#--compared to going house to house like the older kids do. it probably depends on location but here we have a special event--

[beneathsilverstars]

very possible youve done this before but…. can u come up with some hcs about how the party connects with nille? in a post canon hypothetical

(youve probably talked a lot about nille before but just!! general ideas. maybe silly ideas. anything u wanna share you havent talked about before. etc :])

Ok this is all minor spoilers for my currently unposted Nille fanfic and major spoilers for my currently unwritten post-canon fanfic but I don't care if you don't, let's go.

People usually write Nille as quite overprotective of Bonnie, and I do too, but I also write her as unsure that she's good enough to protect them! So her big reaction to meeting the party is "I failed to keep Bonnie safe, of course I failed, I was always doomed to fail. And these people succeeded!! Who am I next to the Saviors of Vaugarde??"

So she kinda feels like shit, personally. And she has no idea how to act around the party, because there's the way she acts around strangers, and there's the way she acts around people she trusts, and it is understandably bizarre for those circles to overlap. Since she can't be suspicious or friendly, and she's feeling somewhat useless, I think her instinct is to kinda just... fade back..? Which is upsetting to her in itself, which feeds back into the problems. But! Everyone is very determined to connect with her, and "we love the same kid" is a great way to bond, and Nille still has her usual Bambouche support system to help her sort out her feelings, and the party have been working on their communication skills. So they figure it out!

Her exact first impression of Siffrin probably depends a lot on how he's coping at that point post-canon, which isn't something I've decided yet... But it's some sort of strange mix of "I owe you my life" and "Wowww do you need my therapist's number" and "#Relatable /neg /pos". Siffrin meanwhile is anxious as fuck because he's not just meeting the most important person in Bonnie's life, she also has the power to break apart the family he nearly destroyed the world to keep together! So it's a little awkwardly intense on both sides.

Then once they get to know each other better, there's some emotional difficulty in how similar they are; it's hard not to compare what's worse, remembering shitty parents or not remembering any family, being alone or having to take care of a young child. So there's some pity and guilty jealousy on both sides. But also commiseration and understanding! But also they're liable to trigger each other's issues occasionally, what with Siffrin still having a rather poor handle on their own emotions and Nille disrupting the party dynamics. But they don't really hold it against each other; it would be hypocritical, and none of that matters compared to the fact that they've both nearly died for Bonnie. They like to go fishing together, sometimes Nille helps explain things that Siffrin only knows through muscle memory. And Nille does end up passing on some therapy tips!

Nille is a little star-struck by Mirabelle, who is the Chosen Savior of Vaugarde and only a couple years older than her and so heroic and nice and well-adjusted! Mirabelle is on a similar but less extreme wavelength, excited to meet Bonnie's sister who she's heard so intriguingly little about, but who must be so brave and cool! Once they get to know each other more it's kind of a confidence boost for Nille to realize that even Mirabelle has anxiety and imposter syndrome and is just some girl who found herself in the position to do something and she did her best to do it. And Mirabelle thinks Nille is just as cool as she imagined!

They end up taking some small classes together for fun at various Houses while they travel. When Mirabelle figures out that Nille isn't very good at reading, she reads books to her sometimes, and recommends her books that aren't too hard but also aren't too kiddie. One more for the girl's night book club! They have some good convos too about the balance of protecting and caring for a child vs giving them space to grow confident and independent, since Mira's parents were quite stifling; it's easier to find the acceptable middle range when you know what both failure modes look like, instead of just the one horrible extreme.

Isabeau is very friendly, and used to working with strangers and projecting an aura of safety, so he's got the chillest dynamic with Nille to start. He's the one who notices that her easy acceptance of the group was a little too easy and actually has some difficult feelings behind it. And he's been working on being braver, so he consults with his friends and then talks to Nille about it! I think it's a scary conversation but helpful in the long run, it's the start of establishing actual personal trust rather than just assumptions and idealization.

Since that precedent has been set, Isabeau becomes Nille's first choice if she needs to bring something up to the group. Doesn't hurt that he reminds her of one of the first people she met in Bambouche, too! On Isabeau's side, he likes having the opportunity to get to know someone new while he's figuring out his new self. And he's so delighted when she joins the war on puns as a whole new front: dad jokes. She wasn't even particularly into them before, she just wanted to shake up the battlefield. Nille and Isabeau also spar sometimes, because she hates how poorly she did at defending Bonnie, and Isabeau has the most formal/practical training in self-defense to pass on. (And he's the most willing to do physically-demanding activities for fun after already walking all day.)

Nille finds Odile intimidating. She's not sweet like Mira, or exuberant like Isa, or, uh, whatever the fuck Siffrin has going on. She's a full generation older than Nille and hard to read! Scary! But Bonnie adores her, and she's been making an effort to be more reassuring to Siffrin lately which shows, and Isabeau starts being more teasing-rude to Odile (the way she is to him) to prove that he can annoy her without repercussion which is really funny. So it doesn't take all too long for Nille to come down from high alert for the most part! And Odile respects Nille hardcore for raising Bonnie and takes her very seriously, which she appreciates.

Odile takes point on tutoring Bonnie, because she has some formal teaching experience and they're most likely to sit and listen for her anyway, but the others will give lessons on this or that. But Odile soon realizes from the way Nille hovers but doesn't help that she is actually further behind in schooling than Bonnie, and makes it her mission to rectify that. It's kinda rocky at first because Nille is both self-conscious of and resigned to her lack of education, but once she starts getting into it she really gets into it! This brings Odile and Nille a lot closer and Nille ends up admiring her a lot, especially as she catches hints of wild Odile lore.

Loop really likes getting to know Nille, since she never knew pre-loops Siffrin but she's still connected to their family. Not a stranger, not a copy, best of both worlds! Nille also appreciates having another person there who feels out of place in the party dynamics. She thinks Loop is funny, but also worrying, but they have enough people worried about them that she decides to goof off with them and enable them instead. Like yes it's probably bad for their mental health to make this kind of joke but it's worse to have everyone constantly analyzing their jokes' healthiness, yknow? Ironically, this (along with her newcomer status) means that Loop takes her worry more seriously and is more likely to listen to her than anyone else (except maybe Siffrin but only maybe).

Sometimes Loop gets a little too frantically irrational and it freaks Nille out because it reminds her of her and her mom's manic episodes. But she can disengage and tag someone else in, and see from afar that it all turns out okay! Loop gets some therapy tips from her too, but not necessarily the same ones as Siffrin. And they give her super shitty advice in return, in that way where it makes you realize how shitty it is and commit yourself to doing the opposite. They like to do silly things together that Nille never got the chance to do as a child and Loop doesn't remember doing, like rolling around in mud puddles and staying up all night just to watch the sunrise. Nille doesn't feel as self-conscious about acting juvenile because Loop is like a billion years old, but she also doesn't have to be in charge the way she is when playing with Bonnie! And Loop gets to make brand new memories with someone who has no old ones to compare them to!

Bonnie is super happy to see Nille for like, a day, and then they get really mad at her more often than not for like a week (because now that they're home with her it's safe to be distraught and uncooperative), and then they settle back into a more consistent dynamic. But it takes a while longer for them to be able to comfortably get any farther away from each other than maybe a room over; Bonnie confidently heads off and then suddenly comes running back, and Nille is so brave about separating and bravely panics the entire time. Oh well! The first time around it only took her a couple years to get to be okay with Bonnie being away from her, she'll figure it out again eventually!

There's no rush.

[alister312]

otp question list ..

gregstophe or style for 4, 17, 33, 35 >w>

what if i did BOTH for the otp asks?? what then, rin 👁👁

4. Which of the two listens to older music and which one is into the newer stuff?

[G/C] Gregory, absolutely. For one, I think he’s much more into knowing about music compared to Christophe. Like, Christophe knows a fair amount but it’s entirely through (sometimes unwilling) osmosis via Gregory. Gregory would make it his goal to learn all about music– different types, their individual history and evolution, big names in each genre, etc. I’ve said in the past that Christophe probably listens to a lot of music that does instrumentally technically interesting stuff, as well as music with a lot of bass, and I stand by that. I’m gonna add on the addendum that he doesn’t really go out seeking new music. He likes what he already likes and any new music he likes, he’s introduced to by Gregory. So… Gregory is also the one into the newer stuff haha

[S/K] I wanna say Stan for this? I just feel as though, as much as he wouldn’t want to admit it, Randy would have a good amount of influence on his music tastes. He’d just be used to hearing a lot of older music and consider them “classics”, whether or not he actively listens to them. The moment he hears them playing he can’t help but sing or at least tap along. Kyle likes to be in the know about new stuff, so I think he’d be more likely to check out newer music first! Whether or not this translates to him being “into” newer stuff is another question (and the answer is it depends heavily on what the genre is).

17. Who’s had the same pair of jeans for years and refuses to change them out?

[G/C] CHRISTOPHE OWNS ONLY TWO (2) PAIRS OF PANTS FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE AND YOU CAN’T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. It’s not that I think Christophe is a slob or anything, but I think he operates with the fashion mindset of “if it’s comfortable and practical there’s no need to change anything” so his wardrobe is quite sparse. Gregory on the other hand is constantly buying new clothes (though I think much of it has a very similar vibe– he knows he’s got A Look that works for him). Also Gregory doesn’t strike me as the type to even own jeans. His most casual pair of pants are chinos.

[S/K] Stan! The ideal Stan Outfit to me is jeans, a t-shirt (either plain white or a band tee), and a jacket (perhaps even his letterman?). I see him as this perfect blend of old and new Americana and having one reliable pair of jeans is definitely part of that. Kyle also strikes me as the type to be dressed very smartly. His outfits forever make him look like he’s a history or English TA at a liberal arts school (and thanks to post covid, i think i can call this answer nearly canon lol).

33. Who takes on boring tasks around the house so the other person doesn’t have to do them?

[G/C] It switches back and forth! I think both of them can find themselves with a lot of patience when the other is extremely impatient and vice versa. So they learn to pick up on the vibes of the other during the day and will do menial tasks that take time to help the other keep calm. I think it’s more often that Christophe is the frustrated one and Gregory has the patience, but I also think that Christophe can more easily make himself be patient in order to help a struggling Gregory out.

[S/K] I know I keep saying Stan for these but…. Stan lol. Mostly because I think the perfect future job for Stan is being a mostly stay at home dad for his and Kyle’s kid(s). Like, he might have a job that’s easy to do from home (like online whiskey consultant in post covid) or do a lot of extracurriculars (thinking mostly coaching local junior sports leagues) but either way it leaves him with a lot more free time compared to Kyle’s job. He fills this with fixing stuff around the house, cleaning, etc.

35. Who picks up languages faster?

[G/C] What time is it? Why, it’s my polyglot Gregory headcanon time!! Gregory is always learning new languages for sure, whether it’s just a few of the most important phrases or trying to become fluent in it. He definitely learned Esperanto and prides himself in being fluent in Latin like the goddamn language nerd he is. Christophe is content with being bilingual in just French and English (though he does make an effort to learn necessary other languages for international missions if he’s a mercenary).

[S/K] Kyle!! Growing up already knowing a second language (he’s shown to speak and presumably read at least a little bit of Hebrew), I think he’d more easily figure out how to translate English into another language or read characters that aren’t a part of the Latin alphabet. I don’t know which languages he’d try to learn (though ofc French is a beloved headcanon for tophlovski reasons), but I think he’d have an easier time compared to Stan. Stan would definitely try very hard if he wanted to learn another language though!! He wouldn’t let himself get deterred.

[uncleweed]

My comment

Great practical information… Can I add a few notes?

If you are moving into a new area, very important to go around to the neighboring houses, give a formal introduction and bring a gift (there are certain protocols of what is appropriate gift)

What seems like "basic things" are really a big deal in Japanese neighborhoods like: the protocols for sorting trash and recycling, attendance and participation in community cleanup projects, contributions to festivals and other activities

If you're not familiar with Japanese language and culture, very important to start your Japan life in a slightly more populated but smaller city… I'm a big fan of the "Minor provincial cities" which are big enough to have transportation links, immigration offices (you'll thank me for this later), and for foreigners not being a big shock but, not being so common that you can get away with being in a "foreigner bubble" once you get some language skills, some cultural understanding and decide which area of the magnificent archipelago really appeals to you, you can take your time to find your perfect place

About the very important point of "hiring local staff to manage your short term rental" keep in mind there's not a glut of young eager easily employable population in Japan. Especially in areas outside of the "big three"and these people are expecting a proper job not a casual side hustle for the most part

Regarding transportation link: the cheaper the house the more likely it is to be away from train and bus routes and if the house is located in a city, does not necessarily include parking spaces. and drivers license transition is a complicated situation in some cases depending on where you're coming from. Can take months to do it and several times going through tests. Also car ownership is a little bit of a different situation with mandatory "inspections" which are not just cheap and cheerful but rather expensive and comprehensive tests for cars over 10 years old.

So, having access to bus service or train service is critical for taking care of the logistics of life (shopping, post office, etc.) Postal Service and shipping is fantastic but the farther away you are from centers, of course the more complicated this gets

Also, if you're moving from abroad with kids, it is possible but my goodness, there's a lot of parental participation in schools and, aside from a few very distinct areas (places with factories employing a lot of foreign workers and some core areas of Tokyo/Kyoto) Your child will likely be the only international in the school which is conducted entirely in Japanese obviously. There are international schools but those are centered in certain cities and extremely expensive and cure to high wealth individuals and/or children of diplomats, executive foreign workers and so on

The idea of "swoop in" buying a bunch of cheap properties and expecting they will just go up in value naturally is full hardy. If your property is left with weeds growing, and maintain, you quickly realize the problems with mold/mildew, rot, bamboo growing through floors (seriously) and all kinds of pests settling into your country house. The older houses are all made of natural materials, and are designed to "breathe" and do not have a poured concrete foundation… All these means that the houses require all kinds of maintenance and simply to be lived in in order to be kept up.

Final note: in many cases, vacant/abandoned houses are sold with "all the previous owners stuff/crap "left inside and, disposal/dumping is complicated and can be rather expensive as well as a huge project. You might think you'll come across some great antique treasures, you're gonna be cleaning out junk – so again, if this is your first house purchase in Japan, you're probably better off buying a "ready to go" house (which still can be obtained a very reasonable price compared to many other countries) in a delightful smaller city and living for a spell to see if this is for you.

I have more to say about visas but I've already said too much for now :-)

[hollowsart]

video I’m listening to: there’s not really pre-Halloween trick-or-treating--

me: oh, buddy. I got some GREAT news about that.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Curious

What’s the afton family like in your au?

Kinda depends on 'when' you're asking about! But let's vibe!

So first, let's just go into the overall vibe before Evan(Crying Child) died.

The dynamic between the family seemed normal to an extent. There's things that later people would notice about William. But while things were good....

I can't find the post but I compared it to a Criminal Minds character, Ashley Seaver, whose father was a serial killer. The first episode with her is when she's brought in to try and spot the family dynamics that might be present in a family where the dad is.... ya know.

I'm just going to copy her conversation with Prentiss here:

Seaver: "It won't be overt. The kids probably won't be afraid of Dad."

Prentiss: "They won't? These guys have explosive tempers, don't they?"

Seaver: "Definitely. Anger wasn't normal in my house. Usually when it happened, when it exploded, it was an anomaly, a surprise. If anything, my father was overly solicitous. Too nice.

Seaver: "And if I wanted anything... bicycles, toys, dolls... all I had to do was ask.

Seaver: "In groups, he always held my hand. Always. Sometimes so tight, it almost cut off the circulation.

Seaver: "But I can never remember him putting me on his lap, holding me in any way."

Prentiss: "Ashley."

Seaver: "And he'd always have these talks with me. He was terrified someone would take me. Because he knew what was out there."

Prentiss: "Yeah, men like him."

Seaver: "You know, maybe this man recently bought gifts for his kids. My dad used to buy me things all the time."

Prentiss: "What kinds of gifts?"

Seaver: "Anything. Everything. I told you, there was nothing...

Seaver: "My whole life, there was only one thing I wanted that I couldn't have."

Emily: "Which was?"

Seaver: "A pet."

So like. This is the same vibe I carry with the Aftons. William, on the surface, seemed like a good and loving father. He spoiled his kids. He does everything to protect them. There are only a few times where he'll get angry with them or with his wife, and yes he gets very angry when it happens but it's rare enough that you don't think of it.

And they all.... somewhat know. They don't know what they're picking up on. But they know something isn't 'right'. They just can't fathom how 'not right' he is.

This intensified after the first kill of Sammy Emily. Because it's less 'stray but vague dark thoughts' and more 'intentional plans to kill again'. But again, no one really picks up on it because how do you jump to that unless he tells you?

As for the rest of the family's dynamic:

The kids mom, I can't remember if we've given her a name but I"m going with Luara. Anyway. She was a good mom. A good wife. She also loved her kids and filled that strange gap her husband didn't quite cross.

The kids themselves were normal kids. Very. Very normal kids. Near the end of everything, I'll admit Michael was a bit of a bratty older sibling, always pranking Evan for being a crybaby. But like. He's a middleschooler with a very young 'annoying' brother that he's probably stuck babysitting. They did get along other times. Especially when Michael's friends weren't over so he didn't have to be all 'ugh get away from me you baby'.

Then we jump to the immediate aftermath of Evan's death.

William is furious of course. He just lost a son. And some of his feeling is guilt, which he didn't think he'd be able to feel about a child's death but it's his own child that died. And he does shift the blame at Michael. Because Michael has been told that the animatronics can be dangerous. He was old enough to know that someone could get hurt!

Laura is............. in a similar boat. She's holding it together better. She doesn't want to blame her husband or her eldest son. But she does.

Michael just kinda. He's definitely shut down for a lot of this time. Guild and trauma just.... it's fucked. Doesn't help that nightmares start and the only ones who try to comfort him are the ones who clearly blame him.

Elizabeth is.... an oddity here. She's old enough to understand that Evan is gone and not coming back. But she's still young enough that the grief isn't quite as hard hitting. She also doesn't quite blame anyone because she has a simpler 'it was an accident. It happened' look. Not in a cold way, but just in a kid way.

This leads into Elizabeth feeling lonely and neglected by everyone else, so she sneaks into her father's lab and... well. Circus Baby happens.

Now. William is the only one who knows she died. Michael and Laura think that she must've run away. They are similarly distraught about it.

William knows that it was more directly his fault. He made an animatronic to kill children. He kept it in a place the kids could get to it. He took his eyes off her for just a moment....

And since his guilt turns to blame, he ends up blaming Michael and his friends for this too. Because if they hadn't killed Evan....

This is where he properly cracks and goes from making plans to kill kids to actually killing kids. Killing Michael's three friends and stuffing them in the suits of their 'favorite' animatronics. When more kids go missing, Laura and Michael and the whole town actually think that Elizabeth was probably the first victim of whoever this was(technically...)

But despite his rage, he does still love Michael. So he doesn't hurt him. Not directly. But the two other victims speak volumes of his blame.

One was Cassidy. She was a girl who Michael was friends with. A middle school crush, really. She wasn't involved in the event with Evan. But she was involved with Michael.

The second was Michael Brooks. Now, Michael Afton and Michael Brooks had no real connection, the latter being a few years younger even. But. The fact that William chose a child with the same name as his own, a child very similar to his own in other ways......

After it's revealed that William is the one who killed those kids, Laura is horrified. How didn't she know? How could she have loved him? So on and so forth. She brings all that guilt onto herself.

Her feelings toward Michael are.... complicated. She loves him, very much. She blames him a bit less, knowing this was more William's fault than his. But she is scared. She doesn't know if he's... like William was. So after the two of them leave Hurricane together, she's a weird sort of overprotective and hovering. Trying to make up for past mistakes by making sure it doesn't repeat.

Michael takes this as more guilt.

[fuck-goes-on]

Sire Max Phillips and Baby Bat Eddie

warning/s: slight blood, bad vampire lore, fluff, eventual father-son dynamic

note/s: this was just supposed to be a normal talk post but then i turned it into a headcanon because i actually want this to be a thing

masterlist || next

gifs belong to @javier-pena and @artemiseamoon

we all know max phillips is one big giant bloodsucking bastard that fucking turned the whole office into vampires with or without their consent because, i dont fucking know, sales??

and of course we all know eddie, our baby freshman, is a cute lil psychology major who liked buffy because she was nice to him but unfortunately died two times BECAUSE of her??

what if these two very different characters were in the same universe 🤔

imagine one night eddie just couldn’t handle the bloodlust anymore— he’s been holding that part of himself back because he doesn’t want to be a monster— but it got to be too much and he was forced to go out and find someone to drink from.

at this point, eddie looks like utter shit. he’s thin, pale, eyes are sunken and black, and his fangs are out. he’s dizzy, he’s stumbling, and nobody is around for him to attack.

eventually he collapses from exhaustion and hunger. if there were people who saw him, they probably thought him to be a homeless person and didn’t bother to help.

this is when max finds him, i dont know how he finds him but he does ok dont question it.

at first max doesn’t give a shit, why would he? he doesn’t owe any other vampire anything, so why should he care about this young vampire who probably feels like hes going to die again which he definitely does not know how it feels because of his own sire that left him to fend for himself with no knowledge of being a vampire-

oh

well

max reluctantly carries the poor bat up on his back and reluctantly speeds to his apartment to reluctantly give the boy a bag of donated blood. when eddie stirs from the scent of it, max watches him sink his fangs into the bag and fucking gulp the whole thing down.

no it does not make him happy that the boy is looking significantly healthier and better than how he found him.

after eddie eats his fill, he finally realises that he has company and is very scared but also relieved. scared because thats his natural reaction whenever hes with somebody he doesnt know (also because hes in the house of somebody he doesnt know) but hes relieved because this older vampire helped him and maybe will continue to help him.

HOWEVER max is allergic to feelings and emotions so he kicks eddie out after making sure the kid is ok.

jokes on him tho, eddie follows max around like a lost puppy. he doesn’t know anybody else who’s a vampire and he can’t really go up and ask people if they are without them thinking he’s delusional, so OF COURSE hes gonna attach himself to the only 'role model' he knows.

max hates it. max hates that the kid keeps knocking on his door to stay at his place. max hates that the kid looks like a sad baby bat whenever he refuses to let him in. max hates that he lets the kid in at the first sight of his pout. max hates that he shares his blood supply, that he pays cash money for, to this kid who doesn’t even want to learn how to hunt like a proper vampire. most of all, max hates how he’s getting soft for the damn kid.

one day, eddie asks if there were more vampires than him and max, and max goes like, dude how the fuck do you think we became vampires in the first place???

so max brings eddie to his work place to show him around (bring your child to work day) and how the whole office is turned into vampires, like his own little coven of bats, and eddie is both amazed and terrified.

“so... you turned everybody in the office?”

“well not everybody, but only the ones i know will do a better job once they are one.”

“they all listen to you? depend on you?”

“well, i am their boss and their sire, so they really have no choice.”

“... do i have a sire?”

“... yes and no.”

cue sad eyes from eddie because he realises that the person who was responsible for turning him was supposed to help him but didn’t.

max has a sudden surge of anger directed to his baby bat’s sire, how dare they leave him behind all alone without any—

hold on

his baby bat?

fuck

it takes a few days for max to come to terms that he now sees this adorable, too good for this world boy somehow as his... son... but then he remembered how hard it was for him back when he first changed that he had nobody to lean onto.

now he has the opportunity to be that solid pillar for the boy to go to whenever he’s afraid or confused.

no he wasn't tearing up at the thought of having a son because he had always wanted a family of his own and cant have it anymore due to his immortality.

when he brings up the idea of becoming eddie's sire, at first eddie was like, you can do that?? how?? and THEN eddie was like, wait, you wanna be my sire 🥺?

"how does that even work?"

"you just drink from me."

"but we don't have blood? our hearts are dead."

"no shit sherlock."

little bit about that is max feeds naturally, as in hunt down a human and drink from them, and then eddie has to bite max and drink that blood from him.

dont fucking question it.

so they do the whole shebang shebang, now max has officially adopted taken eddie under his bat wing.

if max thought eddie was clingy when they first met, it doesn't compare to eddie actually having that close bond with max and always wanting to be with or around the older vamp.

and they lived happily ever after until the end of time 😌

just kidding :-))

general taglist: @stillshelbs @pedroepascal

[originalwinnercheesecake]

First Impressions and predictions based on the coven Leaders

After a full first season their fame adorning the banners and walls, who they are being hailed, yet they themselves being kept in the shadows we now get first looks (and throughout 2a will meet) the emperors top dogs: The coven leaders. I will not lie as a group... these guys dissappoint me. Making the majority of them very human in appearance for me is a big no. Compare this group to the many colorful and fantastical creatures that are shown teaching at hexside and the hexside teachers are far more creative, unique, and fun. Maybe the artists decided to make the coven leaders look more like normal people so the audience would have an easier time understanding their expressions and body language. Maybe the more humanoid whitches are a higher class and have a easier time climbing higher than the more beast and demon like residence.? We will have to wait and see. 

Seperate this group into individuals (like how we will hopefully meet them) and most of them become far more interesting, So below lets take a look at each coven leader individually, where the artists may have taken inspriation, and what  What kind of characters they could maybe turn out to be.

The Beast keeping coven Leader: One of the only two that are not humanoids. What type of animal is he? At first I was sure he was a hedgehog, but maybe he could also be like a chipmunk or a squirrel. I get the feeling he might be partially inspired by Sonic from Sega. I was really into Sonic back in middle school. I liked the cartoons and read through the archie’s old comic series. But I kinda out grew him since then. I know from helping to take care of kids though that he is still popular with the younger generation. That’s kinda how I thin the Beast Keeping Coven leader will be: less interesting for older viewers, but a real fun charcter for kids.

The Healing coven leader: Now this guy looks like fun villain all around. Is some kind of witch docotor? a Dark Priest? The size the purple Grin, he looks like the phantom boss from those horror films where you get trapped in nightmares. Tell me he has scary theme song music and talks in a very high pitched voice. I’ve heard some people wonder if he could be Selena (oracle girl from hexside)’s dad. I don’t thinks so, the macaroni crescent shape n his head looks more like a fancy cowl than part of his actual head. Also him having a daughter in Luz’s class could be used as a reason for him to change sides, I want this guy to stay as a villian/antagonist. We all know that with this size group some will stay with the emperor and some will defect to Luz’s side (possibility a couple will die, we haven’t seen yet just how dark Dana is willing to go). Personally my view with redemption arcs and if a character “deserves them” is it depends on what it will do for the story/character afterwards? IF redeeming them opens more doors for the characters and directions the story can take, do it. IF it closes doors leave them as they are. I absolutely hate when clever and well written bad guys get “redeemed” in to boring, plot useless, weebs. The only reason I could see having this guy change sides is for him to “cure” Eda and Lilith’s curse, and I would much rather see the two of them gain control over their forms than be “cured” of them.

The Illusion coven leader: Another fun looking antagonist. My third favorite of these nine. If the healer guy is horror movie based. This guy is Disney based all around. Looks like one of those Vegas suave showmen styled character. Love it. I guarantee you he does not actually look that young or slicked back, but is using illusion magic to make himself more pretty. Not sure if he will stay with the emperor or not. Illusion is Gus’s track and I could see Dana having the leaders of Luz’s friends tracks be the ones to stand by them. If so I am fine with that (in the case of the abomination leader I will beg for it). Gaining the respect of someone as high up as a coven leader could be really great for Gus’s character. Just as long as I get plenty of laughs from Gus and this guy both along the way.

The Potion coven leader: My second favorite and in my opinion the most creative idea of the whole bunch. A mosquito that works in potions! Does he suck them up with his nose and carry them in.. whatever it is mosquitos store blood in. Also he looks angry. Like everyone else is either amused or board. This guy is fed up and ready to do something about it. Not sure if it is the Emperor, the other leaders, or the owl gang he is mad at, but it should be a worthwhile show down.

The Abomination coven leader: Yes this is my favorite design. Yes it is because he is such a beautiful man. Would never have expected someone who creates mucks (the pokemon) with legs would be so fine. Its more than that though. He looks the most kind. Their is no malice or guise in his smile and his green eyes are bright and relaxed. I wondered what the purpose of the Abomination track was and why it had “more opportunity” all last season. Well slight spoilers if you haven’t seen episode 2x02 it is the industrialist field. When you learn about Industrialization usually the idea is that it is done to help the human race reach its full potential, and it is up to each individual to decide what to do with that potential. Whether you call that the passion of a creative mind or the carelessness of a fool would also be up to you. But I really don’t want this guy to be all bad. If for no other reason that more spoilers for episode 2 * with the interest/caution the emperor is showing the blights I expect this guy to show up to their house, probably meet Amity, and we really do not need another not so nice adult in her life. She has had enough.

The Oracle coven leader: What is this? He’s got nails/caws at the ends of dread thingys like Kikimore, so is this her father? Does he have anything to do with her being in the Emporor’s coven? But this is my least favorite. Like what was the inspiration behind this guy? With so many legendary oracles in mythology and we get this guy who mostly looks saggy, washed out, tierd, and just Blah. Hope thier is more to him, but here is one who I am not holding my breath for an episode on.

The Plant coven leader: based on her banner I was expecting something like the Swamp Giant from ALTA. Instead they went in the direction of a very traditional witch desgine: An old women with a wrinkled face and really messy hair, who probably lives alone in the woods, with maybe the exception of a cat, and dances around a fire at night. Okay. She is definitely going to become an ally of the owl gang. This is the only female of the group,and it is neither in Dana’s message nor would it be popular with her target audience to make a villain or even an antagonist out of a women who managed to climb the later into a male dominated success level. I am actually looking forward to seeing her, because it will probably be in a Willow based episode, and after 2x02 (which I personally feel should not have been a luminaty episode but rather a Willow and Amity one finishing up their reconciliation arc), Willow deserves an episode with potential centered around her. An episode where she goes against the Plant track Leader would be that. This witches Grin isn’t exactly friendly, but its more mischievous than wicked. She gives off vibes as one of those people who like to test the mains, and if you pass her tests than you earn her respect. I have no doubt Willow could win at her little games, and doing so would be a huge boost the confidence she has spent the show building.

The Construction coven leader: Oh joy here’s the other one I am unimpressed with. Unlike with the Oracle guy I know where they got his design. To everyone saying that we first saw him at the convention, your not backing far enough up. If you have ever seen any cartoon ever where the main character wanders past or onto a construction sight you have seen this man. Every trio of workers sitting on a iron frame eating from a lunchbox. Every pig that makes a catcall at a disgusted women. Every exhausted worker who watches as your slapstick mains chase each other past at quitting time... they all looked EXACTLY like this guy. This is really the character leading the track Dana herself has said she would pick to join? They could have done a Golem made of brick an stone that resembles a palace. They could have done some kind of humanoid ant with super strength. They could have done a wizard with shapes and mathematics on his robe who carried a scroll everywhere that he compulsively scribbled blueprints onto. But instead we get Mr. Generic here.

The Bard coven Leader: This is R, Eda’s old friend from her hexside days. Did I save R for last because of this connection? Partially. I am also unsure what R’s pronouns are. To me R looks physically male. I have seen other posters use “she” when posting about R. One person posted that Dana had confirmed R uses “they” and if so awesome, I would really like to see that tweet. What ever R’s pronouns though their appearance in the show will be tied with Eda, er past, and what she had to give up in order to live free. I look forward to this new insight onto her character

[thedragonemperess]

What's your personal opinion on why Elite Force was so bad? Since I've ranted about that a lot and started the 'elite discourse' tag.

Introduction

I don’t think it was really bad. Yes, it was terrible compared to Lab Rats and Mighty Med (of which both deserved more seasons since they both set up so much and than threw it all away), but it wasn’t too bad. Why it was bad, though? They undid all character development, overlooked some of the best characters, and so much more!

Chase

There’s a lot wrong with Chase. First of all, they undid all of his character development and reduced him to a self-centered smart guy. (I’m not gonna say a mini version of Donald because he’s really more like Douglas, but they really just threw away his character.) And for character archs. When AJ made his list, he put Chase at the bottom. A good thing to point out is that this list was based off of the number of powers each person has and the number of powers each person has alone. So lets count how many powers they all have:

Kaz: Pyrokinesis and Flight Oliver: Cryokinesis, Flight, and Super Strength Bree: Super Speed, Vocal Manipulation, Invisibility, and Super Agillity Chase: Molecular Kinesis, Force Fields, Super Intelligence, Super Senses, Laser Bo Generation, and the Commando App (technically Super Strength as well, but that’s only Spike) Skylar: Flight, Super Strength, Super Speed, Acid Spit, Regeneration, and 21 other abilities (10 after the whole thing with Bree, but that still leaves her with the most) CHASE SHOULD BE #2 ON THAT LIST!!

And even if this wasn’t based on only their powers, he’d still be at #2!!

Then we have the Arcturian. The Arcturian Space Rock will kill you if you make direct contact with it, key word being direct. So Bree, being NUMBER #3 on the list (did I mention they overlooked her abilities, too, with the exception of one throw away line?), decided to touch it. After a series of events, she gets superpowers from it.

Bree got superpowers.

Because she was insecure about her bionic powers.

THIS WAS CHASE’S ENTIRE ARCH FROM THE BEGINNING!

And he wasn’t only insecure about his powers, he was insecure about his appearance, self-worth, and a ton of other things.

This arch was engineered for Chase, and they threw it away in favor of Bree.

Skoliver

Skylar and Oliver was the main romance of Mighty Med. Oliver had a crush on Skylar and Skylar was a lesbian didn’t reciprocate. This didn’t stop Oliver from trying to get with her, though. But the difference between Oliver persevering in Mighty Med and Olvier persevering in Elite Force is that in Mighty Med, he did it in a healthy, respectful way. In Elite Force, he became a stalker!

He watched her in her sleep, recorded her without permission, had a pretend version of her that he was dating, and more.

They turned a really nice thing from Mighty Med into something terrible just so that they could put less time into coming up with actual jokes. (The writers of these shows never really handled healthy relationships and comedy well, if Adam and Chase’s relationship says anything, but you would think [I’m only saying this because its Disney] they would put more effort into a romantic relationship.) The worst part about this is that they got together somewhat in the end of Elite Force.

Reese

Reese existed as a way to lead us to the finale of the show. She also existed as a love interest for Chase. She had the potential to be Elite Force’s Marcus or Experion, but they just didn’t do it right.

The Lab Rats’ relationship with Marcus was built over the course of two seasons, which let both the audience and the characters get to know him. Sure, we knew he was evil before everyone else, but how evil he truly was changed up until Douglas’ plan was finally revealed. He was also really close to a lot of the characters, so that makes it really painful.

Experion was one of Skylar’s close friends, almost like a brother, and we saw that play out on screen. He was only there for a short amount of time, just as Reese was, but he was already in a predetermined relationship with him. Reese had literally only met Chase that day, meaning that connection just wasn’t there.

(Also, was Reese just there to degay Chase? Because that’s what it seems like.)

Representation And Other Things Of The Sort

Lab Rats was a show that had a family in which half of it was married into. Shows have done this before, yes, but this showed the kids really just excepting it and not getting mad at their respective family. This was also a mixed family, which watching now that I’m older and really understand the importance of it, is really nice. Especially as a mixed person myself.

As for Mighty Med, and I’m starting with family again, it had a father figure who, more or less, actually cared about his kid(s) and was active in their life. It also showed him, a person of color, in a position of power. Skylar, who is a woman of color, was a badass who wasn’t boy crazy. She didn’t care about boys and the one time she did chase after someone, it was an introverted girl whom she wanted to be friends with which is pretty gay but whatever Disney. She was pretty freaking powerful, too, even without her powers.

Now for Oliver and Kaz, they were geeks. That’s a recurring fact in the show. It’s also something that is constantly saving all of their butts and was the main thing that got them their jobs. They weren’t picked on or made fun of for it, that was just who they were.

And unlike Lab Rats, Mighty Med showed a healthy relationship between brothers. Additionally, Gus was a really weird kid, but no one ever made fun of him, either. They treated him like they treated everyone else. He even ends up as one of the popular kids a few times.

Elite Force really just threw that all away in favor of (what became) a bunch of bratty kids in a pent house together.

Backstory

Mighty Med ended off on a cliffhanger, with Mr. Terror escaping, Oliver and Kaz obtaining superpowers, Alan meeting his father for the first time, and Horace using his last revival. Not to mention, Mr. Terror is Oliver’s mother and was supposed to be Horace’s wife.

And then they completely forgot about all of that and destroyed Mighty Med, killing all of the people in it in the process while also forgetting about Mr. Terror completely?

As for Lab Rats’ ending, it was actually pretty fitting and satisfying, all things considered. Adam, Bree, Leo, and Chase split up after defeating Giselle, Adam and Leo going back to the island to help the students with the big change (an update that let them control their abilities, hence no need for them to be teachers anymore) while Bree and Chase joined the Elite Force.

But why Chase and Bree? Sure, I guess the fandom Chase, but we did care about Leo more than Bree if we’re looking at it from that stand point. Now if we’re looking at it from a logical, in-universe stand-point, it makes no sense. Bree and Chase were the smarter, more experienced of the four, so they should have gone back to the island, while letting Chase and Adam join the Elite force.

Also, Leo has just become a mentor, which was what he was striving for since the start of the season. He was always being overlooked, and now, when he finally gets his moment in the spot light, its taken away from. That just really bothers me.

What Was Good About Lab Rats: Elite Force?

Quite honestly, not a lot. But considering the target audience, it was pretty good. Having two well received shows come together into an, albeit poorly set up and attempted, spin-off where they can have their own battles and story lines together is pretty cool and different. There are some flaws, like how Mighty Med logic and Lab Rats logic really don’t intertwine, but you have to keep in mind that this is a kids show.

It also showed Douglas being a pretty good father, which is really nice. Sure, he’s their birth father and/or creator, but it also shows them mending their relationship.

There were some smaller things, too. AJ’s introduction, Skylar and Bree slowly become sisters, and Chase and Kaz becoming friends were all really fun to watch. (The characters growing relationships with each other, period, were fun to watch.) The villains had good motives, and the small cameos from other shows (Bob and Crossbow [she’s more of a piece of what Mighty Med used to be, but I’m counting it]) were really fun to see. The plot could definitely be better, but it was still pretty good. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the show was genuinely funny. The amount of times I’ve spit out my water while watching this show is surprising.

Conclusion

Was Lab Rats: Elite Force as great a show as the source material? No. Was it all we thought it would be at the time? That depends on how old you were when it came out. It was, and still is, a fun show to watch, though. Yes, it would have been better if it never happened and the shows continued separately, but I’m glad that we at least have an answer to what Mighty Med and Lab Rats alluded to in their finales. Am I upset about Elite Force’s finale? Yes, and I will probably die mad about it, but we didn’t have as much time to get to know the characters and connect to them, so is it really that much of a loss? That’s up to you. Is it a fun show to watch? Absolutely.

[marzipanandminutiae]

you asked and I am desperate for an excuse to happy to deliver! presenting A Point-By-Point Takedown of This BS Doll Article By Some Lady Calling Herself A Professional Antiques Appraiser

so she starts off with a random story about how she was in a warehouse doing appraisals and a dresser started glowing, and when she looked in the dresser the source of the glow was an antique doll. this convinced her that dolls “carry the energy of wicked little girls.” but not all of them! anyway now she’s scared of dolls. but not really. but yes, really

...okay then

she then shares a doll one E.H. sent her photos of for appraisal

(Pretty! French fashion doll, I’d say maybe a Barrois or an early Bru, late 1860s.  You can tell by the distinctive “cobalt blue” eyes, that deep sapphire shade that only appears in the earliest era of FFs. Wig looks original, almost certainly mohair, and she has some sort of blouse or gown on that seems antique from the look of the lace. Could be a modern-made garment with antique materials. She’d probably fetch over $1,000 at auction unless there's some REALLY bad damage elsewhere on her person.)

EH’s one doll has a fabulous body that points to its age as 3rd quarter 19th century, because the body is made of fine-grained hand stitched leather. So what follows is a rough explanation of how you can determine if your doll is OLD, and that of course influences value – to an extent. The older dolls that are valuable are ALSO rare. And by the 1890’s dolls really were NOT rare.

Couple of issues with this. first of all, kid leather bodies can be seen on dolls as far back as the 1820s and as late in time as the early 1920s. the typical French fashion bodies were fairly distinctive,  but just saying that the material determines the age isn’t correct. or if it is, it’s not a very precise dating

also like...what even is the last sentence? dolls weren’t rare in the 1890s. dolls weren’t rare in the 1860s. dolls can be made out of literally anything, at any price point, and have been present in almost every culture in human history. dolls, as a broad category, have never been inherently rare

if she’s saying dolls from the 1890s are not considered rare by today’s standards...oh honey, meet my dear friend the Simon and Halbig 1159

(This doll is c. 1900. This doll fetched $1,800 at auction. What was that about age determining value, again?)

also maybe Google “German art character dolls.” friendly suggestion

Another fact about doll valuation is that the best antique dolls are not replicas of children, but are replicas of fabulously well-dressed young women.

this is so ridiculous I laughed out loud. there is no single “best” type of antique doll. some people will pay top dollar for Kewpies, others for 1880s child dolls, others still for first-issue Barbies. there are examples that are the rarest in their class of doll, sure, but no one class dominates across the board. it’s one thing to say a certain type is your favorite and another to say it’s the Best(TM) as a professional appraiser

My favorite fashionable young lady dolls, French or German, have leather bodies made of kid leather, stuffed with cork or sawdust. When you check the bodies, look for tight stitching at the joints, because, if the arms and legs are meant to move, they must be compress seamed. That makes sense because with the stuffing, a moved joint will pop open if not sewn correctly. Look for another overlay of leather at the joint called a gusset, which indicates greater value. Only the legs, the body, and the top of the arms and shoulders will be made of leather. The arms will be creamy porcelain or bisque, or sometimes a wood pulp combination composite material. You will notice the head and shoulder plate fits in a U-curve around the shoulders, which are leather and affixed expertly.

couple of things

1. not all FFs have the bisque lower arms- that’s a rarity point, not the norm. most with leather bodies have leather arms, too.

(This is my Jeanette. She has leather arms. Guess she’s not really a French fashion doll, then, despite her markings, face painting, face mold, body construction, eye type, and literally everything else about her!)

2. this describes most reproduction FFs out there, and many bodies used for German child dolls later on. so unless you’re planning to give people other things to look for, not entirely helpful

oh but wait! here are the other things to look for! let’s venture

The best French Fashion dolls wear the latest styles and little girls never played with them. Wealthy fashionistas in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century collected them.

remember, all that contemporary hand-wringing about little girls being corrupted by their fashionable “Paris dolls” was planted by Big Children(TM). #wakeupsheeple #thetruthisoutthere

These come in the finest white leather bodies with a nice bust line and quite wide hips, as we know as the style for the shapely ladies of the 1870 and 1880’s.

...who’s going to tell her leather bodies are definitely not the finest

can it be me

can it be me with my Charlotte, who has one of the rarest wooden body types that I’m still not sure how I got for such a (relative) steal

can it be us, perched on the end of her bed, at midnight

The hairstyles of real human hair will also be ‘period’, and some will have real gem jewelry. These weren’t meant as toys for a middle class little girl. These were expensive and can sell today for a couple thousand dollars in perfect shape. Surprisingly the leather has withstood time if well preserved.

as I said earlier, for French fashions, mohair (wool from an angora goat) was a WAY more common wig material than human hair. sometimes the hair will be down, not in a “period” style, because it was meant to be played with and styled by the child owner

real gem jewelry DID exist for these dolls, but most of what you’re likely to find is of rhinestones and gilt. that was much more common, as you’d expect

a middle-class little girl, if she was very lucky, might be able to count one middling or lower-range French lady among her dolls. they were expensive, but, well, middle-class girls often have one American Girl doll today, right? these dolls ranged in price from AG-level to “this was bought for a young princess and has that real gem jewelry mentioned above”

her price assessment is accurate for the majority of FFs, with outliers on either end ranging from “got really lucky with a seller who didn’t know what they had” to “a museum bought this doll because not even the richest collectors could afford to.” but...well, just keep that “couple of thousand dollars” figure in your mind for later

Let’s compare this leather-bodied doll with another cheaper type of body. In the late 19th century a ball-jointed body could be made of a wood pulp composition material, or even Papiermâché with little hinges of wood at the joints. Of course, since these bodies are wood based, they’re painted, and you’ll find the ghastly colors, as the once flesh tones turn to green or olive.

remember that doll from 1900 I showed you? 

she has a jointed composition body

$1,800

I do not feel any further comment is necessary at this juncture

(leather bodies came to be considered something of a budget option when the jointed compo bodies came into common use, because they couldn’t be posed and took less work/expense to make)

Finally, let’s think about the heads, if we dare.

oh bite me

Most heads are made of a porcelain type of material, and in this case, the porcelain is usually white with a painted ON skin tone. If the head is Bisque, bisque is material that will take a color or stain into itself and is often not painted nor glazed. The porcelain heads are more prized.

okay kids

porcelain is a type of very fine, translucent ceramic. it can be made matte, often called bisque, or shiny and glossy, often called china

(this stylish miss by Francois Gaultier is of matte bisque, the most common type of porcelain finish used for French fashion dolls. she’s also rocking the baby bangs look, and kudos to her for that)

(this early girl by Rohmer, on the other hand, has a glossy, shiny china head. note again the cobalt-blue eyes, another clue to her age. this is rarer than matte bisque for French fashions, though German glazed china dolls with molded hair could be quite commonplace depending on many factors like size, body type, hairstyle, etc.)

complicating everything further, a lot of older and even contemporary sources can use “bisque,” “porcelain,” and “china” interchangeably. context is key. but in modern terms, that’s sort of the breakdown

ding dong this blogger is wrong

You’ll see what I mean when I say dolls are sometimes too lifelike for my taste–or my nightmares. Notice the toes on EH’s doll. Pretty obsessive. The value is unknown until I find the maker of the doll, but a rough estimate might be $600, because the outfit seems original.

stitched toes are normal on kid-bodied French fashions in the most common size range (14″-17″). also

(The actual picture provided)

THIS gives you nightmares? really? I have Many Questions

also remember that valuation from earlier? a couple of thousand dollars? yeah. now she comes back with $600

depending on size, condition, and costume intricacy, I’ve seldom seen a doll of this type sell for less than $1,700 at auction (source: the online catalogue of past auctions at Theriault’s, the premier doll auction house in the U.S., and also personal experience)

and that’s a problem because the doll’s owner is PAYING for this “appraiser’s” services. they’re PAYING for an accurate idea of what they have and what it’s worth, whether for selling or insurance purposes. even if it’s just out of personal curiosity, you shouldn’t be swindled for a slew of misinformation and half-truths capped off by a wildly inaccurate dollar value

also the Creepy Doll stuff is massively unprofessional

Marzi out

[omegaversetheory]

hi hi! good morning/night!

i have a question; i’m writing a fanfic where the MC is a omega born in a family of betas, and i was wondering how this would affect them. for example: a omega born in a family of alphas may like bossing around more, they may be the center of attention, and they’ll have a hard time sorting out their primal needs as an omega, etc.

but i really don’t know how an omega who lives surrounded by betas would behave next to alphas and other omegas. do you have any ideas??

hmmm. well let's get to it. *it's really long! heads up*

-------

I actually think an omega surrounded by alphas wouldn't necessarily be bossy, but they would probably be sort of entitled and see them self set apart from other people. Depending on how your au views omegas, it will stem from either like a need for attention and praise or like being "misunderstood" in a sort of I'm not like the other girls way.

Again the level of which they won't have care depends on your au. Consider single fathers with sons and a daughter. Just because no body in the immediate family isn't a girl, doesn't mean that she won't have other women in her life. Although that analogy doesn't fully track given what dynamics are, the point still stands. Unless this is an alpha only society or a heavily segregated one the omega probably has other omegas to help them out.

It might be more likely they feel like they can't measure up with the physicality of their alpha siblings (especially if they are the same gender), or feel pigeonholed by their family assuming that they only like to do omega-things. Example: Family gets tickets to a sporting event and gets Mom and omega tickets to a spa trip. The omega would love to go to the sporting event, why weren't they asked if they'd like to go?

----

Anyways I know that part wasn't your question but I had to get it out. So betas and omegas?

I think a beta family would be a lot more understanding and nonchalant about having an omega child. It would be easier for them too, not going into ruts when the omega's omega friends were over and close to heat, so they could have a better support system. I don't think the betas would coddle the omega as much as the alphas would, the betas would raise the omega like a beta pretty much. Pros and cons to that of course. They would probably advocate for the omega to find a beta or another omega partner instead of an alpha because of how big of a change that would be for the omega and them not being around alphas much while they've been home.

A beta family would probably put the omega on suppressants and soon as possible, while an alpha family would be more hesitant (weary to the side effects of fertility, omega health, and alpha health).

Beta siblings of an omega may become jealous as they all get older, that alphas seem to gravitate towards the omega and not towards them, just because of their dynamic. Being seen as more socially desirable when they were all raised the same would be a tough pill to swallow for the others.

Next to other alphas, the omega would be very hesitant and less outspoken. They would also probably be frustrated by alpha's lack of communication which is something betas do well naturally. An omega in a family of betas often marries another beta, because comparatively an alpha is very large and that can be intimidating. The omega is also less forgiving with harsh behavior and will have less patience once they discover "talking it out" is not an option.

With a group of other omegas the omega find the others "primal" and shallow for dreaming of a strong alpha mate. "Just because their an alpha doesn't mean their right for you" is something they'd probably hear themself saying quite often. Beta raised omegas are probably more practical and career minded as well, as in beta circles omegas aren't automatically obligated to be the ones to take care of the kids and life as house-spouses.

----

i hope this answers your question! As always let me know where you go with your fic and where I can read it :)

[stellarstarwarsimagines]

Lie For Me (Part II of V) (Part I) 

Pairing - Modern!Ben Solo x Reader

Summary - So far you’ve managed to convince Ben’s parents that the two of you are dating, but now you’re about to be put to the test in his family’s home where you’ll find that maybe there’s more to Ben Solo than you ever thought. 

Word Count - 4,866

Warnings - Maybe a bit of language, but that’s it. Hope you guys enjoy this one as much as the first! 

When you heard the knocking at your door, your heart rate picked up the tiniest amount. Not because Ben was here. No, that had nothing to do with it. 

It was because he was here to pick you up to go to dinner with his parents, and you were covered in flour, chocolate, in an oversized t-shirt and shorts with your hair clipped all out of your face in what you liked to describe as . . . a mess. Oh, he was going to be pissed. “Rey! Can you -”

“On it!” She replied, with what you could tell was a full mouth of food as she went to go answer the door. “Hey, Ben.”

“Rey?” Even from here, you could tell he sounded confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Taste testing.” She replied. 

“Taste testing?” He repeated. 

Letting out a sigh, you brushed some strands of hair from your face, and called out a response. “I made cookies for your parents, and Rey always samples my cooking when I’m trying something new.” You placed a lid on the box the cookies were now in and went to go meet them, looking sheepish. “I might also be running a bit late.” 

Ben took one look at you and let out a snort. 

You had expected him to be pissed. You had expected yelling. You had expected an eye roll. You had not expected him to laugh. You had also not expected him to look so good in his gray slacks and light blue button up with sleeves pushed to his elbows, but that's besides the point. “Why aren’t you mad at me right now?” You asked, putting down the cookies and crossing your arms over your chest. 

“Because I told you to be ready an hour before we needed to leave.” Ben replied, a small smirk on his face. 

Your mouth dropped open in surprise. What the hell? Did he not even trust that you could be ready on time? You weren’t, but still! “What a dick move!” You said, annoyed. 

Rey and Ben both gave you the exact same pointed look. 

“Okay, it was a smart move, but it was still a dick move!” You admitted, shoving the plastic container of cookies into his arms. “Now I’m going to shower, and get ready.” 

“You mean you’re not going like this?” Ben asked, that annoying smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “The dogs’ll love it.” 

When you passed by him to go to your room, you shoved his shoulder . . . 

But you didn’t miss the little smile on his face when you did. 

____________________

While Ben and you hadn’t been friends, you knew some things about him. He was a hard worker, he liked organization, he was a minimalist, hated losing at any board game whatsoever, and he and his family were rich. 

When you pulled up to his parent’s house though, you realized just how rich he was. 

The house was stunning. It was a bit more modern on the outside than you expected, but gorgeous. You found yourself in awe, and didn’t even notice when Ben got out of the car until he opened your door. “Are you planning on getting out? Because if not I can drive back and pretend this never happened.” 

His words pulled you back to the situation, and you unbuckled, climbing out of the car, cookies and flowers in hand. “Nope, we’re here, we’re doing this. We’ve already done it once before, this time should be easy.” 

“Right,” he replied as he slipped an arm around your waist. “Easy.” 

At least you hoped it would be. After all, there weren’t any friends trying to sabotage you this time, and the two of you had sort of . . . bonded at the party. You wouldn’t say you were friends, but there wasn’t as much dislike. You even sorta liked how his arm felt around you. There was something comfortable about it. 

Almost as soon as Ben knocked on the door, loud barking could be heard from inside and you heard Han yelling, “get out of the way fuzzball!” from behind the door, and you had to bite your lip so you didn’t laugh when Ben let out a loud sigh. “Well hey you two.” Han said with his charming smile. “Come on in, ignore Chewy, he won’t bite. Hard.” 

The two of you slid your way inside, and almost immediately what was the largest dog you had ever seen in your entire life had jumped on you, putting its paws on your shoulder and began licking your face. You couldn’t help but giggle at its excitement, even more so when it jumped away from you to attempt to lick all over Ben. “Chewy!” Ben groaned, but there was a twitch on his lips that made you think he was enjoying the attention. 

“Chewy’s been looking after Ben since he was ten years old. Never left his side until he went to college.” Han whispered to you as the both of you watched Ben and the dog interact. “I think the mutt likes him better, and I’m the one that feeds him.” Then he turned his attention back to you. “It’s good to see you again, Kid.” 

You gave Han a big smile as he shook your hand. “It’s good to see you too, Han. I - um, I brought these for you and Leia.” You said, handing him the flowers and cookies. He was about to say something else when a loud bark interrupted him. Once more you laughed as Ben put his hands on the dog’s shoulder and pushed him away gently, running his hands over his now disheveled clothes as Chewy let out an excited bark and left the room. 

“He’s probably going to Leia. She’s been cooking for the last three hours.” Han told the two of you, gesturing to what you assumed to be was the kitchen. “Ben, why don’t you show her around while you’ve got the chance?” 

Ben nodded, and you waited until Han was gone before you turned back to him. “What does that mean, ‘while you’ve got the chance’?” You asked, tugging a little bit on the front of his shit that was crinkled from Chewy to straighten it out. 

He let out a sigh, but let you fix his shirt. “He’s talking about when my mom’s going to come and kidnap you.” 

For a second, it felt like your heart stopped. At the party, the two of you had been able to convince them that you were in a relationship, but then you had each other to lean off of, play around with. You weren’t sure how you were going to handle this on your own. Especially in front of Leia Organa-Solo, a woman who you might have looked up after the party, and were now a smidge intimidated by. “Kidnap? By myself?” 

Ben picked up on your tone in a second, and you frowned when you noticed the smirk on his lips. “What? Are you scared of being on your own with her?” He asked. 

Of course you weren’t going to tell him that. “Of course not. She’s your mother. How scary can she be?” You asked, raising your eyebrows at him, and giving him a little grin. 

He leaned against the nearest wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at you, trapping your gaze with those deep eyes. It was moments like these, when he was staring down at you that you forgot how tall he was. While you’d never admit it, his intensity did sometimes make your heart speed up in nervousness. “You don’t think I’m scary? Intimidating?” Ben asked. 

You crossed your own arms over your chest, matching his pose as you tried to stare at him with the same expression even though your pulse was racing. “Nope.” You said, putting extra emphasis on the word. 

For the briefest moment, you could have sworn that you had seen the corner of his mouth turn up into a smile, but it vanished too soon for you to be sure. “Whatever you say.” He pulled away from the wall, nodding his head to the stairs. “Do you want to start upstairs?” He asked. 

“That depends. Where’s your childhood bedroom? Because I’m dying in anticipation over here to see what young Ben Solo’s room looked like.” You said, and you were. Since you had agreed to go to this dinner, one of the things you were most looking forward to was seeing Ben’s old bedroom. They were always such an interesting place, personal, private, and Ben had been so closed off to you for so long, you found yourself interested in his past self, what he had been like all those years ago, and how it had helped shape who he was today. 

He didn’t seem surprised by your question. In fact, it was almost as if he had been expecting nothing else. All he did was let out a sigh and began to walk up the stairs. 

You followed him with a bit of a spring in your step, excited that you didn’t have to put up a fight, and let him lead you upstairs. As you passed by a few doors, Ben told you what they all were, but didn’t give much more of a description than that. Finally, you reached a door at the end of the hall, and Ben held it open for you, gesturing for you to go in first. 

It was . . . similar to what you expected in all honesty. You had never pictured Ben as the hoarder type, colorful and bright, and even his childhood bedroom reflected that. In fact the only bit of clutter was a stack of boxes in the corner that were labeled with various holidays, so you assumed they weren’t even his. The rest of the room was very minimalistic, neutral colors with a few bits of furniture. You couldn’t help but smile though as you caught sight of a photograph that he had on his bedside table. You lifted it up, and showed it to him. “You didn’t want to take this to your place?” You asked. 

Ben’s expression seemed torn between annoyance and fondness. “Poe already had a copy hanging up on top of the fireplace.” 

A little smile formed on your face. Now that he mentioned it, you did remember seeing it. Poe had created a little shrine to his friends in his living room. It was almost covered with pictures of them throughout the years. Of course the ones of Ben and him were the oldest. Neither of them looked to be much older than five in this one, and you couldn’t decide whose smile was bigger. It was almost strange to see the man standing beside you grinning so wide he was showing his teeth, compared to the rare half smile someone would occasionally get out of him. “Were you two on a field trip?” You asked, noticing the background. 

He shook his head, “It was a business trip with our moms. One of the last ones before Shara died, and mom started getting babysitters and Uncle Luke instead.” 

As soon as he spoke, you could feel tension almost clouding over the room in darkness. Ben didn’t talk about his parents much. In fact, the few times they had been brought up had been Poe or Rey, and then been glossed over. After meeting them the other night, you were even more curious as to why that was the case. 

As you opened your mouth to ask the question, he spoke up. “Is it what you expected? The room?” Ben added to your confused expression. 

Your curiosity was even more peaked after the abrupt change in subject, but you decided to go along with it anyway. The last thing you wanted to do was get into a screaming match at his parents’ house after they had been so nice to invite you in the first place. “I’m a little disappointed to tell you the truth. I was expecting something along the lines of dart boards with people’s faces on them, and oh, I don’t know, a shrine to Satan.” 

A week ago, those words would have sounded harsh, but today there was a teasing note that you weren’t going to be able to keep out of them. A week ago, those words would have been met with a biting remark and a narrowed glance . . . 

But not today. 

“They took it down when I moved out. Mom thought it would be unseemly for any house guests to see when they came to visit.” Ben responded, crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked at you. 

You couldn’t help but grin at his words. “I don’t know, I might have to disagree with your mom on this one. I think it’d be a great conversation starter.” 

There it was again, that little quirk of his lips that almost looked like a smile, a sight so rarely seen on him you almost didn’t believe it was real. “Not if it’s got pictures of them on it.” He answered. 

“I’m shocked,” You said, plopping down on his bed as if it was your own room. “It wouldn’t be just pictures of me?” 

While the way you had sat so comfortably in his room caused an eyebrow to raise, he let out a sigh at your words. “I told you, I don’t hate you.” 

Even though he had said those words to you twice now, you still found it so hard to believe. “Forgive me if I struggle with that considering the past couple of years of insults and snarky looks.” 

“It wasn’t one sided.” Ben responded, giving you a very pointed look. 

He was right. You had been as rude and mean as he had right back to him. To this day, you couldn’t think of the inciting incident. You looked down at the carpet, slipping your sandals off and sinking your toes into the soft shaggy carpet. “I don’t remember how it happened. How we got off on such a wrong foot within moments of meeting each other.” 

You didn’t so much see, as feel Ben sit down beside you, the bed sinking under his large figure. “You spilled your coffee on me.” He replied after a few moments. 

As soon as he said the words, your mind flooded with images. A hangout that Rey had put together for you to meet some more of her friends that she was sure you would get along with. You had already known Finn and Rose, but Poe and Ben were new to you. Ben had been late, and you remembered coming around the corner with an iced coffee in your hands . . . “Are you serious?” You turned your gaze to him, your eyes narrowing in anger. “All of this was because of a coffee?” 

Ben shook his head. “It had more to do with what happened before the coffee. You just happened to be the outlet of my . . . what did you call it? ‘Severe anger management issues’.” 

Having to fight back the urge to roll your eyes, you crossed your arms over his chest, “and what happened before the coffee?” You asked, looking over at him. 

For a brief moment, you thought you might, for once, get some sort of answer. He looked like he wanted to tell you. His posture was open, his gaze settled on yours, an apologetic look on his face as he cleared his throat like he was about to speak. 

“Oh there you two are!” 

The hope shattered as soon as you heard Mrs. Organa-Solo enter the room., There was no chance that Ben was going to open up with her around, that much was clear from the expression he was wearing. You tore your eyes from him to find Leia in the doorway, looking pleased to see the two of you there. 

“Food’s ready! If my son hasn’t bored you to tears already showing you around the place.” Leia said, a soft, affectionate smile on her face as she looked at her son. 

It was impossible not to smile in return even while you felt Ben tense beside you. “Not at all. I have to admit I was hoping for some baby pictures though.” You joked, smirking over at him to try and relieve a bit of the tension. You stood up, walking over to her and leaving Ben behind you on the bed. 

“Oh, don’t worry sweetheart,” Leia replied, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “That can be arranged. Why don’t you come help me set the table, and I’ll see if I can find some?” 

You had to bite back your laughter as you heard Ben stand up so quickly his head hit the lighting fixture. “No it can’t.” He butted in, the anxiety in his voice impossible to miss. 

Leia continued on as if she hadn’t heard him, but there was a certain twinkle in her eyes that told you she had. “I mean it took a few years for him to grow into those ears, but - oh well, you’ll see.” She told you with a wink. 

 “Mom, you are not -”

Leia waved his concerns away as she led you back down the stairs and to the kitchen, your laughter echoing across the halls. 

____________________

Leia had pulled you away from Ben so smoothly you hadn’t had the time to be nervous, but now you did. You hadn’t met a lot of parents in your time. You had been too busy building a career, and the few you had met already felt . . . unimportant compared to right now. 

Because despite the fact that Ben and you weren’t dating . . . You wanted Leia to like you. Not just because she was Ben’s mom, but because she was an incredible woman. Her accomplishments could fill up a book. Was it selfish to want someone like that to approve of you? It probably was, but here you were, feeling like a contestant on the bachelor. 

“You seem nervous.” Leia spoke up as she handed you some silverware to place on the table. 

Apparently you weren’t as good at hiding it as you thought. “I am.” You replied, seeing no sense in denying it. “If I’m being honest . . . your family is a little intimidating.” 

Leia didn’t try to deny it. “Ben’s mentioned that you don’t have much to do with yours. I imagine it’s weird to be around a family like ours.” She said, gesturing around the room. 

She was right. Beautiful house, dogs, smiles and a mother that cooked. It was the complete opposite of how you had been raised. You were a little surprised that Ben had mentioned anything like that to her but went with it anyway. “You guys almost seem like you have the perfect life here. It was nothing compared to how I grew up.” 

Startling you, Leia let out a bark of laughter at that. “Oh, honey, my family has never been and never will be anywhere close to perfect, and I’m sure Ben has made that clear to you.” 

You looked down at the ground, not wanting to give away anything that Ben had said, but Leia grabbed a hold of your hand, giving it a small squeeze. 

“What I’m trying to say is that you have no reason to be nervous. I don’t want some perfect little housewife for Ben. I want someone that’s going to love him, be there for him, and make him happy. He deserves that after all he’s been through.” Leia tried to assure you. 

Oh god. How were you supposed to respond to that? You were pretending to date the man, not about to make a declaration of your undying love! It wasn’t as if you could say that to her though. She looked so sincere . . . And what did she even mean by ‘all he’s been through’?

What did you not know about Ben Solo? 

It was clear that she was expecting a response, so you gave her a small smile, the most genuine one you could muster, and nodded. “I’m going to try.” 

____________________

Dinner ended up being very similar to what it had been the week before, minus all of the interfering from your friends. It was much less stressful that way, and you even found that you were enjoying yourself. Even Ben seemed a bit relaxed, and you could have sworn you even saw him crack a brief smile at one point when Han was telling an elaborate story about one of his jobs. 

Although you wouldn’t admit it to him, it was a nice sight. 

“You know,” you found yourself pulled out of your thoughts and looked away from Ben to Leia who had spoken and was giving you a knowing smile. “You two seem to make a great couple.” 

Heat rushed to your face at her words, and you glanced back at Ben who had tensed. After a brief hesitation, you reached for Ben’s hand on the table, still so much larger than your own, and gave it a squeeze. His intense gaze was locked on you, and you sent him a reassuring smile. Satisfied once his shoulders slumped, you turned back to Leia. “I’m glad you think so.” 

“Ben needs a good girl in his life. Make him stop working so much.” Han said, sending his son a little wink that had Ben rolling his eyes. 

“I don’t think that’ll be here. According to Amilyn, you work as hard as he does.” Leia said, giving you an approving look. 

“I try.” You replied, with a soft smile. You wanted to know everything that Holdo had said about you, but you didn’t think that now would be the appropriate time to ask. Talking about work seemed to get on Ben’s nerves, and that was the last thing you wanted to do right now. However, there was something else you had been wondering about since Leia had mentioned it. “Now about those pictures you mentioned earlier -”

Ben sat up straighter, and even you couldn’t miss the panic in his eyes. “Mom -”

Before anything else could be said though, there was a loud knocking at the door. “Now, who could that be?” Leia asked, looking confused as she stood up and went to go answer the door. 

You looked at Ben who had gone tense, almost as if he knew who it was. You raised your eyebrows at him, but he avoided your gaze. 

“Luke . . .” You heard Leia say from the front door. 

As soon as the name left his mother’s mouth, Ben stood up, grabbing your hand and tugging you with him. “We’re leaving.” He told Han. 

Han let out a sigh, shaking his head as he stood up as well. “Come on, Ben, don’t be like that. We were having a nice time -”

But Ben didn’t give him the chance to say anything else. He pulled at your hand and started heading towards the back door. 

To say you were confused was an understatement, but you managed to turn around and mouth a ‘sorry’ to Han as Ben dragged you out the back door. As soon as you were outside, you swatted at his arm until he let you go. “Ben! What the hell was that?!” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said, and opened your car door. “Get in the car. I’m not sticking around.” 

You raised your eyebrows at him. “I’m sorry, do I look like a fifties housewife to you? Are you trying to order me around after you made us look like that in front of your parents?” 

Ben’s hands clenched into fists, and you could tell that he was trying very hard to keep his temper under control. When he said your name it was almost a hiss. “That’s not what I meant. Just get in the car before my mom comes back and tries to drag us back in.” 

Crossing your arms over your chest, you continued to stare at him. 

He glanced back at the house, and then you. “Please? I know I’m being an asshole, but please get in the damn car.” 

Ben Solo had said please to you. You didn’t think in all the time that you had known him that he ever said please to you. It was at that moment that you realized whoever this Luke person was that had shown up moments ago, he had an effect on Ben that you had never seen out of the man. He was desperate to get out of here, and you weren’t being honest with yourself if you said it didn’t scare you a little. You let out a little sigh and nodded. “All right, but I’m only getting in the car because you said please, and I intend on staying there until you tell me what the hell that was all about.” 

Ben nodded, and once you had made it into the car, he shut the door behind you, climbed in on his side, buckled up, and he was peeling out of the driveway in seconds. 

The two of you sat in silence the rest of the way back to your apartment. There were so many questions that you wanted to ask, but you were afraid to. Throughout the drive you couldn’t help but spare a few glances Ben’s way. His eyes never left the road in front of him. His hands were so tight on the steering wheel that you thought for a good ten minutes he was going to break it apart in his hands. The more time passed though, the looser his grip became, the more his body relaxed until by the time he pulled up outside your place, he seemed the same as he was when he picked you up. 

There was an awkward silence as he put the car in park. You wanted to ask, and you had told him you weren’t going to get out of the car until he told you what was going on. Now, you were unsure even if your curiosity was through the roof. 

It turned out you didn’t have to say anything. After a few moments, Ben let out a sigh, his whole body seeming to collapse in on itself somewhat. “My Uncle and I don’t get along.” 

 “If that’s who Luke is, I gathered that much for myself.” You said, fiddling with the end of your sleeve. 

But Ben continued on as if you hadn’t spoken. “My parents were gone a lot when I was younger. Their jobs made them. They were too important to stick around home, even if they had a kid.” 

You could hear the bitterness in his tone as he spoke, and for one of the first times in your life, you had to say that you felt a little sorry for Ben Solo. You understood the feeling of abandonment. 

“So Luke looked after me a lot, but . . . we never got along. He always put so much pressure on me, like he expected me to become this big, great, larger than life person. Nothing I ever did was good enough. Not for my parents and not for Luke.” 

You could see Ben tensing up in anger again, and without even thinking about it, you reached out and placed your hand on his knee, rubbing soothing circles onto it with your thumb. 

His eyes shot over to you when you did that, and he stared at you as if shocked by your gentle touch, and you couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever done this, just listened and comforted him when he was upset. 

Or if he had ever let anyone. 

“We had a big blow up one day. I left the house after that, and stayed out of contact with my family for three years.” Ben concluded. 

“How did you get back with them?” You asked, hesitant in your tone, not sure if he was even going to answer. 

“Rey,” He answered at once. “She met all of us at different occasions and . . . you know how stubborn she is.” 

You let out a laugh, knowing how stubborn she was. “I do.” You said, shaking your head, and looking out the window to your apartment where you knew the girl was waiting, eating your food and watching your Netflix. “I should go see how much of my food she’s eaten.” 

Ben raised his eyebrow at you. “You left her alone with your food?” 

“I know. Bad idea.” You said, shaking your head at yourself. There was an air of awkwardness in the air now, and you knew it was time to go. “I’ll see you later, Ben.” You told him with a small smile. 

“See you later, and . . . I’m sorry. For earlier.” Ben replied, and you could tell how weird it was for him to apologize, probably because he never had to you. 

Before you could talk yourself out of it, you leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “It’s all right. As long as you promise to never try and tell me what to do again.” You added. 

Ben shook his head at you, but his smile said otherwise.

[georgiaswarr]

lister bird - part 1 (part 2)

this is me trying - taylor swift

“they told me all of my cages were mental / so i got wasted like all my potential” starting this playlist off with a song that i feel definitely will come to describe lister’s mental state, especially during iana - he’s fallen behind, he’s dependent on partying and drinking, but at least he’s trying to get better

still learning - halsey

this song incorporates a fuckton of lister’s struggles - the pressures of fame, trauma, dealing with past mistakes, of course self-loathing, and much more

timebomb - finish ticket

and another self-deprecating tune !!! this one in particular addresses the connection between drinking/alcoholism and feeling like a fuck-up

the key to life on earth - declan mckenna

i could probably go into great depths to explain how exactly this is a lister song but suffice it to say, lister grew up poor and we mustn’t forget that. “holy smokes / you kids and your jokes / asking where we got our jeans / and where the hell we found our coats” reminds me a lot of meeting lister, him getting into fights and being “held back for after-school meetings”, etc.

new age meds - the wldlfe

“self-deprecation; / a new age medication / and you might need some therapy if / you're gonna live your life suffocating / someone who you're supposed to be” here we have the theme of self-hate again, used in connection with drugs and addiction, too, which is very lister

are you satisfied? - marina

another song highjacked from @kindaorangey, they did a better job than i ever could explaining it here

knock me off my feet - soak

“saturday night on the highest wall / settin' 'em off, all 50 fireworks / kickin' the cannons, we watch them fall / it doesn't exist, the law” lister starts living the high, indulgent life once he gets rich, which is a stark contrast from how he grew up. in the end, though, he still has people he can call his home.

narcissist - no rome

“stayin' late, i just wanna get stoned / telling all your friends that I'm never at home / and my face filling up with blood / but you're still the same living like a bourgeois” highjacked from alice’s 5 playlist, another song about partying and the like but also being painfully aware of your own flaws

big black car - gregory alan isakov

a song about feeling inadequate and worthless compared to another person, which is how lister feels about himself compared to jimmy and rowan

eventually, darling - declan mckenna

abandonment issues, lost hope, impostor syndrome, disillusionment and an almost nihilistic view on a relationship - this song has it all. i personally associate it with bicci and lister reassuring both jimmy and himself that it’s okay if he doesn’t like him back - after all, “everyone leaves eventually, darling”

swimming pools - lxandra

lister grew up poor and we mustn’t forget that part 2 - this is another flashback to his childhood, while simultaneously showing the stark contrast to his current life - i like to interpret the line “still the kids who don't have swimming pools / in their 40-million-square-feet mansions, ooh” in a “yeah, he’s rich, but he still came from almost no money and this has had a profound effect on him” way

mind - declan mckenna

according to declan mckenna himself, this song “makes me think of my friend matty’s party i went to on halloween 2015 after playing a show […] the song lyrically and artiscally kind of reflects the confused mess of my 16 year old self”. this is something lister can probably relate to, feeling emotional turmoil and an incoming existential crisis while partying

joan of arc on the dance floor - aly & aj

“at the stake, we don't fight the flames / are you born in vain if you die a savior?” first of all, joan of FUCKING arc metaphors, second of all the death motif and lister’s “die young” mentality, third of all another dark party song which is how this applies to lister in particular

why do you feel so down - declan mckenna

listerowan song !!! “i think you're one of a kind so i'll never like myself / i think you're older and wiser so i won't let you tell / i think it over and over and hope you're thinking too / i think it over and over and hope i'm over you” because angst

know me - the band camino

and yet another angsty listerowan song, gosh i’m really making myself emo over here

18 forever - maris

a) such a bisexual anthem, b) a song about partying and feeling forever young

house party no. 1 - blossom caldarone

“you want to grow up too fast / it's a race to see who is left last / from lemons to liquor to loving each figure / you're constantly wired up the wrong way / you'll be dead in a year if i wait one more day”. this is how jimmy and rowan see lister, as a party-obsessed “rebel without a cause”

sedated - hozier

a song about addiction and self-destruction. i could probably go through every line of it but imma keep it short and just trust all of you to understand the sheer levels and poetry of sedated by hozier as a lister song

shadows - ruth b

another song from jimmy and rowan’s perspective - they see that lister indulges in a lot of self-destructive behaviour, smoking, drinking, having sex, etc. in the first part of iwbft, they notice all of that in an almost accusatory way, which to me feels like the tone of this song - “kiss yourself another stranger / ‘cause you know you love the danger, don't you? / give yourself to someone new every night, is what you do” for example is them thinking he sleeps with everyone with a pulse

burning incense - skott

i talk about lister and his relationship to religion in greater depth in part 2 with preacher man but i think that theme appears in this song too. generally this song is very much about emotional turmoil, feeling unloved and distant from your friends, and feeling worthless, so very much a lister song

those nights - bastille

theme of loneliness and finding comfort in strangers (which i know lister doesn’t really do anymore but still)

sunday morning - matoma

“i probably shouldn't say this / should keep it all inside / but maybe i'm just wasted / enough to speak my mind” bicci bathroom confession??? anyone????

love like ghosts - lord huron

another beautiful bicci song about unrequited love and feeling so incredibly strongly for someone that it feels beyond the realm of the living - that’s also where the theme of death in iwbft comes in, which lister grapples with in particular

high hopes - kodaline

this song makes me think of the confession scene too - lister realising jimmy maybe doesn’t like him back, losing hope and all that, and deciding he needs to move on

mirrorball - taylor swift

theme of personas - lister has the Lister Bird persona which is there to entertain people, to make himself appear fun, aloof, approachable, almost like a clown, even though that isn’t who he actually is deep inside

much like myself - emma jayne

and another song about appearing happy on the outside despite the fact that you don’t feel much like yourself

[jamilelucato]

If I Could Tell Her [G.W.]

Pairing: George Weasley x Slytherin!Diggory!reader

Summary: Based on the song If I Could Tell her from the musical Dear Evan Hansen; Cedric’s younger sister mourners her brother and George tries to comfort her.

Musical Hogwarts || Hogwarts Masterlist

A/N: It’s a sad fluffy fic that I can promise will have a part 2 and a 3! it’s all planned out — it depends on how many people will want it.

Words: 1.900+

whole series here

*gif not mine

You were standing next to the monument some Hufflepuffs had put on for your brother. Your seventh year at Hogwarts had only just begun, but you felt like you should be already home.

Cedric Diggory Forever a hero; forever missed.

The writing made sense — your brother was the hero type, probably why he died defending Harry Potter. Some students had left some flowers around the marble plate, appearing to be a tombstone, which made no sense, since he was buried next to your house back at Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, England.

It was weird missing Cedric because you two had never been close. He was one year older, but that was not the reason — when you finally came to Hogwarts, you got sorted to Slytherin, which only proved how much different Cedric and you were. Total opposites. Besides, he was the family’s favourite, the family’s golden boy. You were just the other one.

“He thought you were awesome,” you heard a voice say from behind.

It kinda scared you, but thankfully, you didn’t jump. You turned around; George Weasley starred down at the fake tombstone as if he was reading it and not talking to you.

George was a beautiful boy you knew since a baby. He and his family lived in the same region as you, so more times than often, you two had to sit through dinners together, but there was no more to it.

From all the seven children that Mr and Mrs Weasley had, the closest to you was Ginny, who generally visited you when back at home. But, during school times, many of them just ignored you.

They were, after all, perfect Gryffindors who had a reputation to protect.

So, yeah, having George talking to you while next to the tribute to your brother was rather odd.

He finally looked at you.

“He thought I was awesome? My brother?” you asked, unable to say anything else. The Weasley boys were closer to Cedric then you — they shared such a passion for Quidditch that, although you also played the sport, your passion could never be compared — but it was weird that Cedric could’ve mentioned you to any of them.

“Definitely!” George affirmed, enthusiastically. Something about you being sceptical made him wonder that maybe you and your brother weren’t that close.

“How?”

“Well...” George coughed, trying to get some extra time to think about what to say. You were right about being suspicious — Cedric had never mentioned you to George or his older brothers.

That didn’t mean, however, that he didn’t know unique things about you.

In fact, George paid attention to you every time he could. Something about your voice, your hair, your eyes... he couldn’t point out exactly what but you always got his attention.

As a kid, he thought that maybe at Hogwarts, you two would be close — but then you got into Slytherin, and later on, you became a beater. The same position as him, yes, but you couldn’t be farther to him than before.

He saw that you were still waiting for him to explain what Cedric thought about his little sister. He gulped.

“He said there’s nothing like your smile — sort of subtle and perfect and real,” George said, his voice a bit shaky. You seemed not to notice; focusing on the new information, George could be spitting on you that you wouldn’t care. “He said you never knew how wonderful that smile could make someone feel.”

It was nice listening to Goerge talk. He had a calm voice, way different from his brothers. Even Fred, who was his twin, had a different tone — always loud, never gentle. George seemed to be the most patient of the family — probably because he lives in the shadows of six siblings.

You knew how hard could be living under someone shadows — you loved Cedric, you missed Cedric, but even now that he was gone, his shadow was still there over you.

“And he knew,” George continued, soaking in the sudden courage, “whenever you get bored, you scribble stars on the cuffs of your jeans.”

With wide eyes, you gaped at him. You didn’t think someone could’ve noticed that.

“And he noticed that you still fill out the quizzes that they put in those teen magazines,” when George mentioned that old habit of yours, you almost laughed.

George knew about the magazines because of many dinner nights at the Diggorys when he had to fetch Ginny from y/N’s room. He thought it was a cute habit of yours.

“But he kept it all inside his head,” he added, noticing you were about to ask why Cedric never said those things. “What he saw he left unsaid.”

You looked away from the red-haired’s empathetic face and stared for the last time at the tribute. You needed to put an end to it— you had already grieved over the summer, and you did not want to turn into your parents who appeared unable to get over it.

“And though he wanted to, he couldn’t talk to you; he couldn’t find the way,” George went on. His gesture made you emotional — none of Cedric’s friends seemed so committed to showing you how great your brother was. “But he would always say ‘if I could tell her everything I see’.”

George was rambling and he knew it. There was a reason why he avoided talking to you — you made him nervous. And right at that moment, he was almost passing out. You were interested, and he was lying to your face. Cedric didn’t talk much to him or Fred — he preferred Percy — but even so, George doubted he could’ve mentioned y/N.

“‘If I could tell her how she’s everything to me’,” George sighed. He should stop rambling and free you from him. “‘But we’re a million worlds apart, and I don’t know how I would even start’.”

That new information you had just heard filled your heart with hope. Perhaps Cedric did like you. Perhaps he tried to be closer, but he just didn’t know how to. It wasn’t like you made it easy — you avoided him at all costs.

“Did he say anything else?” you asked, with hope in your eyes.

George raised his brows, “A—about you?”

Oh, that was it. Cedric talked about you but not that much. What were you thinking? That he spend whole afternoons with the Weasleys telling them how much special his sister was?

You started walking away from the fake tombstone, leaving George behind. “Never mind, I don’t really care anyways—”

“No, no, no—just, no, no—he said—” George gulped; he needed to organize his thoughts and fast. “He said so many things; I’m just—I’m trying to remember the best ones. So, um—”

You slowed down, letting George follow you around the school.

The tribute was just a walk away from the Courtyard; a couple more steps and you’d be hearing the students.

“He thought you looked really pretty, er—” George stopped right away. What was he thinking?? Brothers don’t say their sisters are pretty! “It looked pretty cool when you put indigo streaks in your hair,” he corrected himself, hoping you wouldn’t have noticed.

That caught you by surprise, making you stop at your tracks. Those indigo streaks were horrible! It was a blessing you did it in the summer, so it had time to dye out in time for school. But if Cedric thought they were cool...

“He did?”

George smiled. So you didn’t notice him reformulating the phrase.

He was losing you again — you fastened your steps. He started thinking what to say next and then he remembered when he saw you at the Yule Ball with Blaise Zabini.

“And he wondered how you learned to dance like all the rest of the world isn’t there,” he said, staring at you just so he could see you blush. And you did. “But he kept it all inside his head; what he saw he left unsaid.”

“I should’ve...” you gulped, “I should’ve said something.”

George pulled his brows together. “If he could tell you... I’m sure he wanted to.”

You tilted your head, unconsciously, and kept walking. You couldn’t turn back time. It was your fault, and you knew. Merlin, probably even George knew it by now.

“You were everything to him,” Goerge stopped you, holding your pulse. You looked down at his touch — it felt like being electrocuted.

Not by lightning because that would’ve hurt but like touching something you shouldn’t. It was different but welcomed.

“But we’re a million worlds apart,” you sighed when George finally let go of you.

You didn’t want to look at him. He was gentle, patient, but he didn’t understand. He and his family were together all the time; they were close, they were friends. You and Cedric were never like that.

Besides, George said it himself — Cedric wanted to be close. But you, you never wanted Cedric’s “pity”.

“He wondered...” George went on. It was enjoyable talking to you, even if it was about something so morbid. You two used to talk as kids and George had forgotten how delightful it was. “But what do you do when there’s this great divide?”

George reached for his mouth, covering it with his hand. What was he doing? That was too much. He had already pointed out things about you that Cedric probably never knew, but now he wasn’t even trying to pretend those were Cedric’s words.

Thankfully, you weren’t looking. Your eyes wandered at the group of Hufflepuffs standing next to a pillar. If you didn’t overthink it, you could still see Cedric there.

“He just seemed so far away,” you muttered.

“And what do you do when the distance is too wide?” George had accepted he was screwed — he was only waiting for you to be mad at him.

“It’s like I don’t know anything,” you said, waving your hand in  Cho’s direction, who was passing by with some books close to her chest. She waved back, with a weak smile. You knew she was in pain too, but it was ironic because, before your brother died, you had no idea they were dating. Being honest, you didn’t even know who she was— shame on you for that.

“And how do you say ‘I love you’?”

George panicked when you turned your head at him. He had crossed the line, and you knew it.

Except you didn’t. You looked at George with a sad smile, thinking George was right. Even though you gave your brother the cold shoulder, he still loved you. He died loving you.

“But we were a million worlds apart, and I didn’t know how I could’ve even started,” you sighed. “I wish I could tell Cedric I love him too.”

George gave you a sad smile. “ He knows.”

You reached for George’s hand and squeezed it lightly.

“Thank you, George,” you said. “This talk... I didn’t know I needed it, but thank you.”

George blushed and didn’t have time to react when you got on tiptoes — Merlin, do the Weasleys’ kids ever stop growing?— and kissed his cheek. If he wasn’t red before, he sure was now.

“See you around, George.”

He watched you walking away, still unable to react with what just happened.

Fred reached his twin sneakily.

“Lost her again, huh?”

George finally moved, staring at his twin. “I can’t say it now.”

“Yeah, I know,” Fred pressed his lips together. “But don’t take this as an excuse. Take your time, but please, hit on her.”

George rolled his eyes — his twin was never the romantic gentleman.

“Or I will,” Fred added, trying to provoke his brother. It worked — George punched him in the arm.

“I’d like to see you try,” George said with a smirk and walked away.

[ambivalentmarvel]

so the story behind this is that @sreppub​ arrived in my dms saying “sitcom starring two uppity, former rich guys and a regular poor college kid who follow up an online ad and become roommates” and i said something along the lines of “your MIND” and here we are. she does the art, i do the fic, and we both yell a lot along the way. read it on here or ao3 and enjoy!!

The Sitcom Supreme

If Peter or Stephen were around to hear Tony tell the story of how they all ended up rooming together, they would have plenty of objections, to which he would call them both dirty liars, to which they would gang up on him because they’re terrible and like that, to which he would probably throw up his hands in exasperation and/or make the mistake of engaging them in a debate, to which they would grin like wolves because, once again, they’re terrible and like that, but Tony’s the asshole who put up the Craigslist ad, so he gets to start—because he’s terrible and like that.

It’s a common trait amongst the three of them, what can he say?

The beginning of the story does not involve either of the other two, however. It begins with Rhodey, who is only occasionally terrible and like that. Rhodey has been Tony’s best friend since the tender age of fifteen. Considering Tony at age fifteen was a greasy little douche bag with too much money and a whole bunch of daddy issues that were somehow more obvious then than they are in the present, this is an impressive feat. 

Where things start, Rhodey and Tony are roommates at MIT, which is Howard’s school of choice to shove his problem child onto. Tony is supposed to get a single dorm room, but there’s a cockroach problem in that building. Administration has to get creative, which is how Rhodey, fresh out of boot for the fall semester, gets saddled with approximately one hundred and fifty pounds of neglected teenage boy who has only kind of gone through puberty.

The first words out of Tony’s mouth are blunt: “Any chance you have plans to drop out?”

And Rhodey looks at him with a raised brow, efficiently unpacked and totally unimpressed with the enormous stack of Tony’s things wavering in the doorway. “You have any plans to quit being annoying?” he retorts, which set the tone for their entire relationship.

Tony loves him to pieces. 

He’s the older brother he never knew he needed, yanking him by his collar from frat parties on the weekends and to his house for holidays because getting swamped by Rhodey’s six younger siblings is infinitely better than having to wear a suit and tie for Christmas dinner with six CEOs and maybe some senators, depending on the year. In return, Tony sees him through every finals week of his collegiate career, during which Rhodey gets so nervous he usually pukes at least daily and pulls so many all-nighters Tony memorizes the exact shade of red his eyes are at the end.

So, it’s safe to say they get along well. They get along so well, as a matter of fact, that when they stare at each other after their graduation ceremony for their Masters—a two-year process for both of them, and Rhodey receives two degrees to Tony’s four—surrounded by Rhodey’s family and Jarvis, Tony’s lips curl in a smirk Rhodey knows spells the best kind of trouble. “What do you say we keep the roommate streak alive, yeah? Howard’s building an office in New York, and I’m thinking of doing a doctorate at NYU.”

Rhodey’s brows raise, but he’s grinning, so Tony already knows his answer. “Depends. Are you still gonna’ snore?”

“Are you still gonna’ have a stick up your a—”

Mama Rhodes shoots Tony a look from where she’s trying to corral the rest of her kids.

“—butt?” he finishes with a sheepish glance her way.

Rhodey does not even remotely have a stick up his ass, but of the two of them, he features in tabloids far, far less, which Tony somehow uses to his advantage.

“You know it,” Rhodey replies, and so they find a fancy penthouse that Tony mostly pays for, with the excuse of Rhodey satisfying his part of rent via generally covering Tony’s ass to the best of his ability. And he has a lot of ability, honed from years upon years of Tony self-destructing at the drop of a hat, but there’s only so much he can do, especially as his military career just keeps flying higher and Howard just keeps pushing Tony harder.

A few sex tapes, especially wild benders, and crashed cars later, when Howard cuts Tony off and tells him, quote, “I won’t speak to you until you learn to do something other than disappoint me”, Rhodey very gracefully still shacks up with him in their considerably less fancy apartment.

This is all important to know, contrary to what someone whose name may or may not rhyme with Tephen Trange might say about Tony’s “long-winded” and “overly-complicated” storytelling tendencies because it explains exactly why Rhodey is a traitor.

Is Carol a very cool lady who could kick Tony’s ass? Yes. Is she sickeningly cute with Rhodey and not just because a smile from her makes him melt into a pile of fucking goo on the floor? Also yes. Does it probably make more sense for Tony to find roommates who will actually be around to monitor his—allegedly—poor mental health and self-care habits? Okay, fine, yes, but the bottom line is, Rhodey is moving in with Carol and abandoning Tony, and nobody said he had to like it.

(This is not strictly true, what with the approximately ten conversations Rhodey and he have had about his happiness and how, if Tony needs him, all he has to do is say the word and he’ll be back, but Tony has always had a flair for the dramatic.)

The whole idea is that Tony will find someone gone less than Rhodey with all his military business to enjoy having around the apartment. It’s technically a three-bedroom, but he and Rhodey use the extra one for storage. Fortunately or unfortunately, that storage area has become a lot of junk they go through before Rhodey makes his grand exit, and Tony suddenly has the option of having two roommates.

The ad is a low point, he can admit that, but there is a flaw in what Tony loudly calls Rhodey’s master plan to leave him alone to wallow in misery: Tony doesn’t exactly have a lot of friends, nevermind people who he’d want to live with.

“Rhodey. Honeybear. Platypus.”

“The nicknames are old, and you need to stop using them around Carol. She called me Platypus last night during sex, and it ruined the whole mood.”

“You poor thing.”

“She thought it was hilarious.”

If Tony has to lose Rhodey to anybody, by God, Carol is his first choice by a long shot.

“Anyway, as I was saying, Sourpatch—”

“I hate you.”

“—how am I supposed to find someone else to live with?”

Tony is thirty-two and regularly speaks out with all of four people: Pepper, Rhodey, Carol, and Happy. Unfortunately, Happy works in Stark Industries’ California branch and has stated rather firmly that he’s not interested in transferring to the city, Pepper wouldn’t live with another person for love or money, and the other two are spoken for.

It’s a terrible situation to be in, honestly.

“Craigslist,” Rhodey deadpans, fighting with some packing tape.

Tony feels his heart stop beating in real time from his place folding some of Rhodey’s clothes into a plastic tub. His head snaps up, and his jaw drops, absolutely affronted. “You would suggest that I, even disowned and stripped of my former glory—” Tony has several million dollars in the stock market, but that’s neither here nor there and isn’t much compared to the fact that he was supposed to be a billionaire. “—would stoop to looking for live-in friends on Craigslist?”

Rhodey looks up to meet his eyes, unfazed. He’s used to Tony’s antics after nearly two decades of friendship. “Well, I’m not moving out until you have at least one person guaranteed to take my place, so unless you have any better ideas, yeah.” He shrugs—just shrugs, as if he isn’t advising Tony to scrape the bottom of the fucking barrel in terms of reliable people to regularly fall asleep around.

It’s insulting.

“I’m not putting out an ad for a roommate on Craigslist,” he protests, shoving the next horribly colored polo into the tub with disdain.

That night, he tears up thinking about stopping Rhodey from being happy with Carol, and the post is up by the time Rhodey gets up—stupidly early, like normal—for his morning run. Along with his contact information and a few blurry pictures of the place, it includes a blurb about the circumstances.

Best friend moving out. Need a roommate or I will die of Sadness. His girlfriend is cool but hewas mind first. Carol, I am watching you. Two rooms open for business. But not sketchy business. You can just lve there. Current resident (me) is cool and very charming. I am a man. No dumb fuck offers. Thanks.

It could use some work, but Tony’s never been great with words, even less so when he’s crying to rock ballads at two in the morning. He edits it when he wakes up, and by noon that day, it’s looking better.

At seven o’clock that evening, he receives one of two messages that actually work out.

Enter the first offender: Peter Parker.

Peter, Tony will learn, is nineteen, attending NYU—like Tony did, which is a sign, really—for a double major in biochemistry and physics, and has the worst luck of anyone Tony’s ever met.

Rhodey’s moving out in a week—he’s been putting off finding a roommate for a while, alright—and Peter has to legally be out of his dorm in three days. That is quite the predicament, and Tony, by nature, is a curious creature. He is not, however, one for beating around the bush. That results in a text that reads exactly this.

Tony: What the hell did you do?

He could hack through the university files, but explanations are always more fun with a personal touch that’s lacking in, say, an incident report. Tony watches a bubble with three blinking dots for a long, long time, and the reply is surprisingly sparse—sparse enough, in fact, for Tony to have more questions than answers when he receives it.

Unknown Sender: theres been a few things but the kicker was the fire

Tony: The fire?

Unknown Sender: i tried to make popcorn and the microwave blew up

Now that is some problematic behavior Tony can get behind. He amends the kid’s previously non-existent contact information.

Tony: How can they kick you out for that? That’s not your fault.

Roommate (?) Peter: it blacked out the power on the entire first floor

Tony: And?

Roommate (?) Peter: last month i got the blame for contaminating half the campus water supply

Roommate (?) Peter: so i was already on thin ice

Tony: Accidentally?

Roommate (?) Peter: idk sometimes things just happen to me

Tony doesn’t know how to respond to that. If Rhodey knew, he’d never let him live it down. He can hear his annoying laugh in his ears like a premonition—“Hah—Tony, speechless?”—but then there are the dots again and a simple message to follow the last, a touch pathetic.

Roommate (?) Peter: please let me move in

Tony likes him.

Peter shows up on the stairs of the complex thirty-six hours after Tony posted the ad with a backpack and a meager total of six beat-to-shit boxes. The backpack holds nearly all of his school supplies, which makes Tony, in retrospect, genuinely fearful for the integrity of his spine, and the contents of the boxes are sorted, as Tony will learn, into three categories that each have two boxes in them. The categories are fairly simple—clothing, necessities, and whatever other shit he could fit from his dorm—and leave Peter with thrilling possessions such as an entire collection of truly atrocious shirts with science puns on them, a gallon of hand soap, and any food he had in his cupboards.

Thankfully, Rhodey is out furniture shopping with Carol when Tony goes out to meet him, which solves the problem of Rhodey going into overbearing caretaker mode at the sight of a beanpole of a kid failing to manage their life successfully. As someone who has been made many a you-haven’t-eaten-a-meal-in-two-days-and-I’m-secretly-a-panicking-mother-hen casserole, Tony counts his blessings.

Tony waves. “Peter?” he asks, reluctantly changed out of his pajamas for the day.

The kid nods. “That’s me. And you’re Tony?”

“Guilty as charged. Want a hand with those boxes?” he asks, watching Peter lift three at a time.

“No, I got it,” he insists, and then the box on top slides out of his grip and onto the sidewalk.

Peter stares at it for a second before he lets out a long-suffering sigh.

“Maybe I could use some help,” he admits, and with much struggle, the two of them, each with three boxes, waddle inside. There is a moment and only one moment where Tony thinks that it might be nice to have some extra assistance, but with another thought of the things Rhodey would do at the sight of a woefully inept college kid, Tony decides it’s for the best.

Tony leads the operation, considering he has the key and also knows explicitly where they’re going, and he would have to say his biggest complaint about the ordeal is that Sam, who lives in the apartment below Tony and Rhodey with Steve and Bucky, happens to open his door as they walk by.

Being an asshole, he has something to say about it. “Need some help, shellhead?” he crows.

Tony wishes he had a free hand to flip him off.

“Watch your back, Wilson,” he growls in return, a continuation of the beef the five of them have maintained since they met approximately seven years ago, when they all moved in on the same day and kept knocking into each other’s shit in the halls.

When they reach the top of the next flight of stairs and Tony starts to fumble with the key, Peter asks about it. “So—uh—who was that?”

“That was Sam. Part of the deal with moving in is that you harass him and the other two idiots who live with him. He also responds to jackass, douchecanoe, or birdbrain.”

“Birdbrain?”

“It’s an old joke. He had a rather—” Tony grunts, forced to set down his load to unlock the door, “—spectacular run-in with some pigeons a few years ago.”

“Oh.”

“They shat on him. A lot.”

“Oh.”

“It’s a good nickname,” Tony assures him, throwing open the door with his arms flung wide for dramatic flair. “Welcome to Casa Stark. I mean, I guess it’s Casa Stark-Parker now, but if we’re hyphenating, my name goes first because I lived here first.” He holds up a finger as if to stall Peter, who has yet to speak from where his mouth is decidedly blocked by the aforementioned three boxes he is carrying. “And I know what you’re going to say—that Parker-Stark works better because it’s alphabetical—but that is where you are wrong because letters have no place in this house. Numbers are much preferred, and we play by seniority here, anyway.”

He gives Peter a meaningful look that he cannot see because, once again, boxes.

“More on that, by the way—”

“Hey, Tony?” 

He cuts him off which is, objectively, rude, but Tony rarely gets along with people who aren’t a little curt with him from time to time. This is a positive sign, really, so he allows it.

“Yeah?” 

“This can be Casa Stark-Parker, but can we get to somewhere I can set these down? My arms are, like, going to give out on me.”

Not even ten minutes in, and he’s already learned the art of bargaining. Tony’s proud, and he ushers him inside without any more monologues and a grin stretched across his face.

Peter, by virtue of moving in before Rhodey is out, ends up with the room that is no longer being used for storage. Tony has several questions for him, beginning with the fact that, despite the six packets of instant noodles he bothered to bring, he does not appear to have a mattress. Or a desk. Or a dresser. Or anything that’s supposed to go in a room.

His solutions for Tony’s concerns are as follows.

In place of a bed, he has two blankets, one to put on the floor and one to cover himself with. He was planning on sitting on the floor to do schoolwork instead of using a desk. And finally, he was going to leave his clothes in the boxes.

This is all relayed to Tony with an earnest gleam in his eyes and a smile.

Tony blinks in disbelief. Then, very eloquently, he says, “Kid, that is the saddest shit I have ever heard. Aren’t your parents helping you with the move to an apartment?”

The kid shifts from foot to foot, shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing to the side.

Tony’s eyes narrow. As someone who is extremely well-versed in avoidance tactics, he feels very confident in saying that is definitely a fucking avoidance tactic.

“About that,” he begins, “first of all, I’m an orphan.” Jesus Christ. “Second of all, my aunt doesn’t exactly—uh—know I got kicked out of the dorms.”

That is all interesting information, to say the least, but luckily, Tony thrives under pressure.

“Alright. I can respect that.”

It’s not like he never hid anything from his parents. Evading his aunt is Peter’s problem, not Tony’s. None of this is Tony’s problem, really, except then he looks around the room and wonders which of Peter’s boxes are holding his two blankets.

Tony was concerned about Rhodey, but he can’t stop himself.

“But I’m also gonna’ level with you—you’re not sleeping on the ground. You can take the couch.”

The until I get you a proper bed frame and mattress goes unsaid, but sometimes things like that are better as surprises. It’ll be a fun housewarming gift, Tony thinks, and by the time the shipment from IKEA arrives containing both of those things and the aforementioned missing dresser and desk, there will be a third roommate to help put it all together, not that either of them know it yet.

That night, Rhodey and Carol show up with enough ingredients for lasagna to serve four, and Tony delights in showing off Peter as they cook because now he has a “super cool roommate too! Take that, Platypus.”

Rhodey glances to Peter. “If you’re being held hostage, blink twice.”

“Hey!” Tony protests. He is a perfectly lovable roommate, thank you very much, and he’s so offended, he’s not even going to let Rhodey know about his mission to furnish Peter’s room.

God bless her, Carol just laughs.

The four of them get along with surprising ease, considering Peter’s only been around for a few hours. Peter even tries to help with the lasagna, but Tony has a near-photographic memory and has not remotely forgotten the popcorn incident, however vaguely it was described.

“You just sit there and be a nicer person than Rhodey,” he urges him, and Peter nods, hiding his grin behind his hand at the argument that starts.

Once everyone is done, he and Rhodey get suckered into dish duty while Carol spirits Peter off to the living room, claiming she has to warn him about what he’s getting into. Tony doesn’t care enough to complain, and when her back is turned, he splashes a plate of suds onto Rhodey’s front. 

Rather than rise to the bait, however, he raises his brows, slipping into what Tony affectionately calls his big-brother-giving-a-stern-talking-to mode. “You have to be a good example for him, Tones.”

Tony blinks. “I’m sorry, did you just say—”

“I’m serious!” They keep their voices mostly down, but Rhodey’s rises a bit with the declaration.

“He’s nineteen—an adult, in case you forgot. He signed the lease all on his own and everything,” he hisses back incredulously.

He thought he dodged the bullet by not disclosing just how underprepared Peter is to live in an apartment, but Rhodey’s head dips. Tony braces himself for the part of his big-brother-giving-a-stern-talking-to mode where he tells Tony he’s making a bullshit excuse and needs to get it together. “Don’t give me that. He’s a baby adult at best, and you know it.”

Yep, there it is.

“That’s still an adult!”

It is! Tony was on his own way earlier than nineteen. This is not a big deal, no matter how outlandish Peter’s circumstances are for moving out of NYU’s dorms.

“Watch his back.”

Tony scoffs. “It’s not like I was going to feed him to the wolves. I’m barely thirty—I’m not his dad.”

“Tony.”

Ah, the final, crushing blow of this version of Rhodey: his name—but with emphasis.

Tony sighs. “Fine,” he acquiesces. “I solemnly swear I will not let him get up to no good.”

A beat. Rhodey squints at him, slowly lowering the plate he’s holding into the sink. “You told me you refused to read Harry Potter.”

Shit.

Back when the books were first coming out, Rhodey was insufferably obsessed with them, and Tony loves him, but emotionally, he couldn’t handle having Rhodey think he was willing to discuss anything having to do with the series for longer than thirty seconds. Thus, he read the books—everyone in the world was doing the same, okay, and he cannot stand being out of the loop—but lied to Rhodey about it.

And now, he’s been made.

Rhodey and he launch into a very spirited discussion that draws Carol and Peter back to the kitchen, and despite the vein throbbing dangerously in Rhodey’s forehead, the promise has been made.

The day after Rhodey moves out, he and Peter manage to flood the bathroom.

In Tony’s defense, he only promised to look out for Peter. He said nothing about curbing his own dumbass tendencies, and it’s not like Bucky’s bedroom is all that damaged by the leak that Tony fixes before it’s really even a problem.

He and Peter settle into a nice sense of camaraderie, and Tony, content with his situation, forgets to take down his Craiglist ad that, logically speaking, someone would have to dig to find at this point, over a week after initially posting it.

Then, he receives a text that is as simple as it is effective: Is there still an available room in the apartment?

Enter the second offender: Stephen Strange.

Ahem, Doctor Stephen Strange, technically, but Tony has six PhDs. Nobody sees him going around making people call him Doctor Stark, and that’s because it makes him sound pretentious and stuffy, both things Tony prides himself on not being. However, Tony likes to push buttons, and very little gets Stephen worked up as fast as someone ignoring his credentials.

It’s a fun set-up, really, but annoying the piss out of Stephen is something that comes a little later—Tony’s not there yet in the story.

He humors the text, and after getting a read on things, he bursts into the living room, startling Peter nearly off the couch. He’s been doing his homework there and on the coffee table in front of it because the Swedish have many things but fast shipping is, apparently, not one of them, not that Peter knows there’s anything to be waiting on, but he’s getting off-topic.

Peter lets out a short yelp and presses a hand over his heart, both things that Tony ignores.

“We have a situation,” he announces.

“I swear I didn’t do it,” Peter defends pleadingly.

Tony is trying to teach him that messing things up is expected and, especially in particularly magnificent cases, admired in Casa Stark-Parker, but it’s a work in progress.

“I know you didn’t—don’t be ridiculous,” he waves his concerns off. “We are talking bigger than setting things on fire by accident. I bring you, my young protege, the proposition of—” A pause for dramatic effect. “—another roommate.”

“Ooh,” Peter says appropriately, setting his textbook down to examine the texts Tony brandishes. He begins to scroll, but while he does, Tony figures he can go ahead and fill him in on the essentials. It’s a very juicy situation, after all, and he can’t help himself.

“His name is Stephen Strange. He’s a neurosurgeon, but he got into a pretty bad car wreck that messed up his hands. He’s trying to save money while he goes to physical therapy—he apparently has a chance of recovery, but it’s a ways off—and that includes downsizing on where he lives.”

“I mean, yikes, but that’s an oddly specific backstory.”

“I’m glad you think that too, but I am intrigued. I looked him up, and he’s a real person—has a basically flawless reputation, or at least he did before his accident. Thoughts?”

Please say yes, please say yes, Tony thinks. The chance of a competent human—not including Rhodey, who looks more put together than he really is next to the chaos Tony perpetually dwells in—choosing to live with him is too fascinating to pass up, and he needs Peter to see that too.

Peter shrugs. “I’m down if you are. How old is he?”

Victory!

Satisfaction floods Tony, but he tries to maintain his cool.

“Thirty.”

Peter blows out a long breath, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. “I didn’t anticipate moving into a nursing home,” he remarks dryly.

What a little shit.

It’s worth noting half the reason Rhodey left so easily is because he said he trusted Peter to keep Tony on his toes. Then again, that Tony likes being snarked at is a large part of why they get along so well despite only knowing each other for a matter of days.

“You’re the worst, Parker. I’m going to feed you to the hooligans downstairs. Steve has a monster appetite, you know.”

Peter hums, picking his textbook back up. “Not if I feed you to them first. And, Tony?”

“What?”

“Only old people say hooligans.”

Tony thinks about that one book, Give a Mouse a Cookie or whatever. Except in his case, it’s Rent a Teenager an Apartment, and Tony doesn’t have to adhere to the literary equivalent of a G-rating.

His response to the dig is creative and colorful, and Peter laughs.

Four days and a brief conversation at a coffee shop later—a formality he and Peter did not do and probably something Tony should’ve thought of as the older adult before giving him the address—Stephen’s team of movers invade the apartment.

The man himself stands like a drill sergeant at the last flights of stairs it takes to get to the apartment, arms crossed, beard wild, conducting activity.

Peter and Tony share their evaluations, peeking their head out from the doorway when it’s unoccupied by movers and Stephen isn’t looking their way. This involves quite a bit of ducking, but they are very careful not to be caught.

(Someone’s whose name may or may not rhyme with Tephen Trange later informs that “they were not at all subtle” and “were, in fact, very embarrassing”, but that’s how things with the three of them generally are, so Tony figures it was a good crash course to how life together goes.)

“He’s kind of scraggly,” Peter whispers, his head under Tony’s because he’s the shorter of the two of them, something Tony delights in refuting Peter’s quips about his age with.

“Kind of? He looks like a hobo.”

It’s true, okay? Facially, at least, the guy is a wreck. He’s not quite to Einstein levels of bad hair day, but he’s getting there.

“Be nice,” Peter chastises him. He’s gentler than Rhodey when he does it, but considering neither of them ever shut the hell up and they have thus bonded very easily over the course of their short relationship, it’s gotten to feel as natural as most of their interactions.

“All I’m saying is that I am happy to retain my place as the most attractive person in the apartment, okay?”

They’re forced to retreat from the entryway as another load comes through, and Peter looks at him disbelievingly. “Dream on,” he replies bluntly.

Tony gasps in offense.

Peter shrugs. “Look, I’m just gonna’ say it—you knew Rhodey before me, and now that I’m here—” he trails off, looking at Tony in faux-sympathy that doesn’t match the mischievous glint in his eyes.

While it is true that Rhodey is a fine specimen of a man—yet another reason Tony can’t, in good conscience, be truly angry Carol mooched him away from the bachelor lifestyle—Tony can’t cede that easily for the sake of his pride, and he scowls. “I am going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

They’re still bickering as the movers finish up and Stephen enters the apartment, dressed in what Tony recognizes as the latest from Armani and Tom Ford.

He may not get invited to fashion week anymore, but he still has taste, alright, even if Rhodey limits him to one designer purchase a month.

(Rhodey isn’t around to see what packages he orders now, Tony thinks but shelves the thought for later.)

Tony and Stephen met over coffee, and all three of them said hi to one another before the moving business officially began. However, there is a little stiffness in the air, make no mistake. It’s not Stephen’s fault, exactly, because he’s just kind of a foreboding guy, but still.

It figures that Peter would break the ice. As Tony’s found and will continue to discover, Peter is just as talkative as him. Granted, that trait usually appears in the form of rambling about something from class, but it’s not surprising that his natural passion for life comes through with someone about to be very, very involved in it. 

“Hi!” he begins. “Are all of the movers gone now?”

Stephen raises an unimpressed brow. “Yes.”

His reply is seriously lacking enthusiasm, but Tony isn’t allowed the opportunity to jump on that as Peter keeps going. 

“Sweet! Okay, so welcome to Casa Stark-Parker.”

Woah, woah, woah—timeout.

Tony frowns, raising a hand in a motion for Peter to stop. “I thought that was my thing?” he interjects.

“Well, it has my name in it, so it gets to be both of our things,” Peter replies, then furrows his brow, looking to Stephen. “Actually, since you’re here now, I guess it’s Casa Stark-Parker-Strange. Order’s based on who got here first, sorry,” he explains with a smile that Tony, now familiar with the fact that Peter has more to him than meets the eye, notes is a touch impish.

Tony is pleased to see, despite his generally wholesome appearance, the kid has at least picked up on the power of staking a claim.

Stephen blinks. His hands, Tony has noticed, don’t stop shaking, not even when he folds his arm across his chest, like a physical barrier between him and Peter’s excitement. “Okay?” he drawls slowly, confusedly.

“Tony’s rules, not mine,” Peter assures him as if he doesn’t just want the satisfaction of having his name not be the last in the line-up.

Tony scoffs. “Oh okay, so now we’re throwing me under the bus?”

“You have to take responsibility for your actions, Tony.”

“Oh, sure thing,” he replies, tone betraying that he does not, in fact, think any responsibility is at all necessary. He looks to Stephen, rolling his eyes. “Can you believe what I have to put up with? And it’s barely been a week.”

Stephen blinks again. “I see it’s a lot,” he says measuredly.

Peter gasps, unaffected. “Oh my God, we should make a sign for it,” he enthuses. “We can put it up on the door, and we’d be so much cooler than Sam and them.”

To say that Peter rose to the challenge of bothering their downstairs neighbors with zeal is something of an understatement. 

Tony is, honestly, a fan of the sign idea, especially if it were to light up, but that is where Stephen cuts in, his hands still trembling as he gestures. “Can we slow down for a moment?” He looks carefully from Tony and Peter and back again, bearing the appearance of a man in the throes of realizing he has made a bad decision. 

Tony knows that look well. It usually shows up when Rhodey agrees to one of Tony’s ideas and doesn’t realize just how badly constructed it is until it’s too late.

“First of all, I am fairly certain my car is parked illegally, and before we get too far, I need to fix it before I get towed. And secondly,” Tony watches Stephen’s lips curl in a self-satisfied, I-totally-think-I’m-better-than-you-even-if-I’m-not-technically-saying-it smile, “I am not here to be part of any Casa. I am waiting for physical therapy to work for me, and then I will be out of your hair. I appreciate being able to live here, but—”

Yeah, Tony’s had enough of that. Personally, he would like to thank Rhodey, who, in a way, begins and ends the story, and truly is the greatest best friend a man could have for teaching him how to properly deal with pompous rich people.

“Nuh-uh, none of that. If you’re living here, you’re a part of Casa Stark-Parker-Strange whether you like it or not.”

Stephen looks downright appalled that someone would dare to interrupt him, which, Tony knows from experience, is exactly the kind of shock rich people need to go through. He splutters for a second before he manages to get out a reply, “That was not in the lease.”

Tony spreads his hands as if to say what can you do? “And you didn’t mention in your texts that you were going to try to be a bump on a log, but here we are.”

Perhaps sensing the mounting animosity in the room or maybe just as excited as Tony to have someone to bother, Peter takes advantage of Stephen’s overwhelmed and bewildered state.

“First day with all three of us!” he shouts. “Picture!”

And before anyone can protest—including Tony, who would prefer to be documented in something other than a Black Sabbath tee and his work pants—Peter leans in with the camera on his phone ready to capture the moment.

In the resulting photo, Tony looks vaguely alarmed, Stephen looks pissed as hell, and Peter wears a grin that stretches across his whole face. The whole thing is blurry, and they eventually get it framed.

It’s a beautiful and fitting start to their time as roommates, and in the humble eyes of the asshole who posted the Craigslist ad, that is how the story of how they came to live together went.

[absynthe--minded]

for the ship questions: all the odd numbers for russingon??? please and thank you

all the odd numbers!!

okay I am answering this one First but there are some other asks I technically got first so I’m going to exclude a few for the sake of answering all of them! I hope that’s okay. Below the cut for length and some quasi-NSFW discussion.

PRE-RELATIONSHIP:

1. How did they first meet?

this is actually the plot of one of my fics! Finno goes to a party with his parents, wanders off to get drunk and enjoy the free food, and winds up getting very drunk and then seeing Maitimo and assuming he’s a Maia because of how hot he is. he is in fact so very drunk that he straight up forgets that “Curufinwë” and “Fëanáro” are the same person and doesn’t understand why Maitimo is like “what the fuck why are you talking to me oh shit you’re hot”. (Maitimo ditches his date to the party to climb a tree, drink wine, and deal with the fact that he’s suddenly interested in a boy.)

5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Maitimo tried so fucking hard to resist his feelings. He basically tried to be like. Gay But By Telperion’s Light Only. he’d write poetry and burn it, he’d stare into the stars and the silver light and be Dreamy and Distant. (Finno leapt into having feelings with his whole self and everyone knew he was pining after someone. He kept trying to play it off as nothing serious, but everyone around him knew. Everyone.)

7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?

Maitimo would be married to the daughter of one of Fëanáro’s first and most loyal allies in the Tirion court. Her name was Cirissë, she was chosen for him by Fëanáro (with the clear caveat of “if you’d rather marry someone else please give me the name and I’ll arrange it”) and the expectation was that they’d have at least one child named Cantëafinwë. As the eldest of his House and since he didn’t have any great works or passions of his own, his “job” was to carry on Míriel Þerindë’s legacy. If he had objected to this or found something else to do with his life, Fëanáro would have given way, but Maitimo prior to meeting Findekáno was okay with having an arranged marriage. This wasn’t a decision made in spite of his feelings - he’d never said he wasn’t all right with it.

Findekáno would probably be drifting through life without really any sense of purpose - I’m going to assume that history goes very differently if they don’t meet, because not meeting implies that even the Darkening doesn’t quite go as planned - and I think he’d have settled for the single life, floating from party to party and social event to social event without ever really being rooted in something.

GENERAL:

1. Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Findekáno was the one who insisted they become proper friends and start spending time together, and who introduced Maitimo to the joys of fucking around in the meadows outside Tirion on their free days. He was bold, and intense, and bright, and constantly smiling. But it was Maitimo who confessed his feelings. They went out one day - it was Finno’s begetting day, and Maitimo had gotten him a falcon (they took up falconry as an excuse to be out and about and alone for days, but they’d been using Finwë’s mews and Finwë’s birds) and they were with their horses and their birds, and Maitimo very shyly admitted that what he felt was more than friendship.

Finno kissed him, and he almost fell out of his saddle and off his mare.

5. What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Their height difference is a little ridiculous. Maitimo is eight and a half feet tall, which is Very Tall by elvish standards. Finno is seven feet tall, which is on the taller side of “average” - his mother Anairë is taller than he is, and Artanís is like 7′9″. He comes up to about his husband’s sternum. Maitimo isn’t really built, though? He’s actually quite delicate and slender when you look at him on his own, but compared to quite a lot of other elves he’s buff as hell just by virtue of needing to be muscular to move all those bones around. Their age difference is actually something that’s kind of hard to calculate but I’ve worked it out - Maitimo is 90 solar years older than Finno, he was about the human equivalent of eighteen when his husband was born. They met for the first time when Maitimo was 190 solar years old and Finno was 100 solar years old - they were both adults, in the same stage of life.

7. Who takes the lead in social situations?

It depends on the social situation tbh! Findekáno tends to take the lead in most things that involve being a bright and shiny polite happy public figure, because he’s charismatic and intuitive and good at that kind of thing, but Maitimo will lead if it’s one of his few areas of expertise or if his husband is floundering. He does have a flair for the dramatic and it’s a very natural thing for him.

9. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

They both do, because they’re fortunate enough to have a telepathic bond that lets them communicate silently in a room full of other people. It made for some fascinating council meetings the few times they wound up sharing a space in that way.

LOVE:

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

Elves don’t really have cheesy pick-up lines, but they’ve both fallen victim to sappy poetry. Maitimo probably holds the record there for sheer number of dumb things he’s said solely for the purposes of getting Finno’s attention, though. There are. A Lot of those.

5. Who initiates kisses?

Maitimo. Always, constantly. His primary method of affection and of emotional expression is “Kiss Husband” and he does it all the time.

7. What are their favorite things to do together?

I’m excluding sex from this because the answer to that question is “sex”, honestly. They like cooking (Maitimo cooks and Finno watches him), and going riding, and one time Maitimo climbed the side of a cliff and Finno went along with it solely to stare at his ass. Finno is terrible at archery and at the harp but he’ll do both of those things because they make his husband happy. They like reading, and discussing what they’ve read, and if they’d had the chance they would have enjoyed the theater.

9. Who’s more protective?

see this is sort of a weird question because like

Maitimo is Obviously Protective. He glowers, and he glowers protectively, and he does things like plant spies in Nolofinwë’s household so he can keep an eye on his husband’s movements. He considers himself Findekáno’s guard, and he’s very very paranoid so he’s very very good at guarding. (The one time he saves Findekáno from orcs and from Sauron he has several mental breakdowns all at once.) Maitimo is the obvious answer here.

But Finno will cross a room in half a second and vault over like sixteen tables to smack you with his riding glove and demand you duel him if he’s all the way on the other side of the hall and thinks he heard you considering insulting Maitimo.

It goes both ways tbh.

11. What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

The in-universe songs that apply to their relationship are basically all written about them, lol. I tend to headcanon that the song Findekáno sang is preserved through the ages to some extent and its ultimate form is the song that Sam sings in the tower of Cirith Ungol? So take that as you will.

Out of universe... well, I have a shitton of playlists, but I’ll leave you with the song that inspired my Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang fic, “Last Train Home” by Ryan Star.

13. Who remembers the little things?

It depends on the little things. Maitimo remembers every detail of every military operation he ever devised, but Findekáno remembers what day of the week it is.

DOMESTIC LIFE:

3. How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

Gil-galad would have been their kid in a happier world. He’s the biological son of Lalwendë Finwiel and Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod, sent to Barad Eithel when his mother and father were missing-presumed-dead after the Dagor Bragollach, and Findekáno adopted him as his ward and heir but didn’t keep him in Hithlum due to the danger.

(They do, however, have three additional children that they don’t find out about until Valinor, because Sauron is a mad scientist and he had unrestricted access to Maitimo for sixty years, and because Findekáno bled all over the Thangorodrim cliff-face when he slammed face-first into it. Those children are Autamar Autahala, whom I’ve mentioned before (he’s their eldest and the only one who’s descended from both of them), and Alya and Ailinwë, twins who are descended solely from Maitimo. Their three kids show up at their house one day, the same ages as they were when they all died, and that’s a fun time for everyone.)

Gil-galad is brave and fair and just and all that good shit you need to be a king. Autamar is kind of terrifying because growing up in Angband and being groomed to be a puppet ruler will do that to you, but he’s very smart and very dry-witted. Alya and Ailinwë died when they were quite young, but they’re very bright, and Alya is as fond of horses as Maitimo is. She also likes knives.

5. Who’s the stricter parent?

Maitimo. He’s got more experience parenting, as opposed to Finno who died and then suddenly found out that his ward had claimed him as a father - Maitimo basically raised his four youngest siblings, and Elrond and Elros, and he’s very good at being the strict dad. It’s the one thing he’s actually strict about outside his military work. But he’s actually a giant marshmallow underneath his stern exterior and he really wants to be a good father.

7. Who kills the bugs in the house?

This is a non-answer but they don’t kill bugs as a rule they’ll either let them outside or allow predator bugs to live in their spaces - lots of spider neighbors who pay rent by eating gnats. But as a rule Maitimo will do the gross or unseemly things just because he wants them done. Finno is a bit more of an obvious coward when it comes to those things.

9. Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Maitimo doesn’t sleep as often as Findekáno does, but Findekáno can usually entice him into coming back to bed.

11. Who likes to dance?

Maitimo is the one who really truly loves partnered dancing. He leads. Findekáno can and will dance alone, but it’s only after he marries that he truly becomes enchanted by the high romance of a good querië.

[stvpidinlove]

[ IM JIN-AH, SHE/HER, CIS WOMAN ]  —  [ SENA HA ]  is a child of  [ PERSEPHONE ]  with the power of  [ PLANT GROWTH & SHADOW TRAVEL ] .  they were born in  [ 1993 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2005 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ BUSINESS ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ ANSWERING EMAILS & RUNNING IN HEELS ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the  [ MOON ]  building . 

perhaps my most put together character but is that saying anything

BASICS

hometown: san francisco, california

eye color: brown

hair color: brown

height: 5′7

sexuality: bisexual

birthday: august 29, 1993 ( virgo )

BIO

sena’s a first generation american, raised by a single father, who wouldn’t find love again until the age of 49, by which time sena was old enough to be a bridesmaid and drink at the bachelorette party. so growing up, it was always just her and her father. he wasn’t exactly...a sad man, but he was melancholy, sometimes. he’d get lost in his thoughts, sometimes, and especially as a child, sena would wonder if he was thinking about her mother. because a lot of the time, she was.

she didn’t know much about her absent mother, but her father only had kind things to say about her. then again, he only had kind things to say about most people, which was probably how he ended up as a defense lawyer. his parents had hoped he’d go into something like law, though ultimately they were disappointed by their son’s big heart, prone to taking on hopeless or pro bono cases.

but then again, in most situations, his clients paid, because he had a reputation for being good at what he did, and it was all based in hard work and research, not in smearing the prosecution or fabricating stories that would be more convincing to the jury. the two of them were never wanting for anything and sena loved growing up in san francisco, swinging by chinatown or fisherman's wharf after school or on the weekends, frequenting the various museums whenever a new exhibit blew through town. she spent a lot of time on her own because her father had busy hours and she had no siblings to talk to, so she quickly learned how to be self-sufficient and responsible

from a very young age, sena knew she was different. there’s really no good way to explain her ability to make plants grow at will, a skill she less-than-discretely displayed regularly at the park near her house. the shadow travel was less obvious and far more difficult, something she never really used unless there was a pressing reason

like many demigods, sena has always been fascinated by her mother’s story, for as long as she’s known the truth of her parentage. she’s been at nemean lion since the age of thirteen, making it easy to find the proper resources for learning more about the entire world of greek mythology. although the seemingly unbelievable has been a part of her life since her conception, sena is a very level-headed person. she’s organized, almost to a fault at times, and always looks put-together, whether she is or not

before nl, she’d wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, maybe not exactly, but certainly she had an interest in law. she never fully gave up on the dream, but she can appreciate her role at nl, too, and as long as she’s helping people with her business acumen, she’s satisfied

sena isn’t uptight, exactly, but she does struggle at times to let loose. she’d never leave her apartment in an un-ironed skirt or wrinkled blouse. appearances mean a lot to her, primarily because she knows it’s important to put your best food forward in business and present your best self

partly due to proximity, she’s been at nemean lion for quite a while now and can’t imagine life without it, though she visits home a lot because she’s close with her father. she’s glad he has his new wife (and young twins) to keep him company while she’s away 

RANDOM FACTS

for a daughter of persephone, sena doesn’t spend a ton of time outside these days. she’s the kind of person who has to be reminded to get out and take a break from working. that said, she loves nature, innately, and enjoys gardening

she’s the kind of person to scold gently/kindly because she can’t help quietly worrying about everyone and wanting them to succeed but she tries really hard not to be overbearing

somehow she has huge big sister energy even though she grew up as an only child

sena can’t shadow travel other people yet but she’s lowkey working on it??? she’s been training for over a decade so it’s like...why not but also she doesn’t see it as a huge priority. she’s gotten really good at doing it herself though she sort of has a mentality of not wanting to abuse her powers by using them frivolously

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS

the biggest mom friend...plus she’s on the older side compared to a lot of people at nl so she’d def fall into the big sister/mentor category, i feel like people would come to her for Life Advice because she seems to have her shit 2gether and she gives good sensible advice 

she does sort of consider hades kids to be like step siblings but ig it depends on the person lmao

someone who also came to nemean lion 10+ years ago who she’s been friends with for over a decade, super duper close, probably goes up with her to san fran sometimes!!!

a longterm roommate! they get along really well and ofc they’re friends but they’re not like Besties which is why they’re able to live together for so long without complaint. lowkey codependent??

an opposites attract kinda thing where they’re super forgetful and/or messy and sena always has to help them get their life together but secretly she enjoys it <3