#also another hc of mine is whatever they are calling her young

[waffultaim]

Willowpelt willoweing on her own

[spamtonsbigshot]

So I’ve got a possible Vento Aureo AU that i started thinking about a lot last night and i just kinda wanna post it here to have it all in one place.

—

Gionro - Vampire (for obvious reasons)

Fugo - Werewolf cuz i love him

Abbacchio - Probably a fallen angel, similar to how he was thrown out of the police force he was thrown out of heaven

Bruno - Probably human too, just a man in the cryptid woods who fell in love with an angel

Narancia - im tempted to just say catboy cuz im out of ideas

Mista - Satyr. Hairy.

Trish - cross between demon and human, has some demon features but otherwise can pass human

Diavolo - probably a demon

—

Background: Pannacotta Fugo

one of fugo’s grandparents (grandma) are definitely a werewolf that married into a wealthy family at some point therefore making Fugo a decendant. the werewolf genes skipped his parents’ generation and of his siblings, only Fugo got the werewolf genes. Fugos grandmother is the og werewolf i bet. Which is why Panni loves her so much and feels he can confide in her cuz he keeps his werewolfness to himself otherwise. idk how it managed to avoid his parents as he was young so lets say the genes kick in around like puberty age or something, as in he cant fully transform till later. so following VA lore he goes to college n shit right? and following phf lore he gets mad at his professor waving away his grandmas recent passing as she was the only one he was close to and goes feral in a literal sense. he calms himself down before anyone can come in and be like “wtf” so when hes found back in human appearance, holding a big school book, thats what people think happened and blamed it on that. After that, Fugo runs away into the woods and later would find Bruno in his cabin in the woods. Bruno’s a social outcast who used to be a fisher but after his dads passing he moved into the more wooded areas and settled there. Became a farmer maybe cuz he has to make money somehow. Because brunos lived in the woods for a few years he's befriended many supernatural creatures that live there in part just to get buy, he even has a sign that says "supernatural friendly" or something. So With fugo having run out into the woods, Bruno finds Fugo while on a walk probably and takes Fugo in after Fugo explains he has nowhere else to go. So Fugo becomes a farmhand basically and Bruno has some werewolf acquaintances explain sorta how being a werewolf works cuz fugo's only werewolf relative he knows of is dead.

Background: Leone Abbacchio

Leone WAS a guardia angel for a man of which goes unnamed. At one point, Leone took a bribe of sorts from a demon. The bribe was to keep the demon business in the area unnoticed by Angels. Later, said same demon and Leone’s human get involved on some way, and it ends up in the death of Leone’s human. Because of Leone’s neglectfulness and possible corruptness, he is cast out from above and thrown down below to earth. Abba probably breaks a tree nearby on impact when being struck down from the literal sky. Bruno goes to investigate and finds abbacchio in what looks like a meteor crash sight of his own making, theres also probably the imprint of angel wings its like a really cinematic shot probably. So bruno takes him back to his cabin and nurses him back to health. Abba was probably someones guardian angel and took a bribe from a demon that eventually got his human killed. Bruno, being all wise with supernatural shit, feels bad for him as Abba has nowhere to go. He teaches Abbacchio how to be a human and function in society that way theyre both earning something. Though, abbacchio is still an angel by blood and being and does not require stuff like food or water and therefore doesnt take up too much valuable supplies.

Background: Narancia and Mista

Narancia probably likes to absentmindedly stroll through the woods and sometimes isnt seen for a few days as he is a cat and can hunt for himself. Nara was probably abandoned and became an ally cat at some point and was bullied for being a catboy, people called him a freak and for him to go eat out of the trash and stuff like that. Fugo found him in an alley when in town, and when he looked at the cat in the dumpster, he saw intelegent purple eyes instead of feral cat eyes and new that this malnourished, injured cat was probably supernatural in some way and took him with him to bruno's cabin, later, nara just kinda becomes a housecat thats also a helpful energetic boy And on one of nara's long day long strolls, he encounters Mista, who is a satyr therefore he's pantsless (furry goat legs) and shirtless (cuz why not) narancia kinda keeps his distance for a while and comes across Mista a few times over the course of maybe a few weeks to a month, but eventually Mista gets into trouble and uses a pan flute to use some epic firest magic to kill off some harmful spirits. After witnessing that, narancia, now catboy and not cat, jumps out of the bush he was watching from to exclaim how "totally sick!" That was. They kinda talk and become friends after a while, narancia becoming less and less afraid to approach him and talk to him. They later become really good bros and nara invites Mista over to play games but since Mista has no clue wtf those are as he's a satyr that lives shirtless in the woods, Narancia teaches him how to play and thats when mista realizes he's catching feelings :) Also as a lil hc of mine im bringing in the possum i draw narancia with called Tutti Frutti Juul Pod (aka Tutti/Tutti Frutti) and theyre Nara’s friend basically and occasionally he brings Tutti home but Tutti remains wild for the most part 👀

Background: Giorno

Giorno grew up in the city with his shitty mom and step dad. No gangster saving this time. Eventually, lets say, Giorno's parents decide they dont wanna deal with him anymore and put him in an orphanage and so giorno just kinda lives a sad life for a while. Eventually, he gets adopted by Jonathan and Erina, (his ov dad still being dio but hes dead because its my au and i said so) so Jonerina adopt Giorno and stuff starts getting a lot better for him. After vampire puberty or whatever, giorno isnt going to be killed by the sun or anything it just kinda stings his skin and he'll get burned bad if he stays exposed to the sun longer than an hour or so. So he starts taking night walks. Eventually, on a night of the full moon while giorno's out on his walks (cuz hes gotta do something it gets boring in the house at night after a while) and giorno comes across fugo like, as he's transforming into a full on wolf. Fugo's kinda embarassed by the fact giorno caught him and upon seeing giorno watch him transform, he sprints away. Giorno thought fugo and his big ol white fur coat were really pretty and doesnt chase after him, but thinks about it. A month later, the next full moon and he sees him again, transforming. Giorno just kinda ponders who this pretty stranger is and this time stays more hidded and approaches him slowly. Fugo growls at him at first, but giorno's opener is "Hello, your fur is very pretty. I'm Giorno, Giorno Giovanna" and fugo gets all flustered at being called "pretty" so he decides to approach him, carefully circlin him and gathering his scent to familiarize himself with it. He decides giorno is not a threat, and decides to shift back to his more human complexion, though his wolf ears and tail are still very present, as well as sharp claws and teeth. Fugo gets all nervous and eventually introduces himself and they kinda continue walking at night. Gionro also explains hes a vampire and prefers to thrive at night. Fugo asks to meet up another night and giorno agrees. They continue like that for a few weeks till fugo eventually gives giorno his number, that way they domt have to just walk and talk at night, and their relationship grows from there.

Its such a long Post omg 💀 but thats what i have!

[fotiathymos]

would love to hear the backstory hcs regardless of them being sad or not :0

SIGH. 

I wrote a lot and it got eaten by tumblr and I'm upsetti so IDK if this is any good. Also this is just Lio's backstory stuff and his parents. I could do Galo but maybe if anyones interested I will?? And not tonight..

Its sad and its LONG. So just be prepared for that. Its also 2 am so no one will read this anyway so...

tw for parental death, kidnapping, stalking, genocide, government abuse, and if i miss something my apologies

Do note this isn't the end all be all for a Lio back story. I honestly love everyones interpretations. Mine tends to be sad and less cool and edgey I guess? Everyone makes it cooler, I just go.. oh heres some sad mixed with reasons for Lio's mental illness. 

DO REALIZE. PLEASE. REAL GENOCIDE IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN THE WORLD AND IS NOT COMPARABLE AT ALL TO ANY FICTIONAL 'RACE' LIKE THE BURNISH.

Okay.

Lio's backstory and his parents.

--

Lio is a powerful burnish. We know that. He has massive control of his flames and a strong connection to the Promare. It is a common theory that he awoken as a Burnish rather young. I share that theory. Lio became burnish around 8-9 years old. Very very young. Most children who become burnish are taken away, hated by the parents or killed/arrested by Freeze Force. Lio was loved very much by his parents.

Like Simon and Nia. Lio's parents were rebels. They grew up in a world where there wasn't any burnish. They witnessed the uprising, the first World Blaze, the oppression of the burnish. They were against it. They were not burnish themselves but they could not just idly sit by and watch people get murdered and kidnapped for something they couldn't control. Lio's parents joined the rebellion quickly.

His father being an inspiring man, friendly, loveable, a leader, and a beacon for the good of all man and Spiral kind. He was fond of pointy glasses, capes and inspirational speeches. His mother was kind, a bad cook but still tried, soft spoken and believes there is good in everyone. Lio got his attitude from his father, his soft spokeness from his mother. And maybe some magical pretty eyes and hair from his mom too.

His parents were anarchists. His father worked in a line of direct action. Fighting and pushing back against the government, rioting, sabotaging government burnish kidnappings, breaking people out of prison, etc. His mother pretended to play 'stay at home mom'. She worked with the community to build unity and strength within. She'd homeschool Lio to make sure he was not fed propaganda that was quickly over taking the education system. She owned a community garden and helped feed everyone. From a young age Lio was surrounded and taught to be kind and help others.

Unfortunately, Lio was an unexpected child in an unexpected time. The activism of his parents cause the young family and the young child to be targets of the government. Considering they werent burnish and no crimes could be found on them, Freeze Force just wanted the annoying pests to be eliminated. But killing a quiet family wouldn't look good on their part. They wanted to scare them out of activism, scare them into obeying the order. Lio became an easy target.

Strange men started to stalk Lio. It was quickly noticed by his parents and caused them to isolate their child from the world. Lio was a lonely kid, he wasn't allowed friends, couldn't go to the park and mostly stayed home with his mother. 

One day while playing in the backyard, Lio wandered off. His mother was keeping an eye on him of course, but kids are kids. And Lio was Lio and a rebellious kid. He wandered off into a stranger who was watching him from afar. Waiting for Lio to get far enough away to be grabbed. The stranger threw a bag over Lio's head and desperately tried to throw him into a van. Lio was young and small and scared. He was suddenly covered in flames. Burning both himself and the stranger. 

His mother who was already frantically looking for her child, suddenly saw flames appear in her backyard. She grabbed a hose and hosed them down. Only to see her child still on fire. She grabbed Lio, ignoring the burns and ran into the house away from the stranger. After placing Lio in the shower and calming him down, telling him he was safe, she quickly packed bags and left with Lio. 

The family moved to a new house quickly. The news never mentioned a man being burned by the burnish, but they couldn't risk anything.

They now had a burnish son, who was lonely, scared, paranoid and burning everything all the time. In their activism the parents grew to understand the burnish struggles and needs. Not to the extent of understanding completely as they were not burnish but they tried. They loved Lio and did everything they could to help him. His father would teach him to control is flames to make objects, from toys to animals to swords. His mother had him help with cooking, control the flames to not burn the food. They served many burned dinners either way. One day they walked in on Lio climbing into the oven while it was turned on. Freaking out, but suddenly realized he was fine. Lio's excuse was he wanted to see the fires. 

Lio would talk about how the fire spoke to him. How he needed to burn. It became a common thing of Lio bursting into flames just from laughing too hard or crying or just any emotion being felt a little bit too hard. His father always had a pair of fire proof gloves in his pocket and would pick up Lio and rush him into the shower to cool down. He could burn all he wants in the shower with no water, but if it got too much he was to turn it on and cool off. 

The house furniture had scorch marks in Lio's favorite spots. Lio's favorite books needed multiple copies because he'd get so excited from certain parts in the story he'd set the book aflame. He was to watch his mother garden from afar to not burn the plants. Lio learned to make fire that wasn't hot quickly so he could still burn in excitement or joy and not harm his parents or things.

His parents were still activist. Laying low but committed in making the world a better place for their son. His mother stayed home still to teach Lio as he got older. His father would do more secretive work but it'd cause him to not come home for days. They were still being hunted. And possibly even more so since information about their burnish son may be known.

Lio was 12 when he was home, staring into the fireplace, breathing with the flames. His father was out for work. His mother busy in the garden out front. A Freeze Force van pulled up. His mother quickly ran inside. "Lio, go hide. Now." But it was too late. Large men pounded through the front door and threw a bag over Lio's mother's head. Lio screamed for her and burst into flames. He tried to direct them at the men who now had his mother on the floor. But suddenly everything was cold. Lio was shot frozen. And blacked out.

Freeze Force arrested Lio. They told him his parents were killed for treason. Lio was to be experimented on. He never saw them again.

When he finally broke out of prison, he tried to go home. There was a new family in his house. They quickly called the cops on him and Lio ran. Lio was on the run for years. Joining and leaving groups of burnish, being on his own for some years. 

When he finally found the Mad Burnish, interacting with others was foreign to him. He managed to connect with Meis and Gueira only. They respected Lio's way of communication, no touching, less talking, more actions, more burning. 

Being on the run, with and without the Mad Burnish, made Lio never really have a 'home'. The only one he ever had was taken from him. After the Parnassus events, staying put or settling down wasn't in him. Lio continued to travel with Meis and Gueira to aid other ex burnish around the world. He'd come back to Promepolis every so often to stay in touch with Galo. They'd mostly call and video chat from afar but it was nice to see eachother after all they've been through.

It took Lio over a year to finally discuss his feelings with Galo. And even then, when they finally became romantically involved, Lio requested they 'take it very very slow'. Lio continued to travel and help others but started staying at Galo's apartment more. It took another year for Lio to finally call Galo's apartment... home.

When Lio finally opened up to Galo about what happened when he was younger.. Galo told him how proud Lio's parents would be of him. How he was still so kind, loving and helping others, just like his parents. How proud they'd be knowing Lio saved the world. 

--

Okay! That was sappy and i tried to end it nice??? I didn't proof read this... its 230 am... ive got insomnia so whatever but staring at a screen typing doesnt help nor did tumblr eating this post first and having to rewrite it.

Once again this is just thoughts. I'd love to know what anyone thinks. Ive seen much cooler more actiony backstories of Lios parents being ex mad burnish leaders or something. I just got sad. pft.

Thank you for reading if you got this far!!! Much love!! Hope I didn't make anyone feel horrible. GNIGHT!

[irisvseyelash]

[Part 1] B-But my thingsss is just either sleep, eat, having existensial crisis while doing nothing (esp during this lockdown), staring at my ceiling for hours, checking any Batarou content for hours too, or making super random hcs. So yeah, I'll do it anyway! It's already halfway done, btw✌ Also good chance to try how that submit button will work I'm honestly curious, too 😗 Lmao the teachers had already fed up for these 2 rascal kids, they're so done with all shoujo love drama between them 😂

[Part 2] I believe Bang will pester Garou by asking anything about Badd EVERYTIME like a nagging father. Bang: "When will you make Badd my son-in-law?", Garou: "I'M NOT EVEN GRADUATED FROM HIGHSCHOOL PLZ CHILL, OLDMAN!!". Zenko: "Ma, bigbro has a new bf. That's why he insisted to make extra lunchbox every morning", Badd: "Zenko NO-", Mom: "WHA-, BADD WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL MA, HUH?! NOW CALL YOUR BF HE MUST GOING TO DINNER WITH US TOMORROW". They adore Garou very much in the end. Good! 😆

[Part 3] It's OK to write our emotion out! Sometimes I also write comfortfic/sickfic when I'm depressed, depended my mood atm. But happy end always there, even it's in "twisted" way, huehehehe~ *suspicious evil laugh* 😈 When I make my OTP die: "oh no poor soul.. let me do it in a quick merciful way 😢😇". When I make my disliked charas die: "YASS SWEET PAINFUL DEATH TASTED SO GOOD, MMHMM.. NO MERCY FOR YOU OHOHOHO-- 💀😈" (and yesss plz talk more about your Batarou Hanahaki!AU 👀✨)

[Part 4] Aww THANK YOU, IRIS! I'm glad that you think I'm one of the best anon or I've provided good Batarou hcs this year, I feel honoured too tysm I LOVE YOU TOO aaaa-- 😭🙏💖💗💘💕💞💝🌸 (wha? I never joined any discord, only lurking around on tumblr as anon or ao3 as Little1993lamb lol 😜). Also, I'm glad that I could meet you in this fandom. Because what? TWOSET GANG!! SOUTH-EAST ASIAN GANG!! FELLOW BATAROU FANS!! YOOO~ WE (and the rest of fandom members) ARE AWESOME!! 🙌🙌

[Part 5] OMG I FORGOT TO MENTION, Temperans-sama made another DemonAngel Monster!Batarou again it's so magnificent I'm fangirling at it rn I'M CRYING I'M MELTIN-- *incoherence babling mess*. Lol sorry for that, but seriously plz checked on her newest art! Despite labeled as nsfw, there's no actual explicit content in it. Only implication, the rest is our imagination.. 😏 Badd's wings in the art, bro.. I can't stop looking at his soft fluffy wings. The lighting made him looked like HOLY BEING 😳✨

Me: Hm... Wonder if Dyan's replied yet

This 5-Part ask: hELLO THERE

Me: *literally startled enough to drop my phone*

Ah yes anyway, your things is indeed a big mood but don't you have like... Work, to do? I mean mine's just a mountain of assignments and schoolwork ( ;- ;)

wEll I guEsS NOt ¯\(°_o)/¯

It's halfway done? 👀👀👀👀👀 can't wait to reaaaad ugghhhdhdhdh and looks like the mystery of a post submission is gonna be solved soon wheeEEEEE

Okay but the teachers being So Done™ with the two of them is a big mood like who wouldn't be if they were probably the type to literally skip class just to escape school and hang out at the arcade or the manga store or sumn (*cough* Date *Corona*)

Also, your little convo of the typical teen and their s/o is PERFECT I CAN SEE IT HAPPENING 😂😂😂😂👌👌👌 Bang's just going "I want to see grandchildren before I die" and Garou just going "dAD NO—" AND BADD'S MOM GOING ALL "LET ME SEE MY FUTURE SON-IN-LAW *SCREECH*" and Badd just looking around at the shopping centre like "Mom.. Mom stop... Mom people are looking sTOP" because they would be at the grocery store looking for the ingredients to buy and his mom dragging him because she wants to know ALL about this charming young man that successfully charmed her hard-head of a son

And when they meet one another they just. CHARMED. CHARRRRMMMMEEDDDDDD YOU HEAR MEEEE

Garou's arrival would be like *steps into Badd's mom's view* *imaginary roses start appearing out of nowhere because he REALLY DRESSED UP for this* and his mom turning to Badd like "If you're not gonna marry him I will" and then Badd just proceeds to choke because this old woman wants to marry an 18 year old like no bro nooooo

And Badd would be just. Baby. He's baby enough that Bang would fuss over him so much that Badd accidentally snaps at him and Bang goes all "Oooooh feisty. You chose a great one, Sonny" and Badd has his back almost folded in half by how hard Bang smacked him and Garou just flusters and stutters amd is just overall Embarassed™ not for himself but for his 'Dad' whose making Badd a little overwhelmed at how he's acting

Idk man my teacher said writing with the ink called emotion's not good. Like the readers can see that you utterly despise or adore that character or situation. Which in my opinion is great, but I guess not

ヽ(｀⌒´)ノ

But yess killing off that one character you hate the most just gives you so much satisfaction that you just... Can't help but grin when you write out their death.

And Imma write up the Hanahaki AU in the reblog of this post... Soon. Cause I needa finish reading Azfa Hanani (my literature book) for tomorrow's quiz D': AND YES DYAN YOU DESERVE ALL THE LOVE FOR WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW I LOVE YOUUUUUU

*squints suspiciously* that wink looks very sus and even if you ARE in the discord gang, Fiji is the twosetter there and YES TWOSET GANG (wait a damn minute) ASEAN GANG AND BATAROU GANG WE COOL (EVERYONE TOO)

AND TEMPERANS-SAMA POSTED ANOTHER ART?! HDHDHDGSGGD OH NOOOOOO ITS NSFW I CANT LOOK AT THATTTTTTT I'M 15 (°ﾛ°٥) *snurt* Oh there's no explicit content? Oho okay~ AFTER FINISHING MY BOOK.

And BABBLE ON ALL YOU WANT DYAN

Temperans-sama's art is ✨magnifique✨ and is just simply on a whole other level. SO I TOTALLY GETCHU.

I WAS A WHOLE BABBLING MESS WHEN Y'ALL STARTED TO INTERACT WITH ME TOO MY FIRST WAS CAIN THEN EIR AND THEN YOU AND THEN THE DISCORD GANG AND I LOVE, APPRECIATE AND ADORE ALL OF YOU—

*clears throat* Excuse me. Anyways, since I'm a little restless today, my mind made another au but Azfa Hanani style and I can't wait to finish the story so I can just write a whole AU for my boys :')

So anyways when I've seen the art I will simply simp harder for them I see 👀 I am unprepared but then again just when are we, amirite?

[marshmellowtea]

hey!! im gonna send you a lot of charas, you can answer them as you want, I just wanna make sure you have enough to answer all you want!! seishi, nikei, ayumu, marin maki, komaeda, makoto, mikan and sayake, please!

aaaaaaaa anon ur so sweet ilysm ;o; 

i’ll probably have to divide these into a couple posts so i can break it into chunks for myself but i’ll start off with seishi, nikei, and ayumu here :’0 

also putting this under a cut so i hopefully don’t break anyone’s dashes 

seishi 

favorite thing about them 

he’s just,, baby?? he’s just baby hdfjaslkdfsdf i don’t even know how to describe it. i was attached to him the moment i saw him and the more i watched of him the more in love i fell he’s such a precious dork,, 

least favorite thing about them 

idk if this actually counts because this is more of a criticism of his writing than anything but it’s so annoying how people just default him to “standard evil villain” after the katagiri zen reveal like no,, there’s so much more that can be done with him,, how dare you,, 

favorite line 

tbh as much as i’m disappointed (read: angry) with the direction voices was going to go, “did you just call us horny?” is still an ICONIC line fhaslksdfjlksdf i love it so much 

brOTP 

him and marin! also him and mikoto,, and him and nico,, tbh him and any girl is good he just vibes “let’s go wlw let’s go!!”, y’know? i also like him and nikei being like. adopted brothers or adopted cousins tbh it’s really cute 

OTP 

seishi/akira/ayumu/saiji. yes that it as an ot4. yes it counts come at me bro. any seishi/rebirth boy ship is good tho 

nOTP 

i,, really don’t like seishi/girls fjadsklfjsadf feels bad man 

random headcanon 

he has TRAUMA dammit!! i hc that he has a backstory similar to maki’s in that he was forced into being an assassin at a young age so it wasn’t really his choice to get involved in all this. i’ve kinda ran that idea into the ground at this point though so here’s a lighter headcanon: when he was 14, he reeeaaaally wanted to be a cat. like, to the point where he’s embarrassed to look back on those days because oh my god he really straight up tried to act like a cat 24/7 huh? kinda ties into another headcanon of mine that he’s less mature than he lets on and tends to go through periods of feeling kinda childlike but ssshh shsh shsh shush

unpopular opinion 

he’s a good boy with a morally dubious job and that doesn’t make him automatically evil. y’all are just unimaginative, uncreative and mean >:( 

song i associate with them 

coughs at my seishi and zen playlists uhh there’s a lot tbh but the songs most strongly connected with him in my mind are “this is how you spell haha we destroyed the hopes and dreams of a generation of faux romantics” by los campesinos! and “i’ve got all this ringing in my ears and none on my fingers” by fall out boy (and yes those are two songs with very long titles i know hdfaklsjdflsd ;w;) 

favorite picture of them 

aaaa rebirth doesn’t have a lot of good cgs to pull from across either of its canons and idk if fanart counts so,, but gosh i really love his surprised sprite. he’s like :o. he’s so baby i love him so much 

nikei 

favorite thing about them 

he’s so interesting. it’s clear a lot of work went into his character, and it’s always a fascinating struggle to try and write him. i think it might be a bit easier after chapter four is fully translated but still there’s a lot of complexity to him and it’s interesting trying to break down his outer shell and get inside his head, y’know? also, he’s adorable. i wanna squish his cheeks. 

least favorite thing about them 

oh my GOD does my boy stress me out. i hate seeing him being mean to my other favorite characters and i’m always just like baby why are you like this please don’t ohmygod?? i’m gonna have to watch chapter four with my hands covering my eyes hasdfjslkdf i hate betrayal plots :’) 

favorite line 

this is kinda hard actually hasdkflsjdfk but “and she threw them away just like that? girl, are you a genius or an idiot, make up your mind!” from the third trial is reALLY GOOD FHKJDFLKDSF on a more heartbreaking note though him apologizing before he dies is just,, god. god.

brOTP 

him and the other voids!! they’re a family fight me. and him and seishi, ofc. i also like him and setsuka a lot though,, after chapter six i’m doubling down on my “she’s his mom!!” stance okay. i also like him and yoruko because i think they could have a fun dynamic (and maybe a soft dynamic with older yoruko,, maybe,,)(what i’m saying is that he gains another mom okay. let me project my mommy issues in peace) 

OTP 

i,, actually largely headcanon him as aro so there’s not a lot of ships with him i’m super passionate about?? i still kinda like him and setsuka in aus and such but other than that i mostly dropped all my ships for him after chapter six cuz it’s no big loss to me. though,, i’m not gonna lie, i still have a HUGE soft spot for sorakei. after seeing his free time events they just,, grew on me and i’d think they’d be really cute together c’mon guys can we make it happen- :’0 

nOTP 

nikei/mikado nikei/mikado nikei/mikado LIKE CAN WE PUT IT TO REST ALREADY I ACTUALLY HATE IT 

random headcanon 

his hair is actually naturally super curly and he straightens it every morning so other people don’t realize this. the other voids think it looks really cute pre-straightener but he thinks it makes it hard for others to take him seriously which is why he goes to such lengths to try to hide it basically he does NOT appreciate the cooing he gets from emma, thank you very much. hgalsdjfadlfkl

unpopular opinion 

i’m not actually sure if this counts cuz i don’t see this on tumblr at least but i don’t think we should take what he says to emma and hajime in the void theater at face value. i think despite what he says he actually does care about them in his own way, he just doesn’t really show it well because he doesn’t like to be vulnerable around others. he’s an asshole sometimes (actually a lot of the time hadsflkjsdflk), but that doesn’t mean he’s unfeeling or unable to care about people. 

song i associate with them 

once again side eyes my nikei playlist ahdfslksdfjslkfd a part of me doesn’t want to spoil one of the songs on it because i do eventually wanna release it to the public but i really just,, i really gotta go with “are you satisfied?” by marina. it’s just too perfect and i think of him every time i hear it now 

favorite picture of them 

honestly? his first tts avatar. no talk him. him angy his last tts avatar upsets me though LEAVE HIM BE LINUJ

ayumu 

favorite thing about them 

AAAAAAAAAA BOYFRIEND BOYFRIEND he’s so sweet such a good boy!! i like that he’s empathetic towards others cuz of his luck and he cares about how it affects them. i like that he’s soft and definitely a good cuddle partner. i love that he’s a trans icon even if that’s not really the intent i don’t care he just vibes trans so well (gal or guy or nonbinary but i tend to stick with the trans guy headcanon cuz haha i transmasc-)  

least favorite thing about them 

i kinda wish he had more of a canon sarcastic side? i mean i’m gonna continue to write him that way lol but c’mon there had to have been times where his luck is just so wildly terrible that his inner hinata jumps out and he makes a quip about it hfkajsdfksdf 

favorite line 

aaaaaa his little hope speech during in voices’ chapter one trial makes me soft,, i love him so much,, i also like him shutting aruma down when she’s being too horny hdlkajdsflksdf it’s really good 

brOTP 

ngl i tend to ship him with most of the class so,, like,, i also brotp him with the whole class,, dalfksdlfkasdf 

OTP 

see above but my favorite of those pairings are ayumu/seishi, ayumu/akira and ayumu/mikoto 

nOTP 

when i’m headcanoning him as a trans guy: nico, misuzu, and kasumi cuz i hc them as lesbians. when i’m headcanoning her as a trans girl: seishi. kind of a nonissue when i go with a nonbinary headcanon though 

random headcanon 

he plays minecraft with akira a lot, but they always have to play in create mode where you can’t really die otherwise it’s just a montage of ayumu dying over and over again, pfft. even with unlimited life though he still usually ends up stuck somewhere and akira has to come dig him out and since akira’s a rude boy he’s always laughing his ass off as he’s doing it smh >:0

unpopular opinion 

it’s,, silly to be mad about his “secretly a boy” twist on the same level as you’re mad about the v3 protag twist,, it’s a fangan and not even that well known of one at that like it doesn’t really have the power to “break down barriers” like that or whatever tf you’re expecting hdsflkajsfdlksdf 

song i associate with them 

he’s another character i have a playlist for ahdflaksdjflaksd but “this is home” by cavetown and i cry every time :’) 

favorite picture of them 

once again there’s not a lot of canon art to pull from but i do adore the promo art of him with his “male” and “female” versions :’0 

[blueandgoldstella]

Hello everybody! I’m Sarah, I am 23 years old, and live in EST. This is my beloved OC, Stella. She happens to be one of my all time favorite characters of mine and I hope that y’all love her as much as I do. Below the cut is all the information you should know about her! I will say, there is some potentially triggering content so please be noted of that!

[ LAUREN JAUREGUI ] ( ✶:･ﾟ♦ — ▓ hey, guess what - i just saw STELLA VALDEZ by sweet water river, you know they’re SIXTEEN and a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT who identifies themselves as FEMALE i sometimes hear people describe them as RECKLESS and STUBBORN but others say that they’re LOYAL and ADVENTUROUS . me personally? i’m wondering what they were doing at the scene of jason blossoms murder, alone.

TW: child neglect, child abuse, gang violence, murder, alcoholism, drug abuse 

 Alright, to start off firstly - Stella is what I’d like to consider a mixture of Kat Stratford and Fiona Gallagher. She’s also totally the mom friend and momma bear of the younger serpents lbr

FAMILY UPBRINGING/DYNAMIC:

 She is the oldest out of six children. Yes, six children. She has three brothers and two sisters.The birth order of the Valdez family is as follows: Stella (16 years old), Nick (13 years old), Avery (10 years old), Serenity  (7 years old), Evan (3 years old) and Rowan (4 months old).

The Valdez family has ultimately been labeled as that family on the Southside that ‘never stops growing’.  Basically, you blink - and there’s another member of that family.

Growing up, Stella has never came from a life of privilege. She’s never known of the concept of a trust fund or a comma in her bank account. For her, it always too small of clothes. Too cold of nights.  Too hungry of mornings. To be frank, she’s dirt poor. Always has been poor.

A majority of her younger years consisted of moving around, quite a bit. The places she grew up and lived in prior to Riverdale were not great by any means. They hardly had any furniture or personal belongings. They often consisted of a two bedroom apartment (if they were lucky) where Stella would find herself sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag because her family couldn’t afford actual beds. She wouldn’t actually have her own bed to call her own until she was over 10 years old.

She is of Cuban decent, having been born and spending the first years of her life in Miami, Florida.

Her parents grew up in the same neighborhood with one another, becoming close as teenagers, eventually starting to date once they were at the age of 16/17.

Her dad has had a criminal record ever since he was a young teen. Having been in and out jail throughout his life, even when he was a juvenile. He joined a gang within Miami when he was around the age of 13/14. As he grew older, he’d become more engulfed into gang life and what it involved.

Contrary to popular belief, Stella’s dad wasn’t always a terrible person or father. Yes, he has always done sketchy things but it was always because he needed to feed his family and provide for them.

When Stella was 5 years old and Nick was around the age of 3, they’d kiss Florida goodbye. One night, seemingly out of the blue, her dad came home late, extremely distressed, physically in bad shape, and shaken up, Stella and Nick had no idea what was going on, but they were told by their mom and dad to pack up enough things that would fit in the van and that they had to go. Completely fleeing the place they had been living at.

Unknown to them, their dad had an altercation with a rival gang that turned deadly. The rival gang members were trying to jump one of his ‘boy’s and Stella’s dad wasn’t going to have it. Having grown up with his fellow gang members, he had to be loyal to his guys. He ended up killing one of the members in the rival gang. Being afraid that his actions would put him and his family at risk, he had no other choice than to flee.

The death of the rival gang member eventually lead to her father becoming an alcoholic. This was a turning point in not only his life, but his family dynamic. This was a point in Stella’s life when she knew something changed and her parents weren’t truly her parents anymore. To this day, Stella still doesn’t know her dad killed a man.

When they fled Florida, they had little to nothing with them. They had very few belongings and no home. Their financial situation was at an all time low and for the next almost 3 years of her life her family was basically homeless; living out of the Friday van. She had dealt with temporary homelessness before, having to sleep in the family van for a few days or weeks at a time at the most. But, this would soon become months at a time. Stella had no idea where they were headed, but she knew Florida would never be their home again. They were lucky if they could spend a few nights at a time at homeless shelters and such. During this period in her life, she’d go days without eating full meals and the food she did have, she’d find giving to her siblings.

Before finding their way to Riverdale, her parents would fall into addictive tendencies, not putting the needs of their kids before that. This was a turning point for her when she came to realize that nine times out of ten, her parents were going to put their addictions before themselves. If she wanted to survive, she’d have to provide for herself and for her younger siblings.

She has learned to become a humble person and be thankful for the things that she does have. Even if it might not be much, she knows there is probably somebody way worse off than her. Living in the Sunnyside trailer park feels like luxury compared to the living conditions she was so used to during her childhood. 

Nobody knows much about Stella’s past prior to moving to Riverdale. It’s not like she’s ashamed of it, she just doesn’t want to remember that low point in her life, or for people to take pity on her. (Of course, I HC that some people would obviously have to know about her troubled upbringing, but I can’t imagine it would be all of Riverdale, nor the Southside).

Officially moved to the Southside of Riverdale when she was 9, almost 10.

Throughout her childhood, her parents have had on and off custody of her siblings. CPS has had to step in and turn her family upside down more than once. With her mom being an on and off drug addict and her dad having drinking issues, it has only created chaos.

As of right now, her mom is currently not in the picture. She ditched her family shortly after the birth of her sixth child. Her dad’s drinking habits has increased due to her absence (they were under control for a bit, long enough for him to find stable work within Riverdale. Now, they are getting out of hand once more, him on the verge of loosing the job he currently has). Also, her dad’s anger has worsened and he has chosen to take it out on his oldest daughter while he is strung out. Currently no one knows about the abuse she is suffering at home and Stella wants to keep it that way. If anybody were to get too involved, that could mean the kiddos getting taken away from her.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Stella is actually extremely smart and a borderline genius. She has always done well in school without trying hard. It’s all come natural to her. She has a 4.0 GPA in school and her teachers have high expectations for her.  

Stella has found ‘creative’ and ‘different’ ways to make money for her family. This includes doing other people’s homework/writing papers for them,  pick-pocketing, stealing, and scamming people out of money (with the help of her adorable little siblings). The ways she sees it - when you’re poor, the only way to make decent money is to steal it or scam it.

The girl, over the years, has found herself developing a love for cooking (mostly baking).  Aside from her non-conventional ways of making money, she works part time at a bakery on the Southside. It’s a job that she actually enjoys and she gets to score free bread and sweet-treats for her family. 

Along with baking, she loves to read. This girl can finish a book in what seems like seconds. She’s not really picky with genre's, ultimately just loving the escape that books bring to her. You can usually catch her reading a book in the mornings on her front porch of her trailer, cigarette and coffee alongside with her. 

She has dreams of possibly going to college and ultimately doing some good with her life. Either wanting to become a lawyer, working in the foster care system, or going for a business degree to open up her own bakery. But, even though she could get into some good colleges the thought of doing anything after HS doesn’t seem like a reality for her. She doubts she’ll be able to leave the Southside, as sad as it sounds. Plus, she has had the lingering thought of when she officially turns eighteen, becoming an official guardian (or possibly fighting to fully adopt) her younger siblings. She vowed to herself a long time ago that her family was going to come before anything, including herself. Her siblings future and well-being are more important than her own. All she wants is for them to have a wonderful future as they grow older and she is willing to do whatever it takes to do so. Even if it means putting herself on the back burner and not doing the things she, deeps down, desperately wants to achieve and accomplish for herself. 

The Serpents have became the family she never knew she needed. She’s always been close to her southside neighbors and such, but eventually found herself joining when she was a young teen (age 14). She’s fully involved with them now and would do anything for her fellow Serpents.  She’d literally take the shirt off her back for her Southside family (but especially the Serpents). Even if her trailer may be tiny and always chaotic, her door is always open for a place to crash, to eat, or the such.

She’s never ‘too’ fond of the Northsiders due to have always been judged by them due to her lack of money and large family.

She drives an extremely old and beat up ‘mom van’ that she named Clifford. She can be seen toting around her younger siblings in it with pride. Please note though: Stella is a terrible, terrible driver. This bitch is constantly running over curbs and such. It’s a shock she passed her driving test in the first place.

[princess-faelivrin]

It’s a very abridged list of characters, BUT I wanted to make a post about my interpretations of some of the CoH characters despite the fact that Nobody Asked. Apologies in advance for 100000 blocks of text and yelling. 

TÚRIN

Call it projecting, ‘cause I guess it is, but Túrin has always been half-Asian in my head, in terms of appearance. I don’t know if I do a good enough job of showing it in my art, but Morwen reminds me of my Taiwanese mom and Húrin of my white-passing dad, so my Túrin takes after his mom. He’s stated to have grey eyes, so grey eyes he will have, but I tend to draw them dark enough that they almost look black. Aside from that, he’s tallish with unruly also-almost-black hair and a tendency to wear dark colors, which... might also be projection except for the tall part. It is what it is. 

Anyway, personality-wise... I mean this with all the love in my heart, but Túrin’s a dumb emo. Actually I partially take that back-- he’s a smart emo, smart and charismatic enough to be a natural leader with a good head for battle, but a ridiculous emo nonetheless. 

As stated in the Childhood of Túrin, he was kind of a weird kid, too old for his age and slightly unsettling, with a quick temper and an ability to hold grudges, but he cared deeply for the feelings of those around him and had a strong protective instinct for his little sis Lalaith. He’s also shown to have a leaning towards pity throughout his life, for anyone hurt or sad or at a disadvantage, which is really sweet and kinda makes me want to cry. 

Later on, Túrin is clearly pretty impulsive and can be ruled by anger, like when he smacked Saeros in the nose with a cup (which is valid) and lashed out at Beleg when he tried to give him bread. He felt bad about that second one pretty quickly, but I think it’s mentioned a couple times throughout CoH that people are scared of Túrin because of how quickly his mood can go south. 

On the other hand, despite the fact that he keeps directly and indirectly killing them, Túrin actually does really love his friends. Obvs he loves Beleg, and he loved Sador and probably Nellas too, and during the Nargothrond chapter he tries his best to look after Gwindor and Finduilas and try to figure out what’s making both of them so damned sad all the time. He fails, of course, because he’s too oblivious to notice the romantic tension so thick you’d have to use Gurthang to cut it, but he tries and that’s what counts. 

BELEG

I think it might just be because of fanart, but Beleg as I see him has silver hair. Between Beleg and Mablung, the consensus seems to be that one of them has dark hair and the other silver, so my Beleg is the silver one. I have actually no idea what color his eyes are, though. Hazel? Who knows. He’s taller than Túrin, that’s for sure, with long legs and broad shoulders. I like drawing him with a little white flower pin on his clothes. 

He seems to be a pretty cheerful dude, probably the most cheerful in all of CoH, which is good for him, I guess. He laughs when the outlaws see him and go “oh shit, who is that?” and lets them be in suspense for a second or two before going “haha, sike, it’s me! Beleg! I have food for y’all starving dudes.” Thus, he’s a good foil/companion to Túrin’s depressing nature and his death removes a lot of the scant happiness in Túrin’s life. 

Something I love about Beleg is that he’s very forgiving and just like... a ridiculously nice person for the situation. Beleg doesn’t hold anything against Túrin, doesn’t hold anything against Andróg either (which is pretty impressive,) and immediately decides to give Gwindor lembas and take him along for the ride after finding him under a tree in the forest. 

The big important thing to Beleg’s personality, imo, is that he’s very loyal (to Túrin specifically.) Despite being told it’s a dangerous idea, he goes and looks for Túrin in the wilderness, and even Thingol is well aware he won’t be stopped. It also outright says that where Túrin is concerned, Beleg “yield[s] to his love against his wisdom” to be with him. He’s straight up referred to as the most steadfast of friends, which is really sad because it’s like a sentence after he dies, but there it is-- Beleg is a good friend and a loyal one. 

TÚRIN’S FAMILY

I already mentioned the fact that Túrin’s family reminds me a lot of mine, which definitely influences my perception of them, but anyway: 

Morwen is a fairly angular lady, who has dark dark hair pulled into a chopstick bun behind her head and a pair of raven-feather earrings that gleam in low light. She’s the parent that Túrin got his unsettling edgy aura from, and her Displeased Face is enough to scare any intruder out of her house. She loves her kids and her husband, but she’s stern so sometimes it’s hard to tell. 

Húrin is the neighborhood guy who knows everyone and who everyone knows in return. He’s kind of a square-looking blond guy, like Van Hohenheim from Fullmetal Alchemist except happier and more of a jock. He apparently can play the harp, which is cool, and he probably has lots of stories from being out and about with the elf-host. He loves his kids and his wife and likes to joke around sometimes with Túrin because he’s so straightforward and less inclined to humor. 

Niënor outstripped her parents and her brother in height, and ended up the tallest of the family. She has her dad’s blonde hair, and is slightly more square shaped than her mom or her brother. She’s also half-Asian, but you have to squint. She doesn’t fight like her brother, and is acutely aware of the Túrin-shaped hole in her mother’s life and heart and the matching shadow cast over her own life. However unlike Túrin she is in some ways, she has the same occasional fiery stubbornness and penchant for anguished theatrics, albeit on a smaller scale. 

Lalaith... poor kid. She was charming and cute but didn’t last long. 

MABLUNG

My Mablung has wavy-ish dark hair in a similar style to Beleg’s, and has a slightly less willowy build, for lack of a better way to compare them. He’s got dark eyebrows to better express how utterly unimpressed he is with whatever dumb shit is going down in Doriath, and probably a few not-too-flashy piercings. He’s very dignified in posture and appearance, but not like... pretentious, because he fights people in the woods on a regular basis. 

Out of Túrin’s friends, Mablung is probably the most akin to the Responsible One, with Gwindor at a close second. He’s less willing than Beleg to drop everything for a friend, and requires more evidence to support it, but he’ll still do it after thinking it over and will probably beat himself up about not having gone for it sooner. 

On that point, poor guy takes too much onto his own shoulders and ends up feeling shitty and miserable when he fails at something that he could not have possibly succeeded at. This is demonstrated in terrible, heartwrenching fashion throughout the story, when Mablung asks Thingol to fire him because he lost Morwen and Niënor, to which Thingol says “what no, you’re too good, we need you” and Melian says “don’t feel too bad about it, ok?” (he ignores the last part and continues to feel bad enough about it that he looks for Niënor for Literal Years.) Also on that topic is the scene in which Mablung sees Túrin dead and stands there like some sort of Beleriand Benvolio, realizing that all his friends are dead and that “thus with words have I slain one that I loved.” 

NELLAS

I almost forgot her, can you imagine? You probably can, because she’s a minor character who disappeared like a third of the way through the story, but let’s not talk about that. She’s a forest girl, so I imagine she likes to wear a lot of nice leaves on her head, and/or make a bunch of flower crowns and then drop them in fright if anyone happens to find her in the process. She has dark brown hair and big, curious eyes, and is short and slight even by human standards. 

Nellas has... hardcore dirt lesbian energy. It’s implied that she had a crush on Túrin, but honestly, I doubt that very much. In my head, she and Túrin were just really close pals, and she taught him about how to live in the woods and how to rescue worms from the rain. Her moment of glory, basically, is going into the city once and immediately proceeding to freeze up from anxiety in front of the king. Is that a mood? Yeah and I love her. I hope she’s okay.  

ANDRÓG

I realize he’s another minor character, but he is a very compelling one to me specifically, so. As I imagine him, he’s a fairly lean young dude with a hungry-wolf look about him, which is sort of a mixture of desperation, suspicion, and plain snappishness. He has dark eyes and hair a little darker than what could be called ‘mousy brown,’ tied back in a short ponytail. He also has a frequent scowl and generally is a little bit scary, although he isn’t exactly physically imposing in the ‘tall and buff’ sense. 

There really is no other way to describe Andróg’s personality than ‘he’s a particularly mean tsundere.’ He’s just... full of rage and repressed Feelings for Túrin and possibly also Beleg. Unfortunately, these feelings manifest in Being A Bitch And Generally Not Nice. It takes him so long to admit he can’t actually hate Beleg that he literally just up and dies after doing one (1) nice thing. Why do I like him? It’s anyone’s guess tbh. 

GWINDOR

Ah... yes...... the character who nobody talks about but who I love with my whole heart and soul. To start off with appearance, the only canon things about what he looks like is that he has dark hair and looks older than he would otherwise because torture. Immediately post-imprisonment and during it, I imagine his hair is short, but beforehand and a while after, it gets back to being long. He has a bunch of scars from all that too, and generally has the bearing and amount of grey hairs as a substitute teacher who nobody listens to. I draw him with grey eyes usually, but saw @bisexualturin‘s hc of him having had violet eyes before and I’m kinda in love thanks. 

In terms of who he is as a person, we don’t know much of what he was like before the Nirnaeth, but as I see him, he’s always had a fiery streak and a slightly acerbic sense of humor. Being tormented for 14 years forced him to mellow out some, by which I mean a) how the hell are you supposed to keep your sense of humor after that and b) as shown in his arguments with Túrin over tactics, he’s now extremely wary of head-on battle. 

He’s fundamentally someone who wants the best for the people around him, and who loves both Finduilas and Túrin very much despite feeling hurt and miserable over the fact that his opinion is now worth nothing to those in charge and the sense that he’s not good enough for anyone (much less his two best friends) in his current state. Overall, his dying speech is emblematic of the very Oof Ouch and Complicated feelings he ended up having toward Túrin, namely “you’re a dumbass and probably should have listened to me, but I love you and I am going to try my damndest to give both you and Finduilas as much of a chance at life as I can, even here as I bleed out in your arms.” 

Which brings us to... 

FINDUILAS

Finduilas is sweet like honey chamomile tea and her whole being radiates soft sunlight. In my mind, she’s somewhat round-faced, with really fluffy golden hair, sparkly freckles on tan skin, and a liking for wearing light blue clothes that match her eyes. She smiles a lot and possibly gives off actual light??? Also my heart is full of affection for chubby Finduilas. General consensus is Soft. 

Canon-wise, whether she’s more introverted or extroverted is kind of up to interpretation, as all we’re really given is that she worries about Túrin when he’s out fighting and “wishe[s] not to add one tear to [Gwindor’s] suffering.” I tend to think of her as sunny and gregarious, with way more game than her dad, and with endless reserves of empathy, sympathy, and compassion for the people she loves. 

As a Finwean princess, she absolutely has the capacity for badassery, which makes me very into the idea of Túrin rescuing her post-Nargothrond as per Gwindor’s request and the two of them going on a road trip of doom. But unfortunately, we don’t get to see another side of her in the book. 

I usually just put the book down and cry after the sack of Nargothrond, so I’ll just do one more character: 

ORODRETH

Ok, so Finduilas has to have gotten her Vanyarin hair from her dad, clearly. But since Elves can probably change their appearances based on willpower to some degree, Orodreth’s hair is nowhere near as fluffy, and is a darker honey-blonde than Finduilas’ gold. He’s one of the plainest-looking Finweans by virtue of the fact that he perpetually has this look on his face that makes him seem like he wants to melt into the floor and go back to Aman. Which he kinda does. 

Unfortunately, Orodreth didn’t do much in the story except be a doormat to like five different people and then die, but I still like him for whatever reason. Way early on, before Húrin or his kids were a thing, Orodreth was still himself, aka someone who asked nicely for people to not make bad decisions, and predictably didn’t get listened to. Sure, some of Fëanor’s terrible boys took over his hidden elf city, but what was he going to do? Fight them? No. He’d rather just Not. 

...I feel bad for him. He literally did not ask for Any Of That. 

that’s all y’all, I am so sorry for making you read the entirety of the inside of my head as it has been for the past four months 

[toutorii]

Various Honoka HCS

Cause Im self indulgent 😌

⁃ So when Noka was a baby, neither her dad, Shirou or Daiki knew what the hell to do with her wings.

⁃ Her first word was "Daiai" which was exposed to be "Daiki"

⁃ Daiki would call Noka "baby bird" and mo one will tell me otherwise

⁃ He also called Shirou "buddy"

⁃ She would fly around and their dad would make Shirou chase her down. Cause by this point, Daiki had already “joined” AfO.

⁃ When Shirou and Noka were taken in by their uncle, he just slept and let her do whatever.

⁃ Their uncle, also known as Eraserhead, was a very kind guardian

⁃ He went to each of Shirou's ballet concerts, and did Noka's hair for picture day

⁃ If you looked through his search history it would be filled with "how to do a braid for beginners"

⁃ Aizawa bought Noka various art supplies and bought Shirou new shoes whenever they needed them

⁃ He also worried for his nephew, who went missing right before Noka and Shirou ended up in his custody

⁃ Didnt want Noka or Shirou to become heroes

⁃ Cause he didnt want to see the two children he practically raised to be hurt

⁃ But because of their ties to All for One, the government forced both of them to become heros to "prove" that they had severed their bonds with All for One

⁃ Shirou's dream was to become a professional dancer and Noka's was to become a professional artist

⁃ And Aizawa was not happy that the two lights in his life were torn from their dreams

⁃ And so Shirou got accepted into the hero program, in class 1-A

⁃ He chose the hero name Shifter

⁃ Cause he could shift into any organic form

⁃ When he got 3rd place at the sports festival, Noka ran around her uncle's apartment screaming with joy

⁃ Noka is literally his biggest fan

⁃ Noka's first friend was a small purple haired boy name Hitoshi Shinsou

⁃ So naturally, she called him Toshi

⁃ And she refused to call him anything else all throughout middle and high school

⁃ Shinsou and Noka have sleepovers all the time and you can't tell me otherwise

⁃ When people would tell Shinsou that his quirk was villainous, Noka would always speak up cause she knew Shinsou wouldnt contradict them

⁃ Noka is always like that

⁃ Speaking up for others and herself. And her smart mouth tends to get her in trouble

⁃ Shinsou would fuss over Noka's wings. Like if they were dirty or a few feathers were out of place, Shinsou would sit her down and fix her wings.

⁃ "Toshi, your inner mom is showing"

⁃ "Its not my fault you cant take proper care of your wings"

⁃ When she told Shinsou about her acceptance into U.A's med course, he couldn't have been prouder

⁃ Noka is actually the one who encouraged Shinsou to train with her uncle.

⁃ But before that lets talk about Noka's time at U.A. so far

⁃ She was first introduced to class 1-A during the first combat training

⁃ Healed everyone who got very minor injuries

⁃ At the USJ attack, Shigiraki deteriorated part of Noka's hip. But her extremely enhanced natural healing abilities stopped the deterioration

⁃ So she has this big ass scar on the back side of her left hip

⁃ She wanted to absolutely murder Shigiraki for letting the Nomu loose on her uncle

⁃ But she doesnt have any damaging fire power

⁃ So she just tried to heal her uncle's wounds the best she could

⁃ Nearly gets herself killed many times with her smart assery

⁃ And gives everyone around her a heart attack in the process

⁃ During the sports festival, she helped RG heal all the students

⁃ Reprimanded Deku for overusing OfA

⁃ Oh yeah, she learned about AfO and OfA from her time with All for One (A/N: please dont kill me im trying to not make her too op 😭😭)

⁃ Is kind of like to Deku like Recovery Girl is to All Might

⁃ So fast foward to the internships

⁃ She interns with another oc of mine, Snow

⁃ Who is a healer but with incredible attack powers

⁃ Coincidentally, Noka was patrolling Hosu when the nomus hit

⁃ She recieved Deku's distress signal and ran to the scene

⁃ She didnt attack the hero killer, but ran to help Native and made sure he didnt bleed out

⁃ The hero killer didnt bat a single eye at her, deeming her not a threat

⁃ In the end, she didnt harm Stain so her hero guardian? didnt have to take any blame for her actions

⁃ Noka however did get nearly ripped in half by a nomu, so she had to stay in the hospital with Todo and Deku

⁃ So— Summer training arc

⁃ She just looked at her class and said "fuck this" and flew over the whole forest

⁃ She actually beat the wild wild pussycats back to the camp

⁃ She got to know Kota, telling him how she never wanted to become a hero

⁃ Kota may or may not have developed a kiddie crush on her 😳

⁃ But anyways, when everyone else saw her all nice and refreshed, needless to say they were upset

⁃ Some more than others

⁃ *remembers Bakugou nearly blowing off Noka's face because she cheated*

⁃ Aizawa just smirking at his niece cause shes so much like her mother

⁃ "DAMMIT TAKAHASHI. YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE YOU CHEATER"

⁃ "They said to use our quirks. Its not my fault your quirk is too grounded"

⁃ "WHAT— YOU WANNA FIGHT—"

⁃ "No I wanna eat, goodbye—"

⁃ Focuses on her attack and the healing capabilities of her quirk

⁃ Let me set the scene

⁃ At the beginning of UA, our Noka could barely heal up a small cut

⁃ But now, she can close up major wound with little to no effort

⁃ P r o g r e s s people

⁃ N e ways

⁃ So when they do the haunted quirk thingy

⁃ Hairi and Noka are paired up, to their delight

⁃ But they aren't able to go into the forest before the attack happens

⁃ Apparently, the league came for Bakugou and Noka

⁃ Cause the "master" wanted his first nomu to return to him

⁃ But all Deku knew was "they are after Kacchan and the master's first Nomu"

⁃ Nobody knew who the first nomu was except for Noka

⁃ See, AfO took and gave Noka various quirks, eventually ending up with her current quirk(s)

⁃ He did this to Shirou and Daiki as well

⁃ But Shirou's body wasnt able to handle as many quirks, so AfO discarded him

⁃ Daiki was not aware that Noka was a target, Shigiraki knew he would object and purposely left him out of the loop

⁃ Eventually, Noka is cornered by Dabi

⁃ His fire power vastly out matches hers

⁃ But she puts up one hell of a fight

⁃ And Kurogiri took her before she woke up and fought back even more

⁃ So everyone was panicking when they couldnt find Noka

⁃ Aizawa was panicking them most

⁃ His precious niece was missing, no, taken by the league

⁃ The students had never seen their teacher so frazzled

⁃ The thing that broke Aizawa more was the look on Shirou's face when he told him that his baby sister was missing

⁃ His precious baby sister

⁃ His whole world

⁃ Shirou didnt go out of his room for days

⁃ He was there when they were to save Bakugou and Noka

⁃ All Might fought AfO, and won

⁃ But there was no sign of Noka

⁃ Shirou nearly tackled Bakugou, demanding, no, more like pleading for him to tell him where she was

⁃ Bakugou merely said "She's gone, and I dont know where she went"

⁃ The whole class was in a panic

⁃ Where was Noka? Was she hurt? Was she scared? Was she in danger?

⁃ And the question that hung on everyone's mind the most was

⁃ Is she alive?

⁃ The emptiness of Noka's desk was deafening

⁃ Their smart ass classmate was nowhere to be found

⁃ And they all felt guilty

⁃ But none more than Bakugou

⁃ For he was the last to see her alive so to speak

⁃ And her last words to him were "Forget about me ya big oaf, you hear me? I don't want you sulking, or I'll personally beat your ass."

⁃ Forget about her? How could he do that?

⁃ Noka was the only person who didn't put up with his bullshit

⁃ From day one she put him in his place

⁃ And honestly shes the closest thing to a sister he has

⁃ During the hero license exam, all of class 1-A decided that Noka would be really upset if they all sulked and failed their exams

⁃ But the fact that only Todoroki and Bakugou failed would make her fall into hysterics

⁃ When class 1-A met the big three, Mirio told them that Noka was strong and stubborn to a fault, so they shouldnt worry about things that arent in their control

⁃ To which they asked how he knew her

⁃ Apparently Shirou, Amajiki, and Mirio have all been friends since elementary school

⁃ So Amajiki and Mirio had been there a lot for many crucial parts of Noka's childhood

⁃ When the work studies started, Deku went on patrol with Mirio and Shirou, AKA Lemillion and Shifter

⁃ Shirou couldnt help but feel so much guilt crushing him when Eri jumped out of Deku's arms

⁃ Cause Eri reminded him of his little sister

⁃ Speaking of little sister

⁃ She refused to return to the league, so Shigiraki sold her to giran, who then took her to Overhaul

⁃ For the last 2 months, Noka had been experimented on by Kai Chisaki

⁃ In the mean time trying to protect Eri and building a loving friendship with the young girl

⁃ Ill talk about this another time

⁃ So skipping to when they save her

⁃ It was a total shock for them

⁃ To see this wingless, pale, frail, bandage wrapped girl

⁃ And even more so when she spoke

⁃ Not having that bite that their Noka had

⁃ But a softer, more broken voice replaced her normally boisterous and confident voice

⁃ In the big battle agains Chisaki, Noka got slammed against a wall

⁃ Which in normal circumstances would be fine, but with her body in such a week state it immediately cracked her ribs and spine

⁃ Ochako helped get her friend to the ambulance as quick as she could

⁃ Shirou saw a fluff of pale pink hair out of the corner of his eye

⁃ He immediately turned to run towards the medical stretcher, but was stopped

⁃ He kicked and screamed something along the lines of "THATS MY BABY SISTER. PLEASE LET ME SEE HER"

⁃ In the most broken voice you would ever hear

⁃ In the hospital, after Sir. Nighteye had passed, Deku, Kirishima, Amajiki, Shirou, Ochako, Tsu and Aizawa were all waiting anxiously for Noka's surgery

⁃ When all of a sudden the door explodes open and the nurses and doctors are shoved out by an invisible force of heat

⁃ Noka was using her ability to set herself aflame and be healed in the ashes

⁃ But no one knew wtf was going on cause she learned the trick at the Hassaiki hideout

⁃ So p a n i k

⁃ But after the doctors confirmed her stablility, they all went back to school

⁃ The whole class bursted into tears when they told them about Noka

⁃ Jirou, Kaminari, Momo and Mina all being the most emotionally impacted

⁃ Bakugou was almost crying witb relief but he disnt show jt

⁃ They weren't allowed to see Noka for a whole month

⁃ Only family were allowed

⁃ She was hard at work recovering and going through therapy and they didnt want to disturb her

⁃ But when they (Kirishima, Deku, Ochako, and Tsu) did visit, they were shocked

⁃ There was this soft spoken, trembling, woman, and this was after a month of intense therapy

⁃ They hadnt event started physcial therapy yet, they wanted to get her tk the point she could be around others without going into a panic mode

⁃ But what really shocked them was how her wings hadnt grown back.

⁃ They were then told that they would never grow back, since the bone in them were completely ripped out.

⁃ Thus she needs a wheelchair while she recovers

⁃ Daiki sometimes visits her during the night

⁃ He apologizes to her over and over again for not being there when she was taken

⁃ But also to apologize for abandoning her and Shirou

⁃ She just cupped his wet cheek and said

⁃ "Daiki, I know you had a damn good reason to do what you did. Also you're my big brother. I dont care if you work for All for One, youre still my brother. And you'll always have a home with us. Shouta Shirou and I will welcome you back with open arms."

⁃ Needless to say Daiki just bursted into more tears

⁃ Anyways—

⁃ By the time the school festival comes around, Noka still needs a wheelchair, and isnt the strongest mentally, but she has made tremendous progress.

⁃ After the 1-A concert, Eri sat on Noka's lap the whole time. Except during the beauty pageant, in which Deku held Eri, and Mirio held Noka (cause shes a smol baby)

⁃ Noka was in charge of tesching Eri the basics while she recovered, since the young girl felt most comfortable with her

⁃ When the dual training session came around, Noka still couldnt do much moving around without draining her energy quickly. So she stuck with enhancing her quirk while she built up her physical strength.

⁃ Meaning she healed any and all injuries after the matches were concluded

⁃ Monoma made the mistake of saying something about her not making any progress, and Bakugou was t h i s close to murdering him 😌

⁃ Ever since Noka got back from the hospital, Bakugou has been v e r y protective of his honourary sister—

⁃ But Kendou smacked the blonde before Bakugou could do anything

⁃ Shinsou would totally go like "Noka are you okay? Are you sure you should be out here? How are you feeling? Do you feel sick?"

⁃ Cause Shinsou is a mom

Anyways I have a bunch more hcs but i dont wanna completely bore you. But I was thinking of doing this for Daiki Shirou and Noka as children. Or maybe for Phoebe 😳😳😳　

Comment or send an ask if i should

[evdothansen]

Lovers – Philip Hamilton x Reader;

Author’s Note: hi y’all! so, that’s an old fic of mine. i don’t think i’ll manage to write a new one tonight because i’m doing that jeremy hc & this one was just sitting there so i thought i could give y’all some anthony ramos angst instead of leave you hanging. this is one of my best angst fics, i guess, and i hope you like it!

Pairing: Philip Hamilton x Reader;

Request: nop;

Word Count: 1400;

TW: death, as you will be able to tell straight away, and i’ve been told to say suicide as well, although that was an assumption a reader made and i hadn’t thought of it;

The graveyard was silent. A group of people, all in black, stood by the new tombstone. The grey piece has been recently carved to say "Here lies Philip Hamilton, a great son and brilliant young man. May his soul rest in peace". The Hamiltons, Alexander and Eliza plus their six children, stood right by it. Eliza, who you knew as Ms. Hamilton, looked fragile enough to break at touch. Her husband seemed a little better, yet also destroyed. Both of them gave speeches, and, after that, the priest called you up. 

"Mr. and Ms. Hamilton would like now to invite Miss L/N to give us a few words of her own", he said in a deep tone. “Y/N L/N was one of Philip’s closest friends, according to Misses Hamilton.”

You blink to make the tears go away as you make you way to behind the tombstone. Goddamit, that’s Philip’s tombstone. Philip, the only man you ever loved, was now seven feet under the ground, lying lifeless. How did this happen?

Two days earlier…

Sun rays lingered your face, slowly waking you up. You felt warm and comfortable where you were, but it didn’t take you long to realize there was something different. That wasn’t your bed, and those most certainly were not your blankets. More than that, there was an arm wrapped around you. A very manly one, to say so. The arm was accompanied by a chest and shoulder, an entire body. The hair falling on your face allowed you to quickly understand what had happened.

You had slept with Philip Hamilton.

You shivered when the perception hit you, but Philip didn’t seem to wake up. In fact, he was still almost snoring. God, I slept with Philip Hamilton.

Memories of the last night started coming to your mind. Philip had asked you out to a ball, and, in a rare occasion, your father allowed you to go and then stay at the Hamiltons’, for you lived too far from the place where the party was. You and Philip had been exchanging letters about it for two weeks, and, if someone read those, they would most certainly say they were love letters. But, for his honor’s sake, no one could read them.

No, you and Philip were never meant to be together. You were the only daughter from a rich enterprising man, so your parents had picked your fiancé carefully. And, as good as it would have been for your name to marry the son of the Secretary of Treasure, Alexander Hamilton was no longer that man. Happily enough, your parents didn’t forbid you to see him, but that almost made it worse. You two would be together for long periods of time, just walking around or talking, but, at the end of the day, he wasn’t yours, and that still hurt you.

Anyways. The previous night, you two went to a party together. None of you had enough to be drunk, but something was different. Philip was flirting with you even more than the natural – he was always such a huge flirt –, and you were kind of corresponding. When the two of you got home, the thing kind of went out of control, as his pants thrown over your corset on the floor proved. It had been an amazing night, you could recall, but you knew it’d be your only.

You were suddenly ripped away from your thoughts by a movement right behind you. The grip on your waist was tightened as Philip made himself comfortable behind you. “Good morning”, he said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse.

“It’s about to get worse”, you retorted. “I have to get out of here, Philip.”

“What? No!”, he sounded surprised. “I just woke up, Y/N! Stay!”

“You just woke up, right, which means your mother probably just woke up as well”, you reprehended him, untangling yourself from his arms. “She’s gonna be checking my room any soon, Philip, and she can’t know I was here.”

“My mom’s not coming any soon, doll”, he assures you, taking your hand as he calls you by your childhood nickname. You can’t help but give him a contained smile. “My father promised me to keep her away from the rooms this morning.”

You looked at him, doubt flooding your eyes as you sat up. A good woman wouldn’t question whatever her lover said, but you and Philip weren’t lovers. You loved each other, but you couldn’t be. “Why? Do you have any plans for this morning?”

He looked down. “I have a duel, Y/N.” You made him a face as your feelings rushed through you. First, surprise, that was quickly replaced with anger. Was he trying to get himself killed? Then, as perception hit you, you were worried. He could die this morning. You blinked repeatedly, trying not to start crying, and he seemed to notice it. He took both of your hands in his. “But I’ll be back. I’ll be back to you, and, once I win a duel, I shall be good enough for you. I’ll ask for your father’s blessing tonight, Y/N.”

You could only stare at him. “But what if you don’t come back, Philip?”

“I will, Y/N”, he said, hugging you and nuzzling his nose in your hair. You leaned your head against his bare chest, starting to sob. “I will always come back for you.”

He didn’t. You were at your house, pretending to read a book while you worried about Philip, when your mother told you he was slowly dying of an infection. You asked her permission to go see him at his aunt’s house, but she said no. Of course she would. The gossip in New York City was insidious, and people were already rumoring about the daughter of the L/N’s having an affair with Alexander Hamilton’s son, even though she was promised to someone else. Your mom didn’t want you to be called the same things Maria Reynolds was, and, as much as you got it, you refused to talk no her on the following day. Instead, you stayed inside your room and cried.

And, now, there you were, standing by Philip’s tombstone.

You wanted to tell them all you weren’t Philip’s close friend. You wanted to tell everyone you intended on getting married, because there was no one you loved more than Philip. You wanted to tell them that, no matter how he flirted with every girl he saw across the street, you knew he loved you and no other woman. You wanted to scream out to the world that, even though you couldn’t be, you and him were lovers, from the moment you met to the moment he died.

Until you realized you didn’t want to tell that to those people, that sad group around you. You wanted to tell all of that to Philip.

You looked down to the grave. Tears came up to your eyes without your permission, and you quickly wiped them off. You cleared you throat and started talking. You told them about how the sky was certainly partying, because they had received another angel. You told them about how Philip was life-changing and bold, and then told them that he would want all of you to not hold onto it. You managed not to burst into tears while talking, somehow, and, when you were finished, people were moved. Alexander Hamilton walked up to you.

“Thank you”, he said meekly. “We all needed to hear that.”

You pressed your lips against eachother, tired of playing pretend. “I only spoke my feelings, sir”, you told him. “Now, if you excuse me.”

He did. You rapidly walked into your carriage, where your mother awaited for you. When you boarded in, she gave you the most comprehensive smile you’ve ever seen, like if she was telling you were to cry now. She’d understand you, not judge you like everyone else would. You looked away from her, outside the window, seeing New York City as it went by. You didn’t shed a tear, you didn’t say a word.

When you got home, you walked up directly to your room. You excused yourself from being a doll, untying your hair and taking off your fancy black dress. On that moment, all you could be was Philip’s lover. And, as a true dead man’s lover, there was only one thing for you to do.

[asiifisms]

tell us more abt braigs dad??

Hoo boy, ask and you shall receive, nonnie. 

Eadric Wulfsige Ellery is Braig’s father, and holds the rank of Commanding General in Radiant Garden’s armed forces, placing him as one of the highest ranking officers there is; He specialised in swordplay, personally, before an injury in the line of duty made such fieldwork for him very difficult, if not impossible, and since handles administrative work, inspections, supervising and organising training regimes, general supervision of the Royal Guard, and, during times of war, commanding all operations within the geographical area assigned to him - mostly, a lot of paperwork, and a lot of being very intimidating to subordinates. And, he and Braig… Don’t get along. Haven’t for years.

I’m writing you a biography. Literally. So, read on to understand what I mean by that, if you’d like; you know me. Tangents and word vomit to follow. (If you’re wondering why your question took me a week to answer, it’s because I’m literal HC trash.)

Eadric is very strict, very proper, and has, on occasion, been described as ‘uptight’, and that very much stems from his upbringing. The Ellery family is old money. So old, in fact, I probably should have capitalised that: Old Money. They’re also Old Military - it’s a saying in their family that ‘there’s always been an Ellery in the ranks’. Eadric’s father, Wulfric Goddard Paxton Ellery, was a chief tactician in the army, Goddard’s mother, Alvina Cederica Ellery (who, like most women in the family, kept her name - it’s a legacy, after all) was a spy who refused a number of promotions because she wanted to avoid being stuck behind a desk, and to stay out in the field (depending on who you asked, this was either something to be proud of, or a horrible disgrace), and so on and so forth. In spite of this, they aren’t usually the type to just insert themselves into the upper echelons of martial society. If you want that rank, you will start from the ground, and you will earn it; And you will earn it, because you’re an Ellery. Soldiers, born and bred. If you don’t succeed in the military, in some generations, there was a chance you’d get written out of the pretty substantial will, when your parent(s) kicked the bucket.

And Eadric, here? He almost got written out. 

Not because he wasn’t good at being a soldier - He was, there are borderline legendary war stories about him, one of which is floating around his tag on this blog - but, he was a bit of a rebel. Braig gets a lot from his dad (this will also be discussed later. Or, sporadically, throughout the post).

Eadric didn’t rebel like Braig did, though. He willingly and readily joined the military; He was a good student, did well in his classes; He’s always been a quiet person, very introverted, preferred books to people when he was young. Whereas, in high school, Braig was the type to throw wild parties when his father was away, Eadric would hear of a party and think to himself, alright, I know what street to avoid if I go out today. (Not to say he didn’t get into misadventures of his own; he did, but those were more during his martial exploits than his day-to-day life.)

No, Eadric rebelled by marrying Braig’s mother.

(And this is where it becomes about both of them, mostly). 

Her name was Siobhan Peilla Whelan-DeRosa, and they met when she was sent to take care of Eadric’s platoon after a rather nasty skirmish. She was a medic, and he was injured, and if you’d cared to look you would have seen Eadric’s usual aloof demeanour vanish in a puff of ‘Oh.’ the minute he set eyes on her. He wouldn’t say it was ‘love at first sight’; He didn’t know anything about her, so he couldn’t be in love. But it was definitely a case of ‘this is arguably the most beautiful person I have ever seen, and right now I am half-dressed, covered in filth, and caked in blood that may or may not be mine’. 

To his credit, he kept things professional; He was of the impression that this poor woman was just trying to do her job, looked rather tired, and the last thing she’d want was some ridiculous stranger making a pass at her. He was right, of course, but Shiv did wind up finding him rather charming, if not a bit awkward. (The awkwardness was likely caused by the fact Eadric was repeating ‘Don’t say anything foolish, don’t say anything foolish,’ over and over in his head throughout the entire conversation). They managed to have a nice conversation, Shiv got Eadric patched up, and went on her way. They’d meet again over the course of the- Campaign, for lack of a better word, usually because Eadric got himself injured (he wasn’t high enough in the chain of command, way back then, to be the one checking in on all of the downed men, so this was really the only time they’d ever meet). After the first meeting, thankfully, Eadric wasn’t so taken off-guard by her, so actual conversations were less clunky. They would occasionally run into each other over the next few months, and, eventually Shiv invited Eadric out for coffee (usually, their ‘meetings’ took place after he got injured, somehow, and she was almost worried it was on purpose. It wasn’t. Mostly.). 

Now, as I said before, the Ellery family is Old Money. The Whelan-DeRosa clan was middle-class. They didn’t have a lot, but, they were happy, and they lived what they would call a ‘good life’. They weren’t Old Money, or Old Military, or Old Anything, really. Just your average family. Eadric only had one sibling - His younger sister, Clarissa Everild Ellery, who will be discussed later; Shiv had a fluctuating number of siblings, the majority of whom weren’t related to her. By this, I mean her parents had the habit of taking in neighbourhood kids who needed a place to stay for the night, needed a hot meal, etc, etc (Which, if you’ve ever had to feed a bunch of kids, you know is pretty costly). There was always an extra chair or two at their dinner table, always some little head tucked away in their guest room getting the first safe rest they’d had in who knew how long.

So, Wulfric looks at the object of his son’s affections, and thinks that, well, she’s military, which is good, but her family isn’t, and, she’s not exactly in the same class as we are, you know, so, what were you thinking, son? And Eadric replied that, well, he was thinking that he loves her, sir, which lead to a lecture about the duties Eadric had to his family, and a reminder that, if he wasn’t fit to be the next patriarch, or whatever, then he’s stricken from the will, and everything goes to Clarissa. If you want a mental image of this, please imagine the dignified old man of your choice, near the end of his life, sitting up in bed and dressing down his late-20s 6′2″ son who’s still in his fatigues from work. And Eadric nodded, once, and said ‘fine’, and calmly left without a word. Wulfric took this as a sign of Eadric’s consent, because, of course his son was always so well-behaved, right? 

…

Eadric had left to go ring-shopping. 

He proposed the day before ol’ Wulf kicked the bucket, and never told his dad. He just figured someone would have mentioned he was still seeing Shiv, but, nobody ever did. Wulfric’s will left the family estate to Eadric, ‘on the condition that he uphold the family values for the rest of his days’. 

Eadric’s sister, Clarissa, decided that Eadric marrying Shiv violated this term, and thus their father’s final wishes, and therefore he shouldn’t be allowed to keep the inheritance. Eadric’s response was that the condition was extremely vague, and that he believed being true to himself was, indeed, upholding the family values, and, by the by, how did it feel to be his subordinate, and would you please get out of my office?

To be fair, that was really the only way he strayed from ‘tradition’. He’s a very dedicated soldier - always has been - and takes his duties very seriously. Like the rest of his family, he earned his way to his rank by being damned good at what he does; He assumes he’s well-respected; he maintains the family property to the best of his abilities… Still, the feud between himself and his sister has lasted through the ages. They don’t hate each other, and are usually civil, but it’s a tense sort of civility. (They got on a lot better when they were kids, and not quite old enough to understand all of this mess.)

But, yes, Eadric and Siobhan got married after around three to three and a half years of dating, and they were happy. I’m not gonna lie and tell you they were the fairy-tale couple that never argued or had any problems, but they were the couple who would realise when things were getting out of hand, could go to separate rooms to cool down, and come back again a few minutes later, apologise, exchange ‘I love you’s and work through whatever had upset them, in the first place. They communicated, I guess, is what I’m saying, and that kept any disputes minor, and kept them happy together. (Which, I think, is very impressive, since Eadric is terrible, intrapersonally. He doesn’t even know how he’s feeling, half the time. He could be in a grouch, Shiv would ask what’s wrong, and he’d say he didn’t know, and she’d say something like ‘oh, are you stressed about [XYZ thing]?’ or ‘have you not eaten today?’ and she’d be right on the nose, nearly every time. Knew him better than he knew himself.)

It was Shiv’s idea to have kids; Eadric eventually agreed to one, both because he was by his own admission clueless with them, and because he wanted to avoid the whole ‘who inherits what’ song and dance he went through when he was young. So, they had their one child, and that was Braig, That was also another one of those moments that changed the way the good- Well, he wasn’t a general, at the time, but, he was a father, now. 

I’m not going to lie and say he was a great dad. I’m not even going to say he was a good one. As I said, he’s reserved, not great with emotions, pretty formal. But, damn it if he didn’t give it his best effort. Whines of ‘I’m bored, dad’ would be met with ‘don’t you have homework to do?’ (’Yeah, but I don’t wanna’ ‘You could do chores,’ ‘I don’t wanna do those right now’ ‘Then, don’t complain about being bored’), coming in messy after running around outside was met with sighing and being carted off to get clean, and you’d sooner find him dead than running around playing tag, anyway. Not to say that Eadric didn’t have his reasons for it all, of course: He wanted Braig to focus on his studies to do well in school, he wanted him to focus on his chores so he can learn responsibility and discipline, which are, as you can imagine, important skills for any young man to have, growing up; Getting Braig clean, well, that goes without saying; And, as for not going out to run around himself, well, he may not have been a general, yet, but he was moving up in the ranks. He had a lot of work to handle, both to keep his country safe (and, by extension, his family), and to keep the paychecks coming in (so he could continue to provide the same quality of life he assumed they’d grown accustomed to). Either he was too busy or too tired to run around, and, to be frank, he never really saw the appeal.

That’s not to say he didn’t have his moments where he got the whole parenting shtick so right; There’s one (very faint) memory Braig has, of when he was really little, he had a rough night, where he thought there were monsters in his closet, or under the bed, or wherever, you know the drill. Shiv carried the little one back to bed, tried to assure him that, hush, dear, it’s okay, there’s nothing there, do you want me to check? 

Eadric said nothing, simply picked a few of his favourite swords off of the rack in his room, sat on the floor next to Braig’s bed, and spent the next few hours buffing out any scratches in the blades and making sure they were properly polished, every so often holding them up to the nightlight to be sure. Braig’s thoughts went rapidly from ‘I am scared of monsters’ to ‘I wonder how you clean monsters off the floor’. Kiddo got a good night’s sleep, felt very safe, and Eadric got many cuddles from a tired and appreciative Shiv when he went back to bed. Also, as an added bonus, got some housework done. Have to make sure the blades don’t tarnish, after all. 

But, yeah, that was probably one of his high points as a father.

And then, when Braig was just about to turn ten, Siobhan was killed in action, and it tore her boys apart. It actually took Braig a few days after the funeral to come to terms with the fact his mom was gone; Before that, it was just outright denial. And not in the ‘no, my mom’s not dead, shut up’ kind of way, but in the ‘oh, well, she’s not home, yet, but I’m sure she will be, soon’ sort. And then it hit him like a train, and he was a wreck, and that’s the last time he remembers getting a hug from his dad. (The funeral was also the first and only time Braig could ever remember seeing his dad cry. It was a really weird time, for him.)

After Shiv’s death, Eadric got even more closed-off than he already was. Part of him went, what kind of war hero are you, if you can’t keep your wife safe, and another part went, hey, want to become weirdly aware of your own mortality? And yet another part pretty much zeroed in on the fact that this could very well happen to him, and that would be bad, sure, but what would happen to his young son, if he were to pass on? 

This is one of the reasons he pushed so hard for Braig to join the Guard. It was family business, yes, but it’s also a steady job, and, if he could get into the palace, as an actual guard Guard, it’d likely be the safest place for him to work (HAH), it’d be one of the better options for him (even at a young age, it was quickly becoming obvious that Braig wasn’t really- meant, for a formal education, though Eadric made sure he at least got his high school diploma, to keep some options open, just in case), it would give him a network to fall back on, it paid well, etc, etc. It just seemed like the best route for Braig to take. (And, as the kiddo grew into his rebellion, Eadric had hoped that it might chill his son out a bit).

As for why he’s so tough on Braig, well, there are a few reasons for it, as well. Firstly, he looks at Braig and he sees this cocky, overconfident young man, and thinks to himself that that’s exactly what’s going to get you killed. If you think you’re the best, you start to think that you’re immortal. You start to take unnecessary risks, you start making shortcuts, you start doing all sorts of things that you think you can get away with until you realise all too late that you can’t. And, if he feeds that confidence? He might as well be pulling the trigger, himself. It would be his fault that Braig slipped up and died. He knows that Braig is extremely talented, and, as they find out later, apparently magic - he knows, but, beyond that, he knows that Braig knows. So, he looks at his son and thinks to himself, he’s going to get himself killed, but he also thinks, if he feeds that ego, there’s the danger that Braig’s just going to coast along on his talents and not work to improve. And, in a way, he’s right - Braig definitely needs to be pushed. But, some positive reinforcement would go a long way, and Braig can’t even remember the last time his old man told him he was proud of him, or even really… Gave a sign of vaguely tolerating him. At home, they either don’t speak to each other, exchange very few words, or they’re bickering (or outright arguing). They haven’t really gotten along since Braig was young. And, at work? Well, it’s. … The tension is palpable, friends. Most people know not to talk about Braig’s dad much around him. Again, Eadric has his reasons, including the above, but, also - He’s Commanding General, and Braig’s dad. How’s it going to look if he pampers, or even shows favouritism towards, Braig? It makes them both look bad, it throws him into disrepute, even a little, which is something he can’t afford, and it would be awful for Braig - might make people think he’s only Captain because of his dad, or he got gifted the rank, or something like that, and Eadric’s been in that boat. It sucks. (Now, to his peers? They can’t get him to shut up about his kid. Yes, Eadric, we know, you think he’s going to be the best marksman we’ve ever had, can we go five seconds without talking about it. If you told Braig about this, though, he’d think you were joking.)

So. He may not have intended to be a shit dad, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Doesn’t mean he won’t wreck your shit if you hurt his kid, though.

Anyway, moving to the final points:

It’s often been said that Eadric expects the best from the men he commands.

This is false, and often a misheard quote.

Eadric accepts the best from his men. Nothing less.

Because, as far as he’s concerned, expectations are largely worthless, especially when placed on other people. He could expect the weather tomorrow to be nice, and the sky might decide to rain, anyway; similarly, he could expect the best from his men, and not get it. So, no, he only accepts their best, and anything else is a disgrace. Anything else is an insult. How dare you show up and waste his time with anything less than your best? How dare you come before him like that, but how dare, even more so, how dare you put such a burden on the people who stand at your side? You go out and embarrass yourself in uniform, you’re not tarnishing your own reputation, you’re disgracing the Guard entire; If you get in the habit of slacking off, if you don’t perform your duties to the best of your abilities, people might die, or we might lose battles or wars or ground or who knows what, and how dare you take the safety of your countrymen so lightly? So, he makes sure that his men are in the habit of giving their all until they’re incapable of doing anything else (within reason, of course). The men he, personally, trains, are usually hand-picked, and therefore have nothing to worry about, but pity the poor soul who had so much as a crooked shirt collar when he decided things had gotten a little too slack, and it was time for a surprise inspection. 

He made two very noticeably exceptions to this perfectionism of his: Injuries and PTSD (or other disabilities). There’s a story his longer-standing troop might tell you, if you get added to their ranks, about the time Eadric was watching and critiquing artillery drills, and one of the troops was very jittery, making mistakes on even the most minor things, and it was pretty obvious. Eadric pulled the guy aside, and everyone thought, oh, well, he’s going to die. Once they were a ways away, Eadric said something along the lines of ‘What’s going on, you’re normally one of the best, one of my best, this isn’t like you’, and the soldier apologised and explained that he’d just gotten back from a nasty tour in Cardell - and of course, you know that, sir, you knew I was there - but he’d had a rather unpleasant experience, and there was just something about the big guns that was making it hard to concentrate, and– And, well, that was all Eadric needed to hear. He sent the poor man off with Donovan (who you will be properly introduced to, momentarily) to get a drink of something warm, and strong enough to calm him down, in Eadric’s office (the only place Eadric was sure would be quiet and private), and sit for at least an hour; Following that, the young man’s assignments never consisted of artillery duty, again. … On the other hand, there are also stories like the time Eadric noticed two of the Guard had left their weapons unattended, so he had them scrub the dining hall floors with a toothbrush, until they met his standards (vicariously, of course; Grieg was left to supervise, simply because Eadric knew he would give them the worst time of it), and then took the cost of the small pile of ruined tooth-brushes out of their paychecks to make sure the Guard didn’t lose any funding. He’s either the best guy to work for, or the worst, and it wholly depends on whether he thinks you’re a waste of his time, or not. 

So, I’ve mentioned two names so far, without explanation - Donovan and Grieg. Eadric, when he’s on duty, is typically followed around by his three assistants/aides, those being Lieutenant Colonels Thomas Liam Sampson and Johan Kristopher Grieg, and Corporal Patrick Andrew ‘Donnie’ Donovan (He hates the nickname, but that doesn’t stop Grieg from using it). Braig’s been known to refer to the trio as ‘the three stooges’, and, in case you couldn’t tell, he’s not very fond of them.

Lt. Col. Thomas L. Sampson, Braig finds to be the most tolerable of the three. He’s also the oldest, though still a few years younger than Eadric, and the tallest, by a few inches. He’s often viewed as the most laid-back of the entire group, though, when you’re talking about three grizzled war vets [and Donovan], ‘laid-back’ very quickly becomes a relative term. Sampson boasts broad shoulders and a sturdy frame, topped off with dark, curly hair pulled into a tight bun, and a thick, well-trimmed beard. Grieg’s in the habit of referring to him as a ‘mountain man’, and this has spread through the ranks, though it’s usually only his equals or superiors who use it to his face. He’s a reasonable man, especially when he’s off-duty, and some of the troops have discovered that he’s actually quite fun to go for drinks with. But, if he’s on the clock, he’s pretty imposing. Pretty much good cop-bad cop personified, but, not to a cartoonish degree. He won’t be buddy-buddy with you at work, but, catch his eye, and he might treat you to a round, later, just for impressing him. He and Eadric served at about the same time - Eadric joined the Guard a few years before, but they were relatively close - and have been good friends since well before Braig was born. Sampson is, as a matter of fact, Braig’s godfather, but I don’t know how aware of this Braig is. Sure, he was told it at one point, but, I dunno if he remembers. It’s never really brought up, Sampson treats Braig the way he does everyone else, and they don’t do a lot of talking. But, aware or not, that’s his god-dad. He’s also the one who kept an eye on little baby Braig during Shiv’s funeral, since Eadric was understandably not in the best state.

Lt. Col. Johan K. Grieg is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Sampson joined the Guard because he wanted to see the world, make something of himself, and good, old-fashioned patriotism; Grieg joined the Guard as an alternative to prison. That’s not to say he’s not a good person; He’s grown a lot, emotionally, physically, mentally, etc, since then, and it’s been years and years since he was at that low point of his life. But, he is very jaded, and very, very callous - Braig has described him as ‘only being nice to the other three’, being, of course, Eadric, Sampson, and kind-of sort-of Donovan. At once point, Grieg tried to strike up pleasant conversation with Braig, and Braig immediately decided that meant something was up. (He was right, something was most definitely up, but that’s beside the point.) He’s a few years younger than Sampson, but, no more than about two and a half. They bicker frequently, but are good friends, in spite of this. Grieg is shorter than the others (aside from, again Donovan), and has bleached-blonde hair buzzed into an undercut, that, at one point, had been a mohawk. He has tattoos on his arms, neck, and chest - the ones on his arms and chest represent men he has served with who were KIA, aside from the two on each wrist (representing his four very much alive dogs), and a rose at the hollow of his throat (representing his little sister, Em, who recently graduated college and he is very proud of her!!). Grieg was also at Shiv’s funeral, but, didn’t chase after the kiddo - he was trying to make sure Eadric didn’t literally collapse. So, he’s known the other two for… Well, about fifteen years, by BBS time. He’s the one Eadric will occasionally leave in charge of supervising punishments, when he can’t be bothered to do it, himself, simply because he know Grieg will give the wrongdoers the worst time of it, for kicks. He can be a massive jerk, when he wants to be.

Cpl. Patrick A. ‘Donnie’ Donovan is… the one Braig likes the least. Braig will refer to him as ‘Corporal Dogbreath’ or ‘Corporal Kissass’, depending on his mood, and Donovan is a bit of a yes-man. Let’s say, if the four of them were canines, Eadric would be a wolf, Sampson would be a Russian bear dog/Caucasian Shepherd, Grieg would be a doberman, and Donovan would probably be either a baby golden retriever or a dachshund. That’s because Eadric, Sampson, and Grieg are senior officers in their 40′s and 50′s, and Donovan’s a very low-ranking soldier in his twenties. He’s- I’d say 20-21 to Braig’s 25. He’s younger than, and a lower rank than, Eadric’s son/Sampson’s godson. And he’s not there ‘cause Eadric picked him. Sampson and Grieg were picked by Eadric, because of their skills, track record, experience, and the trust he could place in them. Donovan was chosen to get his uncle to shut up. Donovan’s uncle was convinced that, because his nephew had rather severe asthma, he wouldn’t be cut out to be in the army. Donovan thought that was ridiculous, and wanted to be a soldier, anyways. The resulting conversation between Donovan’s uncle and Eadric went as follows: “I can’t take him just because he wants to be one of us. If you really think he’s not fit to be a soldier, perhaps he should pursue a career, elsewhere.” “But, he’s so stubborn– And he thinks so highly of you.” “I don’t see why.” “I’ve told him stories.” “Of course you have. … How do you think it would look, Keiran, if I take him on because he asked nicely?” “Better than it would if I did.” “…” “He’s a hard worker, Eadric. You won’t be disappointed.” “I have standards, Keiran.” “And he’ll meet them!” “You don’t know that, any more than I do.” “Just, please, give him a chance? –You still owe me for Morrenzo, you know.” “… If I agree to give him a chance, will you stop bringing that up?” “Only if it’s a fair one.” “… Fine.” And that’s what lead to Donovan joining their little group. He’s not really in the ‘Old Man’s Club’, as some people will call it, but, he’s proven to be a hard worker, eager to learn and always doing what he’s told, which has earned him his place as, well, the errand boy, usually, but they treat him well. Aside from Grieg, but, he ribs him more in a teasing way, usually, instead of a ‘oh, you mean you just finished scrubbing this floor for General Ellery, when I came in here with my muddy boots? Guess you’re back at square one’ kind of way. Braig dislikes him because, well, he’s a yes-man, and that’s irksome enough, but, why does this kid get all of dad’s attention? Why is he good enough? What has he done that I haven’t? It’s a jealousy thing. He’d never admit it, though. (Honestly, while he finds Donovan tolerable, useful, and not a bad kid, Eadric’s rather indifferent to him, thus far. He’ll look out for him, but, Donnie’s still in his ‘trial’ phase. Braig, on the other hand, is his son - as we’ve covered, Eadric’s shit at showing it, but, he does love him.)

Aaand that’s all I can think of, for now, ‘nonnie! There’s more info in his tag (just add ‘/tagged/eadric+ellery’ onto my url), but. Shoot any specific questions I missed my way!

[helloyukimura]

Zelo’s Route - Chapter 1

Hi everyone,

I have finally finished my Zelo chapter. I want to thank you guys for all your likes and lovely fan messages. It makes me really happy to see them.

Admin S

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HC: “Have you decided yet? Who will you choose from the six of us?”

You: “I choose Zelo.”

Zelo: “Me?”

Zelo is pointing at himself. He seems to be surprised. He was sure that you wouldn't choose him as the others were more confident than him. Zelo is scratching the back of his neck.

You: “I want you to be my partner.”

You said smiling at him. He blinks his eyes more quickly as he was shy. Zelo is so cute that you couldn't resist to tease him.

DH: “How about you winking at me and calling my name~”

Daehyun desperately tried.

HC: “No seducing Daehyun. She is Zelo’s partner now.”

DH: “Aww man. Why did you even choose him? He is so insecure.”

You: “Yah! He is not insecure. Zelo is still young and innocent. But I'm sure that he has confidence in dancing. Idiots like you wouldn't be able to see that.”

DH: “What did you call me?”

You: “An idiot.”

DH: “Woah daebak you're the first human female to call me an idiot.”

YJ: “Stop! Time out.”

Youngjae steps in between the two of you while facing Daehyun.

YJ: “(y/n) is just trying to protect Zelo. Please forgive her attitude.”

DH: “Why are you interfering with us?”

Zelo pulls your hand and lets you stand behind his back. He is trying to protect you against Daehyun.

Zelo: “(y/n) is mine. Hyung you can't take her from me.”

You glare at Daehyun behind Zelo.

You: “I chose my partner already. You don't have a chance anymore.”

You stick out your tongue.

YJ: “Let's go Daehyun. Before she hates you even more.”

DH: “Fine.”

HC: “(y/n) will be living with Zelo from today on.”

You: “Okay whatever.”

Zelo: “You okay with living with me in the same room?”

You: “Huh? Wait I thought you promised me freedom?”

Zelo: “Yes I did and I will give you freedom.”

You: “Can't I just provide your meals and live in my own house?”

HC: “Nope you're not able to leave Zelo more than 500 metres. Also, you cannot leave the B.A.P castle.”

You: “How am I supposed to be free if I'm actually in jail?”

HC: “You’re not in jail. You will just be living with us in a castle.”

You: “Yeah and in Zelo’s room. Yeah~ happy me. Not. You never told me this before. You guys just kidnapped me here.”

You saw Zelo's face looking sad and worried. He feels guilty to have brought you here with Jongup.

Zelo: “I'm sorry (y/n).”

He is looking at his feet. However, you did choose for him. It is normal for vampires to live with their partners in the B.A.P castle.

You: “It's not your fault. I understand that vampires need blood in order to survive. I just can't really live with the fact that I won't be able to live my life as I did before. That makes me feel angry.”

HC: “What are you planning to do? Escape from us? I don't think you actually can.”

You: “I never said that I would escape. I am brave enough to live with Zelo.”

HC: “Good to be hearing that. You can start moving to Zelo's room then. Take the thing from the guest room to live with Zelo.”

You: “Okay~ Zelo will you help me carrying my things?”

Zelo: “Ah yes of course!”

You: “Good. Thanks, Zelo.”

Living with Zelo should be okay as you seem to be able to manipulate him. Only the other vampires might be dangerous to you. There must be a way to get out of this castle.

You: “Zelo can I go home to get my stuff?”

Zelo: “Yes you can. I can take you there by my car.”

You: “That would be great! Thank you Zelo.”

Zelo: “You can call me Junhong if you want.”

You: “Junhong?”

Zelo: “Yeah that's my Korean name.”

You: “Oh really? Sounds cool man.”

Zelo: “Haha thanks.”

You were walking to his car. You tried to remember all the doors by asking Zelo. The door is not far away from Zelo’s room. In 15 minutes you were standing in front of his car.

You: “Is this your car?”

Zelo: “Yeah.”

You: “Awesome!”

Zelo opens the door for you.

Zelo: “Ladies first.”

You: “You're such a gentleman. Thanks, Zelo. Oh no I mean J-Junhongie~”

You hear Zelo giggling at your compliments. Such a cutie. The only thing that bothers you is that he is so tall. There is like 20 centimetres high difference between the two of you. You consider taking some high heels with you while you were packing your things.

Zelo: “Do you like to wear heels?”

You: “Yes I do.”

Zelo: “Are these even comfortable?”

You: “Why are you even asking? I look sexier in it right?”

Zelo: “I guess high heels are sexy.”

Zelo said blushing slightly. He could imagine you walking with those high heels in a short sexy black dress.

You: “Are you thinking dirty things?”

Zelo: “No!”

You: “Hmm you seem to be thinking about something sexy.”

Zelo blushes even more.

You: “Haha it's so much fun to tease you. Did you even had a girlfriend before?”

Zelo: “Nope. I stay away from girls as much as possible. They are clingy and annoying to me.”

You: “What do you think about me?”

Zelo: “You're nice.”

You pouted at him.

You: “Is that all you have to say?”

Zelo: “Yup.” (There is a lot more, but I can't say that out loud. She would think that I must be crazy.)

You: “That's sad to hear. Maybe I will have to do better to gain your attention.”

You smirk at him. You put your hand on his shoulder. Zelo was extremely blinking his eyes.

You: “Haha I'm just joking. Don't be that serious.”

Zelo: “Okay.”

You: “If you stay at my home. Can I still live here then?”

Zelo: “Nope the rule is that you must stay in the B.A.P castle.”

You: “How are you going to give me freedom?”

Zelo: “Hmm good question. I haven't think about it.”

You: “I'm only your partner right. Why do I have to stay in the B.A.P castle if I can provide your meals anytime you want.”

You saw Zelo thinking really hard. You could convince him you thought.

Zelo: “Only in the B.A.P castle you are under protection against other vampires. Or else you will get kidnapped by another vampire clan.”

You: “Geez what am I? A big walking cheesecake? Why do you guys like my blood so much? There are plenty of other people around the world!”

Zelo: “I'm sorry.”

Zelo looks at his shoes again. You didn't want to see him get hurt. So you said something else with a reassuring smile.

You: “At least I like you. Otherwise, I would have been gone to Africa just to avoid you guys.”

Zelo blinks his eyes. He had such a cute face. It makes you want to hug him.

Zelo: “Let's go back. It getting darker now.”

You: “Okay.”

Zelo took your luggage for you with one hand.

You: “You're stronger than you actually look like.”

Zelo: “Of course I'm strong because I'm a guy.”

You: “True.”

Back in the B.A.P castle, you pack your things out. You had a lot of skincare products and put them all in the bathroom.

Zelo: “What are these?”

You: “You mean the facial mask? I use it on my face to help it get more moisturised.”

Zelo: “Can I use it too?”

You: “You want to try it out?”

Zelo nods his head.

You: “Okay then let's use it together. Let's move to the bathroom first. The first step is to wash your face with water after that you can apply the mask on your face.”

Zelo was washing his face, while the water splashes onto your clothes. This is the first time to see someone splashing his face that much like him.

You: “Okay… That's enough splashing for you, mister. Here dry your face. After that, you can put the mask on your face.”

Zelo: “Like this?”

You: “Nooo stop! You turned it upside down. Let me help you.”

You gently put the mask on his face, while smiling at him brightly.

You: “Here you go.”

Zelo was blinking his eyes again. You followed his eyes and he was watching your shirt. Then you realised that your white t-shirt is wet. Your white bra was visible.

You: “Yah! Where are you watching?! Quickly go to your bed and lie down.”

Zelo: “Yes madam!”

He walks away and lies down in his bed. You change your shirt, washed your face and put on a mask. You went over to Zelo's bed.

You: “We have to let it rest for 15 minutes. After you can take it off. I'm going to sit on the couch to watch some TV.”

Zelo: “Wait.”

He pulled your hand. Then he was looking at you with puppy eyes.

You: “You look weird with that mask on your face.”

You giggled at his action and Zelo was laughing too.

The End of Chapter 1 of Zelo's Route!

[daggerzine]

A HEARTY CHAT WITH THOMAS ANDREW OF A CERTAIN SMILE

I’m not even sure how or when Thomas Andrew and I became Facebook friends a few years ago. Probably through a mutual friend, but then I started seeing posts how he had a band, called A Certain Smile. Hey, I loved Rocketship too so I had to investigate. There were a few songs here and there but he and the band were working on their debut full length, Fits & Starts. Well the record came out a few months ago and it’s a terrific little pop record. Jangle pop with solid songwriting, a healthy amount of fuzz and Andrew’s strong and sturdy vocals. Fans of records on labels like Slumberland and Creation will certainly approve. I tossed some questions Thomas’ way and he gave me the skinny on his musical journey, his love of Scottish women and the beginnings of A Certain Smile.. Read on good people….

 Were you born in Philly? Did you grow up there?

Nope, I’m from NY. We moved around a bit. Born in NY then moved to Texas for my first few years, then Long Island, then Upstate. It was a bit of a constant back and forth between the two. And pretty much as soon as I could be mobile on my own, I spent as much time as I could in the City.

What was your first exposure to music? Were your parents into music? Siblings?

Don’t have any siblings, but yeah, My parents were pretty young so most of my first music exposure was 80’s college rock mix tapes my Dad’s best friend made while a DJ at SUNY Albany. I still have a bunch of them. It’s weird, but family road trips were usually marked listening to tapes with New Order, The Cure, Violent Femmes, The Velvets, JAMC, 7 Seconds, old Lemonheads stuff, the Church, and whatnot. My dad also used to like quiz me on what was playing on the local left of the dial station: 102.7 WEQX out of Vermont.

At what age did you pick up your first instrument?

I played Saxophone in grade school, and I always would just sing all the time. I guess I got a bass when I was 16 and played my first show like 2 weeks later. We opened for Violent Society and the Causalities…I was the secret pop kid at the punk shows. I went back to just singing from like 18-20 and then got my first guitar when I was about 21.

Do you remember the first record you ever bought?

I bought 2 tapes simultaneously when I was about 11 or 12: Sir-Mix-A lot’s Mac Daddy and Tom Cochrane Mad Mad World. I can honestly remember everything about that experience. I liked that Life is a Highway song I guess. And I played the crap outta that entire Sir Mix-A lot record. The first actual LP I purchased myself was Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary. I’d had records that were my parents, and I bought a bunch of CD’s but the first piece of vinyl was at the record store I’d end up working for years, and it was Sunny Day.

Had you been in bands back east? Anything the readers might’ve heard of?

I was in some crappy poppy punk/HC bands until I moved to Philly. There I started Ports of Call with my best friend. Ports started out as the original a certain smile, we recorded 4 songs and played a show, and then our bass player bailed and when we started going again we took on different names, till finally Ports happened. We released 2 records, got a little press and stuff. People may have heard of us, we’re on Spotify and Itunes…it’s pretty basic neo-shoegaze stuff, but with a lot of melody and what not. Nicest compliment I ever got was when playing this really kinda boring shoegaze fest thing, someone came up after and was like “you guys totally have a Pale Saints thing I really dig” and as everyone knows the Pale Saints are hands down the GREATEST Shoegaze band there is….so that made my life a little

When/why did you move to Portland, Oregon?

I moved to Portland about 3 years ago. Followed my Ex here for her job. I figured what I do is pretty portable and I had a record about ready, so I could just record it here and find a band…things don’t always work out as planned though. However, in the end the record is out, the band is sorted, the Ex is now just that, and I’m pretty happy in life.

 When did you form A Certain Smile? Does the name come from the Rocketship record (I’ve always assumed so)?

A Certain Smile started in 2002 as a bedroom project in college. My best friend Tom and I started recording songs and started a little label with us and our friends. We had a handful of songs and got offered a show with a band I really loved, problem was we needed a name. So we started going through name ideas, and I started flipping through records I had. We would check names online to see if they were taken. Went through a handful of ideas and then hit A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. I liked how A Certain Smile rolled off the tongue (especially how it may sound coming from an adorable Scottish girl…if ya know any…) looked it up and no one had taken it. So with 3 days to spare we took the name. I shelved it for a while, but would always bring it back out for little one off shows or some new recording ideas I’d have. When I moved to Portland I decided to just use that going forward.

 Tell me about the recording of Fits & Starts? Did it take a long while to record? Any watershed moments?

We recorded it in Portland over about 3 days all together. But the songs come from about 10 years of writing. Smile was something Tom and I wrote in college, and Summer Blonde was one of the last songs I wrote for Ports. Most everything else was written before moving to Portland for the record I was about to put out before moving. I think Leisure Class is the only “new” song, written after I got here. Zach had the music for it.

The recording was super smooth at this little studio in Portland, the Magic Closet. Hold on Call and Hushed were recorded with an earlier drummer in 1 day, and then the rest a few months later with Ian over 2 days. No real watershed moments, but a lot of caffeine fueled fun. There is a great little piano thing Zach and Ian did that I’d love to put on something, we almost hid it on the Duffle Coat Single we did.

Do you feel like you fit into any kind of scene in Portland? Any bands in town doing similar stuff?

Yes and No, Portland isn’t the pop town of yore, but there are some bands that I think we fit well with. Like No Aloha and bed. , and a bunch of amazing  bands that I think we fit close enough for stuff like Mini Blinds, Havania Wall, Airport, Tender Age, and more. There is a lot of good music in town. But I missed All Girl Summer Fun Band being a thing here…and I will forever be heartbroken over that. I keep trying to push Jen to make it happen again!!!

Tell us about the influence of labels like Sarah and Slumberland on your musical life.

Woosh, I don’t even know if there are words to express that. Finding Sarah and Slumberland was like finding a home, ya know? I remember the first time I heard Another Sunny Day, and the Field Mice. It was like finally hearing something that I’d been looking for forever. Something sweeter and softer than the pop punk I’d keep getting pushed on me in upstate NY. And finding Hood, the Lilys, and Boyracer…it gave me something that felt mine, and when I found people who knew these bands and labels I found instant friends and family.  I used to read liner notes a lot as a kid, and pour over the thank yous for recommendations of bands I needed to check out. That’s why I included a bunch of bands we’ve played with or who’ve just influenced us in the liner notes. Cause I’d love to be that door for someone else someday!

Who are some of your favorite current bands?

I really love so many bands right now, like Martha, Kids on a Crime Spree, Rat Fancy, Eureka California, Tunabunny, Suburban Living, Star Tropics, The Fireworks…this list could go on and on. I listen to a lot of music. Recently I’ve been getting a lot of old singles that I never heard so I can play them on my radio show or at my indiepop brunch. I got so many amazing old records from Chris at Jigsaw it’s been amazing!

Who do you think is the single greatest songwriter working today?

I have to say I’m kinda amazed I have an immediate answer to this, like it just came right to my head: Neil Halstead! I swear I love everything he does, even stuff I was meh on for a while I come back and realize it is just amazing. I love Mojave 3, his solo stuff, the Black Hearted Brother record…and obviously Slowdive….though I think I’m one of 10 people who prefer Mojave to Slowdive…but whatever. Yeah Neil Halstead comes to mind immediately.

What’s next for a certain smile? Touring? More recordings?

Well first we have a second press of Fits & Starts, cause we sold the first batch in like 3 weeks. We’re doing a Pacific NW tour with Rat Fancy in December, and we’re hoping to set up a tour down through California soon as well. We’re hoping to play Athens Popfest next year, and if we can we’d love to do Indietracks and play some shows in Spain. We sold a bunch of records in Spain so it’d be rad to go over there. We have a little 3 song EP we’re putting together with the first 3 songs I wrote here in Portland, and we have another like 8 or so songs ready to go. We’re hoping to maybe put out some singles (would love to find a label who may want to help with that *wink wink to any labels reading!) yeah, that’s about it for now. Just playing as much as we can and trying to tour a bit this year.

Any final thoughts?  Closing comments? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask?

Thanks for taking the time to interview us, and for listening to the record. Also for the AMAZING single you sold me J I don’t know, beyond that I guess just thanks to anyone and everyone who’ve checked out the record, it means a lot. We’re really excited to get more stuff out and hopefully meet some of you out on the road soon. Cheers!

www.acertainsmile.bandcamp.com