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italeean · 16 days

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HI ELLE! CONGRATS ON THE FOLLOWER MILESTONE 💖💖💖

And this event sounds so fun so I had to send in something (no pressure ofc ^-^)

Description: I literally had to go around asking my friends to describe me bc I couldn’t think of much besides that I’m an introvert and pessimistic about myself lmao. So from the intel I’ve gathered: I’m shy, friendly, kind, care a lot about those closest to me, and worry too much about things. My interests are pretty boring, all I do is play videogames (mainly rhythm games nowadays) and watch anime occassionally, although I can get very passionate about them. I don’t have much of a preference to the people I surround myself with, as long as they can handle my more reserved nature and respect my boundaries.

I am a lee leaning switch :3

And I’d like to choose genshin impact as the fandom. I started playing not too long ago and it’s been my new hyperfixation.

With a romantic relationship with a male character!

Oh and my name is Sakura!🌸

I hope I did this correctly kahdjahdjahsh

Have a good day/night‼ And take your time!

Sakuraaa 🥹💕 After months of inactivity, I'm taking back the reins of this event and I'm more than ready to match you up with your special someone hehe ✨️ Thanks for your patience, e spero ti piaccia il mio lavoro 💚🤍❤️ (and I hope you'll enjoy my work) 🍡 *hands you the dango to eat while you read*

🔮 Without further ado, your match is... KAZUHA

🔮 Why did I choose him for you?

1. You say you're pessimistic about yourself, and this little ray of sunshine is the perfect way to bring some light in 2. He's delicate and soft-spoken, which won't make you feel overwhelmed by endless talking 3. He's super perceptive, which means he'll understand how you're feeling without you having to tell him, which can be hard sometimes when you're an introvert 4. If you play rhythm games, he might play a tune with leaves to match the rhythm you're playing in the game! That would be so cute... 5. Even he's usually a ray of sunshine, he can have his bad days, especially when he thinks about Tomo, and you'd be able to support him quietly thanks to your personality and your emotional baggage 6. Kazuha is a generally quiet person, so expect many, MANY successful sneak attacks... and if your sides or ribs are sensitive, you'll be in for a bumpy ride 7. He's the personification of gentleness, so he'd be sure to inquire about your boundaries without you even needing to tell him anything 8. He likes the sound of your laughter even more of the song of the wind between the leaves, so tickling you is one of his favorite ways to "bring some light into your pessimism" 9. I feel like he'd LOVE to blow some air into your ears or pepper kisses on your neck if those spots are sensitive 10. He also does mind a few pokes if he needs to be cheered up... and if you do that to get his attention, he'll get the hint and proceed to tickle you as much as you'd like!

🔮 Tickle scenario

Kazuha couldn't ask for a better morning than this. Azure sky with some fluffy white clouds, the music of nature made by the wind that caresses the leaves, lying on the grass in silence with his eyes closed...

... and you.

You and him had started dating a few months ago. He was the best thing that had ever happened in your life, and he thought the same about you. You two didn't need loud love, your relationship could be compared to a warm, soft cocoon. You expressed your feelings through little gestures and by being there for each other.

Unless you were bored.

Don't get me wrong, Kazuha loved every aspect of you, but when you were bored, you were quite the handful. Little pranks, pokes, silly jokes... you would try everything to distract him, and that's what you wanted in that exact moment.

Calling him was an amazing option, since he was a samurai with an astounding control of all his senses, but where was the fun in that? You surely could do much better, so you got up, making as little noise as possible, and approached him with your hands shaped in claws ready to attack.

His eyes were still closed, perfect. You just needed to attack. 3... 2... 1... Now!

Or so you thought...

As soon as your fingertips came in contact with his ribcage, you felt something gripping your wrists and in a fraction of second, you were on the grass, facing the blue sky and a white-haired guy with an ominous smirk that you had learned to fear.

"Were you trying to wake me up, love?" He asked in a sweet tone mixed with a hint of playfulness, "Alas, your reflexes seem a little sluggish, like a lethargic bear cub." He tsked with no annoyance in his voice, just a little mocking.

"Maybe you're the one who needs a little awakening, aren't you, little cub?"

Before you could make up even the faintest argument to object, his hands started zapping your sides with ruthlessly, relentlessly and with the meticulous precision provided by the knowledge of every single spot that made you squeak, squeal or even snort.

"Ka- wahahahait nooo..!" You begged, but your pleas fell on deaf ears, as the tickle assault only increased in intensity. You attempted to swat his hands away, but that was futile as well. His reflexes were much faster than yours.

"Not good, your reflexes don't show any sign of awakening yet. Such a lazy little cub..." He joked, enjoying the blush that invaded your cheeks because of the nickname, "Do we really need to take extreme measures to make the lazy cub arise?"

Your eyes widened in shock and glee, and your laughter became much more nervous. "No no nohoho w-we dohohon't... we don't need to..! Please we do-" Not even Kazuha's refined lexicon had a term to define the high pitch of your scream, and the samurai knew this was his stop signal.

He raised his hands and helped you sit up while you were gasping for air, using his Anemo vision to create a gentle, refreshing breeze for you.

When you recovered, you looked at him with a gaze that meant war and pronounced the words: "I swear to the Seven Archons, I'll get you back."

Your warmongering glare was met with a smug, playful one. "Come at me then, cub, and show me your awakened reflexes" He chuckled, getting ready for a day full of combat.

#milestone event #350/400 followers event #genshin tickle #genshin impact tickle #lee!reader #ticklish!reader #ler!reader #switch!reader #ler!kazuha #lee!kazuha #ticklish!kazuha #switch!kazuha

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ohsalome · 1 year

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What are some amazing, most read Ukraine authors? The only one I know is Gogol and I would like more on my radar.

First important disclaimer is that without knowing ukrainian, your pool of choice is very limited. Unfortunately, our translators haven't done nearly enough to make ukrainian literature acessable for english speakers, so a lot of genuinely amazing stuff would require you to know the language.

The second important disclaimer is that I am going to recommend you a lot of poetry, and, with no disrespect to the translators, it doesn't hit nearly as hard in english as it is in ukrainian. I've recently heard the phrase "to read poetry in translation is like to take a shower wearing a raincoat", and it is so true. So, apologies for this barrier, but there is nothing one can do.

With that in mind, let's start from classics:

The first most important author is Taras Shevchenko. He mainly wrote poetry, but has some prose works as well, and during his life he was more known as a popular artist. The Bible of his works is Kobzar (a ukrainian word for travelling blind musicians), and the same word is also often used as a nickname for Shevchenko - akin to how Shakespeare can be called the Bard. Among the most important poems pay attention to A Dream (the poem for which he was imprisoned by the russians with an explicit ban on writing and painting), The Caucasus, My Testament, Kateryna, A cherry orchad by the house, О thoughts of mine

The second big name to know is Lesya Ukrainka. Lesya is also more known for her drama and poetry than her prose, but she also was a prolific translator and a feminist. Her most well-know play is The Forest Song (a cartoon adaptation is soon to be released after 7 years of production, but from the trailer it looks like it's not going to be close to the text). I find her Бояриня play to be much more interesting and relevant, however, it looks like it has not been translated yet. Among her poems, some of the most important are Contra Spem Spero and Cassandra (the latter has had some successful stage prouctions in Great Britain last year, mayhaps it will gain popularity)

Some links to her works: [x] [x]

Fun fact: there are speculations about Lesya Ukrainka's relationship with her close friend Olga Kobylyanska. The letters they exchanged are quite intimate and sometimes even erotic in nature, which lead some academics to believe that they were more than friends (most still fall in the "gal pals" camp tho). However, if that were true, that would mean that Lesya Ukrainka is the only bisexual woman to ever be printed on banknotes.

The third pillar of ukrainian classical literature is Ivan Franko. Once again, we are talking about partiotic poetry, but there are also many socialistic ideas in his works (although he became dissilusioned with it in his later years ), which I think many western readers will find appealing - (side comment - it looks like "collective west" is going through the same processses that we overcame a century ago, so ehm... good luck, y'all will need it). I haven't been able to find much of his works translated in English, so here is a good master page. Zakhar Berkut is considered to be one of his greatest works (a ukrainian-american co-production movie The Rising Hawk was released a couple of years ago, it was shit). If you manage to put your hands on it, I would greatly recommend The Painted Fox and Moses. Also, reading Eternal Revolutionary imprinted on me so much in childhood and determined who I grew up to be, I pretty much consider Franko to be my spiritual father.

A great event that happened this year is that Valeryan Pidmohylny's The City is finally getting an english translation. I have been gushing about this book on this blog before (you can also find the link to the publisher there), because for the archetypical ukrainian literature this book is a breath of fresh air. It's beautiful, it's modern, it's urbanistic, the protagonist is irredeemable asshole, it's amazing and I should re-read it as well.

Among the authors that are much more difficult to find, I greatly recommend Ivan Nechu-Levytsky. In my humble opinion, he like no other has managed to capture the "ukrainian spirit" and his plots are extremely captivating and dramatic as hell.

I will always, always add Ivan Bahryiany to my lists of ukrainian "must reads". He is an author of the first ever ukrainian adventure novel Tiger Trappers/The Hunters and the Hunted, which is the book that is loved even by those who don't like ukrainian literature. However, I personally find his Garden of Gethsemane to be a much more important (but take care, it is much more depressing as well). This author is extremely important, but I struggle finding PDFs of his work - perhaps, you'd have to search the libraries or ukr diaspora publishers for paperbacks. I have also been unsuccessfully hunting for an english translation of Why I am not going back to the Soviet Union? pamphlet for years - and I know for sure it exists because the USA first lady at that time has read it and it influenced her opinion on the USSR - but I've had no luck so far.

Another very important author of the same time period is Mykola Khyvylovy. One of his plays has actually been recently put to stage in English (shamefully, I haven't watched it yet, but I can vouch for the text it was based on - it's brutal).

I can't speak about ukrainian literature without mentioning crimean tatars, and although their works are much, much less known (in Ukraine as well, unfortunately), please do not overlook it. It is a gorgeous culture, and reading it, I grew to love and value Crimea so much even without ever visiting it. There are some english translations avaliable, including those of Noman Çelebicihan - an extermely important figure in Crimean Tatar history, the founder of the unfortunately short-lived Crimean Democratic Republic, the author of their national anthem, and overall very influential revolutionary.

Now let's jump to the popular modern authors. Many don't have english translation, but the problem is much less prominent in comparison to the ukrainian classics. With these authors, you shouldn't have trouble with finding paperbacks. Among the most influential authors I can recommend Serhiy Zhadan (Timothy Snyder has once said that he expects Zhadan to receive a Nobel Prize in literature and I agree), Oksana Zabuzhko (she either aught to release soon or has already released an english-exclusive book about the russian-ukrainian war), Yuri Izdryk (extremely modern and unconventional, but he's a good represention of the current state of art), Yuriy Andrukhovych (love his mastery of language, hate his characters). These authors are more light-hearted, but a grim necessity for today is Stanislav Aseyev's The Torture Camp on Paradise Street. It is a autobilgraphical book describing his experience being imprisoned by russians between 2017 and 2019. Western journalism often describes the war crimes russians commit on our land, but just listing the number of people lost doesn't show the face of the russian horror. Read this book to understand why we were screaming about the russian threat before the full-scale invasion, and why every time we regain the territory we brace with terror of what we'll discover there - because everywhere russian army goes, they build hunderds of such Isolyatsya camps that the book describes.

Also check out Serhiy Zhadan's band!

#response #ukraine #ukrainian literature #thank you for this question this is much more fun to talk about than the usual topics on this blog

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rgr-pop · 3 years

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dignityisforotherpeople

rikki what are your thoughts about de kooning

this is a good question. i’ve been reconsidering abex very closely this year and i would say that i have more opinions about de kooning that i had ever had when i was actually into abex when i was young, and i also like him significantly more than i realized. these thoughts are pretty formal & not political (and i’m not personally in the mood to dredge the personal lifes of Great Men in this case unless it’s rothko who was a saint and an icon imo). i think he was easily the best first generation abstract expressionist, at least in terms of the action painters rather than the more color field types, and is easily the best of the big names--again I guess rothko & colorists notwithstanding. de kooning has become more legible to me looking at him in these contexts: 1. as i’m looking for ideas about drawing, specifically line and gesture. his paintings are very umm drawerly but his sketches are also drop dead incredible 2. as a kind of bridge/root to unorthodox figuralism of the 60s and 70s that i tend to like (e.g. as an abstract painter who was less abstract than many or most of his peers) 3. looking at a wider scope of his work than the narrow 50s era stuff, his late painting is very nice.

i particularly like the way his paintings were symbolic in a basic sense (filled with marks that appear as if symbols), linguistic, and somewhat freudian in a way that feels very different from the primitivist versions of all of that stuff in the modernist tradition which some of his peers (gottlieb) picked up. in that way i think of him as a little more resonant with slightly later painters that i like very much more than abex, in particular leon golub and nancy spero (two artists i love pretty much without qualification). i overall enjoy looking at his paintings and find his compositions significantly more interesting than i guess pollock’s. is it pollock or pollack? i am always like no that one is a fish no but that one is a slur... anyway, i find his paintings more interesting to look at than pollack’s in particular, although i really don’t prefer those kind of big moving filled up abex fifties compositions. i reaaally like his figures/his women as compositions, and in general. i don’t have reservations about them if you’re asking lol (reserve the right to change my mind). really like all of his painting after 1970. his colors i have to develop my ideas about--i like them overall but it’s hard to look at them right now because i think the kind of high key postmodernism coloration thing is trendy in right-now contemporary painting? unsure but i do love the yellow two things that stick out to me suddenly: outside of postminimalism and installations, the art i tend to like the most is american art that was figurative before it was supposed to be and american art that was abstract after it was supposed to be and de kooning did both of those things!

#art

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elfwriter1088 · 4 years

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Old Guard (Chapter 1)

A/n: 2 chapters in one day! This is all that I got for now. Again, I blame @badassbaker for getting me to post my story up. Go check out their blog! (They’re so AMAZING! I can’t stress them enough).

Disclaimer: Again, I don’t own any of the Old Guard characters: they belong to their respectful owners. I only own those that you would not recognize from the comics (i.e. Nyx, Erik, etc)

---(chapter 1)---

Upon setting foot on Moroccan soil, Nyx was quick to get directions to the hotel that the others were going to gather. Preferring to walk to the destination, Nyx was treated to the luxury of sightseeing of a whole new different world far from what the woman was used to seeing. Merchants trying to sell their goods to those that passed by their stalls; children laughing and running around while playing with each other. Nyx smiled at the sight while making sure to keep her old military scarf covering her hair from falling out of place. Armed only with an old army issued pack slung over her shoulder while a small duffel bag held her xyili, a couple of SOG tactical knives and her ‘hidden blades’, she ventured her way to the meeting place.

Once checked into the hotel, she made her way to where she was sure to meet with the others. At the door, she raised her hand to knock but paused. She hesitated in knocking right away...why? She was going to be amongst her friends, her team...her family. Releasing a soft sigh, she then proceeded to knock three times. She eagerly awaited as to whom would answer the door. Biting at her lower lip, she didn’t have to wait long before the door opened up and…

“Hi…” she greeted the person on the other side of the door.

Nicky grinned as he leaned in to kiss at her cheek before giving her a big hug. He was pretty fond of the petite woman ever since he met her and Andy all those years ago and has never once been at more ease than with Nyx and Joe. He had wondered if she was going to show up at all, given that Book had to call all of them to meet here; Joe and himself had arrived first before Booker and Andy came to the room not even a half hour ago.

“È bello vederti, Nyx. Com'è stato il viaggio qui??” he asked once they pulled away.

*It is good to see you, Nyx. How was the trip out here?*

“Lungamente ... ricordami di sculacciare Book per avermi fatto usare la scusa dell '"emergenza familiare" per l'altro lavoro. Spero che valga la pena usarlo per fare questo lavoro..”

*Long...remind me to spank Book for making me use the 'family emergency' excuse for the other job. I hope it was worth using that to do this job*

Nicky laughed at the comment as he led Nyx to where the others were sitting around and awaiting her arrival. Joe was the first to spot her and rushed over to bear hug the other brunette.

“آه ، نيكس الصغير. فاتنا وجودك معنا في المنزل. آمل أنك لست غريب الأطوار على بعض الحلوى ، عزيزي” Joe said as he lifted the newly-arrived woman up in the air a couple of inches.

*Ah, little Nyx. We missed having you stay with us at the house. I hope you're not too cranky for some sweets, dear one*

“You’re too kind, sir. I’m sure that you saved whatever delicious treat you have from Andy eating it,” Nyx replied back, surprised that everyone wanted to test out how fluent Nyx could get with it.

Once Joe pulled away from her arms, she glanced over to see the woman in question clearly enjoying some baklava.

“Ελπίζω πραγματικά αυτό που νομίζω ότι είναι, Andromache.” she glanced at the other woman with a soft smile.

*I really hope that's what I think it is, Andromache*

“You know I can’t speak our native tongue for shit nowadays, Nyx. Stop showing off and get some of this,” Andy replied back, making sure to not choke on the flavorful treat she had in her hands while passing one to her oldest friend and comrade.

Nyx took the piece offered to her and took a small bite. She closed her eyes to pinpoint what she thought was in the dessert.

“East Turkey...however...there’s anise in this. There’s only one place that makes it...and she has Persian roots,” Nyx remarked as she opened her eyes and saw Booker looking at her with a soft glance in his eyes.

“Pay up. Nyx always seems to find that one detail that everyone misses,” the Frenchman replied with a chuckle.

“What was the bet? Andy guessing where it’s from? How much?” Nyx asked, one eyebrow quirked up in piqued interest.

“Cinq cents ... et tu viens de me rendre riche à nouveau, ma chérie” he simply replied back with a smirk only reserved for her.

*Five hundred...and you just made me rich again, sweetheart*

“Oh per favore. Nyx, ha bisogno di scopare. Sono sicuro che voi due potete trovare Booker una donna che gli farà una bella scopata”

*Oh please. Nyx, he needs to get laid. I'm sure that you two can find Booker a woman to give him a good fuck*

Nicky’s comment had Nyx laughing her butt off as she felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. This was one thing she missed being in Nicky’s presence--the Italian knew how to get her to laugh off a bad situation with a joke or two.

“Sai ... potrebbe non aver bisogno di trovare una donna della notte se continua a essere tutto scontroso intorno a noi mentre parliamo nella tua lingua madre, amore mio” Joe replied as he came to hug Nicky from behind the Italian.

*You know...he might not need to find a woman of the night if he continues to be all grumpy around us while we speak in your native tongue, my love*

Nyx, unlady-like, snorted at Joe’s remark; her sides were starting to ache from the constant laughter she was experiencing at the moment. Booker gave a dirty look to the other two men before he rose to his feet and went to give the newly arrival a hug of his own.

“Si seulement ils savaient ...” he whispered in her ear.

*If only they knew...*

“Je ne le passerais pas devant eux pour savoir ... Andy ... peut-être pas.”

*Would not put it past them to know...Andy...maybe not.*

“Ok, enough with the teasing. So...how do we meet Copley?” the leader announced, breaking up anymore time for testing out Nyx’s vast knowledge of languages and getting to the reason they all assembled.

After the meetup with Copley, the group was getting ready for the assignment. Most of the small details were taken care of and now was time for catching up on some needed sleep before diving right into the mission. Nyx was sitting on the railing in the balcony, sipping on a cup of tea that was made by Nicky prior to him going to bed a couple hours ago. Dressed in a pair of shorts and a baggy sweater that allowed one shoulder to peek out, Nyx’s eyes were hidden behind a pair of big framed glasses while her hair was piled up in a topknot that looked messy, but intentional. In her hand was a SMOK RPM 40 vape mod--yeah, she had her vices, like the others have theirs; however, one of hers was smoking. She gave up on cigarettes, which was the hardest vice to give up after having smoked them for over a hundred years and forty years. Drinking...Nyx knew that both Andy and Booker drink to forget of their ‘lonely’ states of mindset of being without their families. Nyx would know better, she had to watch her kids and grandkids and their kids grow old and die. Raphael and Erik, although young in her eyes, were just among one of the last remaining descendents still alive and in somewhat good health.

Taking a puff and blowing a smoke ring into the somewhat stifling night air, Nyx’s eyes closed to take in the sensation and breathe in the calmness of the night before a big assignment. Although, this is how Nyx always would do prior to one of the ‘big ones’, as she would call assignments that would take a lot out of her emotionally and mentally. She was so engrossed in the serenity that she wasn’t paying attention to movement behind her until a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, making sure to keep her on the railing and not have her fall and hurt herself. Nyx literally jumped in the air a bit, grabbing at the arms and holding onto dear life.

“Détends-toi, chérie. Je ne voulais pas te faire peur, ma reine.” His husky voice caused echoes of a shiver to run down her spine, sparking desire and lust throughout her entire body. *Relax, sweetheart. Did not mean to scare you, my queen.*

“You know I wasn’t a queen, Book…” she replied back as she turned her head to the side, seeing hazel-muted green eyes looking at her with a soft side that was only for her.

“You are to me, Alexina.”

The petite woman slowly maneuvered her body around so that she was facing Booker. Her topknot flopped to the side as Nyx tilted her head a little bit while she looked to the Frenchman.

"And what is that you see in me that justifies you calling me such a title, Sebastian?" Nyx asked; her voice gave away hints of insecurity and low esteem to being called a queen when Nyx knew that she was not one.

Booker was a little taken back of her using his given name from birth, but once again: this was Nyx. She usually fell back to using anyone's given name once in a while. Here, she was using it as a way to show her true colors with him. After all, she found him and mentored him when the group all dreamt of him. One of his hands reached up to where the hair tie held her hair and took it out, allowing her dark brown hair tumble down to her shoulders in loose waves. He carded his fingers through her hair, causing her to close her eyes and lean her head towards his hand.

"Is mian liom go bhfeicfeá cé chomh hálainn atá tú faoi láthair, a ghrá. le gruaig seo silky agus lush, déanann tú gach scéal faoi mhná de do chuid ama cuma plain i gcomparáid leatsa ag an nóiméad seo." He simply stated as he stared at her. *I wish you could see how beautiful you are right now, my love. With hair this silky and lush, you make all stories of women of your time look plain compared to you at this moment.*

Nyx opened her eyes, confusion on her face at his words. Ah, there was a language she never learned, Booker mused to himself as he took in the newly found knowledge. He smirked as he brushed her cheek with his other hand.

"Ní bhfuair tú aon smaoineamh cad atá á rá agam anois, an bhfuil? Bhuel, is faoiseamh é sin. Ba mhaith liom a bheith trína chéile dá dtuigfeá cad é a dhéanann tú domsa, Sparta beag." *You got no idea what I'm saying right now, do you? Well, that's a relief. I would be upset if you understood what it is that you do to me, little Sparta.*

"Ω, ξέρω τι είπες, Σεμπάστιαν. Αυτά είναι εύκολα χρήματα εκεί. Αλλά, και πάλι, τα ελληνικά είναι τόσο ξένα για σας που είναι σαν να οδηγώ ένα ποδήλατο μετά από τόσο καιρό για μένα. Αν μόνο ήξερες πόσο μεγάλο μέρος της καρδιάς μου ανήκει σε εσένα, πώς όλα περιστρέφονται γύρω σου και ότι θα πεθάνω αν με πάρεις τόσο ξαφνικά." Nyx said as she raised her hands to cup his face. *Oh I know what you said, Sebastian. That's easy money right there. But, then again, Greek is so foreign to you that it's like riding a bicycle after so long for me. If only YOU knew how much of my heart belongs to you, how everything revolves around you and that I'd die if you were taken from me so sudden.*

Booker leaned his head forward, closing his eyes as he felt her forehead against his and let out a sigh of content. He could feel her breath mix with his as his other hand grasped at her hip gently.

"Coming to bed?" He asked softly.

"I'll be there in a bit. Unless you can convince me otherwise," she replied back, her voice hoarse from holding back all the emotions she was feeling at that moment.

Booker only smirked before closing the gap, ghosting his lips against her before pulling back slowly. Opening his eyes, he could see Nyx staring at him with a sense of admiration and tenderness only reserved for him. He then grabbed at the back of her thighs, lifting her up from the railing; this caused Nyx to scramble to wrap her arms around his neck and shoulders to prevent falling out of his arms. He chuckled as he walked them back inside the room, closing the door with his foot behind them.

#old guard #fanfic

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oldflcme · 4 years

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HELLO loves ! admin bee here with ALL THREE of my lil angels ! i was gonna do ‘em separate but . . . lazy. anyway ! give this a lil like if you’d be interested in plotting with declan , son of peter pan / acelin , son of hades / or astrid , daughter of elsa ! apparently we love a single parent fam in this house.

diego tinoco. twenty-one. cis male. her/him. one sibling. ––– hey , there’s DECLAN ‘DEX’ PAN from AURADON walking past the castle. they’re the YOUNGEST ADOPTIVE child of PETER PAN , isn’t that cool ? talk says they can be pretty - FATUOUS , but don’t let that worry you – they can be + AMIABLE too. say , don’t you think they remind you of SMIRKING YOUR WAY OUT OF AN ARGUMENT , THE SOFT SOUND OF PIPE INSTRUMENT , TRYING NEW THINGS REGARDLESS OF LEGALITY , or is that just me ?

BASICS ON DECLAN ‘ DEX ’ PAN !

full name : declan fox pan.

nicknames : dex , fox.

parent : peter pan , adopted.

orientation : bisexual , biromantic.

FAMILY.

so ! i imagine that , at some point , peter has to grow up and he has a hard time with it. it takes him a while to fully grow & mature , though he never quite loses his childish charm.

as peter is aging , i imagine that he decided he still wants company of his lost boys , so he adopts two of them ; declan and his older adoptive sibling. i feel like as peter aged , the lost boys found their way on their own but dex & his now brother kinda stuck together around peter.

i did put a wc up for his brother , u know , *wiggles eyebrows* just in case anyones tempted

anyway ! dex is super close with his dad & brother and enjoys their life in auradon

BACKGROUND.

dex grew up in auradon and was always the one known for getting in trouble.

he’s suave , charming , sneaky , and definitely a tad blunt depending on the situation he’s in.

he can talk himself out of pretty much any mildly bad situation. caught stealing ? he has an excuse for that. caught somewhere off limits ? he was lost.

definitely a bit childish , loves telling jokes , playing pranks , and doesn’t take a whole lot seriously.

a huge , huge flirt but flirts with literally no intentions. he just likes complimenting people.

he has a huge heart but he doesn’t really know how to use it properly.

so , incredibly honest and not afraid to hurt feelings. it doesn’t really effect him all that much when he upsets someone , he would rather just be honest than worry about others feelings.

i am fully convinced he’s , somehow , snuck over to the isle to meet the isle kids. pls give me a lil hookup w/ a vk , i would cry.

you can find declan’s wanted connections here !

dove cameron. twenty. cis female. she/her. two sibs. ––– hey , there's ASTRID ERIKSEN from AURADON walking past the castle. they’re the YOUNGEST child of ELSA , isn’t that cool ? talk says they can be pretty - SECLUDED , but don’t let that worry you – they can be + REGAL too. say , don’t you think they remind you of ICY WHITE LOCKS TIPPED WITH BLUE , PERFECTLY MANICURED NAILS , & THE SOUND OF CRACKING ICE , or is that just me ?

BASICS ON ASTRID ERIKSEN !

full name : astrid emilie eriksen.

nicknames : emmy ( family )

parent : elsa , unknown father.

orientation : bisexual , biromantic.

FAMILY.

okie doke so astrid is the daughter of ELSA & an unknown father. i do feel like he is known , but him and elsa never lasted together and she was never interested in depending on a man so she independently raises her kids as per her own choice.

i feel like all of elsa’s kids inherited some of her ice powers , variety and power differing.

they’re a pretty tight nit family , astrid definitely clinging to elsa a bit more than the others bc shes the baby.

BACKGROUND.

astrid grew up in auradon & enjoyed it for the most part , though she’s always been a bit curious of the isle.

a random fun fact ; her hair is naturally ice white with blue tips , but she likes to dye it pink every now and then.

she has minimal ice powers , they’re not super strong but she can conjure up some snow and ice when needed. she could definitely get stronger , but she doesn’t have a huge interest in it.

although when she was little , she made a baby snowman named gerald. he didn’t talk , but she took him everywhere.

anyway.

astrid is definitely a princess. looks like a princess , acts like a princess.

she’s definitely a bit proper , though she does let some curse words slip when she’s in a mood.

sometimes prefers to be by herself and will death glare at you in your interrupt her alone time.

definitely a bit easy to mess with , she gets annoyed super easily even when she tries not to.

generally speaking , she’s pretty nice though she will 100% say things how they are , she never does it intentionally to hurt feelings.

she is a lot like her mother in the way of problem solving , she tries to fix everything herself.

you can find astrid’s wanted connections here !

luke hemmings. twenty-two. cis male. he/him. two sibs. ––– hey , there's ACELIN ‘ACE’ SPEROS from THE ISLE walking past the castle. they’re the MIDDLE child of HADES , isn’t that cool ? talk says they can be pretty - DEMEANING , but don’t let that worry you – they can be + CANDID too. say , don’t you think they remind you of SNEAKING AROUND LATE AT NIGHT , FIREY HOT FINGERTIPS AGAINST COLD SKIN , & SUSPICIOUS BUT SOMEHOW CHARMING SMIRKS , or is that just me ?

BASICS ON ACELIN ‘ ACE ’ SPEROS !

full name : acelin alastair speros.

nicknames : ace.

parent : hades , unknown mother.

orientation : bisexual , biromantic.

FAMILY.

ace is the middle child of three from hades himself , god of the underworld !

despite being , ya know , hades , i do feel like he wasn’t an awful father to the kids , though it was hard to not turn out pretty rough considering the conditions.

their mother was never present , and hades has never even revealed who she is.

def feel like the serpos’ kids all have some powers of some sorts , like hades.

BACKGROUND.

ace grew up on the isle and honestly , he didn’t hate it.

he’s naturally a bit rude by nature , always doing anything to get what he wanted.

known to lie , manipulate , etc. but lived a relatively secluded life , only making appearanced when he needs something.

it was very much like that scene in a movie when the bully comes in and everything gets quiet.

not that he’s a bully . . . but . . . he was definitely not the nicest of people on the isle.

then again , being nice on the isle wasn’t really an option.

when it came to the barrier being opened , ace wasn’t entirely impressed at first. he didn’t really have any interest in the isle and since the parents had to remain locked there , he wasn’t all the invested in leaving his dad.

however , he ends up deciding to cross , mainly curious as to what the hell king quincy is doing.

he definitely didn’t change any of her mannerisms for the sake of the isle , he’s still very much rude when he needs to be and he does not have time for any royals that don’t want them there.

has definitely gotten into a few fights alright , i’m sure.

ace is able to conjure some blue fire from his finger tips , though he doesn’t tend to show it off often.

his skin is also always super hot. he naturally runs a temperature.

has adorable blondes curls with lil blue streaks.

he’s a pain in the ass , honestly. :/

you can find ace’s wanted connections here !

#hqauradons.intro #is that the tag?#hope so #sdgljsdg

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ask-the-black-talons · 5 years

Note

Is there someone you admire on here? || If you could recommend at least five blogs to your followers, who would they be?

I admire a lot of people for many reasons. If I tried to name them all, we’d be here all night/day. That said, here are some of them and the reasons why.

@ask-spero and her collective blogs. I adore her ability to create engaging characters that are all different and her versatility in her writing.

@noctischaplain. Helbane is the hardest one to reply to, his writing is like reading a BL novel and it chellenges me and makes me think in different ways.

@aforgottenraven and their collective is another one who makes me really think about how I am writing.

@askfirstcaptainsevatar. Not only has it been awesome watching their writing improve through the years (omfg years??) but they are every bit as filthy as I am, which is a delight.

@bloodymagpie We don’t write a great deal together but I have always liked them as a writer. Brel is an off the wall sort of genius and I love reading his interactions.

@littlelostpsyker. Although she and Ahriman interact more than Synthalia, she has been a wonderful writing partner and fun. Her art is adorable too.

@fuukonomiko Can’t make a list without mentioning the one who welcomed me to tumblr.

There are so many people here I admire, there really are. These are just a few of them.

#Anonymous

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beccas-a-cipher · 5 years

Text

Leader of the Spero (AU)

Originally posted: 27 August, 2018

I. FORGOT. ABOUT. THIS. AU. How? I flippin love this AU! I think that at one point I had been considering adding more to it, but ended up not for some reason...

AU where before Ichiro went after the White Stone he kidnapped Melissa in episode 109 and trained her for several years to become the next leader of the Spero

Everston. She gazed up at the tall front entrance. It's been a long time.

"Harmony, you copy?" A voice said into her ear. Melissa shoved her hand into her pocket as the blue aura appeared around it.

"I do, Duality. How's everyone else doing?" Melissa said quietly. Everyone on the team had a small device in their ear that vibrated specifically at one of Melissa's unique frequencies, allowing for her to be a sort of receptor and pass communication between everyone during their mission.

"We're good. Fever, Lord, and I are waiting for our cue."

"It might be a little bit, but be prepared for my signal," Melissa ordered before cutting the signal and turning to her partner. "You think this will work?"

The aqua-eyed boy grinned. "Totally. There's been so much planning in this, there's no way it can't work!"

Jax joined the Spero a few weeks after Mel arrived there. He first joined because he was angry that his best friend had ditched him for Magiclica friends, but was very surprised to find her training her powers in his first training session with him. They had since rekindled their friendship and were an inseparable duo.

Melissa glanced at the hustle and bustle of the crowd around them. "I wouldn't be so sure... There's a lot we couldn't prepare for. Remember, if something goes wrong and we can't fulfill the mission, forget it and get out of here ASAP." Jax's good mood dimmed as he nodded.

They wandered in silence for a while, looking like fairly ordinary Everston students. Technically, they were a year older than what they needed to be to go to school here, but they had still donned their old uniforms and pretended to be registered students at the prestigious school once more. They also had identification for their allies: Melissa wore a large black hat with a stripe that was white and the color of her powers that she had tucked her giveaway hair into. Jax had two thick, black wristbands with the same style of white stripe but instead of a sky blue, there was a bright rainbow.

Melissa spotted someone. "I'll be right back," she said quietly and slithered her way to the tanned boy that was glancing every which way and looked very uncomfortable. She tapped his shoulder, making the boy with the bandana around his neck with four colors- red, yellow, blue, and green- with white borders in a black fabric, jump out of his skin.

"H-Harmony! I-I didn't see you!" Kai stuttered. His stumbles statement jogged something in the back of Melissa's mind, although she couldn't place what exactly.

"Are you looking for your boyfriend?" She questioned with a rather serious tone. Kai tensed.

"No! I-I don't have a..." he caught Melissa's dubious stare. "Alright maybe... I'm not trying to mess up the mission, I... I promise." About six months after Melissa joined the Spero, Kai had come down with a mysterious condition that left him with migraines and periods of severe weakness, along with the inability to use his aura without extreme pain. He very occasionally came on safer missions as an emergency support, but even Ichiro agreed that Kai should not use his power if possible.

Melissa rolled her eyes, a quick smile playing across her lips before returning to her serious face. "Go find Quinston. But don't tip him off," she pointed a finger accusingly at him. Kai jumped and nodded.

"Y-yes Harmony!" He nodded vigorously before rushing off.

Melissa sighed and shoved her hand into her pocket again. "Keep an eye out for Kai. He went to find to one of the Magiclicas he knows."

There was a series of "Roger that, Harmony." from the other Spero scattered around the school. Melissa paused before adding, "If you see him, leave him be unless it looks like he's disrupting the mission,"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Harmony?" Ichiro's calculating voice asked. Melissa tensed as she was put on the spot by her father.

"I think so, Lord. He's unfortunately not able to help much here. He's a lookout, so I think it makes sense. Besides, everyone deserves happiness every once in a while." While most people knew Kai was in close relations with several Magiclicas that went to this school, only Melissa and Jax really knew the full extent of their relationships since they also knew the people Kai was friends with.

There was a hum of acceptance from the leader of the Spero and then silence.

"Harmony, want to meet up?" Jax's voice came through the device.

"Let's split up, Prism. Make us look less obvious." Melissa declined.

"Roger that. See you at the meeting spot once we start." Jax said and cut the connection.

Tonight was open house at Everston for the new students. During the past White Stone Festivals held here, the Spero had been able to track the movement of the White Stone back to its resting location. Now they were working to disable the security and traps set up to protect it. They figured it was going to take several missions during public events, where there was so many people they could easily blend into the crowd and sneak in.

Most of Everston looked the same to what Melissa remembered of it. The only difference she could see were two bronze statues in the main hall. On closer inspection, she was mildly surprised to recognize the two depicted. She jogged over to them and read the plaques.

Melissa Jane Harmony

A Magiclica Who Grew Up As a Cipher

Wrongly Taken by the Spero

Return To Us Soon

Jax Kollman

A Cipher That Went Missing

Forever in Our Hearts

Return To Us Soon

This hit Melissa hard. The past five years had been such a blur, she had never really looked back and thought about the consequences of her actions and joining the Spero. She figured Jax had never really looked back, either. She was also confused by the line "taken by the Spero." I chose to join, didn't I? Because I found my real father.

"It's been a long time," a rich voice with a slight accent said from beside Melissa. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to recognize the chocolate hair and bright green eyes of Quinston. He was in a uniform similar to that of Everston Faculty, although it had a different badge that Melissa didn't recognize.

"I'm sorry, so I know you?" Melissa feigned confusion. She saw his face flicker with doubt, before it settled into resolution again.

"I believe you do, Melissa." His voice dropped to a whisper as she said her name with a uncertain tone.

She took a sharp breath. "Okay, you got me," she sighed. "How's it been, Quinston?" She sent him a smile, trying to feign being oblivious. He wasn't buying it.

"You're up to something. I know where you've been all these years." He stated coolly. Melissa internally cursed at herself- Kai.

"You're little sweetheart tipped you off then," she growled.

"Not directly. There are several factors to this revelation. Your hat is one of them," He jutted his chin to her Spero hat. "And your eyebrows are another." Melissa wad slightly disturbed that he noticed her aqua eyebrows that even she forgot about. "And guessing from the fact you're wearing your old uniform, the Spero are trying to sneak in."

Melissa cringed and turned to face the dual-elementaled Magiclica fully. "Am I not allowed to reminisce?"

His hands glowed both red and blue. "Unfortunately, no. CHICKEN!" Quinston's face morphed into one of surprise and confusion at the word that just came out of his mouth. Melissa smirked as she pulled her glowing hand out of her pocket, letting him see what was going on. Quinston's face turned to panic as he stepped away and raised his hands to his mouth.

"BOW BOW'S LOOSE!" He yelled instead of whatever he was going to say to warn of the Spero. Melissa switched to her personal frequency.

"Someone break the pink Wither out of its case, quick. We're going to have to be quick and efficient. O'Kouzlo recognized me," she said. There was a flurry of responses. A few seconds later, she heard the sound of glass shattering down one of the hallways and mass clucking, along with shrieks and screams as Bow Bow flew into the main hall.

Quinston shot Melissa a glare and thrust his blue hand out, ice quickly forming around Melissa. She shivered and the cold completely encased her and watched as the Magiclica sprinted off to deal with the runaway matchmaking Wither.

Once he was gone, she used her own power and sent it out at an extremely high frequency to the thinnest spot in the ice. It quickly shattered, leaving a hole in the cold dome.

"Harmony! Where are you?" Haiden's panicked voice demanded.

"Be right there, Fever. Had to deal with the Magiclicas," Melissa's tone of voice had changed in that statement.

No longer was she the friendly girl to her teammates, or greeting an old friend after not seeing him for years. Now, this was her true colors. A Miscela, the secret weapon of the Spero. The daughter of Ichiro and the future leader of his organization.

——————————

Word count: 1680

I’m 99% sure I had a part two to this SOMEWHERE and I need to go look for it because I remember what happens and it’s pretty cool

Quick code names-

Melissa= Harmony (in this AU she took up the last name Hamura, so it’s sort of ironic?)

Jax= Prism

Haiden= Fever (like hay fever, but looking back I sound have done Draco lol)

Reina= Duality

Ichiro= Lord

#magiclicas #qutejakey #au #alternate universe #spero

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mrschangrettawrites · 6 years

Text

Hell Hath No Fury

Summary: You had been betrayed for the last fucking time

Pairings: Tommy Shelby x Reader (formerly), Tommy Shelby x Grace (mentioned), Luca Changretta x Reader (main)

Words: 3374

Notes: Spoilers for season four, female reader, I should be working on other things but instead I’m doing this. Drag me. I highly highly highly recommend installing the InteractiveFics extension from the Chrome store if you can. To add your name and last name simply install the extension, then click ��Need to replace something other than Y/N?’ and in the value bar put Name and put your name in the Replace With bar, then click change! And be sure to tick Store this replacement so that you don’t have to do it every time.

IT HAS BEEN FOREVER I KNOW IM SORRY FGNFGNFDJ I KEEP GETTING DISTRACTED

Tagging: @blinder-secrets @timeless-flogging @decaffeinatedeaglefart @goghadventuring @sophspark@possiblyafangirl @buckybarnesisalittleshit @aya-fay @evanpeters3826 if you would like to be tagged in future chapters just send in a message!

One // Two // Three // Four

Chapter Five

You returned to your mum’s place through the back just like when you left, and found her in hysterics.

“Where have you been?!” She shrieked. “Curly said you were nearly killed by those Italians! Why didn’t you come straight back here? I thought something had happened to you!”

Seeing the tears well up in your mum’s eyes, a wave of shame overcame you. You honestly didn’t think Curly would say anything about what had happened to your mum, but everyone was so on edge now that it really shouldn’t have surprised you.

“I’m sorry mum.” You said gently, hugging her tight. “I just...I needed some air.”

Before you set foot in the direction of your mum’s home you had decided to keep her in the dark about your plan. Not because you didn’t trust her, but because you needed her to be safe. With everything else falling away, your mum was all you had and you didn’t want her tangled up in this. You were going to shoulder this alone, for better or worse.

“Mum.” You inhaled deeply, gently holding your mum by her shoulders. “I’m going back to Tommy.”

The look of utter despair and heartbreak on your mum’s face made you feel even worse, which you didn’t think would be possible.

“No.” She said, trying to be firm but her voice cracked right at the end. “No I can’t let you do that. He’s broken your heart again, how many times does he have to hurt you until you leave?”

You didn’t answer. You knew that taking Tommy back was essential to your plan, but it didn’t make you feel any better about how your mum felt. “At least one more time.” You finally said grimly.

The tears were free flowing now, and your mum couldn’t hold back, begging you to not go back to Thomas, to stay here as long as necessary, to finally abandon the Shelby name.

“Mamma,” you said softly, “ti prego fidati di me.”

There was a brief pause, and your mum looked up at you, eyes shining from the tears. She set her mouth in a thin line. “Spero tu sappia cosa stai facendo.”

‘So do I.’

When Thomas got home that night, he found you in the kitchen brewing a fresh pot of tea. You were using a blend you made yourself that had jasmine, pear, and peppermint. An odd mix of flavours perhaps, but you were fond of it and you knew Thomas would know what the smell meant.

Sure enough, moments after you heard the front door close, you saw Thomas at the doorway. He stared at you like it was the first time he ever saw you, and he was afraid it would be his last. “You’re back.” He whispered.

“Yes.” You took the pot to the table where you had set out two tea cups, filling both of them. “Although my mum isn’t too happy about it.” You said.

“I-I can imagine.” Slowly, Thomas approaches you, watching you for a reaction.

Seeing him act like a skittish foal made you smile even wider, but you kept your expression kind rather than mocking, and you even reached out for his hand. You gently held the tips of his fingers, keeping your grip soft and unthreatening. “Before you say anything.” You said, noticing Thomas open his mouth. “You need to know, that this is the last time this happens.” You look up at him, expression somber but trying to be kind and calm about it. It was one you had worn before and you didn’t need to put much practice and effort into it. “If another woman comes out of the woodwork, I’m gone. For good.”

In a flash Thomas is holding your hand with both of his and bringing it up to his lips. “I understand.” His voice is hushed, eyes closed, and his head is bent, like he’s in church, while brushing his lips along your knuckles. “I-I know I don’t deserve it, or you.”

‘No you fucking don’t.’

“But I swear to you, this will be the last time I will hurt you.” He takes your face into his hands and brings you close, his clear blue eyes staring into yours with a tenderness you hadn’t seen since before the war.

It almost makes you believe him.

“I’ll do whatever it takes.” He kisses your forehead softly, before trailing his lips to your left temple and nuzzling his nose in your hair. He inhales deeply. “I let Lizzie go.” He said softly, watching you for some kind of reaction.

This surprised you. You had planned to trying to persuade Thomas to fire Lizzie, both because it was part of your plan, and out of sheer pettiness. Just because you were ready to use Thomas that didn’t mean you were over this betrayal. “You didn’t have to do that.” You said softly.

“Yes I did.”

For a few moments, the two of you stood in silence. But while Thomas’s silence was that of a supplicant, yours was of the kind that lingers in the rooms of schemers and traitors.

“Who will replace her?” You asked carefully, bringing one of the teacups up to Thomas for him to take.

“Don’t know.” He took the cup, sipping it while still gazing at you.

“Could…” You bite your bottom lip as you picked up the other teacup, doing your best to appear hesitant. “Could I…” You trail off purposefully, taking a nervous gulp of the tea, counting on Tommy to pick up what you had put down.

He looked at you with confusion, his brow furrowed. “Do you want to?”

You shrug shyly, acting as if you never meant to bring the possibility forward. “I just...I would feel safer, knowing you were there.” You put a hand on his arm, fighting back the sudden surge of revulsion that had overcome you. “And it could be good for us…”

A third reason is left in the space between you two. You could keep a closer eye on him if you were his secretary, make sure he was keeping his promise. It was a gamble, you had known that when the idea began to take shape in your mind, but it was one you were willing to take. Lord knew you had taken worse ones.

The air becomes still and tense, as you drink the rest of your tea with genuine nervousness, never taking your eyes off Thomas. You may have told him he was forgiven, but he knew that it was going to take a lot of work to go back to the way things used to be, and he knew that you knew that too.

“Ok.” He set his tea down, putting his arms around you and resting his forehead against yours. “Starting tomorrow eh?”

You nod, and when Thomas closes his eyes, you allow yourself a moment to let out the daggers that had been hiding behind yours.

Even without anyone saying anything, you knew that they all knew. You knew it from the pitying looks, the attempts to not look directly at you, the excessive niceties. The only one who didn’t act like anything was different was Arthur, who greeted you with a grin and then a hug.

“It’ll be good to have ya about.” He said, leading you to your new desk. “Tommy is always better with you around.”

‘No he isn’t.’

But you smile back and rest your hand on Arthur’s arm and gently squeeze. “At least I’m out of the house finally.” You joked, feeling the releasing of tension in your muscles. The two of you had always got on well, like a house on fire. You appeared to be the only one with the patience and endurance to handle Arthur’s erratic outbursts, and the one who was always the most ready to forgive him for anything he had done while in one of his blind rages. Under all the gangster bluster, Arthur had a good heart. Had he been born into a different family, a different life, he could’ve been someone great. All the Shelbys could’ve.

“I’m goin’ to visit Michael later, do you want to come with me?”

The offer was touching, and made you guiltily remember how the only time you had visited Michael was when he was in his coma. Seeing him had put the fear of God in your heart, and made you avoid the hospital because of it. “Yeah, yeah, I would.”

“Good, sorted.” Arthur loitered by your desk as you took your seat and familiarized yourself with everything on it and in the drawers. Every trace of Lizzie was gone.

“Listen, Name…” He swallowed, looking away. “I-I didn’t know. About Lizzie.”

Well, perhaps not every trace.

“I know.” You said, in a hushed voice. The night before, Thomas had assured you that the only Shelbys that were privy that his very brief, but fruitful, affair were him and Polly. And you believed him, because you knew that the rest of them would never hide something like that from you. “It’s alright Arthur.”

“No it bloody well isn’t.” The gruffness in his voice, not to mention the words themselves, surprised you. You hadn’t expected Arthur to take this stance, as even in the worst times he always stood by Thomas. But it seemed he had reached his limit, same as you. “You were always good to Tom. You didn’t deserve that. Any of it.” He placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed, like you had with his arm. “I’m sorry.”

It was the only apology that you had heard that you believed.

“Everything alright here?”

Thomas had emerged from his office, eyes flitting between you and his brother. The slight tightness in his tone, not to mention the way he was looking at the two of you, made you sick. He always got like that whenever he started to feel jealous and/or possessive, two feelings that in your humble opinion, Thomas had no right to feel anymore.

“Jus’ fine Tom.” Arthur drew his hand back, also recognizing what was beginning to form in Thomas. He gave you one last smile before he left the two of you to your devices.

After a tense silence, Thomas turned to you, his gaze now soft. “May Carlton is coming later.”

Another name that set you on edge. Before this, you had assumed that May was merely some posh girl who had a taste for bad men, and was largely harmless. But you had thought the same of Grace too. Thomas had not admitted to anything going on between him and May, but it was hard to ignore the possibility.

You found the appointment in the diary, in Lizzie’s handwriting. You wondered how Lizzie felt, seeing that name staring up at her, in her own hand. It gave you a small sense of sadistic pleasure. “Do I need to prepare anything?” You asked, keeping everything conversational.

“No, it’s fine.”

For a few moments, the two of you just stand in silence.

Thomas swallows, his Adam’s apple slowly descending before going back up again. For a split second, you imagined sticking a bullet, or even a knife, into that piece of flesh. The next, you pictured sinking your teeth into it, tearing the skin and muscle away completely. See how well Thomas lies without a throat.

You swallowed down those fantasies and forced yourself to kiss him gently. It was barely a kiss really, the kind the two of you used to exchange when you were both still young and could still feel delirious happiness when around each other. Quick, chaste, easily kept secret.

The connection had never even occurred to you, you had simply done it because you felt that it was something that you should do, given the circumstances. But it wasn’t lost on Thomas.

He gazed at you like he didn’t entirely believe that you were real, like if he looked away he would lose you.

Well he could look all he liked. You weren’t coming back.

“Arthur and I are going to visit Michael later.” You said softly, taking delight in the way your breath on Thomas’s lips made him inhale sharply, his eyes traveling down to your lips. “Is there anything you want me to give him or tell him?”

To anyone else, the question was perfectly innocent. But it’s implication was anything but; I’m going somewhere and I don’t want you there. The fact that you would be accompanied by Arthur, whom Thomas seemed to be rather jealous of now, added another layer to it. He needn’t worry though, Arthur loved Linda too much to do anything that would hurt or humiliate her.

“No, it’s alright.” Thomas paused, then went over to you and placed a gentle kiss on the top of your head. “Everything’s going to work out, I promise.” He whispered into your hair.

“I know.”

‘Just not for you.’

The rest of the day passed without event, until May turned up.

She looked at you with wide, slightly frightened eyes. You had conversed only once, before the horse auction, and she had shown no seen of fear then. Even if you hadn’t caught the look of guilt on her face, you would’ve known from that alone.

“Mrs Shelby.” She said by way of greeting, while looking directly over your shoulder. “Good afternoon.”

“And you Mrs Carlton.” You smiled warmly while rising from your seat. “Tommy is expecting you.” You lead May to the large double doors that seperated Thomas’s office from the rest of the betting shop, and opened them without knocking.

Thomas looked up from his desk and for a split second he looked like he was going to say something snippy until he saw that was just you and May. He waited and watched the two of you approach him, shaking May’s hand. “Thank you for coming Mrs Carlton.” He said formally, like he was trying to emphasize that there was no kind of personal connection between them.

“I’ll leave you two too it.” You said before excusing yourself, enjoying the tense look Thomas and May exchange and that you pretended not to see. Who knew you possessed a sadistic streak.

While looking over paperwork that Lizzie hadn’t been able to complete prior to her dismissal, you heard a throat being cleared. You looked up and saw an ashamed Polly.

‘How many more fake apologies do I have to sit through?’

“Polly.” You kept your voice soft and lowered your eyes, as if embarrassed.

“Do you have a moment?” She asked.

“Of course.” Let her try and defend herself, it was too late for her anyway.

Polly swallowed thickly and she blinked a few times, which she only did when trying to calm herself. Especially when she’s close to tears. “I know you have no right to forgive me, or believe anything I say, but I am sorry for keeping this from you.”

You lifted your gaze, still looking like a wounded deer. You should’ve entered the world of theater.

“Leaving it for Tommy or Lizzie to tell you was cowardly.”

‘You’re fucking right it was.’

“You’re a part of this family, have been for years, and you deserved better. I-” She cut herself off and nervously bit her bottom lip. “I should’ve gone to you straight away. We can’t afford to have division in this family, especially now with everything happening.”

You nodded, making yourself look grim. “I understand.” You said softly. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” That was an absolute lie of course, but you needed to keep playing your part, even if it made your stomach churn. You stood up and walked around the desk, embracing Polly. “Thank you.”

If Polly was surprised by the hug, she didn’t show it. She just wrapped her arms around you. For a moment, everything felt normal. You weren’t having homicidal fantasies, scheming the downfall of the fledgling Shelby empire, and planning a fate worse than death for your husband.

When you pulled away, the moment was gone and you were back in reality. It almost hurt.

“All is forgiven.” You assured her. “If I can forgive Tommy then I can forgive you.” You added as a joke, smiling as you did so.

Polly snorted and shook her head. “You have the patience of a saint with that boy.”

You nearly laughed at that, but you managed to hold it in and just nodded. “How are you doing? Are you ok?”

“Not really.” Polly admitted, getting out a cigarette and lighting it. “Every time I close my eyes I imagine Luca Changretta pressing a gun to Michael’s head.”

The same thought had occurred to you, so your sympathy was sincere this time when you spoke. “Tommy has guards watching Michael around the clock.” You reminded her. “I doubt a fly will be able to get into Michael’s room without being interrogated.”

Polly chuckled and smiled a little. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. It’s just stupid paranoia.”

“It isn’t stupid.” You said gently. “We’ve already lost John. If anything, I would be concerned if you weren’t paranoid.”

Polly exhaled smoke and looked at you thoughtfully. “I always thought you were a good influence on this family. Especially Tommy.” She tapped her cigarette on the glass ashtray on your desk. “We’re lucky to have you.”

That really almost got you going. “I do my best.” You joked.

The moment was interrupted by the telephone ringing, making you both jump.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Polly said, patting your hand with a smile before leaving.

Sitting back in your chair, you picked up the receiver and picked up a pencil, ready to take notes if necessary. “Shelby Company Limited.” You said cheerily. “How may I help you?”

“Name, your plan’s already started to come together I see.”

Luca Changretta’s voice sent a jolt down your spine and you sat up straighter, keeping yourself as calm as possible as you did your best to act like this was just another normal call. “Yes sir, this is Mr Shelby’s secretary.”

A deep chuckle came through, making you shiver in a way that wasn’t unpleasant. “I want to talk, how about coming back to the hotel?”

“Let me check Mr Shelby’s diary.” You replied, pretending to look over Thomas’s diary. “Is later this afternoon doable for you sir?”

“Perfect.” It almost came out as a purr, and again you thought a very big, very dangerous cat. “Where should I have Matteo pick you up?”

“I’m afraid Mr Gray is in the hospital sir.” You said, hoping that Luca Changretta would pick up on your hint. “But I will be able to pass on a message.”

“Across the street from the hospital it is.” Either your ears were deceiving you, or Luca Changretta was genuinely amused by this. “I look forward to it.”

At the sound of footsteps you looked up and saw Arthur standing just a meter away, waiting for you to be finished with the call. “I’ll pass it on to him right away sir.” You said. “Is there anything else?”

“Not at all. I’ll see you later bella.”

He hung up before you had the chance to do so, leaving you feeling a little flustered and trying very hard to hide it.

“Everything ok?”

You looked up at Arthur and smiled, able to calm yourself just enough to not raise suspicion. “Yeah, just taking a call.” You got up from the desk, with legs that had somehow gotten weaker, and went to Arthur, linking your arm with his to help steady yourself. “Everything’s fine.”

Arthur smiled down at you. “Good. You’ve got enough on your plate.”

For the first time, a twinge of guilt appeared in your heart.

Translations:

Mamma ti prego fidati di me-Mom, please trust me (according to google translate)

Spero tu sappia cosa stai facendo-I hope you know what you are doing (according to google translate)

Bella-Beautiful (according to google translate)

#luca changretta x reader #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders imagine #fanfictionhub

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bumi-illustrates · 5 years

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Chapter 1

It’s been nearly seven years since that day. A lot has changed, but one thing hasn’t. The people of Spero still live in fear of the power of Lady Somna. The biggest change to our small town is that we no longer worship the false Goddess. When the dreaded Day of Dreams came, our plan fell apart. The sacrifice was to act willing, until the last moment. If all had gone well, the Goddess would have been slain at the hands of her people, but her Noctis got wise and began slaughtering anyone nearby. Somna was furious, but her true colors came through. We turned our once peaceful town into a war zone. A losing one.

Lacey was among the first victims of the war on the Day of Dreams. Jenna contracted the plague four months later and only lasted eleven hours. Father disappeared shortly after Jenna’s death. There were no witnesses to his escape and no body has been recovered, so we assume he took off. Though the likelihood of him being eaten by a Noctis is high. Only one has ever survived an attack from the beasts, but his body has become a mismatch of parts and mechanics. If father did come into contact with on of the beasts, he was long gone.

I sighed as I approached the entrance to our underground base. We lost another body to the beasts a week ago. I had picked up his patrol shift until we can find another to replace him. But our numbers are low, and hope is running out. More and more people are giving up and allowing themselves to become Noctis prey. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to be, but this is how it was now. I try to keep my spirits as high as I can, for me and for everyone else.

I held up my keycard to the lock mechanism on the old metal door and a large dust cloud erupted from it as the gears shifted, opening the door just enough for me to squeeze through. I quickly placed the keycard on the pad on the inside and the door quickly snapped shut, another burst of dust making me cough.

“Ah, the legendary Michael James! Back from second shift I see.”

“And I see the good doctor is finally out of his lab. So, what’s with the special greeting?” I asked, removing the pack from my back and throwing it on the table set off to the side of the large concrete room.

“Why can’t I just be here to welcome you home?”

“Because you never do. And you know as well as I that leaving your lab could be a sign on a double apocalypse.”

The Frankenstein man laughed with a shrug of his shoulders, “Alright, you caught me. I was hoping you managed to pick up what I asked for. You were taking so long I was getting ready to go find your body and drag it back here for a funeral.”

I snorted and reached into my pocket, pulling out a gray flash drive. I tossed it to him with a smirk, “You and I both know I’m too stubborn to be taken down that easily.”

He caught the small piece of tech in his tan right hand as he flashed me a lopsided grin, “Too stubborn, or too sneaky? We should call you the Invisible Man with the way you slink around.”

I chuckled slightly as I moved to stand in front of him, “That’s why they keep me around.”

He rolled his eye at me and I grunted softly, reaching up and removing the patch covering his right eye, “You don’t have to hide a perfectly good eye. It’ll be easier to get around without this thing in the way.” I dangled the eye patch briefly in front of his face before placing it into his left hand, that was noticeably paler than his right.

“I don’t usually cover it.” He mumbled, averting his eyes as we began walking deeper into the base.

“Just around me.” I frowned.

I watched him from the corner of my eye as he bit the inside of his cheek. I knew why he was hesitant to show his right eye around me. It was a painful memory. His pain was mostly physical, with lingering emotional grief. Mine was purely emotional.

“I just, it’s hard. I know how much you loved her.”

I stopped in my tracks, placing a hand on his shoulder, “And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t keep hiding the only thing I have to remember her by. Listen, I knew her better than anyone. She would have wanted this. She helped people, it’s just who she was.”

“I guess I have to take your word for it. I didn’t talk with her much, but she seemed like a good person. I’m sorry you had to lose her.”

“We’ve all lost people, Chrome. You’ve lost a lot yourself.” I lowered my voice as we neared a group of teenagers, quietly talking among themselves.

Chrome was an interesting character. Before the war started, he was a kid named Cole who had dreams to become a doctor slash inventor. The name change came after the Noctis attack. No one is sure how he managed to get away, but he seems to stand by the fact that someone helped him. Not a soul fessed up to such a feat as great as finishing off a Noctis. They were monsters and anyone with a sound mind knew to stay far away from them.

All that we know to be fact is that he was found, bloody and torn, with the body of a green Noctis not ten feet from him. He was, amazingly, still conscious and decided to take some of the beast’s hair for his own partially scalped head. Fortunately for him, he had been studying medicine and mechanics, because unfortunately for him, there were no doctors left after the Day of Dreams. The poor kid, only fourteen at the time, had to patch himself up. The adults did what they could to assist him, but he managed to stitch himself up mostly alone.

Starting above his left eye at his hair line, a large trail of stitches cut across the bridge of his nose, cutting it close to the inside corner of his right eye. It continued down and across his cheek until it ended just underneath his jaw. Another string of stitches started on his left eye, extending from the inner corner of that eye, wrapping around his cheek and disappearing underneath his left ear. On his neck, just underneath his jaw, was another line of sutures. It started just to the left of his jugular before making a slight curve and coming down directly in the center of his chest. From there, it made another, slightly more prominent turn to the right where it wrapped around his waist and crawled up his back in a similar trail as his front. Finally ending at the nape of his neck.

His skin had been tan, and although some of his skin remained intact, he had been hurt severely and was now a pale skin tone in several spots. Above his stitches on the right side of his face and the left side of his stitches along his chest were pasty in comparison to the tan skin next to it. I shuddered slightly looking at the thousands of stitches that would forever be a part of him. He had tried to remove them several times, only to figure out the wounds wouldn’t hold without them. So, the inventor in him decided to make do. His current stitches were made of a flexible metal he designed. He had tried to explain the science to me once before, but three sentences in and he had lost me.

Once we had passed the group of teens, Chrome spoke up once more, keeping his voice quiet, “Thank you.”

I raised my eyebrow at him, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my torn and dirty jeans, “What for?”

“Doing what you did, so I could see fully again.”

Oh. That.

“Like I said before, if she could save someone, she would have. I like to think of this as her way of contributing to the cause.” When he kept silent, I continued, “Look, I know it might not seem like it, but I am okay. Like I said, everybody has had to make sacrifices and grieve lost loved ones, but most weren’t so fortunate to reconnect with old friends.”

He breathed a short laugh, “Wouldn’t have had to reconnect if I hadn’t ditched you for science. And what a reunion, huh?”

I threw an arm around his shoulder and leaned slightly into him as a toothy grin spread over my face, “Sorry for ditching you for a year to go play doctor, but there’s a really cute girl that works there that I just have to marry!” I teased, making a halfhearted effort to mimic his prepubescent voice. I had placed my free hand over my lips, trying to feign a lovestruck posture.

He laughed, slightly shoving me, “Don’t be a jerk! You know I didn’t say I had to marry her. I only wanted to marry her. And you know, she was totally into me.”

We both paused slightly before erupting into laughter. He threw his own arm around me as we used each other to hold ourselves up.

“Yes, because what self-respecting eighteen-year-old girl wouldn’t want a nerdy fourteen-year-old boy?” A new voice spoke up tightly.

Chrome was the first to pull himself together as he straightened up, still supporting part of my weight as I continued to struggle with containing my laughter, “Come on, Tabs! You know you were totally into me.”

She rolled her emerald eyes as she mumbled incoherently. By the time I had pulled myself together, the older blonde woman stood before us, holding out a file towards me, “I’m glad to see you having fun, sir, but here’s the inventory report.”

By the look on her face I could already tell what she would follow up with, “We’ll need to schedule another excursion to the field to harvest more of the crops.”

Called it.

“Right, how soon can you have a group ready?” I asked, looking over the numbers, realizing we were lower than I had anticipated.

“Oh no! As the doctor around here, I refuse to let you go out again! You just got back from a double shift, man! You need to rest.” Chrome cut in sternly.

“Is this true, sir?”

I rolled my eyes, “One, please stop calling me sir. Two, I’ll be fine. There were no beasts out. If we hurry it can be a quick trip.”

“Michael, no. I may be your friend, but I didn’t study the human body and become a doctor for nothing. I know what I’m talking about when I say you need to rest.”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Chrome.” The smug look on Chrome’s face was caught by Tabitha as she wrapped her arms around herself with a scowl crossing her features, “As much as it pains me to say that.”

Chrome’s face fell, “Oh, come on! I’m not that bad!”

She ignored him and turned her attention back to me, “We have enough to last through the night. Please, get some rest. I’ll gather some of the able and help prepare them for departure. You will all leave first thing in the morning.”

As she walked away, I stood in shock before muttering, “First she calls me sir, then she’s the one giving orders.”

The weight of Chrome’s arm on my shoulder’s returned as he stuck his face uncomfortably close to my own, “hey, man. I see you getting ideas. I already told you that one’s mine.”

I snorted with laughter and covered his face with my hand, pushing him slightly, “good luck with that.”

“You just wait, it’ll happen one of these days and when it does, I will take great pleasure in rubbing it in your face.”

I rolled my eyes at him, the smile never leaving my face, “Come on. Let’s head to the lab. I want to see what’s on that oh-so-important flash drive I had to risk my easy patrol for.”

#mycharacter #my novel #debut novel #adventures #fantasy #my story #reverie #original story #originalcharacter

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dasynka · 7 years

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On June 10th was my nameday. Of the many things I could do, I had only one wish: Positano. Although I lived only a few hours from the Amalfi Coast, I missed in Positano for at least 4 years. I didn’t remember that it’s so small. One of the most touristic towns, with the characteristic promontory crowded of houses on houses, a metaphor of what we are in the world, packed on each other with our lives, stories, dreams, without a real order, without a definite chromium, a chaos of sets that seems to us to understand nothing -inside. But -from outside- you have a poetic vision. Maybe that’s why it enchants so much, because we feel a little bit of ourselves framed between those stairs and those balconies, overlooking the unknowledge of the infinite sea -the life.

I have asked people who are most heartfelt, and that I’ve been near me most of all these months, to gift me an happy day as if I were traveling – to travel fills me with joy, I still have in me the remains of the journey between Mykonos and Santorini, which I hope to succeed in telling you soon. It was a perfect day. In the morning my sister brought me to the Natural History Museum (one of my happy places in the world) with an incredible treasure hunt -as our traditions want for every occurrence. And I was surprised even more when, as soon as I got to Positano, she left a note in my hand saying that another treasure hunt would take me around the city. I didn’t think I could contain so much joy (whoever follows me on IG will have followed all the hunt with me). The weather was wonderful, the sea calm, only few tourists. The hunt took us to a hidden beach, which was soon emptied and we were alone staring at the sea with an ice cream in our hands. The rest of the day has gone through alleyways, small art galleries, pizza on the terrace with view on the sea, the pink sky, the lights that slowly illuminate the promenade, the full moon has skyrocketed. We stopped at the port talking about stars, before ending the evening with a “cheers” for me.

I’m so glad to have spent one of the most happy name-day of my life, even though Mom isn’t here anymore to hug me. Thanks to all people that try everyday to fill me with love, that try constantly to made me happy, that manage to create these wonderful days for me. I couldn’t smile without you.

For this day in Positano I chose a dress that perfectly fits the landscape and emblematicly embodies my style. You can find it on Shein. Have you ever been to Positano? xx Dasynka

Il 10 giugno è stato il mio onomastico. Delle tante cose che avrei potuto fare, avevo un solo desiderio: Positano. Pur vivendo a poche ore dalla costa Amalfitana, mancavo a Positano da almeno 4 anni. Non la ricordavo così piccola. Una delle cittadine più turistiche, con il caratteristico promontorio affollato di case su case, una metafora di quello che siamo noi nel mondo, ammassati l’uno sull’altro con le nostre vite storie sogni, senza un ordine reale, senza una cromia definita, un caos di insiemi che sembra di non capirci nulla -dentro. Ma -da fuori- si ha una poetica visione. Sarà per questo che incanta tanto, perché ci sentiamo un po’ noi incorniciati tra quegli scalini e quei balconi, affacciati all’insapere del mare infinito -la vita.

Ho chiesto alle persone che mi stanno più a cuore, e che più di tutti mi sono state vicino in questi mesi, di regalarmi una giornata felice come se fossi in viaggio -viaggiare mi riempie di gioia, ho ancora in me i residui del viaggio tra Mykonos e Santorini, che spero di riuscire a raccontare presto. È stata una giornata perfetta. Di mattina mia sorella mi ha portata al Natural History Museum (uno dei miei posti felici al mondo) con una caccia al tesoro incredibile -come vogliono le nostre tradizioni per ogni ricorrenza. E mi ha sorpresa ancora di più quando, appena arrivati a Positano, mi ha lasciato un bigliettino in mano dicendo che un’altra caccia al tesoro mi avrebbe portata in giro per la città. Non credevo di poter contenere così tanta gioia (chi mi segue su IG avrà seguito tutta la caccia con me). Il tempo era meraviglioso, il mare calmo, pochi turisti. La caccia ci ha portati fino ad una spiaggetta nascosta, che si è presto svuotata e siamo rimasti da soli a fissare il mare con un gelato in mano. Il resto della giornata è trascorsa tra vicoletti, piccole gallerie d’arte, pizza su terrazza vista mare, il cielo rosa, le luci che pian piano illuminavano il lungomare, la luna piena è salita in cielo. Ci siamo fermati al porto a parlare di stelle, prima di finire la serata con un brindisi.

Sono così contenta di aver trascorso uno degli onomastici più felici della mia vita, nonostante mamma non sia qui ad abbracciarmi. Grazie a tutte le persone che cercano ogni giorno di riempirmi di amore, che cercano costantemente di rendermi felice, che cercano di creare queste meravigliose giornate per me. Non potrei sorridere senza voi.

Per questa giornata a Positano ho scelto un vestito che si accorda perfettamente al paesaggio e che incarna emblematicamente il mio stile. Potete trovarlo su Shein. Voi siete mai stati a Positano? xx Dasynka

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 100%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Photography by Carmela.vix, www.carmelavicedomini.it

OUTFIT OF THE DAY

DRESS: Shein (here) BAG: Shein (here) SHOES: Asos BRACELETS: Pandora & Trollbeads SUNGLASSES: Mango

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2709096″]

A (NAME) DAY IN POSITANO On June 10th was my nameday. Of the many things I could do, I had only one wish: Positano.

#Fashion #Name-day #Positano #Sea #Shein

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akissatmidnight · 7 years

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Wow, you guy! I knew we got a ton of readers, but I had no idea so many of you had Scottish roots and it warms the cockles of my historically based soul to see people so interested. What started out as just a little article has turned into a mini genealogy search, but I like to keep my historical research skills sharp, so it’s all in good fun. You can go back and read part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 to see what other clans I’ve brought up. If you don’t see your clan and would like to learn more, maybe I’ll do a part 6, so let me know in the comments!

Clan Donald/MacDonald

Clan Motto: per mare per terras- by sea and by land

Alternative Clan Motto: fraoch eilean- the heathery isle

Ancient

Modern

Weathered

There’s a lot to learn about Clan Donald, so if you’re a member, you might want to dig about! Until then, here are just a few little tidbits…

The Donalds were one of the larger Highland clans and even have clan connections in Ireland. They are also cousins, of sort, with the MacDougal clan, as their founders came from the same Norse family.

They originated from the Norse leader Domhnall mac Ragnail and kept allegiance with the Norwegian kings for more than two hundred years until Haakon IV of Norway was defeated by Alexander III, who then became king of Scotland.

Clan Donald was such a strong supporter of Robert the Bruce, once he became king, he proclaimed that the clan would always hold the right wing of his army in battle, a testament to his faith in their loyalty.

At the end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1500s, the Donalds lost the title of Earl Ross, which they had held for a few hundred years, meaning they lost their political holding as Lord of the Isles. In a bid to regain the position, chief Domhnall Dubh formed an alliance with King Edward VI of England against James VI of Scotland. While they didn’t get the titles back that they asked for, Edward began giving parts of the clan smaller titles, which kept them separated and lessened their threat to the British Crown.

During the Jacobite uprising, many Donalds fought at Culloden. But when they saw the carnage and began losing many members, they fled, saving their numbers.

The Mackinnon Clan

Clan Motto: Audentes Fortuna Juvat- Fortune Favors the Bold

modern

ancient

This Highland clan had control of many of the Hebride Islands and descended from Alpín mac Echdach, the king of Dál Riata, although historical archives point them having branched off from Clan Gregor. Their name comes from the Gaelic “Mac Fhionghuin”, which means “fair born”.

During the Jacobite rebellion, the Mackinnons threw their whole support behind Bonny Prince Charlie. But, after it failed, things went downhill for the small clan. They lost all of their ancestral land that was gifted to them by Robert the Bruce.

And although the clan was small in size, their level of sass was out of this world! After the failed Jacobite rebellion, the chief of the Mackinnons was taken to England and put on trial. But, because he was so old, they freed him and sent him back to Scotland. As he was getting read to leave court, the English Judge asked him, “If the King were in your power, as you have been in his, what would you have done to him?” The chief replied, “I would do to him, as he has this day done to me; I would send him back to his own country.”

Clan MacDuff

Clan Motto: Deus Juvat- God Assists

modern

hunting

The MacDuffs originated from the royals of the Picts and the early chiefs were the Earls of Fife. The MacDuffs of Fife were considered the most powerful family in the middle ages, and even though they lost the title of Earl of Fife to the Stewarts in the late 1300s, it didn’t stop them from continuing to gain power.

This Lowland clan does not currently have a chief, although the direct line hasn’t died off.

Clan Moffat

Clan Motto: Spero Meliora- I hope for better things

This clan is so old, it’s difficult to place exactly where they came from. It is thought their name is of Norse origins, but they were definitely around by the time William Wallace was fighting for independence. by the 12th century, they owned large swaths of land and were considered minor nobles.

As most border clans, the Moffats were constantly fighting with other families, especially the Johnstones. in 1557 the Johnstones murdered the Moffat’s chief and then burned numerous other clan members alive after trapping them in a building. that was the end of the Moffat chiefs until 1983.

Their clan tartan is rather new, created in 1983 when the chiefdom was reestablished. It’s heavily based on that of Clan Douglas.

Clan Gunn

Clan Motto: Aut pax aut bellum- Either peace or war

ancient

modern

weathered

Their name is among the oldest, coming from a Norse Jarl of Orkney named Gunni in the 1100s, whose wife had inherited the Jarldom of Orkney from her brother. Gunnis’ name meant “war”and he descended from Viking adventurers. Quite the interesting lineage if you’re a Gunn.

Their biggest enemies were Clan Keith and were constantly as war with them. in the 1400s it is said that a member of Clan Keith was in love with the daughter of the Chief of Clan Gunn and kidnapped her to stop her from marrying another man, shortly before her wedding. The girl didn’t return his affection and threw herself off a tower. Obviously, the Gunns were pissed and retaliated, but failed. The two of them finally came to a truce, but when they were supposed to meet in an act of goodwill, the Keiths decided to ambush them. But the Gunns got the last laugh when they killed the Chief of the Keiths and his son.

They participated in the Jacobite rebellion, but on the side of the British.

Bonus: I’m not 100% sure if Timothy Mackenzie Gunn is Scottish, but his name makes me think he hails from the clan!

Clan Macqueen

Clan Motto: Constant and Faithful

This Highland bunch are an Armigerous clan and members of Clan Chattan. They claim relations with Clan Donald and often sided with them in small clan disputes. Another large part of the clan carried the last name MacSween.

They did not participate in the Jacobite rebellion, but still ended up migrating into Ireland, and more notably Australia, beginning in the 1600s.

Clan Kerr

Clan Motto: Sero sed serio- Late, but in earnest

ancient

modern

hunting

The Kerrs were a border clan who has roots in ancient Norway, where they got their name. It comes from the Norse “kjarr” which means “marsh dweller”. It’s also origionally pronounced like “care” but when the mass migration to England and the Americas happened, the pronunciation turned into the modern “car”.

The two largest sections of the clan, the Kerrs of Ferniehurst and the Kerrs of Cessford fought with each other a lot for supremacy, but came together in their feud against Clan Scott. When a Kerr was accidentally killed in the 1520s by the Scotts, who were trying to free King James from Clan Douglas, they waited for their revenge. They knew that the band had been lead by Walter Scott, and waited until 1552 to kill him. Looks like they take their motto to heart!

Here’s a particularly fun fact, the Kerrs were known for being left handed. So much so, that their castles were often designed to suit left handed people. If you’re a Kerr, are you left handed?

Let’s look at our favorite left handed guy!

You read my mind, Fraser

The Farquharson Clan

Clan Motto: Fide et Fortitudine – By Faith and Fortitude

clan

modern

They were members of the Chattan Confederation and originated from the son of a Clan Shaw chief, named Farquhar.

By the end of the 1500s, they were gaining power and took on the nickname, the “Fighting Farquharsons”. They overtook many castles and no one dared oppose them for fear of retribution.

They supported the Stuarts 100% during the Jacobite rebellion and offered the large number of 500 men to the cause. They helped the Jacobites win many battles, but ultimately they couldn’t win the war. The Farquarson wife of the Mackintosh Chief even helped save Prince Charles Stuart’s life, earning her jail time after Culloden.

Clan Boyd

Clan Motto: Confido- I trust

They may be from Norman stock, as their name isn’t a traditional one, but more based on location. One possibility is that they got their name form the Scottish “buidh” which means “fair” or “yellow”. Or it could be a nod to the Isle of Bute.

They were strong supporters of Scottish independence and their ties to Robert the Bruce laid out their future as friends of the nobility. By the 1400s, one Boyd was young King James II’s regent, another his military tutor, and a third married the king’s sister. But they came too close to the crown and were ousted from power. But they regained their standing in the late 1500s when they put their support behind Mary Queen of Scots.

They fought for the Jacobites and the chief was later beheaded in London. His son then took the name Hay in order to try and retake the titles his dead father lost.

Their ancestral castle, formerly Kilmarnock Castle, is now Dean Castle and hosted almost every Scottish royal since it’s building in the 1350s.

Clan Colquhoun

Clan Motto: Si Je Puis – I will if I can

modern

ancient

Colquhoun was a the name of a piece of land that was passed to Umphredus de Kilpatrick by Scottish King Alexander II.

They were a small, but noble family that expanded into what we know as a clan. Their strong ties to the royal family kept them close to all fights between the larger clans, but out of harm’s way. But, they were still very vulnerable to to attack, as they were more strategic people and less physical. This lead to them being slaughtered in large numbers by Clan MacGregor, who as we said before, got a bit rowdy at times.

The Swinton Clan

Clan Motto: J’espere, Je Pense- I Hope, I Think

There is no formally registered Swinton tartan, but some like this tartan and hold it as the Swinton plaid.

This Lowland clan came from Northumbrian stock and was probably named for the village of Swinewood in the 1130s, but a more romanticized version has it getting their name for their bravery in clearing the area of wild boars.

One member, John Swinton, is seen as the possible founder of the Quakers in the 1660s. Actress Tilda Swinton is also a member of this family and she can trace her lineage through the Swinton line, back into the middle ages!

Clan MacLellan

Clan Motto: Think On

Regular tartan #1

Regular tartan #2

Hunting tartan

This Lowland clan is considered Armigerous, as it does not have a chief. They got their name from the Gaelic “MacGille Fholain”, which means “son of the servant of St Fillan”, who was a missionary of the early Celtic Church.

They were allies of William Wallace and followed him into battle. From that time on, they were friends of the nobility and were frequently knighted. by the 1500’s, they were still rising in the peerage and were made titled lords and often seen at court. However, their closeness to the crown took a toll on their wealth. During the Scottish Civil War, their clan was almost bankrupt by their chief, who was a staunch royalist.

The title of chief has been dormant since 1832, so if you’re of the clan and think you have a shot, go for gold and see if you could claim it!

Bonus: Here’s a pic of the Maclellan’s castle, which was built in the mid-late 1500s.

Clan Home

Clan Motto: A Home! A Home! A Home!

Alternative Clan Motto: True to the End

The Home, or Hume as they are sometimes called, hail from the ancient earls of Northumbria that settled in a lard called “Home”, in the lower areas of Scotland.

They were a particularly powerful border clan, partly owing to their wealth and ties to the nobility. By the 1400s, some members were even made Lords of Parliament and the Great Chamberlain of Scotland. But their noble ties and location near the border had a downside, as they were often on the front lines against the English. But even when the English would overtake their lands, the Homes would rally up and push them out like it ain’t no thang.

The English seriously hated Clan Home. The Homes were always by the side of the Scottish kings and kicking English troops off Scottish land. So when Oliver Cromwell finally took some Home lands, and Hume Castle, he garrisoned troops there. (Pictured below). But Hume Castle’s history is really interesting. Built in the 12th century, it was the beacon of the south, responsible for overseeing the border and warning other clans about any English invasions. A fire would be lit in a tall tower, signaling it was time for battle. This was resurrected in the Napoleonic Wars.

But when the Jacobite rebellion came to pass, the Home’s swapped sides and fought with the British. But, in the long run, it was good for the clan. They continued to hold power and even present day Home/Humes are very respected. Think Alec Douglas-Home, the former PM of the UK!

One more tiny fun fact: in 1513, during the Battle of Flodden, the Home leader was rallying the troops by calling, “A Home! A Home!”. But as many under his charge weren’t Homes, they thought he was telling them to go home, so they did. Oops.

Clan Hamilton

Clan Motto: Through

The clan’s chiefs come from the noble Gilberts of Hameldone, appearing around the last 1200s, when Walter Fitz Gilbert was awarded the land, among others, due to his support of Robert the Bruce. This began their rise to power, alongside the Scottish royals.

By the 1400s, they were tightly entwined with the Scottish royal family, as Lord John Hamilton married King James III’s daughter, Mary, adding more titles and land to their clan.This notoriety of being mixed with noble stock kept them largely out of normal clan disputes.

But by the mid 1600’s, the chiefdom was in debt and the lineage so noble, there were fights over who would hold the coveted title. This weakened the clan and they began to drift apart.

Clan MacDowall

Clan Motto: Vincere Vel Mori- To conquer or die

They hail from Galloway and are of the earliest Scots clans in written history, their lineage being noted in the mid 8th century, but being mentioned as early as the 200s as being members of the noble house of Galloway. Bu the 1200s, the name “M’douall” had appeared, which the modern MacDowall has hailed from.

There is a large MacDowall number in Ireland, due to the English sending poor Scots to settle there and cultivate the land in the early 1700s.

Through some smart marriages, this large, but mostly peaceful, clan has stayed largely out of the battles the clans are known from.

Names asked for, but not included in this list, which is focused on Scottish clans: Kirk (sept of Clan Maxwell), Paterson (sept of the Clan MacLaren and Clan Farquharson), Jack (not a clan, nor a recognized sept, but a last name), Byers (sept of Clan Lindsay), Day (derived from the Irish O’Dea), Fisher (not a clan, nor a recognized sept, but a last name) Tinley (not a clan, nor a recognized sept, but a last name), Alexander (sept of Clan Donald).

But if you’d like to know a bit about your last name, let me know and I’ll tell you a few fun facts! Also, keep an eye our for part 6, since I still have many more names to go, and let me know if your clan hasn’t been mentioned in any of these Outlandish Clan History posts, and I’ll see what I can do!

And if you have time, you can learn about Kelsey’s contemporary novel and her Scottish historical romance series here!

An Outlandish Clan History Part5 Wow, you guy! I knew we got a ton of readers, but I had no idea so many of you had Scottish roots and it warms the cockles of my historically based soul to see people so interested.

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beccas-a-cipher · 5 years

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Pool Party

Originally posted: 17 September, 2018

Oh my gosh it’s THIS oh NO

Kole started something on Discord (which exists at some points ._.) and then I wrote this

Things could get a little bit... lewd...

#BlameKole

...I still wrote this mess. I’m so sorry. But also slightly not sorry. Mostly sorry.

Kai slung his tote over his shoulder as he walked into the public pool. For the Everston students, it was the last day of school and since the it was BLAZING HOT a lot of them had taken to the cool water to celebrate.

"What Time Is It" from High School Musical was blasting from someone's speakers and Kai spotted Melissa and the other Eversingers and a couple other students jamming out to that. Teenagers were splashing water in and out of the pool and snacked on the chips and fruit that were at one table, along with a punch bowl that seemed to be untouched (Kai noted to not drink any.)

The tan boy snuck around the dry outskirts of the pool complex to try and not bring attention to himself. Even though this was a public pool, he still felt a little awkward joining a party that he technically had no right to. It wasn't like he was going to eat anything; he just wanted to chill out like a normal kid his age for once. No Spero, no White Stone, no Magiclicas, no Ciphers, no impending doom and angst.

There was a strange yellow flash in the water and Kai saw Quinston's blonde friend go from one end of the pool to other. He had a rather cheeky smirk on his face as he treaded water and waited for someone. Another blonde boy that looked exactly like the first (wait what?) and two boys, one with black hair dyed pink and the other with bright teal eyes showed up a few seconds later, having various form of annoyance or disappointment on their faces. The second blonde said something to Chase that caused him to shrug and smile before the four of them pressed their back to the wall to race across the pool again. They started but the second blonde used his special power and him and other two swam as Chase was stuck in slow motion with a different shade of yellow particles surrounding him.

Kai laughed at the antics. Chase kind of deserves that, he thought to himself.

"Kai!" Someone called his name. The sky-eyed boy jumped and looked around, only to find a brunette with his hair stuck to his face and bright emerald eyes smiling and waving to him at the edge of the pool.

Kai immediately felt his face head up. "Q-Quinston!" He waved shyly to his crush. The Magiclica boy pulled himself out of the water and stood up, revealing holy cow those were some abs and bright green swim trunks as Quinston shook his sopping hair and came over to the not-Spero.

"Decided to come enjoy the party?" He asked casually, although Kai swore he saw his checks flushed the slightest shade of pink.

"I mean, yeah...?" Kai trailer off as his voice pitched nervously. Quinston chuckled and gripped his shoulder in a friendly way.

"Go get changed and let's have some fun!" He suggested, pushing Kai to the bathrooms. Kai's inhibition melted away and he nodded, smiling, and hurried to change. He slid into a stall and locked the door and immediately dug into his tote, looking for his red and black swim trunks he knew he had packed.

But he couldn't find his swimsuit? I swear it was in here! Kai has triple checked because he felt like he was forgetting something.

Kai spotted something that was not part of his color scheme and held up a bright green bikini top. He shrieked and threw it on the ground, surprised and extremely embarrassed (even if it was just him in the bathroom) and had a sinking feeling as he dug through his back frantically.

"No no, where is it...?" He muttered to himself. He found the bottoms to the revealing swimsuit (OH NO) and no normal swim trunks.

He groaned. "I'm going to kill you, Kagae!" He said to himself and shoved the garments back into his bag.

"Kai? You alright? You've been in here a while," Quinston's exotic accent inquired.

Kai sputtered. "I, uh, yeah I'm good!"

"Want to come out then?" His voice was cool but teasing as if he knew something Kai didn't.

Kai groaned to himself. "Not at the moment?"

"Why?"

"...Complications?"

Quinston sighed and knocked on the stall. "Alright, let me help, you dork," he offered.

Kai unlocked the door and let him in since he was still dressed in an appropriate manner. Quinston slipped in and closed the door. He glanced at Kai's apparel and frowned. "What's going on?"

Kai felt heat rise to his cheeks and nodded to his bag. "Someone thought it would be funny to pull a prank on me..." he mumbled. Quinston spotted the feminine clothing and quickly glanced away as well.

"That's cruel," he agreed.

"I'll just not get in the water or something, it's fine," Kai said. Quinston frowned.

"But I wanted to... never mind," the brunette cut himself off. Both the boys were blushing at this point in the rather awkward position they had worked themselves into.

Quinston glanced at the garment again before something seemed to dawn on him and his hand glowed blue. "Be right back-" he said as he stepped through a portal he had just created and disappeared.

"What are you thinking-?" But then the green-eyed wonder was gone. Kai sighed and wondered what kind of crazy plan Quinston had come up with.

Kai wasn't sure how long it had been since Quinston disappeared but he was eventually getter again by a knock on the door. He had noticed the screams and laughter of the kids outside had quieted for a moment, but they had returned a couple seconds later.

"Back."

Kai swiftly opened the door and gasped. "Quinston!"

There was the brown-haired boy was standing there, looking far too confident for his own good, wearing a red woman's bikini.

The tan boy slammed the stall door, surprised and once again bright red after he thought he had just gotten his face under control again. "Are you crazy?!" he cried.

The boy outside chuckled in his handsome way. "What, don't think it looks good on me?"

"I think you're an idiot and if your grandparents didn't know you're gay at this point once they see you on social media they will now!"

"I'm sure they won't if they see someone else with me, they'll just think it's us being idiots," Quinston suggested.

Kai nearly screeched. "NO! I am not going out in public wearing a bikini! I don't have the bod for it!" He instantly regretted the excuse he came up with off the top of his head.

The Magiclica was curiously quiet for a moment. "And I do?"

The tan boy groaned. "Leave me to my misery..." he requested sadly.

A single article of clothing flew over the door, landing on Kai's head (much to his dismay.)

"Get changed and I'll meet you outside, alright?"

Kai sighed as he took the swim shorts off his face. "Thanks, Quinston," he said out loud and quickly changed from his short and tank top (not a Spero uniform!) to the appointed apparel.

Quinston was waiting outside back in his male swimsuit, still showing off his (HOT) six pack. He smiled at the sight of the sky-eyed boy that still felt rather embarrassed not having a shirt on, especially next to freaking Quinston O”Kouzlo, two-time youngest winner of TMS (Kai knew the name before meeting him) who was in no way worthy of the green-eyed wonder's affection.

"Ready to have some fun?" The brunette held out his hand to the other boy.

Kai smiled. "Let's!"

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Word count: 1430

I regret a lot of things right now, but also none at the same time.

So I had "What Time Is It" playing most of the time I was writing this and I can see the Magiclicas cast singing to it on the last day of school X3 Except Kai, who refuses to sing and would be lip syncing and mildly surprised when his part happens to be female

#magiclicas #qutejakey #kaiston #regret #high school musical is actually s2 musical confirmed #but this was written in between seasons #am i a prophet?

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beccas-a-cipher · 5 years

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What is Up With LuLu? (Theory)

Originally posted: 21 September, 2018

Ironically this theory isn’t outdated, it just needs to be reworked with new evidence.

I wrote this at a ridiculously late hour and the first line was “I guess this is a theory I guess” I should NOT write close to midnight

Like the title says it's 11 PM on a Thursday and there was just a Magiclicas talk show and now I'm all spooled up about LuLu

She's so inconsistent!

Like, I know she's meant to be that way, but at the same time, some things literally DONT ADD UP.

First off, when Kai was leaving the Winter Ball he ran into her and called her Misuki. I can understand her nickname being LuLu, the name doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is that in one of the following episodes, LuLu implies she knew Kai in the past as a Cipher (and as a close family friend?) and that she seemed rather unsure about Kai being a Spero

1. This means Kai joined the Spero fairly recently, unless it's been several years since they last saw each other. I don't quite remember the details of that conversation tbh

2. This means LuLu doesn't know she's a Spero herself at this point in time?!

When Kagae was first introduced (I'm fairly sure it's actually spelled Kage but is people can’t spell Ichiro I'm just spelling it pheonetically) we all noticed she had the same streaks of pink and purple hair as LuLu, but her hair was grey. I remember asking Jakey about it in an after party stream, and he said that it was a combination of the lighting in the Spero hideout and the shaders and that they decided to do her skin differently as a Spero

But as shown in the finale, either Principal Laurens hooked LuLu up with her wig store or Kagae's hair color literally changed before our eyes into LuLu's. So there's clearly some unanswered questions about this still.

Not to mention that LuLu and Kagae don't seem to be aware of each other. LuLu doesn't realize she's been acting strange, only that she has periods of amnesia and strange exhaustion before Kaya discovers... whatever she technically discovered because episode 23 threw all that out the window.

At the same time, Kagae doesn't know HOW she knows which potion is the one needed to treat Jax while he's having complications in the demone scuro ceremony. But LuLu is rather excellent with potions, so although LuLu's knowledge comes through subconsciously to Kagae, she doesn't realize what is actually going on.

From this recent livestream (which I only caught the last minutes of) Jakey said that Ichiro does care for LuLu, although whether it's for the potential of the White Stone or if it's a true father-daughter relationship it wasn't exactly clear. But Jakey DID say that LuLu's mother is Ichiro's wife?! (That honestly surprised me but alright) so despite all this, LuLu HAS to know who her father really is, right? But then how would she not really know she's a Spero? Is Kagae the one he calls his daughter so that's why she's the Spero, and LuLu the Magiclica spy in Everston?

I also just realized why Ichiro and Reina pretended to be LuLu's parents during the musical I guess THAT makes sense now...

I had one theory on this but thinking about it now I have several-

1. LuLu has schizophrenia (a multiple personality disorder where often personalities don't remember what the other has done, or something to that effect) this would explain her not remembering her time as Kagae, or Kagae as LuLu.

2. Ichiro has some sort of spell on her that as Kagae, she is a Spero and is loyal to him and that is why at the reveal in episode 23, Ichiro said what he said how he said it and LuLu's reaction to this, which for me was hard to interpret. Was she confused? Silently guilty? Determined? I couldn't tell. It's kinda like all the kiss scenes with their eyes open XD

Also this could also explain that Ichiro was shown to use LuLu's shadow ability to possess Melissa

3. LuLu/Kagae have two souls in one body. Idk how this could happen, but it kind of seems like it could fit. And considering the particle scene at the end of episode 23, if the theories that there's gonna be some sort of Chase/Ichiro fusion (even though it's confirmed Ichiro will not be seen nor heard again (alive) in the series) is it not possible that LuLu and Kagae died in similar ways to Chase and Ichiro and their remains fused to create this sort of split-lived person?

4. Ichiro has managed, along with both of the previous theories somewhat, to make LuLu and Kagae think they are to completely different people. LuLu is a Magiclica going to Everston Academy and lives with her normal-enough mother and father, while Kagae is a Spero who is a devout follower of Ichiro and is often his right-hand woman. It could even be that Ichiro has convinced the Kagae side that he isn't even her father, only her superior, to further differentiate the two lives. It would be cruel and evil thing to do, especially to his own daughter and would most definitely cause a serious existential crisis and probably some sort of depression, but Ichiro has also been shown several times to be very cruel to get what he wants; threatening Melissa's family and friends, giving Kai a horrible test to convert Quinston unwillingly, and trapping Mr. Foley in his own portal for all eternity (or until Ichiro died :D)

Or maybe I'm insane since it's 11:35 at night and I've missed some serious details

Although all I do have to say for sure is that the truth about LuLu has been hinted at for a VERY long time, we just never knew it!

I added this later, it should really go up at the part where I first mentioned LuLu’s parents but it’s too much work to copy/paste more than one paragraph in the Tumblr mobile app :/

In the episode "Home," we get a glimpse of LuLu's home life.

AND THERE IS BOTH ICHIRO WITH BROWN HAIR AND EYES AND HER MOM. AND LULU. IN THE SAME ROOM.

And yknow that's fine, EXCEPT-

Ichiro is a full-blooded Magiclica.

LuLu is a miscela

Both of them have powers

But for LuLu to be a miscela, her mother would have to be a Cipher.

Cipher-Magiclica relationships are illegal

So either at home LuLu and Ichiro pretend to be Ciphers (which STILL wouldn't make sense because LuLu is enrolled in Everston as a Magiclica?) or her mom is pretending to be a Magiclica, which is a pretty hard thing to pretend to be if you're not a Spero

And I'm 99% sure she doesn't know her daughter and husband are Spero because their appearances are different and they go by different names and in the scene they said they were going to a convention when they were actually going to the Spero Hideout

So I could say she knows and is alright with their illegal activity but I don't think that's the case.

So Ichiro, lying to your wife isn't good. I don't know HOW you're pulling it off, but when she finds out, you're chopped liver.

Oh wait you're already chopped liver you got owned by Sarah never mind

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Word count: 1020

To this day I still have these questions

#magiclicas theory #magiclicas #qutejakey #spero #ichiro what did you do to your daughter

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beccas-a-cipher · 5 years

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Remember Me

Originally posted: 10 September, 2018

I just realized how many Ghost!Chase things I wrote in between the seasons... huh

The song is from the Magiclicas stream playlist and I think it really fits Chase/Melissa/Michael When it mentions an undefined song later, this is the one I'm referring to. It’s “These Feelings Won’t Go Away” by Love Caliber

Melissa thought she was possessed by a demone scuro.

Everyone told her she was not. Kai had confirmed this multiple times, being the expert on what having a demone scuro in your body feels like. But Melissa still remembered her very first class as a Magiclica where the demone scuro tried to torment her mind, and this feels almost worse than the school officer's creepy "you stop right there young lady!" that had blasted in her head the first time.

The sound manipulation Miscela hadn't slept properly in forever. Every night there was flashes of that night when her life truly fell apart at the seams. The explosion, the fear, the attempts to be brave, the revelations that were made.

But what truly woke her from her rest each night was his voice. The broken, weak singing that haunted her dreams and woke her sobbing and in a cold sweat. The pained smile and resolution in his eyes that told her that he truly thought he had done one last good thing in his life. Those last moments with him in her arms before he quite literally disappeared off the face of the earth forever.

No one knew of Melissa's constant agony. She had obviously mourned along with the rest of her friends and the school at his death. But when the others slowly started to recover and move on, she had pretended to be alright as well and found just how easy it was to wear a fake smile when that was what people wanted to see. But she never truly recovered. He was always on her mind, in guilt or in happiness or in a simple, neutral memory. She would rather have died than him, but even her constant pleading to Connor once he woke up wouldn't change the past.

The school had put up a memorial statue in the main hall, but Melissa felt it never did him justice. It didn't capture his smile, only a determined, grim face as he ran into his doom over and over again in Mel's mind.

Melissa shook her head, her teal hair flying around her face. Get your head in the game, Mel. Don't think about the past. Just look to the future for once. She had no idea how this was going to go but this date with Michael might be what she needed after all this time.

Yes, Michael, as in her first date from her first year at Everston and from the Eversingers. They had both tried to move on from each other, but after he was dumped several times and Melissa's boyfriend died they decided to give each other a chance to heal.

Melissa stood waiting outside the Everston parking lot. She had already been there ten minutes and there was no sign of her date, despite that it was him who asked her out and decided the time and place to meet. She was already regretting agreeing to this, but it was too late now to back out.

A sole car pulled up with its headlights on as the sky turned to twilight.

"Hey, Mel! Sorry I'm late, traffic was slow," Michael said once he rolled down his window.

Melissa shrugged. "It happens. Where are we heading?" She had dressed adequately for a first date; nothing crazy fancy (at least she hoped. She hadn't been on a date in years, if truly ever.)

Michael had a confident grin on his face. "I thought we might go to... a karaoke bar that just opened?"

Melissa blinked before letting a small smile onto her lips. Even if she didn't feel for Michael like she once did, she couldn't deny that he knew how to treat a girl right when they weren't total jerks to him.

"Here we are!" Michael announced for no particular reason as he obviously pulled into a parking spot outside a normal-looking building with a neon blue arrow that said "KARAOKE" pointing into it. There was already a small line outside but Michael headed straight for the entrance.

"Name?" said one of the doormen.

"Michael-" the storm-eyed Cipher started before the doorman stopped him.

"You're the Cipher, right? Ciphers don't get priority. Go wait in line, please." The doorman barely met Michael's eyes as he pointed to the line.

"But-"

"Sir, please wait your turn along with everyone else. Only Magiclicas are allowed to use this access."

Melissa stepped up beside her date. "Um, excuse me, but I'm a Magiclica. Can I bring him in with me?" She hooked her arm through Michael's, getting an interesting look from the doorman. He sighed in defeat and let them step past.

"Whatever, darn rebel teenagers. They're gonna break up before they're outta school..." Michael chuckled as the man's voice faded away.

"He has no idea," then he met Melissa's wandering gaze, humor glowing in his bright blue-grey eyes.

Melissa gave him the small smile he was looking for in return, even if her heart was not in the action. He was clearly happy being with her, so the least she could do was try to act like she wanted to be here and let him enjoy himself.

The couple took to the dance floor. There was already another line for the microphone, so they decided to hopefully wait a while before they burst everyone's bubble and showed off their singing skills.

Michael had a carefree smirk on his face as he and Melissa moved how ever they felt to the music. He was a much better dancer than Melissa, but he had always had a little more natural smoothness than she did anyway.

But then Melissa's almost-happy moment ended as someone chose a new song. She recognized it immediately- how could she not, she'd listened to it on repeat for days on end in an attempt to drown her grief in music.

Her movements stopped as the singer started singing. Those last moments flashed in front of her- a yellow streak being hit by a stream of light, then slowly condensing into the boy she literally just kissed and truly felt for. His surprised and already weak expression as he knew he was taking his last breaths. The breathless attempt at a song to console her before he was gone.

"Mel? Are you alright?" Michael asked with his eyebrows creased into a concerned frown. The bluenette backed up from her partner.

"I... I can't do this.. I'm sorry Michael, I have to go, I can't-" Her feet were on autopilot as she hurried to the door. Michael called her name after her, but Melissa was already out the door and on the verge of a panic attack. Tears were streaming down her face despite her attempts to restrain them for so many years.

This was a horrible idea, Melissa patronized herself, and you knew this. You should have never gotten his hopes up. Ivy's already moved on and gotten a boyfriend before you've even been able to handle one date...

She barely realized where her feet had taken her. Melissa found herself in the forest, right outside a small abandoned shack. The repairs the group had done last-minute to try and make the shack a little more stable for her and Chase to hide in for the night were nearly invisible compared to the rest of the aged wood if they hadn't rotted away already. There were a few open and closed chip bags from the stash they had put together, left to the wilderness to spoil.

Melissa sunk to the ground as the memories swarmed her. The kiss, Mister Foley taking her away from this relatively safe haven, the Spero attack, her father announcing to the world she was his daughter, the death, and the events afterward from when the security showed up and took her and the other survivors into custody for questioning. Since there were no bodies, the police refused to believe that two people had actually died there until there was further evidence that proved their claims. So the investigators were rather brutal in their questioning, and even if some of the others handled it better Melissa was basically a shell-shocked, sobbing mess. They wouldn't release her until she had told everything, and then they kept her in custody for her supposed relation to Ichiro despite her adoptive parents fighting to comfort their daughter.

“Remember me,”

Melissa wasn't sure if she had heard the faint whisper of the lullaby. She lifted her head ever-so-slightly, looking for the vaguely familiar voice that had sung the words that tormented her.

"Though I have to say goodbye, remember me, don't let it make you cry."

"Too late for that," Melissa sniffed. She was sure she was dreaming, although it was yet to be determined whether this was a dream or another nightmare.

"For even if I'm far away I hold you in my heart, I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart."

Melissa's thoughts flashed to the clips of him singing parts of this lullaby to her in their last moments together.

"Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be, until you're in my arms again..."

"Remember me..." Melissa whispered. She had listened to the short lullaby from some movie over and over again, committing Chase's last words to memory so she might never forget his dying wish. Then the floodgates completely opened, and she was crying all over again.

What Melissa didn't expect was for someone to embrace her in her weakest moment.

She let out a small gasp of surprise and opened her eyes she hadn't realized were squeezed shut to see a faint glow around the body of a violet-eyed boy that was looking at her. His gaze was full of concern and sadness and didn't quite hold the light that she had almost grown addicted to in their quiet moments together.

"Don't b-be so sad, M-Melissa," he told her simply.

"How can I not? I should have never taken you for granted, or anyone." She buried her face in the fabric of her evening dress. This was most definitely a dream and she didn't care that anyone around here might call her insane for confessing to the ghost of her past lover.

He was silent for a moment. "You look beautiful," he complimented finally. Melissa laughed dryly.

"Like looking nice does me any good..."

"M-Mel, look at me," He said. She slowly complied, finding his dull gaze and blonde hair once again.

"You n-need to let go. Y-you c-can't be happy until y-you let go of the past a-and l-look for the future. The f-future can't come without your c-compliance." Melissa was somewhat intrigued by this statement but decided to ignore it.

"How can I move on, Chase? How can I find my way without you? Everyone else has gone their own way. Quinston is off in another city with Kai, Ivy is happy with her job and her new girl friends, and Jax abandoned me long ago even after I tried to make up with him. You're the only one I have left, and you're not even really here!" She cried and pushed him away. As expected with a ghost, her hand partially phased through him but also moved his image as well. He looked mildly surprised, but then grabbed her hand and had a determined aura as he looked at her once more.

"Maybe it's n-not that they've gone t-their own way, b-but that y-you didn't follow." That felt like a slap to the face for the bluenette. His eyes held such affirmation it almost made Melissa believe there was something more to what he was trying to tell her.

"...You think so...?" she asked slowly. His strong posture gave away and he hugged her again.

"Trust me. We w-won't be like this f-forever. You just n-need to start heading in the r-right direction."

Then he let go of the living girl, standing up in his Everston uniform and looking out into the woods somewhere. Melissa protested as he took a step forward, a step away from her again.

Chase glanced over his shoulder one last time. "Trust me." Then he was gone and Melissa was waking up.

She wasn't sure what just happened, but she felt infinitely better than she had when she first found herself at the shack.

Was that really all just a dream? But her eyes felt dry as if she really had been crying with him. The cricket's song was audible as she went out into the dangerous world once more. She duly noted that before it seemed rather quiet.

"What was it he was trying to tell me...?" Melissa asked herself aloud. He was trying to tell her something else in that conversation. She didn't know what exactly but his tone betrayed his words face value.

Trust him. Try to move forward and not stay in the past.

As Melissa contemplated her vision, out of the corner of her eye she swore she thought she saw two clouds- one a deep blue, the other a bold yellow combined, but when she looked at it fully, it was gone.

Trust him and move on.

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Word count: 2300

#magiclicas #qutejakey #chalissa #season 1 finale angst #ghost chase

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