4 Feb 2025, 22:06
Galaxies Apart
During each day of the duration of his stay at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Stephen Schwartz (@AngelFyre McCubbin) would find a celestial envelope on his bed with his name printed on one side and note inside:
February 12
My Dearest Star Boy,
Do you know how the night sky holds its breath, waiting for you to ignite? Oh how the darkness itself is a canvas, prepared only for your light. That is how my world feels with you.
You're not just a star, you're a supernova, a cosmic burst of everything that is beautiful and bright. You've painted yourself across my heart before I even understood what love was. Your laughter echoes in the quiet corners of my soul and your smile is a constellation I navigate by, a guiding light in the vast unknown that fills my days.
You are the brightness that is showing me that it is okay to be drawn to the extraordinary, to chase what seems impossible, to reach for the stars - and because of that - you are a star and perhaps someday I'll reach for you.
I see you, I cherish you.
Thank you for illuminating my world. Thank you for sharing your light with me. Thank you for being you, my beautiful, radiant Star Boy.
Affectionately,
Your Great Unknown
February 13
My Dearest Star Boy,
You are like the stars
distant,
seen,
but not touched.
Trying to write this feels almost as if trying to reach for the stars themselves. The stars, they they hang there within the sky, brilliant and unwavering - a constant source of wonder and inspiration. That is what you are to me.
You are like the stars, so distant yet always seen. I observe your brilliance from far away - the way you light up the world with your intelligent, your wit, your sheer radiant presence. I watch as you navigate your own cosmos and follow your own path and I am captivated.
I admire you, oh star boy, the way a stargazer admires the constellations beyond. I try to learn your framework, understand your light, and appreciate the complex beauty that makes you, you. It is a silent and respectful observation, filled with a great longing that settles deep within.
You are seen; always seen. But you are not, unfortunately, touched. I can only yearn for a closeness, dream of a day that I might bridge the vast expanse between us. And I can imagine the warmth of your light encompassing me, the comfort of being held close within your orbit. For now, I remain grounded - only able to witness your brilliance from afar.
Perhaps one day the universe will conspire to bring us closer. Perhaps one day my humble planet will be worthy to orbit alongside your shining star. Until then I will continue to watch, to admire, and to love you from afar - with the quiet and unwavering devoting that only a start can inspire.
Affectionately,
Your Great Unknown
February 14
My Dearest Star Boy,
Your eyes hold galaxies where my stars are lost.
It all started within a glance - a fleeting moment caught within another ordinary day. But soon the ordinary melted away the second I truly noticed your eyes. Your eyes are not just a heavenly shade of blue but they are galaxies, swirling endless galaxies there are filled with unspoken thoughts and a constellation of dreams I can only begin to imagine.
It is in those galaxies of blue that my stars are lost. Each one, a burning ember of my being, is drawn inexorably towards the gravity of your gaze.My purpose, my direction, the very constellations I once used to navigate my life have all burned and faded, replaced by the overwhelming pull of your cosmic wonder.
I am set adrift, a celestial wanderer happily lost in the vibrant chaos of your universe. Thank you for showing me the universe in your eyes. Thank you for letting me get lost and allowing me to stumble through your stardust. I may how that you continue to let me be a new moon in your orbit, reflecting the brilliance you already possess.
Affectionately,
Your Greatest Unknown
February 15
My Dearest Star Boy,
The universe means nothing without 'u.'
Before you, the universe was a cold, vast expanse. Stars glittered with a detached indifference, galaxies spiraled in a dizzying meaningless dance. It was a show I observed from a distance.
I wandered through nebulae of abstract thought, explored planets of unfulfilled potential, and charted constellations of unanswered questions. But everything felt so empty; like a magnificent gallery with all the masterpieces missing.
Then you arrived.
Suddenly, the stars shined with a new light. The spiral galaxies became vibrant. The coldness melted away, replaced by a warmth that radiated from the very core of my being. You were the missing masterpiece, the vital ingredient, the reason the universe suddenly made sense.
You painted meaning onto the canvas of my existence. You breathed light into the darkness of space. You are the axis around which my world revolves, the gravitational force keeping me grounded and utterly impossibly in love.
Without you, the universe is just a chaotic jumble of matter and energy. Without you, I am just a particle adrift, lost in the cosmic darkness.
With you, however, everything is illuminated. With you, I am home.
Thank you for being my universe and giving me a reason to look up at the stars and see the all the potential for greatness the world has to offer.
Affectionately,
Your Greatest Unknown
February 16
My Dearest Star Boy,
I feel like part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. Maybe we are from the same star.
Do you ever feel it too? - That ancient pull, that undeniable resonance that hums beneath the surface of everything else? I feel like part of my soul recognizes yours. It's as if a lost piece of myself has found its way home, nestled perfectly in the warmth and light you radiate.
It's more than just affection, more than just attraction. Its a feeling that echoes through lifetimes, a whisper in the wind that carries the weight of ages. It's a sense that we've known each other since the very first spark of creation, since the first note of the universe rang out.
Sometimes late at night when the world is hushed and still, I look up at the stars and wonder. I wonder if we were born from the same nebula, if our star dust danced together eons ago, destined to meet again in this fleeting moment of existence. Maybe we are from the same star, two fragments of the same burning light, finally reunited after a millennia-long journey across the cosmos.
Thank you for being you, for being the familiar stranger I've been searching for my entire life. Thank you for letting me recognize the lost part of myself in you. I admire you, now, then, always - across all time and space.
Affectionately,
Your Great Unknown
February 17
My Dearest Star Boy,
Do you ever look at the night sky and feel overshadowed by the immensity of it all? Lately, I have. I've been lost in the distant pinpricks of light that are entire galaxies born and dying and the silent, silvery glow of the moon painting secrets across the world.
I've pondered the celestial ballet, the endless dance of atoms and energy. I've imagined the untold wonders hidden within them, the silent whispers and all the possibility of life flickering on planets light years away.
And yet, even surrounding by this breathtaking infinite of all that is everything, my thoughts always return to you.
The stars may be ancient, watching over countless generations but your eyes hold a light that is newer, brighter, a spark of something truly unique. The moon may dance through phases of fullness and fading, but your smile is a constant sun illuminating my soul. The galaxies may hold secrets beyond our comprehension, but the mystery of you - the depth of your beauty and your heart - is a puzzle I could spend a lifetime trying to solve and never tire of.
Of all the cosmic wonders, swirling across the endless beyond, none of it compares to the magic you hold.
So tonight as you look up at the starlit sky, know that I am looking too, and that while I marvel at the vastness of space, I am even more captivated by you.
Affectionately,
Your Great Unknown
February 18
My Dearest Star Boy,
And if you are to love, love me as the moon loves; it does not steal the night - it only unveils the beauty of the dark.
I've thought long and hard what it means to truly love, to offer a tenderness that supports rather than consumes. And then I looked to the night sky and I saw her, a silver promise hanging within the void and realized - if I am to love, I need to love you as the moon loves.
I don't want to steal your sunshine, to dim your vibrant days and pull you solely into my orbit. I don't want to eclipse your own brilliant light. My desire isn't to possess the entirety of your being and claim you as my own and leave you feeling like a shadowed version of yourself.
No, my love, I want to be the moon to your night.
I want to gently illuminate the hidden depths within you, the parts you might keep tucked away in the quiet corners of your heart. I want to cast a soft glow on your vulnerabilities, your fears, and even your imperfections - revealing the beautiful strength and resilience that resides beneath.
I want to highlight the constellations of your dreams, making them shine bright against the canvas of your life. I want to be the quiet light that guides you on your path to greatness, your path to discovery, the path that may lead you galaxies away from me.
Just as the moon borrows light from the sun, I hope to mimic the beauty I see in you. I want to use that light and use that energy to help guide you to achieve everything you want in this life. I want to be a constant, quiet presence in your life, a source of comfort and reassurance that you are loved, seen, and cherished, even in the darkest of hours.
Affectionately,
Your Great Unknown
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
9 Mar 2025, 04:45
Galaxies Apart
Everything But The Kitchen Sink, with Miles Thatcher (@Simon Kincaid)
February 12, 2025
Stephen's mind was almost always working, but it had been working on overdrive lately, even by his standards. His studies were going well and occupied a good 70% of his waking hours, but he was feeling unsettled and anxious the other 30%. More than that really. It had started to affect his sleep. Things had been somewhat strained with EmmaLee since her Betrothal Ball over winter break. It was not that anything devastating had resulted from the event, but the event itself was devastating enough.
She lived in a world he just did not understand. It is not that he was incapable of it, but her extended family's overreach, from his point of view, was off putting. Even more so was that she and her family were jumping through hoops to appease them, and Stephen did not understand why. It made no sense to him to go through with a Betrothal Ball if you had no plans of going through with a betrothal. He believed her when she told him that was her plan anyway, but it left things churning inside of him that he didn't want churned. They were still so new as a couple and it had been one disaster after another it seemed, since becoming a couple. He was willing to take the blame for the fact that it took as long as it did to get to the point of coupledom, but it just wasn't his area of expertise. He was flailing around in an ocean of unknowns, and would likely take anyone else down with him.
Still, he felt he knew enough to know that the excitement of being in this new and wondrous state should feel good. And it did feel tremendous, when it could be just them. He knew she was not that into Valentine's Day, as she had specifically told him that, so he had made no grand plans for them. He just hoped to see her and be with her and catch up, and maybe just get back to the them they used to be, if that was possible.
He and Miles had chosen the cabin with a view of the reefs. Okay. He had chosen it. Miles tagged along because he was a good friend. Summer camp was great last year, but Stephen had it up to the gills with winter. He wanted something that felt a little like home and spoke warmth to him. Too bad he couldn't scuba in those serene waters, but it was soothing nonetheless.
Neat freak that he was, he had unpacked everything and straightened his area up just so. All he needed to do was to go and get a quick shower before he was to meet up with EmmaLee a little later. He'd heard the gardens were gorgeous here, so maybe they could take a walk there. He and Miles bantered back and forth, and it sounded like Miles was going to do some exploring of his own. Knowing his friend, it would likely be the gardens.
"Hey, I'm not sure where we will be later, but I'm thinking EmmaLee and I might checkout the famous Beauxbatons gardens. Maybe we'll see you there. If I miss you for that, pencil into your busy schedule that we are supposed to go flying tomorrow to check out the grounds from the sky. Merlin forbid that we should actually check out the grounds from the ground," and he winked at his buddy before trekking off to the shower.
He was only gone for 20 minutes, but when he got back, he saw a handsome blue envelope with a starry backdrop sitting in front of his pillow. His name was neatly penned across the front. He opened it up and with his hair still occasionally dripping, he began to read. He got no further than the salutation before a wide smile lit up his face. She called him Star Boy. She'd never done that before. It seemed only appropriate since he called her his Starfire Girl. He continued to read, but took a seat on the edge of his bed as he did so, rubbing his hair with a towel, or meaning to anyway. He read the first couple of sentences and his arm never quite got the towel to its intended destination, remaining fixed in place about half way there. Her read through it once, and set it down beside him on the bed.
He was stunned.
It was absolutely the most beautiful letter he had ever received, and if he lived to be 1,000 years old he knew he would never be able to produce anything so beautiful. EmmaLee had the soul of a poet. He hadn't known that she did, but it didn't surprise him. He quickly finished toweling off his hair and he read it again, and then a third time, absorbing every syllable. He folded it neatly back into its envelope and was going to put it away in his trunk, but he decided instead to keep it with him. He placed it in his shirt pocket, next to his heart.
His stomach was churning again, but it was a pleasant churning this time; more like butterflies. He had done absolutely nothing for her, but he was not going to let that worry him right now. He just wanted to get dressed and out the door so that he could find her and maybe keep the feeling burning.
It felt good to feel good for a change.
------- ---------- -------
@EmmaLee LeDames
The magic is real.
9 Mar 2025, 21:58
Galaxies Apart
Valentine's Day in an empty cabin without those Hogwarts roomates and without Stephen Schwartz, @AngelFyre McCubbin
The letters were delivered at random but one for each day of their stay at Beauxbatons. Sometimes it was when Stephen was out for a shower and other times it came at meal times. Regardless of when, there was always a note.
Miles wasn't sure where Stephen was at that particular moment on the third day. Maybe he was taking in a quick snack to bring back to the cabin so he could get back to his studies. Perhaps he was getting some much needed fresh air. It could be that he was spending time with EmmaLee since their time together was limited and it was now officially Valentine's Day.
Still, another note was there, just as it had been before - just as one would be during their stay. Stephen's first assumption, and maybe still current was that it was EmmaLee herself who wrote them. That amused Miles - slightly. It amused him in the sense that he didn't need Stephen to know it was him who thought so highly of him but only that he was someone who someone thought of so highly. But EmmaLee? He didn't really necessarily want her to get credit for his writings.
Alas, it was he who decided to sign them as Your Great Unknown so there he was, determined to remain unknown. It would just have to be something he got over. Maybe in time, this crush could dissipate into the universe and span the distance of a thousand stars.
.....Didn't seem likely though.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)