#goes and makes some nice ones with him

[chloecherrysip]

"C'mon, Luigi! Pump those legs!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying. I got bad knees!"

[luck-of-the-drawings]

smth smth about 'the thing that the character did that you thought was rly rly funny in the moment is actually linked to a terrible trauma that lies within said character.' or wahtever.

[swordmaid]

i am wide awake thinking about that post canon jb au again when I should be sleeping …!!! such is the nature of the jbrainrot…

[anonymouscheeses]

so…

about this human verse you got…

how does Al fit into all of this? Is that where Vaggie got the spell or is the gang she’s a part of also a monster hunter org?

This is Alastor's human design! I wanted him to give off a old money rich vibe. I didn't look up a reference for old money attire 😭 i jjst looked at some randim char from a show i watched that kinda gave off Alastor vibes. This may change but tbh I kinda like it the way it is. Altho one day I may change my mind <3 lore drops under cut!!

(Sorry if he doesn't look like Alastor, these human designs are mostly based on my redesigns so they look even MORE different than usual ill get better hopefulllyyyy)

Husk(left) is Vaggie/Valerie's dad in this au cuz I said so unfortunately. Sorry i dont make the rules! Husk is Salvadoran like Valerie cuz ofc, like he's 100% black but I wanted him to be Valerie's dad soo I was like.... yeah win sum lose sum. But dw I have SO much black characters on the way. It's kind of terrifying!!

Alastor tries to be like a dad to Valerie but she resents him. Her mom died to a sickness, and Valerie has no room in her for another parent figure in her life except Husk.

Also, Al is gay aroace, so when he fell in love with Husk he was SO surprised likeee how??? He was his first love ever and Al just loves him dearly despite never loving anyone ever before. He's still a girls girl ofc but brutha is gay u can't tell me otherwise 😍

Charlie gave him the headband with the antlers that she cheaply made herself. Alastor loves them genuinely. (If Alastor cares abt Valerie or Charlie is purely up to viewer, but if you want to see him care for orr like be toxic to them send a request fr fr imma draw that shi 😍🙏). Alastor is the only one who knows that Charlie is a demon because he's the one that taught Valerie how to summon a demon(YOU'RE SPOT ON. HOW??).

(Also I forgor the stripes. Sorry I was so sleepy drawing this you can probably telll.😭)

Alastor is still a cannibal, his husband and step daughter just doesn't know it yet, and NO he will probably never tell them unless forced to or he feels like he can. This man is the friend the smiley bro 😭

I'll maybe soon draw what happened between Valerie, Lute, and Adam during the fight, since ALOT happened. But it may be a bit before I get to that

Alastor taught the kids young how to summon demons the WRONG way. Because obviously he didn't want literal immature kids to end the world completely. The trio spent years finding ways to summon just one demon. Adam did it to create chaos, Lute just followed, and Valerie just loved having fun with her friends.

Now that they aren't childhood best friends. And that whole fight happened. Valerie doesn't know what to do. Alastor suggests she gets a bodyguard from hell, any demon at all(Demons are devoted to you as long as you keep a part of your deal with them or you break the contract of summoning one). Aaaaand that's how Charlie came to be summoned! Valerie got her eye stabbed out, Alastor was being silly and taught his kid how to summon a demon, Valerie was like "aight ig", then summoned her future wife.

(WILL ALSO ONE DAY DRAW THE FIRST TIME CHARLIE AND VALERIE MET.... ONE DAY....)

Fun fact: Alastor has a radio station of his own that he plays 1920's music in. Although most people would rather NOT listen to old times music, somehow he makes it work that people always listen to his radio. Maybe a deal with a demon of some sorts...? Perhaps... :>

[lila-oh]

"- Good job 'Fei, 'Ro's in another space. I totally lost my boyfriend. - What about you? Not reading the book I gave you? - Me? Naaah, I'm a streetrat remember? Gotta maintain the reputation."

I made this for the @gundamzine. I just want them to be fine now.

[mishy-mashy]

Shinomori is cute. Here's a post.

He is so baby-faced. He hasn't changed at all since he was 22, to when he died of "old age" at 40

(Old age? With a face like that? 40 years old?? Gimme that kind of youth and hotness Shinomori-)

He has tiny eyebrows. Like a puppy's (rottweiler's, for example). So cute and tiny and fuffy

He naturally frowns. Look at him and his mouth and his lil nose

He has a thing about keeping his arms near his chest. He sits with his arms crossed, introduces himself with his hands over his torso, and even walks with his arms crossed toward Midoriya

He has such clear skin for someone who lived the rest of his life in a forest??? Why do Hikage and Yoichi have such nice skin despite living in terrible environments? (forest and vault + abandoned streets respectively)

Is easily scared

They knew their Quirks could be used, but Shinomori got scared of it when it happened. Even though he gave Midoriya his support and access to his Quirk beforehand. Depending on the translation; "it startled me", "you scared me", "it surprised me"

I'm not going to hold running from AFO against him because he knew he was running for his life. Who wouldn't run for their life when it's in danger? Shinomori was being chased by the strongest person in the country (and likely the world)

His sense of self-preservation is probably heightened by the nature of his Quirk to keep him out of danger too. Which makes him all the more sensitive and jumpy to danger and anything that startles him, especially when he has no warning

He's actually extremely tall, but is so socially inept and jumpy it's adorable. He's taller than Bruce.

Bruce is as tall as a vault door that the 2m AFO used.

(Meanwhile Kudo is down there-)

He has such a bad sense of humor that it's cute (his puns off Danger Sense)

It's also adorable how Shinomori just doesn't understand social conventions sometimes. He lived in a forest, so it made sense, but also— Midoriya shows up in the void to the vestige platform for the first time. He has no mouth, no clothes—and Shinomori's first idea is to stand in front of him menacingly and go: "I shall explain. I am Shinomori Hikage." SIRRRR

This.

His Ability is basically like glorified anxiety. What if something is coming to hurt him? If something can hurt him? What if that tree falls while he's under it? And the ideas come so hard they hurt (although yes, it does detect ill intent and that's what sets it off)

He talks weirdly. Formal? Old-fashioned? Listening to him speak Japanese compared to others, it just sounds a bit different. (Translated subs don't show it very well, it's the voice itself methinks)

"This too, is destiny." *about Midoriya having OFA*

Kinda wise or sage-y. He did spend his life in solitude in the forests so he definitely spent a lot of time with his own thoughts. Maybe he found the meaning of life in a centipede or something one day

For someone so cute, he is also such. A fine. Specimen???

Look at those back muscles, dang.

LOOK AT HIS CALVES AND ARMS DANG.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

do—

Do Howdy and Barnaby ever get together in your human au 🥺🥺

of course they do, who do you think i am

oh BOY do i have things to say about human!Laughingstock! im so unwell about them allow me to talk and talk and talk and ta-

~

so in this au they're like... the ultimate slowburn. their feelings for each other slowly simmer and grow over the course of *checks nonexistent watch* a lil over a decade i think. it's not very dramatic - just soft & silly w/ just a heap of pining and a pinch of angst for Flavor

it starts when they were teens - Howdy had a lil crush on Barnaby in middle school. and how could he not? Barnaby was cute, hilarious, and kind. at this point, they weren't friends! Barnaby knew Howdy's name, but only because they'd shared a school since elementary (as with 6/7 of the other neighbors) & speaking from experience, you just Know Those Names. Howdy slowly "grew out of" this crush, especially when the friend group started forming and he & Barnaby became actual friends.

that crush would fluctuate over the years. It starts out strong and then softens into just this hum in the back of Howdy's mind. always there, often easy to ignore, just... part of him, in a way.

Barnaby has a similar experience. when he and Howdy became friends, he got a lil crush - how could he not? Howdy was cute, laughed at all of his jokes and had a few of his own, and was endearingly eccentric. but at the time, Barnaby didn't recognize the crush for what it was. so he elected to ignore it until the crush dwindled to something easily manageable, something he wouldn't realize is still there. as with Howdy's, it'd never fully go away

and its noticeable enough to their friends that they'd all kinda side-eye how touchy Howdy & Barnaby are with each other (Barnaby is a physical guy, but damn. if Howdy is nearby they Will find a way to be touching at all times), the way they always laugh at each others jokes, the way they always ask "where's [x] / is [x] coming with" whenever the other is absent. but the group couldn't be sure if they were looking into it or not. it's too subtle. over time they get so used to it that they don't bat an eye - Howdy is Barnaby's best friend after Wally. of course they're close!

but then there's this one college party Howdy drags Barnaby to (and by extension, Wally). they're drunk off their asses, Wally's edible has kicked in, the party is pretty chill and everyone is having a decent time. all three of them are on the couch, and Barnaby and Howdy start drunk-complimenting each other. naturally, this feeds their mutual attraction, and one thing leads to another! they make out on the couch. naturally with Wally sandwiched between them, snacking on chips and committing the moment to memory (it's a surprise tool that'll help them later!) neither Barnaby nor Howdy will remember this

now, something i'd like to state for Barnaby in this au! he has had a lot of relationships - from one night stands to actually dating someone for months. sometimes the one night stands were a "he takes someone home after a date, & they leave while he's sleeping and ghost him" situation. with actual dating, the other person always breaks things off after a few weeks, if not days. it breaks Barnaby's heart a little bit every time. to the point where in his mid-20s, he just... stops dating. he avoids other people's advancements towards him, he always takes a friend with him to bars/etc as a buffer, he becomes an expert at gracefully turning people down

("why, pray tell" no one asks "do they always leave him? he's such a catch!" that he is! when he was in school, it was his friend group. he'd try to introduce his 'girlfriend' to his friends, and it'd be an immediate "eugh, you're friends with those freaks? no way!" as an adult, people found it off-putting how (by societal standards) unusually close he was with Wally. also, again, a "weird" friend group. they'd think it's too much, or just not their scene, or 'why don't you date your little blue haired boyfriend', etc. Barnaby never holds it against Wally or his friends. he has the mindset of if that person was the one, they would accept every part of Barnaby - and his friends are indeed part of him. Howdy has also dated around a little, but to a much lesser extent. he's too busy! he doesn't have time for that!)

but the ball really starts rolling in their late 20s. something the group does together - as a fun lil rare hobby - is LARPing. they get really into it! Sally made them all custom costumes, Julie helped make the weapons (like a giant sword for herself), etc etc. they fully commit to the bit (even Frank <3). so at this event's point in the timeline, Eddie is fully integrated into the clique, but that's unimportant - just to show where we are!

so they're all doing their thing, it's a pretty big LARP event - there's always way more people than our dear neighbors, yk. they're just part of the crowd! & there's a big battle hosted, the group is split between teams, but Barnaby & Howdy are on the same side! yay! during the battle, Barnaby is "mortally wounded." Howdy half-drags him away from the main battle under the cover of their teammates (including Eddie and Julie) and sits him down by the tree. now, Howdy & Barnaby are the ones who get into the roleplay the most. they get lost in the sauce! they perform the hell out of everything they do!

& since Barnaby is "dying", he really acts like it. Howdy acts accordingly, but again, they get a little too emotional, a little too into it, a little lost in the sauce. genuine tears are in their eyes, Howdy's voice is genuinely shaking a little as he holds Barnaby in his "dying moments" (Barnaby is holding the sword between his arm and his side. he has ketchup on his armor.) Eddie and Julie are getting choked up just watching this happen. and as Howdy & Barnaby look into each others' tear-filled eyes, those little feelings that have been so quiet for so long come right back babey! full force! but then they all get hit with "arrows" and have to die right there and then, and the moments over. but! both Barnaby & Howdy walk away from this LARP session grappling with Partially Realized Feelings.

Barnaby struggles with this the most, since yk at this point he's sworn off dating. he's being careful with his heart! but when he tells Wally all of this, cause he tells Wally everything, Wally's like "oh. yes, i know! remember that one college party where you two kissed for an hour". and then he goes on to point out every instance where he's thought "right, Howdy and Barnaby are in love" (bc Wally is way more observant than he lets on! he saw that shit! his peepers were peepin!)

BUT IT'S STILL A SLOW BURN BABEY!

Barnaby and Howdy don't approach each other about this. they're both in the boat of "well, i'll just keep going and see what happens" to the point where they're practically dating without ever saying anything to each other. Howdy notices how Barnaby lingers around the store more. Barnaby notices how Howdy keeps turning up at his work to talk more. (they already chat so much...) but they still! dont! say! anything! but they both Know! they're not emotionally circling each other they are Dancing to their Own Music!

and Barnaby is letting himself believe that this can work because, well... Howdy already accepts him as he is. Howdy is part of the group. Howdy loves Wally just like the rest of em. Howdy has seen Barnaby at his (presumed) worst and didn't even flinch! as for Howdy, well, he just thinks this is right! his whole life no one has really caught his eyes or heart, but Barnaby is different. he's always been in Howdy's peripherals. it feels natural to love him so deeply. Barnaby slots into his life like the final piece of a puzzle!

there's a lot of stuff that happens in this inbetween state - Howdy's store burns down & almost takes him with it, there's some family drama that needs to be handled, The Crash happens, etc etc etc - so it's a while before they "actually" get together. but they're both patient! they've waited this long, even if they didn't know they were waiting. neither of them are in a rush. they're young. they have time.

[moeblob]

I met people I knew only online for the first time irl last night and I'm still extremely exhausted cause I am not a social person so here. Take an OC.

Katale (Kitty) is wonderful and I love her and she's a criminal and that's fine. She likes to look cute and so whenever I see a really cute outfit in public with a specific vibe, I'm like "Kitty would love that". So here. Please. Please know that I saw this very pretty woman jogging with her hair pulled back, running shorts, and the CUTEST top with a little scarf from the same fabric tied and wow. It was. So wonderful, please have a wonderful day @ the lady I saw jogging yesterday.

[sysig]

Party (group) party (celebratory)! (Patreon)

[acquiescest]

irt the lrb what would you say if i said liam & noel spent new years 2023 together in paris

what would you say if i said liam bought the house in france (the one with noel's name carved into the walls) in march 2023 and that month noel talked about wanting to spend several months in paris

which could mean nothing

[basofy]

i hope when the lisa definitive edition releases old and new players start to see the party members as not only a fun mechanic to progress in the game but also as their second purpose (specified even in their gang page)

which is to tell how different the people of olathe are from eachother from good to neutral to bad.

all of the party members got their own personalities, points of view and goals, which i've always been appreciative of because it makes them all feel like they're their own person and it shows that they're not going to think exactly like you just because they're on your side.

so some of them can be assholes that despise brad for different reasons and are even creepy to buddy and others can just be neutral on the whole thing or don't care about brad but don't hate him and there are others who are nice people who just want someone to hang out and get attached to brad and it pains them to betray him at the end. some of them even got someone they care about too the same way brad cares for buddy.

and all of this is made just so you don't see them only as tools, they are written this way to show you what the people of olathe are like from a closer perspective. the only other way to do this would be using npcs which would go more overlooked, and it already IS overlooked by players

becuz over time i've seen toooo many fans who speak as if absolutely every man in olathe is an asshole and a pedo, which is why they congratulate tooley too much just for being decent to buddy. i like him but you give him too much credit for something other characters do as well.

and they talk like these are just 'olathe standards' and like it's okay for this game when No, this game condemns this type of behavior at all times and it makes it very clear. it's not normal, it's just common

i mean was terry a creep towards buddy??? bo?? carp?? shocklord? birdie? nern? olan? the warlords??? and more characters and there are even npcs who deeply question the stuff going on around buddy or are simply not interested in her

and then i see takes such as "maybe x character is gay becuz they don't seem interested in buddy". pal i can think of a million better reasons to consider a character gay (sometimes no reason at all, have fun). (also again, TOOLEY. i mean he was seen at the beehive, isn't that a better reason to think he's gay??)

you don't need to be a pedo and a rapist to be attracted to women, and it's crazy how little the concept of consent matters to some people, because this isn't the only time i've seen this type of thinking over a piece of media.

this is a way of thinking that comes from people who got into lisa for the fun battles and do not understand the story, and it's sorta okay, it's fine if the battles are your favorite thing or if you're not that fond of emotional stories, but you can't ignore this part of the game, to do that you better just play something else, because my problem is that when you try to explain the emotional matters of lisa's story they never want to listen; they preffer living in their little bubble of misinterpreting everything. (like the amount of times i've tried explaining to other fans why lisa isn't worst than her goddamn dad and it's like talking to a wall) like damn, i love the battles too but i can perfectly have both things yknow.

anyway just my silly little thoughs that have been going thru my mind these past weeks, i take this game too seriously but i also feel like it's dumb not to because that's what it wants you to do.

hope things go well when the definitive edition drops and that everyone enjoys it 8)

[57sfinest]

okay as a Jean Enjoyer i feel like i need to say this because there are different genres of jean enjoyment (jeanres if you will). i am of the faction where i don’t really vibe with the whole “jeangst” thing (as it exists as a fandom phenomenon) and here’s why. so much of the stuff i see labeled “jeangst” is WAY too sympathetic to and forgiving of jean for my taste. like he’s woobified or there’s a lot of uncritical ‘poor jean harry is so mean to him and now harry’s amnesia ruined his life :(’ type stuff which is such a fundamental misunderstanding of him and his role in harry’s past & present and it skews how we view his dynamic with harry too. and i don’t mean this as “oh considering jean’s pov is bad!!1!1″ no i consider his pov all the time i am indescribably mentally ill about the torment that the jeanharry relationship puts both jean and harry through. but when we consider his point of view i really think that just ascribing him the simple role of ‘poor depressed punching bag’ strips him of all the interesting parts of his character & also contributes to a less nuanced and accurate understanding of harry as well (it makes it easy to villainize him for his addiction and mental illness, which in and of themselves aren’t moral failings-- harry was a bad person for his behavior, which is not the same as his addiction or his illnesses)

like, jean put himself in this situation. over and over again. yes he was likely forced into working with harry, but whatever’s going on between them is more than a workplace conflict. you look at luiga’s twitter and he’s said so much about jean and harry’s codependency and the other mentions of a very close and very unhealthy personal relationship. you see the way jean talks about his own role vs harry’s in the ending-- jean WANTS to be the poor victim, he wants everyone to see him as the helpless punching bag who is being such a saint by Putting Up With Harry And His Bullshit, look at me, i’m so much better than this stupid mentally ill addict! he’s like harry you are so unprofessional, and there is something wrong with you, and we are all so tired of putting up with you and your shitty behavior, but here he is sitting in a hotel lobby in a wig to harass harry while harry is actually doing his job!! like jean my love here you are reaming harry out about “doing his fucking job” sir what are you doing!! you are sitting in a hotel looking angry for 14 hours just in case your special little partner who you are definitely sooo mad at condescends to speak to you for a few minutes!! and you dragged poor judit out here too!! jean. girl. babe. it’s time to admit you are a massive hypocrite with an even bigger victim complex. you, a mentally ill addict, are losing your shit at harry for being a mentally ill addict. why don’t you meaningfully address the actual behaviors instead of just reminding harry that he’s an alcoholic every 2 minutes.

like i’m not saying jean should have infinite patience for harry after multiple years of mistreatment but damn dude the double standards are insane. jean is instigating a messy public breakup and being pretty abusive the whole time and then he’s like everyone feel bad for ME and not STUPID HARRY who is an ALCOHOLIC in case anyone forgot. he goes on and on about how much his life sucks and how much harry sucks and boohoo poor him he’s so depressed and beaten down by the shitkid etc but then in ANY sub-ideal ending you get there’s still something that tells you that he’s still taking harry back or at least considering it. in the cuno ending “he can’t leave you behind. he just can’t. one final time...” even in the worst ending “if you make it-- if you’re sober for 10 months-- tell us. i’ll work with you again.” jean babe if you hate him so much then stay the fuck away from him!! damn!! your codependency is showing!! your victim complex is showing!! just go get harry’s name tattooed on you at this point like at the very least it might get you some sympathy from people at the bar when they ask about what’s very clearly an Ex’s Name Tattoo

[averlym]

,,, little lemmings in line...

[softquietsteadylove]

I am once again requesting the Family Law au, anything you wanna do with it, I'm absolutely living for this slow burn

"So, when's your boyfriend getting here?"

"Shut up," Thena murmured, trying to practice her frosting writing while Kingo was doing even less than helping--he was only hindering her concentration.

"He works with you right?"

"Gil is not my boyfriend," she grumbled, reattempting on the cereal box serving as her practice. "He started at the firm around when I did."

"And you invited him."

"Sprite invited him," she corrected her yappity cousin. She set down the 'piping bag' - a sandwich bag with the tip cut off - of icing and turned to glare at him. He pouted at her as she snatched the cherry out of his grabby fingers. "Stop eating all the cake stuff."

Kingo sighed loudly as she took the various toppings away from him, but remained where he was, taking up two kitchen counter stools just for himself. "But you invited him for her. I gotta say I'm surprised, T."

"Why," she huffed as she picked up the accursed vanilla frosting to try again. Why was it so hard to write using food? "Because you can't imagine me having a work associate?"

"You have associates, what you don't have is friends," Kingo said plain as day. "Except for this one guy."

She glared at him over her shoulder briefly again. "I am capable of having friends. I had friends when we were children."

"You had friends of mine you tolerated," he corrected, still completely without any possible tact (they really were related). "But this guy is different?"

"You'll meet him, and I do hope you're over this private investigator phase by the time you do." She did her best to write out a decent 'happy birthday' again. Sprite's name wasn't the hard part.

"Sprite said he's really nice." He was still going. "And that he's your type."

She flinched reflexively, her fist clenching. Of course that made the side of the bag split from the pressure. She growled through her teeth, whipping around to him again. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Why didn't you just get the cake person to do this?" KIngo ignored her, waving his handful of pretzels at her hard work. "Y'know they'll do that for you, right?"

She wiped her hands off with paper towel before throwing it at her mouthy cousin, who dodged with lightening reflexes. "I couldn't go yesterday after work and they wouldn't have a custom one done for today, so I bought the blank one. I just have to practice first."

Kingo sighed dramatically again, "I had an audition for a period piece, but I assumed that if I had to write in fancy calligraphy that they'd hire someone to teach me--or double my hands."

"I don't need your help for it anyway," she insisted, whether it was true or not. And now she needed to put the frosting into a whole new sandwich bag.

And the kitchen was already a disaster from Sersi making pancakes for breakfast, and from having so many bowls for various snacks, and plates from the girls constantly getting new ones after forgetting where they put one down absently.

"Will you relax?" Kingo finally stood from his luxurious lounging to join her by the sink. "You know the kid doesn't care if it's pretty."

She sighed. She didn't need any veils or masks with Kingo. Halfway through filling her new piping bag, she threw her hands down and leaned against the counter. "Fuck."

"Easy," Kingo comforted in the best way he knew for her, offering little words but patting her shoulder gently. "Just take a breath, T."

"It's been rough," she admitted, staring into the sink, full of splatters of frosting and coffee and diet coke. "The year has been tough, and I finally got her to even accept doing anything for her birthday. If this goes badly, she'll never want anything to do with it again."

"That's not true."

"I don't know, Kingo, you know Sprite," she groaned, standing to her full height again.

"Yeah, I do," he shrugged. "And Sersi, and you--so I know you're doing your best. And I'm sure they can tell how stressed you are about stuff. So, maybe if you chill, it'll be better for all of you."

He had a point, and she knew that he was making light of it purposefully. No one knew better than Kingo the struggles they had gone through, her specifically with the legalities of all her new responsibilities. He had offered his help, even offering to move closer, if not in with them, to help. She had declined, knowing the demands of his career.

Besides, Sprite took great joy in bragging about how everyone's favourite action star was actually her cousin. And that no, she would not pass on their admiration or let them meet him because he was 'clinically uninterested' in them.

"Do you want a hug?"

"Absolutely not."

Kingo, still holding his arms out, burst out laughing. And so did she. It was a classic interaction for them, even from when they were kids. Kingo was versatile with his affections, and Thena was limited in them. Even as children, they had devised that when their parents would demand they hug out of social obligation, Kingo would wrap his arms around the air surrounding her and pat her hair obligingly.

His head turned as the doorbell rang. "Your boyfriend's here."

"Stop it," she slapped his shoulder on her way past him. "I mean it, don't give Gil a hard time. He's sweet, and the girls love him."

"I'm sure they're not the only ones," he felt the need to add. She was ready to snap at him again but he held up his hands before shoving them into his purple hoodie pockets. With a final huff, she opened the door.

Gil smiled at her as soon as he saw her, "hey!"

She smiled by pure reflex, just as happy to see him, if not more. Maybe it was the way relief flooded her body, but she sighed as she said, "hey."

Gil stepped in carefully, leaning close to lower his voice, "you okay?"

He was so very sweet. She closed the door behind him, "I'm fine, Gil. I've been trying to--actually, do you know how to write in icing? Like, on cakes?"

"Oh, like decorating?" he blinked, shuffling the box in his hands as he took off his shoes. "I mean, I don't want to oversell myself, but I've done it a few times."

"Then you're just in time," she grinned, guiding him straight to the kitchen by the arm. "And I do recall I told you not to worry about presents."

"Oh," he blushed, just barely setting it on a shred of clear counter space as she dragged him inside. "Well, sure, but I saw this, and-"

"Hey, nice wrapping job!"

Gil looked between Thena, dragging him to the cake sitting on the stove, and Kingo loudly admiring the package. His hands were poised to pick it up and shake it. Gil helplessly reached out to gesture that it wasn't a good idea. "Well, the store offers wrapping services. It's kinda fragile, so-"

"Don't you worry, big man, I'll set it down real gentle," Kingo said in the least assuring tone possible. He held it under his arm like a basketball, giving him a singular fingergun before taking his leave.

"That's my cousin I told you about," Thena felt the need to explain, given Kingo's loud introduction - in not so many words - and even rowdier exit. "Don't mind how overly comfortable he is here."

Gil smiled and excused it easily, as he did everything else. "I'm sure it's like a second home to him, here. I'm the new one."

She gave his arm one more pat after finally stationing him before the plain funfetti cake with regular turquoise frosting piped along the edges. "You're hardly new here, either. You are a guest of honour, remember?"

He chuckled, letting her hand him the messily filled sandwich bag, "I do, and I am--honoured, that is. So, what are we writing?"

"Happy Birthday Sprite will suffice," she eyed the cake with disdain, having felt its mocking presence all morning long. "I've been practising my attempts, but I simply cannot move this thing with grace."

"This is a good trick, actually, with the bag," he praised before positioning himself above the cake ideally. "Printed or cursive?"

"I will be impressed with either, I assure you," she sufficed to say as she moved to finally throw out her previous attempts and free some space on the counter. "Sersi is keeping Sprite occupied outside with the projector and screen Kingo brought her as a present."

"How are you, though?"

The question surprised her. She stood from loading the dishwasher and caught him peeking at her in the middle of his slow but steady frosting. She closed the dishwasher, tugging at the sleeves of her cardigan. "I just want today to go well for her."

"Well," Gil murmured in the middle of moving his body instead of the piping bag within his hands. "You're obviously putting a lot of effort into making that happen for her. I'm sure she appreciates that."

He always said something that she needed to hear at exactly the time she needed it most. Thena smiled to herself, continuing to tidy the kitchen rather than face his open praise of her parenting. "I think you're being kind. But if Sprite comes out of this without hating her birthday completely, I'll be glad."

"We better give her a good one, then."

Something about him saying 'we' made tears spring to her eyes. It was different from when Sersi asked her if she wanted her to make breakfast, or when Kingo arrived the night before with all the assurance in the world that Sprite wouldn't think twice about their mother's absence today.

"There!" Gil declared, standing back with a bright smile. "Not bad, I'd say."

Thena leaned over the cake as well, admiring the beautiful lettering and even how perfectly he had spaced things. None of the message was crammed or bunched up from underestimating the space on the cake. It looked perfect. "Gil, it's amazing."

"Well, I'm glad I could help," he offered modestly of course. He set aside the frosting, licking off a stray bit on his finger. "Vanilla?"

"Sprite says she doesn't like chocolate," Thena laughed faintly, still admiring the lovely calligraphy of it. "I think she just enjoys disliking something so overwhelmingly popular."

Gil joined in her laughter, shedding his light bomberjacket now that he wasn't being dragged anywhere. "I was kinda like that as a teen. I liked angry music and gangster movies and I wanted to be a boxer."

"You?" she couldn't help but ask as she picked up the cake to finally let it see the light of day outside.

"I know, I never would have made it, I'm really not a fighter," he chuckled at himself as he joined her.

It did explain his build, though, for someone who had only ever studied and worked in offices. It wasn't untoward to notice something so apparent about him. She dragged her eyes away from his arms to the patio glass door.

He opened it for her, like a gentleman, unsurprisingly. "They look like they're having fun."

As soon as the door was open, they could hear Kingo loudly recounting something to the girls, who were utterly howling with laughter. Thena smiled, "Kingo has always been like a brother to them, despite being closest to my age. He's even taken them to see his sets and rehearsals on the odd occasion when he's in town for work."

"That would be be pretty cool," Gil agreed.

"There you are!" Kingo waved to them from his stage in front of the patio furniture. He pointed, "gift from the man of the hour, handled nice and gently, as promised."

"That's so sweet," Sersi complimented eagerly.

"It's just a little something, really," Gil attempted to downplay his contribution.

"Take a look at his frosting job, too," Thena encouraged freely. As soon as she set the cake down she stepped back. Kingo took pictures of it, and the girls, Sersi gasped and openly admired how pretty the lettering was. Sprite leaned the closest, practically digging into it with her hands before Kingo handed her a fork.

Gil stood back with her, waiting for the initial mauling to subside a little. He leaned closer to whisper, "no candles?"

She shook her head faintly, happy to watch as Kingo and Sersi also started eating the cake one forkful at a time. "Too many memories. Best to let the cake speak for itself. We all know what day it is."

He nodded, accepting the form of their own tradition with quiet respect. "Well, thanks for having me."

"Thanks for being here for m-" she blinked, catching herself. He was here as Sprite's personal guest. She didn't know what would prompt her to bring herself up. "It's sweet of you to be here for Sprite."

"Well," he looked at her, both of them hovering close in their separation from the others. "I am here for Sprite. But it's not like I'm not here for you, either."

"Uh, are you two gonna stand there and play kissy-face or are you gonna have some cake?"

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Sprite to speak so inappropriately, it was Kingo. But because it wasn't her baby sister and was instead her cousin, Thena was free to grab a handful of cake and shove it right in his face.

[pinkyjulien]

.

[ohitslen]

I don’t think I’m okay because I went out with my family and one of my uncles had a smoke, and the first thing I thought was “How can anyone ever actually tolerate the smell of this shit around Wolfwood” and completely stopped on my train of thought because. Why was that my first thought and not, idk lung cancer or some shit like that