Forum Thread

Don’t Be Sad ((After the Rain))


((A/N: So… I’ve been feeling slightly depressed lately, but I was listening to After The Rain by Marcus Warner and I realised that… my life actually mattered. In a way. So this is for anyone who feels alone. Because, quoting the Face of Boe, you are not alone.))

Freak. Nerd. Geek. Wierdo. Weeb.
Loser. Bookworm. Trashbag.

These were the names I was used to being called. For 13 years now, I’ve been in fandom after fandom. Group after group. Club after club. All for one thing. Those TV shows I’m into.

When I was about 5, it started with Pokémon. My next-door neighbour at the time was playing Heart Gold, and I got Soul Silver just so I could play it with him.

It escalated from there.
Doctor Who, RWBY, Sherlock, Narnia, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Merlin, Supernatural. Any fandom that caught my attention, I became a part of. I made silly Tumblr posts, got my friends into them, wrote fan fiction. They became a necessity. I lived and breathed for them.

For a while, my parents thought it was just a phase. That I would grow out of it eventually. But that day never came.

One night, I was going downstairs for a drink of water or something. I was at the top of the stairs, and I heard my mother’s voice.
“We have to do something about this obsession she has! We can’t let it continue!” She was shrieking at my father.
“Sweetheart, calm down”
“Calm down? Our daughter is throwing her life away!”

At that point I ran back upstairs. I was done. My parents didn’t believe in me. That was the worst feeling ever. Like my heart was being ripped out. I kneeled on the floor, sobbing. Just crying. Now, I’m an atheist, but still, I prayed.
“Please… If there really is someone up there, help. Send an angel, or someone… just please… help me…” By that time I was screaming as tears rolled down my face. The pain was immense, just washing over me in waves like sea on the beach. I was shaking, crying, screaming at my life. The fact that I had been like this inside whilst pretending that everything was okie-dokie Diet Cokey was what was really making me sad. I had been living a lie for years, and believing that lie was true was my downfall. I felt three people standing in front of me.
“Can I shoot who-ever is making her sad?”
“Not in public.”
“Yes, that would be a very bad idea.”
Those voices. I had heard them before. I looked up, three men were standing before me. One was tall and lanky, one was slightly shorter with green eyes, and the other was wearing a beige trench coat. I sniffed as Dean crouched down beside me and held me to his chest.
“Sssshhhh, princess. Don’t cry. It’s gonna be ok.” He whispered as I cried again, shaking. This wasn’t real. It definitely wasn’t. Cas and Sam bent down too, and I was enveloped in three sets of arms, one of a Squirrel, one of a Moose, and one of an Angel. “And we’ll take you on our next hunting trip, ok?” Sam laughed, and ruffled my hair.
Another man, black haired and in a red scarf and a blue shirt was kneeling next to me, a blonde clad in armour next to him. “Look. I don’t know any spells that can mend a broken heart, but I know one to help.” Merlin said, and his eyes glowed gold as I’d seen so many times before as he opened his hand and thousands of glowing, ethereal butterflies sprung forth, encasing the room in a silver glow. Arthur spoke up. “And I can take you back to Camelot, and I’ll teach you how to ride a proper horse!” He smiled as I stared into the face I’d fallen in love with over the years of watching them.

Another raven-haired man stood in front of me, with a slightly older man next to him. Sherlock looked me up and down. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll try and compose a song on the violin for you.” “I could teach you how to shoot a gun. Believe me, it makes for some pretty nice stress relief.” John added, chuckling. I stared in awe. The Baker Street duo. What was happening?!

Another person, a woman this time, lent down and patted my shoulder. “It’s ok Alex. We’re here for you.” Hermione said softly, then stepped backwards, to hold Ro’s hand and give him a quick kiss on the cheek, whilst Ginny did the exact same to Harry. “Yeah. You might not have gotten your acceptance letter, but you’re still an awesome Ravenclaw.” Harry smiled, and for the first time, I smiled back.

Four children then came up to me, a lion and a mouse at their side. “Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen.” Aslan said, and Repicheep ran up to me and bowed as a small circlet of rose gold was placed on my head by Lucy and my blanket draped on my back by Peter. I smiled. The Chronicles of Narnia. Oh, how I cried when the films were finished.

Two more people came up to me, a boy and girl in orange T shirts. “Our stories may be continued, but yours is just starting, Daughter of Hecate.” Percy laughed, and Annabeth and I shared a knowing look as a hologram of two blazing purple torches sprang up above my head.

Eight people stood in front of me now, all in armour and with weapons holstered somewhere on them. Ruby and Jaune bent down to face me and wrapped their arms around me. “You’ll always have a place at Beacon, Alex.” Blake said, her cat ears exposed. “Yeah! And we’ll break anyone who tries to make you sad’s legs!” Nora yelled, punching a fist in the air ad Ren put a steadying hand on her shoulder and Pyhra did the same to Jaune, whilst Yang gripped my hand tightly.

I didn’t realise I was still crying when an old man with curly grey hair knelt and wiped them away. “Hey. We can have an adventure together in the TARDIS, me and you. What do you say?” The Doctor asked and I nodded, holding back another round of tears.

They all stepped back. I could feel their happiness and love and pride and hope coursing through me. It was all for me. That made me stop crying.
But what happened next nearly made me start again.
Two people came and lead me forwards, two that I knew so well. Link and Zelda, the Hyrulian heroes. The Goddess and The Warrior.

A shorter girl and boy, the Inklings, stood in front, both smiling at me. I booped the girl and ruffled the boy’s tentacle ponytail, making him blush.

A yellow puppy walking on her hind legs flanked by another girl and boy joined us. Isabelle and the Villagers. “Hurry! This way!” She babbled, beaming. “It’s good to see you again Mayor Alex!” I started crying again, but happy tears. Because as I looked up, an old Japanese man walked towards me, a yellow mouse in one hand, a short plumber in a red and blue uniform leading him forwards. Fusajiro Yamauchi. The founder of Nintendo. I bowed to him, and he bowed back, then I ran forwards, hugging him. “Thank you. I am so happy to have discovered your company when I did, like so many others.” I said to him. He hugged me back, surprisingly strong for his old age. “It is alright to cry, child. For after the rain, there is always a ray of hope in the dark.” He said as I cried again, but this time in happiness. Because this is what my family is. This group of people. They may be fictional, but I love them. They’re real to me. There was a soft prodding at my leg. “Pika?” Pikachu offered up something. A flower. A rose. A symbol of love. I walked back to the group of people I’ve known my whole life, arm in arm with Yamauchi, and in that single moment, that was what I felt. Love. Pure, undying love. And for as long as I live I will remember that moment. For after the darkness comes for the light, the hope and love will repel it until the end of time. And that night I learnt that. It may have been that I fell asleep on the floor after crying, but I saw my friends that night. The ones who will never leave me, as long as we all shall live, I will love them until I’m old and grey. I will tell my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren stories of Monster Hunters, of Time Lords, of a land of myth and a time of magic, of wizards and witches, of children of the Greek and Roman gods and humans, of consulting detectives and their adventures, of creatures in another world that battle each other, of trainee warriors and a land behind the back of a wardrobe, of a brave knight saving a princess from an ancient darkness, a plumber becoming the lover of a princess and so many more stories that I will tell them. And they will tell their children, and their children will tell their children, and the cycle will keep going.

So if anyone ever tells you that you have a weird obsession, look them in the eye and say: “I am a fan girl or a fan boy. I have interests that your tiny mind could not comprehend. So don’t try and tell me that my likes are stupid, or that I’m living in a fantasy world, because if you do, you might find yourself outnumbered, my friend.”

Because that is what you are. Not a Freak or a Weeaboo or a Nerd or any of those things. You are you.
Never forget that.

First Flight
by SylveonGirl23, 1 day ago
Literature / Fan Fiction / General Fiction
First Flight ((Songfic I guess))

Two children, no more of age 14, a boy and girl, were next to each other on a hill as the sun set and dark captured day. They were stargazing, looking for one constellation, Cygnus, the swan.
The girl, Mireille, was reading a book whilst the boy, Cas, was setting up the telescope. Cas wandered over to Mireille.
“Whatcha reading?”
“Hmm? Oh… Just Peter Pan. I love the story, and the metaphor.” Mireille replied, looking up from the delicately illustrated pages of her fairy tale. She looked at Cas. He had never taken an interest in her books before.
“Really? What’s it about?” Cas asked, sitting down beside her. Mireille snapped the book shut and laughed. “No spoilers! I’ll lend it to you someday if you want!”
Cas smiled back at her. “I’d like that. Hey look! The stars!” He changed the subject, pointing at the bright pinpricks of light that were flashing into existence above their heads.
“Wow… Look! Cygnus!” Mireille pointed at the constellation in awe, happy they had reached their goal of finding it.
“W…Would you like to see it up close?” Cas asked, a faint pink blush hovering on his cheeks.
“What do you mean, see it up close? It’s impossible to do that!” The brown haired girl laughed, holding her book to her chest. She was a firm believer in Science, hand science hadn’t taken them that far… yet.
“With magic it’s possible.” Cas said, not a shred of jest on his face.
Mireille laughed again. “Magic? Cas, stop it, seriously.”
Cas held his hand out to his friend. “Do you trust me?”
“W… What?”
“Do you trust me?” He asked again, tilting his head to the side.
“Umm… Yeah…”
“Great. Hold on a second.” Cas said, an impish grin taking over his face. He pulled out an umbrella, blue and patterned with stars. He opened it, then held his hand out again to Mireille again. “Come on!”
Reluctantly, Mireille took his hand and stood. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew throughout the area, making the surrounding grass and trees shiver and dance. The umbrella caught the breeze, and lifted Cas off the ground, making Mireille shudder in excitement. Her feet too left the ground and suddenly they were flying. Soaring past the clouds, their hair whipping from the acceleration. Mireille gasped. The town in which the two friends resided was so far away! The duo stopped as Cas managed to touch them down on a cloud.
“What is – how are we—WHAT IS GOING ON?!” She yelled, scared and excited as she heard Cas laugh at her. “Are you Peter Pan?” “Nope! But your face though…! OH MY GOD!” the boy giggled as he did an impression of his friend. Mireille punched him lightly on the arm. “Whatever Umbrella man. Hey look! A shooting star!” She pointed out, then sat next to Cas, ruffling his hair. He smiled, then put an arm around her neck and pulled her in for a hug.


“How was that for a first flight, eh?”

A bang. A scream. That's what wakes me. As my vision focuses in the dark room I see my sister laying on the cold concrete floor in a pool of her own blood, a figure standing behind her. Pale fingers holding a gun, long copper waves twitching in the night breeze from outside the barred window, still gazing down at the dead body at her feet.
The prison that I now call home is one of the most secure places in the world. So the question isn't "why did she murder my sister?" I already know why. The question is, how did she get in?
I scramble back against the wall behind me, my heart already racing. That draws her attention to me, and her head raises. I bare my fangs at her, one of the only signs I'm not human. Pretending like I'm no threat won't persuade her to spare me, but being strong will. She values strength above all else.
Her icy blue eyes glitter in the faint moonlight, making my heart skip a beat, but I growl anyways. "Leave me alone, Destiny." The words do not help push the frantic thoughts out of my head. They say her eyes can freeze you like a deer in the headlights. They say her voice is like a siren's song, sweet but deadly. They say once you see her smile you're never seen again. I can appear strong on the outside, even if I'm terrified on the inside.
The blink at me a moment. Then her mouth curls upward, and I can see her teeth. Normal human teeth, but so much scarier.
"Oh, Red, I'm never going to leave you alone." She raises her gun, clicks the bullet into the chamber. "Not until your dead. But today's your lucky day."

Mary Contrary
Splash!

That was the sound I heard as I run from the villagers of this small town. My foot had stepped into one of the puddles that were scattered along the ground, but I didn't care. My only concern was to get away. If I was caught...by the Gods, I didn't want to think about that. I shook the water out of my long, black hair. I had lost the yellow flower bow that was in it a while ago. How long have I been running now? A few minutes, a few hours? I didn't know. I just knew it felt like forever. I wince as something lodged into a tree ahead of me. Dang, they must have guns. I gritted my teeth and willed my legs to go faster. I can't be caught, not now. I sharply turned to my right and continued running. I noticed the mouth of a cave up ahead. I sent a silent thank you to the Gods for little things before gasping as I felt something lodge into the back of my left knee. I stumbled and fell to the floor. My breath escaped me with a small oof sound. I heard boots hurry up to me, so I started to crawl my way to the cave. I was stopped though, as a boot shoved me to the ground.

"I got the little witch!" I heard a male yell above me. No, no, no, no! I thought. Not like this! I still have to protect Richard, Arthur, and Melody! I used what little upper body strength I have to throw the man off me before pushing myself to a standing position and hobbled to the cave. As I hobbled, I heard shouts and footsteps behind me. I made it to the mouth of the cave before another shot rang out. This one hit me in the shoulder causing me to cry out and stumble inside the cave. I hit one of the side walls with a groan. I took a few deep breaths and listened. I heard them gathering around the mouth of the cave causing me to sigh. I used the wall I was resting against to travel farther into the cave. Sadly, it wasn't as deep as I was hoping it would be. I hit the back of it with a whimper before turning around. Soon they would enter my hiding spot. I slid down the wall and watch the entrance. It didn't take long for them to enter. It also didn't take long for the blows to start raining down on me. I had curled into as much of a ball as I could in order to minimize the damage. I cried out as I felt one of my bones snap. I guess I blacked out after that because the next thing I knew, I was being picked up by my twin.

"Come on Linna.You'll be alright."He whispered into my ear. I smiled and let myself relax and fell asleep once more. I don't know how much time had passed in between the gaps. I remembered waking up every now and then. I remembered Richard yelling at my grandmother to help me. I remembered my grandmother leaning over me and apologizing but I didn't know what for. Why was she sorry? Grandmother don't cry, please? I woke up again and blinked a few times before looking to my left. Arthur was sitting in a chair with Melody on his lap. Grandpa was leaning against a wall not too far away from them. All three were asleep. I then rolled my head to the right to see who else was with me. Richard was in another seat holding onto my hand while his head was resting on my bed. I lifted my hand to run it through his hair. After a few run throughs, he woke up.

"Linna?" He questioned while looking up and blinking at me. I gave him a slight smile in reply."Gee sis. Ya know how to give someone a heart attack. How ya feeling, sweetheart?"He swallowed thickly while I tried to gather my thoughts.

"T...Tired. I feel t...tired." I whispered to him. He nodded at that admission.

"Not surprised. There was a lot of damage done to ya. Too much damage actually." He responded. My eyes must have slipped close because I woke with him shaking my shoulder. "Please sweetheart, stay awake."We remained silent for a minute before I asked the question that was on my mind.

"Ric, am I...I dying?" He went ramrod straight in response to that question.

"N...No, of course not sweetheart.What makes ya think that?" He said with an unconvincing laugh."There is no way your d...dy...dying. I won't let you. You don't have my permission to die." I laughed at that.

"Y...You're adorable." I mused at him causing him to splutter.

"What?! I have ya know, sweetheart, that I am far from adorable!" He denied causing me to laugh some more until it hurt too much to laugh."Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry."I looked over at him and shook my head.

"N...Not your f...fault."I managed to whisper out.

"Yes, it is! If I was faster, I could have protected ya." I simply shook my head once again before falling asleep.He shook my shoulder to wake me again."Hey, I said no sleeping!" I took a deep breath and started to cough a bit. After my coughing session, Richard helped me sit up so I could be slightly more comfortable.

"Hey, R...Ric?" I questioned.

"Yeah, sweetheart? What is it you need?"

"C...Can you s...sing to me?" He looked at me and tilted his head before a sigh left him.

"Sure sweetheart.What song ya want?" I thought for a minute before I answered him.

"S...Secret Garden."He nodded before he started to sing.

"He said,
Oh Mary, contrary how does your garden grow?
Come with me, and you'll be...
...the seventh maid in a row.
My answer was laughter...
...soft as I lowered my head.
You're too late, I'm afraid
this flower is already...Linna?" He shook my shoulder but I didn't wake up. I never woke up again. Instead, I went with mama and mommy. I went somewhere, where I couldn't be hurt. I knew what the last word of the song is. It went like this.

"You're too late. I'm afraid this flower is already dead."

Soft, muffled crying wakes me. My hazel eyes blink open before I even register the sound, my father instincts kicking in. As soon as I fit the noise as what accompanies tears, which automatically means sadness in many species across the galaxies, a dozen scenarios flick through my mind. Echo has hurt herself again. Whisper was fighting with her sister earlier and now it's come back to haunt her. Either could be in that place I don't know how to fill, the brief time when they were a normal family, with normal parents. Before their lives were burned to ashes along with their planet.
Then I remember. Echo hasn't lived with me for almost fifty years now, Whisper hasn't even visited in person for the last hundred. They're both in their 600s, much too old to be crying about those faint memories that they cling to as a reminder of the life they had before I adopted them. I can fill that space, I am now almost everything they've ever known. Truly their father.
I shake the thoughts from my head, sitting up. If not my daughters, who is crying? The answer is there a second after I've thought of the question. Beyond, of course. The quiet, sleepy teen I've been living with recently. Well, I've also been living with Pitch (who can be a serious jerk sometimes) and Ink (who is way too peppy at 4 am), but they don't particularly matter right now. They don't matter as much as Beyond, and why he's crying.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, adjusting my white t-shirt I always wear to bed, and stand up. I head out into the hall, frustrated at the darkness for a few seconds before my eyes adjust so it looks like everything is bathed in soft moonlight. Stopping at Beyond's room, which is indeed the source of the sound that has now reduced to sniffles, I tap quietly on the closed door.
"Um, Beyond? Do you mind if I come in? I... I heard you crying, I thought I'd check on you." I say in a low voice. There's silence for a second, then Beyond's soft voice answers. "Come in."
I carefully push open the door, willing it not to creak. Considering I have reality-shifting powers, that probably effects the outcome, and the hinges keep their mouths shut. Beyond is sitting up in bed, the window above his head turning his pale blonde hair almost silver, like little rays of the moon's light. His blue-gray eyes are still a bit red, and a stray drop is slowly tracing its way down his cheek.
"I'm... sorry. If I woke you, I mean." His voice is as quiet as ever, like he's very deep in thought and very shy at the same time. "Beyond, it doesn't matter. I care more about your crying than my sleep." I sit on the edge of his bed, glancing over at him. "Besides, it's probably for the best. The less sleep I get the better. But you on the other hand... another nightmare?"
Beyond nods, looking down, ashamed. Thinking he's much too old for bad dreams. I sigh. "How about I sleep with you? Just for tonight, to keep the nightmares away. Sound good?" Beyond nods again, his gaze lifting to focus on me again. He shifts over, even though there's plenty of room on the huge mattress. I climb in, right next to Beyond, despite his attempts to give me half of the bed.
He curls into me, and I put my arm around him. I can feel his bony shoulders through his alabaster skin, I can feel his chest rising and falling against my side. He's so small, compared to me, I fear if I shift I could snap his skin.
"You really think you'll keep the nightmares away?" He asks, his tone hushed even more then usual. "Of course I can." I reply. "Go to sleep, Beyond, I'll see you in the morning, and I promise you'll only have the best of dreams."
"Promise?" His voice his hopeful, but he already knows the answer.
"Promise." I reply. And within a few minutes, Beyond is asleep, and I follow soon after.