#currently trying to learn rush e

[hellsite-hungergames]

YOU CAN PLAY THE PIANO???? I WAS SURE YOU'D BE TOO CHAOITIC FOR THAT

Yep

Admittedly I'm not the best at it and half the time I get too distracted to actually finish learning an entire song, but I can play it

[thebirdsandthebats]

Okay @s-p-r-i-n-g-t-i-m-e I’m sure you know plenty BUT I’m going to use your wonderful and hilarious comment on this as an excuse to talk about Bernard, bc I realized recently that there are plenty of ppl who haven’t read most of the comics he’s been in. So get ready for my long overdue:

UNPACKING BERNARD DOWD + HIS TRAUMA (for those who cannot keep up with comics but want to get to know him)

So to start, Tim met Bernard years ago ofc, when they were in high school. It’s established pretty quick that Bernard is an extremely Unserious guy LMAO, the first thing he does is literally circle Tim and try to feel him out socially, see what kind of guy he is. He’s the kind of guy who gets himself in trouble with his big mouth, and seems to enjoy poking at Tim and testing his patience. By the time we meet Bernard again in the recent years, he’s grown a lot, but at his core he’s still the light-hearted, fun, goofy guy with very strong opinions. Just less stand-offish, maybe

Throughout the time Tim spends at this school though, Bernard does experience some wild shit. He lost Darla (somebody he really cared about), he experienced a shooting at his school, and then Darla came back from the dead, kind of scared the hell out of him, and used him to contact Tim again. It was kind of played for laughs, but like. That’s gotta fuck you up. (Robin #140)

Obviously this is the kind of thing that maybeee has a lasting effect on you. And BECAUSE Tim Drake: Robin got cut so short and the writer had to rush to wrap up the series, we’re left to fill in a lot of gaps and draw conclusions about the years we didn’t see Bernard ourselves. But we absolutely get some insight as to his life after Tim left that school and we stopped seeing him in the comics. Spoiler alert: it was hard.

In TDR, Bernard discusses the the cult that he’d been in that Tim saved him from in Urban Legends. He says that “he’d accepted himself”, but others hadn’t. Obviously there’s the natural reading that he means his queerness (which has me chewing through drywall), but I think that he’s speaking very broadly too. Bernard is a very odd example of a civilian, because he’s always getting dragged into things much bigger than him. And even before that, he had his big ideas, his conspiracies, his loud personality. He tended to rub people the wrong way in high school. Then in issue #7 of TDR (the Bernard pov issue my most beloved, weird pacing aside) Bernard refers to this “oozy, sticky feeling” that he ALWAYS feels when Tim isn’t around. He says when he’s alone it’s harder to put one foot in front of the other. To keep GOING. To wake up every day.

I think that Bernard has always felt like an outcast. (Robin #121, he doesn’t fit into any clique). He wasn’t as okay with it as he acted. And I think he wasn’t getting any attention from his parents. (Batman: Urban Legends #5, Bernard’s parents nonchalance to the days leading up to his kidnapping)

So just like Bernard explained to Tim, that feeling got bad. and he wanted to let go. The chaos monsters, the cult, all of it was a means to an end. But then Tim agreed to see him again, and I think that sparked something in him. Because he started learning to fight. When he was tied down to that alter and Tim was saving him, I think it fully sank in to Bernard that he didn’t want to die. Reconnecting with Tim gave him hope and made him really feel something good for the first time in ages.

So now that they’re dating after the cult fiasco, we get to know this current Bernard. A less goading, maybe calmer Bernard. But he’s still himself, of course, rambling about his ideas and making bad jokes and sticking to his guns (he has NEVER been a pushover, no idea where people get that idea?). I think a lot of people complained that Bernard mellowed out too much in terms of attitude, but I think if he seems “nicer” it’s because 1) he’s grown now. It’s been a while since we last saw him, and he’s clearly changed a lot. And 2) because he’s dating Tim now. He likes him a lot, and he’s an affectionate partner. He wants to lift Tim up.

But the fact that he was pulled into a cult still remains. And as lighthearted as Bernard tries to be, that traumatic experience still happened. It said in Urban Legends #5 while Tim was searching for him that Bernard had welts on his arms and legs and had been acting different, so it’s not like he was just snatched up on a whim. He’d spent significant time there. For those who haven’t read much abt the ways cult trauma specifically can fuck you up, I recommend doing a search if you’re in a good headspace for that and want to understand him more. because it’s pretty bad.

And then! yeah. you guessed it. Bernard gets kidnapped again. Chained up next to a BOMB that’s counting down. RIGHT WHEN HE’S WORKING ON HEALING FROM ALMOST BEING SACRIFICED BY A CULT.

And surely this can’t get crazier. He’s almost died twice in the past 6 months. except, remember his parents? In TD:R #7, we really see a little more of his relationship with his parents. He doesn’t live up to their standards, and his dad specifically seems to just want to argue with him. The restaurant they’re at is attacked, and everything goes to shit, and. you know, I think these panels really speak for themselves.

And for the record, when it’s revealed that everyone is seeing their worst fears, Bernard’s parents fears are not about him.

So now Bernard has to deal with that. And we start to see that Bernard is really not as okay as he’s tried to be. He keeps a baseball bat by his door because he’s been kidnapped twice now. And just when he’d likely thought things couldn’t get worse, he heard the Chaos Monsters were back. I can’t imagine he feels safe. He lashes out for the first time since all this has happened and yells at Kate and Tim, because while they’re doing what they feel is necessary to save more people (AND I DONT BLAME THEM AT ALL), Bernard can’t talk about it.

And I will forever be sad and insist that TD:R got cancelled too soon, just before we could get into the really juicy stuff, because things had to be wrapped up pretty quick and this was the only comic Bernard was consistently appearing in. But when Tim is giving himself up to the chaos monsters, Bernard goes out and rallies anyone he knows can help. Things were rushed because there was no more time to flesh out the story the way it could have been, but I’m including these panels just because I love Bernard Audacity Dowd using a fucking flashlight and shadow puppet to call Batman. geeking out for a minute. And then leading the battalion to save Tim with a SLEDGEHAMMER. gay people rule.

So yeah! While I see the vision of how a lot of Bernard’s trauma was meant to be semi-resolved and let him come to peace after saving Tim back, we just didn’t have the time for him to heal properly. I’d give anything to get inside his brain again. UHH IF YOU READ THIS I HOPE YOU LOVE BERNARD NOW and don’t come at me if I left something out, some of my comics aren’t with me rn. Bonus TimBer for the road:

[dwonfilm]

Teaching tech. | Soldier Boy x Reader

Summary: Butcher tasked you with the job of teaching a freshly thawed Ben, aka Soldier Boy, how to use technology. First off you started with teaching him about the iPhone.

Warnings: bit of Solider Boy being Soldier Boy but otherwise, mostly fluff.

“Dammit!” [Y/N] heard Ben’s voice from the other room and she sighed. Next was a smash and that made her rush back into the bedroom. Immediately Ben’s eyes lifted up to see her coming in and he scoffed. “I didn’t break the cocksucking thing this time.” He stated plainly. “Good,” she answered. “I don’t have the money to buy you a fourth phone.” She moved to sit on the bed next to where he was currently sitting. “This shit ain’t a phone, it’s a thin ass rock with futuristic shit inside. Phones have a base and a receiver or they were these massive bricks with buttons—not whatever the fuck a touch screen is-“ Ben ranted, but [Y/N] just laughed. “Yeah, they were those things once but this is 2022. Life’s changed a lot and eventually you’re gonna need to learn all these things.” She spoke, picking up the phone that was on the bed between them, swiping up to unlock it. Bits of her [Y/H/C] hair covered her face while her attention focused on the screen. Ben just watched, a grumpy expression on his facial features. “How’d you get stuck doing this anyway? Where’s the Cum Guzzler or the Cheerio?” She laughed, Ben’s nicknames for people were always pretty humorous. “Hughie is scared of you and Butcher can barely explain anything in the entire history of life’s existence.” Ben gently laughed at her answer. Fingers moved across the screen, making selections that she didn’t think were necessary to explain to him at the moment. “So, the bean pole’s afraid of me huh?” He asked, not really expecting an answer. However it did bring up another question. “Why aren’t you scared of me?” His tone seemed indifferent but there was a hint of something more inside his eyes. Something she was oblivious to since her own were focused on the screen of the phone in her hands. Though, she slowly gazed up from it for a moment. “Honestly,” she began with a pause directly after. It was as if she was attempting to think about how to answer him. “I was at first, a little bit, but I just try to sympathize.” He scoffed almost immediately. “You sympathize with a piece of shit like me? No wonder it’s so easy to get you women in the sack. Jesus Chris-“ She turned her head and shot a glare at him. “You can sympathize with people without wanting to fuck them, for starters.” She rolled her eyes, moving her gaze back to the phone in her hands. “No one’s perfect, not that it’s excusing.. well everything. Despite all that, no one here has any real room to judge too harshly.” Ben quirked a brow at that. “That so? Don’t tell me a pretty lil’ thing like you has baggage!” Part of him was sort of mocking her, though he was getting curious. “Moving on, I made the email for you and set up an account for you to use the phone.” She began to explain, looking over to him but finding a confused expression on his face. “E-what?” He asked plainly, green eyes gazing into her own. “Right, I forgot you have no grasp on the basics.” She turned towards him now.

“Email is pretty easy, it’s like sending letters to people—only digitally and in a much faster time period. It used to take y’know, days, weeks for those to be delivered. Now it just takes seconds—also instead of a home address you just need their email address. Does that make sense at least somewhat?” Her voice was gentle, not sarcastic or cruel. [Y/E/C] eyes meeting his green ones as he was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I guess.. I mean it seems straightforward enough—though doing that stupid shit is gonna be harder than understanding what the fuck it is.” He answered. “Well, yeah, but we’ll get there.” [Y/N] offered a half smile at him. “No one’s asking you to be Steve Jobs after a day,” she tried to encourage him but his face was blank yet again. “Who the fuck is that?” He asked, to which she sighed gently. “…never mind, it’s not important. What I meant is that none of us are expecting you to know how to use it all within the blink of an eye.” She replied before moving her gaze back to the phone. He peered over at the phone while knitting his brows together. None of it made any sense to him. Now the screen was black again, before the stupid symbol popped up. “..the fuck is it doing now?” He asked, moving his glance to her face. “It’s updating the software,” she spoke before shifting it to an analogy he’d understand. “..which is like maintenance on a car kind of—it makes sure everything’s working and also is.. replacing the parts in a sense. Fixing things that weren’t working and replacing them with things that will work and hopefully work better.” It took a second, but the analogy did help. “Makes sense I guess.” He spoke, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes watched for a moment before he became bored, so, he did what he usually did and turned his attention to whoever was occupying the space with him. “So tell me, how’d a gorgeous gal like you get tangled up with a fucker like Butcher anyhow?” She laughed softly but she didn’t look up at him this time. Mostly to hide the fact that she was blushing just a little. [Y/N] knew that she shouldn’t be feeling this way, by all accounts this man was still Soldier Boy. He wasn’t a good person, but the more she spent time with him the more she realized he was letting her see the man behind the persona and maybe.. maybe there was more than what he’s done in the past. After all she was preaching sympathy just moments prior. “Flattery will not get you out of the tech lesson, but since it’s updating you’ve got a little wiggle room.” She took a gentle breath before beginning to tell a very condensed version of events. “Becca, Butcher’s wife, she was my mom’s best friend. When my mom got killed in a car wreck, Becca sort of.. became my maternal figure.” Ben nodded, feeling some of the strings attached to his heart pulling. “I’m sorry about that, doll.” It was the least he could say. “Where the hell was your dad?” He asked, not knowing subtly if it were to bite him on the ass. She sighed gently. “Couldn’t tell you, never met him.” Ben could sympathize with that in a way, his own father being a piece of shit and all. “Sorry ‘bout that too.” He spoke, keeping his gaze on her own. She simply nodded before the phone’s screen lit up in the bright colors again, signifying that the software update had been completed. Picking the phone up, [Y/N] swiped up to begin the process of actually setting things up. “Okay, back to this-“ she spoke but was immediately cut off by Ben’s loud groaning. “Fuck sakes, is this really necessary?” He grumbled, which caused the woman next to him to roll her eyes. “You already know the answer to that.” Again he grumbled, acting like a mix between a grumpy old man and a stubborn child. “If this was forty years ago and some fine piece of ass was trying to tell me I had to do somethin’..” She turned and her [Y/E/C] eyes met his face with a pointed glare. There was a momentary pause as Ben contemplated whether or not to continue.

However, he was mischievous by nature and so he opted to continue on with his train of thought. “..I’d have grabbed her by her pretty little chin and talked her into getting on her knees so I could show her a better way to use that mouth.” [Y/N] again rolled her eyes. “Anyway,” she brushed it off and moved on immediately though Ben was wearing a little smirk. “Picturing it, aren’t ya’?” He asked, clearly attempting to make the woman flustered. She turned her gaze back towards him with a blank expression upon her face. “Picturing me, punching you in the face? Absolutely I am.” She answered, which had Ben’s smirk fall completely. “You new age women, chicks in my day would’ve been creaming their panties at the chance to get with Soldier Boy.” Ben grumbled, irritation showing on his face. It was amusing to [Y/N] that he thought he’d get her to crumble so easily. Pushing herself up into a better position she’d lean the phone towards the Supe. “Alright, so I made two emails—one has the Soldier Boy name on it, just in case there’s.. I don’t know people that have business offers or something. Granted, that’s if we all live and you don’t get thrown into jail or whatever they do to other Supes and the other is for, well, more personal shit. That’s the one I was telling you about when I mentioned it initially, the one that’s tied into everything on the phone. I downloaded some stuff but now you need to try it.” She handed the phone over to Ben, praying he wasn’t gonna break this one. It was clear that he was trying to hold it gently, which would’ve made her giggle out loud—however the man was in an overly sensitive state and she wasn’t going to push that. “Alright, so tap the icon that says ‘App Store’ and wait for it to open.” [Y/N]’s voice was gentle and Ben nodded, putting his finger over the square with that name underneath it. However he left it there and so the apps began to all shake. “What the fuck is happening?!” He exclaimed, to which she gently moved her hand and pressed the button labeled ‘done’. Now the apps went back to being still and she sighed. Gently she grabbed his index finger and lightly pulled it towards the screen again, Ben wanted to grumble but he was too distracted by how her fingers felt against his own. Where his skin was rough, battle tested and calloused.. hers was soft, maybe a scar here and there but nothing compared to his and the contrast? It was more enjoyable than he’d ever admit out loud. [Y/N] pulled his finger down toward the screen and gently tapped it against the screen to open the app. “You just gotta tap, see.” She spoke, letting go of his finger. “Huh.” He replied, but it wasn’t very loud. “Now typing on these things is probably gonna annoy you, it annoys us all and we’re used to the technology. Just.. try to not freak out and break it yeah? Shit is easy for you to snap, given y’know..” After she said that, she couldn’t help but to chuckle. When she did Ben felt himself smirking just a little. There was a split second where their eyes met and lingered, before she spoke up again. “Alright, so if you just click on this one it’ll take you to the place where you can download them. I think most things that are necessary for now are already there but I wanted you to know how to do it, so.. you like sports right?” She asked, tone kept gentle. “Uh, yeah, obviously little less on the up and up these days.” He replied, to which she nodded. “Alright well type in ‘MLB’ right there in that search bar, click it first though.” [Y/N] explained and for a moment Ben just stared at her, as if she had three heads. Eventually though he moved his gaze to the phone and tapped the screen over the search bar, which brought up the keyboard. “So.. these fucking things are called apps?” He asked, typing the three letters slowly into the bar and then she pointed to the blue button labeled ‘search’, which he tapped before looking up at her again.

“Yeah, they have one for just about everything these days.” She replied, pointing to the button that said ‘get’. Ben tapped it and the symbol to signify it was downloading appeared. Once it had finished, she smiled slightly before reaching underneath his arm for a second. “So, to close an app, you just swipe up like this.” Gently she placed her thumb on the screen and swiped upward to bring the phone back to the Home Screen. “Now, that closes it for the moment. Swiping up in a short motion brings up all the open ones like this-“ she explained, demonstrating. “Once they’re up like this you can swipe up again and fully close them.” She closed all of the currently open apps to demonstrate to him how to do it. “You really think I’m gonna remember all this shit?” He asked, almost glaring when he looked in her direction. It was a lot of information to take in, so she took a gentle breath and locked the phone. “Okay, fair, let’s take a break then.” [Y/N] placed Ben’s phone on the bed between them and slowly pulled out her own. He couldn’t help it, curiosity took hold and he glanced over. “You can put pictures on that thing?” He asked, noticing her Lock Screen photo of a drawing of the moon. Quirking a brow for a moment, she then figured out what he meant. “Oh, yeah! You can. Did you wanna do that on your phone?” Her voice was sweet as their eyes met yet again, bringing back the slight tension that continued to linger between them. “Fuck it, shit looks better than whatever the fuck it comes with.” He replied after a moment or so of silence. “Do you have anything specific you want?” She reached up with her free hand and tucked some of her [Y/H/C] hair behind her ear. Ben’s expression was pensive for a moment or so as he tried to think of anything he’d like to have as a background on the phone. “I dunno, just find something badass—none o’ that girly shit.” She shook her head before thinking herself, trying to figure out something she could use. “I’m gonna go take a leak.” He spoke up, pushing his frame up and off of the bed before grumbling about something and making his way over to the bathroom door. Once he’d closed it, she thought for another second before smiling to herself. Lifting the phone up at a decent angle, she quickly opened the camera app and primped herself slightly—snapping a couple of pictures of herself right after. Flicking through the few she found the one she liked the most and made it his Lock Screen wallpaper. Thumbs darted across the screen and within another two minutes or so, spent entirely on Google, she’d found a nice photo of Ben’s shield. It worked well for a Home Screen.

It wasn’t long after that [Y/N] heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on, seconds passing before the door was pulled open and Ben re-entered the bedroom. Lifting her gaze up to meet him, his green eyes held something she couldn’t quite pinpoint. She gently laid his phone onto the mattress and kept her attention on him while he sat back down onto the bed. “Are we doing more of this shit? ‘Cause I think my fuckin’ brain might implode.” His voice was deep, housing a distinct rasp to it. [Y/N] couldn’t help but to chuckle at the old man antics he was displaying before answering the question. “No, I think we’ll save some lessons for another day. After all, there’s much more than just the phone you’re gonna need to learn.” After she’d spoken, he groaned for what felt like the millionth time. “It’s amazing how you bounce between acting like a senior citizen and acting like a teenage boy.” Her voice held a humorous tone as she again chuckled, it was Ben’s turn to now offer her a pointed glare but there was definitely a layer of amusement behind it. Just as he was about to offer up a retort, the bedroom door was pushed open and Butcher popped his head in. “Oi [Y/N], need ya’ to come help Frenchie with a little project.” His accent was thick and his eyes held a wild expression that was pretty standard for the man. [Y/N] sighed and slowly pushed herself up from the mattress, but turned towards Ben with a gentle smile. “If you have any questions just.. come find me.” He nodded, because his brain wasn’t sure how to react to the little smile on her lips. Sure there was a lot of unholy and downright vulgar thoughts swimming around in his noggin about her, there had been since he laid eyes on her—however there was something more that lingered and that was causing a short circuit in his mind. She turned back to the Brit and groaned. “This better not be anything messy because the last time-“ she was cut off by Butcher’s laugh. “It ain’t, I swear.” [Y/N] rolled her eyes as the two left the room, closing the door behind them. After a couple of minutes Ben remembered [Y/N] lecturing him about locking the goddamned phone, but she had left it unlocked. Pushing the button he heard the clicking noise, but tapped onto the screen to make sure he hadn’t accidentally turned it off somehow—and that’s when he saw it. There underneath the time and the other bullshit, was a picture of her and her smiling face. Since he was by himself, he didn’t have his guard up and his lips curled upward into a smile. “Pretty lil’ lady.” He spoke out loud, his heart feeling something he’d not felt in quite some time.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi guys! I am soooooo sorry about how long this took. Between writer’s block and my fear of it sucking, I was just struggling for a while. This is my first attempt at writing for Ben so if it’s bad, I’m sorry! He’s a more complex character to nail in writing and hopefully I’ll get better at it over time. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

• —– ٠ tag list: @roseblue373 @mrsjenniferwinchester @stillhere197 @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @aylacavebear @ladysparkles78 @globetrotter28 @jc-winchester ✤ ٠ —– • ·

[lemonmaid]

This wasn't in the parenting book.

Warnings: tantrums and parenting, Suguru is referred as mama but that's just because we love male wife Suguru.

Suguru Geto wasn't the one who would usually hold grudges, more or less a child of that matter.

But his adoptive son, (Name), was pushing his limits today.

Suguru took a deep breath, pitching his nose, “I want you to tell me the truth and this is your last chance”.

(Name) whined and kicked his feet against the floor, "I'm not lying! Gumi did it!”.

(Name) was at that young age, you know, five, where kids learn to be honest. The past couple of weeks (Name) would lie about small things, examples followed, if he brushed his teeth, if he broke Satoru's favorite mug, if he was the one who let the cat outside, a lot of small things that led to worst outcomes because of said lying.

Right now, the current lie is that Megumi broke the TV.

Suguru felt agitated, “(Name) I want this lying to stop-”

“I’M NOT LYING”

“MEGUMI IS AT SCHOOL! WHO ELSE COULD'VE DONE IT!”

“I saw him break the TV last night momma! I promise! I promise! Nana and Mimi saw it too! Momma! Momma!”.

(Name) broke down in sobs, the little boy overwhelmed with new emotions.

As (Name) cried. Suguru picked up the little boy, hushing him and rubbing his back. “See? This is what happens when you lie too much. No one will believe you when you tell the truth”.

“I- I-”

“Take a deep breath for me”.

“I promise momma, I didn't break the TV”.

Suguru rocked the small boy, making him calm and eventually fall asleep.

Now Suguru had another problem to deal with, his other children.

“Who broke it”

Nanako, Mimiko, Tsumiki, and Megumi sat silently on the couch.

Suguru glared down at Nanako, “Nan-”

“It was (Name)” Mimiko intrupted.

The other three nodded leaving Tsumiki quiet..

Tsumiki was shaking, trying her hardest not to look at Suguru.

“Tsumiki….”

“It was Megumi!”

“TSUMIKI!” The other three yelled.

“It's not just my fault! It's also Mimiko!”

“It was not!”

“It was too!”.

The four kids bickered with each other, and Suguru rubbed his temples. Where was Satoru when you needed him?

“Everyone to their rooms, I don't want a peep until Satoru comes home. Upstairs. Now!”.

The four rushed upstairs into their rooms.

Suguru pinched his nose, did he want children of course he did but he didn't think about how siblings ganged up on each other since he was an only child.

Same with Satoru.

“Honey am home-”

Suguru's glare cut him short.

“Um, rough day?”.

Suguru sighed, “You can say that”.

(Name)’The baby monitor went off, small crying for Satoru.

“Great I guess I'm the bad guy today” Suguru growled while collapsing on the couch.

Satoru could only stare, confused about what to do. “Is everything okay?”.

Suguru put his palms to his face, “I'm a horrible parent".

Satoru came behind Suguru, rubbing the male's shoulders. “No, babe, you're a wonderful parent. The kids love you”.

“I accused a five-year-old of breaking the TV”.

“Shit I forgot to replace that”, Satoru said under his breath.

Suguru felt his anger rise. “You fucking knew who broke the TV and didn't tell me?”.

Satoru was sweating bullets, “Listen baby! I was- I was going to tell you but I promised Megumi and the girls-”.

Suguru felt a murderest rage, one he hadn't felt in y e a r s. “What happened”.

“You know how you said no curse en-”

“Fucking christ Satoru-”

“Last night Megumi wanted to show me something cool and- one thing led to another and the TV got hit-”.

“Fuckinh Christ Gojo, we need to be on the same side, you need to communicate with me and not fucking hide this kind of shit from me”.

(Name) whined louder on the monitor.

Suguru took a deep breath and walked up the stairs towards (Name) and Megumi's shared room.

“Babe! Don't kill them!”

“I'm not doing anything, I'm grabbing (Name) and if anything I'll kill you”.

Megumi tensed up when he heard the door open, seeing Suguru and his curse energy.

“Momma!”.

Suguru picked up (Name) carrying him down the stairs.

“Babe! Suguru! Where are you going?”

Suguru grab his and (Name)’s shoes, “I'm taking (Name) to dinner to make up for earlier, I expect an apology from everyone when I get back”

“....do you want me to get a new TV”

Suguru stopped and pondered, "Actually, see this as a punishment, y'all broke it, no more TV”.

[meyobe]

Pretty privilege… no Mc privilege Pt. 3

Diavolo

Mc can make him feel like a normal demon .

He knows that everyone walks around egg shells around him.

Everyone expect Mc.

Mc just see him as a demon trying his best to make everything around him better.

Ever since Mc came to the devildom he feels like a weight has lifted off his shoulders.

He gets to be the child he was forced to leave behind.

Mc wants to go see a concert? He’s making sure they have pit seats.( shout-out Eras tour)

Mc is talking about their childhood and place called Chuck-E-Cheese? He canceled his plans and got stuck trying to go into the play place.

Mc talks about toys they couldn’t get as a child? He buys the toys in bulk then gives them away to donate.

All his life he’s been looking for some sort of normalcy.

With Mc he feels like a regular demon.

No rules, no stress, and no expectations.

He loves Mc plans because they are so spontaneous and wild.

No one has ever took the time to show him a new world.

He hopes one day to be as carefree as Mc.

Barbatos

Mc can make him believe in a different outcome.

He has spent his entire life living up to a certain model.

To be the perfect butler, the perfect demon.

Never out of line and well behaved.

He lives the same life year after year.

But if he’s learned anything from Mc it’s that, it’s okay to see the beauty. 

Mc has open his eyes to finding the good in situations or believing there is more to look for.

Considering his is an all knowing being, knowing how situation will end, who will perish, and what will diminish.

He doesn’t believe in lying by having faith.

Not when he knows the stone cold truth.

But it’s different now, with Mc.

He’s thankful that Mc can give him faith .

Mc points out how beautiful death is and will be? He’s always thought of it of something humans are scared of.

Mc rushes over to an old women to help her cross the road? He watches from afar, basking in what humanity means.

He never understood watching that star. Until Mc explained each one of them has a story to tell. He’s asks himself what stories?

He will never truly understand how Mc can think so positively even in bad situations.

Even when all hope seems lost.

But, it isn’t because it’s something they learned.

Rather how they were born.

Finding the beauty is what it means to be human.

Something he’ll never get to be, but he feels close to human with Mc.

Solomon

Mc’s safety is his main priority.

He is a very busy guy that does very dangerous work.

Running errands for his experiments, Missions for Diavolo,partying with Asmo.

He helps himself over anyone else, except for Mc.

He feels sane with Mc.

Not like he is a powerful sorcerer with 72 pacts, but like a teenager talking with his crush.

Mc makes him feel seen.

So in exchange, he’ll protect them until he can’t.

Mc needs help from a creep following them but he’s currently trying to tame an experiment that went wrong? He was playing a round before but now you need to go.

Mc’s found themselves lost on the streets of devildom? Just say on the phone with him I til he finds you.

Mc is going to the human world on a mission? He’s going to join Mc just to make sure their safe.

He see Mc as an extension of himself.

So full of life.

He may be existing forever but with Mc he is alive.

Hes going to protect the nature of their relationship before anything else.

Wishing that one day they’ll see him the same way.

Simeon

He will always understand.

Mc is a very important person that’s mending the 3 worlds.

He understands the stress of it all.

Mc didn’t choose to be picked for the exchange program .

He will always listen with no judgment.

He only ever wishing for peace in your life.

Mc is feeling lost? He’s right there to remind you of your meaning.

Mc gets upset about how different their life could’ve been? He agrees and tells you it unfair.

Mc is scared of what happens from here on out? He’ll be there every step of the way.

No matter how many times Mc chooses the brothers over him, he’ll always welcome them back home.

Because, he knows what you mean to everyone.

He will spend his time trying to give Mc the pieces of their life back that they lost due to the Devildom.

He makes sure Mc knows their work isn’t for nothing.

He’ll tell stories to the children in the Celestial Realm about Mc and all they achieved.

He only hopes one day Mc will pick him over his former brothers.

Luke

Mc can change his mind.

He views Mc as an equal.

Someone worth his respect. Unlike the nasty demons.

He listens very closely to Mc’s words.

Always trying to stand out amongst the demons.

He cares and wants to see Mc happy.

Even if it means playing nice.

Mc tells him to stop fighting around with Mammon? He looks at Mammon and tells him he’s s lucky Mc is here.

Mc wants him to try a dessert he isn’t fond of? He chugs it down with the biggest smile.

Mc needs to stop by store that’s said to be haunted by ghost? What, ofc he’s not staying outside!!! It’s not too scary, he needs to be there to protect Mc.

Don’t get it wrong though, as soon as Mc turns their back he sticks his tongue at Mammon.

He also spitting the dessert out. (He feels so sorry about it)

As soon has he gets to Purgatory Hall, he’s telling Simeon how creepy the store was.

Yes, he’s an angel but very more of an angel with Mc.

He stand by Mc and believes they do no wrong.

A/n: i honestly hate this sm especially Simeon’s part. I might redo this.

As for the other undateables, I’m only on lesson 30. It might be months before I meet them😭.

Ik i said i hate this, but don’t bash me. 🙏

[blakeswritingimagines]

Relationship List With Jaime Lannister

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Jaime is quite affectionate, though he struggles to show it. He's quick to anger and struggles with emotional openness, but despite his gruff demeanor, he has a deep affection for those close to him. He's fiercely protective of his family, especially his children. His affection for his younger brother Tyrion is less obvious, but it's there. He has a soft spot for you, though he often masks it under his sarcastic remarks.

B = Beginning (How would the relationship start?)

The relationship would likely start in a less-than-glamorous setting, as Jaime is a man of action, often found training or fighting. He might stumble upon you in the training yard or the library, where he infrequently visits to keep up with current affairs. He'd initially likely be standoffish, his sharp tongue and cynical nature making it difficult for him to reveal his interest in you.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Jaime has a love-hate relationship with cuddling. He craves the warmth and intimacy, but also grapples with his warrior's pride, sometimes finding it hard to let go of his tough exterior. When he's willing to let go, he's a comforting and protective cuddler, wrapping you in his strong arms, drawing you close, and burying his head in your shoulder. He especially enjoys cuddling in the early mornings, when he can hold you close, free from the pressures and responsibilities of his role as a knight and prince.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Jaime, being a man of honor and duty, has a deep longing for a sense of stability and family. He yearns for the simplicity of a domestic life, where he can put down his sword and just be a husband and father. His skills in the kitchen and with housework are a bit rough around the edges, his military background having prepared him more for battle than for cooking and cleaning. He'd likely rely on you to help him learn the ropes in these areas, but he'd be a willing and eager student, determined to become the best domestic partner he can be.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

If Jaime had no choice but to break up with his partner, he'd do it with as much dignity and honor as possible. He'd likely seek a private place where they could talk honestly and openly without fear of interruptions or eavesdroppers. In his own stoic way, he'd express his reasons for the breakup, trying to be firm and fair. Though his tough exterior would be on display, he'd also show a hint of vulnerability and regret, knowing the pain he's causing. Jaime would offer whatever support or closure needed but would ultimately respect their decision if they wished no further contact.

F = Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

As a man of honor and duty, Jaime places a high value on commitment. If he loves you, he'd want to make it official and commit to you fully. Though he's a bit cynical about the institution of marriage given his past experiences, he respects tradition. Jaime wouldn't rush into marriage just for the sake of it, but if he's sure about his feelings for you, he wouldn't waste any time in making you his wife. He'd want to start building a life together as soon as possible, creating a sense of stability and security for the two of you.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Jaime is a man of contradictions. In battle or when facing enemies, he's a fierce and ruthless warrior, often showing little restraint or mercy. However, in private with you, he's surprisingly gentle, both physically and emotionally. He's mindful of your feelings and boundaries, always seeking to understand and support you. Jaime's tough exterior might suggest otherwise, but beneath the armor, he's a tender soul, who tries his best to be gentle with you, even when his own pain and insecurities threaten to spill over.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Jaime's relationship with hugs is complicated. He both craves and avoids physical touch, the need for contact warring with his reservations about vulnerability. When he's in an affectionate mood, his hugs are warm and tight, as if he's trying to infuse his own strength into you. But there are also times when he pulls away, his internal conflict making him distant and aloof. His hugs are a mix of firmness and hesitance, his touch seeking connection while his guard remains somewhat raised.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

For Jaime, the "L-word" is a significant and meaningful declaration, weighed heavily with the gravity of his emotions and his sense of responsibility. He won't say it lightly or impulsively. Before admitting his love, Jaime would want to be absolutely certain of his feelings and the strength of his commitment to you. It may take some time, and even when he knows he loves you, he might struggle to put that love into words. But when he eventually says it, he means it with everything he has, and his words carry a weight that reflects the depth of his devotion.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Jaime's a man who hides his feelings well, but beneath the stoicism, there's a deep-seated jealousy that often simmers just below the surface. He struggles with insecurity and a fear of abandonment, which means his jealousy can flare up unexpectedly and intensely. When he's feeling jealous, he becomes possessive and protective, wanting to mark you as his and keep you close. He might make subtle or not-so-subtle comments or gestures to assert his claim over you, and he's likely to be more vigilant and attentive, watching for any threats to your relationship.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Jaime's kisses are a bit rough around the edges, a reflection of his warrior's nature. He's not a gentle or delicate kisser but rather a man who kisses with a sense of purpose and intensity. He tends to focus on your lips, his kisses strong and firm, but he also has a penchant for finding sensitive spots on your body that make you shiver. He enjoys receiving kisses as much as giving them, especially on his neck and the curve of his shoulder, where your touch melts his tough exterior, transforming him into a vulnerable and responsive lover.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Jaime's relationship with children is complicated and somewhat unexpected considering his reputation. He's not outwardly affectionate or sentimental about them, but there's a protective instinct that surfaces whenever children are involved. He treats them with a mix of protectiveness and respect, understanding the fragility and innocence of children. Despite his own scars and rough edges, he sees something pure and vulnerable in children that he wants to protect. Jaime is not one for endless cuddles or doting over young ones, but he will take a stand against anyone who threatens the safety and well-being of children.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Jaime are often a mix of routine and unexpected tenderness. He's an early riser, often training or attending to his princely duties before you wake. However, there are moments when he allows himself to be softer, perhaps watching you sleep for a little longer than he should or gently nudging you awake with a rare morning smile. He's not a fan of extensive morning chatter, the quiet of the early hours sufficing for him. But there are times when he whispers your name, a rare admission of vulnerability in the peaceful solitude of the morning.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nighttime with Jaime is a time of winding down and letting go of the day's stresses. Jaime often takes on a more relaxed and intimate demeanor in the evening, the pressures of his role falling away as he settles into the quiet comfort of your shared space. He might spend time with you, sharing conversations about whatever crosses his mind, or simply just enjoying the peacefulness of the night. Sometimes, he needs a bit of space, and you might find him lost in thought, staring out into the night, his mind filled with the complexities of his life.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Jaime tends to be guarded with his emotions and thoughts, having learned early on to keep his feelings close to his chest. He's slow to open up and might reveal bits and pieces of himself piece by piece over time, but the real depth and complexity of his emotions can take months or even years to fully unveil. He's cautious about fully letting down his walls, his past traumas, and insecurities, making him wary of being completely vulnerable. So, while there might be glimpses of his true thoughts and feelings here and there, it would take a lot for him to lay out everything all at once.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Jaime's got a bit of a temper, and it can flare up quite easily, especially when he feels frustrated or threatened. He's not one to keep his anger in check for long, and he can be quite quick to lash out with words or actions. Patience doesn't come naturally to him, and he tends to act impulsively, not always thinking through the consequences of his reactions. However, when he's with you, he tries his best to temper his anger, recognizing the importance of a calmer and more level-headed approach to conflicts and disagreements.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Jaime's memory is remarkably good when it comes to details about you. He often seems to catalog everything you say or do, even small things that others might ignore or forget. He might not always express it, but he's likely to remember the little things about you - a random comment you made in passing, a preference you mentioned in a casual conversation, or a gift you once mentioned you liked. His memory serves as a testament to how much he pays attention to you, even when he appears aloof or distracted.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

For Jaime, one of his favorite moments in your relationship is likely a quiet, intimate moment where the two of you are alone, and the world seems to fade away. Perhaps it's a moment when you're both cuddling in bed, talking softly as the world sleeps around you, or a shared moment of laughter that breaks through the stresses of the day. These peaceful, uncomplicated moments where it's just the two of you are when Jaime feels the most connected and grounded, finding a rare sense of contentment in the simplicity of your shared presence.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Jaime is fiercely protective of what's his, especially when it comes to you. He would do anything to keep you safe and out of harm's way, often silently vowing to take on the world if needed. He's always keenly aware of your surroundings, his keen instincts, and strategic mind constantly vigilant for potential threats. As for being protected, while Jaime is more than capable of taking care of himself, he secretly longs for the comfort and safety of being cared for and protected as well, finding a sense of peace in lowering his guard with you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Jaime's efforts in dating and relationship rituals can vary based on his mood, sometimes showing great enthusiasm and putting in a lot of thought and effort into planning dates or selecting gifts. But there are also times when he might be less engaged, perhaps feeling overwhelmed by his responsibilities or simply feeling less sentimental. However, when Jaime does commit to a task or a gesture, he tends to put his full focus and energy into it, valuing the importance of making an effort to show he cares. But he's also honest about his limitations and will not force himself if he's not in the right headspace.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

As with any character, Jaime has his fair share of flaws and bad habits. Some of his less desirable traits might include a tendency to be short-tempered and quick to anger, a habit of internalizing his emotions instead of communicating them, and a fear of vulnerability that causes him to push people away rather than letting them get too close. He may struggle with being honest about his feelings and can sometimes be brusque and rude in his interactions with others. Additionally, Jamie's past traumas and experiences have left him with a certain level of cynicism and bitterness that he needs to work on.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks? Do your looks bother them?)

Jaime's vanity is somewhat complex. Despite being a handsome and charismatic figure, he doesn't typically care much about his looks or spend a lot of time preening and primping. He's more concerned with being strong and skilled than he is about being attractive. However, he does take care of himself and his appearance, keeping himself clean and well-groomed, albeit in a straightforward and practical way. He might appreciate compliments about his looks, but he's not overly vain or self-absorbed in that regard. As long as he feels you're attracted to him, his appearance is not a concern.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Despite his tough exterior, Jaime has a deep fear of being alone and unloved. While he might not openly express it, he struggles with feelings of abandonment and isolation, and the thought of losing you can be a source of great anxiety for him. In his heart, he feels a sense of completion and peace when he's with you, and the thought of being without you would likely bring up feelings of emptiness and despair. So, while he might not admit it openly, deep down, Jaime craves the presence and love of someone like you, feeling a sense of wholeness when he's with you.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Jaime has a secret soft spot for playing with kittens and puppies. He finds their innocence and playful energy soothing, and is secretly quite fond of them. However, he’s reluctant to reveal his affection for them, fearing it might tarnish his tough, warrior image. So whenever he’s around puppies or kittens, he acts nonchalant, pretending he’s not really interested in them, but his eyes often give him away, revealing his secret adoration.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Jaime tends to be wary of overly emotional or clingy people, feeling unsettled by excessive displays of affection or neediness. He values a partner who can maintain a certain level of independence and self-sufficiency, someone who doesn't constantly need his reassurance or validation. He's not fond of people who are overly dramatic or prone to emotional outbursts, finding such behavior draining and unpractical. In general, Jaime appreciates practicality, stability, and a certain level of stoicism in his partner and may be put off by overly delicate or sensitive individuals.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs? Does it change around a partner?)

Jaime's sleep habits tend to be somewhat erratic, often reflecting his tumultuous emotions and the stresses of his life. When he's feeling particularly anxious or troubled, he has a habit of tossing and turning, struggling to find a comfortable sleep position. However, when he's with you, his sleep tends to be more restful and peaceful. He's able to relax and let go of his worries, curling up next to you, his arms holding you protectively. He finds a sense of comfort and security in your presence that allows him to sleep deeply and dreamlessly.

[littlemissaddict]

So I seem to have a thing for Steve lately, so apologies in advance for all the Steve pics coming your way.

Also this is a follow in from It Feels Like I'm Drowning With No One To Save Me which can be read here.

It happened again. She was currently laid staring at the ceiling of Steve's room, her eyes unfocused and heavy with sleep that would not come all the while Steve slept soundly beside her. She had tried over and over again to try and lull herself to sleep using the same tactic Steve had used the last time she'd stayed over but to no avail so it looked like she was going to have yet another sleepless night. Although in the stillness it did leave her time to wonder how Steve had even learned the meditation in the first place as it didn't seem like his type of thing.

And if anyone would know then she would as she'd known Steve for a long time, practically all her life considering their mother's had been very good friends. They'd always been close, even through his ‘King Steve’ phase where he'd made it clear that if anyone messed with her then they'd messed with him and he wouldn't think twice about making the rest of their time at school a living hell. And now they were dating, not that anyone was surprised when the two of them had made it public, so surely if meditation was something he did then she would know about it.

“You know you only have to ask” Steve's mumbled voice startles her away from her thoughts, his voice seeming so loud in the silence of the room.

She turns her head to find Steve, who was now on his side facing her. When had he turned over? She could have sworn he was facing away from her last time she'd glanced over at him but more importantly how had he moved without her realising? After all she was awake, laid in the same bed and yet she didn't hear the rustle of the sheets as he turned or felt the shift of his weight on the mattress either. Maybe she had fallen asleep for a little bit after all.

“Or I can just go back to sleep” he added after her silence which he took as a no.

She shook her head, a weak please leaving her lips.

A quiet laugh rumbled in his chest as he propped himself up on his arm, his other hand reaching over to brush gently against the soft skin of her cheek. The action was enough to have her eyes fluttering shut and a content hum echoing from her as she felt herself relax a little more into the bed as Steve's voice took on the same tone as it did last time as he started to try to talk her down.

Only that final thought of how he had come to learn this seemed stuck in the forefront of her mind and she was struggling to fully relax as she did last time. Steve seemed to notice as well, “What's going on in that mind of yours, huh?” He asked, voice still soft and holding no judgement or discontempt towards her for keeping him awake.

“It's nothing really, just curiosity I guess” she explained, not wanting him to worry that it was anything major like the last time. Steve hummed in acknowledgement, waiting for her to continue but in her own time, there was no rush to his actions as he began to brush his fingers softly up and down the bare skin of her arm more than content to just lay with her and listen to her talk. “Where did you learn this? Meditation” she adds just to clarify.

Steve's fingers are still in their movements, if only for a second before they start again. “Family Video” he says simply as if it explains everything, though it only leaves her with more questions and Steve so intune with her can tell. “It's mainly movies but there are some documentaries and sort of lifestyle stuff, it was a quiet morning and we thought we'd just kill some time” he starts and she settles in, the sound of his voice and knowing that her curiosity is going to be answered has her relaxing more than his earlier words had. “Robin had come across, well I don't know what it's actually called but she called it hippy shit and well we put it on just to see what it was like and I don't know, I wasn't actually expecting it to work last time I just figured we'd give it a go and if it didn't we'd laugh about it” he finishes with a shrug.

“But it did work” she replies, her voice just as soft as his, almost as neither of them wanted to pop the little bubble they had found themselves in.

“It did and I watched a few more, figured they'd help the both of us” he revealed and she knew what he meant without him having to go into detail.

She'd not been present within the group for the whole upside down episode of their lives, it was Steve's decision to keep her in the dark to protect her, but she knew about it. Steve having broken his nda after she'd asked about his scars multiple times. It was a wonder none of them had come out worse than they had. The kids, well they weren't really kids anymore, seemed to bounce back to normal but then again she hadn't known them before and she didn't see much of them as they were all away for college. She knew Eddie had almost lost his life and made it out due to the quick thinking of the others though it had been a long road to recovery for him. Then there was Steve, with his beautiful soul and his protective nature for her and his friends, he had moments where he'd be completely overwhelmed and panic would set in and she'd have to step in, remind him where he was, that he was safe, they all were.

“And does it?” She asked as she worried about him just as much as he worried about her.

He shrugged the best he could while still laid on his side, “haven't had to try it yet, I'm hoping I don't have to but it's comforting in a way to know that if it happens when your not here then I have something to try to avoid losing myself to the panic”

It's hard for her to hear him say it but she knows it's harder for him to be so vulnerable, even with. “You know maybe we should record each other talking through it so we're never truly without each other” not that they ever were considering they were practically attached at the hip.

“Yeah, you think that would help?”

“Well no one brings me more comfort than you so yeah I think it would help” she smiles softly, rolling over onto her side to face him and snaking an arm around his upper torso before burying her face in his chest with a deep sigh.

“Okay you got yourself a deal but now you've had your curiosity answered do you think you can sleep or do you want to try again” he asks, more than happy to stay awake just that little bit longer to watch the thoughts wash away from her as she relaxes and her mind quietens enough for her to finally get some sleep.

“I think I'm good now Stevie” she smiles sleepily at him, “I love you” she adds as she finally closes her eyes feeling the heaviness winning as she snuggles closer into him.

He can't help but smile back as he shakes his head at the nickname, “I love you too honey” he replies as he tries to settle down back to sleep with his love now content and wrapped in his arms.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Several Sentences Sunday

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

FANON FanFic: Buddie Multi-Chapter - Hiatus Reading: “I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Chapter 31 will be posted soon!

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

Currently 30 chapters completed: 1.331M Words; Rated: Mature

{Previous snippet}

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I'm excited to finish writing Chapter 31 because at the end of Chapter 30, after having a conversation with Captain Mehta and being asked to join another fire station, Buck decided he didn't want to accept the captain's job to run A-shift at the new #115 firehouse. Also, he was preparing to contact Bobby so they can talk about his future as a captain or lack thereof at the 118 even though Frank hasn't released him from trauma therapy yet. Eddie's back at work and he's more than 30% done with his Advanced Care Paramedic Certification while Chris' working on his 3rd video game presentation with his classmates that's due on Monday, March 4th.

The chapter ended with Buck and Chris being approached by a person from Buck's past and after he sent Chris to get help so he'd be safe, a second person who'd threatened him in the past appeared and they injected him with a drug but will help arrive before Buck's unable to be revived?

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Here’s more than a snippet from Chapter 31 of a conversation between Eddie, the 118, Maddie, Athena and Detective Romero.

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The 118 members who are sitting in the waiting area are telling Ravi and Demetrius stories about Buck when Athena, Detective Romero and two armed police officers exit one of the elevators and walk towards them.

Bobby stands and asks, “Athena, what are you and Detective Romero doing here?”

They walk over, she greets her husband along with the rest of them then says, “I’ll tell you in a moment but first, we need to know which room Buck's in?”

“He’s in room #3118 but what’s going on?”  Chimney asks with raised eyebrows.

“We need to talk to Eddie first then we’ll explain what’s going on.”  Athena replies as she walks towards Buck’s room.

After she makes it to the door, she knocks, Eddie and Maddie look towards that direction and they see Athena motioning for them to come out.

With wide eyes, they look at each other, then they stand up at the same time but before they prepare to leave, they both turn around and talk to Buck.

Maddie gently touches his hand and says, “We’ll be back soon.”

Eddie leans in and kisses Buck’s forehead and whispers into his ear, “Ti amo, amore mio.  Sempre e per sempre.” [“I love you, my love.  Always and forever.”]

They swiftly walk towards the door.

Once they exit and Eddie closes it, Athena says, “Listen, we’re not going to keep you because we know you want to get back inside but Eddie, this is Officer Gossett and this is Officer Rush, they’re going to be posted outside of Buck’s door for the duration of his stay and when he’s discharged… they’ll be assigned to stay at your residence too.”

Eddie’s taken aback but he raises his eyebrows and asks, “Why?  I don’t understand.”  

Detective Romero and Athena look at each other because they discussed this before they arrived.  She nods at him then he looks at all of them and admits, “After we viewed the store’s surveillance footage, we saw who approached Buck and Chris while they were inside of the store.”

They all gasp but no one immediately responds.

After a couple of seconds of silence, he asks, “Someone approached my husband and my son?  Who was it?”

“I have the same question as my brother-in-law.  Who was it?  And my second question is what were they trying to do?”  Maddie worriedly asks.

Detective Romero turns his department issued iPhone 13 Pro Max around and taps the play button to start the video footage.

They all start watching and after they see a man approach Chris, Chimney asks, “Wait a minute.  Is that…?”

“Yes, it’s Jonah Greenway.”  Detective Romero replies as he taps the pause button.

“But I don’t understand because he’s supposed to be in prison.”  Hen replies in a high-pitched tone.

Athena explains, “He was but due to all the new laws that have recently gone into effect like “The First Step Act”, “SB 1437”, “AB 2942” and “Other less Common Sentences – Reduction Options”, his lawyer got his sentence reduced and he ended up getting early parole for good behavior.  He’s been out for more than two weeks.”

Bobby frowns.  “I don’t understand.  Why didn’t anyone notify us?”

“Exactly because someone should have said something.  I mean Athena and Detective Romero, we know this isn’t on either of you but Jonah drugged me and he tried to kill Chimney.”  Hen frustratedly replies.

Athena and Rick look at each other then they shake their heads in disbelief.

A few seconds later, Athena finally says, “You’re right Hen, someone should have once he was released but they didn’t.  It’s our overworked and overcrowded legal system and sometimes things like this fall through the cracks.  We were informed he has a parole officer but that’s all the information we could get on such short notice.”

Eddie’s listening to them but right now, he’s more concerned with trying to determine what happened between Buck and Jonah and he wants to know why there are two armed police officers standing outside of his husband’s hospital room.

When everyone else returns their attention to Detective Romero, he taps play and says, “As you can see, Jonah approached Chris first and Buck stepped in between them.  Since there’s no audio, we figured Buck told Chris to go get help and after he walks away, they get in each other’s faces.”

Eddie gasps because after he returned to the 118, Hen, Chimney and Bobby told him everything that happened with Jonah including the things he did to Chimney and Hen.  Since Jonah was after them instead of Buck, he can’t figure out why he approached his family while they were innocently shopping in Super Target.

Athena explains, “Buck and Jonah can be seen arguing for several minutes.”

Detective Romero fast forwards the video then he lets it play.

Once Eddie sees what’s happening, his breath catches in his throat and his eyes widen when Lucy walks around the corner and she stands next to Jonah.

“Holy shit!  Is that…”  Chimney asks.

He doesn’t get the chance to finish his question because Athena interjects.  “Yes!  That’s Lucy Donato!”

Maddie furrows her eyebrows and asks, “But she was indicted, right?  I mean we all heard her threaten to kill Buck in open court.  What is she doing out of jail?”

“The thing is… she was indicted but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her so the grand jury issued a “no bill” and she was let go.”  Detective Romero responds.

Hen asks, “But… I don’t understand.  Why did Lucy and Jonah approach Buck?”

While they’re all talking and trying to determine the answer, Eddie keeps looking at the video and once he sees Lucy raise her hand and quickly put it over Buck’s shoulder and press down, he tilts his head to the side.  He can tell she did something but it happens so quickly, he needs to see it again.

“Can you rewind it please?”

After he asks, everyone stops talking and refocuses their attention on the video.

“Sure.”

“Stop!  Do you all see that?”

Hen asks, “What is she doing?”

“It looks like she just injected him with something because as soon as she moves her hand, you can see Buck say “Ow” then he leans over a little and puts his hand on his shoulder.”  Eddie loudly exclaims.

What were Eddie and Maddie discussing before Athena knocked on Buck's hospital room door? 👀

Now that everyone’s viewed the video and they've seen what happened to Buck, will the doctors be able to determine what Buck was injected with before it’s too late? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Will the police officers standing in front of Buck’s hospital room be there long? 🙃

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Fic Summary: Months after Buck and Eddie were hit by the same lightning strike; they’re still struggling with the aftermath of it.  But before they make their love confessions, they’ll spend time getting to know themselves as individuals first. Eddie learns to enjoy the simple things in life as he participates in activities on his own and with new friends while Buck learns the rest of the 31-year-old deep dark family secret about his conception and birth. Their journey to forever is still a work in progress but once they finally admit they’re in love with each other, everything that follows their love confessions will be cataclysmic.

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Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Eddie makes a new friend while Buck receives devastating news regarding the sperm donation he made for Connor and Kameron.

Chapter 2 - Buck does a lot of research to learn more about the abnormalities found in his red blood cells and Eddie starts a new therapy journey that’s all about him and not the traumas he’s experienced.

Chapter 3 - After more than a month, Buck and Eddie finally spend time together outside of work but it doesn’t end well and they part with a lot of uncertainty regarding their places in each other’s lives.

Chapter 4 - Eddie has a few realizations about his life which causes him to consider moving back to El Paso, TX while Buck continues to be reminded of his past which causes him to take an impromptu road trip across America.

Chapter 5 - Both Buck and Eddie have difficult conversations with their parents and Buck finally learns the truth behind the reason why his mother despised him while Eddie finally tells his mother about the way she tries to control him.

Chapter 6 - More than two weeks after Buck pushed Eddie away after suggesting they needed a break; Eddie decides to try again. Eddie’s there for Buck when he’s at his worst just like Buck was there for him when he was at his worst and he won’t let Buck give up.

Chapter 7 - After Buck’s mental breakdown, Eddie has his back the same way Buck had his when he had his own breakdown more than a year ago.  They share several vulnerable and emotionally intimate moments with one another and they begin to realize their small, sweet and caring gestures matter just as much if not more than any grand gesture ever could because these are the foundations of a long-lasting love relationship.

Chapter 8 - Buck, Eddie and Chris all have their own therapists and during their sessions, they reflect on their pasts while they’re in the present so they can prepare for their future together as a family.

Chapter 9 - Buck and Eddie are there for each other when Buck has to testify as a witness during the trial.  But by the end of it, they’ll both realize their individual and shared traumas are going to keep resurfacing until they talk about them, deal with the fact that they’re in love with one another and face the fact that they can’t live without each other.

Chapter 10 - As Buck and Eddie finally begin to confront their past traumas, they realize how much they need each other to fill in the gaps of their memories.  Additionally, the universe screams at them for what appears to be the one hundredth time so Buck can realize he doesn’t have to ‘find it’ because he already ‘made it’ and Eddie’s reminded tomorrow isn’t promised and he doesn’t have to die alone if he doesn’t want to.

Chapter 11 - A “virga” or dry thunderstorm is in the forecast but once the rain starts, the thunderstorm happening outside won’t be able to match the storm brewing inside between Buck and Eddie.  It’s the universe’s final scream and when the tumultuous winds begin to blow, they’ll have one last chance to hold onto everything they’ve built over the last six years or they’ll lose it all forever.

Chapter 12 - Buck and Eddie have always shared a deep physical attraction and an emotional intimacy that’s unmatched but now that they’re in a relationship, they’re learning how to navigate the romantic intimacy they’ve been waiting for six years to explore. The love they have for each other is a once in a lifetime, soulmate, love of their lives type of love that transcends space and time.

Chapter 13 - While navigating the newness of their romantic relationship, Buck and Eddie take advantage of every moment they spend together. As their individual lives, people from their pasts, time constraints and the possibility of losing each other again make attempts to interrupt and interfere with their journey to forever, they love, care for, support and hold onto each other even tighter to withstand it all.

Chapter 14 - Buck and Eddie can see the lights at the end of the tunnels regarding the results of Buck’s Cancer Screening along with everything else they’re dealing with. But are the lights they see exits to the tunnels or are they headlights on different runaway trains that are speeding towards them in an effort to interrupt their forever?

Chapter 15 - Buck and Eddie have known they were exactly who the other one wanted in a partner since they met six years ago when they agreed to have each other’s backs. They’re in a romantic relationship, they’re both preparing to ask the other one to spend forever with them and by the end of the seventh week into their relationship, together they will plan their most important and greatest adventure for their future.

Chapter 16 - As Buck and Eddie begin to prepare for their marriage ceremony that will take place in Rome, Italy in December 2023, they start planning their first international adventure as a romantic couple. Even though Chris is still the only person they’ve told about their relationship, several people who know them have already witnessed the love they share and as the days continue, others will witness it too.

Chapter 17 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to departing Los Angeles for their international adventure, a moment in time will remind them; life is fragile, tomorrow isn’t promised and every second of everyday should be cherished because everything can change in an instant. The result of that realization will cause them to hold onto each other even more.

Chapter 18 - As Buck, Eddie and Chris prepare for family gatherings before and during the Thanksgiving holiday, the “Santa Ana Winds” start to blow and all sorts of expected and unexpected familial drama ensues.

Chapter 19 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to their wedding day, the universe begins to align everything so that some of their parent and children's relationships are strengthened while others come to an abrupt end.

Chapter 20 - With only 14 days remaining until Buck, Eddie and Chris depart Los Angeles, CA traveling to Rome, Italy, for their first family adventure, an early morning conversation about “tying up loose ends” helps Buck and Eddie realize there are still several things left unfinished on their ‘To Do’ lists. The question is will there be enough time to complete all of them?

Chapter 21 - Buck, Eddie and Chris are finalizing their ‘To Do’ Lists, double checking their itineraries and packing their suitcases in preparation for their trip to Europe so they can board their flight that departs Los Angeles, CA on Friday, December 15, 2023 at 3:25PM.

Chapter 22 - While Buck, Eddie and Chris spend the first 8 days of their European family adventure in Italy, their primary reason for going will be fulfilled as well as several others they hadn’t considered or anticipated.

Chapter 23 - As the Diaz Family continues their Italian family adventure, they’ll say, “Ciao” or hello and goodbye to a lot of things almost immediately after they become an official and legal family.

Chapter 24 - After Buck, Eddie and Chris arrive in London, England on December 24th; the Diazes immediately start preparing to spend their first family Christmas together. During their stay, each of them will hear a few choice words that will be the life raft to get them home to complete their searches to be seen and to be found.

Chapter 25 - After spending more than two weeks in Europe, Eddie, Buck and Chris are back in Los Angeles and they’re getting ready to attend Maddie and Chimney’s New Year’s Eve party. During the event, they have plans to make two surprise announcements but the question is, who’s really going to be surprised, the Diaz family or their found family at the 118?

Chapter 26 - Buck and Eddie are once again faced with their greatest fear of losing each other but this time it could be permanent and if it is, then they won’t be able to spend the rest of their lives together.

Chapter 27 - After Buck resumes therapy, he’ll continue to face the fact that he “DIED” in March 2023 and during those sessions, he’ll learn about the 7 stages of grief. As he continues his healing journey, Eddie will be right by his side just like he promised and the Diaz family will start to deal with their three minutes and seventeen seconds loss as a family.

Chapter 28 - Two years ago, Eddie was asked, “What are you afraid of?”; twice, once by Frank and once by Buck but he only answered one of them without deflecting. Since that time, he’s been to therapy and him and Buck got married but the question resurfaces when Frank asks Buck the same question and Buck asks it of Eddie for the second time. However, when Buck asks, his reasoning will be about something else entirely.

Chapter 29 - After Buck and Eddie have an emotionally intimate conversation regarding their dreams, they make several decisions that will affect their future. When everything falls into place, they’ll realize one of those decisions will result in them no longer being work partners.

Chapter 30 - In 2018, Buck and Eddie met at the 118 and after some initial apprehensions on Buck’s part, they became work partners and they agreed to have each other’s backs. It’s been more than 6 ½ years, a lot’s happened, they got married in December 2023 and they have the family they both chose. With Eddie leaving the 118 in 3 months and Buck getting closer to moving past his grief, what will him losing his work partner mean for him?

Chapter 31 - Will be posted soon.

__________

Read chapters 1-30 are available on AO3.

Continue reading on AO3

[kosmicdream]

I got this ask on curiouscat but.. the site wont let me post my reply?? so i just decided to put it here since i dont get a lot of questions these days. so i like to answer them when i actually have something more to say. this one also went kinda off topic but w/e.

==

Q: How do you keep the motivation to work on all your long comics? I always start and then abandon a project cause another distracts me or I feel unsatisfied with the result... I admire your commitment so much!

===

Aw, thank you! I really appreciate it. But don’t get too discouraged.. I get distracted too! I currently have 9 ongoing comic projects with 2 more i eagerly want to start drawing, and at least a dozen concepts on the backburner that have been around for sometimes over a decade. I think that what I’ve found, is that starting a new comic takes so much time. It takes a lot of time to get a story really rolling, time to learn how to draw the story how you want and in a weird way - having a longer comic you’ve had more experience with, you can pull a lot more things from. I generally find that FFAK and NRD are much easier comics for me to work on because of all those years of experience with them. But it still can get demoralizing if i focus too much on the faults or how long I still have to go. Sometimes its easy to feel that readers have lost interest and moved on, or its just not as good as you wanted it to be, ect. If you look for reasons like that, reasons to demotivate you, you’ll find them in spades.So i try my best to NOT do that, because working on a comic is hard enough.

In a weird way, when i sometimes find myself in the pit of struggles like this - i realize every author ive ever read has been in the same shoes as me. There is no artist that just magically has it easier and never runs into some challenges like this, some challenges can never be overcome because they’re part of the experience of making the project. There’s limitations involved and things change overtime. You won’t always have the same experience with the same story as you make it, or the same feelings involved. Sometimes that's really hard to let go of, if you feel the earlier years were so much better than the struggles you have now. I know I faced that hurdle with FFAK and I am currently going through that with NRD, but even the harder times do change too. It never gets easy to make a comic, but it changes. 

With FFAK, i don’t honestly know how I will finish the complete story. I often struggle too, especially with the third (final) arc, if it really is good enough. In a way, a lot of places of it feel incomplete and rushed, so I tend to worry a lot about how that will go. However, I never thought i’d have a comic like FFAK in the first place, so i feel really lucky to have made it this far at all. Endings do scare me, as there’s just so much pressure involved to deliver and even reach it at all, that it feels almost like an impossible fantasy to pull off in a satisfying manner to yourself or the readers. However, I do think I’ve gotten more excited to reach endings than I used to be even a couple years ago, and I have gotten more forgiving of myself for not being perfect at it. No matter what I manage to make, I’m going to have my own critiques of it because there’s improvements to be made in all aspects of the story. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can actually do so I can learn from it and be more confident in the future. 

FFAK also has such a huge cast, it can be a technical nightmare to figure out. I dont envy authors like GRRM that have a seemingly endless cast to deal with. I already have so much of my hands full with what is essentially one family. And I know for my other comics that I’ve made, the cast has never gotten as out of hand as FFAK’s. But I dont mind having FFAK be like this, because it has been part of my enjoyment of writing the story too. FFAK is generally very motivating because I always have something I’m excited to share about it, and every small progress is a big reward for me. I’ve put a lot of years of work into ARC2 and i am desperate to get to share it with everyone, so I hope readers will enjoy what is to come for the future of the story even though it already is a decade old at this point.

[the-dancing-coeurl]

Mayqo'te- Clan

E'venna and her family never grew up with the E Tribe apart from her mother, E'shaya. Wanting more from her life, E'shaya ran away as a teenager and found herself working for and eventually falling in love with a Miqo'te merchant trying to make a name for himself in Ul'dah: N'zekiel Tia. While never officially wed, the two did have several children together before N'zekiel tragically was captured by Amalj'aa and tempered by the Primal Ifrit before the birth of the triplets. E'venna and her four younger siblings always very close and fiercely protective of one another. Mayqo'te prompt list I'm following can be found here

From left to right, the family is as follows:

E'talia Zekiel (16)- The "oldest" of the three triplets and the most abrasive. With the family still struggling on occasion to make ends meet, her self imposed guilt over her family's living situation has turned her outlook on life to be bitter. She constantly is trying to join the Brass Blades to try and "take care of herself" but is always stopped by someone else in the family.

E'shaya Vant (48)- The widowed mother of the five, working as a waitress in the Quicksands of Ul'dah. Calm and warm to everyone around her, she is quite a popular member of the establishment's staff. She works long hours and while she will say otherwise, she is beyond grateful for the help E'bana and E'venna put in to helping give Talia, Kalia, and Nalia better lives.

E'kalia Zekiel (16)- The "second" of the triplets. Smart, quiet, and polite, compared to her sisters Kalia is much more introverted, preferring the company of a book more than a person. The fastest to learn how to read and fascinated by the sciences she had read, she is currently apprenticing in the Alchemist's Guild.

E'nalia Zekiel (16)- The "youngest" of the triplet sisters and the most outgoing. Nalia is friendly, excitable, and hates being told no. She is currently just drifting through life in between her education courses the family is paying her and the other two to attend, but currently she has dreams of becoming an explorer of the ruins dotting Thanalan.

E'bana Tia (22)- The only boy amongst the children, and according to E'shaya the most like his late father. Meek and soft spoken, he was always a timid boy. But, when his father died he took to trying to be more assertive and a positive role model to his new younger siblings. Currently he is employed by the Miner's Guild and takes any opportunity he can get for more work experience and better pay, even if it keeps him away from his family for longer periods of time.

E'venna Zekiel (25)- The eldest sibling and the one the other four all look up to. A very responsible and unwaveringly optimistic young woman, Venna tries her absolute hardest to see the good in everything in her life. While she did push herself to become more mature for her siblings' sake she never forced herself to "grow up" any faster. Wide eyed and loving life, she is currently a competitor in Ul'dah's gladiator fights, being popular enough to earn the ring name "The Dancing Coeurl" by her small but devoted fanbase. Her family all collectively wish she would stop risking her body in these fights but beyond the pay, deep down Venna loves the adrenaline rush that these matches give her.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

"What kind of question is that???"

16. "What kind of question is that???"

((ficlet prompts here - still accepting!!))

--

Magnus was- nervous. Which, in and of itself, was pretty unusual. He couldn't be Magnus "rushes in" Burnsides if he was nervous all the time. That was more of Barry's job. Maybe Davenport, if Magnus was being real honest about it. But nevertheless, here he was; nervous, kind of sweaty, and overthinking.

It was a silly thing to be nervous about. Well, maybe it wasn't, but Magnus sure did feel silly thinking about it. Like, he felt like he should know all of this by now. They had been on this mission, what? Seven years now? He should have been at the top of his game. On high alert, super smart, super tuned in, and all that. And it wasn't his fault if he zoned out during meetings, because he really did try to focus, they just didn't… make sense. At all. Like, Lup or Barry, or Davenport would say all these fancy high-tech words and Magnus would nod along like he got it, but, uh. He did not, in fact, get it. At all.

But asking Davenport felt embarrassing. And asking Barry maybe felt even more embarrassing, considering Barry always wrapped up his part with "any questions?" and Magnus literally never said anything. Lucretia would be his next best bet, but she was currently recovering from an Infernal Spectre-related injury (turns out ghosts can hit hard) and Magnus didn't want to bother her. Merle, he was pretty sure, understood about as much as it as Magnus did but was much better at hiding it or playing along or whatever.

Both Taako and Lup would probably make fun of him. But Lup would be nicer about it and Magnus had no other sources to turn to so, again, here he was.

It was late enough in the day that everyone was back aboard the ship. After the aforementioned Infernal Spectre incident, Davenport had set a rule to have everyone back in an hour or so before it got dark, just to be safe. The sun on this plane set around four PM and stayed dark until around seven AM. It was currently around six.

He could hear Lucretia laughing from her room- Merle had said something about a "cheer-up party" and dragged Davenport into it. Last he saw them, Merle was painting a clown face onto Davenport and Magnus hadn't stuck around to see how that played out. Barry was either in the lab or in the quarters Magnus and he shared, doing some technical bullshit or notes or whatever. They had gotten the Light this cycle and Magnus had gotten back into the grove of not waking up every time Barry left or entered their room for something. Lup and Taako resided in the kitchen, which Magnus was currently standing in front of.

It smelled really good, at least. Which gave Magnus no clue on how receptive Lup might be feeling right now, because it always smelled good. But he had learned to expect the worse anytime madeleines entered the scene, so he was hoping there weren't any of those.

Confidence. He needed confidence. It was like approaching a black bear, except the black bear was an elf, and the elf remembered that time in cycle four when you ate the skin of a banana because no one had ever told you that you weren't supposed to. Confidence. He could do this. Just gotta… admit he didn't understand a thing that had been happening for seven years.

He couldn't do this.

He turned to leave, but the door to the kitchen opened anyway. And there was Taako, apron on, eyebrows raised.

"You gonna come in, homie, or you just gonna stand there?" he asked.

Elf ears. Right. Fuck. Now he felt awkward about it.

"I was, uhm, I was gonna ask Lup about a. Thing."

"A thing," Taako repeated.

"Yeah," Magnus said. Normal, he was normal. He was so regular. "Just like, a science question."

"A science question," Taako said.

"Yep," Magnus said. "So if I could just, uh, talk to Lup-"

"What's the question?" Taako said, leaning against the doorframe. Magnus tried to peer past him into the kitchen, but Taako's wizard hat was too big to see around. Taako was looking at him expectantly.

"I mean, if I could ask Lup-"

"She's busy," Taako said. And then, again, "what's the question?"

"I was just, uhm- I just-" Words. Words, words, words. It was normal to admit you didn't know something. It made you strong. That's what his stepmom had always said, anyway. He knew Taako. It was fine. He was fine. "Y'know the meeting we had yesterday where we were talking about, how the Light worked and, uhm, why the Hunger wanted to eat it or whatever?"

"Mh-hm," Taako said.

"Well, uhhh, I… didn't… understand that," Magnus said. Gods, he hated this. "At all. I mean, I got that the Hunger wants to have it, but not really why? Like, there were a lot of percentages and shit and I figured- I mean, I was gonna ask Barry, but he was busy, and then I was gonna ask Luce, but, y'know-"

"Spectre," Taako said knowingly, nodding his head.

"Yeah," Magnus said. "So I figured maybe Lup, or- I mean, you! Maybe! But I didn't wanna bother you or anything and, uh, I thought maybe-" Magnus faltered, stumbling to a finish. Taako had held his hand up to make him stop talking.

"So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're question is: 'what the fuck is happening with the Light?'" Taako said.

"Uhm," Magnus said. "I mean, that- like I know it sounds stupid, but yeah."

"Nah," Taako said. "I get it. Come in."

He stepped aside, letting Magnus come in.

"Lup… isn't in here," Magnus said.

"Nah," Taako said again. "She's doing some nerd shit with Barry in the lab. Sit up there and lemme grab my notepad so I can, uh- so I can draw it out for you. That helps me sometimes."

Magnus sat at the kitchen counter, feeling weirdly cared for. By Taako, of all people. Not saying that Taako was mean- well, yeah, he was sometimes, but so was Lup, so Magnus didn't really know what to expect anymore. But he certainly didn't think he'd end up here.

"Chocolate eclair?" Taako said, passing one to him on a plate. More were on the counters. He seemed like he was halfway through pipping the frosting into them. Magnus didn't know what a chocolate eclair meant, emotion-wise, but it was probably okay since Taako was now rummaging through a drawer for a notepad.

Magnus took a bite as Taako returned, clicking a pen open.

"D'you not get any of it, or just certain parts?" Taako asked. "'Cus I'm not the science one here but I know my fair share of sciencey shit. You don't get a Ph.D. in physics for nothing, right?"

"You got a Ph.D. in physics??" Magnus said through a mouth full of eclair.

"Uh, duh," Taako said. "What the hell kinda question is that? You think magic is all first-grade math, Magnus? Like, cha'boy worked hard for this shit, I'm not gonna let anyone forget it 'cus the Hunger ate the university or whatever." A pause. "Though, considering you're the guy who ate an entire fucking banana peel, I'm not too sure on how you think whatsoever."

Was an eclair worth this, or should he just go get Lup? Magnus took another bite, considering.

….yeah, okay, it was worth it.

[sweettoothvn]

Andre nsfw alphabet?

Well isn't this convenient~?

NSFW Undercut

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He refuses to leave your side- unless you need something of course. He'll be pretty anxious afterwards too, constantly trying to make sure you're okay and that he didn't hurt you or go too far. Just know that Pepper might barge in afterwards, upset she didn't get attention for an hour (or a few hours- really depends). So you get Andre kisses and puppy kisses.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He's a breast guy. It doesn't matter if you have a masculine chest, feminine chest, if you're flat or chest heavy- he just loves that region so much. Now his favorite part of his own body would be his ass, he makes sure it looks nice. But generally he's pretty confident with his entire body.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Because he's half Umbran, his cum is going to be purple. Similar to ectoplasm. Same with his saliva and blood.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He has a few sex machines he's made in the past. Either he's too flustered to try them out on himself- or he's too flustered to ask someone to try them out.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He's a virgin. He doesn't know what he's doing at all. He might have received tips from Kieran- or read a few smut novels (courtesy of Zach) but he doesn't know what to do.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He's mostly a bottom so he prefers positions where his partner is riding him (wink). However if he's topping, you can't go wrong with a good old fashioned missionary.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He's pretty serious considering this is supposed to be an intimate moment between the two of you. However if you laugh, he wont be able to help it and join in. If anything this would help him relax.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He's pretty well groomed- however when he's older he lets loose and allows hair to grow on his chest. Currently though, his chest is shaved. Other than that he has hair on his arms and legs along with some down there. not too much though.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Huge sucker for romance. The amount of romcoms he's consumed should be considered unhealthy. However he puts his knowledge to good use and makes sure to learn as much about his partner's likes and dislikes. He's very observant with their small quirks and what makes them uncomfortable. Dates are very common, if not once or twice a week. in public or private, it doesn't matter. He wants to spend so much time with you and show how much he loves you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

You'll probably catch him in the shower doing it, hoping that the sound of the rushing water will mask what he's actually doing.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Monster fucking, breeding kink, masochism (he's the masochist), bondage (on him), Robots/Androids, Tentacles, Pegging, Mommy/Daddy. He's mostly a bottom but when he tops he's a soft dom. He praises his partner a lot. If his partner is really horny/desperate he'll be a brat. He likes some pet play and master/servant- usually if he's the servant though. He loves orgasm denial and overstimulation, usually on him but he doesnt mind doing it to his partner.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He prefers to be at home. Only he should be able to witness you in this state. No one else.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Well he prefers his partner to be pretty forceful and demanding. He doesn't mind if they get handsy- maybe not in public though. He doesnt take breaks so he's constantly stressed from work. If you propose a break, be prepared to fight him (playfully) on it. If anything just be prepared to take him in his work room. But hey. That pent up stress lets him have loootttssss of time to work it off ;)

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Unsanitary kinks, degradation, food play, public humiliation, exhibitionism, voyeurism (unless he's in a poly)

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers giving oral since he's scared his partner will choke and die on his dick. Plus it helps that he doesnt have a gag reflex.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He's very gentle and sensual, making sure that you're comfortable and that it feels good.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He doesn't like quickies as it doesnt give him enough time to enjoy it. However if you really need it... he just can't say no to you.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He's open to experimentation but you need to be very careful if its something that could hurt you. He can get pretty anxious quickly about your safety.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Considering all that pent up stress? He can go for hours. Of course during your first few times it might a bit fast but that's cause he's new to this.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He definitely owns toys. Has he used them? No. They sit in a storage closet with his other sex machines that he is too embarrassed to use. Once his partner discovers them on accident is when he uses them. If they're up for it of course.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He doesn't tend to tease- unless he's wanting to be a brat cause his partner really wants to fuck. But it's not hard to break him either so teasing wont last very long.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Depends on what you guys are doing. If you're pegging him, he can be loud. If you're riding him then he can be quiet or loud. Also depends on if you've gagged him or not.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

10 inches. I will say no more.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Lots of moles and a few freckles, maybe a few scratches and scars from yard work or accidents. Some sun spots here and there.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

It's a bit high but not on the extreme end. He doesnt give into his desires a lot as he wants to work most of the time so he doesnt really relieve himself. Maybe you could help him with that..?

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

If you guys have gone one round or two it will be a while before he passes out. If you're gone hours upon hours, sleeping isnt very hard for him.

[edenityy]

( chapter two ! )

"I don't believe this is a good idea, Elizabeth.."

Watching as her friend speeds around past her, Leah tries to coax the blonde out of decorating Ciel's manor. The pink and frilly decorations litter every corner her eyes can see, a stark contrast from the usual darker tones of the Phantomhive Manor.

This isn't what the Mason girl had thought her day would consist of when Elizabeth asked her to tag along to a 'party', so you can only imagine her horror when the carriage pulled up to her fiancés home. Then when she learned that Ciel himself wasn't even home, it only worsened the feeling of potentially upsetting the boy.

Since Leah and Elizabeth's arrival, the more rational of the two have spent their entire time trying to coax the hyper girl out of her shenanigans to no avail. In such a situation, there is little Leah can do to fix it. If she takes down the decorations, Elizabeth will cry, but if she lets it happen, Ciel is likely to be upset as well. No one wins in this scenario.

"Don't be silly, Leah! Surely Ciel will love this!" Elizabeth chimes, placing hats on the servant's heads.

"I must disagree!" Leah grabs ahold of Elizabeth's arm, a soft attempt to prevent the girl from continuing.

"I'm just making Ciel's manor even cuter!" With a happy squeal, Elizabeth removes herself from Leah's grip.

A defeated sigh leaves the Barrett girl, giving up and allowing Elizabeth to continue her reign of terror. Busy in her head, she barely notices the sounds of the servants 'welcoming' home Ciel to disaster.

"These ribbons are good, too." Elizabeth starts, "But these satin roses are the cutest!"

Pulled out of her thoughts, Leah turns her attention back to her friend, deadpanning when she notices Tanaka in a wig.

"I hesitated a little but like I thought, you wearing that is totally adorable!" The shrillness of Elizabeth's voice hits Leah like a bullet, all hope out the window, "You look like Antoinette!"

"Is that so?" Tanaka responds, giving one of his signature laughs.

Letting a giggle escape her at the sight of the older man in a wig and frilly clothes, Leah fails to recognize the sound of her fiancé making his presence known. Or Elizabeth making it known.

"Ciel! I wanted to see you!" Elizabeth rushes towards Ciel, enveloping him in a tight squeeze.

"E.. Elizabeth!" Ciel stammers in surprise.

In the back of the cousins, Leah stands with an uneasy smile on her face. For the past hour, she had been making failed attempts to make her friend stop her antics before Ciel returned home. Now it's a little late for that.

"I tried to stop her.." Leah shakes her head in dismay, trying to disassociate herself from Elizabeth's decisions.

"No, no, no! Call me Lizzie! Aren't I always saying that?!" Elizabeth continues to squeeze Ciel as hard as she can, "Just as I thought, no matter how many times I look at you, you're the cutest!"

Standing awkwardly to the side, Leah tries to give Ciel smiles of encouragement. She knows how hard Elizabeth can hug, it is just her manner of showing love. It can be hard to recognize that as your first thought when she is squeezing you to death and practically shaking you around.

"Ahem.. Miss Elizabeth.." Sebastian starts, losing Leah's attention.

Making her way to her fiancé, who is now on the floor, she leans down in an attempt to get a look at his face. Ciel is currently standing hunched over, and what looks to be faintly shaking which strikes a small worry in Leah.

"Are you alright?" Leah asks before her attention is swiftly pulled away to the servants holding back laughter.

Turning back in Sebastian's direction, Leah notices the ridiculous hat adorning his head. Just beside her, she can hear Ciel beginning to chuckle, sparking giggles on her own.

"Ahh! It's so cute!" Elizabeth squeals, hands clasped together, "You're always wearing black, so I thought those colors would be good!"

Biting down on her bottom lip, Leah covers her mouth with her right hand in a feeble attempt to hide her laughter. The look Sebastian sends the servants is certainly one that would scare her on an average day, but with the addition of his hat, she just can't take him seriously.

"Regard for the things I wear, that sort of regard for me.. it is a great honor." Sebastian places a hand on his chest, mustering up one of his best fake smiles.

"More importantly, Lizzie," Ciel starts with a clear of his throat, "Why are you here? What about Auntie?"

"I wanted to see you so I rushed out in secret and came here!" Elizabeth cheerfully says, bringing herself closer to Ciel, "I brought Leah along with me for more fun!"

An awkward wave leaves the Barrett girl, still not wanting any part in the blame for this.

"Only Thomas knows I left.. so don't mention this visit to my father! He'll be very displeased to know I'm missing my Latin lessons." Leah smiles with shame at her words, recalling her morning.

— ౨ৎ —

Flipping the pages of her book, Leah sat in the armchair, harboring a bored expression across her face. One of the last things she wanted to do was spend her morning reading 'How to be a Proper Lady', but that is what she had at arms reach.

The sound of the door opening had drawn her out of her thoughts, glancing up to be met with the sight of Thomas. Out of all the people she would have wanted to see, Thomas was not one of them.

"What do you want? Go away." Leah waved her hand in the direction of the door, trying to make the butler leave.

"Lady Elizabeth is at the door, she would like to speak with you," Thomas spoke with a monotonous tone, head lowered so some of his blonde hair covered his eyes.

Blinking in shock, Leah tilted her head at the announcement of her friend's arrival. What could Elizabeth possibly be doing here?

"Well then, take me to her," Leah demanded, hand on her hip.

Shutting the book and leaving it to lay alone on the seat, Leah followed after Thomas who stopped for only a few moments to allow her to catch up. Walking briskly, the teen barely acknowledges the butler walking alongside her in their silence through the halls.

Leading up to the front door, Leah noticed the cheerful blonde talking off the ear of one of her maids. Sighing in hidden irritation, mixed with some surprise, she stepped closer to her friend and prepared herself for interaction.

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here?" Leah asked, walking with a tilt of her head before stopping in front of her.

"I'm going to visit Ciel! I'd like for you to come with me." Elizabeth smiled joyfully, grabbing Leah's hands in her own.

A smile of pity worked its way onto Leah's face, paired with a slow shake of her head at her cheerful friend's words. If she was to leave now, she would upset her governess and get into trouble with her parents.

"Oh but Elizabeth, I'm expected to begin my Latin lessons within the hour.. then poetry, and in the evening I'll be practicing with my sword." Leah pouted and squeezed Elizabeth's hands with her own.

The blonde teen glowered at this information, holding Leah's hands tighter which pulled a strained gasp from her end. Forcing a cheery smile onto her face, it became a real one when Elizabeth started to shake her head with a voice of laughter.

"You're always telling me about how you can't stand poetry! There is no harm in just missing one lesson! I left in secret." Elizabeth sang, not hearing the reality of her words.

"You left in secret?! And you're dragging me into this?!" Leah gaped, not wanting anything to do with this situation. If Elizabeth's mother happened to come by looking for her, she didn't want to take the fall for having her friend in her home.

"No one has to know! Won't you come with me? Please?" Begs left the girl clad in pink, pressing her face close to the taller of the two.

Opening and closing her mouth in the manner of a fish, Leah did not know how to respond. If she says yes, she will face repercussions when she returns home. Yet if she tells Elizabeth no, she will whine and cry, likely to make Leah feel guilty about it. Turning around to face her silent butler, she squinted her eyes at him before she spoke.

"I'll be taking my leave, Thomas. Don't tell a soul about this." Leah used a hushed tone as if she believed someone was listening in on the conversation.

"My Lady, I must advise you that this is not your brightest idea. When Governess Catherine is to find you are missing for your lessons, she will certainly be upset and inform the Lord and Lady of the house." Thomas attempted to intervene, looking down at the two teenagers planning their escape.

With a scowl on her face, Leah rolled her eyes and turned her head away from the man. How dare he say such a thing to me. Pulling her hands from Elizabeth, she took slow steps in the direction of the door, not bothering to look over her shoulder.

"If anyone is to ask for me, tell them I am sick," Leah stated, gesturing for Elizabeth to follow her who was now squealing in happiness.

Watching from the open doorway, Thomas couldn't bring himself to react. It was not the first time Leah has done such a thing and it definitely won't be the last.

"That girl.. she just creates more work for me."

— ౨ৎ —

"In secret?" Ciel begins to sweat, "What were you thinking..?"

Leah forces a smile, ignoring how her friend is all over her fiancé. She cannot blame her though, he is still her cousin. Or perhaps it's the fact that Leah has never been one to consider the emotions of those she doesn't deem her 'favorites'. The girl also fails to notice the servants behind her in dismay at the news of Elizabeth being Ciel's previous fiancé.

"If you two left without saying anything, then your parents must be worried. Sebastian contact—" Ciel's sentence is cut short when he is grabbed by the back of his coat.

"Ciel! Come here!" Elizabeth forcibly drags her cousin into the ballroom, "Look, look! I made the ballroom cute too, didn't I!"

Both Leah and Ciel are looking around with perturbation, despite Leah having seen the decorations being set up herself. The once bland ballroom is now filled with large bows, silks, and toys. Just by first glance, you can tell who entered the room, almost as if Elizabeth has a special signature.

"How did you manage to get the stuffed animals all the way up on the chandelier?" Unable to take her eyes away from the piece on the ceiling, Leah truly wonders how Elizabeth is capable of such things.

"Hey Ciel, since it took a lot of work to make the ballroom like this," Elizabeth starts, hands clasped together with the brightest of smiles, "Let's have a dance party today!"

'I'll dance with my cousin as an escort!' Elizabeth squeals once more, much to Leah's dismay.

"Wha.." Ciel trails off with a twitch to his eye, a look of irritation clear as day.

"Wear the clothes I picked for you, Ciel! You too, Leah!" Elizabeth sings, "I think it'll definitely be cute!"

The pair beside Elizabeth try to sway her mind to no avail, it was almost as if talking to a wall.

"Hey, who said it was fine!"

"Elizabeth, I think you should listen to Ciel.."

Despite the efforts of the two, Elizabeth is quick to scurry off in her world of thoughts. The blonde runs off, leaving a trail of happy noises for those to follow. Honestly, who would?

"Listen to what.. Hey!" Ciel exclaims, "Listen to what people are saying!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it would go this way." Leah apologies, looking off to the side to avoid the slight shame of her involvement.

Shifting his gaze to the face of his fiancé, Ciel's expression almost softens before quickly returning to his hard exterior. This is behavior he expected from Elizabeth, but not Leah.

"Do you know what your father will do to me when he finds out you are here?!" Ciel speaks in an anxious tone, sweat falling from his forehead at the thought.

"That is exactly why we won't tell him! Sebastian will be contacting nobody." Leah nods to confirm her words, taking Ciel's left hand in her own.

The moment is short-lived when Ciel tries to counter her words, met with yet another girl scurrying out of sight. Left with Sebastian in the ballroom, Ciel huffs in irritation at what this night will bring.

— ౨ৎ —

The joyful voice of Elizabeth powers over all other sounds in the ballroom, still decorated to the blonde's liking. Leah stands not far from her friend, picking at the dress with her fingers to adjust it around her figure while Meyrin switches between helping both girls.

"I think blue will definitely suit Ciel. When I saw the clothes I bought for Ciel in London, I fell in love instantly!" Elizabeth smiles with her arms outstretched by her side, paying little mind to Meyrin who is kneeling behind her. "Your dress also looks amazing, Leah! I saw the fabric and immediately knew it was something you would adore!"

Leah flashes the Midford a smile, glancing down towards the dress encasing her body. It is that of an apricot orange, a color Leah believes to be most unflattering on her. The dress has a large skirt and simple chest piece, accompanied by a cropped top coat in a deeper shade of orange, similar to Elizabeth's outfit with a headband holding a flower adoring Leah's head.

"I believe the shoes you bought are a size too small.." Leah shifts in her spot, wincing at the squeeze but makes no further complaints.

"Oh is it?! I'm so sorry, I hadn't realized!" Shifting towards Leah, Elizabeth pouts when she apologizes for her mistake but her mood quickly shifts when she acknowledges Meyrin.

"Oh! That's right!" Elizabeth starts, "How about I invite you to the party too! I'll make you cute!"

Shaking in her spot, Meyrin's cheeks grow a flush across the apples, joining her hands together at the fingertips.

"But then.. I'm super far-sighted so if I don't have these I can't see anything!" Meyrin gasps and holds onto the sides of her glasses with her index fingers.

"It'll be fine if you see it from far away!" Elizabeth chimes, trying to coax the maid.

Amid the chatter of the ballroom, the mood is quick to shift when Ciel makes his presence known. The boy wears a tailcoat more stylish than that he is typically seen in but wears a similar shade of blue, a cravat with decorated ends covering most of his neck, and an evening hat with striped fabric sits atop his head. Leah flashes the Earl a smile but is not given one in return.

"Do it that way," Ciel states, hands behind his back with Sebastian standing not far behind him, holding his cane.

"Ciel!" Both Leah and Elizabeth announce in unison, though one takes their welcome to a much higher level.

"You're so cute! My eyes weren't wrong!" Elizabeth bounds towards Ciel, grabbing him by the hands and spinning him around.

Watching the scene, Leah and the servants watch in a mix of dismay and shock. How that girl has so much energy is beyond me.

"Elizabeth you shouldn't fling people around like that!" Leah tries to interject, though does not attempt to move any closer in the chance Ciel's body collides with hers.

The Barrett girl's words are met with little reaction, Elizabeth barely containing her excitement to show off her work. Stretching a gloved hand out in the direction of the servants, she revels in their costumes.

"Look, look! Everyone else is cute too, aren't they? I've let them come to the party too!"

Standing towards the wall, three of the servants are dressed up to match a nonexistent theme. Tanaka is covered in a traditional gown and black wig, holding a fan and a headpiece sitting center on his head. Finnian holds an embarrassed smile, dressed in a maid outfit with cat ears upon his head to match. To the very right, Bardoy wears a look of displease, a wig with bows covering his typical blonde hair, a middle school girl outfit that shows off a piece of his stomach and hairy legs.

"But Ciel is definitely the.." Elizabeth trails off, noticing the family ring that encases Ciel's left thumb.

"Ciel! Where's the ring I prepared for you?!" Getting close to his face, Elizabeth keeps a tight hold on her cousin's hand, "There was a ring that matched the Western-style clothing, wasn't there?"

"Ring?" Ciel tugs his hand away from Elizabeth's, "This ring is fine."

Ciel makes his way to stand closer to Leah, examining the dress that suits her body. Despite the girl's distaste for the color, her fiancé can't help but think it looks nice, though it is more of a color Elizabeth would wear.

Dark energy emits from the girl across the ballroom, lips pursed in anger. The emotion is out of character for Elizabeth's usual cheerful personality but does remind those of her mood which is quick to shift.

"No! I went to a lot of trouble to make everything adorable!" Elizabeth objects, holding out a gloved finger and pointing it toward Ciel, "Only the ring is totally not cute!"

The sound of sniffles begins to emerge from the blonde, but her hands cover any glimpse one could see of tears staining her eyes. If only tears were staining her eyes.

"Are you saying you don't want the things I brought back for you, Ciel?! You're terrible!" Elizabeth whines, rubbing her hands across her eyes.

"Surely a ring isn't worth this much of a fuss, Elizabeth? The color is similar enough to match Ciel's outfit, it isn't that serious.." Leah tries to console her friend, though with terrible attempts.

"That's not it.." Ciel sighs, closing his eyes over his cousin's behavior, "This ring is.."

Elizabeth pulls a fast move, diving in the direction of the betrothed teens. While Ciel's hand is flexed to show the ring, she easily manages to slip it off, maniacal giggles escaping the girl.

"..Mine now!" Elizabeth sings, ignoring the protest coming from Ciel's end while Leah watches in surprise.

"I took it! This ring is super old!" Elizabeth holds the ring up to her left eye, looking through the hole as a gleam of light shines on the band, "The size of the one I chose is better, too.."

"Give it back!" Ciel shouts.

There is an air of silent horror that surrounds everyone, the tone of Ciel's voice almost haunting. All the servants, save for Sebastian stare on with wide eyes. Leah does the same, taking cautious steps back from the situation while desperately eyeing Elizabeth in the hope she can read her face.

"Give that back, Elizabeth!" Ciel demands, left hand outstretched towards the girl.

"Wh.. Why are you mad like that?" Real tears sting Elizabeth's eyes this time around, "I worked.. so hard."

Ciel's stern gaze doesn't falter at his cousin's words, staring on with those dull eyes of his.

"Why is he mad? Elizabeth.. are you ridiculous? Anyone would be mad if you snatch an item off of their hand!" Leah's nose scrunches at the Midford girl's behavior, not understanding her logic.

"I just made you cute!" Elizabeth clenches her hand, yelling back in retaliation with red cheeks, "So why are you mad like that?! You're terrible"

My god, this girl will drive me insane..

"This ring, I.." Raising her hand above her head, Elizabeth slams it down with force before she shouts, "Hate it!"

Everything in Leah's vision seems to slow, a look of terror written across her face. The ring hits the ground, shattering the gem and disconnecting the band. Amid the chaos and her brain running two hundred miles an hour, she barely has time to register a reaction to Ciel raising his hand, bringing it down to slap Elizabeth.

As quickly as her surroundings slowed around her, Leah regained her composer and stepped forward to grab ahold of Elizabeth. Before her attempt could work, however, Ciel's hand is stopped by the infamous butler clad in black standing behind him.

"Young master." All of the nobles stare with wide eyes, Ciel the first to break it when he turns his head to view Sebastian.

Swear pours down the face of the Phantomhive, holding eye contact with the demon. Breathing in exasperation, Ciel barely notices Sebastian repeating himself and Leah taking the chance to move Elizabeth further away.

"You've forgotten your long-awaited new cane." Sebastian wraps his arm around his master from the back, shoving the piece into his hand.

Ciel looks down at the now shattered family heirloom solemnly, watching Leah carefully approach him. The two don't pay attention to Sebastian explaining the significance of the ring to Elizabeth or the girl's loud tears, instead focusing on each other while Ciel calms himself.

"Just breathe, Ciel.. I'm sure there is some way to fix it.." Leah makes yet another bad attempt at comforting, though trying her best to make her fiancé feel even the slightest bit better about the situation.

"That sort of.. Important ring.." Elizabeth struggles to find words for the item she's now destroyed.

Letting the sweat dry upon his face, Ciel keeps his attention on the ring while his breathing steadies. Softened eyes meet Leah's own, the dull blue she's grown to appreciate, but her growing smile dissipates when Ciel shakes his head. Kneeling on the floor, everyone watches as he picks up the remnants of the ring.

An outstretched hand fails to reach Ciel when he approaches the open window in the ballroom, throwing the pieces out. Shock is an understatement for the reactions of those around him.

"Ciel?! What are you doing?" Elizabeth asks anxiously, running towards the window to look out as if she'll see anything.

"I don't care about that thing.." Ciel closes his eyes, lowering his head towards the floor, "It's just an old ring."

A faint 'Ciel..' escapes Leah's mouth, watching the display before her. After so many years spent with her betrothed, trying to learn more about him, she knows that statement is far from true.

"This ring is proof that," Ciel's grip around his cane tightens, "the head of the Phantomhive house is 'Ciel Phantomhive'."

The servants, unmoving from their spots, stare in surprise at their master's words—such a serious display of emotion, matching nothing of the outfits they currently wear.

"What's with that face?"

"B.. but..."

Reaching up to grab his hat, Ciel pulls it from his head and lowers it towards his chest. Pulling a handkerchief from its hidden confines, he passes it to his cousin.

"It's a terrible face. And you call yourself a lady." Ciel taunts, his face previously full of emotion now looking void, "I wouldn't want to invite a lady with a face like that to a dance, would I?"

Leah watches this all unfold from the sidelines, gloved hands fidgeting at the turn of events. She knows this entire idea was Elizabeth's, and she's currently the upset one, but Leah can't help the faint feeling of jealousy that gnaws at her heart.

"Let's forget those bad things and dance until dawn with evening party etiquette, shall we?" Outstretching his hand towards the blonde, Ciel smirks, "M'Lady?"

"..Yes." Elizabeth places her gloved hand in Ciel's a smile blooming.

The five servants observe the cousins with happy smiles, enjoying the now lightened mood.

"It really is like a dream!" Elizabeth sings, dancing around the ballroom with Ciel.

Alone in the corner, Leah watches with a neutral expression, matching empty eyes. For a ball, three people are not ideal. Three people if you only count the nobles.

"May I have this dance, My Lady?" Turning her head at the voice pulling her from her thoughts, Leah looks up to see a smiling Finnian with an outstretched hand.

A smile slowly grows on Leah's face before she places her hand in the gardener's, "You may."

Following the cheerful blonde closer to the center of the ballroom floor, Leah's eyes meet Finnian's own, sending him a cute smile. Teaching the gardener how to do the waltz, the pair giggle across the dance floor when Finnian adds his playful touch.

"You're an amazing dancer, My Lady!" Finnian admires, a closed-eyed smile sitting atop his face.

"I've learned from the best, of course. And now you are learning from the second best!" Leah laughs when Finnian spins her, her dress skirts flowing with her movements.

As the cousins twirl not far from the playful pair, Elizabeth admires Leah and Finnian with her spinning vision.

"Oh, Ciel! Look at them, aren't they so cute?" Elizabeth smiles with shining eyes.

"Hmm?" Peering over his shoulder, Ciel gets a glimpse of his fiancé happily dancing with the gardener, "Yes, they are a lively pair I suppose."

Ciel and Elizabeth's dance eventually come to a stop, separating from each other after the physical activity. The Phantomhive is left feeling indifferent, a stark contrast to the girl who swoons beside him when recollecting her thoughts on the dance.

Though the cousins have halted, Leah and Finnian continue to dance in mutual excitement. After many failed attempts, the gardener has finally grasped ahold of how to do the waltz.

"You're getting it, Finny!"

"I am!"

Spinning the younger girl in his arms, Finnian laughs cheerfully now that he is no longer nearly causing the both of them to topple over. The happy moment is short-lived however, the two are caught when the sound of a throat clearing is heard from their side.

Ciel stands beside the pair with his eyes upon Leah, "May I steal my fiancé?"

"O, Of course, Master!" Finnian flushes, letting go of Leah who smiles in return.

Replacing the gardener in his spot, Ciel grabs ahold of Leah's hand with a dull look. His hand makes its way onto her back, slowly pulling the two of them into a calming dance, a much different energy to the cheers Leah and Finnian were just sharing.

"You interrupted just as Finny was getting ahold of it.." Leah teases, feigning a pout.

"Oh? Would you rather dance with my gardener than your fiancé?" Cocking a brow, Ciel smirks in response before twirling Leah in his arms.

"What if I would? Finnian is a nice boy." Leah giggles, hardly taking herself seriously while she enjoys her time with her betrothed.

Shaking his head with a smirk, Ciel continues to waltz with Leah as they make a playful conversation. Behind the pair, Elizabeth happily dances with Tanaka and Finnian trying to coax Bardroy to dance with him. Keeping her joy internal, Leah admires how Ciel is seemingly much better at dancing than last time, tightening her grip around his hand.

"You've gotten better?" Leah asks, her blue eyes meeting his own.

"I have. Are you content with me no longer stepping on your toes?" Ciel jokes, smiling down at the brunette.

"I am.."

As the night bleeds on, the festivities must come to a close. The three nobles now gather closer, no longer dancing but ready to retire to bed.

"I suppose it is time for me to return home now.." Leah trails off, upset that her night is coming to an end.

"Must you go? Why can't you stay the night and leave in the morning with me?" Elizabeth begs, resting her hands on her friend's right shoulder.

"My father will kill Ciel and me! I'll never hear the end of this from my mother."

"Doesn't your father like me?"

"Yes but leaving the house without permission.. sneaking off to my fiancé's house without a chaperone? Staying until the moon is up? He can excuse dinner, not this!"

Whines come from Elizabeth but no further protest, hugging her friend goodbye while Tanaka pulls up the carriage.

"You're acting as if we'll never see each other again, Elizabeth.. There is always next time!" Leah tries to cheer the girl up, successful before Sebastian drags her off to one of the guest rooms.

"Well.. goodnight then. Do make it home safely." Stepping closer, Ciel looks down at Leah, a hint of a smile on his face.

"I'll have a maid call your telephone.." Leah giggles.

Wrapping her arms around the boy, Leah envelopes Ciel in a hasty hug. Her arms are warm around the boy, feeling his own but not relishing in the moment. Pulling back, Leah makes her way towards the front door, waving with a somber smile.

"Goodbye!"

— ౨ৎ —

In the moving carriage, Leah sits sprawled across the seat. An unladylike way to be seated but the teen has little care, hidden from any prying eyes due to the late hour. Her shoes are laid across the bottom of the carriage, the too-tight accessories long forgotten.

When the Barrett girl finally arrives home, she can only pray no one has noticed her arrival. Diving down to grab the shoes, Leah opens the carriage door only to be met with the face of Thomas.

"Welcome home, My Lady." Thomas extends his hand out for her, eyes not meeting her own.

"Thomas." Leah replies, "Carry me."

With widened eyes, Thomas doesn't hesitate to take the noble in his arms. Adjusting his hands around her, he carries Leah bridal style before sending the carriage off, observing the teen below him.

"Has anyone noticed my absence?" Leah asks, ready to yell at the man depending on his answer.

"No, My Lady. I worked diligently to make sure no one stepped foot in your room. I told them that you didn't wish to see anyone." Nodding to his words, Leah mumbles a quiet 'Good' under her breath.

Sneaking around the back of the manor, Thomas has no problem carrying the weight of Leah, still moving fluidly. Hair moving in the wind, Leah keeps a tight grip on the shoes in her hand, refusing to look at the butler holding her.

"Is it alright if I ask why you are in different clothes than when you left? Or perhaps why you are not wearing shoes?" Thomas inquires, digging his deep blue eyes into Leah's dull ones.

"Don't question me, Thomas."

[i-am-thedragon]

What did you want to say about your hypothetical Flatland adaptation?

Glad you asked!

Long, long explanation below the cut.

So my Flatland story is sort of a sequel to the original story, and one that actually focuses more on Spaceland. It takes place at the beginning of the year 2050, fifty years after A Square's encounter with a three-dimensional sphere. A Square, at this point, has long since died miserable and alone in prison.

The third dimension, or 'Spaceland' is essentially just the universe as we know it. Earth is populated by geometric humans who see Flatland as an unexplainable curiosity and seek to study it. Of course, Spacelanders can only make their presence known once every millennium, so study has to consist mostly of observation.

There are two major science and technology enterprises leading the study of Flatland: GaussCo, and Sonnwell Scientific. GaussCo's Flatland division was founded and originally headed by a famous sphere named Albert, who was tasked with the duty of contacting Flatland at the beginning of 2000. His role as the head of GaussCo's Flatland division was passed down to his son Juno, and then to Juno's daughter Rutabaga, who is the current head in 2050.

Sonnwell Scientific came into the game a fair bit later, but is rapidly catching up in their research and advancements. However, there is a terrible reason for their success. Their scientists are kidnapping Flatlanders, imprisoning them in their labs, and performing all manner of cruel and unethical experiments on them! The public was outraged when they learned of this, but to Rutabaga's dismay, the outrage quickly died out in favour of morbid curiosity of the experiments' results.

Of course, what Sonnwell Scientific was doing should be a huge violation of the rule/tradition that Flatland can only be interacted with at the beginning of each millennium, but they had found a loophole. By capturing Flarlanders in dark vessels and not allowing them to see or know what was happening to them, they technically were not making themselves or the third dimension known to Flatland. From Flatland's perspective, a series of mysterious missing person's cases were occurring across the world.

The story begins on the eve of 2050. Rutabaga laments her legacy, the flaws of her father and grandfather, and the current state of affairs. In order to clear her head, she visits Flatland to observe it. Unfortunately, she arrives to find Sonnwell's scientists there collecting 'subjects'. She witnesses one of them take a mother and her children from a house.

Meanwhile, Edwin Square is out in town. To his surprise, there is a rush of people panicking, shouting claims of a notable politician disappearing right before everyone's eyes. Soldiers are quickly neutralising them. E Square rushes home to safety, only to find that his wife and children are missing. Realising that they've likely become the latest victims of the unexplained disappearances, he falls into a hysterical panic. Suddenly, a disembodied voice tells him, "You deserve to know the truth".

Rutabaga is absolutely violating the "once every millennium" rule/tradition by speaking directly to a Flatlander, but she does not care anymore. She attempts to explain to Edwin what has happened to his family, but he does not understand. So, like her grandfather, she pulls him into the third dimension, with which E Square is in awe. The lesson continues, and E Square refuses to return home without his family, but Rutabaga has no way of getting them back for him. In the meantime, she puts Edwin in a simulated two-dimensional space in her research facility, where he will live for the duration of the story.

From then on Rutabaga and her best friend/assistant Barnaby will try to find some way to rescue Edwin's wife and children, along with the rest of the captured Flatlanders, from Sonnwell's labs, while also dealing with their own personal problems and the flaws of society.

Of course, the whole thing is hypothetical. I don't think I have the patience or commitment to flesh out the entire thing into any medium.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 4: Gamer Boy

Luigi was still finding his footing in the college social scene, but his relationships with his cousins and interest in gaming helped tide him over as he learned to navigate university life and waited to become officially old enough to join the e-sports team.

His cousin Olive helped remind him of his interest in gaming by accompanying him to Geekcon, where they had a great time together as usual.

---------------------------------------------

With that positive reminder under his belt, Luigi dove right into the university’s next weekly e-sports simscuffle challenge. Even if he couldn’t join the team yet, introducing himself and making a good showing as an individual participant should help him prepare for tryouts next semester.

He rushed over to the commons and up to the practice area after class. Spotting the team captain, he cheerfully introduced himself, gushing about how excited he was to be there and how much he looked forward to being teammates someday.

She didn’t seem nearly as excited to meet him, rolling her eyes before sarcastically wishing him luck. Annoyed, Luigi fired back an equally sarcastic thank you and told her he wouldn’t need her “luck” before settling down to show her just how much he deserved to be wearing that jersey.

---------------------------------------------

Luigi entered another world as he immersed himself completely in the game. Nothing else mattered but the scuffle.

Luigi ended the match in second place. The captain herself had beaten him, but he’d managed to pull ahead of the rest of the team, which at least made a favorable impression on Professor Silva the faculty coach, even if the captain was still playing hard to impress!

---------------------------------------------

When the coach tried to recruit him, Luigi explained about the rules preventing underaged students like himself from joining right away. Professor Silva did a double take, surprised to discover that Luigi was still a teenager. He told him if he kept up the good work the team would be lucky to have him someday. Luigi promised to try out as soon as he was eligible and headed back to his room triumphant.

The current team captain might not be his bestie, but he’d managed to come in second, and Professor Silva had been both impressed and impressively welcoming. As he started in on some homework, he decided that the afternoon’s accomplishments were a great start to his college e-gaming career!

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Want To See More? View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[postalninja]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Ooo, thank you for the ask! But how will I choose?? I definitely have a recency bias with my writing, partly because I know that I've gotten better over time so some of my older fics aren't really up to my current standard in terms of things like pacing, especially. But setting that aside, there are still some of my early fics that hold a special place in my heart, so I'll try to pick from across the board. 1. Starting with an old fic, actually, The Measure of a Man (Octopath Traveler, Rated E) is still a favorite of mine, even after 3 years. I just really enjoyed the deep dive into Olberic's sense of self and exploring how, after getting married and starting a family, he would still have some struggles in terms of his purpose and his worth. It was kind of like taking his canon story and bringing it full circle (by the gods I love that man!) 2. Next, Sins of the Father (Skyrim, Rated M), my first novel-length longfic! I put a lot of work into this one, and it was the first time that I managed to successfully develop a plot with, like, a story arc and whatnot. Still very proud of how this one turned out, since it required a lot of playing with lore and developing the backstory of characters who didn't get much of one in the game (including my first fully fleshed out original character who really stole my heart) 3. Another favorite is Fashion Party Confidential (Drawtectives, Rated T) I had so much fun putting together what is essentially meant to serve as a bonus episode after season 2. I structured it similarly to a real episode, complete with drawings made by each of the characters and an original NPC for them to harass help. I re-watched the series before I started writing and felt like I had a really good grasp of the character voices, and I'm very happy with the dialogue and how in-character it feels. And I had fun with the fashion theme of the story, given my background in fashion design and the fact that it fits in canonically with York's story, as well as the opportunity to reflect the players' fashion knowledge - or lack thereof - in the drawings (sorry, Nathan)

4. Next is Would She Love Me If She Knew? (Octopath Traveler, Rated M) I debated including this one on its own or combining it with the sequel (which, spoilers, is also on this list), but I feel like they are different enough thematically that I can talk about them separately. This fic was me diving headfirst into the royal/guard trope and essentially writing an entire romance novel, lol! It took me 9 months to write and was (at the time) the longest thing I had written. By this point I was starting to get the hang of pacing things properly without rushing them, letting the story breathe and take its time getting where it wanted to go. And I have to admit that this is my favorite version of H'aanit and Olberic that I've written so far - I absolutely loved making them face adversity before they could get together, putting obstacles in their way so that they would pine and despair about ever being able to have a relationship. Oh, that delicious angst! This fic set a new bar for me, and I've become a better writer because of it. 5. And of course, the as yet unfinished (but so close!) The Head That Wears the Crown (Octopath Traveler, Rated T). More than two years in the making, and I'm still stuck on the climax of the story, argh!!! Nevertheless, crafting this one has been so rewarding, given that it ties into WSLMISK but uncovers all of the sinister hints that I left in that story of a bigger issue to come. There's a mystery to solve, a conspiracy to uncover, and so much goddamned trauma to deal with! Some of my favorite character development to date is in this story, and I can't wait to (somehow get through this writer's block and) hopefully give this whole thing a satisfying ending. I've learned so much about plot and how to do foreshadowing and developing a complex villain while writing this fic. And as a bit of a bonus... I'll just say that I have a new Octopath Traveler 2 fic that I am *nearly* ready to start posting (just waiting on feedback from my beta, which *should* happen today) that I am currently in love with. Recency bias may play into this, of course, but I can't wait to share it! It's a Castti/Osvald Gothic Romance AU titled Memories Seep From My Veins :)