#tessi sees the world

[tessiseestheworld]

Am Memorial Day veranstaltet ein japanischer Tempel hier eine Lantern Floating Ceremony an der Schwimmende Laternen ins Meer gelassen werden um an Verstorbene zu gedenken und ihre Seelen zu verabschieden.

Ich habe das ganze sehr ernst genommen und viel Zeit für mich genommen die Tode die mich in den learn Monaten verfolgt haben zu verarbeiten. Und so habe ich natürlich auch eine Laterne beschrieben und 1.5 std geweint und alles raus gelassen. Ich beschrieb natürlich eine Seite für Nanny die endlich mit Grandad vereint isr, wie sie es schon seit langem sein wollte und von diesem Leid hier befreit ist.

Und eine Seite ging natürlich an Arya. Ich weiß nicht was es ist, dass ich so sehr an Arya gebunden bin, und sie diese Position für mich einnimmt die sie tut, aber so ist es und ich lerne damit zu leben. Trauern muss man auch üben und ich übe.

Eine Seite ging an all die, die wir nicht retten konnten, die zu spät entdeckten, die mit unerkannten Problemen. An Sansa, an Flohs fünf Frühchen, an die Frierags Igellin, die Seele die mehr Tod als lebendig zu mir gebracht wurde, und an die vergessenen.

Die nervigen Touristen, ignoranten und egoistischen Menschen haben dem ganzen den Frieden genommen, aber davon möchte ich mich nicht führen lassen.

[the-art-in-arthesia-is-loud]

callima doodles! i guess?

[digi-lov]

Ekakimon BT12-035 by tessy from BT-12 Booster Across Time

In the background of this card of Ekakimon, you can see pictures of the Ancient Speedy Time Zone and the Gear Savanna from Digimon World!

[lamuradex]

Short Story: Love is a Superhero Fight

Tales of Hero City Collection

Wordcount: 13772

Synopsis: They say love is a battlefield, but sometimes love is born in the fight too. And sometimes, occasionally, that battlefield is the darkened rooftops of Hero City.

When Madame Mechanism finds herself having some difficulties in her love life, as well as her other life as a supervillain, she's rather surprised to learn that her nemesis, Judgement, might just be the solution to both problems.

And now one kiss might just change both those lives forever.

[A bit of a sequel to Academic Rigour]

AO3 Link for those that want it:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64233490

Full Story Below the Break

Love is a Superhero Fight

Madame Mechanism stood on the roof, as terror gripped her soul... if she even had one. She stumbled back, her whole body shaking, her azure-armoured catsuit rattling against itself. Her nemesis, Judgement, stood across from her, donned in her black and yellow jumpsuit and little eye mask. Behind the mask, the hero was dumbstruck, eyes wide, lips parted, mouth refusing to close, face etched with desperate confusion.

Madame Mechanism stared at her nemesis. Only one thought spiralled through her head.

What had she done? What the hell had she just done?

It was like her life was flashing before her eyes… but just the important bits.

* * *

Tessa Kwells hurried through the park, her red hair tied up in a bun and a smile adorning her face. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sky was bright and blue…

Actually, no. That was rather fanciful thinking. The sky was really a dingy white, the sun was hidden, the only birds making noise were the pigeons fighting over a hotdog, and quite honestly, the temperature was just on the wrong side of bitter. She should have worn a coat. Even so, Tessa walked with a skip in her step, and still wore a smile.

She smiled because today, she was going to see Jude.

Judith Mint had been her best friend since high school, then through college, and now they were both adults, out in the real world. They met up regularly to catch up, and today was no different. But this meeting was even better. Jude’s boyfriend, Ben, was going to be there. A grand trio they’d been back in college, three best friends, but she didn’t get to see Ben nearly enough nowadays. It was going to be a proper reunion.

As Tessa neared the café, she immediately knew something was wrong. First, Jude was alone. Second, Jude was early for once, she was usually so busy. And third, and most obviously, Jude had her forehead pressed against the table, as other café goers looked on with concern.

“Something the matter there, sport?” Tessa said in her best dad voice, taking a seat.

Jude sat straight like a shot, something clearly off. She wasn’t hurt, not physically anyway. Her brown-black skin was flawless, as usual. She wasn’t sick, her figure was as full and muscled as ever, her hair the usual black frizz. But she just looked… broken. Not even like she’d been crying. Like she was well past that stage. Crying so long she couldn’t do it anymore. She just sat there for a moment, staring vacantly, then her eyes focused on Tessa and her features lit up.

“Tessie!” Jude got up to hug her. Tessa returned it, embracing her friend. The hug lasted a few enjoyable seconds… then it started to feel awkward as it dragged on longer.

“Jude?”

“Oh, sorry,” Jude released her. “Sorry,” she repeated and returned to her chair.

“I’ll skip asking if everything’s alright. What’s wrong?” Tessa signalled down a waiter, indicating tea with some hand gestures.

“Ben and I broke up,” Jude said.

Tessa stopped in the middle of signing to the waiter about croissants. She fell against the back of her chair, the wind knocked out of her.

“Oh, Jude…” It was all she could say. It was difficult to believe. Almost five years together, and now… this. “What happened?”

“What always happens?” Jude sighed.

“He cheated on you?!” A spark of rage shot through Tessa.

“What? No!” Jude sat up and Tessa’s rage vanished. “We just wanted different things. He wanted to settle down in the suburbs, but I… I was too dedicated to my work.”

“Jude, you and your work have always been a package deal. It’s who you are.”

In more ways than one, Tessa reflected.

“Well, he kept saying I was distracted. That I didn’t make enough time for him. That I was keeping things from him,” Jude rambled, the past argument spilling out of her in a flood.

“Well, were you?” Tessa asked. She already knew the answer.

“It’s complicated…” Jude stopped as something in her handbag buzzed. “Oh, speak of the bloody devil,” she hissed, pulling out the offending device. It was her phone, one of two. She stared at it, blaming it for her problems, squeezing it angrily. Squeezing until the screen’s glass began to creak.

Tessa’s eyes went wide. “Hey, don’t crush the poor thing. It’s just doing its job,” she warned, a playful lilt downplaying her genuine concerns. It would be difficult to explain if Jude accidentally crushed the phone in her bare hands, or worse, incinerated it.

Jude stopped, and flopped her head back down on the table. She wasn’t crying, just emitting a low whining noise like a deflating balloon.

“How did you two leave it?” Tessa broached, both curious and hoping to pull Jude out of her despair. “Was it amicable, or am I not inviting you both to my next birthday?”

“We talked. I told him I couldn’t give up my work. He said he understood, but he needed more. We parted as friends. It still feels like he got my heart in the divorce,” Jude groaned.

“You two weren’t married.”

“And that was part of the problem,” Jude sat up again. “Too busy. Busy, busy, busy. Busy like a bee, buzzing around this city doing… journalism,” Jude censored herself, recalling her company. It would have looked casual had Tessa not already known. “Why can’t I just put journalism behind me? Why do I have to be a journalist? Won’t anyone else do the journalism for me?” she mumbled to the heavens.

Other tables at the café muttered, clearly losing the thread as they eavesdropped on the odd conversation. Tessa caught them and fired an almost trademark glare, known to clear entire computer labs back in college. The table the glare hit immediately stood, paid, and left. The rest got the message. Even if she and Jude were being euphemistic, she didn’t want anyone listening in.

You see, Jude was secretly a superhero, and Tessa needed to keep that secret. What made it more complicated was that, unbeknownst to Jude, Tessa was actually her nemesis.

Life was funny like that.

* * *

Judgement held a thousand yard stare. Her hands shook as one reached up to touch her face. Madame Mechanism just stared back. She couldn’t look away. Her heart was in her stomach, her guts frozen to her spine. She’d never felt fear like this before.

Why did she have to mess everything up?

* * *

The city streets were silent, the moonlight beaming down, before the quiet shattered as jet thrusters cut the air and a blue figure hurtled overhead. Madame Mechanism danced across the rooftops, bursts of jet fuel making the jumps between the buildings, her grey lightning hair bouncing against her shoulders. In her hand was a glowing cube, and inside the cube, contained by sub-space matrices, was the Silver Gauntlet of the Golden Duke. She’d been dared to steal it from the national bank, but if Boar-gular didn’t honour the debt, she could still sell it for a fortune.

That was when a familiar shadow crossed her path. A flying figure who dropped down to meet her. Judgement.

“I wondered when you’d get here, Big J,” Madame Mechanism smiled. “Are you getting slow, or am I getting faster?”

“I was just wondering what you could possibly want with that old relic,” Judgement said, eyes narrowed coldly, floating down to block Mechanism’s path.

The villain grinned. She loved the banter part of the job, and she’d been given a perfect setup.

“Hey, what can I say? I love history. Speaking of history, YOU’RE HISTORY!” Mechanism transformed a hand into a plasma cannon and opened fire.

The fight continued fairly predictably from there. Trading blows, Judgement firing energy from her fists, Mechanism replying with cannons, all the while bouncing and flying around. It was a good workout, but they both knew each other’s tricks by now. As they fought, Madame Mechanism looked for an escape, not wanting to get pummelled again. However, her eyes kept being drawn back to that hero, with her black and gold outfit.

Good lord, Jude looked good in spandex.

And that was the truth of it. Tessa knew. She’d always known. It had all started years prior, during their first ever battle. Tessa had become Madame Mechanism purely for extra credit, a long story in and of itself, but of course, fate being what it was, Judgement of all heroes had come to stop her. And Tessa had recognised her, her very best friend, when the hero said something only Jude ever said. Judith Mint, dressed in that outfit. And thus the mask had come off… metaphorically speaking.

Not that she ever let on. She couldn’t, not without revealing herself. The recognition hadn’t been mutual. But it wasn’t like there was any advantage in it anyway. She couldn’t threaten to reveal the truth and ruin her life. She couldn’t blackmail to hurt Jude’s family. And she definitely couldn’t kidnap anyone for leverage, not Ben, or Jude’s mother, and certainly not Jude’s best friend, which was her! No. Even if using her identity hadn’t felt like cheating, she simply couldn’t hurt Jude like that.

Well, outside of some light battle damage…

Time after time they’d battled. While the first heist had been for school, Tessa maintained her villainous identity afterwards. It was a family legacy after all, inherited from her uncle. She’d rob the rich and powerful, hoarding money like dragons, and give it to… herself. She’d steal tech from companies too selfish to share and use it for the betterment of... her inventions. She’d also occasionally try to destroy people if they displeased her, but purely for the best reasons… usually revenge.

Okay, it wasn’t noble work, most of it driven by ego, or just because she wanted it. But she did try to avoid casualties. She was just playing fair by an unjust world, at least in her own eyes. The fat cats in power played with loaded dice and, in fact, owned the entire casino. She was just prepared to count cards to win, even if it was illegal. She had her code and her morals, and usually no one got vaporised. If everything went well, no one really got hurt. There were bad days, of course… but what could be done about that?

Jude. Judgement was what was done about that.

* * *

The pair stared at one another. Tessa was panicking now, her heart pounding.

You have to do something, she told herself. Act now. Just do something. Anything! Before it’s too late! Pretend it didn’t happen. Maybe she’ll believe you. Beg her not to think about it. Tell her it was just a mistake. Just run, Tessa. Just freaking run! JUST DO SOMETHING!

* * *

Tessa knocked on Ben’s door, a pizza in one hand and a bottle of brandy in the other. She had considered getting black roses, or some other sign of grieving, but ultimately decided the joke wouldn’t be well received.

Ben opened the door, smiled, and let her in. He looked as she remembered, all strawberry blonde hair and a slight build, though there were signs of working out. In college, he’d been as pale as milk, spending all his time inside, but since then some effort had been made to tan, making him only as pale as paper. But he also looked ragged. His hair was unwashed, his expression was tired, his clothes creased and rumpled, and he generally looked like Tessa expected a break-up to look.

“So, how you holding up?” she asked, sitting on the floor and taking a pizza slice.

“I feel like a winning lottery ticket landed in my beer and dissolved before my eyes,” he grumbled, taking a swig of the brandy straight from the bottle.

“Sounds about right,” Tessa accepted. “What happened between you two? Back in college you were sickeningly perfect for each other. Some days I was both nauseous and jealous.”

“It was easier back then,” he shrugged. “We weren’t expected to put each other first. Education came first, then fun, then each other. But five years later, we’re both adults and she needs to follow her passions. Because journalism is so very important to her.”

Tessa paused before taking another bite. She didn’t know if “Journalism” was a euphemism there. She had no idea if Ben knew about Jude’s other gig.

“Passions are passions, my man,” Tessa shrugged back, staying vague. “What would you have done if she asked you to give up your-” She paused to review her knowledge of him- “…your superhero memorabilia?” she remembered, no clue if it was still accurate.

Ben raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t done that for years… Not since I filled the back room,” he added, embarrassment seeping in. “Nowadays I just exchange messages on the forums.”

Tessa relaxed a little. Same old Ben. He always was on the lookout for superheroes, but one had been in his home the whole time. Irony.

“I guess you could move it out of the backroom now… What are you two doing about the house anyway?” she asked. She knew it would be a sore subject. Still, better to get it clear.

“It was my place, then she moved in. She moved out last week. Went somewhere,” Ben gripped the bridge of his nose, forcing the memory.

The Court, perhaps, Tessa thought. That was her name for Judgement’s superhero lair.

Ben snapped his fingers. “She went back to live with her mother!” he recalled.

Well, that was the obvious answer. Ben took another pull of brandy as Tessa watched morosely. He really was hurting.

“Look, I don’t want to force you two back together, but couldn’t you talk it out?” she suggested.

Ben shook his head. “We tried. Besides, I think she was drifting away from me long before all this.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s in love with someone else.”

“What?!” Tessa exclaimed. “She was cheating on you?”

“What? No!” Ben sat up, just like Jude had. They really were a match made in heaven.

“Then what do you mean?”

“She… she wasn’t cheating,” Ben clarified. “I just think she had feelings for someone else. Drifting away from me. She’d get this dreamy look on her face, and when I’d ask her why, she’d get all squirrelly and say it was nothing. I think it must have been another reporter. Maybe even one from a rival newspaper,” he theorised.

“What makes you say that?”

“There was this one person she mentioned offhand. No name, but they butted heads a lot. Made Jude furious. A proper rival,” he said conspiratorially. “But I think it was that kind of rivalry that… It looked like Jude liked it. A rival to push her. To overcome. You ever have one of those, Tessa?”

“My only rival was Brian Heed, and I would have stuck his head on a spike if I could have gotten away with it,” Tessa said candidly. And as far as Ben knew, that was the extent of it.

“Well, for Jude, it was like… respectful dislike. Friendship from opposite trenches. A sparring partner who she hated. But the kind of hatred where one drunken night could have ended up with them going to bed together. You know?”

“I think I do,” Tessa nodded.

Tessa didn’t understand. With her brains, she’d only ever had one intellectual rival, and she’d hated him in a murderous way. But Ben was talking romance. And romantically… well, that was a barren field too. She’d been on dates, even kissed people, but nothing had ever clicked. Very few had been brave enough for a second date. She was an intimidating woman, she was proud of this, and her brand of confidence tended to scare people.

Honestly, becoming a supervillain had just been a natural step.

“Still, if Jude hated this person, how close could they be?” Tessa wondered.

Ben leaned in, as if imparting a secret. “Once, Jude came back with a long grey hair on her shirt, all styled and jagged. This rival must be an older man with a snazzy hairdo, and Jude got close enough to get his hair on her shoulder. That’s how close they were.”

“That’s all speculation,” Tessa dismissed calmly.

On the surface, she was calm. Inside, the description of a grey, zigzagging-haired rival had her stomach fizzing. It was uncomfortably familiar.

* * *

  “Did…? Did you...?” was all Judgement could repeat. It wasn’t horror anymore. Just shock. She looked weak, like she could collapse at any moment. Shaking.

Tessa pleaded with herself, fighting back an urge to run. Fighting back a different urge to scream.

Why had she done it? WHY?

* * *

Tessa left Ben’s home with a lot on her mind. She’d always thought their relationship unbreakable, but something had finally done it in. And even now, she wasn’t sure if that something was her.

She’d spent hours with Ben, reminiscing and probing how much he knew. Did he know Jude was Judgement? She wanted to think it was obvious, but then she remembered her own revelation. It was like an optical illusion, heroes with their masks. She hadn’t had a clue, then it couldn’t have been more obvious.

To Tessa’s analysis, Ben didn’t know. But, he could have just been good at keeping the secret. Of course, she couldn’t confirm either way without revealing something herself, so it was a bit of a dead end.

Instead, she thought about Jude’s apparent rival. Or Judgement’s rival, possibly.

Grey hair, fighting for years, and Jude had a bitter, but consensual rivalry with them.

That surely sounded like Madame Mechanism?

Now, she wasn’t suggesting love, like Ben was. No way. That would be messy and incredibly inappropriate. No. But perhaps Jude had been distracted, and Ben, lacking context, misconstrued that as love. It made a sort of sense. And Jude was a desirable woman.

In fact, before she’d recognised Jude herself, she’d found the hero quite attractive. Jude was gorgeous, all curves and muscles and perfect skin. And yes, it had been a bit awkward afterwards, confused feelings for her best friend, but that was all gone now. That had all left her years ago…

Had it? Left her? She’d never actually checked.

Well, it couldn’t have stayed. Not with their rivalry. They kicked the crap out of each other constantly. Madame Mechanism hit the streets to dole out her brand of societal upheaval, and Judgement would swoop in to stop her. It was their little game.

Sometimes Judgement won, and Mechanism wound up in custody, before she’d escape. But sometimes Mechanism won, running off with the spoils. Defeating Judgement was rarely on the docket. She was just after the loot. But, if forced, she fought to a standstill, leaving Judgement injured but alive. Judgement had even asked her why once.

“Because you’re too much fun, Judgy. I like a challenge,” she had answered.

And that was mostly true. Tessa liked it. A simple robbery was great, yes, and profitable, certainly, but a heist that went off without opposition was, in a word, boring.

The clashing of fists. The strategy and cunning. The thrill of victory or humbling of defeat. It was almost more fun than the theft. Judgement was a constant, evolving, gorgeous challenge. A living puzzle that she loved to solve.

Or, at least, that was how it started. They’d been fighting for a long time.

After so long, battles became routine. They started talking, if only in pre-battle banter. But slowly, Judgement came to understand Madame Mechanism. The villain’s fight against the inequality of the system, changing the status quo, the simple rush of theft. Judgement didn’t approve, sure, but she understood.

Tessa, meanwhile, got a better grasp of Judgement. Sure, she had an advantage, but it opened new insights into her friend. Jude wasn’t just fighting to save the day, she was fighting to be better than a corrupt system of racist cops and corruption. To stop evil without prejudice. To show the world that crime fighting could be done honestly!

They’d started to respect one another. And they’d even saved each other’s lives.

Judgement had saved her, blocking a death ray  meant for her, courtesy of the Defence Ultra Mobile Bureau. But Mechanism had returned the favour. She’d saved Judgement from capture by Battering Sam, cutting her bonds. Mechanism later claimed it was just settling the debt, but she doubted either of them believed that. And the Villain Bureau, they hadn’t been happy either, interfering in another villain’s plan.

“It’s a complex relationship, me and Judgement,” she’d told them.

A complex relationship. Enemies, rivals, friends in a different way. How had Ben described it? Respectful dislike? Friendship from opposite trenches? The kind of hatred where one drunken night could end up with them in bed together?

Tessa blushed.

Had her rivalry destroyed Ben and Jude’s relationship? Possibly. But she wasn’t the only villain Judgement fought. She might not even be the only one with fake grey hair. And it was just as possible Jude had a real journalist rival instead.

It wasn’t like Judgement liked her or anything.

* * *

Tessa’s mind buzzed, struggling like an engine untethered, tearing itself to pieces.

Jude, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Please, forgive me.

OUT LOUD, YOU IDIOT! SAY IT OUT LOUD!

* * *

A theft from the Pinnacle building had seemed like such a good plan at the time. The tallest building in the city, renowned for scientific advancements, a perfect target for Madame Mechanism. Unfortunately, Judgement had been there early in her career and long ago set up an alert to notify her if it was being robbed.

And so, the old fight started again. She hadn’t even gotten to the tech before the alarm tripped and Judgement arrived. And now, here they were, fighting again, this time on the viewing platform over the dome atop the tower.

As fights went, it was rather standard. Energy blasts, the deflection of energy blasts, Madame Mechanism getting punched in the face. From Uncle Intellitron’s stories, that was a family tradition too. The setting did add a frisson of peril, with high altitude winds, the stars above, and the night sky around them. Judgement had the advantage, as she could fly, Mechanism remaining grounded. Crosswinds were strong, the drop was far, and she could fight just as well on her feet.

Blasts flew and the air flashed with light. The fight had to be visible across the city, if anyone was awake. It was nearly midnight, and light radiated from the tower’s altitude beacons, like candlelight, as the moon shone down and made the tower gleam. They battled in the moonlight, as Judgement punched, and Mechanism caught the fist in her palm with a smirk.

Then the moon went dark.

Something large floated up, eclipsing the light, casting a round shadow over the pair, as they each turned to see the cause.

It was a hot air balloon. The dirigible was painted in garish colours, with streamers and smaller balloons plastered all over it, though most had shrivelled or burst from the altitude. As the basket came up, the pilot appeared and grandly stepped off onto the tower. The balloon didn’t stop. Its burner kept going and it rose into the sky, leaving its pilot behind.

“Ahoy, dear maidens,” the odd individual greeted. His entrance was bizarre enough to stop the fight completely, and only half because Tessa knew who he was.

He was a tall, lanky man, who moved and bounced around like a rubber spring. He was wearing some semblance of a jester’s uniform, patterned in alternating sections of red and blue, complete with a jingly hat and clown makeup. An eye mask covered the top half of his face, merging with his hat, while his nose and lips were painted bright blue. But, strangest of all, was how he was wrapped in a straitjacket, arms restrained. This predicament didn’t seem to cause him any impediment however, as he gesticulated unnaturally with his barefoot legs.

“Eww,” said Judgement at the sight of him. An appropriate response.

“Hello!” the newcomer beamed again. “I am The Trickster, and I will be your thief this evening,” he said splendidly, his voice shrill and excitable.

Tessa rolled her eyes. She’d heard of Trickster, unfortunately. He was an odd villain, with an odder superpower. If he played a prank, it would always work. Drop a banana peel? Someone would slip on it. Jar of spring snakes? Even if you’d seen him load it, you’d feel a compulsion to open it. And if he tapped you on the shoulder, you would be almost mystically forced to look, even if you knew he wasn’t there.

That last one was why he wore a straitjacket. He’d been given it in exchange for his release from the Villain Bureau prisons. Years ago, Trickster had briefly killed Dark Dragon by tapping him on both shoulders at the same time. The demon knight turning his head in two directions at once had apparently been messy.

Trickster was still just an idiot though.

“Get out of here, Trickster!” Madame Mechanism warned.

“Oh, isn’t this fun?” he cooed. “A hero and a villain. Miss Mechanism, I presume.” He bowed, using one leg like a noble’s arm across his chest. Tessa winced at the contortion.

“It’s Madame Mechanism, and this is my robbery, if you don’t mind me saying so.” She turned to her nemesis for confirmation.

“I’d rather fight you than him,” Judgement grimaced.

“Oh, pish posh. Pee and vinegar,” Trickster chuckled. “There’s enough here for three. Or maybe there’s just enough for me,” he smiled, swaying like a plant stalk.

“Paws off, circus freak,” Madame Mechanism aimed an arm cannon. Judgement reacted, aiming her glowing fists at both of them. Trickster meanwhile just grinned, tapping his toes metallically on the floor.

Tessa paused. Metal tapping? Trickster wasn’t even wearing shoes. She glanced down, and found a joy buzzer around each of his middle toes.

“Hey look, a distraction!” Trickster said suddenly, pointing a foot. Both Judgement and Madame Mechanism turned to look, and saw nothing. Tessa scowled at the empty air. She already hated this creep’s stupid power.

As they looked away, Trickster bent his legs and sprang like a rubber panther. Mid-air, he flipped and brought a buzzer down on Judgement’s shoulder, bouncing to plant his other on Madame Mechanism. Judgement was hit, voltage coursing through her, but Tessa predicted it and stepped out of the way. Trickster’s foot met empty air and he tripped to the ground like a falling log.

Tessa briefly checked Judgement. She was still standing, charred, but otherwise fine.

But Trickster wasn’t done. He hit the ground like a rubber pole, bounced like his spine was made of springs, and started twirling, swinging his feet like weapons. Judgement leapt back and fired two bolts. One sent Trickster sprawling, but was about as effective as punching a basketball. Meanwhile the other clanged against Madame Mechanism’s armour.

“Really?” Mechanism judged.

“Hey, you’re robbing this place too,” Judgement said. It was a fair cop.

And so the platform became a frenzied battle again.

Trickster bounced between the two women, as Judgement and Madame Mechanism exchanged their usual tactics. The clown zapped with his joy buzzers, laughed like a lunatic, and kept producing items from pockets in his straitjacket, manipulating them with his feet. He threw out little presents which exploded when opened, little sachets of itching powder which were useless against the two women’s sealed outfits, and he intermittently put on a fake moustache to make the ladies lose track of him. However, most of it was merely annoying. After a few minutes, the girls were mainly fighting each other again, just swatting the jester away when he came in with a kick.

With Trickster ignored, the old enemies battled. Energy blasts, punches, gadgets and shields. It was like an old dance to them, one with new steps every time. Mechanism blocked a punch with her wrist guard, then raised her other hand and fired a plasma burst square into Judgement’s chest. It was non-lethal, but it could stun, and it would hurt. They were both used to a little pain by now. The blast struck true and launched her backwards.

…right onto a Trickster brand whoopee cushion. One that was faintly glowing.

Judgement landed, there was a muted fart noise, and then the cushion exploded like a grenade. Tessa’s heart skipped. Judgement emerged from the smoke and her heart started again. The cushion had been more flash than bang, but not by much. Judgement was scorched and some of her outfit tattered. She didn’t look best pleased.

“Oh, that is it!” she roared, and charged for Trickster.

Madame Mechanism considered her options.

Option A: She could stay and put down the clown with Judgement. Which was tempting.

Option B: She could stay, beat Judgement, and then put down the clown. More difficult.

Option C: She could leave and steal all the tech she wanted while they were distracted.

She decided on option C.

But Trickster smiled at her, even as he fought. In the midst of dodging furious fists, he threw out a small jar, aiming it at Madame Mechanism. At the same time, he produced a banana from a coat pocket and began to eat it using his feet, all while still fighting.

The jar landed in front of Tessa and inane curiosity caused her to pick it up. It was just labelled “Jam”. No ingredients, no brand. Just Jam. Of course, she immediately knew what was inside. Spring snakes, which would shoot out when opened. A classic. But, as was Trickster’s odd power, she began to feel compelled to do so. Not like hypnosis or losing control of her body. She just developed an intense doubt that there were any snakes. There must be Jam. And she wanted that Jam. She didn’t know why, but she did. So she opened it.

The contents sprang out, hissing and writhing. It took Tessa a moment to realise they were real snakes, and by their patterns quite venomous. She frantically swept them off and leapt clear, just in time to step on Trickster’s banana peel. She skidded on her back heel, hit the railing, and tumbled over the edge.

She fell, struck the dome below, and skidded down its smooth surface like a flailing spider. Unable to stop, she hit the guardrail, bounced off it painfully, and was cast out into the open air, freefalling off the tower.

Tessa fell, dropping like a stone, stories passing her by the second. Despite her battles, she wasn’t particularly practiced at falling. Still, it was a skill to learn. She span and rolled in the air, her head dizzy, her stomach nearly inside out.

Slowly, through her dizziness, a thought occurred. She’d been falling for a while now. By now, her nanomachines should have built her a jetpack or something similar. They were supposedly intuitive, and she definitely didn’t want to still be falling.

Below, the neighbouring buildings came up to greet her, then swept past. She had to stop. She forcefully sent the command to her nanomachines to construct jets, then she’d return to show Trickster a thing or two.

Nothing happened.

She sent the command again, and again. She looked to her wrist, where a small computer was mounted. The panel was dark, the lights off, everything dead. She reached for her backpack which housed the nanomachines.

It was gone. There was nothing on her back. She looked up and, just as a glint, she could see her pack caught on the railing above.

Oh.

The first thought through Tessa’s head was honestly indignation. Killed by The Trickster, of all bloody people. The second thought was more rational. Tessa, you’re not going to die, you just need a plan. Work out a plan and get out of this.

She passed the 75th floor of a 150 floor building.

Suddenly, she had a plan. It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t complex. It likely wouldn’t even work. But, as all composure failed and any higher thinking vanished, her plan went into action.

She screamed. Not with any hopes or intention. She just couldn’t stop.

* * *

Judgement was just blinking now, processing what had happened. The shock was gone. Now there was only confusion, as Tessa rattled inside her own head.

JUST SPEAK. JUST SAY SOMETHING, TESSA. ANYTHING!

* * *

Judgement fought like a gladiator. She hated how this clown goaded her, and she didn’t like clowns at the best of times. She punched and blasted, but it was like fighting a tiny rubber ball. She’d hit him, he’d fall down, then with a boing he’d be behind her. He threw a jar past her, but she ignored it. If she didn’t know what it was, it couldn’t work. Then he pulled a banana, peeling and sticking the flesh in his mouth sideways like a wide smile. She filed that away. She was likely going to slip on that soon.

Behind her, there was a small yelp. Remembering she wasn’t alone, she looked round. Well, she was alone now. Madame Mechanism had apparently left. Jude scowled. That was just like Mechanism, leaving her with the…

A scream cut the air. Jude recognised it. She heard Trickster laugh as she abandoned the fight, took flight, and looked down. Madame Mechanism was spiralling towards the ground, like a bug without wings, screaming the whole way. But this wasn’t right. Mechanism could fly with those rockets. Why was she…?

Judgement spotted the silver backpack snagged on the railing. She put two and two together.

“No,” she gasped, then shot like a bullet after her.

The wind tore against her. She could swear she heard windows shatter as she passed. At one point she might have caused some kind of sonic boom. She didn’t care. She was only focused on that little blue speck of a woman, hurtling fatally towards the ground. She fired energy from her feet like rocket engines, and finally caught up with the tumbling form. The 50th floor passed by. Then the 40th. No time to slow down. She just grabbed Mechanism, wrapped her in a bear hug, and pulled up. Like a line on a graph, Judgement skimmed the ground without ever touching it, then curved back up, her added thrust tearing up asphalt behind her. She swooped, felt the killer momentum fade, and finally set them down on the nearest rooftop. It was a skyscraper, but still only half as tall as the Pinnacle Building.

They landed and Judgement brought them both to their feet, Madame Mechanism still in her arms. The villain was clutching onto spandex and shaking like a leaf. She finally dared open her eyes and, to her own surprise, realised she was still alive. Her face lit up with confused panic, then baffled relief, then overwhelming joy. She looked Judgement in the face, her eyes full of stars as she beamed with life. She was even blushing.

Then she reached forwards, placed both hands on Judgement’s cheeks, and kissed her.

* * *

“You… You just kissed me,” Judgement said, having taken a little while to reanimate, stuck somewhere between stunned confusion and baffled amazement.

“I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry,” Tessa stammered, her mind catching up to the present.

Her cheeks were scarlet. Her entire body buzzed with delight and embarrassment. She was still mid-panic attack, her life just done flashing before her eyes. She briefly found it funny how that hadn’t happened while falling to her death. But the kiss? That had done it.

How could she have been so stupid? But Jude just looked so beautiful and she’d saved her life and… and…

“Did we really just…?” the hero checked.

“Please, forgive me,” Tessa pleaded.

It hadn’t been a light kiss either. It had lasted seconds. Deep, passionate… reciprocated? Did she feel Jude kiss her back, or was that wishful thinking? She pushed the idea from her head. Now was the time for damage control.

Judgement had fallen silent again. She didn’t look angry, far from it. Judging by her expression, she’d have been as flushed as Tessa if not for her complexion. A familiar parade of emotions played out, dancing over her features, panic, confusion, relief, all in series. And it felt like hours as Tessa watched, though only a few seconds in reality. She was just paying very, very close attention. Finally, the tension grew too much.

“You alright?” she asked.

“Wow. That was….” Judgement flustered for a moment.

“Seriously, I am so sorry. It was the adrenaline, the panic, the… everything-”

“No, no. It was good,” Judgement complimented. And then she heard herself. “I mean-”

“It was good?” Tessa raised an eyebrow. “You liked it?”

“Um… yes,” Judgement admitted. “You’re um… a very good kisser,” she said quietly, before her face snapped and worry lit her features. “Enough about me! Are you alright after that fall?”

“Just about.”

Tessa looked up at the tower above. It tightened her stomach just thinking about it. Her heart was still thundering, though not purely from being so close to death. She was fairly sure only shock was keeping her upright.

“Thanks… for saving me,” she said simply.

“Anytime,” Judgement smiled. “You had me scared for a minute there. Like, genuinely scared.”

“Ha!” Tessa blurted. Judgement looked confused. “You, scared, to save me. I’d have thought most days you’d prefer I was gone.”

“Maybe locked up, but not dead. Never dead,” Judgement said, her lip quivering. No bravado. The idea scared her.

“…Same to you,” Tessa smiled after a moment. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. What I’d be without you.”

“Nor I you,” Judgement answered.

Tension hung in the air, sexual or otherwise, but the atmosphere felt electric. Tessa’s heart pounded in her chest as they locked eyes, but it wasn’t the machine gun beat of her near death. This was in rhythm with something else. Life. Soul. The universe. Her skin tingled, her breath was heavy, her body fizzed. Finally, she thought two words, clear as day.

Screw it!

She threw caution to the wind, grabbed Jude by the shoulders, and pushed her lips to hers again.

It wasn’t as deep or passionate as before, but it was firm. She’d also expected some resistance. For Judgement to rebuff her, or at the least make a surprised noise. But she didn’t. Jude leaned into the kiss and they stood there, locked together, their lips moving against one another’s. Tessa’s hands gripped Jude’s shoulders and she could feel the hero breathing, slow and heavy. Jude’s heart was going like a rabbit’s, thumping up through her suit. Her hands were on Tessa’s hips, holding her close. Tessa groaned low in her throat.

Jude pulled back. It was partly for breath and partly the moan. Their hands were still on each other, but they got their breath back. Tessa felt her soul glowing, again, if she had one. Feeling like this, she could take on the goddamned world. She looked up into Jude’s smiling, masked face and knew that no force had anything on the two of them. A chuckle formed in her throat, bubbling out as a laugh, as her mind simply didn’t know how to process the wonder of what was happening.

And then she noticed something. Something small, but it took up her entire focus briefly.

Judgement looked happy, sure. Delighted even. But there was a flash of something else. Doubt? Shame? Regret? It was fleeting, but slowly she started to pull away. Reality began to reassert itself and they were again stood back on a cold rooftop in costumed garb. Tessa still glowed, and Judgement still looked pleased, but they were back in the world. And Jude was just thinking.

A laugh burst their bubble and they both looked up. Far above, Trickster had somehow managed to get his balloon back. He loaded it up, then kicked off from the tower, as a rocket ignited and the balloon went swooping off over the city. Without Trickster. Moments later, he leapt from the roof on a hang glider, and went gliding after it. How he was gliding with only his feet, Tessa would never know. She looked back to Judgement.

“I should… deal with this,” the hero pointed up.

“Give him hell. We’ll talk some other time,” Madame Mechanism answered.

“Yeah. We’ll talk,” she said less certainly.

Judgement took off, vanishing into the night sky after the idiot clown. Tessa made a mental note to get revenge for her attempted murder at a later date, but for now, she had to get off this roof. She reached into her belt and pulled out a remote control. It had one button, which she pressed and held for twenty seconds.

High above, her backpack came to life. Its straps split and reshaped into spider legs, leaping off the building and flying down using tiny thrusters. When it reached her, like a loyal dog, it ran and jumped up, crawling onto her back where it reclasped and became a backpack again.

Tessa wasn’t really sure what to do now. But she smiled. Her spirit was alight, she had never been less tired, and she felt she could go ten rounds in the ring with Dark Dragon himself.

Then the adrenaline finally wore off and she almost collapsed. Commanding her suit, it made her some jets, and she flew straight home to bed.

* * *

Some days later, Madame Mechanism was waiting on a different rooftop. It was a simple roof atop a legal firm, empty for the night. To one side, a woman was tied in a chair, hands bound behind her, as she regularly called out for help. A kidnapping always drew in the heroes.

It had been a few days since she’d seen Jude, or Judgement for that matter. A few days since the kiss. It wasn’t any plan or avoidance, they were both just busy. But that night nagged at her.

They’d kissed. They’d actually kissed. She hadn’t known she’d been waiting for it, but when it happened, it was everything she’d wanted. And now she knew how she felt, for Jude, for Judgement, and she just hoped one or both felt the same. But they hadn’t talked. They needed to talk and find where the other stood. Then, for better or worse, they could move ahead.

For better or worse…

A shadow cast across the rooftop, and Madame Mechanism smiled as she saw Judgement floating down. Her insides were roiling, equal parts excited and dreading this.

“Good evening, Judgement,” she greeted.

“Madame Mechanism,” the hero answered sternly. Her arms were crossed tightly, but her gaze kept darting away, unable to maintain eye contact.

“Look, I’m sorry about this, but I needed to see you. I just felt it would be best to talk it out. You know… About the other night?”

“I can’t believe you,” Judgement growled. “You did this just to get my attention? You kidnapped someone?!”

Tessa looked confused, then remembered the shouting woman behind her. “Oh! No! That’s Melissa. She’s nothing to worry about.” She turned to face her victim. “Mel? Hey, Mel?”

“Help me. Oh, for the love of god help… Huh?” Melissa stopped shouting.

“She’s here now, Mel. You can go home.”

Mel smiled, then took her hands out of her restraints.

“It was a pleasure working with you,” she said in Shakespearean manners, then stood and bowed. “I really thought I got to the heart of this role. Now, about my pay?”

“It’s already in your account.”

“Thank you. I perform regularly at Intellitron Resorts. Good night, ladies,” she finished grandly, and left via the stairs.

“See, just an actor,” Mechanism explained once she was gone. “Not exactly A-Grade, but…”

Judgement stared at her.

Mechanism frowned back. “What? It’s not like you have a phone number, or a signal to shine in the sky. How else am I supposed to contact you?”

Judgement’s anger faded as she conceded the point. “Alright, Mechanism. You wanted to talk? Let’s talk,” she began. Her arms were still crossed, keeping her distance.

“Very well. To put it simply, we kissed. Twice,” Tessa stated the obvious. “Now, I definitely felt something. Something between us. A spark, feelings, maybe love. I don’t know, but it’s there. And it’s something I want to explore. I mean, I care about you as more than an enemy. More than a friend. I think I’ve felt it for a long while, but I never knew how to approach it. You’re my nemesis, we’re supposed to hate each other, but I can’t keep pretending. I need to be honest for once. We kissed and it was amazing. One of the greatest moments of my life. I… I have feelings for you, Judgement. Real ones. So please, tell me the truth… Do you feel the same about me?”

Judgement was silent. She was still cross-armed and avoiding her nemesis’s gaze. Finally, with some noticeable effort, she looked Madame Mechanism in the eye.

“I don’t,” she answered shortly, her tone firm. “Look, it was fun, but it could never work. We’re too different. I was just caught up in the moment. You said it yourself at the time. It was just adrenaline and excitement and… whatever else. I don’t… I just don’t feel the same way.” Her confidence fractured, failing to keep eye contact again. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh…” Tessa said back. Her heart fell into her knees. It didn’t make sense. She had to be lying. “But you… you kissed me back,” she uttered, struggling to maintain her decorum.

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t…” Judgement couldn’t finish the sentence. She couldn’t meet Tessa’s eye. “It wasn’t real.”

“You definitely enjoyed it,” Mechanism argued.

“You’re… You’re just a good kisser. I’m really sorry,” she apologised sincerely.

Tessa stopped. She didn’t know what to do. She’d planned, planned a fair bit, but hadn’t planned for this. She should have, but she hadn’t. And of course, it was Jude’s choice. Of course it was. And now she’d made it.

That was that.

“Oh,” Tessa said quietly.

“Sorry,” Judgement confirmed.

Tessa felt her heart break. And really, it made sense, some liberated dark part of her grinned. Why would Jude feel the same? Someone as great as her? She should hate her. They’d been fighting for years, battle after battle, crime after crime. Maybe she’d imagined Jude’s glee that night. Imagined that smile. Imagined those soft lips against her own, kissing her back. Judgement didn’t feel the same, and that was the end of it.

 “Alright. If that’s really how you feel…” Tessa struggled to speak. “At least it’s out in the open now. That’s that. So, I guess… I’ll see you around, Judgement,” she croaked, just managing to speak without sobbing, then hurriedly turned to leave before the dam broke.

Tears built in her like a wellspring, ready to burst, but she was desperate not to cry. Not in front of Jude. At least wait until after she left the roof. Holding onto that last scrap of dignity, because, really, what else was there to hang on to. But she tried to comfort herself. Nothing had actually changed. They were still enemies. Still nemeses. And Jude was still her friend in civilian life. It was… fine.

But it was different now. There was loss there now. Joy turned bitter. Love unrequited. She suddenly felt so alone, an unfamiliar pain, considering her usual misanthropy. But there was absence there, a void to be filled. An emptiness. And it ached at her.

But she couldn’t blame Jude. This wasn’t her fault. But if it wasn’t Jude’s, it had to be hers instead. And it was. This was all her fault. She’d made this happen. She’d kissed her. She’d pushed and arranged this meeting. This was all her doing…

She wiped her eyes and ran for the edge of the roof.

Unseen to Tessa, Judgement was staring at her. As she ran, Jude’s entire body trembled, struggling to watch. Trying to stay strong. Her lip wobbled as her face contorted with pained emotion. One hand clasped her other forearm, her grip so tight she was seconds from shattering bone. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Wait!” she cried, just before Mechanism could leave. “Please, don’t go.”

The villain turned, her eyes already red and moments from flooding with tears.

“I’m sorry. None of that was true,” Judgement exclaimed, relief coming with the confession. “I lied. I just lied to you.”

“What?” Mechanism asked, her tears briefly forgotten.

“I do care about you. About that kiss. Those kisses. They meant something to me too. They really meant something to me,” she admitted, putting her hand to her heart.

Madame Mechanism smiled, so very broadly, joy washing through her. The smile was consumed by confusion.

“Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Because this is so… difficult. So complicated. You’re a villain. I’m a hero. I thought it would be easier to lie. To just let us forget. I mean, how weird is this?”

“Pretty weird,” Mechanism agreed, walking back over.

“I do want to be with you,” Judgement stressed, “but whenever I think about it, all I can see are the problems. How we’re on different sides. What other people will think. Whether or not I can actually trust you. But, honestly, I can take all of those challenges. I would fight for you. I mean, I almost crashed into the pavement for you. But those aren’t even the biggest problems. They aren’t the reason I can’t be with you.”

“Then what is?” Mechanism asked.

“I have feelings for somebody else,” Judgement answered, then waited to see how disappointed her nemesis would be.

Tessa was honestly a little shocked.

“Oh,” was all she could say, for like the third time this conversation.

“The weird thing is, I only realised the other day,” Judgement laughed. “It was so… weird. When you kissed me, it was great. Really great. But then I started to feel… I don’t know… guilty? This person I love, I suddenly felt like I was cheating on them, even though we’re not together. I mean, how insane is that?”

“Pretty insane,” Mechanism agreed.

Inside, Tessa hid disappointment. It was clear who Jude meant. Ben. She was still in love with him. She wasn’t over him, and now she realised how much. And it hurt, sure, but Tessa was happy for her. Ben and Jude really were perfect together. They always had been.

“You really love this person, don’t you?” Tessa said softly.

“I really do,” Jude nodded. “I think I have for a long time, but I buried it. Because I was scared. But I need to be with them. I do.” She reached and took Mechanisms hands. “How are you doing with all this?”

“Hey, I get it. I’m disappointed, but I get it,” Tessa admitted amidst a sad smile. “You follow your heart, Judgement. I may be evil, but I won’t stand in your way. You be happy. Do be warned though, I might be a bit bitter, next time we fight. I don’t take rejection too well,” she smirked.

“And I owe you that, a few bumps and bruises,” Judgement smiled back. “But I want you to know, this isn’t easy for me. For all our fights, this might be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. When you kissed me… there was definitely something between us. I do care about you. But I have to make a choice here. You or them.”

“What’s that phrase you said when we first fought? The hardest battles are the ones you can’t punch your way out of?” Mechanism recalled. Her heart ached to remember their first battle, and Jude’s catchphrase.

“That they are,” Judgement agreed sullenly. “Thank you, Madame Mechanism. I know this isn’t easy for you either, so thank you.” She turned to go.

“Before you go-” Mechanism stopped her- “can I ask two things of you?”

Judgement turned back. “Nothing evil I hope?”

“No, of course not,” Mechanism suppressed a laugh. Even now, Jude was making jokes. She was brilliant. “Just two requests?”

“Go on.”

“One, you have to promise me you’ll tell that friend of yours how you feel. Properly. Make sure they understand. Let something good come from all this heartache.”

Judgement nodded. “Of course.”

“And two, can I get one last kiss? Just to remember this by? You can even think about your special someone if it makes you feel better. Then we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled battles the next time we meet.”

Judgement couldn’t restrain a small chuckle. “Sure. One last kiss.” She leaned in.

Their lips met. Tessa’s heart fluttered and her world lit up. But, even in the joy of the moment, a single cold thought crossed her mind.

Ben was a lucky man.

Then they parted lips and Madame Mechanism sighed.

“Whoever they are, they must be pretty special to catch your eye.”

“Yeah,” Judgement nodded slowly. “She’s my best friend in the whole world.”

And Judgement turned and flew away.

Tessa watched her go, and then paused. Words processed through her brain. It took a long, stunned moment to absorb what Jude said. She? Her best friend?

Jude had feelings for Tessa!

As her brain exploded, she wasn’t sure if she should celebrate or go lie down. In the end, she did both.

* * *

Tessa sat alone on the grass, in the park, working on her tablet. It had certainly been a hectic 24 hours and she needed the quiet. She still couldn’t quite believe it. Jude had feelings for her best friend, which was her. But now she was second guessing herself. It didn’t seem possible. Jude loved her? Romantically? Perhaps Jude had another best friend elsewhere. Or maybe she’d misheard…

It was a predicament, to be sure.

Needless to say, Tessa hadn’t gotten much sleep. She’d headed off to work that morning and brushed off the greetings of her underlings, with her only focus being getting coffee. It hadn’t helped much. The day had crawled by until lunch, when she slipped out to eat in the park.

She was currently occupied, watching people, and indulging in a personal pastime. She calculated the velocities of running dogs, judging it by eye. Some people painted trees or wrote poetry or watched TV. She calculated the speed of cute dogs. It worked for her.

Her respite was interrupted by her phone buzzing. She groaned. It was likely one of her lab assistants having set fire to something in her absence. They were mostly interns, students just out of academia, all excited and hasty, only a few years younger than her.

God, she wished she could use her henchmen for legitimate lab work. Henchmen knew how to build things.

She picked up the phone and froze. It wasn’t her lab. It was Jude.

“Hey, Tessa. Would like to talk. You available?” the text read, followed by a winking emoji.

Tessa paused. She breathed and focused, remembering to reply appropriately. She was Tessa Kwells, not Madame Mechanism. Her and Jude hadn’t kissed. She did not already know about Jude’s feelings, or what her lips felt like. She was normal.

“Sure. Am in park. Bring coffee.”

She hit send and sighed. She understood now why so many supers went mad, their alter ego’s becoming split personalities. Keeping these things separate was hard.

Ten minutes later, Jude appeared, in jeans and a T-shirt, and of course, no mask.

“Hey, Tessie,” she greeted. “Any especially fast dogs today?”

Tessa almost blushed. They really did know each other, didn’t they?

“Not especially. What did you want to see me about?” she asked, then saw the coffee Jude brought, grabbing for it like a toddler.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Jude warned. Tessa didn’t care. She was already two gulps in, her body needing caffeine. Jude raised an eyebrow. “How do you do that?”

“Practice,” Tessa said, coming up for air. “When you’re cramming for a doctorate, some days you don’t have time to let it cool. Now, what did you want to talk about?”

“Right. That…” Jude took a fortifying breath. “It’s… um… a little difficult.”

Tessa waited patiently, but inside she was fizzing. She had a pretty good idea what it was.

“I have a problem,” Jude continued. “It’s a bit personal, but there’s no one I trust more than you. I was hoping you could help.”

“Help? In what way?”

“I need your advice,” Jude sat beside her.

“Um… sure?”

Tessa tried to hide her disappointment. This wasn’t the romantic confession she’d been hoping for. But maybe she was a bit too excited. Given the context, a sudden kiss on the lips would be a bit forward, especially from her best friend. And this wasn’t really the time or the place for a romantic declaration of love. But there was still time in the day...

“Yes, I can give advice,” she said more definitely.

“It’s… a romantic problem,” Jude explained. “And no, this isn’t to do with Ben.”

“Really?” she pled ignorance. She just managed a straight face, prompting Jude to continue.

“I think I’m in love. Honestly, I may have been since before I broke up with Ben. Thing is, it’s very… complicated.”

“Complicated?”

“Yeah. There might be… more than one contender,” Jude said shrewdly. “Two people I love, and I don’t know who to choose. Can you help me?”

Tessa furrowed her brow, for multiple reasons. She tried to think what Tessa would say in this situation.

“What’s brought this on?” she thought was a good question.

“Okay,” Jude began, ordering her thoughts. “You see, there’s this… journalist. She works for a rival paper. She’s a little older, but she’s really good at what she does. I’ve butted heads with her before, and we’re constantly fighting. And the other night… we kissed.”

“Oh wow!” Tessa tried to sound surprised, while desperately restraining a smile.

“Yeah. And it was good, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know if I can be with her. She… she’s not as ethical as I am. A real bad influence. Blows past rules, can be quite mean. A real paparazzi type.”

Ow, thought Tessa. That insult actually hurt.

“But,” Jude continued, “There’s definitely something there. A spark. And I do like her. And we did kiss.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is, when I kissed her, I started thinking about someone else!” Jude said, frustrations bubbling up. “I felt like I was cheating. But the problem is, this other person doesn’t know how I feel. I mean, I didn’t realise myself until the other night, but you know what I mean, right?”

“And who is this other person,” Tessa said, trying not to give the game away.

“She’s…” Jude sat upright, suddenly remembering who she was talking to. “She’s a childhood friend, but she went to a different school than us. You wouldn’t know her. But she’s pretty, she’s funny, and she’s really smart, like you. I’ve known her forever, even if you’ve never met her, and I suddenly realised I’d never told her what she meant to me.”

“Huh,” Tessa pretended to consider. “And you’re not going to tell me her name?”

“No,” Jude said sternly. “I’m not gonna risk you hunting them down if they break my heart.”

Tessa accepted that. It was a legitimate concern. She hated people who made her friend’s cry. But then she remembered at least one of the people in this equation was probably her. In fact, both of them were, competing against herself. God, today was weird.

“Alright, so, what’s the problem?” Tessa got to the point. “Which one do you like more?”

“I don’t know!” Jude slumped down. “The bad influence is a pain, but a pain I kind of like. She keeps me at my best, she challenges me, and while she might not be the nicest person, there is good in her. I can see it every so often.”

“And what about this mystery smart girl?” Tessa prompted, hiding a smirk.

“Well she’s… she’s so important to me,” Jude sighed, “and it would clearly be the better relationship. More stable, more serious, and I know we’d be happy together. But I don’t know if I can live without my rival, or if I can just walk away from what I started with her after that kiss. Especially when I don’t know if Smart Girl feels the same way.”

Oh, if only you knew, Tessa thought.

“I don’t know what to do,” Jude groaned, covering her face and lying back in the grass.

Tessa had to stop herself from just admiring Jude’s beauty for too long, and instead keep to the insane problem at hand.

“Alright,” she said, taking on a therapist’s tone. “I think this comes down to one simple question. Which of these two makes you happier?”

Jude sat up. She thought. She stared out over the park, to the distant rooftops. Then she looked back to Tessa, looking her in the eye.

“Ok,” she said firmly. “I think I know what to do.” She stood to leave.

“Wait! You’re not going to tell me?!”

“Not yet-” A thought crossed her face- “But could you come round my house, about 9 o’clock tomorrow? I’ll… give you the play by play.”

“Um… sure?” Tessa said hesitantly, as Jude jogged away.

Tessa sat in thought. That had been the strangest conversation of her life, and she’d had an odd life so far. And coming out of it, now she had genuine doubts. What if Jude actually did have a journalist rival? What if she did have an old friend from school? For a moment, she genuinely doubted if she was playing any part in this farse at all.

* * *

Tessa knocked on Jude’s front door, nine o’clock on the dot, wearing her best shirt and jeans. Jude was still living with her mother following the breakup, staying in a little terraced house in the inner city. Three floors and decorated like a cottage, it was pleasant, if a little twee. Tessa rapped the knocker again. Inside, there was a hurried noise, the muffled sounds of music starting, then the door creaked open.

Tessa entered, but found the hallway empty. The music was soft, ambient, on the edge of romantic, and the air was laced with perfume. She closed the door, and found the floor littered with rose petals. They led off in a narrow trail, leading to the living room.

Oh my god, it’s actually happening, Tessa thought. Her heart fluttered and her mind swirled.

This was it.

She followed the petals through, to an envelope waiting on the coffee table. It was addressed to her. She picked it up and read the enclosed missive.

“Look behind you.”

Tessa turned, and there she was. Jude. She was waiting, wearing a dark, low-cut top, a long, white dress, and her hair was tamed back from its usual frizz into a bun. She was beautiful.

“Hey, Tess,” she greeted. “Sorry for the theatrics. Mum’s away for the weekend and I just thought I needed a grander entrance,” she smiled.

“I always appreciate a little theatre,” Tessa agreed. She was trying to pretend she didn’t know, but her face was surely betraying her. The lilt in her voice certainly was. “I’m happy you invited me,” she said, able to hear her own joy.

“Thanks for coming,” Jude walked up to her. “I really wanted to see you. You gave me some really good advice yesterday, and I knew I had to act on it. So… here I am.”

She took Tessa’s hands, just like the other night, standing just a couple of feet apart.

“Did you make your decision?” Tessa asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Jude answered. She tried to restrain a grin. She failed. “I know I’m not exactly subtle, so I think you might have worked it out.”

“I think I might have, Jude, but I’d like to hear you say it anyway.”

Jude held Tessa’s hands tightly. Both of them were shaking.

“I love you, Tessa,” Jude said, her voice cracking. “You’ve been my best friend for the longest time, been by my side through thick and thin, and only now do I realise what you really mean to me. Only now do I see how beautiful you are, how brilliant you are, how much I love you, Tessa Kwells.”

Tessa’s heart lit up. This was more than the kiss. This was more than anything!

“I love you too, Jude,” Tessa returned, the dam breaking and happy tears pouring down her cheeks. And she’d waited long enough. She lunged in to kiss her, wrapping her arms around Jude’s neck. They kissed, softly, joyously, somehow both familiar and strangely new. They parted, both smiling, giggling with joy.

“I’m sorry about all this,” Jude said, glancing at the rose petals and some candles Tessa hadn’t noticed. “Might have gone a bit overboard.”

“Hardly,” Tessa countered. “I predicted so much more.”

“Predicted? You knew?” Jude realised.

“I knew,” Tessa confirmed dryly. “Who else would your smart best friend be, Jude?”

“Right…”

“As you said, you’re not subtle.” Tessa shrugged, but smiled in Jude’s embrace. She could stay in her arms forever. Until she noticed a flicker over Jude’s features. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing wrong. I just had more prepared. Dinner and the like…” Jude averted her gaze. “I’ve been a bit stupid,” she groaned.

“What, were you expecting the confession to happen over dinner?” Tessa wondered. “Because I could eat. But really, if the food will keep, I’d happily wait until later.” She reached up and twirled some of Jude’s hair.

“Oh, it’ll keep. I didn’t know how long this would take,” Jude said with a forced smile.

Tessa’s eyes narrowed. “Jude? You seem nervous.” Then it clicked. “When you said you’d been a bit stupid, you weren’t talking about the dinner, were you?”

Jude smile widened, strained, and then broke. Her posture deflated. “Yeah. I think I did something insane,” she winced.

“Tell me. I can deal with insane.”

Jude braced herself. “You remember how I told you there were two people I cared for?”

“Yes?”

“Well, I was going mad thinking about it. I couldn’t decide. I certainly couldn’t give you up, but I didn’t know if I could give up the other one either. So, late last night and likely sleep deprived, I might have done something crazy.”

“Judith, what did you do?” Tessa asked, putting on her best stern voice.

“I called both of you. Arranged to meet you both here,” Jude confessed.

“I’m sorry, what?” Tessa stared.

“I thought I could make the decision that way. That I’d see one or both of you and know in my heart the truth. Or maybe you’d like her and we could arrange a polyamory thing or something.” She shrugged, then worry overtook her, her head in her hands. “She’s going to be here soon, and I don’t know how to contact her to cancel.”

“Jude, Jude,” Tessa calmed her, holding her close. “We’ll work this out. We’ll talk and we’ll…” Tessa paused as her mind caught up. Jude had contacted who to come here?

“Oh my god, this is such a mess,” Jude began to stress, pulling away. She slumped her shoulders, before she recovered and squared them, forcefully ready for anything. “But it has to be done. I have to do this. I know this is weird, Tessa, but she really is important to me. I need to tell her properly and truly make my decision.”

“Who’s coming?” Tessa asked. She was worried on a number of levels now.

“Right,” Jude said firmly. “That was the other thing. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I made with Ben. I kept something from him, and it made him lose faith in me. I can’t risk that, not with you, and I’ll need to tell you anyway before she arrives. Today, it all comes out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The truth is I… am Judgement. I’m a superhero,” she said, producing her eye mask and placing it on her face.

Tessa was genuinely stunned. Not by the announcement, she’d always known, but by Jude telling her at all. This was not the way she’d seen the evening going.

“Oh!” she tried to sound surprised. “That actually explains a lot,” she pretended to realise, trying to look as shocked as possible. “But, why tell me now?”

“Because I don’t want to lie to you anymore. No more fake excuses, or dodging plans, or pretending I’m sick. I am Judgement. I protect this city. But also, there’s the other reason.”

“Which is?”

“I won’t be Judgement for much longer.” She removed the eye mask.

“Pardon?” Now Tessa was legitimately shocked.

“I have to give up superhero work. Because, the other woman… She’s Madame Mechanism. My nemesis.”

Well, that was some confirmation at least. Still, it didn’t make the situation any simpler.

“What?” Tessa said. It seemed the most expedient response.

Jude stood close, holding Tessa’s arms. “The other day, after a battle, me and Mechanism kissed. When we did, it made me realise how I felt about her… and how I felt about you. But me and Mechanism have really gotten to know each other over the years, and I do care about her, but if she arrives today, then I can’t pretend. I have to meet her as Judith Mint. And if I do, that means revealing my secret identity to her. And that means I can’t be a hero anymore. Not if she knows who I am.”

“You don’t trust her with your identity?”

“She’s a villain, Tessa,” Jude reminded. “But, even if I could trust her, people might see us together, and people might assume she knows. Maybe she’d be tortured to give up my identity, or maybe she’d slip up around the other villains. The secret would get out, and it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Not risking my mother, and not risking you. So, when Mechanism turns up, I’m done as a hero. Period.”

“You’d really go that far for her? For me?”

“I’d go much further.” Jude kissed her cheek.

Tessa stared into Jude’s gorgeous brown eyes, and that wonderful, beautiful soul. Jude certainly had one. Her heart ached to see her in pain like this, though part of her soared to hear it. She’d never had anyone do this for her. Be so selfless for her. Love her like this.

Jude was her hero.

But now, it was her time to save Jude.

“Jude, I have a bit of a confession as well,” Tessa began. “Just… please try not to be mad.”

“Whatever it is, I won’t get mad,” Jude promised.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Tessa hesitated. Then she paused. She didn’t have any proof with her. Not that she could imagine why she would, but… “Um, just… imagine me with grey hair, a blue jumpsuit, and standing before you menacingly.”

“What are you on about?”

“We kissed on a moonlit rooftop after you saved my life from The Trickster.”

“How could you…” The pieces fell into place and Jude’s eyes went wide. “You’re Madame Mechanism?!” she exclaimed.

“Yep,” Tessa confirmed meekly. “Surprise?”

Jude stared like she’d been struck by lightning. “What? Why? How?” she struggled, before latching onto a single question. “So, what? Was this all one big trick? One huge deception?” she accused. “Some… villainous scheme!”

“No, no, no!” Tessa calmed her desperately. “The situation is exactly as you know it. You saved my life and I realised how much I cared about you. Both sides of you. Just… you!”

“Wait…” Jude stopped her with a raised finger. “You weren’t freaking out when I told you I was Judgement,” she stated enquiringly. “Did you know?”

“Yeah, I’ve always sort of known,” Tessa admitted.

“You what!” Jude almost exploded. “Since when?”

“Since the first time we fought, Jude. You kind of have a catchphrase. That thing about hard situations and punching your way out? You used it to try and convince me to be good when we first met, and I immediately realised who you were.”

“So you’ve known it was me all this time? All this time!” Jude said furiously. “And you never used my secret against me?” She paused. “You never used my secret against me,” she repeated, slowing to a stop.

“Why would I?” Tessa said. She felt reality kick her a little. “Okay, alright, yes, I’m a villain, sure, but I think you’ve gotten to know that side of me pretty well by now. I would never hurt you like that. Never in a million years. Jude or Judgement, I really do love you.”

Tessa took Jude’s hands and held them, staring into her eyes. Jude looked back, her face softening as Tessa’s touch sank in.

“You’ve really always known?” she asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“And… how long have you loved me?” she asked, a teasing edge coming back.

“Since the first time we fought. I mean, you look really good in that suit,” Tessa smirked.

Jude met her gaze, as joyful tears filled her vision. “Screw it. I love you too, Tessa,” she smiled despite herself, letting her doubts go. She leaned in to kiss her, but only briefly, as a new question occurred. “So, wait, did you come here as Tessa or as Madame Mechanism?”

“As Tessa. I never got your other message. How did you send it?”

“I tracked down Melissa, the actor you hired. She said she worked at Intellitron Resorts. I asked her to get a message to you.”

“Really?” Tessa’s expression turned puzzled, then she pulled out her phone, checking a secret email folder. And there it was. A little email telling her Jude’s home address, and when to arrive. She noted to herself to speak to Mel about not giving out such personal information.

“So, you’re really okay with this?” Tessa asked, putting away her phone.

“I guess? I’m still a little shell-shocked, but I was planning on confessing to you both anyway. And I guess this way I can still be a hero, if you’ve always known.”

“My hero,” Tessa purred, wrapping Jude in her arms again.

“My villain,” Jude returned. “So, where do we go from here?” she asked with some concern. “This whole thing is-”

Tessa cut her off with another kiss. It wasn’t long, but it shut her up.

She broke the kiss, but put a finger to Jude’s lips. “If the dinner will wait, can the conversation wait too? I’ve been wanting this for so long, and I’d hate to ruin it with talk.”

Jude looked at her, then gave a chuckling grin. “Afterwards,” she agreed, then leaned in to kiss her again.

* * *

After some time, and certain activities that would be inappropriate to describe here, Jude and Tessa were laying in bed with only the duvet to cover them. Needless to say, both of them were very, very happy.

“My word,” Tessa sighed, falling back into the pillows and Jude’s arms. “I didn’t realise your powers made your hands so tingly,” she teased.

“Honestly, neither did I. I can’t feel it myself,” Jude shrugged, pulling Tessa closer.

“Well, you’d make an excellent masseuse.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, you know, if the hero thing ever falls through.”

Tessa kissed her on the cheek. “Why did you get into the hero gig anyway?”

“I’ve told you that,” Jude reminded her. “I wanted to prove  that justice was incorruptible, unlike the law and the police. How about you though? What got you into villainy?”

“Academia,” she answered simply. She could feel Jude’s confusion without looking up. “You remember the academic committee at college? The people who decided my grade?”

“Yes?”

“Every single one of them was a former supervillain. I had to impress them somehow.”

“All of them? Really?” Jude said in disbelief. Then realisation hit her. “You were the one who told me Everton Clark had the Stone of Stevenson!” she recalled.

“Yep. Everton ‘Bank Breaker’ Clark. The committee tried to backstab me after I gave them the stone, so I ratted him out to you. Serves them right.”

Jude chuckled at the new information. She was enjoying this. “Since we’re asking questions, there is something I’ve always wondered?”

“Go on.”

“Why ‘Madame Mechanism’? Why that name? I did a lot of research, but could never find any trace of it before we first fought. Did you just pick it out of the air?”

Tessa sat up slightly. “You don’t know? You gave it to me.”

“Did I?”

“Yes. In that news article you did about my first appearance.”

“Oh, right,” Jude remembered. “But I was just quoting Mr Intellitron. That’s what he called you, or at least something like it. What was he even doing there? Did you really steal tech from him, or was that just a cover?”

“Technically I did,” Tessa hedged. “I did steal from him, but he was only there to tell me off.” She could feel Jude’s confusion again. “He’s my uncle.”

“Your uncle!”

“The family doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“Wow…” Jude paused, thinking deeply. “I guess that explains your look and everything. I’m just surprised you never told me. And he knows you’re Madame Mechanism?”

“Yeah… It was his nanosuit.”

“And who else knows?”

Tessa counted them off on her fingers. “There’s Uncle Frank, Henchmen 14, Henchmen 8, the academic committee back at college. I think my Mum suspects, but I can’t be sure. She certainly wouldn’t approve. And I guess now Melissa. How about you? Your Mum know about Judgement?”

“My powers developed when I was 8. Yes, she knows,” Jude said flatly. “Other than her, there’s one cousin, my tailor and you. Oh, and Cosmo Derringer, of course.”

“Of course.”

“And that’s it.”

“But you never told Ben?” Tessa probed.

“No,” Jude sighed. “He always had the hero fanboy about him. I know I could have trusted him, but I could never rule out him getting drunk and bragging. So I didn’t tell him. And it would have changed how he saw me. I didn’t want things to change.”

“But you told me,” Tessa murmured proudly. She knew it was wrong, but it made her feel special, being better than Jude’s ex. The pair sat in comfortable quiet for a while, just enjoying each other’s embrace. Eventually though, Jude pulled them back to reality.

“So, where do we go from here?” she asked for the second time that evening.

“I’m thinking pizza. I’d kill for a vegetarian with olives,” Tessa said playfully. “Oh wait, you prepared dinner!”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” Tessa groaned, submitting to the serious conversation.

“You’re a villain. I’m a hero. How do we make this work? We’re two opposites.”

Tessa thought for a moment. It was a challenge, but to her, there was a very simple solution.

“Well… What has to change?” she asked.

“Pardon?”

“We already treat each other as equals when we’re out there. Rivals in spandex. What has to change about that?”

“But how do we deal with the non-super part of it? Knowing what the other is doing? You’re a criminal, Tessa.”

“Criminal’s a strong word,” Tessa grumbled. But a lightbulb went on. “Okay. How would you cope dating a rival journalist? Snatching your headlines and competing against you in the press?”

Jude thought for a moment. “I guess I’d try to steer clear of them while on the job.”

“Then why not do that? We both know that the super stuff is just the night job, right?”

Jude nodded. There were so many heroes and villains nowadays, it was a little difficult to take it all too seriously anymore.

“Then why not keep it that way? We both do our own thing, no shop talk at home, and we try to stay out of each other’s way out there. How about it?”

“But what if we meet out there? What if we have to fight?”

“Well…” Tessa thought for a second. “Then we meet as equals. It’ll be like a game. We fight like old times, winner gets the spoils. Like sparring or something.”

“I guess that could work,” Jude considered. “That is essentially what we’re doing already.”

“Exactly. And villainy is only a minor concern in Hero City, right?”

“I suppose you’re not wrong, as long as you don’t do anything too evil.”

“No promises,” Tessa teased.

Jude laughed, relaxing back into the bed. “You know, I think we can make this work. But what if someone finds out? Or worse, what if something happens to one of us?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I would hunt down whoever killed you and destroy them with extreme prejudice. No one touches my nemesis but me,” Tessa said jealously.

Jude smiled. “Same here. Anything happened to you, there’d be hell to pay.”

“That’s sweet,” Tessa smirked, curling up in Jude’s arms. “Now, I think I need to sleep.”

“Wait. One last thing,” Jude interrupted. Tessa unwillingly opened her eyes again. “We mentioned Ben, but what is he going to think? He isn’t exactly in the loop about this.”

“If this is about you being bi, Jude, then I think he knows. We all saw you at that New Year’s party when you got drunk and went up to-”

“No, not that,” Jude cut her off. “I mean, to him, he broke up with me and then you swooped in and seduced me. He might not take that well.”

“Oh, right. Well, we’ll break it to him gently. And honestly, he at least deserves to know you’re Judgement. Might explain some things. Just don’t tell him I’m Madame Mechanism. But you do need to tell him something. He is our friend, after all.”

“Right,” Jude agreed. “But, for now, it’s a tomorrow problem. Deal with it tomorrow.”

Tessa closed her eyes again, snuggling against Jude. “Right. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.” With a final sigh she said: “I love you, Judgement.”

“I love you too, Madame Mechanism.”

And they fell asleep in each other’s arms, ready to face whatever strange problems tomorrow might bring.

[starssaroundmyscarssblog]

𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐄, chapter one WEASLEY VS SLUGHORN

pairing: percy weasley x fem!oc (olympia slughorn)

word count: 1.04k

warnings: none

series masterlist

percy weasley strived for validation of the academic kind, wanted to set himself apart from his ragtag group composed of five brothers and one sister that was designated to him at birth. he had no choice, each one of his siblings had something about them that set them apart from the rest.

ginny's was obvious since she was the only girl and the youngest, ron was somewhat friendly towards the muggle children who wandered into the fields surrounding the burrow every so often, which put him into his father's good books for learning about the 'fascinating' way that they live. fred and george had each other, like they were two peas unable to be prised out of their pod. charlie was sporty and had offers to go professional with his quidditch playing but turned it down for an even more rugged job handling dragons in eastern europe, bill was devil-may-care and living it large in an entirely different continent and was breaking curses in the last year of you-know-who's power.

everything that he, percy, was not.

where they were cool he was awkward, where they were popular he sunk into the shadows, and where they were doted upon he was given a book and a drink to keep quiet.

merlin, even ron seemed to be more favoured than him, and he was starting his first ever year of hogwarts with twin brothers who took the mickey out of him ( fred and george ), an even older brother who tried do disassociate himself from lower year riff-raff ( percy ), a legacy left behind by brothers who'd graduated to become great things, and no possessions that were originally his own.

the only things he had in his trunk that hadn't been passed down from brother to brother was his collection of homemade knitted jumpers, the pile of corned beef sandwiches he gagged simply at the sight of and the writing set he'd been given on his eleventh birthday by their great aunt tessie.

but, where percy lacked a brain of street smart tips and popular wizard culture, he made up for in ingenuity and drive to over achieve even if he fizzled out before his newt exams in three years time. and yet, percy still wasn't doing anything original or generically 'him' he realised when his prefects badge had landed in his bowl of porridge at the breakfast table one morning - bill had already been a prefect and then gone on to be head boy, charlie had smashed it out the park with his outstanding newt results too.

so he worked day and night, stalked the garden for muggle fireflies he could keep in a jar on his desk to observe for his summer task from the muggle studies teacher, poured himself over text book upon text book, any reading material he could get his hands on to put him in good standing for his owl year starting in september. percy snatched coloured pencils from ginny's desk draw when she was helping ron fling disorientated gnomes over the garden hedge to draw himself up a revision timetable, scheduled to start the first day back after the welcome feast.

he was going to pass his exams with flying colours, attend every single optional class and wrangle help out of his teachers if it was the last thing he did. even getting over himself to ask one of the students in the year above who was taking newt level potions to boost his grade up from an 'e' to a 'o'.

anything to see the look on olympia slughorn's face when the name 'percy weasley' was printed above hers in the top slot when the student rankings in each class was posted anonymously at the end of each month, like they had been since before his parents could remember.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

olympia slughorn was in a deeply committed one sided relationship with percy weasley - she hated him more than anything in the world and she wouldn't trust him as a confidante as far as she could launch him with a beaters bat. it wouldn't be too great of a distance compared to those who were on the slytherin quidditch team could hit, but she still had a good shot and that was enough for her.

he poked his nose into business it didn't belong, tried too hard to cosy up to his teachers by snitching on members of his class if a piece of homework was overdue, and constantly tried to ask her overly complex questions about origins of ingredients for her potions in effort to throw her off. it never worked, though. olympia had prevailed at the top of only one class in her entire four years at hogwarts thus far, and that was potions.

it ran though her blood, it was the one thing the slughorn's had in their legacy apart from her great uncle horace's self titled 'slug club' from his teaching days at hogwarts. he'd retired the year olympia was due to start attending the magical boarding school but still sent her various potion ingredients and recipes to create during the term time.

potions was the only subject she was predicted an 'o' in.

potions was the only thing she wanted to continue doing for the rest of her life.

there was no other option. percy weasley had to learn his place in the pecking order, and olympia knew just the way to ensure it.

she holed herself up in the small library room of the slughorn estate, significantly smaller in size compared to the lestrange manor that was dissed and had fallen into disrepair and the malfoy manor guarded with towering iron gates and white peacocks. there was seven floor to ceiling book cases in the library dedicated to potions, ingredients, poignant moments in wizarding history that advanced the world of potions, magical creatures host to rare ingredients that cost an arm and a leg to purchase.

olympia prized her validation just above thwarting anyone that was standing in her way, deliberate or not. she would snap her vintage muggle 'the beatles' records over the stone gargoyles over the front door of the house if the student rankings were posted and the name 'olympia slughorn' was printed below 'percy weasley'.

next part here

🪩⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊🪶

[2and2makes5]

Media Analysis: Your Name

Your Name is a stunning film visually. I was amazed by the sheer attention to detail that was put into the movie, especially in the backgrounds. From the streets of Tokyo to Tessie's room, all the little items placed about are so detailed; it's insane. Using Michael Foucault's The History of Sexuality, we can see how this romantic story includes undertones of identity and power structures that shape our desires and bodies.

The main gist of this movie is two teenagers, Mitsuha and Taki, whom body swap every other day and are connected across time and space. Mitsuha yearns to escape the countryside and wishes to be in a big city like Tokyo. She struggles with her prescribed role as a young woman in a conservative town where she is under the authority of her own father, as he is the mayor. She resists, she cuts her hair, prays to break free, wishes she was a boy in Tokyo. This resistance mirrors Foucault's view that power is present even in personal desires, and resistance arises from these very dynamics.

Foucault argues that power is not held by a sole figure but through society, spread out in different relations. This is evident in Your Name through the town’s traditions and gendered expectations, which shape Mitsuha’s experience of her own body. Even in the urban world Taki inhabits, his behavior is shaped by the expectations of masculinity and youth—visible in how his friends perceive and react to Mitsuha’s influence when she controls his body.

The whole body swapping thing, I believe, is a metaphor for how identity can be constructed, deconstructed, and surveilled where we come to know ourselves and others through bodily experience, memory, and social expectation. Thus, this aligns with Foucault’s idea that identity is not repressed but produced and regulated within power relations.

[pilot-nobody]

For the kiss prompts (only if you feel like it!): Suzanne Fitzgerald/Tessie O'Reily; 4 --goodbye.

Hello, Sorry for the delay! Today was strangely busy. This one gets a little angsty... Sorry about that. I could do a happier version if you wanted. Anyways I hope that is okay and that you enjoy it! Thank you!

She doesn’t listen to the news; changes the radio station until she finds the music again. And she doesn’t own a TV – not that one would fit in her tiny apartment. While waiting in line at the grocery store or at the bus station she looks at the headlines on the news stands. But she never picks one up and reads any articles. It’s not like she’s missing anything, not really; the world is crap, always was and always will be. All the news does is report the same crappiness that’s always been here and put a different coat of paint on it. But deep down the problems are all the same.

It's much easier to enjoy what you can and dance through the rest of it; no need to borrow anyone else’s trouble! Suzanne disagrees. Often and passionately. She’ll get into one of her speeches and a fire will spark in those green eyes. Tessie likes that fire! And Suzanne’s face will flush red and if Tessie pushes her just right that beautiful flush will creep down her neck.

At that point there is only one way to get Suzanne to stop talking: kiss her senseless and pull her into bed. Make her whole-body flush with passion and desire. Tessie really enjoys that! Honestly one its one of her favourite things to do: seeing just how far she can get that beautiful blush to blush across that beautiful body!

Lately, though Suzanne has been skipping the whole passionate sex part of their visits. Instead, she drops off the baby and rushes out the door. Not a hello or how are you? Just a here’s the baby and some supplies, I’ll be back in a few days! As if Tessie was just waiting at Suzanne’s beck and call; as if she didn’t have better things to do.

So, when Suzanne bursts through her door sans baby, Tessie is actually pretty damn happy! Those bright green eyes hold back a wild fire that seems desperate to escape Suzanne’s body; cheeks flushed and panting slightly as if she has been running.

Before Tessie can say anything, Suzanne smashes their mouths together. Lips. Teeth. Tongues. Heat. Just as Tessie is finding the rhythm, Suzanne wrenches back.

“Come on, have a little fun,” Tessie goads. Suzanne huffs a breathless laugh and shakes her head.

“Tomorrow. I promise,” And presses back into Tessie. Softer this time. Slower like she’s trying to memorize the shape and taste of her mouth. “I love you!” She whispers and then runs out the still open door.

Tessie spends the rest of the day in a bubble of happiness and excitement! Giggling and dancing and preparing for tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes and the news is unavoidable. Suzanne Fitzgerald is everywhere. Her name is spoken on all the radio stations and written in all the headlines. Her face is plastered everywhere as the manhunt begins.

She is everywhere except in Tessie’s apartment.

Tessie sits in her underwear and does her best to ignore the world. She throws out the candles and the food that she had bought the day before. Waits for nightfall and for a numbness to consume her before she lets the tears fall.

Goodbye.

[thetotomoo]

Location/ Lore Hunting

Sometimes procrastination leads to useful resources such as location hunting for scenes in upcoming chapters. It took a bit of revising to settle on this particular location around Keensbridge. Particularly the tower that sits at the base of the hill (just past a bridge) between the a Rookwood encampment and a village.

Ignore the glitch where I can’t access that whirlpool— I hear it’s a common thing? But nevertheless, a fun thing to incorporate in a story I suppose.

Preview of Ch 66 “Sacred Ground Part 1”

What had begun as a journey of three had become more at the insistence of their family and friends. There was no old woman to greet them when they reached the foot of the hill, no figure they could give their offerings to, and no whisper assuring them that the loaves and biscuits they carried were no meager offerings at all.

Instead, they filed one by one, at the instruction of Matilda Weasley and led by Tessie, up the steps into a small alcove of ruins. Will-o-the-wisps flitted through the open rafters as moonlight cast ripples of shadows to pass across each face. Vincent trailed closely after their mother, hands clenched into a fist around his wand and loaf of bread. Ominis and Garreth stood nervously hand in hand along the edges. Anne, she could see, stood beside her and Sebastian— her impish smile replaced by a grim and wary stare across the room while Sebastian peered at the watch in his hand.

The slow steady tick and the howling wind did little to ease the heavy silence. And while Caroline returned the smile Tessie threw her way, she was unwilling to admit the dread creeping up from under her skin. However delicious and incomparable Tessie’s biscuits and loaves were, Caroline could not speak of its value before the unknown. If they were like the god the Muggles spoke of, they would be blessed most assuredly. But if they were the spirits and other beings of old, they were fickle— favored one moment before being struck and cursed the next.

“What now?” Vincent asked.

“We give thanks,” Matilda smiled, hand sweeping around the room. Lammas Day. In any other year, they would have slept peacefully before breaking bread in the comfort of their homes with their friends and families. But tonight they stood amidst ruined stone— desperate. Matilda smiled as she ushered Tessie to the rounded nook in the southeast of the tower, “Choose one. We must cover all.”

Vincent nodded as he gripped their mother’s hand beside the modest and crumbling bookshelves while Garreth and Ominis took their place amongst the tower of cauldrons. Caroline moved, feet dragging across dust and dirt with the Sallows, passing beneath the carved figure of a sphinx in stone beside a fireplace.

No sooner had Caroline tear her gaze from the slab, did the wind settle into a deathly stillness and bells began to ring.

“Not one, two, three, or four— Seven beings and not one more.”

Louder and louder, it grew until the scent of earth filled her with dread down to her bones.

“Seek the summit, and you shall find all the answers to be divined.”

The words hissed and howled as the world plunged to black and then the deepest blue.

“Beware, beware, when next night draws near, at the seventh bell, unknown appears. Foolish mortals make haste— go fast— face your future and the past.”

[leirsen]

Ho l'anima incrinata di sogni, una voce candida come neve che racconta il silenzio, come acqua abissale che custodisce segreti, mentre il vento sussurra verità dimenticate e l'universo si riflette nelle profondità del mio essere. - Leizha D. Danae

"She's like the moon"

Per aspera ad astra. Asta inclinant, sed non obligant 🦢

Pugnare cum diis cumque fortuna, grave est. [Nessuno può sfuggire il proprio destino]

Se una cosa è destinata ad essere non importa quanti ostacoli ci siano di mezzo, ritornerà sempre — Leizha D. Danae

Figlia del Destino, sei l'organo muto del Caos. Ti lasci piegare dal vento, come un filo d'erba, inganni tutti, fingendo spalle fragili. Con i tuoi capelli tessi filigrane d'oro e di ombre, in cui nascondi la promessa di un nuovo mondo, di un giorno in cui il fuoco inghiottirà di nuovo il cielo. Tu sai cosa sogna il vulcano mentre dorme, nel silenzio profondo della terra che pulsa. (Credit to: Machi __polariss_)

"A priestess is a woman who owns her power. She is the embodiment of divine feminine energy. Her existence is alchemy. She is a healer. She is an oracle."

"lo sono la volontà degli Dei, io sono la vita. Io sono la Signora del plenilunio, colei che ritorna per ricordare ai Figli del Cielo l'Antica Arte. Io sono la Dea dell'amore che stende un mantello di stelle sopra la notte. lo annuncio l'alba e saluto il tramonto. lo possiedo il segreto di ogni incantesimo. Io sono colei che comanda la folgore. lo sono la rugiada che scende sui prati fioriti, la linfa che scorre nei boschi, che anima i venti e le acque, che sposa e feconda la terra, che nasce nel fuoco e alimenta la fiamma perenne che grida giustizia agli Dei. lo sono colei che sconfigge la morte e spezza le catene della paura, io sono lo Spirito puro della Natura, lo Spirito libero dell'universo. Io sono la Gloria immortale della verità mai tradita. Io sono l'amore, io sono la vita. Io sono la figlia della Luce infinita". — Canto di Aradia di G.G. Leland

“On snowy days like this my heart dances, as if something might appear at any time to take advantage of this white stillness.”

“I love this cruel, ridiculous, beautiful world.”

"Thank to these eyes... I came to understand how cruel and despicable people can be...but that also allowed me to appreciate true beauty. All you have to do is look at things from a different perspective. Once I realized that the things we usually take for granted are really miracles. I came to see everything in its preocious, emphereal beauty. I love this world"

Ciò che pensavi fosse un dato di fatto è in realtà un prodotto di miracoli. Io... amo questo mondo.

— Lacie Baskerville, Pandora Hearts

“C’è splendore in ogni cosa, io l’ho visto. […] Ciao faccia bella, gioia più grande. Il tuo destino è l’amore. Sempre. Nient’altro” —Mariangela Gualtieri

"Gli altri sono troppi, per me. Ho un cuore eremita. Sono impastata di silenzio e di vento. Sono antica. [...] E se sfreccio a volte sulla modesta moto, è per cantare a gola stesa l'ultimo del paradiso fare il mio guizzo pericoloso con tutto quel vento nel petto seminare parole beate nel panorama nervoso. — Mariangela Gualtieri da "Acqua rotta”, in “Senza polvere senza peso", Einaudi, Torino, 2006

Nella serenità del mio femminile moto perpetuo, trovo la forza di amarmi per ciò che il cielo ha voluto che io fossi. Sono la combinazione perfetta dei pianeti opposti a se stessi....Polvere di fata e di stelle.... [...] - Mariangela Ceci

"She doesn't speak too much but she leads the most intelligent conversations. She is a thinker. She has her coffee and books and music. She has her style. There's something so deep in her eyes. That's why everybody stares at her. She has a beautiful soul. She has a power and she is not afraid to be different. She is the art." (Credit to joytri)

She's a dreamer, and a badass, and a romantic to the bones. She's the moon, stars, earth, water, and fire. She's fierce, and soft, fabulous, and forever. - Mark Anthony

"She did not want to move, or to speak. She wanted to rest, to lean, to dream. She felt very tired." — Virginia Woolf, The Years

She is kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea. — Ernest Hemingway

"She is the virgin-harlot. She is vulgar, witty, knowledgeable to a depth that terrifies, cruel when she is most kind, unthinking while she thinks, and when she seeks to build she is as destructive as a coriolis storm." — Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

"I was one of the insatiables. The ones you'd always find sitting closest to the screen. Why do we sit so close? Maybe it was because we wanted to receive the images first. When they were still new, still fresh, before they cleared the hurdles of the rows behind us, before they'd been relayed back from row to row, spectator to spectator, until worn-out, secondhand, the size of a postage stamp it returned to the projectionist's cabin." — The Insatiables

Habent sua fata libelli. [I libri hanno un loro destino]

"La morte è l'ignoto in cui tutti noi siamo vissuti prima di nascere. Nulla è più creativo della morte perché essa è l'intero segreto della vita. Ciò significa che il passato va abbandonato, che l'ignoto non può essere evitato, che l' io non può continuare, che niente può essere fissato per sempre. Quando un uomo sa questo, vive per la prima volta nella sua vita. Trattenendo il respiro lo perde. Lasciandolo andare lo trova." — Alan Watts, La saggezza del dubbio

Ascolta, è proprio perché ho nuotato negli abissi che ho iniziato ad amare l’abisso della quale sono fatta

Io canto la mia canzone solo a quelli che vengono con me a danzare in un bosco pieno di fate e lupi selvaggi. — Fabrizio Caramagna

Il violino – il più umano di tutti gli strumenti… — Louisa May Alcott)

Un poeta è un uomo che mette una scala su una stella e vi sale mentre suona un violino. — Edmond de Goncourt

“After all, [the world] is on my side. That is, I’m a part of it. Not separate from it. I walk on the ground and the ground’s walked on by me, I breathe the air and change it, I am entirely interconnected with the world.” — Ursula K. Le Guine, the Lathe of Heaven

Io sono completa 🦋 - Leizha D. Danae

"Lord Visnu said: 'Since your heart is filled immovably with trust in Me, you shall, through My blessing, attain freedom from existence.'" (Vishnu Purana, 1.20.28)

Leizha's core 🦋🩵🦚🎼🪞✨️🦢

[imaginespazzi]

Bestie, been a lil while, i missed you! Sorry, life has been lifing as per usual and so I've been a lil MIA. But i wanted to come back and drop a lil review for the latest chapter!

Bro, poor Clems has really been through it. The woman just wanted to have a nice dinner with Az and Stephie and yet all they're thinking about is Miss Buecks 😭 #freeher

Stephie being sad and quiet is like a knife to the heart. Lil bean doesn't deserve this; the girl just wanted soda one day and now she out here having to deal with all this??

But nah, her piecing together that Mama and Miss Buecks were just like Anya's mommy and mama killed me. And the way she and Az both noticed the family at dinner and were having the same thoughts/longing to be like that again with Miss Buecks. Stahp. Tears were already freefalling atp.

“when you’re not looking, I see Miss Buecks looking at you with this big, big, big, smile all the time." - got me bad.

Ok. The long-awaited proposal scene. Bestie, I knew you were a lil worried about this one, but just like that scene in the UCLA fic, you did it justice, trust.

I actually think this scene is so beautifully written - the way Azzi was going through this crisis in her head, P being oblivious to it thinking it was just nerves, to then the realisation of wtf she said no?

Most of all, I think it did such a good job illustrating Azzi's fears and her valid reasons of why she wasn't quite ready yet. But it also showed why Paige would react the way she did, cause like yeah, imagine here she is being all excited af to finally be be out and free and captioning tiktoks with #myfuturewifey, only to find out she and Azzi weren't and have not been on the same page about that for a while. Like I get it. Sure, I'm still a lil mad at her for not sticking around long enough and kinda just giving up on the both of them immediately but like I can also understand why.

But yeah, imagine if she just gave Azzi at least as long as the time TikTok was banned for 😭 But then we wouldn't have Stephie and we wouldn't have this fic, so yk, sometimes that's just the way it had to be.

Also, I see you dating it back to the Nova home game, and making sure the stat line didn't match up with the irl stats. You were like, I am beating any and all canon/writing destiny allegations 😂✋

Anyway, I think, when you put it all in context of the fic/story, you never really write them ooc - as in like, it's always believable and feels true to them (or at least the them I have in my head lmao).

Bruh, I can't imagine KK and Ice's reactions. Like they were prolly down there cheesing, already planning their fits for the wedding and what Pazzi's bachelorette parties will look like only to find out, well actually they ain't even together anymore 💔 traumatising shit fr. Did the others know P was proposing too? Or did they just wake up the next morning and were informed that they'd broken up??

Pleaseee, Stephie being ready to move to NY in a flash just to be with her Miss Buecks. Ugh. She deserves all the soda and cookies and pizza in the world.

Also, I'd be a lil offended if I was Aunty J and Aunty Tessie and Aunty Joy, like she was way too ready to go have new aunties. She said imma miss them but they're not #irreplaceable 🤣

And then the reunion ( a whole two weeks, six days, five hours and 14 mins later lmaooo, the specificity really made me chuckle). Our lil family back together. We prayed for times like this.

And the last few paragraphs felt like a lil callback moment to the morning after they slept together a few chapters ago, and it was oh so perfect.

I can't wait for the next one, so much fluffiness, I already know.

Now, quick side note to basketball:

I was a lil disappointed in our girl's game yesterday but like I've just accepted she had a bad game/off night, and she'll bounce back. The four fouls told me all I need to know that this really was an off night for her more than anything.

But also, she cannot be having just EIGHT field goal attempts in one game. I think she got a lil tentative after missing a few, cause there were a few times, either after a handoff from Sarah or Jana etc. where I thought she had more than enough space to shoot the ball but opted not to. And I get that Sarah and Paige were the hot hands but like, I need her to still keep shooting. At the end of the day, if it's not your night and the shots don't fall then that's ok, that happens but I still want her to shoot the dang ball.

So like part of it is I need her to create more shots if that's what she's gotta do, but i think we all know a big part of it is - let's at least TRY run her some plays. Let's do what obviously works best like in that Seton Hall game and put Paige on-ball and let her and Azzi play their natural positions cause we all know that's when their chemistry on the court flows at its best. I know we sound like a broken record atp, but like GRANDPA PLEASE.

The team as a whole clearly still have more to work on, esp if we wanna win against Tennessee and SC. Like I get that it was home to Creighton but if a Lauren Betts-less UCLA team can beat them pretty handily, we should be able to as well. Anyway, on to the next!

Also, have I ever said how much I love Sarah Strong? Cause my god, do I love that girl! I'm so excited for her development over the next few years. It's gonna be a hell of a thing.

Ok, as always, I "tried" to keep it short 😏

Hope you have a wonderful week ahead! Love you (oh and can't wait for that collab fic!)

Until next time! 💗

-🙋‍♀️

BESTIIIIIIIE HI <3

I've missed you so much, I literally just grinned so big seeing you back in my inbox!

No fr fr like poor Clémence slowly realizing over the course of dinner that she was never gonna compare

LMFAO the butterfly effect is so real, she's never asking for soda again

Phewphhhh I was so stressed about the breakup scene so I'm very glad to see it had the desired effect and despite the content, did not feel completely out of left field

I try really hard tbh to make both Paige and Azzi valid in their thoughts and actions and whilst I think it's fair to say they both still do dumb shit here and there, I like to think ultimately both of them are pretty understandable

LMFAO I wrote that part before the Nova game and I can't lie I was a little relieved when those stats could not be far enough apart because I swear if they had matched, I myself might have started believing the I control destiny by writing allegations

I think the whole team knew the proposal was happening, KK and Ice just happened to be the most involved for obvious reasons

Stephie has one priority and one priority only and that's Miss Buecks (and her Mama ofc) so the rest of her Aunties just gotta understand their places

Definitely a little bit of a callback and Stephie knowing!

Onto basketball

Yeah just not her night and I need tomorrow to be a redemption real bad because I simply cannot do another game like Creighton and Nova so please she needs to show out for my sanity and I'm hoping the team has worked on finding her and making sure she gets open/gets shots. That has got to have been a priority during practice. I think she did try creating her own but when they didn't fall, the confidence really just kept falling and not having anything come easy when no one was trying to draw anything up for her did not help.

SARAH STRONG NPOY CAMPAIGN FROM NOW TILL SHE GRAUDATES!!

[smallearthboundfindings]

There's something about earthbound I've been wondering about and i think maybe you can weigh in as the local expert. I keep seeing fans interpret jeff as British but to me that's not fully right because winters is this super cold snow country "up north" as the game says. So i always imagined him as something norse, y'know Swedish or Norwegian or Finnish maybe (heck even russian could be fun). But it's just a vibe on my end while the way Fans call him British feels like there's some canonical proof i missed somewhere? Sooo do you know if there's any big proof that jeff would be British or is it just a fanon agreement thing?

Howdy! Well, the British allegations are not unfounded. EarthBound is somewhat like Pokémon in which different areas are clearly based on real world areas based on their positioning, parallels to real world landmarks, local food, and so forth. Eagleland is the U.S., Scaraba is Egypt, and Winters is no exception!

Our first little bit of proof can be found in the Japanese manual, where it contains a rough world map. Here it is (this time, a different version to the one previously posted!) for reference and a zoomed in version including Winters in as much detail as I can provide with what I've got. I had to stitch this from a double page scan, so please forgive some artifacting issues.

[Id: A scan from the Japanese Mother 2 manual, showcasing a planet much resembling our own in real life but with different regions and towns marked. The zoomed in portion reads "Foggyland" in big text with "Winters" and "Stonehenge" written in a smaller font below, descending vertically in that order.]

There appears to be a little island in the general area of Winters and Stonehenge, just like the U.K. in real life!

But here's the question: is Winters there? I know this map is a little unclear with its huge text, but hang in there. Even though Winters looks like it might be on that rightmost landmass, take a look at the full map of Winters (which I am only linking and not embedding because it is very big), and you have Winters and Stonehenge in the same landmass; just cross the Lake Tess on Tessie!

For reference, the American manual confirms it's a lake, so either they're both on the landmass, or both on the island.

[Id: A scan from the American EarthBound manual. It is a plain text paragraph reading "The South Shore. If you manage to catch a ride with Tessie to the South Shore of Lake Tess, you'll find more woods and some animals that you've already met like the Goat. Follow the path southward, defending yourself as you go. A short hike will bring your to a fascinating artifact and another amazing challenge."]

So, here's where we get to real world parallels. Lake Tess and Tessie are clearly analogues to Loch Ness and Nessie (located in northern Scotland just above England), and Stonehenge literally shares its name with its real world counterpart located in southern England. So, if we are to match these locations, then Winters would logically be on the island, meaning that Jeff would be from the EB equivalent of the United Kingdom, which encompasses England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. He could really be from any of these! Therefore, your options here would be British, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish, but it seems like British is the most common interpretation.

Hope that helped!

[tessiseestheworld]

No news is good news.

Anscheinend ist es wieder einen Monat vergangen seit dem ich das letzte mal geschrieben habe. Das ist ja eigentlich ein gutes Zeichen. Und so ist es auch. Ich habe den vergangenen Monat einfach die Gedanken schweifen lassen, nichts getan, nichts gemacht, nichts gedacht und einfach nur gelesen und bin zum Strand.

Meine Tage sahen normalerweise so aus dass ich aufgestanden bin, habe gemütlich gefrühstückt und bin dann so langsamen die puschen gekommen und habe mich fertig für den Strand gemacht und dann den Bus genommen und bin zum Strand. Da bin ich rumgesessen, habe erst ein bisschen in meinem Imageneering Buch oder den anderen Disney Büchern gelesen und bin dann einfach etwas gelegen mit einer leere im Kopf und bin entweder nur zur ersten runden Boje oder auch bis zur zweiten geschwommen und dann Ala Moana auf und abgelaufen und habe mich dann wieder hingelegt und nichts getan. Etwas gesickert. Den Strandgeräuschen und den Stimmen gelauscht oder gelesen. Das war eigentlich auch ne ganz gute Routine die ich versuchte aufrecht zuerhalten da ich hier ja auch fit sein möchte und Muskeln aufbauen, aber dann bin ich wiederum sehr faul und möchte eigentlich gar nichts tun. Und manchmal dachte ich zu mir selbst „eigentlich will ich das gerade nicht tun“ und ich sagte mir „muss ich auch nicht. Ich muss hier absolut nichts tun dass ich nicht möchte. Und wenn ich gerade einfach glücklich und contempt bin dann wunderbar“. Und so wurde ich fauler und fauler. Und dann habe ich auch noch meine Bücher fertig gelesen.

Und jetzt bin ich seit über 10 Tagen in einer Fantasy Reihe gefangen die eigentlich an Teenager gerichtet ist, aber das ist ok. Ich devour die Bücher förmlich und bin nach 10 Tagen mit 3 Büchern durch. Und während dieser 10 Tage hatte ich eine rechte, nicht Erleuchtung, da ich es ja schon immer in mir wussten nur nicht zuließ, aber Feststellung. Ich bin halt doch nen ziemlich weiches ei und so wie jeder und will auch das was jeder andere auch will. Einen Partner im Leben, Chemie mit jemandem, einen soulmate. Ich bin halt auch nur a big romantic und das wird mein Ende sein, da ich es nicht sein will und mir nicht eingestehen möchte aber so ist es nun mal. Es waren ein paar Dinge im Buch beschrieben, in denen ich mich so wieder fand (keine Panik, es ist ein Kinderbuch, das dramatischste was hier passiert ist händchenhalten) Körperkontakt auf den man hin nicht wusste wie man reagieren soll da man das ganze selbst nicht will oder gestartet hat, und denkt wie soll ich jetzt reagieren? Was wird von mir erwartet? Ohne das zu tun was man tatsächlich will und dem ganzen eine Natürlichkeit gibt. Und das ist was ich möchte. Ich möchte dass ich mal die Person bin die etwas möchte die etwas anleitet wo ich ganz klar weis ohne denken zu müssen „das ist was ich gerade will“ und nicht ständig analysieren zu müssen „was wird nun von mir erwartet?“.

Die Bücher sind wie gesagt für Teenager (auf keinen Fall so schlimm wie Twilight) aber so simple Dinge wie das alt bekannte Love-triangle wo er sie berührt und sie denkt „Ugh was mach ich jetzt?“ und dann den richtigen anschaut und ganz genau weiß was sie jetzt machen möchte. Und naja Long Story Short das hätte ich wohl auch gerne und habe es mir eingestanden und muss es nun auch nach jahrelange vehementen abstreiten dem Rest der Welt sagen. Also muss ich nicht, aber werde ich.

Derzeit bin ich im learn Buch der Reihe und ich möchte danach erst mal wieder nichts „packendes“ lesen weil ich gerne wieder eine leere in mir erreichen möchte, die mir vielleicht Dinge aufzeigt auf die ich noch mal acht geben sollte.

Es sind noch 9 oder 10 (kommt drauf an wann ich dann wirklich umziehe) Tage bis ich zu Tami ziehe und dort dann 2 Wochen ihre Hunde hüte und dann fliege ich auch schon zu Gary und nach Hause. Daher würde ich nun noch einmal gerne diese leere und den Frieden genießen und nichts und niemanden um mich haben und auf mein inneres hören können ohne das stimmen von außen auf mich einwirken und mich wieder versuchen zu formen. Ich möchte meine eigene Form sein.

Ich realisiere immer mehr, bei den ganzen Fragen wie es weiter gehen soll, dass ich mich extrem gebunden an zuhause fühle. An mein Zuhause. Meine Umwelt dort, meine Mitmenschen und Mittiere und dass ich Schwierigkeiten habe, zu denken ich muss diesen Ort für die Arbeit verlassen. Ich sehe meinen Mittelpunkt schon eher dort, in meiner Heimat. Ich kann mir natürlich vorstellen vielleicht für ein Jahr oder 2 wieder im Ausland zu sein und dort eine wundervolle, und erfüllende Tätigkeit zu haben, aber im Endeffekt sehe ich mich immer wieder dort hin zurückkehren.

Ist das die Sorge und „Angst“ vor neuem? Oder ist es das Zeichen dass ich dort hingehöre und mich entschieden habe?

Ich möchte aber auch nicht den Rest meines Lebens und die „beste Zeit“ meines Lebens weiterhin wie eine 50 jährige verbringen. Ich möchte einen wundervollen Zweck erfüllen, ich möchte Dinge verbessern, ich möchte lernen, ich möchte formen. Ich möchte schon raus.

Naja und diese Dinge würde ich dann gerne doch am Strand durchdenken ohne dass ich dauernd nur an ein Buch denken kann, somit wird es Zeit dass ich es fertig lese und es weitergehen kann.

Die Zeit endet hier so schnell, was wirklich schrecklich und traurig ist und ich möchte selbstverständlich nicht zurück. Ich möchte nicht zurück in dieses endlose nicht wissen, ich möchte nicht in die sinnlose Zeitverschwendung mit sinnlosen Tätigkeiten nur damit ich nicht „faul rumsitze“, denn ich bin ja anscheinend chronisch gefährdet nur zu warten dass ich erbe um dann nicht arbeiten zu müssen und dann steckt man mich also lieber in etwas seelenraubendes und zeitverschwendendes als mich einfach ich sein zu lassen.

Ich möchte mich eigentlich viel lieber darauf freuen nach Hause zu kommen, denn ich habe viel auf das ich mich freuen kann. Ich freue mich meinen Neffen kennenzulernen, ich freue mich meine wundervolle Schwester wiederzusehen und eigentlich möchte ich mich auch auf die Menschen die meine Eltern sind freuen. Aber ich freue mich ganz und gar nicht darauf das man wieder meint auf mich einreden zu müssen und mich zu kontrollieren und klein zumachen, wo ich es gerade über die letzen Monate geschafft habe, mich wieder in meine eigentliche Größe und Form zu entfalten ohne kleingehalten zu werden.

Deshalb ist es auch so wichtig für mich dass ich ausziehe. Sie wissen es nicht, aber sie halten mich klein und sie halten mich zurück. Ich möchte arbeiten ich möchte Geld verdienen und selbstständig sein und mein eigenes Leben führen. Aber ich weiß auch, das natürlich Dinge wie meine Igel dann schwieriger sind zu erhalten, wenn ich mein Leben führen möchte und unterwegs sein und wer füttert dann? Natürlich, ich kann mein Leben nicht von der Umwelt regieren lassen, aber sie geben mir Freude? Sie erfüllen mich? Wieso sollte ich das dann nicht weiter machen?

Ich hoffe wirklich es findet sich irgendeine Lösung. Ich möchte selbstständig ICH sein, ich meiner Größe und Form wie es richtig ist, ohne eine kleine Lücke in einem Haus fühlen zu müssen.

Wenn ich es so schreibe, weiß ich ganz genau was passieren muss damit ich das erfüllen kann, ich muss einen Job finden, irgendeinen der nicht seelenzerstörend ist und ich muss mein eigenes kleines Zuhause kreieren mir all den kleinen Dingen die mir Freude machen. Aber das braucht halt alles Geld und das habe ich nicht. Ich frage mich ob ich irgendwann auf das alles hier zurück schaue und denke, schau wie man mein Leben hingehalten hat und ich hätte dies alles schon viel früher haben können, oder ob ich denke tja nichts passiert, nichts da, nichts gekommen wäre ich doch schon viel früher im Scheiß Job geblieben und hätte schon zumindest eine kleine Summe aufbauen können. Mal gucken. (Wir wissen alle, in *dem* scheißjob bleiben wäre keine Option gewesen und niemals passiert).

[lemimmaid]

Day 6: Journal

Iaera (she/her)

A pinky shifted away from the pen in her hand in a practiced motion, gently nudging her glasses up her nose before returning to its starting position. As she leaned back in her chair, a quiet exhale escaped her lips, the tip of her head allowing the silver-blue locks to fall away from her face. How many hours a day was she expected to study? There was so much going on outside this castle, and she was destined to miss it all.

What a backwards existence, where Father kept the two of them holed up in the comfortable safety of home, while Mom and Tessie gallivanted across the worlds fighting dangerous monsters. A summary befitting a novel targeted at teenage girls, though she was beyond certainty that plenty had been inspired by her mother. She'd read several of them herself, in attempts to busy her mind amidst the suffocating amount of free time she faced. Memorizing the ins and outs of every trope, how they were marketed, the parts of her mother's life left conspicuously absent... fiction based in the reality that was the grandeur of Master Aqua.

Her sister was sure to get the same treatment sooner rather than later, no doubt. How would she handle it?

Iaera's musing stirred her out of her thoughts, the loops upon loops of boredom spiraling endlessly in her constantly buzzing mind. Allowing her gaze to fall to the door, she focused on the gentle bustle of the hallway outside. It truly seemed no matter how many people occupied the castle, it was empty. The echo chamber of her room was laden with specialized furniture, disorderly trinkets, and an overwhelming number of pillows and plush toys. Admittedly, she was glad she didn't occupy a larger space, one could only do so much with accessibility without becoming borderline nonsensical in construction. Regrettable that castles are built up instead of out. This entire world was built with an endless movement upward, it seemed, and the benevolent founders hadn't seen fit to add a ramp or two.

Listing into a fresh round of disinterest, she found her ears wandering from the noise outside her door to the far more appealing sounds filtering in from her window: the live symphony that was a Radiant Garden afternoon.

Her fingertips gently lay her pen between the open bindings of her notebook, marking her place, but beyond that, freeing her hands. Hands which moved to lightly caress the metal on either side of her, cool from the precisely 68 degree air, exactly as Uncle Even liked it. She oft considered the gloves Tessie wore to be more of a hassle than they were worth, but the weakness in her hands wasn't aided by cold fingers, she supposed. Perhaps a reassessment was in order...

With motions she imagined more than once would be just as fluid as moving one's own legs, she wheeled to the window, looking down at the vibrant world below. The overlapping voices of other children huddled around the edge of the fountain, ice cream in hand. Laughter and conversations of adults leisurely traversing the stone pathways lining the city, uneven cobble she had envisioned the cracks and valleys of many times. Dreams like the illusions her Father wielded, picturing the bounce and tremor of these wheels on those streets...

Hazarding a glance at the clock, Iaera found herself relinquishing another sigh. Father would be finished with his work soon, perhaps she could see something beyond this room today, at least. At any rate, she was certain to get considerably better stimulation from attempting to assert a word in edgewise with Even than she would staring into her soulless notes and textbook chapters she'd already passed over several times today alone.

She wheeled to the door, letting her gaze fall to the light pouring in from the window once again, the glittering sky of the most beautiful world in existence that lay just outside of her bedroom, from which her sister brought gifts and photographs and stories.

Perhaps one day she'd see it.

For now, all she had was illusion and fantasy.

Artists: @ramatetsu, Baydews, Chibi Dollmaker, Kureihii.

@khoc-week

[saberghatz]

1-70

OH MY GODODOD CRACKING MY KNUCKLES

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? YES PRETTY GOOD!!

02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? My friends :')

03: Do you regret anything? Like a billion things that I won't get into here >:)

04: Are you insecure? Only on Fridays

05: What is your relationship status? SINGLE YEAAA BOIEEIEEEE

06: How do you want to die? In my sleep would be the most ideal tbh I'm down for that

07: What did you last eat? Ritz crackers and peanut butter;;.....

08: Played any sports? IN MY LIFE? YEA!! RECENTLY? UHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh

I hate playing on teams so I usually just fuck about on my own or with friends, you'll never catch me joining like actual sports teams again

09: Do you bite your nails? Surprisingly no o-o

10: When was your last physical fight? Too long ago. I'm really itching. SOMEONE PLEASE SPAR WITH ME

11: Do you like someone? I WISH I DID. FUCK.

12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? HEEELL NAW I'M LIKE A GRANDMA WHEN IT COMES TO GOING TO BED EARLY (against my will, i am simply a tired bitch)

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? Everyone except the people I don't hate

14: Do you miss someone? Deeply :D

15: Have any pets? I don't have any personally, but my mom has two kitties named Nikki and Tessie. When I go visit her, I get to see them too. She had them since before I moved away, so I still consider them kind of my cats :')

16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? Lonely enough to do this, but also happy enough to do this

17: Ever made out in the bathroom? I thought this said 'have you ever made it out of the bathroom' and I'm like honestly no my ibs could never

On that note, no but call me

18: Are you scared of spiders? No :(

19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? I'd go back to a time before I was born, definitely the 70s or 80s just to experience it for awhile.

But if I was limited to only going back in time during the years I was alive, no I would never go back. I feel like I've learned a lot over the years and I don't want to lose that progress

20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? Probably the airport

21: What are your plans for this weekend? MY ROOMMATE BLAIR HAS A CHOW CHOW PUPPY AND WE'RE TAKING HER TO A DOGGIE SOCIAL ON SATURDAY. Also maybe going to an art show/mall on Sunday.

22: Do you want to have kids? How many? Zero, have you seen the state of the world??

23: Do you have piercings? How many? I have ear piercings, but I think they closed up :// I REGRET LETTING THEM CLOSE

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? Like in school? That's a lifetime ago oh god Science

25: Do you miss anyone from your past? Yes almost everybody I've ever known, whether it ended on good or bad terms. I am simply a sentimental soul with a horrible memory

26: What are you craving right now? Making out with a stranger that I know

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? @_@;;;.... yea

28: Have you ever been cheated on? No

29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? PROBABLY, I'M SORRY IF SO

30: What’s irritating you right now? Social media is grating on my fucking nerves, so much so that I'm weening off insta and twitter and I've ended up back here. Right here.

31: Does somebody love you? If so lemme know

32: What is your favourite color? Pink, white, gold

33: Do you have trust issues? Fortunately not

34: Who/what was your last dream about? I think I dreamed I was Percy Jackson and I was befriending some monsters instead of killing them.

35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? My roommate like literally yesterday :D

36: Do you give out second chances too easily? I'd give anyone a second chance, but I don't think I'd give a third chance.

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? I forgive because I don't hold grudges and then my memory is so rotten that I forget why I was mad in the first place

38: Is this year the best year of your life? ITS BARELY 2024 SO I CAN'T ANSWER YET

39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 16 I think. Shout out to Solangelo

40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? No but this made me realize I never have, and now I want to

51: Favourite food? I can't think of anything, so like I do at restaurant menus I'll default to chicken strips :)

52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Yes 100%

53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? shower, work on writing my fics, jerk off, draw, you decide what order

54: Is cheating ever okay? Never, unless your partner knows but then its not chEATING IS IT

55: Are you mean? Honestly maybe

56: How many people have you fist fought? Not enough (none. please. please spar with me I need to train)

57: Do you believe in true love? I believe some people believe in it and can find that for themselves. I hope I become one of them

58: Favourite weather? If I can't wear a bikini, I'm sad. But crisp Autumn mornings also hit like no other..

59: Do you like the snow? I love visiting the snow, I wouldn't want to live in the snow

60: Do you wanna get married? I haven't really thought about it lately. So currently, I guess not xD

61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? Hell yea, but turn up the heat

62: What makes you happy? @hyenahijinks @yuuidflourite @comets-nix and drawing

63: Would you change your name? Some people call me Grace which I like a lot, it's my middle name tho

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? I'd totally do it, but I'd probably get that fist fight I've been begging for instead

65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? Been there done that, we over it and stronger than ever >:)

66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? @hyenahijinks ILY bitch

67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? @hyenahijinks

68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? LOL MY MOM TODAY ACTUALLY

69: Do you believe in soulmates? ARE TRUE LOVE AND SOULMATES NOT THE SAME THING

70: Is there anyone you would die for? My friends and parents 100% but I'm also not like super attached to breathing to begin with so the decision would be very easy

THATS A HELL OF A WAY TO END AN ASK MEME THANK YOU FOR ASKING THESE HUMPHREY

[lovella-a-la-radio]

who were you before they broke you? -SEARCHING… -SEARCHING… -… name: lovella monique lynch nickname: levi (leh-vee), elle (never ella), tessie known aliases: poétesse, tessa, mirage age: cannonically, REDACTED; physically, 17 birthday: february 13 pronouns: she/her/hers face claim: ashley moore powers: pyrokinesis, radiofonokinesis her in five senses: scent-woodsmoke taste-cinnamon coffee sensation-the warmth of a fireplace sound-radio static vision-the color of wulfenite

gif source: serxndgifites blog icon credit: petiteblasee open rp | minor | nsfw, hate dni my handler (main blog): @wolfstar-being-ridikkulus

simply send in an ask or message to interact! important tags: #on air with tessa: (un)official full radio segments #tessa’s announcements: offically-mandated sanctioned public service announcements #the novella: not radio segments, actual roleplay with storylines #behind the curtain: out of character posts #us in the shadows: ??? prologue below—

-…is this thing on? [scroll to reveal transcript] -if you’re hearing this, it’s too late. know that i did the best i could to get back to you. [silence. a scuffling sound] -i’m sorry. i truly am. if i could change one thing, i’d never have left. you wouldn’t have taken that step into the unknown, would you? but then again, you were always the one with the answers. [silence] -tell mama i wish i could’ve reached her. i really did try to get back. but i suppose my words are too little, too late. -truthfully, that’s always been the case. but they’re all i have. [dry laughter] -i suppose that’s the problem, isn’t it? all these words and yet i can’t say a thing. [silence] -[hushed] they’re here. can you feel them? -i’m out of time. -please forgive me. if i never see you again, know that i thought of you until they broke me. you’re going to change the world. i’m so sorry i won’t get to see it. [silence] -[strained] NAME REDACTED? please, remember. you have to remember that— [DISTORTION LASTING SIX MINUTES 37 SECONDS.] [silence] [end transcript.]

[meet-at-tycho]

....... ALSO.

he likes when i compliment his voice I REALLY DO LOVE IT THOUGH. when i say youve been blessed by the tessie gods i REALLY mean that, genuinely. love when yr telling me about yr day, love when yr making absolutely bizarre autistic noises, love when you sing . YOU ARE SILLY!!!!!!!! ive genuinely. no i just LIKE YOU okay. me when i like you? me when i enjoy my best friend??? listened to those fucking stupid DUMB VOICE MESSAGES YOU SENT LIKE. ON LOOP.. to hear yr terrible awful jokes yes but also to hear yr laughter??? LIKE I WAS. TEEEHEHEEH... JOY. WHIMSY EVEN

i still will never forget that time she screamed exactly like a chimpanzee ripping someones face off during namielle fight that genuinely is one of the best moments of my life im. I PUT THAT MEMORY IN AFUCKING PICTURE FRAME AND REPLAY IT ALL THE TIME its so good. i like her voice too!!!!!! even when shes breaking the sound barrier SHES. I HAVE THE SILLIEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD FOR REAL/??? plus shes always saying the craziest shit like the way she'll go from dumb little termite to spitting poetry completely unprompted, like AWARD WINNING POETRY. LIFE CHANGING POETRY and then shes back to bug.

theyre both so talented too like. i wonder if i tell them that enough? I HOPE I DO BUT.. no im so. IM YR BIGGEST FAN ALRIGHT ill always be here rooting for you cuz THEYRE SO GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO... fantastic art, fantastic writing, mans playing the trumpet!!!!!!!!!!!! also the way he just talks about like. MUSIC THINGS TO ME, i dont understand a lot of it but i still love to listen so much like. YES SIR!!! 5/4 TIME SIGNATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do i know what this means, NO !!! but i still think its cute to listen to. AUTISM is always condoned here. the way shes always coming up with shit, i genuinely. i dont give a SHIT about that game at a base level, all of my appreciation comes from the shit shes come up with ITS THE ONLY THING PUSHING ME FORWARD...... so smart genuinely like. im fascinated by it i want to inspect her under a microscope (short joke) HOW ARE YOU LKE THIS... she just keeps creating and creating and its SO. endearing i love how they just create things all the time really i cant get enough IT MAKES ME SO PROUD TO SEE ANY OF IT.. guys please keep being you forever and always, even if you never see this PLEASEE keep shining okay you are so . good isnt a strong enough word, wonderful maybe.. everything!!!!! you are everything