#janny rants

[janny-aqua]

Ok, I want Sheva to be happy. I want Sheva and Merah to bond with each other their tragic past and their loss of their loved ones. I want Sheva and Merah to go out and go to auditoriums where cosmic shows happens and stuff. I want Sheva and Merah to ride around in motorcycle during sunset. I want Sheva and Merah to be an couple.

[wingamy24]

a lot of jeff/annie shippers have said that i'm just a no-fun anti that fixates on their age gap and, like, yeah, obviously. that's the main problem. but i also think jeff/annie go against both of the character's development.

annie constantly tries getting her "dream man" because she feels the need to be loved. she needs someone to love her and give her approval. she sees that man as jeff because, in her words, she believes that if she teaches someone like him to love, then she'll be loved forever. i think that jeff/annie could've been used as a way to make annie mature and realize that she doesn't need a 35 year old man's approval or attention and that she can love herself the same way... of course, this doesn't work if you try to make them endgame.

and jeff, well... basically, community finale. jeff sees annie as his youth, the one he desperately wants back. and, also, he feels lonely. he's a cold guy that constantly needs to look cool in front of his friends. he's VERY lonely. he doesn't want annie: same as her, he just wants to be loved. he's not used to loving. he wants to experience it, but as annie said in his weirdass fantasy where she was married to him... "is this what you really want?"*

i don't know, i feel like shipping jeff and annie is the equivalent of throwing their characters through the window of a 13-floor building.

*that's the translation of the spanish subtitles, i can't exactly remember what annie actually said in english.

5/3/24 update (i forgot that i wanted to add this)

in general, it just feels like they both want a completely different relationship with a completely different person, and they're trying to force the other to be that person. im mostly talking about annie here. if your favorite community character is jeff winger, you probably are his #1 hater, like me. annie doesn't deserve jeff. she deserves way better. and im not saying this in a "they are so silly hahaha annie deserves so much better than this silly guy" no, annie would get hurt in a relationship with jeff. she has high expectations for him. she has high expectations in general. my girl is FRESH OUT OF HIGHSCHOOL and the only 2 guys we've seen her canonically date are grownass men she met when she was 18/19. jeff just isn't her guy. can you imagine them actually living together? can you imagine jeff sleeping on a bed full of plushies? can you imagine annie groaning as she saw jeff's magazines of women? (jeff canonically has those, by the way) etc, etc. annie deserves SO MUCH BETTER than jeff. also, she doesn't really... get jeff. i know this is weird, i mean, they're friends. but jeff never really opened up to annie or went to her whenever he had personal issues. i don't think they'd be closer than friends (close friends).

there's also a whole thing in their potential relationship that could be harmful to annie: jeff's addiction to alcohol. i reblogged a post about it a few days ago that you might wanna check out

kk guys it's been like 3 days and i found it it's right here!

[staringdownabarrel]

Okay, so I finished Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts last night. Here's my thoughts.

I'm not a huge fan of the romantic subplot between Mara and Kevin. A lot of this is just because I'm usually not a fan of them in general (a point most people are probably sick of hearing about by this point), but in this case it goes deeper than that.

I will grant that this one is better than what you'd ordinarily find in a Feist novel. I think that's probably Janny Wurts' influence, but again, as I haven't read anything she's written that she didn't cowrite with Feist, I can't prove that. Both Mara and Kevin have their own arcs that exist independently of their romantic subplot, and they have their own motivations. It also doesn't get a happy ending.

However, I'm not entirely convinced that Servant of the Empire really earned its romantic subplot. While it is better written than most Feist romantic subplots--and, if I'm being honest, most romantic subplots by any other author I've read--there's a couple of points that mean it had to go a lot further than it did.

One is that Kevin is a slave. The Tsurani form of slavery is built in such a way that there's no way for a slave to ever be freed, outside of a couple of very specific situations that are difficult to replicate. This means that it's both harsher than a lot of historical, real-world forms of slavery (as abhorrent as slavery is, at least real-world slaves can occasionally either escape or be released), and harsher than the form of slavery common in Kevin's homeland, the Kingdom of the Isles (where it's only applied as a punishment associated with life imprisonment).

Because of that, this is never going to be a relationship between equals. To Servant's credit, this is a huge part of Mara's angst over the relationship, and it does feed into several plot points along the way.

My contention is that the book is adamant in acting as if this was a consensual relationship, or at least would be if it weren't for the slavery issue. That's not really the angle it should have come from. If the Mara-Kevin romance was going to be a thing no matter what, I think the emphasis should have been on how Kevin not only didn't consent to it, he never would. I think this would have made a lot more sense given the power dynamics and given that Kevin was previously a Kingdom noble who'd been fighting against the Tsurani invasion.

I don't think it'd make sense for him to just live with it because to him, this form of slavery should be so offensive that he sees it as a moral imperative to resist anything Mara wants. Kevin is introduced as a slave that incites trouble with the other slaves anyway, so this would make sense given how he's introduced.

My other contention is that I don't think this is necessarily the most interesting path they could have taken Mara down. I think it would have been a lot more interesting if, after having ascending to power by accident (after almost taking religious vows at a Tsurani equivalent of a convent), and after experiencing Bunto as a horrible husband, her response had basically been to swear off relationships altogether.

This too had been a small part of her arc anyway. While she was aware that there was a cultural and political expectation that she'd eventually remarry another member of a noble family, she wasn't really entirely sold on the idea. The story tries to chalk it up to Bunto being a bad husband and her blooming romance with Kevin, but I think it would have been more interesting if the actual reason had been that she just didn't find sex or romance particularly appealing.

I think this would have been a better fit for her character arc in general, too. A lot of Mara's decisions over the course of this book (and the previous book, Daughter of the Empire) is based around her being unconventional by Tsurani standards. So why not have it so that even independent of Bunto's treatment, she already leaned towards being aromantic or asexual and probably wouldn't have sought out a romantic pairing if it hadn't have been for the family she was born into?

Even if they went down this road, they still could have kept owning slaves as one of Mara's character flaws. It's mentioned at one point that she hadn't really thought of how difficult having Bunto around had been for her servants until years after the fact, so it would have made sense that she'd never consider the moral issue of slavery up until, say, Milamber's departure from Kelewan. It's an established part of her character that she isn't always the most empathetic person when it comes to people she either doesn't know personally or regards as being beneath her station. (And, in fact, by extension, Tsurani society rewards this trait to an extent because the entire society would crumble if people in power had higher degrees of empathy.)

It's especially unfortunate because other than this subplot, Servant of the Empire is actually pretty decent. It manages to avoid middle book syndrome--the plot continues moving in this book, so it's not all just setting stuff up for the third book. This is probably for the best because, depending on what edition of this you get, the book is over 800 pages long.

It also manages to continue avoiding the big problem with interquels--that is, it isn't just relitigating the same plot points from a different perspective. There's a few points where stuff that happened in Magician and Silverthorn are brought up and they do have an impact on this book's storyline, but they're not the main focus. The story remains about Mara and her political maneuvering, not on the fallout of things Pug/Milamber did in the main series.

So for the most part, I do think it's worth reading; I just think it gets derailed a little bit because of a mishandled romance subplot that didn't really need to be there.

[trustonlystars]

You know sisters are made of different bones altogether. They're all about stories and more stories. You see, that's how there is never an end to a conversation. If you ever heard our discussions about our dreams, you'd be smitten! We hold life like petals and feathers, we adore each moment and every person who walks through our stories. I don't remember the last time I had a normal conversation with any of my sisters. You see, we create these little worlds for ourselves, where we basically rant and gossip, mostly about our exes- especially about our exes. The way we talk, if a guy ever heard us - I am not sure if he'd feel guilty or downright want to be a part of that conversation. You see, there is nothing you can hide from your sister, that's not how it works. There is a way we have conversations without having conversations. It's amusing to be one, and it's a muse to have one.

- trustonlystars | Jannie F | #NaPoWriMo

[roseandgold137]

Alternative to last one

Ficlet prompt:

Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON

(Cheesy I know but it’s what I’ve got for you)

Okay so it’s not necessarily “shut up and dance with me” but she does say “dance with me” so it’s basically the same thing right

-

Kelly’s house party invitations had promised a lot. And, in fairness to her, she’d delivered on most of it; her parents were well-off, so it wasn’t really a surprise that she’d arranged the pool, DJ, and catering; even the LED lights she’d added to the rooms weren’t all that unexpected. What wasn’t expected was the complete and utter lack booze, a fact that Janet was regrettably aware of, trapped in conversation with someone who cared far too much.

“I didn’t come here to be sober,” the person grumbled, not seeming very sober to Janet. They probably pre-gamed the party, which, actually, makes sense, because Janet wasn’t sure she’d ever met this guy in her life.

‘I’ve never seen you before in my life,’ she was tempted to say, but decided against it. Instead, she just hummed, and looked around for her salvation.

There - Helena was in the crowd, her and Lorna, and given that the dude didn’t seem to be thinking all that clearly anyway, Janet managed to slip away unnoticed, and he continued ranting at the wall.

Helena saw her almost instantly, eyes lighting up. At least, Janet thought they did, but it was difficult to tell with how the lights caught on the lenses of her glasses. “Hey! Janet!”

“Hey, Hel,” Janet said, smiling. Lorna waved at her, only to be tapped on the shoulder by Malcolm, and brought onto the dance floor. Janet couldn’t be sure if she saw her wave in return. “Have you seen Jack?”

“No,” Helena replied, craning her neck over the crowd. Her glittery nails kept drawing Janet’s attention back to her hands, where she held a glass of… apple juice? Cranberry juice? It was difficult to tell under the changing lights. “I mean, he’s pretty tall, shouldn’t be that hard to find him.”

“Yeah,” Janet agreed, also craning her neck, but she didn’t see anything Helena couldn’t. “He might be outside? I think there’s supposed to be a barbecue.”

“Wait, seriously? I want barbecue,” Helena said. She grabbed Janet’s hand and they made their way through the crowd. Janet’s cream skirt suddenly felt far less practical once they were outside, with winter well under way. No snow, yet, but honestly, she would have been fine for snow; frost and chilliness was far worse.

Jack was, indeed, beside the barbecue, and Janet skipped over to him. “Jack!”

He looked up at her, face splitting into a smile. He held up his phone. “Janny! I was just about to text you,” he said, kissing her cheek. “I brought you some chocolates. They’re in my bag, I left it in the front hall.” Janet kissed his nose.

“I love you,” she said. “We should go back inside. There’s a dance floor. And it lights up.”

“‘Course it does,” Jack said, smiling against her lips. He linked his hand with hers, the other dropped to her waist, and he swayed in a slow circle with her. “Will you offer me this dance?”

“Shut up and dance with me,” Janet giggled, slipping out from his grip to drag him inside. Helena gave her an amused thumbs up from where she stood at the barbecue as Janet took Jack to the dance floor.

[the-panmixxia]

Pound of Prevention (and an ounce of cure) Chapter 5

Two figures wandered through narrow alleys, closely following a magical, purple thread as it flickered in and out of existence. Janus huffed in frustration as it completely disappeared, lowering his hands and rubbing them to ease the cramping.

"This isn't working." Janus mumbled, rather grumpy. Remus grinned, quite happy to trot next to the frustrated warlock.

"I still say we should hijack a sound system and blast Paramore until the little emo scuttles out of a crevice!"

Janus simply rolled his eyes, fiddling with the lapels of his peacoat before reengaging his spiritual bonds. A neon green thread lead straight to Remus, an orange thread trailing far east to his brother a few states away. And one, faint purple thread, barely there and leading them dead ahead. A tether to Virgil.

A tether that flickered once more, and disappeared into nothingness.

"Don't fret, Janny! It was going a bit to the left. That's a direction to get waking in, huh?"

The two kept walking, Janus eyeing the sky critically. It was going to rain soon, and in no less than an hour Virgil would be transforming back into a kitten. The guilt threatened to eat him alive at any moment, though it was rather difficult to wallow in past mistakes when a devilish imp was hanging off your arm, singing crude parodies to pop songs under their breath.

"Hmm. Maybe Virgil is in there?" Remus says with a smirk, nodding towards a building across the street. Music could be heard from inside, and neon signs in the window depicting silhouettes of girls in bikinis, it was rather apparent what the place was. "I think we ought to check it out, just in case."

"Something tells me that our socially anxious, asexual friend is not going to be in a bloody strip club!"

Remus simply grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "I dunno, maybe spook will surprise you. I bet Virgie is getting a lap dance right now. Oh, can you imagine?"

Janus scoffed, cuffing the horny imp round the ear. "Give the Gods a break Remus, we find Virgil this week I'll give you a lap dance myself. Let's get moving."

With the vague promise of a lap dance from his favorite, uptight warlock, Remus seemed a lot more motivated to find the third roommate. That's not to say Remus wasn't worried about Virgil, or that he didn't want spook back. It was just that…well, Virgil was a human equivalent of an adult, and technically within spooks right to disappear into the night like a much less intimidating Batman.

The pessimism was pissed out of his bloodstream the second Janus was able to clench his ass and get the magic up and running once more. This time, the thread traveled a few feet ahead before curving upwards to a tall apartment complex. It disappeared before it could hit a particular floor, but unless Virgil was hovering behind the building with a new found flying ability, then spook was almost definitely in that apartment building. Spooks house, most likely. At least that curbed one concern, that Virgil's intense hatred of social interaction lead to a lack of job and housing. Before all this drama Virgil was working at an extremely quiet leather shop, usually spending spooks whole day listening to some variant of a "this generation doesn't know good leather when they see it" rant. Virgil insisted it was better than dealing with customers.

"Oh, fuck yeah. Imma be having that lap dance before sunrise!"

Janus flushed a gentle pink on the left of his face, tugging his gloves with a huff.

"Oh, shut up. We've got at least a hundred apartments to search, and before that we've got to find a way in without looking like criminals."

"Pshh. No building is gonna keep my slippery dick in or out."

//

"Bitch. BITCH! NU-UH, I'm liking none of this."

"Remy, we've been brainstorming all week. I'm telling you, Patton had zero interest in eating me. I think fae just fosters cats? Like, for fun?"

"Latte didn't need fostering, she had an extremely loving owner!"

"I mean, you never really got her chipped or put any identification on her. Besides those stupid crochet hats you'd wrestle on to her."

Remy let out a primal hiss that would've had any caregiving vampire going feral, though only served to raise Virgil's brow in an unamused manner - spook had heard the whole spectrum of nestling noises from Remy, not much have Virgil pause anymore.

"Sorry, Remy. Those hats were dumb. And I need to get fostered by this big ass werewolf so I can bite a big ass chunk of fur out to act as a pelt."

"And then I'm gonna bust you out by knocking on the door and insisting that's my kitty?"

"Yeah. You should have finished at the library by nine am, come back with your librarian venom and once I've poofed back we should be golden to go through this reversal!"

"This is gonna suck. You're making me deal with two of the biggest bitches ever, like I actually don't know who's worse, the nerdy librarian or the cat-napping dog -"

Virgil huffed, smacking Remy's arm to stop them mid rant. "Are you doing it or not, Remy?"

The two paused, staring at each other, Virgil trying to control spooks anxious breathing and Remy - well, they technically didn't have to breathe, but he sighed and huffed plenty.

"Of course, Vee. We've got each other's back, we're cov-... Uh, a couple of pals. Besties. Roommates for life."

Spook huffed a laugh, it was always amusing how awkward Remy got at any form of affection despite his usual sass and confidence. Still, Virgil probably shouldn't mock it.

"Thank you. Let's get this sorted. I'm gonna turn into a cat anytime now. Drop me on floor twelve and I'll try and be caught by -"

Ah. Cat mode activated, apparently, as Virgil suddenly got very close to Remy's boots. The vampire shuffled back, cooing softly before scooping Virgil up.

"We need to get a proper cat after this, babes. I miss Latte's baby phase, she was such a scruffy little kitten! But not as scruffy as you, babes, don't worry."

That was plain rude. Virgil bit his thumb in retaliation, but diligently plopped into a loaf position on Remy's palm. The other thumb rubbed a gentle circle on the back of spooks ears, mm, nice. That deserves a purr.

"Heh, cute little bitch. If this werewolf does end up eating you, I'm totally having your bedroom. You actually have a view, I'm stuck staring at another building's air con units."

Ah, Remy, the eternal drama queen. The two ride the elevator, doors opening to an empty hallway. Remy steps out just enough to peek round the corner, foot in the doorway to keep it open. The coast was clear, so they leant down to whisper to the kitten.

"Right, this is your stop, yeah? You know which door it is?"

It was quite hard to communicate in this tiny body, so Virgil tilted spooks head all the way back to really emphasize the nodding yes. The vampire smiled, reaching into his bag to grab something before rubbing a greasy substance into Virgil's body. Gross.

"All done, babes. You look extra wet and pathetic. See you later."

With that, Virgil was left in the hallway, Remy's disgusting hair gel settling into spooks fur, stinking of chemicals and shea butter. Yuck. Virgil wandered up the hallway, not needing to count the numbers as Patton's door was the only one not swamp green, but still wondering how to get the werewolf's attention.

"With my luck," Virgil thought "Patton isn't even in faer house tonight. In fact, it would be just my luck if Patton has moved out and I'll never get that stupid pelt."

Maybe crying would help? Did spook have the shamelessness to literally cry for attention for a complete stranger? Considering the alternatives were either staying as a cat for half of spooks life or hitting Janus up to beg for a cure, then maybe so.

" Meow. Me-eeeeooowww!" Virgil cried, trying hard to project spooks tiny voice, pacing around the halls. Hopefully Patton's wolf-like hearing extends to faer human form, but Virgil had never actually talked to a were long enough to know very much at all other than etiquette and social rules for different species, which all children learn.

The elevator hummed as it rose to this floor, opening up to let someone out. Virgil flicked an ear, glancing at the doors to see a pair of crisp, white trainers step out. The bright red laces had shiny beads and Disney-themed charms adorning them. When spook actually looked at the person, the pathetic little mewls died out. It was the same fae that Virgil had, rather creepily, stolen the blood of. As weird of a move as that was, Virgil will gladly take the bad karma that arises from that decision at a later date. After the curse has been reversed, please.

"Oh Padre, look! I think it may be the long-lost soot sprite, returned at last!"

Seemed like this fae was adamant on talking like Prince Charming (the Shrek version, and Virgil did intend that insultingly) and spook was quite sure they'd been talking to a father of some sort. The last thing Virgil needed was to be closely examined by an elder fae. This one seemed oblivious to the curse, and their mild fae-features (freckled, where most elder fae had impossibly unblemished skin. Ears pointing a little, instead of ears tall and pointy enough to pierce the lobe thirty times over) meant that they didn't possess the ability to interact with others curses.

An elder, on the other hand, would sniff spooks true form in an instant. Maybe turn spook into something worse, for funsies. Spook didn't feel like interacting with that scenario, so rather literally turned tail to try and hide behind the dying ficus a few doors down.

That plan also didn't last long, as the assumed 'padre' gasped and made a soft, dog-like whimper.

Wolf like, even.

"Oh, kiddo, there you are." a familiar voice crooned.

The mission had, once again changed, and Virgil piloted the tiny body to turn round and stare the Were down. Patton was reaching out, crouching with a few bags round his arms, clearly uncertain if pursuing the 'animal' would be wise or not.

Fuck that.

Virgil meowed a battle cry before charging the wolf, who 'woof-ed' something pleased, ditching the bags to scoop the tiny body up. Yes, wonderful.

"I see you still have that Patton-ted touch with the baby animals, padre." The fae hummed, Patton laughing softly at the dumb pun.

"Oh, Roman, I'm so happy! We gotta get this kiddo checked up, though. Who knows what's happened in the two weeks they've been missing."

Yes, yes, yes. This was all going according to plan. Virgil purred at the Were, lowering his guard so spook may take the winning bite before skedaddling.

Though, the thought did make Virgil a little guilty. Spook was practically using Patton, playing with the Were's kindness of animals to steal his magical fur-

"Could you heat some water, Roman? I'm gonna weigh the kiddo, take their temperature then try and get some food into the poor thing."

Take their temperature.

Even Virgil knew you couldn't stick a thermometer in a cat's mouth and tell it to stay still.

Fuck this. It seems that bad karma has returned once more.

//

"That was my spot and you know it, you blood-sucking asshole!"

A fossil-looking ass pensioner shouted at Remy, over the sound of their own car's honking. It wasn't Remy's fault the old dude took so long to make a single maneuver. They honestly hadn't noticed the tiny, two seat smart car was moving. The car had kept perfectly still as Remy whipped round into the free spot, and only then did the man decide to take offense.

If Virgil was here, the wet little emo would insist Remy apologize and find another spot. Sucks for this old dude that Remy really wasn't in the mood. The vampire grabbed their satchel before standing proudly in front of the other car to flip a hearty bird.

"Shut up, you old turd! Go park literally anywhere else and get off my dick!"

The pensioner's face turned a lovely shade of red, fumbling with his door while mumbling angry nonsense.

"Why, you disrespectful, oversized mosquito. I ought to-"

"Excuse me." A new voice chimed in, firm and authoritative. Remy turned their head slightly to see the library vampire - Logan? Yeah he was called Logan. Def. - standing a few paces behind the two, looking rather unimpressed.

"The only designated parking at this facility is the disabled spots marked in blue. You can not own a parking space and so arguing about which spot is yours is moot."

The old guy scowled even more so, trembling in anger and revving the engine of his car, clearly trying to insinuate he'd ram into Remy. They merely grinned.

Logan did not find it as amusing, and in a blink was in front of Remy, one hand firmly on the hood of the car with a warning grumble that Remy had only ever heard his sire make, when he was a fresh enough turn to keep her attention.

"Your options are, in order of my personal preference; you leave now and find an alternative way to spend your night, you find another place to park - of which there are plenty - and come into the library when you are sufficiently calm, or you can continue to be irate and I can call security to remove you from the premises."

After a tense few minutes the old guy drove off with an angry huff, and while Remy fully intended to give a sarcastic salute, a cold hand encircled his wrist.

"It is not necessary to provoke the situation I have already sorted."

Ugh, boring.

"Fine, babes. Thanks for all the jazz, I'm actually here to see you in particular so, like, I'm glad you're here."

Logan dropped Remy's wrist, gesturing the two to return to the library. "Oh? And why might that be? Do you have more text you need to translate?"

"Not tonight, gurl, I'm here to talk vampire - to - vampire about things vampire."

"I… see." Logan said after a little hesitance, readjusting his tie. "Is there a particular reason that 'vampire' things can not be discussed with your sire, or your coven?"

"Uh, I'm asking the questions, babes. So, uh, tell me. This venom that the spell asked for, yeah? It's from a vampire, but I'm a vampire, and there's no venom coming from me. Is it like a period thing, do I only venom once a month? What's the deal with that?"

Logan blinked, first trying to digest the lingo, and then another long blink as he processed the question.

"...No. A vampire's venom is not akin to a menstrual cycle. An adult vampire on a consistent diet is capable of creating venom regularly, though may temporarily stop production while siring as their body prioritizes producing a feeding blood higher in density and nutrients to assist their nestling's growth. I imagine your inability to produce to venom is that you are, essentially, a vampire's developmental equivalent to a young child, and like children, you are not able to yet produce your own 'offspring' in the form of siring"

"First off, rude, I'm not a kid. Second of all, how the heckin heck am I gonna get the venom Virge needs if my dumbass body hasn't started making it?"

"Well donating a small dose is rather simple and noninvasive, surely you could ask your sire or other coven members to help assist your human friend?"

Remy groaned rather loudly, smacking a palm onto the reception desk. "You obtuse fuck, can't you read a room? Sire and coven are out of the bloody question, stop asking me about it."

He felt kinda bad about snapping, when Logan's face fell slightly, a similar look as to when the librarian briefly thought the two were mocking him. Ugh.

"Sorry, sorry. Not sure why I'm being such a bitch tonight."

"It is alright." Logan responded simply, the look leaving his features as he readjusted his glasses. Remy mirrored the action, pushing their sunglasses back up their nose. "You acting like 'a bitch' is most likely a reflection of a nestling's instinct to avoid abduction."

"Abduction?"

"Yes. Well, nowadays there are paper trails for each individual turning, and proper legal protection for the sire but it wasn't always like that. A lot of elder vampires are, so to speak, a little nestling orientated? They'd love nothing more than to sweep a newly-turned from their sire, and claim them as their own. The process of claiming, though, it's long, stressful, painful, and poses risks to the nestling in question. To combat this, nestlings are hard wired to face new vampires outside of the coven with a disagreeable personality and non-compliance, trying to project the sentiment of 'I am too much trouble to steal' "

"Oh. Ew, that sucks. Anyway, it doesn't help me or Virge get this vamp juice. Any ideas?"

Just offer, just offer your nerdy little venom so I can grab a coffee and a muffin before I have to go rescue the emo-

"Wait. I'm under the assumption 'Virge' is the person with the shape-shifting curse. Was that the person you were here with the other week?"

"Not sure I like how weird your eyes are going, babes. But, yeah, the lil goth kid I had with me."

Logan leant forward, half tense and half excited. He did love piecing a mystery together. Part of the reason he loved planning out his Sherlock fanfictions, honestly.

"What animal does Virge unwillingly shift to?"

"...a cat."

"Is it this cat, in particular?"

A phone was slid towards Remy, and after carefully picking it up hew examined the imagine. A young looking man, standing tall and proud, quaffed hair and a charming smile. Honestly, the dude was hot. The charm and sparkly aura meant this was probably a fae. This fae in particular was holding a very disheveled kitten, wrapped up in a fluffy blue towel and glaring straight at the camera. It was Virgil, undoubtedly, and Remy damn near doubled over in laughter. As they tried to recover, they slid the phone back over, nodding in a silent answer to the question.

"Oh, spook looks pissed! I love it." Then a brief thought. "Shit. Spook isn't meant to be with that guy. Wait, how did you figure out Virgil was this cat?"

"When you last came into the library, I recognised Virgil's scent as the unknown human scent that was left in my shared apartment, from when my roommate had found an assumedly stray kitten to cater to. It was a mystery, one that admittedly poked my territorial nature, and I felt rather indignant when you two entered the first time. However, with no solid evidence and the fact that the offense did not repeat - I opted to not bring it up during our first interaction."

Wait. Logan's roommate had scooped Virgil up as a kitten, and then Virgil had obviously left the apartment, leaving a trail of spook's anxious musk?

"Oh, fuck. You're roommates with the werewolf, aren't you?"

"If by the werewolf you are referring to my roommate, Patton, then yes. Fae is a close friend and I consider fae coven."

Remy simply blinked at the older vampire, cheeks puffed in a blatant 'well shit' expression.

"Welp. At least Virgil got kit-napped by the right person."

"What do you mean? Why would your friend need to be in the care of Patton? Barring the fact that, logically speaking, that's the best place to stay if a small and vulnerable feline."

Remy glanced behind Logan, seeing a coffee vending machine pushed right into the corner by a conference room. It was a shitty brand with no additional flavors, but this matter clearly required some caffeine. So he decided to grab a cup while relaying Virgil's grand scheme to get some wolf hair for their magical uno reverse spell. It might have been rude to walk away while conversing, but the two vampires could hear each other perfectly fine while still speaking in a low tone, and Remy was able up successfully curb the instinctual need to hiss, bite this other vampire, and book it right out of there.

After pushing through that urge, Logan proved quite a good chat-buddy, Remy simply forgot about the sample. Or the rescue mission.

[fuckyeah-dragrace]

Overwhelming kisses for Jankie 🥺

of course berr berr, jankie coming right up!!

25. Overwhelming kisses

Jan sighed and dropped her bags to the ground, Jackie lifting her head from her book with a raised brow. 

“You good, Jan?”

She walked over to the couch and flopped down next to Jackie, the brunette chuckling lightly. “So in guessing it was one of those days, huh?”

“Why do directors make so many changes two weeks before the performance?”

“Yeah I don’t have an answer for that one.” She chuckled. “How bad are the changes?”

It was like a switch flipped and Jan started ranting, going on and on about every little thing in her day from waking up to coming home. Jackie listened attentively, nodding along and giving her all the space she needed. She watched as the blondes hands started to shaking and her voice raised in pitch.

“Jan, hey. Look at me.” Her voice was drowned out as Jan started to hiccup, her breaths unsteady and coming in unevenly. She took her hands in her own and squeezed gently, book abandoned to the side table.

“And I just feel like I’m going to mess up in the show and I don’t want to let everyone down and-“

“Jan. You aren’t going to do that. You’re going to be fine, I know it.” Her voice was loud enough to disrupt Jans flow but only for a moment before starting again and her hands started to tremor again.

“But what if I do? And they put me in charge of teaching the new choreo to the dancers when I don’t even do that.” She sounded more distressed as that spiral spun in her head and right before she was about to plummet down into the pit of doubt she was pulled out and away by a pair of soft lips against hers.

Jackie was kissing her. Jackie was kissing her.

Like some twisted roller coaster of sensation her head spun the opposite way as she drank in all she could of Jackie. Her soft and warm hands in her own, her perfume filling her nose in a swirling mix of lavender and sandalwood, her oh-so-addictively soft lips against her own, tasting her vanilla sweet lipgloss.

Jackie pulled away from Jan, her hands letting go of Jans and coming up to her shoulders. Her thumbs rubbing in gentle circles as the pale blush on Jans cheeks came down. She looked at her and saw that sweet, gentle smile that made Jan swoon with love every time she saw it.

“You’re going to be fine, Jannie. You got this. You’re a superstar beyond belief and I know you got this.” Her words blanketed her in a sense of comfort and love that made her head swim. Jackie pulled Jan into her arms and held her close against her chest, laying back down on couch cushions.

Jan cuddled into her, head resting gently against the older woman’s chest while gentle hands carded through her hair in a practiced way, as if done many times over and a natural motion for them. “How do you always know what I need?” She asked, her voice soft and it made Jackie chuckle.

“Because I love you.” Jan’s heart flipped and her smile grew. Sure they’d been dating for a while now but every time she heard Jackie say those three words she couldn’t help but think that this was all a dream. There is no way this absolutely perfect woman loved her.

“You’ve had a long day, honey. Just relax. I got you.” She pecked her forehead and Jan smiled.

“Love you too, Jacks.” The rest of the tension from the day seemed to leave her as Jackie stroked the blonde hair gently. As her eyes start to droop, all Jan could think about was how lucky she was to have the most amazing girlfriend in the world.

[fakeloveaskblog]

(Hi, me again. I didn’t even notice that Virgil’s section was twice the size of the other ones, that’s very on brand for me isn’t it. Also the different paths were really interesting to look at, thanks for sharing!)

I’m going to follow Janus and Logan to the café, but open up a little void portal so I can spy on the Rems and see when the wake up, so I can alert Logan and Janus.

Glow Eyes

Janus and Logan were sitting in a coffee shop a few streets away from the apartment. They were deep in the middle of a card game, their legs mindlessly rubbing against each other under the table.

"One of my vitiligo patches moved since yesterday" Janus said casually while putting a card out.

They had already finished their tea while their boyfriend still had most of his iced coffee left. The two of them had shared an angel cake as well.

"You don't mean overnight do you? I am aware that it's normal for them to move gradually" Logan replied.

"Overnight"

It made Logan set aside his cards and look at his partner up and down. Surely he would notice if any visible vitiligo patch would have moved that suddenly.

"Continue playing deary" Janus said while laying out another card.

"I can't remember ever reading about a phenomenon regarding patches moving overnight. Maybe you should go to the hospital? OR! We can do some experiments. maybe you can"

He trailed off into a long ramble about the possible research and experiments that could be done. Several time breaking out into annoyed rants about how little solid research had been done about vitiligo before continuing with-

"Checkmate darling!" Janus interrupted as they laid out their last card "I won"

Logan was caught of guard before letting up into a the slightest of smiles "Did you just lie to me about the vitiligo so you could win while I was distracted"

"It's within the rules!" They replied with a smug look.

He did a little congratulatory clap "Playing dirty I see. I suppose there is some valid strategy to that as well"

"What makes that the score then" Janus said while moving over so they were sitting in on Lo's lap with their arms around his shoulder "Surely I must be destroying you by now! It only makes sense!"

"It might take a while to calculate" Logan teased while leaning in for a kiss.

You interrupted them with your alert about Remus and Remy waking up. They gave each other a quick kiss before getting up to leave, iced coffee included.

--

Remy had their mouth filled with muesli as they opened the door "Hi Janny" They greeted "Why did you bring your dog with you?"

Janus opened his mouth to respond before closing it again and squinting over to his boyfriend "Hello...?"

Remus waved to them "HIYA J-ANUS! HELLO LOG! Janny why did you bring your boytoy top with you?"

"It's unscientific to make assumptions like that" Lo replied "If anyone is going to call me a top they must have used the empiric method of science to figure it out beforehand"

"You invited us over darling" Janus said while welcoming themself into the apartment while dragging their boyfriend along "Why are there oranges on your table?"

"We made art!!! SUper cool epic art!! OH!!! Want me to show you?? It's a mini movie I'll just load it up and-"

Remy leant over and whispered into Remus' ear which made him stop in the middle of getting his laptop. They didn't want anyone to see the movie unless they'd made sure they didn't look horrible in it first.

"We will- maybe- show you the movie after the council has reviewed it" He said instead.

Janus let up into a smile "I'm sure it's wonderful. Did you get so pulled into the movie you forgot you'd invited us to the karaoke night at the gay bar?"

"THE KARAOKE-" Remy face palmed themself before exclaiming "THAT'S WHY YOU LOOK SO TOTS FUCKING GOOD!!! That's why you're heeere!! Augh girl I get it now! I'd tots forgotten"

Logan smiled as he saw his partner lit up all red from blushing. "It's understandable if the two of you are too tired to go tonight" He said.

"Giiirrrl bestie bitch gal I ain't never saying no to getting fucked up at a bar kay. Gimme like 5 and I'll be ready"

As soon as Remy had left the room Janus moved closer to Remus and asked "You don't have to come if you don't want to. Lo isn't going drink anything since he's driving just so you know, but you still don't-"

"It's okay. I want to"

Remus leant his head against theirs in a sort of hug as their hands grasped for the others. One of the beads in Janus' hair knocked against his cheek which made him grin.

"I should get ready I think" He interrupted before anything could happen.

Remy was sitting on their now basically shared bed as he came into the bedroom. They had their underwear on and a pair of stockings as they crouched in front of a mirror, eyeliner pen in hand. They didn't look away from the make up, instead being too preoccupied by choosing between a purple or red eyeliner. Eventually they chose purple purely because they knew Janus liked purple better.

They heard a shaky breathe but didn't think much of it and choose a lipstick that would look good in low lightning before beginning to wonder what to wear.

"Uhm Beanie?" It was said so quiet Remy nearly didn't hear "Help?"

They turned to see Remus forcing his binder down just over his chest. It had curled up on the back making it almost impossible for him to pull it down on his own.

"'Course babe"

His hand was shaking a bit as he turned around to let them pull it down. For a moment Remy had to force back a wave of anger as they saw the light scars on his back after being pushed into a mirror. How the scaring had cut between light freckles and his shoulder blades sticking out. His obvious fear, the way his muscles tensed and his lips were ready to force back a scream only made them angrier.

(They wouldn't admit it but they felt a tinge of jelousy. Why couldn't they have gotten scars that showed that what they had gone through was real. Why did all of the markings of their abuse have to disappear while he still got to have his)

They were careful to only touch the fabric as they pulled the binder down. They mumbled out a quiet question if it fit good and he nodded.

"Thanks"

"No problem. Anytime girlie"

They wanted to press a kiss right between his shoulder blades or maybe against the top of his spine or maybe on every single scar, but they didn't want to make him uncomfortable. So instead they handed him the hoodie they knew he liked the best before going back to choosing between clothes. They'd found a mini mini skirt that looked good with their leather jacket, now they just had to choose which top looked best.

"DRUGS!" Remus suddenly yelled "THE DRUGS!"

He ran out of the room and returned with both of their daily medicines and two glasses of water.

"Drugs!" He repeated while holding out their pain meds.

"Yaaay drugs my fav"

He downed his antipsychotics before pointing at a pink tank top "I think that'll look good"

"Oh my gosh!! Girl!! I was just thinking that!!" They lied though they had been instantly convinced that it would look great "We're like tots on the same wavelenght"

"Hivemind! Hivemind! Hivemind!" He chanted as they got dressed.

"Do I look goooooddd?"

Remus straightened out their jacket and grinned "If a cannibal saw you they wouldn't be able to stop themself from eating ya!"

"Awww babbeey thanks!"

When they left the bedroom Janus was drinking straight from the wine bottle he had brought along while his boyfriend was peppering kisses along his shoulder.

"Are you two ready to leave?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yaas or whatever"

[thecatboyfriend-moved]

mmmmmmm oKay tiny vent in the tags >:(

[naminethewriter]

Self Care Can Include Many Things

Loceit Week comes around once more 😍 I’m so excited to see what everyone comes up with! There will be quite a few references my entries from last year, look forward to that 😊

Thank you @loceitweek2022 for organizing this! 💛💙

Here on Ao3

Masterpost | Loceit Week 2022 Masterpost

Summary: Janus and Logan have a project to work on. But they also need to take a break sometime. Janus knows an opportunity when he sees one.

Janus arrived in front of his project partner’s house two minutes before their agreed meeting time. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered with being punctual but Logan was annoying about stuff like this and he wasn’t up for a lecture, so he left his house early. He locked up his bike and went to the front door, ringing the doorbell. Less than two seconds later a child’s voice loudly called:

 “I’ll get it!” Then quick footsteps approached. Patton, Logan’s younger sibling opened the door and started grinning as soon as fae saw him. “Janny! Did you come to play? Can we play Mario Kart? I practiced and now I’m super good!” Janus chuckled but shook his head.

“I wish I could, Pat, but your brother and I have a project we need to work on today.” Patton started to pout and Janus quickly gave faer a pat on the head as compensation. “If we finish quickly we might be able to play a bit later. Or I’ll come over again in a few days, that okay?” Fae continued pouting but nodded.

 “If you pinky promise!”

 “Alright, if you insist.” Just as they linked fingers, Logan appeared behind his sibling.

 “Salutations Janus. I see Patton coaxed you into a pinky promise, I hope fae didn’t ask for anything unreasonable.”

 “Did not!”

 “No, fae didn’t. I just promised to play Mario Kart with fae sometime soon so fae could show me how much fae improved, right?” He grinned down at the child who nodded in agreement.

 “Very well then. Patton please go back to your activities now; Janus and I have work to do.”

 “Okay, but you need to finish quickly so we can play!”

 “I will make no promises.” Apparently Patton had expected as much since fae ran off without another word. Janus laughed quietly.

 “Visiting your house is as delightful as ever.” Logan sighed.

 “I would have preferred to go to yours but my parents are both out and Patton cannot be left alone for such a long time yet.”

 “I understand. Then shall we?”

 “We shall.” Logan led him into the house and up the stairs into his bedroom where he had already prepared enough space to work, materials they could use for their research as well as snacks and drinks. The perfect host like always.

It didn’t take long until they were both seated and comfortably at work. Logan had gone to the library to get them reference books which Janus found a bit unnecessary, they were only supposed to prepare a twenty-minute presentation on self care for health class, citations not needed. But Janus also knew Logan well enough to know that that wouldn’t stop him from doing so and he didn’t mind as long as Logan didn’t force him to read through those books. He preferred online articles.

 They had agreed to work in silence for the first fifteen minutes and then present to each other their findings and after that narrow down the examples they wanted to use and research more. Logan started, talking about how important a healthy diet and drinking a lot of water were, as well as dental hygiene. Janus listened patiently even as Logan’s explanation turned more into a rant that went slightly off topic but if he was being honest, and he didn’t tend to be often he just knew to tone down his sarcasm in front of Logan and his sibling (both often got confused with his way of speaking), he could listen to Logan talk about anything for the rest of the day. His crush on the bookworm was not really a secret but Logan was very dense when it came to romantic relationships. He hadn’t been aware of their friends’ relationship until Roman and Virgil kissed right in front of him and even then he needed to ask for clarification.

 Janus was patient though; he was waiting for an opportunity to make his move and he had a very good feeling about today.

 Logan eventually stopped himself and blushed a bit when he realised how much he’d been talking.

 “My apologies, I didn’t mean to ramble.” Janus waved him off.

 “I don’t mind. You made some fascinating points.” Logan’s face got even more red.

 “Thank you. For listening I mean.”

 Janus good feeling increased ten-fold as a plan formed in his head. He grinned.

 “No problem, Logan, I truly enjoyed myself.” He delighted in seeing Logan’s ears turning red now as well.

 “Would you like to present your findings now?” he asked after clearing his throat. Janus’ grin got a little bit wider. Logan was way too cute; he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from teasing him a bit longer.

 “Of course. I decided to look up how to build a healthy work schedule. It felt appropriate to our current situation and will be beneficial to our classmates.” Logan nodded along, taking notes. He wasn’t as flushed anymore but still a bit red. Janus was looking forward to making him flare up again.

 “One of the main points I found is the importance of taking breaks, to stretch and clear ones head every now and again.” Logan continued to scribble his thoughts down, not picking up on what Janus was hinting at but he hadn’t expected him to. So he slowly reached over, gently grabbing Logan’s hand to get him to stop. The blush intensified again as Logan looked up and met his eyes. Janus smiled at him.

 “We’ve been working for almost half an hour now, I think we deserve to take a break, right?” Seemingly unable to break eye contact, Logan again nodded and allowed Janus to carefully remove his notebook and pen, setting them down on the table.

 “Wonderful. Then let’s try another suggestion I found that might be helpful. It’s about avoiding touch starvation by initiating physical contact with people close to you. So, would you mind coming over here, Logan?” Apparently his friend’s brain had short-circuited because Logan let himself be pulled over and into Janus’ lap, facing him, without any protest though his face was bright red again, including his ears. Janus could look at him like that for hours but there was something else he wanted to do in that moment.

 “Is that comfortable, Logan?” He nodded, still seemingly speechless and unable to look away from Janus’ eyes. Janus smiled fondly, deciding that he’d teased and waited enough.

 “Would you be willing to hear a not-so-well-kept secret of mine?” Logan didn’t answer so Janus took his silence as agreement. “I like you a lot, Logan. You are smart, passionate and very fascinating to observe. And I would love to take you out on a date sometime if you would let me.” By then Logan was the brightest red he’d been all evening, finally breaking eye contact to look down at his hands which were now fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

 “You are not joking?” he eventually asked in a small voice. Janus carefully guided his head up by his chin so he could look him in the eyes as he answered.

 “I would never do something so cruel, Logan. I mean every word.”

 “Could you kiss me, please.” The request rushed out of Logan’s mouth and he himself seemed surprised by it but before he could take it back, Janus leaned in and locked their lips together.

[janny-aqua]

"Rock and Metal music are better than hip-hop and rap music cause they're not misogynistic and the artists are nice."

[frostcorpsclub]

Groans of despair were clear as day within the Frost kitchen by a particular redhead- well, one anyway.

Glenda Ray clenched the recipe in her daintily painted fingers in disbelief, her dramatic, yet slightly justified anger clear on her features as she ranted to one of her best friends ever, January.

"Garnished with MAYONAISE and Paprika?! Mayo- are you fucking kidding me? With the celery, onion, and gelatin- Oh gods. We are never taking recipe ideas from Lucifer ever again, Janny."

January sat perched on the counter, staring at the ground at swinging her legs back and forth.

As she thought about the rancid mix of flavors it didn't phase her much, things not too dissimilar from this were in the fridge only a few feet away from them both. "You don't know that you don't like it you haven't tried it. What are you scared of? Throwing up?"

She said in her usual dry tone, making it difficult to decipher whether she was fucking with Glenda or not.

[staringdownabarrel]

Okay, so I just finished Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. (I said this was going to be a thing, and by god, it's going to be a thing.) Here's my thoughts.

In a lot of ways, this book really does smooth over a lot of the issues Magician had. Instead of just being a fairly generic fantasy story, it has a very tight focus on Tsurani political maneuvering. There's a level of political savviness in this book that literally doesn't exist in most of Feist's other works. While other characters in the Riftwar saga do have political considerations, it's usually not their only concern the same way the political considerations are Mara's only concern.

The fact that this book focuses so heavily on Tsurani politics also means that it's one of the very few Feist books that isn't heavily inspired by medieval European politics. This is one of the elements that I wish Magician had done more with as well, and it certainly had the opportunity to. I think this is a more interesting direction to go down because the Tsurani cultural elements is one of the aspects that made the original book stand out.

Mara being a woman also means that this is one of the very few books that not only has a woman with an arc not based around her current love interest (in fact, she doesn't have one), it's also one of his best written female characters ever. I suspect that this was probably largely due to Wurts' influence as cowriter, but I can't actually prove that because I haven't read any of her other books. For me, based on what I know as of this writing, it's just a suspicion.

I think the big thing Daughter of the Empire does well is that it avoids one of the big pitfalls a book like it could fall into. Because the main plot of this book is happening at the same time as some of the events as Magician (the reason I'm going with the Empire trilogy before Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon), it could have easily have just been a rehash of a lot of the same plot points but from a different perspective.

And because it happens to have a much tighter focus than Magician--the plot happens over the course of maybe two or three years on the outside rather than the twelve-ish years that Magician's plot spans--it could have just been a book that amounted to, "...and here's a detailed description of this battle, and this one, and this one..." until the end of time. It chose to focus on the political aspects of what happens almost entirely.

The fact that it manages to avoid both of these tendencies means that, at least to me, Daughter of the Empire is one of the best interquels I've read.

[trustonlystars]

To everyone who's lost a parent,

I think as time passes by you start overlooking your grief. You start comparing your life and strengths with others. You forget the emotional turmoil you have been through and start being harsh on yourself for petty things. It's okay to not do that, it's only right for you to need your parents and grieve their loss even if it's been a while. And just because it's been a while since your loss, it doesn't mean your battles are not difficult, it doesn't fill the void, it doesn't make it any easier, you just learn to grow around it. And there are some days when you really wish you could go back home and talk your heart out to them, rant, complain, have silly arguments, and go shopping with them over weekends. Most days you only want simple things, very simple things, but you end up doing it yourself. But you disregard the courage it takes to do that. Just because it's been a while since you've grown courageous it does mean you stop appreciating it. It's okay to take up space and feel proud for all the things you do by yourself, you are worth being celebrated.

- trustonlystars | Jannie F

[loganofthenorth]

Unsympathetic Patton Au Incorrect Quote (or Scene)

Disobedient Song Rewritten

Patton: *Defeats Janus in a fight* Oh Jannie, when will you just accept that there’s no way you can stop me? The problem will be discarded, whether you like it or not.

Roman: *rises* I think not, villain.

Patton: Roman, thank goodness you’re here! Deceit was-

Roman: I know exactly what Deceit was doing, Patton. He was trying to stop you from hurting Remus.

Patton: What do you mean kiddo?

Roman: *rolls his eyes* You know exactly what I mean.

Patton: You should be thanking me, Roman. Everything will be better after I-

Roman: *swings his sword at Patton* You want a thank you? Fine. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for gracing me with your presence!

Patton: *evades the attack as his eyes glow* Now Roman that’s not very-

Roman: *swings his sword again* Good afternoon, sir. What can I do, sir? Just say the word, sir, anything for you, sir. The dark sides say, sir, you don't deserve him. I disagree, sir, I live to serve, sir. *singing loudly as he continues to swing at Patton, who dodges his attacks* I think about all the wasted time I've spent, I wanna be disobedient. I stood awake wondering where my life has went, I wanna be disobedient. Disobedient, disobedient.

Patton: Roman you are being very rude! Enough of this nonsense already! Deceit is the evil one, not me.

Roman: *his eyes go blue for a moment and he shakes it off* No, you’re going to hurt my brother. I won’t let you!

Logan: I agree, *takes Deceit’s cane and attacks Patton from behind, hitting him and forcing him down.*

Roman: Logan!

Logan: Hello Roman. May I join in this therapeutic rant song?

Roman: Yeah of course, go ahead.

Logan: Thank you.

Patton: *tries to get up* Logan, you’re being irrespon-.

Logan: *whacks him down with the cane*

Roman: *points the sword towards Patton*

Logan: I've been good, sir, so very, very good for what? I have given you every single thing I've got. It's feeling strange, how this whole arrangement is gonna end with me totally deranged. When I think about all the wasted time I've spent, I wanna be disobedient. I stood awake wondering where my life has went, I wanna be disobedient. Disobedient, disobedient.

Patton: *chuckles* You three keep saying I’ll never win… but you have already lost. *sinks down*

Logan: What does he…

Janus: Remus… He…

Remus: *rises, eyes blue and crying* I don’t want to be… disobedient… I don’t want to be… disobedient… Disobedient, disobedient, disobedient…

[treenissanderssidesstuff]

One

A03 Link

Thank you to @edupunkn00b for helping me beta this story!

Words: 4222

Pairing: Roceit (Platonic Demus)

TW: None that I know of, feel free to inform me.

Summary: Janus decides to play "prince."

Inspired by @aidensm8's work in the request they filled for me. Also loosely inspired by some of the drawings @reddstardust made in response to aiden's work as well.

Link to post.

Ah HAH! I found it! Link to original ask.

The darkside’s corridor had been quiet recently, annoyingly so in Remus’ opinion. It’d been quiet in general since Virgil left and the terrible trio became a dinky duo, but now that Janus split his time between the sides, Remus had found himself increasingly uno. It was usually fine, he had the entire imagination to keep him busy and entertained, after all. He could make sides if he wanted to. But… it wasn’t quite the same. That was probably the only reason he had bothered to hang around at all when Janus went on another tirade about how insufferable and brainwashed the lightsides were, how Roman was being pushed, blah blah blah. After the last video release, the dialogged had temporarily shifted. That had gotten Remus’ attention. It seemed that Roman had rejected Janus, not just chosen someone else’ way over the deceitful side’s own, but outright stood against Janus even when the others folded around him. It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad.

All of Janus’ plans had been for Roman’s sake.

And in three miscalculated moves, Janus had managed to push away the one side he sought the approval of.

“Do you think this will work?” Janus asked, tugging at the yellow sash hanging off his shoulder again.

“Oh, definitely not,” Remus said flatly, flipping through an upside down fairytale book on the couch with a bored expression on his face. The duke had been forced to hear about Janus’ plans to woo—“reconcile” with Roman for days and at this point it was honestly slightly obnoxious how invested Janus was. “But it’s just the right side of disgustingly cheesy that Roman’s sure to love it even when you inevitably fall on your face.”

“I will!” Janus “I- I mean I won’t!  I mean-!“ Janus shoved his face in his hands with a groan.

Remus quirked an eyebrow in the snake’s direction, watching the self-proclaimed “Lord of Lies” try and compose himself. Thankfully, Remus did know what he meant, even when Janus wasn’t sure of it himself. It was one of his special skills as the bestfriend™.

“Look, J, I’m going to tell you this very clearly and carefully, as your friend,” Remus said, pushing up into a sitting position from his previous sprawl across the couch. “Your plans suck.”

"Excuse you?!" Janus nearly shrieked in retaliation to Remus' brand of hard truths. “They do!… not!”

Remus couldn't have stopped the subsequent string of chuckles if he wanted to. That was the biggest lie he'd ever heard Jan tell and Remus had heard plenty over the years given how rarely the two were ever apart. The darkside pair just meshed well. Janus was the liar, sure, but Remus was the secret keeper. Even if Roman struggled to understand Janus, Remus never had. The snake couldn't hide from him, even when he wanted to. It came with Remus' position as the holder of intrusive thoughts; he got a front row seat to every dirty little secret the others tried to lock away and bury in their little shame closets. What they didn't realize however, was that Remus had the master key. Remus quite literally was the little hint of truth behind every one of Janus' lies. The truths that Janus tried to tug and weave and bend around the others to get his way.

Remus was the keeper of the blatant, harsh, and often downright uncomfortable truths, not just what the sides tried to hide from Thomas, but also what they tried to hide from each other. It was a lot like the story The Giver. Someone had to hold all of the knowledge the little utopia unit tried to hide from and Remus had been designated. Though, he usually thought of himself more of a receiver than anything. Roman was the giver of the pair. The giver of dreams, wishes, and fantasies. Remus was more like a radio with the dial gummed up and stuck on where the power switch had broken off ages ago. Not that all of the secrets were so bad to tune into, some were sweet, some were shy, and a few were even downright adorable, but more often than not, secrets were kept that way for a reason and the Deceitful side had the most secrets of all.

They worked because Janus could never ever keep a secret from Remus and likewise, Remus would never ever tell.

The Deceitful side trusted him, was the only one to trust him and Remus was adamant to keep that trust. Remus locked it in a little box and kept it close, in the few little hideaways he had. In his pockets, within little small nooks of the imagination, and under the bed on the nights when Thomas’ thoughts turned up to an 11 and even Remus started to wonder what he still had left to give.

He had that.

A tiny little secret of his own.

Most of the time, it was enough.

"Your. Plans. Suck." Remus emphasized, slowly, pushing up from the ratty sofa Janus had sewn back up after Remus’ countless escapades over the years. Janus complained about it every time. He cited everything from the loose springs, and flattened stuffing, to the threadbare upholstery and warped base. He always told Remus just to replace the broken thing, but that never stopped careful fingers in yellow-clad gloves from systematically putting the thing back together again each time, always working away at it before Remus could even consider replacing the old lump.

That was his friend’s best and worst trait after all. Janus could not let things go. He wrapped and coiled and held on to any little scrap that he could get a hold of. His problem was that when he panicked, that coil became a death grip.

That's how they lost Virgil.

And that's how Janus was currently losing Roman.

"My plans are ama--mph--" Janus glared at Remus with fury striking like lightning in his eyes after Remus willed a zipper to appear across Janus' lips to force them shut, fully closing even the snake side.

Even best friends needed a taste of their own medicine every now and again, lest they forget how bitter it can be.

"Ah, ah, ah my sweet snoot," Remus nearly sang as he skipped over to his favorite danger noodle and reached out to boop Janus' nose. "It's my turn to talk now.

“You went in and pretend to be Patton, just to have him show up on you and made Thomas want to tell the truth more. Even then, you had almost had Roman on your side, but got so focused on semantics, you missed the actual benefits. You reviewed, revised, and waited to try again after deciding Logan and his facts were the problem, right?

“Then—“ Remus started, holding his mace up threateningly as Janus made some displeased, but muffled noises from behind the zipper, likely some kind of litany of curses. Had Remus not been prepared with his mace, the other side likely would have already tried to strong arm him into getting rid of the bound. “You tried to play Logan and just… ugh, Janny you are not allowed to act anymore. That was a terrible performance. Anyway! The trial starts and you get into it and try to defend what Roman wants, right?”

Janus’ incomprehensible complaints cease, only for him to squint at Remus suspiciously and give a slow nod.

“Wrong!” Remus proclaimed, swinging his mace toward the snake and stopping so close to his face, the metal spikes brushed some of the bangs hanging over the bridge of Janus’ nose. “Instead, you got carried away again. You got caught up in semantics and made it about who Thomas is as a person rather than what would be the better choice to make.

“In short, you made it all about you. Again,”  Remus said, letting his morning star drop as the energy was sucked out of him with his rant. “Sure, you won the argument, but you lost what you actually wanted.”

Remus wasn’t usually one to insert his opinions on things, that was more Janus’ thing and, gosh it was exhausting. How did the snake even keep up with just… caring so much about everything?

It seemed Remus wasn’t the only one suddenly exhausted though, because after rubbing some of the strain out of his own eyes, the duke watched Janus slowly slump backwards until he was all but sitting on the arm of their scrap couch. He wasn’t fighting the zipper any longer, his extra arms were tucked away and his normal pair were laid listlessly on his lap now as he stared down at his own yellow gloves.

“How was my brother meant to make any other decision when you put what Thomas wanted, against who he wanted to be? I wouldn’t care, indulgence is my territory. But Roman’s job is to be the dream, the ideal. You should know that.”

When Janus finally looked up at Remus, he just looked sad.

He looked pale, his eyes were shiny, and all the regality he tried to hold himself with in that dupe prince costume just fell away from him as he pressed his palms to his temples.

Remus finally let the zipper fall away into nonexistence.

He wasn’t done yet.

“Look J, I know you had good intentions.”

“But?” a slightly rough voice asked from a newly freed mouth as a yellow glove brushed the remaining ghosting sensations of the enclosure away.

Remus sighed, already imagining the hoard of grotesque creatures he’d be battling through in the imagination after this “talk.” He needed something to balance out all of the gross feelings and shit.

“But I don’t think Roman or Thomas would have chosen the wedding if you hadn’t gotten side tracked. You tried to prove you’re ugh ‘goodness’ by arguing you’re a part of Thomas. Your whole argument backfired and made him question if he’s any good. What else did you expect but for him to try and prove he is? Not to mention the after incident.”

“That was meant to be an apology,” Janus murmured miserably. “I had taken Logan’s place with the intention of leading Roman to work out his own mistreatment.”

“But you showboated.”

“I-“ Janus started, clearly ready to argue again, but stopped himself with a single look from Remus. “…I did what I thought was necessary.”

“Did you now?” Remus snorted. “Sure, going and pretending to be the nerd I get, but why change went Patton went full kaiju? You could have kept up the act and stood alongside Roman. It would have been an all around win for the lightsides as everyone would think Roman and Logan worked together to reign in one of their own.”

“I… I just wanted….”

“You wanted to be accepted. You saw an opportunity to be the hero and you took it, not caring who you hurt along the way. First you took Patton’s role as morality, then you took Logan’s role as logic, and to round it all out, you took Roman’s role as Thomas hero. That’s your problem.”

“Is wanting a place at the discussion table so bad?” Janus asked with a sigh, folding his arms in his lap.

“No, but taking it is,” Remus said, tugging the tiny chain that typically held Janus’ cape to his shoulders. It was currently re-purposed to secure the cape into a makeshift sash.

“Because that’s not a hypocritical statement at all, coming from you,” Janus replied swatting at Remus’ hands that still fiddled with his sash. “It’s not as if you, oh I dunno, knocked out Roman and took his spot during your entrance or anything.”

“True, but when I did it, I made Robro their hero.” Remus said, letting himself fall back onto the couch lazily as Remus saw the first sign of real recognition budding within his friend’s heterocromatic eyes.

“He is their hero.”

“Does he know that?”

“He wouldn’t believe me if I told him so.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

###

Roman groaned and carefully maneuvered his skirt from the grasp of yet another birch tree. It was fair to say that the photo shoot wasn’t exactly going how he had pictured it when he had chosen a full gown paired with an outdoor setting. He knew there must have been a reason why the others had all chosen knee length skirts and stayed indoors. Instead of just taking a picture, Roman had to build a scene. He had to wow his audience and every part of the image had to be carefully designed. He just… hadn’t exactly thought everything through. Roman had imagined something more along the lines of sweeping gracefully through the forest as the gown swished around him as his every movement was made even more graceful by the gentle sway of the fabric.

He hadn’t accounted for how often his outfit would catch on the branches and foliage around him.

It wasn’t fair.

Disney princesses usually seemed to magically get along with the flora and fauna around them, long skirts or not, unless they were being trailed by some evildoer of course, but that didn’t count. Roman was by himself at the moment. On break from getting frustrated one too many times as his own outfit betrayed him during the photo shoot. The photographer and set designer needed some time to reevaluate the next set and Roman needed some time to clear away his current frustration.

So, into the woods he went. He carefully lifted his skirt to protect it against nearly ripping for the fourth or fifth time today as he gingerly stepped around branches, dearly missing his boots as stray twigs tried to impale themselves into his sandled feet. At least his hair wasn’t so long that it would get unexpectedly tangled in the branches above, but he did have to pick some burrs off of his bolero already after he had tried to catch himself on a bush during an unfortunate stumble. The maneuver saved his outfit from getting muddy, but he didn’t make it unscathed.

Roman had dreamed of being on the cover of magazines his whole life. Though, in those dreams it was usually due to a movie deal but he had never been opposed to the idea of modeling like some of the other sides were. Logan found the idea of it mindless, Virgil was anxious about the attention, and Patton wasn’t fond of the rumored cutthroat environment. Still, Roman had thought it seemed so glamorous. However, he hadn’t taken into account how much work it was.

Sure, it seemed simple. Pose and shoot, right? In reality though, it was tedious work as the photographer rapidly took hundreds of pictures at just slightly different angles so they could all be evaluated later for the “best” ones. That meant not just holding a pose, but also holding an expression. Roman felt like his acting skills were being put to fill use as he tried to strike the idea of power into each click of the camera.

Absolutely nothing about this had been simple though.

Roman found himself sighing and leaned against one of the scattered trees for moral and physical support after carefully maneuvering his gown around it. He would be fine. He was royalty after all and the first rule was to never let them see you cry. It would all be okay once he took a chance to catch his metaphorical breath. Though, the literal sense wasn’t a bad idea either. He imagined the breathing exercises that Virgil had gone through with him when the prince accidentally shown up at Virgil’s door in a less than royal state after the whole wedding debauchery and name reveal sham. The near panic attacking pulling him there unwittingly.

It was… it was nice. Roman and Virgil had been getting along better than ever after his own acceptance video, but it was like a new wall had broken down around the pair. Virgil had stationed himself as Roman’s personal bodyguard since the events that need not be named and… it was nice. A little lonely, but he appreciated everything that the anxious side was doing for him and especially appreciated how he kept between him and the-side-who-probably-lied-about-his-name-anyway.

Roman didn’t think he was ready to open up that can of snakes quite yet.

Hey Princey, it’s going to be okay, yeah? You’re better than this… and him.

The words rang around Roman’s skull once, twice, and then he straightened his shoulders. Even when Virgil wasn’t around, he was right. The prince could practically feel the anxious side aiming a smirk his way from somewhere in the incomprehensible distance. Still, it was good to remember.

He was better than this.

He was going to march right back to that photo-shoot, take some fabulous as fuck photos, and then march home with his head hell high because he was going to look damn good in the final set!

Hiking up his skirt again, Roman prepared himself for the trudge back, feeling ready to take on the world once again, except—

—except something caught his eye.

Well… there was a well… a literal one out in the distance. It was old looking, some of the bricks were broken or even just missing, and there seemed to be this misty haze that hung around it, a little thinner than full fog, but something about it felt slightly… otherworldly? With only a moment of hesitation, Roman found himself taking a step towards it and then another, and then another…

…the others would be fine without him for just a few minutes longer, right?

It was such an oddly beautiful scene, broken down and uncared for, but there was still something just so striking about it. Plus, how many chances would be get to interact with a real life well? This could be a great location to take some shots and he’d be remiss if he didn’t take advantage of it!

There was also one other advantage to it as well. It wasn’t often after all that real settings lended themselves so pefectly to the Disney aesthetic. Mind you, Snow White was by no means his favorite movie. The plot-line was a bit... outdated. Still, he admired the film for everything it represented as the first Disney classic of the golden age, the film that really started it all! Snow White was a marvel of animation for its time and the well song was the sound engineers of the time showing off.

He could respect that.

Roman crept closer, one careful step at a time until his toes of his sandles nearly touched the stone. He, ever so gently, let himself kneel down slowly, until his knees began to rest upon the well’s edge. He carefully let his shoulders relax as he watched the light reflecting in the water’s slightly cloudy surface. It was just for a tiny bit longer, after all. He let his hands slowly unclench from around the skirt as the velvety material draped and flowed around him. It was nice to have something else bear the weight of the heavy material for a little while.

“Make a wish into the well,” Roman whispered, letting his fingers trace over the loose stones circling the murky opening. To be fair, it was the tiniest bit more decrepit then the one pictured in the film. He sighed and slowly let his form drape across the layered bricks as he let one hand hang over the side as his fingertips danced across the water’s surface. “That’s all I have to do, huh?”

“And if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true~”

The sweet bell chime of Snow’s voice only sang the next line within Roman’s own mind, but it was enough to spur his continuance.

“I’m wishing~” Roman quietly sang, trying not to feel too silly as his voice carried to no one at all. At least Snow had some animals to sing to. He had nothing but the ripples of a moss covered and slightly over-flooded well that had certainly acted as a catch all drainage for the recent string of storms.

Roman tried not to empathize with the stacked pile of rocks.

He wasn’t sure if it was the well or his own internal imagination still remembering the movie, but he could almost hear an echo reply back with, “I’m wishing”

“For the one I love, to find me,”

“To find me”

“Todaaay.”

“Todaaaaay~” came a smooth voice behind Roman’s back, causing the royal side to literally jump up and onto their feet from their previous position lounged across the well edge.

“Deceit,” Roman glowered, hiking up the lengthy gown to take a couple cautionary steps backwards. He wasn’t sure what to make of what he was seeing. There Janus was, decked out in an outfit modeled after his own typical princely gear, right down to the sash that was—wait—was that his cape?

“Not today,” Janus said simply, taking slow steps forward until the fake prince came nearly nose to nose with the real one. “Today, my darling, I thought I’d try something new, just for you.”

And then the humming started.

“Now that I’ve found you, hear what I have to saaay~”  Janus started, singing along to the familiar tune. “One song,~”

“~Ever entreating, constant but true~”

A gloved hand tried to weave its way between Roman’s fingers as the other hovered just to Roman’s side and would have been only a moment away from resting against his hip, had he not jerked away the moment those gloves touched him.

“There’s nothing ‘true’ about you!” Roman yelled, not caring anymore that the edges of his skirt swept the soil beneath him as he pulled away.

Roman had planned a second round of photos after his break, but couldn’t stand the thought anymore. No, Janus had ruined this for him, just like everything else he had systematically ruined in Roman’s life recently.

Roman was about to start again, blaming the Deceitful side for this, for mercilessly pushing and shoving his way into Roman’s space, his things, his life, except—

—expect he had this look on his face. Big, mismatched eyes stared back at Roman, wide, and shimmery and open. Roman had to remind himself that the hurt shining his way was probably just another trick, just another ploy to manipulate the prince again.

...Okay, not even Roman totally believed it.

“What do you want from me?” Roman whispered, he didn’t know if he was asking the other side or himself from how quietly his voice whispered the words.

“I just want one.”

One what?

“One chance,” Janus said, taking a slow step forward toward the prince. “One opportunity to apologize properly.”

As Janus moved forward, one of Roman’s feet took a preparatory step backwards for balance, ready to move, ready to defend or flee. But Roman stayed rooted in place as the snake in princely garb moved closer.

“One day, that I can pretend that my actions and intentions had aligned, my dear,” Janus said, only stopping once his chest nearly brushed against Roman’s own. “One day, to pretend that I was your savior.”

“I don’t under—“ Roman muttered, before he could curse himself for engaging with this at all. His brain was just the smallest bit frazzled from the proximity and Janus had no shortage of charm in the way he could deliver a line.

“Shhhhh,” Janus hushed gently, tugging the yellow gloves from his hand before he reached up to trace his thumb against Roman’s cheekbone. “Can’t we just  have a fantasy for a little while my prince? Just this once?”

Roman swallowed as Janus leaned further into his space.

“Fantasy is my specialty, I suppose,” Roman muttered, clinging to the fact that the sweet talk was simply to get him to conjure some kind of indulgent daydream rather than trying to lead Roman to some other kind of nefarious goal. “What kind of fantasy were you looking to dive into?”

“I want one where I gave you your happy ending in the way I intended Roman.”

Roman just stared, his jaw dropping slightly at those words.

Janus didn’t flinch, didn’t throw his voice, or quirk his eyebrows, or any of number of little tells that the Deceitful side expected the others to pick up on in conversation. No he just met Roman’s stare with something heavy behind those heterochromatic eyes.

“Please Roman? I know it’s selfish to ask, but we both know selfish is what I am. Just let me be one today. Can’t we pretend for just one day?”

“What ‘one’ do you even mean?” Roman huffed half-heartedly. Even he could feel the fire slowly extinguishing in his chest as the conversation continued. “Who are you today then? The liar or the saint?”

Janus paused a moment, his gaze unwavering from Roman’s own face. Roman watched the scales on his neck glimmer in the sunlight as he swallowed, before taking the last final step into the prince’s space as a gloveless hand sat itself on Roman’s hip.

“Neither today my dearest,” Janus said with a cocky smile as he used his free hand to brush Roman’s fluffy bangs from his eyes.

“Today, I simply want to be the one in your fantasy.”