#there are 2 reasons i picked stelle

[gojoidyll]

I want sunday to be a permanent member of the Astral Express. I want trailblazer mc to drag him around and get into trouble. I want March to be snarky with him. And I want dan heng trying to relate with him.

Found family fr.

[paro-art]

I'll be back here soon ( have to relearn how to draw humans bc all I've been doing is hand-drawn vfx and puppet animation )

but damn, I'm so sorry I got Honkai star rail brainrot and I want to draw fanart of it I'm so sorry guys

[mono-dot-jpeg]

the tiny exception - express crew

summary; there's only one exception to the few rules that the express crew have...

genre/extra tags; fluff, family dynamics, pompom is the softest rabbit thing in the universe i love them, papa welt (real), auntie himeko iykyk, the rest of the gang are the siblings, caelus learns abt the world with you :'), your honor they're just trash raccoons, selective mute! caelus

[platonic] [child (7-9)! reader]

[warnings; reader implied to have a tough life before getting taken in, trash digging mentioned/j]

word count; 608

a/n; whoops i made another hsr fic and it's another family fic :) im watching blue lock rn and it's definitely passed some expectations and i like it so far so that's good, there's some silly little guys i like (it's the crazies unsurprisingly) maybe i'll write something to test the waters for blue lock. this show wildin tho

i use caelus for hsr so im writing caelus, sorry stelle enjoyers

[rule 1; no touching pompom]

caelus learned that one after attempting to comfort the conductor. and yet,

"you're so squishy, pompom!" a pure as snow giggle rings in the train as the trailblazer watches you cuddle pompom. "so fluffy!"

"oi! don't hug me too hard!" they squirm, trying to loosen your grip.

"sorry!" you smile innocently as you look up to see the silver-haired trailblazer, watching you. "hey caelie!" you let go of pompom, running straight to him.

he's quick to pick you up as you stretch your own arms out towards him. he looks at you with curious eyes and then glances at pompom who is cleaning their uniform.

"i wanted to hug pompom! and i did!" you cheered. it earns you a silent chuckle from caelus. much to pompom's relief, he takes you away and to the passenger rooms.

[rule 2; don't drink mr. welt's coffee]

that rule was interesting. it was set because of you really. you tried the coffee once and almost cried. turns out you can't handle the bitter taste unsurprisingly.

"i know you're gonna do it, y/n." you freeze in his lap as welt continues to answer caelus's questions on the phone.

"but what if it tastes different?"

"it's still coffee, dear." you rest your cheek on welt's shoulder, face squished as you stare at the cup of dark liquid. welt doesn't say anything after that, a gentle sigh leaving his lips.

"did auntie himeko make it?"

"no, she didn't."

"then it will taste different." you reason but it doesn't sway the tired father figure. you reach to take a sip. you look up at welt as if expecting the male to stop you but he doesn't.

he knows. he knows what's going to happen and he's not going to stop it. (he does have a different drink on hand, ready for you.)

you take a sip.

and you cry. "papa!" he sets your favorite drink down, moving the coffee towards him. "why do you drink that?!" he guides your favorite drink towards you and you immediately drink it.

"i drink it because i like it."

"you have bad tastes, papa." you stick your tongue out at him.

"and yet you keep drinking it every time."

[rule 3; sleep on time!]

another rule in place for you. did you ever follow it? sometimes.

but you were only a kid.

"but i don't wanna sleep!" you tugged onto dan heng's clothes as if he would help.

he does not.

"you need to sleep. you're going to be all sleepy in the morning."

"but i want to stay with you guys!" dan heng picks you up into his slightly awkward hold. "please?" you drag out your pleas in hopes of convincing your older brother figure to let you stay up with the trio.

"sorry, y/n. but i don't think welt would allow that."

"but i'm not ti.. tired!" you yawn between your last word, your hands reaching to rub your eyes.

"you totally are, y/n." march cooed, taking you from dan heng's arms. "let's get you to himeko or welt, hm?" the trio is gentle to bid you a goodnight and a pat on the head (and kiss on the cheek from march) while you're taken to rest with himeko.

"there's the sweetie. awh, you must be exhausted." you're laying in himeko's arms, feeling sleepy with her warmth wrapped around you. "thank you march, have a good time with the others." march waves her goodbye before leaving with the trailblazer and dan heng.

"but i wanna go..." you frown, twisting and turning in the redhead's arms.

"how about you spend sometime with me, welt, and pompom before bed?" himeko suggests.

"are we gonna read some stories?"

"we'll let you pick."

"okay."

you fell asleep about 3 minutes later before you could even hear a story.

[myfanfic-urfantrash]

it is 11:30am, i’m already in here like a feral little gremlin. are you proud of what you’ve made of me? /nm | sticking true to my name as nest anon and bringing some nesting hc — might break this into a couple asks because i wanna explore the omegas a lil bit too

(skipping blade i did him already) jing yuan’s nests are almost way too perfectly made, these things feel like heaven for anyone who steps into them. i’d like to think that baiheng used to make nests for everyone, and he picked up on it from watching her. pillows, blankets, spraying it in certain scents — i’d like to think he collects bottles of colognes and perfumes from HCQ and sprays it on blankets he associates with them to sleep at night, and he’ll let yanqing come in too even if jy and his mate are inside of it so he’ll feel like he’s protecting the two people closest to him

welt i’d see as being a messy neat, everything’s kinda just thrown in there in a random place depending on where he wants to lie down to cushion certain parts of his body (he’s a grandpa, he’s a lil achy). i think that’s why he makes nests, just to give his body a break and unwind a lot easier from the mental taxation from using his powers (for some weird reason, i think it’d smell like bourbon and mahogany??)

luocha is very neat, but he doesn’t make them very often since he’s never home being a merchant and all, and he doesn’t carry a lot of his nest materials with him since it’s been drilled into his head to always carry light, but also because one of his mate’s scarfs got stolen once, and he never wants to lose anything of theirs again

we have another messy nester: dan heng! at first, i’d think he’d be neat about it, but then i remembered how he sleeps in a literal sleeping bag in the archives, so i’m thinking this would be the one thing that’s messy about him. tosses down a quilt or two and then rolls up everything else and throws it in random spots until he’s satisfied with it. i also think he’d do it after he has a really bad nightmare so he can have an easier time going back to sleep, and he’d have things of his mate’s, march 7th’s, and caelus/stelle’s thrown in if they weren’t on the express to come nest with him

- messy nest (1/2-3??)

I'm losing it these are sooo good! AND THERE'S MORE?! 8O

Imma just let you cook and let the world see your masterpiece

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

I've seen scatterings of her your headcanons about the Traveler, you got anything about the Trailblazer by any chance? (If you can, anyhow)

Okay!

The Trailblazer! Honkai: Star Rail

1.) I don't think for a second that they have a room on the Astral Express, because we have been in this game for an entire year now, and they still haven't shown us anything. Genshin got the Serenitea Pot before 2.0 dropped.

It's not as if March 7th's bedroom has any particular need to be in the game, but they went to the trouble of showing her having a personalized space. Dan Heng is said to have a room even if he's made the Archives his personal space for now. Himeko and Welt have rooms we can't go in, but they're there. So why can't the Trailblazer have a space of their own with little decorations nodding to events we've done and people we've met?

So, this persistent 'Astral Express Crew is Family!' idea people spout feels like the biggest reach to me because MC gets talked over a lot, gets their decisions made for them without being asked a lot, and has no clear connection to anything on the Express aside from whatever memes comes out of their mouth to mess with others in the moment.

2.) I fully believe that Stelle and Caelus are the same being, in the sense that I think they're a digital creation. Or perhaps a better explanation be like some kind of holographic AI super-system thing that is capable of shifting between 2 different forms depending on the job that needed to be done for the Stellaron Hunters. I don't necessarily think that they were a person, but the Hoyoverse has proven time and again, that even non-sentient things can become sentient when exposed to certain energies for long enough, and eventually ascend to a form of a powerful being that can act and think for itself.

I truly believe that, for the sake of the way the lore is going, having 2 different options for the receptacle of the Stellaron was literally just how it usually is for jobs. Like, it's actually an in-lore thing that they have this system on hand that can take either shape depending on what they're needed for, kind of like how Mora in Genshin has an in-lore reason for its use in everything(it's got fancy powers, cuz of the Gnosis, that enhance things when used on them). And then it gets reset at the end of each job so there's no memories to draw upon.

3.) So, building off of my last idea, the plot here is that there's some kind of script that they are following, fully believing they're doing the right thing even if it requires terrible atrocities to be done(if I'm following correctly of course, I get confused tbh). I completely think that they want this fancy system that they've been using, to actually become an Aeon somehow, through exploring the universe and forming opinions and connections. Perhaps even replace Akivili themself.

Aeons seem to be pretty neutral all things considered, and it's their followers that tend to be the ones who are morally corrupt or ambiguous in action and belief. Aeons seem to more embody a concept wholeheartedly, none of that fence-sitting stuff.

If that is the case, then the Trailblazer waking up without memories and forming an attachment to the followers of the Trailblaze themself, might be like a personality replacement of sorts. Since there's nothing in their past that they know about, and they don't even know anything about themself, they are trying to fill in the void with anything they can get their hands on, even if it means adopting a belief system they know nothing about or might not even agree with.

The main character has not been with the Astral Express long enough to be spouting all of this 'I will blaze a trail' nonsense. Every single time an option like that comes up, I will pick it for the sake of continuity in the story, but I do not believe it for a second. It doesn't feel as if there's been enough realistic character growth for the main character to already be saying things like this. They still don't know the Astral Express Crew all that well after all and they aren't given enough info. They hadn't even known about the whole Penacony situation when they arrived there. They'd been told that that was the next destination, but they had not been told that there was a fancy invite for specific guests and that they wouldn't be able to go with everyone because the one invite was for Dan Heng and not someone else and it can't be changed.

All of this just feels like they want to fit in somewhere because they don't have anywhere in their memories to go, but it doesn't feel like they're actually a crew member yet regardless of supposedly being POM-POM's fav. So, we circle back to my first idea, I guess.

4.) I think having no memories to draw upon is what allows the Trailblazer to channel the heart of each Path they have been able to unlock so far. By having absolutely no worldly connections prior to when they woke up, they are essentially a blank slate, and have to learn everything in the moment and experience it all personally to form their conclusions.

It always seems to be every time the Trailblazer comes to understand what the meaning of the Path is, after acquiring an item significant to the Path in question, that is when the Aeon of that Path Looks upon them for the first time and they seem to draw upon that connection to find the Will to use the new Path.

I don't really know where I'm going with this particular idea, but I felt like I should verbalize it.

5.) I'm about to get a little depressing for a second, but what if the Trailblazer's obsession with rummaging through trash cans and taking things left in them, is connected to the fact that they might feel like they've been abandoned because they don't have anything of their past to drawn upon, and the one person who seems to know them the most avoids them and doesn't seem inclined to answer questions?

As if having to reaffirm the idea that they are still useful and that all these things- these little trinkets that they find in the garbage, also have their uses. One man's trash is another man's treasure. That perhaps they can be treasure to someone too.

6.) I'm a little confused about the Stellaron part, because every other time it's come up in the story, it's been a really bad thing, Like, they seem to have a sentience or a consciousness of their own, and are capable of interacting with people and influencing them and their surroundings, but the one in the Trailblazer doesn't do anything save for when they almost died and drew Nanook's gaze in the beginning of the game.

How did Welt manage to seal it while it was inside someone? And how is it that him stealing it somehow keeps it managed and contained? What is so special about his abilities that make it perfectly okay for the Trailblazer to do just waltz about with everyone else(I don't know a thing about other HYV games beside HSR and Genshin so him in the other game is lost on me, sry)? What does sealing it entail? It never seems to be done on screen I'm pretty sure(unless I'm misremembering?).

If I recall correctly, the Stellaron Hunters broke into Herta Space Station and took the Stellaron that Herta had on hand and placed it in the receptacle that they brought along with them. There had to be a very specific reason for them to do this, something in the 'script' they're following. Because they knew it would be sealed in the MC? Does it being sealed inside a person make it different from one that's been sealed in the physical world? Does this come with a power-up at some point? Some kind of special connection to The Destruction?

This isn't really a theory but it's a lot of thinking I'm doing.

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

Anyway, that's what I got so far. Hope these were interesting thoughts to get through. ^-^ <3

[descendinginto-madness]

awake.

word count: 1073

content warnings: mentions of injury, medication & hospital(ish) setting

summary: after being seriously injured during a mission, march finally wakes up.

author's notes: ermmm hi :3 this is a sequel for the thing i wrote for day 2 and i kiinda feel like i'm cheating because today's prompt is barely in here but,,, for the sake of continuity it's gonna be this way LOL also march didn't deserve this tbh. i'll admit i'm evil

When March wakes up, she's confused. 

She registers a few things all at once, too, and it's not really helping: she's lying down on something soft, there's something else covering her body, her chest feels weird, and the light in this… place, wherever she is… It isn't very strong, but still too bright for her eyes, and she has to squint for a moment. Once they adjust, though, she can finally look around - and what she sees is the Astral Express's infirmary. She's lying in bed, and there's someone sleeping on the chair next to it.

Dan Heng.

…Right.

It's when she recognizes him that she also remembers what happened. The fight, the injury… Then Stelle and Dan Heng's worried faces above her, Dan Heng picking her up, asking her to stay awake?... 

Maybe.

She isn't entirely sure about these last few things, they're all blurry in her mind, as if engulfed in thick fog. She remembers that she was in pain and shock and scared, though, so it's probably because of that - but even when she knows the reason, it's still a little frustrating. She doesn't like not being able to remember things. Even when it comes to a situation like this, she's pretty sure she would've preferred the details, no matter how terrifying all of that was for her at the moment.

She doesn't want any more black holes in her memory.

Now that she's awake, though, she will surely be able to fill in the blanks with the help of her friends…. If they want to talk about this, of course, and she has a feeling they won't. Not like she can't really blame them for that - it must've been quite scary for them as well… Especially if she has been unconscious long enough for someone else to fall asleep waiting for her to wake up.

“Dan Heng?” she says, and her voice is so weak it almost scares her. She doesn't really feel this weak - sure, she's still tired, and sleepy, but that might also be due to some medicine she might be under the influence of right now. To prove to herself that it’s really not that bad more than anything else, she attempts to pull herself up - and immediately fails.

Oh.

That's… Not ideal. 

She waits for a moment, but nothing happens; either Dan Heng's sleep is too deep, or she was too quiet, even with her attempts to move. She tries to speak again, this time a bit louder.

“Dan Heng?”

…

Still nothing.

Alright, third time's the charm.

“Dan Heng!”

It's still not loud, and almost makes her cough, but it does the job; her friend flinches, suddenly awake, and for a moment looks startled - it almost makes her giggle. His eyes finally land on her, though, and then his expression instantly changes into a mix of… everything, really; worry and relief, surprise and happiness, before he manages to somewhat compose himself. Only his voice isn't quite as serious and steady as usual, the relief clearly present in there.

“March.” The way he says her name is so soft that makes her feel oddly warm inside. “March,” he repeats. He seems… Unsure; about what to do, what to say, and clearly struggling to find the right words, and she smiles. 

“That’s my name alright,” she says, but it only takes a few seconds for her to remember something and for that smile of hers to fade. 

“Dan Heng?” This time it's her who's hesitating. “I’m sorry.” She looks away from him, suddenly a heavy feeling in her heart. It's… Not very nice, obviously, but it's best to apologize as soon as she can.

At the very least, Dan Heng seems to be genuinely surprised by her apology, and it makes her feel a little better.

“What for?” he asks.

“I… must’ve made you terribly worried, right?” she replies, letting out a quiet sigh. “If I was more careful—” She doesn’t even manage to finish the second sentence and he's already shaking his head.

“No,” he says, and his voice is slightly more firm, but still gentle. Reassuring. “You didn’t do anything— if anything, I should apologize. If I was more careful nothing would’ve happened either, and now, if I got here even slightly too late…” His voice trails off, and March's expression softens when she hears that, her eyes filled with worry. Of course he feels responsible for that. Of course he feels like he should have protected her better. Dan Heng, who treats her like his younger sister and who would give his life for her without a second of hesitation.

But the most she can do right now is smile reassuringly - at the very least, she hopes it’s reassuring and not mostly tired.

“It’s not your fault either,” she disagrees and he nods, but still doesn’t look convinced, and… Ah. Maybe it's not the most appropriate thought at the moment, but March already knows that in a while, when all the emotions caused by this incident are dull, she’s going to tease him about how worried he was, even if just so slightly. 

Not right now, though; especially since something else catches his attention - for the best for him, probably. 

“You look tired,” he notices, and she can't help but feel like he's so glad to change the topic because he's afraid she might be about to try and start blaming herself for everything again. “You should rest more.” 

Normally, she would’ve argued with him about that, but right now, she really does feel tired, she too can hear just how quiet her voice is, and… honestly, all this talking is draining her much more than it should.

“It’s alright.” Because it really is, even despite all that; in the end, she doesn't mind talking to Dan Heng at all, but by the time he says these two words, he has already stood up from his chair.

“I’ll— let the others know you're alright,” he says. “And I can get you something if you need anything.”

She thinks for a moment and shakes her head gently.

“I don't.”

“Okay. I'll be back soon, but please rest.” He gives her one more worried look before heading towards the door.

In a slightly different situation, right now it would've hit her how lonely this room is about to get, but it doesn't happen right now.

She falls asleep before Dan Heng even leaves the room.

divider by @/cafekitsune

[goldom]

AFoLiS author commentary Part 3-2

Alright, moving on...

After that point is when entries started to really fall into the norm of what I intended the story to be: me writing about whatever events I played that day, as if Stelle were writing about them. So a lot of stuff out of canon chronological order. But let's be honest, canon chronological order is a hot mess anyway.

I'm still proud of "Stellfie." Yes, I do this word-merging all the time irl, often aloud, and near-constantly mentally, which I have learned is associated with Tourette syndrome. After mentioning this to my mom a few years ago, she revealed that I was actually diagnosed with TS as a kid. Welp. And so sometimes I'm just sitting here thinking about Firefly (as you do) and suddenly burst out with "Blupils" (blue pupils) at my spouse, who has no fuckin clue what I'm on about, so then Stelle got to think it too.

Okay, Interlude 3, let's see how badly I wrote the SH... Okay this is actually fine. Yeah they're all making quiet threats, but I think it still comes across as caring. Yes, Firefly is harsh to Kafka in her thoughts, which is not canon, but in my story, we know she watched Kafka erase her girlfriend before her eyes.

On SW's joke about picking Stelle's name, I realized later that I got canon backwards about Stelle's old vs new name. Rewatching the opening cutscene, it's trying to say "her name WAS Stelle, but her new name is the one the player picks." But we're way past that now. In here, Stelle is her new name. Her old name... Well, we've heard it of course. It's ███. :)

" “A Station ornament inscribed with defense? Really?” “I meet a lot of people, okay, maybe someone will need it. "

Look. Look. Genshin has characters with attack that scales on DEF. YOU NEVER KNOW what relics you're gonna need some day! And that's why I'm always hitting the inventory cap...

" “Why would you keep a journal on paper?” Herta sneers, sounding insulted by the idea. " <- Me not noticing that Herta's avatar in SU is literally writing on paper. Oh well.

I try not to use too much cursing of any sort, if only because the game doesn't, so it would be out of character. But once in a while, Stelle just needs to bust out a "fuck off, Herta." Meanwhile, I liked getting to make up at least one silly sci-fi curse, with Herta's "Droidhead's wires."

Here's the most mundane behind the scenes detail. After I changed pens because Herta broke Stelle's, I discovered the color of the new one came out really light in the scans. So after a couple entries I went back to the original, having Stelle note on the side of a page that she replaced it. Well. Actually I accidentally picked a different one without realizing it. If you compare, the pen color isn't quite the same before and after the light-green pen section. Wow. Such lore.

Dumb headcanon: The way Screwllum talks isn't cause he's a robot, it's cause he thinks it's funny to sound robotic to the silly organics.

Okay, we're up to the creation of the seal on the journal. Oh boy that thing gave me so much aggravation. I came up with the trick clue very early, and got really attached to it. I needed the password to be "me" for Firefly. But then, "me" makes no sense for Stelle to say as the answer. Plus, "me" is a terrible password because it would so easily be said accidentally. So I ended up with that whole mess of exposition with Stelle being making up a reasoning for how it works, like "I guess the journal is being pedantic" and ugh yeah I'm still not happy with it. But I couldn't change the wording at that point, because I'd already SHOWN the thing way back in the first entry, and there it was written in the cover of the real journal. I think this probably should have been a "kill your darlings" moment, because the payoff really wasn't worth how awkward it was to justify.

Still, the moment Firefly figures it out and whispers "me" is so cute.

Alright, one more third to go in this part.

[shespeaksinsongs]

The Six Of Us | Draco x Reader

<< back to part 1

A/N: I genuinely felt so insecure about this, but I wanted to release it because I feel like some of you guys may like it! I think it turned out alright. Thank you so much to Chloe and Bee for proofreading for me!

Summary: Part 2 to Wish I Were Her. After a night accidentally spent with her best friend Draco, Y/N's husband Blaise and Draco's wife Astoria are furious.

Warnings/content: Angst w/ fluff ending, hurt/comfort, dad!draco, mom!reader, mentions of sex, arguing,

Word count: 2.5k words

masterlist | request | taglist

"We have to stop meeting like this." Y/N laughed, picking a thick book from the self-help section of the grocery store and throwing it into her basket.

"I happen to quite like our little rendezvous." Draco replied smoothly, taking Y/N's basket out of her hands and carrying it for her. "So, why are you here at," Draco paused to check his watch. "three in the morning?" He asked, swinging an arm around his old friend.

"Stells wasn't feeling too good, so I came here to buy her some medicine. She's almost at a fever." Y/N said, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach that fluttered every time Draco touched her.

"Poor baby." Draco said sadly before peering into Y/N's basket. "So you're telling me Stells enjoys reading 300 Ways To Turn Your Life Around? Must be a nice bedtime story. I'll buy one for Scorp." Draco said, laughing when Y/N flicked his forehead in a lighthearted way.

"I've been meaning to buy a new book!" Y/N laughed, snatching her basket back and heading over to the self-checkout center. "What's your excuse?" She asked, scanning Draco's items along with hers, indirectly offering to pay.

"Couldn't sleep. Hey, no, no, no, let me get that." Draco said quickly, pulling out his card, but Y/N had already swiped, and she had already made the payment.

Y/N feigned pity as Draco frowned. She brought up the handheld scanner to Draco's forehead, and pouted. She looked at the screen, ignoring the fact that nothing had actually been scanned. "Huh, that's weird. I don't recall ever buying your bullshit."

"Oh, shut up." Draco laughed, grabbing their plastic bags and placing his hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the store. His smile faded as he cleared his throat. "Actually, Astoria and I had another argument." He admitted on their walk to Y/N's car.

Y/N sighed, knowing the real reason she was out at such an hour. "I'm sorry, Draco. If it makes you feel better, Stella isn't sick. Blaise and I haven't really been clicking for the past few months if I'm being honest. I'm debating whether or not sleeping in the same bed would even make a difference. You know he's always been a snorer. Kicks in his sleep, too." Y/N half-laughed, trying her best to stay positive and strong in front of her friend.

"And this whole time, you had me concerned for my goddaughter. What a joke you are." Draco grinned when Y/N shoved him playfully. "Do you wanna maybe talk in your car?"

"Sure." Y/N nodded, getting in the car and warming her hands up as soon as the engine was warm enough to turn on the heater.

"Y/N." Draco said, shedding off his heavy coats.

"Yeah." Y/N replied absentmindedly, her mind only on warming her body up.

"I think Astoria is cheating on me." He said abruptly, causing Y/N's heart to drop to her feet. Never in a million years did she think she would ever hear of Astoria in such a scandalous predicament.

"Merlin, Draco... I don't know what to say. What makes you think so?" Y/N asked, shifting on her side to face Draco better.

"She's just been so... dismissive lately. She doesn't want sex, either, and the last time we did it when she was about to, um, say my name," Y/N blushed, thankful for the dim lighting of the parking lot. "she started my name with a different letter." Draco said, his bangs framing his face perfectly as the streetlights illuminated him.

Y/N took a moment to think, furrowing her brows. "Gosh, I'm so sorry, Draco. Do you and Scorp wanna spend a few nights at ours? I doubt Blaise would mind." Y/N said, trying to ignore the foggy look in Draco's eyes.

Draco shook his head profusely, his hair hitting his temples at the force. "I just need to be with you right now." He said, peering into Y/N's soulful Y/E/C eyes.

"O-oh. Um, okay." Y/N said awkwardly, waving her wand and magicking away the center console that separated the two, forming a long front row. "Come here." Y/N gestured, her arms open and ready to hold the boy she'd called so dear to her for such a long time.

Draco scooted over, kicking his shoes off and laying down on Y/N's warm chest, wrapping his arms around her torso. "I love you so much, Y/N/N." He whispered against her body, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, the soft Christmas music on the radio only lulling him to sleep further.

Y/N fought back tears and bit her tongue, knowing it wasn't her place to say things she shouldn't be saying, especially now, at a moment so fragile. "I know, Dray. I know." She said, stroking his hair gently, letting his slow breathing be her white noise.

Draco and Y/N woke up to the bright sun, a car that had run out of gas, and over twenty missed calls from their spouses.

"Holy shit." Y/N said, rubbing her eyes and suppressing a yawn. "I forgot to tell Blaise I went out."

"Don't worry about it, Astoria probably told him." Draco said absently, his eyes scanning over each missed text from his wife.

"I need to call him." Y/N said, putting her boots back on to cover her feet from the cold that seeped into their car while they were sleeping.

"Go ahead." Draco said, his mind too busy responding apologetically to each individual attack Astoria made at him.

The phone only rang for a second before Blaise answered. "Hello?" His ragged voice spoke from the other end of the phone. Y/N felt chills crawl up her spine as she shut her eyes, feeling guilty.

"Hi, sweetie, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you I was going out, we just got in a fight, and so I figured you wanted some alone time, and you were sleeping, and-"

"Who are you with?" Blaise asked, his voice stoic and cold through the speakers.

"Draco." Y/N swallowed a lump down her throat, knowing how bad it looked that the night they had another argument, she spent the night with the man Blaise had tried his hardest not to loathe their entire marriage.

Blaise scoffed. "I can't believe you." He sighed heavily into the phone before speaking again. "You know what? Just - Merlin, just come home when you want. I'm tired."

Y/N tried to explain. "No, baby, it's not like-" But she was cut off by three monotone beeps, marking the broken line. "Fuck." She said, holding her head in her hands and letting small tears slip out of the corners of her eyes, trying her best to keep it together in front of Draco.

His heart tugged as he watched Y/N suck in shaky breaths. "Please don't cry, angel. I hate it when you do." Draco said under his breath, pulling Y/N tight to his chest and rubbing her back while she sobbed, wondering where her marriage had gone so wrong. "Everything will be okay. We'll work it out." He said, terrified at the thought of having to confront his angry wife. "And when this is all over, we can go on that huge family trip to Italy we've always talked about going on. All six of us." He soothed, tracing circles on her shoulder blades - a technique that had worked on Y/N for decades now.

Y/N sniffled, almost choking on her breath. "He thinks we-"

"I know, Y/N/N." Draco said. "I'll be surprised if Astoria'll ever let me see Scorpius again." He said, his wife now a distant memory compared to his son.

Y/N shook her head. "Don't say that. You did more for him last week than Astoria has done the four years he's been alive." She said, separating herself to look Draco in his inviting blue eyes.

Draco smiled faintly. "Let's go home." He said, holding Y/N's hand and apparating the two to their houses.

-

"Because you don't love me anymore! Merlin, Draco, you can't go a day without talking about that wretched girl!" Astoria yelled beside Blaise, who looked like he was ready to blow Draco's head off.

Blaise's demeanor stayed hard as Astoria yelled about his wife, Y/N, who was off upstairs in another room, making sure both the kids were playing nicely together.

Draco's knuckles turned white as he rocked back and forth on the kitchen island to calm himself.

Y/N made her way downstairs, dreading having to face her furious husband again. Stopping at the doorway connecting the foyer to the kitchen, she heard Draco speaking. "You do whatever you want, Astoria, but don't you dare say one more word about her. She's upstairs taking care of the kid you birthed, that you haven't given a minute of your time to since he was born."

"See, that's the problem." Blaise said, pointing at Draco. "You don't even care what your wife does. You just care about mine."

"I should've never married you in the first place." Draco said to Astoria, noticing Y/N stood frozen at the entry. Her jaw dropped as Draco made his way over to her, grabbing her hand and mumbling a "let's go."

Astoria looked up to Blaise, shaking her hands anxiously after realizing the last thing she wanted was to take care of a child she had no connection to for fourteen more years. Blaise shrugged at her icily, indicating he truly only cared for himself.

"Wait!" Astoria screamed, rushing up to Draco.

Draco rolled his eyes, shrugging off her hands. "Astoria, I'm"

"Pregnant," Astoria said quickly, her eyebrows quirking upwards to achieve a hopeful look. "I- We're pregnant." Y/N and Draco exchanged a shocked look.

"What?" Draco stressed, his muscles tensing more.

"We're having a baby." Astoria elaborated, softening her voice, slowly putting her arms around Draco's stiff neck.

"We-" Draco stuttered, his body threatening to give out. "We haven't had sex in weeks." He said, his voice quieter.

Y/N, overhearing this and knowing Blaise heard, looked over at him, realizing what this meant. "That's where you were on Valentine's Day." She said, catching on, causing both Astoria and Draco's attention to turn to her.

Blaise stayed quiet, his gaze set on the floor. "So while you stood there, criticizing us, you two have been," Y/N held a hand up to her mouth, feeling herself get nauseous.

Draco took Astoria's hands off his body, staring at both Blaise and her in sheer disappointment. "I never want to see either of you ever again." He said, taking off his ring. Y/N did the same, her eyes watering as she handed her engagement and wedding rings over to Blaise.

"I'll have someone contact you. I'm taking Stella today. She'll be back tomorrow." Y/N muttered, heading upstairs to take her daughter.

Draco followed close behind her, heading into his bedroom, diagonal from the toy room where their kids were playing together, to pack a bag for Scorpius and him.

"Mama, why are you crying?" Stella asked, jumping to try to reach Y/N's face. Y/N laughed through her sniffles, crouching down to be eye to eye with her daughter. Without words, Stella held her face and pulled her neck in for a tight hug. "It's okay, Mama." She said quietly, rubbing her back. There was no doubt she was only repeating what her mother would say to her when she cried, but it didn't make any of her words less comforting for Y/N. Y/N wept into her child's hair, relishing the feeling of just being hugged.

She separated herself finally after a few moments, laughing through another tear, when Stella held her mom's face with her chubby hands, planting a huge kiss on her cheek. "I love you, my baby." Y/N said gently, picking her up and holding her tight. Stella nuzzled her face into her mom's neck, lighting up when she saw her best friend's dad.

"Draco!" Stella said excitedly, extending her arms outwards to be held. Y/N laughed, wiping her tears as she handed Draco the girl with grabby hands.

"Hi, darling." Draco greeted the small girl, kissing her head gently.

"Have you got yours and Scorp's bag yet? Hey, angel." Y/N asked Draco before greeting the small boy that came in running from brushing his teeth. Y/N giggled, wiping off a bit of excess toothpaste before picking the tiny blond up and kissing him on the nose.

"Yep. All packed." Draco said, looking into Y/N's eyes. If looks could speak, this one would say, "I wish it didn't have to end this way."

Y/N looked at him empathetically. "Kids, why don't you go and play a little more while Draco and I have some adult talk?" She asked, looking at Scorpius and Stella.

"Okay, Mama." Stella said as Scorpius nodded, running off into Scorpius' room.

Draco stared at the wall blankly before Y/N approached him. She gave him a soft smile, recognizing the emotionless expression, and led him to a small couch behind them.

Draco continued staring at his hands before he began crying again, his sobs sputtering out. Then, silently, he hugged Y/N, rubbing her back when he felt her tears fall on his shoulder.

They stayed there, in each other's arms, for what felt like years, neither of them wanting to let go. Astoria and Blaise were a forgotten memory now - now they were crying about the indescribable pain of loving somebody you couldn't have.

"So many years." Y/N sobbed, clutching onto Draco tighter, her head burying itself even deeper into him.

"Wasted time." Draco choked.

They weren't talking about their failed marriages anymore. Instead, they referred to the years and years they spent pining after each other, the timing never being quite right.

Y/N pulled back to look into Draco's eyes - something that always grounded her in a heartbeat. "At least I have you." She said, placing a hand on his cheek, rubbing it tenderly with her thumb.

Draco relaxed, placing his hand on her cheek as well. "You always will." He said, his gaze soft, quickly looking at her lips. Y/N caught this, already looking at his, too, when she realized what she wanted.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "I love you - and not just as a friend. I love you like I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She said, a bit confused as if she had just realized her feelings then, rather than years ago.

Draco nodded slightly and smiled, his teardrops dry on his skin. "I love you... more." He said, pulling her in for a kiss before stopping about an inch away from her lips. "Is this okay?"

Y/N, too scared to speak, nodded as Draco leaned in, his soft pillows intertwining with Y/N's. Who knew kisses could tell you so many stories? They danced until they were out of breath, and even then, there was an occasional giggly peck.

After all this newfound excitement started to die down, Draco turned to Y/N. "We'll be okay." He said, leaning in for one of the first of many kisses in their lifetime.

Taglist: @daedreamss @chloeluvsdray @sunshinexweasley @evahpmcu @alexxavicry @mvdbldd @secretlynerdygeekystuff @marcela6malfoy @elizabethrosedarling @lolooo22 @lovemegood @bukoffski

[that-one-weeb-but-starwars]

My Love| Echo (part 6 beejesus...)

Notes: this ones short my bad, also this way shock you. I also have a strong urge to make hondo show up perhaps in the Future

Warnings: sad flashbacks, death and disease mentioned, cannablistic mentions (not eating anyone but like the word), cursing,

Reader: Male

Part: 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 | 6 (you're hah here)

Masterlist

That wasn't possible.

"What a shame." Maul spoke, turning himself around and walking away the Pyke leader following him.

This was wrong.

"If we came for this it better be important." Hunter spoke snatching the drive, "we leave now,"

"Me and Jacob they'll return you to your ship." The teen spoke up, "but be quick we'll need to leave with the transports."

It was a silent stealthy journey back to the ship, Echo being pushed along the way by Wrecker mostly as he was trying to process what was being told to him.

So...Y/n was dead? No that was possible- they couldn't of killed everyone.

He walked onto the ship the twins wishing them luck as they rushed back off into the darkness. He took a seat on his bunk, removing the head gear and mask, his gaze trapped within the grain of the metal.

"Tech get us out of here." Hunter demanded.

Wrecker watched Echo, his brows furrowed and in conflict.

"Hey. Kid." Wrecker spoke nudging Omega softly, "Good job out there."

"I just stuck to the plan." She smiled.

"Wanna do one more mission?" He asked playfully she nodded happily.

"Go find Lula. I think someone needs her." Wrecker spoke as Omega nodded rushing to find the Tooka doll.

Wrecker walked over to Echo, sitting across from the reg, Echo kept his gaze down.

"Hey."

"I don't, I don't understand." Echo responded, "I- I don't..."

"It's okay-" Wrecker tried to speak.

"But it isnt." Echo seethed.

The sudden jolt told them they had jumped to hyperspace. Echo rubbed over his eyes.

"What was Y/n's family doing associated with the Empire..." Echo spoke, "I...I don't..."

Wrecker frowned, Hunter watching the cockpits doorway, his brother lost and confused, let down and heart broken.

Walking into the cockpit the door closed behind him.

"You'll want to see this Hunter." Tech spoke, "Echo was right."

Hunter took a seat, "Y/n's code name is Rosyln then?"

"In a sense yes, yet It is many things." Tech informed, "It's multiple things, a name, a code name, a secret military operation."

" a what." Hunter demanded answers now.

"On this disk it says Project Rosyln was ment to help in implicating...hunger in a sense.."

"Hunger?" Hunter asked, "Hunger for what?"

"Flesh, sentinel flesh," Tech responded, "They had many failis dead on contacts, until. Rosyln."

"The dead brother of Y/n's Echo mention." Hunter spoke as Tech nodded.

"He survived it, partially, resulting in an outdated inner rim disease known as Cancer." Tech responded, "though it is not sepcified what type, he died young."

"So how does Y/n fit into it?"

"Rosyln was Y/n's younger brother by adoption law on corosaunt, and the Zabrack was not lying when he said The L/n family was ontop the imperals kill list, it was ment for them to go into hiding, to essentially metophorically and phsycially slip into the dark." Tech contuined.

"Okay so the kids?"

"Test subjects." He responded, "farm animals, future death troopers fueled by anger and loss, much more. Hunter, They weren't a family, those people they called there parents? Used them."

"Can we save any of them? Y/n? The older kids? The young ones? Anyone?" Hunter questioned.

"This here is a list of kids of Y/n's family," Tech spoke, plugging into the panel infront of him as the hologram formed, "red are dead, there eay of leaving is by there name. Jay here died of rejection of food, he starved to death. Siora drowned herself in the shower room-"

"Thats enough Tech. Who's alive." Hunter demanded.

"Y/n here is still alive, but that is all." Tech responded opening the file, "but has a number of unstablizing test ran on him, it shows here his diet was starting to change from normal foods to sential flesh, but before they could change him fully he escaped."

"How."

"Unknown."

Hunter was silent, for a moment as Tech closed the file, going through the others, "This also contains other information, such as helpful codes the imperals are now using, current inflation in imperal troopers, comn chatter and resources-"

"Don't let Echo see this." Hunter spoke.

"Hunter, I. I don't think this is a good idea." Tech told him, "You'e seen what he'll go through already to see him again. Hunter that was a sith he went up on, a Pyke leader."

"He doesn't need another thing to have a mental break down on. What happens if we find Y/n? Dead in a ditch-." Hunter argued, "if we can't fix him- we can't even help Crosshair None the less ourselves!"

"Hunter, he deserves to know." Tech defended, "let's be real here Hunter, we've nevee been there for him, we saved him from one hell to put into another, we can't help him because we don't understand him."

Hunter was silent, he knew Tech was right, "You're right." Hunter told him.

Tech pulled the disk from the panel looking back at Hunter, "Hunter I know this is hard. But this is his family. And I wish for a time in my life, I was wrong."

Hunter stayed silent walking out the cockpit, and down the small hallways, Omega trying to cheer Echo up with Lula and Wrecker with a supportive smile.

"Echo."

Echo looked back, "Tech wants to uh...show you something."

Echo got up without a word walking into the cockpit.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Omega questioned looking up at Hunter.

"Sure he will!" Wrecker tried to stay postive looking back at Hunter who kept his gaze down.

"Not this time Omega." Hunter told her, as she leaned in for a hug, he patting her head as she hug his stomach.

Tech walked out the cockpit, the doors closing behind him, "Echo wishes to take first watch while we rest," Tech informed.

"Where do we go next from here?" Omega spoke looking up at Hunter.

"We'll keep working jobs for Cid, seeing what we can do." Hunter responded, "Tech when Echo is done with that disk, see if anything on there has Crosshair on it."

"I have alredy copied the disk, I will look through it more on my watch after Echo's." Tech responded.

Hunter nodded

"hey kid." Wrecker spoke up, "lets go play a game together."

Omega nodded as Wrecker picked up Omega the two walking away to her room, Hunter mentally thanking Wrecker.

"How'd he react." Hunter responded.

"He hasn't." Tech responded, "I left it plugged in. He has the option. I just don't know if he's used it."

It was true, Echo had the option, the wanting, but he sat in his chair, staring at the disk sitting in the panel.

This was it.

This was the ticket, he could know, move on, grt some type of closure either Y/n was dead or alive. Even if Y/n was dead or alive he let Y/n's biggest secret slip.

'Just...I don't like people to pity his name.' Y/n told Echo, the two standing in all black together and umbrella over head as they walked the cemetery, 'he fought hard, that's all that matters, and there's no reason you should pity someone for when you loose,'

Echo nodded at him, 'I won't tell anybody, I understand to a degree, but if you need to talk, I want to listen,'

Y/n nodded, 'Thanks again for comin along Echo, not the best way to meet my baby brother,''

'I was glad to meet him, either way,'

Echo rubbed the back of his neck, finger's scratching at his nape. Standing up and walking over his hand hovered over the disk, should he pull it out? Should he press that small white button to let every fear he's had consume him?

He pulled the disk out, this was the right choice. Whatever he needed to know. He'd learn from y/n when he'd see him. Rubbing over the disk he slid it in his belts pouch and sat in the piolts seat looking out into the blue swirls. He was doing it again.

Sitting in silence, watching nothing new pass him by. Y/n was alive, if the others believed it or not was there choice, it was there opinion, he knew what he was saying was a fact, and he didn't need no disk to tell him so.

But the question still remained, Why was Y/n involved in crime syndicates and with Sith?"

The male turned himself around shoulder hair length, strings of white in his hair; stress induced.

"It's done." Lom Pyke spoke, "The kids are out, where is the spice."

"It's on the ship don't you worry." He spoke.

"You've returned the favor after I've said you returned the favor."

"Then we've returned the favor." Lom Pyke argued.

"I did everything you asked!" Lom Pyke argued, "I've stuck my neck out for you more than you can imagine you cannablistic bitch!-"

The pyke leader was cut off, lifted into the air as he gripped at his neck, and brought forward quickly, choking on the lack of air.

"Do you know who I am?" The man questioned quietly.

"L-let-" the pyke tried to speak stratching at his neck for breath, "let me g-go!"

"Oh...you don't?" The man questioned, "I was afraid once...not to long ago, afraid as you are now..."

The sound of choking made him pause adding slight pressure, "p-please!"

"I am no longer afraid...I am..." the man thought, any more and the pyke leader would die, "Well, funny thing is, I don't even know who I am anymore...but I do know, that, you, owe me much more than you think."

The man was dropped to the floor, attempting to catch air, "Perhaps, you wish, once to see who I was, to see how I became this thing you call a cannablistic bitch!"

"Please! No-" He defended, raising his head to look up in plead, "Not again! Not that place!"

A hand was placed on his head, as the Sith lord walked in. Within a matter of seconds the Pyke fell limp, the man pushing him over as he fell and rolled down the small stells of the elevated ledge.

"You're here for a reason Maul?"

"I am indeed, that clone, you told to meet us on Zut, there were clones."

"Entertain me Maul." He spoke, walking down the small steps, the hells of his boots clicking as he made it down the steps.

"Seems you're little buddy Captain dipshit isnt the only clone that's defected. That little Ray shit of your's hacked the imperal files." Maul spoke, his tone as usual, dark, broody, annoying to the mans ears, "Clone force 99, may just be on our side."

The man snatched the datapad from him, "and they have a child with them. How wonderful."

"Status' as of current."

"Like I said that dipshit of yours sursingly has his corners covered. Ray's tracking them as we speak." Maul told.

The man looked through the photo's there he was in all his glory, sure angry but just as remembered.

"Lets hope an ex sith lord, a fucked up group of clones, a cannablistic bitch kill, and some kids can help kill your old ass wrinkly master." The man spoke Maul snatching the data pad back and making his leave.

"Oh. And one know's who you are." Maul responded standing in the door way, "Before I gave them anything, one knew Rosyln is Y/n,"

[space--cadet-glow]

Translation: German manga of “The Minish Cap”, Part 2: “The Small Link”

So, as promised, here’s the second chapter of the German version of the manga of “The Minish Cap”!

My translation key: DT: „direct translation" (translated word for word) EQ: “English equivalent” (as in, as close to an English-sounding sentence as it’s gonna get) DT/EQ: „"direct translation/English equivalent" (for when the DT is so similar to an EQ that it’s practically English already) OE: “official English (translation as given in the English version of "The Minish Cap”)“ (NOTE:) "anything I need to point out” (exactly what it says on the tin) BG: „backwards German" for the Minish language in forwards form BOE: “the forwards version of the Minish language in the OE version” BOET: “the TRANSLATION of the forwards version of the Minish language in the OE version”

My translation work under the cut.

2. KAPITEL: „DER KLEINE LINK" 2ND CHAPTER: "THE SMALL LINK" CHAPTER 2: "SHRUNKEN LINK"

Toneffekte: „Bonk Batsch klopf" DT/EQ: „"Bonk bash knock" OE: "WHAM BAM POW"

Octorok 1: „Wohin guckst du?!" DT: „Where looking you?!" EQ: "What're you looking at?!" OE: "You lookin' at me?!"

Octorok 2: „Spasti!!" DT/EQ: „"Spaz!!" OE: "Quit bleeding on me!" (NOTE: ...For once, the English version had me laughing harder. German Octorok is just... Rude.)

Link: „Ups, der schaut mir in die Augen." DT: „Whoops, the looks (to) me in the eyes." EQ: "Whoops, he looked me in the eyes." OE: "Dang it! Our eyes met!"

Ezelo: „AAAAARGL!!" DT/EQ: „"AAAAAGGGH!!" OE: "GYAAAAAH!!"

Ezelo: „He, Junge! Ich meine dich!! Steh nicht blöd rum! Hilf mir lieber! Heute noch!!" DT: „Hey, boy! I mean you! Stand not stupid (there)! Help (to me) preferable! To-day still!!" EQ: "Hey, boy! I mean you! Don't stand there all stupid! Helping me is preferable! Even to-day!!" OE: "H-Hey, you! Boy! Are you just going to pretend... ...You don't see any of this?! Get over here and help me!" (NOTE: To get more slang-y with it would be like, "Help would be preferable! To-day, please!!")

Toneffekte: „Baller plong" DT/EQ: „"Shoot plong" OE: "POOM POOM POOM BAM BAM BAM"

Link: „..." DT/EQ: „"..." OE: "..."

Link: „He, ihr da! Hört auf, ihn zu ärgern!" DT: „Hey, you all there! Stop (x), him to annoy!" EQ: "Hey, you all there! Stop annoying him!" OE: "Hey! You guys! Quit picking on someone weaker than you!"

Octorok 1: „Waas?!" DT/EQ: „"Whaat?!" OE: "What'd you say?!"

Octorok 2: „Du Trottel!!" DT/EQ: „"You moron!!" OE: "Stupid punk!"

Toneffekte: „ZAMM YAAAAAH!" DT/EQ: „"BAMM YAAAAAH!" OE: "STOMP YAAH!"

Oktorok 1: „Bäh!" DT/EQ: „"Gah!" OE: "UGH!"

???: "..." DT/EQ: „"..." OE: "..." (NOTE: I can't tell if this is Link or Ezlo. Not that it matters, since it's literally just silence.)

Ezelo: „Puh. Danke, dass..." DT: „Phew. Thanks, that..." EQ: "Phew. Thanks for..." OE: "Oh my! Thank y-"

Link: „Schon gut. Ich weiß es." DT: „Already good. I know it." EQ: "It's okay. I know it." OE: "You don't have to say it... ...I know how this goes."

Link: „Ich weiß, wie es weitergeht. Hör mal." DT: „I know, how it along-goes. Listen (softener)." EQ: "I know how it goes on. Listen." OE: "I know there's no rainbow... ...But..."

Ezelo: „?" DT/EQ: „"?" OE: "?"

Link: „Die gerettete Maus rettet den Löwen... ...und bringt mich zu den Minish, richtig?" DT/EQ: „"The rescued mouse rescues the lion... ...and brings me to the Minish, right?" OE: "I figure you've got some gold other places too. I don't need your whole pot, but enough to build a house..." (NOTE: I love how not a single version I've seen thus far has used the Japanese's joke about the Dragon King. To be honest, referencing Leprechauns in the English version was probably the best thing they could've done- I mean, the Minish are small, associated with four-leaf clovers, hats, celebrations, and wishes, and are magical... But, here's where the German version takes it. What's being referenced in German is the Aesop Fable, "The Lion and the Mouse", in which a small Mouse is spared being eaten by a Lion, and later when the Lion is trapped, the Mouse saves him as thanks. The reason this REALLY works here, is because of the immense size difference between the Mouse and the Lion... Just like that between the Hylians and the Minish.)

Toneffekte: „Freu freu" DT/EQ: „"Pleased pleased" OE: "BOUNCE"

Ezelo: „Ich bin keine Maus!!" DT: „I am no mouse!!" EQ: "I am not a mouse!!" OE: "I'm NOT a Leprechaun!"

Link: „'Tschuldige. Dann eben ein Vogel?" DT: „Sorry. Then simply a bird?" EQ: "Sorry. Then just a bird?" OE: "Oh yeah, I see that. You're a bird!" (NOTE: Okay, German Link shortens down „Entschuldige"... Which, complete, would be "I'm sorry" or even "Excuse me". So, shortened in ENGLISH could be " 'Scuse me." Which honestly is kind of funny.)

Ezelo: „Auch kein Vogel!" DT: „Also no bird!" EQ: "Also not a bird!" OE: "I'm not a bird either!"

Link: „Was bist du dann? Was für ein Wesen bist du?" DT: „What are you then? What for a being/creature are you?" EQ: "What are you, then? What kind of being/creature are you?" OE: "Well then, what ARE you? Really, what in the world are you?" (NOTE: Idiomatic.)

Ezelo: „Ich bin ich. Ich heiße Ezelo!" DT: „I am I. I (am) call(ed) Ezelo!" EQ: "I am me. I'm Ezelo!" OE: "I'm not a what, I'm a who... I'm Ezlo!" (NOTE: Ezelo/Ezlo stayed Ezelo/Ezlo.)

Toneffekte: „Hah!" DT/EQ: „"Hah!" OE: "Ta-dah"

Link: „Du kennst die Minish nicht? Mann... Alles umsonst..." DT: „You know the Minish not? Man... All (for) nothing..." EQ: "You don't know the Minish? Man... All for nothing..." OE: "Dang! I thought you might be a Picori. Stop wasting my time."

Ezelo: „He! Warte, mein Kind!" DT/EQ: „"Hey! Wait, my child!" OE: "Hey! W-Wait, boy!"

Toneffekte: „Hüpf Hüpf" DT/;EQ: „"Hop hop" OE: "Sproing sproing"

Ezelo: „Lässt du mich etwa hier liegen?!" DT: „Leave you me something here lay?!" EQ: "You're leaving me here?!" OE: "You're just gonna LEAVE me?!"

Link: „Was willst du noch?" DT: „What want you still?" EQ: "What more do you want?" OE: "Is there some reason I WOULDN'T?" (NOTE: Holy mackerel, English Link...)

Ezelo: „Ich kann nicht so schnell laufen wie du! Was ist, wenn die Monster mich wieder angreifen?!" DT: „I can not so fast run how you! What is, if the Monsters me again attack?!" EQ: "I can't fun as fast as you! What if the Monsters attack me again?!" OE: "I can't keep up with you! What if evil spirits attack again?!"

Toneffekte: „Uff Hmpf" DT/EQ: „"Oof hmpf" OE: "Wumph wumph"

Link: „Oh Mann! Ich muss aber schnell die Minish finden." DT: „Oh man! I must but fast the Minish find." EQ: "Oh, man! I must find the Minish quickly." OE: "Beat it! I don't have time for you. I have to find the Picori quickly!"

Ezelo: „Minish? So, so! Wenn du mich mitnimmst, erzähle ich dir was über die Minish." DT: „Minish? So, so! If you me with-take, tell I (to) you what about the Minish." EQ: "Minish? So, so! If you take me along, I'll tell you something about the Minish." OE: "The Picori, you say? The Picori? If you take me along, I'll tell you all about the Picori."

Toneffekte: „Glänz" DT/EQ: „"Gleam" OE: "Gleam"

Link: „Wirklich?!" DT/EQ: „"Really?!" OE: "Really?!"

Ezelo: „Leih mir kurz dein Ohr. Ja, komm runter. So ist es gut." DT: „Lend (to) me briefly your ear. Yes, come down. So is it good." EQ: "Briefly lend me your ear. Yes, come down. That's it." OE: "I know all kinds of secrets about them. Just lean a little closer and... ...I'll whisper in your..."

[The English version then has an extra tid-bit that's not present in the German version for some reason... OE: "GOTCHA!"]

Toneffekte: „SCHLUPF" DT/EQ: „"SLIP" OE: "PLOP"

Ezelo: „Das tut gut!" DT: „This does good!" EQ: "This is good!" OE: "Ahhh... That's MUCH better."

Link: „Runter von meinem Kopf!" DT/EQ: „"Down from my head!" OE: "Hey! Who invited you onto my head?!"

Ezelo: „So läufst du mir nicht davon!" DT: „So run you (from) me not thereof!" EQ: "So, you won't run from me!" OE: "Now we'll never get split up."

Link: „Runter!! Du hast mich reingelegt!" DT: „Down!! You (x) me tricked!" EQ: "Down!! You tricked me!" OE: "Get off! You tricked me!"

Ezelo: „Welch eine Unterstellung. Ich erzähle dir alles." DT: „What/such an insinuation/allegation. I tell (to) you all." EQ: "What an allegation. I'll tell you everything." OE: "Hold on, boy, and I'll TELL you about the Picori!"

Ezelo: „So, Kind... Die Welt der Minish ist sehr klein. Daher wirst du sie auch in 100 Jahren nicht finden." DT: „So, child... The world (of) the Minish is very small. Therefore will you them also in 100 years not find." EQ: "So, child... The world of the Minish is very small. Therefore, you'll never find them, even in a 100 years." OE: "Just calm down. The world of the Picori is very small. At your size, you'd NEVER find them."

Ezelo: „Schau dir den Baumstumpf an. Stell dich mal darauf... ...und ich bringe dich zur Minish-Welt." DT: „Look (for) you the tree-stump (x). Place yourself (x) thereon... ...and I bring you to (the) Minish-World." EQ: "Look at the tree-stump. Place yourself on it... ...and I'll bring you to the Minish-World." OE: "See that stump? Climb up on it... ...And I'll SHOW you the Picori." (NOTE: „anschauen".)

Link: „Das ist doch nur ein Baumstumpf! Was soll hier schon passieren?!" DT: „That is still only a tree-stump! What should here already happen?!" EQ: "That's still only a tree-stump! What could even happen here?!" OE: "From on THIS stump? It's too SHORT to see anything!"

Toneffekte: „FWIIIIUUUUUH!" DT/EQ: „"FWEEEEEEE!" OE: "PICORIIIIIIII" (NOTE: ...I love how the German version completely messed up, and the English version both makes sense and DOESN'T make sense. Okay, so, in German, it's clearly been translated as the sound the Minish Portal is making. In English, it's... The gibberish Minish language used in-game. That's cool and all, but... The manga doesn't have the gibberish Minish language... It has the OTHER, backwards, Minish language... BE CONSISTENT, DARN IT. Either way, neither version correctly used the Japanese version's runes which spell out- backwards, that is- "RENA KUSACHI" or "CHISAKU NARE" forwards, which is... "BECOME SMALL" in Minish.)

Link: „Huch...? Wo bin ich jetzt?! Ich war doch im Wald?" DT: „Huh...? Where am I now? I was but in (the) Forest?" EQ: "Huh... Where am I now? I was just in the Forest?" OE: "Huh? Where are we?! Hey, where'd the forest go?"

Link: „Was ist das für ein Monster-Pilz?!" DT: „What is that for a monster-mushroom?!" EQ: "What kind of monster-mushroom is this?!" OE: "What a huge mushroom!" (NOTE: If you're wandering what the heck I'm doing here... I'm correcting all the backwards speech bubbles the English version has. And believe me, there's a LOT of them. And NONE of them were fixed for the "Legendary" edition, either...)

Ezelo: „Da geht es raus, Kindchen." DT: „There go it out, little child/kiddo." EQ: "Go out there, kiddo." OE: "Step outside and see." (NOTE: Also, I think it's adorable that the German manga kept the fact that Ezlo calls Link „Kindchen".)

Link: „Was ist denn das?! Die Bäume und Gräser sind so groß?!" DT: „What is then this?! The trees and grass are so big?!" EQ: "What is this, then?! The trees and grass are so big?!" OE: "W-What's going on here?! The trees and weeds got HUGE!!"

Ezelo: „Sie sind nicht größer geworden, sondern du kleiner." DT: „They (x) not bigger became, rather you smaller." EQ: "They didn't become bigger, rather, you became smaller." OE: "They didn't get bigger... YOU got smaller."

Link: „Ich glaub das nicht... Das ist die Eichel, die am Boden lag?! Puh, ich sehe die Baumspitze nicht mehr." DT: „I believe that not... This is the acorn, that on (the) ground lay?! Phew, I see the tree-tops no more." EQ: "I don't believe it... This is the acorn that was laying on the ground?! Phew, I don't see the tree-tops anymore." OE: "I can't believe it! This acorn was just the size of my toe! I can't even SEE the tops of the trees!"

Ezelo: „Freu dich, dass du mich gerettet hast. Aber du brauchst dich nicht zu bedanken." DT: „Please/happy/rejoice yourself, that you me rescued (have). But you need yourself not to thank." EQ: "Be pleased that you rescued me. But, you don't need to thank yourself." OE: "NOW aren't you glad you saved me? I know.. ...You're stunned. You can thank me later." (NOTE: Ah, I see that German manga Ezlo is just as snarky as German in-game Ezlo.)

Toneffekte: „Pöh..." DT/EQ: „"Boom..." OE: "LOOM"

Toneffekte: „TAAADAAH!" DT/EQ: „"TAADAAH!" OE: "BADOOOM"

Ezelo: „Da ist das Ding von vorhin!" DT: „There is that thing of before!" EQ: "There's that thing from before!" OE: "Oh my! It's that same Octorok!"

Link: „Woah! Es ist ja so riesig!!" DT: „Woah! It is indeed so huge!!" EQ: "Woah! It's really huge!!" OE: "Yipes! "Same"?! It's ginormously huge!"

Toneffekte: „DO DO DOH WACK!" DT/EQ: „"DO DO DOH WHACK!" OE: "THUD THUD CRASH THUDTHUD WHAKK"

Link: „Puuh..." DT/EQ: „"Pheew..." OE: "Huff puff"

Ezelo: „Pass auf, Kindchen! Nicht, das ich in Gefahr gerate!" DT: „Watch out, kiddo! Not, that I in danger put-in!" EQ: "Watch out, kiddo! Don't put me in danger!" OE: "Careful, boy! If you run into something... ...I might get hurt!"

Ezelo: „Schon ein gewöhnliches Ereignis könnte dich in Gefahr bringen... Selbst ein Wassertropfen..." DT: „Already an ordinary occurrence can you in danger bring... Even a water-droplet..." EQ: "Even an ordinary occurrence can put you in danger... Even a water-droplet..." OE: "When you're tiny, even ordinary things can be very dangerous! Like a drop of dew."

Toneffekte: „NRG! SSST" DT/EQ: „"NRG! SPLISH" OE: "PLIP SPLOOOSH"

Ezelo: „...wird zum Wasserfall." DT: „becomes to (the) waterfall." EQ: "...becomes a waterfall." OE: "That hits like a waterfall."

Link: „Ich komme um, ehe ich die Minish sehe..." DT: „I kill (will), before I the Minish see..." EQ: "I'll be killed before I see the Minish..." OE: "With help like YOURS, I'll NEVER find the Picori." (NOTE: „umkommen"- and I can't believe that line made me laugh harder than the English one.)

Ezelo: „Nun erzähl mal, Kindchen... Warum willst du unbedingt zu ihnen? Ganz allein in so einem Wald..." DT: „Now tell (x), kiddo... Why want you absolutely to them? Completely alone in such a Forest..." EQ: "Now tell, kiddo... Why do you absolutely want to get to them? Completely alone in such a Forest..." OE: "What possible reason can a kid like you have for needing... ...To find the Picori so badly?" (NOTE: That last part could also go as, "Completely alone in a Forest like this...")

Ezelo: „Was?! Fluch des Hexenmeisters?! Das Heilige Schwert?!" DT/EQ: „"What?! Curse (of) the sorcerer?! The Holy Sword?!" OE: "What?! A Mage's curse?! A sacred Sword?"

Ezelo: „Verstehe... Vaati hat die Prinzessin also..." DT: „Understand... Vaati (x) the Princess also..." EQ: "I understand... Vaati also turned the Princess..." OE: "And Vaati turned the Princess into a statue?!" (NOTE: Presumably before getting cut off, Ezlo was going to finish with „versteinert", hence why I added in "turned". Although to still cut him off slightly more accurately would be, "Vaati also petrified the Pri...")

Link: „Ezelo? Kennst du etwas Vaati?!" DT: „Ezelo? Know you something Vaati?!" EQ: "Ezelo? You know something about Vaati?" OE: "Ezlo, what do you know about Vaati?"

Ezelo: „Äh... Nein... Aber unter diesen Umständen werde ich dir helfen, denn allein schafft ein Kindchen das nie." DT: „Uh... No... But under these circumstances will I (for) you help, because alone manages a kiddo this never." EQ: "Uh... No... But, under these circumstances, I'll help you, because a kiddo will never manage this alone." OE: "Errr... Nothing... It doesn't matter. But count on me in this crisis. It's too much for you alone, boy!"

Link: „Hör auf, mich so zu nennen! Ich heiße Link!" DT: „Stop (x), me so to call! I (am) called Link!" EQ: "Stop calling me that! I'm Link!" OE: "Stop calling me "boy"! My name is Link!" (NOTE: Idiomatic.)

Ezelo: „Nun quatsch nicht und geh los! Die Monster hier sind so gefährlich!" DT: „Only twaddle not and go let's! The Monsters here are so dangerous!" EQ: "Stop twaddling and let's go! The Monsters here are so dangerous!" OE: "Link Schmink... Who cares? Let's get moving! This place is crawling with evil spirits! It's dangerous!" (NOTE: *sobs at yet another meaning of „quatsch"*)

Link: „Mach mir nichts vor, Ezelo!" DT: „Fool (for) me not (x), Ezelo!" EQ: "Don't kid me, Ezelo!" OE: "Quit giving orders! You're not in charge!" (NOTE: „vormachen", thus idiomatic.)

Ezelo: „Ein schönes Gefühl, von hier oben herabzuschauen." DT: „A beautiful feeling, from here above down-to-look." EQ: "A beautiful feeling to look down from up here." OE: "No, but I'm the one who can SEE where we're going!"

Link: „Sehr witzig." DT/EQ: „"Very funny." OE: "Know it all!"

Ezelo: „Ich wünschte, du wärst noch etwas größer..." DT: „I wish, you were still slightly taller..." EQ: "I wish you were just a little taller..." OE: "Y'know, this'd be EASIER if you weren't so short..."

Link: „Ich werfe dich gleich runter!!" DT: „I throw you immediately down!!" EQ: "I'll throw you down immediately!!" OE: "It you don't like it, then get down!"

[The OE version then has one extra sound effect that the German one doesn't... OE: "YANK"]

Ezelo: „He, zieh nicht an mir. Unverschämt!!" DT: „Hey, pull not on (to) me. Rude!" EQ: "Hey, don't pull on me! Rude!" OE: "Hey! Don't tug on me! How rude!"

Link: „Sei Ruhig!!" DT/EQ: „"Be quiet!!" OE: "I'M rude?!"

Wald-Minish 1: „Hcsnem nie!" BG: „Ein Mensch!" DT/EQ: „"A human!" OE: "Dangenni!" BOE: "Ningen da!" BOET: "A human!" (NOTE: Yes, I'm translating the English version's backwards Japanese just because I can.)

Link: „Ah! Warte mal!" DT: „Ah! Wait (softener)!" EQ: "Ah! Wait!" OE: "Hey! W-Wait up!"

Wald-Minish 1: „Hcsnem nie!" BG: „Ein Mensch!" DT/EQ: „"A human!" OE: "Dangenni." BOE: "Ningen da." BOET: "A human."

Wald-Minish 2: „Hcsnem nie, ej ho!" BG: „Oh je, ein Mensch!" DT/EQ: „"Oh dear, a human!" OE: "Dangenni datonho!" BOE: "Honto da ningen da!" BOET: "A real human!"

Ezelo: „Wir sind wohl im Minish-Dorf..." DT/EQ: „"We are surely in (the) Minish-Village..." OE: "Okay! Here we are... The Picori Village!"

Link: „Das sind Minish... Es gibt sie wirklich..." DT: „That are Minish... They are they real..." EQ: „These are Minish... They are real..." OE: "Th-These are the Picori? They really DO exist!"

Link: „Genauso, wie Opa es gesagt hat... Sind die süß! Hallo!" DT: „Just-as, how Grandpa it said (x)... Are the cute! Hello!" EQ: "Just like what Grandpa said... They're cute! Hello!" OE: "Wow! It's just like Grandfather said! They're so cute! Umm... Hello!"

Wald-Minish 3: „Ud tshetsrev?" BG: „Verstetsht du?" DT: „Understand you?" EQ: "Do you understand?" OE: "Rukawa?" BOE: "Wakaru?" BOET: "You understand?"

Wald-Minish 4: „Thcin Ehcarps enies ennek chi." BG: „Ich kenne seine Sprache nicht." DT: „I know his language not." EQ: "I don't know his language." OE: "Yoinara kawaga batoko." BOE: "Kotoba ga wakaranaiyo." BOET: "I don't understand those words." (NOTE: Although, the forwards Japanese could also mean, "I don't understand that/your language".)

Link: „Was sagen sie?!" DT: „What say they?!" EQ: "What are they saying?!" OE: "Huh? They can't talk?!"

Ezelo: „Das ist die Minish-Sprache. Aber sie haben einen starken Dialekt... Sie reden nicht so, wie ich es kenne." DT: „That is the Minish-Language. But they have a strong dialect... They speak not so, how I it know." EQ: "That is the Minish-Language. But, they have a strong dialect... They don't speak it like how I know it." OE: "That's the Picori language. It's a difficult dialect. It's different from the Picorese that I know."

Ezelo: „Wie sollen wir ihnen so erklären, warum wir hier sind?" DT: „How should/supposed we them so tell, why we here are?" EQ: "How are we supposed to tell them why we're here?" OE: "If you can't speak any Picorese, this is going to be MUCH harder!"

Link: „Was machen wir nur?" DT: „What do we only?" EQ: "What do we do now?" OE: "What am I going to do?"

Wald-Minish 5: „Thcin hcid ehetsrev chi." BG: „Ich verstehe dich nicht." DT: „I understand you not." EQ: "I don't understand you." OE: "Yoinara kawaga batoko." BOE: "Kotoba ga wakaranaiyo." BOET: "I don't understand those words."

Link: „Kann hier jemand unsere Sprache?" DT: „Can here anyone our language?" EQ: "Can anyone here speak our language?" OE: "Does ANYONE here speak Hyrulean?" (NOTE: Uhh... German Link? You seem to be missing a crucial verb there...)

Wald-Minish 6: „Nien." BG: „Nein." DT/EQ: „"No." OE: "Yoinara kawa." BOE: "Wakaranaiyo." BOET: "Don't understand." (NOTE: But, German Minish, you... You correctly answered him... IN MINISH.)

Wald-Minish 7: „Gnunha eniek." BG: „Keine Ahnung." DT/EQ: „"No clue." OE: "Inara kawanze nze." BOE: "Zenzen wakaranai." BOET: "Don't understand at all."

Link: „Herrje..." DT/EQ: „"Oh dear..." OE: "This is TERRIBLE!"

Festa: „Hallo?!" DT/EQ: „"Hello?!" OE: "Excuse me."

Festa: „Du ungewöhnlich... bist Mensch du?" DT: „You unusual... are human you?" EQ: "You unusual... You are human?" OE: "The way you're dressed... Are you from the Big World?" (NOTE: Okay, props to the German version for having Festari speak in broken German. This is ADORABLE. ...But very hard to translate!)

Link: „Du verstehst mich?!" DT/EQ: „"You understand me?!" OE: "You speak Hyrulean?!"

Toneffekte: „Die Rettung!" DT/EQ: „"The rescue!" OE: "Minor miracle"

Festa: „Ja, bisschen." DT/EQ: „"Yes, little bit." OE: "Yes. A little."

Link: „Ihr müsst das Heilige Schwert reparieren! Wen soll ich darum bitten?" DT: „You all must the Holy Sword repair! Whom should I therefore request/ask?" EQ: "You all must repair the Holy Sword! Therefore, whom should I ask?" OE: "I need to get the sacred Sword reforged! Who should I talk to?"

Link: „Huch? He, du!" DT/EQ: „"Huh? Hey, you!" OE: "Huh? Where ya going?!"

Ezelo: „Folge ihm." DT/EQ: „"Follow him." OE: "Quick! Follow him!"

Toneffekte: „TAPP TAPP" DT/EQ: „"TAP TAP" OE: "Tump tump"

Ezelo: „Ich vermute, dass lange kein Mensch mehr hier war. Sie interesieren sich so sehr für dich." DT: „I assume, that long no humans more here were. They interest themselves so very for you." EQ: "I assume humans haven't been here for a long time. They're very interested in you." OE: "It's been a while since these Picori had a visit from your world. They're "berry interesty" in you." (NOTE: English Ezlo sounds like he's mocking the way the Minish talk... WHICH MEANS HE UNDERSTANDS THEM. DO YOU NOT SEE HOW MUCH THIS BOTHERS ME?! BE CONSISTENT, DARN IT.)

Link: „Was für ein riesiges Fass!! Ups. Nicht das Fass ist groß. Sondern ich bin so klein." DT: „What/such for a huge barrel! Oops. Not the barrel is big. Rather I am so small." EQ: "Such a huge barrel! Oops. Not that the barrel is big. Rather, I'm so small." OE: "Whoa! What a huge cask! Oh, I guess it's not THAT big... We're just small."

Link: „Wahnsinn, das ist ein Haus! Offenbar züchten sie hier etwas." DT: „Madness, this is a house! Apparently cultivate they here something." EQ: "Madness, this is a house! Apparently, they're cultivating something here." OE: "It's like a barn inside! Or a hot-house garden!"

Festa: „Enribhcstauq enie rhi tbah?" BG: „Habt ihr eine Quatschbirne?" DT: „Have you all a Gibberishpear?" EQ: "Do you all have a Gibberishpear?" OE: "Kasumaria minnorarape." BOE: "Perara no Min arimasu ka?" BOET: "Do you have a Perara Fruit?" (NOTE: Yup. "Perara Fruit" is used in the English version... Which proceeds to THEN call it by its in-game name, the Jabber Nut.)

Wald-Minish 8: „Retseirp, aj reba!" BG: „Aber ja, Priester!" DT: „But indeed, Priest!" EQ: "Of course, Priest!" OE: "Masaisa shoyosuma ria!" BOE: "Arimasu yoh Shosai-sama!" (????????) BOET: "I have it, Priest!" (NOTE: Random fun-fact... The English version actually mispelled the backwards Japanese! It's actually supposed to be, "Masaisa shiyosuma ria!", or forwards, "Arimasu yo Shisai-sama!" It still means how I translated it, though.)

Festa: „Bitte." DT/EQ: „"Please." OE: "Eat this."

Link: „Soll ich sie essen?" DT: „Should I it eat?" EQ: "Should I eat it?" OE: "I'm not really hungry, but..." (NOTE: Well, I'll eat it. And if I grow larger, I can reach the key! And if I grow smaller... Oh, wait. Wrong story.)

Toneffekte: „Mampf mampf schluck" DT/EQ: „"Munch munch gulp" OE: "Krunch munch GULP"

Festa: „Verstehst du mich jetzt?" DT: „Understand you me now?" EQ: "Do you understand me now?" OE: "You you understand what I'm saying?"

Link: „Ja. Häh?" DT/EQ: „"Yes. Eh?" OE: "Yes! Huh?!"

Festa: „Das is die Quatschbirne. Wer sie isst, beherrscht unsere Sprache." DT: „This is the Gibberishpear. Who it eats, masters our language." EQ: "This is the Gibberishpear. Whoever eats it masters our language." OE: "This is a Jabber Nut. Once you eat one, you're able to speak Picorese."

Wald-Minish 9: „Wah, ein Mensch! Oh ja, ein Mensch!" DT/EQ: „"Whoa, a human! Oh indeed, a human!" OE: "Wow! A Hyrulean! You really ARE a Hyrulean!"

Wald-Minish 10: „So, wie der Älteste es gesagt hat! Schöne Kleidung!" DT: „So, how the Elder it said (x)! Beautiful clothing!" EQ: "Just like the Elder said! Beautiful clothing!" OE: "It's just like the Elder said! Your clothes are cool!"

Wald-Minish 11: „Tolle Schuhe! Du kannst uns verstehen?!" DT: „Terrific shoes! You can us understand?!" EQ: "Terrific shoes! You can understand us?!" OE: "And cool shoes! Do you understand us?"

Link: „Hallo, ich bin Link!" DT/EQ: „"Hello, I am Link!" OE: "Nice to meet you! I'm Link!"

Wald-Minish 12: „Das ist ja klasse!!" DT: „This is indeed classy!!" EQ: "This is classy, indeed!!" OE: "Wow! Cool!"

Toneffekte: „Hüpf hüpf" DT/EQ: „"Hop hop" OE: "ZWIP RUSH"

Ginsta: „Oh! Du sprichst die Sprache der Minish! Ich bin der Älteste, Ginsta. Ruht euch schön aus." DT: „Oh! You speak the Language (of) the Minish! I am the Elder, Ginsta. Rest yourself nicely (take)." EQ: "Oh! You speak the Language of the Minish! I am the Elder, Ginsta. Take a nice rest." OE: "Oh good! You understand the Picori Language! I am the Elder of the Forest, Gentari. Please make yourself at home." (NOTE: Elder Ginsta/Gentari kept his name. ...I'm afraid I can't say the same for his brother. ...Also, „ausruhen".)

Link: „Dan..." DT/EQ: „"Thank-" OE: "Thanks a lo--"

Ezelo: „Wir haben keine Zeit!" DT/EQ: „"We have no time!" OE: "Don't you have pressing business?"

Link: „Uh, stimmt!" DT/EQ: „"Uh, correct!" OE: "Oh, right!"

Link: „Es war einiges los... ...und wir wollen das Schwert reparieren lassen. Ihr müsst uns helfen!" DT: „There were things go... ...and we want the Sword repair let. You all must us help!" EQ: "There were things going on... ...and we want to get the Sword repaired. You all must help us!" OE: "I came here because I need your help. The sacred Picori Sword has been shattered. We need your help to reforge it!" (NOTE: Idiomatic. And the return of „es gibt"'s evil cousin, „es war".)

Ginsta: „Verstehe... Aber um das zu tun, werden vier Elemente benötigt." DT: „Understand... But in order that to do, will four Elements required." EQ: "I understand... But in order to do that, four Elements will be required." OE: "I see... But if you want the blade reforged, you will need the Four Elements."

Link: „Elemente?" DT/EQ: „"Elements?" OE: "Elements?"

Ginsta: „Die Elemente sind die konzentrierte Energie von Elementargesitern. Ein Heiliges Schwert wird erschaffen, wenn ihre Kraft auf das Schwert übertragen wird." DT: „The Elements are the concentrated energy of elemental-spirits. A Holy Sword will created, if/when their power of the Sword transferred will." EQ: "The Elements are the concentrated energy of elemental-spirits. A Holy Sword will be created if/when their power is transferred to the Sword." OE: "The crystalline forms of the energies that fill our world. To be reborn, the sacred Sword must be infused with their power."

Ginsta: „Das Erd-Element ist der Kristall der Macht des Erd-Elementargeistes. Das Feuer-Element bringt Wärme und Licht in die Finsternis." DT/EQ: „"The Earth-Element is the crystal (of) the might (of) the Earth-elemental-spirits. The Fire-Element brings warthm and light to the darkness." OE: "The Earth Element is the distillation of the Earth's Power. The Fire Element shines on darkness and delivers warmth." (NOTE: I see that German Gentari has taken lessons in being confusing from the German Hurdy-Gurdy Man. Also, the German FLAME-Element got renamed into the Fire-Element... Because why not. The other Elements retained their names!)

Ginsta: „Das Tropfen-Element stillt den Durst und besitzt die Kraft der Heilung. Das Wind-Element trägt Pflanzen und bringt die Ernte zu uns. Das sind die vier Elemente." DT: „The Droplet-Element satisfies the thirst and possesses the power (of) the healing. The Wind-Element carries plants and brings the harvest to us. The are the four Elements." EQ: "The Droplet-Element quences thirst and possesses the power of healing. The Wind-Element carries plants and brings harvest to us. These are the four Elements." OE: "The Water Element contains healing power and quenching thirst. The Wind Element spreads the power of life, bringing fruitfulness."

Link: „Wo finde ich sie?!" DT: „Where find I them?!" EQ: "Where do I find them?!" OE: "Where are they?"

Ginsta: „Überall verteilt in Hyrule... Es wird sicher nicht einfach sein." DT: „Over-all distributed/spread in Hyrule... It will certainly not easy be." EQ: "Spread all over in Hyrule... It certainly will not be easy." OE: "Scattered across Hyrule. Finding them will NOT be easy."

Link: „Ich muss den Fluch brechen, um Prinzessin Zeldas Versteinerung aufzuheben! Ich werde sie finden!" DT: „I must the curse break, in order Princess Zelda's petrification reverse/remove! I will them find!" EQ: "I must break the curse in order to reverse/remove Princess Zelda's petrification! I will find them!" OE: "I NEED them to break the curse and return Princess Zelda to normal! I WILL find them, wherever they are!"

Ginsta: „Verstanden. Festa!" DT/EQ: „"Understood. Festa!" OE: "I see. Festari!"

Ginsta: „Das ist Festa, unser Priester. Er wird dir den weg zeigen." DT: „This is Festa, our Priest. He will (to) you the way show." EQ: "This is Festa, our Priest. He will show you the way." OE: "This is the Priest, Festari. He will guide you." (NOTE: Priest Festa/Priest Festari is the same. I'm amazed the English version kept the fact that he was a Priest, because that fact was dropped in the actual game...)

Link: „Ah, du." DT/EQ: „"Oh, you." OE: "Hey! That guy from before!"

Link: „Danke für vorhin!" DT/EQ: „"Thanks for earlier!" OE: "Thanks for your help!"

Festa: „Das ist meine Pflicht als Priester." DT/EQ: „"That is my obligation as Priest." OE: "No, no... It's a Priest's job."

Toneffekte: „Uh..." DT/EQ: „"Uh..." OE: "Ugh..."

Link: „?" DT/EQ: „"?" OE: "?"

Festa: „Oh, nichts." DT/EQ: „"Oh, nothing." OE: "It's nothing."

Festa: „Das Erd-Element findest du im Schrein im nördlichen Wald. Aber gehst du wirklich dahin?" DT: „The Earth-Element find you in (the) Shrine in (the) northern Forest. But go you really therein?" EQ: "You can find the Earth-Element in the Shrine in the northern Forest. But are you really going there?" OE: "The Earth Element can be found in a small shrine to the north... ...Known as the Deepwood Shrine!"

Wald-Minish 8: „Zum Shrein?!" DT/EQ: „"To (the) Shrine?!" OE: "Deepwood Shrine?!"

Wald-Minish 9: „Der Wald-Shrein ist schrecklich! So viele Monster!" DT/EQ: „"The Forest-Shrine is terrible! So many Monsters!" OE: "That's a scary place! Evil spirits are living there!"

Festa: „Im Tyloria-Wald tauchen plötzlich viele Monster auf. Außerhalb der Stadt ist es wirklich gefährlich. Zahlreiche Minish wurden verletzt und haben ihre Häuser verloren." DT: „In (the) Tyloria-Forest emerged suddenly many Monsters (x). Beyond the city is it really dangerous. Numerous Minish were injured and (x) their homes lost." EQ: "Many Monsters suddenly emerged in Tyloria-Forest. It's really dangerous beyond the city. Numerous Minish were injured and lost their homes." OE: "It's true. Evil spirits have recently returned to the Minish Woods. Some Picori have been hurt or had their homes destroyed." (NOTE: „auftauchen".)

Link: „Dann muss ich erst recht gehen! Ich werde sie mit dem Schwert meines Opas schlagen!" DT: „Then must I above all go! I will them with the Sword (of) my Grandpa defeat/smite!" EQ: "Then, I must go above all else! I'll defeat/smite them with my Grandpa's Sword!" OE: "All the more reason to go! I'll defeat the spirits with my Grandfather's Sword!"

Festa: „Du bist jetzt wie wir Minish. Allein der Weg zu uns war sicher gefährlich..." DT: „You are now how we Minish. Alone the way to us was certainly dangerous..." EQ: "You are now like us Minish. The way to us alone certainly was dangerous..." OE: "But you're the same size as a Picori now. In small form, won't they just beat you up too?"

Link: „Für einen Mann gibt es immer einen Moment, in dem er alles geben muss!! Das hat mir Opas gesagt! Daher werde ich gehen!" DT: „For a man there is always a moment, in the he all give must! That (x) (to) me Grandpa said! Therefore will I go!" EQ: "For a man, there's always a moment where he must give his all! Grandpa said that to me! Therefore, I will go!" OE: "It may be dangerous, but there are times when a man has to do what a man has to do!! That's what Grandfather taught me! So I'm going!"

Festa: „Gut. Folge mir." DT/EQ: „"Good/Well. Follow me." OE: "I see. Okay. I'll be your guide."

Wald-Minish 9: „Link, nicht! Geh nicht!!" DT: „Link, not! Go not!!" EQ: "Link, don't! Don't go!" OE: "No, Link! Don't go!"

Festa: „Hier ist der Wald-Shrein." DT/EQ: „"Here is the Forest-Shrine." OE: "This is Deepwood Shrine." (NOTE: Name's the same, from the game, that is.)

Link: „Danke, Festa!" DT/EQ: „"Thanks, Festa!" OE: "Thanks, Festari!"

Festa: „Pass bitte auf." DT: „Careful please (x)." EQ: "Please be careful." OE: "Be careful." (NOTE: „aufpassen".)

Toneffekte: „Stille..." DT/EQ: „"Silence..." OE: "TOTAL SILENCE"

Link: „Ziemlich dunkel!" DT/EQ: „"Pretty dark!" OE: "It's pitch-dark!"

Ezelo: „Ähem... Keine Angst, ich bin bei dir." DT: „Ahem... No fear, I am with you." EQ: "Ahem... Don't be afraid, I am with you." OE: "You got nothin' to worry about! I'M with you!"

Ezelo: „So... Dann geh du vor!" DT: „So... Then go you forward/ahead!" EQ: "So... You go ahead, then!" OE: "So just get on in there, slugger!"

Link: „Ach, ich lass dir gerne den Vortritt." DT: „Oh, I let you glady the right-of-way." EQ: "Oh, I'll gladly let you go first." OE: "Ehhh... Why don't YOU go first!" (NOTE: Slightly idiomatic-ish... Also, neither version remembered that Link called Ezlo "senpai" here in the original Japanese version.)

Ezelo: „Dabei warst du vorhin so großmäulig!" DT: „Yet were you earlier so loud-mouthed!" EQ: "Yet, you were so loud-mouthed earlier!" OE: "What's wrong? You sure TALKED like a tough guy earlier!"

Link: „Ach, deine Stimme zittert ja. Du hast also auch Angst!!" DT: „Oh, your voice shakes indeed/yes. You have so also fear!!" EQ: "Oh, yeah, your voice is shaking. You're scared, too!!" OE: "YOU'RE the one who wants to lead! Are YOU scared?!" (NOTE: Idiomatic.)

Ezelo: „Dann gehen wir eben zusammen..." DT: „Then go we just together..." EQ: "Then, we'll just go together..." OE: "This is dumb. Let's go TOGETHER."

Link: „Gut, dann... ...los!" DT/EQ: „"Good/Well, then... ...Go!" OE: "R-Right... ...Here we go!"

Toneffekte: „Platsch" DT/EQ: „"Splash" OE: "SPLOOSH"

Link: „Wasser?" DT/EQ: „"Water?" OE: "Water!"

Ezelo: „Pass auf, was unter dir ist." DT: „Careful (x), what under you is." EQ: "Be careful of what's under you." OE: "Be careful where you step!"

Toneffekte: „Platsch platsch fst..." DT/EQ: „"Splash splash fst..." OE: "Splish splosh bloop"

Toneffekte: „Popp popp popp popp" DT/EQ: „"Pop pop pop pop" OE: "Bloop bloop bloop bloop"

Toneffekte: „Gro gro gro gro gro" DT/EQ: „"Gro gro gro gro gro" OE: "RRUMMBLE"

Ezelo: „Die Gegner haben uns bemerkt, Link." DT: „The opponents (x) us noticed, Link." EQ: "The noticed us, Link..." OE: "I think they know we're here, Link."

Toneffekte: „WATSCH" DT/EQ: „"WADDLE" OE: "PLOOP"

Link: „Riesige Schnecken!!" DT/EQ: „"Huge snails!!" OE: "Gi-Giant slugs!"

Link: „Die sind widerlich!" DT/EQ: „"They are disgusting!" OE: "Ick! Gross!"

Toneffekte: „Plopp plopp" DT/EQ: „"Plop plop OE: "Ploop ploop"

Link: „Uff, was ist das?!" DT/EQ: „"Ugh, what is this?!" OE: "Whoa! What're these?!"

Ezelo: „Riesige... Bambussprossen? Link, hack sie weg!" DT/EQ: „"Huge... Bamboo-sprouts? Link, hack them away!" OE: "Giant bean sprouts. Cut 'em down, Link!"

Link: „Hier! Yah!!" DT/EQ: „"Here! Yah!!" OE: "Hyah! Yaah!"

Toneffekte: „DOSCH ZASCH" DT/EQ: „"Dash slash" OE: "SLASH SLICE" (NOTE: KERSLICEAH!)

Link: „Sie wachsen immer wieder neu?!" DT: „They grow always again new?!" EQ: "They're growing back again?!" OE: "As quick as I cut, they grow back!" (NOTE: IDIOMSEAH!)

Ezelo: „Beeil dich! Die Schnecken sind gleich da!!" DT: „Hurry yourself! The snails are right there!!" EQ: "Hurry up! The snails are right there!!" OE: "Hurry! A Sluggula!"

Link: „Endlich!!" DT/EQ: „"Finally!" OE: "We made it!"

Toneffekte: „Hah hah" DT/EQ: „"Hah hah" OE: "Huff wheeze"

Ezelo: „Da ist eine Gravur! Ein Relief." DT/EQ: „"There is an engraving! A relief." OE: "Look! A carving! It's a relief."

Link: „Ist das etwa das Erd-Element?!" DT/EQ: „"Is that thing the Earth-Element?!" OE: "Is THAT the Earth Element?!"

Ezelo: „Nein, ist es nicht. Aber ein altest Emblem der Minish." DT: „No, is it not. But an old emblem (of) the Minish." EQ: "No, it's not. But an old emblem of the Minish." OE: "No, it's an old symbol.. ...Representing the Picori World."

Link: „Du weißt ja alles, Ezelo." DT: „You know indeed everything, Ezelo." EQ: "You know everything, indeed, Ezelo." OE: "Ezlo, you sure know a lot."

Ezelo: „Ähem... Ich erzähl dir alles, wenn du Ratschläge brauchst! Wenn auch nur ungern." DT: „Ahem... I tell (to) you everything, if you advice need! If also only reluctantly." EQ: "Ahem... I'll tell you anything, if you need advice! If only reluctantly." OE: "Mm-hmm! If there's anything you need to know, just ask me... ...I'll help you out!"

Link: „Was soll das?!" DT: „What should that?!" EQ: "What was that?!" OE: "You're kinda clueless for a hero." (NOTE: ...I'm not kidding. EZLO has Link's speech-bubble in the English version. BE CONSISENT, DARNIT.)

Toneffekte: „Zuck zuck" DT/EQ: „"Twitch twitch" OE: "Twitch twitch"

Toneffekte: „WOSCH" DT/EQ: „"WHOOSH" OE: "SPROING"

Toneffekte: „Boff boff boff WAFF" DT/EQ: „"Boof boof boof WAFF" OE: "SPROING POP SPROING WHOOMPF"

Link: „Pilz-Monster...?!" DT/EQ: „"Mushroom-Monsters...?!" OE: "M-Mushroom monsters?!"

Link: „Igitt, Stinkepulver?" DT/EQ: „"Yuck, stinky powder?" OE: "What's this stinky powder?!"

Ezelo: „Das sind Giftsporen! Atme sie nicht ein!" DT: „Those are poison-spores! Breathe them not (x)!" EQ: "Those are poison-spores! Don't breathe them in!" OE: "A cloud of poisonous spores! Hold your breath!"

Toneffekte: „Flapp" DT/EQ: „"Flap" OE: "Whoosh"

Link: „Jah!!" DT/EQ: „"Yah!!" OE: "Hyah!"

Link: „Mein Schwert wirkt nicht!!" DT: „My Sword works not!!" EQ: "My Sword's not working!!" OE: "My Sword is useless!"

Toneffekt: „BOINK" DT/EQ: „"BOINK" OE: "BLOING"

Link: „Ich bekomme keine Luft...!" DT: „I receive no air...!" EQ: "I can't breathe...!" OE: "I c-can't breathe..." (NOTE: Idiomatic.)

Ezelo: „Halt durch, Kindchen!!" DT: „Hold through, kiddo!!" EQ: "Hold on, kiddo!!" OE: "Hey, boy! Hang in there!"

Ezelo: „Wenn du stirbst... ...sterbe ich auch!" DT: „If you die... ...die I also!" EQ: "If you die... ...I'll die, too!" OE: "If you get killed... ...I'll be killed too!"

Ezelo: „Bitte nicht! He, zeig deinen Elan!!" DT: „Please not! Hey, show your vigour!!" EQ: "Please don't! Hey, show your vigour!!" OE: "And THAT can't happen! Get up! Show some grit!"

Toneffekte: „Kitzel kitzel" DT/EQ: „"Tickle tickle" OE: "Peck peck"

Festa: „Los!!" DT/EQ: „"Go!!" OE: "Let's go!"

Toneffekte: „SAUS" DT/EQ: „"WHIZ" OE: "Zzwip"

Link: „Huch? Minish?!" DT/EQ: „"Huh? Minish?!" OE: "The Picori?!"

Toneffekte: „Klick Knirsch KULLER" DT/EQ: „"Click grind RUMBLE" OE: "Klik Kchunk... PLOP"

Toneffekte: „Flutsch" DT/EQ: „"SLIP" OE: "THUD"

Ezelo: „Wäh! Hilfe!" DT/EQ: „"Wah! Help!" OE: "I... I can't breathe!"

Link: „Ein Topf?!" DT/EQ: „"A Jar?!" OE: "A jar?!"

Toneffekte: „Plopp" DT/EQ: „"Plop" OE: "Op"

Wald-Minish 8: „Link! Richte den Topf auf die Pilze!!" DT/EQ: „"Link! Point the Jar at the Mushrooms!!" OE: "Turn the jar toward the mushrooms!"

Toneffekte: „Schrooooh SAUG!" DT/EQ: „"SWOOOSH SUCK!" OE: "HWOOOO FHWOOM"

Link: „Wahnsinn! Er hat alle Sporen eingesaugt!!" DT: „Madness! It (x) all spores sucked-in!!" EQ: "Madness! It sucked in all the spores!" OE: "All right! It sucked in all the spores!"

Wald-Minish 8: „Ein Zaubertopf! Der Schatz unserer Ahnen!" DT/EQ: „"A Magic-Jar! The treasure (of) our ancestors!" OE: "It's a Magic Jar! It's a treasure that our ancestors made!" (NOTE: I love how neither version caught the fact that "Magic Jar" is literally just the original Japanese name for the Magischer Krug/Magic Jar/Gust Jar. German tried to... But used „Topf" instead of „Krug"...)

Toneffekte: „Sst sst sst SCHRRRRRRR" DT/EQ: „"Sst sst sst SCHRRRRRRR" OE: "Rustle rustle rustle Fwaaaa"

Ezelo: „Das ist das Erd-Element!!" DT/EQ: „"This is the Earth-Element!!" OE: "It's the Earth Element crystal!" (NOTE: ERD-ELEMENT ERHALTEN.)

Wald-Minish: „Hurra!!" DT/EQ: „"Hurray!!" OE: "All right!!"

Toneffekte: „Hurrah! Hurrah!!" DT/EQ: „"Hurray! Hurray!!" OE: "Yippee! Hurray!" (NOTE: THE MINISH ARE PRECIOUS AND MUST BE PROTECTED.)

Festa: „Du schlägst die Monster und erhälst das Erd-Element... Grandios! Der Mut der Menschen ist unglaublich!" DT/EQ: „"You defeated/smote the Monsters and received the Earth-Element... Magnificent! The courage (of) the humans is unbelievable!" OE: "Defeating those evil spirits and getting the Earth Element... Wow! Hyrulean courage truly is incredible!"

Link: „Euer Mut ist auch nicht übel! Ihr habt mir geholfen, obwohl ihr Angst hattet!" DT: „Your courage is also not bad! You all (x) (for) me helped, although you all fear had!" EQ: "You courage isn't bad, either! You all helped me, although you were all scared!" OE: "You were pretty brave too! You were scared, but you helped out anyway!"

Festa: „Ja, wir haben vor Angst gezittert. Aber..." DT: „Yes, we (x) with fear shook. But..." EQ: "Yes, we shook with fear. But..." OE: "I certainly WAS scared. My legs were shaking. But..."

Festa: „...euch Menschen zu helfen, ist uns eine Freude!" DT: „you humans to help, is us a pleasure!" EQ: "...helping you humans is a pleasure to us!" OE: "...Helping people is our purpose." (NOTE: ...WAS SOLL ICH SAGEN? HE, VOLL GERNE.)

Festa: „Nun, ich bin... ...der Menschen-Fan des Dorfes. ♥" DT/EQ: „"Well, I am... the human-fan (of) the Village. ♥" OE: "To tell you the truth... ...I'm a huge geek for the world of people! ♥"

Container: „Knöpfe-Sammlung" DT/EQ: „"Buttons-Collection" OE: "Button Collection"

Buch 1: „Modemagazin" DT/EQ: „"Fashion-Magazine" OE: "Illustrated Fashion Guide"

Buch 2: „Hyrule-Touristenführer" DT/EQ: „"Hyrule-Tourist-Guide" OE: "Atlas of Hyrule's Out-of-the-Way Spots"

Festa: „Ich musste vor Rührung weinen... Deine Courage und Freundlichkeit! Und neue, scharfe Klamotten!" DT: „I must before emotion cry... Your courage and friendliness/kindness! And new, sharp clothes!" EQ: "I cried with emotion before... Your courage and friendliness/kindness! And new, sharp clothes!" OE: "Just being near you... ...Brought tears to my eyes before! Your courage! Your kindness! Your sense of fashion!"

Festa: „Du bist so menschlich in jeder Hinsicht!!" DT/EQ: „"You are so human in every regard!!" OE: "Everything about you is SO Hyrulean I can barely stand it!"

Toneffekte: „Funkel funkel" DT/EQ: „"Sparkle sparkle" OE: "Sparkle sparkle"

Link: „So nun auch wieder nicht..." DT: „So now also again not..." EQ: "I wasn't all that..." OE: "No, I'm really not THAT great!" (NOTE: Idiomatic...)

Festa: „Das Wald-Minish sind so konservativ..." DT/EQ: „"The Forest-Minish are so conservative..." OE: "Styles around here are so last century!"

Toneffekte: „Haach." DT/EQ: „"Haaah." OE: "Huff"

Link: „Ja? Sie sind schön schlicht." DT/EQ: „"Yes? They are beautifully simple." OE: "I dunno. They're kinda charming and rustic."

Festa: „Sie tragen seit Tausenden von Jahren dasselbe! Aber bei der Mode sind Trends wichtig!" DT: „They wear since thousands of years (the) same! But with the fashion are trends important!" EQ: "They've worn the same thing for thousands of years! But with fashion, trends are important!" OE: "Their clothing hasn't changed in a thousand years! When it comes to fashion, trends are important!"

Toneffekte: „Klatsch klatsch" DT/EQ: „"Clash clash" OE: "Wap wap"

Festa: „Jetzt habe ich mich entschieden. Ich hatte nur keinen Mut... Ab heute..." DT: „Now (x) I me decided. I had only no courage... From/as of to-day..." EQ: "Now, I've decided. I just had no courage... As of to-day..." OE: "I've reached a decision. I didn't have the courage before... ...But starting today..."

Toneffekte: „Flop flop" DT/EQ: „"Flop flop" OE: "Toss toss"

Festa: „...bin ich der modischste Minish des Dorfes!!" DT: „...am I the (most) fashionable Minish (of) the Village!" EQ: "...I am the most fashionable Minish of the Village!" OE: "...I'm gonna be the Village's most fashionable Picori!"

Mode 1: „Blondiert und gegelt." DT/EQ: „"Bleached and gelled." OE: "Dyed brown and spiked"

Toneffekte: „YEEEAAH!" DT/EQ: „"YEEAAH!" OE: "YEEEEAH!"

Mode 2: „Sein Schatz: Jeans-Hose." DT/EQ: „"His treasure: Jean-pants/trousers." OE: "Favourite jeans"

Toneffekte: „Auf einem Pilz." DT/EQ: „"On a mushroom." OE: "Mushroom"

Mode 3: „Sammelt gerne T-Shirts." DT: „Collects gladly T-Shirts." EQ: "Gladly collects T-Shirts." OE: "Huge T-shirt collection"

Ginsta: „Besuche einen Mann namens Melta im Gongol-Berg, wenn du das Schwert reparieren willst." DT: „Visit a man named Melta on (the) Gongol-Mountain, if you the Sword repaired want." EQ: "Visit a man named Melta on Gongol-Mountain, if you want the Sword repaired." OE: "If you would have the sacred Sword repaired, visit a man named Melari."

Wald-Minish 13: „Festa ist verückt!!" DT/EQ: „"Festa is crazy!!" OE: "Festari's getting weird."

Festa: „Breaken auf dem Pilzkopf." DT/EQ: „"Break-dancing on the mushroom-head." OE: "The mushrooms and I can breakdance!" (NOTE: ...Break-break-breakdance, here we go-oh-oh!)

Ginsta: „Er lebt dort, um seine Metallschmiedekunst zu perfektionieren. Er wird dir sicher helfen." DT: „He lives there, in order his metalworking-arts/skills to perfect. He will (to) you certainly help." EQ: "He lives there in order to perfect his metalworking-arts/skills. He will certainly help you." OE: "He lives on Mount Crenel, perfecting the metallurgical arts. I'm sure he will help you."

Ezelo: „Danke, Ältester." DT/EQ: „"Thanks, Elder." OE: "Thank you, Elder!"

Link: „Tschüss, Festa!" DT/EQ: „"Bye, Festa!" OE: "Bye, Festari!" (NOTE: I love how casual German Link is being by saying „Tschüss" instead of any variant of „Auf Wiedersehen".)

Ezelo: „Was lachst du, Kindchen? Du wärst fast getötet worden. Hast du keine Angst?" DT: „Why laugh you, kiddo? You (x) almost killed were. Have you no fear?" EQ: "Why are you laughing, kiddo? You were almost killed. Aren't you scared?" OE: "Why are you grinning, boy? Last time... You almost died! Aren't you SCARED?"

Link: „Das ist so spannend!! Wenn ich klein bin.. ...ist alles ein großes Abenteuer!" DT: „This is so exciting! When I small am... ...is everything a big adventure!" EQ: "This is so exciting! When I'm small... ...everything's a big adventure!" OE: "This is all so exciting! When you're small... ...EVERYTHING is a big adventure!"

Link: „Okay, weiter geht's! Auf zum Gongol-Berg!!" DT: „Okay, further go (let's)! On to (the) Gongol-Mountain!!" EQ: "Okay, let's go on! Onto Gongol-Mountain!" OE: "So on to the next one! Mount Crenel!!" (NOTE: Gongol-Mountain/Mount Crenel retained its name. Yup.)

Ezelo: „He he! Nicht so schnell, lass mich nicht fallen!" DT: „Hey hey! Not so fast, let me not fall!" EQ: "Hey, hey! Not so fast; don't let me fall!" OE: "Hey! Whoa! Don't forget I'm up here!"

Ezelo: „Na, aus dem kann noch was werden..." DT: „Well, out the can still what become..." EQ: "Well, something can come out of this." OE: "I wonder what trouble we'll land in next."

[scotianostra]

The Author's Earnest Cry and Prayer.

To the Right Honourable and Honourable Scotch Representatives in the House of Commons

Further to my post earlier regarding the illicit stills on Arran and snuggling, I mentioned Burns himself being an excise-man/ here ihe is, before he himself joined their ranks, poking thirsty fun at 'damn'd Excise-men'. The poet's exasperation with what he took to be Parliament's bias against the national drink of his native land sums up too, his larger discontent with London's prejudice against the national interest. Isn't in Britain's interest to defeat France? '

Scotch' Acqua-Vitae maked for braver soldiers than French wine, he argues disingenuously. His complaint was provoked by the legislative attempts of the British parliament to disadvantage local distillers and those using domestic stills to provide a needful dram,

Dearest of distillation! last and best- -How art thou lost!- Parody on Milton Ye Irish lords, ye knights an' squires, Wha represent our brughs an' shires, An' doucely manage our affairs In parliament, To you a simple poet's pray'rs Are humbly sent.

Alas! my roupit Muse is hearse! Your Honours' hearts wi' grief 'twad pierce, To see her sittin on her arse Low i' the dust, And scriechinhout prosaic verse, An like to brust!

Tell them wha hae the chief direction, Scotland an' me's in great affliction, E'er sin' they laid that curst restriction On aqua-vitae; An' rouse them up to strong conviction, An' move their pity.

Stand forth an' tell yon Premier youth The honest, open, naked truth: Tell him o' mine an' Scotland's drouth, His servants humble: The muckle deevil blaw you south If ye dissemble!

Does ony great man glunch an' gloom? Speak out, an' never fash your thumb! Let posts an' pensions sink or soom Wi' them wha grant them; If honestly they canna come, Far better want them.

In gath'rin votes you were na slack; Now stand as tightly by your tack: Ne'er claw your lug, an' fidge your back, An' hum an' haw; But raise your arm, an' tell your crack Before them a'.

Paint Scotland greetin owre her thrissle; Her mutchkin stowp as toom's a whissle; An' damn'd excisemen in a bussle, Seizin a stell, Triumphant crushin't like a mussel, Or limpet shell!

Then, on the tither hand present her- A blackguard smuggler right behint her, An' cheek-for-chow, a chuffie vintner Colleaguing join, Picking her pouch as bare as winter Of a' kind coin.

Is there, that bears the name o' Scot, But feels his heart's bluid rising hot, To see his poor auld mither's pot Thus dung in staves, An' plunder'd o' her hindmost groat By gallows knaves?

Alas! I'm but a nameless wight, Trode i' the mire out o' sight? But could I like Montgomeries fight, Or gab like Boswell,^2 There's some sark-necks I wad draw tight, An' tie some hose well.

God bless your Honours! can ye see't- The kind, auld cantie carlin greet, An' no get warmly to your feet, An' gar them hear it, An' tell them wi'a patriot-heat Ye winna bear it?

Some o' you nicely ken the laws, To round the period an' pause, An' with rhetoric clause on clause To mak harangues; Then echo thro' Saint Stephen's wa's Auld Scotland's wrangs.

Dempster,^3 a true blue Scot I'se warran'; Thee, aith-detesting, chaste Kilkerran;^4 An' that glib-gabbit Highland baron, The Laird o' Graham;^5 An' ane, a chap that's damn'd aulfarran', Dundas his name:^6

Erskine, a spunkie Norland billie;^7 True Campbells, Frederick and Ilay;^8

An' Livistone, the bauld Sir Willie;^9 An' mony ithers, Whom auld Demosthenes or Tully Might own for brithers.

See sodger Hugh,^10 my watchman stented, If poets e'er are represented; I ken if that your sword were wanted, Ye'd lend a hand; But when there's ought to say anent it, Ye're at a stand.

Arouse, my boys! exert your mettle, To get auld Scotland back her kettle; Or faith! I'll wad my new pleugh-pettle, Ye'll see't or lang, She'll teach you, wi' a reekin whittle, Anither sang.

This while she's been in crankous mood, Her lost Militia fir'd her bluid; (Deil na they never mair do guid, Play'd her that pliskie!) An' now she's like to rin red-wud About her whisky.

An' Lord! if ance they pit her till't, Her tartan petticoat she'll kilt, An'durk an' pistol at her belt, She'll tak the streets, An' rin her whittle to the hilt, I' the first she meets!

For God sake, sirs! then speak her fair, An' straik her cannie wi' the hair, An' to the muckle house repair, Wi' instant speed, An' strive, wi' a' your wit an' lear, To get remead.

Yon ill-tongu'd tinkler, Charlie Fox, May taunt you wi' his jeers and mocks; But gie him't het, my hearty cocks! E'en cowe the cadie! An' send him to his dicing box An' sportin' lady.

Tell you guid bluid o' auld Boconnock's, ^11 I'll be his debt twa mashlum bonnocks, An' drink his health in auld Nance Tinnock's ^12 Nine times a-week, If he some scheme, like tea an' winnocks, Was kindly seek.

Could he some commutation broach, I'll pledge my aith in guid braid Scotch, He needna fear their foul reproach Nor erudition, Yon mixtie-maxtie, queer hotch-potch, The Coalition.

Auld Scotland has a raucle tongue; She's just a devil wi' a rung; An' if she promise auld or young To tak their part, Tho' by the neck she should be strung, She'll no desert.

And now, ye chosen Five-and-Forty, May still you mither's heart support ye; Then, tho'a minister grow dorty, An' kick your place, Ye'll snap your gingers, poor an' hearty, Before his face.

God bless your Honours, a' your days, Wi' sowps o' kail and brats o' claise,

In spite o' a' the thievish kaes, That haunt St. Jamie's! Your humble poet sings an' prays, While Rab his name is.

Postscript

Let half-starv'd slaves in warmer skies See future wines, rich-clust'ring, rise; Their lot auld Scotland ne're envies, But, blythe and frisky, She eyes her freeborn, martial boys Tak aff their whisky.

What tho' their Phoebus kinder warms, While fragrance blooms and beauty charms, When wretches range, in famish'd swarms, The scented groves; Or, hounded forth, dishonour arms In hungry droves!

Their gun's a burden on their shouther; They downa bide the stink o' powther; Their bauldest thought's a hank'ring swither To stan' or rin, Till skelp-a shot-they're aff, a'throw'ther, To save their skin.

But bring a Scotchman frae his hill, Clap in his cheek a Highland gill, Say, such is royal George's will, An' there's the foe! He has nae thought but how to kill Twa at a blow.

Nae cauld, faint-hearted doubtings tease him; Death comes, wi' fearless eye he sees him; Wi'bluidy hand a welcome gies him; An' when he fa's, His latest draught o' breathin lea'es him In faint huzzas.

Sages their solemn een may steek, An' raise a philosophic reek, An' physically causes seek, In clime an' season; But tell me whisky's name in Greek I'll tell the reason.

Scotland, my auld, respected mither! Tho' whiles ye moistify your leather, Till, whare ye sit on craps o' heather, Ye tine your dam; Freedom an' whisky gang thegither! Take aff your dram!

[shadowbanki]

I was in a server where we were listing our “Top 10 ____” in our writing so I went and listed my top 10 woobie characters and it got. LONG. And detailed.

———

Top 10 biggest woobies (so far, as my world is still growing) + reasons/descriptions

10. Bianca Luna (A lonely autistic girl who spent her childhood as a bullied outcast. She wished for a friend until one day, she gets whisked to the magical world of Whimsica where she goes on an odd magical adventure... and gets to be a hero. However, she does experience troubles long the way, but each one makes her grow and become a bit stronger.)

9. Setsuna Usui (The odd-one-out in a family of perfects. Her mom and dad are professional classical musicians, and her older siblings are prodigies. Setsuna herself is clumsy, messy, ill-tempered, and unsophisticated. Because of this, she is very depressed... until she steps through a wardrobe into the magical world of Whimsica and her life changes...)

8. Rhona Aequor (Her special interest is the ocean. As a child, she often had meltdowns and the only thing that would comfort her would be looking at a fish tank or the ocean. She was picked on, and had no real friends until she met Quartz, who was a whale shark she met in a lagoon. She found out she had a special gift that enabled her to talk to sea life. Later in life, she ends up losing her love interest, Nagisa. Unsure if Nagisa is still alive or not, Rhona falls into a very deep depression and develops what could be PTSD as well.)

7. Nagisa Onda (Nagisa was a very lonely child, until she met her best friend Amara. Amara loves the ocean, and got Nagisa interested in it as well. Nagisa and Amara was inseparable, until one day Amara died in a shipwreck. Nagisa was traumatized and began to hate and resent the ocean, which she once loved, for taking away her best friend. She fell into a deep depression, possibly PTSD, and even became suicidal. Eventually, Nagisa meets Rhona, and the two form a deep bond that helps Nagisa let things go and learn to love the ocean and treasure life again.)

6. Sei Yozora (Sei is an alien from a dystopian planet called Xiropolis where newborn babies are treated with magic that closes their hearts. The children grow up unable to feel a wide range of emotions. Sei had an interest in books, despite not being able to feel much emotion. She eventually got her hands on a book that came from the planet Whimsica. It had such a wonderful story in it, that it made her feel a sensation she had never felt before. It made her feel emotions. She thought that maybe if she went to Whimsica, she’d feel more of that sensation. So she built a spacecraft all by herself and abandoned Xiropolis, seeking a better life on Whimsica. However, everyone bullied her for her odd behavior, and it got worse once they found out she was an alien.)

5. Eunice (Eunice was a young girl who had a terminal illness. She had no magic powers, but wishes she did. She loved to decorate the hospital to make kids happy, because she hated how it looked so gloomy. Her dying wish was to go on an adventure and to be a hero. There is a point in the Whimsica Saga where Bianca is in the hospital and meets Eunice. She uses her magic to grant Eunice’s wish, and turns her hospital bed into a flying Bedmobile. They go on an adventure all across Whimsica and see all the wonderful sights. They eventually defeat an evil licorice wizard and save a kingdom of gingerbread people. Eunice passes away a few days later, but her dying wish was granted. But what Eunice didn’t realize, was that even if she didn’t have magic powers, she made people happy by decorating the hospital, and to many people, that was true magic.)

4. Flannery Flanagan (Flannery, nicknamed “Flan”, is a young girl who always wanted to be a competitive roller-skater like her father. One day however, her father was teaching her to roller skate, and they got in a bad car accident. Her father died in the accident, and Flan got paralyzed from the hip down. From then on, she had to be in a wheelchair and give up her dream. Instead, she took up racing in a race car. However, since her father died, her family was left poor, and she could never end up building a good enough race car. (She was originally a Wreck-It-Ralph Sugar Rush OC, you see...) In every race she would come in last, and her car would break down. A villain named Anise wanted to take advantage of Flan in order to recruit her to the Dark Side, but ended up helping Flan because she felt sympathy. Anise ended up realizing it felt good to help others, so she and her sidekick Zircon betrayed their evil queen and became Good. Anise helped Flan build a better car, but instead of winning the race, Flan lost because she ended up helping a lost unicorn on the way. Anise and Flan now have a sisterly relationship.)

3. Alvarina Ruska (Alvarina is an elf who lives in a forest where it is always autumn. Her father died when she was really young. He left the forest for a short time in search for food and never returned. Her mother died of a respiratory illness a few years before the story’s present. Alvarina is lonely because she cannot leave the forest. If elfin people leave the forest they are bound to, they will begin to die slowly. One day by chance, she meets Celestine, one of the royals of Whimsica. They form a friendship. However, it is forbidden for a royal to have a friend who is a commoner, or else the royal will be punished with a thousand years slumber. So Celestine eventually breaks off the friendship with Alvarina, even though it was was difficult thing to do. Alvarina is heartbroken and doesn’t understand why. She thinks perhaps Celestine could be in danger, so she leaves the forest in search for clues. Celestine eventually regrets her decision, and comes back to Alvarina’s forest to see a note on her front door that she ran away. Celestine is frantic and finally tells the Queen that she needs to look for Alvarina, because she is worried that she is in danger from leaving the forest, all because of her selfishness. This time she no longer cares about her thousand year punishment. By the time Alvarina is back home, Celestine is collapsed on the ground in front of her house in a coma, with the Queen of Whimsica also there. Celestine’s two sisters, Lunette and Stelle are there as well. Since Celestine and Alvarina’s friendship was so strong, the slumber may very well be beyond a thousand years. The one who put in the law that royals and common people cannot be friends was put in by an old, conservative Queen from years back. Queen Rainbow does not agree with the law, but doesn’t have enough power to reverse it. But combined with the powers of Alvarina’s love, she believes she can. But if it fails, Alvarina may fall into the same slumber. Alvarina agrees to help reverse the curse of the law, and the other sisters pitch in their magic. It’s successfully reversed, and Celestine wakes up. Alvarina is now able to leave the forest as well, because she was able to unlock her powers. She was a woobie, but it ended well.)

2. Reina Coda (Reina is a girl who originally is from Earth, who is very depressed and is a pessimist/nihilist and hates life. She is a smoker and has a lot of harmful habits. She once loved to play the piano and sing, but she slowly found herself losing her passion. Her view of life of hopeless, until she finds herself in the magical world of Whimsica, and meets Sumi, who changes her life. Sumi has so much hope in her heart, and a longing spirit despite her past. She sees the good in everything, unlike Reina who only sees the worst in things. Reina teaches Sumi many things, such as how to be confident, but Sumi teaches Reina many profound things as well.)

1. Sumi Suzumi (The Forest of Resonance is a tropical rainforest in the magical land of Whimsica where it is perpetually summer. The forest is inhabited by elves. It never is cold in the forest, nor does it ever snow. Nobody who inhabits the Forest of Resonance is able leave it, or else they will begin to die slowly as long as they are outside of the boundaries. Everyone in the forest has hair/eyes that are blue, green, or somewhere in between. Even when they age, the hair never turns white. But Sumi Shizumi, an albino, was born with white hair, and is ostracized because of it. (This is loosely based on “Daughter of White” which is part of “Evillous Chronicles.” Sumi’s single mother passed away shortly after birthing her, leaving Sumi an orphan. Sumi’s mother cared deeply about her child. Her final wish was for Sumi to live on and have a happy life, despite her looking different. However, others would soon mistreat Sumi. Sumi had been living with an adoptive mother since then, who frequently treated Sumi as inferior. Sumi’s adoptive mother then died when Sumi was 17, leaving her to live on her own. Sumi grows up as a very lonely and apologetic person, despite having an incredibly gentle and benevolent nature. Sumi is not only ostracized for her white hair, but also her strange powers. Everyone else’s powers are related to plants and summer elements. Sumi’s powers are related to ice and are rather wintry. They are also very hard to control, and more like a curse. Before Sumi’s discovered her powers, nobody had ever heard of snow. When they first saw the snow that happened because of Sumi, they panicked. They thought that Sumi had done something bad to the usual rain. One day when she is 22, Sumi is having a particularly horrible day. That night when she sees a shooting star from her treehouse, she wishes for someone, anyone, to be her friend. Sumi’s emotional feelings that night were so strong, it caused a blizzard to plummet the forest. The crops begin to die and everyone chases Sumi out because of what she did. The elder of the forest says that Sumi won’t die when she’s away from the forest, because the forest was never where she belonged in the first place. This hurts Sumi deeply, hearing she never belonged. But this is also the start of a wonderful new adventure for Sumi, where she meets Reina, and together they search for a place where they both belong...)

[magixmade-blog]

FIVE TIMES KISSED

mwah!  //  @choiicesmade 

1.  she’s ten, and anxiously hiding behind her mother’s leg as the ships touch down. her parents have rambled on endlessly about the prince of eraklyon, had spent the last few months telling her all about prince sky and how rich and kind and noble his family was. stella has always been a people person, drawn to others, but meeting new people always brought about anxiety. 

the boys step off the plane in perfect unison, and stella watches in silent amazement as they stroll up to her. she starts to ramble, her welcome quickly devolving into nervous chatter, before he sweeps into an elaborate bow and raises her hand to his lips. he gives her knuckles a chaste kiss, brown eyes sparkling as he straightens out and call her beautiful while their parents watch, amused. her cheeks are more red than her fathers cape, her heart thrumming against her rib cage at exorbitant speeds. for the first time in her life, stella is speechless. 

2. they’re twelve, and she knows his real name now. (doesn’t make him any less of a prince, in her opinion. she treats him as she always has: as a friend.) the three of them have been causing mischief throughout the palace all day, and their time on solaria is drawing to a close. much to stella’s disappointment. having sky and brandon around, it makes the emptiness of the castle fade away. she may be the princess of solaria, but she has no doubt that they are the warmth and light in her life. 

she grabs their hands, pulling them both to the galaxy room while giggling breathlessly. they spend the next hour there, watching the stars twinkle and the planets rotate around and around and around. (brandon, she thinks, is like the sun. and she is the planet, spinning around and around and around him.) as they wind down, sky ends up stretched out across their laps. a shooting star streaks across the display, and brandon whispers make a wish, princess. and so she does. she hopelessly, desperately wishes that her boys could stay here with her forever. she turns to look at him, outlined in the silver glow, and without thinking leans forward and places a quick kiss on his nose. he looks at her, confused, and she explains that it’s a solarian tradition for good luck. he grins, and she leans against his shoulder. they stay like that for another half an hour, lost in their own little world. 

3.  stella’s 13 and never been more humiliated in her life. the whole school is laughing at her, laughing at orion’s ‘prank.’ the day has been filled with snickers and whispers at every turn. she’d spent the night sobbing into her pillow, lithe shoulders shaking and glasses smeared with mascara, wondering why they found such glee in tormenting her, wondering what she had ever done to them. but she won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her upset. she walked as she was taught to, shoulders straight and head held high. she elbowed her way past the crowd gathering to gawk at something in the courtyard, and stella is momentarily glad for the distraction. it’ll make getting to class easier. but then…she hears his voice. 

she would know it in a sea of millions. she turned, and her breath caught in her throat. brandon is standing there, dressed to the nines. her knight in shining armor. behind him, sky sits in a gorgeous carriage drawn by winged horses. she had called them when everything unfolded (of course she had) but she hadn’t expected…this. this time when the crowd murmurs about her, it’s in jealousy. she takes his hand as he helps her into the carriage. he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, and both of them sat in silence while listening to sky ramble on. 

4.  she’s 15, and a wreck. she shouldn’t be here. it’s late. her clothes are torn. she’s a mess. she shouldn’t be here. but she is. it’s the only place she wants to be. she crumples into brandon’s touch, his eyes hard, his expression worried, and his arms gentle. he holds her and whispers calming things into her ear as she sobs into his shirt for hours, he waits patiently for her to explain what happened. so she tells him. she tells him about the break up with her boyfriend, and the bus ride here. tells him about kids she used to consider friend’s sneering at her. tells him about how they blamed her for breaking their friends heart. she stumbles her way through her story, choking on her tears.

what she doesn’t tell him is how they were right. how her boyfriend - her ex - knew her heart was somewhere else. with someone else. what she doesn’t tell him is how the growing bruise on her cheek is not from the jumping tonight, but the fight from yesterday. what she doesn’t tell him is how much she wants to kiss him. she’s fought her feelings for years now, and she’s tired of fighting. there’s a million reasons they shouldn’t kiss: she’s gawky, he’s gorgeous. she’s a princess, he’s a page. she’s awkward, he’s adorable. if he doesn’t feel the same way, if she messes everything up, she would never forgive herself. he’s a mirror, reflecting back the best parts of herself and stitching together her broken pieces. he was the first boy to ever make her feel safe, and seen, and supported. he knew everything about her...and he cared anyways.

as if he could sense her turmoil, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. in that moment…the world stopped. inches away. they were inches away. he was everything she wanted, and everything she could never have. stella didn’t dare breathe as they stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity. then brandon leaned closer…..and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. and like that the spell is broken. he led her upstairs and offered her a fresh pair of clothes. she changed without another word. he waited up with her for her parents to come pick her up, and in that time she fell asleep against his shoulder. and she dreamed of a world where the two of them could be together in the way she wanted. 

5. she’s finally 18, the day she’d been eagerly awaiting for gods know how long. solaria is dolled up in celebration, but while the party rages on outside the door she only has eyes for brandon. they had snuck away from the noise downstairs and stood in one of the castle’s many empty rooms. his fingers trace patterns lazily on her exposed back, and everywhere he touches, fire springs to life. she’s burning, burning, burning, but oh god does she love it. she can’t pinpoint when delicate kisses turned desperate, but they had. her back to the wall, face flushed, and breathless from kissing she wordlessly pointed to the sofa. 

they stumbled across the floor, moving in the almost synchronized pattern they’d always have, so it was almost like a dance. until he tripped over some long discarded book on the ground, sending both of them tumbling to the couch while laughing breathlessly. brandon sat up, and stella followed suit, straddling him as they resumed their kissing. her hands hovered over the hem of his shirt, her eyes asking permission that he granted with a small nod. her fingers splayed over his bare chest, she pulls back to admire him. her eyes shine softly as her hands move up to cradles his face. he’s gorgeous. but more than that...he’s hers. he’s everything she’s every wanted, everything she thought she could never have, and being here feels like a fairy tale. 

love swells in her chest, and her next kiss is softly pressed to his mouth, then his jaw. i love you, i love you, i love you. she wants to press the words into his skin, with each kiss to his neck, his collarbone, his shoulders. she wants to cover every inch of exposed skin with her love, as if it was a second skin that could protect him from anything and everything. i love you, i love you, i love you. her fingers are tangled in his hair, her lips pressed to the hollow of his throat. he has lipstick smears all over his chest, each one a silent message. she’s saying all she needs to say without uttering a word. i love you, i love you, i love you. it’s true. right now, it feels like the only truth that matters. 

then the door bursts open and stella freezes in shock. luckily for them, it’s only sky. he freezes in the doorway, words dying on his tongue and cheeks quickly turning red. “um...your...your dad is uh....looking for you, stells...” he muttered, avoiding looking at either of them as he scrambled for the door handle. “i’ll....i’ll go buy you two a couple of minutes to uh...get ready.” and with that he’s gone. brandon and stella bursts out laughing, and she gets up and tugs him to the private bathroom. using the washcloth, she wipes off the lipstick marks across his neck. 

she reapplies her lipstick, and fixes her hair with a wave of her hand. she turned to look at him, now looking as dashing as he always did, and moved to fix his tie without even thinking about it. they lace their fingers together and start towards the door. before he can open it though, she stops him and presses a kiss to his nose. “for good luck.” she states softly as he looks at her quizzically, and then together they descend into the party, hand in hand.

[magixfatedfics]

{Stella has a huge date coming up, but what happens when a certain gang takes Stella and Winx girls as hostages.} Will the Brandon save his true love in time and will good prevail over Evil once more? Or will darkness rule over light?

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Chapter 1: The capture

I do not own Winx club, this Story is just for fun,

I'm writing this story different this time, I hope you like it.

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{~~} It was a brand new day in Alfea the birds began to chirp, the sun was shinning, Everything seemed perfect until... "KIKO!"

 A loud yell could be heard from the second tower to the right. And there in the balcony stood a very steamed Fairy. In her hands she held a torn up light blue sundress that that has sequins missing from the top of the dress as well as the straps were broken off. 

"Look what you've done, I just finished this thing... Now what am I supposed to wear for tonight!?"

Not far from the room one of her roommates walked in with a yawn sleepily she took her head phones off her head and stretched

 "Yo Stell what is up with all the racket so early in the morning." A certain music fairy pipped up as she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"My dress!.. that blue fuzzy.. uggh.. my dress is ruined it was so perfect." She sighed in frustration. looking at the rabbit that was on her bed she glared. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

Musa sighed as she listed to the radiant fairy complain. "Hey chill Stell it's just a dress you have 15 million like it in your closet remember.. what's the big deal anyway?"

Stella looked at her teammate shocked. "Just a dress.. it's the Thee Dress!...I'm supposed to go on a date tonight with Brandon and so using my talent I made this beautiful dress, with his favorite color and everything, And it was just for him.. and now, It's ruined."

With a sigh Musa shook her head "Come on it can't be that bad?.. Or I might be wrong?" Looking at the dress Muse noticed small tiny paw prints smeared all over the blue fabric, with Paint?

 "Quick question though Stell, but why do the pets have paint on there paws?" The Music fairy pointed down at the 4 pets who had paint splattered on the floor with their paws placed in the puddles.

"Huh?" Stella looked down to the floor , sure enough what Musa said was true thereon the light tinted floor was, Blue. black, Red and Green all over the floor.

"Ughh!" She sighed and fell backwards on her bed, "First my Dress now this mess, can anything else go wrong?" And as if a hint of magic was sparked a huge rain storm boomed throughout the campus. "Me and my big mouth."

"You just had to say those words didn't you Stella?" Musa giggled lightly.

Though before any other words could be exchanged a huge rumble hit the ground and the light went out all over campus, Stella screamed as she was afraid of the dark. Musa fell over as the floor shook. 

" Stella Get down!" Quickly the two ducked up the desk and then everything stopped shaking.

It was after everything that stopped moving that Stella used a little of her magic to light up the room, 'Cough'..'cough' "Musa .. are you OK?"

Meanwhile over in red fountain.

"Oh come on guys give me a break it was just a joke .I said I was sorry for the last time." A certain maroon haired male spoke up as he walked into the room.

"Give me a break Riven you did it on that directly for that reason." The blond haired specialist sighed,

"Just give it up you two." The raven haired male

Suddenly before the conversation could be continued , a huge Echo like Rumble could be heard from afar.

"?!"

"What the.. that sounded like that came from Alfea!?" Helia spoke up looking out the window.

Timmy was the next to speak up, "I'll hook up the camera to the girls dorm and see what's going on."

"Dude.. Timmy why in the world do you have a secret camera in the girls rooms, that’s so wrong? Brandon snickered.

Shaking his head and pushing up his glasses Timmy sighed , "It's not for what you think it is, it's to make sure the girls are safe, I lost Tecna once and that was enough to end me there, I wont lose her again, besides Tecna is the one who decided to install it."

He begins to click the keyboard quickly. activating the Cameras. some were a bit fuzzy, it seems Tecna, Layla, Bloom and Flora were out cold surrounded by a cloud of dust. Stella on the other hand was holding her weight with her power. 'Cough'..'cough' "Musa .. are you OK!?"

There in the corner the music fairy stood up and nodded her head "Yeah but not for long, I think I it hit my head or something but.. that happened as if was magic.. what about you Stella.. are you alright?"

Stella nodded her head her light was fading fast. "Yeah just a little dizzy... come on lets see what happened?" Both nodded there heads and rushed down stairs. "The door .. it's... it's locked?..  uhh Musa did you lock it?"

Watching this from afar the boys had worried expressions plastered on there faces.

Musa shook her head, "I never touched it Stella." It was at this point Stella back up a little worried. "That means were trapped."

Musa shook her head.. "No that means were.. ghh" Suddenly before she knew it Musa was hit in the back of her head falling into someone's arms.

"Musa?...Musa?!" And before she knew it a huge ragging cloud of smoke came by 'cough..' cough' "mu...sa?" ' Thunk.' Stella accidentally inhaled what was around her and fell to her knees then to the ground.

It was then then everything went dark a males voice could be heard from the distance. 

“......?!”

"Haha this is easy , to think those incompetent.. witches named, Icy, Darcy and stormy failed to do this the first time, two fairy's down .. 4 more to go"

"But boss I thought you said .. you only wanted the princess and music fairy?"

"Oh .. I have plans. Now shut it and quickly pick them up and lets go."

And with that the clouds was gone and so where the two fairy's

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And here is where I stop. sorry .. for the cliff hanger, Chapter 2 is on it's way/ Please review.

[straane]

Motherworld (Ch.4/?)

Title: Motherworld

Author: strane-stelle

Fandom: Final Fantasy X

Central characters: Tidus

Rating: 12+

Chapters: 4/?  Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 5  Chapter 6

Word count: 2172

Summary: “The fayth said it’s pointless to keep dreaming. The dream will disappear, he said. What did he mean?” After a long journey, Tidus finally gets to go home.

Warnings: Ton of OCs; drug references; mild implicit violence and some explicit, also mild

Other comments: credit goes to @shuyiin​ for the idea.(or virtually the star player himself @leviathkand)  

Chapter 4 – Grateful

"Spira? Spira, as in...?"

Spira, as in the most miraculous place Tidus had ever known; and the most wretched. Spira, as in the tranquil waves washing over the smooth, hot sand; the long-fallen towers gazing wearily over the shore. Spira, as in men turning their heads away from the dance and picking up their hammers; children crying over the remains of their homes. Spira, as in pyreflies gathering over the rivers at nightfall.

Spira, as in a single searing tear rippling on the surface before dissolving into the cold, thick water. Spira, as in Yuna.

Spira, as in the truth; the harrowing truth.  

"Spira, as in..." Tidus stuttered. Edge was still holding him by the collar, and a layer of his skin as well; and nobody could quite bring themselves to defend him any more than he could bring himself. Perhaps nobody wanted to. The undercurrents were still swirling wildly from the confrontation; and suddenly felt chilly to the bone, even against Tidus's water-resistant uniform.

"Tidus," Teri ventured to ask, "did you have something to do with... what happened?"

Tidus had no idea how to answer. Did he? Probably.

"...Guys, I don't know what happened, but I--"

Before he could finish, everyone suddenly turned their heads as the waters shifted directions again; in the wake of a swimmer making towards the team with strong, seasoned pulls and pushes. Tidus had barely recognized the distorted underwater image of his agent, before Leo had already separated him from his assailant with a violent smack; followed with another one for good measure; grabbed Tidus by the arm, and dragged him along towards the gate.

"H-hey, Leo, wait!"

"You don't have the authority!" Edge screeched after them, but only one of them was wearing the required machinery to hear him. Leo, in the midst of all his evident perturbation, even made a mockingly confused gesture upon hearing from Tidus's earphones what must have amounted to distant mutter.  

Nobody gave chase; perhaps nobody wanted to.  

--

A consistent stream of profanities washed over Tidus as he was being towed through the corridors by one rather distressed sports agent. Still unsure as to the benevolent intentions behind the action, Tidus tried to wriggle his arm free, but to no avail – Leo had done some serious swimming in his day. And what was the point of Bern, again?

"Leo, please -- I can explain -- or at least, I think I can --"

"Shut up. Just... shut up."

At long last, Leo stopped when they reached the office segment of the building; at what looked like the most unexciting door in the hallway. He wrestled with some keys for a moment, then got tired, cursed, and kicked the door open; to Tidus's mild amazement. He gestured towards the inside, suddenly in a very devil-may-care fashion, letting go of his protégé, finally; and granting him the choice whether or not to follow him. Besides agitation and fresh indifference, there was something else about his manner – something vulnerable; almost sad. Tidus nodded at his agent knowingly before entering – even though at this point, he doubted whether he truly knew anything at all.

Miraculously, the door was still unbroken enough to close. The air in the room was extremely stuffy, and the furniture was composed of nothing besides a shabby desk, two bookshelves (oddly enough stacked with relevant-looking titles), a moth-eaten carpet with the tacky retro Abes logo, a flickering holographic poster of Jecht, and random pieces of blitz gear and field equipment scattered around. Tidus's two guesses were either a forsaken storeroom or Bern's very current office. 

“We don't have much time," Leo declared, circling the room; back to neurotic and vaguely aggressive. "Hirans'll be here any minute now."

"Wh-- wait a minute-- he's coming?" Tidus spluttered, sidetracking into indignantly wondering why no one ever told him anything. The last he'd seen of the rich buffoon, he'd showed up at a pre-Jecht Memorial Cup charity match, to get Tidus to sign a contract allowing him to sell either action figures or blitzball cards – his memory failed him here, he'd stopped collecting both when the fifth edition of the Jecht Superior series had hit the stores. He'd grudgingly signed, but Nella had not let their 'coach' off the hook so easily – she had pestered him for some game pointers and diet advice, and even opened up about some very imaginary women's troubles. Just thinking about it, Tidus still wanted to howl with laughter – and right now, cry. Cry like he finally had a good enough reason – for a very gloomy thought was looming larger and larger in the back of his mind.

"Yeah, yeah!" Leo barked in reply. "To discuss your future with the team, the entire board are on their way! It was all going fine and dandy with the evaluation until... well, you know." Tidus had never seen Leo so discomposed. It almost looked as though he was bursting out of himself, eyes first. "That happened."

"Listen," Tidus desperately began an explanation he had no idea how to accomplish, "I don't know what's going on, but--"

"I think you do, kid!" Leo fumed, now absolutely livid. Tidus's eyes grew wide at the extreme reaction, but even as he took a step back, he could tell – against his better judgement – that the agent meant no harm. And that – somehow – he was supposed to be here, at this very moment, having this very conversation with him. Even if Leo himself seemed to disagree, "On a side-note, where's your goddamn self-preservation instinct? That blasted press conference, not even trying to stand up for yourself just now... never mind getting kicked off the team, they would've--"

Tidus couldn't quite get the point of changing the subject and cut him short, "Leo, I know you don't wanna hear this, but I think those fiends are connected to Spira."

Tidus was going to try to give another shot at the ‘Spira, as in’ game, until he remembered that he had, in fact, told Leo everything – almost everything – and it was a miracle he had listened. And never in a million years could he have predicted what the man – who had grown oddly calm at his response – would say next.  

"You think... we're all connected to Spira, don't you?"

Tidus froze completely. It was a borderline surreal sight – the way Leo looked as he uttered those words; confident in his assumption, yet confused and scared of his wits. And the words struck him like lightning from a clear sky – unexpected; even absurd, but undeniably powerful. "You said,” Leo impatiently continued, “Spira has its own Zanarkand, one that's been long destroyed. Well... what does that mean for us? Are we... are we long destroyed, too?" 

Tidus could hardly believe what he was hearing, and was sorely out of answers. It was then that the notion; the one skulking in the back of his mind; finally registered: a truly horrifying scenario. He finally did have a good enough reason.

"Leo," Tidus began, a sweeping finger instinctively reaching towards his cheek, although his eyes were only dampening. "What if," he was almost shouting as the first droplet fell, "what if she went to the Farplane, Leo?!"

For some reason, Leo did not seem to require further elaboration.

"They told me... we were all just dreams. The fayth said... it's pointless to keep dreaming. The dream will disappear, they said. But the thing is..." No amount of wiping could help him at this point. "It was supposed to be me! I was supposed to disappear! I was going to go to the Farplane, I should... I should be nothing but a bundle of pyreflies by now!"

Leo was silent.

"And of course, I knew," Tidus went on, choking at every breath, "that you... my, my team... everyone here... that all of you guys-- the rest of the city-- that it would all fade as well, I knew! They told me my father... my mother, everyone; that we were all just dreams. That we would all disappear. Should I have... should I have been more sorry, should I have pitied you all more? Maybe... maybe I was too busy pitying myself, and this is how they punish me. By taking-- instead of--"  

Drying his face, hands and chest on the top of his uniform, Tidus momentarily pulled himself together. "But-- why-- how-- since when have you believed me about Spira, anyway? What if... what if that was all smoke and mirrors just now, what if I'm... y'know... using?"

"You're not," Leo shook his head, "if you were, I'd know."

"What do you mean, you'd--"

"'Cause I was!" Leo snapped back, suddenly shouting again. "And old Niel took the blame! Said he was gonna retire anyway, blah blah, I was young and I had so much promise, that dense old fart! He almost killed himself with that stunt, 'cause it 'had to look real'! I didn't even make it to the game where he 'got caught', I was so... blitzed! And kid, I can tell you're just going through the motions, but you're-- believe me, if you were pulling what I was, I'd know!"

Tidus stared at him, wide-mouthed. But it added up. Even if it forever changed his perception of Leo; the former pro-blitzer who'd abruptly quit a steady career, citing a ‘desire to pursue other interests’.

"I think Bern believes you too, you know," Leo continued. "He followed you to your house the other day, after you tried to ditch him. And he saw... it, too. Of course, he thought it was just a--- but he told me, and I thought it was just a--" Leo made a long pause, and Tidus studied him; this new bizarre version of a person he thought he'd known annoyingly well. Leo held up his both hands in concentration as he stared into nothingness and spoke, "...Sometimes, I can feel it. It's like gravity. Like I'm... like we're being pulled. Not pulled down... but up. Pulled up... into existence."

Tidus had always felt it. He could still feel it.

"And I feel," Leo added, with a sudden sense of finality, "grateful."

He raised his eyes and they exchanged somber looks. And that's when, with a strident echo; the door hit the wall once more and they both jumped.

"See? I told you."

Apparently, someone had given chase; and had some impressive tracking skills, too. It was, of course, Edge; and Arret, by the looks of it – the self-righteous senior player had always had the somewhat impressionable goalkeeper under his thumb. The three other pursuers; Frion, Riona, and Leno; were standing in the back, still seemingly making up their minds about whom they were pursuing (but certainly doing their share in blocking the exit). Teri wasn't with the group.

"Where's... where's Teri?" Tidus demanded as he observed the fact, fearing the worst for a second.

"Seems to think Nella died of natural causes," Edge replied nonchalantly, with the air of a fearless justice-campaigning hero, "and who cares?"

"Died?" Tidus echoed, fearing a new kind of worst. But judging by Edge's dismissive reaction, he was just being metaphorical – or speculative. Leo tried to extend a protective arm in front of Tidus as he stepped forward from the back, but Tidus wouldn't let him. For the first time since his return, he felt far better-equipped to handle a situation than one of his babysitters.

"We just want to know what happened to Nella," Edge pleaded with him with faux civility. Tidus surveyed him for a moment. Something told him that asking whether he felt a "pull" or introducing the concept of the Farplane were not good negotiation strategies.

Suddenly something jumped out to him. It was the blitzball that Edge was carrying on one arm and hiding partially behind his back. Tidus had never seen anything like it – in this life. But he had in another. The ball had spikes on it.

"Edge... where did you get that blitzball?"

"Oh, this?" He spun the lethal instrument on his finger. "Found it in the changing room."

Tidus narrowed his eyes in disbelief. First fiends – and now objects from the other side?

“Relax," Edge scoffed. "I'll just be holding onto this until the police get here. Oh, and I sent Hirans away, hope you don't mind."  

Tidus was starting to think perhaps Hirans was no longer a corporeal part of this world, either; what with his track record of showing up. He was also starting to get tired of this conversation. Perceiving something in his peripheral vision, Tidus quickly peered to his side and made an even quicker decision: it was time to go. He gave a slight shrug as he shot Edge an apologetic glance.

Arret seemed to notice he was up to something, and opened his mouth, but too late. With one well-timed acrobatic motion, Tidus brought his hands to the floor, kicked his legs over his body and flung himself sideways across the room and right past Leo's ineffectual safeguarding attempts; sticking a perfect landing on the desired spot, before diving headfirst for two retired pieces of crossbar on the floor, and tossing one into Leo's very reactive arms.

"A gift from me! I hope you know how to use it!"

[sydneysageivashkov]

Buried With Our Past (4/4)

Sydney and Adrian have had five years of peace, living happily ever after with their adopted son and extended family.

And then a spirit experiment goes very wrong, and Sydney wakes up in Russia, seven years earlier. The Alchemists might think they control her, but Sydney’s got a family to reunite.

Parts 1, 2, 3 | AO3

Jill startled as a tray was dropped on to the table next to her with a large clatter. She looked up to see Eddie sitting down beside her.

“So, you’ve been mysteriously absent from Adrian’s room over the past week,” said Eddie. “And Rose’s. And Lissa’s, and -”

Jill snorted, and Eddie looked very pleased with himself. “I get the picture,” she said. “I haven’t had a fight with Adrian or anything. It’s just…” She paused, then nodded in the direction of the table where Rose, Lissa and Christian were eating with Avery. “Avery Lazar’s a spirit user. She almost got Lissa killed last time. We have a plan to deal with her, but we still need to wait a bit to get all the supplies.”

“So you’re – what? Back up?” asked Eddie. Jill stole one of his fries and he whacked at her hand with the flat of his knife. She grinned up at him, and it felt so achingly like it used to that she could have kissed him.

“Yeah,” she said instead, because kissing him would definitely go against the relationship spoilers rule. “I can use the bond to tell if Adrian’s being compelled, and since I’m not hanging out with them, Avery doesn’t know to compel me.”

“It’s a good plan,” said Eddie, nodding to himself. “And you’ve definitely got a way to stop her?”

“Not definitely, but I trust Sydney to come through for us,” said Jill. “She’s never let us down before.”

“So will we finally get to meet the mysterious Sydney?” asked Eddie. “I mean, Rose has met her, and I know she’s a human, but somehow you’ve all been pretty elusive about her.”

Jill smiled sadly. “It’s not just romantic relationships that fall under the spoilers rule, you know.”

“You know that Rose has been trying to work out your future ever since you guys came back? She’s got, like, the cork board with all these dates and names pinned to it like in a detective movie,” said Eddie. “Some of her theories sounds pretty reasonable. Other stuff seems like reaching.”

Jill laughed. She hadn’t know, but knowing Rose, it wasn’t a surprise, either. “I hope you’re not using this as a way to get spoilers out of me.”

“I would never,” said Eddie, trying to look indignant.

They sat silently for a few minutes. Jill watched over her friends with Avery as subtly as she could, and she could tell that Eddie was doing the same. Well, doing much better at it, to be honest. Guardians were actually trained in surveillance.

“With Rose’s cork board,” said Eddie at last, “she has this one theory.” He turned to look at her. Jill looked down at her food. “About you and me.”

Jill looked back up. “You know I can’t say either way.”

“Look, I know why you and Adrian decided not to say anything. I get your reasoning,” said Eddie. “But it’s pretty obvious to everyone that Lissa and Christian stayed together in your future, and that hasn’t affected them at all. If anything, it’s made them more sickeningly sweet than ever.”

“What are you trying to say?” asked Jill.

“Well, I’ve already worked out that we were together in the future,” said Eddie. “And we worked, right?” Jill nodded, hesitantly, and he continued. “So I was wondering if we should just – try. I know I’m not the Eddie you had a few months ago, but I wasn’t really expecting to be in a relationship with a long-lost Dragomir princess, so I figure we’re kind of even there.” Jill couldn’t help a giggle bubbling out, and Eddie smiled at her. “If it works, then we’ve got a few extra years we didn’t have in your future.”

Jill sat for a moment, wondering. Eddie was right. If he knew about their future relationship, then the development of their relationship had already been disrupted, not to mention the fact that she was a different Jill to the one he had initially fallen in love with in her timeline.

But what if she lost him? What if Eddie wasn’t ready yet, and this ended badly, and she lost him forever? She wasn’t sure if she could bear it.

Eddie was looking at her, as firm and steadfast as he always was. Slowly, she leant forwards and kissed him on the cheek. “I’d like that.”

-

Sydney tapped at the table anxiously at the table as she waited for Mrs Terwilliger to pick up her phone. It was the Amberwood lunch hour, so Mrs Terwilliger should be available. Sydney, meanwhile, didn’t have nearly so much free time. She had managed to get away from the rest of their family by claiming she was going for a coffee run, but it would only be matter of time before someone started wondering why she was taking so long. Abruptly, the ringing cut off as the line picked up.

“Jaclyn Terwilliger speaking,” said the voice at the other end. Sydney’s heart ached at the sound of her old teacher’s voice.

“Mrs Terwilliger, my name is Sydney Sage, and I need some advice on spells relating to vampire magic,” said Sydney, trying to make herself sound as professional as possible.

“I’m sorry?” said Mrs Terwilliger.

“I was wondering if you knew of any spells that could prevent a vampire from using their magic,” explained Sydney. “I know there are spells that can prevent a vampire from wielding their magic on oneself, but I wanted to know if there are any ways to cut off the magic at its source, as it were.”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Mrs Terwilliger. “I quite understood your inquiry. I would rather know who you are and how you came by my number.” Her voice was sharp. Sydney just barely kept herself from sighing.

“My name is Sydney Sage,” she repeated. “As for how I got your number, I had a magical accident and ended up seven years in the past. I know your number because you gave it to me a few months from now.” There was silence on the other end. Sydney continued, a tinge of desperation entering her voice, “You have six cats. You work at Amberwood Prep as a history teacher, and you have a boy named Trey Juarez in your class, who’s brighter than he lets on a lot of the time. You’re a part of the Stelle, and so was your sister before she became too interested in dark magic and you drove her off.”

There was so much more she knew about Mrs Terwilliger that she could mention. Mrs Terwilliger had been one of the great shaping influences of Sydney’s life. “I should hope that your beliefs are your beliefs,” she had once told Sydney, and it had taken a long time, and a lot of work with her and Adrian and everyone else Sydney loved for that to become true.

But Mrs Terwilliger cut her off. “You’re telling the truth,” she said slowly. “I wasn’t aware of any spells that could cause time travel.”

Sydney winced. “It wasn’t exactly human magic.”

There was a pause on the other end. “I imagine this is why you would like to cut off a vampire’s magic? To prevent this from happening again?”

“No, actually,” said Sydney. “I trust the person who did it. It’s for a rogue spirit user.” She explained the situation with Avery Lazar briefly.

“I’m not certain of any such spells,” said Mrs Terwilliger, when Sydney finished. “I will do my research tonight. I can email you any spells I find,” she offered.

“No!” exclaimed Sydney. “No,” she repeated, more calmly. “I can’t – well, I just can’t have any evidence of my magic available. Call me back and I’ll write the spell down.”

“If you’re certain,” said Mrs Terwilliger. “Are you safe, Miss Sage? Do you need help?”

“I’m as safe as I can be,” said Sydney. “I’ll be able to get out of here soon. Only a few more days,” she finished, largely to herself.

There was the familiar sound of the Amberwood bell on the other end of the phone. “Unfortunately, duty calls,” said Mrs Terwilliger, sounding genuinely disappointed to cut the call short. Sydney wasn’t surprised. This was probably the most interesting and confounding thing that had happened to Mrs Terwilliger in a long time.

“It’s fine, Mrs Terwilliger,” she said, and hesitated. “Keep an eye out for Trey, please? His family is… bad, and I don’t think I’ll be in a position to help him this time around.”

“I will do my best,” said Mrs Terwilliger. “I’ll let you know my findings as soon as I can.”

-

“Soooo,” said a voice behind Adrian, and he almost groaned. He turned to face Avery Lazar, who was watching him with one hand on her waist and her hip popped out. “I always heard that Adrian Ivashkov was the life of every party. What happened, man?”

Adrian could feel the tingle of compulsion, the will that was not his own pushing him towards parties. He pushed back at it with spirit. Avery’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She’d been like this since the start, but seemed to have put Adrian’s and Lissa’s resistance down to their spirit use and had taken it as a challenge.

It was especially awful, because without the compulsion and trying-to-kill-innocent-people thing, Avery Lazar was just the kind of person who would have been up twenty-one-year-old Adrian’s alley. She wouldn’t necessarily have been a good influence on him, but he would have liked her genuinely, without the compulsion. But in her quest for power, she’d left behind everything that could make her a likable person and replaced it with compulsion.

“Unfortunately,” said Adrian, drawing the word out, “I’ve got to be a role model to Lissa. Aunt Tatiana wants me to be the ‘positive counterbalance’ to Christian.”

Avery laughed, clear and bright. Adrian tried not to grit his teeth. “Man, how’d you convince her you’re a good influence?”

“No idea,” said Adrian. “Half the school still thinks I’m dating Rose.”

“Oh, yeah, I heard that,” said Avery. Her grin was all teeth. “Heard some sophomores saying you two had eloped.”

“I do love Vegas,” said Adrian, which was probably the only honest thing he was going to say for the entire conversation. Vegas held some fond memories: Sydney looking beautiful in her dress, bouquet in hands, rings on her fingers. “But alas, elopement is not on the cards for Rose and I.” After all, he was happily married (ironically, because of an elopement), and she was hopelessly in love with a Russian warlord, who was either dead or an undead mobster. You know, normal relationship obstacles.

“She doesn’t seem to like me that much,” noted Avery. Adrian only just managed to bite back a comment about how nobody there liked her.

“Rose is very possessive of what she considers hers,” explained Adrian, because it was a better reason than any of the real ones.

“So she does like you?” asked Avery, cocking her head. Adrian wondered if she was now planning how best to get rid of Rose.

“She’s more possessive of Lissa than of me,” said Adrian. “They’ve been best friends since they were kids, and Rose is in line to be her guardian.” Honestly, that wouldn’t extend Rose’s life expectancy in Avery’s mind, but he had faith in Rose’s abilities to punch her way out of any situation.

“Yeah, aren’t they bonded?” asked Avery. “Like in the stories?” Avery was very good at faking curiousity: she had cocked her head ever so slightly and widened her eyes a little. Adrian nodded and she sighed longingly. “I wish I could have that. Simon’s okay, but it’d be pretty great to have my best friend as my bonded guardian.”

Unbelievable. She was effectively saying that her brother and guardian just weren’t good enough. Rose and Lissa were still finding a way to balance out the bond so that Lissa had her privacy and they both had their sanity. Adrian and Jill had spent a long time working out how to maintain their privacy and keep Adrian’s vices from affecting Jill. Most of the time, they didn’t even bother trying to balance out the bond; they just blocked it with medication. If Avery actually cared about either of her bondmates, she would know all of that, and wouldn’t be making that comment, even as a cover.

“Yeah, well, it’s not all of a bed of roses,” said Adrian, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

“I see what you did there,” said Avery with a smirk. Adrian blinked. He hadn’t even noticed. “Come on, let’s go find Lissa and see if we can spring her from her disapproving keeper.”

“Sorry, I can’t,” said Adrian, pushing back against the compulsion. “Got a – thing. Got a thing. And Lissa’s got an exam coming up, so she won’t do anything either.”

Avery frowned minutely before it was wiped away by an easy smile. “All good. Let me know when you’re finally willing to let loose,” she said, with a flirty flip of her hair and a quick pulse of compulsion.

Not likely. “Will do.”

-

The house was silent. It was close to one in the morning, and the rest of Sydney’s family was sleeping. She slid out of her bed, casting a spell to keep her movements silent.

Her father’s office was well-organised and when it came to most subjects, it was simple to find the relevant files. Sydney knew that her task wouldn’t be so easy.

She closed the door behind her before she turned the computer on. She turned the brightness down to its lowest possible setting to be safe. She started clicking through all the folders that seemed like they would usually be considered irrelevant.

It took forty minutes, located on a hard drive that she found hidden behind the book shelf, amidst a folder filled with bureaucratic but Proper Alchemist things. Sydney guessed that her father was banking on anyone searching through the hard drive to dismiss it after only a few of the bureaucratic files. But there it was: evidence of her father’s illegal smuggling of vampire blood and saliva to the Warriors of the Light. There was even enough mentions of all his co-conspirators to bring them down with him. There was evidence of monetary transactions, of the Moroi that they were taking blood from (Sydney’s heart ached when she saw Clarence’s name amongst them), and interaction with the Warriors. It was enough.

She set about printing paper copies of the files. Sydney would take the hard drive with her, too, but it wouldn’t hurt to have physical copies in addition to the digital files. She felt tears pricking at her eyes. After a month and a half of living under the Alchemists’ thumb once more, she was so, so close to freedom.

“Sydney?”

Sydney whirled around to see her father standing in the doorway. He was staring at her, face uncomprehending but suspicious. “What are you doing?”

Sydney decided to go on the offensive. “What are you doing?” she demanded, brandishing some of the printed pages at him. “You’re selling vampire blood! That goes against everything the Alchemists stand for!”

Jared narrowed his eyes at her and stepped forwards. “How did you know about this?” Sydney opened her mouth to deny it, but he pushed on. “It’s after midnight. You crept in here after we were all asleep. You didn’t just stumble on it. You came looking for it.”

Sydney set her jaw. “I did know about it,” she said. She stepped forward, glaring at her father. “A month and a half ago, I woke up in the past. I woke up living under the Alchemists with no way out. But I knew I just had to get back here and get evidence of your dealings and I could use that to go free.”

“Woke up in the past?” repeated Jared, and scoffed. “Impossible.”

“Possible, with the help of magic,” said Sydney forcefully. “That’s right. Magic. Spirit magic, to be precise. This is how it’s going to work, Dad,” she said, almost spitting out the last word. “I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning. I’m going to say goodbye to Mum and Carly and Zoe – not forever, just until the next time I see them, because I will see them again. I’m going to disappear from the Alchemists radar, and you are going to keep me off the Alchemists’ radar, or I’ll bust you and all my friends.” She smirked bitterly at him. “We’ll both go to re-education, but I guarantee that I can escape re-education. Can you say the same?”

“No one can escape re-education,” said Jared. “You’re putting yourself on the path there, though, with this casual talk of Moroi magic and threatening a direct superior.”

That’s how he saw himself: as a direct superior. Not her father – a superior. It summed up Jared Sage pretty well.

“I can escape re-education. I’ve done it before,” she said, and smirked as her father’s eyes widened. “Thank you, though, for the worst four months of my life. I never got the chance to say that in the other timeline. You really won Father of the Year award that year.”

“Whatever I did, I would have done to save your soul,” said Jared, loftily.

“Save my soul? Do you know what they do in re-education?” she demanded. Angry tears stung at her eyes, and she balled her fists, willing them back. If she cried, he would dismiss her as an overly-emotional teenage girl. She wasn’t a girl, though. She was a woman grown who hadn’t needed her father in years, a woman who finally understood the many ways Jared Sage had failed her.

She was a mother, and she couldn’t understand how any parent could do to their child what her father had done to her.

“First they keep you in darkness for days,” she continued. “No food. No clothes. Just a voice talking at you about how you sinned. And when you finally pass that stage – and that took me three weeks – you move on to the actual ‘re-education’.” She took a step forward. “It’s all propaganda. If you talk back, if you point out the flaws in their logic, if you do anything but parrot back the Alchemist party line, you get sent away. They make you sick for hours. They turn everyone in there – all of the victims – against each other and encourage them to report infractions so that you have no support system. And that’s only for the minor things. If you talk back too much, they send you for re-inking, and you come back a zombie.”

“Better that than allowing you to stray from the light,” said Jared. His tone was full of self-righteousness and Sydney wanted to scream.

“The light? You raised me to follow orders no matter the morality behind them. You taught me not to think for myself; to let the Alchemists think for me. Every time the tattoo gets touched up, you get compelled to follow their orders. It’s disgusting,” snarled Sydney. “They take away our agency without a second thought. At least the Moroi see compulsion as a taboo! You talk as if they’re evil creatures of the night but at least they respect my free will!”

Her voice had risen to a shout. In the hallway, behind Jared, she could see her sisters’ heads peeking out from their rooms, and at the end was her mother, staring in horror.

“That’s not even going into how awful you are as a father,” she continued. “Your comments caused me to have an eating disorder for years so I could be as thin as a Moroi. Guess what, Dad? I’m not a Moroi. I’m human! You brought Keith Darnell into our house and -” She broke off, seeing Carly’s eyes widen and her head shake. Sydney reigned in her fury. If Carly didn’t want what he did known, then Sydney wouldn’t betray her because she was angry. “- And you loved him more than you ever did us. You’d happily send me to re-education, to have everything that makes me me dug out and replaced by Alchemist propaganda.

“I’m done with you, and I’m done with the Alchemists,” said Sydney, voice deadly quiet. “I have enough information to put you through everything I just described. You keep me off their radar, I won’t give them what I know. You keep Zoe and Carly out, and I won’t give them what I know. Do we understand each other?”

Jared was staring at her. She met his eyes with a steady gaze. She would not be backing down. She would not blink first.

At last, Jared nodded. “Understood.”

-

The Academy’s van was crowded. Adrian wasn’t entirely sure how Lissa had convinced the new headmaster and Alberta that she had to go to Missoula on such short notice, and that Adrian, Christian, Jill, and Eddie all had to be part of the group, but she’d managed it somehow. He suspected that mild compulsion may have been involved.

“Is everything ready?” asked Rose in an undertone, sliding in next to Adrian.

Adrian nodded. “Sydney’s going to meet us there. Just find a way to get us away from the guardians and we’ll be fine.” He was so, so close to seeing Sydney again.

Rose nodded. “That, I can do.”

“Rose,” he said, and faltered. She looked at him steadily. “Thank you for getting Sydney home early.”

Rose softened, some of the hardened guardian persona giving way to his friend. “It was the least I could do,” she replied. “You, Jill, Sydney – you always seem really sad. If getting Sydney back to the US and out of danger a little sooner could help, then there wasn’t much of a choice.”

He spent most of the drive sitting in silence. His thoughts were ahead, with the woman that was waiting for them in Missoula. There had been phone calls, and even a few dream visits when he had managed to convince her that he wasn’t using too much spirit. But this was going to be real.

The only one who had any idea of exactly what he was feeling was Jill, but she was seated in the row behind him, talking quietly with Eddie. He hoped that everything worked out there. Jill and Eddie had been a good match in the last timeline, and he couldn’t see why they wouldn’t be now.

Since Rose and Eddie were both the same age as the rest of the teenagers, they were quickly placed on near guard duty by the other guardians. It was convenient, as they were the only ones amongst the guardians who knew the true reasons behind the trip, and it would be harder to slip near guards than far guards. Adrian followed the others into a store, and as if on an unspoken cue, Christian immediately started talking to Avery loudly and Lissa used the distraction to slip something into Adrian’s hand. She flashed him a quick wink before she went to join her boyfriend and Avery.

“Get Sydney. We’ll meet you downstairs,” said Rose, under her breath, before she also left. Adrian opened his hand to find a silver ring. He could sense a notice-me-not compulsion on it and he slipped it on, hurrying out of the store.

He found Sydney in the bookstore. She hadn’t noticed him yet. She was reading the blurb of a thick book with a photo of the Colosseum on the front, her eyebrows knit together as she concentrated. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Sydney looked up, eyes flicking around nervously, as if she had realised she was being watched. Her eyes landed on him, and her mouth opened a little. She placed the book back on the shelf and approached.

Her hand rested on his cheek, trembling a little. Her eyes were shining with tears. “You’re here,” she whispered. “You’re really here.”

He pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, and her chest shook under his hands. “In the flesh, Sage,” he said. “I’m not leaving you ever again.”

She smiled, a few, stray tears running down her face. “I’m pretty sure that would be physically impossible.”

“Nope,” he said. “Screw physics. I’m not going anywhere.” She laughed, the sound bubbling out of her almost hysterically.

“We’re free,” she said, like she couldn’t quite believe it. “I almost forgot what it was like.”

He leant down and kissed her, softly. Her lips felt warm and familiar under his, the way she wound one hand through his hair. He had missed this, missed her, like a missing limb. It felt like coming home.

She pulled away and rested her forehead against his. “Where are the others?” she asked.

Sydney Sage-Ivashkov: always on track, even in a situation like this. “Downstairs, in the carpark,” he said. “They should be slipping the guardians as we speak.”

She took another deep breath. “We should go to them,” she said regretfully, pulling away.

Adrian sighed. “You’re right, as always.” She took his hand and smiled.

“As always.”

The carpark was still empty when they arrived, so they leant against the Academy’s van and talked about the past two months.

“So I yelled at him about awful he and the Alchemists are, and blackmailed him into letting me go,” finished Sydney. She grinned up at him, and Adrian felt his breath hitch. “We’re free.”

Adrian leant down to kiss her, but before he could, the doors opened and the others spilled out. Avery looked confused, but not worried. That would probably change soon.

“You guys here?” called Rose, looking round the carpark. Sydney pushed herself off the van and tugged Adrian behind her, stepping out into view. Jill broke out of the group and ran towards them. Sydney let go of Adrian’s hand to meet Jill halfway. The two crashed into each other and clung on, crying and laughing.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jill said, so quietly Adrian almost didn’t catch it. “I’m missed you so much.”

Sydney was crying. “I missed you, too, Jill.”

“What’s going on?” asked Avery. She looked suspicious, like she had finally caught on to the fact that she was missing something big.

Sydney let go of Jill and dug through her handbag. She pulled out a package wrapped in plain, white cloth. “I’m guessing that’s Avery?” she asked Jill, who nodded.

“Who are you?” demanded Avery.

Sydney held the package up. “I’m Sydney Ivashkov. I hear you’ve been moving in on my husband,” she said. Avery gaped, and Sydney started chanting. Adrian didn’t understand it, but he’d been around Sydney long enough to recognise Latin when he heard it.

Avery, who apparently was also capable of recognising threatening Latin chanting when she heard it, tried to back up, but Rose grabbed hold of her and held her in place.

“I’ve got her, Sydney,” she said. Sydney flashed her a grin as she finished the chanting, as she unwrapped the package. The mixture inside lifted itself up and floated to Avery, showering over her.

Besides Lissa, Adrian was the only person in the group who could see exactly what was happening. Avery’s aura shimmered, cycling through all the colours of the rainbow. The gold that Avery had been hiding burst into view, as did the dark shadows that Adrian usually associated with Rose. Even two bondmates apparently could not keep up with the amount of spirit darkness. The rainbow that had been flowing through Avery’s aura suddenly coalesced into a solid barrier around her aura.

“It’s done,” he confirmed to the others.

“Let go of me,” snarled Avery. Adrian could see the spirit welling up in her aura, could see her trying to force her will on to the others, but it hit the rainbow barrier and rebounded inwards. Avery’s eyes widened, panic setting in. “What have you done to me?”

“Ensured that you aren’t going to hurt anybody ever again,” said Lissa, stepping forwards.

“Moroi magic is intrinsic,” explained Sydney. “I can’t stop you from using it entirely. But I could create a barrier between you and other people.” Avery glowered at her.

And then the door burst open. Avery’s guardian, Simon, came marching through.

“I thought she was meant to be cut off from everyone else!” exclaimed Jill. Rose and Eddie were already walking forward to engage Simon.

“This spell was designed to cut Strigoi off from compulsion. It’s never been used on someone with a bond before,” said Sydney. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised there were side effects.”

Rose and Eddie had reached Simon. Simon swung a fist at Rose, which she dodged and caught his hand. “Trying to attack Moroi,” mocked Rose, tutting. “That’s not very guardian-like.” Simon grunted and pulled his hand from Rose’s grip, just in time to block an attack from Eddie.

Rose and Eddie were making ground on Simon when Rose blanched, face growing pale. Eddie glanced over at Rose, worried, giving Simon an opportunity to land a solid hit on Eddie that left Eddie staggering. Simon began to walk towards them again.

The doors opened, and Adrian saw the Academy’s guardians enter the car park, Alberta at their hand. They took in the situation in a few seconds, and went after Simon.

But Rose beat them to it. She swung a leg around, knocking Simon’s out from under him. He fell and she followed him to the ground, holding him down. “You aren’t ever going to hurt Lissa,” she hissed at him.

Alberta reached the two and Rose handed Simon over to her. “We have to get out of here,” she said. “Right now. They’re coming.”

Adrian would have asked who ‘they’ were, but there was only one reason Rose would have stumbled in that fight, only one reason she would be as pale as she was. Alberta, however, didn’t know about Rose’s early warning system and stopped to ask what she meant.

Honestly, even if Alberta had given orders to evacuate immediately, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. They would have had a few extra seconds at most. Because as soon as Alberta had finished asking, a cold voice spoke up behind Adrian, all the more chilling for its familiarity.

“Hello, Roza.”

-

Sydney had seen Strigoi before. She had even felt Strigoi fangs at her throat, certain she was about to die. Seeing a Strigoi she knew shouldn’t have made so much of a difference.

Dimitri’s skin was deathly pale, looking chalky under his dark brown hair. The red in his eyes made her want to throw up.

Once, she had stood beside him and listened as he pretended to be a Strigoi. That, in itself, had been awful. But seeing the real deal? It was unimaginably worse. She could barely imagine how Rose must have felt, the first time she saw him.

“I told you I’d come for you when you stepped outside the Academy’s gates,” said Dimitri. Rose pushed her way past the other guardians, placing herself between Dimitri and all of the Moroi. “And yet, here you are.”

Rose looked him in the eye, and then punched him in the face. It was enough to spur everyone into action: the guardians moved forwards, engaging the three Strigoi that Dimitri had brought with him.

Sydney grabbed Christian’s arm. “We need to subdue him before someone kills him,” she said. “I’m going to throw a fireball at him. Make it surround him, okay?” Christian nodded, and she summoned the flame to her hand. She kept it in a small, tight ball, and threw it at Dimitri’s feet, careful to avoid Rose. Both of them startled as the flames grew rapidly into an inferno, and suddenly Eddie was there, dragging Rose back. Christian waved his hand, and the fire surrounded Dimitri.

“Cover me!” shouted Lissa, drawing a stake from her bag. She didn’t look at all capable of taking on a Strigoi, let alone Dimitri, but the look in her eyes was determined.

Rose and Eddie fell back to Lissa’s side, guarding her against any Strigoi. Dimitri seemed too distracted by the flames to even notice the princess approaching, until she had grasped the stake with both hands and plunged it into his chest.

Well, sort of. The stake didn’t go the entire way in. Lissa gritted her teeth and threw her entire weight behind the stake, inching it in a little further. Dimitri struggling against the stake and the flames made her job that much harder.

Sydney knew when Lissa succeeded because the room flooded with light. She felt the spirit magic flow, the feeling of life and love and laughter bursting outwards. Sydney had seen a Strigoi be restored once before. Dimitri’s restoration was no less beautiful than Sonya’s had been.

As the light receded, Sydney had to blink several times in order to see again. Dimitri was on the ground, his head in Lissa’s lap, Rose holding his hand like it was a life line. And Dimitri was weeping.

Strigoi and guardians, however, were hard to distract. A miracle had just taken place, but the fighting restarted quickly enough. One Strigoi was staked, then a second. Eddie staked the third as he tried to approach his former boss.

“What just happened?” asked one guardian. From what Sydney could tell, she appeared to be the leader of the guardians. She went to approach Dimitri, Rose and Lissa, but Jill threw herself between them.

“He’s a dhampir!” exclaimed Jill. “Lissa turned D – Guardian Belikov back into a dhampir.”

“It’s true,” said Adrian, joining her. “I felt the spirit Lissa was wielding. It worked. Belikov’s a dhampir.”

“That’s impossible,” scoffed another guardian.

“I can run some tests,” Sydney offered, slipping back into her role of professional Alchemist.

The leader focused on her. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“That’s not important,” said Adrian, immediately. From the way the guardian’s face slackened a little, Sydney could tell that Adrian had used some mild compulsion on her. “What is important, Guardian Petrov, is that a miracle just happened. Lissa just restored a Strigoi to life. Spirit can save people from being a Strigoi! Imagine what could be done with this.”

“If you can prove he really is a dhampir,” said Guardian Petrov. She glanced at Dimitri, hope entering her expression.

“Take him back to the Academy,” said Christian. “If he gets through the wards, then he’s not a Strigoi, right?”

“Right,” said Adrian. “There’s your proof.”

“We can’t take him back to the Academy!” exclaimed one guardian, horrified. “There are children there.”

“He’s harmless!” snapped Adrian. “Well, as harmless as a trained guardian can be. There’s no Strigoi left.”

Guardian Petrov looked at Dimitri again. Sydney wasn’t sure if he, Lissa or Rose had heard any part of the conversation that was going on above them. Rose and Lissa were murmuring to Dimitri in soothing tones, their words too quiet to make out.

“We’ll take him back to Saint Vladimir’s,” she decided. “There are cells we can hold him in until we decide if he’s safe.” She looked at another guardian. “Call the school. Send back up. We can’t transport him with the students.”

Adrian slid away from the ensuing conversation and came to stand before her. “I should go back with them until we can convince them that Dimitri’s a dhampir.”

Sydney nodded. “I know. They need you.”

It wasn’t safe to kiss, not with so many unknown quantities around, but Adrian risked placing a hand on her cheek. “I’ll come for you as soon as I can,” he promised.

Jill approached. Her hand was twined with Eddie’s, but she let go to throw her arms around Sydney. “It’s not fair that you have to leave again so soon,” said Jill into Sydney’s hair.

“It’ll be fine soon enough, Jill,” said Sydney, brushing Jill’s hair down. She squeezed Jill once and let go to look at Eddie.

“Did you come back, too?” she asked, uncertainly. Jill and Adrian hadn’t mentioned it, and surely Eddie would have wanted to speak with her before now. But he and Jill had been holding hands…

“No,” said Eddie, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. I know we were close in your future.”

“I’m going to hug you anyway,” Sydney decided.

“I’m always up for a hug,” agreed Eddie. Sydney wrapped her arms around Eddie and leant her head against his shoulder. Eddie was the closest thing she had ever had to a brother, and she had missed him desperately.

But time was running short, so she let go of Eddie to look back to Adrian. “I love you,” she whispered, blinking back tears.

“I love you, too,” said Adrian. She took his hand and stared at him, drinking him in for as long as she dared.

The arguments were dying down, though, and she reluctantly pulled away, walking away before anyone could notice her.

-

News of a restored Strigoi spread throughout the Moroi world in a matter of days.

Two days after Dimitri was restored, three high-ranking guardians and another two magical researchers arrived at Saint Vladimir’s to investigate. With them, came the queen.

“You told me this would happen,” she told Adrian, quietly. “I did not fully believe you until the news came.”

“What do people think back at court?” he asked. “A lot of people were convinced it was a trick last time.”

“It’s the same now,” said Aunt Tatiana. She looked very tired. “Others believe it. They think of Vasilisa as some kind of goddess: the princess from a dying family, working miracles that could save our species.”

“They’re not wrong,” said Adrian. “We were getting lose to finding a vaccine last time. If we ever succeed, then it’s only a matter of time before the Strigoi die out.”

Tatiana stood and looked at her stone-faced guardian. “Take us to Belikov,” she ordered.

Dimitri wasn’t in the Academy’s holding cells at that moment. It was early in the Moroi night, or early morning for the human world. The sun had risen only an hour ago, and he was sitting at a picnic table near the guardians’ quarters. Lissa sat on one side of him and Rose on the other, with half a dozen of the school’s guardians watching him intently.

Adrian still wasn’t sure what had happened in Russia, either time, but evidently Rose had changed enough that Dimitri was not as violently opposed to seeing her as he had been last time round. Adrian had barely seen Rose or Lissa since they had returned from Missoula. Any free time they had had been spent fighting to convince others that Dimitri was no longer a Strigoi and to get him released from custody.

Tatiana swept towards the three, and several guardians followed her. Adrian rolled his eyes at them as he and Aunt Tatiana sat down across the table from the princess and guardians. Somehow, Tatiana was capable of making even the picnic table look like a throne. Lissa and Dimitri both bowed their heads.

“You’re not here to yell at me again, are you?” asked Rose, looking at Tatiana dubiously. After a belated paused, she added, “Uh, Your Majesty.”

“Rose!” admonished Lissa and Dimitri in unison. Rose ducked her head but Adrian spotted the smile as she did so. She had probably been playing dumb on purpose, he thought – trying to break the tension.

“Indeed not, Miss Hathaway,” said Tatiana, not even bothering to conceal her amusement. “I came to talk to Mr Belikov. If you have been truly restored, then it could change our entire world, so I wished to make my own judgements.” Rose bristled a little at Dimitri being addressed as ‘Mr Belikov’ rather than as ‘Guardian Belikov’, but was quelled by a sharp look from Lissa.

Dimitri bowed his head. “I am at your command, Your Majesty.”

“Then we shall begin,” said Tatiana, and started her interrogation.

-

It took another three weeks for Adrian to meet Sydney at their decided place in Maine.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked her. He didn’t think he was.

“I don’t think we can start living our life together unless we do this,” she replied. “We need to put the other timeline to rest.”

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. She clung on to him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. They stood for several long moments before she let go.

“Here,” said Sydney, handing him a charmed necklace. She put one on herself and spoke a few words in Latin. The spell was meant to turn them invisible to anyone who didn’t know they were there. He had a lot of faith in Sydney’s abilities, but it was a little nerve-wracking when he couldn’t actually see if the spell had worked or not.

Their old house was still being lived in by the people they had bought it off, so they made their way through to the back garden as silently as they could. There was a large tree in the corner of the yard. It didn’t have the tree house that it’d had in their time, but it was the only place they thought of as Declan’s that they could get to.

Sydney knelt at the foot of the tree and placed her hand on it. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love how you’d say that every movie that wasn’t animated was boring, I love how you still hadn’t gotten your tongue around ‘Ivashkov’, I love how -” Her voice cracked. Adrian knelt beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath, wiping away a tear. “I love how you always want a cuddle and insist on a story before bed.” She stopped again, crying in earnest now. Adrian wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I don’t know if you’ll ever exist in this timeline,” he said to the tree, to the life they had once built, to Declan, “but I’m always going to love you. You will always be my first child, no matter what happens in this life.”

Sydney was still sniffling when she took the small plant of rosemary from her bag. She made a shallow depression in the earth with her hands and placed the rosemary in it, pushing the dirt back into place. “For remembrance,” she said. “You’ll always be in our hearts.”

Adrian placed his hand on the rosemary plant, feeling the spirit surge through him. The plant grew in size, purple flowers blooming on it.

“Goodbye, Declan,” he said. Sydney ran her hands along the plant before she let Adrian pull her to her feet.

They returned to the car. Sydney pulled away from the curb and they drove in silence.

“Do you think it ever gets easier?” she asked, at last.

“I don’t know, Sage,” he said, honestly. “But at least we aren’t dealing with it alone anymore.”

-

Sydney opened the door to find a crowd of faces peering back at her. Their friends had turned out in force for Sydney and Adrian’s second (primarily for legal reasons, because they had never stopped considering themselves married) wedding. Rose grinned gleefully and pulled Sydney into a hug. Most of the others streamed past, greeting Sydney as they went – so far in this timeline, they largely knew Adrian rather than Sydney. She received a quick hug from Eddie as he passed. Only Jill remained on their doorstep, talking into her phone.

“Yes, I know I snuck out of Court – yes, I had a very good reason, and I have Eddie and Rose and Dimitri with me, what do you think is going to happen? – Mum, I am actually twenty-one, remember, I can make my own decisions,” Jill was saying. Sydney tried not to laugh at Jill, who barely looked her biological age of fifteen years. Jill looked up and smiled brilliantly at Sydney. “Gotta go! Sorry,” she said into her phone, then hung up before her mother could argue.

“You snuck out of Court?” inquired Sydney, nodding at the phone Jill was putting in her pocket.

“Do you really think anyone would have let me out?” asked Jill. “Especially my mother! She keeps forgetting that I’m not fourteen.”

“You certainly look the part,” teased Sydney, and Jill laughed, throwing her arms around Sydney.

“I’m so glad I get to be part of this one!” exclaimed Jill. “I was still stranded in Amberwood last time.”

“No Alchemists hunting us this time, so it definitely passes the bar the other timeline set,” said Sydney. “And I’ve got everyone here this time.”

Jill followed Sydney into the main part of the house. Adrian and Sydney had ended up where it had begun for them: they were living on the outskirts of Palm Springs. There was little to no chance of Strigoi attacks, and only one Alchemist to be worried about, and Sydney had more than enough blackmail on Keith.

Sydney’s sisters and mother were sitting on the couch in the living room, looking mildly shell-shocked by the deluge of dhampirs and Moroi who had entered. They were tentatively beginning to accept Adrian, but this was something else. Adrian pulled out of Lissa’s hug, grinning around the room. Sydney’s heart seemed too big for her chest. Almost everyone she loved was in this room.

“Mrs Terwilliger’s here!” said Jill, voice surprised. Sydney glanced at where Mrs Terwilliger was sitting on the love seat, peering at the newcomers like they were science experiments.

“I met up with her when we moved here,” explained Sydney. “I’m spending a lot of time at Spencer’s and I’ve been slowly but steadily befriending Trey. I’m still working on a way to get Angeline out of the Keepers, but I’ll get there eventually.”

“I have no doubt,” said Jill. Eddie reappeared at Jill’s side, sliding an arm around her waist. Sydney smiled. She was glad that they were working out in spite of the time travel shenanigans.

“I hope you’re treating Jill well, Castile,” she said, with mock sternness.

Jill rolled her eyes. “No. You’re not allowed to threaten him. This isn’t how the Melrose family works!”

Eddie looked bewildered. “Melrose family…?”

Adrian approached, kissing Sydney quickly on her forehead. “I believe I heard something about a Melrose family reunion?” he asked, looking at Jill.

Jill snorted. “Oh, man, there’s a lot of fake family incest going on in this house,” she said with a grin. “Imagine if Micah or someone had caught one of us!”

Eddie still looked lost, so Sydney took pity on him. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my sisters,” she said to him. “You’re pretty much the most normal person here. We’ll ease them into this.”

“Hey, I’m normal!” objected Jill.

“You’re a magic-wielding, time-travelling, long lost princess of a dying line,” deadpanned Adrian. “You’re practically a comic book character.” Jill frowned, but shrugged acceptingly.

“Be nice,” chided Sydney, even as she felt a smile tugging at her lips.

“Always am,” said Adrian, leaning down to kiss Sydney quickly. Rose wolf-whistled loudly across the room, and Dimitri tried to shush her without avail.

It wasn’t where she had expected to be six months ago. It wasn’t the house she had wanted or the life she had built, and the child she had raised was gone. But standing in this room, with so many of her loved ones surrounding her, Sydney was pretty sure there were worse lives she could have lived.