#the journey of callie letting herself ask for what she needs! to let herself be taken care of!

[morallygreys]

reading that jo's depression and voluntary check in to inpatient psychiatric care was supposed to be callie's s13 storyline has absolutely destroyed my whole day, possibly life

[ofpowerwarrior]

The trauma is what build us. Jo Wilson wasn’t a stranger to the pain, she’s been handed an awful hand for her life. She was here because she held onto the pain and it drove her focus. It drove her to want to be the best surgeon, to prove to herself the strength she was capable of. There was a time when Jo didn’t value her life much, when she felt fear, when she would be trembling right now. She had a man that truly loved her with everything he had. And despite how Alex left; she wasn’t going to hold the grudge. She was mad as hell, she was hurting, she felt like she was suffocating inside. But Jo had weeks to deal with the gossip, with the haunted stares. Jo did the whole self pity party staying at Link’s before she decided to fled the city. She took a page out of Meredith’s book. She was disappearing; she didn’t want the stares, the gossips to start spirling once her stomach started to show. Her baby, her and Alex’s baby. 

It felt surreal, it felt complicated to explain. And even now as Jo was standing in the crowded airport with a familiar face, with Arizona. She felt out of place. She felt that safety and comfort in her own body, the habit to sneakingly place her hand over her stomach when the women had stepped back from each other. Having to tell people your husband left you for kids, for a ex wife that never saw his potential? It sucked, it was humiliating, it was a habit that Jo now felt used to. Everyone in the hospital knew; at first people asked “ How’s Jo? Or “ Izzie? What in the world? And Jo had to wear a smile and act unphased despite the knots despite how sick she felt. She vomited in the sinks, the toilets but now it wasn’t because of the aching in her skin, it was the baby; and each time Jo thought about her child she smiled. It was beautiful; and in this crazy unfortunate situation she knows her child was made with love, wholeheartedly. 

And for now She wore that soft smile, the one that she felt was real. Hearing the mention of the cravings, the brunette let a humored laugh escape her lips. Arizona always had that carefree energy, she always had a way of lifting the room. And right now being in her presence was exactly what I needed. To see her face, that dimpled smile, and I knew the right move was here in New York, be cared for, having a place to stay, and kind friends; Callie was my mentor at one point before she left; and I knew I was safe here. “ I’ve heard the stories, I remember when my intern year, when Meredith was grumpy during her time, and she would be eating any spare minute she had.” I had to laugh to myself; of course I knew each if I felt like fainting, that I had to eat, which is what I’ve been doing Link had always been the stickler for the eating; forcing tubes of pasta down my throat, but I was okay. Once the blonde had moved against the floors under us, Jo fell into step with the female. 

A short distance to the awaited car, Jo had carefully pulled her frame into the front of the car. She had pulled the clicking of the door shut. Hearing movements of baggage landing in the seats, along with the bubbly blonde finding her spot in the drivers seat. Her and Callie; it was cute, it was romantic even; their journey, their love that fell apart and found a healthy balance again. A smile continued until his name was popped up. Alex, the man of disappointment, the man that left and didn’t have the balls to tell Arizona himself. No sulking allowed, Jo scolded herself as lips formed a frown. “ He didn’t know I was pregnant, I didn’t know. But even now I told him, I never want to be Izzie, I never want to be the women that hides his kid from him. I don’t want anything from him. If he wants to be involved he can, I will let him, but that’s all. I don’t want him to want me, to want to be with us because of the child.” Jo had kept that one under her belt. She did call Alex and he was planning to come to New York to oversee some appoints insisting he wanted to be involved, and hey maybe Arizona could slap his arm or something, as for callie I nodded my head knowing I should be used to it. Saying the words He left me, for his crazy ex wife who never loved him but okay. Before I heard it I had never been more grateful to the change of topic, the center; and eyes casted along the window, as the car moved. Busy streets, the gloomy skies, and she loved the idea of witnessing the center Arizona helped make a name for, “ I’m really proud of you Arizona, leaving Seattle was hard, but here I met even if it was pink it’ll be stylish and make you feel safe.” A inside joke as she cracked a teasing smile on parted lips. Seattle well everyone hooking up with anything that moves apparently. Holding my tongue. 

“ It’s been nuts, obviously you know April left, but Amelia and link are actually expecting, although I’m not sure the baby is actually his..” Teeth sinking into her lip as she uttered the words. Messy; and Jo had her phone on her incase her best friend needed her; once he got his head out of his ass.

Someone to Lean on

@anunstablepast

Changes; for Jo it was normal to move from place to place. To form a new version of yourself. She had renamed herself; she had run from situations that felt haunting. A change of pace; a new place to settle down in felt normal. Jo never saw herself leaving Seattle; she never thought she’d have to. That was until her husband left her for an ex wife and a family he apparently always wanted. And Jo found herself pregnant and alone. She had Link who was her best friend; he’s been an angle in the last month. He’s ensured she ate, and took her to the few doctor appointments she had to go to. Especially if this move was to go as planned. Arizona had requested her scans; requested a last appointment with Carina before she board her flight. It was discrete, it was a need to know basis. Only a select few knew about the brunette’s condition. Jo didn’t want to be the talk of the hospital.

It took weeks for the whispers to stop. For the stares to stop after Alex left. After he abandoned her. Jo wanted to be okay; wanted to be happy. After a month of knowing; of starting to take care of herself she was adjusting. Carina promised not to tell; and Bailey understood her choice to leave town. Meredith was in the dark; she had manage to hide a pregnancy, she managed to still low until after she gave birth. That’s what she wanted; a place where she wasn’t the girl who got left. She wasn’t the girl with a crazy ex, Jo hated being spied on; being the talk of the hospital. The stars had lined up to where she was able to leave; go under the grid, with Bailey’s support; and having a place to stay with Arizona and Callie. She was lucky; to have a way out. It took a month given how awful her morning sickness had been. Jo had finally packed; the necessary items she needed; she was a light backer. Only a suitcase; and a carry on. She might be crazy; but the way the female looked at it was.. Her body was growing; she’s gonna be growing out of her cloths in a few months; and if she forgot anything that was required; she could pick it up in New York. 

She decided not to drive herself crazy; the hardest part was saying goodbye to Link. After much pleading; her friend understood why she needed to go for herself. It wasn’t about running; because Jo knew her home was Seattle; but in order for her to have her baby on her terms; she had to escape. Alex did a number on her; he ghosted her until he felt remorse; felt the need to own up to his mistakes. Jo wasn’t intending on sharing this news with him. But he reached out a few weeks ago; and he apologized; and one heat of the moment text ended with her uttering the words. In a single text; her good heart now had her attempting at a co-parenting arrangement with him; even if it hurt her. 

She was expected to inform him she landed when her plane landed in New York. Although the jury was out on that one. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the intercom; the announcement that the plane was landing. Fingers gripped hold of the armrest as she felt the right landing; luckily her stomach was playing nice with her today. Within minutes people were getting up. Jo was only about 3 months so she wasn’t showing yet; and decided to take the time to shoot the blonde a quick text. 

[ Text] Arizona. 

“ Just wanted to let you know I landed okay.” 

With a quick press of a send the brunette slowly lifted herself up to her feet. Lines of people exiting; she’d patiently wait. Jo wasn’t expecting Arizona to get her; she had an uber app set in, in case she had to call for a car. One problem at a time.

[dolls-self-ships]

So I don’t have part 2 done yet but I made a little intro with the narrator and the muses! Part 1

“In the pantheon of Greek Mythology, there are many tales and epics of love and romance. Orpheus and Eurydice, Physce and Eros, Apollo and Hyacinthus. Some say that stories about passion are the universal-“

“Oh, now we’re talkin!” The muse of comedy, Thalia, hollered from her painted spot on the bronze vase, which sat on a pillar in the dimly lit history museum.

“Um, e-excuse me, but I was in the middle of narrating.” The disembodied voice spoke.

“Oh, we know.” Melpomene, the muse of tragedy, chimed, stepping into frame on the pottery.

“But you’re makin’ this sound like a story that’s the opposite of passion.” Said Thalia, resting her hands on her hips,

“No offence.” The muse of dance, Terpsichore, added sweetly as she poked her head out.

Thalia nodded, a big excited smile on her face. “Mmmhm! We wanna hear about the drama, the spice, the seduction~ HA!”

“Now,” Calliope, the tallest, the muse of epic tales, elegantly strode into the middle, clasping her hands together. “Just tell us who this story is about, and we can take it from here, darling.”

The narrator continued. “Well, it’s, not your average tale, but-“

The petite muse Terpsichore gasped. “Oh! Is it about Zues and Hera?”

“Uh- no, it’s-“

“Hunkules and me~?” Thalia joked, gesturing to herself.

“What? No, it’s about-“

“I bet it’s going to be about the-“ the muse of history, Clio, was about to make an educated guess before the narrator re-interrupted.

“Would you ladies please let me finish?”

The five ladies collectively sighed.

Terpsichore waved her hand, smiling. “Okay, say your thing, baby.”

The narrator cleared his throat. “Thank you. As I was saying, this particular love story, is about, Hades and-“

All the five muses nearly jumped, their expressions ranged in varying levels of confusion, surprise, and even disgust.

“HADES?!?” They all shrieked.

“You mean the villainous Lord of the Underworld Hades?” Melpomene asked, just to make things clear that there wasn’t maybe a nice, good guy mortal who happened to be named Hades.

“Yes, that Hades. The God, of the Underworld.”

“Bob, have you been mixing up the scrolls again?! That man is E to the V to the I-L EVIL! Euck!” Terpsichore wailed, scrunching up her nose and sticking out her tongue.

The narrator stammered. “Yes, he is but, everyone deserves to be loved. Don’t you girls think?”

“Mmmhm,” Thalia crossed her arms. “Well maybe those who aren’t nasty no-good-evil-doing Lords of the Underworld.” She said, shaking her finger disapprovingly.

Clio nodded promptly and rolled out her scroll. “His records show nothing but bad deeds, plotting, and scheming!” She stated, reading off the roll.

“Yeah!” Terpsichore agreed. “Nothin’ but lying, taking advantage of all those poor mortals all the time!”

“And not to mention that man is more beastly than godly! Those sharp teeth and sunken eyes of his give me the heeby jeebies, Bob!” Thalia hugged herself, shivering at the thought of what she just described to the narrator.

“I understand the concern girls, but... haven’t you all considered that- maybe all that of could change? Um, minus the.. sharp teeth and sunken eyes part.”

“As crazy as it sounds, I think Bob may have a point here, darlings. Love, is a powerful thing~” Calliope advocated, balling her hands into fists and pumping her elbows to her sides to put emphasis on the word “powerful”.

“Ah, there you see? That’s the spirit!”

The tall muse nodded. “Mhm, now, why don’t you carry on with your story so my girls and I can sit back, and listen this time.” She gave accusing looks to her colleagues, which earned her sheepish smiles from all of them.

“Why thank you, Calli.”

Calliope nodded.

“Ahem, our story begins with a princess, named Kassandra-“

Thalia blinked. “Princess?! Oh I know Hades isn’t about to corrupt that poor pretty young thing! Not on my watch-“

“AHEM.”

Thalia snapped her lips together. “Ha, carry on.”

“Now, where was I? Ah yes, our story begins with Princess Kassandra. A beautiful young princess from the land, of Corinth. The youngest of three daughters, and yet, heir to her parents throne, was being sent to Athens to study the arts, history, and the art of diplomacy. However, the journey there would not be safe for her to go alone, and therefore, she needed a hero to protect her every step of the way. And that hero, ladies and gentlemen, was to be none other than our Hercules.”

[thegreatobsesso]

OC Intro: Callie Ray.

Hard to believe anybody would be drawn in by such crudeness, such gauche presumption; but nonetheless here she sat, swatting away admirers like mosquitos. "You think you're really something, don't you?" he asked her, watching with begrudging curiosity as she circled the rim of her empty shot glass with one long red fingernail.

She cocked an eyebrow at the question, then flashed an unfriendly smile. "I know I am."

name: Calliope Ydra Ray  (Calling her Calliope is strongly discouraged; she doesn’t like it one bit.)

age: 19, at the inciting incident; 31 at the end of the story.

gender: Cis woman

sexuality: Hoo boy. It’s a tough one. At the beginning of the book she’d probably call herself pansexual aromatic if she cared to learn what those things mean. She’ll likely sleep with anyone that pays attention to her. At the end? I know but I kinda think of it as a mild spoiler so I’m not gonna say. ;)

likes: dancing, getting drunk, magic, power, sweets, short dresses, high heels, lipstick, all things red, singing, sex, nightclubs, sunrise.

dislikes: smoking, dogs, children, being alone, being hungover, books without pictures, talking about her feelings, thinking about her feelings.

what’s her story?

When Callie is 19 and attending Delaney School for Magicians as a grad student, she murders one of her fellow students and disappears into the night. When the boy’s body is found and examined, they find his magic gone - extracted from his body and stolen, presumably by Callie, which shouldn’t be possible. This kind of magic hasn’t been seen for hundreds of years, since long before the truth about magic became known to the world.

No one who knew Callie can rightly be shocked. She was known for pushing boundaries and causing trouble, even though no one could have guessed the lengths she’d go to for power. She becomes a media sensation overnight, the object of intrigue, the object of a million and one theories. She’s young, conventionally attractive, unrestrained, powerful beyond imagining - and she could be anywhere.

what’s my grand plan?

At its heart, my WIP is a slow-burn unraveling of the truth behind the monster the media made. Callie’s both more and less than what everyone thinks. As the narrative continues (and, I guess, mild spoiler alert), I begin showing in tiny pieces how we’re really looking at a dumpster fire with a heart of gold. I get into all the things that contributed to the hot mess she is, including but not limited to, her own mistakes.

It’s a journey to self-awareness; to learning how to form genuine connections with other humans; and to understand what it means to be a good person and picking yourself up when you fail.

themes I explore with Callie:

Self-identity; the need to be different, special.

Religious trauma, sin.

The dismantling of the slut / party girl archetypes.

Anxiety/depression/PTSD through the eyes of someone who has no idea they have these things (for the greater part of the narrative, anyway). 

G u i l t.

♫ Callie playlist: Spotify link ♫

Natalia Kills - Stop Me

The Pretty Reckless - Heaven Knows

Meg Myers - I Really Want You to Hate Me

Little Mix - Power

Sia - Chandelier

Marina and the Diamonds - Shampain

Veridia - Feed the Animal

Halestorm - Amen

Icon for Hire - Supposed to Be

Florence + the Machine - Hurricane Drunk

Ruby Amanfu - Bitch 

Sia - Chandelier (Piano Version)

in conclusion:

Callie’s an abrasive, loud, confused, obnoxious, sweet hellspawn who needs a giant hug. She’s a hot mess and she’s MY hot mess. If I spend a decade trying to get her story right, it’ll be worth it.

And the way I’m tracking... I just might. ;D

--

And folks, if I should tag anything here with a trigger warning that I didn’t touch on below, please let me know. Still learning the ropes and one could argue Callie is one giant trigger warning, bless her heart.

[calliew]

bittersweet enigmas | Kemper & Callie

“Fear is more contagious than the plague and communicates itself in an instant.” Were the words written on the blurb of the book at the top of the pile she had selected to join her on this journey. Everything was still in as many boxes as she had managed to fit in the car three days ago. During her younger years, she used to stay in the library until late at night like a tortoise retracting its head into the shell. Her hands caressed the spines of books as though they were visas in her passport. She yearned for what was in those books – a freedom to go anywhere she pleased without feeling lost. But now that she had finally arrived to a foreign land, there seemed to be no map that could possible guide her.      

The brunette was ready to call it a day as she approached the white lab coat that rested on the chair and took out of its pockets the medical samples she had managed to take from the hospital before placing them on the table. Those couldn’t be her dinner – she had decided to stop taking them, to finally come face to face with the reality that came to life in that town more than anywhere else. But maybe tonight she’d need at least one of those to treat insomnia. Back in Chicago, she rarely had time to waste with deadly vises after her daily commitments. Or at least that was until she began returning to a place she no longer found it in herself to call it home because her fiancé only existed in the pictures of the living room’s frames. But wine had become one of her best friends, something that time from time again proved to never let her down. And the only thing she had picked up on her way back home after paying Nicky a visit, almost forgetting that her fridge was empty. All she could do now was play the waiting game and see if any of those days the only face she needed to see again decided to show up. So after ordering some pizza over the phone, she poured a glass that nestled safely in her hands and leaned against the counter. 

Being alone was no good for Callie Winthrop. It gave her eyes time to focus, her brain time to form questions that should remain unanswered and dig up memories that should remain buried. Even though deep down she was still a curious creature, a strange combination of proud and insecure, the thought of everything made her less of the woman who had once had an unending zest for life, an energy that rose up to greet the world in whatever challenge it threw at her. It was no wonder why her life revolved around so many unsolved issues. And she could sit there with a pen in hand and express those confessions in that little diary of hers, but it never answered her back. But what if she did share it with someone? What if she were to text her therapist right there and explain how no medicine could put to sleep the thoughts that were only louder in that city? She had learned her lesson and knew only depending on herself was for the best, but she could recall vividly how untethered it made her feel to express her remorses and to have someone right there who understood her and not be judged for it. 

The sound of the doorbell interrupted her deep session of reminiscence. She looked down at the little golden watch wrapped around her wrist that had been a birthday present - did they have their own units of time? or maybe a different timezone and her clock was behind. How could an hour translate to five minutes? Did they hire witches to defy time and space in their kitchens? Were the boxes delivered by fairies? Her vibrant mind made up more and more possible explanations as she put the glass down and searched for the keys. “Coming!” She called as she neared the door but she spent at least a minute trying to remember and see which of those keys was the right one. A part of her was glad that place had a key for each door and window. It made her feel safer. But the other part of her knew she’d have to paint them with different colours or something soon or she’d be late for work every single morning. Before opening the door, she made sure the umbrella that stood behind it was still there. She didn’t know how much she’d be able to use it in an act of self defence but that was yet another thing that made her feel safer. “Hey, sorry to have kept you waiting.” She apologised as she held the door open with the back of her dark ankle boots and rifled through her wallet. “Do you happen to have change for a twenty bill?” She asked, not meeting the other person with her eyes yet.

@k-harding​

[zedb1939]

Aura’s Dawning Recital: A Destiny 2 Dawning Fanfiction:

——————

Aura Winters sighed as she looked down at her sheet music and notes in her hands as she felt nervous as she scratched through her purple hair and then slammed her head against her desk. She just groaned before she turned her head and looked at the group photo she had of her fireteam before the Red War. She stood in the middle of the 6 with a smile and a peace hand-sign held up next to Cole Marks on her right who had his arm around her waist while Zed-2 leaned against her left shoulder with his hood pulled up and him giving an Exo grin. On the ground sat a female Titan, Callie, and 2 Hunters, Amaya and Anders Flores, a couple. The 2 were gone in the assault on the City, leaving only Zed, Aura, Cole, and Callie, who sadly lost her Ghost and was left paralyzed, and demoralized at the Therapy Center and stayed.

She stroked her hand against the framed photograph as she then groaned and wished she could go back to those times before everyone got all serious and verklempt. “You know you can sleep...” Said a digital feminine voice as her Ghost, Cassiopeia or Cass for short, floated next to her with her trippy colored Neon Helix Shell. “How’s the song coming along?” She asked in a happy French tone as she twirled to be in front of Aura, who’s face gave her an answer. “Oh...I see...what’s wrong Aura?” She asked her Guardian who just leaned back into her chair.

“Not to well my little friend...I just don’t think I can do it...” She said with a frown as she brushed her hair around and then her golden eyes met her Ghost’s bright blue one. “It’s just...after everything...Deputy-Commander Sloane, Brother Vance...Uncle Asher...” She said with a sniffle as Aura began to have tears drip from her eyes. The Awoken Warlock was crying as she held her arms close to her chest before Cass flew close and snuggled against her cheek.

“Hey hey hey...Aura you don’t have to carry this burden all by yourself...I know you miss them...especially Asher...but I know they would want you to celebrate the togetherness. You still have me, Cole, Hestia and Zed...” Cass said with a positive tone as she comforted her Guardian who sniffled and then turned her head and then hugged her and smiled. “Oh Cass...what would I do without you?” She asked her Ghost with a chuckle.

“Most likely you’d die from boredom and be forced to help New Lights...” Cassiopeia said with a happy tone as she pulled away and helped her Guardian as the two finished practicing for Aura’s recital in a couple of hours.

——————

Aura then breathed in and out as she adjusted her Frostreach robes and outfit as she closed her eyes and breathed once more. After doing so she looked out at the amphitheater in a park of The Last City. Sitting in the rows were dozens of citizens and Guardians alike, from Exo to Awoken to lots of Humans, with a few stray Ghosts here and there. Sitting in the front row were her best friends, Zed-2 the Exo Hunter and his Ghost Zephyr, then the Human Titan with an Awoken/Human baby in his lap, Cole Marks, their daughter Hestia, and his Ghost Howitzer.

Aura smiled happily and waved at Cole who waved back at her. She had flushed cheeks as she then rubbed her hair back and put a flower into her hair and breathed out once a Ghost flew out to introduce her.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and Guardians alike!!! We at the Guardians Entertainment Guild are proud to wish you all a Happy Dawning!!! I am Didi the Ghost, here to present one of our newest members in her debut with a Pre-Golden Age song for you all!! So please give a warm welcome to Aura Winters and her Ghost Cassiopeia!!!” Didi, The Ghost of Marcus Wren, announced aloud to the crowd as the curtains opened to show Aura standing in the middle of the stage.

Aura breathed out as she looked out at the people, her staring at Cass and then began to sing out.

“Children...sleeping...”

“Snow, is softly falling...”

“Dreams are calling...”

“Likes bells in the distance...”

~~~~

As she sang the people and children listened and fell in love with her beautiful voice as she said each word and matched up with the tone of the music. She had salvaged the song from an old Pre-Golden Age music system. She had reforged it into a more fitting City song the Guardians and others could use better.

~~~~

“We were, dreamers...”

“Not so long ago...”

“But one by one...”

“We all had to grow up”

~~~~

She continued as the music started small and would remain so calm and easy that it made it easy for everyone to follow it and sing along once they heard enough of the music.

~~~~

“When it seems the magic slipped away...”

“We find it all again day by day...”

~~~~

She kept going while Cass played the music through the speakers and she spun around with her little accenting lights from her shell spreading out a bunch of projections. As the Dawning snowflake projections moved around the children of the City giggled and laughed as they listened.

~~~~

“Believe in what your heart is saying...”

“Hear the melody that's playing...”

“There's no time to waste...”

“There's so much to celebrate...”

~~~~

She continued to let her voice carry and move throughout the amphitheater. Slowly snow began to fall as the civilians bunched together in blankets and heaters while Guardians seemed unphased as they sat and admired Aura with awe and admiration. Zed-2 leaned back and smiled with his glowing red eyes showing his admiration. Cole held his daughter who stared in amazement at her mother and knew it was her voice in the air.

~~~~

“Trains move quickly...”

“To their journey's end...”

“Destinations...”

Are where we begin again...”

~~~~

“Ships go flying...”

Far across the sky...”

“Trusting starlight...”

“To get where they need to be...”

~~~~

“When it seems that we have lost our way...”

“We find ourselves again on day by day...”

~~~~

“Believe in what your heart is saying...”

“Hear the melody that's playing...”

“There's no time to waste...”

“There's so much to celebrate...”

~~~~

“Believe in what you feel inside...”

“And give your dreams the wings to fly...”

“You have everything you need...”

“If you just believe...”

~~~~

“If you just believe...”

“If you just believe...”

“If you just believe...”

~~~~

“Just believe...”

“Just believe...”

~~~~

She finished her song as she slowly opened her eyes and was met with a roar of applause as the crowd erupted in approval and compassion for Aura’s beautiful rendition of an old song from before the Golden-Age.

She smiled and giggled happily as she rubbed her hair around as she grew some tears before taking a bow with her Ghost and then stood up straight and then she sighed out as she was handed bouquets of flowers for herself as she walked off the stage and was greeted and complimented. She then made it over to her fireteam and daughter. “Aww there’s my favorite people in the universe!!!” Aura said with a smile as she walked over to her and hugged them all.

“Damn Aura! I knew you were a good singer but that was amazing!!” Zed said as he hugged her tightly and he pulled away, his cloak bellowing slightly as he looked at her with his Exo smile. “Aww you flatter me Mr. Exo...” Aura said with a smile as she waved a hand at him. Zed just chuckled in response before he saw Cole come over it’s his and Aura’s infant daughter, Hestia.

“And there is my adorable little hearth nugget!!!” Aura said with a wide smile as she walked slightly fast to her husband holding her daughter in his arms as she giggled and then got in a group cuddle hug as she reached out for her mother’s face. “Well did you think Cole?” Aura asked Cole as he looked at her with his blue and blind white eye. “Hmm...well it was a little pitchy...” He said before smiling widely.

“Ah I’m just yanking your Ghost!! You were beautiful!! Me and Hestia both thought so! Isn’t that right Hesty?” He asked her as she giggled and nodded. “Mama goodie!” The little Awoken/Human hybrid baby said as she cuddled her mother from her little flannel onesie. Aura giggled happily as she hugged her daughter and husband. Truly she was blessed in every sense.

“Hey how about we go get some Ramen? My treat!!” Zed suggested with a smile as he looked at them and they laughed and nodded. “That sounds wonderful Zed. What do you think Hesty?” She asked her daughter with a smile as Hestia nodded and she then booped her nose. “Ramen for our Dawning Feast!!!” Aura said with a smile as they all cheered and proceeded down the streets of The Last City, truly it was a Happy Dawning indeed for Fireteam Blitzkrieg.

——————

The End

——————

Song: Edited version of Believe by Josh Groban

All OC’s created and Fireteam Blitzkrieg goes to myself.

Didi The Ghost belongs to Bungie and Destiny and SPL Hunter Marcus Ren ^^

[stargirl7856]

Still Holding On

Chapter 3 : Just Keep Breathing

Title: Still Holding on

Rating: T

Chapter summary: Lexie arrived at the hospital, but will everything  be okay?

4 weeks later..

Lexie slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by  a bright light and a beeping noise. She could hear the voices of several people.  As she slowly adjusted to her surroundings, she realized that she was lying in a hospital bed.

“Oh , good you are awake” she heard someone say..

Lexie looked up and saw it was Owen.

“What happened?” Lexie asked, a bit dazed.

“You suffered a lot of injuries from the plane crash and as a result had a lot of internal bleeding,” Owen replied. 

“What type of injuries?¨ Lexie questioned.

“Mainly just some broken bones in your leg and some tremors in your hand.”

“Don’t worry, you are going to have a couple of surgeries to fix your bones. 

Lexie was taken to the O.R by Dr. Torres (operating on Lexie), Bailey, and a couple of other doctors.

Several hours later...

It was very late by the time her first surgery was over. All of the doctors had tried the best they could to fix Lexie’s bones. She still had two more surgeries to do to fix her legs and arms. After the surgery was done they had sent Lexie to a room; 304.

Lexie laid  down on the bed, her head running wild like a computer on overdrive, memories from the crash were playing through her head. She was thinking to herself:  I was just in a plane crash and I survived, Mark said he loved me and wanted to get married, I was crushed under a plane.  Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knocking on the door. She looked up and saw it was Meredith.

¨Hey,” Meredith said, softly walking towards Lexie and pulling up a chair, so she could sit in front of her. 

¨Hey,” Lexie replied.

¨How are you?” Meredith asked.

¨I am doing okay, for someone who was literally crushed underneath an airplane,” Lexie stated.

¨You almost died out there and it made me realize that I am very grateful to have you as a sister.¨ Meredith sighed.

 ¨Thank you,¨ Lexie responded.

¨I love you, Lexie!” Meredith exclaims.

¨I love you too,” Lexie says.

They hug each other and Lexie asks, 

 ¨So, how is everyone else doing?¨

¨Well, Cristina is currently in Minnesota; she suffered a lot of PTSD and wanted to get a fresh start. Derek can’t  operate since his hand is injured,  and Arizona broke her leg and is going to therapy to fix it. And, well, Mark he was here almost everyday waiting for you to wake up.¨

“I know,” Lexie says, hesitating.

¨I mean, he said he wants to marry me and have kids.¨

¨Isn't that good?¨ Meredith questioned.

“It’s just that he is still with Julia, and I don't know what to do about that,” Lexie states.

¨Well, if he is smart he will break up with Julia. I mean, the guy is head over heels in love with you.¨

¨Thanks, Mere.”

¨No problem,” Meredith replies.

¨Where is Mark right now?¨ Lexie asked.

¨He went home to freshen up and take a quick power nap. Should I page him?¨ Meredith asked.

¨Yes, that would be great,” Lexie replies.

Meredith pages Mark.

Mark is laying down on his bed thinking to himself about everything that has happened in the span of the last couple of months, when all of a sudden he hears his pager go off. He sits up and reaches for his pager and reads it. ¨Needed now in room # 304¨ Mark quickly dashes off to the hospital. When he arrives at the room, his mouth widens forming a smile, when he sees Meredith and Lexie talking and laughing. He interrupts them and asks them if he can come in. Meredith then asks Lexie if he can come in. Lexie replies, ¨Yes, of course let Mark in we need to talk after all.” Before Meredith leaves Lexie to pick up Zola from daycare, Lexie requests Meredith to tell Derek that she wishes him good luck. She also asks Meredith to bring Zola before they leave. After Meredith leaves, Mark sits down in the chair in front of Lexie and says, “You know I meant everything I said at the crash.” 

“I know,” Lexie says -“ but it is just you are still with Julia and it is not fair to you or her.¨

¨Lex, I already broke up with her the minute I arrived at the hospital.¨

¨Really?” Lexie questioned.

¨Yes, really there is no one else I want to be with, but you.¨

¨May I kiss you, Lexie Grey?¨

¨Yes, you may Mark Sloan.¨

Mark kissed her slowly like they were the only people in the world. After all this time, the kiss felt magical. Lexie pulls away giggling, she is about to say something before Callie and Bailey come in. ¨I just came to give an update on you. So it looks like your legs healed pretty well after the surgery, but they are still very weak and you are going to need a lot of physical therapy to be able to walk normally again. Here is the bad news: your arm was really badly injured and we do not know if it will be fixed after you go into surgery.” Callie says. ¨So that is why we have to get you into surgery right now for your arm,” Bailey adds.  The doctors wheel Lexie into the O.R to perform her surgery. 

A few hours after the surgery…

The surgery was successful and fortunately Lexie would be able to gain function of her arm again, it would just take a long time and a lot of work to heal. It would be a journey of a thousand miles, but she was already one step there.

[mintchocolateleaves]

Locked Out The Other Side (1/?)

Summary: At the end of the day, Jake isn’t brave, or an adventurer. He wants to be, but he is not. He is just a sixteen-year-old boy who wants to go home, Or, on Earth-C, Jake can't find himself settling down in the same way others do. So, he decides to head somewhere that seems more like home. His own, personal adventure.

Notes: You guys KNEW THIS WAS COMING. I mention reading HS, you all should have known. Okay so essentially, I love Jake. I wanna write a lot for him. If tumblr’s being a pain then here’s an [AO3 Link]

Jake isn’t exactly sure what he’s expecting the moment he opens his eyes, but honestly, it’s not this. He’s not expecting to wake up halfway across the tiny village they now call home, with goosebumps on his arms and eyes staring up at the stars. He’s pretty sure he should be back in his new room, the one that’s bare of any movie posters, and not in the cold of the evening.

Although really, he says that it’s cold, but frankly, it’s not that much. Not really.

Sure, goosebumps are rising up his skin, but that doesn’t mean he’s not comfortable, lying here and staring up. It’s nice knowing that he’s one of the reasons these stars exist now, except, well, not really, he didn’t really do anything and Jake knows that and-

Oh.

Maybe lying down here looking up at the stars isn’t so comfortable after all.

He pushes himself up, blinks as he rubs at his eyes and checks to see if his phone is in his pocket. In the past, he used to text mainly with his skull-top helmet, but now that seems kind of… silly. And impractical.

Nowadays it’s just him and his phone, and honestly, Jake is surprised when pushing into his pocket shows that he does, in fact, have his phone on him. For a moment it was a little nice to think maybe, in the depths of the evening, it had been just him.

Still, his phone is here, still mostly charged, and so he takes the opportunity to check Pesterchum. He wouldn’t want to be ignoring anybody, because honestly, he’s probably a bit too skilled at ignoring people and that’s not a skill he should be condoning.

Honestly, he shouldn’t be surprised that there are none.

He scrolls down and there are messages from the day before, all of them answered in quick succession because else the same tightness in his chest would return. A message from John mentioning how they’re hosting a movie night and wouldn’t it be cool if Jake joined them? A quick hello from Roxy asking if he was going to explore a little bit with her, Jane and Dirk.

Both rejected.

It’s not that Jake doesn’t want to watch any movies, but the idea of getting together in a big group kind of leaves him feeling kind of… strange. Like, he’d probably be so focused on not making a huge fool of himself that he’d end up making a fool of himself – and even then, he wouldn’t even be watching the movie.

He’d told John maybe another time. Maybe they could watch movies with just the two of them? He kind of thinks that’d be nice.

And the whole Roxy exploration idea? Gee, it’d be cool and all, he’s always loved exploring but well. Jane hates him, and Dirk was so mad at him when they broke up and honestly, most days he thinks Roxy’s only being nice to him because she’s like, pitying him and just being polite.

His phone buzzes.

-- gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering golgothasTerror [GT] at 04:21 --

GG: hi jake!!!

GG: couldnt sleep either huh

GT: Not really.

GG: that sucks :(

GG: i cant really sleep either so i was just tending to the plants were growing

GG: have you been to the green house yet

GT: Not yet.

GG: its pretty cool im growing pumpkins again

GG: remember in our letters how i was always losing pumpkins

GG: i recently found out that it was roxy who was taking them shes really cool :)

GT: Yeah.

GG: hey jake are you okay you dont seem okay :(

GT: Gosh jade i didn't mean to worry you!!

GT: I'm actually feeling quite merry right now!

GT: I woke up because it's a bit chilly in here so i'm going to get nice and toasty and head back to sleep.

GT: Sorry i can't stay and talk but an adventurer needs his sleep you know!!

GT: until tomorrow jade!

-- golgothasTerror [GT] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 04:24 --

GG: ok

GG: :(

GG: im worried about you jake

GG: ill talk to you tomorrow

-- gardenGnostic [GG] ceased pestering golgothasTerror [GT] at 04:31 ----

 Jake slips his phone back into his pocket, pushing himself up so he can hug his knees. Now that he’s firmly not looking at the sky and the stars, he’s staring out past their village, to the trees that seem to loom over them.

He’s not sure whether they loom because they’re so large, or whether it’s because recently he’s been feeling pretty small.

Jake isn’t entirely sure, but he doesn’t really think the difference is that large anyway, so not knowing is fine. Adventurers don’t mind not knowing things, and Jake is an adventurer, even if he’s not really been doing much of that recently.

Breathing out a sigh, he blinks again.

Funny how since they’ve come to Earth-C they’ve all pretty much stayed in the same area. Sure, they adventure out sometimes – like Roxy and the others, they’d been fine with looking around the immediate vicinity – but he doesn’t think that they’ve gone any further than a few miles.

Maybe because they’ve got a home here, and there’s no point searching for anything else when they’ve already got that.

The only thing is, with the busyness of this entire place, the amount of people – human, troll or carapace – Jake doesn’t really consider this place to be home. He’s got a room, and he’s got his own space, but home isn’t…

Home isn’t this.

It is secluded, hidden away on an island that is purely his. It’s overgrown vines and mystic ruins, isolation and seclusion. It’s having the space to be on his own without ever feeling like he’s trying to hide away.

Disappearing is something Jake’s been trying to do recently. He’s not altogether good at it, but he’s not bad at it.

Really, it’s not that he wants to disappear, but rather: Jake wants what he’s wanted since their session ended, since it even began, and that’s just… to go home. Earth C is so foreign to what he’s used to, that most days he thinks that maybe everything he’s remembering is gone for good.

Actually, that isn’t a half bad idea.

If it’s impossible to feel settled here, in his bare room and isolated state, nervousness swimming through him – then why doesn’t he try to find the home he remembers? This new earth is similar in a lot of ways, so he reckons he could find at least something resembling the pacific island he’d lived on.

And if he can find it, then surely, he can… settle there.

It’s not like this place is really tying him down. He doesn’t know most of the people living here well enough to be tied to them, and those he does know? Roxy, Jane, Dirk…

Well, then they have their space from him. He wouldn’t want the lot of them to be anymore pestered by him than they already have.

It’d be an adventure.

And adventurer would definitely go for it. They’d map out the lands they explored, take note of the terrains as they search for the treasure that they’re certain is out there. They’d explore everything, they’d see places that they’d never been before and goddammit, maybe Jake hasn’t been an adventurer in a while but he-

He kind of wishes he could be one now.

He wishes he believed in himself enough to be one, to take that first step and grab everything he needs, to let everyone know that he’s going to find something great, past this village that they’re trying to raise. Jake wishes he was brave enough for that.

But he’s come to realise that honestly, he feels more like a fake, feels more like a coward than anyone brave, so he doesn’t. He doesn’t have the courage to let everyone know, to be an adventurer who gets to go on some sort of quest.

At the end of the day, Jake isn’t brave, or an adventurer. He wants to be, but he is not.

He is just a sixteen-year-old boy who wants to go home.

And that want is all he needs to decide to head out in search of it. It is not an adventure. It’s not some miraculous journey for him to find himself, or anything. It’s just Jake, and his head, and the thought that maybe things will feel a little better when he’s home.

-

It is a bright morning, the skies holding no clouds in sight, and Roxy Lalonde is ready for action.

She’s got a lot of plans in action for today, actually, because the sun is bright and although she’s late to push herself out of bed, she’s got things to do.

Most of the things are similar to yesterday. Help build a little more of the village up, help Jane with some baking, spend some time drawing with Callie. But today – today Roxy has a brand-new plan that she’s been musing over for a while.

Well, it’s more something she’d tried in a different way before, but today she’s pushing the issue. No longer will she skirt around it.

Roxy is going to find a way to bring their friendship group together again.

She’s been trying to subtly bring them altogether for a while now, and frankly, it’s been harder than she’d expected. Well – not really. The motion has been mostly a success.

Callie has integrated into the group easily enough, which has been amazing. And Jane has become much more comfortable talking with Dirk again, which is even better, because Roxy had been lowkey worried that their mutual affections would cause some bittersweet rivalry.

And Roxy herself, has managed to get over the big, awkward crush she’d tried to force onto Dirk in the past, managed to move past to a point where their conversations don’t seem as strained anymore.

There’s only one person that they’re missing and that’s Jake.

Roxy isn’t a fool, she knows when someone is dodging her attempts to bring everyone together, and Jake has been doing just that. He’s kind of a shut-in to be honest, turning down all of her promises for adventure before she even has the chance to emphasise how awesome they’re going to be.

But enough is enough.

Today is the day.

Roxy’s got her game on and she’s going to drag Jake out on an adventure with them today, whether he wants to or not. Even if he throws a tantrum and the entire day goes horribly for it, she doesn’t care.

They’re going to hang out because how else are they supposed to get over all the things they’ve said and done to each other as a group. She won’t let him remain idle while the rest of the universe moves on.

No throwing away of friendships today, no, no.

Jake lives near the end of the village, on the side nearer to the river than the forest. It’s not that far a distance from where Roxy herself lives, so she settles on walking, letting her kitten, Frigglish the second, pad along beside her for some exercise.

“Let’s go get Jake,” she says to the cat, leaning down to run her fingers through soft fur, grinning as the cat follows beside her. “This is going to be so, frickin’ sweet.”

 -- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] started pestering gutsyGumshoe [GG] at 11:05 --

TG: janey

TG: adventrue today!!!

TG: *adventure

TG: be ready okay

GG: Alright, see you soon! :B

GG: Cupcakes?

TG: hells yeah <3

-- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] stopped pestering gutsyGumshoe [GG] at 11:09 --

 -- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] started pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 11:10 --

TG: di-stri!!!

TG: ur adventurin wit/ us today right??

TG: u cant say no

TT: If I can’t say no, then isn’t the answer yes?

TG: exactly!!

TG: see u there

-- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] stopped pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 11:14 --

 -- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] started pestering golgothasTerror [GT] at 11:15 --

TG: jakey-boiii

-- golgothasTerror is now an idle chum! --

TG: dammit jake

TG: were draggin you out of isolation

TG: this is a prison break

TG: we wont take no for an answer

-- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] stopped pestering golgothasTerror [GT] at 11:16 --]

 “You know what Frigglish the second,” Roxy says, glancing down at her cat as it pads along beside her, coming to a stop just outside the door to Jake’s house. “I think this adventure is going to be pretty epic.”

Frigglish the second lets out a small mewl that Roxy takes as agreement. Then, he lets out a second mewl that’s a slightly different pitch. Roxy implies the meaning to be one of, knock on the door already.

Roxy does.

Knuckles rapping on the door, she offers three sharp knocks, waiting for the any signs of life behind the door. She doesn’t know much about Jake’s sleeping habits recently, but she doesn’t think he’d still be asleep at eleven in the morning. He’d always seemed like more of an early bird.

“Jake!” She knocks again, this time, several more raps echoing a jingle she remembers enjoying before they’d played Sburb. “Jakey, open the door, we’re going on an adventure!”

Jake does not open the door.

Fine, if he wants to play things that way, Roxy thinks, then she’ll just up her game. She’s not a rogue of the void for nothing.

Closing her eyes, Roxy visualises the object she wants in her mind, fingers tingling slightly as she tries to bring the object into existence. It doesn’t take too long until she feels the object plop into her hand, corporeal and weighty.

“Last chance Jake,” Roxy calls, opening her eyes again. There is no movement. “Fine, I’m coming in.”

Taking the object she’s conjured, she lifts it up to the door handle. It’s a key, brass coloured, and it fits within the hole almost as if it were the real thing. Maybe because with her powers, it pretty much is.

The door unlocks with a faint click, and Roxy pushes it open, wincing slightly at the creak. Jake’s really got to put that on his to-do list, creaks like that belong in a horror movie or something.

“Jake?”

She searches through the rooms individually, glancing around. Some areas are messier than others, but most importantly, they’re all empty. No life in sight other than Roxy and her cat.

Jake is gone.

[niall-is-my-dream]

You & Me - Part Seventeen

2600 words

November 8th 2017

Nialls POV

The positive reaction from the fans for the album was beyond your wildest dreams. They had already started to sing along, clearly having been on youtube and seen fans recordings of previous shows. It had been great getting back on the road again, tour bus life was something you had been use to and actually enjoyed. Even the living out of a suitcase and backpack part.

Something you were not enjoying however, was being separated from Callie. Since you'd got together just over two months ago you'd spent some of your nights together and some apart. You obviously preferred to be together, but had been fine for the week when you'd gone to Scotland for the golf event you had attended. However knowing that her being on the other tour bus was the reason you were apart was driving you crazy. Callie had been adamant that she would travel as contracted with the crew. The agreement being that when you were in a city for more than just the show night and not travelling to the next city inbetween, then she would stay with you in your room of the hotel. 

However the last time that had happened was 8 days ago, and you were missing her. 

The crew often headed off before you, as you had interviews and things to do. And when you had been at the venues it had been hectic and you'd had hardly any time alone.

The night of the CMA's was the same. You'd spent time with her and the band when you were rehearsing with Maren Morris. Introducing Callie as your guitar tech and girlfriend to Maren had felt amazing. You felt proud when she spent time chatting with her and her team, getting on well. Which was handy since Maren was due to tour with you next year.

With so many acts appearing at the Country Music Awards, you had a small dressing room and the crew and band had stayed mainly out on the tour buses. You would all be leaving straight after anyway, as you had a show the next night to travel to. 

Tonight was a big night for you, performing with Maren at the awards show was going to be a highlight of your career. Sound check went without a hitch and you then headed off for food and to get changed. Ellie had got you a custom made navy blue tux with some silver floral details on the lapels. Sienree spent some time doing your your hair and face, trying to keep your nerves at bay with some banter.

While she was finishing your hair you opened up your IG and noticed that John had put on a story. It was video of Gerry your drummer, Conor your violinist and Callie, having a laugh backstage. Conor was playing his violin, a familiar Irish folk song and Callie and Gerry were attempted some sort of Irish jig. You laughed at their attempt, both of them looking ridiculous.

It was so stupid to think that you missed her. The lack of quality time alone with her was beginning to take its toll. You only had tonight and two more shows before you could have a couple of days off in Nashville together. There was an amazing guitar store there that you were desperate to show her. Plus you had a couple of nights in a hotel to look forward to. You were not going to lie, the lack of intimacy left you yearning for her. Having to make do with the odd kiss here and there was rubbish. You wanted to cuddle her to sleep, stroke her hair as you lazed about and watched a film.

Just 3 more days.

As you were walking the red carpet that evening you spotted Maren up ahead with her fiance Ryan Hurd. You posed for photos with them and were soon guided towards the reporters. You spent a few minutes with each one, letting Maren take the lead as this was her home ground. Everyone was asking about your performance and tour plans for next year.

One particular reporter, a guy you'd met a couple of times at events asked Maren about her upcoming nuptials. She and Ryan were getting married in a few months and she launched into a chat about you singing as she walked down the aisle. Everyone laughed as you joked about it.

The reporter soon asked if you were single or not and you couldn't help but blush and try and guide the conversation away from discussing Callie. You got the impression that the reporter was just asking the question on everyone's mind, rather than knowing about the pictures floating around on fans social media accounts of you and Callie.

"Oh, look at his face." Maren said as she patted your cheek. "He's blushing!"

"Oohhh have I struck an exclusive?!" The reporter asked smiling.

"Um no, just know that I'm very happy at the moment the way things are." You replied trying to keep your answer as vague as possible. 7 years of media training helps with that.

"Well, good luck and all the best for whatever is happening. And also for your tour that I know you're in the middle of."

You were grateful that the reporter left it there. It was good to remember that not everyone wanted to know about who you were dating. Also, to not press you when they could see you weren't interested in discussing it further. Not every reporter was so desperate for an exclusive that they had to make the artist feel uncomfortable to get the information they craved.

You thanked the reporter and answered a few questions about Maren joining you next year before moving onto the next interview. No one else asked you about your personal life but there were lots of questions about your song for that evening.

The whole evening was a complete success. The performance went well, the other artists performing were amazing and you got to network with some executives you hoped to work with in the future. It was then that you realised how much you would've preferred to have had Callie by your side. You had never ever wanted to walk the red carpet with anyone before, but with Callie things were already different from anything you had ever experienced. You would have to see how the next few months went and if the opportunity arose, then you would definitely want her by your side.

You arrived in Nashville at dinner time after a 250 mile drive from Atlanta where last night's show had been. Getting everyone checked in for the next few nights was taking its time, and you were desperate to be alone with Callie.

"Niall, are you ok?" She asked, sensing that something was up.

"Just wish they'd hurry up." You whispered back to her. "Just want to get a shower and some dinner so we can be alone."

"I know baby." She whispered, so no one could hear. "I can't wait to be alone with you too."

Oh why did she have to say that?

You had spent the whole journey thinking about what you wanted to do to her. You had never felt more desperate for someone before. It was both frightening and exhilarating at the same time.

She turned back to Sam who was handing out everyone's keys after taking a note of them all. With the key in her hand you grabbed the bags, made idle chit chat with everyone before scurrying off to the lift.

Callie opened the room door and made her way inside, pausing to place her phone and bag on the desk. Dropping the suitcases by the entrance you double locked the doors and made your way over to her.

"So what do you want to...." She asked before you covered her mouth with yours.

A few seconds of shock and she melted into your arms. You'd kissed her like this over the last two weeks, but you had always been worried of someone interrupting you. Someone just walking into your dressing room while you were mid kiss. She tangled her fingers into your hair, pulling you closer to her.

You kissed her fast and hard, never breaking the moment even as you walked backwards to the sofa. Your mouths finally parted as you sat down, both of you taking a large breath before she settled herself on your lap, her legs straddling yours. She lifted her top off over her head as you leaned forward giving yourself some space to do the same.

"God I need you so much." You managed to mumble out.

She moved backwards, her knees resting on the floor and began opening the zipper of your jeans. You lifted your bum as she eased them down your legs, pausing to eye up the very prominent erection in your boxers. She slipped off your boots and socks, as you sat there panting with anticipation.

When she stood up to take her converse and jeans off, you couldn't help but stare up at her in awe. You could tell in that moment that she was as desperate for you as you were for her. Palming yourself over your boxers as she slipped off her underwear, she looked fucking phenomenal. A white lace bra and knickers, a new set you didn't recognise was tossed to the floor. You didn't hesitate then to pull down your boxers, your cock springing out. The tip bright red, pre cum already glistening there.

You reached for her then, pulling her back to straddle your legs. Running your fingers across her centre you could feel how much the last five minutes had effected her. She was dripping and you couldn't help but bring your fingers to your mouth and suck them. The blush that ran up her cheeks at your actions was sweet, but you knew she was anything but innocent. Especially when she took hold of your cock and pumped it a few times before sliding down into it. She sank down deep straight away and you threw your head back against the cushion of the sofa, breathing out a sigh.

She felt amazing, warm and tight. Staying still for just a few seconds before she started grinding against you, then lifting up and slamming back down on you. You were a complete withering and groaning mess at this point and you'd only just begun. Her fingers slid around your neck and found the damp hair at the nape of your neck.

"This what you needed Niall?" She asked.

"Yessss......." You managed to whisper.

When you opened your eyes she had a smirk on her face. She knew she had complete power over you at this point. With your feet flat on the floor you managed to push your hips up as she continued to bounce up and down on you. That got her you thought, as a low moan rolled off her tongue.

She continued to ride you, her boobs bouncing up and down in your face. Leaning forward you took one of her nipples in your mouth as she stroke her hands through your hair. The feeling low in your stomach told you that you were close already, but you were desperate to make sure she got off to. You let her nipple slip from your mouth as you looked up at her.

"Baby I'm so close, you gotta slow down." You panted.

"I don't want to. I want you to cum.......hard."

Your hands tightened on her hips as you felt her lean back. Her hand slowly moving down towards where your bodies met, her fingers sliding across her clit. You had never watched a girl do this before, you had always been the one to touch them in that way during sex. Looking down, you watched how she put pressure where she needed it most as she continued grinding down on your cock.

She was panting as she came, a low whisper of your name as she rode it out. Clenching herself around your cock was enough for you to tumble over the edge with her. You held her body against you and stilled as you came inside her. She fell forward then, her head landing in the crook of your neck. Running your fingers up and down her back you felt the goosebumps appear like they always did as her body temperature got back to normal.

Placing kisses on her cheek and jaw as she snuggled into you. When you felt yourself soften inside her, you helped her get up, steadying her wobbly legs. Guiding her towards the bathroom, you turned on the shower before telling her to hop in while you got the toiletries from your suitcase. You got what you needed a few minutes later and joined her in the warmth of the shower.

"Fuck, I love you so much." You said as you wrapped your arms around her as the water covered you both.

"I love you too Niall, more than you can ever imagine."

You headed to Gruhn Guitars the next day with Callie, Adam, Tara, Mark, Conor, John, Gerry and Jake. There are a couple of guitar shops in Nashville that you liked to visit, and this was one of them. You hadn't had a chance to visit it earlier in the year when you'd been in America for interviews and events. 

Callie's eyes lit up when she walked in. You broke off into small groups, you of course followed Callie, Mark keeping a look out by the door for a bit. He liked to wait to see if you been seen coming into somewhere.

The store had a couple of customers, George the owner wasn't around but you spotted Rob the Sales Manager who you had met before. He approached you and shook your hand, greeting you warmly. You introduced him to Callie, telling him that she and Adam were guitar technicians on your latest tour.

He offered to give you a tour of the store and chatted enthusiastically with Callie who hadn't stopped smiling since she arrived.

"This is the best guitar store I've ever been in." She whispered to you.

She stood captivated by one guitar in particular, a Gibson Johnny Smith 1978 acoustic. Rob took it from the display and passed it to Callie, she looked nervous to take it, probably because it was priced at $7,500. When she had first started working for you, she knew some of the guitars you had in your collection were vintage and expensive. She soon got over the nervousness and would happily assist you with tuning them. Rob told her all about the guitar and some to her like it, this was like heaven for a guitar technician. She began taking photos of a couple of them, to show her Dad she had told you and Rob.

Rob left you to browse for a bit and you met up with the others. Mark had joined you to and offered to take a group photo in front of a display of Gibson vintage guitars. Everyone huddled up together, you in between Gerry and Callie. This would be one to post later and see the reaction of fans.

As much as you didn't want to go public with Callie officially. You thought that by showing Callie in some of your posts, it might get the fans seeing her in your life.

And you always wanted her in your life.

Part Eighteen

https://niall-is-my-dream.tumblr.com/post/183788555463/you-me-part-eighteen

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[cest-la-vieve]

Pins and Needles (Peter Parker x OFC)

Summary: A Peter Parker x OFC Soulmate!AU in which any injuries suffered by one person are also suffered by their soulmate. If someone absentmindedly doodles on their arm, doodles will randomly appear on their soulmate’s arm as well. Callie has dreamed her entire life of meeting her soulmate, even through the countless injuries they’ve suffered, but decides enough is enough. She wants to do something for herself this time.

Warnings: mild swearing, mentions of sex, tattoo, needles, injuries

A/N: I haven’t written in years but decided to try to jump back into it with this! Please leave feedback, comments, questions, whatever!! Thank you guys and I hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 1467

The dull buzzing of the tattoo machine was all that filled the room as Callie took a deep breath and prepared herself for the pain. She knew that this probably wasn’t the smartest decision she had ever made, but she also knew it wasn’t the dumbest. Society did not smile fondly upon those who got permanently marked before meeting their soulmates, mostly because then their soulmate would be unable to consent to the tattoo. Of course, Callie’s soulmate, whoever they were, never seemed to have much regard for how their actions affected her, so why would she care about how this may (or may not) impact their life.

Her earliest memory of her soulmate’s misfortune goes back to when she was around 8 or 9 years old. She was sitting in her math class and her teacher, Mrs. Meyers, had been droning on and on for what seemed like years about something to do with fractions and simplification when all of a sudden she felt a searing pain spread across her forehead. Her tablemates had gasped in disgust as a purple and brown bruise slowly spread until it covered the majority of the left side of her forehead and dipped down to her cheekbone. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning. Once she hit high school the injuries quickly escalated. Each week it was something different. A sprained wrist here, a broken rib there, but by far the worst injury was when she woke up in the middle of the night covered in blood. 

Her parents had rushed her to the hospital, where she had to get 17 stitches for a gash on the lower right side of her stomach. She was laid up for weeks and scarred forever, with nothing better to do than daydream about the trouble her soulmate was encountering quite often. She thought that maybe they had abusive parents but quickly ruled that out as she realized that the patterns and types of injuries didn’t fit. Then she thought that maybe they were just super clumsy, she herself was no stranger to the odd fall or stubbed toe, but this was happening far too often to be merely a collection of accidents. At first, she had been angry at this unknown person who was meant to be her greatest joy in life but instead was causing her so much pain. Yet, as she grew older, she realized that they had to have been experiencing all of these injuries too. As soon as she understood that, she was determined to meet this person and to care for them to the best of her ability. She’d patch them up and take every injury in stride because obviously they were not living the happiest life and it was her job to be there for them. 

From then on, each injury was simply a means to an end. A stepping stone in her journey to be the best soulmate and take care of them. A roadblock until they could comfort each other and maybe even stop the injuries altogether. All she had to do was suffer through them until she could be happy with the love of her life.

Her positive outlook on pain was very quickly demolished. A week before her 18th birthday she woke up covered in small bruises. She jumped up from her bed to look into the large mirror perched on her dresser and saw angry red scratch marks painting their way from the small of her back to her shoulders. The connection was made in her mind instantly: this son of a bitch had had sex. As taboo as getting a tattoo before meeting your soulmate was, having sex before meeting your soulmate was worse. 

For Callie, who had put up with God knows how many injuries for this person, this complete and utter betrayal shook her. She spent all week thinking about it. Every moment was spent picturing them with someone else. Heartbreak wasn’t even the way she would describe it. It was more like her heart was being torn from her chest while she was completely paralyzed, unable to do anything but feel the pain consuming her in one fell swoop.

Getting her tattoo was her small form of retaliation. She was finally 18 and legally allowed to enter a tattoo parlor and despite all of the disgusted glances thrown her way as she walked towards the only shop in town, she was excited.

Entering the shop, she was greeted with warm smiles and she breathed a sigh of relief, the small amount of hesitation she had immediately dissipating. She was ushered over to a couch and given a mug full of tea, being asked to wait a few minutes while the artist finished up with his customer. She gingerly sipped her tea and took the opportunity to look around the shop. Hundreds of sketches, both in color and in monochrome, littered the walls and counters. The drawings varied in size, some large enough to cover her torso and others just big enough to fit on the palm of her hand. 

Her favorite was an intricate portrait of a lion with an elegant crown neatly perched on its mane. Each hair looked like the utmost effort was used to draw it and she could almost hear the sound of its powerful roar as its jaw opened as wide as it possibly could. She spent a few more minutes letting her eyes wander over the countless photos and sketches before the tattoo artist, whose name she found out was Kyle, sat down on the opposite side of the couch and beamed at her.

“So, what brings you in?” He asked, leaning back with his arms behind his head and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table.

“Oh well um. I, uh, wanted to see if I could get a tattoo.” She mumbled, ducking her head so her hair partially covered her face.

“Hey, don’t be nervous! I know it’s kind of an intimidating venue but we’re not here to judge. I am gonna need you to speak up though, after years of working with these machines my hearing isn’t exactly what it used to be,” he laughed.

Callie’s mouth broke into a small smile, she sat up straighter, and with a confident voice said, “I’m here to get a tattoo.”

Kyle smiled again and they talked for a long time about what kind of tattoo, where she wanted it, and why she was getting it. She finally settled on getting a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist, somewhere she could easily hide it and where it wouldn’t hurt as much. She moved over to Kyle’s chair and he put on some gloves and pulled out all of his supplies. He explained to her how he had to sterilize and clean the area then transfer the stencil onto her wrist. Callie just nodded and began to take deep breaths, her previous anxiety quickly returning as she realized just how real the moment was. With one last reassuring smile, Kyle set to work, using the red and blue ink to trace the design.

About an hour and a half later, it was done. It hadn’t been easy and she was sure that her soulmate was probably in a lot of distress at the moment, but that thought disappeared as quick as it had come once she remembered why she had gotten the tattoo in the first place. Kyle wiped off the excess ink and gently lifted her wrist so that she could see the finished product. Callie managed to hold in a squeal of joy and instead went for a gasp of awe as she looked down and admired the little red and blue outline of her favorite superhero’s mask on her wrist. She couldn’t be happier with the results, but a small nagging voice in the back of her head was wondering if it had the desired effect on her soul’s counterpart.

On the other side of New York, another young adult did not manage to contain his squeals quite as effectively as Callie had. In the middle of his biology class, he jumped out of his chair with a shout. As the entire class turned to look at him and the popular kids in the back snickered, he muttered an apology and sat back down, all the while doing his best not to make eye contact with anyone. The smallest bit of anger coursed through his veins as he pulled up the sleeve of his sweater to stare at the permanently inked Spider-Man mask on his wrist. Today had been a rough day for him to begin with, but one thing was for certain: Peter Parker was absolutely, positively not happy with his soulmate right now.

[skylarmaes]

Is that JOANNA GARCIA SWISHER walking down Old Town Front Street? Nah, SKYLAR MAE just looks like their identical twin! The 37 YEAR OLD has been a SETTLER for 23 YEARS. On their good days, SKY is LOVING AND LOYAL, but if you catch them on a bad day, they may be NEUROTIC AND PERSNICKETY. Keep your eyes on this DRAMATIC PRESCHOOL TEACHER. Wonder what they’ve been up to lately in Sunnymead!

CHARACTER INSPO: Molly Weasley ( Harry Potter ), Callie Torres ( Grey’s Anatomy ), Peggy Carter ( MCU ), Madelaine McKenzie ( Big Little Lies ), Donna Noble & Amy Pond ( Doctor Who )TBA. 

PINTEREST: [ x ] 

Skylar Reira grew up very very loved and wanting more. The world was hers, she grew up with love and responded to the world with it. Growing up in El Paso, the town was like their little corner of the world. Not many people in Sunnymead know, but Spanish was her first language as her parents were both Cuban and in El Paso over half of the population being native Spanish speakers. There was food, warmth, love, family but she always sad her parents never decided to have siblings. Sky begged them, over and over again but to no avail. She cherished the family she had, the cousins, extended family, the family who wasn’t blood related but were family just the same. A heart full of love, a life full of love, a childhood filled with Dolly Parton’s music, Skylar loved her life and life loved her. 

Then, Alex Reira got an opportunity to expand his pie making business into California -- into a small place called Sunnymead. Reira Pies broke ground in Sunnymead a few months before the move was supposed to take place. Skylar was furious, she’d always been emotional but the summer before her freshman year of high school? She’d been around her community, her home, for 14 years -- she was excited to live her life there. Not in some random town in Northern California ( not even the part she wanted to live in if she had to pick ). The Reira’s packed up and moved their things, the girl who helped bake pies with her father, who loved the novelty of things from before her time ( she loved the 60s era fashion but hold the racism, please ), turned into a punk. Red hair dyed black, lipsticks from red and pink to dark shades or nude if she was being happy that day. This was Skylar’s way of mourning. She was insistent on it even though her parents were horrified at her ripped jeans ( when had their daughter worn JEANS? ) and her new demeanor but as long as she didn’t flunk out of school and continued to help at their new pie shop, they’d let her manage. 

It was in her new state she met Mathias Mae. He was her first friend, the first person to make her smile again in this new ugly town. For her, it was too cold all the time and she missed the heat but Mat was so good & surprisingly clever -- even though he did his best not to let rest of the world know. If you asked her now, she’d say she loved him even then, but she just didn’t know it yet. Right before school started, she went back to herself, changed her black hair to a darker red until her natural color came back again. High school was great. she dated all around ( everyone and anyone ) much to her parents' dismay because to them no one was every good enough for her, ever. At prom, when Mat and Skylar kissed and became an item, they laughed in her face, because surely this was a joke right? The Mae’s were trash, they’d heard they were trash and he was certainly not good enough for their daughter. Sure, they’d tolerate him as her friend but as more? Never. 

Skylar was crushed, she wouldn’t lie, and while she had the grades to go to an out of state school -- she went to school in Evanstead because she wanted to be close to who she thought, no, knew was the love of her life. She had never disappointed her parents more, not reaching her full potential, staying near Sunnymead because of a boy. God, were they angry but Skylar? She’d never been happier. With aspirations to become a teacher, she got her Bachelors easily because Skylar was smart -- no matter how bubbly & ditsy she sometimes appeared to be. She was sharp, observant, caring, all great qualities for someone who was helping shaping minds and teaching children. 

When she graduated, her parents gave her a choice. Pursue secondary education out of Sunnymead and Evanstead, move back with them to Texas, go to a nice school like Baylor or somewhere she deserved. Not stay with this white trash man and stay in this town, 

Duh, she chose Mat. 

How could she not? Was losing her family hard? More than anything else she’d experienced in her life. Was it worth it? It was. If they couldn’t accept her life, her choices, who she was -- they weren’t family like she’d been raised to believe. Her and Mat would make their own family, they’d start something big, something beautiful and all their own. Fuck her parents, she said to Mat one night after crying, fuck them. After a few months of mourning ( but no emo get up this time ), Skylar with the help of Mat, picked herself up and got a job at the high school in Sunnymead doing Home EC. But soon enough, they lost funding for Home EC, getting a job at a preschool, which she’s worked at since. 

Everything was going as planned except -- Skylar wasn’t pregnant. They weren’t having children. A year passed and she wondered why, were they cursed because she left her family the way she did? Finding out Mat couldn’t have children was devastating, not because she felt having bio children was the end all be all but because of the guilt she knew Mat felt. It was then she made a decision, though a usually very emotional person, to put any of her own personal emotions about the matter aside. At the end of the day, while she always wanted to experience what it meant to have a child, it would just be something she had to miss out on -- that was okay. Her and Mat chose each other everyday and would for the rest of their lives, right? They could extend that to any children they had, even if they weren’t biological children, it was that simple. As long as they could have the family they wanted, big as can be, they’d be fine. 

They had their kids!!! They adopted all of them!! They are fucking happy with their family!!! Skylar is so happy!!! Even when her kids act like idiots she’s like THOSE ARE MY KIDS!!! MY LITTLE IDIOTS!! 

Skylar still bakes pies, probably the only thing she’s kept from her family before, their recipes and spreading it around the town for everyone to have, her way of making the town home. 

To this day, she hasn’t talked to her family except a few messages here and there on Facebook. 

Probably moms your character! She’s always been maternal, from the time she was a kid playing house for hours on end. Skylar dreamed of being a mom from the time she was a kid, extremely excited to be in that part of her life. Her life now is everything to her, she loves it. 

Is still shook that her and Mat now own a bar after the Mueller’s passing. Frankly, she doesn’t know what to do with it as much as Mat doesn’t, but is sort of excited for this new journey. 

The house they inherited from the Mueller’s was kind of perfect in terms of keeping up with some of the 60′s aesthetic because it had some older features but Skylar continues to fuss with it to make it her midcentury dream to this DAY. 

I need to add more but I FIGURED I SHOULD GET THIS OUT SO!!

Also, sis is a Leo!

[rustandruin]

Top 5 bisexual characters in anything? 😘😘

LOUISE. I nearly died laughing when I saw this hours ago, and now I’m laughing in delight all over again. What a perfect ask. (I recently made a list of shows with great bi rep for someone else, who didn’t really ask for it but I am that extra.) But I’m always game to celebrate all the wonderful bisexuals who exist in fiction. (BTW, limiting this list to only 5 proved harder than expected, because we’ve had such a wealth of representation in recent years, even if it’s not all perfect, or some characters may not quite use that label for themselves.)

In any case, here are my current faves:

5. Korra (Legend of Korra)

I loved Korra from the moment I met her and her tiny self confidently declared that she was the Avatar. But while I thought it would be nice for her to end up with Asami, because why would the Avatar, a soul that is not constrained by the bounds of gender, be limited in their sexual orientation, I didn’t actually expect it to happen. Because years of TV watching had taught me otherwise. But then something magical happened, and it actually became canon. Korra and Asami did have feelings for each other after all. And now I get to read a graphic novel trilogy where my favourite Avatar works out her sexual identity while I slowly figure out my own. 

4. Ianto Jones (Torchwood) 

Ianto was always my favourite character when I first watched this series when it first premiered all those many years ago, but it’s only upon a recent rewatch that I realised just how sexually fluid that entire cast of characters was. (Not that I’d expect anything less from a show where Jack Harkness is the lead. But still, this is insane for a show that premiered in the early 00′s.) Nevertheless, there’s something about Ianto Jones in particular that made him my firm favourite early on. I think it has something to do, with the reason why I love him so much now: he has a clear emotional journey from when he loses his girlfriend at the beginning of the series, to being attracted to, and later falling for, Jack. There’s something simple and quite nuanced about the way he explains to his sister that it isn’t all men he’s attracted to (or rather, loves), but rather, just Jack. 

3. Henry “Monty” Montague (Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue)

Monty is the teenage personification of a walking bisexual disaster, and I couldn’t love him more. He’s smart, but selfish, sensitive, but quite rude. Not to mention, privileged, entitled, and utterly insensitive to the plight of anyone else but himself. He’s a complete flirt, but also in love with his best friend. All of this combines to a fantastic journey of growth and self-discovery that sees him transcend his previous tendencies and grow to be a better person who is worthy of the boy he loves. Oh, and the most impressive part? He’s the bisexual protagonist of a historical YA novel, written by a bisexual author who took pains to ensure that everything was guided by modern sensibilities even though it is set at a time when attitudes toward the LGBTQIA community were less than friendly. (Also the sequel features Monty’s most likely asexual sister who might be romanced by a lady pirate captain, as she attempts to attend medical school like she so deserves. I don’t know how I’m supposed to just sit around and wait.)  

2. b) John Constantine (Legends of Tomorrow, Hellblazer) 

John is technically my first favourite bisexual character ever, because I loved him before I even knew what that label was, or that I identify as it. Instead, I just read the Hellblazer comics as they followed the adventures of my favourite smart-talking, hard-smoking, trenchcoat-wearing occult detective. (The only thing I love more than a detective is one that uses magic. See also: Harry Dresden, and Skulduggery Pleasant. I have a type.) But then as talk of the TV series came about, I saw somewhere that he was bi and lost my shit a little (In retrospect, it feels silly that it took me as long as I did to figure myself out). Of course, the NBC show did not honour that aspect of his identity, which makes me only gladder that he’s going to be a regular on Legends of Tomorrow next season because Matt Ryan was born to play him. 

2. a) Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

How do I love Rosa Diaz? Let me count the ways. She’s a fantastic friend and amazing co-worker who has her colleagues’ backs even when they’re at their most stubborn and uncooperative. Stephanie Beatriz’s performance over these last five seasons has imbued her with a growing sense of warmth under that tough demeanour that only emphasises how much she’s grown as a character. (And the journey we’ve gotten to see her go on.) But beyond being a hilarious character with many levels who constantly kicks ass and is also the most relatable, she got to have a coming out arc that has been sensitively crafted, after Beatriz herself requested her own real-life orientation be reflected on screen. It’s a perfect example of how a character’s sexual identity can inform and enrichen their relationships without detracting from who they are. And I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

1. Robert Sugden (Emmerdale)

Look, I love Robert, but I never actually expected him to top this list. But then I gave it some more thought watched Aaron’s reunion speech, and I realised that it actually makes sense that he would. He’s a smart, funny, at times self-serving and flawed character who’s been through a lot. But somewhere along the way, he’s managed to grow and go on a journey of self-acceptance and find love and happiness and a family. (In some ways he’s a grown up Monty.) Like many of the characters on this list, he’s also got layers. He’s schemed and lied and cheated his way in and out of trouble several times over, but that’s only made him a more fun character to watch. (At least for me.) This is of course in part to Ryan Hawley’s performances, which has had to sell various facets of Robert’s personality, while retaining all the things it is that we love about him. 

Also, for me personally, as someone who regularly writes fic about this character, and from this character’s point of view, I feel a bit more of a personal connection to him. I’ve used his feelings and in-show experiences as a launching pad for my own writing and as an outlet to explore whatever it is I might be feeling or headcanoning in the moment. It’s helped me grow as a writer and a person, and sometimes what’s what you need your favourite characters to do for you. No matter which stage of your life you may be in. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:  Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom), Loki (Marvel), River Song (Doctor Who), Waverly Earp (Wynonna Earp), Petra Solano (Jane the Virgin), Dutch (Killjoys), Darryl Whitefeather (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Margo Hansen (The Magicians), Charity Dingle (Emmerdale), Clara Oswald (Doctor Who), Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy), H.G. Wells (Warehouse 13), Bob Belcher (Bob’s Burgers, not confirmed, but would be amazing), Gomez and Morticia Addams (The Addams Family - not confirmed, but come on), Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch - again, not confirmed, but come on) 

[wits-writing]

Castlevania Season 2 (TV Review)

[Patreon]  [Ko-Fi] 

[Season 1 Review Here]

Netflix’s animated series Castlevania comes back to round out the story of Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), Sypha Belnades ( Alejandra Reynoso) and Alucard (James Callis) work together to find a way to bring down Dracula (Graham McTavish) in his mission to wipe out humanity.

Series writer Warren Ellis and director Sam Deats return to deliver paralleling narratives between the heroes and villains as the self-destructive nature of Dracula’s vengeance on the world becomes evermore clear. The technical compliments I gave to the series in its first season, stellar fight animation and overall design reminiscent of the most iconic entries in the game series, remain consistent here and are even further improved on. Outside of covering where I feel those technical improvements helped the most, this review will mainly cover the character journeys from throughout the season in as spoiler-free a manner as possible.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

Back when I covered season 1, I discussed how I was disappointed in the lack of varied monster designs. Season 2 rectifies that by pulling more monsters in from the games to fill out Dracula’s hordes. Monster variety feeds into variety within the monster fights. Trevor defending the Belmont Hold shows a lot to how this works to the fight scenes’ advantage. Each monster has different sizes, strengths and abilities that he needs to account for in addition to shifting circumstances of what items he can use. I took greater notice on my second viewing of the season how the visuals communicated Trevor taking notice and working around the defenses of each monster in succession during this sequence, whether he used the Morningstar, his sword or a stick. The design work also adds to the vampire generals working for Dracula. Each design calls upon different cultures and their folklore about vampires, showing how far Dracula’s influence reaches in the world of monsters. On principle of design alone, the monsters and vampires are clear mark ups from the previous season.

A minor note where it could be said they fall flatter than last time, the monsters are more purely bestial this time around. No moments like the church scene from season 1 this time around, where a monster will stop to taunt its victim before tearing into them. It also applies to most of the vampire generals not backing up their dynamic designs with powerful personality. Why this element lacks in these examples comes down to this season having more characters in antagonistic roles, so there’s less need for some random creature to go through a speech like the church scene.

Among the notable villains this season is the boorish Viking vampire, Godbrand (Peter Stormare). He’s the first example we’re shown of dissent within Dracula’s court. Stormare gives Godbrand a boisterous thrill from hunting for humans on its own, shown off in a flashback where he shouts out his own name in triumph during a slaughter. Keeping that side of the character’s personality from becoming too one-note comes back to how he’s quick to call out the holes in the pretense of Dracula’s plan to wipe out their “livestock.” His presence adds humor to what could otherwise be sullen moments in Castle Dracula. Godbrand’s role in the grand scheme of the season is minor, but he’s memorable for the time he’s given.

Operating less in dissent than subterfuge among Dracula’s court, Carmilla (Jaime Murray) arrives in the season’s second episode with her own plans in mind to seize control of the vampire community for herself. It all begins with a simple but cutting question for Dracula asked in front of the entire court, why he never turned Lisa into a vampire. She continues prodding the Lord of Vampires by questioning how much he truly loved Lisa, referring to her as his “pet” and “prize breeder” at different points. Her machinations provide the narrative thrust for the vampiric half of the season’s story. She knows the right way to get under the skin of everyone she needs to manipulate. As she works to get all the pieces where she needs them, there’s an underlying anger to her. It’s an attitude driven by how smallminded she finds everyone else’s motives, seeing the other’s in Castle Dracula as overgrown children rather than peers.

Central to Carmilla’s manipulations is one of Dracula’s human servants, Hector (Theo James.) He works in the castle as one of two Devil Forgemasters, bringing the dead back to life and transforming them through alchemy to add to monsters of the night hordes. Hector’s skill at forging comes from the art of the act itself, seen in how he keeps a large array of revived animals for himself outside of the tasks set for him. There’s a bizarre semi-detached outlook to how he views living creatures. While he sees no problem with the desecration of innocent victims’ corpses to create monsters, he still believes in the inherent value of life. His abilities as a Forgemaster letting him make life from death adding to his view that he has a deeper understanding of the true nature of life. Others seeing through this outlook to the man who simply wants to put his skills to use can manipulate him by playing on his beliefs. Dracula convinces him to go along with the crusade to wipe out humanity by lying about it’s true nature, saying the end goal is to cull humanity into a manageable size then “mercifully” treat them as livestock. Carmilla gets him on her side by saying she needs someone Dracula will hear out. She even gives him a surface level amount of respect until the moment she already has what she needs from him.

Less open to manipulation is Dracula’s other Forgemaster, Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack), as his loyalty to the Vampire Lord runs deep in his soul. He’s the one person in the castle who was given the full truth of the war against humanity before it began and still dedicate himself to it. There’s no affection left in his heart for humanity after years of suffering at the hands of others, even those who should have protected him. While he denounces even the idea of love and ponders the futility of loyalty, his dedication to Dracula is unrivaled by any other alliance in this show. He doesn’t exempt himself from the “plague” of humanity, as we see him self-flagellate in order to “purify” his body and focus his mind. In contrast to Hector, Isaac’s cynicism about other people makes it near impossible to manipulate him. When he begins to see the likes of Godbrand and Carmilla question or scheme against Dracula’s goals, he sees his worldview proven correct as even vampires are susceptible to the “corruption” that plagues humanity.

Dracula values that perspective on both vampires and humanity from his Forgemasters. He values their loyalty above others as the only members of his court “not driven by thirst.” The vampire generals in the castle don’t see any values in humanity, not even the negative ones Dracula focuses on. He needs Isaac and Hector to confer with, so he has their understanding of humanity as thinking creatures, rather than as prey, livestock or pets. Graham McTavish’s performance this time around focuses in on how Dracula is past the rage that spurred his quest to get vengeance on humanity for what happened to Lisa. He’s softer spoken and sullen. His overall demeanor communicates how above everything, he’s just waiting for the end. Dracula has quick reassurances ready for those like Godbrand, worried about what the food supply will be like once the war is done, saying that they will be looked after. While Carmilla’s remarks about how never turning his wife into a vampire proves he didn’t truly love her brings out his fury. His crusade is referred to on multiple occasions as a prolonged suicide, one where he intends to take everyone else down with him. How much love and loss have changed the Vampire Lord’s outlook is shown as his present self gets contrasted with a flashback as Dracula remembers how he used to savor the detail of destruction and death. In the present, he’s willing to play right into Carmilla’s treacherous hands “as long as it brings silence.”

The other half of season 2’s story details how Trevor, Sypha and Alucard begin to grow into more of an alliance as they go to what remains of the Belmont estate to find a way to track and entrap the evermoving Castle Dracula. Alucard easily gets the most expansion in characterization this season, since he didn’t fully appear until the end of season 1’s last episode. He’s set on what he must do, even if the notion, “Honoring my mother by killing my father” as he puts it, leaves him uneasy. Carrying the weight of this mission is likely part of why he constantly goes at Trevor in their back and forth of snarky remarks. Another part of his unease around Trevor comes from how the Belmonts are vampire hunters and he’s half-vampire. When the trio makes it to the Belmont Hold, Alucard mainly sees it as a museum dedicated to the extermination of his species. By the end, his relationship with his father is what gets put up front and center during the climactic battle in Castle Dracula. Some of his angst may also be a product of him being “an angry teenager in an adult’s body”, as Sypha puts it when she learns Alucard aged rapidly growing up.

Among the trio of heroes, Sypha’s characterization this season is more of a mixed bag in terms of what I liked about it. A lot of what doesn’t work about her character this time comes down to her being placed in the role of rolling her eyes as Trevor and Alucard go through their back and forth of verbal jabs. Her getting some jabs of her own in on them both and vice versa provides some good material, on average I’d say the banter between the three of them is one of the best parts of the show, but she’s usually stuck playing the straight-man for jokes to bounce off. Sypha’s best material this season comes from her reacting to the experiences life outside of the Speakers has provided her in such a short period of time. She marvels at the Belmont family’s collection of ancient recorded knowledge, impressed enough to denounce her people’s dedication to only obtaining and passing down knowledge through memorization and oral history. Her magic makes her the main player in the plan to ensnare Castle Dracula and she finds exhilaration in her ability to accomplish that. Her more intimate, personal moments with Trevor and Alucard provide some further insights into their characters, as she tends to see right through them.

While I found Sypha’s material this season to be a mixed bag, the problem with Trevor’s characterization is that he doesn’t grow much beyond where we ended with him in season 1. There he ended with a new resolve to carry on the Belmont family legacy as monster hunters protecting the innocent from the terrors lurking in the night. He’s still dedicated to that cause now, but the way it manifests this time is the story using him as a delivery system for exposition about the history of the Belmonts as the trio spends most of the season within his family’s underground library. He’s not totally informed on everything about his family’s history, since they were driven out of their home when he was twelve, a bit of his nostalgia for happier days shines through as they approach the estate. If there are major developments for Trevor this time, one of them comes in the form of him stepping up to determine strategy during combat and other moments of peril. Another comes from his relationship with Sypha starting to show the potential to become something more, as the man with no family and the woman with no home become closer over the nights leading up to the attack on the castle. His interactions with Alucard are very action-adventure story style guys who piss each other off but ultimately earn each other’s respect in the end.

In case this amount of analysis on each major player in Castlevania season 2 wasn’t enough of an indication, this season has a lot more going on in it than season 1 did. If I wasn’t pausing to take notes as often as I did upon my second go through of the season, I know there would’ve been plenty I had missed and not all of it gets the screen time to fully develop. There are plenty of paralleling moments, themes and character beats between the stories in Castle Dracula and the Belmont Hold. The importance and power of collected knowledge is a major one and ends up tying back into an overall theme of family legacy that ties together Trevor, Sypha and Alucard as they become more of a team. The way these themes resolve in the final battle with Dracula managed to get me emotional on both watches. Castlevania on Netflix has firmly placed itself as my favorite original animated show on the platform with this season and I look forward to seeing how the threads left at the end of this one lead into season 3.

[agent-7-at-your-service]

Future Plot: Project Prometheus - Chapter 12

(( Sandra (Not in this Chapter), Telemachus and Justinian (not in this chapter) belong to me

Camille, Janine, Lee, Depiction of Callie, Pacling, and Malina belong to @inklingleesquidly

Nebula (not in this chapter) and Wish belong to @myzzy and @agenttwo  

Myzzy belongs to @myzzy

Mysteeri (not in this chapter) belongs to @dreadangel

Designs of Marina and Wish belong to @teamuntyblue

Emerald and Sapphire belong to @twelvetailedkitsune and @son-of-joy

Celeste (not in this chapter) belong to @alpinesquid

Arsenic (not in this chapter) belongs to @a-demo-of-a-hero  ))

The five scouts surrounding Camille and Janine, the flagbearer planted the Squidforce banner to the ground. They were all in a unique samurai armor like the special outfits gifted to turf war players. However, these kinds of armor were modified to look more closely to the original armors from history.

One of them removed their mask and helmet to reveal themselves: It was Myzzy.

"Uncle Myzzy?" Camille recognized.

Myzzy didn't respond, looking shocked, mostly at Camille's missing right arm and Janine now-young appearance.

The young Janine, at first, had her .96 Gals ready for a fight. When Myzzy shows his face, Janine had the guns down.

"Uhhhh... Uncle, Myzzy?" Camille raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Myzzy ordered his scouting party for a trip back to the ruins of what was once Inkopolis. This time, he's taking Camille and Janine there. Myzzy didn't say a word to the two, but a conversation between him and a scout mentioned Camille but with a title, "The Heretic".

On the way there, they passed by flooded basins that were once Octarian homes, and Octo Valley and Octo Canyon were two of those basins. Janine now wonders what happened to the inhabitants there.

When they reached the ruins of Inkopolis, inklings, octarians, and all other sea-life are now dwelling in settlements made of tents, cottages, and burrows. They appeared to be in deep poverty, depending on hunting, gathering, and farming to sustain them. The ruins were being swallowed by nature. The Inkopolis culture that Camille and Janine knew was nearly forgotten like the culture of Human Civilization.

"The world changed when you were gone," Myzzy began, "a god named Moros came and threw Inkopolis and it's neighboring civilizations into the bronze age. Nearly all our technology has been turned useless by his will. He then said something about you and held us responsible for carrying the world's defiers of destiny. Then he disappeared in a flash, and after that, people went missing, new people arrived on our shores, our city was left in ruin, and memories were fabricated or replaced."

Camille now worried about her baby brother, Pacling. Janine was worried as well, but she gestures Camille to have patience.

As they enter a settlement near a familiar Inkopolis Plaza, there were a few familiar faces from Camille's home of Shee-Booyah. They were dressed in kimonos and what was left of the old Inkling Fashion. There were other faces, she cannot recognize, and they were dressed in tunics and Greek armor.

Myzzy stopped the scouting party, and they dispersed. Myzzy escorted Camille and Janine alone towards Inkopolis Tower -- or at least what's left. The sliding door had to be open manually by two jellyfishes.

"And that Moros guy did leave us something a stained glass window and a plaque," Myzzy continued.

Inside, it was like a mix between a cathedral and a treasure vault. Every relic of Inkopolis' History and the Octarian's History are stashed here along with other treasures. The room was lit with fire and its walls painted with ink.

And at the end of the room was a large stained glass window. The small rims showed scenes of most of Camille's Journey from fighting the Titans and Typhon to traveling the Mediterranean. The rest of the window that's taken up depicted Camille in her Olympian form. This depiction of Camille had owl wing sprouting from her back, a missing right arm with the Taurus constellation show over it instead, herbal flowers covering her eyes, tears coming down her cheeks, and an olive tree standing behind her.

A pedestal with a plaque was in front of this window with the words: "The Profane Heretic of Athens".

"Uncle Myzzy, thank you for the explanation, but what about Pacling?" Camille asked. "I thought you were taking care of him while I was gone."

"Oh, Pacling, well.....," Myzzy sounded nervous at first, but then decided to show Camille and Janine. "You two might want to see this."

When they return to the door, the door opened for two familiar faces. Lee and Callie were right in front of Camille's and Janine's eyes. Pacling can be seen being held in Callie's arms. Myzzy scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Lee recognized the young Janine, and he looked as if he wanted to ask. Callie was surprised that Janine looks so young now.

Janine felt relieved that her son and daughter-in-law were alive, despite what Moros said. Camille accepted that her parents were dead because of Moros, and seeing them alive and well made her shed tears of joy. She just wanted to hug them immediately in which she did.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Camille runs up to them and embraced her father.

Lee pats her back. "It's good to have you back, dear."

"No, it's good to have you back, it felt like forever," Camille corrected.

"Camille! Your arm!" Callie noticed.

"Yeah... Moros did that..." Camille didn't mind her mother's worry. She sort of missed that.

"Yummy!" Pacling commented.

Camille lets go. "But how...?"

"He sent us back here, saying he threw you back here" Lee explained, "But this world is not the same."

"I see." Camille looked down, wondering about her friends, Malina and Wish, and then Pyrrhus.

"Come on, how about we have dinner at your place?" Myzzy offered. "The last time I checked, it has changed."

There was a lot of stories they had to share, but most of it was already shared through dreams. And despite Janine now being young, the Squidlys can at least be a family again at this moment. Camille and Janine, though, knew that there's still so much Moros did to the world that they must undo. And if Lee and Callie are still alive, Camille's friends could still be alive somehow. Nebula, Emerald, Sapphire, Celeste, Justinian, Arsenic, they must be alive. Mysteeri and Pyrrhus must be still out there in this new world, and Sandra is in the hands of Moros. All they need to do is find them.

That night, the Squidly return to their apartment in Shee-Booyah which has been surprisingly left unchanged. The young Janine had to break it to Lee and Callie.

"You're joking?" Lee felt somewhat nervous.

"Grandma Janine is right," Camille supported, "It's not over. We have to make things right."

"But we don't want to lose you..." Callie then pointed out the arm. "Look what that Moros god did to your arm! You're like your father!"

"Oh come on, you know I don't believe..." Camille looked at her father and noticed him rub his right arm. "... I mean... this is different."

Janine looked to Myzzy. "How much of the world has changed geographically?"

"Well... Some of the continents are gone." Myzzy took out a map and spread it in the center of the table for everyone to see. He then pointed to an island on the far right name Elpis. "This is where we are right now."

Callie and Lee were shown this map earlier. Callie and Janine were quite surprised, but Camille's look after seeing the map is what worried Callie and Lee. Camille knows where to head first for the continuation of their journey.

"We'll have to get off this island somehow," Camille stated, "Do we have boats?"

Myzzy shook his head. "No, but there is a long boat the comes by like every noon to drop off exiles."

"Then we'll seize it and commander it," Janine planned.

"We need more people then." Myzzy liked to help them in any way. "You'll need a crew to help sail it. Maybe no more than six will do?"

"Uhhh, Mom, don't you think you and Camille shouldn't be doing this?" Lee mumbled.

"Lee, look at me? I'm 14 years old, I feel like the Freshest Inkling of the Decade again." The young Janine gave a twirl. "And I made an oath to watch over Camille and help her."

Lee gave a moment to think this over, he looked at Callie. Callie wasn't sure about this. Lee sighed and shook his head.

"I think your mother and I need a bit more time to think about this," Lee replied, "When we were in that dream realm, it was fun, but I think that was enough."

"...Alright." Camille nods.

Camille tried returning to Morpheus' dream realm as she slept, and she was able to wake up and find herself in a tent. Lee and Callie can be seen asleep in this realm. Camille got up and quickly exited the tent.

Prometheus can be seen sitting on a log near a campfire. Cedalion and the flying squirrel Icarus were there, having roasted snacks. Camille approached him carefully.

"Ah! Miss Penthesilea is awake!" Cedalion welcomed.

Prometheus turned his head to look at Camille. Icarus wanted to go up to Camille and sit on her shoulder, but Prometheus urged not to with a simple halt gesture.

"I was able to find you and your horse when you fled the Caravan," Prometheus stated, "And I sensed a change outside this dream realm."

Prometheus knew what Camille has done.

Janine was able to wake up in the dream realm as well and join Camille. Prometheus look disappointed in both of the inklings. He held his orb of flames close.

"I warned you," Prometheus stated, "You've clearly disobeyed any warning telling you not to go straight to Moros, and it has to lead to drastic consequences as I expected."

Camille just looks down. She didn't show any sign of despair of grief from what has happened. Prometheus can see that and he sighs.

"Well then, I believe you have some idea to make things right," Prometheus assumed.

"Are Telemachus, Emerald, and Sapphire still around?" Camille asked.

Prometheus gave a nod which gave some relief to Camille, and that meant a lot of things. There was chance her friends are alive.

"They've just finished a trial for you here in Troy and were out celebrating," Prometheus explained, "They're currently asleep, but they were behaving differently as if their memories were twisted."

"That's not good," Janine commented.

"For now we play along during the trials." Prometheus looks into the campfire. "Aeacus, Rhadamanthus, and Minos have scheduled all the zodiac constellations to align towards the road to Mount Olympus. They're counting the next 11 trials to be more of practice."

"Then we got work to do," Camille replied.

[mamacleo]

The investment is paying off

CW: Negative behavior, introspection, confession, happy ending.

Miss Piss is on her way out.

Mom and her beloved bride had a big, BIG day. For the last few days I've been paying the monthly dues for admission to the club, and let me tell you, anyone who says trans women do not get periods can go jump. I may not get the visit from Aunt Flo, but damn. My fibromyalgia goes nuclear. Remember what I said? About it being pinched, but in every sensate cell of your body? It was worst yesterday. Bedridden. Terrible. Plus headaches, fogginess, loss of memory, much more irritable.

Today, it's over, and I heard the same from the sister I'm in sync with. This was good because today was our second vax, and we had a doctor appointment before that and after, we had to go to Walmart. Our provider has been an absolute gem, the one we only wished we had, and she carted us around and even went over her time. But by the time we got back, I was exhausted. WAY exhausted. And I hurt.

A little later, we got an Amazon box with a stand that needed put together. It's going to complete our bedroom and Callie has been waiting for it. She wanted to put it together right away and she wanted to do it herself, but she wanted me to guide her and help if necessary. Otherwise, she was going to do it. and I explained that I was tired and hurting and would be happy to help tomorrow, but please, not tonight.

So, yeah, she's excitable but impatient and started it right away. Enter Miss Piss. Heaving sighs, snatching the instructions from her. But.

Let's go back a few days. This is a thing I wanted to write about right away, but I thought that I would wait until I would be calmer, more reasonable, less triumphant. I wanted to put it in perspective, make sure that a few days wouldn't see me reverse. Tonight told me that the path I am on, and have been all my adult life, has taken another, better turn.

I'm going to talk about reflex. Some people call it habit. It's really any activity you learn that becomes so much a part of you that you can use it without thought. Anything: throwing a baseball, using a wrench, painting a landscape. Or writing. It's a thing you do without thought, without direction. It's a thing that "just happens," only that belies all the time and effort and determination it takes gets forgotten.

And that in itself is funny. You do forget. This reflex, after it happened, I examined it and looked--not too closely--at everything that went into it. Like a barrage of memories that all came at once. All these things that took hours of thought and emotional labor, things through which I cried, raged, condemned, tore down, rebuilt...

I did it all, all of it, for this. For this night. Because I was lying in bed sick the other night and started closing in on self-pity. I've learned not to call it that, because it is despair. It's not self-pity. I know what that is. This was despair. "Must I live the rest of my life in this pain?" I asked no one. "Is it going to be worth it?"

Which brought me to the next signpost in this journey. A thing I have said often to my beautiful bride is that if someone came to me and said, if I knew that she lay at the end of my journey, would I do it all again? The answer has always been, of course. I will always be ready in case that impossibility ever actually happens. Sure.

But this night, thoughts came together. I've been framing struggles differently, trying to put them in perspective that brings me more understanding. This time, that preparation paid off in a single coin of inestimable value. "You would relive your whole life for her? Really?" I asked myself. "Then why aren't you willing to live the rest of it for her?"

And so things changed.

The same night, something bothered me and triggered a BPD episode. I have been saying for years that I was resigned to them. That they are beyond my control. That they are hardwired into me. That I can no more prevent them than I can prevent breathing. But not tonight.

I saw what was happening and did the best possible thing: removing myself. I went into the bedroom, lay in bed. Then came the strategy. I've been considering this strategy. Letting it ferment, letting it work, letting it simmer. It's been years in the making, years. As I told my boy Auggie later, I created the environment. Into the bedroom. Beautiful, calming music. Surfing some positive, fun things. Reaching out to help a couple of people, giving support. And it happened. It happened because I gave it the environment and the space to do reflexively what I have been teaching myself for decades. It went away.

Please understand the urgency to which I attach this. I have been able to conquer the episodes with much work. Conquering the episodes in itself isn't totally new. What was new is that I employed the strategy, and reflexively, it finally happened. It's like riding a bike. It just happens. One moment, all your concentration is on the task, and the next, your muscles take over. You never forget.

That night I marveled at the change because my capacity for astonishment for what happened matched the significance of the moment. I have been working for this all my adult life. This moment. THIS moment. The moment it all came together. Forty years in the desert, and it paid off. In moments, the monster I could only defeat for moments was resolved, and I knew I could do it again. This was no fluke.

My boy Auggie told me he knew how momentous this was. He saw the shift. He knew exactly what I was talking about. My wife knew what was going on. She saw it happen.

I've had a couple of opportunities since to divert a couple of small anxieties and confirm that the strategy works. Tonight, Miss Piss came out again with my beloved bride right here with me. I knew immediately my behavior was really shitty, to be honest, and...I hopped on the bike. My brain knows what to do now without my even trying. I let it happen.

So in maybe a minute or so, I got off my high Horus and started being constructive. I started doing what was helpful. After I apologized to my wife for being an ass, which she cheerfully accepted, and I described the process to her. I said I got pissy (she did tell me, pointedly, that snatching something out of her hand is a thing to Never Ever Do Again Not For The Rest of My Natural Born Life), then realized I was wrong; I brought myself to a place of being helpful, and then moved on to constructive; I brought myself to a place of pleasantness and then moved on to enthusiastic; and then we arrived where we needed to be, which was fun.

All that took was about five minutes of shepherding emotions in the subconscious mind. I can do this now, I said to her. I can do this any time I need. Think about how Miss Piss was tonight, I said--she went away really fast, didn't she? And hasn't she been going away a lot faster? And now, think about it, think about it--doesn't that portend a whole lot of good? Now dare we think about it, dare we consider, that maybe the day will come when we never see Miss Piss again? A year ago I would have said that could never be. I would have said that in October. Shoot, I would have said so in early April. But not now. It's no longer just possible. It is now inevitable.

I told her, and here is where we come full circle, that her investment is paying off. I said, you invested not just a lot of hope, but an entire lifetime, in the promise that I would be a better wife. Look at the last year, I said. Look at where things were. Look at where they are. See the difference. See the growth. See what profound change you've had on me. All of this--the family, this home, our future--none of it would have happened without her. None of it. Your investment is paying off in multiples.

My mom--not the egg donor, my *mom*--told me that Callie and I aren't soulmates, we're lifemates. We go through life having adventures in separate lives, but we always come together and have a wonderful life. We both like that. We truly enjoy the roles we play in each other's lives. Tonight she wanted to be industrious, she wanted to be productive, and she wanted to DO something almost entirely on her own, with only the most necessary help. She wanted not a wife, but a guide.

A guide. The last person in my orbit who needed a guide got the guide who prepared her for her journey into the next world. I like the role.

So I guided her--okay, put your finger here, that's where you put the screw through. This has to line up like this. So on. But letting her do the work. Letting her discover things. Letting her use the capabilities she knows she has. I couldn't have done this even a few years ago. Too much the control freak. Things are different. My girl? She has the bedroom looking much more the way she wants it--almost perfect. She is worn out now, overheated, tired, but as the old cliché goes, it's a good kind of tired. Things look good. Healthy. Fun.

[reynahc-blog]

What if

Reyna forgets, sometimes, that the island is full of magic. That is the problem.

She forgets about the spells, the glamors, the Mist, the charmspeak swirling all around her, filling every room. She forgets about the power of the sorceress, the woman C.C. - Circe. She forgets.

The island is made for forgetting. Almost everyone here is running from something, including Reyna and her sister. So she should be okay with it; she should just go along. Go along, and forget, like everyone else.

Smile at the guests. Take the new girls in, do their hair, dress them up. Reyna is good at doing hair. She’s been doing Hylla’s hair for years. Hylla loves this place - she’s in it, body and soul, won’t hear a word against C.C., always talks about how wonderful and safe it is here, far away from the danger of their warlike demigod heritage. Far away from the past they shared with their father. The perfect place for girls like them.

(See the men come in from the sea, watch them disappear into C.C.’s room. They do not come out, not as humans at least. But that is not Reyna’s business - she only does hair.)

She forgets a lot of the bad things about this place, and then remembers them at odd, unsupervised moments, like when she’s drifting off to sleep. That is the doing of the sorceress, of course. The woman’s magic is so strong here, so pervasive, that there is no escaping it; it is as thick and as constant as the salty sea air. Everyone here breathes it in, day after day. Including Reyna. Including Hylla.

Hylla believes it. Hylla believes all of it, and Hylla’s all that Reyna’s got. She can’t leave her sister.

Not that she would ever think of leaving this place anyway, no, of course not. This place is perfect. C.C. says so, and so it must be true. It doesn’t matter if sometimes Reyna finds herself at the edge of the beach, staring out at the waves, out at the retreating horizon. Wanting to be somewhere, someone, else.

Wanting to wield something a little more dangerous than a hairbrush.

Such ideas are foolish. Even if she truly wanted to go, Reyna knows there is no escape from this place. The sorceress’s power is absolute.

The rowboat washes up in the middle of the day. What day, Reyna doesn’t know; time is difficult here; she doesn’t know how long she’s been living under C.C.’s thumb. All she knows is that the pair in the rowboat look to be about her own age, and they are exhausted. Hylla is the one that greets them, clipboard in hand. Reyna watches from afar.

It tires her, watching how willingly and eagerly her older sister does the witch’s bidding. But she can’t judge, of course. It’s not like she gets up to much rebellion herself.

But the pair from the rowboat. It’s a boy and a girl. The boy is dark-haired and scrawny, with a hesitant air and a case of budding preteen acne. The girl is slightly taller, blonde and well-built. Reyna watches as the normal separation occurs - the boy being steered off to C.C.’s quarters, the girl being steered toward a makeover. The usual pattern has begun. Time to do her job.

She’s in charge of doing the girl’s hair. In one of the many makeover rooms, Reyna and two of the other helpers - twin nymphs, Callie and Hallie - get to work. The blonde girl is quiet and fierce-eyed as they go about their business, saying little and watching a lot. She has dark gray eyes that seem somehow both piercing and distracted, as if they see everything but are also perpetually focused on something else; Reyna figures it’s just because of the trauma of the journey. She can’t help noticing, however, that the blonde girl isn’t acting quite like most newcomers. Most are happy and disoriented, caught up in C.C.’s magic, and this girl seems neither very confused nor particularly happy. A strange one.

She has also, to Reyna’s mingled shock and admiration, managed to hold on to a weapon - a small bronze knife kept at her hip. Normally C.C. would have made sure that was confiscated. The girl touches it often, whenever there’s a loud noise, as if she thinks she might need to draw it and fight.

Reyna watches the knife as she’s combing through the girl’s long hair. It’s nightmare hair - an absolute mess - curly and tangled and unwashed, but Reyna doesn’t mind. She wants to touch the knife, though she knows that it would be a bad idea to try. The girl would probably stab her. It’s been weeks - months? - now since she’s held a weapon of any kind. Not that it matters here, for of course she doesn’t need one.

She wonders where this girl and her companion were before they washed up here. Where have they been? What kind of adventures have they had? This girl does look as if she’s had some adventures. Dangerous ones, sure, but at least she’s been out and seen some of the world. At least she’s been free …

Reyna yanks a little too hard on a tangle, and the blonde girl hisses quietly in pain. Reyna didn’t mean to make herself angry; it just happened.

It does tend to happen, when she thinks about all she’s missing out on.

“What is this place?” The blonde girl asks suddenly, still facing away from Reyna. It’s the first time she’s really spoken; her voice is hoarse and direct. “Who is C.C.?”

Reyna opts not to answer that, and keeps combing. C.C. doesn’t like it when you let the guests know her real name too early. She has punishments for people who mess that up.

“Where has my friend been taken?” The girl continues. “Where’s Percy?”

Percy; that must be the boy. Reyna winces involuntarily. The blonde girl sees the expression in the mirror, and immediately turns around to look Reyna in the face.

“You know where he is, don’t you?” She says in a hard voice, fixing Reyna with those gray eyes. “What’s happening here? What is this place?”

Callie and Hallie are off getting the girl’s dress. They will be back within moments. They are among C.C.’s most loyal servants; if they hear Reyna giving information like this out, she’s toast. But she is feeling rebellious. She looks again at the knife.

The blonde girl tries to ask another question, but Callie and Hallie are already back, chattering. They make the girl turn back around and put on the dress. She tries to ask them the same questions, but they do not give real responses, only empty assurances. Reyna has heard it all before.

She wonders if the boy Percy is a guinea pig yet. Probably so. It is probably too late to save him. And yet, maybe not.

While Callie and Hallie are discussing the girl’s makeup options between themselves, Reyna sees her chance. It’s just a few seconds unwatched, just a moment. She leans forward and taps the blonde girl on the shoulder, then parts her hair to the side, whispers in her ear.

“He’ll be in the little cage. Your best chance is to trick her. She will not be expecting it. Her name is Circe.”

The blonde girl stiffens. She does not turn, does not look at Reyna again. Callie and Hallie have turned to them once more, clapping their hands, excited.

“We’ve got just the look for you!” Callie gushes to the blonde girl. “We’ve got to go pick up some things, be back in a moment!”

The nymphs flounce out of the room, and as the door closes behind them, the blonde girl rounds on Reyna with her hand on her knife and her eyes blazing.

“Where are they? What room? How can I trick her?” She demands.

“Down the corridor and to the left,” Reyna answers, trying not to sound too intimidated. “I don’t know how you can trick her. It’ll be dangerous. She’s a trickster herself, and she’s been alive three thousand years. The best you can do is pretend to go along - she’s used to everyone being taken in by her magic, she’ll expect you to be entranced —”

“Right, okay.” The blonde girl is nodding, focused, picking up the backpack that she came in with. “Thank you. Thanks.”

“Good luck,” Reyna says doubtfully. She wonders whether she’s just helped the blonde girl to get herself killed. She wonders if she’s just helped get her own self killed … when Circe finds out …

The girl has gathered all her things. She swings around one last time to face Reyna, looks her in the eye and nods. “I’m Annabeth. Annabeth Chase.”

Reyna just nods at her, too embarrassed to say her own name. Too ashamed of the life she’s been living here for the last several months.

Annabeth Chase cocks her head. “Oh, I don’t get to know who you are?”

Reyna shakes her head.

The girl narrows her eyes, one last piercing gray look. “I see. Well, good luck anyway, whoever you are. I hope you make it out of this place.”

I hope you make it out of this place. Oh, gods - she has to go. Reyna barely hears the door closing behind the blonde girl as Annabeth Chase leaves the room. She, Reyna, needs to leave, immediately. Circe will find out about her involvement here, her betrayal - she always finds out about things like that. Hylla … she hopes she can convince Hylla to come.

Go where? Go how? They have no way of leaving. But she has to try.

Reyna kicks off her shoes and runs barefoot back to her room, the room she shares with her sister. Hylla isn’t here - off doing something for Circe - Reyna packs both of their things, as much as she can manage, into a couple of sacks. Exchanges the servant’s dress for her old clothes from Puerto Rico. The second she dons them, a new feeling comes over her. Familiarity - courage - home.

This place is not her home. This place is not where she is meant to be. Her destiny, Reyna feels with a sudden certainty, lies elsewhere. Beyond.

She opens the door and runs smack into her sister.

“Reyna! Where have you - what are you wearing?” Hylla gapes at her old clothes, the clothes Reyna hasn’t worn since they arrived.

Hylla’s dressed in the suit that Circe picked. She’s got her hair styled like Circe’s. She glares down at Reyna with a mix of confusion and anger that makes Reyna quail inside. Her sister is, and always has been, her only ally. Her only true family.

Hylla thinks they were meant for this place. And now Reyna’s ruined it for both of them.

“Hylla, I did something,” she says baldly. There is no sugarcoating it; there is only the truth. She shoves her sister’s bag into Hylla’s arms. “And … we have to go. Now. Please.”

“What?” Hylla stares at her, aghast.

“We have to go,” Reyna repeats wretchedly. “We …” There is a sudden crashing noise from far down the hall, Circe’s room, followed by a screech. Hylla whips her head around. Reyna wonders whether the noise means that Annabeth Chase is dead. “Hylla please, please, I’m sorry, we have to go, I’m your sister, come with me. This place is no good, Hylla. It’s not.”

“What do you mean, it’s no good?” Hylla looks furiously back at Reyna. “It’s safe - I picked it for you, because it’s safe - what did you do?”

But at that moment all further explanations become unnecessary. The door down at the end of the hall bangs open off its hinges. Through it leaps a wild-eyed man with a tangled black beard.

“ARRRRGH!” He screams down the hallway.

Reyna bolts, or tries to bolt, pulling Hylla by the arm behind her - but it doesn’t work out that way. Her sister digs her heels in. She won’t budge. Instead, she grips Reyna by the shoulder and shouts into her face.

“Go! Go now! It’s fine, whatever you did, it’s fine - I’ll hold him off, run!”

And then she takes a pin out of her hair and does something with it, and within a moment, Hylla is holding a sword.

Reyna stares. There are no weapons allowed at Circe’s - none. Her sister, the perfect acolyte, would not break such an enormous rule. But she has.

And Reyna can’t leave her, can she?

“Do you have any more?” She yells at Hylla.

“No, I don’t! Run now!”

But Reyna doesn’t believe her. As several more men come piling through the door at the end of the hall, all yelling for blood, she reaches up and pulls another pin out of Hylla’s hair. It immediately elongates into a slightly shorter sword - a Roman weapon that Reyna recognizes instantly as a gladius. She laughs in delight as her sister curses. It does feel good to hold a weapon again.

“I’m staying,” she yells up at Hylla. “I’m fighting with you."

Hylla swears at her, but then grabs her head and kisses the top of it. The two sisters turn to block the hallway, weapons raised.

The pirates are charging toward them. There are screams from throughout the building, and Circe is nowhere in sight. Reyna doesn’t know what she’s begun, what she and Annabeth Chase have begun, and she figures she’ll die before she can find out. But she supposes that this counts, anyway, as having at least one adventure of her own.