#family matters reunion 2021

[f-t-e]

I started watching SUPERNATURAL in November 2020. I know, I know. My partner and I had been isolating alone since March. The timing felt right. I went though a wild amount of upheaval and trauma over the next year and SPN was there for me through it all. It was THE show at THE time and it kept me afloat when I needed it the most. Since November 2021 I've written just about 110,000 words of SPN fanfic, a number that seems unbelievable to me, and that too has been a real blessing to my creative life, no matter what haters say. (why didn't I write my own novels in that time? Because I have a hobby, Karen, and I love it.) And I've read about 500000x that much fanfic, which has been the biggest blessing of all. (ETA: oh right, if you want to read my fic, you can find my stuff here, I wrote a fic where Dean reads books. Lots of books.)

I know I'm a nobody in this fandom but I thought on this, our #DestielDay, I would submit my own humble rec list. I've curated this very deliberately: every fic here has just about 4000 hits or less (most under 3000) and all were published in 2020 or after. So, sort of a rec list for some lesser known and newer fics, something you maybe haven't stumbled on yet. Especially thank you to @jewishcharliebradbury, her rec lists gave me a place to start back in the day and I have tried to model the depth and quality they brought to their lists. I tried to link to everyone's tumblr, but if I missed one, let me know.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who has EVER created something for this fandom, from 2005 to 2023. I am so thankful and, honestly, honored to be among your number. You're not supposed to be cringe and say a show saved your life...but SUPERNATURAL saved me, it really did. See y'all when the movie/reboot drops, to quote Ryan Gosling in The Notebook: IT WASN'T OVER, IT STILL ISN'T OVER. And I'm glad.

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Finale Fix-It & S15 and Beyond

What The Moon Was Saying by Amiril (@runawaymarbles)

This is hands-down one of the coolest “Dean Rescues Cas from the Empty” fics I have ever read and the concept is brilliantly structured to mirror the literal and metaphorical things Dean needs to give up and let go to get free. Every scenario is very satisfying and they make sense, is there any better feeling? Dean is very open in this, but in a believable way that still has edges. And, oh, the reunion is so good. Plus all the family stuff. Just excellent, exactly what you want in a fic like this: lovely, well-written, smart, fulfilling, all the pieces clicking, the show but better.

Awake and Annoying by skycruise

I love the use and passage of time in this one, it has some real impact, and I love the way Dean gets into the Empty (so smart, fits just right) and what I REALLY love in this one is the way it lets Dean be really clear-eyed and honest about his relationship with Sam, both the strengths and the weaknesses. And the last line, very clever and moving inverse of one of fandom’s favorite things. 

Living the life you chose by allthismusic

THEEEEE post finale Sam Winchester-Outsider-POV this fandom needs. Sam is absolutely awesome in this, the most believable, loving, realistic mix of “I knew all along” and “I had no idea” versions of Sam, landing somewhere I think that’s really true and in character. It fills in and develops so many gaps and silences in what the show let Sam know in the absolute best way. Best Brother Sam is a weakness of mine and he really shines here, there for Dean in the best ways but also coming into his own, I love it so very much. (this author also has a very great 2022 Big Bang fic, hugely recommend that one too.)

your ear to the wound that whispers by EmandFandems (@lazarusemma)

Who doesn’t love a HANDPRINT FIC?!? And boy this is such a good one. It follows Dean and his thoughts on the handprint from the first touch all the way to fixing the finale and it simply buzzes with longing and desire, tenderness and rawness. It’s great insight in lot of ways into Dean’s journey. It’s short but fulfilling and oh that very perfect last line. (this author also has a lot of great Jupernatural content.)  

Somewhere Off in the Dark by magickastiel 

Another awesome fic that traces Dean’s shifting/growing feelings for Cas from when he shows up in his hotel rooms to a HEA fix it after canon. Dean, again, is handled so deftly in this one, his confusion and sorrow at all the times Cas is slipping away from him all the way through the things he won’t let himself know. He feels really true in this one, sharp and tender in the best Dean ways. Also it has an agonizingly romantic end, you love to end up there.

Pins and Feathers by theskywasblue (@buttherewasnogod)

This author has so many freaking good SPN fics, omg it was almost impossible to pick just one to include on this list. Go treat yourself with their entire list because there’s so much good stuff there! But this one, oh I am a sucker for a finale fix-it that lets Dean be this tender. While I LOVE fics where he just jumps right into Cas’s arms (and write them lol) I also feel like this is so true to Dean too: that “maybe I misunderstood, maybe I shouldn’t say anything, maybe he doesn’t still –” And on top of all that, it’s a “they go the beach” fic and it gets the details of it so right, sand in your toes and all. Tender, amazing slow-burn, real, hot, full of heart and longing and everything unspoken and just waiting. Very satisfying!

i loved you first by kalmialatifolia

A set of four short fics that create an entire world of feeling and emotion. These feel like little whispered stories told under the covers, very atmospheric. There’s one very sexy one, a haircutting one (so good) and they’re just intimate. All together a great set and did I mention they’re in the “Cas saves himself” genre which is mmmm an underrated treasure.

no other faith is light enough for this place by anonymous 

A fix-it fic that has a particularly unique and beautiful visual of both how and why Cas comes back. The mechanics behind it are fairly standard but the way this author creates the visual of it, the sheer emotion and force behind it and how it happens, it really stood out to me and stuck with me. It’s Dean being brave enough to really feel and the way that just blossoms – lovely, aching, full-tilt wonderful.

 no proof, one touch by TakeThisWaltz (@watchinghimrakeleaves)

One thing I absolutely cannot get enough of is fic where Cas is hiding out from Dean in heaven. It just hits. And the only thing better is Dean chasing him down and the WAY he does it in this fic, methodically and – well the method (sobs) it is so endearing and OBVIOUS and gives Dean a chance to shout in all the best ways. This one is just real sweet and kind of goofy and if they have to be in heaven, I want them to still be these same two dorks.

Stay by redbrickrose

This is a post S15x18 from Cas’s POV and I think it’s very true to where he would be in the moment of getting yanked out of the Empty: resigned, hesitant about what he has in front of him, still a little in shock. And then. And then. Sweet and simple and Dean gets a chance to say, say, say it. This author has a good post series AU and a lovely little spate of S15 codas, all good. And then wrote this in real-time in the week after 15x18 Despair and right before 15x19 Inherit the Earth aired (could you just sob over the possibilities?!) and then hasn’t wrote anything since and that’s a shame but, like, yeah I get it.

like a one-two punch by Muir_Wolf (@muirmarie)

Don’t you love a short fic that feels like it’s a whole novel? This goes AU after 14x20 Moriah but it is a truly delightful twist on how Chuck could’ve reacted there and it makes Dean sharp as a knife, which is one really resonant image woven through this fic. Great imagery here and so many clever solutions for the lazy plotting of S15, including simply one of my all-time favorites in any fic ever solutions to Cas’s deal (genius) and getting rid of Chuck. Brilliant like a puzzle box yet still full of so much fucking joy.

maybe i like pleasure pain by tothewillofthepeople (@kvothes)

The fact that this was written in October 2023 and is so agonizingly good fills my heart with joy and tells me Destiel will never die lol. Cas, in particular, is great in this – he’s having a hard time adjusting to being in a body and with all the fuzz of the world. I love fics where Cas struggles with coming back from the Empty and this uses a really unique approach to it: Cas facing sensory overload and not knowing how to feel but wanting it all. Lovely, hot, Dean is just right in this too.

Earlier Canon (pre S15)

Proverbs 13:12 by starlingcas (@angelcasendgame)

Many might say I am biased because Renu has beta’ed everything I have written in the SPN fandom and they can read my brain and make everything I write better. But it’s not just that. Renu has done something beautiful and delicate in this fic, which is about Dean and Cas getting trapped in a net together (forced proximity trope, yes please) and weaves a web of its own; pulling you in just as they are pulled together. This is set mostly in early S14 (before fixing the finale in the most heart-healing way) and captures that feeling so well. There’s so much that’s unsaid between them yet still conveyed and Renu absolutely nails that, along with the tender longing that was always there. This is a fic to relish.

you may tire of me (as our december sun is setting) by deludedfantasy

You know how the show just sometimes is like “uh so anyway uh then Cas…uh…left.” and it just doesn’t make one lick of sense? FINALLY FINALLY a fic where Dean says “I’ll go with you,” and then goes because he actually would do that. This is a post Tombstone fic so it is exactly where/when he WOULD go and it is tender and hesitant and aching in just all the ways it would be between the two of them at this time. It’s about needing to keep someone in sight, it’s about having another chance to say something so important, it’s slow and soft and just right for the characters in this place. I could read this one about 100 times.

the anatomy of flightless birds by cowlovely (@dollhousemary)

This fic is basically the way you feel when you get all cozy and snug underneath your favorite blanket. This is a domestic-life-in-the Bunker S9 fic where everyone behaves like they are in character and not just like they have to get Cas off screen because the writers panicked. You’ll just want to curl up in this fic and savor it the way you wrap your fingers around a hot beverage on a very cold day, there’s no better way to describe it.

virtue by JenTheSweetie

I think I’ve read this about 100 times and it still gets me everytime? It’s a five things fic about Dean and Cas hooking up and it’s all you’ve ever wished for. This is set in an amorphous S8 and it is not just agonizingly hot but also romantic and very funny. It feels really in character! Sam is hilarious, Dean is clueless but bowled over and letting himself be swept up, Cas is delighting in every second and smarter than he lets on and it ALL feels fated and lovely and sexy and just splendid. (this author only has 3 SPN fics but they are all so good and if you try sometimes, well you just might find is an absolutely brilliant deconstruction of Dean learning the differences between “needing” and “wanting.”)

Romance at the Motel 6 by shelia_amour 

This fic makes me feel like Stefon from SNL. This fic has everything: Cas and Sam pretending to be married, just the right amount of jealous Dean, Dean randomly pretending to be married to Cas, Dean realizing maybe this isn’t so fake after all, motel vibes, Cas in Dean’s clothes, Cas getting bee slippers. If you are not sold on this already, we are very different people. So good, aches just right. (set in a kind of “whenever” of canon, but I like to put it somewhere in S8.)

que sera sera by Purple_Starflower (@hauntedpearl)

The epitome of how fanfic unfolds for us all the things that COULD happen. You can’t PROVE to me Dean and Cas never snuck off to snuggle and feed Dean’s touch-starvation early in S13. I had to check when I finished because I just couldn’t believe this fic was under 4000 words because it feels so full of touch, longing, the things unspoken, and all the ways Dean was reaching, reaching, reaching. The best kind of ache, and everything by this author is lovely. 

the hard edge that you’re settling for by lesspopped (@trekkiedean)

This is some S10 Demon!Dean that made my stomach hurt and my heart ache and I absolutely loved it and I absolutely hated it and it all felt so REAL with who Demon!Dean was and could have been. There’s a TW for mildly dubious consent in this, but to me, Cas was so agonizingly true to who he was/where he was at this point in canon too. This fic is gloriously, claustrophobically intimate. I say unbearable because as a reader you know that this closeness, this intimacy, is what Dean wants/craves/deserves but can only give himself as a demon and the author does an exquisite job at getting all that across. Hurts so good! 

four of swords by sundryvillians (eurythmix) (@perenial)

Can the world ever have enough post 12x12 fic? The answer is, of course, no. Dean and Cas bake bread and in the soft space of creating something with their own hands, get so close to the words Cas said. It’s about healing and anger and making something just because you are so tired of everything breaking. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you, let me also throw in this is another one of those “possible off-screen moments in canon” that gives them something honest and tender and raw and it feels so very possible. 

Fifteen Prayers From the Faithless by koyas_cat

Short, achy, that sweet sting. A set of prayers for Cas from the beginning to the end, full of all the things Dean doesn’t let himself say outloud and just reflecting the changes in their connection over alllll the years. So good.

[raayllum]

love as magic :: rayla + callum’s mage arc (s4 update)

So I made a post about this over a month ago and a much longer meta about Rayla as an agent of Narrative Change in Callum’s specific arc with magic (as he has arcs with his family, grief, also running throughout Arc 1 and 2) forever ago ?? (Oct 2021 dear lord) but this is my unofficial follow up because S4 did what I’ve been hoping for for a very long time

Which is to say rather than leaving the parallels between Callum’s relationship with magic and his relationship with Rayla as purely subtextual, it finally made them 100% textual, thank you very much

So now I just wanna scream about why this is a big deal, to me, anyway

The first is that this is not technically the first time this has happened, with three main preceding events. The one that probably counts the ‘least’ purely because it’s supplementary material (although it did help me predict that Rex Igneous was gonna eat a jelly tart like 2 years in advance so you know, can also be relevant sometimes) is from Callum’s Spellbook, in which Rayla has a note saying “Love is magic” in agreement with him (and Amaya also signs it, so future Janaya foreshadowing maybe?) as the closing note / page of the entire book.

This sentiment is of course very well reflected in the other moments that draw the largest parallels between Callum’s journey with magic and his development with Rayla. When Callum connects to the Sky arcanum, he does so propelled by love from the memory of his mother and anchored in the present by love from Rayla, with pretty clear parallels. 

And in his eyes, it is his love for Rayla that makes the wing spell work for the first time against all odds. 

Season four continues this trend, then, with the creators confirming in multiple interviews that one of the reasons Callum became so obsessive about the mirror was to distract himself, and we see this first hand in their reunion scene as he goes to his half-empty Tome of Translation, then using the mirror as a wall, etc etc. Even throughout the season in terms of how he uses his staff as well, until he realizes he can’t use it as a crutch any longer and flat out drops it to pick up Rayla’s sword.

Okay cool, so Callum’s arc with magic often parallels this relationship arc with Rayla, even into S4. (If you’re interested in how it parallels in S1 and S2 I’d recommend the metas linked at the top.) Why does this matter?

Well, it lends itself very well to the idea that while reconnecting with Rayla, Callum will also connect to the Moon arcanum in a future season (likely season five) and possibly while breaking free of Aaravos’ brainwashing. 

It also helps to balance out the negative side effects he’s experiencing due to magic use with some of the more positive ones, like the emphasis of agency in Callum’s arc or the fact it can help him protect his loved ones, like the rest of the Dragang. 

TLDR; I think it’s a great example of how relational TDP is with its story arcs (i.e. Soren’s position as crownguard is about his own construction of self and also his relationship with Ezran, reaffirming each other in a loop) as well as how the show displays that the best things or characteristics in our lives can also routinely be our worst ones if taken too far to extremes, and I just think it’s a neat fun consistency and reflects how Rayllum’s dynamic changes every season, while Ezran has thus far routinely been there to anchor Callum as a foundational > transformative aspect. 

[ao3feed-piltovers-finest]

family matters

by karacantwrite

She approached the door cautiously, glancing through the peephole before swinging it open. The sight that greeted her was one she never expected. Standing on the front porch, drenched to the bone from the pouring rain, was her sister.

OR, after a heated argument with her foster father, jinx finds herself on the doorstep of her estranged older sister vi, whom she hasn’t seen in years due to their separation in foster care. despite her initial resentment towards vi’s partner, caitlyn, the three begin to heal old wounds and slowly build a new, imperfect family together.

Words: 6412, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, Gen

Characters: Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vi (League of Legends), Jinx (League of Legends), Original Characters, Other Character Tags to Be Added

Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Modern Era, Police, Detectives, Caitvi, Sister-Sister Relationship, Family Drama, Family Bonding, Drama & Romance, Aged-Up Character(s), Jinx is 17, Cait and Vi are in their mid twenties, Alternate Universe, Married Couple, Domestic Fluff, Banter, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Foster Care, Reunions, Tension, Awkward Conversations, Crime Scenes

Read on A03. from AO3 works tagged ‘Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)’

[its-queenofthesilence]

The Line Between Life and Death | Hercules/Encanto Crossover | Part 2 of ?

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Encanto (2021), Hercules (1997) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Miscarriage? Relationships: Hades/Persephone, "Abuela" Alma Madrigal/Pedro Madrigal, Agustín Madrigal/Julieta Madrigal, Hera/Zeus

Summary:

Hades and Persephone have spent centuries on centuries waiting for the day when they could finally have a child of their own. And after thousands of years watching all his unborn children die before they can even be born, he will do anything to make sure his little girl survives. Thankfully for him, there is a father in Columbia who is just as desperate as he is to save his children. And who might just be willing to trade for the very thing that would let Hades save his daughter....

“Let me go! Let me go!” Mirabel screamed, as she was being dragged off by a pair of ethereal guards, dressed in Greek attire. One on either side, dragging her under the armpits as she tried and failed to stop them, attempting to dig her heels in to no avail. She was facing away from the guards, towards Hades who was rubbing his stinging cheek. His daughter had a good hand, he would give her that. He sighed, his face falling as soon as she was no longer in sight, being dragged towards her bedroom.

This….was not what he hoped for.

Hades let out a heavy sigh as he watched the guards drag Mirabel away, her cries echoing through the cavernous halls. He had hoped for a warmer reunion, for his daughter to feel a sense of belonging in her true home. But her defiance and rejection cut him deeply.

Bah, she should have never been raised amongst mortals to begin with.

Mirabel was dragged through the twisting, turning palace, trying to escape to no avail. She passed by similar guards, and other ethereal beings as well, all who gave her sympathetic looks. She didn’t need their sympathy, she needed to go home, to her family. She was eventually led to a large, ornate door that vaguely reminded her of the front door to Casita, if it was twelve feet tall. It was decorated in more flowers, as well as a banner above the door that said “Welcome Home.” in a beautiful, cursive font. It wasn’t written in Spanish, maybe Latin? And yet, somehow she could read it with ease.

“Your quarters, your highness.”

Before she knew it, she was being shoved into the room, and the door slammed behind her. Immediately she turned around to tug on the large, ornate handles but they wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard she strained. She whirled around, her eyes frantically scanning the room, searching for any means of escape.

The room that greeted her was unlike anything she expected in the, what was it called, Underworld? The room was designed to mimic the warm, welcoming aesthetic of the Casita, but on a scale that far surpassed the humble dwelling she had grown up in. The floors were made of richly-hued hardwood, with intricately-patterned rugs in vibrant shades of red, orange, and gold covering the wooden floors.

The walls were constructed of sturdy adobe and stucco, their surfaces adorned with ornate murals and patterns that reminded her of home. In terms of the actual contents of her room, there was a large raised platform with a massive, four poster bed on it in the middle of the room. Orchids and lilies wrapped around the posts of the bed, with golden butterflies intertwined. In one corner there was a sitting area, with large, plush couches and armchairs all arranged around a roaring hearth with bookcases overflowing with books. In another, there appeared to be a dressing area with a vanity and privacy screen. The area was adorned with dress forms and mannequins alike.

Along the left and right side of the rooms, were two doors on each side respectfully. Eyes narrowed, she quickly looked through them, checking for any sign of escape. One was a grandiose bathroom, again a lot like Casita in terms of the flooring and walls but instead of the clawed tub she was used to, there was a massive, in-ground tub that could qualify as a pool. There was also another vanity, and shelves teaming with products; shampoo, conditioner, soaps, oils, everything. The room next to it appeared to be a closet of sorts, if you could call it that. It was easily the size of Casita’s first floor combined, and filled to the brim with clothing of all sorts. Dresses, shoes, pants, skirts, even jewelry of all sorts. The third and forth rooms respectively were a sewing room, with HER sewing machine, or at least one exactly like it, sitting on a table. It was filled with fabrics and sewing materials galore.

The fourth and final room, which gave her a brief hope of escape, was an garden of sorts. It was large and ornate, filled with all sorts of Columbian flora. She thought she could escape out the garden, but as she ran into what she thought was a forest, it was actually just a wall. It was fake, she couldn’t get out.

She rushed back to the main room, there had to be something. But as she searched every square inch, she realized, nothing. Even the giant window that overlooked a river of lava, she could not get out of. Every time she touched the window, a pulsating barrier of blue….magic she guessed? appeared, preventing her. Eventually she had to admit, she was stuck.

Tears pricked her eyes. With a shaky sob, she sat on the edge of the bed, only to immediately stand back up when she felt herself sitting on something. There, on the edge of the bed was a tiara made of a black material, that had several red, ruby like stones embedded in to it with a another gem, that was floating somehow above the crest of the tiara, that resembled lava. She touched it, perplexed. It wasn’t lava (after all, she was pretty sure touching lava would hurt, but it just felt like touching a warm stove) and it didn’t look like she could remove it despite the fact it did not appear to be tethered to the crown.

With a growl, she threw the tiara, watching it hit the floor and go rolling. She wanted to go home. She just wanted to go home!

Camilo hoped Mirabel was not able to see this right now. He’s not sure, after all, he had never assumed Hades, God and King of the Underworld to be real, and he definitely did not expect to learn his cousin, his twin in everyway except blood, was a God. He was currently in Dolores room, in fact all the children were.

Why? Because it was soundproof and the adults were all screaming at the ghost of Abuelo, who had not disappeared once Hades left with Mirabel, in fact he seemed to be permanently visible as the man was not able to hide his being from his wife or daughters, despite trying really, really hard. And now he was being screamed at.

“I-I want Mirabel!” Camilo sighed. Antonio was not taking it well, he knew Mirabel and him were almost close as he was to Mirabel, if not closer. It almost made him jealous at times, how close they were. But he understood, despite not having a ‘gift’, Mirabel was amazing and always had a way of making people smile and laugh. He wanted Mirabel too. In fact, it seemed like all of them did, even prissy Isabela who usually fought with Mirabel.

Everyone was gathered in the sitting area of Dolores room, the girl in question sitting on the edge of her bed, Luisa on the floor by the bed, knees to her chest. Isabela pressed against a wall, splayed out and away from them and him and Antonio on a chaise lounge.

“Hey, hey it’s going to be okay. We’re going to get her back.” He promised. He’s not sure how, to be honest. Tia Julieta, in a fit of desperation tried to claw at the earth once they had been released, only to be stopped, and breaking down, when Tio physically restrained her. And, they were mortals, how did you even get to the Underworld? Without dying that is, and he was pretty sure mass suicide was off the table.

“Don’t promise him things that aren’t possible, Camilo.” said Isabela. She was mostly secluded from them, mainly because cacti kept popping up next to her. He wasn’t aware she could make anything other than flowers, it was a nice change. Flowers were nice, but he didn’t know, they got boring after a while. And you couldn’t scare someone by lobbing a cactus at them, he already had some fun ideas for a prank.

Camilo rolled his eyes, shooting a glare at Isabela. "Don't be like that, Isa. We have to have hope. Mirabel's our family - we can't just give up on her." He moved to sit closer to Antonio, wrapping a comforting arm around his younger brother. Antonio sniffed, his eyes red-rimmed from crying. "I miss her so much already, Cami. What if we never see her again?" His voice trembled, filled with a fear and despair that no child should ever have to experience.

Camilo pulled Antonio close, wishing he could offer more reassurance. "We'll figure this out, I promise. Somehow, we're going to bring Mirabel back home." He shot another pointed look at not only Isabela, but Dolores and Luisa too. "Even if some of us are too busy being miserable to help."

“What is that supposed to mean?” snapped Luisa, trying not to start crying again.

“Look, we all want to save Mirabel yes? Even though we might think it’s impossible. But I think some of us are too distracted by the fact that your secrets got thrown into the street like dirty laundry by a literal god. Dolores has not been able to look Isabela in the face, Isabela keeps making ‘cactuses’ and I know Luisa keeps muttering under her breath about needing to keep strong; I don’t need super hearing for that.”

“So maybe, we should talk about it, so we can move on and focus on saving Mirabel. Obviously it would be better if the entire family is here, but hey, I don’t want to listen to them scream any more than the rest of you. So cousin, minus one, group therapy time.”

“There is nothing to talk about!” exclaimed Isabela, another cactus appearing by her side, earning a scowl.

“Really? Because I remember hearing “closeted lesbian” and “hates Abuela’s guts” from that asshole, whoever his name is. Hayes or something when he referred to you.” said Camilo. Isabela stiffened, her eyes darting around the room as if seeking an escape. "I...I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered, her voice wavering.

Dolores fixed Isabela with an uncharacteristically intense stare. "Don't lie, Isa. We all heard what that...that…him, said about you." Her brow furrowed in concern. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Isabela wrapped her arms around herself, her shoulders hunched defensively. "I was scared, okay?" she admitted, her voice small. "I was scared that if anyone found out, they would see me differently. That you all would look at me and only see...this." She gestured vaguely at herself and the cacti surrounding her. “I’m the first born grandchild, Abuela has always expected me to be perfect and emulate her in everyway. How I dress, how to act, who to marry….I need to make these perfect, symmetrical flowers, over and over and I hate them! I hate these stupid flowers!” Another cactus appeared.

"Isa..." Dolores began, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "We're your family. We love you, no matter what." She reached out, placing a gentle hand on Isabela's arm. "You don't have to hide who you are from us."

Isabela's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she looked up at Dolores. "But what about Abuela? And the town? They'll never accept me if they see me like this." Her voice trembled. "I just want them to love me."

“We already do! People already do. Did you see the people when he told everyone you were a lesbian? Everyone was confused, yeah sure because you and Mariano have been a thing for months and slated to be engaged soon. But no one looked disgusted with you Isa. And I, think flowers are boring. Super boring. So I’m glad you can make something else.” He said, poking one of them lightly. Isabela smiled faintly, before scowling.

“If we’re airing our laundry, why didn’t you tell me you were in love with Mariano, Dolores? I was only going to marry him for the family! Do you know how much pressure you would have taken off of me if you just told us you wanted to marry him? I would have thrown him at you! I would have begged and pleaded with Abuela for you, told her any tale, that I couldn’t stand in the way of true love, anything to move the earth for you. You are my cousin but also my sister and best friend….I am hurt you never told me.”

Dolores stared at Isabela, her eyes wide with surprise and guilt. "Oh, Isa...I'm so sorry. I just - I was so afraid that you would hate me if you knew. It looked like you genuinely loved him and I couldn’t bare the thought of breaking your heart by telling you… and I thought he would think I was too ugly or shy compared to you." She reached out, grasping Isabela's hand.

Isabela pulled Dolores into a tight hug, tears streaming down her face. "You could never be ugly, Dolores. You're beautiful, inside and out." She pulled back, giving her cousin a watery smile. "And Mariano would be the luckiest man alive to have you. I'm so sorry I made you feel like you couldn't tell me. We're sisters, we're supposed to be able to tell each other everything."

Dolores returned the embrace, her own tears falling heavy. "I'm sorry too, Isa. I should have trusted you. From now on, no more secrets, okay?" She pulled back, giving Isabela's hand a gentle squeeze.

“Perfect, now time for all of us to gang up on Luisa and make her confront her issues.” said Camilo, waving his hand.

Luisa stiffened as all eyes turned to her. "I don't have any issues," she said quickly, averting her gaze. Isabela quirked an eyebrow and then cleared her throat, imitating Hades as best she could.

“Poor, overworked Luisa who the town treats like a pack mule, always tired and on the verge of a breakdown and is worried no one will ever love her because she’s not perfect and a doll to mold like Isabela.” said the older sister of the pair.

“I’m pretty sure he didn’t mention you being a doll, but go off.” interjected Camilo.

“Same thing!”

"I just...I feel so much pressure to be strong all the time, you know? To be the one everyone can depend on. I'm the strong one, the rock of the family. But sometimes..." Her voice trailed off, a hint of vulnerability creeping in. "Sometimes I'm just so tired." It was taking everything in her to not cry. “And I’m not like you or Dolores, Bella! Look at me, I look like a man practically, who could love me?” cried Luisa, as the first sob left her mouth.

“Mateo Ríos.” said Dolores, humming slightly to her self. Luisa’s head jerked up, her sobs interrupted by pure confusion. “The donkey herder’s son? Why would you think he would love me?”

“Because my gift is hearing, Luisa. Don’t you ever wonder why the donkeys keep getting out despite Senior Ríos spending so much time trying to figure out how they are escaping? Mateo lets them out deliberately so he can use it as an excuse to be near you.”

Luisa's eyes widened in shock, her tears momentarily forgotten. "Mateo...lets the donkeys out...to see me?" She shook her head in disbelief. "But why? I'm...I'm not like Isabela or you. I'm not small and delicate. I'm muscled and I’m taller than half the men in town- who would want that?"

“Luisa, what does it matter if you’re not small and delicate? If that mattered to him, he probably wouldn’t be spending so much time trying to get up the courage to ask you out. I hear him you know, every morning when he lets the donkeys out. ‘Okay, today is the day I tell her how I feel.’ and then he chickens out.”

Luisa stared at Dolores, her eyes shining with a glimmer of hope. "He...he really feels that way about me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Dolores nodded, giving her cousin's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Of course he does, Luisa. You're strong, you're reliable, you're the one everyone counts on. That's exactly the kind of woman Mateo admires." Dolores smiled warmly. "Just because you don't fit Abuela's mold of what a 'proper' woman should be, doesn't mean you're any less deserving of love."

Luisa let out a shaky laugh, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I guess I have a lot to think about, huh?" she muttered. “Yes, the fact that you don’t love yourself but, also the part about being a pack mule? How much stuff are you doing for people? I know Abuela said to help our community but there is a difference between helping and being taken advantage of.” said Isabela. She looked briefly at her new cacti. She might have just found a use for them, and it was going to be threatening people who badgered her sister over stupid things.

Luisa sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I know, I know. It's just...I want to help everyone, you know? I don't want to let the family down." She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, her gaze downcast. "And I guess I got a little carried away. But I just hate seeing the people I care about struggle, so I try to take on as much as I can."

Dolores reached over, giving Luisa's hand a gentle squeeze while Isabela addressed her sister. "We know, Luisa. And we love you for it, we really do. But you can't pour from an empty cup, you know? You have to take care of yourself too. And believe me, I know some of the ‘crap’ people ask for. They did the same to me before I started putting my foot down. ‘Oh Isabela, my flowers aren’t perfectly symmetrical, I need you to come by at eleven at night to fix them.’ or stuff like that."

Luisa nodded, a rueful smile tugging at her lips. "You're right. I guess I do let people take advantage sometimes. I just want to help, but it's not good for me to be stretched so thin." She sighed heavily, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "I'll...I'll try to be better about setting boundaries. And maybe I'll even give Mateo a chance, if he really does like me like that."

Dolores beamed, giving Luisa's hand an encouraging squeeze. "I know you can do it, Luisa. And I'm sure Mateo will be over the moon." She paused, glancing around at her cousins and brothers. Antonio had mostly been silent, just listening.

“So what are your issues then? Antonio is five, so he doesn’t have any, so that leaves you Camilo.” Dolores said pointedly to her younger brother.

Camilo chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Issues? Who, me? Nah, I'm perfect, remember?" He flashed them a cheeky grin, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Dolores fixed him with a knowing look. "Come on, Cami. We just got Isa and Luisa to open up. Don't think you're getting off the hook that easy."

Camilo sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Alright, alright. I guess I do have a few things I need to work on." He glanced over at Antonio, who was watching him intently. "It's just...sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough, you know? Like I'm always trying to be what everyone else wants me to be." He paused, thinking. “Like literally, since I can shapeshift. I dunno, it seems like I spend more time as other people than myself, and sometimes I’m worried that, and I know it’s not possible, but when I shift back, I won’t do it right because I’ve forgotten what I look like.” explained the teenager.

Camilo's admission hung in the air, the weight of his words settling over the group. Antonio reached out, placing his small hand in his brothers. "Cami, you're perfect just the way you are," he said softly. "We love you, no matter what you look like." He hugged his brother, around the middle, earning an aww from all the girls.

“So, how are we going to save Mirabel? Because annoying as she is, and as much as she gets on my nerves, I will admit…I do love her and she should be here, not…wherever she is right now…Hell I guess?” said Isabela, genuinely asking her cousins and sister. Her memory on ancient history was spotty at best, she hadn’t been in school in at least four years at this point.

“Underworld. Different thing all together if you go by the stories. Hell is strictly for the evil and damned in Christianity while the Underworld is split into three sections for the dead, again going by the stories. Elysium for the good souls, described as a city in the underworld akin to heaven with no mortal struggles, Asphodel Meadows, believed to be like earth but in hell where people live like they did in life, bound to the same jobs and stuff, and then Tartarus, where people are subjected to eternal torment…and then from what I’ve heard, there is a section for souls who’ve personally pissed off Hades or gone back on a deal. It’s called the Pool of Souls, but I am not sure if that one is real.” said Luisa, recalling her history class. Out of all of them, she had always been the most interested in Ancient Roman and Greek Mythology, with an entire section of her private library dedicated to the subject. Well, she was until Hades showed up, now she wanted to burn all her books.

Isabela bit her lip, her brow furrowed in thought. "But how are we supposed to get to the Underworld? We're just mortals - we can't exactly waltz right in there." She shook her head, her eyes filled with worry. Unless...nah, if Hades existed, what other gods did as well? If one of them killed themselves to get to this Underworld, they might end up in any of the other afterlifes she vaguely recalled. Obviously Heaven, but she thinks there was an afterlife for the Egyptians? She's not sure.

“Well, I have an idea, or an idea where to start.” began Dolores. “I didn’t want to do this to him, I promised myself I would never betray his secret but I think we don’t have a choice. But, I think before I pull out the big guns, we need to speak to the rest of the family.” said Dolores, standing up and brushing lint off her skirt.

“Wait, who is him?” asked Camilo, confused. Everyone else was just as confused, except for Antonio oddly enough. “Is this about the Rat Man who lives in the walls? The rats told me about him.” said Antonio, so casually that everyone had to do a double take.

“I’m sorry, The WHAT Man?”

“You had no right!”

Ever since she was a child, Julieta had heard tales of her father from her mother, about how he was so heroic and how he saved their lives by giving his. Though she never wanted to meet an early end, she always relished the thought of getting to meet him one day.

Now though? She never wanted to see her father again. They, being the adults (or anyone not a grandchild that is) were gathered in the kitchen while Julieta cornered her father’s ghost and yelled at him, Pepa just as pissed as she was and just as vocal about everything going on. Their mother was mostly being silent, but Julieta could see the conflict in her eyes. Felix was having to restrain Agustin, because the man wanted to punch the ghost despite the fact he was incorporeal.

"How could you make a deal like that, without even consulting us? Without telling us?" she shouted, angry beyond words.

“Um, you were an infant? I couldn’t exactly ask you, and he froze time. Look, I know you are angry, but I had no choice. You, your sister and your brother along with your mother would have died. Then what? You would be dead, you wouldn’t even have Isabela or Luisa, and Pepa wouldn’t have her children either. You would ALL be dead.” Said the ghost. Hades really did him a ‘favor’ by not allowing him to hide again.

“I..I don’t care! I just want my daughter.” Julieta began to sob, leaning against the kitchen island as she let her emotions out. Pepa was barely better, her emotions were causing a hurricane in the kitchen, rain and wind hitting those still alive from every angle. Their mother had tried to get her to stop but the redhead had threatened to electrocute her if she asked again. Sometimes Pepa just wanted to feel without worrying about the cloud.

A tin pan flew by, going through Pedro’s form and smacking into a wall, as the wind whipped around them.

Agustin stepped forward, finally released by Felix, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder as she wept, glaring at Pedro. "I know, Julieta. I know." His voice was thick with emotion, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But we can't give up. We have to find a way to get Mirabel back!"

Pepa shot a withering glare at her brother-in-law, lightning crackling in her cloud. "How? How are we supposed to get to the Underworld and take on a god?"

“Maybe….maybe we have to accept it.” said Alma, speaking up. “Pepa is right, how would we even get to this…this, underworld?” Julieta's head snapped up, her eyes burning with defiance. "Accept it? Mamá, how can you say that? Mirabel is our family, your nieta! - we can't just give up on her!" She shook her head vehemently, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

“Well, then what is your plan? Because I don’t have any ideas, do you?!” Alma shouted, shaking her head. This was turning out to be the worst day she had ever experienced in a long time.

“Hmm! We ask Bruno for a vision.” said Dolores, causing everyone to whirl around and look towards the kitchen entrance where the younger generation had converged together as one. “Dolores what are you talking about? Bruno left, and even still, we don’t talk ab-” Alma was cut off by Pedro, glaring at her.

“Yeah, I don’t like the fact I can’t hide myself right now but you better believe me Alma, I have a few choice words about the fact you decided to allow the village to demonize our son and banned the everyone from speaking about him. And Julieta, Josefina! How could you go along with this? He’s your baby brother, your triplet!” said the ghost, turning the tables on them.

Alma recoiled at her husbands words, her eyes widening in shock. “I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought…I didn’t want to think about it Pedro. I thought he was dead. It was easier to not speak about him because it meant I didn’t have to think about the fact our son was gone.”

“…I blamed Mirabel.” admitted Pepa, earning a gasp from her sister and honestly, everyone but Alma, who seemed ashamed and guilty. “He left right after her birthday, I thought….I….it was just easier to blame her, than to admit I wasn’t the best sister. That I was never there for him. I know it’s not her fault.”

“She was five! She was five, Pepa! How could you blame her, your niece, a literal child for him leaving?” shouted Julieta.

Pepa shrank back, the guilt and shame evident on her face. "I know, I know. It wasn't fair of me. I was just...I was so angry and hurt, and I needed someone to blame. Mirabel was an easy target." She ran a trembling hand through her hair. "But that doesn't excuse it. I failed him, just we failed Mirabel, we all did. And now they're both gone, and I may never get the chance to apologize."

“Well it’s your lucky day then. Because Dolores, who knew the entire time may I add, knows exactly where Bruno is. And he is not dead!” said Camilo, shaking his head at his sister.

“The….how could….where is he?!” demanded Alma. All this time, assuming he was dead and not even knowing where his body was if he was in fact so, and Dolores knew the entire time.

“He’s in the walls.” The girl said simply.

“Persephone, why are your hands so sweaty? You’ve been wiping your hands on your skirt for the entirety of the meeting. Stop it and sit up straight!” hissed Demeter towards her daughter. Persephone quickly stilled her fidgeting hands, clasping them tightly in her lap as she met her mother's stern gaze. "I'm sorry, Mother. I'm just...nervous," she admitted, her brow furrowing with worry.

“About what, my dear?” Like a student being caught talking to their friend in class by the teacher, Persephone immediately felt her face go flush as her eyes snapped to Zeus, who was currently leading the meeting. Despite what the stories said, she was not his daughter. Demeter had made her all by herself by putting part of her essence into a flower, expecting to make another nymph but instead creating a daughter and a new Goddess in the process. A daughter that after thousands of years, was still treated like a child.

“Nothing Zeus, I apologize, please continue. Me and my mother were just discussing something related to the seasons. We’re thinking an early fall this year.” she said, trying to appear casual and like it was nothing.

“My granddaughter is finally going…home.” Interjected Demeter, throwing her daughter under the bus by revealing her lie. Persephone groaned, face in her hands. Immediately the entire table of Gods and Goddesses were abuzz as everyone was distracted by the news. Persephone sighed, she was hoping this wouldn’t happen, because they were all going to want to meet her and just overwhelm her. Zeus laughed.

“Well, well! Big news, you should have told us earlier ‘Seph! When are we going to meet the little girl?” the God of Thunder and Lightning grinned.

“Unless you are willing to visit the Underworld, not any time soon. She needs to ease out of her mortal form naturally, and as we all know, mortals cannot enter Olympus. Which would be…I think the Fates said roughly eighty years.” Everyone became visibly disappointed. It’s not that they weren’t excited to meet her, it was just that The Underworld, even with Elysium, was a bummer, and having a celebration there was sure to be…interesting. But it was either that or wait eight decades.

“Well, I guess we will just have to go to her. Right, meeting adjourned, we have a niece to meet!”

“No!”

Everyone paused as Persephone suddenly yelled. Her face somehow became even more red as she stood up and masked her emotions, trying not to seem frazzled. “I want you to meet her, absolutely. But you know how Hades is and she’s going to need time to adjust to having her world turned upside down, let alone everything else.”

And because if she knows her husband, which she does: he has no tact and she expects his arrival in the mortal world to fetch their daughter to go poorly. "Please, I just ask that you allow me and Hades to wait until the time is right. She's been raised among mortals her whole life - this is all so new and overwhelming for her. I don't want to risk overwhelming her further by bringing the entire Pantheon down to the Underworld."

Zeus stroked his beard thoughtfully, his gaze scrutinizing Persephone. "I understand your concerns, my dear. The transition will no doubt be difficult for the child." His lips curved into a benevolent smile, thinking. And she was right, Hades had no tact. "Very well, we shall wait for you and Hades to invite us to her. But do not tarry too long - we are all eager to welcome our newest family member!"

“Of course.”

Persephone was absolutely nervous as she returned home from her meeting, a sense of unease gnawing at her. She was both excited and yet worried to meet her daughter. She was practically vibrating out of her skin, hands still sweaty. She hoped it went well, but she knows her husband too well. As she touches down in the Underworld, and enters the palace, she finds herself trying to steel her nerves. She finds Hades in the throne room, alone, scowling on his throne with his face in his hand. Their daughter is nowhere to be seen, and she knows, it didn’t go well. Exhausted, Persephone asks, "Where is she?" He scowls and responds with a roll of his eyes, "She's been taken to her bedroom by the guards, to cool down. She’s throwing a fit.”

“You ripped her away didn’t you? You didn’t give her a chance to say goodbye, or anything. I knew I should have made you wait for me. I knew this was going to happen. “

The Lord of the Underworld let out a frustrated growl, sinking deeper into his obsidian throne. "I brought our daughter home, isn't that what you wanted?" he spat, his piercing gaze boring into Persephone. "I did what needed to be done - I collected on the bargain that foolish mortal made all those years ago." The Goddess of Spring rolled her eyes. “Yes, but it should have been done with tact and grace! She doesn’t remember us Hades, her soul was still an infant when we placed her into that body. As far as she knows, we kidnapped her.” Hades grunted, not responding.

Persephone let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples. "Oh, Hades, why must you always be so...heavy-handed?" She turned her attention to the grand archway that led deeper into the palace. "Where is she now?" The God of the Underworld shifted in his seat, the black obsidian creaking beneath him. "In her chambers, as I said. Sulking, I imagine." He flashed Persephone a sardonic grin. "You know how she is - stubborn as a mule, just like her mother."

Persephone shot Hades a withering glare, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm going to go speak with her." She swept past him, the hem of her flowing gown brushing against his feet as she moved. “Alone.” she said, noticing her husband starting to rise from his throne and follow her. The God scowled, sitting back down. Persephone hurried through the grand halls of the underworld palace, her heart heavy with concern for her daughter. As she approached the ornate doors leading to Mirabel's chambers, she took a steadying breath, trying to quell the nervous energy that coursed through her. She wiped a sweaty hand on her skirt. Outside the door, two ghostly sentinels stood guard, nodding towards their Queen as she approached.

She hoped the room was to her liking, she had spent months making sure it was ready for her daughter. Persephone considered entering without announcing herself, but decided against it. She knocked softly on the door, waiting to be granted entry. Inside the room, Mirabel sat curled up on the edge of the massive bed, her knees drawn to her chest as she stared blankly at walls of the room, not responding to the first knock on the door.

The knock came again, after a minute of no response.

"Who's there?" she called out, hating how her voice wavered with uncertainty. God, she hoped it was not him. Or better yet, if it was, he was here to tell her: ‘Oh sorry, I grabbed the wrong Madrigal, back to the real world.’ But she highly doubted that and she wouldn’t want Dolores or Luisa, hell even Isabela to be in this place. The door creaked open slightly, and a woman with long blonde hair and pink skin poked her head into the room hesitantly. Her hair was pushed back by a crown made of flowers and she wore a long, sleeveless silk dress covered in a variety of flowers including daisies and roses. She had to be the most beautiful woman Mirabel had ever seen, even more so than Isabela. Her eyes widened as the woman stepped into the room fully, a gentle smile on her face. "Hello, Mirabel. I'm..." She paused, her expression growing pensive. "I'm Persephone… I wanted to apologize, for your…for Hades. " She says the last part with annoyance. That man, he needed to learn to cool his temper.

Persephone. She knows that name, how could she not? She took history in school. The tale of Persephone and Hades. It was a classic. It doesn’t take much to make the connection, unless the tales were wrong. “Are you supposed to be my mother?” She asks it with disdain and disbelief. Persephone nodded solemnly, her eyes filled with a mixture of joy and hesitation. "Yes, Mirabel. I am your mother." She took a tentative step forward, her flowing gown rustling softly. "I know this must all be so overwhelming for you. I wish we could have brought you home under better circumstances."

She paused, biting her lip as she considered her next words carefully. "Your father...he can be a bit…excitable at times. He was just so eager to have you back with us, after all these years." Persephone let out a soft sigh, her gaze drifting to the ornate furnishings that adorned Mirabel's chamber. "I tried to make this place feel welcoming for you but I know it's not Casita."

"Welcoming?" Mirabel spat, her voice dripping with bitterness. "This is not welcoming, and it's not my home. My home is with the Madrigals - the family that raised me, that loved me." She hugged her knees tighter to her chest, her eyes filling with tears. "You…people took me away from them. From everything I've ever known." Persephone flinched at the venom in Mirabel's words, her heart aching. "I know, my dear. I wanted to wait until you passed from mortal means, but your Dad was insistent he wanted you back home while you were still a child.”

Mirabel stared at Persephone, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You wanted to wait until I died? How is that any better?" She shook her head, her lips trembling. "I don't understand any of this. Why did you take me from my family?” She had heard what Abuelo and HIM had said, but she didn’t really understand it. How could this not be her body? It felt like hers!

Persephone, sighed. “Your father is a God of Death, I am a God of Life, we have tried to have many children over the millennium but they all died before they even got close to birth. When you were finally born, you were born a soul. With no body. That wouldn’t necessarily be an issue for a god, but given the fact your father and I are opposites, your very soul began to fade from existence. We spoke to the Fates and they said the only way to save you was to put your soul into a mortal vessel and have you live upon the earth for at least a decade.”

“But why them? They don’t deserve this!” No one did, but especially not her family. It wasn’t fair. She could still see the way her mother looked at her when HE grabbed her. The horror and pain in her eyes. Persephone sighed again, explaining further. “We didn’t pick them specifically, the Fates told us where to go. They told us, rather my husband as I was recovering from giving birth to you, that there would be a man in Columbia so desperate to save his family, that he would do anything. They didn’t tell us much more than that. They never do, they’re always vague and cryptic.”

“That doesn’t make it right! You used them! They might not be perfect but and maybe they forgot about me sometimes, but they loved me! They were my family, and you ripped me away from them!”

Persephone's expression softened, her heart aching at the anguish in her daughter's voice. "I know, my dear. They are and always will be, despite how much your father would prefer you forget your mortal family. And I'm so sorry for the pain this has caused you." She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. "Hades was so desperate to save you, and so was I. If there was any other way we could have done this, I would have done it in a heartbeat.” Oh, this was all her fault, she should have went with him at the very least.

“…just leave me alone.”  Whimpered Mirabel, burying her face in her knees. Persephone's heart sank as she watched her daughter start to break, sobs wracking her body. She knew this would be difficult, but seeing the pain and betrayal in her daughter's eyes was almost more than she could bear. "Mirabel, please, I-"

"I said leave me alone!" Mirabel shouted, removing her face from her knees. Persephone hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Very well. I'll give you some time. You should get some rest, you look tired." She turned and headed for the door, pausing only to look back at Mirabel's hunched form. "I know this is all so overwhelming. But I want you to know - your father and I, we love you more than anything. We never meant to hurt you." Mirabel didn't respond, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Persephone leaves her, shaking her head before exiting the room. Hades of course is right outside the door, waiting for her. "Well? How did it go?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Persephone let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her flowing hair. "About as well as you might expect," she replied wearily. "She's devastated, Hades. Angry, hurt - I can hardly blame her." The Lord of the Underworld grunted, his piercing gaze flicking towards the ornate doors. "I figured as much." Persephone shook her head. “Leave her alone for now love, she needs time to settle. I know you were hoping there would be an instant connection, but if you try and push it, it will cause more harm than good.”

Hades let out a frustrated growl, his blue flames flickering angrily. "Time? That's all anyone ever wants from me." He clenched his fists, the air around him growing thick with tension. "I've waited decades for this moment, Persephone. To have my daughter back home, where she belongs. And eons more to even have a child."

Persephone placed a gentle hand on his arm, her touch immediately calming the restless energy that radiated from him. "I know, my love. But rushing her will only push her further away." She gazed up at him, her eyes soft with understanding. "Mirabel has just had her entire world turned upside down. She needs space to process everything." Hades let out a heavy sigh, the fight draining from him. "You're right, as always." He pinched the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowed in a mixture of sadness and defeat. “I just love her so much.”

[alarrytale]

I also believe that no matter about contracts, fact they are both closeted and H is currently S*ny’s golden goose, their plan starting a family isn’t a priority because I believe they want to raise their kids together, be there for them 100% time and just when they will become parents, nothing else will matter for them. And because they both are successful in their own way, it’s just not a priority now, they have to strike while they are at their peak. I just checked Lance Bass for an example because I know he became parent with his partner and he’s 44 and became parent in 2021 when he was like 41-42? So both HL have like +-10-12 years to have their careers and then decide to settle down sacrificing their solo careers because things won’t be the same after that imo. Someone wrote on other larrie blog that maybe they both will disappear from public life for years and later they will not only come out but also announce they are parents for few years already. I totally agree with this opinion and think they are making as much money as they can because they are aware their careers might never be the same after CO and starting a family.

Hi, anon!

Yep, i agree for the most part. I do think they'll both want to be 100% there for their kids, and when they do settle down it will be hard to have a career that looks like the ones they have now.

I'm not so sure if they'll totally disappear when they get kids. They'll still be world famous, have massive fanbases and have public interest. I don't think they'll be able to hide having kids, being out and a being a couple. People would still want to know who H is dating and what he's up to. They're both too recognisable to be able to vanish off the face of the earth for years. I'm also guessing they'll want to leave the door open for comebacks and 1D reunions when the kids are older. I do think they'll want to raise their kids outside the limelight, but not to the degree where they're never pictured. I don't think they'll be that private.

[vampnerd23]

Fanfic/WIP list

I had this on my last blog, and it had a super long introduction, but since that blog is gone....this will probably be short. I was just glad I had the list on a google doc. Some fics are started, some are not. Some fics are already posted, some are not. A choice few are finished, but most of them are not. Links to come later as I get time. For now, here's my archive of our own link and my fanfiction.net link.... List is below the 'keep reading line' for convenience.

Agents of SHIELD

Untitled Daisy/Sousa post s7 drabble

The Flash

Snowbarry

Untitled seasons 1-6 AU w/ original child

Snowbarry Week 2019

Unravel Me

Our Souls They Blend

But We Still, Hold On

Some Dumb Stubborn Martyr Hero Sacrifice Thing

SB Valentine 2020 - We’ll Be Counting Stars

SB Week 2021

Your Faith Walks on Broken Glass

SB April Minibang 2020 - Sat by the River and It Made Me Complete

SB April Minibang 2021 - The Hardest Part of Ending (Is Starting Again)

SB April Minibang 2022 - Tiny Boxes For Memories

SB April Minibang 2023 - Still Believe in Fairytales

Untitled Season 2 WIP

Snowstorm

A Promise Made

Snowells

Snowells Week 2020

Open Mind For A Different View

For Your Love, All You Are

I’ll Take You To The Dark Side

Keeping Up With The Wells’s 

The Stars in the Sky Illuminate Below

Want You To Stay

Snowells Week 2021

how can I stand here with you (and not be moved by you)?

You should stay away from the cheese curds - they’re addicting

Days Dark as Ebony Nights

Snowells Week 2023

Things We’re All Too Young To Know 

Untitled Sherloque/Cailtin season 5 WIP

Untitled Harry/Caitlin season 4 WIP

Untitled EoWells/Caitlin season1/season5 timetravel WIP

Killervibe

Killervibe Week 2020 - Celebrate Me Home

Arrowverse Quarantine Fic Exchange - Yes It’s True (Happy to Be Stuck With You)

Gen/Character Fics

Between the Lines - Caitlin and Frost season 6 conversation

Arrow

Olicity

Caught in the Riptide

In this Grief

Once Upon A Time

Amelia

Outlaw Queen

OQ Prompt Weeks:

Yours, Mine, & Ours

Home Sweet Home

A Glimmer of Hope

A New Beginning

Rose Petals

Leap of Faith

Operation Lupin

Fireworks

Shot Through the Heart

Operation New Adventure

Knight in Shining Dimples

OQ Fix It Week 2017:

Feather Light

Family Reunion

Of Arrows and other Remnants

Tea for Milady

A Bond in Time

The Heart of the Matter

Safe & Sound

Right Here With You

Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Delena

So Far Away

On the Corner of First and Amistad

Tell Me What You Want Me To Say

Holding On And Letting Go

Untitled season 1 Delena/Steferine WIP

Untitled season 4 DE WIP

Untitled AU DE WIP

Soul Bound

On Another Love

What Are You Prepared To Do

Rebuilding Blocks - single parent/therapist AU

Bonds Unbroken

Future AU

August Rush AU

Blended AU

Cure AU

Friends with kids AU

Family AU

Untitled future season 4 AU

The Devil Inside AU

Life as We Know It AU

Untitled season 1 warped WIP

Stelena

Where’d You Go

Fading Light

Need You Now

Datherine

Back to Humanity

Elejah

Apart No More

Steroline

Steferine

Lights Will Guide You Home

Together Again - season 1 reincarnation 

Kalijah

TVD Season 4 AU

Only For Her

Starting Over

Together in Normalcy

Unexpected

Diabolical Sacrifices

Untitled Klaroline/Kalijah in NOLA WIP

Klayley

Untitled WIP

Darkness I Became

Haylijah

Untitled AU

Hayley/Stefan

Spiraling Out of Control

Untitled AU

Gen/Character/multicouple works

Miss Mastermind - Katherine fic

Raising Jenna - Raising Helen AU 

TVD/Originals foster fic - Katherine was Hayley’s foster parent

Katherine season 2 fic

Charmed

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Bangel

Always

Divine Interference

Uncursed

Annie

Waking Up

Redemption Fulfilled

Spuffy

Untitled season 5/6 WIP

Gilmore Girls

One Tree Hill

Naley

Once Upon a December

Leyton

Remembering Forever

Fringe

Untitled Polivia WIP

Crossovers

TVD Katherine Pierce/The Flash Killer Frost WIP

TVD Katherine Pierce/Angel Angel - Wait For You

TVD/Charmed WIP - Prophecy Girls

Buffyverse Spike/ One Tree Hill Brooke - 

Original works

TVD Fanfic conversion to original short story

Original guardian angels novel

[truly-morgan]

[Awkward reunion]

Shuangjie | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 10-05-2021

[#yunmengshuangjie modern, awkward reunion]

what if because wwx gets in big trouble with people (the wen?) he ends up needing to disappear for some time, which extends to 13 long years where he cannot contact his family in fear that something might happen to them. (little did he know the future held a tragic end for the jiang family).

not to help, he had a huge argument with jc before disappearing, mainly about how what he was doing would cause him problems. yet when he's finally free from the danger... he doesn't know how to face jc. he cannot just show up with a "Look who's back from the dead :D!", even less when he still remembers the argument they had as if it had happened yesterday. So he hesitates and stalls for some time, also busy raising a-yuan by himself after taking him in. 

They meet by accident when wwx goes to drop wy (since lwj never took him in, his name should still be wen yuan?). at his new friend's house. He has already met oyz parents and they seem fine, so he feels reassured about leaving his son in their hands. Little did he expect to see jc when the door opened, both of them freezing on the spot.

wwx only gets out of his shock when he feels wy slightly pull on his shirt, asking who the man is in a whisper since he could clearly see his father's reaction wasn't usual.

"Someone... daddy knows," he says as he quickly averts his eyes from jc, looking down at his son with a smile oyz mother even comes to greet him, wy running in quickly when he saws oyz and two other boys inside. They have a small talk as oyz mother introduces them, telling him jc is jl jiujiu. They both end up saying they don't want to overstay and that they did have some matter to take care of, unsure if either of them would be able to keep the facade.

wwx tries to run away, pretexting he has something despite it being a lie, yet he ends up being dragged by jc to the silence is awkward, tense and heavy and wwx cannot meet jc intense staring, as if taking his eyes of off him for even a second would allow him to run away (again). they stay in silence for a good while, until wwx tries to break the silence by asking how jc has been doing. jc only answered by asking where he had been, making wwx tense.

he's forced to explain what had happened, what trouble he had been stuck in and how he ended up needing to pay back a debt. of course, the discussion sours a bit when wwx doesn't want to tell him all, or even why he wouldn't ask them for help.

they both stop talking for a while to calm down, until wwx finally points out he wouldn't have wanted to put them in danger or cause such problems, feeling like he could never have asked such a thing (also he doubted yzy would have accepted to help him out).

he ends up rambling that he understands if jc doesn't want him around, he did fuck up and then disappear for years without giving news and probably even making him believe he was dead. he will stay away as much as possible if needed.

"But please, let a-yuan keep jl as a friend, it's the first time I saw him this close to other children, if you don't want me interacting much with him it's alright, but just... please allow a-yuan to be". obviously, jc is still mad at wwx for what he did, but he was not expecting for him to believe he would go as far as refusing for the children to be friends, or even believe he would ask him to disappear again.

He is angry and mad for what happened and how he was left alone after the death of their family, but it's not to this point. How anxious had wwx been about this all these years for him to come to this conclusion? They would clearly need a better talk and a more detailed one. They had a lot to talk about, especially to clear misunderstanding, but for now, he decides to leave it at that, simply sighing.

after a more light-hearted chitchat, they parted ways, jc still needed to do what he needed to do for the day, leaving wwx only after having exchanged numbers and addresses (he's too anxious to not have them, although he could have asked wy too).

====

I dunno why, I feel like this could be an interesting setting. I feel like writing ymsj reuniting, but without the "I hate your fucking guts for being the cause of dead of my family" and more of a "where tf were you?!? what happened? Why didn't you call me /once/?!"

I think my sleep-deprived mind is starting to come up with too much stuff tonight, some parts here feel a bit weird(??)

Original

[vorgoths]

I posted 15,341 times in 2022

That's 15,333 more posts than 2021!

48 posts created (0%)

15,293 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dailyflicks

@heroeddiemunson

@castlesrichards

@thewintersoldier

@frodo-sam

I tagged 15,335 of my posts in 2022

#pretty much. - 738 posts

#series: house of the dragon - 718 posts

#series: stranger things - 708 posts

#series: the witcher - 653 posts

#hotd spoilers - 506 posts

#series: 911 - 461 posts

#series: obi wan kenobi - 393 posts

#series: shadow and bone - 392 posts

#series: 911 lone star - 385 posts

#movie: the batman - 345 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#and i can't get over the fact that guillermo del toro said he envisioned the mako/raleigh sparring scene as a sex scene

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

it still feels unreal to see obi-wan and darth vader again, BUT TO SEE THEM ON SCREEN TOGETHER AHHHHH

6 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

#4

THE WAR IS GOING TO START ALL BECAUSE OF A MISUNDERSTANDING???

7 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

#3

i was tagged by the lovely arwen ( benoitblanc ), thank you! 💖

favorite color: blue 💙

currently reading: six of crows by leigh bardugo ( it's taken me months to read this, but i'm more than half-way done lmao )

last song: mind over matter by young the giant

currently watching: new girl ( currently on season 6 )

last film: encanto

savory, sweet, or spicy: this is a tough one, i probably have to go with sweet for right now

currently working on: most of my time is spent at my new job nowadays, but recently outside of work, i officiated my friends' wedding last weekend so now i'm trying to put together a few post-wedding gifts with some of our friends who attended the wedding 🥰

no pressure to participate, i'm tagging @spacenerdevans, @yelenabeluva, @jakeperallta, @william-byers, and anyone who would like to answer these questions ( feel free to tag me ) !

7 notes - Posted January 20, 2022

#2

daemon really just came back to king's landing, have a nice family reunion with his brother and get a hero's welcome, only to get exiled yet again the next day

8 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

also getting chased after by darth vader in the dark would be completely terrifying

24 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[captainanndor]

I posted 455 times in 2022

That's 335 more posts than 2021!

8 posts created (2%)

447 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@maculategiraffe

@rhinozilla

@wardenmages

@drchucktingle

@kick-girl

I tagged 26 of my posts in 2022

#our flag means death - 7 posts

#ofmd - 6 posts

#stede bonnet - 5 posts

#edward teach - 4 posts

#renew our flag means death - 3 posts

#pirates - 2 posts

#i want what they have - 2 posts

#birthday - 2 posts

#blackbeard - 2 posts

#the orange - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 59 characters

#but honestly the most bites i've done are affectionate ones

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Aww, I knew I celebrated a previous. birthday at a Ren Faire with a bunch of friends, all of us dressed as pirates. Forgot it was my milestone 30th. I rang in my 30s as a pirate & I'll be ringing out the end of my 30s as a pirate as well, cuz I am going to the Royal Feast this summer as a 39th bday treat! Hopefully this time goes smoother, because that was also the same trip where I got pulled over by a state trooper doing 72mph in a 55mph zone (I thought it was 65mph speed limit) and his first question to the car full of gals fully decked out in pirate looks was "you going to the ren faire?" Instead of saying NO for lolz, I said "um, yeah..." like a COWARD. As a "happy birthday" he didn't write me a speeding ticket but still wrote a ticket for my license plate frame because "you'd never get pulled over just for this, but it's technically illegal to have *anything* covering any part of your plate". The ticket was still ~$350 (thanks NYS surcharge). Anyways I got to feed a duck, ride a camel, and spend the day with some of the best people, so it was all worth it and I look forward to a repeat (on a slightly smaller scale, because I am le tired) for my 39th!

See the full post

1 note - Posted June 22, 2022

#4

For my 39th birthday, a friend and I made Roach’s 40 Orange Glaze Cake from Our Flag Means Death! We then set up a little scene and did a photoshoot for it. More under the cut!

See the full post

20 notes - Posted July 31, 2022

#3

I changed the first panel of this meme for a Twitter comment and then immediately had to change the second panel as well. Tumblr I know you will understand this joke.

37 notes - Posted June 15, 2022

#2

And while I’m at it! Putting this energy out there: #RenewOurFlagMeansDeath and cast Kate McKinnon as either Anne Bonny or Mary Read. They already gave us an in with Calico Jack whining he's been mutinied against 3 times recently and they ran with him historically. He’s also already out of the way so there’s no wasted time/boring love triangle drama and we can just have happy badass lesbian pirates co-captaining their own ship.

37 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Re-posting this from my own Twitter thread: Oh shit! #OurFlagMeansDeath S2 prediction:  Ed is gonna shoot Stede when they meet again. It’ll be dramatic, Ed’ll cry thinking he killed him, etc.  But the half of the fucking petrified orange Stede's daughter gave him will stop the bullet & save him #RenewOurFlagMeansDeath Or Izzy will shoot Stede, but I think Ed would be more dramatic for the story/reunion and needing to really knock him HARD out of The Kraken.  Ed knows Stede knows how to take a stab, or maybe their sword fight will be a draw or with Stede thinking he won and Ed pulls the gun. Ed never used the gun in the show. Only threatened Stede (and started to load it at the party) OH GOD! Actually, Stede will probs just refuse a sword fight. Ed will want one & Stede will refuse & Ed will threaten with the gun (again).Will the shot be intentional or accidental? (Does it matter?) Stede should never have left but the clean break/forgiveness from his family is what will save his life in the end. After also setting him free to love with no doubts or guilts from his old life haunting him. Knowing he's not a curse or a monster.

48 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[spinstrackingsystem]

Big Jim Davis “Still Thinkin’ Bout You” out now: Radio/Media Download

Big Jim Davis started playing music and writing songs at the age of 15. At the age of 17 his songs caught the ear of Roland Janes, the legendary rockabilly guitarist of Sam Phillips and Sonic Recording studios, who mentored Jim in his studio until music was put on the back burner by military service, school, work, and family. But no matter where life took him, he never gave up writing new songs. Decades later he believes he’s delivering his best work yet. Jim’s passion for creating music was inspired by a wide variety of heavy hitters in the blues, country and classic rock genres. His songs are musical stories; flavored with personal experiences and the universal feelings of hope, love, sadness and loss. Big Jim Davis has released over a dozen singles since 2018. Four of his recent releases hit the New Music Weekly Country charts during 2020, 2021 and 2022. Big Jim is proud and humbled to be on the Country charts with artists like Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Luke Combs and Rascal Flatts. He was also nominated for the New Music Weekly Country Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Jim’s latest release, “Still Thinkin’ Bout You,” is a country honky-tonk song about what might happen when a high school crush is rekindled after a chance encounter at the reunion 50 years later. A multi-instrumentalist who takes on the guitar, bass, banjo, keyboard, piano and harmonica, Big Jim Davis has proven time and time again to be a master of his craft. Read the full article

[newmusicweekly]

Big Jim Davis “Still Thinkin’ Bout You” out now: Radio/Media Download

Big Jim Davis started playing music and writing songs at the age of 15. At the age of 17 his songs caught the ear of Roland Janes, the legendary rockabilly guitarist of Sam Phillips and Sonic Recording studios, who mentored Jim in his studio until music was put on the back burner by military service, school, work, and family. But no matter where life took him, he never gave up writing new songs. Decades later he believes he’s delivering his best work yet. Jim’s passion for creating music was inspired by a wide variety of heavy hitters in the blues, country and classic rock genres. His songs are musical stories; flavored with personal experiences and the universal feelings of hope, love, sadness and loss. Big Jim Davis has released over a dozen singles since 2018. Four of his recent releases hit the New Music Weekly Country charts during 2020, 2021 and 2022. Big Jim is proud and humbled to be on the Country charts with artists like Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Luke Combs and Rascal Flatts. He was also nominated for the New Music Weekly Country Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Jim’s latest release, “Still Thinkin’ Bout You,” is a country honky-tonk song about what might happen when a high school crush is rekindled after a chance encounter at the reunion 50 years later. A multi-instrumentalist who takes on the guitar, bass, banjo, keyboard, piano and harmonica, Big Jim Davis has proven time and time again to be a master of his craft. Read the full article

[newmusicradionetwork]

Big Jim Davis “Still Thinkin’ Bout You”

Big Jim Davis started playing music and writing songs at the age of 15. At the age of 17 his songs caught the ear of Roland Janes, the legendary rockabilly guitarist of Sam Phillips and Sonic Recording studios, who mentored Jim in his studio until music was put on the back burner by military service, school, work, and family. But no matter where life took him, he never gave up writing new songs. Decades later he believes he’s delivering his best work yet. Jim’s passion for creating music was inspired by a wide variety of heavy hitters in the blues, country and classic rock genres. His songs are musical stories; flavored with personal experiences and the universal feelings of hope, love, sadness and loss. Big Jim Davis has released over a dozen singles since 2018. Four of his recent releases hit the New Music Weekly Country charts during 2020, 2021 and 2022. Big Jim is proud and humbled to be on the Country charts with artists like Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Luke Combs and Rascal Flatts. He was also nominated for the New Music Weekly Country Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Jim’s latest release, “Still Thinkin’ Bout You,” is a country honky-tonk song about what might happen when a high school crush is rekindled after a chance encounter at the reunion 50 years later. A multi-instrumentalist who takes on the guitar, bass, banjo, keyboard, piano and harmonica, Big Jim Davis has proven time and time again to be a master of his craft. He spends much of his time in the studio crafting music, but occasionally performs with local bands in the Los Angeles area and in his home state of Tennessee. Additional Artist/Song Information: Artist Name: Big Jim Davis Song Title: Still Thinkin’ Bout You Publishing: James Boyd Davis Publishing Affiliation: BMI Album Title: Still Thinkin’ Bout You Record Label: BJDM Radio Promotion: Loggins Promotion Paul Loggins 310-325-2800 Contact LP Publicity/PR: Loggins Promotion Paul Loggins 310-325-2800 Contact LP Read the full article

[hostor-infotech]

Freed ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero heads to US for family reunion | Prison News

Rusesabagina was released last Friday after President Kagame commuted his sentence, following months of negotiations between Washington and Kigali. The man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina, has boarded a plane in Qatar bound for Houston after being released from prison in Rwanda last week, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. In September 2021, Rusesabagina,…

[college-girl199328]

B.C. couple scrambles to find new wedding venue after Supreme Court bans events at Ucluelet lodge

Marianne Dawson and Brendan Crosby were going to have their dream coastal wedding on May 13 at an oceanside lodge in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island.

That was until a recent B.C. Supreme Court decision quashed the Port Moody couple's plans by ruling The Lodge at Terrace Beach is no longer allowed to hold large-scale commercial events, including weddings.

The ruling comes in response to a petition to enforce a neighborhood building scheme, which petitioners allege The Lodge's commercial activity violates.

Dawson describes herself as shocked and a little taken aback. She'd booked the venue at 1090 Peninsula Rd. in early 2022. She and Crosby are now rushing to another hotel to accommodate 60 guests.

She says they're doubtful they'll find a suitable place without spending extra money on travel, new caterers, bartenders, and other vendors they'd booked well in advance.

In 2021, The Lodge owners, Ronald Clayton and Gordon Elliott, received permits from the District of Ucluelet to up-zone two adjacent lots in the Reef Point Beach Estates subdivision from the guest house and single-family residential designations to tourist commercial.

This would greatly expand commercial possibilities on the lots, including a restaurant and commercial entertainment, writes Justice David Crerar in his court ruling.

One of the properties, Lot 35, is home to The Lodge, which currently has about 19 guestrooms and can host about 42 guests. The application to up-zone didn't sit well with neighbors in the subdivision, including Mike Foy and Michelle Belanger.

In August of that year, they appealed the development to the district council, arguing that Terrace Beach North is one of the last unspoiled natural areas. Please help us preserve it.

They then filed a lawsuit with the B.C. Supreme Court in early 2022, asking to enforce the building scheme that would keep the community residential. 

According to the ruling, the petitioners complain that over the past decade, activity at The Lodge has increased in a manner that they say interferes with the quiet enjoyment of the subdivision and their properties.

On Nov. 24, the court ruled in favor of the petitioners, ordering The Lodge to limit commercial activity and "not offer, host, solicit, or advertise large-scale events, including weddings, reunions, conventions, or retreats on Lot 35.

Bruce Grieg, Ucluelet's manager of community affairs, says the district was aware of community opposition to and support for developing the neighborhood when it held a public hearing over the zoning amendments.

Regarding the court ruling, Grieg says the district "has no standing in this private legal matter" between the residents and the developers. Clayton said in an email that he "deeply regrets" the inconvenience and understands the stress caused by the disruption.

Dawson says The Lodge would have been able to provide space for the wedding ceremony, reception, and overnight accommodations for all guests, and she's feeling "shock, anger, and sadness" at realizing "we're not going to have the wedding we thought."

She says she was most surprised the Supreme Court wouldn't at least allow The Lodge to fulfill its existing business contracts. Dawson says Clayton seemed "quite torn up" about the situation and promptly offered them refunds and help to find a new venue, but she's concerned other vendors she'd booked won't be so forgiving.