Fictober 2021 day #2 Prompt number: 4. “Fine, I give up”. Fandom: “reckless” / MirrorWorld novel series (2010 - ongoing) by Cornelia Funke. Fanfiction.
Warnings: Mentions of violence, mentions of bullying, may contain eventual spoilers. _________________________
“Fine, I give up”. No words hurt more than those as they fell from the lips of the eldest brother.
Especially when considering he had always been there for his younger brother Will. Well, almost always…
He had been there for him at the playground whenever four graders would pick on him. Making them run as fast as they could when he’d appear on the playground, shielding Will and punching them in their faces, kicking their knees and punching them in their stomachs until they’d hand Will’s stuff back. He had even gotten into a fight with a girl once but that had little to nothing to do with Will getting bullied.
He had been there for him each time he was unable to find sleep when they had been younger; either terrified by thunderstorms, the dark, monsters in his closet, mr. Tomkins; which jacob had told him to be a human-eating Ogre living in the elevator, causing him to be extremely scared to go to preschool. Will would often seek comfort near his eldest brother. He’d have slowly opened the door, standing on his naked feet in the dark, hugging his stuffed animal close before he’d slowly make his way over to his bed and crawl underneath the covers. This would wake Jacob. He’d be annoyed at first but soon go back to sleep, wrapping his arms around Will and hold him close.
He’d have his back. He’d be rescueing him from his nightmares. He’d keep him warm and safe. Always.
Except for the day they had to fend for themselves all of a sudden and had no one but each other left anymore. When Will needed him the most, he was nowhere to be seen. Will was left on his own, experiencing sleepless nights and pain. Not just from the fact they only had one another to look after now. Pain from standing in his brother’s shadow. Envy, so much envy.
Will was his brother and he loved him. That was the truth. Their sibling bond was unlike any other but ever since he had discovered the mirror it had begun to gradually show subtle cracks.
These days each brother had taken different paths and travelled different roads. They were living different lives and even so Jacob couldn’t help to stop carrying him. To be his brother’s keeper. Up until now. Celeste wanted him to forget his brother, but at the same time also wished he could see him again, knowing how much Will meant to him. Or had meant to him.
To seemingly grow further and further apart after so many years of protecting his little brother, being there for him through thick and thin for the most part, hurt. Yet neither of them could really dwell in the past. Jacob was who he was. Will had accepted who and what he was now.
It was best to keep it that way even though the eldest didn’t want to have things remain like they were between them now. He wanted to mend their bond, but to mend it seemed too late. Far too late.
And so Jacob let Will be, going each their own way. Living their own lives. Even though he found it hard to stop being his brother’s keeper.
Will takes a deep breath. The smell of moss and the campfire fills his nose, but underneath it all is the characteristic smell of a hospital that comes from nothing surrounding him.
“My mum died on this day four years ago”, he says by way of explaining while trying not to compare a birdsong near him with the faltering beeping of a heart monitor. This would be the moment. If Jacob were here, his brother would pat his shoulder, maybe even offer a hug but then walk away from the possibility of having to deal with this kind of emotional situation. However, there are no retreating footsteps. As good an invitation to keep talking as any.
“She had been sick for a long time, but… It’s still hard sometimes and I miss her a lot on this day. So I’ve been thinking about her a lot today, just remembering her.”
The steps come closer until they stop next to Will. A quick glance sideways and he can see Nerron standing with his hands in his pockets, his face tilted up at the stars Will had been looking at.
“Goyl are like cats, in a way. We keep our strength longer than a human at the same stage of their life, but when our time comes, we go quickly. I was allowed to be with my mother in the days before she passed away, but I didn’t pay attention to the date while it was happening so I don’t know on which day she died. Maybe it even was on this day, who knows. We only learnedhow to measure time with the sun quite recently. Can I sit with you and remember her for a while?”
Something indescribable grabs Will’s chest and he can only nod as Nerron sits down next to him. In contrast to Will’s position, he doesn’t look up at the sky and instead directs his introspection down at the earth. Maybe that is where he believes her soul might be dwelling. Will makes a note to ask Nerron what Goyl believe happens to their deceased. But not now. Right now, he is feeling so calm that it doesn’t occur to him to feel guilty. Because for all the times Clara was with him on this day in the world his mother had lived in, this quiet moment under the night sky of another world with a being he didn’t even know existed most of his life is one of the most peaceful moments he ever had in his life.
No thoughts tonight except Will and Nerron as an older couple and Nerron calling Will “William”/“Wilhelm”(because the language of the latter version would be more familiar to him) when he is being strict or exasperated with him.
(Nerron: What is this?
Will: What is what?
Nerron: The pair of ears poking out from underneath your collar.
Will: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Nerron: Wilhelm.
Will: Oh dear. Uhm. I’m just gonna go and-
Nerron: William Reckless. Far too easily talked into something love of my life. Are you carrying our niece under your coat?
Joie in fox shape from underneath the coat: … no?)
“His Dark Materials” au where a person’s soul manifests as an animal accompanying them
(Part 1)
In the Dark Materials series, a person can’t move far away from their daemon. However, it is possible to achieve the ability of separating from them using a painful process and it’s disturbing to see a person without a daemon. In this au, the Goyl are born being able to separate from their daemon, which is another reason for humans to be disgusted by them.
Most daemon’s are the opposite gender of their respective person’s, but there are exceptions (that don’t have anything to do with sexuality or gender identity).
Below, I have compiled a list of Reckless characters, their daemons’ names (I googled a list because I am very bad at coming up with names), species and character traits. The comments and my inbox are very open for your thoughts on this and if you are missing a mirrorworlder on these lists, do feel free to tell me and I can do more parts! (Also, I might rewrite some book scenes to fit this au, so let me know if there are scenes you would like to see! Or also if they are completely new scenes hehe)
Have fun browsing the list!
Jacob: Vesiora/“Ves”: marten
(Because I appreciate the Gwin from Inkheart parallel with this. Also, both Ves and her human are ready to put on a dirty fight whenever flight is not an option. Since Fox is the Voice Of Reason, Ves is content to merely make Jacob’s plans slightly less fatal.)
Fox: Vixen. Duh.
(Daemon name might just be “the vixen”. Fox has a unique connection with her daemon; in her childhood she would dream that she roamed the forest as a vixen. She discovered that her daemon started being able to leave the house at night and move around while Celeste saw through her eyes. When Celeste started being able to transfer her consciousness into her daemon’s body at will, she was driven away when her stepfather became aware of this.)
Will: Estoria/“Tori”: Lioness
(Will’s daemon first manifested as a golden retriever upon his entry to the Mirrorworld. But as the Jade grew and Will started confronting his buried feelings of righteous anger about his past, his daemon changed to symbolise the way he embraced the strength and bravery within himself. He missed Tori painfully during the time he was back in his home world after book 1. Tori is a very independent character and determined to never show the weakness she associates with the “gentle little brother” persona she and Will had been forced into. It’s quite a contrast to see Will’s bright smile and then the grim lioness next to him. But once she feels respected by someone, she is very willing to offer her friendship and loyalty. She will lie down next to them and offer remarks in a dry humour you wouldn’t expect from Will.)
Clara: Adean: White corn snake
(The symbol of the medical profession is a snake wound around a staff and white corn snakes are very lithe and pretty; Clara would probably not have a big daemon because she is wary of the Mirrorworld when she firsts visits and does not miss her daemon mich upon her return home. Also, the symbolism of a snake leading to exploring a forbidden thing… might be relevant here as well later on. Adean preferred to stay hidden beneath Clara’s clothes during her first visit to the Mirrorworld, only coming out from time to time for some tentative exploring. However, he has gotten braver over time.)
Nerron: Rirja: Kea parrot
(I did consider a snake or wolf here, because Nerron explicitly identifies with some qualities of these animals. But he also is not at peace with himself and therefore I assigned him an animal he *dis*likes to symbolise that. To emphasise how he doesn’t fit in with the Goyl on either side of the civil war, the bird is exotic, therefore a parrot. Kea are very intelligent, make problems for humans and their kind used to get slaughtered for things -very few of them allegedly attacked sheep- they weren’t all responsible for. Sounds very much like Nerron. Nerron’s inner monologues and his self insults manifest in Rirja speaking these things to him, as well as him taking out his frustrationand anxiety on her. At the same time, they work as an excellent team and the other is the only person either of them trusted completely for most of their lives. When they meet Will and Tori, their relationship improves as Nerron starts being kinder to himself. Rirja is an excellent observer and lockpicker.)
Kami'en: Jurriaan: Giant cave lizard from book 4
(The most fearsome and impressive predator of the Goyl world. He is very cocky about the way his daemon is proof of his strength. Jurriaan is just as headstrong and determined as his Goyl, so it’s good that they rarely have disagreements. While Jurriaan is all in favour of proving their strength by defeating the humans, he is against Kami'en marrying one. Jurriaan is blind like the animal he resembles, but he never stopped being wary of Nenad’s smell. Though the fact that the Fairy has no daemon is equally unnerving to him.)
Amalie: Nenad: Slow Loris
(Slow Loris elbows can release a type of venom from glands. The secreted venom, when mixed with their saliva becomes a highly toxic material. Whenever the animal feels like threatened, it will lick the venom. Later a bite from the animal will cause death. Like the animal her daemon resembles, Amalie may seem harmless, but if she is set on delivering a bite, it’s a fatal one. The fact that Kami'en isn’t truly in love with Amalie is shown in Jurriaan refusing to let Nenad touch him.)
Hentzau: Strerja: German shepherd
(The Jesper hound gets to have a dog daemon. And she is far more comfortable being on the surface than her Goyl. But she is equally done with Kami'en’s antics. Nevertheless, she is absolutely loyal to Kami'en and Jurriaan. Strerja’s excellent instincts as a guard and warrior have never let her down. She knows that she and Hentzau will be facing many more battles and she is ready for all of them. The battle of making it through babysittingKochany was an unexpected one, but she is determined to master it with professionalism.)
Sylvain: Yrna: Beaver/Grizzly
(Of course Sylvain is delighted to meet his daemon and takes to her right away. I considered a moose, but they are impractically large. The beaver is a national animal of Canada and I love the idea of her following Sylvain with her beaver legs. But him having a younger bear as a daemon would give him a great connection to Chanute. I am more in favour of a bear who underestimates her own strength and size from time to time, but has the most gentle soul.)
Hideo: Mayumi: Grey pansy butterfly
(Hideo was cast out from the ranks of his fellow fighters when Mayumi settled in the form of the Nihon symbol of homosexual love. At first, Hideo was angry at her for exposing him like this, but she insisted that her form was set as this and wouldn’t ever be changed. She settled like this because she didn’t want her human to spent his life amongst people would hate him for who he loves and to prove a point: while her form may be fragile, its meaning is not. There is nothing wrong with them or the way Hideo falls in love. Mayumi makes him wear his heart on his sleeve so that one day, who he is will be seen and loved by the good people he deserves. These days come when a woman with a fox soul arrives at their island and when a goose recognises Mayumi and understands her message. As their shadow falls on foreign ground, they are ready for their new freedom.)
Nerron: I never understood why people get best friends until I got a best friend myself. This is Will and if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.
Jacob Reckless is not stupidly fearless. He knows that whatever he is going to do is most likely to get him killed. But he does it anyway. Just for the funsies. And for the kick and to prove to himself that he CAN do it. Like “Look at me, I did it anyway!”
Will as a child: Jake I can’t sleep. I’m afraid of Frankenstein.
Jacob: I think you mean Frankensteins monster. Frankenstein was the doctor.
Jacob: Although, admittedly I am more afraid of Frankenstein than his monster. I personally find unethical and irresponsible medical practice far more terrifying than any physical being and so should you.
