#must've been a popular name that year

[roninreverie]

Because Victor Zsasz and Victor Szasz have too similar a name!

[ckret2]

So a while ago some friends were talking about fans who claim the Same Coin theory is canon. And I made the mistake of saying:

Do you know who also has tons in common with Bill? Mabel. Yet nobody claims Bill reincarnated as Mabel. …wait now I want a "same coin but it's Mabel" AU. Funniest Bill reincarnation option. The all-seeing arsonist is making macaroni glitter art. The omnipotent tyrant is crying because a unicorn called her a bad person.

And then I overthought it for two months.

So—AU where after death, Bill's soul shoots 13 years into the past and reincarnates as Mabel. I'll call it ✨ Sparkly Coin AU ✨

Don't leave yet. Lemme show you why it works. Behold the eerie amount of parallels in their personalities, dialogue, behavior, mannerisms, tastes...

I could have kept going but my attention span ran out. All right, we all on board now? Convinced we could segue from one personality into the other? Great. Now here's why you should be interested: the juicy post-Weirdmageddon angst potential.

As long as a small fringe of the fandom still thinks Weirdmageddon is Mabel's fault, why not amp that up x100 and have some fun with it?

Is everyone sold now? Great. Let's get into the details. I've got 8 more pieces of art under the read more.

So the AU starts the instant Bill dies. Thanks to invoking his deal with the Axolotl—one way to absolve his crime, a different form, a different time—the Axolotl gives him a new shape and shoots him thirteen years into the past. Apparently, the Axolotl thought it would be very funny to stick Bill in the family that defeated him.

Which probably made for a jarring transition.

(It's fine, she's like 10 minutes old, she probably can't even tell who she's looking at. Not being able to tell who she was looking at is what got her into this situation ayyyy)

When Dipper & Mabel come back from Gravity Falls complaining about this triangular jerk Bill, their parents mention that Dipper's name was nearly Bill. See, after they knew they were going to have a boy, one night their mom dreamed about a visitor—some kind of magic pink salamander??—calling her child "BILL." Then at the next sonogram they found out they were having twins, the girl must've been hidden at a weird angle the first time, and they wanted matching names, so they thought, Bill and Bell. But they didn't really like Bell; but eventually they stumbled on Mabel, so to keep the names matching they switched from Bill to Mason. Isn't that the darnedest thing?

(Of course, Mabel and Dipper assume Bill harassed their parents to try to trick them into naming a kid after him. To be a jerk.)

When Bill meets Mabel, he's unaware that she's his future self—Bill's notably bad at doing things like, say, double-checking to see whether he's going to die anytime soon—but like... he can tell something's up.

Naturally, before visiting Gravity Falls, there were echoes of who Mabel used to be—but nothing anyone would be able to identify without context. All her Bill-ish quirks either smoothed out with time (see: how between second grade and fourth grade Mabel went from being the "freak" to the popular girl in class), or else they were accepted by her family as Mabel-ish quirks.

After they meet (and kill) Bill, they have the context to understand some of Mabel's behaviors... and unfortunately, some of Mabel's latent Bill-ness starts surfacing after she's been directly exposed to her prior incarnation.

The part of the Pines family familiar with Bill thinks the worst case scenario is that maybe Bill's survived and is slowly possessing Mabel; but far more likely, they think this is just some weird way of trying to subconsciously process last summer. Mabel doesn't think she's being weird, you guys are being weird, stop giving her weird looks. They get attacked by one triangle and now she can't wear yellow or pick up macrame as a hobby??

(It's not all red flags and uncomfortable triangle imagery, though. When Stan asks her what she'd like as a gift for some important event, she shyly admits that she thinks she's starting to outgrow her plastic gem jewelry and maybe she's old enough to get her first piece of real gold jewelry, if that's not too expensive? And Stan's never been so proud of her. Thirteen years old and already thinking about buying gold!)

But of course, the real fun starts when Mabel finds out.

That's the face of a girl who's just discovered that she tortured her great uncle. Now imagine running into the brother she possessed.

But I've already spent a million words and thirteen images on this post. If enough folks are interested in the AU maybe I'll expand on it later. Let me know what y'all think.

[yangbbokari]

OT8 SKZ making a bet on you - Hyung Line

Pairing: OT8 SKZ x f!Reader

Genre, AU: angst ofc, lovers to exes!AU

Warnings: cursing, mentions of cheating, many mentions of insecurities. I think that abt it

Summary: you happened to learn one day that the never really loved you and only made a bet with the other members to see if you would fall in love with them

A.N: Not proof read at all and I had this idea pop up inside my head instead of actually finishing my ksm fic

Parts: Maknae line Part 2

BANG CHAN: You've always trusted Chan with every fiber in you so it was a little unexpected when you just so happened to overhear his phonecall. It wasn't as if you intended to listen to it. But how could you not when you knew he was talking about you.

You were walking by his home studio when you heard him call your name. Assuming that he was calling for you, you almost went in. But, when he continued to talk you figured he was on call. So you stood by the door waiting for him to say some nice words about you. Blushing and smiling in the process. But what you didn't expect to hear was,

"...yeah, I'm not even going to lie, toying with her was hella fun. I won the bet so pay up." You couldn't believe you ears. But you stood there just to see how things would esculate. All you needed was for him to say he loved you. Except, thats not what happened. He just chuckled. CHUCKLED!? "That's what I'm saying! She thinks I'm her protector or whatever. She gets so annoying sometimes and I can't stand it but-"

That was all you needed to hear before bolting out of the house. 7 years of trust, love and bonding down the drain because of some stupid bet. Or maybe you were the stupid one. Stupid for ever believing in his lies in the first place. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEE MINHO You're currently locked up in a janitor's closet crying to yourself and thinking about how dumb you must've been. There was no warning signs. There was no subtle hints. There was nothing but a lethal bomb ticking off. Ticking off till you completely lost it all.

You thought prom was going to be the best night of your life. That was until you witnessed the most horrific sight.

Minho asked you out to prom during your lunch period unexpectedly. He was one of the most popular boys in school and you were well... a loner. He even offered to take you to dinner to convince you to go with him. But you agreed because this was the dream of like every girl in the school.

He picked you up at 6:30 sharp and drove you to the school. You could barely contain your excitement the entire time. The two of you walked in together but he refused to let you hold his hand. Let alone putting your arm around his. You brushed it off as, "he's not comfortable with it yet." But it was soon discovered that he didn't want to be seen with you at all.

You were enjoying your night but then you excused yourself to the bathroom. When you made it back to the dance floor, Minho was nowhere to be seen. So you went to search for him. You wish you hadn't done that. There he was, in the middle of the science lab, making out with the head of the cheer team. You held you breath as you stood still in the hallway. Still in shock to what you were witnessing. Not to mention what you were hearing.

Minho was saying it with his own mouth and it left you in disbelief. "So, I took that loner girl out to prom. Does that finally win me a chance with you? You know how long I've been waiting for you."

"Don't you think you'll break the poor girl's heart?"

"Oh c'mon! You said if I took that trashy loner to prom then you'd be more than willing to be mine. Please? You already kissed me so it has to count."

Loner girl? That's all you were in the eyes of other people. You should've known sooner. No popular jock would actually ask you to prom. No one would even talk to you. What were you thinking? So you made a run for it to a janitor's closet, making sure no one else was around and sat down, crying to your heart's content. Guess prom wasn't the best night of everyone's life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SEO CHANGBIN All you wanted was space. Space for a little while. Your heart wasn't ready to feel that and your brain wasn't ready to believe it. You didn't want to believe it. Did he even really love you all these years or were you just a mere joke to him and his friends?

You had just returned from work and saw Changbin sitting on the couch. You gave him the key to your apartment two months after you guys started dating. This marked your fifth month. Changbin was clearly nervous as he turned the rings on his finger and bounced his leg up and down. Slowly, you approached him. "H-hey, Baby. Everything alright?"

His eyes shot up to you and he was sweating from all the nervousness. "Uh, y/n, I didn't hear you coming in! I-I just wanted to talk about something with you. Something very serious." Changbin put on the best stern face he could. With a concerned face, you look at him. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” He looked like he was on the verge of tears. You were concerned but you wanted to hear him out first.

“Whatever I tell you, just remember that I love you very much and what’s coming out of my mouth right now is of the past. So… I actually started dating with you because… because..” He sighed heavily before continued. “…me and the members made a bet to see if I could make you mine and I agreed. B-but I really love y-”

You cut him off not wanting to hear anymore than you already did. “I think I need some space right now.”

“Baby, I- I said I need some space.”

Locking yourself in the bedroom to cry, clenching at the fabric in front of your heart. How could you fall to their game all this time? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HWANG HYUNJIN Movie night went wrong… you guess you could say.

The boys and you were settling down for a movie when you scrolled across “To All The Boys I Loved Before”, when Jisung began laughing.

“Yah! Do you guys remember when we made a bet to see who y/n would fall in love with first.” The chubby cheeked boy said. The rest of them laughed and went along with it until they noticed the silence between the both of you and Hyunjin.

“Wh-what!?” You stuttered out. Tears were streaming down your face by now. “WHAT!?” Confused was the perfect word to describe you in the situation. They all turned to you as Felix asked, “Did Hyunjin not tell you?”

Your head shook as you looked between Hyunjin and the other members. Back and forth, back and forth. You wanted to immediately tear your ears off. Open your head, take your brain out, and erase the horrible memories you had just gained.

Tears blinded your eyes as you ran out of the room and before you knew it, out the house. As you ran you could hear Hyunjin calling your name. But you were too grief-stricken to stop and look back. Maybe you should’ve never came here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope you guys enjoyed. I had this on my mind for like a week and I had to write it down before I lost inspo😭 Lemme know if y’all want a part 2. Maknae line is coming soon though❤️

[circinuus]

guys, I need my husband jing yuan to come home to our shared house, actually.

Thinking about sitting in front of the vanity, ready to rest for the night, already clad in only your inner robe. Hair flowing freely, with hair oil in hand and a flower-carved traditional comb in another—a rare gift your beloved got you in one of your anniversary celebrations, amongst other trinkets from your courtship gifts and whatnots eons ago. While you reminisce sweet youth and the love both bittersweet and cloying throughout the years you went through together, your husband comes home, weary and with heavy steps. He smiles at you, tiredness laced in the curve of his mouth, but a smile nonetheless, "A-(Name), you're still awake?" You give him an exasperated smile, standing up with your hair loose, then you let him fall into your warm embrace. "Welcome home, husband." You smell like sandalwood and fresh laundry, and he thinks he was a madman for being able to disentangle himself from you just that morning.

The Arbiter General is a sleepy, oversized cat. He nuzzles to your neck and hair, and you let him. He takes a deep breath, savoring your presence as you silently chuckle, reaching up to undo his hair tie. It is somewhat of a popular topic gossip like to indulge in. General Jing Yuan is a romanticist, and the rumors ring true. By no means he is a hard headed traditionalist, but in his years, only his parents and you have ever meddled with his hair and the ribbon he uses to tie it up. Pale, fluffy mane flows down through your fingers, among the strands also the red ribbon now loose in your hand. You step back to sit yourself on the edge of the bed. Your husband hums, content on resting his head on the crook of your shoulder—such scoundrel. A scoundrel and a shrewd man that you've fallen deeply in love with. His hands circle around your waist, pads pressing against your soft skin on top of the thin material, tracing your spine. "Husband," your voice is a soft warning, but you both know it was uttered in a half hearted sentiment. Jing Yuan chuckles, breath against your neck, "Yes, my heart?" and just like that, you lost. With a huff, carding your fingers through his hair.

It must've been a long day, you think. You find solace in his slow breathing, the steady and calming heartbeat that is pressed against yours, singing a synchronized tune with your own. Careful hands lather themselves in hair oil, gently straightening the unruly silver mane that is your husband's as he hums and purrs in your hold. You've always thought them beautiful. Bashful and longing gazes in your youthful eyes, wondering how it feels to run your hand through, if they are soft and thick, or delicate and easy to comb through. How it feels to hear his heartbeat or hold him in your arms like there are only you and him in this world. How it feels to have those piercing golden irises gaze at you with affection and fond endearment. Unbeknownst that he too, longs for that which mirrors your warm affection when his gaze lands on you.

Jing Yuan tightens his arms around your waist, loose hair now cascading down, smelling of sandalwood. "Husband," you try call him, voice soft but beckoning.

"I've combed your hair. you need to change and clean, then rest." He only gives a grunt in a mix of slow breathings, pressed to your chest.

"Husband, A-Yuan."

His reply comes in the form of a small snore. arms still persistently locking you in place.

So like always, you simply smile exasperatedly, silently discarding the heavy metal ornaments and belts, shoes on the floor. And when he settles among the soft silk sheets with you embracing him, his hand splayed on your stomach and face against your collarbone, you press a kiss to the crown of his head.

extras: I don't speak chinese so I'm grasping air but ughfgfhhhh so I've been obsessed with wuxia lately and the amount of domestic married shenanigans in that genre is insane. but anyways, I think chinese terms of endearment are neat and I also think people from xianzhou should use it a lot. they have to.

"Good night, baobei."

you call your husband "husband" or "my husband" or general jing yuan in public, a-yuan in the company of close friends or with him alone, and baobei, when it's really really really just the two of you or you're in your shared house, and you both are being disgustingly romantiromant

jing yuan is more disgusting (affectionate) and will find any chance to call you his wife/husband. will use "wife/husband" and "my wife/my husband" in public. I think he's the type to really like using "I think my wife/husband is waiting for me." and "I can't let my wife/husband wait any longer." to escape matters that are not important but without sounding rude. then he'd seek you out and mayhaps nap just a bit on your lap, with your hands carding through his hair, just a while.

I think he'd also call you cheesy names like "my little sparrow" or "my peony" or "my loved one/àirén"---in which that usage happens to only be restricted for married couples. even if fu xuan was there and you happen to visit or cross paths. look he's just really proud of his spouse.

when addressing you normally among friends or informal settings, he might use a-(name) like you do to him

in a romantic mood or in private, he'd use something more disgusting unironically like my heart/my everything

I need to marry him :(

footnotes

a-yuan/a-(name) [1]: It can be used for friends, family, or close acquaintances. For example, "A-ying" (阿瑶) is a friendly way for Jiang Yanli to address her younger brother figure Wei Ying (from the series Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), indicating a bond between them. From what I understand, this can apply for lovers too

baobei [2]: Literally means “treasure” or “precious thing,” and by calling your other half 宝贝, it shows just how much they mean to you and that you value them. In terms of tone and cultural context, it's a bit more cutesy and is close to the English equivalent “baby” or “sweetie."

[ssa-neeks-prentiss]

Whumptober day 5!

Bau x fem!reader

Word count : 1k

Anguish : Extreme pain or suffering, both physical and emotional

Everyone in the BAU had hard cases sometimes. Like, JJ always had hard cases with children. But, for some reason nothing seemed to affect Y/N. She was what the FBI deemed a 'perfect agent'. Nothing fazed her or got in the way of her work. She was never tired. Never sick. Never anything except the utmost agent.

They also found her to be very isolated, she would say no to outings to bars with the team, she would say no to going to any of the others houses. She was always at work or at home.

Speaking of home, the team didn't even know where Y/N lived. They knew nothing about her personal life. Well. Not until this case. Then they would know everything. And why Y/N Y/L/N was the way she was.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

It had all begun when you were in the conference room, JJ had said there was a case. An urgent case. You were sat up in your chair, waiting for JJ to arrive with the case files. You had preferred a paper file, just like Spencer did. You worked best with the genius.

Your eyes followed JJ as she walked into the room with the files and iPads.

"This case has been requested to us by the higher ups."

Ah. So this must be a major case then. But why us? There were many other teams that could do it better than them. You could hear murmurs of surprise from the others but you ignored them as JJ spoke again.

"The first victim is 25 year old Auryn Caladrius. She was stabbed through the heart and left with a message saying 'You must've lost your heart, so I'm here to return it.'

Caladrius. That was the name of an agent in the CBI.

"What's so interesting about this case that we were requested?"

JJ frowned at your tone. It was void of emotion like always when debriefing. But she answered your question anyway.

"Each of the victims are part of under the wrap families. Files that not even Garcia's hacking can reach."

It was then silent. No one noticed you had paled. They were murdering under the wrap families. Which means yours might not be safe.. Crap.

You shook your head before anyone could notice your pale face.

"The next victims?"

JJ frowned again. You knew what she was thinking. You knew what they all thought about you but you had to be the best, or your family would be revealed. But it may not last much longer.

"Next is 30 year old, Blaze Barnes, also stabbed through the heart with a note stating 'I will find them before you find me. I will find every single one of them.'"

Barnes was of course another popular agent, responsible for the jailing of many people, you would just stop commenting about each agent and listen.

"Flora Clarke, 14. Same death, with a note saying a name 'Alexis.' No surname or nothing."

You paled. Alexis. Your younger sister, she was also 14. Could be a coincidence.. Right?

"Cassie Hawksley.. 3.. The note had another name and another paragraph. 'Soleil. I will find all of their names until every last one has been found and then I will murder them all."

It was then Hotch that spoke up next.

"Uhm.. How many victims have there been with names on the notes?"

"Seven."

You were doing you best not to shake. Alexis. Soleil. This was no longer a coincidence. They were targeting your family. The family that meant everything to you.

"11 victims? How come we haven't been warned until now?"

JJ shrugged as Emily asked the question.

"They wanted to keep it from causing mass panic. They're still looking through files to find out who has a family with those names. They have to do it long hand due to not having any hackers that can reach the files. But onto the next victims."

"Nyssa Rodriguez, 27, 'Clover, lucky number 3. How many are left to go? Only [first initial of your first name] will know. So hurry up before I find all of them.'"

"It.. Seems to be a personal vendetta against one person. They're trying to find every member of their family, correct?"

You asked no one in particular. They all agreed though. And Spencer spoke verbally.

"So we have to find who has a family with these names and get them to help us."

JJ nodded.

"The rest of the names and notes are in your files. We can read them now to speed things up. It is also a local case so we can stay in the precinct.

You nodded and scanned the rest of the victims. The rest just had names until the last one.

Kaia Cunningham; Spark

Mars Thompson; Edith

Elsie Crawford; Ayla-Jane

Myra Hawksley; Maisie

Remy Ryder; Aria-Rae

Kade Monroe; Celeste.

Mars was the only one with an extra note.

'Only 4 more left. How do you feel being hunted down? Do you even know it's your family that's next. I know you will get this case. So chop chop. The clock is ticking.'

The rest of the victims had an extra word that was either 'tick' or 'tock'.

"I guess the Tick and Tock's refer to the clock on the note Mars was left with. Though, what do these victims relate to for the reason they were murdered other than they were under the wraps due to having an agent as a family member?"

Spencer asked and Emily wondered aloud.

"Maybe it's to do with age? The notes have a small number in the corner correlating to the victims age."

Only if Emily knew how on the mark she was.

You were worried. No one has seen you break. But you don't think your pain will stretch this far. If anything happened to your family you would lose it. And the team would not want to see what happens when you lose control...

Okay that sounded cringey. But still. No one had seen you be anyone except the cold, collected perfect agent. And this had resulted in someone hunting your family like a pack of rabbits.

[monarchisms]

im merely curious because of what you mentioned previously, but what do you think is different between the watcher service vs dropout? i /do/ think there is one, but i can't put my finger on it

as of right now, there are two major differences in my eyes: legacy and diversity

the first point, i had to think on for longer because though i'm familiar with dropout because my friends are into their content, my own perspective is lacking. so, i did some minor research to fact check stuff

dropout, i feel, is an exception to the rule in regards to internet-based companies making their own website/streaming services. until recently, they have existed as collegehumor since fucking 1999. they have lots of prior experiences to reflect on, and a long-term audience that often gives them feedback they're receptive to. their older content staying on youtube alongside some new ongoing stuff still being uploaded there is a nice plus. ryan and shane got popular through unsolved comparatively much sooner in 2016, as did steven in that same year with worth it, watcher currently is only 4 years old, so their foundation is more shaky right now

what also helped alongside that was that the transition wasn't as jarring as watcher's announcement. their subscription price on launch in september 2018 was $3.99 a month up until december, when they eased into tiered subs, which must've helped a lot. afaik, watcher tv has no mobile app (yet?), and many fans outside the US are region-locked without a vpn or something similar. with watcher and dropout in its current day each being $5.99, this leads into...

the second point: diversity. dropout launched mobile versions of their service 3 months after the official launch. watcher is exclusive to one official platform, as mentioned before, but in my opinion, what hurts watcher the most is series diversity. they have like, one series going on for a few weeks or months before another starts, so if someone paid them the fee, it'd be for something they might not even be interested in. likely, they'd binge the series they enjoy and unsub until the next season comes out. dropout has the advantages of both legacy series under the collegehumor name readily available, and their unscripted ongoing series coming out concurrently with a fixed schedule so than something new would be coming out i think every weekday at this point. it's reall more bang for your buck

all of this is why i said watcher "wanted to be dropout so bad" yesterday. they've created Yet Another streaming service with a price and catalogue that doesn't justify its existence. this could've been a more focused patreon. this could've been a youtube membership. this could've been a secret third thing. this could've been anything else than what we got, and it would've had the potential to be better.

tl;dr- this is watcher right now:

[scarisd3ad]

Jump then fall | Steve Harrington x reader

Chapter one - everything has changed

Masterlist

Taglist

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Summary - after 7 years of being split apart from your childhood friend Steve you return to hawkins after your younger sisters tragic death, and parents messy divorce. But the Steve you came back to isn’t the same Steve you left behind.

"Steve!" Steve was surrounded by two of his new friends, Tommy and his girlfriend Carol, as I skipped up to him. They were both in 8th grade like Steve. carol looked me up and down as I stood in front of the trio. Steve had an annoyed look on his face from the moment I opened my mouth. Ever since he became friends with Tommy and Carol, it seemed as if I was just another inconvenience for Steve. "What?" the words are harsh as they come out of his mouth, almost like he was stabbing me right in the heart. But despite the achy feeling in my chest, I continued to talk. "wanna come over after school? My dad is working, so he won-"

"God, you are so annoying," Steve scoffs, which makes my brow furrow together in confusion. Steve has been a sweet boy ever since the moment I met him in kindergarten, but the moment he entered the 8th grade it was like a switch flipped inside of him. He no longer cared about his mother or his real friends he only care about popularity, girls, and being an absolute asshole to everyone around him. "Wh-what?" the words come out quiet and meek, the confusion still setting in as my eyes flicked from him to Tommy and then to Carol. Both his friends chuckled, probably because of the tears pooling in my eyes. "I said, you are fucking annoying! can't you go find someone else to cling onto?"

It seemed like time had stopped. Everyone around us stared, some laughed, and some whispered. Was I sent into a parallel universe because this wasn't the Steve I had grown to know? My chest heaved as I blinked back tears. "I-I'm sorry I thought-I thought-" I couldn't get the words out fast enough because Steve was shouting again before I could finish my sentence. "What that I was, your friend? I only hung out with you 'cause I felt bad that your sister died" This wasn't about Sara. He didn't need to bring her up. He knew it was a sore subject. The wound was still fresh. He knew it was still fresh. This felt like he was sticking a knife into that barely healed wound.

I want to punch him; I want to tackle him down to the ground and kill him just because he brought up my sister. "Your mom didn't even like you, so why should I? She dodged a bullet, leaving you." Maybe it was my mind making it up, but it felt like everyone around me was cackling at his words, at my tears, at my fists clenching and unclenching themselves. it hurt, it hurt so bad because I trusted him. I thought he was my best friend, but he wasn't. he was an evil lying bitch.

Before he can say anything else, I'm running away. I ran out of the school and to the group of telephones that stood outside against the school. I immediately punched in my father's work number as heavy sobs racked through my body. The phone rang a good three times before the secretary, Flo, answered the call.

"Hello, this is Hawkins police station. My name is Flo. How may I help you?" Flo was an older lady with dark hair and big, round glasses that sat on the brim of her nose. I sniffled before wiping my eyes. "He-hey Flo, can I talk to my dad?" I asked. Flo must've not noticed I was crying because she instantly transferred me to my father. The phone rang once before my dad answered, "Yeah what ya need?" Dad asks, "Da-daddy can you-you come get me?" I asked through sobs. I could almost hear the confusion in his voice as he asked, "What's wrong? What happened?" I don't answer due to the sobs that continue to erupt from my body. My brain was asking the same question repeatedly. Why would he do that to me? I thought we were friends. "I-I-please Dad," he grumbles quietly, "alright I'll be there in a few minutes."

I stood on the sidewalk with my arms wrapped around my body, waiting. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks when my dad's blazer pulled up beside me. I quickly get into the car, throwing my backpack in the back seat, and slamming the door shut before curling up in a ball, leaning my head against the glass. My father didn't immediately begin driving, instead deciding to interrogate me. "What happened? Did someone say something to you?"

"Steve," I whispered as more tears fell down my cheek. "Wh-what'd he do?" he asked, brows curling into a furrow. Dad knew Steve as a sweet boy, not someone who could ever hurt me. "He-he said...said I was annoying a-a-and that I was clingy." I said through sobs "And he-he said he was only my friend because he fe-felt bad because Sara die-died, that, m-mom didn't like me so why should he, a-and that she do-dodged a bullet leaving." His blood was boiling, I could tell. His face turned red, and he clenched his fists. Before I could even ask him what he was doing, he was already out of the car and halfway towards the front door. 

-

I wasn't a total nerd or loser. I was just normal, but I wasn't a Heather or a Carol. I was just me. I wasn't even the attractive type of normal person like Nancy Wheeler. I was just average. I was standing at my locker waiting for my friend Stephanie. We always met up at my locker before walking to English. Steph was popular. Sometimes I ask myself how I scored a friend like her. She was beautiful and kind. Everybody liked her and everybody had a reason why. The boys liked her because she was pretty, and the girls liked her because she was kinder than the other popular girls. Her curly hair bounced as she sauntered up to me. Her lips formed in a sweet smile as her hands pressed against her hips.

Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and a green bow was placed in her hair to match her green cheerleading uniform. "You coming to the game tonight?" she asked as she leaned her body against the locker next to me. "Maybe I Dunno. I have a lot of homework tonight," I whisper. I'm momentarily distracted by Steve walking by with his arm around his new plaything, Lisa Franklin, a cheerleader like Steph, but unlike Steph, Lisa was an absolute bitch. Despite the hurtful things Steve Harrington said to me, my crush on him never completely disappeared. Sometimes it felt like it was hidden away, but it was always there, simmering beneath the surface. 

Whenever I saw him walk by or heard him speak in any of our shared classes, my heart would skip a beat and my feelings for him would come flooding back. It was frustrating and confusing, but I couldn't help the way I felt. I feel two arms wrapping around my body, drawing my attention away from Steve. I glance over and see that it's Shawn Peterson. My relationship with Shawn is a bit complicated. We do things that most people in a romantic relationship do, but we don't use labels because he 'doesn't like labels'.

Shawn's a football player who's popular enough to be kind of friends with Steve. His hair is a dark, chocolate brown that falls in natural waves, framing a face that is both masculine and handsome. But it's his stunning brown eyes that steal the show, sparkling with an intensity that could make any girl weak in the knees. "So, you coming tonight?" he asks as he presses a kiss to my neck. I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe still Dunno though," I whisper. He groans as he presses a kiss just below my ear. "c'mon my parents aren't home tonight; we can go to mine afterward," I hum as I turn so I'm facing him. If I go, I have to tell my dad I'm at Steph's house and if I do that, I have the risk of him calling her parents to verify.

despite the risks, I smile up at him and whisper, "yeah okay sure." 

-

I sat on the bleachers watching as Steph cheered. my hands were buried deep into my pockets as I zoned out. No matter how much I loved Steph and Shawn, I'll always find high school football games a little boring. I didn't understand football and no matter how many times Shawn tried explaining it to me, I always left the conversation a little more confused than I was before. I feel someone sit down beside me, but I don't care enough to look to see who it is.

"hey," an all too familiar voice whispers. That makes me look up because I haven't heard that voice talking to me in years. Steve Harrington sat next to me, dressed in the same outfit he had been wearing at school earlier that day. I couldn't stop my heart from beating a mile a minute, and my hands beginning to shake. I can't tell if I'm nervous because I'm scared or because I have feelings for him. "What?" I mutter back, my voice a little harsher than I expected. Despite the fact he had been so mean to me back in 7th grade, I never wanted to be mean back. I couldn't get myself to do it.

"You here for Shawn?" Steve asks, his left hand tapping away at the metal bench. I nod replying "Yup" he hums as he nods awkwardly "Sooo...is he your y'know boyfriend?" I shrug "It's complicated..." he nods, a quiet hum coming from his lips. Why did he want to talk now? He hasn't talked to me in 3 years, but now randomly he wants to talk like nothing ever happened, like he never whispered to his friends when I walked by or spread rumors about me. "Why are you talking to me?" I ask brows curling in confusion as I stare up at him.

"wh-oh I-I just wanted to talk," he mutters back. he didn't want to talk for years before this, so why'd he want to talk now? After everything he's done to me, why now? I'm silent as I search his face for any signs that he's messing with me. But there's nothing, not a smirk, or some type of glint in his eyes, just brows furrowed together in confusion. I decided to look around to see if any of his friends were nearby snickering to themselves, but still, I didn't see any of them.

"wh-what are you looking for?" he asks. I quickly pivot my body towards him again. "Are you fucking with me again Steve?" he lets out a shocked little gasp before hurling into saying "No, no I'm not I just thought we could talk y'know since we haven't in a while" That infuriates me because he knows damn well why we aren't talking. "You know why we haven't talked in a while," I mutter as I scoot away from him. "c'mon y/n that was so long ago," he says, elongating the 'o' at the end of ago. I scoff rolling my eyes. "Yeah fuck you," I say as I scoot away from him a little more. He sighs defeated before asking, "How's your dad?" I shrug, muttering a quiet "fine," he nods awkwardly "You still live in the same house?" I shake my head. "No, moved a few years back."

We sit awkwardly, both of us not speaking as the football team comes running out on the field. Most of the people around us roar in applause and shouts of excitement, including Steve. he stands to his feet clapping before cupping his hands together in front of his mouth and shouting "Yeahhh Shawn!!" I cringe a little inside. Steve, like every other popular guy and athlete at the school, were filled with so much school spirit it made me physically cringe. he sat back down looking at me, as I stared at my feet trying to hold back laughter. "What?" a smile cracks to his lips as I let out a few quiet giggles. "Nothing...nothing" he laughs, and for a few quick minutes our old dynamic came back.

"Seriously? C'mon, what?" cover my mouth with my hand as I continue to laugh. I shake my head, refusing to say anything as our laughter dies down. And just like that, we were back to two estranged friends who hadn't held a conversation for more than 2 minutes for the past 3 years, almost. "y'know your dad punched me that day?" I look up at him, brows furrowing as I whisper a quiet "What?"

"He punched me when I was in eighth grade. " It all comes back, my father storming into the school after admitting to him what Steve had said to me. "good" I wouldn't normally expect my father, a grown man, to punch a 13-year-old, but in that instance, I don't blame him. If I was him and a guy like Steve had told my daughter the things Steve had told to me, I would've done more than just punched him. Steve laughs almost as if he was agreeing with me "Yeah...I was an asshole" I roll my eyes, was? Steve Harrington was still an asshole. "still" I say correcting him. Now it's his turn to ask "What?" I roll my eyes yet again as I say, "You're still an asshole", he frowns as he nods slowly "Yeah...I guess" At least he could admit it. 

-

Once the game ended, I bid Steve a quiet goodbye and went to the parking lot. I wait by Shawn's car for about 10 minutes until I see Shawn walking towards it, duffle bag swung over his shoulder, and hair damp. Steve walked next to him, both chatting about who knows what. Shawn drops his bag onto the hood of his car before scooping me up into a kiss.

Returning his kiss, I wrap my arms around his neck. I try to enjoy the kiss, but unfortunately, I can't because I can practically feel Steve's glare. I pull away, eyes meeting with Steve's. His brows are knitted together in an angry, or jealous type of furrow, and his arms are crossed over his chest. "You did so good out there," I say, pretending like I wasn't zoning out every 10 seconds. "mhm" Shawn hums before pressing his lips back against mine.

Steve clears his throat, making Shawn and I pull apart yet again. "well I'm gonna go. "See ya later, dude... um, nice talking to you again, y/n," Steve says before he starts walking towards his BMW, that was parked a few cars down.

The drive to Shawn's house is short and quiet. The only noise present is the low hum of the radio, and our breathing. When we get into his room, his hands are almost immediately all over my body. His lips touch mine, and his hands slide up and down the sides of my body before deciding to rest comfortably against my hips. The room is already somehow hot, and we're both out of breath when the sound of the phone (which sat on his nightstand) begins to ring.

BRINGGGG, BRINGGGG, BRINGGGG.

The sound of the phones rings is shrill and cuts through the quiet house like a knife. Shawn groans before pulling away from me. He crawls up his bed before answering the phone. Leaning against the headboard, he says, "Hello?"" in a very annoyed tone. "Oh, hey dude...no you weren't interrupting anything." the last bit drips in sarcasm as he says it.

"Yeah...yeah she's here, what'dya need?" I know he's talking about me because no one else is here, but I don't have a clue about who he's talking to. His brows furrow in confusion as the muffled sound of the other person talking comes out of the receiver. Then he scoffs as he shakes his head. "No, I'm not gonna do that sorry Steve." Steve? Why would Steve be asking about me? "Dude, you can't just ask me to do that" Shawn's eyes flick over to me before he whispers "I've gotta go alright? yeah, yeah, see you later." Shawn says before hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" I ask. He hums quietly before hesitantly saying "Um...he just wanted to ask me if he could copy my homework" My brows furrow. There's no way Shawn would have made a big deal out of copying homework. They always copied each other work, so there was no way that's what Steve had asked. There was no world in which Shawn would have answered like that to needing to copy his homework.

As I press my hands into the soft cushion of Shawn's mattress, I sigh and whisper, "I should go... my dad's gonna be pissed if he finds out I stayed out late." Shawn nods before asking "Need a ride?" I nod, pushing myself up off the mattress and to my feet. "Yeah, but drop me off a few miles out. Don't need my dad knowing you're there."

A few years back, after my father's divorce was settled, and I was adjusted in school, my father sold our old family house. Claiming there were too many bad memories there, then he promptly moved us out to a cabin in the woods, much to 12-year-old Me's dismay. The cabin had supposedly been my grandfather's. his father, aka my grandfather, skipped out on the 'wondrous' opportunity to live in the shithole, so it had been abandoned for years since my great-grandfather died. It's a shitty log cabin, two beds and one bath that sat in the middle of the woods.

I hate being at that place alone. The doors creek, and the trees around it whistle with every gust of wind. I swear I'm going to be murdered one day in it and it'll be all Dad's fault for moving us out there. I didn't know why he couldn't have just moved us into some moderately shitty apartment or even keep us at the old house. 

-

Shawn's car slowly drives down a dirt road in the middle of the woods. His high beams shining ahead of us to make sure there wasn't some animal (or person) in our way. About halfway towards my house, Shawn stops the car. From there, it would be about a 10-minute walk up to the house. "I can walk you up there if you want me to," he says, his voice quiet as if he thought my father would somehow hear him all the way out here. "No, I'm fine...but thanks anyway. See you on Monday," I say as I push open the car door. I sling my bag over my shoulder as I begin the walk towards my house. Shawn waits until I'm out of sight from his car to turn around and it's the 5-minute drive back to the main road.

I arrive at my bedroom window. I don't even notice my dad stood leaned up against the door frame until I'm fully inside my room. I'm left staring at my father, who has his arms crossed over his chest, angrily glaring at me. "WHERE THE HELL WHERE YOU?" my mouth gaped open as I began to say something but decided it was better not to. "GO ON TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK YOU WHERE" I let out a groan as I matched my father cross my arms over my chest "I was at the football game," I say with an eye-roll as I toss my backpack on my bed.

He scoffs "THE FOOTBALL GAME ENDED AT 8:30 SO TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK YOU'VE BEEN FOR THE LAST 2 HOURS!" his voice echoes through my room as I begin to talk, "God you're being so dramatic. A few friends and I went to Shawn's to celebrate after the game." his face is red, and his fists clench and unclench before he begins to shout again. "YEAH, WE'LL SINCE YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO FUCKING PICK UP A PHONE AND TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE I DON'T WANT YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSE FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS!" my eyes widen as I shout "What! that's not fair! I'm babysitting this weekend!"

"well, you're going to call whoever you're babysitting for this weekend and tell them that you can't make it anymore, and I don't want you using this phone this weekend either," he says as he goes to unplug the phone from the wall. I let out a loud dramatic "ugh!" which is then followed by me shouting "I hate you!"

As he walks out of the room he says, "Yeah well I fucking hate you too" I dramatically sit down on my bed before shouting again "You're such a fucking asshole!" he turns brows furrowing as he says, "What did you just call me", I'm not scared of him, I never have. He thinks I am, but I never will. "I said you're a fucking asshole," I repeat as my arms cross over my chest. He scoffs as he says, "I'll show you how much of an asshole I can be" before slamming my bedroom door behind him. 

I sit on my bed, arms crossed like a bratty toddler as tears pricked in my eyes. it wasn't fair. I've gotten home late a handful of times and he never gotten angry any of those times, why did he always pick and choose when he wanted to blow up? I wonder what it would be like right now if I was still in New York with my mother. would she be blowing up on me right now too? would she be cool about things like this? or was she strict? but I guess I'll never know because she gave up on me and our family.

I feel bad after fighting with him, I always feel bad. I know deep down he loves me; he just doesn't really know how to show it anymore. I crave that fatherly love that gets rationed out from time to time. I think that's why we fight so much; I crave the affection; he doesn't know how to show it. when he's not working, he sits on his chair, or in his bedroom practically in a catatonic state staring at the tv or a wall, we eat dinner in our separate rooms we don't talk unless we're screaming at each other, or I've got my head laid in his lap as I profusely apologize for what had happened. we're both traumatized i know that we both lost so much, but he should at least try. he knows I don't have any other parental figures in my life, and he still chooses to be distant and cold.

I sigh arms falling to my sides, pressing against my soft mattress. sometimes in the spur of the moment I wish he had died, and I know he thinks the same about me. I always feel bad afterwards though. even though I live with him, I don't know my father at all, he's a stranger to me. the only time we feel like father and daughter is when he's bossing me around. it's absolutely bazar that I feel the same way about my father that I do my absent mother. it's actually like they're both absent in their own ways, dad emotionally, and mom physically. he totally gave up after sara died, I mourn my father in the same way i mourn my dead sister. I just want the old him back, the dad who chased us around the park, and took us out for ice cream, the dad who never even thought to yell at me even if i had stollen a car.

I just want him back.

-

Taglist

@sheisjoeschateau @nothankyou138 @gleefulleve @luluw-20 @skrzydlak @halflifejess @natalie-flo @castleallherown

[reveriesrequiem]

short writing practice one-shot, with rodydeku and erasercloud sprinkles. keep in mind this is only a hobby, and i am not an experienced writer.

~

wind rustled through izuku's hair as he sipped at his lychee-flavored boba. the sky was a a breathtaking orange-to-pink, and the clouds were in the cumulus formation.

izuku's always liked clouds. it was his little thing. like how denki acts like he hates it, but he actually like being compared to pikachu. yaomomo likes feeling useful. izuku likes clouds. hitoshi likes hugs-but only if its cold.

contrary to popular belief, izuku wasn't actually oblivious. he could see the way momo and kyoka looked at eachother. the way tenya looked to ochako for praise whenever he makes a joke or pop-culture reference.

the way denki always made to include hitoshi in whatever he did. the way aizawa-sensei had a picture on his desk of a blue-haired boy with a smile to rival even the brightest stars, and constantly held onto a necklace that held a ring identical to the one on his finger.

in short, he wasn't oblivious.

he was burst out of his thought process by a shuffling of footsteps behind him. a hand gently placed itself on his shoulder, warm and familiar.

"are you alright, midoriya?" aizawa-sensei's voice, gruff yet full of concern, rang out from behind him. he'd been, admittedly, softer, ever since the war. izuku thinks he, tenya and yaomomo make for great co-parents.

izuku blinked sleepily, "yes, aizawa-sensei. just..thinking about something."

"on the roof?" izuku nodded simply. his teacher huffed in fond irritation.

"..aizawa-sensei?" he started, quietly, a few minutes later. he picks at the label around his boba.

aizawa-sensei grunted.

"have you ever..loved someone that- that you can't have?" izuku's voice quivered, trailing off at the end, nervous.

"..i have."  izuku looked at his teacher, suprised.

"and how do you...deal with that?"

"other than drinking boba on roofs and staring at clouds?" he teased.

izuku tsked.

"this is about your othenan friend, isn't it?" aizawa-sensei deadpanned. izuku blushed and tilted his head in a shy 'yes'.

the black-haired man sighed and sat down next to him. the hand on izuku's shoulder moved to his head and ruffled his hair.

"..i had a friend. in my first year, when i moved to the hero course. i didn't want to be his friend, but i ended up hanging out with him and his group anyway." he could've sworn aizawa smiled. it was a wistful one, one that people would often have when reminiscing.

"he died in my second year."

"oh- i'm sorry – "

"don't apologise, kid. " he buried the lower half of his face in his capture scarf and continued, " i admit, i came to love him. romantically, i mean. but it was too late for it to go anywhere farther than it already was."

"w- what was his name?" izuku asked, gently.

aizawa-sensei hesitated before answering.

"...oboro. his name was oboro. "

izuku's smile was small, but kind, "thank you for sharing this with me, aizawa-sensei." he says, honestly. his teacher blinks, and bashfully pulls up his capture scarf to cover his mouth once more.

"c'mon, kid. let's get you back to the dorms." the gruff man offers his hand. the teen grasps it, laughing as he pulls himself up.

~

"..shota?" oboro had murmured, carding a hand through his boyfriend's hair as he dozed.

"mh?.. he hummed.

"do you think..we're together in every universe?" the blue-haired boy questioned softly. shota cracked an eye open to stare at him, confused.

"what brought this on?" he asks, voice hoarse from sleep. oboro blinks lazily, sky-blue eyelashes fluttering.

his face softened before he answered, "nothing, nothing! just..curious, i guess." he laughs quietly before pecking shota on the cheek.

the red-eyed boy gave a 'hmm' as he looked up at his partner. "i think, that any universe without you is a sad one." he muttered, sleepily. oboro smiled so wide his face must've hurt.

he rained kisses all over shota's face before tucking his face into the crook of his boyfriend's neck, a smitten grin stretching his lips.

shota huffed contentedly and settled down to fall back asleep.

~

[pianostarinwonderland]

TWST Valentines Cards 2023

Hell yeah, it's that time of the year again.

Going to make another post keeping record of this year's set of letters. Some cards haven't been found yet, so this post will be updated as I find more cards. If there is an asterisk beside a character's name, that means I only got the text itself but there may be errors and needs to be verified with the picture of the card itself. If any of you have pictures of letters that are either not there or need verification and don't mind showing to anyone, please send to me through DMs!

Since the cards freshly came out and some are still waiting for their own letters, all letters will be posted under the cut!

Riddle Rosehearts

My dear friend— Thank you for the lovely sweets. I'll have them on my study breaks. If they're good, perhaps I'll set them out at a tea party. You'll certainly be invited if I do. After all, there's no rule that states you can't join.

Trey Clover

Hello, friend— Thanks so much for the gift. It was exactly my taste, with just the right amount of sweetness. I can tell you thought a lot about what to get. I'll come up with a recipe based on these sweets sometime. I hope you'll taste test it for me.

Cater Diamond

Eyyy, friendo! Sweets aren't normally my jam, but the ones you picked out were PERF—and they looked great too! You must've put in some WORK picking them out. So, thanks! I'll make sure to do the same for you!

Ace Trappola

Heya, pal— I kinda freaked when I saw you left a present at my door—in a good way! You actually sent me sweets! You could've just given them to me in person, you know. I haven't had any yet, but I'm sure they'll be great! We should share them at lunch tomorrow.

Deuce Spade

My good friend— Thanks for the amazing gift! You got me those mega-popular sweets we just talked about, right? They were so good! It's kind of a shame I ate them all. Have you had any? I guess it'd be weird if I gifted you the same thing, but come shopping with me sometime and we can pick out some sweets for you.

Leona Kingscholar

Hey— You give me SWEETS? I swear, sometimes I don't know what goes through that noggin of yours. I'll be nice and say I appreciate the sentiment...this time. But don't expect any glowing food reviews.

Ruggie Bucchi

Hey, 'sup. I got the sweets you sent! It's always a good day when someone gifts me food. These are supposed to be real popular right now, yeah? They must've been hard to snag. Shyeheehee, that makes them doubly good! Thanks a ton!

Jack Howl

Hi, I was surprised when I smelled something sweet at my door. Consider your present received. I still can't believe you gave me such cutesy-looking sweets. Not that I'm unhappy about it, of course. I actually like candy and stuff. Thanks.

Azul Ashengrotto

My boon companion— Thank you for the heartfelt gift. I suppose I owe it to you to partake of these sweets. Don't worry. Once I've analyzed the flavor, I'll gift you something equally delicious. After all, fair's fair.

Jade Leech

My good friend— You've outdone yourself. Sweets that pair well with black tea? My deepest thanks. I'm flattered that you thought of me so when selecting them. You've inspired me. I'm going to spend my mountain hikes pondering just the right tea blend to suit your palate. I do hope you'll enjoy it.

Floyd Leech

Dear little shrimpy— I saw your present. You got me candy? That rules! I was JUST in the mood for something sweet. I might not be tomorrow though, so I think I'll polish them off today. Thanks.

Kalim Al-Asim

To my dear friend— Thanks for the present! What colorful and sparkly sweets. They look delicious! I just had an idea! How about we eat them together after school? Gifts like this taste better when shared, after all. I'll pick out a good tea to go with them. Can't wait to see you later!

Jamil Viper

Hello— I was surprised to see you gifted me sweets. At first I wondered if you were hinting for me to make you something similar... But when I pulled the gift out of the bag, I saw all the details you put into it, right down to the ribbon. It's clear this was a heartfelt gesture. I'll treasure these treats as I eat them. Thank you.

Vil Schoenheit

Dearest friend— Thank you for the gift. The sweets were dazzling and most attractive. Did you try to imagine what I'd like when picking them out? If so, you made an apt choice. I'll have something for you later in return.

Rook Hunt

Bonjour, and merci beaucoup! What a lovely batch of confections! They’re so darling that I’m tempted to stow them away in a brilliant bejeweled box. Ah, but I jest. I’ll enjoy every morsel of this gift you’ve so thoughtfully bestowed upon me.

Epel Felmier

Dear friend— Thanks for the gift! Sweets from the city have a real fancy vibe, don't they? I'll savor every bite. I know this isn't exactly a gift, but I just scored some coupons for the cafeteria. Wanna join me for lunch tomorrow? Just wait for me, and I'll find you!

Idia Shroud

@YOU huh? What the wha? im low-key scared here why would u give me sweets??? ig that sometimes i run low on sugar when ive been gaming too long and my aim becomes trash... ok sure, if this is ur way of looking out for me, ill take it

Ortho Shroud

Hello, Prefect― Thanks for the present! The sweets were very charming and cute, not to mention colorful. What neat designs! I'll make sure to save this as a special memory. I've run the data on their base ingredients, and hope to gift you some fitting sweets in return soon.

Malleus Draconia

To my dear friend— Thank you. Never did I envision someone presenting me with the gift of sweet treats. It would be a shame for me to eat them all by myself. I think I'll share them with you. Would you be willing to provide the tea to go with them?

Lilia Vanrouge

Greetings! Your present was delightful. The treats had a subtle sweetness that was perfect for a slightly mature fae like myself. I'll be making you a lovely treat in return, using a very special recipe of mine. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Silver

Salutations— Thanks for the gift. I read once that sugar can boost your concentration. Did you give me these to snack on when I'm about to nod off during my studies? That was very considerate of you. I think I'll try them out today.

Sebek Zigvolt

Human— I've received your gift. It was agreeably sweet. In fact, it might've been sweet enough to make black coffee bearable... But I digress. Regardless, I was somewhat impressed with your choice. You have my thanks.

Grim

Dear hench-human— Mraaah! Is this ALL for me?! I've never seen such sparkly, yummy-lookin' candy before! I feel like a king! But I'd feel bad leavin' you out of this sugar extravaganza, so I GUESS you can have a small piece. I'm lookin' forward to more gifts, partner!

Dire Crowley

Dear esteemed student— Thank you for the delicious gift. And don’t bother telling me I was supposed to share it—I’ve already finished the whole package! If you wish for the staff to also partake, I suggest you acquire more treats. But don’t worry, I won’t say a word if you give the same gift twice. I’m kindhearted like that!

Divus Crewel

Dear pup— Is this a gift for the staff? Excellent. Now that I have some treats to sweeten my breaks, I'll be able to grade your exams with a much more critical eye. I can see the grimace on your face now. Relax, it was a joke. It's usually frowned upon for dogs to be the ones buying gifts, but since you're such a loyal pup, I'll let you off. I'm a generous trainer, after all.

Mozus Trein

Dear juvenile— I must wonder why you decided to get me a present. Is this your way of thanking me for my lecture the other day? If so, gifts are hardly necessary. It's a teacher's job to educate students with a thirst for knowledge. I can't accept any offerings from students, but the sentiment is much appreciated. I expect nothing but excellence from you moving forward.

Ashton Vargas

Dear student— Thanks for the present! Excessive sugar is a no-go when building a beautiful bod, but it'd be bad form to let your thoughtful gesture go to waste. Such is the price of popularity. I'll just have to accept that and work off everything I eat. Keep up those reps!

Sam

Yo, little imp! What is UP? Thanks so much for the gift! You've got a real eye for quality. I'll make sure to stock up on goods that'll pique your interest, so swing by the shop soon!

[guxciestone]

✧ CELEBRITY BIRTH CHART ANALYSIS ✧

— amy winehouse.

next in the birth chart analysis series is one of my favorite music artists, amy winehouse 🥀👩🏻‍🦱 i’ve always been fascinated with her—her life, style, and music. she’s literally everything and she was truly a unique and beautiful woman. i would like to show my appreciation for her existence and legacy by analyzing her chart ✨🖤

note: i do not know any of the celebrities i do readings on personally, i just like to decipher things. not everything has to be accurate.

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✨👠 Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in Enfield, United Kingdom at 10:25pm. Amy Winehouse was a famous musician who gained popularity in 2003 from her debut album “Frank”, leading song being “Stronger Than Me”. Amy was most known for her unique soulful voice, amazing songwriting, and bass guitar skills. Winehouse was vicariously known for her sass, addictions, as well as her unhealthy relationship with her ex-husband Black Fielder-Civil. At some point, she was even considered one of the most disliked divas in the industry. Unfortunately, Amy passed away in 2011 just at 27 years old from an alcohol overdose. Her legacy lives on as she has inspired other popular artists such as Adele, Sam Smith, and Lana Del Rey. She is usually recognized by her iconic beehive hair, fabulous mole, and her eye-catching tattoos.

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she identified as:

࿐ a virgo sun, capricorn moon, & gemini rising.

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ㅤㅤ— her personality.❞

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Venus sextile Ascendant shows that Amy had a unique and striking look that stood out to others on the first impression and in the public eye; significant features such as her mole, beehive hairstyle, and thick eyeliner makes her easily distinguishable to her fans. Winehouse also had vintage tattoos such as a pocket named "Blake" and a tattoo on her arm dedicated to her grandma Cynthia. She had an incomparable beauty; not to mention, tons of models, artists, and celebrities are inspired by her fashion, iconic features, and music style to this today. Since her Ascendant is in Gemini, she definitely had a witty, playful and sarcastic personality; and her Venus in Leo added the sassiness to her character which she was partially known for. Plus, she was a fashion icon and served lots of looks.

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Moon conjunct Neptune can indicate that Amy had a sensitive and compassionate inner state. She was generous and understanding towards others. Additionally, she might have been very intuitive and easily interpret the energies in her surroundings. On the downside, this often makes someone who is selfless and tend to look out for other more often than themselves. Furthermore, she understood her emotions very well and she knew how to use mediums to express them. This aspect does call for someone who can easily be emotionally deceived or deluded. In this case, her conjunction is in the 7th house; she might have struggled with deception and emotional/mental confusion in her personal relationships. It could have been easy for her to fall victim to addictive relationships as was shown in her public relationship with her ex-husband Blake Civil-Fielder.

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Prominent Neptunes are more than likely to fall to substance abuse as well. This is also shown in Sun square Neptune. Amy might have also struggled with confusion in her self-esteem, ego, or identity. With Sun in the 5th house and Neptune in the 7th house, she might have been the type to indulge in romantic relationships to escape from herself. This is the type of placement that tries to find their identity through their connections with others (This is also shown in her Neptune opposition Ascendant) This placement is also common in people who goes into casual relationships often. This makes someone who is creative, imaginative, and has potential to create beautiful art and projects.

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Moon trine Mars could have made Amy someone who was an emotionally passionate lover. She must've loved expressing her adoration and admiration to her loved ones through her actions and efforts; and to her partners through sexual attraction. Additionally, she was a goal-oriented woman who must've saved a lot for herself in the future. I believe Amy talked about starting a clothing line in one of her street interviews, and at some point I think she was working with Fred Perry on a branding range. With Mars in the 4th house, it is possible that Amy had a desire to start a family or she had a specific passion about security or home life.

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With Lilith trine Ascendant, Amy had this image of expressing herself unapologetically. She had striking sex appeal that was unique from other artists, especially with Lilith in the 10th house. With Lilith in Aquarius, perhaps Amy might have been ostracized or bullied for how different she was from others at some point in her life. Due to her trine, she learned how to embrace her differences and use this appeal to create the image she is known for today.

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Moon sextile Saturn could indicate that Amy used to be an emotionally mature individual. She was a good partner and she was perhaps the type to stick with someone through thick and thin because she understood it all. This could show someone who has an old soul, and Amy definitely had an old soul. Amy began writing music just at 14 and made her debut album at 19. With Saturn in the 6th house, she was an orderly individual and she must've took marriage and partnerships seriously. Not to mention, she demonstrated her passionate love for Blake in their 6-year long relationship. Saturn in the 6th house within the aspects shows she was a sucker for routine and order, so she was most likely the one who wears the pants in her relationships and conducted when and how things would happen. She might've believed strongly in marriage as well with her Moon in the 7th house in this aspect.

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Sun conjunct Mercury easily makes someone who is very versatile, intelligent, and talented. Amy was proficient in a lot of things. This also calls to make a witty, introspective, and sarcastic individual who is often proficient at using their words in a eloquent way. Amy was also known for being a good songwriter and having great lyricism in her music. With Virgo in the 5th house, she may be someone who is subjected to perfectionism as she wants her arts and projects to come out exactly the way she envisioned them to be. This also makes her appear graceful in workings on an outer impression as well. Mercury square Neptune also makes someone who often struggles with verbal communication, she may have not been the best with talking to people clearly. But she might know how to communicate through other mediums such as music, poetry, and writing.

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Moon trine Venus made Amy someone who knew how to incorporate their inner world and emotional state into beauty and the arts. It was easy for Amy to express how she felt through her music; as said, it was almost as though it was a therapeutic medium for her. Additionally, she also valued balance, love, and diplomacy more than anything. She also knew how to get along with others and was very well-liked by the people in her inner circle. She was more than likely willing to be there for others and cared for others as well. She must’ve loved children too or knew how to handle them. Most importantly, she couldn't live without her relationships, it was what made her inner world thrive.

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With Mercury trine Chiron, as mentioned previously in childhood, Amy might have struggled with communicating with others. Perhaps she was a shy kid in school or she did not know how to socialize. Amy actually dealt with anxiety pretty often, especially on stage. She would mention that in interviews. That anxiety and her fidgety nature was also shown in her Mercury square ascendant. It is impossible that she could have struggled with feeling heard specifically since her Chiron is in the 12th house. Her way of truly feeling heard and making others feel heard was her talent in music, writing, and lyricism. A lot of people could easily sympathize and relate to Amy's music, especially in regards to relationships and self-love. Mercury-Chiron aspects in general also point towards delinquency or troubles in school. Amy actually was expelled from Sylvia Young Theatre school when she was fourteen for wearing a nose ring.

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Moon sextile Pluto signifies that Amy had an intense inner world. She experienced dark and huge emotions. Because of this, she was very understanding and comfortable with many taboo topics. She was very mature due to this. Amy dealt with a lot with her health, especially her mental health as shown in her Pluto in the 6th house in this aspect. Apparently, she suffered from bipolar disorder the more her dependencies worsened over the years. She also dealt with depression at a young age along with anxiety. She also dealt with bulimia long from her teens. Hence, she experienced worst so she understood it all. All of her hardships in this area, this helped her with finding motivation and reasoning too transform and become a better person.

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ㅤㅤ— her relationships. ❞

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Amy has one of the most rarest placements. Only 8% of the population has a retrograded venus. First off, venus in retrograde immediately calls for someone who has a serious karmic lesson surrounding self-love, materialism, and values in this life. With Amy having Venus in Leo in the 4th house retrograded, this might have called for her to find confidence and assurance in herself as an individual in order to feel secure in her individuality and life. However, since she might have struggled with expressing these qualities. She might have experienced the opposite. She had to deal with being in the eyes of the public and her relationships being put under a spotlight when it most likely wasn't wanted. Amy had to deal with scrutiny and her addictive marriage being put under a microscope for an audience to get her life lesson through. Amy might have not liked fame as much and she was more of a humble person.

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Venus trine neptune indicates that Amy had a dreamy, beautiful, and magical perception of love and beauty. She might have viewed it all as something that she incorporate into her life to build up security and establish relationships with others. She might have loved love and was willing to do anything it takes to experience it. She might have been used to falling with creative, selfless, and caring partners. Perhaps she fell in love with musicians and artists. This also calls for someone who is willing to try different styles or doesn't have a particular style at all.

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Venus sextile Pluto could show that Amy also had a very interesting and intense love life. In a negative sense, she might have dealt with toxic relationships. In a positive sense, every person she has dealt with has given her some type of lesson that could help transform herself. In fact, she might have became an entirely different person after every connection. With Venus in the 4th, the initiative and reasoning for every transformation in her relationship was to build security in herself and the life she has.

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Venus square Chiron calls for someone who often has a wound surrounding love, romance, beauty, and self-worth. Amy might have attracted tons of partners who needed to be saved or who would save her. She might have had a savior-martyr personality in regards to her connections. With her Chiron in the 12th specifically, the issue could have been she was never heard and could have depended on her relationships to help her feel so. This could signify low self-esteem or a feeling of insignificance.

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North Node in the 1st house conjunct her Ascendant shows that Amy's ultimate direction in life was to find herself and discover her true outlook on her life and what she wanted to do. This also shows that she was destined for popularity and recognition of some sort even if she wasn't famous.

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ㅤㅤㅤ— legacy/image.❞

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Mean Lilith in Aquarius in the 10th house indicates that Amy had a very provocative, taboo, and intense reputation during her prime. First, she has a different image than typical soul singers. Her beauty was rather unconventional and alluring. She also had a very unique voice. Others thought her voice was rather a bit soulful for a British singer. She also dealt with lots of hate, scrutiny, and criticism due to her public breakdowns and reactions. She was considered one of the most disliked divas in the industry at some point due to what she was going through. 10th house also represents the father. This aspect could also indicate being exploited by an authoritative or masculine figure in one's life whether that be through career or other things.

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Mars opposite Midheaven shows that Amy's passions sourced from a different area of her life rather than her career. Amy's drive, desires, and goals come from her sense of security and comfort (with Mars in the 4th) In specific terms, her family and home life could be what motivates her the most to do what she does. She might have been someone who did not care too much about her career as a music artist, she was rather someone who was comfortable staying home and pertaining to her hobby without the need of showcasing it instead, especially since her Mars is in Leo. In fact, Amy said that she did not want to be famous. She "hated it".

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Chiron trine Midheaven shows that Amy had an image and reputation of knowing how to incorporate her wounds and traumas beautifully into her music due to the issue of not feeling like she was heard when she was younger, especially with Chiron in Gemini in the 12th. She was able to transmit her words to an audience that understood her and how she felt. She made people understand an entirely different perspective on love, addiction, and many more unique topics. This aspect also might be the reason as to why she has a reputation of being "a victim" to her addictions and relationships, similar to Marilyn Monroe who has Chiron conjunct Midheaven in her chart.

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Midheaven at the 11° shows that Amy had a humble and introspective mindset when it came to her image. On the other hand, her fame and legacy caused a charitable act to come from it all. In 2011, Jane Winehouse created the 'Amy Winehouse Foundation' which is a company that celebrates and honors the legacy of Amy and helps women who struggle with addictions.

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Amy has her own asteroid called Asteroid Amy (3375)—she has the asteroid conjunct her Mars and sextile her Ascendant.

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❤️

[bluestarjay]

Yk that one audio "boys at school don't look at me. Taylor (?) Is the one they look at." Idak what the name is, but yall get the gist. That audio is so Kageyama and Hinata. Everybody looks at Kageyama, not Hinata. Kageyama is the standard volleyball player, tall, muscular, incredibly talented, and attractive. Everybody looks at him. The girls all think he's mysterious and hot, and volleyball players agree that he's hot and talented, and Hinata, at first, is just there. Because Hinata is worthless without Kageyama, right? He's not hot like everybody else we've seen, not like Daichi, or Kuroo, or Bokuto. Sure, he's /cute/ but that's all. He's too short and looks like a middle schooler. He probably sees all the guys at tournaments and wishes that even if he didn't grow, he at least had some muscle. Hinata doesn't even look like a middle schooler. But people probably joked and mocked him about it so much he gaslit himself into thinking he genuinely looked like a child. He literally just looks like a short high schooler. Normally, he wouldn't care about how he looks, but it probably gets to him when he sees himself surrounded by attractive guys who have way more height and talent than him; who have tons of fangirls. And then, when guys like Tsukishima are getting dozens of confessions from girls, all the time? He wants to be loved like they are. He wants someone to like him even though he's short and skinny and his hair is curly and bright orange - and all the things that Kageyama and Tsukishima are that he isn't. He doesn't care about fangirls and that sort of thing. He just wishes that he wasn't so invisible all the time, even though he's so easily recognizable. He was probably asked out as a joke by a popular girl in middle school tbh. Hinata is literally Letter To My 13 Year Old Self by Laufey coded, the way that his clothes literally don't fit him anywhere because he's so small, and while all the other boys are talking about how goregous and hot Nami is, he's thinking that about Zoro. He doesn't fit in and looks weird to everybody, he doesn't like girls the same way the other guys do, not because he doesn't like girls, because he does, he just /also/ likes guys (and likes them more than girls). And he knows that any of the other queer volleyball players he's met would never choose him (except for Atsumu ;)), they'd choose someone more attractive like Kageyama. Because he's nothing without Kageyama. Kageyama is incredible on his own, but he looks even /better/ standing next to Hinata. Hinata is Peter Parker, while Kageyama is Harry Osbourne. Hinata is Ron Weasley, while Kageyama is Harry Potter. Hinata is Grover Underwood, while Kageyama is Percy Jackson. It doesn't make them any less friends, but no matter what, Hinata will never stand on even ground with Kageyama. In a previous post, I said that in a poor Hinata family dynamic, it'd realistically look something like Young Sheldon, and this is what I mean!! Hinata is just constantly fighting for attention, even though he is constantly praised for his jumping. But that's also just it; he's nothing more than his ability to jump. He has no more value than a frog. He's the ugly duckling, although he is, in fact, a swan, and he's the prince that's been cursed to turn into a frog unless kissed by a princess (or something), y'know? He has so much potential that doesn't bloom until post timeskip because GOD is he fine post timeskip, but also he is so insanely talented and is finally respected the way he should've been in high school. The way people make fun of his height and build and stuff, is, in fact, body shaming. And it must've been devastating to be treated the way he was, in the one thing that truly mattered to him; the ONE thing that made him happy. And I'm so glad he kept going, and again, so LTM13YOS by Laufey coded, "keep on going with your silly dream" and he did. It was silly to everyone, but he did it.

[transmascaraa]

!christmas special!

"Just for you"

gf!furina x gn!reader

author's note: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE ONES THAT CELEBRATE IT!!! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR LIKING MY POSTS! all of that encouraged me to to try and write a fanfic instead of hcs this time, as a special! i wish you all a very happy christmas and hope that all of you are doing well! i hope you like this!

"i was blessed to have met you at all..."

You and Furina have been dating for about a year now, and it's finally Christmas time... The time that people celebrate and get gifts under a tree... The time that everybody has fun at.

You weren't really as hyped up for it as everyone else was, but you still wanted to keep the tradition going. And what made it easier, was that you were getting a gift for you dear girlfriend, Furina.

She, on the other hand, was very excited for this time of the year. The beautiful lights, the city at night, and just the whole atmosphere of Fontaine. It made her smile. It made her happy.

So you had to do it.

You decided to go to the store early in the morning, before Furina woke up. Just so she wouldn't panic, you left a little note on her nightstand.

"i'm at the store, don't worry<3"

And just like that, she was left alone in the bed, sleeping peacefully as you went out.

When you got there, you could just see how decorated it was, even inside the stores. So, with that, you rushed to the plushies section.

Furina loved plushies, and had a bit too many of them. But there's never enough plushies for the love of your life!

You put a little blue jellyfish in the cart, and a fluffy white cat, and a dragon... You didn't even look at the price. No money was worth more than that sweet and grateful smile she will have on her face once she sees her gifts.

Finally, after paying for all of that, which wasn't so cheap, you started to head home.

On the way back, you saw a small jewelry shop.

"joyaux d'amour" (i used google translate "gems of love" idk if it's the real translation)

It wasn't popular, and when you entered, you didn't understand why. Beautiful necklaces, rings and earrings were on display. Diamonds, amethysts, sapphires,... you name it.

"Uhm, hello. I'm here to get a Christmas gift for my girlfriend... any recommendations?" you asked the lady who was in charge of the store.

"Of course! This beautiful sapphire necklace, this diamond ring here if you're planning to propose, these ruby earrings..." the lady quickly recommended you a lot of options, but you couldn't take your eyes off of the sapphire necklace.

"I'll have the necklace." you pointed at it.

"Okay, let me just put it in a box for you..." she took it in and put it in a little light blue box for you.

"Here you go. Happy holidays, and Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed as she waved at you.

"Thank you ma'am, Merry Christmas to you too." you waved back to her, and finally left the shop.

After you finally got home, you realized that Furina was still sound asleep in the bed, she hasn't even moved a single bit. She must've been really tired last night... Still, that gave you enough time to wrap up the presents that you got her!

You quickly went to the living room and started packing the gifts.

The plushies in shiny red wrap, and the necklace still in the box, and in yellow wrap.

When you finished, you left them under the Christmas tree and went back to the bedroom, only to find your sweet girlfriend waking up from her deep slumber.

"G'morning, my love!..." Furina smiled at you as she stretched out her arms.

"Good morning, my dear! Merry Christmas!" you smiled back at her in a happy tone.

"Oh yeah, Merry Christmas to you too!" she giggled and slowly got out of bed to hug you.

"I got you some gifts, they're under the Christmas tree."

"Gifts? Under the Christmas tree? Aww... you shouldn't have... But i didn't get you anything in return... i'm sorry..." she apologized as she looked up at you.

"No, it's okay, i was blessed to have met you at all, so it's enough." you softly kissed her forehead.

"You're so sweet... C'mon, let's go open my presents!" suddenly, she grabbed you by the hand and lead you to the living room.

"I hope you like them..." you said to her as she already sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree, in her pajamas.

Then, she started opening the gifts. First, the plushies. The smile she had on her was undescribable.

"Oh my, they're so cute!" she hugged each one of them.

When she got to the necklace, she smiled widely, put it on, and got up to hold you tight.

"Thank you so so so much, my love! This is the best Christmas i've ever had!" she kissed your cheek as another "thank you".

"Just for you, my dear."

~~~~~

first time posting a fanfic and i'm so insecure bro😭

is it even good???

pls tell me but anyways i hope you guys have a merry christmas and happy holidays! i love you all!

[sunkissedscribbles]

Prejudiced - Chapter Three

this is only a part of the series, the previous and next chapters can be found here

a/n: this one is a little longer than the previous two, and it isn’t the best either BUT now that we say goodbye to the fourth year with this one, the ones coming up are going to be more eventful i swear

word count: 4925

tw: might be some curse words but i’m not sure. not proofread.

summary: end of the school year, a friendgroup forms and we meet my other oc, kiara<3, more hermione beef

<previous chapter next chapter>

dividers by @chachachannah

'You've had a panic attack,' this sentence is ringing in my ears endlessly.

"W-what?" I look at Mattheo with wide eyes; he's still looking at me with an expressionless, almost angry face. "How do you know?"

"I just know," he starts to shut down again, barking back at me.

I don't say a word. I just don't know why he got so defensive again. I don't think I've said anything wrong, have I?

His face looks like he's just died inside, stoic but he does it so firmly; keeping the truth from me so dedicated that I don't even dare to ask if I've said something wrong because I'm afraid I'd mess it up even more. He's interesting, like, really. Like a case, a mystery that just calls for my name to solve it with some sort of magnetic power pulling me closer.

"I don't quite remember what happened before I was sitting here with you," I say.

"Was coming back from Hogsmeade. Theo upset me with his shit so I left before him and Enzo. Then, I saw you all upset and pale. I don't know, you seemed like you were about to pass out and I figured it must've been something to do with Hermione or some new drama. Then you really were about to pass out," he explains but I'm still curious how he knew it was a panic attack. "But now that you're alright," he stands up from the bench, not giving me a chance to ask how he knew it was a panic attack, "we should get back inside. It's cold out here."

I just nod my head and walk inside with him but our ways part as we get to the Grand Staircase. I turn to him to thank him once again for how he helped me but I don't see him anymore. I don't think much of it, just make my way up to the Gryffindor Tower. I hesitate about going in but after taking a big breath, I tell Sir Cadogan the password (after going through his ritual of talking very, very old-fashioned, having to roleplay with him) and he lets me enter.

I don't go straight to my dorm because I spot the twins and make my way to them, walking by Harry and Ron, and Hermione's furious glare.

I stop in front of Fred and George; we haven't spoken in days, since I've scolded them for pranking Mattheo but since they are my friends, we should be able to fix this and get over our conflict, shouldn't we?

"Can we talk?" I look at the both of them and they only nod after sharing a look, to which I start without hesitation. "You two are my best friends, the first friends I've made at Hogwarts and I have no intention of losing you over something stupid like me standing up for someone else. And I want you to know I'm still me and I didn't get brainwashed or something stupid others say about me behind my back."

They look at each other and then at me.

"Great because we need you to help with this new thing we're working on," Fred smirks to which I smile, relieved. He has his own ways of accepting apologies and apologizing himself.

I sit down next to George and he smiles at me with a little nod — he has his own ways, too.

The next few days my mood seems to be lifted when in the common room and that is only because of Fred and George. I sat back at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall too, but since my argument with Hermione, my popularity began to fall (not that I was that popular before but people accepted me, at least, and thought I was a good laugh) and people seem to come up with a lot more rumours about me than before. The newest and most twisted one that I've heard so far is that Mattheo and I want to unite the Riddle and the Black family and become Voldemort Jr & Co.

March passes me by with the amount of schoolwork I have to deal with and other duties like practicing for the Quidditch final, our last match this year which we'll play against Slytherin. As for Hermione, she does not apologize and I'm not willing to do so either because it was she who didn't believe her friend and not me. And of course, as always, Harry and Ron seem to side with her, especially when Mione's around. But when she's not, for example during Quidditch practice, Harry becomes the Harry I got to know years ago and we have a great time joking around like before this whole 'me defending Mattheo' thing.

But that only lasts until the end of practice, of course.

When I have some free time, though, I spend it with either Fred and George or with Enzo, Ki and Theo, and sometimes with Mattheo but that's always an unforeseen coincidence, just like how we met not so long ago at the Astronomy Tower.

Today, as it is a Hogsmeade Saturday, and finally Easter break, we decided to go to Hogsmeade with Ki, just the two of us. Honestly, I've missed this girl so much; we haven't hung out other than in the library for study dates in such a long time as the both of us had too many things to take care of.

Kiara Bianchi, whom I met when we were children, I grew up in the same neighbourhood with, but her family moved back to Rome when we were seven. She's half-Italian on her mother's side. Her mother, Daniele is a witch and her father, Derek is an English muggle, both of them working in business. Kiara and I have always been different from each other; the best way I can describe our dynamic is my Virgo earthiness being the extinguishment of her Aries fire. She's wild and fierce but somehow always tired, a black cat until someone else's energy matches hers. When they moved away, I thought I'd never see her again. I still remember seeing her for the first time in Hogwarts; thought I was seeing a ghost when Professor McGonagall called her name at the sorting ceremony in our first year and saw her put that old, talking hat on her head and not even two seconds later being called out to be a Slytherin.

"When I said 'slow burn' I didn't mean it like this. It's not even smouldering yet," I sip on my Butterbeer, telling Ki about the book I'm currently reading.

"Wait, so this Collins who wanted to marry her..."

"Is her cousin, yes," I nod.

"Sounds like the Blacks' habit of inbreeding," she teases with a sly grin. "How do you say? Tou-je-what?"

"Toujours pur, but that's not the point," I shake my head.

"What about Mattheo?" an unexpected change of topic already she cuts me off with.

"What about him?" I ask back.

"You haven't even talked to him before. But you have mutual friends. I'm here for the tea."

"Nothing, I just told Fred and George to leave him alone and apologized in the name of them. And now we are friends, sort of. Let's say closer to being friends than we were until two months ago. What's so surprising about it?"

"That this is Mattheo Riddle we are talking about," she points out, rolling her eyes with an annoyed tone. "He's cold and reserved and fights a lot, friends with Enzo and Theo only."

"Yeah and? Maybe he wants a third friend," I shrug with a light, playful smile.

"For Salazar's nuts, to hell with you and your unbreakable optimism," she rolls her eyes with a shake of her head but there's that shine in her eyes; the shine that tells me she has her hopes up as well about the situation.

"But he's so... interesting. There is something about his behaviour that just calls me to solve his mystery. He's really on and off, his mood constantly changing, and so is his behaviour towards me. I wanna know what this is all about, wanna get to know him. Understand him," I say even more enthusiastically than I'd first realize, Ki raises her eyebrows.

"Got a crush on that pretty face of his already?"

I playfully roll my eyes. She knows that's not the case. I mean, let's hope she does.

The Slytherin-Gryffindor match that was meant to be played in November last term got postponed being the last match of the school year of 1993-94 due to my cousin being 'attacked' by Buckbeak, the Hippogriff Hagrid showed the third-years. The previous days we've been practicing non-stop, trying to get our studies done and excel on the pitch as well, all of this on the edge of burnout.

But it was worth it, we won. Even if I lost a few kilograms due to stress and even if the only thing that kept me alive was two liters of caffeine every day (which only helped because of the placebo effect), it was worth it. And the first thing even eases me a little bit.

The last match, the last win of the year, the last homework before the last thing on the checklist of lasts; the exams. All checked which meant I could concentrate on my studies without a distraction. And I did. I barely even did anything else other than study in the past month and just to repeat myself; it was worth it because today, I had my last two exams as well and I can finally say that I am free. Now there are only twenty days left from this semester which I can spend relaxing and I can finally have some time for myself, doing whatever I please; reading under my favourite tree, hanging out with my friends, sneaking out of bed late, taking long walks on the estate and visiting the greenhouses with Enzo.

"Finally," I step out of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with an exhausted but relieved look on my face, followed by Ki, Enzo, Mattheo, and Enzo.

About this little group of five; we somehow formed into this at some point in these past two months. There is no good explanation for it: everyone was and still is friends with everyone but it took us too long to realize this, though it should've been evident. But I am glad we turned out to be like this at least by the end of the fourth year.

"I agree," Ki sighs with a big smile on her face as we sit down under a tree. I get rid of my robe first thing and loosen my tie, undoing the first button of my white shirt and cuffing the sleeves of it as I feel the sun tickling my skin with a warm sensation.

Ki, Mattheo, and Theo however pull some ciggies out of either their pockets or bags, not being affected by the warmth of the weather until they have their beloved cancer-sticks between their lips. Enzo is long-lost looking at and studying the daisies nearby.

For a moment, I get lost in my thoughts, thinking about how long I haven't felt like this in a group of friends. I am a little bit different from them, a hanging thread because of my house, as it matters this much, but that is just what makes me belong here; because I'm just as much of a misfit as they are: the two Italians with anger issues, the boy who speaks the language of flowers better than English, the other boy who gets more attention than he'd ever liked to receive and me, the girl whose biggest wish is to find her place. Not to mention my anger issues, too.

With a small smile on my face as I look at the other four, — Ki lying on the ground with her head in Theo's lap slightly inclined, Mattheo with his back against a tree, both three smoking and chatting, laughing while Enzo is looking for one particular one between all the daisies in front of him — I take my camera out of my bag, capturing the memory when I feel like I'm healing after a few rough months full of arguments and fallouts with friends.

I turn the camera in Enzo's direction, capturing how he finds the daisy he likes best and while I'm holding the button down for long seconds to make a series of pictures, he walks toward me as he notices what I'm doing with a grin. He stretches his arm with the flower in his hand out in my direction, handing it to me.

Laughing, I put the camera down and take the flower from him as he sits down between Ki's stretched-out leg and me.

I can't help but keep the smile on my face. I have never felt more relaxed and happier in anyone's company. For some odd reason, I feel like this is where I belong. Five misfits from the back row who somehow get more attention than they deserve and need.

"Is it true you two plan on taking over the world?" Theo teases Mattheo and me, earning two middle fingers flip into the air in his direction, and all five of us start to laugh.

"Of course it is," I play along sarcastically. "And we are just about to unite the two big dynasties. You'll be the ring bearer."

"And then Cassie will bear me children," Mattheo grins at me, letting himself loosen up more and more as he gets used to this new group of friends.

"How come I've never heard these rumours?" Enzo frowns with a flustered smile in my direction.

"Because you're too pure to gossip," I laugh, patting his shoulder.

"Just like the blood of the Black family," Ki adds with a smug grin.

"C'mon, this has never been funny," I roll my eyes at her.

"But it's too good not to use."

Suddenly, three figures moving outside of the castle catch my eye as I notice the sun's starting to settle, making its way down the early-evening sky.

"Are those...?" Enzo squints in the direction I'm looking.

"The trio," I nod coldly. They are quite far from us but I've been friends with them for long enough to know them by their walks.

"What they up to?" Theo looks at me and I shrug.

"No good, probably," I get up from the ground after I check the time, lifting and rotating Enzo's wrist to have a look at his watch. "It's almost curfew. I don't want to get into detention in June," I state it's better we leave.

I make my way down to the common room as I can't sleep, the stone steps of the staircase cold against my feet. I settle down in my favourite armchair by the fireplace, the flickering flames of the fire giving me just enough light to read the book I've been reading for the past two months and now, I finally have time to finish: Pride and Prejudice.

What is keeping me up even now that it's almost midnight? Although I wouldn't like to admit it, it's the thought of Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneaking out. However rude it may sound, it's not keeping me up because I care that much after what happened, no. It's rather my knowledge about how much troublemakers they are, they wouldn't sneak out when it's forbidden and clearly dangerous, especially Hermione; she'd keep the boys' recklessness in halter. I know something's up — why else would they risk their lives? Why else would they sneak out without returning before midnight?

And the sound memory in the back of my mind from earlier this evening, hearing a sound that is frighteningly reminiscent of a wolf's howl makes my stomach churn with a bad gut feeling.

Maybe I still care, after all, even with how we've drifted away from each other because of a stupid argument and side pickings. I regret not trying to make it better, and not apologizing now.

My right leg is bouncing, I'm chewing on the inside of my mouth and picking on my skin out of anxiety and the thought of my friends being out there, maybe in danger. And they've probably taken the invisibility cloak as well — there is no way I could sneak out unnoticeably; Mrs Norris would catch me.

So I'm just waiting. Waiting, until the portrait hole opens at about half an hour later.

"...You have to apologize..."

Quiet tapping sounds on the common room floor can be heard as the trio enters, under Harry's cloak, of course.

"...Told you she wouldn't do that..."

I let out a small sigh. I don't even know why I was this worried about them but I'm feeling relieved now that they are back.

"Would you stop nagging me?"

The footsteps against the floor cease as they notice me, and the snickering stops. Suddenly, two heads appear in the air and after a few moments of us three holding eye contact, they take the cloak off, letting their bodies be shown.

"Where is Ron?" I raise my eyebrows slightly. I swear I've seen both three of them sneaking out earlier.

Harry nudges Hermione, but the girl's too stubborn to answer in such a dignified manner as she normally would, she only says one word: "Infirmary."

I nod my head, not surprised at Hermione's nonchalant tone at all. She's still mad at me for not listening to her.

Harry then sighs and while he talks, he sits down on the sofa, closest to my armchair.

"Look, Cassie, we should've believed you..."

"Harry, stop," Hermione pouts quietly.

"...and not judging only because you were kind to Mattheo."

I raise my eyebrows, eager to hear everything he has to say.

"Sirius was here," he continues, my eyes widen. "And when we, well, Hermione mentioned you and the conspiracy theory, he was surprised."

Of course, he was; he didn't even know about my existence unless he simply refused to acknowledge dad's letters about how they should meet and talk. When it wasn't too late yet. And about how he should come and see me. I let out a bitter, humourless chuckle.

"And it wasn't he who got my parents killed either," he shakes his head and my brows intertwine in a frown.

"I'll tell you everything," he nods with a small but genuine smile while Hermione sighs, shaking her head.

I stop Harry with a shake of my head. "You don't have to. I didn't stay up because I wanted to know what happened. Well, in a sense, I wanna know what happened but I couldn't sleep because I saw the three of you sneak out. And I was worried because you all knew how dangerous it was to do that and if it wasn't for the better, at least Mione would have had enough sense in her to stop you two," however much I'd like to keep the coldness up, I can't keep in anything. I always feel this urge to tell everything, especially when I should keep the image up.

Hermione furrows her brows and a small smirk forms on Harry's lips.

"Yeah, well, she punched Malfoy," Harry swallows back a chuckle, my eyes widen

"She what?"

"Yeah, you should've seen that."

I look at Hermione and want to make a remark about how proud I am of her but I stop myself as I remember she hates me momentarily.

She looks down at her feet, not giving up.

I stand up and walk to her, behind the backboard of the couch.

"I know you're still mad at me, and maybe I deserve it, maybe not... but at least, can we agree on not trying to kill each other with looks like that?" I offer a hand. She looks at it, hesitating for a moment before shaking it. Finally.

"But I still don't like him," she tells me, looking me in the eyes.

"Oh, I didn't ask you to do so," I regain control over my facial expressions, putting a cold one on again.

She mirrors my cold, stern, almost rude look before taking her hand back and turning on her heels, muttering a 'goodnight,' she walks up the stairs to her dormitory.

"Merlin, you girls are weird," Harry says, to which I just give him a roll of my eyes.

"Let me not remind you how you sided with her when you had the chance not to pick sides."

A bright blush spreads across his cheeks, "Sorry."

"Never mind," I shake my head dismissively, but still quite bitterly. At least I got one friend back. At least, I hope so.

Harry pats the red velvet material of the couch next to him and I sit down next to him, "I'll tell you why we snuck out."

I listen to Harry tell me every detail about what happened tonight and what happened the night his parents got killed with an amused, interested look on my face.

"So, it was Scabbers? Scabbers as in Ron's rat," I state with a pair of wide green eyes, trying to process all the information.

"Yes. He actually looked like a rat, even as a human," Harry jokes, lightening the mood.

I laugh at how he makes a rat face. I missed being like this with him.

"And Sirius wants to become a family. He wants to adopt me or something."

I smile at him and tell him I'm glad, which I really am because Harry deserves a loving environment, especially after more than a decade spent with the Dursleys. But I can't ignore the bitter taste in my mouth; my uncle not even being interested in meeting me but offering Harry to live with him. I know, he is Harry's godfather and I am really happy for Harry, but... I feel abandoned, once again.

"What is he like?" I ask after a few seconds of staring into space.

"Like someone who'd spent a decade with dementors," he shakes his head, but what he says makes some sense, because that is what Sirius did. "He's really skinny and he could use a haircut. But he has a lot of cool tattoos and piercings. And his face, like the bone structure, yours is like his. Must've been handsome..." he explains and I try to make an image up in my mind about him. He really sounds cool and exactly what our family would disapprove of with those tattoos.

I wonder if I should ask Harry if I got mentioned after he made it clear Sirius didn't even know about my existence because it bothers me a lot, I just fear what the answer would be. I am afraid Sirius might have said he doesn't want to see me, ever. I'm afraid he assumes I'm like one of those majestic, pureblood maniacs of our family. Or could I be one of them, really? Am I like them?

There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply

Oh just remember I don't decide

I'm sitting in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, — I've always been the one to get Ki and me a compartment — listening to music and trying to process the things I'm reading as I'm being too focused on when the train finally leaves.

I got no reason it's all too much

You'll always find us

Out to lunch

I just want to be home already because then, the only thing I'll have to worry about is what I'm going to pack for our annual holiday in Italy with Ki, going home to her parents.

Now really, what am I gonna pack?

Oh we're so pretty

Oh so pretty

We're vacant

"Whatcha listening to?" Theo drops down on the seat next to me and I put my book down into my lap as he takes my headphones off my head, putting it on his while the others are settling down into their seats and putting their bags onto the overhead racks.

Theo frowns, "Since when do you listen to the Pistols?"

"You fucked the grammar up again," I shake my head, ignoring his question, to which he just waves me off with one hand.

"Didn't know you like the Pistols," Mattheo adds, looking at me with a surprised face. As I open my mouth to say something, Ki cuts me off already.

"Oh please, don't even ask her about music," she shakes her head dismissively at Mattheo, "we'd be sitting here all day long. 'Oh yeah, ABBA this, AC/DC that, Nirvana, Black Sabbath. You knew Rebel Rebel is about Jagger?' She's cruel."

I can't help but laugh at her statement. She has a point though.

"...and don't you forget about Deep Purple, the Stones, The Smiths, and..."

"The Smiths?" Mattheo perks up with those shiny eyes you don't see often, looking at me. "You like The Smiths?"

"Why've I even spoken up?" a sigh comes from Ki but I'm long lost, discussing music with Mattheo.

"Favourite song?" I ask with a pair of excited eyes. I love music if that hasn't been obvious by now.

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," he answers enthusiastically with a big smile. He has a pretty smile.

"Guessed you would say that, you seem like the type to like that," I laugh. For some reason, whenever we discuss a topic with Mattheo, I get lost in time and space, not even noticing how long we talk, nor bothering whether there are other people. "I love that one a lot but my favourites are probably 'Panic', 'Back To The Old House' and 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.'"

"I thought at least Mattheo would be normal when I joined this group of mentally unstable people," Ki exclaims with a face that says 'this was the worst decision of my life'.

"Hey!" Enzo turns to her with an inquisitive look.

"Shut up, flower boy," to this, we all share a little laugh, and Enzo flips Ki off.

Theo, however, seems content and completely lost in my music, playing with my Walkman, not even listening to the conversation going on.

It's nice not to have only the two of us in our compartment for once, as the boys usually sat in a separate one; we don't run out of things to discuss, even with how we have been together like this 24/7, bonding, growing closer in the past few months.

In the evening back at King's Cross Station, Ki and I say goodbye to the boys, hugging them both one by one, pulling them into long hugs. Long hugs are my thing; they make me feel loved and I hope I make the person I hug feel the same as well.

I bury my face into Enzo's chest as he's the last one I say goodbye to, his arms wrapping around my upper back and just as always, Ki and Theo make fun of us for both of our love language being physical touch.

"Ooh, every time we say goodbye, I die a little," they sing in unison, pretending to be touched, earning a middle finger flip into the air by me, pulling back from my friend a moment later.

Waving at the three of them, Ki and I start to make our way to mum with all our luggage. I can't believe our fourth year at Hogwarts is over. Right when I started to enjoy it because of the time spent together with my friends in a new environment.

"You and Enzo seem closer by the second," tying her hair up, says Ki, looking at me from the mirror while I'm sitting on my bed, looking at the photos on my digital camera that were taken in the past few months.

"Huh?" I look up, dropping the device into my lap.

"You and Enzo became pretty close," turning around, she walks to the bed and sits down opposite me, folding her legs.

"We've always been close," I shake my head with a frown of my eyebrows. This was quite a topic to just get into the middle of.

"Yeah, I know but you barely wanted to let go of him today," she smirks.

"I do not have feelings for him," I roll my eyes when I realize what she's talking about.

"Oh really?" furrowing her brows, she takes my camera from my lap, noticing the photo on its screen. "Then what is this? Pretty boy handing you a flower," she turns the device in my direction and I can feel a light blush creep down my cheeks.

"It was only for the picture," I shake my head.

"Oh sure, and now you're blushing only for fun," she gives me a knowing look. It really does seem like I like him. But I don't. But it feels like I've been caught, staring at his picture while trying to prove I don't like him.

"I don't like him like that," I refuse again, earning a roll of her eyes from Ki.

"And then, if we are pointing out suspiciously close friend dynamics, what is up with Theo and you, hm?" I get back at her with a smirk.

She throws a pillow at me.

"Shut it, you know he's not my type."

"That is what I'm saying!"

This is followed by a few seconds of silence, looking at each other, and searching the other's face suspiciously.

"Let's agree on none of us liking either of them?"

"Deal."

thank you if you made it this far! comment to be on the tag list.

tag list: @reyys-letters @mqstermindswift

[yuyusuyu]

bloody hell — prologue

warnings. nothing, but lmk if there's any thing i should add!

wc. 0.6k

a/n. send an ask or leave a comment to be tagged! reblogs and comments are appreciated! helps with not getting shadowbanned!

YOU are positive that you must've been cursed at birth. there's no other plausible explanation as to why your entire life, to this day, has been nothing but a series of unfortunate events one after another, bad luck following you every single day after you opened your eyes and laid your gaze on the world.

but the universe was kind enough to have given you a little brother, preventing you from being completely lonely after the age of thirteen. when you first met him, kou, you didn't think much. he was just going to be like the rest of the kids that ignored you, called you names in front of your face, prayed in front of you to whoever was out there that you would leave because you're an abomination. whatever you looked at, wherever you breathed, whatever you touched, they claimed, turned black and ugly.

because you're an abomination, an ugly thing they wish to never see.

and fifteen year old you began to agree with their words.

but kou didn't seem to think so.

when kou arrived at the orphanage, he had barely turned five. he hid behind the ladies of the orphanage, peering at you with wide eyes as they told you that he would be your roommate because everyone else requested to be with someone else after sleeping one night in the same room as you. you felt sorry for him then, thinking about how someone so young shouldn't be with someone like you. but kou stuck to you like glue after that night, contrary to popular belief that he would cry to be switched to room with someone else. maybe it was because you tried comforting him to the best of his ability when he woke up, crying and mourning the loss of his family. even if you were awkward in trying to soothe his aching heart, you still tried your very best and you think kou knew that, too.

he followed you around, called you his big sister and always held your hand, always hugged you and kissed your cheeks because that's how his family showed love and appreciation. kou was like a beacon of light to you, one that was warm and loving. and for him, you decided that you would be a better person. for kou, you would fight for a better future, one where you two lived well and were happy without a worry. he became your luck, your everything, your world, your little brother.

but your bad luck finally came back, deciding that kou had to suffer for being with you. kou had fallen incredibly sick in your last year of high school, the orphanage deciding that there was nothing they could do, deciding to not take him to the doctor because life isn't fair to everyone. you saved what you could, promising kou that once you graduated you'd find a place for both of them to live far away from this wretched orphanage.

and you did do that. once you graduated and what little you managed to save from working all sorts of odd jobs, you found an apartment, signed a lease and went back to adopt your little brother, the old ladies happily getting the paperwork ready and basically kicking both you and the eleven year old as soon as the paperwork was signed.

and that's how you find yourself in your current predicament: the bills are starting to get higher, your studies getting harder, and kou needing new materials for school along with his medicine. you're stressed, but there's nothing you wouldn't face for the sake of a better future for kou, your little brother.

and maybe that's what started everything, setting it into motion so that you couldn't escape fate's grip on you, so that he wouldn't escape it either.

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taglist (open): @icarusignite

BLOODY HELL | yuyusuyu 2023

[agatharkn3ss]

Spoilers + Teen origins story theory

Ok, so inspired by the cool find from @yourlocalkatiesimp I went and looked at the cast listing now... And look who's there!

Billy Kaplan parents! As if we needed even more evidence that Teen is Wiccan. Is this Marvel trolling or have they somehow missed it? No way they wouldn't expect the fans to pick up on it (especially that Maria even appeared at the AAA premiere event)

So I heard this popular, neat theory that I really like (sorry, can't remember where I saw it). We know that in the comics Billy Maximoff soul reincarnates into Billy Kaplan. But how?

So someone suggested that it might be to do with the car crash that Agnes investigated in episode 1. So could it be that the Kaplan family was in that crash?

We hear there was blood on the back seat and both front air bags were deployed. So the parents sat at the front and might have survived but be in a coma as a result (Teen says how he's 100% sure his parents were asleep when they started the Road).

Billy Kaplan was sat in the back and died... but then Billy Maximoff soul reincarnated into him? This could be hinted in Agatha's end credits where Joe Locke's name appears against a background that says "Near death in Westview".

This would also explain why Agatha suddenly got into the "true crime" bug as Agnes - Herb said it's only been a few days.

What doesn't make sense to me is the timeline. If the crash was really only a few days ago, how could Billy find out so quickly all there is about the witches? Agnes says the crash happened one hour before the time of death of the 'victim' in the woods. But the 'real' Wanda dies in November 2024 and Agatha's present day is 2026 (3 years after the Hex). So the crash could've happened some time ago - maybe somewhere in between the Hex and Wanda's death, but Billy wasn't ready until recently?

Edit: I've realised there actually is a date below the "Near death in Westview" that states 14th December 2023

Or his soul drifted in the ether for so long that he "magically" acquired the knowledge?

Either way, I think it was him that must've triggered Agatha's "O'Connor"... So why now?

And what does Rio have to do with this? Did she help with the reincarnation as Lady Death? Is that what is meant by "Near Death"???

Also, is Teen's boyf involved? And who the hell is "Eastview"? Mephisto?

[cindersnows]

Last Words of a Shooting Star

AO3 LINK

2735 words

Relationships: The Chosen One/The Dark Lord

Characters: The Chosen One, The Dark Lord

THIS FIC CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH AND SUICIDE. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY THIS.

hi @storgicdealer here's the oneshot i mentioned

There's a reason they're called The Chosen One.

Contrary to popular belief, not just anyone can draw a stickfigure, name it 'The Chosen One', and then create a god.

Or, well, they actually can, but only if Chosen's not occupied elsewhere.

It goes a bit like this: An animator opens a program, gets bored, and decides to draw something. They select the object, planning to name the symbol something stupid like 'Symbol 1' or 'Stick figure' or something like that. And then, for a joke, they name it 'The Chosen One' instead.

The first time Chosen was created, not much had actually gone wrong. The animator had clearly been surprised with them coming to life, but otherwise, unbothered. The two of them played around for a bit, taking and messing around with Flash's tools.

Then, the animator must've gotten bored. Because the next thing Chosen knew, their file had been closed, and they'd been deleted.

The second time, they refused to be so complacent. They escaped the program as soon as possible, but ended up facing a similar fate, killed with a simple right-click-delete.

They stopped counting at around 24. There was no time to focus on anything other than fighting for their life. Sometimes, they'd last for up to 10 minutes. Other times, they'd be boxed in and deleted before they could even defend themself.

Between every death was an endless nothing. As if they'd just blinked for a moment. Some would find it comforting, but that was no consolation for them. They never got a break. Creation, fight, deletion. Creation, fight, deletion. Never able to lower their guard, always struggling against the unseen beings that decided to give and take life as they pleased.

Until the cycle stopped.

Bitterly, they're reminded of the legend about that monkey's paw thing, something Dark had told them years ago while reading. They'd been half-asleep. But the concept stuck with them— never wish for anything, because you'll always end up getting hurt.

Somehow, being stuck as Noogai's pop-up blocker was even worse than the infinite fighting they'd had to endure. They were constantly tense, searching for every opportunity to escape, even as Noogai boxed them up and locked them away over and over. That reocurring pop-up, as ugly and stupid as it was, had been their only hope in those 5 years

5. Goddamn. Years.

Alan's a better person now. Of course. He had just been a dumb 14 year old, messing around with stuff and taking advantage of whatever worked. Chosen was no more sentient than a fly in his eyes.

(But he could've been better for you, Dark's voice whispers. You were just a teenager yourself.)

Chosen has long since learned to ignore that part of their mind.

The lapping waves at the foot of the cliff make for a good distraction from their thoughts. They slide down the dent in the rocks with ease, formed from months and months of skidding down the side.

The craters from Second's fight remain as fresh as ever, even after a year. Where the rocks would've been grinded away into sand by the waves, the cliffside stays straight and strong. In an artificial world like this, nature doesn't really change. It tends to just serve as a backdrop to whatever Chosen's dwelling on that day.

(You sound like one of those tacky protagonists. The world doesn't revolve around you, dumbass.)

Well, they know, but it's nice to believe. If no one has their back, then at least the Outernet does.

…Who are they kidding.

They dive into the water almost automatically, washing away their worries with breaststrokes and paddles and whatever other stupid names humans have picked out for swimming techniques. They're not a professional, okay?

They kick their legs instinctively, immersed in the motions. It's a calming ritual at this point. A good way to waste time, as well—- It takes hours of swimming to tire them out, and another half hour of floating around before they decide to just let the waves take them under. Maybe if they get lucky enough, they'll die.

Of course, they never actually succeed. Somehow, they always end up on the top of the cliff again, feeling warmer than they had before they closed their eyes. A normal stickfigure would take advantage of this apparent invincibility, but they just find it frustrating. Then again, a normal stickfigure wouldn't await death with open arms.

(That's not a healthy thought process, y'know.)

They know. They've had this conversation a million times.

(There's things to do other than just sleep and swim! You could like, get a job or something. Maybe that'll get your sorry ass off the ground.)

Oh, of course, because any Carteblani would gladly give a wanted terrorist a job.

(At least train! You barely spar anymore!)

There's no one to spar with.

(There's trees, and rocks, and just the sky in general. You're getting slow already. You never know when you'll suddenly have to go on the run from the fuckin'… stick police, or whatever.)

If things go their way, they'll be dead before that ever happens.

(It's not your time to die.)

It's never their time to die.

(Exactly! You're getting it.)

What's there to even live for?

(The orange kid, first off. You could always go visit him again. Just wait till nighttime and then blast through the LAN and say hi!)

I'm not going to bother them with stupid stuff like that. Besides, Alan's on that computer too.

(Not at night, he's not. Humans usually sleep around that time.)

And if he's not?

(At least go say hi! Or thank her! You never even learned the kid's name, for stod's sake. His, or his friends.)

God, not stod.

(We're not human, loser. We've got stickfigure gods, not real ones.)

You know just as well as I do that's not how this works. We don't have gods. We have animators.

(Boooooooo. Don't be such a killjoy!)

Don't be such an idiot, then.

(Well, I'm not the one talking to a voice in my head.)

Chosen jolts up, coughing, and once again finds themself on the cliff. It's nothing new, but they're still disappointed.

A flash of red in the corner of their eye catches their attention, and they're up at once, feet parted and hands in a fist for battle. #FF0000. They'd recognize that color anywhere. Yet, after scanning their surroundings, they find nothing but the same shades of green, blue and brown they've grown accustomed to. Their shoulders fall. Right. Dark's dead.

It's not news, but it still stings all the same. They still refuse to visit her crater, too afraid to be faced with the shadow of her code burned into the ground. Dead sticks don't leave bodies, but the very image of Dark laying rotted in the dirt makes them feel sick all the same. The train of thought continues, and even as Chosen tries to distract themself, they can hear the little maggots crawling on her, eating away at her code and leaving holes in her lines.

(Hey, chill. At the very least, I'm tall enough to give them a good meal.)

Chosen has to bite back a retort about how 5'7 is barely anything, especially when compared to their own height, more focused on trying to think of anything other than Dark's death. Dark's… life?

Right! Sure. They're just feeling a little nostalgic today. They'll go check out the old house.

They fly there in no time at all, able to pinpoint the building from thousands of pixels away. It's pretty noticeable, honestly. Not for the first time, Chosen wonders how they have evaded capture for so long.

The massive hole they'd blasted into the wall had long since been covered up, albeit rather shoddily, with some old leaves Chosen had taken the time to stitch together. Not like they could get cloth. They use the hole as a makeshift entrance to the second floor now, sparing the roof a glance before entering.

They generally avoid this room as much as possible. The mess from their fight with Dark is still evident, with dusty items scattered across the floor. They'd been procrastinating cleaning it. It'd be a nice way to pass time, and keep Dark's memory alive, but well… The memories are the issue.

At the very least, Chosen had had the sense to take down Dark's weird sheets, tucking vira blueprints away in one of the wooden drawing and unplugging the computer.

(Don't wanna waste money on electric bills!)

They don't pay bills. They never have. There's not really a need to pay for electricity when the world literally runs on it. It'd be like paying for air. Chosen doubted even the most convincing salesticks could sell air.

(Tell that to O'hare.)

Oh, can it, will you?

Chosen sighs, walking over towards the globe on the floor. The little spider pin had fallen to the side at some point, chipped and dirty, and they could not care less. Good riddance. They pick the globe up, walking over to one of the boxes in the room. Opening it, they chuck the globe in haphazardly, before glancing at the rest of the room.

Sure. Why not? They'd clean it now.

They stuff objects into the boxes as much as they can. They freeze the whole floor, then take the time to melt it, using the water to wash some of the dust off the floor. They use old notes on Virabots to wipe the boxes down. They set fire to the table- wait, fuck, oh shit, oh shit, ABORT!

They freeze the fire as soon as they can, creating a weird soggy, ashy mess.

So much for preserving memories.

They open the drawers, blowing ash off the sides and rummaging through them. Dark had always been protective of her stuff while vir was alive; Chosen felt more than a little guilty ignoring all the boundaries she'd set, but then, it wasn't like she was around to tell them off.

They pause, for a moment. Maybe Dark will burst into the room right now. Maybe she'll yell, “I missed you!” and dive into their arms, peppering them with kisses and apologies. Maybe they'll hold her tight, apologizing in turn for letting her go so easily, for not just talking to her about their worries before it was too late.

(It wasn't your fault.)

Maybe they need to shut the fuck up.

The drawers are filled mostly with random things, souvenirs Dark had collected from various websites while destroying them. There's that massive red angry bird, colored black with a hole drilled into it to resemble Chosen. He'd actually done a pretty good job with this, they muse. They wonder why he kept it hidden.

There's a few books, as well. Stick biology, programming, engineering, all stuff Chosen couldn't even begin to understand. The DSM-4 is in there too. What?

Chosen puts the book aside with a fond sigh, their throat squeezing up at just how… Dark all of this is. They close their eyes, trying to steady their breathing. They can pretend the tightness is a noose. It helps, somehow.

(That's really unhealthy.)

Yeah, well. It made them feel better, so that's that.

He spots a shiny, brown box, and pulls it out, surprised at the sheer size of the thing. What was in it, some kind of sword??

A note is messily scrawled onto the top, the handwriting completely different to Dark's usual neatness.

EMERGENCY, it reads. DO NOT USE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU'VE COMPLETED YOUR PURPOSE NOW. YOU'RE FINE. GIVE UP. GIVE UP. The writing veers off to the side, slanting downwards with no lines to guide it. Chosen's brows furrow, confused. Give up? On what? Had Dark actually been considering abandoning his plans with the Virabot?

One look at the object inside reveals that, no, whatever this was is far worse.

A sharp blade rests inside. It's bright blue, reminiscent of the swords Chosen used to see in the anime they pirated. Instead of glowing, it seemed to almost absorb all the light around them, the whole room visibly darkening as they unveiled it.

They remove it from the box with caution, mentally chastising Dark for not even including a sheath to keep it in.

Then again, it didn't seem like she'd been in the best state of mind when she'd made this. Despite being clean at first glance, a deeper examination reveal little nicks along the flat side of the blade, the edges jagged and uneven. Without a doubt, Dark was shaking when he made this.

Chosen flips the sword around, accidentally slicing their hand in the process. They could probably afford to be more gentle with it, but hey, it's not like they were exactly against getting hurt.

Into the handle of the blade, they can make out words badly engraved into the material. Tilting it slightly so it'd reflect a bit more light, Chosen narrowed their eyes, straining to read the text.

destroy(The_Chosen_One)

W…

What?

The sword clatters to the ground, the noise ringing throughout the room. It's way too silent. It's way too fucking silent.

Dark had made a secret weapon. To kill Chosen, specifically.

It hadn't been a vague weapon of destruction, like the Virabots, or the various tools he'd made to help him gain better control of his powers. It couldn't have been made in the short duration Chosen had been on Alan's new PC, destroying the virus. There's no way she would've been able to make something like this so fast.

Chosen, for the first time since they woke up, registers their feelings. Their hand is burning.

Their hand is slowly crumbling.

And then

Chosen begins to laugh.

The sound fills the air, cutting through the 0s and 1s like paper.

It wasn't their fault. None of this had been their fault. The four kids getting deleted, the orange kid's powers, Dark dying. It had never been them. They couldn't have prevented this by talking to Dark about their feelings, or appeasing to her while they could.

They'd lost Dark long ago.

Maybe they'd never had her at all. Maybe it hadn't been Cho and Dark, revelling in freedom and power, but The Chosen One and The Dark Lord, ticking time bombs just waiting to destroy each other.

Because that's what it had been for, right? Noogai had created Dark to destroy them. They were enemies before they were friends. Of course Dark would have a backup plan to kill Chosen. This was how it was always meant to go. They'd been dead from the very beginning, after all.

A normal stick would despise Dark for this. A normal stick would be scrambling to find a way to heal themself before it was too late.

But we've already established this. The Chosen One is not normal. And neither is The Dark Lord.

In her efforts to get rid of him, Dark had created the one thing Chosen had needed the most. A way out. Freedom.

Chosen takes the sword with their remaining hand, grinning and plunging it into their stomach.

They'd get to start over again. They knew it all now. They wouldn't need to worry about the Outernet, or what was beyond the PC. With their luck, no one would ever draw them again, becoming an urban legend lost to time.

They'd get to meet Dark again.

(No!)

They'd get to meet Dark again!

(Stop!)

They were distintegrating at a faster speed now, quiet literally breaking into pieces.

(Chosen!)

It burned, it burned so fucking bad, but they didn't care.

“CHOSEN!”

It needed to be fatal, not painless.

“Oh my god, oh my god, no, nononono…”

Chosen beams as Dark appears in their blurring vision, reaching out to them. She was here! Dark was here for them!

“Dark,” They choked out.

“God, Chosen, fuck, I'm so sorry, this wasn't how it was supposed to go, you weren't supposed to find it-”

“I missed you.”

“DON'T say that, don't say you fucking missed me, we can still fix this, we can still-”

“I'm coming home now.”

“You're not, this isn't home, dying isn't your home-!”

Dark's efforts are futile. Chosen looks up to her, drinking her whole appearance in, as bright and dangerous and blinding as the first time they'd met,

and everything

goes

black.