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yohohonabottle · 4 days ago

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A mage, a knight and a con artist

Summary: After his trip Valen, with his weak immune system due to his organism being used to only Autumn weather, gets back home with a flu. His colleagues of the Order notice it and band together to support him, sending their stubborn captain to recover. Despite the man's protest and excuses. And so, Valen headed home to find his love already busy tending to his 'rival'. Pirin wasn't happy with the situation but has come to terms such things are in their wheel-house (and also became his after getting with them). A (sick) brief vacation in Paradise with the one they love dearly. Work status: Oneshot in progress -------------------------

Song recommendations for the fic: -> Playlist

Dear goddess, nature really is out to get me today.

—“..Captain, you don’t look well.” -One of the common solders notes, voice tinged with worry. Backed up by another of the squad-mates, the archer eying him with matching concern from behind his helmet-visor. —“Yes, you appear quite pallid. Nearly blew our cover earlier during the mission—Had Joey not covered your mouth, you would have sneezed loudly.”

A flock of swallows chirps overhead as they playfully chase each other, wheat and rye fields swaying in the gentle noon breeze. The tied-up criminals walking with their nose down, glance up at the two archers then at the squad’s captain. For the briefest of moment hope lights up their scheming eyes, only to get a pointed warning look from Sam—The junior knight working his way up to Solitaire—keeping a hawk-eye on them. The ruffians’ shoulders slump. Sat atop his steed’s back and holding the reigns loosely, Valen waves off his colleagues’ “slander”.

Although the mere fact he’s on horseback, has been riding so for the whole day, begs to put a hole in his refute.

Normally he’d traverse the distance to and fro between Holistone, Northville and Southville on foot plus to the Traveler’s Light then home...Except the elite-knight has been taking his courser steed out of the stable a lot more frequently, not just leisurely strolls to look impressive.

—“I wouldn’t have sneezed, thank you very much. I was simply going to jump at the opportune moment and—*Achoo!*” The stallion’s ears pin back in a slight wince. Sniffling, Valen blinks to clear his vision and internally fights to keep his back straight rather than slumping forward and drifting away. Or shiver and cough. Some of the squad-members shrug, figuring it’s none of their business to meddle when their leader has made his point clear. Others decide to let the man be, knowing best for himself, and doesn’t need ‘coddling’ or ‘babying’. And some simply entertain themselves, watching how long would the former merc keep denying the glaringly apparent.

“As I was saying, I would have jumped at the opportune moment and cut them off. Perhaps distract the bandits so that you guys can land a disarming strike and arrest them, take away valuable items on their persons—you know how it is. You’ve seen it before countless times, not to mention we’ve pulled stunts like this often. In any case, I wouldn’t have sneezed or blown away our cover.”

—“That is true, yes—However, sir Valen, you still have racoon bags under your eyes. And you’ve been taking Arthur out ‘on a stroll’ for a week straight.” -One of the solders calmly chimes in, going right for the kill as always.

Amy Blackloch the Keen, a fellow secretive knight and Solitaire, older than him with about five years and a prodigy in the investigative field of work. The hardy, tough-love mother hen of their little squadron who’ll kick your butt first, then dote on you tenderly with utmost care. Was a rival candidate for becoming captain but chose to step-down for maternity, along with trusting Hogan’s judgement to assign him instead, seeing his potential. Her younger colleague stifles a wince, keeping his charming, sly smirk of carefree spirit while weaseling out.

—“I've been pulling all-nighters to finish the tower of reports I forgot about—if you don’t believe me, feel free to visit my office. I’ll brew you a cup of coffee while we catch up. Also, what’s wrong with spending some time with my mount? I’m fine, I assure you.” The auburn steed groans and snorts with a tussle of his head, as if to say ‘Sure you are.’ The others exchange looks. “Great, even my own horse doesn’t believe me. Just great.” Patting the horse’s neck and shaggy black mane, the captain flashes it a feigned scoff of discontent, receiving a low nicker and an ‘eyeroll’ back. “On whose side are you, Arthur?”

Amy eyes the two of them with mirthful eyes, old memories rising to her mind’s eye.

Back when the General first caught Valen and brought him to the garrison, the boy had bumped into her on the training field...The day that chaser was allowed to take on a trusted mount after passing the Knightly exam and was still an adept trainee on his way to at last earning his badge as acknowledgement and approval of the Order.

As soon he walked into the stables housing the masterless horses or those waiting to be rehomed, those mischief-filled eyes instantly lit up upon landing on one of the stallions:

A wild mustang with dark-auburn short fur and white on his legs, a stripe on the forehead—playful, temperamental and nimble as the wind itself with tall lean build, clear cheery voice and energy for a hundred men. The moment his hand cautiously landed on the horse’s forehead, the two became near inseparable. And Valen was quick to brag, show off his steed.

Oftentimes the daredevil would let his sister have a ride while bonding and training with the rascal, holding the reigns or teaching signals--The two siblings laughing at Arthur’s silly struts or vivacious, weak, bucks showing off to them his own prowess. The day of getting the badge, of being declared captain, Arthur was there for his friend. The other colleagues had tried to keep him at the barracks or paddock but he simply refused, restless. At the ceremony’s end, the stallion had lightly bumped his head on his companion’s shoulder, tugged on his fur-trim.

—“The one that wants for you to stop making-up flimsy excuses--Pardon my language--and go home to recover, captain.” -Joey pitches in from where he’s striding on the criminals’ right, bringing up the rear with Guywin. Already plotting something behind that helmet of his. Those two evidently in cahoots. The group leader glances over at them then at his ‘rival’, right as another sneeze rudely leaps on him.

*Acho!*

—“Okay, fine-I may have caught a small flu from my trip to Rustport.” -captain Valen at last concedes, throwing his hands in the air slightly then runs a hand through his bangs. Wears a surly pout as he huffs somewhat defensively...and also mild indignance, not happy with Mother nature. “However I refuse to get bested by some mild cold, or leave my duties because of this minor inconvenience. It’s simply not worth being bed-ridden and tripping over it as though it’s an illness.” In hindsight catching a flu didn’t surprise any of them, given Holistone and its provincial districts are perpetually stuck in perfect Autumn with mostly sunny weather and light, warm rain on the off-chance. Not ideal for building strong immunity as that requires facing the four seasons and each of their trials respectively.

Which is also all the more reason to not treat this flu lightly.

—“We understand your concern and dedication to the Order, please do not mistake our intent as we are very grateful, however we believe your well-being comes of greater importance. Even Magistrate, General, Hogan will agree.”

—“Yes. Sir, if not treated accordingly and swiftly, your condition has the risk of becoming worse. The current batch of cases are highly stressful and pushing yourself can lead to further compromising your immune system.”

—“I can confirm from personal experience: Caught a nasty flu recently and it got worse while doing gigs. I swear I felt like I was boutta die, those headaches were somethin’ else. No fun.” Some of the solders glance at the bearded stocky thief who had piped up. The man frowns at their quizzical looks. “What? I’m just sayin’ it’s relatable. We’re thugs, not monsters.”

—“I’ll cover for you and be sure to keep you in the loop. You go see a doctor then rest at home, alright?” -Amy at last takes the helm word, nodding in agreement to Joey and Guywin’s arguments, not letting her younger colleague protest as she turns to the aspiring Solitaire. Her tone adopts a commanding yet not unkind color as she gives the instructions. With that, the topic is collectively decided case closed, no if’s and but’s. Leaving an unhappy Valen to mutter out a sour ‘Traitors.’, seeing it’s pointless to continue arguing his point, resigned to listening as the group divides the tasks amongst themselves. And secretly feels his heart warm at the bond he shares with his fellow Heroic Order members. It’s so easy to get swept in the whirlwind of missions, administrative chores and routine monotony, forget that the boys (and girls) care about him. Should this situation be reversed, he would’ve no doubt done the same regardless of who the sickly mate is. It’s why he doesn’t try to actually put up a fight. Memories resurface, of both good and bad, and with it—An unspoken ‘rule’ or ‘oath’ outside of regimen and protocols.

The unspoken ‘rule’ within squads in the Order that most captains follow and teach, pioneered by some of the General’s squad-mates back in their young days: One for all, all for one.

A ‘rule’ meant to remind people to not loose their humanity while still remaining professional regardless of rank and stand united. It’s still upheld and taught to this day. Some say it started, was coined by more carefree captains as a ‘joke’ to the more up-tight solders as a way of saying ‘hey, it’s okay to loosen up!’. Nowadays there’s an inside joke going around Head Quarters between Solitaires that the reason the General chose him, Valen-A devious weasel- is because he reminds him of those old brothers-in-arms. Besides his other qualities and abilities.

Not that Hogan denies or confirms said joke, but certainly doesn’t seem very against it...

—“Sam, go with Valen to ensure he doesn’t weasel off.” -The woman shoots him a stern look as she directs. If I see you on a mission or in HQ for more than a visit, I’ll escort you out myself. The handsome, ailed, young man raises his hands before himself in placating defense. Memo dully noted, ma’am. No need to punt me.

“Guywin, you go find General Hogan. Tell him Sir Valen is sick and won’t be available for—“ Valen peers from around his soon-to-be-substitute at the imperial defender and makes a sign for two with his hand, mouth ‘Two days. Two days.’ “—A week.” The knight gives Blackloch a faintly aghast leer and quickly mimes ‘No!’ with a shake of his head and insists ‘Two days!’ then slumps on in feigned defeat when he gets promptly ignored by the solder.

—“Understood. Shall I also notify him you will be taking over duties in his stead?”

—“Yes, thank you. Joey, bring the criminals to custody hold. I’ll meet you at HQ shortly.” The archer places a fist over his heart, already lapsing into his role as subordinate and taking the command. The three horses continue their steady walk on the beaten path, one of them letting out a short whinny and the other only sighs through its nostrils, tail flicking to swat at a fly. The steady thudding of hooves fills the lapse of comfortable silence as they ride to town. ....Suddenly something dawns on him--

—"Wait! If you will be covering for me--Who will take your place with the new recruits?"

This time it's Sam who speaks up, addressing his concern easily.

—"I'll let the General know after escorting you home. I trust Guywin can handle the recruits on the training grounds." What's with this shuffle? The defender catches on this as well and appears equally puzzled, not that he minds it or isn't prepared. Having gotten to observe Madam Blackloch and her methods both on missions and the training grounds, he has picked up some of her tactics in spite of being on guard-duty at the gates mostly.

Perhaps this is an attempt at breaching a new method of training, more accessible to the recruits in 'lowering' the pressure through having a senior yet 'same-ranked' unit show the ropes or the basics. A way of establishing some rapport through relatability. However it feels a little redundant, troubling the General twice and shuffling around when he can simply pass on both messages.

"I may not be absent for long, but the newbies can't be left unsupervised. Ergo why I will come along to pass the memo once I've ensured Sir Valen gets home safely." Valen's scowl doesn't unfurl. That still doesn't change the issue.

"I see. I shall not let you down, Sir Johnson!"

Patting his senior colleague on the shoulder, the noiret lightly pulls on the left reign at nearing the town gate, informing his mare a change in direction is incoming.

—"Come on, let's go."

———————————

One trip and visit to the doctor later, the two ride down on a less threaded path in relative silence.

The sun afternoon sun casts warm, orange light on the grass, paper birch trees of the dense forest and the travelers. A twig snaps under the Arthur’s hoof, the sound deafening in the silence followed by another sneeze. Holding his mount’s reigns in a wary grip, Sam eyes the surroundings with a critical gaze.

While at the doctor's office, the sickly man kept rambling about how wonderfully beautiful the area his 'friend', or more like latest lover, has settled in. Wild and untamed, guarded by Mother nature with difficult to traverse terrain 'ideal for training', if bit gloomy. Certainly eccentric.

It’s far up north of Ryeham and away from lord Franz’s lands, right on the border between Golden Wheatshire and the Dark Forest—beyond the Vigilant and Mercenary camps, past Merlin's circle in the Ruined altar's rubble. Behind the rocky forested cliffs near the ruins illuminated in a soft fiery glow by the Magister's ward like a lantern. All in all--Perfect reprieve from noisy civilization without being wholly out of touch, with some bones of old ruins still scattered around like stones and covered up by grass and fungi. Up ahead, the cliffside of Glimmerfly Passage can be seen on the river's other side. So this is where the elusive mage lives…

—“Is your friend a Wilder? This is pretty close to their territory.” No immediate response from his fellow or soon-to-be fellow Solitaire follows. Looking at the knight riding next to him, his curly brows lightly furrow. Eyes screwed shut with a scowl and clutching at his head with a hand, Valen waits for a few seconds for the headache to subside before looking to his subordinate. Tired.

—“Sorry, my head was a bother. What did you ask me?” —“I was wondering if the friend you’ve told me and the boys about a fortnight ago, is a Wilder by any chance. Given this seems to be where he has settled, it’s very close to the Dark Forest. And nobody has really seen him in town.” The auburn-brown haired man pulls a slight grimace, forcing himself to answer somewhat lamely, brushing a hand through his hair in unease and rests it at the nape.

—“You could say that, yes. ..Technically--It’s...kind of a touchy subject, and he’s very self-conscious about it. All I can say is that Vanyo has his reasons for keeping distance.” Then tips his tone a more joking note, donning a casual smirk as he shrugs nonchalantly. “I guess it’s something about messing up his magic or how the neighbors were very noisy and wouldn’t stop poking around his lawn and cauldron. He often complained to me about how there’s always someone making an ungodly racket or leave a mess.” Sam raises an eyebrow.

—“He could’ve.. filed a complaint, to us..?”

—“I've told him the same many times, believe me! And yet, the man kept insisting the Order shouldn’t be troubled with such trivial issues, saying he’ll simply deal with it on his own. Not to mention how ‘Ridiculously complicated and long’ the process of filing a complaint is; Or how ‘I would grow a beard long enough to knit two whole sweaters from 'til it gets done.’--His words, not mine.”

“Hah. Well, your friend isn’t too far from the mark—I’ll give him that. But two whole sweaters? Sounds a little much, no? Maybe for one sleeve or for the collar seems more feasible.”

—“Ivan can be a little dramatic like this. It’s not uncommon for him to often hyperbolize.” By now the two knights have reached closer to the riverbank which appears barren. No house in sight or signs of life other than the wild--Until the white mare seems to sense something and lets out a loud whinny bordering on a neigh, and turns her head away, ears flattening for a second as she steps back. Arthur on the other hand merely groans and huffs, not perturbed by the invisible barrier in the least.

Frowning, the blue-eyed knight leans back a little, the horse following his cue and takes another step back then stops—Tense.

—“What’s wrong Alba?” The mare shakes her head, eying the air in discomfort; firmly refusing to go any farther ahead and get near the shore. Valen calmly lifts a hand, his fellow Heroic Order colleague looks up at him as he muses idly.

—“It’s the charge of magic, Alba isn’t familiar with it and sees it as a danger.”

—“Magic…? You’re saying there’s a magic ward in front of us? Why?”

Placing his palm lightly on the invisible wall, a soft smile of fondness graces Valen’s lips, watching the spot light up under his hand. Slowly, the barrier reveals itself and withdraws, a small corridor or low dome within it. The intricate layered web of many threads and ‘fabric’ draped over them, all made out of shimmering crystallized ‘flames’ of gold, orange, crimson, teal, yellow and pale-yellow, the magic swirling and pulsating with an ancient hum. Inside the protective, cloaking dome—A naturally formed pond with cattails and reed, a few catfish swimming in it languidly.

Nestled humbly on the shore, is a modest wooden hut. A beautiful garden around it, where the four seasons ebb and flow as they naturally ought, unhindered by Merlin’s magic. Piece by piece, this sanctuary has been painstakingly made, cultivated over many years by the owner with his own two hands. From a young child, to a teen, to young adult- the present, and still worked on. Improved.

The blue-eyed man gapes at the sight before them, left at a loss for words and breath by the sheer display of raw power. The work of a magician as powerful as Magister Merlin only could accomplish, yet this feels even older, more potent and strong. The very thought of there being someone far greater than the Magister is mind-boggling. And here they are, two simple men face to face with the incredible might. A domain, a heaven, a sanctuary.

-—Locked in a cramped, closet-like booth off in the corner at Traveler’s Light, an ash-blond man with ruby-crimson eyes stands in his arms. The cracks along his fair skin showing a glimpse of the truth underneath that has been concealed for so long, branching off and chip away more. Like a mirror slowly cracking and falling apart. The once deep, velvety smooth counter-tenor melting away to a breathless rasp akin to Death itself. And Valen could do nothing more, stunned as he watches the illusion crumble away piece by piece.

—"He's a very private man, preferring to keep his home unknown to unwanted visitors--It's a precaution against ruffians who might be looking for treasure. Placed an illusion spell to hide it in plain sight;

Anyone can pass right by or through this barrier, spell, and out the other side without ever knowing there's a home here. Plus, the only people who can see his home and garden are those he deems trustworthy. As for animals--they can sense the magic's presence. The wildlife doesn't react because they're used to it by this point. Pretty ingenious defense, casting a perfect illusion like this." Patting his steed on the side of the neck lightly, the animal begins to saunter forth into the passage of crystallized fire. The barrier slowly begins to fall back in place and mend itself, hiding away the sanctuary once more from Sam's eyes.

“Would you still follow the General’s order? ...Or would you overrule it for yourself, Noble knight?”

It had all started with a simple game of Seven minutes in heaven, the space forcing the two of them to be much closer together than normal. He had placed one hand on the Magister’s waist, chest to chest almost, the other next to his head.

And then the spell fell away, a creature supposed to be long gone standing before his very eyes.. With it, a secret it has been told by Merlin to covet for his convenience. Keep people from asking too may questions. Namely--

Why are you hiding away in your House?

Why did you send this Devil in your place to be you, Merlin- Carry your journey?

Are you avoiding us? Why?

Why are you avoiding us, Magister Merlin?

--And a lot more, each more uncomfortable than the last.

Pausing for a moment, Valen looks back at his stunned colleague with a relaxed smile. Continuing on to say his adieu, already looking forward to returning home and seeing the lovely face of his beloved. Sam, his friend and subordinate looks back at him, understanding the meaning behind his jest. For a second the black-haired knight appears conflicted between following after him and possibly starting a scuffle, and staying out of it; complying with the request. The entire time the real Merlin has been in his spire, sending this vile demon in her stead to carry the responsibilities.

The fake magister has been nothing short of helpful, leading to triumph in times of peril with a steady hand and courageous unyielding spirit, kind heart. ...But he's a vampire- A servant of the Hypogeans worse than hypofiends. A plague! ..yet this fiend is not like the Temple's teachings and warnings. And none of his behavior has been, is, a pretense. He would have razed Esperia, the Empire, to the ground by now--Not keep to himself, away from bountiful prey.

—"Thank you, for escorting me home, Sam. Between you and me, this heaven is quite a lovely picture, isn't it? It would be a shame to get ruined by unpermitted tourists."

—"...Right. Take care, Valen."

—"Of course. You too, my friend."

“You...You’re a night nymph..?”

—-The campfire crackles and pops softly, the two Templar knights standing on guard whilst Atalanta sleeps. The five of them had set up camp for the night after leaving Marilee’s village to continue traveling for Remnant Peak in pursuit of the stolen Faith Stone rumors. Sneaking out while the duo has their backs to him and the camp, a lone swordsman makes his way to the small hill closeby. Looking around, no soul comes in line of sight, only the sparsely scattered pine trees--

“Pirin? Are you here?” Where did this man wander off now? I saw him head up, towards this hill..

The grass rustles softly under the soles of his boots, the chirping of crickets and quiet of the night his only answer. Maybe intuition was wrong, maybe should’ve went the other way. And then the brunet nearly jumps out of his skin, biting back a yelp as he instead draws out his sword. Only to sheath it again at registering whom the eerie voice belongs to not too far. Still getting used to the double identity- business.

“Valen.” There the short ghostly-pale man is, sat on the ground with his knees tightly drawn up to his chest and spine leaned back without worry of pricking himself. His form is almost swallowed up by the shrubbery, snowy hair already full with leaves, thorns and sticks. Blinking dumbly at the sight, the escort hesitantly lowers himself to sit down next to his charge.

“What are you doing out here? Why did you leave camp?” The haunting pearl-white eyes turn away from him, back to the starry skies and the crescent moon. The reply to his incredulous question comes in the form of a neutral deadpan that’s hard to discern if it’s sarcastic or matter-of-fact. Or plain emotionless. The moon casts a dim, silvery light, illuminating his delicate yet weathered features.

And for the first time Valen’s heart stutters, breath caught in his throat suddenly dry.

“I could ask you the same.”

Turning to leave and head back to Holistone, Johnson pauses. It's hard not to notice the soft, dreamy twinkle of hopefulness in the other man's eye or how serenely happy he appears. All that tension and irritation from the headaches, the strain on his ashen features, gone.

As though the domain, magic that makes-up the protective coat, is a healing balm soothing away his ailment in both body and mind. And that love-struck glimmer isn't unfamiliar, having seen it curved upon the faces of many:

Miss Mary's husband, whenever he speaks of his wife with fond pride, remembering key moments of their lives;

Miss Blackloch wore it, too, back when she first brought up being courted for a year and the name of the man who caught her eye, recalling all of the stolen meet-ups and poetic rendezvous in amorous rebellion against both their parents;

The many suitors hoping to win the dazzling swordsman's heart, both maidens and gents, yet either ending up barely with a one-night stand by the breezy playboy...Or as paramours in short-lived superficial on and off relationships, ultimately left high and dry with hopeless dreams for more and broken hearts.

So for Valen to unironically fall for a monster genuinely--Especially the likes of night nymphs, sirens and other such vaguely humanoid critters--feels right-on brand.

Alluring, challenging, deadly, unpredictable and exciting just enough to really scratch that itch for adventure, thrilling danger. Sam disapprovingly shakes his head and heaves an exasperated sigh with a frown.

Unbelievable. What's next, Valen? Seducing a dragon or a Giantess once done with this imp?

—"You're smitten with that vex, aren't you? ...Since when?" The wavy-haired rapscallion's smile of tender amour turns to an amused, sly smirk that suggests he's promptly proud of himself with no regrets; the gleam of sweetly gentle airiness flickering to smug daring mischief, practically teases 'Envious? Too bad.'

The lancer meets that devious wordless, good-natured, taunt with a raise of his brows and press of lips. Incredulous and not impressed. 'Really?' And the charmer has the audacity to oh so evenly shrug his shoulders.

"You're impossible. I swear to Dura, you will get yourself killed one day with this frivolousness." The love-struck look of affection returns on the captain's boyishly handsome face, a half-truth falling from his lips in mildly humorous retort to his partially miffed hiss.

"Perhaps. But who wants to live forever?" Then gives a real answer simply-

-—- Striding with leisurely, confident steps towards the border point between Alkali and the Lightbearers’ Empire, he cradles a rich bouquet of roses in his arms. Pirin’s last letter still echoes in his mind, bringing neigh-giddy excitement.

Valen had to physically restrain himself from gleefully kicking his feet under the desk at his office, wearing a big dumb grin from ear to ear while reading each line. Soon familiar voices echo, announcing the return of his now former charge. Two hamsters chattering merrily and filling in the quiet of their traveling companion, who merely hums from time to time so to say ‘I’m listening, yes.’ without joining in their conversation.

Valen hurries his pace, nearly breaking into a jog or run, impatient to see the little ghost again after so many months.

“Wait, Chippy sees someone coming towards us! Is that...Sir Valen..?”

“Valen?” “Yes! And he has...flowers? Chippy smells something delicious!”

“...Let’s go over there, Chippy. Magister Pirin and Valen seem to have missed each other, it would be rude to eavesdrop on them catching-up.” Then the familiars burrow underground, leaving the mage alone. Pearl-white meet amethyst-purple, the secretive knight hurrying up a little as he cheerfully calls out in greetings with a wave, smiling like a fool.

“Vanya!” Pirin waves back with a soft smile, eyes alight with subdued joy. Coming to stand before him and catching his breath, Valen holds out the red, immaculate roses with a flourish and a light bow. As though offering a tribute to a king, most charming smile on his face and tone lowered to flirtatious, subtly seductive lilt. An attempt at winning that gentle heart through suave romance and courtship.

“For you, my dear. The most brilliant red blooms in this humble land, and my heart.” Only that it went completely over the vampire’s head, assuming this is nothing but typical bravado. And a very elaborate greeting of welcoming back from the desert. The captain’s heart skips a beat as the magister hugs him- kind of.

“I missed you, too, Val!” --In that moment, Valen felt like he just got stabbed right in the heart.

—"Since I first laid my eyes on him--It took some time until we finally got together, and I became the happiest man on Esperia."

—"I see.. I hope you know what you're doing, Sir Valen. Just, try not to put yourself in a coffin this early, will you?" A chuckle. —"I'll certainly try. But I can't make definitive promises--not that I don't mean what I say, you know me. I always do." But the world is always changing. And that's why your words mean almost next to nothing.

The black-haired lancer levels his captain a stern glare. Be serious. The one thing that has always irked him about the brunet, being so blasé regarding his own safety and well-being--indulging in the arms of countless lovers; the burn of alcohol and flare of high-stake cases or battles and adventures. Nevermind the tremendous toll it could, would all take on him one day. This is simply the first and last blended together and turned up several notches, toying with fire of the finest caliber.

Sam turns back to the road, cueing for his mare to go without another word, listening to the soft thump of hooves headed in the opposite direction.

—————————————————————————————————

Should I knock? No, too formal. Maybe calling out would be better.

No noise resounds from the other side, save for the crackling and popping of a hearth, the soft 'thunk' of a bowl being placed on a surface. ..and the quiet snores of a sleeping person. Standing before the modest wooden hut, bewilderment sprawls in his heart, curls on his scarred face as he lets out a low whistle. It looks old and weathered yet impressively well-maintained, not a single hole or spot of decay in sight. Around it, a well-kept garden of many herbs, spices and flowers. The door swings open, pulling Valen out of memory-lane and his heart skips another beat at the all too familiar visage that greets him.

—“Val? What brings you here?” Dressed in brown wooly breeches, slightly baggy at the sleeves and thinning at the calves, the alabaster-white linen tunic loosely tucked in is left open at the collar. And gives a very nice view of his collarbone and little of his chest with how it hangs on his shoulders, the laces barely even tied, red sash tied at the side-- “Eyes up here, Noble knight.” The mirthful lilt in the shorter man’s tone melt to one of worry as he observes, smile fading to be traded for a light scowl, already reaching out a hand.

—“You don’t look very well.” A dusting of red colors the ailed Solitaire’s cheeks at realizing he’s been staring for most likely a good minute and standing on the porch like an idiot. Managing to stifle another sneeze, and hold down a cough, Valen runs a clammy hand through his bangs with a small grimace. Very narrowly fights off tensing up whilst talking at the touch to his forehead. It’s so cold…

—“Yes, I’m a little sick. So.. I might have caught a flu from the chilly breeze at the port..” Stepping back, aside as he listens, Pirin mumbles ‘Come inside.’, ushering him in and closes the door.

“Come to think of it now—choosing to be a gorgon wasn’t the best idea. Should have taken your suggestion to be a Kuker.” Probably messed up the pronunciation a bit there.

“I tried to ignore it, however it got worse and eventually I had to go to the doctor’s office. Or more like get shooed off of work by my boys before I move onto our next mission. Turns out they have noticed I haven’t been myself for a week, today being the eight day...Aand didn’t let me protest.”

Stepping into the small living area, the purple-eyed solder lets his gaze wander over the cozy interior.

An improvised sturdy sofa lined with horn-leaf bear pelt, a simple pattern of a red stripe and triangles on its sides like inverted sun rays painted on it, some cushions a wool blanket painstakingly embroidered and painted with red, brown and black. ..And a familiar person sprawled on the sofa, tan skin a sickly pale hue, messy fringe sticking to his brow. Snoring away.

So the intel-broker also caught a flu and was sent here.

Valen’s eyes linger on the blanket, pausing to study the scenes woven onto it masterfully—A spotless Iberian lynx sitting down, with dark russet fur, matted by blood and a beaded necklace with teeth, claws and talons on it. There’s an air stern stoicism to it, authoritative like a hardened warrior veteran without being unkind, a sense of very reserved and subdued warm pride amidst it all.

Next to the lynx sits a caracal with pristine snowy fur and gentle, tranquil pearl-white eyes. Quiet, soft, patient and understanding temperament. A playful, energetic dark-brown furred puppy barely managing to sit still next to the caracal and the lighter-brown furred hounds.

And lastly, a strawberry-blond juvenile finch and a nightingale (that looks strikingly similar to the caracal) perched on the second hound’s back.

#afk journey #afk journey fanfic #fanfic #domestic fluff #fluff #fluffvember #99% wholesome

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avictimofthejazz · 2 years ago

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💞 (I'd settle for one way for all of our ships & Add brotps) (its go big with asks for go home for me) XDD

Mel/Street

Street willingly puts aside his own hobbies, or things he wants to do in order to support Melody in her own duties as an heiress. He knows she finds a lot of high-end social events and interactions difficult so, barring calls from his work, he always goes with her.

Amy/Face

Even if he has to stay out of sight, Face hovers whenever Amy is doing part of a con job solo—especially ones that involve her making contact with shady guys. He is always ready to intervene the minute anything starts going wrong, or Amy might be in real danger from the creep.

Rose/Murph

Murph finds ways to make Rose laugh. Thanks to Cal and her mother, Rose never laughs nearly as much as a person should—Murph seeks to remedy that every chance he gets.

Bonnie/Michael

During his Foundation travels, Michael is always picking up random gadgets or manuals that he thinks Bonnie might enjoy tinkering with or looking at.

Trudy/BA

Trudy’s car never needs to go into the shop. BA always takes care of anything her car needs, and usually does it before she even realizes it is needed.

Kelly/Murdock

When Kelly can’t make it up to LA to see Murdock, she is constantly sending care packages with homemade goodies, polaroids of the animals in her care, interesting cassettes she has found, books she thinks he will like, and anything else that comes to her mind. She also does not trust the VA to give Murdock his mail, so she sends them to Father O, who either delivers them himself or gets them to Face.

Maggie/Hannibal

Maggie keeps Hannibal on track, whether he wants to be there or not, and is willing to tell him the hard truths that no one else wants to mention to him—this often leads to advice on how to navigate the situations he has been shifting around.

Bonnie/BA

BA never balks at pulling all-nighters, or continuing to work after he has convinced Bonnie she needs to get some rest. Sometimes he convinces her that shiftwork is the best way to get big jobs done.

Ricki/Michael

Michael keeps an eye on the big dates—Ricki’s birthday, the day she lost Raphel etc.—and always makes a point to buy her a drink at least, even if they cannot swing anything bigger.

Elaine/Dennis

Elaine keeps an eye on the elevator in the morning. As soon as she sees Dennis come off, she makes sure there is a fresh cup of coffee on his desk, and a first-aid kit if he needs it.

Gina/Murph

Murph tries to figure out Cuban cooking so he can surprise Gina with familiar foods without having to go to a restaurant. He is still getting it sorted, but his earnestness and the sweet idea behind his attempts has earned him the affection of the Cuban grandmother in the apartment next door.

Jean/Reed

Reed never gets up the courage to break Jean’s heart by telling her he can’t keep choking down her peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches. He just keeps pawning them off on Pete or the other guys at the station, giving them to homeless people he knows, or trading them to Hilda for a different kind of sandwich.

= = = = =

Luca & Street

Street has an uncanny sense of knowing when Luca needs someone to show up at his apartment with a pizza and a six-pack. He does not do it often, and he usually has some excuse about the game being in and his own television being in the shop, but it always seems to be timed to exactly when Luca needs a friend around.

Murdock & Face

Face created information cards for Murdock, carrying important information like his full name, his social security number, his blood type, the medications he is on, and anything else the pilot might need to know, but runs a strong chance of forgetting.

Hannibal & Face

No matter how much trouble Hannibal might cause at the nice clubs and restaurants that Face takes his boss too, it never really occurs to Face to stop inviting Hannibal. It would be as unthinkable as shunning Father O’Malley for the sake of his image.

BA & Face

Despite the obvious differences, it never quite occurs to BA and Face that neither of them really belongs in the other one’s off-duty world. Face still keeps taking BA out to the fancier side of town, and BA still keeps dragging Face into neighborhood issues, and chores for the community centers.

Luca & Face

In high school, Face tutored Luca in math for five cents a session, and some of whatever food or treat Luca’s mother and grandmother had made that week. It was one of the best deals Face cut with anyone at St. Mary’s, but he still stands by his choice and insists that anyone who has had authentic Italian food from an Italian grandmother would understand.

Malloy & Reed

Reed makes a point out of buying tickets to things like boxing matches that he knows Jean doesn’t want to go too. Then he offers one to Pete, using his wife’s indifference as an excuse when, in reality, he does not want Pete spending all his off-hours hanging out at his place alone. It is not good for the older cop.

Amy & Kelly

Kelly starts a long-distance book club with Amy. They pick a book, and either mail their opinions back and forth to each other, or have a phone conversation. Occasionally, they are in the same area. Then they go out to dinner, and talk about the stories.

Bernice & Elaine

When Elaine can get off early, she meets Bernice at the building that the Steele offices are in, and they hit up the bar scene together. They argue that two ladies have a better chance of meeting guys, but it also means they have help if one of the guys proves to be a creep.

Amy & Maggie

If Amy needs to get away from LA for a while, or lay low for any reason, Maggie always has a room she can crash in. Maggie won’t even ask questions, unless Amy wants to talk about the mess she is in—she’ll just give the younger woman a place to get back onto her feet.

RC3 & BA

Since RC3’s big brother is still in Chicago, and unlikely to move out to California, BA fills that void in RC3’s life the only way he can—mostly by trying to make RC3 make more cautious choices and listen to Devon more the Michael. He also yells RC3’s head off when he learns about the rubber M16 stunt.

Devon & Michael

As much as Michael enjoyed answering his calls “Yo Devon!”, he respected the older man enough to stop doing it when Devon asked him too… at least most of the time.

RC3 & Michael

Michael fuels his good-natured rivalry with RC3 about the LA teams versus the Chicago teams by teasing he younger man, and occasionally doing things to lightly rub in the latest loss on his friend’s side, or jokingly deny any losses on the LA side.

Mena & Face

As long as Face is physically in LA, all Mena has to do is call, and he’ll come help her. He’ll get out of bed, drop dates, and even put business for Hannibal temporarily on the backburner in order to go bail Mena out, and make sure she gets somewhere safe.

Nancy & Face

Face sends Nancy postcards of the various places A-Team missions take him. If he can’t get a postcard, he gets his hands on some other kind of memento, so his cousin knows he is still in one piece.

Elsie & Murph

Despite not being as big an outdoors person as his sister, Murph allows Elsie to drag him out in all kinds of environments, weather, and at all times of the day or night. She just has to ask, and know that his initial grumbling is just for show.

Missy & BA

BA is a constant source of support for Missy, helping her develop all kinds of non-feminine skills such as mastering baseball, being able to fix her car, and throwing a mean right hook. He wants her to realize she is worth more than her fashion choices, or which boys are looking at her.

Missy & Face

Face has no qualms lying to Mary Cooper about Missy, covering up all kinds of messes that Missy gets herself into. He gives Missy advice and space to find her own answers, but he won’t hand her over to be yelled at by her mom when he is convinced most of Missy’s bad choices are rooted in her parents dysfunctional relationship, and its ripple effects on the kids.

#ALL the Muses #and relationships #and characters #under a read-more because there's five bloody pages worth of a word document here XD #I hope you like it Aly

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scifriskyxy · 6 months ago

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I may have pulled an all-nighter just to color this

I finished this around 6:20 am

Dumb facts

Shadow's quill got too big. He sorta had to cut them down a bit. He had to do it every couple of years, or else he could hurt himself. That's why they look shorter. All hedgehogs do this some more often than others, for shadow, it's every 10 years of growth

For Sonic, it's semi-annual due to the speed his quills grow out he keeps em around the same length as per usual

Amy goes to the salon to get a trim every other month, Ocassionally changing her quill style

Silver hacks it himself he doesn't cut his quills he takes a sharp object and hacks them down to size - explains his weird hairdoo and damage to his top quill, creating his iconic weed looking forehead

Fate keeps her quills pretty short, but sometimes she let them grow out she begins looking a lot more like her mother. If she does, she rarely changes her style, but sometimes she does when she's in the mood for something new, and she does it herself for the most part

He's enjoying a chat with someone, I wonder who

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theatercommandments · 8 years ago

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Pro-tip: When you pull an all-nighter, power through the 10 p.m. I DONT WANNAAAAAAA because once you get through that you suddenly turn into a machine

#amy pulls an all nighter

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cupidslittleservant · 4 years ago

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Yes i know it’s super late in france right now. yes i know i’m up late we exist! we night owls exist!!

#mon ami #not wise but yes i am pulling an all nighter

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maraczeks · 2 years ago

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lolz

#pulling an all nighter maybe ?? starting w emily videos bc she is an instant hit of serotonin #going through newsroom paley clips and honestly i might watch all of them just to hear her laugh OH MY GOD IM DOWN BAD #june 4 2022 #SHE IS SO FREAKING PRECIOUS #need the whole paley panel video god shes soooooplejrjdjejfjjsbdhsj #did i say that on the show or in real life PLS #larry king is so ugly and annoying #EMILY HAVE YOU SEEN DEAD TO MEEEE #guys the gif of emily falling on jeff's knees im literally on my knees #need to finish my mac fc even tho it's imovie #HER SMILEEEEE #the fact that emily janel and amy all live in brooklyn screeching #SHES SO FREAKING CUTE OH MY GOD #OGODKENRNSJDJDOSK I LOVE HERRRRRR ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️#ohhhhhnygod she is So screwball heroine coded her and mac oh my god PELIN #EMILY AND HER RUSSIAN TRIP AND MAJOR I CANNTJFJJDBDBFJSJHRJDJDJDJXJXJSJJDJD #SHE HAD A CRUSH ON A CHILDRENS NEWS ANCHOR IM CRYING #THATS SOOOOOO THE FORESHADOWING #her mind she just gets it!!!!#dudeeeeeeee this hyperfixation is timed so so perfectly with my life rn #emily audiobook of pursuit of love would be my next megan mcginnis dll audiobook.#HER FREAKING LAUGH #SHES SO PRETTYYY #EMILY IN THE MARY POPPINS INTERVIEW IS SO INHINGED HELPPLSKDNJDJSJDJSJ SHES SOO HELP ME #IM LITERALLY CEYING SHE IS INSANE #her publicist after that 🫥🫥🫥#she's so ??/?:?:?2?/?/?3?2?3?2?3? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER #crying -- at dublin airport 1:44 am #she is soooo mac the wat she has no filter oh my god #i actually cannot do this i'm going to combust

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silly-lil-lee · 8 months ago

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OKAY NOW I HAVE MORE HCS OMG

Ghandi is the type of student who literally does nothing at all ever. How the hell is he passing classes? Magic! G-Spot doesn't need to do amy of that dumb homework, he's naturally smart!! (He gets Dio to do it for him)

We got my other clone oc Charles (he's the clone of Charles Darwin leave me alone). Charles is a real smart boy, so you'd think he'd be studious, but he's actually not! It takes him SO long to actually sit down and do homework, and even them he gets distracted so easily. He has a plethora of missing assignments, but at least he can tell you about the anatomy of a frog in great detail!

I feel like the only person who's normal about homework is Abe. He's a basic bitch when it comes to school. He gets his homework done, does his part of the group project, maybe stresses out a little about a test. He has the worst sleep schedule out of literally everyone though, the amount of all-nighters this bitch pulls is concerning and its a wonder how he doesn't almost snap like he did in that one episode in season 1

Also random but Abe is autistic and he has a habit of chewing things, the amount of pencils with bite marks I'm them is insane- but hey at least no one borrows pencils from him!!

Also idk why but Abe gives trans vibes..

Thinking about how JFK is probably the most chill when it comes to academics and stuff. Dude never freaks out when he has a test, never stresses over homework or projects, that kind of stuff. He's pretty laid back when it comes to all that.

Then you have Dio, who stresses over anything and everything. Tests? He's up all night studying, then panicking the day after. Homework? He isolates himself so he can do it all. Projects? He'll take it all on himself if he's in a group, it's guaranteed to get done that way.

JFK never experiences burn out. Dio always does.

Idk I just think it's a neat dynamic

#toony talks #clone high #clone high jfk #clone high ghandi #clone high abe #clone high oc #headcanon

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shslpunkartist · 3 years ago

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Punk, we all use our sonas and characters for vent stuff before ok. Nothing wrong with that at all. I will admit I was relieved to see you clarify in the tags that you weren't hurting yourself tho! Also that bit with Punk Amelia, uh, would it be wrong to say I felt a little validated after reading that? I too have a condition where I often feel so sleepy-headed even if I had plenty of rest the night before so I couldn't help but feel a little validated knowing I wasn't the only one there

Idk what it even is. Like.. is it a condition? Or is it just one of those "amazing" perks of depression?

Just constantly tired, no matter how well you set your sleep schedule, nor how long you sleep in a row

#and then they'll be days in which I can almost pull all nighters with ease #I don't understand #the only thing I exaggerated was the part of Ami collapsing #I don't do that. I can move my body fine.. mostly #it's just very sluggish. or easily tired #also yeah. I'm scared of pain #the most I've done is hit my head or arms or legs. cuz I don't feel a lot of pain from that #not to the point of bruising tho. and I am controlling that better cuz my hubby worries

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shadamyheadcanons · 3 years ago

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Headcanon #267

Cross-posted on AO3.

((This post draws inspiration from Fire Emblem: Awakening and the dating sim genre, but it’s not meant to perfectly match any one game.))

Amy forgot something at Shadow’s apartment after they hung out one day. Tails was in the neighborhood, so he offered her a ride.

Shadow answered the door, and his eyes lit up just slightly. “Oh, Amy! You’re back.”

Amy smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Shadow! I just forgot my phone. Can I take a look around?”

His face fell. “Oh. Yeah, sure. Come on in.” Tails lingered awkwardly outside the doorway until Shadow beckoned him in as well.

Amy wandered around until she spotted her phone in Shadow’s kitchen and snagged it off the counter. “Hah!” She’d just stepped back into the living room to head for the door when Tails’ excited voice chimed in from Shadow’s couch.

“You’re playing Blazing Hearts?! Sweet!”

“Just...just a little. It’s not a big deal,” Shadow replied, sounding shy.

“What’s ‘Blazing Hearts?’”

Shadow’s head whipped over to her, and his ears shot up in panic. “Oh, uh...Amy! Great! You found it!” He hurriedly shuffled to the edge of his seat on the couch to lean awkwardly on his coffee table.

Amy leaned over to peek at the laptop he was clearly trying to hide. “Is that a computer game?”

Shadow cringed. Tails turned around to face her, delighted. “Yeah! I’ve been playing it, too! Sonic told me I needed a hobby, so I picked this up. He didn’t say it, but I think he was worried about how much time I was spending on my inventions again,” he admitted. His tails twisted, and he grinned sheepishly. Amy smiled, endeared once more by their brotherly relationship. Tails perked up again. “But this game is super fun! I keep losing track of time and pulling all-nighters playing it. I’ve been trying to get other people into it, too!”

Amy scratched her chin, absently wondering whether losing sleep over video games was any better than losing sleep while building things. It seemed like a toss-up to her. “How about you, Shadow? How much time do you put into it?”

Shadow tried to shift farther in front of the screen. “Well...you know. Some.”

Amy could practically see him sweating. She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me you’re shy about this, Shadow. Tails and Silver play video games all the time, and you and I both play with that cute Chao app on our phones. Do you really think I’d judge you for playing a video game?”

Shadow averted his gaze. “Well, no, but that’s not--”

“Who do you have in your party, Shadow? Lemme see!” Tails insisted, yanking the laptop to the side so he and Amy could see it. Shadow flailed and fell onto the coffee table with a soft thud. Unbothered, Tails opened up a menu.

“Oo, the artwork’s really pretty!” Amy gushed. She pointed to the striking, spiky-haired character on screen. “And he looks kind of handsome, doesn’t he?”

Shadow’s head popped back up, and he glanced back and forth between Amy and the screen. His eyes were wide. Tails pointed to the top corner of the screen. “You can customize the protagonist in this game. See?” The character’s name was listed as “Shadow.”

Amy looked between the protagonist and his namesake, and she giggled. “No wonder! I can see the resemblance!”

Shadow’s ears turned red. He snapped his attention back to the game and swiped the mouse out from under Tails’ nose to move things along himself. “Hmph.”

Shadow shifted down to the next character, a mage with cat ears and a witch’s hat. Tails pointed excitedly at the character. “Oh, you’ve got Murriel! She’s Silver’s favorite!”

Amy squinted at the little pout on the mage’s face. “Wait a minute...she looks kind of familiar, too!”

Shadow snorted. “It’s not just that.” He circled the cursor around the book in the girl’s hand.

Amy examined its red color and flame pattern, and then she gasped in realization. “Nooooo! She even uses fire magic? For real?!”

Shadow smirked a little, and Tails chuckled. “That’s nothing. I got Silver to play a dating sim once, and he immediately went for the cat girl in that one, too. He’s not even embarrassed about it.”

Amy laughed. “Silver definitely has a type, that’s for sure.” The last of her giggles died down. “So this is some kind of medieval dating simulator? With swords?”

��NO!”

Tails waved off Shadow’s desperate shout with a shaky-handed gesture. “Ehhhh...I mean, kind of...”

“It’s a tactics game,” Shadow hissed through his teeth.

“It’s kind of a little of both, I guess. I’ve never thought of it that way,” Tails admitted, twisting his tails idly as he contemplated it.

Amy crossed her arms and snorted. “Shadow, is that what this is about? Did you really think I would judge you for playing a medieval dating sim?”

“It’s not--!” Shadow stopped, then appeared to think for a moment. “Yeah. Sure. That’s all.”

Amy’s eyes narrowed. He’s hiding something.

“Enough about the genres. Keep going! I wanna see the rest of your party, Shadow!” Tails piped up. His tails curled upward in excitement.

A subtle uneasiness crept over Shadow’s features. He clicked down through the list of characters while Tails ranted about weapons, classes, and strategies. Soon, though, Shadow’s ears perked up. He stopped clicking and spoke up.

“Tails, Amy’s never played this kind of game before. We can talk about it later. I don’t want to bore her to death--”

“No, I’m good!” Amy cut in. “This sounds really fun!”

Amy smiled down at Shadow. Tails didn’t seem to notice the sly glint in her eye, but Shadow definitely did.

You can’t lie to me. No one hides from Amy Rose forever.

Shadow gulped. He turned back to the screen and frowned. Then, he swiftly double-clicked, almost managing to skip over a character. Amy saw a flash of pink before another character popped up. “And this is my pegasus knight,” he blurted. “That’s everyone, soooo...”

“Wait, Shadow, you skipped one!” Tails insisted. “Go back!”

“No, that’s all of them, Tails.”

Shadow’s threatening tone went over Tails’ head. “It was the one right before the pegasus knight. Here, let me--”

He reached for the mouse, but Shadow yanked it out of reach. “This is the end of the list. That’s it. Now, if you don’t mind...”

“I wanna see!”

Amy watched as the two of them bickered and fought over the mouse. Eventually, she rolled her eyes and reached past them to click the up arrow key. Shadow and Tails froze as the screen flipped back.

A proud, spunky-looking pink-haired girl with green eyes and red armor stood on screen, holding her hands behind her back and winking cheekily up at the camera. Tails gasped. “You recruited Poppy?! That’s awesome!”

Amy clasped her hands under her chin and gasped, excited for a different reason. “She’s so cute! I love her!”

“Everyone loves Poppy,” Tails added. “She’s really versatile, but she’s super hard to recruit for your team. I spent days trying before I gave up! How long did it take you, Shadow?”

Shadow’s gaze flitted nervously between Amy and the screen. “Uh...a while, I guess,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hmm...” Tails squinted at the stats. “What made you go with that setup? I’ve never seen anyone put her in the Berserker class before.”

Amy perked up when she caught sight of Poppy’s equipment list. “Oo, she has a hammer, too?! I like her style!”

Shadow’s jaw clenched. “I...needed someone who could break through armor, and, uh...no one else had the stats for it.”

Amy gasped. “No. Way! She has a crossbow, too! I’ve been thinking of picking mine up again!”

“Shadow, why did you give a Berserker a crossbow?” Tails asked, sounding genuinely baffled. “They’re supposed to be melee fighters.”

“Uh...versatility. I wanted her to have a long-range option so she can keep her distance when she needs to.” His tone was stilted. “I don’t like it when she gets hurt.”

Something in Shadow’s voice when he said that made her stop.

Wait...this sounds awfully familiar...

Oblivious, Tails asked, “What about Tyson? Most people give him the hammer.”

“Didn’t recruit him. Too much trouble.”

“Whaaaat?” Tails craned his neck around to try and lock eyes with Shadow, who was refusing to make eye contact with either of them. “But he’s way easier to get than Poppy!”

Shadow crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Well, I don’t like Tyson.”

“But you like Poppy a lot, don’t you?” Shadow flinched and looked over his shoulder at her in alarm. She pointed to the lower corner of the screen. “Isn’t that what these heart icons are for?”

“Oh, wow! You already S-supported her? It says she hasn’t even been on your team that long!”

Amy’s grin turned sly. “Shadow, what’s an S-support? What are the hearts for? And why is your name listed next to them?”

Shadow froze under her knowing smile, then snapped out of it and stuttered, “Ch-characters get stat boosts when they fight together if you make them talk to each other off the battlefield. It’s strategic.” Seeing Tails was about to add something, he cut in, “I-it’s not my name, it’s the protagonist! She was at a lower level when I got her, so I kept her close so I could keep her safe--or, my character did, I mean--and the conversations helped. Because of the stats. That’s all.”

“Aww, that’s kind of sweet!” Tails said, making Shadow flinch. “I can see why you married her.”

Shadow made a choked noise, and Amy’s eyes widened. “Wait, this dating sim goes as far as marriage?!”

“It’s a tactics game!”

“That’s one of the coolest parts of this game!” Tails replied, expression bright with excitement. “You matchmake your party members, and they get married!”

“It’s not just matchmaking, i-it’s a strategy!”

Tails ignored Shadow’s desperate protests once more. “That’s not even the best part! In the second half of the game, their kids go back in time and fight alongside them!”

She could practically feel panic radiating off of Shadow in waves. She cocked her head, confused. He’s way too embarrassed for just getting caught playing a silly game. What am I missing here...? She glanced back at the screen as Tails ranted about genetics and abilities. Her eyes narrowed. It’s something about this character, I can tell... She stared for a moment longer before her expression lit up.

No. Way.

She turned to Tails. “You said Silver ‘went for’ that mage, right? Did they get married, too?”

Shadow looked even more nervous at her mischievous smile. Tails chuckled. “Hehe, yeah. Funny thing is, since Silver’s protagonist looks like him and Murriel looks like Blaze, their kids wound up looking like, well...” He scratched the back of his head and snickered. “He got way too excited about it. It was a little cringey, but it was kinda cute.”

“Cute, huh?” Amy giggled. Shadow’s eyes were wide with anxiety. “So what are those kids gonna be like?” she asked, gesturing to Poppy.

“Hmm...” Tails scratched his chin. He waved his tails absently as he analyzed the possibilities. “The kids take their parents’ best stats and can use their parents’ primary weapons, and the game combines their appearances, soooo...they’ll be fast like Shadow and strong like her, they’ll be able to use his energy attacks and her hammer, and they’ll be pink and black.” He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s actually a pretty cool combination! Heh...Shadow, maybe you should try to find a girl who...”

Tails trailed off and looked from Shadow, who was tense and red from embarrassment, to Amy, who was leaning a hand on his shoulder and shaking with barely-concealed mirth. After a few seconds, it hit him. He covered his mouth to hold in a sudden laugh. “Hey, uh, Shad--”

“OKAY, THAT’S ENOUGH FOR TODAY!” Shadow snapped. He leapt up from the couch and spun Amy and Tails toward the exit. He pushed them gently but firmly forward as they cracked up laughing. He shuffled them out the door. Amy turned around and restrained her giggles out of sympathy upon seeing the obvious mortification on Shadow’s face. Shadow gaped and searched for something to say, eventually settling on a tentative, “I’m...glad you found your phone. Good day.”

With that, the door swung shut, and the two of them laughed uproariously.

“Hey, Amy?”

“Hehe, yeah?”

“I think Shadow has a type, too.”

“I think you might be right.”

Pictured above: Amy and her crossbow from the Fleetway comics, and the best Amy descriptor ever from the Archie comics. The pieces are all there.

I just love the idea of Shadow being only mildly into the game at first, playing on Casual because he’s lost enough people in real life, goddammit, and he wants to relax when he plays games. Then he comes across this Amy lookalike, and he’s immediately smitten, so he simply Must recruit her. It takes a solid week, but he Will Not finish this game without her by his side.

The first time he sees her get hurt in battle, he’s heartbroken. He derails the battle to rush her away with a healer while he sends his avatar in to annihilate the opponent who dared to hurt her, promptly tearing it to shreds with no mercy.

He’s embarrassed to do the support conversations at first, but he quickly becomes addicted to watching not-him fall in love with not-Amy...and then this happens. Poor guy.

#shadamy #shadow the hedgehog #amy rose #sonic the hedgehog #hc #Miles Tails Prower #silvaze #but only a little #also i didn't realize it until now but silver's just like the kids in fe: awakening #time travel and all that #there wasn't enough room for shadamy-descendant-silver in this one tho

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aesthetixhoe · 3 years ago

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dating ethan nestor would include E.N

warnings: mentions of weed, ADHD episodes, mental illness, and slight sexual implications

word count: 416

pronouns used: none, but you being called princess and wifu

↝ you guys streaming and filming together and for each other's channels

↝ being each other's cameramen

↝ pulling all nighters together to edit/film

↝ c o f f e e & r e d b u l l

↝ hacking each other's social media's

↝ c u d d l e s

↝ s o m a n y k i s s e s

↝ you guys meeting through mark

↝ him teaching you gymnastics

↝ you teaching him your hobby

↝ him calling you baby, you're YouTube name, princess, wifu (like wifey, but fuu)

↝ you calling him eef, you were actually the original person to call him that, eth, crank, darling, blue boy, even with his hair not blue

↝ misspellings

↝ you bringing him food when he's sad :((

↝ singing together at 3am

↝ fucked up sleep schedules

↝ learning how to cook with each other

↝ you helping film/being in unus annus

↝ so much smiling just cause you both love each other so much

↝ so much 🥺 emojis

↝ laughing at literally nothing

↝ taking care of each other when the other is super hyper, and occasionally being extremely hyper together

↝ mark and amy being your "mom and dad"

↝ spencer being your guys' baby

↝ lots of pictures

↝ you guys cooking together and having a night in for a date

↝ playing games together all the time

↝ you reading to him because you know it upsets him sometimes

↝ him singing to you to help you fall asleep

↝ you guys recording duets

↝ you trying edibles with him

↝ him running is thumb back and forth on your thigh when you get nervous in public

↝ you both being labeled the "virgins," even though that is...very wrong

↝ interrupting him on streams accidentally

↝ stealing his clothes because they're just so comfy and smell like him

↝ being each other's lock screens

↝ throwing a party after unus annus ended, just celebrating it

↝ harry potter marathons (he's definitely a Hufflepuff, but me too :)) )

↝ promoting each other's merch and videos

#ethan nestor #ethan nestor x reader #crankgameplays #crankgameplays x reader #x reader #markiplier #ethan nestor fluff #ethan nestor x reader head canon #dating head canon

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cjoatprehn · 1 year ago

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Update - October 15, 2023

Old & New

I have found records of old traditional works that I no longer have in my possession, due to familial bullshit and they have most if not all of my traditional artwork now. I found photos on discord so I can share a few of them.

This was a commission in early high school. Took two weeks—kept picking my hair as time went by. I am incredibly satisfied even now of the results. This is Shenron in Crayola colored pencils. References helped a lot but took some time to hone fully. The commissioner, a former coworker of my birthgiver, loved it. So much hair was pulled from my head during the 2 weeks worked on this in creative frustration.

With Shenron, my only regret is not charging more for the process. Past me listen, $7-$15 is not enough to charge for how many Crayola colored pencils and hair you pulled out throughout this.

This self portrait was made during my Junior year of high school. Star Wars themed. Yes, I had that lightsaber and the poncho at the time, lightsaber duels were frequent in our lunchtime in my bunch of friends. One of our duels appeared on school news at one point. I used oil pastels. I finished first before every one else surprisingly.

Valentine’s Day Sapphic commission. A butch came to me for a portrait of their snowy day Selfie. Her gf’s reaction was worth it on Valentine’s Day. Prismacolor Markers. I received her video reaction at work in the campus mailroom on Valentine’s Day on the Fucking dot. She found out it was me afterwards.

This was a 2-piece study of acrylics with cool and warm colors of one photographed scene, we chose one detail in the photograph to be the opposing cool/warm color scheme.

This piece is a Transparency study, one of my favorite studies to paint in acrylic, despite my struggles with time blindness, doing an all-nighter to present it in the next morning. Sadly, I was graded harshly but—it was fun to do regardless.

I was commissioned to paint this, which was hung up for a traditional Kwanzaa event at my college-turned-university. It took awhile—but—worth it all. I wasn’t kidding about that Kwanzaa event, either; I was very pleased it was main art of the event.

Now for New Stuff

I voiced awhile back I wanted a tattoo. This will my first ever tattoo. On the day I received this news, I was delving back into drawing again without pressure of money and now for loving my craft, for the sake of realness and fun for me. It’s how it should have been all along. It took several years of rebuilding the motivation for something small. It’s a small step to building back up to my drawing of my own standards but—it should help. This will be my first tattoo. It’ll be on my wrist.

A semicolon with an elephant motif. There are two iterations of this:

My first straight from my mind, shown below:

Below is @knifecatte’s guidance:

“what's it look like if you let the bottom part of the semicolon be the trunk?”

As for the meaning of this:

“A semicolon tattoo is used as a message of affirmation and solidarity with those who have dealt with suicide, depression, addiction, and other mental health issues. […] It was popularized by Amy Bleuel. […] chose a semicolon as a symbol because it’s “used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life.”

Elephants I’ve held close my entire life. Even if not physically, I see them a lot in media when not looking for them. I love elephants, always have. While one of my headmates is an elephant, they may not choose to stay that way. But my sona is also an elephant.

Finally… video content

Safe for Photosensitivity:

youtube

God of War Ragnarok Spoilers - Rated M - 18+ : Going to have you click here, due to the thumbnail featuring an aftermath scene that’s not appropriate for anyone below 18.

I did also make a meme but same reasoning for not displaying it. I wish we could spoiler images or embeds without spoilering the entire post.

That’s all I got. If you’re able to blaze this post, would be greatly appreciated. Other than that, follow me here, @mars-da-volcanic-elemental, and @cjoat-boost. Thanks!

Have an awesome October.

Art dumping time. I’m just going to—dump.. art. And then pin to the top of my profile so..

Just dropping these here.. and I may not be on Tumblr much, but I have notifications on if you submit in something or send an ask or, Send me a message

But otherwise?

Here’s my about me.. and um.. yeah.

And…if you’re interested:

#art #eyestrain #traditional art #tattoo design #semicolon #elephant #colored text #changing text size #jacksepticeye #Youtube

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kalopsic-lagomorph · 2 years ago

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Okay then!

I already said this in the tags but, Sonic and Rouge hangout, either to annoy Shadow and Knuckles or just shopping >:)

When Sonic first met Tails, Tails was taller than Sonic

Sonic gained height and a few other features like longer tail and better night vision after werehog incident

Sonic sometimes sleeps with his eyes open 👁👁

Sonic could pull 4 all nighters in a row ( he IS naturally nocturnal) , he just doesn't

I like to think that Sonic is just some guy who the chaos emeralds and master emeralds happen to like

Amy doesn't have a super form because she's that strong already

Oh yea Amy could kill god btw ( me and my brother's headcanon)

Shadow and Cream watch MLP

this is either in the fleetway or old archie comics but Sonic can run so fast he can change color and that's how he apparently got his green eyes, so in theory Sonic can ran so fast that he can get Shadow's pattern like the way he could run until his eyes are the only part that changed.

Last one (probably), when they tried to give Sonic inhibitor rings the rings instantly melted because he radiates that much chaos energy

there are different level of inhibitor rings ones that only limit a little power or ones that try to limit all of the users power, they could be used for criminals and such

Amy stores her hammer in her rings as pure chaos energy

ALL OF THESE ARE CANNON

#sega should let amy go batshit crazy i think she deserves it #i like sonic just being some guy that the god saw and thought was funny #i love the babygirlification of shadow the hedgehog #sonic #ro talks #kinda #im not tagging every character #sonic the hedgehog #sth #sonic headcanons

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corruption-exe · 2 years ago

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Keeptober 2022

Prompt 4 combined with 5: Human AU and Headcanon (moodboards with explanations) @keeptober

i'm a bit late, hehe, but here is what I've been working on! i've gotten a story too, but it's coming a bit later

disclaimer: none of the pictures are mine! i just found them on pinterest.

side note: i've added posts from various socials that i think they'd have

Sophie Foster-Ruewen

she/he/they | bi and genderfluid | her older sister, jolie, lives in LA with her girlfriend, vertina, and boyfriend, brant | amy is in a boarding school somewhere in texas | he is a literature nerd and spews references all the time | lowkey loves sharing music with their friends | when she was 12, his dog, iggy, was recued by them when iggy was left wounded from a dog fight | was that one person who'd usually stay in from recess | good thing she did bc he'd tear you apart if you taught them the rules | coffee addict | works at starbucks, but doesn't romanticize it | 'SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK' -sophie to her parents when he had pulled an all-nighter to study | phone case is clear with photos of their friends on the back | no password | home screen is the nicest photo they have of their friends | trades musicals with tam | loves hadestown | wants to tear his friends apart when they visit starbucks just to watch her make coffee | buys "guy" jeans because of *pockets* | favorite order is a caramel frappe | their parents own a farm and they visit the farm each summer | learned how to wrangle animals from a young age | still clumsiest of the group smh | really bad at chem |

Marella Redek

fi/fire/they/them | poly lesbian, gender undecided | gay disaster tm | type of person to have obvious gay panics | secretly writes fanfic | subtle fan | self-projects on characters too many times | fi's dad left when fi was a kid and fi got raised by fire's aunt and her wives bc fi's mom died of heartbreak | not afraid to voice their opinions | has tiktok, but is stuck on the straight side no matter how hard fi accentuates their fruitiness | has the most chaotic photos of fi's friends | keeps photos, videos, and voice recordings as blackmail | if you ever reach their phone, you'll need to go through facial, thumb, and password | only few can go through it | you insulted princess purryfins? expect something of yours to be burnt tomorrow | magnet for other queers | there's always an element of gay in their outfit | the one that gets the sweetest thing on the menu | if you tell fi to chug, fi will chug | works at mcdonalds | 'my name's jared i'm nineteen and i never learned how to fucking read' - marella to people when fi first introduces themself | convinced tam, keefe, fitz, maruca, stina, and lloyd to make a band and got hired as their manager | the name of the band is the unmanageables | depending on lighting, their hair can look blonde, strawberry blonde, or brown |

Linh Alenefar-Endal

she/they | transfem lesbian | divorced parents | she and tam got adopted by tiergan and prentice because they got kicked out by their dad when they came out as trans | definitely didn't adopt tam's deadname | adopted princess purryfins to spite tam | claims that princess purryfins loves you when her cat hates you | in retaliation to princess purryfins, tam got a dog and named it sir barks a lot | joke's on him. the dog is the sweetest | wears a lot of jewelry | gives sentimental gifts | will passive-aggressively leave something she doesn't like on your bed if they're mad at you | really good at disguising anger if you're a stranger | don't get her demeanor wrong. she can strangle you, but won't | really strong swimmer and is always in the top 3 in meets | will sneak out at 3 am just to get ice cream | hides in every possible space | hates the fact that they only have a lock and home screen bc she has too many photos that would be good wallpapers | lock screen is her friends and home screen is her family | don't tell her i told you this, but wylie is her favorite brother | loves wicked | orders the fun drinks | curses much more than you think | 'what do you mean this isn't my juice? *checks label* oh fuck, it isn't my juice!' -linh to wylie about a cleaning product | works at dq |

Biana Vacker-Sonden

ae/aer/they/them (she/her sometimes if ae's feeling it) | ae, surprisingly, has no insta; ae thinks it's too toxic | loves aer step-parent, so ae took cer last name | takes too many selfies; with or without other people, it doesn't matter to aer, but it does to aer phone's storage | ae has too many scrunchies and hair ties | ae loves holding the fact that ae is in ap math over fitz's head although they're shorter than him | heels give ae such gender | loves six: the musical | favors aesthetic things and aer room is too aesthetically pleasing | aer room is messy 50% of the time bc ae's always reorganizing the aesthetic | aer outfits always match aer room's aesthetic | y'know is that vine where a baby had smudged makeup? that's aer fave | that one pjo fangirltm that was "not like other girls" at 12 | had a pinterest board for edits, but it's abandoned and nO THAT NEVER HAPPENED- | only stina, marella, and maruca know abt it | you can bet that whatever drink ae orders has to match aer outfit | strongest of the group | encourages body positivity | birthmarks | 'no, she's beautiful, you misogynistic bitch' -biana to quan song at some point | costume designer for school stuff | loudest laugh in a nice way | most rings make aer itchy | works at starbucks, but in a different branch |

Tam Alenefar-Endal

he/they | transmasc and pan | surprisingly a theater nerd | usually in the backstage crew, but he occasionally gets a role | belts really well | linh has caught him humming 'how bad can i be?' from the lorax on more than one occasion (you can pry the tamcler out of my cold, dead hands) | favorite musical is hamilton | secretly a romantic person | won't admit it, but they love his friends | bed full of squishies | sir barks a lot loves licking his face | intro to musical theater was hadestown | forced to learn violin as a song, but learned piano on his own accord | will silently murder you with his eyes if you hurt his friends or family emotionally or physically | will eat anything if distracted | doesn't usually curse | backgrounds are skeletons | his password is dansemacabre | has the best song recs | don't insult his music taste unless you wanted to die | has the most diverse music taste | orders lattes | a sign of trust is insulting you in your face | salty as fuck | 'DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU PUT SHAMPOO IN YOUR MOUTH?!' - tam to keefe after leaving tam's house | prettiest laugh, but rarely laughs | will passive aggressively play a rock song on the piano to prove you wrong |

Keefe Heslege

Fitz Vacker-Sonden

he/him on thin ice | gay awakening was ironically prince eric and aladdin | was sheltered a lot as a kid, so he rarely watched movies and shows other kids did | his favorite movie is 'in a heartbeat' | he kins zuko from atla | the gay that can't do math | history nerd | 'no i won't help you with your homework' | he can do basic math like addition, subtraction, etc., | human embodiment of gifted kid burnout | very basic room scheme | he wasn't a very creative kid, so that's why he has a red dragon and border collie that are both named mr. snuggles | cried when they watched inside out | not the prince of the group lol | dies of cuteness bc of the smallest cute thing | face recognition and photos of the gang | type of person to walk into a starbucks and order a black coffee for the "taste" when he just wants to impress a certain someone | 'I'm gonna pretend that I didn't see you eat that' - fitz to sophie about a tube of marshmallow disguised in a toothpaste tube | plays the guitar | most illegible handwriting |

Dex Dizznee

he/xe | had an obvious crush on fitz, but sophie was oblivious to it | self-taught himself coding | his family is middle class, but his grandparents are loaded | best friends with biana and they enjoy berating fitz for being in ap math | fitz bashes on xem for not understanding history in turn | ap science, math, and computer class are his best subjects | a natural cuddler | can, will, and does approach you from behind to hug | best hugs | won't give you candy from xor share, but will give you your own pack | has a lot of respect for his mother and treats her right bc she pushed out three human beings within the span of a few minutes | always makes time for family | best movie and show recs, but xe is very casual abt it and you have to pay attention to the way he says something | cried in mulan 2 when xe thought shang died (no, I'm not self-projecting, haha. why do you think that, hehe?) | don't insult iced coffee in xor presence or your phone will be hacked in the morning | 'wait, weren't we supposed to explode something?' - dex abt a reenactment for a history project | became the producer of the band | works part time at his parents' pharmacy |

Maruca Chebota

Stina Heks

they/she | they used to live with her grandparents on a farm until she was 8 | her parents married young, so she was given to her maternal grandparents until they settled in | they're really good with horses and has one named sugarcube | nonbinary lesbian | cried when she had to leave sugarcube | they still visit the farm once or twice a month | can't leave the house without cuffing her jeans | binge watches shows and movies | earphones with cords; nothing else | phone case is minimal with cow pattern | lock and home screens are always the same, but it changes a lot | cried at the kitchen table doing math | likes heathers: the musical and the movie | likes bitter and sour things, but not bc of spite | ironically, they don't really give good show recs | snapchat photos as bgs | thumbprint | isn't the sasser; is the sassed | 'you mean to tell me that we forGOT TAM AT THE GAS STATION?!' - a sleep-deprived stina on a road trip | scariest when she hasn't had their morning coffee | coffee with two sugars, creamers, and a huge whip of cream | plays the electric guitar | gets sentimental when they're sleepy |

Wylie Endal-Alenefar

he/they | he sends the slap picture a lot | adopted himself as the older brother of the group | he plays the drums and when they're home from college, he has duets with tam, who can play piano, and linh, who plays violin | he majors in history and literature | aro-spec and gay | was the first person the twins came out to | cyrah and prentice only got married and had him because of societal and cyrah's parental pressure | when cyrah's parents died, they divorced on good terms | cyrah is a good mom, but she's running a business, so wylie is left with his dad a lot | wylie has nearly no posts on his social platforms bc he only got it to look at the posts of the twins and his friends | when he's left to babysit the twins, they're chill with his younger sibs bc | he's usually the designated driver for his college friends | mom friend | helps the twins with homework | is still approached by relatives who changed their diapers | overachiever | works at a library | 'so you're telling me that your cat did all this?' - wylie grumping to linh about one of his sweaters | practically adopts a freshman called glimmer at college |

(+ my ocs)

London Ethiopia-Sonden

she/cer | step-sister of biana and fitz through livvy | not the bio child of livvy, but she was adopted by quinlin and livvy when cer (abusive) parents were sent to jail for child abuse | livvy and quinlin might not have gotten along, but they were good parents | livvy married della and quinlin married alden, so she comes with biana and fitz when it's their dad's turn with them | is the most disastrous gay of the group | added ce/cer to cer pronouns at 13 | genderqueer lesbian | different nail colors each month | customizes cer own sneakers | her best friend, xaden, used to date her bc their parents wanted it, but they broke up when cer parents were arrested; wlw and mlm solidarity | has a pride flag with a middle finger and the words 'fuck homophobes' as cer home screen with a passive-aggressive message on her lock screen | WILL judge you for having too many textures in an outfit | 'you're not coming to my tea party? betHANY, I MADE BISCUITS' - london to lloyd when he got lost on his way to cer birthday party | will be personally offended if you judge anything she's wearing | orders an iced drink; as far as anyone's known cer, she hasn't bought the same thing twice | queen of gay panics. marella, move over | has a yt channel, but only a few people know of it. rants about cer life in videos |

Lloyd Vixen

he/him but thinking of they/hir and ey/em | thought he was aroace at first, but he realized he was gay when he saw liam hemsworth | lily loves bashing on him for having a crush on kovu from the lion king 2 | curses the most | best actor; like, you wouldn't be able to tell if he were really crying or not | would sit in the trunk if there were no seats available | absolutely gone for london's best friend | actually, all of my light-skinned ocs have ears that turn red | lily has the subtlest obvious panics, lloyd has the you wouldn't tell gay panics | orders the sweetest and overcaffeinated drinks | darkest humor | adhd by truslow is his fave song | he and fitz rarely get the arm rests bc they're cis | 'move, i'm gay' - lloyd to xaden as an attempt to flirt although he knows that both of them swing that way | shit at art, but he makes up for it by playing the drums really well | definitely doesn't do things to make him seem hotter to the guy he likes. definitely | he and keefe have matching earrings | meanwhile, he has matching necklaces with lily | has a working doorbell, but claims it's broken so they have to yell | lily knows how to cry on cue, but lloyd can hold back crying |

Lily Vixen

casual she/faer | chaotic lesbian | forms an immediate bond with tam and marella | has the most subtle gay panics that fade into obvious ones when the cause is gone | like faer cousin, she blushes through her ears | for her 16th birthday, london gave fae customized sneakers | out of all the people in the friend group, she's the one that pesters sophie at work | stubbornest gay you've ever met | rarely takes selfies; her phone storage has memes, photos of her friends, photos she wants to save, etc., | her phone case is a pop-it | has the lesbian flag as a lock screen with the words sappho in cursive | bonus points: her password is sappho | vent art for all her emotions | there's even an artwork for faer gay attacks; that's why they're contained so well | while she bothers sophie at their work, she orders chocolate frappes | matching bracelets with london. definitely a "no homo" move | can pull off a really elaborate prank, but won't | owns the most rings and always has a matching set on her hands | shortest of the group and marella loves holding fi's 2 inches over faer head | only cries in private | 'do you ever wonder if trees feel sad that they can't walk?' - a sleep drunk lily | acts drunk when sleepy |

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