I love your teacher ravenzella au im wondering how Valentina would be with her in this au? Would she hate her because of Mona hating Ravenzella or like her?
Valentina would probably already have a bias against Ravenzella if we assume that Mona besides telling stories about her time at the academy also gossiped about her coworkers to her grandchildren
I don't think Valentina's the kind to disrespect teachers but it's funny to imagine her and Ravenzella get nowhere during lesson because they're just exchanging snarky comments the entire time lol
summary: Valentina's never gone to an arcade before - if Rory and Isabel have anything to do with it, she'll never go to one again.
word count: 2.9k
A rule of perfectly manicured thumb: if Rory Carmichael believes something to be fun, something is, in reality, expensive, humiliating, physically eviscerating, or a distinctly un-fun combination of all previously outlined adjectives.
Unfortunately for Valentina Furiāand havenāt those words become familiar over the past few months? Thanks for that, Sapphire Dormāthere is no appreciable escape from thisĀ something, the monstrous machine before her, the metal monolith with a bright-as-the-sun screen, twin speakers at its sides blasting blue-pink neon and brassy ear-piercing pop directly into her nervous system. Which, BTW, is onlyĀ nervousĀ because the bass bursting out of the machineās speakers would make anyone with a paper cut bleed out, andĀ soĀ not because of Roryās little challenge, which really shouldnāt be considered a challenge; no, itās more appropriately described as a flick on the forehead, a poke on the shoulder, a pain in theā
Where was she? Oh, yes, the quote-unquote revolutionary piece of technology Rory wishes to risk their social lives on. In front of the machine is a shiny chrome stage, divided into two sets of coloured arrows laid next to one another in crosses, which, and here she will give credit where it is due, is a design choice suitable for a game so intent on making one injure all involved extremities. Two children (drowning in what is likely the latest fashion of kindergarten couture, their shirts and shorts near-identical shades of vomit) are ādancingā onstage, by which she means they are flailing and jumping in strange, jerky ways and the singular reason why she is not calling emergency services is her feeling that a phone as expensive as hers in a place as inexpensive as this would be a sight for the sore eyes of prospective robbers everywhere. All accounted for, itās no wonder Unicorn Academyās worst and dimmest thinks this dancing game, of all things, is an arcadeās supreme attraction, the impending deciding factor in Valentinaās inevitable love for all things arcade-related. Which, news flash, is a love she will feel exclusively in his dreams, a.k.a. her nightmares.
And donāt worry, universe, because you so clearly hate the idea of her enjoying summer for more than a monthās stopover in the Bahamas; thereās no way she could find thisĀ fine establishmentās fire exits if she tried. Sheās been trapped in rings of fire, in crystalline ice constructs, in heart-to-hearts with a surrogate-bestie-seeking Ava, and nothing comes close to the level of claustrophobia she feels now, stuck in a fluorescent galaxy, a helpless thing to be flung around a pinball table. Does it not disgust you, that she's touched a pinball table now? To further illustrate, on her left: an alleyway of similarly garish cabinets, bearing chipped paint and smudged glass and the wrath of a Junior Olympian who has found their boxing bag a worthy sparring partner for whatever martial art sheās practicing now. On her right: her worst nightmare in the freckled flesh, just about bouncing in his tie-dye tank top at the thought of getting a turn on the dignity death trap.
It shouldnāt have been a surprise, that Rory had been lurking in the strip mall's shadows, awaiting a similarly aged companion to assault with threats of should he (and Isabel, who was a pleasant surpriseābut, like, only because Rory was that much of anĀ unpleasant one, duh) not be joined in their voyage to Time Waster Central, or whatever that ugly, flickering welcome sign had said. Valentina couldnāt bear to recount the memory of her ambush here. What would Auntie say, if she knew her favourite niece had forgotten all the self-defence tactics theyād gone over in case of an attempted mugging, an attempted murder, or an annoying classmate asking for a playdate?
(Something likeĀ Iām glad youāre having fun, Valentina.Ā OrĀ you know I donāt have a favourite niece, Valentina. Neither of those answers can help Valentina with an escape or her ego, though, so, yeah, sheās not letting Auntie know about any of this.)
There is one consolation, conjecture-built though it may be.Ā ItĀ being her parentsā intention of stripping the mall and turning it into another base for the Furisā business operations, obvs. Itās what she believes is the point of this insipid excursion, from what few details her family divulged before the limo screen rolled back up, anyway. Like, what else would they be doing? Eating together? Enjoying each otherās company? Oh, please.
āPlease, please, please, pleasepleasepleaseplease.ā She must admit, the sheer number of unique inflections Rory has managed to inflict upon the poor word is almost impressive. Sheād never admit that toĀ him, of course. Not if he offered up the keys to the kingdom, not if he promised never to put a whoopee cushion in Cinderās stall again, not if he were begging on his kneesā
Which he is, now, his skinny jeans rubbing against the sticky floor in a display of humility made totally impossible to enjoy by the stares theyāre getting. She really needs to stop expecting the worst of her friends. Otherwise, theyāll keep exceeding expectations, and no inhabitant of Sapphire Dorm save her very own self is allowed to do that. āVal, comeĀ on. How many times do I need to tell you?ā His hand plunges into his pocket. āIāll pay!ā
āWow, thanks.ā Like that tiny plastic token could make a dent in her savings account. She rolls her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. These actions do not erase Roryās flailing arms from her periphery, nor do they expunge the stench of greasy food or greasier children from her surroundings. This, she surmises, is her cosmic payment for aiding and abetting Mendozaās crown star quest. āStill a hard, hard pass.ā
Suddenly, Rory laughs. Valentina does not. Another rule of perfectly manicured thumb: if Rory Carmichaelās happy, everyone in a hundred-mile vicinity is about to be made seriously unhappy. This rule is proven right when, wiping a tear from his eye, Rory gasps, āOh my god. Oh my god! All that time I spent teaching her how to boogie, and the great Valentina Furiās still worse at footwork than her horsie.ā
āCinder sets an unfairly high bar for everyone,ā Valentina hisses. Like Rory has any right to talk about Cinder, to remind her of Cinder.
(Cinder, without any intelligent company on an island so many miles away. Cinder, without anybody but Paracelsus and Pollyanna to make him tea. Cinder, still having a better summer than his rider, most likely.)
āOkay, fine.ā Rory smiles. Valentina does not. āYouāre worse than River.ā
Valentina pulls Rory to his feet (or close enough to it) and leaves him to trip up to the stage. Valentina pushes the kid on the right off his place on the arrows and leavesĀ himĀ to look over her shoulder for his score. āPut the stupid coin in.ā
Rory scoffs, his hand pausing just before it puts the stupid coin in the appropriate slot. āI will have you know that this coin was hand-pressed by the lifelongingly-prenticed artisans at the school of David and Busterāsāā
Valentina slams his hand against the slot, and smirks when the screen flashes to a menu. āI knowĀ yourĀ parentsĀ loveĀ when you stay out all day. However, I have a family who cares about me and a chauffeur who gets paid per hour, so hurry up.ā
Rory, scrolling through the song list with zero urgency, explains his terms: āBest of three. No cheating. I pick the song.ā
Few things get past Valentina. How she could possibly cheat at a game thatās five parts stepping on enormous arrows and five parts luck is, apparently, one of those few things. And, yes, that estimate is based on the fact Rory enjoys winning, and Valentina is doubtful any of her dorm-mates sans Isabel could win anything without Lady Fortune borrowing Lady Justiceās blindfold. Besides, you wouldnāt question that if you were privy to his wild, wild guesses at Unicorn Academy Trivia Night. Which reminds Valentina; she has a question for him. āAnd are you planning on picking it this century?ā
Rory presses a finger to her mouth before she can ammendĀ or this millennium, shushing her so loudly itās really hard to see the point of shushing her in the first place. Great, now she has to drink bleachĀ andĀ reapply her lip combo. āAnd thank you for being so patient. But seriously. Be more patient. I need complete and utter silence to focāaha!"
He slams a fist on the selection button, then cracks his knuckles, then pops his neck, then shakes his head, then trills his tongue, and you know what? Valentina thinks sheās stumbled on some seriously weird pre-Dance Dance Revolution ritual, the gross, childish likes of which she would not like to ennoble with any further narration. āBeen playing this one since I ātwas but a babe.ā
Valentina, reasonably doubtful Rory has undergone any growth since (ugh, perish the thought) being but a babe, replies, evenly, āSure you have.ā
He grabs an invisible microphone and asks, as pompous as any porcelain-toothed game show host, āAre you ready for the most mind-blowingly fun time of your life?ā
āIf getting my mind blown means I donāt have to hear you talk anymore, absolutely.ā
Valentina almost misses the songās opening chord, but steps on the right arrow seconds before it flies off the screen. One thingās for sure: this isnāt the song those kids were trying to bomb their ears with. In fact, this songās less the explosive electro party hit she thought RoryĀ Throws A Year-Wide Party When He Gets A D+Ā Carmichael had been raised on and more a simple, sweet little melody being plunked out on a keyboard. The pattern on the screen is easy to follow: front, left, right, left, right, back, rinse, repeat, die of boredom. Itās too easy to follow, really. (What, does Rory think she can only handle baby steps?)
Valentina follows the pattern again, frowning as the songās percussion grows and shrinks, guitar teasing her with a couple faster notes and then disappearing into the buzzing bassline. This so-called choreography' seems a lot better suited for Layla and her straight-as-a-ruler way of order. Sure, she likes rules, but she likes breaking them as much as anyone, when she has a reason. She thinks about stepping off the stage and forcing the kid she shoved off it back on. How bad a break would that be, in Roryās trust? (What if RoryĀ doesĀ think that?)
Valentina squints at the screen as the same sets of arrows glide through it, as Rory grunts and whoops like theyāre and not stuck in a glorified jazz square. Did she break this thingās wiring with her heels? (What ifĀ Rory thinks that sheās going to be just as bad at dancing as she was before the Fairy Moon Ball because he isnāt going to help her remember to relax her joints or unhinge her jaw or whatever and sheĀ definitelyĀ isnāt going to be getting the falsely reassuring applause sheās come to expect from her legacy ladies from this crowd if she messes up?)
Wait, what the hell is she saying?Ā RoryĀ andĀ thinkĀ donāt even belong in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence. What matters is that she is Valentina Furi. Maybe that doesnāt mean anything to the drooling patrons of the adjacent driving simulators and (one thousand per cent rigged) claw cranes, but that just means she has a chance to make her name synonymous with winning all over again.
Maybe, just maybe, thisĀ willĀ be fun.
Valentina listens to the music, tuning into the electric passage and blocking out everything else: her thoughts on dancing, on failing, on the fact this machine's probably covered in candy residue. When the arrows on the screen finally start to speed up, she finds the music thrums and pulses. It comes alive, and so does she. (Thereās a high-pitched beep, in the background, that Valentina canāt help but bob her head to, bang placement be damned.)
Valentina slides, shuffles, hops,Ā dances. And she gets it, again, that dancing doesnāt have to be a strict list of limb positions, graded on spine-to-toe alignment, when it can be a thrilling journey from this arrow to that one and she can do whatever she wants in between. That it can be enjoyed, savoured, anything but stressed over. And itās thanks to Rory, again. Oh, she has to beat him now. Otherwise she wonāt get to say she only enjoyed and savoured the whole thing because she was good at it from the start. (The beeping gets louder, quicker, and it feels as good as the cheers she heard from the Fairy Moon Ball crowd, the way it makes her want to go faster, to see her blurry white score on the side go all the way up to ten digits.)
Valentina grins. Or maybe she just notices that sheās grinning, as Rory almost kicks himself in the shin trying to twist around in time for another drop of the beat, yelping and laughing. It hurts, almost, to smile so wide and for so long, but the hurt is a good kind, the kind that reminds her thereās more to her body and the world than the blaring music and her buzzing veins. Sheās just spent so much of summer being waited on hand and foot, and other hand and other footāyou should get this by now, the Furis areĀ richāshe almost forgot what a rush comes from this kind of action. The wind in her hair, the wheezes of a peer struggling to keep up with herāwell, none of itās objectionable. Maybe some would consider some of it fun. (The beeping gets louder, quicker, and Valentina hears voices, now, clearly, clamoring! She thinks theyāre cheering for her; she loves to think theyāre cheering for her.)
Theyāre coming up on the last minute when Rory talks again, and for some mysterious reason, Valentina doesnāt mind the sound too much. āNowĀ thisĀ is fun, right? Tell me one thing thatās funner! You know Iām right, Val; I know you know Iām right!ā
āIt is fun, embarrassing you,ā she calls out over the music. āUsually you do it all by yourself.ā
Last thirty seconds. Soon, Roryās going to be eating his every word about her footwork, and Isabelās going to beā
Running straight at them? āDudes, we gotta go.ā
Valentina blinks. āWhat did you do?ā
Isabel waves aā¦Ā plastic malletĀ around her head? Oh, yeah, Isabel waves the hammer around her head like itās a flare about to fly in her face, and all of a sudden the beepingās too loud and too quick for it to fit with the directions of the dance, and there isĀ noĀ way Valentina still has to deal with her classmatesā penchant for property destruction outside of school when they donāt even have their inadequately trained unicorns to blame. No. Way. āNot my fault Iām too strong for theĀ strongmanĀ game! Look, I was just hitting the big thing in the middle with the stick of the hammer instead of the head, ācause this jerk behind me was allĀ no way a girl can hit it hard enough to make the bell ring, only I hit it, like, a little too hard and nowāā
Okay, yes way. Thatās her dormitory for you, always finding ways. Itās a miracle. Itās a curse. A growl rips from Valentinaās throat. āAre you for real?ā She glances at whatās left of this strongman gameāa narrow red tower bent in half, steeped in sparks and ashābefore weighing her options. Get her hair ruined by the sewage water in this buildingās sprinklers or get her pride ruined by Rory saying she ditched their dance-off? Ugh, these lose-lose deals are so last year. āIām about to win.ā
āYou blind, bro?Ā IāmĀ about to win.ā
āWeĀ are gonna take the worst shower of all time if you donāt move!ā Isabel whips around to check on the strongman gameās smoldering corpse. Surprise, surprise, itās still burning up a whole three seconds after she last checked. āYep, Iām outta here. You guys wanna take the heat for thisāā she tosses the mallet onto the stage āāsāall good with me.ā
And so Valentina allows Isabel to escort her out with a hand hold only slightly rougher thanĀ previously imaginedĀ sensibly expected. And so Valentina has resigned herself to the robbery of victory in battle, but not to the loss of Roryās war on her honour. And no, Valentina is not being dramatic. Sheās going to get her rematch before summer ends, and if that means sacrificing one-sixteenth of her daily allowance to the unicorn gods in a concerted effort to ensure Layla isnāt doing anything stupid enough to warrant the end of summer (or the end of the world), so be it.
(If Valentina happens to place an order for her own Dance Dance Revolution machine the following day, that isnāt any of your business. If she happens to place a call with Serenaās management team regarding licensing her latest single to the gameās next installment, that isnāt any of your business, eitherāalthough itĀ wouldĀ mean great business opportunities for the Furis, if Serena would ever bother to put their surname back in her stage nameā¦)
random rant for all of unicorn academy's flaws one thing i will never complain about is rory not having a lick of explicit romantic interest in any of the girls. shipping him with layla is fun and all for the nerd/prankster dynamic and the amount of affection he shares with the others are feasible bases for ships (although for some reason i've never seen rory/ava? i mean she sleeps on his shoulder and it's canon they chill together in the shorts. idk the lack of content probably wouldn't be so egregious given ava's fawning over sophia if most people on ucatok shipping rory with someone ship him with isabel. which. like. surely their gaydar can't be very well-calibrated then) but it seems rare that a boy is allowed in the main group of a show geared toward young girls without his presence being justified by his status as a love interest or a dogged "nice guy" trying to wear one of the girls down into dating him. so. you know i just think he's neat. he doesn't claim anyone has a crush on him he doesn't say anything sexist about ava's interest in twee flowery decor or val's interest in fashion he's just an honest to god good slightly annoying guy
sapphire family members designs + headcanons š none of these are canon compliant but all of them were fun to draw. thank you @/youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal for the fletcher lore in the winter solstice novelization
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New headcanon pulled out of the void because why the hell not:
Azula misses Lu Ten dearly because at least he tried to spend time with her. Usually nerding out about things she wasn't interested in back then.
He was usually busy doing other things, but she could hang with him whenever.
He had a terrible sense of humor, a habit of messing up her hair, and never brewed her tea right.
And yet, she felt too angry to admit when she'd never experience this pain in the neck of a cousin again. And what better way to hide the fear than to pretend you never cared?
i know this goes for like 99% of the fandom at any given time but i am thinking so hard abt valentina furi. she is defined by her meanness. she is the kindest person ever to her magic horse. she has some enemies to lovers speedrun bullshit with two different people. she saw a girl in galaxy print on the first day of school and homed in on her missile-style. she is the biggest hater alive. she has risked her short ass life for her family of haters. she has an ipad kid cough. what more could you want
āDonāt worry,ā she promised, her voice suddenly sounding sweeter. āIt will be alright. Everything is fine.ā
But he couldnāt help but notice her voice had a slight wavering to it, and it almost sounded like her words were more for herself than they were for him.
