#100 words

So the first thing I think of when I hear "fraternity" isn't American college societies... It's "liberte, egalite, fraternite" which one of my dearest friend has on a hoodie. So we're going to the French Revolution today, sorry not sorry 😆.

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It was hard to feel normal when the world was mad. The path that led Ian across the ocean to Paris to see Marie Antoinette sent to the guillotine left him dizzy. The thrill of change.  The fear that this was all just some wild adventure in his mind.

But he had Mickey; if he trusted nothing else, he trusted Mickey. And Mickey was grinning. 

"First we kicked the English out, now the French are killing their whole monarchy. Brave new world. Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death."

And his grin was bright and beaming until Ian had to smile too.

Timerin wasn’t sure what he was seeing, but it wasn’t what he expected. No one could’ve expected this. He remained quiet as the two kings argued; they switched between Damarious and Demaris on a whim. Touched by the gods? Timerin thought, shaking his head. It explained a lot, but it also raised more questions. It sounded like they were working together, but for what purpose? Their actions ran…

Summer Bingo prompts: Forbidden Forest, magical beasts, Master of Death, first person, mystery

There’s something there, watching.

I can’t run any quicker. Heart thumping, knees buckling—I wind my way through the forest, desperately searching for a break in the trees.

That’s when I see him. Drenched in moonlight, his grin is silver-sharp. He reaches out to me with long, pale fingers, stealing the breath straight out my lungs as I’m shoved back against a tree.

“I knew you’d find me,” Harry says, his teeth scraping my pulse point. “You wouldn’t leave me.”

“No—I can’t.”

The fight has left me. His eyes are bottomless pits, drawing me in.

“You can,” he says. “You will.”

Now I suspect this prompt was aiming for Ancient Rome and the Colosseum... But as a child growing up in the 90s, my Friday nights often featured a campy challenge game show called Gladiators... And on looking it up and reminiscing, I discovered it was based on an American show, so *hopefully* at least some of you have heard of it 😆. If not, all you need to know is the contenders had to do various challenges against cast "gladiators" (usually professional body builders or athletes). It's been revived more recently, but I've not braved the new version lest it ruin my nostalgia.

Anyway! To the drabble:

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After his army dream washed down the toilet, training for American Gladiators was a much needed focus for Ian's motivation. 

And he did well! Got to the semi-finals.

The only problem was the blue-eyed gladiator with knuckle tattoos that have to be covered with makeup, who's out to get him. 

It makes good television, so obviously they face each other in every show.

In the semis, it's joust, the event where Ian's height advantage is the least help. But he still knocks the asshole off his perch. 

And if he "confronts" him behind the scenes? No one needs to know.

A click from the large double-doored armoire caught his attention and he stepped back, adhering to the wall and rising up while remaining clear and gelatinous. The doors opened and the deposed king entered. King Damarious shrugged off his cloak, placing it on a hook on the armoire’s door. “I need to find him. He’s a danger to my plans,” he said to himself, pulling his wig off, revealing the…

Wann sie das letzte Mal geblinzelt hatte, geschweige denn wie lange sie schon am Tresen stand und an die kahle Krankenhauswand starrte, konnte keiner ihrer Kollegen sagen - oder auch nur einschätzen. Ob Klishta vielleicht über eine der neuen Behandlungsmöglichkeiten philosophierte? Niemand würde ihr glauben, dass sie über ihre Tochter nachdachte.

Als die letzte Note aufhörte, im Saal widerzuhallen, und der Applaus einsetzte, die Ersten von ihren Plätzen aufstanden, war es einfacher als erwartet, das Lächeln aufrechtzuerhalten. Nach einer knappen Verbeugung deutete Furia in die Richtung des Pianisten und fing ebenfalls an, zu klatschen; wohl bedacht, den leeren Sitzplatz zu übersehen.

Spirited Away was my first ever Ghibli movie, and the one I could remember best to put a Gallavich spin on... I'd have liked to do something on Nausicaa, but couldn't think of an idea. And my only other idea was Kiki's delivery service with Ian as the witch who loses his confidence and Mickey as the bitchy cat. But... I decided not to go there 😆.

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In the spirit world, the witch stole his name. Here, he was sometimes a dragon, sometimes a boy, named only Aoi: Blue.

When the new boy appeared, his older siblings transformed into pigs, the witch called him John, and he started to forget his true name too.

Aoi tried to help him as much as could. Guide him so that he could rescue his siblings... To help him hold on to his real name. To remember that he was Ian. 

Little did he know that Ian remembered him, from a chance meeting years before. That Ian knew his real name.

It was a tight fit, but he slipped through, making sure to adhere to the ceiling instead of the door in case it opened. It took longer than he liked, especially with the royal chambers lit with a large fire and numerous candles. It only took him a minute to make sure the main chamber and privy were empty. He took the opportunity to check around, was empty at the moment, and he took the…