#They say darker colours make you look mature

[thepenguisalive7]

Good news! His vision is not as black and white as yesterday!

Bad news, he locked himself with the soul vulture and also he hasn’t changed the sad gacha music yet.

[enwoso]

PINK SKIES || alessia russo

this has been in the works for a few months, just didn’t know when or if i wanted to post it as it involved quite a sensitive topic, and a topic which should be addressed in a very mature way.

this is also a topic which i hold very dear to my heart and is quite personal to me, especially since i lost someone very special to me in a similar way but i just wanted to share this as a way to raise awareness especially with september being dedicated to suicide prevention month but just you know you are appreciated, you are worth it and that there are people out there who can help and support you. please, you are not alone.🤍

WARNING: mentions of death, allusions of sui**de and just upsetting themes! please do not read if any of these topics are sensitive to you.

"thought i'd find you here" lotte cooed as she stood with a sad smile, a few metres away from alessia whom was sat on the kerbside, only the streetlight to keep her company as the sky merged into a darker, gloomier colour.

alessia turned to look at the girl she'd known her entire life, before turning back to look at what was in her hands. a crumpled piece of paper with neat hand writing on it. a piece of paper which had not left her hands all day.

alessia didn't say anything instead her fingers just toyed with the piece of paper, tears falling down her cheeks. lotte made her way cautiously towards the blonde slotting down on the kerbside next to her, placing an arm around her. alessia’s head immediately landing on the girls shoulder.

it had been a long day. goodbyes are hard. especially last goodbyes, they sting the most and leave this feeling in your heart that never seems to go away.

"it's okay, less. she had a beautiful send off" lotte whispered as she let the blonde cry in her arms knowing that this had been building all day.

"i miss her lotte..." alessia choked out sniffles escaping her as tears streamed down her face and onto the piece of paper as she felt lotte nod pulling alessia closer to her.

"i know less and that's normal- but she wouldn't want you to be sat on the kerb crying" lotte sympathised as alessia nodded lightly. she knew you wouldn't want her to be sat on the kerb, heck she knew you would have wanted a big send off like the one that had been done for you.

but grief doesn't work in the way alessia imagined. its not a straight line, there's no formula to it. it's a mess.

some days the blonde feels as though your still beside her, joking about her tripping over thin air. but other days it hits alessia and she feels all those raw emotions all at once, again.

"i- i just wish she was here- she had so much still to live for.." alessia choked out once again, her words forming into one it barely being able to be understood but lotte did. she knew what alessia meant.

you and alessia hadn't known each other very long. you of course knew of each other but that was it. just shadows in the background of the others life.

it was an england camp which brought you together, one simple conversation and it changed alessia's life forever.

a silly conversation about different types of cookies and how your favourite was jammy dodgers as you would eat around the rim and then eat the jam center — alessia thought it was the funniest thing and was always in stitches watching you eat them that way.

but she was the type of person you just clicked with. no effort was needed. the type of friend you make and then don't remember how the first interaction went.

you just went from one day being total strangers to the next being the best of friends.

“and now you have to live for her, remember the good less.” lotte tried as alessia shook her head the peice of paper still clutching to her hand.

“no lotte, i just feel like i failed her. she was my best friend how could i have let this happen, i could have helped her, done something and maybe this wouldn’t have happened,, i could-“ alessia rambled out as lotte just the let the blonde do it her cheeks tears stained as her mascara had smudged under her eyes, the blonde moving her head from resting on lotte’s shoulder.

both lotte and alessia knew there was nothing that could have been done to help you. nobody could have even noticed that you were struggled never mind how bad your mental state was.

you had been estatic finding out that alessia was moving to london and more specifically to arsenal. it meant no more countdowns to when you’d next see each other, it meant you didn’t need to sit on a train for three hours again. it meant you could see each other any time you wanted.

alessia would forever remember the excitement in your voice when she picked up her phone.

"your actually coming to london!"

"yeah i am! we are gonna be in london together!”

"i can't wait to spend every day with you less"

"me neither y/n, me neither."

or how the two of you spent the next two hours on call with each other as you listed all the places you were going to show her, the local cafe where you went for your morning coffee before training, the park where you walked your mum’s dog — rocco every day, the restaurant you always went with your sister when she came to visit.

alessia eventually making the move to arsenal after a bittersweet summer in australia not being able to come away with the world cup win but neverless having an unforgettable summer spent by your best friends side.

both you and alessia's focus moving towards the start of the new season, while also fitting in all the places you wanted to show alessia in the weekends which you had off which came few and thin.

everything in alessia's eyes was perfect, she was living in london with her best friend, she was closer to her family and she was getting to play football with her best friends day in and out.

but for you it couldn't have been further from that.

after the world cup getting back into the next season was tough for you, going from match to match without a break was hard. some weeks you were playing ninety minutes, twice a week. you were getting pushed to your limits.

you mental health had begun to take a toll, social media trolls were getting to you, one miss kick in a match and you had a huge target on your back and were the victim of online abuse. you weren't the perfect angel who was seen as a hero if you scored a goal and could do no wrong in the team.

if you scored the response was why are you not doing it every game?

if you defended well the obvious response was that's the bare minimum, that's your job as a defender.

if the team conceded it was your fault.

if you got into the england squad the response was you had taken away from someone else who actually deserved it.

in the eyes of the public you could do no right.

but no one could see you were mentally and physically struggling, your teammates thought you had just learned to not care what the public said about you on social media or thought you hadn't seen it but in reality you had probably seen it long before they did.

in videos and in real life you never didn't have a smile on your face and one thing you never stopped doing was sitting with alessia and laughing about nothing.

but at home when you were alone, your mind ate away at you. letting yourself truly believe that what people were saying online was the person you were.

“i’m so stupid though i should have noticed the signs, how she wasn’t herself” alessia carried on her rant to lotte as lotte listened. that’s what alessia needed right now, is to let it all out as alessia continued.

“less, there was nothing you could do” lotte cooed, another sniffle coming from alessia as she kicked the stones underneath her feet.

a silence filled the gap, not an awkward one but the silence could definitely be felt. the slight wind that followed as the street grew darker, behind the building where the reception was happening with all your family and friends were.

“what’s that?” lotte questioned, pointing towards the piece of paper that she’d noticed alessia carrying all day. it never leaving the blondes hand during the entire service and reception afterwards.

alessia looked down at it, a sad smile on her face as she did. “a letter..” alessia paused, “y/n wrote before she um, you know.. died.”

a change in look come from lotte as her facial expression changed, it sunk a little deeper. lotte didn’t pry though she knew that whatever had been written in that letter was personal, it wasn’t her business to know. if alessia wanted her to know alessia would tell her off her own back.

“i found it in her room when i was going through her things in her apartment-“ alessia spoke, pausing to take a deep breath, her mind building the picture of her walking through your apartment for the last time. how strange it felt. how empty it felt.

alessia continued, “it was weird lotte, it was like she had never been there- the walls, the drawers.. they were bare, like she never even been there before.”

lotte nodded lightly as another small silence came over the two, a little flicker of the street light before the silence was broken.

“it’s funny really because i wish i could just sit and listen to her ramble on about nothing but we would still loose track of time” a small sad smile appeared on the blonde face as she recounted the memory, lotte sitting listening with a similar look as alessia carried on.

“-or the fact she would never let us get coffee from anywhere else but her local cafe where she’d get the same coffee each time — but she’d never have to ask cause the person behind the counter would always have it ready for her. i think that’s why she like to go there..” a little giggled came from alessia as she thought about the many times she tried to get you to go to a different coffee place but you’d point blank refuse.

“less i know it’s gonna be hard but y/n will always be cheering for you not only up there-“ lotte pointed to the dark star which was now filled with tiny white stars, “but in here too” lotte pointed to alessia’s heart as a small nod came from her, she knew lotte was right.

“and overall she’d want you to carry on playing and winning trophy after trophy. so even if you don’t think you can do it for yourself.. do it for y/n.” lotte told the blonde as another shaky breath came from alessia, tears threatening to fall once again.

“i wish i could play football with her again.” alessia shakily said as lotte pulled the blonde into a tight hug, running her hand up and down the blondes back as she comforted her.

“i wish tomorrow came”

you just about made it to the new year, which you spent with alessia and her family as she had insisted that you were not seeing the new year in alone, she wasn't going to allow that to happen.

that was probably the last time you actually truly smiled. just being surrounded by happiness and not having negativity seeping through your veins.

the loss against west ham, the online abuse pretty much tripled. you being blamed for a short pass which resulted in a second goal for west ham and the fans had deemed that you had then and there lost arsenal the chance of winning the league.

after that weekend you found yourself spending a lot more time alone which was not a good thing. your thoughts were spiralling, you began to question why were you actually here?

any team bonding sessions you then began not to turn up, each one declined with a different excuse.

any time alessia asked you to hang out it was always the same, 'feeling tired today less, maybe tomorrow yeah?"

alessia began to notice your change in behaviour but at first did put it down to you just being tired, your limits being pushed to the max. she knew that, heck she wasn't blind anyone could see it.

it wasn't until the first england camp of the new year when you pulled out because of injury did she begin to realise you weren't just tired or injured for that matter.

she called you and you had told her nothing but lies, that you had tweaked you knee in the last game however that was the first game in months that you didn't play a full ninety. so the blondes suspicions raised, and the blonde promised she would come and see you straight after the game at wembley tomorrow.

however tomorrow for you, never came.

[thewatcher727]

Writing A Review Tip: What To Look For When Writing A Review

More writing a review tips

Writing a review isn’t just a matter of saying, “Good job, nice work!” While it’s a nice sentiment, it’s not really helpful in terms of actual criticism. There are a lot of things to look for when you’re writing a review.

Spelling & Grammar:

This should be at the top of your list. Too many spelling and grammar errors can really take the reader out of the immersion. When you spot words that are misspelled or incorrect, point them out and suggest the correct form. However, also keep in mind that some words can be spelled differently depending on the language. For example, in the UK, "color" is spelled "colour." So, it’s not incorrect—just a different regional variation.

Descriptions:

A big rule in writing is to show, not tell. You can balance the two of them out, but make sure you're telling us a story and not something from a Wikipedia page. Check if the descriptions are clear and engaging. The amount of description depends on the type of writing, but generally, as long as they paint a clear picture without overwhelming the reader, that’s the way to go.

Pacing:

Pacing refers to how fast or slow a story moves. The pacing can vary depending on the context. For example, the story might slow down during a heartfelt conversation between characters, or it might be fast-paced during scenes of non-stop action.

Characters:

Are the characters acting consistently? For example, if John is always happy in one chapter but suddenly becomes constantly angry in the next without explanation, that would be inconsistent.

Dialogue:

There are two important things to remember with dialogue. First, it should be clear who is talking and who they’re talking to. Second, the dialogue should sound natural. If it doesn’t sound right when you read it out loud, it probably doesn’t sound natural on the page either.

Progression:

The story should flow nicely. While there can be room for filler depending on the context, you generally want to make sure the overall story is moving forward.

Tone:

Tone refers to how the story feels. Is it lighthearted, or does it tackle darker, more mature themes? You want to make sure the tone is mostly consistent. Sometimes a character may joke or make a quip to ease tension, but that shouldn’t disrupt the overall serious tone of the story.

Engagement:

Is the story keeping you engaged and excited to read more? As a general rule, if a story doesn’t capture interest within the first few chapters, there’s a good chance the reader won’t stick around for the rest.

Continuity:

Is everything consistent? For example, if the chapter begins in the morning and there’s only one scene, but by the end it’s suddenly night without explanation, that’s going to raise questions.

...

So, there you have it! When you’re writing a review, just keep these things in mind and you’ll be good to go!

[loveisanimaginarydagger3000]

The Babysitter (23)

Welcome To The Family

MILF Wanda Maximoff X Reader 18+

Summary: In need of money and a way to escape the problems at home, you get a job babysitting two lovely boys named Billy and Tommy Maximoff. What happens when you start to feel things you shouldn't for their mother? Will it bloom into love or leave you heartbroken?

A/N- I would just like to say that there will be some sensitive issues in this story such as alcoholism, homophobia, anxiety as well as more mature content such as smut so, if you continue to read this, please consider this warning.

The Babysitter Master list | General Master List

Chapter 23- W/c 4.5k

Tag list- @natsluttt @cerberus-spectre @dorabledewdroop @bibliophilicbi @hopelesslyfallenninlove @simpform1lfs @get-the-fuck-outta-here @natashaswife4125 @marvelwomen-simp @supercorpstan97 @aliherreraaa @aru-son @the-ox-fan20 (Comment if you want to be added)

Welcome To The Family

Gentle rays of sunlight seeped through the small gaps in the curtains, resulting in your eyes to softly flutter open, squinting a little as you adjusted to the light. Your gaze almost immediately went to the woman who laid beside you, tranquillity written across her face as she slept next to you.

Wanda looked ethereal besides you, the sunlight creating this angelic aura about her as soft, quiet snores left her lips, your lips tugging into a content smile. It was impossible to keep your eyes off her, gaze flickering across her face as you admired her features. Her auburn hair still somehow framed her face perfectly, her cheekbones slightly on show with how her face was pressed against the pillow, lips slightly parted, long eyelashes adorning her eyes, she was perfect. You continued to gaze lovingly at her, only being snapped out of the moment when she spoke up, voice low and raspy from having just woken up.

"It's rude to stare," she murmurs, her tone containing hints of teasing, eyes eventually fluttering open to reveal various shades of amused green.

"I'm not staring," you whisper out, scared if you spoke any louder that the peaceful atmosphere would be broken. "I'm admiring, there's a difference," her teeth bite down on her lower lip to try and prevent the smile stretching across her face, the sight adorable to you as she peers through her lashes.

"Admiring is just a nice way of saying staring," she mutters, her hands moving to snake around your body as you lay facing each other, your legs a tangle of limbs under the sheets. A small chuckle escapes you at her words, her eyes closing as a blissful sigh escapes her, savouring the moment.

"Well, it's hard not to stare at someone so beautiful," your tone barely above a whisper, honesty and care lacing your words. At the way you softly spoke the complementing words, Wanda's cheeks turned a light pink, her face turning to the side to press further into the pillow, trying to hide her flustered expression. "Are you blushing?" you tease, a smile stretching on your lips as her cheeks turned even darker, your hands wrapping around her body and pulling her closer.

"No," she grumbles defiantly, despite the clear colour tainting her cheeks.

"Yeah you are," your tone teasing but still soft, your lips moving to press against her cheek, lingering and moving to whisper in her ear, "You're beautiful my love, I can't keep my eyes off of you."

"Shut up," she mutters playfully, wanting the heat in her cheeks to go away, your words somehow making her blush even more prominent. She wasn't used to being showered in this much affection, and the way you said it... it almost made her fall in love with you all over again.

"No, I want you to know how I think you are perfect," she moves to hide her face at your neck, her warm breath tickling your skin.

"Stop it," she mutters again, still getting flustered by your kind and caring words.

"Or what?" you murmur out, "What are you going to do?" At that, her head instantly pulls away from your neck, the shy glint having faded into a more dominant stare as she raises her brow at you, her persona radiating pure power now. You swallow nervously at the dominant look in her eyes, the way her lips curve into a mischievous smirk, hands slipping under your shirt and trailing up your bare back.

"What am I going to do?" she rasps out and you were totally fucked. Her tongue swipes across her lips, wetting them and you can feel the heat and arousal starting to pool between your thighs, completely switching the roles from a minute ago. "I'll remind you who's in charge Detka," you're hyper aware of her nails scratching down your back, the way her lips ghost yours, a small, needy sound escaping you. Her lips stretch into a smug smile, revelling in the hold she has over you. "Do I need to remind you? Or will you behave?" she purrs, moving her body so she was hovering over yours, your back flat against the soft mattress as you peer up submissively at her.

"I'll... I'll be good," you whisper out, her lips softly meeting yours. Her tongue swipes across your bottom lip, your mind losing yourself to the thought of her when she pulls back, sitting smugly on your lap, bewilderment and disbelief etched onto your face.

"So submissive," she teases and now it was your turn to blush, hands moving up to cover your face as she laughs softly, leaning back down to litter your face in soft, gentle kisses.

"Stop teasing me," you grumble and all you can think of is how karma is a bitch. "I'll send your birthday present back," you threaten when another taunting comment is on the tip of her tongue, the smug expression turning into curiosity.

"Present?" she questions and you just screwed yourself over, Wanda now eager to find out what you had gotten her, her birthday in a couple of days.

"Present? What present?" Your tone is painfully obvious, trying your best to act innocent and oblivious while Wanda just smiles down at you, her lip caught between her lip, driving you insane.

She's about to ask more questions, but a knock at the door interrupts her, Billy and Tommy by the door.

"Grandma and Grandpa are on the phone Mom," you can hear Tommy say, cheering internally as he's saved you, Wanda climbing off your lap and towards the door, letting them both in as you were both presentable.

"Your hair is funny," Tommy teases once having seen your bed hair before he and Billy jump on the bed, their small bodies squishing you.

"Your face is funny," you immaturely retort back, Wanda chuckling at your antics before moving to sit in the small chair in the corner of her room, legs crossing as she leans back against the cushion, greeting her parents.

You busy yourself with quietly talking to the twins, Billy telling you all about his dream while Tommy tries to further mess your hair up playfully, earning faux serious looks from you to make him giggle softly.

"Oh," You hear Wanda say, your head tilting to look towards where she was, her teeth biting down gently on her thumb, a habit of hers when she was deep in thought. "No, that's fine Mama, I just, I need to do something before I say I can come," green eyes meet yours, Wanda quickly saying goodbye to her mother and promising to call back shortly with an answer, the twins also intrigued in what was going on.

"Dorogoys, do you mind letting Y/n and I talk for a moment?" she asks them sweetly, both boys nodding their heads and leaving the room, saying they were going to get some breakfast, Wanda rolling her eyes when she heard Tommy ask Billy to help him raid the cupboards for cookies before turning to you, a worried glint in your eyes.

"What's wrong?" you ask, opening your arms out for her, her body sliding into your lap, arms loosely wrapped around your neck.

"Nothing, it's just Mama and Papa invited me and the boys around as they've booked a beach house for us all as a birthday present..." she trails off the end as you comprehend what that would mean. You wouldn't be able to see her on her birthday. "We'd stay over at theirs tonight and head over to the beach house in the morning as it's not that far."

"Oh," is all you manage in response, Wanda's fingers playing with the baby hair at the back of your neck.

"You could come with us," she says, her face containing hint of hesitation, "We could tell my parents about the two of us, and then you could come with us, if that's something you would want."

You grow nervous at the idea of telling her parents, a reminder of your own parents' reactions invading your mind. It had been a couple of weeks since Wanda came with you to visit your father's grave, her support and care causing you to fall even harder for the woman, still a little hesitant on saying the big three words though. She also helped you overcome some of the anxieties surrounding your sexuality, assuring you that is wasn't a bad or immoral to like who you want, the thoughts still sometimes lingering.

Would her parents react the same way? Would they be accepting? Would they get mad at Wanda? Hate her the way your mother hates you?

"Detka, stay with me," she murmurs encouragingly, placing her finger delicately under your chin and guiding your head up to look at her.

"Do they know that you-" you cut yourself off during the sentence, not sure if you should ask that.

"They do," she answers what you were going to say anyway, your face relaxing a little at the revelation. "They caught me kissing a girl in my room once," she explains and you don't know whether you should be relieved they're accepting or jealous of the other girl. "They're ok with it, I promise you Dorogaya."

"Would they care about the age gap?" you nervously ask, never having spoken about the difference in age with her. Her brows raise at that, never having thought about it deeply. You were only eighteen, turning nineteen soon and Wanda was about to turn thirty, having had the twins in her late teens.

"I think the only thing they will care about is whether I'm happy or not," she says, reassuring the both of you and pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead. "And before you ask, yes, I'm extremely happy." You smile shyly at the older woman being able to predict what you were about to ask, leaning forward to rest your head against her shoulder.

"Do you think they will mind if I tag along?" you murmur against her skin, her smiling at the idea of you joining them.

"No Detka, in fact, I think they would love an excuse to embarrass me," she chuckles out, a laugh inevitably leaving you at the soft sound leaving her lips.

"In that case, I'd love to come," you raise your head to look at her, gazing into her eyes before adding, "Only to hear the embarrassing stories though, I still need to find out about that table story and-" Her hand covers your mouth to shut you up, an amused glint in both of your eyes as you continue to speak against her palm.

"I will protect that story with my life Detka," she says, making you smile against her.

Oh, you're definitely going to get that story out of someone.

***

Carrying the suitcases out of the car, along with Billy's superhero backpack on your back, you walk up the remainder of her parents' driveway, astonished at the mansion in front of you.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Wanda murmurs while walking up next to you, carrying her own bag while the boys run up to the front door, knocking eagerly to see their grandparents. All you can do is nod in agreement, admiring the architecture and trying to focus on anything but the nerves bubbling inside you, Wanda's hand giving yours a reassuring squeeze before following her boys, letting you take in the stunning scenery.

When the grand doors open, your gaze instantly goes to the familiar woman standing at the door, her face lighting up at the sight of her grandchildren and daughter. You watch with a tender smile as she greets them all, placing many kisses on Billy and Tommy's faces to have them struggling to breath with laughter, her gaze soon turning to you, your body lingering behind. Your cheeks go red as you stand a little awkwardly, the child's backpack and bags in your hand not ideal.

Natalya simply flashes you a charming smile, a smile sneaking onto your lips as you now know where Wanda gets it from, before she walks over to you, enveloping you in a hug.

"I've missed you dear," she says, tone motherly as she walks you into the house, ushering for you to leave the bags in the hall and follow her into the living room where the twins were already playing with their Uncle. "How have you been?" she asks politely and you catch Wanda's gaze, the soft and relaxed look on her face causing a majority of your nerves to dissipate.

"I've been really good," you answer honestly, enjoying speaking with the older woman. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine dear, back pain is starting to creep up on me again though," she says while sitting down on a sofa, patting the seat next to you and taking you under her wing, her husband busy entertaining the twins along with annoying his children. You smile when you see Wanda trying to escape her father's grip, his hand ruffling her hair like he just did to Pietro, your gaze flickering back to the woman sitting next to you.

Before you know it, you're at complete ease, enjoying the welcoming environment and people, occasionally catching Wanda's gaze as you check up on each other, Pietro noticing the lingering looks with a mischievous grin on his face. His expression, along with Wanda, goes to dread when Natalya returns with a photo album, both twins trying to protest from the various embarrassing tales you were about to be told.

You attentively look at all the images in the album, a tender and amused expression etched onto your face as you take in all the baby photos of them, your eyes naturally drawn towards Wanda. You laugh at a funny baby photo of your girlfriend, her hair a complete mess while her hand's are covered in paint, face also containing smears of the blue paint, along with the wall and a displeased Erik in the background.

"Mama," Wanda groans when her mother pulls out another album from nowhere, this one containing photos of her when she was a little older, in her early teens and onwards.

You have to bite your tongue to refrain from making a comment about her emo phase, thoroughly enjoying the photos of her darker hair and clothes, as well as the many rings and jewellery littered across her body. There's a photo of both of them, Pietro's hair bright silver while Wanda's was dark brown, their arms slung around each other as they sat on a brick wall, the view of Sokovia in the background making you wonder what it was like there, a chuckle leaving Natalya when she flips the page over.

"Dorogaya, do you remember this?" Wanda comes over at her mother's words, standing behind the sofa and peering down into the book, your gaze glued on the woman behind you. You can't help but let your gaze roam her skin, starting at her sharp jawline before slowly travelling down her neck, then to her- Nope, not now.

Wanda smirks at you, having caught your gaze and the blush tinting your cheeks, answering her mother instead.

"How could I forget Mama," she says in a small grumble, knowing where this story was going.

"What happened?" you curiously ask, looking back at the blurry photo, too much motion happening for it to be in focus. All you could make out was a body falling backwards and someone running, but other than that you were a bit lost, Pietro jumping out of his seat and having a peek at which photo it was.

"Oh Sestra," he chuckles out, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer, Wanda playfully pushing him off, "You're not still mad, are you?"

"It was my favourite jacket," she complains, laughter spilling out of her brother and mother's lips, causing a smile to stretch across your face at the light-hearted atmosphere.

"I asked Wanda to pose for a photo by the side of the canal," her mother explains, your teeth biting down on your lip to stop the laughter that was about to escape you, your mind having a vague idea of where this was going. A snicker leaves Piero, Wanda smacking him lightly and muttering something rude in Sokovian to him.

"Then this idiot had to go and ruin it," Wanda directs the comment to her brother, who stands with a proud and cocky smile on his face, Wanda wanting to say a lot worse but refraining as the twins were nearby.

"I pushed her into the canal," Pietro smugly says, crossing his arms over his chest while Wanda glares at him, remembering how cold the water was and how her favourite red jacket forever stank because of the water.

You can't help but chuckle when Wanda starts to mutter something in Sokovian, Pietro commenting back making them bicker playfully, Natalya breaking it up with a clearing of her throat, both adults cowering at their mother's stern gaze.

"Erik, dear?" Natalya says, gaining her husband's attention from the other sofa along with the twins, "Can you make sure these two don't kill each other while I make dinner?" He laughs at his wife's words, coming over and hugging Wanda, who reluctantly listens to him while he says something in Sokovian, a wide smile stretching across her face when he presses a small kiss to the top of her head.

Wanda then ends up sitting next to you and it takes every ounce of willpower to not cuddle into her side, instead just letting your knees touch with how close you were sat. Erik asks Wanda about her work while you talk to Tommy at your side, the young boy planning to sneak up on his uncle who had just disappeared to go to the bathroom. You encouraged the boy to scare him, thinking it would be funny if Pietro was the one pranked for once.

Eventually, a small scream can be heard, the silver haired man trying his best to mask the swear word that left his lips, Tommy grinning ear to ear and teasing his uncle for the bad word, running in to tell his mother.

"Such a bad influence," she teases her brother who rolls his eyes, flopping into the seat next to you and about to make small talk when Natalya announces dinner is ready.

You didn't think it was that possible to move that fast, Tommy and Pietro practically running with super speed into the dining room while the rest of you made your way there at an appropriate speed, Natalya directing you into the seat opposite Wanda, ready to eat.

Heaven was the only word floating around in your mind when you sat back against the chair, your stomach full with the traditional dish the older woman had made. How was it possible for something to taste so good? The flavours melted on your tongue in the best way possible, a blissed out expression on your face from the delicious food. Amused green caught your reaction to the food, a content smile playing on her lips as she gazes at you briefly before Billy asks her something at her side.

Once you're all able to move after eating so well, the boys are allowed to stay up a little longer past their bedtime, too excited to say goodnight just yet. However, their energy soon fades away, Billy pressed up into your side while he tries to stay awake, listening to whatever story his grandpa was saying.

"You're sleepy," you murmur teasingly to the top of the boy's head, him slowly shaking it against your shoulder, a tender smile on your face as his eyes can barely stay open. Tommy is in a similar state, his body up against his grandmother, Billy's body pressing further against you.

"No I'm not," he says in a little grumble, "I'm wide awake, see," to prove his point he looks at you, nothing but exhaustion written across his face making you chuckle softly.

"Mhmm, do you want to go to bed? I'll take you up if you want, you don't have to stay awake because everyone else is," you softly whisper, knowing that nobody wants to be the first to leave. He thinks about it for a moment, nodding shyly against your shoulder. "Come on," you give Wanda a look, her catching the silent message by the way you scoop Billy into your arms, everyone else also catching on and smiling at the boy who was practically falling asleep on you.

Asking for directions from a sleepy ten year old proved harder than you thought, trying your best to navigate your way around the mansion towards where his room was, eventually making your way there when you see Wanda walking Tommy towards his room, his feet trudging along the carpet.

Due to how tired they are, it's fairly easy to get them all tucked up into bed, Wanda looking at them both with a motherly and affectionate look before kissing their foreheads and wishing them goodnight. You wait at the door frame, her arms snaking around your waist as you step into the hallway, everyone else still in the living room.

"Are you ready to tell them?" She murmurs softly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, thumbs softly caressing your skin as her hands slip briefly under your shirt.

"Yeah," you sigh out, the nerves creeping back up a little before your brain rationalises the thoughts with what Wanda told you earlier about them only wanting her to be happy. At your response, her lips slowly and intimately meet yours, completely washing away your nerves as she pulls back with a loving glint in her eyes, her smile able to completely calm you down.

***

It had been around an hour since the twins were put to bed, your body sat next to Wanda as you all did the typical things once the children had gone to bed, the talk becoming more adult while everyone drank whatever alcoholic beverage they liked.

Despite your distaste for wine, for obvious reasons, you could help but watch in awe as Wanda slowly sipped on her glass of red, her hand gently tilting the glass to swirl the wine before bringing it to her mouth, looking over the rim to whoever was talking. Your gaze flickered from how her hands wrapped around the glass, to her lips, then to her jawline before settling on the floor, trying to get a hold on the inappropriate thoughts floating through your mind. She was just drinking, it shouldn't be that hot.

It was as if the older woman knew, smirking around the glass at how easily you blushed, watching you through the corner of her eyes as you zoned out looking at the floor. You seemed to be brought back when her hand subtly placed itself on your thigh, causing your gaze to snap back up to meet her soft green.

"It's so nice of you to be able to join us dear," Natalya says while taking a sip of her drink, presumably gin and tonic by the way it looks.

"It's so nice of you to have me," you say, turning away from Wanda, Pietro catching on to what his mother was trying to do and glaring at her.

"That's actually something we wanted to talk about," Wanda says as the opportunity present itself, naturally turning back to face her, unable to keep your eyes off of her. You block out everyone else around you, solely focussing on her with a smile engraved on your face, love swirling around in your eyes. You don't notice how Natalya smiles around her glass, the other two paying close attention to what Wanda was about to say. "I didn't bring Y/n along to help babysit the kids like I said on the phone Mama," her hand interlocks with yours by your sides, her eyes moving away from her parents stare and towards you, a comforting smile stretching across her lips at the way you look so enamoured by her. "She's my girlfriend," she says proudly, "And I love her."

Smiles appear on the faces of her parents, Pietro letting out a loud groan making both yours and Wanda's head snap over to the man, confusion written across her face while yours contains anxiety and fear.

"Ебать (fuck)," he mutters, staring at his mother who merely raises her eyebrow at him, smirking at her son which further confuses you both. "You couldn't have waited one more night, Sestra?" he groans, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his wallet, pulling out a few notes and handing them to his smug mother who gratefully accepts her winnings.

"You put a bet on us?" Wanda says in disbelief, the two of you significantly calmer at the happiness on everyone's, well almost everyone as Pietro sulked about losing, face, clearly elated at the fact you were together. "How did you know?"

At her daughter's words, Natalya lets out a laugh, placing down her drink and coming over to sit on the sofa with you both, sitting next to her daughter and enveloping her in a hug.

"Did you really think the twins would be able to keep a secret from me?" her tone teasing as she pulls back from the embrace, Wanda smiling to herself at the twins actions. "I'm so happy for you Dorogaya," she murmurs softly to Wanda, her gaze turning to you, "And I'm so happy you found someone so kind and special," you blush a little at the complimentary words, offering a shy smile in return.

"Me too, Mama," she whispers and you can hear Pietro going 'aw' in the background, his tone teasing as he smiles at his sister, glad she had found someone better than Vision.

"As for you dear," Natalya says, standing up and ushering you to do so too, her arms enveloping you in a tight embrace, her actions motherly. "Treat her well for me," she whispers so only you can hear, a small nod from you in return making her pull back, her smiling widening.

"I will, that's all I want to do," you softly say, her pulling you back for another hug, a breathless laugh escaping you at her affectionate manner. When the older woman finally pulls back, her father approaches you, pulling you in for a quick side hug, before speaking up.

"Welcome to the family," he jokingly says, Wanda stealing you away from him and wrapping her arms around you, your face having lit up at his words.

Family. 

You were finally part of a family again.

[the-blossica-fan]

Greetings!

The living situation in the suitcase will always be a mystery.

Like, laundry schedules: with clothes from loads of people from different eras and probably vey different methods of cleaning how the hell do they do dry cleaning? Maintance for Isolde's outfits must be extensive.

Anyways I have a fun/ angst ridden hc for Vertin: her outfit came from a tailor she met once, because clearly her outfit doesn't align with the Foundation's standard uniform, I hardly think being the TK would warrant an outfit so different to the usual colours (they really do lean towards the Manus in being darker).

I'll say she meant them really young, early on starting out as the TK, befriending a tailor in London who took pity on Vertin's attire, ill fitting field investigator outfit for a 12-13 year old. Vertin is still heavily suffering from the incident of the Breakaway so to that tailor shes a soppy wet cat in clothes that don't fit her at all.

The tailor? Up to you if u wanna flesh out who they are: attire wise VERY similar to current Vertin clothes, maybe longer and with a different accented colour. Vertin was staring at the clothes from the window until the tailor invited her in.

Two days later Vertin walks out in the attire we know today, maybe the tophat scarf thing was originally worn by that tailor, given as a gift. Probably the first clothes not dictated by the Foundation.

Ofc we probably know what happened to the people before Regulus, maybe the tailor was the first person she attempted to save in the suitcase but failed, the clothes while a little big serve as a remainder to that tailor and the little independence it gives Vertin.

If we ever met this tailor, in a miracle scenerio that we finally find a way to save the reversed I see a scenerio of that tailor meeting Vertin again, older and matured: "I see the clothes really do fit you now, right Vertin?"

(uh i made an oc didnt i. Make of this as you wish!)

Greetings once again, comrade!

Every time you send an ask it's either something fun that I'll have my time thinking over or angsty things you throw at me and I accept. This is the second.

The foundation has a thing with giving their youngest workers outfits far too big for them, it wouldn't be strange for Vertin to be walking around in a ugly gray tuxedo that didn't fit well. She had no hat but her hair would be in the same hairstyle as ever, something Madam Z gave to her.

Even then, Vertin still held that curiosity and wanting in her eyes, so when she saw a beautifully tailored suit being displayed inside the window of a tailor shop, she stopped to look at it, in a trance.

Knowing the story, perhaps this character you're describing to me is around 20 to 25 years old, but I think it would be fit for them to be around 28 to 32. They would run a tailoring business that's not doing good in money despite the works being so beautifully made, and once they saw Vertin outside with the ugly foundation fit she wore, they offered her to come in.

The inside of the shop is beautiful, covered in multiple tailored clothes and self-made outfits that surprised Vertin. The tailor would be taller with the iconic top-hat on their head and (maybe) medium length hair hanging out of it. They'd wear some nice clothes, dark but beautifully put together blues and whites that reminded Vertin of the suit outside.

She didn't carry any money so she could only speak with them, and, by accident, creating a strong friendship between the two. Vertin would pass by every time she was free and would always wonder why the shop is so empty.

One day, the tailor decided to make Vertin something that would look good on her to replace that foundation wear that made her look weird. They asked for no money, a loving gift for a friend.

It would be similar to theirs by Vertin's request. It was a little big, but they predicted Vertin would grow taller, so they made it slightly bigger to fit when she grew.

"It's lacking the hat. Don't worry, I'll make you one in no time." Said the tailor to Vertin after tailoring the suit, fixing the foundation logo in it.

The storm was approaching quickly, perhaps the 1980's storm that washed away the era completely, and Vertin knew it.

She asked the tailor if they trusted her, and after some hesitance, they nodded and (with a lot of surprise) entered the suitcase. Vertin informed them of the storm as it approached, telling them how it would wash away the eras and return to the past, but inside the suitcase, they would be safe.

(this isn't allowed to tell but Vertin broke the rules for her first outside friend who mattered a lot to her)

However, she didn't count the fact that humans could not survive the storm, and as they began to notice their body starting to turn into nothing (like Mr. Karson did), they turned to Vertin and took off their top hat.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make you a hat that fits better, but I hope you like this one.

The hat tipped to the side due to it being too big for Vertin, and she watched as her friend turned to nothing right in front of her eyes. Only their clothes and the top hat on her head remaining.

She didn't have a single picture of them, and with time, she began to forget their face and looks. After this, she bought a camera and began to take pictures of every new friend she made in case they disappeared, so she would never forget about them.

If they were to ever meet again, I think it would be back in the same era. Vertin would be elated to go back to the tailor shop and she would see, in nostalgia, how the same suit she saw back when she was 12 was still there, as if it belonged there.

She walked inside, and there was the tailor, sipping on their tea with a smile before turning to her. They hadn't changed a bit, the era returned them to the same spot they were before.

"Vertin? Is that you? Wow, you have grown so quickly! The suit fits you perfectly, I knew I was right."

And they were met with a hug, Vertin's face covered by the hat pressed against their own suit.

"mm? You're okay? You're a weird one, Vertin. Ah, is that my top hat? It really fits you"

This time, they brought them into the lively suitcase, and they wouldn't disappear like they did all those years ago.

[lazerswordweilder]

I have a headcanon about Anidala (Anakin x Padmé) which is that they got married after Ventress gave Anakin the scar over his eye not at the start of the clone wars, this is for many reasons.

1. Anakin was distraught with grief and a war had just started which was heavily involved with both Padmé and Anakin, neither were in their right minds to be making such a big decision

2. It allows some time between when they started dating and when they get married

3. It’s right after he got his scar because it was a reminder how they might die at any point and they wanted to be married

4. They got to be a little bit older before making such a big commitment even though they were still young

5. They have enough time to put together cool outfits, Anakin just wore his Jedi outfit and WHY. I’d imagine Padmés dress and hair is much more elaborate and Anakin puts on a suit (I’d imagine a darker colour but it could be anything from deep blue to look like space, to 501st blue, to red if he wanted to) and Padmé totally did Anakins hair up all dramatic

6. I’m not sure quite how the timelines match up but it means that the 501st (probably some of the 212th due to them knowing Anakin as a Padawan) will be able to get an invite and possibly Obi-Wan or maybe other Jedi or Senators depending on your other headcanons. For this post I’m just going to include the clones and a few others because I think it’s cool but it’s writers pick really.

And my favourite reason:

It means that they can be kidnapped.

They got kidnapped on their first date (when Anakin had to protect Padmé during AOTC (Attack Of The Clones), it was a horrendous date but a date nonetheless) and they can get kidnapped before their marriage (as I don’t want to ruin their big day by having a fight in the middle of it).

There are so many comparisons we can get through this

3PO and R2 having another grand old time together like in AOTC, more tolerable of each others presence, and dare I say friends, this time around

Instead of them going to rescue Obi-Wan they complain to each other while waiting for their rescue which consists of an absolutely livid battalion (probably more if some of the 212th want to come along) of battle hardened soldiers, at least one Jedi, a few Senators, and some droids who have scarily good programming and an intimate knowledge of Star Fighters and weapon systems.

You can see how Anakin and Padmé mature and their relationship gets healthier (I hate it when they’re relationship is toxic, I love them so much, if you can’t give them have a happy ending let them have a happy story, please). Which is shown in many different ways which I couldn’t possibly list all of them.

[yesimwriting]

Bestie reader is so ponyboy by SOPHIE

What do you think is her fav brand?

And colour?

And pattern for clothes (she looks like she could rock a pink leopard mini skirt)

omg real!! the song works so well, she's so diva

i love these questions! while i never mentally associate any of my reader characters with any physical traits i do usually have a mental image of how they'd dress bc i love designing imaginary wardrobes and also bc it helps with establishing an in-world personality/vibe if that makes sense

i think bestie reader is kind of a modern boho chic girly. like i think her style would be kind of artsy with some 2000's pop influences and a few classic undertones for balance. that sounds like a lot but i think bestie reader would really like isabel marant, who describes her own brand as "cool luxury", which i think is very bestie reader. for more traditional clothing i can see her being a ralph lauren girly.

idk if you know pretty little liars but i can kind of see bestie reader's style as being a more elevated/mature aria montgomery kind of vibe.

as far as more everyday brands i think bestie reader would be really into love shack fancy, free people, and bloomingdale's. ik bloomingdale's is a department store and not a brand but i think she'd like the kind of stuff they have. i can see her shopping at aritzia for basics and urban outfitters for more everyday stuff.

i'm saying everyday like these stores aren't all pricey 😭 she's so expensive.

omg for favorite colors i think she'd be a pink girly. i picture her as dressing in a lot of pastels/lighter colors but that might just be bc it fits aesthetically. i can also see her being into deep magentas/purples for more 'night' looks.

the pink leapord mini skirt sounds so cute!! she'd for sure wear that, i can see her loving a leapord print piece to break up an outfit. i think she'd also like darker plaid patterns.

also i think bestie reader for sure loves the hair tinsel trend and i think she'd be into bright colored/shiny eyeshadow. i can also see her using makeup rhinestones on her eyelids/inner corners on a night out.

[itskindofidontknow]

God.. I really love when writers know and love what they are writing, cause it shows in the way they are writing it, and your words, scene setting and everything is just so.. Beautiful!. And I had somewhat imagined eoster to look like this?

Not skin tone and hair colour or eye colour, but the head piece and outfit and all. This was like when she first entered to dream realm after Morpheus' return.

And GOD I am sucker for angst and pain and screaming? Like that stuff wrenches my heart, and I see that in this so much, so this is like, so great! I really hope we have more angst coming up!

Thank you so much! I always say that because it’s surreal to me that anyone besides me actually likes what I write!

And believe me we do have a lot angst coming! I love to write them!

I definitely see Love wearing something like this earlier on her marriage. At some point, I don’t remember if by chapter 10 I already brought this up, but earlier, when she was still trying to make Dream like her, she tried to mimic Calliope’s style, definitely she would’ve wear something like this!

And headpieces, Love adores to wear them, but I believe her younger self used to wear more often. By the time Morpheus returns to the Dreaming, she still wears a lot of pastel colors but in darker shades, she doesn’t show much skin, her dresses are more elaborated, heavy fabrics, and cover a lot more of her skin, her style is a lot more sober.

When I wrote her in the moment def thought of Alicent Hightower and Cersei Lannister.

This was my first thought. The first image that came to my head. Alicent is young on this scene but she dresses very mature, you see some kinds of dissonance between her appearance and her attire, that is exactly what I was intending to emulate. Because Love at that moment has, as always, the appearance of a young adult woman, but she no longer has the high spirit of one. She is older, she has been through a lot.

The hair and the crown in this next photo is also what I imagine her wardrobe being at the time

And hair pieces such as this, which kind remind me more of Tudor era, they are not as elaborated, high, as they once were.

But in darker shades of pastel colors like this Cersei’s dress (God I love this dress)

[dungbeatposse]

THE RAMPAGE AND COLOURS PT. 2✨🎨

turns out i am diligent enough to complete the series! thanks again for reading my rambles!! it's been really fun writing like this, using my thinker to delve deep into stuff. again, i'll try to keep it simple and short.

i'd love to here other's thoughts on what colour they think the rmpg member's are, and maybe i'll do another for other groups too :DDD

if you hadn't read part 1 yet, go here. there i covered likiya, zin, riku, kenta, rui, yamasho, kazuma and hokuto. now, i'm gonna finish it off with the last 8 members. note, these were harder to think about than the first post (and when i say hard, i mean fucking HARD). so buckle up yall.

shogo - celeste (#95bfbc)

initially, i wanted to give shogo a warm colour. maybe a yellow or orange, but it didn't feel like it suited shogo for me. i knew i wanted to choose a colour with very vintage vibes. then, celeste caught my eye. it's a bright blue that looks well on its own, but when paired with warmer colours, it shines brighter. shogo might not be one of my favourite members, but he is his own work of art. calmer, but still with a bright presence.

shohei - pale chartreuse (#cde37f)

it was either yellow or green for him. bouncing between two, i had a difficult choice to make. then, i went "why not the middle?" chartreuse is very striking and is mostly a colour that looks amazing on its own. however, it's also strong with other colours, being able to stand out amongst them. shohei is not just his goofiness, or his more hard-working side. for me, chartreuse is a colour that combines both of his strong aspects into a vibrant person that is shohei.

itsuki - ginger (#f0a748)

ok, i'm gonna be honest. i chose ginger because of mars. i couldn't help it! i also thought about giving him a white colour, but it didn’t really fit as well as orange did. i think that he also has very orange cat energy. he very much does his own thing and has a tiny bit of a chaotic side too, though his initial vibe is cool, calm and collected. like itsuki is a cat trapped in a human body.

kaisei - sea green (#43a36d)

when i think about kaisei, i think of strong. not just physically (gaddamn that man is CUT), but also how mentally strong he is. pairing that with how his soft and friendly his character is, i just knew i wanted to give him a nice natural colour. something that matches his growth and resilience while also maintaining a nice calmer shade to match his softer side. i think something like sea green that was rich and vibrant was perfect for kaisei.

makoto - royal blue (#3238b3)

i know, ruby red is probably a better choice, but here me out. makoto always gave me a very regal vibe, with his strong features and the way he carries himself. considering his h&l character having a blue theme, the cooler aura he tends to have and the regality he was giving me, i think royal blue suits him well. the deeper, richer blue tone that sticks out elegantly matches what i think of makoto.

ryu - wine red (#521e1c)

ryu was always going to be wine red for me. it’s a colour that’s not too obvious, but also not something that’s going to disappear into the background. along with the fact that ryu looks fucking great with darker reds, i specifically chose wine red because it’s a colour that isn’t bold but still manages to have a strong impact. it matches his less outspokenness, but his beautiful aura of both maturity and softness.

takuma - peach orange (#f0654d)

i think i default creativity as a shade closer to pink/peach. i initially wanted to go for salmon red, but i settled on something closer to orange because 1) his hair and 2) it’s closer to a spring colour that suits him. i admire his creativity and his interests in art and fashion. for me, takuma has a refreshing aura that’s both sweet and soft without being too subtle. which kind of made me think of peach flavoured konjac jelly.

takahide - light green (#83bd68)

oof. takahide… he was like the final boss. i cycled through several options before settling on this one. there was yellow, orange, light pink, red, even pastel purple. i started to look through his older looks, tsuji looks etc. i thought about giving the whole ass rainbow but that would be a cop out.

then, i thought about his relationship with ryu. where ryu is shyer and reserved, takahide is the opposite. making them mirror each other would be perfect! giving him a light green was a choice i never saw myself making. but somehow, it worked. maybe it’s because of how naturally charismatic takahide is (i always tend to associate charisma with green), maybe it’s because he does quite a few green hair looks, or maybe it’s because his emoji is a goddamn frog.

but it works!

[ericshoney]

The Mafia Boss ~ Chapter five

Y/n's POV

Its been a week since Jay visited me at work. He's not returned since. Lia came back from her break and after getting a bit of girl advice, a self talk and long hard thinking, I decided to text Jay.

Y/n: Hey its Y/n. So about that catch up?

Jay: Hey, you've thought about coming over? Or are you texting me to say your done with us all?

Y/n: I want to come say hi, on one condition.

Jay: That is?

Y/n: Sunghoon's not around, I don't even want him in the house. I get all of you heading out at once would look strange so can you make a plan? I'll drive over now, be there in twenty.

Jay: Deal. See you then.

After getting Jay's reply, I put my phone in my pocket, slip on a jacket and grab my car keys. I sit in my car for a moment. I start the engine and begin driving. I don't need to try and remember, the route to the house a map in my mind. I did live there for nearly three years. As its late, there is a bit of traffic, people heading home, some heading out for a good time. The city never sleeps.

After twenty minutes of driving, I pull up at the familiar set of black, iron gates. The large, golden letter E shining bright. As I pull up, I go to press the buzzer but the gates open before I could. I drive up the long driveway and park outside the big mansion. I see a few cars and motorbikes parked up.

I get out my car, walking up the grand steps and knock on the door. A few minutes go by before the door opens and I see Niki, standing tall, dark locks falling over his eyes and just like Jay, dark ink littering his soft skin.

"N-N-Noona. C-C-Come in!" He calls, a surprised look on his face.

"Thanks, Niki. Didn't Jay tell you I was coming over?" I ask, stepping into the house.

Niki shuts the door and offers to take my jacket. I smile, letting him take it off. One thing I was always proud of is how much of a gentleman he and the others became.

"No, he told us boss had to head out for a meeting, but nothing else." He answers. I nod, happy Jay sent Sunghoon out. I'm not ready to see him.

As Niki and I walk into the living room, I hear the loud laughter I remember. We walk in and I see the others sitting around and when I see them like this, they just look like a bunch of happy young adults and teenagers. You forget for a moment they kill for a living.

"Hey you made it! Nice surprise isn't it, Niki?" Jay calls, hopping up from his seat, coming over to greet me in a hug. The others all look over in shock.

"Hi guys. Bea." I said, giving them a wave.

''Defiantly a surprise.'' Niki said, giving me a smile.

"Is this why Hoon's out?" Heeseung questions.

"Yeah, so if he comes back in a bad mood, send him my way." Jay answers.

They all nod. As I look at each of the guys, I see they have all grown taller, their cute baby faces slightly gone, all of them looking more mature and as the same as Jay and Niki, tattoos covering their skin. When I look at Beatrix I see she's also got a few more tattoos, plus her natural hair colour now dyed a lilac colour. One thing I notice is the guys look much darker, while Beatrix is still her bright self, most probably keeping the guys sane.

"So Noona, its lovely to see you, but how come you've visited now?" Jungwon asks as I take a seat.

"Jay came to where I work last week. Suggested I come visit. I agreed if Sunghoon wasn't here." I answer.

"You missed us?" Beatrix asks, smiling wide at me, the dimples on her cheeks showing.

"Honesty I did, Bea. All of you in this room I've missed." I answer, making them smile.

"Well, we have a good hour before Hoon comes home, lets have a catch up shall we?" Jake suggests.

I smile and nod, hoping Sunghoon doesn't find out. I won't know how to feel or react if I see him.

[grimae]

What/who, were your inspiration(s) that contributed to your art style? Any advice or techniques that you learned to help implement them to your art?

I've been searching for dark fantasy artists that have somewhat the same type of drawing style. I'm heavily inspired and would love to learn how to make my art have the same feeling to it.

Difficult question but I'll do my best to answer it as coherently as possible! First of all - massive inspiration for me is 80s and 90s fantasy, folklore, video games, music, the usual. I always jokingly said that my art style is the result of a person who has been sat in front of Diablo 2 at a way too young age but the game is still one of my biggest inspirations in art. Especially as time goes on I massively prefer those old school late 90s, early 00s graphics over any remaster. Beyond that, campy and colourful 80s fantasy in the vein of Ridley Scott's movie Legend is much more appealing to me than the next gritty and eternally grey HBO series. I'm also a big fan of Sergei Parajanov and his movies tho. As it stands with dark fantasy, I truly believe that while it's also often a core feature of it, it as a genre is not ultimately defined by gore, blood and mature topics, but rather a raw and unfiltered experienced that is not supposed to be palateable to a broad and corporate audience. In my experience, people writing and designing dark fantasy things for the market create the most shallow and boring content filtered through 50 layers of "what is cool and badass" instead of "what is unique and feels honest". This one goes more for writing but writing and drawing goes hand in hand for me - starting in the 2010s I feel like there's a belief that a story can only be mature if people say fuck often enough and if the setting is as grim and hopeless as possible, ultimately resulting in dishonest and shallow writing. You can see it in many things, such as Netflix' Castlevania, which carries over nothing of the games awkwardness that resonated more with me than any cool one-liner. When it comes to designs, give me Blasphemous' Altasgracias, a three-faced bearded and naked woman, over any badass Artstation dude bro design. I massively adore quirky and goofy aspects in darker settings. It took me very long to be interested in Dark Souls because I thought it's just going to be another throwaway epic fantasy game, as this is what people tried to get me into, until a friend told me about dumb stuff like Frampt dangling from the ceiling and Big Hat Logan, which clicked with me more than Cool Badass Boss Fight With Orchestra Number 24. I don't think I can help you much with techniques. I draw massively on intuition alone and describing why I do what I do is difficult. I can give you basic art advice in the vein of composition, lighting, yadayada, but why my style looks the way it does... dunno, I sieved it out of the dirt, then cooked it with all my interests until everything evaporated and this was left at the bottom of the pot. As for the music side of inspiration, I mostly listen to Black Metal, Neo-Folk and Trip Hop. Bands like Bethlehem, Kinit Her, Dead Can Dance, E-L-R, Portishead, Ulaan Passerine, Rope Sect are always on.

This post got long. Have some pictures under a read more, and thank you for the interest and the ask!

Diablo 2

Blasphemous

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors \ Тіні забутих предків by Sergei Parajanov

The Colour of Pomegranates by Sergei Parajanov

Album cover of Storm of Radiance - Kinit Her

[kiasnocturnality]

⋆ :₊ ᥫ᭡ 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒖

⊹ ° . tips: be sure to only begin your play-through from the main menu. Your choices have consequences and will unlock different scenes and endings.

The man in front of you visibly bristles when you refuse to allow him to search you. Why would you? His jaw clenches for a moment before he bites the inside of his cheek in thought. He seems even more suspicious of you than before now. You have nothing to hide but you don’t know what he’s hiding either and you’re not about to gamble your life on him being a harmless but cautious man after everything that’s happened already. 

“Very well, you can use the telephone. Though, I’m still your host and I would feel a terrible gentleman if you left you in this state. I’ll have the staff prepare a change of clothes and meal for you. Come along.” His tone is prickly, almost haughty. He clearly is not fond of you but nor are you of him. He beckons you with a wave of his hand as he goes out through another door and begins leading you through the manor’s hallways. 

You walk in silence until he brings you to the dining room. He turns back to face you and looks you up and down, examining how your clothes occasionally drip and are so soaked they’re clinging to you like a second skin. 

“Can I offer you a change of clothes?” He offers. You don’t trust him but you’re also freezing and drenched and a change of clothes couldn’t hurt. It seems like an unusual pretence if he wants to attack you: surely he would do it right now if he attends to finish you with brute force?

“That would be very nice, thank you.” He nods in acknowledgement of your decision. The mysterious man then goes over to one side of the room where he rings a bell and the nearest door cracks open. You cannot see who is behind it but you catch whispers of a hushed conversation. 

“-Prepare… tonight… perhaps… clothes too.” From Alois. 

“-Hunter then?” A mature female voice replies.

“-Sure as of yet… telefone… mess… up, ok?” 

“Yes, my Lord.” Spoken much more clearly. Obviously, the rest of the conversation was kept from you on purpose. The woman, approaching her middle-ages, steps out, dressed in a simple black and white uniform with blouse and fitted trousers. 

“Come along, my Lady, you’re soaked through. We’ll have a change of clothes prepared for you immediately.” She says. You give a little nod and follow her, wanting out of your wet clothes. Alois is proving himself to be more trustworthy and you hope that you’re doing the same in his eyes. The maid has faded red hair that fades to darker roots that show she likely had it a bright red colour not too long ago and is now trying to grow it out. She leads you to a guest room and opens the wardrobe where she pulls out a few shirts and bottoms, trying to find clothing in your size, if the way her eyes flicker from you to the material is anything to go by. She presents you with a simple dark blue jumper and black bottoms. 

“And your shoes, please.”

“My shoes?”

“Yes, they’re making quite the mess around the manor.” 

“Oh… of course. Sorry.” You slip them off and watch as she picks them up and exchanges them for a pair of socks passed into your hands. You change into them and follow her back to the dining room where the white-haired man is sitting at the head of the table. There’s a bowl of soup and bread prepared at the seat he had directed you to earlier. When you sit, he gestures to the food. 

“Forgive me but I’ve already eaten.” He says and you give a simple nod, swallowing thickly as you recall the glass of blood you found at his seat not that long ago. You glance down at the orange-red tomato soup and the little garnish set in the middle of it, sliced bread and butter on a little side dish nearby. 

⋆ :₊ ᥫ᭡ “This is very generous, thank you.”  ⋆ :₊ ᥫ᭡ “I actually ate shortly before the crash too…” You refuse to eat the food, it could be poisoned. 

[glitchy-anime-fan]

Has anyone else been doing something and while doing that thing you suddenly realise something about a show/character that you feel like should have been super obvious?

I’ve recently gotten back into making friendship bracelets after YEARS of not making them. Since I’m slowly getting back into Black Butler I decided to use some of the characters colour palettes as inspiration for the bracelets.

I’ve already made Alois and I’m currently working on O!Ciel and it was while working on Ciel’s that I realised something; the amount of colours in their palettes matches their general personalities.

Now in this instance I’m not talking about colour symbolism, I mean the amount of colours in their palettes.

Take Alois for example: for a little context both bracelets I’m using the characters hair, eye, and primary outfit colours. For Alois his palette consists of a pale/platinum yellow, icy blue, forest green, and a dark plum purple colour. This is a white a few different colours. It’s a bright and colourful palette for an overall excitable and energetic character. Alois is always dancing and moving around and overall acts just like an energetic 14 year old, so it makes sense that he has a lot of colours in his palette. He also has a lot of mood swings which you could attribute to the combination of light and dark colours; the lights show his energetic and childish side while the darks show his darker sadistic side.

On the other hand, Ciel’s palette is literally just grey and shades of blue. He has a very consistent and limited colour palette when compared to Alois. When I was looking for reference pictures a lot of Ciel’s overall outfits consist of primarily a dark blue with a lighter blue accent (this is not including the pink dress or his commoner disguises). To me I think this relatively small palette fits Ciel’s over all calm and mature personality. Ciel doesn’t often express his emotions and is overall just a reserved individual. This fits into his more limited palette especially when comparing his more consistent/stable personality to Alois’s more unstable and every swinging personality.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say on the matter. I literally just want silly character bracelets, not to have a whole epiphany regarding colours that should have been obvious 🫠

[iamnot-theboynextdoor]

okay but props to neil gaiman, miranda richardson and the costume, hair and make-up teams for creating two very distinct characters!

i love that madam tracy and shax look and sound SO different, and yet there's one thing they have in common: they're both huge fashionistas who always dress for the job they have. and underneath that layer, they're total opposites again. here's why:

the first time we see madam tracy, she's got these long girlish lashes and very pale shades of eyeshadow/lipstick on for her Intimate Relaxation gig. her eyes look so *round*. she's got her light curly blonde wig in an up-do, and her baby pink sheer negligee and sheer dressing gown (which is apparently called a peignoir- so fancy!) and it's all perfect for someone trying very hard to Be The Fantasy (read: look way younger than she is).

and for her Spirit Summoning gig, she's got much heavier lashes and darker lipstick, but her eyes are still the focus. they're shaped *less* round, but still *round*. her wig's coppery red, eye-catching, styled much shorter but very neat. she's wearing a long, flowy top in jewel tones - paired with the heavy lashes, you take a mere glance at her and go "ah, yes, fortune teller".

and when madam tracy dresses down for her lunch with and proposal to shadwell, her make-up is very light. she doesn't have *big* fake lashes on, but you can still see her coat of mascara. as marjorie, she looks like she's *really* trying to show shadwell that she's just a Normal Person too- not a Jezebel or an Occultist. but she's not wearing *no* make-up - marjorie's still going for a very feminine and pretty look. she's still wearing a bottle blonde wig, but it's down and tidy and not super styled like her other wigs, it looks simple, like she only ran a brush through it. her clothes are plain and comfortable looking - the thought i keep having for this look is it's very English Mum. it's just as curated as her other, way more ostentatious looks.

madam tracy dresses for the jobs she has, marjorie dresses for the life she wants. (she would be a fucking great LARPer. i'm just saying.)

conversely, the first time we see shax in her Undercover-As-Human look, her eyelashes are barely noticeable and the focus is on that heavy, perfectly straight winged eyeliner that could cut a bitch! it makes her eyes look small, narrow, *sharp*. her lipstick's colour-coordinated to her incredibly elegant outfit- this is a demon who went earthside for the first time and decided to fucking serve!

shax is going for glamour, mystery, slightly intimidating, and perfectly put-together... to compensate for the fact that she's a little bit lost in her new role. ("was it always this easy?") it looks like shax worked So Hard on this Human Disguise, only to make it topside and discover her job is mostly superfluous. she's still learning the ropes ("either make a phone call or appear mysteriously, don't do both") and under her mature look and low-profile, quiet voice, there's still a degree of naivety ("are you making fun of me?" "would you know if i was?").

(she doesn't have the winged eyeliner on in her battle outfit, but she also doesn't look Fucking Gross like the other demons. she went to all the effort to put badass Hell armour on, but her face is pristine.

maybe as the Earth Operative she's expected/allowed/tolerated to not look Fucking Gross - crowley never looked Fucking Gross (in a demonic way; period-accurate facial hairstyles aside, i say lovingly) and i think he would refuse to look more demon-y if told to - he's got the eyes and the tattoo, what more would you want? i don't know yet if shax Secretly Enjoys looking nice and clean for once, or she's just very dedicated to dressing professionally.)

it's all the perfect accent to miranda's brilliant acting. Madam Tracy The Sex Worker has this light, airy, faux-innocence voice (unless she's discussing details up-front- she drops the babygirl voice when telling newt it'll take her a while to squeeze into the leather pinny). Madam Tracy The Veil Parter is low-key and Fake Dramatic; she does her Little Colleen O'Leary bit and a terrible cold read- and then miranda goes absolutely hogwild and Real Dramatic as aziraphale (and then ron) possess madam tracy. and i could write a whole separate post on miranda-as-aziraphale (it's michael in the ADR booth, of course, but he has to match her performance and mouth movements). and as marjorie, while her Normal Person Outfit is so deliberate, she's not putting on a voice. she's relaxed, generous, making plans, and going after what she really wants (nothing like the world almost ending to give her some perspective!), and she's doing it as *herself*.

all of tracy/marjorie's voices (even when she speaks as herself) have this sort of breezy, upper register tone to them. but as shax, miranda drops the pitch of her voice right down. shax does not airily dance around vocally; shax sounds very mature (to match her outfit!). she's not monotone, though, just subdued and subtle. she knows crowley is persona non grata, but brings him his mail, feeds him information, hoping for some reciprocity (train me how to be an Earth Operative, maybe take on some of my assignments under the table, "hell doesn't care *how* it gets done", we could have our own Secret Arrangement *crowley is blatantly ignoring her, Arrangements are for his angel only*); even after a few years of trying to convince crowley, she hasn't seemed to notice that he's Not Interested.

madam tracy tries to sound young, innocent, entertaining, and heightened; but underneath it all, is quite sensible, knows she's Of Retirement Age, and is ready for it. she's done pretending to be ditzy; it's very emotionally mature of her. yay, character development!

and shax is the opposite; she tries to sound mature, knowledgeable, competant, and cool. but underneath it all, she's very much The Oblivious New Guy At Work. she doesn't get why it's redundant to have a face-to-face and phone conversation with the same person at the same time. she doesn't understand crowley's sarcasm, or pick up on him not caring to help her with her work (he'll gladly hear whatever information she's freely offering, though. shax, this is not an exchange, you are not slowly wheedling him into a business partnership, you are just doing favours for the *persona non grata*- which is quite nice of you, actually!)

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Part 19 - Treat Her Right (Set in 2021)

Note: This is set in a universe where Men VS Women / Intergender matches can happen.

Chapter 1: here Chapter 2: here Chapter 3: here Chapter 4: here Chapter 5: here Chapter 6: here Chapter 7: here Chapter 8: here Chapter 9: here Chapter 10: here Chapter 11: here Chapter 12: here Chapter 13: here Chapter 14: here Chapter 15: here Chapter 16: here Chapter 17: here Chapter 18: here

Tags: @piratewithvigor @tantamount-treason @thedollmaker16 @janetreader

Around 2000 Words. 18+ in places (those chapters will be marked as 'Mature / sexual content' just to be safe). Please inform me if you wish to be tagged or untagged from posts. If the text is in italics and orange it's Kirby's inner monologue. If the text is coloured but not in italics, it's either dialogue or a P.O.V change (P.O.V changes will be in bold and translated dialogue will appear in square [ ] brackets), Key below. Quick note on Geia's text colour: Yes I do know that as Greed she should be in yellow but I decided to colour the men's dialogue yellow so Geia was changed to be pink like the other women in the story outside of the main 8.

The Main 8: Damo - Bio. Vi - Bio. Billie - Bio. Geia - Bio. Kirby - Bio. Honey - Bio. Eli - Bio. Sara - Bio.

Kirby's P.O.V:

Eddie treats Kirby to everything she wants for the six weeks after she gives birth, date nights at every restaurant he can find Within Yonkers, massages, full days spent shopping for stuff, both things for Kirby and the twins. Slowly getting Kirby and the twins used to longer car rides. Gathering everything they need for the twins and themselves and doing the long, ten hour, drive down to Florida.

Ethan Page is the first person to greet them at the Airbnb the next morning, Friday 2nd September 2021.

"Oh hi, I'm guessing you heard the news." Kirby chuckles when she answers the door, still in just an oversized shirt, boxer shorts and her black yoga pants she slept in.

"I was told you had the babies." Page beams.

"Ethan, meet Emyr and Ethan."

Page's eyes light up, "You did not."

"yeah, we named him Ethan, I kept thinking about how long you've known Eddie, and how much you and Eddie have impacted each other's careers."

"Oh my God," Page hugs Kirby tightly, "you're so sweet."

"Don't squeeze me, Ethan, I had a bad night last night."

"Oh no, everything okay?"

"Yeah, Eddie decide that we would relax with a couple drinks… and I only had one beer I felt off. I think my body's rejecting anything bad for the twins."

"Maybe, Renee did say that you're breastfeeding." Page shrugs.

"Wifey, what's goin' on?" Eddie asks, walking up behind Kirby in just a tank top and boxers.

"I'm introducing Ethan to Ethan." She smiles softly, feeling Eddie wrap his arms around her waist.

"Emyr has my eyes, Ethan has his beautiful mother's eyes." Eddie murmurs.

"Oh, so they aren't identical… they look almost identical."

"Small differences," Kirby whispers, "but I can tell my boys apart"

"How?" Page asks quietly.

"Emyr has green eyes and faint freckles on his face and shoulders. Ethan has blue eyes, no freckles but he does have… oh, what's it called, a port-wine stain? Basically a birthmark covering his right knee and part of his right thigh."

"My sons, my adorable baby boys." Eddie kisses both of the twins' heads.

Emyr yawns and opens his eyes, bright green like Eddie's. Emyr takes more after his father, slightly more tanned skin and harsher features, seemingly only taking his mother's freckles, his hair a darker shade of blond than his brother. Eddie picks his eldest son up, letting 'All Ego' see the similarities between him and his first son.

"Wait here, Mox got us stuff, it makes the boys look a lot more like Eddie." Kirby whispers to Page, heading to grab a box from the bedroom.

She returns to the nursery with a small box, 'Emyr' is written on the top in Renee's handwriting, she opens it and places the box in the cot, taking Emyr from Eddie to change his diaper and dress him. A black and yellow baby grow, a small graphic t-shirt with Tupac on it, a faux rosary with a pacifier instead of a cross, baby-sixed timberlands and a baby-sized black, Yankees cap.

Page starts giggling when Kirby hands Emyr back to Eddie, she heads off to get the other box as 'All Ego' pulls out his phone, dressing their younger son in an almost identical outfit, the only difference is the t-shirt, a baby version of Kirby's Ice Cube shirt. Eddie holds both of his sons up and Page takes a photo.

Ethan opens his eyes when Page holds him, showing off the bright blue eyes he's inherited from his mother, his features are softer than Emyr and Eddie's, paler skin, a softer jawline, a thicker bottom lip and much 'kinder' looking brow-line. As Kirby described he has no freckles or beauty marks. His skin is more porcelain in colour than his brother's sun-kissed tone.

"So, how's it feel to meet a baby named after you?" Kirby asks as she takes baby Ethan back into her arms.

"It's amazing, he's adorable. His brother's also adorable." Page smiles softly, clearly trying not to cry.

"Eddie still needs to think of who their godfathers will be. I know that Renee will be their godmother, and Ruthie can't be because she's their grandma. If she weren't related to them though, she would for sure be a godparent. I wouldn't have gotten through the pregnancy without her."

"How are you handling being a mother? I heard someone say you were told you couldn't have kids."

"I view my boys as miracles, mainly because I was under the belief I couldn't get pregnant, let alone pregnant with twins," She chuckles when Eddie hands Emyr to her, "What're you doing, Pá [dad]?"

"Gettin' a can of Red Bull from the fridge, mama," He kisses her gently, "I love you," he runs his fingers over the scar on her cheek, "my badass beautiful wifey."

"You owe me a coffee, Jefe [boss]."

"Jefe, you callin' me 'Jefe' now, Ma?" Eddie chuckles.

"Head of the household, ain't ya, big boss, El Jefe [the boss]?"

Eddie nods, grabbing a can of Red Bull from the fridge and sitting next to page on the couch, "Well, Ma, I may be the head of the household. But you, oh brotha, you are way more powerful than me."

"Yeah, I've seen clips from C.R.C, you've lifted guys who are five-hundred pounds plus." Page adds.

"That's because it's part of my job." Kirby shrugs.

"Lifting five-hundred pound men, Ma are ya hearin' yourself? 'I's part of my job'? To lift five-hundred pound men?" Eddie raises an eyebrow at his ivory-skinned wife.

"Yes, during my time in C.R.C it was a part of my job. Eddie, during your time with C.Z.W it was your job to do death-matches." Kirby raises an eyebrow back at her tanned husband.

"She's got you there, Eddie." Page mutters.

"You stay outta this, this is between me and her." Eddie grumbles.

"Oh, did I touch a nerve, Edward? Did I touch a nerve there?" Kirby smirks.

"Cierra la boca [Shut your mouth]." Eddie growls.

"Hazme [make me]." She growls in return.

"Ven auqí [come here], Mami." Eddie gets up, going over to Kirby, lifting her chin roughly and growling as he kisses her.

"Te amo [I love you], Papi." She whispers against his lips.

"Page, you may wanna leave… now."

'All Ego' gets up, leaving quickly. Eddie takes the twins, placing them in the cot before hoisting Kirby over his shoulder, taking her to the bed and making out with her.

"You little slut." Eddie growls against her lips, climbing over her.

Kirby flips their position and straddles his lap, "I'm only a slut for you, Papi."

"Damn right, ya only mine, you wanna fuck your Papi, Ma?"

"So soon after havin' twins, only if you use protection, Papi."

Eddie smirks, "We could go dry, or I could get off watchin' you get off." He suggests.

"Mutual masturbation or dry humping? I'd really prefer if you-"

Kirby goes silent when she hears the front door open, both her and Eddie sharing a worried look.

"Eddie?" Moxley's voice echoes through the house, "Kirby? You have guests… He Emyr, hey Ethan, how're my nephews doing?"

"So close to lettin' you tear my ass in two, but no, we have fuckin' visitors." Kirby grumbles.

Eddie's eyes light up, "Fuck them, you've never let me do that before."

"Eddie, no… Edward, we have guests."

"Fuck." Eddie grumbles.

Kirby and Eddie's shared sour mood is quickly dropped when they see their guests.

"Jack!" Eddie grins, letting out a breathless chuckle.

"Eddie!" Marciano chuckles, pulling Eddie into a tight hug.

Kirby looks from her former commentary partner to the other guests, Renee, carrying her and Jon's daughter Nora, and three others. One a rather tall, tanned man with waist length black hair in a long braid, wearing one of the old C.R.C merch shirts and jeans. Ashkii Tsinajinnie. The second, a short Japanese woman, a pink shirt with 'Sakura Power' written on the front and pink gym shorts on, matching her half-pink, half-black hair. Yoshi Nakagawa. The third and final guest from Kirby's past is an average height, around five-foot-seven, black man, nearly 300 pounds of both fat and muscle, his head shaved, wearing black sweatpants and one of Kirby's merch t-shirts from before she was gluttony.

"Mike! Mikey?!" Kirby starts tearing up.

"Kirby… Princess? Lawd a massi!" Mike pushes past Ash and Yoshi, taking Kirby's face in his hands, "Oh, Princess, breathe easy, you an Empress now, baby gal." His Jamaican accent brings back a flood of memories from his and Kirby's shared past.

"Mikey, I missed ya, ya dope." She whispers, taking a deep breath.

Mike holds Kirby close to him, kissing her cheek and rocking her to keep her calm, "Oh, mis sistren, look at you, an Auntie, not jus' an Auntie but a Mammy now."

"Eddie, what's wrong?" Jack whispers.

"You're Mike" Eddie asks, completely astonished, "You're the guy she's cried over? You…" Eddie's astonishment turns into anger, "You kicked my wife outta your home?!"

Jack and Mox rush to hold Eddie back. Kirby pulls away from Mike and rushes to Eddie, holding his face, witnessing the rage in his eyes.

"Eddie, calm." Kirby whispers, her jaw dropping when Eddie pushes her aside.

"No, not wit' him. You," Eddie points at Mike, "you helped Damien get in her head, you knew she didn't want to be gluttony, if her parents weren't around she would have been homeless, you could have helped her but you didn't! I understand now why ya ring name is 'Monster', because you are one!" Eddie yells, getting up close with Mike

"Eddie, don't." Kirby rushes up to the side of both men, trying to push them apart.

Mike pushes Kirby away, by her face, knocking her to the floor, "How the fuck do ya know about my past, huh? She been tellin' you tings she ain't got no right to talk on."

Mike storms out, taking Ash and Yoshi with him. Kirby storms off in the opposite direction, leaving through the back door, hearing Eddie's footsteps behind her as she walks, going down the back alley between two rows of houses.

"Ma, wait!" Eddie hollers.

"Go fuck yourself, Kingston!" Kirby yells as she continues walking.

"Babe, just give me a chance."

"To do what? To ruin more of my chances at ever gettin' a friend back?"

"If he did that shit to you, was he ever a friend?"

Kirby stops walking, standing completely still as she thinks about it. Eddie's right, Mike practically handed me to Damien. he willingly let me get brainwashed by that tyrant.

"Doll?" Eddie whispers as he walks up behind her.

"Fuck, Eddie, I'm sorry… you're right, he fucked me over, he let me go."

Eddie wraps his arms around Kirby, checking if she's been hurt, "Breathe, ya a'ight, a'ight?"

"Yeah, yea… I'm good."

Eddie leads her back to the house, right as Emyr and Ethan wake up, the boys crying when they wake up.

"Oh, my baby boys." Kirby runs to the cot, picking up her sons and holding them close.

Marciano and Moxley check up on Eddie, Renee helps Kirby feed the twins, grabbing a bag of breastmilk from the fridge. Renee gives Ethan a bottle of breastmilk and Kirby takes her shirt off to feed Emyr.

"God damn, look at those tits!" Eddie hollers.

"Eddie, I'm feeding our baby, don't you get all fuckin' horny on me."

"Look at how fuckin' sexy you are though," Eddie smirks, kissing Kirby gently, "ya so sexy, Ma, so beautiful."

Kirby shakes her head, chuckling softly when she looks over at Renee. Renee mouths 'Go kiss him'. Kirby finishes feeding Emyr as Eddie walks out to the garage. She hands Emyr to Moxley, putting her shirt on as she walks to the garage.

"Eddie, hold up." She reaches for his hand as he gets to the car.

"What's up, Kirby?" He raises an eyebrow as he looks at her.

"Uhh… well, I… I wanted to do this…" She whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, gently at first but slowly heating up when Eddie puts his hands on her waist.

"Oh fuck, Ma," Eddie whispers against her lips, "every time you kiss me, it feels like the first time again."

[lonewolflupe]

aLoF ch11 | Downfall Of The Sane Mind

Join the Lone Wolves on another mission! There's Obi-Wan and Cody, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex, Fives and Jesse, and a Republic Senator in need of rescuing. Lots of action packed fun, action packed horrors, and action packed mental breakdowns (I warned you this was going to get darker from this chapter on).

Summary: the Lone Wolf Squad is requested to rescue a Republic Senator Rating: Mature Tags: canon-typical violence (description of battlefield), swearing (usage of slang; kriff/kriffing = fuck/fucking, kark = shit), angst, mental breakdown Words: 7.788k Characters: Lupe (OC), CT Ragnar (OC), CT Claw (OC), CT Fang (OC), CT Twist (OC), CC-2224 Commander Cody, CT-7567 Captain Rex, ARC-5555 Fives, CT-5597 Jesse, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Senator Bail Organa, unidentified clone troopers, unidentified clone medic aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch10 < | ↓ | > ch12

20 BBY, Coruscant | GAR Barracks’ Hangar

(Before Umbara Campaign)

“S-sir, there's an incoming t-transmission at the s-ship.” Twist’s voice startled Lupe, because she didn't expect someone would come looking for her here. She was located at her usual spot, sitting between some left behind crates at the very edge of the hangar. She felt pleasantly at ease at this spot, between the clones; she was able to think more clearly here than back at the Jedi Temple.

“Wait, at the ship? Who is it?” Lupe shot up straight at once, adrenaline taking over instantly. Twist shrugged in ignorance; he hadn't lingered around to find out, as Ragnar had ordered him to go and find their General right away. He joined Lupe as she jolted back towards the ship. It was highly irregular for them to receive transmissions at the ship when they were back at Coruscant. If the Jedi Council wanted them on a mission, they would contact Lupe directly.

“.. she'll be here, sir,” she heard Ragnar say as she sprinted up the boarding walk. His voice was serious; it always was, but he would regularly let his guard down when they were together with the squad. She imagined he was addressing someone higher up in command. When she entered the ship's cockpit, she was welcomed by the blue glow of a hologram. Cody.

“Commander,” Lupe greeted him, a slight tone of surprise in her voice. She recollected her memories from the last time she was around him; which had been during her secret get-together with Fives. At the officers' refreshers. A blush appeared on her cheeks, and she was glad it wasn't visible over the holotransmission.

“General, glad you could make it,” Cody said to her, nodding before getting straight to the point. “We're in a bit of a situation and we could really use your squad over here,” he continued, averting his gaze for a moment when the sound of an explosion could be heard near Cody’s position. “We found ourselves in a bit of a dire spot and, er- Could use some assistance.”

All the boys had joined Lupe in the cockpit by now, and were listening to Cody's transmission in fullest concentration. They now looked up at their General in anticipation, awaiting her reply. A smirk appeared on Lupe's face right before she addressed the Commander. “Where do you need us, Commander?”

---

Mid Rim | Lambda Sector | Talbhin (Separatist Occupied Planet)

As always, Claw’s piloting skills had made the journey a rather tolerant one. The hyperspace journey towards the Separatist occupied planet of Talbhin, located in the Mid Rim, hadn't taken too long. Cody hadn't been able to share any more intel about the mission, as he was obviously under heavy fire. But Lupe was sure they'd find out soon enough.

Claw landed the shuttle at the rendezvous point, and when they had geared up, they departed their ship. Once outside, Lupe was in awe by the sight of the planet around them. Apart from the destruction the war had brought, Talbhin was beautiful. Its slightly humid rainforest terrain was filled with colourful foliage, giving off a neon-like glow. It was a picturesque scene, and Lupe wished she could have beheld it without the war ravaging through it.

What actually made her heart skip a beat was the sight of ARC trooper Fives in full attire, the neon glow of the plants behind him painting an unworldly spectacle on the white plastoid plates of his armour. Oh Maker. He was standing at the edge of the clearing, accompanied by several 501st troopers. Lupe bit her lip, trying to regain her focus; she was here on a mission, for karking out loud.

As the Lone Wolf Squad reached the end of the boarding walk and made it to the planet’s surface, Commander Cody came walking towards them, Captain Rex at his side. The fighting had died down, but Lupe knew from experience it was only temporary.

“Commander, Captain, so good to finally meet you out in the field,” Lupe said, granting the officers a quick, respectful nod in greeting. “General, Lone Wolf Squad, thanks for freeing your schedule,” Cody started as soon as they had reached the squad. “I tried getting my usual Batch for this one, but they were.. unavailable,” he admitted, almost apologetic he had dragged them out here.

But the Lone Wolves loved a challenge, and didn't mind getting into some action. Lupe huffed at the Commander's confession. “So we were only your second choice?” she shot at him, trying to sound disappointed, but the playful tone in her voice and the way the corners of her mouth twitched into a smirk gave away she was just teasing.

Rex chuckled under his helmet, but Cody proved a bit more hard to entertain. He was probably exhausted from his General dragging his former Padawan along on the mission, and Cody was just filtering out all the sassy and witty remarks that had been shot around the place.

“We're currently setting up a field command post to plan our next moves. The Generals will join us shortly. We'll let you know when we start our briefing,” Cody said plainly and practically, before turning around and marching off to his troops, shouting orders along the way.

Rex stayed behind, watching Cody marching away before he took off his helmet, putting it under his left arm. With his other arm, he gave Lupe a forearm handshake. “Don't mind him; this was supposed to be a two rotation job, but it's been seven now. He's been here from the start,” Rex elaborated with an apologetic smile on his face. “No harm done, Captain. We're just glad to be of any help,” Lupe shot back at him, before loosening the grasp from their shake.

“I'll go see how they are progressing with that command post. Won't be long now,” Rex said as he nodded to the squad. He turned around to walk off, but hesitated, and turned back towards Lupe. He sighed, shaking his head; he didn't believe he was going to say this. “I know someone's excited about your arrival for, er- different reasons, sir,” he said in a whisper, just loud enough for Lupe to hear over the sounds coming from the encampment.

A smirk appeared on her face, and as Rex walked off to go check on said command post, Lupe noticed Fives had neared them. He was standing at the edge of the rainforest, awkwardly shifting on his feet whilst waiting for both Cody and Rex to disappear.

Lupe turned around to the squad, who were making themselves comfortable at a nearby collection of cargo crates for as long as they had to wait to receive their intel. “Please excuse me for a moment, boys,” she said to them, her mind already elsewhere, before she strode off to Fives’ location as casually as possible.

Ragnar grunted as he was fidgeting with his vibro-axe. “I’m still not sure about his intentions,” he remarked in a low voice. He looked at the ARC trooper sideways when their General reached him. Claw leaned his elbow on the crate at Ragnar’s side. “He was known as a bit of a womaniser, back at the barracks and 79’s,” Claw reacted to Ragnar's distrust, his gaze sliding past his sergeant towards the couple.

Fang joined them, crossing his arms as he didn't divert his eyes from the scene they were witnessing. “I've never even seen him with a woman, before the General,” he added, snorting out of aversion. Twist was the only one who wasn't looking at the scene, granting their General the slightest privacy she could get under the circumstances.

“She s-seems happy,” Twist said softly, almost too shy to go against his disgruntled brothers. Ragnar looked up at him, appreciating Twist's optimistic view on the matter, but the concern about their General's well-being weighed heavier on him. “Yeah, that's what I'm worried about,” he said with a sigh, afraid Fives would eventually crush that happiness one way or another.

The field command post was nearly finished, and when a portable holomap of the nearby area emerged, all present officers were being assembled. With what almost seemed like a loving smile on her face, Lupe put her hand on Fives’ crossed arms for a moment, before walking off to join the field briefing.

Fives still had his gaze on Lupe as she walked away, his helmet under his arm by now. He was unaware of the smirk that appeared on his face, as he was very much lost in thoughts - probably bringing up memories of a certain moment at the officers’ refreshers, not that long ago. He didn't notice Ragnar walking over to him, in a slow but confident strud. The sergeant was holding his vibro-axe in one hand, and was sharpening its blade with the whetstone in his other hand.

He halted in front of Fives, a bit too close for his liking, but he was an ARC trooper; he wasn't quick to be intimidated. Ragnar didn't look up from his axe as he addressed Fives. “If you ever hurt her, just know we'll come for you,” he said slowly, in a low and threatening voice. Fives raised a brow whilst slightly turning his head towards the sergeant. “And why would I do that?” he huffed. Ragnar shot him a quick look; there was a fire in his eyes. “You tell me,” he bit back, before wandering back to the other Lone Wolves.

Fives parted his arms and let them hang, shrugging his shoulders in a confused gesture. He watched as the squad granted him threatening looks - except for Twist, who was clearly very uncomfortable with everything.

Jesse came walking over, grinning from ear to ear as he slapped Fives on the pauldron, his other hand on his hip. “I see you're befriending wolves again,” he snickered. Fives shook his head. “Why are they all like that? Were they all personally raised by Wolffe or something?” Jesse couldn't help but laugh at the remark, although it was clearly less amusing to Fives.

“It’s escalating from bar fights into receiving serious threats now,” he continued his complaining, not letting the Lone Wolves out of his sight. Another chuckle from Jesse. “Brother, if I remember the stories correctly, you started that bar fight. Besides, it doesn't help you’re doing- you have a thing going on with their General,” he shot at him, an amused smile on his face.

With a wild shrug, Fives shook Jesse's hand from his pauldron. “So you're taking their side now?” he shot at his brother, but there was an amused tone in his voice. Jesse smirked. “Not at all. It's just.. I know what a pain in the shebs* you can be,” he laughed, bumping his shoulder into Fives’. “And I love you too, vod*,” Fives replied, putting his arm around Jesse's shoulder.

*shebs = ass | vod = brother

---

When Lupe neared the field command post, excitement started to well up within her. Already waiting at the post, she could see Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, accompanied by Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka. Lupe would never forget this day, where she and her Lone Wolves were going to accompany both the 212th Battalion and the 501st Legion on their mission.

When Ahsoka noticed Lupe, her face lit up. “Master Lupe!” she shot out, making the other Jedi look up at her. Lupe smiled; it hadn't been the first time Ahsoka had called her Master, and although she was far from ready from ever being one, it felt endearing coming from the Padawan. “Koh-to-yah, Ahsoka,” Lupe greeted her in Kel Dor, Master Plo Koon’s language, as she knew Ahsoka spoke some of it as well.

The Padawan’s eyes glistened. Anakin chuckled at her side, before turning towards Lupe. “It seems you already wrapped up my Padawan, but what about my Master?” he said teasingly, crossing his arms as he nodded towards Kenobi at his other side. “Former Master,” Obi-Wan corrected him with a sigh, before turning towards Lupe. “Glad to see you outside the High Chamber, for once,” he remarked to her, a bit stern, but with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Give her some slack, Obi-Wan. She was brave enough to stand up for the clones. That doesn't happen too often,” Anakin shot at his former Master. “Yes, which we all very much appreciate, but you're forgetting we still have a war to win,” Obi-Wan continued, more of an argument towards Anakin than holding it against Lupe. She stood just by, amused by the bickering, as Ahsoka joined her at her side. “They're always like this,” she whispered to Lupe, who couldn't help but snicker.

“If you had taken me off your leash, I could have finished this mission four rotations ago,” Anakin grunted, whilst pointing into the direction of the frontline. Obi-Wan stroked his ginger beard as he continued the discussion. “Although I appreciate the fact that would have given Cody some rest, I do have to remind you there are some delicate components to this mission. And we all know how things turn out when you get involved.”

Just when Anakin opened his mouth to return Obi-Wan’s wit, Cody cleared his throat to get their attention. He had been standing there during the entire discussion, and was too tired to hear any more of it. “I'm sorry to interrupt, Generals, but we have a campaign to complete,” he contributed to the conversation, sounding more tired with the minute.

Obi-Wan, standing next to him, briefly put his hand on his Commander's shoulder piece. “Do promise me you'll get some rest after this, Cody,” he said to him, concern in his voice. Cody slightly shook his head. “With all due respect, that solely depends on how quickly you ship us off to our next mission. Sir,” Cody shot back, before focussing his attention on the hovering holomap in front of them.

“If you could focus on the briefing for a moment, that would be much appreciated,” Cody sighed at last. Lupe couldn't help but chuckle as she gazed upon the chaos of these officers, and felt better about her own unique way of handling things.

“Quick heads-up for General Lupe, since she's fresh off the ship,” Cody started his briefing. “We've been trying to take a hold on Talbhin’s capital city, Talglee. Our initial intel seems to have been outdated, and the occupation proves harder than anticipated.” Lupe was sure she could hear a weary sigh under the Commander's helmet.

Lupe averted her gaze from the Commander when Captain Rex joined them at the command post. She stiffened when she noticed Fives was with him. She swallowed as she was trying to balance her thoughts, afraid the present Jedi would pick up any wandering feelings she wasn't supposed to have.

Obi-Wan turned towards Lupe, and for a moment, she thought he was going to address the shift in her emotions. But he was merely adding information to the briefing. “What our scouts seemed to have missed,” he said, his voice disgruntled, but Lupe didn't know who was to blame for the recon mission to retrieve the intel, “Is the fact that there was a Republic senator on an unapproved aid mission towards the capital.” Lupe noticed Cody shaking his head again.

“He was captured at arrival and is now being held hostage. We have to take cautious yet swift action if we want to accomplish both our goals; occupying the city and getting the senator out alive,” Obi-Wan elaborated. “And unharmed, preferably,” Anakin added.

Cody continued the briefing. “I'll get the 212th in position to hold our lines at the front, allowing us to advance as soon as you give the clear.” Anakin took over from Cody. “We're gonna get the 501st inside the city as a distraction for you, Lupe, so your squad can get in and secure the senator.”

Rex slightly leaned towards Lupe, his expression lost to her under his helmet. “Don't worry sir, I got my best distractor with me,” he chuckled, whilst subtly gesturing towards Fives. As Lupe grinned, Anakin crossed his arms. “I'm disappointed, Rex. I thought I was your best distractor.” Rex shook his head, a sigh under his helmet. “You, sir, are my worst responsibility,” he shot, making a grin on his General's face appear before Anakin turned towards Lupe again. “So Lupe, what are your thoughts?”

Lupe stepped forward, getting closer to the holomap. “Besides feeling privileged for witnessing this excellent briefing,” she started, resulting in a mixture of snickering and sighing around her, “I'd like to know the senator's current position.” She watched the holomap, aware of the shield that was guarding the city from wall to wall; they couldn't just hop over and enter through the front door.

Cody extended his arm to point at the holomap. “Our latest intel puts him in this spot,” he said, as he pointed out a tower at the side of the city, attached to what seemed like a luxurious residence. “What can you tell me about the place?” she asked the Commander, her gaze focussed on the area on the holomap. “Residential home of Talbhin’s most esteemed family. Associated with the Separatists, of course,” he answered her.

Lupe was silent for a moment, gently stroking her chin, pondering over an idea how they could handle this delicate mission. “You got any scans on underground tunnels, Commander?” she asked slowly, as a plan started to form in her mind. Cody hesitated for a moment, not sure what the General was aiming at. He added another layer to the holomap, showing some tunnels - exactly underneath the residence.

“How did you know there were any tunnels?” Cody asked her. A smirk appeared on her face. “An esteemed family on a hot, humid rainforest planet. They need a cooling cellar and storage for their wine inventory,” she elaborated, waving her hand as if it had been obvious all along. Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a silent look, both impressed and amused.

“They probably have a secret entrance to make restocking easier,” she continued, leaning forward as she examined the residence's area on the map up close. “There. That's our entry point,” she said eventually, pointing out a slight anomaly in the landscape, just outside the city's walls. “Alright, we'll divert their attention to this side of the residence,” Anakin added, as he pointed out the spot on the map.

“It's settled, then,” Obi-Wan finally concluded, nodding in agreement. “Cody, ready your men. Anakin, don't do anything I wouldn't do,” he addressed them, before turning towards Lupe. “Oh and Lupe; try not to destroy that wine inventory in the process,” he said with a somewhat concerned look on his face, but a hint of amusement in his voice.

Lupe grinned, before slightly bowing her head towards him. “I'll see what I can salvage,” she said, as Obi-Wan smiled at her. “Alright. May the Force be with you,” he concluded, before walking off with Commander Cody.

Anakin walked over to Rex and Ahsoka at Lupe's side of the holomap. “Alright Snips, time to get back into action,” he said to her, grinning from ear to ear. “Ready for it, Skygu- Master,” she shot back at him, before accompanying Rex to the troops. Fives lingered around, and Anakin shot Lupe an amused smile before wishing her good luck on her mission and walking off.

When it was finally just Lupe and Fives, she turned around towards him, placing her hands on her hips. “Yeah, Rex is right; you are quite the distractor.” Fives snickered proudly, before moving a bit closer to her. He would have loved to pull her close, but he knew he couldn't risk it; they were too exposed out here.

His demeanour changed and he awkwardly started fidgeting with the rim of his kama. “I, er- please be careful out there,” he said in a soft voice, before looking her in the eyes through his visor. Lupe smiled amused. “You're forgetting I was already being trained when you were still in a tube,” she laughed at him, bumping her fist against his chest armour.

For the briefest of moments, he put his hand on top of hers, as she held it on top of his chest. She tried finding his eyes through his visor, and a soft smile appeared on her face. “Same to you, trooper,” she whispered, before walking off to brief the Lone Wolves on their mission.

---

The boys got up from the crates when Lupe neared them, getting into focus. Fang crossed his arms before addressing her. “Let me guess, ‘stealth is the key’?” he asked, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. Lupe clicked her tongue, being as enthusiastic as ever. “You got it.”

She quickly briefed her troops on their mission, and since they had already readied themselves during Lupe’s absence, they were able to move out quickly. They left the rendezvous point on foot, so they wouldn't draw any attention as they found their way to the residence's walls.

They used the planet's foliage as cover as they advanced through the landscape, an occasional explosion in the distance reminding them of their mission's objective. They stayed as quietly as possible, afraid they would be detected otherwise - and let everyone down.

When they finally neared the residence's walls, they found cover behind some overhanging plants. It didn't take Lupe long to spot the hidden entrance, as the location stood out in the landscape. In a small hill near the wall, there was a discrete, angled door, almost like a hatch.

She pointed it out to the boys. “Why would you create such a weak point to your fortified city?” Fang whispered as he raised an eyebrow under his helmet in amazement. “Everything for booze, dear Fang,” Lupe replied in a whisper, a smirk on her face.

She got her comm device out and contacted General Skywalker. “We're in position,” she let him know in a soft, low voice. “Great, now wait for our signal,” Anakin's voice sounded over the transmission. And so they waited.

They didn't have to wait long. A massive electric shockwave, coming from an electromagnetic pulse grenade with long range, filled the sky near the city's main gate. Well done, Fives, Lupe thought with a smile on her face, knowing this was their cue.

She gestured to the boys to follow her before she crouched towards the hidden entrance. When she reached its door, she made room for Twist. “Alright, tell us if you need anything,” she whispered, as Twist got to work. Claw and Fang stayed on the lookout for any possible Separatist presence.

It took Twist longer than usual. He sighed and grunted as he was working, but the door stayed shut. “Talk to me,” Lupe shot at him eventually, as all of them were getting nervous; they had to get inside. “I-I-I’ve never s-seen anything like this b-b-before,” he stammered, taking him more effort to get the words out due to his nerves. “I-I’m afraid I'll t-t-trigger an i-internal alarm if I-I-,” he continued, before being interrupted.

Twist watched with pure anguish as Ragnar's vibro-axe found its way into the door's control panel. Electric whirring emerged from it, before the door slid open. Ragnar pulled his axe out of the crevice it had created, before putting his hand on Twist's shoulder. “Sorry vod*, time’s up,” Ragnar apologised in a low voice. Lupe shot Twist a comforting look, before helping him to his feet.

*vod = brother

They advanced into the tunnel cautiously, not knowing what they would find inside. The narrow hallway was dark, but the clones’ visors made them able to see clear enough whilst Lupe’s vision quickly adjusted to the darkness.

Silently, they made sure every adjacent room was clear before advancing towards the next room. They didn't encounter any threats; only lots and lots of wine. “I really prefer something stronger,” Fang sighed in disappointment.

When they finally found stairs, they didn't hesitate to use them, as they knew for sure they had to ascend the building if they wanted to reach the tower. Ragnar was in the front, his blaster comfortably on his left forearm to keep it steady. After what seemed an eternity of steps, they finally reached another level.

They had to make a choice: advance into the hallway in front of them to examine this storey, ascend more stairs, or get outside onto an adjacent balcony. As Lupe was making her choice, the mechanical voices of B1 battle droids came echoing through the hallway.

The squad jolted onto the balcony, making sure they stayed out of view as two of the droids passed them through the hallway and ascended the tower. “I definitely need some oil from all these stairs,” one of them yammered, followed by the other: “Yeah well, I need reprogramming after visiting that mouthy senator again.” Gotcha. Lupe smiled contently, as the droid had just told her they were nearing their target. The squad definitely was on the right track.

They waited until the droids descended the stairs again, returning into the hallway from where they had appeared earlier. Fang and Claw made themselves ready to get to the stairs, but Lupe stopped them. “Let's try something else,” she whispered, whilst looking up at the remainder of the tower above them.

There wasn't a lot of tower left. She guessed two storeys, three at the most. The balcony was an excellent position, as it gave a great overview of the area. They could keep an eye out on the fighting below, and could observe any patrolling droids in the hallway.

“Alright, I need you guys to stay put until I give a signal,” she told them, readying herself for some Force jumps. Before she could, Ragnar heavily put a hand on her shoulder piece to prevent her from leaving yet. 

“You have your comm device on you? I'm sure Cody's not gonna be happy if they have to rescue the rescue squad,” he said to her in a low voice, looking her straight in the eyes through his visor. Lupe's lips curled into a smirk and her brows raised into a confident frown. “Have some trust in me, sergeant,” she shot at him amused, toying the comm device around between her fingers as she showed it to him, without averting her gaze from his visor. She appreciated his concern, though.

“See you in a bit,” she said to them, before Force jumping upwards. She clanged to the tower's outside wall, before making another jump. And another. When she couldn't jump any higher, she pulled into the Force to focus.. And focus..

Yes, the senator was definitely on this storey. She could feel his presence. He didn't feel scared, but impatient, frustrated; annoyed, even? Making sure she had a good grip, she carefully released one hand, and slowly reached for her lightsaber's hilt. She could feel the nerves from the boys down below her, and silently scolded them for not putting more trust in her skills. She could do this.

She put the hilt against the tower's wall and ignited it. It went right through the masonry. Slowly and steadily, she moved her lightsaber around in a circle, just big enough to fit a grown human male through. When she finished the circle, she sheathed her saber and reattached the hilt to her belt.

Slowly, she Force pushed the stone circle inside the room, careful to not let it fall - she didn't want to draw unwanted attention. After she gently guided it to the floor, she jumped through the hole. With a smooth movement, she rolled over the ground before she got up on her feet.

There, in the room before her, stood a man in his forties, with a well kept hairdo, a thin moustache and a neatly trimmed goatee. His attire was elegant; his robes were more colourful than Lupe was used to seeing around the Jedi. His face lit up before he addressed her.

“Master Jedi! Finally someone civilised!” he called out, raising his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Don't get your hopes up too soon,” she shot at him, making little effort to sound amusing, as she took in her surroundings and made sure the room was clear before she allowed a smile on her face. “You must be Senator Organa,” she continued, walking past him to check on the door. Senator Organa followed her around with his gaze. “I am, and fully left into your hands, so it seems,” he replied.

Lupe raised a brow, not sure what to expect from a politician. She had never been this close to one before, and had gladly left the politics to them. “Let's see how capable they are,” she whispered under her breath in a reply to the senator, before returning to the hole in the wall. She carefully leaned outside, peeking down below before she got her comm device out.

“Ragnar, could you shoot up your grappling hook?” she asked through the device, before stepping back and waiting for her sergeant. Senator Organa subtly coughed behind her. “I was hoping we could use the stairs,” he said cautiously, forcing a smile on his face when Lupe looked at him over her shoulder. “Obviously, this isn't the Senate Building,” she remarked, quickly adding a ‘sir’, as she wasn't sure how to address a senator.

The grappling hook came jolting through the hole, hit the ceiling and bounced down to the floor, cable dangling behind it. Lupe picked it up and hooked it around the edge of the hole, tugging it with some force to make sure it held.

This time, she was the one receiving the comm transmission. “B1s incoming,” she heard in a whisper, but it was all the information she needed. She had to hurry. She jolted back towards the door, and with her ignited lightsaber, melted the door's locking system. It wouldn't give them much time, but any delay would help their departure.

She ran back towards the hole in the wall, and gestured outside. “Your ride is ready, Senator,” she said, her best attempt to sound civilised, as he was so much hoping for. Senator Organa swallowed before walking over to the hole and peeked outside. He had been trained in his younger years, but he felt like he was getting too old for these kinds of exercises.

As he was figuring out what would be the best way to descend, Lupe could hear the clanking legs of the droids as they neared the top of the stairs. “Now's the time, Senator,” she shot at him, all her efforts of sounding civilised failing. The senator nodded, and with some hiccups, managed to slide down the cable, where her troops took over in aiding him.

Lupe waited until the senator was back on his feet before she took the grappling hook and tossed it back down, making sure it was available to Ragnar again whenever he needed it next. She positioned herself inside the hole, and carefully Force pulled the stone circle back into it, making sure it would take the droids longer before noticing what had happened. At the last moment, she jumped clear to make room for the stone wall, and as it neatly fitted back into its original spot, she gracefully landed between her troops on the balcony down below.

“Piece of cake,” she smiled whilst wiping her hands. Senator Organa was still regaining his breath, as he looked at her in confusement. “I would like to agree with you, but it seems we're still finding ourselves on hostile ground,” the senator spoke, smoothing out his robe with his flat hands. Fang chuckled, before addressing the senator: “Wouldn't call it ‘ground’, sir.”

Lupe ordered Claw and Fang to watch the hallway and the stairs, knowing the B1s upstairs would notice the absence of their prisoner shortly. She wasn't planning on finding out what their alarm would trigger. She turned to her sergeant to concur with him. “Same way out?” she asked him, shooting a glance over his shoulder into the hallway, expecting more battle droids any moment now.

“Wait, you don't have a plan?” the Senator shot out in disbelief. “Improvising is our speciality, sir,” Ragnar told the senator, trying to ease his mind, but it might have resulted in the opposite of the desired effect.

Just as Lupe was readying herself to cross the hallway, aiming for the stairs down, Claw pushed his hand against her shoulder to stop her. “Overstayed our welcome again, sir,” he said in a low, serious voice. When Lupe cautiously looked around the corner, she noticed ranks of battle droids marching their way. Kark.

“Yeah, what's new,” she said under her breath, before turning around and walking to the edge of the balcony. She stared down, before turning towards the men. A smirk reappeared on her face. “I'm not going to like this, am I?” Senator Organa sighed, as Ragnar put a hand on the man's shoulder in comfort.

“Alright, it's grapplin’ hour,” she said amused, as the clones chuckled and readied their grappling hooks. The senator rubbed his temples, not looking forward to what was coming next. Ragnar kneeled down as Claw gently nudged the senator towards the sergeant, urging him to get on the clone’s back. Organa complied reluctantly; mostly because he didn't want to find out what his other options were.

The clones hung their hooks around the balcony’s bannister, checked if they held alright, and started their descent. Lupe stayed behind for a moment longer, making sure their descent progressed smoothly. When the droids neared her location, she jumped on top of the bannister. Just as they turned the corner and started aiming their blasters at her, confused about her presence on the balcony, she faced them, stretched out her arms horizontally and let herself fall backwards.

Organa gasped when the Jedi fell past him, but the clones didn't look up; they were used to Lupe doing things like this. She landed on her feet, straightened herself and looked up to her troops. “What's taking you so long?” she smirked at them, putting her hands on her hips casually.

The boys detached the cables from their belts and came falling down the last part, as the cables were some metres short. They now found themselves on the roof of the residence, and Lupe was overlooking the area to find their way out. The shield that guarded the city was still up, so they weren't able to jump off the ramparts. Going back into the tunnels seemed to be no option any longer either.

Lupe sighed as she turned around and walked over to her squad. They were adjusting their armour and gear after their somewhat hard landing, whilst Twist was helping the senator back to his feet. His previously well kept hairdo was a mess, his neat robes now in wrinkles. “I'm sorry Senator, dry cleaning is at the expense of the Republic,” Lupe shot at the senator, who was just beyond words. A huff was the only sound he made.

“Alright, squad,” she started as soon as they had gathered around her. “Seems our only way out is the obvious way in.” She pointed at the main gate, where the 501st was still raising hell. “I’ll let General Skywalker know we're heading their way, so hopefully they'll decrease any friendly fire.”

The senator stiffened beside Lupe. “Hopefully?” he proclaimed, his voice almost roaring. “I appreciate your rescue attempt, but I'm starting to think I might have a better chance of staying alive by talking my way out!” Lupe turned towards him, crossing her arms whilst patiently waiting until he was finished before addressing him.

“As it has come to my attention, your aid mission was unapproved, so you knew it was going to be a risk and you took it anyway. A lot of clones are risking their lives right now, giving us a chance to get you out, and I assure you, not all of them are going to make it. This is war. Please consider that the next time you sit comfortably behind your desk.”

He swallowed as her words sank into him, but she didn't wait around to see if he had anything else to say. She took out her comm device and contacted General Skywalker. “Lupe, what’s your status?” Anakin's voice asked over the transmission, almost shouting to get over the sounds of the fighting. “We picked up the package, but our initial exit is unavailable. We're heading your way,” she briefed him, making him aware of their arrival.

She turned around and faced the senator. “Sir, we would appreciate it if you'd come with us, so the clones’ sacrifices won't be for nothing,” she urged him, but it almost sounded like an order. “Of course,” he spoke softly, not daring to resist after her recent outburst.

---

As they found their way through the city's streets, she was fully aware of the vulnerable position they were in. She hated it, and she suddenly understood some of Wolffe's gruffy attitude after all the relief and rescue missions he'd been on.

What made her feel even worse, was the fact she had ordered her squad to protect the senator with their lives. She wouldn't forgive herself if anything happened to one of the boys, and she certainly wouldn't forgive the senator. But she deeply hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

When they neared the main gate, and the heavy fire with it, she commed Anakin to provide their current position. She turned towards her troops one last time before they would barge into the chaos. “Alright vode*, cover the senator, but be careful. I'll be at your side to protect you as best I can,” she said to them gently, looking into their visors one by one. “This isn't the worst we've been through,” she concluded, a faint smirk on her face as she was trying to give her speech an amusing twist. “Let's go.”

*vode = brothers

Lupe ignited her lightsaber before she turned around the corner. In the clearing in front of her, the main entrance looming at the back of it, the horrors of war were painfully present.

Explosions had torn holes into walls and roofs, buildings that had been homes to people, to families. Personal belongings were scattered about in the streets, being blown out of shattered windows.

Charred bodies and body parts of both native soldiers and clone troopers lay scattered around, and when she noticed the state of some of them, she realised they must have been laying here for the full duration of the campaign.

Huddled against a broken wall, hardly offering any cover, a 501st trooper sat rocking back and forth. He was grasping his upper arm, his lower arm barely attached to it anymore. Lupe's heart broke, but she couldn't help him.

She couldn't let her thoughts linger, as her objective was to get the senator to safety. The boys covered him with their armoured bodies as they found their way across the clearing, Lupe trying her hardest to deflect every laser blast that was being shot their way. An occasional shot made it past her, leaving a charred mark on the armour of her troops. She didn't realise it hurt her more than them.

A wave of relief washed over Lupe when she noticed Anakin and Ahsoka heading their way, troopers from the 501st not far behind. “Glad you're here to join the party, but it looks like they didn't grant us an invitation,” Anakin shouted out jokingly, but Lupe couldn't help but notice his eyes were dark, the death around them weighing a heavy toll on him as well.

The Jedi and his Padawan helped Lupe protect the senator and thus her squad, until they made it through the main gate. As Lupe made it through herself, she noticed there wasn't really any gate left. The only thing left was electrical whirring, remains of the electromagnetic pulse grenade’s explosion they had witnessed earlier.

When they had all made it through, Anakin commed his former Master. “Obi-Wan, we've made it out, including the senator. The city's all yours,” he told him, before the sounds of explosions and blaster fire increased behind them.

---

The adrenaline was still pumping through Lupe's veins when they made it to the rendezvous point. As the troopers scattered about to catch their breaths, to attend to injuries and nervesticks were being distributed, the Jedi and the senator found themselves at the field command post.

Anakin briefly put his hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder, a comforting gesture after what they had been through, before he turned towards Lupe. “What happened with the underlying tunnels, didn't they work as an exit as well?” he asked her with a smile, trying to lift some tension after the latest events. “Obi-Wan didn't want us to destroy those fine wines, so we had to find another way out, obviously,” she smirked at him, glad she was still able to come up with a witty remark after what she had just witnessed.

At her side, Senator Organa coughed subtly, as to get their attention without asking for it out loud. Lupe turned towards him, not sure if she could handle one more of his remarks. “Master Jedi, what- What is your name?” he asked instead, and she raised a brow in surprise. “It's Lupe. Just Lupe,” she replied, trying to be a bit more polite this time.

“Well, Just Lupe,” he started, a genuine smile appearing on his tired, sweaty face, “I'd like to thank you. And I'd like to apologise.” A bit startled, because she wasn't expecting neither, Lupe turned her whole body towards him, curious to learn what else he had to say.

“You were right; partly, at least. Back at the Senate, we do sit in our comfortable chairs, pondering over what laws and acts should pass or be turned down. But we're so far away from the war, unaware of the actual horrors it brings. Although I'd have rather not seen what I witnessed here, I thank you for reminding me today.”

As Lupe stood there, watching him and listening to him in silence, his body started shaking slightly as the adrenaline wore off. He put his hand up in an apologetic way, before continuing. “Now please excuse me, I have to sit down, because I'm clearly not meant for this close-up action anymore.” Lupe couldn't help but smile in an affectionate way; maybe this politician wasn't that bad after all.

A LAAT gunship descended in their proximity, and Anakin walked over to the senator to put his hand on his shoulder. “There's your ride, Senator. Our troops will look after you until you're back at Coruscant,” he comforted Organa. The senator nodded in thanks, before turning towards Lupe again.

“If you ever have a moment to spare, come find me at the Senate Building. Maybe we can have a more civilised talk at my comfortable desk, talk things out,” he said to her, choosing his words carefully to amuse her, but he meant them anyway. Lupe made a small bow towards him. “I'd like that,” she said in a soft voice, the corners of her mouth forming a careful smile.

“Good to know this all resulted in something positive after all,” he concluded with a wry smile, before excusing himself and walking towards the gunship, being aided by a medic. Before he reached it, he turned around one last time. “Give Kenobi my greetings,” he shouted over the roaring engines of the ship, before he boarded it.

Lupe watched the gunship take off and disappear into the sky, coursing towards the Venator-class cruiser, hovering far above them in space. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Anakin bumped his elbow into her, a smirk on his face. “You just managed to make a politician admit they were wrong,” he said, almost laughing. “Partly,” she corrected him, sharing his amusement.

…

Epilogue

After a very informal debriefing with Anakin and Ahsoka, standing straight started to become harder and harder for Lupe. She thanked them for aiding her squad during their retreat, and excused herself to go check on her men. Before leaving, she made them promise to let Obi-Wan know to share the wine with the troopers as well; they could definitely use some, once they were done here.

The Lone Wolves had made themselves comfortable at the cargo crates in front of their ship again. They had partly taken off their armour, attending to some minor injuries and fixing their damaged armour pieces. She checked on them, and was glad to see they were doing fine; there was nothing out of the ordinary, as this had just been another mission. Lupe excused herself, as she had one last thing to attend to before they could return to Coruscant.

She wandered off into the foliage behind their ship. As the adrenaline was finally wearing off, she felt she was falling apart. She was used to being that tough, witty Jedi General, finding amusement even in the direst of situations to keep up morale, to keep up appearances. But days like this made it kriffing hard to be a General, to be a Jedi. It was taking so much energy to balance her emotions, and now that she was finally alone and was able to give into them, they crushed her like a little shuttle in a meteor field.

Not having the luxury to stop during a mission to allow her body and mind some rest. Being constantly afraid to let the Jedi Order and the clones down, the Republic and the Galaxy with it. The infinite fear of losing one of her men. Not being able to handle another loss. Not having the opportunity to grieve those losses, and the death and devastation of the war all around her. Every day.

Her legs failing her, the dark thoughts getting the better of her, she sank to her knees and hid her face behind her hands. On days like this she felt weak and incredibly powerless, just a small pawn in a dark and menacing galaxy, creeping up and surrounding her before swallowing her whole, spitting her out in a vast, lonely emptiness without ending. The darkness started to consume her.

And then, suddenly, the light reappeared when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in an embrace, tightening the grasp when she started sobbing uncontrollably, the tears rolling down her cheeks in an endless flow of anguish and anxiety. “It's okay, I'm here,” Fives whispered, making sure she could feel whatever emotion she wanted as he cradled her in his arms.

This is where the fun angst begins.