#( ' a certain... wisdom. ' / hc. )

[clochanamarch]

see this? the hand trying to take the spoon from her? aisling would have Words. "i'm trying to be cute" ur STRESSING her OUT. this is her domain! this is her happy place! wHY ARE U MANSPLAINING HOW TO STIR FECKIN PASTA--

[clochanamarc]

ahem ahem. guys, gals and non binary pals, i present to u, aisling's kitchen in her apartment. this is where ur getting coffee and pep talks and huge family dinners and advik asking you questions about ur fave animals and tina sharing an earphone with you to listen to indie rock music and victor chatting excitedly about a new plant he's growing and tim baking you cinnamon rolls and eli talking about a new obscure movie he's watched and stanley ruffling ur hair and richard sharing the wordle with u and fatin inviting u to a music recital and--

[penny-anna]

SO now that i've parked 'the path of a lightning bolt' (for now!!) for anyone interested here is how the Shazam powers work in the series continuity:

Shazam is (kinda) a separate person from Billy

more specifically: the Shazam powerset or the 'Living Lightning' is (as the name suggests) alive, sentient & intelligent. however, it's sentient in a very different way to a human and as a result when bestowed on a human vessel it takes on their identity and personality.

it can take a little while for a Champion to become fully attuned w the Living Lightning and become aware that they are becoming a different person when transforming. (yes this is my way of reconciling this hc with movie canon) As alluded to in 'Living Slow' the longer the Champion spends transformed the more they drift mentally away from their mortal self.

in addition to its own powers n knowledge the Living Lightning also contains the collective experience of all previous champions; however as having a bunch of other people's memories dumped into your brain is a bit of a mindfuck for a human this knowledge is on a need to know basis.

Champions are invulnerable to (almost) all harm but not actually immortal. when powered up they do age, just very very slowly. many previous champions lived massively long lives before voluntarily surrendering their powers back to the Rock of Eternity and dying.

there's only one Living Lightning and it's also embodied in Black Adam so he and Shazam are on a certain level the same person. this is possible bcos the Living Lightning exists on a different plane of reality.

regarding the power sharing thing:

the other 5 Shazam kids (as alluded to in the comics and first movie and dropped altogether in the 2nd movie) do not have identical power sets. They all have the same base combo of invulnerability + super strength but each of them gets 1 of the powers to themselves

Mary is the only one with access to the Wisdom of Solomon

Pedro is the strongest

Freddy is the only one who can fly & is the fastest in the air

Eugene is the only one with the lightning powers

Darla is the only one with full on hyperspeed and is the fastest

Billy does lose some of his power when the other kids are powered up (he takes iunno like. a 20% cut in whatever power they're drawing on) which is why he sometimes operates best alone.

bcos the other kids draw their powers from Billy rather than directly from the Rock of Eternity they don't have access to any of the previous champions' experience. essentially Billy has the Living Lightning's 'brain' inside him when powered up and the rest of the Shazamily just has its hands.

this means he does have access to powers they don't have but they don't have to deal w any of the identity/existential nonsense. they just get cool superpowers.

Teth Adam was the last champion chosen before Billy. pretty much all previous champions were pre-historic (the Living Lightning & Rock of Eternity are very very ancient) which means Billy can theoretically tap into memories of otherwise entirely forgotten cultures. which is neat!

[psycherubs]

just saying I imagine that both Veronica and arcade are in my party at the same time.

why? well of course mlm wlw solidarity and the epic roast battles they would have. courier, arcade, AND veronica....imagine 3 sassy gays pull up. say your prayers cuz you're done for

but also I think arcade would have a lot of wisdom to share with Veronica. despite not ever actually being a functioning member of the enclave, having ties with it has allowed him to have a different perspective than most when it comes to organizations hated in the mojave. I think Veronica could reeeeallly use someone with that kind of insight because of her struggles with the brotherhood. arcade would be a no judgement type when it comes to that situation and would offer any advice or help he could. because in my mind the best option for Veronica, as a character, is for her to leave the brotherhood.

then after Veronica leaves and truly understands why the brotherhood is disliked I think arcade could help her with the guilt she would feel for being associated with them (after all he knows a looootttt about that)

most importantly he could help her realize that you don't have to hate the people you love and care for just for being in a certain organization. you can recognize the nuance of the situation and judge the person accordingly. we all know that is Veronica's biggest hesitancy when it comes to wanting to leave.

his biggest lesson to her would be: you can't help what you were born into but you can, and should, do everything in your power to do what is good and right moving forward

I hc that arcade took Veronica to meet the remnants and gave her the same spiel that he did the courier + the courier took her to old mormon fort to become a member of the followers

[redplanetlobster]

As I have finished reading CoO, I have spent even more time thinking about teeth. Here's the hcs that I currently have for the Batfamily.

Dick: To put it lightly his teeth are fucked. Not only are his teeth fucked, but his entire jaw is messed up. Getting teeth implants at like age 5 really messed with the structure of his jaw. After the events of The CoO Dick went to a new dentist (because the last one must have been a plant from the Court) and learned that his options were basically reconstructive surgery that may not actually fix the problem and getting a properly sized implant or just living with it. Dick decided to just live with it. Now though, he literally cannot eat food above or below a certain temperature. Any food that isn't basically room temperature will put him out of commission with a jaw ache for at least 2 hours. At least once a week he pops two ibuprofen and downs a bowl of ice cream. The ibuprofen does nothing.

Jason and Cass: Both are genetically missing teeth. Cass is missing 2 molars on the right side of her mouth and Jason is missing his wisdom teeth. Cass will constantly grumble about how unfair it is that he got that lucky. While Jason was gallivanting around the world learning how to be the Red Hood without a care in the world, Cass had to be ambushed and knocked out in order to get her into the surgeon's chair. While the rest of her teeth are grateful that the sideways growing wisdom teeth are gone, Cass has vowed to never go back. The implants for her missing teeth that Bruce has scheduled for her when she's 25 may put a damper in that plan.

Kate and Tim: They have perfect teeth. Like they have 32 teeth in their mouths, perfect teeth. Kate likes to hold this fact over Bruce's head and Tim likes to hold it over Damian's. Tim nearly got strangled by Steph once for truthfully stating that he's never had a cavity.

Bruce and Damian: They have very small mouths. This leads them both to almost constantly needing to have a tooth pulled for one reason or another. When Jason informs Damian that that means he'll probably have to have braces and then a retainer for the rest of his life, Damian immediately renounced Bruce's heritage like that would save the rest of his teeth. This leads to a good week-long endeavor where everyone (except for Jason and Dick) had to convince Damian that it wasn't the end of the world that he'll have braces. Jason's not allowed to help because he stated the whole thing and Damian currently tries to kill him on sight. Dick's not allowed to help because when informed that Damian was trying to find a dentist who would implant his pulled teeth back into his mouth, Dick sat him down as explained in detail why getting implants before your 21st birthday would be an extremely bad idea. It ends up being a tag team effort between Bruce and Steph that finally explains to him that 'no braces aren't the worst thing in the world' and 'yes, your mother knew I wore a retainer to bed. No, it did not affect how she saw me (I hope)'.

Duke: As a kid, Duke would refuse to touch any of his loose teeth and had to get nearly every one of them pulled. When he moved into the Manor he walked in on Jason, Steph, and Dick (with Tim looking on in horror) talking about all of the weird ways that they've lost their baby teeth. Duke makes a comment about having never lost a baby tooth under his own power that somehow convinces all of them that he has the wildest stories for losing teeth. Both Steph and Jason accept it silently and don't ask any follow up questions. Tim and Dick, however, are determined to get every story from Duke. Duke ends up asking Babs to hide his dental records from the both of them.

Steph: She doesn't know exactly what is up with her top second incisors and her top canines but her dentist's current theory is that they've just switched places. She also had braces to bring her widely spaced teeth together in order to make space for her wisdom teeth.

[bunji-enthusiast]

Hiiii I'd like to ask for any type of HC's or short oneshot for fairy reader (I don't mind the gender being neutral but I'd rather AFAB, if that's fine(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)), and they're like a weak flyer and we're born with bad and weak wings.

This for Gloxinia and Drole, separately (and maybe some HCs of them together, but this one can be either platonic/romantic, it's not like clear on on it being a poly relationship, if that makes sense??

+ Gerheade and Diane too if that's fine, separately.

Sorry if this is a lot, thank you<33

Oh and I don't mind if this is before holy war or after revival of commandments :)))

♫ 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

Sypnosis [Drole, Gloxinia, Gerheade and Diane with Fairy!Reader who has bad/weak wings.]

WC [?]

Note || I’ve decided to set this after revival! :), reader is also described with different personalities for each character.

Gloxinia + Drove (some are separate, some are paired)

Gloxinia can understand in the sense of helplessness of being unable to fly properly, it was in due part to having been born with the condition that impaired your ability to fly, since having such bad and weak wings since birth. He knows it and tries his best to reassure you whenever you are feeling bad about it or having bad days, but he never directs the subject of attention to the matter. He prefers looking at you directly, not your wings.

Gloxinia had offhandedly asked you about the matter on your weak wings, to which you had told him in great value how you had felt and the way you were treated by others for being incapable of the abundant manner of flight. Since he had been offered such invaluable insight on the subject, he had then made the decision to find ways that could support your wings so you could gain flight, even if it was the smallest hopeless thing.

Gloxinia offers his 'Basquias' as a form of transportation should he sense that you are truly struggling to getting from one point to another, having also point out to you that it doesn't kill to ask for help, even despite your personality of stubbornness. Should you accept his help, he readily helps you over. However if you do decline, he will respect that as well. He simply just wants you aware that he will always help you should you want it, though Gloxinia can be albeit impatient and decide to assist you anyway in certain situations.

Drole will offer ways of assistance to helping you should you find yourself stuck in difficult spots in certain situations, but he however has the most infinite amount of patience should you decline his help. Though he seldom understood what it was like to have such bad wings, he sought out some sort of wisdom from Gloxinia, whom told him to just let you work it out yourself. As the giant has come to learn that you were more then not; stubborn.

Drole irregardless speaks of you very highly whenever someone brings you up in conversation, though if they do happen to mention the trouble involving your weak wings, he is rather quick to defend you: more often then not he proves to have a sharp tongue. So he shuts them down quickly if they happen to be rude about you in that aspect, Drole doesn't tolerate disrespect.

Drole had often wondered about how the matter of your weak wings came to be, as you had never spoken on the details of your circumstance to him in particular. But he reels in his curiosity, Drole understands the preference of not wanting to speak about certain things, especially if it involves out of commission appendages.

Gloxinia + Drole, both are particularly easy on you in different ways, as they will be quick to shield you should you find yourself engaged in combat. They are well aware of your capabilities as a fighter, but they had also prefer to cover you as they are weary on the possibilities of you getting injured.

Gloxinia + Drole prefer moments of quiet and peace, and often on the suggestion of going out on walks, simply enjoying the presence of each other and the sights of Mother Nature. You can always hear Gloxinia audibly groan when you two hear Drole begin one of his rants of one his many stories of what he had experienced three-thousand years ago. On rare occasions however, it may be Gloxinia recounting his own experiences from the time of when he was truly committed to his duties as the first fairy king.

Gerheade has a complete sense of understanding given your plight with your lack of ability being able to fly properly, even despite improper means of flight. But she will suggest any means of flight that will help you get around more freely, but should you prefer just wanting to feel the freedom of the sky and just feeling the breeze, she understands that too, instead searching for more methods that will help you in such a way.

Gerheade does try her best to better understand how differently your wings work compared to the average fairy, but based on her understanding and collective info she's gathered from you, she had come to understand that you had been borne with terrible and weak muscles in the wings. To which you had did you best to make up for in other areas.

Gerheade, to her, having come to know you was such a wonderful thing if she was being honest. To experiencing things with you, gave her a new perspective on those whom were physically or invisibly disabled. She definitely had become better for it, and in earnest became wiser about it toward herself.

Diane at first was admittedly confused as to why you couldn't fly very well, or not much at all. But when you had elaborated, she apologized for her lack of ignorance, but you had reassure her it was fine. As it was a large rarity for someone like you to exist, especially for a fairy.

Diane had asked more about it, but as it stood you had only known being this way since the day of your birth. But she had easily amended the atmosphere of the situation by being hopeful about it, and had also informed you that you were always welcome to ask for her help should you need it. You'r a very dear one to her after all.

[trigunsbbygirl]

Human Things that Confuse Knives Part 2

Made a second one since I had more ideas lol

content warnings: teeth, use bomb in an analogy, mention bruises. this one gets more into the body/anatomy idk what all people are comfy with so just in case

•Knives already thinks dreams are kinda weird, but those surreal ones and the utterly weird ones that just make no sense or seemed so real you wonder if it actually happened? he wants to know what's going on in your brain. Knives will listen to you as you recount your dream, he won't say much or make any facial reactions, but part of him is kinda amazed that your can brain come up with the weirdest, coolest and/or creepiest things ever.

•the concept of having baby teeth and adult teeth weirds Knives out. when Knives learns that you do lose your teeth as a kid he's staring at you like you've just grown a second head. don't tell him that you have wisdom teeth that usually need to be taken out via surgery as a teenager. (Vash is kinda grossed out by it. found out when a kid he was playing with ran up to him and was like 'look! my tooth fell out!:D' he panicked, thinking they got hurt, but it's replaced with horror, disbelief, slight disgust and concern when he finds out every human looses a set of teeth. he hates it a little. has no idea what to do when a kid tells him that a tooth fell out. help him)

•also. imagine Knives surprise when he learns about the appendix. you had been talking with a friend when you mentioned appendicitis and that you had to have surgery. it peaked his interest and when you're done talking, Knives asks about it. he stares at you in uncertainty and disbelief the further you explain. what do you mean there's a small pouch in your stomach that serves little to no function that can essentially become a bomb? Knives doesn't actually believe you until he looks it up. he wonders how humans have survived with bodies like that.

•same wonder when it comes to you having to take vitamins and other supplements because sometimes a body won't produce enough of something or too much.

•the fact the humans shed/lose hair. Knives knows that, but it kinda grosses him out a bit. he hates seeing your hair strands, makes you clean them up. (I hc that the twins just have little to no body hair and they don't actually lose hair strands.)

•double jointed people also weirds Knives out. what do you mean you can twist or bend a joint further than normal? it doesn't exactly creep or gross him out, but he doesn't like it. he'll never admit that, but he won't look/talk to you for a bit after you show off that flexibility.

•Knives is fascinated by the way your skin can change colors. (don't mention that he can turn a lovely shade of red, he gets all huffy.) but, anyways, he loves examining your face, watching as your face gets darker with certain things he does. (also likes seeing your facial expressions. humans are so expressive..) he also likes seeing your bruises and watching as the bruise changes colors over time as it heals. you joked one day that you could give him a bruise of his own that he can watch. he didn't like the joke (he prefers to give you (consensual) bruises.)

•now let's get into reverse Isekai for a bit.

•Knives does not fucking understand social media lmao. why the hell do you have to tell people you've never met what you did or thought that day and why are so many people interested? why do people do stupid things for views??

•he hates online discourse and always tunes you out when you try to talk about something that happened online. he doesn't care and thinks it's stupid.

•do NOT let him find out about stan culture or chronically online people. he's gonna lose any faith he had in humanity again. I wouldn't worry about that too much though. he has zero online presence, never uses social media outside of YouTube and even then he only uses it to watch documentaries or how to videos.

•memes confuse him a lot, especially how fast they come and go. you don't even know how to explain them to him. "why is this picture of a man just standing so funny?" "it just is? I don't know either." how do you even explain memes and internet culture to someone who's never been on the internet lol

•Knives thinks you're really weird if you've got a skewed sense of humor where something dramatically falling over makes you laugh(thinking of that waffle video.) he watches those types of videos with a straight face and when the video ends he just stares at you, wondering if you seriously think that's funny.

•he hates those youtube poop and deepfried videos. not only does he find them stupid and doesn't understand them, but they just bother his ears.

•bonus: Vash thinks the circadian rythym is pretty neat and that some people just know when to wake up. it took Vash a while to develop one, or at least, something like that since he doesn't technically need sleep. it'll never quite be the same though since he doesn't exactly get tired like humans do. it took decades for that type of tiredness to become present, but even still, he doesn't need it to survive.

[isa-ghost]

Birds of a Feather AU - Phil & Crowley's Dynamic

A reminder: Crowley is o!Phil, Phil is hc/c/q!Phil!

More Birds of a Feather:

General Concept/Characters

Vague Plot

Phil is notorious for going out of his way to get on Crowley's nerves at times. It's not that he's malicious, and it's not that he dislikes the guy (but he certainly doesn't Like him), it's just so easy to do and so fun to watch! Crowley can be so immature and predictable at times, it's just so easy for this salty immortal bird bastard to entertain himself by getting on his "tory traveling companion's" shitlist.

And Crowley does it right back. He finds just the right topics or stupid questions to ask Phil. Sometimes he even gets on his nerves without trying to, like when he whines about not having a specific resource or having to put in an effort to get said resources instead of having them handed to him.

Phil is the one that named Crowley that. That's not his name. Phil is not calling him Phillip or whatever his actual name is. "Fuck you, you're Crowley. L."

Inversely, Crowley refuses to call Phil Phil out of spite. Old Man, Bastard Bird, Other Crow Guy, Death Angel Or Whatever. Anything that isn't "Phil" or "Philza." Purely out of petty spite.

One thing's for certain though: Neither of them will sink too low. No going after personal traumas. They're petty, they're just jesting and aggravating each other, not trying to make enemies.

They convincingly act like they hate each other though, and honestly they might just a shred. But the moment there's danger, their true colors show. Phil will launch himself between Crowley and a hostile mob, Crowley takes excessive pleasure in killing baby zombies for Phil, both of them will throw down with a motherfucker for talking shit about the other, Crowley actually finds Phil's stories about past endeavors really fascinating (he loves Antarctic Empire stories), Phil secretly sees great potential in Crowley ("if he can grow the fuck up"). Deep down, they realize they're currently all they have, and they're not gonna take that for granted because neither of them can tolerate the soul crushing feeling of being alone.

Their relationship is NOT familal. You could hardly call them mentor/student, even though that's what they're meant to be. Phil is passing on his centuries of wisdom to Crowley for him to fend for himself properly. And directing the reigns in where they go because explorer brain is locked in, and Crowley needs to learn how to navigate rather than aimlessly wander.

All their actual bonding happens late at night, when they're both unable to sleep because their heartaches are haunting them and their only company is each other and a campfire.

Despite all his bitching and adamant refusal to admit it, Crowley deeply admires Phil once they've been traveling together long enough. His raw power, his seemingly infinite skills, his tenacity and stubbornness. Phil is exactly what Crowley wants to be.

Similarly, Phil won't admit it but he thinks Crowley can not only learn the things he needs to to survive on his own, but has the potential to excel at them so long as he stops being so entitled and turns his snobbism and fear into motivation.

But he's seen many times that Crowley is a coward. There's no other way to put it. And that worries him deeply. He's talked about bits of his past to Crowley, like the fairly recent possession ordeal (Crowley asked about his wings and Phil did Not have a good time with it). The thought of any of Ender King getting in Crowley's head terrifies Phil. It'd be so easy, and he hates that, because he desperately wants to have more faith in Crowley; especially as more time goes on. But he just knows he's too tempted by seemingly easy solutions.

On that note, Crowley may be a "dumb, bratty asshole with a silver spoon in his mouth and no life experience," but he's still observant. He can tell when Phil is grappling with some kinda demons in his head (Phil gets waaay too anxious about being greedy in Crowley's opinion). And Phil can tell the same about him. It's partially what lead them to agree not to pry or harass each other with personal traumas.

Crowley, obviously, is very very jealous of Phil. He has everything he wants and more. But Phil isn't jealous of Crowley almost at all. The only thing he envies are his fully working and unharmed wings. Even so, this could no doubt lead to very explosive arguments between the two of them, because Crowley is jealous of things Phil would NOT take kindly to being envied about.

As much of a fledgling Crowley is when it comes to real world experience and life skills, he still has his strengths, some Phil actually lacks to a certain degree. He can navigate certain social situations seamlessly; he's great at reading tone and expressions, he's spectacular at negotiating, and should the situation require it, he's a decent actor. He'll lay the aristocrat act on thick and pull the "friends in high places" card (though friends in high places is pretty literal in his case since he has no one. It's Phil perched somewhere above and ready to drop down to kill a bitch).

Crowley is secretly a sucker for praise and often goes out of his way to try and impress Phil or do something that'll greatly benefit the two of them in an effort to please Phil. Phil has 100% clocked this and just doesn't say anything. It's vaguely amusing to him.

There's a comical ongoing thing between them where Phil refuses to explain Kristin's existence to Crowley bc "it's too much to unpack" but he keeps accidentally slipping and mentioning her name or referring to his ties to Death. And every time Crowley asks him wtf he's on about, or an actual Rare Crowley Question of Genuine Curiosity, Phil has to scramble to cover his own ass.

You could not pay Crowley enough and you could not bribe Phil with any amount of god apples to get them to hug or physically touch each other in any way that isn't irrefutably necessary. It's practically a miracle if they poke each other or something to get the other's attention.

Despite all their reasons for not getting along, good god do they have a fair few things in common aside from being two very lonely avians. Like their ungodly and sometimes debilitating fear of failure. :)

The longer they're together, the more codependent they'll become on each other. It's a very slippery slope for them both because they're so vulnerable and lonely at the moment. That's exactly what started this entire thing, it could very much just keep worsening, especially when they actually bond.

And once they do bond, good god will they be a terrifying duo. The smarts between them both,,, something something the way crows teach each other and pass information on to their future generations.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

I see you very much as an expert on all things Rohirrim, so I bring to you this question, hoping I can pick your brain for info to use in my own fics (full disclosure). 😅

It seems to be a popular fanon that the Rohirrim/Riders of Rohan have tattoos, and that body art is a part of their culture. Do you have any thoughts or personal HCs about this that you're willing to share?

Thank you in advance! I appreciate you and your blog so much (if you didn't already know that).

Oh my goodness!!! I am so very honored to be thought of as a person who is knowledgeable about my beloved Rohirrim, and I hope very much that I can live up to that reputation. Thank you!!!

I’m not aware of any real textual evidence for body art among the Rohirrim, and the historical record in the medieval Anglo Saxon and Norse societies that Tolkien used as a reference for them seems to be disputed. But I absolutely understand and agree with the conventional wisdom that tattoos are a thing in Rohan. It just fits well with a warrior culture that has a wilder, dare-I-say more pagan aesthetic as compared to the smooth solemnity of Gondor or the formal elegance of the elves. And since they’re a culture that doesn’t document things in written words, pictorial representations such as tattoos and body art would be one way to fill that gap (along with their songs and oral traditions).

In my mind, tattoos in Rohan are common but basic—they’ve really only got the technology for the “stick and poke” method so the designs are kept simple because anything too elaborate is difficult to pull off well. They’re mostly in black line (using soot) but some have color using powder made from grinding up certain dried roots and plants.

Each village/community has its own distinctive tattoo motif that is worn by all of that community’s members. So you can tell just by looking at someone whether they’re from Upbourn (a fish because it’s a river town) or Dunharrow (mountain peaks since they’re in the White Mountains) or Everholt (a boar in honor of the wild boar that live in this part of the Firien Wood), etc. And soldiers also tend to share tattoo designs specific to their éored—getting your éored’s mark is a formal rite of passage for the younger members when they first get assigned to their company. These shared tattoo designs are important both for group cohesion and as a means of identifying fallen Rohirrim even if the deceased isn’t known to whoever finds the body.

Beyond these ritualized and practical functions, I do also like to think that there are some purely decorative tattoos among them as a means of personal expression and/or to help cover small scars that so many Rohirrim have from battle, riding accidents or other mishaps. Obviously horse-based designs would be very popular, as well as other flora and fauna of Rohan. But they’re a very sentimental people and so I think little emotional signifiers would also be very common (again, especially because they generally don’t have a means to pay tribute to beloved people/things in written form, this sort of symbol would serve the purpose of making some kind of record of those tributes).

In terms of specific people in my head canon: Éomer has a little simbelmynë blossom for each of the major figures in his life that he’s lost (forearm). Háma had a sun to remind him of his wife, who brought warmth and light to his life (shoulder). Théodred had stars in the shape of a particular constellation that is visible every year on his mother’s birthday (chest). Éowyn has a representation of her father’s sword (left wrist) and gets a quill (right wrist) to represent Faramir after they get married. (Faramir got a little running horse in her honor on his first trip to Rohan. He was glad he did it, but he never wants to sit through that again.)

Merry brought tattooing back to the Shire when he showed up with a tobacco pipe on his bicep (both for its association with Buckland and in tribute to Théoden, whose last words to Merry were about smoking together someday when peace was restored). Unsurprisingly, tattoos did not catch on with the other hobbits, but Merry remains very proud of it.

Anywayyyy…I hope that was in any way helpful! Thanks so much for asking!! I remain a huge fan and am so grateful to you for helping convince me to put some of my thoughts and stories out there vs keeping them all in the confines of my own Google drive!

[clochanamarch]

aisling has stretch marks along her hips and thighs and u know what it's absolutely criminal that they aren't getting kissed rn

[clochanamarc]

aisling absolutely loves the idea of worship in the bedroom, both giving and receiving, tysm for coming to my ted talk.

[capswarmedals]

I have a certain ABBA song that I feel is like YES, THATS THAT CHARACTER!!!!! (Even the side characters OKAY)

here we go.... (Feel free to make a playlist)

Like I think The Visitors is Ghosts in general.

Money, Money, Money is Mike & Alison

Lay All Your Love On Me/Take A Chance On Me/I've Been Waiting For You is Thomas

My Love, My Life/Soldiers/Under Attack/I'm a Marionette/The Winner Takes It All/If It Wasn't For The Nights is James (there are so many but ABBA bro they keep writing James themed songs!!!)

I Have A Dream/Chiquitita/I Am Just a Girl/Dancing Queen is Kitty

Rock Me/On and On and On/Lovers (Live a Little Longer) is Julian

Knowing Me, Knowing You/Should I Laugh or Cry is Fanny

Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)/Does Your Mother Know is Pat (he'd adore the upbeat ones and I hc his favourite album is Voulez-Vous)

SOS/One of Us/The Name of The Game/Two For The Price Of One is Humphrey

Eagle/Tiger is Robin (animal names because he is an animal (no offense robin ilysm) and Eagle is about wisdom whilst Tiger is about a threat)

Cassandra/Move On is Mary

I Wonder (Departure)/Angeleyes/Andante, Andante/Why'd It Have To Be Me?/Dance (While The Music Still Goes On) is Anthony

Our Last Summer/Kisses Of Fire/Super Trouper/Fernando/Waterloo is Capvers

So Long is Barclay

I mean it's actually pretty tough to choose these LMAOOO

[glitterguts13]

Ok do you fw actual baby hcs bc ive been thinking about genshin men nursing their babies for the first time eueue.,,,and how they'd react if their baby struggles to latch, is fussy etc etc

YESS I'm in the mood for some family fluff!

Mondstadt

Albedo Thinks he has it all figured out. He's read all the books, in theory, it isn't hard at all. The baby will latch as long as he holds them correctly and gives them time...but he's got a stubborn baby that doesn't want to breastfeed at all. It takes him a few very stressful days to figure it out, and he's exhausted.

Bennett His milk never came in properly, so it was bottle-feeding all the way. A part of him feels guilty he wasn't able to feed them "properly" but he knows in the end, food is food, no matter the source.

Diluc Doesn't have much trouble at all. The baby latches quickly, with very little fuss. The only real issue is how often they want to eat. Diluc has a chunky little kiddo who's always ravenous. They want to feed nearly every twenty minutes, and poor Diluc is tired.

Kaeya The first few attempts were a struggle, but gets the hang of it pretty fast. His biggest issue is how sore his breasts are. He considers swapping to bottle feeding, but when he looks down and sees his precious little one suckling away, he can't bring himself to stop.

Mika Holds them close and takes his time. They latch quickly, chubby little hands grasping his fingers. Mika is certain he's never seen a sight more prefect and takes a mental note to never let this image fade.

Razor No issues, he gets them to feed quickly, and has no shame feeding them anywhere (not that he should have any) but people in Mondstadt aren't used to seeing someone take their shirt of fully and nurse their child.

Venti Fussy, fussy baby. They cry and whine and he knows they're hungry, but they just don't want to latch...jokes maybe he should try some wine in a bottle.

Liyue

Baizhu Doesn't struggle with feeding, but does have issues keeping his milk supply up. His body just can't seem to produce it fast enough, and much to his despair, he is forced to swap to bottle feeding. However, Baizhu will always treasure those few breastfeeding sessions.

Chongyun Another fussy baby, and he's totally lost as to what to do. He knows they have to eat, why won't they?? Worried sick his little one is going to starve before a midwife offers him some advice, and quickly gets his infant suckling.

Gaming It's a blissful moment after a long labor. The other child-bearing people in his family come to his aid, offering advice and helping him through the first feeding. Luckily, his baby latches easily, and he's able to rock them gently, enjoying their first real moment of bonding.

Xiao Running off pure instinct and adrenaline. He's never held a baby before, let alone have any clue how to feed them. However, his baby is keen on eating and suckles the moment he brings them to his breast.

Xingqiu Bratty baby, he calls them affectionately, as they wail away. They always seem to want more, and he worries he won't be able to keep up with the demand.

Zhongli Even with his wisdom, sometimes, he still finds himself baffled. Countless times he's witnessed mothers feeding their offspring, but his...just doesn't want to suckle. Eventually, he's forced to seek out help from a local midwife, and is relieved when his baby finally feeds properly.

Inazuma Arataki Itto Oni babies are big and hungry, not even fifteen minutes in this world and they are screaming, demanding to feed. Luck for them, Itto has an overabundance of milk, and is thrilled to watch them eat so hungrily.

Ayato A pit forms in his stomach the first time he tries to feed his baby. They fuss, refusing to latch, and all he can think of is how badly he wishes his mother was there to teach him.

Gorou Two nipples and 4 pups make for a struggle. The poor thing is constantly rotating the pups around to make sure each one gets equal milk, it's far more stressful than it is calming. Heaven forbid he mixes them up and feeds one twice while one goes hungry-

Kazuha Zero issues. A very calm, happy baby that latches each time with no struggle. Kazuha will happily sit with them as long as they need, humming or telling them tales of the past and lost friends.

Heizou Thrilled to be able to breastfeed, and is so happy to be able to share such a special moment with his little one.

Thoma Chooses to bottle feed for the sole purpose of needing to sleep. His work requires him to be awake early, and being able to share the feedings with others helps him greatly. Sumeru

AlHaitham Much like him, his baby is stubborn. It's an instant power struggle because AlHaitham isn't going to give up, but his baby just doesn't want to latch. Even with the guidance of a nurse, he still finds himself struggling the first few months.

Cyno Is so relieved when his aching breasts are finally offered some relief. Of course, the nurses are not amused with his "Milk bar" jokes.

Kaveh After a very difficult birth, Kaveh is grateful to have time for just him and his baby. They suckle without any issue, and he weeps with joy at the sight of them. The only thing that could make the moment better would be having his mother there...

Sethos Fussy baby who cries loud enough to wake the desert. It takes Sethos days to get it under control and he feels guilty he wasn't able to feed them properly right away.

Tighnari Same as Gorou, juggling a litter of pups isn't easy. Thankfully, his all look very different, so it's just a matter of keeping up with the demand. At all hours he's got a baby latched to his breast, and all his shirts are stained with milk.

Fontain

Freminet Struggles to keep his tears under control. Watching the little life he fought so hard to protect partaking in their first meal is surreal. He never wants the moment to end, and makes sure to take lots of pictures.

Lyney Struggles at first, but quickly gets it under control. Twins, one at each breast, there isn't a part of him that would trade this moment for the world.

Neuvillette It pours in Fontain for a week. Nothing he does works, and eventually the midwife has to suggest he try bottle feeding instead. For the health of his child, he does, but Neu mourns not being able to share that special connection.

Wrio Opts for bottle feeding so Sigewinne can help with feedings while he's busy with work. Doesn't regret it all, and is thankful for the extra help while trying to keep the prison under control.

Fatui

Dottore Doesn't even consider it an option. Bottle feeding is the only way he'll feed them.

Capitano Only breastfeed a few times before swapping to bottle feeding. It just isn't feasible for him to constantly be running back and forth, because duty comes first.

Pantalone Exhausted, but snaps at anyone who suggests bottle feeding. Busy schedule or not, he won't allow anyone else to feed his precious little one. These are moments for them, and no one else.

Pierro Is far too busy running the Fatui, and hands off his baby to a small group of nanny's he's hired. Perhaps, in another life he would have given them more time, but it simply isn't an option for him.

Tartaglia Doesn't have any issue, and wouldn't consider anything else. He watched his mother feed his siblings, and he's proud to be able to do the same for his own child. It's a special feeling, one he's never known before or since.

Wanderer Finds out quickly his body isn't capable of producing milk, and frantically requests a bottle. Nahida is nearby, and aids him, taking note of how...heartbroken he seemed to be.

[in3rci4]

LEONARDO'S DIFFERENT VERSION DATING HCS ( PART 2 )

Warning : Yandere hints ¿??????? Idk

IDW comic's Leonardo ( This one might be much vague since i didn't read the next comics after Leonardo's stopped being mind controlled )

Depending on his mood he might be more open about PDA some days ( Special occasions , peace before / after war, etc ), but in general he likes to keep it simple in front of others and let himself go in private

Unless you already know or start training self defense he won't let you go on missions , he would try to convince April to persuade you to stay with her while they do their stuff

Tries to take you beautiful or aesthetic places , but more often than not you two will be interrupted , so to avoid that he started to give you more gifts and spend more quality time inside a safe place

He loves it when you compliment his appearance , but if you compliment his skills and wisdom ? OOF , this man would be all giggly and blushing like a school boy

Denial and silent jealousy , he would not communicate his thoughts and would try himself to stop thinking that way , but it only gets worse . Fortunately , when he's on the edge of exploiting he would try his best to talk with you about it

Even when he's on the foot clan he would still choosing you

He would probably kidnap you and force you marry him and keep obedience and loyalty towards him ( And if he was feeling threatened by certain someone close to you , he wouldn't doubt twice on hurting them bad enough to make them know who you belong to )

After it's all over he would apologize for his actions and spend more time with you than before

Although his jealousy might be transform into more straight to point , being a little sharp with his words but nothing extreme

LEONARDO 2003-2009 ANIMATED SERIE ( I haven't watched it in a long time too lol )

At first he would be shy with PDA , but as times passes by he would start to care and less about what other people has to say

Wich would leads to a shameless romantic Leonardo

The ego bust when you compliment him is insane , he might act all humble but he won't stop smiling proudly for your words

Quality time and service are his main love languages , but gifts with sentimental reasons behind them are also a good part of him too

Rarely gets jealous since he trust you with his heart , but that doesn't stop him from not liking a person at all for trying to hit you ( Worse if they know that they were dating someone )

He would act fake nice to the point it's way too obvious for everyone in the room that he's not content with their presence , and would act clueless if you said anything about it

10000000+ points if you're good with kids and eldest people , makes his heart go brrr for you

DARK CLONE LEONARDO ( TMNT 2003 - 2009 SERIES )

Ok so first to talk about this version I say that if you decide to keep being his friend you have to teach him a lot of stuff ( Maybe I'll add a HC )

Maybe you're a close friend of the turtles , maybe you're Leonardo's partner / ex

The thing is that you were just or more patient with him than his counterpart , making him reflex about his existence , morals , actions , everything

So he decides to stay on Earth and try to be like the other turtles , to give his " brothers " a better life far from their creator

So , after a long time of learning , communicating and spending time with you , he decides to date you so he can be finally your boyfriend ( You told him that mate is weirdly used to call a partner here , he asked why , but you avoided the question flawlessly lol )

That being said , he would be slow with PDA but once he learns all the types of affection , he would SHAMELESSLY french kiss you , talk about how good you were last night , hug you on the air , etc

Even he's more civilized than before , he would steal without care things that he knows you like or need ( Be careful with saying " Oh I wish I had money to buy x thing" he won't think twice on breaking the law if it means he'll get it for you )

Cuddling with him is cool until you wake up first but he don't , and he won't let go even in his sleep ( Might even pull you much closer like if he's trying to absorve you with his body )

Yes , he did learn the sharing importance , but with you ? Hell nah , he growls to anyone who is way too much confident with you , including his brothers , but specially humans and the og turtles ( Leonardo having it worse , he would probably get hurt more than once just for talking with you inconveniently alone )

If you talk with him about his jealousy he would try his best to not push you away , but don't expect it to happen soon or fade away completely

Your loyal servant at lifting heavy weights , helping you get something out of your reach , etc , but if you don't know how to fight or be just as strong as him , good luck on trying to go on a mission / train or put yourself at any danger

[tiny-maus-boots]

Darkest of Nights pt 21

A/N: thank you thank you always to @chloes-yellow-cup for always doing the thing and @kimmania for listening to endless hcs.

Beca

“Are you sure you wish to do this, Little Necromancer?”

Beca looked up at Chloe's dad and flapped her hands under her arm pits in an attempt to dry the copious moisture gathering as they waited for Cahira to let them know the rest of the vampires had arrived. At least. The ones brave enough to accept Beca's invitation to speak.

“What? Face a few hundred vampires that would probably like nothing more than to burn me at the stake?”

He gave a rumble of a grunt and stroked his braided beard thoughtfully.  She could tell he wasn't as afraid of her anymore which was a plus. Probably. Maybe.

“Yes.”

Beca shrugged and finally settled for a meandering anxious pace around the room. She really wished Chloe and Aubrey were there with her now but they had gone to check on defenses. She was pretty sure that was an intentional move to give her time alone with Chloe's parents. At least for the moment. 

How could she face hundreds of vampires if she couldn't handle facing just this one? Granted it might be easier if she hadn’t just banged his daughter like a Salvation Army drum.

Okay who was she kidding? She was definitely the drum. This time. Next time she had serious plans to be the one doing the banging. Lots and lots of banging.

Heat rose to her cheeks at Einar's intent gaze and she suddenly wondered if mind reading was a vampiric gift. If so she was screwed. 

“I'm sure.”

“May I ask why, Little Necromancer?”

She had to smile at that. There could be worse nicknames.

“Because, Big Guy, I took something from them and I should explain myself.”

“You mean apologize.”

Beca thought about that. There was expectation in his tone and nearly imperceptible shift of his attention that was meant to intimidate. The weight of his age and power flexed around her, making her bones ache. It was impressive and would have worked maybe a month ago. 

But she had seen some shit since then. She had done some shit since then. And she knew who she was now. Love hummed through her bond and she stopped her pacing and faced him directly, unafraid. She didn't bother to call up her power to push back, it wasn't necessary. Her conviction that she had done the right thing was enough to straighten her spine.

“I did what I did to save Aubrey. I'm not going to apologize for that. If they don't like it, tough tits. All I can do is explain how dire it was and hope they'll respect that.”

“Respect or fear?”

It was a valid question and she gave herself a moment to honestly answer without her usual sarcasm.

“If I wanted them to fear me I wouldn't bother to explain why I had to do what I did. I didn't want to hurt anyone but to protect or save Aubrey and Chloe I will be ruthless if I have to.”

Einar's power receded in a slow pull and she felt her spine release tension it had been holding. The door opened and Cahira stepped in with a brow raised in question.

“Husband?”

“There is no lie in her words. The Necromancer speaks truly. She meant only to save the Queen.”

“And?”

Beca looked back and forth between them in confusion. She wasn't entirely certain what was happening but Einar let out a great sigh and slumped his shoulders in resignation. 

“I'm sorry I doubted you, Wife, moon of my heart, she who is beauty, grace and wisdom. I am a turd.”

Cahira's lips curled into a satisfied grin and she held out an impatient hand until Einar fished a bronze coin out of his pocket and slapped it into her hand.

“Thank you, Husband.” Cahira tugged gently on Einar's beard until he bowed his tall frame to meet her lips in a soft kiss. She released him and faced Beca. “Do close your mouth dear, they'll think you're damaged.”

Beca's mouth snapped closed with a click and she blinked several times trying to process what she had witnessed.

“Okay wait. What's happening right now?”

“Oh this?” She held up the coin and laughed. “Einar and I have been winning this back from each other for a thousand years. A game of ours.”

“And you make him say that every time??”

“You should hear what I have to say when he wins.”

Her laugh was musical and light and Beca was pretty sure Chloe’s dad had just fallen in love with her all over again if his expression was any indication. She could see where Chloe got it from. 

These were not the vampires she understood. These were real people that loved and laughed. They weren't monsters. And neither were any of the people she needed to address. They were just people. Powerful people with the abilty to do alarming and fucked up things. But still capable of being so much more than the things that go bump in the night.

“Wow. Okay. So are the vamps all here?”

“They are. Are you ready to address them?”

“I guess. I mean. Yeah. Yes. Yes I'm ready.”

“Come, Beca. Einar and I will be by your side. Chloe and the Queen will be back shortly. Unless you would prefer to wait?”

She wanted to wait. If only for the support she knew she would have. Beca took a deep breath and shook her head. No. She needed to do this herself. Besides who was going to give her lip with the Big Guy looming over her shoulder?

“Let's do this.”

Something glittered in Cahira's eyes. Something like…pride? Beca wasn't sure but she felt like she was doing the right thing. Einar opened the door in the far wall and gestured for her to go first. If she expected a hallway or a buffer between herself and the other vampires she was disappointed. 

Beca found herself on a raised platform with more vampires than she had expected staring up at her. Some with curiosity,  some with hostility, most with barely concealed fear.

“Oh boy.”

She looked back at Chloe's parents nervously then back to the waiting mass. She brought one hand up in a tentative wave and seriously reconsidered her choices the last five minutes.

“Hey. So, I'm Beca.”

There was nothing. Absolute dead silence. They stared at her and she stared at them. Neither one was sure who was the predator and who was the prey. She sighed heavily and the vampires closest to the platform eased back. 

“Okay this…this isn't going to work.” She walked to the edge of the platform and dropped the few feet to be on their level. “Look, guys, you don't have to be afraid of me. I don't want to hurt anyone here.”

Some skittered back. A few held their ground. One pushed forward with mistrust blazing in her almond shaped eyes. Beca held her ground and waited for the unmistakable swirl of power to crest over her as Einar's had done but it never came. Or rather, it wasn't as expected. 

Power lapped up at her, batting gently like a gentle wave. The trailing edge of it tried to stick and cling to her, trying to find a way to overwhelm and influence her but it was too weak and crumbled away like sand with just the slightest push back from her.

Beca frowned when the woman backed up several paces in fear. A few of the nearest vampires that had stood their ground shifted away. She was getting nowhere and fast.

“I don't want to hurt you.”

Repeating it wasn’t likely to change their minds and she realized it. 

“You have already done so, Necromancer.”

She looked for the voice in the crowd that had spoken. Bodies parted to allow a vampire in a heavy cloak to limp forward in an awkward shuffle. He was ancient. Maybe even older than Aubrey but there was something wrong with him.

Her head tipped to the side and she reached up to push the hood of the cloak down. Wisps of brittle white hair fell from an already nearly bald pate. Pale waxy skin stretched translucently over high planed cheekbones and a strong jaw. If she had thought the vampires were scared of her, they were absolutely terrified of this one.

Whispers of verskret hissed through the crowd as they backed even further away. She knew that word. Cursed. 

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Athan. Do you deny what you have done, Necromancer?”

Beca was fascinated by the power she could feel seeping from him without even conscious effort. But none of it was directed at her. 

“No. I did that. I took from all of you and I would do it again if I had to. Not because I wanted to hurt anyone but because the need was seriously fucking desperate.”

“And what could you have so desperately needed with all of us?”

“To heal me. And believe me it was out of desperate need. True death was upon me, I was past the point of healing myself.”

Beca had been so drawn by the vampire in front of her she hadn’t even noticed Aubrey and Chloe’s appearance. A cool hand closed lightly around her wrist and graceful fingers twined loosely with her own. 

Chloe's simple touch grounded her and she shook away the thrall of power. Athan's gaze sharpened on her but he didn't push his power. He simply stood there assessing her. His soft hazel eyes drifted away from Beca and over to Aubrey.

“And what could have brought one such as yourself to the brink of death, My Queen?”

Chloe stepped forward, her hand still clasped with Beca's. “The sun, Athan. After full submersion and fresh blood she was still burning from the inside out.”

There were hushed whispers and soft hisses of remembered pain at Chloe's description. The sun was a foe every vampire feared more than anything else. Even curses and necromancers. Athan turned back to look at Beca again, more speculative than before.

“Why would you do that?”

“A lot of reasons. I think Aubrey is necessary in breaking the Council. I think she is honorable and genuinely hates the system of abuse we all suffer under and can make it better. But mostly just because I love her.”

Beca turned her attention to Aubrey and held out her free hand which the blonde took without hesitation. Power pulsed through the room in time with her heart beat and Athan brought a withered hand to his chest with a staggered step forward.

Her power curled around him and caressed his aura making Athan gasp drop to his knees. He looked up at her and reached a trembling hand to her and then pulled it back fearfully and pulled up his hood to hide away from her.

“If what you say is true, and I now believe that it is, then I understand. So should we all.”

He started to ease back into the crowd and Beca felt compelled to stop him. Her magic stretched out to him again wanting to explore and understand his condition.

“Wait! Please don't go.”

The aged vampire turned his head but she couldn’t see his face in the depths of the hood.

“If you think to break this curse, you cannot. Many have tried, all have failed.”

He turned away and slipped through the ranks and this time Beca let him. Now wasn't the time for that but she made a mental note to talk to Chloe and Aubrey about it later.

Vampires stared at her and she stared back. There wasn't much more she could say. It was up to them now, but she suspected Athan's opinion would go a long way in her favor.

“So…we good?”

There wasn't a resounding cheer of support but she didn't expect there to be. It was enough that many of them nodded agreement. Beca let out a deep sigh of relief and looked gratefully back at Chloe when arms slipped around her waist.

“Tough crowd.”

“Hm.”

“This isn't settled yet is it?”

The vampire gave a slight shake of her head, sending soft red curls tumbling over her shoulder. 

“No but we don't have time to coddle them. If we survive what's coming we can try again.  For now, leave them to Aubrey and come with me.”

“Okay. Where are we going?”

“To make out, silly.”

Now that was a plan she could get behind. Beca gave their blonde a glance and found her already addressing questions from some of the vampires assembled. Aubrey turned her head and caught her gaze with a quick wink. 

“You sure we shouldn't stay and help?”

“Nah, she'll meet us at the garage in a few. Right now I wanna be on you.”

“Well I do hate to disappoint the ladies so I'm in. Let's go.”

[ask-nyc-boroughs]

Hello 🕵🏾 this is totatlly an investigator, i'm wondering if you could share your wisdoms in the subject of ; the nature of the relationship between the USA and his states? much appreciated, thank you XOXO

[HIhihi! i really like your art and statetalia hcs <3]

🥹❤️ ahhhhh thank you that means a lot, I’m glad you like my art and my nor’easter au (statetalia) ❤️🥹

😈 Ok this is going to be a rather lengthy response. To make it easier to read, I’ll give a high-level overview of how I interpret the US states (&cities) and their relationships to Alfred. Under the cut, I will then provide a brief description of significant states/cities’ relationship to Alfred.

Clarifications:

While my Alfred begins as Plymouth Colony, his current position as the United States of America exists because his states agreed to enter into a union thus creating Alfred’s role. Thus I interpret the states to have a great deal of agency & influence over Alfred. Especially throughout early US history, the federal gov (which Alfred is representative of) isn’t centralized thus Alfred especially early on, is beholden to his states. This starts to radically change after the US Civil War. Tbh even to this day, while Alfred has more power than he has ever had, at the end of the day, his states still hold some power.

Subsequently, I do not interpret the states to be Alfred’s children. Only 4 of the states are related to him. He’s also not brothers to Matt.

Alfred may look to some states & cities to offload certain responsibilities, divide tasks, and to ask for advice.

I do not determine the physical & literal ages of a state by their admission into the union. Thus there are states that are older than, or near the same age as Alfred. The way I determine the age of each state depends on the state. There’s no sound system. Also not all states were initially British Colonies (ex: Jennie/NY stems from the New Netherlands colony).

Not all states are created equal, and some cities hold more influence over and have a more significant relationship to Alfred than others.

Overview:

The Original 13 States are the states that essentially created Alfred’s role. While Alfred is the same literal age as many of them, he didn’t grow up as quickly physically and his existence itself was unclear following the dissolution of Plymouth colony. So when he officially ascended into his role, Alfred was like 13 physically whereas many of his states were older teens (15-17). So they viewed him more like a little kid than their equal. Also when Alfred took on this role, he was quite immature. He’s exceptional in the battlefield, hence why they eventually agree upon him to be their figurehead (they weren’t really expecting him to take on real responsibilities either). Yet Alfred largely prefers fighting to politics- so up until the Civil War, Alfred himself is primarily partaking in various wars & skirmishes with Indigenous nations, Mexico, or what becomes Canada. Following the Civil War, Alfred takes his responsibilities more seriously and he also begins to be treated more like an equal by these particular states.

The northeastern states are his home base. He’s related to most of the New England states (made a post abt some of this). States like Jennie/ New York & Elise/ New Jersey are close family friends. While he cares for them all, sometimes family can be a lot especially when they’re very critical, controlling and have a hard time expressing they care about you (lollll as a northeastern asshole, we aren’t good with emotions).

Southern states can be a mixed bag, but his relationship to them can be uneasy especially with states like Carl/South Carolina as he’s the one to lead the southern states into the Civil War. I don’t think I’ve posted too much about Carl on tumblr and there’s a WHOLE HOST of reasons why Carl & Alfred don’t get along, but Alfred is the one to give Carl his facial scar because Carl was a traitor.

Appalachian states , for Alfred nowadays this relationship isn’t the greatest for a number of reasons (the Civil War + cultural attitudes towards the region). Even historically it erred on more exploitative. But given the Appalachian influence on American culture, and military participation in the expansion of the US westwards- Alfred was historically friendly with these states. Hell even his first girlfriend, Maisie/ North Carolina is mostly in this region. I made a post discussing some of this. X

The Midwest, the Southwest, & Rockies are areas I haven’t done as much research on as of now. But largely from what I can tell, his relationship to these states tend to be more exploitative in nature than him viewing them as equals the way he views states like Jennie/ New York.

Alaska & Hawaii are two states I haven’t created or work on yet. Broadly speaking, probably not the greatest. Hawaii was a separate nation that was forced into the union by Alfred- gonna go on a limb and say Hawaii is not Alfred’s biggest fan. Alaska I will have to do more research on to determine the exact nature of the relationship. I don’t mind different interpretations at all like if people see the states as kids cool for the most part idrc , and I rarely hate other headcanons except I absolutely hate the idea of Hawaii as Alfred’s kid, or Alaska being a RusAme love child. It’s blasé and in poor taste.

Ok now to some states that I think Alfred has a significant relationship to:

lol this artwork is from September 2023 btw

I believe these states + city personally have the most influence over Alfred and his decision-making. I’ll keep it as brief as possible cause lol I think I’m yapping too much I’m so sorry 😭

Going clockwise:

Elaine/ Florida is a wildcard of an individual that Alfred has begun to rely upon in more recent years for assistance as it regards to trade with Latin America (Miami is often considered the gateway to Latin America), but also he just finds her to actually quite a funny even tho he is a bit scared of her cause he can never quite predict her next move.

Henry/ Massachusetts is his older cousin and was his guardian. Henry raised him, but Henry can be overbearing, honest to a fault, hypercritical and rather argumentative. While Alfred loves Henry, and still looks up to Henry, sometimes Henry can be a lot. I have a few posts discussing his relationship to Henry, but this summarizes it the best.

Rosalie/ Rhode Island & Josh/Connecticut (who I lol did not include in this drawing) are tbh just like emotional support. He goofs off with them, they know his darkest secrets yada yada.

Mona/ California generally assists Alfred when it comes to his public image. He didn’t trust her much at first, or expected her to amount of anything, but she proved her loyalty during the Civil War and he began to trust her with more responsibility. They eventually developed a bit of a friendship, and now they’re dating….however they aren’t the best fit for each other.

Rob/ Texas is like highkey his best friend (sometimes his enemy) , and highkey they match each other’s freak in a platonic way. He looks to Rob for financial assistance, and Rob needs Alfred to execute his own financial interests (in oil). They weren’t always friends tho. Rob was initially better friends with states like Betsy / Tennessee. It wasn’t until after the US Civil War that they started to really become besties.

Rich/ Virginia is someone Alfred has never fully trusted. It’s the New Englander in him lol (+ the fact Rich was a traitor). But Rich could have easily been in Alfred’s role, given the fact Rich was well-respected and looked up to by his fellow states as a leader. Alfred does look to Rich to understand how to be a better politician. Rich has a natural charisma about him that Alfred lacks. And while Alfred isn’t necessarily Rich’s biggest fan, he does respect Rich’s experience and knowledge.

Illinois is a wip of character by my friend ekuos.art. I think out of the midwestern states, Illinois does gain the most respect at a national level- I don’t have specific right now, but this is an individual Alfred would rely on.

Jennie/ New York is actually one of the other main characters besides Alfred in my nor’easter lore lollll. The short version is, Alfred didn’t like Jennie at first especially cause Jennie isn’t English lol. But she proves her loyalty, resourcefulness, and her intelligence during the American Revolution, and also with the creation of the Erie Canal. She doesn’t really have an isolationist position like her peers, so for a number of years, I think he gives her the tasks regarding diplomatic and trade relationships with Europe— she later trains him on how to be a diplomat when he decides to take his role more seriously. Jennie is also a close family friend having been “married” (annulled) to Alfred’s older cousin Henry. Jennie is also someone who can tell Alfred the hard truth (albeit not in an overly harsh way like Henry) and he does genuinely appreciate her skill set, but also her loyalty and friendship (even tho she treats him as if he were an annoying younger brother) all these years.

Aurelie/ Louisiana belongs to my friend ekuos.art. Short version is Aurelie didn’t trust Alfred at all at first, and he wasn’t exactly the most accepting of her given she’s a francophone first. Alfred did have a bit of a crush on her cause she just has a magnetic personality and she’s pretty, but lol this is not reciprocated. They do develop as friends over the years, Aurelie is the queen of the Gulf! She’s a skilled trader, but also just a fun person to be around.

Carl/ South Carolina is someone I have not talked about much publicly, but I probably should soon. The short version is Carl wanted Alfred’s role, and they also have MANY disagreements and different values (esp. in regards to slavery)- all of this comes to a head with the Civil War. Carl was a traitor. While Carl has changed over the years, I don’t think the scars of the civil war have ever truly healed as many of the root issues we still see in our politics today…but that’s another story. Their relationship is best described as “keep your enemies close”.

Lynn/ Manhattan, NYC is another main character in my lore. She and Alfred don’t really know each other personally until post-Civil War. He mostly knew Lynn as Jennie’s friend. But he quickly comes to learn and respect Lynn, just for her natural charisma, her intelligence, and her ambitious and go-getter (rather ruthless girlboss if you will) attitude. And he comes to rely on her to take on diplomatic and trade roles. Also she’s fun to hang around.

And that’s where I’m gonna end it for now 😭 cause I could yap forever I really tried to condense everything as much as possible w/o leaving out vital context. I have more I can add on in regards to race, gender, differences in state cultures, & relations to indigenous nations, but I left that out for this response cause it’d take too far off topic and it’d be even more lengthy lol 😔🙏