days of being trapped in here.”

“You’re right,” sniffling, you turn to look back at the girls, as Steve sweetly calls them. They’re comfortable. Missy actually looks like she’s resting. “It’s hard being alone, and scared of winter, and still, I can’t leave.”

“An ex?” Of course Steve could sense that you were running and hiding from someone.

“Yeah,” you sigh, turning to fully look at Steve. “He wasn’t always bad. He’s different. Very powerful, and thrives this time of year. He became cold and unkind, and then possessive and obsessive, and…Steve, he wasn’t nice,” Steve looks away for a few seconds, his jaw clenching tight, and his knuckles turning white from how hard he’s gripping the couch.

“Did…did he,” he takes a deep breath, finally looking at you. “Did he hurt you?”

“It’s complicated,” his hand moves towards you, and you have to look at Missy, and her lazy self is snoring with Sugar Cookie. She was comfortable with Steve. She never had this sense of comfort with Jack. “No, it is complicated. He just…he’s always trying to compete with my dad, and…”

“Did he hurt you?” .

“He’s out of my life though.”

“And you’re still hiding, and afraid to touch something that you love,” even though you can feel his anger, you don’t fear him like you did with Jack. Steve’s anger is protective, and it gives you this strange feeling of importance. He wanted to keep you safe.

“He’s very powerful. You don’t understand.”

There’s a moment drifting between you and Steve, and only the girls’ snores and the crackling of the fireplace can be heard. You aren’t even sure if you’re breathing anymore, just waiting on what he has to say. This is going to be awkward starting off with an argument.

“I want to understand, and I’ll listen whenever you want to explain it to me. For now, why don’t you tell me about your family. Your dad is still alive?” You love talking about your family. They are the best family, and you hate that you’re having to be away from them in any capacity. “What’s his name?”

“Kris. My mom’s name is Carol.”

“There’s that smile. The one you were too shy to share with me. Why do you love winter so much?”

Your body relaxes into the couch again. Finally a topic you didn’t mind talking about a bit more. You can’t say too much, some things you just have to ease into, and him knowing about your family is one of them. Maybe one day things could be different.

“People dread winter, but there’s so much beauty in it. We get Christmas, and the world freezes for a moment. It stops and slows down, and everyone with it. We learn to appreciate the more simple things in life. The world just rests, and we do, too. And if you’re lucky to get snow, it’s beautiful. It looks like glitter. Do you not like winter?” You ask, biting at your lip.

Steve hadn’t stopped smiling at you. With every word you said, you just lit up. You had a calmness about you as you spoke about why you loved your favorite season, instead of hating it. You are absolutely stunning. Breathtaking even.

“Steve, stop staring at me like that,” Missy peeks open her eyes, and then settles herself right on top of Sugar Cookie. Neither you or Steve notice anything outside this bubble you had created.

You fear that if you say anything else that the warmth inside the bubble would dissipate. You wanted to keep it forever. What is it about Steve that makes you want him closer to your body? So you scoot a tiny bit closer. Close enough that your knees brush against each other, and you feel his warmth.

“W-what is it that your father does?” He hiccups, still not breaking the gaze he has on you.

“He’s a delivery man of sorts.”

“Amazing,” he whispers out. His finger brushes back some of your baby hairs, and they tickle along the shell of your ear. “The hot chocolate. It’s…it’s amazing. And your life sounds incredible,” he didn’t even know the half of it.

“Thanks. I used to put peppermint in it. The smell makes me sick to my stomach now. What about your family?”

“They passed a long time ago. I don’t really like to talk about it. So explain to me, you love your home and your family, and you came here to hide from your ex?” Saying it out loud sounds silly. You’re sure your parents could help you out. In some ways, your dad was Jack’s boss. But did you want them to? Did you want them to know how Jack really was?

“What did you do?” Steve really wanted to change the subject away from his family. Hopefully one day you hope he will open up to you. Even though you had secrets concerning your family, you’re telling him enough for now.

“I take pictures. My social media did well. I focused on Christmas. Traveled to different places to see how they celebrated, and what they ate. What their traditions were. I love every aspect of Christmas. It’s in my blood. Like…kinda like it’s in my blood,” you correct quickly. Steve had that same dopey look on his face as before, and you aren’t sure what to make of it. But it makes you feel fuzzy, “What?”

“I love to hear you talk about your passions. So if you’re not on your social media, who is seeing your work?”

“No one.”

“Can I see?”

You hadn’t logged in for so long. It was a creative outlet for you. Everyone always admired your parents, never even realizing who you are. What you could do. You enjoyed it. “You don’t have to show me.”

It was time that you stopped being so scared. You could turn off locations on your phone, Jack could find you in other ways. Why did you allow him to control so much of your life? It was time. Especially now that you were no longer alone.

Sighing, you stand to go get your phone, feeling Steve’s eyes watching your back until you return. The lazy Missy didn’t even stir. Her comfort relaxes you even more. She trusts Steve. She trusts no one outside of your family.

Turning your phone on, you click on the app, and hand it over to him. Letting him browse through your photos and reels. Each second his smile gets larger. Spreading wide across his face, “The spirit of Christmas, huh?”

“It’s what my dad always called me. Said that my enthusiasm towards the holiday is what made everything so holly and jolly,” you giggle thinking about how winters held so much warmth when you were home.

“So,” he says, putting down your phone. “What are our holiday traditions going to be this year? You don’t even have a tree up,” why and how is this man so adorable? Saying all the right words. “I’m just saying, it is very close to Christmas. What about these cookies? Triple chocolate oatmeal cookies, we should make some for Santa.”

“They’re my dad’s favorite,” you haven’t smiled like this in so long. Even though a blizzard is happening outside, the cabin is so warm and cozy, and it has nothing to do with the fireplace. You didn’t feel so alone. And then his hand naturally lands on your thigh, and you lean into his touch. It feels like flurries stir around in your belly, but you don’t want to pull away.

There doesn’t seem to be this veil of awkwardness looming over the two of you, it just is, and it is so amazing. “Okay, so it is late. Tomorrow we put up a tree of sorts.”

“I have a fake one under my bed. I don’t like walking in the snow.”

“I could pick us one out, but it’s not the same if we’re not together. I think the fake one will be perfect this time. Maybe next year, you’ll be more comfortable venturing out into the snow?” You nod your head with a smile. You already feel more confident about winter. “So the cookies?”

“I always have the ingredients for those cookies,” you look over to your bedroom. You can’t even believer you’re thinking this, much less ready to say it out loud. Steve is such a large man, and this couch was kind of small. What kind of host would you be? You needed him and basically invited him into your home. He is keeping you safe, and you can’t make him think you don’t want to extend some hospitality, “I feel bad that there’s only one bed.”

“You have a comfy couch,” huffing out a laugh, you look towards the girls, and Missy and Sugar Cookie have their heads lifted up, staring at you. If you were a crazy person, you’d think they were encouraging you to invite him into your bed. But you’re not that crazy.

“I have a big bed, too. I mean, lots of blankets, and there could still be enough space between us, and,” both the cat and the dog lay their heads back down, pretending to sleep. Now you worry that you are going crazy, “You don’t have to stay on the couch.”

“I won’t sleep in your bed if you’re not comfortable.”

“I wouldn't have asked if I wasn’t comfortable. But before bed, maybe we can watch a movie or something, and you decide how you feel? It doesn’t have to feel weird. And if you want to sleep on the couch you can, and if you change your mind in the middle of the night, you can.”

“I think that sounds amazing. Only if Missy will let me sleep in the bed with you,” she doesn’t look when Steve says her name, just stretches out a bit more on Sugar Cookie. “Here’s to new traditions,” Steve says proudly with his mug held high.

“To new traditions, and new friendships,” friendship. Even if you wish it could be so much more. “Wait! A new picture for my grid!” You snap a photo of the two half-drunk mugs. Editing the photo in a way that you can’t see nothing but the wooden coffee table and mugs. Your parents will be shocked to see two.

To new traditions, and new friendships.

And you hope to forgetting your ex.

Jack’s hand shakes with fury, and he cracks his neck, screaming up into the frosty air as he slings his phone onto the ground. “Little bitch!” He screams. You are playing games with him. Friendships. Traditions. Traditions weren’t new. They were what you did every year.

He just can’t believe you would come back to social media with a stupid post like that. You were supposed to spend Christmas with him! Winter with him.

Jingle bells.

Why the hell could he hear jingle bells as his snowflakes float to the ground. There is a warm smell in the air…marshmallows mixed with cinnamon. Oh, he’s angry. Furious. You are spending time with someone that is not him. If you want to spend your time elsewhere, he’ll make sure that they can’t get to you ever again.

Wherever you are, you’ll be trapped all alone. And with your scent becoming more powerful, he is close. And he will find you. And you’ll be all snowed in. Just the way you belonged.

Next

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @peaches1958 @seitmai @smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @cjand10 @midnightramyeoncravings @kmc1989 @floral-recs @pandaxnienke

[4xbfdi]

hello!!! ive created a little story based on my algebralien bunny au!

The sun was just beginning to rise over the rolling hills of the Equation Playground. Dew sparkled on the soft grass, and the air filled with birds chirping a gentle morning melody. In the middle of the meadow, near a cozy shared burrow, stood Four and X, who was eagerly waiting for a new arrival.

“I can’t believe Two’s finally moving into the Equation Playground!” X exclaimed, his ears twitching with excitement as he leaned against Four, their paws lightly touching. “It’s going to be so fun having them nearby! Aren’t you excited?”

Four groaned, his nose twitching. “Excited? That’s not really the word I’d use. Do they really have to move in next to us?”

“Fouurr… come on! Two will be a great neighbor! Besides, you two are already friends, right?”

Four narrowed his eyes. “If by ‘friends’ you mean ‘they constantly annoy me’ then sure, friends.” He huffed, folding his arms. “I don’t get what your deal is with Two. You always act like they’re the best.”

X giggled. “They’re nice! Maybe you just need to give them a chance. You two have a lot in common, you know.”

Before Four could continue his rant, they spotted a familiar figure hopping toward them over the hill. Two, ears bent slightly in an eager, nervous way, was using their magic to carry a box full of belongings. Their wide grin made X smile instantly.

“Hey Four! Hi X!” Two called, waving with one paw. “It’s so good to see you both! I’m so excited to be your neighbor!”

“Two!” X hopped forward. “You made it! Welcome to the Equation Playground, we’re going to help you get settled in!”

“Oh, thank you X!” Two said, then turned to Four with a bright smile. “And Four! My old friend, thanks for coming to help too!”

Four frowned, nose twitching. “Yeah… ‘friend.’ Let’s just get this over with.” He muttered under his breath.

Two either didn’t notice or pretended not to, their excitement undampened. “I’m glad we’ll be right next to each other! I’ll get to see you every day!” They beamed as if that was the best news in the world.

Four winced at the thought, but X leaned in with a grin, nudging him. “Isn’t that great, Four?”

“Yeah… great,” Four groaned, managing a tight smile.

The trio hopped over to Two’s new burrow, which was conveniently located next to Four and X’s shared one. X was already hopping around, excitedly pointing out the best spots for tunnels, while Two surveyed the space with plenty of ideas.

“So, what kind of burrow were you thinking of?” X asked, peering into the box Two had set down, inspecting all the little trinkets. “Something fun with curvy tunnels?”

Two’s eyes sparkled. “I was thinking of something balanced, you know? Like, some curvy tunnels like yours, X, but also symmetrical rooms. That way it’s fun but organized.”

X smiled. “That sounds perfect! Right, Four?”

Four thumped, clearly annoyed with X’s attention being shifted away from him. “It sounds fine, I guess… as long as they don’t mess up the neighborhood with too many weird tunnels.”

Two chuckled, hopping over. “Don’t worry, Four! I know you like things neat. I won’t make a mess. We’ve always worked well together!”

Four’s ears twitched, and he muttered, “If you say so.” He shot X a look that said, please get me out of this.

But X, ever the optimist, just smiled and began digging enthusiastically. “Come on, let’s get started!”

Four attempted to dig straight, clean tunnels for the foundation, but Two kept bouncing in with their own ideas, curving paths and suggesting tweaks that drove Four up the wall.

“Ugh, Two, can you not curve this tunnel?” Four groaned, staring at a bend Two had just made. “It’s supposed to connect to the room in a straight line.”

Two blinked and smiled. “But a little curve makes it more fun! Besides, X loves digging curves, right X?”

X looked up from happily digging side tunnels, grinning. “I do, but maybe we can balance it out?”

Four shot Two a glare, the kind that said, you’re only doing this because you know it bugs me.

Two grinned, unfazed. “Come on, Four, it’ll be fun!”

Four sighed but relented. “Fine. Just don’t add any surprise tunnels.”

With Four keeping things orderly and X adding creative touches, the burrow turned out surprisingly well. By the time the sun began to set, the entrance tunnel was neat and straight, just the way Four liked it.

Once the digging was done, Two opened their box full of decorations. “Now for the best part!” They pulled out a set of colorful math-themed décor.

Four raised an eyebrow. “What… are those?”

“Decorations!” Two said happily, hopping into the burrow and placing little items on the walls. Smiling at something in the box, they pulled out a green-framed picture of Four, X, and themselves, with Four being the only one not smiling. Two carefully placed it above their bed.

They continued unpacking—a decorative green tea set, framed posters, and more. “This one goes here… and this can hang right at the entrance,” they mumbled, lost in concentration as they arranged everything.

X peered in, his eyes lighting up when he saw the framed picture. “Wow, Two! It looks amazing! I remember when we took this!” He giggled.

Two stood back, admiring their burrow. “This is great! Thanks so much for the help, you two.”

Four, looking exhausted from the day’s work, gave a half-hearted nod. “Yeah, I guess it’s fine.”

Two nudged Four playfully. “See? I knew we could work together, like always!”

Four’s ears flattened, but he didn’t pull away. “Just don’t get used to me digging for you all the time.”

As evening settled in, the three bunnies sat outside the burrow, enjoying the cool night air. Two was thrilled to be in their newly decorated home, while Four and X curled up together, paws intertwined.

Even though Four grumbled about Two living next to them, there was a fondness behind the bickering, like siblings who could never admit they actually cared for each other.

For X, the day was a success. Two had a new home, and Four, though he wouldn’t say it, was happy to have helped.

As the stars twinkled overhead, Two looked up and smiled. “I think this is going to be a great new start. Thanks for everything, X. You too, Four. I can’t wait to start decorating more tomorrow, I’ve got even more ideas!”

Four’s ears twitched. “More? You brought enough decorations to last a lifetime.”

X chuckled softly. “You’ll like it, Four. I’m sure Two’s decorations will grow on you.”

“Don’t count on it.”

With that, the three bunnies settled in for the night, knowing that even with a little rivalry, they’d always have each other’s backs.

And as X drifted off, nestled against Four, Two watched from their newly decorated burrow, feeling like they truly belonged in this little corner of the playground.

Maybe, just maybe, Four was starting to feel the same way.

[aardvaark]

the librarians "and the self-fulfilling prophecy" watch through:

oooh a good mystery. they don’t know where they are, why they’re here, or why they’re missing cassandra. something to do with very good pizza!

that’s so cute that the librarians don’t want baird to be lonely :)

wait how do we know these people from the school aren’t part of the magic issue? well, to be fair, they all know each other so it’s either they’re all fake or they’re all genuine i’m guessing

hmm yeah if she tries too hard to leave the library, she’ll somehow get stuck there. i always liked another similar short story, "the appointment in samarra". but im assuming baird won’t die randomly mid-season (hopefully!) since she’s such a major character?

"it’s me he wants" eve is so brave

you can’t really just turn up in a high school (as an adult). like. that looks bad. oh they’re getting confronted about that now, yeah lol

how the hell did he get water from greece into the US through customs?

"oooh i hate prophecy more than i hate time travel" baird is once again so relatable

they have to create a bigger self fulfilling prophecy around the original prophecy to override it. breaking my brain a little but i like it!!

okay now the future visions are directly messing with them!! making ezekiel & jacob think baird will attack them & vice versa, which of course is self-fulfilling because now they assume they’re gonna be attacked. the future-seeing goggles are hostile??

interesting worldbuilding there - immortals can’t use prophecy boxes cause they can’t know what is to come. that… really sucks.

man i would just punch jacob at that point

OHHH they’re already in the library!! good twist!!

so did jenkins give her the mirror? they guessed it was flynn before but im unsure

hey, ezekiel’s back home (Uluṟu is in the background)

LMAO he actually said he’s home

aww the library guarded baird by giving her the mirror. which implies a whole lot about the library’s ability to know the future actually…

[adelarsims]

Hi XD

I actually do wanna learn more ab them! And I have a few specific questions if you don't mind!

How old are they really?

They seem a bit obsessed with looking young, is there a reason for that?

Why don't they use a wand if it helps keep their hands looking younger?

What changed them from a snob to a slightly more uhm personable person?

What do they teach?

Also here is your excuse to ramble about world building and magic cus I love this stuff

Another more vague one, you mentioned their childhood was rough, can you talk more ab that?

Finally because I feel like I'm overstaying my welcome, how did they discover they have feelings for Caleb?

1. let’s just say over a hundred. caleb once told cassie that 100+ years old feels better than 97 or something, because there's something romantic about being 'over a hundred', like straight out of a fairy tale, while 97 is just a really old grandpa :D

2. when they imagine looking in the mirror and seeing their hair grey and face wrinkled, they're terrified. it’s not a simple vanity - many spellcasters share this fear, when you don't see the constant flow of time when you look in the mirror, your image of yourself freezes like a fly in the amber - and going back into that flow gets more and more terrifying because it feels like suddenly the end nears faster. not all spellcasters choose to prolong their life, but those who do find it hard to stop. as for the youthful look... i think Morgyn just craves to feel at their peak, being the perfect image of themselves in everything. they were deprived of feeling worthy in their early years, so they keep proving and proving otherwise. especially after some discoveries about themselves that upended their understanding of who they are and thrown them into a deep identity crisis – they would grasp at all perfection that is still within their power to maintain. well... maybe it's also a bit of vanity, too.

3. it’s just more natural for them to cast with their hands and gives them access to much stronger magic. a wand doesn’t hold any magic itself, it’s like a laser pointer for magical energy, helps you focus and direct it. spellcasters need wands, innate mages don’t, though they of course can use them too. hand magic is raw, it’s more powerful but requires mastery and precision, and allows to weave spells that aren’t accessible to wand users, because wand is a single-channel magic focus, so to speak, and hand magic allows multi-channeling it (so basically, there's a limit that former humans who learned magic can do, and for innate mages this limit is very far, if existing at all)

4. oh no, don’t mistake a snob for an insufferable asshole. they were always personable. they’re likeable, cheeky, warm and affectionate to those they’re close with, especially those who appreciate and accept them, even though their position as a grand sage and academia headmaster naturally made them more reserved. and they’re still snobbish about magic, they know no one will do it better than them when it comes to spells, tend to nitpick mistakes in others' spellcasting, and get annoyed when someone is being lazy or unreasonably cocky with their magic. they just were hot-headed about people doubting their prowess as a student, but they have matured a lot and have good self control now.

5. mostly advanced elemental magic, and a few arcane disciplines i’ve yet to find names for. magic schools in my morgynverse are quite different from what they are in the game, for example, practical school isn’t about cleaning dishes. it covers healing, herbalism and potions, enchanting equipment, crafting amulets, like that. the new jewery creating pack will work so damn good for my story, i can’t wait!

6. i already gave bits and pieces here and there on this post. i can tell you a couple minor things if you want. there’s a plant that is used in potions, it’s called cyclop’s brain, it has huge leaves and massive seed pods, and tiny tiny seeds. also, every four years, on 29th of february, “the day that does not exist”, the academia holds a huge event called Masquerade of Mysteries, it’s grand and magical and everyone is allowed to go all out with enchantments and costumes, every student and teacher is looking forward to it.

7. i’m not sure how much i should say considering that i hope to start telling my story one day and it’s a spoiler, but let’s just say they weren’t really accepted for who they are and were considered dangerous even though they never gave anyone any reason to be afraid of their magic (it’s not simply about them being a mage, that wouldn’t be as much of a problem as their origin)

8. slowly. eventually. they were physically attracted to Caleb from the beginning, but it’s doing right by one another that truly brings people together. Caleb was there for Morgyn when they needed it most.

[stellarcat52]

A familiar needs a magician... right? Right.

Esther died and Monty should have too. But something saved him and Caleb Covington has something to do with it. The warlock seems to want a familiar, and Monty just wants to be safe.

This is one part of a larger story. I'll post more if people seem interested!

-----

When a magician creates a familiar, it connects the animal to their soul. A familiar lives and dies with its magician. A familiar cannot feel hunger or thirst. They are not animals, nor are they tools. A familiar is the living connection between a magician and the spirit of the earth, a core of night infinite magic. But the familiar will never be able to draw on that magic without it passing through it to its magician. A familiar can only use the magic its magician chooses to give it.

If a familiar were ever to survive the death of its magician, nothing would stop it from using the earth’s magic for itself. Of course, this is a purely hypothetical, impossible phenomenon. 

“A ghost such as myself can’t get a familiar, not like you have…” Covington mused. “You’ll get access to whatever profit my clubs produce,” Including the magic, of course, but Covington wanted to make her get a big head when she eventually figures that out. It would make things easier if he ever needed to knock her down a peg in the future. “on the condition that Monty becomes mine when you perish.” He doubted Esther had ever even heard of the legend of an unbound familiar. If she had, well, she had no reason to believe Covington had the means to sever the tie between a dying witch and her bird.

Esther scoffed. “Death will come for you before Lillith gives up on me. What do you really want?” Nobody in their right mind would trust such an obviously one-sided deal. Not even a vain, self-serving immortal such as Esther. 

“An IOU, then, if you insist.” Covington had set a trap with only a few words. If she took it back, she’d seem weak or afraid of what the warlock would ask of her. But if she insisted that wasn’t enough, trying to make sure it wasn’t a trap, she’d be insulting Covington and risk him adding something she couldn’t give him to the deal. “But he is still part of the deal, yes? I’ve always wanted a pet bird”

Of course she agreed to this, Covington would give her credit where it was due but she truly knew nothing about dealing with him. The IOU was only a decoy, he’d never need anything else from that useless witch. But it kept her from wondering why Monty was what he asked for in the first place.

Covington made sure to scratch the crows head on his way out. 

The bird barely reacted.

-Years Later-

Thomas felt the shift in the air instantly. “Caleb.” He smiled. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Covington was dressed to the nines like usual, Wasn’t quite his type, but Thomas could appreciate him nonetheless. “Can’t I just come visit an old friend? You haven’t been to my club as much recently.”

“Well, another ghost has caught my eye.” The cat king admitted. “But Esther’s got her paws on him, and only one of them is going to walk out. Honestly, I don’t know which party has the upper hand here.”

“And here I thought that was always you.”

“You flit.” Thomas purred. But his eyes glinted with distrust. “You aren’t just visiting, are you?”

“I came here to check on Esther, I wanted to see if our little deal would be coming to fruition anytime soon.”

“Then I guess we both have a reason to want her dead right now.”

“I suppose we do.” Covington was silently proud of himself for baiting her into taking power from his clubs all those years ago. It had always been a power play, an ace up his sleeve that had waited decades to finally be played. With nothing more than a click of his fingers, the power flow that Esther had long ago grown used to was cut off completely from her. It wouldn’t do much- he never let her take enough to hurt him- but it would throw her off just enough to give someone else the advantage.

-----

When Esther was dragged away by Lillith, Monty expected to follow her. As her familiar, he should have been destroyed with her. He always knew that was his fate. But death wasn’t what was coming for him. It was a different kind of magic. For a second, he feared it was Lilliths. But it wasn’t there to hurt him. In the mere fractions of a millisecond before her death caught up to Monty, this odd magic came to his rescue and severed the magic link before it could destroy him.

But with the severing, came darkness and silence, and there was no thud of his body hitting the floor for the detectives in the other room to have a chance of hearing. All they’d know, would be that there wasn’t a second body to bury. Not that there was only one soul to mourn, and even then…

-----

Monty woke up slowly to loud, energetic music. Something about Hollywood? It wasn’t worth paying attention to yet because the ambient magic in the air around him was buzzing. Esther never let this much magic run rampant,  but then again she was gone. Monty had to remember that. He stood and spread out his wings, flapped a few times too. Flying wasn’t entirely off the table, he wasn’t injured like he expected to be. But he was fatigued, and it was warm here- if a bit noisy. But the music was much more pleasant than the screams he’d hear in Esther’s house, so Monty didn’t mind.

He sat on the leather seat where he’d woken up for a few more minutes, listening to the music. But it ended, and a ghost warped into the room right in front of Monty’s eyes. A ghost that Monty took a moment to realize he recognized him. And Esther had only ever let him interact with a select few before… Monty might’ve been a bit slow at the time, but he never truly forgets a face or name of someone he knows.

Covington looked at him with a smile as Monty squawked rapidly in surprise. “Oh, I can’t understand you like this. Why don’t we…” He blew a kiss at the crow and Monty found himself human again. Caleb seemed pleasantly surprised, he’d never excelled at biological transformations, and so he had to assume this wasn’t his work. “I see Esther gave you a body of your own.”

“Not that I asked for it.” Monty mumbled. He still hated her for giving him human emotions. It had been nothing but heartbreak- sadness, anger,- ever since. “Sorry, Mr. Covington. Sir. I… thought I was supposed to vanish with Esther. Did she-?” Was this fear? Worry? Shouldn't he have felt hopeful or happy? If he was still alive…

“No.” Covington put on a look of sympathy. ”She didn’t survive. But she and I made a deal years ago that if she ever perished, you would come to me. And it seems that deal had enough power to bring you right to me.”

“Why would she do that? Why would you do that?” It was almost definitely not for Monty’s benefit. Panic- maybe just fear? What was the difference?- was starting to settle in. Was Covington going to treat him the same way that She did?

“Montague.” His name- was that even his name? Wasn’t it just Monty? He couldn't remember that far back.- caught him off guard. “A ghost like myself, magician or not, cannot acquire a familiar through normal means. Every chance I’ve had to get one I’ve tried to take. Esther’s passing is a horrible thing, but it has brought you to me and that is a wonderful thing.”

“Now, there might not be any spell that will bind you to me the same way you were bound to her, but I do hope you’ll stay with me. I have my dancers, but alas they’re not the same as having a familiar.” Covington’s hands were suddenly firmly on Monty’s shoulders. The touch further grounded? Him. Grounding was supposed to be comforting, right? So this feeling of being trapped was wrong. Must be the bird instincts carrying over. “It’s not the same as having a family, Montague. The one thing my magic cannot bring me, and yet here you are. But you do have a choice.” Surely he wanted an answer instantly, Esther would have.

“I…” Monty's eyes felt wet. Tears..? Fuck these human emotions. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling- it was all just so much. “I don’t know yet.”

Covington didn’t seem surprised at that response. He was fine without a yes or no right now. “Why don’t you see if you like being human? Stay at the club for a bit.”He suggested. ”If you’d like a job, I could give you a simple one.”

A job. That’s what Monty was used to. That didn’t need emotions. A tension in his chest that he hadn’t noticed was suddenly gone. “That would be great. Whatever you need.”

Covington seemed surprised for a second, maybe not expecting Monty to be so eager? “We’ll start you small. Just delivering dishes to the lifers after performances.” He smiled. “Maybe if you decide to stick around I can teach you the choreography.” Covington suggested as he summoned a new outfit and ID card out of thin air and offered them to Monty.

Monty would pay more attention to his appearance later, but right then he was focused on the ID that he had just accepted. “Montague Finch-Covington?”

“I hope it isn’t too much. You’re family now, let me show you off just a bit.”��

Was this what familial love was supposed to be? Monty felt… warm. And that feeling didn’t fade when the music started up again and Covington had to excuse himself to go entertain his guests.

Monty looked at the card. A black feather border decorated a picture he definitely never posed for. Some kind of illusion magic, probably. Covington was powerful, a little illusion printed onto a card wouldn’t have been that hard.  Would it have been difficult for Esther? She never cared much for illusions except for her own cosmetics.

Maybe Monty should compare them less. Covington was an improvement in any way he could think of at the moment.

He might not have decided on being human or crow yet, but Monty had decided that he would be sticking around in Hollywood. He was a Covington now, and as a familiar, he was meant to stay near his family.

-----

Caleb’s expectations for Montague’s ability to entertain were blown out of the water. No matter who the unbound familiar approached, with or without food or purpose,vthey all took to him like moths to a flame. Even the other workers, most of which had to be forced to stick around, were eating out of the palm of Montague’s hand after just a few exchanged words. As for his singing, well, crows might not be well known for their song but Montague was born to be a star. Even if the boy was still too shy to sing if he knew someone could hear him.

He was almost perfect. A little confidence boost here, some etiquette teachings there… But Montague’s biggest flaw was that he didn’t yet know how to use his nigh unlimited magical power. Admittedly it was just legend that unbound familiars were the among the strongest beings in existence, a story that Caleb had never had the chance to prove before, but Montague definitely felt as though he had quite a lot of magic built up in that sometimes feathery form.

Caleb warped just outside the room he had offered Montague. He rapped his knuckles against the door and waited only a second for a response.

“Come in!”

“Montague…” Caleb trailed off. The boy was sitting on the bed, in an absolute mess of blankets that had previously been neatly tucked in.

“Please, just call me Monty. I don’t even remember if Esther gave me that long of a name.” Montague was adjusting the blankets in a manner that just made them seem more messy to Caleb but he was very intent on moving them around in such a way. “So what did you want?” 

Montague still wasn’t facing him, which gave him a clear view of the boy’s back which was tensing with anxiety. An emotion Caleb both wanted to eradicate and take advantage of. “I came to ask how you felt today? I worried sending you right to work would be too much but it seems I underestimated your abilities.”

Montague sighed. No reason to lie, really. “I… All these human emotions are still new to me. I’ve been fully awakened for maybe a month now?” He laughed nervously. “Working is about the only thing I think I can do right now.”

“Esther hadn’t awakened you?” No wonder he was so innocent. Still, there was some darkness behind those ever-sparkling eyes. “Did she not have the power?” Caleb traded a secret method of filter feeding power specifically so he could acquire a powerful familiar.

“She did. Just wouldn’t waste it on me until I would actually be useful.” The mess of blankets finally seemed to be to Montague’s liking and he turned around to face Caleb. “Even then, she practically killed me like two weeks later when I failed.” Caleb’s eyes went dark with distaste and Monty’s eyes went wide with implemented fear. “Sorry, sorry. You weren’t asking about-”

“Montague.” The familiar froze at his name. Or maybe it was just Caleb’s voice that had that effect. It commanded him, but not in the same way he was used to.. “Esther was vain, arrogant, and apparently much more of a fool than I had thought. The reason most lifer magicians have familiars is to bring them power and provide assistance but she ignored and hurt you?” Unless given a reason, even Caleb didn’t hurt his people. And he never ignored them, even if they sometimes wished he would. “You’re safe here. And if you’d like to be given jobs then I’ll find work for you.”

It was becoming evident to Caleb that Montague wasn’t going to be all that troublesome. Kindness was more than enough to both terrify and enrapture the boy. Something- maybe beyond Esther- had hurt him enough that he wouldn’t go off chasing silly emotions like love or pity. This wouldn’t be a repeat of William, in fact Montague was already more than that freedom chasing fool would ever be.

Caleb could tell Montague had something to say so he waited until the boy was ready to speak. “I thought familiars were just… animals. For so long. I-I still can’t see why you wanted one. Much less… me.”

“I can see you were never informed of your own power.” He clicked his tongue in disappointment, not exactly at Montague but he wanted to see the reaction. It terrified the boy. “A familiar is not just an animal. Magicians throughout the ages have taken pride in their familiars because of their abilities.”

“What abilities?” Montague scoffed. “I can’t do anything without Esther, or I guess you.”

“But you can, Esther simply failed to show you what you can do.” Caleb smiled. “All the magic I can do and more, that is what you are capable of. And I will teach you everything I know.” he promised.

Monty’s eyes flickered a gorgeous deep indigo just at the thought of doing magic. A testament to how much power he held. “When can we start?”

[alien-til-i-stage]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH “HUMAN” MODEL, LILITH

Interviewer: Hello everyone! Today we brought in a rather unique person here! Let’s welcome in model, Lilith.

Lilith: Hello, it’s a pleasure to be here today.

I: No, it’s our pleasure. It’s not everyday we see someone like you!

L: Oh you jest, surely I can’t be that interesting. I’m no different from those on Alien Stage after all.

I: I didn’t expect one of the highest ranking models to be so humble as you! You’re surely to be a once in a lifetime phenomenon. I must say, your guardia-

L: Hm? My guardian? Surely you mean my father correct?

I: Ah yes, I’m sorry for that. You look so much like a human, I forget you aren’t. I suppose that’s your magic.

L: I suppose so. My father was quite dedicated when creating me. I have him to thank for getting me this far.

I: What an intelligent man, his name is Dottore correct? Perhaps we should interview him eventually, haha

L: I don’t think he’d enjoy that, sir.

I: Ah-, well um, Anyways, we have some questions for you today, if you don’t mind answering some of them?

L: I don’t see why not, after all this is an interview.

I: Starting us off, You seem quite invested in this season of Alien Stage, have any reason why?

L: Oh, I’ve always been interested in Alien Stage, it being my favorite show ever. I even have all the merch. With how round with Aurien being taken away from that strange creature, this season so far might be my favorite. My bets are on Sai!

I: How interesting, do you have any other thoughts on this season?

L: These contestants are quite intriguing I must say. I haven’t seen a season this interesting since season 35. I still think Milo should’ve won but I rest my case.

I: Sorry to disappoint, but some fans have asked, outside of Alien Stage, what are your other likes and dislikes?

L: Ah, that’s a shame, I enjoy speaking about Alien Stage. Well that’s no worries, I suppose it would be writing. Well, not writing per se, but writing letters. I enjoy communication as it was in it’s golden era. And perhaps partially as when I’m not modelling, my father doesn’t allow me out. He loves me too much to be hurt.

I: Writing letters huh? How charming from a girl such as yourself.

L: I enjoy it so, in fact I heard the 40th class of Anakt Garden is open to outside letters. I might try something out.

I: That’s definitely going to be fun for you! However I believe you still have dislikes to cover?

L: Oh I’m sorry. If I had to say…. I dislike the rebels and unladylike behavior. Everyone, both boys and girls should keep themselves to proper behaviors.

I: Of course, I might just have to ask you to hold a class on ladylike behavior, hahaha!

L: I don’t know, it is quite ungentlemanly of you to ask a lady for something…

I: Ah. Well uh, Well how about that hair of yours? I must say, it’s gorgeous and definitely not something you see everyday! It’s always in a new and different style everytime I see it!

L: Thank you, I try to keep it nice. I actually have many different wigs. They’re all supposed to mimic human hair, but it was too difficult to attempt to get human donors for my wigs. And the ones who did donate, well their hair wasn’t…. up to standards let’s just say.

I: Oh, so what is your hair made out of?

L: It’s actually made out of thread. It’s a lot of strings all made to look and mimic human hair but it’s done it’s job, wouldn’t you say?

I: Wow! I would never have guessed!

L: Ah, I apologize but it seems I must go now. My father is here to take me back home

I: Wait! We aren’t even done with the intervie- Come back!!

-Interview End-

Sai ( @junebluues / @bittersweet-adagio ) Aurien ( @aurienneirua ) and ‘strange creature’ ( @solei-eclipse )

[alexanderlightweight]

Can we get a peak of the next chapter of Like real people do? Because I do love Dragon!Alec

I hope you have a great day and I just wanted to let you know that every time I see you have posted it makes me smile!

anon i knew exactly what i was going to write for this, because Magnus has needs and sometimes that means he really needs to be able to admire Alec. i am having a great day btw thank you and this ask is a part of why it's so awesome! and your ask made me smile so i'm glad there are mutual smiles all around! i hope you enjoy

lumine

-

Magnus finds himself back in the room of ice and secrets so priceless that sometimes he shudders to learn one. Magnus provided breakfast, marveling at Alexander’s delight at being introduced to chocolate and insisting on sharing his tea because while Alexander’s own brews were interesting and good, there were things that couldn’t be found in Alicante.

Like a nice delicate oolong or the delightful burn of ginseng, which Alexander seems to have immediately taken too.

He stole Magnus’ cup when his own ran empty and then he’d fallen to the ground and pouted until Magnus procured another cup. Like an overgrown cat taking advantage of its big, sad eyes to lure its person into a trap.

Alexander didn’t join him, which while Magnus resents a little, is also helpful because it’s much easier to concentrate on books when you’re not distracted by six-feet of gorgeous and human-shaped dragon.

It also gives Magnus time to browse the books and see if there is anything helpful concerning Alexander’s species.

There is a decided lack of what he seeks, for both Alexander and Lilith and Magnus trudges out of the room, grumpy from a lack of Alexander and progress

A roar tears him from his thoughts and Magnus runs to the nearest balcony, the wards keeping it shielded from the snow and weather and he throws the doors open and walks out.

The storm is gone, he realizes numbly.

The storm that he fought for days upon end is nowhere to be seen, even though Magnus’ magic warned it would continue for weeks upon months.

Magnus barely has time to register this before the roar sounds again and he watches, awestruck as a giant, black dragon crests the mountains, rising higher and higher until what he can only assume is Alexander is no more than a speck.

Magnus watches the sky, heart in his mouth as he wonders, foolishly, if he’s been abandoned and then Alexander is not flying, but falling. A controlled dive no doubt, but it makes Magnus’ magic itch to reach out and create a safety net for his giant form.

At the last possible moment, he snaps his wings out and Magnus watches with shock as what he thought was a valley of snow when he walks around it, explodes into ice and water that crystallises and shatters upon contact with the air.

It was a lake. 

A frozen lake whose thickly layered surface tore from the mere pressure of Alexander using his wings. 

His dragon glides towards him and Magnus knows the exact moment he’s noticed, because Alexander begins to dance in the sky. It’s a glorious sight and the sun dapples across his scales leaving it to dance with the colours of a prism awash over the black.

“Magnificent.” Magnus murmurs and he wishes he were closer, that he could see and touch and feel Alexander in this form and then his dragon is landing above him and Magnus reaches out for his signature and, uncaring of how this will turn out, forms a portal taking him to Alec.

The roof is wide and flat and doesn’t shiver even with the bulk of Alexander’s draconic form nestled on it. Magnus runs because he doesn’t want to wait, can’t bear it if Alexander transforms back before Magnus gets to appreciate it.

“Oh, aren’t you lovely like this—” He whispers, because it’s true and Alexander gives a pleased rumble and nudges him, nose pressing against the whole of Magnus’ body in greeting. 

“Sweet boy,” Magnus croons and he pets Alexander’s nose and runs a hand over scales half the size of his palm and getting bigger as they climb Alexander’s form. “So beautiful, incredible,” because Magnus doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to woo or compliment someone whose very existence is such a marvel.

Whatever he does seems to work because Alexander is purring, his entire body vibrating with delight, as though Magnus has stroked a livewire inside of him just with his rambling words. 

“Come back to me?” Magnus asks, because as much as he wants to explore Alexander like this, he wants the one that fits into his arms more, the Alexander that he can keep close and claim with kisses. 

Though, he does lean forward and press a soft little kiss to the great expanse of Alexander’s muzzle and then he has an armful of frigid, naked and delighted Alexander. 

"What were you doing?" He asks, because he's curious if it was something like checking the territory, or figuring out how Magnus got in or even hunting.

“I drove the storm off." Alexander says proudly, like he’s making any sense and Magnus realizes that perhaps, he is. 

“Did you?” Magnus hums, like he’s proud but unsurprised and hides how actually surprised he is. "Tell me about as we go inside, darling?”

[domjaehyun]

hello! this is rainonthebathroomfloor, and i wanted to share all of my notes with you!! many of them aren’t enlightened lol as i was just recording my reactions in the moment 🤍🤍

“i know what i want” this man would get me into trouble and ruin friendships holy shit i’m a weak bitch

the conversation about drugs is doing things to my heart. i love the soft vulnerability of it and the scene overall — walking outside, late at night, new to knowing one another

not him bringing up visiting his mom ohmygod i love this ahhhhh

oc asking the deli cooks if haechan is handsome. oh this shit is GOLEN i’m giggling and kicking my feet “how many of you are back there” lmao

“do that again��� after oc stuck her tongue out… i want him so bad

“it’s about the reward” im too weak for this shit. wtf op your TALENT

He ignores you. “I think it’s that I want to know what it feels like to truly live.” he finishes, and you pause at that, genuinely taking in his words. “Life is too short to be scared to indulge, you know?” ~i want what he’s having lol

oh this boy is crazy. and a walking red flag that i want to lick… like a cherry lollipop

tickling oc’s hand is CRAZY

heaching SEEing oc took my breath away

He looks at you like he’s dangerously close to seeing you; you, past your barriers and caution tape; you, with all your intricacies and contradictions; and you, with all the hope and yearning and vulnerability you’ve had since your youth that you’ve been trying to convince everyone is no longer around. ~everything about these words

haechan talking about twin flames and mirror souls… and your inclusion of the lyrics. i haven’t listened to ariana’s new album that much, and i definitely missed these lyrics, but they gave me chills worked into this scene so perfectly. you created magic

i’m loving the layers to haechan. there’s all this confidence and charm and interactions that made me feel like ‘god he’s just another man being a flirt despite having a girlfriend’ but then there are moments when complete clarity is felt and their connection is just so obvious. his comfort with oc is so obvious along with the way she’s stimulating him mentally/emotionally/physically. like i get his actions with all that in mind (is that crazy to say?), and it all makes me want insight into his rs with winter. how it got started. what it gives him. what it’s missing. well, we get a picture painted of what’s missing. i’m writing this after reading part 2, and i can’t pretend i don’t want a man who’s this obsessed with me. i know that’s partially bc i do not doubt that i’ll be obsessed right back. i also have to take a moment to say how fine and sexy haechan is. i nearly collapsed beneath the weight of his energy in your fic 😩

also, i had such a fun time listening to the playlist while reading. i also ended up with justine skye’s collide playing on repeat and that made part 2 feel even more intense. music is such a source of inspiration for my own writing, and i love that it’s something you weave into your stories. it’s also a joyous and fascinating experience to see and read the art music inspires and creates. it’s like a constant pool of rebirth and i’m obsessed with that

i can’t wait for the next part!! thank you for being here and sharing incredible work with all of us 🤍 you’re a talented gem

HIIIII BELOVED I AM HERE TO ANSWER

first of all. im snorting this next. SECONDLY: here we go the rest is under a cut bc my reply got long

no your thoughts are wonderful please they mean so much to me!!!!!!! okay im gonna try and go in order so brace yourself

HE REALLY WOULD and he’d do it all in the name of love 🫶

i loooooooove getting to know you scenes but like . not conventional stuff yknow? like realistic, deeper conversations so im happy you liked that scene too!!!!!

YEAH I HAD TO HE’S A LIL MAMA’S BOY

I GIGGLED WHEN I WROTE THAT LINE i love like inserting little bits of comedy when i can :D it was also inspired by when i was at the deli and the guy at the counter told the deli cook my order then like one other guy came out and i walked by there to get a drink and . there were like 2 more guys back there and i was like this is a small ass space how many of u are there

HEHEHEHEHEHE ME TOO he’s a shameless little flirt and we love to see it

THANK YOOOOOOU i think this fic was a learning moment for me like . some risks are worth the reward and you can’t live your life scared of “what if” yknow?

I TOO WANT WHAT HE’S HAVING im microdosing on it rn but i want like. a fuckton of what he’s on

he /is/ crazy . i also want to lick him …..who said that

teehee i thought that was cute i like that you noticed :D and i’m glad it resonated with you

I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE THAT SCENE THE SCENE IN THE CAFE BC . okay tmi time but i like this guy at work. and he STARES at me sometimes like just gazes into my eyes and it’s terrifying and electrifying at the same time and i wanted to try and capture that feeling in words so your feedback makes me feel like i did a good job!!

THANK YOU HEHEHEHEHEHE i like that line too i think i want someone to look at me like that fr like . just See Me and be like . i wanna know more. (again my crush does this but there is room for doubt there. i want an unequivocally probing and fond gaze like they see me and they like what they see, no ifs ands or buts about it)

THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU ugh i love the museum cafe scene it was very revealing to me abt like . their characters and stuff and that lyric quote just fit so perfectly????? i had to include it

i fully get you tbh like i started out writing the fic with no real idea of the relationship btwn him and winter and as i was writing i was like. okay but what does she fulfill for him that he’s not getting from winter like why did he switch lanes with such ease what did he SEE what did he FEEL which can be hard to capture from ….well, Not His Point Of View so i just . did my best bc MC def has the same questions so some of these get answered !!!!!!!! in some scenes it’s more in details than being said explicitly but tbh you’re such a close reader that i feel like you’ll get it when those scenes come up!!

additionally: i also want a man who’s this obsessed with me it is a dream of mine :’) i agree haechan is deeply fine and sexy i love writing him like this just like. a lovesick man

OOH i should listen to that song i def know it bc i can recall the melody and some lyrics but i really wanna . sit with the song if you think it was fitting bc i love having like a soundtrack to my fics!!!

UGH THANK YOU YOU GET IT I LOVE TO WRITE WITH MUSIC AS INSPO it just feels so right. art inspires more art!!!!!! it is most definitely a cycle of rebirth and it’s one that i personally can’t get enough of :D

THANK YOU SO MUCH GENUINELY i hope you enjoy the next part too :D this was like . actually so affirming to read it was like . i feel More Understood a bit after this message and that’s a wonderful feeling so thank you for giving that to me :’)

THANK YOU AGAIN SO SO SO MUCH i can’t put enough sos bc ………. i am truly that grateful :’) you are so welcome and people like you make it so incredibly worth it!!!!! thank you again and have a BEAUTIFUL day 💖

[empressofthesunwriter]

Friendly Faces Everywhere

Codename Dovahkiin Part 2

Now that the Stick of Truth RPG is over it's time for N.K. to face the normal everyday life of South Park.

She should have known nothing in South Park is ever normal!

Day to day the craziness of this supposed quiet little mountain town she has to combat now.

Thank god, she has Tammy, Wendy, her boys, and her Social Media/Magical Girl Powers on her side.

This gonna be a wild ride!

Main Pairing: New Kid/Kenny McCormick/Kyle Broflovski

Chapter 6: Head empty, only confusion

I can’t believe how time has flown so fast.

In a few days, it’s Christmas.

My family broke their record of staying in one place.

It’s an incredible feeling. Celebrating this year in a town, which has become my home, and not in a stinky Motel room like last year.

Also, it’s the only time in the year I love snow.

Snow on Christmas Day is perfect.

I’m right now with Leo. We are building a snowman together before our houses.

“It’s awesome that we can play today big sis!”, say’s Leo happily.

“I agree. Leo, I’m sorry that I was so distant the last few days just…I didn’t want to make it awkward with me dating Heidi and being close to Stan’s Gang still.”, I confess ashamed.

Yes, call me a coward. I practically abandoned my male friends, because I couldn’t handle the unpleasant atmosphere, which was born between us since I "broke up" with Kyle and Kenny and started dating Heidi.

I did it also in respect for Heidi.

I know she is unsure about my feelings for her since I was so hung up on the two boys.

Being distant seemed the right way.

“No I kind of get it.”, tells Leo. “Kyle and Kenny are really sad about this, but also give the other the fault for this. They had a big fight and aren’t talking with each other.”

I wince at this.

Exactly that I didn’t want to happen, but whatever I do, someone gets hurt.

This sucks ass.

“How are the guys…be truthful to me.”, I beg Leo.

He frowns, while he puts the stones for our snowman eyes on the head.

“Well…Kyle is trying his hardest to save the living room, to get the family together again. I think Stan helps him. Kenny is taking care of Karen and Eric is busy with his Youtube account. I think they are okay, don’t worry so much big sis. You made your decision and they will learn to live with it.”

A soft smile forms on my lips and I pet Leo’s head.

“You are so positive, Leo. Never lose this okay?”

“Don’t worry, big sis. How is it going between you and Heidi?”

Hearing my girlfriend’s name fills me instantly with joy. I can easily forget what emotional disaster I created.

“Pretty good. Really, really good. I’m happy when I’m with her and I miss her when she is away. I think…it can be something for a long time.”, I confess.

“Woah, neato. Could you imagine marrying Heidi?”

…Oh, this is a question I didn’t expect.

Can I image it?

It’s a beautiful sunny day.

Not too cold not too warm.

The cute little church is filled with colorful flowers.

All my friends are sitting on the benches.

I’m holding into my Papà arm.

He leads me down the aisle.

There she waits for me.

Heidi.

A vision in her wedding dress.

But as I reach her, all start to shake and twist and turn.

Heidi isn’t waiting anymore for me at the altar.

It’s…Kenny…and…Kyle!

I see Stan besides Kyle holding a little boy in his arms.

Beautiful red curls.

An adorable cherubic-like face.

One eye is blue, the other green.

The little boy seems to stare into my soul…

“N.K.! Big sis! Are you all right?”

Leo’s voice drags me back from…this vision I had?

What was that?

I blink rapidly at him, and he doesn’t know if he should touch me to stabilize me or not.

In the end, he grips my shoulders.

Whatever I experience right now…it’s gone like fog with the first sun rays.

“Sorry, Leo, didn’t want to worry you.”, I gasp for air, petting one of his hands. “Maybe it’s time to go home. I still don’t like the cold.”

I can see how Leo isn’t convinced. He practically demands that he escort me the few meters to my house.

For that, I ruffle his hair.

He is such a cutie.

We part, with the promise to see us soon.

The next day I’m taking a walk with Heidi.

Hand in hand we enjoy the pretty Christmas decoration the town put up.

“Did you get all your Christmas presents?”, asks me Heidi curious

“Yeah, what I stress I tell you.”, I chuckle and swing our hands. “I…I never had so many friends as I have them here in South Park.”

“You are so strong N.K., I can’t imagine moving so often and leaving all my friends behind. You deserve to have a lot of friends.”

“And a super cute and wonderful girlfriend.”, I flirt.

Heidi giggles cutely, as I kiss the crown of her head.

We walk past the little Eletronik Shop which has like in the movies TVs in the sales windows.

I would have ignored what the TVs are playing if I didn’t suddenly hear Kyle’s voice.

Surprised I stop to watch what is on the TVs.

It shows Kyle in his living room, wearing a white shirt that has written on it #savethelivingroom.

“Please, tune in and help get America's families back in the living room.”

What the fuck, why is Cartman’s stupid commentator window also up? Of course, he calls Kyle a douchebag.

An announcer ends this spot with the words: “It's all live and it's all magical. It's the Washington Redskins Go Fuck Yourself Holiday Special.”

…The fuck?!

“N.K., are you all right?”, ask Heidi worried.

“Just…peachy, love.”

“Are you sure? Your left eye is twitching.”

Indeed it is. I try to stop it.

“I’m just… surprised that’s all. Also, I have a feeling Cartman is planning something, I felt in my gut.”, I admit.

Heidi gives me a look.

“And…you are totally angry that Kyle didn’t ask for your help and has gone to other people with his #savethelivingroom agenda. And now it seems they are using him and you want to start swinging. Especially at Cartman.”

Damn, Heidi is good! She really knows me well.

I sign and lead her away from the shop.

“Let’s just keep going. That’s not my problem what the boys do or not do.”

“I don’t want that you ignore your friends for me.”, she mumbles, facing the ground. Shit, I don’t want her to feel bad! “I know you ignore them mostly for me, but N.K. they are still your friends. You should help them if needed.”

I gulp, shaking my head.

“You are more important.”

“But N.K.-“

“No, Heidi, love, it’s okay.”

In silence, we continue our walk. Anyone tormented with their own thoughts.

Later I’m sitting in the living room looking at Twitter. I can’t believe that the fat asshole is trending so much!

He has nearly a high reach like when I use my Social Media Powers.

Unbelievable!

Mamma steps into the living room and puts a platter of fresh-baked cookies on the couch table.

Normally I would start eating them like a man starved, but…I just can’t.

What, Heidi said that I shouldn’t ignore my friends for her, and the wish in me to help them is going in circles in my brain.

“N.K., gumdrop, you don’t want a cookie?”, wonders Mamma surprised. “These are your favorite chocolate chip cookies.”

I put my phone away, shaking my head.

“Not hungry.”

“That’s your code for: I’m overthinking something and don’t know how to handle it.”, Mamma points out and I whine.

She is right.

“Wanna tell me what is going on?”

Not like I have to lose something.

“Mamma you know that I’m dating Heidi?”

“Hard not to since you presented her to your Papà and me.”

She sits down beside me on the couch stroking my hair.

“Yeah, right of course. You know…I had this huge crush on Kenny and Kyle. I couldn’t decide who I liked better and made a mess.”, I nearly cry, leaning on Mamma. “I know Heidi is insecure that I really like her and that’s why I ignored pretty much the boys. But now I have a feeling they need my help, but I also feel like I will betray Heidi this way.”

My Mamma hmms thoughtfully, hugging me to herself and I fall formally into her embrace.

“Did you talk with Heidi about this?”

“Not in so many words, but she said to me I shouldn’t ignore my friends.”

“Then listen to her.”

“But Mamma-“

“Now N.K. I know you don’t wanna hurt anybody, but if you don’t listen to what others say it will for sure happen. Believe in Heidi and that your relanteship is strong enough to have a friendship with the boys. You choose Heidi so committed to it.”

Tears fell down my cheeks and I huge my Mamma tight.

“Mamma…I think I love Kenny and Kyle…”, I confess in a tiny voice, ready to break apart. “I like Heidi, I really do…but I can’t stop thinking about Kenny and Kyle. I want them so much it hurts…”

“Oh my little princess.”, cooe Mamma kissing the crown of my head. “You stay away from them because you are scared you will cheat on Heidi, is that it?”

I can only nod, crying harder.

Mamma sings softly to me my favorite nursery rhyme from when I was little, rocking me back and forth in her arms.

“My little baby…why don’t you try polyamory?”, ask me, Mamma.

I hear a record scratch.

Did I hear her right?

I look up at her shocked.

“Mamma?”

“I…I never told you this but…I grow up with a mother and two fathers.”, let’s Mamma the bomb drop.

My chin meets the floor.

That’s…that’s the first time Mamma has talked about her family. When in the past I asked about them, she always told me that they are all dead and she doesn’t want to talk about it.

Now that she is doing it willingly…I’m just what?

Mamma strokes my hair and continues to tell me this: “You are a lot like your grandma, you know. No wonder you inherit her polyamory tendencies from her too. She told me when I was a little girl that she fall in love with my biological father and my dad at the same time. Your grandma couldn’t decide either who she liked more, because she loved both my fathers equally. So they decide to be together all three. Well, my two fathers never fall in love with each other, but they became best friends, and the love for my mother and then for me united them. Polyamory can also work if two of the party stay just friends.”

This…is a lot to unpack.

My mother notes that I’m practically having a crisis, so she hugs me tight.

“Maybe I confused you more with this…but N.K. I want you to know that if you truly talk to people and let them decide for themselves then maybe you will get what you want.”

“I like Heidi, I really do, I can imagine being with her for a long time. Why should I go for the complicated ones?”, I protest.

“Can you? Who do you try to convince? Me or yourself?”

I can just stare at the floor.

An image of a beautiful little red-haired boy with one green and one blue eye practically manifests before my inner eye.

A tear falls from my eyes dropping down on the couch.

I don’t have an answer.

I’m only lost.

With a loud sniff, I hide in my mother’s embrace.

I don’t want to think.

I don’t want to feel.

I just want to be left alone.

And I don’t wanna hurt anybody.

After a while, I calm down. Mamma tries to apologize if her words were too hard, but I just wave it off.

Maybe I needed to hear that.

That doesn’t mean I know what do to.

Defeated and done with anything I go up in my room and fall on my bed.

We may have a place at Christmas we finally can call home…yet I’m miserable.

Didn’t help either that polyamorous tendencies are genetic in our family.

I wish I meet my grandma…and my two grandpas.

Maybe they could help.

I pull my blanket over my head, closing my eyes.

I want to be alone and in silence for a while. Not to think about all this emotional chaos I have.

Later, I will join later my parents to celebrate Christmas…

I don’t know how I know but I’m in a place called Denny's Applebee's Max. Around me are all the people I know from South Park. Anyone is older.

It’s a big Christmas Celebration.

I’m sipping some champagne and looking around the room.

“Nice party, huh?”, says Tammy to me.

I turn to my best friend.

She…Tammy is also an adult. She still has long hair with blond highlights and wears a really simple black dress with some heels.

“Yep.”, I pop the p with zero enthusiasm.

Tammy signs and places a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry N.K., I really am.”

I snort and down my drink.

“You are not the one who crashed their own marriage.”, I remind her bittersweet. Careful I look around. “You don’t see her do you?”

She shakes her head.

“You told me yourself that she left you for her boss. They are probably at the Bahamas or some shit getting drunk on coconut milk.”

“Only because I didn’t work on our marriage!”

“N.K. you are a motherfucking Superhero who saved this shitty world more times than we can count. Heidi should have been more understanding.”

“I don’t wanna talk anymore about that.”

Like a coward, I walk away in search of a new glass of champagne. I can’t even talk anymore with my super best friend.

This job is killing me.

It killed my marriage.

Now it will kill my social life.

Why did I agree to serve the government?

That’s when I see how Stan, freshly returned from the Mars colony, enters the restaurant and gets hugged by Kyle and then Kyle’s two adorable children.

I feel pain in my chest.

After I started dating Heidi I distanced myself from Stan’s Gang. The pandemic in 2020 didn’t help either.

Kenny joins them and all three friends laugh and talk with each other.

At least they are happy…

That’s when my phone sounds and I get help but sign.

I should have known I couldn’t celebrate Christmas again with my friends and family.

My duty comes always first.

I pick up the phone.

“Commander? Who is invading us now?”

I step out of the restaurant, alone, without someone who will wait for me to return.

“You saw one way you life could go? Would you like to see another one?”

YES!

I don’t know how I know but I’m in a place called Denny's Applebee's Max. Around me are all the people I know from South Park. Anyone is older.

It’s a big Christmas Celebration.

With an I whine I rub the spot on my belly where the baby kicked me.

That may be my fourth pregnancy but this child confuses my insides for a football.

“Mommy, is my little brother naughty again?”, ask me my little Naomi.

She is tucked to my side, rubbing my belly too.

Her beautiful red hair falls in long curls to her hips and her brown eyes shine like amber. She is tall for a five-year-old.

“A bit, but I can handle it, maudeleh.”, I reassure her.

“Mamma!”, calls my oldest daughter for me. 15 years old, tall, golden locks, and with brown eyes. She walks over to us like a top model. “Do you know when Uncle Stan and Aunt Marianne will be here?! I have to tell Ariel the newest gossip from Earth! Can’t believe they stayed for nearly a year on Mars! I miss my super best friend!”

“Layla you will survive these few minutes. You did it for a year.”, deadpans my oldest child and son at her. At 20 years, he is a young adult, but still, my little baby I fought so hard for. Styled red locks, one eye green and one eye blue in a devilishly handsome face, which makes all swoon.

“Don’t be a dick, Alexander!”

“Layla Tammy Broflovski, what did I tell you about such langue!”, scolds Kyle her, giving me a kiss on the cheek and petting Naomi on the head.

“That it’s not okay to call my siblings dick but anyone else is free game.”

Besides Kyle, we all snort, while he sends a look at the blond man who is coming towards us.

“She got that from you, Kenny!”, he accuse our husband.

Kenny grins cheeky, giving me a forehead kiss and Kyle one on his cheek.

“And yet you married my foul langue speaking ass.”

Kyle rolls his eyes at him, while Kenny picks up Naomi and puts her on his shoulders.

“Well my babes I agree with Lala-“

“-Daddy!-“

“-Over there. When are the Marshs coming? I wonder how big little Jamie got.”

We hear how someone nears us.

It’s Tammy, also pregnant, her husband behind her, holding their little three-year-old girl in his arms.

“Madam President-“

“-Tammy you are my best friend and my right-hand woman stop calling me that even in private!-“

“-You are the president of the United States what do you want from me sis? We have an Alert, I’m sorry.”

Alexander groans while I pet his head.

“I’m sorry, bubaleh, till I’m knocked up with your little brother I can’t go and fight.”

“No Ma it’s okay, I just hoped I could have at least said hello to Uncle Stan and Aunt Marianne.”

“Someone called our names?”

I can’t even look that fast as Layla formally jumps her best friend and my niece, Ariel Marsh, both girls hugging and jumping around like crazy kangaroos.

“Oh hamburgers, someone is happy!”, gasps Marianne and hugs little two-year-old Jamie to herself.

Alexander and Naomi formally throw themselves at Stan, Marianne, and Jamie, who return the affectionate gesture. After Layla and Ariel are done with each other, my daughter hugs her aunt, uncle, and cousin too.

I and my husbands also join the group hug.

It’s so cute seeing Stan, Kyle, and Kenny together, while I shower my little sister and my nephew in kisses.

Our big family is together again.

It’s so amazing.

At this moment I look up and meet the eyes of Alexander.

He gives me a tiny smile.

“Are you happy Ma? Is this all you ever wanted? Will you choose this way?”

With a gasp, I sit up on my bed and look confused around.

What kind of fever dreams did I just have?

Never in my life was I so confused.

There is a knock on my door. Still reeling I call for the person to come in.

It’s Mamma.

“Ah, you woke up. Papà and I were getting worried. Come let’s have Christmas Dinner.”

I can just nod, following my mother.

My parents tell me apparently I missed how Cartman tried to take world domination via his Youtube channel and was then stopped by PewDiePie.

What can happen when one takes a short nap.

Only one thing is clear.

I’m more confused than ever.

If someone wanted to help me…this was a spectacular mistake.

Christmas fucking sucks, my dudes!

*Twirls my fake mustache like a villain*

I can’t wait to hear your theories my loves. ;D

Next

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[please-picturemeintheweeds]

Totally agree about the balance of creating a setlist, and basically everything you said! I think all of it also thematically ties into the trauma of ~becoming a woman~. But it doesn’t just go in chronological order bc that would be boring and repetitive (we already experienced her discography chronologically!)

Lover: setting the stage, framing everything else that’s about to happen during the show. You think that you know me? “They whisper in the hallways she’s a bad bad girl” “I’ve been the archer I’ve been the prey” + sexism is a thing!

Fearless: our story begins, “you take my hand and drag me head first fearless” “why can’t you see you belong with me?” “I got tired of waiting wondering if you were ever coming around my faith in you was fading”

Evermore: life happened and growing up sucks a lot and everything leads back to childhood and somehow I ended up with my world closing in on me isolated from everyone alone with someone who barely tolerates me.

Reputation: like you said- rising from the ashes!!! Fuck you all!!!!! They say I did something bad then why does it feel so good? Dont blame me for what you made me do!!!!

Speak now: rose colored glasses, also I blocked this part of my life out LOL

Red: I survived!!! I am coping (sometimes badly) with all the everything!! I am a woman now!!!! Happy free confused and lonely at the same time! I’m like this is exhausting!!! Now I’m lying on the cold hard ground!! It was rare I was there I remember it all too well.

Folklore: if you want to romanticize the woman I became, or you could picture me in the trees… oh shit life is really complicated and nobody is just Bad and maybe I had some things right as a child maybe it is actually all simple. We all have our own stories. Never grow up. Back when we were still changing for the better and wanting was enough. I have lasting trauma from what I’ve been through. “If I’m dead to you why are you at the wake?” “If I’m on fire you’ll be made of ashes too” “when you are young they assume you know nothing” “tried to change the ending” “marked me like a bloodstain” “I knew everything when I was young!!!!”

1989: how about let’s repress that! My life is shiny! It is flashing lights! I am doomed to repeat my mistakes!!! I wear high heels and short skirts!!! I am being eaten alive and it’s kinda a party!!! Could end in burning flames or paradise. I know I should just tell you to leave but I watch us go around and around each time… good girl faith and a tight little skirt. I can make the bad guys good for a weekend. Magic madness heaven sin!!! You can tell me when it’s over if the high was worth the pain. A nasty scar. Find out what you want be that girl for a month. Rose garden filled with thorns.

Midnights: I am exhausted, I am haunted by my past, I hate myself but am aware I shouldn’t, love comes over me like a haze, I am empowered and master of my own fate, I didn’t suffer for nothing!!!! Karma’s a relaxing thought!!! Aren’t you envious that for you it’s NOT!?!!

Starting to think too hard about “I could see you being my addiction” and now I feel unwell 😵‍💫

[minaramen]

Tenn Kujo - 16 Idol Album - Part 3: Forever with my loved ones

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Tenn: I used to learn songs and dances in order to make Riku smile. Also, so many games that could make him smile naturally came to mind

Tenn: Because of that I was praised by my parents and the people around me, but there was nothing I couldn’t do if it meant Riku would smile

Tenn: I was so happy to see Riku’s smile, I just couldn’t get enough of it, so I prepared more and more stages everyday, just the little two of us

Tenn: There was nothing that made me happier than seeing his bright eyes, when he told me “you’re amazing, Tenn nii”

Ryunosuke:..Tenn…

Ryunosuke:....can I hug you?

Tenn: What?!

Gaku: Then I’ll hug the two of you from behind

Tenn: What are you saying, big men?!

Ryunosuke: Ahah, sorry. I just had the sudden urge to hug the little Tenn from the past

Tenn: I’m not the little Tenn from the past

Gaku: Really? And yet you have so many traits of a brat

Tenn:.........

Gaku: …ugh!! Don’t step on my toes!! It hurts!!

Ryunosuke: I met Riku kun at the TV studio a few days ago. We talked about you

Tenn: About…me?

Ryunosuke: He told me that you’ve always been the perfect big brother, but that was due to the fact that he asked you to be like that

Ryunosuke: He said that you were so patient, and you sacrificed yourself a lot

Tenn: No, that’s…

Gaku: Why don’t you brothers try a heart-to-heart, for once? The feelings you had for each other when you were children didn’t change

Gaku: When I look at the two of you, I feel frustrated

Tenn: You feel…frustrated?

Gaku: Yeah. I always want to see a cool expression on your face. I can’t stand your sad expression every time we cross paths with Nanase

Ryunosuke: I also have little brothers, so I understand. It’s not easy to express your feelings…

Ryunosuke: You know all about each other, your assumptions about the other are deep-rooted and difficult to untie

Tenn: For me, the time I spent together with Riku was irreplaceable. I wouldn’t have changed it for anything

Tenn: It was no sacrifice. I was the one wanting to see Riku’s smile. It was something selfish, actually

Gaku:....It was not selfishness

Gaku: It was love

Ryunosuke: Yes, it was love

Tenn: Don’t say things like that with such a smile. It’s pretty embarrassing

Gaku: It’s the same when you’re standing on the stage with us. You don’t care about your physical condition at all

Gaku: You always stand on an amazing, bright place, enchanting our amazing fans with your smile

Ryunosuke: When we look at you, we get enchanted as well.  Aah, I want the 3 of us to keep singing and dancing forever!

Gaku: Both the stages you made with Nanase and the ones you made with us and our fans, are created with the magic of love

Tenn: …fu… what’s wrong with you?

Tenn: Aren’t we going a little too far with sentimentalism? 

Tenn:...but, yes. It's lovely, warm, kind magic

Tenn: I wonder if this magic can ever exist again, between me and Riku

Ryunosuke: Of course it can! Forever and ever!

Tenn: Thank you both. I love you

Gaku: Eh?! What’s with that docile approach, all of a sudden?!

Ryunosuke: Ahah, I like you guys a lot as well! I love you! It’s the same for you, right, Gaku?

Gaku: Well, that’s obvious

Tenn: …say it properly, then. Like Ryuu did

Gaku: I literally said it’s obvious!

Ryunosuke: Gaku…I’d like you to say it too

Gaku: Ahah, what’s with you guys? I love you, then!

Tenn&Ryuunosuke: Wah…!

Ryunosuke: We’ve just received fanservice from Gaku. I guess this is how our fans feel!

Tenn: It was pretty strong, almost the same tension as when you say “Hey, wait!”

Gaku: Hey, don’t make it sound like my fanservice is poor!

Ryunosuke: Speaking about fanservice, Tenn, you’re the kind of guy who communicates his feelings to fans straight. I bet you did the same with Riku?

Tenn:...I did. He told me things like “wave your hand”, “give a wink”...and I did my best to live up to his expectations

Tenn: When he got into playing the robot game, he told me to do all these things like a robot. I was a little confused

Ryunosuke: Like a robot! “Hello, my name is Tenn nii robot! Let’s play together!”...something like that?

Tenn: Could you please avoid being embarrassed when you say it?

Gaku: I didn’t expect you to make such a cute voice, Ryuu!

Ryunosuke: Yes, I’m kind of amazed at myself

Gaku: I bet it was more like “My-name-is-Tenn-nii-robot”

Tenn: You sound more like an alien than a robot

Gaku: How was it, then? Let me hear how a robot sounds, Tenn

Tenn: There’s nothing worse than asking you to do something absurd

Gaku: What do you mean?!

Ryunosuke:...hey, why don’t you play the robot game with us? It sounded fun to me, when I listened to the story

Tenn: Grown men as robots?!

Ryunosuke: Yes! Try to give us some orders. You’re the captain, today!

Tenn: The captain…I think it’s the first time I’m the one giving orders…

Gaku: You have such a happy face! Basically me doing something absurd is the worst thing ever, but it’s okay when it comes to Ryuu?!

Tenn: Yes, because it’s Ryuu

Gaku: Gh…!

Ryunosuke: We’re children now! We met at my house to play games!

Gaku: Sounds good! We’re children, and Tenn just became the captain by winning against us at rock-paper-scissors!

Tenn: Ahaha! So we’re almost 10 years younger, now?

Ryunosuke *thinking*: He seems so happy. How cute! 

Gaku *thinking*: You look really happy, you cute little one

Tenn: Okay, let’s get started! Gaku-robot, equip the laser sword!

Gaku: Kyuuuin, kashuuun! Click! Equipment completed! 

Tenn: Okay, let’s get started! Ryuu-robot, fire the missiles! 

Ryunosuke: Brrrrrrrr! Booom!! Target, successfully taken down!

Tenn:....fufu…wait, that’s too funny, kashuuun, brrrrr…I just can’t…!

Gaku: Was it weird?

Ryunosuke: No, it was cool! It sounded great!

Gaku: Yeah! That brrrrrrr of yours was great!

Tenn: Hey, you two…do you think this is a conversation that men over twenty would normally have? Fufu…

Gaku: It’s good! If we got to meet when we were children, we would have talked like that!

Ryunosuke: Yes! And we would have been best buddies back then too!

Tenn:........

Tenn *thinking*: You know, Riku. We were the only owners of the world we created when we were children

Tenn *thinking*: Maybe you could have laughed more if you had someone else by your side, like the sky adorned with a rainbow

Tenn *thinking*: Were you happy on a stage that was ours and ours only?

Tenn *thinking*:  I’m not sure about the answer, but I’m happy that you also have friends standing by you

Tenn: ….Gaku robot, Ryuu robot

Tenn: Always stay by my side

Gaku&Ryunosuke:....Tenn…!

Tenn: No matter how many painful days may come, no matter how difficult it may be for me to even stand up during those days, no matter how much muddy water I may be forced to drink

Tenn: If you’re by my side, I’ll be invincible. I’ll be able to sing and dance until the very end, forever

The end

TL notes: Next up - Riku Nanase 16 Idol Album

[korranguyen]

Random script findings that won’t get their own post, but are interesting enough to share

The Waterbending Master: The Sun Warriors aren't the only culture in ATLA drawing inspiration from the Mayans—the grandiose icy architecture of the NWT does too, described in the script as a blend between the Venice Canals and an ancient Mayan city.

Out of the mist, the NORTHERN WATER TRIBE is revealed. It is a giant ice city, several miles wide. Its architecture looks like a cross between an ancient Mayan city and the watery canals of Venice. Looming over the city are giant ICE CLIFFS from which the city was originally built. (STORYBOARD NOTE: The following sequence should visually pay off what the kids have been waiting to see all season.)

Tales of Ba Sing Se (A): Zuko telling Jin she has “quite the appetite for a girl” was . . . his attempt at cheering her up with a compliment. Very smooth.

Zuko instantly turns angry.

ZUKO (yelling): She is not my girlfriend!

The whole restaurant goes quiet. Everyone stares at Jin and Zuko's table. The waiter looks at Jin and rolls his eyes, then walks away. Zuko sees that Jin looks a little hurt so he tries to find something nice to say to make up for it.

ZUKO (cont'd): You have quite an appetite for a girl.

Tales of Ba Sing Se (B): The stage directions lend even more ambiguity on whether or not Jin truly knows how Zuko set off those fountain lights. She covers her eyes, “playfully peeks through her fingers”, then covers her eyes again? Does she peek again? Mysterious.

Jin leads Zuko towards a magnificent fountain, which sits on top of a hill overlooking the city. Zuko seems a bit more comfortable now that they are outside and alone.

JIN (cont'd): I can't believe it! They aren't lit.

Jin touches Zuko's arm. He can tell how disappointed she is, and for the first time all night he knows what he needs to do.

[some parts of the interaction I forgot to write down]

Jin covers her eyes but playfully peeks through her fingers.

She covers her eyes. Zuko quickly surveys the area to make sure that no one is around. Then he does a simple Firebending move and makes a sweeping motion. The lamps ignite sequentially like dominoes, creating the magical image Jin expected.

(Oh! Also, one more bonus; Zuko is more comfortable later on during his date with Jun specifically because they are outside and alone. The script also repeatedly describes Zuko as overwhelmed by his surroundings and the dating situation he is in. Autistic!Zuko headcanoners, make with that what you will.)

The Awakening: The script itself says Katara is triggered when Hakoda defends Aang's decision to leave.

HAKODA: Maybe that's his way of being brave.

This triggers something in Katara, and she BLOWS UP at her dad.

KATARA: It's not brave, it's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him. And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him too? How could he just leave us behind?!

A long beat as the meaning of this sinks in for Hakoda. He looks down… feeling a great burden of guilt.

The Boiling Rock, Part 1 (A):Suki canonically panics when Sokka attempts to kiss her donning the garb of a Fire Nation guard. Does this say she didn't expect this type of interaction with a CO, or did Sokka set off her pre-existing trigger? Either way—that poor girl.

SUKI: What is it? Did I do something wrong?

SOKKA: (coy) You mean, you don't recognize me?

SUKI: (shrugs) You people all look the same to me.

SOKKA: Oh? Then maybe you'll recognize this…

Reminiscent of 2.12, Sokka leans in for a kiss, but Suki panics and punches him in the gut. Sokka rolls to the ground and his helmet falls off.

The Boiling Rock, Part 1 (B): The touch of Avatar physics hilarity where Chit Sang is too dumb to understand heat conduction was only added during production. Here's how he gets caught red-handed in the original script:

Chit Sang picks up the window and dips it into the water with a loud “PLOP”.

We go dramatically close to a cobra-bat resting on a guard tower. We hear the “plop” echo as the cobra-bat's huge ears FLAP open. It opens its eyes and CAWS loudly. Various tower guards now turn and see the fugitives in the water.

The Fortuneteller: In the moment where Katara makes the connection between Madame Wu's prophecy and Aang being “a powerful bender”, her thought process is purposefully ambiguous—it's unclear what she makes of this.

SOKKA: Nothing. Just that Aang is one powerful bender.

KATARA: I suppose he is.

She looks at Aang, possibly from a different perspective, for the first time. (Though it's unclear what she makes of this.)

[frostedfaves]

Just Like Magic

Masterlist

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: Yelena invites her new best friend to hang out and ends up having to share. (Combined requests from @emilyprentissslut and anon)

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, dark!milf!wandanat with younger (21+) reader, dom/sub dynamics and mommy kink, a bit of manipulation/coercion, smut: oral, penetration, bondage, slight edging, nipple sucking

A/N: this took forever to write and I was going to post it where I last left off, but as long as I took with this, I wanted it to have somewhat of a proper ending. although I did leave off in a way that I could add onto this if I decide to later! anyway, can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

-

“You finally made it.”

The blonde girl offers you a sarcastic smile as you pass her on the threshold, your eyes wandering for a moment while she locks the door behind you.

“I told you that I couldn’t come over until 2.”

“As if you have anything more interesting going on.”

Yelena grabs your arm and leads you into the kitchen, giving you a playful shove toward the island as she continues to the refrigerator. You hop onto one of the stools, placing your bag on the floor beside you just in time to catch the bottle of water tossed directly at your face.

“I see your reflexes are still working,” she teases as another voice cuts in.

“That’s no way to treat your guests, Lena.”

The taunting grin on your best friend’s lips shifts to a scowl as two women come into view. Their eyes seem to be glued to your form, one pair holding a welcoming gaze and the other an air of indifference. Yelena gives them your name and identifies the pair as Natasha and Wanda, and Natasha steps closer to you with her hand outstretched.

“Don’t listen to our little dorogoya.” Natasha nods toward the younger blonde with a teasing smirk. “We’re her mothers.”

“That’s not technically true,” Wanda clarifies over Yelena’s incoming protests. “We do love her like we created her ourselves--”

“But mentors would be a more accurate ‘M’ word,” Yelena adds, pushing past the pair to grab your bag from the floor. “Let’s go before they say something else that makes me gag.”

“It was nice meeting you!”

Your words are rushed as you scramble out of the kitchen, trying to avoid staring at Natasha while she subtly unzips her hoodie. Her hand releases the zipper once you’re out of sight, but Wanda grabs it to finish the job.

“You’re a tease,” she comments while raising her tank top, and Natasha places her hands on her cheeks with a smile.

“Tell me what she’s thinking.”

“She’s definitely interested, but she needs more.” Wanda lowers her head and touches her lips to one of Natasha’s exposed nipples. “I think I need more, too.”

Natasha bites her lip and threads her fingers through her lover’s hair to pull her flush against her chest.

“Then take it.”

-

“Wait!” you call out before Yelena can throw the ball again. “Where's the bathroom? I have to pee.”

“You Americans and your weak bladders.” She rolls her eyes playfully as she plops on the ground to take a seat. “It’s the last door on the left.”

You enter the house again through the sliding door of the kitchen, passing through the room to the hallway. The bathroom is easy to locate and you’re in and out pretty quickly, but soft musical notes floating through the crack of a door stop you before you can make your way back outside. Opening the door further reveals a staircase heading toward what you assume is the basement, and before you have time to form doubts, you find yourself descending.

The music guides you to another cracked door, and you freeze in your movements when you notice Natasha and Wanda in the far corner of the room. Making sure you’re still out of sight, you take a look around the parts of the room you can see from the doorway, and it doesn’t take long to figure out what the space is for. There are various ropes, chains and ball gags hanging along the walls, and shelves hold harnesses, vibrators and dildos of all sizes.

“Flavored lube?” Wanda eyes the bottle curiously as she takes it from Natasha.

“Yeah, I figured it would be fun to try.”

“As if you don’t taste amazing enough on your own,” Wanda places her hand on Natasha’s chest, causing her to chuckle.

“It’s not for us, love.” Natasha raises her brow, and her wife seems to have a look of realization.

“Do you think she’ll like it?”

“I don’t think she’ll mind a little help getting this inside of her.”

You nearly give away your position with a gasp when the red haired woman holds up a harness with a protruding length that seems almost as big as her forearm. Deciding you’ve seen way more than you were meant to, you head back upstairs as quickly and silently as you can, trying your best to ignore your wandering thoughts as you join Yelena again.

“What took you so long?” she scowls as she jumps to her feet again. “You were staring at that ugly painting on the wall, weren’t you?”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” you argue, turning your back to grab your water and give yourself extra time to catch your breath.

“If you keep chugging that, you’ll have to pee again.” You hear her laugh before you feel the ball lightly hit your back. “But I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

You had yet to discover if she was right or not.

-

“Dinner was amazing. Thank you, Miss Maximoff,” you address Wanda as she collects everyone’s plates, not quite meeting hers or Natasha’s eyes until she stops in front of you.

“You can call me Wanda, honey. I don’t mind at all.” She offers you a sweet smile before looking past you toward Yelena. “Lena, do you mind helping me clean up? I need to show you something anyway.”

Yelena opens her mouth, fully prepared to make a comment about Wanda being able to handle the whole house with a simple flick of her wrist but a pointed look from Natasha stops her.

“Sure.”

You watch her grab everyone’s glasses and follow Wanda into the kitchen, and you release a quiet yelp when you feel Natasha grab your chin a moment later. Your eyes widen when you realize just how quickly she traveled to your side of the table from her chair, and you feel nerves settling in as her eyes study your form.

“You’re a gorgeous little thing, aren’t you?” 

The longer you stare at her, the calmer you feel as the desire to push her away leaves your body. She moves her thumb and presses against your lips forcefully until you part them, her smile widening as she begins rubbing along your tongue and your lips close around her.

“That’s it, such a good girl for me. Do you think you can behave like this for Wanda, too?”

“I would hope so.” Wanda’s voice fills the room again as she reenters, placing one hand on your neck as she lightly kisses the other side, just below your ear. “You wouldn’t want to be punished before you’ve even had a chance to be rewarded, would you?”

“No, Wanda,” you answer the best you can around Natasha’s thumb, and her grip on your neck tightens.

“You call us Mommy now.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Perfect, printsessa,” Natasha praises as she pulls her hand away, Wanda also stepping back as she pulls you to your feet. “Now why don’t you lead us downstairs? I believe you already know where to go.”

“You knew I was there?” you ask timidly and Wanda laughs.

“Why do you think you went down there in the first place?”

Natasha grabs your shoulders and turns you around, giving you a light shove toward the hallway. You cautiously lead the two women toward the basement door, glancing into the kitchen and feeling a knot growing in your stomach when you don’t see Yelena at all.

The door is locked behind you once you reach the intimidating room again, and you’re pushed onto a bed before each woman grabs one of your hands and chains you to the wall. Wanda straddles you and kisses you eagerly, moving her hips to grind her covered pussy against yours. Vibrations pass between the two of you as you moan into each other’s mouths until she pulls away and stands on the mattress to take off her panties.

“You think you can make Mommy cum like this?” She challenges while lifting her dress and lowering herself to sit on your face, a quiet moan escaping when you press your tongue against her clit in response. “Good fucking girl.”

“What about while your other Mommy fucks you?”

You can feel Natasha removing your pants and underwear, bending your legs at the knee as she joins the two of you on the bed and hooks her arms around them. You can already feel yourself clenching a bit in preparation for what you know is coming, and a muffled moan escapes you when she runs the tip of her tongue along your folds.

“What does she taste like?” Wanda cries out to her lover while you suck on her clit desperately, and Natasha pulls away just long enough to answer.

“Like she was worth waiting five months for.”

Wanda continues to ride your face, forcing herself to keep going past her orgasm while Natasha teases you relentlessly with her tongue. Just when you think she might let you cum, she pulls away abruptly, leaving you whining into Wanda’s pussy and grinding against nothing.

“Patience, printessa,” she scolds you from across the room. “You don’t get to have things simply because you want them.”

You jump and let out a sound that’s a cross between a yelp and a moan when her hand smacks your sensitive clit, gasping when the slap is followed by the head of a dildo running through your folds toward your entrance. Bucking your hips toward it causes it to slip inside you a bit, and Natasha groans at the sight.

“Look at my pretty pussy so eager to take me.”

She takes her time easing half of the length into you as you clench around it occasionally, thrusting gently for a bit and then roughly pounding her way in until her hips are nearly meeting yours with every powerful stroke. If Wanda wasn’t keeping you muffled, you’d be screaming right now. From pain or pleasure, you couldn’t tell the difference anymore, you just knew something inside you felt amazing.

“Whatever you’re doing to her, Tash, please don’t stop,” Wanda calls over her shoulder through gritted teeth in between groans. “She’s fucking killing me right now in the best way possible.”

“Don’t worry...” Natasha roughly tugs your waist to bring you closer and Wanda scrambles to balance herself on the mattress as she continues to ride your face. “You know I don’t plan on letting her go anytime soon.”

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

WC: 1149

--------------------------------------

When they got there, Temerous was nowhere in sight. William looked around the room for a minute, checking all the doors before coming back.

“No sign of him,” he sighed. “Must’ve gone into the village for supplies.”

Silvia stared at the bits of paper on the ground, each with a different sigil. They were placed in almost a circle, with a border etched into the ground by chalk. She tilted her head as she looked at them. Picked up one of the papers.

“Don’t touch it!” William hissed, “He’ll come back and see the order is messed up and then blame me!”

Silvia ignored him. Glanced at the sigils on the ground and the one in her hand. “...this is wrong,” she muttered.

“...what is?”

She motioned to the ground. “This is.” She turned to him. “You said…Temerous was working on a way to separate a mage from magic, right?” He nodded, a look of confusion crossing his face. She turned back to the sigils. “Then this isn’t the way to do it.”

“...it’s not?”

She shook her head, started to rearrange them when William put his hand out. “Hang on,” he said, running from the room and returning with one of his empty books. He held it out to her with the marking-stick and said, “draw it out for me. Show me what you mean.”

She took them and began to sketch as she talked. “The sigils here. These aren’t good for separating magic. I mean, they are, but you have to…use them in the right way…keeping them separate only hurts the process…” She finished with a few strokes and looked down at her handiwork, the sigils overlapping each other to create a single, new design. William stared over her shoulder, looking back and forth.

“But these even…” she shook her head. “He’s not seeing them right. It’s too much about separation, not enough about working with the magic itself.”

“...who…” he paused. “You understand all this?” he said, gesturing to the sigils.

She nodded absentmindedly, looking at the symbol she’d drawn and the sigils on the ground. “My father taught me–” she hesitated. Glanced at him. Don’t talk about father. Don’t talk about mother. Knowing she was a hybrid was one thing, dangerous enough. But father and mother…She shook her head. “--how to be clever. I can pick some things up quickly.” She shook her head. “But…” she looked back up at him and shoved the book back in his hands. “I’ve done enough. I’ve got to get back to the garden.”

“Angel, angel wait–”

“No, I’ve spent enough time away from the garden. Temerous needs–”

“I need you!!” She paused. Let him approach her again, a hand on her arm. “Please. Help me figure this out. Temerous’ll have my hide if I don’t help him figure this out.”

She took a breath. Shook her head. “I can’t. The sigils…William, don’t you understand? What he’s trying to do is dangerous. It’s…it’s not the way sigils are supposed to be used. Magic isn’t supposed to rip things apart, it’s supposed to mend things together. Even destructive magic is supposed to be used for a betterment, things like fire used to burn away the dead brush of a forest, give way to new life. This isn’t…” she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t help with this. It shouldn’t be done.”

William hesitated. Looked at the circle. Back at her. “Help me, then.”

“William, I just said–”

“I know, I know. But hear me out. Temerous is doing the research,” he said, motioning to the circle. “He’s probably not the only one. He can’t be the only one. There are probably dozens of mages starting to work on this kind of research. Temerous probably is giving his findings to other mages. If he finally figures it out on his own, then the other mages will know it too. It’ll spread among the community. But,” he took a breath, grip on her arm tightening again. She wanted to pull away, but his gaze was so intense it held her. “But if you help me now…help me learn how to make a binding circle…then whenever he starts to get close, I can mess up his work. He’ll never know the difference, and I’ll know the truth of the secret, so I can keep it safe. I’ll make sure to destroy his work as much as possible until he gives it up.”

She stared at him. It sounded…convincing. Possible, even. But she shook her head.

“No. William, I can’t.”

“Why not?!”

“Because then you’ll know the secret!!” she answered, finally pulling her arm free. “This is magic no one should have!”

He hesitated. Thought for a moment. “What if I promise to destroy my notes as soon as I have the answer?”

She paused. Tilted her head. “What?”

He nodded, that slight look of hunger in his eyes, but gone in a flash. “Help me. We’ll work on it together. And once we’ve got it right, got it just so, I’ll memorize what the sigils are and what they look like, then destroy my notes. There’ll be no written record of how this…circle thing will work, and no one will be able to complete it because we’ll have sabotaged the whole thing. It’ll be brilliant, Silvia! Just you and me. We’ll know it. Everyone else will be left in the dark. Our secret, Angel.” He extended his hand. “Work with me, Angel. Help me keep this magic a secret.”

She hesitated, still. She had no reason to doubt him, not really. He’d given her no reason to not trust him. But something in his eyes…something in his tone…she knew what that tone was. Knew how upset he’d be if she just said no and ran away.

“Please Angel. Don’t upset me now. Just do what I’m asking. Just this one little thing. That’s all I’m asking, Silvia. This one little thing.”

She found herself nodding. “...fine,” she said. “Fine, I’ll help. But you have to promise to destroy the notes as soon as we’re done.”

A smile appeared then, and something in him relaxed as he nodded. “I promise. I’ll destroy the notes.”

She hesitated, could feel a magical signature coming back. “Temerous,” she said, nodding her head. “He’s coming back.”

“Good,” William said, suddenly hurrying to make the sigils in the circle stay where they’d been. “He’ll stay calm as long as you’re here. Protect me, my Angel.”

She took a breath. When Temerous entered the room, his eyes took in Silvia standing there with a smile. His eyes wandered to William, who seemed to be studying the sigils with intensity. His frown deepened, but he crossed the room and left through another door. William visibly relaxed and stood up with a smile.

“You protect me so well, my Angel,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Becks Backstory - Silvia

What started out as an attempt for me to keep things straight in my head turned into a series of short stories centered around Becks and her backstory, which quickly became her backstories given how many years she's lived and how many names and personalities she's adopted. Some are complete, some aren't, I'll update as I go, yadda yadda.

So. This is Silvia. She's the sixth name/personality Becks created. She's a bit more tame than Fiadris, slightly more reserved and a bit more broken. Doesn't let it stop her from being playful, even if that playfulness is a tiny bit more withdrawn.

WC 1,386

-----------------------------------

–Late 1700s, America, hidden in the woods somewhere probably in the Northwest–

Silvia poked her head around a corner. William was huddled over his books, like always, small globs of magic light hanging over him while he studied. It was late into the night, but both Temerous and William were still awake.

Nevertheless, Silvia crept up on him. Barefoot as always, her clothes shuffling just the slightest as she moved. He was deep in thought this time, and she managed to summon a few vines to quietly creep along the wall, waiting until the right moment for them to reach out and slap his book away from him.

He startled and looked up and around as the book flew, Silvia catching it with a laugh.

“Gotcha!” she laughed as he turned with a frown.

“Silvia!!” he muttered, getting up and glancing around. “Give that back!!”

“What is it!?” she asked, sticking a hand out to stop him and looking at the page the book was opened to. Turned it this way and that. “These are sigils. Why are you working on sigils? I thought Temerous had you working on species classification.”

He tried to reach around her arm but was failing, her arms and vines moving to keep him at a distance while she ducked and wove around his grip when he managed to get past her blockers. “I– I don’t– Temerous just swapped lessons on me, I don’t– Silvia, come on, he’ll have my head if I don’t– Silvia–! Angel!!”

She stopped at that and looked at him, head tilted. He sighed and held his hand out. “Please, angel?”

She smiled. It had been a few years, and she still wasn’t tired of him calling her that. So she gave him the book back with a grand flourish, dropping it into his hands. “What is it?” she asked again, as he shuffled the pages back to the ones he had been reading.

“Temerous’ latest research,” he said, walking back to his desk and renewing the magic orbs of light. “He says something is going to happen soon and we’ll need to be ready…although what, exactly, is going to happen is something he won’t say. Just that we need to be ready.”

“Ready for what?” she asked. “How?”

William gave her an exasperated look but it cut off with a smile. “I don’t know, dummy. Temerous wouldn’t tell me.” He pointed to the book and his notes with a stick he was using to make the notes. “But he’s trying to find a way to combine these sigils here, see? Thinks he can make a way to separate a mage from their magic, just for a little while.”

“What? Why would he need to do that?”

William shrugged. “You’d have to go ask him,” he said, turning back to his work and tilting his head. “He’s really obsessed about it, though. As if this stuff is–” His voice cut off as it drifted away, Silvia already bounding down the hall and away. He called out after her and asked her to come back, but this time no amount of calling her angel would get her to cooperate. She was curious now, and if Temerous was the one to ask, that’s where she was going to go.

She found him where she always found him this hour of night. In his room, with the fireplace lit and staring into it. It had been years and she didn’t quite get the hang of this one; some days he acted like he was her age. And some days he acted like a bitter old codger that snapped at William and spent long hours staring into the fire.

Looks like tonight was a codger night. Not that she minded. He seemed to have a soft spot for her; never yelled, never hit, never threw things. Sometimes wasn’t always forthcoming with information, but never in a way that seemed like he was hiding something from her.

“Temerous…?” She called out, standing by his door. Peeking around the corner and waiting with her head tilted. “...Temerous?”

“...what is it?” he sighed, staring into the fire. “What’s gone wrong now…?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing wrong really. I just…” she hesitated. Tilted her head. “Why do you like the fire?”

“I find it soothing,” he answered absently. “Reminds me of…simpler days.”

She stared at the fire too, then, watching it dance and flicker against the stonework of the fireplace. Found her own memories flickering within…memories of something long lost. Long forgotten. Days when the fire was almost alive…Silvia stepped up to it slowly, watching it flicker and almost reach out to her. Like an old friend…like someone inviting her to play. She couldn’t quite place it…not anymore. But she knew that fire was once her friend, a playmate and companion.

She didn’t realize she had reached out for it until a firm grip wrapped around her wrist. She flinched and looked up, seeing Temerous staring at her.

“Don’t hurt me,” she whispered, tugging at her hand as she began to panic. “Don’t–”

The grip was gone, then, Temerous sitting back as a sad look came across his face. He’d never done anything to hurt her before. He hadn’t done anything to hurt her now. She rubbed at her wrist and stared at him, wondering why she’d said that. Wondering why he looked so sad all of the sudden.

“Don’t reach into the fire,” he sighed. “You’ll burn yourself.”

She shook her head. “It wouldn’t hurt me.”

“It’s not what you think it is,” he answered, reaching around to grab a long piece of sharp metal that he used to poke at it. “It’s not alive.”

“Of course it is,” she said, looking back. “You feed it coal and wood. You give it a space to breathe. You give it a home, shelter from that which would hurt it. Watch over it as it dances. Watch it until it sleeps, and then bring it back to life the next night.” She looked back at him. “How is that not alive?”

He stared at her with a slight frown, consideration now entering his gaze. A small smile cracked his features and he let out a snort. “I suppose, when you put it that way, the fire does sound alive. Quite alive indeed.” He put his hands in his lap and gave her a wider smile. “Now, young half-sprite. What can I do for you?”

She blinked. Oh right. “Why did you have William switch from species categorization to sigil work?”

“Because I need him to learn about it,” he said simply. “Why else would I switch him from one subject to another?”

“Why?”

“I’m working on a new project and I don’t want him to be caught out in ignorance.”

“Why?”

He heaved a small sigh and shook his head. “Never you mind why. How is your garden coming along?”

She tilted her head and looked at him with a frown. “I managed to grow some of the things you suggested. Some of the plants don’t seem to like it here.”

“Give them time. I’m sure they’ll come around.”

“William said you said something was going to happen. What’s going to happen?”

He stared at her. “Many, many things.” His voice drifted as he spoke, like he was looking at her and looking past her. Seeing something that she couldn’t understand. “So much is going to happen, little half-sprite,” he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “And you must be ready for it all.”

Then just as suddenly he roused himself, poked at the fire, and stood. “Come now, Silvia,” he said, flashing her a smile. “Let see if we can’t convince a few extra plants to make a home here.”

She was confused at the shift in his energy and mood, but that wasn’t anything new. He did things like this all the time, seeming to see her and see something else when he looked at her. Not like when Bran used to look at her, not nearly as off-putting. The look in Termerous’ eyes never gave her any suspicion or fear. And yet…

He shuffled her from the room, encouraging her to leave and following her quickly, getting her to race out to her garden despite the late hour.