It was finally time for Valentines Day, and Marlene has been waiting forever for it. She's planned the most spectacular day for her and Dorcas, but first, she needs to check up on her friends.
James picks up after the first ring.
'Hello? Marls? I'm freaking out. I don't think I can do this.'
'Yes, you can, James. You'll be fine. He's going to love it. I promise. Sirius even said so.'
'I can't do this, Marls. He's going to hate me.'
'No, he won't. Just do it, and you'll thank me later.'
Marlene hears James sigh over the phone. 'If he doesn't like it, I'm blaming you.'
'And if he does, you'll be thanking me. Now go. Goodbye, James. I love you.'
'I love you, too, Marls.'
Now it's time for Sirius. He's going to be much harder since she isn't his most trusted friend. That's James. But she's going to try.
She clicks on Sirius' contact, and he picks up after five rings. 'Hello?'
'Sirius, you doing ok?'
'Yep. I'm perfectly fine.'
'James told me to call you.'
'Fucking cunt. No, Marls. I'm not doing ok. I'm freaking out. Help?'
'Just like I told James, he's going to love it. I promise.'
Sirius sighs over the phone. 'Yeah, you're probably right. Thank you, Marls.'
'Your welcome, Sirius. Goodbye.'
'Bye.'
Let's see, Lily' capable. Peter doesn't have a valentine. Mary. I should probably call Mary and maybe Lily. Let's start with Mary.
'Marls? What if Emmeline doesn't like it? What if I mess up?'
'Mar, I promise she'll love it. You'll thank me later, ok? I love you.'
'I love you, too.'
Ok, maybe I should try Lily. Sometimes, she's not as strong as people think she is.
She picks up after the second ring. 'Marls, I'm freaking out. I know you probably already talked to everyone else, but I need it, too.'
'I know, that's why I called. Now, what's wrong?'
'What if she says no? What if -'
'She won't. I promise. I love you and want the best for you, so just do it.'
'Fine. But if she says no, it's your fault.'
'Yeah, yeah. I love you.'
'I love you, too.'
Marlene might be the bravest, but sometimes she gets scared, too. Like right now, her fiancé is in the other room on her phone. She doesn't even know Marlene planned anything. So, I guess now is the time before she figures it out.
Marlene planned to propose to her today, but a few months ago, Dorcas, Marlene, and all their friends, went on a little hike, and James decided to pack Marlene' ring she got for Dorcas, and whipped it out, so she had no other choice but to do it.
So, James helped plan something else today and Marlene added her own little thing at the end of the day that James doesn't need to know about, but will probably do the same thing with Regulus.
Yesterday, Marlene went out and bought Dorcas some chocolates, flowers, and a bear. She gave them to her this morning.
Marlene wanted to take Dorcas to her favorite restaurant, but James said to take her to a fancier one called Eccentric Eating. James had said that he went there once with his parents but never went back after their deaths.
So, that's exactly what Marlene' going to do. She's going to take her fiancé to a fancy ass restaurant that her best friend recommended and hope that Dorcas likes it.
She did, in fact, like it very much. So much, in fact, Marlene' 'suprise' happened earlier than she thought it would. Marlene was surprised they even made it to their bed.
-
James had just hung up with Marlene, and he's still freaking out. I mean, much less, but still. Maybe, no. No. I need to do this. I'm gonna do this. Ok. I think I'm ready.
Regulus is out with Pandora right now and should be back in an hour. That gives James at least some time to man up. He needs to give his fiancé the best Valentines of his life.
Surprisingly, Marlene let James propose to Regulus at the same time she proposed to Dorcas. Usually, she likes to have that kind of stuff to herself, but since they've known each other so long, they got close enough where if they could, they would share clothes. And Marlene does take James' shirts even if their big.
So, James has decided that Regulus doesn't want a fancy ass fucking diner. He just wants James all to himself. Plus, Pandora and Regulus are out having a fancy ass lunch right now, anyway.
James has decided that he should just get Regulus some flowers and a meal. Since Regulus' favorite flowers are Arctic Willows, James decided to go with Lillies. Which - in James' opinion - is the closest anyone could possibly get.
Regulus' favorite meal is the chocolate soufflé, and that's exactly what he tried to make. But he doesn't think it turned out very well. It doesn't look as pretty as it's supposed to be, but his mum only taught him Spanish recipes, not French. It tastes okay, though. So, let's hope that's enough.
It was, in fact, enough. So much so that Regulus didn't even notice the lillies and was just staring at James the whole time. And they did, in fact, do the same thing as Marlene and Dorcas.
-
Sirius has planned everything out on how this day is going to go. But what he wasn't planning on was Remus not going to the library today. He goes every single day. Nothing stops him. Except for today. Something stopped him today, and Sirius has no idea what.
"Hey, Moons. Whatcha doin' here?" Sirius asks his husband.
"Reading." Remus replies without looking up from his book.
"You're usually at the library."
"I figured I could stay here today."
"Right, right. Of course you can."
He finally looks up from his book. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Somehow Sirius did figure out how to get Remus out of the house for an hour and he made the most of the time he had.
When it comes to parties, Sirius goes all out, but this is not a party. It's Valentines Day. A day just for him and Remus.
Sirius did think about setting up streamers at some point, but Marlene talked him out of it. Instead, he went for roses on the bed in the shape of a heart and some champagne.
Remus came back an hour later - just as promised - and wasn't as surprised as Sirius thought he'd be. Maybe it's because Sirius practically kicked him out of the house or he just didn't like it. But one thing Sirius is for sure about, he liked the last present of the day.
-
Barty wasn't one for Valentines Day. Evan knew that, but he still tried.
First, he tried taking Barty out for breakfast. He didn't want to. He even tried buying him some chocolates, flowers, and a bear. He didn't like that either. He ran out of ideas before they even got to lunch.
Then, he decided to call Regulus. He picked up on the final ring.
'What do you want?'
'I need help.'
'Help with what?' Pandora' voice comes from the other end of the line.
'Panda? What are you doing there?'
'Lils kicked me out.'
'Fair enough. Anyway, I don't know what to do. Barty doesn't like anything I give him.'
'Ev,' Regulus starts. 'You know he doesn't like Valentines Day. Just have sex with him.'
'I don't want to know what happens with my brother, thank you.'
'Sorry. But, Ev, that's the best thing you're going to give him. He doesn't like anything else. Just try it, ok?'
'Yeah, ok. So, we just do it all day?'
'You do it anyway!' Pandora says.
'Yeah, you're right. Thanks, I love you both. Bye.'
So, that's exactly what Evan did. They had sex until they couldn't anymore.
-
Mary wasn't one for sentimental shit until Emmeline. Emmeline is the best thing that has happened to her in a long time - besides her friends. She doesn't know what she would do without her girlfriend.
Mary and Lily made a plan. Mary was going to take her out to brunch - since they both sleep in - and then go sightseeing in Paris. Oh, yeah. They're in Paris - of all places - spending Valentines Day together. Then, they would go back to their hotel and spend the rest of the night having mind-blowing sex.
And that's exactly what they did. They slept until noon, went to brunch, went sightseeing, and then had sex.
Mary was surprised she didn't propose today like everyone was going to. And honestly, she wouldn't be against it. She loves Emmeline so much that she would very much love to marry her. But, unfortunately, that's not what happened. Maybe next year.
-
Lily isn't sure if she should do this. I mean, sure, she loves Pandora so much, but she isn't sure if she's going to say yes. Maybe she should call Dorcas, too. Not just Marlene. No, I just need to do this. She's going to say yes. Marlene is sure of it.
So, she did. They went to Pandora' favorite place in England, New Forest. Where there are a bunch of plants and flowers.
When Lily saw Pandora' face light up after she realized where they were going, she knew she wanted to be with her forever.
"Lils, this is amazing." She was looking at all the flowers and plants. "I love you."
"Pandora Artemis Rosier," Pandora looks back at Lily, "the very first time I set my eyes on you, I knew you would be my forever. Even when we first started dating three years ago, I still knew you would be my forever. So, I'm asking you now, will you be my forever? Make me the happiest woman alive and make me your wife?"
Pandora smiles. "Yes, Lily, yes. Of course I'll marry you."
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I originally thought up a bunch of ghoul hockey ideas/headcannons while I was at work yesterday (which I'll probably end up just dumping into its own post as is) that I meant to follow up on and expand today but then instead I wrote the following two little things that are really only hockey adjacent lol. I blame @forlorn-crows and @askingforthesun for reminding me I like hockey and giving me the Ghoul Hockey brainrot.
The first one centers on Dew's pregame rituals and the second is a follow up concerning... zambonis I guess? The both of them together probably total about 1.2k so I'm gonna stick 'em under a readmore :)
Pre-game Ritual
After enough damage was caused by restless ghouls cooped up in the abbey during the winter, the decision was quickly made to try and facilitate an outlet for the, to work out pent up energy. A short while later, hockey gear and sticks appeared and weekly games between the ghouls have been commonplace ever since. It took a while for the idea to truly catch on in the beginning, but by the time Copia came to lead the Ghost Project it was a well loved tradition and something that the ghouls got very invested in.
Dew had first picked up the idea of a pregame ritual from Omega, who was a firm believer in the same meal before each game to bring him luck.
... It may have gotten a little out of control from there. Is it truly a superstition if it gets you the desired results though? Dew definitely didn't think so. Over the years he gained more and more "habits" as he would refer to them to help him out in games until it reached the current state of affairs. Before each game he had 5 things that he swore were essential otherwise the game would go horribly.
A good pregame meal: The first of his many quirks he stole directly from Omega then later changed to make his own. For lunch before their weekly game he would always make one of the same two chicken and pasta dishes. After he became a fire ghoul it was still the same meal, but he made them so spicy that only he or another fire ghoul could stand to eat it. Originally he claimed that is just helped him get into the hockey mindset, but that statement later changed to him saying it helped him get fired up both literally and metaphorically to hit the ice.
Zamboni time: Eventually Dew got tired of always being the one to trip on the rouge debris stuck to the ice when they played. He eventually figured out that a fire ghoul and a water ghoul could run out there before the game and together essentially create a makeshift Zamboni equivalent out of ghoul magic so that the ice would be clean and smooth. At first he and Ifrit would go out and do it, but later he and Rain continued the tradition. It was almost meditative in a way, but he kept that part to himself.
A lucky charm: This particular aspect was the only one that he was willing to admit was truly superstitious. In his pocket every time he went out onto the ice, he carried a little plastic figurine of a phoenix that Aether and Mountain had given to him just before he left to undergo the process of becoming a fire ghoul. They said it was a good luck charm and a reminder that they were thinking of him and supporting him the whole time, even if they couldn't be there. It has been one of the only constants he had in the beginning. Dew figured that if it was good luck then than it was absolutely good luck now. It also reminded him that his pack had his back both on and off the ice, however he deemed that particular sentiment a bit too sappy to ever admit out loud. He would turn the small figure around in his hands just before the game and whenever he was sitting out off the ice.
Some good tunes and a nap: It doesn't matter how sleep deprived you are, a quick little disco nap can make you right as rain and ready to absolutely crush the competition. Dew knows this is a friendly game between the ghouls to let off steam and bond as a pack but he is 100% the kind of person to let his competitive nature get the best of him in this scenario. Besides, cleaning the ice uses a lot of energy and makes him sleepy. Also listen, Dew is a musician and everybody knows that the right playlist can be essential to get into the right headspace. The nap is also an excuse to lay in his room and listen to his pregame playlist. It is most closely guarded of his "habits" and kept secret from the other ghouls lest they try to mess with it and cause it to stop working. It is totally not because it's mostly bubblegum pop and he has a reputation to uphold.
Handshakes: The final superstition habit he developed before a game was a special handshake with whoever his line mates were going to be for the evening. Sometimes the ghouls would mix up who played what position and so he developed a different handshake with each member of the team. The most complicated of which are with Cumulus and Rain. The ghoulette was originally the one to instigate this behavior the first time and then they won 3-0 so slowly everybody else also gained their own unique pattern.
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A follow-up thing I thought up expanding upon the second pregame superstition. How it came to be and how it transformed
Zamboni Boys
Preparing the ice before a game became almost ritualistic at a point. Controlled melt. Shape. Smooth. Freeze.
Dew had originally thought up the idea one day after watching Ifrit accidentally melt some of the snow around him when he got startled while they were on a walk together. The frozen lake in the winter is a great opportunity for a little ghoulish hockey, but is rough and full of imperfections to get caught on. Dew, tired of always being the unlucky one to catch whatever was stuck to the surface of the ice and all its rough patches with his skates, quickly formulated a plan.
If he had Ifrit use a little fire magic to carefully melt the very top layer of the ice, sweep all the debris away, then he could use a little water magic to help the surface refreeze all smooth and pretty. Essentially making them a makeshift Zamboni. After a little trial and error to get the process right, the remainder of the lake went smoothly and the result was beautiful.
Once Dew switched elements the process was one of the few ways that he had left to tether himself to who he was before.
The first winter after he reemerged as a fire ghoul, when the time came for the weekly hockey games between the ghouls to resume Dew was crushed. He had come to relish the meditative actions of preparing the ice and found that it always brought him a sense of tranquility. To lose that was just salt in the wound. As winter drew near he had started to dread the upcoming ghoul games knowing that they would only remind him of all he had lost.
Luckily, Rain had heard from one of the other ghouls about Dew's old pregame habit. Dew was resistant at first, but later had to admit that even if he was now doing the opposite side of the job , it still made him incredibly happy. After explaining the process to Rain and some slight coaching on technique they set out to prepare the lake for the first game of the season.
For the first time in months, Dew felt truly zen. By the end of it his face was hurting from smiling and laughing so much with Rain as they had fun on the ice. The two went on to regroup with the other ghouls so that the game could begin, Dew twirling his lucky charm in his pocket and truly giddy the whole way back.
The game was a mix of some older ghouls and the new current band pack on each team in order to give the newer ghouls a chance to better pick up on how to play the game in action. As the weeks went on, and Rain and Dew continued to prepare the ice together, he started to find that not only was the time to themselves bringing him closer to Rain, but also to his former element.
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