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natashaslesbian · 3 months

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We Saved Each Other (Part Six)

Summary: Natasha is finally able to become your legal guardian, the problem is she wants to be more than that. She wants to be your mother

Word Count: 2.8k

Parings: (Kid!Reader x Mama!Natasha) (Kid!Reader x Barton Family) (Natasha x Clint) (Natasha x Fury)

Warnings/Content: some crying and some fluff

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“Sign here please” Natasha swiped her pen over the dotted lines again “and last one just here” finally, she thought, this had taken much longer than she had hoped. “Congratulations” the blonde lady said, dressed head to toe in the smartest suit you had ever seen “you’re now y/n y/l/n’s official guardian” Mrs Williams said to Natasha as she moved her glasses from her nose to her head. The ex widow had now been a US citizen for 13 months, meaning she was finally able to become your legal guardian, meaning you would be staying with Natasha for a long time (you hoped it would be forever.) “yay” you called up from your chair, right next to Nat’s of course. She pulled you up onto her lap and held you close as Fury saw the older woman out. “Are you my mommy now?” You innocently asked “well not quite darling” Natasha said, causing you to frown “I’m your guardian which means it’s my job to look after you, but of course I will be your mommy as long as you want me to be” she explained “I wants you to be my mommy forever!” You beamed as you threw your arms around the redhead.

Natasha thought on what you had said for next week, wondering if she was really worthy of being a mother, being your mother. She thought about it throughout your many movie marathons, you were simply enchanted by the magic of classic Disney movies. She thought about it while you were cuddled together watching Mulan and long after you had fallen asleep watching Cinderella. “Mama” you called from Natasha’s lap, pulling her back to reality “the movie stopped” you whined “I think it’s finished y/n, are you ready for bed or do you wanna watch something else?” Your mom asked. You thought long and hard, a movie night could hardly be over after 2 films but you were oh so tired “finding nemo” you said through a yawn “again!” Nat feigned her exaggeration “we’ve already seen it 3 times this week!” You giggled as she mumbled her words into your tummy “it’s my favourite!” You laughed as you removed Natasha’s head and held it in your hands. She gently twisted towards your palm to leave a soft kiss “alright then baby, but after that it’s bedtime okay?” She said “ok mommy” you huffed.

Going to bed that night, Natasha continued to think about her role in your life. Each time you called her ‘mama’ the crack in her heart seemed to heal a little more. All those years of hurt had started to become distance memories rather than present thoughts that plagued her mind. You were rescuing her from herself without knowing it but a constant questioned remained; could she build a sustainable life with you? All the ex widow had ever known was killing and stealth, the real world was still so new to her too. Being a mother was a choice that was taken away from her and Natasha had accepted it so long ago, but now with you, everything had changed. Natasha couldn’t promise you a safe future, her list of enemies was too long to comprehend, she would always be a target. How could she live with herself if she were to put the same target on your back. But if there was one thing Natasha could promise you, it was love. It was that you would be loved so deep and true that you’d never forget it. She couldn’t replace your past or erase the memories, but she could build new ones. Filled with happiness and joy something she so desperately graved and something that you do desperately deserved.

The morning arrived before Natasha could even close her eyes and an exciting day laid ahead, the start of giving you memories filled with happiness and joy. “What if Cooper and Lila don’t like me?” You asked your mom, hiding behind the car door “oh y/n, how could anyone not like you!” Natasha said “I’m sure you’re gonna be the best of friends” she continued before taking a hold of your shaking hand. You joined Nat in knocking lightly on the wooden door, the large two story house looked so plain on the outside, but when the door opened a stream of colour and laughter caking roaring through. “Hey you two!” Clint said as he gave Nat a quick embrace “it’s good to see you y/n” you responded with your usual high-five “Laura” Clint called after rising to his height again “the girls are here” you stepped across a large welcome mat, signed with four handprints, and managed to take off your shoes with a little help from mommy. “Nat” said a soft voice from behind the corner. You watched as a tall beautiful brunette came into your vision “how are you my darling” she asked Natasha, who simply gave a nod “and this must be y/n” said the woman towards you. You moved behind Natasha slightly, using her frame to shield you. The two woman came down to your level “y/n this is Laura” Natasha said “she’s married to Clint and she’s one of my best friends” you looked between them both, trusting by Natasha’s eyes that Mrs Barton was safe “it’s wonderful to meet you sweetheart” Laura said as she held out her hand to you “hi” you whispered as you connected your palm to her own rather cautiously.

“Would you like to come and meet my children?” Laura asked as she held out her hand again. With a gentle nod and pat from Natasha you were lead further into the large cabin where you came into a room filled top to bottom with books art supplies and toys “y/n this is my son, Cooper” Laura said as she waved over her kids “and my daughter Lila” the pair said their hello’s and you politely waved back “Lila here is a few months older than you, I think you’ll get along very well, and Cooper is a great big brother, he’ll look after you both if you need anything” the older boy had already returned to his Lego set while Lila came to stand next to you “do you want to come see my new dollhouse” she asked. You looked back in search of Natasha and found her in the doorway with Laura “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me ok darling” she softly spoke “ok mama” you replied. Once the adults had dispersed Lila came right to your side “I didn’t know auntie Nat was your mommy!” She exclaimed “does that mean you’re my cousin? Mine and Coopers cousin?” Lila beamed “what’s a cousin?” You asked, you had never heard of one before and feared it was something awful to be known as “well it means we’re the best of friends, closer than bff’s can ever be!” Lila came to give you a big hug, and at first it took you by surprise, you didn’t allow physical contact with anyone other than Natasha. But Lila’s hug felt nice, you had never had a cousin before and felt excited that she would be your first.

After a few hours of play, Laura called you for dinner “but mommy I wanted to take y/n on the swings!” Lila huffed “maybe after dinner sweetheart, why don’t you show y/n to the dining room?” Laura suggested. The loss of your crafts and make believe games was soon forgotten as the smell of fresh bread seeped into your senses. “Here y/n, come sit next to me” Lila said as she pulled back a chair for you. You settled well considering Natasha’s chair was on your side. Dinner was going by smoothly until Lila’s curiosity got the better of her. “Auntie Nat?” She called passed you “if your Y/N’s mom, why have I never met her before if she’s the same age as me?” Lila innocently asked “well y/n and I haven’t known each other very long you see” Natasha said “what do you mean?” Lila replied “I’ve only been looking after y/n for a few months, since we first met” your mom said as she helped you grab another roasted potato “you only met each other months ago? So you aren’t y/n’s real mom then?” Lila meant no harm, she was just confused. But hearing her say that Natasha wasn’t really your mom hurt. “Well not biologically, which means we aren’t actually related, but I can still be her mom for as long as she wants me to be” Nat said, looking down at you with a smile at the end of her sentence. “But she’s not your actual daughter?” The little brunette asked again “Lila honey” Laura spoke up “do you want to come and help me with dessert?” She said in order to defuse the accidental tension.

You stayed quiet for the rest of the evening, opting to say you had a small tummy ache to avoid going out to the swings with Lila and Cooper. You sat contently with Natasha until it was finally time to leave “thank you so much for coming y/n it was so nice to meet you! We’ll have to sort out a play date for you and Lila hey?” Laura smiled as she helped you into your coat “thanks Laura” Natasha said taking hold of your hand and leading you back to the car. “Bye bye y/n!” Lila called from the doorframe, you managed a small wave back. Natasha hummed along to the radio the whole journey back, flashing you worried glances here and there. You still had your quiet moments and they usually meant that something was bothering you. “Y/n?” She softly asked to get your attention “are you ok sweetheart?” Her emerald eyed remained on you as she came to a red light. “Yes” you whispered, and Natasha knew you meant no but she didn’t ever like to push you to talk. “How about when we get home we have another movie night? I know those are your favourites” Natasha suggested “no thank you” you replied “why not darling? Don’t you wanna spend some time with mama?” Nat smiled at you as the car paused at a red light. “You’re not my mama” you whispered into the window. Natasha sat in shock, only remembering to move the car again when the driver behind gave a harsh hit on his horn “baby” she sighed as the car rolled forward again “that’s what Lila said” you mumbled into your closed fist. The widow understood now why you were so upset and the idea in her head was solidified.

“Are you sure about this?” Nick asked as he placed down the papers in front of him “I’ve never been more sure of anything Fury” Natasha said “and you feel you’ve adjusted enough to this…lifestyle?” The Director continued “I know there’s still a journey to be had, but with her by my side I know I can do it” the redhead spoke through shaky breaths “you know what this means don’t you?” Fury said “you wouldn’t be able to stay here, and we can’t support you outside of your work with us, you’ll be on your own” he sighed “no they won’t” Clint added “we’re converting our barn, the girls will live there and we will support them until they’re on their feet” he finished. “Ok, I’ll contact Mrs Williams first thing” Nick said. Natasha let out the breath she didn’t realise she had been holding “thank you” she whispered as Clint guided her out of the directors office. “Did you mean what you said?” Nat asked “about the barn, because you know we don’t have to I’m sure we can find somewhere” she began to trail off as Clint raised his hand to her shoulder “of course I meant it Natasha, Laura and I would love you to be our neighbours” he finished as he pulled his best friend into a warm hug.

You woke up with your back facing Natasha, just as you had fell asleep. You craved her embrace, to feel her warmth soak into your skin. But Lila’s words were on repeat in your head. The last few days had been tough on both you and Nat, the two of you not really spending much time together. You had wanted to give in so many times but feared she would reject you, as she wasn’t really your mom. You rubbed your tired eyes and reached for your water bottle, only to find it empty. All of your emotions came pouring out of you as another inconvenience was too much to take. You rolled over with tears in your eyes hoping to be met with Natasha’s green ones. But her side of the bed was cold, the duvet hanging at the bottom of the bed. You let out a loud sob, feeling all the weight of the world on your shoulders. You wanted to scream for your mommy but it didn’t feel right anymore. You shuffled down off the bed, grabbing your stuffy and running to the door. You made your way to the kitchen, where usually the smell of pancakes would’ve excited you. You saw a flash of red hair and sped to the legs attached. Natasha jumped, almost dropping the fresh strawberry she had just picked up from the bowl. “Hey angel” she cheerfully said, but her expression changed when she heard your small sobs “oh baby wasn’t wrong?” She asked. “I’m sorry” you sobbed “I’m sorry I don’t care what Lila says I just want you to be my mommy. Please will you still be my mommy I’m sorry” you clawed at Natasha’s trousers, wiping your stuffy nose on her knee “hey hey baby girl” Nat said as she crouched down to face you “you have nothing to be sorry for y/n, I’m still your mommy baby girl, I always will be for as long as you want me to be” she cooed as she wiped your falling tears “but it’s not real is it” you cried. “Sweetheart come here” Nat scooped you up into her arms and brought you to sit on the couch, taking a second to make sure everything in the kitchen was turned off.

Once settled into the redheads lap, you continued to pull at her shirt afraid she would disappear if you let go. “Y/n look at me” Natasha began “you know that what Lila said isn’t true, family isn’t always about blood and genetics. Family is in here” she said as she placed her hand over your heart “and no body can ever tell you what’s in your heart. Sometimes beautiful things can come from bad situations and people can connect in all different ways. You don’t need to be related to call someone family. You don’t need a piece of paper to call someone your daughter. But if that’s what you want y/n…” you looked up into Natasha’s eyes as she paused “I have a surprise for you, if you want it?” She asked “what is it?” You asked back, finally drying your eyes. “Would you like me to adopt you?” Nat whispered, afraid you had changed your mind. “Like be my proper mommy?” You mumbled “no baby, I’ll always be your proper mommy, but if I adopt you then the world will call us a family too, we can be together forever” Natasha smiled as you stared up at her, a glimmer of hope in both of your eyes. “Will you adopt me please mommy?” You asked “of course baby” Natasha giggled, pulling you into the tightest hug ever as she began to cry herself “I love you y/n” she cooed into your hairline “I love you too mommy”.

“Sign here please” Natasha swiped her pen over the dotted lines again “and last one just here” finally, she thought, this had taken much longer than she had hoped. “Congratulations” the blonde lady said, dressed head to toe in the smartest suit you had ever seen “Miss y/n Romanoff you are officially adopted by Natasha Romanoff” Mrs Williams said to Natasha as she moved her glasses from her nose to her head. The ex widow had now been a US citizen for 15 months, and she had finally become your mother, meaning you would be staying with Natasha forever. “yay” you called up from your chair, right next to mamas of course. She pulled you up onto her lap and held you close as Fury saw the older woman out. “Are we going to uncle Clint’s now?” You innocently asked “very soon darling” Natasha said, causing you to frown slightly “hey, I’m sure we’ll be there before you even know it. We’ll get all our things packed up and maybe go to the store and pick you out some things for your new room. And very soon you’ll be able to see your cousins as much as you want!” she explained “I can’t wait! I’m so happy you get to be my mommy forever!” You beamed as you threw your arms around the redhead.

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A/N: This isn’t proof read so sorry if my dyslexic ass messed a few things up. Also I can’t seem to edit my masterlist atm so bear with while I try update it :))) -Star

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Taglist<3

@saraaahsstuff / @dannipotatoo / @tobiaslut / @a-simpfortessa-lesbriean / @marvelnatasha12346 / @yelenasdiary / @mousetheorist / @ashadash0904

#marvel #natasha romanoff #black widow #marvel fic #avengers #nat x reader #natasha x little!reader #natasha x daughter!reader #clint barton #clint x natasha #nick fury #lila barton #cooper barton #laura barton

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falseh0od · 4 years

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All They Really Need

It’s finally here.

Note: A reminder that this is being written Right Now in honor of a strike that is happening on TikTok! There's been an influx of toxic Fanders on TikTok who seem to think that Logicality, Prinxiety, Dukeceit, and Remile are the only valid Sanders Sides ships which is nowhere near the truth! So, a lot of Sanders Sides cosplayers (myself included) are going on a two-week Sanders Sides cosplay strike to stand up to the bullies, and I'm also writing this finally as well! Because I will *always* prefer Analogical and Royality above any other ship, especially Logicality and Prinxiety! So enjoy my boys being gay disasters and finally deciding to make a lifelong promise to each other!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446493

Summary: Virgil decides it's time for the next big step in his relationship with Logan... no matter how irrelevant it may seem.

TWs: a couple swear words, some anxiety, but nothing horrible!

It was a quiet day in the Mindscape.

Virgil was quietly lounging on the couch in the living room, scrolling through Tumblr and generally minding his own business. On the surface level, it might’ve looked like Virgil was just indulging in his typical emo content on Tumblr.

However, the side was actually desperately attempting (with attempting being the keyword here) to pull together a date plan for the evening.

Today was his and Logan’s two year dating anniversary, and although Virgil had come up with his overall plan for the evening a month ago, he had been so anxious about pulling it off that he had been procrastinating it ever since.

This had all stemmed after Roman had suddenly actually proposed to Patton nearly six months ago. It had been a shock to everyone- Patton included! But the two were determined to take that next step in their relationship despite the fact that it wasn’t possible for Sides to legally be married.

Considering that they had basically everything they could possibly want at their disposal, the wedding planning had gone smoothly and had taken much less time than it normally would. As a result, the wedding had happened about two months ago. Virgil and Logan had been the ‘best men’, and Thomas had done his best to officiate.

And in all honesty, Virgil had never seen either side as happy as they had been for the past two months.

Did Virgil originally think that the concept of them, as sides, getting ‘married’ was unimportant because they would never be truly married anyway? Yeah. Logan had clearly felt the same right after the announcement had been made, too. But Virgil couldn’t deny the rising feeling of longing. He didn’t want anything big or over-the-top, but goddamnit, he wanted to make that lifelong promise to the one person he loved most.

He didn’t know how Logan would feel, but he was hoping Logan would agree.

So here he was, ring in his pocket, scrolling through Tumblr trying desperately to come up with a good way to propose.

That was until his peaceful mid-morning was suddenly interrupted by a very loud Prince.

“Yes, the wind blows a little bit colder!” Roman burst into the room, singing what had quickly become one of his favorite songs from Frozen II to sing (especially when he was doing a duet with Patton). “And we’re all getting older! Aaand the clouds are moving on with every autumn breeeeze!”

Roman continued to sing through the first verse of the song, giving both Anna and Olaf’s lines his all. Virgil just rolled his eyes, trying to put his focus back on Tumblr.

That is until he had an idea.

Besides, maybe Roman could help him, anyway.

As soon as Roman got to the start of the second verse, before Roman could continue, Virgil butted in.

“The leaves are already falling,” he sang (a rare occurrence indeed, but he could make an exception). “Sven, it feels like the future is calling.”

Roman paused for half a second, almost instantly catching Virgil’s drift. A wide grin almost instantly formed on his face. “Are you telling me tonight you’re going to get down on one knee???”

Virgil sat up and gave Roman a quick nod, continuing on. “Yeah, but I’m really bad at planning these things out- like candlelight and pulling of rings out.”

Roman plopped down next to him. “Maybe you should leave all the romantic stuff to me…”

Virgil just rolled his eyes. “Some things never change… like the love that I feel for him.” (yes, purposely changing the pronoun.) “Some things never change… like how reindeers are easier. But if I commit and I go for it, I’ll know what to say and do… right?”

Roman gave him a Look. “Some things never change…” He then smirked and stole Virgil’s last line. “Virge, the pressure is all on you.”

Virgil shoved him gently in response. Roman just laughed, deciding not to continue with the song. “So, I thought you two thought getting married was irrelevant?”

“I mean, I did,” Virgil muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “But… I’ve realized that I wanna make that promise to him.”

Roman nodded. “You know, Virgil, that was actually exactly my reasoning behind proposing to Patton, and sometimes that’s the only reasoning you need. I think, even if he still thinks it’s irrelevant, he’ll do it for you if you truly want it.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right. The only problem I’m having is figuring out just how the hell to do it.”

“Mm, I see. Well, I have a few ideas, if you’d like to hear them.”

“As long as they’re not too extra, I’m all ears.”

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Virgil stood outside of Logan’s room, hand in his pocket, clutching the ring box.

It had turned out that Roman could actually have some down-to-earth ideas if he really wanted to, and had helped Virgil come up with a solid plan for the evening that could be easily amended if needed. It was simple and quaint, and Virgil was feeling pretty good about it.

Save for the butterflies in his stomach about the proposal, but that was normal, right?

Virgil took a deep breath and knocked on Logan’s door.

He had taken it upon himself to actually look somewhat decent for the evening. He was wearing the only tie he owned, which resembled his hoodie to a point, along with a purple button-down. It was similar to what he had worn in the courtroom, though Virgil had made a point to wear a black vest, too, to put some distance between the two events.

He was still wearing his hoodie, though. No amount of persuasion from Roman could keep him from wearing it. He was also wearing his signature ripped black skinny jeans as well because they looked good with formal outfits and Virgil would die on that hill.

The door opened, and Virgil’s breath suddenly disappeared.

Logan was looking even more dapper than ever and holy fuck was Virgil gay.

He was wearing a black button-down in replacement of his usual polo, along with his signature tie- but adding on a snazzy blazer that had a gorgeous galaxy print. Adding in the dress pants and shoes Virgil was starting to feel slightly underdressed but he knew Logan wouldn’t care.

“You good there, starlight?” Logan asked, almost teasing in a way.

Virgil finally found his voice. “Oh, uh, yeah, I’m ga- good. I’m good.

Logan just laughed softly and the two leaned in for a quick kiss.

Virgil spoke up after they broke apart. “So, I have a couple of things planned for the evening, actually. For after dinner.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I managed to convince Roman to let me borrow the imagination for the night.”

“That actually sounds wonderful, Virgil. I think that’ll be a nice change of pace for a date night.”

“Well, it is our anniversary. I thought it would be appropriate.”

“Indeed.” Logan put his hand around Virgil’s waist, and Virgil put his own hand around Logan’s as they walked down to the kitchen.

Where they were treated to a sight that Virgil was not expecting.

Patton was dressed up in a chef outfit, humming ‘Into the Unknown’ as he stirred a pot on the stove.

“Patton!” Virgil exclaimed. “I thought we had kitchen rights for the night?”

Patton turned to them and grinned. “Aww, you two look so dapper! Oh, yes, Virgil, you guys do have kitchen rights for tonight! I just thought I would do something nice for you two for your anniversary and cook dinner!”

Virgil went red. “Oh- uhh. Well, I guess that works. Thanks, Pat.”

“No problem!” Patton then winked at him and Virgil resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands and groan.

Of course Roman had gotten Patton into this.

He couldn’t complain though, because Patton was the best cook out of all of them, and he had just been planning to stick a frozen pizza in the oven. Roman had probably taken personal offense at that crime against romance at its very core and enlisted Patton for help.

“That indeed sounds wonderful, Patton. What are you making?” Logan asked.

“My secret spaghetti recipe!”

That recipe was not secret, but it was one of Patton’s best recipes, so Virgil couldn’t complain.

“Oh, cool,” Virgil nodded, walking over to the table and pulling a chair out for Logan (like a gentleman, of course). Logan sat down, saying a quick thank you to Virgil as Virgil went to sit down himself.

As they waited for Patton to finish, the two of them chatted quietly, talking about the day they each had, holding hands across the table and just generally being sappy.

After a while, Patton finally came over with two plates of spaghetti in his hands.

“There’s more on the stove if you want seconds!” he said cheerfully. “Don’t worry ‘bout the dishes when you finish, I’ll take care of them later!”

“Are you certain, Patton?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You two deserve to enjoy your evening, I can do the dishes for ya!”

Virgil gave in with a shrug. “If you’re positive.”

“I very much am! Now, enjoy your dinner, and if you need Ro or I for any reason whatsoever, we’ll be in the living room watching Mulan!”

Suddenly, in the distance, both left-brained sides heard Roman start booming out the lyrics to ‘Let’s Get Down to Business’.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Sounds good, Pat. Have fun.”

“I’ll do my best,” he grinned with a wink, walking off.

Logan and Virgil then dug into their dinner, which tasted even better than it ever had before. Patton had obviously made certain everything was perfect. It was mostly silent as they ate, both trying to be polite so as to not make the other have to talk with their mouth full or to have to wait awkwardly to finish chewing before they responded

Then, as they finished, Logan finally spoke up. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Well, Roman conjured a movie theatre in the imagination for me, and I picked out an astronomy documentary I’m 90% certain you haven’t seen.”

“An astronomy documentary I haven’t seen? What a concept.”

Virgil laughed. “Nerd.” Virgil then grabbed Logan’s plate and stacked it on top of his own, putting their utensils on top. He stood up, then held out his arm. “Shall we head out?”

Logan took his arm. “Indeed.”

The two stopped momentarily to share another kiss, which lingered longer than the one before.

“God I love you,” Virgil murmured.

“I love you as well.”

Virgil led them to the door to the imagination and opened it.

Logan gasped.

Virgil had spent a good two hours in the imagination with Roman making sure it looked absolutely perfect. They had studied star charts and replicated the night sky to the best of their ability with the time they had and made sure the setting was in the middle of nowhere. Virgil would’ve liked if they’d managed to figure out the whole ‘movie theatre in the middle of nowhere’ concept, but he digressed. He was still happy with how it turned out, and this was the Imagination anyway- things almost never made sense.

“Virgil, this is beautiful,” Logan whispered, almost even choked up a little bit.

“Roman and I spent all afternoon on this,” Virgil nodded. “I owe him one.”

“Yet Roman would never have been able to replicate the night sky to this degree of accuracy if you hadn’t helped him,” Logan added. “Don’t tell him I said that, though. I can clearly see the personal touches you added to this. I absolutely adore it.”

Virgil hardcore blushed. “Thanks, Lo. Shall we head to the theatre?”

“After you.”

The walk to the theatre was only a few minutes long, but it was a few minutes of blissful silence as he appreciated the company of his boyfriend… hopefully soon-to-be fiance.

As they got to the theatre, Logan took the opportunity to be the gentleman and opened the door for him. Virgil walked through and held out his own arm again in an attempt at the domination of the gentleman role again. Logan relented and let his boyfriend take the lead.

They entered the screening room, which was completely empty save for them.

“Any preference on where we sit?” Virgil asked.

“Might we sit right in the middle? I think that’s a prime spot for optimal view.”

“I agree, middle it is.”

They quickly took their seats and Virgil conjured drinks- iced coffee for Logan in his favorite mug, and hot black coffee for himself. Logan settled into his chair, putting his arm around Virgil. Virgil slid closer to Logan and put his head on the other’s shoulder.

The opening of the documentary came on, and Logan immediately reacted with “I can confirm that I have not seen this documentary!”

Virgil laughed. “Thank god.”

As the film progressed, both sides settled in even closer to learn about the stars some more together. As time went on, the two continued to move closer and closer together, until Virgil turned their two chairs and the one on the other side of Logan into a couch so they could cuddle.

Virgil could tell that not only was this a documentary that the logical side hadn’t ever seen before, there was also content discussed that Logan had not known before. Looking up every so often, Virgil could see metaphorical stars (pun) in Logan’s eyes as he listened intently to every word spoken.

Everything had turned out perfect.

And as the credits rolled, Virgil knew it was time.

Logan sighed as he sat up from where he had been sitting, leaning against Virgil. “That was thoroughly fascinating, Virgil. I can’t believe you managed to find a new documentary!”

“Well, sometimes it just takes a little deeper searching to find what you need. The internet is a wonderful place sometimes.” Virgil sat up as well and stretched as his heart began to race.

“Thank you so much for this, Virgil. Oh, did you have anything else planned, or are we returning to the mindscape?” Virgil’s heart melted at the pure hope in Logan’s eyes, knowing the side wanted to stargaze more than anything. Thankfully, Virgil knew the other side very well.

“You really think I would create a nearly-perfect night sky and not give you the opportunity to stare at it for hours on end?” Virgil teased. “Don’t worry, love, that was the plan all along. Right after one other thing.”

“Oh?”

As his heart pounded relentlessly, Virgil almost chickened out, losing a good portion of the confidence he had built up over the course of the evening in a matter of milliseconds.

But pushing past the thoughts in his mind telling him not to do it, this is a horrible idea, he’s going to hate you- Virgil cleared his throat and began to talk.

“I know we talked a lot about this when the topic first came up, and we both agreed at the time that it was kinda unnecessary, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last few months, about all sorts of things. About how much better my life has been since I left the dark sides. Since I joined this family. Since… I first went out with you.”

Virgil swallowed. “And I’ve realized that my life would be nowhere near as incredible as it is now if you hadn’t asked me to be with you. You have made my life, which was pretty shitty beforehand, actually mean something, when four years ago, I would’ve said to anyone who asked that I wished I didn’t exist. Thomas himself said that ‘it’s a pretty big deal when someone makes you enjoy something you’d normally dread’… especially if that something is life itself.

“I know you might still see this as an ‘unnecessary formality that we don’t need to pursue in order for our relationship to be whole’, but even then… I want this, even if it’s only to make you a promise of forever. I love you with all my being, Logan Sanders.”

The butterflies were gone.

Virgil pulled out the ring box and got down on one knee on the floor in front of Logan. “Will you marry me?”

He opened the box to reveal the ring he had put so much time and effort into summoning. It was a simple black band, with purple highlights, decorated with small white diamonds resembling stars, forming some of Logan’s favorite constellations.

Logan was stunned speechless for a few moments, and Virgil suddenly had an influx of overwhelming anxiety.

He’sgonnasaynohe’sgonnasaynohe’sgonna-

Then Logan went red and buried his face in his hands. “I should’ve seen this coming. I should’ve known this was going to happen.”

“What?” Virgil was very confused.

Logan lifted his head up and Virgil was greeted with one of the most genuinely amused smiles he’d ever seen on the other’s face. Logan then reached into his pocket and pulled something of his own out.

Another ring box.

Virgil’s mouth fell open. “Oh my god.”

“Only we could pull this off.”

Virgil then buried his face in his hands. “We’re so useless.”

They then looked at each other in the eye and broke out into hysterical laughter. Logan fell onto the floor beside Virgil as they leaned against each other, laughing harder than either of them could ever remember.

As Virgil started to attempt to compose himself, wiping a stray tear from his eye, he asked, “So is that a yes?”

Logan nearly started laughing again. “Yes, Virgil. That’s a yes.”

Composure regained, the two of them then launched into a hug, holding on as tight as possible.

Virgil only pulled away for a kiss, and then to slide the ring onto Logan’s ring finger. Logan then finally opened the ring box he had brought, showing Virgil the solid black ring band with a sparkling purple amethyst donning the middle he had chosen for him. Virgil nearly burst into tears at the sight. It was absolutely perfect.

Rings exchanged, they leaned in for another long, perfect kiss. Virgil wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck, and Logan wrapped his arms around Virgil’s waist.

When they broke apart, Virgil was the one who spoke first. “Ready for that stargazing I promised?”

“More than anything.”

Hand in hand, the two newly engaged sides walked out of the theatre and over to the field Virgil had chosen as the perfect stargazing spot.

The rest of the evening would be perfect as they talked about the events that lead up to this. Logan would even share that it was, in fact, he who got Patton to cook dinner, having informed the moral side of his plans that afternoon just as Virgil had with Roman. Patton had no idea Virgil was also planning to propose (and Virgil realized the winks were probably aimed at Logan, not him).

Which also likely meant that Roman hadn’t known that Logan was planning to propose. The other two sides were in for quite a tale when they returned.

But for now, Logan and Virgil just laid down in the middle of the field, the perfect spot for optimal view of the stars, cuddling close together as they enjoyed each other's company.

Yeah, maybe the concept of the Sides getting married was pretty preposterous.

But when it comes down to the bare essentials, marriage was just a lifelong promise to be together for each other, no matter what.

And that was all they really needed.

----

AAAAH IT’S DONE

I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS

I LOVE MY CHAOTIC GAY BOYS

Taglist (of one person):

@cefinitely-rolo bless your soul

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sesskagarchive · 5 years

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Alternate Universe Serial

These fan fictions are serial works that are not traditionally set in the Feudal Era Canon and are not compliant with/do not feature elements of the Inuyasha Canon.

They may be set in the modern era or in a historical time other than the Sengoku Jidai.

They may retain youkai and miko or make all the characters human. They may feature multiple different tropes like college, celebrities, etc

‼ Please note that these themed lists may always be expanded based on the suggestions and recs we get, so the lists might change at any given time, even after they’ve been reblogged ‼

A Dangerous Shot by sesshomarusama33

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: **COMPLETE** Canon. Kagome is kidnapped by a witch under Naraku's order. What will happen when she is accidentally cursed and the only two people who can save her can't get a long? Told in 100 word snippets. Rated for later chapters. EDIT: Chapters 7 and up will no longer be 100 words! ^^

A Woman! by Sugar0o

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Loosely based of off 'Mulan.' Kags decides to take her fathers place in the war for the West, but gets caught unexpectedly. AU, S/K, evey1s a demon mostly **COMPLETE**

Birth by cutebaby

Posted on: FFnet Rating: T Summary: Sesshomaru stands to loose everything unless he can secure a heir by his upcoming birthday. His advisors and himself are now in a race against the clock to find the perfect child, but how does his secretary, Kagome, fit in? This is an upload from backup because the story was lost. Thanks to all my readers for letting me know.

Business Associates by KJ

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Kagome and Sesshomaru have been dating for 7 years, but Kagome is tired of their passionless arrangement. She wants a man who will love and support her and her dreams. She ends their relationship and heart break ensues. Will he just let her go? Can they settle their differences? This is AU, rated MA. There will be lemon. There is a possibility some of the characters will be OOC. Status: WIP

Capital Offense by Oroyukae

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: It was wrong; it was illegal...it was reciprocated. Like his father before him, he could not deny what he felt for the human female. For that, he would pay dearly. He found himself faced with the question he had asked his father numerous times...was it worth it? {Complete}

Clutter by forthright

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: T Summary: AU. Mrs. Higurashi decides to help her daughter put her life together; enter Sesshoumaru, professional organizer extraordinaire. A romantic comedy told in 100 word snippets. COMPLETE

Cop Troubles by LibraCourt

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Troubles, troubles, and more troubles. Sesshoumaru has to deal with it all from working with a human partner to being given a poison that sends him into a heat. How will he handle it all? What other troubles will he face?

Crystal Hearts by SmilingFool

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Warning Inside... What happens when Evil longs to be loved? Fate steps in giving Naraku a chance to prove his heart is not all Black and Evil. Naraku finds himself drawn to a little girl that is being abused and finds a way to stop it. Naraku being the 'Evil Creator' and business hanyou he is begins working on a project that could extend human life called Crystal Hearts. His project is soon discovered and his research stolen by an unknown force that is also out to kill his new stepdaughter Kagome in fear that she will stop the war that is to come. What will happen when Evil turns against Evil? Read and find out. Enjoy. Pairings are Sesshoumaru/Kagome. Status: WIP

Dancing with Scissors by piratequeen0405

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Kagome's niece, Rin, is left orphaned by a tragic car wreck, leaving Kagome to raise her alone. Or so she thought...help comes from an unexpected source, Sesshoumaru. The only problem is that they can't stand each other. Will they be able to act like adults for the sake of their niece...and maybe find love in the process?

Dear Stranger by Chie

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: M Summary: Via exchanging e-mails, a romance is beginning to bud between two strangers. But Kagome knows that falling in love is not an option – that would be bad for business. Status: WIP

Dramatic! by Chie

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: T Summary: Filming a TV drama can be surprisingly difficult, when one has to deal with a quirky scriptwriter and an unruly cast. There were days when director Takahashi pondered how the hell she ever ended up in such a mess…

Everyday Love by Priestess Skye

Posted on: FFnet Rating: T Summary: Based on the picture series by Youkai Yume. Love is expressed in a myriad of ways. Sesshoumaru and Kagome grow and develop in their relationship with each other. Series of interconnected one shots. Sess/Kag

Hallowed Desire by Demonlordlover2

Posted on: FFnet, Spark Rating: MA Summary: Sesshoumaru wanted more than a mate. He wanted her, Kagome

Happily Ever After by Miss Teak

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: T Summary: Struggling to maintain her old family shrine, Higurashi Kagome could not be more thankful for the miracle that came in the form of a letter telling her that the Higurashi family owned forty percent of a traditional Japanese inn in Tsumago, Nagano prefecture. However, in exchange for the profits made by Shiraito inn, Kagome would have to marry the devastatingly handsome yet arrogant owner and serve as the inn's okami. Happily ever after? No way! Status: Abandoned

Letters, Love, War by Aura

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: T Summary: A reply to r0o's letter challenge. Kagome and Sesshomaru stay in contact through nothing more than letters during the second world war, eventually realizing they mean more to each other than either knew. Nominated for Best Romance and Best Alternate Reality 4th Quarter 2010!

Maid for You by luna-magic-2005

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: M Summary: Inuyasha plays a prank on his older brother Sesshoumaru - by purchasing him a mail order bride! Except something seems a little off about this one… Drabble series. COMPLETE!

Maid with Care by Aimee Blue

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: T Summary: A drabble series revolving around Kagome's unusual job in Sesshoumaru's cosplay cafe. Status: Abandoned

Make Up Your Mind!! by Koishii_Beloved

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Sesshoumaru and Kagome, both, have agreed to a divorce. Kagome is all ready for it, but what happens when Sesshoumaru decides to back out?

Mother of My Heir by gildedglass

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: The night before Sesshomaru broke up with Kagome, he took all he could from her. Now, years later, he is trying to create a heir to no avail; his children do not bear the mark. There can only be one reason; his heir already lives... with a woman who wants nothing to do with him. Status: Abandoned / Hiatus

My Bitter Sweet Life! by Moonlight Silk

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: When time fades and past memories disappear, Kagome tries to see the bright side of life by looking to the future. But can the heart feel what the mind cannot remember when old love reappears? Will the truth set her free, or will it destroy what peace she had found in the darkness? Only time will tell.

My Second Self by LikeABlueThread

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga Rating: M Summary: Orphaned Kagome is raised by monks in Feudal Japan, and determines to find a way to build an independent life for herself. Jane Eyre done SessKag style. Complete!

Omikuji by ironlotus

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Every year, Kagome picks an Omikuji fortune on New Year's Eve with the same wish: May this year be the year that brings happiness like no other! But she doesn't get what she's expecting, especially once her fortune starts coming true. Her supervisor and friend passes on. People around her are acting more and more oddly. The world as she knows it gets flipped on its head. This year's fortune couldn't be worse. [[Epilogue Posted! Finally Complete!!]]

Paper Cranes by midori Haru

Posted on: FFnet Rating: M Summary: Meeting, attraction, courting, commitment. For most of the world relationships form in the normal fashion from start to culmination. Naturally normal isn't enough for Sesshoumaru. And he wonders why he runs into problems trying to build a relationship from the wrong end

Pompeii by aijoinu

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: When a God finds his other half he will literally move the earth to make her his

Sea Swept by AshMish111

Posted on: AO3, FFnet Rating: T Summary: A Mermaid’s Dream; A Prince’s Hope. He was not the one she left it all behind for, but he would he the one she wanted to stay for. Little Mermaid AU, with a twist! SessKag

Stay-cation by Shastuhh

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Its has been a long six months Kagome has gone through multiple life changes, she has lost a loved one, lost her first love, graduated college, bought a house and now all she is looking to do is take a stay-cation to rest, relax and recharge. She runs into Sesshomaru in the store as she is doing some last minute shopping and finds out he is doing his own type of vacation and she invites him to stay with her. He has longed to get to know her better and make her his one and only and he is not about to pass up this opportunity.

Step Into Love by StormieLikeWeather

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet, Tumblr Rating: MA Summary: Kagome meets her new step brother for the first time, only she doesn’t know it’s him. With hearts in their eyes, realization bursts the bubble. While Sesshomaru could care less, Kagome is stuck between wanting to be with him and wanting to meet familial expectations. - Updates are sporadic. Status: WIP

Tables Turned by Chie

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: A false accusation caused him to lose everything he had. Finally free again, he disguises himself and sets out to gain back all that once was his. But things don't always go as planned and he ends up working as an assistant in the company he once founded. And his boss is a woman. [Complete!]

That’s My Girl! by Kanna37

Posted on: AO3, FFnet Rating: K+ Summary: Little Sesshoumaru and Little Kagome have a series of tiny adventures on the playground… a collection of interrelated chibi one-shots. Status: Hiatus

The Divorce by The StoryTeller of Old

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Kagome’s having trouble keeping her marriage together. Sesshomaru Taisho, business tycoon, billionare, doesn’t spend enough time home. So, Kagome feels lonely. A new worker from her job, incites something in her. Will sparks fly? How will Sesshomaru react when his mate throws down divorce papers? Status: Hiatus

The Gladiator by Liv

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Born into royalty as a young child, Sesshomaru’s territory comes under attack, his entire family and people slaughtered, leaving him the sole survivor of the Western lands. Sold into slavery, Sesshomaru grows up to become a gladiator, strong and unfeeling…until he laid eyes on her. The daughter of one of the city’s leaders, Kagome is beautiful, kind and full of light, but when she catches the eye of a ruthless politician Naraku, the one responsible for the murder of Sesshomaru’s family, can she be saved by the handsome gladiator whose golden eyes pierce through her soul and whom her heart yearns for? Inspired by the movie Pompeii. Rated MA for graphic violence and other adult-themes. Status: Hiatus/Abandoned

The Sculptor and the Statue by EagleFeathersInMyHair

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: T Summary: The story of Pygmalion and Galathea with Sesshoumaru as the artist and Kagome as his most revered work, told in two chapters. *Part 2 of Sess/Kag in Mythology Series*

The Sword Smith's Secret by MissKatt

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Sesshoumaru despises the blade his father has left him. When he goes to Totosai to demand a sword to be forged, he meets an unexpected assistant that will have a role in forging his sword. Now, he is forced to win her favor in order for his sword to be fabricated for the impending war. What happens when she turns out to be more valuable than what he thought? Status: Hiatus

The Third Parties by Miss Teak

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: M Summary: "If I keep reminding myself of how wrong my feelings for her are, I might finally do something right." She was the third party in his half-brother's three-year relationship. He was merely a good friend. Watching her get hurt over and over again, Taisho Sesshoumaru wanted to tell Higurashi Kagome to let go. Yet he could not, not when he knows he could never let go of her just like how she could never let go of Inuyasha.

Twisted Hearts by Eternal fire1

Posted on: FFnet Rating: M Summary: “Marry me.” Kagome's eyes widened. “I…I don’t love you.” She said weakly. If Sesshoumaru could have laughed, he would have. “Stupid miko.” He said. “This is not about love. This is merely business.

Yakuza-Miko by NicoRavenPen

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Modern Day AU. After her 18th birthday, Kagome manages to get caught up with some boys at school that everyone else considers Yakuza because of their 'tattoos' and mannerisms. Turns out, they're a clan of youkai and she just happens to be the answer to all of their problems...Rated MA for coarse language and potential violence. Status: WIP

#sesskag #SKFA Themed Rec List #Alternate Universe

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justanoutlawfic · 5 years

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Rewrite The Stars: An Outlaw Queen/Hood Mills Family Fic

Summary: Resurrected Remix. Regina could never return. The story of their lives in the before and after.

I got the idea for this angsty bugger based on a prompt tweet by @queen-of-the-merry-men who wanted Roland to learn how to do makeup from Regina...but then Regina died, so he did it for Peanut when she went to her first dance.

Now, I could never actually kill Regina Mills, BUT, I can make her family think she's dead. So, here's an AU of probably my most popular OQ verse. It'll flash around to show why she left (it's different this time) and why she can't come back. It'll show their lives before & after. It's angsty, it's got fluff, it's got family, it's got everything. Please don't hate me. I'm fragile. Send prompts, questions and other things to my Twitter/CuriousCat: justanoutlawfic or my Tumblr: findingtallahassee.

Also on AO3

To Roland, there was nothing his mother couldn’t do. She could tend to his scrapes and made them feel all better in just a few minutes, save an action figure from losing its leg, always knew how to make him and Henry were happy with the movie night and somehow, always knew exactly what his baby sister needed to calm down. Yes, to Roland, his mom was truly like a superhero from one of the comic books that Henry would read to him, Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel. She could always save the day and not even break a nail while doing it.

One night, he sat on the floor playing with some toys while his parents got ready for date night. His uncle Will would be by soon to watch them and had made promises of pizza, movies and wrestling. It was going to be so much fun, he could hardly wait.

Regina exited the walk-in closet, wearing a navy-blue dress, her hair curled. She stood at her vanity, opening up a box. Roland didn’t pay much attention at first, until he got a good glimpse of her putting on her makeup. She made it look so easy. He moved closer as she moved onto her eyes, managing to not poke herself with any of the tiny brushes or sticks. Roland watched in awe, his mouth agape.

“How do you do that?” He asked, in wonder.

Regina arched an eyebrow, looking at him in the mirror. “What do you mean?”

“The paint.”

Regina continued to look puzzled and then the realization washed over. “Oh, my makeup.” She smiled and finished up her eye makeup. “Here.” She placed hand on her padded stool, so the 5-year-old knew it was okay to jump up. “I’ll show you.”

She did her blush, explaining exactly where to put it and how she blended it. Then, she found the shades that would be best on him and taught him how to apply it on himself. She did some light lip gloss next, followed by some eye shadow, explaining it every step of the way.

“Why do people wear makeup?” Roland asked as she went to dip the brush in for his second eyelid.

Regina paused. “I guess it’s just something that was always a part of growing up for me. I watched my mother do it, my aunts and cousins after she passed away. But people wear makeup for a bunch of different reasons, just as they do everything. Some do it to cover up things, other do it to for work. Just know, that you never have to do it to improve how you look. Makeup doesn’t make you anymore beautiful than you already are.”

Roland grinned and then watched her select her jewelry. He found a bulky bangle.

“Can I wear this? It looks like treasure.”

“Of course you can.” Regina kissed his nose and Roland beamed brighter, sliding it onto his wrist. Neither noticed Robin standing in the doorway of the bathroom, grinning from ear to ear. “Just make sure you wipe that off before bed, or your face will get infected. I can teach you how to do more as you get older.”

There would be a few more lessons after that. She taught him about looks for different times of the day or occasions. Overall, she taught him that makeup was there to supplement beauty and that it was there to define it. He’d sit by her and watch her do her makeup when he’d catch her doing it, but there’d be a time when he’d wish he had done it more often.

Only six months after the lessons began, Roland was told that his mother had passed away in a car accident. He had no way of knowing the truth, that she had to be sent away for their own protection. If he had known the truth, it probably wouldn’t have changed the pain that it caused their family. It wasn’t hard not to see the change it brought about their dad. He wasn’t the same bright, goofy person he had been for Roland’s whole life. Robin snapped easier and the boys knew that he waited until he thought they were asleep to cry. Henry wasn’t around much; he would skip school or leave the house at night. Even Bryony, as young as she was, seemed to be acting differently. Roland felt sad too, all the time, and he couldn’t laugh. He felt like no one understood how he felt. He couldn’t even talk about his mom without wanting to cry.

Eventually, they fell into their new normal. It took time-and lots of therapy-but they did. Henry slowly stopped running away and his grades picked back up in school. He even made the honor roll. His dad was back to telling jokes and smiling again. There were times he still got a wave of sadness over him, but it was clear that he was a much happier person. Bryony was growing and Roland found that telling his baby sister about her made things a lot better for him. Despite their 5-year age gap, they ended up very close.

Which is why it wasn’t a surprise that Henry texted him an “SOS Peanut” text, when their little sister was 12 years old.

Peanut was the nickname they had coined for Bryony when she was just a baby. She was so small and Bryony seemed like such a mouthful to say for a 5 and 8-year-old respectively, so they came up with that. Now that she was getting older, she tried to argue it, but she would always be that to them-especially when they wanted to get a fun rise out of her.

Roland was already on his way home when he received the text and he figured that his dad wasn’t there, Henry probably would’ve gone to him if he were. Robin and Bryony had a pretty close bond, so there was pretty much no problem that he couldn’t solve. However, their father was probably at work. It wasn’t that Henry and Bryony didn’t get along, but he was 8 years older, home from college for spring break and they were just so different. He was better for playing video games or ice cream rushes. Roland and Robin were the ones Henry texted when she had a crisis.

He pulled into the driveway and headed into the house, finding his older brother sitting at the bottom of the stairs. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. She came back from the mall and went straight up to her room, she’s acting weird.”

“And that got an SOS text?”

“She just seemed really upset, alright? I tried knocking on her door, but she told me to get lost. Maybe you’ll have more luck.”

Roland nodded, wanting to appease his worrywart of a brother. He definitely got that from their mother. She had been so overprotective; he could remember thinking that at even 5-years-old. He walked up the stairs and knocked on his sister’s door, which had donned a “Keep Out” sign since she turned 10 years old.

“I said go away Henry!”

“It’s not Henry.”

There was a moment of silence. “Roland?”

“You know anyone else this cool?”

Some shuffling, followed by the door clicking and unlocking. While Henry looked more like a mixture of both of their parents (Regina’s dark hair, hazel eyes that were a mix of both of them and Robin’s pale skin) and Roland was pretty much a carbon copy of his mother outside the dimples from his father (thick, curls, eyes the same color as chocolate and Regina’s coloring), Bryony had been the one sibling to inherit the most looks from their father. Her blonde hair fanned out at her shoulders and her arms were crossed over her Storybrooke Junior High Track & Field t-shirt.

“You’re not at all cool,” she told him, matter of fact.

Roland rolled his eyes. “Henry said you were bummed out. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Henry needs to mind his own business.”

“We live under one roof, and he cares about you.” She didn’t budge. “I mean, if you wanna wait until Dad gets home…”

Bryony huffed, but stepped aside. Roland walked into her room and noticed the transparent garment bag on her closet, containing a purple dress. He tilted his head.

“What’s that for?”

“The school’s having some stupid dance.”

“Oh, you don’t really want to go?”

“I do, it’s just,” Bryony sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “Aunt Mulan took us. She’s going to be helping Greer get ready, all the girls will have their moms to.”

Roland didn’t need her to stay anything else. “And you don’t have a mom to help you.”

Bryony shrugged. “There’s a lot Dad can do, but there’s a lot he doesn’t know too. I just wish I could have Mom here to help me get ready.” She pointed to a shopping bag on her bed. “I mean, I had the sales lady help me find the perfect makeup and I don’t even know how to put it on.”

A small smile poked on the edges of Roland’s mouth. It had been 12 years since his mother’s “passing”, but he could remember her tips like the back of his hand. They had come in handy as he entered middle school, where he ended up having more girl friends than guys anyway and would help them out. He had even looked into YouTube tutorials about hair, so he could be of more assistance in that department.

“Well, I may not know much about dresses or shoes,” he said. “But makeup is my specialty.”

“Huh?”

“Just sit down, I’ll teach you everything I know.”

Bryony skeptically sat down at her desk, which had a mirror on it. Roland grabbed the bag and unpacked the supplies. Luckily, she was right, the sales lady had steered her in the right direction for someone of her complexion and age. There was nothing too extreme about any of it. He started just how his mom had with him, the cheeks.

“You want to spread it out, then blend it,” he explained, as he moved the brush. “The more natural it looks, the better.”

“I was afraid I’d look like a circus clown.”

“It’s common for first time users to make that mistake, but it gets easier with use or if you have a good teacher.” Roland gave her a wink.

Next, he did the lipstick, choosing the more subtle shade of the two. It was then he realized that perhaps he should’ve asked if his dad was okay with sister wearing makeup, but they could cross that bridge later. For the moment, it was important to teach her how to wear it without looking ridiculous. He had seen far too many people make that mistake and he was not about to have his mom haunt his ass. Like Regina had with him, he spoke every step of the way, explaining his process, so she could easily do it again.

As he was getting the eyeshadow ready, Bryony finally spoke up herself. “Where did you learn all of this?”

“From Mom.”

“Seriously?”

Roland nodded, dipping the brush into palette. “When I was 5, I was watching her do her makeup and I was completely mesmerized. It was like…witchcraft or something. I asked her how she did it and Mom just decided to show me.”

“Wow. Most moms probably wouldn’t have done that with their sons.”

“Mom wasn’t most moms,” Roland pointed out. “She really didn’t care what we did or wore.”

“So, like Dad, she wouldn’t have cared about you being bi?”

“I highly doubt it. One year, I wanted to be an angel for Halloween and someone made fun of me. She told me that in the Bible, angels were both male and female.”

The smile on Bryony’s face wouldn’t disappear. “She sounds like quite a lady.”

“She really was, close your eyes,” Roland instructed, feeling himself getting choked up.

He applied the eye shadow, thinking back to those days. What he wouldn’t get for another one of those talks, his then-pudgy hand on her cheek, her warm smile looking down on him. There were days it felt like just yesterday and others, that it felt like a whole other lifetime ago.

When Bryony’s eyes opened again, Roland found himself thinking of Regina’s words from that night. “You know, Mom once told me that makeup isn’t what makes someone beautiful. It doesn’t improve how you look. Beauty is more than the surface. And I want you to remember that, even if you start wearing it now.”

“That’s really cheesy, Roland,” Bryony told him with an eye roll. “Though, I do appreciate it.”

A few finishing touches and the job was done. Roland did a quick simple braid to show her what he could possibly do the night of and then suddenly got an idea. He rushed down the hall to his room, going through the top drawer of his nightstand. He found what he desired and returned to his sister’s room, handing over the bangle.

“What’s this?”

“It belonged to, Mom,” he explained. “I borrowed it the same night she taught me how to do makeup. When Dad decided to clean out her side of the closet a few years back, I asked him if I could have it. I figured you could wear it to the dance.”

The bangle was bulky, flashy and didn’t at all go with the flowery purple dress that hung on the closet door behind them. Yet, Bryony looked from it, back up to her brother and said, “Of course I will.”

#rewrite the stars verse #outlaw queen #outlaw queen au #dimples queen #dimples queen au #dimples peanut #dimples peanut au

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sunaprincess7 · 6 years

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Isn’t it neat?

Hi everyone,

Another fic here - I know the James/Lily - Eric/Ariel thing has been done before but this is my take on it. Sorry if ‘you're all mermaid-ed out! Very little plot to this thing but I hope you all enjoy anyways :)

Summary: Lily Evans has been playing Ariel the mermaid at Disney World Orlando for six months. She's about to meet her new Prince Eric.

Rated T for language (also so much fluff and cheese you might perish!)

Fanfic link

AO3 link

“Does anyone have any primer?” Lily yelled to the dressing room behind her, “I’m out of my FX.”

“Here,” Mary yelled back amongst the throng of girls, chucking Lily her Smashbox version over the heads of Emmeline and Dorcas who both ducked.

“This’ll work?” Lily confirmed doubtfully, knowing that she didn’t really have any other option as she squirted the clear gel into her palm.

“Nothing is going to work in this heat, Lil,” Mary replied, now slathering her face with foundation. “But it’ll stay on for at least 6 hours. Then you might need to reapply.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I hate this fucking dress,” Marlene, who was by far the most ready of any of them, moaned as she tugged the bright yellow taffeta monstrosity up around her hips.

“Hey, at least yours hasn’t got sleeves,” Dorcas retorted, from next to Lily, still in the process of pinning an auburn wig with pigtails onto her head.

“Oh please, you practically begged McGonagall to give you Anna!” Marlene replied, now pulling the dress up around her arms.

“It was winter then!” Dorcas said miserably, grabbing a matte mauve lipstick out of her makeup bag.

“Can we all just be happy that none of us is Minnie?” Mary inserted, in between violently attacking her face with a beauty blender.

The group of girls murmured in approval.

“Technically, you should be the happiest out of everyone, Lil,” Emmeline said, running a brush through her black wig as she puffed up the bun. “Sometimes they let you go out in a bikini.”

“Hey, none of you have ever worn that tail,” Lily replied, as she leaned into the mirror to draw on her eyebrows. “It’s heavy as hell. It might be worse than the dress. And they haven’t let me wear it in ages.”

“I think they figured out you were making all the dads a little too happy in that purple excuse for a bra,” Mary said lowly, causing their whole dressing room to laugh.

“Men are such trash,” Emmeline added.

“Speaking of trash, aren’t you meeting your new Eric today?” Marlene asked as she pulled white elbow gloves up over her arms.

“Later on tonight,” Lily said, “after the parade. And if he’s anything like the previous one, I think I might quit.”

Lily’s previous Eric had been the epitome of trash and was exactly who Marlene was referring to when she’d asked the question. Dave, or Prince Fuckboy as he was better known to the group, had spent his entire 6 months with the cast showing up late, being rude and, worst of all, sleeping his way through the Princess lineup.

After sleeping with Marlene, he’d made his way around Elsa, Tinkerbell and Jasmine, which was the unfortunate reason Bertha, Florence and Emma no longer sat with the rest of the girls. That drama had continued for at least a month until Prince Fuckboy realised everyone hated him and had quit.

“Apparently he’s a friend of Hook’s,” Dorcas told them.

“Hook?” Emmeline, who was the most recent addition to the cast, asked. “I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“Sirius Black,” Dorcas replied, as Lily smiled to herself, knowing that Dorcas’s usual rant about Sirius was coming. “And you don’t want to meet him. He’s totally method,” she continued, placing an unusual amount of disdain on the word method, “and speaks in a ridiculous English accent the entire time he’s here, even on breaks, and challenges everyone to duels all day. Fucking idiot.”

Lily couldn’t help but giggle. She was actually rather fond of Sirius’s approach to his work and suspected it had nothing to do with his devotion to acting but rather because he loved pretending to be a pirate all day.

“He is a fucking idiot and you know it,” Dorcas said to Lily when she saw her laughing.

“Well, at least he’s not another Prince Fuckboy,” Lily said, adding a slick of bright red lipstick before spritzing her whole face with setting spray. “And you have to admit, he’s a very good Hook.”

“As long as he hasn’t brought us another Dave to be Eric, we’ll be best friends,” Marlene smiled grimly. “How the hell am I the only one ready?” She asked forcefully, gloved hands on her hips.

“Because you don’t have to colour in your eyebrows to match your wig,” Lily replied, grabbing her long, curly ginger hair and twisting it onto her head.

“I can’t believe they still haven’t asked you to be Merida yet,” Mary observed, now pulling on Tiana’s light green velvet dress.

“Yeah, well in the nineties mermaids existed but not actual ginger people, apparently,” Lily said as she positioned the long red wig onto her head with ease. “That mermaid must’ve had some amazing hair dye down in Atlantis.”

“Hey, black people didn’t exist until 2010 apparently,” Mary added, fixing her own wig on. “And now there’s one black princess, there’ll obviously never be another one ever again.”

“Obviously,” Emmeline agreed, rolling her eyes. “Right, time to tie on this fucking awful sash,” she said before standing and moving to the costume rail, leaving Dorcas and Lily sitting at the mirrors.

“I’m still waiting on the animated world to admit lesbians exist,” Dorcas said to Lily with a wry shrug. “And don’t tell the boss, but I play everyday like I’m in love with Emma,” she winked, referring to their cast mate who played Jasmine.

“Amazing,” Lily laughed, looking around the dressing table for her aqua headpiece. “Does Emma know this?”

“Oh, she knows I think she’s hot as hell.”

Finished with her makeup and hair, Lily stood up to go and find her human dress, which was an unsightly aquamarine colour to match her headpiece.

“Are they ever going to let you back in the tail?” Dorcas asked, moving with Lily to grab her purple cape.

“They’re still working on the Grotto since the break-in,” Lily said, shuffling into her dress. “I think it’ll be open again in a few weeks.”

When she had first started at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Lily’s main role had been to sit in Ariel’s grotto and do meet and greets. She had her own float in the daily parade and occasionally appeared as a human walking around the park (when she was told to) or at Cinderella’s restaurant, but for the most part, wearing the tail in the grotto was her main duty. Then, around a month ago, some boys had broken in to the park, and wrecked her grotto, as well as a number of other attractions. Lily had been in human form ever since, which was killing her, because Ariel’s human dress was puffy, heavy and sweltering in the Orlando heat.

Not that she complained too much. She loved being Ariel and was delighted to be cast as her when she’d first started six months ago. A small part of Lily lived in perpetual fear of being recast. Which was ridiculous because it would definitely happen at some point and they were all warned not to get too attached to any particular character.

Lily had done her best to adhere to this warning but she’d adored Ariel as a child and as she’d gotten older, Ariel had remained her favourite Disney princess. And judging by the response she got from the little kids who came to the park, Ariel was still a very popular princess, even eighteen years after she’d first appeared in animated form.

In truth, Lily had loved every minute of working at Disney. The only bad time had been the appearance of Dave.

“I know I hate this dress,” Lily said quietly to Dorcas, “but I can live with it. I’m not sure I could live with another Dave.”

“Look, I know Black is an idiot, but I doubt he’s friends with jerks,” Dorcas reassured her pragmatically, checking her appearance in the mirror. “Are you nervous about meeting him? Don’t be nervous.”

“Well you spend a lot of time with your prince,” Lily observed, fixing the wig down over her dress. “And the kids freak out when they see you together so obviously McGonagall is always sending you out together. It’d be nice to be paired with someone you can stand. I mean, you get on with Dirk, right?”

“Yeah,” Dorcas responded, “I don’t think he knows I’m gay cause he’s always flirting with me, but we get on fine.”

“Poor Dirk.”

“I’ve seen his sister on Facebook, she’s cute” Dorcas said with a grin. “Maybe he’ll introduce us.”

“Girls!” They heard McGonagall call from the hallway, “it’s 8.55”

“Coming!” Lily called back, jumping up and down a few times to settle her skirt.

“Right,” Dorcas said with a swish of her cloak, “Time to be asked if I want to build a snowman ten thousand times.”

Letting her voice drift higher and adding in her signature Ariel warble, Lily followed Dorcas out of the dressing room, “you’re such a guppy, Anna,” she replied, saying goodbye to Lily Evans as she transformed into the little mermaid just as she reached the bright sunshine of the park.

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

“I am fucking exhausted,” Marlene breathed, stripping off her gloves as they all trailed into the dressing room at 10pm that night. “And I hate teenaged boys.”

“Yeah, I saw some guys bothering you,” Mary replied, throwing herself down into her dressing room chair.

“Trying to get me to break character. Assholes. They were trying to film the whole thing and put it on Instagram,” Marlene spat.

“What were they doing?”

“Oh, the usual shit. Calling me a furry lover. I ignored them.”

“Good for you,” Lily said, inwardly wondering how soon she could get the metric tonne of foundation she had on off her face.

“At least you didn’t get dole whip spilled all over you,” Emmeline moaned, already taking off Mulan’s dress. “Costume are going to kill me. This is the fourth time in two weeks I’ve needed a new dress.”

“Ariel!” Sounded McGonagall’s voice from outside.

“I think she means me,” Lily whispered to them all with a wink as she slipped off her chair. Wincing as her weary feet touched the floor, Lily made her way to the hall.

When she entered the hallway, Lily saw McGonagall standing with her cherished clipboard and right beside her, a man who was undoubtedly Prince Eric.

All of the guys who played Princes at the park were good looking but Lily felt her stomach clench as she took in her new work husband. She could see why they had cast him as Eric. His black hair was thick and windswept and curled in at the edges of his lightly tanned skin. There was no way he’d be wearing a wig. As his eyes fell on her, he greeted her with a show stopping smile, and Lily couldn’t help but notice his strong jaw and gorgeous hazel eyes.

“James, this is Lily, or Ariel to you,” McGonagall said to the boy, now scribbling on the board. James opened his mouth to say something but their boss got there first, “you can smile, dance, hold hands whilst still and give her a two second hug,” she continued, briskly ticking the board as she listed each item, “but no kissing. At all. Ever.”

“Okay,” James nodded steadily, looking at McGonagall with slight apprehension.

“Make sure he doesn’t get lost,” she said to Lily abruptly before striding away.

“Is she always that scary?” He whispered, leaning into Lily as they both watched Minerva leave.

“I’m afraid so,” Lily told him with a weak smile, “she’s in charge of rules and makes sure we all follow them.”

“And we’re married, right?”

“Yes,” Lily nodded, trying not to stare at him too much.

“Wow. Can’t even kiss my wife. What a bummer,” James said with a deep sigh, causing Lily to laugh.

“Disney is strictly a PG place,” she said, “but waltzing is good fun. The kids love it.”

“They showed me during training,” James replied. “It took me a while to get it but I don’t think I’ll embarrass you.”

Lily laughed again as she leaned against the wall, “I’m a walking, talking fish woman. I doubt you are going to be what embarrasses me,” she smiled, trying not to blush when his eyes did a quick sweep of her outfit. “So, did McGonagall show you around?”

“I came down for the parade,” he responded, pushing his hands into his jeans as Lily noticed his sinewy tanned arms. He was going to look good in Eric’s white shirt. “It was great. You were great.”

“Thanks,” she said, “it’s pretty easy without Eric to be honest. I just sit there and smile and wave.”

“And with Eric?”

“Well, that’s when the hugging and the dancing and the hand-holding comes in,” Lily continued, giving him a little grin. “But it’s a 30 minute parade so trying to keep that going is difficult.”

“Especially when you hate your Eric, right?”

Lily blanched a little as James smiled guilty at her, “Sirius told me about the guy I’m replacing.”

“Yeah, well, he was a jackass,” Lily admitted, swishing her dress about a little. “And what’s worse, he made it really awkward for everyone here. We were all glad when he left.”

“Okay, well I promise to be absolutely nothing like him and then you won’t mind dancing with me for half an hour,” he suggested, his eyes twinkling as Lily’s stomach jumped again.

“Deal,” she agreed, hoping to sound as normal as possible. “So, when do you start?”

“Next week,” James told her happily, “they’re just sorting my contacts and then I’m good to go.”

“Cool,” Lily said, “well, it was really nice meeting you. I’m going to go take off this powder puff before I faint,” she closed, giving him another smile before she turned towards the dressing room door.

“Wait,” James called, stalling her in her step.

“Yeah?”

“You’re my Princess, right?” Lily laughed lightly as James blushed and corrected himself, “I mean, you’re who I’ll be working with? Going forward?”

“Yeah,” She replied, hearing a little shyness creep into her voice, “as long as I don’t get recast, I’m your Princess.”

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

James, as it turned out, was an absolute dream to work with.

On Monday morning, he was there waiting for her as soon as she stepped out of the dressing room. In his white flowing shirt, red cumber-band, turned up trousers, boots and blue contacts, he looked both exactly like Eric and unreasonably hot.

They spent the whole day together and as predicted, all the kids adored both of them together. They both signed hundreds of autographs and took hundreds of photos and selfies, and when the parade started at nine o’clock, they had their first dance.

It wasn’t without a hitch, as they both stepped on each other’s toes several times but as long as their smiles stayed on, no one in the audience noticed.

“So, how’d I do?” James asked her, as they moved backstage and walked towards her dressing room.

“Really good,” Lily said a little breathlessly, noticing that they were still walking arm in arm, as though they were out in public.

“Sorry about the feet,” he whispered into her ear as they passed a stream of characters all hurrying to their dressing rooms.

“That’s okay,” she giggled, giving his arm a squeeze, “I stepped on your toes too.”

“Yeah but I’m a lot heavier than you are!”

“We’ll get better with practice,” Lily told him. “Oh and one other thing, next time a kid asks you about Sebastian or Flounder, technically you never met them, so next time just say they’re ‘friends of Ariel’.”

“Right,” James nodded, “and Sebastian is the lobster, yeah?”

Lily stopped walking and her hand fell away from his arm, “crab,” she corrected bluntly. “Sebastian is a crab.”

“Sure,” he smiled uneasily, letting his hands fall to his side. “A crab.”

Feeling very suspicious, Lily eyed James closely.

“They did teach you about Sebastian during training?”

“Yeah, they did, it’s just…”

“It’s just what?” She asked, feeling her eyes narrow.

“Well, it’s kind of hard to remember when…” he trailed off, not really looking at her.

“When?” Lily prompted.

“When you haven’t really seen what he looks like,” James finally said lowly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“What?” She yelped, so loudly that Donald Duck and Goofy stopped to eye the two of them before moving on. “You haven’t seen The Little Mermaid? James, that’s like day one!”

“It was day five,” he disagreed weakly, obviously nervous due to her reaction. “I was ill so they said I could just watch it at home.”

“And?”

“And…I sort of…never did,” he admitted with a small shrug as Lily cursed him for being so attractive. It would be so much easier to be annoyed with him if she could stop staring at his gorgeous face.

“James, if McGonagall finds out you’ve never seen it, she will lose it!” Lily warned him, not wanting to picture the monumental explosion that would occur if that happened. What was worse: he’d probably get fired and then they’d need another new Eric and Lily couldn’t take the suspense of waiting to meet another new Prince. Plus, she was sort of growing fond of this one.

“Yeah, I got that impression when I met her.”

“I mean, you don’t even know how we met!” She persisted, shoving his shoulder lightly.

“I’m guessing in the sea?” He joked feebly, as Lily rolled her eyes.

“Unacceptable,” Lily said, folding her arms. “I am not letting you get fired over this.”

“Would you miss me, Princess?” James grinned, eyes sparkling.

“If you get fired they might bring Dave back,” Lily observed grimly, ignoring the flutter in her stomach that appeared when he obviously flirted with her, “and then I’d have to quit.”

“Okay, I will watch the movie…” James appeased her, shaking his head.

“Oh, you will watch that movie,” Lily ground out, stepping closer to him. “My number is on the staff call sheet. Text me your address. Next Sunday, I’m coming over and by the end of the day you will know the names, hair and fin colours of all my six sisters!”

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

Of course, Lily hadn’t expected the teasing she ended up receiving from her fellow Princesses when she told them her weekend plans, which was probably quite naïve.

“You’re dating your Prince,” Marlene had giggled, Friday evening as they all de-wigged.

“I am not,” Lily protested ignoring their sceptical smirks. “I’m saving his job. And my sanity. Also, McGonagall changed the rules after Dave. No dating Princes! Remember?”

“Please,” Emmeline interjected dryly, “as if you haven’t noticed how hot he is.”

“Everyone has,” Mary said, saving Lily the trouble of dodging the question. “Did you see Bertha all over him in the canteen this afternoon?” She asked the group, as Lily felt her stomach twist unpleasantly. She hadn’t noticed that, being too preoccupied with the book she usually read at lunch.

“Yup,” Dorcas stated blithely, pulling off her wig to reveal flowing blonde hair with a fuchsia streak through it. “If he’s not careful, this is going to turn out to be another Prince Fuckboy sitch.”

“James is not Dave,” Lily inserted forcefully, taking off Ariel’s necklace and throwing it onto the counter. “He’s not going to behave like that.”

Embarrassed as she saw the girls exchanging knowing looks due to her outburst, Lily fixed an unconvincing smile onto her face. “He knows all about Dave and the drama and he’s aware of how horrible that all was,” she said calmly, “I doubt he’ll put us all through that again.”

Sensing an end to the conversation, Lily continued to unpin her wig, enjoying the wonderful feeling of removing the pins from her head. She undressed quickly and changed into her street uniform, before making her way to the door, saying goodbye to them all as she went.

“Well, we’re all here arguing over him,” she heard Emmeline say lowly to Marlene as she exited, “it sure feels like another Fuckboy situation.”

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

Emmeline’s words from Friday night were still ringing in her ears as she walked to James’s apartment on Sunday afternoon. And of course, now she knew about Bertha, she had watched her all day Saturday doing the best she could to get James’s attention.

It shouldn’t have annoyed Lily and it was ridiculous that she felt in any way possessive of James. But watching Bertha flirt, smile and laugh her way through lunch with him stoked an ugly feeling in Lily that she soon recognised as jealousy.

Knowing that she needed to quell this before she herself was the instigator of drama, Lily resolved not to admire James anymore. In fact, as she crossed the street to the grey wooded building that she thought was where he lived, Lily decided that she would not in any way fancy James and Bertha could have him if she liked.

Climbing the stairs and ringing the bell, Lily was happy in her determination…until James opened the door.

He was wearing glasses.

Fuck.

He had never worn glasses before. A bit like every other piece of clothing he decided to wear, the glasses looked unfairly good on him. She didn’t know what it was about them, but they finished his face beautifully – just in the way that she could picture taking them off to get a better look at his eyes. Maybe during a time when they were standing closer together. With as much energy as she could muster, Lily pushed this thought out of her head. She wasn’t allowed to date her cast mate.

Lily was about to apologise for standing awkwardly in silence in his doorway when she noticed that James seemed to be experiencing the same vocal block too, his eyes fixed on her.

“What?” She asked nervously, knowing that this wasn’t the most polite or graceful way to break the silence but she was desperate so it would have to do.

James swallowed, “oh, um…it’s nothing…it’s just…”

“Just?”

“Eh, your hair…and your, um…eyes,” he proceeded brokenly, his right hand slipping into his hair as Lily wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through it, “I’ve never seen you without…”

He trailed off again, his eyes doing another sweep of her face as Lily reminded herself to breathe.

“I can’t believe they make you wear a wig and contacts,” he finally managed after another swallow.

“Well, you know,” Lily shrugged, feeling her cheeks turn red, “I have to look like her,” she said, holding up the DVD box with Ariel on the front. “Ready for your homework?”

With a jerky smile, James brought her into his flat, closing the door after her.

“You know, I had to borrow a DVD player from my mom,” James said as he followed her into the living room.

“Well that’s your fault for getting rid of an essential piece of technology,” Lily scolded him, dropping her bag beside the couch before sitting down.

“Pfft,” James snorted, taking the DVD off her, “we definitely could’ve just streamed it.”

“My fair merlady,” Lily heard a booming voice echo from behind her, “welcome to our most humble abode.”

“Sirius,” Lily grinned, hoping off the couch and running around to greet him, as Sirius performed a deep bow before grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it.

“Captain Hook, Princess,” Sirius corrected politely in his flawless English accent.

“We spent an hour deciding if he could speak to you normally,” James said from behind them, not sounding impressed.

“You should not complain,” Sirius responded with an edge to his voice, “remember, it was I who provided the popped corn.”

“Are you joining us, Captain?” Lily asked.

“Alas, no,” Sirius replied, as James let out a ‘thank god’ over their shoulders. “I am expecting a duel with that wretched boy Pan this week and so must practice my fencing.”

“He’s going to the gym,” James translated as Lily heard the opening tones of the movie echo from the tv.

“Adieu, my dear,” Sirius called as he strode out of the apartment, gym bag in hand.

“I couldn’t live without him, but if I could, I would’ve killed him by now,” James said without prompting as Lily joined him on the couch.

“Shhhhh,” Lily hissed, poking him in the elbow, as the Disney castle appeared on the screen. “I can promise you there will be a quiz after this.”

James surprised Lily by being fairly quiet throughout the opening scenes of the movie, save for the occasional comment: “her father’s a dick,”… “he definitely looks like a lobster,” and various other observations which made her laugh.

“He’s a crab and you best remember that,” she warned.

“As if it matters…”

“Shhhh,” she quieted him again, knowing what was coming as Ariel swam towards the surface and fireworks exploded from the ship. “Oh my god,” she breathed as Eric came into view, his dog Max bounding around the deck. “This is the best part of the movie.”

“You think he’s attractive?” James asked, sounding unimpressed and she could tell he was watching her.

“Eh…yeah, I’m not blind,” Lily answered emphatically

“I suppose he’s alright…for a cartoon,” James retorted and she couldn’t help but smile at his miffed tone.

“Disney have a really random record of drawing ridiculously hot people,” she told him, still enjoying the view of Eric. “Besides, you should take it as a compliment,” she added thoughtlessly, cringing when she realised what she had said.

“Oh, so, because you think he’s hot that must mean you think I am?” James replied, sounding remarkably happier as he turned his whole body to her.

Trying to regain her composure, Lily shrugged, “Eric is generally regarded as one of the better looking Disney Princes…by everyone.”

With a brief grin, James felt silent and turned back to the movie.

“He’s clearly a shit sailor if his ship is sinking.”

“He’s a Prince and there was a storm…what do you want him to do?”

They watched in silence until the moment when Ariel had rescued Eric and was trying to revive him on the shore. As she sang to him, Lily unconsciously started to sing along quietly, as she had been doing ever since she had first watched the movie.

To her left, she heard a soft noise which broke her out of her daydream.

“Sorry,” she said, looking over to James to see him watching her again. “Old habit.”

“Don’t be,” he replied kindly, a crooked smile about his mouth, “you can sing.”

“Thanks,” she said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

“Why don’t you sing at work?”

“We’re not allowed,” Lily advised, “we’re specifically told not to sing. Did you pay attention at all during training?”

With a guilty shrug, James replied, “I still don’t get why you can’t sing.”

“I guess they want the kids to hear the songs the way they remember them,” she went on, “which I understand. I know I play her but Jodi Benson will always be Ariel to me.”

“Oh, she’s going to do something stupid to be with the stupid hot Prince, isn’t she?” James winced now watching the movie again.

“Can you blame her?”

The movie continued and James revelled in his correct prediction, yelling loudly at Ariel not to sign Ursula’s contract much to Lily’s amusement.

“There is no way in hell that would be legally binding!”

Now feeling a bit bolder, Lily sang her way through the rest of the songs with James laughing along until they both fell quiet at ‘Kiss the Girl”.

“Noooooo!” James howled when Flotsam and Jetsam overturned the boat Eric and Ariel were sitting in. “Fuck those eels!”

Nearly crying with laughter, Lily patted him on the arm, “I hate those things,” she consoled.

“I have never been so annoyed,” he announced, glaring at the television screen. “Why didn’t they just kiss?!”

“We’re only just half way through the movie, they couldn’t kiss now.”

James sat and pouted unhappily as the movie went on, only making another noise when Vanessa – Ursula’s human alter ego – appeared, “hello,” he let out lowly, his eyebrows dancing, as she slinked onto the screen.

“Hey!” Lily cried, feeling an unwarranted level of outrage. “Don’t you ‘hello’ her! She’s evil! She’s trying to distract you from Ariel. You can’t find her attractive!”

“Oh, so you can think cartoon Eric is hot but I can’t think evil Ariel is?”

“Eric is hot but he’s not evil! If Eric had an evil twin, I wouldn’t be ‘hello-ing’ all over him!”

“Look, you can’t deny she’s good looking,” James placated her, gesturing to Vanessa on the screen as Lily harrumphed, “but will it make you feel better if I say she’s not a patch on Ariel?”

“All I am asking is that you show a little loyalty to your wife,” Lily said evenly. “That witch has her voice!”

“I cannot believe we are arguing over which cartoon is hotter.”

“Well, you work at Disney now, Potter. Get used to it.”

Again, they fell silent as the movie played on and they watched as Ursula was discovered, defeated and Eric and Ariel married in their happily ever after.

“You know, you’re right. I didn’t like Vanessa so much by the end,” James conceded lowly, stretching out now that the film was over.

“Told you,” Lily gloated. “And at least now, if McGonagall asks, you can honestly say you’ve watched it.”

“Very true,” he agreed, “and I now also know the names of all assorted sentient fish and crustaceans. Thanks for taking the time to make sure I don’t get fired,” he smiled earnestly.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, hoping to sound normal as her heart started to thud against her chest.

“Did you do this with Dave?” He asked, fixing her with a look that wasn’t helping Lily at all.

Lily laughed, “no,” she breathed. “But I’m sure Dave watched the movie during training.”

“Bad luck, Dave.”

Her stomach now tingling, Lily knew she had to remove herself from his couch before she found herself in a tricky position.

“I should go,” she smiled tightly, getting to her feet to remove the DVD.

“Okay,” James said, moving after her. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah,” she said, walking towards the door. “As long as you can recognise me.”

“As if I’d forget you, Princess,” he winked, making Lily curse herself for flirting with him when she had promised she wouldn’t. “Unless, Vanessa is there, of course.”

She had just enough time to yelp in outrage before he closed the door cackling.

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

Working with James was easy. Working with James whilst trying not to fancy him was not so easy.

“Even with the blue contacts in he looks good,” she overheard Mary observe.

“His real eyes are nicer though,” Emmeline replied and all the girls in their dressing room agreed.

“You’re being awfully quiet, Evans,” Marlene cut in, sweeping past Lily’s dressing space whilst Lily was unbuttoning her gown.

“I’m not being quiet, I’m trying to get out of this stupid dress so I can go home!” Lily stressed, inwardly knowing that the reason she was dying to go home was so she wouldn’t have to hear them talk about James.

“Oh, don’t be in such a huff!” Marlene retorted, turning Lily around to do her buttons for her. “No one here actually fancies him. Except you. And Bertha, of course.”

“I do not fancy him,” Lily replied, despising how childish and ridiculous she sounded. “I agree he has nice eyes, but he’s my cast mate and that’s all.”

“Poor James,” Marlene said, giggling along with the rest of the girls, “he’ll be devastated to hear that.”

“Oh, would you stop?” Lily hissed. “You’re just talking nonsense now!”

“You can’t see the way he looks at you up on that float, I can!”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but being a good actor is one of the requirements to work here. As is keeping your mitts off your fellow employees!”

“Sorry to interrupt what is clearly an important conversation,” Dorcas cut in dryly, “but has McGonagall spoken to you all about this Buzzfeed thing?”

“Yes,” Mary replied as the rest of the group all echoed her. “It’s this Sunday, we’re bringing our own costumes but there’ll be hair and makeup there.”

“And why are we doing this again?”

“More advertising apparently,” Mary told her as she hung up her costume. “Buzzfeed are obsessed with the Princesses so they want some shoot to show us all off to their readers.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Dorcas droned, rolling her eyes. “All I needed was an excuse to spend another day dressed for the alpines.”

“Are the guys coming?” Emmeline asked, now styling her own hair.

“Yes, we are,” a voice sounded from outset the dressing room as they all jumped, “also, can I come in? I need to speak to Lily.”

Eyes widening when she realised it was James, Lily yelled back, “just a minute,” as she started to undress quickly. “If he heard what any of you said, I will put fairy dust in all of your wig caps,” she hissed quietly, eyeballing them all before pulling on her shorts and t-shirt.

“Drama queen,” Marlene shot back, striding to the dressing room door and pulling it open once Lily was dressed. “Enter at your own peril, Potter,” she greeted James, “everyone is feeling very Princessey today.

Ignoring Marlene, Lily walked towards James. “What?” She asked very abruptly, seizing up inwardly at her rudeness but she could feel the eyes of the rest of the group on them.

James watched her a bit uncertainly before beginning, “so, one day, I will manage this dance without injuring you,” he half-laughed, folding him arms, presumably from her forced coldness.

“It’s fine, James,” she sighed, not at him, but because of the total silence in the dressing room as they talked.

“Maybe you guys should practice,” Emmeline put in cheerfully and Marlene exchanged a grin with her.

Lily shot her a look.

“Actually, that was what I was going to suggest,” James replied awkwardly, hand in his hair. “Unless, you have somewhere to be?”

“She has nowhere to be,” Marlene smiled, walking back to her own table. “I know because we have big plans to go home and watch Queer Eye at mine.”

Knowing that she wasn’t getting out of this without a serious amount of effort and really not wanting to offend James anymore than she probably already had, Lily didn’t bother to object. And they did need to practice.

“Great,” James smiled, still sounding a little uncertain.

Walking towards him, Lily let her hands drift upwards, one to his shoulder and the other into his waiting hand.

“We don’t have to…here,” he said to her quietly, as his arm came around her waist.

“It’s fine,” Lily reassured again, giving him a tight smile. At least this way, her cast mates could see there wasn’t anything there.

But as he pulled her a little closer and their chests met, Lily felt her heart start to beat rapidly. Did he always hold her this closely?

“You move forward first,” she said lowly, stealing herself with the hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, equally quiet.

After a short pause, Lily counted them in, her eyes on their feet.

They managed the first set of four…and then the second. And then the third. But then James stopped.

“You can do it fine in here,” she observed, giving him a small smile.

“Well, it’s not exactly parade conditions,” Dorcas pointed out.

“Would you…” James started, before stopping.

“What?”

“I need you to look at me,” he told her with a reluctant smile, “I think I’ve worked out that’s where the problem is.”

Lily felt, rather than saw, their audience exchange looks.

“Okay,” she agreed after a deep breath. And as she counted them in, she raised her eyes to lock on his.

After two moves, James stood on her left foot.

“Try again,” Lily said immediately, not wanting to give anyone a chance to comment.

She counted once more and they moved back, side, forward, side…She raised her eyes to his and immediately, James tripped.

“Shit, sorry,” he breathed, eyes and arms dropping away from her as his face coloured red.

“It’s okay,” Lily said kindly, unable to stop the butterflies swarming in her stomach.

“Evans is known for her amazing eyes,” Dorcas interjected pleasantly, “I wouldn’t beat yourself up, Potter.”

“Then how come it still happens when you’ve got contacts in?” James asked lightly, quietly enough that only he and Lily could hear. And then he gave her one of those smiles that made her all her limbs feel weak.

“I don’t have to look at you,” Lily offered as a solution.

James shook his head, “no, we’re in love,” he replied quickly before realisation crept onto his face and he laughed steadily amongst the titters in the room, “Eric and Ariel are in love,” he clarified modestly, not really looking at her. “When you’re in love, you look at each other.”

Their eyes met again.

“Exactly like that,” Marlene cut through and though Lily kept her eyes on James, she could tell her friend was grinning. “You guys are such great actors.”

Between that remark and the thudding of her heart, Lily had to move away.

“Maybe we can practice at lunch tomorrow,” she suggested, walking away from him.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “that sounds good. I won’t take up more of your time now.”

“Bye James,” Emmeline called and Lily heard the dressing room door close over her shoulder.

“Wow, Lil’,” Marlene started, “practice at lunchtime tomorrow. What a great way to stop Bertha from getting anywhere near him.”

Lily chucked her beauty blender at her.

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

As it turned out, Lily did not see James at lunchtime the next day.

She had awoken in the middle of the night with a fever which, at the time she had related to the rather interesting dream he had been having about James. But, by the next morning, she had a permanent lump stuck in her throat, found it hard to swallow and felt weak and cold all over.

After she called in sick to McGonagall, she just about made it to the doctors without fainting. Upon hearing the hoarseness in her voice, it took the doctor all of three minutes to diagnose her with laryngitis.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if your voice goes completely,” was her final word as Lily traipsed out of the office. “Should be over in two weeks. Plenty of bed rest, lots of water and no talking, okay?”

It occurred to Lily as she made her way home that she probably still could go into work if she wanted. That’s what Sirius would do. If she was method, that’s what she’d do too.

Unfortunately, her fever and dizziness overtook her before she was able to even progress that thought and Lily was again lucky to make it to her bed in time to pass out for the rest of the day.

When she woke up again on Tuesday night, she found several messages on her phone from Marlene and Dorcas objecting to her sick day and demanding that she return to work tomorrow. Lily let them know she was ill and probably wouldn’t be in for the rest of the week before promptly falling asleep again.

It wasn’t until Sunday morning, when she had progressed to being able to make herself soup and toast, that Lily was reminded of the Buzzfeed article.

She was busy peering over the toaster wondering when it would pop, when her phone rang.

Answering it before remembering that she couldn’t talk, Lily jumped to hear James’s voice at the end of the line.

“Hello?” His voice echoed down the telephone, “hello? Lily? I’m not sure if this is a voicemail…”

Lily was contemplating hanging up and sending him a text to explain when James continued to talk.

“Marlene said you were sick…I’m sorry for ringing you when you’re not well but…well, we’re down at this Buzzfeed thing and McGonagall has assigned Bertha to be Ariel…”

Lily nearly dropped the phone.

“…and well…this is stupid…but it sort of feels like Vanessa is here instead of Ariel. And I remembered what you said about loyalty to my wife so…so I just wanted to say that. And to say it feels weird doing this without you.”

She held onto the counter, nearly breathless to hear what he would say next.

“Anyway, if you can get here…I know you’re sick so don’t if you can’t…but if you can, we could do the shoot with the real Ariel. So yeah. That’s all I wanted to say. Bye.”

By the time the toast had popped, Lily had brushed her hair, teeth and was downstairs waiting on her uber.

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

“I thought you were sick!”

Marlene was the first to greet her after she had made it into the photo shoot.

She’d already had to use her phone to type out her issue for the security guard and doorman and so she just handed it to Marlene, note already open.

“You’ve lost your voice?’’

Lily nodded.

“Brilliant!” Marlene laughed, “do you need me to explain forks too?”

Lily glared at her until Marlene relented and took her by the arm.

“They were going to let Bertha do Ariel – of course she was dying to – but now you’re here, there’s no way they’ll go to the bother of changing her from Elsa to Ariel,” Marlene chatted as she guided Lily through the studio.

As they walked Lily observed Dorcas and Dirk, arm in arm in the setting of a snowy mountain.

“I’ll sort this with McGonagall,” Marlene continued as they walked to the make-up and hair area, “you just get ready. They’re doing you and James after B&B so you still have a while to go.”

Marlene brought her up to a man who was in the middle of styling Mary’s hair.

“This is Lily, Fabian,” she announced.

“Lily!” Mary greeted, sounding a bit giddy.

“She’s Ariel. She’s lost her voice,” Marlene said loudly, as Fabian and Mary regarded her with amazement.

“Oh my God,” Fabian said, his hands falling away from Mary’s hair. “Really?”

Lily nodded exaggeratedly, struggling not to roll her eyes.

“You’re not contagious are you?” Mary asked uncertainty, after her smile had faded.

“Benjy!” Fabian yelled, saving Lily the trouble of telling Mary she might be but she wasn’t going to let an infectious disease stop her from saving Ariel from Bertha. “Get over here!”

A skinny blond man in glasses sauntered over to the group, leaving behind the photographer he had been speaking with.

“Yeah?”

“This is Ariel,” Fabian informed him excitedly, clapping Lily on the shoulder.

“Nice to meet you,” Benjy said pleasantly, holding out his hand. “I’m Buzzfeed’s social editor.”

“Ben, she can’t answer you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“She’s lost her voice,” Fabian managed, practically buzzing with the news.

Suddenly Benji’s whole face changed, from slightly stressed young reporter to the same fevered astounded expression that Fabian was wearing.

“No shit,” he breathed, “really?”

Lily nodded.

“You can’t talk at all?”

Lily shook her head, feeling more and more sympathy with Ariel with each passing minute.

“Fucking brilliant,” Benji celebrated, grabbing her shoulders.

“You should film this,” Fabian announced, moving back to Mary and beginning to work on her hair again. “That would be amazing.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Benji agreed, “would you mind?”

“You should probably check with McGonagall first,” Marlene suggested, pointing at their manager who was giving directions to the photographer whilst Dorcas fanned herself.

“Sure, sure,” the journalist noted, not sounding too concerned, “will someone get her into her costume,” he called, as he strode back across the room. “I want to do this asap.”

Thinking that she might hurry the process along by putting on her own wig, Lily erased the note on her phone and simply typed out ‘wig?’ before showing it to Marlene.

“What does she want?” Fabian asked absentmindedly.

“She wants to know where her wig is,” Marlene answered, causing Fabian to swivel away from Mary again in outrage.

“They make you wear a wig?!”

After Fabian had recovered from realising Lily wasn’t allowed to have her natural hair, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“I’m in charge of the shoot styling, and I say, you’re using your own hair.”

Not really in a position to argue, Lily had watched as they transformed her hair from a curly, frizzy nightmare to long, flowing and bouncing waves that fell perfectly around her face and over her shoulders. She’d never seen her hair look so good. And sure, it wasn’t Ariel’s colour, but it was close.

Whilst her hair was being transformed, another stylist had appeared to apply her make up. Lily was used to wearing Ariel’s make up but she wasn’t used to having it tweaked to suit her own eye colour. It was the smallest of changes to the eyeshadow but suddenly, the make up fit her perfectly. As she watched herself in the mirror, it was as though she was somewhere halfway between herself and her cartoon counterpart.

“You look amazing,” Fabian appraised, still playing with the ends of her hair. “I can’t wait to see you in the tail.”

Not having heard this news before, Lily’s whole face lit up – her eyebrows jumping into her hairline.

“She gets the wear the tail?” Dorcas yelped, appearing out of nowhere and into Lily’s mirror.

“Of course!” Fabian said, causing Dorcas to clap. “We’re doing the scene after Ariel rescues Eric and brings him to the beach. You can’t be a mermaid without your tail!”

Finally pleased with her hair, Fabian moved away to Emma with one final squeeze of Lily’s shoulders.

“James Potter is about to lose his damn mind,” Dorcas whispered into Lily’s ear as they both grinned.

With this thought ringing in her ears, Lily made her way to the costume section to look for her tail. Finding Ariel’s costume wasn’t hard and she found putting on the bra and top part of her tail like slipping into an old pair of pyjamas.

“Ariel! We’re ready for you.”

Hearing the photographer calling her, Lily managed to signal to Dorcas (now in her civilian clothes) and hand her the fin.

“Here, I’ll walk with you,” she said, taking Lily’s elbow to help her balance.

They moved slowly and steadily towards the main stage and in the distance, Lily saw James, in full costume, lying down on the set, eyes towards the ceiling.

Her heart gave a quick thump.

“You really like him,” Dorcas observed quietly, squeezing Lily’s arm. “Your whole breathing changed when you saw him,” she explained, after Lily gave her a questioning look.

Ignoring that, and not really caring that Dorcas was right, Lily continued to wiggle her way to the set.

“Ariel has arrived,” Dorcas announced to the room, shocking Lily and causing all the heads in the room to snap to her.

And just as James lifted his head to see her, suddenly Dorcas was nowhere to be found.

“Wow,” she heard him breathe as their eyes met and she saw the look of pure attraction come onto his face.

“She looks good, right Potter?” Dorcas called teasingly, and Lily quickly became aware that not only were they being watched, but Benji was currently filming with a handheld camera.

“I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this,” James responded softly, his eyes never moving from hers as the room laughed.

“Oh my god, they’re not together, are they?”she heard Benji say to Dorcas.

“Okay, Ariel, if you could just lie down beside Eric,” the photographer cut in.

Feeling a little ridiculous as she wobbled over to James, Lily just about managed to get to her knees when James’s arms came up to her elbows to steady her. With effort, she placed her body in between his arm and his elbow, head hanging over his. “Hi,” he said lowly to her, in his own sweet tone and Lily could only smile. “Marlene tells me you’ve lost your voice?”

She nodded earnestly and he smiled in response, causing her to blush when he pushed one side of her hair over her shoulder.

“So…was that you on the phone earlier or...?”

Again, Lily nodded.

“Right,” James coughed, “sorry for calling. I just…”

Managing to interrupt him by shaking her head, Lily gave his forearm a quick squeeze.

“Anna, can you attach her tail?” The photographer asked Dorcas.

“I’m on it!”

“Right, so everyone knows the scene. Eric is passed out, Ariel, you’ve just saved him from death. He’s the most beautiful human you’ve ever seen and this is where you decide you’ll do whatever it takes to be with him.”

Lily nodded to acknowledge she’d heard as she held up her feet for Dorcas.

“Just smile, play with his hair…you know – the usual.”

With one final look, James let his head fall backwards and his eyes close.

“Music!” The photographer called and Lily heard the refrain of ‘Part of Your World’ sweep around the room.

Deciding that the only way to do this without her heart beating out of her chest was to be completely method, Lily did her best to pretend that no one else was in the room as her hands moved to James’s hair. The quirk of the left side of his mouth was the only sign on James’s face that she had touched him.

Smiling down at him, Lily flipped her tail and moved her fingers down past his eyebrow, over his cheekbone and down to his jaw, suppressing a full grin when James inhaled deeply.

In the distance, she could hear the sound of the camera clicking furiously.

“Okay, Eric, we’re going to try a few with you awake, so open your eyes.”

Lily’s breathing skipped when her eyes met James’s hazel ones and she almost forgot she was supposed to be acting.

“Heh,” the odd sound he made before swallowing thickly.

Lily looked at him quizzically.

“I’ve just remembered how we get your voice back,” he explained, eyes pouring into hers as the music swelled and his hand drifted into her hair.

She probably should have stopped him, given that they were surrounded by all of their work colleagues, but with absolutely no desire to, Lily’s eyes fluttered closed as their lips met.

He kissed her tenderly and so softly that Lily, wanting more of him, pressed herself down against him as James’s left arm encircled her waist. She revelled in the feeling of his lips against hers, her hair falling down around them and shading them from the eyes of the rest of the room.

It was only after silence rang out around them as the music stopped that they broke apart, eyes meeting each other again. Lily couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face when she saw the look James was giving her.

He had just swept her hair behind her ear, when a loud wolf-whistle echoed around the set.

“Well, did it work?” Marlene shrieked, removing her hands from her mouth.

With a quick glance at James, Lily tried to speak…and what came out was a garbled, hoarse cough and the most horrid sound she had ever made.

The entire room exploded in laughter, except for James who was still smiling up at her.

“Oh well,” he said quietly, nudging her nose with his, “guess we’ll just have to keep trying.”

And then Lily remembered that McGonagall was in the room. And oh fuck, James had just kissed her in front of her boss.

Gesturing for someone to come and take the tail and help her up, Lily tried to look everywhere but James whilst also avoiding McGonagall as well.

“I got you,” she heard Marlene say from behind her and soon after her feet were free. “Dressing room?” She asked urgently, as she helped Lily to her feet. “That was the hottest fucking kiss I have ever seen,” Marlene told her quietly, as they stumbled towards the back.

Lily had so many questions running through her head – mainly did McGonagall look like she was going to eat them alive – that she wasn’t able to focus on how great the kiss had been.

When they reached the backstage area, she lowered herself into her seat and tried not to panic.

“Look, don’t freak out,” Marlene reassured her, catching sight of Lily’s expression, “you can say you were just acting.”

Lily was about to respond when she saw James coming after them, jogging lightly.

“On a scale of one to ten, how stupid was that?” He asked, seemingly directing the query at Marlene but looking at Lily.

“Probably a ten,” Marlene answered.

“Can I have a minute to chat with Lily, please?”

“Nope, you’ll need me to translate.”

Lily squeezed her arm and Marlene sighed.

“Okay, fine, but I want all the details later, you hear?”

As Marlene left, Lily felt her heart start to beat rapidly again. Fuck, she liked this boy way too much. Enough that she was endangering her job just to kiss him.

“Okay, it kind of sucks that you can’t talk,” James started, pulling a seat around to face her, “because I can’t tell if you’re mad or not. Are you?”

Not able to stop a smile appearing at his nervous bashfulness, Lily shook her head.

“Good,” he breathed, breaking out into a grin, “because I’ve been thinking about kissing you for three weeks and I really want to do it again.”

Feeling the butterflies swooping around her stomach, Lily’s smile widened.

“I checked the staff rules a couple of weeks ago” James continued, letting his hand come out to fall onto hers, “and apparently, I can’t ask you out.”

Again, Lily nodded.

“So, basically what I wanted to check was if it would be coming on too strong to quit and then ask you out?”

“Yes, it would be, Potter,” a voice said as they both jumped. “I would have at least suggested starting some form of clandestine relationship before resorting to quitting,” Minerva said, glaring down at them both, “or I would have before you kissed Evans in front of the entire cast.”

“Eh, yeah, sorry about that…”

“And stop looking so worried, Evans,” she continued briskly, “no one is going to quit.”

“What?” James asked, his hand still firm on top of hers.

“The rule about dating was put in place after the Dave debacle,” McGonagall explained, “to deter similar behaviour and to prevent us losing half the cast. We’re not going to fire either of you for dating each other. Particularly, when you’ve been driving the entire Park insane with your ridiculous flirting.”

“We weren’t that ridiculous,” James said quietly, looking a bit peeved.

“I’m also assured by Benji that the footage of you both this afternoon is certain to go ‘totally viral’ – it would be illogical for Disney to fire it’s two most popular cast mates.”

“Right,” he noted, his eyes meeting Lily’s. “Does that mean we can kiss in the Park?”

“Not a chance, Potter,” Minerva replied, “you’ll have to help Evans get her voice back on your own time.” And with that, and a wink, she swept away, back towards the set where Jasmine was scolding Aladdin.

“Worth a shot,” James grinned, standing up. Eyes dancing, he leant forward and pressed a quick but meaningful kiss to her lips. “Well that seems to be that sorted,” he said against her lips, pulling back a little to let his forehead fall against hers, “so, what do you think, Evans? Go out with me?”

Still reeling from the surprise kiss, and with her hand clasping his, Lily smiled up at him.

“Yes.”

#jily #jily fanfiction #jily au #Ariel!lily #eric!james #Disney #the little mermaid

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mariequitecontrarie · 6 years

Text

People Will Talk: Part 2

Summary: Atticus Gold and newcomer Belle French have developed a relationship no one in Storybrooke approves of, and people make their opinion known in small-minded, small-town fashion: he’s too old for her, and the pretty young librarian needs to find friends her own age. When Gold ends the relationship to protect Belle’s reputation, the town turns on him again. To make matters worse, his friends and family are mad at him, too. But as we all know, love wins in the end. Chapter Summary: Gold hasn't seen Belle in two weeks and Alice is not happy with him. Belle gets an unpleasant surprise. Rating / Word Count: T / 3000 A/N: Continuing Marie’s Three-Year Writing Anniversary Rumor/Assumed Fake Dating/Family AU that no one asked for. @maplesyrupao3 -- bless you!

On AO3

Part 1 on AO3 | Part 1 on Tumblr

Two Weeks Later

“Alice, why are you looking at me like that?”

Gold held his breath and waited, cursing himself for asking. He was guaranteed not to like the answer, but anything was better than the silent treatment.

Alice stopped dusting the cabinet of china dolls to fix him with another poisonous glare. “Because you’re a horse’s ass who has more money than brains.”

“Noted. Can you at least keep up with your duties while you insult me? Time is still money, dearie, even here in the barnyard.” Squabbling, at least, was familiar territory.

Gold waved a hand around the tidy pawnshop, wondering who worked for whom. He owned the store, but Alice called the shots. Sometimes it seemed like his only job was bankrolling Alice’s Amazon Prime spending sprees while she worked her way through Storybrooke College.

The only person he knew who shopped more than Alice was...no, he wasn’t going there.

Still glowering at him like he was something she scraped from the bottom of her shoe, Alice worked her way around the perimeter of the shop with her feather duster. He had to admit she did keep the cobwebs at bay and his stockroom organized, even if she annoyed the hell out of him in the process.

He glanced at the restored cuckoo clock on the wall. It was almost lunchtime, and Alice had been scowling at him since she’d shown up for work this morning. Trying to ignore her, he eased behind the counter and opened the books.

She fell silent for a short, precious moment, then slapped her hands on the countertop.“Ha! I know what your problem is. You’re in a foul temper because you haven’t seen your sweetheart. Belle hasn’t popped in for two weeks. What’s wrong? Lovers’ quarrel?”

“Beg pardon?” he asked, pretending to study his ledgers.

Feigning ignorance never worked on Alice. So like a Jones. Stubborn and mouthy, just like her father. She continued to bore holes into the top of his head, muttering to herself about how he was apologizing to the wrong person until he looked up with a long-suffering sigh.

Talking, talking. Why was the girl always talking? An ocular migraine threatened to form, sharp and urgent above his nose. Tiny sparks exploded in his peripheral vision, and he pressed his fingers against his forehead.

He supposed he could send his little conscience home from work to get her out of his way, but she was more than an employee—she was his goddaughter—and he’d promised Hook he would keep tabs on Alice while he was at sea. Killian “Hook” Jones’ career as a Naval officer meant lengthy tours of duty up to six months, and he knew Alice and her papa missed each other dreadfully while he was away. Guilt poked his conscience; he hadn’t emailed Hook with an update in at least two weeks. But he knew his oldest (and only) friend would question him about Belle, and he was neither willing to lie nor ready to confide. Besides, he reasoned, Alice could text her papa anytime she wanted with her smartphone thingy.

“If you’re not going to work, why don’t you study?” he murmured, trying to concentrate on his July sales numbers. “Isn��t there a women’s lit paper due tomorrow or something?”

“Books!” she shouted, making him jump. “That’s it! Why don’t you take these books back to the library for me?”

Alice plopped a pile of novels on top of the financials, jarring him from his thoughts. He pinched the bridge of his nose hard. Now he would have to rework the column of numbers all over again.

“I was hoping to get advice from Belle on a dress for my date with Robin on Friday, but this’ll give you an excuse to see her instead.” Alice grinned, delighted with her solution.

He shoved the books aside with a huff. “I’m not looking for an excuse.”

“Why the hell not?” Abandoning the pretense of working entirely, she dropped the feather duster on the floor and hoisted herself up on top of the counter.

He set his teeth on edge. “Belle and I aren’t friends anymore.”

“Friends?” She smirked. “If you’re friends, then I’m straight. Hate to break it to you, Uncle Atty, but you two have never been friends. She’s in love with you! And you love her, too.”

“What makes you say so?” he asked carefully, looking at his nails.

“Oh, I don’t know. The dark circles under your eyes. The constipated look on your face. You look like a saggy, twitchy, miserable old man.” She held up a brown paper bag. “Want a sandwich?”

He turned around, assessing his appearance in the antique mirror that hung on the wall behind the cash register. “I am a saggy, twitchy, miserable old man,” he snapped. “And no, I’m not hungry.”

“When Belle’s around, you look all soft and floppy and happy, like Rabbit does whenever I come home.” Alice smiled another cheeky grin.

He smiled back at her in spite of himself. “Well, I’ve been called worse, dearie, but If you’re expecting to bring me to heel like that stupid old dog of yours, it’ll be a cold day in hell.” He slammed the ledger closed and headed for the workroom. The girl trailed after him, still clutching her paper sack.

“I have egg salad,” she teased, shaking the bag. “Your favorite.”

It used to be. He shuddered, his stomach lurching. Eggs were a definite no. Now whenever he saw any sort of egg concoction, he thought of Belle’s pinched, white face on that hot July afternoon thirteen days ago when he ended their friendship. Not that he was counting the days since they’d been apart.

“I don’t eat eggs anymore,” he said. “Too much cholesterol.” No one knew his house had been egged besides Belle, and he wasn’t going to whine about it to Alice. He still had some pride. “You don’t like eggs, you don’t like Belle.” Alice spread her hands wide and twirled in a circle. “What do you like, Sam-I-Am?”

He pulled a face. “Peace and quiet. Both seem to be in short supply.”

Laughing at his sour expression, she plopped down on one of the stools at the work table and dangled her sandwich in front of his nose. “How about marmalade? I’ll trade ya.”

Alice was volunteering to eat the egg salad and offering her favorite lunch. Things really were as bad as they seemed, then. “Fine.”

Resigned, he sat down beside her, accepting half of the sandwich. He took a small bite to stop her prattling, but he had no appetite. Food had no flavor, the whole world drained of color and light without Belle. He missed her; her laughter, her touches, her insatiable appetite for stuffed crust pizza.

“Eat,” Alice insisted, clucking over him like a little mama.

He swallowed the bite of sandwich and forced himself to take another. “So, did you choose a dress for your date?” he asked, attempting both to change the subject and rejoin the land of the living. “Where are you and Robin going?”

“It’s just Tony’s.” Alice shrugged like the occasion was no big deal, and took a massive bite of her sandwich.

A six month anniversary is an important milestone.” He took out his pocket square and folded it into a perfect crown, trying not to be hurt that she hadn’t asked his advice. “Your father wouldn’t know style if it bit him on the arse, but I know my way around a clothing boutique.”

“I know,” she said around a mouthful of egg salad. “But I was kinda wanting the opinion of another woman. No offense.”

‘Another woman’ meant Belle. He cleared his throat. “None taken.” Not for the first time he was reminded that walking away from Belle didn’t only affect him. Alice looked up to Belle like an older sister, and he hoped his relationship failings weren’t driving a wedge between Alice and Belle, too.

Poking at the crust on his sandwich, he wondered what Belle was doing right now. She was probably balancing a book on her lap while she ate, dropping sandwich crumbs between the pages and... no. Gold mentally slapped himself. Cutting a person out of your life meant giving up the right to wonder.

Alice polished off the first half of her sandwich and started on the second. “Belle was at Granny’s the other night,” she offered slyly, employing her uncanny knack for reading his mind.

He choked on the sticky bit of bread in his mouth. “Oh? With anyone?” Ugh . When it came to the people he cared about, he was terrible at nonchalance.

“Yeah. Tall bloke with sparkling blue eyes and a strong, lean jaw.” She batted her eyelashes. “Didn’t recognize him, but it looked like a date.”

Date? Belle had gone on a date? He would find out who the bastard was and he would crush his windpipe with his cane. Gold looked down at his hands. They were coated in marmalade, the mangled sandwich crushed between his palms.

“Way to play it cool, Uncle Atty.” Alice smirked and he rose to wash his sticky hands. “I’m kidding. But I wouldn’t have made a joke if I knew you were this upset. Belle was at a booth with some other people. Ruby, Mulan, and Mary Margaret. Waved at me once, but she was picking at her food and staring at the wall whenever I tried to catch her eye. It’s obvious she’s missing you. Can’t you fix this?”

“I couldn’t possibly be intelligent enough to do that,” he said, grateful sarcasm was there to cover his relief at Belle not being on a date after all.

“Mmm, I see.” Alice rolled her eyes. “She’s the first woman who saw through your little act, isn’t she? Now you’re grouchy because you’ve gone and screwed up the best thing in your life because some Granny, Marco, and some other ignorant busybodies have their noses out of joint. Since when are you afraid of them, anyway?”

“Afraid? Ha!” He flashed his gold tooth in a warning snarl. This conversation was ridiculous.

“Cripes, this place can be so backward. Even the clock doesn’t move here.” Alice gestured down the street toward the clock tower, which had been stuck at 8:15 for twenty years. “I’d say we’re living in a land time forgot, but it’s been a common practice in most societies for younger women and older men to marry for generations.”

“Marry?” He sputtered. “Who said anything about marriage?”

“Obviously not you!”

He crossed his arms and grunted. “Reverse psychology doesn’t work on me, child. I used to change your nappies.”

“That’s right, you did. So why are you pretending I don’t know you?” She swallowed the rest of her sandwich in a gulp and chased it with half a can of Dr. Pepper soda. “People whisper all sorts of wicked things about me. Some of them are true and some of them are outright lies. We’re alike in that way, you and I. So what? If I paid attention to what everyone said, I’d never leave the house.”

“I know, honey.” He smoothed his hands over the smooth grain of the worktable, ashamed of himself. Alice had more than her share of bad days, days when she couldn’t come into work. Times when she came to the shop and wandered around as though in a dream, trailing her fingers through cabinets coated in dust, a faraway look in her eyes. What he suffered was nothing in comparison, and yet he couldn’t seem to ignore the thick fog of prejudice and judgment that suffocated him whenever he was with Belle.

“People talk no matter what we do; doesn’t mean we have to listen.” She patted his shoulder. “You sure as hell don’t listen to me, and I talk your head off every damn day.”

He gave her a fond smile and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t remind me.”

Day after day of pretending she was fine was exhausting, but Belle had been doing a fair job of holding herself together since Gold had unceremoniously dumped her on his front porch. She wasn’t sure it counted as a dump if you only fantasized you were a couple, but according to the ache in her chest, it was real.

The busier the day, the better. If she kept moving from task to task, she could ignore her shattered heart. She showed up for her library shifts without fail, she checked books in and out, and chattered with people about their lives. Today she had even helped several eleventh graders with their Marie Antoinette biographies. Staying busy was working until the last hour of the day when the flow of patrons slowed to a trickle and she sat down at her desk to open the mail.

She quickly sorted through the typical bills, catalogs, and overdue fine payments, arranging them into piles. A plain, clean white envelope addressed directly to her stood out from the rest of the mail, and she saved it for last. There was no return address, but the faint scent of antiseptic clung to the crisp envelope.

Belle ripped the envelope open and a drawing sketched on a piece of ruled notebook paper floated to the floor. What she saw made her bite down on her lip hard, the metallic tang of blood filling her mouth. It was a crude illustration, but she could make out the Beast from the movie Beauty and the Beast , drawn wrinkled and old, wearing a suit and tie and clenching a cane in his gnarled claw. He was ogling a young woman who was reading a book. The woman wore a version of movie Belle’s famous golden dress, but the skirt barely grazed her thigh and the bodice dipped all the way to her navel. Clearly, the image was meant to be of her and Gold.

She stared down at the crude representation, then crumpled it in her fist. It was a cheap attempt at an insult, drawing her to look like some sort of slutty temptress and Gold as a dirty old man. Rage ripped through her in a white-hot streak, and her mind narrowed to a singular purpose: finding out who had done this. Tonight.

Belle shot to her feet, knocking over her chair.

Granny’s Diner was the social hub of Storybrooke, and the best place to get to the bottom of nonsense, but she was far too impatient to wait until the library closed. She chased the last few stragglers out of the library and slammed the door behind her, jamming the key in the lock with shaking hands until it clicked. With frayed nerves, she stomped all the way to Granny’s, the drawing clutched in her closed fist. The early August evening air was warm and humid, and sweat trickled down her back as she marched down Main Street. While she hurried down the sidewalk, she tried to puzzle out who had drawn and sent the picture and why. Rumors and innuendo aside, there was something perplexing about caring so much for Gold and yet holding physical evidence that other people couldn’t see the tender, handsome man she knew.

Small towns produced small minds.

The tables at Granny’s were packed. It was Thursday during dinner rush—the most popular night—and people clustered inside the front door and on the patio outside, waiting for the chance to sit down. All the barstools were occupied, platters and baskets of food sitting in front of every person. Good. Belle wanted a large audience for what she was about to do.

She toed off her heels and climbed up on the counter. Mr. Clark from the pharmacy stared at her in horror, then sneezed and wrapped an arm around an enormous, sauce-covered square of lasagna, drawing it closer for protection. Ruby stood frozen at the cash register, and Ashley Boyd narrowly missed dropping the tray of dirty dishes she was carrying, almost colliding with town psychiatrist Archie Hopper as she narrowly saved the plates from slipping to the floor.

Behind the counter, Granny made an outraged, sputtering noise, the heat of her glare rivaling the sizzling grill. At the moment, it didn’t matter if Granny never sold her another hamburger or slice of chocolate cake for the rest of her life, Belle was getting some answers tonight . She turned around and faced the crowd.

“Who did this?” Belle called out, looking down over the sea of faces. She held up the drawing, still clenched in her shaking fist. The noise continued to drone on around her, the clatter of forks against plates, the townspeople oblivious to anything but their meals and their conversations. “I said who did this?”

“Look, Mommy!” yelled a blonde girl with curly pigtails. “That lady is fifty feet tall!” A hush came over the diner in a languid wave and all eyes turned to stare at Belle standing on the counter. Forks were laid down on plates with a quiet clatter. Time seemed to stand still and no one appeared to so much as breathe.

“Does anyone want to confess?” she asked, shaking the drawing in her fist and glaring around the restaurant with narrowed eyes.

When no one stepped forward or admitted guilt, she dropped the drawing on the counter and ground it into the tile with her bare heel. “You’re all a bunch of cowards, you know that? Mr. Gold and I are friends, and it’s no one’s business but ours what we do. Your problem isn’t that he’s befriended a woman a few years younger than he is. Your problem is you’re a classless bunch of small-minded prigs.”

Jaws dropped and they gaped at her like fish in an aquarium, then fell back to their eating and chattering as though people stood on top of Granny’s counter raving like lunatics every day of the week.

Her limbs shook with anger, and she caught the sympathetic eyes of Mary Margaret and David Nolan. One minute they were sitting at the counter holding hands and sharing a basket of chicken fingers and the next thing she knew, they were flanking her, standing one on each side, like a pair of orderlies preparing to strap her into a straight jacket and wheel her away.

“Okay, Belle, that’s enough now, honey.” Mary Margaret’s voice was quiet and soothing, and Belle felt her knees begin to give out.

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #golden wonder #woven rook #alice jones #mr. gold #belle french #people will talk #mqc writes #maries 3-year fic-a-versary

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butsomeofusarelookingatthestars · 7 years

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Mi Princessa

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairing: Luke Alvez x Reader Prompt: Request (follow-up to Pen Lines and Princess Party)

Description: The big day finally arrives as the BAU attend their very first princess party.

The house was filled with laughter and noise as family and friends flittered through the rooms. Screams of delight echoed around the garden as Roxy enthusiastically performed tricks for the guests.

You smiled as you glanced up through the kitchen window to see Mia putting a fluffy crown on top of the faithful canine’s head, earning her an affectionate lick on the face.

Strong arms wrapped around your waist tightly as Luke pressed a light kiss onto your exposed shoulder. You laughed softly as his rough stubble tickled your sensitive skin, turning your head to capture his lips in a gentle kiss.

“She’s so happy.” You commented quietly, gazing at your daughter as she laughed happily with her friends. It may have only been a simple family party, but to you this moment was perfect. Given Luke’s job, you didn’t take a moment with your family for granted. Every second was special.

Luke chuckled softly, squeezing his arms around your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder. “She’s a princess for a day. It’s her dream come true.”

A peaceful silence fell between the two of you as you embraced in the kitchen, the craziness of the party outside providing a wonderful backdrop.

“I can’t believe she’s six.” You murmured, smiling as Mia lost one of her sparkly shoes in the grass.

Luke groaned quietly, tightening his grip on your waist. “Please don’t talk about her growing up.” You laughed softly, knowing full-well how much Luke dreaded the day when Mia was no longer his little girl. “I’m not kidding, I’ve had nightmares about her coming home to tell me she’s going on a date.”

You could hear the smile in voice, but you still felt a little sorry for the poor boy who fell for your daughter in the future. He wouldn’t know what he was in for with Luke as a protective father.

“We’re still a long way off from that.” You told him, tapping his hands to get him to release you from his hold. He reluctantly fulfilled your request, allowing you to return back to preparing more party food. “I’m just glad you’re back in time to see this one and you’ve finally invited your teammates over.” You glanced back at him, grinning playfully.

He shrugged, leaning up against the kitchen counter, as he returned your grin. “I figured it was time to finally listen to you.”

“Good.” You replied, humming softly as you tossed the salad in the bowl. You glanced up at him, sighing as you saw him picking at the unattended pasta. “Haven’t you learnt by now that I’m always right?” You quipped cheekily, swiping at his hand to stop him from devouring the food intended for your guests.

“Alright, but don’t let it get to your head Y/N.” Luke smirked as he moved to press you against the counter, his lips hovering teasingly above yours. You knew the suggestive glint in his eyes all too well.

“Luke, we’re at a family party…your daughter’s party.” Your hands pressed against his chest firmly as you tried to conceal the growing smile on your face. He definitely knew what he was playing at.

“Yeah, but it’s just us in here.” He replied softly, dipping his head to plant a kiss on your lips.

A loud noise interrupted his flirtatious efforts. It was the doorbell.

A burst of laughter escaped you at his affronted expression at the disturbance.

“Answer the door Agent Alvez. It’s probably your team.” You teased, turning back to finish preparing the salad. You could hear his mumbles of complaint all the way through the hall as he obeyed your order. Something about ‘getting his hands on you later’.

You could hear the bright greetings from his colleagues as they poured into the house, smiling at them kindly as they entered the kitchen. Luke carefully deposited their lovely gifts for Mia on the marble island as he joined you, draping an arm around your waist.

“Guys, I’d like you to meet my wife Y/N.” He smiled down at you fondly as he proudly introduced you to his team.

They all exchanged smirks with one another, immediately noticing how enamoured Luke obviously was with you. It had been a little strange that he had failed to mention his family to them, but it clearly wasn’t because he wasn’t happy with his home life. In fact, they struggled to recall a time when they had seen him smile as brightly as he was right now.

Pleasantries were exchanged as you welcomed them into the party, laughing as JJ’s little boys Henry and Michael ran outside to join the other children. Her husband Will followed them immediately afterwards, suddenly realising that they could not be trusted around the amount of sugar on offer. But, not before congratulating you on becoming an official member of the ‘spouses of the BAU’ club.

Luke clapped Rossi on the back as he showed him the bottle of whiskey he had saved for the older agent, laughter filling the kitchen as Reid tried a sip and spluttered due to the potency of the alcohol.

You grinned as you pulled out bottles of wine for the women. Luke had already informed you about their love for the delicious drink – citing many occasions in O’Keefe’s when they had left the bar a little worse for wear. One time he had even returned home clutching a pair of Garcia’s heels which she had given him for ‘safe keeping’. It seemed like you could definitely get along with the women.

You chatted happily with them, eager to learn more about one another as you sipped daintily at your glasses of wine. A loud shriek interrupted you all as Mia came rushing in from outside. Apparently, word had gotten out about a certain ‘magic’ agent’s arrival.

Luke tried to contain his laughter as your daughter pressed a fluffy fairy wand into Spencer’s palm, dragging him outside to introduce the ‘wizard’ to all her friends.

You all chuckled softly as you watched her toss pink glitter at him, drawing misshapen hearts onto his cheeks with facepaint – whilst Spencer smiled kindly at her, providing artistic inspiration as he advised her to paint a large star on his forehead. He really was extraordinary sweet with her.

Rossi kissed your cheek as he thanked you for the colourful party invitation, explaining that he wanted to personally congratulate the birthday girl himself. You smiled happily at Luke as he left to join his male colleagues outside, explaining that he had best ‘rescue Reid from the mob of little girls’.

When you turned back around to face the women, you laughed at the shock on Penelope’s face. Luke had warned you that she had given him a bit of a hard time at the BAU since he had joined. Undoubtedly, she was surprised to find out about his home life. To be fair, he didn’t typically strike people as the ‘guy with the white picket fence’.

“Do you guys fancy any food? The cake’s particularly good.” You told them, smiling playfully as Garcia carefully placed a large sparkling plastic tiara on top of her curls. Apparently, she was loving the princess theme. You laughed as she picked up a paper plate with Mulan’s face on.

“She’s Mia’s favourite.” You told her cheerfully, secretly pleased that your daughter preferred the more outgoing Disney princess. “Don’t ever let her hear you say that Mulan isn’t technically a princess.” You joked, smiling as you remembered the time Luke had questioned her about her preferred choice of ‘princess’. He too had been rather delighted that your daughter admired the action-loving female – informing you that she got that from him.

“Can I just say that your daughter is awesome?” Penelope replied brightly, prompting a chorus of laughter from you, Emily, Tara and JJ.

You kindly began slicing pieces of cake off the massive crown showstopper Mia had loved so much. Mi Princessa had been elegantly scrawled on the top with delicate pink icing.

Garcia’s jaw dropped slightly as she took in the giant decorative dessert. “Is that homemade?”

You nodded as you handed her a plate, smiling as you saw her moan in satisfaction at the delicious taste.

“You make the best cakes.” Garcia told you sincerely, licking the fork to savour every crumb of the buttercream covered slice. The other women nodded in agreement at her judgment as they tucked into their cake.

You shook your head at her words, your lips curving upwards into a soft smile. “Oh, it wasn’t me who made it. I’m completely hopeless with that stuff. Luke did it.”

A burst of laughter escaped your throat at the incredulous expression on Garcia’s face.

“Mia had been babbling about her dream cake since last month, so he stayed up last night to make it.”

They all grinned at the revelation, finding it incredibly sweet that their fellow agent had traipsed home after a difficult case only to spend his entire night baking for his daughter rather than catching up on much-deserved sleep. The women had always known Luke to be caring and compassionate, but this was a different side to the former ranger than they had ever seen. It was nice to see him so happy and devoted.

“Well, I’m going to have to recruit him for Henry’s birthday.” JJ warned you teasingly, polishing off the last bit of her slice as she grinned at you widely.

A soft murmur of warm chatter filled the room as you delved into pleasant conversation with Luke’s colleagues. It was incredible to finally put faces to names. They all seemed extremely kind.

A delighted shriek filtered in through the window, causing you all to stare outside. The scene that greeted you was hysterical. Luke was spinning Mia around the garden wildly, chuckling at her screams of glee. If it hadn’t been for the strong protective grip he had around your daughter, you might have been a little concerned at the speed. Roxy barked excitedly as she observed them playing. Luke’s fluffy tiara was threatening to fall off his head as he hoisted Mia up onto his shoulders.

Garcia groaned quietly, folding her arms across her chest as she huffed exasperatedly. Tara chuckled at her slightly dismayed, yet happy expression. Emily and JJ exchanged knowing smiles with one another, well-aware that Garcia had definitely found a new soft spot for the BAU’s newest recruit.

“I really wanted to keep the animosity up for at least another month.” Garcia complained, unable to contain her grin as they observed the sweet scene outside.

You laughed softly, gently patting her on her arm as you passed her another piece of cake as an apologetic gesture.

You glanced up into the garden as a Luke rapped his knuckles against the window, grinning as he held Mia up to wave at you. You smiled happily as you blew them a playful kiss, promising that you would be out soon.

Garcia munched contently on her extra slice of cake. As the bubbly blonde watched Luke gaze adoringly at his wife, his little girl carefully balanced on top of his shoulders, she reluctantly surrendered her attempts to haze their newbie.

Perhaps Luke wasn’t too bad after all. Plus...he threw a pretty awesome princess party.

#criminal minds #luke alvez #penelope garcia #spencer reid #emily prentiss #jennifer jareau #david rossi #tara lewis #criminal minds imagine #luke alvez x reader #luke alvez imagine #requests #oops i did it again #back by popular demand

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chicagoindiecritics · 4 years

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New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: EDITORIAL: Lessons on the New Future of Movie Theaters

Image: pxfuel.com

During this last month or so of our collective national and international quarantine, I’ve been holding the topic of re-opening movie theaters from my usual “What We Learned This Week” columns on the Feelin’ Film podcast for a “Soapbox Special.” There have been so many articles, so many perspectives, and so many rapidly evolving updates and changes that I couldn’t distill them down into one little lesson or column entry.

With several regions of America starting to re-open (including my own state of Illinois and city of Chicago), it was time to get on the stump and arm the cannons. I put some of what follows into spoken word recently on an episode of Mike Crowley’s “You’’ll Probably Agree” podcast, but the issue has grown since then. Click into the multitude of links in the lessons for the deeper referenced stories. They are well worth their reads and your attention. The theme of this all can be summarized as cautiously optimistic.

LESSON #1: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GO BACK TO THEATERS — I’ll open this rant back in late May with polling from Variety. It featured a survey of consumer comfort. Here are some bulleted results in numerical order:

91% requested hand sanitizer stations

90% say the most important factor is a cure for COVID-19.

86% supported limited screenings for cleaning time

75% support employees temperature checks

70% would rather watch a first-run feature at home

61% would feel better about mandatory face coverings

60% support audience temperature checks

47% were comfortable buying concessions

46% were comfortable using public restrooms at theaters

There’s more there in that article, but those were the highlights. Beyond even that poll, you’ve got more and more segments of the population who won’t feel comfortable with any public event, let alone a movie, without a vaccine in place. Putting any number of these initiatives in place would be costly, especially for theater chain companies reeling on the edge of bankruptcy.

LESSON #2: WHAT DOES THAT FUTURE LOOK LIKE — Any of those changes from Lesson #1 would make for a very different setting than the “normal” way we’ve been going to the movies for the last century. Many editorials and articles (Seattle Times in May, Vulture in May, and Quartz in June) have tried to talk that out exhaustively with every guess in the clouds. For example, many of us have embraced reserved seating as a way to select our spots, skip crowds, and guarantee seats even if we walk in last minute to avoid 20 minutes of senseless trailers (I know that’s not just me, *wink*). The activity timeline changes upward if we are to stand in a line for temperature checks and even downward if there are no concession lines or needs anymore, which is a tremendous business hit to the theater chains that have been bolstering their kitchen capabilities and choices beyond candy and popcorn for the better part of the last two decades. The other word in there everyone wants to avoid is “crowds.” Can that be accomplished with roped off sections, skipped seats, or an all-reserved seating model (which some older theaters don’t fully have)? In the meantime, you’ve got companies fumbling financial footballs and poking public outcry bears (bravo Michael Phillips) over requiring or not requiring masks (and reversing courses) and other measures before they even open. Do you really trust them to get all of this right on the first try here in July?

LESSON #3: THE OPTION OF AUTOMATION — Piggybacking off of Lesson #2, one potential solution could be artificial intelligence, as crazy at that sounds. According to Variety in May, some theaters in Korea were considering “contact-free” technology. Theater chain CJ-CGV replaced its human staff with AI robots and automated kiosks for scanning and handling ticket transactions. Concession stands were replaced with app-powered and LED-controlled pick-up/delivery boxes. Leave it to tech-savvy Asia to be the tip of that spear. Could the likes of AMC or Regal pull stuff like that off, again, while teetering on financial failure? How do data-danger-minded consumers feel about that?

LESSON #4: COMPANY SURVIVAL IS PERILOUS — The first three lessons constitute a forecast and some great ideas, but who or what can afford those measures? After months of virtually complete closure, save for some door-front concession hawking, large theater chains, especially AMC (which includes the Carmike brand), are in the financial toilet. Bailouts and loans are hard to come by and “junk” status is hitting stock reports. You even have Amazon interested in gobbling up AMC, which would be quite interesting. It may require a rescue such as that. This peril is international as well with CineEurope reporting a possible $20–31 billion loss for the year. Even reopening isn’t an instant cure. The majority of profits for these companies are dependent on concessions because of the high ticket receipt percentages going back to the studios, a gouge that has been increasing over the years at the high blockbuster level (Thanks, Disney). If the food areas are closed due to viral fears and health code regulations, that destroys earnings. 50% capacities of social-distanced seating doesn’t help theaters either. Even 50% might be optimistic. There are theaters opening at barely 25% capacity.

LESSON #5: “TOO BIG TO FAIL” IS LOOKING FAILURE STRAIGHT IN THE FACE — And with that we reach the studios’ level of wallet hit with an inactive theater distribution market. Even with their demanded big bites of the pie, half-filled (or less) theaters do not help them either. This is especially the case at the blockbuster level. No matter the anticipation demand or potential staying power of a really big hit flick with less competition, it is exponentially harder to recoup $200 million-budgeted tentpoles and their $100+ million marketing campaigns if sizable fractions of the screens holding butts are gone or entire chains are shuttered. That’s why the really big stuff like Tenet, Mulan, Fast 9, No Time to Die, and more are not automatically landing on streaming services or VOD outlets. Even at a Trolls: World Tour-equivalent $20 price tag per rental (and its modest success), those giants cannot recoup those huge red balances versus getting a ticket for every head instead of every household. A little thing like The Lovebirds or Irresistible can land in the green with VOD, but not Wonder Woman or Black Widow. A business with a blockbuster class level of movies that once looked too big to fail making its worldwide billions is now failing because they have no place to go and no one able to come to their shows.

LESSON #6: STUDIOS DID SOME THIS TO THEMSELVES — Believe it or not, the studios have slowly damaged their own theatrical success/potential for years with the incremental shortening of the windows between big-screen premieres and home media release dates. Folks my age remember the months of interminable wait back in the VHS and cable TV eras before streaming services were even a glimmer in someone’s eye. For example, Forrest Gump hit theaters over the July 4th weekend of 1994. It didn’t land on VHS until late April 1995 after a long theatrical run and a winter Oscar bump. After that, it wouldn’t hit paid cable for another bunch of months and then years before basic cable made it “free.” By comparison, Joker opened on the first weekend of October last year, hit store shelves the first weekend of January 2020, and no one cares if it comes to HBO or Showtime because Netflix, Hulu, or VOD is cheaper and better. What used to be six months at the minimum (or even an entire year if you were a Disney release) has shrunk to merely 90 days on average. Sure, both Forrest Gump and Joker raked for their times, but it’s an indictment on patience versus money-grabbing. People that are willing to wait can now weather a pretty comfortable amount of time compared to the past for their 4K players and big-screen TVs in their dens. In our current COVID-19 state, we’ve all got nothing but time on our hands to do just that. Why risk health if personal patience versus some “fear of missing out” can pay one $20–30 digital download/disc price to watch a movie repeatedly instead of hauling the entire family plus concessions once, especially for something they don’t deem “big screen worthy?” The studios trying to keep the buzz constant with shorter waits will now see leverage backfire in favor of the consumer. For a current case of that, just look at Disney/Pixar’s Onward and the mere weeks it took to cave from the VOD rental level to dismissively dishing it to everyone in Disney+. With studios building their own streaming shingles, you’re going to see more of that or see more wins for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

LESSON #7: THE PRICE POINT OF DIGITAL — Let’s go further with the digital wants of consumers versus the new risks and hassles of theaters. Circling back to that opening Variety polling again, remember that 70% would rather watch a first-run feature at home. And that was back in May. Imagine now knocking on the door of Independence Day, no matter how much antsy-pant anticipation and hope is out there. That same Variety polling screened respondents on online pricing with some keen results. It asked how much a “reasonable” price would be to stream top-quality productions in their home. Here are those results in numerical rank:

47%- $10

20%- $20

19%- only if it was free

6%- $30

3%- $40

1%- $50, $60, or $80%

That’s 67% holding firm at $20 or under and studios need to do their own projections of math. Regardless, welcome to a more than a little bit of the #firstworldproblems portion of this entire “Soapbox Special.” Movies are wants, not needs, period. They are lovely fulfillment, but non-essential. For every one of those 6% hardcore FilmBros and cinephiles with the disposable income to drop $40 or more to see their precious Christopher Nolan film, over 95% aren’t budging or can’t afford it. Check your privilege.

LESSON #8: ADAPT OR DIE — One way or another, change is needed at the highest level that trickles down to every screen in America. A popular industry that has weathered the advent of television, cable, and now streaming opponents and competition in its century of existence should be able to survive this. Or can they? With the Paramount Accords lapsed, is it time for studios to buy or build their own sustainable theaters to show off their own wares and keep all the profits they used to share with the chains? If studios instead mine the digital landscape successfully, do we really need multiplexes anymore? That is a question posed recently in The New Yorker by Richard Brody in a good read. They’ll need smaller budgeted films to do that, scaling so many things down. Go back to the roots. You can make a dozen solid indies or five or more star-driven mid-budget programmers like the industry used to do in the 1990s with the cost of a single MCU film. Reverting back to that level of business would require some baths and haircuts, but it would rescue the industry. It’s time to embrace those needs. In another angle, columnist Nick Clement on Back to Movies says the film industry is “f — ked.” In many respects, I highly agree with him and his fantastic stump piece speaking on unemployment and the public state of some of those aforementioned #firstworldproblems. Time and patience are the biggest needs.

LESSON #9: “ABSENCE AWAY MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER” — I’ve used this lesson before in “What We Learned This Week” and it’s time to end with it again. Shed away all the polling and conjecture. We all know the love for movies is there or we wouldn’t be talking about it. Look at the success of early openings and the lined-around-the-block comeback of drive-in movie theaters. It will be a topsy-turvy year, without question, even with a full return. We’ve had a zero-budget film named Unsubscribe streaking at an empty box office only to be dethroned by revival screenings of Jurassic Park putting it back to #1 in the nation, George Foreman-style, 27 years after it last ruled the multiplexes. If the year ended today, Bad Boys For Life would get the “biggest movie of 2020” championship belt in the record books. Just like Field of Dreams says, “people will come.” They just need to wait. Everyone, for that matter, from the greedy studio execs and sidelined movie stars to the lowly theater ushers and concession stand workers, needs to wait. This has sucked and it will keep on sucking, but the best answer is to wait and get through this better and healthier, personally and financially, than rushing and screwing it all up. The movies will be there. We want all the people to be there too.

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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30 Minute Experiment: Movie Theaters #30ME

Okay, let’s do this. Very early on in doing this experiment, and even back when I started this blog, I wanted to use it to talk about something other than movies. I’ve written more than enough about movies for one lifetime, and that probably won’t stop anytime soon, but in the last 24 hours a few things happened that made me think that I probably should address the elephant in the room that no on can agree on: When to reopen movie theaters. After I already decided to share some of my ideas and queries about how to handle this, a few things happened. In fact, a lot of things happened, but we’ll get to those in due time.

So yeah, I’m definitely on the forefront of people who really want to be back in a theater or even a screening room seeing movies again. Unlike so many people out there, I don’t have a giant display screen or a home theater or anything that allows me to have any sort of satisfactory experience watching movies at home. I mean, I do it because sometimes the job entails it. When I wrote reviews for Film Journal, MOST of the movies I was reviewing were only available to review via screener link and many of them would barely get a theatrical release. In some cases, my review was and maybe still is the ONLY review of that movie on RottenTomatoes. That’s how small these movies are.

As the various politicians in Washington and our own state and local politicians try to figure out how to reopen the economy, there’s only one thing I want to know and that’s when theaters will be able to reopen, when all those hard-working and under-appreciated people like the projectionists and ticket takers will be able to get back to work. But more importantly, when can we all get back to seeing movies in theaters safely?

As many probably know, I’m not one of those guys who necessarily needs to go see a movie on a crowded Thursday or Friday night among the first audiences. I didn’t get to see Avengers: Endgame until the Tuesday after opening for some reason, maybe cause I wanted to see it in IMAX in the same theater I saw Avengers: Infinity War.

I’m used to going to movies and press screenings where there are just a handful of people there and there’s so much social distancing already that it shouldn’t be a concern. I’ve been perfectly fine going to the movies and not having anyone sitting around me for years now so it’s not like I need to cozy up to some stranger now anytime soon.

A few of the things that happened in the last couple days included a bit of a war of words between AMC (the biggest theater chain in the country and in the NYC area), NATO (the organization that runs the entire theater franchise) and Universal Pictures, who chose to skip a theatrical release for a few of their films including this month’s Trolls World Tour and June’s The King of Staten Island (which was supposed to premiere at SXSW and play Tribeca). As you probably know, a lot of the festivals have already been cancelled or going virtually in order to provide content, support the filmmakers and themselves while still allowing viewers to be safe.

It just so happens that the day after this feud, John Fithian, the head of NATO spoke with Variety (no idea how long ago this was conducted) about the situation, which you can read here:

https://variety.com/2020/film/features/theaters-reopening-plan-coronavirus-john-fithian-1234592228/

(Also, a very angry friend of mine went off on social media about the very idea of movie theaters being up and running by July, but I’m not gonna call him or her out as I know where they’re coming from, and I consider him/her a dear friend.

So I’m gonna talk about some of the issues and how they can be handled even while hundreds of theaters owners and representatives from NATO and the movie studios are probably having these very discussions on how to reopen movie theaters safely.

First of all, if Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is the first big studio movie that will be released on July 17 (which is 12 weeks a way, give or take?) followed by Disney’s Mulan the following week, that gives those involved a LOT of time to make sure everything is safe and that numbers have come down appropriately before reopening. Remember that a lot of this is being determined by the governors of various states as well as local politicians and the CDC. Things are being rolled out in phases.

Let’s just assume that movie theaters might be Phase 2 or 3 and in New York, I doubt we’ll see those phases before June. Still, that gives theaters a lot of time to figure things out.

The big concern is that a packed theater will mean no social distancing. Well, you know what? You don’t have to have packed theaters. Just sell 25-50% of the tickets depending on the size of the theater, and with reserved seats being the norm these days, it’s mostly easy enough to figure out how to make sure people are watching movies safely by alternating seats and spreading the audience out across the theater.

This might be a problem for places like my dear, beloved and much-missed Metrograph since their smaller theater only holds 54 people and when it’s full, it is PACKED. Then again, I’ve also seen press screenings when there’s only five or six of us in there and it’s comfortable and safe. It might be a bigger problem when they premiere movies in there with guest QnAs. That’s definitely going to be one of the first problems the owners of Metrograph will have to figure out, but they also have a restaurant upstairs and make a good amount of money from events that are equally packed. I mean, you can barely get around at some of those events when the 150-180 seat theater lets out.

But most of these theaters have reserved seating and the ones in New York that don’t like the Film Forum and Quad Cinema... they’ll just have to figure out a way to block off or remove seats or make it a little more dummy proof for their patrons, who are often older folks who might be in the worst danger if infected by COVID.

Limiting seating also leads to other issues because it’s not just a matter of having one seat open, then block off every other seat. You have to remember that couples and groups of friends want to go to movies together, and listen, these groups are going to get together to do other things regardless of whether they’re expected to social distance or not. They’re young people and they want to hang out. There’s also the consideration of families. Are you gonna make some three-year-old sit six feet away from their parents, and then separate them as well? No, that’s just silly. What can be done is that you can sell reserved seats in groups so if someone is buying just one ticket, they’ll have a selection of single seats. If there are two people going together, they can buy a block of two. Families? They can buy a block of four or six or whatever’s needed. This isn’t that hard and concessions can and will have to be made.

I feel like theaters were already taking some precautions like wiping down seats and limiting seating even BEFORE things went completely crazy and so far, no one has come forward and said that it was specific movie theaters that caused CORONA to spread even more rampantly in NYC. The last movie I saw in theaters was The Invisible Man in a moderately full 200 seat theater on a Saturday afternoon, and the theater (which had those reclining seats) already had so much separation between patrons that it was relatively comfortable and didn’t feel packed or unsafe. I’m not really sure what places like the Alamo or Nitehawk will do since they also serve food and anyone who’s gone to either one knows that two people next to each other share a table. Sometimes, at more crowded screenings, you’re sharing a table with a strange and you’re sitting WAY TOO CLOSE. Again, just sell tickets in blocks. If you’re going solo, then you’ll have a number of choices, and if you’re going as a couple, you can share a table.

This idea gets a little more complicated when you realize that most regular moviegoers like to sit in certain seats. Like I prefer an aisle seat and not too far back either but also not right at the screen. This adds another issue when people are as picky as I am and don’t want to be stuck in the middle of a row (or want to be in the middle) and don’t want to be too close or too far back. Again, these are all easy things to figure out and I’m sure it wouldn’t take much tinkering with the technology to make it work in the way it needs to work.

At this point, there really shouldn’t even be a need for ticket sellers unless someone can only pay in cash (which I’m sure is a thing) and I’m sure concessions can be made to sell tickets safely even if it’s a matter of there being plexiglass in front of the ticket seller who will have to wear gloves and mask while dealing with customers. Honestly, we should be at a point where everyone has a smart phone or a printer at home where they can just bring that to be scanned... and scanners can wear gloves and masks as well. You have to realized that 90% of the day, especially in hours where I go to see movies, there is so little business that the people who work at a theater can safely take off their masks... there’s also this thing called testing which is continuously being ramped up and I’m confident that some of the ideas being thrown out there (like having temperature scanners making sure no one might have a fever).

The way to deal with smaller theaters where you can’t really do much social distancing? Just play movies on more screens so that an audience that might fill five medium size theaters would be spread out over a bigger space... Oh, damn. My timer just went off which means I’ll have to continue this subject at another time.

The fact is that there are a lot of things to keep people safe when reopening theaters and no one involved with movies, whether it’s the studio or filmmakers or theater workers or moviegoers themselves wants anyone to get sick or worse die just because they want to go out and see movies in the way they were meant to be seen. Anyway... to be continued...

#30MinuteExperiment #30ME #movietheaters

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thestraggletag · 7 years

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Mistaken Identity, a RCIJ Fic

Prompt: Tinkerbae Twins Reveal Rumbelle Grandparents

Recipient: @maddiebonanafana

Rating: PG

Summary: There’s nothing quite like having people confuse you and your crush for expecting parents.

Author’s Note: I hope you really enjoy this present, Maddie. I have to admit I struggled with it a lot because I just could NOT make it work as a rumbelle prompt. It just... it felt too difficult. The prompt would naturally venture more into Tinkerbae territory but since the focus is supposed to be Rumbelle and I wanted to give you that I tried hard to make it work and this is what came out. I’m sorry there’s no smut, the story just didn’t naturally go that way. I’m sorry that I had such problems with your prompt but I hope you like how I managed to make it all about Rumbelle in the end! Thanks for all your help!

For anyone who is curious about the products mentioned in this fic Gold and Belle go to this baby store, which I thought was very much in keeping with Tink and Bae’s aesthetics. Except that creepy sheep mobile.

It had taken Bae a year to introduce him to his girlfriend, his old resentment and mistrust making him wary of how things would go. Royce didn't really blame him, after all that had happened between them. He was happy to have been given a second chance at all, really. Cristina- "Please, call me Tink, everyone does"- Green turned out to be a lovely woman. Curious, vivacious and upbeat, and most importantly truly in love with his son. He would have welcomed her in the family even if he'd thought her a horrible person, but thankfully that hadn't been the case. Then again Bae had always been a great judge of character. Not in the way Royce himself was, cerebral and calculating, but in an empathetic way. He saw into the hearts of people.

It was such an ability that first made him distance himself from his father, back when he'd been nothing more than a twisted mass of hurt and anger. And though it had hurt like nothing else in the world had ever had, Royce was glad Bae did it. It allowed him to grow emotionally healthy and carefree, had allowed him to build himself a little family. And had allowed him to, eventually, be open to reconnecting with him, to try to repair what Gold had thought irrevocably broken. And so, little by little, Bae had introduced him to his close circle of friends, his little New York family. Perhaps as a las passive-aggressive gesture he'd started with Fa Mulan, former roommate and chef who took six months to stop giving him the stink-eye. Wendy Darling, though friendly, seemed to always be wary of him, as if she half-expected him to snap at any given moment. Her brothers were little better, though they were a tad more discreet about it.

"Sir, can I help you?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

It had taken Bae weeks to tell him of his first days in New York City, having ran away from his mother's home. At sixteen he'd managed to take odd jobs until landing steady work as a busboy for the restaurant in which Mulan worked. It was her idea to put him up for the night when his landlord evicted him out of the blue but it was her roommate’s idea to sort of adopt him. She'd taken one look at his scrawny teen self and had decided he needed someone. Royce had no doubt Bae had fought tooth and nail against the very notion, still angry at the world and everyone in it, but there had been nothing but love in his eyes when he'd introduced him to "Mama Belle". With a name like that, he'd imagined someone different. Matronly, round, the sort of person that would adopt waifs and strays and keep one too many cats. Reality was... entirely different. Belle French was scarcely ten years older than Bae, a librarian working the Acquisitions department of the NYPL. She was small, even for his standards, and delicate-looking, though incredibly energetic at the same time, a force of nature. Neal found it easier to cave in to her gentle mothering than fight it, even though he was clearly unused to such attention.

Mama Belle was also embarrassingly attractive. A mass of gently-curled brown-red hair, impossible blue eyes, the most enchanting Australian accent he'd ever heard... it wasn't fair. He'd spent the first weeks after meeting her learning how to talk to her in words other than pathetic monosyllabic. Bae, the little shit, seemed to love it. He'd been afraid his father would lash out at Belle, a person who had gotten to be there for Bae when he hadn't, who was privy to a part of his life that Gold was struggling to access. To find him instead falling under Belle's spell was, he often said, karma.

It was Royce's reaction to Belle that finally made Bae introduce him to Cristina, a mechanical engineer working for some Manhattan-based company specializing in green energies or the like, something to do with solar panels that Tink had tried to explain to him at least five times since he'd met her. Fortunately for him his son's girlfriend seemed to be on his side, determined to see father and son working on repairing their relationship.

He considered it a triumph to have been one of the first people to hear about the pregnancy, and the later announcement that they were expecting twins. At forty-seven Royce felt a bit young for grandchildren but he didn't have to pretend to be excited. As unlikely as it seemed he loved children. Children didn't judge, didn't criticise, weren't malicious. Children loved unconditionally, passionately, without pretence or expectations. He'd loved raising Bae, even though they'd been dirt-poor at the time, and had hoped for more children in the future. And though none of his dreams had come true he now had, in a way, a second chance at that. He was wealthy now and had little to spend it on other than grandkids so when Bae asked him for help outfitting the nursery- "Tink's got her hands full trying to finish as much as possible at work before maternity leave and between work and school I just don't have the time"- he'd agreed comically fast. He hadn't considered the dynamics of it at the time, hadn't considered how little he knew about modern childcare products or Bae and Tink's own tastes. When Bae had been born, they had been too poor for anything not donated or second-hand, and had done without much of what he was sure his son and daughter-in-law would consider essential.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm here."

Belle appeared next to him out of thin air, so deep in his own thoughts he'd been. Obligingly he ducked his head a little so she could kiss his cheek, something that had taken some getting used to, and smiled shyly. He was glad the fear of failing his son had pushed him into calling in reinforcements, he was sure that otherwise he wouldn't have dared bother Belle. She, gentle soul that she was, had jumped at the chance to help. At thirty-two she was of an age where friends and acquaintances were starting their own families so she was fairly familiar with what Bae and Tink would need for the twins, and were best to get it. He certainly wouldn't have located the trendy Brooklyn store by himself, with its modern industrial designs very unlike his own preferences. But it was, he acknowledged, very much in keeping with what he had seen in Bae and Tink's flat, modern and sleek.

"So, how does the grandpa-to-be feel? Must be a bit disconcerting, being a grandfather at such an age. I know when Bae joked about his children calling me "Grandma Belle" I almost hit him with a leather-bound edition of Les Mis."

He winced, hoping the glee on his face wasn't stupidly evident.

'She thinks I'm young.'

"Okay, so here we can cover most of the furniture and bedding, but I want to go to other places for the clothing, get more diversity."

It took her one raised hand and a smile to get the attention of an employee, who took one look at Gold's Brioni suit and Belle's patent leather designer shoes and snapped almost comically to action, ready to sell them every single item on the store. Thankfully, however, Belle seemed to have clear ideas about what she wanted and how she wanted it, and though she didn't use intimidation or thinly-veiled threats bur rather charm and gentle coaxing, it reminded him a lot of his own deal-making process.

"Your wife is a very astute shopper, sir."

It took him a moment to realise the shopping assistant was talking to him and a moment longer to realise she was talking to him about Belle. He felt himself grow hot in the face immediately, his mind searching for the words to explain the mistake without dissolving into unintelligible stammering.

"Come, sweetheart, I want you to see this adorable bassinet I just discovered."

As he allowed himself to be lovingly-dragged by Belle he looked around, seeing many sets of eyes on them, many of them male, all of them faintly questioning. And it struck him that what they saw was an old, besotted fool and the pretty young thing he had somehow managed to knock up. They thought they were a couple, shopping and preparing for the arrival of a baby. And, embarrassingly, he found himself loving it. It was easy, especially given Belle's tactile nature, to wrap an arm loosely around her waist and lean close to study the bassinet she was pointing at, easy to keep close to her as they moved on to the mobile section.

"Oh, God, who would buy that awful sheep mobile? It looks like it could be the centre part of a horror movie argument."

It was the shopping experience he'd always wanted for when he'd been waiting for Bae's arrival. A full wallet, a warm and enthusiastic partner and all the time in the world. Belle, with her whimsical yet practical nature, was a perfect complement to his own rather extravagant and over-indulgent tastes. Every purchase meant a lively debate, complete with good-natured bantering and a thrilling dash of flirting. It became a game of sorts between them, a gentle tug-o-war that lead to some interesting purchases.

"Tink's gonna love that giant bunny lamp, just you wait."

"I'm still telling Bae it was solely your idea. I'll tell them I fought valiantly, made him proud."

After the first store came others, and though he had a minor scare when Belle realised people were mistakenly assuming they were expecting parents, she didn't seem to mind, rather the contrary. She played it up, made it a part of her rather formidable shopping strategy. And though he knew it was stupid, and risky and likely to leave him emotionally compromised, he gave himself over to the fantasy completely. It was bittersweet how easy it was, how little effort it required. He was prickly by nature, skittish and touch-shy, but it wasn't so with Belle. Something about her made it dangerously easy to lower his defences, to let her in. By the time the sun began to sink and they exited their last shop, Toys R Us, he knew he was a goner.

"Well, this was fun, being pregnant for a day. Thanks for letting me tag along."

"I couldn't have done this without you. Had no idea babies required so many things, other than the obvious. And I'm glad that people's assumptions didn't make you uncomfortable. I'll admit it was easier to pretend."

Belle bit her lip, which he quickly categorised as the world's most erotic unconscious habit, and tilted her head to the side.

"Maybe people could... mistake us for a couple on their first date? Say... on Sunday? I know a lovely place for brunch, most divine omelettes and a raspberry jam to die for."

It took him a rather long amount of time to process her words, to pair them up with the hopeful, open expression on her face and the rather endearing nervous way in which she tugged a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Y-y-yes, that'd be... yes. Sunday. This Sunday. Around eleven?"

"Eleven would be perfect."

A year later Mr and Mrs Gold were amused at having to pretend to be expecting their second son instead of their first.

"It's the bunny lamp. No shop is going to forget the couple that bought a toddler-sized bunny night lamp."

"Oh, hush and look at this adorable tree bookcase. I swear the moment I saw it I felt Gideon kick. We must have it."

#maddiebonanafana #rumbelle christmas in july #rumbelle fic #rumbelle #tinkerbae

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unwise-augur · 7 years

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These things that you’re after, they can't be controlled- Mack

The Labyrinth Chapter 2

Author’s Note: Mack’s turn for a backstory!! I’ll be honest, I’m a lot happier with this one than I am with Althea’s chapter. Also,,, here’s a meme that suddenly occurred to me a few minutes before posting this

Althea: I’m going to the tavern, you want anything?

Mack: I want my father figure and my memories back.

Althea: Yeah… I got like 12 gold.

Ramas and Arizima Fezim, the lord and lady of a small town by the sea, loved their son, Marcel, as much as humanly possible. And they were overjoyed to discover that Arizima was pregnant with a second child. Lovingly, they picked out the name Mack, for Arizima’s grandparent, and then, seven months later, far too early, the child was born.

Marcel had been a remarkably easy birth, but Mack, on the other hand, took almost the entire night, and even then, was too little, too sickly. The doctor told Lord and Lady Fezim that Mack most likely wouldn’t survive the week.

The couple refused to believe such a claim, and Ramas started looking for alternatives. He tore through tome upon tome, from books on healing spells, to ancient religious texts. Until finally, he found it. Something that could work.

The ritual was simple, far too simple, if you asked him. One salt circle, and a bit of blood later, time spluttered to a standstill, and color drained from the library around him. The only things in the room that wasn’t grayscale, were him and the fiend. The one that he had summoned.

They looked a little startled, like maybe he had summoned them while they were in the middle of drinking their morning coffee. Did fiends drink coffee? Ramas turned his thoughts away before he went down that tangent. “My newborn child is sick. Very sick. The doctors don’t expect them to last the week. Please,” he said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “Save them.”

The fiend nodded after a brief moment of contemplation, and in a deep rumbling voice, they said, “That is simple. But there is a side-effect. A ‘catch’, if you will.”

“Yes?” Ramas responded. He was desperate, he’d probably agree to just about anything.

“The child, Mack, correct? The only way I can save them is if they have fiendish blood running through their veins. That is easy, one of the deals things a fiend learns how to make. But your child will have to grow up a tiefling.”

“Deal,” Ramas said, holding out his hand. “As long as they survive.”

“Of course,” they responded, shaking his hand.

In an instant, the fiend was gone, color had returned to the world, and Ramas felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

True to the demon’s words, Mack recovered quickly (Miraculously, the doctor had told the Lord and Lady), and soon after, patches of their skin took on a reddish tint, and they grew a tail and pair of horns. The Fezims hadn’t minded one bit, as long as Mack was alive.

Six years later, Mack was going to school with all the other children. All the other human children, who had stared at Mack open-mouthed when they stepped into class on the first day. No one wanted to talk to them, so Mack didn’t even try. They did their schoolwork, they never caused trouble. They sat at the back of the class, and earned average grades (Their parents expected them to excel, they could tell. But they were trying their best. But their best must not have been good enough.)

Mack took quickly to reading, though. Everyone had seemed to think that Mack was far too active to sit down for long periods of time and read, judging by the way they were constantly fidgeting with pens, tapping their fingers on their desk, curling and uncurling their tail. But when they first started a fiction book, out of boredom during free time in class one day, they just… didn’t stop.

They loved the adventure, the betrayal, the epic fights, and the valiant heroes. They wanted to be like that someday. The one who saved the world, alongside their band of companions gathered throughout the story.

They specifically remembered one night at dinner, when they were about nine, after they had finished a particularly good book, and they said to Mama “When I’m old enough, I’m going to learn how to fight. I’m going to be an adventurer.”

Mama and Papa exchanged glances, before Mama said in that quiet, I-know-what’s-best voice that she used when Marcel thought he was too old to have a bedtime (he wasn’t, Mack thought privately. He was only two years older than them), “Honey, being an adventurer is an extremely dangerous job. I imagine you’d much prefer to stay at home and help take care of the village.”

Mack had considered their words for a brief moment, remembering all the characters that had died in the books they’d read. But then they remembered the ones who saved the trapped princesses, the ones who slayed the dragons, the ones who overthrew the diabolical kings, who toppled the evil empires. “No. I’m going to be an adventurer.”

Marcel had grinned at them, “What would you use to fight?” he asked.

“Sword,” they answered immediately. All the best heroes used swords, whether they be scimitars, greatswords, broadswords. They’d figure out the exact kind later.

“Are you gonna have an adventuring party?” he said excitedly.

Mack considered the question for a moment. They weren’t very personable, and no one really liked talking to them (it had something to do with their horns, apparently? Just like that one tiefling in a book they’d read that one of the other main characters hadn’t trusted, because they had red skin and a tail). “One or two,” they said slowly.

Papa sighed. “Kids, that’s enough. We aren’t talking about this right now. You’re too young to be deciding your futures.”

But it was too late, Mack had already decided. They never discussed their plans, it made Mama and Papa uneasy, but they were figuring their future out, piece by piece. They’d need a mentor, someone to teach them how to fight (preferably one that didn’t mysteriously disappear, get kidnapped, or killed for plot purposes, but they’d take what they could get). Then they’d need a suitable reason to leave the village searching for adventure, other than pure wanderlust. And after that, they’d need an adventuring companion or two.

Things started falling into place when they were around fourteen. Marcel had walked into the library an hour or two before sunset, and perched himself across from them on the bay window seat, as usual.

“How’s your book?” Marcel asked, like he always did.

“Good,” Mack responded. “How was your day?”

“Good,” he smiled at them. The siblings settled into a companionable silence for a few moments, before Marcel said. “You know how someone moved into that house near the forest, at the very edge of the village?”

Mack nodded. Marcel had been talking about that almost nonstop a week ago, talking about how he had never gotten a glimpse at the new villager. He had said that he was curious to see whether or not they were Mulan, like most of the people in town. Like the Fezims.

“Turns out he’s not Mulan. Or even human for that matter! He’s a tiefling, like you.”

Mack almost dropped their book. They had never met another tiefling, and there were so few books with tiefling as characters, let alone as the protagonists. “Seriously? Did you introduce yourself? Can you introduce me?”

Marcel gave them that grin, the one that gave off the distinct vibe that he has happy because other people were happy. “His name is Creed, and he knows how to swordfight. I know because we saw him practicing in the garden, and then I asked him.”

Mack felt like this was the very beginning of their story. The sheltered merchant’s daughter running away from home for a big, unfamiliar city like she’d always dreamed. The elf boy finally getting the chance to join the war like his father before him. The dragonborn cleric being sent on their first holy quest by their god. The poor boy who had always wanted to be an author hearing that the town’s most well-respected scribe was looking for an apprentice.

“Take me there tomorrow. Don’t tell Mama and Papa. I’m not sure they’d approve of me learning to fight,” they said with a slightly uncomfortable laugh.

Marcel mimed zipping his lips, locking them tight, and throwing away the key. “Tomorrow, you learn how to become an adventurer.”

The next morning, the Fezim siblings wandered near the edge of town, where the pleasantly warm sand gave way to soft earth. Nestled at the very front of the forest, was a small, one-room house, with pale wooden walls, and a mahogany door, that Marcel knocked on boldly.

After a moment, a tiefling man with horns like an addax opened the door. “Oh, nice to see you again, Marcel,” he said, giving him a small smile. Then he saw Mack, who hated to admit that they were practically hiding behind their brother. They didn’t function well around strangers, even if those strangers were the ones who could help them achieve their wildest dreams. “Who’s this?” he asked, and Mack could tell he was struggling to keep the surprise he was feeling off his face and out of his voice. “And here I was thinking I was the first tiefling in town.”

“I’m Mack,” they said, taking a deep breath. “My brother says you can swordfight? Can you teach me?”

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. He gestured for the two of them to come inside, and they took a seat at the table in his kitchen. Everything in his house radiated coziness, from the small table with a seemingly hand-embroidered tablecloth, to the earthy color palette of the room. “Is Marcel your brother?” Creed asked Mack

“Yes,” them and their brother chorused. The two of them exchanged glances, pleasantly surprised. They thought they looked plenty alike, they both had Mama’s hazel eyes, and Papa’s curly, dark brown hair, but for some reason, (“That certainly has nothing to do with someone having a tail and a pair of horns,” Mack would remark sarcastically whenever their parents or brother brought up the topic), no one ever made the connection.

“Your parents both human?” he asked, and Mack wasn’t sure if that was pity in his eyes or not. They weren’t sure if they wanted it to be, either.

“Yes.”

“You must not know Infernal then, either, do you?”

Mack shook their head. “I could never find a book on it.”

“Then I’ll teach you. It’s important for us tieflings to pass on our knowledge from one generation to the next, when there are so few of us out there,” Creed said sadly.

“But you’re still teaching me swordfighting?” they prompted. As much as learning Infernal, or whatever number of tiefling secrets Creed had to teach, excited them, they hadn’t forgotten why they were here.

Creed nodded. “We start tomorrow. Will I need to speak with your parents about any of this?”

Mack shook their head quickly. “They, uh… aren’t too fond of me learning how to fight, or being an adventurer, for that matter.”

He laughed. “I doubt they could stop you.”

Marcel gave the other two a big grin, “I couldn’t agree more. One day, Mack is gonna save the world. Maybe they’ll find out why people are Disappearing!”

Mack trained under Creed for the next five years, learning how to fight, speak, read, and write Infernal, and a million other things about being a tiefling Mack had never learned before. He also taught them more mundane things, like how to cook, or how to sew, stuff that their parents supposedly never had time to teach them. Really, Creed had almost become a second father to Mack, and they wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

Of course, that was when things fell apart. The two of them had wandered a little ways into the woods, into their normal training area, that day. Mack was leaning heavily against a tree, trying to catch their breath after a sparring session, when something caught their eye.

It was the mouth of a tunnel, one that they could’ve sworn hadn’t been there before. “Where does this go?” they called out to him.

Creed came to stand beside the younger tiefling. “I don’t recognize it. So, no clue.”

Mack gripped their sword, and began marching forwards. “Well, there’s only one way to find out!”

He smiled, and jogged to catch up with them.

And then that’s where Mack’s memory fizzled out. All they remembered were bits and flashes. Fighting for their life. A cheesy joke they couldn’t remember the setup for. Someone shouting. A jagged scar across the back of their hand they didn’t recollect having before.

The next thing they knew, they were on their hands and knees outside the tunnel, gasping for breath, with their sword on the ground in front of them. They were bleeding from multiple places, their back, their calf, and their cheek, and they were covered in bruises and scrapes. They thought their rib might’ve been bruised.

But none of it added up to the weight that settled across Mack’s shoulders like a cape. They… they failed someone. Someone important.

And then they realized that they were alone. They had entered the tunnel with Creed, hadn’t they? Where was he? How long had they been gone?

“Creed?” they called out. Their voice sounded hoarse, like they had been screaming. There was no reply. “Anyone?” they tried again.

The only answer was leaves rustling in the breeze, so Mack struggled to their feet. The walk was usually only five minutes back to Creed’s house, then about two more minutes back to the village, but each step felt like a mile to Mack.

When finally, finally, they trudged back into the village, the reaction was immediate. Villagers who had previously been going about their day like normal gasped, and stared at them. “Go get Lord and Lady Fezim,” one woman said to another. “They’ll want to see this.”

After the shock had worn off, people began to crowd around Mack, saying things like “We were so worried!” and “We thought you had died!”

Mack took an uneasy step back. “I… I don’t know what’s happening, or how long I’ve been gone. Please, I’d just like to get back to my house.”

The villagers parted quickly, leaving Mack to stumble home, past the little shoreside houses and shops, until they finally reached the Fezim manor, standing tall and proud next to the village library.

Mack reached the door just as the woman from town was scurrying away. Arizima and Ramas were crying, and Marcel had his arms wrapped around both of his parents’ shoulders.

The second he caught sight of them, Marcel tackled Mack with a hug that almost knocked them over, and Arizima and Ramas weren’t far behind.

“How… how long have I been gone?” Mack asked uneasily as their family finally let them go. They didn’t remember much of anything, but they felt it in their gut that they had been gone longer than a day.

“A year and two months,” Marcel responded immediately, dabbing at his eyes with his sleeve.

Mack almost collapsed then and there. “Gods.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up, dear,” Arizima said after a moment, taking Mack’s arm and leading them into the living room, while Ramas went to grab some bandages and other supplies. No one seemed to care that Mack was bleeding all over everything.

Once Ramas returned with the proper medical supplies, Mack was bombarded with questions, none of which Mack could answer until finally, Arizima asked, “Where did you get that jacket?”

“Wha-?” Mack finally noticed the tattered, brown jacket they were wearing. On the front were a bunch of tiny patches, all with different designs. On the back, was a design that had almost completely been worn away and torn off, and some near illegible writing beneath it. “I don't… I don’t know. But it feels… important,” Mack explained. It didn’t feel important in a “it has a secret pocket with a key that can open any lock inside it” way but more like it had been given to them by someone important. (Maybe it had to do with that heavy feeling of guilt weighing on their conscience.)

Later that night, they found their old sewing supplies, and repaired the jacket the best they could, sewing up the holes and tears, and washing out the bloodstains. It had taken almost as much as a beating as Mack had when they were wherever they had been for the past year.

Mack also took a moment to give the design on the back a closer inspection. They thought maybe it was a lyre, but it was hard to be sure, especially because there had been a large gash in the jacket running from their shoulders to the small of their back, that had taken out most of the design. (They had a scar to match.) Beneath the symbol, Mack thought they were able to decipher at least one of the words. “Team”.

When they read that, they felt something, like their brain was reaching out for a memory that just didn’t exist anymore. They hated that. Mack desperately wanted to know what had happened to them. To Creed. To that person they had failed, whoever they were. The need to know burned in their chest like a white-hot flame. And then and there, that’s when they decided.

They were going to leave and search for answers. They were going to find out why they had Disappeared. They were going to find Creed, and the one they had failed, their “Team”, and everyone else who had Disappeared. This was the elvish girl’s father getting kidnapped, the gnomish paladin getting chosen by their god, the hafling boy getting drafted for the war, the dwarven fighter finding out about the prophecy about her. This was Mack’s call to action.

And then two months later, they left in the dead of night, leaving a note explaining where they had gone. They didn’t want to say good-bye in person, their parents would try to stop them, or Marcel would try to go with them, and they had to do this. Alone. They were the one who had gotten Creed stuck in this mess. They were going to get him out, without getting anyone else roped into their desperate search for answers.

It took almost another year for them to find where they wanted to go. Lotus Ridge, over in the Open Expanse. It was a huge, bustling city, with one distinct similarity in almost all of its residents. They were searching for answers. Some even referred to Lotus Ridge as “The Town of the Lost and the Left Behind”. The second Mack heard about it, they knew that that city was where they were headed next.

They found the city within the month, and bought a small apartment in the city, and raised money doing odd jobs, until they had enough to start doing what really mattered, finding answers. They took up jobs as a private investigator of sorts, compiling all the information they could find on those who had Disappeared.

And then a few months after that, after cementing themself as one of the best detectives in town, one of the ones most likely to solve the mystery and bring back everyone that had Disappeared, Mack met their partner in crime.

The two of them met through one of their mutual clients, a human woman searching for her twin daughters. The client had insisted on introducing them to each other, claiming that they could find answers even faster if they worked together, seeing as they were already so close. Mack didn’t really see any downsides, and arranged the meeting to be at the office they had managed to buy below their apartment. Half an hour later than scheduled, a drow woman with long, silvery hair, and a crescent scar on her cheek, stepped through Mack’s door.

“I’m Althea, nice to meet you,” she said, dropping down into the chair across from them. “You’re Mack, right?”

Mack nodded, and shook her hand. They didn’t mention her lateness. “How did you get involved with the Disappearances?”

“My best friend Disappeared,” she answered easily, albeit a tad bit strained, and it sounded a bit like she’d rehearsed saying that. “How about you?”

“A close friend of mine and I Disappeared a while ago. I came back, obviously. He didn’t,” Mack answered, and the words only came out so smoothly because they had said them a million times by now.

Althea nodded sympathetically. “Well, uh, as for the investigation proper, I’ve been gathering all the evidence I could find,” she said, abruptly changing the subject. With a flourish, she pulled a small stack of paper out of her satchel (her flute almost fell out, but she caught it just in time), and spread them out on the table. They were mostly missing persons posters, along with handwritten notes, no doubt she had taken them while talking to clients. “No one ever remembers where they’ve been, correct? And the people just Disappear off the face of the planet so completely. It's… crazy.”

Mack nodded. “I did some research, and it’s only been happening for the past two hundred years or so, which is insane, because everyone knows someone who’s Disappeared.”

“I tried investigating exactly who Disappears, their gender, their race, their profession, even their sexual orientations, for the gods’ sake-” she laughed bitterly- “but there’s no pattern. I tried finding out what time of year people usually Disappear during. I haven’t found anything of worthwhile there, either.”

And so the duo continued, bouncing ideas, memories, and evidence they’d found, off of each other for the better part of an hour. And along the way, they began developing an unlikely friendship, and within the week, they had permanently teamed up for their investigations, and Althea had moved in with Mack.

One way or another, the two of them were going to find out why people Disappeared, and put a stop to it, once and for all.

#my writing #writing #original story #DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #The Labyrinth Campaign

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wanna-be-bold · 7 years

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Thanks to Tali - Ch 7

Read the previous chapters here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12498508/1/Thanks-to-Tali

Vacation

April 5, 2019

“Tony, I want to go on a trip.” Tony stared at her in surprise from his seat across the room as they waited for the nurse to come in. “What? I think it would be nice for the three of us to get away for a few days before I cannot fly again for 3 more months. Plus it would be our last vacation with just me, you, and Tali. Please Tony?” She looked at him with puppy dog eyes that he couldn’t resist and now he knew where Tali learned it from. He just laughed and shook his head.

“Like I could say no to you Ziva.” Tony walked next to her bed and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “Besides, I think a vacation would be amazing. Do you think you’ll still be able to fly?”

“As long as my due date has not moved up by a month, then I’m still in my second trimester and able to fly. Although I would like to ask my doctor first and get her opinion.” A knock on the door interrupted their thoughts as Dr. Thomas came in.

“How are we today?” After the couple replied with synchronized “goods,” the doctor continued. So, you’re 25 weeks now Ziva, how have things been going since the last time we met?”

Ziva thought back for a moment to almost a month ago, the last time she had had an appointment. “Well, I started having morning sickness. It started one night after I ate too much watermelon and has not stopped since. I had hoped that, since it did not happen in my first trimester, I had gotten lucky this time but, wishful thinking I suppose.”

“And how often has it been occurring?” Ziva looked to Tony for help, trying to remember just how much time she had spent emptying her stomach in the past month.

“I think it’s been almost every day. I know I usually hear her get up around 5 or 6 in the morning and rush to the bathroom. When it first happened I thought maybe it was just from all the food she ate that morning but it’s been happening a lot since then, even when she hasn’t eaten anything since dinner.” Ziva looked down sheepishly before turning to her husband.

“Well, that may not exactly be true.” At his look of confusion she elaborated. “Since then I may have been waking up in the middle of the night for a little, snack.”

“What? But, I’ve never heard you get up or felt the bed move until you’re waking up in the morning.”

“Yes well, I have kind of been keeping snacks in my nightstand drawer and, under my pillow.” She looked at Tony ashamed and he just shook his head, smiling at his wife.

“Well, I guess it’s better than keeping a gun under your pillow.” Ziva just smiled, then turned her attention to her doctor when she cleared her throat.

“You two are my most interesting patients, always getting so wrapped up in one another I believe you forget anyone else is in the room.” Tony and Ziva looked at each other with sparks in their eyes, being all too familiar with their actions, before turning to look at their doctor. “Anyway, I believe we have figured out where this morning sickness is coming from. Ziva, try to avoid snacking in the middle of the night. If you do feel hungry, drink a bottle of water and try something bland to avoid getting sick in the morning. If you try this and are still getting sick in the morning, then it is just your everyday morning sickness that comes with the joys of being pregnant.” Ziva nodded and promised to follow the doctor’s orders and cut down on her midnight snacking. “Now, how about we get to the fun part, the ultrasound. So, are we wanting to find out the gender today since little one was stubborn last time?”

“No. Tony and I have discussed it and we would like to be surprised.” She looked to Tony for confirmation and he nodded, agreeing with his wife.

“Okay, well let’s get started.” Ziva laid back on the bed, pulling her shirt up to allow for the sonogram. She squirmed at the feel of the gel, something she never was able to get used to. All eyes were on the screen as Dr. Thomas moved the wand around Ziva’s stomach, pointing out arms and legs. The baby was stubborn yet again, not allowing them to tell the gender even if they wanted to know. After the pictures were captured and printed and measurements were taken, Ziva was able to wipe off the gel and sit up, pulling her shirt down as she looked at their latest sonogram. “So, any questions before we wrap things up?”

“We were talking earlier about taking a trip before the baby’s born but I’m concerned about her flying. What’s the best way for her to travel now?”

“Well, a common misconception is that flying is dangerous past the second trimester. Ziva, you can actually fly as late as 37 weeks as long as there’s no complications which, as of now, have been non-existent. If you’re travelling by car, try to limit your driving time to 6 or 7 hours and make sure to stop every couple of hours to stretch your legs. Just remember, you know your limits on what you can handle, and that applies to your vacation spot as well. I would recommend staying away from amusement parks and instead find a beach or nature area that you can relax in. Other than that, I have no other advice for you on that regard. Please contact me if you have any more questions or concerns and I will see you in a few weeks.”

Tony and Ziva took in her advice carefully, standing up and shaking hands before walking back out to the front to schedule her next appointment.

“So,” Tony asked as they got into the car, “shall we go pick up Tali and then get something for lunch?”

“Sounds good to me. And we can start talking about where would like to go on vacation.”

By the time they got to Senior’s to pick up Tali, they had narrowed down vacation spots to four different places. They decided to tell Tali at lunch and hopefully they would be able to choose one then. With a happy toddler in the backseat chatting about her day with Nonno, they drove to their usual diner and chose a corner booth. After placing their orders, they decided now was the time to bring up their conversation from earlier.

“Tali, your Abba and I were talking earlier and we would like for the three of us to go on vacation before your baby brother or sister arrives. What do you say to that?” Tali looked at her Ima with wide eyes and nodded enthusiastically.

“Can we go to Disney World Ima?” Ziva and Tony laughed, expecting that question to come up since Tali had been watching Brave and Mulan recently.

“Well, that is on our list tesoro, but we haven’t decided yet. Your Ima and I will talk about it tonight and, once we have our list narrowed down, you can help us decide.” Tali beamed at her parents and began talking non-stop about what princesses she wants to meet as Tony and Ziva listened intently, smiling at their daughter’s enthusiasm.

“Well, we finally have one place knocked off of our list.” Tony and Ziva had been sitting on the couch since Tali went to bed one hour ago, going over their vacation options and, after crossing out and re-writing places, they finally decided to eliminate one off of their list. “Ziva.” She jolted awake, the pen falling out of her hand and landing with a thud on the floor, her reflexes not as fast when pregnant and half asleep.

“Sorry Tony, I guess I was more tired than I thought. Now what were you saying?”

“We can knock a place off of our list now, California. I don’t think it would be a good idea to travel that far at this stage in pregnancy. Maybe we could go when this one is a little older.”

“I believe you are right Tony. And as much as Tali would love it, I believe Disney World is out as well. I want to be able for all of us to spend time together and, since I cannot ride the rides, I would be you and Tali or me and Tali and that is just not what I want right now. Maybe we should put it off as well until this one is at least a year old.”

“Okay, Disney is crossed off the list. That leaves us with two options: Gatlinburg, Tennessee or Greenville, South Carolina. Should we make a list of pros and cons?” At Ziva’s nod, he started drawing a chart for each place. “First, Gatlinburg. Pro, they have a wonderful aquarium and are very family friendly. Con, the traffic can be terrible.” Ziva chimed in with the next items.

“Pro, we could see the mountains. Con, it is a popular tourist attraction and we would be going during spring break so it would be really busy.”

“Pro, there’s plenty to do, including miniature golf. Con, it’s at least six hours from a beach which we talked about going to.”

“Let’s talk about Greenville now.” Ziva waited for Tony to make his last remarks about Gatlinburg before continuing. “Pro, I read that they have a fantastic children’s museum. Con,” she paused for a moment, “I cannot think of a con at the moment, you go.”

“Oh, uh, pro, they have a nice trail downtown. Oh, and they have an art and history museum I think you would like.” Again, there was a pause before he decided he could not think of a con and tuned it over to Ziva.

“Pro, it is only 3 hours from a beach, but we would have to rent a car to drive over to it. Each place is the same distance, by car or plane.” Ziva looked at her husband in thought. “I think the choice is obvious Tony.” He smiled back at her, leaning over to press a kiss to her lips.

“We’re going to South Carolina?” Ziva smiled and nodded, leaning in as far as she could for another kiss.

“Well, now that that is settled, I am ready for bed.” Tony stood up and grabbed her arms, helping her up even though she could still get up easily on her own. “You go on to bed and I will be there in a minute.”

“Remember what the doctor said about snacking tonight.” She paused half-way to the kitchen and looked back at him, sticking her tongue out and proceeding to the kitchen while Tony went to get ready for bed. She came into the bedroom five minutes later carrying two bottles of water, a loaf of bread, and a bag of pretzels, receiving a look from Tony.

“What? She said if I had to eat a midnight snack to eat something bland and these are bland.” Tony just shook his head as she placed her items on the nightstand before laying down and rolling over to face her husband. “Goodnight Tony, we love you.” He placed on kiss on her lips, then kissed his fingertips and pressed them to her belly, whispering goodnight to both mother and baby. Relishing in the ability to still do so, Ziva rolled over and pulled Tony closer to curl against her back. His arm went immediately across her stomach as it had since he first found out she was pregnant and pressed a kiss to the back of her head as her arm reached up to intertwine with his.

Tony woke up at 6:00 am expecting to hear Ziva in the bathroom but instead found her still curled in his arms. Surprised yet pleased she was still in this position, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder before getting comfortable and preparing to sleep for another hour or two. He could not help but notice though the empty water bottle, half-eaten bag of pretzels, and opened loaf of bread that rested on the nightstand.

#thanks to tali #tiva #fanfiction #tiva fanfiction #Tony DiNozzo #Ziva David

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amoretheiwa · 7 years

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For my fellow Shidge shippers

This is a drabble of sorts of my take on the Mulan!Shidge hc...hope you like it

It’s 2196 words, and I did this instead of homework

Princess Allura stood looking at the Star Bowl in her palace’s observatory. Her advisor, Coran, stood a short distance behind her.

“What are we to do?” She murmured, on hand holding her chin up, the other functioning as a resting spot for the other elbow.

“Princess?” Coran asked, stepping closer.

“Zarkon and the Galra are going to attack soon, and we have no paladins, no people to form Voltron and protect us. What are we to do?”

Coran cleared his throat and she turned to look at him.

“We do have one candidate, at least, for the position of Black Lion.”

Allura nodded, beginning to pace.

“Yes, the Captain. He was held by the Galra for quite some time, and is the first to have ever escaped alive, rescuing his team as well.”

“Exactly! We just put him in contact with some new recruits and hope the magic of the Lions is present and he chooses a team that will form Voltron!”

Allura stopped and looked at him.

“Coran, that’s brilliant! Send out the order right away—one child from every family within the Garrison village is to report for mandatory training, led by Captain Shirogane!”

Katie Holt was nowhere to be found. Her brother, Matt, and his best friend, Shiro, were supposed to be finding her to join the family for dinner but the past half hour had yielded no results. Matt stopped in the middle of the courtyard they had crossed at least ten times and sighed.

“For a genius and Captain, we sure are doing a fine job.”

Shiro snorted, smiling at his friend.

“You know that neither of us are a match for Katie. Besides, she probably just fell asleep somewhere neither of us can reach.”

Matt laughed and they continued their search together. Three years ago, Matt, as the older twin, had accompanied Shirogane Takashi and his father Samuel Holt on a reconnaissance mission in Galra territory. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and more, and for over a year the three were held captive by the evil Galra. Now, having escaped, Shiro lived with the Holt family while waiting for orders. Sam and Matt were both still on medical leave, and Katie and Ava holt had welcomed the men back with tears and scolding words.

In the past two years Shiro had become an integral part of the Holt family life, and he and Katie—despite their five year age difference—had bonded in ways Matt could never hope or want to. Katie didn’t know it, but dinner that night was going to have a surprise other than desert.

“Katie!” He hollered, standing in the stables with Matt. The younger man was checking each individual stall while he was supposed to be looking at the rafters. Subtle shifting from above made him suspicious, and in moments he had scaled the ladder up to the lofts. He smiled, relief in his heart, when he saw Katie curled up in a ball amongst the straw and hay. A mother cat and her new born kittens lay in a box obviously hand made by the youngest Holt herself. As Shiro moved closer, the cat hissed at him.

“I’m not here for you kittens, little one,” he murmured gently. He placed one hand on Katie’s shoulder and rubbed his thumb.

“I’m here for this kitten.”

When Katie didn’t wake, even to his softly calling her name and slight shaking, he sighed. Shiro stood and walked back to the edge of the loft. Matt looked up at him, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. Shiro grimaced and shrugged.

“I’ll have to carry her in; maybe tonight’s surprise will just have to wait.”

Matt shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“Nah, bring her down. I’ll wake her up.”

With a few scratches the only sign of the struggle that was waking his sister up, Matt sat proudly at the dinner table. Samuel Holt’s bandages were clean and stark against his grey robes, but overall the man looked marginally better than he had even that morning. There was a twinkle in his eye that was reflected in Matt’s eyes as well, to his right, and was mimicked in Ava Holt’s eyes to his right. Katie, seated next to her mother and across from Shiro, didn’t notice as she only had eyes for the man who had been courting her for just a few months now.

As the family piled their plates at the empty end of the table, Sam gave Shiro a loaded look. Shiro swallowed roughly, and wiped his mouth with his napkin again. He stood up, pushing his chair out with a loud scrape that had him cringing, and walked around the table to stand next to Katie.

“What is it, Shiro?”

She glanced between her father and Shiro, confusion coloring her face.

The man lowered himself carefully to both knees, grabbing her hands in his. He searched her eyes, silver to amber, and started to smile. Katie began to blush under the scrutiny but didn’t say anything, her heart racing faster than it ever had before.

“Katherine Holt, with your family’s permission, I have a very important question for you. These past few years you and I have grown close, closer than I thought I could ever get with anyone again, and I had a realization recently. I love you.”

He paused, and figured that the tears starting to appear in her eyes were good tears.

“I love you with every fiber of my being. Will you, Katie, do me the honor of—”

“Yes!” She shouted, falling out of her seat and into his arms.

“Yes, a thousand times yes! I love you too Shiro,” she said, kissing his face.

Matt had laughed at his sister’s eagerness, and smiled sadly. Ava was crying silent tears, and held her husband’s hand tightly. He was grinning, and for that moment all was right in the world.

The next morning, the joy and excitement of the household—there was to be a wedding soon!—quickly died with the appearance of a messenger straight from the Castle of Lions.

“Captain Shirogane Takashi! Commander Samuel Holt! Lieutenant Matthew Holt! The princess of our land needs presence at the Castle of Lions in a fortnight for urgent business concerning the Galra threat!”

Katie’s heart constricted with too many emotions—fear, for his fiancé of a day, her brother and father still healing, rage at this princess who commanded people’s lives without thought of the consequence, anger at the Galra for existing. Shiro kept his hand on her waist where he stood by her side.

“The Commander and Lieutenant are still physically unfit for duty, messenger. Tell the princess that she shall have her captain in a fortnight, and no sooner.”

With that, the messenger left them, the poor horse it rode upon visibly worn out. Katie turned to Shiro, looking up at him with desperate wide eyes.

“You can’t, you can’t be serious. Leaving, now?”

Shiro sighed and put his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, Katie. But I can’t not do my duty; Princess Allura needs me and no one knows Galra tactics better than me.”

Katie looked away, off to the side. Shiro closed his eyes, thinking she was trying not to cry. In reality, the young woman was hiding the anger and jealousy she knew was evident on her face.

“I have to pack, and get things in order,” he said softly and walked away, leaving Katie standing there.

A fortnight came and went and Shiro was gone, traveling on his own to the Castle of Lions. His chest constricted and he coughed in an attempt to clear the pain away. Katie had refused to be there to show him off with the rest of her family, and he could only hope that after this war they would still get married. Her intelligence that rivaled—and quite possibly surpassed—both her father and brother’s, her compassion, her wit and sass, were all just some of the qualities that endeared her to him.

So it was with trepidation that Captain Shirogane faced his assignment. It was not what he expected: training? New recruits? But he did not complain. It meant that he would be safer for a longer time. He ordered his subordinate to have all the recruits line up, all ten of them, for introductions. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Some white strands fell into his face and he paused. Katie loved to play with that part of his hair, constantly experimenting to see if there was a reason behind the color change other than the assumed magic the Galra had used during their torture.

Shiro shook his head and left his tent, walking to stand in front of the line of bickering soldiers. None looked too experienced, and most were young—Katie and Matt’s age. He mentally kicked himself again and focused.

“Attention!” He shouted, not too loudly. Eventually the group quieted and stood at what they thought was attention.

“You are not here to play around,” he said, starting to pace back and forth in front of them. “The Galra threat is a very real one—trust me, I would know. At the end of this training five of you will have been chosen to form the ultimate team, the legendary Voltron. Until then, you are under my command. It is my job to make sure you not only survive the Galra, but the joining of Voltron.”

He paused, thinking he saw Matt out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face the look-alike and felt his heart stop. Katie was staring back at him, fierce and somewhat afraid. He blew out a heavy breath of air and closed his eyes, facing the sky, saying a prayer for patience.

“Sound off! Name and age.”

The first six were regular people, names he didn’t recognize for better or for worse, and stood more or less with good posture. Then he reached someone he knew.

“Keith, 20.”

Shiro nodded at the younger man—they had grown up in neighboring villages.

“Lance, 20.”

He watched the way Lance seemed to glare at Keith and wondered what that was about.

“Um, Hunk, 21.”

He nodded at the man. And then he turned his stare on Katie, and wondered what name she would give.

“Pidge, 19.” Without blinking an eye, she lied about her name. He narrowed his eyes at her before turning to face the rest of the group.

“Alright men. Fall out—get your gear together and come back here. I will assign you each a partner for the remainder of the training.”

Everyone started to disperse, but before he could grab her arm Katie had run off.

When they were lined up again, in the same order, Shiro took a second to thought. He paired off everyone—in a split second decision he put Lance and Hunk in the same tent, and Keith with Pidge. As the pairs set up their tents and personalized the spaces, he entered Keith and Katie’s tent.

“Keith,” he said, nodding at the young man who paused in his movements.

“Do you mind if I have a private word with Pidge here?”

“No, not at all Shiro.” And with that Keith walked out. Shiro watched him go and heard Katie fidgeting next to him.

“H-hey Shiro, how are you doing?”

Once he was satisfied that they were alone, he whirled around. His gentle hands cupped her face and he pulled her in for a kiss. They had locked lips more than once before, before and after their engagement, but Shiro had never so passionately stolen Katie’s air before. When he finally released her, his hands drifting down her arms to hold her hands, Katie still had a somewhat dazed expression on her face.

“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t recognize my own fiancé? The woman I want to someday marry?” He murmured, not sure whether to be proud and happy she was here, or angry and worried at the predicament they now faced.

“No, I…I just couldn’t let Matt come without sending someone in his place, and I had to be close to you. I have to do my part now to fight the Galra.”

Shiro took a small step back and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I won’t go easy on you,” he said. Katie glared up at him.

“I wouldn’t expect or want you to.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“We can’t be seen together like just now, even if Keith knows.”

Katie opened her mouth but stopped.

“Keith knows?” She asked.

“Not yet, but I will be telling him. Before I met Matt, Keith was like the younger brother I never had—I trust him with my life, and yours now as well. That means trusting him with your secret too.”

Katie huffed and felt her cheeks begin to burn.

“I hadn’t even thought of that.”

Shiro groaned and rubbed a hand over his face.

“You will be the death of me,” he whispered.

Katie grinned up at him and Shiro couldn’t help himself smiling back, just a little.

#shidge #shiro #pidge #voltron #vld #no hate please #she is aged up #female pronous for pidge

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biofunmy · 5 years

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A Song in His Heart. It Was for Her.

When he feels the spirit, Isaiah Rothstein bursts into song. He felt it on his first date with Leah Gottfried in early 2018. They were in Bryant Park and bird droppings landed in his food, and so he then took her to the top of Rockefeller Center. Standing next to Ms. Gottfried there, he felt the need to do more than just comment on the view of Manhattan.

“I think in musical language sometimes,” he said. “If this moment were a song, what it would be? And then I’ll just play. People usually jive on it I think.”

She jived on it, though she does not quite remember the lyrics: “It was something about all the miles of the city that he saw,” she said. “Something about miles.”

Mr. Rothstein, 30, and Ms. Gottfried, 28, are a modern Orthodox power couple. He is the rapping, singing frontman of Zayah and a rabbi for Hazon in New York, which calls itself the Jewish lab for sustainability. He was one of Jewish Week’s 36 under 36 for 2019, which applauded his ambition to “follow in the footsteps of the ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.” Mr. Rothstein is working on a musical about Queen Esther, the figure of legend who foiled a genocide of the Jewish people.

But Mr. Rothstein is a C-lister when compared with Ms. Gottfried, a child actor who had her first agent when she was 11 and is frequently featured in Jewish publications including Kveller.com and Jewess Magazine. Her web series “Soon By You,” reminds its viewers of an Orthodox take on “Friends.”

“Soon By You” makes liberal use of Ms. Gottfried’s own dating experiences. It features a lot of confused men.

“I’ve had guys be really puzzled about filmmaking in general and with a woman wanting to be a filmmaker and how does that work with a family?” said Ms. Gottfried, who runs her own production company. “Or they pitch me their own idea for movies. That has happened so many times. So many of my dates were like bad pitch meetings that I didn’t sign up for.”

Mr. Rothstein didn’t want to one-up Ms. Gottfried; he wanted to impress her. For their third date, he drove from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to Passaic, N.J., where she was living at the time, in the middle of a snowstorm. Nothing was open, except for a Dunkin’ Donuts, so the two spent hours there, in song (the radio played the Dixie Chicks cover of “Landslide,” prompting a singalong) and in silence.

“There was a stillness,” Mr. Rothstein said, “which is funny for me because I talk a lot.”

He dropped her home at 1 a.m., and by the time he arrived in Brooklyn two hours later, he knew he was in trouble: He really cared about her.

Though Mr. Rothstein is (very) extroverted, he does not like feeling emotionally exposed. He grew up in Monsey, N.Y., feeling different from his peers, as a white-passing member of one of the few multiracial families in town. He was often asked if his mother, who is black, was his nanny, and was told he wasn’t a real Jew. School days would often end in fistfights.

Those experiences pushed Mr. Rothstein to grapple with his Jewish identity as he grew older. He ended up staffing seven separate birthright trips to Israel. By the last few, he had come to realize that he had a passion for “creating positive Jewish experiences for people.” He decided to become a rabbi.

Ms. Gottfried grew up blocks away from Mr. Rothstein in Monsey, but did not meet him until late 2017. She was raised ultra-Orthodox for the first five years of her life, until her parents divorced and her mother transitioned to modern Orthodox, which seeks a balance between Jewish tradition and the modern world.

Her mother, Esther Litchfield-Fink, and she, are “like, ‘Gilmore Girls’ level close,” Ms. Gottfried said, referring to the Amy Sherman Palladino show about a mother and daughter who are best friends. Ms. Gottfried and Ms. Litchfield-Fink love all of Ms. Palladino’s shows including “Bunheads” and, of course, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

“For awhile she wanted me to be a lawyer I think because I was so argumentative as a kid,” Ms. Gottfried said. “But she also very much supported my career decisions. Sometimes she doesn’t like how I dress.” (Ms. Litchfield-Fink thinks her daughter’s outfits could stand to be a little more provocative.)

Others in Ms. Gottfried’s community growing up were put off by her chutzpah, and her interest in performing. It took her a long time, she said, to find Jews with whom she could feel completely comfortable being herself. One space that felt particularly right was Hevria, an online community of creative Jews. In November 2017, Ms. Gottfried and Mr. Rothstein attended one of the group’s open-mic nights in Crown Heights, where they met. A month later, Ms. Gottfried read a poem at a Hevria event and afterward, Mr. Rothstein messaged her on Facebook and asked for a copy.

They ran into each other again a few months later at a Jewish conference in Princeton, N.J., where they both gave presentations about their backgrounds; each attended the other’s. Toward the end of the weekend, he asked her out. They already knew so much about each other that small talk barely felt necessary.

By the time, Ms. Gottfried’s mother met Mr. Rothstein, at Leah’s 27th birthday party in April 2018, the relationship had accelerated. In August, the couple posted a music video they had made together (she directed, he starred) to YouTube.

Last Thanksgiving, he proposed. Via song, of course.

Ms. Litchfield-Fink knew Mr. Rothstein was the man for her daughter, she said, when Ms. Gottfried told her he was the right person.

“I trust her judgment 100 percent so I knew that no matter what I thought it was up to her and it had to come from her,” she said.

Their engagement lasted six and a half months. Their secular friends thought that was pretty short. Their Orthodox relatives questioned why it was taking so long.

But on June 16, a diverse group of Jews convened on Oz Farm in Saugerties, N.Y., where rain had turned the fields to mud, leading to a celebration that was as improvisational and joyous as one of Mr. Rothstein’s songs. The marriage was celebrated by a Judaism of dark robes and golden rompers, of flower crowns and shtreimels (fur hats), of side curls and hair dyed scarlet, and of unceasing music.

“This is like a hipster Jewish mecca,” said Chavie Lieber, a journalist for Business of Fashion and one of Mr. Rothstein’s oldest friends. As she explained what about the wedding was traditional and what was not, her husband, Yoni Stokar, walked over and was asked to guess how many rabbis he thought were in attendance.

“Thirty-five,” he said.

“Self-identified rabbis or actually ordained rabbis?” Ms. Lieber asked.

The formal proceedings began with Rabbi Dovid’l Weinberg conducting the bedeken ceremony, as Mr. Rothstein and his guests celebrated the wedding to come, slowly making their way over to where Ms. Gottfried sat with her own guests. The traditional veiling ceremony began, which most of the guests watched through their phones. The groom was flanked by Hasidim in formal wear. A friend of Mr. Rothstein’s, Zach Mayer, played a soprano saxophone as the men swayed and sang.

“I met my girlfriend after Isaiah and I started singing together,” Mr. Mayer said. “I feel like he just radiates love.”

There was a lull after the bedeken, as the band got in place and the more observant attendees paused to observe the afternoon prayer. Ms. Gottfried and her mother disappeared. Mr. Rothstein, clean-shaven and dressed all in white, was flanked by a bearlike South African Jew, Folli Tessler, who served as his shomer, or watchman. Mr. Rothstein excused himself to speak to his mother, Tanya Rothstein, who was dressed in gold.

“Traditionally there was a concept that on the day of a person’s wedding or two days before, they would have someone watch the groom because there was a tradition of persecution before wedding days and exciting things,” Mr. Tessler explained, visibly nervous to be separated from his charge.

The ceremony began, with the band (including Mr. Stokar) leading. Traditional Hebrew songs were paired with Disney melodies from “The Lion King” and “Mulan.” Mr. Rothstein, standing under the huppah, was handed a guitar. “New age,” one guest muttered. “Right, right,” her companion responded.

He started singing, and Ms. Gottfried walked in. She moved toward the huppah and the mothers led her in a circle around Mr. Rothstein. Prayers were offered. As is traditional, men read seven blessings; as is not, they were accompanied by women, who read seven intentions for the marriage.

Babies were introduced to one another. Multiple shofars, or ram’s horns, blew. Guests declined to remain in their seats, and crowded close to the huppah. After about 45 minutes, Ms. Gottfried, not Mr. Rothstein, punctuated the ceremony by smashing a glass. The bride and groom retreated into solitude with several witnesses. Everyone waited. “I’m starving,” Ms. Gottfried said. Finally, they emerged on horseback.

There was wild, gender-segregated dancing and the dinner, where Ms. Gottfried took the microphone.

“Isaiah’s always performing for me, singing and rapping,” she said. “I thought I would perform for you for once.” A drumbeat started, and Ms. Gottfried began to rap about a boy with a guitar who strummed and strummed his way into her heart.

ON THIS DAY

When June 16, 2019

Where Oz Farm, an events space, in Saugerties, N.Y.

Stormy Weather It rained incessantly the day of the wedding, which forced the proceedings inside. The bathrooms, in two trailers outside the barn, were filled with men changing mud-coated sneakers into dress shoes.

Divine Yenta Various people at the wedding, including Mr. Rothstein’s older brother J.R. Rothstein, claimed some responsibility for having introduced the two. The couple had thought this might happen. “People always say like, ‘How’d you meet, were you set up?’ and I very much feel like God orchestrated the entire thing,” the bride said. The groom agreed. “Whenever people try to take credit for setting us up,” he said shaking his head. “We set ourselves up and God set us up. You didn’t set us up. Thank you.”

Roving Shofar The ram’s horn, traditionally blown to celebrate the Jewish New Year, made several appearances during the wedding ceremony, traveling around the room. Its sound is similar to that of a swan whooping with a constricted windpipe.

Breaking the Glass The couple decided, as a gesture of inclusivity, to task Ms. Gottfried with stomping on the wineglass, traditionally a task for the groom. She looked apprehensive but determined, as she lifted her foot and brought it down hard. “I did it!” she shouted into her husband’s ear.

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furederiko · 6 years

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My 2nd and last Random-News-Digest for the month of November!

(Images courtesy of Disney Pixar Studio, Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, and CAPCOM. Taken from Official Trailers and/or Official Sites)

Pocket Monsters

This was actually a news from earlier this month. But since I was more focused on the launch of "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" on my previous R-N-D, I've decided to put this on hold.

Variety reported that young actor Justice Smith has been cast as the male lead of "Detective Pikachu". Smith will be playing the human companion of the titular character, who was seemingly a brunette-haired white boy in the video game. I'm not that much familiar with Smith, but the change on the race angle is acceptable because it shows that Hollywood is being proactive in casting POC actors as lead. Of course, the main question in everyone's mind, is WHO will be voicing Detective Pikachu himself. Will Danny DeVito, the actor that seems to be on every fans' wishlist get the part? We'll see...

Disney Animation

The much awaited and demanded sequel among Pixar Studio's roster, "The Incredibles 2", delivered its first poster and official teaser. The teaser might be really brief, as it only features Craig T. Nelson's character and the little baby Jack-Jack showcasing his numerous superpowers. But it didn't stop it from snatching every attention and breaking record along the way. According to various sources, the story will focus on Holly Hunter's Elastigirl and their older kids, while Mr. Incredible is stuck babysitting. Will that be a good storypoint for a sequel? Can this one be better than the likes of... I don't know, "Monsters University", "Finding Dory", or at the very least this year's "Cars 3"? We'll see when the movie arrives in Summer 2018...

Thankfully, at the same time the studio's "Coco" also captured the Thanksgiving holiday buzz, and gained an immense positive reaction from families. The A+ Cinema Score result was a solid win, as the hispanic-themed musical easily defeated the might of DC superheroes to be the number 1 movie over the weekend. It also proved that Pixar still has what it takes to churn out original stories, and not rely on sequels. I strongly hope this movie will have a strong leg going forward, and becomes a financial success as well. Even if to encourage the studio, and other animation studios to work on more originals.

Disney Live Action

If you think the teaser for Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" was weird, then wait till you see its full official trailer. It doesn't look A BIT like DuVernay's previous work, "Selma", that's for sure. LOL. This feels like what you'd get if "Doctor Strange" is combined with an equal dose of bright colors and wackiness from "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Guardians of the Galaxy", with a mixture of a "Chronicles of Narnia" movies and James Cameron's "Avatar" in the story department. I might be scratching my head hearing all those pseudo-science mumbo jumbo, but I also really want to see Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Zach Galifianakis, and particularly Michael Peña being weird deities or something like that. My only concern, is that this also reminds me of Brad Bird's "Tomorrowland". With a POC female director behind the wheels, I genuinely want this movie to succeed. So let's just hope it does NOT end up like that Disney movie. March 9th, 2018 can't come soon enough.

Niki Caro's "Mulan" reimagining has found its lead actress. Crystal Liu, or Liu Yifei has been selected over 1000 candidates to portray Fa Mulan. In case it's not obvious enough, Liu is 100% Chinese, so there's no whitewashing this one. She's a very popular name in her home country, though honestly this is the first time I have heard of her. Not surprisingly too, she has had experiences with Hollywood having been part of action movies like "The Forbidden Kingdom" and 2014's "Outcast". So... not exactly an unknown name, huh? Disney is not taking any chances, I suppose. But oh well, at least we won't be hearing whitewashing complains anytime soon. Now if only Godfrey Gao could be cast as Captain Li Shang. He IS, around the same age range to Liu, right? Mmhmmmmm *nods* *grins*

Jurassic Park

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" had shared its first official image. Coming straight from writer Colin Trevorrow's twitter account, it portrayed Chris Pratt's Owen Grady with his son... er, I mean a baby Velociraptor. Hmmm... those who have seen the first "Jurassic World" and possess a logical brain, would quickly question one thing: WHY ON EARTH do these guy still mess around with the dinosaurs, instead of leaving them be?! Seriously, Owen might be a Raptor trainer, but these creatures almost killed him too!

Trevorrow's name has been painted rather 'negatively' thanks to his departure from "Star Wars", so many people have been watching this title closely whether it will get the same effect of his "Book of Henry" or not. Of course, J.A. Bayona is the director for this one, but who can really tell what kind of influence Trevorrow brings, right? "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" roars into theatres on June 22nd, 2018. You might want to wait a little longer to see a trailer...

DC Films

When filmmakers keep on using lame excuses like "This movie is made for fans and not critics" to explain bad reviews, then... well, that's exactly what you get. Only fans... in fact, just half of them and not all, came to see "Justice League" on opening weekend. I'm not trying to throw a shade or being sarcastic here... (or am I, you decide), but the first weekend performance for the movie? It was NOT good. It even didn't reach the minimum expectation number. Great goodness, where did all those so-called devoted DC fans go?! #SARCASM

I know this news has been reported pretty much everywhere, but let's have a quick recap of what happened. Signs of trouble were already apparent when the movie had a somewhat 'troubling' start on Thursday, November 16th. Comic book adaptations, and in particular DC properties tend to be massively frontloaded, because unlike other studios, Warner Bros usually opened their movies on the same dates worldwide. So the fact that it had a dismal Thursday night was quite a surprise. But it was still a higher number than critically received Wonder Woman, giving it a glitter of hope. Then Friday sum came along, and it was another disappointing number. Again, still better than Gal Gadot's solo movie. But then the overall weekend estimation came out, and the concern was justified. "Justice League" 'only' took $96m domestically, which was a 'disaster' for a movie featuring not one or two, but SIX of DC's iconic superheroes. Some folks were still spinning a positive point of view, saying that it at least had passed the lowest speculated number (which was $95m, by the way). Oh no, it got bett... er I mean, worse. The ACTUAL revenue wasn't even inline with those numbers, as the movie merely achieved ALMOST $94m. OUCH!!!

As I've talked about in an earlier category, last weekend the movie quickly fell down from its top spot, thanks to "Coco" dominating the Thanksgiving holiday. The movie might have passed $480m worldwide in its 2nd week, but judging from the family power of that Disney Pixar movie that has yet to open in European countries, combined with the wonders of "Wonder", and strong leg of "Thor: Ragnarok"... can we even expect "Justice League" to perform much better compared to previous titles on its kins? I doubt. The movie is still on the path of 'biggest bomb' of 2017 if not all time, and is prone to inflict loss for the studio. Of course, should we even be surprised about it, when even the underestimated "Power Rangers" fared better than this movie?

Say what you will to defend this movie, but to WB it all comes back to nothing but business. You can even call this, an unmitigated disaster. This low number would totally influences the executives' upcoming decision regarding their Movie Universe. Seriously, because this is NOT the first of its kind (already the fifth, in case you forgot), yet the opening numbers of each movies continue to decline. It's an ambitious ensemble movie that the studio boldly expected to perform as big as Marvel Studios' 2012 "The Avengers", but wasn't able to even achieve the same response to an obscure team of "Guardians of the Galaxy". Compared to WB's own DC catalogue, even the oft-ridiculed campy had "Batman Forever" opened higher! That might be acceptable in the eyes of 'fans' or average moviegoers, but for a studio as big as WB? Likely NOT. Especially when they still can focus on other more beneficial franchises like "Kong: Skull Island" or... the next category *grins*.

Could we be heading towards another Dark Universe situation here? Really though, I think I can actually agree with a reboot or some sort, so the universe can keep the good parts (like Gadot's Diana Prince) and pretty much ditch or change everything else. Ben Affleck is on his way out anyway, and Henry Cavill's prospect to continue with his version of Superman has become very dim because he has completed his obligation. "Aquaman" and "Wonder Woman 2" will still be released. "Shazam!" is set to start production early next year, but its script might be reworked to safely exclude the character from the continuity. An idea that I'm totally ALL IN! *grins*. Matt Reeves' "The Batman" will be set in an entirely different Bat-Family-verse, possibly alongside Joss Whedon's "Batgirl" (no, Whedon is NOT fired or anything like rumored. Seriously, what is wrong with you DC Fans?!). And that R-rated "Deathstroke" movie might still see the light of day, even if because its lead actor is desperate keen to have it made. But the rest of the movies planned or talked about? You might not want to get your hopes up for them too soon, to avoid disappointments. Unless... the studio decides to resort to "Flashpoint" for a soft reboot.

Anyway, back to "Justice League" for a bit before I wrap up this category. Apparently some fans are already hilariously campaigning for the studio to release a Zack Snyder 'Director's Cut' version of the movie. Not surprising, considering WB had indeed DONE that TWICE already with the garbage that were "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad". Three times the charm, huh? To the point that they are desperate enough to do practically ANYTHING to get what they want... as reported by a movie critic whose name has been illegitimately used for 'the cause'. *sigh* Here we go again...

No offense to those 'over-passionate' people, but this is EXACTLY the problem with these fraction of DC fans. They are quick to act without properly thinking about things first. Why? 1) As Batman-News has pointed out, WB did NOT like Snyder's cut. He screened his unfinished version, like 10 effing months ago. So naturally, Snyder could NOT have his 'version' done considering WB immediately handed over the job to Whedon, who took over the entirety of the movie's post production. If a 'Director's Cut' these fans are asking, then that would be Whedon's and not Snyder's. 2) Despite the fact Snyder showed support in one, or how his cinematographer is dying to see one, his Director's Cut version would obviously require additional funding to finish. Don't forget that despite the worldwide response that leans towards positive, the movie's theatrical release might end up as a financial LOSS to WB. That pretty much prevents WB from spending extra money for another retool. They would be crazy to shower more money into this already-expensive movie just to please fans (for as much as they say they make movies for them, they don't actually give a damn). Unless of course, Snyder pulls a Ridley Scott and finished his version with his own money. Meaning, he probably would need to buy the movie's rights, and pay for all the visual effects, etcetera etcetera. 3) This petition proves that instead of going to the theatres to see the movie again to... I don't know, boost its revenue number, these fans would rather whine and demand for a HOME VIDEO release. No wonder the opening weekend was low! 4) I'll have to repeat my previous criticism here. If WB will indeed release an 'Ultimate' or 'Extended' home video version, then... well, the more the reason to NOT see this in theatres now, right? No kidding, why would we waste money on a half-baked product?! Just wait a few months, and we can see the whole thing with just a bit of extra money, right? That's the easy logic right there, and precisely the method I took to see these DC Films titles until now. The fact that WB had done it twice, is also the reason why some folks I know blatantly REFUSE to see the movie in theatres. After all, nobody would want to be fooled more than TWICE, right?

Fans be fans, and expecting them to change would be beyond comprehension. But at the very least, I hope on the other side of the table, both WB and DC Entertainment are learning the correct lessons from this outcome. Things as general as... don't rush into things, don't put too much stuff without proper payoffs, focus on telling a good story, or don't treat audience like they are stupid, to the most philosophical one like stay humble, be nice to others (whether its fans, critics or other studios), and stop trying to best a rival who's already waaaay ahead in their game *sigh*.

I'm not rejoicing or being rude or anything, but I believe DC direly needs to hit the reset button on the movies. And if it's possible, ditch WB completely if they want to do this right. Much of the DC Films ordeal actually have gotten to do with the studio execs meddling too much and demanding so many things that has continued damaging the properties. DC fans DESERVE better movies, and I don't think this flawed universe can hold it up anymore. Much like how Rebirth 'deleted' New 52, time to create a clean slate for the movie universe as well! If it works in the comics, why not, right? In the end, I think DC should just stick to what they do best, or better than the competitor: TELEVISION. FYI, this is what they get from not utilizing or banking in the same actors from those successful CW shows. Told ya so...

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Bring on "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald"!

Yes, I might be the odd man out, but I'm genuinely more interested to see what the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise has to offer next instead of DC Films. I admit, my favorite part of the first movie was Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander Pokede... I mean Private Zoo, so I felt pretty disappointed that the sequel will focus on Johnny Depp's Gellert Grindelwald. But the words of executive producer David Heyman has made me highly intrigued. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, he said that the sequel will have "a very different feel than the first. It’s got a thriller quality. And it’s also a story about love and passion and all its forms — paternal, romantic, political. And it’s just a thrilling and very fun adventure.". That 'thriller' aspect is enough to catch my attention. Can we expect to see a darker turn, possibly involving Jude Law's young Albus Dumbledore? How will Scamander and his Scooby-gang be properly integrated into this situation without sacrificing the things that made them interesting?

Heyman also teased that the movie will look more 'dynamic' with "contemporary cinematic approach". Despite the time setting being maaaaany years prior to "Harry Potter"? Now THAT is what I'm curious to see too. I hope the end result will not mirror the issue with "Star Wars" or "The Lord of the Rings" franchise. Remember how their prequel stories look waaay more advance (in visual and also... actor's age LOL) than their original stories? "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" opens on November 16th, 2018.

X-Men Universe

According to a very fresh report that just came in yesterday, apparently talks between Disney and FOX about the latter's movie and TV division have resurfaced. It's still rumor for now, but I'm not surprised if it's true. Other corporations, including SONY and Comcast have approached FOX for the same proposition, so it makes perfect sense that Disney will up their game and pursue the deal more rapidly. After all, FOX had some movie copyrights that would benefit Disney greatly. As I've mentioned before, there will be pros and cons if this acquisition becomes a reality. Naturally, fans everywhere are already filled with logical and occasionally pointless concerns over the fate of FOX's Marvel movies. A bit premature, if you ask me, but I guess that's what makes the internet such a fun and... crazy place. Let's just see how this turns out, okay!

Meanwhile, actress Lizzy Caplan has entered negotiations to play the lead female actress in Channing Tatum's "Gambit". It's still unclear if she will be portraying Bella Donna Boudreaux, considering actress Lea Seydoux had previously been attached to the role. Assuming the script has not gone through massive alteration, that could very well be the character Caplan has been offered. At least, that's the general notion in many people's head for the time being. Of course, things could have evolved since the movie was first promoted as a sexy thriller heist, so it's not yet a sure thing until it is confirmed. Directed by Gore Verbinski, "Gambit" will arrive on February 14th, 2019.

Marvel Studios

This here is the main reason why this R-N-D got postponed a few days to the end of November: the first trailer of "Avengers: Infinity War". Yes, OFFICIALLY available worldwide around 8,5 hours ago (following the 08.00AM EST premiere on Good Morning America), it's Marvel Studios' answer to the crazy buzzing cries of demand that got many people... uhm, emotionally riled up. It has gotten to the point that people have been shamelessly leaking actual footages from the movie itself. Not cool people, NOT cool.

I personally didn't really need to see a trailer for this movie. But I'm not gonna lie, the HYPE machine was tooo strong, that well... a not-so-strong-on-the-inside guy like yours truly would easily got swept away. I think ANY fans of the Marvel Studios release would be weak for this kind of thing. LOL. Is the trailer any good? You're kidding, right? Of course! #MINDBLOWING. It teases that the movie lives up to its somber title, and... that's all I'm going to say, as you need to see it yourself to have the full experience (I almost had a heart attack when I first saw it... Oh, Vision T_T). Beside, every entertainment sites will surely be talking about it, excessively analyzing every details that will decorate their pages. For at least two weeks ahead (if it hasn't started before... LOL) until its Disney-cousin "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" comes knocking on everyone's door. "Avengers: Infinity War" arrives on May 4th, 2018. But I'm sure you're already aware about that... XD

True to what Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had promised, said trailer arrived in November. Timed perfectly just a few days after Vanity Fair unveiled its special coverage (published on November 27th, to be precise) to that much-talked-about exclusive photoshoot that took place in Pinewood Atlanta Studio last month. A grand celebration to the studio's 10 years of enduring success. For the record, Vanity Fair held their own separate photoshoot featuring only 32 out of 83 people involved in the event (a small percent are likely directors, writers, and producers), so the actual result of said event is still big question marks to any of us. Thankfully, the magazine's coverage is a marvelous substitute. It details the studio's journey and rise to fame from an independently-funded team into a billion dollar maker. It also pushes Feige's hidden personal story to the spotlight, exposing the key ingredient to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's success and global domination: FANBOY FEIGE himself. Go ahead and visit Vanity Fair to read the entire coverage, alongside its coupling stories about the superhero looks and look back to "Iron Man". Those are really good and highly recommended reads!

"Ant-Man and the Wasp" has officially wrapped on November 20th. This one was finally confirmed by director Peyton Reed himself and lead actress Evangeline Lilly. Lead actor Paul Rudd on the other hand, had some fun on HBO's "Night of Too Many Stars" benefit show, flaunting his latest Ant-Man suit while making a joke about his previous movie "I Love You, Man". I personally loved this comedy, so I fully understand what he's saying. The end of production also filmed a rather spoilerific scene in Hawaii, featuring Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne. You might want to avoid that link if you don't like spoilers. Anyway, with "Infinity War" trailer out on the market, the greedy question now is: When can we get one for this movie? LOL. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" opens in July 6th, 2018.

On the "Captain Marvel" side of things, the one and only Jude Law has entered talks to portray a key role: the original Captain Marvel... Dr. Walter Lawson a.k.a. Kree Warrior Mar-Vell himself. Mar-Vell is an important figure in the Marvel universe, because not only he's partially responsible for Carol Danvers' powers, he's also the father of another superhero, and a Guardians of the Galaxy member. Having this character in the MCU is inevitable, because I'm sure his involvement will bleed into the next 'Phase' paving way for new characters. And of course, if Law agrees to accept this role (which I think he will), then we'll have two pair of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in the MCU! If there's one thing Marvel Studios' movies are always good at, it's in their choice of picture-perfect A-list casting. To think that Law wasn't even the first big name who was approached for this part...

The Hollywood Reporter coverage of the same story, seemingly confirmed that actor Ben Mendelsohn has officially become part of the movie's ensemble. Although many have speculated that he could be playing a Skrull Commander, it looks like he could be portraying another key role in Brie Larson's Carol Danvers' ascension to hero: the super villain Yon-Rogg! Not that I'm surprised, of course, regardless of the source's... uhm... lack of credibility. Lastly, a report stated that the movie's production has undergone another schedule change. Apparently, production for the movie is now expected to begin early March to mid-July. However, casting process have already begun because several key roles are expected to film earlier in January. Are they needed for "Avengers 4" then? Quite possibly. Larson herself has already been confirmed to be part of it, which also explains the swift progress the studio is taking with Mendelsohn. With the same reason, I think we can expect follow up regarding Law's status in the near future as well. "Captain Marvel" might be released on March 8th, 2019, but her buzz is already getting louder and louder everyday!

As for what's next? Well... this is where things get rather startling. In a fascinating mysterious way. In the Vanity Fair coverage, Feige confirmed that the May 3rd, 2019 "Avengers 4" will indeed bring a finale or some sort. "There will be two distinct periods. Everything before Avengers 4 and everything after. I know it will not be in ways people are expecting.", he stated. But about that 'everything after'? He revealed that the studio has already mapped not one, not two, and definitely not just three movies after the UNTITLED Avengers movie... but TWENTY COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ONES. Calling that as a 'big plan' would be a huge understatement. Okay, assuming the pattern of releasing 3 movies per year goes on, that means we'll be getting around 6 more years of MCU after 2019. Feige wasn't kidding (he's a man of his words) when he said the studio have plans until 2025. But what will they be?

We know that a sequel to "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is set to be the third 2019 release. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" from James Gunn (who was recently generous enough to share his first draft while providing details regarding the second movie) will spearhead 2020, while paving way for more cosmic branches. Scott Derrickson probably had already signed up a directorial return to do a sequel of "Doctor Strange" in the same year, opening the portals to more multidimensional journeys. Both "Black Panther" and "Captain Marvel" will most definitely get sequels. Perhaps, we'll get another bromancing Thor and Hulk by Taika Waititi as follow-up to his "Thor: Ragnarok", while Tessa Thompson unites with the other female heroes for an "A-Force" adaptation. And then a cosmic movie featuring Adam Warlock because he might NOT be in "Vol. 3". That's EIGHT... what about the remaining DOZEN then? LOL. A solo movie for the popular Ms. Marvel, or a live action version of "Young Avengers"? Those would be DOPE. Not to mention, that number most likely does NOT include Marvel characters currently under FOX and/or SONY. Imagine what would happen if Disney ends up merging with FOX!

One thing for sure, Marvel Studios' movies are here to stay! Meaning we'll still some great fun times at the theatre for several years ahead. So what are you waiting for... celebrate the 10th year, and speculate on!!!

Marvel TV

The 5th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." will premiere in just a few days from now on Friday, December 1st 2017 08.00PM EST. In order to amp up the hype and anticipation level, Marvel TV had released an official extended trailer to give audience a glimpse of what to expect. And if that's not enough, they have also published the debut episode's first 17 minutes on Youtube. In case both clips weren't obvious enough, the setting is in space, and all but one (Fitz! Who else?) active members of Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson's team are trapped in a galactic prison or some sort. Fans of the show only need to wait a bit longer for their beloved characters' return.

As for me? That extended trailer has totally convinced me... to SKIP this season entirely. No, this is not a drill. Hmmmm.... I don't know how, but I guess because this looks... redundant? The prospect of going interstellar felt engaging and promising when the previous season ended. But things have changed in the months after, when new space-themed series like "Star Trek: Discovery" and "The Orville" debuted and gained attention. Including yours truly. I admit, in AoS' case it felt more like "Firefly" or "Star Wars", but my point remains: it's a space opera or any of its variations. And being not much of a fan to the genre, I'm already good with following just one of it this season. Care to guess which one?

Besides, good reviews and/or words of mouth don't instantly mean everyone is going to like it. Take for instance... Marvel's "Runaways". People everywhere are praising this Hulu show, yet only two episodes in, and I'm already feeling utterly... BORED by it. Many said that this show is unlike or even better than CW's "Riverdale", but I say... it's more or less the same thing (but with superpowers) or even worse. I'll give it the benefit of doubt and continue watching for a few more episodes (possibly until episode 4 or 5 out of 10), but only out of obligation to a personal quirk. Come on Hulu, just release more episodes for "The Tick" already! Anyways, the same goes for AoS. People have been saying good things about its two hours premiere, but my gut is telling me that... it's not working for me. Call me back when Mr. Lance Hunter returns, okay! *winks*

Netflix

Over on the Netflix side, Marvel's "Luke Cage" has wrapped filming. That's what the production staffs seemed to be hinting at. At the very least, it's nearing completion to pave way for other Marvel-themed shows. LOL. Considering this could be the last season for Mike Colter's Luke Cage on Netflix (with that Disney streaming service and all), this could be a bittersweet news for its fans. Oh well, let's move on...

DC Television

Speaking of dedicated streaming service, DC is already ahead of Marvel (See? DC's forte is on television, so they should just totally focus on it). Aside from the highly demanded new season for "Young Justice", and "Titans" that has gathered almost all of its core cast, a new original title has been added to its roster. Yes, coming from the producers of the short-lived "Powerless", an animated "Harley Quinn" series has already scored a 26-episodes first season! This series will be a half-hour adult action-comedy, written by the same set of guys: Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey.

According to Deadline, actress Margot Robbie is the desired candidate to voice the titular character. She might not be reprising the same incarnation from the live action "Suicide Squad", but banking on her popular name would totally give benefit to DC. Of course, I personally prefer Arleen Sorkin or Tara Strong to reprise their roles from "Batman: The Animated Series", but who am I to argue. The story will focus on Harley, who after breaking up with The Joker, wants to become the criminal 'Queenpin' of Gotham. Her bestie Poison Ivy will naturally be part of the show, alongside other DC heroes and villains. Can Harley carry a whole series on her own? We'll see.

Do you want a new season for "Justice League Unlimited" in the service too? Well... keep asking DC about it, and you might get what you wish for. Hey, it worked with "Young Justice", right? Especially when voice actor Kevin Conroy himself is up to do one. Come on DC, make it happen! I just hope that it doesn't involve cancelling "Justice League Action", because it IS close to ending its first season...

Marvel vs. Capcom

Those three leaked DLC Marvel characters for "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" have been confirmed! Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Natasha Romanova / Black Widow, and Eddie Brock / Venom will be available starting next week on December 5th, 2017. Each can be purchased separately, or directly available to those who own 2017 Character Pass. PlayStation 4 players have been given exclusive opportunity to test out these characters through a free demo during the weekend. You can check out the official announcement trailer on Youtube.

As I said last month, these characters are pretty much... redundant. However, all three have devoted fanbase thanks to the live action movies, so perhaps CAPCOM is trying to attract their attention? I must say though, seeing Bucky's cybernetic metal arm changing from left to right in between scenes is pretty disturbing. It's excusable for a 2D fighting game (because developer would refrain from creating different data for left and right sides of a character), but this is supposed to be 2,5D right? Can't they do it proportionally in this method?

Naturally, the snowball didn't stop with these characters and has continued to roll. As soon as they are confirmed, talks and rumors regarding MORE characters have begun surfacing. Claims on Reddit and other outlets have brought variety of names as potential 2nd Season DLC characters. They include: Star-Lord, Ms. Marvel, Green Goblin, Wolverine, Cyclops, Psylocke, Magneto, Storm, Deadpool, Doctor Doom, and Daredevil from the Marvel side; Asura, Lady, Gill, Rashid, Captain Commando, Nina, Deis, Regina, Gene, Vergil, Akuma, and Apollo Justice from the CAPCOM side.

Many of those names have been openly thrown around, but among them are several characters who have been reported by multiple sources. According to Youtuber Maximilian, there are 5 names with a solid match between various sources, with 1 other one in question. So yeah, just like the first line of DLC, it might be 6 characters... but in an opposite pattern, as this one will contain 2 Marvel character and 4 CAPCOM ones. The Marvel side is said to herald Star-Lord and Ms. Marvel, while the CAPCOM side will bring fan-favorite Asura, "Street Fighter III" big boss Gill, and "Devil May Cry" Lady. The last character might be either "Street Fighter V" Rashid, "Dino Crisis" Regina, or "Ace Attorney" Apollo Justice, because the sources didn't seem to be in agreement about it. This report came along a potential 2 vs 2 co-op gameplay rumored to be available in Summer next year.

Just for the sake of speculation, let's talk about them! Star-Lord? Another pretty redundant Marvel character. But I understand if they want to bank on him due to his popularity on the big screen. Ms. Marvel is a fantastic choice, even if she's pretty much the Marvel version of former MvC roster, Dhalsim. Asura is also a great choice, considering the fans already went wild over that "Asura's Wrath" DLC that pitted him against Evil Ryu. Gill is an interesting addition that makes good sense, since it's pretty unlikely to see him showing up in "Street Fighter V". Rashid is similar to Ms. Marvel, because he works by adding much needed diversity to the game... aside from being a cool wind-powered fighter. Apollo Justice, and Regina will be a clone version of Phoenix Wright, and Black Widow/Jill Valentine respectively, while Lady practically serves as the female versions of Dante and/or Vergil. Personally, I would rather the last character be Rashid, but Apollo will bring his unique style that (similar to Phoenix) separates him from the other fighters.

In the end, these are just rumors with no certainty that it's going to be accurate or not. For now, let's just enjoy the three DLC characters already available in the game, as we wait for three more to arrive very soon. Don't forget that CAPCOM can always stretch the second set for almost a year after... *sigh*

Street Fighter

Yeah, you did catch the jabs I threw CAPCOM above right? Because we all know the both seasons of DLC characters for "Street Fighter V" took an entire year to release, eventhough there were only SIX each. The last one for Season 2 has only arrived last month, even if we probably have been teased about it since last year.

Of course... when the dust settles, a new wind blows. The topic of the game has since shifted towards... "Arcade Edition" and 3rd Season DLC. Inline with its half-brother in the category above, a slew of rumors regarding 6 more characters have begun dropping throughout message boards. The same leaker who posted the potential characters for "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite", stated two things that some people have found to be... rather conflicting.

The first one headcounted Sagat, Sakura Kasugano, Cody Travers, Sodom, and two newcomers (who could either be "Final Fight" Roxy, or a Shadaloo member). This one COULD be considered credible because many other sources have been singing similar tune. For example, dataminer X-Kira claimed that Sagat, Sakura, and Neo Shadaloo (Ed's team member on his Story Mode) are three of the DLCs. Flowtron (the user who successfully leaked the entire Season 2 characters) mentioned a somewhat different set: Sagat, Sakura, Blanka, "Mayor", "Another Bae", and "President". But the user also warned, that they no longer had connection with CAPCOM, that even they couldn't be sure of their own statement. LOL. At the very least, if the Red Bull Battle Grounds was any indication, then Sakura has pretty much been officially confirmed.

The second part of the leak claimed that four characters; namely Crimson Viper, Q, Necro, and Oro; will be available as free characters for the Arcade Edition's free update. Flowtron has debunked this, saying it's not true. Youtuber VesperArcade commented that while the previous names made sense, these free ones sound rather unlikely. He argued that to pull this off, it would require CAPCOM to make all four character available when the update is launched on January 16th, 2018. And the company doesn't really have a good track record in developing things quickly. Remember when the first set of DLC mostly ran out of its initial schedules? Beside, CAPCOM would have announced this kind of update in advance, to ensure that players who have purchased the vanilla "Street Fighter V" be pleased... and not complaining. But there's no such thing about it until now.

To be honest, I'm merely talking about this because I'm excited about the probability of seeing my champ Cody back in a Street Fighter game. If he IS part of the 3rd Season, that gives me more reason to purchase the game... as soon as I get a PlayStation 4 or a strong enough PC. LOL.

Moving on from rumors, CAPCOM have also released official information. Eventhough there were some concerns about the promised secondary V-Skills and Critical Arts, the company confirmed that every character will indeed receive one among other new stuffs. And to prove that, they even released an official trailer (available in Japanese as well) to showcase them in action, with a note saying "Street Fighter V players will receive the free Arcade Edition update. In addition to an all-new Arcade Mode and new monthly challenges via Extra Battle Mode, every character will receive a second V-Trigger attack. These are but just a few to get you thinking of new possibilities for 2018 and beyond…". Here's hoping this update will boost or rekindle interest for the title among fans and gamers in general.

Meanwhile, "Puzzle Fighter" had launched for iOS and Android last week. The free for download puzzle game should be available worldwide with a new look and new features. If you ask me, it actually feels more like a "Capcom All Star" game, because of those other characters from non-"Street Fighter" titles. I guess that is expected to appeal wider demographics, huh? You can download the App game on your smartphone right away to try it, or you can watch the launch trailer on Youtube to get a visual taste.

The King of Fighters

Looks like we'll be getting another update for "The King of Fighters XIV". Following the result of a social media design contest that took place last month, SNK Corps will soon add two things. A Saudi Arabian-themed fighter named Najd, created by designer Mashael Al-Barrak from Saudi Arabia, and a modern day Masmak Fort stage, created by Oman designer Zainab Al-Lawaty. It's currently unclear when they will be added to the game, but I hope SNK will also expand the roster with more characters. Now if only SNK would hold a similar contest in my country...

Nintendo

To wrap up this month's final R-N-D, we have some happy news from Nintendo. The company's popular and highly praised "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild", has scored several wins at the Golden Joystick Awards in UK. The open world RPG won 'Ultimate Game of the Year', as well as 'Best Audio', 'Critic's Choice Award', and 'Nintendo Game of the Year'.

While the alternate reality "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" hit the market, its original titles "Pokemon Sun & Moon" also won the 'Handheld/Mobile Game of the Year'. These titles could be the reason why the game developer itself got crowned as 'Studio of the Year'. This award relied exclusively on public votes, which means Nintendo has gained a truly positive buzz this year. And that's before the equally praised and critically acclaimed "Super Mario Odyssey" could take part in. Could we see the Zelda and Mario game pit against each other in future Awards? I believe that would be the case.

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