#Marta Spy Family

[anvi-afer-art]

They were separated..

They were united by..

They don't know what is...

War

[lotsofblabblers]

Endo says that he wants to return to the comedy part of the story because this kind of angst exhausts him mentally, but you did this to us and to yourself! (?

Joke aside, as I always said, after this arc the next chapter would be a comedy one, as Endo never joints one dramatic arc with another dramatic arc, he constantly uses comedy as stress relief, and now he himself is saying that so there is the proof.

So don't spect the beginning of a new arc after this one because he probably will write a simpler, silly chapter. Although he uses silly chapters to begin new arcs, as he used the cat cach chapter for cruise arc, the handkerchief chapter for the Twilight past arc, and the Yor goes to drink with her friends for the mole arc. So they aren't useless chapter, they are more like joints in his world building.

[micia-posts-stuff]

Spoilers for Spy x Family chapter 96

I've already screamed most of my thoughts in the tags of other people's posts, but I also wanted to make a post talking about the chapter because how could I not, HAVE YOU SEEN THE CHAPTER???

(Part 1 because I reached the image limit)

Oh dear 😅 I wonder if that "loosing functionality in my left hand" will come back in the future. It could definitely be a one time joke, but we had a whole chapter on that dorm guardian's stomach cramps, so I'm not excluding anything at this point.

Ah yes Damian, who didn't want to dance with anyone, who thought the competition was stupid, except if Anya wins I guess, because in that case he'll have to dance with her, it's only fair, the competition is sacred, he's forced to you see, definitely not because he wants to ahah

I just want to point out that Anya won mostly thanks to her own effort. Yes Twilight helped her in the first test but the second and third one were won all thanks to her. Like if Twilight says something else bad about her I swear! She's doing amazing at the friendship scheme AND at school. APPRECIATE YOU DAUGHTER

Becky being a great friend as usual, nothing new, she's just the best.

Damian drinking a lot of milk because he's very concerned about growing tall, it's so cute.

I'm devastated, this page killed me. The moment Anya realizes she and Damian are the same, both loving their fathers and doing everything to impress them. The moment Damian realizes Anya really understands him and confirms that she is not like the other girls that aanswered "me". Those earnest expressions. The fact that Ewen and Emile had to admit defeat because they know she's right. You guys need to accept Anya understands Damian just like you and she's a good friend for him (I'm a Eden five friendship believer and I'll never stop!!!).

I also want to believe she didn't read his mind here, that from all she knew about him and herself she was able to understand the answer without using her powers.

AGAIN this is the same Damian that didn't want to dance with anyone and didn't like the idea of the competition for a dance with him. He literally said "not like I want to" THIS IS TSUNDERE 101! It's kinda funny how pushy he is about dancing with Anya, it's obvious he wanted to dance with her, Ewen and Emile have inadvertently given him the perfect opportunity for him to accept Anya's invitation without admitting too much, I bet he's kinda grateful to them for it ahah.

What old times Endo 👀 tell me please 👀 I'm very invested in them 👀

[bluestarrob91art-blog]

Day 21 of the Tales of Costume Challenge.

Elle Mel Mata dressed as Anya Forger from Spy x Family.

I thought Elle would look nice with the school uniform and plus Anya and her would get along.

[annon-guy2]

More Than Anything - Daughter/Father Voting Poll

==============================

Note 1: Please note that for some of these pairs, there doesn't ALWAYS need to be blood ties for them to be family.

Note 2: The daughters will be in Charlie's role while the fathers will be in Lucifer's role.

[hina-has-no-life]

The Stolitz timeline pre Full Moon:

- circus, ca. 10years old, Paimon buys Blitzø for a play date with Stolas and Blitzø robs the palace while befriending Stolas. They talk about their wants for the future

- 25 years later, ca 35 years old, Blitzø breaks into Stolas palace to steal the Grimoire, gets caught and ends up having sex with Stolas. He stays the night and crashes Stella's teaparty the next morning, Stolas makes his wish for a divorce clear for the first time

- Murder Family: Stolas calls Blitzø during the hit and they strike their deal. He remarks that he has let Blitzø use the Grimoire "for some time now" and they have contact via phone based on the way they talk ("when isn't it a bad time blitzy?" And blitzø taking the call despite getting chased and shot, stolas is seen to spy on Blitzø when he wants to and is arguably redirecting martas shots while he and Blitzø talk

- LooLooLand: Stolas and Blitzø have been meeting for their deal already (Blitzø keeps remarking that Stolas has "diddled with his holes" so they are switching), Stolas now introduces Octavia to Blitzø but can't stop flirting even after both Blitzø and via voice discomfort with it

- Harvest Moon Festival: it is now fall, they keep meeting for their deal and we get the reveal that they are in a BDSM relationship, Stolas invites I.M.P. to the festival. Striker tries to kill Stolas, Blitzø stops him (stolas knows nothing about this)

- Truth Seekers: Blitzø and Moxxie get captured by D.H.O.R.K.S. and need to be saved. During Blitzø's trip we learn that Blitzø doesn't understand intimate relationships bur craves them. He feels trapped by Stolas but willingly let's himself be chained and crawls towards stolas while at his lowest, he feels the most secure in himself and his identity with Stolas (as seen by the style and outfit change the closer he gets to stolas) but is also scared of the situation. Blitzø learns he needs to be more open and honest with people. Stolas needs to save I.M.P. and we get the first on screen Stolitz kiss. They banter and are very familiar with each other. We also have the first confirmation that they meet outside of their deal

- Ozzies: it is M&M's 1 year anniversary and Blitzø follows them to the club. Since he can't get him he calls Stolas and invites him on a date. Stolas is there 20 minutes later and they enter the club. While spying on M&M Blitzø starts treating his pretend date like a real date and forgets about his employees until moxxie goes on stage. He defends M&M and becomes the target of ridicule, stolas becomes a target too and when put on the spot hides his face, this deeply hurts Blitzø and they leave the club. They have their talk and Blitzø makes it clear how stolas makes him feel after stolas invites him into the palace

- we learn Blitzø hates himself via visual storytelling inside of his apartment, the relationship with Stolas is important to him as he has a secret picture of them together on his phone. He cries.

- Stolas and Blitzø have a text conversation ON THE SAME EVENING (as seen in the later revealed text convo where stolas writes "today" when talking about Ozzies), which Blitzø tries to not engage in, making Stolas feeling insecure and rejected. Blitzø on the other hand feels invalidated since stolas texted him after he made it clear he needed space, stolas double backing and making light of Ozzies also doesn't help with this.

- The Party: Blitzø goes to Loonas party to get her but ends up staying at her insistence, he tries to drown his sorrows in alcohol ("you have no idea what kinda day I had" and "I had a really shitty day") and makes out with Dennis, a guy that looks like stolas. We learn that he is scared to die alone and wants Stolas to be with him when he dies, along with Moxxie, Millie and Loona

- Stolas had his own breakdown at home and reminisces about his relationship with Blitzø. He starts to divorce Stella. We learn their marriage was verbal and physical abusive. Octavia is the product of Stella raping Stolas. ("He just kept laying there. I had to do all the work")

- Seeing Stars: at least 2 months have passed since Ozzies, Stolas and Blitzø haven't seen each other since. Octavia steals the Grimoire and goes to L.A. Stolas and I.M.P. follow. Stolas and Blitzø get dragged into chaos while Loona takes care of Octavia. We learn that Stolas can calm down Blitzø from having a panic attack and recognizes immediately when Blitzø breaks down. Blitzø feels safe enough with Stolas to break down and be vulnerable. We SEE that Blitzø is attracted to Stolas and wants him to be happy and healthy. We get the first look at the Stolitz family during the fireworks. Blitzø and Stolas are running around town, hand in hand, looking for their daughters

- western Energy: Stolas gets kidnapped and calls Blitzø. They are talking again and Stolas is now respecting boundaries Blitzø has by calling him Blitzø instead of Blitzy. Blitzø sends M&M to save Stolas while he stays with Loona during her doctor's appointment. Stolas almost dies and Blitzø only sees his tail feathers as stolas is brought into the hospital. Blitzø learns stolas can be hurt. ("He can get HURT?") Blitzø texts stolas but doesn't answer after stolals texts him, most likely now knowing what to say because he deleted what he was writing before not responding.

- blitzø tries to distract himself by looking for his sister. This ends up breaking down any relationship he had with her.

- Oops: Stolas seeks out Ozzie to get an Asmodean Crystal for Blitzø, wanting to end their deal for a fresh start with Blitzø. Meanwhile Blitzø is kidnapped with Fizz by Striker and Crimson for ransom. The relationship between Blitzø and Fizz gets repaired and Blitzø saves Fizz and brings him home to Ozzie. We learn that Stolitz have been meeting outside of work and their deal and have been interacting on social media prior to Ozzies.

- stolas gets the asmodean crystal and we learn how much he loves Blitzø. He wants to remove their power imbalance via getting rid of their deal and soul bond to have a fresh start with Blitzø.

[kmomof4]

A Swan Family Christmas: A Christmas Fic in the Universe of A Family Affair

We finally made it, y'all!!! Ohhhhhhh, I've been sooooo anxious and excited to share this fic with y'all!!! I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I enjoyed writing it!!

If you are not familiar with the series, it was inspired by The O'Hurley's by Nora Roberts, which I then adapted to Once Upon a Time. A Family Affair features the family of Marco and Beverly Swan- their first born David and triplet daughters Regina, Emma, and Ruby.

Love Between the Pages tells the story of Emma and Killian Jones. Killian is a bestselling biographer and he arrives at Emma’s horse farm in rural Virginia to interview her for his biography on her late husband Neal Cassidy, NASCAR darling who died 5yrs ago on the track. Falling in love with her was not part of the plan.

Dance With the Gypsy tells the story of Broadway star Ruby and how she falls in love with Graham Humbert, the producer of her new show, Secrets.

Clipping an Angel's Wings tells the story of Hollywood star Regina and Robin Locksley, the PI she hires to protect her from an unstable fan.

And finally, A Spy Finds a Home, David and Mary Margaret’s story. Dr. Mary Margaret Blanchard hires David to find her parents, scientists who have been kidnapped by a terrorist group. Once all the dust settles, Mary Margaret brings David back to the family he left many years ago.

It's not necessary for you to have read the other fics in the series to enjoy this, but this fic does reference people and circumstances introduced in the other fics.

And now, to give credit where credit is due. All the love and thanks in the world to Joni and Marta, my FABULOUS betas. This fic wouldn't be here without them, so please give them a hand...👏🏻 And second to Kit, the creator of the INCREDIBLE artwork up above!! Isn't it AWESOME???!!!! I could stare at it FOREVER!!!! Thank you so SO much, babe!!!

Thank you all so much for reading!!!

Summary: A year after Regina and Robin's wedding, the entire Swan, Jones, and Humbert clan descend on Emma and Killian's Virginia farm for Christmas!

Rating: G Total Christmas fluff ahead!!

Words: 7100

On ao3, if that's your preference.

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @teamhook @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @artistic-writer @xarandomdreamx @undercaffinatednightmare @the-darkdragonfly @stahlop @superchocovian @pirateprincessofpizza @tiganasummertree @anmylica @cosette141 @motherkatereloyshipper @zaharadessert @jonesfandomfanatic @ultraluckycatnd @jennjenn615 @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @kymbersmith-90 @booksteaandtoomuchtv @wistfulcynic @mie779 @snowbellewells @lfh1226-linda @aprilqueen84 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @pirateherokillian @elfiola @ilovemesomekillianjones @justanother-unluckysoul @poptart-cat-78 @myfearless-love @goforlaunchcee @searchingwardrobes @gingerpolyglot @gingerchangeling @djlbg @cocohook38 @cs-rylie @thisonesatellite @donteattheappleshook @deckerstarblanche @veryverynotgoodwrites @wefoundloveunderthelight @fleurdepetite @alexa-fangirl-forever @bluewildcatfanatic @qualitycoffeethings

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Christmas was just a couple of days away. Emma, Killian, and Henry were feverishly getting everything ready to host the entire extended Swan and Jones families. They were expecting a total of sixteen extra guests for the holiday and excitement was running very high. 

They didn’t usually have much snow in December, but this year, they were predicting around three inches on Christmas Eve. Henry had never seen a white Christmas, and with all his aunts, uncles, and cousins, in addition to his grandparents coming, this was sure to be the best Christmas ever!

Henry peeked into his baby sister’s bedroom, not surprised to see her awake and standing in her crib. Henry grinned and came in, followed closely by Shep.

“Eny, Eny,” Hope babbled as her big brother approached.

“Do you know what today is, Hope?” Henry asked his sister. “Everyone’s coming today! Mimi and Papaw, Aunt Ruby, Uncle Graham and Poppa, and you’ll get to meet your baby cousins in person, Aunt Regina and Uncle Robin, Aunt M’s and Uncle David, Aunt Elsa and Uncle Liam, Aaron and Dale, and Grandpa Nemo!”

Henry lowered the side of the crib and lifted Hope out, setting her on her feet on the floor. She wasn’t walking independently yet, but she was close and Henry just knew that she’d do it sometime in the next few days while everyone was here. He stood behind her and held onto her hands raised in the air as she started toward the door of her bedroom.

He followed along behind her as they toddled the short distance to their parents’ room. Once they reached the door, Henry knocked.

“Mom? Dad?” he asked, opening the door slightly. Shep pushed the door open the rest of the way with his nose.

“Mamamamamamamama,” Hope babbled. “Dadadadadadadada.” 

The lights were still off, but the sun was poking through the blinds. Their dad sat up, his mouth opening on a huge yawn and swung his legs off the side of the bed, motioning for them to be quiet.

“Mom’s still asleep,” he whispered. “Let’s let her sleep just a little more. Go downstairs with Hope, Henry, and I’ll be down in just a minute to get breakfast started.”

Henry nodded and turned Hope around, back toward the door of the bedroom. As soon as they were gone, Killian leaned over to Emma, pressing a kiss to her brow and whispering in her ear.

“You can sleep for a little while longer, babe. I’ll send Henry up to get you once breakfast is ready.”

All he got was a muffled Mmmph in reply. Killian chuckled and made his way to the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came down the stairs and entered the breakfast room to find Henry entertaining his sister in her high chair. Killian smiled and pulled out eggs and the pancake batter he’d whipped up the night before. It only took a few minutes to cook the eggs and start on the pancakes.

“Go wake your mom, Henry,” he said, plating up the first batch of pancakes. Shep sat very attentively and patiently at Killian’s feet as he cooked, waiting to see if his pleading gaze would get him a breakfast treat.

“Don’t even think about it,” he told him with a frown. When Shep’s tail started to wag, Killian sighed. “If there’s any left after Mom eats, I might let you have one.” Shep wagged his tail even harder and Killian rolled his eyes.

By the time Emma and Henry came back down, there was a full plate of pancakes on the table and Killian was cutting one up for Hope, who’d already started on the eggs on her plate.

“So what do we have to do today, Mom?” Henry asked before stuffing a huge bite of eggs in his mouth. Killian gave him a disapproving look.

“You’ve been a big help the last few days, Henry, so there’s really not that much left to do,” Emma said. “All the sheets need to be washed and the airbeds blown up. Oh, and we should make sure there are plenty of clean towels for everyone.” Emma sat back, her face a little stunned. “I still can’t believe everyone’s coming,” she breathed. “This will probably never happen again.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement as her gaze met Killian’s and Henry’s. “This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!”

Killian reached over and covered her hand with his. “Yes, it is,” he said, smiling. “I’m so glad Liam, Elsa, the boys, and Nemo could all come.”

Henry all but bounced in his seat. “When will they get here?”

“Let’s see,” Emma said, opening her phone and checking all the flight times. “Regina and Robin won’t be here until tonight. Their flight doesn’t leave for a couple more hours yet, and Mimi and Papaw are with them. Ruby, Graham, the twins, and Poppa should be here around three. David and M’s, and Liam, Elsa, the boys, and Grandpa Nemo are all getting in around two. You and Dad will go to the airport to pick everyone up, and Ruby and the rest should be here by the time you get back. Regina has a limo bringing them out.”

They finished their breakfast quickly, Henry chatting animatedly about all the adventures he, Aaron, and Dale would have while they were here. He’d met Liam, Elsa, their boys, and Grandpa Nemo almost two years ago when Killian had taken them to meet his family once he got his finished manuscript sent off to his publisher. The three boys were only a year apart, with Henry in the middle, and they hit it off wonderfully. They kept in touch with Facetime and visits during the summer, but Henry was excited for them to enjoy the farm in the winter, especially with the snow expected.

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, everyone went their separate ways, marching orders in hand. Hope had been deposited in her room to play until Henry was done blowing up the air mattresses for his cousins in his bedroom, and in the downstairs study for Uncle Liam and Aunt Elsa. Emma was in the old farmhouse collecting all the sheets off the beds and getting them in the laundry while Killian and Shep headed out to the barn just to check with Leroy that the farmhands and horses had everything they needed for the next few days. With all the company expected, not to mention the holiday itself, there wasn’t going to be time for him to be doing anything out in the barn.

The last book he’d written on Henry’s father, Neal Cassidy, had been his biggest bestseller yet. He’d enjoyed a relatively lucrative career up to that point, between being an investigative journalist for the Boston Globe for several years before turning to writing official biographies for a living. But his book on Cassidy had exceeded all expectations and had brought in a windfall that had allowed him and Emma to not only really fix up the old farmhouse, and hire full time farm hands with Leroy as part time manager, but also to build themselves a new house for their growing family. So now with two large houses on the farm, they could host their very large extended family for the holidays.

After talking with Leroy and seeing that everything was under control, not that he expected anything different, Killian returned to the house to get his white chicken chili in the two slow cookers before heading upstairs to get Hope dressed. It was going to be a long and busy day.

~*~*~

When Henry and Killian arrived home from the airport with David, Mary Margaret, Liam, Elsa, Aaron, Dale, and Grandpa Nemo in tow, true chaos descended. The boys immediately retreated to their shared bedroom, but were quickly summoned back to the family room and kitchen to greet Ruby, Graham, Maurice- who the kids called Poppa- and their new baby cousins, Hunter and Diana. Everyone was thrilled to see the babies, but the six-month-old twins didn’t hold the attention of the older boys very long, so after a round of hugs and making cute faces at the babies, they were off again.

Everyone else gathered in the kitchen, catching up with each other’s goings on in the last year since they’d all been together for Robin and Regina’s wedding. Liam and Elsa’s farm was flourishing, and they were thinking about branching into cattle farming. They already harvested corn for grain and hay, in addition to the apple orchard that was their main crop, and had one cow for milk for the family in addition to a few horses, but the income cattle farming would generate wasn’t anything to shake a stick at and could set the farm up for generations to come. 

Ruby was back on stage with Secrets after having the twins, and Graham was as busy as ever scouting for and signing new talent, as well as further expanding Humbert Records’ Broadway presence. 

Grandpa Nemo and Poppa were simply enjoying their retirement and spending lots of time with their respective grandchildren.

David and Mary Margaret had gotten married the previous summer in New York before moving to Chicago. David couldn’t bring himself to lie to his family about how he’d met Mary Margaret and how he’d come into possession of a very large estate outside of the Windy City. So, he told them the truth about what he did during the decade he was away from them, in the very vaguest of terms. They knew he was an American spy, and that the estate where they now lived had been left to him by his recruiter and mentor. He wanted to hold on to the last thing in existence that tied him to Lance, so once he and Mary Margaret tied the knot, they’d relocated there permanently. 

Now David was dipping his toes into the songwriting business, mostly due to Mary Margaret’s encouragement. Graham and Poppa’s ears both perked at that little tidbit, but David told them not to get their hopes up. He wasn’t interested in singing himself, but might be interested in partnering with someone. Graham told David to get in touch with him after the holidays and he’d see about finding a partner for him.

After getting her parents back, taking some very well deserved time off to plan her wedding, and the wedding itself, Mary Margaret had decided that she wasn’t interested in being sequestered in the laboratory again. Once they settled in Chicago, she’d accepted a teaching position at Northwestern and was loving every minute of it. She enjoyed engaging and challenging young minds in the principles of physics and had trouble seeing herself ever going back to the lab.

Once everyone was caught up, they called the boys down to the kitchen for dinner. With two large pots filled with Killian’s white chicken chili recipe, there was plenty to go around, as well as for their missing family members once they arrived in a couple of hours.

Dinner was loud and happy with about half a dozen different conversations going on at the same time. Killian caught Emma’s eye and wasn’t surprised to see the tears sparkling in the corner of them. He felt a surge of love and contentment inside him to be here right now with almost all of their loved ones beside them.

Killian smiled and mouthed I love you to his beloved. She smiled and mouthed the same thing right back to him.

~*~*~

The next day was Christmas Eve, and the weatherman might find himself unemployed, after his prediction of three inches was so far off from the actual snowfall the farm received overnight. Henry, Aaron, and Dale pressed their faces to the window in Henry’s room, their mouths hanging open and eyes wide as saucers at the blanket of white outside. 

The snow was high, and the distance to the old farmhouse was an unblemished carpet that the boys couldn’t wait to get into. After standing there stunned for several minutes, they all scrambled to get into their snow suits and downstairs into the drifts outside, not even bothering with breakfast, Shep hot on their heels.

An hour later, shouts from outside woke Robin in the other house. When Emma, Killian, Henry and Hope moved into the new house, the old farmhouse had undergone a full renovation, bringing it up to 21st century standards and making it company ready. So while all the children and their parents were in the new house, the rest of the family was in the old farmhouse. Robin looked over at Regina, still snoring softly. She was utterly breathtaking in the morning light, but Robin’s brow furrowed as he wondered how she was still asleep. Even when she was in between projects, she could never sleep past eight. He glanced at his phone on the nightstand and saw it was nearly 8:30 in the morning. It had been a very long and exhausting day yesterday, between the cross country flight and the late night spent with her sisters, so he wasn’t going to begrudge her sleeping in a bit.

He rose from the bed and went to the window to see the boys and the dog playing in the drifts that covered the front lawn. Robin grinned at their antics before grabbing his robe and heading down to the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

It was almost another thirty minutes later that Regina finally came down, yawning hugely. 

“There’s my Sleeping Beauty,” Robin said, rising from his seat at the bar, placing his hand on her waist and leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Did you sleep ok?”

“I did,” she said, “just not enough of it.” She made her way to the coffee maker as Robin shot a speculative look at Beverly, who simply raised her eyebrows at Regina’s comment.

“Where is everyone?” Regina asked, sitting down next to Robin at the bar and leaning her head against his shoulder.

“Mary Margaret, I believe, is in the new house getting things together for the gingerbread cookoff,” Beverly said as she cooked some eggs for Regina. “The men are all outside playing in the snow with the boys,” Beverly chuckled. 

“I wanted to wait until you woke up before heading outside myself,” Robin said, kissing Regina on the brow.

“Mmmm,” Regina hummed, eyes shut while taking a sip of her coffee. As soon as she did, she grimaced in distaste and opened her eyes. “Eww… What's wrong with this coffee? Does the Keurig need descaling or something?”

Robin turned confused eyes on his bride as Beverly brought a plate of scrambled eggs over.

“The coffee tastes fine to me,” he commented, taking another sip from his mug. “What does it taste like to you?”

Regina shook her head before speaking. “I don’t know,” she said, the grimace still on her face. “But I don’t like it, whatever it is.” She took a bite of the eggs her mother had made and had barely swallowed the first bite, when her hand flew to her mouth and she lunged for the half bath on the other side of the kitchen.

Beverly gave her a loving yet stern look after she came back out of the bathroom, followed closely by Robin.

“I think it’s time you took a pregnancy test, Regina,” she said.

The look on Regina’s face as she looked at Robin, nearly made Beverly’s heart break. The fear mixed with hope in her daughter’s eyes was mirrored by her husband, although much more hope than fear in his case, and Beverly lifted a silent prayer for them both and the potential addition to their family.

“Here, try this,” Beverly urged, placing some toast on the bar as they came back and sat down. “Might help settle your stomach.”

“Just the thought that I might be pregnant,” Regina murmured, “makes my stomach roll even more.” Robin sat down next to her and rubbed circles into her back as she took a bite. When she was able to swallow with no ill effects, Regina smiled. “Do you really think it’s possible?”

“You’ve slept more in the last week than I think I’ve ever seen you sleep,” Beverly observed, “plus the coffee tasting off and not being able to even take a bite of scrambled eggs without throwing it back up?” She shrugged. “It’s certainly suggestive.”

“She’s right, Regina,” Robin added.

“I don’t want to wait until after Christmas to take a test,” Regina said, softly. “Do you think Emma might have one?”

“Chances are probably decent,” Beverly said, nodding. “Finish eating that first and we can go over and ask.”

Regina hurriedly finished eating the toast- it really did help her stomach- and then they all trooped through the snow, carefully avoiding the gigantic snow fort and snowman the boys and men were busy building. The kitchen in the new house was a hive of activity, with Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Elsa helping Emma get all the ingredients out for the gingerbread bake-off happening later that morning and afternoon. The participants were separated by household, so there’d be five different gingerbread recipes being baked with Mimi, Papaw, Grandpa Nemo, and Poppa judging the results.

Regina made her way over to Emma and pulled her aside.

“Do you, uhhh,” Regina began, picking at the hem of the sweater she wore and not meeting Emma’s eyes, “have a pregnancy test that I could use?”

Emma’s eyes widened, and Regina blushed furiously.

“Really? Are you serious?” Emma asked incredulously before schooling her features. “Yes, I do, actually. Come on.” She grabbed her sister by the arm and motioned to Ruby to follow them upstairs.

They got to the master bath, and Emma and Ruby waited in the bedroom while Regina took the test. Once done, Regina came back into the room, taking a deep shaky breath.

She sat on the bed in between her sisters and looked down at her clasped hands.

“Mom said I’d been sleeping more than she’s ever seen,” Regina murmured. “The coffee this morning was awful, and I was sick when she cooked me plain scrambled eggs.” She shrugged. “So she said I should take a test.”

Emma placed her arm around Regina’s shoulders. “Are you late?” she asked.

“Not technically,” she replied with a shrug. “Not yet. My cycle’s never been exact, and a day or two off in either direction is normal.” She looked at her sisters. “So I wouldn’t have bothered for at least another week.” She took a deep breath, trying to keep her tumultuous feelings in check. She took both her sisters' hands in her own as they waited.

The timer went off, and Regina could feel the blood drain from her face. Ruby and Emma squeezed her hands in reassurance.

“You can do this, Regina,” Ruby encouraged her. “We’re right behind you.”

Regina rose on shaky legs and walked into the bathroom. A moment later, Emma and Ruby heard a loud sob and ran to their sister. She stood in front of the sink, holding on to the edge for dear life with the test in front of her, Pregnant showing clearly in the window. Ruby and Emma wrapped Regina in their arms, tears flowing freely from all three.

Emma was the first to get herself under control enough to speak. 

“Congratulations, Mom,” she hiccupped through her tears. 

The appellation made Regina dissolve into fresh tears.

“I never thought…” she gasped in between sobs. “Oh, God! Everything I took to get on the plane yesterday! What if…?”

“Do not even think about that, Regina,” Ruby urged her. “Do you know how many unsuspecting moms drink alcohol, or take medications, or do things that aren’t considered safe in pregnancy? And their babies turn out just fine. Your little one will be completely perfect. You mark my words.”

Regina nodded, tears still tracking down her face. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Robin before hugging her sisters close again.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “I love you both so much.”

“Love you, too.”

“Love you, three.”

~*~*~

Robin felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone to see a 👶🏻 in a text from Regina. He surged to his feet and ran for the stairs. When Emma and Ruby had gone upstairs with Regina, he stayed behind to give the sisters the privacy he was sure Regina appreciated. He may be the potential father, but her sisters had been the ones who’d been with her through all of it and letting them be the first to know seemed like the least he could do. Especially since they were both mothers themselves and had been through this before.

He came into the bedroom to see the three of them caught up in a three way embrace, tears tracking down their faces, and beaming smiles on them all. His own smile broke through as they let go of one another. Regina ran for him. He caught her and swung her around as Emma and Ruby left them alone.

Robin set her back down and planted a hard kiss on her lips, even as delighted giggles spilled from his love’s mouth. He held her tightly, burying his face in the side of her neck. His face and neck were wet from where her tear-stained face had rubbed up against his, and Robin could feel the tears collecting in his own eyes. He pulled back just a bit and rested his forehead against hers.

“I assume it was positive,” he quipped drily.

A bark laugh escaped Regina. “Yes,” she confirmed. “It was positive.” 

Robin tightened his arms around her and kissed her gently. “So, when are you due?”

She pulled back completely and picked up her phone. Opening her period tracker app, she calculated her due date. 

“August 29th.” She caught her bottom lip with her teeth as she looked at him. He gathered her back in his arms, hugging her tightly.

“Oh, Regina,” he sighed. “I’m so happy.” He could feel her deep inhale as he held her, but she didn’t exhale right away. He pulled back again to look into her eyes. “What is it?”

She swallowed hard, and the tearful happiness in her eyes disappeared to be replaced by a nervousness he hadn’t seen since she’d told him about her history with Samdi Facillier.

“If… if something happens…” She tripped over her words and understanding came over him.

He met her gaze unflinchingly and tightened his arms around her.

“I told you when I asked you to marry me, that you were first. Always and forever,” he assured her. “That if we never had children, you were the only thing I needed. Everything else, we would take as it came.”

Another sob escaped her, and Robin gathered her close again, kissing her on the forehead. “I love you, Regina. And nothing will ever change that.”

~*~*~

The snowball war to end all snowball wars was going on outside with the vast majority of the family taking part. The babies were down for afternoon naps, and all the gingerbread was baked, cooled, and ready for decorating. Except for the gingerbread cake Elsa planned to bake while everyone else was decorating their creations. Regina, Beverly, and Emma were the only three members of the family who weren’t outside romping in the winter wonderland.

Emma suggested they get themselves cups of hot cocoa, and go sit in the gazebo that was part of the wraparound front porch to watch the shenanigans going on outside. The ladies agreed.

They bundled up, grabbed their mugs with the steaming hot beverages and emerged onto the front porch. They didn’t know who was keeping score, but it was obviously a free-for-all and every man for himself. 

All except the young boys. 

They seemed to be a well-oiled machine, taking cover behind the walls of the snow fort they’d spent that morning building right on the edge of the tree line so they couldn’t be ambushed from behind. 

The rest of their family was spread out over the no man's land between the two houses. From where the three women sat, they could see Henry, Aaron, and Dale’s heads pop up occasionally from their fort, sending their projectiles toward wherever their target had sought to hide. 

Ruby was behind the giant snowman, a pile of snowballs at her feet. They could see Elsa about ten feet away from the fort behind one of the tall pine trees that shielded the farm from the state highway. Poppa and Marco were on either side of the gazebo where the ladies sat. The porch and gazebo were too high off the ground for the grandpas to be able to see over them and target one another. 

Liam played baseball in high school and college and had been good enough to make a career of it, if his heart hadn’t laid squarely on the farm he grew up on and in the hands of his high school sweetheart. His pitching arm was still in very good shape though, so he took up his position on the corner of the old farmhouse, far out of reach of his adversaries, but not so far that he couldn’t reach them with his own arsenal of projectiles.

Mary Margaret crept around the corner of the garage and lobbed a snowball at Marco, catching him on the shoulder. She shouted in triumph before disappearing back around the corner as Marco shouted his indignation at being blindsided.

Grandpa Nemo and Graham were also hiding behind trees near the fort and were staying busy throwing snowballs at anyone who caught their eye while trying to evade the same, with varying degrees of success.

Killian, David, and Robin were nowhere to be seen. Emma sat up, as Killian suddenly emerged from the trees behind the fort, knelt for a moment, and grabbed Henry and Dale around the waist. He rose again, with both boys firmly under his arms and ran headlong into the no man’s land where he unceremoniously dropped them and then ran for cover on the other side of the front porch of the new house. As soon as the boys were on the ground, they were pummeled with snowballs from all sides. Having the protection of the fort, they’d been hit much less than the others. They howled as they hightailed it back to the fort, shouting threats of retribution at Killian for sneaking up on them the way he had.

As soon as they took cover, Robin and David both emerged from the trees in the same place Killian had only a minute before. The two were obviously working together as they held their snowballs aloft and flushed the boys out from the protection of the fort. The men chased the boys out into the middle of the yard, signaling to everyone else to come out of hiding and hit as many targets as possible.  It was a total knock-down-drag-out, with no one getting away scot free.

Henry emerged from the melee, shouting at Emma.

“Did you see me, Mom? I got Uncle David on the back of the head!” Emma rose from her seat in the gazebo and made her way to where Henry was climbing the steps to the porch.

“I did see,” she assured her son, a wide grin on her face. “I think it’s time for everyone to come inside and warm up. We have gingerbread to decorate, judge and eat, and Christmas movies to watch.”

The other boys were the first to come toward the porch and the promise of gingerbread, followed by the women and grandfathers. The men were still trying to best one another on the snowball field. Robin had taken up a position next to the gazebo, where Regina and Beverly still sat, enjoying their hot chocolate, and laughing at the men trying to one up each other. As they finished their drinks and rose from their seats to head inside, Robin could see David coming around the other side of the house and taking aim at Regina. Time seemed to slow down as Robin ran toward David, aiming his own snowball at him. David threw his snowball, Regina turning to the side to shield herself, as Robin hurled his own, taking a flying leap toward David. 

He just missed the snowball David threw, but his aim was true, catching David in the center of the chest. David’s snowball hit Regina on the hip, and Robin tackled David into the snow.

“Gotcha, sis!” David howled, even as Robin rose above him, grabbing the front of his coat. Robin was barely aware of Regina running across the porch and down the steps toward them as red colored his vision.

“What the hell, man?” he shouted at David. “You can’t target the porch! That was safe!” David turned his attention to Robin, his laughter turning into confusion and then anger as he pushed Robin off him and stood up.

“It was just a bit of fun!” he shouted. “It got her on the hip! What’s the big deal?”

Regina got between them, facing Robin. She cupped his face in her hands and begged him to look at her.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m fine. It didn’t even hurt. I promise.” 

Robin forced himself to focus on his wife. Her chocolate eyes were filled with worry. For him. He put his hands on her shoulders and matched his breathing with hers. Once he was calmed down, he turned his attention back to David, who stood watching them over to the side, a puzzled and brooding expression on his face.

“She’s pregnant,” Robin snapped, still a little hacked that David had targeted Regina. “She can’t…”

“So what?” David interrupted, confusion now all over his face. “So is Mary Margaret. That didn’t stop her.” 

“What?” Regina exclaimed, turning to her brother, surprised. 

David shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah,” he admitted. “We were gonna announce it tomorrow night at dinner.” Regina released Robin and turned to David, embracing him tightly.

“Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” he murmured, accepting her hug. “And you, too.” She pulled back and glanced at Robin. At his small nod, she turned back to her brother.

“I think Robin is just worried because I’ve had a miscarriage before.”

David’s brow furrowed. “You have? When?”

“Years ago,” she told him. “Not long after I first came to Hollywood.”

“I had no idea,” David murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. And I’m fine.” She turned back to Robin. “I do think you overreacted, though.”

Robin looked like he’d rather eat nails than apologize, but after a deep breath and hard swallow, he held his hand out to David who took it.

“Sorry I overreacted,” he said.

“No problem. I probably would have done the same.”

Regina smiled at them. “Let’s go in,” she said, looping her arm through her husband’s. “I need your help decorating the gingerbread house.” Looking back out over the lawn, she hollered for the rest of them to come in. “Come on, guys! It’s time for gingerbread!”

At her call, the other three started making their way to the house, still eyeing each other warily. Killian was the furthest away and couldn’t resist one more throw at his brother as he approached the steps to the house. He cackled as the missile found its target, and took off running toward the back of the house as Liam made himself one last snowball and followed. Regina, Robin, David, and Graham entered the front door to see Killian doing a dance in front of the sliding glass door in the kitchen, taunting Liam.

“I will have my revenge, little brother!” Liam called, an evil grin on his face. “The next time you come out here… revenge will be MINE!” He dropped his snowball into the drifts lining the back porch and climbed the steps as Killian opened the door for him.

“Good luck with that, brother,” he smirked. The brothers turned toward the kitchen where the gingerbread was all laid out on the island and some of the creations were being moved to the table, to give everyone room for decorating the tasty treats.

Elsa’s cake was already in the oven, and the smell was permeating the whole house.

Mary Margaret and David had gone for simple gingerbread boys and girls, and they were hard at work decorating them with royal icing.

Regina was getting their gingerbread house constructed while Robin was laying out the candies they’d soon be decorating with.

Graham joined Ruby in her construction of a gingerbread Christmas tree.

Liam moved into the family room where Elsa and all the grandparents were on babysitting duty, keeping the kids occupied while the others worked on their gingerbread creations. White Christmas played on the TV, and Liam sat on the sofa next to his wife. He put his arm around her and kissed her temple. 

“The cake smells delicious,” he said in her ear. Elsa smirked and looked at her phone. 

“It has about five more minutes. We’re sure to win. Nothing beats just an old fashioned gingerbread cake.” Liam hummed his agreement.

Killian moved to the other end of the island from Robin and Regina to help Emma get their gingerbread church put together. She’d found the pattern on Etsy and was determined to make it, no matter how complicated it might be.

Once everyone was done- well, almost everyone, anyway- Marco, Beverly, Maurice, and Grandpa Nemo came in from the family room. They gathered around Emma and Killian’s gingerbread… something…

“It was supposed to be a church,” Emma said surlily. The four walls were intact, but that was about it. The roof was very crooked and the steeple was completely missing, the required pieces scattered around the island. Everyone laughed good naturedly before Beverly took a bite.

“It tastes good, anyway,” she observed. “But considering it’s not decorated, or even fully constructed for that matter, I think it’s safe to say…” she looked at her grumpy daughter with an amused smile on her face, “y’all are not going to win.”

The judges moved to Elsa and Liam’s cake. It was still warm, having had about twenty minutes to cool, and topped with powdered sugar. They all had a small piece of the cake and declared it absolutely wonderful. Elsa and Liam exchanged smug smirks.

Ruby and Graham’s gingerbread Christmas tree was incredible. Very carefully constructed with royal icing, it was a full tree with every “branch” tipped with the white icing- including the star on the top of the tree- and decorated with red and green mini m&m’s.

“I don’t even want to try it!” Poppa exclaimed. “It’s too beautiful to eat!”

But they did eventually try it, after the requisite photos were taken, and found that it was delicious, as well.

Robin and Regina’s gingerbread house was fully constructed and decorated, but was rather sloppy. Icing was dripping in places, and the candy wasn’t staying on. It tasted good enough, but Regina still scowled as the judges ranked their creation in Fourth Place.

David and Mary Margaret’s gingerbread boys and girls were delicious and impeccably decorated. After unanimously being declared the winner of the bake-off, David spoke.

“It’s my secret ingredient to the gingerbread recipe,” he declared. “Nutmeg.”

Regina scoffed. “How can you call it a secret ingredient if you just told everyone what it was?”

“I didn’t say how much I used,” he said, smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, it’s still a secret.”

After the judging was complete, all the ingredients for personal pizzas were pulled out of the fridge and everyone set to making their own dinner. The big meal would be enjoyed on Christmas Day.

Once dinner was eaten and the kitchen cleaned up, Marco pulled out his banjo and started picking out favorite Christmas carols. Regina sat down at the piano while Ruby, David, and Emma went to collect their violin, flute, and guitar, respectively.

Beverly felt the tears sting her eyes as her family made music together. It had been over a decade since this had last happened and she never realized how much she missed it. With David gone to the ends of the earth, literally, plus their schedule and how rarely they were able to visit with all three of their daughters, she’d had to bury that desire and longing for her entire family to be together in the depths of her heart. And now, the complete happiness and joy threatened to overflow. 

The musicians smoothly transitioned between songs, the chord progressions and accompaniment coming back as if they’d been practicing together for weeks. Beverly had to stop singing, the lump in her throat too big to overcome, and just listen to the blend of voices. Maurice sat beside her on the sofa, Hunter cradled in his arms, and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“I know what Marco told me all those years ago,” he began, “but I would just about give my eye teeth to get all of you in a recording studio.” He moved away from her with a knowing and speculative gleam in his eye. Beverly laughed and patted him on the knee.

“I think you’d have an easier time setting up a recording studio right here in this room, than getting all these people together again.”

He looked back out over the crowded room. “Oh, I’m not so sure about that,” he mused.

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the smiles on everyone’s faces,” he said. “I know it’s hard to coordinate schedules between this many different families, but I have a feeling this is something everyone here is going to want to continue for many years to come.”

Beverly sighed. “I’d give anything…”

Maurice smiled gently at her and patted her knee. “So would I,” he assured her, his eyebrows rising. “Think about it.”

Taking a deep breath, Beverly joined her voice to the chorus of voices around her. The soft strands of Silent Night accompanied only by David on his flute and Ruby on her violin poured over her, and she closed her eyes and let herself drift on the music. She raised a prayer of thankfulness for this time together and determined to never take it for granted as the song came to an end.

Beverly opened her eyes and surveyed the scene in front of her. The babies were sound asleep in the arms of Maurice, Graham, and Killian, and Dale’s eyes were glazed over with exhaustion while Henry was in the middle of a jaw-popping yawn.

“I believe it’s time for bed, my loves,” Marco said quietly. The boys joined together in a disappointed awwww, but everyone else was smiling or nodding their agreement. Couples rose and joined together as parents gathered the children and began herding them off to bed.

“Christmas breakfast here at 9, and then presents after,” Emma told everyone. “We’ll see everyone in the morning.”

Murmurs of good night, see you in the morning, and Merry Christmas followed everyone out until the quiet of Christmas Eve and the snow-covered landscape outside enveloped both houses as everyone found their beds and fell into the dreams of home, the dreams of love, the dreams of family.

~*~*~

Christmas Day was everything Christmas dreams were made of. Snow still blanketed the ground, Christmas breakfast was delicious and plentiful, and the enormous pile of presents under the tree was utterly demolished- with everyone very pleased with the gifts received. Liam did get his revenge on Killian for his surreptitious ambush the day before when the men and boys engaged in another round of the snowball fight. Then the boys spent the rest of the afternoon engaging in an epic Nerf gun battle since they’d been gifted a veritable arsenal. Now it was time for Christmas dinner. Everyone gathered around the enormous dining room table for the blessing before loading up their plates with the feast that had been prepared by the ladies of the family.

“Before we have the blessing,” David said, standing from his place at the table, “we have an announcement to make.”

“So do we,” Robin said with a smile before nodding at David to continue. David looked down at Mary Margaret, whose cheeks were colored with a pretty blush as she looked at her husband and nodded. 

“Mary Margaret and I are excited to announce that we’re expecting…” Loud cheers from around the table interrupted his words, and David grinned widely before sitting down again and nodding at Robin across the table from him.

Robin rose to his feet as the cheering died down and asked the question everyone wanted to know.

“When are you due?”

“August 6th,” Mary Margaret said.

“Congratulations,” he said, sincerely before looking around the table at everyone gathered. “Regina and I have our own announcement, as well. We are also expecting.” More cheers interrupted his words, as Marco stood from his seat and moved around the table to hug Regina tightly. When the cheers died away again, Robin continued. “We’re due at the end of August,” he said, looking at David. “The 29th.”

Marco stayed where he was, his arm around Regina’s shoulders and asked everyone to bow their heads.

“Father in Heaven,” Marco began, “we thank You for the many blessings You’ve given this family. Material blessings, yes, but so much more. The blessings of how You’ve brought this family back together and expanded it is more than we ever hoped or dreamed. You’ve been so good to us, and we thank You for it. We thank You for the gift of Your Son, Whose birth we celebrate today. We pray that Your hand would continue to be upon us and all those we love. We pray for both these pregnancies, that You would keep Your hand on the mothers as well as the children they carry and bring them to a successful birth this summer. We pray that You will bring us all together again next year, if not before. Now, please bless this food that we are about to receive. May it nourish our bodies and spirits. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

As everyone trooped into the kitchen to dish up their plates, Marco looked over his family and felt like his heart would burst with the blessings that had been showered on him. He didn’t know what the future held, but with the love binding the Swan, Jones, and Humbert families together, there was no doubt the future was a bright and happy one.

The End

~*~*~

Thank you all so much for reading and sharing!!! Merry Christmas!!

[usafphantom2]

Remembering Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember

The SR-71 Blackbird

In the 1960’s, the US Air Force (USAF) developed the SR-71 Blackbird, a plane that could travel more than 3 times as fast as the sound produced by its own engines.

SR-71 T-Shirts

CLICK HERE to see The Aviation Geek Club contributor Linda Sheffield’s T-shirt designs! Linda has a personal relationship with the SR-71 because her father Butch Sheffield flew the Blackbird from test flight in 1965 until 1973. Butch’s Granddaughter’s Lisa Burroughs and Susan Miller are graphic designers. They designed most of the merchandise that is for sale on Threadless. A percentage of the profits go to Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base. This nonprofit charity is personal to the Sheffield family because they are raising money to house SR-71, #955. This was the first Blackbird that Butch Sheffield flew on Oct. 4, 1965.

Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 spy plane remained the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. Flying at Mach 3+ from 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour. And in the off chance an enemy tried to shoot it down with a missile, all the Blackbird had to do was speed up and outrun it.

Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman who flew aboard the legendary SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember

The photos in this post features Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman who flew aboard the legendary SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember.

Born in 1957, Marta Bohn-Meyer began her work in aerospace as a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in the late 1970s. According to Cosmosphere Blog, for three years, she participated in a cooperative research and education program the school held at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

When she finished school, she joined NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (then Dryden) as an aeronautical research and operations engineer. She would eventually rise to the post of chief engineer after 22 years at this same location, after a series of roles with increasing responsibility, including:

Remembering Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember

Beginning in her teen years, Marta Bohn-Meyer’s favorite place was in and around airplanes both at work and while off duty. She was an accomplished private pilot and flight engineer, and was the first female crew member to fly at Mach 3 in the SR-71.

Project manager for the F-16 XL Supersonic Laminar Flow Control

Deputy director of aerospace projects

Director of safety and mission assurance

Director of flight operations

Time in the SR-71B with the stick piloting the iconic HABU

In 1991, Bohn-Meyer became the first woman to crew the triple-sonic SR-71 Blackbird. She was assigned as a NASA flight engineer and had been with NASA twelve years by then. Her role was to help NASA obtain high-speed, high-altitude data to improve future aircraft design. The only other woman to have flown in the famously fast plane was Congresswoman Beverly Byron who rode as a VIP guest in 1985.

Bohn-Meyer (who was married to NASA test pilot Bob Mayer) not only flew the Blackbird as Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) but she also had time in the SR-71B with the stick piloting the iconic HABU.

The story of Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember

Marta Bohn-Meyer, Dryden’s chief engineer at the time of her recent death, celebrates her successful 1991 first flight at triple supersonic speeds in the SR-71 Blackbird. Bohn-Meyer was one of two women ever to fly in the storied aircraft and the only one to do so as a crew member; Congresswoman Beverly Byron took a guest VIP ride in 1985.

Only woman who flew aboard the legendary SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember passing away

Widely known as a precision aerobatic pilot, Bohn-Meyer died on Sep. 18, 2005, when the Giles G-300 she flew in an aerobatic practice routine crashed near Oklahoma City.

Retired NASA deputy administrator Fred Gregory recalls being first assigned to mentor her when she began at Langley as a student:

“She was smart, detail-oriented, opinionated and professional well beyond her age.”

Kevin Petersen, director for Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center at the time of her passing, remarked on Bohn-Meyer’s “strength and her commitment to all she pursued.”

SR-71 print

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. SR-71A Blackbird 61-7972 “Skunkworks”

“We committed lives to this person’s judgment every day; she was the last line of defense against complacency. And she never let me—or Dryden—down.”

@Habubrats71 via X

[tummy-troubles-tourney]

INTRODUCING THE COMPETITORS OF THE TUMMY TROUBLES TOURNAMENT!

The Round 1 Matchups are below the cut! The first half are scheduled to go live at 8:00 PM PST! Hold on to your barf bags and let's do this thing!

ROUND 1A MATCHUPS:

Mae Borowski  (Night in the Woods) vs Shin Tsukimi (Your Turn to Die)

Okuyasu Nijimura (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Diamond is Unbreakable) vs Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Lev Haiba (Haikyuu!!) vs Tadashi Yamaguchi (Haikyuu!!)

Tooru Oikawa (Haikyuu!!) vs Knov (Hunter x Hunter)

Squidward Tentacles (SpongeBob SquarePants) vs Light Yagami (Death Note)

Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia) vs Petey Piranha (Super Mario Sunshine)

Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) vs Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)

Luz Noceda (The Owl House) vs Dr. Gregory House (House, M.D.)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) vs Michael Afton (Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location)

Lord Jabu-Jabu (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) vs Raji Shenazard (Snow White with the Red Hair)

Guzma (Pokémon Sun/Moon) vs Aubrey Posen (Pitch Perfect)

Alciel (The Devil is a Part-Timer) vs Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol)

SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob SquarePants) vs L Lawliet (Death Note)

Jay Ferin (Just Roll With It) vs Ryouta Kawara (Hatoful Boyfriend)

Shaggy Rogers (Scooby-Doo) vs Doug Dorsey (The Cutting Edge)

Armitage Hux (Star Wars) vs Sunny (Omori)

ROUND 1B MATCHUPS:

Donatello Hamato (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) vs Philly the Kid (Cannon Busters)

Johnny Sasaki (Metal Gear) vs Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club)

The Mystery Flesh Pit (Trevor Roberts) vs Ritsu Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100)

Yuuri Katsuki (Yuri!!! On Ice) vs Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb)

Miles Vorkosigan (The Vorkosigan Saga) vs Walter (Walter the Farting Dog)

Toshinori Yagi/All Might (My Hero Academia) vs Chest-burster Xenomorph(s) (Alien)

Roman Sanders (Sanders Sides) vs Asahi Azumane (Haikyuu!!)

Blue Zircon (Steven Universe) vs Shigeo Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100)

Barry Bluejeans (The Adventure Zone: Balance) vs Crying Child (Five Nights at Freddy’s 4)

Louie (Pikmin) vs Harrier du Bois (Disco Elysium)

Isuzu “Rin” Sohma (Fruits Basket) vs Keith Kogane (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Kobeni Higashiyama (Chainsaw Man) vs Hitoka Yachi (Haikyuu!!)

Izumi Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Katsuya Serizawa (Mob Psycho 100)

Chip (Just Roll With It) vs Stahl (Fire Emblem: Awakening)

Virgil Sanders (Sanders Sides) vs Kiyoomi Sakusa (Haikyuu!!)

Mycroft Holmes (BBC Sherlock) vs Arataka Reigen (Mob Psycho 100)

The following characters (listed in no particular order) are SEEDED and their first matchups will be determined by the results of ROUND 1:

Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place)

Ochako Uraraka (My Hero Academia)

Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)

Henry (Thomas the Tank Engine/Thomas and Friends/The Railway Series)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death)

Magellan (One Piece)

Yami Sukehiro (Black Clover)

Marta Cabrera (Knives Out)

Deandra (The Most Popular Girls in School)

Yuuga Aoyama (My Hero Academia)

Declan Lynch (The Raven Cycle/The Dreamer Trilogy)

Randy Jade (Dialtown)

Spamton G. Spamton (Deltarune)

Nekomaru Nidai (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

Shouyou Hinata (Haikyuu!!)

Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb)

Dr. Heywood Floyd (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Scary Marlowe (Dungeons and Daddies)

Loid Forger (Spy x Family)

[elektra616-ar]

🦋☁️🍉🦩🌱

@thelittlestspider

this is incredibly late because i've been doing two moving jobs and a few cleaning jobs. but i finally have energy, woot! but thank you for sending! appreciate it a lot!

🦋 tell us about your current wip

i have few work in progresses i'm working on. but my fave projects currently are.

marta and the diner - marta roscoe is a time traveler and a previous spy for the aveternity; which is secretly part of the futuristic government of her world. but anyways, she escapes and tries to live what she thinks is a normal life. she doesn't have all of her memories, but she recalls memories of watching movies with her family. so there's a lot of movie references in this. and she can be a bit scary, but she's pretty chill as a person because she truly only wants acceptance. but eventually, she gets a job at a diner with a friend, and she stops at a very strange town where weird shit happens all the time.

bury me deep - aka revamping this, but basically claudia is looking for marta after she's kidnapped from her, for her abilities. and claudia discovers it's due to a government group. however, when she finds this out, that government group catches her, and she ends up in a simulation where she keeps getting killed over and over and having to go through different deadly and weird situations to get to her. but the thing is she doesn't know she's in a simulation each time, and it's all very confusing and would probably work out better as a tv show. but idk idk. it's a fun little idea. i need to try to make it work as a one-off. because i want to get to the sign (book three) but whatever. i'll get there.

☁️ wip you want to write but haven't started yet

the maiden is death - mostly because i really want to write luna and death together. but i'm just always confusing myself about how i want to make this story work to be honest.

🍉 favourite wip

neon clash!!! but it's just so chaotic!! i think that's why i like it??? it's the first in claudia's series. so probably why lol.

🦩 wip you hate working on but are too far gone to turn back

dawning falls. like i don't hate it......i just do not know where the fuck to go with it dsfksdjfshdkjsdjkfd.

🌱 book that inspired your wip

anything by t.ana f.rench inspires me to write. but i haven't been able to read anything long ngl.

[ignorant-rat-carcass]

Yes yes yes! This is all what I’ve been thinking and hoping too!

Definitely getting gaydar vibes from Isabel. I even wondered if she may have been part of the other *nudge nudge* couple Fina mentioned at the theatre. Who knows if they only caught the backs of heads in the dark?! And then Isabel had to run back to her ‘amiga’…! 🤔

It would just be so refreshing if they took the story, and Isabel’s character, in that direction and not cling to a tired cliche (albeit a likely historically accurate depiction of queer couples) of being outed and punished.

Even if she does have, which seems pretty obvious now, other ulterior motives for her underhanded actions which seem to involve befriending and then betraying Marta by undermining her, especially in front of her family …. Ultimately this may not even be personal but just a necessity. And may not even end up having anything to do with Marta’s sexuality or relationship with Fina. She could probably even just leave all of that out of whatever she’s up to now she’s proving her worth to the company in Marta’s side of the business.

Regarding her catching Marta and Fina out, I just wondered (if she does turn out to be an ally, or even gay herself) if all of that was just her homo-spidey senses picking up on the vibes between Marta and Fina and so her spying on them was just to confirm it for herself and not necessarily even to do anything untoward with that information.

But also, Marta! Really??! After Jamie caught you in an empty office in the dark after closing was it really the smartest thing to kiss your girl in broad daylight in such a public area?! Especially given how nervous they both are about getting caught and going to jail.

Lazy writing? Inconsistent? Don’t know.

I know lately they’re both completely smitten and living on cloud nine, but they’re both very smart and pragmatic so you’d think that being caught once would be enough to terrify them out of being quite so pda for life?!

I'm hanging onto my delulu that Isabel is ultimately gonna be an ally and maybe even end up being gay herself. There's enough crumbs there. She told Fina she didn't have a boyfriend. She brought up bookstores (which was low-key code sometimes). She is cultured and seemingly has a modern life she attends to in Madrid.

I know she's now flirting with Jesus and throwing Marta under the bus but it could be part of the long game to get him to trust her so she can pull the rug out from under him.

I know it's a super long shot but I think it would be really interesting, writing wise, to subvert the tropes they're setting up. Much more so than letting it play out like they've clearly built it up to.

[sabraeal]

Keeping Up with the Joneses

[Read on AO3]

Written for @aeroplaneblues for her birthday! When I asked Anne what she would like for her birthday this year, she suggested we do a birthday exchange-- she drew me a wonderful piece for All Pain Turns to Medicine; and in return, she asked me for an AU I’d already been hoping to get an excuse to write: a Spy x Family AU!

Marta doesn’t often take the train, not at her age. Oh no, old women like her are sedentary creatures, staying in their gingham kitchens with their Wedgewood china while they wait for their children to call. Maybe they might get out for a walk, just to the market and back, to get dinner and see what they neighbors were up to. Why only last week, Dita’s youngest fell from a tree and broke his clavicle, and Lotte’s granddaughter eloped with the postman. Not the one from their village, of course; Arnie was seventy if he were a day, and due to work until the hour his poor body gave up the ghost-- probably delivering the post, too.

But today, she was supposed to be on the train. All fine and good for her; it’s been some time since she went into town, and even if she can’t afford any of the fancy frocks on King’s Street-- ah, Chancellor’s Street, now-- then she can at least get a good look at them. All she needs is a few minutes, and she’ll be able to whip them up with her own machine, maybe even make a second for her daughter, if it’s fashionable enough to please her.

The car lurches to a stop, but Marta’s used to the rhythm of it; she hardly drops a stitch. Back when she was a girl, it’d take a town or two for those big steam engines to slow to a stop, creaking and carrying on the entire time, great gouts of steam spewing from their stacks. Now they stop on a dime without so much as a by-your-leave.

She preferred it, to be honest. All these sleek engines were fine enough, but if you were going to ride faster than a horse could gallop, well, there was nothing wrong with a little drama. Well deserved, in her opinion.

Ah, but that’s not what the children like nowadays. No, it’s all clean lines, shiny and chrome, hurtling toward the future without a care for what came first. Why, when she was a young woman--

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

Marta glances up from her stitching, expecting the sort that’s usually heading toward the city, all shuttered eyes and wary expressions. Jaded, that’s what they call it, all above the finest suits the continent has to offer. Style over substance.

Instead, she’s met by wide eyes set over a wider smile, the sort of earnest innocence she hasn’t seen since she was a girl, not much older than the one in front of her. Her suit might be cut close and cinched like the ones in town, but put her in a skirt and shirt and she could have walked right off the farm.

“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re working so hard.” One neat hand gestures to the seat across from her. “But may I sit here?”

She should say no; there’s a body she’s waiting for, one supposedly getting on at this very stop. But still, Marta takes in that autumn red twisted above her tweed and tastes crisp in her mouth, the brisk breezes of her youth chapping her cheeks.

“Well,” she says, straightening on the vinyl. There’s plenty of room for another passenger, should one come along. “I don’t see why not.”

Those pretty eyes crinkle at the edges. “You’re too kind, Miss...?”

“Kino.” A lady doesn’t shake hands-- no matter what’s in fashion now-- but Marta does bob her head, a gesture the girl returns with an even sweeter smile. “Are you traveling far--?”

The speakers crackle overhead, a terrible noise. “Next stop,” it announces with a man’s hard voice, “Express to Tanbarun City. End of the line.”

“Ah,” Marta sighs. “I suppose not.”

Humor catches light in her eyes, setting all its facets sparkling. “It’s a long enough ride between these two stops, so I’ve heard. And I’ve already traveled quite a bit already.”

“Is that so?” She’s not in practice of putting down her stitching once she’s started, not even for the people she waits for, but there’s such a becoming flush to the girl’s cheeks, Marta can’t help but find herself drawn in. “What brings you all the way to town? Can’t imagine you’re going for the shopping, the way I am.”

“Oh, I’m afraid it’s not for anything interesting.” The girl waves a hand, too humble. “Just work.”

“Work?” Marta blinks, taking in that pretty suit again, unassuming with its olive tweed, and retakes her measure. “You might not think that’s remarkable, but when I was your age, a girl wasn’t allowed to have an occupation. Just a baby in each arm and house she kept for her husband. But here you are, going to the city.”

The young lady flushes; it’s not the precise sort of pink that’s considered pretty nowadays, but there’s something honest in it. “Oh, it’s nothing. Really!”

“Now what is it you do?” She has the sort of face that could sell flowers, or maybe cakes straight from the bakery window. School mistress wouldn’t be out of the question, save that the capital’s a long way to travel for that salary. “Keep shop? Oh, but you’re dressed so sharply, you must be a secretary for someone very important.”

Marta’s hardly prepared for the rueful smile she gives. “A doctor, actually. For the hospital at Lilias.”

Her mouth works. “A...a doctor. Oh my. At Lilias?” The foremost hospital in the country didn’t just hire anyone, not when the Chancellor was one of their patients. “That’s very...prestigious. Are you a, ah, pediatrician perhaps? Or maybe one of those, what do they call them? The skin people.”

“Dermatologists,” the young lady corrects, so polite. To think, she’s a doctor. She hardly looks old enough to sit at a bar, let alone save a life. “And no. I’m a gynecologist. And obstetrician, of course.”

“Oh my.” She might as well be a broken record for as much as she’s been saying that lately. “I hear that’s where the Chancellor sends his wife. Maybe you’ll see her, er...”

There’s no delicate way to complete that thought, no way to wish her success that wouldn’t imply something improper. Still, the woman smiles, wider this time, if a bit distracted. “I hope so, Mrs Kino.”

Marta’s hands twitch, reaching for her stitching if only for something to do. Anything to keep her eyes from wandering, to keep her from wondering whatever happened to the one she was supposed to meet, the one from--

“Approaching Tanbarun City. Final Stop, Tanbarun city,” the speaker cracks, loud enough to make her jump. “Please make sure to remove all your luggage before exiting the car.”

“Oh my, do you mind if I take that paper? The one just under your arm-- yes, there.” Two of her slender fingers resting on the paper’s edge, right where it reads TANBARUN CITY TIMES.

“Oh...” Marta stares down, looking at the bright red 14 written at the top, circled twice. “I’m afraid I’m simply...there’s someone...”

“Ah, of course.” Her eyelashes flutter, nervous, but those fingers don’t move. “But you see, I’m looking for an apartment. Do you think there might be one on White Street?”

Marta drags her gaze up, meeting those wide eyes, green as the fields in spring. If the girl hardly looked like a doctor, she looked even less like-- like--

Expect them on the train to Tanbarun City, the message had said yesterday morning, buried in a personal ad about tropical fish. Last stop before the capital. They’ll ask about an apartment on White Street.

“Oh dear.” Her arm lifts, numb. “You better go ahead then. I hear those ones sell like hotcakes the moment they open up.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m starting early.” Her mouth quirks as she takes the paper, more rueful than sly, but when she glances over it’s with genuine interest. “What is it you’ve been working on, Mrs Kino? I haven’t had the chance to take a very good look.”

“Bees,” she says, stilted, tipping the hoop toward her. “I’ve always quite liked them.”

“Bees,” the girl breathes with a nod. “Code B.”

Marta can only stare as she opens the paper, this girl with the face of her childhood, murmuring, “What’s the world come to when girls like you have to do jobs like this?”

Again, her mouth twists, regret in every wrinkle. “The one we live in.”

She flips it to the first page, pressing it flat on the table, and then, then--

“Oh.” The blood drains from her face, eyes glued to the headline. “Oh no.”

It’s only because the cypher gives her an address that Shirayuki has anywhere to go. Any purpose being in this city, since now, it’s clear, she has none. Not when every corner holds a flag at half mast, and over every doorway hangs a swag of black. On the street corner, the paper boys call out the only headline anyone cares to hear: Extra, extra! The First Lady of Tanbarun Has Died!

She nods when the super offers to show her around the apartment, pointing out the extra bedrooms, the extravagant square footage. It had taken months for Clarines Intelligence to hunt down a place like this, humble yet chic, not too run down for a royal physician but also not too grasping, something that wouldn’t draw too much attention with a single woman living in it. To hear Zen talk, the Director had rejected almost fifty flats out of hand before he finally-- reluctantly-- put his stamp on this one. And now the only amenity she cares to hear about is--

“A phone?” Her head whips around. “Did you say there was a phone?”

“Oh, yes.” The super grins, puffed with pride. He’s a larger man, at least in one dimension, looking positively jolly when he tells her, “A private line, too. No need to share with the neighbors! The city just came by to install it a week ago, free of charge.”

The city. She stifles a sigh. The Director’s truly brazen, sending men to impersonate the government.

Still, once she’s finally seen the super out, it’s hard to fault him. It’s never been the plan to speak over the wire, not when it was child’s play-- Kiki’s words, not hers-- to tap one. But there’s still a number scrawled in her address book, filed under “Sampson, Osamu S.” that’s for emergency use. Not something to use on the first day, but, well-- her first day is an emergency.

Making a call like this is already twisting her nerves in knots, but just the thought of making it on a party line, having to twist this situation into something so oblique the nosy ladies in the building can’t find it suspicious enough to report...

Shirayuki grimaces, anxiety building with each turn of the dial. Sometimes one has to be grateful for small miracles. Even if they’re orchestrated by a meddlesome Director.

“Shirayuki?” Her stomach twists at the familiar voice, thick with sleep. It’s only nine, and already this whole mission has fallen to pieces. “Is that you? Are you all--?”

“Darling,” she says, clipping her words to keep them from shaking. “I have bad news.”

“D-dar--?” Zen coughs, feet hitting the floor with a thump. Or at least, she’s hoping its just his feet. “W-what is--?”

“It’s the dishwasher.” Her heels clack as she paces the floor, leashed by the phone’s coiled cord. “It looks like the unit doesn’t have one, even after we paid all that money to have it installed.”

“Dishwasher?” His voice is crisper now, more awake. “What do you--? What’s going on?”

“Super says the dang thing didn’t arrive, can you believe it?” Shirayuki claps her hand over her mouth, stifling the squeak on that last word. She can’t do this; she’s a doctor, not a spy, but still, still-- 

With a shake, she continues, too bright, “I called the company though, and it’s the damnedest thing. They think it’s gone to the wrong apartment. Do you think you could check the, uh, papers?”

“The...papers?”

“For the address.” Her fingers tangle in the cord, the only thing keeping her grounded. “You know, in case I made a mistake. Silly me.”

His snap is muffled through the phone, but she can make out, “Get me the paper. Tanbarun Times, on my desk, yesterday. There we are. Now--” the line goes utterly, terribly silent, a clear sky before a storm. “Damn. Damn. The First Lady--”

“Oh, yes, it definitely looks like I’m the first lady to live here,” she giggles, tight and nervous. “And those pictures we saw of the bedrooms were certainly generous. Our mattress looks so big in there! Maybe we need to change the scale of things.”

“Right.” Zen’s breath shudders through the line, his distress enough to make even her knees wobble. “Change the scale. I-- I think we can do that. Just let me--” she can just imagine him now, eyes closed, nose pinched between his finger; how between one blink and the next he’d grow steady, a solid place to put her weight upon-- “just hang on, honey. I’ll see this gets all sorted out.”

“Thank you.” Relief radiates down her spine, her limbs trembling. “I don’t know how I would have handled this all myself.”

“Don’t worry about it.” This is where he’d lay a hand on her shoulder if she was with him, exuding the sort of easy confidence only man like him can. “It’ll be handled. Just...take care. Until I see you again.”

Her breath catches. “Right, right. Until I see you.”

The line goes dead, silence ringing in her ears. And into it, Shirayuki scowls.

“All right.” She glares down at the dial, hoping it travels through the wire as well as her voice does. “I know you’re there.”

It’s silent for a long moment, just that empty space of a line disconnected, but-- then there’s a laugh.

“Oh, what?” Izana Wisteria, Director of Clarines Intelligence hums. “No darlings for me?”

 “You must understand, Ms Lyon,” the Director begins, once she’s taken a seat. She’s found most conversations with him are improved upon by sitting down, preferably with a strong drink. Unfortunate that he didn’t see fit to send her a housewarming gift; she’s missed the wines here, and with his budget, he could afford the best. “We are in a tight spot with regards to Tanbarun.”

It’s impossible to imagine the Director ever being in a tight spot, not unless it was one of his own making. “So there won’t be any rescue.”

“I wasn’t under the impression that you were the sort of woman that needed rescuing.” If she closes her eyes, she can picture his smirk, so self-satisfied and sly where he lounges behind his desk. “This is your dream, isn’t it? A post at the much vaunted Lilias Hospital. The opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues that can keep up with you.”

Her cheeks burn against the receiver. “That was a private conversation. And I believe I said keep pace, not...that.”

“You should know by now, Ms Lyon, but privacy is merely a matter of how many ears you perceive hearing you, not how many there are.” His drawl rankles, but the Director’s not in the habit of leaving her space to reply. Oh no, instead he tells her, “You’ll stay at Lilias for the time being.”

I earned this position myself, she wants to say, I don’t need your permission to keep it.

“I thank you for the opportunity,” she manages instead, words eking through her teeth. “But really, I don’t think this arrangement--”

“I understand that your mission’s parameters have changed.” She can hear his grin as he adds, “You can hardly serve as a private physician without your patient. However, it would take us years to place someone in as trusted position as yours. Very few people can come across the border and have the potential to access to the First Family so quickly.”

“I’m a doctor, Izana.” Her fingers clench white around the cord. “Not one of your assets. I only agreed to this because it was supposed to help--”

“It still will,” he insists. “Just in a different capacity than the one we planned for you. One that won’t interfere with your duties at the hospital.”

“Why me?” It’s the same question she’s been asking since he approached her with this offer. She’s simply a doctor, not some diplomat trained in the ways to keep countries at peace. “Don’t you have anyone else who can--?”

“No.” The word freezes her to the tips of her toes. “Didn’t you read past today’s headline?”

“I...” The paper’s just on the table, within arm’s reach. It only takes two fingers to pull it toward her, a pinch to open it. Print sprays down its columns, tight and concise, and it takes a moment for her eyes to focus, for them to find-- “Oh.”

TANBARUN SECRET SERVICE BUSTS ESPIONAGE RING IN CAPITAL. Beneath it, there’s a picture of three men on the ground, the masked servicemen putting knees into their backs. Clarines corruption ranges far and wide so close to home!

“There are others,” Izana murmurs, softer now. “Positioned well for the game we thought we would be playing. But now it will take time to gain the toehold we lost. You’re our best bet at getting close enough to the Chancellor to make a difference.”

“All right,” she breathes, fingertips brushing over the woman in the corner, sobbing as a serviceman hauls her away. “What do I need to do?”

“That depends.” She can hear his smile as he says, “How do you feel about children?”

This meeting is going on forever. Ren might be getting paid by the hour, but this is ridiculous.

“You think this guy can get on with it?” he huffs, leaning against a pillar. “I know it’s the dream to blow your wad on girls and cigars, but c’mon. It’s been two hours.”

“What?” Jun huffs, his ugly mug getting uglier as he grins. “Jealous he can last that long?”

“Fuck you. They’re just eating or whatever.” He shrugs. “Seems a waste when they’re nickel n’ diming you every minute. Not like it matters to them if they get dinner first.”

Jun’s hulking shoulders lift and split like mountains. “It’s the principle of the thing. You get some girls, you show them a good time, you f--”

Ding.

They both straighten, glaring at the elevator as the arrow settles on 13. This floor. One that the boss had made sure to rent out, all private-like.

“Is there another girl?” Jun asks, getting to his feet.

Ren squints like he might be able to see through the metal if he tried hard enough. “He’s already got four. What’s he gonna do with another? Human body doesn’t even got that many holes.”

The doors slide open, slow like a striptease, and standing there--

It’s some guy. Average height, dark hair, dressed to the nines in some suit Ren knows didn’t come off the rack. Foreign, now that he’s got a good look. Not from around here.

“You think the boss sent for him?” he mutters, but Jun shakes his head. “Hey, you lost, pal?”

“Dunno.” The guy shrugs, tugging at his glove. “This where the party is?”

“Party?” Jun frowns at him. “Don’t think you’re invite--”

He never finishes his sentence. He’s too busy trying to pull the knife from his throat.

“Let’s try this again.” The guy saunters up, hard soles clacking against the marble. With one tug, blood sprays across the floor, spattering onto his cuff. Jun hits the floor. “That’s gonna be hell to get out. Anyway.” He spins toward Ren, knife pointing toward the door. “That where the party is?”

Oh hell, he’s not paid enough for this. “Y-yeah.”

The guy nods. “Brennan?”

“Uh...uh-huh.”

His mouth splits into a grin. “Good. Hate to get the wrong guy.”

The double doors on that room took both him and Jun to open, but this guy flings them wide, standing there like some maestro in front of his ensemble. Like he’s the conductor, and oh boy, is this band gonna play. “Councilman Brennan?”

“Wh-who are you?” the boss cries out, but Ren can’t bear to look. Not when he closes his eyes and all he sees is red. “Get this man out of here.”

“Terribly sorry to interrupt.” Another knife leaps to his hand, the way cards do during a trick, but oh, Ren knows this one won’t shock and amaze. “But may I have the honor of taking your life?”

[stim-shop]

Hello there, lucky finder of this shop! I'm mod Brock or Mod Byron, and I'll be attending you and all of your stim and flag needs!

But first let's clarify some stuff, shall we?

🎶 - Personal stuff

- I use He/Him Pronouns

- My first language is spanish, so sorry if I fuck the english up

- I have a blog for general edits (@luxs-editing-garden) and an art blog (@shinandlux) so check those out

🍭 - What you can order (Source list)

- Fandoms

- LGBTQ+ identities

- Specific stims

- Colors

- Really anything that isn't in my blacklist!!

💭 - Non negotiable prices (Blacklist)

- Pico's school

- Any Vivziepop works

- Yandere simulator

- South park

- Harry Potter

- Camp Camp

- Spy X Family

- Chainsawman

- Any kind of yaoi media

- Aot

- Dream smp or any other Youtuber stuff

- Any other icky works (Please ask first if you aren't sure if I consider the work "Icky")

- Buttons (The clothing item)

- Tenko Chabashira

- Ishimondo

- Any romantic ships with Byron, Belle, Tara, Piper or Barley

🎭 - My personal favourites (My Fandom list)

Brawl stars

Pokemon

Vocaloid

Tua

Ragnarok (Netflix)

Undertale/Deltarune

Epithet Erased

Your turn to die

Danganronpa

Until Dawn

Team fortress 2

Love Nikki Dress Up Queen

Liar Liar

Slime Rancher

Yuppie Psycho

The Hunger Games

Cookie Run

Don't Starve

🧁 - Indulging is good sometimes (Whitelist)

Rain world

Drag Race

- Anything about Brawl stars

- The Townsfolk Trio, The Retropolis Gang, The Arcade Trio, Tara, Nita, Belle, Rosa, Jacky and Mr. P

- Pastels

- Creepy Cute

- Isolde

- Ramsey Murdoch

- Sunday

- Guzma, Avery and Allister

- Macne Nana, Gakupo Kamui and Gumi Megpoid

- Kaja and Orlando

- Doshi and Marta Sosa

- Kai Satou, Ranmaru Kageyama, Anzu Kinashi and Kazumi Mishima

- Engi and Demo

- Walter Warly and Wigfrid (Don't Starve)

- Food stims

- Jacky & Bibi (Queerplatonicly)

- Piper & Belle (Queerplatonicly)

- Tara & Bo (Platónicly)

- Piper & Byron (Platónicly)

- Crow & Byron (Platónicly)

- Science party

- Swordsvan

- Kumiho Cookie

- Pancake Cookie

- The grape sibilings

- Avocado Cookie

- Ashley Brown and Chris Heartly

🍧 - The sign says "No horrids allowed on this store" (DNI)

LGBTQ+ phobes

Exclusionists

Terfs/Radfems

Nsfw blogs

Nazis/Neo nazis

Super Straights

Maps

Anti antis / Pro shippers

If you consume problematic media uncritically

If you support the creator of Fnf

And that's that for now! I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay

[asternightingale]

Info

Name: Aster

Pronouns: He/They

Age: 21+

Other socials

Reddit: u/bluestaraster

Discord: asternightingale

Rp 「new account, follows from @/despairs-memorial」

@despairs-memorial 「Danganronpa canon」

@hopes-memorial 「Danganronpa ocs」

@haunted-memorial 「Morty, Pokemon」

@fantasies-and-wastelands 「BG3/DnD ocs」

@dungeon-delicacies 「Dungeon Meshi」

Fandom:

@commonwealth-misfit [fallout]

Misc:

@catboy-kiyotaka-edits [editing blog]

@sword-and-nightingale [memes/reblogs]

Fandoms/Interests

Danganronpa

Deadman Wonderland

Dimension 20

Don't Starve

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeon Meshi

Durarara!

Fallout

Fear and Hunger

The Gray Garden

Hazbin Hotel

Hello Charlotte

Keep In Mind

Ken Gao Games

Metaphorical cannibalism

Needy Streamer Overload

Oshi no Ko

Pathologic

Pokemon

Segawa Games

The Evillious Chronicals

Your Turn to Die

Vampire the Masquerade

Comfort Characters/Favorites/Gender/Kin List [only as a joke]

Abiko Samejima [Oshi no Ko]

Ai Hoshino [Oshi no Ko]

Alcor [Devil Survivors 2]

Ame/Kangel [Needy Streamer Overload]

Anri Sonohara [Durarara]

Arbus [The Gray Garden]

Astarion Ancunin [Baldur's Gate 3]

Aster Laker [Tales of Symphonia]

Ater [The Gray Garden]

Badoh [Walking on a Star Unknown]

Basil [Omori]

Colin Provolone [Dimension 20]

Corme [Walking on a Star Unknown]

Charles Eyler [Hello Charlotte]

(All) Charlotte(s) [Hello Charlotte]

Eiji "Gin" Kamiya [Devil Survivors]

Emmet/Kudari [Pokemon]

Emil Castagnier [Tales of Symphonia]

Es [Alter Ego]

Etihw [The Gray Garden]

Falin Touden [Dungeon Meshi]

Frei/Oracle [Hello Charlotte]

Furina de Fontaine [Genshin Impact]

Gale Dekarios [Baldur's Gate 3]

Gertrude Jekyll [Farethere City]

Gundham Tanaka [Danganronpa]

Haru [Devil Survivors]

Hatsune Miku [Vocaloid]

Ichimatsu Matsuno [Osomatsu-san]

Ingo/Nobori [Pokemon]

Izaya Orihara [Durarara]

Jungo Torii [Devil Survivors 2]

Juzo Sakakura [Danganronpa]

Kakashi Hatake [Naruto]

Kantera/Ryuuzen [End Roll]

Katakuri Charlotte [One Piece]

Kazuya Minegishi/Protagonist [Devil Survivors]

Keita Wakui [Devil Survivors 2]

Kiyotaka Ishimaru [Danganronpa]

Kcalb [The Gray Garden]

Kujou Sara [Genshin Impact]

Laios Touden [Dungeon Meshi]

Larry/Aoki [Pokemon]

Ludger Kresnik [Tales of Xilla]

Lycion [Dungeon Meshi]

Macarona/Macaroni [The Gray Garden]

Marcille Donato [Dungeon Meshi]

Midorino [Walking on a Star Unknown]

Mintaka Alcantara [Pokemon: Reborn]

Mondo Oowada [Danganronpa]

Morty/Matsuba [Pokemon]

Naomichi Kurumada [Your Turn to Die]

Neil Watts [To the Moon]

Rantaro Amami [Danganronpa]

Raspbel Perserves [The Gray Garden]

Rawberry/Rawberrya Perserves [The Gray Garden]

Roy Mustang [Full Metal Alchemist]

Russell Seager [End Roll]

Sayaka Maizono [Danganronpa]

Senji Kiyomasa [Deadman Wonderland]

Shiro [Deadman Wonderland]

Shizuo Heiwajima [Durarara]

Sonia Nevermind [Danganronpa]

Takaaki Ishimaru [Danganronpa]

Takumi Hijirihara [Danganronpa]

Tartaglia/Childe/Ajax [Genshin Impact]

Toto Sakigami [Deadman Wonderland]

Uta [One Piece]

Yamato Hotsuin [Devil Survivors 2]

Yor Briar [Spy x Family]

Yu Ishigami [Kaguya-Sama, Love is War]

Yurika [Walking on a Star Unknown]

Yuuya/Pigula [Farethere City]

Liked Characters:

Akane Kurokawa [Oshi no Ko]

Alice [Tales of Symphonia]

Aquamarine Hoshino [Oshi no Ko]

Angel Dust [Hazbin Hotel]

Ayumu Fujimori [Fanganronpa]

Chihiro Fujisaki [Danganronpa]

Chilchuck Tims [Dungeon Meshi]

Daiya Oowada [Danganronpa]

Elize Lutus [Tales of Xilla]

Elle Mel Marta [Tales of Xilla]

Gin Ibushi [Your Turn to Die]

Haku Yuki [Naruto]

Hibiki Otonokoji [Fanganronpa]

Kanade Otonokoji [Fanganronpa]

Kabru [Dungeon Meshi]

Kyoujuro Rengoku [Demon Slayer]

Loid Forger [Spy x Family]

Inosuke Hashibira [Demon Slayer]

Izutsumi [Dungeon Meshi]

Maki Harukawa [Danganronpa]

Marta Lualdi [Tales of Symphonia]

Mikan Tsumiki [Danganronpa]

Mitsuri Kanroji [Demon Slayer]

Monaka Towa [Danganronpa]

Mukuro Ikusaba [Danganronpa]

Nagisa Shingetsu [Danganronpa]

Nico Hakobyan [Fanganronpa]

Nico Himuro [Fanganronpa]

Nifty [Hazbin Hotel]

Obanai Iguro [Demon Slayer]

Peko Pekoyama [Danganronpa]

Rosie [Hazbin Hotel]

Ruby Hoshino [Oshi no Ko]

Sakura Oogami [Danganronpa]

Sara Chidouin [Your Turn to Die]

Satou Matsuzaka [Happy Sugar Life]

Senshi of Izganda [Dungeon Meshi]

Takemichi Yukimaru [Danganronpa]

Takiko Ushina [Fanganronpa]

Veronika Grebenshchikova [Fanganronpa]

Xan Feur'sel [Baldur's Gate 1]

Discomfort Characters:

Chihiro Fujisaki [Danganronpa, Discourse]

Izuru Kamukura [Danganronpa, Certain Fan Interpretations]

Kazuichi Souda [Danganronpa, Stalker Moments]

Tenko Chabashira [Danganronpa]

Disliked Characters:

Boruto Uzumaki [Naruto]

Byakuya Togami [Danganronpa]

Haiji Towa [Danganronpa]

Hifumi Yamada [Danganronpa]

Kazuto Kirigaya [Sword Art Online]

Makoto Naegi [Danganronpa]

Teruteru Hanamura [Danganronpa]

Twelam [Walking on a Star Unknown]

Ships I like bc why not:

Bandage Buddies [Danganronpa, Platonic]

Celesaya [Danganronpa]

Kirizono [Danganronpa]

Ishimondo [Danganronpa]

Ishikuro [Danganronpa, Platonic]

Macaberry [Grey Garden]

Munasaka [Danganronpa]

Obamitsu [Demon Slayer]

Oowashima [Danganronpa, Platonic]

Sondam [Danganronpa]

Sonikan [Danganronpa]

Ships I dislike:

Any ships with Haji Towa [Danganronpa]

Any ships with WoH [Danganronpa]

Celesishi [Danganronpa]

Chimondo [Danganronpa]

Daikaaki [Danganronpa]

Despaircest [Danganronpa]

Fujishira(?) [Danganronpa]

Junkan [Danganronpa]

Kresnik-cest [Tales of Xilla]

Naegicest [Danganronpa]

Naeishi [Danganronpa] [HUGE discomfort]

Naeishiwada [Danganronpa] [HUGE discomfort]

Naewada [Danganronpa]

Sounia [Danganronpa]

Soutaka [Danganronpa]

Takaaki x Hiroko [Danganronpa]

Togafuka [Danganronpa]

Toudencest [Dungeon Meshi]

Otonokoji-cest [Fanganronpa]

Yamaceles [Danganronpa]

[siderealxmelody]

It hissed, laughing as the rain bore down. It was not one mistake and she barley knew the story. It would wait, it would and tell it. Let one of them know it, let one of them remembered the horrors they did.

--------

She titled her head up to look at him. An old thrill, an old want. She shoved it away, it wasn't him, not really. Not now.

"Do you want to hear the soft spots? The times he weeped when I first told him I was with child? The story he'd said of how he and his brothers had grown in Hewn? They'd been born enslaved, blood to Nyktos but barely tolerated. Martas has been an easy spy, Neculai went to the Fighting pits, a gladiator hoping to get their sire's attention. Simon..."

She didn't know why she hesitated on the name. It wasn't like she didn't know what he'd done to Rhain. It wasn't like she approved, but - but -

"He went to the Pleasure Houses. It's how he and Leona met apparently. Both used for their bodies and looks. He killed her fae clinet when the bond Sang. Neculai happened to be around to save them when the Owner tried to kill them for lost revenue. He bought their freedom and they worked as courtiers and ambassadors for him, for us."

She held his gaze and gave more, let him understand people had facets. Let him remember no one was ever all evil.

"He taught our children to fly, to fight. He adored them all, even Vincent - even if Vincent claims otherwise. He adored them all and -"

And in the end how had that helped?

A peace of mind that maybe didn't matter now. She stared at her hands, at the ring he'd made for her.

"We wanted a different life. Nothing unrealistic, we weren't setting out to save the Turned or free the Fae in our borders. We wanted our children to grow up happy and loved. We - we just wanted to have the family we didn't have growing up Rhain. And we would do, did everything to ensure it held.

"Do you think I didn't know every peice of him? Do you think there was a piece of him I was blind to? Do you remember those wars under Cassandra? You were fae Rhain, do you remember fighting under Fion and kin to overthrow her? Because I do."

She remembered the first time she'd met Neculai, brash and barely old enough to be in that room with his father. The way his dark eyes had taken her in and held it.

The way he'd killed them all that night. How he'd given his own blade to finish them all off. How they'd made love in the blood of the dead.

She hadn't stopped him in his fight for the Nightborn throne. They needed to claim it - one of them did. Now that the Cadet Branch in the Night Court of Prythian had been taken by Asteri like Eythos, and his Stelari Nyktos. Neculai didn't speak much on Nyktos beyond to spit on the name and any family tie he unfortunately had to the coward.

Did Rhain care for all the context? Did he not understand even having lived among them for so long?

"We are not a gentle people. We were not made that way. Do you know how we came to be? Why the Asteri keep trying to bend us again and again - why they think they are entitled to our lands and people?"

She turned from him to the window, to the rain still bearing down on them.

"The story is simple enough. The Asteri were the children of The Void and Chaos. They were the inheritors of creation. They used those powers to create soldiers and lovers. Whatever they wanted to while away their eternal time."

She looked back to him, her nails digging into the marble of her countertop hard enough to make marks.

"Some were given free will. Either their Asteri died or set them free - probably just to see what would happen. The Valg, we were born of the strongest emotions - lust, greed, obsession...bloodlust. How can our love be any different? Why would our love not have teeth and claws Rhain?"

She looked to her hands, they held so tight to the countertop. As if Cennan couldn't easily drag her away.

"There's a story, a - at this point it's fact. Every family Cennan is born into or adopted into dies - brutally. I thought - I had hope we'd be the exception. My mate and children are almost all dead. I suppose my arrogance is why I'm marked and not Demetrius. Small miracles I suppose."

She looked to him brushing some to her hair back behind her ear.

"I suppose this is all a twisted punishment. The Asteri and the Stelari they controlled tore our creator apart. That's what Cennan means in the Holy Tongue - Parent. We destoryed them and now - now this is the retribution we reap. We cannot go backwards and we cannot exist without Cennan as a weapon. So what's the alternative?"

[austrohungarianwriteblr]

if we do have to list all of our protagonists' moral failings, though, i think we should lean into it. reblog this with your protagonists' moral failings.

Marta:

Objectifies men she meets at parties.

Has literally never used public transportation

Knows what masturbation is even though she's a good 1860s girl

Constantly impulse buying

Makes fun of British people

Andras:

Lusts after pianos

Cried in the park that one time

Never eats breakfast

"So, Andras, tell me about your family." "Why, are you a spy?"

Consumed by guilt