#But if they had access to the boop shenanigans this is how this would have played out

[lokiina]

Boop.

[show-us-kaidenshenandoah]

the promised image descriptions (+ the asterisked footnote bits) are in the Read More down below:

(*×1: "what was that about theaters being s3xüál?" well, there's not too many resources i can think of for the USA of this "phenomenon" (for lack of a better term), but look at the movie "Cinema Paradiso" and then look at the history of Italian cinema if you want to get into the s0ft-core p0ŕñ of early cinema that the USA tries to ignore that it ever could have even KINDA participated in pre-Hays code. but the USA did participate in that kinda stuff during early cinema. just. thats harder to research than Italy bc, again, we like to pretend we didnt do that. but Italy was way more willing to get graphic and hasnt been even half as shy about having participated in. but Betty Boop was part of the USA's participation in that, for sure. but yeah. in an age where p0ŕñ was kinda hard to get, $3x-w0ŕk3rs cost money, but movie tickets were p accessible, all pre-Hays Code?? yeah, American animators and filmmakers made money being a lil "spicy" as it were. again, i dont know a lot of USA based resources off the top of my head to confirm this besides "....look at Betty Boop's shorts" + "look at Italian cinema's history which didnt try to hide this part of its history, unlike the USA and Hays Code and whatnot". the film "Cinema Paradiso" has a whole montage and stuff about "yeah, people have been using movie theaters Like That beyond the trope of couples in the back-row". so. do with that as ya will. i usually stay away from it, personally, but im aware it Exists and am surprised not more people are aware too)

(*×2: "what is a 'gag in the margins'? what do they have to do with Betty Boop??" gags in the margins dont have to be sexual, as far as i am aware. but Betty Boop's always were. its basically just "things audiences will rarely notice, if ever; so this is a joke only animators on the team know of that made the final cut". for Betty Boop, that was a lot of p@ñtÿ-$h0ts and ñïp-$lïps that existed for exactly 1 cell of animation. it's such a mainstay for Betty that there even is a ñïp-$lïp in her small appearance within Who Framed Roger Rabbit)

(*×3: "....wait: what 'debate' about her age?" her age can get p gross sometimes, i wont lie. she is often a minor pre-Hays Code where she then got aged into being of an acceptable age-to-be-a-mother since she often was depicted as "mother-coded" during when the Hays Code was active bc... they didnt know what else to do with her if her shenanigans could no longer be sexy?? i guess? (she wasn't actually a mother, she was an aunt babysitting her nephew named Junior. but unless the shorts outright told people "this is her nephew" then most audience members assumed that was her son) lmao i personally either pretend she isn't ever a minor or i just remind myself of all the ways she parallels she has to Aphrodite's age questions. (which is basically questioning "hey, how old would the Ancient Greeks consider an adult woman to be since Aphrodite emerged 'as an adult woman' from the seafoam?". bc Athena was 'fully formed' and is non-sexual when she came out of Zeus' head; but Aphrodite came out of the seafoam as 'an adult woman'?? weird word-choice". esp once you know that the Ancient Greeks treated women, even in their legal system, in a p fucked up way; they had messed up ideas of consent and minimum age, esp for boys; and lots of other things. so, for Aphrodite, the answer generally is that she either aged up to being 18+ years of age or was always 18+ years of age, as most Ancient Greco-Roman art of Aphrodite shows her assumedly in line with contemporary expectations of what "an adult woman" would be: which is over the age of 18 years old. but i just personally have a lot of sympathy for the possible-adultification that may have happened to an underage goddess of love who was seen as a sexual being immediately after her birth.) really, Betty is "whatever age you find acceptable sexually". (which is basically the answer for Aphrodite's "adult woman is what exact age" question.) like, most audience members in the 1930s had no idea what her age was, much less that she often was as young as 13-going-on-14 to as "old" as 16 pre-Hays code; not unless the said audience member came across specific marketing (which i dont think ever advertised her age, but im not a Betty Boop 1930s Posters/Advertisement Expert) or the short itself outright said her age. like, there was a comic that said she was 16 at one point(?) in a very "I am 16 and I will always be 16" Edward From Twilight way (here is a link to the exact panel). but on other stuff, like some of her 80s TV-Movies, she owns a NYC apartment and has a job, all with no roommates or familial financial help, which implies she's probably 18+ or even 21+ years of age (at least to me). and, again, during the years in which the Hays Code was active really made her go the "Madonna side of things in a Madonna/Wh0rə complex" when she was a "mother"/auntie-babysitting, even though by the 1980s Junior had been discarded for classic Betty's design with her red dress for new media and merch (btw here is Junior's wiki page if you want to see him and Betty's Hays-Code-re-designed-outfit). and she is nowadays considered anywhere between 18 and early 20s. so like... Betty's age has constantly been in flux, and there's been debates about it for good reason

(and yeah, some people have been creeps, for sUUURREEEE, but i personally always found "oh Betty is being sexualized basically against her will due to various accidents" relatable and i found her clumsiness with said ñïp-$lïps and p@ñtÿ-$h0ts to be "she's just being thoughtlessly clumsy and isnt aware of people being gross" on par with Hayao Miyazaki and Kiki in Kiki's Delivery Service. like. Miyazaki tried to make Kiki as childish and non-sexual as possible while still showing she was just a clumsy and thoughtless kid while ALSO getting to do the dynamic flying shots he wanted, but people are sometimes gross about seeing her bloomers/"shorts" under her dress' skirt in spite of Miyazaki's efforts. i see Betty Boop as similarly "she's not trying to be 'a temptation' wtf is wrong with you", esp since so many Americans like Betty (and people around the globe, of course) have experienced similar with sexual harassment or worse. so the same way as people re-write Medusa as being a pillar against sexual harassment and SA, thats kinda how i specifically and personally see Betty Boop; as a tribute(? for lack of a better term??) to that experience within America. so im a big Betty Boop fan who sees her as akin to an American Animation's Aphrodite of "we project her to be a sexual being but she herself isnt", kinda like Marilyn Monroe. so thats how i personally reconcile with "i am a fan of Betty Boop" and "people have been gross about Betty (esp with her age)". but thats just me. you dont have to follow me. if you see Betty Boop differently, that's fair. i just ask y'all keep to that yourself lmao im in no mood to discuss or debate how i see Betty Boop, and this is by no means an invite to tell me about your sexual harassment stories or otherwise. this is just me explaining how i see and understand her age, and how i specifically am able to grapple with this gross part of her history while also being a fan of her. cool? cool)

anyway, onto the image transcriptions!!

first the images that were not the ones i added:

[image of Betty Boop with dark skin as fan-art, stylized well to the artist's preferred way of drawing rather than how Betty Boop is typically drawn. she is looking to the right with her mouth slightly ajar. her dress and heels are a very dark red with crimson red shines. she is wearing bright gold. her hair is a dark brown. she has moles. the background is a pale solid yellow. she is sitting on her knees. she is blushing with hearts in her eyes and hearts by her head. this image was posted, with the caption "boop-boop-a-doop", by @beebeedibapbeediboop. end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

in reply to this, along with their own text and caption about Esther Jones and bringing her into the conversation, the user @rikareena posted a screenshot of google on light-mode (meaning white background set witb black text)

[the image has several photos, allegedly of Esther Jones though ironically none are actually of Esther Jones as my response goes into depth about, along with famous images of Betty Boop. the image itself goes into two articles' snippets. the first article is from Black History dot com and is dated to be from 2018, though this post itself is from 2020. the title of this article says "The Real Betty Boop Was A Black Woman... Before She..." and goes on to show an excerpt saying "Before She Was Whitewashed! PBS has confirmed that Betty Boop, the popular cartoon character introduced to the world by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, was actually inspired by a real-ife African American jazz singer and entertainer from Harlem named Esther Jones". the second article is dated as being from 15 March 2017. it is acredited to The Cut. the article is titled "The Forgotten Black Woman Behind Betty Boop" and its snippet within the screenshot reads "Few have heard about 'Baby' Esther, the black cabaret performer who served as inspiration for Betty..." end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

and now, we are onto the images i posted of just my DM with a friend. [this DM series is set in a black message-board with my response in blue bubbles that have black text, all alligned to the right while any replies to me would be on the left. you can see at the very top of the series the cropped bottom of that Betty Boop fan-art with the pale yellow background i mentioned before. this DM series takes up three images, so the text would not be blurry; otherwise i would have done it as one entire image. the messages i wrote read as follow, though i will add the words [/bubble breaks] to convey when a new blue bubble from me has occurred:

EEYYYYYY THE ART IS SO GOOD!! BETTY, MY LOVE! [/bubble breaks]

i do have mixed feelings about the misinformation under said art (i love that Betty Boop has been claimed by the Black community, and that Esther Jones lives on in her. but also: no Betty Boop was not intentionally based on Esther Jones; and PBS actually had to publish a correction about spreading the misinformation that Betty Boop was based on her, as well as that "she was originally drawn with dark skin as you can see in this hula short" like nah, no, that hula short was a one-off that happened WAY AFTER Betty's debut, in her first appearance she was a very uncanny and weird looking dog-girl and she was originally drawn with light skin in both that dog-form and her human form. Esther Jones was only tied to Betty Boop after a court case against Helen Kane. Betty Boop was absolutely a caricature of Helen Kane, and Helen Kane wanted to sue the studio behind Betty Boop for doing that. like Helen Kane even had a catchphrase that was "boop-oop-a-doop". but Flesicher Studios didnt want her to win. nc then that meant no more Betty and theyd have a big debt to pay Kane. instead, they insisted Betty was based off of flapper girls in general and named a bunch of actresses who look similar to Helen Kane, such as Clara Bow and even Betty Boop's voice-actress who i forget the name of, and that Betty Boop was based on an algormation of women. but that wasnt enough for the courts. so they ended up digging up some dirt that Helen Kane had been in the audience of an Esther Jones show. and it was revealed that Helen Kane based her baby-voice act off of Esther Jones, and that Esther Jones had songs including skatting (bc that was a Black performer originated talent in jazz and whatnot, and Esther Jones was really good at it, so of course she did it a lot as a Black performer) and even had a song that included the line "boop-oop-a-doop" that wouldve been sung the night Helen Kane attended this Black child's show. also, none of those pictures are of Ether Jones, we have only one confirmed picture of Esther Jones and it is of her as a child. the adult Black woman is speculated to MAYBE also be her but older, but theres no confirmation of that. and the sepia image of someone looking exactly like Betty Boop is a cosplayer, one that is contemporary to us and DEFINITELY not Esther Jones. but anybody can "be" Betty Boop.

Betty Boop was Indigenous Hawaiian for a short, Betty Boop has been Jewish in many shorts. and she even has a new Broadway musical showing right now and that Broadway Original Casting has a Black woman as the Original Broadway Actress of Betty Boop (and maybe her off-Broadway actress was also a Black woman, i forget. but my theory is part of the reason why she is being played by a Black woman is the people who own the rights to Betty Boop are ABSOLUTELY AWARE of how much Black people love Betty Boop and want to honor that representation). and ive already told you before how her age has varied in many different cartoons. she is an extremely fluid character. she can absolutely be claimed by Black people, and she can absolutely be drawn with darker skin. but Fleischer Studios dug up that ticket to an Esther Jones show to shut down Helen Kane. like. dont give them credit for something they didnt do, they tried to make Helen Kane feel like she was crazy when they made it VERY OBVIOUS Betty Boop was based on her (tho i also dont think Helen Kane should have copied Esther Jones' act and taken one of her skat lines. but also: Esther Jones didnt really seem to care. she said no to attending the court as she was touring in, i think, France at the time and gave no statement overall. she was uninterested in the whole thing, both Helen Kane and Betty Boop, as far as anyone can tell from her silence as there's no records currently even after her tour and whatnot of her feelings about either woman). so. again, mixed feelings about the misinformation in this post bc "uhhhh, no, thats not actually right, dont give Fleischer Studios props for something they didnt intentionally do" and also "yes, lets talk about Esther Jones and give some attention [/bubble breaks]

to her since so much of her work has become lost media; let's acknowledge that Betty Boop absolutely has connections to Black people through her shorts featuring jazz which is a Black-originated music genre and how Fleischer Studios did Betty Boop shorts featuring Cab Calloway (a Black man) and his jazz band specifically, her iconic "boop-oop-a-doop" line being skat originating from a Black woman, how she has been portrayed by Black actresses, and how Black people can ABSOLUTELY claim a character they feel represents them as Black people have had to make their own representation themselves or look at the largely non-Black media landscape that has existed for for hundreds of years with a Black lens to find their representation where they could" [/bubble breaks]

but also the art is really pretty and i love Betty Boop with dark-skin, i think it makes her hair and red dress pop really well ♡♡♡ [/final bubble's end]

theraby, the end of text; and the end of this DM series of images' description specifically.]

the first image i posted was a screenshot from google on dark-mode (so dark background with white text). [the screenshot shows a couple frames of Betty Boop in her initial anthromorphic dog design. she is pale-skinned with floppy ears and a black dot for a dog-nose, long eyelashes and dark lipstick. she has a head of curly black hair still cropped close to her scalp. she is in a black short dress still, but with a big white bow on the back. she has on gray stockings with gray heels. her design is uncanny and vaguely creepy, but well-intentioned. in one of these two frames, she is on a stage and singing to an anthromorphic black dog-man of fairly tall height. the text is attributed to be from the Wikipedia article on Betty Boop. the text "August 9, 1930" is highlighted from the overall passage. the text reads as follows: "August 9, 1930. Origins. Betty Boop made her first appearance in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes, released on August 9, 1930, the seventh installment in Fleischer's Talkartoon series. Inspired by a popular performing style, but not by any one specific person, the character was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle." end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

and now we are onto the images i posted in tandem with my post, correcting some misinformation that has been spread by PBS

the second image is another screenshot from google on dark-mode. [the image is mostly text with a couple of tiny pictures. the two tiny pictures are of a frame of Betty Boop and a photograph of Dave Fleischer. Betty Boop is peering out of a window and we see her from below as she smiles while looking side to side out her window; this frame is in black and white. Betty Boop's appearance is her usual human one; she is pale-skinned with a small nose and lipstick, she has a head of black curly hair that is cropped close to her scalp, she has dangly earing, she is wearing her usual short dress (with no bow on the back), and her big bracelets. we cannot see her lower half due to the nature of the window. the photograph of Dave Fleischer is a black and white photograph of the bust of a bald, white man in a light-colored suit. as for the text within the overall screenshot from google, there is a red circle edited to circle around the information reading "January 2, 1932" and red text edited to be next to it reading "this was the first short Betty appeared as a human". the rest of the text, not edited and from the original screenshot (excluding any buttons reading "Overview", "Cast", "Videos", and whatnot), reads as follow: "Any Rags? 1932. Short. 11 mins. Rating 6.6/10 IMDb. 'Any Rags?' is a 1932 Pre-Code Fleischer Studios Talkartoon animated short film starring Bimbo, and Betty Boop, with a brief appearance by Koko the Clown. It features the song "Any Rags?", a 1902 ragtime schottische by Thomas S. Allen" with a link to read more of the Wikipedia article on the short before continuing, "Initial release: January 2, 1932. Director: Dave Fleischer." end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the third image i posted was a collage. [it featured three of these screenshots from google, on dark-mode, and one side-by-side comparison image, ontop of a white blank image with some black text edited in. the black text edited on reads "i wasn't sure which hula short got people confused so i included all the ones i could think of. 'Bamboo Isle' is the earliest hula short there is btw"

the side-by-side image is one of the bottom two pictures within this collage and has edited black text specific to it. the side-by-side image has Betty Boop in her usual human design, but now her skin has been tanned and she is wearing a grass hula skirt with a flower "belt" for the waist, and is wearing flower necklace that covers her chest. she has a flower in her right ear. she has flowers as anklets. Betty Boop is dsncing on the sandy shore of a beach with the ocean behind her and palm-trees framing her in by the sides. on the left side of this side-by-side is group of Indigenous Hawaiians of tan skintones. there is a row of male musicians with drums as a woman dances in front of them, dressed identically to Betty (or rather: Betty is dressed identically to HER) albeit with long hair. she and Betty are in very similar poses, with their knees slightly bent, arms in front, as they dance in this Indigenous Hawaiian regalia. the edited text pertaining to this specific image says "also! they not only rotoscoped in 'Bamboo Isle' but they also included live-action footage of the dancers!! i love that!".

now, in the three images within this collage that are all screenshots from google on dark-mode, there is one piece of information each that is edited to have a red circle. i will bring up what this circled information is per screenshot as we get into them.

the first screenshot within this collage, placed on the top-left of the four overall images, has the information "September 23, 1932" circled in red. it shows several frames of Betty Boop hula-dancing in Indigenous Hawaii as well as an overall title-card. the text information of the screenshot reads as follows (minus the aforementioned "Overview", "Cast", etc buttons): "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle. 1932. Comedy/Animation. 8 mins. 6.7/10 on IMDb. 3.2/5 on LetterBoxd. Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle is a 1932 Fleischer Studios Betty Boop animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer." followed by a link to show you more of the Wikipedia article. Then there is the aforementioned photo of Dave Fleischer again, with the words "Director: Dave Fleischer" attached, and next to it are "Initial Release: September 23, 1932". end of text.

the second screenshot within this collage, placed on the top-right of the four overall images, has the information "July 14, 1933" circled in red. it shows another frame of a tan Betty Boop dancing the hula in the same regalia, but she is on a stage now with a poster behind her including sword-swallowing within the graphic of the poster, and dancing next to her on stage is Popeye The Sailor. Popeye is a pale human male dressed in a sailors outfit of a dark buttoned shirt with its sleeves rolled up, a pipe in his mouth, a white billed cap on his head, long white pants, gray shoes, and his bulging forearms each having mirrored anchors tattooed on them. next to this frame is the title-card cut in half. the information within this overall screenshot reads as follows (minus the aforementioned buttons): "Popeye the Sailor. 1933. Comedy/Animation. Rating 7.6/10 on IMDb. Popeye the Sailor is a 1933 animated short produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Publix Corporation. While billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, it was produced as a vehicle for Popeye in his debut animated appearance." with a link to read more of the Wikipedia article. Then it shows the same Dave Fleischer picture as before, with the words "Director: Dave Fleischer" and next to it says "Initial Release: July 14, 1933". end of text.

the last screenshot within this collage, placed on the bottom-right of the image (next to the aforementioned side-by-side of Betty and the Indigenous Hawaiian dancers; and directly below the Popeye and Betty screenshot), has the information "1937" circled in red. it shows a very small picture of some anthropomorphic black animal dancing on a small stage. there is no other frames of the short shown. this screenshotted information from google reads the following text (minus the aforementioned buttons): "Zula Hula. 1937. Animation/Short. 6 mins. 5.7/10 on IMDb. Zula Hula is a 1937 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Grampy." then it shows a link to read more information about this short on the Wikipedia. it then reads "Initial Release: December 24, 1937" before showing the same small picture of Dave Fleischer with the text "Director: Dave Fleischer" next to it. end of text; end of this collagef image's description specifically.]

the fourth image i posted is a snippet from a newspaper. [the newspaper clipping shows a side-by-side featuring four women. three of these women are on one side, all posed so their heads are vertically "ontop of" one another like a row of buttons as they look pleasantly at the camera. these three women all have dark dresses on, with short cropped dark hair that is curled, red lipstick, and a hat on. none of these women are made to match one another and a have individual aspects of their outfits and a different hat, but they do look very similar. the woman on the right is smiling at the camera as she poses in the middle of touching up her make-up on a dark wooden desk. she looks very similar to the other three women in terms of face, hair, and make-up. however, she is in a light-colored suit with a darker shirt or bow-ascot underneath, has a large hat titled to the left side of her head, very dark colored gloves on, and her purse lays on the desk as she holds a compact mirror and some powder or blush she wants to re-apply. she smiles pleasantly at the camera. above this side-by-side, the newspaper reads "WHAT PRICE 'BOOP-A-DOOPING'?" in bolded, all-caps. underneath the side-by-side is the text: "(Associated Press Pacte) Helen Kane, who claims to be the original 'boop-boop-a-doop' girl, is shown at right in a New York court where she is prosccuting a $250,000 suit for damages against Max Fleischer, creator of Betty Boop, the Fleischer Studios and Paramount Publix Corporation. She charges that Betty Boop, the animated cartoon character, copled, her style of 'boop-ing'. Three baby 'boopers', whose voices were used in the cartoon, are shown at left. Top to bottom, they are Mae Questel, Mary Hines, and Bonnie Poe. They may testify in the case." end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the fifth image i posted was of a Wikipedia article on light-mode. [the Wikipedia Article shows an image of a black and white photo of a Black girl of a young age, with short cropped hair (that maybe has a black beret to the side? hard to tell), dressed in a dark polka-dot dress or fluttery short-jumpsuit outfit. she is on her knees and wagging a warning finger at a dark-furred dog with propped-up ears. as she holds his leash. the photo is labeled "Baby Esther" is bold letters above with unbolded letters below the image reading "Li'l Esther, 1930". above the image and this text altogether reads the following text from Wikipedia: "Esther Lee Jones (born c. 1918, date of death unknown), known by her stage names 'Baby Esther', 'Little Esther', and other similar variations, was an American singer and child entertainer of the late 1920s, known for interpreting popular songs with a 'mixture of seriousness and childish mischief'." with a footnote linked in the article to the quote, then the text continues, "After gaining attention in her hometown of Chicago, she became an international celebrity before leaving the public spotlight as a teenager." end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the sixth image i posted is also a screenshot from a Wikipedia article on light-mode. [within the screenshot is a black and white image of a Black woman with short, curled cropped hair, smiling, with her head resting in one hand, dressed in an early 19th century layered dress of lace and beading with a pearl/pearl-likenecklace, holding a small bouquet, as she sits comfortably on a dark chair in a gray photoshoot background with a couple of other chairs around. under the image reads the caption "Do Tell by James Van Der Zee, c. 1930. The image has often been mischaracterized as depicting Esther Jones". the heading of the overall image and section of the article, in big letters, reads "Misconceptions". underneath the image and its caption, the article reads: "Baby Esther shares her original name and original stage name with Little Esther Phillips, who was also known as Esther Mae Jones. Both singers used the names 'Little Esther' and 'Li'I Esther', but Esther Phillips was of a later generation, born in 1935." with a linked footnote before the article continues in another paragraph, "Photos of the model Olya Gussy costumed as Betty Boop, taken by Russian-based studio Retro Atelier in 2008, are regularly misidentified as Esther Jones" with more linked footnotes before the article continues in another paragraph, "An older photo often purported to show Jones went viral when it was distributed by the official Betty Boop Checks website." with a brief linked footnote before continuing in the same paragraph that "The image was actually a James Van Der Zee photo of an unidentified woman." with a final linked footnote. end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the seventh image i posted is of a screenshot of goggle on dark-mode showing a collection of images featuring a pale woman cosplaying as Betty Boop's usual human design with her short, curly black hair, gold jewelery, heart-shaped garter, heels, and red short dress. this woman is standing in front of a curtain for a photoshoot. some of these images are in color and others are not, usuing different cameras and whatnot, but they are all of the same woman at the same photoshoot. edited onto the image in red text reads: "this is the cosplayer, Olya Gussy". next to two not-colored images, in a semi-transparent red bubble with white text, edited ontop of the screenshot with a red arrow pointed at each image reads "these are 2 of Olya Gussy's black-&-white, sepia-y photos among the ones that get misattributed to Esther Jones btw". most of the text within the screenshot, unedited, is irrelevant. nonetheless, that text reads the following clipped headings: "Модель Оля | BETTY BOOP Wik..." from the Betty Boop Wiki; then, "Kasbah Salome -💞Hello frien..." from Facebook; then, "The Real Betty Boop! - @dewi..." from Tumblr; and "The Me I Saw - Singer and ent..." from "shewhoworshipscarli...". the main cluster of text of mild importance is placed above all of these headings and images. it says "Модель Оля | BETTY BOOP Wiki - Fandom" followed by "Oyla P.is a very-well known model from Russia who is best known for her 2008 cosplay photos as Betty Boop by Retro Atelier. She has been modeling since she..." end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the eigth image i posted is an excerpt of a Wikipedia article in light-mode. [the screenshot is only text and includes no images. the big heading reads "Admission of mistake" followed by the article itself reading: In 2021, a 2015 article by PBS, which had been used as 'confirmation' of the 'Baby Esther was the original Betty Boop' story by many people, was removed from the PBS website. PBS retracted the story, admitted that the 'Baby Esther' portion of the article was never true, and apologized for spreading misinformation" with a linked footnote. end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the ninth image i posted is an excerpt of a Wikipedia article in light-mode as well. [the screenshot shows a closed heading in big letters reading "Kane v. Fleischer" followed by an opened heading reading "Legacy". within that opened heading reads the following text: "Baby Esther is most associated today with her connection with the Kane v. Fleischer lawsuit." with a few linked footnotes before continuing. "Jones' film has been credited with convincing the judge in the case that Helen Kane had copied Baby Esther." with a linked footnote before continuing, "Film scholar Mark Langer disputes this interpretation, which he says has become 'conventional wisdom'." with a linked footnote before continuing in another paragraph, "No confirmed recordings of Jones are known to exist." with a final linked footnote. end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

the tenth, and final, image i posted is a screenshot from google on dark-mode. [the screenshot is a compilation of promotional material. all for the musical "Boop!" about Betty Boop which had stared Jasmine Amy Rogers and thereby includes her in all the promotional material dressed up in-costume as Betty Boop. Jasmine Amy Rogers is a Black woman; and her costume is in a short, curly, black wig, gold jewelery, a red dress and red heels, red lipstick, with a red garter belt. one item of promotional material includes a classically drawn Betty Boop black and white blowing a kiss to the viewer, with the title "BOOP!" helping hide the transition from this 2D bust into Jasmine Amy Rogers' legs. there's another piece of promotional material that shows Jasmine Amy Rogers in costume with a silhouette of 2D Betty Boop as her shadow against a gray-white pale background and a very small sign in black with white text reading "Stage Door" with an arrow to the right (as in "the stage door is to the right") on the right side of the shadow. another piece of promotional material shows a line-up of Jasmine Amy Rogers doing various Betty Boop-like expressions and poses with a gray-white background. another is a bust of Jasmine Amy Rogers to show a close-up of her face as she poses with her hands under her chin. and the last piece of promotional material is a distant shot of a small cropped Jasmine Amy Rogers set to a black background full of twinkling lights and a big set-piece in the air reading "BOOP!" in red and white letters with lights of its own. the headings of this compilation are of no importance, but they are the following: "BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical..." from the New York Theater Guide" is a headline twice; then, "With Broadway Hopes, New Bet..." from WTTW News; then, "Broadway-Bound Betty Boop..." from Deadline; and, finally, "BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical..." from Playbill. end of text; end of this image's description specifically.]

[/then the end of all image descriptions]

boop-boop-a-doop

[goldemas1244]

Heyyyy I have a question :3

Do you have any headcanon/s for these character : Scraptrap, Scrap Baby, Lady Dimistrecu, the three daughter of Lady D, Heisenberg and/or Molten Freddy ? :3

You don't have to do all the proposition, you can choose what character you want to do :3

Have a good day/evening and stay safe ! :3

*Cracks knuckles* \(^v^)/

You already know I'm doing all of them! Thank you for the ask! Headcanons under the cut!

FNaF6

Scraptrap

He loves rice and would do anything to get his paws on it. Fortunately, the pizzeria is quite close to a Chinese restaurant so rice is easy to get.

He orders a rice-based menu at least three times a week, so the owners aren't at all that surprised to see a tuxedo-clad zombie-rabbit come in and ask for their signature fried rice with buttered lobster on the side.

Since he like to dine-in there, he usually asks Michael to give him a bath in exchange for pizzeria improvements. Michael usually shrugs and gives him a well-deserved bubble bath and his tuxedo.

He likes it when Michael gives him head pats and rubs. It makes him feel loved and appreciated.

He has a pet pigeon named Fernando Buschmann. It's German and likes to listen to the violin.

He likes ASMR and memes. ASMR makes him go feral with murderous intent while memes make him question the modern generation.

He has social media accounts, all named "Willton-Moldover". He usually posts cosplays and furry art on them and has 93 followers on his Reddit profile, 1.5 million followers on his Instagram, 550 followers on his Tumblr, 35 on his Snapchat, and 3.95 million on his TikTok.

He also has a YouTube channel with 10.784 million subscribers called "Willton-Gameover". He plays videogames one-handed and roasts popular YouTubers and famous people. He would never roast Keanu Reeves though, because Keanu Reeves is precious bean.

Due to his popularity he gets a lot of hate mail and private pics. He doesn't like them at all so he blackmails the people who post them. And if the media and police are involved? Well, he has a strong fanbase that's not going down as well as a good alibi so that works out well for him.

Yes, his fanbase also knows of the Fazbear Murders, and he admits to it but frankly, he's shown them the approving ghost kids (who've bonded and gamed with him) so that's no big deal. Only Cassidy hates him, but it's usually constipated anger.

He's bisexual and has an ENORMOUS crush on one of his favourite game characters, Karl Heisenberg. Something about that man reminds him of himself and Henry, although he's not sure what. Still, don't let that distract you from the fact that he owns a nude Karl Heisenberg body pillow, CAPCOM official.

Scrap Baby

Her favourite Monster High doll is Draculaura. She doesn't understand how pink goes well with black but oh boy, pink goes so well with black.

She knows how to skateboard like a pro. Despite her weight, her trusty skateboard still stands and, if she falls, she's always got her skates to spare. She likes to impress the boys at the skatepark with her ability to perform even the most difficult of moves with ease.

She's subscribed to fifteen different tabloid subscriptions. She likes to read them and criticize the stupidity of the human race, like her father. Hey, it's hereditary.

The lights in her boobies glow in the dark. They also glow whenever she gets tired.

She likes reading furniture and gardening catalogues. She's judgy of the prices though and usually becomes a full-on critic with Lefty listening.

She owns a crab named Mr. Tootie. No I will not elaborate on the name. I'll only tell you that it's taken a liking to kazoos and party favours.

She's listed as the No. 1 Best Fan of her father's social media accounts. Michael's in nineteenth place but don't worry, he's as emotionless as a mushroom.

She likes to make origami lotuses. She's such a pro at it that she's even got a mini-stall at the pizzeria: 1 lotus for 50 cents. It's a lucrative business, and it's still growing. Oh, and she switches to other origami works of art every week such as origami guns and origami nine-tailed foxes.

She's the Restaurant Rescue manager. Usually she saves kids from trouble. For this reason, yes, she's commonly seen in the pizzeria itself. Kids love her though the claw worries the more irksome parents.

She's a professional Karen dealer. Karen comes to see the manager? She's hypnotically talented in weaving her words through the toughest of craniums so don't be surprised if a Karen walks out with a new viewpoint of life.

She performs on stage on the occasion, which usually gets her a lot of fan love. She cherishes everything good they give but ignores the problematic everythings. Problematic stuff? Oh, she's good friends with the police chief.

Molten Freddy

He loves noodles. Give him a bowl of ramen and he'll shut up for the entire night. Enter him in a noodle-eating competition and his high metabolism rate means absolutely non-stop spaghetti.

He misses Bon-Bon very much. To the point where he's even tried to make a scrap version of him. Sadly, it doesn't work. He cried that day.

He dies inside whenever he finds out there's a spaghetti shortage in Utah. Poor Molten.

He's a bit wonky, but if he tries to play with you or get into your personal space, don't get mad at him! He's just lonely and wants someone to talk to and play with.

He likes to play Exploding Kittens. It's the only card game he's good at. It's also the only card game he owns.

He sees Helpy as a little brother and boops his nose on a daily basis. He also likes to reenact The Lion King with him (It's the ciiiiiircle of liiiiiife~). Hopefully Helpy doesn't mind.

He knows a lot of jokes in a lot of languages. So German-speaking Molten Freddy wouldn't be too far away from expectation. His favourite jokes are in French though; the wordplay is just immaculate.

He's good in French, English, German, Russian, and Malay. He's currently learning Japanese because he's a mega weeb.

His favourite cartoon is Charlie and Lola. He just likes to see the sibling shenanigans as it somehow reminds him of the good old days.

His favourite shows would be prankster shows. He especially loves the ones that give him new and creative ideas. He doesn't like the scary ones though. They make him feel unsafe and give him anxiety.

Surprisingly, he has a distinct taste for opera. He can modulate the remnants of his voice box to perfectly sing I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General. This both pisses off and impresses Henry to an extent.

Resident Evil 8

Lady Dimitrescu

She might act like the opposite but she really loves Heisenberg as her little brother. His determination, strength, speed, dexterity, and workaholic nature impresses her, who can't even fit through a doorway. She sometimes wishes she's as short as him too.

She's an avid collector of glass, porcelain, and anything fragile. It's a good reason to always be careful where you tread in her lair. She'll make you swallow every last shard if you don't.

She's an avid romance fanatic and is very loving towards the romance novels she owns. All those books you see in the in-game library? They're her collection of lesbian romances that she's collected over the past decades.

She doesn't like hats and prefers to stick to the one she wears in-game. She DOES have a collection of hats though. Last anyone counted, there were over fifty, one or two for each decade she's lived through.

She files her nails on a constant basis and owns an ornately decorated nail-clipper. Hygeine is of the utmost importance. She doesn't want to be compared to that filthy Heisenberg.

Despite her size and carefulness she keeps losing her stuff. Over the course of a week she could misplace three wine glasses, two reading glasses, and fifteen bottles of wine.

She's an expert at dodgeball and golf and even owns a lifetime access to the most prolific Country Club in Romania. With permission from Mother Miranda she goes there every year for the yearly party. It's one of the times she gets to see modernity (and Ed Sheeran) at its finest.

She loves bands from the 1920s and 1940s. However, she gets bored of them occasionally and switches them to something more modern, like Ed Sheeran. Seriously though, what is up with mums and Ed?

She's into executions and torture methods. So it's no surprise that she's a HUGE fan of Horrible Histories; even if she can't watch the show, she'll binge-read the books over and over again. She's even had the chance to encounter (and receive an autograph from) Terry Deary. They have sworn a bond not to tell anybody about this.

She loves exotic animals like anacondas and jaguars. She may or may not have owned a 10ft long Saltwater Crocodile (which was also about 5ft wide).

She's an incredible physicist and mathematician. She's also created many original formulae but unsurprisingly, she doesn't tell anyone about them, for fear that either more people may know of her, or that she may be wrong.

Dimitrescu Babes

They can devour an entire human being in mere seconds as flies. It's sort of like the scarab beetles in The Mummy movies. However, unlike the beetles, they are able to strip the bones as well. They leave nothing behind.

They all know how to play the piano with varying levels of success. Daniela can already play professionally while Bela is still stuck on Grade 5.

They love to listen to their mother when she tells them stories. Gotta hand it to 'em, when you're a fly, you know how to enjoy life in its most simple of moments.

They all love being around the hunky Soldats of Uncle Karl. Fortunately, they don't know of the rebellious plan to conquer Miranda.

Bela is bisexual, Cassandra is asexual and pansexual, and Daniela is demisexual.

It gets hard when you're a fly during the summer. If it's not the lizards, spiders, and other predators, it's the heat. Because of this, despite the material waste, they have invented the world's first blood-powered air conditioner.

The three girls have never ever ever touched a stove or oven in their life. They HAVE touched the hot end of an iron though. A good reason to not touch a bloody oven. Alcina has though, but doesn't tell them that.

They love puppies! Uncle Karl brought them a baby labrador. For the rest of the week Alcina had lost quite a bit of favour from them. Not that they minded of course. IT'S A PUPPY.

They don't like snow one bit. Not just because it's cold, but because it's too white. Too bright. Too shiny. They just can't focus on their prey!

They like to go over to Auntie Donna to play with Angie. Well, you know what they say, crazies attract the crazies, and the crazy has attracted the crazies.

They also like to go to Uncle Moreau's because he's the only one in the village with a PS4. Usually they'd spend about three-quarters of a day playing his games and eating his cheese.

Karl Heisenberg

He owns a dark blue armchair named Junkyard. Despite the name, he loves it dearly because it was a gift from Alcina for his twenty-first birthday. It became part of his final transformation too. Right under the hat.

He's a little blind in the right eye, much to his annoyance. It was a minor accident with Sturm; another reason for him to hate the uncontrollable wretch. He'll never live that day down.

Somehow, he sees better in the dark, which is why he wears such tinted glasses. He also wears them to hide his expressions, since, more often than not, he tends to end up wearing his heart on his sleeve, and his emotions in his eyes.

He's under a lot of pressure so it's no surprise that he breaks down in his factory when he knows he's alone. And by break down I mean crumple into an exhausted heap on the floor. Not even his Soldat Jet squad can wake him up until he's had a reasonable eight hours of rest.

He bathes once a day, every evening, but only three times a week. Perfume, tobacco, and cologne keep care of the rest.

He's the only Lord with a daily contact with the outside world due to his electrical abilities. Don't tell Miranda, but he can electrically CONNECT TO GOOGLE AND THE ENTIRE INTERNET IN GENERAL. He likes to play funny YouTube cat videos in his head when Miranda's having a boring meeting. It's also how he finds out that Chris is a boulder-punching asshole.

He does stimming! He likes to tap his fingers on his desk and the metal rails in his factory. He also buys stim toys from the Duke and keeps them in a well-kept box. His favourite is a non-ripping squishable toy duck. He also sings to chill out.

He's absolutely in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, and may have once believed in the pizzeria's existence. Come on, he's a mutated Overlord with magical magnet powers. Children souls stuck inside animatronics isn't too far-fetched of an idea. His favourite characters are the Funtimes and the Scraps, mainly because of the blueprint complexity. He HAS tried to replicate the animatronics in his spare time, but he's usually too busy with his Soldats so the project gets scrapped. He loves The Living Tombstone's songs and remixes though.

He doesn't like William Afton at all (though he marvels at his survivability). William's nature and habits remind him of Mother Miranda. He DOES however enjoy Michael Afton and often thinks how it would be absolutely amazing to have that resilient being in his Soldat army.

He's scared of what lurks below the watery depths and fire. Ironic because his brother is a literal fish and he works in one of the most hazardous fire-conducting environments. He's also scared of heights, though he doesn't get airsick.

He once died due to a killing electric shock whilst working on Sturm. It's the only time he's felt that sort of pulsing agony and also the first time he's had the confirmation that yes, Hell is real and yes, he'll end up in quite a dark pit in it. Or it could've been an electric dream, who knows? Anyways his soul apparently ran towards the opposite direction of the flames and he woke up alive after the passing of FIVE ENTIRE WEEKS. Oh boy did Alcina get worried when she couldn't find him.

Thank you for the ask! I hope you enjoy!

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

Hello! I’m new here. I’d like to request the boys, separately, with a cuddly girlfriend. Or just how they are with being affectionate/cuddling

Oh this has so much fluff potential! I hope you enjoy!!

The Lost Boys x Cuddly/Affectionate Fem!S/O

David

David doesn’t look like a cuddly guy. He wears all black, has an earring, and a bleached mullet. He, also, leads a biker gang and kills people nightly. There’s just something about that that doesn’t necessarily scream ‘cuddle me’! But when he met you for the first time and you enwrapped him in a big, tight hug, he knew he was going to keep you. You weren’t afraid of him, and, most importantly, you weren’t afraid to show how much you liked him. Even if you’d only just met him.

The attention. The worship. He absolutely lives for it. He loves how much attention you pay him, even if he doesn’t give anything back. It makes him feel like a king to be showered in so much love. 

Honestly, at the boardwalk, the most he’ll give you is an arm around the waist and he’ll purposely tease you by basically ignoring you otherwise. He loves how many lengths you’ll go just to get a smile from him. Just as you're about to give up, he’ll grace you with one of his irresistible smiles and ask, “Need something, sweets?” And you’re right back to showering him in attention. If you really, really give up, he’ll give you a kiss. That’ll usually get you back to your cuddly self

He’ll tease you for how much attention you give him. He’ll call you clingy and needy, but he never means it in a bad way. He thinks it’s cute, and god knows this boy is attention starved. Between Max and the nightly killings for however many years, it’s been a long time since someone has seen him and seen someone worth giving some genuine loving to. Not just sexual loving.

If you take it as a bad thing, he’ll make sure to keep you from becoming too insecure by kissing your knuckles or caressing your cheek. It’s more than his usual amount of attention, so you must be doing something right.

David doesn’t really give you attention back until you’re back at the cave. He has a reputation to uphold, but not in front of his boys. He’ll sit on his wheelchair and drape you over his lap. It’s the first time that night where he’ll be the one that’s holding you. He’ll hold your knee, rub your thigh, and smooth his hand down your side. He’ll use the close proximity to have easy access to your neck, where he’ll pepper kisses and whisper sweet words. He’ll tell you how cute you are, and hold you tight against him as the boys around him amuse themselves with their own shenanigans. 

The only time that you two will really, truly cuddle is in the nest he’s made you inside the cave. The wheelchair is great, but it’s hard to sit there for hours. Usually, the two of you will cuddle after one of your trysts. David will have a cigarette dangling from his lips as he reads, and he’ll have you lay your head on his chest. He’ll comb his fingers through your hair, almost as if he’s petting you. It’s why he calls you his kitten. To him, that’s exactly what you remind him of. When you fall asleep for the night, he’ll smile down at you and kiss the top of your head. He’ll set his book down so he can pull you closer, snuffing out the cigarette so he can bury his face into your hair and inhale your scent instead.

Dwayne

Dwayne is the definition of intimidating. He’s so tall that he looms over people most of the time, and it doesn’t help that he’s got a permanently stoic expression on his face whenever he’s talking to people that aren’t the boys. Sometimes, he’ll grace cute girls with a some smiles, but those are usually only the girls he wants to eat. When you two met and you immediately brought him into a hug, he had no idea what to do. He just kind of stood there.

Dwayne didn’t really understand what being touch starved was until he met you. He’s been murdering people for decades, the only parental figure he has is Max, and the boys aren’t exactly cuddling eachother twenty-four seven. They’ll rough-house and push eachother, but they don’t necessarily hug one another. The second you pulled away from your hug (it was like hugging a brick wall) his mind just kind of went wait, come back. He practically followed you around like a confused puppy after that. He hadn’t realized that he’d been missing anything until you gave it to him, and, as far as he was concerned, that was directly tied with you

He lets you touch him as much as you please. You can touch his face, hair, hands, and even his chest. Though, when you do the latter he may give you an arched brow and a small smirk. He doesn’t return the affection nearly as much, mainly because he doesn’t even know where to start. Once you two have been dating for awhile, he’ll start to get the hang of it. He’ll usually add on to whatever you give him or return it

You hold his hand? He’ll intertwine your fingers. You hug him? He’ll hold you so tight you think he might break you. You give him a kiss on the cheek? He’ll give you a forehead kiss. It’s the most affectionate the boys have ever seen him and they’ll definitely give him shit for it.

It’s why, even when back at the cave, he still won’t wander too far out of his comfort zone. He’ll let you do whatever you want, but he’ll really only reciprocate whatever you give him. The two of you will sit on the couch and he’ll hold your legs in his lap. Just the act of him touching your legs is considered more than normal, and he’ll lean his head against the back of the couch as you ramble to him.

When you two are back at your house, that’s when his walls truly fall down. The second you’re in bed with him, you’re not allowed to leave. This is when you really get to explore all of his boundaries, and he’ll truly just melt under your fingertips. You can braid his hair or give him a scalp massage, caress his face, and hold him as close as you want. He’ll practically be purring under your touch and you are not allowed to stop. He likes to face you while cuddling so he can kiss you as much as he wants. It’s a type of affection that he’s more familiar with. If you ever give this boy a massage, he’ll be clingy for days. He’ll look at you with so much love in his eyes and he won’t even care where you are when he pulls you in for kisses. The other boys be damned.

Marko

Markos the token wild card of the group. With a face like that and eyes as wide as his, you’d expect him to be an angel! Instead, he regularly murders people and gets into fights on the boardwalk. Seriously, he’s had to have his fellow vampires hold him back from destroying surf-punks right on the boardwalk. With a reputation like that, most people would avoid him. But not you. Upon meeting him, you gave him a big hug as a greeting. And, surprisingly, Marko hugged you right back.

Marko is the most affectionate of the boys. He even stands closer to the other boys and is always down for rough housing. But that doesn’t mean he gets a lot of positive touch. Most of the touching he gets is either play-fighting, actual fighting, or sexual touches from a cutie on the boardwalk before he sinks his fangs into them. To have someone walk up to him, see him, and decide “Must cuddle!” is not what he’s used to.

He openly welcomes it though. He uses physical affection to get his meals nightly. But you? You weren’t just flirting with him. You were just a cuddly person. He saw that in how you treated the others as well, and he quickly decided that you were going to be more than a meal.

He’s one of the only boys that will initiate a touch first. He’ll hold your hand, kiss your cheeks, and boop your nose. He thinks that you are too cute, and he’s not afraid to tell you. And when you match his energy, maybe even return the nose boop, he’s got heart eyes for days amd a smile so wide it’s almost concerning

He tunes out the boys teasing and dishes them back the cruelest revenge. He is so disgustingly cute with the PDA he gives you that the others have to look away. There, that’s better. Just because they’re no longer paying attention doesn’t mean it stops though. He wants kisses, cuddles, and pretty much everything you can give him. He doesn’t care if you’re in public! The public can frick off and he’ll pummel the first person that tries to get you two to pull away! You learn fairly quickly that that’s not an empty threat either

Somehow, he’s even more affectionate when you two are at the cave. This boy will straight up just lay on you. Whether that’s on the couch or in your nest, he doesn’t care. The two of you will giggle in-between kisses, and this boy will nuzzle your cheeks, hair, or neck. He likes to bury his face into your neck and inhale your scent as you play with his hair. He’ll wrap his arms under you and let out a content sigh when you kiss his ear, and he’ll reciprocate by pressing a kiss to your neck

He wants to cuddle all the time and as much as possible, and he’s happy he’s found someone willing to be as cuddly as he is. He’ll hold you all the time, even when you sleep. He may even try to find a way for him to sleep with you in the main room. If he succeeds, you two will effectively never have to be apart. Just how he likes it.

Paul

Paul is easily the friendliest of the boys. He’s got a care-free laid back attitude and he’s the chattiest of the four. He’ll strike up conversations with random people on the boardwalk, and he’s known to be a huge flirt. No one would expect him to be a murderer, especially one that commits utter atrocities nightly. They see him, and they think he’s just a regular, flirty teenage boy. When you hug him as a greeting, he’s overjoyed that someone was willing to make the first move. That’s exactly what he thinks it is. He reciprocates it with a flirty one-liner, and some touches of his own. However, they may not be as nearly as innocent.

When he realizes that you’re just a touchy person in general, he’s ecstatic. Finally, easy prey! He doesn’t need to worry about you slapping him because he got a little too handsy in public. He totally just sees you as a meal at first, even if the boys comment that the two of you seem to be getting pretty close. So what if he’s gonna eat you later? You can totally play with his hair! So what if you’re holding hands? He swears that he won’t get attached! No, he did not just give you his jacket as a completely romantic gesture. It’s just because he thought it would look cool and you were cold! Not because he’s scent marking you! Okay, he’s totally into you and totally attached. By the end of the night, you two are practically dating already.

Like Marko, he doesn’t care if you two are on the boardwalk or not. He wants affection and he wants it now. If it’s not given to him, he’s not afraid to whine, pout, and act like the biggest baby on the planet. Luckily, you’re super affectionate even with just your friends. With him, he gets to enjoy a whole onslaught of attention. He’ll grin and smile as you caress his face and play with his hair, and he’ll give you kisses every time he thinks you’re acting too adorable for him to handle

His brand of affection is far more flirty. He likes to pinch and grope, but it’s just how he shows that he thinks you look hot. He’ll reach down and fondle your butt, squeezing it like it’s a stress ball. He’ll totally makeout with you in public, and you have to be careful with this boy. He’s not afraid to pick you up, plop you on the railing, and totally stick his tongue down your throat in front of the Santa Carla locals.

If you go back to the cave, it’s hard to keep his hands off you. He’ll do his absolute best to climb on top of you, and the moment you’re under him his lips are on yours. Sit in his lap? Babe, you’re just asking to end up scarring the others. You’ll be in the middle of having some time with the boys, sitting in his lap and innocently playing with his hair. All it takes is for you to scratch one little sweet spot, and then he’s grabbing you and pining you down on the couch. What? What’d he do? Is exactly what he’d ask when he gets a chorus of “Jesus, Paul”

If you two lay in your nest, you’re asking for a couple of rounds to take place. Why else would you be on a bed? He likes to hold you from behind for more reasons than one. First, he gets to have your butt pressed up right against his special place. Second, he loves how he can completely envelope you in his arms. He gets to pull you close and kiss the back of your neck. Maybe even your cheek. Was that a non-sexual form of affection? Good thing you were asleep so you couldn’t notice.

[dragons-bones]

MOAR ‘BUNCLES

A discussion of assorted carbuncle shenanigans from earlier this week, featuring @chaemera, @tehjai, and @wanderedaimlessly.

TL;DR: Ivar has a grenade function. As in, he is the grenade. Also he nearly had a beam cannon function and Eorzea should be grateful Synnove vetoed that. (Even though it would be really, really cool. But there’s no way any of her babies would act responsibly with that on tap.)

(MOBILE USERS I APOLOGIZE IF THE READ MORE DOESN’T WORK)

[1:46 PM] Chaemera: I just had a horrible idea [1:48 PM] Chaemera: carbuncle grenades [1:48 PM] DT: what [1:49 PM] Chaemera: consider: carbuncles are organized masses of aether [1:50 PM] DT: Following so far - ooooohhhhh [1:50 PM] Chaemera: it is theoretically possible to insert a directive into that system to cause it to catastrophically liberate all that energy [1:50 PM] Chaemera: picks up Ivar, boops, throws [1:50 PM] Chaemera: EXPLOSION [1:51 PM] DT: Ivar reforms at Synnove's feet all smug. "Look, mommy, I blew them up!" [1:51 PM] Chaemera: meanwhile Synnove is trying to decide on having her face go D8 or :o [1:52 PM] DT: On the one hand science, on the other oh gods my baby [1:52 PM] Chaemera: mostly I'm just giggling over the idea of Khebi panicking in a combat situation, scooping up Ivar all "Sorry! FRAG OUT" [1:53 PM] Chaemera: Synnove: what are you doing to my child [1:54 PM] DT: Ivar carby-cackles as he flies through the air [1:54 PM] Chaemera: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEboom [1:54 PM] Jai: He tries to form up again and gets stuck; someone has to pull him out by his tail [1:55 PM] DT: Synnove: /blue screens Galette: /pokes mommy's cheek [1:55 PM] DT: Literally has to yoink him the rest of the way out of his ruby [1:55 PM] Chaemera: schlllllkkkkkkkkpop [1:56 PM] Jai: When he gets really stuck they have to call Kelt. [1:56 PM] Jai: that is why Ivar inexplicably likes her [1:57 PM] Chaemera: I just made myself snortlaugh at folks trying to diagnose the issue and Kelt popping Ivar's ruby into her mouth to swish it around with a thoughtful expression [1:57 PM] DT: Synnove quietly shrieks [1:58 PM] DT: One time One time they use Tyr [1:58 PM] DT: Him big. Sheepdog big. Very aetherically dense. [1:58 PM] DT: Biiiiig boom. [1:59 PM] DT: Takes five people to tug him out of his topaz [1:59 PM] Chaemera: I think I just gave myself diabetes with a mental image: Khebi curled up and napping against Ivar [2:00 PM] DT: /diiiiiiiiiies [2:01 PM] Chaemera: big fluffy warm purring pillow [2:03 PM] DT: Ivar luvs his favorite people very much [2:03 PM] DT: And will set everyone else on fire :) [2:03 PM] Chaemera: even more sickening: her napping on Tyr [2:04 PM] Chaemera: he's bigger than she is [2:04 PM] Jai: The carbies' real bff: a chicken [2:05 PM] Chaemera: Synnove's kids and their insatiable lust for Keltgeim's cock [2:05 PM] Chaemera: /flee! [2:05 PM] Jai: Either that or they tolerate Heihei and his stupidity [2:05 PM] DT: Ivar is not allowed to be left alone with Heihei [2:06 PM] DT: /throws things at Chaemera [2:06 PM] Chaemera: X3 [2:07 PM] DT: Ivar is capable of cooking his own dinner [2:07 PM] DT: Tyr turns into a loaf all -_- as the chicken climbs all over him [2:07 PM] Chaemera: bok bok bok [2:09 PM] Jai: Chicken is pecking at nothing; carby nudges chicken so that his food is nearby. Chicken turns 45 degrees & goes back to pecking at nothing. [2:09 PM] Jai: This is how we learned that carbies can sigh [2:10 PM] DT: /cackles [2:10 PM] Chaemera: also Khebi is not allowed to tinker with Synnove's carbies [2:12 PM] DT: Synnove does not allow access to her summoning arrays any more. The grenade function in Ivar is useful but traumatizing to watch [2:12 PM] Chaemera: because I just started thinking of things she would think of as "improvements" [2:12 PM] Chaemera: like integrating a "Fetch" module into Tyr where he physically encapsulates the target [2:13 PM] Chaemera: or a beam cannon into Ivar [2:14 PM] Chaemera: (her idea to have Galette fly her around is thwarted by the realization that Galette would more likely just use it to get at treats previously out of reach) [2:17 PM] DT: Synnove immediately vetoes both Fetch and beam canon options because fetch means Tyr will abuse it to get Synnove to stay in bed and cuddle all day, and Ivar will literally try to destroy a city. [2:17 PM] DT: Flying Galette is a nightmare incarnate. No pastry is safe [2:17 PM] Chaemera: Khebi points out this is no different than Tyr just lying on top of Synnove [2:17 PM] Chaemera: also Ivar tries to do that anyway [2:18 PM] DT: Yes but with the beam cannon he would succeed [2:18 PM] DT: And she can push Tyr off herself. [2:23 PM] Chaemera: heeheehee [2:26 PM] Chaemera: though this also brings the hilarious mental image of Tyr in the morning just loafing aggressively on Synnove's face [2:39 PM] DT: And the entire top half of the bed [2:39 PM] DT: A muffled, "Tyr, if I can't breathe I can't cuddle you," can be heard [2:40 PM] Chaemera: he purrs harder [2:47 PM] Chaemera: (it's almost as if I've lived with cats) [3:29 PM] Chaemera: no Khebi stop trying to figure out how to adapt your carbuncle summoning array into a particle cannon [6:16 PM] Jai: i get the feeling that the carbies just have the run of the house [6:16 PM] Jai: they show up in others' rooms [6:16 PM] Chaemera: phase through walls when you try to lock them out [6:17 PM] DT: Galette, Tyr, and Ivar have standing orders to "obey the laws of physics unless it's a life or death emergency, Mommy doesn't like her brain breaking," but they just take that to mean don't do it where Mommy can see. [6:17 PM] DT: Everyone else can suck it the fuck up [6:18 PM] DT: How else do you think Galette gets into the pie [6:18 PM] Chaemera: rule zero: don't get caught [6:21 PM] DT: Look there's a reason that Galette meshed so well with the Garuda-egi, she just channels Garuda's megalomaniac crazy into sugar-crazes and pranks [6:22 PM] Chaemera: no Khebi you are not allowed to test and find out what Gallete's upper confection-bound is [6:23 PM] DT: Synnove would never forgive Khebi for that. Galette once get into the cake at a wedding reception, she didn't stop vibrating for about a week. [6:24 PM] Chaemera: this would be carefully metered doses of maple syrup administered in a laboratory environment! [6:25 PM] Chaemera: just... the doses would keep coming until Galette turned them down [6:25 PM] Chaemera: while Khebi keeps careful track [6:25 PM] DT: Somewhere Synnove's brain has broken at the horror [6:26 PM] Chaemera: Galette ends up launched over Limsa bay as she goes critical [6:27 PM] Jai: i wonder if everyone save Synnove tends to secretly feed Galette sweets [6:28 PM] Chaemera: probably [6:30 PM] DT: probably [6:32 PM] Chaemera: though with Khebi there's also a 50% risk that she'll just distractedly scoop Galette up during treat-begging and carry her around as a thinking-plushy [6:33 PM] Chaemera: "Think, think, think..." <galette muttering about how this was not going as planned> [6:33 PM] Jai: they hide in Kelt's room [6:34 PM] Jai: "hey have you seen the carbies?" "didja check under my couch?" [6:35 PM] DT: Both ideas = me dead from cute [6:35 PM] Chaemera: I just giggle a lot at the thought of Khebi wandering past Synnove with Galette in-arms, wearing that thousand-yalm-stare as she chews through some theoretical problem, and Galette just giving mom the "why, why this" face [6:36 PM] Jai: so Kelt's kicking back reading some book about astrophysics and suddenly there's a noise from under the couch.  she lifts book, there's one carby.  some time later, two.  then finally, Tyr tries to sit on her head. [6:36 PM] Chaemera: <loaf'd> [6:36 PM] Jai: Kelt picks them up by the scruff, stares them in the eyes, and admonishes them [6:37 PM] Jai: "tyr there is a whole other half of the couch.  go there." [6:38 PM] DT: Tyr likes to think he is smol [6:38 PM] Chaemera: like those mastiffs that think they're lapdogs [6:38 PM] DT: And Synnove just raises an eyebrow at Galette to remind her this is what happens when she begs for treats outside snacktime from other arcanists. [6:38 PM] Chaemera: though I just had an adorable idea: Synnove getting scholar's-back from being bent over her desk for too long, having Tyr make biscuits on her spine [6:39 PM] DT: !!!! [6:40 PM] DT: He's, like, the size of a sheepdog, and his aetheric density is translated to weight by his programming, he could make biscuits or just walk up and down Synnove's back and it would work out nicely [6:41 PM] Chaemera: <knead knead knead mildly unsettling crunching noises knead> [6:41 PM] Jai: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e1/cb/68/e1cb6808b17e67ee8e53921f861a6d85.jpg

[6:43 PM] DT: <loud groan of relief from the pillow Synnove has her face smushed into> [6:43 PM] DT: Yes that is Tyr-size. :D [6:48 PM] Chaemera: Khebi's carbuncle is much less defined in terms of personality compared to Synnove's three, but it also has a lot of under the hood tweaking in place [6:48 PM] Chaemera: and often just blatantly ignores things like "laws of physics" [6:49 PM] Chaemera: it's more of a computational and utility entity than a personality [6:51 PM] DT: Yeah, Synnove prioritizes personality above everything else; utilities like the passive aetheric sensors got added over the years. [6:53 PM] Chaemera: whereas Khebi needed an assistant first, and forgot about "friend" until later because she got distracted [6:55 PM] DT: Also eventually at some point, Synnove goes to Kelt's room first when looking for her wayward children to look under the couch. Doesn't even say anything, just knocks, stomps in, kneels to check, then leaves either with a carby or no carby. Occasionally grunts a hello at Kelt if she remembers. [6:56 PM] Chaemera: it's bath time and Ivar leaves claw-trails in the floor as he gets dragged out of the room [6:57 PM] DT: Ivar: <carby equivalent of wails of denial> Synnove: YOU ARE FILTHY. [6:57 PM] Jai: "I have a bathtub you know." [6:58 PM] Chaemera: the house is treated to the Carby version of "MY LINE IS ENDED" [6:59 PM] DT: "Oh, no, I do this outside if I don't want the house to burn." And then she finally manages to get Ivar's claws out of the wood, throws him over her shoulder, and books it, yelling about stopping by with gil for the repairs later. [7:03 PM] DT: And on some days, Tyr's the one to burst in, stick his head under Kelt's couch, and emerge with a scruffed Ivar before toddling out. [7:06 PM] Chaemera: heeheehee [7:09 PM] DT: If they really do give us a slider or text command to change Demi-Bahamut's size, I demand it affect the carbies/egis, too. I WILL HAVE MY ACCURATELY SIZED TYR DAMNIT [9:28 PM] Starlin': Somehow I imagine starling would let Timeaus and Theodore sleep in her bed [9:28 PM] Starlin': Real night lights ™ [9:29 PM] DT: Synnove has a giant ass bed because the carbies all pile in it for bedtime [9:30 PM] Starlin': Yess [9:34 PM] Chaemera: Tyr is best mattress [9:35 PM] Chaemera: Ivar is for those cold Ishgardian nights [9:35 PM] Starlin': Eos probably naps in hair [9:36 PM] Starlin': Too bad starling keeps hers short [9:36 PM] DT: Galette uses bedtime as an excuse to try to break into the pantry, but Synnve has that shit warded. Then she sulks back to bed and curls up on Mommy's face. [9:38 PM] Jai: Heihei sleeps like he's dead [9:38 PM] Jai: flat on his back [9:38 PM] Jai: legs straight up [9:38 PM] Chaemera: I see Galette as the type to wake you up with her nose a centimeter away from your face, and when you're awake, you get CATBREATH [9:38 PM] DT: Yaaaaaaarp [9:38 PM] Chaemera: <MEW> "AAAAAUGH" [9:38 PM] DT: "THIS IS WHY WE DO NOT SKIP TOOTHBRUSHING TIME, GALETTE." [9:39 PM] Chaemera: "Oh god what did you EAT" [9:39 PM] Jai: ice cream [9:42 PM] DT: Galette makes faces as Synnove holds her under one arm and forcibly brushes her teeth in the morning

[burndownthehousetonight]

((Me and @tinyredartist are never gonna need a different banner for our RPs are we))

Aria was busy cooking away in her apartment. The smells of homemade soup, some roast and fresh bread filled the small, one room apartment, and wafted into the hallway. Manic and Scourge were coming over for dinner after returning from their honeymoon the day prior. She truly had missed her friends while they were gone, although she was glad that they had gotten a vacation to celebrate them.

Aria made a move to set the table, pausing as she counted plates. Would her Scourge be coming? She impatiently checked her phone for messages, but none from the king. The past two weeks had him acting strange. This past week was even worse. She only hoped that Mr. And Mr. Castillo had any idea how to help him.

Her phone buzzed with two texts. One from Terra who was on her break at work, and one from Manic. "We're almost there, dude." Manic's text would start. "We're just stopping to grab some food" There was another text almost as soon as Aria read his last. "Wait that's why we're coming over nevermind" Their van was hurrying away from the fast food restaurant they'd almost pulled into. Whoops. Their honeymoon had left them happy, relaxed, and completely satisfied. They were sad they were leaving, certainly, but they weren't sad to get back to their usual lives. Their usual lives, of course, inevitably leading into some kind of nonsense. But they weren't worried about any kind of nonsense just yet, only whatever Aria was cooking. And soon from Aria's window, she could see the headlights pulling up to her building. Aria rushed to get the soup plated and checked the roast. Dinner was coming along perfectly, and the cookies she had baked earlier as dessert were still warm. Everything was perfect.

Until she remembered that she was in nothing but her underwear and an apron. The mad dash switched from the food to some clothes, settling on a pair of leggings with her girlfriends shirt as a dress. The shirt was loose on the bat, so Aria nearly drowned in it, but it was fashionable and comfortable.

She finished the table with a place setting for Scourge, but an empty bowl. If he showed up, he could have some. When the door was opened for them, Manic greeted Aria with a strangely quiet hug. He let the sudden mushy moment hold for just a few seconds before pulling away. "That place was amazing," Manic said simply. "I get it's a wedding gift and it's not supposed to be big, but- You shouldn't have done that for us, dude." He just smiled warmly, his skin slightly tanned from their little vacation. Scourge responded with a pat on Aria's back of his own. "Smells great in here," he said simply as him and Manic entered the apartment. "Is the king coming?" Aria was surprised by the hug, but nonetheless hugged back. She had missed them both, and the king’s behavior only intensified that.

“In my family it's tradition to send the happy couple as far away as you can afford. That was the best I could do,” she joked, booping Manics nose with a finger.

Scourge was hugged as well, and Arias smile lit up. “Thank you! It was a lot of hard work bit I figured it was worth it! After all, I bet this soup will hit the spot. Tell me all about the resort-”

As she lead them to the table and rambled, she paused. Fixing the empty place setting she collected her thoughts.

“Scourge has been…. Acting oddly. Its an understatement by far but I can’t explain” "I mean, even if he was acting fine, he danced with a Fiona in a wedding dress, dude." Manic shrugged as he sat down. "And he just watched a different Scourge get married." "Maybe he's jealous?" Scourge offered. "Not that petty, though. Heartbroken? Somethin' like that." They didn't know what else to offer. "Hey, we'll worry about that when he's here. Come on, there was a hell of a lot going on at that place! Oh god, where do we start...?" They let Aria finish up table preparations as they gushed over everything that resort had. A large pool and access to a large beach for some reason, a honeymoon suite with a gorgeous patio view, massages, scuba diving, bars and musical performances- they kept going on, listing more and more to seemingly no end. "...and they're supposed to be trained, but dolphins are terrifying as hell," Scourge said. "I ain't trusting 'em." “That’s not it. It wasn’t the wedding or anything like that… It's… It's just weird.”

She listened in as they described the vacations and how much fun they had. She was glad they had fun, but as they sat for dinner Aria seemed upset at the empty plate…

The soup was warm and inviting, and tasted like someone’s grandmother had cooked it. Aria ate her fill hesitantly, looking to the door every few seconds.

“He’s… Do you guys think I’m annoying?” "Annoying?" Manic put down his spoon for a moment. "What are you talking about, you're alright. What, just because you've got pep and energy and all that?" Manic smirked. "You think I ain't at least twice as annoying?" It was a delicious meal, and they were taking the time to enjoy it as much as they wanted. They couldn't ignore Aria darting her look to the door so regularly, and with the empty space at the table, it was clear why. "He's a king," Scourge delivered bluntly. "He's got responsibilities and shit, he's probably just busy. If a Scourge thinks someone's annoying, they'll tell 'em to their face. We ain't polite or nothing." “That’s not it… Its just hard to explain. He’s been distant and maybe I drove him away… Wouldn’t be the first time.” She shrugged. Appreciating the effort made by the two to cheer her up.

“Besides, when I called him to ask if he could grab something for me he sounded… Off. Overtly formal. Its just not like him… And Glare said he had nothing to do today… Maybe if you two talk to him he would feel better? It's just been really bad, its almost like he’s not the same person. Maybe I should have gone to try and de-spirit the old hall instead.” "Wait, he went in there?" Manic said, looking almost scared at that fact. "No wonder, that place is all kind of messed up- God, I'm thinking that and the wedding must've hit him hard. Maybe he's just coping." "It sounds like she's pretty sure it wasn't the wedding," Scourge commented. "We'll talk to him." "After dinner, of course." Manic said, already going to take another bite of roast. "Besides, we didn't even get to Rouge visiting. Yeah, one day, she just flew down and landed on our balcony... ..." They tried their best to stay away from talking about the king during the meal. And they had plenty stories about small luxuries and their usual less legal thievery shenanigans to keep her entertained, even if she was fidgety about the empty seat at the table. Aria smiled at stories that usually would have made her laugh, and remained neutral on stories that would have made her smile.

By the time the meal was done, Aria split the leftovers into a container for the couple to take home and a container to save for her mate when she returned from work.

Aria flopped on her couch, still distraught. Maybe ask about her art? Or work? Either way, the silence was uncomfortable. The green couple certainly noticed these changes in her behavior. They weren't just easy to see, they were blatantly obvious. "What's wrong, dude?" Manic asked. He put down the leftovers right on the table and sat down near Aria. Scourge took a seat on a nearby armchair. "You're acting a lot sadder than usual, did something happen?" Scourge pieced it together for Manic. "Exactly how weird's Scourge been acting?" “Extremely. He’s been… Forgetful, very forgetful. He forgot who I was until Glare explained it to him. Forgot Glare too. Forgot a lot of things, but he remembered you two… Just didn’t remember where you were… He’s forgotten technology too, he’s having troubles with his phone. I think his trauma is messing with his brain, or he hit his head… He’s also not wearing his jacket, which is incredibly unusual. And he ordered the old hall cleaned and refurbished in an incredibly unreasonable amount of time… He’s not himself. He’s not anyone I’ve ever met. The way he looked at me… I’ve never seen that before.”

She rubbed her arms and shivered. Clearly disturbed. Manic reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "That's insane," Manic said. "That's... I've got no idea. It doesn't even sound like him." Scourge just thought. His first thought was this was some kind of a long con. He acted kind for a long, long time, but played all his cards at once and was screwing everyone over to get... something. He was a Scourge, after all. But would saying that have helped? No, Aria was already disturbed. Doubt would just make things worse. "...Sounds to me like an alternate's in his place." Scourge said gruffly. "How tight's security in the castle, can we get in?" “No, not an alternate. He’s still got the scars from the broken glass. That’s our… My? Scourge. His just not himself. He has not reason to be acting this way…. He’s acting like a Sonic alternate or something!”

Ah, right. Things were backwards here. Scourges were good, Sonics were bad. Up was down, down was up, everything was a jumble.

“But it doesn’t make sense… Why would he remember you two and not me?" "He has to still remember you, somewhere in his head." Manic mused out loud. "Sounds like he's either acting like he doesn't, or he's completely lost it..." Scourge made a motion while Aria was looking away, telling Manic to stop with that line of thought. He shut up. "Talking about it's fine and all, but we ain't gonna get answers if we don't know what he's doing." Scourge said, shifting in his seat and ready to stand. "We're only gonna get answers by snooping around, and you've got the best snoop in the business." Manic stuck out his tongue in a goofy way, letting her know exactly who the snoop was. "You gonna want to come along? Or do you need to meet Terra without anyone knowing?" Manic was still trying to lighten her spirits just a bit. "Don't worry, we don't know a thing." “I’ll come with you two snoopers. Besides, she’s at work and won’t be back until much later… Let me just..”

Aria scribbled out a quick, romantic note to her lover and stuck it on the leftovers. Gently kissing the note to leave a lipstick stain instead of a signature. Their little ritual.

As Aria grabbed her things, her shirt would start to slide off her shoulder a bit, revealing quite a few subtle hickies, covered up to the best of Aria's ability. Manic didn't say anything. Scourge didn't say anything. But they saw. Oh, they definitely saw. The glare Manic was giving Scourge told him that he had so many jokes in mind for how they could tease Aria, but he was restraining himself with some tiny shred of restraint he had left. "Don't you dare tease her," Scourge growled at Manic, running his finger over one of the bite marks over Manic's shoulder helpfully covered up. "Or she's gonna find out about your 'hickies'~" Manic and Scourge were clearly not over the honeymoon. As though they were ever. They sat next to each other and kept flirting while they let Aria grab her things, and hopefully put on some kind of pants or proper skirt. Aria pulled on thick leggings under her mate's shirt and grabbed her purse and her phone. She turned the stove off and checked that everything was clean. Satisfied, Aria scratched over the portal and warped them to the castle.

It was quiet, Glare having gone home for the night as well as most of the servants. Aria walked right into the building and started looking around for Scourge.

“Scourge? Manic and Castillo are back from the honeymoon! I brought you dinner too!” The castle felt wrong this late at night. When all the servants were gone, it felt like they weren't supposed to be there. Like it was a crypt that some nosy grave robbers had stumbled into.  They didn't go into the abandoned wing of the castle for plenty of reasons, but it was clear that some kind of big renovations were going it. The doors were opened, and there were scrapes on the floor showing that furniture had been dragged through and out of the entrances. But they weren't sure they ever wanted to even remember that old castle wing existed. He wasn't downstairs, by the looks of it. "Are you sure he's here?" Manic said. He couldn't explain what it was, but it felt like he was somehow insulting the castle by continuing to be there. The atmosphere had certainly changed, the whole castle now had the same disturbing feeling of being watched.

“Let’s check upstairs. Scourge?!?” Aria called out again, climbing up the main staircase

They passed by that mysterious door that was next to the bedroom again. Its mysteries were less intriguing but still concerning. Maybe something in there could help them? In their minds, if they were gonna be watched, they were gonna snoop right back at them. It was time to get down to work. "Let's split up for a hot minute and regroup right back here," Manic said simply. "No point searching through all these rooms one at a time, right?" "I'll stick with Aria," Scourge said. I.E., I'll stick with her and make sure she doesn't interrupt your trespassing. Manic started walking down the opposite way, creeping back the moment Aria couldn't see him from down the hall. A peep revealed a four tumbler lock. Not too hard, and there clearly wasn't an alarm system. He pulled a set of lockpicks out of his quills and started fiddling away, not needing a minute to get the lock to give way. With a spin of his hand, the lock was gone, and the door started to open. Aria passed by the bedroom, she knew he wasn’t in there because the door was open. Not dangerously out of place, but unusual. The study was empty as well, but books were strewn all over the place. All published within the last two years.

“Okay. The book on architecture makes sense, he’s trying to fix the castle. But economics? History? Warfare? This isn’t stuff he deals with. He's technically a figurehead, not ac-” Aria paused as she looked at a book, gulping as she read the cover. An old book. Older than the two hedgehog combined.

“How to regain your throne from the democracy” Aria read, instantly confused and concerned. “Why would he…”

The door swung open for Manic with a loud groan. Looks like the hinges needed oiling. When inside, turning the light on would reveal what should have been a nursery. A crib with a mobile hanging above it, a changing table, a rocking chair, a small bookcase with children’s books and a big box full of toys. On the walls, pictures hung of a much younger Scourge and a Fiona alternate. His Fiona. She was younger than the one Manic knew, her hair was longer and she had a bit more weight on her, probably from the pregnancy. A few pictures contained their son as well, a tiny indigo child, happy and healthy. He had his fathers eyes.

There was even a photo album on the table a bunch of pictures of Fiona and Luke, with writing explaining how the day went. Obviously it was written for Scourge, for when he got out of jail. Judging by the water droplets ruining the ink on the front page, he had not been able to read it.

This was yet another thing Manic should not have seen. Scourge said nothing to the books. He was all but convinced of his alternate Scourge theory, and this just hammered those points home. The crypt-like feeling of most of the castle was intense here. After everything he'd known of what occurred between Scourge and Fiona years before. The photos of Fiona and Luke weren't easy to look at. He'd seen enough Fionas to last a lifetime, and they were always slightly uncomfortable to seem if their relationship with Scourge was healthy or not. She didn't carry the same kind of edge to her looks, she almost seemed demure in the photos. Luke was utterly precious. He shared nothing in common with his son-in-law, but he couldn't help but think that this was somehow, somewhere, almost his husband's kid. There was a sorrow in the pit of Manic's stomach he didn't want to rid of. He couldn't bear to look at the papers talking about the day of his birth. The emotions from this room couldn't have been half as intense for Manic as they were for the king, but putting into word what this room felt like was maddening. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and thought. He was out as soon as he collected himself, and sped down the hall to find the others. Manic ran right into Scourge's chest. Not his mate, the king they were looking for. And He. Was. Livid. Looks like Manic had been caught.

He would be dragged by the back of the vest, and pushed into the room. Castillo caught his husband, thankfully. The rage surrounding the king was justified, but completely different than what they had seen before.

“I found this little thief snooping around where he should not have been. Get a better control over your concubines and get out,” the king ordered Castillo, filled with quiet but deadly rage.

His tone and speech patterns were different, but this was for sure their king. He radiated power and fear and his presence demanded respect. Aria's ears pinned back, afraid. Motioning for Manic and Castillo to follow orders so she was the last one out. A buffer. Manic was perfectly compliant. He knew he'd screwed up. Aria was perfectly compliant. She was clearly terrified of the king. But Castillo wasn't terrified, and he didn't know exactly what Manic had found. All he knew was this wasn't the same king they'd talked to before, and he'd tried to lay his hands on Manic. "Of course he's a thief," Scourge growled, motioning for Aria to stand back. "You know he's a thief. What the fuck are you thinking, dragging him by the collar?" Scourge approached the king, grabbing him by the throat and clearly ready for a fight. "Touch my husband like that again, and I'll make you BEG for forgiveness." "Scourge, stop!" Manic yelled out, but he wasn't about to step in. One Scourge had a hell of a lot of power, he wasn't going to get between two. Scourge was taking the sudden hold on the king to look him over. The scars were real. He was the same height, same build, same everything, but not the same person. Had something happened to him? "I'm gonna let go, and you ain't gonna make any funny moves." Scourge demanded. "What happened to you?" “You Need To Work On Your Diction As Much As You Do On Your Threats.” He spat out, flipping them so Castillo’s back was shoved up against the bookcase, his feet off the floor and the king's hand on his throat, squeezing a lot tighter. His eyes had changed color, from a light blue to a deep, rich one. Only noticeable when one was super close to his face, full of malice and hatred.

But after a split second they lighted up and the king stumbled back, letting his alternate go.

“Holy shit Castillo, I’m so sorry, I have no idea what came over me!” He rushed out an apology, looking at his hands like they had betrayed him. He back up into the center of the room.

Aria held a hand out. Trying to calm him. “Easy there. Easy. Calm down”

The eyes switched back to the dark blue, although that went unnoticed. “Insolent Women. I Told You To Leave And Never Return!” He growled, grabbing Aria by the base of the quills and causing her to scream from the pain. There was a low, heavy thud and a sudden surprise in the king's eyes. The king fell to the floor, clutching where Manic had just bludgeoned him with a candlestick. Castillo jumped in and wrenched one arm behind the king's back. They didn't want to hurt him too badly. He'd done so much for Manic, he couldn't possibly hurt him too badly. But Castillo had completely different reasons, and a long bike chain he always kept on hand that was tying the king's arms behind his back in a heavy knot. Castillo knelt down in front of the king, lifting his head by his chin and showing off every one of his sharp teeth in a smug smile. "You almost had it." His voice was smooth, even flirtatious. "But your eyes are the wrong color. An' if you don't wanna see your guts, you're telling us where the real king is." The yelp that came when he was hit turned his eyes back to their normal icy blue. “Manic what the fuck?!”

The threats turned them back again, and his expression of pain turned into one of glee and sadistic pleasure. Whoever this was was enjoying the thought of being carved open like a thanksgiving turkey…weird.

“Go Ahead Boy. Spill My Guts In This Damned Room. But It Would All Be In Vain, Because You Will Never Talk To That Spoiled Brat Ever Again. Might I Suggest A Cat-O-Ninetails Whip? Scourge Always Was A Fan Of That One.” He laughed, malicious and evil.

He wasn’t expecting the punch across the face from Aria. Furious, stressed and all around angry, she took it out of the ‘intruder.’

The body on the floor yelped in pain. “Aria stop it! Ow! It's me!” When she did stop, the evil laughter started up again… It sounded familiar, where had they heard that laugh before? Scourge and Manic did nothing to stop Aria's beating. All Scourge was doing was keeping the false king's head tilted towards his own, peering deep into his mind. He was helpless, and Scourge wanted to watch when he would eventually give in. But he didn't see that. He saw the eyes change, sure, but not in expression. The eyes changed to a completely different color in a moment, before reverting back when Aria seemed to lighten up on her pummeling. Scourge's eyes were normally a friendly cobalt blue, but this was darker. The pupils almost looked more slitted, more sinister. This looked like the king for just a few moments, whatever was going on. "Whoever the hell you are, you ain't the king." He dropped his head and let it slam on the ground. Sure, it would hurt the body, but more importantly, it would hurt whatever this dark-eyed creature was. "So what are we looking at here? This some anarchy beryl situation, some kinda drug-drug interaction with chaos energy?" There was more pain to the back of his neck from Scourge's claws, in the hopes pain could somehow draw out the king's personality. "We're getting an answer outta you, punk, so spill it." He knew he could only get an answer out of the real king, if he could ever get him to talk. The king's body had passed out and Aria was panting from all of her overexertion, sniffling as she held back tears.

“That’s not how our beryl works. It drains life forces to charge and when they do charge they grant the used amazing power at the price of their body. This isn’t beryl…. But there’s one way we can test if this is Scourge.”

She called his phone and found it under the books, bringing it over and sitting next to the body.

“Each alternate has a unique fingerprint right? So this shouldn’t work if this guy isn’t our-”

A click from the phone. It unlocked.

“Okay… So this our Scourge…. Did you two hear the way he was laughing? That’s not normal…” "No, that wasn't him." Castillo grumbled. If it was the king, they'd need to make sure he didn't move. The tied king was placed sitting upright in the main study chair. "Sounds like he isn't the same guy we know, but if it's the same fingerprint... ..." "Is he going crazy?!" Manic could only react to the bizarre actions with angry shock. "That's like multiple personalities nonsense right there! One of his is a nihilist, one normal-" "Bullshit," Castillo shot back. "We'd know if he was really insane. Feels more like-" He coughed, considering stopping himself. "Scourge's are Scourges, after all. This could've been some kinda long con, an' he's cutting the act now." "A decade long long con?" Manic rebutted. "We've heard him laugh before, that wasn't his natural laugh! It sounded like- I don't know, but it sounded like someone else!" The two stared down, each adamant about their own course of events, before they came to the same realization. "It was that person... We heard that laugh when we were in the old wing." Manic uttered. Castillo’s theory just made Aria cry, but Manic's realization got her sniffles to quiet down

“Whatever is going on, that person knew about the whipping. No one in the kingdom knows about that except for us, Scourge and-”

Aria paled, looking over at the body in the chair. “That’s why he wasn’t concerned if Scourge got hurt and why he’s trying to take down the throne. That’s why he doesn’t know who I am but he vaguely knows you two and why he’s clearing out the old wing when Scourge was trying to get rid of it… Its-…”

Aria would feel blinding white pain as she was hit in the head with the butt of a sword. Seems like whoever was controlling Scourge's body had gotten free and was holding the swords tip to her neck as she laid on the floor, unconscious.

“Women Should Be Seen Not Heard. What A Shame She Figured It Out, She Would Have Made An Excellent Concubine.” The person controlling Scourge cooed. "Aria!" Scourge yelled out. He wanted to rush forward, but the sword was to her neck and he couldn't move any closer. They just wanted to restrain him, but this person was killing to kill either of them. That was very bad. There were two of them and one of him. That was very good. There was only one way this was going to be settled, but they needed to wait for the right chance to move in. "You admit it then," Manic responded through his fear. He reached into his vest and pulled out a switchblade knife, not bothering with fancy knife tricks and holding it firm in one hand. "How about we get a name before we finish this off?" Maybe if he taunted him with killing Scourge, this spirit would let them get in close... "Don't think we're getting an answer." Scourge picked up the first thing off of the nearby shelf, a blunt and heavy bookend. "We're never gonna find out this fucker's some anti Jules." “Good Boy. You Figured It Out. I Do Have To Admit, You Are Smarter Than My Insolent Son. You Probably Would Have Seen Less Of The Whip If You Were In His Shoes. Alas, The Past Is The Past, Nothing Anyone Could Do About It Now. I Would Advise You Boys Not To Do Anything Rash. Even If You Kill The Body, I Could Still Possess Either Of You. But Its Not Like You Could Even Get Close. I Have Made A Habit Of Killing People That Scourge Cares About.”

He grabbed a second sword, keeping the first trained on Aria's throat. “I Doubt He Told You, But I Can Fight Just As Well With Both Hands. Your Move Boy.” Despite being absolutely pissed at the spirit, Scourge wasn't going to make the first move. He could press down slightly and kill Aria in an instant. He was definitely unhinged, but he didn't seem like he would kill Aria out of the blue. No moves were made. "She's unconcious," Manic reiterated simple, sounding mildly annoyed rather than seething with anger. "What, you're seriously weak enough to want to stab someone when they're down? What happened to your pride, anyways?!" Scourge knew where he was going with this. It was insane and desperate, but it usually worked. Manic ushered the study door open. "If you wanna cut us up, get Ari out of the room and we'll fight you. We're just a thief and an addict, you're a king with plenty of weapons. What kind of king's afraid of fighting a fair fight, anyways?" “Tsk Tsk. Seems Like You’re Not Quite As Smart As I Thought You Were. Tell Me Boy, What Do You Think My Endgame Is?”

An odd question as Jules moved to seat himself in an armchair, his sword lightly nicking Arias throat.

“I Will Even Give You Some Help. Think About The Consequences For The Body And The Mind… If Three People Are Found Dead Where Three Have Died Before. Books About Warfare And Usurping The Throne. The Nursery Torn To Shreds. By The Way, Thank You For Unlocking The Door My Boy. That Was Awfully Nice Of You, Seeing As I Don’t Know Where The Key Is… Everything Is Falling Into Place To Make Him Seem Like The Unhinged One. His Fingerprints Are Everywhere On This Crime Scene. Even If You Run To Tell Someone They Won’t Believe​ You. I Have Covered Every Single Angle Of This And There’s No Way Out. Any Way You Slice It, I Won! And Now, Once I Get Rid Of You Three, I’ll Use His Biometrics To Regain My Body Using The Beryl.”

He laughed as Aria began to stir, moving the sword to pull her up by the throat. “Good Morning. Tell Me Child, How Would You Like To Die?”

Arias only response was to scratch at her neck to pry his fingers off, the king choking her tightly. She managed somehow, to spit on his face. This made the wicked king angry, and he dropped her. Wiping spittle out of his eyes gave Aria the break to crawl as fast as she could to Manic's side. The king had dropped his hostage and one of his swords, and was distracted for the briefest fraction of a second. Scourge saw his chance and rushed the King, grabbing his arm as he took his swing. The blade was mere inches from his alternate's body. Scourge grabbed his arm with both hands and wrenched it around, until it was in too uncomfortable a position to swing. Manic gave Aria a quick pat on the shoulder before darting across at the first opportunity. He kicked the fallen sword so it would slide towards Aria and far out of the possessed king's reach. Their goal was only to restrain the spirit, but he was taking so much control it was hard to see him as anything other than another threat to be taken out. The king broke free of Scourge's grips, Sword pointed at his throat before being swung in either direction, but the distance was fine. Manic had gotten what he came for, and after bundling it in the blink of an eye, Scourge's bike chain was tossed back to him. He swung it around in his hands a few times, sending it too close to who was once the king and sending a threatening snap far too close to his skin. He had a solid five feet of lead, much longer than the spirit's sword could reach. "Alright, asshole." Scourge said with a grin, clutching the chain in either hand like a garrote. "Let's fuck it up~" Manic had taken the snap of the chain to rush back towards Aria. "He didn't hurt you too badly, right?" The spirit merely looked amused, tossing the cape he had been wearing to the side. A whip hung from his belt and he pulled it loose, snapping it in the air to let it rest. A Cat-o-Ninetails, brand new.

“I Believe The Phrase Is ‘Bring It’,” the spirit taunted.

Aria shook her head no, thinking hard. What advantages did they have… Surprise. That was all.

“Scourge, be careful! He doesn’t care about getting hurt!” She called out, a plan formulating. “Manic, do you have any kind of loose powder on you? We need the beryl.” Manic patted himself down. Switchblade, phone, wallet, earrings, makeup- He didn't have much on hand, but he had a small container of setting powder on hand, which he handed straight to Aria. "Gimme a plan and we'll nap that beryl... wherever it is." The metal chain and whip collided in mid air, snapping briskly against one another and tumbling down. But scourge used the extra moment as the short whip fell to snap the chain straight back up in the air, only striking the king for a moment. Just enough to stun him and get Scourge in closer. The whip stung more than he thought it would. He was expecting a sharp pain, but the bits of metal made it sting much stronger than anticipated. Scourge winced in pain and stumbled a bit, using the wince to force himself to tumble forward. He just needed to get close enough to chain him up again...! “Gimme. Stay here and help Scourge if he needs it.” She ran out of the room unnoticed.

The evil king chuckled at the pain of the bike chain. The shorter whip gave him an advantage as Castillo stumbled in close enough. The next crack would send a shooting pain into Castillo's side. Followed by another. The next two on his hands, as Jules got in close enough to drag the other to the ground by the quills, foot pressing his head into the ground.

“I think you weren’t hit enough as a child. Well that can be remedied.”

His jacket and shirt were sliced off, exposing his back and Jules used the bike chain to loop around Castillo’s wrists tightly. A sickening crack as the whip hit bare skin.

Aria had run into Scourge's bedroom, shoving the bed away from the wall with all the strength she had in her. Behind it was a safe with biometric locks. The powder and a cloth allowed her to bypass the fingerprint by using the oils from the last fingerprint to scan. The retina scan was actually set for her, rosy or Glare. A new addition.

Inside was a case. She pulled it out and instantly felt sick from the life draining magic. Regardless she ran back to the study.

“Is this what you were looking for?” She taunted, holding up the cape for the king to see. Manic was sick at seeing Scourge chained up like he was. And the whip- God, the whipping. Scourge bit hard on his own teeth, trying not to give in and wince at the sharp pain as they waited for Aria to get back. "You bastard...! You BASTARD!" Manic had lost it entirely. He didn't even care about pain anymore. Manic grabbed the first thing to his side - a fragile lamp, not that good - and chucking it square towards the king as he rushed him. The lamp did little damage as the glass base shattered and littered the ground. Tiny superficial cuts to him and his husband, nothing more. But Manic wasn't out for mild infury, and he wasn't out for restraint anymore. He was out for blood. Manic held the king down to the ground with either hand, his grip on Scourge's neck getting tighter as he listened to that hideous laugh... Scourge brushed off the pain the best he could and loosened the chain from his grips. He reached out for the king's hands, grabbing his left and desperately clutching for his right as Manic loosened up his hold. They just had to handcuff him more severely, and- Aria's entrance startled all of them, and the power he could feel told Castillo exactly what was draped under that cape. "Good job, kid." Scourge grunted, not letting go. "Toss it to us... Now!" Aria stumbled a bit, already weak from carrying the Beryl for so long.

Aria dropped like a stone, the beryl falling out of the case and scattering around the room. They slowly began to circle the room, focusing in on Scourge. Not Castillo, the king, who started laughing manically.

“Its Too Late Now!! Its All Over!” He shoved the other two off with surprising strength as the beryl circled him.

He parted from Scourge, manifesting in a translucent form as Scourge's body dropped. The beryl spun faster and in a blinding light, Jules set foot on the ground, his body back.

“Ah, Its Feels So Good To Be Me Again.” he cooed, voice obtaining an echo like quality to it.

Scourge groaned on the floor, weakened badly by the beryl and assuming he was having a nightmare. All bets were off. Scourge desperately unwrapped the chain from around Scourge's wrists, desperate to get his weapon back. One sword was all the way across the room from him, but the other was scattered near anti-Jules feet. Jule's whip was quickly kicked away, hopefully out of the true king's line of sight. Manic lunged to grab the sword, but it was already in his enemies hands, and he scuttled back away from the figure as soon as he saw him go for it. "Alright, so what's your endgame now?" Manic taunted, already knowing the true answer. "Point is, it's one on four now." "And your little immune spirit bullshit's worn out." Scourge said, chain whipping around in his hand. The chain he was spinning around was let loose, delivering a single harsh blow to anti-Jules's neck. The end of the chain had been knotted up into a ball as a makeshift flail. Manic grasped the large sword in both hands, Scourge his trusty chain as the two approached their newly mortal adversary. "Got one last question for you, asshole," Scourge snarled at him. "How do you wanna die?" Aria got up off the floor, panting.

“Knock the beryl out of formation, but don’t touch them!!” She called out, using a heavy book to knock one of the beryls to the ground.

Jules laughed at her pathetic attempt to hit him until he flickered back to translucent for a split second . The evil king growled out, realizing his power focused itself around the beryl.

While no one was looking, the true king got up shakily, grabbing his favorite rapier. He weighed it in his hand and turned to his father.

“Stand down. This is my fight.” He ordered, back to normal. Manic followed instructions immediately. He was backed away near where Aria was, looking around him for anything he could throw. Books, bookends, paperweights, anything heavy enough to heave and get the beryl stones out of formation. Castillo followed directions... somewhat. But those beryl were looking irresistible to him. He already had a chain in hand, he just had to... how could he make that slipknot? Could it even work with a chain? But by some stupid attempt and a lucky throw, the chain was wrapped around a large purple stone, immediately dragging it back to Castillo. The power ate at him in a way a Scourge could not only stand, but even enjoy. He wanted to keep this for himself, take over, prove his worth. A particularly heavy book managed to knock another stone far enough away that Castillo was able to lunge and grab it before it tugged back into formation, as both stones now begged to do. "This is our fight," Castillo insisted, forcing the yellow stone into the king's hand. He spun the chain around in his hands so the heavy knotted end was spinning in his hands. "Let's fuck it up." Aria slid the case and the other beryl to the true king, and Scourge put the two they had obtained in there as well. The case clicked closed and Jules was left with four circling him.

“INSOLENT BRAT!” The father called, running at his son with his sword drawn.

It was interesting watching the ensuing sword fight. Scourge was fighting fencing style and Jules was swinging to damage. The fight pushed them backwards and Scourge used his free hand to slap one of the beryls to Castillo.

Jules reached down and grabbed his whip smirking as it cracked. Scourge froze in place and felt his stomach drop. Castillo knew that just locking the beryl away wouldn't stop these other three. There was only one way to fight anarchy beryl, and that was with anarchy beryl. He threw off the halved shirt and jacket he had left on, clutching the red beryl with a death grip and the chain in his other. Pure anger stopped him from feeling the decaying feeling as anything other than a mild annoyance. The powers it granted were a strange focus, like everything had gone robotic in his mind. The chain swirling around in his hand was swirling faster and faster, with greater and greater energy while he built up strength. The first blow knocked a green stone out of the air and towards Aria, with only two circling stones remaining powering the old king. The second blow was square to Jules's left temple, sending a splatter of... was that blood? It almost looked right, but the consistency was strangely off, strangely discolored. The power of the beryl was weakening on Jules. "Let's finish this up...!" Castillo screamed, rushing Jules as he tied a simple slipknot out of the chain...! The power of the beryl was also making the king stronger, and the crack of the whip against Castillo's face was immense. He couldn't tell how much damage it had done, but he knew that his right eye hurt like hell. He tumbled to the floor, dropping his chain and trying his damnest to clutch to his stone with the energy he had. Scourge snapped out of it as he watched Castillo take a strike from the whip. This made him angry. Bright white flames licked at his feet, appearing from nowhere.

In the corner, Aria groaned and curled into a ball. She had been weakened by the beryl's case, and the jewel so close to her wasn’t helping. Aria whined pitifully for the king's help. “Scourge…”

Old rage boiled up again fanning the flames that licked at his feet and enveloped him. His eyes turned black, his quills turned white. His skin lost its color.

Jules was grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall incredibly hard, yet Scourge barely broke a sweat. The three onlookers in the room could feel the energy exuding from the king as he held Jules against the wall. Castillo covered his eye with one hand and seemed to be panting like a predator desperate to sink it's fangs into it's prey, but the could tell that would have been entirely stupid. But like a miser desperate to take his valuables to the grave, he lunged at the chest of beryl stones, grasping that last one abandoned near Aria desperately. He threw them against the far wall of the room, as far from Aria as they could go while the other Scourge's power only intensified. The bright light in spite of the sudden violence was bizarrely entrancing, almost beautiful to Manic. Jules was as good as dead. If Scourge couldn't deliver the final blow, Manic knew he was going to end up with blood on his hands. Aria was out. Scourge was out. Manic was the only one who could stand up and help the king. He approached the two, standing behind as close as he could get without feeling overwhelmed by the power being generated. He held his switchblade out from behind the two, close enough that only Scourge could reach it. But in Manic's mind, he knew Scourge probably wouldn't need a weapon. "End it." Jules choked and gasped, involuntarily scratching at Scourge's arms to get him to give him air. The king threw the other out of the room and followed him, ignoring Manic. His hand reached out and his rapier came to him.

A beryl was locked away and Jules was left with only one surrounding him. His body began to fall apart like a scene in a horror movie. His skin melted away, his bones clattered to the flood and turned to dust, it all vanished until Scourge was left holding the ghost of his father. His sword glowed with the same white fire he was surrounded in, and he smashed his father across the face with the butt of the hilt. The flames grew and Scourge slashed through his shoulder, the spirits arm falling away like paper.

The ghost king screamed out in pain and Scourge growled, low and with an echo like quality.

“That was for Castillo!”

Slice. The other arm off.

“That was for Aria!”

Slice. A leg

“That was for Manic!”

Slice. The other leg.

“That was for Miles!”

Slice. Cut off at the waist

“That was for Luke!”

Slice. Higher up on the chest.

“That was for Fiona!”

The sword rested against the ghost king's throat, and the king growled.

“And this is for you. Goodbye FATHER”

The spirits head was sliced off, and the rapier was stabbed through his heart as the last beryl fell on its own.

The spirits scream was cut short, and the flames died away as Scourge sunk to the floor and cried.

It was over. They could only stare through the door as limb after limb was removed. Every slice was personal, furious, ladened with decades of anger and lit up by supernatural flames. And as quickly as it started, it ended with Scourge's tears echoing through deathly quiet halls. The anarchy beryl was powering Castillo, and the pain in his eye subsided slightly, although it was far from healing. He opened the case, and started to collect the scattered gems. One in the corner of the room. One behind the desk where the ghost stood. Just gathering them quickly so no one else would have to deal with the burden. Manic pocketed his knife as soon as the awestruck paralysis had worn off. He'd done it. He'd ended everything. Every one of his slow steps was intentionally louder than usual, to give the king fair warning as he approached. He didn't deliver words of wisdom or congratulations or anything, his pep wasn't going to help. And the few jokes he wanted to crack to lighten the mood were so out of place, even he knew they would only ruin things more. He said nothing, in fact. Scourge would soon find himself with his head rested on Manic's chest, giving him some kind of a tangible being to cling to after his ordeal. He hummed a soft melody, although where these notes came from or what they meant, Scourge had no idea. It was elegant, it was simple, and the gentle humming sent comforting vibrations, like a purring cat comforting it's kittens. Aria stood on shaky legs, grasping the door for support. After telling Castillo where to put the case, she stumbled over to the two of them. Aria sat on Scourge's other side and merely hugged her king as well. Her purring added to Manic's song.

After a little while, Scourge gently pulled back and wiped his face, sniffling in order to calm down. “M'okay… M’ okay” he slurred.

The castle's atmosphere returned to normal quickly and eventually Scourge got up to walk downstairs.

“I gotta… Go to…” He mumbled, clearly trying to head outside. Aria heaved herself up using a banister and when Castillo returned, they followed him. Manic stood next to aria. She was holding her own more, but she clearly needed any kind of support she could get. Castillo could see much of the same weakness in his alternate, following him at a close distance. There was no telling when he might tumble, cry, faint, anything. "You actually touched the beryl?" Manic asked Aria quietly, holder her by her shoulder. "That's amazing... We've touched beryls once before, and I couldn't stand it." There was a soft pat on her shoulder. "You're a strong girl, Ari." Castillo had no idea what could have been going through the king's mind. Whatever it was, it was intense, he knew that much. But questions would have to wait until the king was substantially calmer. He didn't say anything, but quietly walked and offered him a comforting look. Their victory march through the castle was weak, depressing, and yet somehow serene. “I feel like shit.” She groaned, leaning heavily on Manic to get the world to stop spinning. Her hair had turned white at the roots and her eyes had lost some color. Nothing a good nap and a bottle of hair dye couldn’t fix.

To Scourge, the victory march was mostly a walk of shame. They left through a side door that Castillo had never noticed and Scourge went straight for the forest. After a few minutes of walking, they came across a clearing with a manmade little river running through it. In the center were two ageing gravestones of white marble, plain but elegant. He went to a small spot next to the little creek and sat next to a tree stump.

“Sorry. I just needed to come see her.” "Do what you've gotta," Scourge said quietly. He stepped back, standing with Aria and Manic. Scourge clearly needed space. There weren't benches or seats or anything. Instead, Manic held tight onto Aria and guided her so they were both sitting on the grass. Castillo relaxed into his normal position, as though nothing had happened. Someone needed to stay casual. Castillo couldn't deny that the power of those stones was enticing to him. But now wasn't the time to think about these things. He didn't say a word to Manic as he comforted Aria and ruffled her hair. He didn't say a word to Aria as she took time to regain her posture. He only glanced from far away as Scourge took some time to meed with his Fiona. Aria purred quietly, laying back in the grass and breathing in clean air. This place was sacred in a way, truly felt like a place filled with love.

The stress melted away from the girl and the king merely let his fingers dangle in the water of the stream where fish swam. Thinking. His rapier discarded by his side.

“I'm… Sorry.” The king finally said, to no one in particular. There wasn't a response. The cold castle walls were imposing, especially with the spirit present. The forest might have felt similarly cramped. But this clearing was quiet, welcoming, serene. The grass was healthy, the fish content. After such an avalanche of emotions, the chance to sit somewhere this pleasant almost felt like whiplash with how suddenly everything shifted. He wasn't saying anything else. Castillo bit the bullet and stood to his feet. The rustling of his jeans was audible over the gentle ambience. Castillo slowly knelt a short distance from the king. "How're you holding up?" Scourge took a deep breath. “I don’t know… I feel… Lighter. Like this big weight was just lifted off my shoulders… How’s your back?”

He pushed the other around gently so he could inspect the marks. They had healed mostly from the beryls powers.

“You’ll be fine, you’re tough,” he said with something that might be considered a smile, patting his back gently. "Never worry about me," Scourge said as he turned to face his alternate. His right eye was bright red and scratched, but didn't look like it had any damage beyond a scratch. "I've had worse." He sat for a moment, not sure what else to say. When he came to a certain realization, he started to grin. "Maybe I shouldn't be walkin' around without a shirt?" He clearly didn't take any kind of shame from that comment. Scourge held him by the arm and helped the king to his feet, leaning over to grab him his sword and put it back into it's holder. "The worst of it's over," he said, trying to be gentle without sounding too soft. "Put your sword away, we'll lock up the beryl, we'll clean the study. You call up your doctor or friends or- whoever the hell you need. Get your brains in order." He looked up at the sky, not sure what else to say. Tiny specks of starlight dotted the midnight sky. "Gorgeous view." “Easier said than done. Not many therapists believe in ghosts.” He shrugged, looking up at the sky with a soft smile.

“Yeah, Fiona loved it here. This was our spot, our sanctuary. She loved sitting near the river to listen to the sound but this spot has the best view of the stars. I dug out the little river for her to give her both.” He recounted, smiling up at the wide expanse of the universe.

“I’m sorry for dragging you and Scourge into this. Seems likes you all get hurt because of me on the constant.” Aria said to Manic, staring up at the stars. "Don't apologize for anything," Manic reassured her. "You didn't wanna see us getting attacked, anyways. You're fine, dude." Manic flumped back first onto the grass and stared up with the others. The gaze they shared at the starry void held as everyone tried to collect their thoughts about everything that had just occurred. Theyer wasn't much they could say to make anything better. "We'll find you someone," Castillo assured the king. "If they exist, there's gotta be one out there who'll believe. An' you know we're here to listen and talk." It was the least he could do to comfort him. Comfort... "We've got some of Aria's home cooking at her place. Wanna hop over for some comfort food?" Aria rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of nature. The songs that the wilderness sang were her childhood lullabies and the open sky was her blanket. The tranquility was needed.

When her name was spoken she perked up. “Did you call me?” She asked the green duo.

“Yeah, he said you made dinner… Thanks kiddo. It means a lot.” He ruffled Scourge's quills and they all walked over to sit on the soft grass for a few minutes while Aria regained her strength to portal them to her home. When Scourge was on the grass, Manic gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. He didn't have Castillo's problems with looking mushy, and if the king didn't have his back injuries, he probably would have pounced and given him a large comforting bear hug. But it was enough. Castillo sat down with Manic, and Manic ended up reclining against his lover. "My cooking ain't that bad," Castillo offered after a while, letting the cool air brush over them. "I could whip somethin' up fresh. What's a good comfort food, anyways? Mac and cheese?" "You aren't cooking it," Manic interjected, trying not to sound too goofy, only light-hearted. "I can boil water without starting a fire." "Fine, but Aria's gotta hide her paint cans first." Manic gave him a playful punch in the arm. Sure, they felt a bit overwhelmed by how much had just happened, but Scourge and Aria didn't need to see that. Anything to make them feel better. The word ‘whip’ made Scourge wince a bit, but he hid it.

“Well I mean, I’m all ready to warp whenever you wanna,” she insisted. “I don’t want to eat paint can spaghetti!”

“Seconded. Let’s go!” The king insisted, helping everyone up. He hung behind as the others went on ahead, gently kissing his fingers and pressing them to the two graves. They could rest finally. And so could he. Manic pretended to peek behind and look at what the king was doing. "Hey, Ari." Manic asked quietly as they started walking away from the clearing. "Do you know anything that like, helps him calm down? I don't want him to have a total breakdown, we gotta keep him comfortable." There was a beat before Manic spoke again. "I mean, Scourge here's gonna have to nab a shirt and cover up his back, you think you'd have any that would fit him?" He looked down at the giant shirt Aria was draped in. "Hell, you have any that fit YOU?" “I don’t think that will be necessary. He should be fine for now… But Castillo, if you can, go find his jacket, it should be in his room. Take a shirt from there as well, he won’t mind.”

Aria looked over at Manic, judging him. “Don’t you look at me like that. I’m not the only one who borrows clothes from my significant other. I recall you wearing black leather and flames at one point...”

She was teasing him of course, giggling as Scourge walked up. "Hey, I didn't wear it!" Manic protested back. "I just used it as a blanket sometimes! A lot! And sometimes wore it." Castillo walked through the castle halls, almost slowing down just to take in the feeling of the castle. It felt right again. Even if everything that had happened was far from alright, it was over for now. And hopefully, forever. He knew exactly where the king's room was. Castillo was aware that lingering to look at any of the photos would just cause him grief, so he kept away. There was no reason to think about Fiona or Luke now. He just had to get in and out, grab a shirt and jacket, and not worry about the history of these rooms. He noticed the nursery door open across the hall. He silently closed the door, it's contents a secret from him. His snooping had done enough already. The three met at the back exit to the castle, Castillo now wearing some kind of a fancy dress shirt. "Hope you don't mind, but my old clothes are kinda screwed." He shrugged and handed the jacket over to Scourge, as well as a roll of bandage tape from his bedside. "You two ready?" Aria and Manic were teasing each other back and forth, Aria cracking jokes at Manic's lovesick expense. If she had to put up with the eyefucking he had to own up to it.

“Hey, thanks. I don’t mind at all, I hate that shirt.” He shrugged and Aria looked offended.

“I got that for you for Christmas!” She protested, scratching her portal open and acting all pouty. There was a silent look between Manic and Scourge, both surprised by this comment and slightly amused as to whatever was going to come from this. Even if they knew Aria wasn't really going to chew him out for that, their glares still told Scourge they were very, very sorry for whatever would happen. They stepped through the portal into Aria's room. Castillo and Scourge walked over to the sitting area and fell into the cushions, Castillo letting out a long, heavy sigh. Manic picked up the leftovers on the table and walked over to the kitchen, starting up the stove to heat up the soup properly. A quick rummage through some of the foods in the closest cupboard was a box of macaroni and cheese, plain and simple. Just that and one set of leftovers, that would be good. One set? "Ari, didn't you leave more leftovers out earlier?" Manic asked, looking towards the counter. The container and the kiss-stained note were both gone. The shower was running, which no one noticed as Aria chewed Scourge out playfully, tugging lightly on his ear. He laughed and pretended to be in pain, stumbling over to the couch as Aria went behind a screen to collect some clothes. She knocked on the bathroom door.

“Babe? Its me. The boys are here so I grabbed you some clothes. Can I come in?”

The bat answered in the affirmative and Aria slipped into the bathroom. She didn’t leave for 20 minutes and when she came out her hair was wet but her shirt was dry. The Scourges noticed and exchanged a look. Both them smiled in that mischievous way that unsettled Aria.

Terra only briefly said hello before falling into bed and falling asleep. Aria sat on the edge of the bed, petting her mate gently. Now that Manic had access to actual cookware and utensils, there wasn't much concern about letting him handle the food as Aria was left to her girlfriend's whims. Pasta boiled, soup was warmed, and a comfortable set of scents filled the room. "Here, she made some roast and soup and stuff." Manic placed a plate down on the wood coffee table, with the reheated roast and a slice of the warmed bread. The soup was served alongside in a small bowl. "I just made some mac and cheese fresh, that's a pretty good comfort food, right?" "Didn't wanna grab a bowl?" Scourge asked. "Hey, don't judge!" Manic put the saucepan filled with macaroni and cheese in front of the king. A wooden spoon was sticking out of the pot, his evident utensil. "That's the best way to eat it, you know that! This was the first time he noticed those stares the Scourges were giving each other. "What're you guys smirking at?" "Ohh, nothing,” Scourge teased, happily eating the food set before him like a starving dog. Jules had forgotten that eating was a thing it seems.

Castillo’s eyes directed Manic's gaze to Aria's and Terra's wet hair, then raised his eyebrows as if to say, “isn’t that odd?”

Aria pulled away from her mate gently, closing the screen they had put around their bed so the tired bat could sleep. She claimed the leftover cookies for herself and sat on the floor. Oblivious to the conversations, she happily munched on cookies. Manic didn't seem phased by the realization. "I thought that just always happened with those guys?" He said without a trace of irony. Castillo laughed and let Aria munch away, not the one to ruin things this time. Manic took the time to stand up, walk to the kitchen, take a spoon, and walk back just to steal a scoop of mac and cheese for himself. Scourge was holding up for now, but there were still questions that needed to be asked. "You gonna need a ride to the castle after this, or you fine crashing here?" Castillo's question was just as much pointed at the king as it was to Aria. When Scourge managed to stop eating for a few seconds and swallow, he shook his head.

‘I think I’m gonna run home. I need to think and clear my head. Besides, crashing here is awkward when you’re third wheeling,” he shrugged and continued to eat his food

“You wouldn’t be third wheeling, but I understand,” Aria insisted. They were all really tired. "You sure?" Manic was finally letting some concern through. "We'd be happy to, dude. We ain't got much going on." "Running helps a ton," Castillo told Manic. "You should try it." "Whatever, dude." Manic said back. "I think Scourge and me are gonna try and find a hotel..." There was a loud yawn. "Ah man, we're probably just gonna crash in the van." "You guys take care," Castillo said back. "Especially you, kingy." Their walk to their van wasn't quite as casual as their conversations in the apartment were. "Damn, he's taking this well." Manic pointed out. "Do you think he's gonna be alright?" "Eventually," Castillo admitted. He didn't bring up his suspicion Scourge was much worse off than he'd ever let on, but now wasn't the time. Everyone was tired, and they just wanted to crash. The king finished his meal, washed the dishes and then hugged Aria goodbye.

“Call when you get home. Call anytime.” She insisted, voice muffled into his jacket. He pet her quills gently.

“Of course.” He said his good nights and sped off into the city, pushing himself to the limits, as fast as he could go. After half an hour of running as fast as he could, he jumped onto the roof of the castle and laid on his back, sweating and panting.

He looked up at the stars and thought. He would think for a long time, and wouldn’t go back into the castle until morning. He mused to himself, as he watched the sun rise.

“Its a new day.”