#Is that even a cape or is it just a very decorative polo shirt

[minecraftfishingsimulator]

Techno Woods

[evertriedsoywithyourpopcorn]

5 Reasons Roman Is Infuriating (And Why I DO NOT have a crush on him)

Chapter 4: A Date With Destiny

Read on AO3 Chapter 1

Word count:  2991

Tw: Food, Almost an innuendo, Fear of not being accepted for orientation

~~~

"I think I'm ready."

Logan looks at himself in the mirror, adjusting his bowtie. He hadn't gone super extra with his 'date' outfit, despite Roman's insistence to go big or go home. (Which wouldn't really matter, as Thomas is home right now, and therefore they wouldn't need to go very far.)

Just a few changes, to treat himself. The blue striped bowtie, obviously, some black dress pants, black socks and a black dress shirt instead of a polo. He also tried out a new shampoo, just for that extra self-care. That may sound like a fairly big change, but Roman looked uncomfortable when he presented the outfit.

Roman waves his hand about, diverting his eyes. "Ugh, whatever. You look great. I still think a full tux would've been a better choice."

"That would most likely be overdressing. I don't want to go into this date looking like a buffoon, now do I?" He retorted, slipping on his dress shoes. They're sleek and black, with a heel that gives him just that extra added height.

"Pfft, coming from the Nerdy Professor! You look like a buffoon all the time, I'm just doing you a favor."

"You don't think I'm ready like this?" Logan asks.

"You do. You're rocking it. No romo." Roman says, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"No... Romo?" He asks.

"Uh, yeah. Like... Uh, romantic. I invented it. Just now." Roman says, nervously fiddling with his sash.

"Oh." And if that doesn't feel like a metaphorical stab to the gut, Logan's not sure what it is.

Roman stands for a few seconds in silence, before looking away, into the mirror. "Now, go get your Daisy, Loguigi."

"That was a stretch, but thank you." Logan takes Roman's hand, squeezes it (he's sure Roman won't mind. He may think of it as a reassurance to calm Logan's nerves. Logan thinks of it as he wants to hold Roman's hand), and walks to the door.

"Logan-" Roman says before he can leave, and Logan turns back to him. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again, and seems to realize that Logan's waiting for him to say something. His hand reaches towards him, then recedes.

"Yes?"

"Good luck." He slumps, giving what seems to be an encouraging smirk. Logan nods, adjusing his bowtie once more, and strutting out of the room. If he had a cape, it would be flowing behind him dramatically, due to the sheer energy of his determination. Tonight is going to be the start of a big change.

"Alright Patton, prepare yourself for the strangest date you'll ever go on." He says in full confidence.

~~~

Patton sat at the dining table, feeling certainly awkward. Things certainly looked... Different. It was dim, mostly because the only light sources were an array of candles and a strand of fairy lights. There was a silky tablecloth thrown over the table, and a lovely bouquet of red roses in a glass vase as the centerpiece. There were also two glasses, and a bottle of red wine. Soft violin music played from an unknown source.

Usually this was something Patton would coo at. He always loved romance between people. Whenever Thomas and his boyfriends over the years hung out, it would be all he'd talk about. How happy he is for them. He'd even help Roman out with helping Thomas in his gestures of romance. It's true, Patton loved romance.

However, not when it was directed at himself.

He didn't want to be rude and leave, obviously. Logan set this up, and the last thing Patton wanted to do was break his heart beyond repair. He loves Logan as a friend, and he cares about him, and the emotions he barely lets himself show.

Patton twiddles with his thumbs, sweating quite a bit. He wonders what Roman has to do with this. He's certainly not also going to be here, unless this is a three-way date. That is unlikely, as there are only two chairs. Perhaps he's the wing-man? That would make sense, as he's much better in the romance category than Logan. But wait a minute, why would he help? Doesn't Roman-

"This is atmospheric." Patton gets pulled out of his thoughts by Logan standing there, looking at the decor. He takes a seat. Pouring himself a glass of the wine, he takes a big sip, before setting it down. "Patton, I have something to tell you."

Oh no.

Patton's sweating buckets now. "B-before you do, I just want to tell you that I respect you Logan, and that you're a very good person, and that I cherish the time we spend together, but I guess I haven't told you some very important information about myself, and I hope this doesn't hurt you too bad, it's that-" He takes a deep breath, about to spill. He's always been scared of this moment. Didn't he already tell Logan? Does he not believe in his identity? Patton opens his mouth to speak.

"You're aromantic. I know that Patton, and I respect that. Your orientation is completely justified and valid. I was going to tell you that this was not my idea. I do not harbor any romantic feelings for you, and I certainly don't expect you to either." Logan says, taking another sip of wine.

"Oh."

Well, that makes Patton feel much better.

"Then... Why are we here?" He asks, the nervous feeling replaced by confusion.

"Well..." Logan blushes as red as the wine. "I happened to be... Discussing my 'lack' of romantic feelings for... a side, which I realised was in fact a falsehood, and then that side happened to swoop in right after I realized, and mistook my presentation for being about you. Therefore, he decided to set us up."

The cogs in Patton's brain start to turn. He's not exactly known to be the brightest of the bunch, but he thinks he can decipher this one.

"Nm...Teh... Oh, it's Roman." He looks at Logan, who lowers his head into his hands.

"Yes. Yes it is." He admits.

"So, he doesn't know." Patton concludes.

"No, no he doesn't."

The words finally settle in, and Patton's face brightens significantly in a matter of milliseconds. "Oh my god! Logan! You like him!" He stands up, and jumps for joy. He twirls around the room a few times, and then pulls up Logan and gives him a hug. "I'm so proud of you kiddo."

"Thank you Patton. It certainly felt strange admitting it." Sighs, hugging him back. They break off soon after.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Patton asks, a little bit worried.

"I don't think I'm quite ready yet." They both sit down. "That's actually why I'm here. I was wondering if we could keep up a sort of facade for a while, until I'm ready to tell Roman. Obviously, we won't make anything official, but I could use your help, as I am not very skilled in this romance business, and we could use fake dates as a sort of counseling session. I could.. Use your help." Logan admits.

Patton is surprised, but delighted. "Oh! Well, thank you for telling me kiddo. I wouldn't mind helping you out." He pats Logan' shoulder encouragingly. "Do you... have a plan?"

"Not yet. I didn't want to start without you, in case I would need to scrap the whole thing." Logan takes another sip of wine.

“That’s absolutely A-okay. I don’t know if I’d be much help today though, cause this roller-coaster ‘date’ has really tired me out!” Patton says. (He’s never quite been put on the spot, and then given a plot twist like that one before. Oh wait, haha, he has.) He needs a bit of a mental break before he does any of that adultery thinking.

Logan looks around the room. “We aren’t on a roller coaster.”

“It’s an expression.” Patton clarifies. He sighs, adjusting himself on the seat. “I forgot that I haven’t come out to Roman yet. Or the others, for that matter.”

“You don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable. There’s never a bad reason not to come out.” Logan assures him, finishing his glass of wine. “And if you ever need my help, I will be there to support you in whatever ways I can.”

“Alrighty kiddo.” He smiles, looking to the kitchen.

“Do we have any leftover cookies?”

Patton suddenly looks guilty. “Well… About that.”

“Patton.” Logan’s gaze snaps to him, surprised. “Last time I checked, there were at least five left.”

“It wasn’t just me! Janus had one too!” He pleads, stating his case.

“One? That leaves four.” Logan squints at him. “I wanted at least two more for myself.”

A light in Patton’s brain ignites, and he jumps up. “Oh! What do you say we turn this into a baking ‘date’ then??” He does over exaggerated quotations with his hands on ‘date’.

“Bake ‘date’ it is then.” Logan fixes his bowtie in steely determination, and they both make their way to the kitchen.

~~~

“How did the date go?” Roman asks when Logan returns to his room, a giant fluffy red robe draped over himself, face mask on, and nails in the process of being painted. He’s got some showtunes that Logan doesn’t know the name of playing from a vinyl record player, which is illogical, because he’s pretty sure the musical is modern and that they can’t play voices, but he doesn’t comment.

“It went surprisingly… Well. He told me he may need a few more dates to make a decision.” Logan lies, trying to put anything other than indifference in his voice.

“Oh.” Roman looks taken aback for a second. “That’s great Specs. I’m proud of you.” The shaky hand he was painting swerves off to the side, and nail polish gets all over his finger. He looks at it, sighs, and puts the brush back into the bottle.

“You know, it isn’t a good idea to paint your nails in bed.” Logan sits on the edge, (of his own bed. Strange how Roman didn't just go back to his own room. He’s quite the stark contrast, him and his items bright red in a sensible dull, midnight blue room.) and turns his torso to face him.

“But it’s so much more dramatiiic. Besides, you told me not to touch your desk, and I am a princ- uh, a man of my word.” He laughs a little nervous laugh. “Besides, I can just clean it up with the powers of magic.”

“That’s nice.” Logan says, distracted by Roman’s nails. He’s hiding the hand he messed up. On his non-dominant hand, he has masterfully done nails, red with golden designs, such as a crown on his middle finger, a flower pattern on his pointer, thumb and pinky, and on the ring finger there’s an ‘L’...

Logan gently extends his hand. “Can I see?”

“Oh, um, yeah.” Roman lets him take his hand. Up close he notices that the gold is sparkly. Certainly a touch that is in character.

“What does the ‘L’ stand for?” Logan asks, looking at him.

Roman seems to burst red in the face. “O-Ooh it means ‘Left’. I… Often forget which direction is which, so I put it on my nails to remember. There’s no second meaning behind it or anything. Not at all.” He smiles wide.

Now Logan suspects there may be a second meaning, but he does not comment. “Is it okay for me to see your other hand?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t want to, I mean, it’s not nearly as good and it isn’t at all finished and I just made a mistake-”

“I didn’t ask if I would want to see it. I asked if you were okay with me seeing it.” Logan cuts his self-deprecating ramble off, assuring him softly. “I won’t look for the imperfections if you don’t want me to.”

“I…” Roman sighs and nods. “Go ahead.”

Logan takes Roman’s right hand gently with his own, and brings it close enough to inspect. It retains the same colors, but even with just the base red layer it looks a little bit less neatly done. The color extends past the cuticle, and you can see little bumps and imprints of things that accidentally touched the nail before it could fully dry. It wasn’t bad, per se, because those things could easily be fixed without removing the entire coating, but it probably seemed pretty bad to Roman when comparing it to his other hand. And then there was the streak, which was unfortunate but can be arranged.

“I can help you with this hand, if you’d like.” He offers, much to Roman’s surprise.

“Sure… But you don’t have to-”

“Preposterous. I want to help, and although I am not a master in the arts and creating designs, I happen to be a master duplicator. I believe Virgil described it as ‘cloning but like without the technology part and shit’. I even remade an exact duplicate of a frankly disgusting and creepy doll for Remus from scratch.”

“Oh.” Roman laughs softly. “Talented.”

“Yes. I am.” Logan says, internally giddy from the compliment. He uncaps the nail polish remover from a very fancy tray, where all the supplies are stationed on. “We just need this for the stain.” He takes a cotton pad, letting go of Roman’s hands to wet it, and recaps the bottle. He retakes Roman’s right hand, and lightly swipes the pad across the smear.

“You smell like baking.” Roman notes, barely over a whisper.

“That makes sense. We did some baking. Mostly me, and he kind of watched until they were ready to decorate.” He places the cotton pad in a little glass junk bowl on the tray.

“Are you sure he’s not just going to use these dates to make him cookies?” He says lightheartedly, tapping his other hand along to the sound of the music.

“Perhaps” Logan laughs a little bit. “Actually, I set aside a bunch for you. They’re in a bag, wrapped in a ribbon. That usually wards off everyone else from eating what’s inside for a few days, but do get to them before the fourth day because that’s often when Remus loses his patience.” He doesn’t admit that it was a spur of the moment decision, and that he felt like a lovesick fool setting aside those for him. He did admit that to Patton though, who chuckled.

“Mmm, thank you. What kind?” Roman asks, as Logan uncaps the red nail polish bottle and starts applying a light coat on each nail to even things out.

“Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip.” Roman’s favorite. That may have also been on purpose.

“Oh.” He says, and that’s where that subject of conversation ends. Logan continues applying the coating, then recaps the bottle.

“Alright, this will need to dry.” Logan guides his hand to a solid resting place. They sit quietly for a moment, only the sound of what he recognizes as Razzle Dazzle playing. It’s quite strange to have music in here. The rows and rows of dark-wood bookshelves, kept neat and clean, seem much brighter like this. His planning cork-board, with strings run around and pictures and notes in a neat order (along with the depressing sight of his calendar), looks less dull. Maybe it’s his mood. Maybe it’s just Roman.

“Logan?”

“Yes?”

Roman scoots over, without moving his drying hand. He leans in closely, looking just above Logan’s eyeline.

“Y-yes?” He squirms as Roman reaches with his dry hand to the top of his head. He shakes Logan’s hair, and he presumes it looks like a mess now.

“Flour.”

“What?” Logan asks, as he returns to sitting like he did before.

“You had flour in your hair. It was bothering me.” Roman informs him, pointing to his head.

“Ah.” They return to their silence.

When Logan determines the perfect time for the polish to dry, he uncaps the glittery gold nail pen. Using the other hand as reference, he copies the designs finger by finger, putting all of his concentration into it.

“And… We’ll put an ‘R’ here... ” He tries his best to copy the font of the swirly ‘L’. It looks pretty good, if he does say so himself. Which he does say out loud.”

“Yeah, it does. Thank you Logan.” He looks up at Roman, who smiles a very shy smile. He suddenly brightens, and jumps up, rattling the tray and scaring Logan. “Aha! I’ve thought of a perfect nickname! Holm Office Photopy Machine! I need to write that down.” He fumbles around, and then summons himself a very used-looking sketchbook. He stays standing on the bed, flipping through pages and then scribbling it down.

“That certainly is long.” Logan adjusts his glasses in surprise.

“Long like my- Sorry that was a strange thought.” Roman makes his things disappear, checks his nails, and then flops back down onto the bed.

“I hate to bother you, but at one point I’m going to have to sleep on here.” He watches as Roman unsticks his face-masked face from the bed in disgust.

“Why did I do that- Oh, yeah, sorry.” Roman gets up, looking guilty, and certainly not as fancy as he did before, fibres from the blankets stuck to his face mask and some of the mask still attached to Logan’s bed. Still, he’s got his stupid smile on his face, and that power stance. He’s…

“Wonderful.” Logan says under his breath as Roman’s turning to leave.

Unfortunately, he heard, and he turns back, confused. “Huh?”

“One earful.”

“Alright.” Roman looks perhaps even more confused, but turns back and sinks out, with a “Buh-bye Specs.”

When he’s out of Logan’s room, he snaps his fingers to rid of the mess (He left the tray there too. The nerve. The gall. He sends it to Roman’s room, and prays that it lands somewhere incredibly inconvenient just for revenge sake. He also keeps the record player, because he could use some music in his life) and prepares for bed.

Step 1: Complete.

~~~

Taglist:

@crossiantgay

[citrinekay]

Holden is irritable and sleep-deprived. Bill handles it like a champ and convinces Holden to take a nap only by offering to lay down with him.

I keep seeing that post going around about how 35 year old writers just want their two characters to lay in bed together and get the best night’s sleep of their lives. and honestly??? i’m not 35 yet but what a mood. I just really really want these overworked boys to get the rest they deserve! Thanks for the prompt 💕

The Friday after they return from a three week long stretch in Cape Cod battling sandy gravesites and wrangling high-strung socialites upset with their vacations being interrupted, Bill and Holden take the day off. Holden, who was against the suggestion, was out-voted by both Wendy and Bill who asserted that they both needed some rest before taking on the next case. 

Both of them had gotten very little sleep over the past few weeks with the Provincetown officials and a number of local high rollers breathing down their necks to put an end to the rapes and murders of three privileged teen girls. The trip ended in success, but Bill is not sure when he’ll ever get caught back up on his sleep. 

He sleeps in late, and wakes around ten to the buzz of his neighbor’s mower blasting by a few feet from his window. Rolling over with a groan, he wallows in irritation for the space of a minute before convincing himself to get up and not waste the day languishing in bed. 

He gets up, makes a quick breakfast, and starts a load of laundry before slouching down on the couch. The handful of chores are about all the energy he can muster with a bone-deep exhaustion still tugging at his limbs. He half-watches the midday baseball game projecting in sunny, over-saturated greens and blues all the way from Chicago before the timer on the washer jolts him awake again. 

While the laundry tumbles in the dryer, Bill takes himself to the kitchen to get a cup of water. His gaze glances off the telephone mounted on the wall before shifting to his watch. It’s edging closer to noon, and he can’t imagine Holden would have slept in so late. It must be safe to call now. 

The last thing he wants to do is disturb Holden’s rest. Holden always takes on the brunt of responsibility when it comes to their work, piling as much on his plate as he can possibly manage - and then some - mentally flogging himself if things don’t go according to plan. The last few days in Provincetown, he’d looked exhausted and threadbare, but hadn’t wanted to hear a word about stretching himself too thin. 

Bill picks up the telephone and dials. The phone rings several times, and Bill chews his lower lip nervously. 

Finally, Holden picks up with a strident “Hello?”

“Hey,” Bill says, frowning softly at Holden’s tone. “It’s me.”

“Oh, hi.”

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, not all.” Holden says, “I was working.”

“Working? Holden, we’re supposed to be taking this day off to rest.” 

“No, you took it off the rest. I told you and Wendy I was fine.”

Bill clenches his jaw. Now that makes it sound like he’s slacking off for no good reason. He struggles not to match Holden’s brusque tone. 

“Fine.” He says, “Can I at least come over and keep you company?” 

“I guess so.” Holden says, sounding bewildered. “If you want to watch me work on this profile, be my guest.”

“Well, if you’re going to be like that then I guess I will come over, and you’ll just have to deal with it.”

Holden’s sigh rustles across the line. “Why? So we can just piss each other off?”

“No.” Bill says, not taking the bait. “I’ll bring beer.”

“Great.”

“Great. See you in a little bit.” 

They hang up, and Bill puts his hands on his hips while his gaze wanders around the quiet, sun-bathed kitchen. The back yard needs mowed. The weeds are trying to take back the patio space, but he figures he can push it off until tomorrow. Despite Holden’s cantankerous mood, he’d trade coaxing him into putting a pause on work and getting some much needed rest over riding the lawn mower under the baking sun any day. 

Bill pulls the laundry out of the dryer, and only takes out what he needs before leaving the rest in an unfolded pile. Throwing on khakis and a polo, he grabs the case of beer out of the fridge, and leaves the house. 

Once he reaches Holden’s apartment, he knocks on the door, and barely waits for Holden’s reply of “it’s open” before slipping inside. Bill frowns as he eases the door shut behind him. 

Holden has the curtains drawn over the bright, July sunshine, leaving the room in semi-darkness. His desk in the corner is piled with case files and legal pads, and the wall above it is decorated with a dozen crime scene photos held up by strips of white tape. The coffee table is it’s own mess of documents, police reports, and Post-It notes.

Holden emerges from the kitchen in a white t-shirt and blue flannel pajama pants. He’s carrying a cup of coffee in his hand as he makes his way back across the room to the desk. 

“Hey.” Bill says. 

“Hi.” Holden mutters, raising his eyebrows as if to ask whether Bill is pleased that he’d forced his way into this madness. “Excuse the mess. I have more room to spread out at work.” 

Bill ignores that pointed remark, and holds up the case of beer. “You want one?”

“Coffee first.” Holden says, taking a sip from his mug, and plopping down at the desk. 

“It’s past noon.”

“I know. I can tell time.”

Bill clenches his jaw. If they hadn’t just come off such a difficult case, Holden’s attitude might have warranted a stronger response. This conversation might have been going something like, “are you begging to get turned over my knee?” But this isn’t playing hard-to-get. Even in the shadows of the apartment, Bill can see the dark circles and glassy, bloodshot quality of Holden’s eyes. 

He puts the beer in the fridge, and wanders back out to the kitchen. 

“Looks like you’re really dug in.” He observes, scanning the documents on the coffee table. “How long have you been up?”

“A bit.” Holden says, not looking up from his legal pad. “I went for a run, and grabbed a bagel at that place down the street before starting on this.” 

Bill circles the coffee table, and edges closer to him. “Did you sleep okay?” 

Holden sighs, and sets his pen down firmly. “Bill, I said you could come over. I didn’t say you could badger me with questions and distract me from this profile I’m working on.”

“Fine. Then tell me what you have so far and maybe I can help you.”

Holden groans, running a hand over his face. “Bill, please. My head hurts.”

“Then give it a break for a damn second.” 

Holden slumps lower in his chair, a scowl forming on his face. 

“Here, stop looking at this for a minute.” Bill says, crouching down beside him, and swiveling the chair to face him. 

Holden tries not to meet his eyes as Bill slowly runs his hands up his thighs. As they reach his hips, he squirms, and draws in a deep, shaky breath. His knuckles press against his mouth, silencing the tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. 

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Bill asks, softly. 

Holden’s jaw clenches. He gives his head a slight shake. 

Bill sighs. Just what he’d been afraid of. When they’re working, Holden’s brain is always working at high velocity, and sometimes it’s a struggle to get it to slow down even once the case is over like some kind of doped up fight or flight response. 

“You have to stop working for a minute.” Bill says, as gently as he can. 

Holden turns his face away, and squeezes his eyes shut. 

“Look at me.” Bill says, giving his hips a squeeze. “Holden.”

Holden’s eyes glisten as he opens them, and tremulously meets Bill’s gaze. 

“You cannot work like this.” Bill says, “Look at this place - it looks like a madman lives here.” 

Holden lets out a choked laugh. “Yeah, it kind of does.”

“Come on. You need some rest.”

“I don’t think I can.” Holden says, “It’s pointless. I laid in bed for six hours last night trying to sleep, and I couldn’t get my mind to shut off. So I might as well work if that’s what my brain wants to do.”

Bill rises to his feet, and tugs persistently on Holden’s hand. “Come on.” 

“Bill, no. I think-”

“You’re not thinking.” Bill says, pulling him to his feet. “Not after being awake for over twenty-four damn hours. Come on, I’ll lay with you.”

Holden braces his hands against Bill’s chest, resisting for the space of a minute before nodding. “Okay. Fine. But if I’m still awake in an hour, I’m getting back up.”

“Deal.” 

Bill leads them down the hallway to Holden’s bedroom, leaving the lights off as they find their way to the sheets in the darkness. He urges Holden into the bed first, and climbs in beside him. Pulling the sheets over them, he settles down with his chest tucked against Holden’s back and his arm wrapped around his waist. 

After several minutes, Holden exhales a resigned sound. “I missed you.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Neither of them mention that they’d spent nearly every single day for the past weeks working closely on the case. It’s funny how Bill can miss Holden so much when they’re working, how they’re physically so close to one another, yet emotionally separated by the rigors of the case. It’s best not to let personal feelings overlap with professional ones. They have to stay focused on the work, but more than that, they have to keep the good things they have between them safe and sacred, untouched by the darkness they’re witnessing. 

Bill slides a hand up Holden’s back, and gently massages his shoulder. He can’t see Holden’s face in the darkness, but he can feel the way his limbs begin to deflate, tension melting from his body. He sighs softly, turning onto his stomach as Bill’s hand works its way across stiff muscles. 

“How’s that?” Bill murmurs, leaning in to kiss the back of Holden’s neck. 

“Mm.” Holden murmurs, sleepily. 

Bill smiles, but doesn’t say another word to interrupt the gradual decline from high-strung exhaustion to deep slumber. He eases his hand into a soothing, circular rubbing motion until he feels Holden go limp, his breath expelling in deep, heavy sighs. Sleeping at last. 

Bill sinks back against the pillows, and listens to him breathe and dream. It isn’t long before his own lingering exhaustion overcomes him. He falls asleep, satisfied with the thought that there’s no alarm set to wake them. They have the whole day to sleep if they like, to rest, and to not think of anything except the simple pleasure of lying next to each other. 

[phntm-lgcy]

Allyn Cleo Fenton

Here is the character sheet for the main character of the story, Allyn Fenton. More history will be updated as the story progresses. If anything is wrong with their race, please let me know so I can fix it. I really don’t mean to offend anyone, I just personally headcanon Sam as that specific type of Jew since it fits with what little Elmer Fartman gave us. Character template found here. Picrew images by Sangled (tumblr)

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

    –Maya Angelou

    General Information

Name: Allyn Cleo Fenton Gender: Amab, nonbinary Pronouns: They/Them or Ve/Ver Titles: Mx. Birth Name: Charlie Elias Fenton Birth Date: Thursday, 30 September 2027 (Age 14) Birth Place: The Ghost Zone First Word(s): ”bye-bye” Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous Astrological Sign: Libra

    Appearance

Height: 5’10” Weight: 130lbs Species: Half Ghost/Half Human Hybrid Race: Ashkenazi Jew/White Blood Type: Unknown Skin Color: Pale white as a human, grey as a ghost Birthmarks: Freckles.

Hair Color: Reddish orange as a human, cyan as a ghost. Hair Length: Short and spiky Widow's Peak: No Ear Shape: Rounded as a human, pointed as a ghost. Eye Color: Amethyst as a human, green as a ghost. Nose Shape: Sharp Face Shape: Angular Complexion: Smooth Facial Hair: None

    Health and Image

Fitness: Allyn begins to get very fit as a result of hero work. Running Speed: Pretty fast, but they can fly faster. Dexterity: Good Reflexes: Good Primary Outfit: Primarily, you’ll find Allyn in a black t-shirt with a white Batman logo that says The Dark Knight Rises. They wear dark jeans with silver decorative buttons down the thigh and dark combat boots. Over their shirt they wear a black and yellow jacket.  Secondary Outfit: Allyn’s secondary outfit is a long-sleeved orange polo trimmed with navy blue and dark green jeans with lots of pockets. They wear blue sneakers on their feet. Tertiary Outfit: Allyn’s third outfit is a simple one. A purple pullover that looks like a spooky town with cute ghosts on it with black jeggings and red slip-on shoes. Other Outfits:  As a ghost, Allyn decided to wear the jumpsuit of a Black Panther costume with the cowl, cape, and belt of a Batman costume. The colors inverted upon their first transformation. The Black Panther costume became a white/gold color with black highlights and the cowl and cape of the Batman costume became white. The belt became a mix of white/gold and white.

    Philosophy

Religions: Christianity and Ashkenazi Judaism Spirit Animal: Wolf Political Party: Left Political Awareness: Not much

    Home, Work, and Education

Abode: Salem River, Wisconsin Hometown: Amity Park, Illinois Citizenship: American Elementary School: Amity Park Elementary (Amity Park, IL) Middle School: Casper Middle School (Amity Park, IL) High School: Pluto High School (SR, WI) Colleges: None, yet Extracurricular Activities: Does superheroeing count?

    Social

Mother: Samantha Anne Manson Father: Daniel James Fenton Close Relatives: Jackson Fenton (Paternal Grandfather), Madeline Fenton (Paternal Grandmother), Jasmine Weston (Paternal Aunt), Wes Weston (Uncle-in-Law), Wendi Weston (Paternal Cousin) Danielle Fenton (Paternal Aunt/Sort of parent?), Jackalyn Fenton (Adoptive Cousin), Jeremy Manson (Maternal Grandfather), Pamela Manson (Maternal Grandmother) Best Friend: Marietta Blakesley Close Friends: Lakin Jones Friends: Terho Ranta, Pur, Apollo Duffy, Leona Duffy Allies: Shaw McEwan Enemies: Gemma Plasmius Inspirations: Batman Role Models: Danny Fenton Heroes: Danny Phantom Mentors: Danny Phantom, Iron Man, Nick Fury (sort of)

    Romance

Love Interests: Lakin Jones

    Personality

MBTI Personality Type: ENFP-T

Allyn doesn’t really understand what their dad does when he’s gone, but respects it. Very curious and always questions things. Always feels like they have to do the right thing.

    Biography

Infancy (0-3): Allyn was born Charlie Elias Fenton in the Ghost Zone on Thursday, September 30th 2027 to Danny Fenton and Sam Manson. He showed no signs of powers and was a happy baby for the first three years of his life. Nothing of importance happened during this time.

Childhood (4-12): When Charlie was five, he fell out of a tree and broke his arm. At age 7 he became friends with Marietta Blakesley, Wulf and Desiree’s daughter. When he was twelve, he found out there were more genders than just male and female. He found that being nonbinary fit him better than anything else and decided to try it out. His parents were very supportive of the transition, even helping to pick out a name. 2039 was also the year that Danny closed the ghost portals in Amity Park for good.

Adolescence (13-19):

Age 13: Got their name legally changed to Allyn Cleo Fenton.

Age 14: Moved to Salem River, Wisconsin. Made friends with Lakin Jones, and then the rest of her friends. Gained ghost powers while getting mugged (stress + puberty). Thought they were a mutant. Joined Team Styx.

Adulthood (20-54): TBA

Seniority (55+): TBA

    Miscellaneous

Updated 2019-12-19: Added age and a bit of a personality.

[kilojulietsierra]

Better The Devil You Know - Chapter Three (Ulysses Klaue/OC)

Read Chapter One Here - Read Chapter Two Here

Chapter Three - July 17, 2014 Outside Manguzi, South Africa

“Who was that boss?”

Ulysses Klaue smiled like the madman he was, ”An old girlfriend.” Still with the smile plastered on his face he turned back to the two men on their knees. “Yes, she wants to get together tomorrow, when she gets into town. Which is good news for you two.” He pointed his own pistol at the men who each had AK-47s pointed at the backs of their heads.

The terrified pair shared a truly lost look, faces sweaty and hands still bound behind their backs.

“Yes! I’m in a very much better mood now and so, I will let you go. This one time with a warning.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

“He questions me? I spare your life and you question me? Yes really, go now, get in your car and leave!” He waves to the mercenaries behind them, “Cut them loose, let them go.”

After a moments pause the two, previously doomed, men scrambled to their feet and fled to their car parked across the dirt lot. The car spun its tires and threw gravel as they sped away.

Klaue gave the order to his men to load up and as they headed back to their own vehicles Ulysses holstered his weapon and pulled out a small transmitter, the button of which detonated the fleeing vehicle, killing its two occupants in a fiery explosion. He could not keep the smile off his face if he tried, “I am having such a great day! Let’s go!”

~~~~~~~

July 18, 2014 Johannesburg, South Africa

It was early when the town car arrived for him, before seven. His eyes were still blurry from lack of sleep but Marcel could not help but stare, wide eyed, at the mansions they passed on their way to meet this Miss Thorne. Nearly half an hour later the driver pulled up to a large estate with a gated entrance and the knots started to form in his stomach.

He had assumed Miss Thorne had money, anyone that made a living in the oil business generally lived a social class or two above himself, but her property seemed like something out of a Hollywood movie.

The gate was set off the road, in a white stone wall that blocked the view of the estate from passers by. What the wall didn’t conceal the vast and varying trees and gardens did. The car drove down a long, paved driveway and up to the front door of the first, real mansion he had ever seen up close. The driver opened his door for him and he was immediately greeted by a young girl, no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

She was bright and cheery with a slim face and a close cropped sort of hair cut. She bobbed her head once, “Good morning Mr. Eler. Missy Savannah asks you wait on the veranda. This way.” She smiled and nodded several more times before leading him through the front door.

The first thing he saw upon entering the house was the very large and stoic man that held the door open for them. The second was a baby grand piano set on a zebra skin rug with a wall of windows as a backdrop. He didn’t have time to look around much, though he tried. The walls were covered in paintings and tapestries, with hides and trophy mounts scattered among them.  The aroma of incense and oils filled his nose as the house girl shuttled him through the foyer, past a formal dining room, then the casual dining area off the kitchen where the incense were overpowered by a dark and bitter smelling coffee, then a large sitting room furnished in grays, whites and jewel tones, all before finally coming to an outdoor dining area.

When the girl pulled out a chair for him he had to force his eyes away from the expansive backyard. Surrounded on three sides by more trees and gardens of flowers and vegetables. Grassy, amphitheater steps to his left led to a lower part of the yard, which held a narrow lap pool with precisely placed fountains all along the waters edge to create a mesmerizing pattern in the ripples on the pools surface. He barely got out a, “Thank you.” before the girl had disappeared back into the house. So engrossed he had become in taking in the immaculate landscaping and architecture of the home, he nearly jumped when another woman came to the patio with a tray.

“Coffee and sweet tea.” This woman was older, her skin dark and her hair a seemingly impossible nest of braids. “Which would you like?”

“Oh, uh coffee is fine. Thank you.” He smiled graciously as he accepted the cup and nearly choked at the bitterness of his first sip.

The woman laughed and set two small jars on the table in front of him, “Sugar. Cream.” She pointed to each one in turn and then picked up her tray to leave.

Marcel took a spoonful of sugar and then a second. He tried another sip and still made a face.

“Sorry, I take it a little strong. Even by local standards.”

He jumped to his feet at the sound of another woman behind him, this one with a heavy southern accent.  Marcel turned, coffee cup still in hand, to find a beautiful, young woman chuckling at him and taking a cup of coffee for herself.  

She said something to the woman, in a language Marcus didn’t understand, with a smile and a wink before she turned to face him. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Savannah Thorne.” She stepped forward and extended a hand, “Thank you so much for coming, I know it was… inconvenient.”

“No, no.” He set his coffee cup down and shook her hand in both of his. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity, really, truly I am. No, inconvenience at all. Honestly, it’s worth it enough just to see this.” He released her hand to gesture to the estate.”You have a remarkable home, Miss Thorne.”

Miss Thorne rewarded him with a brilliant smile, “Happy to hear it, and thank you. I am quite proud of it myself.” She took a sip of the coffee and hummed in appreciation. “It belonged to my mothers family, but I’ve added and updated here and there. If you’d like we could walk and discuss our business rather than sit? They’re working some of the polo ponies down by the barn, if you’d like to see.”

Why he was surprised there was a stable he didn’t know, but he nodded. “Sounds like a great idea.”

“Perfect.” She stepped back into the wide open sitting room and called into the kitchen, “Isisa!” She said something else in the language and then waved as she joined him back on the patio. “Come on, let’s talk about these great ideas of yours that I’ve heard so much about.”

~~~~~~~

Klaue glanced around him as he and his men exited their two vehicles. Before they could knock, the heavy wooden door swung open to reveal a tall, heavyset fellow that seemed to be a part of Savannahs security team. He said nothing, only led them into the foyer and to the sitting room immediately to their right. Here another guard stood with his back to the patio doors, “You will wait here.”

The guard that had opened the door left them to make themselves comfortable. The cook brought in a tray of the southern style sweet tea Savannah was so fond of and the men helped themselves. Ulysses pulled his sunglasses off to hang in the front of his shirt and wandered the sitting room looking at the decor, poking and prodding pieces as he went. He stopped in a front of a Cape Buffalo trophy mounted to the wall, “Oh, I remember this one.”

He only had to wait a few more minutes before the guard returned. “You come. The rest of you stay.” The guard jerked his head down the hall as a signal for klaue to follow.

They passed through the relatively empty house and out to the back patio. His eyes had been focused on picking out guards from regular staff and locating security cameras. Which is why he missed a beat when he first saw her walking towards them. He only wasted five seconds determining the man walking with her was not a threat in any way and then focused all his attention on Annah.

Her hair was lighter, sun bleached, not dyed. She had it french braided back into a high ponytail that bounced and swayed as she walked. Her clothes were simple; a plain white tank top that fit her perfectly and a bright, printed skirt that just barely brushed the ground with each stride. The morning sun glinted off the necklaces that bounced against her chest as well as the rings on her fingers and her toes.

Ulysses couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the sight of her strolling her estate barefoot and adorned like some sort of gypsy goddess.

When she noticed him she did not smile. Instead she placed a hand on her walking companions shoulder and seemed to tell him to wait there. Savannah through a sideways glance towards Klaue as she ducked into the house only to return quickly with one of the young house girls. The girl took the man into the house and then Savannah approached them, “Pat him down.”

Klaue chuckled as he spread his arms out wide and stood still to be searched.

The guard pulled the pistol from his back and held it up for her to see, “That’s it.”

Savannah nodded, but before she could speak Ulysses took the opportunity, “I’d just like to point out that the last time you and I were together you were the one that pulled a gun on me.”

She scowled and sarcastically hiked her skirt up high. High enough to show the spandex shorts she wore underneath. No thigh holster. Then she dropped the hem back to the ground before she lifted the bottom of her shirt and turned a circle to show she had nothing in her waistband. “Feel better?”

“Much.” Ulysses grinned as he watched the guard walk off with his handgun and leave the two of them alone in the backyard.

For a moment they simply stared, sized each other up after a few years of absence. “Rollin’ a little deep for a meeting with an old friend?” She gestured to the lower yard and started in that direction.

He assumed to avoid the ears of her saff and both of the security as much as possible. “Like I said, last time…” He let the rest of the sentence fall off as they started down the grass covered steps. “So what’s the matter? Can’t find anyone that can satisfy you needs like I can?” Klaue smiled and stopped three steps from the bottom, forcing her to look up at him.

It only worked for a second as she turned and continued down the stairs. She shook the bead bracelets on her left wrist back into place, “Sure, let's go with that.” Savannah spared him a second glance before moving to sit in one of the adirondack chairs beside the pool.

The smile on his face grew the second he saw that familiar tell, an unconscious fidget, barely a tick, but it told him plenty. After he joined her by the pool he slouched back in his own chair and crossed his outstretched legs at the ankles. “Tell me what you need Love.”

It seemed to be physically painful for her but she looked his way and started right into the business at hand, “A dozen cases of M4s, four Barrett 50 cals, all with thermal scopes, a case of SAWs…”She trailed off, took a breath before she continued, “Two dozen extra men, body armor, NVD goggles and sights. Ammo for everything, of course, and I want a Predator. Fully loaded.”

What started as a cheeky smile nearly doubled in size as Ulysses sat up a little straighter in his chair, elbows braced on his knees. “Oh, I love it when you talk dirty.” He shifted his seat slightly to face her better, “But, here’s what I am wondering. Any arms dealer can get you this stuff. Why call me? Not that i’m not happy you did!”

Savannah sat on the edge of her chair, knees crossed, the bridge of her nose pinched between her thumb and forefinger. “There’s one more thing I need.”

His interest peaked Klaue ducked his head, trying to catch her gaze, “Yes?”

After another deep breath she released the pressure point on her nose and faced him, “Vibranium… and someone that knows how to work with it.”

~~~~~~~

Savannah regretted everything as soon as she saw that stupid look on his face. This was a huge mistake, but it was her only choice and far too late to back out now. “Go ahead, hit me with it. What’s this gonna cost me?”

He would not quit smiling and he began rubbing his palms together. He didn’t answer right away, seemed to enjoy her dread and discomfort. “The guns,  I have on hand, the men and the gear, I’ll give you for.. Ten percent off street value.” He ignored the shock that crossed her face and continued, “The drone will take some time and it’ll be pricey but I can get it.”

“And the vibranium?” Her eyes were dark and skeptical as she squinted at him, trying to get a read on what game he was playing.

It only made him smile more, “A favor for a favor.”

That had her up and out of her chair, “Oh no, not a chance in hell. Name a price, give me a number and I’ll send you home with it in cash. But, no favors.”

Klaue stayed seated, “No favor? No vibranium. Which is worse? Losing half of your oil wells or doing a favor for, like you said, an old friend.”

Savannah started to pace, her teeth gritted together and she began to regret her poor choice of words earlier. Fuck him and that look on his face. She ignored how he knew the specifics of her predicament and focused on why it pleased him so much. “What’s the favor?”

He stood up, “Do we have a deal?” He took a step towards her, smiled when she stood taller rather than retreat even an inch, extended his hand to shake.

She ignored his hand, choosing instead to stare him down eye to eye, “What’s the favor?”

With a chuckle he let his hand drop but he kept a hold of her gaze. “I have a potential… associate, in town this weekend. He’s skittish, I need help to warm him up and calm his nerves. Something you used to be very good at.”

When he winked Savannah fought the urge to shove him in the pool and hold his head under. But, as loathe as she was to admit it, she needed him and his stupid vibranium. “I want my guns and my men on a plane to Libya by Friday. Drone included.” She was not going to cave in so easy.

Not that that mattered. He had already won and they both knew it. His face said as much. He held his hand out again, closer to her this time, “Deal.”

“Lord give me strength.” She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, Harder than necessary, the way her Daddy had taught her. “Deal.”

Ulysses kept her hand and raised it to his lips so he could drop a kiss on her knuckles, “Beautiful.” When she scowled and jerked her hand away he could only laugh.

~~~~~~

Read Chapter Four Here

[aaltjebarisca]

The 10 Cutest DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Let’s be honest: Kids are already pretty stinkin’ cute, but throw a costume on them and they’re adorable! Unfortunately, those store-bought Halloween costumes can get expensive. And, as we all know, clothes don’t stay nice for very long when worn by young ones. Give your son or daughter a piece of chocolate and minutes later you’ll have a chocolate mess on the expensive costume that you just bought. So, what’s a parent to do?

Get resourceful! Here’s our guide on some of the cutest DIY Halloween costumes for kids.

Clark Kent

What could be cuter than a mini Clark Kent? Not only is this costume a classic, it’s super easy to pull off. Layer a Superman shirt under a button-down, grab some slacks, a pair of glasses and a cape, and your little one is ready to save the world!

Cupcake

This one requires you to get a little crafty, but all that work will be worth it when your kid looks like an adorable little cupcake. You’ll need a lamp shade, a towel and a few colorful pompoms to decorate the top of your cupcake.

Have them wear the lamp shade upside down, held up by suspenders. Glue or sew pompoms to the towel and wrap it around their shoulders to look like the top of the cupcake. Sweet!

Jack-Jack from The Incredibles

This is the ultimate super baby costume, and it’s pretty easy to recreate. All you’ll need is some red pajamas, black socks, a black eye mask and some felt (if you wish to recreate the “Incredibles” patch that goes on the front of the suit). If your baby has enough hair, put a little bit of hair gel in it and spike it. Get the rest of your family some red pajamas and go as the whole Incredibles clan.

Lumberjack

If your kid has a pair of jeans and a flannel, you’re already halfway there. Create a fake beard (painted cotton balls that have been glued to a piece of cloth that is cut in a beard shape works well) and a cardboard ax. Top it off with a pair of suspenders. They’ll be the cutest one in the woods.

Morton Salt Girl

She’s been on your shelf for years and now you can make her come to life. All you need is a long-sleeve yellow dress, some Mary Jane shoes, an umbrella and, of course, a container of Morton Salt. Clever and timeless.

Scuba Diver

Save a couple two-liter bottles. Spray paint them your kid’s favorite color, tape them together and add rope straps to create an easy oxygen tank. Dress them up in all black and add a pair of swim goggles. A smart and simple costume for your future marine biologist.

Raining Cats and Dogs

Who doesn’t love a clever joke costume? This one is super cute and ridiculously easy. Put your child in their raincoat and rain boots and attach stuffed dogs and cats to the top of an umbrella.

Movie Star

Does your youngster have a flair for the dramatic? Why not dress them up red carpet style? Go old-school Hollywood with a look that embodies a mini Audrey Hepburn. All you need is a black tutu, black gloves, sunglasses, pearls and a little tiara.

Alternatively, dress them up as a little Charlie Chaplin, complete with a suit, bowler hat and fake mustache. Adorable!

Pig in a Blanket

Dress your kid up in some snuggly pink pajamas and give them a blanket to wrap around their shoulders. Get it? Pigs in a blanket? Too cute!

For the pig ears and nose, get some pink felt. Cut out two ear shapes and glue them to a headband. For the nose, cut off the bottom of a coffee cup and glue the felt to it. Use elastic to hold it up.

Their Favorite Insurance Company Character

For some reason, insurance commercial characters are all the rage for Halloween costumes, and they’re even cuter when seen on children, who presumably won’t be needing car insurance anytime soon. Whether you dress them up as Flo from Progressive, Mayhem from Allstate or Jake from State Farm (or – even cuter – have siblings dressed up as rival insurance characters), these costumes are generally easy to throw together with items you already have: an all-white outfit and apron for Flo, a disheveled suit for Mayhem, and a red polo with the infamous khakis for Jake. This is guaranteed to get a laugh when you’re out trick-or-treating.

How will you be dressing up your little one this Halloween? Tell us in the comments!

The post The 10 Cutest DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/10-cutest-diy-halloween-costumes-for-kids

[mikebrackett]

The 10 Cutest DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Let’s be honest: Kids are already pretty stinkin’ cute, but throw a costume on them and they’re adorable! Unfortunately, those store-bought Halloween costumes can get expensive. And, as we all know, clothes don’t stay nice for very long when worn by young ones. Give your son or daughter a piece of chocolate and minutes later you’ll have a chocolate mess on the expensive costume that you just bought. So, what’s a parent to do?

Get resourceful! Here’s our guide on some of the cutest DIY Halloween costumes for kids.

Clark Kent

What could be cuter than a mini Clark Kent? Not only is this costume a classic, it’s super easy to pull off. Layer a Superman shirt under a button-down, grab some slacks, a pair of glasses and a cape, and your little one is ready to save the world!

Cupcake

This one requires you to get a little crafty, but all that work will be worth it when your kid looks like an adorable little cupcake. You’ll need a lamp shade, a towel and a few colorful pompoms to decorate the top of your cupcake.

Have them wear the lamp shade upside down, held up by suspenders. Glue or sew pompoms to the towel and wrap it around their shoulders to look like the top of the cupcake. Sweet!

Jack-Jack from The Incredibles

This is the ultimate super baby costume, and it’s pretty easy to recreate. All you’ll need is some red pajamas, black socks, a black eye mask and some felt (if you wish to recreate the “Incredibles” patch that goes on the front of the suit). If your baby has enough hair, put a little bit of hair gel in it and spike it. Get the rest of your family some red pajamas and go as the whole Incredibles clan.

Lumberjack

If your kid has a pair of jeans and a flannel, you’re already halfway there. Create a fake beard (painted cotton balls that have been glued to a piece of cloth that is cut in a beard shape works well) and a cardboard ax. Top it off with a pair of suspenders. They’ll be the cutest one in the woods.

Morton Salt Girl

She’s been on your shelf for years and now you can make her come to life. All you need is a long-sleeve yellow dress, some Mary Jane shoes, an umbrella and, of course, a container of Morton Salt. Clever and timeless.

Scuba Diver

Save a couple two-liter bottles. Spray paint them your kid’s favorite color, tape them together and add rope straps to create an easy oxygen tank. Dress them up in all black and add a pair of swim goggles. A smart and simple costume for your future marine biologist.

Raining Cats and Dogs

Who doesn’t love a clever joke costume? This one is super cute and ridiculously easy. Put your child in their raincoat and rain boots and attach stuffed dogs and cats to the top of an umbrella.

Movie Star

Does your youngster have a flair for the dramatic? Why not dress them up red carpet style? Go old-school Hollywood with a look that embodies a mini Audrey Hepburn. All you need is a black tutu, black gloves, sunglasses, pearls and a little tiara.

Alternatively, dress them up as a little Charlie Chaplin, complete with a suit, bowler hat and fake mustache. Adorable!

Pig in a Blanket

Dress your kid up in some snuggly pink pajamas and give them a blanket to wrap around their shoulders. Get it? Pigs in a blanket? Too cute!

For the pig ears and nose, get some pink felt. Cut out two ear shapes and glue them to a headband. For the nose, cut off the bottom of a coffee cup and glue the felt to it. Use elastic to hold it up.

Their Favorite Insurance Company Character

For some reason, insurance commercial characters are all the rage for Halloween costumes, and they’re even cuter when seen on children, who presumably won’t be needing car insurance anytime soon. Whether you dress them up as Flo from Progressive, Mayhem from Allstate or Jake from State Farm (or – even cuter – have siblings dressed up as rival insurance characters), these costumes are generally easy to throw together with items you already have: an all-white outfit and apron for Flo, a disheveled suit for Mayhem, and a red polo with the infamous khakis for Jake. This is guaranteed to get a laugh when you’re out trick-or-treating.

How will you be dressing up your little one this Halloween? Tell us in the comments!

The post The 10 Cutest DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/10-cutest-diy-halloween-costumes-for-kids