#she was the love of his life and his lifeline and symbolized everything that was good to him

[soutsuji]

Do you even understand what Chiori was to Morisu

[theflyindutchwoman]

I've got her! I've got her!! Right there. Here. Come on! Here she is. Help me.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 2.11 - Day of Death

I can't express how much I love this episode. It is such a masterpiece that I know that anything I write will automatically pale in comparison… So I'm just going to gush over some of my favorite moments.

The way Tim's emotions are so palpable during the whole episode, but particularly here… For someone who's usually good at compartmentalising, it says a lot about his feelings that he can barely keep it together. The only time we saw him this feral and this distraught was over Isabel and she was his wife… The cinematography and music just enhance everything he is going through here : the golden lights that remind us that Lucy is running out of time… the haunting piano notes or silence that give an eerie atmosphere… the looming dead tree… All of this serve to heighten Tim's feeling of despair.

His distress when Angela announces that she can't tell from the video if Lucy's still alive, is written all over his face. So is the confusion that quickly changes to hope when he spots her moonstone ring… And how symbolic is it that he finds her ring. Or that Lucy threw it as a breadcrumb - for him specifically. He once told her that the most important thing she needed was her eyes - cop eyes - and she remembered it. She left something for him to find, knowing that he would, as she admitted to him later. Because he also taught her during the manhunt that she's never alone. But it goes beyond trust : what she had was faith in him. And the fact that he rapidly recognises her ring just shows how attuned he already is to her. As far as we know, she only wore it twice in his presence : when they won the roundup competition and when she gave him her "evaluation" of him. And yet, he remembered and knew that it wasn't just some random piece of jewellery. Granted, the odds that someone else lost a ring there were minimal. But as we've seen with his Valentine's day present, he was paying attention to her.

And then there's this mix of desperation and hope when he finds out where she's buried, calling the others frantically, digging her out with his bare hands, not even stopping for a shovel… Or when he opens the barrel, not knowing if she's merely unconscious or not breathing… When he breathes life back to her… Armstrong's look says it all : what's driving Tim is something far more powerful than just guilt. Or duty.

There's also this immense sigh of relief that can be heard once Lucy regains consciousness… The way he's gently putting one hand under her head to make her more comfortable and help her get her bearings, maintaining contact with her to ground her… It's such a contrast to how feral he was before. Or the way he holds her close to him at first when she starts crying, trying to comfort her before hugging her tightly, cradling her, swaying a bit, with his hand in her hair… The way her trembling hand is gripping Tim, holding onto him like a lifeline… How she's hiding in his embrace and he's giving her some sense of privacy when she breaks down… How he's whispering soothing words to her - and I love that we can't really hear what he's telling her, that everybody else are giving them time and space. It adds to this feeling of intimacy, to this idea of privacy he's giving her despite the fact that they're surrounded by their friends and colleagues - and commander. It's just the two of them in that moment. That hug was as much for her than for him. After the ordeal she went through, Lucy desperately needed to feel safe again - or as safe as possible. And Tim himself needed the reassurance that she was alive. To quote another show - he cares, a lot more than he's supposed to. And it was in full display in this episode.

[countessofwisdom]

And The World Still Spun

— Short Fanfiction for Alien Stage Round 7

— Summary: retelling of Till's life from his point of view

This planet must have spun before.

When it did, Till swore it spun just right enough for the grass to lean towards the sound of Mizi's laughter each time. It made sense for the world to love her. A goddess nurtured from love, stretching her hand outwards, beckoning all homebound.

Her passion was a pestilence he welcomed in all its fever. The scene flourished in vibrant hues of green and blue whenever Till felt the world come to a standstill.

He remembered when the world turned on its axis.

Just as there were children running around and throwing fists at one another, leaving the green grass blemished and each other's faces bruised blue. Children like what he and Ivan used to be.

Star-crossed parallel lines that burned each other each time they caught a glimpse of one another, simply because they existed in the same place at the same time. Because they were destined for the same stage.

Because they met at all.

It must have stopped moving right around then.

When the limelight of waning pink crossed the wicked sun, interpolating into a sunset of bloody red; it made for a horrifying symbol for an end.

He imagined himself picking up the remaining fabric of her dress left on stage after she got taken away as if it granted plausible deniability.

The world was...

He held onto the microphone stand like a lifeline. His legs stand boneless and futile, yet he sings like clockwork built on habits.

For the first time, he thinks he might have understood her. Her passion for singing reformed into a delusional salvation he held onto. So, he'll keep singing.

Keep singing. Keep singing... Keep...

The world came to an abrupt still. At least, his world did.

Till knew the world outside continued to spin without him. It was him who put his foot down to get off the merry carousel, crashing on the ground on his hasty descent. It lost its nostalgia and beauty. The audience faded into blotches of blurry colors, inaudible and unimportant.

His voice dwindled into silence; what was the point of singing when there was no goddess to heed his melodic confessions?

Passion morphed into nothing more than a pestilence without cure.

The world flickered when Ivan grabbed him by the neck.

Crashing into a confusing liplock. A clumsy, messy pattern of their lips colliding. It pushed him from his thoughts. What did it mean? He wondered if Ivan would bite him, he was violent like that after all, but locking his fingers around his neck far exceeded his expectations.

He wanted to win, was that it? What did it matter? He could rob Till's heart from his ribs and he wouldn't feel a thing. His oxygen was nothing.

Nothing in this silent world could kickstart his heart back.

Until he fell to the ground.

.

.

.

.

.

He stared into the bleak backstage wall, motionless with a million rushing thoughts. In the bulk of his fevered memories, Ivan lingered like a looming shadow over Till like he would see him if he simply turned around. And he did, without a pair of black eyes in sight to appease the voices in his head. He refused the graphic reality of Ivan's bloody picture and settled for another, more digestible thought—Ivan's kiss.

A kiss on another's cheek meant love to the world, but a kiss on another's lips was something new that Till would only ever correlate with Ivan, whatever it meant to him. He never could understand that brewing crucible of everything abnormal. His idea of love couldn't be normal either.

If that was Ivan's idea of affection, then...

.

.

.

.

.

.

The world withered into a bygone wasteland.

He could still hear the Earth's heartbeat in the the flurry of electric guitar riffs and grating violin, yet the greenery had never been so lackluster. Between staggered breaths, blinking lights of green and blue.

A meteor shower crossed with the world, casting a shadow over everything.

The podium beneath him shattered and coalesced in chunks of black fragments. The apparition it created looked horrifyingly familiar. Where he knew the blazing sun stood, there was only the shadow that once stuck to him. A sorrow riding on his shoulders. That touch he had yet to comprehend. The weak attempt at asphyxiation. Everything he'd been pushing to the farthest corner of his mind, drowning everything in red. Till couldn't look. He needed to focus elsewhere—

A pink carnation sprouted back to life in the midst of flashing colored lights.

His heartbeat spiked.

He didn't have to look twice to know who it was—his angel, she was alive and she was here. It seemed real enough, but he, at this moment, really did not give a damn if she was a hallucination like all the other Mizis he'd been seeing.

His senses crawled from the dust-littered grave with a newfound vigor, the blurry blotches of color he'd been seeing sharpened into comprehensible lines and shapes. This stadium hosted thousands of watchers, but his eyes remained on the only person who mattered.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

Tick.

Thump, thump, thump, went his footsteps. Perhaps it was his heart. He couldn't tell. He didn't think about it. There was nothing for a lost man to think about when a goddess had her arms out to welcome him. This was his idea of home. He wanted to go home.

Mizi, I've always—

...

Mizi, you've been the passion plaguing me ever since I can remember. Even when I lay here, all I can think about is you and only you, and the only time I'd been close enough to see your beauty up close.

Or maybe that was half-true.

Something else has been plaguing me as much as you have.

Ivan, if I see you again, would you indulge my questions?

What were you thinking about when you laid on the floor, hearing your heart beat, knowing your life was dwindling anyway? Did you try to fight just as your heart continued to beat? Did your entire life flash before your eyes, or are you more like me? Did you have someone in mind the entire time?

You know, I don't think I ever liked you. If I lived, I think I'd see your ghost everywhere I go. On another stage, I'd feel your hands around my neck, or maybe when I'm simply walking on grass again, I'd feel a sting on my cheek. It would have been terrifying and annoying.

You haunt me.

I know this is true.

Because even in her arms, her warm fingers caressing my cheek with all the softness her beautiful being could offer, all I can feel is the sting of her tears falling on my cheek, reminiscent of you.

[springtimesdaughter]

relationship between your image on your avatar and your fanfiction, because I have severe hyperfixation and a mania for floral symbols.

Snowdrops symbolize youth, tenderness and hope.

And this, excuse my French, is too fucking good for Ethan and Percy.

youth, - obviously they are both so terribly young, it would seem that their whole life is just ahead, but the golden crumb in their veins has decided differently and war is brewing and with it the Sunset of life of one of them.

Tenderness - from the very beginning of Ethan and Percy's rapprochement, there was tenderness between them. Their slow-nascent friendship, Percy's blossoming feelings, Percy's throwing, his trembling recognition and Ethan's reciprocity.

Hope, - they both hoped. maybe they will both survive, maybe one of them will switch sides at the last moment, maybe everything will work out in some wonderful and stupid way, maybe it will last forever. Bittersweet is possible without which they would most likely have gone mad...

Possible never came true.

Snowdrops reflect their tragedy so beautifully and gracefully.

First of all thank you for resending this. I lost the original one when my Tumblr app kinda just stopped working. Anyway I had such a long response to this and I didn't have any of it saved. So I'll try and recreate it the best I can.

You caught one of the reasons why the flowers on my profile was choosen. Percethan is one of the few bits of content I have made for this fandom. I've made some other stuff but this is the work I am most proud of. The inherent tragedy that their love is when I first pictured it. One or the other was always going to die. Always whenever I have written them [posted and wips] one will always die. Their love is meant to outlast their youth, but their youth is not meant to finish.

It is the tragedy that they could have survived eachother, but they choose eachother instead. [In my AU not canon because in canon Ethan be dead dead.] They could have both lived but they choose to love eachother instead.

Aphrodite did say that she was going to have fun with Percy's lovelife. This was one of the most beautiful doomed love she would witness.

However there is a second reason that I choose snowdrops and its connected to the name I choose for the blog. It's a Riodenverse OC. I wrote the OC as a tragic character as well and the flower snowdrops connects to her two.

I choose the flower as a whole because it dually represented my two 'lifelines' to the PJO fandom.

And hey anon I love your thoughts please keep sending them. It's nice seeing someone else is just as obssessed as me.

[francesderwent]

Troy and Gabriella, also reylo

TROY AND GABRIELLA

first of all screaaaaaaming because I adore the crap out of them and firmly believe that they are extraordinarily valid!!!

my FAVORITE moment? has GOT to be "Can I Have This Dance", because it's all about the fact that what they have is a MIRACLE, and it's worth fighting for!! but they're not trying to stay in the same moment forever, they're gonna lead and follow through life, they're gonna keep on getting better.

WHOLESOME, all caps!! more wholesome than anybody else, maybe!!!!!

I'm legit going to fully seriously say "Love Story" because they absolutely epitomize the Fearless kind of pure, sincere teenage love, and they are kind of the Romeo and Juliet of jocks and nerds. and also! I believe in my heart that those crazy kids made it, and they got married and had the white dress and everything!! "Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel / this love is difficult, but it's real / don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess / it's a love story, baby, just say yes"

ship: it's crazy how few teenage ships from the gajillion teenage shows I've seen even come close to the sheer perfection of their energy. closest would be Scott and Allison from Teen Wolf, probably! EDIT: I am an idiot and the correct answer was obviously Scott and Kira.

a childhood friends AU! we'll make it so they only see each other in the summers so starting school together DOES change everything, but I love the "just like kindergarten" line so much that I think it would be fun to make it true. that singing together feels like when you met a kid and started playing together and suddenly were best friends, because that's what happened for them! and they're growing all the time but they never leave that behind.

I'm gonna throw them in the honorable mentions because they deserve it!!!!!

REY AND BEN

they are a ship of MOMENTS, aren't they?? I think my favorite, the one that took my breath away in theaters, is when their eyes meet in that last battle in tros and she sees him and she knows it's really him, knows that he's shed every mask he's ever worn and is looking at her with his own eyes!! both younger and older than he's ever been!!!! and he nods at her and that gives her the courage she needs! this connection that has been like a haunting is now a lifeline!!

I have absolutely no idea what to say here because there is a part of my brain that is absolutely refusing to give any ground in the reylo battles of late 2019 by even thinking the phrase fucked up when it comes to them, but also I feel like calling them wholesome might be a stretch? too bad, I'm going to!! because they've both got their issues and they hurt each other in deep ways but in the end they're honest with each other and they save each other!!!!!!! and isn't that what counts?

"Only Love" by Mumford and Sons!! "I didn't fool you but I failed you / in short, made a fool out of you and a younger heart / and I rage and I rage / but perhaps I will come of age and be ready for you / and you saw me low, alone again / didn't they say that only love will win in the end?"

I already connected them with Zutara, so now I'm gonna draw a line between them and Jude and Cardan. I think my reasoning basically boils down to "big snake paradoxically and symbolically healed by violence" but I don't think that means I'm wrong, necessarily

I love the idea of a Ben never goes dark AU in a million different ways, but especially when he's just not especially force-sensitive, not especially good at it, except that he has this deep force connection to this random scavenger out in the middle of nowhere who's really good with the force. despite this, Ben is Leia's favorite child and Rey is Han's favorite not-child.

they did not make the list!

[cocktailsfairytales]

Sea of Scars

by Frances Paul

Publication date: October 1st 2024

Genres: Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

I lost everything. My job. My family. My life... my sanity.

These harrowing words capture the essence of Frances Paul's poignant novel, Sea of Scars. As the story unfolds, readers are introduced to a protagonist who finds himself at the very edge of despair, facing the overwhelming burden of loss. Yet, this tale is not just about the depths of misery but also about the faint glimmer of hope that persists even in the darkest of times.

A Story of Tragedy and Redemption

At the heart of Sea of Scars is Zachary Reid, a man who has seen his life unravel before his eyes. Stripped of his family, his career, and his sense of self, Zachary spirals into a pit of regret and guilt. His dishonorable discharge from the Marines only deepens his wounds, and his attempts to prove his worth lead to further alienation from those he holds dear. In his stubborn refusal to seek help, Zachary digs himself into an abyss that seems impossible to escape.

A Glimmer of Redemption

Just when all hope seems lost, Zachary encounters Courtney Peterson, a woman whose own life has been marred by pain and suffering. Courtney’s scars, both physical and emotional, mirror Zachary’s own, and together, they form an unlikely connection. The bond between them becomes a lifeline—a chance for both to find healing and redemption. But as their relationship deepens, Zachary must confront a difficult truth: is their connection a source of salvation, or are they merely pulling each other deeper into their shared darkness?

Themes of Strength, Vulnerability, and Second Chances

Frances Paul weaves a powerful narrative that explores the complexities of strength and vulnerability. Through Zachary's journey, the novel reveals that true strength lies not in denying our weaknesses but in embracing them and seeking the help we need. Courtney’s character serves as a symbol of hope and resilience, demonstrating that even the most broken souls can find the strength to heal.

Why Sea of Scars Should Be on Your Reading List

The relaunch of Sea of Scars is not just an opportunity for a new audience to discover this moving story; it’s a chance for past readers to reconnect with its profound themes. The novel speaks to anyone who has grappled with loss, pain, and the search for redemption. It’s a story for those who believe in the possibility of second chances, no matter how far one has fallen.

Alongside the relaunch of the print and digital editions, Sea of Scars is now available as an audiobook, beautifully narrated by the gifted James Scott. His portrayal breathes life into the characters, infusing them with a raw emotional intensity that deepens the experience, making the journey through Sea of Scars even more captivating.

Frances Paul’s Sea of Scars is a powerful exploration of the human spirit’s resilience. It is a story that will resonate with anyone who has faced their own battles with despair and emerged stronger on the other side.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217278020-sea-of-scars

Purchase:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ew8Nn4

AUTHOR BIO:

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana and now living in Cincinnati, Ohio. A banker, wife and mother of two amazing kids. She finds writing to be a great passion of hers and a path she was born to follow. She began by writing short stories at a young age. Now, she has four published books and working on a few more projects. She’s a crazy tea lover, loves to travel, eat, and enjoys learning about different cultures. Authors she is inspired by are Sidney Sheldon, Nora Roberts and Jeffrey Archer. Hope you enjoy her books as greatly as she enjoyed producing them.

Author links:

https://francespaul.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Francespaulbooks/

https://www.instagram.com/francespaulbooks

https://www.tiktok.com/@francespaulauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1391872.Frances_Paul

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

$25 Amazon gift card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235829/

Hosted by Xpresso Book Tours

[zutarabender]

@zutaramonth​ day 14: Steam Babies

---

"You don't have to do this."

Her father was wrong. Kya had to do this. Girls didn't usually go ice dodging, but it wasn't unheard of. A Firebender, and the Fire Nation's princess... Well, that was somewhat more uncommon. Her father had insisted on completing the trial when he'd begun dating her mother, but to Kya's knowledge, no other Firebender had ever been allowed to do so.

In any case, she couldn't turn back now.

"I thought you'd understand, Dad," she groaned, gripping the ropes of the sails as if she were hanging on to a lifeline.

"I understand. I'm just making sure this is really what you want."

Kya turned her head around, meeting her father's eye with more determination that she'd felt in her entire life.

"More than anything."

For all response, her father grinned.

It was on. There was more at stake than their safety if Kya failed. As she steered the sailboat through treacherous waters, the wind against her face was electric, invigorating. It was the same mix of excitement, tenacity and spite that she'd experienced the time her brother Oki had been challenged to an Agni Kai. The challenger had been some brat at school who couldn't accept a Waterbender as his Crown Prince. In the end, Oki had won by boiling the skin off of his opponent's arm, then had shown mercy by healing the burn.

Kya dreamed of a world where everything was just and simple, but the ripples of the long war were still felt. Kya and her brother had become experts at navigating those obstacles, and their parents had been no different.

Ice dodging would be a walk in the park.

When she touched land, safe and sound, Oki was the first one to congratulate her. Her parents hugged her, the few curious children who had gathered to watch cheered. Adrenaline was still rushing through her veins and her head was spinning from the ups and downs the waves and tides subjected her to, but she faced the adults of the tribe with fire in her eyes. Her fire.

And in the end, when the time came for the completion of the ceremony, it wasn't her father rewarding her. That wouldn’t do; this was something else they would have to do their own way. The honor was given to her Uncle Sokka, the beloved Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. His ever-present grin told her all she yearned to know. Kya hadn't needed to prove herself to be loved, trusted, and welcome.

"Well," her uncle started, loud enough that all the present could hear. "You're a woman now. And a strong one, too, but that's only fitting. My sister earned herself this mark when she was your age."

“Get on with it, Sokka” Kya’s mother muttered. “This isn’t about me.”

Both Kya and Sokka chuckled softly, the momentous occasion suddenly brimming with familiarity.

“Fine. There you go.” Sokka’s thumb traced a symbol on Kya's forehead, one she knew too well by shape alone. "Kya, you took this challenge head-on, as you always do. There’s little I can say to do it justice. I award you with the Mark of the Brave."

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

“Holding The Entire World In Your Arms”

⌚WARNING⌚ This is just some random rambling LOL, containing spoilers from unreleased contents~ :>

Most of my rambling and fangirling usually don’t make it to my blog as I mostly tend to be more active on twitter and discord haha~

But–– this thought that suddenly hit me two days back somehow actually made me sit down and try to enlist this rambling on tumblr as well in a not-so-very articulate manner skfkskl LOL 💀

—

[it’s important to read the date since I’m not providing any context LOL]

The link of the date translation: Here💘

—

Those of you who are familiar with Victor’s contents, it’s no surprise that “holding hands” is practically Victor x MC’s lifeline haha~

And MC brings this to a whole new level when she says in the date—

“A long, long time ago. The first time you held my hand, I was bound to you right away.”

–

Snippet from S1 CH 4 MC’s dream sequence:

—

Now that throwback to 泽言哥哥 skfkskl

💘 • The significance of 泽言哥哥 ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

🎥 • Cilp of little MC calling little Victor 泽言哥哥 🥺

—

Anyway, moving on, next is the “hug,” or to be more precise – they both LOVE wrapping their arms around each other’s waist  ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

To be honest, the word “Love” seems like an understatement when you realize that the current counting of Victor x MC’s “arms around the waist karma” alone is 26 (it’s 27 if we count the shower karma too LOL).

However, in all of them, either Victor has his arms around MC’s waist, or it’s the other way around, except for one karma.

It’s his 5th birthday karma. In this one, they both have their arms wrapped around each other’s waist at the same time. This also perfectly symbolizes the gist of his birthday date––

MC’s grand confession, followed by Victor’s, and the both of them re-validating how the other person is their entire world.

–

The concluding remarks of their confession—

“I don’t have the whole world to give you. I only have myself. My most direct feelings, my unreserved heart, and my determination to bring you happiness infinite number of times.”

“This is an invitation. I don’t know how I can arrange you into my future, and this is the only way that I can think of. When one is used to being accompanied by someone, to being taken care of by someone, to being valued by someone, they will unavoidably become spoiled. Not only will they want it for every moment in the present, but they will want it for every moment in the future as well.”

More on “The World” (MC’s monologues):

Even if it is insignificant, I still want to give this person who has led me through the darkness countless times, a path of light sufficient to illuminate the curtain of night. I don’t know how many times I have gazed into his eyes and quietly told him about my greatest wish.

Victor, do you know… what a grand miracle it is to have you in this world.

Just like in that very moment he appeared in my life, sun shone through the cracks and fresh flowers bloomed in the wilderness. Since then, every curtain of night I have seen has magnificent stars. And, every daybreak that I have waited for, the first glimmer of dawn has filled the entire landscape.

—

Also,

MC’s single white rose in the form of a love letter––

When a single rose is given to someone you’ve been with for a long time, it means “You’re still the one” and white rose symbolizes “marriage”, also known as the “wedding rose”~

—

Needless to mention,

This date was the starting point of the unbroken escalating streak of Victor contents we’ve gotten so far, followed by—

them signing a new contract as business partners and taking on major projects together i.e. not just saying the words, but actually taking the actions towards building their future together 📝🚀

then “THE PROPOSAL,” which truly couldn’t be more perfect 🥺💍

and them moving in together, decorating their own home and everything—— 👩‍❤️‍👨🏡

All in all,

This karma practically is the visual representation of “holding your entire world in your arms” 😭💘🤲

–

ON A SIDE NOTE: EVERYTHING aside, I still am not over how MC literally arranged an exclusive drone show just for him. JUST LIKE THE CN FANS DO ON HIS BIRTHDAY EVERY YEAR HNNNGNNNNN 😭🤲

ALSO,

The word “gnomeshgh” in the karma refers to the tenderness you feel when someone shares an idea, a photo, a song, a passage etc., accompanied by a note that conveys that you were the face that came to the forefront of their mind when this thing first occupied their senses – that you’ve organically nestled your way into this other person’s cortices so that they no longer just sees remote objects in time and space, but rather a set of associations that lead back to you – recovering you once again from the self inflicted fallacy of aloneness.

THIS IS JUST SO VICTOR x MC!!!! AND IT JUST RE-VALIDATES EVERYTHING I RAMBLED ON SO FAR ಥ‿ಥ

—

[langdonismsss]

Beginning of the end: Michael Langdon X Reader

Chapter 2: Awakening

Description: A young girl is about to start her life after high school. Unfortunately for her, a certain blonde who has never accepted no for an answer learns of her existence before he is to put his purpose into play

A/N: Still no Michael in this chapter but he will appear in the third chapter :)

Warnings: Swearing, violence

Word count: 1.4K

————————————

Your parents burst into the room. Their baby girl was a puddle of disaster, shaking on the floor. Mom swooped in to hold and rock you into relaxation. Dad however picked up the crow and let out a loud sob. Cries of pain racketed through his body as mom started to weep. It was almost uncomfortable. Your parents had always been really strong and watching them breakdown in your room was… strange. But of course they would. The sight in your room was something most only see in movies.

“It’s all my fault” dad mumbled over and over again to himself. With a bright red face and a heart with no hope he stood up and walked out of your bedroom.

Mom gripped onto you as if you were her lifeline. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to sweetie, we can get away from here”, she bawled.

“If I don’t want to do what”, you shrieked.

It only caused your mom to stand up and run out of the room, her face in her hands, leaving you with no answers.

Your summer was ruined by this whole ordeal. You never felt safe. And at least one of your parents always watched you. So much for a fun summer before the responsibilities of adulthood hit you. There was 3 weeks left until university. Your parents became insufferable. They felt like a falling branch was a sign you were going to die that day. Dad had been trying to sell the house, while mom worked on convincing you to let them buy a house closer to you. You had no plan of allowing them to do that.

Tonight you were going to pack your car and start the road trip to Yale. You wanted to take these last two weeks and drive across the United States. Discover what you could and enjoy what was left of your summer. You were scared, there was no doubts about that. But you carried that rosary with you everywhere and it kept you protected. You believed that more than anything. Now, it wasn’t like you were a believer in the bible. You just felt as if the rosary was a gift from that crow, and a symbol of protection. Mom decided to make a roast dinner tonight to send you off.

In the meantime, you packed what was left of your room to pack. Instead of bringing everything with you, you only brought essentials. And decided that you were going to do a total room makeover at your new apartment. So only your favourite things were going with you. Lovingly, you started to pack art journals, and items of sentimental value into the last box. By the time you had taped it up, mom shouted that dinner was done.

When you entered the kitchen you saw that both of your parents were wiping tears off their faces to appear to look happy. You ignored it and just tried to enjoy your last night. Jokes and laughs were shared around the table, along with more tears. There was an overwhelming sense of love in the room. It was as if there had been nothing terrorizing them for the last 3 months. Leaving was very difficult for you. And your parents of course. But it was hard for you. You had never been all on your own before. It was always inevitable, but still a shock. Driving away was the hardest thing all night.

Jumping into your car you sat in the driveway for just a few minutes. Looking up at the home you were about to leave. Leaving your family behind at such a horrible time. Something was itching the back of your brain, as if it were telling you not to go. It didn’t matter now anyway. You had to go.

The key turned and the ignition roared. Letting the car get to temp, you said a quick prayer and put the rosary on your mirror. Taking a quick glance up, you could see a crow sitting in the middle of the road. Staring you down. In front of you was your parents standing on the door steps. Mom shaking like a leaf. Dad with a stoic look on his face, waving a subtle goodbye. You gave him a curt nod. With that you pulled out and started your drive.

You had been driving for about 45 minutes when you decided to stop at target. A wave of uneasiness came over you. When entering the store you saw just how dead it was. The dim lighting flickered as if it were a prop in a Saw movie. You shivered and just walked right in through to your destination. Heading straight for the snack aisle you grabbed a bag of your favourite chips, a bag of jolly ranchers and a party sized bag of m&ms. You also decided to grab a case of Dr. Pepper.

The lady in front of you at the cash had an edge to her aura. She was an older woman, with a very short pitch black haircut. Her clothing was very witchy and she was buying strange items. Cow tongue, salt, sewing needles, duct tape, bleach and rubbing alcohol. You knew that you should not talk to or make eye contact with this woman for even a second.

“Are you alright dear”?

It was like you manifested her to speak to you. Looking up in disdain, you tried to make yourself look tough. You didn’t want to make her think you were an easy target. Everything about her gave you red flags. You didn’t want to stereotype, however…

“Yes I’m fine, just trying to get home”, you responded meekly. The opposite of tough. The woman gave you chills. It made your bones freeze and your brain feel like jelly. The cashier gave you a pitiful smile when the woman left and you could not get checked out fast enough.

When you walked outside of the store there were no cars in the parking lot. Not even yours.

“Are you fucking kidding me!”, you dropped your bags and grabbed your hair in frustration.

“Need to get home fast”?

You turned around and came face to face with the scary woman. “I-“

“Just come with me, us women need to stick together. There are some real weirdos out there”, she spoke. It was airy and non bothered.

“Listen lady, I appreciate the offer but I need to get my car back. I only have a week to get home”.

“Then let me drive you to the police station”, she smiled and started to walk towards her car, just expecting you to follow. It was on the other side of the street under a crappy street light. It was similar to the light in target, in the way it flickered.

With a sigh, you grabbed your bags and followed. She was offering to drive you to the police station so of course she wouldn’t do anything bad right?

You got in the car and closed the door carefully, making sure not to slam it or disregard the favour she was doing for you. You took in a few deep breaths. You felt vulnerable without the rosary. It was stupid to feel that way. It was just a silly cross connected to some silly beads on a stupid string. It’s not like it could actually protect you or anything.

“So where ere you heading to”? The woman beside you sounded cheery.

“To my new place. My roommates are expecting me so I really do need to hurry”.

Shit.

You shouldn’t have even said anything.

“Oh that sounds fun”, she smiled and kept driving steadily, avoiding the potholes on the road. Your eyes started to get heavy.

“You have a boyfriend or anything”?

You looked over at her and narrowed your eyes. “I don’t think that really matters now does it”.

She shook her head and chuckles lowly. “It sort of does sweetheart”. She slammed on the breaks and slapped her hand over your mouth. You started to flail around trying to get away from her. You hadn’t realized she had locked the doors and couldn’t get the door to open. Your eyes started to droop and your vision was blurry.

“I’ll fucking kill you for this”, you muffled into the rag. Your voice was groggy and you couldn’t hold on for much longer.

“It’s been tried and done”. And with that you passed out completely.

[hexfloog]

Tonight we screm about... LIFELINES

Earlier today, I sent an... admittedly very poorly-phrased question about Gadgetless Conan to a DCMK server - you know, like someone who doesn't proofread.

(I know it was bad because nobody answered me... rightfully so, lmao)

There was a reason for it though!! What I was thinking about was E2, Company President's Daughter Kidnapping Case/The Kidnapped Debutante, and E129, The Girl from the Black Organization.

Rambling below the cut!!

In episode two, it's made horribly clear to us just how harrowing Shinichi's situation has become, even at surface-level. The point is obviously to contrast against the Shinichi we're shown in episode one, who is physically adept, well-liked by authority, and generally comfortable in life. In the span of a single episode, he becomes alienated by symbols of his former self-- his house, which he cannot enter; his clothes, which he cannot fit; his friends, who he cannot confide in; and his own name, which he cannot utter-- and we begin watching him struggle to acclimate to the life of someone who is infantilized at every turn (until he isn't, cough), the degree of which is illustrated most plainly in this first case solved as "Conan."

You only get one shot to establish the floor of a setup like this, and I think they did a pretty good job of it. I'm biased in favor of the Funimation dub, of course:

"You've gotta be kidding me!! I can't even kick a soccer ball anymore!

Aaaaaugh, the panic in his voice.

Anyway, I bring this up in conjunction with The Girl from the Black Organization because, before Shinichi realizes he's being played, Ai taunts him with some dialogue which I found-- among pretty much everything else she says in these two minutes-- pretty chilling:

And she's right - Shinichi flounders so much in episode two because... he really is helpless! He's completely gadgetless for the duration of the case, completely stolen from his former physical prowess (and the familiarity that comes with it), and just to add insult to injury he doesn't even know how to properly masquerade as a child yet, which is arguably the only trick he has when naked (so to speak). As Haibara says... without Agasa, Shinichi has no liberation from the physical weakness of his child body.

So... that got me thinking... Shinichi has a support system that is already loosely established even by this point, composed of people who know his secret, lifelines which bring him back to himself when it seems like there is no escape from his false identity. What are they?

Agasa is, as established above, Shinichi's lifeline to his physical strength and, arguably, his authority. His gadgets allow the young detective to arm himself-- both in the conventional sense, and with a reliable wealth of trickery to skirt the dismissiveness often invited by his child appearance... whether that means simple antics or straight-up mimicking the voices of dead people to scare culprits into confessing WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS--

His parents are, obviously, his connection to family. They are also his general safety net, in the event he chooses to give up... or is forced to.

Heiji is Shinichi's lifeline to companionship. As I mentioned earlier, once he becomes Conan, Shinichi is put in a place where he can no longer confide in his friends (namely, Ran). Heiji, after learning his secret-- and in his ostensibly wholesome habit of seeing right through the veil of Conan every single time-- offers Shinichi a chance to just... be himself without the smoke and mirrors. When the circumstances of his life force him to wear the skin of someone else at every waking moment, I feel Shinichi could very well forget what genuine camaraderie feels like. Also he's the first one to offer Shinichi any semblance of hope for the end of his predicament (albeit unknowingly), how could he not have a place here omg

Haibara is something of an enigma. Admittedly, I have not seen enough of her to be able to say anything (with confidence) on her apparent role in Shinichi's system, but every time she speaks I swear this girl has something PATENTLY 10/10 to contribute asddgfhj. For me, and for all I've seen so far, she represents his value system (and by extension, retribution?) and is the closest I've seen this show come to gray morality. In this very episode Agasa has to hold Shinichi back when their conversation quite clearly turns to challenging who he thinks deserves to be called a victim and I-- mmmmMMMM

More on that in another post about this ep because there's no WAY I'm going to be able to cover everything I wanna say about it in this one aaaaa. Also I do not know at this point whether Vermouth would also fit into this role, I haven't gotten there yet

(Now for this last one... I realize Movie Canon is technically its own thing, but tbh I want the movie and show canon(s) to overlap so much in my mind that I don't even care sorry not sorry--)

...Kaito Kid.* Honestly this boy is such a wildcard, his relationship with Shinichi is so unique and multifaceted that he most definitely plays more than one part in this support system I've interpreted for him in my head. At the very least, being The Foil, it stands to reason he would play a very similar role to Agasa, but rather than bringing him back to the familiarity of his physical body, he keeps him on his toes by pushing his ambition and testing his deductive prowess, which... is especially interesting to me, given that Shinichi never loses that part of him post-transformation. Passion, then, is perhaps his role (or at least one of them): to remind Shinichi of his purpose, of what gives him life... away from the grim backdrop of his circumstance, and removed from the shadow of the Organization... because even in the body of little Conan, that fire could not be stolen from him. Kaito may or may not be doing this consciously (for all intents and purposes, most likely not) but it's still an intriguing thought to entertain, I think...

(*Yusaku could technically overlap with this also, but imo both Shinichi's parents are far too aware of the threat of the Black Organization, I think-- as they should be, being his parents and all.)

(*Heiji could also be the one who stokes this fire, but there's a markedly distinct difference between sharing a passion, and weaponizing it)

Wow uhhHHH idk how to cap off this post uhmm... that's all I've got for now, next time I screm about... YOU CAN'T SAVE EVERYONE (still this ep, bc 129 is SUCH a treasure trove of ideas)

if you've gotten this far tysm for reading much love <333

[incorrect-bkdk-quotes]

ok y'all will one day learn not to encourage me, but hopefully not today

warning: major character death, canon typical depictions of violence, hurt no comfort (but it's a nice reflective kinda sad ok-)

Keep Your Eyes On Me

a.k.a Five times Kacchan insisted on being the focus of Izuku's world. (And the one time he didn't)

Plumes of smoke hung in the air above them, as if shielding them from the screams that rang in the distance. Here, in this little pocket between two crumbling worlds, Heroes Deku and Ground Zero are completely alone. The silence is only broken by Katsuki's ragged breaths and Deku's choking sobs.

"Kacchan."

Deku is staring down at Katsuki. At his clenched jaw and heaving chest. At the beads of sweat that mingle with blood as the track down his proud brow. At his fierce red eyes hidden in heavy half lidded shadows, pain etched into the twisted lines of his face.

At the godawful rod sticking out of his stomach, slick with hot blood.

“Kacchan” he whispers and it's the same prayer that has dropped from countless feverent lips and breaking hearts over centuries. Deku has never thought of Kacchan's death before today. Not really.

It's impractical, he knows. They are society's first line of defence, standing shoulder to shoulder against all sorts of unspeakable evils. The odds are not in their favour.

But they're all of twenty-three, young and blazing ever onward, and Kacchan has always burned the brightest of them all. There has never been a shadow of doubt in Izuku's heart that Bakugou Katsuki will overcome. Always. He's not the sort to bow before the odds.

But in not bowing, there is the terrifying risk of breaking.

They should really have discussed this. They should have done so many things. The rings on their fingers haven't even seen a whole turn of the seasons.

“... deku..” Kacchan's voice is grating, it's catching on the blood filling his throat, “ Deku-”

His eyes widen unseeing, searching for the man grasping his face, terrified tears spilling onto Katsuki's own cheeks. “I'm here I'm here Kacchan you're going to be fine”

Katsuki latches onto his voice like a lifeline, “Deku...”

Izuku is crying as he tenderly runs his trembling fingers through Katsuki's sweat-slicked hair. “Help is coming Kacchan it's coming Stay with me, please please stay”

Katsuki's eyes clear fractionally, “Deku...” he focuses on the shining emerald eyes he's spent his entire life running away from, and then toward and then finally, finally side by side with, “.. keep your eyes–” violent coughs rack his body, blood spraying down Izuku's chest as he clutches his kacchan tighter.

Izuku's heard those words a hundred times before.

~~~

“Keep your eyes on me you dweeb.”

Two best friends running in the forest, a young Izuku distracted momentarily by shimmering gossamer butterfly wings, almost runs into a tree and is yanked none so gently out of th way by a scowling Kacchan, “Keep your eyes on me you dweeb.” Izuku only smiles and complies.

Young bright rivals at the third year sports festival, Izuku scanning the arena till he finds flashing red eyes and a confident smirk. They're across the ground but that doesn't stop Kacchan from yelling, “Keep your eyes on me you dweeb” Izuku rolls his eyes at him.

Izuku is a rookie, only in his first year as a sidekick and this mission is going very wrong very quickly, and he's starting to panic. A sharp nudge from his boyfriend makes his head turn. Katsuki flashes him a cocksure grin that makes his knees go a little weak and whispers “Keep your eyes on me you dweeb.” Izuku is a lot less worried all of a sudden.

Izuku is very young, only twenty one when the world bids goodbye to their old Symbol of Peace. It's a simple death. Kind, like he deserved. Surrounded by the people he loves the most. Izuku holds his hand through it. He does not cry at All Might's funeral. Standing here, giving his eulogy at Yagi Toshinori's funeral though, he can hardly speak through his sobs. The ash blond hair and fire bright eyes of his fiancee in the front row catch his eyes. He can follow what Kacchan is signing to him “Keep your eyes on me you dweeb.” Izuku delivers the entirety of his eulogy and walks off the stage on wobbling knees.

They get married at twenty two, and it's the happiest Izuku has ever been. Inko walks him down the aisle, she's always been everything he's ever needed in a parent. Part of him aches for All Might.

He's very quickly distracted by the soft symphony and the flowers arching though, but mainly by the stunning figure at the altar. Kacchan is a vision in white. Proud and Strong, Dazzling in his Joy. Izuku can't breathe. His mother tugs uselessly at his sleeve. People are turning in their seats. Izuku's feet won't move. Katsuki tilts his head at him and grins, he's mouthing “Keep your eyes on me you dweeb.” Izuku does. He always has.

~~~

Katsuki gasps for air and Deku holds him closer. Katsuki's fingers wrap around Deku's wrist and the touch feels like goodbye.

“Keep you're eyes s-straight ahead Deku.”

[theprologues]

SUBMISSION - Grammys performance symbolism, part two

So, with those reservations safely out of the way, and a warning to readers NOT to hurt themselves by getting their hopes up again … 

What aspects of Taylor’s Grammy’s performance made me think there might be light at the end of the tunnel for Kaylor? 

First, Taylor’s blue and gold performance dress. “Deep blue but you painted me golden” is a line from Dancing With Our Hands Tied, a song that is widely assumed to be about the night of Kissgate. It’s a song where Taylor talks about how miserable (“deep blue”) she was after the collapse of her relationship with Diana and her public reputation in 2013. She describes how her new lover, Karlie, brought her back to life and lit her up with the glow of a new, true love. She painted her golden. But then they were caught in an intimate moment at Kissgate, and Taylor panicked. Her fears and anxieties threatened to drown her, and though she and her new lover tried to dance through the catastrophe, they eventually came to realize they were doing so with their hands tied. They had no hope of swimming to the surface together and breaking free. They could only have done so if Taylor had stood firm and owned their love in the moment, instead of setting in motion the bearding contracts that would change everything. (This is what she means when she says that “if I could dance with you again”, she would “kiss” and “hold” her lover, instead of presumably backing away. If she could do the moment over, she would claim Karlie as her lover, and hold her hand for the world to see, through hell or high water.) 

Though it’s a depressing motif in DWOHT, Taylor has, interestingly, returned to this imagery of a golden tie several times in other songs, painting it in a much more positive light. Most recently, the Willow music video explores this, visually representing the “single thread of gold that tied me to you” which Taylor sings about in Invisible String. Both IS and Willow are happy songs, which describe their lovers as being tied together by fate. “Wherever you go, I’ll follow,” Taylor sings in Willow. In DWOHT, the lovers followed each other to a place of deepest blue. The bottom of the ocean, under the waves, where they couldn’t breathe. In Willow they follow each other to freedom.

That freedom is represented in the Willow music video by the open cabin door the lovers step through at the end of the video. Taylor incorporates this door into the Willow section of her Grammy’s performance, performing first in the open doorway and then stepping through it to perform with her band out in the open. 

But returning to the blue and gold dress. This is not only a very Karlie motif which keeps recurring in her art (often to postitve effect). It’s also a representation of Taylor finding happiness WITHIN the closet. It’s talking about how her partner’s love helps her to bear the depression being in the closet, and fearing exposure, causes her. The fact that Taylor chooses to wear this dress throughout her performance, with no costume changes, suggests a) she is still in the closet, and b) she is still with Karlie, and still considers her love to be such a lifeline. 

If Toe was real and Taylor was happy with him, she could have chosen to wear an all-gold dress for the occasion. If Kaylor was over and she had decided to return to the closet, she could have communicated that by wearing all blue. If Kaylor was over and so far in the past she had moved on with someone new, there was no need to evoke the motif at all. She could simply have laid claim to another color, or worn another prairie type dress to fit the aesthetic. And yet, she didn’t. Why not, if not to communicate what I said above? 

What else is worth considering, in Taylor’s medley? Well, there’s the cabin setting. Taylor and Karlie famously took a trip to Big Sur forest and stayed in a cabin together in 2014, where Karlie was the first person to hear 1989 in full. They took many photos on the trip, including one captioned with “on the way home” (a lyric from You Are In Love, which talks about hearing love in the silence) and one of the two of them looking up at a fallen tree. A VERY similar looking tree appears in the Cardigan music video, and the slanted, moss-covered roof Taylor opens the medley lying on also looks a lot like this tree. Again, curious that she would call back to this if she and Karlie have separated.

Moving on. Taylor opens the medley singing on the roof, looking straight up into the camera. When we pull back we see the stage around set to that of a starry night. Taylor is thus cast as the romantic, the star-gazer. She also calls back to another lyric Kaylors have previously tied to Karlie - “up on the roof with a schoolgirl crush”. It’s been repeatedly tied to Karlie and Taylor’s attendance at the Victoria Secret show after-party. Again, why evoke imagery so tied to the early, happy days of this relationship? 

We then move through a progression of events that sees her hiding inside with friends, before eventually stepping out into the light. That all reads like a visual interpretation of her relationship with Karlie, from her early loneliness and lovestruck dreaming, to the happiness she finds within her little hideaway, to her eventual decision to step out of it and claim her lover. The medley ends on a repetition of “that’s my man”, seemingly hinting that Taylor’s freedom is tied up in her ability to finally say those words. 

What else? Well, there are the Ivy allusions. Taylor’s cabin covered in greenery can’t help but evoke the lyrics of Ivy - “my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I’m covered in you”. Ivy is widely interpreted as a sapphic song about two women finding love despite their commitments to men. Another line in the song “he’s in the room, your opal eyes are all I wish to see, he wants what’s only yours” is alluded to in Taylor’s choice of opal jewelry on the night. What a weird thing to draw attention to, if you’re not secretly in love with a woman while parading a beard around in public. We’re also told in the song that “he” (possibly the same man, possibly another) wants to burn the house of the Ivy lovers down. Jerk just so happened to announce the baby’s birth on this night, in what felt like an attempt to undermine Taylor’s joy. Hmm. Curious. 

You know what else is curious? Taylor’s choice of outfit for the Grammys red carpet. Not only is the floral dress very reminiscent of a floral ensemble Karlie wore to cover a June (pride month) issue of Spanish Vogue. (Cover subtitled, “flowers of change”.) It’s also by the designer Oscar de la Renta. Taylor and Karlie famously attended one of his shows together early on in their relationship. They sat in the front row looking very cozy, while Taylor refused to answer questions about why she was there and reportedly giggled “my publicist will be mad at me”. Hmm.

Taylor has also worn Oscar de la Renta on numerous occasions while out with Karlie, including most famously at the Met Gala. That iconic pale pink gown that she was buried in the Look What You Made Me Do music video? That was an Oscar de la Renta. There are many interpretations of the scene in the video, but it’s worth noting that Taylor is buried alive in it (which could be interpreted as a metaphor for being closeted) and that in a video all about her various revenge fantasies, she depicts herself crawling back up out of this grave. She views coming back to life and walking away from the flaming wreckage of her past with Big Machine as the ultimate revenge. At the end of the video she clips her own wings while all the past iterations of her argue amongst themselves. This would seem to suggest that she can defeat her enemies but she can’t defeat herself, because she can’t outrun her past, and until then she will always be doomed to self-sabotage. Nevertheless, this Taylor (lurking in the background bedecked in peaced-out palm tree print) is in a much better position than the Taylor who opened the video as a zombie corpse. She’s on the surface and has some hope of freedome, at last. This is a theme we see carried through in the following video, where Taylor goes one-on-one against herself and eventually breaks free.

Long story short? Taylor wearing such a floral, literally blooming dress from THIS designer, of all people, suggests she may finally be about to rise again. The aborted coming out apparently planned for the Lover era (and thus seeded during the Rep era) may finally be a go? 

Again, I’m very reluctant to get people’s hopes up here. But it’s hard to look at this dress and not think of that June (Pride month) floral magazine cover. Or of the Spade riddle, “Why worry? She blooms in June.” Or of the fact that Taylor’s stunts are often loudest before the end. She acknowledged Calvin and hugged him at an awards show before he was booted out of the narrative and Tom H appeared to replace him. (Something like ten days or so after the “split”, if I remember right?) And the inconsistencies of the Toe timeline speak for themselves. There was speculation - unpopular though it was - among Kaylors in the Rep era that guessed Taylor wouldn’t come out until 2021 / 2022. It seemed a world away at the time but who knows? Maybe this was always the plan. Maybe this is all “part of the fucking story”, even the parts that seem ugly or counterproductive. A lot can change in a couple of months in Hollywood, and with Taylor in particular. By June, it’s possible we COULD be looking at a vastly different landscape. Maybe this was one last hurrah for the Toes. Many of them are just harmless fans taking Taylor at her word, after all. 

Only time will tell, and I don’t blame Kaylors for checking out. This isn’t healthy, especially for those of us who are gay ourselves, and can’t help but feel a personal connection to Taylor’s journey out of the closet. We know what a big deal it would be. But for those who still want to hope … It’s just possible Taylor has a plan, and this is the dark night before the dawn. 

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

Pro: I added the photos and the bolded parts. Love symbolism. This was truly a spectacular performance. Awesome submission anon!!

[one-pissed-off-child]

Only A Fool

I have been here for 300 years.

Anyway, here you go.

Phillipe didn’t listen to Camille.

He was tired, true (in this same moment, a thousand lifetimes away, he would have been much too tired and much too sullen to put up a fuss) and he had a long journey ahead of him. But Phillipe had given everything to this island. His years, his family’s funds, his dedication, and now he would give his children. He was owed, at least, a chance to see them for the first and last time.

So he went.

When his wife laid down to rest, still weary from the tribulations of birth, and when the old midwife stepped outside to fetch a bundle of calming herbs at the king’s behest, Phillipe went to see his daughters.

As he stepped into the hall, Phillipe came to the stark realization that he had no idea where the nursery was. In all the hours that they'd been here, Willa had not bothered to show him where the babes would be kept. Why would she? He was never meant to see them after all. They weren’t his to see.

But still, he searched undeterred, and eventually, he came across a room a few doors down from Camille’s birthing chamber, barred by an expertly crafted door engraved with three black roses. Beautiful flowers marked with the color of death. How symbolic.

Pushing into the room, Phillipe was reminded of the brief moment of calm that often comes within the eye of a storm. He felt himself relax as he took in the domesticity of it all.

Sunlight gently streamed in through the window, falling on three bassinets to the side of the room. He felt a small smile split his face as he approached the cradles. Seeing the small forms sleeping peacefully inside filled him with indescribable joy, he wished he knew their names. Phillipe’s smile morphed into a frown. He should know their names.

He started with the one cuddling the cloud pillow. Scooping her tiny form into his arms was a surreal experience. She barely weighed anything at all and staring down at her little face almost gave him the sensation of floating. It was often said that the queens retained no physical traits from their parents before them but he could see that this one had his jawline and ears. She would grow up to be beautiful.

Phillipe kissed her brow before settling her back into place.

The next one did not look much like him, although he could see a bit of Camille in the roundness of her face and himself in her strong nose. However, as he gently lifted the little girl out from underneath her horrid mobile, it quickly became clear the similarities between them lay in their personalities. He chuckled softly as she squirmed in his arms. His mother often told stories of how fitful Phillipe was as a child, even when asleep. His restlessness did not subside much as he grew older but rather worsened. All up until now in his manhood he had trouble keeping still. Phillipe suspected this child would be the same.

He pinched the tiny hand that slipped out of the swaddle and nearly cried when it latched around his fingers.

He tenderly set the second child down, careful to avoid disturbing -or touching- the dead reptiles, and turned his attention to the final cradle.

This last child was not like him in appearance nor mannerisms. She was so still that Phillipe almost feared for her health until he saw the healthy flush in her face. And she did not look like him at all but, he noted with no small amount of pride, she was almost the mirror image of Camille. Smallest out of the three by far, this one had to be the youngest.

Just as he kissed her cheek and prepared to set her down, big, black doll-like eyes suddenly fluttered open. He froze.

She didn't immediately start wailing like he assumed her to. In fact, she stared at him almost expectantly. As if she were waiting for him to do something. It almost felt like...a request.

To his credit, Phillipe did try to leave. Told himself to go before his traitorous thoughts could continue entertaining a notion that would likely get him killed. Yet still, even as his rational mind tried to reason with his body, he felt himself crumple to the floor. Those eyes that were so much like Camille's turned his legs to anchors.

There is a saying amongst the people of Fennbirn. At first glance, it seemed a strange one given this island’s seemingly unconditional adoration of their triplet queens. But the years taught him better.

Only a fool could love a queen

Then he truly must be the king of fools to have fallen in love with four of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camille shot up with a gasp. Cold sweat ran down her forehead in rivulets. She gripped the sheets like a lifeline. She felt like throwing up. Camille groaned at the intense pounding in her skull. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly since her...victory.

Sleep. How could she? How could she when the ghosts of her sisters screamed in her ear; when she saw their dead and dying faces every time she closed her eyes; when the memories of her early days returned to her and all she could think of is the sweet little girls in those memories and how she murdered them?

Camille shook herself. Now was not time for regret. It wouldn’t do much good for anyone either way; what’s done is done is done. She was so close to everything she had dreamed of for seven years.  She could start over; live the life she had always wanted from the beginning. All she had to do was walk away and never turn back.

Yet, when she searched for her dream's face, she did not see him.

A cold pit of dread formed in her stomach.

Camille called for him, hoping he had simply stepped out for air. No answer. The pit in her stomach grew larger.

She desperately wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he just went to get some water or if not that then to get a better pillow or if not that then to use the chamber pot. One by one she checked the kitchen, each of the bedrooms, and the bathroom, and one by one they all were deemed empty.

Once it became evident that her husband was nowhere else in the house, Camille slowly made her way to the nursery. She pointedly ignored the bittersweet feelings that rose marked door summoned within her as she made her way into the room.

Inside, she found her husband, sitting on the ground and cradling one of the baby queens against his chest. Camille sighed heavily and approached the pair. She carded a hand through his auburn curls.

He looked up at her and- oh

He was crying.

Her love, soft-hearted though he may be, was not a well-known crier.

Pursing her lips, she carefully settled down next to him. "Come now, darling. Let us find Willa." But he was already shaking his head. He looked back at the child in his arms.

"I- I can't do this Camille. I'm sorry."

Camille's hand slipped from his hair to his shoulder as she dredged up every last ounce of patience her tired body possessed. "I know this is hard for you but it's simply how we do things here. I promise that once we get to the mainland-"

“Did you hold them? Did you even touch them?”

“Phillipe-”

“Take her, Camille.”

Camille did not take her. “You’ve known that this would happen for years. I’ve told you time and time again that you can’t get attached. This is why I told you not to go. ”

"I can't just leave my daughters-"

"They aren't your daughters," Camille said gently, "They belong to the island and the Goddess only."

Phillipe tensed. "So you truly believe that it's right for us to just sail away and go about our lives knowing what they'll be subjected to here? That it's right to just hand them over after everything these people have done to you?"

“It is my duty as queen”, Camille said mechanically. She wasn’t even sure if they were her words (they weren’t. Not really).

“They’ve taken so much from us. I hear the way you cry out for your sisters at night. I've seen the scars on your arms and back. The Arrons, the temple, this entire damned island, they have given you nothing, nothing but heartache and pain. And as thanks for your suffering, you'd give them our children to torture?"

"They are not our children!", She snapped, then softer, "Please, enough of this. You know the island won't let them go. We can have a real family on the mainland."

Phillipe just sadly shook his head again. "I can't be with someone who would abandon her own daughters to a life of misery. If you force me to choose between you and them- it's them. I'm sorry", and Camille's heart shattered.

He finally turned from the infant to her. "I don't want to choose, please don't make me choose." He took her hand and rested it on the child's -Katharine, she numbly recalled- head. "This is our family. Don't let the island tear it apart."

Everything Phillipe was saying went against the very person Camille had been taught to be. What the temple taught her of being a vessel for the Goddess on earth. What the Arrons taught her about succeeding no matter what. The things Phillipe was suggesting were blasphemous and damn near sacrilegious (but she had stopped praying a long time ago). To go along with it would be to burn down years of meticulous planning. To spit in the face of all the teachings Camille received.

She looked from Phillipe and his pleading eyes to Mirabella and Arsinoe, blissfully sleeping through the turmoil in the room, to little Katharine, whose eyes and nose looked so much like her own.

Queens never pass on physical traits

She was tired of following the rules.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Black Cottage was small, although it was not actually a cottage. Hidden away in the forest and surrounded by undergrowth, it was not an easy place to find, let alone reach. Few people were privy to the cottage’s exact location and every one except the queens were sworn to secrecy on pain of execution. This, of course, was to allow the Midwife to raise the ascending queens in peace as well as protect them in those few vulnerable years where they were not constantly guarded by a powerful foster family. The meticulous position now worked to their advantage as Queen and King rushed to secure the baby girls in the back of Willa’s old but sturdy wagon.

Phillipe tied down the wicker baskets that held his daughters with the rope they found in the kitchen while Camille shackled Willa's fastest horse, Sarin, to the front of the wagon.

Phillipe stopped suddenly. "Wait, should we bring nappies?"

Camille blinked. "What? You mean soil cloths?"

"Yes, who is going to change them?"

"I'd reckon you know more about these things than I do."

"But you're-"

She shot him a withering look. "I'm what? A woman?"

"Smarter than me", he finished.

Camille just rolled her eyes. "We can figure all that out once we're on the road. I'll go get the cloths." He nodded as Camille finished attending to the horses and turned back towards the house.

She stopped.

There in the meadow stood Willa. This was the first time Camille's seen her since the birthing. She had completely forgotten about her pseudo mother. Behind her, a small gasp indicated that Phillipe had similarly forgotten about the only other person in the house.

“Camille-”

“Get in the wagon.” She sucked in a breath and righted herself with a confidence she did not feel. “I will handle this.”

Still, Phillipe glanced between her and the old Midwife as though he expected Willa to summon a dagger out of thin air and bury it in Camille's eye. Knowing of the old woman's history as a poisoner, Camille could not even say his concern was unfounded. But he finally nodded once and got in the coach's seat.

She approached Willa with her head held high

Willa smiled as she drew near. "You were going to make off with my only wagon and best horse without even a goodbye? The gall of this generation."

Camille didn't know what to say. She stayed silent as she eyed the bag Willa had slung over her shoulder. Noticing the younger woman's tension, Willa's smile fell away.

"Relax girl. I'm not going to beat you to death with a rucksack." Her eyes hardened, "And I'm not going to try and stop you either."

Now Camille's silence was tinged with an air of shock.

"Those six years I spent raising the three of you were the happiest years of my life. I treasured every moment I spent watching you and Arden play in the river. Eating those horrible cookies that Nautica baked every winter," Willa raised one wrinkled hand to Camille's cheek. She didn't pull away. "You girls were the most important things in my life even after those black carriages came and took you away."

"I collected every piece of news about you three I could find. I celebrated every victory with you and every time I heard of Nautica's escapades with her multiple spouses or of Arden's ridiculous spars with the warriors from Bastian, I would think of our time here together."

"The pain I felt when I heard of their passing was the worst than anything I had ever experienced. I prayed I would not live long enough to feel it again."

Camille couldn't help it. Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, "I killed them."

Willa nodded. "You did."

"I remember their faces. I remember the river, the cookies, all of it." Camille shook as she wept, "And I killed them."

"And now-", Willa said as she wiped her tears, "You will ensure no little girls are forced to kill their sisters ever again."

"You failed your sisters and I failed the three of you. Do not fail your daughters." Camille nodded against Willa's hand.

Willa again smiled briefly.

“I’ll send for the houses in two hours. It will take one hour for the word to reach all of them and another three or so for the carriages to arrive. I suspect that should be just enough time for you to reach the landing. Provided you take the back roads of course.”

“I-yes. That should be enough.”

“Good. Now then,” She handed Camille the sack she had brought. Inside were blankets, soil cloths, medicinal herbs, clothes for infants, and a collection of peculiar items that she assumed were to the girls entertained. And quiet.

"Thank you", said Camille, and she meant it from the depths of her soul.

"A child needs not to thank her mother for doing a mother's duty." Then mother and daughter embraced for the last time. Camille stiffened as she pulled away.

“You’ll be-” executed. Brutally. Painfully.

The old crone just smiled. “I will be fine.” It was a lie.

The Midwife turned around and slowly made her way back into the house. Camille watched until her back disappeared behind the door before walking back to her husband and daughters.

To her family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jonathan Blackburn is a family man at heart.

Whenever his sister needed help wrangling her massive brood of eight, Jonathan was there. Whenever his mother needed him to drive the cattle because one of the work hands fell sick, Jonathan was there. And when Phillipe came to him seven years ago and told him of his plans to go to the legendary island of Fennbirn and pursue one of their triplet queens well, what other choice did Jonathan have than to go with him?

You could start a family of your own you know, Phillipe had said.

And Jonathan replied, How could I trust myself to start a new one if I can't take care of the one I have now?

So, when his little brother arrived at the landing three hours early in an old wagon with his wife at his side and a slumbering newborn in his arms, Jonathan took one look at his pleading face and called for the captain to take to sea.

Not a word was passed between them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Goddess took being robbed of her new queens about as well as Camille expected her to.

Within thirty minutes of leaving Bernadine's Landing, a vicious storm descended upon the mighty Rapshire, and thus, the battle began.

If there was one silver lining in this whole debacle, it's that every man aboard this ship was a mainlander. Not one of them batted an eye when she and Phillipe carried the girls aboard.

But as it goes, if there's an upside then there's a downside. No matter how good of a crew these men were, they were simply no match for the ferocity of the typhoon. There were many times in her life when Camille wished to be an elemental but none more so than today.

Down in the underbelly, Camille listened to the stomping and shouting above her head as the men tried everything in their power to keep the ship afloat. Phillipe was up there too, shouting orders with the rest of them.

A particularly strong gust of wind threatened to capsize the ship altogether and the young mother desperately kept hold of her children while struggling to stay sitting upright. Camille winced as the wails of Arsinoe and Katharine rose to match the crashing of thunder.

The eldest of the baby queens simply laughed. Where Camille greened every time the boat was violently rocked by the waves, Mirabella shrieked in delight and flapped her little arms about as if she were the one bringing this storm down on their heads.

Camille huffed. Elementals.

Once again, the ship rocked so violently that it was everything Camille could do to keep a tight grip on the baskets. She felt something slip out of her pocket and clatter to the ground. She looked down at it and paled.

A vile of nightshade. Willa had pressed it into her hand during their embrace. Such a poison was much too weak to have any effect on Camille. There was no question of who it was for.

You will ensure no little girls are forced to kill their sisters ever again.

Somehow she managed to grasp the vile with a shaking hand. She swallowed as she considered the task before her. Killing two teenage girls whose faces she hardly remembered was difficult enough but three infants?

Yet, letting the Goddess sweep them back to the island would be just as damning. A small bit of nightshade is incomparable to the suffering that the Arrons would inflict on Arsinoe. And Mirabella, she would be forced to live through the deaths and haunting memories of her sisters as Camille is. She uncorked the vile.

Yes, this is the kinder fate. A death by nightshade would be quick and painless. At her young age, not even Arsinoe's poisoner gift could protect her from a toxin this deadly.

She only wished that she could have made their last moments as joyous for her two youngest as they were for Mirabella.

Slowly, she kissed each of the girls goodbye. The silence was deafening as she pressed the vile to Katharine's lips and made to tip it back.

Silence?

Camille snatched the nightshade away before a drop of liquid could spill over.

The cabin was suddenly still. There was no booming thunder overhead. No screaming wind that nearly knocked them clean over. She couldn't even hear the rain anymore. It was as if the storm had never happened at all.

Camille dared to let herself hope.

And when Phillipe rushed downstairs to practically slam his mouth into hers, she knew her dreams finally came true

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun on her skin was a blessing after being cooped up in that tiny cabin for what felt like hours. If the pleased cooing was anything to go by, it seemed Katharine agreed.

An arm wrapped around her waist and her husband and brother-in-law joined her at the bow of the ship. Each of them held her other two children.

Phillipe observed them with proud eyes. He stared down at his daughter in his arms as if she were the most perfect this in the world.

Phillipe looked at her again and she saw tears in his eyes for the second time in seven years.

"What are their names?"

Camille smiled through her own tears. "She-", Camille said, nodding to the babe in Phillipe's arms, "-is Mirabella. The eldest." The new father beamed.

She gestured to Jonathan. "She is Arsinoe. Middle child."

Jonothan grinned down at his wiggling niece. "Hello, little Arsinoe. I am your uncle Jon. I can already tell you're going to be as much of a handful as your father is."

"And this is Katharine. She is the youngest." Camille pressed a kiss to Katharine's head.

Phillipe repeated their names in order under his breath. Then louder and louder still until he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"THEIR NAMES ARE MIRABELLA, ARSINOE, AND KATHARINE! I'M A FATHER!"

Jonathan whooped. "You heard him, gents! Hats off to the new parents!"

Camille laughed like she never had before as each and every man on board cheered and flung their hats into the ocean. Those that didn't have hats took the shirts off their backs and whipped them over their heads like madmen.

Distantly, the part of her that still thought of Fennbirn as home wondered what would happen to the island without its queens. Perhaps the people would learn to move on without them, even as their gifts faded. Or maybe the Goddess, in a fit of self-righteous anger, would turn her ire on the island that she’d birthed. Maybe she would command the seas to rise and swallow Fennbirn whole. Send a storm three times as terrible as the one she inflicted on Camille's family to wash everyone and everything away.

But as she watched her husband dance and cry and laugh and kiss their daughter all over her face, Camille found that she could not bring herself to care.

[girlmeetsliv3]

Lilies of the Valley VII

A/B/O!BTS x Reader

Flowers can have different meanings depending on the flower shape, color, and method in which they are presented. Lilies are my favorite for such a simple flower can have so many distinct meanings.

    “The tiger lily is also known as a symbol of honor and riches and some cultures around the world consider it a symbol of love and kindness.”

Release Date: 06/08/20 @  9 pm

previously ~ next

Trigger Warning: Some of the contents discussed in this chapter may not be suitable for all audiences. Mentions of past trauma.

          “What the fuck are they doing here?!”

           “Soyeon, please calm down.”

           It took a lot for her to calm her older sister down, as YN pushed her away from the perplexed alphas. Once YN had managed to guide her sister towards the other side of the car, she seemed to have calmed down, or at least that’s what YN thought before her sister directed her anger towards her. “What the fuck, YN. Why would you bring them here? Are they your mates? Did they force you to do this? Do you need help?” YN placed her hands over Soyeon’s mouth, muffling any other questions she might have.

         “Please calm down, I can’t answer everything at once.” Her sister wasn’t the confrontational type, but she hadn’t been there when the incident occurred. Despite being only a year older, Soyeon had decided to study abroad. Something that YN had once overheard her saying she regretted. “Alright, I’m calm. So it’s official then, you completed the mating bond?” YN wasn’t sure how to answer, wasn’t sure how much of the truth her sister knew. There were at least three different versions of what had occurred: what YN had said, what the police had said, and the truth. Which version YN told depended on how much self-loathing she carried within her.

         "Legally, yeah. It's official." She wouldn't elaborate on it, let people interpret it the way they want. When YN saw the relief that flashed on Soyeon's face, she felt a small part of her die. "Oh, thank god. I was worried that you were going to show up alone again. That's why I asked to meet you here, I wanted to mentally prepare you for Shuhua's family." So much for what her mother had said on the phone. It was good that Soyeon had found a mate - especially a female alpha considering how strange they were. "I'm happy for you." The smile on her face was forced, but that didn't mean the words were any less true. YN was genuinely happy for her sister.

         “Oh, I’m sorry about how I reacted.”

         YN turned her head to see Jungkook and Seokjin peering, the latter smiled. “Don’t worry. We understand.”

         Soyeon nodded, “I can get a bit protective over my little sister.” The head rub Soyeon gave YN was a bit unnecessary but her scowl gave everyone a laugh, so she opted not to bring it up. Soyeon dusted off her jeans, despite there being no dust on them, “Well. I’ll see you at home tomorrow then.” Her attention returning to the alphas. “It was nice to see you again. Seriously, if you hurt my sister again I’ll kick your assess.”

       The hotel room they rented had two rooms and a sofa bed, despite YN insistence that she could take the latter they had all refused. Pushing her into the smaller of two rooms, whilst they all shared the master. Truthfully YN didn’t understand how they all managed to sleep together without waking up hot sweaty messes or maybe they didn’t mind. They’re probably used to being hot around each other. Once she dwelled on it a little more, a sudden flash of embarrassment took her over and she opted to think of something else.

       The common area of the hotel room had a balcony where YN was currently sitting. She didn’t know what the others were up to but enjoyed being alone for a while. It gave her a chance to mentally prepare for the onslaught of questions she would have to face tomorrow. The sound of the glass door sliding open, distracted her as she peered to Jungkook stepping out. YN had to steady her racing heart, though she was sure the Alpha had heard it already considering his tense stance. Never the one to leave any space between them, Jungkook strode towards the patio chairs sitting on the one right next to her. There was a frown between his full brows and his rounded eyes looked more sunken in than usual.

         “Is everything okay?” YN asked cautiously, unsure that it was the right move. Maybe she should have ignored him until he spoke first.

         "Does your family not know?" It was phrased as more of a statement than a question, but that didn't matter. YN swallowed thickly, she should've realized they would be quick to catch on. When weren't they? "They know what they need to." At this, the frown between Jungkook's brows deepened. His body was tilted so that it faced YN's entirely, while hers was facing forward. "What is that supposed to mean?!" His hands gripped hers, forcing her to look into his eyes. He looked angry and that put YN on edge, unsure of how he would react. Jungkook must've seen the fear in her eyes, for the next time he spoke the words were spoken in a softer tone.

          “Your family picked you up from the station. The police spoke to them, didn’t they?” YN didn’t answer, so he continued. “Your mother has always kept in contact, but I just assumed she was very forgiving and knew about the pack bond.” YN shook her head, keeping her eyes forward and wide, afraid to blink for that might release the unshed tears.

         “My mom- my family doesn’t know about the pack bond.”

         “So, then…”

          It took YN all her might to not stutter or let out a sob. She had been holding so much in for years and now she was about to break at the hands of the one who started it all. No, I played a part in it too. “I told my parents we were dating and that I asked you to mark me in the heat of the moment.” Jungkook stilled, YN wasn’t sure she could even pick up on him breathing. It was after a few tense moments that Jungkook intertwined his hands in hers, YN didn’t have the strength to fight back. “Why would you do that?” The words were barely above a whisper, but they were enough to shatter YN.

        Sobs wracked through her body and she knew it was only a matter of time before the other alphas made their way outside. “What else was I supposed to do? Admit the truth? Do you know how bad that would look? I was a newly presented Omega and I’d jumped into bed with someone I barely knew. Enough rumors were already going around. Do you know how people look at me because of the bite mark?! Like I’m some kind of whore. I made a mistake, we made a mistake, and it was a lot easier to say it was that than admit the truth to my family.”

         “YN, don’t say that. It doesn’t matter what people think -”

         “Do you know I saw the disappointment in my father’s eyes the day I presented. I wasn’t even supposed to stay after school that day, but I did because I couldn’t stand to be at home.” She took a deep breath, using the back of her sleeve to wipe at her face. “If I had just faced the truth-”

        “Don’t fucking say that.” Jungkook interrupted her, he was yelling now but YN could see the tears of frustration in his eyes. “What happened was a mistake. I should’ve controlled myself better, I shouldn’t have let my instincts take over and bitten you.” Jungkook brought her hands up peppering small kisses along the knuckles, “Lily, I should’ve told you when we saw each other that I felt the bond. I was just so overwhelmed, I thought it was my rut, I didn’t even realize what had happened.”

        YN shook her head again, “Jungkook, what kind of a person jumps into bed with some she barely knows because of her heat. Much less when she knows he’s mated.”

        Before YN could even continue Jungkook got down on his knees in front of her, tears now streaming down his face. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The pheromones Jungkook was releasing were ones riddled with stress and anxiety. At that moment, YN ceased to see him as the perpetrator of everything that had gone wrong in her life. He was still at fault, but Jungkook had been a new alpha as well. A kid as well. It had been years and here he was groveling at her feet for forgiveness, not for himself or his mates. But in order for YN to stop blaming herself. "Jungkook, get up." The alpha refused, clinging onto her hands like they were a lifeline. Slowly, YN slid off the chair and to the floor gathering him in her arms, he was much bigger than her but the way he wrapped himself around her spoke volumes.

        Out of her mouth came the words YN never thought she would utter. “I forgive you.” Then as a display of her sincerity, she rubbed her nose where his scent gland was right above his mating mark. Where her’s would eventually go.

        The second YN stepped out of the car, her mother swept her up into a hug. “Oh, darling how I’ve missed you.” YN giggled hugging her mother tightly, despite being a beta her mother had always smelled to her like sour lemons. Most might find that irritating smell, but YN had always enjoyed it. “I missed you too, Mom.” Her mother squeezed her tightly before her focus turned on the alphas behind her. “It’s nice to see you all. You especially Namjoon.”

         “It’s a pleasure to see you again ma’am.” Namjoon’s dimpled smile was enough to have her mother swooning on the spot. Something which caused YN to roll her eyes, though the longer she thought about it. “You’ve met my mother before?” The question was directed towards the lead alpha, but it was her mother who answered. “Ah, Namjoon introduced himself during your graduation. He called to let me know that they would be accompanying you.” Oh. “I didn’t know that.” She shot the men a glare, but they all shrugged.

         Jungkook intertwined her hands in his and shot her a sheepish smile. “You look pretty today.” The dress she was wearing was one they had picked out for her, a red wrap dress that brushed her knees. Jungkook seemed to be in a better mood than yesterday, their conversation had left YN worried but thankfully it seems everything had been resolved. At least on his side. Her mother guided her through the house and to the back, showing them to the outside.

         “Be warned, Shuhua’s family is a bit antiquated.”

         That served as an understatement for what was to come.

Decorations lay thrashed on the floor as several tables and chairs were flipped over in the tumult. YN couldn’t see much through her bleary tears, but she could see the bloodstain. Drying on the freshly cut grass while its rusty odor invaded all of YN’s senses. She was aware of the echoes and shouts around her, but YN couldn’t react to them. Not until she felt warm arms wrapping around her figure, the woody scent alerting her to who it was. “Let’s go home, baby.” YN wasn’t sure whether she nodded or not, but she was dragged away nonetheless towards the six other men waiting for her.    

I called them,” Namjoon answered her thoughts, but YN wasn’t too concerned. Despite, her wondering how the men had managed to get there so quickly. She was faintly aware of getting into a car, being placed on someone’s lap, and the sweet sounds of humming near her ears. “It’s okay, YN. Everything is okay now. You’re safe.” So it was Jimin she was sitting on. That’s why her nose didn’t burn. She remembered Soyeon’s words, her mother’s shocked expression, and the face of the disgusting man being pounded into by one of her mates. “Shhh, baby. It’s okay. You’re safe now. No one’s ever going to hurt you again.”

Hope you enjoyed!!!

@hxsxxk-180294​ @saxpam24​ @trixsterbi @mel-gonzalez07​ @cstobitk​ @dionysus-png​ @taekimxx​ @moonlitehunter @joonie-grim​ @wonderlace19​ @sugashaye​ @rosey-roseu​ @mintaemark​ @ciderxi @soloikeadates​ @alex--awesome--22​ @ruth619​ @tinger-k​ @thenyousaidhello​

[onmykneesforhotdilfs]

Hello, I wanted to ask you for a special shipment for Valentine's Day that is about the wedding of bloom and valtor and their married life, I would appreciate it very much, I hope I will not be a bother, thank you. ps: I love your writing bye.

First of all, of course you can have special shipment for valentine's day that is about the wedding of Bloom and Valtor and their married life.

Secondly, thank you so much for your kind words. You guys can't even believe how much your encouragement means to me.

Thirdly, I have like 5 more requests sitting in my inbox but please be patient, i promise to get to them as soon as possible. School is sitting on my chest currently. They will be done, the only question is when will I find the necessary time to do them.

Ok so without further ado, here we go. I decided to do this headcanon style, but if you guys want full fledged wedding or married life ff, just send in a request and it'll be done (eventually).

Sparxshipping wedding/married life headcanons (valentine's day special)

Engagement

Weirdly enough, it took place on Earth instead of Domino. Valtor organized an incredible evening in a rather nice restaurant, invited both of her families and all of her closest friends, Winx and specialists, including Sky (Bloom remained on friendly terms with the guy after the break up). The plot twist, he never told anyone he planned to propose. His manners and etiquette threatened to kick him in the ass for not asking Oritel for his permission to marry his daughter, but he had a hunch his future father in law would say "No." and that would do more harm than good in the future. Mike was more fond of him, especially when he noticed his rival (Oritel seemed to have the habit of making people dislike him) hated the magician with passion.

Valtor picked out the ring months before and he was just waiting for the perfect moment to present his beloved with it. The perfect moment seemed to strike when Bloom said one evening she always wanted to get all her friends and both of her families together on one big dinner in some nice Earth restaurant so they can all just chill for one night (she wanted to show her birth parents the planet she grew up on and she also wanted it to have a symbolic meeting for all of her friends). So when the opportunity struck, Valtor took it and wouldn't let go. Bloom protested to him organizing and paying for dinner she wanted but he had none of it and simply told her to 'relax and leave it all in his capable hands'.

All of Bloom's friends accepted the call immediately but Oritel made Valtor sweat for a few days before even he succumbed to his daughter's invitation (also, he suspected Marion had her fingers in tipping the king over the edge because if Valtor learned anything while he worked in the palace 20+ years ago, it was that Marion, despite her innocent looking facade, was quite the blackmailer and if he deduced correctly, she wore the pants in that household).

He was not nervous for a moment while he planned the whole thing even though he expected it at least on some level. But nothing could've prepared him for that moment when the dinner was done and they all stood up to leave the restaurant. The minutes were agonizing for him and despite everything he started second guessing his decision. It took all of his self control not to chicken out.

As it turned out, he had nothing to be anxious about, because as soon as he dropped to one knee, Oritel made an inhuman sound in the background, and popped the question while presenting Bloom with the ring, she threw herself on him and screamed 'YES!" in his ear. He could vaguely hear her friends screaming from excitement and happiness, that was mostly Stella, and one not so very happy voice saying "God damnit NO!", but he paid them no attention as his shaky fingers slipped the ring on Bloom's equally shaky hands. She threw her hands around his neck and kissed him while happy tears streamed down her face.

Wedding

The newly engaged couple was in no hurry to tie to knot and that seemed to displease everyone, mainly Stella because she wanted to go shopping for wedding dresses and bridesmaids dress (not that she needed the excuse to go shopping but 'Guysssss, this is special!'), but Oritel. As far as Valtor managed to catch, he was persistent in making his daughter change his mind about marrying Valtor. Then, overnight it seemed to him, Oritel started being more friendly and willing to spend some time with Valtor to 'get to know him'. He didn't understand the sudden shift in the beginning, but when his fiance took time to explain she threatened to burn all the expensive curtains in the palace if the king doesn't start minding his own business, everything fell into place.

The wedding preparations took over a month when they actually started planning, which was well over two years after the engagement but they figured, if they waited this long, they can wait a bit longer too. It was decided that the wedding will take place on Andros where their first official meeting happened, on a Colosseum he created to save her life when Icy's ice block knocked her unconscious into the water. Flora offered the help with the decorations, Stella dragged Bloom dress shopping and Musa and the rest of the fairies took care of other essentials in consultation with the wedding planner Bloom and Valtor personally picked out.

Despite the fact they already live together, they decided to somewhat respect the tradition and spent the night before the wedding separately. This was partially done to make Oritel a bit more docile at their wedding and to honor the tradition of groom not seeing the bride in her dress before the wedding. They both had difficulty with that as was evident when neither of them could sleep that night, their bodies and fire inside too accustomed to the other being near. Bloom spent the night on Domino and Valtor went back to Alfea. The parting kiss the two shared had to be interrupted by Marion and Vanessa, so neither Oritel nor Mike came out to see what's taking their daughter so long to say goodbye, before it turned into a heavy makeout session. The two had to be almost hauled apart, Marion and Vanessa holding Bloom as Daphne took Valtor by the collar of his shirt and dragged him away to Alfea.

The morning brought no relief however because Valtor was too busy lowkey freaking out and Bloom herself couldn't stop rushing around the palace to fetch stuff she needed despite the fact maids could bring it to her. Valtor's mental breakdown was stopped by Andy, his best man weirdly enough (they got really friendly after the whole Earth mission and black circle fiasco. There was originally a bit of jealousy on Valtor's part because Bloom seemed to really like Andy and it reached the peak when he found out they dated back in the day. But Andy's quirky personality and unending questioning about magic really brought them closer together and helped Valtor realize, Andy is one of the best humans to have around).

Bloom got her fair share of support from Stella, who even threatened to slap her friend on the wrist for not sleeping, but sympathy shone in her eyes when Bloom told her she couldn't sleep because Valtor wasn't there. She also made a quite inappropriate joke in a very inappropriate time just as her parents, both pairs, entered a room. "So you couldn't sleep because Valtor isn't here or was it the exercise that is done primarily beneath the sheets that you missed?" Oritel gripped the door frame so hard Bloom though she even heard it crack. Bloom blushed like a tomato and gritted her friend's name through her teeth but luckily blonde took the hint and shut her mouth.

As the wedding approached, Valtor got even more fidgety but tried to fight it because he knew in just a few short hours, Bloom will be his forever. All that time, Andy stood on the side and quietly laughed at the man and a friend he always associated with being stoic and good with covering up his emotions. He would've never thought Valtor of all people would succumb to something as trivial as wedding jitters.

When Bloom and her family, together with Stella arrived on Andros, guests and everybody else were moved to the place of ceremony, only Oritel and Mike remaining with her. Bloom decided she wanted to have both of her dads give her away at her wedding day. The tricky part was getting them to get along because Oritel wanted to be the one to give her away ("I'm her father, damn it! Why should I share my right to give away MY daughter on her wedding day?" "Oh please, you royal ass, you don't even like that lad she's marrying! Think of me as a supervisor that makes sure overprotective father of a bride doesn't actually STEAL his daughter so she can't marry!" "I'm the KING! I don't need supervision!" "If both of you don't SHUT UP IMMEDIATELY I'm going to walk down that isle alone." That phrase spoken by Bloom shut them up and the two, although with big frowns on their faces, reluctantly agreed)

Valtor's breath got stuck in his throat when he saw Bloom first time in a wedding dress. The dress had thin straps holding and supporting the dress on her delicate shoulders as the flowy lacy dress sat on her tiny frame perfectly. He saw her stop for a second as she took him in for the first time as well in a burgundy suit with a purple tie and handkerchief of the same color. He didn't even notice as both of Bloom's fathers kept shooting each other looks over their daughter's head during the walk. He only saw Bloom. He woke up from his daydream when Bloom's small delicate hand was placed in his by two larger hands, one belonging to Mike, other to Oritel. He nodded to both of them and gripped her hand like it's his lifeline.

The wedding officiate was saying some nonsense that Valtor didn't listen until it was time to exchange the rings and swear to each other for all eternity. When the ring exchange was done, when all that needed to be said was said and the famous, long awaited words "You may kiss the bride." were spoken Valtor finally relaxed and leaned down to kiss his wife for the first time. The crowd went wild, Stella screamed and Oritel almost fainted, Mike and Vanessa were seen wiping the tears from their eyes. Overall, the wedding was a success.

Roxy, to Andy's big surprise and delight, caught the bouquet. The three story cake was cut and smeared all over newly weds faces. Congratulations were proclaimed and a lot of kisses were shared. A carriage with unicorns, similar to the one on Daphne's wedding got rolled in the moment Bloom and Valtor's feet touched the solid ground. Bloom couldn't contain her excitement and she rounded straight to the unicorns while the guests and her husband said the last goodbye for at least a month. She was shaken out of her trance when Valtor grabbed her hand and then lifted her bridal style into his arms and stepped into the carriage with her in his arms. The couple waved to the crowd beneath and shared a kiss before the carriage disappeared into the portal.

Married life

They spent their honeymoon gallivanting around different worlds but they remained mostly on Earth. They both preferred warmer locations, so tropical resorts were where they chose to spend their honeymoon in. Bloom actually had no involvement in planning of the honeymoon so she was so pleasantly surprised when the portal opened on Maldives and she was greeted by a sight of turquoise water and small but fancy apartments built on water. For someone who seems to spit on a traditional views more than he follows them, she was surprised how many superficial, at least in his opinion, customs Valtor followed for her. Aside from deciding not to see her before the wedding as mentioned before, he also insisted on carrying her over the doorstep.

They spent the whole month without phones and annoying phonecalls from Stella, one of the main reasons why they chose not to bring anything but the emergency bracelet which can be used to contact either party only in a case of an emergency. They had to explain to Stella that new dress in Vogue was not an emergency and therefore, the bracelet was given to Techna because she was the only one they trusted not to abuse the right to call.

When they finally returned from honeymoon, and after they spent good hour and a half convincing Oritel Bloom's not pregnant, a joint decision was made that the newlyweds will be given the keys to the separate wing of the castle where their privacy was guaranteed (yeah right, as if Valtor will get anything even resembling privacy with Bloom while Oritel's around).

Their married life wasn't too different from their normal life. Valtor would wake up first most of the time and would make breakfast for Bloom. Bloom would sleep in most of the time when she didn't have to go anywhere and Valtor would sometimes have to use drastic measures to get her out of bed.

They shower together because 'it saves water', oh wait that was the excuse they used before they were married. Now they shower together because they're married and what they do doesn't concern anyone.

Life in the castle had some advantages but they'll be damned if it didn't have it's fair share of disadvantages as well. The biggest one being, well, Oritel. There were a few times they were almost caught in a compromising situation but somehow they always managed to avoid the full blast. They both knew it was only the matter of time however. Valtor was even tempted to leave the doors unlocked just so Oritel would get what he came to see and hopefully gauge his eyes out so he could longer disturb them. Bloom swatted him over the head for that one.

They both made an appointment not to sacrifice their friendships just because they're married so Winx were guests quite often.

Valtor still decided to teach in Alfea when it was absolutely necessary and when Faragonda asked him nicely few days in advance if he would be willing to teach the class. Bloom would sometimes sneak into the class as well and sit in the back. She would even take notes from time to time.

They would practice magic quite often together in the backyard of the castle that was customized for such situations. But their favorite place in the whole castle was Valtor's office/library where they could both spend hours in, while just reading books and drinking tea.

[roseherondale]

Golden Hour

Summary: Pandora opens up to Icarus and Mayes, finding a way to move forward. Set during the time jump in episode 1 of Winds of Fortune (Life of the Party D&D)

Theme: Gold

Word Count: 1,310

Warnings: mentions of trauma

Read it on AO3 here

Golden rays hit the mountain in perfect arcs that covered Arx Volatus in a beautiful haze of radiant light. Below, was a pool of crystal clear water, sparkling and rippling where a waterfall trickled into it, sending delicate spirals across the surface. Across the horizon, the sun was perched low in the sky, casting a warm orange glow across fields and trees.

Beside the water, hidden behind the waterfall, was Icarus, eyes closed against the bright light, one hand on his necklace, the other resting on his lap. A light breeze ruffled the dark curls around his face, and he smiled, relaxed, as he brushed one back behind his fin-like ear. Across his face, the patterns of flowing water mixed together in a dance of shadow and light, constantly changing and flickering. The fluttering darkness made the scene on his arm, of storm clouds and lightning, seem real, as though the waves were actually turbulent.

A slight distance away, cast in the same incandescent light as the scenery below, was Mayes, the sun symbol of Pelor enclosed in one hand. Their brown hair was tied back in its usual bun, the sun illuminating the different shades. Unlike Icarus, they were sat completely within a patch of sunlight, hunched over and sketching, thin strands of hair falling into their face. The light scratch of pencils and rustle of paper accompanied the gentle rush of the water.

After a while, the sound of footsteps joined in, steadily getting louder until Pandora appeared in the small sanctuary. She was an ethereal vision, resembling a sunset herself with orange skin, hair the colour of fire and her golden freckles illuminated like stars. Her horns dripped with golden jewellery and on her collarbones were the dark inked markings of laurel leaves, a symbol of peace since destroyed.

When she reaches the base of the steps, she hesitated for a moment, watching her friends and taking in the atmosphere, feeling calmer and more at home than she had since they had arrived in Arx Volatus, on the backs of griffons, escaping Erran.

“Hey, Pandora,” Icarus said, without opening his eyes or moving at all.

“Hello. Can I sit?” She asked, wringing her hands in front of her, nervously.

Icarus opened his eyes and gestured that she sit down with one hand. Mayes turned around so that they were facing her, silhouetted by the sun and the warmth on their back was as though Pelor was laying a comforting hand on their shoulder. Carefully, Pandora sat, facing both of them, arranging her dress around her.

Since arriving a couple of months ago, she had withdrawn herself from her friends, focusing on studying magic and trying to forget everything that had happened in Erran. The further she pushed herself away, the more she felt herself slipping, the cliff rapidly approaching, and the less she felt she could stop.

In a moment of pure helplessness, she had found herself walking down to where she knew Icarus and Mayes would be, where they always were when they weren’t working. She craved the comfort and company of her friends, the unbridled joy and optimism they brought, and she so desperately needed but continued to meet with bitter scepticism.

“Everything okay?” Mayes asked, a slight line appearing on their forehead as they frowned.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Pandora said, quickly. Then, “no, actually it’s not.”

“We’re here for you if you need to talk.” Icarus said, after a moment of hesitation, holding out his hand. She took it and reached out her own for Mayes’.

“I know I’ve been… different, and you didn’t ask for this version of me as a friend. But thank you for looking out for me and being patient. We all lost a lot when we left Erran, but I never came to see if you were okay or needed anything; I just closed myself off.” She felt tears in her eyes and her voice came out as strangled. “I’m sorry, but I want to be better, to do better, to be a better friend to you both.”

“Don’t say that,” Mayes whispered. “You’re a good friend, Pandora; we love you. We know it’s been hard, and we didn’t want to pressure you.”

A couple of tears escaped, trickling down Pandora’s cheek, across golden freckles. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t know why I pushed myself away; why I didn’t come to you both sooner.”

“You’re here now. And we’ll always be here for each other, even if you don’t want us to be.” Icarus smiled weakly, squeezing her hand.

“You can talk to us whenever you’re ready to, Dora.” Mayes said.

She took a deep breath, and when she spoke, it was with a raw vulnerability; the product of allowing all of her thoughts to fester within her for weeks. “I don’t know what to do anymore. Every time I close my eyes, I see Perseph… her face in my mind as she chose that,” she spat the last word, venomously, “over her family; over me.”

She took a deep breath. “I play it over and over in my head, thinking of anything I could have done differently. I go back to when we were kids and then, to before I went to Delphos. What did I do? What did I do so wrong that she chose to do this? Why would she abandon her family like this? Why would she abandon me?” Weeks of pushing down her emotions and channelling them into anger caught up with her, and she pulled her hands from Icarus and Mayes’, burying her face in them as she began to sob.

Icarus and Mayes glanced at each other, alarmed, before immediately moving closer and putting their arms around her.

“It’s not your fault.” Mayes whispered into her hair, repeating it over and over as she cried. The sun seemed to blaze brighter behind them, embracing them all in a swirl of gold.

“You’re safe, Dora. You don’t have to go through anything alone.” Icarus said, when her tears slowed, and she sniffed.

The quiet warmth was intoxicating. She opened her eyes, looking out over her friends’ shoulders, watching the glint of light in the water. Heavier footsteps sounded on the stairs behind them.

“I thought I’d find you down here,” Damen said, softly.

“Hey, Dames.” Icarus responded, voice muffled from where his face was pressed against Pandora’s hair. The tall, red hobgoblin looked down to where his friends were huddled on the floor, his eyes, one green and one gold, filled with fondness and sorrow for everything that had happened to them. They reminded him of his son, Panos, and he was grateful that if he couldn’t be with him at all, he could still be with his makeshift family.

Mayes raised their head, smiling sadly. “Come join us.”

Damen knelt down between Icarus and Pandora, putting his arms around them.

“It’ll be okay, firefly. We’re here. No matter what has happened and what will happen, we’re not going anywhere.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“We’ll always be together,” Icarus smiled, weakly. “We can face anything; even this.” Damen’s mouth curved into a smile and he raised one hand to ruffle Icarus’ hair.

“Always.” Mayes said, firmly.

In that moment, there were a million things Pandora wanted to say, but instead, she clung onto her family, holding onto them, tightly, as though they were her lifeline. In a way they were. They were her last tether to the world, the only things keeping her afloat in the stormy sea that encompassed her. They were her remaining link to her life in Erran. Together, they had been through so much, and finally, for the first time in weeks, under the golden rays of the setting sun, she felt like she was home.

Thanks for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it! This was my first fanfiction for LOTP so let me know what you thought x