#I'm cheap as well as broke but I Enjoy an Image every once in a while

[iemergedoutofthewater]

Doc marten vintage boots or doc marten vintage oxfords WITH FLAMES

[thoughts-n-paper]

Eve woke up every day with a sense of gratitude.

She thanked her fate for waking up buried in the soft linen sheets, for the luxury spread on her table every meal and for the smile she was blessed to see on her daughter's face every day. She did believe that it was her karma that her circumstances took her from the dirty and worn down roads to the desirous mansion she breathed in. It was that along with her daughter's persuasive powers, but it wasn't all for nothing like they say that suffering does, after all, builds character. And she saw the proof of that every day in the image of her step-daughter, who stood just a meek, timid and impressionable little girl. Ella and Anna, the step-daughter and her blood, even though Ella was the older one, Anna stood over her, both in stature and disposition. It was difficult for her to see Ella as a girl born in privilege and still so distant from the qualities of the rich she had been envious of in another life.

Anna, on the other hand, had taken to the elite lifestyle like fish to water. Eve was so proud of her child. Anna was always the talk of every ball they had been to ever since her debut. Every room that she walked into, she knew how to assert her dominance over the crowd. Eve's heart grew an inch every time she would hear other girls talk behind Anna's back, which meant that she had made her place, that the others were envious and that she and her daughter were on the right track. And then will follow the pitter-patter of the timid Ella, stopping to greet every low life on the street and letting the dirty children rub their hands all over the expensive silk that Eve brought for her. She tried to change Ella at first, polish her into a lady of a respectable household, but she would not listen, "My mother says to be kind to the young and respectful to the older." "My mother said not to let anyone return empty-handed from your door." "My mother this and my mother that..." Eve was tired of listening to what an angel her mother had been and had given up now. Ella was a lost cause, but she was certain Anna would be the one to outshine every other woman that walked their land.

Eve had always had faith in Anna even when they had no riches to call their own, and even though she had no education, she carried herself like a lady of a palace. Royalty was in her every demeanour but just not in her blood.

She went to Anna's room to wake her up, and on her way from the window of the corridor, she could see Ella in night clothes, feeding the local beggars, even though Eve had asked her not to a million times. She shouted from the window, "Get back inside, Ella!" and rushed downstairs to give her a piece of her mind to Ella's face.

"You wretched girl, how many times do I have to tell to stop feeding strays. Do you know what this food costs your father? Still, you insist on wasting it on lowlifes. Next time let them pay for it, or a better idea, you finish it yourself. At least I will have one less mouth to feed." She dragged Ella, by her hand, inside the house with whispers of Ella following behind, "I was just trying to help."

Eve distinctly remembers the days when she was counted among the lowlifes too, and she despised herself for it. She knew first hand what a burden these people were, how shameless they were to ask the rich for everything, nobody ever showed her mercy for it, and she didn't want them to either. Now that she is rich, she is still no one to be changing the nature of society. Eve found her way out, and others ought to too. If they cannot, it's not her fault, just her pleasure.

On the breakfast table, Eve sat admiring her daughter. "Mother, can I have pink petals in my bath today?" Anna asked her.

"Of Course. I will ask Mrs Peters to go and get some from the garden."

"But I want the one from Ella's garden."

"Of course you can."

"But..." Ella said quietly. "Only I go in there."

"WHAT?" Eve was always tired of Ella's mumbling. "Speak clearly." She shouted at her. "Lady of such a big house should be heard from miles away."

Ella stood up, "Only I can go in that garden."

"Then you can go and collect it for Anna," Eve replied and gestured with her eyes for Ella to sit down. And Ella, without any quibble, sat back in her chair. Another thing Eve despised about her, she would never rebel or revolt. Ella would do what was told to her without any objection or question. Eve would have put up a fight, and Anna would have done the same. It made her furious, "Go to your room Ella!" she said with a sigh, exhausted with trying to comprehend the girl in front of her. Ella stood up and ran out of the room sobbing.

"Ugh! She is frustrating." She said to her daughter.

"Its okay, Mother. You try so hard. Should I ask Ella to fetch the petals for your bath too?"

Eve looked at her with a smile and nodded.

Later they went into the parlour where they sat going through the magazines to find a new dress to get made. It had been their favourite thing from their earlier days when they were living shelter to shelter. They would often sit by the streets and watch rich and lavish ladies step out in their best dresses and fantasize about having them one day. Anna wanted a new dress for the dinner party they were supposed to attend when the father returned from his travels. From the corner of her eye, Eve could see Ella plucking the flowers from her garden, and with every bud, she plucked she would apologize to the plant. Eve chuckled and thought to herself, 'What a silly girl'.

She often felt guilt at shouting at her, but then she would see Ella do something like this, and she would say to herself, 'This girl needs tough love.'

Anna's sudden gasp broke her chain of thought, "Mother, the Duke's son would be attending the dinner next month." She stood up and pretended to faint, "He is so handsome! Oh, Mother, I must have the best dress and the best hair and the best shoes. He should lay his eyes on the best satin when he sees me. Oh mother, how wonderful it would be if he marries me." She took Eve's hands and pulled her into a twirl. They both laughed and fell on their respective chairs.

Although far fetched, Eve could imagine it happening. Anna wasn't the most beautiful, but what she lacked in traditional looks she made up in her talks.

They decided to go to the shops that very day to choose the fabrics. In her excitement, when Anna told Ella about the Duke's son, she just smiled and went back to tending to the garden. "You could have at least faked some happiness," Eve said to Ella as soon as Anna left.

"But I am happy, mother."

"Speak loudly, child. You are always laying there in your garden, feeding strays or cutting grass. Clean yourself up and make yourself useful. Tidy the house or fetch some groceries. Do something.", Eve said in rage and in that rage, she picked up a glass planter and dropped it on the ground. "Clean that too," she said over her shoulder while stepping out of the small metal gate.

That evening they were sitting surrounded by the linen they had bought earlier. "What did you bring for me, mother?" Ella came running into the room.

"No. Don't come here." Anna quickly pushed her away from the sheets. "Oh, mother, she will spoil them."

Eve lifted her head, and there stood Ella in a white apron covered with black clouds, the hair wrapped with a dirty scarf, and her hands had black grease all over them.

"Oh, God, Ella." Eve took her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry. I will go clean up." Ella said embarrassingly.

The next morning Ella asked Eve again, "What did you bring me yesterday?"

"Well, Ella, dear, dirty girls like you do not get pretty clothes."

"But what will I wear to dinner."

"You can wear something of your mother's. I am sure she had a lot of fancy dresses in her closet," Eve said dismissively.

Eve knew it was unfair to Ella, but she also knew that Ella had enjoyed certain luxuries all her life. She wore beautiful dresses and had been swooned over since she was a little girl.

It wasn't fair that Ella had all the toys to grow up with while Anna had to fight with other girls over a doll they found in the donation pit. It wasn't fair that Anna had to collect the money herself doing odd jobs to buy the cheap replica of a dress she saw at a big store. A little unfairness ought to give Ella some perspective.

Over the next week, as Anna would sit with the dressmaker and play with laces, Eve would catch Ella sitting in her room, trying to sew up the holes in the old fabrics. And while Anna spent her evenings reflecting on the lights coming from the expensive jewellery she was trying on, Ella would be off to the market to feed the stray animals. While Eve and Anna would go for tea parties with other socialites to measure up the competition, Ella would be playing with the cook's children in the house.

Eve was not extremely surprised with her behaviour when she first met her. Ella's father is just as naïve as her, which was why it was easy to get him to marry Eve. Eve does not want Ella to grow up like that. It is above all the responsibility of a mother to teach a girl how to be a lady.

"Mother!" The scream of Anna echoed in every room, and everyone ran at once.

"Anna, what happened?" Eve inquired.

"It does not match. None of it matches." Anna fell to the ground crying. In her hand was the dress she was to wear for the party and on the bed lied the beautiful necklace specially made for her. The dress was pink, the gems in the necklace were a lighter shade of pink. Eve understood Anna's sorrow. Eve too would have been crying had it have happened to her.

"This is not so bad," Ella said dismissively, and both Eve and Anna shot her a deadly look. "No, it is bad." Ella quickly corrected herself. "I mean, it is fixable. Is it not?"

"Go away, Ella."

Ella left the room, trying to justify her statement to herself as Eve sat by Anna, failing to console her.

They finally decided to look for other options. Before leaving for the market, Eve went to Ella's room to give her instructions for dinner. She opened the door and paused. She had to avert her eyes for a second from the light coming from the window. But as soon as her eyes adjusted, there stood a goddess-like beauty in front of her. Ella was wrapped from head to toe in gold, with enormous earing dangling from her ears, and she wore blue shoes which sparkled like diamonds while her auburn coloured hair lay lightly against the shimmer of the fabric. It took Eve a moment to realize that the princess in front of her was the same girl who was willing to touch the new material with grease-covered hands.

"How do I look, Mother?"

"No!" Eve shouted and slammed the door behind her as she walked away, flushed with anger.

Ella, in that one moment, had proved that it doesn't matter how much Eve and Anna lather themselves with expensive dresses and learn the proper etiquettes, they would never be equal to her. There was a type of light, the same one Eve had noticed in her husband, and Eve knew she would never be able to reflect that. It was something to be borne into, not something a person can acquire by marriage or adoption.

But even though Eve may not be able to grab that light, she would not let it blind her.

She turned around, walked up to Ella's room, took a deep breath and knocked.

"Anna is crying a lot. She is so sad. Ever since her father passed, this had been the happiest I had seen her." Eve lifted her hand and lightly wiped a drop from the corner of her eye. She took Ella's hand in hers and lifted her head to look her in the eyes. "I know you think it is stupid. You do not care for such superficial things. It is not a big deal to you."

Eve could see in Ella's eyes a slight hesitation. She might need a little more convincing.

"Anna has always been so disappointed. I know you cannot comprehend growing up in poverty. Everyone in our circle doesn't treat us as equals. You know where we come from, the shit hole we used to live in. People have trouble accepting us. They snark at us, talk behind our backs. This night, the party is her only chance to change that, to elevate herself. I hope you understand.", saying this Eve burst into tears. What surprised her was how genuine they turned out to be. Eve didn't think about it at the time, but as she watched her little girl twirl in shining golden circles, she realized how much of it was true.

On the day of the party, their father reached the house early in the morning. And both the girls did not leave his side since then. He always brought gifts for the girls from all over the places he visited. Beautiful scarfs and porcelain dolls, shining cutlery and perfect mantelpieces, and all the silk he could fit in his bags. He adored the three women and never shied away from showing it. After lunch, Eve and Anna went into their rooms to get ready for the party while Ella and her father went to the garden to plant the flowers he picked up from his last destination.

The garden was their sanctuary, which had brought them together when Ella's mother died, and they continued the tradition years after. Eve would often watch them from her window, and her eye would catch the light reflecting off them, and she would feel this ping of jealousy that the most expensive things would not be able to diminish.

The entrance hall was lit with the most extravagant chandelier that Eve had ever seen. Everyone was standing around with drinks in their hands, and there seemed to be a cluster of men collected at one end and a slightly bigger cluster of young women at the other. Few people were dancing, and a few stood staring and judging them. Eve's husband took her hand and directed the three of them to the cluster of women.

"Excuse me, Mr Charming." He said while making his way to the centre of the circle.

"I wanted to introduce you to my wife and daughters, Ella and Anna." He faced Eve, "I met Mr Charming in Paris. I told him that he must visit our small town."

"Well, it is a lovely place. Have you visited the lake yet? If not, my daughter would love to take you there." Eve said while handing him her hand.

"That sounds lovely." He said while kissing her hand. "Please excuse me. I must spend some time with my father's friends too."

The rest of the night, he spent a lot of time talking to Anna. Although she had to pull him away again and again from some other debutante every time she left his side, Eve could see that Anna was on the right path. She could smell the envy of every woman in the room as they stared blindingly at her dress and gasped every time she glided to another location.

At the end of the night, Eve took a breath of success as the Duke's son pulled her to a side as they were leaving.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I must confess. I am smitten. I would love to get to know more of your daughter Ella.", this put a dagger into her heart, but she kept her smile and the sparkle in her eye intact, not to let him suspect anything.

"You see." He continued. "I have been in town for over a week, and every evening I would go to the market and around, and I am afraid I have been following Ella ever since she caught my eye. I have not been able to forget her. Your husband had been kind enough to bless me. I hope I have yours too." Eve could only nod and leave.

Anna was devastated. It took her nearly two weeks to step out of her room, and she still insisted on wearing black at all meals.

But seeing the Duke's son interact with her husband and Ella, Eve could see the light, that light, elevated. The house shone like the sun, every crystal sparkled, and every candle illuminated. The three of them would spend the evenings in Ella's garden. And watching them, Eve started to understand how to get it herself.

It was the same thing that attracted her to her now-husband, long before she knew of his wealth. That day, the baker caught her stealing a loaf of bread in front of him, and he, a stranger, bought it for her later. That was the first time Eve realized that people could light up the air around them. It was the light that made her fall in love with him. And after a while, she grew certain, that it was that light that pulled Mr Charming.

Maybe she should let Anna know about the light too.

[marsupials-of-mars]

Coping (We Like Girls)

Thomas stood at a filthy counter in the middle of a poorly lit house. How he'd gotten himself into a house party was a cliche narrative and a poor life choice. He took a sip of his incredibly non-alcoholic drink and tried to block out the noise. Before long he felt a hand grab his arm.

"Hey Thomas, cmon we're playing spin the bottle! You coming or are you chicken?"

Thomas scoffed, ignoring his heart beating immediately faster it was something to do, and it felt more cool and spontaneous than standing around waiting for the party to end.

"Hell yeah, I can do cool things!" He was led to a group of high school friends in a circle around a card table. He scoped out the girls, though it was mostly guys, less than a one to three ratio. He focused on Lisa, a girl hed decided to respond with whenever he found himself in a discussion about crushes. She was a pretty redhead with a sweet voice and Thomas always enjoyed hanging out around her just to hear her talk, and not to mention sing. She had the voice of a Disney princess though she ironically seemed to always play the villain in the school's musicals. There were a couple more popular girls around the table but he hoped for her.

"Well, as the initiator..." The kid who had pulled him into the situation spoke. "I've got the first spin!" Thomas barely knew the guy, he talked to him in a couple classes. Robin, or something. He was sweaty like everyone at the party, the tacky and again, cliche, rainbow fairy lights lit up his face, only drawing more attention to the glisten. He was drunk, obviously, like more than half the people there. His almond brown skin and thick veil of black curls helped him gracefully meld into the night life scene while Thomas stuck out like a sore thumb, pale and sober.

He watched as Robin took the bottle and spun it, jokingly pretending to reach out to stop it when it passed a cute girl. It ended up landing on a senior, a tall, lanky guy Thomas had seen winning track awards every year. They laughed and made crude remarks, gagging sounds. The circle chanted, beating their thighs in unison and bursting out in laughter when lips met lips. Thomas looked away. The two pulled apart, track kid spitting and wiping his mouth on his sleeve and Robin mock flirting and taking a bow. Thomas pulled a knee to his chest.

A few more turns transpired, every girl on guy gutting a chorus of whistles and teasing, every girl on girl getting risky remarks from the guys, and every guy on guy being met with jeers and mocking laughter. Thomas was about ready to stand to leave when he saw the bottle land, neck pointing to him.

A blonde, a recognizable good friend of Lisa, and two grades above him. His face flushed and he leaned in awkwardly. She clasped her hands on the sides of his face and pecked him quicky, but long enough for Thomas to know it happened. She tasted like cheap lip gloss. He forced a smile over his mess of anxiety. She winked as the circle once again roared with excitement. That wasn't so bad.

Thomas had started to return to his seat when he remembered that he had the next spin. He took the bottle in a shaky hand and spun, praying for Lisa, good ole Lisa.

The bottle slowed, swooping, teetering back and forth with the uneven setoff. It landed. Thomas's eyes traced the neck of the bottle to his challenge. Dark brown eyes stared at him through a mess of stray black curls. Robin smirked. The blood rushed to Thomas's face. He watched Robin stalk, catlike, to the center of the circle. He once again felt his face taken in a pair of hands, but Robin's were less tactful. They gripped him by the nape of his neck and he was pulled in, for far more than a peck. He felt Robin's hair brush his shoulders, heavy and sturdy like the rest of him. The taste of lip shimmer on Thomas's lips was overridden by that of a badly concocted gatorade screwdriver. Strangely when considering the dynamic, Robin was the first to pull away.

"You're good at that." He smirked as the circle spat mockery.

"Th..." Thomas stared a moment before promptly turning and leaving the circle, leaving the living area, and barricading himself in the hallway bathroom.

~~~

Roman blinked rapidly as a rush of something wonderful flooded him. He beamed and shot upright, ducking into the sides usual meeting area. He summoned them quickly, Patton, Logan, and squealed.

"Now Roman, I felt something too but we gotta use our words!" Patton seemed almost equally giddy, fiddling with the hemming of his sweater vest.

"Love! Love is blossoming! I knew it was coming, Logan didnt I tell you I knew we'd get there?!"

"You have indeed informed me of your hopes many times and every time I've agreed, but count it as a win if it assures you stop doing all of...that." Logan motioned to Roman's fighting stance/happy dance.

"Cmon Logan, let him do his little victory hop, you know he gets excited!"

"So to my understanding you're both rather happy about this? Not what I'd expect in such a situation."

"A situation like love? Of course we're happy, our kiddo is growing up and onward, why wouldnt we be happy? Now who's the lucky gal?!" Patton looked to Logan expectantly.

"Ah..." Logan adjusted his glasses. "Now I understand the lack of concern. Have neither of you looked?"

"Why would we be concerned, Isaac No-fun? Love is blind! We love without looking!"

"Oh..." Patton made a sound similar to gashing open a beach ball. Utter defeat. Roman looked over in confusion.

"What? You too?!"

"Roman..." Patton seemed both disappointed and terrified. "You need to look."

Roman groaned and closed his eyes, letting the current Thomas events wash over him. Recent memories. He let them play out, grinning excitedly when he saw a pretty blonde senior lean in for a kiss.

"She's so pretty! Why are we upse... " he wrinkled his brow. Something wasn't clicking. No rush of wonder. She wasn't the one. He continued to watch, the second spin. The feeling washed over him again, pulsing, his throat went dry and he shook his head. Dark brown eyes, firm hands. He ducked out of the images. "Well something isn't right then!!!" He looked back to Patton and Logan with panic flooding his demeanor.

"Indeed something isn't!" He felt arms wrap his shoulders and a face by his. "But isn't that a lot more fun than some girl?"

Roman growled and wrestled his way out of his brother's grip.

"YOU! This is you isn't it?!"

"Me?" Remus stroked his chin. "What's me?"

"Roman's right! You did something awful to Thomas, didn't you!? Cut it out young man, it's not funny!" Patton's face was bright red with a mix of fury and panic.

"You're all the gross, lusty, icky, unwelcome thoughts, how could this not be you!?" Roman shoved his brother. Remus giggled knowingly.

"I may be, I may be. Can't say I'm not jazzed about this hunk of a specimen, did you feel those hands?! I wouldnt mind feeling em a bit more if we're going into it." He bit his lip and rolled his shoulders. Puberty was making him an absolute monster.

"So you ADMIT IT!" Roman jabbed a finger at Remus's face. "Our CULPRIT!" Roman looked to Logan for confirmation, only to be met with a subtle head shake.

"Remus is admitting to being lust. Was what you felt purely lustful?" He gently guided Roman's train of thought.

"Well..." He looked at Patton, who was gripping his chest as if to squeeze the emotion out of it, his eyes wide, softly mumbling to himself. Roman's eyes drifted down in thought, then up to a grinning Remus.

"I do the 'gross' thoughts... and you do the romance! Remember?"

"It's NOT! ROMANCE!" Roman tackled his twin to the ground, enduring bites and hair pulling before he dealt his own blows.

"BOYS! NO FIGHTING! We have enough problems already!!!" Patton choked out over his turmoil.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" A low distorted voice bellowed from across the room. All heads turned and the room froze. Anxiety stood panting, his hood pulled far over his face and his hands hidden, bundled and crossed in his sleeves. He glared gut twisting daggers from shadowed eyes, though the rest of his demeanor was rather unintimidating. He swallowed his panicked outbursts, shaking. He stalked stiffly, every muscle tensed, up to the group. "What's HAPPENING to us?!

"What does it LOOK like genius?!" Roman shoved Remus off of him.

Logan nodded somberly. "It now seems possible with this newfound information... that we're more than likely homose-"

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!" base distortion shook Thomas's mind, Virgil pressed his hands to his ears so tightly it seemed his head would burst. "WE ARE NOT!!!" He bit down on the cuff of his hoodie to control the rattling that disrupted the living space. At Thomas's joyful age of fifteen, Anxiety generally took the drivers seat despite his general reclusivness, making him all the more dangerous when it came to his meltdowns. He knew this, and of course, he hated the pressure. Despite their all being the same age, he was a child at this point, dependant, terrified, entirely unprepared to govern a life. So he did the only thing he could think to make them all feel better. "DECEIT!!!"

And he was summoned.

"Anxiety?!" He quickly located his friend and ran over, wrapping him in a hug, securing him, keeping him at ground level as his panic surged. "Shh... what's going on here?" He looked over Anxiety's shoulder to meet the light side's looks of uneasiness at his presence with a glare and a hiss.

"Deceit..." His voice broke. Now that Deceit was here he didn't bother keeping up his tough guy facade even if the others were looking at him. He knew he was safe. "Deceit?"

"Yes Anxiety? Take your time..."

"We... we like girls, right?" He looked at Deceit with a terrified, pleading, begging expression. He wanted to feel better. He needed to hear the words.

Deceit was silent for a while, looking at his best friend, someone he'd sworn to protect no matter what, who he'd never disappoint. He looked at the lights, all confused but waiting with bated breath. He pulled Anxiety tighter, letting him bury his wet face in his shoulder. He nodded.

"We like girls."

The room stopped shaking, slowing to a rattle then nothing. The statement wasnt spoken in a tone more emotional then if he'd said any other clear and obvious fact, but somehow it was loud, impactful, clear, understood. He felt Anxiety take a deep breath. The others looked amongst themselves, nodding.

"That... makes a lot more sense. To me. I think that makes sense for Thomas, doesnt it?" Patton smiled, fake, forcing himself to be convinced. He took Deceit's matter-of-fact statement as truth, the only truth. Roman nodded slowly, convinced as quickly as he could manage. Logan and Remus looked on, each with their own sort of disappointment as their hands tightened around their mouths.

Deceit took Remus's wrist, his other arm still wrapped tightly around a shaking Anxiety, and sank out. Logan let his hand down, but stayed silent.

Roman tightened his fists with a new resolve.

~~~

Thomas threw open the bathroom door, ignoring the odd looks. He hoped she was still there. He lit up when he found her, alone in the kitchen.

"Lisa!" She looked over and smiled.

"Thomas. What happened back there, you flaked out on us!"

"I was nervous."

Lisa giggled. "About what? Robin?"

"About you, I was nervous it would land on you, because..." Thomas averted his eyes from hers.

Lisa smiled, gripping her lip in her teeth as she began to understand his intentions.

"I like you." Thomas looked back up at her. "And here I am, trying not to be even more of a wuss, to ask if you want to hang out sometime."

She grinned. "Finally!" She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, giving him his third kiss of the night.

~~~

Roman pumped his fist. "YES!" He felt something rush over him, some sort of love. He didnt care what kind. It was there, and it was for a girl, a really nice, pretty girl who loved theater and singing. It was perfect.

"Yes!" Pattons face was flushed with relief and exuberance. "My little boy!"

Logan was silent, watching with an unreadable expression.

Back with the darks, Deceit sat with Anxiety's head in his lap, petting his hair comfortingly. He was asleep. He needed it.

"You're okay." Deceit whispered to himself as much as his best friend. "I'll protect us."

Disclaimer: this is obviously character thomas in this, I do not claim to know @thatsthat24 s real experience.

I had a theory before the most recent video came out that it would be pride related, and about how the sides dealt with thomas's coming out, or realization of his sexuality. It didnt happen, so I decided to make it anyway but more angsty. This is also my current hc about what drove the divide in Deceit and Virgil's relationship. Deceit tried to protect Virgil through his developmental years but did so in an unhealthy way and ultimately hurt thomas to keep Virgil happy, and when virgil found out, he hated Deceit because it ultimately worsened his anxiety tenfold.