#Characters of Color in Anime Part 5

[y0uc4n7kn0w]

Niji Nights Day 7: Characters of Color in Anime Part 5

Welcome to the last night of Niji Nights 2024 our PRIDE event here on We be Bloggin’! There’s no time like the present to appreciate when creators add characters of color to their works of art! Soma (Black Butler) He’s filled with energy and loves to annoy his uptight cousin, Ciel. Leo De La Iglesia Yuri on Ice!!! He’s an ice skater that works hard by studying hard and practicing hard so…

[sharonaparadox]

[Video: fan animation focusing on Adam from Hazbin Hotel set to the aforementioned song. The music starts with a classical waltz sound as Alastor sets an old-fashioned cathedral radio down upon a chest of drawers within the hotel, continuing as scenes of the residents happen around it. Charlie and Vaggie are seen smiling at each other as Charlie talks in front of it, Husk is leaning one elbow down against the surface and frowning suspiciously at the radio while casually holding a wine bottle in one hand, Angel is sitting next to it casually with one pair of arms crossed over his lap as he listens to the music with a smile and both eyes closed, Sir Pentious is also seen sitting beside it with his chin resting in both hands as he listens with a wide smile and both eyes closed (though the eye on his hat is looking at the radio happily), the Egg Boiz are grinning with one sitting next to the radio with a hand on it while the others are standing in front with their arms waving in the air, and Niffty is sweeping the ground nearby with a grin.

The shot then zooms in onto the radio as its dark buttons turn red and its dial flips to the left with a beep. The music switches to louder rock music as the scene switches to show Adam grinning and shredding his guitar as he flies up through white clouds. There is a fully-animated shot of him frowning with wide eyes before he turns to the viewer with a wide wicked grin.

The title “Moon Waltz” (stylized in all capital letters) is drawn in white chalk-like lettering against a black background with a messy white border. The credit for the song, “Waltz in E-Major, Op. 15 ‘Moon Waltz’” by Cojum Dip, is provided on the next screen in the same style. The next card credits the artist, Luc doodle, while the last screen in the title sequence warns, “TW: Flashing Lights” in all capital letters.

After the title sequence ends, the first verse starts calmly with “The last time our module would ring you” as Adam looks up from his place on the ground with a soft smile, golden eyes glowing under his upturned eyebrows. The grass of Eden looks purple around the unclothed man as he sits with his hands propping his upper body off the ground and his knees curled in front of him.

“Like a lunar bell” is sung as Adam suddenly turns in surprise when the silhouetted figure of Eve comes running to him with one hand raised in the air. An apple is shown held up in the palms of two light-skinned hands, a bite already taken from the realistically painted Fruit of Knowledge. Cutting in are impact shots of the apple as a bright red silhouette against dark hands, the background black with a splash of dark red. Adam recoils as the apple is held out by a now dark red arm.

“I’ll see you on the moon,” the song continues as Adam looks down at the apple in his hands with a slight frown, his eyes widened in fear as he sweats nervously. The background is black with dark red blossoming out from behind the apple. As the line ends, however, it brightens back into the light purple of the garden as feathered wings glide by, Adam looking over with what looks less like fear and more like surprise.

The next line goes, “Until we meet at Tycho” as the perspective shifts to show Lucifer up in the dark starry sky, Heaven visible behind him as he turns to look down at Adam, neither of their expressions visible. The point of view turns back to Adam, his eyes shining and his face red as a white feather floats down in front of him.

The verse ends with “And follow the trail” as it focuses on the apple in Adam’s hand before a beep plays and he quickly brings it to his mouth, the scene turning black with Adam only a bright red silhouette as he bites into it. There is a brief shot of the apple as a red shape floating in the darkness before the scene turns entirely dark.

The music kicks up again as the pre-chorus starts with “Synodic season to come out of hiding” as Adam and Lute stand together grinning in front of a startled Charlie in the present day. Adam is playing guitar as he and his lieutenant lean forward, Adam narrowing his eyes malevolently.

The next line goes, “Why’d it take so long” as Adam holds up one of Charlie’s crayon drawings of demons smiling in front of the Hazbin Hotel with a rainbow over it. He frowns with one eyebrow raised before turning away with a grin, both eyes closed as he casually tosses the paper over his shoulder. Charlie darts forward across the table to grab the paper as it floats down and brings it closer to herself as she looks down at it with a small sad frown. Charlie then looks forward with a glare as she grips the paper tightly, her eyes turning red and demonic horns sprouting from her forehead as Adam flies past her.

The song continues with “Inching out of orbit dividing” as Adam and Lute turn to face each other in the air to fist-bump, Charlie still glaring as she watches on.

“Where did I go wrong,” the song asks as Adam clasps his hands in front of himself with a mocking smile. As the music progresses to the chorus, Adam smugly points to a paper held up in a grinning Lute’s hand that reads, in all capital letters, “Nowhere! Never! Angels don’t make mistakes” The handwriting is messy, and the last word is hyphenated so it can continue underneath where it hit the edge of the paper. At the bottom are sketches of a grinning Adam and a Cool S with scribbled-out attempts around the latter. Adam then flips both middle fingers before flying upward, startling Charlie as her demonic features revert to normal.

The song croons, “I’ll see you on the moon” as Adam outstretches his arms and wings to each side.

This continues with “Where we’re throwing a party,” though a quick shot flickers in showing Adam in the same position but surrounded by his exorcists as they all grin widely, many of them only seen as faces peering out from the shadows. This is almost entirely in black and grey except for the gold of Adam’s wings and halo as well as the facial features of his mask.

“And as you’re gasping for the last of air,” continues the song as Adam looks down on Charlie, once again glaring with her demonic features out as she burns the paper in her hands. Adam points back to himself with his thumb as Charlie looks on angrily.

As the next line goes, “You’ll tra-la-la-la-la,” however, Adam grins and gestures with his thumb as if slitting his throat. Impact shots cut in turning Adam into a mostly black and white silhouette aside from the gold on his mask (briefly inverting to mostly white and black) while a blood splatter flies from the side of his neck. This soon disappears, but another similar streak of red is shown beside Charlie’s neck as she looks up in fear, her demonic features now gone entirely as she raises a hand to her own throat. A quick shot cuts in showing her as a black silhouette (briefly inverting to white) with bright red accents, particularly her eyes with shrunken pupils, against a red background.

The song continues, “You give me fifty-nine percent from libration” as Adam steps down the clouds above the meeting table with a faux-solemn expression, one hand raised pointing upward while his other is reaching forward. Charlie is glowering as Adam stops in front of her, leaning down with his elbow resting on her shoulder to get face-to-face with her with the same insincere expression, before he flies back upward, leaving Charlie to deepen her scowl.

The chorus ends with “We dance in synchronous rotation” as Adam, grinning widely with his arms outstretched, rises in front of a black circle with red outlining its border and the lines within dividing it into sections. A banner at the top reads, “Extermination” in all capital letters with messy sketches of Lute and Adam on each side (the former with a note pointing to it helpfully explaining who the drawing is supposed to represent). Scenes flip onto the upper section showing silhouettes of exorcists slaughtering demons, flying down from a portal, and glaring at the viewer. This last image has a mostly red background, unlike the others that mostly had red accents against white backgrounds, and clearly shows Vaggie wearing her exorcist mask.

The second verse starts calmly with “The image we see of you has been” as Adam and Lute walk together casually, the former sipping a drink from a straw through his mask while the latter is unmasked and smiling. Vaggie and Charlie then walk past in the foreground, Charlie grinning excitedly as she grabs her frowning girlfriend’s hand to pull her forward. The vocals creak a little while Adam looks forward with wide eyes.

A beep plays before the next line continues with “Just a little late” and the two angels are seen from behind as they watch Charlie and Vaggie walk away.

The next line is “There is no atmosphere” as the scene shifts to show them in court, Adam leaning forward with a grin and Lute crossing her arms with a smirk.

“To wear down any sharpness,” continues the song as the two narrow their eyes smugly.

A beep plays before the next line of “It’s not how long you wait” while the scene pans over to Charlie and Vaggie across from them. There is a close-up shot of Charlie looking up with a determined expression that hardens into a glare. Another beep plays to end the verse.

The music kicks up again, represented in the video by Adam’s guitar floating in above his hand, as the pre-chorus starts with “Synodic season to come out of hiding.” Adam and Lute are both standing atop the viewing orb, Lute masked and glaring with her arms crossed while Adam is grinning maliciously with his arm out to grab his guitar. They are then shown closer up, both grinning as Adam plays his guitar. As the music plays, the scene switches to Sera looking down with a frown. She looks to Emily at her side, who is watching the scene below sadly. Sera then turns back, her frown tense as she sweats nervously.

The next line goes, “Why’d it take so long” as Adam and Lute lean forward with wide grins. Adam then shreds on his guitar as the singer vocalizes some nonsense syllables. The music continues as Adam flies down to land in front of Charlie, grinning malevolently as Charlie scowls back with her shoulders set. The focus shifts to Vaggie beside her, sweating uncomfortably as she looks up at Adam with a wide eye and a small worried frown. Sera is once again shown sweating nervously as she reaches an arm out and tries to speak.

The song continues with “Inching out of orbit dividing” as Adam leans over Charlie, the viewing orb behind them changing to show a scene of exorcists slaughtering sinners. Behind Adam are the angels flying down from a portal against a light golden background, while Charlie’s side shows demons screaming in pain and fear against a black and bright red background. As the singer vocalizes more nonsense syllables, the scene switches rapidly between reaction shots of Emily covering her mouth in horror, Sera fearfully frowning with shrunken irises in her wide eyes as she sweats, a pair of angels looking at each other in shock, Charlie looking up quizzically, another pair of angels looking at each other with what looks like sadness while another nearby them looks down with stunned wide eyes, Lute looking down with exasperation, and finally Charlie turning to look up in surprise. This quick sequence ends with Adam still grinning, seemingly oblivious, as Charlie looks up at Sera, who has all six of her wings spread out to the sides.

“Where did I go wrong,” the song asks as Adam turns to look up, his grin now nervous as he sweats uncomfortably. Sera narrows her eyes, red visible in her shrunken irises as she glares, matching the splashes of red around her against the black background. Adam continues grinning for a moment longer before dropping his head and frowning sadly.

The bridge starts calmly with “A wise woman said I’m alive” as Adam materializes with golden rings of light around him. He appears to be wearing only a stained, possibly bloodied, white toga as he looks up with eyes widened in surprise, dark undereye circles visible as he frowns. The perspective changes to show the kneeling man from behind as Sera appears before him with her wings and arms outstretched to each side.

“Nobody’s ever told her she’s wrong,” continues the song as Sera looks down with a warm smile. Adam’s face crumples, tears building in his eyes as a halo glows above his head and golden wings unfurl from behind him. The tears begin to fall down as his wings stretch out in full to each side.

The next line is “A paella of space-talking jive” as Sera raises one hand to her mouth in shock. Adam tries to wipe away his tears while Sera looks down in concern.

The song goes on with “I’m as alive as her beard is long” as Adam continues wiping at his face before looking up when Sera reaches a hand to him. He rushes up into her arms, wrapping his own arms around her waist as Sera places a comforting hand atop Adam’s head with her other around his shoulders. He hugs her tightly as he sobs.

The song croons, “I’ll see you on the moon” as Adam, now dressed for battle with his exorcists, points forward with an excited grin while the army flies ahead with weapons at the ready. They are then seen pouring out of a portal in the sky next to the Hazbin Hotel.

The song continues with “Where we’re throwing a party” as Adam perches atop the hotel’s sign to face down Alastor, both grinning confidently at each other. There are close-up shots of both of them before Adam flies forward to slice at the radio demon with his guitar, breaking the staff of Alastor’s microphone and cutting him across the chest. Quick impact shots of red emphasize the blood splatters, while one shot has the two mostly in silhouette with gold and red accents.

“And as you’re gasping for the last of air,” continues the song as Adam stands with his bloodied guitar to his side and Alastor retreats into his shadow.

As the next line goes, “You’ll tra-la-la-la-la,” Adam leans forward against his guitar and mockingly waves goodbye.

The song continues, “Twirling moon dust abound” as Charlie stabs Adam in the side of his chest and spins him around on her trident to slam him against a skylight, the glass cracking behind him as Charlie fumes with her demonic features out. Similar impact shots as those from the previous battle can be seen, though Adam’s blood is golden in contrast to the red silhouette of Charlie’s weapon. Adam reaches up with one hand to touch his wound, looking at the golden blood as if confused and offended before glaring at Charlie with his bloodied hand out in front of him.

The next line is “Lung destruction is starting” as Adam lifts Charlie up by her neck, his other hand clenched into a fist behind him as he laughs triumphantly. Charlie looks enraged as she struggles against his grip on her throat. The perspective then shifts to show Adam’s grinning face.

As the next line goes, “Take your suit off and swim in maria,” however, a fist comes in from the side to punch Adam, shattering part of his mask. He is then shown pulling himself up, half of his face now visible as he grimaces. He pulls himself forward and opens his eyes slightly. There is a fully-animated close-up shot of his eyes widening, the iris of his human eye shrunken while the eye of his mask visibly reflects the multiple wings of the new combatant. The perspective changes to show Lucifer glaring down at Adam as he holds his daughter in both arms, Heaven visible behind him.

“I’ll see you on the moon,” the song again croons as a close-up shot pans up Lucifer’s face full of hatred while Charlie looks up at her father with a warm, relieved smile.

The song continues with “There’s already a party” as Adam and Lucifer face each other, both with their wings outstretched. Lucifer is grinning mockingly with his hands behind his back, and Adam is glaring back in rage. There is a quick shot of Adam looking furious as he grabs at where Lucifer, transformed into a snake, is wrapped around his throat. After this is an impact shot of a silhouetted Adam firing a golden beam of holy light downward as Lucifer dodges. Halos of stars and rays are behind Adam and his beam against the bright red background. Charlie is then shown in full color falling down from the red into a black background before her father dives to catch her. The two smile in relief as he holds her up, though Charlie’s eyes widen in surprise as a shadowed Adam flies in behind them.

“And as you’re gasping for the last of air,” continues the song as Charlie reaches back over her startled father’s shoulder with an oversized demonic hand to catch a shocked Adam’s fist. Impact shots cut in, and a similar starry halo can be seen in the background before Adam is tossed to the dark red ground.

As the next line goes, “You’ll tra-la-la-la-la,” a bright explosion can be seen as Adam makes an impact.

The song continues, “No es la locura” as a now unmasked Adam drags himself out of the crater, blood on his face and robes. He is seen from behind as he looks at the glaring Morningstars, Charlie covered in red and golden blood while Lucifer only has minor amounts of golden blood on his front. Heaven can be seen in the bright red background above Lucifer.

The next line is “En realidad” as Adam wipes the blood from his nose.

The line continues with “Es el amor” as scenes play out as silhouettes against bright red backgrounds: Charlie stabbing Adam with her trident, Lucifer punching Adam and shattering the side of his mask, Lucifer as a snake strangling Adam (who looks frightened instead of furious in this shot), and finally Niffty clinging to the back of a shocked Adam’s robes as she holds up a dagger, ready to stab.

The next line is “Now that you’ve heard it all” as the screen focuses and unfocuses on a blood-covered Adam in front of a black background. He is looking down with a small frown as he pitches forward onto the ground.

The song draws to an end with “There is the door” as Lute, blood running from where one of her arms used to be, kneels beside Adam with a look of anguish as she grabs at him to turn him over. Adam is against a black background as he looks up with a light frown. Lute looks down with tears building up in her wide eyes, irises shrunken as her frown wobbles. Heaven can be seen behind her against the bright red background.

The background turns white as Adam looks up from his place on the ground with a soft smile, golden eyes glowing under his upturned eyebrows. The perspective from above shows Lute still beside Adam’s body, golden blood glowing against the bright red background. Dark red curtains close over the scene.

At the end, laughter plays over a black and white scene of Lucifer and Adam in Eden. The two are sitting cross-legged on the ground amongst several ducklings, Lucifer laughing and watching Adam as the human guffaws with his hand against the side of his face. End description.]

MOON WALTZ ANIMATIC !!!

(song: Waltz in E-Major, Op. 15 "Moon Waltz" by Cojum Dip)

(also on youtube!)

[batboyblog]

Copy Right and Public Domain in 2025!

It's January 1st 2025 which means it's my favorite unsung holiday! Public Domain Day! This is the day once a year when, in the US, copyrights expire and things enter the public domain, meaning they belong to everyone! even you, Steve!

American copyright for books, movies, art work, and musical compositions (but not recordings, more on that later) runs for 95 years (way too long!) so today works published in 1929 join us in the public domain.

So whats free? so glad you asked.

Popeye the Sailor Man

Many people assume Popeye originated as a cartoon character but thats not true, he comes from a comic strip. The strip was called Thimble Theatre and Popeye was something of a late addition. Thimble Theatre was first published in 1919, so Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl has been in the public domain since before the big 20 year copyright freeze of 1998-2019. Popeye first appeared as a minor character 10 years into the strip's run but was so popular he soon took over and the strip would be renamed Popeye less than 5 years later. Now as always whats public is only what appears in 1929, later developments, remain copyrighted. Such as, while Popeye always had super strength its not till 1932 his superpowers were tied to eating spinach, and Olive Oyl originally had a different boyfriend named Ham Gravy, who she dumped for Popeye when he became the main character. It looks like Popeye is following tradition for famous now public domain characters and getting a quicky horror movie this year.

Tintin!

This is personally very exciting as someone who grew up with the Belgian boy detective. Like Popeye I expect a lot of people don't know that Tintin started off as a weekly comic strip. Indeed Tintin appeared as a part of a weekly youth supplement in the Catholic newspaper The Twentieth Century. Any ways, Tintin was first published in there in January 1929, and soon would start what would become the first Tintin story, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. Now only part of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets was published in 1929, the story line wrapped up in May 1930, so only those 1929 stories and what appears in them is free and clear and Tintin was published in black and white not color. Tintin's author Hergé had no idea what he was doing and was really learning on the job so In The Land of the Soviets is generally seen as his weakest outing and the only one he never opted to redraw in later years. Even so it's nice to see the character free in the world. No word on if Tintin will star in a horror movie.

Buck Rogers (but not really)

The original futuristic space man was published, again a comic strip, in 1929 which means he should enter the public domain today, but he won't. That's because he already is public domain! Before the Copyright Act of 1976 copyright was 28 years with the option to renew for another 28 years. The copyright on the original comic strips was not renewed so ran out at the end of 28 years, 1958. So Buck Rogers has been free and clear for close to 70 years now, whatever you hear about him today.

What else?

Famously last year Mickey Mouse entered the public domain, but all the entered public domain was one (maybe two) animated short, Steamboat Willie. Well this year a dozen Mickey Mouse animated shorts enter the public domain, including the first time Mickey has his iconic white gloves, and the first time Mickey speaks (the first thing Mickey Mouse ever says, voiced by Walt Disney himself, is "Hot dogs! Hot dogs!" in case you were wondering) This will give creators much more to work with if they want to use Mickey in their works which is exciting.

Speaking of Walt Disney, The Skeleton Dance is entering public domain, you likely don't know the title but I suspect you've seen at least part of it at some point

so look for this showing up on TVs in the backgrounds of films and TV shows in the next year or so

Books

The iconic novels of World War I, Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms and Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front enter public domain. In fact All Quiet on the Western Front entered public domain last year, but only in the original German, the 1929 translation by Arthur Wesley Wheen is whats entered the public domain now. John Steinbeck's first novel, Cup of Gold, William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, and Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery (always get an Agatha Christie novel on this list for the rest of our lives). Dashiell Hammett published both Red Harvest and The Maltese Falcon, later made into one of the greatest films of all time, in 1929. Future children's book author E. B. White (who's go on to write Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little) and future New Yorker cartoonist and humorist James Thurber teamed up to write the delightfully titled Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do a book of spoof essays making fun of popular books on Freudian sexual theories at the time. The Roman Hat Mystery the first of the long running Ellery Queen mysteries was published, Queen would keep publishing mysteries into the 1970s (and Ellery Queen was a pen name for two people). Richard Hughes' A High Wind in Jamaica and Oliver La Farge's Laughing Boy also came out in 1929 and are in the public domain now. There's much else but those are the highlights sorry if I missed your favorite 1929 novel.

Movies

Alfred Hitchcock and Cecil B. DeMille's first movies with sound, Blackmail and Dynamite respectively, came out in 1929. Marx Brothers' first feature film The Cocoanuts joins the public domain. Other comedy land marks are Harold Lloyd's first sound film, Welcome Danger and Buster Keaton's last silent film, Spite Marriage (which Keaton also directed). John Ford's first sound film, The Black Watch, which also is 21 year old John Wayne's first appearance in a film, as an uncredited extra, he worked in the art department. Hallelujah the first studio film to have an all black cast came out that year. Also worth noting is The Hollywood Revue of 1929 a singing and dancing review, one of the earliest and the movie that popularized the song Singin’ in the Rain, maybe the first time a movie made a song a hit.

Musical compositions

musical compositions, ie the lyrics and musical notations you might see on sheet music are governed by the 1976 Copyright Act, and music written in 1929 is public domain. Music recordings are governed by a whole different law (we'll get there). Songs written in 1929 include Singin’ in the Rain by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Black and Blue by the legendary Fats Waller, What Is This Thing Called Love? by Cole Porter, Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Alfred Dubin, You Were Meant for Me by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown, and also Happy Days Are Here Again by Jack Yellen which would become FDR's campaign theme song in 1932.

Art!

a number of pieces by Salvador Dalí including:

Illumined Pleasures

The Accommodations of Desire

The Great Masturbator

are entering the public domain as is René Magritte’s The Treachery of Images.

Art is hard because while movies and books are clearly "published" and put on sale, what counts as "published" for a piece of art? the law is not totally sure.

Musical Recordings

as I promised, we got here. Till 2017 there were no federal laws governing the copyright of music recordings before the 1970s, it was governed by a confusing patchwork of state laws and it was not totally clear what was or was not free and clear even from the very earliest recordings ever. Now the term of a music recording's copyright is set at 100 years (way too long) so music recorded in 1924 is now public domain such as. Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen by Marian Anderson, Everybody Loves My Baby (But My Baby Don’t Love Nobody But Me) by Louis Armstrong, California Here I Come by Al Jolson, Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, Shreveport Stomp by Jelly Roll Morton, Mama’s Gone, Good Bye by Ray Miller, and It Had To Be You by Marion Harris. Now many recordings a lot less famous can finally be preserved and digitized to save them for the next 100 years. Many abandoned works are literally rotting away since without the copyright holder's permission digitizing a work isn't legal.

[sahara-silver]

ATTENTION:

I am doing art commissions in exchange for donations to the gofundmes of the many Palestinians that have reached out to me. Any donation will get you something as every bit counts, but the higher the donation the more I will make for you

For under 5$, you can get:

A profile picture in black and white, traditional or digital.

A sketch of any animal traditional or digital.

A color palette based on a prompt.

For 5$, you can get:

A full color profile picture of anything.

A Chibi drawing of any character in black and white.

A color palette with simple drawing.

For 10$, you can get:

A short fanfic about anything you want, about 1-2 pages.

A simple colored drawing, digital or traditional. Any subject.

2 Chibis of any characters in full color.

For 15$, you can get:

A 5 page fanfic of any subject.

A drawing on any character in simple cartoon style, fully colored.

For 20$ or more, I'll draw, write, or edit anything you want! Just ask and I'll do it!

THIS IS ONLY PART ONE! I LITERALLY COULD NOT GET TO ALL OF MY ASKS IN TIME, SO I WILL ADD ADDITIONAL CAMPAINS LATER

HERE ARE THE GOFUNDMES TO DONATE TO!:

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@ibrahimposts Help Ibrahim's family escape the Gaza war

@isra-elazaiza Aid Gaza's Displaced Family Find Sanctuary

@jody-family Help jody and her family evacuate from Gaza

Please look in the reblogs for the full list!

[sfehvn]

new religion

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Description: AU- Astarion is enamored by you, and while he fights it at first, he may have just found his new religion. A/N: Just a tad bit of sweet smut to be honest. This was my listen while I wrote if you were curious. Enjoy! xx Rating: M (18+ minors DNI) Word count: 2,069 Characters: soft!ascended!Astarion x fem!au!Tav

━─━────༺༻────━─━

  From the moment Astarion had seen you, he knew he had to have you. Walking through the animated city of Baldur’s Gate, your radiant smile was the first thing that had caught his eye. Flowing hair kissed your shoulders adorned with freshly plucked daisies. Your aroma was the most intoxicating scent that had graced his nose in all of his years. Your rose-tinted cheeks teased with the blood flowing beneath your flawless skin. Your eyes sparkled with wonder, reflecting the rays of the sun above. He had never been a believer in the love at first sight nonsense, yet there you were. If his undead heart could beat, he was sure it would be skipping against his ribcage. It was the only time the vampire had found himself utterly speechless. 

  For months, he watched from afar, finding excuses to go into town. Not that he had to excuse anything to anyone, but the newfound feelings were frightening, to say the least. Alas, day after day Astarion went out, whether for a drink or an unnecessary shop trip, and he would wait to get even the slightest glimpse at you. He was aware that this obsession was snowballing out of his hands as he fell harder and deeper. Hells, he had never even spoken to you. Yet he knew nearly everything there was to know. 

  He knew every other day you made your way to the apothecary to pick up medicines for your sick father, whom you cared for. He knew once every fifth day, you picnicked in the graveyard next to your mother’s grave. He knew your favorite color was yellow because it reminded you of the summers you spent with your mother before her untimely passing. You had six siblings: an older brother and five young sisters. 

  Astarion had also realized that you had a death wish, apparently. You were constantly staying out past sundown, running errands or helping neighbors. Did you even comprehend the dangers? He would often think to himself. Of course he had to follow you home to ensure you made it inside safely. You were becoming a liability to him, and quite frankly, he was terrified of how you made him feel. Just when he had decided to end this one-sided arrangement, there you were. Sat on the side of the road with tears pooling rivers down your cheeks, his body felt out of his control as he approached you.

  He stood in front of you, his words caught in his throat. You stared at him with those big doe-eyes, and his knees felt like jelly. “Are you alright?” He finally managed out. Gods, what am I doing? I should just sink my fangs into her and be done with it. It’s just bloodlust. This was something he had tried to convince himself of many times already- a lie.

  “Oh, yes.” Voice sweet and smooth, like the finest honey gold could buy. “Just this silly book.” You giggled, holding up the novel you had previously been engrossed in before Astarion had found you.

  “Right. Good.” He clears his throat in an attempt to regain his composure and still his spinning mind. “I’ll just be on my way then.” You nod, gifting that sweet smile to him. Astarion felt his legs would give out beneath him if he stayed longer, but he didn’t move an inch.

  The man intrigued you, ruby red eyes and skin pale as the snow that fell during winter. He was gorgeous. An aura of mystery surrounded him, and you were keen to discover those mysteries. “Say, you live in that big fancy manor?” You question, breaking the awkward silence that had befallen you two.

  “I do. Why?” Skepticism was palpable in his tone. 

  You disregarded his tone, and he believed it to be your naive nature. “You have the most exquisite daffodils blooming alongside your walls. I didn’t want to pick them without asking.” Your smile is sheepish, innocent. Astarion doesn’t speak, his face unreadable. “I-I enjoy putting bouquets together. I don’t mean to-” He already knew this, obviously.

  “They are yours.” Astarion can’t contain the smile that tugs the sides of his lips.

  As you two stroll to the location of said flowers, Astarion finds himself loosening up in your presence. He watches you intently, the way you move your hair from your face as you carefully pluck a few from the group. He urges you to take more.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother. These are plenty.” You assure. In response, he crouches down next to you to help pluck the remaining flowers.

   After walking you home, Astarion ordered flowers to be planted around the grounds. With the help of just a little magic, within weeks, roses, peonies, sunflowers, and carnations bloomed healthily. You would come with a fresh serving of food, a bouquet as thanks, and collect the flowers. As naive as you were, you could recognize what Astarion was doing. The daffodils were a one-off in that area, but now flowers surrounded the entirety of his property. The rate at which they grew, too; you were aware some effort went into getting them to blossom so hastily. At every mention of a new flower, the next time you came, they were miraculously in bloom.

  This compromise had been in full swing for months when you finally questioned him about it. Astarion was on his knees as he snipped red roses from the bush, insistent on doing it himself so you didn’t prick yourself on a thorn. “Why are you doing this?” You question, a wicker basket that was already overflowing held firmly in your hands. 

  “I told you, you’ve nabbed yourself on these blasted thorns one too many times.” His reply came without a look in your direction as he continued to snip the stems.

  “That’s not what I meant.” A soft chuckle emanates from behind closed lips. He looks up at you in realization, his hands coming to a halt. Your breath catches in your throat as he stares at you wordlessly, longingly. Standing slowly, he takes a step closer to you. He drops the roses into your basket before cupping your cheeks, closing the distance between your faces. The kiss is electric. You drop the basket to your feet, arms snaking around his neck while he presses your body tightly to his, clinging to you like a prayer. His lips were a colder temperature than you expected, but they were soft and hungry. 

  That’s how Astarion ended up with you in his bed. As he eagerly ripped the pale blue dress from your body, you took note of the bouquets around his bed chamber. Every single one you had gifted to him was on display and in perfect condition. Your heart flits in your chest, eyes closing in ecstasy as wet kisses trail up the inside of your thighs. A soft moan is elicited from you as his mouth reaches your warmth, his tongue flicking teasingly along your slit. Your fingers thread into his stark white hair, instinctually tugging with every contact against your clit. Colors explode behind your eyelids from the euphoric excitement.

  He pulled away briefly, with his starving mouth against your thigh, he spoke muffled words, “I don’t think you realize how long I’ve been waiting to hear that, darling.” Your breathing quickens as you look down at him between your thighs with hooded, lustful eyes. His mouth returns to your clit and he suckles lightly, two fingers dipping into your dripping center. The sensation brings your back into an arch, aching to feel him deeper inside of you.

  The swirling motion of his tongue brings you close to the edge, your legs shaking mercilessly. Astarion’s free hand moves between his torso and your legs, holding them steady as he continues his work on your body. Just as you are about to cum, he places a final kiss on your mound before his eyes meet yours. “You’re much naughtier than I thought.” He tsked, crooning his neck at you before moving up your body.

  Your lips meet passionately, his tongue slipping effortlessly into your mouth to meet your own. He creates a gap between you as one hand holds him up, quickly removing his trousers and undergarments with his other hand. He pressed his bulge down onto your warmth, hitting your sweet spot as he grinds against you. “Do you taste how lovely you are?” He murmurs, plunging his tongue further into your mouth. You can only let out a delighted moan in response.

  Once he breaks the kiss, you press your slippery core harder against his erection. “Please fuck me.” You whimper lustfully, “Please-” Your words are cut short by the sensation of him rubbing the head of his cock against your clit, causing a delicate moan to leave your throat.

  “Fuck. You’re soaked, my darling.” He coos. As much as Astarion wanted to continue to play with your body, he needed to be buried in you as quickly as he possibly could. He slides the head of his member from your clit, pushing slowly into your welcoming embrace. He savors every sensation as he enters you. There is a momentary flicker of pain on your face as you adjust to his size, and he falters for a moment.

  “Have you done this before?” He asks quietly, pressing his forehead to yours, avoiding your throat to save himself from temptation. He cursed himself inwardly for even asking; he shouldn’t care. This woman brought a side out of him he had never met before- a softer side. The scariest part is he actually, well, liked it.

  You wavered for a second before shaking your head, confirming that he was indeed the first man to have ever been in such a position with you. The thought makes him feel feral. Such a sweet flower trusting someone like him to take your virtue; he would never admit it to anyone, but honor and pride swelled in his chest. He nodded in acknowledgment, “We’ll go slow, pet.” He reassures, hips rocking delicately into yours as he fills you with as much of him as he can manage without causing you discomfort. He lays a gentle kiss on your forehead as your pain turns into pleasure, still-shaking legs wrapping to engulf his hips.

  “A-Astarion.” His name sounded like a hymn gracing his ears from your mouth, and he wanted to devour you right there and then. It took everything in him not to plow you into the bed. His hand rests on the bedframe as he finds a comfortable rhythm, eyes never leaving your face. He wanted to soak up every reaction to his touch.

  “You drive me crazy, pet.” He grunts as his pace quickens, gripping the mahogany wood tighter at the magnetic pleasure buzzing through his body. He uses his free hand to effortlessly move you further up into a slightly seated position as his thumb once again finds your clit to draw purposeful eights over it. 

  “I-I’m- Oh my gods-” The moan is loud, music to his ears as your walls tighten around his cock.

  “That’s right. Be a good girl and cum for me.” It’s a stern demand, all to mask just how close Astarion was himself. His words push you over the edge, your body clinging to his for support as the euphoria rushes over you. Every hair on your body standing on end, you throw your head back and scream Astarion’s name thrillfully. 

  With you coming undone, he allows himself to reach fruition, his seed filling you to the brim. His hand on the frame loosens, and his head hangs, face full of gratification. He looks down at you, pulling his now-soft member from you, a satisfied sigh leaving your lips as you stretch contently, much like a cat. Your eyes were droopy, a giddy smirk on your face as you fought to keep them open. Astarion chuckles, pressing another kiss to your lips. “You can sleep, my darling. I’ll wake you in a little.”

  Astarion swore he felt the tiniest tinge of warmth in his heart at the sight of you so comfortable cuddled into his side as you dozed off. This could be a welcome change. Maybe his undead life just needed his very own light, his own sun. All he knew was that he was done fighting it. One weakness couldn’t hurt.

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

An Arranged Marriage, part 22

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21

1.6k words

While you absolutely needed summer clothes you got the feeling that Bira had something extra in mind. At least your husband seemed to like it!

(I am feral over my own character, ask box is always open for talking about my writing or just monster fucking in general!)

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“Thanks for helping me with this” you said as Bira lead you through the busy streets.

“Of course! I’m not going to let you drop dead from the heat! I’m just happy Zen’jan waved me down to let me know” Bira responded.

It was quite a walk to the shop, tucked into a corner of the city that was mostly minotaurs, though Bira assured you several times her friend who owed the shop would be able to help.

“Hoonti!” Bira practically yelled as the two of you entered the shop.

The minotaur woman behind the counter looked and smiled, “Bira!” and the two quickly launched into an animated conversation in orcish.

“This is Hoonti, a long time friend of mine” Bira introduced, “and one of the best tailors I know. She’s going to take your measurements and ask a few questions and get started on making you a few things to start with”.

“Sounds good!” you answered.

Hoonti got right to work, buzzing about you with her measuring tape while Bira translated her questions.

“Any preferences for colors? Or any colors you absolutely don’t want?” Bira translated.

“Nothing too bright” you said.

“That’s no fun!” said Bira.

Bira was almost always in bright colors and clothes with fancy trim or details, though Zen always dressed pretty simply. He seemed to be the odd one out though, most of the trolls in the city seemed to be more like Bira with bright, highly detailed clothes and lots of jewelry. The closet thing to jewelry you ever saw Zen wear were the gold bands at the base of his tusks, though he had gotten you a few bracelets and necklaces.

“Okay okay okay, nothing too bright but let me pick one outfit for you, please!” Bira practically begged.

“One outfit” you repeated firmly.

“Just one! And I promise you’ll like it, and so will Zen’jan! It’ll make him happy”.

You raised an eyebrow at her.

“Don’t worry, it’s just something traditional but it needs to be bright! Just trust me” she said.

“Sure”.

Many rounds of questions later and Bira and you were leaving the shop with the promise that Hoonti would drop the clothes off in a few days when she was done.

“So, you and Zen’jan” Bira began.

“Yeah?” you asked.

“He seems a lot happier than usual recently”

You could not help but smile a bit over that. There had been a shift in Zen over the last week, he was more relaxed around the house and was comfortable taking up space. He sat and stood up straight, no longer always trying to make himself smaller, he lounged and stretched out across the bed, he constantly showed you little affections like a hand on your shoulder or waist for a moment when he walked past or a quick nuzzle where he could.

“It’s been a good week” you smiled.

“Well, it’s good to hear that. He’s been doing better in general since you got married, he doesn’t look so tired and drained all the time anymore. He’s never been the best at taking care of himself, though it looks like he’s getting better about it though now that he has someone else to take care of”.

Bira showed you a few more of her favorite places around the city before walking you home.

“I’m happy he has you” Bira told you as she hugged you.

“I’m happy I have him too” you told her.

Three days later Bira and Hoonti showed up in the middle of the day laden with new clothes for you. Skirts, pants, shirts, and dresses of varying lengths, colors, and styles and much better suited for the weather than anything you brought.

They both fawned over you while you tried stuff on, it felt silly with how they fussed over you, but it was still fun.

“Ok ok, last one!” Bira called and handed you the last outfit.

It was several pieces all in a rich shade of red and trimmed with shiny gold embroidery and pearls.

“And I’m guessing this is what you were so excited about?” you asked.

“Just try it on!” she was so excited.

You ducked back into the bathroom to untangle the pieces; a pair of shorts, a wide rectangle of fabric with the beautiful embroidery on one long edge, and a longer thinner rectangle of fabric with the same embroidery in the center of one of the long edges.

“I’m going to need an explanation” you called from the bathroom.

“Shorts on, the wide rectangle ties over the shorts as a skirt, and just wrap the other around you and I’ll help”.

The shorts were shorter than you would have liked, the skirt came down to your mid thighs but because it was tied together it left quite a slit up the side where you tied it on you hip. You wrapped the other piece around you and shuffled out of the bathroom feeling rather exposed.

“Really?” you asked Bira.

“Yes! You’ve seen me in stuff like this! Don’t act so surprised!”

She helped you with the top, wrapping it behind your back and crossing it over your chest and tying it behind your neck. It left your midriff bare, but much to you surprise it at least covered a good amount of your chest.

“Absolutely perfect” Bira smiled.

“Its short” you muttered back.

“It’s good for hot weather, and for dancing! There’s a few festivals coming up that it’s perfect for. And I bet Zen’jan will like it, you should keep it on for when he gets home”.

You chatted with Bira and Hoonti for a while before both left to go about their day. You had to admit you had a lot of movement freedom in the outfit, and while it showed off a lot more than you were used to it was comfy and did look good.

Zen came home later that afternoon, in the last week he had been coming home earlier.

“I hope you do not mind, I stopped by the market in my way home and just picked up- wow” he paused when he saw you.

“It’s looks alright?” you asked.

“More than alright, you look incredible” he sat the food down and crossed the room, quickly placing his hands on your hips while he took a moment to take you in.

“Bira said it would be a good outfit for some festivals coming up”.

“It is, though now I am going to have to actually dress up for festivals to keep up with you” he pulled you closer until you were pressed against him and you could feel him purring.

You could also feel him hard against you. The two of you had been bathing together and sleeping naked, though both of you chose to ignore anything other than cuddling for now.

Zen was breathing hard and you could feel his heart racing being so close to him. He leaned down and nuzzled his forehead against yours before pulling you into deep kiss, wasting no time parting you lips and slipping his tongue into your mouth.

It caught you off guard. Zen never initiated anything, he always carefully waited for you to lean into him to cuddle, or for you to kiss him first. His grip on your hips tightened and you felt him grinding against you, felt the way he panted and moaned into your mouth, how his whole body heaved with every breath.

By the time he pulled away you were breathing just as hard, your heart racing while you looked up at him.

“I am sorry” he muttered, “Was that alright?”

You did not answer, instead you tangled your hands into hair and pulled him back in for another kiss. This time you pressed yourself against him and pulled him close just as much as he did to you. You slipped your tongue into his mouth and ran it along the base of his tusks before pulling back a bit and letting him lead again. His tongue nearly filled your mouth and you happily teased him by sucking on his tongue a bit.

Kissing him was never an elegant affair. His tusks always bumped the sides on your face and you also could not tilt your head at the right angle while you were wedged between them. Then mismatch in size between the two of you meant his mouth always entirely covered yours in an odd way, and it all added up to some rather wet, clumsy, and messy kissing but neither of you minded.

His hand drifted lower, cupping your backside and pulling you to rub against him, leaving an ache between your legs. Besides the night you had gotten drunk together, he had not so much as even hinted at anything more than cuddling, his sudden forward was was a bit odd but not unwelcome.

You pulled away from the kiss, “So, formal wear does it for you?” you teased, though at that moment he had also chosen to nudge your legs apart and press his thigh up against your center, making you collapse forward against his chest and let out a soft moan.

“When I come home and my beautiful wife is all dressed up for me it does” his voice was low in your ear and you could hear the need dripping from it. “And as beautiful as you look all dressed up for me, right now all I can think about is helping you out of it all, if you will let me”.

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Part 23

Tag list

@blushycadaver @hazyspacefairy @littlelovebug98 @tufflepuff23 @graveblanketgreen @krayziee

[ckret2]

✨⚠️ Wasting Away Again in the Goldilocks Zone ⚠️✨

If you're new here, this is one of those "human Bill in the Mystery Shack" redemption fics, you know the drill: Bill illegally escapes death via reincarnation; the Shack crew imprisons him til they can figure out how to kill him; but they won't, because Bill's gonna make friends with them and literally everybody else in town. Whether they like it or not.

Featuring!! The slowest redemption arc you've ever read; "human" Bill that doesn't decide being trapped in an alien body is fine; show-style episodic plot structure; individual plot arcs for characters you've never even cared about; so canon compatible we even include the dang coloring book; and so TBOB-compatible over a year before TBOB came out that I'm considering taking up a position as the Oracle of Delphi just so Apollo stops barraging me with dodgeballs.

New chapter every Friday, 5pm CST! Yes, that includes this Friday!

For art, doodles, upcoming scene excerpts, and posts about characterization & plot plans, see my #bill goldilocks cipher tag. For the fic itself, the first few chapters are on AO3, but tumblr's 60 chapters ahead:

⛓️ 1 Part 1. Bill returns, in a bedsheet toga.

⛓️ 1 Part 2. Bill tries to murder the Stans & Soos (with time travel).

⛓️ 2. Dipper and Mabel save the day (with time travel).

⛓️ 3. A tense evening as the Pines prepare to get rid of Bill.

⛓️ 4. Plot twist: the Pines physically can't get rid of Bill.

⛓️ 5. The gang goes to a diner at 3 a.m. for hostage negotiations.

⛓️ 6. Bill escapes from Theraprism. [NEW!!!]

⛓️ 7. "How'd Bill get here" flashback; plus, entering his new prison.

💇‍♀️ 8. Bill gives himself a haircut and depression.

💇‍♀️ 9. Bill & Ford grudgingly have a sincere conversation; regret it.

💇‍♀️ 10. The kids decide Bill won't ruin their summer. Also: Pacifica!

🧚 11. Mabel gives Bill the most beautiful makeover ever. (It's not.)

📓🔺📓 TBOB BOUNDARY: Everything above this line has been edited for 100% compatibility with The Book Of Bill and posted to AO3! Everything after this line has not been edited... so it's only 98% TBOB compatible. 📓🔺📓

🧚 12. Pacifica advertises Harry's Hairy Fairy Formula. Bill wants it.

🧚 13. Pacifica refuses to share; the twins discover its side effects.

🧚 14. Mabel wins Bill's eternal friendship with arts & crafts.

💭 15. Bill, Ford, and Dipper have nightmares that are Bill's fault.

💎 16. Ford has a fun day with Mabel but everything goes wrong.

💎 17. The day goes right again thanks to healthy communication.

🎥 18. Mabel's Guide To Local Animals, co-starring Bill Cipher.

🧊 19. Wendy snoops into the weird things happening in the shack.

🧊 20. Wendy meets the weird thing (it's Bill).

🎂 21. Stan & Ford's birthday party! Bill gives evil gifts.

💭 22. Bill "helps" Dipper's nightmares; no one knows his motive.

👁️ 23. Bill's ex is back in town and nobody's happy about it.

👁️ 24. Everyone's even less happy to learn Bill has a sex life.

🧿 25. Mabel and Bill make friendship bracelets! :)

🧿 26. The Pines take Bill to the mall. He wears terrible things.

🧿 27. Bill breaks Mabel's heart (and panics to fix it).

🏳️‍🌈 28. Bill talks his way into going with Wendy to Rainbow Club.

🎃 29. Bill contacts the Henchmaniacs on Summerween morning.

🎃 30. Costume making. Mabel pries into Bill's past, with crayons.

🎃 31. The Trickster's pals trick-or-treat; and Bill terrifies Dipper.

🪮 32. Dipper & Mabel make a poppet to control Bill.

🦷 33. Stan takes Bill to the dentist. In handcuffs.

🦷 34. Dentist & tooth fairy attack. Stan & Bill are still handcuffed.

🦷 35. Bill & Stan reach a painful understanding and stop the fairy.

🛁 36. Anime night; and Mabel makes Bill do community service.

🛁 37. Bill plots escape and runs into Wendy. Dipper panics.

🛁 38. Bill has the worst and stupidest day of his afterlife.

🌅 39. A cultist finds Bill; Bill tries to re-recruit Ford.

🚙 40. Gideon broadcasts car commercials; invokes Bill's wrath.

🚙 41. Bill apologizes for bullying Gideon. lol no he blackmails him.

🌕 42. Bill tells Dipper secrets of the universe; predicts an eclipse.

🌖 43. Gravity is disappearing; Ford and Fiddleford investigate.

🌗 44. Ford & Dipper drag Bill hiking; Bill faces his death.

🌘 45. Ford demands answers Bill can't give as totality looms.

🌑 46. Totality. Bill decides whether Ford lives or dies.

🌒 47. Bill feels rotten but finally explains the eclipse.

🌓 48. Bill has a complete mental breakdown.

🌔 49. The gang limps home. (Plus: a second dimensional eclipse.)

💿 50. Bill finally processes that mental breakdown.

💿 51. Dipper and Mabel try to remember the Axolotl's poem.

📖 52. The gang reads Flatworld. Bill isn't thrilled.

📖 53. Mabel tries to get Bill to talk about his home world.

⚛️ 54. Dipper, Ford, and Fiddleford do paradox physics.

📖 55. Mabel learns college-level geometry.

📖 56. Mabel & Bill have fun; Dipper & Ford prepare for murder.

💀 57. The execution of Bill Cipher.

💀 58. Everything you wondered about how Bill escaped.

💀 59. Everything you didn't wonder about how Bill escaped.

💀 60. Everything you never imagined about how Bill escaped.

✨✨ THE APOXOLOTLYPSE ✨✨

🪐 61. The Axolotl finds the second dimension's corpse. ✨

🪐 62. The 2D massacre is so much worse than the Ax thought.

🪐 63. A building inspection in the Nightmare Realm.

🪐 64. Even when Bill fixes things he breaks them.

🪐 65. A shape meets Bill as the world burns.

🪐 66. The gods & Bill negotiate him leaving Dimension Zero.

🪐 67. The gods deal with Bill not leaving Dimension Zero.

🪐 68. Bill is so much worse than the Ax thought.

🪐 69. THE END: the gods and Bill settle into a new status quo.

📙 70. Soos vacuums the attic (wow exciting)

📙 71. Soos decides how he feels about Bill's treatment.

📙 72. Fixin it with Soos: home redecorating!

🎥 73. The gang makes plans for the night.

🎥 74. Dipper's Guide to the Fremont Nightwigglers

🎥 75. Mabel's Guide to Secret Sleepovers

🎥 76. The aftermath of everybody pulling all-nighters.

🏖️ 77. Beach episode! The Pines fish! Bill tans!

🏖️ 78. Bigfoot, Agent Powers, and the cool teen gang.

Hey!! I posted chapters 61-69 AFTER this chapter, so if you've been reading along and HAVEN'T seen those yet, go back and make sure you've read them!

🏖️ 79. A post-fishing trip evening. The calm before the feds.

🕴️ 80. The government investigates the Mystery Shack... again.

🕴️ 81. What are they gonna do about the feds??

COMING SOON:

🕴️ 82. They're gonna seduce the feds.

The chapters have been renumbered!

Chapter 61 about the destruction of Bill's dimension was scheduled to post the week TBOB came out, so I skipped it and posted chapter 62 with Soos. By the time I rewrote chapter 61... it was 9 chapters long. I've now renumbered all the chapters to squeeze in ch 61-69.

This post was last updated January 16, 2025! If you're seeing this post as a reblog and it's been a while since then, check back on the original post to see if more's been added!

[mikeysagereblog]

⊗ superhero cartoons to watch when little!!! (or big, they're that good imo!!) ⊗

✧.* i've been wanting to make this list for a while now, mainly because i wanna talk about my fav cartoons/open up opportunities for other littles to find something awesome to watch!!! there's gonna be a lot of ranges in age ratings to add some variety for older/younger littles :)

✧.* also, i'd like to put a disclaimer here and say that a lot of these are on streaming services that i own, but other littles may not. i would also like to say that there are ways to get around a paywall if you can't afford certain streaming services!!! you can find full episodes on youtube/other sites for free!!! (just use an adblocker if you're on a site other than youtube if u can!!)

✧.* another disclaimer: any regressor of any age can watch any of these shows!! i just wanted to put the age ratings for those who want to stick to media that's more in their age range!! so, don't feel like you have to limit yourself from watching certain shows just because of how old you regress to!!

✧.* spectacular spider-man (2008-2009, 2 seasons): suitable for 7-8+, but i'd say it'd be okay for littles who regress younger to watch, too!! honestly, my all-time favorite spider-man cartoon!!! not only is it fun to watch while little, you can truly appreciate the show when you're big, too!!! josh keaton's voicework as spider-man is just- ahhhh it's so amazing imo!! the story is really good, the animation/style is just so iconic, and the colors are very easy on the eyes!!! (especially if you're sensitive to bright colors when little/in general) absolute banger of a theme song, too!!!

✧.* x-men: the animated series (1992-1997, 5 seasons): rated for around 7-8+, but i do admit that there can be some scary scenes for especially younger/more sensitive littles. honestly, this show is great!!! i loved all the different story arcs, how colorful the show is, the characters themselves- a lot of cool stuff about this show!!! be warned, there's a sudden drop in quality during season 5... i think they switched animation studios/va's or something because season 5 is NOT the best season of the show, i'll tell you that... 0_0

✧.* x-men '97 (2024-present, 1 season so far): rated for 14+, so this show is more suitable for teen regressors. it's a continuation of x-men:tas, and oh man... this is it. my favorite cartoon of all time!!! the animation is just oh so beautiful!!! the fight scenes are awesome!!! the soundtrack- oh golly the soundtrack!!! the remastered x-men:tas opening is just- wow!!! but, there's definitely reasons why it's rated 14+... not gonna spoil anything, but there's a lot of scenes in the show that can be upsetting for younger littles. trust me, watching some scenes when you're little is just- too much sometimes... (speaking from experience) it's an amazing show, but watch at ur own risk if you're a younger regressor!!!

✧.* batman: the animated series (1992-1995, 4 seasons): i'd say it's for around ages 9-10+, since it can be fairly dark at times. (same goes for a lot of batman related media!!) honestly, this show's pretty good!!! the style of the show is very dark visually, so it's easy on the eyes for those with bright color sensitivities!!! the artstyle itself is also very nice to look at!!! the voicework is amazing as well, especially kevin conroy's (rip) performance as batman himself!!! from what i can remember, the plotpoints were also pretty on-par!! i remember liking the show a lot when i was a kid!! :)

✧.* hulk vs. wolverine (not a show but an animated movie, 2009): this one's rated pg-13, since there's depictions of violence. but, i gotta say- this movie had me hyped up when i watched it as a kid!!! this was part of a straight to video two-movie collection, (the other being "hulk vs. thor") and i gotta say... this movie was awesome!!! the fight scenes were rad as heck, the animation was amazing, even deadpool was in the movie!!! (which, fun fact, was his first appearance in animation!!! other than the 2 second cameo in x-men:tas) very fun movie!!!

✧.* these are just some recommendations!!! i really liked these when i was a kid, and i hope you'll like them too, if you decide to watch them!!!

✧.* (also yay!! finally have a new banner!!! + i updated my blog's theme because nightcrawler is so awesome and he's literally my cg guys!!! he said it himself :3)

[nightmaremonarch]

jojo’s bizarre fantasy au BECAUSE I LOVE PART 5 AUGHHHHHHHHH

i rewatched the entirety of part five in the span it took to make this. Details about the lore and characters below the cut ^_^

Ok. I will be separating this based on character… in an attempt to be more organized. Included will also be my friend’s description that she gave for each character upon seeing the drawing.

Giorno Giovanna — Race, half vampire. Stand name, Gaia. Unfortunately lost his silly victory rolls, which have been replaced with donut shaped curls. Has a dream of usurping the Crimson King and ending his oppressive reign.

Friend’s Description: “‘pink is still manly for this era guys trust’”

Trish Una — Race, human(?). Stand name, Spice. I like to think she tries to maintain an air of elegance and superiority, but she’s just a kid who doesn’t particularly want to be in the situation she’s in. The princess of an underground kingdom? No way. She just wants to be Trish.

Friend’s Description: “Noblelady”

Guido Mista — Race, human. Stand name, Coitus Cluster (good god the creative juices are NOT flowing). Best archer, like, ever. Probably enjoys animal furs but is too broke to get any. Stinky loser.

Friend’s Description: “Robin hood.”

Pannacotta Fugo — Race, elf. Stand name, Purple Death. Former nobleman and still dresses like it. Had to limit the holes in his clothes because he is, unfortunately, not immune to being sunburn.

Friend’s Description: “totally not a vampire”

Bruno Bucciarati — Race, human. Stand name, Strings of Fate. I love him. He’s the love of my life. I may or may not have put the most effort into his outfit. He’s so beautiful. No notes. Also, since zippers weren’t invented till like… mid 1800’s, rather than zippers, he uses strings!!! Tugs on ‘em the way you would a loose hem…

Friend’s Description: “Italian nobleman”

Leone Abbacchio — Race, drow. Stand name, Rewind. It takes the form of a snake!! Because Moody Blues had them.. neck thangs. I don’t know. Anyways. Abbacchio coulda been drippier, but at the time of drawing I was running low on brain power.

Friend’s Description: “TOTALLY NOT A VAMPIRE”

Narancia Ghirga — Race, human. Stand name, Pheonix. Due to the fact that airplanes did NOT exist prior to some point in the 1900’s, Narancia’s stand is a bird. Probably breathes fire and can detect carbon dioxide… cannot come back from the dead though. Sorry buddy. Also, his left eye is blind from his eye infection. Sorry again buddy.

Friend’s Description: “peasant working on a merchant ship”

AND FINALLY:

Diavolo — Race, Demon. The Crimson King. He took FOREVER to draw. Especially those tattoos. I tried to make his color scheme salvageable, but seeing as I was working with Diavolo’s actual color scheme… it is not the best. Diavolo used to have wings as well, but after an incident that prompted him to go underground, they’re gone. He hides in the body of a halfling named Vinegar Doppio… though they are two completely separate entities.

Friend’s Description: “Dante’s homosexual Inferno”

idk if ill elaborate more on this au. depends on the reception of this…!! this is all just for fun… goofs and gaffs… love u sorry for only posting wips for months before this

also in this au i think stands would be called spirits/be spirits ok that’s all fr now bye love u

[oftlunarialmoon]

75 Agere Journal Prompts

Draw yourself a kawaii bento lunch!

Write down any chores for the day as a to-do list or sticker check off list

Design a smol outfit

Make a playlist for your littlespace

Draw portraits of your stuffies

Write your headcanons for your comfort characters as caregivers

Write down some animal facts from different parts of the world that interest you!

List items that are your favorite color

Make a magazine collage with a specific theme

List ideas you want to do in certain seasons

List your favorite agere nicknames

Write down any agere headcanons you have for fictional characters or OCs

List stuffie name ideas

List all your current stuffie names

List your favorite phone apps for littlespace

Make a tier list of your opinions on different types of candy

Draw what your favorite characters would look like as stuffies

Invent a new kidcore fashion trend

List 5 facts about your favorite sea animal

Design your Jolly Roger if you were a pirate

Draw yourself as a Pokemon Trainer

List how you deal with stress in agere methods

Write out any recipes you can make while regressed

List crafts you’d like to make

Make a page about your morning routine when regressed

Make a page about your night time routine when regressed

Write out any rules or guidelines you have when regressed

What’s on your Agere/Littlespace Movies list?

Write about what you would do on a visit to the beach

List any animes you like when small

List your favorite agere books

Dear Past Me - What would you tell your past self?

Dear Future Me - What would you tell your future self?

List songs that make you regress

List your regression triggers (positive or negative)

Write about how you would comfort a friend in need

Write about your dream vacation

Make your christmas/birthday/holiday gift wishlist

List your fave agere video games

List your favorite stims

Write a letter to your favorite fictional character

Write a letter to a friend or family member

Play I spy and write down the categories and things you find

Make a page of your top 5 agere songs from the last month

List free activities you can do when regressed

Make a collage page from a coloring sheet and stickers

Play scavenger hunt with stickers of your preferred theme

Use a page to write down word games like word scrambles and mad libs

Fill a page with positive messages for yourself to read later

Write down tarot interpretations if you do tarot reading while smol

List ideas for kandi bracelets you could make

Declare a random day a holiday of some kind, write down how you celebrate it

Use a page to “braindump” all of your current thoughts, even if it’s babbling

Make a sticker collage inspired by your caregiver

Make a sticker collage inspired by the seasons

Trace your hand onto the page and give yourself fun nail art, tattoos, or accessories

Draw a race track for a toy car, add obstacles or scenery with stickers

Write a social media profile page for a comfort character

Make a “top secret” file with your stuffie’s secrets >:)

Make a collage inspired by yourself

Dedicate a page to facts about one of your special interests

Write a poem for your pet (or fave stuffie!)

Draw a scene around a sticker of your favorite animal

Draw the inside of a house and use stickers to furnish and decorate it

Draw a scene to play with your toys in

Try a mindful reset page (List problems you’re facing, then list more positive mindset changes to each one)

Document the stories you play out with dolls or toys

Write down “this or that” prompts in one color then answer them in another color !

Use stickers to tell a story or make a fun comic

Fill a page with word art, using any words that make you feel smol

Make a list of all of your OCs

Use a page to document Minecraft coordinates of your favorite builds

Draw the outline of a purse or bag, and use stickers to show what a character of your choice would have in their bag, or-

Use stickers to show what you would put in your dream agere bag!

Draw a face on a page in marker or pen, and use makeup to decorate it! (or face paint :p)

[byunpum]

Ghost girl | prologue

Pairing: Sully family x Albino na'vi!fem (for the moment)

Warning: All the characters are aged up 20’s, disaster, injured, death, neytiri being the mom we all need.

Note:I had this draft written, and it was taking dust. So I'm posting it, so you can read it and tell me what you think. You can see that I haven't paired the reader with any of the characters, and I think it's my first writing that the reader is not human. So I would like to know if you like it, and if so, who would you like to be Y/N's partner?

AVATAR MASTERLIST | Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5(final)

You felt short of breath, the more you ran. A wave of fire was coming towards you. Holding your newborn baby in your arms. Turning to see your village being burned. You had to run, you had to get your baby to safety. The great trees that were once cold, were ablaze with flames. Climbing up a hill, fighting with your feet stuck in the snow. Resting a little, seeing how everyone was gone. The ships of those humans had destroyed everything.

Their ships were moving away, leaving a desert of fire in the snow. You can feel someone touching your chest, bringing you out of your shock. Your baby touches your chest, starting to cry. You hug him tighter, trying to find some consolation. Your family, your people…they were all dead. Two attacks in less than 6 months, just for a piece of land, just for having that damn mineral. Tears welled up in your eyes, you were heartbroken. It was all over…you were alone. You stood for a moment, analyzing the situation. You could still hear the sound of falling trees, the burning snow and the horrible smell of death. You had several wounds on your hands and legs. But they were not as worrying as the open wound on your right thigh.

You had tried to bandage it, before running out of your family's hut, as it burned. But it was barely covered. Groaning in pain, you sit down in the snow. You had to think about what you were going to do, you were alone. You had no home…those demons had taken everything from you. Holding your baby, closer. Kissing his hair. "Easy…easy" you speak. You had to get shelter, and fast. From your chest hung a beautiful green stone that your mother gave you minutes after you lost track of it. She had told you that there was a jungle clan, the Omaticaya. That they could help me, that it was the safest place. Taking the stone in your hand, to now take a look at the opposite side of the landscape.

You were from the clan of the icy mountains, the trip was going to be hard and dangerous. You were not a hunter, or an explorer. You were simply a girl who had lost everything. But you had no choice, rising from the ground. Bowing in respect. "Eywa…take care of my village, my people…take them with you. Promise them that we will meet again. I promise" you make the 'i see you' sign. Taking a last look at what was once your home, and leaving for the unknown.

The jungle was quieter than usual, the wildlife could be heard sounding. That's what neytiri thought as she walked in search of an animal. She had gone out to hunt alone. She had to clear her head, and spend time alone like the old days. Playing and touching some flowers, when out of nowhere he hears a small whimper. Her whole body freezes, raising her ears to listen better. That noise was not coming from an animal. She stayed silent, waiting to hear it again. A few minutes later, she heard the soft whimper again, someone was in danger. She was confused, it could be a human calling for help. Or a wounded na'vi. She didn't want to risk it if it was a human, she only socialized with the humans on the base, far from that nothing. But something told her she had to go see what was going on. Taking a deep breath, she walked slowly to where those whimpers were heard.

Peering carefully through the bushes, her eyes widen. When she sees a na,vi leaning against a tree. But that was not what was impressive, what had caught her attention. It was the color of this woman's skin, you had snow-white skin. Just like your hair, the stripes that adorned your skin were almost a blue that faded into your skin. Neytiri stood watching, she had never seen anything like this in her life. She was in a state of shock, it wasn't until she heard a whimper coming from the girl's arms. Neytiri looked down, seeing how she was holding the baby. But the grip was lazy, watching as the girl tried to move her arm, but it was too weak. Neytiri decided to approach carefully.

Neytiri holds her bow close to her, still being suspicious. Just to get close enough, to make you look up. Neytitiri felt her chest tighten when she could see how young the girl was. According to her she had to be the same age as her children. She let go of her bow, noticing that there was no weapon on any part of your body. But that you were injured, with burns.

You lift your gaze, looking at the woman. She was strange to your eyes, just as she was the first time you had seen a jungle na'vi. Looking down again, you were so exhausted. You had no strength to go on, your thigh wound was serious. And you had barely eaten in two days. You watch as the woman kneels down in front of you. "Who are you?" says neytiri. Trying to sound calm. "I…my name is Y/N te noeä pauzu'itan" you pause to catch your breath. "I am from the clan of the mountains of…cold" you speak, in a low tone. Neytiri moves closer to you, now all had some coherence. Her mother had told her something about these clans.

"What happened…why aren't you in your lands?" neytiri speaks, daring to touch a piece of your hair. Her maternal instinct, not allowing her not to help you. "They…they killed everything…everyone" you speak. "They?" asks neytiri. "The demons" you speak, neytiri hearing this word, tightens her bow. Closing her eyes, in response. Neytiri moves closer, looking at your wounded skin. And notices the large wound on your thigh. "We must heal it…I'll take you to the village" she speaks, watching as you awkwardly raise your arm. "No…I can't" you pick up your baby as best you can. Bringing him closer to neytiri. "Please…take care of my son. I can't" you are on the verge of fainting. "No…I won't leave you here" says Neytiri.

"I will die…I just want him to be okay…take care of him for me" your voice is very low. Neytiri notices how your hands are shaking, taking the baby in her arms. Watching as yours fall to your sides. "Thank you" you speak, smiling weakly. "I'm not going to leave you here" neytiri orders, getting up to think better. She had to plan something…in a matter of minutes neytiri created a sort of bundle, so she could hang the baby on her chest. Coming up to bend his back in front of you, taking your weak arms. Climbing you on her back, holding you tightly. She knew you could barely breathe, how weak you felt. Neytiri knew that if she left you, you would die in a couple of hours.

Starting her way back to the village. She walked as fast as she could, she had a baby crying. While carrying a girl on his back. She could have ignored her, but no…she could not. Getting closer to the village, taking faster steps. "We're close" neytiri says, waving your hand a little, hearing a 'mmm' in response. Good, you were alive. Entering the village, seeing how everyone was shocked by the scene, while neytiri walked fast to the hut where her mo'at mother was working. "Help, mother!!!" neytiri shouts, near the hut. Mo'at comes out quickly. To see how her daughter was carrying, what looked like a dead body. "This one" speaks mo'at.

"No…she's really hurt," says neytiri, watching as her mother begins to help her take the girl in her arms. Mo'at holds you on her arms, rushing to take you inside to treat your wounds. "I found her alone in the forest…she told me that her village was attacked by the sky people" says neytiri, she was scared. She tried to get there as fast as she could. Watching as her mother, began to examine your body. " She is from the clan of the cold mountains," says Mo'at. Mo'at finds the largest wound, and removes the dirty cloth. "I need to clean and treat this wound. I need the help of more people. Tell kiri to come" mo'at orders his daughter. Neytiri runs out of the hut.

She had the little baby on her chest, who had already calmed down, but she could hear some whimpering " calm down, we are taking care of your mother," Neytiri cuddles him, as she arrives to her hut. Kiri was with her sister tuk, talking to her father. They all see how neytiri enters in a hurry, she was agitated and you could see how worried she was. "kiri honey…come!!! Mo'at needs us" says Neytiri, Kiri without thinking about it gets up and accompanies her mother. "baby what's wrong?" shouts jake, from his seat. Noticing how neytiri ignores him and continues on her way to her mother's hut. Upon arriving, neytiri could see how mo'at had already started with everything, placing some medicinal pastes on the girl's skin. Kiri is surprised to see you, she has never seen someone like you before, but she doesn't ask too many questions. She feels her mother handing her something in her arms.

Kiri looks down, and sees a baby. Just like the girl they were healing. "Kiri hold the baby" says neytiri, approaching her mother. "Mom…will she be okay?" asks neytiri, she sees how your breathing is vague. But you are alive. "Yes…she's weak and I have to monitor that wound. But look" mo'at points to the large wound on your thigh. "I already put medicine in it…I need you to go get these herbs. I will make a drink to bring her vitality back" mo'at says, watching as neytiri ascends with her face, getting up to get everything her mother asked for. Mo'at watches as kiri is cooing to the baby, and began to wonder what such a young girl was doing alone with a baby. She could see that the baby was only a month old. Looking carefully at the girl's body, observing how on her neck hangs a green rock. Holding it in her hand, she had seen that rock somewhere.

After a rather agitated afternoon, neytiri was sitting next to her mother. Holding the baby, and kiri was next to the girl. "So what are we going to do with him?" asks Kiri. "I think it will be best if you take care of him…for tonight. She is very weak, I will take care of her" says mo'at, arranging a few pieces of white hair. Neytiri reaches over and caresses the girl's cheek. "Kiri…come let's go to the house" speaks neytiri. Kiri gets up, following her mother. Just as they were about to leave. "Neytiri…later I will come by your hut" says mo'at. Neytiri ascends, and leaves the hut. Looking at the baby in her arms.

Arriving at the hut, she finds to her surprise that everyone in the Sully family was there. Tuk is still small, so she runs to her mother. She hadn't seen her all day, but stops when she notices what her mom is carrying in her arms. "Is that a baby?" the little girl asks. Neytiri smiles, "Yes…and it's very small." neytiri walks over to where jake is. "A baby? where did you get that?" the man is scared and worried. Neytiri sits down next to him, moving the piece of cloth covering the baby a little. Revealing a totally white baby, his eyelashes, hair…everything. This causes everyone in the family to move closer. Including the two youngest men in the family. "That's…what is it?" asks lo'ak. Touching the baby's tiny foot. "I found a girl." Neytiri pauses, telling her family everything that happened. "Those bastards" jake says, the demons were just destroying…he was thinking to himself.

"I'm taking care of him…until she's okay" neytiri says. "but" she pauses…as some tears streamed down her face. "She is so young…I think she is the same age as you" neytiri looks at neteyam. The boy just looks at the baby that his mother holds on her chest. "and she's alone…I couldn't leave her there alone. She offered me her baby…she told me to keep him. Assuming she was going to die." says neytiri. Jake hugs her, and kisses her on the hundred. "You did the right thing my love…you're great. I bet that girl will be grateful" Jake speaks. At that same moment, everyone hears mo'at enter the hut.

"How is she?" asks Neytiri quickly. "She is stable…but she is very sleepy. I was able to give her the drink…she looks better" says mo'at. Kiri puts her hand to her chest, sighing in relief. " Mom…where did that girl come from?" neytiri asks, watching as mo'at sits in the familiar circle.

" The clan of the cold mountains…one of the most ancient clans. Great warriors and hunters. Their white skin, perfect for being invisible in their territory. Prepared to withstand brutal cold. Ghosts in white. They are not like all na'vis. separating in the far reaches of the mountains, to maintain their lineage. They carry a beautiful magic in their being… they are the favorites of eywa." mo'at spoke, watching as everyone listened to her intently. "Your father and I met them… making a pact of peace. They cared for us and we cared for them. But we never had another close call…not until now." Mo'at pulls from his pocket a stone. "This was given as a sign of peace…she had it around her neck. I guess she came for help" there was a silence in the room.

"She told me there was no one left" neytiri holds the baby tightly. Remembering how hundreds of her clan were wiped out, how their home tree was destroyed. And now they had to live in these caves in hiding. "I imagine the worst has happened…but we have to wait for her to tell us everything" mo'at speaks, reaching up to caress the baby's cheek. "Where is her family? Where is her mate?" mo'at asks. Neytiri falls silent, she too had many questions…but for the moment she was going to take care of the two of you. Until she could figure everything out.

[asidian]

Set breakdown time! Next up: Niko's room.

As before, I've circled the points of interest and numbered them to make them easier to talk about. Cool? Cool. Let's do this!

1: Niko's mom's name! This part is her and Niko's surname. The kanji are 佐々木.

佐 – sa, meaning help or aid

々 – an iteration mark. When you see this, basically it means "exactly what the last one said, one more time." So another sa meaning help or aid

木 – ki, meaning tree

It's really neat that they picked a last name for her that doubles down on her role in the narrative. Just like Niko is there to support and help other characters in whatever way they seem to need, her surname hammers it home by including 佐 not once but twice.

2: Riza (リザ) Niko's mother's given name. Somewhat odd here is that it's written in katakana and not kanji. Without getting sidetracked too much (you can pop over here to read more if you're interested) most Japanese people write their names in kanji.

Katakana seems like a bit of a strange choice here, unless a) Niko for some reason doesn't know the kanji for her own mother's name (weird, given that she's in high school) b) her mother is a foreigner (a possibility; foreigners usually write their names in katakana) c) the set designer/whoever prepped the letters didn't know the appropriate kanji for "Riza" (seems unlikely, given how accurate all the rest of this is) or d) some sort of personal habit. An interesting side note is that her letter to Niko also puts Niko's name in katakana.

3: Cutesy stationery, used for marking your place in a document or book

4: A cute blue purse!

5: Watermelon! Judging by the shiny material and placement near the other bag, I'm going to guess this is another purse

6: Niko's clothes :>

7: Pink luggage

8: Lots of instant noodles

9: A rice cooker

10: Rice vinegar

11: This girl LOVES her some plants

12: Probably food items…? The one on the right looks like it might be a five-pound bag of rice, but I don't recognize the brand

13: Lots of unwashed dishes

14: A toaster oven

15: Chopsticks

16: A cute octopus pillow. I think I saw someone mention that it's from Ikea :>

17: She often leaves dirty dishes sitting on the bedside table

18: A painting of what seems to be a skyscape

19: Brightly colored pillows

20: Metal art in the shape of a moon

21: A decorative window hanging

22: More plants :)

23: Candles

24: Her tv

25: Cute pens with pompoms on the end

26: Regular tape

27: A cute cat statue

28: Marble Pop Ramune, strawberry flavor. Ramune is a type of soda that's a popular festival drink in Japan. It's sealed with a  glass marble and you have to pop the marble down into the little catch basin before you can drink it.

29: Anime wall décor

30: Fruit jelly cups. In Japan, small gelatin based snacks like this are popular. They're tiny, about an inch tall, and you eat them in just one or two bites.

31: Niko's laptop. She has stickers on it

32: Washi tape! It's decorative Japanese tape, often with bright colors and patterns, used for crafting.

33: A lot of cute magnets, including the bunny one, which serves double-duty as a kitchen timer

34: Niko's grocery list. The only thing on here that's here because she wants it is strawberry ice cream. The rest of the items, licorice tea, manuka honey, and Epsom salts, are all natural remedies. She's been trouble-shooting how to get rid of the effects of the sprites. She knows she's sick, but not why

35: Cutesy craft supplies! Sequins, glitter, and pompoms

36: More washi tape!

37: Niko's manga collection. She is that particular brand of organizational mess that does not put her numbered volumes in order. She has made an exception for the series that makes a complete picture when you line them up, though

38: More plants :)

39: Manga posters! Issho is one of the series that she has on her shelf

40: A decorative jar

41: Little metal bird sculptures

42: What seems to be the only framed picture in her room. The angle is wrong to see what the photo is, but it's interesting that they added just one in here. Maybe it's her family…?

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Templates: Character Sketch & Character Bible

Character sketches - the characters’ biography or CV.

Thanks to these sketches, your characters will have no secrets.

You’ll be clear about their appearance, behavior, past, and above all, about the way they must react under different circumstances.

They can take many forms, but they are usually divided into 2 groups according to their purpose:

Short Sketches: These contain the most basic information about the character. They are perfect for describing minor characters and can also be used as writing prompts. You can store them in a folder and resort to them when you are in need of inspiration. Georges Simenon used to choose two characters (a man and a woman, for example) and ask himself what would take them to the limit. The answer to that question was the beginning of a story.

Character Bible: This document contains a lot of information about each of the protagonists and their relationships with other characters. It’s used during the prewriting stage.

WRITING TEMPLATE: Character Sketch

Short character sketches can be used as writing prompts or as a prewriting strategy. Don’t be too exhaustive; it’s enough to just jot down a few general notes on your characters in order to know at a glance what is unique about each of them.

1. Sketch Number

Organize your sketches by number and add their creation date.

Make note of what story they belong (or could belong) to.

2. Character’s Name or Nickname

3. Type of Character

Role they play in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor...). 

When a character isn’t part of any story yet, it is not that easy to assign him (or her) to a role.

To solve this problem, ask yourself these questions:

Does (s)he meet the requirements to be classified as a protagonist (or antagonist)?

Should (s)he play a minor role?

Is (s)he a hero or an anti-hero?

There are many possible combinations.

4. General Information

Gender, age, date and place of birth, place of residence, etc.

5. Appearance

In this section, it’s not necessary to go into too much detail.

You just have to consider the features that make a character different from the everyone else (a scar, a limp, unique physique...).

Characters’ height, eye color, and hair color.

6. Personality

Try to focus on what makes each of your characters special.

Is he or she a home-loving introvert or a rather independent and sociable adventurer?

Choose adjectives that best define your characters’ personality.

Take into account their main virtues and shortcomings as well as their hobbies, fears, dreams, and goals (which can be important to define their motivations in the story).

7. Profession/Studies

What do your characters do for a living?

Explain the characters’ frustrated vocations.

The things they have given up can also define them.

Unless your characters are animals/fantastic creatures.

8. Family, Friends, and Acquaintances

Specify the kind of relationship your characters have with their family, friends, and acquaintances.

Who are the most important people in their lives?

9. Personal Motto

A personal motto, slogan, or catchphrase is a sentence or concept that sums up a character’s philosophy and values.

It’s not compulsory to invent it.

You can always use sayings such as “you live and learn” or “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” etc.

You can also use quotes by famous philosophers.

10. Notes

Leave a blank space for other relevant information such as my characters’ biography, a funny anecdote, etc.

Anything that helps you visualize them in more detail will come in handy when you start writing your story.

WRITING TEMPLATE: Character Bible

This must be as detailed as possible. In this way, you’ll be clear about your characters’ appearance, peculiarities, virtues, shortcomings, customs, relationships, etc. Think about actors and actresses who must be very familiar with the characters they play in order to make a good performance. A writer who gathers information about a character faces a similar job.

Feel free to create the type of character sketch that best suits you. If you don’t know where to start, you can use the character sketch outline that I use for my stories. This document covers the most important points of a sketch.

1. General Features

Organize your sketches by number and add their creation date.

Make note of what story they belong to.

Character’s name or nickname (with origin and meaning).

Character’s role in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor...); specify in which part of the plot (s)he participates.

Gender, age, marital status, studies, occupation, residence.

2. Appearance

Write about the character’s appearance:

Physical features, clothes, gestures, manners, etc.

Pay attention to the features that make a character different from everyone else (a scar on the face, wears glasses, etc.).

3. Personality

Information about their character traits.

Adjectives that best define your character and the way (s)he sees himself/herself; the way others describe him or her.

Hobbies, fears, phobias, fixations, dreams, and goals.

4. Family and Friends

Information about the parents of each characters (names, jobs, ages, and type of relationship with their son or daughter).

Hobbies or events that marked them deeply.

If your main character has siblings, a partner, children, or other intimate acquaintances (name, age, and relationship with the main character, etc.)

5. Biography

6. Relationships and Other Notes

Include the rest of the characters and state how they met your main character, the type of relationship (s)he has with them, and how it affects their life and their actions.

Leave blank space for random notes and observations.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Worksheets & Templates 600+ Personality Traits ⚜ 100 Sensory Words ⚜ Goals & Motivations

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Hey, so I made this account because I thought it was the best place to reach you for this. I was able to attend EVO2024 and got to talk with a lot of the devs for 2XKO. I thought you'd like some of the insights I found based on your latest Braum trailer reaction.

When asked about the more pastel style for the new beach background, they said they were experimenting with slightly different styles for Bgs and seeing what fits (they also mentioned how the map felt like a breath of fresh air given how little moving parts there were in comparison to the others). They actually have a whole post-processing system in place for backgrounds to quickly adjust color values, shadows, and lights in case visual noise does become a concern.

You were also spot on with the difference in facial bone density between Braum and the other more serious characters like Darius or Illaoi. Braum was specifically modeled for that expressive animation fitting for a strongman.

Interestingly, a lot of the LOR elements from Braum's kit were actually a necessity in redesigning his move-set for a fighting game. Designers needed to come up with new ideas to fill in certain gaps in his playstyle, and looked to LOR and other media for inspiration. This feels a lot more natural then Riot forcing the homogenization of the leauge universes which I do not think was a factor in creating Braum afaik.

A final thing I'd like to add is there are actually very few animators working on the project (around 3-4). Since 4-5 champs are constantly being worked on at the same time, animators are constantly jumping from champ to champ as bits and pieces of each character's kits get finalized-- which I thought was a very cool pipeline structure.

Anyways I hope you found this either informative or enjoyable and wish you a good day!

Oh that is REALLY interesting! Thank you so much for sharing this!

[ladykailitha]

The Au Pair Boy Part 10

Just a reminder no posting next week, as I have to recover from the holidays and all the fics I wrote.

Eddie throws a homecoming party and friends get hella pushy, so both Steve and Eddie push back

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Pt 7 Part 8 Part 9

~

The next night Eddie threw a coming home party and invited all the people Steve had hired, the D&D boys (Mike and Dustin), and even let Steve bring Robin as his plus one.

As Steve walked in with Robin, he instantly spotted three men he didn’t know. The broad-chested black man was talking to Charles in one corner of the room, while the other two, a heavy set man and a short, curly haired man was talking to Dustin. And judging from how animated they were getting, Steve was gonna bet they were talking about D&D.

He had even had a chance to look for their host, when Eddie came bounding up to them with a big grin on his face.

“Stevie!” he greeted warmly. “You made it! Everyone else is here at the ball, Cinderella. Come, come meet my friends.”

Eddie grabbed Steve’s hand and dragged him over to the two talking with Dustin first. “This is Bri-guy and Gare-bear!”

Steve laughed and shook their hands. “I’m the nanny.”

Eddie bumped their shoulders together. “He’s much more than that, he’s an amazing cook and the girls love him.”

“I’m Brian and this Gareth,” Brian said shaking his head. “And we know all about you. This idiot wouldn’t stop talking about the an–”

Eddie slapped his hand over Brian’s mouth and grinned brightly at Steve. “I think that’s about enough of these two, don’cha think?”

Robin got a twinkle of mischief in her eye. “Not at all. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Robin, the best friend and platonic soulmate of Steve. We’ve been friends for ages. How long have you known Eddie?”

Gareth grinned at her, sensing a partner in crime. “Oh ages. We all went to high school together. I’m not the original drummer and Bri isn’t the original bassist, but we’re the lightning in the bottle that made Corroded Coffin what it is today.”

Eddie dropped his hand from Brian’s mouth to put his hands on his hips. “How dare!”

Brian and Gareth cackled. And suddenly they were joined but whom Steve assumed was the final member of Corroded Coffin, Jeff Lawrence.

“Are we all picking on Eddie?” he asked gleefully.

“No!” Eddie and Steve cried at the same time the other three cried, “Yes!”

Jeff snapped his fingers. “Ooh! I like her! Jeff, the better guitarist of Corroded Coffin and its lead singer.”

Eddie pushed Jeff. “Oh get out. Only for the last album when we were trying something different. It was not something the fans liked. Asshole.”

“I’ve got to tease you, man,” Jeff huffed with a grin. “It’s so easy!”

“This is Jeffy,” Eddie groused, folding his arms like a scolded toddler. “Meet Steve and Robin.”

“Nice to put a name to the faces,” Jeff said with a charming grin. “Eddie talked all about Steve so Robin’s name came up a lot.”

Steve blushed, but Robin grinned.

“Glad to hear I made it to the dispatch notes,” she said, then turned to Eddie. “I’ve got to say, I really love this house. It looks like it stepped out of pages of a gothic horror film. It’s awesome!”

Eddie took a bow. “Why thank you, my lady!” He looked around his house proudly. “That was the look I was going for. I can’t stand all this sterile white, grey, and beige bullshit that is in vogue right now. Give me color and character!”

“Have you seen what Steve’s done to his room yet?” Robin asked cheerfully, knowing full well what she was insinuating.

Eddie flushed a bright pink, shoving his hair in face to hide the blush and Steve stared at her in wide-eye, slack-jawed shock.

“Robin!” he hissed, flapping his hands at her in embarrassment and dismay.

She grinned at him unrepentantly, folding her arms over her chest and sitting back to see what Eddie would say.

“I���I um...” he coughed. “I haven’t had the opportunity to see how Steve spruced up the place, no.”

“Robin,” Steve said low and deep in warning. “Eddie hasn’t had a reason to see my rooms yet as he’s only been home for thirty-six hours.”

Robin just batted her eyelashes at him innocently. “I would have thought he would have wanted to see what you did to the rooms he’s letting you use in his house.”

The other three members of the band were falling over each other, just cackling over this exchange. Steve was red from the tips of his ears all the way down the dip in his collar. Eddie’s mind tried to follow the thought of how much further the blush went. He didn’t have to think about it long as Steve grabbed Robin and hauled her off elsewhere.

He turned to his friends. “Oh shut it. Assholes.”

“Dude,” Jeff said breathlessly clutching his sides, “like that was the most pathetic thing I’ve ever witnessed and that includes the time Gareth tried to hit on the supermodel that last Grammy’s.”

“Hey!” Gareth huffed. “I got a date out of that, I’ll have you know!”

Brian put his arm around Gareth’s shoulder. “After I told her that you weren’t as big an ass as that interaction displayed. She was going to lose your number, man.”

Gareth folded his arms and pouted. “I hate you both.”

“But seriously, Ed,” Jeff said turning his attention back to Eddie who had been trying to slip away from them before they noticed he was gone.

He failed.

“It’s obvious he has the hots for you,” Jeff continued, “so why aren’t you tapping that ass? You wouldn’t shut up about him the whole time we were on tour. It was actually kinda annoying.”

“For real,” Brian agreed. “And please I don’t want to hear how you’re not ready to get out there again after Ethan left, or how you’re paying him to look after you girls because I’ve seen him with them and holy shit they adore him.”

Eddie buried his head in his hands. “Guys, I haven’t been home for forty-eight hours yet. Can you not try and hook me up with my daughters’ nanny for fuck sake?” He peered around Jeff, making sure Steve was out of earshot. “I don’t really know him yet. Yes, we talked a lot about everything during the tour but I haven’t had to live with him under my roof yet. I could hate the way he takes three showers a day or whatever.”

Jeff and Brian shared an exasperated look as Brian threw his hands in the air. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and took a step back on one leg. “That maybe if me and Ethan had lived together before we got married, maybe the marriage wouldn’t have blown up like it did.”

It was a small and simple “Oh,” from Jeff, but it encapsulated all the feelings of the three other members of Corroded Coffin.

“Shit,” Gareth hissed, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have pushed but we just wanted you to be happy. And you light up around Steve in a way I haven’t seen you do in years.”

“What would you know?” Eddie spat bitterly. He looked around at all of them. “What would any of you know? You scattered like kids around a broken window the second the band broke up. And where were you when Ethan left? Or when Wayne broke his leg? I appreciated the tour, it really helped me prioritize things. But you don’t get to come into my house and act like you’ve been there the whole fucking time when you haven’t.”

Eddie stormed off, leaving the three of them there with shocked expressions.

“Shit,” Jeff said, hissing out a pained breath. “He’s right. Fuck. He’s right. We should have flown out the second he told us about Ethan. But we kept putting it off until the deal about the tour came around and then suddenly we were interested in his life only when it benefited us.”

Gareth ran his hands down his face and rolled his eyes skyward. “Fuck. What kind of friends have we been? Like we’re all rich enough that hopping on a plane wouldn’t have even dented our fortunes at all. We should have been for the messy divorce and been helping take care of the girls. But what were we even doing that couldn’t have been put on hold?”

“I was the closest,” Jeff huffed. “I was in New York. Hell, I could driven down. But little shit just kept cropping up. Miranda’s health scare. Then she got pregnant and lost the baby. Which were important at the time, but Eddie needed me.”

“I don’t have any excuse,” Gareth said, shaking his head. “Because yeah, I was on the otherside of the world, but Eddie would have flown around the world a dozen times for me, but I couldn’t fly half way.”

Brian’s lip quivered. “My mom got cancer around the time, but I don’t think she would have begrudged me flying out to see Eddie. But I didn’t even give it a second thought.”

Jeff looked around the room for Eddie and spotted him standing next to Steve. Robin wandered off, leaving Steve sitting on a table, ankles crossed, swinging them back and forth, drink in hand as he listened to some story Eddie was telling him.

Jeff continued to watch as Eddie must have said something funny, because Steve threw head back and laughed.

“I think I see the silver lining to our neglect, boys,” he murmured, pointing out the tableau before them.

The other two men turned and looked. Steve was nodding vigorously, big smile on his face as he told his own story to Eddie.

“Because if we had been here to help Eddie around the house,” Jeff continued, “then he wouldn’t have gotten so desperate to hire a male nanny. Yeah, we fucked up. We pushed too hard. But damn boys, look at what grew in that barren wasteland, anyway.”

“So it’s settled,” Brian said, “we’re all staying in Indy to help Eddie and Steve get together, right?”

Gareth nodded. “Damn straight we are. Plus those kids Steve found to play D&D, I’d stick around just to see their style.”

“Looks like Operation: Refriend Eddie is a go, boys,” Jeff said excitedly, putting his arms around both of his friends. “And maybe we’ll get a wedding out of this, too.”

~

Steve had given Robin a good talking to. Like maybe don’t proposition his boss on his behalf before the sheets had even had time to warm up, yeah?

It took some proper talking to her to before she relented and apologized. Then stomped off to find some real booze. Steve knew she was going to raid Eddie’s liquor cabinet, but considering most of it was already out, he didn’t figure Eddie would mind too much.

Then a glass of whiskey was being dangled in front of him. He looked up to see Eddie smiling down at him. Steve took the glass with a murmur of thanks.

“Here’s to interfering best friends!” Steve said raising his glass to Eddie’s.

Eddie clinked their glasses together with wary smile. “I just wish they had been around more before they started interfering in my business. They weren’t around to pick up the pieces, so they don’t get to decide when to change puzzles.”

“Here’s to that.” Steve took a drink. “Robin is just trying to make sure I’m happy and she knows how much I love this place.” He shook his head. “I’m content with being the Au Pair Boy. I don’t need anything else.”

“You are much more than that,” Eddie said fiercely. “My girls love you. You’re special, don’t sell yourself short.”

“I promise.” Steve looked up at him through his eyelashes. “I love those little girls too.”

“Don’t look now,” Eddie said with a grin, “but I think our friends are spying on us.”

Steve took a drink of his whiskey and looked up through his eyelashes and sure enough the Corroded Coffin boys and Robin were all looking over at them, trying to look they weren’t.

“Quick, laugh!” Eddie said and Steve burst out laughing genuinely. “Oh, that was perfect. Good job.”

“Learning the art of actually laughing when you’re supposed to be fake laughing,” Steve said warmly, “is a skill taught to the children of socialites like my mother from birth.”

“I wish they gave you a crash course when you become famous,” Eddie said with a weary smile, “because holy shit it’s like being dumped in a shark tank!”

Steve winced in sympathy. “Yeah, they should teach classes and stuff.”

“Annoying best friends aside,” Eddie murmured. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Steve looked up into his eyes and smiled fondly. “I am too.”

~

Part 11

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog @tartarusknight @gregre369

2- ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @cryptid-system @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi

3- @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch

4- @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @ollieolive @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1

5- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

6- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

7- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

8- @sadisticaltarts @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @dolphincliffs @steddie-as-they-go @steddieislife

9- @kultiras @morallyundefined @themoonagainstmers @fearieshadow @blondie1006

10- @thesecondfate @wheneverfeasible @depressed-freak13 @genderless-spoon @yesdangerpls

[formylovetodaryldixon]

"Like there was no tomorrow." CH.3—Daryl Dixon.

Chapter Summary: As you try to get back to the home of the elderly couple you took care of, your way to them gets complicated when life puts a sad and lonely 5-year-old girl in your and Daryl's path. Now, you two will try to protect her from everything, even if you can't protect yourself from what you were about to find at Mark & ​​Ellie's house.

PAIRING: Daryl Dixon x reader

WARNING: Death, blood, a lot of bad words hehe (but also romance and even some comedy if I can get it right hehe)

ERA: From prison onwards.

A/N: Hey! I forgot to say this before but I was going to introduce a new character. April is a little girl Daryl and you find along the way, so you two decide to take care of her despite the constant fights between Daryl and April (I must admit I had fun writing their dialogues haha) Hope you like this♥ Thank you!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

During a heavy night, the fallen branches continue to break under the feet of the death, a horde of aimless travelers surrounding the cabin on their way to nowhere, but the sound of their growls mixes with the horrible silence that usually reigned in the forest, preventing you two from sleeping. Lying on the floor next to Daryl, your breathing and his are soft sounds, but somewhat agitated due to the constant danger.

However, on the other side of the place, the young woman and her daughter, who is 5 years old (although she's a little smaller) sleep peacefully, ignoring the world around them after wandering through the woods for days too, lost and scared. It's still strange to find people, because they were always wary of being robbed, kill or worse, but they were so hungry and hurt that they didn't complain about what animal they were eating after Daryl hunted some squirrels, cooking them outside as the sun started to hide.

But as you look to your left to look at Daryl, you can see Aeris too, clinging to the chair at the wooden table, staring out the only window, the little moonlight that filters through the thick branches of the trees illuminating part of her fur.

“You should try to sleep.” You say softly, thinking that night he finally will be able to do it.

But Daryl looks at you, with a deep gaze as he takes a look at your lips before stopping at your eyes. And it's intense, as always, like diving into a new kind of ocean.

“S’okay, peach. Ya sleep.”

And then, Daryl stares at the ceiling again. For a moment, you keep looking: the beautiful color of his eyes is still the same, and you remember his deep gaze on his almost always mocking, condescending expression on his almost stupid but very attractive face. During that time, a few strands of hair, dark blonde, fell over his forehead, framing that deep but accusatory look he had at first. But now his hair is long, darker, and you feel stupid thinking that he turned out to be even more handsome.

But at the same time, it is hard to look at him again. So, with a long sigh, you turn over with your back at him, as if blocking the view of him would stop your feelings from overflowing, and, closing your eyes, you fall sleep. Although it is a superficial sleep, because after a while, you can feel his strong arm around you, his chest against your back, his irregular heartbeats on yours. However, his breathing is calm in that chaotic world, and you stop yourself when the memory of him once saying that you were the reason why he could sleep at night, tries to emerge from the depths of your mind, the place where you sent that life you once lived by his side.

But when Daryl moves, you can feel something pressing against your thigh: and the memory of those mornings next to him come fast and it makes you chuckle.

“What’s so damn funny?” He asks, low so as not to disturb the others, his voice even deeper.

“Can you please tell that monster in your pants that I'm harmless?” You whisper. “I feel like if I move it’s going to try to eat me alive.”

Daryl scoffs but doesn’t move, eyes still closed.

“S’not somethin’ ya haven’t felt ‘fore, against ya… or inside ya.”

“Hey! Asshole.” The audacity in his voice makes you hold back a laugh as you try to pull away, surprised when you should be annoyed, but he doesn’t let you go. “Can you move? You're breathing all my air.”

However, against your wishes, Daryl pulls you even closer.

“S’not somethin’ I haven't done before either. Now be quiet or ya’re gonna wake ‘em up.”

For a second, you consider elbowing him, but instead, you sigh, part of you hating him but closing your eyes again because it is still night, while trying to ignore the tickle of his breath on your exposed neck.

But you don’t know well what time is it when you feel something sharp poking your forehead, a soft but firm blow that makes you open your eyes. The first rays of the sun are fighting against the darkness of the world, and then, you look up to see Aeris next to you, looking impatient. It’s still crazy how she can say a thousand words without being able to speak, but her dark gaze says it all.

She’s telling something is not right.

You sit up, so quickly that you wake Daryl as you turn to look at the opposite side of the small cabin, at an empty space no longer occupied by the young mother and her daughter, feeling suddenly the breeze coming through the half—open door.

“What?” Daryl sits up too, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

“Where are they?”

Daryl looks at the empty place.

“Maybe they went out to take a piss.”

“Leaving the door open?” It is still crazy, you know it as you stand up, your gun in your waist holster, but Aeris seemed to be tied too closely to you now to ignore the signals she sends you in the face of all kinds of danger, not just from the walkers. “Ruby, the woman, she can barely walk with that sprained ankle. Something is wrong.”

Daryl grunts in frustration, but he gets up as well, taking his crossbow from the floor before walking out of the cabin with you. Daryl takes the lead: he is a natural tracker, a hunter, too smart to find the footprints in a second, the different pressure of Ruby's feet against the ground due to the pain and April's small footsteps, and how they left a long path between the dirt, as if her mom was dragging her.

And only a minute or maybe two passes until you two find them, but the fear is so latent, suffocating and dangerous the moment Daryl shoots an arrow into Ruby's arm before she can shoot the little girl in the head. April is crying, terrified, but finally free, she runs to hide behind you, with your arm high as you point your gun at Ruby.

“What the fuck are ya doin’, huh?!” Daryl is angry, his eyes fixed on the woman who, even with all the pain and an arrow stuck in her skin, just squeeze the gun even harder.

"I'm sorry, it's the only way to save April." Ruby looks calm but absent, and even though she looks into your eyes, it's like seeing an empty shell, a broken soul with nothing inside. "I don't want her to go through what I went through."

You gulp before talking, a great wave of terror suddenly covering you.

"Whatever it was, Ruby, we can stick together now. Okay?"

But Ruby shakes her head, firm in her decision, and then, finally, you can see a tear running down her cheek as Ruby holds a broken smile.

"She's your baby now."

The feeling is surreal, like watching a horror movie, like being pulled out of your body, but life happens in a single second, that short time in which Ruby raises the gun and puts it at her temple, pulling the trigger before you can shoot her in any limbs to stop her. And the sound sinks into the silence of the forest, awakening the walkers that apparently still roam the place.

“Fuck.” Daryl curses under his breath, placing the strap of his crossbow around his body before taking April in his arms, settling her small body against his. “We need to go 'fore those things get too close, peach. Call yer rat and let's get the fuck outta here.”

He starts walking, but it takes you a moment before following him.

You lost track of time long ago without the aid of a watch, but when the rays of sunlight fall straight down from the highest part of the sky, you can bet is noon or close to it. Aeris rests on your shoulder now, always aware of the surroundings, but with no walkers or other danger in sight, she looks cam, so you can take a second to catch a glimpse of Daryl, who's still holding April, his naked forearms beneath her.

Her hair is dark brown, like Daryl's, kind of long, too. But it is strange how they even look like father and daughter, perhaps because of the way he carries her. And she looks lost, confused, but April seems calmer than an adult would be when faced with a loss. However, when April looks up and her eyes meet Daryl's, her expression turns serious, as if the depth of her little thoughts is sinking her frown.

“What?” Daryl asks, with his own brow furrowed in confusion.

“It is not okay to say that word.”

For a few seconds, he’s confused.

“What word?”

“The F world.”

When Daryl understands what she means, he scoffs.

“When ya get to be as tall as I am, monkey, ya can tell me what the f to do.”

“I’m not a monkey!” Frustrated, April keeps looking at him with the same expression, but she doesn't seem ready to give in. “And that’s rude. You are rude!”

Daryl has to stop himself from rolling his eyes, but to him, who had never seen a little girl that close, it's almost fascinating how that little monkey as he called her kept staring at him like that even though to people with common sense, he was always intimidating.

“Ya ain’t the first person who tells me that. Ya see that woman over there?” Then, he nods towards you. “Every single day, she told how rude I was.”

April looks at you for a few seconds, as if she's analyzing you, and you have to do your best not to laugh even when she looks back at Daryl.

“Is (Y/N) your sister?”

“No. She was ma damn woman.”

In a second, you slap his exposed arm, causing him to push away from you.

"What?"

“Don’t say that to a kid, you as…” You stop yourself too, exhaling before talking again. “You don’t anything about kids, don’t you?”

“I know they’re annoyin’, jus’ like this monkey.” Daryl scoffs, again, looking back at April. “Now be quiet ‘fore I make ya walk on yer own.”

For a long moment, you all remain quiet. But it is funny to think how Daryl and you spent part of your lives in the woods, because for both of you, the woods had been a way out, an escape from your reality. Daryl spent time away from home to avoid his parents, and you did too, just to avoid the cruel man your dad became when alcohol seemed to replace his blood. And when Daryl and you met, you two continued spending your time among the big trees, but without feeling so alone when you two were together.

“Were you married to (Y/N), Daryl?” April’s voice is low, unsecure, but she looks at Daryl with a sweet interest. He gulps, however, but before Daryl can answer, she's speaking again. “I don’t think Ruby was married to my dad.”

You frown, confused.

“Ruby was not your mom, darling?”

April shakes her head.

“She was, but she didn’t like me to call her mommy when we were alone.”

Daryl looks at you, and you both share an even more confused look.

“Did ya meet yer dad?” He asks, softly this time.

“No.”

After that, as if a great wave of sadness suddenly covered her, April rests her cheek against Daryl's shoulder, closing her eyes. With a final look between Daryl and you, before looking ahead, you both wonder what you two are going to do with a kid. You aren’t going to leave her, of course, but her suddenly present makes you asking yourself what to do next: before, you were going to stay with Ellie and Mark for a few days, making sure to leave everything safe for them to go find Sam and Daryl's people, but now, the most logical thing is for April to stay there, with you.

But about Daryl, you are not so sure about that.

When the world gets dark, so dark it seems like it could swallow you up in a new kind of terror, you all finally reach Elli and Mark's house. The couple's place is close to the woods, and now April is next to Daryl as you open the door of what was once a convenience store, closing it behind you the moment you all step in. It's dark, but the moonlight tries to filter through the small spaces in the wood nailed to the two windows.

"I'm scared." April says softly, her little hand finding Daryl's as they walk behind you.

He squeezes it, gently.

"It's okay, baby…" You say softly. "It'll only take a minute. I promise."

But why does it feel like something is not right for you anymore? It's too quiet, like there's no trace of life there, and the feeling stays in your chest. And suddenly, in a second, you are scared to death, too. The way from the hallway to the door that connects to the house feels eternally long, but when you finally reach it and you opens it, the loneliness of the place takes your breath away. 

The single curtained window lets in a bit of moonlight, but the small room no longer feels like a pretty picture from the last century. You turn around to see April, taking Aeris in your hand to place the falcon on April's shoulder.

“April, stay here with Daryl, okay? And take care of my baby for a moment, will you?”

April nods just like Daryl, and although you can see his insecurity in his eyes, you leave the living room towards the hallway in your way to the main one at the end of it. The windowless hallway is almost like walking blindly, but you know the place too well now to know where to go. 

However, you can't stop a thousand of worries from stabbing your heart like daggers. You feel an unreasonable feeling in your body, like lead in your chest, like a hand around your throat that cuts off your breathing, but sadly, the moment you reach the open door of their room, life just stops making sense. The closed window is covered by a thick white curtain, but it lets in a small light that shines coldly over the lifeless bodies of Ellie and Mark on the bed.

In shock, you cover your mouth with a hand, but nothing comes out of it, not a scream, not a cry, nothing, only the emptiness of your soul.

"Hey, don’ look…" You feel Daryl's arms turning you around, breaking the spell in which you seemed to be immersed, holding you against him. Your fists are on his chest, and you trie to breathe in the air that is suddenly so hot, like boiling. "I'm so sorry, peach."

You rest your forehead on his chest, trying not to give up, but the feeling is so devastating that for you, giving up seems easier than thinking about moving on with your life now.

“And April?”

“She’s okay.” Daryl says softly. “Yer rat is takin’ care of ‘er. That damn bird is a better babysitter than I could ever be.”

But even in the midst of the confusion, you're able to chuckle a little bit as you hear that constant and awful nickname.

"There are some canned peaches in the kitchen, and I'm sure April will like them. Can you give her those, please? I want to take the letter from Mark's hand before I close the door."

Daryl sighs, because he always hated seeing you suffer, in any way: from the time you cut your finger with the knife while cooking to when your mother died.

“I can get it for ya, peach. Ya don’ have to go there.”

You gulp, almost hearing your own heartbeats in your ears in that lonely place that once, it was like a home for you.

“I have to. But I’ll be fine. Don't worry, okay?" You look up, trying to be brave while holding a broken gaze.

Daryl nods, but you can see the fear in his eyes.

“Don’ give up now, peach, please…” He rests his forehead against yours, one of his hands caressing your cheek for a moment. “I can’t lose ya again. Okay?”

His words are overwhelming, and the plea in his small voice is as loud as the shot of a gun, that sound that paralyze you, that makes you think you might go deaf, so you just nod, pulling apart from him. Daryl is scared, feeling lost again like the moment he left you, but he just walks away, taking with him that warmth that he was always able to share with you.

And alone again, you walk in.

Lying both on the bed, Mark is holding Ellie with one loose arm around her body, trying to protect her as he always did since they met when they were 17, until their last breath at 88 years old. And it's sad, so devastating, but at the same time is kind of sweet to think that they both left together, always together. You can see the gun in Ellie’s hand, and the wound in his head and hers.

“I love you both, so much.” Your voice falters and the river of tears starts coming, threatening to fall from the edge of your eyes, but you keep them where they belong as you take the folded paper from Mark's hand. There, written in cursive, it says: To our first and most beloved daughter. "Thank you for everything, but I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. If there is a heaven, I know you two are there right now, so I hope to see you two there someday… if God is generous with me to let me in, too."

With a long sigh, you walk out of there, closing the door forever.

When you finally reach the living room, you can see Daryl and April sitting down around the small table, facing each other while eating the canned peaches, with a small scented candle in the center. The colors of the flame are fluttering softly on the night, but when old terrors try to loom over you like the shadows of the past, like when you lost your mother and your older brother, you try to focus on the almost comical way they are arguing about what cereal is better, and that feels like a peace offering from life to make you forget the pain.

“Froot Loops is better.” April says as you sit down, as determined as a 5-year-old can be.

On the other end, on the chair, Aeris seems to observe everything but without any interest.

“How ya even know?” Daryl asks, with an incredulous expression. “Ya even know what a good cereal is?”

Frustrated, April frowns, but it's like watching an angry puppy try to fight a pit-bull.

“Of course I know! Ruby’s friend got it for me once.”

She basically just said she never ate cereal for breakfast like a regular kid, even before the end of the world.

“Once...” Daryl scoffs. “I ate cereal for years growin’ up, kid, so I know damn well what I'm talkin’ ‘bout.”

April, knowing she’s losing, looks at Daryl straight in the eyes.

“Well, you are old. That’s why you know what you’re talking about.”

Daryl is getting frustrated, (not seriously, but it's like when he was arguing with his brother when they were younger) you can see it in the way he narrows his eyes at the little girl.

“Well, ya are short, monkey. Like a lil’ baby..”

There is a moment of silent around the table, but their behavior makes you roll your eyes.

“Okay. That’s enough. Finish your food, kids, I’m tired and I want to rest.”

"Can the three of us sleep together, (Y/N)? Please?" April's gaze softens as she looks at you, but you can see a new kind of fear in her as she looks at Daryl too. “Please, Daryl?”

She’s sweet and so beautiful that not even Daryl can fight against her, so he just sighs nodding his head.

A moment later and while Aeris is out there hunting her food, finding a place to sleep in the tallest trees as the falcon always does next, the little room, the little bed where you used to sleep alone is full of people now, warm bodies that reminds you that you are still alive. Lying on his right side at the other end of the bed, Daryl is looking at April, who is sleeping in the middle, on her belly and covered by an old but soft blanket, her soft breathing filling the room.

"You seemed very fatherly during the day until you started arguing with a 5-year-old girl." You say softly, laughing a little bit.

But when Daryl's eyes meet yours, he's staring at you so intently that for a moment, you fear what he's going to say.

"When we were together…" He whispers, but Daryl has to gulp the shyness in his voice. "Ya saw me as the father of our children?"

You think about it, wondering if it is okay to share your deep thoughts with him now, but there is something about the night, like a door that opens and allows you to be honest, or vulnerable.

“Yeah, I did. For a while I really thought that at some point in our lives we were going to start a family, perhaps a different one than the ones we had to live in.” You sigh, but you dare to be brave and hold his gaze. “You are a good man, Daryl, you always were, and yeah, you have a short temper but you are a good person, really. I just wish you are able to see yourself the way I always saw you.”

Daryl wants to say something about it, desperately, but he just doesn’t know how.

“What are we gonna do with her?”

“I really don’t know.” You exhale, deeply. “I wanted to go looking for Sam, but I know is not fair to expose April to danger.”

Daryl rubs his face with one hand, too tired to think clearly.

“We figure it out tomorrow. Try to sleep, peach.”

You nod softly, but you know he won’t do it by himself.

“Can you sleep tonight at least? Please, Daryl?” You say, trying to use April’s sweet voice.

And Daryl loves that, but he's too shy to let you know as he scoffs instead.

“Fine.”

You chuckle, closing your eyes too, trying that, at least for a few hours, sleep takes you to a better place, far from that cold world.

I'm tagging the people who commented on the first chapter, but if you don't want it that way, please, just tell me :) thank you!

@fluffy-dixon

@stunkbiggu

@kurogxrix

@ffsjustletmesleep