#curse jeremy for inspiring me

[justpollux]

reading go nitro and nanowrimo approacheth ing is inspiring me to get back into writing but fuck if I know what I want to work on this year

[rafesangelita]

hey girly may i please request rafe and bitchy!kook!reader who see each other at a party after a breakup, and they can’t help but sneak off together? some arguing and hot make up sex pleaseeee. thank you!

warnings: ex!bf!rafe, exes to lovers, slight angst, arguing, cussing, mentions of anger issues, descriptions of violence, rekindling, a little bit of jealous!rafe, oral (f. receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, just a little bit of fluff

a/n: i kinda went off the request here and made them go home instead of really ‘sneaking away’ i hope that’s okay! i was heavily inspired by the song ‘best mistake’ by ariana grande <3 beware! this fic is a little long..

no contact. rafe wanted to smash his phone when you texted him that fateful night a little over two weeks ago, saying you were never going to talk to him again unless he apologized for getting angry and acting out of line. while he truly was sorry for yelling at you and breaking everything in his sight, he had too much pride to admit he was wrong. and it was because of that pride that you decided to dump his ass and ignore the hundreds of calls and texts he sent your way.

despite having to block his phone number, you couldn’t help but look at all the pictures and videos of you two, sad because you missed him, but pissed because he couldn’t just get his shit together and make things right. eventually, with a lot of convincing and even a little bit of bribing with a new purse, your besties had managed to get you up and into your hottest outfit yet before they took you to a party where they refused to tell you who was hosting.

after you basically obliterated rafe’s ego by not only ignoring him, but blocking him too, he told himself he wouldn’t be fazed if he saw you turn up at the end of summer party that topper threw every year. however, all thoughts of being nonchalant and giving you the same treatment back flew out the door when he saw you walk in with your friends, your mini dress hugging your thighs in a way that made his jaw tick. he would’ve had no problem with your outfit if you two were together.. but you weren’t.

which for rafe, that only meant he would be spending the night smashing faces in if he saw anyone looking at you. he kept his eyes on you the whole time, taking swigs from his beer until finally he ran out and was forced to go inside the kitchen. “hey, y/n.” you looked up. jeremy, a frequent visitor at the country club had approached you. he was sweet and very easy on the eyes. maybe a little too easy, he had a baby face and was a little too much of a pretty boy in your opinion.

“oh, hey ‘jer.” you smiled, calling him by a nickname you heard your friends say a while back. “you look great..” he complimented you. noticing your dress had ridden up, you pulled the hem down before thanking him. “that’s nice of you to say, thank you.” you laughed awkwardly as he seemingly stepped closer. “hey, uh, i heard you and rafe broke up, is that true?” at the mention of your now ex-boyfriend, you blinked. “i.. yeah. but i’m not looking for anything right now.” you shook your head.

“neither am i.” your eyes widened slightly as you felt his hand graze yours. wanting to change the subject, you backed away slightly before clearing your throat. “so what are you drinking?” noticing your discomfort, jeremy flashed you an apologetic look. “this? oh i just got water-” before he could say anything else, you gasped when he almost lost his footing, having been nudged super hard by none other than rafe himself. “woah, you gotta watch out there, man.” rafe winked at you before walking off, the man in front of you cursing under his breath.

“that was a lame move.” he scoffed. you looked past jeremy and at rafe who had his face turned. “i’m sorry, can you give me a sec?” you didn’t wait for him to reply before you followed rafe outside. as if he recognized the clack of your heels behind him, he spun around, making you stop as you two glared at each other. while his gaze slightly softened, you could still make out the roughness in his expression. “you did that on purpose.” apart of you was glad he did, since it gave you an excuse to get out of conversation with jeremy. then again, that was rafe’s intention.

“what are you talking about?” just then, a girl in a bikini walked by, rafe shamelessly eyeing her backside before giving you his attention once more. oh, okay. you smiled at him, arching a brow as he blatantly acted clueless. “you know what? i have someone waiting for me inside. ‘just wasting my time out here.” you whispered the last part, scoffing as you attempted to walk away. rafe dragged you to the side of the house, your hands coming up to shove at his chest.

“who’s waiting for you inside, ‘jer?’” rafe mocked jeremy’s nickname. “yeah, actually. why don’t you go and get the girl who’s ass you just stared at?” you shoved him again, this time making rafe take hold of both of your wrists as he backed you up against wall. “i was fucking with you,” he scoffed, “you’re the one that wants to go back inside to a guy who drinks water at a fucking party!” he laughed incredulously, like he couldn’t believe you would give that guy the time of day.

you swatted his hands away from your own. “i’m not doing this here. you’re acting like you aren’t the one who owes me an apology.” rafe pinched the bridge of his nose. “y/n..” you shook your head, feeling defeated as he stared down at you. “just leave me alone, rafe.” just as you were going to walk away, he spoke up. “then let’s not do this here! let’s have a serious conversation, i mean it.” you shifted, glancing up at him briefly. “and go where?” you arched a brow.

deep down, you knew where this was heading but you so badly wanted to hear what he had to say. rafe got close, resting his hand on the small of your back. “tanneyhill. the house is empty for the next couple of days, so if you want to yell, fight and scream, be my guest.” you sighed as if you didn’t want to go, walking past him and to his truck where he opened the door for you. your friends were definitely going to give you an earful after this.

the drive to rafe’s place was quiet and a little awkward everytime you had to pry his hand off of your thigh, his excuse being that it was just a habit. rafe knew when you broke up with him, for the thousandth time, that it wouldn’t be too long before he saw your catty self walking up the stairs to his bedroom. “i would like to be home by a certain time so get to talking.” you sat down on the edge of his bed, clasping your ring clad fingers together.

rafe shut the door, leaning on the hardwood as he took in your outfit. there’s no way you showed up at that party tonight with the intention of going home alone when you looked this sexy. strappy heels, a black lace dress that that showed a bra and thong underneath, your hair and makeup done so perfectly, he itched to ruin all of it. “you look stunning.” he crossed his arms over his chest, catching the way you swung one leg over the other.

“we’re not here for that.” you leaned back, resting on your hands as rafe nodded. “fair enough..” he started, “look, i’m really sorry. it was wrong of me to take my anger out on you and have no regard for your feelings when i was in the spur of the moment. i should’ve never yelled in your face when you were only trying to make me feel better, i should’ve never broke your things when you told me to leave, from the bottom of my heart, y/n, i’m sorry.” he kneeled down to your level, a silent act of submission. you stared at him.

rafe had a pleading look in his eyes. “i can see you’re sorry,” you barely reached for his jaw, stroking the side of his face softly before you withdrew, “but what are you going to do to fix it?” rafe had missed your touch so much, he swallowed thickly when your warmth disappeared. “would you believe me if i said i was giving anger management classes a try?” you narrowed your eyes at him. “no. do you have a confirmation email or something?” rafe laughed, knowing you wouldn’t be easy to convince.

handing over his phone without any hesitation, you typed in his pin, your birthday, before going to his mail and checking for yourself. sure enough, he had confirmation for not only one class, but an entire course that would take him approximately three months to complete. “please come back to me, baby. i need you.” rafe hesitantly placed his hands on either sides of your hips, your eyes softening as you gazed up at the man in front of you. god, you missed him so much, these past couple of weeks had been the worst.

“i need you, too.” you whispered, both of you leaning in at the same time before your lips melted against one another. cupping rafe’s face, you brought him up from the floor, your back relaxing against his sheets as he hovered above you. rafe had been dying to feel your hands on him, craving your touch like never before. with your dress rolling up your thighs, rafe looked down at the supple flesh there, wanting nothing more than to bury his face in your cunt.

“i was so mad when i saw you walk in looking like this.” you took your bottom lip between your teeth, propping yourself up on your elbows as rafe’s fingers hooked through the soft material of your thong. you watched as he slid the undergarment down your legs, your head falling back as he pinned your thighs to the tops of his shoulders. “rafe-” you reached down, your fingernails running across his skin. he hummed, cupping your soaked pussy as a gasp fell from your lips.

“use your words.” he traced your glossy folds, cursing to himself at the sight. “my heels— they’re still on.” you blinked hazily when you felt his thumb tease your sensitive bundle of nerves. “yeah? they’re gonna stay on.” you moaned when his tongue finally made contact with your clit, your back arching off the bed as he splayed a hand across your tummy. letting out a cry, rafe ate you like man starved, which in a way he was. two weeks was too long, and he was going to unleash all his pent up frustration on you in a way that would have you writhing in pleasure.

rafe knew your body like it was the back of his hand, and he didn’t hesitate to use that to his full advantage. while still lapping at your clit, you fought the urge to shut your thighs around his head when two of his fingers prodded at your entrance. he groaned when he thrusted them into you, your pretty sounds serving as music to his ears. the coil in your stomach only grew tighter until rafe had your thighs trembling, your first orgasm of the night making all the air leave your lungs.

you cried out, rafe appreciating the way your hips stuttered in a poor attempt to chase his tongue. you blinked up at the ceiling when you came down from your high, rafe wasting no time in flipping you over and grinding his erection into your backside. with one hand, rafe gathered your hair in a makeshift ponytail and with the other, he grabbed a pillow, placing it under your hips so he could shamelessly rut against you. leaning down, he kissed you sloppily, both of you moaning as you tasted yourself on his tongue.

taking himself out of his jeans, he wrapped a veiny hand around your throat, thrusting into you without warning. “oh my- fuck!” you squeaked out, your walls fluttering around his cock. rafe shut his eyes, his mouth ghosting over yours as he fucked into you hard and slow. “did you miss this?” rafe went deeper with each thrust, balling up your dress to pull you against him. “yes. yes, i missed this so much!” you whimpered, meaning every word. rafe never wanted to be apart from you ever again.

the discomfort from having your heels on was slowly but surely melting away as rafe replaced that feeling with pure bliss, your walls stetching deliciously around his length. for two weeks, the only thing you could imagine feeling was the warmth of rafe’s body against your own, your heart blooming in your chest at finally having that back. “fuck, i need to see your pretty face..” he rolled you over, slotting himself between your thighs before picking up his pace.

you gazed up at him, already looking fucked out as he groped your tits through your dress. “all this breaking and making up, i don’t wanna do it anymore, baby,” rafe tucked a piece of hair behind your ear before stroking your chin, “m’gonna go crazy if you leave me like that again.” you nodded at his words, your eyebrows drawing together in pleasure. “promise. i promise i won’t do that anymore.” you started moving your hips, meeting his thrusts as he groaned, leaning down to bury his face in the curve of your neck.

wrapping your legs around his waist, you didn’t leave him any room to pull away, his toned stomach slapping against your clit as you two rolled your hips in desperation to feel the other finish. “ah, fuck,” your nails clawed against his skin when you felt his teeth nip at the sensitive spot of your neck. with the way you were moaning rafe’s name in his ear, and your pussy swallowing him whole, it wasn’t long before you two started shuddering as the waves of euphoria washed over you both.

he never failed to make your head pound with your orgasm, quite literally stealing your breath away as you made him lose all train of thought, his ability to hold himself up nearly impossible with your greedy cunt milking him for all he had. “shit.” rafe breathed out, pressing a kiss to your temple before pulling out. you hissed, whining shortly after at the empty sensation. as much as you wanted to feel his arms around you, you wanted a hot shower and a wardrobe change more than anything else.

as if rafe could read your mind, he carried you to the shower where he undressed you and bathed you. he continued apologizing for the way he treated you weeks prior to tonight. even after he had you in nothing but one of his t-shirts, he spent the night inhaling your sweet scent while telling you how perfect you were for him until you fell asleep in his embrace.

[tempural]

Happy 6 year anniversary to my Dadspy comic ♥

Got reminded of it, cuz some aspects of the new #7 TF2 comic follow the deadbeat dad Christmas specials I complain about in this comic.

For my comic's anniversary, I wrote alt text for the comic. So click on that ALT label on the image for the dialogue transcription. I also wrote a little afterword now that the official comics are finished as far as we know. Both of those are on the comic's page. Read the afterword after the read more cut here too ☺

The 7th TF2 comic finally came out this month.

I know what patterns writers follow to pull certain heartstrings, ESPECIALLY in this cursed month of December in the English language. They call it cheap pops in wrasslin y'know :P Say the name of the city you're in, get the crowd to cheer. Say happy Holidays and happy turkey dinner, get the crowd to go awww. It's a Charlie Brown Christmas Special~!

I'm glad that the comic's decade-long cliffhanger is done! I'm glad there's closure for those who need it in their ~canon~. And I'm glad that I still prefer the old open-ended game/sfm world to play with my characters in 😛 I personally prefer less explaination and lore. Even if the new ~official~ lore won't satisfy me as a disgusting gen wunner, I'm really glad the fanart and fanfiction era of 2007 was so creative and led to so many different interpetations of the enviroment and characters!

And I'm glad that the wild west wasteland of the 2007 era fed into my own creative process 😼 Both the fans and the Valve stuff! I have Ollie/Liv and Basile as my own characters outside of the TF2 universe. I love the absurdist violent humor of the game and I think that's fairly apparent in my non-fanart. And I love that other people have also been influenced by TF2 in the past, and make characters and stories in-and-out of the universe where I can see that same string of influence that I've had.

Cape comics are written by many different people, drawn by many different artists over many different eras. Batman in the 1940's is different that the 80's or 2020's. There are different timelines and universes for all those different creative versions, and I think that's really cool. That's probably the most inspriring creative thing for me -- a cast of characters (characters being a vague collection of personality traits) that reappear in different stories in different shapes and forms for different themes!

I think TF2 does that SO well with the games, SFMs, and the fan creations it inspired. The silly Spy in ElTorroRus64's "Spynapple Pizza" animation serves a different purpose than the sad Spy in KrasniyB's "Left Inside" animation. Everyone has their own version of Tentaspy. I don't have a strong connection to the TF2 comics characters of Jeremy or Ludwig, but I'll still love the core concept of the Scout or Medic to manipulate for our own purposes 💖

[tobacconist]

Okay like i actually feel so guilty and this isnt even a joke. i dont know how to say this without sounding insane but yes; wizards are real. i am one of them. no, i havent been to hogwarts. yes, i do have a wand. no, i won't show it to you. etc, etc. genuinely this weighs heavy on my soul. ive talked about this before but i feel like its important for me to write this out once again. j confess it: j was party to them what put that curse on jk rowling. (iykyk) like, bitch, im actually so sorry. it was never meant to go this far. i mean i never meant for... well, i dont think any of us did (originally) but now we are where we are, and theres no turning back. not now.

basically, there was a big uproar in the wizarding community after that play 'the cursed child' came out. idk, i never saw it. you see, jk rowling didnt actually 'write' the harry potter series. she 'wrote' it, but it was not actually 'wrought' by her, like... to put it bluntly, the original was all based off of real events (albeit with significant alterations) and ,madame, was the one chosen to write the 'muggle-redacted' version, because she has (distant) wizard ancestry. she herself is completely unaware of this. well then, anyway, then there was the fantastic beasts saga; and, like, we were ALL pissed off. even the muggles sensed that something wasnt right. it wasnt 'magical'. it was a disgrace. so... yeah... we did it. we... uh... put that powder on her doorstep, so to speak. we crossed some bones. it was actually nothing to do with transness at all to begin with, it was about some political shit to do with the labour party and jeremy corbyn? or something like that? idk, were not supposed to vote and be political, we have our own kings and queens. anyway yeah we were just sore about how we were portrayed in it and especially how she distorted the whole plotline about grindelwald and harrys children. like bitch, if youre listening, tell me: WHY DIDNT YOU WRITE 'THE FOUR MARAUDERS' LIKE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO!? OR 'THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE' OR 'HOGWARTS A HISTORY'? or ANYTHING ELSE! it could have all been so different... 'fantastic beasts'??? sorry what??? it was genuinely like smearing dogshite upon our screens. im sorry love, but were still right angry about it. we loved you... how... how could you? 'newt scamander' - who is this fellow? we have never heard of him. oh, what? did you feel some tingle of inspiration? some new character, who loves magical creatures. he was expelled from hogwarts... fond relationship with dumbledore... THATS HAGRID! THATS THE YOUNG HAGRID! FUCK! anyway yeah, i didnt watch any of the other ones cus it was just embarrassing to see johnny depp dressed up like that.

and ofcourse there was all the other stuff before that (dont forget to be awesome!) but basically we cast a spell, several spells, and sent evil fortunes to be upon her. i regret it deeply. but by gum was the woman strong! i beg you all to realise that she literally was not transphobic until we caused this incessant stream of abuse to be directed towards her. like, we literally did this to her. on purpose. it was a targeted campaign of psychic harassment and manipulation that we have put her through for YEARS, and its only a few months ago that she truly started to crack. weve all since disbanded, because covens never stay together very long; thats why hogwarts is only a dream - but the spells have been spoken and the weird it is weft, and it would be a strong hand that would unweave them. that is to say - it is ongoing, and i am so sorry sorry sorry sorry

and for the record :- transexuality/homosexuality/genderqueerness/goatfucking is literally not an issue in wizard society we literally have potions that can change your gender in an instant or turn it back again, most of us have non-human ancestry, and we regularly trade our sperm and eggs with other species such as elves and the chinese. so there.

[iknowshocker]

https://www.tumblr.com/nikkiruncks/745434559698567168/send-me-a-character-and-ill-do-this

Kai <3

hii!! ahh you know i love to yap about my boy lets go:

Sexuality Headcanon:

i'm of the general opinion that he's only ever truly sexual/romantically interested in Bon-Bon so take from that what you will lol

Gender Headcanon:

cis he/him - but i can imagine he's not super pressed about things like painting his nails. like he'd be the girl dad (or fun uncle) that lets them put bows in his hair and play around with makeup. he was a teenager in the late 80s so while i do love the way they dress him most of the time I would have done more in the 90s flashbacks personally - (lemme know if you want to see the mood board for my kai inspired MMC i had so much fun building their wardrobes since its set in 2000 lol)

A ship I have with said character:

Bonkai all day every day there is not another option for me i fear. They truly mean so much to me and out of all the relationship fumbles in TVD they're the biggest to me. I personally didn't want kai to 'redeem' himself for her - i just wanted them moving forward together.

A BROTP I have with said character:

my true favorite here is jokai - i wish we'd had more time with their fun twin banter and seeing them grow back into their obvious bond

there's also a lot of lost potential with liv because of the veryyy obvious similarities she has with kai personality wise.

listen, i didn't hate kai and damon together in s8 (it's just annoying that he spends nearly all of his time with him negating the fact that he should be pissed damon killed him to begin with??) but i do think they've got fun friendship potential.

i just know ric and kai would have gotten along if we'd had more time to force them together - the twins have too much in common for ric to not soften to him, not to mention they're technically around the same age themselves lmao

most of the modern fics i've read put him in friend groups with jeremy and that makes a lot of sense to me

A NOTP I have with said character:

kai x katherine makes little to no sense to me and it drives me up the wall that they put it in s8, even as a throw away line. katherine canonically only ever falls for 'good guys' so putting her with kai felt so silly ?? like julie sweetie are you suddenly saying he IS good ??

A random headcanon:

considering how many i have this was the hardest question to do lol idk why ?? i just couldn't decide 😂 but im gonna go with: his favorite sabbat is probably Lughnasadh since it's one of our biggest harvest festivals, but i do think he's a fall boy so samhain/mabon are probably up there for him as well. lots of focus on cooking/baking/the ancestors around that time so catch him getting sad around the old family cookbooks lol

General Opinion over said character:

he's quite literally everything to me lol i binged s1-s6 for the first time in like 2016 and then it legit took me two years to go back and rewatch/finish because i was so deeply annoyed that they'd wiped out not only kai but the whole gemini coven that i just stopped caring. (I finally gave in because I wanted to know what happened to Bonnie and boyyy was I even more disappointed)

I just find him to be incredibly compelling and the entire parker family/gemini coven live in my head rent free. the complex dynamics between them, the rules of the coven itself, the idea that maybe there's a curse involved and the siphons represent something bigger with the spirits - it's just all so cool and i wish they'd gone deeper into the lore and finished it properly. which is why i wrote my book lol

[ask-missparker]

Welcome children to the world of enchantment ✨ / OUAT AU

Season two of the mini series ig, inspired by the episode ‘Broken’

Pairings: Nikolai x Mia, Ethan x Liane, Jeremy x Cole

Established Platonic Partners: Joshua & Belladonna

Extra characters mentioned: Alexander, Dr. Hooper, Leroy, Finlay, Rose and etc.

~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~

The curse broke as the mist rushed through the town then began to disappear like it was nothing. As if the blue smoke was never there to begin with. As Amelia opened her eyes, she realized she was still holding her son in her arms despite him being taller than his own mother as her husband curled both of them into his chest for protection against whatever the hell that was.

Joshua looked around staring at the sky before his gaze fell to the woman holding him, his mother, who seemed just as shocked and confused as he was. Last they heard were whispers in the wind as the clamped of footsteps surrounded them. Nikolai was resting his head against his wife’s very own, catching the ball rolling over to them.

“What the hell just happened?” He asked softly getting a weird feeling in his fingertips, as if he lost a little magic touch that soon will return.

“No idea..” Amelia added then looked at her son, “..hi. Y-you found us..”

Joshua nodded with a half smile, the feeling hasn’t hit him yet that he was in his parents arms. Yes, he was glad they were awake and remembered who they were, reconnecting with him. But it still feels foreign to him, he lost almost 18 years with him. His throughts were cut up by Leroy and his pals showing up, talking with one another then speaking to his mother. Snow White & The 7 Dwarfs. His father was grinning and talking about something else he didn’t catch on to.

“Wait hold-pause! If the curse is broken, why haven’t you guys gone back yet?” Joshua asked holding up his hands with a stern expression.

“He really is Charming’s kid.” Leroy muttered pointing with his thumb which earned a glare from Nikolai, “..sorry. He is just asking the real questions.”

Nikolai hummed, “He’s right. And seeing what happened, we need to get everybody involved and safe somewhere. My brother must’ve ran over to his place by now..”

Just then, Dr. Hopper rushed in telling them that people are rushing to kill Alexander at his home. Leroy muttered, “Good. Let’s watch.”

Which earned a glare from his friends that time as the man shrugged proud of his response. Nikolai was ready to defend his brother but a huge part of him wanted to rail him against the road for pain he caused the people of the town as his wife stayed quiet, realizing they had to go. Joshua reminded them that he was still family and heroes don’t just sit there waiting for a murder, as he rushed off to stop the charge. Nikolai led the others to his brother’s house, with a piercing hand ready to take him down and keep his family safe.

Once the group arrived there were half of the town surrounding the house, as nurse Rose and a doctor Finlay were sharping up to murder the man in charge. Liane’s eyes glowed a firey punch as her hands began shaking a purple light grabbed Alex by the collar and Ethan carrying a dagger. Nikolai pushed The Ace of Heart off him and Amelia held back Liane. Belladonna noticed Joshua pushing back the crowd as she yelled into his ear over the loudness of the yard about the situation as he simply nodded.

“You good?” She asked, which only earned around nod from the tall boy, “Why are you not killing him?”

“Because I am not a member of the public here!” He yelled over the crowd of noise at her.

But Belladonna could tell something was up, however she kept quiet.

“Mia! Snow let go of me! The son of a bitch has my wings somewhere!” Yelled Liane trying to releasing herself from the short brunette’s grasp, “Since when did you get stronger?!”

“Since I am just as pissed as you!” She yelled back, an angry look in her eyes that almost seemed to calm the blonde down.

“Let me kill him! He deserves to die for his crimes against humanity…”

“He doesn’t have to die, he didn’t kill you or anyone of us.”

Meanwhile Nik almost punch Ethan with their fuel strength coming back as he shouted, “Let him go! We’re victims but not murders, killing him will turn us, as dark as he is! Is that what you want?!”

Ethan’s glares soften, as his gaze fell onto his beloveds girls then stepped back, “We have a lot to figure out then. He needs to be locked up for all of our safety..and his, or else I will murder him.”

Joshua and Belladonna watched as their parents took charge of the situation. Alexander stood up from the ground as he curled his hand into fist realizing not all of his power has returned yet, only a mere bit was felt in him, but then his gaze fell onto the children.

Both equally difficult yet different expressions washed over their faces, causing Alexander’s smirk to lessen just slightly. Joshua’s eyes locked onto him for a moment, the same way they did when they were alone a couple of days ago, he looked away and faced his brother wondering what he might do next.

———

The cell door was slammed into his face as he smirked. Nikolai told him to knock it off as Ethan walked over to Alexander ready to question his actions. Amelia sat down on the edge of the table facing the cell with a glare, keeping her hand on Liane’s shoulder to keep the blonde calm. Joshua was leaning against a wall quietly as Bella kept looking at Snow and her mother, then faced her friend again. Amelia noticed their faces and decided to let both Charmings chat with the king as she led the other out of the Sheriff Station, telling both men to leave once they’re done and met them at Bruce’s Diner to talk.

As both mother walked with their children, a single death of silence ran down their bodies. It felt creepy. Joshua sighs with his hands in his pockets watching them, feeling odd until his mother broke the silence before he did. Bella felt just as uncomfortable as him.

“Hey. Can we all just talk?” Amelia said with a small smile.

Liane furrow her brows, “Not the best time Snow..I just woke up from the nightmare of a nap..”

“Try being in a coma for 16 years Mal..it’s hard, I know. But look at where we are. My son and niece are here in front of me. Your nephew, none of us got a chance to even talk yet..”

“Snow, honey, it’s a lot I know. I just got my man back and wings are here..I think?”

Bella half smiled and nods, “Hi aunt Amelia..or do I call you Snow?”

“Whichever one you want, Bella. I’m your aunt. ” She said with a small smile before looking at her son, “And you’re my kid. I have not gotten a proper chance with you guys yet. You have gotten weeks for your fathers, I only got two days with you..so can we all just talk?”

Joshua took his hands out of his pockets and sighed, “…I am uh, happy we are all here and the curse is broken, but I only wish it went differently..my whole life I was alone.”

Liane spoke up, “But if we haven’t sent you away, you would’ve been cursed or worse, Josh. I would’ve done the same with Bella..”

“I know that. I do…um, theses last couple of weeks were pretty weird and terrifying to me..and now it just got weirder.”

Bella placed a hand on his back and back her friend up by explaining, “What Joshua meant to say..you guys remember who you are. It’s cool, it’s what we all wanted but now things have changed, we don’t know how you guys will interact now in the real world with your kids..and you all have memory with each other, we don’t..”

That seemed to silence both mothers, looking at one another and then their children. They hate to admit it but Josh and Bella were right.

Things just got weirder.

It’s a lot of things to figure out soon, but they had to try.

———-

Liane offered to go to The Library or her house for shelter as the others agreed. Liane and Joshua let the path, as Bella and Mia followed behind. As they entered the Library, Liane could see the parallels between children as Bella acted in a way like Mia by using her surroundings, to create a area to pick up books and finding an space to collect their thoughts.

Meanwhile Josh’s curiosity but stand-off way of showcasing himself was similar to her, and she gets it. She wasn’t smart enough to stay focus for too long and wanted to use her energy to make a point that she belongs somewhere, to fight. She was someone who made plenty of mistakes and felt vastly alone for so long before finding Ethan and her friends to support her.

Liane remembers being excited to meet her nephew, buying everything for him and vowing to show him her land of opportunity. She pictured his little cheeks, how he would giggle and if his eyes would signify something like sunflowers. And here he was, as she saw herself in him. But she sees a mix of Mia and Nikolai as well.

It was weird but nice nonetheless the parallel between them.

She was taken out of her thoughts as soon as the doors of the library opened to showcase Cole smirking, “Ah if it isn’t the mothers and the children. I know you’re worried about Alex and the land, but fear not cause we will have a better place soon.”

“The hell did you do?” Mia asked looking up from the book.

Bella eyed her uncle, “Your the wizard of our world, you have something up your sleeve. What it is? A dragon? A killer beast?”

“You two are similar, I see.” Cole says almost immediately with a dry tone but his smirk stayed, “Alexander is being taken care of now. With magic back in town, I sent an invitation his way.”

“What kind of invitation?” Liane asked now intrigued, “To kill him?”

“In a way, yes, it would be a piercing death sentence. But the price is highly unlikely to payoff. With him dead, someone will have to rule. I assume the heroes will.”

Joshua looked out the window of the library watching the smoke clear up but the clouds remained grey as dark skies rose over the area of the town. Whatever Cole brought to murder Alexander was not pretty…

“Enough with the noise, Cole, but what is it exactly?” Joshua asked this time, still looking out the windows, reaching over to grab something to defend himself with.

“Oh, just a little friend from the other side, from the enchanted forest.” Cole said holding up a hand to stop him from asking anything else and continued, “Yes, our land is basically empty and now dead weight, a wasteland, but death knows all. So I brought a dead body Alexander’s way…”

“What the f-!”

———-

“Who in heavens are you?!” Alexander yelled, he had cuffs on his wrist to prevent him from using any magic as he tried to break free from the cell.

The ghost of knight’s slipped in between the bars of the cell and started to float. A black cloud covered its legs, as its body became like smoke. Its face was covered in scars, pale grey and his eyes were filled with anger. A shining light flashed from its eyes almost a piercing red-yellow color. He had a deep blade that basically made to stab and consume the life of others at his will.

It roared and shakes the air surrounding them, as the room temperature dropped below freezing and rumbling under Alexander’s feet.

Eariler Cole came in and threatened the man, as he ripped Alexander’s wrist and used a dagger to cut his hand. A black symbol appeared on his hand afterward in the shape of a coin with double swords in the center of it all.

For the first time in forever, Alexander was powerless against the beast in front of him. He tried shaking the cell block and jingling the lock but nothing happened. The knight sword started to move around and course the king’s life into the blade as Alexander screamed in pain. He suffered in silence and tears almost immediately appeared, shouting in the middle of the cell for help.

Nikolai and Ethan were gone at The Diner, probably even at the bar to drink their troubles away together.

Alexander has never felt pain like this before and it made him weaken over time, coughing and reaching for the walls to keep him from falling asleep on the ground floor. He wondered if this is how his behavior in the past, finally came to affect him in the future. A lifetime seeking pain for the suffering he caused to others.

He didn’t even know what to think.

All he knows was that he was screaming in agony for help.

The lights flickered in the station and in the view was his brother, who was growling at the man. Nikolai seemed to enjoy his presence as he suffered, Ethan and the others were behind him. He glanced over to Liane whose eyes flickered purple but fearful of the beast in front of him. Ethan rushed opening the cell and zapped the ghostly creature into stumbling back. Nikolai and Liane nodded blasting the figure as it roared fiercely at them then slipped away to the cracks of the window and out of the room.

Alexander sighed in relief coughing and grunting at the thought of his pain still lingering over him.

Liane’s eyes returned back to normal, “What was that thing?”

“I wish I knew..” Both brother muttered at the same time.

“I do.” Ethan admitted as the others nodded waiting for him to answer, “..in the same way death and life appear to be good or bad, so do those ghosts. In Wonderland, we called them Balance Knights, I don’t know what they are called in The Enchanted Realm. It can bring others, if not care to harm everyone…they can either bring life good luck or bad fortune..for Alexander it was death. And the pain he caused to others..”

“Okay so, how do we kill it?” Alexander spat out, breathing heavily.

“You kill no one.” Nikolai responded with a glare, “You can’t kill a ghost without fire and a way to sent it home to its body.”

“I want it dead. How do we sent it back?”

Liane was about to say something but a voice beat her to it. Mia entered the room and was followed behind the teens who held up books, broomsticks, along with a top hat. Jeremy walked in after a few moments with a smirk on his face holding dark dust.

Nikolai muttered something about how he requested them to stay outside and then his wife refused to listen to him. Mia threw him a look holding the book in her hands. Ethan and Liane notice Josh was holding the set of broomsticks and Bella was carrying the top hat. One of The Mad Hatter’s famous hat.

Jeremy explains how he used to study plenty of books back in the day. One of them held information on Cole’s little creature, crediting the teens for the idea, and how to send the knight back.

With that, they got to work.

————

In the middle of town hall, everyone stood up carrying weapons to protect themselves and fight the enemy at hand. Alexander was used as bait, as Joshua cut a similar mark on the man’s hand to lure the ghost in. With blood on his hand and Alexander standing in the front, the creature appeared once again to take him.

Joshua held up a broomstick with fire almost immediately like it was a sword to lure it closer, Nikolai, Ethan and Liane used their blast the creature. The ghost screamed and shouted roaring, flipping his sword around to fight the trio. The trio used their magic to keep the knight steady as they fought. Mia and Bella made their appearance together, with pages of the spell book open and the hat in hand.

Bella chanted the words of the spell to convince the knight to pause and take leave, as it hissed trying to attack, meanwhile Mia spin the Hatter’s top hat hoping to enchant magic to open a portal. Jeremy poured the dark dust surrounding the hat and the area where it stand, pushing them backward for safety reasons.

The portal only opened slightly and slowly approached into a small circle of blackened clouds. But it wasn’t clear enough for the ghost to fit. The trio was too busy fighting meanwhile Jeremy and Mia were using the broomstick covered with flames and salt to keep the knight from escaping the attack they made.

Bella kept chanted and looking for pages to widen a portal, inching forward to the hat as she nodded at Joshua to follow along. Joshua had a determined look on his space spinning the hat and spreading the dark dust over the top hat. Bella’s eyes narrowed down picking up some more dust from the ground, gripped onto her friends forearm as they both chanted the words.

Like well…magic, it worked as the portal open sucking in the knight into its grand hole back to where it came.

The adults were so preoccupied with the damage and rushing the knight towards the end of the hat, they didn’t notice the aftermath of the chaos. The portal didn’t close on time, sucking Bella and Joshua in, Jeremy was trying to destroy the entire portal but got caught inside as well.

“Not my kids!” Liane exclaimed jumping over and into the portal.

Nikolai growled, “I’m losing more family again!”

Their spouses yelled at them, trying desperately to make a jump for it and exchanged insults later.

Ethan and Mia planned to jumpstart the portal to appear a little long to appear across but it was too late.. Nikolai jumped across the fence and into the portal as it closed right before their eyes.

The only thing left was the hat slowly turning around and stopped on the ground, as Alexander hissing on the floor…

~~~

~~~~~~~~

Ahhh 😌 I blame @missstrawbs2001 loving return to OUAT for the inspiration, I love this show very much. Ngl I wanna skip to season 3 or something soon hahaha

What do you guys think?

Oh here are the tags: @purpleprincessonfyre @meiramel  @gcthvile @rickb-chaos @gaminggirlsstuff @wizzzardofoz @cherrysft @thechoooooosenone @luna-d-marsh @sherloquestea and etc

[fortuna9]

EXPLAINING MY 2010S DR MORE!

☆ Nicknames I have: Barbie, Bunny, Ellie, Ali

☆ Most popular songs: Cruel Summer, DDU-DU DDU-DU, Run away with me, Genie, Something like a party, Shooting Star, b2b heartbeat, Vroom Vroom, Tattoo, Boom Clap etc

☆ I'm the face of Thierry Mugler

☆ Other endorsements: Mattel, Sanrio, Sailor Moon, Nintendo, Toidoki, Dolls Kill, Versace, H&M, Jeremy Scott for Moschino, Blumarine

☆ I have a reality tv show that runs from 2010-2016 (so ages 15-21) (I also scripted that it won't be too hectic so I can have decent teenage years)

☆ I also am THAT girl, the it-girl to end all it-girls it's so serious

☆ There will be a Barbie doll line made inspired by me, and I will also have a cameo in the Barbie movie dressed as one of those dolls (the meta of it all)

☆ I also have cameos in movies I'm on the soundtrack for (Catching Fire, Dork Diaries, Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse, The Great Gatsby, Barbie etc.)

☆ I also scripted that the Percy Jackson movies weren't dookie and that Dork Diaries got 3 films.

☆ I want to live that Nikki Maxwell lifestyle, so I also go to North Hampton Hills (on scholarship), I won Valentine's Sweetheart, I won an Ice Skating competition, I ran my school's newspaper's advice column, I write in my diary a lot.

☆ My rise to stardom came from my win on a talent show in 2009/2010 (the timeline here is a bit wonky)

☆ Songs I covered: Together again, Halo, Love Story, Just Dance, Umbrella, Fantasy, Loverboy

☆ Original songs I performed: Message in a bottle, Enchanted, I AM, Teenage Dream

☆ I stole Barbie's entire house from Life in the Dreamhouse zxncaskl I just scripted that no-one questions my endless closet (Elektra Crystal...yeah of course we don't know when her closet ends...makes sense)

☆ I scripted 6 albums so far (7 if you include the songs from the talents show). I scripted a trilogy (2010-2014), UTOPIA (2019), and The Phantom Pulse duology (2022). I'll post about them soon!

☆ I have two singles (Really Bad Boy released in 2016 and DDU-DU DDU-DU released in 2017). I also have a few songs I did for ads specifically (Peek-a-boo for a Halloween themed pizza commercial, Speed Drive for a Barbie ad and ICONIC for a Nike ad)

☆ I also did the soundtrack for a Nintendo game I scripted in (Odyssey), released in 2021.

☆ I'm considered the best performer of my generation.

☆ I had a mega tour from 2015-2017, bigger than the Eras tour. It was a cultural phenomenom, and the demand lead to the tour being extended.

☆ I also scripted that I know everyone's secrets cause I don't want anyone playing with me I will END your career.

☆ Still questioning if I should script young coriolanus in...I could write style about him...save me blonde tom blyth...save me..

Anyways that's all for today, that's for tuning in, you're shifting today, hope you know ♡

[owlcryptid]

Latest book buys + some thoughts and short reviews under the cut??

Cursed pirate girl (vol 2) by Jeremy Bastian

I bought the first volume last year, and I really can’t get enough of the gorgeous art in this. Look at this!!! The minutious etching, the paneling, the way the speech bubbles play and change shapes on the pages….

The story is a pirate girl looking for her legendary father in a mysterious world with a sea full of pirates and strange creatures. I’m a sucker for this kind of medieval inspired aesthetic and I am having a fantastic time. The look is so wonderful and weird, including in its narration, it’s definitely a unique one. A solid recommendation on my part!

I also managed to get it signed hehe

Millenium Darling (Sennen Darling) vol 1-2 by Iwasawa Midori

In the 80s, a jock with a big heart is saved from a strange robot attack by a young clockmaker who turns him into an overpowered cyborg (as you naturally would!) that he names Millenium Darling. Then follows the battle against a series of mysterious robotic cyborg monsters powered by magic magatma stones.

Look, I shouldn’t even be surprised that I’m eating this shit up. It was tailor made for Me specifically. I mean, LOOK at this synopsis. The dynamic between the main duo feels good to read, the artstyle is full on 80s goodness despite it being a modern work, it’s fun, it’s kitschy, it’s queer, and I can’t wait for the next volume. I don’t think this one is available un english, though. But keep an eye out for this one!

Red riding hood’s wolf Apprentice - Final testament to the stars (vol 1) by Sayaka Mogi

This one caught my eye at the FIBD So I brought it home. It’s a coming of age story of two little werewolf twins. I don’t have much to say except that it’s pretty cute. I will try to get the next one to see where this is headed though.

#DRCL Midnight Children (vol 1) by Shin’ichi Sakamoto

The new manga by the master Shin’ichi Sakamoto, I cannot overstate how much I like his previous work Innocent and Innocent rouge… This one is a retelling of Dracula.As usual the art is gorgeous and detailed, the ambience is mysterious and even feels unreal at times in a way that he really knows how to nail. I’ve heard that he’s made a lot of changes from the original novel, but since I haven’t read it (…yet) I am going in completely blind on that part, but so far I am really liking it!

I saw his masterclass in Angouleme where he talked about his influences for this work. A world where beauty is slowly fading away, the advent of the modern world, the changing status of women in society at that time… Also Dracula looks like Michael Jackson and he likes to come in dancing. What can I say. It works and it’s so fucking good.

That’s it for this batch! I don’t have the ambition to make full fledged reviews so this is more like a stream of thought, but if you read it all, thank you! And I hope you saw something that interests you.

[fizzycereal]

for OC ask game

4- any oc

5- any oc

6- any OC

8- uhhh id ask this for Ash ig

9- London

10- Tyler 😈😈😈

13- Opal

17,18,19,20,21- anyone for these

25- literally anyone or everyone

signed, your overly curious bestie, Bgay 😛

4- really depends on what oc lol London, I would say warm greens to oranges. Ash blues, greens, and other shit. But really depends :3

5- ash, rats ofc like wtf else would it be, Atlas a dog, uhhh idk about the rest really lol

6- hmmmmm.... Hard question don't know flowers so uh yeah? But ig roses for the "trio" (lmao not specifying which one 😎)

8- ooooo good question, him being determined, being both a curse and a blessing at times. However another flaw that his insecurities can influence his decisions. They cause him to be a bit greedy and envious (also having a small God complex-)

9- to be happy-/hj (not answering that yet since it plays a big part)

10- yesnt? He does in fact have a father and a mother, and a older sister named Ashley. His family plays a pretty big part so this question will be left a bit unanswered. But he does in fact have a cousin that is only mentioned.

13- uhhhhh me forogr... Uhhh originally they would have rich ass parents so I would say yes? Idk

17- if I remember correctly I think it's only Ash... However I am planning to give some of the salt cast more pets.

18- failure probably some more but most failure. (like me 😨)

19- yes, the Canadians (salt) are all pretty good friends

20- aros, tennis and playing some puzzle games.

21- all you need to know is that piss is involved. (Also many of them are spoilers so yippie!)

25- first off, Atlas, name that was for my first og dnd character but then since I wasn't able to play them, I gave it to a fucking bowl of cereal. London? Baby name website. Ash? Idk. Todd? Idk he just looked like a Todd.

11- again really depends good only one I can think off on top of my head is Jeremy from BMC as Ash. (Come on, it's obvious that I inspired ash off of Jeremy 😔)

[impish-ivy]

👏GIVE👏ME👏MORE👏INFO👏ON👏MINNIE👏

General Info 09 Do they attend RAD? What is their role there? Their best subject/the one they teach? Club activties? If they don't attend RAD, what do they do? (I mostly want to know if she's part of any of the brothers' fan clubs tbh NJDKSLGSDKD)

Relationships & Personality 01 What's their relationship with Solomon & Mammon?

Concept & Design 10 How about some angst headcanons? >:)

Human 04 Do they have a guardian angel? Have they forged any pacts?

Ask and you shall receive!💚

General Info

09: Do they attend RAD? What is their role there? Their best subject? Club activities?

Yes! She hated school when she was a kid but she absolutely enjoys it now! It’s funny because she dreaded it so much as first but almost instantly fell in love with RAD. She’s currently apart of the student council, she does a bit of everything but her main job is keeping everyone on task lol.

Her favorite studies are Devildom History and Applied Magical Potions, shes incredibly interested in the Devildom as a whole so she tends to do very well in any classes pertaining to them and enjoys the task of brewing potions.

Her least favorite being Mathematics and Cursed and Hexes. She’s not a math girle and will often (with his consent) cheat off Mammon. She also feels way too bad about putting any curses on anyone, it doesn’t help her angel heritage naturally makes it harder.

She’s in Cat club!

Relationship and personality

01: What so their relationship with Solomon and Mammon?

Hoh boy! This one has flipped quite a bit in the beginning and then settled and has flipped again. Fun fact about me, Mammon used to be my favorite (hard to imagine I know 😔) and Minnie was a Mammon MC. But Nightbringer has made my love for Solomon so strong I changed her lol. So to answer your question

Solomon: One of her most trusted and beloved friends maybe more?👀 Solomon is the person Minnie isn’t afraid to be honest about her feelings and opinions. She respects him deeply, this man has saved her life on numerous occasions and was more than happy to teach her magic. They’re study buddies because he’s aware of where her gap of knowledge is likely to be and isn’t condescending about it. I’ve said it before, Minnie’s humanity is very important to her and she feels like Solomon understands her on a level the others don’t.

Mammon: His partner in crime! They’re both trouble makers, for different reasons. Mammon loves causing trouble and Minnie always finds herself following along. They copy each other’s homework for classes they suck at (He copies her Human and Devildom history and she copies his mathematics). She’s also the black sheep in her family so she’s way softer on him than the rest. She absolutely refuses to call him an idiot, people used to call her that and all it did was push herself deeper down. Does not like Lucifer’s punishments.

Concept and Design

10: Angst headcanons!

She has a martyr complex. She didn’t develop it over night but she values her feelings and life substantially less than everyone around here.

Human

04: Do they have a garudian angel? Have they forged any pacts?

I have an angel OC I had no idea what to do with and this question inspired me to do something with him. So thanks Melody! :p

She has forged pacts with all 7 of the brothers. She sees her pacts with them as a massive trust and proof of how much they all love each other. She’d have to love and trust another demon enough to ask them.

She does in fact have a guardian angel, she just isn’t aware yet lol. His name is Jeremial, and he didn’t intentionally become her guardian Angel.

Michael had asked him just before the game exchange program began. He was in the middle of a project and went “Yeah yeah, of course.” and only found out when Michael asked how everything is going.

He doesn’t mind all too much.

[panzershrike-pretz]

MICHAEL WOLF

Source: x x x | x x x | x x x -> song: Come Along

We'll be here when the world slows down And the sunbeams fade away Keeping time by a pendulum As the fabric starts to fray There's no such thing as time to kill Nor time to throw away So once for the bright sky Twice for the pig sty Thrice for another day Come, come, come, come, come along now Run away from the hum-drum We'll go to a place that is safe from Greed, anger and boredom We'll dance and sing 'til sundown And feast with abandon We'll sleep when the morning comes And we'll rise by the sound of the birdsongs

- About;

- Michael Lyall Wolf - he/him (trans ftm)

Michael's name comes from the Be More Chill's character, Michael Mell. At the time I changed his name to that, I was deeply in love with that musical (not that I ever stopped being in love with it) and, just as I did with Jeremy, decided that I needed a character with that name. It means "gift from God" and, well, he truly is a gift from God (or better yet, the child of one xD)

Micah, his nickname, comes from a typo that decided to stick with me every time I'd write his name, so I kept it.

Lyall is the middle name of Remus Lupin, the werewolf character from Harry Potter's story (which is also who inspired me to make Micah be a lycanthrope). It means wolf and faithful, which I guess really goes well with Micah's whole deal KEKEKEK

Finally, Wolf. Well that is self-explanatory enough

Michael Wolf Wolf 👍

- Cook

Michael's position in the ship is of great value; besides being responsible for keeping the crew well fed, Micah is in charge of keeping track of rations and maintaining storage.

Tho Micah was not initially good at cooking, he was able to make end's meet and eventually grew more fond of the kitchen - well, enough so his skills grew and now his food is one of the favorite's in the ship, just behind Theodore's (tho that's a given, since the man has a dregree in gastronomy).

Micah was not always well liked between people, mainly for his lycanthrope illness, so he endured many hardships involving food - that was enough to traumatize him. He swore to never let anyone in his care feel hunger at all. This led to him getting in a lot of troubles for sneaking food to his crewmates.

- God of Time, the Moon and Love

Michael was one of the first Gods to exist, direct son of Ozymandias and Imbatwa. He originally only represented time, but as the universe grew and forms of lufe beegan evolving, he took the roles of Love and Moon God as well. Being one of thes first Gods granted him some more powers than usual, tho not so useful as he'd want.

Michael is able to feel people's emotions and somewhat affect them if he wants too - that does mean he can make people fall in love, but he learned from many mistakes and refrains from doing that at all. With that, he can also make hisbtouch calm people down if needed and hypnotize them momentarily with his eyes. He hates it.

Can create portals that travel back or forth in tome by some hours, but it's incredibly dangerous to him and his health. Unlike time-loops, those portals are not stable and can easily collapse, which means he can get trapped in the Void, between dxeath and life. Useful? Maybe. Does he use it? Not at all.

He's able to turn into a wolf, tho he doesn't really enjoy it since he's been bitten by a werewolf. Every full moon, he has a painful transformation and becomes a menace to everyone around him - the simple thought of turning into a wolf out of that time sends shivers down his spine. When not transformed, his bite can still cause nausea and infections, as well as some signs of a not-full Lycanthropy (just intense need for raw meat, angryness, sensitivity to light, sounds and smells, foaming at the mouth). He's considered a highly dangerous individual and that has messed up with his views upon himself. This is not a power, it's a curse and he hates every bit of it.

So, in short, Michael doesn't use any of his powers because he fears them and himself.

- Personality

Michael is a very kind man, who'll not hesitate in helping others first and above all else. He hates what he is and how people view him and his kind, so he does his best in trying to make up for his curse even if that means he gets a bad time. He's a people pleaser who can't say no to most things - well, yeah, people can easily take advantage and manipulate him.

Michael is a total lovebug. He dreams and lives for romance; he never thought it'd be possible for him to have that and constantly fears that one day he'll wake up and be alone once more (it won't happen, but he's paranoid).

An excellent listener, who just has a way of atrracting people. He's a calm and gentle soul wsho believes the world can be a better place eventually; a hopeful little guy.

He's very prone to panic attacks and get's easily overwhelmed. Poor autistic guy. Anyway I torture him way too much :]

- Funfact: Michael is utterly addicted to chocolate. Any kind of chocolate. He goes insane over it and it's just a good way of calming him down. He smells of chocolate, books and spices. ALSO, sometimes he howls when he's happy.

- Relationship: Sirius and Jeremy

Oh no! Who is that I spy? The little boy. He has lil' teef :3 and heterochromia :3

[sketchnskribbles]

To Overcome

Frightbear Crew AU [AO3]

[CH 1]

Chapter 2: Homebound Pt 2 

Word Count: 6k

Genre: Adventure, Angst, Family Angst, Found Family, Horror, Mystery, Humor

Character(s): Springtrap/William Afton, Henry Emily, Charlotte Emily, The Puppet, Marionette, Foxy, Golden Freddy, Crying Child, Evan Afton, Ballora, Jeremy Fitzgerald, Original Character(s)

Summary: The semester is almost over and the summer is coming quickly. Jennifer Acker needed to figure out what she was going to do for a job. Thankfully, her cousin calls and offers her one. Not as fortunate, she'd be helping design the props and rooms for his upcoming horror house based on all the myths and legends surrounding a particularly notorious failed restaurant chain. Despite her easily frightened nature, she accepts and is brought into a whirlwind of mystery surrounding the bloody past of Fazbear Entertainment. 

Welcome to Fazbear’s Frights, where the scares are fresh and the rabbit is out to get you.

A FnaF 3 AU, inspired by said game as well as FnaF: Security Breach

It had taken until the final day of her semester and the constant pestering of Harper for Jennifer to finally accept her cousin's offer.

And honestly… she was actually getting a little excited. Her best friend had been right, this was a golden opportunity for her. Something she could put on her resume for any future job. It was going to definitely be with its hiccups but there weren't many life situations she'd been in where there weren't. Trouble honestly followed her everywhere. It was time that she didn't let it get to her.

Jennifer looked over all that she had packed for her trip home. The two duffle bags and backpack. She didn't have much and that was exactly how she liked it.

She smiled and shouldered her three bags to her as best she could before waddling precariously to the door. Upon reaching the nefarious slab of wood, she quickly realized that it was going to take a bit of wit to figure out how to open it without dropping anything. She certainly wasn't going to set anything down, either. That'd be losing. 

Her eyes roamed around the frame as she thought about her next move. In the end, she figured she would pull a classic.

Just as she went to reach for the knob, it twisted on its own and Jennifer nearly fell backward in an effort to stay out of its swing range. Curses, foiled again.

"What are you even doing?" Harper's brows shot up when she saw the state of her roommate and best friend.

"Trying to bring my bags down to my car. Why?" She tried to ask innocently. It only served to make her look more goofy. The blonde snorted and grabbed one of the duffle straps that had been slowly slipping out of place.

"Hon, if you need help, just ask."

"I can do it!" Jennifer muttered stubbornly as she followed her friend down the hall. They reached her car and placed the bags in the back seats. For a moment, the two simply stood there and stared at the practically empty parking lot of the campus.

"Gosh. It feels so weird saying goodbye to you." The blonde frowned, crossing her arms. "It feels like just yesterday we were meeting for the first time. I don't know if I'm ready to let you go yet."

She let out a watery laugh, reaching up to wipe an eye. Jennifer stepped forward to wrap her up in a hug.

"Hey, I feel the same way. It's definitely going to set me off-kilter for a few days, not having you around." The brunette let go to rub at her own eyes. "I wish I could just kidnap you and take you with me."

"Oh, if only. Your hometown sounds like the place to be from everything you've told me." 

"Can't help it, I love it there." Jennifer shrugged, placing a hand on one hip. "If it had a good college there I wouldn't have ever applied here. But then I wouldn't have met you! We definitely need to keep in contact, even if we'll still see each other next semester."

"Agreed!"

There was another solemn silence between the two as they still weren't fully ready to depart.

"Have fun on that cruise with your parents." Jennifer finally said, remembering her friend's hyper talks about it.

"O-oh… actually, I'm just going to be staying back at home. Help in house sitting, I suppose." Harper awkwardly pushed some hair back. Jennifer’s eyes widened.

"What? But you were so excited."

"Yeah." The blonde shrugged. "Guess my parents were more so. They decided to go on the trip at an earlier time than when I could go."

That was awful, the brunette couldn't believe it. How could her parents be so selfish? Anyone with a brain between their ears could have seen how happy Harper had been about that trip. How much she had spoken about the different activities she wanted to do with them. Jennifer had even overheard some of her calls back home, discussing the trip.

"It's okay, Jenni." The blonde soothed. "This… happens a lot. I'm used to it."

"There's a difference between it being okay and you being "used to it"." Jennifer huffed. She kicked at a rock and watched it skid a couple feet. "Maybe I really should bring you with me. If you're up for it."

"It'd be so cool but I already promised my parents that I'd watch home, so that they didn't have to pay anyone to do it."

"They promised that they'd take you with them." The brunette glared up at the pretty colors lighting up the sky as the sun rose. Time was moving forward as it always did. She would have to leave soon if she wanted to make it back with only paying for one overnight stay at a motel.

Harper sighed and nodded. Then she perked up when an idea flitted through her mind.

"Actually, I have a cousin who still lives nearby. She definitely owes me for all the times I've covered for her." Her eyes lit up at the possibility of a fun summer trip. "Maybe if I could convince her, I could let her take over and fly over to Morgan!"

"Girl, the guest room will always be open for you. Let me know when you can come and I'll make sure it's all cleaned up." They shared one last hug and this time had an easier time saying goodbye, knowing that it wouldn't be very long at all that they'd see each other again.

Hours later, Jennifer was making some good time on her drive back home. Enough so that she felt confident in stopping at a well-rated rest stop, taking a well deserved bathroom break. On her way out she decided to buy some snacks and a warm coffee. Plus a six-pack of water bottles for some actual hydration. 

Hauling her findings, she threw the plastic bag into the passenger side before gently placing her coffee into a cupholder. With one last stretch she eased herself back behind the wheel. 

It was always an isolating feeling to Jennifer when driving alone for long periods of time. It wasn't exactly awful. It just served to make her more nostalgic and contemplative about things she'd been through. Things she's done or the lack thereof. People that have come into her life, whether to stay or to leave. Most having been the latter. 

With a frown, she turned on the radio and switched through the channels. There wasn't anything good playing, so she simply left it on classical. In front of her the freeway seemed to stretch on forever. Sprinkled here and there were vehicles of all sizes moving on to the next destination of their own lives. It was still early enough for the roads to not be very busy. Hopefully, she'd manage to go the day without dealing with too many hold ups or traffic jams. Especially when the road would inevitably lead her through a city. For now she enjoyed the beautiful, empty plains surrounding her. 

Nighttime came quickly and before she knew it she was laying down in her little rented room. Her bags near the door, securely inside while ready for an early exit the next morning. The TV was turned on. Playing on the screen was an old black-and-white crime drama with the volume set low. Jennifer, herself, was laying face up on the bed with her limbs sprawled out. She turned her head when a scream came from the show and she lazily watched as a cheesy old timey villain chased the damsel around with a kitchen knife.

A shrill ring sounded out through the room and the brunette squealed. She jumped off the bed in her fright and whipped her head around the room. Her eyes landed on her phone, which vibrated on the bed stand as the ringtone continued to play. Sucking in a deep breath and ignoring her embarrassment, she swiped up the device. Quinton was checking up on her. A smile came to her lips as she answered.

"Hi, Quinn!"

"Hey. Wanted to call and make sure you're doing okay. You've checked into a room by now, right?" 

Her smile turned into a grin as warmth spread through her. Her cousin may get on her nerves sometimes but she had never doubted that he cared. She'd have done the same —has done the same, whenever he goes on one of his many cross-country travels.

"Yes, worrywort. I checked in an hour or so ago. Now, I'm just kind of hanging out in my room. Not really tired enough to fall asleep yet."

"Drank too much coffee, squirt?"

"You know me." 

They both laughed which petered out slowly.

"What are you up to right now?"

"Paperwork." She listened to him let out another laugh. This one letting show just how worn down he seemed to be. "There's a lot to do to put together a business."

"I can believe it. I've heard how it can be hard to run a business." Jennifer sat back down into the bed and got herself comfortable against the fluffy pillows.

"I mean I knew that… but even still." He sighed, which turned into a yawn. 

"You should try to get some sleep."

"I want to. But first I need to finish up and file these papers. Then I need to go and set up on some of those job recruitment websites." He groaned. "I really hope I can get at least a few new people relatively quickly. I could really use all the help I could get, honestly."

"Well, you'll have me. Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon."

"That's true. Can't wait to give you a big hug when you get here, squirt. I've missed you."

"Missed you too, you punk." Jennifer gave a yawn of her own.

"I think you need to get some sleep too. Lots of driving to do tomorrow."

"Only if you promise to get at least a couple hours, yourself, after getting the paperwork sorted out. Worry about the online stuff tomorrow."

"Okay, mom. Goodbye."

"See you later." She hung up and looked at the TV again. Some commercials were currently playing. It turned off with a resounding click as she pressed the power button on the remote. Silently, she thanked having the forethought of simply changing into her PJs. It had been one of the first things she did when settling into the room.

Jennifer crawled into the covers and turned off the bedside lamp, dousing the room into darkness. With a sigh she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.

Driving into the familiar streets of Morgan City was like breathing fresh air. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed being here. A smile grew on her face as she looked over at one of the rides from her favorite water park as she passed it. 

Turning on the turn signal, she turned onto the very street she grew up on. Jennifer had to slow down when she noticed a couple of boys playing basketball on the street. Thankfully, they were smart and courteous enough to move out of the way when they noticed her. She gave them a smile and waved. Her expression grew even warmer when one of them waved back. It was nice to be out of the big city. People weren't as sociable there. 

The driveway of her childhood home came into her range of vision not too far after. Driving into an empty spot next to her dad's old pick up, she parked and winced as she got out of her car. Sitting for so long wasn't a good idea. She definitely needed to do some stretches at some point. Though, she probably wouldn't get around to it. 

As she closed her car door, the front door of her parent's house slammed open and out ran her no-longer-so-small little gremlin of a brother. His brown, wild hair bounced with every step.

"Jenni!" He yelled as he slammed full force into her stomach, arms wrapped tightly around her torso. She nearly didn't catch herself when she stumbled back, feeling lucky that he didn't knock the air out of her lungs. She gave out a short laugh, wrapping her own arms around him.

"Hey there, bud. It's been a while." 

They parted and Jennifer reached out to ruffle his hair. Which caused him to jerk back and swipe at her arm, nose crinkled.

"No, stop! Come on, seriously?"

"It's my job to bother you, little punk." She moved past him with a smirk and opened up the back seat. With a few swift movements, one of her duffels had been sent flying toward him. He gasped but had no time to dodge before the bag hit him. He fell over onto his rear with an "Oof!". 

The brunette shouldered the rest of her belongings, shut the door with her hip, and lightly kicked at the sole of her fallen brother as she walked by him.

"Come on, Harry. We're losing daylight."

"Yeah, I'm no longer okay with you being here anymore." Harry, or rather Harrison, frowned up at her. His head strained up to keep her in sight. Despite his irritation, he stood up with her bag and dutifully followed her up the porch steps. Harrison closed the door behind them.

"That's too bad, 'cause I'm here to stay for the time being." Her words made him perk up. 

"You're going to be working with Quinn on Fazbear's Frights, right?"

"On what?" Jennifer blinked and glanced back to her brother as she took her first step up the stairs. Harrison was right on her tail.

"It's the new name he decided on." He smiled. "He promised I'd be one of the first people to go through, y'know."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. Her eyes betrayed her disapproval. "I don't think that's wise. Wouldn't it be a bit…much for you?"

"No. I'm not a scaredy-cat like you. Besides, I doubt anything you create would actually be scary."

"Gee… thanks for the vote of confidence." She muttered with a half-hearted eye roll. They reached her room and set everything onto her bed. She sat down and looked over to Harrison. "Thanks for the help, little man. Where's mom at?"

"Mrs. West needed some help with her cow. Miss Spots is finally giving birth."

"That's exciting! Can't wait to hear what she names the calf."

"Yeah, because she's so creative when it comes to naming things." Harrison snorted. Jennifer shoved his head before getting back up. 

"I'm thirsty. What do we have for drinks in this joint?"

"We have a hydrating supply of water. Or if you'd like more of a kick: apple juice."

"Fancy."

"Quite."

They spent the better part of the afternoon getting reacquainted while playing some video games. Their first game was Smash Bros, when Harrison had demanded he needed a rematch for when Jennifer had absolutely crushed him in front of his friends with no remorse. After a couple rounds they went on to cool down by attempting to work together in Overcooked 2 but only served to fall into shouts and arguments. They moved on to Fall Guys where they yelled as they were flung and laughed at each other when they failed. Now, they were on Mario Kart; a rather unwise decision, all things considered.

 For Jennifer, it was nice to simply do something that didn't require a lot of critical thinking. Just the will and determination to beat her brother into the ground. Virtually speaking.

Harrison, after losing to his sister yet again on Rainbow Road, threw down his controller into his lap and huffed.

"You're cheating, you've got to be!" He lamented, slumping further into the pillows of the couch. 

"Why cheat, when you've got mad skills?" His older sister drawled out, setting down her own controller and stretching. "I've been playing games since before you were born, twerp."

"Yeah, okay. But you're old now! Plus, you barely play them anymore." The boy continued in his childish anguish. Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Just because I don't play as hard as I did when I was a kid, doesn't mean I've lost my touch. And I still play a game here and there. It's just not important compared to my possible future career." Then she gestured to the TV. "Despite my rustiness… I still kicked your sorry butt. Better luck next time, little punk."

Harrison groaned loudly and melted slowly onto the floor. His sister merely watched on in apathy. It was such a cruel world he lived in.

It was at this time that the front door creaked open and their mother was greeted to the sight of her children sprawled around the living room. Eyes widening briefly in surprise, the woman proceeded to chuckle and stepped fully in. From each of her arms hung plastic bags. Groceries.

Right behind her was Quinton, who also had his arms full.

"Howdy do, little cousins?" He greeted with the goofiest cowboy accent he could manage. The siblings only groaned. He dropped the act. "Aw, don't be like that. I thought I was doing pretty good."

"More like pretty annoying." Harrison bit back with a grin as he got up off the floor. Happily, the boy trotted after them as they made their way to the kitchen. Jennifer got up off the couch and went with the rest of the herd.

""Oh, you wound me!" Quinton clutched his chest as best he could and pretended to stumble back. Which only served to cause him to actually stumble due to the added weight of what he carried. He held enough sense in his noggin to quickly set down his portion of groceries onto the nearest counter, which Harrison used to his advantage. 

Before the oldest cousin could turn around, the youngest put up his dukes and pretended to punch him. The hit landed and pretty soon both boys were wrestling. Something that the eldest in the room had no appreciation for.

"Boys, if you're going to beat the stuffing out of each other then please take it outside."

"Yes, ma'am." They both echoed before doing just that, leaving only the girls left in the kitchen. Jennifer quickly got to work in helping put everything away. She stiffened when arms firmly wrapped themselves around her but she easily hugged back. 

"I've missed you so much, baby girl." Her mom whispered before giving her a kiss on the forehead. "It's been so strange not having you home."

"I've missed you too, mom. Love you."

"Love you too." Her mother repeated with a smile. A few moments later they had broken away and went back to placing items where they belong. The generator for the AC turned on with a loud rattle, causing the brunette to jump before she slowly got back to what she was doing. Her mother chuckled and looked over at her daughter fondly.

Once finished with their task, the two women found themselves with glasses of water and simply sat at the dining table. It was a comfortable silence. Then her mom perked up as something passed through her brain.

"So, Jenni. How's the university been treating you? Having any fun? Any sweethearts?" Her mom teased, taking a sip of her drink.

"Hectic. Time feels like a blur with all my studies, it hardly feels like I have time for anything else. It'll be worth it in the end, though." It had to be. She silently added to herself. Otherwise, she'd have put in all that effort, time, and money for nothing.

Her mother smiled and reached over to squeeze her hand.

"Sorry, sweets. I'm only joking. You've always had a good head on your shoulders." Her words made Jennifer smile. "Though I can't help it that I want grandbabies."

The smile dropped and she glared. Which only made her mom laugh. There was a little more talking after that until the brunette made her way back to her room.

Walking through the threshold, she gave a sigh and placed her hands on her hips. Her eyes roamed the familiar surroundings. Her old posters covered the walls. Knickknacks and other things half-hazardly decorated all of her surfaces. In the corner, next to her window, her old desktop monitor and desk was covered by a sheet. 

She walked over and gently placed a hand on it. A muffled laugh from outside temporarily gained her attention. Glancing through her window, she could see Quinton and Harrison outside. They were running around the yard using pool noodles as swords, whacking each other with abandon. 

Her attention went back to her old computer. With one swift motion, she pulled off the cloth and coughed when dust filled the room. She fanned the air in front of her face and looked down at her desk. She smiled and moved to sit down in her desk chair. Her fingers glided over the keys before she reached down to take off the sleeve of the PC, itself. Farther down, she flipped on the surge protector and proceeded to push the power button of her computer. 

After allowing it time to update, she scooted over to where she knew a couple of unused notebooks would be. On her way back, she grabbed a pen and highlighter.

It took longer than she would like but the update was finally downloaded and installed. She hastily opened up her favored search engine and got to work. It wouldn't be very long until she was working alongside Quinton's new crew, and she always preferred to be prepared. 

A while later, she was blinking her dry, stinging eyes and cringing at a rather… sordid description of someone's bias-driven assortment of Fazbear Entertainment's history. She was quickly finding that there was very little that people could agree was fact. Even less with evidence. This, in turn, was no doubt why the company was still even around. So much speculation, very little proof.

She'd also learned that there were apparently a series of video games based off of the assumed horror of the constantly failing restaurant chain. Jennifer made a mental note to try to keep her brother from discovering them as long as possible.

Behind her, Quinton popped his head into the room before fully stepping in. Within his hands were two full plates of warm food. Dinner. He quietly walked over to her and set her plate down on one of the few clear spots on her desk. The movement caused her breath to hitch and she jerked away with a squeak.

He gave a chuckle before dragging over her fluffy, circular foldable chair. 

"Sorry, squirt. Didn't mean to frighten you." He looked curiously over her shoulder and smiled at what he saw. "Though I can take a guess on why you're jumpy. Studying, I see."

"Y-yeah. It's… a lot to take in. There really isn't anything solid to take from." She sighed before tapping her pen on some different designs she had sketched out during her research. He picked up the notebook and happily looked through it.

"It just means you have more leg room." He hummed thoughtfully before reaching for the pen. "...May I?"

"I suppose so." She handed him the pen and watched him work with distant eyes, one hand underneath her chin. Her brows were furrowed and expression stormy. Quinton did a double take when he glanced up from his additions. He took in her face and cocked his head.

"Everything okay, Jenni?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, eyes clearing. "Oh, yeah. Of course."

"But…?" He pushed, leaning forward. She sighed.

"But how could Fazbear Entertainment be responsible for those missing kids? There was no evidence. Sure, it's entirely possible one of the employees was responsible but I doubt they'd stay there afterwards. Though, there wasn't anything released that stated an employee had gone 'missing' during that time either."

"True." He shrugged, taking a bite out of his meal. "On the other note, I have no doubt that a company would try to cover things up that they wouldn't like to go public."

"True." She echoed with a nod and a frown. 

"However, in the end, there isn't any actual evidence that they were really involved." He acquiesced. She gave him a confused look. "There's just a bunch of people who probably find it morbidly intriguing or, perhaps, they just see a grain of truth and go along with it."

"It is pretty crazy there's all these people who seem to gravitate towards it. And, hypothetically speaking, if there was a big cover up…" She tapped her chin in thought. Gaze focused on her keyboard, though not entirely seeing it. Jennifer didn't notice the unusual look of serious focus that appeared on her cousin's face as he studied her. Didn't notice the spark of satisfaction that flashed through his eyes. "Then that really would mean they were guilty in some fashion. I guess it would explain why there really is so little known about them. Heck, the biggest things that people do know are the two gruesome accidents that ended in either serious injury or even death! 

"That— that's scary. That's—" She let out a mad giggle. "Crazy. It's crazy. I'm— I've been looking at these things for so long, it's starting to get into my head." 

She looked back over to her cousin to see that he was still very focused on his rectification to her work. With a slight shiver, she noticed just how easily he was making her drawings look more disturbing. Any worse and she wasn't sure she'd be able to look into it without feeling sick to her stomach. Perhaps not even alone while it was dark outside.

She really was a big wuss. Why did she think working in a horror house was a good idea again? It was just going to be worse seeing them in real life, she was sure.

Jennifer took a deep breath. She just needed to calm down from all the creepy stories people had and/or hadn't faked about the animatronic-infested pizza parlors. 

"No worries, squirt." Quinton smiled at her as he finished up his corrections and his dinner. "We'll make a conspiracist outta you, yet."

She shoved him and rolled her eyes. He chortled.

"Hey, you gonna eat any of that?" He pointed to her food with his fork. 

"No, you can have it. I don't have much of an appetite after reading so much about child murder and haunted robot animals." She shook her head, pushing the plate to him. He happily took it and chowed down.

"So, I'd like to start by saying that I'm completely uncertain as to when we might get new recruits." He spoke between bites. "I've made some flyers to post about the open positions. Would you be willing to spare some time in the next couple of days to spread them around town?"

"You got it, boss." She threw him some finger guns and stood up from her chair. The soreness of her body, a testament to how long she'd been in the darn thing. 

"Sweet! That said, it's about time I got home. There's some things I'd like to finish up before going to bed."

"You better get at least five hours of sleep, mister!" 

"Goodnight." He gave her a lazy wave as he made his way out, holding the two plates he brought in as he went. He'd put them in the sink on his way out.

"Night."

Waking up the next morning was rather peaceful. Which was something Jennifer knew she was going to need for what was probably going to be a hard day. Especially with where she planned to go.

With a groan she got herself up and shuffled down the stairs with the gait of a zombie. Thankfully, no one was up yet. She kind of needed some time to herself before the day truly started. Within no time, she brewed up some coffee using their percolator and poured herself a cup. Mixing in all her usual fixings.

With her eyes closed, she sat at the dining table and took careful sips of her cup. Taking the time to enjoy the flavor. It was nice to be home. 

Her eyes opened and caught sight of a portion of a picture frame peeking out at her from the hallway. She pursed her lips as a silent debate started up in her head. When she landed firmly on a decision, she got back up and slowly moseyed her way further into the hall. With one sweep of her gaze she looked over all the pictures hung up on the right wall, before settling her focus onto the nearest photo.

Within the frame was a full family photo. She had been eight at the time, with hair long and neatly curled. Her mother had dressed her in a pretty white dress with a sparkly skirt. Upon her lap was her brother, who'd only been a few months old at the time. He had been dressed in an adorably babified button up red shirt, a vest, little slacks, and the tiniest dress shoes she'd ever seen. They sat upon a stool just to the right of her parents who had been seated on a bench, as close to their children as possible. 

To the immediate left of the siblings was their father. Who sat up straight and proud. He wore a red shirt that matched baby Harrison's underneath a buttoned black suit jacket. His equally black slacks were ironed to perfection and his own dress shoes shined. Their mother was cozied up to his side, their arms and hands intertwined. Her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. She wore a white blouse that matched perfectly with her younger self and a long high-waist black skirt. 

Everyone in the photo looked happy. It had been one of the last photos they'd taken as a complete family. 

Jennifer moved on to the rest with a small frown that nestled on her face. The rest pertained to various events or vacations. Places they'd seen. Things they'd done. Any possible awards won. There were even a few of her father and his various projects that still hung up; of the beautiful cars he'd fix up and sell, as well as his little "inventions" he'd tinker away on. Mostly just improvements on appliances in their home. 

In her memories, she could hardly think of a time where her father didn't have some type of substance smudged on his cheeks or parts placed precariously around. His hands had always been calloused or bandaged whenever she held one. He would always smell of motor oil or sometimes burnt, like a blown out fuse. 

She used to toddle after him everywhere he went, sometimes carrying something he needed for his latest project. Watching him work had always been one of her favorite pastimes. A lot of those times, he'd encourage her to join him. Showing her the different connecting parts, what they did, and how to fix or refine. It made her feel special. Him and her against the world. 

Something wet ran down her cheek and she lifted a hand up to gently dab it away. With a blink another tear slipped out and she realized she was beginning to cry. She took in a deep breath and made her way back up to her room, though not before placing her mug in the sink, rinsed.

Jennifer quickly set out to get ready for the day. Clothes changed and hair brushed. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth when her brother stumbled his way past the open door, on his way to the kitchen.

"Morning." He croaked out, still not entirely awake.

"Morning." She echoed. Her greeting was garbled as she spoke around the toothbrush. Spitting out what was in her mouth, she cleaned the brush and swished around some mouth rinse.

She sat her brush back in its place and followed his path to the fridge, where he simply stood and peered into it. With a half-committed grunt he pulled out the carton of orange juice to pour himself a glass. His sister only watched on as she bit her lip. Uncertainty rampant on her face as she tried to figure out what she was going to say.

He glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow, placing the juice back and grabbing the milk. He made his way to the pantry for some cereal.

"What's up?" He looked back over to her as he finished making his breakfast. It took her a few more seconds to finally gather up the courage to say it.

"I'm going to go visit dad today…"

"Oh." He blinked and moved to place back the milk and cereal box. "Okay."

This time Jennifer blinked before relaxing. That's right. Sometimes she would forget that he hadn't grown up with their father like she had. That still never stopped her from inviting him.

"Would you like to join me?" She watched him falter in his movements before resuming. As he turned around to retrieve his plate he didn't meet her gaze but she could clearly see his confliction. 

He didn't view their father in the same light she did. How could he truly feel something for someone who he never really knew? A man that was practically a stranger, save for the memories shared about him. It would still mean a lot to his sister, he knew. They had been super close to his understanding. A strong bond broken that still gave his sister pain. He never liked seeing his sister sad or hurt. It was honestly hard for him to see. To him, his sister was one of the strongest people he knew. Not that he'd ever tell her. There were only a couple of times he'd seen her cry. Though it was never in front of him and always within the walls of her room. During those times, he liked to sit outside the room. Not comfortable with just simply barging in but still there just in case she needed someone.

He doubted she knew about it but that was okay with him.

Harrison's mouth opened to respond but nothing came out. He didn't want to just say no. That'd be insensitive right? He also didn't want to say yes. He didn't really want to go. 

His sister mercifully sighed and gave him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"You don't have to go, Harry."

He wilted in both relief and guilt. 

Jennifer gave him a hug before going back up to her room to retrieve her bag and make her way out. They said their goodbyes and she left, car keys jingling in her hand.

It was only a five minute drive from her house, though it took her at least twenty to buy some nice flowers and one of his favorite candies. She always felt the need to bring him a little gift.

Slowing her car down to a gradual park, she found herself staring up at the intimidating black iron gates. A plaque on the brick wall next to it read Morgan City Cemetery. She didn't rush to make her way inside the gates, nor did she in walking her way down the familiar route to his headstone.

Upon approach, she gently placed her bag on the grass just before his resting place. The flowers still within her grasp were creatively placed around his grave, brightening up the area considerably. Last, she placed his favorite treat down right in front of the stone marker and sat down next to her bag. It was there in silence that she gazed lovingly at the stone, reading and rereading the words. A breeze pushed past her, ruffling her hair and clothes. Leaves floating lazily over her. The sound of tousled trees brought upon a peace that felt bittersweet. 

"Hi, dad. It's been a while." She started with a hard swallow. "I've just come back home from my latest semester of college. I'm sure you'd be happy to know I've been doing really good in my classes. 

"Mom and Harrison have been doing well too. Mom's as busy as ever. Harry's… well, Harry." Then her eyes lit up in thought. "And Quinton's home! Don't know if he's visited you yet if at all. But he's starting up his own horror attraction. Crazy, I know but you know him."

She gave a shrug and sighed, leaning back on her hands.

"I, uh, am going to help him. He offered me a position as the lead designer for it. So, here I am." She gave an awkward smile and looked around. It was just as empty as before, of course. Save for those dwelling six feet under. Turning her head back toward the stone, she sighed. There was nothing else she could think of to say. "I miss you, dad. Love you lots, goodbye."

She got up and made her way back home.

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

[bleachedvi0let]

Tate Langdon Playlist

In honor of Tate's return, I thought I would make a playlist inspired by him to accompany my Violet inspired playlist. These are songs that remind me of Tate or that I think he would have liked. Hope you enjoy xx.

Jeremy - Pearl Jam

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

Machinehead - Bush

1979 - Smashing Pumpkins

Yellow - Coldplay

In Bloom - Nirvana

I'm Full - Wallows

R U Mine? - Artic Monkeys

Hey - The Pixies

Freaks - Surf Curse

Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

Unwell - Matchbox 20

Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

About A Girl - Nirvana

Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea

Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground

[simmancy]

“Hey Kit, whatcha been up to?”

great question friend, let’s jump into the kitverse for a second

well if you remember, first I got married, that’s about when things really started to die off

being married is wonderful! it’s just like before except now i finally have good healthcare!

then we kicked up preparation for my sister-in-law’s wedding!

being a bridesmaid is much easier than being a bride but still a lot of Things to do! we had parties and events and it was lots of fun but took up like a solid month of weekends

so mostly it’s been a lot of wedding stuff and also Dungeons & Dragons

the campaign I play in is now level 7, Gemma is still alive (for now). she’s still trying to get more money than they deserve and screwing over employers. She may have stolen a lot of Distilled Joy. Also Keara and Jeremy are now OFFICIAL though, I think that’s dope

the Curse of Strahd campaign I DM is going great, Ireena is currently MIA, there’s a False Hydra in Krezk, and tomorrow is the Festival of the Burning Sun!

I picked up a third campaign I DM as well, but I’m training my sister in the art of DMing so she can take over for me because as it turns out, I’d like to have some me time as well

my hockey team got COVID and never played the same the rest of the season, so, RIP I guess

Animal Crossing is still the best and purest game I play but I would also like to put forward Our Life: Beginnings and Always as a second place for that.

and.... while I wasn’t posting I played through like 4 generations of a family and that was super fun but now I feel like Doing again. the circle of life

I don’t like the idea of saying I’m “back,” because this is a hobby anyway, and I’ll put it down again the next time it gets “not fun” anymore, but anytime I have a spark of inspiration... Sims is here to help me illustrate I guess

[unexpectedreylo]

My Review Of “The Love Hypothesis”

Sorry about the tiny jpeg.  Spoilers ahoy.

As you know, “The Love Hypothesis” is the first big breakaway Reylo-fanfic-turned-published-novel hit, a tale that began life as “Head Over Feet” by EverSoReylo on AO3.  I have not read the original story but I have it downloaded; at some point I’d like to read it just to see what changed between the original fanfic and the novel.

That a popular fanfic became a popular novel, catapulting Reylo into the mainstream, has been quite exciting.  Now at least two other fan fics, “Landscape With A Blur Of Conquerors” and “True Colors,” are on their way to converting to novels for major publishers, while there are a few more kicking around that are original stories undoubtedly inspired by the ship to end all ships, all by Reylo fans/fanfic authors.

I am not a “chick lit” fan.  Had this had no connection to Reylo, I don’t think I’d ever read this book.  That said, it is very entertaining and deftly-written, and it accomplishes the most important thing you have to do in a romantic story and that is to get you the reader to invest in the couple.  Yes, “Olive” and “Adam” carry over a lot of the charm and chemistry from their Star Wars counterparts.  In fact, you really can’t help but see Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver play out their roles as you’re reading it.  It’s hilarious to see readers who had no idea of TLH’s origins post that they’re totally fan casting Adam as Adam Carlsen.  Well, yeah, of course.  

In case you’re unfamiliar with TLH or “Head Over Feet,” this contemporary tale stars PhD candidate Olive Smith who enters into a “fake dating” arrangement with Dr. Adam Carlsen, who’s faculty at Stanford University’s science department, after she grabs him and kisses him in view of her friend.  He’s trying to get grant funding released, she’s trying to convince her bestie Rose, er, Anh that she is over “Jeremy,” a man she dated very briefly so that Anh could date him with a clear conscience.  At the same time, Olive is trying to score a position researching pancreatic cancer at Harvard.  It turns out the man who can help make that happen is a close friend of Dr. Carlsen’s.  Olive and Adam make a show of their relationship, which includes putting on sunscreen, weekly Starbucks dates, cuddling, and so forth.  Both hide their “true feelings” from each other and lots of embarrassing things happen before the inevitable HEA.

I understand why this was quickly scooped up for publication.  Not only is it well-written, its heroine is in the prized STEM field and the author can write about science and academia from a position of expertise.  There aren’t a lot of books around like that, especially not romantic novels.  Plus I’m sure the publishers really liked the ready-made diverse cast; it’s pretty easy with the sequel trilogy crew and throwing in Stormpilot for good measure.

There are two things I’m going to be critical about.  One is the narrative eagerly checking off woke boxes and using woke terminology as though it gets extra credit points for them.  That annoyed me.  The other thing is the sex in Ch. 16-17.  Yes, I even read the bonus from Adam’s POV chapter.  I get it; we all think Reylo is hot and many fans are eager to see space wizards have hot erotic dyad sex in whatever universe.  It’s obvious these idiots Olive and Adam are in love.  However, I didn’t think the tone of those scenes really went with the overall lighthearted tone of the story.  It’s like watching a sweet rom-com with an NC-17 sex scene that gets the film banned in 27 countries.  I can see readers getting totally blindsided by those parts.  Personally, I would’ve used different language and toned down its explicitness a tad.  

But what do I know?  I haven’t written a NYT bestseller.  My stories don’t get 200,000 hits.  Agents don’t DM me.  No, I’m not bitter or jealous or anything.  *Drinks Mad Dog from bottle, cursing my lot in life.*