#Eric is fine with it though cause his family needs him to protect them

[thatonepikminperson]

Fun Facts about Eric (Fun Facts with OC's Series)

EYYYY IT'S OUR OTHER MAIN CHARACTER, THE OPPOSITE BOI ERIC

Eric is an Opposite, aka he was brought back to life by a magical as fuck mirror, titled the Opposite Mirror. Basically, it makes an opposite version of anyone who looks inside it, and Eric is Emma's opposite

If you're wondering about his previous life, he was a prince who was abused by his parents. Long story short, he died from alcohol and drug poisoning after being forced to live off of those for a week in his parent's dungeon. He was 16 when this happened btw

Fun little thing about the mirror, is that sometimes, when making an opposite, it ties the well being and life of one of it's creations to the real version. So if the real version gets cut across the chest, the opposite version with just have a cut magically cut across their chest too. GUESS WHO HAS THIS NEAT LITTLE ABILITY

Now, for all physical damage/affects, Eric and Emma share the consequences, like if Emma gets stabbed, Eric is gonna get a stab wound where Emma got stabbed and vice versa, BUT for all emotional damage/affects, it's surprisingly the opposite. For example, if Emma is crying or depressed, Eric would feel fantastic, while if Eric was feeling overwhelmed by something, Emma would randomly feel underwhelmed.

Eric is the leader of the Opposite dimension (Which is hosted in the mirror) and even runs the large orange hotel there for his other opposite brethren

Eric is tall, like 6 foot 2 tall. He has hit his head on several door frames before

Eric's weapon gifted to him by Void is made of his confidence. It's a magenta glove that can summon and throw/shoot fireballs. Now, when he first got it, it was manageable, but after suffering his first of many defeats from Creator, his magic went haywire, becoming so powerful that summoning a fireball in his glove, you know, his only way to attack, would start to BURN OFF HIS SKIN. He has several burn marks that have just healed over the burnt skin

Fun fact, aside from the magenta in Eric's eyes/magic, and the light yellow shirt and black pants of Emma and white socks of Eric, Eric and Emma share the exact same colors (131 Skin White, 23 Orange, CG1 Cool Grey, and 92 Chocolate)

If you want to know why Eric wears a dress, it's cause A. He found out he really likes them and B. the Opposite Mirror considers a dress the "opposite" of a jacket... for some reason (Cause I said so. I know it's not, but let teenage me cook okay)

Yes, Eric is a very VERY old OC. He was made before ANY of the Gods, aside from Chaos (Calmie was made third out of the main three Opposites, aka Eric, Daniel, and Calmie)

Also yes, Eric is a gender swap of Emma, and this is why the Opposites exist (Cause teenage me liked the idea of a gender swap lol)

Eric is the first Destroyer who doesn't have any black in his design, but he does have the dark magenta

Eric is kinda stuck at the age of 16, body wise (He was a very tall 16 year old boy. thank his parents dude)

If you've ever had siblings, then you know how Eric and Emma treat each other. (Murder, just straight murder)

Eric surprisingly can't cook to save his life, he will burn his hotel down, even without using anything that can burn (Bro can burn water by putting it in the fridge, that's the kind of incompetence we're working with here)

By the way, if you want to know the height situation with other characters, Eric is 6'2, Daniel is 5'4, Calmie is 3'6, Emma is 5'3, Chaos is 5'5, and Amber is 5'5. So yes, Eric is MONSTROUSLY TALL compared to everyone, and Calmie is SO FUCKING TINY compared to everyone (Human that is. Calmie is about the same size as most of the object characters)

Eric has several long dresses in different colors, including dark green and bright as fuck pink

If you're wondering the kind of enegry this man has, combine Dr. Doofenshmirtz with Gibi ASMR in her blooper videos and you get Eric. He's chaos incarnate while also being slightly evil (and even sucking that that)

Eric will eat fucking EVERYTHING, except for chocolate. He just... CAN'T with chocolate. This also extends to many energy drinks, including coffee. He just hates caffeine and fun (Clearly)

[chetillman]

chet tillman. ( written by ade ; he&him )

intro under the cut playlist / musings / threads / main

𝗂 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 / 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗂 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗂 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗀𝗈 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄

𝖻𝖺𝗌𝗂𝖼𝗌.

𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾 ... chester 'chet' tillman 𝖺𝗀𝖾 ... 47 𝖻𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗁𝖽𝖺𝗒 ... june 30th 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 ... cis man 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗌 ... he&him 𝗌𝖾𝗑𝗎𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 ... gay 𝗈𝖼𝖼𝗎𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 ... ½ owner of lost horse saloon 𝖺𝖿𝖿𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 ... the cowboy mafia 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 ... lucas tillman ( brother, deceased ) ; ( x ) tillman ( lucas' wife ) ; eric tillman ( brother ) ; joel aguilar ( partner ) 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗆 ... jake gyllenhaal 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 ... protective, charming, resentful, hot-headed, persistent, impulsive

𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍.

for someone who never really considered himself a family man, chet followed his younger brothers around absolutely everywhere. he was pretty useless around the things they did, though. it seemed like they had ranching in their blood while chet spooked every farm animal he ever approached. he’s always been jealous of their seemingly god-given talent, especially after they settled in paxton—tilly got himself a permanent gig at the blue rooster ranch and chet…well, chet got himself shit

his early beginnings in paxton were full of small side jobs, paid for handsomely because if there’s one thing he knows how to do is talking someone’s ear off until he gets them exactly where he needs them. excessively charming and full of can do attitude, chet quickly earned the reputation of that handsome devil who’ll fix you right up. home and car repairs, moving help, some work around the ranch, as long as no animals are involved, obviously—all you had to do was give chet a call

a steady, full-time job was not something chet was actively looking for but it still happened anyway, by way of falling in love. something he was definitely not looking for either. he met joel, owner of lost horse saloon, on a hot, august night—one of those nights when everything felt like it’s gone to shit and his life was turning into an absolute pile of dogshit. a connection formed over one too many drinks and chet only left the bar the next morning with a phone number and dinner plans 

even though chet quickly became very popular with the paxton community and was warmly welcomed into the town’s herd, he still didn’t feel like he belonged. he lacked purpose and people he could call his. tilly had his ranch work and chet had fucking nothing—until joel showed up and made space for chet in his life. another season passed and everyone started getting used to lost horse having two guys running it. tilly had his ranch and now chet had his bar

life became better then, clearer. he reached the type of stability he’s grown to crave with age. but there’s still a disruptive force looming over the somewhat picture-perfect life chet was trying to achieve—the cowboy mafia. both tilly and joel are involved with the group and chet would be lying if he said he never thought about joining himself. it was tempting at first, his fists itching to go back to being that guy who loved to cause trouble. but then he had to cover for his brother when some very suspicious men showed up at his doorstep one too many times. or he had to clean up joel’s wounds at three in the morning without asking any questions. all that made chet realize that he’d rather shoot his foot off than get involved in any of this. he has a criminal past—jail time and fines, parole officers, minor crimes, all of it, but he’d rather not add felonies to his resume. 

he realizes it’s a forever kind of thing for them, it’s not something they can just get out of but it doesn’t stop chet from suggesting that they sell their shit and move to some fuck-ass of nowhere town, as far away from paxton as they can get. joel lets chet make plans like that but then always reminds him that the cowboys are his family and you don’t leave family. chet knows something about that. if he could, he’d try to get tilly to leave with them. 

when tilly gets arrested, chet lands himself in a jail cell for getting into a fight with a cowboy. joel tells him he got lucky—insubordination like that should’ve gotten him something worse but being joel’s partner apparently has protection perks. same thing happens when tilly’s killed—chet goes absolutely unhinged, finds charlie and gives him a piece of his mind. he punches a couple of hands, makes a scene in the middle of town, curses the entire organisation out, gets picked up by the cops and put in a cell to sober up and calm down. he and joel don’t speak for a week after that and take forever to recover from the fight they have after those seven days of silence. 

even though charlie is no longer in charge, chet’s still on rocky terms with the cowboys. he knows that everyone agrees that tilly getting sent to jail was a set up, but he still holds the cowboys responsible for his brother’s death and refuses to let it go. he tries not to let it show, though. with pleasantries spoken through gritted teeth, he serves them at the bar, asks them about their days. they talk about tilly often and it always takes chet’s entire willpower not to throw hands again. 

chet’s changed since tillman’s death. his adolescent, hot-headed personality has made a comeback. he acts first and thinks later; he’s grown reckless, ignorant of consequences, willing to forgo logical thinking if it gets the job done. grief has made him prone to picking a fight with absolutely everyone, even if he knows that it’s not going to end well for him. his drive to self-destruct has made his life miserable but chet can’t just drop it.

𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖼.

chet’s been playing nice—or at least pretending to—with the cowboy mafia mostly for joel’s sake. he knew what he signed up for when they got together and he was fine with his partner’s involvement with the group. not exactly supportive, not overly disapproving, just fine. same thing went for tilly. chet’s no stranger to outlaw life, he’s spent most of his early adulthood on the wrong side of tracks so he’s definitely not one to talk. his neutral feelings obviously take a turn after his brother’s death, though. it becomes difficult to just sit back and watch the cowboys do their thing while his brother lies buried six feet under and joel goes out and risks his life for the same people that let tilly die. chet wants to do something but he’s not sure what the best way to deal damage. he knows that obsidian holdings are circling, should he sell the cowboys out? joel admittedly keeps chet in the dark about a lot of things the cowboys do but there’s still an in for him to find some things out. chet is reluctant about working against the cowboy mafia but every single time he thinks about his dead brother, his blood start’s boiling and there’s only one target he puts the blame on. chet loves his brother too much not to do something to avenge his death.

[ridiasfangirlings]

I've read your recent meta about Munakata, Fushimi, and Mikoto, but I'm still not convinced that Munakata is better King than Mikoto. Munakata is quite manipulative don't you think? Like on Fushimi's case, he's aware about the virus but he didn't tell directly to Fushimi nor he destroyed the phone but he deliberately made Fushimi lured Hisui out so Munakata can 'save' him. He also planned Kusuhara's death so Scepter 4 can develop (I felt so sick while reading that). Mikoto while he's maybe too lazy to remember every HOMRA member, he generously gave his power for people who need it like Eric, Anna, even Yata and Fushimi. He's also protective toward his clansmen.

Also I think that if only Fushimi didn't feel afraid toward Mikoto and he was willing to be more open with Yata, he should stay in Homra. The poor dude never have a family before, right? He came from a cold house, why does he join a cold clan, that even Jungle feels warmer than Scepter4? Like you said, Munakata only chose people who was 'useful' for him, isn't it unhealthy to see people by how much they're worth? I don't think Fushimi with his low self-esteem will be fine in environment like that. Homra's family dynamic can give Fushimi what was missing from him on his childhood. On Homra, everyone is equal and there's no talk about "useful" and "useless" member, for example Totsuka is the weakest, yet he was respected. Kusanagi and Totsuka also care about Fushimi so much, and of course he can be with Yata, the most (maybe only) important person in his life.

I'm sorry for long ask, I just love Sarumi and HOMRA so much so I hate Munakata for separating Sarumi on LSW and he acts like an ass toward Mikoto and HOMRA.

I'm gonna answer this one out of order because I have thoughts and want to answer it while the thoughts are still happening XD So firstly: I'm not sure where you're getting that Munakata 'planned' Kusuhara's death. Munakata clearly had plans for Kusuhara from the start but my impression was never that those plans meant for Kusuhara to die – on the contrary, I think Munakata was pretty clearly planning for Kusuhara to be his Zenjou, more of less, to be the one who uses his swift reflexes to cut off Munakata's head when the time comes. A failsafe, basically, because Munakata leaves nothing to chance. He brought Zenjou into the fold largely for that reason, the only one of Habari's Scepter 4 really offered a prominent position, and when Zenjou went to the Records department instead Munakata simply found himself someone who he felt might have the potential to do the job just as well. That Kusuhara's reflexes would cause him to jump in front of a bullet meant for Munakata – and which wouldn't have killed him, because Munakata's aura would have kicked in, but Kusuhara moved quicker than that consideration – was not part of Munakata's plan (in fact if we're talking responsibility for Kusuhara's death I would put that on Hisui's head. Side Blue the novel hints at it and 7Stories is even clearer in showing Douhan as the sniper who tries to take Munakata down later, that Hisui was testing whether or not he could take Munakata out via a third party). In DOB Munakata mentions that Scepter 4 is more 'complete' for Kusuhara's loss but again, I don't take that as Munakata admitting he plotted this – it's Munakata considering after the fact, making the loss into a positive for the clan and considering that perhaps it was a thing that had to happen to make 'his Scepter 4' complete but that is not at all the same as saying 'he planned Kusuhara's death.' (The rest is under the cut because for some reason Tumblr kept eating my first few paragraphs otherwise.)

As for the idea of who's a 'better' King, there's a difference in my mind between which Kings are objectively better than the others and which are better for a specific person. Both Munakata's and Mikoto's approaches have their own merits. Mikoto offers power to anyone brave enough to take his hand so yes, he does offer power to weak people or people who need it like Eric and Anna. Mikoto values free will, and so if someone has the will to take his hand he will offer it to them, give them the option to risk death if they so choose for power. On the other end, this leads to guys who act outside of Homra and can cause trouble (like the guy in R:B, for example). It also means that Mikoto might have actually killed people who didn't fit the Red power, which is no less a tragedy even if it was a risk they were willing to take.

Munakata by contrast only offers his sword to people that he knows are worthy. As Fushimi puts it in LSW: “Taking precaution to make sure he’s only granting power to those who will succeed. That’s quite Munakata’s course of action.” That said though, Munakata's idea of who is 'worthy' isn't necessarily just a specific obviously useful type, S4 isn't filled with just serious characters like Awashima, Akiyama and Benzai. Munakata saw fit to give power to those who thought they wouldn't belong in such a place, like sushi chef Kamo, or those who thought they might just live a 'normal' life, like Hidaka. Munakata's clan contains the heir of a dojo (Doumyouji) and a former NEET (Gotou), and someone who thought a job was just something to pay for your hobbies (Enomoto). It contains people who may have thought “surely, I'm not someone who would belong in such a place.” But Munakata saw potential and pursued it, and I don't think that's objectively any less 'generous' than Mikoto giving out his Red to anyone brave enough to reach for it, it's just going about Kingship in a different way.

And as for the idea of 'useful' vs 'useless,' keep in mind when I discuss that in regards to Fushimi's position at Scepter 4 in particular I really do mean that as Fushimi's perspective. Now, Munakata does choose people based on how he feels they would fit in his Scepter 4 – their use – but that's not just a simple thing either. Like you mention Totsuka being weak yet still equal to everyone else in Homra, however despite Totsuka's physical weakness he does very much have a use in Homra: he's Mikoto's 'stopper,' he's the mood maker of the clan, he's the one who often deals with troublesome people. That's a use, despite his weakness. Munakata's way of creating a clan is different from Mikoto's but I don't think that makes it worse, or less of a tight knit clan. Munakata does have his manipulative side of course, and may do and say things that could draw out dissatisfaction within the ranks of his own clan, but at the end of the day everyone in Scepter 4 is able to feel that they have been chosen by their King for a reason and that he believes in their abilities, from third in command Fushimi to even members of the rank and file like Yayoi. (And from a simple practical perspective too, Homra's a loose knit gang while Scepter 4 is an actual government agency with duties and expectations placed upon them. Munakata will make a place for those he feels worthy, but he needs people who have abilities because otherwise someone could easily feel like they don't fit in this place or have no worth in the clan, because this workplace is not for them. But because Munakata picks only who he believes will fit in his Scepter 4 no one has to feel that way, because they wouldn't have been chosen if they had no talent.)

Now, as to the matter of Fushimi. Like you mentioned, Fushimi grew up without a family so surely Homra's family atmosphere should be good for him, right? But it isn't. I think it's best expressed this way: trying to run before you can crawl. Basically, at the point Fushimi joins Homra, he is not in the headspace to accept the idea of 'family.' This is where the disconnect between him and Yata happens too, because Yata always wanted a huge family where he belongs. Yata has his biological family, of course, and they love him, but he still feels like an outsider. However precisely because he has a loving family he knows what that feels like, he knows how he felt like when it was just him and his mom he belonged, how he belonged when he was with Fushimi. Homra is an extension of that, the big family where everyone is together and the days are easy and he belongs. But then there's Fushimi, who says it himself in LSW: “Solve everyone’s misunderstanding, you say? Who ever said that I don’t want to be misunderstood? Why do you want me to be understood by everyone when you yourself don’t? … If YOU understand me, I would be content.”

Fushimi's a kid who was always rejected, even by his own family. He clings to Yata as the only one to ever care for him but at the same time, look at how Fushimi vocalizes his understanding of their relationship. “Looking at me with eyes shining and saying 'amazing.'” Fushimi is quantifying Yata's affection, that Yata cares for him because Fushimi is amazing, because Fushimi is wounded enough that he can't trust in Yata's sincere affection. So when they join Homra this is a blow to Fushimi, who has hung so much self esteem on Yata's 'amazing,' because now Mikoto is amazing and Fushimi is just Fushimi, and why should that be enough to get Yata to stay? Just being 'Fushimi' has never been enough for anyone to remain by his side.

Homra would have happily accepted Fushimi into their family and given him what he lacked, but Fushimi isn't in a mental state to accept it because Fushimi is the one who quantifies emotions for his own safety. The neglected and unloved kid still can't believe that family won't reject him, that he can actually have a family, and so Homra's atmosphere suffocates him even beyond Mikoto's presence. Fushimi doesn't want to be equal to everyone else because if he has nothing to offer, why would anyone want him around? Just being himself has never been enough before, why should it be enough now? Especially when he sees how Yata fits in and how much he doesn't, where he's afraid of Mikoto and can't wholeheartedly call this person his King, where he doesn't really talk to anyone and often irritates people when he does. When Kusanagi tells Fushimi he wants Fushimi to stay in Homra and be his successor Fushimi doesn't see this as a compliment, he sees this as 'you wouldn't have to say this to Yata because there would be no question about his loyalty, so clearly you question mine.'

Then enter Munakata, and Scepter 4. Where Homra wanted Fushimi to run, Munakata's letting him learn to crawl first. On the one hand yes, Munakata wanted Fushimi for his own reasons, because he believed Fushimi's talents were being wasted in Homra and that he would do well in Scepter 4. But Munakata also saw in Fushimi that there was so much potential not being realized, someone who was in a way like himself. Case Files: “still, the way the two of them felt out of place and alienated by those around them due to how outstandingly capable they were was very similar.” Munakata sees in Fushimi someone who is dissatisfied with the world and offers him a chance to change that world to his liking instead, rather than miserably clinging to a place where he feels he doesn't belong. In Scepter 4 Fushimi has a job and a use and sure, it may not be on paper as warm and inviting as 'family' but it's also what Fushimi needs – he doesn't have to deal with worries and doubts about his place, or feel like he doesn't belong.

Fushimi can focus on his work and let himself really reach his potential, he can be challenged and use his mind, and at the same time if he ends up interacting with the other members and softening towards them, and making friends, more the better. In Homra they may be a family but it's easy for Fushimi to remain on the fringes, wandering off by himself at amusement parks, but in Scepter 4 he has to interact with others in order to do his job. And we do see some of that softening in canon – the little 'thanks' to Hidaka in DOB 1, the way he talks with Akiyama, his interactions with Awashima and Munakata are all clearly 'easier' than he was with pretty much anyone outside of Yata and maybe Kusanagi in Homra. Yata himself says it in ROK: “The Blue King was your King all along.” For Fushimi, Scepter 4 and Munakata were what he needed in order to develop beyond that lonely kid still clinging to the idea that he doesn't belong anywhere (and yes it separated him from Yata but at the end of the day that was more Fushimi's issues talking than anything, because Awashima and Kusanagi pretty much show that yes, someone from Homra and someone from S4 can be friends. It was Fushimi himself who chose to break things, not because Munakata made him but because at the time Fushimi believed that his precious thing was going to break anyway and as I said before Fushimi can't bring himself to believe in Yata's sincere affection).

(Also I couldn't figure out where to put this in, but regarding Munakata not telling Fushimi about Hisui's illusions, that to me shows once again that Munakata does actually understand Fushimi pretty well, because if he told Fushimi then Fushimi loses. Look at that moment versus Mikoto saving Sarumi during the jungle surprise party: Fushimi is miserable walking home, because 'I failed.' His plan didn't work, he had to be saved by someone else, and then he gets to see Misaki crowing over how cool the person who saved him is. By contrast, if Munakata simply told Fushimi 'Hisui Nagare is controlling your PDA and making you see illusions' and then destroyed the PDA, Fushimi would not see that as a good deed. Fushimi would see that as him being too stupid to figure this out on his own and needing to be saved by someone 'above' him, another one of his failures. By only giving him a hint Munakata allows Fushimi to make the connection on his own, play the game against Aya and win. While Munakata steps in to confront Hisui, because there's no way Fushimi can go toe to toe with a King and anyway Munakata called dibs first, Fushimi is the one who ultimately claimed the victory. He figured out the trick, he played against Aya, he won the game stacked against him. Munakata may be testing Fushimi in his own way too, sure, but he's doing it in a way that he knows will actually be better for Fushimi's self esteem. While, say, Mikoto finding out and destroying the PDA right away may seem like the more 'correct' move, saving his clansman from pain, all that would make Fushimi think is that he wasn't good enough to figure it out on his own and he had to be saved again like a useless person. Munakata though understands how Fushimi thinks and realizes that for Fushimi, not being told is better because it allows him to win on his own terms with his own intelligence rather than having to rely on someone else.)

[angeltrapz]

oosdkk dude im sorry ur mood dropped too.. i hope u feel better soon <3 but like i wld love 2 hear more abt ur thoughts on Art in general bc Boy Is He Interesting, and also a lil more abt Daniel coming out as nonbinary to his dad (whether he knows Eric is trans or not at that moment skjdfhdskf)! + if ur feelin it just more abt Mallick in general ESP cuz we agree that Brit doesn't make it thru V

djhfjdks thank u sm <3

okay Art first. I genuinely wonder abt him so much, something in specific I think abt is that aside frm Amanda (+ Eric, obviously, but talkin abt disciples) Art is one of the only trap victims EVER 2 be tested twice and it’s like... what’s that abt? Why? as u’ve said b4 it rly depends on how you personally view his character: whether he’s a disciple or not. fr me, both options are equally plausible, n honestly I don’t rly confine myself to either; it sorta depends on what I’m feeling/writing. if we’re talking abt art being a disciple, then the Spinecutter not going off (one of my BIGGEST questions) makes total sense, as Hoffman’s side of the trap was never set up to work either, + Jigsaw disciples have a history (aside from Lawrence) of appearing as victims in other tests/traps. if he were not just another pawn and was in fact a disciple himself, then the Spinecutter was never meant to go off - it was there just to make Eric think it COULD go off/make it look convincing to outsiders. which brings me to ANOTHER question: what does Art know abt Eric? does he know anything? what does he think of Eric?

(lil side note: if Art is a disciple, then I kinda wonder if it’s a lil bit of a Hoffman + Lawrence situation where Hoffman didn’t know abt Art either? just bc he looks so shocked when he sees Art’s face fully fr the first time... that could’ve just been acting on Hoffman’s part but IDK. food fr thought)

personally, I feel like Art probably does know a lil bit abt Eric - at the very least, he’d know tht Eric had been previously tested + failed by John’s rules, but then I feel that he wld also know Eric didn’t rly have a chance in his second test. that is why Art trying so fucking hard to keep Eric alive is interesting 2 me: what is his motivation 2 do that? like he’s been told Eric’s basically just there to get Rigg to participate, he doesn’t have any personal obligation or anything like that. sure, the aim is to keep Eric alive + see if Rigg can pass his “test,” but nobody said anything about grabbing a man you barely know around his ankles to keep him frm hanging himself w a noose made of chains. nobody said anything abt speaking to him so softly, not even raising your voice beyond saying “hey,” and asking him do you understand? when you tell him to keep still and prevent him frm killing his counterpart (which, if Art is a disciple, he knows it won’t, but he still speaks to Eric so softly, so compassionately, doesn’t he?)

nobody said anything abt grabbing him around the waist and steadying him again after being punched by said man. but Art does that. he stabilizes Eric’s feet on the ice as best he can and he keeps his hips straight and he basically says “look, we’re all stuck here, you need to keep it together ‘til that clock counts down if you want us to live, but I’m giving you a choice,” and he presses the gun w the single bullet into Eric’s hands and tells him it’s up to him. nobody said Art had to care but he does, I think, and it’s just like. he really didn’t have to keep Eric alive over the course of Rigg’s test. he didn’t. but he did and I just,, where does it come from? why does he care? this is even going beyond the fact that we’ve talked abt them being together after their test in a scenario where they both survive - I just think that Art at his core is a very stubborn but very compassionate person, whether he wants 2 be or not. like he HAS to know that kind of involvement cld prove to be extremely detrimental but he cares. I feel like that says a lot abt him (even if he does call Eric an asshole a couple times while doing it,,).

plus I also just. I think his reason for being tested (as it seems to be in most cases) is extremely flimsy. he was doing his job. he’s a LAWYER. often times it has nothing 2 do w personal feelings; they’re there to do their job and sometimes, unfortunately, that is defending possibly reprehensible people (in cases like Rex’s & Ivan’s). + John was already upset w him regarding their argument abt the urban renewal group so like it just feels So Very Petty, y’know?? even in the scenario where he IS a disciple, testing him twice seems entirely like John having a personal vendetta against him. Amanda is the only other person to be tested twice aside from Eric, so like. what. is that abt Mr. Kramer.

like I’ve said b4 in dms one could argue that Art is grey morally, bc we never rly see anything of him outside of flashbacks + acting as a test controller in IV, esp given that he... rly doesn’t seem too bothered abt it all? which is fair. but I also feel like the concern he shows towards Eric is smth to be considered as well.

-

+ YESS NONBINARY DANIEL I know I’ve mentioned it b4 but for reference, I read Daniel as masc nonbinary (he/they)! so I feel like Daniel wld b pretty comfortable w his identity, he’s never rly had a reason not to be (it’s rly anyone’s guess here tho bc we never see Eric + Daniel + Kate... as a family unit, for obvious reasons), so I feel like he’s vry chill abt it? and in the scenario where Eric survives n is dating Adam, I feel like Daniel wld talk 2 him abt it first (Adam is an adult they quickly come to trust + he’s vocal abt being trans himself so there’s that added layer of understanding - other than his mom maybe Adam might b the first person they come out 2). they’re just kinda like “so I wanna tell my dad I’m nonbinary but like I’ve literally never thought abt coming out what do I do” and Adam’s just like. Aha. bc he knows Eric is Also Trans so like, he doesn’t tell Daniel that bc it’s not his info to share, but he’s definitely like “oh it’ll totally be fine. trust me you have no reason to worry” so Daniel’s just like Okay. I Got This

+ I know I mentioned this in dms but Daniel wld absolutely wear those floral ripped hem skirts over jeans, so I feel like on one of his visits to his dad’s, he just. wears that combined w a completely random niche graphic tee he bought when shopping w Adam (I adore this hc n I am Holding Onto It) n is just like. not super open abt it bc he doesn’t know what to expect? he just kinda waits fr Eric to comment on it but when he doesn’t, Daniel gets nervous n is like “do I look okay?” and Eric’s rly chill abt it, like “yeah! it looks vry cool, vry alternative.” n like Daniel is relieved, of course, but also he’s just like God Pls Say Something so he just comes out w it like “okay this is not working. I’m nonbinary.”

and he’s COMPLETELY SHOCKED when Eric is just like “oh why didn’t u say so? do u have a different name u wanna go by? is Daniel still okay?” bc he wasn’t sure how much Eric knew, so he’s just like “uh no Daniel is still good, he/they pronouns though” and Eric’s just like alright cool but internally Daniel’s just like ??????

n THAT is when Eric asks him 2 come sit out on th front steps w him n is just like. “I don’t think I ever told u this but I’m trans. I transitioned during training in my early 20s” n Daniel is nodding while internally he’s like Adam I’m gonna throttle u. he worked himself up fr NOTHING. he just kinda laughs abt it and Eric is like “are u good?” ‘cause he’s a lil worried but then Daniel just smiles and is like “yeah I’m fine! just realizing I had nothing 2 be worried abt” and it’s a rly good moment fr them. they sit out there together talking abt their experiences for quite a while n at some point Adam steps outside 2 find them deep in conversation + he just smiles n goes back inside bc he cares abt them both so much and seeing them talk like that makes him so 💞💞 (Eric is SO PROUD u can see it on his face)

-

ohhh gosh Mallick,,, I spend a lot of time thinking abt him actually. he’s just one of those characters I feel vry connected to (me 🤝 Mallick: Ambiguous Disorder 💕) n one I got surprisingly attached to? hello (he IS one of my f/os)

I feel like Mallick is a very lonely person at his core. the way he sort of clings to Brit (w out the whole like. adrenaline of being in very very real danger w ppl trying to kill u SEVERAL TIMES) somewhat confirms this fr me. this is someone who has no reason to look out fr him, no reason to keep protecting him when their fellow captives hit him over th head w a club or attempt to push him into a bathtub to ELECTROCUTE him, but she keeps doing it and he’s just. in awe of it a little bit? ‘cause she could just let Charles knock him tf out or let Luba push him in but she fights for him, some1 she has no obligation to n met fr the first time literally when they woke up.

the moment they share b4 they stick their arms into the saws to activate the 10 Pints of Sacrifice is so very vulnerable and maybe even a little tender. yes he calls her a monster, yes she calls him one back, neither of them deny it. it’s an admission and an acceptance. they’re monsters, sure, fine, okay. but they are monsters and they are in this together. Brit tells Mallick it’s okay when he says he can’t do this alone. she says okay, okay, it’s okay, we’ll go together. and they help each other secure their tourniquets and they stick their hands in together bc it’s the two of them, literally hand in hand, fighting for their lives n for each other n they’re in so so much pain but they are doing it TOGETHER. I lose it thinking abt it!!! they even have a head bonk moment!!! I very much feel like it has some cinematic parallels to Adam & Lawrence’s moment in SAW 2004!!!!

+ as u mentioned, we both share the thought that Brit likely died since she wasn’t present at Bobby’s meetings, and. I want to touch on how fucking despondent and lost Mallick looks when we see him again in 3D. lights on but no one’s home. I feel like for Mallick, losing Brit was losing the first chance at a real connection he’s had in god knows how long - and for him, that’s just very shattering. he’s been thru hell, he’s watched three people die right in front of him, he sawed his ARM IN HALF, n the person he went through all of that with didn’t make it. but he did. and I feel like for Mallick that’s just like... he doesn’t understand it. but he feels even lonelier than he ever has b4 because the One Person who was there w him thru it all, the one person who could ever possibly understand what happened that night, is gone.

the Mallick we see in V would NEVER sit down n willingly listen to Bobby Dagen’s bullshit abt loving yr scars n taking pride in the fact u survived. he wld hate that man with a passion n I am very much sure of this. the fact that he’s sitting in that chair looking numb and glassy-eyed and silent? Mallick is trying to find some1 to connect to, find a place where maybe he belongs. trying to fill that hole that losing Brit made. why else wld he be sitting there, listening to someone he would ordinarily tell to shove his self-love bullshit up his ass? he’s lost. he’s just trying to keep his head above water and find a way to shore even though everything in him is fighting not to. he’s adrift without her.

+ ALTERNATIVELY, bc the reality of that is just. crushing n maybe not where I needed 2 go, in the scenario where Brit survived + just doesn’t want to put up w Bobby’s bullshit, I imagine them to actually move in together after a lil bit of time getting 2 know each other better w out the pressure of “oh god we’re gonna die.” she kinda helps him build up a sense of self-worth bc GOD it’s practically non-existent n thinking abt possible reasons why makes me sad. she’s definitely just like “no, you do deserve to be cared for and you deserve help when you need it, you deserve good things n to be happy.” she just kinds shuts it down while still making sure to talk 2 him abt WHY he feels that way (she’s not dismissing, but she’s trying to nip it in th bud) n Mallick is just like. huh. bc no one’s really done that fr him before. but it rly does end up helping in the long run, even if it is a very slow pace toward actually getting 2 a place where he recognizes his own worth + realizes he deserves all the things he wants Brit 2 have too. they’re there for each other thru thick n thin and if they made it thru their game, they can make it thru anything.

[h0neyjaehyun]

☁︎ 𝐁𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐧 ☁︎

Summary // Tali gives Jaehyun his nickname, and 127 find out Tali can speak spanish.

Characters // Talia Flores + Jung Jaehyun (ft. 127 Members and Miguel)

Era / Year // January 2017

Word Count //

Note // So the "...." when Tali is on the phone is when she pauses to hear her brother for any confusion.ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Italics // Spanish.

Tali just finished a fan signing, it went surprisingly well, some skips which she didn't really care it was expected, and luckily no sasaengs. She was at the back just resting, while on her phone.

Then she felt pressure on her lap, she looked down and saw Jaehyun laying his head on her lap look at her.

"Do you need something sir?" Tali raised her eyebrow at him. Jaehyun chuckled.

"No you just seem comfy."

"Ah okay." She shook her head playfully. She started playing with his hair since the fan sign was over and there was no need to fix make up or hair. In that process Jaehyun fell asleep. She look at him and shook her head at him again.

Then she got lost in thought. She was thinking about giving Jaehyun a nickname. Since she doesn't really call her members oppa. For example, she calls Taeyong, yongie. She looked down at him thinking of a name to call Jaehyun since she thinks there would be a better name that would suite him. She went through nicknames in english, Japanese, etc. Then she her second or third language spanish. There were cute names and also funny ones and she was just trying to figure out what suites him best.

"Take a picture it will last longer." Jaehyun said with a smirk. Tali went back to reality and scoff.

"Really omg, flirt much?"

"Only for you." He winked. Tali closed her eyes trying to compose herself.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Give me attention." Tali scoffed

"Sir, I was just trying to figure out a cute nickname for you, but apparently you wanting attention comes first." Tali said sassily. Jaehyun raised his eyebrows.

"Oh what nickname you thinkin of?" He said cheekily. Tali stopped in thought she was thinking of the two nicknames she was thinking of but chose the second one, and saved the other one for another person.

She looked at him cheekily.

"Well, I had two in mind, but I gonna go with Bon Bon."

Jaehyun was surprised at the nickname since he doesn't know what it means.

"What language is Bon Bon?"

"Its spanish."

"...wait you know spanish?" Tali mentally face palmed.

"Yes I do know spanish, now from now on Im gonna call you Bon Bon."

"What does Bon Bon mean?"

"Well, thats for me to know and for you to figure out." Tali smiled taking Jaehyun's head off her lap and running to Taeil. Jaehyun just got up and went after her.

"TALI COME BACK HERE I WANNA KNOW WHAT IT MEANS."

"NEVER"

She went behind Taeil and Winwin for protection.

"Whats happening?" Doyoung asked wondering why the two are yelling and Tali is hiding behind Taeil.

"She gave me a nickname thats in Spanish and she won't tell me what it means." Jaehyun pouted.

They looked at her in surprised.

"You know spanish?" Mark asked. Tali just looked at them all like are you kidding me.

"Yeah...its like my third or second language...why?"

"I- its just we never knew."

"You keep surprising us everyday." Johnny said wrapping his arm around her while messing up her hair.

"I still wanna know what Bon Bon mean-."

Tali's phone started ringing. She looked at it, it was her one and only twin brother. She thought out of all times.

"Wait, sorry I gotta take this." Before they could ask who it is she answer.

"Hey, yeah can we talk in spanish?....no it because the members are here and I'm worried on what you called me for since you never call me......oh the address?....I dont kn-... oh you want me to write it down." Tali looked up at the boys, seeing them amazed at her, she made a had gesture to get a pen and paper. Doyoung did and gave it to her.

"Okay, I'm ready give it too me....uh huh....uh huh okay, why are you giving me this address?....you're moving here?.... thats great...wait...you want me to help you don't you....your pain you know...yeah yeah bye see you when?.....Feburary? Wow in time for our birthday....aww your future wife...okay okay ill stop... you're modeling right?....yeah....you want me to what.....sure...fine just let me ask my manager...yeah see you bye." Tali ended the call she looked at the address and looked it up immediately. It look pretty cool. She then went straight to her manager.

"Hey you know Eric the Model, he kinda well known."

"Yeah I've seen him here and there."

"Well, he is mh brother and want me to do a photoshoot with him cause he thinks as twins will fit the concept he is modeling for."

Manager looked at her surprised, but he looked at the two side by side the do look alike...look I know they don't but just go with it.

"I didn't know he was your brother, sibling visuals, not surprising, sure yeah let me just add it to your schedule."

"Yeah okay thanks." She said.

She went back to her members.When she looked up to see her members shooketh.

"How are you so fluent."

"Its like my third or second language Mark,....I learned it from my mom."

"Wow when do we get to see your mom." Tali stopped at Haechans question.

"Probably not in a long time...she travels...a lot."

"Oh okay...so who was that on the phone?" Doyoung asked eyeing the peice of paper in her hand.

"Family, they just wanted my opinion on something."

"Ah okay." Them not completely buying it but do think its family.

"Lets go people at shower for practice." Their manger said. They started packing and once the got in the van Jaehyun sat next to her and her knowing whats coming.

"So princess you gonna tell me what Bon Bon means now?"

"Hm...sorry but I think Bon Bon is gonna have to wait." She said while squishing his cheeks.

Jaehyun layed back in defeat definitely going to bother her again about it though.

[fortheloveoffanfic]

The Reveal

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- Written in the The One That Stays universe, because I love it, and those characters so much. This is about 3 years post the last chapter, and I was really iffy about posting it, but here we are anyway.) 

Warnings- Nothing really, just pregnancy and fluff. 

“And I thought I loved you then.” -Then, Brad Paisley 

Warm yellow rays from the barely cloudy sky cast a picturesque gleam on the surface of cool, blue water. That day, thankfully, hadn't been as sweltering as the ones in the weeks gone by, and the forecast predicted for that weekend had been one conducive to recreational boating, which was why they'd decided to rent a yacht for the weekend. Joining them had been Keanu's side of the family, his sister, her husband and his mother, along with Julie, her husband Eric and their two year old Lucas.

It was their second day out on the water, anchored off the coast of Los Angeles and by late afternoon, everyone had gathered on deck, around the small pool to hang out. Eric had taken to the pool to humor Lucas, as had Keanu's brother in law, while everyone else had kicked back on lounge chairs. Y/n was laid back on Keanu's chest, his worn shirt soft and comforting against her exposure arms as his legs spread slightly to accommodate her bare one. One of his large hands were splayed on her stomach, while the other absently twirled the ends of her hair, something he'd taken to doing after she'd let her tresses grow out a bit longer, all while Y/n toyed with her wedding band. The diamonds shone proudly in the sunlight, and though the ring hand made its home on her finger almost two years ago, Y/n couldn't help but smile faintly. She was Mrs. Y/n Reeves. 

"You okay?" Keanu broke her thoughts, gently rubbing her rounded stomach. They were just under four months shy of welcoming their first child. They’d been discussing having a baby even before they married, in a small ceremony at Keanu’s favorite hotel, but hadn’t gotten down to actually trying until about a year earlier, when he had decided to cut back on the amount of roles he took and Y/n’s work schedule cleared up. Thankfully, though their road to pregnancy hadn’t been a trying one, they were both fairly healthy and it greatly helped that they were usually all over each other, and within about three months of being off her birth control, they had taken a home test, which had confirmed that Y/n was indeed pregnant. Since then, Keanu’s protectiveness had nearly quadrupled; the woman he loved was carrying their child, and he’d be damned if anything remotely bad happened to either of his favorite people.

Shifting a bit in his embrace, she laid one of her smaller hands next to his, feeling the light kicks of their baby, like butterflies fluttering in her stomach. According to Julie, those were only going to get stronger, and apparently a little painful, but Y/n didn’t care, she’d endure it any day if the reward was having their child in her arms afterwards. “Yeah,” Y/n smiled softly, nuzzling his chest with her cheek, “I’m good, we both are.”

“Good,” Keanu bent to kiss the top of her head, reassured for the time being. He’d been a little skeptical when Y/n and his sister had conjured up the idea of taking a boat out for the weekend; out on the water, if anything happened to her, getting to her doctor or the hospital would take longer than he preferred, and there had already some difficulties that had him almost constantly on edge. But, alas, Y/n was extremely persuasive and eventually convinced him that she was fine to get away for the long weekend, “And-”

A gasp from his mother, Patrica from her own chair as she set her cocktail down cut off Keanu’s words, and everyone turned to her, “I just remembered,” she sat up, eyes fixed on them both, “You two had an appointment this week, did Dr. Shaw tell you the sex?”

Boy or girl, it had recently become a hot topic in the Reeves family. Every time they all met, it somehow came up; what family names would work if it were a boy, how cute they’d dress up a little girl and Y/n was even sure that their was a bet going on between her sister-in-law and Julie, “We didn’t,” Keanu chuckled, “This little one was turned away from us; shy like their mommy.”

“And their daddy!” Y/n playfully slapped his thigh, giggling when he tucked her closer. When their laughter died down, Y/n elaborated, “I promise, you’ll be the first call when we find out.”

“Call?” Patrica repeated incredulously, as if the word were a capital crime in itself. How dare they simply call?

“We’ll take you to dinner?” Keanu scrunched his nose, trying to appease her. He knew it was a big deal, almost every family member had made sure to remind them of it, but surely, it couldn’t be that big. 

“Dinner- ugh,” she put a long, manicured finger to her temple, her entire, though possibly exasperated expression, was hidden by her dark sunglasses, though, her words were enough to tell them just how much a their options had not sufficed, “I’ve waited twenty years for my only son to get married to a nice girl. And now, they’re having a baby, and all I get, after all this waiting, is a phone call? My grand-baby is worth more than a phone call, you need to have a reveal.”

Julie squealed in agreement, “Oh! That would be perfect! You could do it where we had ours, at that cute little pastry shop in the city.” Y/n remembered that party well, especially since she’d nearly planned the entire thing. Julie had gone the perhaps, more old fashioned route, with a cake reveal. They’d rented out her favorite shop for an afternoon and gathered their closest friends and family for the vintage style soiree, where everyone was encouraged to wear a color that matched their suspicions; pastel blues and greens for a boy and light pinks and purples for a girl. Y/n, who’d been sure that she was going to have a godson from the very beginning, had opted for a cute blue dress with white lace trimming, claiming victory over Keanu who’d opted for a pink, which he dubbed salmon, shirt. 

“A gender reveal?” Y/n shifted again, scooting upwards, aided by Keanu and subsequently tucking her head in his neck after turning on her side. Quite recently, finding comfortable positions had started becoming quite a daunting task, but somehow, being cuddled to, or rather on top of,  Keanu had remained Y/n’s favorite. “We didn’t really think of doing one of those, my mom already wants to do a baby shower, we just feel like it's too much.”

“Yeah,” Keanu chimed in, trying to be another voice of reason, “Besides, that’s a lot of work, and we’re supposed to be keeping an eye on her blood pressure-”

“Well then let me plan it,” his mother protested, determined to have a reveal, “I’m sure Julie and Karina will help, and we can have it at her place too.”

Perking up, Karina joined their conversation, “Oh! That would be perfect,” she clapped her hands excitedly, no doubt on board with the idea. She’d been bursting with excitement since they’d announced that they were expecting, teasing that having a baby in the family this time around would be more fun considering she wasn’t the one who’d have to wake up at four am feedings. She was however, down to babysit whenever her niece or nephew started sleeping through the night. Yeah, their family thought of it all. “I’d love to help!”

“Count me in too,” Julie beamed, taking her son in her arms just as Eric came out from the pool, handing him over so he could go get Lucas a towel. 

And then, before Y/n and Keanu knew it, the three women were all involved in planning a party that they hadn’t even signed off on, though, at that point, it was clear that they didn’t have a choice anyway. “Perfect, all you two will have to do is show up,” she smiled triumphantly.

Three weeks later Y/n was a the snack table, surveying its contents and deciding if she wanted something, when Keanu came up behind her, causing her to jump with he placed  gentle hands on her shoulders, pecking the crown of Y/n’s hair, “It’s just me sweetheart,” he chuckled, his baritone warm and familiar.

“You startled me,” Y/n pressed one hand to her chest over the neckline of her white flowing dress, while the other cradled her bump. The little, unofficial planning committee had instructed guests to wear white, though, the decor had entailed a charming mix of baby blue and a light pink, beautifully mixed to compliment each other. The deserts; everything from inviting cupcakes to cute cake pops and elegant looking macaroons, and party favors, mostly made of little pouches filled with jelly beans along with fuzzy topped pens along with several other little trinkets, were also color coordinated. The ladies had really gone out, though arguably, simple wasn’t exactly their MO. “This is supposed to be a gender reveal, not a baby reveal,” she joked, turning to face Keanu.

“You’re right,” his lips brushed her forehead, one of his hands on her waist sliding to her stomach, “Wouldn’t want our bun popping out too soon,” he crouched down, so he could ‘talk to the baby,’ something he’d been doing for months now, “As excited as we are to meet you, you still gotta keep mommy company in there for a few more months.”

Threading her delicate hand through his dark mane a fond sorire upturned Y/n’s pink stained lips. She absolutely adored those little moments that Keanu would spend chatting with their baby, at first, he’d started with brief sentences, ‘I love you’s and ‘can’t wait to meet you’s, but as months drew on, and it the reality set in, Keanu had started reading to her belly, and sometimes at night, when he’d join her in bed, he could spend well over an hour talking about all the things he’d teach them as they grew up. Already, he was proving to be an exceptional father; extremely loving and always ready to put his wife and child first, and Y/n knew that things would only get better when they met their baby. 

She was so lost in her own thoughts, that Y/n had barely heard a thing of what Keanu had said, only returning to the moment when he pressed a chaste kiss to her tummy, offering one final declaration of love before standing again and heading to another end of the table after kissing Y/n one last time. "What are you doing?" She giggled as he picked up a pen and a little blank card out of a stack next to two decorative wooden boxes. The entire set up was for one of the many games being run that day, where their guests could vote on their options. Before the reveal later that evening, someone was supposed to count them and the reward would be satisfaction at the end. 

"I'm placing my bet," Keanu defended, scribbling on the white surface as he spoke.

"It's not a bet," Y/n placed a hand at the top of her growing bump as she made her way over to him, standing on her toes to peer over the loose shield he'd made with his hand, "You're going with girl again, huh?"

"Hey, Julie and Eric's baby was one thing, but I think I know our kid," folding the card in half, creasing it for emphasis, Keanu slipped it into the box with the word "girl” carved in cursive at the front, "This baby," he palmed her stomach with both hands, "Is definitely a girl."

Rolling her eyes, Y/n decided that she'd get in on it too, plucking on of the cards from its spot, swiping the pen from off the table and using Keanu's chest to press on, "Well, you must like being wrong," she chewed on her lower lip as she wrote, dramatically showing Keanu what she'd written before slipping it into the matching box labeled boy, "I was right then, and I'm right now."

"And how are you so sure of that?" The giddy smile of both their faces didn't show any signs of fading as Keanu reeled Y/n back in, "Why don't we bet on it?"

“Because I’m carrying the baby, duh,” she rolled her eyes playfully. Throwing her arms around his neck, Y/n twirled the ends of Keanu's hair in her fingers, leaning into his chest as far as she could, "And yeah,”  his arms circled Y/n's waist, toying with the lace on her flowing maxi dress, "Let's do it. What does the winner get?"

Keanu scrunched up his face, looking up thoughtfully, "The winner gets….." he thought on it some more, "Whatever they want."

Y/n eyed her husband suspiciously for a minute, a little curious about what he could possibly want, if by some miracle, he won. "Okay," she finally said, “Winner gets whatever they want,” Y/n smiled mischievously, almost certain that she would be triumphant. 

Hours later, just before noon had turned to evening and when the brightness had gone hazy as the sun journeyed to the horizon, everyone had gathered in the backyard, on the lawn for the long awaited moment. It was time for the reveal. They’d gone with a balloon reveal, and when it was time, Y/n and Keanu were positioned near the fence, just a few feet in front of their family and friends, all ready with phone and cameras. Keanu held on to the string of the large, shiny black balloon, one with a silver question mark painted on at the front, while Y/n had been armed with a metal skewer from Karina’s kitchen.

Just about an hour earlier, the contents of both boxes had been counted, and the team banking on Baby Reeves being a boy had come in strong, outnumbering the other side by a landslide. The small victory, though it couldn’t be considered a real prediction, had only built Y/n’s faith in her own suspicions, almost everyone, even down to her own parents, were convinced that she and Keanu would be greeting a son in the coming months. 

“Ready?” Keanu’s eyes met hers, the nerves shared between them, along with bright, excited grins plastered on both their faces. They both knew that in the end; boy or girl, daughter or son, it wouldn’t matter. None of it would matter as long as their baby was healthy and safe.

Y/n nodded vigorously, using her free hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, positioning the skewer near the opaque balloon, “Yeah.” Somewhere in the crowd, she heard her mother anxiously prompt her to “just do it already,” while someone else interjected that their camera was ready, “Okay, okay,” Y/n laughed, ready to get on with the moment of truth.

Taking a deep breath, Y/n didn’t even try to steady her shaking hand as she finally pressed the tip of the stick to the balloon, wincing and shutting her eyes tightly at the loud popping sound. The crowd cheered loudly, jubilance igniting a celebration and when Y/n opened her eyes, her jaw hung slack with shock. Rendered speechless, she just stood there, rooted to the floor, dropping the skewer and placing her hands on her stomach, barely smiling breathlessly at the patter of kicks beneath her palms. “Oh my god…..” Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she raised her head to meet Keanu’s equally glistening gaze, “I…..”

For a second, he too seemed shocked, and the jeers of congratulations faded in the background as everything moved in slow motion. She could have sworn that there had never been so much love in his eyes, and Keanu thought that he’d never been that happy, though, their wedding day came in at a very close second. Suddenly, the prospect of parenthood seemed a thousand times realer. After that evening, so much would change, they would finally choose a name. 

Without another moment of hesitation, Keanu took her into his strong arms, lifting Y/n off the ground and spinning her in a circle and planting a passionate on her ready lips. In turn, she hugged him tightly, forgetting everything and everyone else as they basked in their joy. “So,” he began when he set her down, brushing some pink confetti off her shoulders and picking a couple similar pieces out of her hair, “I guess you were wrong,” he chortled, still holding her close. 

Nodding, Y/n looked at the ground around them; the healthy green grass was now freckled with bits of fuchsia pink, “I guess I was, we’re having a little girl,” she kissed him again, that time quicker, not even caring that everyone was still taking pictures of them, “You win.”

“I do,” Keanu pressed their forehead together, the tip of his nose brushing hers. By then, they both looked equally rosy, the sheer joy of the matter seeping through their skin, “And I know just what I want to cash in my win for.”

“What’s that?” Y/n giggled.

“This,” and before she knew it, Keanu was dipping her, one hand holding Y/n steady at the center of her back, while the other cradled her head. Her loose tresses hung in a waterfall, disturbed only by Keanu’s stocky fingers, just as he captured her lips again, in a breath stealing bout of sweet endearment. 

******

Taglist- @harrisongslimited @magnificentclodpiebanana   @keandrews @greenmanalishi  @rdjloverxxx​  @danceoftwowolves​  

[undyingsunshine]

YESSSSS YOU’RE BACK AND TAKING ASKS

14 and 15 for the most recent post, and I’m gonna come back with more too

Here we go!!!!

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

Honestly, it usually differs from piece to piece! Usually, though, the title comes last! (Though I do have a short list of potential titles for Li Cu fics stored away, most of which are just lyrics from songs xD Whether I end up using them or not, only time will tell!)

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

All of these tend to give me a bit of trouble xD if I was to rank from hardest to easiest however, I think I'd say titles are the hardest and tags tend to be the easiest. For summaries I usually just slap a portion of the fic in and then add a small almost-summary below it, mostly because I feel like giving a sample of the fic will be more effective than trying to give a succinct description? Kind of shows you what you're getting into before you've even clicked xD

Titles, I use a lot of lyrics from songs, especially ones that I think fit with the character. Though, this does sometimes mean my titles are... long and it can make it a little awkward when trying to talk about the fics themselves. xD

Examples include;

"Come with me, I promise the water is fine..." Which is a lyric from God Bless Eric Taylor by Marietta, a song that I relate to Li Cu somewhat.

This next one is the title of a chapter instead of a whole fic, but I'll count it anyway xD Chapter 2 of I'm Here is titled: "I have this dream that I'm hitting my dad with a baseball bat and he is screaming and crying for help..." which is from the song Father by The Front Bottoms.

I ideally try to make it so that the lyrics also match up with the contents of the chapter/fic. I'm Here's second chapter is all about Li Cu's nightmares, so I thought the title would be pretty fitting xD Honestly, thinking back maybe I could've added more types of dreams.... Ones that fit that title even more.... Small rewrite of that Chapter perhaps? I don't think it would be that different, but still... Would add more angst onto everything xD

The title for "Come with me..." Also sort of relates to the contents of the fic, but moreso in the following line that appears in the summary: "I need something else to comvince me I won't die."

Honestly these lines could have me ranting a whole lot, especially in relation to Li Cu. Just makes me think of all his conflicted feelings, and how he must feel when he drags his friends into the mess he didn't even make. (And these feeling really would increase after Su Wan blames him for the snake bite and getting Shen Qiong inveolved, and during just... the entirety of the time he, Yang Hao, Su Wan and Liang Wan are in the desert together. (ESPECIALLY when Yang Hao is being absolutely mistreated by the 9 families, like sheesh.)

It's just a whole lot of guilt, but also maybe some stubborn determination? Li Cu is very adamant on living just to spit in the face of everyone around him. Existing out of pure spite, but with friends involved, it's more like he's existing to fulfil a purpose? One that he feels like he's bestowed upon himself. Not Wu Xie, or Rishan, or anyone. Just him. He stays alive so he can protect his friends. He'll keep them safe, he'll get them home alive. He has to. And he knows that he will. Or else, what is he even persevering for? "I need something to convince me I won't die." In the fic, this could also be referring to Wu Xie, as he kind of marks safety by the end of the drama. Wu Xie being there means it's okay. It means he doesn't have to fight anymore. And in the fic, it also means that Li Cu can let go. Of Everything. Permanently. (I have so many branching ideas based on that 300 word demon of a fic, you wouldn't even believe)

ANYWAY I'LL STOP RANTING ABT THAT FIC MAYBE I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT FIC MORE IN DEPTH SOME OTHER TIME IF PPL WANT IT.

As for tags, I struggle mostly because I never know what's okay to tag? I'm afraid of tagging a fic with something if the content of that particular tag doesn't show up all that much in the fic? Unless it's something that's a potnential trigger, and then I'll tag it, even if it's small. Just ot be safe. But like. Characters, I don't tag unless they're actually there and present and doing something. If they're mentioned, I tend to not tag them since it's not all that crucial? For people to know they show up for a second? Idk, I like to be as succinct and precise as possible with my tags, because I know how annoying it is for tags to be clogged or for fics to have too many tags xD

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

I have a few, surprisingly! I'll choose two, both from the second chapter of I'm Here!

"Each one makes him wake up, terrified and shaky and wanting to hide or just outright stop existing; to become intangible, untouchable, safe. Of course, he can't actually do that, so instead he pushes the fear down and suffocates it before burying it in the backyard of his mind in the hopes it'll never be dug up again."

Something I try and do while writing is find ways to explain how I. Just. Experience life? (This is also present in Chapter 1 with the line "Further frustration gathered in his chest, making it tighten with stress before it shot up into his throat". Just little things that I've never really seen in words before? That I feel but never know how to accurately describe.) There's always the whole "let the void swallow me/him/her/them whole" thing in media that I love because, honestly, mood. But I guess for this I just wanted to word it differently? In the way I felt was most accurate to myself. Just to be in a state of which nothing can get you, be it life or that one imaginary demon that you sometimes think is lurking around the house at the convenient time of 3 AM, Y'know? When real life becomes TOO real and you just want to blip out for a second, just pause everything and have a moment to be free of everything xD

I also just kind of like the metaphor(?) with his fear. Trust Li Cu to not only associate feelings with violence, but also treat his feelings violently xD I feel like I'm not the best when it comes to imagery and creative expression, especially through words. I point out the obvious, the facts, a lot, both when speaking normally and in writing, and it takes a bit of time for me to remember that I'm writing a story and not jotting a list of events xD So anytime I actually come up with something more kind of creatively written, I feel particularly happy with myself.

"He can't even fully comprehend what's been going on - everything feels bizarre and just out of reach, moreso than usual - but what he does know is that Wu Xie is here and he's angry. The man stands above Li Cu, his cold calculating eyes burning him with wordless accusations that, despite their ambiguity, feel justified. There's guilt, desperation and denial crashing inside him like waves assaulting a rickety raft on a stormy sea. What these feelings are for, he doesn't know. It makes him want to plead for forgiveness all the same."

Let's be honest, Li Cu probably has way too many mixed feelings on Wu Xie. The man who simultaneously built him up and destroyed him. The man who caused him agony, but is also probably one of the best things to come into Li Cu's life??? Like damn, I think I'd be pretty conflicted if I was Li Cu. And things only get worse when, in this fic's timeline, Wu Xie essentially ghosts Li Cu out of guilt for what he did to the kid. This is taken wrong by Li Cu, and he ends up feeling abandoned. By his own kidnapper. I just feel like this snippet is pretty okay at capturing all the blame he puts onto himself, and captures some of the trauma that comes with the events of Sha Hai as well. I just kind of like how this paragraph turned out in the end. xD

6. What character do you have the most fun writing

LI CU!!! Absolutely Li Cu. I don't know exactly what it is but it just. Clicks with me? Or at least the version I write of himd does, it's probably not even close to Li Cu's canon portrayal xD Maybe it's because of the fact that I'm also an angsty, angry 19 year old that I feel as such? It's much easier to put myself in the mind of a teenage boy rather than a 40 year old man xD In terms of non DMBJ writings, I have OCs that I love writing for! Funnily enough, one is an angsty 19 year old boy with a lot of self-worth issues (ringing any bells?) and the other is an angry, confused and conflicted character that was modified to be a kind of living weapon, but had since escaped and repressed all their memories of what happened. Though, the memories eventually start to resurface and they begin to question themself a whole lot, with flashbacks haunting the corners of their mind and driving them deeper and deeper into guilt-filled despair.

In general, angsty characters with a lot of conflicted emotions are super fun to write for! To flicker around from thought to thought and dive into all the hidden feelings that a character can have. It's just super enjoyable for me xD

[lamiasluck]

Sweetening the Deal

I have bigger fics in the works but I managed to whip this up quickly from a concept @emptynarration and I thought of before! It’s just another interpretation of heric because I can’t help myself 

Summary: Host invites Eric to see his morbid radio show live. Of course, the shy ego is put off by the horrors he narrates, so perhaps Eric can do something to deter him from committing a crime. It will be one less dead character.

Tags: @alvie-ashgrove @theshysepticeye @verse2wo @juju-on-that-yeet (sorry if you didn’t wanna be tagged ;^;)

Warnings: minor violence (nothing too bad tho)

-

“Michelle finds herself wandering aimlessly through the forest. She swears she’s seen this area 50 times already. Or perhaps she hasn’t. Every bit of nature within such a dense place blends together after a while.” Host tilts his head and smiles. His tone reflects his actions well. “Will she ever find her dearest friend with such taxing conditions? It seems like her body is screaming for rest.”

The old tv screens buzz lowly and showcase Host’s story from every angle. He has no use for them, truly, but he likes having a live crowd to see the intricacies of his work. His onlooker today, Eric, watches on with an unsettling pit forming in his stomach. The squeamish crowds always make him enjoy the process more. Makes him know he’s doing a good job with his material.

Someone gave the timid ego a chocolate bar before starting to shut him up as if he is a rowdy dog. Not like Eric wants to interrupt Host while he works, though it gets hard with how badly he feels for the characters. Maybe the others feel bad that the twisted radio host likes to tug him along for private showings of his stories. Well, the chocolate somewhat helps. He tries to focus on the sweetness as tv’s poor audio quality picks up on a desperate cry.

Eric looks up at one of the screens. Host’s character is weeping on her knees, cursing out to the cruel gods that let this happen. Host is no god. He’s simply a man that gets too power-hungry to control himself. Not like this poor character knows. She won’t survive to make it to the second act at this rate.

“Despite the odd and unscripted action,” Host’s tone turns bitter as he digs his nails into the wooden desk, “Michelle forces herself up to continue her search.” One thing he hates: uncooperative characters. A pet peeve that has always been with him even in his past life as Author. “After a minute, she slams her head into a tree because clearly she wants to think irrationally.”

Host takes a minute to cool himself down. Eric flinches in his seat as the character does exactly what Host narrated. The man can control the masses with his narrations. Eric is glad Host seems content to settle with these little stories for now, and that he agrees to not hurt him or any of the other egos. Who knows what will happen if, god forbid, he grows bored of these tales.

“Eventually, after her little episode, she continues on in her search. It seems more like a fruitless task with each passing minute.” Host drums his fingers on the desk as his smooth, calm voice returns. Zero to a hundred just like that. Though, he is growing bored of this slow burn.

Something is moving on one of the screens, and it isn’t the main character. Eric catches glimpses of a shadowy figure dash by one of the lower TVs. Host isn’t phased by it, meaning he knows it's there. This isn’t going to go well. Eric knows he won’t be able to stomach what he has planned, so in a fit of impulse, he decides to try to suggest his own ending.

With a quick motion, Eric stands up and clicks the off button on Host’s microphone; right before Host can narrate again. As quick as that happens, he backs away and chews on his lip. He’s holding what’s left of his candy close to his chest like it will protect him.

It’s quiet for a moment. Host slowly turns around and tilts his head up as if he can look at Eric. “What was that?” He asks in an annoyed voice. Truly, he can’t find himself too mad at the other. Something about that nervousness endears him, but he can’t just have people interrupt his show like that. He has people to entertain! Characters to fuck with!

“Um...” Eric looks down at his feet, “I-I, uh, wanted to suggest something?”

“The Host doesn’t take story suggestions,” he replies, deadpanned. He goes to turn on his microphone again, but Eric catches his hand.

“Please!” He squeaks. “I really, um, r-really want to!”

Host notices how clammy Eric’s hand is. Maybe also how soft and nice it is to hold, but he digresses. That’s something he’ll address another time.

With a loud sigh, Host mutters, “Fine.” He lightly scraps Eric’s knuckles with his nails, which makes the other’s hand twitch in his hold. “Make this worth the Host’s time.”

“I will!” Eric may not have any sort of plan. He hastily takes back his hand and thinks quickly. “Can th-there be a-a happy ending...?”

Host scoffs, “Where’s the fun in that? Boring.”

“B-But you always have, uh, such sad stories! You sh-should, should change it up.” He looks back at the screen and notices the shadow traveling across the screens. Towards the main character. “I-I can give you, um...” his voice becomes quieter, if that is possible, “the rest of this chocolate...?”

Oddly enough, Host pouts a little. “Was Eric not going to share that candy in the first place?” He asks, voice uncharacteristically weak.

“That worked?” Eric blinks but quickly recovers from his shock. He hides the candy behind his back and huffs at Host. “Yeah! I-I only give you this if you, if-if you let her find her friend! An-And get home safely!”

To add to the fire, he breaks off a little piece of chocolate and eats it. “This is really good too. Your loss if you don’t want to accept! I’ll just, just eat this by. My. Self.” He pops another piece in his mouth and gloats about it.

“That’s so mean,” Host says as if he isn’t going to let a monster maim his poor main character. That chocolate did look good. Most likely, Wilford got it from some fancy chocolatier from god knows where. The really rare stuff. Yet, Eric doesn’t budge even with the high stakes in this deal. Host eventually gives up. “Very well then.”

He turns back around and clicks on his microphone. “In a surprising turn of events, Michelle has a feeling of where to go.” The shadowy figure fades away, much to Eric’s relief. “As she expertly traverses the woods, she finds a key. This is no ordinary key, however, as it’s the one she needs to unlock the cage her friend resides in. To add on the unlikely events, her friend is unharmed.”

Eric watches with a smile as the scene plays before him. To think he saved two people’s lives with some candy. Life with the egos is one surprise after another.

“They share a tight embrace as they’re finally reunited. Safe and sound as they should be. Michelle manages to weave them out of the forest, where they find more luck in hitchhiking their way back home. One day, what should have been a nightmare, will become a fun story to tell their friends and family during get-togethers. The end.” It hurts Host to have such a vanilla ending. There are no stakes here. Absolutely no fun to be had in this story. “That, dear listeners, is an impromptu rewrite caused by powers out of the Host’s control. He promises to bring a better, more eventful story next broadcast. May that tale find his listeners in good health. Goodnight.”

The microphone and radio are clicked off. In unison, the TVs switch off, and the buzzing stops. Completely silent.

Host turns around again and extends his hand. “The Host will take his prize now.”

Eric quickly hands him the candy bar with a shy smile. “Thank you...”

With an emotionless hum, Host breaks off a piece of chocolate. As he eats it, a grin appears on his face. “Now that was fun.”

“Wh-What...?”

“Not the story, of course. No, that was painful to describe,” Host exaggerates with a drawn-out sigh. Again, his mood quickly changes into something mischievous. “The way Eric acted. The Host has never seen such a display from him before.”

He breaks off another piece and puts it between Eric’s slightly parted, surprised lips. “Perhaps there is more than the cowardly lion here. Something to definitely look into in the future.”

The sweetness brings Eric out of his trace. He looks up at Host with a worried expression. “Wait... wh-what do you mean ‘l-look into’?”

Host simply ignores him and grabs his arm. “Come along now.” They start walking out of the library. “Eric should eat more than mere candy,” he says as he only eats mere candy for dinner. “There’s lots to explore with this new revelation.”

A shiver is sent down Eric’s spine. He follows the other obediently as his mind swims in worried thoughts. The way Host talks about him and his confidence. Somehow, someway, he managed to become a character in Host’s twisted narrative. All because of some dumb chocolate.

[winterromanov]

you made a mess of me - chapter one (bucky x reader)

pairing: bodyguard!bucky x princess!reader

updates: every week

masterlist 

message me to be added to the taglist

A/N: this is the short opener to what i hope will be an epic and fun fic!! hope you enjoy x

There are many things to like about being a princess. No way round it—you love the luxury, the worldwide fame for just existing, the way people are grateful just to be in your presence. It’s like every time you leave the palace a red carpet is pre-rolled out, ready for you to walk gracefully across in your limited edition Louboutins. Your life is gowns, champagne and ribbon-cutting, Hollywood-white smiles for paparazzi and deliciously opulent scandal. If you’re not pictured in the socialite gossip pages of glossy magazines, you’re not partying hard enough. You’re not appearing in enough of the right places with the right people.

Except, in your world, you’re the only right person. People battle for a place at your table, an invite to your party. It is impossible to not get intoxicated on that feeling, way before any hundred dollar (plus) champagne is drunk.

It is hard not to believe you’re completely inpenetrable. Sat at the annual Sokovian Aid charity dinner, you feel pretty fucking invincible. 

Yes, sure, the charity is important—daddy does love his little humanitarian projects, and it is one of your only actual jobs to interact with them—but you can feel the eyes of everyone in the room looking at you. People chatter about what dress you’re wearing, who accompanies you in your direct entourage, who you may be leaving with at the end of the night. The charity is important, but you know really, you’re the true focus. And that is not as selfish as it sounds, because your presence on its own brings in thousands of dollars of donations.

“Oh my God, (Y/N),” your best friend and confidant, Lady Connie Davenport, murmurs drily from next to you. Naturally, you’re on the honours table. The top one. As if you could be put anywhere else. “Look at the Sokovian girl. What on Earth is she wearing?”

Connie was pointing at a tall, pale girl who you recognised as the PR liaison rep for SA, but you had long since forgotten her name. Whilst it was your job to turn up to these things, other people could remember the minor details. “Who knows. Maybe it’s Matalan.”

Connie laughed loudly. “Matalan? Surely not. Bit too expensive, no?”

You smirk, bringing a glass of champagne to your lips. It had been filled up without you even realising—that is the kind of attention to detail you appreciate. “Perhaps.”

“Hmm. And what about the men? Seen anyone you like?”

Of course, you’d already scanned the room on arrival for eligible bachelors. Many were rich, but ancient oligarchs with deep pockets are not exactly your type. Several of the younger men had arrived with ladies on their arms which, whilst not an obstacle, did require some extra effort. The other men were way too presentable for your tastes. The last thing you want is someone you could take to dinner with your parents and for them to approve.

There is one man, though, who you’ve had your eye on. Or, his eyes have been very certainly on you. Deep set and intense, he looks at you differently to the way everyone else does. All night he has been sat quietly and aloof in the corner, not even pretending to look away when you catch eyes. He looks confident, arrogant even. And there is literally nothing that turns you on more than an over confident man who thinks he can do as he likes.

They think that, until they meet you.

“We’ll see,” you reply. Connie arches an eyebrow at you knowingly. “What? I like to keep you guessing.”

“You are infuriating, darling.”

Your smile is coy as a hand brushes across your shoulder. Looking up, you see Eric, your family’s head of PR. He is the one who keeps these events running smoothly, telling you where to be and when. “They’re ready for your speech, your highness.”

Of course, you hadn’t written the speech. Some neatly typed prompt cards had been handed to you a few days ago and you’d glazed over them, but it was the same old shit. At this point you might as well have the words what a great cause tattooed on your ass.

You huff a reluctant sigh. “Alright, let’s get this over with, then.”

Eric guides you through a maze of back corridors until you reach the door nearest the makeshift stage. Whilst a compere excitedly introduces you to tables upon tables of distinguished guests, a lady touches up your makeup and hair, messing with the hem of your dress. You have to look perfect for the photographers or your life won’t be worth living. You hear your name and you turn on the thousand kilowatt smile, waving elegantly as your heels click loudly against the tiled floor. The cheers are invigorating. Speeches are boring, yes, but the attention is most definitely not.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” You say, standing just the right distance away from the microphone to make an impact on the room, but not close enough for it to be overpowering. These are the kind of lessons you’re taught as a princess. “And what a pleasure it is to be here! It is always an utter joy to help Sokovian Aid and I am, as always, proud to be the patron of such a great cause.”

In the corner of your eye, you see movement from where your admirer has been perched all night. Maybe he is dying to get a better look at you.

“Sokovian Aid has been a charity very close to my family ever since we visited just after the end of the civil war.” There is more movement. People shift in seats and confusion flits over your expression, but you need to stay professional. “We saw poverty and pain, but a community so full of life and—”

BANG.

Blood rings in your ears as your body is brought heavily to the floor, thumping gracelessly against the tile. A much larger body is hunched over your own and just above the foggy, muted ringing in your head there is definite screaming. Shock and fear momentarily stuns your breathing—have you been hurt? Have you been hurt and you just can’t feel it yet?

There is one certainty. A chest is pressed tightly against your own, protecting you, a heart thudding desperately loudly against your trembling hands.

“Don’t panic, your highness,” a voice confidently says, deep and masculine. “You’re okay. You’re fine.”

Your breath hitches in your chest. There are a thousand possible questions but none of them make it out your mouth, which is extremely uncharacteristic indeed.

“Shooter neutralised.” The voice says into what you can only assume is a communicator. A fuzzy voice replies. “Emerald is unharmed. I will escort her to the safehouse point. Over.”

Shooter? Is this—a botched assassination?

“Are you okay to stand, your highness?”

The man’s body untangles from your own and you see him for the first time. Tall, muscular, dressed in a well-fitting suit filled out by a bulletproof vest underneath. A communicator, black and discreet, curls from his ear to the collar of his shirt. His hair is dark, neatly trimmed, with the ghost of stubble across his cheeks. You blink whilst his sharp eyes stare at you expectantly. Wordlessly, you nod, accepting his strong outstretched hand.

When you look around the room, it is almost completely empty, other than the usual FBI types that constantly linger wherever you go. Every event you attend is manned by some sort of protection, whether that is the police, secret services or a private, vetted company. You have never cared to figure out which, as you rarely have to deal with them for more than a few moments. You’ve always despised having people hang around you like shadows with ID badges.

Then it strikes you. It strikes you that someone in this room came here with the intention to end your life.

“Your highness. Your highness.” The officer who saved you raises his voice to get your attention. “There has just been an attempt on your life. The culprit has been reprimanded, but we cannot be certain that he was the only shooter within the vicinity. I have permission from your family to take you to a safe house. Do you understand? You have to come with me.”

You nod, but you feel lightheaded and nauseous. People are running urgently around you. Connie, you notice, is long gone, as well as your favourite bachelor. You love attention, but not this frantic, frightening kind—the man’s hand steadies you, stopping your feet from crumbling beneath you.

“We have to go now, your highness. You’re safe as long as you’re with me, alright?”

The last thing you see is his concerned expression before you pass out in his arms.

-

taglist: @nacho-bucky​ @multifanloves* @nerd-without-a-cause​ @starnight-charmer​ @tinymalscoffee​ @xogs* @thatsbucknasty​ @wheni-driftoff-illdream-aboutyou​ @learisa​ (* indicates couldn’t be tagged)

[dvlwthn]

“  we’re  one  with  the  sea  .  ”

Is that NOAH CENTINEO? No, that’s just ATLAS LAVEAU. They were born on 09/05/96 and are a MERMAID living in Northknot Town. They work as a SWIM INSTRUCTOR at Good Vibrations Gym. Some say they're PROTECTIVE and INTELLIGENT, but I’ve heard others say they're EMOTIONAL and BLUNT. When you think of HIM, don’t you think of SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN, OCEANS SO BLUE YOU CAN’T LOOK AWAY, LOYALTY SO STRONG IT CAN’T BE BROEKN?

A E S T H E T I C

swimming  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  .  peace  in  the  silence  .  the  sound  of  clicking  from  a  keyboard  .  mind  always  wondering  .  leaving  words  of  poetry  behind  everywhere  .  carrying  a  notebook  around  for  no  one  to  see  .  stopping  in  the  middle  of  something  to  write  something  down  .  unbreakable  loyalty  .  kind  smiles  ,  forgiving  nature  .

Q U O T E S

“  you  must  always  remember  this  :  have  courage  ,  and  be  kind .  you  have  more  kindness  in  your  little  finger  than  most  people  possess  in  their  whole  body  .  and  it  has  power  .  more  than  you  know  .  ”   –  brittany candau. “  i  see  myself  forever  and  ever  as  the  ridiculous  [ person ]  ,  the  lonely  soul  ,  the  wanderer  ,  the  restless  frustrated  artist  ,  the  person  in  love  [  with  love  ]  ,  always  in  search  of  the  absolute  ,  always  seeking  the  unattainable  .  ”   –  henry miller. “  i’m  with  you  in  rockland  . . .  where  we  are  great  writers  on  the  same  dreadful  typewriter  .  ”   –  allen ginsberg .

M U S I C    P L A Y E R

“   and  i  can't  sleep  .  i'm  up  at  night  ,  you're  in  my  ear  and  i'm  alright  .  i’m  trying  not  to  put  it  on  the  line  .  and  i  am  so  tired  of  losing  sleep  .  i  just  want  to  keep  you  around  .  you  make  me  feel  alright  .  you  make  me  feel  alright  .  you  make  me  feel  like  everything  is  gonna  be  just  fine  .  ”   just fine by spookyghostboy. “   je  veux  de  l'amour  ,  de  la  joie  ,  de  la  bonne  humeur  .  ce  n'est  pas  votre  argent  qui  fera  mon  bonheur  .  moi  je  veux  crever  la  main  sur  le  cœur  .  allons  ensemble  ,  découvrir  ma  liberté  .  oubliez  donc  tous  vos  clichés  bienvenue  dans  ma  réalité  .  ”   je veux by zaz. “   sometimes  there's  bullshit  that  don't  work  now  .  we  all  got  our  stories  but  please  tell  me  what  there  is  to  complain  about  .  when  you're  happy  like  a  fool  ,  let  it  take  you  over  .  when  everything  is  out  ,  you  gotta  take  it  in  .  oh  ,  this  has  gotta  be  the  good  life  .  ”   good life by onerepublic.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

+ intelligent, protective, and kind

- sometimes too optimists, blunt, and emotional

atlas has been through a lot of hurt. however, unlike most people he hasn’t let it change him. people take his kindness as a weakness but he see’s it as a strength... that he won’t let anyone change him no matter how cruel they can be. he wants to believe that people aren’t all bad, sometimes he tries a little too hard to believe that. but he isn’t naive either when it came to what he expected from other people. the man isn’t oblivious, he just likes to try to have hope. to not expect the worst from people until they give him no other choice to. sometimes, he also can’t help himself and is a little blunt. he never does it to be rude or hurt anyone’s feelings... it’s just he is protective and will call someone out on something in order to protect them. also the little pretentious writer in him sometimes makes him unable to stop himself from just saying certain things as they are. 

H E A D C A N O N S

001. atlas henrik laveau never knew his father, not that he ever cared about that. the boy was a huge mama’s boy. his mother was the strongest person he knew. growing up with only his mother, and his two step sisters. . . atlas grew up seeing the strength in women and couldn’t be prouder of his family.  002. however, being the only boy, atlas did always want a little brother. and he found that in a young boy whose family lived near his. it started with him just being asked to watch the young boy (eric) but eventually turned into him adoring the kid like his little brother. his family and friends all know how atlas saw the young boy and welcomed him themselves as well. 003. atlas prided himself on learning as much as he could on anything and everything. about his world under the sea and the world above. human, vampires, werewolves, witches, etc. he wanted to be ready for when he moved to the land above, it was always part of his plan. plus, he wanted to help his hybrid best friend as much as he could. 004. when he was younger, atlas’ favourite thing had always been writing and telling stories. he was always a creative person and enjoyed sharing all of his ideas. due to this, atlas was known for always thinking outside the box. 005. he ended up going through a hard time when eric was killed. it had been a day that he was asked to go watch the young boy, but he couldn’t do it. so eric’s parents moved their day around and stayed with him. atlas had finished his day early was was going to go surprise the boy and maybe offer to help out so the parents could do whatever else they could. however, when he arrived, he found the entire family had been murdered. atlas took it really hard and blamed himself. he even stopped talking for a couple of months. he spoke to NO ONE and the only person who could get some type of reaction out of him had been his best friend. 006. at the right age, atlas wasted no time in getting his ring so he could travel above land. he didn’t make the move just yet, cause he wasn’t fully ready to leave his family. but mars and him traded off on who was visiting who. he loved the land and wishes his family felt the same, but they loved the ocean too much. so he stayed for awhile longer before eventually making the move all together. though he does visit his family still. family is everything to the man. 007. he’s currently working at the gym as a swim  instructor, but he only does that while working on his book. everything is looking well for him, he already has publishers who want to work with him. he just needs to make a choice and small changes to his book that he feels he didn’t write correctly. he’s very excited about what’s to come.

C O N N E C T I O N S

BEST FRIEND. these two grew up together and have always been close. they’ve always seen each other as family and don’t keep secrets from one another. atlas knows he can tell mars anything and never be judged, just like she can do with him.   [ TAKEN ; marcelline ]

CLOSE FRIENDS. these would be the people he goes to that isn’t mars. probably someone who is a little more like him. at least in the sense where they are more kind and forgiving compared to most of the people in town. they could meet when atlas got to town and kind of just hit it off. or just sometime since he’s been around and just grew close kinda quickly. i just want him to have a couple of people he’s really close with.   [ 1/2 (could be down for three) ; tabitha ]

CO-WORKER. ever hear of a work wife/husband? that’s what this person is to atlas. they are very close and are always there to help each other. their other co-workers tease them about acting like a married couple at work, but it really is just a platonic friendship.   [ OPEN ; xx ]

EX GIRLFRIEND. i would really love one of those obvious jealous exes who broke up with their boyfriend due to him being so close to their best (girl) friend. so this person, whom atlas loved so much, really didn’t like how close atlas was to mars and grew tired of people making assumptions about him and mars. it eventually got to the point of them telling atlas to pick between them and his best friend. they didn’t realise how much atlas actually LOVED them. now, however, atlas can’t see them the same and they act very bitter toward each other.   [ OPEN ; xx ]

CRUSH. someone atlas has a bit of a crush on. they don’t need to return the feelings. this is just someone he really admires but never acts on his feelings because he doesn’t want to ruin their friend ship. *bonus points though if they do return his feelings and they are thinking the same way he is. that they are worried about ruining the friendship too.   [ OPEN ; xx ]

EX BOYFRIEND. they were friends first and things kind of just happened. it was one of those relationships that just made sense. however, after a few months, this person decided they just wanted to be friends. while it hurt atlas, he understood and agreed. yet since then, the two are just awkward around each other. atlas still has a soft spot for this person and wishes they could actually be friends again.   [ OPEN ; xx ] 

DISLIKE. atlas tried to get along with everyone, he really does. but this person just DOESN’T like him and atlas isn’t too upset about it. they rub him the wrong way anyways. or maybe it’s vice versa. . . atlas can’t stand them? they rub him the wrong way and he just CAN’T see past it.   [ OPEN ; xx ]

[inkribbon796]

Hearts Club: Candied Roses

Summary: Iplier never thought much about Valentine’s Day, but this year with another help from someone, he might have a shot at a happy Valentine’s Day.

<= Back to Main

Dr. Iplier was sitting in his office at the hospital. His shift was basically over and it was Valentine’s Day, and like a complete coward he was sitting at work, trying not to go back to the base and have to deal with all the couples coming and going from the main area.

He also had to change the Host’s bandages because the doctor didn’t trust him to take care of himself. But the last thing he wanted was for King to be around while did it.

Iplier was probably making assumptions, but the two seemed close. He’d walked into the library on more than one occasion and seen the two talking and laughing at something. Either the Host really thought King’s jokes were funny, or there was something Iplier was missing.

Finally he just packed his stuff up and left. He could probably badger Henrik to watch movies with him. There were more than a handful of heroes without dates, even if it meant hearing Roman lament about not having someone as he laid on the couch eating ice cream like the drama queen he was.

Iplier took his car, constantly looking over his shoulder for a villain to attack him. He’d been kidnapped by the League from this very parking lot on more than one occasion, and even after the first time he’d gotten suspicious of being out in the open.

He wasn’t attacked and got into the base without incident.

“Tag, Edvard,” Henrik greeted as he walked into the main room. “You are late.”

Iplier took stock of the room. Roman was taking up most of the couch, with Henrik squished into the arm. Robbie was sitting in front of him. Eric was curled up in one of the bean bag chairs. In the kitchen area, Virgil was laying on top of the counter top destroying the contents of a box of Pocky.

“Sup,” Virgil greeted, three sticks of Pocky in his mouth.

“What we watching this year boys?” Iplier sighed and walked over.

“Mouse Hunt,” Henrik answered, staring at the screen.

“Why?”

“Cause I need a laugh,” Henrik reminded, a huge bowl of popcorn in his lap.

“That and Nathan Lane has a fine ass,” Roman agreed, spoon still in his mouth, a bucket of butter pecan ice cream on his stomach, with chocolate syrup poured directly into the box.

“Hey, Princey,” Virgil jabbed. “If I wanted to watch a movie with the Duke, I would have gone back to the apartment to watch him and Dee make out on the table.”

“You take that back, you no-taste charlatan!” Roman barked out in offense.

“You two should make out in ze closet already,” Henrik scoffed. “Ze others already have.”

Virgil began having a coughing fit.

“I spent eleven years too long in there,” Roman rebuked. “You ain’t locking my fine ass back up.”

Then Roman smiled at Virgil, leaning over so he could see him, “You okay there, My Chemical No-Romance?”

“I hate you,” Virgil coughed out.

Eric was looking at Virgil in concern, “D-Do you need some water?”

“M’ fine,” Virgil was already running the tap to grab something to drink to clear his throat. 

“O-Okay,” Eric answered.

“You want us to start over?” Roman asked Iplier.

The doctor looked at his watch, “Nah, keep going, I have to go check the Host’s bandages, bet he’s been hiding out all day.”

“Ja, he refused to let me near him,” Henrik confirmed. “Ze man has a preference.”

“No he’s just a stubborn ass,” Iplier grumbled and started to walk towards the door that would take him to the elevator.

The American doctor was gone for five seconds before Virgil rolled over onto his stomach, taking the broken Pocky stick out of his mouth. “Five bucks says he doesn’t come back.”

“Ten says he comes back with a hickey,” Roman snagged some popcorn from Henrik.

The German doctor rolled his eyes, pulling the bowl away, “Nein, you have ice cream all over zhose hands of yours!”

As his friends argued and talked about him, Iplier was taking his medical bag and just stalked towards the elevator. He was trying to clear his head, because it was practically buzzing like a swarm of anxious bees.

His mind always went back to the Host, despite his best efforts to stay professional and ethical about his patient. Iplier didn’t know everything about what the Host used to be before they met. King was upfront about his tax evasion and auditing crimes that he was still on probation for, but Host never talked about it.

Or he couldn’t. The American doctor wasn’t sure which the problem was. Iplier was sure Marvin had been trying to connect the dots too. If King had worked for Dark, and Host had come to Dr. Iplier with him, then it didn’t take a private investigator to figure out that Host probably had too.

He reached the elevator and was about to hit the button when he saw King rushing over to him. “Hey, Doc, hold the door.”

Iplier punched the button a little bit harder than necessary. “King, I haven’t changed Host’s bandages all day, I don’t have time.

When King got to him, he noticed five roses made out of hard candy wrapped in brown paper, a golden ribbon tying it all together. “I’ll just take it down with you then.”

The doctor could have screamed, but the elevator showed up, even if it was slow.

“I would have thought you’d be down there with him already,” Iplier reminded, stepping inside with King.

“I checked on him a couple hours ago,” King waved his free hand. “Guy almost took my head off. Anyways, can’t stay, park tends to get a little crazy on the holidays. Can you do us all a favor and hand these to Host?”

He held up the wrapped roses, and Iplier took a deep breath, afraid for a second that when he opened his mouth he’d start screaming. Frustrated and angry, he finally barked, “Do your own dirty work, kid.”

“I am,” King scoffed. “Host wants to take forever, so I’m giving him a kick in the right direction.”

“I’m not giving your boyfriend flowers and chocolate, do it yourself, just make sure you’re not in my way when I change his bandages.”

The door started to open, but King was faster, darting his arm out to close the door.

“King, get out of my way,” Iplier spat.

Slowly a look of shock and surprise wrapped over King’s face, as if the gears in his head were finally turning the way he wanted them to. “Wait, wait, wait. You think I’m dating Host?”

Iplier almost hit him.

The younger hero looked like he was somewhere between amused as hell, and deeply disgusted. “No,” he balked. “Is that why you’ve been so passive-aggressively pissed at me since forever?”

“If you’re not dating then what is going on between you two?” Iplier asked.

“Doc, we’re brothers,” King told him. “I mean, we’re adopted but if that doesn’t count then nothing does.”

“Oh,” Iplier said, feeling silly and embarrassed.

“Here, give these to the Host,” King was still chuckling to himself. “Both of you are ridiculous.”

Finally he pressed the button to open the door back up, leaning against the door. Iplier took them carefully, noticing that the candy rose petals had strands of gold mixed into the sugar.

Stepping out, Iplier looked back at him, “Where’d you get these?”

“Made ‘em,” King looked inordinately proud of himself. “Trade family secret. Got a whole cookbook of pastry and candy recipes. They’re some black ops level stuff though so, good luck.”

With that he closed the door, and left Iplier alone in front of the door.

Glancing down at the roses, Iplier was frozen in place. Host was probably a mess, and he needed help. The blind man clearly had very little desire to protect himself, easily getting swept up in his visions and stories. It was one of the things Iplier had always loved about him, how passionate he was about his books.

Slowly he started to make his way towards the desk at the center of the massive library. The walk gave him time to think and plan. He was admittedly nervous, Host was going to pick up on the flowers eventually.

“Hey Host,” Iplier began, finally reaching the desk. “I heard you didn’t let Henrik patch you up.”

The doctor froze, there was a folded letter at the front of the Host’s desk. Iplier’s name was written in the Host’s fancy, flowing calligraphy.

“Greetings, Doctor,” the Host smiled. “As for the German doctor, the Host much prefers his current doctor’s steady hand over another’s.”

Iplier set his bag down so he could pick the paper up. “What’s this?”

“It is for the Host’s good doctor,” the Host answered. “Words that he would like to say before the King of the Squirrels involves himself in the Host’s business again.”

“Oh,” Iplier opened the letter to see that it was a poem, words twisted in the shape of Iplier’s face. The prose was flowy and very much in the Host’s style. It took a bit before Iplier fully realized that Host had written him a love poem. Entire sentences detailing his appearance and steady nerve. How the doctor had saved the Host not only from death but from himself.

“Host, did you make this for me?” Dr. Iplier asked.

“The Host spent a great deal of time on what to make so that the good doctor would not ask such a question,” the Host answered. “Does the Doctor like his gift?”

“Of course I do,” Iplier answered. “I love it.”

The Host seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “The Host is glad.”

“I have something for you too, sorry it’s not something homemade,” Iplier apologized and gently passed the flowers over to the Host, suddenly very nervous.

The blind seer let out a chuckle, his narrations quietly describing the flowers to himself, tracing his fingers over it. “Ahh, the Doctor got these from King right?”

“Did you see it in one of your visions?” Iplier asked, realizing that he’d been holding his breath for a bit.

“No, the King of the Squirrels learned how to make these from one of his adopted fathers, he is meddling in the Host’s personal affairs again,” the Host answered, all his focus seemingly on the flowers.

“Oh,” Iplier get his heart constrict a little.

“It is not unappreciated, as it got Iplier and the Host to interact with each other,” Host commented. “The Host very much likes his doctor.”

“I like you a lot too,” Iplier agreed. “Maybe if you’re up for it I can order in some food? I know you don’t like to go out into town.”

The Host whipped his head up to look at him, smiling warmly. “The Host would very much like that, he thanks the Doctor.”

Iplier smiles and after a quick discussion he ordered some Chinese food to the base, and then began changing the Host’s bandages. The two of them talking quietly in the mostly darkened library.

Two men huddled close together admit the smell of old book dust, a tinge of blood, and the sterilization of the doctor’s tools.

[miscellaneouslover]

Negan and Michonne developing a strained ally relationship to a forced friendship is such an appeal to me. I get it, though. Some things you cannot forgive, and what Negan did was unforgivable, but I feel like he’s changing. We can’t ignore some of our friends made questionable decisions under circumstances that we would hold against them if we were watching the show from a different show’s perspective.

Anyway, I feel like Negan already admires Michonne and sympathizes with her. She lost Rick and Carl. A husband and a son. Negan may have hated Rick, but I think we could all see he respected him. And we know he loved Carl, the same way he loves Judith. He loves kids.

I just feel with the upcoming war with the Whisperers and needed his aid in it would bring him and her a lot closer. Their friendship reminds me of Bill and Eric from True Blood, two characters who loathed each other for the right and wrong reasons until they became close.

I can see Negan being slightly protective over Michonne, despite knowing she can handle herself just fine. Judith has probably told him that she talks to Rick and Carl when she thinks Judith isn’t listening. I can imagine someone stepping out of line with the intention to offend Michonne and him stepping in to tell them to shut the fuck up if they know what’s good for them.

Negan would take the blows that come with hard decisions just so he doesn’t have to watch Michonne take the guilt. He’d let her rest by watching Judith and making sure no harm comes to her. He’ll talk to her about everything that happened when he left Alexandria to see his Sanctuary in its abandonment. He’ll tell her that he visited the place where ‘it’ happened. How sick to his stomach he felt.

And he’ll ask about Rick because Judith could never bring herself to tell him without breaking down. And so Michonne tells him. Tells him it was an accident that shouldn’t have happened. She should’ve been there to stop him or at least pull him out of the line of fire.

And, as Negan is when he clearly cares about someone, he gets pissed and tells her to stop blaming herself. He knows what it’s like to cause someone’s death, to be the reason a family is incomplete. He knows he’s the reason Maggie’s child doesn’t have a father or that Sasha and Rosita lost their love. Michonne didn’t cause Rick’s death.

In short, I just want a friendship to develop between these two.

[insxne-fangirl]

᯽ Drink of wine: Part 1 ᯽

“Please, this is one of the LAST things I will ever ask for you. Please Forrest.” She begged her oldest brother.

“You want me to poison you? Are you insane?!” He shouted at his sister, causing her to bring a finger to her lips.

“Either you do this for me, or the rivaling kingdoms will put a sword through me the moment they can. Forrest, please.” Those last words were a plead.

“What of Wilus and your children? What will happen to them..?” He questioned.

“That’s being taken care of tonight. I was waiting for a scribe to draw up the pages. Wil.. He will remain king in my death. Until Dean is old enough to take the throne.”

“This will destroy him, you know that right? He adores you. He will never be the same after.”

Mairead pondered this for awhile, and gave a single nod.

“Urge him to be better.. Please don’t let him abandon them. Dean and Samson will need their father’s guidance, a-and sweet baby Violet will need her brother’s to protect her..” Mairead’s voice cracked, and even in the dark, Forrest could tell she was crying. She only confirmed his suspicion by bringing her hands to her face.

“I would rather do this, so they do not have to watch me walk to the butchers block for crimes I didn’t commit.”

“Alright.. I’ll do it. One condition though.”

“Name it.”

______________________________________________________________________

Mairead returned to her room late at night, Wilus still awake waiting for her.

“My love, you’ve been gone a long time. Where did you go?” His voice was soft, and full of concern.

“I was speaking to the scribes. I need you to sign something for me.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing to fret over, you’ll find out soon enough.” She said quietly as she made her way to the dark wood desk in the corner of the room. She drew the quil from the ink and quickly signed her name on the paper. Dipping the quil back in the ink before walking to Wil and holding it out to him.

He looked at the paper that had been folded so the contents remained hidden, but questioned it no further as he signed his name on the paper next to hers.

“Don’t look at that paper until tomorrow. Just to give the ink enough time to dry.’ Mairead spoke, her words rushed. She flashed him her dazzling smile to try and sell that everything will be okay. He nodded, her back to him.

Wrapping his arms around her waist he asked,

“What’s going on, Mair? Is everything okay?”

She silently prayed to whatever gods looked out for her, hoping he didn’t feel her breath hitch.

“Everything is fine, Wil. I love you.”

A content hum was his only response.

That night, after Wil fell asleep, she went to her children’s room. Dean, only eleven, his brother, Samson following at eight, and their younger sister, Violet at three. All of them fast asleep. So peacefully unaware of the coming turmoil to come the next day.

____________________________________________________________________________

The day passed in a flash, and suddenly she was seated in the dining room with her brothers, children, and her husband.

She ate in silence, throwing a glance to the goblet of wine she left untouched as she pushed her food around. Gently placing her fork down, she glanced around the table, her eleven year old and eight year old scarfing down their food. Wilus gently scolding them about manners. Her three brothers around the table as well, Forrest kept his eyes on her goblet, Damien sat quietly questioning Eric about guard academy.

Her family brought tears to her eyes, and gave her nod to Forrest, who announced the children should be off to bed. Only once the adults remained did Mairead stand, goblet of wine in hand and offer a toast.

“To the good health of my family.”

After that she drank deeply, until all that remained of the blood red drink was the drop on her lips.

It only took a few seconds after she placed the glass down for her world to start spinning. Mairead placed a hand to her forehead as Wil gave her a questioning look.

“Mair, are you alright?”

She couldn’t find the strength to respond, as she placed a hand on the tray on the edge of the table and fell to the floor.

____________________________________________________________________________

“The queen is dead.”

[froggybaek]

box - part 1 [stray kids]

♛➩ this is a reader-decision au, meaning the decisions of the majority of the readers will decide how the story flows - from beginning to end, every single decision made by you all will count. it is heavily inspired by the promised neverland.

♛➩ genre: horror, thriller, mystery

♛➩ pairing: ???

♛➩ warnings: death, gore, violence

♛➩ summary: everyone came to the orphanage at a young age. most everyone was taken into a foster home by the age of seventeen, though there was the occasional straggler who didn’t get the chance to find a family; by their eighteenth birthday, they would be sent away. no one knew what happened to them, or the children who got adopted, as neither party would write back home to the only family they ever had. everything begins to unravel, leaving those in the orphanage wondering one thing - were they ever safe?

♛➩ word count: 2.9k { will get longer, this is simply the first, most basic introduction post }

 “What is this?”

 “It’s the gate that connects us to the outside world, according to-”

 “Didn’t he say it wasn’t safe? Are we being... protected, from something?”

 “I dunno, I think he’s just making sure that we don’t try to leave before we get adopted.”

 “That’s obviously not the case, you buffoon.”

 Felix puffed out his freckled, melanin cheeks, vehemently turning on his heels to face the brunette with the quirked eyebrow, his skinny fingers gripping onto the spine of a leather, worn-down book. “Hey, Eric could be right, you know! Just because you aren’t sure doesn’t mean we’re wrong.”

 “I’m more than aware of the faint possibility that I’m wrong - but by reasoning, I can also be correct, as I usually am.” His deadbeat comrade murmured in response, pushing himself off the trunk of the spruce tree, subsequently adding an extra inch to his otherwise shorter height. “I am the smartest one here, after all-”

 “Actually, Seungmin, Jisung is the smartest of us all... somehow.” Eric reminded him quickly, the redhead wagging a finger to argue his point. Felix nodded hastily, taking a step away from the otherwise forbidden gate to throw an arm around the shoulders of his best friend.

 Sure, the other kids were definitely the closest thing to family that Felix would ever get in the orphanage, but Eric and Seungmin were his two closest friends. The youngest of the trio matched his own bright, bubbly personality almost too perfectly, especially since the younger of them was incredibly outgoing and always had something to say. He wasn’t as academically bright compared to the easygoing Felix or the studious Seungmin, but there was an air of comfort and home that surrounded him. Perhaps that was why Felix felt so at ease with Eric.

 A soft sigh bubbled past Seungmin’s lips. “I will never understand how Jisung can ace those exams without even batting an eyelid. No matter what I do, he’s always at the top - leaving me with second place.” He continued, though there wasn’t a single hint of bitterness in his tone, the boy pushing the bridge of his glasses farther up his nose as he spoke.

 To call Seungmin dedicated was one thing, but to ever see him as anything akin to a selfish boy who only worried most about his studies? No one at the orphanage could think so lowly of the boy, who many considered their most reliable brother. To be frank, he was the one who supported everyone else’s achievements more often than anyone else, besides the professor.

 “In any case, you two and Jeongin are always at the top when it comes to grades,” Felix sympathized with the grumpy brunette, reaching an arm over to playfully ruffle his normally messy hair. The freckled boy glanced over at the looming gate once more, wistfully wondering just what could be lurking on the other side. With a quick shake of his head, though, his pink lips curled into a bright smile. “Come on, the professor will be wondering where we’ve wandered off to.”

 And with that, the trio turned their backs to the only possible point of contact to the outside world - not that they wanted or needed to go. They were perfectly happy at the orphanage, just as they always had been.

————————————————————————

 “Just where have you three hooligans been? Dinner started ten minutes ago.” The professor questioned the three boys sternly, though his voice was hardly as gruff as it was warm and caring.

 Eric spoke up first, as he always did. “Sorry, prof - we got caught up on the walk back. Minnie thought he lost his book and we had to look for it in all the bushes and grass.” The simple, harmless lie slipped past his lips like smooth honey. He had a knack for such meaningless lies, using them to get himself, as well as Felix and Seungmin, out of quite a few sticky situations where they could get in a world of trouble.

 Hard brown eyes narrowed into a suspicious stare, their elder guardian parted his lips in preparation to call out Eric for his lie; he was the only one who could ever spot such a false set of words so easily. None of their other guardians compared to the professor’s sharp intuition. “Eric, you kn-”

 “Guys, you’re back - oh, sorry, professor!” Lua breathed out in a rush as she poked her head around the corner of the dining hall, sending the trio of boys a slight wave. “Dinner will start to get cold soon, you three need to come and eat it soon, oh, and Somi is about to pounce on your plate, Seungmin. You got the extra slice of cake tonight, but she says if you don’t claim it in the next minute she’s gonna eat it.”

 Seungmin’s eyes widen behind the glass of his spectacles in disbelief and horror. Not even bothering to say goodbye to the professor, he makes a mad dash for the dining hall, book tucked under his arm while he goes to save his food. Both Eric and Felix made eye contact with their less than amused elder, hurriedly bowing out of respect before they mimicked Seungmin’s actions and their feet began to pound against the wood floor.

 Just as they make the sharp turn to enter the bustling dining hall, Felix slows down behind his eager friend. A wave of respect floods his senses as his eyes drift over the shining, polished silver plaque hanging by the entryway.

 Kim Woojin - Professor of Ethics, Honorary Guardian to Mercy Garden’s Orphanage.

 Professor Woojin wasn’t all that much older than Felix and the older boys who had yet to turn eighteen, truthfully. He was far younger than their previous guardian, Minseok, who ended up retiring early for whatever reason. Lua and Sunwoo had some sort of conspiracy going on in those rather... interesting minds of theirs, something about how they believed Professor Woojin was taking a youth supplement and he happened to get the job since he had a natural parental instinct.

 … Felix honestly wasn’t too sure if he could ever believe that theory. He, like a majority of the sane children in the orphanage, simply assumed that the older man was just that good when it came to taking care of everyone, which - he was. Whenever the younger kids, such as Zen or Sunhee, got scrapes on their knees from a serious game of tag, the brunette haired man would kindly scoop them up in his burly arms and hum a fine tune under his breath before he cleaned the wound and bandaged them up, usually offering them a cookie afterwards.

 Truth be told, Felix looked up to Professor Woojin. He would help him study for their exams, encouraging the ginger with bursts of kind words and sweet treats. Mind you Felix wasn’t one of the top three in the orphanage, but he wasn’t below average - in fact, due to the professor’s assistance, he was slowly but surely climbing the ladder to getting almost perfect scores on the exams.

 “Lix, come on! I’ll eat all your food if you don’t hurry up and get in here!”

 Nodding to himself, the boy shifted his admiring gaze away from the plaque and towards the dining all, quickly sauntering inside with a loud exclamation of, “Eric, don’t you dare!”

————————————————————————

 “Fuck, I totally flunked that exam.” Eric groaned aloud, much to the displeasure of Seungmin, who promptly flicked an eraser at the younger’s head. With a hiss, Eric rubbed the now minuscule red spot on his cheek, sending the boy with glasses a tentative glare of annoyance and mock offense. “What? I have every right to be pissed - what if... what if my new family sees this bad grade and all the other ones... what if they think I’m too stupid to adopt?”

 Everyone exchanged looks of pity over Eric’s fears, knowing very well that he usually refused to expose his own worries. If he ever actually spoke of something that happened to bother him, that meant it was serious.

 “They won’t think like that, Eric,” Jeongin assured the older, flushed boy with a genuine smile, his braces sending a flash of light over the shadow on the wall of the makeshift classroom, “Professor Woojin made sure that they know literally everything about you; from your loud personality to your... lackluster grades.”

 “Wow, that makes me feel so much better, Innie.”

 Jeongin rolled his eyes in amusement, knowing that Eric didn’t mean his harsh, mildly patronizing words. “What I mean to say is that the family who filed to adopt you want you to be one of them because you’re you and no one else. I’m willing to bet that they’re an outgoing, adventurous kind of family with a couple of children who deserve to have a sweet big brother like yourself.” His hair bounced as he enunciated each and every word to make Eric feel better, the tiny apple-bob on the top of his black hair only helping his cause.

 Felix, of course, agreed with what Jeongin had said, though he didn’t elaborate on them much past that. Just the night before, in the boys’ bedroom, he’d practically preached to his best friend, no, his other half about how much he cherished him and how much he would adore his new family. Was he sad that the person he considered his brother was leaving without him? Well... who wouldn’t be.

 But Felix didn’t have the heart to express his internal grief, knowing too well that the adopted boy wouldn’t hesitate to cancel the damn adoption process himself just so he could stay by his side until they both finally turned eighteen. No, he couldn’t allow Eric to throw away such a fantastic opportunity - besides, they had promised each other in the dead of night that they would find each other one day. When Felix finally grew of age to leave the orphanage, if he wasn’t fostered or adopted by then, anyway, he would scour the ends of the earth to find Eric again.

 Nothing could separate them: not a foster home, an adoption, not even death itself. They were family, and family always stuck together.

 “Everyone, say goodbye to Eric!” Professor Woojin hummed to the crowd of thirty-eight kids, both young and old alike, one of his giant hands resting gently on a flushed Eric’s shoulder. The personal grief in his own eyes was evident enough to those who met his sad yet proud gaze - Eric was the sixth child to find a home outside of Mercy Garden’s Orphanage under his supervision, so technically it was another good point for him under the eyes of his elders. But... Eric was family, and everyone was upset to see him go.

 “Hey, don’t be a jerk and forget to write to us!” Lua whined, breaking the choking silence with a hint of a voice crack.

 “Come back and visit us on Halloween - it’s tradition that we egg the office!” Felix followed her lead, offering his best friend the happiest of smiles he could possibly muster in the moment.

 “Hold on, Felix - you do what to my office now-?”

 “Don’t forget us! We’re family after all!” A handful of the younger kids sniffled and cried out, having to be held back by the older residents as they desperately tried to reach out and latch onto a sniffling Eric’s legs.

 Crouching down low to the ground, Eric set aside his bag and opened his arms wide, embracing the tiny pack of crying children when they finally broke free and ran towards him. Tears streamed down his own red cheeks, showcasing how he truly felt in a rare display of anything other than joy or happiness.

 “How could I ever forget about you guys? Y-you’re my real family, all of you.”

————————————————————————

 About fifteen minutes had passed since the professor and Eric had left for the gate at the edge of the forest, where the former would be picked up and taken away from the orphanage - to his new home, with a real family. Felix knew he had no right to feel so goddamn bitter about the entire situation, and he tried to calm himself down by sweeping downstairs in a futile attempt to further distract himself, but the deadly tight grip on the wooden broomstick showed just how upset he was.

 Across the room, Jisung was dusting the shelves of a stray bookcase, sniffing and sneezing every couple of seconds due to the dust that fell from the top shelf and blew past his sensitive nose. “F-Felix - achoo! Shit, I thi-think that, oh god another one, achoo! I think Eric left h-his bag here.” The blonde called over to the other boy in the room, wiping his nose with one of his sleeves.

 Looking over with furrowed eyebrows, Felix’s eyes immediately landed on the pastel pink bag Eric had packed the day beforehand. A wave of concern washed over his body as he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and walked over to a sneezing Jisung, bending down to pick up the bag. “Fuck, Eric needs this bag, Ji,” he murmured with a sigh, glancing over to the other boy, “what do we do? I mean, we could wait for Professor Woojin to come back, but Eric will be gone by then...” He trailed off.

 “It usually takes the prof at least two hours to get home after he takes someone to the gate. We could probably catch them before Eric heads off,” Jisung said thoughtfully, acting as if it had already been decided what course of action they would take, his fingers tossing the duster aside while he straightened his back to look down at Felix. “Think about it, Lix - if we wait for the prof to get back, he’ll just have to use up his own free time to walk all the way out to the gate again tomorrow so someone can take the bag to Eric.”

 With a deep, resonating sigh, Felix nodded in agreement and slung the pink bag over his shoulders, adjusting the straps to fit him better. Taking his silent nod as a sign of agreement, Jisung smirked and began to make way to the front door with his freckled comrade trailing behind him.

 Just as they were about to open the door, another voice quietly rang throughout the otherwise silent house. “Woo - Professor Woojin doesn’t like it when any of us go outside so late at night. You should just wait for him to come back.”

 Both boys turned on the heels of their feet, surprised to find a stoic Seungmin staring at them from the top of the staircase. His striped pajamas nearly blended in with the cream colored walls, the only hint of light hitting his frowning face coming from a candle he’d placed on a small disc.

 “He’ll appreciate us doing this one small favor for him, Minnie,” Jisung insisted, “don’t worry too much. If anything, we can at least hide or something if you really think he’ll be mad at us. Just... leave the bag there, no one will know who out of all of us went out to deliver it.”

 His words seemed to just barely win Seungmin over, the younger of the trio not uttering another word before he went back upstairs, the light of his candle growing smaller and smaller. Feeling smug with himself, Jisung let out a proud noise and opened the front door, leading Felix outside with him.

 Together, the pair silently wandered through the forest, following the rocky path that led to the gate. Neither of them were scared, so to speak, but the two of them seemed to have a lot on their minds. Jisung’s eyes kept snapped around the lurking shadows, as if he was looking for something - or someone. Meanwhile, Felix was pondering if he could at least say something else to Eric if he hadn’t left already. But, what would he say that he already hadn’t?

 Once they finally reached the lone gate at the edge of the dark forest, they met each other’s gazes before nodding, decisively sliding the ancient steel bars open and closing them behind their figures. They continued, a bit more slowly now, to creep closer and closer to what appeared to be a garage of sorts. A cement wall broke off to let the strange building stand, with either side letting the wall continue its barrier for miles, likely around the private property of the orphanage.

 “C’mon, I see some light coming out of that door.” Jisung muttered quietly under his breath, gesturing for Felix to follow his lead. The older of the two crept towards the doorway, which had been left cracked. Slowly, the blonde pushed it open far enough for them to enter the building.

 There was a single red truck parked inside, the engine dead. The pair exchanged a hopeful look, hoping that Eric hadn’t left yet and this was his ticket off of the property. Grasping onto the bag with a faint smile, Felix wandered over to the truck, tilting his head in confusion when he saw that the bed of the vehicle was draped with a thin, gray blanket. Just as his fingertips brushed against the rough material, ready to pull it up enough so he could take an invasive peek inside the bed of the truck, Jisung stopped him.

 “Woah... Lix, what the fuck is in this tube?”

————————————————————————

 Where does Felix look first?

 A: the bed of the truck

 or

 B: the tube that Jisung wanted him to see

————————————————————————

- voting ends on Valentine’s day

[theonyxpath]

Eric here. Today, I’m posting a fair chunk of the current Conviction and Loyalty section of Deviant. If conspiracies drive the actions of the entire cohort, Conviction and Loyalty Touchstones provide specific motivation to each individual Remade. Ready? Here we go:

Divergence damages the part of the Remade’s soul that once guided her senses of self and identity, replacing Virtue and Vice with the twin Anchors of Loyalty and Conviction. She defines herself by her interactions with others — specifically those actions driven by love and hate and directed toward a specific person, group, cause, or location.

A Remade’s Conviction can run white hot or blisteringly cold. It compels the transformed to do what needs to be done, often forcing her to make hard choices in the pursuit of her designated enemies. It dictates her need to confront anyone who would keep her from pursuing her goals. Conviction is the churning, seething anger that always lurks at the edges of her emotions. It is what makes a Renegade fight, what gives her the courage to escape, and what pushes her to determine her own fate. Conviction serves as a source of Willpower based on her actions.

Where anger and hate guide Conviction, Loyalty represents the Remade’s ties to those she cares about deeply and strives to protect — both from herself and from the sinister forces she tangles with. These are those few people who have stood by her since her Divergence, who accepted her how she was before and how she is now. They’re the friends and family who refuse to be scared off even when she insists they ought to run, that it’s for their own good. They’re also the new friends she’s made since everything changed. It’s hard for a Deviant to maintain relationships, but these ones approach the sacred for her. She’ll do anything it takes to protect the people who have earned her trust to this degree. Loyalty restores the Broken’s Willpower when she acts to uphold it.

Touchstones

Touchstones invoke strong feelings of hate or love in the Remade, anchoring her to her remaining humanity. Acting for or against a Touchstone helps the Deviant keep her Instabilities from growing worse, while falling short of these obligations shakes her confidence and can trigger disastrous complications.

Whether Conviction or Loyalty, most Touchstones are individual people. Some Broken forge ties with an object, place, or organization, but these are always concrete and localized – something that can be threatened or destroyed by a single actor in a single time and place, whether with a gun or an explosive.

A Deviant hates her Conviction Touchstones with a limitless rage. She recalls them with a passion so deep it always seethes just beneath the surface, ready to boil over. Most are members of the conspiracy that stalks her or created her: her Progenitor, the school administrator who nominated her for the experimental program, the lab tech who injected her with the serum, or the old roommate who invited her along to participate in an obscure ritual. She might even wish to see the lab where she was experimented on destroyed, or the ritual altar smashed Others have earned her enmity in other ways, such as by threatening a Loyalty Touchstone, standing in the way of the Remade’s revenge, or inconveniencing her in other ways: the police officer who keeps hauling her in for questioning, or the neighborhood gang that’s always making trouble for the cohort and their allies.

If causing a Conviction Touchstone to suffer is satisfying, killing one outright offers a moment of catharsis. However, resolving a Conviction Touchstone by destroying it does not extinguish the yawning chasm of the Deviant’s need to protect or exact vengeance. The Remade who destroys one Conviction Touchstone almost always replaces it with another as soon as possible – or with a Loyalty Touchstone.

The focus of a Loyalty Touchstone is often someone the Deviant knew before her Divergence. This may be an old friend or lover, a partner in crime, or even a former enemy whose past sins now pale in comparison to what her Progenitor did to her. Some Touchstones form after the Renegade goes through her ordeal: the lab assistant who helped her escape, or the member of her cohort who bears an uncanny resemblance to her little sister. They are people who remind her that even though being Remade took away a piece of her humanity, it didn’t take all of it. They show the transformed kindness even when — especially when — she’s incapable of showing it to herself, and they have her back even if they don’t always agree with her choices.

Loyalty Touchstones are the source of both comfort and concern for the Deviant. The Touchstone is the person he goes to when he’s troubled, but that means if his enemies are watching, and he’s not careful enough, he’s putting his friend in the conspiracy’s crosshairs. Ruthless conspirators often threaten to harm the Touchstone, following her to work, watching her children on the playground. They make her life difficult, sometimes using bureaucratic frustrations to mask their involvement. Police show up on her doorstep, following up on a tip that she’s harboring the fugitive Renegade. Child services pays a visit based on an anonymous call from a concerned party. Some conspirators contact the Touchstone directly, attempting to turn her against the Remade or suggesting they can protect her from him if he grows violent. They try their best to sow seeds of doubt between them.

Upsetting the Broken’s loved ones is a combination of a taunt and a threat. The conspiracy wants the Renegade to know they’re watching, to know they’re keeping tabs on where he goes and who he values. Anything they can do to throw their target off-balance is just fine by the conspiracy. In extreme cases, the Deviant’s enemies kidnap his Touchstones or put them in physical danger. While this can draw the Remade out of hiding or make him come to the table and negotiate, it also serves to fuel his hate and determination against the conspirators involved. Overtly threatening a Touchstone can backfire — a Touchstone is much less likely to be off the grid, and therefore will be missed by other people in her life if she suddenly stops showing up for work or her children don’t come to school. Conspirators usually deploy these extreme tactics sparingly, and only when they’re certain they can minimize the fallout.

Systems

Starting Renegade characters begin with at least three dots in Conviction and one in Loyalty, which Origin then modifies (see Chapter One). The sum of Loyalty and Conviction is never more than five. Each dot has one associated Touchstone, a character toward whom the Renegade feels a particularly strong hatred or protectiveness.

After a scene in which the Renegade makes progress toward one of her Conviction Touchstones, she gains one Willpower and takes a Beat. Once per session, when she risks danger or suffers for her Loyalty Touchstone, she regains all Willpower.

If a Touchstone is destroyed or killed, or when a Touchstone falls to Wavering, the Broken’s Loyalty or Conviction falls by one (depending on which Trait the Touchstone was attached to). If both Loyalty and Conviction reach 0, the Deviant goes Feral (p. XX).

Once per chapter, the Remade may declare a new Touchstone to fill an open Touchstone slot. This Touchstone begins at Wavering, and therefore doesn’t increase the character’s Loyalty or Conviction, unless it is successfully affirmed (p. XX).

A Touchstone may switch from Loyalty to Conviction (or vice versa) without Wavering first, as long as the Touchstone itself remains the same. When the Broken’s best friend betrays her, for example, her rage is so instantaneous she doesn’t pause to consider why her friend might have done such a thing.

Abandoning an existing Touchstone and replacing it with a new one is a two-step process. First, the Remade must cut ties with the old Touchstone, therefore losing a point of Loyalty or Conviction. This counts the same as his declaring a new Touchstone action for the chapter. Once the next chapter begins, he may name his new Touchstone, which begins at Wavering.

Acting counter to his Touchstone — failing to pursue the subject of a Conviction Touchstone or abandoning a Loyalty Touchstone in a time of need — means the Renegade has Faltered. The player rolls his current trait rating as a dice pool to determine the severity of the damage to the relationship:

Roll Results

Success: The character believes he made the right choice. Both trait and Touchstone remain in place.

Exceptional Success: The character heals a minor Instability.

Failure: Remove a dot of the trait. The Touchstone remains in place but becomes Wavering.

Dramatic Failure: The character loses both a dot in the trait and the Touchstone and suffers a medium Instability.

When a character acts against a Wavering Touchstone, he rolls his current trait as above, but on a failed roll, the Touchstone is lost, in addition to the dot.

The Renegade can also attempt to affirm a Wavering Touchstone, strengthening his friendship or rekindling his hatred for a conspirator. When he acts in support of a Wavering Touchstone, he rolls the trait (Conviction or Loyalty) as a dice pool.

Roll Results

Success: The character has gone above and beyond for his friend, or done a job that reminded him just how deeply his hatred toward his enemy burns. The Touchstone is no longer Wavering, and the Renegade gains a dot in that trait.

Exceptional Success: In affirming his dedication to the Touchstone, the character discovers a new reservoir of rage or devotion within himself. The character successfully affirms the Touchstone as above. In addition, if the character has an open Touchstone slot, he may immediately assign a new Touchstone, even if he has already done so during the current chapter. This new Touchstone is initially Wavering, as normal.

Failure: Nothing changes. The character has done the bare minimum his friend expects a decent person to do, or has chased down a lead against his enemy without any tangible results. The character does not regain the dot in the trait, and the Touchstone remains Wavering.

Dramatic Failure: The character finds he cannot rekindle his love or hate of the Touchstone. The character loses the Wavering Touchstone.

Sometimes the Renegade is caught between pursuing a Conviction Touchstone and aiding a Loyalty one. He gains the benefits for the one he follows, and rolls Faltering for the one he failed.

[askswamphat]

Drabble #80-’Princess’

(Just a quick note-please know these drabbles may bounce around a bit-as far as the age of the babies-so just know that-thanks!) 

He sat on the porch as he was officially done with all of his meetings for the day. He felt bad for this client and his desperate attempts to cure his wife of cancer. But at least it meant more money to help take care of his children. Speaking of, he could hear the sounds of his sons rough housing and playing in the backyard. He gets up from his spot on the porch, before making his way to the backyard, seeing his sons currently in a bit of a wrestling match. He was sure the entire swamp could hear the commotion his sons were making. "Oh hey dad!" Xander took a moment to greet him, nodding his head and waving at them, before Conner grabbed Xander and started to 'death roll' him. Swampy chuckles, as this was good for the boys. This was normal gator practices and would be very beneficial in their future. They had to learn to fight and protect themselves, after all. And then once they found mates and had their own litters, well, a male gator just always protects their family.

He makes a noise as he realizes the girls weren't outside. He gets curious, going back into the house and walking down the hallway to where the girls' room was. He knocks gently, before opening the door to peek in. He can't help but smile, as they hadn't noticed him yet. Carrying on about as if they were princesses, living in a castle, and having a bit of afternoon tea together. He chuckles, opening the door and bowing. "M'ladies. I was just coming in to check up on you." Instantly, his girls were excited and seemingly talking all at once. He laughs softly and holds up a hand. "One at a time..." "Daddy, please join us?" "Yeah! Come have tea with us!" Please daddy?!?!" He saw their pleading little faces, eyes glowing in anticipation that their dad was done with work and could now play. How could he say no to those faces, to his girls? "Of course I would love to have some tea." They grew more excited, and before he knew it, the girls were pulling him into their bedroom. "Sit down daddy." He does as he's told, and it didn't take much thought or time before the girls got to work. One of them grabbed the "play" makeup he had brought for them. Another went into their closet, pulling out feathery boas and Mardi Gras beads (cause lets face it-both were plentiful in New Orleans). He had also bought them these gorgeous (not real diamonds but the girls still loved them) tiaras from one of the Mari Gras surplus stores. And bought more than enough, so they could claim their own tiara, and then have others to use if they needed to. So he knew what was coming, as Adele had picked out a tiara, and placed it on his head. She gasps, her tail flicking behind her excitedly. "Daddy, you look so pretty already!" He couldn't help but smile and take the compliment, although he truly felt 'pretty' wasn't the correct term to use for himself. 

"Move out of the way Ade!" He looked towards Hailey, as if silently telling her to not shove her little sister out of the way. Hailey immediately got the hint, looking down at her feet for a moment. "Sorry daddy, sorry Ade." "It's alright." "Ade, come help me do daddy's makeup." Soon enough, he had on bright yellow eyeshadow, the brightest shade of red on his lips, and entirely too much blush on his cheeks, but his girls just fawned over how pretty he looked. Of course, his look wasn't complete without some jewelry pieces and a bright purple, feather boa. "Now we can go back to our tea!" Bella commented, as Swampy had a dilemma. He had found the play table and chairs dumped in his swamp one evening. Of course with everything he found, he would clean it up and give it a purpose. It worked just fine for alligator children. But for him? Those little chairs? And he could see his girls looking up at him and expecting him to sit at the table, like they were. He gave them a smile, though he looked very unsure, as he moved to sit a few times, but then standing back up again, as he was trying to figure this out. He had to drape his tail over his own lap, and as he sat down, he grit his teeth. He had never heard a chair let out such a sound, under the entire weight that he was. He wasn't even sure how he got his behind in the actual seat, but it was enough to please the girls, and they carried on. Pretending to pour tea into his cup, before sipping the tea and gossiping. "Did you hear that Prince Bradley is visiting the Kingdom? You know he left Princess Swan after I heard she was spending time with Prince Eric." Hailey comments, before the others gasp, Adele tossing her boa over her back. "I think Prince Corey may ask me to the ball later." "Oooohhhh, he's so cute!" Swampy felt a bit perplexed. He knew where the girls were picking these habits up at, and wondered if maybe TV was a bad idea. But at the same time, they were just having fun. Hopefully, they weren't growing up too fast and he had to worry about them finding mates and leaving him all alone. He saw them looking to him, before he smiles at them, looking to Adele. "He would be a fool not to ask you to the ball." That made Adele happy, chuckling and 'sipping' at his tea. That was when he heard the sound of the boys running into the house, before barging into the girls room. He groans softly to himself; he needed to teach the boys to not just barge into the girls room like they constantly managed to do. Despite telling them numerous times. But it seemed the boys had grown bored outside, and naturally, were curious to see what their sisters were doing. Adele, being the cheerful gator that she was, chimes up brightly. "We're princesses having a tea party in our castle! Come join us!" He looks to the boys, unsure if they actually would join in or not. But it seemed that they all looked at one another, before ultimately agreeing that they didn't have anything better to do. Xander put a bit of lipstick on himself (poorly), his twins Justin and Jayce grabbed a boa, putting it on before sitting at the table. Ayden sat at the table, but didn't put any additional pieces on. Conner had a tiara on that was about 2 sizes too small for his head, but sat down as well. He smiles, as all nine of his children were sitting at this play table, all having a pretend tea party. In this moment, they were all princesses, in this castle and living the best life.

(art by @hmmartz​ )