#Noelani Love

[a-disaster-piece]

Noelani Love // "E Hō Mai" (Traditional Hawaiian Mele / Oli Chant)

E hō mai ka ‘ike mai luna mai e (Grant us the wisdom from above,)

I nā mea huna no‘eau o na mele e (The hidden secrets of the songs;)

E hō mai – e hō mai – e hō mai (Grant it to us, give it to us, give it to us.)

E hō mai ka ‘ike mai luna mai e (Grant us the wisdom from above,)

I nā mea huna no‘eau o na mele e (The hidden secrets of the songs;)

E hō mai – e hō mai – e hō mai (Grant it to us, give it to us, give it to us.)

[barxlupin]

@deprcvities ordered:

" I'll make coffee... don't go anywhere" - Noelani at Patrick

MORNING AFTER STARTERS

Oh, he has not intention of going anywhere, far too tired out and satisfied from the night before.

One single aurora-colored eye cracks open and Patrick in met with the sight of Noelani sliding out of bed, long blonde hair falling down her naked back. He lifts a hand to lazily try to pull her back under the covers, but she's already out of reach, so he contents himself to roll on his stomach on Noelani's side of the bed.

"Mmmh~" he hums happily as he buries his nose into Noelani's pillow, inhaling her sweet scent. The entire bed smells like her - no, like them, their combined scents intermingling beautifully with the faint spicy aroma of their nightly activities.

He could get used to this, he thinks as the fragrance of coffee tickles his nostrils. Waking up surrounded by warmth and a bouquet that can only be described as love.

[scribesofcalamity]

NOELANI!!! SHE LOOKS SO GOOD THANK YOU!!!!! 🌺❤️😍😍😍😍

finished my sketches from this vs art party!! drew some buddies, some strangers, n i hope everyone likes it!! full potraits and names below the cut! tagging everyone whose url i know for sure

(i hope the colors + features are alright,, some were tricky to see in my screenshots and my tablet/laptop screens need to be calibrated)

Thirdborn Merilai - @straywyvern

Dawnchild Daphne - @creativebrainrot

Researcher Teela

Count Dregris

Lirana Surana - @snaakesnack

Huntress Arlena

Sebastian Nymphaea

Constance Deerheart

Harrow Heartrender

Noelani Keahi

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

A character reference based on all four Steps of Our Life! It's only "sort of" a height reference as well since obviously they're not 100% accurate (the devs don't have specific heights for everyone to my knowledge).

I did dig into the code to try and get characters at their "normal" heights but there are other matters at play too (example: Nicolas is obviously "taller" than he should be because he needs to be pushed upwards to be visible enough above the game's text box; likewise with other very short characters).

Still, this should serve as either a nice reference guide for every character or a "height reference" in the sense of getting an idea of which characters are shorter/taller than others.

I'm also going to detail some extra notes below the break, including posts from GB Patch's Tumblr that reference any defined heights (with Cove being the obvious one) or general height things, as well as some more stuff about the MC's height in comparison to the three love interests depending on what you pick.

Cove's height is listed on GB Patch's FAQ as 4' 1" in Step 1 (also stated as "mostly average, perhaps a bit on the short side"), 5' 4" in Step 2 (in-game this is defined as "very tall" on the MC's potential height spectrum, as that is the only option considered on par with Cove's height), 6' 0" in Step 3, and 6' 4" in Step 4. A fun fact is that Cove's final height was originally 6' 3" (191cm) instead.

Derek in Step 2 is under five feet tall (this post also lists Cove as "around 5 and a half feet tall" which you could take as either close enough to 5' 4" as stated above or a potential original height he had that got changed). In-game, he's "short" but not "very short", as having your MC be "very short" will prompt narration telling you that you're shorter than Derek, whereas "short" only has you relate to him in smolness generally.

Step 4 Derek is "mostly average." He wouldn't be considered tall nor would he be considered short. His youngest brother Nicolas will "probably end up as a similar height to him" once he's more grown up.

Step 4 Baxter is "taller than average, but not especially tall."

I've been informed that, on the Our Life Patreon Discord, Step 4 Derek's height is listed as 5' 9" (175cm) whereas Step 4 Baxter's is listed as 5' 11" (180cm), so those are their defined heights. Before that, both of their heights had jumped around somewhat. A post from 2019 said that Derek was 5' 11", but a post from June 2021 said that Baxter was 5' 11" and Derek was 5' 9" (so consistent with the Discord). Then there's also another post from July 2021 (you'll have to scroll down for this one) that listed Baxter at around 5' 10" while Derek was 5' 8"/5' 9". If you're insane enough to try and use the character reference too, then Baxter would actually be around 6'1" at minimum since he's taller than Step 3 Cove (though you could also make the same argument that this means the mom trio of Pamela, Noelani, and Kyra must be decently tall as well since they're so close to Cove on the character reference).

I don't have any experience with GB Patch's other game, XOXO Droplets, so I don't know what ages the characters are in it, but since both Shiloh and Jeremy are characters seen visibly in Our Life, I thought I'd also mention that they're listed as 5' 10" and 5' 5" (or 5' 5 1/2") respectively in XOXO Droplets. Jeremy also apparently grows to 5' 8" in his 20s and he's 22 in the Our Life Cove Wedding DLC (I don't think this is spoken of in the game specifically but he's labeled as 22 in the code).

As for the MC and how their height plays into things, "tall" and "very tall" as well as "short" and "very short" tend to be considered the same for the most part in the game's code. It's not that there isn't a difference at all (I would say it's still notable), it's just that sometimes the game may be more vague about height differences. My post about Errands references this where you don't need more athletic points due to being "very short" instead of "short" to give Cove a piggyback ride.

A guesstimate I'd make is that about 5% of the time, the game will take note of whether you're "very tall" instead of "tall" or "very short" instead of "short." Otherwise, you're either "generally tall," "average," or "generally short." There are also other instances (usually with Cove) where the game might just check if you're either generally tall (around Cove's height) or not generally tall (i.e: definitely shorter than him).

This is actually relevant to the heights because, following all above information, one would assume that Step 4 Derek is average, Step 4 Baxter is tall, and Step 4 Cove is very tall going off the MC's potential "height spectrum" of very short, short, average, tall, and very tall, but it's not entirely the case.

A "tall" MC (generally tall) will look "down" at Step 4 Baxter just as he will look "up" at them or they'll look directly at each other if the MC is "average," same as Step 3 Baxter, but--

when the game has any instance of differentiating between "tall" and "very tall" (they never do this for Step 3 Baxter so the base assumption would have to be that he's just average height), things change.

During Baxter's apology in the wedding of his Step 4, Baxter dips his chin to look at the MC if they're "short"/"very short," levels his chin to look at the MC if they're "average"/"tall," and then lifts his chin to look at the MC if they're "very tall." A generally tall MC still has to lean down to kiss him if they choose to do so though.

Also, during the intimacy scene with Baxter (either in his office or his living room), if the MC is "very short," "short," or "average," it states that Baxter is taller than them. If they're "very tall," then Baxter is shorter than them, but a "tall" MC is "almost the exact same height" as him.

This is all a really long-winded way of saying that GB Patch referring to Step 4 Baxter being "taller than average but not especially tall" might mean that he's some infuriating middle ground between average and tall where he's not quite one but not quite the other either (which honestly is very Baxter of him so I can't even be mad).

[avalordream]

Part 2: Imagine you get isekaied in Our Life. Only thing is that you wake up as a child and remember everything. You can only save at this point but you can still access the save and load menu and see your previous runs.

Meanwhile your precious neighbor is slowly becoming self aware, getting deja vu with every passing second- as if this has all happened before...

A/N: This took way longer than I thought it would but I hope you enjoy!

Nothing was without consequence

Noelani knew something was off with MC…

For all she knew, something was wrong with her child and she didn’t know what to do

True, MC looked and acted mostly the same

But the look in their eyes…

No kid suddenly just looked so…lost 

They visibly looked hopeless and upset…

She didn’t know what to do..

Noelani went on numerous doctor’s visits with Pam but they all said the same thing- 

Her kid was just going through an episode or a mood shift and that it was completely normal. 

To every single one, they ran standard procedures and MC acted… completely after the second or third. 

The first appointment they went to, MC was confused but they were honest about their answers. 

After that? Noelani had a feeling they either caught on or didn’t want to bother anyone - smart as that was for an eight year old

She saw through each front, painstakingly held up by the impression they set on that first initial appointment

It was fake. 

But you wouldn’t know that unless you spent 24 hours a day with the kid.

Noelani didn’t know what to do…

She already tried asking MC if they were ok but she wasn’t blind. 

She loved MC and Elizabeth fiercely - attuned to their little habits - and as was Pam.

So she knew as well as Pam that they tended to share some blunt wisdom / tell a few white lies / spin quite the tall tales.

Yet they giggled, saying “Ma! You’re so funny! But I’m ok! Really!” / pat her arm, thinking for a moment before saying “I’m ok Ma. I just… feel a lil’ different. That’s all.” / paused before wrapping their arms around her middle with a small nuzzle. “I’m… not feeling too good. But I’ll get better soon. Promise.”

The exact opposite than usual…

No matter how comforting they tried to be, MC’s words were oddly unsettling… 

It was so… out of character for them.

The doctors had assured both of them that kids tend to have some mood swings now and then and that it was completely normal. Perfect even.

Even so, she could see it affecting Elizabeth as well.

She would often come barrelling down to herself or Pam whenever MC would shut themselves in their room…

“Ma!! MC doesn’t want to play with me! They said they’re too tired!”

“Mooms!! MC said that they don’t want to play dolls with me and that dolls are for babies! We played dolls YESTERDAY!!”

“Mooom! MC’s not leaving their room! And-! And!! They said they don’t feel like playing with me and Shiloh at the park!”

More frustratingly, at least for a time, was when Pamela tried to console her, seemingly taking on the side of the doctors, insisting she relax

“Kids go through mood swings! It’s normal! Don’t worry ‘Lani!”

“The docs said they were ok, right? Then it’s settled!”

“Don’t fret, Noelani! The kid’ll go back to normal in no time!” 

Sometimes it felt like Pam was just saying those things to comfort her…as if she didn’t believe her.

In retrospect, she knew her wife meant well but in the moment? 

It felt like the world had pitted her favorite person against her.

It felt personal. 

For some time, it caused some friction between the pair.

Friction that didn’t go unnoticed by neither Elizabeth, nor MC. 

Elizabeth was more outspoken on her worry, although she acted like nothing was wrong on the outside.

MC…acted as if nothing was wrong but…she saw the worried glances and sneaky looks of concern from them when they thought nobody was looking

If she wasn’t…as…observant as she was…she would’ve assumed they were just acting aloof.

Slowly, she began to see herself against the world- beginning to question her very position

Why was not a single person helping her?

Didn’t they see how startlingly different her kid had become?

Even their college friends didn’t see a difference….

Surely, there was a reason everyone but her was noticing…

Was she really… overreacting?

Eventually, she stopped bringing it up altogether, although the underlying tension remained for some time.

“Noelaniiii! You still here with us?”

Her head jerked up as she registered the faces of college friends in front of her, unfocused for a moment as her vision cleared to check in the finer details.

“Ah- No, I apologize- What were we talking about?”

Their college friends were nearing the end of their trip and this was the last of many hangouts. At least for the time being. 

After this, it was time for their flight back home so Pam decided to hire a babysitter to watch the kids so they could come.

“Well, it’s alright. We just noticed the house in front has just been sold!”

“Oooh! That’s right! Apparently, it was previously owned by a family a state away! Their home away from home!”

“Aww! That must be nice!”, Noelani hummed, envying this mystery family for a moment. How nice would that be? If she could have a home away from home, she’d have one in Hawaii… The kids’ grandparents just moved back too… 

“Right?? I wonder who’s moving in though?”

“Ditto! Guess we’ll just have to see!”, Pam chuckled, smile bright as their friends gave their opinions on what the new neighbor would be like.

Recently, the couple had reached a truce.

Truthfully, they both wanted the best for their children.

Noelani agreed to try to not worry herself into stressing about them- if this was how she worried about them now, how was she going to live when they were teenagers?, Pam reasoned.

Meanwhile, Pam agreed to be a bit more mindful if any worries were brought up and not to be as dismissive.

Easy to say but...she was glad they were talking again, smile brighter as she felt Pam's fingers intertwine with her own.

Their voices drifted in and out of Noelani’s ears as she sipped on her lemonade with a giggle of her own.

Life ebbs and flows like the sea…That’s the beautiful thing about it…

It changes just a little everyday. 

The best we can do, Lani thought to herself, is adapt and go with the flow.

Only time will tell...

And just like that… summer started.

-> Next... <-

-> Previous... <-

-> Extras <-

⊹ ‧₊˚ Isekai Self Aware Taglist: @lilqi @annoying-mary @mellozhi ˚₊‧ ⊹

A/N.2: And just like that, we're finally starting this properly! Just letting ya'll know now, I am in college and thus, future updates might be delayed! I don't have a set schedule to write and stuff and I tend to do it when motivation hits. I liked trying to see what Noelani's thought process would be in this scenario and by GOD- It was HARD. But! I did my best! Aaaand, I don't think it turned out too bad! Again, I hope you enjoyed! :D

[adoresmiles]

His. Concealed Obsession.

Chapter three.

Tags: @violetmuses @onlyrealjoy @unicorndelulu @neloOwesker @liatreads @sunrisesfromthewest @deja-r @leahnicole1219 @jacobscipioswoman

AN: Y’all I’m out here making my own gifs and it’s stressing me out lol but I hope you guys enjoy chapter three! Please give feedback on how you feel about the book. Love you guys 🫶🏽

The following day.

"Conseguiste las huellas de las manos del cristal?"

"We are in the process of laminating it now. The tracker was placed underneath her car before she left to meet up with her friend yesterday."

"Perfect, Catalina  did you get the background information on her and her family?"

"Yes , Ms Powers who full name is Kanani Souline Powers. She is the youngest daughter of Noelani Storm and Daniel Ramos Powers. Her mother is a Seasoned 9-1-1 operator , while her father is a captain on the swat team. Kanani is also the sister to Jaxon Tyree and Keith Makana Powers. Jaxon is the lieutenant for the Miami fire department and Keith is a detective."

"Realmente sabes cómo elegirlos"

"Shut it."

"Alongside with her brothers , Kanani was born in Honolulu Hawai'i . She graduated from University of Michigan with a masters degree in Aerospace. Wow ... she's extremely intelligent. Base off of her social media, her hobbies include cooking, dancing , shopping and spending time with her family and friends. She is currently working on opening up her own business."

"Tell me about her past. What's the deal with that?"

Armando asked the young female as she clicked away on her mouse. A mixture of pictures showed across the screen of Kanani,  her family and friends . From what he was being showed , he can see that she was raised in a big , blended and loving family. He learned that her father had a son within his previous marriage . Which made sense to why he was seeing  the slightest bit of difference between the three siblings.

"Well she was in a relationship with the judge son who put your mother away behind bars. He also has a history of domestic violence and multiple of charges. He does have two existing restraining orders against him one is from Kanani and the other his now ex girlfriend."

"When does the restraining order ends?"

"It expires in two days boss."

"Kill him in two days , but let's make it brutal"

"Are you sure about that? He's pretty well known around in Miami."

"I killed the neighbor, I killed the others and I shot my own father. Do you think I care about him being well known ?"

"Clearly not , you are still killing people even when your dad cleared your name. How would you think he will feel if he found out about you doing this to his coworker daughter?"

"Again , do it looks like I care about what him or anyone thinks ? No it doesn't , so as I mentioned before kill him in two days and this time you do it."

"So I have her hand print laminated down, you'll be able to have access to her house once we are able to test it. You just have to figure out when her next outing is going to be."

"That shouldn't be to hard , based off her calendar in her phone she has zero meetings. I checked her emails and nothing is scheduled, she's a sitting a duck. Her meeting that she had with Galena today went right through, isn't that right Gal?"

"She's smarter than what everyone thinks. Her store is going to be extremely valuable for us to use. The only thing is that her best friend will be be helping her run the store. We need our own people in there to make sure the drugs are coming in and out."

"So you and Catalina will find some people who has the similarities of Kanani and her best friend. Send them to the store for interviews and they should get hired on the spot. This is the only we can keep the money flowing in fast and in a discreet manner."

"Catalina and I can most definitely do that. Her best friend is tough to break down though, she doesn't do funny business. So we have to do this carefully and be on our toes with this. But other than that , we're locked in with her business. Plus there's going to be a celebration tomorrow for her accomplishments. I was invited to it the dinner and the after party."

"What after party?"

"Her family will be having a cookout at the park for her and then after she will be going out to celebrate."

"Interes-"

"Boss we got movement coming from inside Kanani home."

Catalina called out to him as she expanded the screen that displayed Kanani on it. Placing his arms over his chest , he watch as the young woman dance around her kitchen without a care in the world. Which either meant that she was cleaning or was simply in a good mood. It was something he picked up on since he started watching her. On certain days she would wake up at exactly nine in the morning to start cleaning or just to put on her favorite song and dance around her house.

At first he thought it was childish but after awhile he found it interesting in way. Watching her smile and laugh as she twirl around in her home always gave him peace. Knowing that she was happy made him happy. Seeing her at peace, made him feel at peace. Armando was dangerously infatuated with her and seeing and holding her in his harms the day prior made him realize that he couldn't allow her to get away.

"Wow I'll hate to admit this but she's definitely a looker. I see why you are obsessed with her man."

"She's off limits man."

"Kanani belongs to me , she's mine and I'll gladly put a bullet through fucking your head behind her."

"He didn't mean it Armando , he was just joking . We all know that Kanani is yours and only yours."

"Galena please get him out of here before ends up dead and on his parents front porch in a gift box."

"Let's go kid , you know your mouth is going to get your ass in trouble..."

"Hey Armando I think you want to check this out."

"What is it Catalina?"

"Did you drop something yesterday? Like an earring a chain or something?"

"Why?"

"Because if I'm mistaken your babygirl is wearing your chain as we speak and it seems like she has a visitor that is fine as fuck."

"ellos son nuestros padres. Her father and family is close friends with Marcus and Mike.”

“Do you think they’re talking about what happened yesterday?”

“No doubt that they are , turn the audio on Catalina.”

Armando leaned forward onto the table as his request was answered. A soft voice filled the room followed by deeper voices. He watched as the two men take turns to hug her. Seeing their hands on her rubbed him the wrong way. Armando didn’t want anyone else but only him touching her . He didn’t care if the man on her screen was her father or not, he didn’t want him touching her. At all.

Translation

"Conseguiste las huellas de las manos del cristal?: Did you get the hand prints from the glass?

"Realmente sabes cómo elegirlos" :  you really know how to choose them.

"ellos son nuestros padres": They are our parents.

[scribesofcalamity]

THATS MY GIRL!!! Tyyyy 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I didnt talk but I saw a few characters I really liked at the artparty

[sugar-omi]

Since it's getting close to Valentines Day, I wanted to ask something wholesome.

Imagine getting one of those candy and card things in school (I think they are called Teddygrams) for Cove. (This can be any step)

i looked it up, n google just showed me pictures of bear shaped graham crackers n ion think thats what you mean... but i do know what you're talking about!!! i remember exchanging happy V-day cards and candy w the class!!! i've been thinking abt step 2 mc and cove exchanging gifts, so i'm glad others are thinking abt the same thing too.. and even though this is, prbly, definitely?, different than what you want, i was alrdy writing something so here you go LOL happy valentines day everyone <33

tags : Fluff, step 2, gn reader, you or cove confessed at the end of step 2, multiple choice dialogue, your mom is out to embarrass u for sure....

synopsis : cove asks you to be his valentine for the first time as his partner.. he's probably way more nervous than he should be.

cove doesn't know what got into him this year.

well.. he does. you two started dating last summer and with valentines day decor and gifts all over town, and sly comments from his father about his plans for the week. he can't ignore it.

he also can't ignore the fact that he does want to do.. something for you for valentines day. enough though it's embarrassing and nerve crushing, and he could probably drill a hole in the ground with how much he's shaking.

but he tries to ignore the butterflies in his stomach, and he definitely ignores the way his dad looks at him, a smirk on his face as he watches cove carefully put your gift in his backpack, and when cove glares at him, he whistles around the edge of his coffee mug, his eyes drifting around the room and turns his back to cove.

cove ignores his dad's shaking shoulders, and continues to ignore him until it's time to leave.

cove throws his bag over his shoulder, avoiding his dad's gaze as he flips the locks. "i'm going now, bye dad..."

cliff smiles, feeling a bit bad that cove looks so flustered, but he's sure he'll make it worse if he tries to comfort him. "okay, have a good day at school! tell everyone i said hi."

cove peers at his dad, trying to weigh if there's any sarcasm or teasing his dad's words... but he just nods and slips out the door, deciding to lock it on his way out.

even though he can't wait to se you, he also is procrastinating the inevitable...

he eventually finds his way across the road, and on your doorstep, hypnotically knocking on the door, a habit he is used to but also falling out of ever since you two agreed on another method of entrance via your window...

the door flies open, and instead of you, he's greeted with elizabeth's bored expression.

her face morphs into a lopsided smirk, a quip on the tip of her tongue.

she turns over her shoulder, yelling. "y/n! your baby boyfriend is here!"

cove sputters, his face flushing a bright, deep red. he hears some muffled yelling and thumps, presumably from you, but your mom coming around the corner keeps him from dwelling on it.

she puts her hand on elizabeth's shoulder, squeezing. "now now, be nice! it's a bright and new day after all, don't start by teasing the poor boy."

cove eyes pamela while she speaks with elizabeth, already knowing she's just saving her comments for later, and that she's just saving cove from elizabeth's terror since noelani left for work earlier.

pamela turns to cove, smiling brilliantly. "good morning cove. lovely day isn't it?"

ugh, she's definitely hinting about it being valentines day...

cove nods, "uh, yeah... good morning, mrs. l/n. my dad said hi, by the way."

she nods, waving him in. "tell him hi for me. you two should join us for dinner one of these days! it's been awhile.."

cove nods along with her ramblings, sitting stiffly on the couch, not sure where to look since elizabeth is also on the other end, stretched out across the other couch and engrossed in her teen magazine.

the creaking of the stairs snap cove out of his daze, and he ignores the snickering and hushed words between elizabeth and pamela.

you give a look to your mom and sister, but your eyes quickly turn to cove and you brighten up.

"oh! hi, cove.." you smile, hiding something by your side, trying to shield whatever it is with your backpack.

pamela claps, commanding attention. "now that you're all ready, lets get going, i gotta get to work. liz, where's your bag?"

cove stands up, walking to you to escape elizabeth's whining about being called 'liz', running to you to greet you.

you smile, a bit flustered this morning since unbeknownst to him, you also have a gift for him.

cove scratches his arm, smiling shyly, "um, hi y/n.."

there's a stretch of silence between you, awkward glances and you're fidgeting with your hands.

"um.." you break the silence, shuffling on your feet. "i have something for you... i was gonna give it to you at lunch but, maybe now is better?..."

you hold out a box with a red ribbon around the box, a little card folded and slipped through the ribbon.

cove flushes, a soft "oh!" slipping out his mouth. he probably shouldn't be surprised by the gift, but it doesn't mean he isn't flustered still.

your first valentines together... his heart is gonna beat out his chest.

"feel free to open it up and taste it, i [ made it myself / made it with ma / bought it ], so i hope it tastes good..." you ramble, watching cove read the card, his blush only spreading to his ears.

he pulls the ribbon, opening the box with slightly shaky hands.

he brightens up when he sees the brownies inside, white and pink chocolate drizzled on top with heart shaped sprinkles. it's cute, and looks extra yummy with caramel and chocolate chips inside the perfectly cut cubes of brownie.

he looks up, like an eager puppy, "can i really try it now?"

you nod, and cove breaks off a piece, chewing on it happily.

he licks his lips, eager to eat it right here and now but he decides to save it for later, remembering he has something for you too.

"uh, i have something for you too..." cove grabs his bag by the door, unzipping and reaching into an inside pocket and pulls out a pink, plush bunny holding a heart, and a box with a pretty ribbon wrapped around it.

you take it from him, squishing the rabbit in your hands and enjoying the fluffy fabric. reluctantly you put down the soft rabbit, in favor of opening the box that cove said you could open too.

you look inside, happy to see your favorite, [ chocolate / chocolate covered strawberries / cookies ] inside it.

you look up at cove, trying to meet cove's dodgy gaze. he scratches his cheek, shyly meeting your eyes. "i'm not good at cooking, so i just bought 'em. but i promise they're good! at least, i think.. i hope, they were the nicer ones so.." cove trails off.

you wave him off, closing the box. "they're perfect! thank you cove.."

you open your arms, silently asking for a hug which cove all but dives into, snaking his arms around your back and melting in your arms.

he's so happy.. and his heart has returned to a more reasonable beat.

you break apart, and cove covers his mouth and cheeks, feeling shy. "so.. does that mean you'll uh, be my valentine?" cove mumbles just loud enough for you to hear.

your smile wide, unable to keep the grin off your face. you nod, "i'd really like that, cove."

cove smiles, so happy he could float. "so.. do you wanna eat lunch with me? i mean.. i know we do already but like.. just you and me? maybe?" cove anticipates your response, buzzing with new, good energy.

you bite your lip, trying not to laugh at how cove is just missing a wagging tail to match his enthusiasm. "yeah, i'd like that too."

but your mom shouts from the door way, her keys jingling in her hand.

"okay lovebirds, now that you've set a date, lets go! you're late for your date with algebra!"

"mom!" you groan, looking at her laughing form with a scandalized look, cove shrinking, hiding his face.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

11:53 ー GOJOU SATORU. even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, “you owe me”. look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.

“Satoru,” as if he can already sense your complaints, the white-haired tree hugs you tighter. Despite yourself, you can’t help the laughter that bubbles from your lips. “It’s too hot to be like this.”

“No it isn’t,” comes the expected reply. “This is, like, the perfect temperature for a Sunset Bird morning.”

It isn’t and you both know it. Still, the boy you’ve known since you were 8 continues to plasters himself to you like a koala. “Moms are gonna freak if they know you’re here.”

“Freakouts stopped when we were 13,” Satoru mumbles into your shoulder.

You finally accept your defeat with a sigh.

Freakouts did stop when you were 13 and sneaking into your room became habit for the boy next door.

Complete with the lack of shame Satoru’s always possessed, however, he had no qualms marching himself downstairs the following morning to get a glass of orange juice. To say your mothers had heart attacks that day is an understatement. Yet despite the scolding that followed, Satoru was unperturbed. As such, Pamela and Noelani [Last] are unperturbed when they wake to Satoru walking around like he’s lived in this house all his life. In some ways, he might as well have.

Your lips quirk into a smile despite the heat, “you’re so annoying.”

“Nah, you love me,” Satoru snorts and you can feel him grinning.

Luckily for Satoru, the sentiment is true.

You’ve always loved him even when he was at his most obnoxious. Even if initially your friendship only started due to close proximities. You were 8 and he was going to turn 8 later in December and his father, desperate to get his son with a terrible attitude some new friends, offered you $20 to be his friend.

It’s a funny tale to look back on.

Befriending the prodigal son of the Gojous took a fair bit of effort on your part, effort and forced proximity, but you’re happy that things ended up this way. The clingy koala laying in your bed is a far cry from the aloof brat you remember. No $20s were required ーpartially because you had run off screaming about stranger danger, partially because Satoru was Satoru and that was more than enough compensation for your time and effort.

Even if I could do without the additional sweat, though.

You wait a few more minutes before you finally force yourself into a seated position, Satoru complaining all the while. “Come on, we need to get up!”

Satoru whines even as his stomach growls, “can’t we just ask Liz to bring us up something?”

“Liz has already fled Casa de [Last], remember?” She’d left the afternoon before for her return flight back to New York. She'd left the coop first and even if it's sad to think about, Liz did have a life outside of Sunset Bird. A different life and different friends but there's comfort in knowing you're still Liz's baby sibling no matter what happens. “And I’m pretty sure moms aren’t cookin’ because it’s hotter than the devil’s asshole today. So come on,” you pat his cheek once, twice. “Get your ass on up, rich boy.”

“Oh,” Satoru opens his eyes with a pout, blue eyes squinting in his dismay. He’d have to leave the volcano nest you called a bed if he wanted to eat after all. “And the other rich kid in the room can’t call me a rich kid. Our parents are in the same country club.”

“I prefer the term,” you wave your hands gracefully. “Middle-class.” Your family is certainly comfortable but to compare their comfort to the riches of the Gojou family is ridiculous. You know Satoru’s poking is good-humored fun, however.

“Still in the country club though,” Satoru snorts with a lazy grin but he’s in an upright position.

Breakfast is typically a serious affair in your household regardless of the season.

Your mothers spared no expense at making spreads that accommodated everyone’s dietary needs and preferences. When Satoru became added to the mix due to your impromptu sleepovers, it was no different. Still, not even the power of your mothers can fully withstand the heat of mid-summer so it’s every man for himself this morning.

You find yourself not minding it much as you go to the bathroom, Satoru trailing not too far behind with a yawn.

It’s crazy how much ‘Satoru Gojou’ is in your house, you realize as you brush your teeth.

He’s everywhere.

His clothes litter the floor of your room, the kitchen cabinets contain his favorite plates and cups, he’s even in a few of the framed photos scattered across your house. First day school photos, the times you’ve gone trick-or-treating, but most importantly the summers. Because everything happens in summer in Sunset Bird.

It’s the season you met and it’s the season Satoru became yours. The summer he moved in, the summer you celebrated your birthday at the park. You’re pretty sure your moms even snapped a picture of the two of you with Liz before she took off on her flight because of course he tagged along to the airport.

You glance at Satoru as you both brush your teeth. He’s lazy but efficient at it, leaning against the wall as his mind drifts to who knows where. Even the toothbrush he is using to clean his already perfect teeth is one of many your mothers have bought him over the years. 

“Well, if he’s going to be here so often we might as well be prepared,” Ma shook her head with a laugh the first time they him bought one.

Mom placed her hands on her hips more bemused than dismayed, “it would certainly save the boy the trip to just brush ‘em at our place instead of heading all the way back home, wouldn’t it?”

As such, Satoru always had a toothbrush of his own to find in your family’s bathroom. Sky blue, like his eyes. Your mothers were cheesy like that and yet you can’t imagine his toothbrush being any other color. It’s the color you reach for whenever it’s time to buy a replacement and your parents have dragged you to help with the grocery shopping.

“He’s a jerk but his dad says he has no friends so I’ll play with him anyway,” you recall 8 year old you telling your moms the first night you met him. You wonder what little you would think about how things have turned out for you now. Would they be surprised? Pleased? You aren’t able to continue your guessing game when Satoru takes notice of your staring.

“What,” he grins, completely disregarding the foam on his cheeks and lips. He’s matured a fair amount since the summer you were 8 and 7 but there’s still some boy in him. You hope that childlike innocence he has never dies.

“Nothing,” you chuckle.

“It’s clearly something,” you can’t resist his impish grin even if you try to.

“I was just thinking how I hope we get to spend more summers together,” you finally relent with a sound of nostalgia mixed with knowing. It seems a little silly to hope for more summers when you’re quite sure those future summers are guaranteed. “But I’m pretty sure I’m stuck with you for the long haul. Not that I want it any other way.”

He might have been born in late fall but summer is the season that suits Satoru Gojou best, you think as you watch his face morph from surprise to a smile that matches the sun. Yeah, summer is perfect for us. Your smile is one that’s as soft as you feel for the boy you’ve grown up with. You love him more than you can express, that’s an unwavering truth. Even with that unwavering truth, unfortunately, you still hold up a hand the moment he leans forward with his lips puckered.

“Um,” white eyebrows suddenly quirk downwards as Satoru frowns in shocked displeasure. “Excuse me?”

“I am not kissing you with toothpaste foam all over our mouths,” you push your boyfriend’s face away with a snort. You laugh even harder at how Satoru’s face contorts dramatically into one of mock horror and betrayal.

“Why not it’s clean!”

You rinse and wipe your mouth with a snort, barely dodging his attempt to land one on you again. “Satoru, hurry up so we can go eat.”

Satoru crosses his arms, far too serious for the subject matter at hand, “I’m not eating without my good morning kiss.”

“The good morning kiss can be obtained once you wash your face off, you dork!”

Happy (early) birthday to my buddy @hash-slinging-slasher-trash! I recently got them into the Our Life franchise just in time for their birthday and I had to capitalize on that with a JJK x Our Life AU. Everyone's happy and the angstiest thing you have to deal with is a certain someone realizing they didn't get their good morning kiss. Godspeed to you, my friend. It took so much effort not to post this early lmao but here you go! Sorry readers if your birthday is not in the summer/spring, this is very much catered to my friend who is a June baby.

Is June 15 technically summer? No, but it's 5 days off from the equinox and in California, spring is just early summer so- anyways, your girl couldn't wait 3 more days apparently.

[thebramblewood]

thebramblewood's Legacy Universe: A Primer

I've never really been one for following specific legacy challenges, but I do get incredibly attached to families and love seeing genetics play out, so generational gameplay has always been my thing. Recently, I've been very distracted by Helena Zhao Is Dead, which means my long-running family of nine generations (!) has been on indefinite hiatus for most of this blog's life.

I discovered their save got accidentally deleted, which is probably for the best, considering it was the same damn save I started back in 2018. Luckily, I had the current generation in my library, and I missed them, so I decided to bring Naomi and Micah back for Life & Death. I thought it might be helpful to summarize past events for those who might be interested in their family's background. Don't worry, we're not going all the way back! I love my earlier generations, but I didn't start getting into a more story-based approach until pretty far in. So here are the relevant details from generation five on (and I really did try to be brief, I promise).

GENERATION FIVE

This generation's heir was Gaby Martinez-Jang. After saving Strangerville from the Mother Plant with her ragtag investigative team, she moved to Sulani with the hunky conspiracy theorist she met along the way, Alvin. The impetus for this journey was Alvin being adopted and deciding he wanted to learn more about his birth family. In Sulani, he not only met his biological sister, Kaimana, but also discovered and embraced his mermadic ancestry! Meanwhile, Gaby became a conservationist and even won a Starlight Accolade for her documentary film on Mua Pel'am!

GENERATION SIX

Gaby and Alvin's one child, Noelani 'Aukai, became the new heir. After struggling to figure out their identity as a teen, Noelani's love for music led them to pursue DJing and producing. They started off doing pop-up performances in Sulani that gained traction on social media and led to a record deal. Meanwhile, they were falling in love with their childhood BFF, Nani Kealoha. Eventually, the two of them moved to San Myshuno, where Nani pursued her political dreams and Noelani was thrust into stardom.

This is where it becomes really important to pay attention. Noelani's other best friend was Malia Kahananui. The result of MCCC shenanigans, she became the granddaughter of Mele and Alika Kahananui because I thought they were too old for a surprise baby, lol. She was left with her grandparents by her reckless and impulsive mother, who was always going off on grand adventures and eventually just never returned. A yoga enthusiast and masseuse, Malia discovered her talent for communing with the island spirits when she was visited by her recently deceased grandparents, who encouraged her to nurture the gift they never got the chance to tell her about.

The spirits were always cryptic, but during one visit she received a more specific warning: "One day, there will be a cataclysmic threat to the realm where all spirits go. Humans occupy this realm, too, humans with supernatural talents who coexist with us in exchange for the protection they offer. A human of modest background and raw power is the only one capable of defeating this threat. They will sacrifice greatly to save our realm from extermination." She promptly filed that information away for a decade or two.

GENERATION SEVEN

This generation's heir was Noelani and Nani's son and robotics enthusiast, Sione 'Aukai. Unfortunately for him, he was almost immediately overshadowed by his eventual spouse, Malia's daughter, Cassie. Oh, Cassie... Possibly my favorite Sim of all time. As kids, they had a long distance friendship, bonding over their love of magic and fantasy. When Cassie started having dreams of a world beyond her own, her mother remembered the warning from the spirits and, fearing the worst, tried to deter her interest, which only made Cassie more stubbornly determined to seek out magic. Malia thought her daughter's rebellious streak might be fixed by a change of scenery, so she moved in with Sione's family in San Myshuno.

Unfortunately, Sione decided he was "too cool" for their shared childhood interests and rejected Cassie's long-time crush. Even so, they agreed to share a house for uni, where he studied Robotics at Foxbury and she studied Art at UBrite. Cassie soon decided college wasn't for her, but she used her connections in the Secret Society to make her way to the Magic Realm, where she met L. Faba and finally began her magical training. A few years later, she and Sione met up again in the city, finally worked it out, and got married. (Can you tell I'm a big fan of the childhood friends to romantic partners pipeline?)

GENERATION EIGHT

Sione and Cassie have twin girls. Rowan 'Aukai is the heir of generation eight. Rowan and her sister, Sabrina, are just beginning their own magical educations when tragedy strikes. A rogue spellcaster, having acquired forbidden magic, storms the Magic Realm and kills the three Sages. As word spreads, Cassie is one of the first spellcasters to arrive. She defeats the rogue spellcaster but dies of magical overload. Overcome by grief, Sione forbids the girls from continuing their training. Rowan misses magic and her mom every day, though everyone else seems to be moving on. She starts having visions of her mom trying to communicate something important. After clashing with her dad, she runs away from home, determined to teach herself the magic she needs to bring Cassie back to life.

Rowan ends up in Evergreen Harbor, where being a homeless teen in a smog-infested city isn't conducive to developing her magical prowess. She temporarily loses her abilities but is introduced to a couple who takes in wayward teens. After a dream visit from her mom, her magic returns. She and her friend, Alejandro, research all things paranormal and find themselves in a haunted house, where she receives advice from Claude René Duplantier Guidry. Eventually, she returns to the Realm, which is shockingly still intact, and where she finally learns what she needs to do. She casts dedeathify at her mom's grave, and her family is finally reunited.

GENERATION NINE

Whew, we're finally almost finished. Generation nine is ongoing, and its heir, August Uchiyama, only just became a teen the last time we saw him (and will probably look a bit different when we see him again because I have to remake his teen version 😭). After bringing her mom back, Rowan started dating one of her friends from Evergreen Harbor, Raveena Uchiyama. They eventually got married, settled into a hippie lifestyle on a big Henford-on-Bagley farm, and had five kids. August is the middle child and only boy. He's had a rather idyllic childhood full of farm animal friends, oversized crops, and adventures with Uncle Alejandro and Grandma Cassie. He has a lot coming up for him that remains top secret. 🤐

Back to Naomi and Micah, they're August's older twin sisters. (They also have younger twin sisters, Tess and Sadie.) Since August is the heir, they've existed mostly in the background so far. But Naomi proved herself to be a cigarette-smoking rebel who frequently snuck out at night and cut class to hang out with her delinquent friends, and Micah was a reserved, rather moody teen who enjoyed painting and journaling but eventually branched out and joined the cheer team. In The Mourningvale Files, they're meant to be in their late 20s and still struggling to find their footing as adults. I'm excited to develop their characters more before I eventually (hopefully) make my way backwards to fill in the rest of August's story. This may be the final generation for how fucking long it's going to take me to finish. 😅

And that's what you missed on thebramblewood.tumblr.com!

[scribesofcalamity]

NOELANI LOOKS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING TY SO MUCHHH!! 🥺🧡🧡🧡💖🤌🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍

Was disappointed that artfight didn’t really go down the way i had planned this year (real life happened too much, aint that just the way) but glad i was still able to get in some revenges for GW2 Artfight server!! Yall are great, thank u for havin me!!

Ashken belongs to: @seanblues

Ignis belongs to @glitchgw2

Noelani belongs to @scribesofcalamity

It was a delight to draw yalls lovely characters!!

[teabeexo]

Hi hi hi, I've seen you around the our life tag and I am absolutely in love with your art style, it is so lovely and it got me curious on your OCs.

So do you have any general information about your other MCs for our life? I've seen that you have a Derek and Baxter MC (very interested in your Baxter MC, they always fascinate me (ironically Baxter isn't even my favorite I just love when people have messy relationships haha)) and also a Qiu MC but do you also happen to have a Cove and Tamarack MCs? Any other side characters for your version of the game? I'd ask more in depth questions but by the look of it you seem to give your MCs a lot of thought so I will ask more in depth questions for each character in the future if you'd like <3 have a lovely day !!

AHHH, hello! Thank you so much for asking!! Knowing that people are interested in my characters makes me SO thrilled! I am more than happy to yap about them <33

To answer your question, yes, I do have Cove and Tamarack MCs! They'll be below!

My Cove MC is named Winona! Lore-wise, she follows the plot of the game, with most of the nuance lying within inward turmoil rather than outward problems.

Here's the basics (with some fun facts)!

Winona was adopted by Noelani and Pamela when she was less than a year old.

She's Korean-American by birth.

Her full name is Winona Mahina Cameron.

She begins to learn the bass as a teenager, but can fully play by the time she's an adult.

Winona's birthday is August 2, which makes her a Leo.

She sings 1st soprano and has the highest range of any of my characters.

She redyes her bangs nearly every month, often to fit with an occasion or emotion she is experiencing.

Winona has diagnosed ADHD.

Her favorite animal is a firefly!

Winona's arc mainly centers around learning to focus on oneself rather than emotionally investing completely in others. Out of all the characters, Winona has a pretty easy go of it, haha. The others have a bit more angst in comparison.

Also, here is one of the only good digital pieces of Winona that I have!

Next is my Derek MC, Luella! Again, her story is more internal, but does have some outward elements too.

Here's some basic (and fun) facts!

Luella is Italian and German.

Her full name is Luella Bo Faraway.

Luella's favorite possession is a string bracelet that Derek wove for her while he was at a sport's summer camp one year.

She has diagnosed anxiety, as well as dyslexia.

She is extremely flexible and did gymnastics for her entire childhood/adolescence.

Luella sings alto.

Out of all my MCs, Luella is the best at drawing and has a creative eye.

Her birthday is March 18, making her a Pisces.

Luella gets all her facial piercings done over the course of time between Step 3 and 4, except for her nose ring, which she already has in Step 3.

Luella's legal guardian and parental figure is her elder sister, who was 20 years old whenever she was 13. Luella's story heavily revolves around survivor's guilt and self-worth.

Obligatory Luella art, haha

Wooo, next one is the one and only Baxter MC, Vérène! She is by far one of the most angsty of the MCs. Baxter is in part responsible for that, but there is also some family stuff involved.

Vérène is from Nice, France and moved to Sunset Bird when she was 11 (which means she was not present for Step 1).

She is fluent in both French and English and will use either depending on appropriateness and setting.

Vérène's full name is Vérène Dominique Alcott.

This isn't necessarily a character thing, but Vérène was the absolute hardest MC for me to decide a final design for.

Vérène bakes as a hobby, and likes to chat with Xavier about it.

She was born on February 10th, making her an Aquarius.

Vérène grows up with an old cat, then as adult rescues kittens when he passes away.

Her favorite flower is a sunflower.

She is a mezzo-soprano.

She lives with only her mother for a majority of her life following a gnarly divorce. Vérène's story has mostly themes of overcoming old emotions, as well as abandonment issues. Forgiveness (or lack thereof) is also very prevalent in her lore.

One of my favorite sketches of her!!

So! That's it for my OL:BA MCs. Let's move onto the two OL:NF MCs!

Let's start with Mina! As I've mentioned in other posts, Mina is Vérène's cousin. My other OL:NF MC, Maël, is her twin brother. Her love interest is Qiu. Like their cousin, Mina and Maël moved from Nice, France when they were 10.

Mina is French on her mom's side, but Swedish on the side of her donor's.

Mina is not fluent in English during Step 1, but that didn't impede her at all -- she learns a majority of her English from other kids (and one of them even teaches her some Japanese).

She learns the piano and plays it in her free time.

One of Mina's number-one passions is ice skating, and she often uses it as escapism.

Her birthday is June 23, making her a Cancer.

She has always loved mysterious and detective shows.

Her full name is Mina Octavia Linwood.

Mina is hyperopic, meaning she struggles to see things that are close to her eyes (hence her glasses).

Mina loves antique/old things and collects trinkets of that nature.

Most of her story is about self-confidence and self-denial, as well as discovering oneself. Qiu may have something to do with that, hehe.

Mina profile practice <33

Last but certainly not least of the MCs, we have Maël! I'll spare you most of his background context because he comes from the same place as Mina, haha. His love interest is Tamarack!

Similar to his sister, he's also not fluent in English during Step 1 -- but he's much shier about it. Mina basically becomes his shield.

He knows French and English, but also ASL.

He was born on June 23, making him a cancer (hmmm, sounds familiar LOL).

Maël plays baseball during Step 2, and during that time he builds up a lot of his confidence and social status.

Similar to Qiu, Maël is lactose intolerant!

Maël grows up to be a teacher due to Mrs. Murray's influence.

He has ADHD that goes undiagnosed until Step 3.

Maël babysits for his neighbors during Step 2 (he is known to be very good with kids).

He could be very good in school if he applied himself more, but he doesn't like school environment and how homework functions, so his grades suffer.

Maël's story deals with things like comparison to others and healing harmful complexes.

This is like... the only art of Maël that I have... featuring Tammy!

Phew! Okay. Finally, I'll quickly go over side characters that exist at the time of posting this.

I would like to stress that just because they're referred to as 'side characters', that doesn't mean I like them less than any other characters. A lot of them still have intricate lore and lives and I love them dearly -- they're just referred to like that because, through the lens of the game, that's what they are.

The entire Linwood family is technically side characters. Sonia, Jude, Beau, Raoul, and Quincy are all cousins to Mina, Maël, and Vérène. Sonia and Jude have already been written in (especially in Mina's story, and the other three probably will too, once I'm done designing them). Sonia's boyfriend Dante might also get a cameo here and there.

Otherwise, you have my OCs that are friends with the MCs.

All of my OL:BA MCs (Winona, Vérène, and Luella) are all within the same group, which consists of them and the canon characters. They don't really have any important friends beyond the ones provided in OLBA (and eachother).

BUT Mina and Maël are different. Mina's close friend group consists of Tamarack, my characters Rex, Diana, Sonia, Maxine, and my friend's OC Yuki.

Maël's close friend group is Qiu, Renee, and my characters Florian, Phoenix, and Róisín.

These characters will likely get posts of their own, and it's possible that more side characters will be developed as time goes on. Okay... I think that's all, LOL.

Thank you for asking! As always, if you have specific and in-depth questions to ask about certain OCs/MCs, their relationships with the love interests, or with each other, please feel free to ask!

Again, it's so thrilling to know that people are interested! I tried to keep this brief while also informative, but I don't know how effective that was because I tend to ramble haha!

Take care!

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

Later on the set of Bad Bitches in Space IV....

Stylist: Honey, your skin is absolutely flawless, I don't know what you're worried about!

Noelani smiled. It was true, but those cameras didn't forgive the slightest of imperfections. She loved acting, but she didn't want to be like her Aunt Miranda, chasing those younger jobs and pulling her face tighter every year. No, this would be her last big budget movie for a long time; perhaps forever.

[differenteagletragedy]

I'm back with my Cliff x adult mc ideas, I just love this man so much. On the idea of mc also being a single parents, what if mc has either a newborn baby or a very young toddler, and after dating Cliff for a little while the baby's first word is 'dada' and directed at Cliff?

LOL I should really know better than to check tumblr while I'm working because it was a STRUGGLE not to stop and write all this, I love him so much, please keep the Cliff requests coming if you like this because I love it and him forever and ever amen

I couldn't do baby's first words, not with my idea of Cliff lol, but it's the same gist!!!

For years, Cliff had figured that he'd spend the rest of his life alone. Well, not alone, not truly -- he had Cove, and he was all he really needed. He had Kyra, who had become a dear friend, and he had Pam and Noelani who had always been there for him. But he'd always known that when his son grew up and moved out, he'd be, most of the time, alone.

Then he met you. And you proved him wrong.

He thought about that as he gently stroked your hair and listened to your breathing getting deeper as you fell solidly asleep, your head on his lap.

Looking back on it, Cliff couldn't figure out if he'd fallen in love with you slowly or if had happened all at once. There was an attraction the first time he met you, but it wasn't unusual at all for him to recognize that a person was attractive and then do absolutely nothing about it. But the deeper connection he felt, the overwhelming affection he had for you -- that was definitely unusual.

You'd met at his shop, over a year before. You'd just moved to the area, it was your first time living by the beach, and you'd wanted to appreciate it fully. He didn't learn all of this the first day, but you'd gotten out of a bad relationship and wanted a fresh start for you and your son, who was just about six months old at the time.

"I was thinking about taking scuba lessons, and I saw online that you offered them?" was what you'd told him that first day.

He'd smiled at you, a wide, friendly grin like he gave all his customers. He gave you the schedule of when the lessons were offered, and his smile faltered a bit when you frowned. You couldn't make any of these times, you'd explained.

"Here's the schedule for next month's lessons," Cliff had said quickly, pulling out another flyer. But those wouldn't work either. You could only take lessons on certain weekdays, and only during the mornings, you'd said. You had a baby who was in day care and you were trying to fit in a few hours for something you'd always wanted to do, but you could figure out something else.

There was the smallest hint of sadness in your voice, and it hit him hard. He remembered those early days when Cove was a baby, the sheer exhaustion, the desperation to do everything right and how hard it was to find the time to do something to take care of himself. It was hard then, and he'd had Kyra. You, it seemed then, and later on he learned, had nobody.

Before Cliff could even think about it, he said, "We could do a private lesson. What time works for you?"

"Oh no, that's all right," you'd said, shaking your head, "I couldn't --"

"My treat," he interrupted, cranking his smile back up to its full power. He could be charming when he wanted to be, and right then, he really, really wanted to be.

And he was, charming enough that you ended up agreeing to a free private lesson. Then you agreed to another. After that, you agreed to dinner.

He thought about all of it as he watched you sleep. How it took so long for you to come together, to conquer your respective fears and hang-ups and admit that you wanted to be with each other. How he wouldn't trade a moment of any of it for anything.

Cliff glanced at the clock, then back down to you. After taking a listen to the baby monitor that sat on your coffee table to make sure your son was fast asleep, he slid a hand down to your shoulder and gently shook you awake.

"Time to get in bed," he said quietly, leaning down to plant a kiss on your temple.

Knowing how sleepy you must be if you'd passed out on his lap during movie night, he carefully slid out from under you and stood. He grabbed your hand and helped you up, despite your protests.

"You can go right back to sleep," he laughed lovingly, placing a steady arm around your waist. "But let's get you more comfortable first."

He grabbed the baby monitor then led you to your bedroom. A quick peek in your son's room showed him that the little boy was sleeping soundly on the new toddler bed he'd assembled last week for him. He smiled at the sight, placed another kiss on your head and continued down the hall.

When you were inside your room, nearly asleep on your feet, he softly shut the door behind him and started undressing you. He'd undressed you plenty of times with more impure thoughts in mind, and though he couldn't help but land little kisses on your skin as he uncovered it, this wasn't that. When you were down to your underwear, he grabbed your pajamas from a drawer and put them on you.

Cliff was so focused on the task that it surprised him when he you wrapped your arms around his shoulders when he was done. You pulled him in for a kiss, on the lips this time finally, and he readily accepted. He let you pull him in closer, and he kissed you harder. Every time you kissed like this, no matter how many times it had happened, he made sure to be completely in the moment, to appreciate how lucky he was. To take you in and savor every single second that you shared yourself with him like this.

He was slipping a hand under the bottom of your shirt to feel the warmth of your skin when you pulled back to look at him.

"Stay?" was all you asked.

How could he say no to that?

He kissed you again, slower this time, happy to have the night to take his time. Before he could really get to work, he heard a little thump coming from the baby monitor.

You stopped kissing him and dropped your head against his chest, letting out a sigh. Your son had been having a hard time sleeping, which is why you'd been so tired. Before Cliff could offer any words of encouragement, the door flew open, and there was your little boy, wide awake and grinning.

"It's supposed to be bedtime," you told him as you scooped him up in your arms. He laughed and hugged you tight, his little fists bunching in your hair, and you smiled.

"I wanna play," he told you. You told him that you'd played all day and now it was time to sleep, and then the boy said something that nearly stopped Cliff's heart.

"Not with you, I wanna play with Daddy."

You froze, then Cliff saw your eyes dart to him. There was concern there, he saw, but before he could say anything else, your son twisted in your arms and started making little grabby hands at him.

"Wanna play with Daddy," he repeated, reaching for Cliff.

"I don't know where he heard that," Cliff heard you mutter -- or he thought that's what he heard, he couldn't be sure because he had burst into tears. The boy looked at him quizzically, then made a dive for him. Cliff caught him easily, and the tears came even faster when it was his turn to receive a hug.

"It's ok," he said, looking back at you. "I don't mind at all."

You started crying as well, which only made Cliff cry more. He reached his free arm over and pulled you into the hug. You buried your face into his chest, and he kissed your head. He'd never pass up an opportunity to kiss you.

After a moment, you pulled back and looked at your son and offered him a smile, telling him, "We'll talk about this in the morning, ok?"

"Don't wanna talk, I just wanna play."

You laughed, then gave Cliff a nod. Knowing what you meant, he hoisted the boy over his shoulder, bringing out a flood of giggles, and took him back to his own room.

For the next little while, Cliff put his all into playing. He lifted your son high in the air, then carefully tossed him down on the bed, earning more giggles. And when the toddler was finally tired out again, he watched you put him back into bed and pull his blankets over him.

Raising Cove was the best thing he'd ever done. It was the most rewarding experience of his life, watching his own son learn and grow and become a person he was so unbelievably proud of. When he'd met you, Cove was almost grown, and part of Cliff was sad that that chapter of his life was coming to an end.

But when he was like this here in your home, with you and your son, he thought he just might get lucky enough to do it all over again.

"I really don't know where he heard that," you told him when you were back in your bedroom. He took his clothes off while you got into bed, and after turning the light off, he joined you.

"I really don't mind," he said as you turned your back to him and scooted backwards up to his chest. Cliff was a big guy, and although it had been ages since he slept with anyone, it didn't take him long to remember how much he loved being the big spoon.

"I understand if you do, of course," he continued, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you closer against him. "But I don't want you to think it's going to scare me away."'

"It's not?" you asked, so quiet he nearly missed it.

"Nothing would," he said truthfully. He heard your breath hitch as he moved his hand under your shirt again, placing his large hand flat against your bare stomach. He brought a kiss to your shoulder, thinking in passing about how he could never, not for the rest of his life, take being able to hold you like this for granted.

It would have to be a conversation, Cliff knew that. Your son couldn't just slip into calling him "daddy" without one -- he knew at this point that he wanted to be with you for the rest of his life, that he would be honored to be your son's dad one day, but his own life experiences had taught him to be careful. He knew now to go slow and take all the right steps when it really mattered.

But for now, as he felt your breath slow down again under his touch and with the soft sounds of your son's light snores through the baby monitor, he could let himself appreciate this feeling of bliss.

[bounty-of-apples]

Realised I forgot to post last months so two art parties in one post. Still learning to draw so its been delightful borrow people's characters as motivation to practice! First time ever drawing Asura, Norn, or Sylvari

From May EU we have @joydrawsart's Ookie who was just such a creature (affectionate)

And NA Rare Frog Species. Update: been informed belongs to @ryuu2049!

This month we had EU @hurricanenights's iconic Big Women Big Fun

And NA @scribesofcalamity's lovely Noelani

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

Hi, I absolutely love all your deep dives into OLBA with all these little details I wouldn’t have noticed could change, and have honestly made my recent playthroughs even more fun now that I’m watching out for them. I’m currently playing the Wedding DLC and picking out the player’s outfits and I noticed that if you bring your parents and Cliff, they’ll say different lines depending on what outfit combinations you choose. Could you please do a post on what combinations might lead to which dialogue?

Thank you so much!! >///< And sure, I can do that!

How the wedding outfits work is that you can choose whichever type of clothing you want (dress/romper/shirt and skirt for the dress shop or shirt and pants/shirt and skirt for the suit shop), the shade, and the color without concern, but once you start getting to the actual style, the game turns into a points system that will label your overall look at the end, which is what Cove/the parents will comment on. There are six different looks in total.

It goes like this:

Modern. [no change]

Traditional. [classic +1]

Fusion. (if at the dress shop) / In-between. (if at the suit shop) [unique +1]

-

Shiny cloth. [dramatic +1]

Matte cloth. [no change]

Textured cloth. [unique +1] (if at the dress shop) or [fanciful +1] (if at the suit shop)

-

(dress shop exclusive)

Well-fitting. [stylish +1]

Flowy. [relaxed +1]

Frilly. [classic +1]

Fitted at the top and then flowing out. (if the MC chose a dress) / Fitted top half and looser pant legs. (if the MC chose a romper) / Fitted shirt and a flowy skirt. (if the MC chose a shirt and skirt) [stylish +1]

Fitted at the top and then puffing out. (if the MC chose a dress) / Fitted top half and puffier pant legs. (if the MC chose a romper) / Fitted shirt and a puffy skirt. (if the MC chose a shirt and skirt) [fanciful +1]

-

(dress shop exclusive)

Beaded. [fanciful +1]

Laced. [classic +1]

No detailing. [relaxed +1]

Beading and lace detailing. [dramatic +1]

-

Long sleeved. [stylish +1]

Short sleeved. [relaxed +1]

3/4s length sleeved. (if at the dress shop) / In-between. (if at the suit shop) [unique +1]

Sleeveless. (if at the dress shop) [dramatic +1]

-

(dress shop exclusive)

Floor length. [fanciful +1]

Ankle length. [no change]

Knee length [dramatic +1]

-

(suit shop exclusive)

Unbuttoned jacket. [stylish +1]

Buttoned jacket. [classic +1]

No jacket. [no change]

-

(suit shop exclusive)

Unbuttoned vest. [relaxed +1]

Buttoned vest. [fanciful +1]

No vest. [no change]

-

(suit shop exclusive)

Tie. [classic +1]

Bowtie. [fanciful +1]

Ascot. [dramatic +1]

Cravat. [stylish +1]

Bolo tie. [unique +1]

No tie. [no change]

-

After you're done, the game will take whichever look has the highest amount of points and set that as the feel of your wedding outfit. If any two looks match in points, then it will take priority going off of this list (from highest priority to lowest priority):

relaxed

fanciful

stylish

classic

dramatic

unique

And these are the reactions you'll get for each one if you brought Cove/the parents along:

Relaxed Feel

(if at the dress shop)

Cove: "It's nice. Really, really, really, nice." Cliff: "Now, that's my kind of look." Mom (Pamela): "You'd look amazing in that, and you'd follow your Ma's footsteps with that kind of style." Ma (Noelani): "True, it's wonderful, and not just because I also would wear something like it."

(if at the suit shop)

Cove: "Oh, I love that..." Cliff: "Wow, I could see myself in something like that." Mom (Pamela): "Fantastic! It looks like 'Lani designed it herself just for you." Ma (Noelani): "I agree, it's lovely. You've got my eye, [MC's name]."

Fanciful Feel

(if at the dress shop)

Cove: "Oh, that's... stunning." Cliff - (No comment.) Moms - (No comment.)

(if at the suit shop)

Cove: "That's so seriously charming." Cliff - (No comment.) Moms - (No comment.)

Stylish Feel

(if at the dress shop)

Cove: "Whoa, that looks like it'd be in a magazine or on a billboard or something." Cliff - (No comment.) Moms - (No comment.)

(if at the suit shop)

Cove: "Whoa, people might think you're doing a photo shoot instead of really having a wedding with that." Cliff - (No comment.) Moms - (No comment.)

Classic Feel

(if at the dress shop)

Cove: "It's just so gorgeous. It's gonna make me cry." Cliff: "Beautiful!" Mom (Pamela): "I love it! That's a quintessential wedding [dress/romper/shirt and skirt (depending on what the MC chose)]." Ma (Noelani): "It's gorgeous, and very Pam."

(if at the suit shop)

Cove: "Yeah, I'm going to cry before we're done." Cliff: "Gorgeous!" Mom (Pamela): "Aw, [MC's name], this is exactly the kind of thing I imagined when I knew you were having a wedding." Ma (Noelani): "Oh, Pam. It does seem like something out of a dream."

Dramatic Feel

(if at the dress shop)

Cove - Cove's eyes grew wide; he was speechless. Cliff: "Wow, that's a [dress/romper/shirt and skirt (depending on what the MC chose)]." Ma (Noelani): "I think that's very much you, [MC's name], and it's so lovely." Mom (Pamela): "Absolutely 'Lani, that'd be a look that's all your own."

(if at the suit shop)

Cove: "I'm gonna have a hard time looking at you if you wore that. For good reasons, I mean!" Cliff: "Now that'll make a splash for sure." Mom (Pamela): "You've outdone yourself. I've seen many wedding designs, and this beats most." Ma (Noelani): "I agree 'Lani, [MC's name] knows how to do it."

Unique Feel

(if at the dress shop)

Cove: "I've never seen anything like that. It's great." Cliff - (No comment.) Moms - (No comment.)

(if at the suit shop)

Cove: "I didn't know a [shirt and pants/shirt and skirt (depending on what the MC chose)] could even look like that. It's beautiful." Cliff - (No comment.) Moms - (No comment.)

Another fun fact that not everyone might know is that Pamela will tease the MC at the dress shop after they've tried at least three different outfits, but yeah! That's all of it~