#and variation two where she's just younger than him and i don't know how that works

[dw-flagler]

its kind of funny to me that in the comics supergirl kind of occupies the spot for like the edgy superman. which is kind of weird for her typical role as kid sidekick to superman because her thing as a character (at least the versions of her character that i like) is that she doesn't have a reason to help anybody and doesn't like earth. edgy superman. but she's also the kid sidekick. strange juxtaposition

[strong-with-the-sarcasm]

Part 24: every color that you are

"Don't let nobody tell you your life is over. Be every color that you are." -Rush by Aly & AJ

Regent Masterlist A03 Mundane Macabre Part 23

Turns out, Danny’s hearing is good enough to pick up the baby’s new heartbeat. 

With an assurance that she did not in fact have a parasitic alien in her stomach, Jazz revealed her tiny bump with a smile and swore him to secrecy.

“But Jazz, this is great news!” 

“It’s not like we’re not going to tell anyone and show up for dinner one day with a newborn in tow, Danny. It’s just until the second trimester.”

“Which would be?” 

“The one after the first.” Jazz deadpanned. 

Danny snorted and rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before a smile came to his face. 

“I’m gonna be an uncle.” He said with what Jazz deemed as the proper reverence for such a statement. 

“Yes, you are.” Jazz agreed, opening up her arms like she used to when they were both so much younger. And as he did them, he now came to her with unmistakable love for his sister plain to see. Tucking him close to her, head under her chin, Jazz spoke again, “And you’re gonna be a great one.” 

After a few minutes Danny pulled back from the hug with a relaxed slump to his shoulders, like a weight had been lifted from them. 

“So you weren’t sick, you were sick.” The emphasis on the last word made Jazz roll her eyes. 

“Morning sickness, yes.”

“At night?” 

Jazz laughed, “Afternoon too.” 

“That sucks.” 

The two stared at the other, warmth in their auras for their sibling, Danny breaking the silence with, “Janus.” 

“What?”

“Danny Janus Nightingale, if you’re looking for baby names.” 

“Danny!” 

“See! It’s a great name! Just rolls off the tongue!”

“I am not naming my kid Danny.” Jazz firmly declares. 

“But-” “Or Dante, or Danielle, or any variations of Danny.” She adds, cutting off her brother’s words. 

He huffs, but seems more amused than anything else. 

“There’s enough Dannies in the world already.” For a moment they both think about their siblings- both cloned and alternate reality born- and shudder. Oh yeah, three people were more than enough for the world. (Considering Dan was technically possessing an empty clone body of the original Danny and was off on another mission from Clockwork to indulge his hatred of the Flash Family’s timeline antics.)

(The weirdest part of that whole thing was that Dan and Danny could pass as identical twins until Dan went ghost- he still retained his brickhouse vampire visage.)

(Ellie had left Gotham to restart her adventuring, promising to be back soon enough.)

(Ellie, the Wrath, was an unholy combination of Vlad and Danny.) (Jazz had been livid when they finally told her that particular tidbit, including how Vlad had gotten enough of his DNA.) (Could she travel back in time to kick his ass again?)

(She had the distinct impression that Clockwork wouldn’t mind doing her that favor, as long as the vampiric halfa ended in his eternal casket all the same.)

“I’m happy for you Jazz.” Danny said, breaking Jasmine out of her thoughts. 

“Thanks Danny.” She replied, “You know you’re gonna have to fight the other batboys for the title of favorite uncle, right?” 

The halfa cackles in manic glee.  “I’m gonna enjoy every second.” 

They continued about their day, though with Danny increasingly obvious with his hovering. 

“I’m not gonna suddenly keel over.” Jazz told him with a bored tone as she organized her and Jason’s bookshelf. “Sorry…just…its really weird hearing a second heartbeat.” Danny admitted with a sheepish expression before he perked up, “Gotta tell Ellie and Dan!” 

“Wait, Danny!” Jazz called, trying to catch his attention as he zipped towards his room, where his Phantom Phone was stashed away. There was no way she could catch him before he started dialing his other siblings, but Jazz managed to reach the doorway as Dante, then Ellie, picked up the three-way call. 

“Danny!” Jazz tried again. 

“Ellie, Dan, good news!” 

“Shit!” Jazz lunged for the phone, barely missing it as Danny dodged out of her reach. 

“Was that Jazz?” Ellie questioned, concern leaking through the phone thanks to the Ecto. 

“What’d you do now, pipsqueak?”“Don’t!” Jazz yelled. 

Danny paused, giving her a confused look as she finally caught his arm in a death grip. “What’s wrong?” 

“Jason and I agreed to wait until its…safer to tell people.” Jazz enunciated the word clearly, trying to convey the severity of her statement. 

“What?” “What’s going on?” Ellie questioned again. 

“Are you alright, Jazz? Do you need us?” Dan asked, brusque voice inflecting with a concern matching Ellie’s own. 

(Thankfully none of the halfas had the ablilty to make portals.)(They’d have been here within the second.)

“I’m fine.” Jazz reasured. “Danny learned something and he didn’t know that I was keeping it secret for a little while longer.” she clarified. 

“You’re not dying, right?” “Template said it was good news, Alt, how would that be good news?” 

“At least we know where she’d be going.” 

“As soon as I can, I’ll let Danny tell you.” Jazz offered before a verbal arguement could ensue. 

“Promise?” “I promise Ellie.” 

“You be safe.”

“I will, Dan. Love you both.” 

“Love ya!” 

“Love you too.” 

WIth that Danny hung up, still quiet and having not bothered to say his own goodbyes. The excitement had been visibly drained out of him. 

“Sorry, Jazz.” 

She sighed, “It’s alright, I know you’re excited to be an uncle.” 

“Yeah…” the halfa trailed off, “I’m gonna go out early.” He transformed and vanished through his bedroom wall without waiting for her to reply.  “Lovely.” Jazz said outloud to nobody. Now she’d worry about whatever made Danny upset. 

Regardless, her and Jason had made the decision as a couple, with the exception of Alfred and now Danny, for the majority to know after Jazz officially entered the second trimester. The next ultrasound, with the pictures in hand, would be a good marker for when they could. Jason would probably want to screw with his adoptive father by making him the last to know, which Jasmine could understand considering the Bat’s obsessive need to know every tiny detail. It would be glorious for him to be left out of the loop. 

Was it a bit mean to delay telling a “loving” father that they’re soon to be a grandparent? Perhaps. 

Then again, Bruce Wayne had spectacularly failed her soulmate in life and in death- she had been the one to avenge him. She had given peace to the angry sprits. It should have never been on Jason’s shoulders, much less Jasmine’s responsibility, to rid the world of the demented clown. (Guess what place has the death sentence?)(Ethiopia!) Batman didn’t have to personally end the Joker. All Bruce Wayne had to do was use his ability of ‘rich white man’ to have Bozo tried and sentenced in a place where he couldn’t use a plea of insanity. Alas, the Bat was always going to write off the Bruce persona. 

Even Jasmine, the Regent of the Infinite Realms, understood the necessity of using every card in the deck to one’s advantage. That’s how she got the regency. 

Jazz didn’t hate Batman. She couldn’t, if only because he was a mere shadow of what could’ve been a good man- a concept turned reality of a hero.  However, Jazz can hate Bruce Wayne. She didn’t, not to the level she hated her parents and the GIW, because she didn’t wish him dead (yet), but she held his many faults against him.

For Jason’s sake too.

Whatever Jason wished for the man, Jazz would stand at his side. For as long as he would have her. 

Jazz, with a wry smile, puts a hand to the small bump hidden under her clothes. 

For as long as he’ll have us.

A/N: Happy New Years!

Shoutout to everyone over on A03 who guessed that Danny was hearing the heartbeat. He's kinda like superman where he keeps track of heartbeats, because of enhanced hearing.

Is this angsty enough for the 'Angst arc'? I can't wait to reveal what this arc was really supposed to be called, but didn't because spoilers. (small reminder that A03 uploads less frequently than tumblr, but with combined chapters for longer length and the Social Media AU.) Thanks for reading!

[edennill-archived]

If Tolkien characters had Tumblr blogs part 2:

part 1

Finduilas:

url: waitingtothewind

pfp: drawing of a fictional crush in pastel colours (babygirl fulfills her royal duty to exercise patronage over artists by comissioning reams of fanart lol)

bio: ✧˖･* princess finduilas of nargothrond :) ✧˖･* 47 ✧˖･* poetry appreciator ✧˖･* romantic at heart ✧˖･* girl of many fandoms ✧˖･* favourite animal: doggos ✧˖･* favourite food: strawberry juice ✧˖･* and if I had a voice that could make mountains melt I would walk over stars just to see how it felt ✧˖･*

title: ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

has a very pink custom theme with a fancy font. runs a fandom/aesthetic blog and stays clear of discourse. writes really good meta that is quite popular and poems that get notes in the single digits. doesn't really know how to deal with anon hate. participates in every tag game she comes across.

Maeglin:

url: keeps changing it between @molelol and @twilitdark because he likes small animals, but wants to sound edgy.

pfp: keeps changing it between a baby mole and the kind of very dark photo where you can't really see what it's supposed to be.

bio: M / not a minor

title: the dark under the trees

guards his personal info incredibly closely (a good practice, but how much of it is due to his father having been so controlling that he learned secrecy early on is up for discussion). rarely posts, mostly reblogs photos and shitposts. vaguely vents about his idril/tuor/gondolin/treason problems. when he gets into discussions with people he can be uncomfortably fierce, has sent anon hate on occasion.

Celebrimbor:

url: craftingsilver

pfp: red eight pointed star (default variation, not technically fëanorian) on yellow background

bio: older/younger than you think | look I've seen the Trees that's enough | Noldorin jewelsmith | male

title: time and soul, wrought and tempered

mostly posts and reblogs crafting tiktoks and tips, sometimes adds a dash of science, philosophy or something personal. has made a resolution to filter out any posts pertaining to his family on his dashboard and keeps to it almost till the end. shows a strong sense of humour and has gathered quite a following.

Idril:

url: celebrin-does-things

pfp: blurred photo of her with her back to the camera

bio: 500s - architect, wife and mother - everyone is welcome

title: "ammë, there's winter in my boots"

started off as a miscellaneous blog, but shifted to being mostly about Eärendil's shenanigans. she vaguely vents about maeglin/gondolin/cousin's treason sometimes, but still comes off as way more laid back than irl. hardly used her tumblr before her son was born and still treats it mostly as a place to document things he has said + a way to talk with like three treasured mutuals. the architect part in bio is mostly a ruse because she has only ever completed one or two projects but can hardly reveal she's a princess, can she? (before the fall of nargothrond if she got on tumblr it was to nag Finduilas to remove her personal info from bio hah)

@eri-pl, this is in part because you asked (a while ago, sorry), though I'm afraid I don't have much to say about all your suggestions. I prefer not to get into Sauron's headspace actually, but the idea of him having access to social media is horrifying lol. And Pharazon has all the worst characteristics of Reddit atheists, non-ironic modern white supremacists and racist trolls rolled into one with the added horror of the new unsavoury state cult. Míriel is not allowed a sim card🙁😬

also I'm just now realising I tagged a compatriot in something I wrote at 3 am so if you have time stamps on you now know my messed up sleep schedule and if you don't I've just told you lol but never mind.

[haljathefangirlcat]

What's your ideal age range for the Volsung-Nibelung-Dietrich cycle characters? In the Scandinavian sources, Brynhild claims to have been adopted by Agnar and Aud at 12 to be their mascot valkyrie (which is what got her in hot water with Odin) and was put to sleep for any number of years, with sources differing on if her old retainer Heimir was her foster father or brother-in-law. Sigurd himself claims to be barely a man, that is, the legal adult age of 16, when Regin packs him off to slay Fafnir. Altogether it seems the two of them are rather young (16-19 physically?) and Gudrun is also in their age group. Later on Gothorm is too young to swear brotherhood with Sigurd and is thus used to kill him, making him younger than Sigurd and younger than 16 when they met.

In the Continental materials, Giselher is also called young, but there's no mention of Gernot and by extension Giselher being under 16 when they meet Siegfried. Gunther seems a fair bit older than them, being the first born and succeeding to the throne (as a sub-king, presumably, in versions where Gibich is still alive) shortly before Walther's escape from Etzel. However, he doesn't seem to have had a wife in either Continental or Scandinavian versions before his mother suggests Brynhild, which might indicate he's still fairly young. Historically he was active during 411-436, which gives him a 20+ year reign.

Hagen's age definitely has the greatest variation across sources. In the Nibelungenlied proper he's much older than the Nibelung siblings, but in the Walther stories he doesn't seem that much older than Walther, Hildegund, and Gunther, and the first two might be preteens at oldest. And of course in the Scandinavian materials, he's definitely younger than Gunther, being one of the Nibelung brothers. Classically, he's brother #2, slotting between Gunnar and Gothorm, with his father being Andvari/Alberich/Aldrian the elf. Wagner makes him presumably the youngest sibling. (Of course there's also the possibility that Grimhild/Ute just brought him along when she married Gibich, which would make him the oldest sibling. And also explain why Gibich would just pawn him off to Etzel.) Dankwart is also in the older adult range, but if Hagen was illegitimate, he could just have had a different mother, because who knows how long elves live, except it being very long. Hagen's unnamed sister (Gullrond?) would have to be much older to give Hagen two nephews, one of which is an adult during the Nibelungenlied.

Dietrich's age is also funky. He's presumably the same age as Wudga and Heime, his two closest companions until the exile. They don't seem to be too much older than Siegfried, Gunther, and Kriemhild. Dietrich gets tutored by Hildebrand when he's seven, acquires Hildigrim and Nagelring at fifteen, and has his Virginal/Wunderer adventure (the plots are so similar I suspect them to be the same story) at sixteen. He goes into exile sometime between the Rosengarten tournament and Kriemhild's marriage to Etzel. By then he's definitely a fair bit older than the young adults Alphart, Wolfhart, and Dietlieb, but Hildebrand is just ready to welcome the birth of Hadubrand. Historically, the Burgundian Nibelungs died in 436, the Visigothic Dietrich died in 451, Attila died in 454, and if Dietrich was also Theodoric the Great, he would've lived into 526. Then again, his family is known for ridiculously long lifespans, with the stories from his cycle claiming his father, grandfather, and uncle all lived into at least their 100s.

Hildebrand, Ilsan, Eckart, and Regin are all consistently portrayed as old guys. So is Sigmund in the Scandinavian material, where he actually featured prominently. Sigurd's two Volsung brothers are presumably dead during the main adventures, because Brynhild and Gudrun mention Hamund and Haki, his nephews via Hamund, usurping the Swedish throne and feuding with the pirate King Sigar. Helgi died in the prime of his life, while Hamund never appears on screen (but the movie adaptation of Hagbard and Signy mentions he was killed by Sigar a few years before, when his sons were children).

Etzel is definitely older than Walther, Hagen, and Dietrich, but strangely, there's no particular mention of him being old. Then again, there's no mention of Gibich and Ute being old in the Rosengarten story either. Nor is there any mention of how much Hjordis and Prince Alf might have aged in the Volsung Saga. In the Scandinavian stuff, Atli's sister Oddrun gets sneaky with Gunnar, but that version doesn't include Etzel's past with Walther, so who knows how old either of the Hun siblings are.

That's a great rundown of all the different traditions, and you make some great points.

As for me, I don't have really have age headcanons for anyone, going more for The Vibes and the "okay, what do I need for this concept to work?", but at the same time, age is one of those things where I tend to compartmentalize pretty heavily, for both practical reasons (I'm pretty sure I'd have a harder time than you keeping track of everything going on and gathering it all up into something coherent!) and thematic ones. (Simply put: different things work better for me, or have a stronger hold on me, in different contexts because I feel I can make more out of them on a narrative level.)

So, here's how things (generally) go in my head:

Norse sources: I tend to see Sigurd as rather young, because as you mentioned, he describes himself as such around the time he's sent off to kill Fafnir. I also tend to see his first adventures, from finding Grani to falling for Sigrdrifa/Brynhild and meeting Gjuki's children, as happening in rather quick succession, sort of a whirlwind of violence and drama and revenge and romance... so, yeah, still a teen (older teen at most) when he ends up meeting married to Gudrun. I imagine Gjuki's children to be all pretty close in age (except maybe Gothorm, a fair bit younger than the rest, and Gullrond, who reads sort of like a wise oldest sister to me, tho she doesn't feature a lot in my headcanons) and in the same age range as Sigurd, but I don't otherwise have a fixed birth order for in my head besides Gunnar being the oldest.

Brynhild is... complicated. You've got the enchanted sleep, and the question of how long it lasted and how fast or slow she aged, physically and mentally, in it. You've got all her wisdom and knowledge that, to me, makes her read a little older than Siegfried in her brief stint as his teacher, but then again, also the fact that she used to be a Valkyrie rather than just a mortal woman, so all that might be more supernatural knowledge and wisdom than anything else. And then, you have her foster father, Heimer (who's also her brother-in-law through her sister Bekkhild), and her brother Atli, and ofc Agnar. The timeline can get kind of messy, if you try to make it all fit in, because there's just so much stuff. The one thing I always stick by is Atli being considerably older than her (by a decade or more) and them not being particularly close, due to the "Atli didn't give much of a damn about getting compensation for her death, it was just a pretext to get the gold" interpretation, which is the one I tend to favor.

Nibelungenlied/Waltharius/continental sources: Here, I tend to see everyone as a bit older then their Norse counterparts. Siegfried, after all, has already conquered something like twelve kingdoms and gained his fair share of fame through distant lands by the time he comes to Worms -- and while dragon-blood-enhanced strength must certainly come in handy with all that, all in all, it must still have taken him some time. Still, I do seem him as kind of younger than you'd expect with his curriculum. A little older than yet still a good fit for Kriemhild, a maiden who's definitely able to fall in love and fall hard yet doesn't seem to have ever felt that kind of feeling for anyone before meeting him, to the point she used to see the whole thing as something foreign and that she could totally just choose to avoid.

My birth order for her and her brothers is generally Gunther > Gernot > Kriemhild > Giselher. With the eternal "youth" Giselher, who gets stuck with that title even in later parts of the poems being kind of the baby of the family. Not literally, ofc, but in the sense that, even if the poem counts him as one of the three kings of Burgundy and protectors of Kriemhild, it's his brothers who handle most of the harder work even while kind of "mentoring" him on kingship through the rather hands-on method of having him rule alongside them. Anyway, I see this whole set of siblings as pretty close in age, too, just to avoid overcomplicating my life, but with a couple of years separating Gunther & Gernot and Kriemhild & Giselher, something that also influences their dynamics as siblings.

When it comes to Hagen, I'm very influenced by the Waltharius, where he's presumably the same age as Walther and Hildegund and somewhat older than Gunther. I still don't see him as that much older than his kings, tho, as I interpret Gunther being too young to be sent away as a hostage to the Huns as him really being very young. Think Hagen being in his early teens and Gunther still being a child at the time. I tend to assume something like an at least five years difference between them, and then Gunther ascending to the throne a bit younger than he should probably be due to Gibich's very sudden and premature death, with Ute being his counselor (or trying to be, at least -- Wasgenstein wasn't exactly the most brilliant idea and I do think she opposed it but also that in the end it was still his choice) for the first few years and then him naming Gernot (and finally Giselher) as his co-kings as soon as possible due to feeling the pressure of being the only ruler as soon as he got started on the job. (Which, in my head, also contributes to him only setting his eyes on a bride rather late, despite the court muttering a bit about it at times... too much stuff on his mind already, and for a good while, too.)

Dankwart is an interesting case, as in the latter half of the poem, he claims to have also been just a youth when Siegfried was murdered. Granted, I've seen interpretations dismissing that info as a mere messed-up timeline or as Dankwart just lying through his teeth, due to his role in the court of Worms, but I personally find more interesting/funnier to take it as face value. The idea of him being about as cunning as his older brother Hagen and proving himself as an asset to the kingdom from an early age (perhaps in part to live up to Hagen himself and his deeds) yet playing the "I am/was only a regular youth" card when it suits him is higly entertaining to me. As for their sister, the mother of Patravid and/or Ortwin, I see her as the oldest of the trio, and definitely already out of the house by the time Aldrian volunteers Hagen as a substitute hostage.

(I'm not very fond of the "Hagen as Gunther's uncle/family friend so dear he might as well be a blood-related uncle" thing, tbh. Does it have some backing? Yeah. Do I see it in the way the characters interact? Not really, and that's what matters the most to me.)

Etzel/Attila was already a considerable threat for the Burgundians at the beginning of the Waltharius, and married, too. And yet, apparently still childless... unless his children with Helche, who iirc get killed by Witege at some point, have already died by then. (But that does involve Dietrich, after all, and... er, I'm talking about him in a moment, let's leave it at that for now.) So, he's a bit of a question mark to me. Tho I like to think he and his wife ended up treating Hagen, Walther, and Hildegung almost like their children, whatever void in their life they're trying to fill by doing that... but ofc, that was a whole mess in it's own way, when everyone was perfectly aware that a broken treaty could spell death for any of those three. (Hi and welcome to a new episode of: Waltharius Manu Fortis Absolutely Obliterates Halja's Feels, I suppose.) I do see his later marriage to Kriemhild as a kind of May-December romance. Or, well, "romance."

Dietrich is... Dietrich. If Brynhild's complicated and Etzel a question mark, he is a headache. I'll admit I've never even tried to build a timeline for him that could possibly make sense in my head. Stephan Grundy has a bit of a running joke about him looking like he never gets old/no one being able to figure out his age for sure, and, tbh, I totally get him. Drag him.

Bonus Wagner's Ring Cycle: I'm pretty sure Gunther mentions being the firstborn... tho I've only ever read the libretti/subtitles to the operas in Italian and English, so for all I know, he might as well be just saying that he has the right of primogeniture, as the one legitimate male son. Still, I see Gutrune as the middle child and Hagen as the youngest. This is another canon that skews very young in my head, with Siegfried, the Gibichungs, Wotan's eternally-maidenly Valkyries, as well as Siegmund and Sieglinde in Die Walkure, all being some subset of Troubled Teen Who Needs Therapy (As Well As Better Parents), Not This Shit. Based on the implied timeline in Die Walkure, I think of Hagen as just a little older (a few months to a year, no more) than Siegfired. I love to joke about the former being a cynical goth/emo teen (Hagen's Night Watch scene and its endless -- if objectively kind of justified -- bitching, my beloved) and the latter being your typical meathead teen jock. I also joke about Gutrune being the stereotypical middle child with no self-esteem and Gunther being the young adult who should probably be at least a little more mature and responsible than everyone else, given his age, but is really just a mess on every level, but alas, I do that mostly just in my head, because sometimes I get the impression it's mostly just me seeing (or being interested in seeing) them this way.

[monokuromatic]

Fic Concept - Two Lies and a Truth p.1

So, I've been toying around for a while with a futuretrioshipping story idea, but I admittedly don't feel I could do the source material justice, especially regarding character voices, and I don't have the time to replay the game any time soon BUT I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT

SO, I decided I wanted to at least share the outline I had here, especially in case someone out there is thirsty for a more Celebi-centric story with a minor emphasis on CeleNoir, BECAUSE THE THREE OF THEM ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A TRIANGLE, NOT AN ANGLE, DAMN IT Anyway, posting Part 1 of 3 for now under the cut, and will post the rest tomorrow

Story starts before Dialga is corrupted, set in a, I guess, divergent canon where Celebi was alive before time stopped (game implies otherwise). 

The story begins with Celebi, much younger in age than we see her in the games, exploring some forest area

She’s a little different than how we see her in the main game, a little reserved, walls and shields up, and her cheery persona is largely a front she puts on

She finds a Pokémon, I’m thinking a Growlithe, and we see her hesitant about engaging it even though it seems friendly and wants to engage her

Eventually, she caves and plays with the Growlithe, and we see her having a good time, until she accidentally touches the Growlithe and this activates the Vision Scream

Vision Scream is a specific to Celebi sort of dimensional scream, the difference being the vision scream forces her to see three different realities or possibilities, where one of them WILL come true depending on her actions, she cannot escape this

In this instance, the vision scream forces her to see the Growlithe in mortal danger (possibly even dying) in all three realities, and she immediately rushes away without explanation because it is unbearable for her

As we follow her back to her home, we find out that Celebi has generally isolated herself because of the Vision Scream, the constant shot of alternate realities making her afraid to be close to anyone because she doesn’t want to constantly be exposed to bad stuff about her friends and be worried about her every single action

As she gets back home, we find out that home is actually Dialga’s secondary domain beyond Temporal Tower, and we learn that Dialga is pretty much her only friend because his time powers negate her vision scream, so he’s basically the only being whose destiny she cannot know 

We have a quick time skip, Dialga mentioning he has to travel to temporal tower because the vibes, they are not good

She’s like kay!!!!! Bye!!!! Ily!!!!!!

A little more time passes, no news from Dialga, so she decides to go to temporal tower herself just to see what’s going on

Temporal Tower is in bad shape by this point, and when she gets to the top, Dialga is Unwell, the insanity already kinda taking him over, 

She’s clearly concerned for him, but when she goes to touch him, for the first time ever, because of his time powers going wacko, he activates a vision scream in her 

And all three visions, one of which will come true depending on her actions, all three are a variation of the same scene, of Dialga stopping time, darkness flooding the land, and Celebi in tears saying the three same words in three different combinations

DIALGA, PLEASE, STOP

Terrified, and Dialga starting to go primal quickly, time starting to stop, she flees the area, finds safety, and finding herself completely alone in a dying world, thinks of all the different awful possibilities she’s spent avoiding because she can’t stop them, and decides that this time, she will

[meoproject]

Yeah. Well. Val knows Beriith is tall compared to her, but she lacked context as to how tall Beriith is compared other members of his race. And. Hm. Yeah. Beriith is tall, even compared to his own kind. Not, like, unnaturally so? but tall enough for other goets to note it as a significant feature of his.

I also never draw Val's and Beriith's actual height difference unless it's a full body picture :') she's just lunking around several Scully boxes so she can fit in the frame better.

(the map also isn't a representation of any region in the story/world, i haven't made any maps for the world so i had to whip up something map-like for this piece.)

(also Goet language isnt like. a real conlang and not even a real cipher, its just nonsense, i should redo the font too.)

BONUS!

One significant Beriith feature that I can't really convey well is that he speaks with a noticeable accent. I've thought about phonetic accents a lot (thanks to another of my projects which has a character with severe speech impediment of not having lips) and since the balance of fun and annoying is quite delicate, I don't really write them out unless I really have to, and even then I'd downplay it. Beriith's accent isn't meant to be to thick anyway.

More accent talk under cut for those interested.

If we take "middle common" (the language Val and Beriith speak with each other) to be non-diegetic "English", Beriith has, in comparison, fairly flat intonation, and he trills his Rs and has some trouble with "ng" sounds and Ws, which he generally pronounces more like Vs. He also pronounces "th" sounds leaning towards Zs, which sorta runs into the slight logic bomb of "wait, doesn't his name end in 'th', but the watsonian explanation is, of course, that transliteration of his name from Goet to middle common isn't perfect and the h just implies a sightly softened t sound :) (the doylist explanation is, of course, that I decided the name before figuring out how accents work, but if you explain it away, it's not a mistake, just worldbuilding!)

As mentioned before, Beriith's accent isn't thick or anything, definitely not Hollywood-thick, but everyone who hears him speak either knows where he's from or wants to guess where he's from (though you can know but looking at him, Goets are distinct enough, but you know what I mean.)

Val, by the way, speaks the most generic middle common imaginable, like only a step or two below news casters; that's by design (of her parents). They sent her (and her siblings) to a school that specifically taught middle-common without any strong regional accents to give her the most easily-understood accent imaginable. Her family are big into business, mostly in export/import, so her parents figured out having children with neutral, easy to understand, "trustworthy" way of speaking would be the best. Yes, this means Val's parents have a completely different accent than she does, and Val speaks their variation of Elvish with a middle common accent. It does cause some bitterness, Val is kinda... not okay with it, but since her studies are all in middle common anyway it's kinda... whatever, not good but could be worse, but her younger sister is especially upset with not really knowing Elvish that well.

Val is fluent in three languages, middle common, high common (it's occasionally used as a language of magic studies, it's kind of an older version of middle common, or rather a version that has more in common with the older version of the language and branched out a bit differently) and Elvish. Beriith is fluent in like five languages and conversational in several more and "can sort of understand" in many more.

(this wasnt the vignette i was talking about earlier but i needed to get this out of my system.)

[veliseraptor]

Inspired by 'it's not love, it's obsession': what are your thoughts on the parallels between Luo Binghe and Xue Yang?

oooh this is a fascinating one.

One of my favorite things about looking at MXTX's books as a corpus of work taken together is the ways in which you can see her evolving as a writer. I don't necessarily mean stylistically (I don't feel like I can speak to that, since I can't read the original), or even necessarily narratively (though I do think TGCF is the strongest narratively, for all it's probably longer than it needs to be). What I really mean is how you can see her coming back to the same themes over and over and exploring them with variations and shades of difference. There are very clearly things that are MXTX Concerns, as it were, that she revisits and echoes and plays with in all of her works; questions about justice and the cycle of violence are one big one that I've thought a lot about personally.

And when you're looking at the three books together, there are places where you can draw throughlines - for instance, from Yi City > Black Water Arc, or from (arguably) Xiao Xingchen > Xie Lian. In light of the trivia that Yi City comes at least in part from an older, abandoned story MXTX worked on when she was younger (per an interview with her, I believe), I feel like you can draw the line from Xue Yang > Luo Binghe as far as some of the tropes being played with. Xue Yang is (in some ways) an echo of Luo Binghe is an echo of an older story that had a character who may or may not have been named Xue Yang.

In obvious ways Xue Yang takes a different position in the story he ends up in than Luo Binghe does in his (he ends up an antagonist), but while one could look at the Song Lan/Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen trio and posit Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan as the intended pair of whatever original story they came from, that doesn't, in my eyes, fit with the other relationships MXTX chooses to write. Xue Yang lives at a nexus of a lot of the things MXTX pokes at with Luo Binghe and, yes, Wei Wuxian, but also (to a lesser degree) Hua Cheng - the legacy of childhood violence, the importance and weight of small kindnesses in changing a person, the probing at the idea of people as irredeemable or incapable of change (and finding it lacking).

He comes from a disadvantaged, marginalized background (as do the other two protagonists) and, despite perpetrating atrocious acts of violence (Wei Wuxian actually, Luo Binghe less so in SVSSS canon but explicitly so in PIDW, which is the way Shen Qingqiu relates to him initially), kind treatment from a single person having a deep impact on their behavior. There's also the quality of deep, obsessive devotion, notably beyond death, that Xue Yang shares with Luo Binghe, Lan Wangji, and Hua Cheng (portrayed in the latter two cases as clearly and explicitly romantic and to be valued). Xue Yang doesn't occupy a protagonist role in MDZS (obviously), but he has some of those thematic qualities that tend to pop up in MXTX protagonists and/or love interests.

(Hua Cheng might stand out here, and he is different, certainly, but I would point to the very, very early identification of him as inherently ill-fortuned and bad to be around. Xue Yang has TGCF echoes, I'd say, to a lesser extent in Hua Cheng than in Jun Wu, but I don't think the echoes are absent from Hua Cheng, either.).

This positions Xue Yang, potentially, as (if we're using a crude metaphor) a little bit the Luo Binghe to Xiao Xingchen's Shen Qingqiu, with Song Lan potentially occupying more of a Yue Qingyuan place (but of course that's just speculation and we'll probably never know).

This is a lot of tl;dr but I guess the main thing I'm thinking about here is that while it's I think shallow to describe Xue Yang as a proto-Luo Binghe (or rather, ur-Xue Yang from that older story as), I think it's fair to see that relationship between the two characters as part and parcel of MXTX's revisiting, revising, and reconsidering the same themes over and over again in her work - in the same way, I think, that within the same story Wei Wuxian's parallels with both Xue Yang illustrate that same impulse. (And not, to be clear, as a simple "this one good, this one bad" morality tale; what MXTX is doing with her parallels is, I daresay, more interesting than that.)

anyway, there you have it. I feel like this went maybe a little left of what you were asking (maybe you wanted me to talk about the actual parallels in terms of character?) but this is a sub-category of that subject I personally find very fun to think about.

[addictedtostorytelling]

Why does no one call him "Bert" or "Bertie" ?

(I don't know where my brain went)

hey, @coping-via-clint-eastwood!

honestly, i think the answer here is “just because they don’t.” 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

however, i’ve got some more general thoughts about why grissom primarily goes by the names that he does under the “keep reading,” if you’re interested.

______

name-shortenings are idiosyncratic things.

some people whose given names have multiple natural shortenings are fine being called by any one of them; others prefer one or two particular shortenings but are annoyed by the others; others have no preference between their full given name or a shortening; others go by one shortening exclusively (and never by their full given name); still others always go by their full given name and disdain all shortenings altogether; still others go by a nickname that has little or nothing to do with their full given name or its natural shortenings; etc.

further, while some people choose to go by a name-shortening of their own selection, others have a name-shortening “thrust upon them” by their family members and/or friends.

there are even those who are called by a particular name-shortening by only one person or group in their wider social circle, plus a handful of folks who switch between various shortenings as they move among different groups within their social circle, perhaps having their friends call them one thing, their siblings another, and their parents another.

for example, someone may be robert at work, bob to his brother, and bobberino to his drinking buddies.

it all depends on the person’s preferences and the habits of their friends and family members.

on the show, we know that grissom typically goes by his surname, which is available to everyone to call him. however, his peer-aged coworkers and/or those who are equal to or above him in rank (including brass, catherine, doc robbins, and ecklie) also sometimes call him gil, and his younger team family members (including nick, warrick, and greg) may also call him griss. sara, as first his girlfriend and later his wife, gets to call him both gil and gilbert, despite being younger than he is and his subordinate; she typically uses the latter name in a flirtatious manner.

in terms of his self-references, he typically calls himself either gil or grissom, depending on the situation at hand. however, he also uses his full name (“dr. gilbert grissom”) in his professional work.

while grissom does show some preference in terms of whom among his coworkers calls him what variation of his name—for instance, as sara tells nick in episode 11x03 “blood moon,” he likely would not appreciate nick casually referring to him as “gil”—he nevertheless doesn’t seem to either like or dislike any one variation of his name more than another; he’ll happily respond to gilbert, gil, grissom, and griss all equally, as long as it’s the right person using the right name. 

never on the show does anyone call him bert or bertie, which would also be natural shortenings of his full given name.

since no one does ever call him by these names, we don’t know how he would react to them—which is to say, we can’t be sure if he’s not called these names because he is actually averse to them or simply because nobody chooses to call him them (even though he would accept it if they did).

obviously, we don’t get to see grissom’s first introductions to the main members of team graveyard (catherine, warrick, nick, sara, and greg), so we can’t know what preferences or proclivities he expressed to them specifically with regards to his name upon meeting their first acquaintances.

however, since grissom typically introduces himself as “gil grissom” throughout the course of the show both to numerous persons-of-interest in his cases AND to other new coworkers, such holly gribbs in the the pilot and riley adams in episode 09x03 “art imitates life,”* my sense is that that’s probably what he does when meeting his main teammates back in the day, as well.

* thanks to @bartramcat for the reminder.

given that that’s most likely what he introduces himself to them as, that his coworkers then stay within the general realm of the name “gil grissom” in terms of how they refer to him isn’t at all surprising, and particularly not given etiquette conventions in the modern american workplace, especially in the law enforcement community.

(for example, calling one’s coworker by their surname is a fairly common practice in a workplace team setting, and especially at a police department, as is referring to one’s boss or superior by their surname as opposed to their given name.)

to my mind, then, “bert” and “bertie” are never really on the table largely because grissom doesn’t offer them up and they’re fairly far-afield from “gil grissom.”

conversely, “griss” is on the table because it’s already contained in his original given name.

still.

we are left with the questions “why not ‘bert’ or ‘bertie’? how did grissom decide on ‘gil’ in the first place? what is his history with his name?”

in terms of that first question:

it may be the case that grissom has just always seemed more like a gilbert or a gil than a bert or bertie, to others and/or himself. 

it may also be the case that the natural alliteration of “gil grissom” made “bert or bertie grissom” unappealing by comparison. 

it may be that grissom shares his name with someone in his family who themselves goes by bert or bertie (like his father or grandfather), so he goes by gil to differentiate.

it may also be that he or his parents had a bad association with someone named bert or bertie and so weren’t keen on the name just in general.

it may also be for some reason that is completely unknowable to us (particularly as we know so little about his life prior to the start of the show).

honestly, there could be myriad reasons why he doesn’t go by bert or bertie.

as a totally tangential aside, i’ve always liked that both grissom and sara have initials that follow the same consonant-vowel-consonant pattern: gilbert arthur grissom and sara ann sidle (at least as per their old cbs character biographies). 

so why is it that of all the name-shortenings or nicknames he could have, he chooses (mostly) to go by gil or grissom?

personally, i think the fact that grissom is a coda may play into his preferred name(s).

here’s how i figure:

based on the few descriptions grissom offers of his own childhood and adolescence, he seems not to have had many friends while he was going through school (see episode 02x04 “bully for you”).

i therefore consider it unlikely that he would have been given a name-shortening or nickname by his peers.

if anything, any kind of alternate name for him beyond his given one would have likely come from his parents (particularly considering that, in canon, he is an only child).

in canon, we don’t know if grissom’s father was hearing or deaf. 

if grissom’s father was hearing, then he and grissom may have communicated using spoken english to supplement the asl they also used to communicate with and around betty. 

if so, then certainly it’s possible that grissom’s father referred to grissom using any one of several natural name-shortenings for gilbert (gil, gilly, bert, bertie) and/or even a nickname which had nothing to do with his given name (cf. nick’s dad calling him “pancho”).

however, even if it were the case that grissom’s father had called him by a name-shortening or nickname, the primary language in the grissom household still would have been asl, and so grissom’s mother would have always referred to him in asl, while his father would have also referred to him in asl IN ADDITION to using his spoken english name-shortening or nickname, meaning that by and large, grissom probably would have been addressed in asl far more often than he was with his spoken english name-shortening or nickname.

of course, after grissom’s father’s death when grissom was nine, asl would have become the only language used in the home, with grissom referred to by his mother solely in asl from that time forward.

—and that means that if “bert” or “bertie” were ever a thing that grissom had been called at home, it was only an occasional thing between him and his father AND something that likely would not have persisted past the age of nine. 

the bert/bertie nickname also may have been something that he associated with his father and which he would therefore perhaps be uncomfortable with other people calling him after his father’s death.

since in all probability he was most commonly referred to in asl even when his father was still alive AND since in all probability whatever name-shortenings or nicknames his father may have used for him (if any) likely were only used during the first nine years of his life anyway, i tend to think grissom associates more strongly with whatever he’s called in asl than anything else.

now.

members of the deaf community have their legal names in the spoken/written language that is used where they live or in their family culture; these are the names that appear printed on their birth certificates and which they use in written communication and when they interact with spoken language speakers. 

however, in whatever sign language they use, they tend to be known by a name sign. 

name signs are not directly equivalent to one’s legal name. 

they are typically bestowed upon a member of the deaf community by other members of the community. 

historically, it has not been common for hearing people to receive name signs; however, one group of hearing people who do often receive name signs are codas, or hearing children of deaf adults—like grissom—who can be considered members of the extended deaf community by way of their parent(s).

hearing people who can communicate in asl but have not been given name signs typically fingerspell their names.

a name sign is not something that one chooses for themselves. it is given to one by others in the community, including friends, family, members, and schoolmates. while both hearing and deaf people who grow up in deaf families may receive name signs at birth or at least at a young age, many deaf people from hearing families do not receive name signs until they start attending schools or camps for the deaf and are around other members of the deaf community for the first time in their lives.

in asl, name signs are usually formed in one of two ways: either by using the first initial of the person’s legal name signed in the neutral space in front or to the side of the body or on a particular body part such as the wrist, face, chest, or shoulders; OR by using a sign that is descriptive of the person’s behavior or physical characteristics signed around or on the body or in imitation of the behavior or characteristic itself.

for example, someone whose legal name started with the letter k might be given a name sign which was the asl letter k signed over the wrist. however, that same person could also be given a name sign that used a curled index finger signed near the hairline in recognition of their curly hair. 

name signs that use letters and are more generic are called “arbitrary name signs;” they don’t reflect a person’s personality or characteristics. “descriptive name signs” are the opposite: they do reflect the person they’re given to, in terms of how that person looks or acts or even based on things they like. they may or may not use letters.

in asl, some descriptive name signs are based on characteristics that might be considered “rude” to take note of or mention among hearing english-speakers. for example, someone’s name sign might be based on the fact that they have a noticeable facial scar or are fat. to hearing people, it would be impolite to mention such traits. however, in deaf culture, these traits are considered obvious both to the person themselves and the people they encounter, which means that said traits may be discussed openly without embarrassment. 

the same is true of descriptive name signs based on behaviors; for example, if a deaf child cried upon being dropped off by their parents for the first time at camp, their deaf campmates might give them a name sign that mimicked the sign for crying or crybaby. again, though in hearing culture such a name would be considered meanspirited, in deaf culture, it is just a matter of fact and does not carry negative connotations. 

while there are rules within asl for how to form name signs using sign grammar conventions and who can grant name signs and when, there are no standard name signs themselves—meaning that not every person named “bob” would have the same name sign. 

moreover, if one has an arbitrary name sign (like the letter d signed at the shoulder), then one may share that name sign with others who have completely different legal names than they do—so, for example, two people whose legal names were denise and deshawn both might use the letter d signed at the shoulder for their name signs.

typically, within local deaf communities, people try to avoid repeating name signs as much as possible—so if a child is being given a name sign for the first time, the giver will make sure that it’s something unique that doesn’t already belong to a friend, family member, or neighbor.       

obviously, we don’t know what grissom’s name sign is or if he even has one at all. 

since he’s hearing, it’s possible that he doesn’t and just fingerspells his name as necessary. if so, then he may primarily go by “gil” because its the quickest and easiest version of his name to fingerspell.

however, if he does have one, it was almost certainly given to him by betty, and she probably gave it to him when he was very young—perhaps even at birth.

while it’s possible his name sign is descriptive and has nothing to do with his given name, it’s also highly possible that whether his name sign is arbitrary OR descriptive, it makes use of the first initial of his name, g.

if so, then i suspect grissom grows up associating himself with the letter g and linking his name sign to his spoken english name gilbert or at least to its most common shortening gil. 

this identification with the g in his name is likely reinforced when his teachers at school, reading off of the roll, call him “gilbert” or “gil”—and particularly as, after the death of his father, grissom likely has no one in his life who would call him by a spoken english name-shortening or nickname and so would be unlikely to volunteer an alternate name (like bert or bertie), even if he were to be asked.

in his mind, he would either be called by his name sign or by his legal name.

the only other real alternative would be his surname (which, of course, also starts with g).

in any case, i think that if grissom were ever going to be called “bert” or “bertie” as an adult, it would have had to be a thing that started in childhood for him.

however, for the reasons outlined above, i don’t believe that it’s likely that even in childhood grissom was ever called bert/bertie—or at least if he was, i don’t think that particular name-shortening lasted for long with him; certainly not much past the death of his father or into his adolescence. 

i think it’s much more likely that in terms of what he is called in spoken english, he has always associated with gilbert, gil, grissom, and/or griss much more strongly than anything else.

that’s just my take, though.

like i said up top, the only thing we can really say for certain about why he doesn’t go by “bert” or “bertie” is just that he doesn’t.

his teammates all have other names for him, and bert/bertie don’t make the cut.

anyway, sorry i can’t be more definitive.

thanks for the question! feel welcome to send another any time.

[go-diane-winchester]

Cockles vs J2 Tinhats

Someone tagged me in a post with a gif of Jensen smacking Misha in the crotchel region in last year's gag reel.  You know the one.  Apparently, it is supposed to be proof of Cockles.  The person who tagged me ships destiel and cockles.  She put a smiley face next to the tag, and she followed me, which might mean she is trying to be friends.  Not sure.  Well hello hun.  Thanks for tagging me.  I don't know what the purpose is.  Maybe you want me to see what you see.  Hunny, I know what cockles is.  I am familiar with tinhatting and I am fairly thick-skinned about it.  So unless you take the hatty stuff to the actors, I have problem with you...the cockles tinhats actually do tweet hatty things to the actors.  Hmm, not cool. 

This will be a good opportunity to examine both Cockles and J2 tinhat theories.  And why that clip is not proof of cockles for me. Just for fun. 

Jensen and Misha

As a lead, Jensen is contracted to be in every episode.  Misha, a guest star, is only in a few episodes per season.  This means that these two actors don't get to spend a massive amount of time with each other unless they are working.  Misha lives, to the best of my knowledge, in Bellingham.  Jensen used to live in California, but moved to Austin.  Jensen usually does only one panel per year with Misha.  Jibcon.  If it weren't for conventions, they would spend even less time with each other.  If you love some one and you are a lead, wont you ask for more panels with that person.  Yes, I know someone will that they don't do more than one panel because the evil bronlies will complain.  Hunny, if they cared about fans throwing a tantrum, Misha would have been off the show the minute Jensen received a death threat from hellers.

Misha and Jensen have no common interest.  Jensen loves watching sports, playing golf, listening to rock music, playing the guitar and singing.  Misha likes, cycling, carpentry and Tibetan throat singing.  They have nothing in common.  If you like someone who has different interests than you, wouldn't you try to learn more about their interests and join them in pursuing their interests.  Jensen and Misha also don't have complimentary personalities.  Jensen doesn't swear on stage.  Misha is foul mouthed.  Jensen doesn't make overtly sexual remarks.  Misha is very vulgar on stage.  They outlook on the art of acting is also starkly different.  Jensen has a love for his craft, whilst Misha has confessed to not having a particular knack or passion for acting.   

According to tinhats, Cockles are happily marreid to their respective wives but all four of them have orgies together.  Of course, there are variations to this theory.  When cockles tinhats are asked what proof they have for how they feel, they say:

Jensen laughs at Misha's jokes [and its a unicorn laugh apparently]

They mention Jibcon, where they claim Jensen got drunk and flirted with Misha on stage. 

Jensen and Misha are flirty with each other, caressing each other's cheeks. 

Jared Padalecki is proof of cockles because he ships it the most and gives clues to what is going on between Jensen and Misha. 

They share shirts. 

The crux of Misha's first impression of Jensen [from an earlier con]: 

‘He actually seemed standoffish, when I first met him.  As I got to know him, however, I realized that he really is standoffish.’

Jared and Jensen

Jared and Jensen are the leads.  They spend nine months out of the year working with each other.  They have worked together nonstop for the past 13 years and counting.  They also live down the road from each other in Austin.  They used to live together and were best men at each other's weddings.  Their children go to the same school and call dad's friend ''uncle''.  Tom is Jensen's greatest fan and Jared regrets not being there for the birth of ''Birdie'' [JJ].  They have an extended family situation.  Despite spending all their time together, they also go on holidays together.  They are both middle children, both have an older brother and younger sister, grew up in Texas, love country music and sports.  Jared plays the guitar in his trailer everyday and, according to Jensen, he is very good.  Jared joins Jensen to play golf although he admits he is not very good at it. 

Jared doesn't swear on stage.  He did once, by accident, but he was mortified and apologized.  He makes goofy jokes, not vulgar ones.  Jensen admires Jared's rendition of white suit luci but to date hasn't really said anything truly about Casifer.  He did laugh at the Empty!Cas voice though.  So Jensen admires Jared's acting efforts.  It wasn't the first compliment he paid to Jared's acting abilities.  He hasn't done the same for Misha's work as Castiel.  Jared helped Jensen with the construction work for the FBBC.  When Jared got sick at Jib a few years ago, Jensen took to the stage and sang a song because being Jared's emotional support.  The next year or so, he sang the song again on Saturday night, with Jared watching teary eyed.  That same year Jensen hugged Jared in the closing ceremony.  The year after that, Jensen hugged and sang Wayward to Jared in the hallway after the closing ceremony.  When he broke down, he hugged Jared many times, but when Misha tried hugging him, Jensen said ''don't''.    

According to J2 tinhats, J2 have been married to each other since season four ish.  Genevieve signed a contract to be Jared's wife, and Danneel was just helping out her friend Jensen.  J2 are the parents of six children.  There are variations to this theory too.  When asked for proof of their feelings, J2 tinhats say the following:

Jared wiped his snotty nose on Jensen's sleeve.

Jared called his drink and dinner with Jensen #datenight on Twitter.

When someone called Sandy [Jared's ex-girlfriend] his beard, she liked the comment.

When Travis spent his entire panel talking about how in love J2 are, he got pulled out of the next con. 

For Jared's honeymoon, he went on a group trek up Machu Pichu and slept in a tent, and for Jensen's honeymoon, Danneel's brother Gino went with them.   Both were delayed honeymoons. 

Jared wore Jensen's underwear.

The crux of Jared's first impression of Jensen [from a recent afternoon panel]:

'He and I had so much in common.  It didn't feel like a blind date.'

I don't tinhat, but I don't blame the J2 tinhat.  The Cockles tinhats don't seem to have compelling info, and they take the hatting to the stars.  That is not cool. 

As far as the gag reel goes, smacking someone in the crotch area is not a sign of affection.  It is horseplay.  Its pranking.  Jared fondles Misha in the crotch area.  Misha barreled into Richard, landing on top of him.  Its not a big deal, and its certainly not sound evidence of anything other than boys being boys.  Enjoy your hatting, but leave the actors alone and don't go out of your way to pull people into your circle.  But the J2 tinhats don't do that?  As far as I know. 

Forgive all typos.  Insomnia sucks!

[supersizemeplz]

The Ultimate Treat

Erik Stevens x Black PlusSized Reader

Another #supersizedfic one shot. A continuation of this post. Enjoy!

Street light lined the black suburb styled neighborhood, lighting the path for the young children running around in their costumes. Variations of ghosts, ghouls, historic figures, and monsters roamed the streets with their parents. Armani and Kavari walked a bit ahead of you, excited about getting some candy. Your arms were wrapped around one of Erik's, massaging his skin with your thumb.

"Mama can we go to this one?" Armani stopped, the fabric of her Egyptian princess outfit swaying in the light breeze. You were glad you'd made her put leggings on beneath it. You matched matched her costume since she'd begged you to be a queen. You nodded and they raced to the door, ringing the doorbell twice.

"You look really good, princess.." Erik licked his lips, admiring the cleavage that peeked from the top of your flowy dress. "Or should I call you my queen?" You rolled your eyes with a smile.

"I like the sound of queen better when you say it.. Makes me feel in charge." You laughed, adjusting your tall crown for extra effect. He laughed as he kissed your hand, stopping to pull you against him. Chest to Breasts.

He pecked you matte colored lips, chuckling. "I have no problem with that.." His forehead rested against yours. "Use me however you desire, my queen.."

The clearing of two throats stopped your intense eye undressing. "Erik can you come with us? Armani is scared to walk up to the Anderson's house.." Kavari sounded a bit annoyed, but he continued to hold his younger sister's hand. Protective and comforting.

"There's a clown on the porch.." Her voice was small as she looked up to Erik, slowly letting go of her brother's hand. Armani was terrified of clowns ever since she'd watched IT. You both glanced over to see the life sized terrifying clown, it creeped you out a bit too. Her big eyes looked glossy, sparkling the reflection of the street light you all were under. Erik released your hand to bend down to her height. He grinned as he wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"Don't cry, baby girl. He can't do anything to you, especially while me and Kavari are here. I'll be your knight in shining armor to protect you.." He held her hand. "How does that sound?" She nodded at that, letting Jabari told her other hand. You smiled at the trio as they headed to the door. Erik separated Armani and the lifeless clown prop. He'd make such a good dad.

A great dad.. Your kids could have a male figure in their life. Kavari could have a role model. They adored Erik, from the first time they met him. Armani had told you many times that she liked how Erik always made you laugh, saying 'Grandma says your man should have a good sense of humor so you'll be more relaxed'. That had made you chuckle.. Kavari confessed his liking for Erik as well, you'd remembered his hoping that Erik stayed around. And you hoped that too because he seemed like the one.

"You ready to head back to your place, babe?" Erik's voice snapped you from your thoughts. You cleared your throat, nodding as you looked down at your babies. They talked to each other about which candies they'd trade. "You good?" Erik grabbed your hand as you all began the journey back to your house.

Looking at him for the hundredth time tonight, you took in his full lips and brown eyes. His dimples deepened as he gave a goofy grin. "I've never been better.." You kissed his cheek, laughing when the kids 'oooh la la'd at the affection.

The clock was going on 9:30 as Erik locked the door behind him. You slipped off your crown and sighed. "Ok, y'all. Three pieces of candy then it's a bath before you go to bed. You have school tomorrow.."

They groaned at the reminder to school the next morning. You laughed as they sat their full buckets of candy on the table. They chose three pieces as they were told before heading for the stairs. "We'll be up to say goodnight when your done." You looked in the direction they left before hearing a unified yes ma'am.

Slipping off the sandals you wore, you could feel Erik's eyes on you. He rested in a chair, licking his lips as he watched you. That fuzzy feeling fell over you again. "May I help you, sir?" You grinned, taking off the bracelets and choker you'd worn.

"C'mere.." He motioned you to him with a single finger. You fought to stop your smile from widening as you made your way to him. Your dress dragged against the floor with your steps, like a wedding gown on a bride.

"Yes?" Your raised an eyebrow, allowing him to take your hand in his. He pressed a kiss against your knuckles before trailing them up your arm. A giggle slipped from you as you sat on his lap, feeling the kisses end at the back of your shoulder. His arms wrapped around your waist as he took in the addictive scent of your hair.

"You know I love you, right?" He announced out of nowhere. You chuckled, nodding. He'd told you before.

"I am very aware since you tell me all the time.." You kissed his lips, massaging your nails against his scalp at the nape of his neck. "I love you too, baby." He fought a grin of his own as he looked up at you. Your thumb massaged his cheek as your held his face in your hands.

A shaky sigh left his lips as he stared at you. He opened his mouth, but closed it again. Why was he nervous? What was he about to tell you? You furrowed your eyebrows with a concerned smile. "What is it, Erik? Is everything ok?" You watched as he ran a hand through his tamed dreads.

He lifted your from his lap, "Yeah, uh, everything's fine baby... It's just.." You watched him glance at your before taking a deep breath. He was scaring you.

"Erik..." You took a step towards him, voice soft.

"I was trying to figure out what I could do, you know. I mean.." His voice shook a bit, barely noticeable. You're heartbeat had to be loud as hell right now. "There's so many ways this could go. And I thought about how the kids would feel. I've thought about where I could do this. And the best time to do it.. but" He finally stopped his shuttle pacing. "This moment is better than any other.." A grin parted his lips before he dropped to one knee.

"Princess, I know this isn't the fanciest setting but I'll make it up to you..." He held out the velvet ring box. Your phone hit the floor as you stared at him in a daze, tears threatening to spill. A hushed Erik left your trembling lips. "That is.. if you'd be my queen forever.."

"Say yes, mama!" Armani appeared from around the corner, grinning widely at the scene before her. Kavari stood behind her, holding smile of his own as he watched you. You looked back to Erik's nervous smile before grinning.

Nodding as tears fell from your eyes, ruining your makeup that you'd worked hard on. He slipped the ring onto your finger and you admired the large diamond. You felt like a princess in a fairytale. "Yes, Erik. I'll be your queen.."

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