#they just like mirabelle !!! whatever mirabelle may be or become !!!

[bapzap]

mirabelle when she goes on her gay little adventure and ends up with an entire group of people who support and cherish her whether she changes or not and however she does change and loved her so much they were willing to redo the tutorial for her even though they were in the final dungeon

[wings-of-sapphire]

HELLO THERE LOVES I MADE A WISH REWRITE

I watched Wish twice (once on early screening day and once on the offices release date) and I fuckin loved it. But I feel like while this was a great movie, it was Disney’s 100th anniversary one and it needed like twenty minutes more or so to develop the characters and make it a truly spectacular celebration of 100 years of Disney.

I recently read about the concept pictures for Wish— Asha being the daughter of Magnifico, Star taking a human form and having a relationship with Asha— and I liked the idea of changing up the “quirky main character” idea as well. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with girls like Rapunzel or Mirabel. They’re fun, they’re optimistic, they’re hardworking and determined. Buuuuut as more of a pessimist myself I found my favorite character to be Gabo. The short pink sarcastic side friend based off of Grumpy. Yes, the friends are based off of the seven dwarfs. But ANYHOW— I thought maybe a return to the Classic Disney Princess attitude would be nice. So I chose Kusco. Because he’s the best Disney Princess out there.

I’ve been rambling long enough. Full rewrite under the cut! Will explain more in future posts! Ask any and all questions you’d like! Now, presenting my Wish rewrite~

💫 Asha is the princess of the kingdom of Rosas. Her parents, Magnifico and Amaya, built Rosas after Magnifico’s old kingdom was burned by greedy Wishers who used magic to give them whatever they wanted, which led to their own destruction.

Asha grew up in her kingdom learning that because her father kept the magic in check and only he granted wishes, Rosas could stay safe and happy. Asha gives tours of the city to people who sail in, and as they give their wishes to Magnifico, Rosas grows stronger and safer.

Welcome to Rosas

(Though she’s on carpets and stuff and there’s servants swarming her and she’s comfortable while giving the tour— we see Asha being kind to the child of the tour group)

Asha puts on a happy face for the tourists. But the people of Rosas say they know the “real” her. They hate their princess, truthfully. But they love her parents.

Asha doesn’t really have friends. She’s above that. She’s a princess and her parents founded this kingdom that literally granted people’s wishes. Sure, she sometimes lingers in the kitchen to hang out with Dahlia, the head chef. And sure, sometimes she wished wanted to hang out with them. Dahlia and her six friends whom Asha could never remember the names of. She calls them nicknames based on their characteristics. Easy and efficient. Dahlia is Doc, since she always patches her friends up. She said Asha couldn’t call her friend Stoner, so his name is Dopey (Dario). There’s Happy (Hal), Sleepy (Simon), Sneezy (Safi), Bashful (Bazeema), and Grumpy (Gabo). They’re all close-knit and trust each other with everything.

Asha doesn’t have that.

But she’s their princess. And she remains that way. Untouchable. Unbreakable.

Until one day, Grumpy Gabo says she’s not above them for any reason other than her title. That if ranks were stripped away, she’d be talentless and left behind.

Of course Asha can’t have that.

Soooooo she sneaks into her father’s study to get some of his magic.

What? He has a ton of it.

But then stuff goes awry. Asha tampers with Magnifico’s forbidden books and… nothing happens.

Grumpy laughs at her and Asha threatens to have him imprisoned if he doesn’t treat his princess with respect. Dahlia and the gang stand up for Grumpy and Asha storms off.

Amaya tries to comfort Asha when she runs to her room and throws herself on her bed and cries, princess-style, and Amaya and Asha talk about how Asha dreams of a group of friends she can have fun with and trust, and Asha says her brain knows what her wish was, and it was to become the most powerful sorceress princess in the lands just like her papa. Amaya says that a dream is a wish your heart makes, and Asha’s heart didn’t want to be the untouchable princess of Rosas. Her head may tell her that, but everyone needs connections.

 It’s Magnifico that ends up cheering Asha up by bringing her to see the wishes of Rosas again.

At All Costs

Asha calls Magnifico “Papa” and Amaya “Mama” by the way

That night, Asha tosses and turns, and we see the magic swirls from the book start to gather around her, then shoots into the sky as she shoots up, panting.

Turns out she accidentally ripped a star out of the sky. Asha runs after the giant comet fall, where a young man is floating in a crater in the forest.

The star had taken the shape of a young man. Who can fly. And bring objects to life for a bit.

He’s glowing yellow and wears a dark teal-blue velvet cape and his glow turns pink when he spots Asha.

When Asha freaks out and grabs the boy— she’s calling him Star— and hides his glow with her pajama cloak, and asks how the heck did this happen?

Star shrugs and says he was just chilling in space when the force of someone’s dream pulled him down to land.

Asha quietly excitedly stims, saying she can’t wait to rub Star in Grumpy’s face, and Star is like please don’t rub me in someone’s face, sweetheart.

Sweetheart?

Asha glares at Star, who smirks.

Asha exclaims that anyways— she knew she was a powerful sorceress, and Star says he senses no magic on Asha.

Asha says she must’ve had magic in her, or else how could she have ripped a star from the sky?

Star says people can learn magic but right now, Asha was inexperienced. It was probably because of her connection to the stars.

That means—

No, it’s not just you. All people are connected to the stars.

You’re a Star

Asha takes Star back to her room and says they can’t let her dad know she used his books to summon Star— but maybe Grumpy would need more proof. Maybe she could sneak a peek at his book again, and summon more stars to prove to Doc and the gang that she has talent and she was sooooo qualified to be their fr— sorcerer princess.

She tells Star to stay put in her room, and she’d sneak out and take a quick look.

Star asks if he can come with.

He just got ripped from the sky and needs some more exposition than “I don’t know.” And he’s too impatient to wait for Asha to come back.

Asha says he’ll have to learn and Star magically locks the doors until Asha explains something about how he was brought here.

“You made trees dance the hula and we rode here on a singing deer.”

Star gives Asha a look.

Asha pinches the bridge of her nose and explains that her papa’s whole family was killed because of the greedy wishmakers. With him in charge, he gets to choose, and people are safe.

Star says that the people deserve more, and Asha snaps that get family decides what everyone deserves because they’re the rulers of Rosas.

Star smirks at her and says she’s adorable when she’s mad. But, she’s wrong. The people deserve a chance to get their wishes returned so they can become dreams that can be achieved by pure hard work.

Asha says they’re the same thing, and Star shakes his head. “A wish you give away. A dream you keep with you to work hard and achieve your heart’s goal.”

“Wow, you have a great personality.”

Asha rolls her eyes and says Star can come, but he has to be quiet.

In Magnifico’s study, Asha sees Star heading to the wish room, and before she can grab him, he opens the doors and sees the wishes of Rosas.

Star is amazed and Asha sighs and walks up next to them. She looks up and closes her eyes and bathes in the feeling.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Yeah… they are.”

Star quickly turns to look at the wishes above them, his glow pink.

They end up arguing again because Star wants to return the wishes to the people so they can become dreams once again and Asha says her father worked hard on protecting them

Out in the hallways, Asha ends up shoving Star into a nearby room when she hears Doc and her friends come by

Asha smooths down her skirt and holds her head high as she walks by and calls to Grumpy. She smirks and says unfortunately, they were incorrect about her being talentless. In fact, she was so powerful, she ripped a star from the sky.

Behold.

She opens the door (which turns out led to the chicken coops) where Star was chilling in the sunlight where his glow looked normal.

“You brought us all here to check out your boyfriend?”

“Hal!”

Asha rushes to explain that no, Happy, he was the star. She orders Star to step out of the sun.

Star crosses his arms.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

Dahlia and her friends all gasp and start planning Star’s funeral.

“Sorry, sweetheart, I’m a star. If you ever want your dream to come to fruition you have to be nice to people you want to befriend. Go on. Apologize and then ask me nicely.”

Dahlia and friends are now forgoing that funeral, there will be no remains left to bury.

But then Asha flares her nostrils, taps her foot, then glances at Doc. She averts her eyes and mutters, “sorry for being mean to Grumpy. Star, can you… can you please show them?”

Jaws: dropped. Wigs: snatched. Princess Asha of Rosas, apologizing and saying “please”? Sure, she cared for her people. But she never apologized if she accidentally ran into someone for walking in their way! It was her way! She was the only one who’s way mattered!

Star smiled and thanked Asha, then steps out of the sun to reveal his glow.

Jaws: even dropped-er. Wigs: even snatched-er.

After the initial “ooh”s, [something something]

Asha tells everyone that because she’s a star, she was able to be this powerful. They should all be impressed.

Star then corrects her by saying everyone was made of stardust and therefore had a connection to the stars and magic.

When Gabo laughs, Asha throws a fork at him and tells him to do that to himself.

Magnifico is calling Asha for a family meeting, and she says it’s probably about tonight’s wish ceremony. Dario’s Sabi who’s turning 100 today wants to get his wish picked. He doesn’t remember what it is as all wish-givers forget, but he knows it has something to do with his sickness. Asha tells everyone else to keep quiet about Star, or else. And with that, she leaves the room.

Star opens his arms and asks which of the group wants to help him commit a crime.

“What?”

He wants to break into Magnifico’s study and return the wishes to the people of Rosas.

Gabo snaps at him that they can’t just steal from the king and queen, and everyone else agrees. But Dahlia purses her lips. “Why?”

Dario asks if he wants to betray his girlfriend like that, to which Star turns pink and rolled his eyes saying they were not dating, in fact, they were enemies! She was uptight and didn’t care about anything but her title, scoff!

“Uh huh. Sure, buddy.”

“Gabo, stop talking.”

“Yes Bazeema.”

Star explains that losing people’s wishes made them lose a part of themselves. The most beautiful part, their heart’s dream. He tells Simon that his heart is sad.

He asks that if he returns Simon’s wish back to him, and it does make him whole again, then would they believe him?

Dahlia shakes her head and says they wouldn’t be part of this. But… they wouldn’t mention anything to Magnifico or Amaya. For the time being.

Star thanks Dahlia, and she says this was for Simon. And if Asha also changes her mind, then that’s a bonus. Then she smiles. “Good luck, kid.”

Magnifico called Asha to talk with her and Amaya about a threat that’s happened to the kingdom. Last night, someone harnessed the magic of a star and ripped it from the sky, which disturbed the wishes and his magic. Someone has threatened him, and this was a warning that something was to come. He couldn’t let that fire happen again.

Amaya and Asha calm his worries, and Magnifico says he doesn’t want the people to lose faith in him. Amaya says she will explain to the people about the giant light last night since they were asking questions, but they shouldn’t let it worry them.

“Thank you, darling.”

“You’ve got this, papa. I’m sure whoever bashed that light meant you no harm.”

“Thank you, Asha.”

Star asks Asha to spend the day with him, to which she agrees until the wish ceremony that night. The two have a day in Rosas, Tangled-style. Romantic montage, beautiful moments, Star sneaking glances at Asha when she isn’t looking and Asha doing the same for him.

Star shows Asha how to be messy and see the beauties of life while Asha shows Star how she actually does have good in her and cares for her people, truly. Star gives Asha a small wand to practice some small magic as a gift. While she shows him the study, he sneaks into Magnifico’s office and steals Simon’s wish.

Star returns to the seven and gives Simon back his wish. His dream was to become the kingdom’s best knight— and now he could achieve that! They show Asha how much happier Simon is with his whole self again, and while Asha is happy for Simon and that the seven are being kind to her (after she’s been kind to them), she asks Star to promise not to steal stuff from her papa without running it by her first.

“I promise, sweetheart.”

Safi asks Asha if she can get her papa to grant his Sabi’s wish, or at least return it so he could have a chance at fulfilling his dream like Simon now can. Maybe it would reveal a way Sabino could live longer.

Asha hesitates.

In her room, Asha paces. Her papa said that if people kept their wishes, they’d be dangerous and bring another fire to burn down their kingdom. But Simon seemed so happy. She didn’t know what to do.

Later, in the wish ceremony, all her friends are happy and excited for Safi’s Sabi. Sabino only has a few weeks left to live, and if this month his wish is granted, Safi can keep his Sabi with him.

Asha did talk to Magnifico but Amaya reminded her of the dangers of people chasing wishes in the wind. They showed Asha that Sabi Sabino’s wish was too dangerous, his heart’s dream was live forever. Sure, he was sick now, but once he gets better from that, who knows what immortality will do? Magnifico revealed the true story of their home using magical glass shards—

Backstory details that’s tragic and sad

Basically a king wanted to be immortal and it led to him going insane which led to the destruction of his kingdom

He sent his son away before the whole place burned to ashes

Magnifico was that son

A Wish Worth Making (?)

Asha agrees with him that that can never happen, and Sabino’s wish must never be granted and only the royal family can keep Rosas safe.

At the ceremony

Magnifico doesn’t grant Sabino’s wish and Amaya makes a public statement about how wishes were kept with him to stay safe and anyone who tried to oppose that rule was a danger to everyone in Rosas and a traitor to the crown.

Star calls them out for this and while Simon hides his glow with his huge body, the seven create a ripple effect through the crowd with questions that question the king and queen’s authority. They bring up how Amaya reassured them but this contradicted her words. Magnifico ends the ceremony and storms up to the royal master room with Amaya.

Asha and Star have an argument, with her saying her parents were good people and him saying that Safi’s Sabi will die because her parents were scared, and with that Asha flares her nostrils and says that she is the princess, and as their superior, they should watch their tone before something bad happens.

Safi is heartbroken. Without that wish, his Sabi will die.

Dahlia comforts him, and Star steels himself.

Star tells the group that they’re going to steal all the wishes. And return the dreams of the people back to them. Especially Safi’s Sabi.

“But Asha—“

“I’ll tell her when she comes back. We need to do this now.”

Back at the castle, Magnifico is pacing angrily in his room with Amaya. How dare these people question them? They’re doing everything in their power to prevent that (points to a burned tapestry of young Magnifico and his family) from happening again!

This is the Thanks I Get?!

Amaya also joins in

Cutscenes of the seven + Star breaking into the wish room again

Meanwhile, Asha goes back to talk to her parents. Maybe talk to them about Sabino again, maybe tell them everything, who knows—

Wait. There’s a noise in the wish room.

Asha uses her magic wand to open it and sees Star using his magic to lift the roof open to free the wishes. But it isn’t enough. They need more people; the roof is too heavy.

There’s a small magic scuffle with Asha and her wand against Star and his magic, and Asha ends up beating Star (much to his surprise and he’s totally not turned on by this which is why he’s bright red he’s not at all attracted to powerful women). Her heart breaks and she yells at him and all the seven and says if they ever show their faces around her again she’d banish them from Rosas.

“Sweet—“

“Don’t call me that name! Just— just go!”

“Asha, please. Safi’s Sabi—

“Go!”

Star stays and says he’ll be back to free the wishes and return them to the people. Sabino’s sickness has gotten worse, and he can’t wait another month for Magnifico to turn him down once again.

Asha snaps and yells at him a lot and blames him for everything that’s happened lately, the chickens, and the chalk drawing, and the dancing in the city square, and especially that sticky feeling in her chest when Star’s giving her those sad looks. So she doesn’t want to see him again.

She goes to snitch then sees the Epic Celestial Villains her parents had shifted into. Both of them used forbidden magic in the other section of the book Asha used. She asked if she had forbidden magic in her too, but they tell her she wasn’t powerful enough to handle this magic.

Their magic swirling fog is telling them via shapes that Asha was the one that ripped a star from the sky.

They’re acting different— they barely acknowledge Asha and demand that she tells them where Star is.

They crushed wishes to give them power, and Asha is of course horrified.

She saw how happy Simon was, and now those people…

Her parents weren’t survivors.

They were just power-hungry.

And now this forbidden magic was changing them.

They demand Asha tells them where Star was so they could siphon his galaxy magic and become the supreme rulers of Rosas— no one would never question them again.

Asha tells them she doesn’t know, and Magnifico uses his magic fog on Asha to make her tell them that Sleepy, Grumpy, Happy, Dopey, Sneezy, and Doc probably did know.

Amaya tells Asha she was grounded. She says Asha should sit down in her room and wait for the new era to rise.

Asha runs back to her room and cries, princess-style, and speaks out to the sky, to Star, that he was right. He was telling the truth, her parents weren’t good. And now she didn’t know what to do.

This Wish

Yeah she says she’s the first to stand in line but she’s been told that all her life okay

Magnifico makes an announcement to the people of Rosas that the entity that came from the sky was named Star, and he, along with Simon, Gabo, Hal, Dario, Safi, and Bazeema were conspiring to commit treason. He says to find them all and get him Star’s powers do he can grant all of their wishes!

Asha runs after the seven and sees them arrested by other citizens, with Gabo cursing everyone out. Magnifico waves his hand and mutes Gabo. Asha commands the soldiers to give her the satisfaction of imprisoning these traitors and interrogates them in the carriage driving them to the prison with guards posted by. 

She asks all of them where Star was, and they refuse to listen to her. They’re cold because she sort of beat them up with her magic. She says as their princess, they have to tell her.

“You all are underneath me. I am your future queen. Tell me where Star is. This is important.” She turns to the shortest in the carriage. “My parents are looking for him. Gabo, if you know where he is, you have to tell me.”

Gabo’s eyes flicker up at her saying his actual name. He glances at Dahlia, who sighs. She says that even if they wanted to, they couldn’t hand Star over, because he was already gone. He was at the place Asha first starting falling in love with him.

The guards raise an eyebrow at Asha, and she says the fools were so simple-minded that they believed her lie. Then she tells Sabi to shut up and stop sneezing.

She says the forest was where she first found Star, and Magnifico creates a dark fog horse to ride out and find Star.

Once she’s sure he’s gone, Asha whips out her magic wand and blasts the doors open. She apologizes to the seven and says nothing could make up for imprisoning them and lording her title over them, but she needed their help to help Star.

Asha and the seven run back to the Rosas town square where Star is rallying the people and telling them the truth about Magnifico and Amaya. The crowd gathers to help pull open the roofs to free the wishes.

Knowing What I Know Now

Asha joins in and leads the people

Asha apologizes to Star for yelling at him and he apologizes to her for going behind her back. He says she deserved to know. Before they go, Asha tells Star to wait.

“That… feeling. That I mentioned before? I think… I think they’re feelings. For you.”

Star’s glow slightly turns pink. “Like, do you mean…”

“Yes. Feelings of affection. I just… wanted to let you know.”

“Sweetheart, you should know I feel the same. Have since I first laid eyes on you.”

“I am pretty beautiful.”

“The beautiful-est.”

Asha laughs. “That’s not a word.”

“She’s right, it’s not,” Dahlia quips.

The two pull back and laugh awkwardly.

The seven lead the people of Rosas to help lift the roofs, but Amaya catches them and there’s a magic battle where Amaya turns into a dragon a la Malifacent. Star helps Asha suck out the evil magic, and Amaya falls to the floor. The roof is opened, and the wishes began to flow out.

Then Star is grabbed from the back by a fog hand and Magnifico tuts, telling Asha he’s disappointed in her. But now that he has the power of a Star, no one will ever question him again.

He ties down every single person and closes the roof, draining Star’s essence into his magical staff.

Asha yells and uses her magic wand against him, and the two have a giant blast of magic against each other, but the energy is draining Asha while Star’s is giving Magnifico more strength.

Star weakly whispers to Asha to remember where she came from.

Magnifico snarls do Asha that she is nothing, and Asha remembers.

“We… are… stars.”

Asha’s blast of magic is battling Magnifico’s but he’s still stronger.

Asha cries out a plea to the people, these stars just like her, and Dahlia responds.

This Wish (Reprise)

The strengths of these stars give Star enough energy to break free from Magnifico’s staff and fly over to Asha’s side, and the magic blast shines bright and blasts Magnifico back, burning away the evil magic.

When the dark clouds clear and the night sky is sparkling once again, Magnifico isn’t moving. Amaya and Asha run to him, and Amaya cries over his body. She apologizes to Star for what they did, and asks if she can help her husband.

Star sadly tells her that his powers weren’t strong enough for that.

Amaya cries, and kisses Magnifico’s lips. Then, her star soul orb thing in her chest glows bright, and Magnifico’s does too. His body glows that shimmering yellow and he’s lifted into the air and the last bit of evil magic is burned away.

Asha asks Star what he’s doing and Star says he’s not doing anything!

Suddenly, Magnifico’s eyes open and he gasps, then falls.

Amaya and Asha rush to catch him, and Magnifico asks what happened.

Star shrugs and says some sort of True Love’s Kiss.

Magnifico and Amaya walk up behind Asha and address the people of Rosas. They apologize for what they did and they know nothing could ever make up for it. But… they promise to keep working to be the best king and queen they can be. If the people will still accept them. Also, they should have what’s rightfully theirs.

Magnifico uses his magic to lift the roof and release the wishes of Rosas back to their people. Amaya tells them that now they have a chance to fulfill their dreams, and she and Magnifico will be behind them every step of the way.

Dahlia steps foreword and thanks them for apologizing.

Basically they can still remain king and queen but they start a council of representatives where people can address them directly about problems and stuff

Then, Asha turns to the seven and says she has to apologize to them. For treating them all so poorly in the past.

They forgive her, and when she asks how they can do something like that so easily, Dahlia smiles. “It’s what friends do.”

“…friends?”

“Do you have a hearing problem, or something?”

“Gabo!”

“Sorry, Bazeema!”

Asha laughs and turns to Star who spins her around.

“I have friends!”

“You have friends!”

Meanwhile, Gabo whispers to Simon how they ever feared the princess. She was just a sad, lonely, friendless girl.

Asha turns to her wand and discovers it broken in half when she was blasted backwards.

Star restores her wand, and she says she’s going to be the most powerful sorceress in the history of ever and Gabo says she looks like a stupid fairy.

Asha glares.

“A fairy godmother,” Gabo smirks.

Star laughs and says that sounds amazing and Asha groans and bites back a smile.

Star smiles at the family, but he looks sad still. Asha holds his hands and he rubs her thumb.

“You have to return to the sky, don’t you?”

“If I had a choice, I’d choose to stay by your side.”

“I’ll keep on wishing on stars. I’ll find a way to bring you back.”

He tells Asha that they’ve learned that sending your greatest desires into the universe in hopes that they’ll be answered doesn’t do anything. It didn’t work for Magnifico, and it didn’t work for Asha. Instead, the people of Rosas should work to achieve their dreams.

Asha says she’ll work to achieve a way to find him again, then. Since she was going to be the most powerful sorceress—

“Fairy godmother~”

“Shut up Gabo.”

—she’d find a way.

Star smiles and says she’s his dream girl, and Asha jokes that’s he’s got to work to achieve her.

Star flips his cape and says it’ll be easy since he’s so absurdly handsome, and Asha snorts as she pulls him down and raises an eyebrow at him. Star turns a bright pink, then rolls his eyes as he smiles and pulls Asha up in the air with him by her waist, and the two kiss.

When they finally separate, Star is vibrating happily and he accidentally shoots out a magic blast at a nearby chicken, which makes it grow big and lay a giant egg on Gabo.

Star winks at her and returns to the sky.

EDIT BC I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO ADD THIS BUT

ASHA DOES END UP USING HER FAIRY GODMOTHER POWERS TO HEAL SAFI’S SABI

MAYBE SHE MAKES A MAGIC FLOWER FROM A SUNDROP AND DAHLIA COOKS A PETAL INTO A COOKIE THAT HEALS SABINO

THEN BEFORE STAR LEAVES HE PROMISES TO HIDE THE GLOWER IN A FAR AWAY KINGDOM EHERE NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPLOIT IT FOR IMMORTALITY (*side eyes Gothel*)

HE DOES END UP GETTING HEALED OK THE PEEPAW DOESN’T DIE

[meatriarch]

⠀⠀⠀⠀[ ˑ ˑ ˑ ] 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑭𝑰𝑪 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑺

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE SMELL LIKE?

when she isn't wearing a perfume, maria smells either fresh and crisp, like she just walked right out of a bakery, sweet like cookies and vanilla, or will have a lingering fruity or floral scent on her from her lotions, etc. she works at a florist ship part time pre-house, and often the varying flowers will sink their fragrances into skin, coupled with the non-floral plants she helps move into larger pots as they grow, so she'll also smell of dirt / soil at times. otherwise, she wears different types of perfumes that typically have both floral & citrus-y notes. her typical go-to would be wind song, which is 'delicate & subtle' with notes of citrus, cinnamon, jasmine, lavender, rose and warm sweet spices.

OTHER PERFUMES: DOLORES : tabu, which has a rich amber floral scent that blends the soft femininity of notes like jasmine and rose with fresh zingy notes of lemon and orange. AURELIA : chant d'aromes, with floral top notes of mirabelle, gardenia, aldehydes and fruits; heart notes of rose, jasmine, honeysuckle and ylang-ylang; and base notes of benzoin, musk, vetiver, heliotrope, moss and olibanum. ROSA : rochas femme, with notes of bergamot, peach, prune, rose, immortelle, jasmine, ylang-ylang, ambergris, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood.

WHAT DO YOUR MUSE’S HANDS FEEL LIKE?

maria's hands are very soft and seemingly perfect, if not for the common little knicks she gets at times digging through flowerbeds and occasionally scraping against thorns or needle-point leaves. she keeps her nails slightly longer but maintained, often colored by red, orange, sometimes yellow polish. they become a little rougher and well-worked, namely in cc, nosy, wilted, and shine's ranch-wife route. otherwise, her hands are delicate and gentle, soft to the touch, and its definitely encouraged to hold or kiss her hands all the time. nodnod.

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE USUALLY EAT IN A DAY?

really does depend and varies so much, because i imagine that she and her friends often go off or show up to her apartment all the time to have dinners together, esp. pre-house, and so alot of the time things may be spur-of-the-moment choices. running to the grocery right after classes to gather a bunch of ingredients, or taking off to diners etc when they want to go out instead. otherwise, she usually eats small, sweet breakfasts - things like lemon-blueberry or cinnamon bread loaves, muffins, conchas - and simple lunches usually, as she's between classes. so tortas / sandwiches and the like from whatever the university may have that day. dinners are usually her bigger meal of the day, where depending on if she's alone or has any number of her friends stopping by, she ore than happily readies to make alot of food for everyone, together. in between she typically already has a stockpile or bakes cookies, little cakes, brownies, all sorts of sweets both to satisfy her own sweet tooth but also for whenever someone swings by, too.

DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE A GOOD SINGING VOICE?

maria would probably tell you no, that she probably sounds like alley cats wailing in the middle of the night. but she does have a very soft and sweet voice! and despite her not being too convinced about her singing, she'll more than happily sing along to the radio on long drives, when a song comes on that she knows or loves. or sing along with someone else, or at parties, all of that. she'll quietly sing or hum to someone if she's comforting them, too. voiceclaim - carla morrison : tierra ajena / no vuelvo jamás / hasta la piel / todo fue por amor ( or eng ver ) everything was for love

DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE ANY BAD HABITS OR NERVOUS TICKS?

she'll often touch and mess around with her hair quite a bit, whether idly twirling it between her fingers, braiding and unbraiding a small section. she plays with her fingers, whether thats rubbing the backs of them or 'twisting' the tips of her index & thumb. maria often 'hugs' herself around her arms and rubs them and her shoulders to self-soothe. bring her hand to her mouth and faintly squeezes her bottom lip, or bites down on it and the insides of her cheeks. worst ones, to her, when her nerves get pretty bad is digging her nails against her skin, or when it hits at night and she has a bout of night terrors or sleep paralysis.

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE USUALLY LOOK LIKE / WEAR?

i very much gesture towards both maria's personally named cosmetics & style boards for the best ideas of how i picture her dressing, but - maria wears alot of brightly colored, feminine, or practical clothing, typically. usually in reds, oranges, yellows, and floral prints; handmade embroidery usually adorns alot of her pants, shirts, buttons, collars, you name it! she LOVES adding flowers to otherwise basic clothes. she loves both looking and feeling like sunshine and wildflowers and will almost always turn to brighter, soft palettes as opposed to darker, subdued ones. she loves flowy sleeves, soft comfortable fabrics. lace and small bows or little floral pieces here and there. loves her andalusite ring she receives from johnny. loves flower jewelry, little sunflower earrings, and her sunflower choker she got as a gift from donnie. her pink stone bracelet she got from connie, that they all received as little sweet matching gifts from her.

IS YOUR MUSE AFFECTIONATE? HOW SO?

[ stares at the camera like im in the office ] do ya'll not know my girl? she is SO affectionate! she LOVES being so, doting on people, letting them know she loves them in all sorts of ways - to their degree of comfort with her doing so, of course! maria loves to give and receive hugs - whether its simple one-armed ones or ones, like danny, where she's lifted in the air and squeezed ( gently though! ) or holding someones hand ( bonus if walking and she gets to swing her hand a lil as they walk! ), gentle head bonks and kittyisms with connie, lee resting his chin on the top of her head and her doing the same in return to him when hes sitting down. loosely hugging around neck from behind when people are sitting too, resting her cheek against the side of their head. hugging from behind or the side. gently cupping cheeks / chin, wiping away tears as they fall. letting people rest their heads in her lap to rest or nap, playing with and running her fingers through their hair to help them relax or sleep.

WHAT POSITION DOES YOUR MUSE SLEEP IN?

maria typically sleeps partly curled up on her sides, cat-like almost. she feels far more comfortable sleeping huddled into herself than lying on her back or stomach, at least not for too long. if she's sleeping beside someone, theres a high chance that by morning she'll likely have her head or cheek resting against their arm / shoulder / back. again, its another form of comfort to her, that she warns them ahead of time may happen in case they'd rather sleep elsewhere / have her sleep elsewhere. she can at times get restless in the night and shift around, especially when it comes to her night terrors / sleep paralysis, so, she does give them a heads up and an apology before she sleeps that she might end up against or holding them and if she does then to wake her so she can move away.

COULD YOU HEAR YOUR MUSE IN THE HALLWAY FROM ANOTHER ROOM?

most definitely, girl isn't loud exactly but, if shes talking to someone then shes bubbly and excitable. she's laughing and beaming and depending on the conversation, who she's speaking with, who knows what silly little antics may happen. she still, to this day, hops a lil when she gets really excited about something, so could very well hear the sound of her shoes bouncing along hardwood. otherwise, if she isn't speaking, maria moves around fairly quietly, soft footfalls even with shoes on. she's pretty light on her feet, so she could sneak up on people, sometimes, without meaning to. makes for a good way of sneaking up on targets in cc / nosy. (:

[sundaybee]

One More Time (Julieta x Fem!Reader) Pt 6

As always I am not a native Spanish speaker, so if I butchered a sentence or word let me know so I may correct it.

This one ended up being super long so I hope it’s something you all find worth reading.

Part 6 of 20

Pt 7

I did not make the gif.

Things to note: Julieta is a widow. Reader is 30. Talks about depression early on.

Please don’t tear it apart too harshly!

You were pacing the aisle you had come to associate with Julieta. Your dress was balled up in your hands as you twisted the material furiously. You couldn’t believe you were blushing like a schoolgirl over the woman, longing for the fragrance of vanilla, imagining her warm hands… your thoughts trailed off.

There was no denying it, you had a crush on Julieta Madrigal. A bad one. You chewed your lip and continued to twist. She was a widow, a widow who was still grieving her husband. You were just shy of ten years older than her eldest daughter! You were twenty years her junior! You were a woman! 

You collapsed into one of the puffy chairs and stared at the ceiling. Your thoughts were racing a mile a minute and you didn’t hear the ding of the door bell. 

“You need to get over this immediately.” You said to yourself.

“Get over what?” 

The sudden voice startled you and you jumped, almost slipping to the ground. 

“¡Señora Madrigal! No nothing lo siento. What can I help you with?” You asked quickly, getting to your feet. 

The redhead looked at you curiously from down the aisle.

“Please, call me Pepa.” She said, you smiled awkwardly and nodded. 

“You’ve become a hot topic at casita lately.” She said, looking you up and down. 

Your heart jumped to your throat and it took a moment to calm yourself. Pepa’s sharp gaze on you made the task difficult. 

“All good things I hope.” 

“Sí, mi hermana can’t seem to get enough of this place. Mirabel has been raving about you as well. So I figured I’d come down and see who you truly are.” Pepa said, hands on her hips. Her older sister had transformed under your care and she was thankful for it, but the suspicion that you could be using her for your own personal gain was always floating in the back of her mind.

You should have been nervous, you should have made yourself a vision of perfection to convince the redhead of your character, but Pepa had issued a challenge and you were never one to back down from a challenge. 

“I look forward to your assessment.” You said confidently. You smoothed out your dress and gestured for her to take a seat in Julieta’s chair.

She sat and you vanished, quickly returning with a cup of coffee for each of you. You settled into your seat, smiled, and waited for her to come at you with everything she had. 

—-

For the next two hours the two of you spoke. Pepa started off strong with her first question but you were able to take control of the conversation and for an hour and fifty five minutes you spoke about the red head.

You spoke about her family and children. You spoke about her relationship with her mother and siblings. You listened as she gushed about her husband who she absolutely adored. Pepa’s cloud shifted multiple times throughout the two hours and by the end she was bright and cheery.

“Oh I like you a lot Y/N! I see why Julieta spends hours here.” She said finishing her third cup of coffee. 

You were easy to talk to, to open up to. You didn’t judge and seemed to have the right solution to every problem thrown your way. 

You smiled, your cheeks tinting slightly pink at the compliment. You had passed whatever gauntlet the weather wielder had intended for you.

“Well I can say for certain whenever a Madrigal enters the store my day becomes brighter.”

Pepa’s sunshine became brighter, she had clearly liked the compliment.

“You should join us for dinner one night.” Pepa said, rising from her seat. 

The idea was tempting, to see Julieta was always at the forefront of your mind. With the new acknowledgment you weren’t sure you’d be able to handle it.

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“Nonsense! You’re coming and that’s final. Next Friday I will see you at casita at 6:00pm sharp.” 

Pepa’s gaze was hard and you knew the battle was over before it even began.

“I look forward to it.” You replied, rising and walking her to the door. 

“¡Maravillosa! Don’t be late. Mamá is set in her ways and dinner is always at six.” 

You laughed and nodded. 

“I’ll be early just to be safe.”

[daincrediblegg]

Assorted Bruno Headcanons

a/n: because it’s sunday and I’ve been mulling things over quite a bit for my own entertainment and oh lawd I’m fuckin crying. Enjoy y’all.

His visions aren’t involuntary- or at least, not completely, but they weren’t always a voluntary thing- but they did eventually become completely voluntary through his own anxiety management. Hear me out.

His whole superstitious nature seems to me like it stems from him being a very imaginative kid who let his ideas run away from him to the worst possible conclusion- which then manifested into his prophetic gift when he came of age (seems this is how a lot of the gifts work- being that Antonio loved animals before he got his gift of the ability to speak to them- like these gifts don’t come out of nowhere clearly- they are entirely dependent on the kid’s proclivities before the ceremony even takes place). 

So when he was a kid- he’d probably (very much like Pepa, actually) let his mind run away from him- and before he knows it there’s dust and dirt and sand whirling up around him and his eyes are glowing and everyone is FREAKING OUT and then when everything suddenly settles: there’s Bruno. With a little glowing green tablet of whatever he saw. But these vision tablets that get produced when this happens tend to be very fuzzy and unclear. Still a vision with the vague outcome of the event but the details are hard to see, unfocused. 

And this is where his little ritual comes in. It’s not so much a thing he does to manifest the vision itself, but rather something he learned to do for himself over time to help him have visions easier and not let his anxiety over them get so out of control (like- does a LOT of deep breathing and even gets into a meditative pose for it- to which I’m like good for you for practicing self care king). It probably helps him see things a little clearer when he has a clearer head to focus with too (because having visions the other way??? it’s giving me second-hand anxiety just thinking about it like jesus. Like when he has his vision in Antonio’s room with Mirabel in the movie I kept on thinking like lol this is the exact kinda shit I gotta do for myself to hype myself up for a phone call. Same energy for sure.)

I feel like Julieta may have, deep down, known that Bruno was still around by sole virtue of him being kitchen adjacent and also like how the hell else would he feed himself hanging out in the walls for 10 years??? I feel like she maybe never stopped making an extra portion of food for Bruno just from instinct- and he either snuck down to get his grub on later or for Casita to snatch and bring up to his lil hidey hole when everyone else was having dinner. Either way my boy’s getting fed damnit.

Speaking of- he’s probably known about the hidey hole for a long time- if he didn’t create it himself. I mean there’s a lot of old furniture and stuff back there and there’s no way casita came with that built in. I mean that house shifts around and changes a lot thanks to ✨miracle magic✨ maybe it’s stuff that just... nobody was using it so the hidey hole is kinda like casita’s personal storage that the rest of the household members don’t know about... except Bruno. Whose hole probably showed up in the casita walls when he was younger when his gift wasn’t being the most useful or most widely loved thing in the world (a.k.a. the hidey hole is a precursor to the cracks- fun implications there). Like that’s his childhood safe space. Even from his room (which granted- didn’t always look the same as it did as we see it in the moive, but was still probably a really intimidating space to be in even to a little kid. So he probably went back there a lot and hung out, let himself be himself without the pressure of using his gift or anything- and what better place then to hide out years later when he had to disappear???

Also adjacent to this: when casita gets re-built and the magic gets reinstated- his room this time looks a little bit more like the hidey-hole- with all his old furniture, patched up and looking damn near brand-new. But this time with a real bed, but still with his old hammock and chair, and an actual cage/space for his rats to live too (complete with rat theater space). And an actual WINDOW so he can get some sunlight in there too. He probably cries when he sees it for the first time. “Tio Bruno are you ok?” Mirabel asks. “I’m fine. It’s just... no more stairs!” She nods and pats his back in solidarity. 

He never was exactly the “golden” child. Not in the slightest- and certainly not in the same way that Isabella was. Like... he’s never been widely loved by the whole town (and the song really speaks to that - that’s not the song of someone who was once much beloved and then fell from grace like that’s genuine town pariah shit)- and nobody to this day really seems to understand him or how his visions work. The only person I think he might’ve held a little more weight for is Alma- who I bet relied on him a little too much for his visions (I mean her biggest fear is losing her home and the people she loves again- hell of a thing to then have a little boy who can see the future and tell you definitively whether you will or won’t)- but then the problem was that she probably relied a little too heavily on him for assurance, and when the visions are never what they seem when you look at them at first or with a clearly defined fate... it makes it really hard for him to face his mom because of that. And no doubt Alma has misunderstood what his visions have meant before (hence why he resorts to the immediate conclusion that he has to leave when he has Mirabel’s vision). She still loves him though(I mean she loves all her babies equally and dearly but like... he’s her Baby Boy. Evident in how she immediately hugs him and kisses his cheek and calls him Brunito seeing him for the first time in 10 years despite having parted the way they did and - again- 10 YEARS of the bitterness of that wound festering for the both of them???)... yeah. Mama Madrigal has the biggest soft-spot for her Brunito above all. Even if they’ve always had a hard time fully understanding one another (though I bet Bruno probably got Alma’s anxieties a little better than anyone else), she loves him. Ok. That is all. 

Lol none of the townspeople’s Bruno prophecies were actual prophecies. Bruno could tell the fish was swimming a little weird and was probably gonna die. The guy who ‘grew a gut’ LITERALLY??? HE’S THE SAME GUY THATS HANDING OUT PASTRIES AND SHIT LMAO (and ofc he never said anything about belly fat being a bad thing bruno says fat fuck rights) and the guy who lost his hair is pretty young Bruno probably knew his dad who was probably ALSO bald and there you have it! NOT THAT FUCKING HARD TO PREDICT. 

[thebrownssociety]

Encanto - Headcanon - How The Miracle Works

So, I’ve seen a few headcanons floating around about why Mirabel didn’t get a gift and I’ve also seen a headcanon about how Mirabel is meant to be the next ‘guardian of the miracle/Abuela’ whatever you want to call her. Abuela’s replacement basically. 

So, let’s expand on this.

How the next couple of years work for the Madrigals.

After the casita gets rebuilt - which takes a year - they end up with a new front door and every member of the family who had a room before gets that room restored. For some of them (like Julieta and Pepa) their rooms look just the same as before. For some like Luisa and Isa their rooms are changed slightly. Isa's now has more catci-type plants and all of Luisa's stone furniture is replaced by soft furnishings.

Mirabel, however, still has no room. This promote a family discussion because what with Dolores and Mariano now dating it is assumed that at some point in the future they will end up with children of their own which will go in the nursery. That Mirabel is currently living in.

Alma's theory is that the magic will realise this and will either grant Mirabel her own room when Dolores becomes pregnant or maybe a new nursery will appear seeing as the nursery is is considered (by the family) to be officially Mirabel's room.

Augustin - being practical - says that that may well be but they don't know that, therefore a back up plan is needed.

After much discussion it is decided that they will decorate Mirabel's room and make it more 'grown up' and she will remain there until Dolores becomes engaged. (Dolores having told the family that she wants to date Mariano for at least another year before getting engaged, so they would have been going out 2 years [22-24] by that point) If all goes well Mirabel will be 17 at that point. (The reason she doesn't share with her sisters is because they tried that when she was younger and the room refused to allow another bed in there, simply sliding said bed out onto the floor. Same for Dolores. Camilo wasn't considered for obvious reasons)

Working together it takes the whole family 6 weeks to re-decorate Mirabel's room. It's painted a mix of purple and light blue.

1 year later Dolores and Mariano get engaged. [Dolores is 25] Nothing changed with the house.

At this point Augustin became very concerned - fearing that when Dolores had children [which would be very soon after they got married, from what Dolores had told them] the nursery would either exclude Mirabel from it or that she would literally live the rest of her life in the nursery. So he organised building Mirabel a house. It was a pretty standard house, not as fancy as what the Madrigals lived in, but it was built adjacent to the main family home so that Mirabel wouldn't be very far away [and hopefully wouldn't feel excluded] and it was designed with a main bedroom for herself and any partner she might end up with and another bedroom for any future children. [The idea being that if Mirabel had more than one they could expand the house.]

Mirabel was both very excited and very nervous about the idea of having her own house. On one hand she'd be on her own, on the other her family had made it very clear that not only was she welcome to come back any time she liked but they were planning to visit a lot. "You won't be able to get rid of us." Luisa had joked.

By the time Dolores and Mariano got married Mirabel's house was complete. She was 18. She was very nervous to move out - even thought the house literally couldn't be any closer without actually being in the casita - but she took it slowly and by the time Dolores was ready to give birth [about 11 months after she got married] Mirabel was 50 percent there. It helped enormously that she ate with her family and really only slept in the house during that first year.

Dolores and Mariano's first child was a little boy - who I'm thinking they call Bernardo [Guzman-Madrigal] - and nothing happened. There was no room for Mirabel. She cried a bit about it and expressed her frustration, but thankfully she did have a house and a place to call her own, so the sting was taken away a little.

Over time more children were born - including Mirabel's own son [I'm thinking the name Inigo] - and all of them gained their own powers.

The next shift came a few years after the Triplets 60th birthday [so 10 years from the film]. Basically - I'm still figuring it out - I think Isabela ends up with twins [and another older child] and her twins [who I've given the names Kale [Boy] and Teanna [Girl] inherit Julieta's and Pepa's powers respectively. [Bruno was horrified]

The next big shift after that was that Alma died at the grand old age of 90, when Mirabel was 30. The image on Alma's door of was replaced by a picture of Mirabel and her husband on it. The rest of her family [understandably considering the history] celebrated this and started talking about Mirabel [and her family, of course] moving back into the actual casita. I'm not sure if she does or not, I've not got that far. If she does, then it's simple, she moves back in and her old house is just kept as an asset. If she decides she prefers her own little house, with her husband and child then I'm thinking she may ask the house to make her room either a spare room [so if any future child ends up without a gift they won't be stuck in the nursery] or a kind of 'room of requirement’ for each family member.

After that the next child who gets a gifts is Inigo [Mirabel's son]. He inherits Bruno's. I should point out Pepa, Bruno and Julieta all still have their own gifts. They didn't lose them, another generation inherited them.

The next child after this was Camilo's oldest child, Nacio [Who - in a weird coincidence - was only a few months younger than Inigo] It was thought that he might inherit Isabela's powers [as the next oldest after the triplets] but he didn't. He got a completely separate power from the rest of the family again.

Now, this next bit took a few generations for the Madrigals to work out but eventually they worked out that 60 seemed to be a key age for the family. Everytime a family member turned 60 [or would have turned 60, if they died younger than that] there gift would be inherited by the next child to receive a gift, SO, going back to Mirabel:

This is why she didn't end up having a gift and why it was HER specifically. After Alma's 60th birthday, she was the next child to get a gift.

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves]

We gonna get some fucking Luisa smut or what?

You know what? You right, you right. Lesbians, this one's for you ;)

"And all done!"

"Gracias, Luisa! Have a good day off tomorrow!"

Ever since the Casita had been rebuilt, the Madrigal family had been FAR more happy. Take Luisa. She got three days out of the week to do absolutely ANYTHING she wanted. And that day was tomorrow, so she was wrapping up all her chores for today. In this case, clearing out some boulders out of the river so the water could flow properly. She nodded at the men, and immediately went home. At least, that's what she'd like to say. Then the donkeys got out again. Then weeds needed plucking. Then barrels had to be carried.

Suffice to say, Luisa still had issues saying no. By the time she was ACTUALLY done, it was well into the late afternoon. She saw the disappointment on their faces the second she got home, especially from Mirabel. The second Luisa stepped in the kitchen for a drink, Mirabel piped up from the table.

"Still gotta work on our no's, huh sis?"

Luisa finished her drink before sighing.

"I just don't like saying no to people in need, doesn't. Feel right, you know?"

Augustín motioned for her to sit down at the table with them. She obeyed, appreciating the cup of coffee, and some candy she knew had been bought specifically for her.

"You've been working so hard this week, mija. Especially with new people coming in from outside the Encanto-you've been giving everyone your strength. So, we all pitched in and got you something."

Augustín, with great excitement, slid a little envelope her way. She looked it over in her hands, before carefully opening it. Two pink slips, that upon reading, ended up being tickets for some sort of spa. She raised a brow.

"A...spa?"

Her mom nodded, keeping Augustín's cup of hot coffee from accidently spilling onto his lap. Again.

"I heard it's this new, very fancy place. We think that a day of pampering could do you some good for your poor body. It was your dad's idea."

He held onto Luisa's hand, giving it a soft pat.

"Of course, you spend your days off how you want to. No one will make you."

Luisa shook her head.

"No no, I'll do it. It's just...a different gift. Trust me, I like it."

Augustín brought her hands to his lips, as sweetly as a father could.

"We just worry, Mija. You may be the strongest person in Encanto, but you're still mi bebita."

She loved her dad, really she did. And hey, who knows. Maybe it'd be just the break she needed.

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

You've worked on all sorts of people in your profession. Men, women, young, old, all types. Though, moving this far out to practice your skills was definitely new. This new area, 'Encanto', had become a huge trading port, as well as a new place for all sorts of new talents and services the town had yet to have. Including your spa. You had no idea if this would be permanent, but you just knew your skills were appreciated here.

"There we go, Mr. Osvaldo. Remember, plenty of water, take it easy on the sweets."

"Sure, Sure!"

You knew he wasn't going to. But didn't matter, you'd be here for your clients at any point. You walked him back outside, and heard him talk to someone outside. You couldn't see past the closed door, but you heard mention of 'Luisa'. Whatever, not your business. You wiped your hands free of oil, before looking over at your receptionist.

"Who's next on the agenda?"

"That'd be her."

He didn't even look up from his papers as he nodded towards the door. You tried not to jump at the sight of the VERY tall woman that just walked in. She was SO much taller than you, and with muscles that big, she looked like she could beat your shit in with just her pinky. But with a pretty face like that, you just might-

"Uh. Yeah. Hi. That's me. I got one of your slip things."

She handed you a pink slip, and you recognized it immediately. You handed it to your receptionist, and motioned for her to follow you. Past the sauna, past the aromatherapy room, you kept catching her eyes wandering here and there.

"In here, if you will."

You let her into the room, shutting the door behind you both. She took a look around.

"It's. Nice in here."

"Thank you,"

You say as you put a fresh, clean sheet on the table.

"I take pride in it. Now, you can put your clothes in the bin, right at the end of the table there. Would you like me to fold them for you?"

She turned to you, looking confused.

"My...clothes?"

"Yes. You want a full body massage. I can't do that with all your clothes on."

"Oh. That's. News."

She looked so uncertain, the poor thing.

"I take it it's your first time. Don't worry, it's fine, seeing people without their clothes is nothing to me."

"I've just. You know. Never taken off my clothes in front of someone before."

"Well it's not like I'm going to see anything new, honey."

You meant it as a joke, but the slight red to her face showed she was uncomfortable. But, she seemed to not want to waste her ticket, so she did it. You wanted to tell her there was a closet, just in case she preferred that, but. Well. You caught yourself watching. She was tall, and built like a church. Head to toe in well defined muscles, and very soft, almost baby looking skin. You've seen muscles in men before, but something about these were just. Far more impressive. You watched as the upper part of her dress came off, then the skirt.

She was in her underclothes now. Cute, purple underwear, and a bra to match. She folded her clothes, before turning to you.

"Does uh. EVERYTHING need to come off?"

Muscles in her calves, big, firm biceps, a well defined core, she could kick any man's ass, but her face really gave off 'I want a hug' vibes. You shrugged as you leaned against your counter space behind you.

"You can keep those on. But I'd recommend against that, since I'll be using oils."

Luisa hesitated, before taking everything else off. She had such big, broad shoulders, with tits to match. They were large, but they didn't look too much. It was funny, how such strength looked so delicate simultaneously. You tried not to glance at her somewhat hairy crotch as she put her clothes away, especially as she tried to cover herself.

"So uh, what next?"

"Oh just lay down right here."

The table creaked a bit as she got settled in, and you hoped it didn't make her feel self conscious. You covered her butt with a towel, and you noticed that while she was still stiff, that made her look a bit more comfortable. Not by much, but you were sure she'd sink into it. You leaned a bit to catch her face in her arms, and it almost felt like she was trying to hide it. It was cute.

"I need you to put her arms down for me, honey. To your sides. There we go! Now, imma put on some music to help you. The first time is always weird, but you'll get into it."

You put on some light music, just so the room wasn't silent. You brought your little cart of things you'll need over to her. Things like hot rags, warm oil, some water, nothing crazy.

"You uh. Really don't mind seeing people without their clothes all day?"

"Not really. We're all more or less the same. Though, between you and me, your hair is definitely prettier than anyone else's who's walked in here. You do it yourself?"

You fiddled with one if the baby hairs, and you were surprised at just how SOFT it felt. She nodded.

"For the most part. Sometimes my dad does it, if he feels like it."

"Aw, a daddy's girl. How cute."

You didn't need to see her face for you to tell she was blushing a bit. You poured the warm oil onto your palms, but didn't touch her JUST yet.

"I'm just messing with you honey. Er, I'm sorry, I should be using your actual name-"

"No. I mean uh. I like Honey."

You could just eat her up. You grinned, oiled and skilled hands more than ready for such a big canvas.

"Alright, honey. I'm gonna touch you now, alright? You tell me if you're uncomfortable at any point, or of you need anything."

She gave a thumbs up, and you chuckled. You put your hands on her shoulders, just so she could get a feel for your touch. She didn't flinch, didn't kick or scream, and that was always a good sign. You gently let your hands slide down her shoulders and down her back, just to let the muscles get lightly coated in oil.

"Stuff smells nice."

"You like it? It's 'vanilla cupcake'. We sell bottles of these, as well as lotions, up front. Really helps your skin stay smooth and hydrated. Not that you need it though, your skin is GORGEOUS."

You watched her squirm a bit. She tried not to, for you to work, but you could tell you made her flushed.

"Uhm. Thanks. You compliment everyone like this?"

"Only if they deserve it. And someone should praise you, you take care of your body. Like, look at these muscles! I've had men WISH they could bulk up like you."

You got started for real dow, digging your palms into her upper arms, getting a feel of those huge muscles. So firm, so easy to touch and caress. She chuckled. You could tell compliments on her muscles were far more common.

"Now THAT I've heard before. Proud of 'em too, helps me help the town."

"I can imagine you do a lot of heavy lifting."

You let your hands run down her arms, right to her wrist, lathering it up in oil. She nodded, and you noticed she was far more relaxed, almost limp.

"Kinda yeah. Just yesterday I helped bring my neighbors donkeys back into the barn. They get out a lot."

"Oh you herded them?"

Luisa snorted.

"Nope. They're stubborn as. Well. Donkeys. I carried them."

"...like, one at a time?"

"No? All of them. Why waste time like that? It was only ten of 'em."

You let your palms dig into her shoulders, and you tried not to whistle.

"Geez honey-show me your work out routine!"

"Can give you some private work out sessions if you want. Could be fun."

Maybe you were reading too much into it. Maybe it was the fact that your oiled hands caressed her frame, fingertips brushing against her breasts. But to you, it sounded like a date.

"You offer that to all the girls?"

"Only the ones that have seen me naked."

You tried not to roar in laughter. She was funny, she was cute, a little shy. You really liked that your palms pressed deep into her shoulders. You REALLY wanted to keep touching her.

"You must be a real big hit with the ladies. Not to pry, but just HOW happy is your girlfriend?"

You meant it as a joke, only for her to lightly shake her head.

"Don't have one."

"Boyfriend?"

"Nope. I mean, I've had people ask, but nothing really permanent. So...you're kinda the ONLY one who's seen me naked. I'm sorry, that's probably like a lot of-mmph."

You pushed REALLY hard on a spot in between her giant shoulder blades, really putting your weight into it. And apparently, she needed that, given the slight crack you heard. Her body was so hard to work with, not wanting to give you the satisfaction of a response, but it was still delightful. Especially when you were rewarded with an almost limp Luisa.

"No no. Not too much. I asked, you answered. Consider me honored. You have a delightful body to work with. So soft, but FIRM. It's like it's fighting me to relax. You're fascinating."

She didn't say anything in response, probably because she wasn't used to it, from what you could tell. You let her have her silence as your hands, firm yet kind, dug into her back. It trailed lower, lower, stopping just above that towel. There wasn't any tension left in those muscles of hers, and you felt good, knowing you could get a bundle of nerves like this to calm down. You kept pushing, kept rubbing, kept lathering. Her whole body was glistening In oil now, making her look like. Well. An absolute snack. You could think these things, you were a professional. Kinda.

"Hey uh. Could you do the hands too?"

"Hmm? Oh did I forgot those? My bad, honey."

You held onto one hand, digging your thumbs into her palms. It was so soft, not a single scratch on it. She had no business, having baby smooth hands to go with such strength. You made sure her hands were properly coated in oil, just enough for your hands to glide smoothly across hers. They were so big, but you no longer saw them as weapons. They were tools, for working, for holding. You switched to her other hand, and you heard a light groan escape her lips. Her hands and her arms were apparently in much need of that contact you were giving.

"That. Feels really good. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't think I'd like this."

"Oh a lot of people tell me that. I get it, the idea is uncomfortable. A stranger's oily hands touching your body like this. But, I'm proud of you for giving me a try. You're such a strong girl."

There was a pause. You thought for a minute, you hit a nerve, when cracking her knuckles seemed to force her words out of her.

"Would you uh. Say I'm good?"

She probably meant something else. Definitely not what you were thinking. But you still massaged the back of her hand, and gave it to her.

"You're a good girl, honey."

She couldn't see her face, given where it was resting, but you could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. Oh, she LIKED that. You put her hands back down to her sides, moving to her legs. They were just as strong as the rest of her, just as smooth. Your hands ran down her legs, right to the ankles. So slow, so careful, as if all this muscle would break in your grip.

"I'm gonna bend your legs a bit, tell me if anything hurts."

You took one foot, and pushed it till the ankle touched her butt. You counted to ten, before letting it go. You did the same to the other, hearing a faint groan come from her lips. You moved to her toes, doing the same thing for her hands. Rubbing, oiling, cracking. Her groans were a bit more frequent now, and you sighed in relief, not needing to use so much force to work with her. Like yarn, she was slowly starting to untangle and unravel. You finished her feet, before getting up to those glutes. They felt good, being under the mercy of your thumbs and your fingers.

"You're hot."

"W-what?"

"You're hot. Your skin is burning up. Do you need some water?"

"Oh. Uh. No, I'm. Good. Just keep going, please."

Such manners, using please. You continued, despite how her skin was quickly getting warmer.

"Let me know if this is too much, honey."

Your hands drifted up those legs further and further, pushing the towel. Not too much, just to expose her, just a bit. And you were oh so surprised to see that she was wet. Wet, and leaking a bit onto the sheet below. No one had seen her like this, touched her like this. And she wanted it, she craved for it.

"Hey uh, lady?"

"'Ma'am' works fine, honey."

"Uh. Right. Ma'am. I was gonna say if you uh. Think the towel is annoying, you can take it off. I'm comfortable."

Such a brave girl. You peeled off the towel, throwing it to the side. So full, so plump, she could smother someone with it. You let your fingertips kiss the skin, and you swore she was trying to push herself into your touch. Impatient.

"You want me to touch you here?"

"Y-yeah."

"Say it. I need to hear it. To be on the same page, of course."

She hesitated. Luisa was a good girl, she wasn't used to being so bad by saying something so lewd.

"Can you please touch me...there?"

Good enough. You poured a good amount of oil onto your hands, before letting it spill gently over her ass. You were careful, you were patient with her. You let your hands spread the warm oil around, thumbs almost digging into her cheeks as your hands softly went back and forth. Then, you placed each on on each of her cheeks, and started to rub circles into her flesh. Slow, rhythmic. It was cute, watching your now slight of touch make her squirm. Her breath was louder now, occasionally hitching, her shoulders were trying to stay still.

"Good girl, honey. Staying so still to let me work. How's it feeling?"

"Good. Yep. Good. Great. Totally not like, REALLY fucking good-i'm gonna stop now."

You chuckled. Oh she was still NERVOUS. It was like a big bad kitty being scared of a little mouse. You started to push her cheeks together, before spreading them, and doing it again and again, taunting her with the idea that you were going to touch her. You were tempted, really. It was wet, it was twitching, it was so cute looking.

But you weren't good like Luisa.

"Do me a favor, honey, get on your back."

You pulled your hand away, and although she shook a bit, she obeyed. You walked up to where her head was, looming over her. Such a nice chest, with such hard nipples. You peered down at her face, and she struggled to meet your eyes. She was nervous, and her big walls were crumbling down before you.

"It's uh. Hot in here."

It was a lame excuse for her red cheeks, but you'll take it, to save her a bit of embarrassment. You chuckled, giving her cheek a light pat. Oh even her cheeks were soft.

"Oh I understand. Now, same thing, tell me if you're uncomfortable."

You scooped up some more oil, leaning over her to start pouring it all along her frame. You tried not to giggle as she totally didn't look at your chest during this, before putting your hands on her shoulders. So big, and broad, like she was born to protect. Your hands wandered down her arms again, mainly so you could let her look at your chest. She definitely enjoyed a nice set of breasts. You couldn't falt her though, you did too.

"Hey uh. You might wanna go a little softer on these. They're uh. Sensitive."

"Oh are they, now?"

Your hands slid down to her breasts. They felt so soft in your hands, gliding your fingers across them was an absolute delight. You gave the flesh a light squeeze, and watched as her back arched. So sensitive, you couldn't stand it. Even when your oiled up fingertips just gently played with the nipples, she was struggling to keep still. Her eyes were shut now, and she was biting her bottom lip. Her oiled hands ran over her frame;past her tits, down the toned stomach, to the thighs. You kept doing this rhythmically, just making the poor thing melt underneath you.

You gave her a few close calls, your fingertips just kissing her pubic hair. And everytime, she would brace herself, and recieve nothing. You did it over and over, till the poor girl was whimpering.

"Is this sensitive too?"

You asked, right before your oiled fingers dipped between her legs, and gently slid over her soaking wet folds. She gasped, opening her eyes to look at your hand. You let her watch as your hand slid up and down, up and down, and then, she moaned. It was a moan that had been begging to be let out, begging for just a bit of a touch to let it free. Her chest was rising and falling, her lips trembled as she let out breathy exhales. You didn't do anything, aside from gently rubbing her, and yet, it looked like she wanted to cum.

But you weren't a good girl. Not like Luisa. You pulled away, and pulled both your shirt, and your top off, before swinging a leg over her, cradling her hips.

"W-whats happening-"

She got your question answered when you laid down on her, slowly running your body up and down her big, strong, oiled up frame. You stared right into her eyes during this, and just as you thought, she was getting off to it.

"Shh. It's okay. I got you, honey. Imma take good care of you. You just relax, and keep looking pretty for me."

She was so adorable when she was flustered. So adorable that she was so nervous, watching your tits slowly rub against hers. Nipple against nipple, you were too much for this poor, sensitive girl. So much so, she couldn't resist leaning forward, and kissing you. You definitely weren't expecting that, but you weren't going to say no. You weren't going to refuse such soft lips, or eager tongue. The kisses were slow, but still so loud in this normally quiet room. And so were her moans, given that you were now rubbing her folds in little circles. She pulled away in surprise, legs trying oh so hard to stay open for you.

"I w-wouldnt do that, I tend to cum like, REALLY quick a-and your fingers are in me."

She said in disbelief, as you introduced one, then two fingers into her. Next thing you knew, you were snuggled up to her, holding her face in one hand for her to recieve jaw kisses, with your other hand furiously fingering her. You were careful, but you didn't have to. Not when her mouth was open with her moans, not when her body kept squirming and wanting more and more. She was loud. Not because she was proud of it, but because it genuinely felt SO good to her.

"Oh you're gonna cum, aren't you, honey? You wanna cum on my pretty fingers?"

She nodded very quickly, taking a second to swallow.

"I wanna c-cum ma'am, please. Please please please."

Her inner walls felt SO good. You could sit here and finger her forever. But she deserved to cum. So, you added rubbing her clit to the emotions, and you cooed against her skin.

"Cum for me, like a good girl."

And that she did. You were sure everyone heard her cry out as she tightened around your fingers. You kept fingering her quickly through her orgasm, filling the room with such loud, wet sounds. When she finally finished, she went limp in your hands. She looked exhausted, sweat over her nude frame and hair quickly escaping her soft lips. You pulled your soaked fingers out of you, watching as it ran down your arm. She looked at it sheepishly.

"Sorry about the...me-"

"Open."

You made her open her mouth, before shoving your fingers inside. She took on immediately, holding your wrist in order to sweetly suck and lick all the mess away. Poor girl eye's look as if they just melted you for you. You chuckled.

"I'm VERY much looking forward to having you visit us again, and very, very soon~"

[bruno-madrigal-writings]

If it’s okay can I get some fluff about Bruno becoming both physically and mentally healthier once he’s out of the wall thanks to his fam’s efforts he gains a healthy amount of weight and even some muscle, his skin returns to its natural tone, his eye bags start to receded, and is of course his everything is much cleaner and starts to feel better about himself and starts to become less timid letting others finally see how radiant of a person he truly is inside and out and dispelling the rumors

Someone else also asked for triplet wholesomeness, and whats more wholesome than helping your brother recover? So I combined the two.

It may be a bit rambly, but hopefully there’s some good moments in there.

STEPS TO HIS HEALTHIEST SELF

Words: 2.5k

Read on AO3

-

One of the first things anyone in the family noticed after Bruno returned to them after ten long years of absence was, to put it kindly, how terrible he looked.

He had always seemed to have bags under his eyes since he was a teenager, but now they were far worse. The bruising was so dark and the bags were so heavy they seemed to drag at his eyes. His skin, once a warm brown, had gone pale after all his time without sunlight, now very nearly gray. His cheeks and eyes were sunken in and his whole person seemed to be unkempt. His hair no longer held the sheen or bounce it once had, now hanging in limp knots from his head. His clothes looked like they were close to falling apart on his body, ruana once new and clean now ragged and stained. It hid his body well, but when his sisters hugged him they could feel how thin he was, dangerously so. He had always been rather small, but never before could they feel his bones shift under his skin.

It took only a second, perhaps less, during that hug for Pepa and Julieta to decide that something had to be done. With a shared glance they became a united front on this matter.

They would not rest until their little brother was healthier than he had ever been.

After Casita fell, the town was more than happy to step up and help house the family. Despite their generosity, there was no house in the town with enough room for all of them, which meant they had to split up. In the shuffle of figuring out who would go where, Pepa and Julieta made sure Bruno ended up in the same building as one of them. He ended up sharing a house with Julieta, Augustine, and Mirabel, which Julieta was delighted by. She could keep an eye on him, making sure he took care of himself even when it got late.

The first steps were the easiest, ones Bruno was more than happy to take himself.

Before his disappearance, he had always had impeccable hygiene, something he immediately returned to. At the end of every day after working on rebuilding their home, he would shower and clean himself up, doing his best to maintain his hair in some sort of way. Julieta made sure he had everything he would need, though she did need to consult Félix to make sure she got the right hair products. It was worth it to see the delighted look on his face when she was able to give them to him. It wasn’t more than a week or two before the bounce and softness returned to his curls, now trimmed so it didn’t reach past his chin.

Julieta and Pepa worked together to make sure he was properly fed.

He had clearly not been eating enough in those walls, but he was not quite so willing to discuss it with them. It took a bit to drag out of him how much he had managed to get for himself, but with Pepa’s stern words and a concerned and caring look from Julieta, they managed. He said he would collect food at night, when everyone else had gone to bed. He grabbed whatever leftovers he thought he could get away with, often stretching one meal to last a day or more.

Well, they were clearly having none of that. Pepa had wanted to stuff his face with as much food as possible, wanted to make sure his plate was loaded every mealtime. Julieta was avidly against it.

“He wouldn’t be able to eat it all! He’d just end up getting sick.”

Pepa huffed, sitting back and brushing the dirt off her hands onto her skirts. They were working on sifting through the rubble, hoping to at least get some of it moved off the foundation by the end of the first day. That left time for the sisters to talk, just the two of them, and plan.

“Then what would you suggest? He clearly needs to eat more!”

Julieta sighed.

“I know, I know, but it might be best if he takes it slowly at first.”

“Uh, do I have a say in this?”

They both turned to the voice, Bruno jumping slightly at the sudden attention on himself. They shared a glance with each other before turning back to him with matching smirks.

“No.” They said in unison and Bruno scowled, but there was no heat behind it, the corners of his mouth trying not to twitch in a smile.

He really missed them.

They went with Julieta’s plan. After a few weeks he was eating normal again like everyone else, and he had only gotten sick a few times in the process.

Pepa was the one to make sure he got new clothes within the day. It took no time for her to collect everything she thought he would like, most of which were brightly colored button up shirts. She remembered that, despite constantly hiding under his ruana, he had liked wearing bright colors. She knew she made the right choice when he lit up, thanking her with that smile of his, that toothy, goofy grin she had missed so much but could never admit to herself. She smirked when she saw the old tattered clothes in the trash later that day.

Despite not being a part of the sisters' plans, Alma was the one to replace his ruana. She saw it as her responsibility, having personally made every one of his old ones as he grew up. She remembered the day she had given him his last one all those years again. It had been only a week or so before Mirabel’s gift ceremony, that fateful night when everything had gone wrong. She had handed it to him just after lunch, telling him it was time to switch out the old one for something new. He nodded and mumbled a thank you before taking it and moving on with his day. The whole thing was treated more like a transaction than anything else, just something that needed to be done.

When she presented the new ruana to Bruno this time, it was very different. It held far more importance for the both of them. Bruno stared at the fabric with big eyes, glancing to his mother and back before gently, ever so gently, taking it from her. He felt the soft, warm fabric in his hands, taking a moment to admire the shade of green, a few shades brighter than the old one, and the carefully embroidered hourglass pattern that ran down the sides. She had taken her time with this one, he realized. The last one had no embroidery, just the flat pattern printed on rough fabric. It was faster to make that way. Embroidery took time. Lots of time.

When he looked up at her again it was with tears in his eyes.

“Gracias, Mamá. Es - es perfecto.”

He gave her a watery smile, one that broke her heart.

“Lo siento, mi hijo.” She couldn’t help but say, cupping his face in her hands. At her words, the tears fell down his face and he broke, letting himself fall into his mother’s arms.

This was all he ever wanted. All those years, not just the ones in the walls but long before that, all those hard days, the hate thrown at him by the town only to return home and be told he wasn’t trying hard enough, he wasn’t enough. But now …

Perhaps that was the beginning of the hardest step.

After he had come back to them he had been … different. Quieter, more jumpy, hardly the loud, rambunctious man they once knew. But, under their watchful gazes, they could see him returning, bit by bit.

Bruno’s mental health hadn’t exactly been the best, and that was before he spent ten years in isolation. They weren’t really sure what they could do about that. Nothing they had done before he disappeared had seemed to help. What could they do now?

It was a discussion the two had often as the weeks passed, weeks of feeling unsure and helpless, just wanting to see their dear brother heal. While they searched for an answer, the best they could do was be there for him, just as the rest of the family did.

And maybe, in some way, that was enough. They couldn’t help but notice that, by the time Casita was nearly done being built, he seemed to be doing better. He looked healthier, at least. His face was filled in, complexion less pale, over all cleaner. Even the bags under his eyes had lessened considerably, though they were still there, always there. These changes aren’t what kept the sisters up at night, however, it was the change in his behavior.

It was easier to see when he interacted with the kids. He loved telling them stories, once they had managed to convince him to do so. The oldest three girls still remembered the stories he used to tell before he left, when they were just little, and they were the ones to encourage him to tell them again. His first stories were a bit bland, told while Bruno kept his hands busy with another task, taking his mind away from his audience in an attempt to quell the anxiety. It wasn’t long, however, before he found himself getting more into the stories, speaking in different voices for each character, motioning wildly with his hands.

He came alive with each story, eyes sparkling just like they used to when the triplets were just children, with no worries in the world, happy to tell stories and play late into the night. When there was no worry about being useful or what their gifts could do for others.

One day, Antonio had brought some of his friends to his tio, begging for him to tell them a story. He shied away, at first, uncertain, but who could say no to those big brown eyes? So he told his story and, for a moment, he could forget the other people surrounding them as they worked on the house, could forget he didn’t know these children that looked up at him with eager smiles.

Pepa believed that was really the turning point for how the town itself saw her hermanito. Because as he told his story to his eager audience, he wasn’t some villain, spouting ill omens about injured cattle or dying pets. In that moment, they saw a part of who he really was, an entertainer, a storyteller, a bit of a jokester that had the children laughing often and even drawing a few chuckles out of the adults that listened.

And it was always easier to interact with others when they were kind, not vindictive and cruel.

Julieta could tell it had shocked Bruno, the first time someone had spoken a kind word to him. He stared at them with those wide, uncertain eyes, as if he expected it to be some sort of trick. Eventually, though, he realized no such trick was coming and, hesitantly, he talked with them. Others working around them joined in the conversation as well and it wasn’t long before the atmosphere had changed, everyone talking happily and laughing. And Bruno still wasn’t as loud or adamant as she knew him to really be, still spoke softly and dared not raise his voice, but he was smiling.

He was making progress and everyone could see it. It would take some time, still, before he finally returned to his true self, but there was enough progress to delight his family, especially his sisters.

And then Casita was finished and the magic returned.

The party that ensued was remarkable, perhaps the best since Encanto. Or, perhaps, that was just in the family's eyes. There was laughter and music and dancing that didn’t stop until late into the night, and more than that there was overwhelming love given from every member of the family.

It wasn’t until well after the party, well after everyone else had left and the rest of the family had gone to their new rooms, that the triplets sat in the kitchen, around the small wooden table, in silence. They all had things to ponder, thoughts occupying their minds.

“... I should … I should probably go to my room …” Bruno mumbled, drawing his sister's attention. His fingers picked at the grain of the table, staring intently at nothing, not looking at all like he wanted to go to his room. Pepa winced, remembering the stairs that had been his last room. They hadn’t always been there. When they were small, just turned five and unaware of the difficulties that awaited them, there had been no stairs. The sand had been there, the cliffs had been there, the cave had been there, and of course his actual room, hidden away. The stairs didn’t come until he had gotten older, until he had become more and more distant from not just the town but his own family. The thought twisted her heart painfully.

No one wanted to see those stairs, and not just because it was a bit of a climb.

“Would you like us to go with you?” Julieta offered. They all knew he wasn’t about to say no. So, they went to the door together.

Julieta was more concerned about what having his gift back would do for his recovery. He had been doing so well and she was worried that the return of the gift, the one thing that had ruined him, had forced him away from his family, that she knew he had blamed for all his troubles, would ruin his progress. If not that, then set him back. How would the town react? How would he handle it? Would he isolate himself again?

The silence weighed heavy on them.

It had changed location. It wasn’t around the corner in some dark nook far away from everyone else. Now it was in the middle of everyone’s doors, nestled between their mothers and Pepa’s, the wood swimming with golden magic, ready to be opened once more.

He hesitated, hands gripping each other as he struggled to gather his courage. But he had his sisters by his side, there to support him no matter what. His sisters who had missed him so terribly when he left, who had never once stopped loving him, even if he couldn’t always see it. They all did.

They put a steadying hand on each of his shoulders, each giving him an encouraging smile. He gave a small smile back, feeling the anxiety wash away under their warm, loving gazes.

They had done so much for him. Everything was different now and he knew he had them to thank for a lot of it. They had tried so hard to support him, to build him up into his best self after he had been so broken and lost.

In the end, it didn’t matter what lay behind the door. What mattered was that it was there, that he was a part of this family, and that it glowed with the magic of his family's love for him. Whatever they still had to face, they would face it together. Nothing could tear him away from his family. Not again.

He stepped forward.

[anchoviesinthenightsky]

Another aspect to the Bruno abandoning thing, I don’t think anybody’s talked about this kind of headcanon, but what if Alberto’s dad was just…not mentally okay? Not giving it an excuse but hear me out. Most of the fandom if not all have decreed that he abandoned Alberto and said he’s “old enough to fend for himself” as hostile and more of Alberto being a burden in his eyes, but, maybe also from growing up with a mentally ill parent, maybe Alberto’s dad had swings of bad health and would disappear, because he couldn’t handle things himself and thought it would be better to leave Beto alone, though eventually coming back, before he thought Alberto would’ve been big enough to handle it. My mom use to be kinda the same way, coming back and forth because she thought it’d be better for her to disappear during her bad spills because she thought it was better than me dealing with her illness, which is a double sword in of itself. His comment of changing his mind, maybe he tried to leave before or use to threaten to leave but his mind would change coz of him being so young. Emotional abuse (as that’s probably as far as we’re keeping it in how Alberto and Bruno’s relationship was) is a double edged sword, especially depending on its context and contents.

I think, outside of it just being a personal headcanon (lmao sorry), it’s just, a different way to look at it. Sure there’s parents who just abandon their kids as soon as possible, but idk, thoughts? I’m also sorry if it’s too personal in relation I just, figured it’d be a interesting talking point to it yaknow?

I love hearing personal head cannons! Thank you so much for sharing it!

I think a lot of the fandom interpretations of Bruno (Alberto's dad) do end up being a little flat and one sided, sort of just seeing him as this evil guy who does nothing outside of abandon Alberto. And I honestly think that's a fair reading because that's what we get from the movie. The only person who tells us anything about Bruno is Alberto, when he's in a really low emotional state. (He outs himself, Giulia rejects him, and Luca betrays him. Clearly it stirs up other shit that he's been repressing, most notably being abandoned.) So what we get of Bruno is this really flat, one dimensional picture from the incredibly upset (and slightly unreliable) narrator of Alberto. This, uh, is not very related to your ask, but I felt the need to mention it.

Anyway, moving into hc's and building Bruno into more of a fleshed out character-- I think something like this makes a lot of sense. I recently watched Encanto (like everyone else it seems, but spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen it yet), and one of the discussions I've been seeing about it re:generational trauma is the way that the trauma gets passed down through generations. Like, you Alma, who has lost her home and husband and becomes a single mother, use the gift of the miracle to build and protect her home and community above anything else. Then we see Julieta (Mirabel's mom) continue that same idea in a different form-- where she prioritizes the community's health over herself, putting a lot of time and labor into healing others. Then you see similar pattern in Luisa and Isabela, who both prioritize other's needs above their own. Anyway, this is a long winded way of saying that I agree with you. The way that our parents think about themselves (especially the negative ways), can easily become of the negative ways their children think about themselves.

So Alberto's thoughts of "other people would be better off without me" may likely of come from his father believing that about himself as well. That, for whatever reason, Alberto would be better off without him there. (And your headcannon of maybe that being influenced by a mental illness could work really well, as could just a general feeling of uselessness or something that happened to Bruno in his life.) Obviously the idea of "other people are better off without me" is always incorrect, and it certainly doesn't justify Bruno leaving. But it does give this sort of sympathetic side to his character that rounds him out a bit!

[hangfiretales]

I found one of my short stories from a few years ago and was trying to figure out what needed to be polished up. And after spending the last few months complaining about the difficulty I have with using present tense, I discovered (with unfailing irony) that this story needed to be written in the present tense, of course.

*************************************

Anatomy of the Heart

‘That you, pet?’

‘Yes, Nan.’ Who else has a key? I add, but only in my head. She's pretty old. I can afford to be indulgent. 

I shut the front door, and the dusty quiet of home and cats and autumn collapses onto me. 

The lounge room curtains are closed against the afternoon sun but I can see her, sunk in her chair and dressed in something purple and polyester. Reading, of course, eyeball-deep in a comfortable romantic cliché of unbuttoned shirts and thrusting. There’s always thrusting. 

‘Library day, Nan?' I bend and kiss her hair, close enough to smell talcum powder and spearmint. 

‘Narelle had a stack ordered in for me.’ She half-closes the book to glance at the front cover. ‘I think I've had this one before, with the duke. He’s got a limp. That's alright, mind, I don't remember all of it so it's like new.’ 

It might have something to do with a certain sameness of plot amongst her chosen genre, but I say nothing. 

‘Long day, pet?’ 

And it has been, actually, so I tell her; enough to get a bit of sympathy, not enough to bore her. 

I’m rewarded with a pat on the arm and a clucking sound.  

‘Fancy him saying all that when you've spent so much time on it. Bloody professor should give you marks for effort, is what I think. Tea?’ 

And at my nod she straightens in slow motion and patters to the kitchen. 

I follow her to the bench. ‘Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. I wish it did. I put in more effort looking busy than anyone I know.’  

Nan acknowledges my attempt at humour with a nod but I know she doesn’t think of me as the funny one. That's always been my brother's gig.  

I open the fridge and get the milk out while Nan conveys sugar from jar to mug. One spoon. Two spoons. Pause. Another little bit of a spoon. 

‘I still don't know why you have to get a degree just to read books,’ she says. ‘Why can't you just read them on your own?’ She sniffs twice; once at the education system and once at the milk carton in her hand. She pours it. 

‘There's reading and then there's- like a deep critical understanding.’

But Nan shakes her head. ‘If you're not enjoying it, what's the point.’ A statement, not a question. ‘I've read hundreds of books. Thousands, probably, and nobody ever asked me to get a degree first. Waste of time with your degrees for reading, and degrees for making video games, and music and what-not. Here you go, pet, carry those out. I'll get biscuits.’ 

I take the brimming mugs back out to the lounge room and set them down on the coffee table. My usual seat’s piled up with The Last Cowboy and his horny friends so I sit down on the orange couch. At least one cushion stirs and becomes a cat.  

‘Don't sit on Valerie, she doesn't want your bum on her head.’ Nan puts a tray down next to our mugs: biscuits from a home-brand cream assortment; a jam-jar lid, for discarded teabags; two tea spoons. One’s a sundae spoon, actually, longer and handier for stirring a tall mug. I reach. 

Nan bagses it smoothly. 

‘Sit here. Sit in your spot, love. Move those things-’ 

I put the stack of books at my feet. 

‘And how is Alex going?’ 

Which is the real question, isn't it, even when she leaves it unasked. The endless questions, filling in her days with thrusting dukes and shirtless cowboys and endless curiosity over other people's boyfriends.  

‘Yeah, well, he's- yeah. No, he's good.’  

She gives me a look. And harrumphs. ‘What you need is a real man. One who treats you properly and makes a bit of an effort with himself.’  

‘Like Jack the Excessively Groomed Cowboy?’ I pick him up and read the back cover. ‘Sorry, Chuck the cowboy. The brooding rancher next door is about to change Gillian's quiet life forever. Can she tame his wild bachelor's heart? Blah de blah.’

‘Don't you be a snob. There's nothing like a good romance to pick you up.’

I put it down. ‘It's a bit different from the novel I'm reading for this assignment.’ I say it more breezily than I should.

‘Oh? Go on then. What’s your one about?’ 

‘Well.’ I sit back. ‘There's this girl who's in rehab for her broken back and her father is being blackmailed. He's a drug dealer. It's Danish. It’s-’

‘Any romance?’ 

‘She falls in love with her boyfriend's brother, who's a detective, and she-’

‘Ah, torn between two men. Any sexy bits?’ 

‘Uh, kind of.’ Thinking quickly, because it's tricky to explain the Scandinavian Noir context of the nude ice-fishing scene. ‘Just, you know, frustrated but not going anywhere.’

‘Hmm. Mine sounds better.’

‘Chuck the Impossibly Tanned? Or this one, the Duke of--’ I check-- ‘Really? Notchester?’

I flip it open. ‘Sheba arched her back luxuriously as the Duke ran lascivious fingers down her flushed throat towards the boundless promise of her bountiful breasts.’ She's going all out, this-- Mirabelle Thorne? That's a terrible pen-name.’

‘I've had a few of hers. She does nice historical ones with lords and that.’

‘Aha, look at this bit. Thrusting with gasping impatience between her yada yada. Thrusting, I told you.’ 

Nan looks at me, waiting. I haven’t told her. 

So I tell her. 

She raises a sparsely pencilled eyebrow. ‘You judge the whole lot on one bleeding word? Snob.’

‘I'm not a snob.’

‘Snob.’

‘Don't say that, romances just aren't my thing.’

‘Well, what does that say about you? Can't appreciate the budding love of two young people.’

‘Two or possibly more young people. This one has a heart-wrenching choice between the man who adores her and the man who desires her. One of them's a doctor. Oh. Anatomy of the Heart. I see. And the other one's-- really? An alpaca breeder. What kind of a choice is that?’

‘The doctor's job is to be the rich bastard and the other one's her true love.’ Nan glares over her mug. 

‘No, actually, I think the doctor’s poor. The alpaca breeder's fairly well-off.’ I’m skimming through it. 

‘Well, that's probably true. You seen what they're charging for an alpaca cardigan? Bleeding rip-off merchants.’

‘She shivered at the memory of his efficient fingers. Efficient--' 

‘What you need to do is, you need to sit your Alex down with a couple of nice romances and give him an idea of what you want. Give him a role model. Young lads these days don't have any role models, all these single mums and feefo workers.’ 

She might have meant FIFO. Which may or may not have been a snipe at both my brother and my mother in one handy package. 

‘Who says I want this?’ I look down at the cover artwork, which shows both the devilishly rumpled doctor and the rosy-cheeked alpaca man. Which one has the efficient fingers? 

I put the book down. ‘Thanks for the tea, Nan. I'd better get a move on with this assignment. Do you want me to cook dinner tonight?’

Nan finds her place in The Duke of Notchester, picking up the story mid-kiss. ‘No thanks, pet. We've got some spaghetti bol left from last night. If leftovers aren't beneath you.’

‘Sounds fine.’

I take the last chocolate cream biscuit when I leave. 

When I come out of my room later to get my reheated spaghetti, I’m not that much further along with my work. I’m still replaying Dr Chase's critique of my draft: unfocused and derivative, showing only a surface understanding of the criteria required. 

Yeah, well. 

Nan’s watching some cooking show on TV; a wok full of hot prawns and a posh summery voice. 

I contemplate the gap between the dinners we all tell each other we're eating and the actual dinner, the one in my hands.  

And take the plate back to my desk to eat. 

It isn't a desk, it's a card table in the corner, below the clock and the Johnny Cash calendar. I've wasted plenty of time on this assignment already. It’s time to get serious. 

I contemplate the gap between the romances that we read and the actual boyfriend, who’s totally committed babe but just super busy right now. 

Does the novel's idiosyncratic narrative style add interest to the text, or is it a distracting literary conceit? 1200 words. Use examples. 

I go back to the kitchen for a biscuit. All the chocolate creams are gone.

Nan’s watching something about celebrities eating cockroaches.

When I get back to my desk I discover that the assignment still hasn't written itself. 

Twenty-four and a half minutes or so later, I find myself chewing on my pen and I’m swearing because it's an expensive one-- I bought it for myself in the hope that it will inspire me to write better. Or more. Or more better. I can't tell if it's worked yet, but the pen’s starting to look ratty. 

She shivered at the memory of his efficient fingers. Was his mind elsewhere, as he performed with admirable though robotic fervour? 

I go back out to the lounge, which is empty of either cats or Nans. I find Anatomy of the Heart sitting on top of Holiday in Heaven and open it somewhere in the middle. 

He watched her through narrowed eyes. Does he find her as one-dimensional as we do? She raised her face, lips parted in surprise, closer to him than-- 

‘Pet?’

‘What?

Nan’s calling from the kitchen. 

‘Tea?’

‘No, thanks.’

I go back to my room. The book is still in my hands. 

This one wasn't written by Mirabelle Thorne, I don't have to check the cover to know that. 

I check the cover.  

April Winter. There’s a definite touch of dryness to her humour; the pseudonym, the title. Or is it a him? It could be. It could be anyone. I've heard a few tales of prestigious authors who churn out romances to stay busy while they wait to get famous. Or to pay bills, between critically acclaimed works that nobody wants. 

I sit down again and open it. It’s a romance, yes. The strong-willed city girl who thinks she’s in love with the wealthy country-boy alpaca farmer until she meets the handsome, serious, magnetic, penniless local doctor. Small town. Impossible choice. Whatever. The plot’s predictable and the woman isn't worth the Chapter Eight punch-up over her. 

But there’s something about it. Something sly, indefinable. The alpaca man is so smug, and the woman so exhaustingly feisty- when the doctor finally wins her, the town rejoices but I am left uneasy. The doctor has a coolness, a detachment. Even as he's declaring his love to her in the moonlit garden behind the old pub he's keeping something back. He's playing a game. 

I wonder if a sequel would unravel this, but of course: romance novels don't have sequels. She gets her man and there's no more to say. 

I get out my phone and do an internet search for April Winter, author. Anatomy of the Heart is her only book. Maybe she has other pseudonyms. Other names, under which she slips strange and unsettling love stories into the world. Or is it a he? 

The clock says eighteen past two in the morning. 

I pick up my pen and begin to write 1200 words on the gap between the type of text that makes a writer look intellectual and the actual books that keep you sitting up reading at your card table, far into the night. 

I use examples. 

*************************************************

[istolin]

Character Details | Istolin de Saillonaux

Also an LFRP post I guess.

Pronunciation:  Is-toe-lin duh Sai-on-oh

Nicknames: Isto, Snow White.

Height: Six fulms, nine ilms.

Age: Thirty-one.

Zodiac: 14th Sun of the First Umbral Moon (Feb 14th), Aquarius by our zodiac.

Languages: Fluent in Old Ishgarian, Eorzean Common. Has some very basic grasp on Sharlayan from studying astromancy. Knows a tiny bit of Hingan but his pronunciation is utterly deplorable.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

Hair colour: Naturally white as snow.

Eye colour: Pale blue, often slightly reflecting the colors of his surroundings.

Skin tone: Very pale.

Body type: Broad shoulders, narrow waist. He is very well toned, with little in the way of body fat from diet and exercise. Though his muscle is more on the compact size, built not only from years as an Ishgardian knight, but also a dancer.

Accent: Ishgardian, particularly the Pillars.

Dominant hand: Left hand.

Posture: Proper, upright and confident. He carries himself with poise and dignity at all times, whether at a social gathering with the nobility of his homeland, or a tiny bar in Thanalan.

Scars: Several faded scars from years of active service in the military, but only one of note that yet visibly mars his skin: deep talons slashing from below the ribcage at his left side, all the way to the right corner of his hip.

Tattoos: None as of yet, but he would not be opposed to the idea. Piercings on the other hand, he has his left ear pierced as well as both nips. 👀

Most noticeable features: A beauty mark beneath the corner of his left eye.

CHILDHOOD.

Place of birth: The Pillars of Ishgard.

Hometown: Again, Ishgard.

Birth weight / height: 8 ponze, 11 onze / 20 ilms.

Manner of birth: Unexpected. Thankfully, a few maids working in the Saillonaux Manor at the time were well versed in childbirth, and assisted in delivering the baby without incident.

First words: "Boco,“ presumably "chocobo”.

Siblings: Avreanne (eldest sister), and Thierry (younger brother).

Parents: Lady Mirabelle and Lord Arthurioux de Saillonaux.

Parental involvement: Both parents encouraged him to follow his creative passions. However, as his mother nurtured them gently, providing more emotional support, his father pushed him constantly, hiring the best - and strictest - tutors to ensure whatever interests his son held, he would become not just good, but great.

ADULT LIFE

Occupation: Current head of House Saillonaux, effectively making him the chairman of the Saillonaux Tea Emporium as well as his family’s personal affairs.

Current residence: Ishgard, though regularly stays in Thanalan, especially after opening a new branch of the tea shop.

Close friends: None of note; he gets along well with all, but lets few in so closely.

Relationship status: Single.

Financial status: Wealthy enough that wants and needs are entirely met.

Driver’s license: A chocobo license.

Vices: Sex and liquor.

SEX & ROMANCE.

Sexual orientation: Homosexual.

Romantic orientation: Demiromantic.

Preferred emotional role:  submissive | dominant | switch  |  unsure

Preferred sexual role:  submissive  |  dominant  |  switch |  sex repulsed

Libido: Very high.

Turn on’s: Rough play, restraints, performing oral, foreplay, teasing, orgasm control, light choking, biting, hair pulling, temperature play, spanking.

Turn off’s: Cruelty, suffering, degradation, blood, death, torture.

Love language: Thoughtulness: spending time with his beloved, taking them on dates to places he thinks they would like; nothing extravagant, just small, intimate, for themselves and not to be seen. Bringing their favourite sweets home. A gift that may not be lavish, but a personal memento.

Relationship tendencies: Absolutely adoring and doting, but will not abandon his own responsibilities. Istolin is one to fall in love fully and completely, though when talking to the object of his affections before a relationship has begun, he often keeps his feelings to himself until he can keep quiet no more, leading to some very abrupt confessions. Should the confession be accepted, he will speak freely from the heart, on love, pleasures, and the future with his partner.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Hobbies to pass the time: What little free time he has is dedicated to dance (primarily ballet), writing (lyrics, poetry), exercise (jogging, yoga, and fencing), and music (playing and composing).

Mental illnesses: PTSD as a result of wartime trauma.

Physical illnesses: Food sensitivities due to the injury that nearly cost him his life. Much of his stomach and intestine were damaged, and as a result, a fair number of foods can affect him poorly, ranging from a mildly cranky tummy, to throwing up.

Left or right brained: Right brain.

Fears: Deep water, the death of a loved one, violent conflict, the undead.

Self confidence level: Quite high, though sometimes quietly doubts himself.

Vulnerabilities: His heart.

Tagged by: @thorcatte Tagging: Everyone interested! Please tag me so I can see your babs!

@mooglemeet @crystalxivrp

[dndeviants]

A Nasty Bite

Jeeves had pulled Aric aside as he was gaining his senses in this new place. He didn't particularly care about the stranger that had come to greet them, preferring to stick close to the shadows.

Jeeves examined Aric’s bite. The wound was turning black, and it looked worrisome, "My lord... are you doing alright?"

“I feel... strange. I think i'm getting sick...” Aric looked nauseated and trembled.

Jeeves frowned at the bite and began to search through his pack, throwing together a quick disinfecting salve. He applied it to the wound after washing the area with water from his canteen. He dressed the area in bandages and murmured to himself, “Damned beasts. You were lucky you only escaped with a bite... but...” 

He sighed, "I think... if I recall correctly... werewolves are cursed monsters... and you can become a werewolf just from a bite."

Aric thought for a moment. From everything he could gather from folklore, it seemed that what Jeeves said was true... Even a man who is pious and says his prayers at night may become a wolf when the full moon shines bright... He looked up at the moon: a waning crescent just beyond the half moon. 

I have maybe a week before the full effect of the curse can take hold... Aric sat in stunned silence.

"My lord?"

Jeeves’ concern drew Aric to the reality at hand. Aric felt numb, “So... I’m going to be a werewolf? That’s going to be hard to explain when we return.’”

"There has to be something we can do... just like any disease... there has to be a cure, and there has to be time to find one. But if not..."Jeeves crossed over his heart,"Your secret will be safe with me. No one shall have to know."

“Yes, for now i think that's best...”Aric stood, grimacing in pain as his shoulder began to sting, “Maybe we will find a cure in this place.Where are we exactly?”

Jeeves stood with Aric and looked at the moon,"I heard 'Barovia' mentioned quite a few times... that gentleman also welcomed us...” he looked down the road, and saw no sign of Linda, Ruki, or the gentleman, “..and left us it seems. The village is just up ahead... there has to be a doctor... and perhaps information to the rings as well."

Aric clutched at his shoulder, “Let’s head there, but no doctor until we know who we can trust.”

 "Of course my lord,” Jeeves nodded, “We can never be too careful... especially if Mehmet is involved too... do you think he is a werewolf as well?"

“Honestly...” Aric thought of what they knew... stealing the rings with help of the Pershakahl... “He would do anything for power, so its possible,” Aric assessed.

Jeeves offered his hand in support, "In any case, we'll keep our situation quiet. Now, let's find an inn, or... something."

Aric grunted, taking Jeeves’ arm in support, “An inn and a bed sounds good right now.”

Aric and Jeeves hobbled down the street into the village. It was quiet and dark, but they could hear unsettling sounds... like movement in the dark houses... especially at a time when people should be sleeping. Nonetheless, they continued onward toward the center of the village, where they saw the only building still lit. A hanging wooden sign proclaimed: “Blood o’ the Vine Inn.”

Aric looked up at the sign that creaked slightly when it hung, “I guess they sell wine?”

Jeeves shrugged and let Aric stand by himself, "I'm fairly certain... but let us hope they have a room..."

Jeeves opened the door for Aric. They entered the Inn and studied it quickly. They found empty tables where someone had recently left, gold coins resting on one surface. Another table held empty wine bottles and dirty glasses. Three women with darker skin and black curly hair, dressed in colorful array sat at one of the tables. They spoke among themselves in a different tongue, and appeared to be making comments in regard to a card game they are playing. Chairs are in disorder all around the tables, and a man polishes glasses absentmindedly behind a bar.

Aric tiredly turned to Jeeves, “Can you see about getting us a room?”

Jeeves nodded and approached the barkeep, "Excuse me, but we are weary travelers, and we seek shelter for the night. How much will a room be?"

Jeeves waited for the man to respond, but the man continued to polish a glass, staring straight forward.

Jeeves looked back to Aric in confusion. Aric shrugged, then grimaced in pain for the gesture. Jeeves looked back to the man and spoke a little louder,  "Ahem. Excuse me? How much for a room?"

The man continued to polish absentmindedly. The ladies giggled amongst themselves, before one of their number addresses Aric and Jeeves, "You'll have to excuse him... Barkeep Arik isn't much of a conversationalist."

Aric glanced sideways at Jeeves, “That can't be good for business,” he looked over to the woman who spoke, “So who do we speak to about getting a room then?”

The lady shrugged "That would be Arik. But he's asleep right now-" she indicated the barkeep who was absentmindedly polishing glasses, "You could just grab a room and pay later. It makes no difference to him..." 

She looked Aric and Jeeves up and down, smirking, "A little far from Calimshan, are we?"

Aric eyed the woman with suspicion, “I guess that would depend on where we are exactly.”

She made a flippant gesture, "A little to the left of the Prime Material plane... so not far in cosmological terms... however, in mortal views... you are in a different world from your own... No longer in Toril... but the Plane of Shadow."

As Aric was contemplating on that new information, the woman swiped her cards off of the table, and shuffled them into her deck. She walked over to Aric and sat at a new table, spreading the strange cards in front of him.

 "Would you like your fortune told?"

“The plane of shadow,” Aric spoke softly, “I thought traveling the planes was difficult, how did we get here? Will my fortune tell me that?”

The woman smiled cryptically, "It might. You'll just have to see."

“I guess there's no harm in it,” Aric pulled a chair out and sat in front of the woman.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am Alenka...” she gestured to the other women, “These are my sisters, Mirabel, and Sorvia. And this..." she indicated the deck, "Is a tarroka deck." 

She flipped over a card, revealing a macabre image on the other side. To Aric, it looked as if there was a skull encased in a cloche, resting on a pedestal. The card proclaimed its name: “Artifact.”

 "You are here because something of great importance was lost,” Alenka interpreted, “ You seek to get it back. You were brought here..."

She flipped over another card. This one was the “Diviner.” It showed a picture of a wise woman sitting at a table, holding cards not so dissimilar from the ones Alenka called tarokka. 

"... By one of our own, it seems. A Vistana like ourselves. She will aid you on your quest," She looked up at the genasi, "Would you like to know where your treasure lies?"

Aric's stomach lurched with anticipation. Already, this woman was very accurately outlining his situation he was in. The more information he could gain, the better. “That would be very helpful, yes,” he replied, working diligently to contain his emotion.

Alenka squeezed her eyes shut, and muttered something to herself, seeming to focus entirely on her deck. Aric eyed every card that she drew and placed face down on the table. One card, two, three, four... eleven in all, spread in the shape of a “V” with Aric at the bottom point.

She flipped over the card at Aric’s top left, the Paladin, "A man of honor has stumbled across one of your treasures. He seeks to restore the village to order, and faith. Aid him in his endeavor, and he will return what was lost to you."

The next card she chose was at the Abjurer, at Aric’s top right, "There is an order here, kept imprisoned by the Land itself, doomed to repeat history, lost to light. Return their once holy order to the light, and what you seek will fall before you."

Hooded One, was under the Paladin. The Vistana paused at this one, "Ah, it seems that enemies are conspiring against you even now... but is it better to stick with the Devil you know? Or the Devil you do not? Either way you choose, when confronted with the choice, what you seek will be yours."

The Enchanter was beneath the Abjurer, "Ah, this is a sad one...” Alenka spoke softly, “A sad story, told over and over again... all the endings are the same, but different. Go to the ruins, and seek out her monument. The master of the marsh will know what it is you seek."

Her hand followed the line of the left, and drew the friendly looking Guild Member, She chuckled, "It seems a shopkeep found something, but doesn't know its true worth. Whatever price you have to pay will be trivial to its value, but he may be persuaded to give what you seek to you- if you aid him. Go to the town of silver... there is where you will find him."

Shepherd was the sixth card revealed, "It seems that a humble family has stumbled across an ill-fated treasure... they are in danger, but you can rescue them and claim your reward."

The Missionary was the seventh, "It seems that there is a Missionary in Barovia. He seeks to return light to all of it, but in bringing in light, he has fallen to darkness. Deal with him, and you will find your prize."

So close to the bottom of the point, she flipped over the dashing Rogue, "Some people are not who they appear to be... birds of a feather will flock together, and if you prove yourself to their flock, they will help you find what you seek."

The last card on the left line was the Conjurer, "A dangerous woman has what you seek... she lurks in the marshes and will be loathe to part with her prize. Deal with her how you must, her obsession has changed her."

The Wizard was the last card on the right, "A man of learning, a man of a haunted past... he hides in his tower, plotting, planning to use what you seek in order to gain control over the dark influences in his life... Persuade him to part with his unhealthy obsession, and the treasure will be yours."

The card at the very end of the point flipped over. The Charlatan was revealed, its mischievous face hiding behind a wicked mask. Alenka paused, “Ah, there is a man here... one of many secrets, one of malice... he has the last of the treasures, and he will not part with it so easily. He has one last trick up his sleeve. Don't fall for it..."

She took the cards up suddenly, and shuffled them back into her deck, "I hope this helped."

Aric sat shocked at the motion, and had to take a moment to gather himself. “That was very specific, thank you for your help. Is there anything i can do in return?”

Alenka stroked her chin in thought, "Well perhaps. Whenever you leave the village, you can visit the Tser Pools, and speak with Madame Eva. She is the raunie, the leader of our people. She is always helpful to strangers, and I have a feeling that you will need her help with your enemies. Oh, and you could hand me those coins on the table there... your friend Vasili left it to cover his guests’ various expenses. I'll make sure your room... and my services... are covered."

Aric stood up and moved to pick up the coins laid out on the table. How no one had already stolen them was beyond Aric, but he was grateful not to have to spend his own limited funds while in this place. 

He handed the coins over to Alenka, asking “Are you sure that will be okay?”

Alenka nodded, "Lord Vasili is a... very close associate of the Vistani people. We regularly do errands and business for him..." She counted the coins out, and handed  Aric a spare gold piece. 

She nodded to Aric, "That should cover everything."

“Thank you again for your help...” Aric stood up and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He grunted and spoke to the Vistana, “I think my friend and I will go to our room now...”

Alenka looked over to his bandaged shoulder, nodded and pointed up the stairs, "First one to the left. That one is available."

Jeeves thanked her quietly, and waited for Aric to steady himself. They walked up the stairs and into the room that the helpful Vistani woman indicated. They found the room to be quite modest, having only two wooden cots and a dresser. A small pipe ran through the room to put out heat. There was also only one small, square window that revealed the village outside, and the drapes that were beside it appeared to have once been red... but have since faded and were now very moth eaten.

“Not exactly the nicest place we've stayed, but it will do I guess...” Aric sat down on the closest cot, eager to get some rest.

Jeeves set down his pack on the other cot, "We are just lucky we had all our effects before all that mess happen. Could you imagine if we left anything at the other inn?"

“I'm sure we could have found replacements,” Aric swept his feet off the floor and laid down on the cot.

Jeeves opened his pack and checked his supplies, "Not sure if any of it could be easily replaced, save for maybe clothes. But wyvern toxins? I'm not so certain...” Jeeves looked over to Aric, seeing him hold on to his shoulder, "Does the bite hurt still?"

Aric pressed his wound a bit, “Only a dull ache now, thank you for treating it.”

Jeeves noded and paused, thinking about the circumstances. He looked out to the moon hanging in the sky, and did not quite whisper, "How much time? How much time do you think you have before you're stuck a monster?"

Aric sighed, “I don't know for certain. The full moon is in about a week. I'd imagine ‘til then.”

Jeeves is quiet as he looked out the window. After a long moment of thought, he proclaimed,  "No matter what, I am still sworn to protect you with my life. I have no intention of abandoning my vows. I just thought you'd like to know..."

“Thank you,“ if nothing else, Aric could always count on Jeeves’ loyalty.

Jeeves laid down on his cot, "Now, what to do about Mehmet?"

“I don't know,” Aric admitted, “He willingly walked into the fog that brought us here. It seems like he may know something we don't. He has the upper hand for now.”

"But, if what Alenka said is true, we have information on the rings that he doesn't. So, we also know something that he doesn't. So, I suppose we are back on even grounds."

Aric mused, “That's true, assuming her information is correct. I wasn't expecting such specifics when she offed to tell my fortune. although how we arrived on a different plane is still a mystery...”

 "She said the plane of shadow, right?" Jeeves shuddered.

Aric leaned over to face Jeeves, “Yes, do you know anything about it?”

He shook his head, and laughed, "Absolutely nothing, but it doesn't sound good!"

“No, it doesn't,” Aric agreed, “I guess we'll be stuck here for a while.”

"If there is a way into something, there is a way out," Jeeves closed his eyes, yawning, "We'll figure this out. And stop Mehmet from doing... whatever it is he's doing..."Jeeves covered his mouth to stifle another yawn,  "I suppose rest is the best thing to do now."

Aric felt his eyelids grow heavy, “Yes, goodnight Jeeves,” he let the fatigue finally wash over him, and take him into a restful sleep.

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 11-12

Aka the last of the preview bits! 

After this post, we’re in completely new territory.

Are you excited? I’m excited.

Chapter 11

We’re introduced to a woman named Nor Solis, who is the queen of Xen Ptera, the planet that’s, like, super shitty.

It used to be a beautiful “kingdom” (well, it’s a planet, but go on), but now it’s all gone to shit because their varillium mines ran out of juice. We’re talking constant earthquakes and acid rain and all that jazz, which makes me wonder how the population survives and why they don’t just move somewhere else, but I guess we’ll find out.

Actually, with the new addition to the ahem ... “lore,” and I use that term loosely, we find out that once their varillium ran out, Nor’s father had turned to the other systems for help, and they all refused to “offer enough,” which then lead to a war that was so hardcore that it’s now called the “Cataclysm” and which apparently fucked up the ecosystem and atmosphere of the entire planet.

The wording also implies that once they were out of varillium, the people literally started starving and disease started spreading easier. Did ... did they eat the varillium? How the fuck did they survive before the discovery of varillium? I can see their trade and status in the galaxy suffering massively, but why did their people start dying?

Literally all of this sounds like complete and utter nonsense. 

Flowers ceased to bloom, and real water was now a dream as artificial water tablets took its place.

Artificial ... water ...... tablets ....

I don’t .... I don’t think that’s how that works .......

As Nor is angsting about how terrible things are, some cyborg girl comes in to disturb her.

A girl in the doorway was half Xen Pterran, with smooth, tanned skin, and half metal parts, a whirring gear where her heart should be. A wonderful find, the girl, plucked from the streets of a collapsing sector of this damned city.

A cyborg girl stood in the doorway, patches of metal spiraling across her burned skin, a whirring gear where her heart should be. She was one of the few who had been saved from radiation exposure even after it had done its damage.

Why is their race of people named after their planet like it’s a country?

I mean ... I guess you could call a human an earthling but not without looking like an actual alien.

Update: As you can see, this has been edited, along with the color of her skin. Also I don’t think you can be saved from radiation exposure if your entire planet is radioactive, especially not after it’s done its damage, because once that’s happened, everything is radioactive. Which, on top of the radioactive soil ... They’re all like, double radioactive at this point. I don’t even know what the word means I’ve used it so much. 

Nor flips her shit that this servant did what servants are supposed to do and entered her quarters.

Nor had always loved the sound of her own voice  -- powerful, yet pure all at once. A voice that brought even the strongest, bravest men to their knees. A voice that could make heads roll, should anyone speak a word against her.

More SJM influences, I see. Is this our BIG BAD BITCH?

Watch as Andi and Nor are described exactly the same way but Andi is arbitrarily better because Shinsay says so.

Seriously, switch out “Nor” for “Andi” and that sentence could’ve been more wank about how great and badass Andi is.

Nor cast a glance backwards. The sharp, spiked collar of her midnight gown stabbed at her throat, but she relished the pain.

It reminded her of the pain she would soon inflict.

What?

She’s wearing a collar? Is this supposed to show how weird and kinky and evil she is? I don’t mind that, kinky people are literally the fucking devil, but it’s still pretty weird.

Update: This has been removed and I am deeply disappointed.

But it’s okay, Shinsay. You may have removed my favorite bits now, but I have another 80+ chapters to comb through, and this time, you can’t edit shit.

Whatever. Nor goes to the person who called for her.

“You think so highly of yourself, Darai, that you summon me to your quarters?” Nor hissed.

Why’d you come then, you fucking idiot?

1) Darai is implied to be below her in rank (he’s her advisor), so the fact that he even did this in the first place makes no sense.

2) If you think you’re superior to him, and you are, why the fuck did you come when he summoned you?

3) Why couldn’t he just like ... send her a message? This is the future, yes? Why didn’t he just do the hologram thing like they do in the Avengers? It turns out that he doesn’t even have to show her anything, just tell her something, so this makes no fucking sense.

4) It also turns out that he’s delivering some pretty important info, which makes me wonder why the person didn’t just notify Nor directly instead of going through her advisor.

5) Couldn’t the servant girl deliver this message, if they’re so technologically impaired?

Does Shinsay not know of any other ways to show how eeeeevil Nor is?

We find out that something that Nor’s been waiting for for months now is in its final stages of development.

Superweapon? Superweapon.

Update: It’s now outright stated to be a weapon.

[...] “Then we should prepare ourselves at once.”

Darai stood from his desk, his long robes sweeping behind him like a curtain. “Highness Nor, if I may suggest…”

“Speak now, Darai Uncle, before I grow tired of you.”

If you want him to speak, why’d you fucking interrupt him you dumbass?

I dunno why they made Darai her uncle (though they’re not related by blood), since it didn’t change their interaction at all, but ok.

Darai tells her that timing is important and that they must wait until all pieces fall into place before making their move. Very ominous.

Nor out-edges him, though.

“The final piece is already in place,” Nor said, with a wave of her metal gold prosthetic hand. 

Seeing it only reminded her of the past. The explosions. The loss. The need for revenge that empowered her.

The past was what fueled her present.

[...]

“When we bring the galaxy to its knees,” Nor said, a smile slowly appearing onto her rouged lips, “I’d like to repaint this room. Perhaps, With the blood of every man, woman, and child who has ever lifted a finger against my planet.”

[...]

“Majesty. My dear” His voice was slippery, as if drenched in oil. “When we bring the galaxy to its knees, you can paint the entire palace in blood, if you wish it.”

Nor closed her eyes, and smiled.

She could see it, taste it.

And it pleased her.

Christ.

“The past was what fueled her present” is actually a pretty decent line, though I would suggest changing “was what” to “that” to make it smoother and fit with the line before it. 

I know Nor is supposed to be super evil and all that, but does she genuinely think that children have personally done something to hurt her planet? The war was fifteen years ago. Depending on how we define “children,” most were probably born after it already ended. 

Chapter 12

Andi is sulking around while the Marauder is being prepared for their mission.

Breck asks how Andi knows the general won’t betray them once they’ve delivered Valen, and Andi says that he made the Arcardian Vow, which is significant because:

The Arcardian Vow was as binding as two souls becoming one.

What does that ... mean?

No? All right. Who cares, I guess.

Andi angsts some more about how even if she wanted to return to Arcardius, it would never be the same and bla bla bla. 

Traveling to Olen had become a fool’s journey ever since The Cataclysm ended. There was still the peace treaty in place, preventing the massive Olen System, with its capital planet of Xen Ptera, from attacking the other Unified Systems of Mirabel. But those living in the Olen System weren’t exactly friendly with the Unified Systems.

You’re telling me ... that this system, whose capital planet is dead and whose people are starving and radioactive, is an active threat? 

I would’ve understood it if they had superweapons they could threaten people with and it was a North Korea type situation, but they’ve been specified to have nothing, and even if they do have secret weapons, the other systems aren’t aware of them, so logically, they should’ve just forgotten about them all and left them to rot.

Also, who cares if they’re not friendly with the Unified Systems? You’re pirates, specifically chosen because you’re not associated with the Unified Systems. On top of that, presumably you’ll be trying to sneak in anyway, so what’s the fucking dealio?

Gilly expresses skepticism about their odds and Andi’s response is:

“We can’t think of it like that. If we do, we’ll end up overthinking every move we make. It’s just another job. A grab and go.”

Yes, Andi. Overthinking. That’s definitely y’all’s biggest problem right now.

Gilly and Breck fuck off to check the new weapons. 

Lira stayed remained behind, watching Andi with those all-seeing Adhiran eyes. They’d been together the longest, shared countless stories over bottles of Cosmic Cram until their eyes became as glassy as the stars.

What does that even mean?

And can we stop reminding the audience of how DIFFERENT and ALIEN Lira is?

She’s Adhiran. We got it the first time you mentioned it. Trust me.

Lira says that she can tell Andi isn’t feeling great, and it’s “clear as varillium.”

I get it, Shinsay. You invented some indestructible glass for your cool space book. Can you stop mentioning it every five fucking seconds now? 

“I’m just in shock. Seeing Dex again after I thought he was gone for good...I stuck a knife through him, Lira. And now he’s come back to haunt me.”

If you stuck a knife through him, it kind of implies you were 100% done with the guy. You know, considering you tried to KILL HIM. I get being surprised that he survived (except I don’t, you didn’t even stay to make sure he was dead so of course there was a chance he’d survive you absolute moron), but this comes off as Andi not being over her ex, which is exactly what it is and it makes no goddamn sense.

Look at this ruthless murderer losing her cool because her cute ex-boyfriend is back and she still has fee-fees for him even though he’s a bad, bad boy!

Update: This has been changed to Andi just telling Lira that she needs time alone.

For once, she wasn’t positive what the next step would be, besides rescuing the general’s son. Beyond that was an expanse of complete uncertainty.

A death sentence pardoned. An entire planet waiting for her . But after all that had transpired and with the wounds she still held inside...could she ever really return?

So Andi doesn’t know what the next step would be, but is already planning her return to Arcardius? I don’t think rescuing the general’s son will be as easy as you make it sound, pumpkin.

I love how it says “for once,” as if Andi usually knows what to do at all times, right after we watched them do nothing but get defeated and captured for the first ten chapters.

Andi angsts and has some more flashbacks to when she was younger and wishes she’d just become a soldier like her father instead of a fancy Spectre:

Her earliest memories of their time together were of training days, bruised fists and bloodied knuckles.

I feel like bruised firsts and bloodied knuckles are essentially the same thing, but alright.

We find out that Andi had a TEMPER in school, because what’s a badass female character without anger issues (because emotions are the only acceptable motivations for a female character’s violence, you see), and that her parents put her in dance classes as a way to combat that (wut), and that’s how she met and befriended Kalee, and also why she was chosen to be her Spectre.

Alfie approaches Andi for no reason.

The android AI’s body was see-through, like the Marauder’s walls, and Andi could see all the gears and wires inside its body from head to toe, clicking and whirring silently, like an old-era clock.

1) How can it click silently? A click is a specific type of sound. Who edited this?

2) “Old-era?” That’s awfully specific. Too much worldbuilding! Tone it down!

3) What’s the point of making an android that doesn’t look human? 

Ah, so now they’ve removed the android thing, and it’s just an “AI” this time.

Anyway, apparently AIs were briefly banned because that’s what Xen Pterra used in their army, but now they’re back. Woo!

“Oh, I see you’ve met Alfie,” [Dex] said, looking between the two of them.

“Alfie?” Andi asked, confused by the name.

“It stands for Artificial Lifeform and I added the “ie” to make it less boring.”

“It stands for Artificial Lifeform Intelligence Emissary ,” the AI said, staring at Andi with those strange eyes. “But you may call me Alfie.”

And more stupid? They fixed it. 

And thanks for clarifying she was confused by the name, the context clues were just too subtle to pick up on!

[...] [Andi] turned around and sat back into her chair.

Dex crouched down next to her, lips level with her ear. “You know, you were a lot more fun three years ago.”

Is her chair embedded in the floor if he has to crouch to get their heads at the same level? Great visual.

Update, I can’t find the chair bit, but Andi is still sitting down and Dex is still crouching, so uh. Ya didn’t fix this one, Shinsay.

Andi gets all flustered when Dex is near her, and remembers the scar she gave him when she stole his ship.

Tenebran Guardians were known for taking pride in their battle marks, but the scar she gave him—whether it still existed or not—was not one he should be proud of.

“Whether it still existed or not?” Meaning you people do have technology that repairs skin? 

WHY IS ANDI STILL WEARING HER STUPID CUFFS THEN?!

What she also noticed was how her heart no longer fluttered like it used to when he looked at her. Her heart, the traitorous thing, fluttered for a moment like it used to when he looked at her. She used to love his eyes, their unspoken words. The feel of his skin against hers during their passionate nights,. but 

Now those thoughts made her cringe.

Oh sure. Of course. That’s why you think about how handsome he is and about all those passionate nights you had before. And why you’re worried that he’s back. Because you’re toooooohhhtahhhllly over him!! Makes sense.

You’re fooling nobody, Shinsay.

Update: Well, at least they’re a bit more honest this time. 

Dex says how it’s good to be back on his ship, to which Alfie responds that his records say that the ship belongs to Androma.

Which ... makes no sense. Alfie is the general’s assistant, meaning his records are most likely official documents. Andi stole the ship. Dex never transferred ownership of the Marauder to her. It should still belong to him.

Anyway, this doesn’t matter because it’s only there so Andi can have the last laugh, to which Dex doesn’t even react, so I don’t even know why this was changed.

Dex.

Even his name was poison in her mind.

Don’t you mean a blade of poison in her heart?

In a different time At another time in her life, Andi would’ve felt guilty for her coldness toward him. But that time was long gone.

“Felt guilty?!?!?!?” YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM!!!

ONCE YOU REACH THAT POINT, YOU’RE KINDA PAST GUILT AND REGRET, NO?!

Remember, she’s supposed to be hating him now, so the fact that she’s even considering guilt make no goddamn sense. She didn’t feel bad about killing him, she’s feeling bad that he’s back and she still wants to ride that space dick.

Or is she?

GOD I CAN’T EVEN TELL WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE FEELING OR WHY.

Now she was made of ice, too afraid full of anger to get close to him again, for fear that he’d melt her all over again from the inside out.

SEE?!

I FUCKING TOLD YOU SHE’S STILL NOT OVER HIM!!

Update: They fixed this too. Why didn’t you hire me as your editor if you’re gonna use my comments to make your book better, Shinsay?

He’d betrayed her, and so she’d betrayed him.

One shredded heart for another.

1) Edgy.

2) Can you ... just ... pick one. Do you hate him and feel no guilt or are you feeling sad and still want him?

And I know what you’ll say: “Oh but Eff, she could be feeling confused and conflicted!”

THIS ISN’T CONFUSED AND CONFLICTED. SHE COULD BE FEELING CONFUSED AND CONFLICTED AND I WOULD’VE THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE BECAUSE IT WOULD MAKE SENSE. RIGHT NOW, SHE’S HAMMERING ON ABOUT HOW OVER HIM SHE IS AND HOW SHE FEELS NO GUILT IN ONE SENTENCE, AND IN THE NEXT, SHE’S LUSTING OVER HIM AND TELLING US HOW SHE’S AFRAID TO FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM AGAIN.

AND WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT BOTH OF THESE FEELINGS ARE ONE AND THE SAME AND SOMEHOW MAKE SENSE TOGETHER.

I’m ... I’m tired.

Hearts were pathetic things, too easily broken. The Bloody Baroness couldn’t afford such a weakness. Especially not now that Dex was back at her side.

Edgy.

She’s still afraid she’ll fall in love again.

There would be another tally added soon, accompanying the others on her blades.

It had Dex’s name written all over it.

And now she wants to kill him again.

[soulstealer1987]

Arc 1, Chapter 10

Ziist Grozein

Morokei happens, and he completely abuses the Unrelenting Force shout. Yes, I know he can't use it in game, let me have some creative liberties here. Also... Labyrinthian is a dangerous place, and Morokei is quite deadly. Then again, he is a dragon priest...

Crossposted from AO3. Masterpost is here.

Arc 1: The Illusion of Memory

Arc 1, Chapter 9 ~ Arc 1, Chapter 11

Labyrinthian is, simply speaking, a nightmare. Gallus is fairly certain that he and the others would be dead several times over by now if it wasn't for Mirabelle, the ghosts of the past expedition are starting to die off, and to make matters worse, Gallus is starting to hear voices. More specifically, he's just begun hearing a single voice speaking a strange language that he doesn't quite understand (but something about it resonates with him, and he's not sure why.)

WO MEYZ WAH DII VUL JUNAAR?

“Did any of you hear that?” Gallus asks after the first time, and gets several confused looks as a result.

“Hear what?” Brelyna asks, and then both J’zargo’s and Mirabelle’s magelights go out, leaving them in total darkness. Even so, J’zargo can be heard swearing profusely in a mix of both Tamrielic and Ta’agra somewhere off to the left.

“Whatever that was,” Mirabelle says, somewhere behind the group (but that makes sense, she was taking up the rear), “it’s drained my magicka, and I doubt I’m the only one. Does anyone have a torch?”

“I do, somewhere,” Onmund says (he sounds closer to Gallus than he thought he was, oddly enough, maybe he’s moved). The sounds of rummaging through a pack can be heard, and then a triumphant ‘yes!’ “Found it… I can't light it without magic, though!”

“I've got some magicka potions somewhere,” Brelyna offers, “they're not much, but they’ll be enough to light it. Here.” Footsteps, and then a crashing sound. Brelyna curses.

“I’m alright,” Brelyna says quietly, “but I dropped the potion I was holding. It should be fine, assuming I can find it…” Suddenly, the cavern’s no longer completely black. Mirabelle’s cast a spell similar to Magelight, but much simpler, and therefore using up much less magicka. If Gallus remembers correctly, the main difference is that this version can't travel far from the caster, and unlike Magelight, it has to be maintained.

“We can’t risk being caught in the dark again,” Mirabelle says quietly. Brelyna nods, and scrambles for the now very visible magicka potion on the ground that's somehow not broken. She picks it up and passes it to Onmund, who, with a quick cast of Flames, lights the torch. The collective relief at having a non-magic source of light is felt by all.

“So,” Mirabelle continues, letting her Candlelight spell go out as she begins to speak, leaving Onmund’s torch as the only light source in the room. “Before we go any further, it would be wise to wait for our magicka to fully regenerate. However, it’s quite likely that whatever drained it this time can and will do it again, and if we’re caught in a situation where we can’t wait for our magicka to regenerate, we need to be able to defend ourselves so we don’t end up like the last group to come through here.”

Gallus is… a little surprised Mirabelle actually mentioned the spirits, come to think of it, but now’s not the time to dwell on it. Silently, he catches her eye and points to his already-drawn sword.

“J’zargo doesn’t need a weapon,” J’zargo says proudly. “J’zargo has claws.” He unsheathes them. Mirabelle nods.

“You certainly do,” she says, then looks to Brelyna (whose familiar disappeared with the magicka drain, Gallus suddenly notices) and Onmund. Onmund thinks for a moment.

“So… I’m a Nord, and while you all know magic is my thing, I know how to use a battleaxe… somewhat,” Onmund says sheepishly. “I could probably grab one of the ones the draugr were using and make do with that, if push comes to shove.” Mirabelle nods.

“We can’t be too careful here,” Mirabelle agrees. “Brelyna?”

“I have a Staff of Summon Familiar somewhere in here, and correct me if I’m wrong, but those work without magicka, correct?” Brelyna asks. Mirabelle nods once again. Actually, she looks almost impressed. “J’zargo probably has some more of those scrolls, but…”

“Let’s not use those,” Gallus cuts in. “Not unless we literally have no other options.” J’zargo might have looked offended, and likely could have looked offended, but instead, he shrugs lazily.

“That’s fair,” J’zargo says. “J’zargo does think he fixed them, but this one understands your reluctance. It’s not like you’d want to have a Flame Cloak any time in the near future that’s really effective against the undead.” Reluctance… right.

There’s reluctance, Gallus thinks, and then there’s knowing full well these scrolls work about as well as the last several batches and not wanting to be blown up with the draugr. Bit of a difference.

The group hasn't gone far before the voice speaks again, just after a door that had been frozen over up until J’zargo took a Firebolt to it.

NIVAHRIIN MUZ FENT SIIV NID AAZ HET.

Once again, Gallus is the only one that hears it, but everyone’s magicka is drained, again. How fun. Conveniently enough, it's then that a suspiciously powerful-looking draugr makes itself known with some sort of magic Gallus doesn't recognize, but is powerful enough to send J’zargo, who'd been taking up the lead up until now, flying into Onmund.

“What  was  that?” Brelyna asks, quickly going for her staff and summoning a familiar. “Does anybody-?”

“I might have some idea,” Mirabelle says as Gallus charges in with his sword at the ready. The draugr’s cold, dead gaze meets his, and it whispers something in that same, strange language that the voice was speaking in mere moments before Gallus’ sword finds its gut and it crumples, hopefully to stay dead this time around.  Unslaad krosis. Gallus doesn’t know what that means, and he’s not certain he wants to find out.

“I’m not certain,” Mirabelle continues slowly, “and I can’t be certain because I’ve never heard it spoken before, but that may be what’s called a Shout. Onmund is likely more familiar than me with the concept.” Onmund nods from his position on the ground, and quickly gets up.

“If you mean the Thu’um, yes,” Onmund says. “The ancient Nords considered it a gift from Kyne… we’d know her now as Kynareth. Only the Greybeards know how to Shout now, and it takes decades of training to master it. Well… the Greybeards and Ulfric Stormcloak. I remember hearing that he was in training to become a Greybeard before the Great War, except that the Greybeards are pacifists.”

“The Greybeards are pacifists?” J’zargo asks, and Onmund nods. J’zargo snorts, amused. “J’zargo thinks it’s no wonder Ulfric Stormcloak didn’t get along with them.”

“Yeah… anyway. Shouts are supposed to be in the dragon language. I think it’s called… um…”

“Dovahzul,” Brelyna supplies as her familiar’s time on Nirn expires and it returns to Oblivion.

“Yeah, that,” Onmund agrees. “Also… I remember hearing that if you have the blood of a dragon, if you’re Dragonborn, you can Shout without training. Something like that, anyway.”

“That’s about as much as I know as well,” Mirabelle says, then glances to Gallus, who’s sheathed his sword for now. “Gallus, you said you were hearing a voice, right before our magicka was drained… was it speaking Dovahzul?”

“Yes,” Gallus says immediately, without really thinking about it. Then, he frowns. “I… think so, anyway.” Naturally, the voice chooses then to begin speaking again, except this time, it’s in Tamrielic.

YOU DO NOT ANSWER… MUST I USE THIS GUTTURAL LANGUAGE OF YOURS?

“It just spoke again,” Gallus says. He attempts to summon a quick Fear spell, and isn’t particularly surprised when it fails. “Not in… Dovahzul, this time. Looks like it still has the same effect.”

After waiting a minute for everyone’s magicka to regenerate, the group continues on through the ancient city (or, as J’zargo aptly put it, the ancient death trap with magicka-draining bullshit in case the death trap part wasn’t enough). The magicka-draining voice speaks several more times before the next time the ghosts appear, this time with another party member dead, bringing their group down to four: the Argonian, the Nord, the Redguard, and Savos Aren himself. Fortunately, the current group is still at five members, and Gallus is hoping it stays that way.

“Come on, we can’t stop now,” the past version of Savos pleads. Grief is written all over his face, as well as the others, but in his eyes there’s a grim, steely determination that Gallus thinks might be what left him as the lone survivor. “We have to keep moving!” The Redguard, Atmah, nods, then realizes something.

“Where’s Elvali?” Atmah asks quietly, although if her tone is any indication, she already knows the answer. In a smaller voice, she adds, “She was right behind me.” The Nord shakes his head sadly.

“Dead,” he says. “Something grabbed her from behind. Gone before I could do anything.” The Argonian (who Gallus suspects will be the next to go, if her hopeless look is any indication) looks back the way they’d come.

“This is insanity,” the Argonian says tearfully, and no one disagrees. “We never should’ve come here.” Atmah nods.

“You’re right,” Atmah says so softly that it’s difficult to hear her. She too is grieving, but unlike Savos, there’s something else in her eyes: guilt. “This is all my fault. Should we turn around, head back?” The Nord winces.

“I don’t think going back is a good idea,” he says, and Gallus can guess why. From the sound of things, their group had barely survived the room with the skeletal dragon… and going back the way they came would mean most likely encountering the corpses of their now very dead friends at the very least, not to mention everything that tried to kill them before.

“Going back would be the end of all of us,” Savos says firmly. “We keep pushing forward, and we’ll make it. We will!”

“Come on, you can make it,” Atmah says encouragingly, and the Argonian hesitates, but nods. “Let’s go.” The ghosts disappear, and there’s silence.

“Savos was lying,” Mirabelle says in a small voice, earning shocked and surprised looks from everyone else. “He… never was a good liar. He knows… knew they all were going to die here.” She doesn’t mention the obvious follow-up question: how did he survive, if all the others died, and he thought he would as well?

Considering that the strange voice only Gallus can hear had mentioned Savos Aren a few times, and referred to him as an old friend, Gallus has a bad feeling that he might just know the answer, and he wishes he didn’t.

It’s not long before the current group comes to the final chamber, and a large, imposing iron set of doors with the unmistakable sound of something being cast on the other side. As if that alone wasn’t enough, it’s then that the group of ghosts make their final appearance, now minus the Argonian as well.

“We shouldn’t have left her there to die!” Atmah says as the three materialize, and something within the past version of Savos Aren snaps with that. His gaze hardens, and he turns and glares at her.

“What else could we do? Stay there and die with her?” Savos says, and while it’s painfully obvious he’s trying to stay strong for the sake of the others, it’s also painfully obvious he’s barely keeping it together. “She refused to go on, we didn’t have a choice!” Atmah glares back, and eventually the Nord, who’s been glancing anxiously between his companions and the door, clears his throat.

“This is it, you know,” the Nord says quietly. “Through this door. Can you feel it?” Atmah nods, and barely holds back a sob.

“We’re not going to make it, are we?” Atmah asks. While nobody answers, it’s quite clear that neither Atmah or the Nord think they’re going to survive, and considering that Savos Aren was the only survivor… they’re right.

“We stay together, no matter what,” the Nord says finally, looking between Atmah and Savos with a resigned look in his eyes. “Agreed?”

“I’ll be right with you,” Atmah says immediately. There’s hesitance (almost reluctance, actually) in Savos’ eyes, and Gallus can tell even before he opens his mouth that whatever comes out isn’t going to be entirely truthful.

“Agreed,” Savos says, masking his indecision with a glance at the door. “We all stay together.” All three disappear, and Gallus immediately looks to Mirabelle. She looks… shaken, at best, but she quickly regains her composure.

“Whatever is in there, more likely than not, will be able to kill us easily,” Mirabelle says grimly. “However, we do have one advantage: there are more of us then there was of them. Whatever is in there, it’s most likely what was draining our magicka this entire time, and it would be wise to assume it can and will do the same during this fight. No matter what, we have to get the Staff of Magnus back to the College, and this should go without saying, but be careful.”

Onmund nods solemnly, and hefts the strange magic battleaxe that he’d looted from one of the draugr. Brelyna readies her staff. J’zargo unsheathes his claws. Gallus already had his sword out, so he continues holding it in a defensive position as he casts a Rally spell for good measure. Electricity crackles in the air as Mirabelle readies some sort of lightning spell.

COME. FACE YOUR END.

“For the College,” J’zargo says, and before anyone can stop him, he leaps at the door, kicking it open. Gallus figures that’s certainly one way to get in, but… well, so much for any element of surprise. Then again, it’s debatable if they had any element of surprise to begin with, but it’s soon quite clear that they have a problem.

There’s something that looks suspiciously like a draugr - that is, if draugr can fly, are holding something that probably is the Staff of Magnus, and are trapped within some sort of barrier being maintained by… what look like mages, actually, two of them, casting perpetually from above-

Oh gods.

Before coming in here, Savos Aren had two companions. He escaped alone. Gallus had been expecting something along the lines of him leaving his friends to die, but this… this is better in some ways and far, far worse in others. Mostly worse, actually.

“By the Nine,” Onmund whispers from beside him. J’zargo’s stopped in his tracks, staring at the enthralled wizards in shock. Brelyna nearly drops her staff. Gallus isn’t certain how Mirabelle’s reacted, not until he looks her way and sees a look of grim determination.

“We can worry about the implications of… that, later,” Mirabelle says. “Right now, we need that barrier down, and we don't have time to figure out how to reverse that spell, if it even can be done.”

“Wait,” Brelyna says, quietly, “are you saying that-”

“Eliminate them,” Mirabelle orders. When nobody moves, she adds, “At this point, it's doubtful if they’re still in there. Even if they are, it would be a mercy to kill them. If no one else will do what must be done… I will.” This time, she doesn't wait for any of the apprentices. She casts a Chain Lightning spell that bounces between both of the enthralled wizards. One crumples, then the other, and the levitating draugr is free.

There's just enough time for Gallus to see the horror in Mirabelle’s eyes at what she'd done before their adversary Shouts - FUS RO DAH - and she's sent flying across the room, suddenly bringing their group down to four. It's then that Gallus finally sees the most significant feature of this… whatever it is: a strange mask, with slits for eyeholes and crudely hewn facial features.

“That's a-” Onmund begins, before shaking his head and taking a step back. “That's it, we’re all going to die, there's no way we can beat that-”

“Your confidence in us is appreciated,” Brelyna says dryly, raising her staff. Onmund shakes his head, and she hesitates.

“No, you don't get it,” Onmund whispers. “That's a dragon priest. I've heard stories…”

“Well,” J’zargo mutters, casting a Firebolt directly into the dragon priest’s mask for good measure (it brings a ward up a moment too late, but doesn't look particularly affected in the least), “J’zargo would very much like to know if those stories said anything about how to defeat them.” The dragon priest raises his staff - the Staff of Magnus - and J’zargo suddenly drops to his knees.

“He can only target one of us at a time,” Brelyna realizes. She quickly raises her own staff, and conjures in a familiar. It takes one look at the dragon priest and flees. “Wha- are you kidding me?”

“If he can only target one of us at a time, we need to attack all at once,” Gallus concludes. Brelyna nods, and charges up an electricity spell, albeit reluctantly. “But what's the weak point…?”

“The mask!” Onmund all but shouts. “It's… got to be the mask. The dragon priest masks were supposed to have powerful enchantments. Maybe… if we get the mask off…”

“J’zargo wonders if you could maybe hurry up a little,” J’zargo says dryly, having brought up his own ward. “J’zargo would really like to not be struck with that beam ever again, thanks.” Even as he says the words, it’s clear his ward is failing.

“Let’s get that mask off, then,” Brelyna says, and fires her spell. Onmund does the same, and Gallus catches the dragon priest in the mask with a Fear spell. It doesn’t do anything, the dragon priest is 1) too powerful by far and 2) undead, but Gallus figures it was at least worth a shot. J’zargo attacks as well, but by then, the dragon priest has his ward back up.

Gallus can faintly recall hearing somewhere (probably from Tolfdir or Colette) that wards are significantly more effective against magical attacks than physical attacks. Suddenly, he gets an idea.

Is it a terrible idea? Probably.

Is it better than nothing?

Definitely.

With little to no warning, he leaps at the dragon priest, sword at the ready. Unfortunately, ‘little to no warning’ is apparently more than enough warning for an undead super-draugr. It blocks his strike with the Staff of Magnus itself, and with a surprisingly quick swipe considering that its arms are more or less decomposing, it sends Gallus’ sword flying out of his grip. It falls to the ground with a clatter, just out of his reach.

Gallus has just enough time to think  oh shit  before he, too, is sent flying courtesy of another FUS RO DAH from the dragon priest and hits the wall next to the door they’d come in through. Needless to say, getting thrown against solid rock never goes well for the one being thrown, but at least he didn’t pass out this time.

His head throbs painfully, he’s fairly certain that he’s broken a rib, and it’s starting to hurt to breathe. It’s all he can do not to pass out right there. He’s already all but collapsed against the wall, and in truth, he’s surprised he hasn’t completely.

I don’t want to die, he realizes, and while he feels like there’s something else there, something else he should be adding, he doesn’t exactly have time to think on it. J’zargo, Onmund, and Brelyna are circling the dragon priest, all casting spells at it, all fighting for their lives. Gallus needs to get it together and get back in the fight as soon as possible, and he isn’t sure what happened to Mirabelle.

“We need a better plan,” someone says from not far, leaning against the same wall, and Gallus realizes a little too late that it’s Mirabelle. She… does not look good, but she does look determined. Slowly, she sets down her pack (so slowly that Gallus suspects it hurts her to do so) and rummages around within. “I… might have an idea, but we both need to be on our feet for it. Those scrolls you mentioned earlier, do you have any on you?” Gallus manages a nod.

“Somewhere, yes,” Gallus agrees, and somehow, he makes it to a sitting position. It’s not standing, but it’s not being collapsed on death’s door, either, and he’ll take what he can get. “You don’t want to use them.” Mirabelle finds what she’s looking for - a small red bottle, which she offers to Gallus as she summons the warm glow of Restoration magic to her other hand.

“I might have to,” Mirabelle says as she slowly begins to heal herself. Gallus downs the potion. “In any case, I’m… not as good with Restoration as I should be, but I can at least keep myself alive long enough to bring this thing down. That’s my last healing potion, by the way. Make it count. Now, what is it that these scrolls of J’zargo’s do?”

“Flame Cloak, extremely effective against the undead,” Gallus says as he pulls one out and offers it to her, albeit hesitantly. “I should mention that it will blow up in your face, and the more powerful the undead, the more powerful the explosion. It could kill you.” Mirabelle blinks hard.

“And unless you’ve got a better idea, that dragon priest can and will kill us all,” Mirabelle says firmly, taking the scroll as she glances over to where the others are still trying to fight said dragon priest, and thankfully holding their own for now. J’zargo’s retreated behind the others (but is still hurling spells at the thing where he can), Brelyna keeps summoning familiars with her staff (some of which actually fight and are sent back to Oblivion within seconds, some of which run for the door and dissipate as Brelyna tries to summon less cowardly ones), and Onmund is desperately blocking the Staff of Magnus’ beam with a ward that doesn’t look like it’ll hold much longer.

“Alright,” Gallus says, takes a deep breath, and stands. Mirabelle does the same. “What’s your plan?”

“Everyone, get back!” Mirabelle shouts as she opens the scroll, casting the special Flame Cloak on herself as a result. The other apprentices quickly oblige. Gallus casts Invisibility on himself from behind a stone wall, then creeps around the battlefield towards where his sword lies as Mirabelle casts Destruction spell after Destruction spell at the dragon priest, slowly advancing. Gallus picks up his sword, becoming completely visible as a result, and that’s the signal Mirabelle was waiting for.

She drops her ward, and runs at the dragon priest.

The resulting explosion sends both flying, because clearly there hasn’t been enough of that yet. Fortunately, the dragon priest lands near Gallus, and before it can get up, he proceeds to stab it through the (rotting, semi-decomposed, honestly kind of gross) chest. The dragon priest lets out a scream and goes limp. Just like that, it’s over. Just like that.

Gallus pulls his sword out, and tries to ignore the dragon priest guts now covering a good third of the blade. It’s disgusting, but he’ll have time to clean it later, so he sheathes it, and limps over to the others.

“By Azura, that was-” Brelyna shakes her head, and Gallus notices she’s on her knees, as well as leaning quite heavily on her possibly-defunct staff. “I thought… I thought we were all going to die for a minute there.” Onmund nods, and offers Brelyna a hand. She takes it.

“Me too,” Onmund says. “I can’t believe we actually… fought a dragon priest. And survived. My family would…” (Onmund frowns.) “They’d actually probably disown me again, if they could. Dragon priests weren’t supposed to be survivable.”

“Well,” Brelyna says quietly, “we showed that one.”

“J’zargo calls dibs on the mask,” J’zargo says far too cheerfully. “And the staff.” Gallus groans.

“I’m not helping you take the mask off,” Gallus says. “And we should probably-”

“Me either,” Onmund cuts in. J’zargo shrugs, and looks to Brelyna.

“Not a chance,” Brelyna adds.

“Fine, then, J’zargo’ll just do everything himself,” J’zargo says. He kneels down next to the newly re-killed dragon priest and proceeds to pry the Staff of Magnus out of its cold, dead hands. It doesn’t come easily, but once it does, the rest of the dragon priest dissolves into dust. Everything, that is, save the mask. “See? That wasn’t hard.”

“No,” Gallus agrees, “but is no one at all worried about the fact that Mirabelle was just thrown across the room again? And isn’t moving?” Fortunately, it seems he spoke too soon on that last bit, because while Mirabelle Ervine was, in fact, thrown across the room for the second time today, this time because of an actual explosion and not some voice magic bullshit, when Gallus glances over there he can distinctly see her shaking her head.

“I’m fine,” Mirabelle says. “You need to get back to the College, now. I’ll catch up with you later.” Gallus frowns, because something about this doesn’t seem quite right. Regardless, J’zargo nods.

“J’zargo will see you there,” J’zargo says as he slips the mask into his pack and picks up the Staff of Magnus. “Let’s go.”

While everyone else seems quite eager to get back to the College and stop Ancano (the Thalmor agent he sent to assassinate them on their way out of Labyrinthian doesn’t exactly help things), Gallus can’t seem to shake the feeling that something’s wrong. And so, just before heading back out into the snow and cold of Skyrim, he makes a hasty excuse about dropping something and goes back in.

As soon as he’s out of view of the others, he casts Invisibility, and slips back into the chamber where they’d fought the dragon priest as silently as he can manage (which is actually pretty damn quietly). It doesn’t take long to find Mirabelle again, and she  really  does not look good.

“I should have practiced my Restoration more,” she murmurs to herself, completely unaware of Gallus’ presence. (He feels a little bit like he’s intruding, actually, but too late now.) “Ah, well… too late for that.” She’s pressing her hand to her side, and even so, Gallus can see the slowly growing stain of red on her robes. Despite her quip to herself about practicing Restoration, somehow, he gets the feeling that no amount of Restoration magic could save her now.

Silently, he dismisses the spell, but considering that he’s literally standing right in front of her, it takes her maybe a second to glance up. Mirabelle looks remarkably unsurprised, considering.

“You know, then,” Mirabelle says, and Gallus nods. “You should get going. I’ve only bought myself a matter of minutes at most, and that’s being generous.” Gallus nods again, but instead of leaving, he crouches across from her.

“Nobody deserves to die alone,” Gallus says quietly. Mirabelle raises an eyebrow.

“Are you speaking from experience or something?”

“I don’t know,” Gallus says after a painfully long pause. “I wish I did. But regardless: nobody deserves to die alone. Not me, and certainly not you.” Mirabelle smiles sadly.

“Maybe I don’t,” Mirabelle says, “but life isn’t fair. If it was, Savos… would still be alive. And… I don’t know for certain who’s died, but it’ll be something of a miracle if he and I are the only casualties, not to mention ironic.”

“Ironic?” Gallus asks.

“Certainly, although… it wouldn’t be to you, or anyone but me, really,” Mirabelle says with a dry chuckle. “I… when I joined the College, I only cared about my magic. Since then… everything’s changed so, so much. I found love. And… I lost it, too. When you find love, do everything you can to avoid losing the one you love. I… didn’t do enough.”

Gallus nods, then realizes something. There’s only one mage who’s died recently that Mirabelle was close to, and if she and him were… that makes a lot of sense, actually.

“You loved Savos Aren,” Gallus says, and while the words sound harsh coming from him, Mirabelle nods.

“I did,” she says in a small voice. “I did, and I never told him. Don’t make the mistakes I have, because I never told him, and I wish I had.”

“You just did,” says the spirit that’s just shimmered into view next to Mirabelle. Gallus would have been able to tell who he was even if it weren’t for the small gasp from Mirabelle.

“But… really?” The ghost of Savos Aren asks, looking the most surprised that Gallus has ever seen him. “You actually… even after knowing everything I’ve done?” Mirabelle’s eyes glimmer with unwept tears as she nods.

“Always,” Mirabelle says, and Gallus takes that as his cue to re-cast Invisibility and leave.

It’s only when he’s almost caught up with the others that he realizes it might have been a good idea to ask Savos Aren what he’d known of him before his amnesia.

[coolseanobuseng]

New Post has been published on https://legitlover.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-overcoming-myths-about-men/

Everything You Need To Know About Overcoming Myths About Men

This article about everything you need to know about overcoming myths about men won’t disappoint.

Have you ever found yourself making the same mistake over and over simply because you didn’t know any better at the time?

We’re all human’s from time to time we unintentionally make the occasional blunder due to a bunch of mistaken assumptions running in the back of our mind.

These false beliefs keep us blissfully unaware that our ill-informed decisions will actually lead us to disaster!

And you know what? This isn’t a bad thing in itself because learning from our mistakes adds to our body of knowledge. However, wouldn’t you want to AVOID making these boo-boos if you COULD?

This is why you need to UNLEARN any incorrect notions that could cloud your better judgment.

Sometimes, it just takes another pair of eyes to identify the mindsets that could drive you towards perfectly preventable mistakes. Gain some fresh insight by going here:

https://www.meetysweet.com – Everything you need to know about overcoming myths about men.

How many times have you gotten into a situation that yielded bad results? Because you had the wrong ideas in mind?

Certain perceptions of men can mess up your chances of having a great relationship with them. When we assume given things about the opposite sex, your actions could PREVENT the relationship from going in a healthy direction.

Everything you need to know about overcoming myths about men.

Thus, let’s take a look at a couple of the most common myths about men which you need to steer clear of:

#1: Guys are into “low maintenance” women.

Actually, this wouldn’t be a problem if the term “low maintenance” wasn’t misconstrued in the first place. Oftentimes, when some misguided women hear this adjective, they equate it to having no opinion of their own. And being a complete PUSHOVER.

This attitude reminds me of the 1950’s housewife archetype often portrayed in TV sitcoms of the same era.

You know what I’m talking about: Sugary-sweet on the outside, but brimming with unspoken emotions on the inside.

She’s the one who’s afraid to mess up a perfectly good relationship by speaking up too much. This is the kind of girl who has regrettably shut off her ability to express her feelings in a healthy way.

Sadly, this glaring misconception is unconsciously driving many women to behave in a very NEEDY way. In the back of their minds, they take the idea of being low-maintenance to such an EXTREME. That they’ve become a mere shadow of their former selves.

Being ‘low maintenance’ in the truest sense of the word is defined by REALISTIC qualities.

This is a well-adjusted, reasonable person who doesn’t throw a fit when her partner unwittingly makes the occasional offhand remark.

(And I emphasize ‘OCCASIONAL’, as opposed to ‘habitually’, but anyway’)

This is also the kind of girl who can properly manage her feelings MOST of the time. And keeps emotional meltdowns to a reasonable minimum. When it comes to mood swings, low maintenance women don’t often have these and only under the most stressful of circumstances.

All in all, this is an ideal picture of what low maintenance is all about.

Therefore, it’s NOT about being so laid-back to the point where you’re frazzled and out of breath from trying to please a guy’s every whim’ ‘or even TOLERATE selfishness.

And being low maintenance is definitely a far cry from transforming into a disturbingly submissive version of yourself.

Remember, there’s a difference between a cool girl that doesn’t get upset over the little things’

‘and the emotional SLAVE who doesn’t have any purpose aside from sacrificing her dignity and independence in the name of ‘love’.

The mentality you should have is that a relationship is NOT the only thing you have going for you.

If you would make a map of your life right now, would you say it’s dominated by huge chunks of land exclusively reserved for a boyfriend?

Or does this map have equally allocated areas meant for your family, friends, career and hobbies?

Even though we’re always talking about how to get into a good, healthy relationship, you have to understand that this is only ONE PART of your multi-faceted self.

The SUM of your pursuits in life defines who you are.

If you build your universe around whether you’re single or not, your resulting actions will create a very unattractive impression of neediness.

You wouldn’t want anyone to believe that having a boyfriend is the ONLY thing that motivates you in life, right? You know you’re TOO GOOD to act like that.

Don’t get me wrong ‘ it’s WONDERFUL to have a partner who adores and respects you. That crazy rush you feel when you fall in love can greatly inspire you. To great things in the other areas of your life.

However, my point is that you should still retain a good sense of PERSPECTIVE when you *do* get into a relationship. What that means is that you’d be just as fine even if you didn’t have a boyfriend at the moment.

Life was just as fine before you met him, and may certainly leave if you’re not being treated the way you should be.

Of course, I don’t mean this in an arrogant way nor am I suggesting that our partners should be the pushovers instead!

Please leave the comfort zone of your relationship if it isn’t helping your personal growth.

Also, in no way should you cover up your true feelings by waiving your right to SPEAK UP if you need to (i.e. when the terms are unfavorable).

A good relationship is always a TWO-WAY street, so don’t let the low-maintenance myth (or rather, misconception) tell you otherwise.

You may want to try these Love Texts to send to him. They’ll show you everything you need to know about overcoming myths about men.

#2: Falling in Love is Eternal Bliss Guaranteed

The other common trap women fall into is the assumption that those butterfly-in-the-stomach feelings you first get when you meet someone will remain CONSTANT in the relationship.

However, this just isn’t going to happen. Even happily married couples who’ve been together for decades know that their initial infatuation for each other evolved. Evolved into a deeper and more MATURE sense of loving.

This kind of love goes beyond the initial rush that all new couples go through. The love that’s weathered countless emotional storms, power struggles and other CHALLENGES.

The end result is a rock-solid relationship that doesn’t constantly require you to feel the heart-quickening rush found in infatuation.

But there’s no reason to panic over this fact of life. Can’t be afraid of outgrowing this primary stage in your relationship. Better things are headed your way.

Over time, the falling in love stage will eventually be replaced by something more powerful in the long run. It’s just that you’re going to go through a series of trials as a couple before you get there.

Don’t buy into the myth that loving your guy as you do now will be enough to get you through the years. Remember that neither of you are perfect; somewhere along the way, your ‘little’ differences are going to catch up to you.

(I’ve heard of couples breaking up over their brand of toothpaste, but hopefully your own relationship won’t go to that extreme!)

I’ll be honest with you here. You’re going to FIGHT tooth and nail over things like this, and you’re going to wake up and smell the coffee sooner or later. But power struggles are NORMAL after the familiarity settles in.

If you can accept the reality that love will inevitably undergo a transformation over time, then you’ll have no reason to worry about the growing pains in your relationship.

Otherwise, insisting that everything will run smoothly or take care of itself will BLIND you to speedbumps in the future.

Of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy the moment because being HAPPY is the point of having a relationship, right?

You just have to be aware that things will change eventually. However, you can stay happy as long as you’re cool with having to deal with the reality check phase in due time.

(No need to worry your pretty little self about stuff UNTIL you have to!)

All in all, finding happiness in a man’s arms is best done by keeping a REALISTIC perspective. No matter how head over heels you may feel at a given moment.

There are a lot of impractical beliefs and notions that we women are unnecessarily exposed to in these modern times. Like it or not, picking up unrealistic perceptions of love and dating is just a TV show or DVD rental away.

In this confusing sea of misinformation, a sassy girl definitely needs to keep her wits afloat!

For the most part, whatever is read in books or see onscreen are distilled versions of life at best. It doesn’t necessarily reflect what happens in REAL situations!

So we can’t project unrealistic fantasies onto real life and NOT expect to run into problems!

The real world naturally includes the complexities of human behavior. You need to keep this in mind when considering what men want from us and what we should expect from them. Hope you enjoyed everything you need to know about overcoming myths about men.

—————————————————————————

This article comes to you courtesy of www.meetysweet.com

Are you serious about changing your love life success? The first step on your journey of self discovery needs to be with Meet Your Sweet’s Get a Guy Guide.

If you want genuine men, and not just any man, let Mirabelle Summers and the team challenge your beliefs. Yes, about love and attraction, and show you the way to become a seduction success story.

No games. No scripted lines. Real life dating advice for real women!

[pleasefeedthebirds]

The OC Interview

Or, in other words, “Let’s have some fun pretending to be my petty, miserable fuck of a narrator.”

Rules:

1. Pick an original character! 2. Fill in the questions/statements as if you were being interviewed for an article and you were the character/muse 3. Tag 5 to do the same: (except I don’t wanna do 5 so hey there my fellow nanowrimo buddies) @boundtoanandroid @hijinksace @nyrnerosmartell

tagged by no one lmao. I just wanted to munch on some creative energy before it’s all dead and gone by november.

1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

“Rostov Vasiliev. You have no need for my birth name, I may only hope?”

2. WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME?

Disheartened, they begin to fidget while scrounging for the right answer.

"Oh, well... I swear it’s not important. I shared a name with my mother, you must understand. I don’t consider myself... worthy, persay, and for lack of a better term, to carry that name. God rest her adored soul.”

3. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU WERE CALLED THAT?

“Rostov was from a novel I read over and over as a child at home. It was really a beautiful concept at the time. I mean, novel-Rostov suffers for falling into temptation, and... well. I meant it to be as a reminder for my own self, but now I think it’s just sort of inane in the grand scheme of things.”

4. ARE YOU SINGLE OR TAKEN?

Their look grows especially piteous. Guilty, even.

“Single. I could never justify trying to be something more than just myself. More power to the blessed souls who've lovingly found their own to hold, but I’m frankly convinced I don’t deserve any extension of such trust.” 

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY ABILITIES OR POWERS?

A humorless smile grows on their face as they perk up only slightly.

“Comparatively, I’m as useless as the barnacles I scrub from the Silver Solace. I make being even a deckhand seem strenuous. Not that it’s any painless task, but I have it easy, is all.”

6. STOP BEING A GARY STU.

They raise one dense brow in honest confusion.

“I’m... terribly sorry, and am afraid I don’t take your meaning. If I’ve- I’ve done something to offend, you have my sincerest apology and I can quickly see myself out.”

NEVERMIND.

7. WHAT IS YOUR EYE COLOR?

“Cold brown.”

8. HOW ABOUT YOUR HAIR COLOR?

“Black, but appearing brown in the right squint of sunlight.”

9. HAVE YOU ANY FAMILY MEMBERS?

Their mouth twists in distaste.

“As I’ve said, my angel mother passed not long ago. Her first child, Kolya, fell early to anemia before I was born. I don’t like to picture my father still drawing his hawking, arrogant breaths on this earth, so for the sake of my satisfaction, I’ll hope he’s dead.”

10. OH? WHAT ABOUT PETS?

"The word ‘pet’ is a bit too definitive, but there’s a little dog called Worley below the deck of the ship who’s excellent company when evicting the spare rats.”

11. TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE.

“I can’t bear myself for even still thinking this, but that playboy corsair who the crew seems to love so much, Gideon, acts as if he’s too well-read to work a hard day’s labor in his life.”

12.  DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES/ACTIVITIES YOU LIKE DOING?

“Woodcarving narratives into the bunks below deck, provided Mirabel’s company, has become something I greatly look forward to each evening, even if it catches me the evil eye of Dune when we ever get too close to his bed.”

13. EVER HURT ANYONE BEFORE?

Their posture worsens as they shrink slightly into their self.

“My actions were born out of jealousy from a rivalry of my own imagining. I regret it, of course. For driving a wedge between the captain and the crew, for sparking the hysteria that only townspeople in squalor manage best, and for exposing a buried past that wasn’t mine to disclose.”

14. EVER…KILLED ANYONE BEFORE?

“I tore my fingernails til they bled for four days and four sleepless nights believing I did. Needless to say, I won’t ever be attempting what I never even meant to do in the first place.”

15. WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL ARE YOU?

“A turtle, perhaps? I’d like to be a gopher though. With no greater sense of purpose than burrowing for my daily bread.”

16. NAME ONE OF YOUR WORST HABITS.

“The fingernails, probably. But then again, I also stare too much, and can never mind my own business.”

17. DO YOU LOOK UP TO ANYONE AT ALL?

"The captain of the Silver Solace is one of the most unconventionally generous persons I’ve ever met, but beyond that, the wild, yet honest and knowing look in her eyes is something I’ll never live well enough to mirror. Then there’s Mirabel, who I could rattle for hours about in all her kindness, and Kaia, who even upon shaking hands seems to be more fable than tangible human.”

18. SEXUAL ORIENTATION?

"Who?”

19. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?

“Not traditionally, but every single last spare ruple my mother could swindle in her sales went towards purchasing literature. I would’ve spent the full day reading regardless, even if I weren’t obligated.”

20. DO YOU EVER WANT TO MARRY AND HAVE KIDS ONE DAY?

“I’ve... fantasized of such a life. If and only if I weren’t myself.”

21. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?

"Not death. That’s for sure now. The opposite of that, then. Immortality.”

22. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY WEAR?

"Whatever spare clothing the crew is so gracious to provide.”

23. DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE?

They take a solid moment to think before answering, furrowing their brow in obvious distress.

"It’s no place of mine to love someone who could never love me back. What good is my love if she--someone-- would prefer it coming from somebody else?”

24. WHAT CLASS ARE YOU? (HIGH/MIDDLE/LOW)

“I’m as low in class as in stature. However, I’m grateful that the crew provides for me these days.”

25. HOW MANY FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?

"I don’t take your meaning. These pirates--the crew-- they’re close-knit, but friends? It’s a word too childish... although Mirabel has gone out of her way a few... more than a few times to speak kindly with me.”

26. THOUGHTS ON PIE?

"Shepherd’s pie. A hearty meal and a homemade delicacy. The only fault it could have would be from the blame of a poor cook.”

27. FAVORITE DRINK?

“I’m a ninny for boring old water. The hard stuff Kaia distills is too strong... despite apparently being her weakest.”

28. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?

“My bunk, though cramped, always manages to feel secure in even the worst of the storms.”

29. WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM IN THE LAKE OR THE OCEAN?

"Whether or not I’m a fool, I know that the ocean at even half of her worst would churn me like butter. I’ll settle for a lake.”

30. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ANYONE?

"Interested? Sure, in plenty. That’s how it tends to be when you live on a ship where amassing the greatest bounty over your head is considered an achievement.”

31. WHAT’S YOUR BRA CUP/DICK SIZE?

They grow uncomfortable, tugging out of habit on their loose fitting clothes.

"I don’t... care to consider the specifics of this question, but my body’s very boring anyways.”

32. WHAT’S YOUR TYPE?

“I enjoy people who are kind, yet persistent, even if I can’t convince myself for even a moment that I’m worth their time.”

33. ANY FETISHES?

“Uh-hum... I think I’d just like to be loved. If I had that much, I wouldn’t bother being picky.”

34. SEME OR UKE? TOP OR BOTTOM? DOMINANT OR SUBMISSIVE?

"I wouldn’t know.”

35. CAMPING INDOORS OR OUTDOORS? :)

“A night under the stars would sound terribly beautiful if I didn’t fear the rain.”

36. ARE YOU WANTING THE QUIZ TO END?

“Waiting? I’ve been wondering when it would end-- but not out of any resentment for the quiz! A deckhand has duties is all. Is that... oh, that’s the cue that it’s over?”