#again no Jasper he doesn’t like these games

[the-colours-system]

Ok game time, what’s your opinion on one of us? Anon or off anon

[xetlynn]

Twilight- Youngest Shadow: Chapter One, Two Sisters, Dad

(Alice X Reader X Jasper)

[one] [two]

I was never a people person, not wanting to rely on someone.

Especially family, I didn’t need help.

I am not vulnerable, I couldn’t be. I saw how it affected people on a daily. High schoolers in relationships getting dumped, cheated on, having to many dramas in between them.

It was unnecessary.

I had my small circle and most of them were blood related to me.

My mom, my sister, Bella, and my father who lived across the country.

Oh, and my best friend. But practically family.

I’m content in my lifestyle too. I didn’t need pity from anyone. Either way that’s what I get from everyone. Even my older sister who tried to act like she understands.

My life was consistent. Making sure my mom was happy, helping my sister from losing her mind because of mom needing so much adventure. Other than doing that I played sports, practicing everyday.

Trying my best, not to be the best but to keep up my adrenaline. Running helps the most.

Adrenaline kept me alive, if I could jump off an airplane I would. I would do every crazy thing imaginable just because of the adrenaline that came with it.

Even little things can entice me. My piercings, having to make them a secret from coaches to play sports. Riding my motorcycle anytime was the best feeling after getting it.

I snuck out a few times, not even to do crazy things but to just say I did it.

You would think living in Arizona helped me with keeping my adrenaline up but you’d be wrong. It’s the same thing everyday now. I know what’s around.

And the heat, don’t get me started.

As much as I love my mom, I wanted to be in a forest hiking, see a fucking wild animal that could attack me. Jump off cliffs for the hell of it. Ride my motorcycle on different roads.

Seeing my dad, maybe join him in action. Hunt with him even.

Speaking of which, I stood beside Bella, my older sister by 10 months. She had just said goodbye to some “friends” who seemed like they could care less that she was leaving.

I turn to see our mom walking out of the house, so much energy balled into one person. She had hints of sadness and anxiety pulled on her face, trying to hide it with being happy for us.

She thrusts a phone into the hands of my sister, “It won’t work again, baby.” She frowned, her face always looked like it moved with every feeling she had. Never being able to hide how she felt. “You put it on hold.” Bella points out, the tiniest bit amused.

“I did?”

I smirk, trying to stop myself from laughing.

As much as it is funny it is worrisome, how will we reach her if she doesn’t even know how to work a phone.

“Look, you also called Mexico.” Renée pushes Bella, nudging me as well as the three of us laugh.

“I’ll figure it out. You gotta be able to reach me and Phil on the road.” She exclaims right before she gets excited. “I love saying that,” she grins, “On the road.”

“Very romantic,”

“Very.”

Bella and I both say, silently glancing at each other.

Phil comes up behind our mom, “If you call crappy motels, back water towns and ballpark hot dogs romantic.” He jokes, well partially since he was serious.

He places a Phoenix Desert Dogs baseball hat on Renées head, along with kisses her.

Looking at them partly soothes my nerves about leaving mom. I’m sure Bella feels the same since we practically took care of her for so long. Even though it should’ve been the other way around.

Phil walks away, to finish packing the car with our things. Renée grabs a hold of both of our arms, clinging to us as we walk to the vehicles.

I’m driving my motorcycle, mom wanted to get a trailer for it since it’s a really long drive but I convinced her not to. I couldn’t sit in a car with them for that long.

Plus I have a feeling Charlie is going to force me to anyway.

“Now you know if you two change your minds, I’ll race back here from wherever the game is.” Her face strained trying to hide how even though it would be a sacrifice she would still do it for us.

“You don’t have to worry.” I force a smile, Bella doing the same.

“We won’t change our minds mom.”

“You might, Bella. You’ve always hated Forks.” That’s true, I usually visited more than her. I had a closer relationship to dad, due to my interest of hunting like him.

“It’s not about Forks, it’s about dad. I mean unlike [Name], I went two weeks a year. We barely know each other.” She explains but I think it just worsened our moms worried expression. “Mom, I’m fine. I want to go. I got [Name] there with me.” She looked between us, hugging her eldest, whose face drops once she knew her mom couldn’t see it. It was full of dread and doubt. I also noticed the regret but kept quiet when she wants to bring it up she will.

They let go and Bella climbs into the car, moms attention going to me.

“I want you behind us at all times, you do not pass this vehicle. And no swerving.” She furrows her eyebrows, staring at me. “And don’t be stupid.” I add with a smirk, she rolls her eyes in a humorous way.

“I just want my baby girl safe.” She pouts, pulling me into a tight hug. “You don’t have to worry with me.” I miss her cheek, pushing out of the hug as I knew it would’ve been longer if I didn’t.

“Alright helmet and jacket and let’s go!” She pats my butt, reaching over and getting my helmet to give it to me. She gets into the van and I adjust my wired earbuds so one goes into my ear, stuffing the rest into my jacket and zipping it up.

I pull my helmet on and I press play on my iPod.

Getting to Washington State was a breath of fresh air, not only for my tired hand but the change of view and weather. My sister called it gloomy, never paying attention to the beauty of it all.

Dad surprisingly let me continue driving my bike, it was bittersweet for me. Really it was because he forgot the trailer. I kind of wish he did bring it because slouching like this for hours is not exactly fun. My back will be aching for weeks.

I’m just glad I didn’t have to sit in the awkward atmosphere of them two in that cruiser.

We passed a sign that said “The City Of Forms Welcomes You. Population 3246.”

I smile to myself.

Passing all of the familiar buildings I was missing felt amazing.

We pulled into Charlie’s driveway, I take my helmet off, sitting up straight for the first time in a few hours. Charlie comes over and messes with my hair as I climbed to his torso like a little kid. We laugh and he hugs me back.

I was the first to get into the house, putting my things right in my room. Really throwing them on the ground and rushing back out to see if Bella needs any help. My room was the only one downstairs. Dad had to make add it onto the house when they found out they were having me surprisingly.

I was truly the accident out of the two. Only three months after Bella was born was when I came around.

“I put Grandpas desk in your room. And I cleaned some shelves in the bathroom for you two.” He was mainly speaking to Bella. I watched her grimace. “That’s right, one bathroom.”

I followed her eyes around the house, going straight to a picture of our parents when they were younger and in love. “I’ll put these up in your room.” Charlie motions to her bags.

“I can’t do it.”

I silently stand there as they both reach for the bags, awkwardly bumping into each other causing me to cringe at the scene.

She backs off, letting him do it anyway. Which she should’ve done in the beginning. And I wouldn’t have seen that go down.

After that… experience, I followed my dad to the living room. “That was, nice.” He pauses for a minute before sighing. I place a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll get better. This is just new for both of you.” I smile sweetly and he nods, swinging an arm around my shoulders. But internally I’m just hoping I’m right. It’s going to be a long two years if I’m wrong. “What would I do without you?” He nudges me.

He lets go of me, telling me about how Billy and Jacob should be here soon to drop off surprises they’ve been working on. The one for Bella I knew about.

And right after it was spoken into the air we heard a honk outside.

I stand up straighter and run outside. A boy my age hops out of the red truck, rushing to give me a hug. “Jacob!” I laugh, this was the best friend I was talking about. My absolute best friend.

“Bella, you remember Billy Black.” Charlie speaks up, obviously Bella came outside after hearing the honk as well.

I let go of Jacob, “Glad you two are finally here. Charlie hasn’t shut up about it since you two told him y’all were coming.” He teases our dad, both Jacob and I snicker at the two who have always acted like this.

“Keep exaggerating, I’ll wheel you down the hill.” He tells the man who’s in a wheelchair.

“Right after I ram you in the ankles.” Billy goes after Charlie who dodges. Jacob shakes his head, I take him up to Bella. Poking him to say something.

“I’m Jacob, we made mud pies together when we were little kids.” He exclaims, she squints almost unnoticeably. “Yeah I think I remember.”

“Are they always like this?” She points to the two dads. “It’s getting worse with age.” He jokes.

Jacob always had a crush on Bella, so it was cute watching him finally be able to interact with her and not be a nervous little kid.

Cutting us out of our small silence Charlie pats the hood of the truck. We didn’t even notice they stopped messing around. “So what do you think of your homecoming gift?” He grins proudly. I watched my sisters face contort to confusion to happiness. “No way. The truck is for me?” Turning my focus to my dad who was soaking in her excitement. “Just bought it off Billy here.”

“I rebuilt the engine.” Jacob adds in.

“It’s perfect.” Her smile grew bigger, and more genuine. It was great to see her eager and happy about something. Her and Jacob rush to the truck so he could explain everything to her.

My dad snuck up to me, handing a small box. I look up at him confused. “Open it.” He motions. I stare at it for a minute, glancing over to Billy who puts his hands up as to say he knew as much as I did.

I bit my lip, opening the box carefully.

It had a locket inside, the same locket I would stare at in the window of an abandoned antique store that no one would clean out. The place I begged my dad to go into just to get me that necklace.

“The place finally got cleaned out and I just happened to be on patrol before they got rid of it.” He tells me.

“It doesn’t have a picture in it yet but I thought you could pick one you’d like.” I threw my arms around him, “it’s beautiful.” I pulled away to look at it in my hands again as it was a delicate flower.

[daezedglownut]

I thought I’d already found all the possible little hints in XI that Sylvando/Sylvia is trans-coded.

There’s the throwaway party chat line at the French private school:

Ah, to travel from place to place collecting mini medals, learning all about the world and blossoming into lovely young ladies! The students of this school are so lucky!

If we find any mini medals on our travels, we should bring them back here right away so that we can blossom into lovely ladies too! Wouldn’t that be wonderful, honey?

There’s the fact that Sylv in Act 2 bends down to pick up items in the exact same way the girls at the academy practice with mini medals, echoing the statue at the gates of ‘La Collectrice’ - “an elegant young lady picking up a gold medal in a distinctly dignified fashion”.

Very demure. Very mindful.

There’s also the name angle to consider. Though it could be argued that if you leave home and don’t want news of where you are getting back to your dad, you’d probably go by a pseudonym or a stage name. So I don’t think that Sylvando/Sylvia not going by Norberto is a very strong piece of evidence at all.

Adding to that, the fact he ran away from home could yet be seen as a gay young man running away because he didn’t feel accepted at home. But it could also be a trans character doing the exact same thing, so I’d say it’s still very plausible. Not to mention Sylvando inadvertently following in his mother’s footsteps during Act 2 with his gang of gay little ducklings, as mentioned by the Ringmaster is actually a really cute detail, however you want to slice it:

I saw her when I was just a child. She was simply the most incredible performer… She led a parade of people out of a kingdom destroyed by monsters, and on to a new home and a brighter future. And she kept them smiling from start to finish! You can’t imagine how inspirational it was for those of us who were lucky enough to wave them on their way.

You remind me of her, you know. The look on her face as she proudly led all those people out of danger, spreading joy and laughter wherever she went…

Then there’s the fact Sylvando/Sylvia goes by female pronouns in the JP version of the game. Again, not concrete evidence based on the fact that “extremely flamboyant gay male characters” in JP media are often (sadly) treated in the exact same way, reducing them to a comic relief sort of “hodgepodge mix of everything queer” Okama stereotype. This doesn’t erase their cisness or their homosexuality. But I can see why from a western viewpoint it might seem like really strong evidence of their transness when it’s something particular to Japan that got lost in translation. The closest comparison I can think to make to “make it make sense” is in the west where gay femme—but entirely cis—males call one another “she” and “her”.

However, I found what could be the most concrete “HEAR ME OUT” evidence completely by accident:

Boxer shorts are a common suit of armor in the Dragon Quest series. They are generally considered a gag piece of equipment notable for their low defensive properties and they can only be worn by male characters.

And wouldn’t you know it, only the Luminary, Erik, Rab, and Hendrik can equip the boxer shorts in XI…

I checked.

Now. I don’t want to say this is canonical or 100% proof by any means. Sylvando could just be a flamboyantly gay man who has too much self respect than to be seen dead in those striped monstrosities. After all, I can’t imagine someone like Jasper would deign to equip them either lol

What I love most about Sylvando/Sylvia is how open to interpretation the character is. I’ve seen so many conflicting theories that are all written beautifully, and all hold merit. (I myself enjoy dabbling with how I interpret the character depending on the needs of the story I’m writing, and whatever tf my gender is doing on any given day…)

And the best thing about Sylvando/Sylvia is the overwhelmingly positive reception to the character from fans. How Sylv could’ve been a cheap throwaway gag without substance, yet arguably became the character who ‘stole the show’ at every turn and got some of the best storylines.

In the end, I didn’t want to save the world for the rest of Erdrea - I just wanted to do it so Sylv could go home and make up for lost time with his adorable, crotchety dad! 🥺💕

[dragonmasterkaylz]

Emotional Support Hufflepuff

“Theodore!!! You must dump that Mudblood, and you must become a Death Eater!!! Do you want to betray us?!! For a Mudblood?!! Have you lost your mind?!! At one point, you didn’t care, and suddenly you do?!! What in Merlin is wrong with you?!! You’re a disgrace to our kind!!! You are no longer my son”.

Theodore woke up in the middle of night and he just groaned before mumbling, “Fuck you Dad…”. He just grabbed a cigarette and lit it before sitting near the window. He sighed as he saw his dorm mate wake up to the sound of his lighter and he sighed. “Another?” “Yeah… pretty much. It never stops, not since I told my Father that I wouldn’t become like him”. Mattheo groaned and asked, “What has she done to you…?!” “Showed me that there’s a right way. And ending up in Azkaban isn’t it”, Theodore told him. “And what if the Dark Lord wins? What then?” “Then I’m fucked”.

Meanwhile, Aurora was up, studying and she yawned when she spotted Jasper trying to steal something again. “Accio”. He came flying towards her and then she caught him before saying, “I’m not in the mood… okay, Jasper?” He squeaked and then settled into her lap, before falling asleep. As she slowly started to fall asleep, she heard her Owl fly in and she sat up before petting her, taking the letter from her. “‘I need you to come into the Slytherin Common Room tonight. I’ll be waiting outside for you’”, she read. “… What now?” She laid Jasper in his bed and then walked out, wand in hand. ‘I swear, if it’s nothing… I’ll definitely hit him’.

She used the Disillusionment Charm to get around, as it was way past curfew, and once she reached the Slytherin Common Room, she revealed herself. “It’s too late for your games, Mattheo. What, exactly, do you want?”, she asked. He sighed and pulled himself off the wall before saying, “Theo hasn’t been himself lately. After telling his Father that he refuses to be a Death Eater… because of you, he’s been tormented with nightmares. He doesn’t sleep anymore. Can you please help him?” Aurora frowned and said, “You’re doing this for yourself, aren’t you?” He just kept quiet before entering the Common Room with her. “Helga, help me…”, she muttered under her breath. “Theo!!!”

He walked down and saw Aurora, in a jumper, but it was obvious that she was just as tired as he was. He pulled his friend to the side and asked, “Why did you bring her here?!” “So, I can get some sleep!” After he was released, Mattheo ran back to his dorm and left Theodore alone with Aurora. “Fucking hell. I’m sorry. He only thinks about himself…”, he told her. “Yeah?! I figured as much!”, she replied before sitting down on one of the sofas. She patted the seat next to her and he sat down. “You could’ve just gone back to sleep…! Why did you come all the way here? It could’ve been a sick prank”. She sighed and then held up her wand, which made him chuckle. “I knew it had something to do with you anyway, since you haven’t been you… lately. And during study sessions, you just seem to fall asleep”, Aurora explained. “So, you did notice…”.

She nodded and then leaned again him, causing him to lay down. Aurora curled up against him and said, “I care about you, Teddy”. He smiled and ran his hands up and down her back before saying, “My Father has kind of disowned me, just for being in love with you”. Aurora sighed and mumbled, “Do you care about my blood? About where I came from?” Theodore shook his head and said, “For a while, I was conflicted… but then I realised that Muggle-Born Witches are just as intelligent, if not more so than Purebloods. But no… I don’t care. I think that’s what pisses him off so much to be honest”. She looked at him and smiled before saying, “I’m glad. Also, I love you”. “Heh… I love you too, Aurora”. Then she leaned in and kissed him very sweetly before snuggling into his chest. He turned a little and held her properly, kissing her head, before they both fell asleep. The two were just as exhausted.

But there were no more nightmares…

And, there was no more stress….

They just had each other, and that’s what mattered.

Extra:

Draco and his gang all watched as Theo slept on the sofa, looking more peaceful than ever before. Aurora was the same way and they all sighed. “I think these two are a bit too tired to go to any class”, Pansy said as she threw a blanket over the two. Draco frowned. “What? Are we covering for them now?” Mattheo just sighed and said, “Yeah, we are. Just leave them be. It is my fault she’s here, but here’s a positive, at least we don’t have to deal with Theo’s sour face. It would have been only a matter of time before he snapped. I apologise Draco, but he needs her”. Pansy nodded as she said, “Also, they look pretty cute together, don’t they?” Draco rolled his eyes and left with the others.

“I think I can get used to her being around”.

“Yeah, me too. Again, they are cute”.

END

[prospitsdream]

urghhthinking of well?? guardianswap but not really since no guardians are actually swapped.

pretty much a role/personality? swap of some sort.

june’s dad would be the one preparing her for the apocalypse in weird ways. pranks gone wrong, the Proud of You Son notes are kinda tinged in a sadness. i dunno how else to describe this. maybe he was warned by nanna who got informed. she would complain as if this is Normal Pranking but its not girlget out.

rose’s mom died, leaving her in the woods with firstguardian jaspers and a whole lab to explore (aka MAD SCIENTIST ROSE MAD SCIENTIST ROSE). i think this would make her much more paranoid… and maybe looking for guidance from a specific white orbhead guy. yikes. im sure this will have no repercussions at all.

dave gets bro.. who DOESN’T do All Of That? still emotionally neglectful but more of a stereotypical brother instead of setting all of that up. the traps are still there but no fireworks its just puppets. still a douche. hes… slightly more chill i guess.

jade gets an ALIVE GRANDPA?!?!?! but hes neglectful like he was with his other kids. bec isnt a first guardian anymore, but a normal dog. grandpa is off trying to get more involved w shit for the game while also missing crucial pieces by accidentally settint jade to the side. jade goes “grandpa today i dreamed i was on a yellow planey and i saw you in the clouds dead” and grandpa goes “Thats nice dear let me finish on the phone now”.

and lord . the alpha kids

jane and jake are the ones being sent into the future, with jane’s setup initially being provided by famous comedian john crocker w/ help from crockdad while jake has a very hightech place set up by Grandma :) im sure growing up isolated will allow these people to grow up normally with no repercussions. (well we saw how it affected one but u know what i mean)

roxy was growing up in the woods with her mom until batterwitch assassination moment. YIKES. out of isolation she clones a bunch of cats and idolizes her mom way too much. also again, paranoid to the max now.

dirks bro is. well hes raising dirk at least that counts for something. periods of no contact with the guy since hes doing shit to periods of massive doting really warp a guys perspective on affection. who wouldve thought.

[teaandinanity]

7KPP Week, Day 1: Background (remix)

Fair warning to my followers, it is that time again and I'm gonna be posting Nonsense for the next week (if the executives function and I manage to be productive) or at least a few days of it (if the executives are typically dysfunctional).

Putting this under a cut because just the blather is Long and then the ficlet for Baby Weaver Valya is Longer.

Day 1's prompts were

What is your character's background and why did you pick it? How do they feel about it? If you've talked about this before, you can instead consider the following: Have you considered using an existing MC for one of the secret backgrounds? Is there another background you think might be interesting for your MC? Elements of another background you could incorporate into them for an AU?

Calanthia is a Widow because I wanted a Katyia's Legacy MC and found Widow easiest to min/max. Valeriya came into existence because I did Lyon’s date on Calanthia just to see what it was like and immediately said ‘oh no’ because it is My Exact Jam. Then I went ‘… does he still say you’re a good person if you are Entirely Morally Neutral’ and then the answer was YES and I got brainworms SO bad. Valya hates pretty much everything about being a Widow because everything about her backstory is worse than Calanthia’s. Anthy’s parents are bumbling idiots with no financial or political acumen but she and her siblings figured out how to manage them by the time she was like 13. Valya’s parents are genuinely bad people made infinitely worse by unhappiness with their circumstances and are cruel to each other and their children and the next-oldest of her siblings actively hates her and tries to ruin her life on a regular basis. Anthy’s marriage was of course mercenary but it was also mutually beneficial and she and her husband were friends. Valya’s marriage was a nightmare; she was justifiably terrified going in, she was way too young, she went through with it mostly because she knew she’d outlive him even if she had to get blood on her hands to make sure of it and because otherwise her mother (who hated her a lot for being ‘the reason’ she had to marry her husband and therefore also ‘the reason’ her life has sucked so much since) would have seen her married to less advantage and to someone she really would have been shackled to for the rest of her inevitably-much-shortened life. Anthy is older and well-adjusted. Valya is still in her teens, traumatized, and just DESPERATELY wants to be safe. The main thing they have in common is that they fall in love and go ‘oh no.’

I’ve considered making Valeriya a Weaver, and I really want to try that once the secret backgrounds are in the game! It’s interesting to consider how DIFFERENT her life would have been if her mother had NOT married her father and just gone off to the countryside and then sent her oops baby away to be raised by her sister in Arland. Valya would be so much more well-adjusted under those circumstances, so she’s probably much happier and way less tentative with Lyon.

Probably also less careful in general, and more apt to meddle, so I imagine there’s at least one extra assassination attempt. The rest of her life probably looks very similar, though; after her marriage, even a very traumatized Valya grows into her new life and eventually feels very happy and safe.

I’ve also considered making Anthy a Weaver because I think it would be fun to do Jasper’s romance on a Weaver. I have considered making her a Historian for the same reason and because that would make the ‘you don’t have to act. I will.’ line hit like a TRAIN. We'll see how I feel about all of that once the secret BGs are in; the one I'm sure of is that I'll be trying Weaver Valya.

With that initial meta babbling out of the way:

On to the Fic!

She isn’t in the least Arlish and she is made to know it very young. She doesn’t mind, though; she looks like her aunt, and her uncle looks at both of them like they’re marvelous.

The fifth time she is allowed to attend a dinner party with her guardians, the first time she is permitted to separate from both of them to play with a few of the other children present, one of the other guests says something unkind. Valeriya hardly notices; the lady isn’t very important, and her opinion is so much hot air. But the other children freeze, and look at her, and she realizes she has to respond. Valeriya raises her chin the way she has seen her aunt do and says,

“I see why you’ve come over to play with the children, Lady T--- - you certainly still need a governess to teach you manners.”

It’s not the graceful set-down her aunt might have managed, but she’s nine. And the adults close enough to overhear all seem to feel, nonetheless, that she’s won the bout, especially when the lady flushes and flounders and can’t seem to come up with a rejoinder.

When they leave, her aunt slips her a few dried cranberries, clearly a reward, and her uncle puts a warm hand on the crown of her head with an approving smile.

“Well done, little Valiant.”

Her aunt laughs and asks why he’s never given her an Arlish nickname drawing him into a bantering conversation that means Valeriya doesn't have to respond. Instead, she considers the name. It’s a nice gift. She likes it.

Courage isn’t a virtue often ascribed to Arlish girls, but then--

She’s not Arlish.

--

Aunt Eleonora has been away for a week visiting friends. That’s what she said when she left, at least – that she was going to visit two of her friends. It may or may not be true; it’s entirely possible that she is instead averting an international incident, or perhaps even causing one, but if it’s either of those, she didn’t see fit to mention it to Valeriya prior to her departure, and Valeriya didn’t notice any of the usual signs and appurtenances of an aunt intending to involve herself in something exciting.

Regardless, factually, Aunt Eleonora is presently from home. In her absence, Uncle Earnest is the one who receives the post.

He isn’t the type to open anything addressed specifically to his wife. He’s good like that. Eleonora genuinely loves him because he’s good like that. Also because he doesn’t ask too many questions if someone turns up dead somewhere she’s recently been, even if it’s someone he knows her to have been profoundly annoyed with. Valeriya honestly cannot tell if he deliberately cultivates a certain ignorance or if it has simply never occurred to him – a good man, in the pure and simple manner of a friendly dog – that his wife may occasionally moonlight in murder.

It likely helps that Aunt Eleonora is scarcely taller or broader than Valeriya, who at fourteen is far from finished growing, and has wide, innocent eyes that she can use to great effect. Aunt Eleonora isn’t what people imagine when they picture a murderer. It’s not as if she does the thing with her own hands, but she’s certainly culpable for at least two deaths, and that’s just the ones Valeriya knows about.

Valeriya feels that she probably ought to disapprove of that. Probably.

In principle, certainly, she disapproves of murder.

Duke Adam absolutely deserved it, though; she spoke to the maid who was serving them while they visited and she’d have swung a poker at the back of his head herself if she’d thought a twelve-year-old girl could muster sufficient force to do the thing in a sufficiently decided fashion to effect the desired result. Whoever her aunt arranged to deliver the blow had significantly more arm strength than Valya can ever personally aspire to. Might’ve been one of the stable boys, but in this case, Valeriya elected to cultivate her own willful ignorance so that dropped hints would elicit only the truest blank incomprehension.

Aunt Eleonora approved; it doesn’t do to cause problems for the people willing to do your dirty work.

Cold-blooded murder generally ought to be avoided. Of course it ought. Occasionally, however, someone thinks power will insulate them from the consequences of being a horrible person. Aunt Eleonora does not think that ought to be the case.

Valeriya can't bring herself to disagree, and so she cannot disapprove of her aunt's inclination, in such instances, to be a surgical implement that excises such cancer from the body of their adoptive nation.

Valeriya once overheard one of her aunt’s friends imply it was the Revairan in them, and of course their birth nation has acquired a certain reputation for bloody hands and ruthlessness. It’s a silly conclusion, though.

She’s overheard enough conversations in the halls of power, sheltering in her aunt’s shadow. She knows how cheaply Arlish nobles hold the lives of a hundred, even a thousand, peasants. They pretend to be appalled by the bloody purges in their neighbor, but dressing suffering and sacrifice up in courtly manners and talk of duty doesn’t reduce the resultant suffering. Pretty words don’t make their own victims any less dead.

Valeriya has been informed she is not allowed at court again until she’s better at keeping her face as still as her tongue. She’s good at being quiet. She’s less-skilled, apparently, in keeping her judgmental disapprobation from showing when people are being overtly terrible right in front of her at dinner.

In any case, for reasons benign or otherwise, her aunt is from home, and thus it is Uncle Earnest who receives the post.

Valeriya saw the envelope; the direction was only to this house, not to her aunt specifically. It came from Revaire.

Likely more bad news; the news from Revaire is never really good. The most recent round of purges seems to be over, but the current regime won their throne with blood and have shed significantly more to maintain it. The internal unrest has made them uneasy neighbors, although Valya personally thinks that the turmoil makes them unlikely to actually have the strength to threaten other nations, particularly Arland; with the marriage alliances currently in place, anyone attacking Arland is liable to find themselves facing the combined armies of three nations on the field.

Her aunt has been upset by much of what they’ve heard, although not upset enough to set up reprisals against anyone. Valya sympathizes somewhat, but she doesn’t know anyone in Revaire, not the way her aunt does. Aunt Eleonora grew up there, and does not entirely despise her family. Valeriya wasn’t even born in the ancestral home of their family, and was fetched across the border with a wetnurse before she was two weeks old.

The conviction that it is bad news is borne out by the way her uncle acts when he comes back out of his study. He spends much of lunch very overtly not staring at her, and much of the afternoon passing by the doorway while their governess oversees their history lesson – or rather, while Valeriya is engaged in the process of a takeover, because she’s better-read on Katyia and the first Summit than Miss Henrietta, and she loves this subject, and Merit is asking questions which Henrietta is not equipped to answer without consulting reference materials but which Valeriya knows by heart.

He finally does address her, when Henrietta has taken Merit off to help her dress for dinner – an indignity she, at ten, has not yet escaped, but which Valeriya, at the advanced age of fourteen, has been long-since liberated from.

(Merit likes people helping her dress. Valeriya personally prefers to see to her own affairs. Aunt Eleonora says Merit is well-adapted to life in Arland, but she says it with a certain tone that carefully contains no disappointment; there’s a reason she takes Valeriya with her on some of her visits but almost always leaves Merit at home, and it’s not solely down to their respective ages.)

“Valya, dear,” Uncle Earnest says, sad-eyed as a hound dog, soft-voiced. Yes, assuredly bad news. She finds herself more curious than trepidatious, but holds herself very still and looks up at him. Not so far, though, not anymore.

“I’m so sorry,” he tells her gently. “Your mother is dead.”

For half a heartbeat, all she feels is confused.

She doesn’t have a mother. She has an aunt and an uncle and two cousins. But she takes her cue from her uncle’s expression even before she's really managed to make herself understand the information: She ought to be upset. She pushes her face into something more appropriate than blank incomprehension, wide eyes and raised brows, a soft mouth, and her uncle – a good man to his bones – reaches for her shoulder, offering contact, and then folding her into a comforting hug that she receives with real gratitude when she leans into it.

It lets her hide her face and think.

She has never met her mother. Well, she must have, after a fashion, but not really. Not as a person rather than a squalling larvae full of needs rather than thoughts. Now, she supposes, she never will.

Should that upset her?

She feels very little about the matter. A stranger is dead. Many strangers die every day; she is only moderately bothered about it, in general.

In this case…

Maybe it's awful, but she thinks she may be a little relieved. She can never be made to leave this life, which is comfortable and familiar, and be taken away to a strange place simply because the people there have a claim on her by being her nearest blood kin.

She will have to be careful not to let that show.

--

Aunt Eleonora tries, the year she turns sixteen, to talk to her about boys. About trouble girls can get into, liking boys.

Valeriya realizes, repulsed,

“Is this because Baron Cammus’s son was being stupid at me?”

It’s safe, here, to be so gracelessly blunt; they’re alone in Aunt Eleonora’s private parlor, and she’s allowed to be both honest and overt here, the way she never allows herself in public anymore. She doesn’t bother to hide her absolute revulsion, and Aunt Eleonora laughs.

There’s a note of relief in it.

“Ah, I should have known better. You won’t make your mother’s mistake.”

Her mother sent her away because she’s a bastard. She was lucky that she had family who could easily take her in to raise her up to the same station in life as her kin, rather than dumping her at an orphanage. She’s not ignorant enough not to have some idea what might have happened to her, if she hadn’t been lucky.

“I won’t,” she swears.

--

“I want to go to the Summit,” she tells her aunt.

Eleonora looks at her consideringly.

“You’re a touch young for it,” she muses, “but Arland does prefer to send girls who are young and pretty. In theory at least, Arlish girls who attend are supposed to know they’ve a duty to marry for the benefit of their nation, and it’s easier to persuade them of that if they’re too young to have formed any real opinions on the matter.”

Valeriya keeps her face perfectly still but for the slightest quirk of one brow, and her aunt inclines her head.

“I do think you might do well. Prove it to me, dear.”

She could ensure Valya got a spot on the delegation, but winning her own place is a test of her abilities. A test to see if she truly would do well with the opportunity. She feels a spark of satisfaction; she’d expected as much, and she does like to be correct. She presents the letter – penned by the queen’s secretary, but signed and sealed by her highness’s own hand – and her aunt smiles, bright and broad and ferocious.

--

Her aunt is happy to be seeing her off; she has a few errands for her niece to attend to on Vail Isle, and instructions on the precise wording she should use greeting Wellin’s chaperone, and encouragement to stretch her wings. Her uncle is actually crying a bit.

Well; he’s Arlish. He might actually think she means to make a miserable marriage for herself. It’s what nearly every other girl Arland has ever sent to the Summit does, including their paragon of a princess just seven years past.

He hugs her, and she hugs him back.

“Make us proud, Little Valiant.”

It’s still not at all a girlish Arlish virtue, but it is one she wants to embody. With the political situation so tenuous, with the way she intends to get involved, she will need to be brave.

"I will," she promises.

[letters-from-dekarios]

(Jasper is a snarky drow wild-magic sorcerer/multiclassed rogue. He was pretty careless about his magic until meeting Gale, and his solutions to things still mostly ends up being ‘is it worth lockpicking, or should we just explode it and run?’ He’s closed-off and snippy with people he doesn’t know, but longs for connection at heart. It just… takes a while to get there. He’s quite awkward when he’s actually being open with people. When the two of them are alone, it’s one of the few times Jasper actually is fully himself.

Jasper is illiterate; never learned to read, but ‘begrudgingly’ lets Gale teach him slowly after the events of the game. Still not great, but getting there. While they do live together, Jasper still takes trips to the Underdark every now and again. This letter was written during one of his times there.)

Gale, hello.

(The handwriting drastically changes. While the above line is practically intended into the paper, the rest is written in neat cursive.)

The rest of this letter is being transcribed by Astarion because I don’t feel like sending you something that could be mistaken for a toddler’s journal. Then again, that’s what your handwriting can look like sometimes if you’re tired enough, so maybe you’d find it readable anyway.

What do people even write in letters, anyway? Hello, dearest Gale of Waterdeep, how farest thou in my absence? Psh, he’d laugh at that. He’s cute when he- wait, don’t write that down- hey, give me the-

(There’s some illegible scribbling after that.)

Anyway, Gale. How are your bookshelves? They’re probably dusty. You should dust them.

Did you eat food today? It’s dinnertime. It won’t be when you get this, though, I guess. Hm.

Ok, seriously, what am I supposed to say? Astarion note: He rambled for about five minutes about the uselessness of letters and small talk, darling, I’m not writing all of this down. He misses you, you’re both pathetically in love, it’s absolutely sickening, get a room.

Oh, right. Some of the mushroom people myconids gave me some stuff to bring back to you. I didn’t really stay long enough to figure out exactly what it all is since the whole mind speaking thing makes me nauseous, but there’s some amulet and a couple scrolls.

I also have not blown anything up yet. On purpose. Two explosive surges happened. Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate. There aren’t any of the explodey mushrooms around where I’m staying.

Pet Tara for me.

And if you look like you’ve pulled even one all-nighter when I get back, I’m dragging you to bed. Put your books down and go to sleep, wizard.

~ Jasper

(The name is signed in the same poor handwriting as the greeting)

P.S. Hello. Astarion again, absolute pleasure. Next time, send a scribe with him if you want to be penpals, or I’m going to start charging.

Sweet Jasper,

And Astarion, by default.

No matter the transcriber, you know I adore hearing from you. I’d spend countless nights decoding your handwriting if it meant our communication stayed strong during your nights away. And, for the record, I’m glad you think I’m cute when I laugh. You’re rather adorable when you laugh, too.

I have cleaned the tower in your absence, but it’s quickly returned to dust-filled madness since beginning a new project of mine. No matter, though, it’ll be spotless by the time you return. You’ll be happy to know I’m eating just fine, and Tara can vouch for me on such. She’d have a field day if I didn’t stop and have a meal now and then, no matter how deep I was into a tome.

Thank the Myconids for me. Their scrolls have proved to be rather helpful lately. It’s always a joy to receive new items from them. And, I am glad to hear you’ve not yet blown anything, or anyone for that matter, up! I would hate to have another incident occur and use all of our resurrection spells again. Those are pricey and hard to come by nowadays. Stay strong, darling, I know how much you desire to set fire to things.

I cannot guarantee the state of myself when you return. I’m awfully invested in my current tomes and you know how much I hate losing my place. But I will try, dear.

Enough about me. How are you? I hope your time in the Underdark is serving you well. Have you found anything of interest? I’ll be more than delighted to hear all about your adventure when you return home. The nights grow cold without you by my side, love. But I know how much your journey means to you.

I hope you’re eating well, also. Sleeping just as much, too. Send word when you aim to return home, I’ll have everything ready for you.

Be safe, my love. I hope to hear from you again, soon.

With all my love,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

Astarion, I thank you for your hard work with Jasper. You know the depths of my coin pouch. Name your price, though not too substantial- I’m not made of money, after all. But, I’d much rather you than a stranger scribe for him.

text reads: gale dekarios

[typicalopposite]

Am I just gonna bring yall all drabbles of the many ideas I have now (because I’m currently writing a fic that is getting way bigger than intended) maybe, yeah.

(I had to do research on how to play five card draw for this and it’s likely still inaccurate 🥴 fic writer life, amirite?)

It’s couples game night now that Buck is no longer a solo. Chimney invites Hen and Karen and Maddie invites Buck and Tommy.

After losing an embarrassing amount of times Buck steps in as honorary dealer, and they start another game.

Tommy (who is to Bucks left, cause… yeah research said so) notices that’s it’s very obvious there is something on Chimney’s mind.

“Alright… spit it out, Han…” Tommy finally says.

“So… back then… were you team Jacob?”

Tommy groans and rolls his eyes. Hen laughs. Maddie and Karen look intrigued. Buck wants to know who tf Jacob is.

The game starts and Tommy looks at his cards. Chimney is clearly more invested in the answer than the game. And Tommy throws a dollar into the middle before simply saying, “No.”

There’s another chuckle from around the table. Everyone matches Tommy’s hand, cards are tossed , and Buck gives out new ones. “So team Edward then,” Chimney says, and Buck tosses the card he was giving Hen so fast it bypasses her hand a hits her in the chest.

“Oh… s-sorry,” he says , although this eyes are still glued to Tommy.

Again he looks at his cards, sighs, tosses another dollar. “No,” he repeats. “Although I was on his side more than Jacob’s.”

Buck is so confused he is about to rip his hair out, and everyone nodding in agreement is only making it worse. Everyone matches Tommy again and Buck gives them new cards.

Chimney opens his mouth and Tommy intercepts with, “not Emmett either.” Chimney snaps his mouth closed.

When Tommy ups the bet to $20 Hen and Karen look at their cards and both fold. “Ahh I know,” Chimney says as he absentmindedly tosses a twenty into the pile, and Maddie tosses her cards, bowing out as well. “Jasper.” Tommy’s face answers for him. “Carlisle?”

“Who are these people?!” Buck snaps, unable to keep himself composed any longer. He isn’t sure if he is more confused or jealous… or maybe it’s an equal amount of both.

Tommy smirks but doesn’t respond. He looks at his cards and seems satisfied with them, so he glances up at Chimney and cocks an eyebrow, waiting for him to make a decision. Buck doesn’t think he has gave Chimney any new cards the whole game, the latter being far too focused on asking Tommy about a bunch of random men than paying attention to his cards.

When Chimney doesn’t even look at his hand Tommy pulls out a hundred dollar bill and gently (sassily) places it in the pile. And Maddie is glaring at Chimney like she dares him to try to match it. “Alright, alright! I’m out.”

Tommy chuckles and sits back in his seat. Everyone is staring at him like they are waiting for an answer to this mystery. “If you must know,” he says with a shrug. “It was always Charlie for me.”

Buck feels the gears turning in his brain and as if the wires finally connect he gasps, “Are you talking about twilight?!”

“Obviously,” Chimney answers. “Wh— Wait. How did you get that from Charlie? He’s not even a main character!”

“Because Maddie had a shirt that said Team Charlie on it. She had like, the biggest crush on him.”

Maddie shrugs, “What can I say, there’s nothing hotter than a guy in uniform,” she says and promptly kisses Chimney on the cheek.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Tommy agrees, flashing that big cheesy grin at Buck. Maddie giggles as she reaches past a thoroughly confused Chimney and Buck to high-five him.

“Well… at least I didn’t fold with an amazing hand,” Chimney says and lays his cards down, with a three of a kind in 8’s.

“Better than mine,” Tommy laughs, and lays down his hand. A two of spades, three of diamonds, five of clubs, seven of hearts and a nine of diamonds. Then he gathers the bills from the middle, ignoring Chimney’s look of disbelief, and sets the stack in front of him. “Put it towards the honeymoon,” he says, pushing back from the table and putting his jacket on. “I insist,” he adds before Maddie can argue.

(I’m going to stop it there because this got way longer and much more actual ficlet-y than I intended! I will likely actually write this… eventually 👀 but now it’s at least mostly out of my system!)

[yanderemommabean]

I keep picturing Jasper moving into an apartment just so he can live next door to his darling to keep an eye on them and 🤤

He’d get the current occupants to leave by some sort of means. Money, safety, murder-He’ll get them out and away so he can be closer. 

He doesn’t really respect privacy, not yours anyway, but what you don’t know won’t hurt you, right? So if he presses an eager ear to the wall, or if he sits and thinks about you while you shower, or if he steals some items to jerk off into later, it doesn’t matter. You don’t know, so there’s no need to worry. 

Jasper isn’t a saint. You need to remember that. You need to remember he’s a cold blooded heartless killer who never hesitates when he has a target. So when you come to him one night, seeing him as a trusted friend, and vent to him about someone bothering you, you can’t be screaming and shocked when he comes back covered in blood. 

You can’t go to the cops and try to get him arrested, as he has a few bullets waiting for them too, and won’t be so easy to capture. He’s a skilled man, and knows exactly where to hide you to keep you safe. This is nowhere near his first run in with police, and it won’t be the last if you decide to dial and give him away. 

It’s best if you just stay quiet and allow him to be there for you, be your protector, keeping you company every night while you walk to your apartment, never more than a few feet away from a man who’s willing to burn a city for you at the drop of a hat. Just let him get rid of any problem you have, stay quiet, and let him inside every now and again, and your lives can be happy, calm, absolutely blissful! 

However, if you decide to misbehave, he can play that game too. Rope, cuffs, zip ties, are all very accessible to him. He can gag you, bind you, have you in the back of his car or in his apartment next door in seconds before you have the time to scream for him to leave. 

He just wants to love you! To keep you safe and make you happy! But like it’s been said- He isn't a saint. If tying you up, drugging you, keeping you weak and scared is what he has to do to keep you in his life, then he’s all for it. 

Jasper is willing to do many things for you, but he isn’t willing to let you go. 

((Sorry if this was jumbled! -Mommabean))

[polyhexian]

Since Raine was a teacher I think once they have Hunter living in their home they would immediately start to notice the signs of abuse. They would probably have issues with Hunter eating the normal amount of food for a kid his age because Belos starved him and also Hunter probably wouldn’t really be a big fan of something like pasta with sauce but wouldn’t say anything because he’s too nervous to make Raine unhappy with him so he doesn’t really eat much despite being underweight.

Hunter would probably go stiff if they put a hand on his shoulder or flinch if they heard them in anyway upset with him.

Hunter would probably take all of Raine’s suggestions on what to do while in the house at orders and carry them out with military precision even if Raine just suggested they watch a cartoon on the crystal ball.

Hunter probably has a lot of nightmares too so Raine would wake up to him screaming in his sleep.

Like Raine had hunter for a short while and the whole time it’s just one terrible revelation of what a monster Belos truly was after another.

raine definitely starts off worried about what the fuck jasper wants with this minor but i mean really theres better ways to Steal A Child, it being this SPECIFIC child who is VERY difficult to steal ironically makes it less suspicious like. okay. legitimately what is your game. and also like again despite the fact raine has seen him throw this kind on his ass a hundred times, theyve also seen him fucking vaporize one of their allies for trying to kill him so like. truly. what is his game here.

and then like. once they see how truly BAD it is with hunter, the way he flinches, how DEEP the soldier persona goes, the food and the sleep and the isolation- then its like. well, fuck, i would have wanted to help him too. so 1. how did the martlet know about all this before anyone else, because he CLEARLY knew about all this before anyone else did 2. why didnt he just tell me the truth? 3. why DIDNT he just take him and run?

i think theyre putting pieces together and while they probably have multiple theories- they might not know about the grimwalker stuff yet, but they know this kid is an orphan and related to the emperor, they know he was found the day the previous golden guard died, they know the martlet has the same colour hair as hunter, they've seen it, they know hes incredibly protective of him, they know the martlet is scarred as fuck and an incredible combatant AND a high level magic user despite never using magic- once they find out hunter cant use magic without a staff? click, dude. thats probably genetic! this guy has been around about as long as the previous GG has been gone. he looks like hunter, he's protective of hunter, he never uses magic without a staff, and the second raine asks darius about the previous GG, knowing they were close, "hey, did you ever see that guy use magic without a staff?" that seals the deal dude. raine has clocked that motherfucker from a mile away.

only now like. thats a NEW concern. okay, cool! parent. got it. well that explains his intentions. but now like- wow, he HAS hit this kid a lot, even if his motivations were clearly rescuing him. can he even be TRUSTED with him? would hunter be healthy living with this guy? is he even capable of living like a normal person? he still wont take off his stupid fucking mask or tell them his stupid fucking name! and oh, fuck- if he's the previous gg, he's done some VILE shit. should they be doing something about HIM?

darius and raine im sure have a very exciting conversation putting all the jigsaw pieces together before they realize that jasper isn't dead, jasper is the martlet, jasper is a powerless witch, jasper has a son, and holy shit is that son fucked up and in dire need of help.

meanwhile jasper is like ho ho i am sooooo good at lying and secrets absolutely no one suspects anything

[arcanusarchieves-if]

Which deathly hallow would the ros choose? Also I’m super excited for the game!!!!

This is such a good question! It’s one I had to actually sit down and think on for a while because I’ve never even considered it before. Let me see…

Astoria would choose the invisibility cloak for the same reason that the third brother did in the original story. She wouldn’t want to overpower death or trick them but would like to have the option to pass on when she is ready.

Caspian wouldn’t even hesitate before choosing the resurrection stone. He’d initially choose it so he could speak with his brother again but at the last second (like a few seconds before his brother appears) he’d run to get Oliver so he could talk to him instead. After all, he had his brother for over twenty years, but Oliver only had him for around four.

Solaine would spend a pretty long time deliberating before very hesitantly choosing the elder wand. The temptation of nearly unlimited power is too strong for them to ignore (ironic considering which side of the war they are on). Although, I do think that they would realize/remember why having an infinite power source like that is bad after using it for the first time and would end up locking it up/hiding it somewhere or destroying it so nobody else could use it.

Maeve would struggle between choosing the invisibility cloak and resurrection stone before eventually choosing the former - although not for the same reason that Astoria does. She wouldn’t keep it for herself but instead would give it to Jasper - even though deep down she knows he wouldn’t actually take/use it.

And now we've arrived at the hard part lol. I’ve spent a ridiculously long time thinking about which Deathly Hallow Jasper would choose and kept coming to the same conclusion - he wouldn’t want/take any of them. He wouldn’t want to bring someone back from the dead without knowing how it might affect the person or their loved ones. He doesn’t fear death (and generally doesn’t enjoy sneaking around) so he has no need for the invisibility cloak. Finally (and arguably most importantly) Jasper doesn’t want power. That, more than anything, is what makes him stand out even against other members of the Circle. He is perfectly happy with what he has and doesn’t have any need to change his status or abilities.

[percyashworth]

↪ not-so-brief introduction to percival ashworth.

BASICS.

full name: percival jasper charles ashworth. nickname(s): percy, pj. age: thirty-two. date of birth: 19 october 1992. zodiac sign: libra. place of birth: blackpool, lancashire, england, united kingdom. ethnicity: white, venezuelan. nationality: british. gender: demiboy ( he/they pronouns ). sexual orientation: pansexual. romantic orientation: panromantic. religion: neither of his parents were the most religious people in the world but percy was raised in an anglican household and baptized as a child. he wouldn’t consider himself religious in any capacity as an adult. education: bachelors of science in zoology ( university of derby ), masters in biodiversity, evolution & conservation ( university college london ), dphil in zoology ( university of oxford ). occupation: professor of zoology at providence peak university. language(s) spoken: english ( primarily ), french, german, russian, polish ( learned to the point of being able to carry on conversations during research projects across continental europe ). accent: he has a thick and immediately apparent northern english accent. though he’s lived in the united states for a couple years– it doesn’t take anyone more than a word or two to realize percy isn’t american. character inspiration: jamie taylor ( the haunting of bly manor ), newt scamander ( fantastic beasts and where to find them ).

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

face claim: sean teale. hair color: dark brown. eye color: dark brown. height: 6′2″. weight: 165 lbs. build: lanky, athletic. tattoos: a geometric lion / nature tattoo on his right forearm ( here ), an intricate, right half sleeve wolf on his left forearm ( here ), a small tattoo on the inside of his right bicep of the sun rising/falling over the ocean inspired by a drawing his baby brother gave him when they were children ( here ). piercings: he has a helix piercing in his right ear and a septum ring; he had an eyebrow piercing for a long while but took it out when he began guest lecturing and occasionally teaching in earnest– it’s healed up since then. distinguishing characteristics: his accent, how bright and warm he is, his tattoos & piercings, how smart he is ( or so he’s been told by many, many people after speaking to them for all of five minutes ).

PERSONALITY.

label: the adventurer. positive traits: adventurous, articulate, brilliant, charismatic, charming, compassionate, considerate, dedicated, earnest, empathetic, forgiving, genuine, hardworking, intuitive, loyal, passionate, sociable, sweet, warm. negative traits: ambitious, competitive, proud, sarcastic, stubborn. assertive, boisterous, excitable, haughty, obsessive, possessive, silly, superstitious. goals/desires: to make a positive impact on his community, to live a better life as an adult than he did as a child, to spend the rest of his life doing things he loves, to fall in love and have a family of his own. fears: failure, proving to everyone where he grew up that he’s just as useless as they’d always claimed, disappointing his little brother, never seeing either of his brothers again, becoming anything like the worst parts of his parents. hobbies: spending time with his family, smoking ( both weed and tobacco cigarettes ), cooking, baking, gardening when he has the time to do it and the weather’s right for it, hiking, reading, doing research of almost any kind, spending time with his friends, going out– drinking, dancing, anything that lets him be social, watching nature documentaries, listening to podcasts, playing video games, learning new things, knitting, sex. quirks: he talks with his hands extensively, he self-corrects out loud if he uses british slang for something rather than the american equivalent, he rarely raises his voice for any reason at all, he can rattle off his favorite animals and fun facts about them at any given moment with no preparation whatsoever, he almost always has some pop song or another stuck in his head and can be heard humming it until he remembers the words. likes: animals of all kinds, mystery novels, nature documentaries, david attenborough, expensive liquor, pot brownies, baked goods of almost every kind, horror movies, music, flowers, being around people, sex, flirting, star wars, most marvel movies, rpg based video games, podcasts, true crime documentaries, his little brother, learning anything new, talking to people about things they’re passionate about, his adopted parents & family. dislikes: his older brother, his childhood, people who don’t respect him & the hard work that’s gone into getting him to where he is in life, dark chocolate, milk, toxic people, accidentally killing plants, being alone for long periods of time, boredom, people who pick fights just to pick fights, bigots.

FAMILY.

father: simon james ashworth ( biological ). mark william eaton ( adopted ). mother: catherine ophelia chase ( biological ). rose katherine eaton née prescott ( adopted ). sibling(s): jack simon ashworth ( older ) & thomas rupert eaton ( younger ). michael andrew eaton ( older, adopted ). pet(s): a bernese mountain dog named luca and an australian cattle dog named koda. financial status: upper middle class.

BIOGRAPHY.

( TW: teenage pregnancy, infidelity, drug use, overdose, death )

By all accounts— by every metric Percy could use to quantify the fact as an adult— Simon Ashworth and Catherine Chase had never been ready to be parents. Was anyone ever really ready to be a parent? It was a question Percy had asked himself constantly as he’d gotten older but it had never been his place to judge– his parents hadn’t done him any favors but for at least some time they had tried to be present and helpful and Percy could never fault them for that. Blackpool– a seaside resort town on the English coast– had been home to Simon and Cat as long as they both could remember but they had remained strangers to one another until they met through a mutual friend when they were seventeen years old. The attraction had been immediate– a spark neither of them were prepared to deal with but allowed to catch and ignite the moment they met, an encounter that resulted in an unplanned pregnancy and a great deal of responsibility neither of them wanted staring them both in the face. Simon dropped out of sixth form promptly to begin working in earnest and provide for the family he certainly hadn’t expected to have but was willing to work to support nonetheless; Cat, after informing her parents, remained in school at her parents’ request though their relationship became strained from that moment on.

When Jack was born the couple was delighted— Simon took to being a father rather quickly and seemed to enjoy it while Cat was an absent mother at best in spite of Simon’s many attempts to help her feel more present in their son’s life. It was no secret to anyone at all that Cat was cheating on Simon with what was rumored to be every eligible man in Blackpool and though Simon was heartbroken by the rumors and the confidence he felt in their truthfulness– he never brought the issue up with Cat– choosing instead to look after their son and try to hold their family together as best he could. It was yet another accident that marked Cat’s second pregnancy when Jack was five and though Simon wasn’t even reasonably confident that the child was his he again prepared himself to be a father as best he possibly could. Percy was born on a cool October morning and from the moment he uttered his first cry his father was devoted to him and for the first time his mother dove headfirst into caring for both of her children with a zeal she’d never demonstrated prior.

Though they were on the poorer side they were happy for a great deal of Percy’s initial childhood and seemed to be primed to be that much happier when Cat found out she was pregnant with her third child when Percy was seven. It was yet more of the same in the Ashworth-Chase household until Tommy was around two and Cat eloped with a family friend and informed Simon plainly that she couldn’t handle being stuck in a dead end town with a dead end life and three children she hadn’t wanted in the first place. Simon was devastated but for the first year or two following Cat’s departure he managed to hold both himself and the family together rather well. Percy– already a brilliant boy intellectually and a spot of sunshine in the world as far as his father was concerned– began to help around the house to take some of the worry away from his father even going so far as to look after his baby brother whenever he wasn’t at school. Jack, who was sixteen, more or less stopped coming home and though Percy was aware he was essentially living at a friend’s across town he considered his absence in his life nothing short of abandonment and even as an adult holds a deep resentment towards him for that fact.

Things for the Ashworth family began to unravel slowly— Simon began to spend what money he earned from work on cocaine and other drugs– he was still present and still loving but Percy found himself more and more becoming a parent to Tommy rather than a brother. When he was twelve Simon’s habits escalated to a rather expensive heroin addiction that Percy could hardly process, let alone deal with and though he tried his best to raise his brother and himself it was difficult for a child to raise another child. He was nearly thirteen when he came home from school with Tommy in tow to find their father had overdosed in their kitchen— an overdose that would, even after his frantic call to emergency services, eventually lead to his death. Without extended family to look after them and with Jack’s refusal to take on the responsibility of raising siblings he hardly knew both Percy and Tommy became wards of the court.

Percy– already with a reputation for being a brilliant student– threw himself into his studies with that much more zeal as he and Tommy adjusted to life with their first foster family; his IQ was tested and he was placed into progressively more advanced courses until he was taking university classes part-time by the time he entered year eleven. His foster parents supported him fully and there was frequent talk of adoption for both himself and Tommy— who was easily the most important person in his life bar none. He was very nearly eighteen by the time the adoption paperwork was processed and both he and Tommy were officially members of the Eaton family in all but name. Though he was reluctant to leave Tommy behind when he’d been his primary caregiver for so many years prior to being placed with their adoptive family it was the encouragement of his adoptive parents Mark and Rose that finally reassured Percy to the point of feeling comfortable applying to universities about as far away from Blackpool as he could get without leaving the country. Higher education was a world of splendor for Percy who had always been so fiercely curious and sharply intelligent– he finished his undergraduate degree six months earlier than most of his graduating class before moving on to study further.

Animals and zoology had been passions of his from the moment he visited a zoo for the first time on an outing with his parents when he was still very young. He was fascinated by animals of all sorts and wanted to know everything about how to care for them and preserve the environments they called home. It seemed the logical choice for him to follow his chosen course of study as far as he could– and when he was twenty-six he walked away from Oxford with a doctorate in zoology to his name and several research positions made available to him over the whole of continental Europe and beyond if he chose to take them. Traveling across Europe to do the thing he loved more than anything in the world was a gift Percy had never had any inkling of taking advantage of and he eventually began to give guest lectures at universities in major cities near his work sites as well as develop a passion for photography he found delightful to explore when he was researching in far away countries he’d never imagined even seeing as a child. When his research positions drew closer to their deadlines and the projects he’d been working on were finalized he began to search for another place to call home– though he had not, for a moment, imagined that that home would be in the United States.

He debated the prospect thoroughly— spent hours on the phone to his parents and his brothers before he committed to a job offer in Blue Harbor, Illinois. It was a change in a great many ways but Percy had never been the sort of person to shy away from change and teaching, along with his research, had become passions for him unlike anything he’d ever known. Four years in and Blue Harbor felt as much like home to him as his parents’ home in Blackpool always had— his work was going well, his students seemed happy to have him and Percy was delighted to be in a place where he felt he was genuinely doing what he was meant to do with his life. At the very least, Percy was ready and deeply excited for the endless possibilities stretching out in front of him and an entire life in a place he’d come to love just over the horizon.

[xetlynn]

Twilight- Youngest Shadow: Chapter Five, Sick Days

(Alice X Reader X Jasper)

[four] [five] [six]

Since it’s getting warmer students around me are wearing shorter clothing even though it’s barely sixty degrees.

And collectively we all sit outside for lunch today, but of course it’s the one day I got sick. Plus on our big game day and due to my fever that keeps growing I’m going to have to leave school early and miss out on maybe being in the newspaper.

“He’s not here.” Jessica says, startling me as everything makes me jumpy from how shitty I feel. “Whenever the weather is nice the Cullens disappear.”

“They just ditch?” Bella asks, not understanding.

“No, Dr, and Mrs Cullen yank em out for hiking and camping and stuff. I tried the idea out on my parents, no even close.” Jessica sighs. Bella takes it all in and I cough earning a look from Jessica who was sitting on the ground. I just put my head down.

“I’m going to the prom with Eric! I just asked him, I took control!” Angela jumps on the table in between Bella and I, hugging my sister as I lift my head back up to smile. “That’s amazing,” my voice is hoarse and I cough as it strains my throat.

“Oh, [Name] are you okay?”

“She’s running a fever and her throat is bothering her.” Bella explains for me that and I’m internally grateful for it. “I’m sorry.” Angela says, rubbing my back then talking to Bella again.

She ends up keeping a hand on my back which feels nice. I repeatedly keep shivering from occasional breezes.

“Are you sure you have to go out of town?” Angela asks Bella, “it’s a family thing, [Name] is staying though.” I put my thumbs up to confirm that.

“Oh my god, we need to hit the stores in Port Angeles before the dresses get cleaned out.” Jessica gasps,

“Port Angeles?” Bella asks, “can I go with you guys?”

My face scrunches even though they can’t see it, Bella? Dress shopping? If only I wasn’t sick I would love to see this.

“Thank god, we need your opinion.” Angela says.

I end up leaving right after lunch, sneaking past school staff to get to my motorcycle I luckily got back from Jacob yesterday. I tried calling my dad but it just rang through, I’m guessing something is going on to where he can’t answer.

I take my helmet out of Bella’s truck bed and roughly tug it on my head. I lazily try to put my leg over the bike, almost falling so I hold on to the truck. Giving myself a minute as I feel dizzy. A horn honks, scaring me to the point where I hear my heart beat thump in my chest.

“[Name]! What are you doing?”

Alice? Wasn’t she supposed to be hiking or some shit? I go to talk but my tongue feels too big for my mouth. I take a deep breath. “I don’t feel good, I’m trying to get home.” I try to say as loud as I can, even then doesn’t feel loud enough.

“Want me to take you home?” She goes to reach over and I shake my head. “I gotta get my bike home somehow.” I take a few steps closer to her car. “I’ll have Jasper bring it over.” She smiles, I tilt my head, squinting as I looked at her.

Get into her car? Or drive home myself?

“Where do I put my keys?” I jingle them too close to my face. “Hide them on Bella’s truck tire, closest to the bike.” She instructs me and I drag my feet back over to my bike, doing as told. I then take my helmet off, putting it on the bike for Jasper.

I climb into her car as if it were a hill. Accidentally slamming the door behind me. “Sorry, thank you.”

My body faces her, I watch as she drives, wearing sunglasses. She glances at me and sadly smiles. “You should’ve stayed home.”

“I know.” I mumble,

After moments pass it felt like milliseconds and we’re already at my house. “Alright, we should get you inside and you need to lay down.” She unbuckles herself, going around the car and opening my door as I am pretty slow with my movements. “My body is aching.” I try to laugh at myself but I just end up in a coughing fit.

She puts a hand on my waist and she walks me to the door, making me feel more fragile than I actually am. “There’s a um house key under the uh mat.” I tell her and she bends down to grab it.

Opening the door I trip inside. We go over to the living room and i plop down, accidentally bringing her with me. I feel how cold she really is and I shiver from the touch. She giggles and stands back up.

“Let me call Jasper and I’ll find you something small to eat and medicine.” She boops my nose, leaving me to be alone as she heads towards the kitchen.

It didn’t take long for her to come back with crackers and a few pills laid next to me on the arm of the couch. “Jasper should be here soon. Do you want to watch something?” Alice sits next to me and I shrug. “I’ll get you sick. You should go enjoy time with your family.” I take a cracker from its wrapping and bite it. She smiles, shaking her head. “It’s quite alright, it’s nothing I haven’t done already. I’ll stay until your dad or sister gets back.” She informs me and if I wasn’t so sick I would be bombarding with questions.

I hear an engine rev outside and I jump unnoticeably from the noise. Alice stands up and I look down at lol the crumbs I have on my shirt.

The front door opens and I see Jasper putting my helmet and keys down. “Here you should take the medicine.” Alice tells me.

“How do I know you’re not drugging me?” I rebuttals and she scoffs with a smirk laid upon her lips. “What would I gain from that?” She teases, handing me a water bottle. “I don’t know, you could rob me.” I hum, looking at her through half lidded eyes.

“Sweetheart, I could’ve already did that by now.”

I shrug, stretching my arms and sitting up. “What’s the medicine?” I simply ask. “Ibuprofen. That’s it. I couldn’t find cold medicine or anything.” She tells me, I nod, expecting that from Charlie.

“Why are you guys helping me?” I look between the both of them.

“We want to help a friend.” Alice grins, i squint my eyes at her response.

“Seriously, we will leave if that’s what you wish.” Jasper finally speaks up. My eyes follow to him. “What if that is what I wish?” I say in a snarky tone.

“Then we will listen. We don’t want to over stay our welcome.” He winks and I’m caught off guard.

“I just want to sleep. I have too many questions that I don’t feel like will be answered.” I go to stand up and they try to help but I smack their hands away. “I got it. I barely know you two I don’t get this.” I aggressively motion between the three of us.

“What do you mean, [Name]?” Alice asks, both of them wear a worried expression. “Why can’t you guys go to the Quiluete beach? Or or.. why when it’s sunny your parents just decide to take you out of school?” My throat starts hurting worse from before, the strain from me yelling doesn’t help. I almost go into another coughing fit but luckily the feeling goes away but I am definitely feeling a shortness of breath.

“[Name], you should take a nap and when you wake up, if you feel better we will answer everything you want to know.” Alice assures me.

I huff, wanting to scream from how confused I feel.

“I want you both to… to leave!” I get extremely dizzy just like before, my knees giving out, Jasper immediately helps me. Grabbing onto my arms as I hold onto his. “You need to go to sleep.” He whispers, “your skin, it’s so cold.” I tell him, he presses his lips together, glancing at Alice.

He sets me back down on the couch and I lay down. “I don’t want to wake up to you guys here.” I mutter, loud enough for them to hear though.

My eyes open to darkness, and blankets over me. I feel around and I’m in my bed. I hear whispers next to me, weight on my bed beside me. It feels like my fever has also just disappeared.

“You’re up.” A voice says softly. I jerk up in response. “Why are you two still here!?” I sternly question them, getting up to my knees on the bed, backing away from both of them.

“You’re still upset?” Alice frowns and I tilt my head. “Duh, I’m still upset! I told you both two leave, you said if I told you to leave you would. Um so seems like the problem can easily be solved.” I remind them.

“We did leave, we came back when we realized nobody would make sure you were going to be okay for a while, darling.” Jasper tells me and I sit there for a moment. I shake my head. “Don’t give me a lame ass excuse. Just explain everything I want to know then leave.” I straight up tell them, tired of this game I feel like I’m in.

“I feel like you know everything already.” Alice points out. I take a deep breath.

“Why won’t you just say it?”

“To protect you.” Jasper steps closer and this time I don’t flinch away. “Maybe I don’t need nor want your protection.” I cross my arms.

“Why me? None of this makes sense.” I tiredly laugh, I feel like I’m going insane.

“You’re our person, [Name]. You’re like a metal and we’re your personal magnets. A missing piece you never knew you needed. You’re just stubborn.” Jasper sits down on the bed, pulling Alice with him. Both take my hands and for some reason they aren’t cold anymore…

And then I really wake up from what felt like a nightmare. “[Name]! You home!?” Bella calls and I look around, confused about what I just experienced. Pinching myself underneath my blanket. It’s real. And with this being real. They really did bring me to my bedroom.

“What’s going on?” I mumble, rubbing my eyes. “Dad wanted me to check in on you. I don’t know if you heard.” She comes up to my bed, sitting down next to me. “What happened?”

“One of his buddy’s, Waylon passed away. Attacked by an animal.” She tells me and my eyes widen. Not expecting that of all things.

She hands me a pepper spray. “Dad also wanted me to give you that.”

I furrow my eyebrows in response and she chuckles dryly. “He gave me one too, twins.” She shows me hers and I smile.

“Is he okay?”

“He’s okay as anyone could be in his position.” She shrugs and I nod, that makes sense. “Did you happen to pass by Alice or Jasper at all… today?”

Her body tensed from the question.

“Not.. Alice or Jasper. Why?” She adjusts herself better to face me.

“They took me home earlier, gave me medicine.” I explain and Bella shoots me a weird look.

“They were here?” I nod

“How was dress shopping?” I change the subject not wanting to think about the dream I had.

“Eh, I bumped into Edward.” And I smirk.

“Stop it.” She rolls her eyes.

Then it was silence between us. And as she goes to stand up I grab her wrist. “Wait, i um have a question.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you feel something.. off about the Cullens?” I bite the inside of my mouth, waiting for her answer.

“You feel it too?” She whispers,

“You heard about the Quiluete story?” I question.

“Jacob told me the other day.” She nods.

“Okay, I’m not the only one then.” I sigh, taking her hand. “I had a weird dream. I just I need to find out what all of this means.” I exclaim.

“That’s how I feel. I bought a um book. From the library down in Port Angeles.” She reaches down and I didn’t even know but she placed a book bag down there before getting on my bed.

She comes back up with a heavy old looking book.

“Sleepover?”

“I’m still sick, Bells.”

“I don’t care, scoot.” I do as told and we lean against the wall, I grab my laptop bed we use that light as a resource to look through the book.

Pages of masked creatures, menacing looking.

We then turn to the another page, this time it was a white mask with black eyes and a row of sharp teeth. “The cold one.” It read.

I quickly sign in to my laptop, searching that up, immediately getting beer pop ups on my screen. I irritatedly close them. “Look.” Bella points on the screen, it was a link to “The Cold One: Apotamkin.” I click on it.

Pictures begin to load of a seductive Apotamkin with his ice blue skin, devouring victims in tapestries, engravings. The creatures that are horrific portrayed to be beautiful.

Demons attacking villages; perfectly sculpted predators luring innocent women.

“All of this is gruesome murder and sexual innuendos.” I whisper.

Words at the bottom say:

Speed, strength, cold skinned, immortal… blood drinker…

I close my eyes for a brief second. Thinking about how Edward moved fast when Bella was in the accident, how he stopped a whole van. I never really questioned it before but now… I don’t know. How Alice knew where my house was… I never told her. How they all look young and are cold to the touch.

Another picture shows and it’s a man biting a white neck.

“It’s not possible.” Bella shared a look a with me, both of us struggling to make sense of it all.

Chapter five!!!

Also I’m going to start doing short Imagines! So if you want to request anything feel free!

[tinyinvadr]

New chapter’s up!

Psychoborrower 2

Chapter 8

We went over to the Psychoisolation building, and took the tube up to the chamber where Compton sealed himself up. The only way we could talk to him was through a little slot in the door. I noticed Harold was inside the chamber, playing a game of chess with Compton. It made sense, he could easily fit through the slot, so he could come and go as he pleased.

Raz opened the jar, releasing the bees into the slot. Upon seeing them, Compton went into a panic.

“Oh no, no! I said I only needed one bee!”

The three bees followed him as he frantically ran circles around the chamber, begging them to be quiet. I can’t believe I let Raz trap those poor bees for nothing.

Compton pushed his way out the door and collapsed on the floor, pressing his hands to his temples.

“Don’t all talk at once! I can’t take it!”

Then, at the worst possible time, Lizzie showed up with a squirrel.

“Agent Boole, I got that animal you asked for-”

Her gaze shifted between Compton on the floor, and Raz and I standing beside him.

“What did you guys do?”

“He asked me to bring him a bee. I brought three. I didn’t think it would be an issue, but…”

Compton let out a scream.

“Geez, Raz. You’ve got a hell of a track record with the staff here.”

That remark from Lizzie struck a nerve in me, and I snapped.

“Hey! The Hollis thing was your stupid idea! If you’d have just kept your mouth shut it never would’ve happened!”

She looked surprised for a second at my outburst, then smirked.

“Huh. Got a lot of fire in ya for a little guy. I respect that.”

“I don’t need your respect.”

She sighed, walking over to stand beside us.

“Look, Norma’s my sister and all, but that doesn’t mean I’m exactly like her. She thinks you guys are like, evil, or something. I just think you’re a couple of troublemakers. But… things have gotten more interesting around here since you two showed up. Life here at the Motherlobe has been too organized for too long. It’s been in desperate need of a little chaos to shake things up.”

“We’re not trying to ‘shake things up’, Lizzie. We’re trying to stop the mole so things can go back to normal around here and my parents will let me stay.”

Compton screamed again, serving as a reminder for the most important task at hand that we’d all been ignoring. We had to help him.

“Agent Boole, would it be okay if we did a wellness check inside your mind? We’ll be quiet.”

Compton simply nodded, still trying to block out the sound of the bees buzzing around his head. At that, Raz pulled out his psycho-portal, and we astral projected into his mind.

We found ourselves in an empty room, the only thing of note being a large bell hanging from the ceiling. Raz inspected it, but Compton rushed over to stop him before he could ring it.

“No! I’m not ready yet! Cassie’s not here!”

Before we could question him, a Judge appeared, and he quickly teleported to another part of his mind.

Judges are a manifestation of the judgement a person passes on themself. They kind of play a similar role as Jasper, the critic in Gloria’s mind. Except they have big gavels that they try to crush you with.

“Ugh… Hate these guys.”

I turned to see Lizzie had joined us.

“You’d better be in here to help!”

“Relax, half pint. Compton’s my mentor. I can’t just stand around and do nothing.”

“Good. And I’d appreciate it if you knocked it off with the nicknames.”

I shifted to human form, and the three of us worked together to take down the Judge. It wasn’t too bad with all of us fighting him. I imagine if it was just one of us, it’d be a real pain in the ass.

Raz delivered the final blow, knocking him into the bell. A horribly loud ringing reverberated off the walls, and Compton returned. The walls suddenly lifted up, revealing that the room was actually the inside of a dinner bell. Looming over us were three enormous goat puppets, resembling Hollis, Ford, and Otto. Compton looked absolutely terrified.

“No…”

The lights switched on, revealing a fun and colorful-looking set for a cooking game show. The audience was filled with oversized foods with faces, and the host was another goat puppet, this one resembling Truman.

“It’s time to play… RAM! IT! DOWN!”

The audience erupted in cheers. The host introduced himself as Tincan Zanotto, and immediately began explaining the rules of the game. Using food from the audience, we had to cross the obstacle course, cook the ingredients, and put them together on the plate for the judges in order to make the assigned meal. It sounded simple enough.

“Don’t worry, Agent Boole. With the four of us working together-”

“Whoa, hold on there! There’s one thing I forgot to mention! Only one sous-chef can help our contestant at a time! You know what they say: too many cooks spoil the broth! Now, for this first round, Sous-Chef Lizzie will be making… a Grulovian Drowned Egg!”

A Grulovian drowned anything sounds super messed up considering what happened, though this was likely just a representation of Compton’s memories of Maligula.

Raz and I took our seats in the audience, and the timer started. We watched as Lizzie ran the course, dropping an egg off in the boiling pot, then going back to slice up an onion. It took her a few tries, since her TK wasn’t the strongest, but she managed to finish within the time limit.

Compton joined her at the plate, and the judges glared at them as the completed dish was revealed.

“Um, so… We boiled an egg-”

“Boring!”

Lizzie patted him on the shoulder, stepping forward.

“I’ll handle this, Teach.”

After clearing her throat, she dramatically gestured to the food on the plate.

“This is the story of two lovers, changed by war. She was hardened, but cold within. And he lost a part of himself in battle. They can’t go back and undo the trauma they’ve endured, but together, they can move forward and help each other to heal… in the form of an egg-based dish.”

The judges scarfed it down, rating it “surprisingly acceptable”, and soon enough, the first round was over. Lizzie took a seat next to me in the audience, letting out a sigh.

“Glad that’s over with.”

“Hey, Lizzie. What you said back there, did you come up with that yourself?”

She chuckled.

“Nah. Most of that was paraphrased from the synopsis on the back of one of Norma’s romance novels.”

“Huh… Well, either way, that was pretty smart.”

She gave me a light punch on the arm.

“Alright, kid. You’re up next.”

I got up from my seat and joined Compton on the main stage.

“Oh, hello. I don’t believe I’ve met you before.”

“My name is Flint. I’m new here. Used to go to camp with your grandkids.”

He smiled for a second, then suddenly remembered something.

“Have you seen Sam recently? How is she doing?”

I let out a nervous laugh. “She’s, uh… She’s cooking again.”

“Oh dear.”

We started the next round, where I was tasked with making a Strawberry Jam Croque Madame.

Lizzie definitely got off easy with that first round. Prepping my ingredients was a multi-step process. I had to boil an egg, blend a strawberry, and then slice and grill some bread. This was of course made significantly more challenging with the obstacle course, but I managed to finish just in time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to prepare a presentation for the meal as I was too caught up with finishing on time and not dying from the obstacles, so I had to rely on improv.

Compton had gained a little more confidence watching me run the course, so he actually started off the presentation.

“This dish is infused with… um…”

“Determination!”

The judges looked on with skepticism.

“Uh… but it may also have a hint of doubt?”

Once again, they devoured the food, rating it “slightly better than a mouthful of nails”. Not sure what that means by goat standards. Maybe that’s good?

For the final round, Raz took on the course to make a Honey Pepper Pancake Stacker. After he finished, I noticed how Compton plugged his ears when Tincan tried to trigger his anxiety. He was learning to block out the voices.

Then, when the time came to present the dish, he did it himself. The judges even thought it was “moderately pleasant”.

It seemed like the game show was coming to a close, and Compton, while relieved that it was over, was calmer than I’d ever seen him before.

He looked to Raz, then turned to Lizzie and I in the audience.

“Thank you. Thank all of you. I couldn’t have done this without your help.”

Raz smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

“Of course! But look, now you can do this on your own!”

Compton was taken aback, quickly reverting to his previous behavior as Tincan appeared behind him.

“Is that so? Well then, that means it’s time for… DOUBLE DOWN!”

Compton was sent off to an isolated kitchen somewhere while the rest of us moved to the Double Down stage. It looked like a giant hot plate, and there were two tubes beside the judges so we could send ingredients to Compton. Feed of him in the isolation station was also being broadcast to a big screen overhead.

The rules were simple. We just had to send him the right ingredients so he could make the requested dish. But there was one glaring issue: there were no ingredients on the Double Down stage.

It was only after the final round began that I realized the horrifying truth. We would be cooking with recycled ingredients. As in, the goat judges were overstuffed and puking up all the food they just ate, so we had to essentially collect, prepare, and then feed them back their own vomit. Why, Compton? Why?

At the very least, the three of us were allowed to work together on this last round, but that didn’t make it any less unpleasant. Lizzie’s Cryokinesis was a big help, though. She was able to freeze over some of the vomit to make it easier to move around the stage.

With each completed dish, the judges exploded one by one. The goat resembling Ford was the last one standing. However, just when it seemed like he was going to explode, he collapsed instead, turning into a regular hand puppet on Compton’s own hand.

All remnants of the judges were gone. It was just Compton. It really goes to show just how harshly a person can judge themself. But he was back in control over his own thoughts, and more confident than ever.

We left his mind, and right off the bat, he was able to communicate with the bees without getting overwhelmed. Once he saw that we were all back, he went back into the chamber to get his membership card for Raz.

“Here you are, just as I promised. Thank you again for all of your help. Now, I’m off to find Cassie.”

Before we could question him, he had already walked off with his bee friends. As he left, Lizzie stared at us in awe.

“Wow… Compton’s been a nervous wreck since day one of my internship, and you guys fixed him in like, what, an hour?”

I shook my head. “We didn’t fix him, Lizzie. We helped him. I guess he hasn’t let anyone in until now. But hey, you were a big help too.”

“It was nothing. I just… didn’t like seeing him so down on himself. I’ve been there, y’know?”

I could definitely understand where he was coming from. That feeling was very present in my mind during my first few months at camp. It was the first time I’d been on my own without my parents taking care of everyone for me. Sure, Sasha and Milla were helping, but I didn’t know that. It felt like I was completely on my own, and it was terrifying. But I learned to take things one step at a time, and soon, I didn’t feel so overwhelmed.

“Well, now that my mentor’s off frolicking in the woods, I’m gonna go take a much needed break. Catch you guys later!”

With that, Lizzie left, meaning it was time for Raz and I to head to our next stop: the bowling alley.

“Hey, so how did Ford get here so fast, anyway?”

“I summoned him with bacon.”

“I… what?”

“Yeah, I don’t really know how it works either.”

[f1uckinghell]

Max's reaction to a shy Daniel telling him that he wants another pup.

cute <3 (listen yes I know this doesn’t technically line up with the timeline, but just roll with it. I wanted the baby to be jasper)

send me prompts for little mini fics!

——

It’s a rare moment of peace, a rare moment when they can sit on the porch together, drinking their coffee and relaxing in the spring sun. The pups’ screams are distant, they are little specks of color running around in one of the pastures, playing some game that seems to involve a bunch of sticks and a rope. Unless anyone gets hurt, Max doesn’t want to hear about it.

Daniel has his injured leg propped up in Max’s lap; it still gets tender after a few hours of work. Max idly traces the tattoos on it with his free hand. Elfie cat is curled up on Max’s other thigh, and for now she decided not to attack Daniel’s foot. Everything is peaceful. Max closes his eyes and lets the sun shine into his face.

A scream wafts over from where the kids are playing, but Max ignores it.

„They’re so funny,“ Daniel says in a lazy voice. „I’m trying to figure out their game but I have no idea what’s going on.“

Max just hums in reply, then says, „They found all the rope when they were helping on the farm while you were in bed with your leg.“

„It’s crazy that they can help that much now.“ Max hears Daniel’s mug clink against his ring.

„They did a good job,“ he whispers, then yawns.

There is a pause, and Max cracks one eye open because he can tell that it’s a loaded pause.

Daniel is chewing on his bottom lip, still looking out at their kids.

„Don’t you miss when they were little, though?“ he asks, glancing over to Max with a hopeful little smile.

„Yeah, sometimes.“ Max shrugs. „But sometimes I remember the lack of sleep and then I don’t miss it.“

Daniel snorts. „True. But you know what I do miss?“ He leans forward and wraps his arm around Max’s waist, stroking his belly. „…you pregnant.“

Max can feel his cheeks heat up while he indadvertedly has to smile. „What are you trying to say?“

Daniel shrugs again, giving Max a big grin. „What about if we try for another? Just one more?“

„The triplets were supposed to be one more!“

„Yeah, but we’re old now, I bet it won’t be another full litter!“

Max squints at Daniel. „You’re old,“ he says, „And I feel like you jinxed it now.“

„Come on, Maxy,“ Daniel begs, „Just think about it, yeah? Remember how cute they were when they were little.“

He leans in to kiss Max, and Max sighs against his lips. „I’ll think about it.“

„Cool, thanks,“ Daniel smirks, and kisses him for real.

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 14- Part 16

No no, nononono, I don’t think she wants to be perceived right now, just leave her to pretend to be invisible like a ghost- that’s probably why her hair is white! Just look at Danny!

I’m sure Xera would very much like to be an intangible phantom right now!

I mean, to be fair, that one evil guy had the control of the whole PULSE Tangrowth, that’s way tougher to bring down than a trio of Grunts with Pokémon that are likely not as well-leveled.

Ooooh no, that ring is super important for some reason, oh dear, what have we done, oh no-

Yeah, now that I think about- probably difficult for a father to scold his pre-adolescent and rebellious child when said child can just…fly away in the middle of it.

Why is this a choice…? Does anything actually change if we say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ here? He said it’s non-negotiable, so I assume it’s one of those “the game won’t let you progress until you select ‘Yes’” things. Not that I’m gonna select ‘No’ here to test it, or as a joke, this scene is a bit too serious for me to want to do that…

Because, admittedly- okay, yeah, I’ve made my suspicions of Corey very clear by now, but this is still a painful moment, being forced to cut off contact with someone who seemed like an ally, not to mention Heather as well after having just gotten to bond with her over fighting bad guys, even if she’s a bit arrogant about her abilities (but with a Salamence on her team, I don’t blame her).

And those are just my feelings as the player, out-of-character. In-character? Heck- this probably feels worse for Xera. Again, she doesn’t suspect him of having a connection to Team Meteor, and while I wouldn’t say she feels as close with him as she does other characters (relatively speaking, given the outwardly cold demeanor I’ve assigned to her), I’m sure she at least respects and trusts him to a degree. And again- bonding with his daughter over fighting bad guys! So to break Corey’s trust to such an extent that he forces her to cut ties with them, to lose that connection like this…gosh, that’s gotta hurt.

But she’s not in a position to argue, either, and not just because she’s a silent protagonist here. So…

Man- the last two victories against Team Meteor had at least some sense of accomplishment or triumph to them, maybe bittersweet at worst (given what happened to Victoria last time). But this…I just feel sad, now. Just…Xera standing there, completely alone, only her Pokémon by her side at the end of the day…man.

But…with this, we should be able to access Beryl Ward now. And that, in turn, takes us one step closer to rescuing Victoria, hopefully. That’s what we should focus on- in-universe, I’m sure that notion will be what Xera takes some solace in.

Anyways, the sign in front of the Gym doesn’t give much info, just that this was the Jasper Ward Gym. But hey, with the vines cleared, we can finally go over and pick up that item!

Fitting, given we just fought a Tangrowth. 

Now…let’s get out of this sad little forest, and back to sad little Jasper Ward and its sad little Pokémon Center.

And I think we’ve made more than enough progress for one play session- more than I was expecting, honestly, but I’m not gonna complain. Thank you all once again for reading, next time we’ll finish up any business left remaining in Jasper Ward, then make our way to Beryl Ward and- maybe, depending on how long other possible events take- take on the other PULSE! 

Now that the creation process for these chapters has been greatly streamlined thanks to PicPick, progress and updates should be much more frequent from here on (barring any IRL things taking away free time). I’m really looking forward to that, I’m excited to keep going, and I hope you all are looking forward to it as well! So thanks again, and I’ll see you all in the next installment! Until then!

CURRENT TEAM:

Riptide

Species: Croconaw

Gender: Male

Level: 27

Ability: Sheer Force*

Item: Quick Claw

Brave nature; Alert to sounds.

Glare

Species: Arbok

Gender: Female

Level: 25

Ability: Intimidate

Item: Protective Pads

Naughty nature; Highly curious.

Prong

Species: Charjabug

Gender: Female

Level: 25

Ability: Battery

Item: None

Rash nature; Loves to eat.

Decibel

Species: Noibat

Gender: Female

Level: 25

Ability: Telepathy*

Item: None

Bashful nature; Often lost in thought.

Blizzard

Species: Snover

Gender: Male

Level: 25

Ability: Snow Warning

Item: None

Naive nature; Likes to thrash about.

Caldera

Species: Slugma

Gender: Female

Level: 25

Ability: Magma Armor

Item: Quick Claw

Jolly nature; Often scatters things.

CURRENT BOXES:

NUMBER OF RELOADS: 8

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