#beau ideals

[beauideals]

Hello!

It's been a while, far longer than we intended. We wanted to provide an update since we've been radio silent for the past few months.

For those looking for a TLDR: we're fussy perfectionists that are terrible at estimating time.

The Delay

Between the art and the writing, the writing is what feel behind the most. Our intention was to put out the final portion of Chapter 1 early in 2023 but, depending on your definition of early, this has not come to pass. Excuses can be made, but they're far less interesting than the content promised. As of tonight, the draft of the update sits at around 10k words. Mouse hopes to bring that word count to ~12k by the end. There will only be one additional background added to the update, as well as a smattering of small CGs.

Future Chapters

Chapter 2 has not entered the drafting process as of yet. Not officially. Completion of the second draft typically kicks off Ram's work on sprites, backgrounds, and CGs. We've decided not to make any predictions as to when this will be ready for release since we've proved that we're not great at this whole forecasting thing. Anyways, that's it! We're Sorry!

[bebsibby]

I present to you, Dunk-dyne

[destielgaysex]

having fun :]

[thesquireinvictus]

Help. I mustn’t wear my grandfather’s army coat from the War for a winter coat, because it’s an historical artifact. But also I must.

[raymurata]

for oak: lovers, tower, moon reversed. for tarlyn: hierophant, hermit reversed

The Lovers: Which of your character’s relationships has been the most positive? (Romantic or otherwise)

Their family of course, and the Moonlighters and Gal.

Since you're the one asking I'm going to talk just about Espen (and that alone is a text wall): It satisfies something in me that I gave you one character to be unquestionably the child figure to Espen's mom complex. And that character isn't Oak -- It's Tarlyn. It was easy for Oak to look at Ahlysaaria and think "she's a shit mom" bc they had Nayi'rah to compare her to. Oak does appreciate motherly figures fussing over them, but they don't need a mom ideal to replace Nayi'rah -- no one could even.

But Tarlyn did need a mother figure to replace Ahlysaaria. It was very satisfying to me that beside Tarlynoak on this journey walked a woman who was a wizard, a drow, a "noble" (adjacent, but still. And Fyrna also counts for this, even through Espen's tales only). A woman had to navigate den politics and who also cared for reputation, all of which paralleled her to Ahlysaaria and made Oak wince and fear for Shanfel every time Espen talked about "reputation" in the first weeks. But Espen (and Fyrna) still raised their child with love and freedom. They were good mothers, and their position and power and culture didn't affect that. Tarlyn wishes they'd met Espen (and Fyrna) in the past, but they're glad they met her now because they still need a powerful spellcaster noble mother figure to navigate den politics with. They're still a really young little guy who's better at making things than handling nobility.

But yeah. Tarlynoak really loves and admires Espen so much. They are still anti-monarchy, but she's helped them have more hope in the dynasty as a whole, and her actions and her stories about Fyrna have made them believe that it is possible to be both a noble and noble in intent, which is what they want to be now.

The Tower: When has your character lost an ideal or relationship?

Oak has lost friendships. I haven't written fic for this yet but I 100% picture a deep and extremely meaningful friendship early on in their life that ended in miscommunication and eventual estrangement. I picture them crying so much over it, weeks on end of sadness. I also picture another couple of great friendships that they really tried to keep alive when they went to Rosohna, but the distance and the ways in which they changed just made those connections weaker, even if they still loved those people and still remembers them fondly. I know that Oak lost relatives both to divorce (the beloved wife of their uncle left him) and death (a grandparent) and all of those losses hurt, but they taught them how to deal with grief and abandonment, to understand that sometimes people leave, and sometimes the Gods take them. And they learned it hurts because that relationship mattered, like they told Moxie. Better to love and risk suffering the grief than to not love at all -- the latter isn't really living in their opinion.

The Moon in Reverse: When does your character mistrust their feelings or intuition?

Oak is insecure and they can easily mistrust their feelings and intuition if they can't find rational evidence to support their inklings. There are many things they're not knowledgeable about and they struggle to trust their instincts when doing something they're bad at. Or when they're before a challenge with high stakes. Or when they're around people who are much more socio-economically or politically or even magically powerful than them.

The Hierophant: Who has served as a mentor to your character?

Ahlysaaria :( I've written five fics to depict how she raised him rigorously (but luxuriously), taught him magic spartanly, and exerted excessive control over his every decision and expression of self. That is by far the most relevant mentor he had in life and the reason why he ended up as he did, but... She wasn't the only one.

There was also Professor Waccoh. When Tarlyn was studying in the Conservatory, he loved her classes. You might think it's because she's a weapons designer and he was interested in that, but it's the other way around. She was kooky and unafraid of people's opinions of her, and she was a powerful wizard woman (remember this boy has mommy issues), so, of course, he imprinted on her and dedicated himself like a maniac not only to excel in her class but to impress her personally.

A funny thing is that canonically Professor Waccoh absolutely hates the Icozrin, so I picture that it was common for her to insult Bodo and even Ahlysaaria to Tarlyn's face, and somehow imply that he was not entirely like the rest of them. That confused him because very few people dared to be so blunt with him, and it invited him to question his family too. Just a little bit. Unfortunately, he still tried to pretend he didn't really care about her and that he just liked her subject, and boasted that he'd help his family never need to hire her again by making better designs than hers.

The Hermit in Reverse: When has your character felt the most alone?

Tarlyn felt really alone his entire life. When he was amongst noble friends who (as far as he interpreted it) only wanted him for the magic he could perform for them and the things he could sponsor with his wealth, he felt alone. When he sat at the dinner table with Ahlysaaria and Ymril, decades of tension between them, he felt alone. When he lay under whatever guy wanted him just not to feel alone, he felt alone. He was struggling with a lot of mental illnesses.

I guess I'll turn this question around a bit and tell you that he felt the least alone when he could just spend some idle time solving pointless riddles and crosswords with a friend who liked kissing him and enjoyed the riddles about as much as he did.

And when the Luxon gave him a glimpse of what it meant to feel one with everything.

[utilitycaster]

One of several things I left out of that long Imogen and Laudna post, tbh, because it was long enough already, is that since the characters, will continue to do things (or, through inaction, still cause things to happen) that cause problems, if you take all the lesser flaws off the table like Imogen being somewhat selfish or insensitive or having a skewed idea of hypocrisy? If you always rule out explanations reliant on fallibility or stupidity? You really only leave the door open for interpretations of outright deliberate malice.

[dent-de-leon]

aHH WAIT DID ORYM HAVE THE STONE TO CONTACT CALEB?? CAN WE GET A CHECK IN ON THE NEIN??

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/719251327573786624/beatingheart-bride-theheadlessgroom

@beatingheart-bride

It always surprised Wilhelm to hear that little reminder, that affirmation, that he did not deserve to be shunned or treated as harshly as he was: Although he was a proud man-proud of his heritage, proud of his family, proud of where he came from-and was never afraid to say so, a man could only take so much abuse before he started to believe it himself. He tried not to let it get under his skin, of course, reminding himself that they were just narrow-minded people who didn’t know him the way people like his wife and son did, but still...

...it still managed to burrow under his skin like a damned tick. It burrowed, it planted itself in him, slowly poisoned him-it made him stop, second-guess himself, even when he knew he shouldn’t. It was frustrating, exhausting, and demoralizing, but still, he hung in there. Call it stubbornness (the hallmark of a good Pace), call it optimism, a sort of Pollyanna-ish outlook on things, but he reminded himself that the harsh words, the rude stares, the little whispers...they meant nothing. He let them roll off his back, and instead chose to believe in the little reminders: From June, from Randall...

…and now, from Emily.

“Thank you, lass,” he smiled softly at that: Neither do you, he wanted to say, but for now, he settled on gratitude for the kind words of this sweet siren, sitting in his bathtub.

[mira-nicodiangelo-grey]

I don’t even watch the show, I’m here for Jensen. And I ship it.

Beau Arlen and Jenny Hoyt | Big Sky 3x10 “A Thin Layer of Rock”

[xylophonetangerine]

The second definition is insane.

[xinghius]

There Is A Place For You

"Saeee?"

It's supposed to be on for another three minutes, the face mask he's wearing — given how much he paid for it, he sure as fuck planned on getting his money's worth — but if the way you call out for him from the bedroom isn't enough to get him to peel the soaked sheet off his face in haste, he isn't sure what else would be. "Coming," he intones.

Four minutes earlier than planned, Sae steps out of the bathroom, his footsteps silent as he crosses over the threshold, the towel in his hand soaking up excess droplets of water forming puddles in his hair. Hanging it over his shoulders when he's finally done, his forehead puckers at the sight laid out in front of him.

You're huddled up in bed, blanket tucked underneath the dip of your chin, your arms spread over its surface — like melted butter over toasted bread.

He almost melts, too.

It's nothing out of the ordinary, seeing you like this. The only stroke out of place in this picture of normalcy is the fact that you're still awake; you've usually tilted to sleep by now.

(Despite valiant efforts to stay up to welcome him with open arms, with how demanding his schedule is — and how often it translates to him staying overtime to take showers in musk scented locker rooms — it's no more than an exercise in futility.)

"I got lonely," you confess

You pat down the area beside you in invitation — the space you reserve for him, despite how often vacancy occupies it in his stead. "Join me?" you say, your lips just out into a pout. The same one that never fails to get you what you want.

He rolls his eyes, slipping on a fresh shirt over his head — an action you respond to with a whiny protest — before reprimanding you on the importance of routine.

His, at least.

Still, he ends up lying next to you anyway, the final step of his skincare neglected, his shirt long abandoned on the floor, and your fingers tracing arbitrary shapes on his chest.

Wherever the fuck his towel went, he has no idea either.

You hum in content, pressed warm against his skin. He has half the mind to say something, but he's never been much of a talker, and the whirring of the ceiling fan above feels sufficient enough to inhabit the silence.

For you, not too much.

"Can I kiss you?" Your voice slices a clean cut right through it, reaching his heart as well.

He glances at you askance, raising an eyebrow. Inquisitive. Maybe a tad vexed. Flipping onto his side and propping up against an elbow, he looks almost betrayed. "That's a stupid question," he arraigns, the accusatory inflection in his tone unmistakable.

"There's no such thing as a stupid question," you say.

He scoffs.

"Coming from your mouth, there's always plenty."

You feign hurt like the liar you are, pressing a hand over your heart as if guarded. "So mean, Itoshi-san," you scold. "Watch your mouth before I throw you on the couch," you warn, inching away.

"Last name basis?" he teases with guile, closing the new distance you created. "You're going to be an Itoshi someday, too," he reminds, lips ghosting the shell of your ear.

The warmth of it sends a lick of heat creeping up your spine. You tell him to shut up, maintaining feigned annoyance for a good minute. Twenty seconds after that you're melting into him again, falling victim to his spell. He squeezes your thigh and you frown.

"You suck."

He laughs. "I know, baby."

"And you're mean."

This, he clicks his tongue at. His eyes crinkle at their corners and he lets out a noise of dissent. He wouldn't call himself the beau ideal of a lover, per se — then again, no one would — but for all his imperfections, his actions make up for the lack of honesty he can't seem to put into words.

"You're the mean one."

He doesn't struggle, dragging your weight to drape you across his chest. Your thighs cage the sides of his own in the blink of an eye and you can't help letting out a gasp at the suddenness of it all. This contact. Where you press against. Where he allows you to.

A millimeter of distance occupies the gap separating you and him; you still, unsure whether you can move, or even breathe.

He thinks it's cute, your hesitation. On the other hand, it can be annoying at times, how shy you are. How you always feel the need to hold back. To ask, when he's always been willing to give you anything. Anything. Even his last name.

It's offensive how you have yet to see it.

"Look at me," he says.

Wordless, you obey.

He cradles your head in his hands, swiping his fingers along the length of your jaw and reveling in the way you shudder at his touch.

"I told you last time—" he whispers. Still, it remains as sharp as a reminder, one he prays will stick "—you don't need to ask."

It's delicate, this line he treads. He has always been one for taking, after all. Never giving. And often, he is wary just how much generosity he can offer before it turns into some sort of weakness. But when he kisses you and you reciprocate in kind, if not with more desire, he understands why Caesar surrendered himself into the hands of Cleopatra, understands why Antony devoted himself to that love, too.

Maybe it's a horrible analogy, and maybe he's got his facts wrong — he doesn't know much about history, doesn't care enough to, either — but if you can learn to take, and he can learn to give, maybe one day he can learn to be a suave romantic.

But for now, he's content with interrupted giggles and pleads to resurface for air.

[nellasbookplanet]

I've been thinking about Mollymauk, as I'm periodically wont to do, and the fandom discussion about him as a moral compass. Because the interesting thing here is, Molly wasn’t a very moral character. He was an unrepentant scammer. He had no respect for interpersonal boundaries and would deliberately push and break them. Generally, he was an asshole. As far as actually having a strong moral stance I would say Fjord was the standout of early m9, and to some extent Beau.

But here’s the thing: almost all of early m9 thought of themselves as horrible people. Fjord had been bullied so bad growing up that he still dealt with self-hate from it, and now suffered from survivor's guilt to boot. Caleb had killed his own parents. Beau, while she hated her dad, also had internalized self-hate and on some level thought she’d been such a shitty daughter she deserved his treatment. Nott was stuck in a body she considered monstrous. Yasha had survivor's guilt and knew she’d done bad things in her blank spots. Even when they did good, they didn’t think of themselves as good. Most of them were suspicious and asocial and faced the world with the same kind of distrust they expected to be (and were experienced in being) met with. (Jester was an exception, an agent of neither good nor bad but of amoral chaos)

But Molly was different. He was outspoken about loving life and people. He wanted to spread joy, even to people he didnt know or had even met: he slipped coin into people's pockets, hid a silver in a tree just so some stranger would one day be happy to find it. He openly cared for the party early on; was one of the first to step in and help Caleb when he went catatonic in battle. Above all, Molly had rules: where everyone else would agonize over what was the right or wrong or smart thing to do, Molly loudly proclaimed we don't leave people behind, and we leave every place better than we found it.

But the thing about Molly’s rules was, they were largely a cover. While the rest of the m9 thought they were bad even as they did good, Molly thought of himself as good even as he did bad. He scammed people, but made it a good and memorable experience, therefore thinking he gave more than he took. He charmed Nott and Fjord without consent, and when confronted would claim it was to help them. Out of the group, Beau saw through this, not because she was a better person but because she was a cynic. She saw that he caused harm, just as she did, and was personally affronted that he still thought of himself as good and tried to leave people happy, whereas she deliberately left every place worse than she found it.

I see Molly as a moral compass of the group not because he was actually any more moral than them, but because they made him their template. He was joy and brightness and he died trying to save them because it was the right thing to do, and they all chose to honor him by emulating his rules more than Molly himself ever did, because to them it was more than just a cover, backed up by genuine moral thought and discussion rather than small gestures. He taught them that it was possible to be kind of a shit person and still be good, to still love yourself and others. The idealized Molly they created never existed, and finally died for good when they resurrected him in the end and were met with a stranger, who they welcomed with the same love and care they would've expected Molly to show them.

[toadjunkie]

hands down one of the most beautifully written and illustrated VNs I’ve ever played.  

Chapter 1 is now available for download on itch.io

This update contains:

Approximately 40k words spread over 4 scenes and many, many branches

25+ unique sprites for three new characters

5 new backgrounds

6 illustrations

Music & sound effects, with an original piece produced by Stephen Poon

Click here for a link

As previously mentioned, there is currently an unfinished branch that prematurely ends the chapter. This branch will be patched in at the end of the year, along with other improvements to the UI, menus, music, and more. Additionally, we suggest playing through the prologue as several fixes were made that may interfere with the new content.

Thank you for your support!

Or not! That's fine too!

[simply-ivanka]

The beau ideal of a modern Presidential candidate

[ilovebubblegum]

I Don’t Deserve You {Part 1} (Joel Miller x Reader)

Pairing: post-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

Warnings: fluff, protective joel, use of (y/n) and (y/l/n), age gap (reader is in her 20s and Joel is in his 50s), mentions of abuse, vague mentions of period (lmk if i missed any)

Summary: You were popular in Jackson but you have been single your whole life. Despite many men flirting with you, you have never found your ideal type. Until one day, you saw Joel and you fell in love at first sight.  But he felt insecure.

Words count: 2.2k

A/N: There will be part 2 for this one so stay tuned!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

“Hey (y/n)! You’re here!.” Your friend, Lily greeted you.

“Hi Lily! It’s Friday night and I have nothing to do at home. I heard tonight is the kids’ movie night. I thought I’d stop by and see my students. What are they playing tonight?”

“The Lion King. It's the third time they’re playing it again. Ugh.”

“Oh! Well, I can’t blame them. Kids love The Lion King. ” 

You were a teacher in Jackson so you knew how much the kids love that movie. They would ask you to sing Hakuna Matata every day in school.

“(y/n) look there.” Lily gave you a sign to look behind you.

You were familiar with Tommy and Maria. But you didn’t recognize the other two. You saw a man who looked similar to Tommy but older and a teen girl walking inside following Tommy and Maria.

“Newcomers?” You asked Lily.

“They came a while ago. I heard his name is Joel Miller.”

“Miller? So he’s Tommy’s brother then?” You tilted your head.

“I’m guessing older brother. He came with the girl. I assumed she’s his daughter. But no wife. Probably single.” Lily smirked and lightly bumped her elbow to you. 

Lily knew you’ve been single your whole life. You were pretty popular in Jackson. You were beautiful inside out and everyone adored your kind and altruistic self. You have had many men flirting with you but you have never found “The One”.

“Why are you giving me that face?” You slapped Lily’s upper arm.

You were slightly annoyed with Lily’s action but deep down you liked it. He was probably a lot older than you but you couldn’t deny the fact that the middle-aged man looked hot with his salt and pepper hair. His shoulder was broad and he was a lot taller than you. His face didn’t look friendly but you could see a strong man from his eyes.

“Well, I mean he looked pretty hot for his age.” You put your hand behind your neck awkwardly.

“I know right! Why don’t you try and go talk to him?” Lily pushed you.

“Oh no no, that’s not why I’m here today. I’m here to watch a movie with my students.” 

“Ugh..You’re no fun (y/n).” Lily crossed her arms.

“Okay, enough talking about men. Now, I’m gonna get me some popcorn and enjoy The Lion King.” You walked away giving a mocking face to your friend.

“Ms. (y/l/n)!” A little boy called you and hugged your legs.

“Hey Timmy! Are you here with your parents?” You crouched to be the same height as the little boy.

“Yes! There!” Timmy pointed his index finger to show you where his parents were.

“Do you want some popcorn?” You smiled as you caressed his hair. 

“Yes! Yes!” He jumped excitedly.

“Okay, Timmy. Calm down.” You chuckled as you took two bowls of popcorn for you and Timmy.

“Here.” You gave Timmy his popcorn.

“Thank you, Ms. (y/l/n)!” He ran to his seat as the movie was starting.

Your heart was warm just by watching how excited the little boy was. You smiled as you stood up. You looked to your right and found Joel staring at you. He looked away immediately when you made eye contact with him. You pretended it never happened and walked to find a seat.

“Pretty, huh?” Tommy teased Joel.

“What?” Joel acted dumb.

“I know you were starin’ at that pretty girl right there, Joel. Don’t even think about it. All the men in Jackson have tried winning her heart but no one has succeeded.” Tommy scoffed.

“I wasn’t even thinkin’ about it.” Joel growled.

Joel lied. Deep down in his heart he thought you were attractive. You were beautiful in his eyes, especially the way you were so kind to the little kid before. For the past 20 years, kindness was something that was not common to see. So he felt warm in his heart when he saw someone so pretty and kind before his eyes.

The night ends with you having a split second of eye contact with Joel.

On Sundays, you took part in church services as one of the singers of the choir group. You were singing and found Joel sitting beside Tommy, Maria and Ellie. You saw him staring at you as you were singing. You tried to focus and avoid eye contact with him. Again, the two of you never had a conversation. Just eye contact. You went with your week without bumping into Joel. You couldn’t help thinking about him. He was your type and you wanted to get to know him more. But you were scared of how intimidating he looked and people were talking about how grumpy he was.

One week had passed since you saw Joel. It was Saturday night, you were suffocated in your bedroom as you couldn’t stop thinking about him. After a few moments of rolling on your bed, you decided to go to the bar where Lily worked.

“Oh, (y/n). I’m glad you’re here. One of our workers didn’t come to work today. We need help. Will you help us?” Lily sighed and gave you the puppy eyes.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” You followed Lily behind the bar counter and put on the apron she gave you.

“Thank you so much. You’re my lifesaver. So, you know the drill, right? You’ve helped me here a few times before.” Lily put her hands to hold your upper arm.

“Of course.” You nodded. 

Apparently, you have always helped Lily at the bar whenever she needed help. You loved your friend so you were always there to help her whenever you were available. It was hectic for a few hours then people were starting to leave. That was the moment you saw Joel walking inside towards you. He chose a seat in front of the bar counter. You were wiping some glasses as he sat in front of you. 

“What can I get you?” You asked him.

“Just a glass of beer.” His eyes looked tired but he tried to give you a smile.

“Here.” You passed him the beer.

You were thinking maybe this was your chance to have a conversation with him. With the man who had been occupying your mind the whole week. You gathered your courage and started a conversation.

“Long day, huh?” 

“Nearly got one of the guys killed on patrol today.” He told you as he drank his beer.

“Oh. Is he okay?” You tried to sympathize with him.

“He’s fine. Got a few stitches but he’s fine physically. I’m not sure about mentally.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Hoping your words could help him calm down.

He nodded and looked at you. You could see his lips moving. It looked like he was trying to say something but he was hesitating.

“You were amazing the other day.” He finally found his words.

“Huh?” You were confused.

“I saw you in church last Sunday.”

“Oh! You mean choir. Thank you.” You couldn’t hide your smile from his compliment.

You flinched as you heard Lily calling your name, cutting off your conversation with Joel. Joel was eavesdropping.

“(y/n)! Thank you so much for helping us. We have less customers now. You can go home and rest now. You can have a voucher for a free drink if you want.” Lily was grateful to have a friend like you.

“It’s nothing. That’s what friends are for. I’m always here to help. Anyways, can I have that free drink tonight?” Lily smirked as she knew what you were going to do.

You took off your apron and walked towards Joel. 

“Can I join you?” You asked Joel.

“Sure.” He nodded and dragged the chair next to him for you to sit. 

“I’m (y/n). I haven’t got your name.” You extended your hand to shake his hand. 

“Joel. Joel Miller.” He shook your hand.

“Miller? As in Tommy Miller?” You pretended like you didn’t know him.

“He’s my brother. Younger brother.” 

You hummed and nodded as if you just connected the dot. 

“So, you work here?” Joel faced you and asked.

“Uhm..No, I was just helping my friend today. One of the workers didn’t come so I came to help.” 

“How nice of you. Don’t think there’s someone who's still kind enough in this ruined world.” 

“I guess there is still hope.”

Joel scoffed. 

“So, if you’re not a bartender then..” 

“Guess. What kind of job do you think I’m doing?” You tried to flirt with Joel.

“Uhmm.. nurse?” Joel shrugged.

“Hmm..nope.” You shook your head.

“Teacher? I don’t know but I think you will make a great teacher like teaching kids. You look really patient.” Joel answered with a doubting tone.

“No way? Really? You’re right though. I teach kids in this town. I’ve been teaching for a few years now.” You chuckled.

“What do you teach? Fractions?” Joel tried to joke. (TLOU ep 1 reference 😂)

“Yes, yes. It’s one of them.” You threw your head back and laughed.

Joel shook his head and smiled. He looked like he was proud of getting the right answer.

“How about you?” You asked him back.

“Me?” He pointed at himself on the chest.

“You do patrols?” You nodded and drank your beer.

“I..uh.. arrived here not long ago. Still figurin’ things out and helpin’ doin’ patrols at the moment.” 

“You must be a tough guy.” You gave him a light fist on his upper arm and you could feel how strong his biceps were.

He flinched at the touch as he was getting butterflies from your slight touch. He didn’t know he would ever feel that feeling that he hadn’t had for years. 

“Oh shit.” You sighed as you saw Josh, the man who was obsessed with you coming towards you.

“You know you shouldn’t say that word when you’re teachin’ right?” Joel teased you not knowing about the situation.

“Hey, baby. Why are you drinking without me?” Josh put his arms around you as he sat next to you.

“I don’t have a reason to drink with you, Josh.” You rolled your eyes as you shoved his hand away.

“Cranky. Are you at that time of the month?” He mocked you.

Josh had asked you out before but you didn’t like him. You knew he only wanted to get inside your pants. Just like the other guys. But he was obsessed with you. You rejected his proposal to be his girlfriend but he kept coming after you. 

Joel watched you as you clenched your fist gripping your jeans. He knew you were not comfortable with Josh’s appearance so instead of leaving, he stayed beside you.

“So who is this old man? I haven’t seen you.” Josh looked at Joel.

“He’s my friend.” You answered him coldly.

“I’m Joel.” Joel introduced himself without extending his hand to shake hands with Josh.

“Well, Joel. I need time alone to be with (y/n). Can you leave?” Josh moved his hands back and forth as he was trying to tell Joel to go away.

You were scared. You didn’t want to be alone with Josh. Not after that time, when he slapped you after saying no to be his girlfriend. Your hands were shaking and Joel noticed.

“We were about to leave actually. I promised (y/n) somethin’.” Joel lied to help you get out of this situation.

You looked at Joel and let out a sigh as you felt safe that Joel would protect you. Joel stood up and held your wrist to get you out of the bar.

“She’s staying.” Josh grabbed your other wrist.

You gasped and your eyes were teary.

“You really don’t want to mess with me, kid.” Joel growled.

You could see his death stare at Josh. Josh got scared as Joel was bigger than him. Even though he looked intimidating, you weren’t scared of him. Instead, you felt safe and comfortable. As you and Joel walked a few steps far enough from the bar, Joel stopped.

“You’re shakin’. Are you alright?” His voice was soft. It sounded very different from when he was talking to Josh.

“I-I-Uhm-I’m fine. Thank you.” You couldn’t breathe properly because you were too scared.

Josh’s appearance made all your bad memories came to your head again. 

“Hey. You’re safe now.” Joel rubbed your back up and down to make you feel calm.

“Where do you live? Let me walk you home.” 

“Uh-It’s- 15 minute walk from here.” You guided Joel to your house.

“So is this Josh guy your ex-boyfriend or somethin’?” Joel asked.

“Ugh. No. He asked me out but I said no. And then he slapped me. Many times. I got bruises from it.”

“Jesus. I’m sorry that happened to you.” Joel closed his eyes as he was shocked to hear that happened to you. He wondered how someone could hurt a kind and nice person like you. 

As you arrived at your front porch, you faced Joel.

“Thank you for helping me out today, Joel.” 

“No problem. Just find me whenever you need help.” He shoved his hands in his pocket.

The night ended. You were glad you finally talked to Joel today. And your head couldn’t stop rewinding that scene when he saved you from Josh. You giggled and kicked your blanket thinking about him. You just talked to him once but your feelings towards Joel had already grown deeper. 

To be continued..

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 2 Part 7 Group 31

Propaganda and further images under the cut

Archive Staff: Jonathan Sims, Sasha James, Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood

Mighty Nein: Caleb Widogast, Nott the Brave/Veth Brennato, Fjord, Jester Lavorre, Caduceus Clay, Beauregard Lionett, Yasha Nydoorin, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Kingsley Tealeaf, Essek Thelyss

Archive Staff:

They’re trying their best to understand

Mighty Nein:

Originally, they were only seven, and the Nein part of their group name was a running joke about rolling nines and Caleb's German accent. Then, after Molly's untimely death, the group picked up Caduceus, making seven again. Later, they ally with Essek, who makes eight. And finally, through the power of love and found family, they defeat a villain named Lucien (who inhabits the body Molly had, it's all very complicated), and revive the body to become Kingsley Tealeaf, who looks at Molly as his brother but ultimately makes the group Nine. His revival is literally an act of divine intervention, fueled by the love and loss they all felt after chasing their beloved friend across the continent.

Internally there are other fantastic family bonds. Caleb and Nott/Veth having an incredible bond, Caleb and Beau being the Empire siblings, Molly and Yasha being the circus kids, Beau and Fjord, Cad and Fjord, the chaos crew, Nott and Jester, it goes on and on. They all change each other so significantly, they grow together, and canonically even though they live apart, they all have regular meetups in the tower Caleb created for all of them, with a stained glass window in Molly's honor and rooms dedicated to each member of the group. Even now in the new campaign, they've had cameos that prove years later they still work together and have each other's backs.

This is THEE definition of found family, these assholes were thrown together through circumstance and mostly hated each other to begin with right up until three of their own were kidnapped and then it was ON. And when Molly died, they took his ideals and turned them into a legacy SO POWERFUL they took Essek from a cold, self motivated war criminal to a man willing to die for his friends. They refused to let Beau face her abusive family alone! They helped Yasha heal from her trauma! They took down the whole Cerberus Assembly for what they did to Caleb! They saved the whole dang world together WITH THE POWER OF FUCKING FRIENDSHIP 😭! THEY LOVED MOLLY SO MUCH THAT IT SAVED THE WORLD! THEY NAMED THEMSELVES AFTER A STUPID PUN AND THEN THERE REALLY ENDED UP BEING NINE OF THEM! I WOULD DIE FOR THEM!!!

official art by Ari Orner, fan art by exmakina and tobyjamessharp