#i finally used some of these stone (?) beads in a bracelet! they make it oddly heavy

[sharks-in-boots]

i luv making a bracelet based on an album i have & I can physically set the beads on the cover to match the colors WHEEEE

[titan-god-helios]

pt1 of oddly specific things that give me gender affirmation/euphoria (that may not be that odd but i didn’t expect them so shut up <3 /lh):

wallets !!!! a good stereotypically masculine wallet that’s small and leather and still has lots and lots of usability and looks like something a dad would use makes me feel so masculine !! love it

any type of trouser or bottoms with more than two pockets

windbreaker jackets - they make me go “FUCK YEEAAHH im such a boy a man a male tm yessir” and idk why they just do tho, even the fem ones to an extent

plantssss i love plants and they make me feel like a little gardner boy just yessss

energy drinks for some reason ???? they make the internal man dialogue of “IM A MANNN” go haywire so much

hairbands on my wrist and an excess of those wooden beaded bracelets or even stone beaded jewellery

cross earrings but just bc they look cool (i’m an atheist so yuh, i still love people who have religion too, y’all are awesome <3)

doing the thing with your hair where you take hair from one side and flip it on the other with one hand and its kind of like running your hand through your hair but with long hair…. esp of my other hand is on my hip and i scrunch my face ?!?!?!??!? so boyish i feel so good

dancing like an absolute idiot. i dont know why but every time i just do a little jig for myself by myself my gender is just like “yessssss you’re a boy frfr slay king”

watches !! big chunky analogue watches

following on from the last point, clocks too

mushroomsssss they make the more nonbinary side of me jump for joy cause like “yes ofc im a fucking forest goblin dude i love mushrooms im just a goblin guy leave me alone and let me love the shrooms”

sketching in public. it just doessss

camoflague clothing !! i mean this was probably obvious but when i came out to myself and i wore camo cargo pants (with loads of pockets mind you) i just freaked out in joy i felt so manly that day it was glorious

singing !! singing my favourite songs as low as i can go with it still sounding good

just being as stubborn as possible but in a non problematic (for the most part) way. like if you give me the option to make things easier and more convenient or not i’ll choose the harder option. idk it just makes me feel manly (is this toxic masculinity ?? i dont know but i try to remind myself that this only applies to non mental stuff so i don’t end up self-harming againnnn)

being unnecessarily overdressed

not brushing my hair till its perfectly untangled and just letting it be a bit wild - this came with me figuring out that my hair type is waywayway wavier/curlier than i thought my whole life and learning to take care of it the best i can whilst i have like zero products for waves/curls on hand and as a bonus i felt more masc !!

looking at the stretch marks underneath my boobs in the mirror. i have a large-ish chest i think (DD cup), plus i’m a lil chubby, so i have loads of stretch marks around my chest, and the ones underneath look like top surgery scars, so if i’m having a particularly rough day with my chest dysphoria i’ll look at em and feel a bit better

using my stim toys and accommodations with friends and by myself for my autism and adhd - being capable of taking care of myself finally makes me feel really confident and as a result quite masc as well

stimming by flipping my beaded bracelets between my fingers - this is specific to greek and possibly other cultures similar to greece but it’s typical for a lot of greek men to flip long-ish beaded loops (?? they’re not jewellery and specifically made for this but idk what they’re called so) between their fingers in a similar fashion, and it’s a thing that my dad does a lot when bored. whether neurodivergent or neurotypical it’s a very common thing for men and so doing it makes me not only feel good stimming but also feel manly as fuck ! it feels even better now that my mum saw me doing it once and said “what are you a man ??” and being closeted i had to say “idc im just flipping a bracelet why does it have to be gendered” BUT INSIDE I WAS SO HAPPY

playing card games - when i was younger and even now my dad and grandpa would let me sit in on their card games late at night when we visited them in greece and now when i play card games i always feel so calm and comforted and quietly masculine

drinkingggg now hear me out yes im a minor but i’m also half greek so as a result whenever my parents drink im allowed a bit too (under supervision ofc). anyway that out the way, i have a pretty fucking high alcohol tolerance and considering the fact that it comes from my dad (being asian, my mum’s tolerance is dogshit) plus the stereotypical “men can drink more” stuff i feel SO MANLYYYY when i can quite literally drink more than my dad and feel okay whilst he’s starting to be tipsy (just to clarify though, the stereotype is bullshit and should NOT be perpetuated as much as it is, at least with intent. you guys with low alcohol tolerances are just as manly !! maybe you’re even more manly than those with high tolerance !! and women with high tolerances, you’re still very fem and very cool and valid as a woman and those who aren’t binary or aligning you are valid as your gender or as no gender no matter what tolerance you have <33)

caring about myself more. and i don’t mean in a “i’m gonna have a nice fucking bath and be happy about it” way i mean in a “i’m going to feed myself well, drink lots of water, get good exercise and be respectful to myself at the very least” way. and also in the bath way. baths are nice

collecting shit !! idk dude but having a collection of dumb shit just makes me feel so masc and good cause i swear to the stars nearly every dude i’ve met and stepped into the house of has a collection of SOMETHING whether it’s games, books, rocks, crystals, cookbooks and recipies or art supplies or whatever makes them happy. like legit fucking anything and i like collecting stuff too so its a bonus !!

just being nice. just being a nice dude makes me feel so manly

being silly and myself and doing dumb shit and being unapologetic about it (im still working on being able to do this since i struggle a lot but when i can it feels so good !!)

being stupidly loyal to something equally stupid /pos. like yes i have had this stuffed animal since the dawn of time no i will never get rid of her. she’s a genderfuck lesbian rainbow tiger from buildabear workshop who goes by the name of Roxy i will never get rid of her >:(. and so what my ring is so rusty it makes my skin green every three days ?? i clean it and take it off when it gets out of control back off bitch its mine. why are you so concerned about my shoes ????? fuck you i like them how they are (falling apart and dishevelled, the sole is halfway off already and it hasn’t been even remotely okay since three years ago) and they still fit and work so i’ll wear them until i literally cannot anymore. its so fun and it’s such a “just some guy” activity AND it makes my autism goblin feel safe and good too so its great would reccommend

just talking about stuff i like and that makes me feel good but not to anybody in particular. maybe in my notes, maybe on tumblr (like right now !! i’m doing this one right now !!) maybe on my personal dm to myself. it just makes me feel like a boy i love it PLUS i dont actually have to stress about humans on the other end of it so i feel way more confident and comfortable and as a result even MORE manly !!

ice cream on cones. i will not elaborate

travelling and exploring !! like legit anywhere. as long as i’m moving from one place to another and exploring the world i feel so happy and right and also masculine it’s great i love travelling so much. on holidays i enjoy the act of travelling even more than the holiday itself tbh

(to clarify i identify as male but a bit fucked in the gender - if you want a label i still identify as nonbinary but male aligningg <3)

[jwillowwolf]

Magic and Miracles - Chapter 10

Sanders Sides Big Bang fic, Chapter 10!

< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter > | Masterlist

(Art by @just-a-pintrovert)

Summary: “Hey, Virgil, what’s this?” Remus asked, pointing at the large flat box thing mounted on the wall.

“A tv.”

“Oh… what’s a tv?”

Warning/s: food mention.

Tag List: s: Logan, Virgil, OCs, Roman, Remy, Remus, Patton, Janus, Emile.

Tag List: @theimprobabledreamersworld @remy-please-come-back

Read on Ao3

10 | This is Not a Place of Logic

“Nico and Thomas have been kidnapped.”

"Did you just say, Thomas and Nico? As in the King and Prince Consort?" Willow asked.

"Yes. They were abducted earlier along with the Magic Council." Remy stated.

The others began asking more questions about the incident but Logan didn't listen to them. Instead, he focused on Virgil's face. He saw little colour in his pale skin slowly fade away. His grey eyes became cold and dull, like a stone, and he stared at Remy. His breathing was beginning to become short and erratic. He began to sway on his legs as if they'd suddenly become numb.

"Virgil," Logan said gently. "Virgil, please look at me."

Virgil turned his blank gaze to Logan.

"Can I touch you?"

Virgil nodded weakly.

Logan took his hand and guided him outside the room, to the hallway where they could sit alone on a bench. The moment Virgil was sat down, he let out a choked sob. Logan began to comfortingly rub his back, then found himself wrapped in a hug.

He froze in shock for a moment, before he began to hug Virgil back. Holding him close as he cried into his shoulder like a scared child. It was metaphorically heartbreaking for Logan to hear, but he could not let go. He had no other way to comfort him at the moment, so for now he would just hold him.

After some time, Virgil pulled away. “Th-thank you.”

“No problem… How are you feeling?”

“…I’m not sure how to describe it... Scared... Lost... Alone...”

“I don’t know how comforting this may be but, you are most definitely not alone. You have our friends, Remy, and me.”

Virgil perked up a bit. “That is very a lot more comforting than you know.”

“Ehem,” the boys looked up to see Remy was standing in the doorway. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but you probably didn’t hear all the details of what happened.”

Virgil nodded and motioned for Remy to fill them in.

“Thomas, Nico, and the Magic Council were having their quarterly meeting to discuss the kingdom’s magical balance. During said meeting, someone cast a strange spell that caused everyone inside the meeting room to disappear. The caster was found dead on site, having used their MP and HP to cast this spell.”

“Was there any evidence on where the caster came from?”

Remy paused and took a deep breath to steady himself. “The caster… was a fae...”

“What?”

“The caster was a fae person. We don’t know who or even how they got into the realm.”

“Has anyone talked to Tía Tanya or Dune?”

“Joan has been named regent while your parents are… missing, and they sent a messenger to fill me in. I’m going to go and talk with Tanya and Dune, then we’ll need to send someone through to the Fae realm to inform your grandmother.”

Virgil nodded. “I’ll come with you then.”

“What? No! You need to stay here where you’re safe.”

“I can’t stay here and do nothing. Besides, you would need me to help with opening the realm gate and getting an audience with my grandmother.”

“Virgil, it won’t be safe, especially if I’m the only one guarding you.”

“We can guard him,” Remus said from behind Remy.

Remy narrowed his eyes. “Who is we?”

“Us, the class,” Janus answered. “We’ve been trained in combat and can wield magic.”

“And are only fifteen.” Remy pointed out.

“We’re young, but that doesn’t make us helpless,” Willow replied. “We faced down that giant mole, all together. The seven of us are a lot harder to take down than you think.”

Logan nodded. “You need Virgil’s help, and we can help to protect him. Plus, if there are people here who want to hurt him, then the best thing to do is probably take him somewhere safe, like to his grandmother.”

Remy sighed. “We don’t even know if the fae realm is secure, Logan.”

“But it would be safer than here, right?”

Remy groaned. “Emile, help me here.”

Emile was quiet a moment and looked directly at his son. “I know I won’t be able to change your mind. You’re too much like your mother for that. Just… Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Logan nodded. “I promise dad.”

“We’ll all be taking care of each other, Mr Picani. Don’t worry,” Roman assured.

Emile smiled. “Well then, I think you’ll all do great.”

Remy looked horrified but he knew he couldn’t win this fight. Virgil, Logan, and the rest of the class would all be going with him to the fae realm whether he liked it or not. Or maybe he could get Tanya to talk this lunacy out of them.

---

“Brilliant idea, darling,” Tanya complimented. “Taking Virgil and his friends will get you to Valeria without any problems about your identity and whatnot.”

Dune nodded agreeingly. “The only thing I am concerned about is the children’s lack of protection.”

“We do have our weapons and magic,” Remus stated.

“That’s good dear, but I think that you’ll need some added protection. Hmm, here,” Dune brought out a box with some beaded bracelets. “These are enchanted with protection spells. Each of you can take one and it’ll be as good as dressing you in full plate armour.”

“These are so beautiful. Thank you so much, Mx Dune,” Patton said

Dune smiled. “It’s nothing really, dear. I’m glad you like them.”

Not to be impatient, but can we get going? Virgil asked.

“Right. You’ll need to be as fast as you can to get the news to your grandmother. I wish the mirrors were working so we didn’t have to send you all off so quickly, but I believe that you will do brilliantly. Follow me to the gate then!” Tanya said, briskly walking out of the room where they had been debriefing her and Dune on the situation.

There were some stairs down to the portal gate, which Logan was very grateful for. He didn't mind flying in Virgil’s arms last time of course, but he wasn’t quite sure that Virgil would carry him this time around. It also meant he was able to take in the brilliant architecture as they descended, so of course he loved that. He didn’t quite love the aching in his limbs when they finally reached the bottom of the stairs but it was so worth it.

At the bottom of the stairs was a lovely area full of rich green vegetation. It looked very much like an enchanted garden, which was impressive considering how far underground they were. At the centre of this garden, there was a tall archway made from black stone with strange runes carved all around it. Tanya and Virgil walked over to this arch and stood directly in front of it a moment.

“You remember how to activate it?” Tanya asked.

Virgil nodded and held his hand out towards the arch.

Tanya did the same and they began to chant in unison, some strange words from a language that Logan had never heard before. Their voices seemed to echo with an ancient power and their hands that were outstretched began to glow with purple light. The runes on the archway glowed with the same strange light which bled into the opening of the arch until it was like there was a door of purple light there.

Once the chanting was done, the light from Virgil and Tanya’s hands faded away, but the light in the archway remained bright as ever.

“There you go, the portal is now active. I’ll make sure to keep it open for you so you can return whenever.”

“Thank you, Tanya,” Remy said. “You kids ready to go?”

The teens all glanced at each other. It had been one thing to agree to help their friend in his time of need, but right now the reality was setting in. They would be leaving behind their homes and families for gods know how long to visit a realm inhabited by a race they didn’t know very much about. Despite all of that, however, it took them less than a moment to decide this was right.

They could feel it in their souls. This was something they had to do. They were ready to do whatever it took to help their friend. It didn’t matter what was on the other side of that porthole because they would be facing it together.

“Well?”

“We’re ready.”

One by one, they walked through the archway. Oddly enough, it felt like walking through a normal doorway, except their skin tingled a bit as the magical light made contact. On the other side, there was a garden that looked nearly identical to where they had just been, except the magnificent greenery was now blue. They also seemed to be on top of a cliff, overlooking a city made of tall glass towers that reflected the bright green sky above.

“Um, is it supposed to be that colour?” Roman asked, pointing to the sky.

“Hmm, oh, yeah,” Virgil answered. “There are a lot of strange things in the fae realm but they’re harmless… mostly.”

“That’s reassuring,” Janus muttered.

“Well, I like it!” Remus declared.

“This place is insane,” Willow stage whispered.

Virgil laughed. “You guys haven’t seen anything yet. Follow me.”

He led them away from the cliff’s edge to a quaint little house that seemed to be strangely overgrown with vines. On the porch of this house, there was a woman sitting reading a book. When she looked up to see the group coming out of the garden gate, her eyes went wide.

“Prince Virgil! What brings you here?”

“I need to see my grandmother. It’s urgent.”

“Well, she’s in the city, of course. I can drive you and your friends over there quickly. Um, if all of you need to go through, I’ll need to get Doug to drive a second car.”

“Great. Sorry for being so rushed.”

“It’s no problem, dear. I’ll fetch Doug.”

“Uh, what’s a car?” Patton asked.

“Well, it’s like a carriage, but it’s powered by magic to drive around without horses,” Virgil explained.

Remus tilted his head to the side. “That sounds crazy... I like this place even more now!”

The cars were indeed very strange. They seemed to be formed from glass and steel, with wheels covered in rubber, and an ‘engine’ that hummed with life as they drove down the mountainside and into the city. At a closer glance, the group saw that the towers were indeed made with many large glass windows, although some seemed to be tinted for privacy. The roads between the towers had many cars driving up and down them, and still, there was an uncountable amount of fae folk walking on the ‘sidewalks’.

The group drove directly to the largest tower at the very centre of the city, which Virgil said was the palace. Once they got out of the cars, a man standing by the door saw Virgil and fished out a small handheld device which he talked into before walking over.

He bowed. “Prince Virgil, welcome back to the Fae Realm.”

“Thank you. Would you please have my grandmother alerted I’m here?”

“Uh, yes, sir. I’ve already called for someone to come and fetch your luggage.”

“We don’t have any.”

“Oh, well, then allow me to escort you to a room to freshen up.”

“I need to speak with my grandmother.”

“Please, sir, I was told to take you to a room.”

Virgil frowned impatiently. “Alright then. Lead the way.”

The man led them into the building’s reception room, and then through a pair of sliding doors into a box room called ‘an elevator’. The doors closed by themselves and the man pressed one of the many buttons beside the door. Logan felt his stomach lurch as the elevator rose up, quickly passing floor after floor until finally, it got to the one he assumed was their destination.

The floor they arrived on was huge, with a sunken lounge area, a small kitchen, and a wall straight ahead that looked like it was made entirely out of the window. The teens looked around in awe at the strange wonders of the room while Virgil tried talking their guide into taking them to his grandmother. The man deflected his request however and declared he would return shortly with some snacks for the group before departing via the elevator.

Virgil groaned. “How didn’t he understand the word urgent. I’ll need to talk to gran about this.”

“Hey, Virgil, what’s this?” Remus asked, pointing at the large flat box thing mounted on the wall.

“A tv.”

“Oh… what’s a tv?”

“It’s for watching movies and stuff. Here, you use this remote to control it,” Virgil explained before turning it on to display a moving picture of what appeared to be a fae person dancing.

“Woah. How does it do that?” Roman asked.

Virgil shrugged. “Magic.”

“Is everything in the fae realm made to use magic?” Logan inquired.

“Well, most things do. Here, everyone has access to the use of magic and magical items are used for most daily tasks, like cleaning, cooking, going places, and even speaking with people via mirrors.”

“This is incredible.” Patton said, staring at the tv which now was showing a kitten dancing.

“Yeah, it’s cool, but we need to go guys-”

Virgil was cut off by a loud sound from the kitchen, which turned out to be Remy using some small device that looked like a glass jug?

“Sorry, kid, what were you saying?”

“Are you making an iced coffee right now?”

“These things are amazing, and we don’t have blenders in the other realm.”

“What’s an iced coffee?” Janus inquired.

“A drink from the heavens themselves,” Remy declared, pouring the drink out of the blender. “Here, have a taste.”

Janus wearily took the cup and sniffed its contents before taking a sip. “Oh… That’s bitter. And so good.”

Remy grinned. “I know, right?”

“Hello, people, we’re on a mission here,” Virgil tried reminding them.

Unfortunately, Remy and Janus were preoccupied with a discussion about iced coffee, and everyone else was captivated by the tv.

“Fine, I’ll just go deliver the message alone!”

Logan looked away from the TV at that. “I can come with you.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, we didn’t come here for this. I’m sure I can look at everything later.”

Virgil smiled. “Thanks, Logan. Follow me.”

They both got into the elevator and took it to a different floor with a long grand hallway that Logan could barely keep track of as they went left and right, and up some stairs, then left again -or was it right?- then down some stairs, then another direction? And finally, they came to some huge doors that Logan assumed led to the throne room.

“How is there so much space on this floor?” Logan questioned.

“It’s the fae realm, L, if it doesn’t make sense, just assume it’s magic.” Virgil said before pushing the doors open and walking into the throne room.

Logan followed half a step behind Virgil, but nearly walked into him a few minutes later when he froze. Logan looked around Virgil to see what made him stop and noted that there was a man sitting on the throne. And if Virgil’s reaction were anything to go by, then that man wasn’t meant to be there.

“Prince Virgil! It’s so wonderful to see you again after so long! My goodness, you’ve really grown since I last saw you.”

“It is good to see you as well, Earl Ynclementia, but where is my grandmother?”

The earl’s expression turned sorrowful. “I am afraid that she is unwell, your highness. She’s confined to her bed with terrible sickness and no one but the doctors are allowed to see her. They won’t even let me in there.”

“She’s sick? How?”

“We’re not sure, your highness. We were going to actually send someone to tell your parents immediately when we realised that the mirrors were not working for inter-realm communication.”

“When did she get sick?”

“Only two days ago. As I said, we were going to inform your parents immediately, but there were complications.”

“Do the doctors know what she has?”

“I’m afraid not. Or if they do, they haven’t told me.”

Virgil looked absolutely crestfallen. Logan couldn’t blame him considering all that was happening. His parents were missing and his grandmother was stuck sick in bed. It was understandable that Virgil would be devastated. However, as quickly as Virgil’s sadness appeared, it disappeared. His face became stoic and he looked up at the Earl with a critical eye.

“I need to see my grandmother.”

“Your highness, like I said, even I’m not allowed to see her. The doctors fear her illness may be contagious. You should go home to inform your parents of what’s happened.”

“I will contact them via my mirror.”

“Your highness the mirrors aren’t working.”

“Mine is working just fine. I used it to call my parents and tell them I was safe when I got here.”

“O-oh? You called... your parents?”

“Yes. I’ll call again to tell them what's going on here. I assume you’re currently acting as regent.”

“Ah, yes. I am.”

“Good, they’ll be glad to hear that. If you’ll excuse me then, I’ll inform them at once.”

Virgil turned around before the earl could say anything else, grabbed Logan’s hand and promptly marched out of the room. Logan was very confused about why he’d just lied like that to the earl, but he waited until they were alone in the halls to say anything. When he tried to ask though, Virgil put a finger over his lips and looked around suspiciously first.

“I am quite sure we’re alone,” Logan stated.

“Good, because I think that we’ve walked ourselves into the lion’s den.”

“What?”

“Call me crazy, but things around here are too… calm. If my grandmother were really sick in bed then we wouldn’t even have been able to park out front without getting harassment from the press.”

“Press?”

“News Reporters. People who keep the common folk informed for a living.”

“Couldn’t they be trying to keep things secret to stop any panic?”

“People are naturally gossipy, Logan. Someone would have let it slip to the news by now. Something isn’t right here...”

“...We need to get back to the others.”

---

A/N: thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be posting two chapters a day until the full fic is up, so if you want to be tagged, you can just ask.

I'd love to hear what you thought about the chapter if you wouldn't mind commenting. Thanks again for reading! Here's hoping you have a magical day 💜