M O U R N I N G

[ Promise ] me THIS... If I lose to m y s e l f You won't mourn a 𝕕𝕒𝕪 AND you'll 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 onto 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖔𝖓𝖊 ᵉˡˢᵉ ... [ Promise ] me THIS... If I lose to m y s e l f You won't mourn a 𝕕𝕒𝕪 AND you'll 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 onto 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖔𝖓𝖊 ᵉˡˢᵉ ... [ Promise ] me THIS... If I lose to m y s e l f You won't mourn a 𝕕𝕒𝕪 AND you'll...

[fallcntrees]

*  VISHAKA CHAKRABORTY   /   appreciate-the-lady   .

Penny for Your Thoughts & [Foxy]

@fallcntrees

Vixey was having a late dinner with Tod. He had reached out to get together and, considering she had been extremely busy with the shoppe for the last few months, she felt guilty and agreed. She had apologized and told him the earliest she could do dinner was probably around 8:30pm, which was enough time for her to close the shoppe at 8:00pm and then get to Tiana’s, where they were going, of course.

Tod had said that was fine (Vixey had no idea if it was or not, it was late to eat, even Vixey was usually starving by then) and that he would swing by the shoppe so they could walk together, since it was on his way anyway. It wasn’t really, because he could skirt around town and get to Tiana’s that way or walk straight up Ever After Boulevard, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. And it was probably a good thing, considering Vixey was running behind. 

The sign on the door said that the shoppe was closed, but it was unlocked, so Tod could let himself in. But Vixey was not even paying attention to the time when the bell rang to announce his presence. The cash register was not balancing and Vixey could not figure out why. She had counted it about five times now and was growing more and more frustrated. 

When Tod appeared at the counter, Vixey was leaning on her elbows, one hand tangled in her hair, holding her head up, the other holding a few dollar bills, a calculator on the counter in front of her. 

“Oh, hey Tod,” Vixey said, glancing up at him when he approached. “Sorry. I–am having some trouble balancing out the till.” 

[outfit]

Tod was on his best behavior tonight. Not to say he wasn’t almost always on his best behavior usually every night, but tonight especially. Ever since Vixey returned, it seemed like he was always on a rocky path to recover their old relationship, but she was worth the effort of trying. And besides, he was quite proud of the business she’d created and he wanted to be able to show that through his actions instead of just his words. 

Gingerly, he pushed open the door, hoping she hadn’t forgotten about their dinner that night, and was grateful to find that it opened with ease. The thought crossed his mind that it was open especially for him and for one reason or another-- the corner of his lips turned up at the thought of that. 

Though, his face quickly turned to inquisitive as he watched her counting a handful of bills and click on the calculator in front of her. It reminded him of when they went to school together, a similar almost troubled look on her face as she struggled to do some kind of worksheet. He didn’t remember it happening often, but there was something quite nice about seeing how hard she worked then and even now. 

“Hey! Don’t worry, I know you’re always busy,” he mentioned, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he craned his neck to watch her count. “What’s the problem? Are you short or--?”

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

“Of course! I’m always happy to show you things. But it might be better once we get to the campsite since fire and trees don’t exactly go well together and I’d hate to trip over a tree root and accidentally burn something.” The difference between fire and light was that fire was inherently more dangerous which meant it required more caution to deal with it. She loved it with the same fierceness, but she also knew enough to be responsible with it. 

It was fun listening to his stories of his childhood. He rarely spoke about them, something she only noticed if only because she was just as cautious with the stories about her own past, but it made it all the more special when it did happen. “I can see that. It sounds like it was a lot of fun all the same.”

“With my luck, I’m not trying anything, trust me.” She knew herself much more than he knew what she could do. Tod would always be for playing by her rules. Still, he did feel some excitement bubble in his chest that he would finally get to see all this happen in the real world rather than just a dream one. There was something good about it. Nice.

“My Grandma was one of my best friends as a kid. I think that’s why--” He paused, as he always did before he lied about her, to be sure that he was getting his facts as straight as possible. Even so many years later, he was afraid to misstep. “Maybe that’s why I got so quiet when she passed. I just didn’t have anyone to speak so honestly to anymore.” Still, it was nice to share the good memories of her.

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

“Well there’s a lot of different types of magic and a lot of different types of sorcery within that, I would hardly expect you to know all the ins and outs of it. But that’s exactly it! If there’s an existing fire I can make it bigger or smaller, hotter or colder, or I can make shapes out of it. I need at least a spark and it takes a little more energy to take a spark to a full blaze, but once it exists its free to use!”

She had a whole collection of different novelty lighters that she liked to rotate between depending on her mood, and the softer tea kettle had felt right for time spent with Tod and camping. His compliment had her beaming as she slipped it back into her pocket until it would be needed. 

His horror had her giggling and she bumped him back. “Then I guess its a good thing you’re saving me from my inexperience isn’t it? The first time I went fishing I was 15. Coll needed a day off from some of the farm work and I had been driving Dohmnall crazy with our lessons so he dragged me out for fishing. I didn’t catch a single thing that day because I kept talking too much and scared them away. But it was fun.”

Tod listened, absolutely mystified by this information. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could think that sorcery or magic in general was awful. Dangerous, perhaps, but so was a lot of things in life when used improperly. There was a bright smile on his face as he nodded along, taking in every word. “Could you show me?” Then, realizing that might be strange considering their dream so long ago, “as long as you’re comfortable with showing me, that is.”

“You’re one very lucky girl, yeah,” Tod said, rather proudly, in fact, as he tucked his hands back into his pockets. The wind was still rather chilly. He was definitely looking forward to that fire. Though, he laughed at how similar his first time fishing was to hers. “Believe it or not, the same happened with me and my Gran. She only took up the habit because my Grandfather loved to do it with her but I was a very talkative and excitable little lad. I rocked the boat every time I saw a wiggle and it drove her mad.”

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

Eilonwy smiled over at him, speeding up so she could nudge him slightly with her shoulder. “Well, first lesson of elemental sorcery is that we don’t make anything from scratch. We have to work with what’s there, which means I can’t summon fire out of nothing.”

“But, a good fire witch always has a couple ways to start a fire on her and as soon as I’ve got a spark, I can make any sort of blaze.” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her novelty tea kettle lighter and waved it in his direction. “So once we get the fire pit dug, we’ll be good to go.”

She nodded at his idea though. “i’ve had s’mores before! We made them over some candles for the winter holidays. I haven’t been fishing in ages though.”

“Huh... Can you tell I haven’t gotten there yet in my studies?” Either that, or his memory certainly wasn’t serving him as well as it used to. He felt a subtle blush of embarrassment warm his nose and cheeks. Though, his curiosity about sorcery was more than enough to bring him out of this state as he listened to her explanation. “Interesting, so you could work with the fire that’s been created or even the sparks of a blaze?” He loved this. Maybe he really had chosen the right major. Well, at least as far as interests go.

He let out a slight chuckle as he squinted his eyes in the direction of the teapot lighter, surprised and yet, not at all. “That’s adorable, by the way... I certainly can make sure I do my part and dig that pit.”

“Oh goodness, only over candles? That’s criminal behavior!” He adjusted his bag over his shoulder, giving her a little bump. “There’s an art to cooking in a big campfire. It’s a little different... Fishing is just-- well, it’s a good time to talk while you get breakfast. I was terrible when I was younger.”

[fallcntrees]

i’ll be seeing you / tod & melody

*   STARTER   /   @melody-the-unwritten  .

Tod knew to arrive with flowers. There could be no better way to begin a big date like this than with flowers. He had taken his time in his grandmother’s garden, carefully selecting each piece and wrapping it delicately in brown paper, creating a much more homebrewed bouquet than most at the store, though he thought it would have to do. These flowers were special to him and he figured because of that, she would find them just as special.

His palms were sweaty. He couldn’t really understand why, there was no particular reason why it would be, though he figured he was always in the realm of how lucky he was that she liked him. That mattered. It mattered still as he pulled his fingers into a fist and knocked on her door, awaiting patiently for a response. 

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

Eilonwy only sort of noticed the cold. The more she had studied fire magic, the more she had found her natural temperature rising to make it easier to handle so it was a rare thing for her to get truly cold. With the layers that Ian had insisted she wear, she was feeling plenty comfortable as they walked through the snowy forest to their destination. 

She knew it was a bit of a risk, and one that the boys weren’t particularly happy with. But it was Spring Break still, Tony was working, Ian wanted to study magic, and she could use a night out with one of her best friends. Besides, if the danger was really that bad, she wanted to have another night with him to build whatever memories they could. There wasn’t a world in which she would have said no. 

She knew it was tricky to find a place they could camp that was still in Swynlake’s borders so they wouldn’t get kicked out at midnight, but she trusted Tod’s knowledge of the area. Besides, she had never been camping! So this was going to be a lot of fun. 

“Aw, it’s an adventure! Besides, the cold isn’t so bad, and it’ll be better once we have a chance to sit down and light a fire.”

Tod felt a genuine smile on his lips. Adventure. It had been awhile since he had one of those and even longer since since he’d really been camping. There was something about it that reminded him of his childhood. Especially his grandmother and the first time he ever went camping himself. He wanted to make it special for her just like it had been pretty special for him. 

“Wait a second, do you think you might be able to start the fire for me?” Then, to be sure his dignity remained intact, “not that I can’t, I’m just really curious what that looks like. I’m a bit jealous if you can’t tell.” A swing and a miss at that dignity portion. Still, it was truthful. He thought all magic was incredibly beautiful, it was hard not to be jealous when he saw it performed.

“I’m thinking we might be able to go fishing in the morning... Maybe make s’mores and tea over the fire till then. What do you think?”

[mackayzy]

# bookporn with george mackay ( 1 / ∞ )

[fallcntrees]

campfire song / tod & eilonwy

*   STARTER   /   @eilonwy-notjustgirl  .

As chill blew through the opening in his jacket, Tod’s body shivered involuntarily, shifting to pull his jacket a little closer as they moved. He was acutely aware in environments like this one; how each branch snapped beneath the pressure of his boots, how the wind whipped so carelessly through the leaves of trees, and, especially, how close Eilonwy was behind him as they stepped in tandem toward his chosen campsite. 

Admittedly, he needed to escape the safety of his cabin and Eilonwy really seemed to be the only one that would go camping with him in conditions like this one. For that, he was incredibly grateful. Still, it wouldn’t stop him from being acutely wary of everything as they walked. It wasn’t that she needed protection, (never that), but rather that the last thing he wanted was to put her in any danger and so, he paid careful attention to his surroundings at all times. 

Though, when their walking settled and the only sound between them was the wind, he found an incredibly anxious feeling in his heart to break the silence. He smiled at her, adjusting his bag on his shoulders to get a better look at her.

“You know, if you had told me that I was insane for wanting to go camping at this time of year, I might have actually believed you?”

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

There was a part of Eilonwy that wanted to be angry on his behalf. Weren’t friends supposed to stick by you when you had problems? If he was sad and staying there, people should have come out to him then, just like she was doing now. That was the way friendship worked in the books, and it was still what she believed in now. She had to. 

But there was another side of it that she understood just as clearly, because she felt the same way. When the world was at its biggest and its hardest, she couldn’t stand to be around people. She found a rooftop to sit on or a tree to climb, and she waited for the emotions to calm enough for her to be ok around people again, an older habit that kept creeping back in despite her best efforts. So past that initial flash of anger, she did understand. 

“For me, its the tops of buildings. Or trees. Anywhere high up that’s quiet and I can see the sky, and if its raining that’s even better,” she said quietly, offering that piece of herself as the only compassion she knew how to. “People can be a lot sometimes, even when they want to help.”

She held the tea in her good hand, fiddling with it absently more than drinking it. “During the ball, you saved my life. To do it, you had to do something hard and I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more to protect you from that. So if you really need time and you need the world to be quiet, then that’s fine. I’m still going to be here being your friend when the world is a little less loud.”

There was a lot of guilt that came with shutting himself away. Not just because the reason for shutting himself away was a lie but because the people who had needed him, who were his friends, he shut away as well. There was a sense of abandonment there and he hadn’t blamed them for how they disliked him today. Especially Vixey. He didn’t blame her perhaps more than anyone else. Even telling her the truth may just make the problem worse today.

Knocked from his thoughts, he glanced back up at her and smiled. “The stars show us how small we are and I think that’s peaceful... Having the rain just wash away everything? It’s paradise.” If he had the option, he would have really done the same, though, he had spent plenty of nights on the roof of the home they were currently in. “True, but we never want them to stop trying do we?”

As touching as her words were, he wasn’t sure they would be true if she knew the full story. Suddenly, the weight of his past felt so much heavier. As if just letting it go entirely might just finally give him some relief. “Do you think you could make the walk to the garden outside? I just feel like the sunshine might do us both some good.” Though, maybe being around his grandmother’s spirit might give him some courage as well. 

[fallcntrees]

*   MELODY OCEANA   /   melody-the-unwritten   .

quality time / tod & melody

Melody was a mess of laughter when Tod kissed at her cheeks, even if it was needed considering just how much her heart was racing at the last few moments of that movie.

“Is that what I look like? I would was thinking that I looked like I needed more kisses with the way that you’re looking at me.” Melody teased pulling out one of her hands to poke at his nose. “You don’t even need to get up, you could just stay here and cuddle and then we don’t need to worry about anything else.”

Tod let out a quiet chuckle, his cheeks warming at the playfulness of her poke. She was so precious to him. All of her amazing and soft little gestures. “I have no idea what you’re talking about... How am I looking at you?” He replied, running his thumb across her cheek. “You have to be hungry, though. Cuddles don’t just fill up your belly.”

[fallcntrees]

* DOLORES MADRIGAL / haveyoumet-dolores​ .

Game Of Life {Tod & Lo}

“I do assign seats and sometimes flip mid year. But I teach language and while people might not think about it. You want people to be able to speak in classes like this. If you don’t practice you don’t get better and if you don’t have anyone at home that speaks it, that’s a huge detriment.” Dolores explained sitting on the edge of her desk.

“The pairs are for some of the shyer kids in class. I also like to have books of all different languages too. I don’t think you can learn language or culture in a bubble.” It needed to be expansive and maybe someone could pick up something new too.

“I assume you might know first-hand how that detriment affects the process,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “Knowing more than one language is always difficult. I have a friend that’s been teaching me Korean for quite some time now. Having someone else to push me as always been beneficial.” He shrugged. It made a lot of sense to him, though he remembered hating assigned seating when he was younger.

“God, yes, I do remember the dreaded three person groups where you had to fend for yourself amongst friends in class... Do you ever have students asking to learn other languages from you after class or in clubs?” It would be something he would have been interested in when he was younger. Maybe sign language or something else.

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

Eilonwy glared up at him as he teased her, but there wasn’t any heat behind it. He was right. As proven by the fact that she had to lean on him pretty heavily as he settled her into one of the chairs in the living room like some grumpy old woman. Still, sitting was a big help and she knew the tea would help more. So she would focus on that. 

It was strange to her that not many people had come to find him. She had the excuse of being bed ridden, but at least some of the knights had stopped by to see her. Maybe she was just a little more obvious. But even if their exact mission was done, didn’t they need each other now more than ever? “Do you want to talk about it anyway? You’re usually too hard on yourself, I bet the explanation is better than you think.” 

Her glare had the opposite effect on him. If anything, it really just took more of the edge off of his demeanor. There was a certain comfort he had with Eilonwy. Some kind of comfortability and safety he had in their understanding of one another. Though, even that thought was scary as he stared out at his grandmother’s garden and realized how easy it would be to tell Eilonwy the truth.

“Hmm? Oh, uh--” he shook his head. That’s right, the life that he took and the hiding. Was it really even a life at all anymore after they lived such a long time? “When my gram um... Became ill, I just stayed here. I lost a lot of my friends and it became a kind of safety thing. The loneliness. So I regress back to that from time to time.” He smiled then shrugged. 

[fallcntrees]

quality time / tod & melody

*   STARTER   /   @melody-the-unwritten  .

With classes and work draining away most of Tod’s time, this night was more than needed with Melody. He felt like they barely had any time together anymore and honestly, he needed time in a safe space with his favorite person to recover. A movie night could easily do that. He couldn’t care less about what the movie was truthfully, just her presence was enough to really calm his broken nerves.

Tucking his blankets into her sides as she laid so comfy on the couch, Tod was quick to cover her face in kisses when such a random suspenseful portion of the movie occurred. He chuckled, running his thumbs over her cheeks and smiling into her eyes. “You look like you need more popcorn, darling,” he said, pressing another quick kiss to her forehead. “Popcorn, drink, ice cream, you name it. What would you like?”

[fallcntrees]

* EILONWY SOMMERS / eilonwy-notjustgirl​ .

For a moment, Eilonwy was worried that she would fall, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to get up again. But before she could, he was there. Stabilizing her. Grounding her. Drawing her back out of her head and into his eyes so that she slowed down and took a deep breath. This wasn’t how she’d wanted him to see her, but even this seemed to slow the racing of her heart and settle her just a little. 

“I should probably sit down,” she admitted, feeling a mixture of shame and frustration at her weakness. She would probably need help getting back to Laurel’s later as well, which meant she would definitely get yelled at for how reckless she was being and for the fact that she wasn’t taking proper care of herself. But she hadn’t been able to stay sitting any longer either. The longer she stayed sitting, the more time she had to think and the more she became trapped in spirals she shouldn’t be. This was better, whatever the consequences. 

As Tod helped her to a seat, she let out a small sigh. “I’m sorry. I just figured that it would be harder to turn me away if I was here instead of over the phone.” It had been a manipulative strategy, but she didn’t feel bad about it. Mostly. 

“Most likely,” Tod teased softly, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear before moving to steady her. He knew Eilonwy was strong, she had prove it time and time again. And now, even in a moment of weakness, he had only thought she was stronger. He just had a lot of respect for the woman she was.

As soon as she was settled in one of the living room seats, he was sure to go back to grab her cup of tea and set it beside her. “You’re clever, I can definitely give you that,” he said, finding a seat beside her. “You never need to be sorry though. Not many people come to check on me when I’ve hidden away like this... I really have no good explanation.”

[mackayzy]

George MacKay in THE TRICK (2021). 

[aquata-the-champ]

romance trope aesthetic: tod + melody as mutual pining, slow burn, (twice) upon a dream

@melody-the-unwritten @fallcntrees

“To face the world again?“ Melody stated softly. "at least if I’m shaky on my feet they will assume the fainting spell was real.”

“To face the world again.”

Keep reading

[fallcntrees]

* DOLORES MADRIGAL / haveyoumet-dolores​ .

Game Of Life {Tod & Lo}

Dolores wasn’t quite sure she was the best one for this, but Tod had reached out and well, considering she had landed the job that he eventually wanted- or well wanted adjacent. (She didn’t think he spoke French so she didn’t have to worry) Maybe she was good enough to have a little sit down meeting.

It was after school when she had invited him over got him a visitors pass and she was showing him around her classroom. It wasn’t set up too differently than others. Desks set up in pairs or triplets because she believed working together helped make the best impact and learning French was speaking too and she didn’t want anyone to be left out.

“Um did you have any types of questions?” Dolores asked not really knowing where to start or how to be any sort of authority figure.

@fallcntrees

Now this was quite different. The idea of continuing on with his life and attempting to have some sort of normality while advancing his career. In his experience, it was always better to build relationships in the field he would be working in if he wanted those careers to exist for him in the near future, so naturally, he reached out at the first opportunity to do so.

Visitor’s pass around his neck, he walked around her classroom, carefully studying the way that things were so uniquely set up. It wasn’t so different than when he was in school but now all if it felt so new again. Especially when he was learning what was beneath it all. 

“Hmm? Oh.” He was actually almost taken off guard by her question, but he did have a few. “Yeah! Actually. What gave you the idea to set your desks up in groups of three like this? Just-- for projects or?” It seemed like such an obvious question before he added, “And do you assign your seats typically or do you let the students choose? I’m really new with all this.”