You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me

Affiliated with AskStoryKidsHQ. Music with style. This is what it feels like when you become one of the guys. Daughter of the Genie. (Written by Destini)

[askstorykids-hq]

Welcome to the idyllic town of Addersfield, located on History Island in Auradon, home of Illedale University.

Students here are children of some rather famous faces. And some have made fame in their own right, like King Ben or the Lady Mal. We’re proud to boast a diverse student culture and a rich history–

[–and that’s enough of THAT broadcast! Is this thing on? Hello? Can you hear me?

Good. I’ll warn ya right now, everybody– if you thought Auradon Prep was wild, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Illedale is bigger, meaner, and with the past not so distant to us, tensions can run pretty high around here.

‘Course, you probably know the story by now. When preparing for his coronation, King Ben declared his first royal proclamation to allow over 4 VKs from the Isle of the Lost to come to the city. After a whole showdown about good and evil, the four integrated into Auradon society pretty well, and then after drama at Cotillion, Mowgli rallied the Auradon people to fight for the disbandment of the Isle, sending the villains to rehab and their kids to Auradon Prep.

Catching you up since graduation, pretty much all of us ended up moving to Addersfield for higher education in Auradon’s system– cuz man, I gotta tell ya, it’s a lot better in Auradon than it is anywhere else. Well, ‘cept for all the evil takeovers, I guess.

But not everyone’s cut out for college itself. The nice thing about Addersfield is that it’s all a pretty tight-knit community based around the school itself. More of a college township, as it were. So some of AP’s graduates moved to town to work with a crowd they know well.

I can’t stay much longer, but don’t let the stuffy advertising fool ya about this place, folks! We’re a lot more than what the surface wants to pretend. I’d drop your application while you can if I were in your shoes! This is P. Warner, sending you right back to your regularly scheduled programming!]

–and enroll in your future today at Illedale University, where the story starts anew.

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

Open Starter: Assistant Coach

Jini frowns as she goes over the recent playbook Jay had emailed over. “What in the hell is this?”

She squints at her screen, her head jerking back slightly as her squint turns into a confused half-smile. “What is he doing? No. Nope. No no no.” She closes her laptop and shakes her head. ”We’ll stick to standard drills this week.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold​:

Talented bitch. Killigan huffs out a half-disbelieving laugh, but he’s full of such elation that he doesn’t voice the thought. It’s more endearing than it sounds on the face of it: he hasn’t got breath to waste complimenting people he dislikes, any more than he has time to dedicate to thinking of them. He turns a genuine smile up at Jini despite her non-answer, pulling himself up onto the apron of the stage and just sitting there trying to process it all.

“Well–that’s incredible, frankly, if you aren’t, and damned smart if you are. Biology’s got less to do with this than most people think. I should know. But…what did you learn, exactly, that’s so….” Killigan’s smile drops and he squints for a moment, one hand fluttering like a leaf in the air as he makes a complicated hand gesture. “…flat,” he decides finally, pulling his hand back. “You were positively glowing before Mommy Dearest came up. Can’t be all that bad.”

“Biology plays in when it factors into my magic,” Jini points out, sighing a bit and frowning slightly at the question.

“Well, I found out my mother is an evil witch, apparently so evil that her baby, me, was cursed with a goodness spell as like, personal revenge against her or something. Up until a few months ago when I fell in the Enchanted Lake I... couldn’t, personally, even so much as experience any negative emotions. At all. I was born before the Isle was created, and my mother cast a sleeping curse over me so she could, I assume, figure out how to break the goodness spell and then raise me as evil. Except... then the Isle was created, and she was sent to it. They didn’t find me.”

She shrugs, shaking her head. “My dad, the Genie, found me some years later, and broke the sleeping curse, then raised me as his own. I always thought I had genie magic, because I didn’t know I was adopted. Then when I fell in the lake, and my dad had to tell me about what state he found me in... we found everything out, because the lake washed away the goodness spell, and I needed answers. So I now realize my magic isn’t what I thought it was, and I don’t know everything about it. So, that does have some weight in the potential, off-chance I’m somehow using magic in my music. I don’t think I am, but the truth is I don’t know anything about my magic like I thought I did.”

[themagicwxmadeisnomore-deactiva]

"Uh, excuse me, did I not make the cut for a 'hi I'm back', dude?" -jini-in-a-bxttle

“I was saving the best for last, clearly,” he laughs a bit. “Okay, but in all seriousness, I’m happy to be back with my favourite...not-a-genie. How’s that witch thing going, by the way?” he asks, after giving her a hug. It had been a while since she revealed her identity to him and he hasn’t gotten the chance to check on her since. 

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

"Yeah, good save, man," she laughs as she hugs him back, still making her typical bump against his back a slightly more playful scold before they pull back.

At the question, her nose wrinkles. "It's not. I have been solidly pretending that didn't happen. It helps things feel somewhat... normal. It's probably not good for me but I just really don't like to consider it right now."

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

untxld-stxries​:

"Life's a party and I'm the piñata."

“Aw, dude, that’s no way to feel about it!” Jini laughs and waves him off. “Life is what you make it, believe me. I’m Jini Williams.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

🗝!

“My mom. My biological mom. She’s this evil witch. I’m adopted and...” Jini swallows a lump in her throat. “--and I don’t understand what that means about my capabilities in magic, or anything.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold​:

“Must be the magic, then. I really ought to have asked Mok to teach me while I had the chance….”

Though she’s a musician whose talent is to a degree well beyond mere impressiveness, Killigan knows too well to be blinded by the smoke-and-mirrors bullshit of the other “secret” claim: he may not have started touring yet, but Mok had him in the beginning throes of performance well before nine. Expertise in performance is good for pre-show jitters, but does absolute fuck-all for managing hectic touring schedules, not that he’s about to say that to her face.

“Tell me, if you will–as a matter of professional curiosity, I mean–is that what you lace into your music to make it so…” how to even describe it? He’s experienced elation in magnetism to music before, is little more than a poor addict looking for a fix when he hears the first note of any song cutting through the air, gliding into his ears, but there’s something very…mmm, raw, GENUINE about Jini’s music that he’s never heard before.

“What I mean to say is–and this isn’t an accusation–do you use your magic in your music?”

“I’m not taking it as an accusation, but please understand I actually have no idea. I’m not doing it intentionally if that’s what’s happening. It’s a... complicated situation.”

Jini sighs, running a hand through her hair. “Basically, I’ve learned something about my biological mother, and I don’t really know much about that aspect, so I don’t know what I’m technically capable of.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold​:

“Well, that’s exhausting. Who set you up with such a shit schedule?”

He isn’t being facetious; his sincerity in his face, in the way he looks up at her, in the level tone he uses to say his piece. And he elaborates, more or less because he feels he needs to–to explain, to qualify himself, his opinion.

“Mok used to tour before he went and shot himself in the proverbial foot. Week to week in a new town in normal: week to week heading back for school, that’s a joke. You’ll never get enough rest to do it all properly that way: day to settle in town, rehearse, hopefully sleep, perform for two or three days on a packed schedule that won’t let you sleep except after the aftershow, another day to travel, try to settle, five days of classes and homework to do ten days’ worth of it all, then turn around and start again.

“Seems too hectic to do it all well, unless you know some secret I don’t.”

“Actually, it was worse. The school wanted to do day to day. I set it up. Two secrets. Performing since I was nine, touring since I was thirteen is one of them. The other is in the magic.”

With that, Jini snaps her fingers and conjures herself an energy drink. “I can do this, and there’s also no travel time for anything. Just... poof, and we’re there.”

She shakes her head. “It’s grueling, I won’t argue, but it would be a lot worse if I didn’t have those two things going for me.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold​:

Entirely too raw to be having this conversation. All the same, he stands up when Jini reappears, admittedly impressed by the unusual stage trick. “Killigan Swagger. Second coming of Mok.” Somehow, that still feels more natural on his tongue than calling himself anyone’s son.

“You mentioned a tour lineup? Ought to fire your security manager for doing an incompetent sweep pre-arrival. I was dozing off over here before you arrived: like I said, wasn’t meaning to catch a freebie.”

Jini smiles and laughs with a shrug. “It is and it isn’t, to be honest with you, dude. The deal with the tour is I have an on week and an off week that I cycle through. Spend a week at school, pop off for shows the next, and pop back in to catch up on what I missed. Same goes for my, uh, security manager. I use my off-weeks for practice. He’s not even here since it’s nothing official, and I don’t think I could fire him if I wanted to. Given he’s my dad, or more accurately, a copy of him, in a security outfit.”

Shaking her head, she shrugs again. “But I will pass on the concerns. Like I said, he’s really not here, given I’m just at school, and I don’t have any show in Auradon City this time. I was just in Auroria though.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold​:

When he ducks into the amphitheater, it’s actually on Malik’s advice–something about a fairy with apparent talent for performance, something like that. But there’s no sign of any fairy and, thinking the little shit was just trying to get some weird sort of a laugh out of it, Killigan lays down on a bench there, running his hands through his hair. It’s so different here than in Mok’s bloody palace of a manor, the last of the leftovers from the pre-demon fame. It’s bright and colorful and unnerving in a lot of ways, maybe in too many ways, but he isn’t really put off by it. It just seems so…normal. Like maybe most things are more like this instead of being more like the Isle, which he never got much access to, anyway. (No, Mok feared something would happen to his second start, and what little Killigan got, he got by stealing away for it.)

His thoughts are interrupted by a voice he almost tells to fuck off–and then there’s music. Something with a beat. Killigan closes his eyes and…thrums with it. The bass is in his veins humming along. His heart stutters until it beats in time with the drums. The lead electric shreds his thoughts and leaves them dangling, frayed bars of music waving in the breeze in their place. The vocals are strong, well-grounded, well-practiced, knitting his thoughts back into the pattern of her voice…. He doesn’t notice when he sits up, as he usually doesn’t when he’s this enthralled, but it all shatters (speaking of shattering) when it comes to an abrupt halt, and it takes Killigan a second to get the breath back into his lungs and push the music back out.

He doesn’t move, but he does raise his voice.

“Sorry, sorry–hadn’t come for a freebie. Wouldn’t dream of robbing an actually talented artist of her due.”

Jini giggles. “Aw, you flatter me. I’m just lucky to have a dad who knew how to raise me with music.”

She vanishes in a flash of blue smoke to reappear nearby, walking over to properly introduce herself. “Jini Williams. And you are...?”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

Do you have any favorite songs from other artists?

“Absolutely, sugar! I’ve got a huge playlist if ya wanna take dive in sometime, and I’d always love new recommendations. But if you wanted specifics, I’m really digging ‘High Hopes’ by Panic! at the Disco right now, it has such a good energy and all around feeling. My mood with songs changes from week to week, though. I’ve also always been partial to my dad’s stuff from history, too, but that’s a big bias on my part.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

Closed Starter: Spotlight

She loves getting permission from Fairy Godmother to do a little practice on campus. Right now she’s doing a bit of warming up before she really does anything big, also a quick mic check on the amphitheater stage. “Beep boop, Jini Bot active,” she tries, giggling a bit and turning from the mic with a nod. “Well, it works.”

All right, enough goofing off. She snaps her fingers to bring the lights down. The lights come up again as the leadup beats for Gravity start playing, looking up and looking serious, still standing at her mic stand.

“Do you remember feeling invincible? When there was trouble it was us against the world... We kept running, running through the night Chasing the sun 'til anything felt right...”

She picks up her mic, but stays where she is.

“Can you save me now? I get lost up in the clouds Can you save me now? You were my gravity...”

The instant the music picks up she moves forward onstage. “Can you save me now? When the ground drops out I get lost in the clouds Save me now? You were my gravity Now my world is shattering--”

But instead of continuing on, she sees someone out there and snaps, stopping her mini-rehearsal abruptly, the lights coming back up. “Sorry, man, no sneak previews for the tour lineup.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

“I don’t do romance, but I’m a hopeless bromantic.”

[untxld-stxries]

Closed Starter: Adoption Blues (Elizabeth/Mara/Jini)

"You're going to love it here," Liz said, smiling at her sister. Her baby sister. "What do you like doing?"

"Gardening," Mara said. "It's relaxing."

"Really? There's a really cool garden that way." Liz pointed towards the towering rose bushes.

"Beautiful," Mara breathed.

"And there's all kinds of people for you to meet!" Liz looked around, singling out a particular girl. "Hey! You're Jini, right? From that awesome party?"

"Jini? As in the daughter of the Genie?" Mara whispered.

@jini-in-a-bxttle

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

Jini whirls on her heels at the voice calling her name and smiles. “Oh, hey dude, yeah, that’s me,” and she backs herself up slightly from the pair with a sparkle in her eyes.

This, this is normal.

“The one-and-only,” she raises her right arm with a snap, initiating a magically created drumroll, “The miracle of modern day magic,” now raising her left arm with a snap to induce fake smoke, “--showstopping!”

Lowering her arms slowly (now nothing more than a silhouette in the smoke), she snaps one final time to get it all to vanish in a flash of sparkling confetti, backlit by a signature “applause” neon sign in the back, “Jini Williams, at your service, how can I help you?”

She honestly feels like herself, for once, which has been hard since the whole ‘adopted’ reveal.

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold‌:

Daughter of the Genie. Yeah, right.

…oh. Yeah. Right. That’s–actually possible here. Abbi shuts her eyes for a minute and takes a breath in to try and contain her excitement. Dreamer or not, the new is always exciting, and there’s but adventure as far the eye can see here. Some secret part of herself Abbi never even knew existed is suddenly ready to explode, right here, right now, into some wild, whirlwind life.

“–Sorry. I didn’t mean to rude. I’ve got a headache and this is all an awful lot to take in right off the bat.” Abbi wipes the sweat from her hands onto her dirty old shorts and stands up, offering Jini her free hand as she goes to put her juice bottle in her wide back pocket. “I’m Abigail. Abbi Gale, to most. What’s all this ruckus about parents for? Kinda thought the idea for this place was that most kids here already have a set or two.”

Jini smiles and shakes Abbi’s hand, considering pulling the other in for the typical one armed hug but deciding against it given the circumstances. “Oh, no problem, honestly, man. It’s a messy situation to be in.”

Still smiling, she chuckles and adds, “Family day is supposed to be a day for students to actually see their families-- as a prep school, Auradon Prep exclusively allows on-campus housing when a student is in classes. This includes during summer school. We can visit home but it’s not the same and it’s not easier once it gets later in the year. It’s also a chance to showcase student talent and how our studies have impacted us since the year started, and gives our parents to talk to teachers to see what can be done if any improvements are needed. So yeah, Family Day is a huge day around here.”

She chuckles and shrugs. “Well, in most cases anyways. My dad pops by every evening, so I’m not really doing much but putting on a little evening performance to close off the thing, and helping myself to the buffet.”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

ofstcriestold‌:

There are bodies everywhere, people dodging to and fro, skirts and dresses and pants and blouses and even glitter in every color Abbi’s ever concieved of and more. It’s almost a little shocking, like somehow she’s led her life in monochromes and now everything is in technicolor and it’s enough to make her head spin. As a matter of fact, it does make her head spin. Her messenger bag is between her knees and she’s seated at a nearby picnic table with a bottle of juice in one hand, Minx among her books and spare socks in the bag. The chaffuer had almost seemed surprised that it was–as he had announced–Parent’s Day. He’d apologized and left her along at the gte, told her not to go far, he would find her a guide–but that was thirty minutes ago already, and Abbi was getting tired of waiting.

And now there’s somebody blocking the sun in front of her, and she’s tired and new and yes, okay, maybe a little scared, more like nervous, and her head is still spinning and she can’t think of anything more to do than to lean her face into her hand and announce, rather dryly: “I look new because I am new, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Which is…not a great start to her supposed new fairytale life.

“Oh, oh goodness, sugar, I had no idea they’d just leave you like this. You should have been brought to the office and they’d have called a student guide, oh goodness.”

5′0″ powerhouse and apparently witch-not-genie Jini was not concerned with the ongoings of the day.

She’s created more chaotic in her performances. And her dad had already agreed to do what they always do, and poof into her room to meet her for dinner every night. So no, Jini’s not bothered or busy.

“I’m Jini, daughter of the Genie, and I’m one of the student guides, again, I am so sorry for how things were handled here. I suspect even the staff are a bit put-off by the festivities today. Welcome to Auradon Prep!”

[jini-in-a-bxttle]

Open Starter: Denial

Nope.

Nope.

Nopity nope nope, nope!

Jini has completely elected to pretend the ongoing family drama, the reveal of her biological origins, the fact that her mother was a witch in rehab and she could potentially go see her, it wasn’t happening. Denial is her new best friend.

She’s looking for a seat at lunch, approaching another person at a mainly empty table. “Hiya, sunshine, someone sitting there?” She gestures to a seat across from them.