#i have already seen people saying things about the fairy tale and it makes me want to run away into a field of nettles

[imtheiliad]

THE MET GALA THEMES HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FAIRY TALE SLEEPING BEAUTY

the exhibit is called Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, the pieces are ones that are too fragile to be worn, due to either age or construction. some pieces will have technology/projections to fill in missing parts that have decayed.

[here-there-were-dragons]

i have to wonder what super hardcore militant vegans think should be done about obligate carnivore animals, because in all my painfully-rapidly-approaching-30-years i've literally never actually seen anyone give a clear consistent much less halfway feasible answer on that

[ellastone-olsen]

The Legend of Sleepy Valley - Wanda Maximoff (part 1)

★Pairing: Vampire!Wanda Maximoff x f!reader

Summary: no one had ever seen the family members living in the huge estate nearby. maybe this is not just the case and they are hiding something. legends surround this place and soon you will find out for yourself where is the truth and where is the lies. this is the first time a vampire will not kill her victim.

★Warnings: NSFW 18+ (in future parts), dark au, blood, stalking, mentions of murders, nightmares, slowburn

★Word count: 2.6k

★AN: I decided to re-read Dracula and an idea came to me. this is my first series fic and the first part is preparation for the most interesting things. maybe there will be one or two more parts, I don’t know how much my imagination will suffice.

The small village of less than one hundred fifty people could not boast of special wealth, but as they say, human blood is not water, this is the true wealth that these people had. If only they knew about it.

Away from the crowd of dilapidated houses stood the old estate of the Maximoff family, whose history dates back to ancient times. No one could say exactly how long ago they settled, but every generation of people who lived here knew who lived in the ancient “castle” as the locals called it. Family members did not often catch the eye of the village residents, preferring a secluded life without “good neighbors” nearby. All you knew about them was information gleaned from the legends that parents told their children, passing on these terrible stories from generation to generation.

One of them said that it was the Maximoff family that was behind the disappearance and fatal diseases of ordinary peasants who lived in these parts. If someone’s livestock died, it means that people’s turn will soon come. No one could explain exactly how they were involved in this, which is why they were legends. Some said that all the troubles began with the arrival of the first ancestor - Konstantin Maximoff. As soon as this man set foot on the dead, poor soil of these regions, terrible things began to happen.

But who are you to believe in stupid old legends? Now is not the time when people rely on fairy tales. This was the age of computer technology and the Internet, so you could read horror stories on Google. It’s a shame that the stories turned out to be true, what’s even worse is that you learned this from your own experience.

“Why did you kill me? Why did you kill me?" You looked in horror at the doorway in which stood a man... no, a child, judging by his height, about 7 years old, but his face was not visible. Only glowing beady pupils and a dark silhouette, that’s what you could make out in the pitch darkness of the tiny room. “I didn’t do it, I didn’t kill you.” You tried to move, but it was all in vain. The body froze like a heavy marble stone. The brain was already awake, but the limbs were stuck to the mattress of the bed. Heart beat out a fast, ragged rhythm, threatening to jump out through ribs. No one would come to the rescue, you knew. “Why why did you kill me.” The hallucination repeated these words like a prayer in the temple of the Lord God, to which you were ready to go any minute. What to do, what to do, probably the same as always. Scream.

An eardrum-breaking screech escaped from your chest, maybe someone will hear it? But absolutely everything that happened was only in your head. Together with the scream, flashing flashes began to hit eyes, a good sign that the method was working. If anyone had heard the screeching, they would probably have gone deaf.

You suddenly sit up in bed, breathing as if you had run a marathon and won. It was all over, but the fear remained. Sleep paralysis was never limited only to the state of paralysis itself; even after them, anxiety was with you, sticking to the subcortex of consciousness like soft molasses. You turned on the light in the room and picked up the phone. The clock showed 3:42 am, if you are lucky, within an hour you will fall asleep again. Your finger clicked on the messenger icon and you entered a chat created specifically for communication between people living in your village and surrounding area.

Your eyes quickly scanned hundreds of messages and ads for old junk when photos of the scene caught your attention. It was talking about another cattle killing of one of your neighbors. People, as always, wrote that these were wolves or pumas, which often live in these parts. At least the claw marks were definitely not left by a human. A terrible bloody mess, what more can you say. Soon panic will sweep the village again, because everyone knows that this will be followed by the death of one of the residents. Damn it, sitting at home all day long again was the first thing your sleepy brain generated. Well, let it be, but you will get some sleep for the first time in the last couple of months.

The phone slowly fell from your hand onto the soft, fresh sheets and your lead-filled eyelids fell into your eyes. Finally the long-awaited dream. You saw your past, but more exaggerated. Winter frost, a scarf that covers half of your face and you don’t know where to go. The picture changed and you found yourself on the red carpet, walking towards the door at the end of a hundred-meter corridor. There are white walls and camera flashes all around. You didn't know where you were going, but it seemed like a good place. The door opened revealing a round room with a bunch of people and animals. A ginger cat similar to yours came up to you and you extended your hand to pet him, but the animal grabbed you with its teeth, biting over and over again. The claws passed along your forearm, leaving red droplets of blood, the wonderful dream again became a nightmare and you opened your eyes.

Your room again. The lights were off. It's strange, you didn't seem to turn it off. Perhaps mom woke up and walked past the room. Your gaze could not focus on anything, you looked around, blinked a couple of times and looked into the doorway. Someone was standing there again. A woman with long hair, you would think it was your mother, but she had short shoulder length hair. Again, hallucination is the first thing that came to your mind. You tried to bend your leg to make sure that this was the case, but the movement was easy and you sat down in fear. The figure was still standing in place and eyes accustomed to the darkness could discern clothing in the form of a knee-length dress, boots and a jacket, it seems? The head of the unknown woman in your room tilted to the side, she was also looking at you. She studied, as if deciding what to do next. It seemed that being noticed was not part of her plans.

"Who are you?" the vocal cords did not produce anything louder than a whisper. And only now did you notice a strange pain in your hand, in the same place where the cat scratched you in your sleep. You grabbed the forearm of your left hand, feeling the moisture under your palm and lifted it to get a better look. You couldn’t see anything in the darkness and you licked your palm to feel the metallic taste. Liquid scarlet blood was streaked and still leaking from the scratches, not deep enough to leave scars.

In response to your action, the stranger loudly sniffed air and seemed to... growl. But people don't know how to make SUCH sounds. “Did you do this?” you extended your palm to her, but instead of answering, the dark figure disappeared outside your bedroom. You wanted to catch up with her, but got tangled in the blanket and fell to the floor, cursing under your breath. When you went into the common room, no one was there anymore. Not a trace of anyone else's presence.

The morning greeted with the rays of the sun, which lay softly on your face. The smell of homemade pancakes wafted from the kitchen, the recently returned birds chirped on the tree branches as if they were wound up.

The phone was still lying next to you and the clock on the screen showed noon. Among hundreds of notifications overnight, you found a message from your friend Lily, which read: “I’ll pick you up at one o’clock in the afternoon.” Well, at least you had an hour to get ready. Surely, after those messages about the murder, your parents would lock you at home, and you wanted to have time to take a walk in the first days of spring.

While you were sitting in the kitchen and looking at one point, while finishing breakfast, your thoughts returned to this night. There was no doubt that the first thing that happened to you was sleep paralysis, but what happened then? How could someone sneak into your family home so silently and without a trace, why did this woman need to watch you, and even more so... You could write off the incident as another nightmare, but your forearm still stung. Raising your hand, you saw scratches that were already covered with a blood crust and were in the process of healing. Oh no, it wasn’t definitely a hallucination. When you got out of bed, the first thing you did was check your room for missing valuables, but everything was there. Apparently the only thing this strange woman touched was you. Today before going to bed you need to check all the locks in the house, all the windows and make an impregnable fortress out of it.

“Are you sure you want to go there?” The question hung in the warm spring air. Your friend was dragging you by the hand to the so-called Sleepy Valley. The children of your village were not allowed to go there, firstly because flocks of sheep usually grazed there, and secondly...

“Y/N, do you know why this place is called that way?.” Of the two of you, you knew more about local folklore, so you easily found the desired legend in the memory archives. The legend of the Sleepy Valley.

“My mother told me that there were always sheep grazing there, but one day a shepherd came into the valley and the whole flock was lying on the grass. It looked like someone had thrown cotton balls around. It looked as if the animals were simply asleep, but when the man approached one of the sheep, he realized that it was dead. They were all dead. Some maniac or animal ripped out the throats of the poor animals. This is where the name comes from.” You finished the story and were walking through the wild forest when you saw an opening. Perhaps there were such stories around this place, but there was no other place for walking cattle in the vicinity.

As the tall trees retreated, a majestic field stretched around, with a herd of fluffy white sheep as usual. Lily pulled you by the arms a little away from the animals to sit on the fresh green grass looking up at the sky. The two of you just lay there and listened to the chirping of tits, voluminous white clouds rushed above you, forming bizarre shapes. Life seemed unreal at that moment.

Only in the forest from where you came out it was watching you. Red eyes scanned everything that was happening, and acute inhuman hearing caught your conversation even at a distance of twenty meters. Your night visitor did not miss the chance to follow the first person whom she, for some reason unknown to her, did not kill during close contact. Wanda was patient, even too patient, and something about you caught her attention that night. Maybe your peace of mind or... No, it’s too early to think about that. In any case, she spent the rest of the night waiting for you to wake up and leave the house.

For so many years that she lived on this sinful earth, the daughter of the Maximoff family could tell a lot from a person’s blood. She drank dozens of people dry and each was unique in their own way, from the first sips one could understand what kind of life a person lived and what it was like, blood for her was a thing in which the essence of human nature was hidden. None of her victims had aroused an iota of interest or compassion in her, until that day.

Once every few months, Wanda’s family could afford such a delicacy as a few people from the village for whom no one would grieve. She liked to stretch out the pleasure and start with cattle, leaving human lives for dessert. Then she decided to watch the future victims and find the most tasty morsel in her opinion; in the end, her choice fell on a young beautiful girl like you. When life is in full swing, taking it away is many times more pleasant and sweeter.

That night, her plans included killing you, drinking to the last drop like everyone else before, but standing right next to you, she froze. Something was wrong. Why were your eyes open but you didn't move? She heard your heart that was ready to jump out, but it was not because of her. It seemed like you saw something that she didn’t see and she became curious. The woman walked into the darkness of the room, to the farthest corner, and watched. So you woke up, jumped out of bed and nervously turned on the light. Wanda sensed your fear, but did not understand what it was connected with.

Waiting for you to fall back into the world of dreams, she turned off the light that was blinding her and came closer, running her sharp nails along your arm to collect a small portion of blood for testing. When the first drops touched her tongue, her pupils dilated, covering the irises of the vampire's red eyes. The blood was saturated with adrenaline and was even sweeter than she expected and your personal taste. There was something about it that she couldn't place, something familiar. She took a closer look at your calm face, noticing what a cute little thing you were in her hands. No, killing you was too great a loss, she turned on her heels to hide as quietly as she appeared, but a rustling was heard behind her.

Wanda stood in the doorway and watched as you woke up for the second time that night. It’s surprising how you didn’t notice her right away, but when she saw your wet, rough tongue running over your palm, licking the scarlet substance, something clicked in her. “Did you do this?” your voice, hoarse from sleep, has long since become a spring deep inside her being. She needed to leave right now if she didn't want to kill you or take you by force.

The woman silently left the house and sat down nearby in the wild raspberry bushes. "She was beautiful, but who the hell was that?" Thoughts were heard in her head, but they were not hers. She heard your thoughts and her eyes widened, remembering what her stepmother told her many decades ago. If her memory did not deceive her, and it did not deceive her, then when sampling a person’s blood, if they arent killed, she will be able to hear all the thoughts associated with her. Then, being a recently converted vampire, Wanda did not attach any importance to this, because she did not think that something would happen that she would not complete the job. Apparently this was very arrogant on her part.

But since this has happened, why not entertain yourself for the first time in the last two hundred and ninety-seven years. From that moment on, she had her own personal human.

Part 2?

[heloflor]

Ok so last week I saw the videos/screenshots talking about fop Peri which got me a bit curious about this show, and after seeing “Battle of the Dimmsonian” and especially the Cosmo-Wanda-Peri part of “Lost in Fairy World” (there’s someone on Tumblr posting clips of all the Peri-centric moments since his debut), I was genuinely impressed with how the characters were written and I wanted to gush about them! On top of doing some overanalysis of those characters. Btw I also saw some clips from “Operation: Birthday Takeback” (again the Cosmo-Wanda-Peri side of it).

So here’s a post talking about Cosmo and Wanda’s relationship with Peri, Peri in general, Peri with Dev and a few other random thoughts about the early episodes given this made me start to watch the show (ended up making it its own post), though I haven’t gone far yet (I’m on like episode 5-6, which is episode 4a or something). On that note, take what I say in this post with a HUGE grain of salt since I don’t have the full context for Dev’s character arc.

Tl;Dr: The Fairywinkle-Cosmas are adorable, loving but also realistic in their portrayal.

Peri is the definition of “20 years-old who recently left his parents’ home” and I love him for it.

Dev and Peri are a terrible match due to Peri’s inexperience, Dev not taking him seriously, and Dev’s daddy issues making it hard for him to connect with a fairy who has loving parents.

(Btw on top of the characters moments, what made me start to watch the show is also the fact it’s apparently incredibly wholesome and fun + apparently the writers of “Infi//nity Train” worked on it (and if that’s true it’s crazy how nobody is talking about it to bring in new fans; I mean remember when the Duck//tales reboot came out and everyone pointed out how the writers of Gra//vity Falls worked on it? We should do the same thing here, at least again if it’s true) + Hartman isn’t involved and it’s hilarious how the creator of those characters not getting involved is a good thing)

Oh and spoilers for “Battle of the Dimmsonian”, “Lost in Fairy World” and “Operation: Birthday Takeback”! (4.6k Words below)

--

Ok so “Lost In Fairy World” and why I love its characters’ writing so much. I’m actually going to start by the lesson at the end and build from there as it seems like the best way to get a train of thought going.

So the lesson of the episode for me was basically a “new hire vs experienced employees” with a second layer added due to the three fairies being family, and that’s already something I really appreciate!

By the end of the episode, Cosmo and Wanda learn that they need to back off and let Peri do his thing. He’s an adult, he got hired for a reason, let him do his own trial and error and learn his own way. But at the same time, Peri shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help or advice if he needs it, the more experienced people are here for that! And again, there’s the family layer to that discussion that I really like, with Cosmo and Wanda being particularly clingy bc Peri is their son, while Peri is particularly embarrassed to ask them for help because they’re his parents, probably not helped by the fact he likely very recently left their home and seeks his independence.

And that’s another thing I absolutely love after watching this episode and “Battle of the Dimmsonian”, with “Operation: Birthday Takeback” adding to it as well: Honestly, Peri has to be one of the most realistic depictions of “20-something who just left his parents’ house” I’ve ever seen (yeah I don’t watch much stuff outside of cartoons, working on that). They somehow managed to make him very clearly be an adult with adult responsibilities, all the while giving him a level of inexperience and immaturity that reminds you he’s still young.

Giving some examples, the way he talks in general makes it obvious he’s an adult, and when introducing himself to Dev + telling him he can’t visit Fairy World in “Lost in Fairy World”, he has that suave put-together personality to himself. But at the same time this suave personality crumbles the second Dev opens him mouth.

And on top of that, Peri’s one day into his job and his already exhausted, spends the entirety of his debut episode worrying about what his parents will think of his career choice, and in stressful situations tends to turn towards others for help very quickly (reading Da Rules, low-key panicking a bit and looking at his parents in “Lost in Fairy World”, hiding when facing Vicky, moments like those).

There are also those moments where he either acts or sounds childish (with his voice even getting a bit higher), like when Wanda asks if he has a godkid plus him hiding behind his wand right before that, and earlier on when he didn’t want them to see him, the “my wand is missing” line and tracker line in “Lost in Fairy World” (the “sowwy” when telling them his tracker is off tho), the ending of this episode as well when he apologizes to them, also when his parents tell Jorgen that Peri did nothing wrong and he lets them take the fall, or that moment in “Operation: Birthday Takeback” when he goes “moooom” with a whine.

That’s actually something I absolutely love about those interactions, and why I find them realistic. It could have been SO easy for the writers to make Peri act like an adult all the time while his parents are the coddling cringy kind that make him look like a kid. But instead, it comes from both sides. You can clearly tell from how Cosmo and Wanda act that he’s their baby boy, but you can also see from Peri’s dialogues and actions that they are his parents. And I am so happy they took this direction!

So yeah, Peri is the most “young adult who just left the nest” ever and I absolutely adore this characterization. He’s an adult with a job and responsibilities, but he’s still young and can find himself relying on his parents or talking to them in a childish way. Such good character work!

Another thing I love about their dynamic that we see very well in “Lost in Fairy World” is just how much those three love each other. That’s something I did hear about this show, that it was a lot more fun and sweet (compared to the og which could be very cruel and cynical when it wanted), and you can really see it with those three.

With Cosmo and Wanda taking over Peri’s job, you can tell they’re not doing it out of any malice or feeling that Peri can’t do it. Heck if you pause at the scene where Peri tells Dev he can’t go to Fairy World, after he’s done talking and right before Cosmo takes another picture, you can see Cosmo and Wanda looking at Peri with the biggest smile (and it’s adorable!). And it’s the same with the rest of the episode. If anything, they’re so used to taking care of godkids that they just do it out of habit, without realizing they’re causing an issue.

Heck I’d even theorize that their behavior is partly due to their time with Timmy, hence it being a force of habit. For a long time (possibly 50 years if that one secret wish is canon), Poof/Peri was with his parents helping with Timmy, but he wouldn’t do much besides granting wishes. Poof couldn’t talk, so most of the time he’d just stand there while his parents did all of the talking. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this was the reason why Cosmo and Wanda are straight up talking over Peri in “Lost in Fairy World”, they just got used to do so when taking care of Timmy and are now getting back into this habit.

On top of that, Cosmo and Wanda are just excited to finally be with their son again after their 10 thousand years-long vacation. Plus, when Peri does call them out, by the end of it they acknowledge their mistake and apologize, promising to back off. And while they remain cuddly towards him, from the looks of it they did stop coming in-between Peri and Dev, letting their son do his thing.

Also worth noting that, despite doting on Peri, they still very much talk to him like they would talk to an adult. Yes they hug him a lot (and I mean a lot) and call him pet names, and they were definitely excited to see him again in “Lost in Fairy World”, but other than that they clearly respect him as an adult, listening to him and trusting him. I’m not going to list examples because it’s basically every dialogue in which they don’t “baby” him. That being said I feel like “Operation: Birthday Takeback” displays it the best from what I’ve seen of it.

As for Peri’s side on this, he’s annoyed by his parents stepping in but it’s obvious he doesn’t hate them at all, quite the opposite. He just wants them to take him seriously as an adult, which is understandable. Also the fact he isn’t afraid to call them out is a very good sign. On that note, I love how when telling them his tracker is off, he actually apologizes (though he doesn’t have to, his reasoning for turning it off is understandable, and I appreciate he tells them those reasons!).

Also I live for that scene at the beginning of “Operation: Birthday Takeback” when his parents ask for a tour of the house (btw love Wanda telling him they’re ready to get him out of there if needed), they show interest in his suggestion, which makes Peri smile sheepishly. It’s such a cute moment and to me really shows Peri wanting to be seen as an adult and enjoying being seen that way by them, but also how he’s clearly attached to them! Idk it’s just a very cute moment! I love those three!

Also kind of a last minute addition before moving to Peri and Dev but looking at “Operation: Birthday Takeback”, I can’t help but laugh at how at the very beginning, the second the godkids are doing their own thing, Cosmo and Wanda throw themselves at their son. It’s very sweet. Also I love the implication that they’re here bc they’re Hazel’s godparents and need to stay with her, but also they really wanted any excuse to see their son!

And the reason why I say last minute addition is because this made me realize that Cosmo and Wanda do act pretty differently towards the godkids compared to Peri, which I find to be an interesting detail that makes their characters more complex in a way. Like yes, Cosmo and Wanda are very parental types, but to an extent you can see a line between them being with their godkids, who they are here to mentor and steer in the right direction for a few months until the kid is happy, and them being with their son, who they raised from infancy and isn’t going anywhere.

Now that’s not to say that Cosmo and Wanda don’t love their godkids, it’s obvious how much they adore those kids and care for them and probably remember each and every single one of them, but yeah you can still see a bit of a difference. At the very least, from what I’ve seen so far they can’t help but hug Peri literally everytime they have an excuse to do so, while having a bit more boundaries with Hazel.

But again, that’s a last minute thought and I’ve only seen a handful of episodes, so I might be wrong on that. Take it with a grain of salt. Still, I find it interesting to have those characters who are basically social workers and how there’s a bit of a difference between the kids they take care of for their “job” and the kid they have in their personal life. Again, that’s not to say they aren’t attached to the godkids, they are.

But yeah, all of this to say, the way the Fairywinkle-Cosma family is written in “Lost in Fairy World” honestly blew me away and really got me invested into watching this show, with “Battle of the Dimmsonian” and “Operation: Birthday Takeback” only adding to it (and I’m probably looking way too much into this and making it sound like the writing of this episode is much deeper than it actually is; I’m obsessed with this disaster (affectionate) of a family, help).

As for the part about Peri and Dev, basically there’s an element of Cosmo and Wanda talking over Peri in “Lost in Fairy World” that I wanted to explore, but then “Operation: Birthday Takeback” came out and there’s that moment in the “breakup” scene where Dev talks about his father not noticing his fairy while Peri is being hugged by his parents in the background. And while this is a visual gag, Cosmo and Wanda’s action in this scene actually fits very well thematically and made me realize something about how Dev might feel about Peri.

So now you’re getting a whole section about how Dev and Peri are a terrible match for each other, due to three main reasons:

1. The one everyone already talked about, Peri is severly underqualified. While you could say he’s been a godparent since he was a baby, back then all he did was grant wishes while his parents dealt with the talking + emotional support. Not only was he doing a small part of the job, he also had his parents, other more qualified fairies, helping him. Also the scene with Vicky tells us that Peri doesn’t have the best memories of his time as a baby, which is fair enough.

(note that I believe he was 7-8 years old when he had to say goodbye to Timmy, so he does remember him. As for Vicky, Timmy’s parents likely stopped hiring her once their son was 13-14, hence why Peri only has blurry memories of her, he would’ve been a toddler at best by then)

So yeah, Dev is Peri’s first kid, and Peri is not qualified for him. He loses his patience with the cupcakes, bites back when Dev is short and snappy with him (the classroom scene at the end of the “under//tale” episode, yeah I haven’t watched this one outside of this scene; and the beginning of “Operation: Birthday Takeback” with the flying shoes) and don’t get me started on Peri telling Dev in “Battle of the Dimmsonian” to give the staff back because “what will my parents say if my first godkid dies on me!”

Like PERI??? MAYBE DON’T SAY TO THE KID WITH ABANDONMENT ISSUES THAT YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT HIS WELLBEING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO IMPRESS YOUR PARENTS??? JUST A THOUGHT???

(note that I do believe Peri cares for Dev, it’s just that what he says here really comes off as him not caring, and since Dev is the one hearing what Peri says in that scene...)

Also obviously there’s the ending of “Operation: Birthday Takeback”. Tbh I don’t blame Peri much for this one since, again, he’s severely underqualified, but yeah his response to Dev’s wish was not the right one, which is reflected by Dev reacting with a frustrated scream which honestly made me feel bad for this kid. Peri going “as you wish” is just too distant and “professional”. That’s a kid in a vulnerable state! He needed comfort! Sure Peri had to go because Dev literally wished for it, but a more qualified fairy would have known what to say, if only something along the lines of “take all the time you need, I’ll be there for you once you feel better”.

So yeah, Dev is deeply hurting and a complete newbie who doesn’t have the patience or positivity for it was not going to make things better.

2. What I originally wanted to say about “Lost in Fairy World” before 3. showed its head: I think Cosmo and Wanda being around inadvertently makes things worse for the duo.

Thing is, Dev is a difficult kid. Because of that, I think that in order for him to open up to his fairy, said fairy needs to earn his respect so to speak. And not to say Dev’s fairy should be full on authoritative, but yeah they definitely need to be someone Dev respects and listens to, which is not the case for Peri. And I think the main reason why has to do with Peri’s relationship with his parents.

Basically, kids are smarter than we give them credit for and are observant as well. And what did Dev see his fairy do? Spend the first day on the job being terrified of meeting his parents who turned out to be incredibly sweet people. Then in “Lost in Fairy World” it honestly looks like Peri, Cosmo and Wanda just wanted to catch up and brought the kids for the heck of it, and Dev gets to see his fairy being babied by his parents, along with said parents talking over him. Then as said before there’s also Peri going “mooom” in front of Dev in “Operation: Birthday Takeback”.

And about “Lost in Fairy World”, there’s that moment in the beginning where Cosmo and Wanda tell Dev he can’t go to fairy world, only for Peri to step in and basically repeat the exact same thing as his parents (the “trial” part from Cosmo and “I can’t let you go” from Wanda). And while this line is a joke, I do think it’s important for Peri to put his foot down like that.

Because yeah, Peri is the one Dev should be listening to. It’s not just a question of “this is Peri’s job”, it’s also about Dev seeing Peri as an adult. But with Cosmo and Wanda, it’s a bit more complicated.

This is also another element I really like about this episode, Peri needing to be the one doing the talking so that Dev can take him seriously as a potential guardian.

But yeah, the thing is, it’s not working. Peri’s immaturity shines with his lack of patience for the kid, which Dev picks up on, leading the two of them to get snappy with each other on “even ground” in a way, which doesn’t help Peri’s case. And on top of that you have Cosmo and Wanda, who even with their eccentric side remain mature adults (and I love how them being eccentric doesn’t make them seem any less adult; love adults being allowed to have fun and be themselves without being shamed or called childish for it!).

Now as far as I’m aware the show never really talks about this, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Cosmo and Wanda being around played a role in Dev’s perception of Peri. Not only because of them being mushy parents as previously discussed, but also because they are clearly older and more experienced than Peri, making it harder for Dev to take Peri seriously. Hopefully this makes sense?

And speaking of Dev with Cosmo and Wanda, I actually get the feeling he somewhat respects them? At least more than Peri? And on that note, there’s that scene at the very beginning of “Operation: Birthday Takeback” that I find both adorable but also pretty depressing when it comes to Dev.

When Cosmo, Wanda and Hazel show up, they ask if Dev’s dad is here, to which he mentions “Project H”. And at that Cosmo makes a comment about this project being a big surprise party, and yeah this moments gets me.

Because for a second there, Dev actually smiles. He knows that what his dad is doing has nothing to do with the party, he says so himself in response to Cosmo, but he still smiles, because he understands that Cosmo is trying to cheer him up and appreciates the effort. Idk this gets me, especially also seeing the way Wanda and Peri are looking wary as Cosmo keeps talking, clearly unsure of how Dev will react.

Like am I making a big deal out of a ten seconds moment? Probably. But there’s just something about this sad kid closing himself off whenever his problems are brought up, acting like an entitled brat most of the time as a coping mechanism, yet when this random adult he vaguely knows tries to cheer him up, he’s able to understand it and appreciate it. Idk, again, it just gets me. And sadly it really shows how bad of a match Peri and Dev are. Peri hasn’t been able to get any sort of progress with this kid, but the second his dad shows up and talks a bit suddenly the kid is giving a sincere smile. Yeah…

Now granted in regards to Dev respecting Cosmo and Wanda more, it might also have to do with them not being his godparents, considering Dev is basically using Peri as some sort of servant at times since he’s a spoiled brat and all.

Finally for this part, I want to bring up that scene in the secret lair with Vicky showing up, because to me this is a very good example of Peri actually failing Dev, which in this case will make the kid not take him seriously (on top of not earning his trust and being frustrated with him).

Now I will say, I can’t blame Peri for panicking the way he does upon seeing Vicky (btw I forgot to mention it earlier but the way he goes “lalala” and continues while turning into a drone and looking at the banging door in horror is so real. Again Peri is peak young adult energy). He’s had to deal with that woman since he was a literal infant, of course he’s going to be traumatized!

Still, Dev doesn’t know that. All he knows is that there’s this scary lady his and Hazel’s fairies know about, but he has no idea what history is between them outside of “she was terrible to our previous kid and scares us”. Also he’s 10 and has a bad home-life making him selfish, I don’t think he can fully understand the adults around him being traumatized.

But yeah, all this to say, in this scene, Peri is completely paralyzed, hiding behind the others waiting for Vicky to leave, letting his parents do the talking. And yep, we yet again go back to Cosmo and Wanda being the mature adults around here. Also worth noting that once Vicky puts on the nice act, Hazel stops being afraid of her but Dev still looks intimidated!

In that moment, Peri should have been there to protect Dev. That’s his job as a godfairy. His kid was scared and in potential danger. Yet Peri did absolutely nothing. Instead he stayed hidden, technically behind his kid which means using Dev as cover, and who came to both his and Dev’s rescue? Cosmo and Wanda, the other two fairies in the room, who are clearly more mature and are Peri’s parents.

And again, I don’t blame Peri for being paralyzed in fear like that, but how do you explain that to Dev? How do you tell that kid that he’s braver than his adult magical all-powerful fairy? That while he had to stand and somewhat confront Vicky, that adult fairy that’s supposed to protect him went hiding behind mommy and daddy? Hell from what I’ve seen, earlier in the episode the kids do stand up to Vicky, which makes Peri’s actions worse!

So yeah, hopefully this whole part makes sense as it feels a bit like a mess. The main takeaway here is that Dev needs a fairy that he can see as an almost parental figure, someone he clearly views as an adult and respects as such, that way he can have someone he can trust and be comfortable with, easing him into breaking down his walls. But Peri isn’t any of that. He’s a young adult which makes him still quite immature, and on top of that his parents basically live next door, thus leading Dev to see his fairy getting treated like a kid. It just can’t work out between them as long as they stay like that.

3. Finally, the part related to that moment of Dev talking about his dad while looking at the fairies: Dev has some serious daddy issues related to his father never paying attention to him on account of being a piece of shit who only cares about himself. And the thing is, Dev doesn’t have anyone he can relate to on that front (saying this since it’s hard for him to open up, so having someone with similar issues could be a bit of a push for him).

Hazel has caring parents whose main issue is being busy, on top of her fairies who clearly love her and spend a lot of time taking care of her. Now I haven’t seen much of the school kids but also Dev isn’t exactly close to any of them apparently? Meaning that in any case he can’t relate to them.

Then there’s this fairy that shows up, meant to cater to him but also help him emotionally, and wouldn’t you know this guy talks about wanting to impress his parents and being afraid of them! No but seriously, thinking about it, I can’t help but wonder if for a moment Dev thought he and Peri could bond over family issues, at least subconsciously. But nope! As soon as Peri reunites with his folks, turns out they’re the sweetest most loving parents ever.

I’m actually surprised that from the looks of it the show doesn’t draw a parallel between Dev and Peri on that front. I mean you have a kid with an incredibly absent parent who wants nothing more than to get his dad’s attention, being taken care of by a fairy who finds his parents’ attention suffocating and just wants them to leave him alone. There’s interesting storytelling potential here, especially when taking into account how much those two struggle to get along (basically Peri’s family situation making Dev feel worse in a way due to his confusion as to why Peri puts a bit of distance between himself and his parents)

Which loops back to that scene at the end of “Operation: Birthday Takeback” with Peri getting hugged by his parents while Dev is opening up about his daddy issues and how this visual gag fits the theme of the scene. Dev is feeling like shit about his father not loving him meanwhile the fairy that’s supposed to take care of him is being cuddled by his incredibly loving parents who adore him.

On that note, there’s an element I haven’t touched on in this episode, and it’s the fact that Hazel and Dev were in trouble with Vicky but didn’t have their fairies to protect them due to the trio visiting the house. While this scene is another example of Peri failing Dev, what I find most interesting about it is the fact that Peri “abandoned” Dev to spend time with his parents. Idk, I can’t help but think that this detail twists the knife even further for Dev. Not only was his fairy not here to protect him, but his absence is due to him hanging out with his parents who love him and wanted to spend time with him.

Speaking of which, I wonder if Dev is also angry at the fact that Cosmo and Wanda are able to take care of Hazel and be there for her whenever she needs while still finding the time to hang out with their son and be involved in his life. In a way it’s further proof that Dale is an atrocious parent, at least when taking into account Dev’s pov since I doubt a kid his age spends a lot of time hanging out with other parents, so Cosmo and Wanda are basically the only couple he can compare his father to. Basically I could see Dev noticing how much Cosmo and Wanda do and it making him feel even worse about why his dad doesn’t love him the same.

But yeah all this to say, just like everyone else in his life, Peri can’t understand Dev’s issues with his father, issues that are the core reason why he has a fairy in the first place. On top of that, Peri not only has the one thing Dev wants, but the kid sees him push it away on numerous occasions.

And that’s the end of what I wanted to say here. Hopefully this isn’t too much of a mess since I’m writing this while sick + sleep-deprived due to illness + haven’t watched much of the show past a few episodes and the clips on Tumblr.

On that note, yet again please take this post with a grain of salt, especially the Dev-Peri part. I originally just planned on gushing about “Lost in Fairy World” and how much I love the Fairywinkle-Cosma in it, but seeing the ending of “Operation: Birthday Takeback” made me want to talk a little more about Dev. That being said given how little I’ve watched there’s probably a lot I’m missing about this kid, so by no means do I think this analysis is perfect (also, the fact I’m writing this while ill…). Now Dev does seem to be a “predictable” character, hence why I feel somewhat comfortable writing this despite seeing so little, but again I might be wrong.

(Btw when I say Dev is predictable I’m in no way saying it negatively, quite the opposite! I love that him getting a fairy low-key made him worse, and I’m very curious as to how they’re going to resolve him spiraling the way he’s currently doing.)

In any case, thanks for reading!

[yyunari]

CHESHIRE ! — Nishimura Riki (TEASER)

SYNOPSIS. Y/N Cheshire lived her life carefree. Being the daughter of the Cheshire Cat made her more inclined to not take anything seriously and to just have a little bit of fun in everything she does. Whether it was pulling pranks, sneaking up on people, or making jabs at her friends- Y/N kept a Cheshire’s smile on her face. Because of that, she just couldn’t take Chaehyun Cupid seriously when she claimed that Y/N had a crush on Riki Wonderland.

PAIRING. Kitty Cheshire! Y/N x Alistair Wonderland! Riki

(btw im not shipping kitty and alistair i just based them off the characters)

GENRE. Ever After High AU, High school AU, Fluff, Slight Angst

WARNINGS. bad parental relationship, ooc riki umm, expected word count is like 15k yea ik. long fic.

RELEASING. published!

NOTES. if u haven’t seen ever after high it’s ok u can still read this all u rly need to know is that the students of eah r the children of fairy tale ppl like snow white or cinderella and they have to follow the paths of their parents and stuff Yassssss

After sometime, Riki opened his mouth. “I know I already asked this earlier, but why did you come here? You know, to stargaze.” As if he wasn’t satisfied with her answer.

He was right in thinking that her answer wasn’t what she truly wanted to say, but it just felt awkward to give an exact reason. Her relationship with her mom was something she could barely tell her only 3 friends about, let alone someone she barely considered an acquaintance.

But Y/N knew Riki was a reliable guy; she had heard it often from Soul, Rei, and Giselle. And maybe for once she would let herself put faith into another person.

“I’ll only tell if you tell me why you like stargazing.”

Riki blew out a breath in thought. “Hm… I don’t know if I can give an exact reason for that. I was just bored one day and ended up coming across this place. That’s what made me stargaze, but something about it just felt so comforting to me that I wanted to do it more often.” He answered, a soft smile gracing his lips. “But that’s not exactly a good reason.”

“I think it suits you.” Y/N whispered out. “I’m sure you have your own stresses with being the son of Alice in Wonderland. It would make sense that having a hobby like this to come back to is something you enjoy.”

He pondered on it for a moment. Maybe she was right. He then chuckled at this side of her he had never seen before. “You’re a lot more poetic than you let on. Anyways I answered your question, can you answer mine?”

Y/N considered answering it, she truly did, but as much as she wanted to open up there was the side of her that wanted to keep everything inside. Her mother had always told her that vocalizing your feelings does nothing good and only makes people pity you.

One thing Y/N despised was being pitied. It only reminded her of how her mother referred to her as a ‘pitiful girl’ and how she would amount to nothing.

So she slowly shook her head. “No, I don’t think I can.”

Riki felt himself beginning to sit up to look at the girl. There was something off about her. The way she spoke to him and the way that she carried herself… she wasn’t acting as she always had. Normal Y/N would be more playful and even mischievous. But now, there was a certain sadness in her entire being that seemed to be throwing her off her rhythm. And it only made Riki more and more curious about her.

“Okay, I get it. You don’t have to tell me.” Riki smiled, before continuing. “I just hope it doesn’t take away your chaotic spirit. You know, I kind of like that about you.”

A sigh left Y/N’s lips at his words. “You don’t mean that, Wonderland.”

“I mean every word, Cheshire.”

Y/N could only roll her eyes before slowly evaporating into the night, using her invisibility and teleportation to finally go back home.

Left lingering in the air was her Cheshire’s smile, which disappeared last and left Riki staring at the wisps of where she had sat only moments prior.

Maybe it made sense that Riki enjoyed stargazing. In a way, there was something about him that was made of the stars. No matter what he did, he always seemed to shine brighter than all the others. There was something about Riki that felt that he belonged up in the sky, giving life to the night and adding a certain glimmer to the auras.

Riki had his own place amongst the sky, and she wished she could be like that too. But after speaking to him, maybe there was nowhere she could have her own place in. Y/N could only wait for the day that she could contribute to a bigger picture, and take a larger part in his story. After all, she had always wanted her own place within the stars.

But for now, all she could do was hope she would become more than just the Cheshire Cat’s daughter.

authors note. postinf this after jay noticed me on his weverse live i am not well. anyways it’s coming 🤓🤓 those 10k words sitting in my drafts r waiting to be released don’t worry babies mommys almost done

permanent taglist. @muhwaa @hoori @yizhoutv @ja4hyvn @carayat @one16core @enhacolor @haerinz @soobin-chois @en-boyz @ohmy-fandoms @yjwonz @yunki4evr @strwberrydinosaur @duolingofanaccount @iichaeyj @eundiarys @ineedaherosavemeenow @chaerybae @bubblytaetae @w3bqrl @xiaoderrrr @jaeyunnsworld @rikizm @teddywonss @gweoriz @dimplewonie @jennaissantes (if u requested to be on my permanent taglist and u didn’t get tagged it’s bc i cant see ur acc, but pls dm me if u want to be in it !)

[artist-issues]

I just need to rant about this post https://www.tumblr.com/thememedaddy/757194456784076800 because it’s really not that bad but it annoyed me because it was the second bad Cinderella take I’d seen that day and for some reason they keep cropping up on my dash. People really don’t understand the plot at all. Anyways I thought you might find it interesting and be able to work your analysis magic

Aw, this is just somebody trying to be funny. It’s not worth picking at.

But for fun, and because I love to talk about Cinderella, and for you:

Cinderella didn’t settle for the Prince. She already had a “happy life with her animal friends” because she was so kind to everyone. If you asked Cinderella if she had a happy life before the ball, it would not have been out-of-character for her to say “it’s not so bad, I have my animal friends!”

Even in the original (that word has some nuance when it comes to fairy tales, but this one is the most universally well-known) Charles Perrault fairy tale, Cinderella leaves the Prince during the ball to go sit by her sisters and share her oranges with them. Because she’s loving, and gives love, regardless of the worthiness or response of the creatures or people around her. She’s happy to be gracious and give love.

That’s the whole point; she’s always good, she’s always gracious, and she won’t let a silly little thing like “dire circumstances” get in the way of that. So this idea that she was looking for “happy life” outside of the one she already had? That just gives too much power to her circumstances.

No, she wanted to go to the ball because it was supposed to be beautiful and fun, and because her sisters were going, and being left behind on top of everything else would be too much, even for her amazing strength of faith. So. She was never looking for “a better life” out of the ball. She was just looking to share one beautiful occasion with the family she had left.

So let’s get that squared away. Secondly, this joke’s whole “he needed to make her try on a shoe because she had no makeup on so he couldn’t recognize her” is silly for three reasons.

In just about every major version of this fairy tale, The Prince is not personally trying the slipper on the mystery-girl. He’s sending out his staff, who don’t know what the mystery-girl looks like. So the slipper is their clue. If he’d been looking for her personally, a look at her face would certainly have been enough, because all versions of the tale consistently state that Cinderella is just as beautiful in rags as she is in her ball clothes. But that’s not how the story works.

The slipper is supposed to be symbolic. In the earliest version of Cinderella, it’s made of gold. The idea is that when Cinderella is in those hard, unique, sometimes delicate shoes, she’s in her true form. Not just anybody can dance in glass gracefully. So the Prince is not an idiot. It’s not just “can they fit the slipper in size.” It’s “can the fit the slipper in grace.”

Cinderella’s outer beauty is symbolic for inner strength of character. Her graciousness is the defining trait of the character. So the idea that the Prince knew nothing about her except her surface-level beauty, and that’s all he was basing his decision to marry her on, would totally hamstring the point that the rest of the story—kindness to low creatures, graciousness to low sisters, the fairy godmother—works so hard to make.

[artsyjedi]

They don’t stay together at the end | Charles Leclerc x reader

summary: you and charles meet, live and life goes on.

author’s note: i enjoyed this but no at the same time? maybe it’s a little confusing, sorry. I hope you enjoy anyway :) and let me know if you do! english isn’t my first language!!!! and it’s been a while since i wrote something, be nice please

*also: I think the reader is gender neutral, but i don’t exactly remember.

warnings: none but If you find any let me know

**2nd part: ‘they see each other again’

“Move in with me to Monaco” Charles’ voice caught your attention.

You had met during that week, three days ago to be more precise and the days since have been more than a dream. A true fairy tale.

Charles’ was travelling, enjoying his days off before the begin of the season, and you were trying to make a life in a new place. You were working at a cafe when you met him; brown eyes enchanting you right away. He was a prince; the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen.

“Hi” he said softly while paying for his drink.

“Hi” you answered back with a mere whisper. If he wasn’t paying fully attention to you, he wouldn’t have heard.

And that was when you figure it out how powerful a two letter word can be.

This simple ‘hi’ became a whole conversation at the end of your shift, and then him showing around the city; his favorite spots, places he holds deep in his heart. Charles told you stories and you loved how his eyes sparkled with passion whenever he mentioned his family, friends or his career. He loved talking about art, he showed you his songs. Every little thing he did, you fell more and more.

But this dream would end one day. You knew - and so did he. This whole fairytale is gonna come to an end eventually and he’s gonna go back to his prestigious life as a driver while you gonna go back to your cafe and small apartment you share with other three people. Everything was gonna be nothing more than a memory - one you will hold close to your heart forever.

He was still staring at you, body and hair wet from the hot shower. You were on his hotel bed, covered with the white sheets, hair a mess and body tired. You were still sweating. He looked ethereal.

“I can’t, you know that” you laughed.

“Of course you can” he sat next to you, hand holding yours “You can live with me. At least at first if you want to live somewhere. And if you want, you can find a job there - or not too. Just come. I need you”

“You’re insane! I can’t just go and leave everything behind again. I need to create roots, a life. And more: what people would say? They would think I’m using you for money and fame”

“Who cares about what people think? It’s me and you that matters, nothing else. Create roots with me. We’ve been having such a good time together here, why not keep this going?”

“Because” you tried to argue, taking a deep breath before continuing “Because this is just a moment, Charles. This is good, perfect, but we both know it won’t last. This is good because it’s gonna come to an end. That’s all. Destiny played its part: we met each other, we learn from each other, and now we need to follow our own paths”

Charles got quiet. He was sad, you could see it; feel it even. But he knew you weren’t wrong. You couldn’t just drop everything you’ve been fighting for and go on this adventure with him; he had everything right already. A name for himself, a career.

“I love you. I love this” your hand held his face and went to his hair, caressing the brown humid strands. He closed his eyes, letting his head lean on your warm touch. When he opened his eyes, he found you smiling. Charles Leclerc was truly a thing.

He leaned further, nose meeting yours and he let himself enjoy the intimate touch. He kissed you then, with more passion than he had on the previous days.

“Fine” he rested his head against yours “I hope we meet again soon. Until there, let’s enjoy the time we have, ok?”

“Ok”

The days passed and everything felt then times more real. The feelings you had towards each other were crude and transparent to everyone. You went more places together, ate together, slept together. You loved him and he loved you. Life was simple.

The day he left, you went to the airport to say goodbye. It felt right.

While you saw him walk to his gate and disappear from your sight, you thought how beautiful those days were. It’s was not just about love, but about moments, about knowing to live with the knowledge that everything can and will end. One hour, one day, one week, one month or an entire life - moments are what makes life what it is and the best thing we can do is be grateful for them to happen at first place, and for the people who are part of it.

When you left the airport, the cold breeze met your face. That day was a good day, and you hoped faith would put Charles in your path once again; in that life or in another one.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

A Writer on Writing: Italo Calvino

Italo Calvino:

A fine thing it is to have a distant friend who writes long letters full of drivel and to be able to reply to him with equally lengthy letters full of drivel.

The poet turns in on himself, tries to pin down what he has seen and felt, then pulls it out so that others can understand it. But I can’t understand these things: these discourses about the ego and the non-ego I leave to you. Yes, I understand, there’s the struggle to express the inexpressible, typical of modern art, and these are all fine things, but I …

I’m a regular guy, I like well-defined outlines, I’m old-fashioned, bourgeois. My stories are full of facts, they have a beginning and an end. For that reason they will never be able to find success with the critics, nor occupy a place in contemporary literature. I write poetry when I have a thought that I absolutely have to bring out, I write to give vent to my feelings and I write using rhyme because I like it, tum-tetum tumtetum tum te-tum, because I’ve got no ear, and poetry without rhyme or meter seems like soup without salt, and I write (mock me, you crowds! Make me a figure of public scorn!) I write … sonnets … and writing sonnets is boring, you have to find rhymes, you have to write hendecasyllables so after a while I get bored and my drawer is overflowing with unfinished short poems.

I’m still too ignorant to write articles and as for my output of short stories, a famous summer of overproduction has been followed by years of crisis. … All the ideas currently in my head are subject to a strange phenomenon: while I work on them and perfect them continuously from the philosophical point of view, they stay rudimentary and barely sketched on the dramatic and artistic side. In my creativity thought has the upper hand over imagination.

When you’re working you get buried, drowned under things. You’ve no more friends nor art. Only when you’ve an evening or afternoon free can you roam the streets or court a girl. That’s all. In short, working is pointless. I mean, from the point of view of education. But it’s essential. I cannot — and I don’t want to — live the writer’s life, that is to say write for a living. The novel I was writing, which for months and months had sucked all my blood (because, stubborn as I am, I was determined to finish it even though I no longer felt it was going anywhere), is dead, awful, full of wonderful clever things but desperately bad, forced, it’ll never work and I must not finish it. And I must not write for some time now otherwise I’d make more mistakes. I hope that Einaudi will publish my short stories eventually, they’re the only thing I believe in and which I believe are useful.

For seven or eight months now I’ve been mucking about with a novel that I began in a moment of weakness and it’s turning out to be very bad, causing me to waste lots of my time. But at least it’ll get rid of my desire to write novels for four or five years, which is what I dream of doing, and will allow me to study kind of seriously and learn to write decently.

To write well about the elegant world you have to know it and experience it to the depths of your being just as Proust, Radiguet and Fitzgerald did: what matters is not whether you love it or hate it, but only to be quite clear about your position regarding it.

My problem today is how to escape from the limits of these books, from this definition of me as a writer of adventures, fairy-tales, and fun, in which I can’t express myself or realize myself to the full.

The fact is that I already feel I am a prisoner of a kind of style and it is essential that I escape from it at all costs: I’m now trying to write a totally different book, but it’s damned difficult; I’m trying to break up the rhythms, the echoes which I feel the sentences I write eventually slide into, as into pre-existing molds, I try to see facts and things and people in the round instead of being drawn in colors that have no shading. For that reason the book I’m going to write interests me infinitely more than the other one.

One should never have taboos about the tools we use, that as long as the thought or images or style one wants to put forward do not become deformed by the medium, one must on the contrary try to make use of the most powerful and most efficient of those tools.

You can imagine how slowly my fictional output has been going this summer, you who know how much labor, dissatisfaction, irritability, uncertainty this work costs … However — and this is the point — it is worth it. Or rather: one does not ask if it’s worth it.

We are people, there is no doubt, who exist solely insofar as we write, otherwise we don’t exist at all. Even if we did not have a single reader any more, we would have to write; and this not because ours can be a solitary job, on the contrary it is a dialog we take part in when we write, a common discourse, but this dialog can still always be supposed to be taking place with authors of the past, with authors we love and whose discourse we are forcing ourselves to develop, or else with those still to come, those we want through our writing to configure in one particular way rather than another. I am exaggerating: heaven help those who write without being read; for that reason there are too many people writing today and one cannot ask for indulgence for someone who has little to say, and one cannot allow trade-union or corporate sympathies.

Even more annoying are those who theorize that the novel has to be like this or like that, that one must write the novel, etc. Let them go to hell! How much energy is wasted in Italy in trying to write the novel that obeys all the rules. The energy might have been useful to provide us with more modest, more genuine things, that had less pretensions: short stories, memoirs, notes, testimonials, or at any rate books that are open, without a preconceived plan.

Personally, I believe in fiction because the stories I like are those with a beginning and an end. I try to write them as they best come to me, depending on what I have to say. We are in a period when in literature and especially in fiction one can do anything, absolutely anything, and all styles and methods coexist. What the public (and also the critics) require are books (“open” novels) that are rich in substance, density, tension.

As a young man my aspiration was to become a “minor writer.” (Because it was always those that are called “minor” that I liked most and to whom I felt closest.) But this was already a flawed criterion because it presupposes that “major” writers exist. Basically, I am convinced that not only are there no “major” or “minor” writers, but writers themselves do not exist — or at least they do not count for much.

I found this letter that I had started to write yesterday evening and I reread it with interest. Dammit, what a lot of drivel I managed to write! In the end it’s impossible to understand anything in it. But better that way: the less one understands the more posterity will appreciate my profundity of thought. In fact, let me say: POSTERITY IS STUPID Think how annoyed they’ll be when they read that!

[devouredbyflame]

I am wanting to write something in response to what I see going on in the community right now that has been immensely and ridiculously discouraging to me.

I find that I am disturbed by the allegations that Loki is a predator and that we are not further holding the humans who took charge of this responsible for their actions instead of the alleged actions of a Divine being.

I find that most people who truly know Loki would know that He would never even dream of pushing someone to be a godspouse much less ever be willing to accept just anyone as a godspouse at all.

If you know Loki, you would also acknowledge that He does not take oaths lightly. He has never broken an oath in any story we have, and He is not known to trust just anyone to make such a thing as a vow of marriage with or any other sort of partnership. His trust is not earned easily. I would say most people never fully engage with the real Him at all and most likely a sock puppet or one of His many faces because they will never wish to think He has His own opinions and disagreements with things people do.

I have known Him to be very much one who puts people through trials and tests and see who comes out on the other end and who does not have it within them to maintain any sort of boundaries with Him much less understand the reason why He did it in the first place.

Marriage is a commitment. A choice. It is not something that He would ever decide to do if you are within a few years of working together, much less would He ever approach you to do with Him after a period of not even knowing you. I have seen more godspouses than any other group burn out and dissolve into flames after a few years of claiming such a thing.

If I had an assumption to make, it would be that Loki doesn’t actually take very many people as a Spouse at all, let alone someone who is under the age of 18, or even those who are in their lower 20s. If I were to assume based on the evidence that I have witnessed come to pass many times over, many people are afraid to admit to themselves that it’s possible that they are wrong because they are so afraid of being left in the cold should they not have such a thing as marriage keeping them safe from abandonment.

When in reality, those who push that fairy tale of marriage around for a couple years tend to dissolve even faster because they do not know the actual requirements of being married, much less acknowledge Loki as someone who is fully capable of making His own choices and having His own opinions that differ from their own.

In the Western hemisphere, people have a tendency to prize marriage over everything because that is the ultimate choice to move into marriage after an intimate relationship. We think that because intimacy with the Divine is a common practice, we must get married to Them in order to make it stick. Either because we feel unworthy of having such a relationship with a Deity in the first place - never mind that it was the Deity seeking the affection as well, not just the human - or because we cannot fathom any other framework around our relationship just because it hasn’t been discussed before.

I think, due to recent events, we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and think about why Loki even wants all these godspouses in the first place? I think the answer really is that He doesn’t. Instead, people feel like they can assert their opinions and ways upon Him without ever really consulting the Deity Himself. These people take choices away from others because the others don’t have enough self esteem to go out and search for their own answers on their own time. They take choices away from Loki because once these people are finished with their games, even if He wanted to know Them, They are already heartbroken and torn to shreds based off of the actions of what human did and not the Deity Himself.

I don’t want to remain silent on any of this and I know it’s easy for me to say because I claim to be a Wife to Loki, as well, and you can choose to believe me or not - I don’t really care - but I am tired of seeing this come into fruition over and over again. People use words like “godspouse” or “godspousal” to mean a plethora of things that build up over time and get to be abused as a concept by others just so they can have their fun instead of creating actual, intimate relationships whether or not marriage is actually happening or not.

I am tired of seeing this come to pass over the years I have been around this community. We are selfish creatures who enforce our own habits and biases and desires on Beings we give no authority to in our daily lives. We want validation so we scrape away at it day in and day out and ignore any signs as to whether or not this was actually the case because we are so desperate for His attention and acceptance because we don’t get it anywhere else.

Instead, this just leaves us heartbroken, discouraged, and abandoned when the game is all over and the time you thought you had with Him was just inside our heads. We ask for more than we are willing to give and this happens a lot, I’ve found.

We cannot both ask for attention, desire, and respect from the Divine if we are unwilling to give back to Them what we take. We cannot risk presenting ourselves as a failure when this doesn’t happen because we cannot cope with the ways in which the Divine may or may not be manifesting in our lives. We have no way of actually seeing or understanding the Divine in the framework that is more often presented with the bigger name pagans like Diana Paxson (who was kicked out of the Troth for abuse, by the way), Galina Krasskova, Raven Kaldera or any other author who has presented themselves as a false representative to the Deities they choose to claim to serve.

If it is true that they serve those Deities, they would not be where they are now nor would they be treated with such disdain or disregard because if that is, indeed, who they claim to be, then they would have deserved the kind of respect awarded to people in such a place of power. But they have not. And I have seen it over and over in groups like CUUPs and covens and other places where pagans rise through the ranks of power in order to be outed as a narcissistic abuser in some fashion or form. It’s disgusting.

If the Gods had any sort of sway on anything that they do, they would have been shot down instantly. But we don’t let the Gods into our rituals, our homes, or our places of worship anymore. We have shut Them out just like we did with the other Deities we wished to have a relationship with that are no longer around because perceptions of Them have been so intensely distorted that people can’t even tell down from up anymore.

I am no longer going to be posting on my Tumblr in this way. I have had enough of community drama in my time that this is not worth my time. I am instead going to be working on my other projects more worthy of my time and using this as an advertising platform with the blog I was working on before all of this. If you would like to reach out, I will be available for people who are interested in my work and what I do. Otherwise, I will ignore hate mail and discourage people from engaging with me who have no interest in being respectful.

[aishangotome]

Elbert Greetia: Mad Love Chapter 25

Mad Love Chapter 24 Premium Story

♡———♡

Life would be simple if it were a fairy tale.

—One shouldn't carelessly approach a beautiful woman who is crying.

Black Eyed Colleague: Kate! I just heard from the postmaster, you're quitting?

A colleague I hadn't seen in a while approached me with wide, dark eyes.

Kate: Yes... I'm going to be living a little further away from London.

Kate: Not too far, though.

A few days had passed since then, and I was back at the post office where I used to work.

To say goodbye to the postmaster and my colleagues.

Black Eyed Colleague: You suddenly disappeared, saying you were "summoned to the palace"...

Black Eyed Colleague: We were just talking about how you might be coming back soon, so we were surprised.

Kate: I'm sorry for the sudden news.

Black Eyed Colleague: Don't worry about it... but honestly, it's a pain.

Black Eyed Colleague: Now that hardworking Kate is gone, I don't even have time to slack off.

His words were kind, even though he shrugged as he said them. I knew there was no time to slack off in this place.

The post office was filled with the busy sounds of sorting letters. My colleagues were cheerful, and the postmaster was a hard worker who loved new things.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the air of this unchanging, peaceful everyday life.

(This was my everyday life. I won't forget it, I can't forget it.)

...But—

Black Eyed Colleague: ...Hey, give me your new address. I'll send you a letter.

Kate: Address? Um, that's...

I hesitated, and then I heard gentle footsteps behind me.

Elbert: Kate.

Kate: Oh, Elbert... I'm sorry to keep you waiting—

Elbert, who was supposed to be waiting for me at the back door, walked up to me, wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me away from my colleague in a light embrace.

Kate: ...Huh?

Elbert: I'm sorry, but I can't give you her address.

Elbert: I'll bring her here if she wants to come... then you can see her again.

Black Eyed Colleague: Oh... okay...

Elbert: ...Let's go, Kate.

Kate: Y-Yes. ...Well then, see you again...!

I said goodbye to my stunned colleague and was whisked away from the post office.

-

Kate: Lord Elbert... what was that about?

Elbert: ...What?

Kate: Why did you suddenly do that, like you were kidnapping me...?

Elbert: ...Ah.

Elbert: The way your colleague looked at you... it seemed like he was in love.

Elbert: It would be troublesome if he were to kidnap you.

He whispered it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and lightly kissed my temple.

Kate: Ah...

(Perhaps it was just Elbert's illusion that he seemed to be in love with me.)

Whether my intuition is correct is probably a trivial matter to him. If there's even a 1% chance, I think that's Elbert's way of loving, to crush it like that.

(... It seems like being loved like this is gradually becoming normal for me.)

(That's also a bit scary...)

Kate: Even if he were to kidnap me... I wouldn't follow anyone but you.

Elbert: .........

Elbert: ...Say that again.

Kate: I wouldn't follow anyone but you, Lord Elbert.

Elbert: ...One more time.

Kate: Eh? ...This is the last time.

Kate: The only one I'll follow is you, Lord Elbert.

Elbert: ...Mm.

(When Elbert smiles happily, it makes me incredibly happy too.)

Contrary to his cute jealousy, the arm around my waist never leaves me.

Feeling bound by his arm in an indescribable way, I gently leaned against him.

-

Colleague in Braids: I heard Kate came to say hello!?

Black Eyed Colleague: ...She's already gone. You were a step too late.

Colleague in Braids: Eh? Already? Why? That's too soon!?

Black Eyed Colleague: I don't really know either...but she was swept away by a prince as beautiful as a doll.

Colleague in Braids: Huh? What's this, a fairy tale? How romantic.

-

-If life were a fairy tale, it would be easy to be happy.

You shouldn't carelessly approach a beautiful person who is crying.

Sorrow easily attracts and deceives the hearts of people...and leads them to step into a cage they can never leave.

But--if you truly love that person from the bottom of your heart, perhaps happiness can be found within that cage.

-

Victor: -Thank you for your month of service, "Fairytale Keeper" Miss Kate.

Victor smiled generously as he looked at me bowing deeply.

Victor: As for your choice...Elbert already spoke with you, didn't he?

Victor: It seems you haven't changed your mind.

Kate: Yes, Victor.

Victor: I'll be very lonely to think you'll be leaving this castle...

Elbert will continue his duties in Crown.

(To carry out evil and paint over the sad scenes...)

But he will never again take me to the scene of those crimes.

I have kept the secret for a month, fulfilled my promise as a Fairytale Keeper who records sins, and will leave this castle tomorrow.

My destination is--a happy cage.

Victor: Ah, wait...I just realistically imagined it and now I'm really lonely. I feel like crying.

Kate: Ahaha, you're exaggerating.

Kate: I can still come visit sometimes, right? Together with Elbert.

Victor: Ah, of course. You have become Elbert's mate, living in this darkness.

Victor: I feel like meeting you has made him even more refined as the Crown who "fights evil with evil."

Victor's lips curved into an elegant arc.

It looked like a crescent moon floating in the night sky-or perhaps, the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Victor: ...He would do anything to protect your happiness.

Victor: As you know, his heart is very soft and warm...

Victor: Perhaps your existence was essential for him to remain true to his evil.

Smiling at me, Victor looked up slightly.

Victor: I'll leave Elbert in your care from now on, Kate.

Kate: Yes, of course.

I returned his smile, bowed, and left the dining hall.

–-Tonight is my last night in this castle.

-

Elbert: ..............

Gazing at the glittering furniture and ornaments, Elbert traced the air with his artistic fingertips.

Elbert: That one, that one...and this one too. Have them sent to my mansion.

Store Employee: Thank you very much, certainly.

Alfons: All of them to that mansion? You just emptied it out, what a strange fellow you are.

Elbert: ...I emptied it because I wanted to leave only the things that would make Kate happy, so it's fine.

Alfons: I pray you don't suffocate her by filling it with things again.

Alfons, who was accompanying him, sighed without even trying to hide his exasperated expression.

Alfons: I never thought that mansion, filled with only miserable memories, would become your treasure chest.

Alfons: Life is truly unpredictable.

Elbert: .............

Elbert: Not all of the memories there are miserable...thanks to you.

Alfons: ...I have no idea what you're talking about.

Alfons involuntarily turned his gaze at the added words.

Elbert: If you weren't there...back when I lived in that mansion, I would have been even more miserable.

Alfons: .............

Elbert: Ah, that's right...Alfons, your room in that mansion is still the same.

Elbert: You can use it as you always have.

Alfons: ...Huh...?

Elbert: Eh...?

They both looked at each other blankly.

Alfons: Aren't you planning to make that mansion...a miniature garden for you and Kate to be happy in?

Elbert: That's right, but...?

Alfons: ...Do you need my room there?

Elbert: ...? Of course...?

Alfons: ...Why?

Elbert: Because I need you...for both Kate and I to be happy.

Elbert tilted his head, as if to ask why he was being asked such an obvious question.

Alfons was unusually speechless for a few seconds.

Alfons: ...Ah.

Alfons: I forgot that despite your delicate and troublesome personality, you're also thick-skinned and greedy.

He gave a wry smile, as if to say he'd been outwitted.

Alfons: Then please be careful not to let me take your toys.

Elbert: Al, you've never taken my toys.

Elbert: Even before...you deliberately didn't give me the key to push me forward.

Elbert: ...Isn't that right?

Alfons: ...You're a fool, you know.

Alfons: I really hate how easily you trust people.

-

The last night at Crown Castle.

Victor held a grand dinner party in honor of my "end of term celebration".

Only Jude said that Victor had bribed everyone to come, but I had a wonderful time with all the Crown members who gathered.

William: It's time for the little robin to fly away. How time flies.

Kate: It really did go by in a flash.

Liam: I'll be lonely, but... we have to celebrate a new beginning, right? Congratulations, Kate.

Ellis: I'll send you something you two would like if I find it.

Roger: Don't overdo it, Ellis. If you start giving gifts too, the whole mansion will explode in no time.

Elbert: ... We have several mansions in the territory and London, so it's okay.

Jude: That's not what he meant.

Harrison: Hey, we're definitely going to do this again tomorrow when Kate and El leave.

Victor: Come on, it's fine. Everyone is reluctant to see them go.

Kate: Thank you everyone. I appreciate all you've done for me.

Seeing everyone gathered together, I couldn't help but recall the day I first came here.

"Cursed," "assassination organization," "doomed fate," all of which were new to me, and I was about to freeze in the darkness that spread out before me.

(And then...)

Elbert, who was trapped in atonement and continued to collect "beautiful" things.

Elbert: ............

His profile, with a little less melancholy than when we first met, warms my heart.

Roger: From now on, you'll be El's exclusive Fairytale Keeper.

Jude: Ya were practically exclusive already, weren't ya'?

Alfons: Basically, the moment Elbert requested to be with you most of the time, that's what you became.

(Indeed, before I knew it, I was writing only about Elbert in my reports.)

(Somewhere along the way, my heart was stolen.)

(I was so scared to look into the darkness, but I found myself staring into it.)

Kate: --Yes, that's right. From tomorrow, I will officially be an exclusive Fairytale Keeper.

Elbert: ...That's not quite right.

Kate: Huh?

Elbert: Not a "Fairytale Keeper"... You're my lover.

Kate: ...!

He whispered it in a somewhat cheerful tone, and my face heated up with a mixture of happiness and embarrassment.

Roger: Oh, haha! That's right. It's not a business relationship. My bad, El.

Alfons: Turning bright red at being called a lover... This doesn't bode well for the future.

Elbert: Ah... You're right.

Kate: Whoa...

Elbert: You're so beautiful when you blush... I have to hide you.

Elbert hugged me tightly, shielding me from the gazes of those around us.

Teasing congratulations could be heard from beyond my obstructed view.

--It was a very happy, soft cage.

-

After dinner, Elbert whisked me away before I could even say goodbye.

Kate: Whoa...! There's nothing here.

Elbert: ...Are you surprised?

Kate: Yes... I'm surprised.

His room was empty.

Seeing his room so clean after he let go of the things he collected to atone for his sins, a strange feeling swirled in my chest.

(Whether there are things or not...)

(It still feels a little lonely, but...)

Elbert: From now on... I'll be returning to the mansion where you are waiting more often than here.

Kate: Will you use this room when you have overnight missions or something?

Elbert: And when I come to see everyone at Crown with you... or something like that.

Elbert: At times like these... I'd like to decorate this room with something that will make you smile when you visit.

Kate: Hehe... then when I come here,

Kate: I'll bring a souvenir that will make Lord Elbert happy when he spends the night alone here.

Elbert: ...You won't give it to me when I'm at the mansion?

Kate: That's different.

Elbert: I see... I'm looking forward to it.

When we hugged and kissed each other in the middle of the room, it was one more warm memory to decorate our lonely room.

I felt that this memory would become the most "beautiful thing" for us.

Kate: .....Ah.

With our lips still pressed together, he slowly pushed me down onto the bed.

Just like that day, he had sewn my hands to the bed.

Just like the butterfly specimens that were adorned on the wall.

Elbert: ... Hey, Kate.

Kate: Yes, Lord Elbert?

(But it's different from that day.)

The man in front of me is smiling happily.

I'm also happy that he wants me, that he desires me.

(What should I do...?)

(My heart is full.)

Elbert: The day I locked you in this room...

Elbert: That day, you were... crying too...

Elbert: But these tears... I can assume they're different from that day, right?

His cold fingertips touch the corner of my eye.

I want to tell him that the reason my eyes are wet isn't sadness, so I smile and a tear spills over.

Kate: Of course, they're different.

Kate: They're not tears of sadness. It's just... my heart is full.

Elbert: ...I'm glad.

Elbert: Because you... are smiling like that.

Elbert: Even though I'm not sad... my heart aches too.

Elbert: There can't be... any greater happiness than this.

Elbert took my hands, as if to restrain them, and brought them close to his mouth.

His lips touched my skin, spreading a loving warmth.

Elbert: You are strong and kind.

Elbert: You told me you wanted to be happy with me.

Elbert: You wished to stay by my side, even when you were hurt.

Elbert: You smiled and told me that being with me makes you happy.

Elbert: To me, you are…the most beautiful person in the world.

Kate: To me, too…

Kate: Lord Elbert, you are the most beautiful person in the world.

(Its not just your appearance or kindness that I call beautiful...)

(I want to call these eyes, stained with desire, and his feelings poured onto me abnormally...beautiful too.)

Kate: ...Nn.

Suddenly, my fingertip was sucked, and a slight pain ran through it.

The tip of his tongue caressed my fingertip to the base, and my body trembled.

Kate: ...When Lord Elbert does that to me...

Kate: I feel like I might really get eaten...

Elbert: ...That might be so.

Elbert: I...every time I look at you, I want to become one with you.

Elbert: If we could melt together and become one...would this thirst be quenched?

Kate: ...!

A shiver ran down my spine.

The words falling from his lips were eroding my body.

(If I were to be truly eaten by Elbert...)

(I cant even imagine it now, but...)

Kate: I—

Elbert: —No.

Elbert interrupted my answer with a gentle whisper.

Elbert: You wont allow me to do that.

Kate: Huh...?

Elbert: If I were to become one with you... I would go insane from wanting to see your smile.

Elbert: If you never smile at me again... It would be the same as dying.

Elbert: So—I'll never let you go.

Elbert: Until you stop breathing... And my heart stops with grief.

(Forever—)

It felt like the ultimate expression of love—yet filled with a bottomless, profound darkness, like a curse.

Elbert: I... will be yours, even after you leave this world.

Elbert: And you... will be mine until then, Kate.

Kate: ...Yes.

We can never truly belong to someone else.

That's why these words are a prayer.

We will continue to think of each other... as we continue to pray.

While drowning in the irreplaceable happiness of loving each other.

Elbert: Let me go deeper inside you...

Elbert: Since I cannot become one with you... at least let me touch more of your insides.

Kate: Please, Lord Elbert... My body is yours, from the outside... to the deepest part.

Kate: ...It's all yours.

Let me lock the cage that holds me from the inside.

I will welcome you there, so that my beloved will not be swallowed by sadness.

We will sleep together through the painful nights, share the joys, and fill that place with happy memories.

Calm and content, like the bottom of the deep sea—it is a happy cage, called love.

.

.

.

.

.

Mad Love Epilogue

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[ellisgirl]

Jude Jazza & Ellis Twilight — Villains Want to Embarrass Little Robin Story Event

Chapter 1

I do not own any contents of Ikemen Villains. This story being uploaded in this blog belongs solely to CYBIRD. Please support them by downloading their games and buying their stories. Both English and Japanese are not my mother tongue languages, please keep in mind that there will be mistakes and added words for my own preferences. I translate for my personal entertainment and for my own practice only.

Victor: "Kate...... Will you be Her Majesty the Queen?"

Kate: "......It's a mission. Please tell me your story."

Victor: "Oh, how fast you're talking about! To your remarkable growth as a Fairy Tale Master I... I... I...Nngh——!”

Victor: "Aside from the feeling, that's right, it's a mission.”

Victor: "The American ambassador is coming. According to prior information, he was plotting an assassination."

Kate: "It's really important, isn't it... so I'm her double?"

Victor: "Yes. Jude and Ellis are going to be your bodyguards."

Kate: "Why those two...?!”

(Putting aside Ellis, Mr. Jude seems to be reluctant, I can hear him saying, "It's my time to read.")

Victor: "They used to being on the wrong side of a knife, and even if the ambassador carries out the assassination, the two of them will make it looks good!"

(.....It sure looks like they're going to do a good job of fighting it off....)

Kate: "What in the world do I have to do as Her Majesty?"

Victor: "We will be presented with gifts, and we will dine with them at a dinner party.

Victor: “Basically, you just have to accept the gifts gratefully.”

Victor: “Since the ministers on our side are also with us, it’s okay to basically leave difficult matters to them.”

Kate: "The point is, I just have to dress up as Her Majesty the Queen and sit down... Is that what you mean?”

Victor: "That's right! Her Majesty is someone who prefers tranquility, so I don't mind if you don’t say a word."

Victor: “I'll have them both follow up nicely, since you probably don't feel comfortable with your voice in the first place."

Victor: “It pains me to ask you to be the argument, but......I can only ask you because you know what's going on."

Victor: “I'd like to see you do it.”

(This is also proof that he is trusted me as a Fairy Tale Master. Besides, Her Majesty's life is at stake)

Kate: "Yes, I'll do my best."

(Mr. Jude is a sadist who enjoys torturing people.)

(I’m in debt to him, but I don't know what will be required at the end, so I can't do it coarsely.)

(Ellis is very kind and will do anything to make people happy, but......)

("anything" is too much, so you have to be careful not to be too spoiled.)

(Anyway, in order to finish this mission peacefully and safely, I will fulfill my duty as Her Majesty's substitute, that’s all)

Kate: "Victor, could you tell me about some of His Majesty's gestures? Habits and other characteristics?"

Victor: “…..”

Victor: "Of course, it's fine. I'll tell you everything I know."

…

After taking acting lessons from Victor, I was stuck in the library.

The royal family, the faces and names of ministers, the history of Britain and the United States. I gained some knowledge I wish I could, but...

…

(In the end, the more I studied, the more despair I felt just by facing the reality that I was full of things I didn't know...)

She wears a crown, a veil that covers to the bottom, shoes that disguise her height, and a luxurious dress,

I already overwhelmed by a sense of defeat,

Jude: "You fell asleep in the library, you mediocre."

Ellis: "I'm glad you didn't catch a cold."

Kate: “……!”

Mr. Jude and Ellis, who were on either side of me, smiled as if they had seen through my thoughts.

Kate: “I was wondering who might have been covered me with a blanket without my knowing it....... Was it the two of you?”

Ellis: "Yeah, Miss Kate, you looked cold.”

Kate: "Thank you, Ellis."

Ellis: “Jude was pushing Miss Kate, who was about to slip off your desk, back onto the desk.... by his knees."

Jude: "Because you got in the way."

Kate: "To kick a sleeping lady in the foot…..”

Jude: "Girls who are calling themselves Sleeping Beauty in the library make me laugh."

Jude: “You must have worked this little brain of yours in a mediocre's way, right? Great, great"

Ellis: “Yeah. It's so great that you're studying to impersonate Her Majesty."

The former is completely ironic, the latter is pure praise.

What kind of expression should I make, my facial muscles are confused.

(and... anyway)

Kate: "I look forward to working with you for the next two days."

Jude: “A decoy is someone who is willing to die in place of someone else.”

Jude: "...Even if you die, as long as I can get rid of the assassin, that's fine, so it's an easy win."

Ellis: “Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

Ellis: "I don't know much about politics or diplomacy, but I'm good at reading the signs that knives and bullets are coming."

Ellis: "I'll do my best to support you so that you don't suffer.”

Kate: "Wow... I'll do my best, too."

If Mr. Jude is a spice that makes your tongue ache with pain, Ellis is a sweet sugar that has been boiled down to a sludge.

When I'm sandwiched between two extreme people, I don't have time to calm down.

(I wonder why Ellis works for Mr. Jude.)

(Mr. Jude isn't the type to attract people, but he keeps Ellis nearby.)

I remember hearing somewhere that the two of them are together because they have a contract.

(What kind of contract......?)

Jude: “A mediocre as queen is going to be ousted soon.”

Kate: “Even Mr. Jude, with that attitude and way of speaking, would you be able to act as Her Majesty’s bodyguard?”

Ellis: “Jude is more proper in these public appearances than you'd think."

Jude: "I don't know about you, but this guy is dangerous."

Kate: "What's wrong with Ellis.....?”

Ellis: "Well, what is it?"

Jude: "You'll know in the meantime."

(Are you saying that Ellis can't be a better escort than you? .....I have a feeling it's the other way around.)

Ellis: ".....Hey, Jude, Miss Kate."

Jude: “Aah?”

Kate: "What is it?"

Ellis: "I have one suggestion—“

Ellis: "If you can complete the mission without revealing your true identity, we'll ask each other for one favour. What do you think?"

(When the mission is complete, will you listen to my request?)

Jude: "What a shitty proposal."

Ellis: "I've been thinking about how Kate can enjoy the mission."

Ellis: "How about......?”

(Ellis, .....I'm so glad you thought of that.)

From this morning, I realised that my feelings were actually sinking due to the weight of the crown.

(.....Ellis really looks after people well.)

Kate: "Thank you very much, Ellis. Let's do that!"

Ellis: "Fufu, Deal."

(......Huh? But we ask for each other’s “requests”..... I mean...)

(By listening to Mr. Jude and Ellis’s requests...)

Jude: "......Well, good luck. I'll be thinking about what I'm going to "ask" you to do while I watch your abomination."

Ellis: "I will also think of a “request” that will make you happy..."

…

With a conflicting smile, my facial muscles were confused again.

———

Chamberlain: “U.S. Ambassador Abel Edmond has arrived.”

The chamberlain declares loudly, and the door of the audience room opens slowly.

(......It's finally time.)

Mr. Jude and Ellis are waiting behind.

"Why does Her Majesty send men from nowhere to wait on us instead of her guards?" I could hear the ministers whispering as we entered the hall.

(Once Mr. Jude glared at me, the nagging stopped suddenly.)

(When Ellis smiled, the awkward gazes also decreased.)

(As long as the two of them are with you, there's no danger to your life...It's okay.)

Straighten your back, straighten your posture, and adjust your habitation as Victor taught you.

(I will focus on acting like Her Majesty in the eyes of the ambassador who is about to come.)

Abel: “I am extremely humbled by the honor of having an audience with you, Her Majesty the Queen!”

The ambassador who appeared was a man with sparkling white teeth. A smile as bright as the sun.

(Wow... You're more frank than I thought.)

In response to his salute, I nodded quietly so as not to lose my dignity.

Ellis: “You look good."

Jude: "It's a noisy face even if you keep silent."

(Please don't make me laugh!)

With the background music of the whispered impressions expressed simply by the two men standing behind me, Mr. Abel enthusiastically introduced the offerings.

(Even through the veil, they look dazzling.......)

Once again, I am overwhelmed by the treasure that makes me feel the majesty of Her Majesty the Queen.

Abel: "And this is one of the rarest and most colorful birds in the world. It's even more beautiful with its wings spread."

When Mr. Abel pulled out a large parrot-like bird from the cage,

Abel: “Come on, let’s take a look!?”

The parrot suddenly lifted its head and flew away from Abel's hand.

(They're coming this way!?)

Jude & Ellis: “——!”

Masterlist

Chapter 1 >> Chapter 2 >> Premium End >> Epilogue

[cherrys-writings]

Exhaustion

Just something a litte short and fluffy

slight angst, reader is overwhelmed

Your heart sank with every ring. He’s not gonna hear it. You shouldn’t have bothered, all grown up and you can’t handle these days on your own.

You pull the phone away from your ear, tossing it onto the empty part of the couch. You try to calm down, telling yourself to power through it and things will slow down again soon. Soft footsteps sound behind you and the knot in your throat tightens, Grayson leans over the back of the couch to kiss the top of your head. You manage all of three words, “I can’t Gray,” before sobs wrack your body.

Grayson was immediately beside you, “talk to me.”

He didn’t force you to look at him when you started rambling, “There’s all these expectations from my family and projects they want my input on. I’m finally leading a project at the company and I get…..I don’t know, bombarded by everyone just wanting to help. A-and then there’s family obligations and helping my sibling plan their wedding and spending all my free time with everyone, so no one thinks I don’t love them.” Grayson pets your hair, pulling you closer on the couch. Ignoring how wet his shirt is. 

“I can’t be this talkative with them all the time, Grayson. They need to know I want to be around them, but I’m exhausted. Being this, this,” I wipe at my cheeks, gesturing in search of the word, “This….out with everyone all the time. Before I say anything I have to make sure it's not too blunt, that it makes sense in context of the conversation, my tone doesn’t sound condescending. It’s so much work just to hold a conversation. No matter how much sleep I get, I’m always tired.” 

Gray rubs circles on your back, pulling you tightly against him, as if he could will the emptiness away. He sighs, “I’m proud of you darling. Your family shouldn’t push you to be a certain way. I love you. I love your straightforwardness, the unique connections you make between things when we talk. And I love quiet times with you. Right now, it sounds like you need some quiet. Can you take some deep breaths with me?”

You nod and focus on matching your breath with his. Grayson’s steady heartbeat slows your mind, his presence an anchor. Hitching breaths eventually turn into a massive yawn and you feel the rumble of Grayson chuckling. 

Gray leans back to look at you, “How about you come with me and get some genuine rest.”

You’re too drained to protest when he stands, lifting you with him and carrying you to your room. Gray sets you on the bed, walking to fill the bathtub, jasmine scent floating out. He returns to grab your pajamas and lead you to the tub.

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” you say watching him turn as you remove your clothes and step into the steaming water, “you can join me if you like.”

Grayson turns back, making almost no effort to hide his lingering gaze, “You’re supposed to relax. Besides, I’d rather not boil myself alive tonight.”

You flicked water at him while he retreats from the room. 

Grayson was already in bed, stretching his arms towards you and making grabby hands when he saw you step out. You pull the blankets over you both and rest your head on his chest. 

“Tell me a story,” you whisper.

“I don’t know any.”

“Please, Gray.”

“Fine.” You don’t need to see his face to know he’s rolling his eyes and smirking. “Once upon a time, there was a fairy. Now this fairy wasn’t like the ones in old tales who stole children and trapped people in impossible deals.”

“Let me guess, they’re not like other fairies,” you mime tucking your hair behind your ear

“Hey, this is my story,” he chided, “As I was saying. No this fairy wasn’t like the fairies of old tales or even like the new tales. He didn’t have a scarred face with a metal eye, or arms covered in tattooed symbols that flowed over his chest and back. Some might say he was better than all these fairies because he didn’t have bat wings or violet eyes flecked with star light.”

You lightly smack his shoulder, laughing, “Leave my book boyfriends alone.” 

Grayson turns, both of you on your sides. His hand drags up your arm, coming to gently tilt your chin up and presses a kiss between your brows.He rests his chin on the top of your head, rubbing slow circles on your back, the feeling pulls your mind away from the earlier worries. Your eyelids grow heavy and almost miss when Gray says, “I promise I’ll always help you through the hard days.”

**************************

A friend convinced me to give ACOTAR a second chance....new thing to obsess over

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 4

Dustin kept his promise to help teach Steve how to find food. Sources were getting scarce though. And after some time, Dustin decided his energy would be better suited to finding out where the fairy prince lived.

"If I can find him, he can get you home."

"Or you can find my home. Or better yet, fly me there", Steve suggested.

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Look at this wingspan. I'm lucky if I can carry a twig with some berries. Strength is not my forte. But finding things is. I've already found you twice. Maybe this Eddie guy is just bad with directions."

"Go, leave me here to fend for myself."

"I thought you were supposed to be the adult between us. Don't die!", he said as a reminder before taking off.

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

Steve's mother Lina waited as one day turned into two, then three. She waited as more of the leaves changed colors, and as the first frost appeared. While others prepared, and later celebrated the fall season, she waited by his bedroom window. She didn't make the dresses she normally did for the girls to dance in. Instead she spent her days making new outfits for Steve. One lucky aspect of having such a small son was that she needed very little material.

When night fell and it was too dark to sew by, she kept his window for as long as possible, singing lullabies, hoping he could hear and follow her voice home. Sometimes she looked to the book of tales, still open to the page with the fairy prince.

Steve's prince had promised to return him. Lina believed in chivalry and love. But she was also aware of how difficult to small people looking for each other in this big world could be. Steve could be right in the garden or a whole town over and she wouldn't know.

Tonight snow was falling and a powdery blanket was beginning to cover the ground. Feeling helpless but not hopeless, Lina closed the window for the night. She'd get started on a new blanket for him tomorrow.

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

Eddie pushed Honey on, even as the winds got colder. Royal authority didn't give him the power to stop the seasons, even when he asked. He heard a commotion going on closer to the ground and flew in to see what it was all about. There was a toad, so he counted his luck.

"Hey!", he called out when he landed and hopped off his bee. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the guy I'm looking for. About yae high, beautiful brown hair, was last seen in blue?"

The toad sneered at him. "I ain't got nuthin' to tell a fairy. Buzz off." He turned to stomp away, muttering something about a Carol and a wedding.

Eddie flew past to head him off. "Wait just a second, I'm not done. Now I've lost someone and he could be in danger."

The toad was about to tell him off when his expression changed to something more conniving. Eddie got on his guard. This could very well be the toad that had taken Steve.

"Lost someone, you say? Maybe he just didn't wanna be around you", he said with a harsh shove, nearly knocking Eddie over.

"I don't want any trouble. Just some info."

Then he felt someone grab him from behind, arms surrounding his neck in a chokehold. Eddie immediately launched but was surprised when his assailant didn't fall behind. Instead they cackled and he also heard the sound of beetle wings. They wrestled in the air before Billy got the upper hand and threw Eddie against a tree.

He was disoriented as Tommy picked him up and shoved a knee in his stomach.

"I think if we wanna get our hands on that princess, we better keep a hold of the prince", Billy said.

"Yeah, but I'm not babysitting him."

Eddie regained just a bit of his fight to whistle, ordering Honey to bulldoze right into Billy. Tommy pushed at Eddie to get out of the way, making him fall into a deep puddle.

His wings weren't much use in the water. And he was fatigued from searching endlessly. He felt himself moving slow but it wasn't just his body. The water froze around him, sealing as he reached for the surface.

Honey hovered before she was shooed off by Billy. "Looks like we got some crown royal on ice", he grinned.

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

To his credit, Steve felt like he did pretty well for a while after Dustin left. Still, there was no beating the cold when you had zero walls to shield you. By luck he was able to find a discarded holey sock to wrap around himself. His shivering only stopped when he passed out, praying he'd awaken in the morning.

When he did wake up, it was to warmth, so he was sure he was dreaming. He stretched out and instead of a worn sock, he had a much nicer cloth on top of him. This was nicer than the toad's barge, but he was so over waking up in unknown places.

"Oh good. You're finally awake."

Steve looked to the side and saw that he was in the presence of a weasel. A smartly dressed weasel at that.

"Did you bring me here?", Steve asked, looking around. The space was small, but that made it easy to keep warm. Which seemed to be accomplished with a stove.

"That I did. I'm a doctor around these parts. You can call me Brenner." He was stirring a pot as he spoke. "Are you hungry, Steve?"

"Starvin-wait, how do you know my name?"

Brenner chuckled to himself. "It's a small forest. I know all about you. How you were being courted by those toads and all. How you turned them down because of your previous engagement with the prince."

"We're not quite engaged", Steve took the cup that was offered to him. He didn't know what it was but it was warm and smelled of spices. "But, I suppose something like that was on my mind."

"Mhm", Brenner went back to stirring the pot. "Of course with him being dead, your plans must've changed."

Steve barely got a sip before the cup dropped out of his hands, startling the doctor.

"Certainly you knew about that?"

"No....", Steve whispered. He backed away until he came to a wall. Suddenly the cozy space felt much too small. "Eddie can't....he can't be...de-" His voice broke off with a weak gasp.

"My apologies. I assumed you knew."

Steve sunk down to the floor and pulled his knees up this his chest. If Eddie had been looking for Steve, if he had died out there while on the search...he could never forgive himself.

"Good food and good company can get your mind off that terrible dreariness. Come now." Brenner took a piping hot tray out of the oven. "We're going to take these to a dear friend of mine."

Steve didn't get up. "I'm really not up for visiting anyone right now."

"The way I see it, I just saved your life. And you can't muster up the energy for a stroll to my closest neighbor?"

Steve didn't even want to move. He thought his heart broke at the idea of never seeing Eddie again. Him dying was so much worse. It felt like his heart had been ripped out and left a whole in his chest; like he would never be full again. Brenner was looking at him expectantly though, so slowly, Steve rose to his feet. The weasel did bring him in from the cold and revive him. And it wasn't Brenner's fault that Steve was lost or that Eddie was...

His body moved on its own as Brenner put the pan in his hands and led him through a small door. The tunnel was dark and Brenner filled the space with whoever this neighbor was. A Mr. Henry Creel apparently.

Little did he know, Dr. Brenner had his own ulterior motives for Steve.

Part 6

Tag Team

@telidina

@novelnovella

@ajeff855

@mars-the-witch

@ceejay-955

@punctualhowell

@child-of-cthulu

@estrellami-1

@cupcakesnwhiskey

@spectrum-spectre

[ladyvictory22]

Hopelessly Devoted To You (Final part)

Max had always had a rather innocent and tender mind in the way he approached things. "You have a fairy tale mind; not everything is resolved that way, darling," Lewis told him once... and now he understood a bit. He had found Christian in a nervous crisis in the place where he had met Toto.

"I lost him... I lost him," Christian said, crying and trembling. Max just hugged him at that moment and later took him to his room.

In other matters, Lewis had been looking for his phone for a few hours, swearing he had left it on the nightstand along with some of Max's things, but suddenly he didn't know where he had put it... in any case, they had agreed to meet in the lobby to go to dinner later... although those plans would be canceled when he saw his boss walking faster than usual, wearing sunglasses and in a hurry to the elevator... Lewis knew an anxiety attack was on its way, so he hurried to follow.

A few hours later, Max managed to get Christian to fall asleep thanks to some sedatives. He looked at him, worried. In his mind, everything could have been resolved differently. Then Max received a call on his phone from a number that seemed to be from the hotel.

"Hello?" Max said, puzzled.

"We need to talk now," Lewis said with a rather serious tone. Max knew he was probably in trouble with his boyfriend.

When he arrived at the room, Lewis was already there and gave him that look that Max knew meant he was going to get a lecture about something he had done.

"First, give me my phone; I know you have it," Lewis said.

"Okay, you found out," Max said. "I was thinking of telling you, but I didn't think..."

"That it would end badly? Max, I just left Toto in his room resting because he had an anxiety attack... and his hand had a bruise," Lewis scolded.

"And Christian also had a nervous breakdown, I left him sedated in his bed" Max responded and then added "Did you know about Toto's condition?"

Lewis was a little surprised to hear how Christian was doing… however, he had seen Toto suffer enough to not feel sorry for the person who hurt him.

"Of course I knew... I've known since almost the beginning..." Lewis said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Max protested a bit.

"Why should I? It's a private matter... of Toto," Lewis replied.

"First, because I'm your boyfriend," Max said, raising an eyebrow. "Second, because we could have helped them much earlier before things got worse."

"We can't interfere in this, Max. Christian hurt Toto a lot," Lewis said seriously. "Toto deserves to heal and be well."

"But he could heal... alongside Christian..." Max insisted.

"Darling... Fairy tale endings aren't real in some cases," Lewis said disappointed. "Do you know what Christian did to Toto?"

"I... really... only know that Christian wanted to talk to him," Max said.

"Well... then you don't know that he led him on? That he made him fall in love for a long time only to crush his dreams when he was close to winning the championship?" Lewis said seriously.

Max didn't say anything; he was surprised. He didn't expect that from Christian... there must be a mistake. He knows Chris... he wouldn't do that.

"There must be a misunderstanding, Lewis. I know Chris very well, and I know he wouldn't do that..."

"Well, I believe he's capable... especially because he never apologized," Lewis said. "Do you remember 2021, right, darling?"

Max nodded.

"Well, some pretty harsh things were said at that time, but Toto didn't take what Christian said seriously because he enjoyed playing with him that way, like rivals in private... when they weren't team principals... supposedly, they were two people in love, trying to make something work," Lewis said, then added, "Remember the Qatar press conference? Christian said he had no relationship with Toto, that he didn't have to kiss his backside like other team principals would... that deeply hurt him when Christian never apologized, never told him it wasn't serious..."

"But... couldn't it be a communication error, you know that when Christian says something, it's not always..." Max said, but he was interrupted.

"It doesn't matter, Max, respect is important both inside and outside of work. Christian disrespected Toto and didn't apologize; they didn't talk about it..."

"But it's never too late! Besides, Christian didn't know why Toto was like that with him... I'm sure he didn't know. And, while it's true that Christian never apologized or anything, Toto didn't say anything about it either," Max insisted.

Lewis looked at Max and sighed. "Well, perhaps you have a point in that regard... but that doesn't excuse Christian for not approaching it, for not reacting to his own words, for not noticing Toto's attitude."

"Those were tough times, Lewis... just imagine if we had been dating back then," Max said.

Lewis sighed and took Max's hand. "Yeah... I think you're right."

"Then let's help them," Max said, and Lewis looked at him skeptically. "Please," he added with a puppy-dog look.

"Ugh... stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Max asked, looking "innocent," making his blue eyes stand out even more.

Lewis looked at him reproachfully and then said, "Alright... but I want to know what Christian feels first."

Max smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, let's wait for him to rest first... we shouldn't overwhelm him or Toto."

A few hours later... in the night, Christian opened his eyes. He felt dizzy, the room was dark, and reality was gradually taking shape again. It seemed like he had woken up from a nightmare, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He remembered Max bringing him to his room and giving him sedatives, and he slowly drifted off.

He got up from the bed very slowly, still feeling drowsy from the medication. Then, he picked up his phone and checked the time; it wasn't very late yet. But he still had things to do. Later, there was the second practice, and he needed to prepare because the Qualifying was the next day.

Then he heard someone opening the door to his room.

"Oh, you're awake," Max said, entering with some bags of food. "I brought food... soup, some vegetables, and tea."

"Max, thank you very much, but... I really don't feel like eating right now..." he began to say. He was hungry, but he didn't want to eat.

"You have to eat... I didn't ask if you wanted to. You have to," Max said, serving the food.

Christian sighed, knowing that Max wouldn't be easily dissuaded, so he made his way to the table and slowly started eating. Afterward, Max helped him with his work, even though Christian insisted that the driver should rest to prepare for practice, Max refused.

He couldn't concentrate enough, neither in the practices nor in the Qualifying, and the weekend was turning into a disaster for his team. Sometimes, he looked at Toto on the screens in the pit lane, and his heart would ache. He could feel tears wanting to emerge, but he couldn't let them.

On the other hand, Toto was being as strong as he could during the day, but at night, he couldn't help but fight against his own thoughts and pain. In the middle of the weekend, he had to schedule an appointment with his therapist to cope with everything. Lewis had been helpful, always asking how he was and if he needed anything.

But he felt depressed and hurt. He felt so alone, with a chaos in his mind, not knowing if what he had done was right or wrong. He could still feel Christian's lips on his, still feel the moans that escaped his mouth when Toto attacked without thinking things through.

He had anxiety attacks because his mind was in turmoil, because he blamed himself for what he had just done. But at the same time, he wanted to go back, wanted to hug him, wanted to tell him that it didn't matter.

When Toto thought he was getting over his love for Christian, this situation showed him that it wasn't the case. If he had anxiety attacks, intrusive thoughts, depression, it was because his love was killing him. It was his broken heart still mourning for his love. He didn't want to accept that they had hurt each other this way, and undoubtedly, the weekend was going to feel long at this rate.

Max and Checo had been trying to cheer up Christian for the rest of the weekend, even though the team hadn't performed well. Days later, the drivers had invited Christian to have dinner with them, but what he didn't expect was to find Lewis Hamilton there. Suddenly, Christian found himself in a group therapy session.

On one hand, Checo had been in Formula 1 for a long time, just like Christian, and he had always had the characteristic of being quite observant. He had realized what was going on between Toto and Christian long before they did. So he knew that after the 2021 season, things could have gotten tough, but not to the extent of pretending as if nothing had happened.

Then there were Lewis and Max. After the events of 2021, these two took the time to get to know each other, and fate made them fall in love during the process. Christian was surprised when he saw Lewis in the background during a call with Max.

So there they were, their two drivers and one from Mercedes, eating at a table, and Christian could sense tension on Lewis's part. However, he focused on eating and engaging in small talk until he decided it was time to leave.

"Well, guys, thanks for the meal. I think... I'll take my leave," he said when he smiled politely and was about to get up.

"Christian, we need to talk," Hamilton suddenly spoke, and Max gave him a small nudge. "What? Isn't that the idea?" he said, looking at his boyfriend.

Christian felt a knot in his stomach.

"Yes, but it shouldn't have been like that," Max said, annoyed.

"Ahem," Checo made a sound. "Well, Christian, we do want to talk with you, but you don't have to feel cornered or anything like that."

"Exactly, Chris... I feel bad for not helping you properly. I feel like I let you down, and I thought everything would be resolved easily," Max added.

"It's not your fault, Max... I... I didn't analyze anything either. I just wanted to help without realizing that I was to blame," Christian said softly.

"Did you really want to help him? After what happened in the season and then ignoring him afterward?" Lewis said, sounding quite serious and upset, something unusual for him.

"Lewis..." Max whispered in reprimand.

"Okay, Max," Christian said. "He's right to be like this... and no, Lewis, I didn't exactly know how... how I hurt him," he said, feeling a lump in his throat. He felt cornered.

"I want to know what you were thinking before you knew," the Mercedes driver questioned.

Christian sighed. "Well... I thought... it was obvious because of the 2021 season that he and I were distant, but I completely ignored what he was going through. I was also upset because he and I..." he couldn't finish his sentence because he felt like crying.

"Because he and you liked each other... a lot," Checo said. "So you got mad because he simply distanced himself, and your relationship was left in limbo. So you weren't going to beg."

Christian was genuinely surprised. Checo was very observant. Although the young man was usually quiet, he was spot-on in what he said. "Yes... although I also thought Toto was a sore loser and that his anger would pass in a few months, but I was wrong. He distanced himself, and with that, everything between us faded away."

"Do you love him?" Lewis asked. "The truth... be honest with me..." Then he paused and added, "Christian... Toto is considering resigning as Team Principal. He'll be absent from Japan and Qatar to study the team's behavior when he's not around. So tell me the truth... do you love him?"

Christian felt a mix of emotions. He felt like his world was collapsing, yet he also felt that everything was a lie. He didn't want to believe it.

++++++++

Singapore had ended a week ago, and Japan was just around the corner. Toto had returned to Monaco, and in the media, it was reported that he would be absent to oversee some negotiations for the team. In reality, he was taking a break and evaluating how the team would function without him.

He had reached the breaking point. That conversation with Christian, being so... so... hypocritical with him, was the last straw, and now he preferred to leave rather than stay.

His therapist had told him that the process was about being able to overcome everything without Christian's presence affecting him. But he couldn't take it anymore. He felt like he was regressing instead of moving forward.

In Japan, the team hadn't performed as well. For some reason, Lewis and George were displaying strange behavior. When he was present on the track, they didn't behave like that. Additionally, Red Bull had won another title, but that seemed insignificant to him, even though he felt a pain in his chest once again.

The days went by, and he knew the change would be difficult. This was just a taste of what he would experience later: a life without stress, without the rush, simply a different life. However, leaving the sport in which he had lived for so long seemed so hard, but he knew it was necessary.

In any case, he still handled some team matters, just not as much as before. His mind couldn't stop thinking: "The track must be improved due to the Qatar conditions," "We need to check for updates," "The front wing needs adjustments." The days when he dealt with team issues were more manageable than the days he had to distract himself.

This was one of those days.

Toto didn't know what time he had woken up in the early hours and couldn't get back to sleep. He lay in his bed and didn't want to check his phone in the hope of falling asleep again. However, he soon realized it was dawn as light filtered through the curtains. Despite the room being at a comfortable temperature, he couldn't fall back asleep, so he decided to start his day.

He did some exercise and then had breakfast, avoiding the news and his phone in general because it would be filled with Formula One. He had found a course on economics and new investments. Perhaps focusing his mind on that would help him get through the day.

While he concentrated on the topics he was watching through 40-minute videos, he received a call from the front desk, saying that he had a visitor. Toto wasn't expecting anyone, but the guard mentioned that it was a colleague of his, so he thought it might be someone from the team coming to visit before heading to Qatar.

When he heard the doorbell, he prepared to open the door and was taken aback when he saw his visitor.

Christian...

The latter looked up, locking eyes with Toto. Toto didn't realize that he had been hiding behind the door, just staring at Christian standing there, not knowing what to do.

"Hello," Christian said, feeling nervous. "I know you're wondering what I'm doing here..." He looked down, took a deep breath, and added, "I want to talk... I know you don't want to see me or hear from me... but at least... I'm asking you for a chance..."

Time froze as they both stared at each other, Christian nervously and fearing a punch or just Toto closing the door... one of the two things would hurt more than the other, and it wasn't the punch. Toto was confused, not knowing how to respond or what the right decision was.

So he didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but he was calling this situation "closure." If this could be necessary for when he retired, maybe leaving without resentment would help. He might be able to watch a Formula One race without feeling hurt or uncomfortable.

The car ride was really short, and they went in silence. Christian told him they could talk outside, so it wouldn't feel like he was invading his space. Toto accepted it as an unspoken agreement.

And then they arrived at the pier.

"Well... we're here," Christian said.

Toto looked around, there weren't even benches to sit on.

"Oh no... it's not here, rather... it's there," said Christian, pointing to a yacht in the distance on the sea, and there was a boat waiting to take them there.

Toto was surprised, and nostalgia washed over him. He gazed at the boat, and Christian noticed, smiling a little. It was a good sign.

Once they were on the yacht, they were alone. It was beautiful, he had to admit. Outside, where you could see the sea, there were blankets, wine, some treats... very similar to... that day. And Toto realized it was a recreation of their date.

"I thought you'd prefer to be in a comfortable place... something warm and reminiscent," Christian mentioned, approaching.

Toto didn't realize when his eyes filled with tears. Christian noticed and wanted to reach for his arm and show a sign of support, but Toto moved reflexively and out of fear.

Christian sighed, gathered his courage, and said, "Toto..." He felt a knot of nervousness. "I know that sometimes I can be an idiot, saying things without thinking about the consequences, and I didn't realize it when I spoke at that press conference... and then I just kept going."

"Why?" Toto found his voice. "Why didn't you reach out to me then? We didn't get back together in private..."

"Because I'm an idiot," said Christian, feeling the tears, "I thought all the time as a team manager… I focused so much on the team, that I forgot another important thing in my life… which is more important than championships that are They can win later… I simply thought that you wouldn't want me around… without thinking that those words and that doubt had left you a thorn… and then the championship ended and I foolishly thought that you would look for me, I thought you a "Sore loser" for a while…until it seemed strange that you won't look for me again…then I started to deal with the fact that you left me and everything was up in the air."

Toto looked away, tears streaming down his face. "I was hoping you'd come to me... thinking you'd understand what you said and what you continued to say afterward," he whispered.

Christian took a deep breath and said, "But I'm here... late, I know... but I'm here to show you that I didn't mean to hurt you... that I didn't think about what you were going through... that I didn't think that every word for you was like a stab, increasing your anxiety and the thought that I had used you..." After a pause, he added, "What I mean is that I love you... and I'm here recreating that date we had years ago... when you brought me to see the sunset, when we talked about many things and then cuddled together... and then I saw you, and I knew I loved you, and I still love you... and I want to win you back." Christian's voice was choked with tears.

After a moment of silence, their breaths interrupted by sobs, Toto said, "I also knew on that date that I loved you... and I still know that I love you... that's why this suffering has been so difficult to bear... that's why I decided that it's best to retire and go far away... to get you out of my heart..."

Christian looked down, for a moment, he thought he had lost the battle... that he couldn't win Toto back.

"But I realized I can't," Toto said later, and both locked eyes. "I can't stop loving you."

Christian closed the distance between them to embrace Toto warmly and then sealed the moment with a soft, loving kiss.

"Although you should know that this won't go away overnight... the thoughts will attack me... as well as the anxiety, and..." Toto said.

"I know... I'll be there for you, truly... we will overcome this together... we will heal you, my love," Christian said, smiling gently.

Toto smiled, a genuinely happy smile he hadn't shown in a long time, making Christian melt once again.

After a while, with soft kisses and gentle caresses, they snuggled together, watching the sunset.

"So Lewis, Max and Checo gave you group therapy" said Toto.

"Something like that, but it helped me gather the courage to do all this," Christian said, "to take the risk."

"It seems that this time the fairy tale ending worked for Max" Toto joked and they both laughed.

"Well, this time, the fairy godmother Lewis helped,"

"That's why it worked then," Toto said in a proud, playful tone, referring to his seven-time champion.

"Ha-ha... also thanks to Checo... he helped me process things from an outside perspective... that guy... observant and not very talkative, but when he speaks, it's worth it," Christian said.

"Yeah, he's a clever guy... well, all three of them were," Toto complimented. Then, he kissed Christian's neck, making him sigh and smile as he felt Toto's lips.

For Christian, nothing mattered more than being there with Toto, secluded in their little world, putting the races aside for a while, working to rekindle their love and heal their wounds once and for all.

+++++++

So a final part for this Angst I couldn't leave them like this, sorry.

Small appearance of Mewis 💞 @phantomwritr

And another small appearance of Checo💝 @silvereds

[artist-issues]

Hi! I've seen you comment a bit here and there about Pocahontas. This movie has had this quite messy reputation attached to it since it came out and hasn't been able to escape from it since then. Personally, I've always liked Pocahontas, but I do acknowledge that it has its glaring issues, especially when it comes to the context of what actually went down and Pocahontas's true story. I'm interested in reading your thoughts on the movie and what Disney could have done better regarding the whole "diversity" and historical accuracy thing. I genuinely believe Disney had the best of intentions when it came to the themes, message and depiction of Native American culture, but the execution unfortunately did not seem the most appropriate at times. What do you think?

I don’t know. I don’t have a settled opinion on Pocahontas. I will say I really enjoy it, and I think maybe the aesthetics of the movie are what appeal to me the most because it’s the one I want to have on in the background most often.

When you say “what Disney could’ve done better regarding the whole ‘diversity’ and historical accuracy thing” and “did not seem the most appropriate at times,” I don’t know if I understand what you mean. I don’t know if I understand what anyone means when they say that.

There are almost zero cold hard facts about the historical Pocahontas that EXPERTS agree on. Almost zero. So when people say “oh no, it wasn’t historically accurate,” it’s like, “no, of course it’s not. It’s a fairy tale based on a historical person that we know very little about to begin with.” Seems like what they’re mainly mad about is that Historical John Smith’s version of Historical Pocahontas saving him is the framework for the animated film, and we all generally agree that his version was fake. And people are mad about that?

But…why? If it’s already supposed to be a fairy tale loosely inspired by a historical person we know very little about…I mean, nobody is furious with the Robin Hood stories and going “how dare you misrepresent Robin of Lockersley, 1160, and King Richard I!!” Because we all know that they’re stories loosely based on—anyway. You get my point. Why would you have beef about a fairy tale being based loosely? Moving on.

You can say “because now generations of kids are growing up thinking that’s the real story of Pocahontas!! What an outrage!”

…All right, well, then you’re doing a terrible job teaching your kids discernment as a parent. When kids I’m responsible for watch a movie, I tell them “it’s a movie. It’s not real.” If it’s a movie about historical events, I tell them, “If you want to know more about the real story, let’s learn about the real story.” It’s not on Disney to teach your kids that a fairy tale is a fairy tale, it’s on you.

Anyway, you get it. Moving on.

Thing is, the Pocahontas movie’s message is “Love tries to understand, not to possess.” Great message. Especially good when applied to the problem of prejudice.

So then, they just shift the events, the character motivations, and the depictions around as needed, like they would any fairy tale in order to send that message in the best way. And because it is a fairy tale, not a documentary, great. Do it.

If Historical John Smith’s fake story makes that message more compelling, great. Use pieces of it. Why not? After all, they never claimed that this was the true, accurate history of colonization, the Anglo-Powhatan war, or John Smith’s interactions with Pocahontas. If they had made that claim, sure, let’s talk about historical accuracy. But they didn’t, so let’s not.

That’s all I had to say about the “historical inaccuracies” thing. Now let’s talk about “representation.”

What is it that people have an issue with here? Did they really want Disney to animate hundreds of Powhatan’s people dying of disease? Did they want Disney to animate heads getting chopped off and women getting raped? What’s the argument? That Disney should’ve made the colonists the clear and undeniable villains, the monsters of history, and the Native Americans 100% pure and innocent, wronged victims?

They’re not mad that Disney did a bad job representing Native Americans in a movie that was supposed to be a fairy tale. They’re mad that Disney didn’t represent Native Americans the way they would’ve.

Far as my eyes can see, people who call Pocahontas racist or misrepresentative just don’t want the story to be “Love tries to understand, not to possess.” They want the story to be “White colonists were unredeemable racist monsters and sub-human tyrants who deserved to rot in hell, while the Native American people were entirely innocent victims who did nothing wrong.’

The problem is that’s just not a true, or even helpful message for any movie to have. Sorry. The statement I just typed out up there in bold is not a true or helpful statement. And thank God the Pocahontas movie didn’t make it.

There’s nothing racist being said in the Pocahontas movie. There are depictions of the sin of racism in the Pocahontas movie. There is a difference. Characters in the Pocahontas movie talk and sing about each other as if the other people group is sub-human. That is a depiction of racism. But the message of the movie, and the way it treats Native Americans, is to treat them like human beings. Therefore, the message is not racist.

In terms of who is good and who is bad, who is right and who is wrong, the movie very clearly shows that the Native American characters did not start the violence. The Native American characters did not want war. The Native American characters were willing to be friendly and willing to defend their land and each other. The Native American characters were the first to try and make peace with the colonist characters. And they were all (Kocoum included) entirely human characters. They were even the good-guy-coded characters, in the movie’s conflict. All of the Native American side characters are noticeably smarter, kinder, drawn more carefully, and are more heroic than the white characters. (When Thomas is thrown overboard the other white side characters leave him behind. In contrast, when Namonteck is shot the other Native American side characters rescue him immediately and fall back.) And, not a caricature among them. Meanwhile, Wiggins, Ben, and Lion are all drawn with exaggerated characteristics. The heroine is Pocahontas the Character, not John Smith the Character. So what is the issue you have?

What people think is racist is the “idealization” of a Native American woman falling in love—or, as they like to say now—“committing herself to a white colonist.” But that’s like…a gross oversimplification of the movie. John Smith (the character) committed himself right back to her, nobody wants to talk about that? Also, they low key didn’t commit themselves to each other at all costs—he tries to, at the end of the movie, stay with her or have her come with him, and she won’t leave her home and her people?? So what’s the argument?

Not to mention, why is anyone even upset that the character Pocahontas falls in love with a white colonist character? Are you saying that this sort of thing would never happen? That a young woman who’s people are embattled with and mistreated by invaders would never find one invader who comes to an understanding with her, and then they fall in love? You’re mad because that would never happen? Incorrect. It happened all the time in history. It happens all the time in other stories you love, like West Side Story.

Who the heck cares if it didn’t happen exactly that way (even though maybe it did) with the historical Pocahontas? We already established that this wasn’t supposed to be a historically accurate retelling, it was supposed to be a loosely-based fairy tale. And the message “Love tries to understand, not to possess,” works perfectly with a fairy tale where the girl from one side of a racially-charged hate war understands and falls in love with a guy from the other side.

I mean people who talk about Pocahontas, the historical figure, with reverence and respect, all usually agree on one thing: she did help maintain some kind of peace between colonists and Native Americans. Whether or not you think the colonists should’ve even been there in the first place is beside the point—sorry, but it is; they were there, now let’s deal with the reality.

So when Disney makes a movie where the goal is to tell the message “Love tries to understand, not to possess,” and they have to be true to the universally-agreed-upon “Pocahontas probably helped bring some peace…” in their fairy tale…why on earth do you have a problem with Pocahontas the Character falling in love as a reason for bringing about that peace?

It’s because you don’t find “falling in love” to be anything other than demeaning for a woman. And it’s because you don’t want John Smith, or any white colonist character, to be depicted as human. You want them all to be unredeemable racist monsters.

The goal is no longer to have movies that say what Pocahontas said. We don’t want movies where there’s messy racism, but then it ends with attempts at peace and understanding. We want movies where there’s entirely one-sided racism, and then revenge for that racism. That’s what we want. We want endless apologies and zero forgiveness.

And for better or worse, Pocahontas is not a movie about endless apologies and zero forgiveness.

IN CONCLUSION: 1. None of the “you” statements were directed at you, idiosyncraticrednebula. 🫡

2. Anyone who wants to teach me where I’m wrong is welcome to, but you have to show your work, and you have to be consistent, you can’t just say “lol imagine thinking Pocahontas isn’t racist. You are the problem.” and then block me. 🙄 all right, well, you can, but all you’ll get out of it is an echo chamber.

3. If you want me to talk about the art, the storytelling, the quality of the movie outside of all this (and it should be outside of all this, because this was a fairy tale, not a historically accurate documentary) it’ll have to be in a different ask, and I’m happy to.

4. Should Disney have made it more clear that this was a fairy tale, a stylized story based only loosely on historical events? …Yeah. Definitely should’ve done a Prince of Egypt-style title card or something. But they didn’t—so now show me why it’s racist or misrepresentative.

[otomefiend]

Victor

Story Event: Wicked love blooming in the dark night (part two)

Chapter 1

There are translations of this event floating around already but since I finished it a while ago and just needed to edit it/add some pics I thought I would share it.

Never too much Victor in your life.

Not much in terms of warnings. Just a sexy dork doing shady things.

~~Part 1~~

~~~

Queen's aide Victor. People around him call him the 'Grim Reaper'.

His gentlemanly outstretched hand invites me to hell, heaven, or...

~~~

The atmosphere in the Royal Court was so calm, it naturally straightened one's back.

As a guest of the Queen's aide, I was free to enter and leave the place at leisure; there was no reason to be nervous.

The Crown, an imperial organization under Her Majesty's direct control, was composed solely of the 'Cursed'.

Its existence was a big secret only few people knew, and those unlucky ones who found out would soon lose their lives.

Having learned that secret, I managed to evade death on the condition I would become a fairy-tale writer for a month.

(I already agreed to it, now I have to do my best to fulfil the contract)

As I was walking towards Victor's office, I suddenly felt someone's eyes on my back.

Kate: "...?"

I looked around but there was no one to be seen.

(Ever since I came here, I've often felt this way...)

(…but that's just my imagination, right? I'm just anxious in an unfamiliar environment)

Shaking off the discomfort, I knocked on the door and opened it—

Pop! Victor welcomed me with a smile and the sound of a party popper.

Victor: "Welcome to my office. I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival, Miss Kate."

~~Part 2~~

Victor: "How are you? Any new developments? Problems to solve? Me? I'm in great shape today!"

The fact that this high-strung individual was the right-hand man of Her Majesty the Queen, the ruler of this country,

was difficult for me to swallow.

The person in question hummed a song as he pushed me into a chair and gracefully brewed me a cup of tea.

Kate: "...so Victor. What did you need me for?"

Victor: "Oh! I was so happy to see you, I almost skipped over the important matters."

Victor: "Kate. From now on, your task as a fairy-tale writer is to further your understanding of the Crown."

Victor: "For this reason, I will ask you to choose one of us and spend the whole day as lovers. Yay!"

Kate: "...erm. Why lovers?"

Victor: "That's, hmm, somehow! Wouldn't you say this sounds like a fun idea?"

Kate: "...If you say so?"

Victor: "That's why say yes! Yes! Ye-es!"

His long arm was stretched out towards me.

Kate: "Um, yes. Victor...?"

Victor: "Yours truly is running for the position."

Victor: "Heh, as it happens no one knows more about the Crown than I do."

Victor: "I'm the caretaker of the Crown, also the mother and the father..."

Victor: "Kate, I'm the Queen's aide, but I'm also a member of this fine organization, you know?"

(I could learn a lot by being at his side)

Victor: "Then, if you don't mind, please treat me as your one-day lover."

~~Part 3~~

Victor: "Oh, of course! As your lover, I promise I'll make you smile more than anyone else would."

Victor: "Come on, I can't lose here."

Kate: "You can't lose?"

Victor: "I want to steal your heart before anyone else in the Crown. It might come as a surprise but I'm exceptionally greedy."

He winked mischievously as he proceeded to link our arms.

Kate: "Whoa..!"

Victor: "Alright, come with me! Since you just arrived, is there anything in particular that you need?"

Victor: "We're shopping at Harrods, the UK's number one department store! Let's go!"

~~~

Kate: "Erm... Victor. This isn't a hallway, it's a parlour!?"

Victor: "It's a shortcut if you pass through here. Worth remembering, isn't it?"

He casually strolled through the room where government officials were gathering for a meeting.

(...their stares are incredibly painful!)

Victor: "Oh? The flowers on the table have withered. That's no good."

Victor: "At times like this, Victor's Magic Show to the rescue—! Yay, Fooooo!"

Victor: "Here's a dead flower. But when I put my hand up like this..."

~~Part 4~~

Victor: "At times like this, Victor's Magic Show to the rescue—! Yay, Fooooo!"

Victor: "Here's a dead flower. But when I put my hand up like this..."

At that moment countless pigeons flew out of his hand and scattered around the room.

Kate: "Huh, pigeons!?"

Victor: "Oops, I failed. I'm such a troublemaker."

One of the pigeons landed on the head of a man in a suit.

Councilman in glasses: "...lord Victor. Even though you're the Queen's aide, the Privy Council can't overlook the fact that you do as you please."

Kate: "...Privy Council?"

Victor: "I haven't told you yet. They're called the Privy Council."

Victor: "The official name is 'Her Majesty's Highest Privy Council'. Hmm, that's right, to put simply..."

Victor: "Gathered here are court officials who have the right to advise Her Majesty the Queen!"

Kate: "I see. Thank you for the explanation, Victor."

Victor: "Gentlemen, this is my guest. I asked her to temporarily support me with my work."

Victor: "Her name is Kate. I want her to be treated with plenty of care, like a delicate flower."

Councilman in glasses: "I see. Then, would you like to come to a tea party held by the Council this afternoon?"

Victor: "What do you think, Kate? I want to respect your wishes."

(I may be involved with them in the future. In that case, it would be better to start building a relationship)

Kate: "Then please allow me to join you. Thank you for your kind offer."

~~~

After parting ways with the Privy Council, we boarded a carriage to head into town.

Victor: "Kate, members of the Privy Council are amongst the few who know about the existence of the Crown."

Kate: "...is it possible they don't like the Crown?"

Victor: "Huh?"

Kate: "Something about the atmosphere in there, and the cold stares directed at me."

Victor: "Miss Kate. I am in awe of your powers of observation. Indeed, that's right."

Victor: "They are a group of people with a strong sense of justice who follow Her Majesty the Queen."

Victor: "That's why they don't approve the existence of people who deviate from justice and morals; those whom the world would call 'less ordinary'."

Although it was a fragile coexistence, it meant that the Council couldn't expose the Crown that reported directly to Her Majesty the Queen.

Kate: "I don't know what you'd usually consider 'ordinary'..."

Kate: "...but imposing your standards on others is sad, isn't it?"

Victor: "....."

~~Part 5~~

Kate: "Oh, sorry. This sounds conceited..."

Victor: "No, I agree."

Victor: "One is at liberty to have their opinion. However, no one has the right to deprive people of their freedom."

Victor: "Ah, it looks like we've arrived. Come, let's go Kate."

~~~

On the way to Harrods, Victor bought me a three-tiered gelato.

Victor: "This gelato is excellent. Harry, who has a sweet tooth, also likes it and often comes here after a mission."

Victor: "Oh, there's a bakery down the street, isn't there? Ellis likes their baguettes."

I was taking in all the information about the Crown members that Victor shared with me.

(Hehe, he looks like he's having a lot of fun. He really loves everyone in the Crown)

His affection was so contagious I found myself warming up to him and the others.

Baker: "Isn't that lord Victor?! Bring the cute lady here, sir."

Victor: "Hi James. As it happens, this lady is my lover."

Victor: "Can I have your special croissant for her? The one with plenty of powdered sugar!"

Bookstore clerk: "Lord Victor! The book I mentioned the other day has arrived!"

Victor: "Mike! Really? I have to stop by for a chat."

(He's so popular! How can he remember everyone's names?)

One might think the title of Queen's aide would turn people off,

but on the contrary, he was adored by so many.

It was likely because he approached them as people first, regardless of their class or titles.

(I could understand why Her Majesty wanted to have him at her side)

Spending time in Victor's company, surrounded by joy and laughter, I could feel my heart lift.

~~~

A few hours later, after shopping and talking to countless people in Harrods,

Victor: "This might prove challenging."

Chapter 2