#gold coast dads

[bricky-brikson]

I am perfectly normal about the Psychonauts timeline

Spoiler warning for...everything.

As I was playing Psychonauts 2, I had a vibe that Ford and the Psychic Seven were active during the late 1920s, early 1930s, mostly because of the Model T Ford in Cruller's Correspondence, but also because of the biplane in the diorama of Ford fighting Maligula from Fatherland Follies. But there were some issues with that - namely the Feel Mobile which resembles more a model of van released around 1964. I feel compelled to mention it looks like the Motherlobe is trapped in the 70s, technology-wise.

So I looked up the timeline on the Psychonauts fandom wiki, as well as the blurb from Psychonauts about the history of Whispering Rock. And while clicking through the wiki, I found a copy of the Li-Po document, which contains the following line:

[...] when [Ford Cruller] was [...] away fighting for the Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War [...]

Firstly, based.

Secondly, that means Ford had to be at least 16* by 1937 (when American volunteers were sent to Spain). At least if we are to believe that this...very specific part of the Li-Po document is still canon. Which...I mean, we could. We know Ford was already an adult when he assembled the Psychic Seven, but we don't know how old he was. From the looks of him in the mental vaults and illustrations, he was definitely older than 16 (considering the full moustache). Meaning that it is possible Ford spent his younger years fighting in the Lincoln Brigade, then when he matured started looking more into his and others' psychic powers.

Possible? Yes. Plausible? Ehhh...considering the story of Psychonauts 2 is deeply tied to the trauma the Psychic Seven endured surrounding the Grulovian Civil War then the Deluge of Grulovia, I doubt that Ford's previous involvement in a very bloody battalion (22.5% of Lincoln Battalion fighters died in the Spanish Civil War) would have gone unmentioned. Since it makes no appearance in Psychonauts 2, I think it's safe to say it's no longer canon.

So where does that leave us? With the only statement from the devs (specifically Tim Schafer himself) that points us towards a date for the game's events:

"We think of it as taking place in the 80's but not necessarily the 80's, in case we need a piece of technology that we're stealing from the 90's."

So...that leaves us with a year range of 1980 to 1999. However, if technology is an issue (specifically, taking place during the 80s but needing some tech from the 90s), that means the game probably takes place in the late 80s, early 90s. I interpret this as being between 1987 and 1993. So, we've narrowed it down! Based on my arbitrary definition of "late" and "early"!**

Is there any way to narrow it down further? Unfortunately, not from what I can find - the tech we see in the Motherlobe is more reminiscent of the 60s and 70s (the computers we see on peoples' desks and in Sasha's lab look akin to a Xerox Alto, which came out in 1973), and I don't know enough about the history of other technology we see in-game to infer information about the timeline. If someone else has knowledge about things I may have missed that point us towards a date, please reblog and let me know!

Now, before I get into what I see as the timeline, I do want to address Maloof's line when you release him from the GPC.

"Nah, the staff hasn't put any kids in the GPC since the fifties."

Which goes against the timeline written on the log in the parking lot (which states that Whispering Rock Summer Camp was only created 5 years ago). I'm leaning more toward the written lore, since it's entirely possible Maloof is misinformed. After all, this is his first time at the camp. It's entirely possible Bobby (or another camper) has been lying to Maloof about the history of the staff's use of the GPC. For this reason, I'm disregarding this conflicting bit of evidence.

So! On to the actual timeline - at least, what I think it is. Starting from the beginning and working our way to the present day. I will represent the dates as a range, so "1987 - 1993" means "between 1987 and 1993." It doesn't mean that whatever event took place took that long, just that it happened at some point within that range. Good? Good! Let's go.

Brick's Speculative Psychonauts Timeline

1487 - 1493: A psitanium meteor strikes the area that will eventually be known as Whispering Rock, leaving behind a psitanium deposit.

1787 - 1793: A local indigenous group starts working with the psitanium, creating the arrowheads found in the first game, and names the area Whispering Rock (just, in their language, not English)

1887 - 1893: The mining town of Shaky Claim is established as part of the gold rush, except they're mining for psitanium. The psitanium deposit severely worsens the mental health of the people there.

1888 - 1894: The first case of 'Paranormal Hysteria' diagnosed in Shaky Claim.

1912 - 1918: Houston Thorney constructs Thorney Towers Home for the Disturbed. Ford Cruller is born.

1927 - 1933: Houston Thorney commits suicide. The town's population is less than the amount of patients in Thorney Towers.

1932 - 1938: Thorney Towers Home for the Disturbed is closed but some patients still remain. The remaining residents of the valley leave and the area is flooded, resulting in Lake Oblongata.

[At some point, Ford assembles the Psychic Seven]

1967 - 1973: The Psychic Six fight Maligula. Grulovia is flooded then trapped below the frozen floodwaters. Helmut Fullbear is presumed dead. Shortly thereafter, Ford uses the Astralathe to modify the memories of Lucretia and Augustus, then to break his own mind.

[At some point, Charlie Psycho Delta is established then swiftly abandoned]

1982 - 1988: Whispering Rock Summer Camp is established.

1987 - 1993: The events of Psychonauts, Psychonauts: The Rhombus of Ruin, and Psychonauts 2 take place all within about a week (and that's being generous).

So there! That's what I think the timeline is. Again, if you have any feedback or want to point out something I missed, please let me know! I'm new to the games/lore/fandom so 'tis entirely possible!

The implications of this timeline are...interesting. The fact that during the fight with Maligula, something that was supported by multiple countries, they're using planes from the 1910s when it's at least 1967...the world of the Psychonauts isn't less technologically advanced - they have a jet that rivals ones from 2024! So I have no clue what that biplane is doing in Gristol's memory of the fight with Maligula. Unless we consider Gristol an unreliable narrator for that detail - but even then I'm unsure why he wouldn't have assumed they were using modern technology...? IDK. It's weird.

Anyways, if you got this far, thanks for reading! I'm flattered. I always love picking apart lore and timeline details like this, no matter the fandom I'm in. So consider this my hello to the Psychonauts fandom :-)

*According to the Wikipedia page for the Lincoln Battalion, that's probably the youngest any American volunteers were. ** The way I see it: if it ends in 1/2/3, it's early. If it ends in 4/5/6, it's mid. if it ends in 7/8/9, it's late.

[ohmygodshesinsane]

hell YEAH thats my otorhinolaryngologist!!

[avaf00rd]

Australian kinda Christmas

Leah Williamson x Arnold!Reader

ava what is that shitty header photo job…

tumblr fucked up its quality

anyways I’ve been thinking about writing this one for ages now

enjoy <3

——————————

“c’mon love” you groaned at your 10th attempt to get your girlfriend up from your Power Nap. You pair were already late as it is “don’t you wanna shower before you can’t for a whole 24 hours?” You asked, her head still buried in the pillows. She stayed like that, contemplating for another second before getting up and heading to the bathroom “don’t be long” you said before tapping her ass just as she opened the bathroom door.

You got a text from your sister Mackenzie telling you that she was already at her lay over flight and would be boarding again in an hour. This year you pair didn’t get the same flight over for the Christmas break. But it was the first year you would both be bringing your girlfriends with you.

You and leah had been together 4 years now. The second year you spent Christmas with Leah’s family, last year you and mac both went with your parents overseas for Christmas. And this year you would both be bring Leah and Kirsty.

Some how an hour and a half later you were just passing security only just and were going to get some small snacks for the plane. Leah, with the food palate of a 6 year old. Got some watermelon gummies “they help with feeling sick on the plane” she tried to convince you as you glanced over the packet she said was holding.

“4 years and not once have you been sick on a flight” you said

“The headaches” she shrugged and smiled at you. Of course you were gonna grab them off her and buy them for her. You grabbed some random chip snack you found at the front counter and shorty paid before handing the bag to Leah to put in her carry on. You were both absolutely beyond excited. This would be her 5th time in Australia, so she’s been heaps. But you would be staying at your family’s new place on the Gold Coast, QLD. You both sat in the lounge near your gate as you took a photo of Leah as she threw a Lolly into her mouth while smiling. Quickly adding it to your instagram captioning ‘see you soon 🇦🇺’

———

After 26 hours of travel. And your sleepy girlfriend who was currently clinging to your bicep as she slept. It was asked to put on your seatbelts as you went for landing. You slowly woke Leah up slightly so she would be ready for it.

You held hands as Leah started giggling about her funny dream. You looked out the window and squeezed your girlfriend’s hand extra tight as you saw the coastline of Australia.You squealed like a little girl due to your excitement as Leah pressed a kiss to your lips. “Welcome home love” she said before laying back in her seat. You took photos and sent them to your dad and brother to let them know you would be at GC airport in about 45 minutes so they could you pick you both up. You also texted your mum just out of excitement before putting your phone away.

Once you and Leah had gotten off the plane, you walked your tired asses over to the baggage collection. Before you felt someone tap your shoulder. You turned to find your smiling dad and brother. You quickly clung on to them both in a huge hug “oh how i missed you oh my gosh” you said into your brothers neck with a sigh of relief. You also felt small hands tug your sweat shorts, you didn’t realise one of your nieces would be here too.

“Hello beautiful girl!” You squealed pulling away from your brother as you picked up your niece and spun the giggling girl around.

“I missed you so much!” She said before quickly clinging to your neck.

“I missed you so much more” you smiled back. You hadn’t seen the small girl since the World Cup back in August.

You held her on your hip as you turned around to see your girlfriend finally hugging your dad and brother Sam with a big smile. After struggling to get both of your large suitcases off the conveyor belt while you had your mini family reunion.

“Aunty Lee!” You niece squirmed in your arms as you put her down so she could run to Leah.

“Hello you!” Your girlfriend smiled and she knelt down to give her a big hug. It melted your heart the way she was with your nieces.

Leah handed you your suitcase as you pecked her cheek before you rolled it out the airport with your smiling niece riding on top.

“Hello” you yelled out once your dad unlocked the front door to your parents home. You were met with your mum, 2 nieces, Mackenzie and Kirsty all rushing around the corner at the sound of the front door.

You and Leah gave all of them bone crushing hugs and chatted for a little while, had some of the left overs that was left from their dinner since you told them not to wait. It was already 10pm. It was convenient for your girlfriend and you so you could just get yourselves straight to bed.

——————————-

After multiple days of walks down on the beach, family dinners, more surfing lessons for Leah, lots of jet lag, swimming pools and relaxation for you and your girlfriend. It was officially Christmas Eve night and you couldn’t have been more excited if you had tried.

You, leah, Macca and Kirsty were all on the living room floor carpet wrapping presents. Everyone else was in bed. But the four girls in their twenties were not as prepared as everyone else and still had to do all their wrapping.

The holiday played on the TV in front as you had about 40 gifts to wrap for people. For everyone in your family besides the people in the room with you currently. “Stupid wrapping paper argh!” You groaned knocking your head back in frustration as the huge cut of wrapping paper you cut wasn’t large enough by a few centimetres.

“See you didn’t even need to get that gift in the first place” Leah laughed. As you were wrapping your 20th gift for your parents, you comepletely spoil them every year.

You dragged Leah around the large shopping centre to get more gifts for people. “Baby you bought your mum the same scent candle last year i remember you showed me” she grinned as you looked at the box before putting it in your trolley. “Yeah but it probs ran out. That’s the thing with candles lee” you debated back as she shook her head with laughter.

“Sorry I’m just so nice to the People i love” you said to her.

“And you absolutely are, beautiful. But I don’t think we will be able to get return flights anymore once we leave here” Leah said.

“I make alright money Leah Williamson. Plus if you think this is a lot wait till you open your presents.” You smiled at her

“There’s only just a few things I want” she grinned at you as you both walked to the car

“What would those be baby” you smirked back.

“You…and that pop corn machine thing I showed you”

“You showed me that just yersterday! How am I supposed to get that” You panicked. When it came to gifts you were amazing at giving them. Everyone knew that and got excited to receive one from you. If they weren’t perfect for them you would always worry.

“I’m only joking…” she laughed as she kissed your head “at the second one”.

Once you were finished you cuddled up next to Leah on the floor against the couch to watch the end of the movie. Before heading upstairs to your room “night love you” you yelled out softly to mac and Kirsty “goodnight!” They replied before shutting their door. Leah changed out of her normal clothes that she strangely got into after her shower earlier in the night.

“Please match baby” you pouted, sitting on the edge of the bed holding up the Christmas Pajamas that matched yours.

Leah laughed as she saw them, “when did you get those” she said before cupping your face and kissing the tip of your nose.

“Back in London. I forgot I had packed them. Anyways here” you shoved them into her chest with the wide smile of a toddler.

“Of course I will” Leah skipped away to her dresser to change quickly. You giggled getting under the sheets before Leah jumped on top of you just as you were leaning over to plug your phone in. You laughed as she wrapped her long arms around you and placed kisses all over you shoulder.

“I’m so excited to for tomorrow” you smiled looking down on her.

“Me too” the English girl replied as she rolled over so you could cuddle into her side. That’s how you slept every night. It was just the best way that your bodies melted into each other. “Love you baby” she whispered.

“Night beautiful” you smiled before drifting off to sleep.

——-

Christmas morning started with slow cuddles in bed with Leah before very hyper toddlers came running down the bedroom door. They had forced you to come downstairs because they weren’t allowed to “open presents until everyone is awake”.

Leah gave multiple gifts to everyone in your family. Even though she hadn’t met some of them heaps. You gifted Leah a new designer tote bag, some belt she wanted, 2 new Apple Watch bands, YSL perfume, and Tiffany earrings along with other small gifts. She spoiled you loads as well. You two spent a long phone call with her mum before lunch started.

The afternoon was still hot. As the rain cleared, you dragged Leah, your sister and everyone down to the beach.

You were putting on sunscreen in the long mirror in your room. Leah had just done up her bikini before coming up behind you “let me help” she grinned as you were reaching for your back for the sunscreen. You gladly let her as she took the bottle from you. She rubbed gentle circles into your back with the cream, you groaned when her hands made their way up to you shoulders.

“That’s nice” you breathed out as she massaged your back. She sent a grin to the mirror.

“Let’s go” she said before tapping your butt and heading out the door, sunnies on her head. You laughed to yourself as you followed her out. You carried two of your nieces the whole Walk down while talking with Leah and Kirsty. Talking about Kristy mewis’s new transfer to their club.

“I don’t want to jinx anything. But I had a dream last night I did my ACL” you blurted.

“What-“ Kirsty laughed as you said so

“That’s not funny” Leah said

“And then…I died from it. Is that possible?”

“No it’s not. And you’re not going to do your ACL alright?” Leah reassured

“Shit who’s done their ACL?” Mackenzie said catching up to all of you with your third niece on her shoulders.

“Maybe me”

“What!-“

“No!” Leah said putting her towel down in a mess on the beach. You jumped on macca’s back as she ran down to the water. Leah and Kirsty slowly following down after.

“Come here!” You yelled, arms wide open for your niece to jump into them as you took her to the deep end. Leah laughed taking a photo of you and the small girl. “Get in Lee!” You yelled out to her

“Yep soon hang on” she said typing something on her phone. You rose out of the water, putting the child in your arms down near Mackenzie as you ran up to your girlfriend. “No no no” she said backing away.

You somehow, caught up to her and threw her over her shoulder

“No no I have my phone y/n!” She yelled. You muzzled it out of her hand and slowly put in down on the sand next to you.

“Down we go” you sung. As you carried the laughing girl into the water. Before completely dumping her in fully.

“Your done” she huffed as she pushed the wet hair out of her face. You swam and hid behind your taller sister as she just grabbed you by the shoulders and placed you in front of her, right in target for Leah.

“Thanks” your girlfriend said before pushing your shoulders under. The water was actually cold for the humid weather outside.

————

It was late at Christmas night. Technically very early Boxing Day. And even though at 1am, there was light Christmas tunes playing on the radio tv.

Everyone including Leah was asleep in the house. You came down for a midnight snack. You had been for the past few nights here.

“Shockers” a soft voice was heard a long with footsteps. The presence of your older sister brought a smile to your lips. You stuffed the last bit of pavlova in your mouth. “Anymore of that?” She pointed to the dessert.

You just giggled implying you at the last bit. “Again shockers”

“Oi”

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a year”

“You never got back to me about meeting back in London. And you missed last camp” you implied

“I know sorry. Promise to try more”

“Stop you do try. You were just injured” you said softly as you poured both of you a water. “Are you planning on going with Kirsty to her family next year?” You asked curious.

“Yeah most likely I haven’t been there for Christmas before. What about you?”

“Yeah I’ll probs stay in London with Leah. I told you Caitlin brought Katie and Jordan here?”

“Yes. I’m shocked about Jordan. Not Katie. Oh I love her” she said sipping her water then refilling it

“They’re just really close as a three. Caitlin said today Sam is heading back to America in 2 days to go back with Kristie”

“Damn maybe she’ll finally feel jet lag for once. And did Caitlin call you?”

“Yeah. Just to say merry Christmas and all that”

“She didn’t call me” Mackenzie said joking in a sour way. You poked your tongue out at her as she yawned.

“Ok I’ll go back to bed. I’ve been up since 5”

“5?!”

“Yeah. The girls woke us up first. Proof I’m the favourite?”

“Maybe I’m the favourite and they just respect my beauty sleep more”

“Keep dreaming. Night. Get to sleep so your not cranky” you sister said, back to her bossy self. You heard more footsteps coming back down 1 minute later.

“Love come back to bed” said your love in a croaky voice. You turned to find Leah in her short Pyjama set and her hair everywhere.

“Hello. Looks like you slept well” you said pointing to the sheet marks left from her pillow on her check las you quickly pecked her all over her face.

“Yes I did. And I would like to get back to it. With you” she tugged you slightly back up the stairs.

“I think I’m still a bit jet lagged” you said as your body stayed leaning against the bench. Eating the strawberry punnet you grabbed out of the fridge earlier before.

“Ya think” she giggled now pulling out a kitchen stool to sit with you. The faint sound of The Christmas song by Nat King Cole was played over the radio.

“C’mon dance with me, then bed I promise” you put both your hands out the help her get up and slow dance with you.

“Only cause I get to sleep” she smiled taking your hands. You slowly started dancing with her as she put her head in the crook of her neck. The dance slowed into a long hug with each other’s embrace in the middle of the kitchen.

“I love you” you mumbled slowly into her hair

“Love you most. And again thanks for bringing me” she pecked your shoulder

“Wouldn’t miss the opportunity for the world”

——————

So this was supposed to come out ages ago. And it’s shorter than I hoped. But hope it was alright. Luv u all❤️🎄

[cheriladycl01]

Our European Yacht Holiday - Kimi Raikkonen x SpanishOlympicDiver! Reader

Plot: It's summer and Kimi finally is in his off season and you've just competed in the summer Olympics getting a gold medal, what better way to prepare for the next by going around Europe on holiday!

"Okay, are you doing this with me yes or no?" you ask Kimi whose to your left. You were currently on your husbands private yacht, in the off season of Formula one, you'd decided to sail round Europe. Right now you were currently in the seas of the coast of Monaco.

It was you, Kimi, Sebastian Vettel his wife Hannah and their three kids who you and Kimi were god parents too.

"No!" he exclaims looking over the edge of the boat. You shake your head with a laugh.

"Come on, your such a wuss!" you exclaim looking towards him. You were both currently at the roof of the boat. You'd been diving off all afternoon, practicing of course and Kimi had come up saying he wanted to jump off too.

"I am not!" he tells you.

"Come on, you drove cars at 200mph and now your saying you cant dive off the boat with me?" you ask him, you pull on your swimsuit strap to make sure it was fully up over you shoulder.

"It's so high, and it's really really deep here!" he says looking around. In actuality it wasn't that deep, you'd swam here many times and you'd also gone scuba diving and free diving as part of training to keep fit.

"Okay, well I'm going to jump!" you scream before diving into the deep water. You hold your breath just as your body goes into the water hands first soon followed by your head. The rush you felt from your body when you went diving was the whole reason you got into it in the first place.

It's the reason why most athletes love their job, that adrenaline you get when performing.

You resurface padding around by the edge of the boat.

"Y/N! Y/N! I want to jump in!" one of Seb's children says coming up to you. You smile and swim up to them.

"Yeah, is your dad okay with it?" you ask clinging onto the rope that dangled of the back of the boat while you were docked up.

"Daddy, can I jump in with Y/N?" they shout back to Seb whose laying on the upper deck on one of the sofa's with Hanna.

"Have you got your arm bands on?" he asks leaning over the edge, you wave up to him and he nods knowing you'd keep them safe.

"Yeah!"

"Then you can, but you listen to Y/N at all times okay?" he says before laying back down.

"You know, i want to be just like you!" he says, smiling at you. You grin back and wait for him to jump in but he looks a little scared.

"I'll catch you, you trust me right?" you ask and look at the little boy above you. He nods and gulps down the anxiety, he walks back a little before running and jumping into the water right into your arms.

You were an exceptionally strong swimmer due to all the diving you do so holding the little boy up while treading water was no issue.

"Did that look cool?" he asks in delight rubbing the salty water out of his eyes.

"The coolest! I'll teach you how to dive soon!" you grin, and you both swim about a little bit more. You show him how to snorkel using the little mask Hanna had brought and how he had to keep his head at a certain angle so that no water got in the tube. Eventually you hauled him up onto the back of the boat before climbing back on yourself.

Your husband was stood there holding a towel out for you knowing it was slightly cooler now the sun was setting. He placed a light kiss on the top of your head, waiting for Sebastian and Hanna to leave with their son up to the top deck.

"You are really good with kids, we should think about having one!" he says to you suddenly making your head turn to him.

"Yeah?" you ask with a little smirk on your face.

"I think you'd be able to teach them so much!" he smiles genuinely pulling you into a hug and another kiss.

"Come on, we better doc the boat, I'm starving!" you say, giving him once last kiss before running off and hoping down the stairs to shower and change into a nice evening dress.

Later that night, you all went out for a meal in one of Monaco's finest, and being such a small city you bumped into some of the other drivers who couldn't help but ask how you were.

You were sad to see Seb, Hanna and the kids leave but now you and Kimi could sail away to Greece, the next destination for your little holiday away.

y/user

Liked by kimimatiasraikkonen and others

y/user: Sailing across Europe, getting ready for Paris 2024 with the best people ever! <3

Tagged: kimimatiasraikkonen sebastianvettel hannaprater

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kimimatiasraikkonen: Are you proud i jumped in the end?

-> y/user: yes it took lots of convincing though! <3

-> landoswife: no because we need the story behind this

-> vettelredbullera: no for real, was she trying to get him to dive?

Your Instagram Story Caption:

He wouldn’t dive from the boat with me :(

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[ladykailitha]

The Magic of Christmas Part 1/8

Here it is, guys! My first Christmas steddie story. It was a blast to write even though sometimes it was struggle to get words down being so close to the holidays.

Summary: Steve doesn't play D&D, not really. But he's been a fan of Eddie Munson's artwork for Wizards of the Coast for years. So after he inherits the business from his dad, he decides the best use of all his dad's money is spend it on a five piece painting for the Party of their characters fighting a purple dragon. So he hires Eddie to do the work, but because it's so labor intensive, Steve offers to pay all of Eddie's bills plus any expenses he has for the paintings. How is Eddie to say no to that, so he doesn't try. He also doesn't try not falling in love with Steve. Will Steve reject him or will Eddie get a little magic for Christmas?

Words: 17012 CW: none Rating: Teen for swearing mostly Relationships: Steddie, background Buckingham, Jancy, Eden/Argyle, Dustin/Suzie, Lumax, and a surprise later in the story. Mike and El aren't dating in this, but neither is Mike and Will. They're single.

Also, Steve comes off as mildly autistic in this. He's based on a lot of my own experiences, so I hope this doesn't scare you off.

Essentially this is Eddie falls first, Steve falls harder over the course of six months. June and July aren't strictly mentioned, but you know it's happening during those two months.

***

Eddie walked into the high rise office building feeling a little out of place. All right, maybe a lot of place, if he was being honest with himself.

Here he was in a faded leather jacket and ripped black jeans in an actual fucking glass elevator to the top floor.

The doors opened up to warm outer office. It was dark woods and deep reds and golds. He had been expecting it to look like the rest of the building. He skipped forward to the woman at the desk a little unsure if he was in the right place.

“Hey, um...” he began, tilting his head. “I think I might be in the wrong place. But I’m Eddie Munson and I have a two o’clock appointment with Steve Harrington?”

She blinked up at him in shock. “This is Steve Harrington’s office, let me look at the schedule. I vaguely remember him making sure I didn’t schedule anything for this time.”

Eddie handed her the card that had Steve’s name on the front and the date and time on the back. She took it from him and nodded. He bit his lip nervously as she fiddled with something on her computer.

“All right,” she said, “I do see that he has an hour of time blocked off, but let me call him.”

Eddie nodded.

“Steve,” she said into the receiver. “I have an Eddie Munson here for you.”

“He’s here?” Eddie could hear the excitement in the person’s voice. “Send him in!”

She smiled. “Will do.” She hung up the phone. “Looks you’re good to go.”

Eddie smiled back. “Thanks.” He leaned over the desk for a moment. “I’m guessing you don’t know what this is about anymore than I do.”

She shook his head. “Nope. But he sounds excited to see you so you should really do that.”

He nodded back and skipped over to the door where it swung open as he reached it. He turned back to her. “Neat trick.”

She grinned back.

Eddie walked through the door and found that the inner office was very much the same as the outer one. All warm and cozy. And...well. Friendly.

Behind the desk leaping to his feet to greet him was the most gorgeous human Eddie had ever laid eyes on. He had floppy dark golden hair with hazel eyes behind neat glasses. His smile was easy and infectious.

“Eddie!” the Greek Adonis in a smartly tailored suit said brightly, sticking his hand out to him. “I’m so glad you came. When I spoke to your agent I got the impression you don’t usually do commissions.”

He half shrugged taking the outstretched hand and shaking it. “It’s been a slow year and I don’t taking the odd commission when it intrigues me.”

Steve blushed. “I intrigued the great Eddie Munson, I’m flattered.”

Eddie raised both eyebrows. “I didn’t realize you were a fan of my work.”

Steve nodded eagerly. “Oh hell yeah. I managed to get a picture of that lovely mural you did to cover the gang signs in the neighborhood before the cops destroyed it.”

Eddie blinked. Well fuck. He didn’t realize anyone had known that was him.

“You didn’t tell the cops it was me, did you?”

Steve laughed, clear and bright. He sat down and gestured for Eddie to do the same. “Rule number one. Don’t tell cops shit.”

Eddie sat down with a thud. “That’s good to know.”

Steve grinned wickedly at him and pulled out a picture of the mural from his desk drawer. He handed it to Eddie for him to look at.

“Usually it’s on my desk,” Steve said. “But I didn’t want to come across as too much of a fan boy right away.”

Eddie ran his fingers over the glass. It was of a pack of wolves howling at the moon rising over a tall mountain range.

“It’s nice to see that it’ll be remembered in some small way,” he murmured.

“I’ve got an photographer friend who can make a copy for you if you’d like,” Steve said softly.

Eddie’s head shot up. “You’d do that?”

This time it was Steve that gave a little half shrug. “I mean I can tell it was important to you so...”

He grinned. “Thanks, man. So what’s this commission you’re wanting me to do?”

Steve blushed again. “Do you still do illustrations for Wizard of the Coast?”

Eddie’s jaw dropped. That’s where Steve knew his art from, fucking D&D? This day couldn’t get any weirder.

He cleared his throat. “Like, sometimes. Right now I’m not happy with them for trying to take the game away from little homebrew gamers like me and my friends. But yeah, beggars can’t be choosers.”

Steve nodded. “God, I wish we could go back to the days were stupid rich people would hire poor artists to paint for them for a year or whatever. Free paint, free room and board.”

“Lack of freedom of expression though,” Eddie laughed.

Steve laughed with him. “Not if you’re sleeping with the mistress of the house.”

Eddie laughed harder. “Sorry, I’d be more likely to be sleeping with the master than the mistress.”

Steve smiled with a little shrug. “I’d probably end up doing both if they were hot enough.”

Eddie’s eyebrows went up. All right, noted. “Though I suppose in the scenario you’d be the master, so you’d be sleeping with the artist and the mistress.”

Steve grinned. “Well that’s certainly true.”

Eddie needed to get this meeting to move on before he leapt over the desk to fuck this gorgeous man senseless. “You want to be paint something in my D&D style?”

Steve lit up and Eddie had bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying something stupid like how hot he found that look on Steve’s face.

“Yeah, I have these...” he said, “well they aren’t kids anymore. But they were when I first met them. They’re really big into D&D. In fact Dustin, the one I’m closest to is the one that got me into your art. They were so well done in the books and then found out you had a website and well...” he blushed. “I really liked the fantasy stuff.”

Eddie smirked. He knew exactly what Steve was talking about. There was a section on his website where you had to put in your credit card information to even view it. Did he know that kids stole their parents’ credit cards to view that part of his site? Sure. But at least it made sure most of the time that the viewer was over the age of eighteen.

There was more to fantasy then elves or dragons. Eddie smiled.

“Did you now?”

Steve blushed deeper. “Not that I want you to do that for this!” he said waving his hands. “They maybe adults now, I’m not that insane! But they have these characters that they’ve had since they were twelve and I was hoping you could paint them fighting a dragon. Especially a purple dragon. Because they are so cool.”

Eddie ran his tongue over his teeth thoughtfully. “What were you thinking in terms of size?”

Steve pulled out another picture and slid it over to Eddie. Eddie picked it up and looked at it. It was one of those wall paintings that were split into separate pieces but if put together it would form a cohesive picture.

“I was thinking 10x18 for the side pieces and 18x24 for the middle piece which would have the dragon,” Steve explained.

“And each of the side pieces would have a different character?”

Steve nodded. “I was wanting it by Christmas, would that give you enough time to do it?”

Eddie sat back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’m mean, I guess. A month for each of the smaller ones and two months for the larger piece. It’s doable. If it’s the only thing I work on for the next six months. So I would require at least half the payment up front.”

Steve nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from a leather folio on his desk and handed it over to him.

Eddie started reading and was about half way down when he realized it was a contract. He usually had his own contract to give clients, especially for projects this big. But looking over Steve’s contract, not only was it better worded, it was a lot better offer for Eddie.

“Do you mind if I take this and show my agent before sign?” he asked.

Steve smiled. “No, of course not. Be my guest. In fact, I insist.”

Eddie relaxed. “Thanks!”

Steve ducked his head bashfully. “I really hope you’ll do it. You’re my favorite artist. Dusty’s too.”

Hoo-boy did Eddie know that look. It was the look of someone who was used to being shut down for their interests because they got too excited talking about it.

It was starting to look like regardless of what Chrissy thought about contract, he was going to do it. Because fuck, no one should have to feel like they were too much.

He stood up and shook his hand. “Is the end of the week okay?”

Steve’s head jerked up in shock. “What?”

“For the contract?” Eddie said, holding up the piece of paper.

“Oh!” Steve murmured. “Yeah. That’ll be a fine.”

Eddie got up and shook Steve’s hand. He walked to the door, but paused at the doorway. He turned back and tilted his head down and around. “You don’t have to limit yourself with me, okay? You can be yourself with me.”

Steve’s jaw dropped. “What? I don’t know what you mean...”

“The look on your face when you were talking about me being your favorite artist,” Eddie explained. “It’s something I see all the time with my friends and even myself. You close yourself off because you think you’re going to be shut down and told to shut up or at the very least dial it back. And I’m saying you don’t have to. Not with me.”

Steve blushed and ducked his head again. “You just want to me flatter the hell out of you.”

Eddie laughed. “I won’t deny that flattering works on me. But I mean it, okay? Don’t limit yourself. The people that mind don’t matter and those that matter won’t mind.”

Steve smiled. “Dr. Seuss. I’ll try to remember that.”

“See that you do,” Eddie said with a laugh. He tapped his hand on the door frame and then walked away.

He was almost to the elevator when the secretary said, “I heard what you said just now. About him not needing to hold back with you. Thank you.”

Eddie paused in his step. He whirled around and then skipped up to the desk. “You don’t need to thank me for that. He deserves to gush about the things he loves.”

“His parents would shut him up every time he would gush about anything,” she said. “Even sports. Which you would think would be the one thing that a boy should gush about, but nope.”

Eddie nodded. “Bastards.” He cocked his head to the side. “You are more than just his secretary aren’t you?”

She laughed. “Best friend and soulmate, Robin Buckley.” She stuck out her hand.

Eddie shook it with a wide smile. “Please to meet you. I’m guessing you’re president of the Steve Harrington Appreciation Society. Where can one sign up?”

Robin laughed. “Signing that contract will do the job I think.” She jutted her chin up at the paper in his hand.

He shrugged. “I got have my agent look at it before I sign anything. She’d murder me otherwise.”

“Fair.”

“See you around, Birdie,” Eddie said with a salute.

She frowned. “Birdie?”

He made a bird with his hands or at least tried with the contract in his hand. “Robin. Bird. Birdie.”

“Oh god,” she sighed. “You’re one of those.”

Eddie threw back his head and laughed. “Yup!” He skipped into elevator and pressed the button to the ground floor. He waved as the elevator lowered him down.

***

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

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @itsall-taken @vecnuthy @bookbinderbitch @redfreckledwolf @littlewildflowerkitten @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @scheodingers-muppet @mira-jadeamethyst @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @genderless-spoon @anne-bennett-cosplayer @irregular-child

[sukunas-wife]

🤍🤍🤍 It’s that time 🤍🤍🤍

My little Author Info page 🥺

Virtually my name is Lady Lu Vishnu

Sukuna’s Wife, Toji’s Blessing, Garmadon’s Side

I don’t really care for my birth name but feel free to call me Lu, L, V or Void lol

I live on the east coast of the USA

My favorite colors are Gold, Red, Royal Blue & Black

I like 🤍Sukuna🤍,

Favorite characters aside from Kuna: Toji, Kuroo, Ushijima, Byakuya, Enji, Kyoya, Daryl Dixon 😔, Tengen, Akaza, (I can’t think my brain is sleepy)

Im Japanese Hispanic, a real mix there 😭🤍 Thanks dad and mom 🥹🤍 Im the youngest of 7

If I’m chatty I’m unfocused, If I’m focused I lock in and everything becomes irrelevant. I’m currently living in my own house and it’s rough but I like the solitude and independence, I don’t like showing my face much so here’s a collection of pictures to give everyone a rough guess of my face 🤍

Thank you for attending my presentation 🤍 (I’ve been thinking about opening commissions for my small shop if anyone wants to support me, another post coming soon)

Tags: Perm for privilege 🥹🤍

@sakuxxi @mercymccann @certainduckanchor @najiiix @bakugou-katsukis-wife @amitiel-truth @souyasplushie @mylovelessnightmare @ynjimenez @dolliira @princessluvz @furiousblacktiger @anyaswlrd @shytastemakerthing

[letsgetrowdy43]

The Timeline—

Au Masterlist!!

Lucia Fantilli was kind of lonely in the sense that her brothers have always been considered one and she's always been the other.

The boys grew up in billets families in the States and she remained at home in Ontario with her parents.

She visited Chicago often when her brothers played for the Steele, the city holding a special place in her heart, so obviously when thinking about colleges University of Chicago was a big contender.

The boys tried to get her to go to Umich with them, but she knew Michigan wasn't the school for her.

Chicago offered her a soccer scholarship, so the decision was practically made for her

She lived her first year in a single dorm and worked at the library, she met her best friends and future roommates this year.

Christmas rolled around and so did the WJC which was taking place in Halifax, as we know Adam played, meaning that Lucy and the rest of the Fantilli family all found their way to the East Coast to celebrate Christmas and to watch the boy represent his country.

This is where she meets Connor for the first time, just a simple greeting at the beginning of the championship, and a warm congratulations after they take home gold.

She was a little starstruck by it all as he smiles sweetly and heads back to find his family.

Lucy then says her goodbyes to her brothers and parents as she makes her venture back to Chicago to finish out her freshman year.

The rest of the school year is very calm, she flies down to Tampa to watch the Frozen Four, they lose, and then Adam wins the Hobey Baker.

Many tears are shed as he gives his is speech, mentioning her as she cries with Luca in the crowd.

She truly does love her brothers, but sometimes it's a little bittersweet

She flies back to Toronto after exams end to work and hang out with her hometown friends, Luca is with the Umich boys in Florida, and Adam is headed off to Worlds then to the cup playoffs for prospect media and then finally the combine.

Next, it is the week of the draft, and the Fantillis are in Nashville, they'd been invited out to the NHL awards.

She gets lost in the crowd and separated from her family as they walk the carpet, her eyes find Connors as he ushers her over after seeing the panicked look on her face.

They walk the carpet together, he shyly compliments her dress as he greets fans and stops for interviews. Both of them were overwhelmed by the chaos that surrounded them, but both of them kept their smiles as they entered the building where their respective families were waiting for them.

Luca does not like the look of whatever that was, Adam thinks Connor is harmless so he's fine.

Draft Day is more chaotic than the night before, tears in her eyes as she watches Adam get called up into the stage 3rd overall.

He took her by surprise as he pulled her into his chest first, before Luca, a short “I'm so proud of you, I love you Mo,” leaving her mouth as he hugged his twin, a quiet “thank you for being my best friend,” leaving his mouth as she squeezed him even harder.

He's on that stage, displaying the little “Momma • Dad • Luca • Lucia” on the top of his vest as she cries even harder as he looks up to his family and he takes in his moment.

After the tears are dried and the media is in progress the Fantillis leave the crowd in search of the boy.

Lucy runs into Connor once again, congratulating him on being first, he makes a little comment about her dress and how she seemingly looks prettier every time he sees her, she's red in the face but she sums it up to the adrenaline he must be feeling in that moment.

After the draft ended all of the families headed out for dinner and other celebrations, and just after that was a draft party for all of the draftees held by the league.

It's a great time, she somehow finds her way next to Connor as she talks to Rutger’s older sister about the concert at the award show the night before.

She follows him out into the hallway as he's taking a break from the noise and the pictures that are currently taking place between draftees, their families, and past teammates.

“You okay?” she asks a little worried, “been a long day, that's all,”

It was very quiet between them as she sat down on the hall floor next to him, back pressed against the wall, “can't even start to imagine what you've been dealing with,” she whispered, “I would crumble,” she jokes as he shrugs and tells her that it's just part of the bigger picture, he's put up with it for his dream.

She finds him inspirational, he's the same age as her, yet he's so much more than her in the way that he has established a name for himself and he's living out his dreams. She doesn't have dreams, just a need to never be forgotten.

Heavy tipsy flirting follows the vulnerability as he whisks her away from the party, and they somehow find their way to his single hotel room.

Both of them wake up very early, in a bit of a panic because whatever happened between them is not normal behaviour for either of them. She rushes to get dressed and to find her hotel so her family doesn't go looking for her.

Fast forward a few months and she's moving into her apartment, her new roommates Lily and Daisy are unpacking the car as they take the plethora of boxes up the elevator to their new home for the year.

In Lucy’s hands is the last box out of the car, she waits for the elevator, excitement in her chest as she awaits the decorating process upstairs in her new room. She gets in the elevator and the doors begin to shut but not before someone slips in at the last second and presses the button for the floor above hers.

A very familiar “sorry” leaves his lips as they both look at each other with shock in their eyes.

A breathy “hey” left her lips as he stared at her in shock before a quiet “Lucy,” left his mouth, almost sounding like something of a relief.

“You live here?” she nods, “I'm moving in right now,” she subtly shakes the moving box in her hands as she smiles at him.

The elevator dings and the door opens, “please don't be a stranger, text me and maybe we can get coffee or something,” she says coolly as she walks off of the elevator and turns to him with a sweet smile.

But the second that door shuts her jaw drops and her eyes go wide as she stands in shock for a second before making a beeline to her apartment to tell her roommates.

-

-

-

[lewismccartneys]

rikki left the gold coast after her dad’s death without looking back and emma stayed in england after graduating from university. neither of them expect to find each other again in paris

[sundove88]

DBZ: Waves of Freedom Chapter 1: Where The Land Meets The Sea

Our story begins in the coastal city of Scalefall Bay, the very place where land and sea meet in perfect unison. But within the urban jungle, a tale of adventure and the pursuit of freedom will begin.

In a stuffy apartment near Scalefall Bay’s biggest company, Empire Oil Drilling Corporations, a young employee groggily sat up and walked over to the closet where a monochrome work suit lay. “Guess it’s time I start another day at work…”, he said to himself, taking out a hairbrush and combing through his jet black locks. Vegeta knew that this would be another work day at the oppressive Empire Oil Drilling Corps, with him straightening his tie for work and placing on his formal shoes, followed by him pacing out of the apartment he called home and onto the sidewalks.

But unbeknownst to Vegeta, miles off the coast of the city he dwelled in was something else entirely- a realm that even he couldn’t comprehend. For beneath the waves, a race of beings known as the merpeople lived in a society quite like our own, and if they ever felt like it, a merperson could shapeshift their tail into legs if they ever felt the need to walk the earth- and that’s exactly what one young merman decided to do. “Goku, Just please, be careful, and be back home soon, ok?”, said a mermaid as she flicked her tail, that being of a purple and gold Asian arowana fish, while her purple embroidered top flowed with the current. “Of course, Chi Chi! I’ll be back as soon as I can!”, Goku replied as he made his way to the surface from his home in the undersea city of Atlantis, his two sons waving goodbye to their father. “See you in a bit, dad!”, replied the older, Gohan as he placed down a waterproof book. “Bring back something from the surface!”, the younger, Goten, said as he picked up a hermit crab in his hands. Both of them shared their father’s sunset orange fins, and as their father breached the surface, he took in a moment to witness the morning sunlight bursting through the clouds. “Man, I’ve never been here before… and I’ve gotta pick up some stuff… but first, I’ve gotta find a place where I can shapeshift!”

Goku immediately spotted a safe area behind a large rock. As he concentrated on shapeshifting, an ethereal light enveloped him instantly, and he felt his tail split and instantly change into masculine human legs, as well as his clothing materializing into being. “Now that is better. Now to finally get some stuff for my family.”, he said as he laced up his shoes before heading into the fray as a human being. At the same moment, Vegeta was walking towards the headquarters of Empire Oil Drilling, pondering over what his future could be like. Another day at Frieza’s workplace… Man, if only he could give me a break for once! He thought to himself as he walked onwards into the black and white landscape. The scent of the nearby Seabreeze was the only thing keeping him sane that morning as he walked through the front doors of the building, not knowing he’d encounter someone who’d change his life for the better. Before he knew it, he was walking onto his office floor and sitting in a cramped office cubby with almost no room to spare, save for a window that provided a view of the nearby ocean, which made him long for the waves even more. In fact, Vegeta hated his job at Empire Oil Drilling Corps more than anything. He felt like a small fish trapped inside a fishbowl that was no way suitable for him, and he longed for the freedom that was the ocean.

After a very long and exhausting day at work, while everyone else went home to spend time with their loved ones, Vegeta immediately headed for the one place where he felt at home the most- the sea. When suddenly, he accidentally bumped into Goku, carrying various items for his family beneath the waves. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!”, he snapped, before coming back to his senses. “Wait… who are you, and why have I never seen you before?”, Vegeta questioned. “Nevermind who they call me. I’ve gotta get home.”, said Goku as he made his way towards the water- with all of his clothes on! Vegeta watched in amazement as Goku stepped into the ankle deep water, placed the tote bags of his land finds aside, and the water around him immediately began to turn a golden color. Without warning, the golden water enveloped the young man in an instant, and he began to transform back into his true form. “Wait… What the hell’s going on…?!”, Vegeta replied, trying as hard as he could to block out the flash of light. As the young businessman watched, Goku’s clothes disintegrated into bubbles, his legs began to grow scales of orange, gold, and sunset, and his feet lost their shape and flattened into two perfect fins. As his entire lower body fused at the thighs and ended at the former ankles, there was no doubt that the man Vegeta had met mere moments earlier was a merman- and a real one at that. In a brilliant flash of light, the golden whirlpool dissipated, leaving Goku sitting in the ankle deep water with a gorgeous merman tail the color of the sky at sunset. Vegeta couldn’t contain his amazement. “Y-You’re a merman… A real merman!”, he cried.

At those words, Goku turned around in shock. Nobody had ever caught him in his merman form- until now. “Well, I guess it seems so!”, he said as he perched on a rocky outcrop, and Vegeta followed him towards it. “Sorry if I startled you. I’m Vegeta, employee of Empire Oil Drilling Corps over there.”, replied Vegeta as he sat down on the damp rocks, not caring that his pants got soaked- he knew that they would dry out. “Well, the name’s Goku. I’m actually a merman from the Sector of Atlantis known as Mazu’s Harbor!”, replied the orange tailed siren as he stretched out his fishtail after many long hours of walking on land. “A-A merman, eh? Well, do you actually lure sailors to their deaths with your super awesome looks and clear voices?”, questioned Vegeta as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Hehe! You’re actually mixing us up with sirens. They do that more than we merpeople do.”, replied the merman as he flicked his fins in the afternoon sun. “And are you utterly obsessed with your own appearance, to say the least?”, Vegeta questioned again. “Well, it’s actually the humans who are more into that. We value others for who they are instead.”, Goku chirped as he dipped his tail in the water.

The conversation between them dragged on long until the sun began to set in the sky. “Well, I’d better get back home- Chi Chi’s not gonna be happy about me being gone for this long, and so are Gohan and Goten.” Goku said, taking the tote bags in his hands and immediately preparing to dive into the ocean. “Wait! Kakarot! Who are those people you mentioned?!” Vegeta shouted as his new friend resurfaced. “Those are my family members! And I hope that you can meet them one day!”, Goku said as he disappeared beneath the waves, his bright orange merman tail helping him cut through the water. Vegeta smiled as he looked towards the waves, then immediately went straight to his apartment. Unbeknownst to him, he would end up going through so much more than he thought.

Their encounter with each other was only just a small ripple that would grow into something that would change their lives forever.

[funthingsfortoddlers]

Spring has sprung and it’s almost time for School Holiday FUN 🌸🎉

Our Spring School Holiday Guide is now LIVE and ready for you to start planning your adventures in and around the Gold Coast.

We have loads of FUN activities and events to share. 

Many of the activities, workshops and events are FREE or very low cost!

Don’t wait! Spots book out quickly!

Check out our EPIC guide to a FUN September School Holiday here: www.funthingsfortoddlers.com/whats-on/2023-spring-school-holiday-guide/

[passionateseadruid]

broken beyond repair?

Summary:

It had been 65 years since you died and six months earlier you'd killed your husband. About 67 years ago you'd married the man who'd come to be known as Vox.

Notes:

Okay a few things: It has a slow intro but I promise it get's good. Not historically accurate also it takes place 2022 (Hazbin Hotel I'll say takes place 2024)

Cw: Abusive relationships, older man/younger woman, misogyny (well, it is from the 50s), pre canon, Vox’s (theorized) human name, also Valentino is mentioned.

Your parents smile at you as you look over the ticket to the set of JacxBox News. JaxcBox has several different television/radio shows but your favorite by far was the news channel. Now, don't get it twisted, the news is boring as hell (even back then (Back now?)); But the host has a sexy voice and the pictures of him in the newspaper made him look like an Adonis.

"Thank you Mama! Thank you Daddy!" You hug you parents (specifically your father).

"Molly Mayberry's parents had the idea to send you two girls to the see the live show." Your mother explains to you. Molly Mayberry; heiress to the Mayberry country club. She's been your best friend since you were five.

Your parents both worked to be able to afford the private school you went to, raising scorn and mockery from the rest of the community. See, you weren't rich but you were determined to change that. Someday you were going to marry a banker or a stock broker and you'd be able to set your parents up in a nice home maybe somewhere on the coast, and when they'd grow old you'd get them the nicest nurse your future husband's money could pay for.

"You mind if I call Molls? She's gonna be so jazzed." They nod and you flop down into the couch. You dial her number on the rotary, and hear it ring. "Hey! My parents just told me! So what are we gonna wear? Are we gonna match?" 

"Who cares about that! My daddy says we can use his new blue fliptop! Hummy and Angie are going to be so jealous when we see them at tennis." Angie "Hummy" Drew and Eliana Pheen make up the rest of your little clique. Hummy is a sweet girl but she isn't very bright (at least that's what everyone else says); she's often humming to herself as a way to calm herself or focus her mind on the task at hand. Her parents have tried everything they can to "fix" her, with no shortage of funds coming from her fathers jewelry company. Eliana on the other hand is the strongest and tallest girl in the graduating class of '53; her dad was a world-famous tennis player for the national Spain tennis team in his youth and won gold for them in the 1936 Olympics. Her dad had to take her mom’s last name when he came over to live here.

"Sounds like a jam."

"I know! I'm gonna meet Vincent Audire! Now don't be jealous when he absolutely falls for me." Molly giggles. She was the leader of your guys little clique and if she liked a boy the other girls weren't allowed to pursue him. Your pretty sure that every time you liked a guy she tried to snatch him away. Your not sure why you were friends. 

"He'll just adore you." You say supportively, despite the fact that it breaks your heart.

"Duh! Who wouldn't."

////////////////////////////////////////

It was a few days later and You and Molly sit in the audience and watch as the news is being recorded both on film and over the radio.

Vincent was a handsome man with dark, almost jet black, hair. He had there piercing blue eyes and a stunningly white smile. Your heart skips a beat every time he looks over at you two. Before the show he even winked in your direction. Of course Molly's sure it's for her. Why wouldn't it be. She's the one dressed to the nines in jewelry and a nice cherry red wiggle dress. She lent you some accessories to go with the dress you'd converted from an old poodle skirt Molly gave you into a petticoat. 

After the show was over Molly sent you away to "get her something from the snack table in the lounge" so she could go cozy up to Vincent.

It didn't work apparently because he shows up in the lounge 50 seconds after you finish scooping something up for Molly. 

"Hello sir." You smile at him.

"Hey doll. You come with that lady in the slim red dress? You two are rather young aren't you?"

"I don't s'pose so sir. We graduated just last week. Neither of us really fancy College. Molly's father prolly' gonna make her go to Radcliffe to meet one of those Harvard men. She's far more interested in you though sir."

"Oh really? What about you doll?"

"Me?" You ask surprised. "Well I s'pose I won't gonna go to college. I'll just marry one of Molly's father's friend's sons. Be a cute lil housewife, for a handsome rich man." You bat your lashes at him.

"Well that's probable for the best. Being a trophy wife suits someone of your skillset better than a housewife."

"And what do you mean by that sir?" You hesitate to ask. Oh if Molly saw you now she'd rip your head off.

"No one's being fooled by the botch job done on your dress. An old poodle skirt to a petticoat? You'd be better off using that pretty face of yours to please your husband." He ran one of his warm pale hands against your cheek. His knuckle feels alien yet comforting against you. "Doll. You wouldn't happen to be free tomorrow night would you?"

"I am."

"Would you want to go to my favorite restaurant with me? We could meet earlier and go get you something presentable."

"I'd love that, sir."

"Please Doll. Call me Vincent." He kisses your knuckles and walks off. "I'll meet you on boardwalk by the pier at noon." he says looking back. You nod and rush back to Molly with her snack.

////////////////////////////////////////

The next day he brought you around to a few fancy shops and bought you a tiki dress for dinner. He brought you out to this cute little Hawaiian Restaurant.  

Later that night as he was walking you back to your front door he leaned down and kissed you straight on the lips.

"How forward of you Vincent!" You blush. He chuckles and hands you the bags from the shopping trip.

"Here's my number. Call me tomorrow to set up our next date doll." He kisses your cheek and walks back to his car.

"Okay. Have a good night Vincent."

After your second date he asked you to go steady. He takes you out every weekend. This went on for a while and your friend noticed.

"Alright, what's going on?" Molly asks almost annoyed.

"I'm going steady with a boy." You smiled dreamily.

"Hm? What's he like?" Hummy bounces her leg as she asks interested.

"Get your head out of la la land and focus on the game!" Eliana shouts from across the court.

"Don't see why you're upset. You two are winning." Molly snarks. "She's right though. I wanna win this game."

"Molly, no one's ever won against Eliana." You point out.

"Papa has!" Eliana exclaims.

"Oh thank you Eliana, for correcting me that the only person who's ever beaten you is the world famous tennis champion who taught you." You roll your eyes.

////////////////////////////////////////

It had been about six months of going steady and no one has been aware of it. But one day he went on the news channel, his smile slightly forced as he announced that in about two months he'd be taking two weeks off to go on his honeymoon. He called you onto the set with him and introduced you to the world.

You don't fail to notice the tight grip he kept around your shoulder. You don't think that he's all to pleased about what you told him just the night before.

Neither was Molly when she saw you on the news channel that evening. She was screaming, throwing things around her room, and according to Hummy she even assaulted one of the help. 

You haven't seen Molly since you went on TV, but that wouldn't last long. She found you when you were out one day with Vincent.

"HOW COULD YOU!!" She charges at you and your Fiancé's bodyguard, Parker, steps in to protect you.

"Go back to the car Vincent I'll be there in a moment." He rolls his eyes but does as you say.

"You tramp! You knew how much I loved him!" Molly cries as tears stream down her face.

"I'm sorry Molly, but Vincent wants me."

"You... you really are dense! He doesn't want you! He wants an easy girl. He'll have his fun with you but in the end rich men will marry the daughters of other rich men."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm having his baby, that's why he put this rock on my hand."

She screams. She goes to pull on your hair but Parker steps up and in between the two of you. He escorts you back to the unpleased man in the black car.

////////////////////////////////////////

A year later you were living with a baby boy who absolutely adores you; and a husband how tosses you around like a used sock.

So here you sit. In the kitchen of your husband's mansion, feeding your beautiful baby; seeing as the help having the day off. 

Your husband Vincent isn't exactly the nicest man. You have no idea what happened to him. The day before you told him you were pregnant he was buying you flowers and dresses, taking you out for dinner and spoon feeding you 100 dollar parfaits. then the second you told him his mood shifted.

Molly was right, you know that now. Vincent wasn't the marrying type. However, if you'd gone public with the news of your pregnancy his carrier would be over. He had no choice but the marry you.

"Hello Junior, how's my big man today?" Vincent asks, ruffling the boys black locks. As much as he now hates you you're glad to see he holds no resentment towards his son. It almost made up for the times he'd get drunk and throw things, complaining how you'd ruined his life (though thankfully there were no mentions of his son in those arguments), or all the nights he'd leave you cold and alone in bed, coming home with tacky shades of lipstick all over him. Yes he loves his son, but his wife on the other hand...

"Doll. Where's my drink? I told you I wanted one an hour ago." His demanding voice cut you out of your thoughts.

"You're not getting a drink. I'm done being your servant." You mumble, gritting your teeth.

He rolls his eyes and snorts, "Okay. Doll get me my-" He cut himself off as he felt a searing blinding pain in his side. He looks back at you, the silver knife in your hands now stained with crimson. He pushed you to the floor and headed into the living room. He tripped as you locked the door to the patio and closed the blinds.

"Honey... let's..." he pants, "lets talk about this, okay? You don't have to do this. I'm... I'm so sorry. Look love, you don't have to worry... I won't tell anyone. We'll say a tripped and fell onto a blade in the garage. I still love you, doll."

You grab the whisky from the drink you were supposed to fix him and splash it all over him.

"For what it's worth, I'll always love you Vincent." You tip the TV over on him and watch as it shorted out and caught fire. You quickly grabbed your son and the two emergency bags you'd packed the night before for the two of you and snag the keys to the car. You'll get the hell out of dodge, wait for the fire to spread and come back to put on the helpless wife routine.

////////////////////////////////////////

You s'pose karma has a was of coming back to bite you in in the ass.

Only six month after you'd killed your husband your old friend Molly broke in and stabs you. Luckily Junior was away with your parents for the weekend.

////////////////////////////////////////

When you awoke in hell you woke up to simple jabbing pain in your arm. "Ow." You see a few kids poking at you with forks. they had gray skin and black eyes.

Instinctually you pulled a needle out of your hair and pointed it at them. You hit it straight into the ground which caught the attention of some adults. 

Some of them came up to you and you grab one and held the needle to their neck. "Everyone stay back, or the creepo gets it!" About five minutes later of you holding this man hostage and demanding safe passage to a safe haven a tall woman popped through the small crowd that formed. 

"What's going on here?" She asks clearly unpleased.

"Where am I? Who are you? What's going on?" You ask voice breaking as you speak, from fear or frustrated tears you're not sure. 

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? You come to my town and start making demands like this, threatening my people."

"I don't want to! Those kids were poking me with a fork! I just... fear and adrenaline overtook me and now we're here. I just want to go home! I just want to see my baby boy again." Tears flowed from your eyes. 

"Tina, Tommy! We do not play with or pick at our food. And we also do not eat living people. 'Kay darlin', just let Frankie go and we can talk." You did as the taller woman asks. 

You still held the needle out just in case. "Darlin' I'm an overlord. A measly needle won't do you much good. The names Rosie. From what my people told me you got fast reflexes, and an itchin' to stab. We could use someone like that here." She wraps her arm around you. "You poor, poor thing. It's gonna be okay. Let Aunty Rosie take care of this mess. I'll explain everything to you but you gotta come with me. There are eyes and ears everywhere."

"You can say that again." She giggles at your little comment.

"Alastor will just adored you."

////////////////////////////////////////

It had been 65 years since you died and you'd been working for Rosie every day. You'd met Alastor on a handful of occasions and only briefly had conversations with him when you saw him. He was a nice enough fellow, albeit a bit spooky. Anyway back to your job for Rosie. You'd get requests from the cannibals and you'd go out and get them the meats they requested. Your Demonic power allowed you enhanced battle reflexes and speed as well as seeing where to get tools for different modes of murder and the steps to kill in different ways. Yes it was morbid but it kept a roof over your head and the sinners always grew back so it's not like it was really hurting anyone. While you hadn't sold your soul to her she basically owned you and protected you. It was nice to have someone who actually cared for you.

But that all came to a stop when you saw an add one day while walking back with your freshest orders. VoxTek with their signature slogan "Trust us... with your safety." The man on the screen, the voice telling you to trust him...

"Oh Vincent, what happened to you?" You stood there almost entranced as a voice called out form behind you.

"You happened to me." He placed his hands on your shoulders and you spun around and elbowed him in the stomach. "Oof! Okay doll, I see you wanna play rough." He hoisted you over his shoulder and Teleported you both through a street camera to a nice looking building.

"Valentino and Velvette are gonna kill me. Val especially."

"Let go of me!" You squirm and tried to hit him with your needles in your hair but neither make a dent.

He threw you onto a bed and paced back and forth in the room. The bed itself was nice. Prussian blue silk sheets and rose red and royal blue comforters sat on top of the bed. 

"This is bad." Vincent, no, Vox paces back and forth. "This is really bad."

'You can say that again.' You think as you look around the room to see if anything can help you escape. You could take the comforters and sheets and wrap them around his head or his neck. You could...

"This is all your fault!" He shouted at you.

"My fault?! How is this my fault?!"

"You just had to stab me and end up down here didn't you!"

"Are you seriously going to blame me? Firstly We got together when I was 18 and you were 33 the blame should not be on me in that situation, and secondly You were the one who plopped down and took me back here!"

"You could have refused!" He defended. 

"I did! I said I didn’t want to go with you when you kidnapped me!" You retorted.

"I meant every time we had sex! Every time we kissed! You weren’t complaining when you got a nice dress out of it! What, you think I wanted you to stab me? I begged you not to, I said we could talk, I told you I still loved you and would forgive you!" He grabbed your arm.

"Oh you loved me? Did you love me when you hit me? Did you think of me when you were fucking those prostitutes with that tacky orange lipstick? Were you jumping for joy on the inside while scowling at me when I told you I was pregnant? Did you ever love me or did you just love my holes? Huh? Did you?" You push and hit his chest. 

He grasps both of your hands. "Of course I did! But you just made it so hard!"

"Oh did I?" You asked sarcastically.

"Yes, you did! If you hated it so much why didn’t you leave?"

"It was the 50's Vox! If I asked you for a divorce I'd never be able to see my son again, I wasn't willing to lose him!" Tears form in your eyes.

"But you were willing to loose me?"

"I really don't believe you were ever mine." Tears fully streamed down your cheeks.

"Oh and you're such a saint? The woman who said she'd always love me turned her back on me and tried to flee to live with the best friend of my greatest enemy."

"I said that I'd always love Vincent, not Vox."

"Are you Fucking kidding me? We're literally the same person!"

"Oh really? Vincent wouldn't hurt others to get what he wants."

"It's Hell babe." He rolls his eyes.

"Vincent wouldn't have kidnapped me." You point out.

"Vincent also wouldn't want his ex-wife to be able to spread rumors about him and ruin his image. Neither does Vox."

"I had a good thing going "Vox"! I had a job and I haven't thought of you once!" You screamed at him.

"Yeah well I'm more well off than you could ever imagine. I have a wonderful Boyfriend and we have a wonderful platonic friend who lives with us!"

" Okay, we worked out our problems, I won't spread any rumors about you and your harem or whatever. Can you please let me go now? I really don't care who you're fucking. It was till death do us part remember?"

"I can't let you go. What if you tell someone. I'll need some insurance."

"What do you want then?"

"I want your soul." He grins sinisterly.

"What...?"

"Think about it. You could continue to hunt people. Do whatever you want. Go wherever you want. Fuck whoever you want. Of course you wouldn't be allowed to live with any other Overlord especially not one that's so close to Alastor, but I'd let you live as far away from me as possible (I'd probably prefer that in all honesty). You could even continue to work for your little girlfriend. I'll get you all set up on the other side of Pentagram City and protect you should anything bad happen. After all, I am far more powerful than your little girlfriend. All this and all you have to do is keep your mouth shut and give me your pretty little soul." He circles you like a shark looking to attack it's prey. "And should you refuse. I'll throw you from the balcony and have someone pick up your splattered remains off of the ground to do it over and over again."

"I can have freedom and ALL you ask is to have me soul in you possession and for me to never speak of you again?"

"Correct... Doll." He chuckles darkly, holding out his hand.

"Deal."

Notes:

I left it open ended in case I ever feel like making a part 2 I also am looking into getting a banner.

[ds-headcanons-accepted]

We know from Eclipse that Stella was a Gold Coast girl - that means her family had money. We know that Ray Kowalski's dad worked in a meat packing plant - the family would have done alright, but in a modest sort of way. It's highly unlikely they would have gone to the same school. This makes me wonder:

How did Ray and Stella know each other well enough to go to that bank together? How did they even meet?

Remember, kids, there are no wrong answers except "Chicago only had one school at the time". At least one person (me) will find your idea interesting, though I'm willing to gamble (not with money, mind you) that I won't be the only one. If you're shy, try sending your response as an anonymous ask for me to publish!

[aggravateddurian]

Melanie Foster/Gonzalez 2079-208? outfit

Melanie as I imagine her appearing in 2079-208? (around when I'm imagining the Fifth Corpo War happening).

She's from a corpo family, and her family is rich enough to have holiday homes on artificial islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia and in the Pacific North-West, so I've considered that given the storyline I have in my mind, Melanie should be looking a lot more gold.

Added some gold fashionware to the neck and clavicles. All clothing is from the basegame and/or PL.

Melanie Foster's dad, probably

[the-umiran-amulet]

As Cary had suspected, Benny was a relentless chatterbox. He talked a lot about the stars, of days spent studying them, learning how to navigate by them, reading the stories that their ancestors had come up with about them. Some of the things he said made it sound like he had even been up in the heavens to see them in person. It made Cary laugh about how completely, well, starstruck he sounded about them.

He switched tracks easily enough though, when nudged with another topic. “So how does a noble end up fighting as a soldier? Most of our experiences with your lot, you all do whatever you can to get out of it.”

“Oh? Figured that out, did you?”

“Most people in the lower classes can’t spare the kind of gold it takes for magic lessons.”

Benny shrugged. “Seemed like the right thing to do. Too many of my ‘kinsmen’ are all too happy to sit around at home while so many other people are dying. I thought maybe I could shame them into taking action, or something. At the very least, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something to actively help. There are few enough mages fighting this war on our side as it is, maybe I can help to save a few people.”

“And have you?”

“I don’t know. I hope so.”

Later that day, Benny got his bandages removed. Cary wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting, but a mass of copper-colored ringlets wasn’t it. He had never seen such vibrant red hair before. The doctor gave his head one final check, then declared him to be in the clear.

Benny still didn’t leave, though.

“Depleted magicka reserves,” the mage explained when Cary gave him a confused look. “The head wound is what landed me here—along with a few other, smaller physical injuries, of course—but that’s what’s keeping me here.”

“And how does that happen?”

“Overexertion,” Benny said with a shrug. “It was a pretty nasty battle. I’d like to think that me giving it my all is why so many of the other soldiers in my division made it out alive, but I was knocked out at some point, so I can’t say for sure. Last thing I can remember, I was trying to catch my breath, and then a sharp pain exploded in my skull. Whoever it was must have been in a hurry, to just leave me lying on the ground after that, but I’m not complaining. I was still one of the lucky ones.” Cary nodded his understanding. “The doctors here have never seen a case as bad as mine before. I do feel fine now, my head was what I was more concerned about, but I guess it’s their job to worry. I mean, that sort of thing can have long term or even permanent effects on a person.”

“The... depleted magicka reserves, you mean?”

Benny nodded. “Left untreated, it could have permanently damaged my ability to cast spells. But I’m well on my way to recovery now,” he added when Cary gave him a concerned look. “They’ll probably let me go home in a couple more days.”

The thought saddened the twins. Though they had only known each other for twenty-four hours at this point, they had already come to be fond of Benny. Even knowing who they were now, even having heard the rumors of what happened at Southlake Point, he didn’t pry, or push them to describe what they had seen there. Instead he chattered brightly about the stars, or about his siblings (he had five, a mix of brothers and sisters, of which he was the youngest), or his magic lessons he took while growing up. When he did ask them questions, they were about their parents, or what life was like while they were growing up.

“We grew up in Studsboro,” Cary answered at length. “Small town, west of Bricksburg. Mum and Dad still live there. It’s a fishing town, right on the coast, with a thick wood on its eastern side. We played there a lot when we were young, the other kids thought we were too strange to play with.”

“Do you have any siblings?” Benny asked, leaning forward in his curiosity to the point that he nearly fell off his bed. He caught himself before he could do a faceplant on the floor.

Cary nodded. “Our younger brother, Keelan. He’s still at home with Mum and Dad. They didn’t manage to have us until later in life, so he looks after them and helps around the house.”

Benny smiled. “That’s sweet of him.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon trading stories about the mischief they and their siblings got up to as children. Benny’s current tale of how his eldest brother had trained their dog to eat his homework had the twins in stitches. Cary couldn’t remember ever laughing so much before.

“And we found that out the hard way, too. I had just finished my homework, and set it down on the counter to get myself a snack. When I came back like two minutes later, Curly had it all over the floor and ripped to pieces. I mean, you can not imagine the look on my teacher’s face when I had to tell her my dog really did eat my homework, my mom even had to write her a letter to back up my story—”

Cary tried, very unsuccessfully, to stifle his giggles when a nurse brought in their supper. As if the contents of Benny’s tales weren’t hilarious enough on their own, he was also such an animated storyteller. The nurse eyed him warily as she handed over his tray. “I’m glad to see your mood has improved,” she ventured. Cary snorted. She gave Benny his tray before turning and leaving, seemingly in a rush. Benny burst into laughter.

“Have you been terrorizing the hospital staff?”

“Maybe,” Cary admitted with a grumble. “Can you really blame me though, when they kept setting up loud mouthed idiots in here that couldn’t leave us well enough alone? Nosy bastards.” Benny snickered.

“Nah. I think I’d probably be pretty grumpy too, if people kept asking me dumb questions like that.”

The twins couldn’t fight down their melancholy when Benny was finally released a couple days later. They would miss his ridiculous stories and impromptu astronomy lectures (even if they barely understood a word he said when he got going). They glanced up when he emerged from the attached bathroom again, finally wearing something other than the loose shirt and pants provided by the hospital. He looked every inch the noble he was supposed to be, dressed in such fine clothes, his blue silk vest covered in embroidered silver starbursts, the rest of his slightly darker blue suit also trimmed in silver to match. The black leather of his boots looked so soft that Cary almost couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them. Benny only gave him a knowing smirk when he spotted the soldier catching himself.

“It really was nice getting to know you both,�� he eventually spoke. Even he could sense the somber atmosphere the room had taken on. “You said you live in Bricksburg, right?” Cary nodded. “Look me up sometime, whenever you get home. I don’t really have any friends, anymore, so I’d like to keep in touch. If that’s all right with you.”

They almost couldn’t believe their ears. Benny really considered them his friends? Cary nodded eagerly. It took him a moment to find his voice again. “Yeah, of course. We’d like that too.” Benny smiled brightly at them before finally waving goodbye and leaving the room.

They weren’t paired with anyone else after that.

It was still another week before the twins were finally declared fit for release, and though they still weren’t cleared to return to active duty, General Mooring had sent them a letter requesting their presence at Headquarters once they were home and able to make the trip.

It wasn’t the letter Alastar was hoping for. That letter never made an appearance, driving their already morose mood even further down.

Their parents and brother had traveled all the way from Studsboro to the hospital in Platon to see them and bring them home. They appreciated the help—it would have been even slower going, trying to manage by themselves when they still required crutches to get around. Though the doctors had removed their cast, the torn calf muscle would take several weeks to heal yet.

The trip back to Bricksburg took four days. Cary and Alastar were both grateful that their parents had insisted on bringing the horse and cart. They had even had the forethought to put cushioning in the back of the cart for the twins to sit or lay on so they would be more comfortable. Nora, Daniel, and Keelan took turns driving so they could all spend equal time with the twins.

“When do you think they’ll let you return to active duty?” their mother asked once they were settled back in their cottage.

“I don’t know,” Cary sighed. “After what happened at Southlake... Well, there’s no telling what they’ll decide. I just hope my record up until that point will be enough to convince them it was a fluke.” Nora sighed and gave her sons a tight hug.

“If not, then maybe I can stop worrying about you boys so much.” Cary managed a weak smile and hugged her back.

“We’ll be fine, Mum.”

“Are you sure you don’t need us to stay?” Daniel asked.

“Positive, Dad. Our leg’s feeling so much better already. We’ll manage.”

“Independent to a fault,” Keelan teased, earning a huff and a ruffling of his hair. He grinned at his brothers as he straightened his hair out again. The twins accepted a final kiss from their mother, and hugs from their father and brother, before their family finally stepped back out through their front door and began their own journey home.

Cary sighed.

Don’t despair yet, Alastar tried to encourage. The General only said to meet with him once we got home. He didn’t give any indication that what he has to say is bad.

“He didn’t give any indication that what he has to say is good either,” Cary muttered in response. “But let’s get this over with.”

They got themselves cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, then flagged down a carriage to take them to Headquarters, where the General would be waiting for them. Cary stared out of the window during the ride, unable to help the churning feeling in his stomach. Alastar was right—he knew he shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions, but he simply couldn’t help himself, when he had no information whatsoever to go on. His twin did his best to try to help keep him calm, but even Alastar was feeling some apprehension. Sterling record or not, they did just have one hell of a botched battle. There was no salvaging that.

Finally they arrived, and Cary hobbled his way into the building. The guard at the door was kind enough to open it for him, at least. They made their way to the General’s office. “Sir?” Cary called to announce their presence.

“Callaghan,” the General greeted with a curt nod. “About time.”

A stone formed in their stomach, and their apprehension only grew. He didn’t have the patience for all the formal bullshit, and decided to cut right to the chase. “What’s the verdict, sir.”

“Trial. You’re to be dishonorably discharged after.”

Cary closed his eyes against the overwhelming grief. “Yes, sir.”

[spacebarbarianweird]

The Dhampirs of the Sword Coast - Chapter 5

Alethaine Ancunin tries to retrieve the stolen spellbook from a very partular warlock.

Asmodea belongs to @vixstarria ! It was fun to write her, but hey, Ossie isn't going anywhere from this story!

Read on AO3

Link for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4

Thanks @themadlu for beta-reading!

The List of Chapters

Masterlist

Headcanons

Alethaine (High Elf/Necromancer) - age 25. Astarion's daughter. Lawful Neutral.

Theris (Tiefling/Bard) - age 27. Chaotic Neutral.

Asmodea (Half-Elf/Warlock) - the owner of the traveling cabaret.

Elren Goldenroot (High Elf/Ranger) - age 24. One day he will become the High King of Elves and Alethaine's husband but in the meantime he is just a young elf with sad wet eyes.

13 years ago

10-year-old Alethaine watches the necromancer closely. 

The necromancer, Nris, watches her in return.

“So?” He asks, “I am going to teach you some basics, then I’ll head off.”

Alethaine nods. She feels guilty but can’t explain why. Three weeks ago, she accidentally resurrected a dead kitten and now she feels inferior, sick, and cursed. Necromancy is a dark art, and people are afraid of it. 

Will they be afraid of her too?

“Astarion was ‘oh so kind’ to save me from the devils but I didn’t expect him to be a fucking lawyer and force me into a pact with you. And now I am stuck as your… teacher,” Nris spits.

Alethaine doesn’t like him. The man, only fifty years of age, is obese, bald, has trembling hands, and is definitely not that powerful. In addition, he definitely has something against elves.

“Dad made a pact with you,” Alethaine corrects.

“Him? Oh no!” Nris laughs. “Astarion made it specifically clear that he CAN’T release me of my duties unless you want him to! And if it weren’t enough, you are just a tiny, pre-pubescent girl who I wouldn’t remotely allow to make important decisions!”

Alethaine feels like she is about to cry. Why is this wizard so rude to her? She didn’t do anything wrong!

But before she starts sniffing, her mother, Tiriel, enters the basement to see who her husband has brought home.

Astarion follows her but remains on the stairs.

Tiriel watches Nris.

Nris watches Tiriel.

And then…

“YOU FUCKING MORON!!!” Tiriel grabs the wizard and punches him to the floor. Alethaine squeaks.

“Wait… who are you?” Nris mutters, scrambling around the room to hide from the raging barbarian.

“I AM THE ADVENTURER YOU REFUSED TO PAY!!! Year 1476, rings any bells?!”

“Oh fuck…” Nris whispers. “I am so sorry, I will repay you! How much was it? 20? 30?”

“Ninety gold! Astarion! How much would it be with interest?!” Tiriel demands.

“Well,” Astarion does some mental math. “It was 46 years ago, so I would say 600.”

“What kind of math is this?” Nris objects. Tiriel puts her knee on his ribcage.

“You are going to work as my daughter’s teacher till you fucking pay it.”

“Teachers are not paid that well!”

“Good, so my daughter will have a teacher for a very long time!” Tiriel finally lets him go and turns to Alethaine. “Kitten, he is all yours until you get all the knowledge out of that bald head of his!”

Present day

The Travelling Cabaret of the Last and First Days occupies a significant part of the area and reeks of some insane fey magic.

Alethaine tried to take the spellbook back from the half-elf, but the woman playfully casted Frostbite and disappeared. 

And now they are stuck here.

“What is written down there?” Theris points at the other sentence right below the name of the cabaret. “I suspect it’s not the exact elven translation.”

Alethaine reads the name of the place and snorts.

“What does it mean?” The fourteen-year-old human boy Mierni demands. “In Elven!”

Alethaine decides it’s worth a laugh.

“‘For the first f*ing time!**

Only two goddamn days a year!

Where the hell do they come from? F*** if we know…

The F***ing Shitshow Circus**

Mind-blowing bullsh*t magic tricks!

Clowns that make you wanna punch a wall!

Soul-crushingly awful performances!

You'll hate yourself for wasting your time and money!’  Ah, it’s actually funnier in Elven”

Ulsha covers Mierni’s ears. “Alethaine, he is fourteen!”

“So what? All my human friends  became free workforce by nine and were married at fifteen!”

“I don't know what place you grew up but in cities, a fourteen-year-old is a kid!”

“Hm,” Theris adds. “I did not think the elven language could be that vulgar.”

Alethaine sighs tiredly. “Theris. Elven is complicated and multidimensional. It’s both about epic poetry about ancient heroes and vulgar attempts to fuck someone's brain out. Learn it, you will like it.”

“I am sorry, I am a hell-touched individual. Me and feywild shit are planes away from each other,” Theris contemplates. “Wait! I’ve changed my mind! How to say ‘You are a dirty orc’?”

“Ci orch ‘waur,” Alethaine translates heading toward the gates.

“Are you kidding?!” Ulsha bellows. 

The gates are closed and a tired ticket seller sits in his small boot. His hat covers the bearded face and the human reeks of cheap whiskey.

“We are closed, m’lady Asmodea told me to not let anyone in,” the man grumbles. “Go away!”

His voice sounds familiar to Alethaine.

No, what are the odds?

“You, idiots!” He screams when Alethaine snatches his wizard hat. “Oh no…”

Theris looks at the ticket seller. Then he looks at Alethaine. “You know each other, don’t you?”

“Mae govannen,” Alethaine says. “Teacher Nris!”

“Oh no, no…” Nris tries to run but stumbles. “Not your fucking family again! Your mother let me go! What do you want from me? I don't have anything left! I am … bound.”

“Well, first of all, I don’t remember letting you go,” Alethaine says. “Mum threw you out of the house one day, I didn't have a say in it!”

“Because you, you stupid girl, didn’t want to learn anything!” Nris yells. “Yes! When I realized I was still bound by your father and you, I tried to set myself free! And… well… made another pact.”

“Are you an idiot?” Alethaine enquiries.

“Idiot, yes,” Nris admits. “Asmodea is a warlock and her fey patron decided it would be hilarious to see which pact is stronger. So I am still bound to you and now I am also bound to this fucked up warlock and her fucked circus!”

Theris exchanges a glance with Alethaine. “Tell him to let us in.”

“Yes, Nris, let us in.”

“I am not your servant, I was supposed to teach you!”

Alethaine bares her fangs. “And how about me telling my dad that you mistreat me? I am very good at getting what I want from him, he can never say no to me.”

“Alethaine, I lived with you for two years. Don’t play this ‘vampires’ princess’ farce with me. I perfectly know that your parents would punish you.”

“So what?” Alethaine doesn’t give up. “I can go to my dad now and say, ‘Oh I got a job to retrieve an item and that asshole of a teacher doesn’t let me.’”

Nris sighs. “Alright! But you release me after this! You break the pact and I forget your family like the nightmare you all are!”

Nris approaches the gate and opens the.

“Just go straight to the main tent, she is there. But if I were you, I wouldn’t do that.”

Alethaine enters the cabaret, or rather, the fucking circus. 

“Mierni stop!” Ulsha yells but the little wizard has already disappeared after noticing half-naked dancers resting near the stage. “Gale will kill me.”

“You know, you would catch him if you used your vampiric reaction,” Theris points out.

“I will never break my oath!” She frowns and disappears among the tents.

Alethaine quickly notices the bigger tent and moves to grab the tiefling’s hand, but he has already disappeared, too enchanted by a huge stall filled with some suspicious powder. Theris presses his nose against what looks like a huge glass snowball. 

“Mierni, close your eyes!” Ulsha yells in the distance.

“But I wanna look!” Mierni protests.

Alethaine decides not to waste any more time. Besides, she will probably do things better alone.

Alethaine pulls the curtain back and steps into the dark tent. At the wooden table sits the red-haired half-elf Nris had called Asmodea. She rests her head on the surface, holding an unfinished bottle of fire ale. 

“Oh, guests! I told that moron of a necromancer that he has to guard the gates. I am not in the mood.” She adds a word in elven that means “drinking hard till your mind goes blank for a few days in a row.”

“Well, according to the pact my dad made for me, Nris has to follow my orders until I decide he doesn't,” Alethaine lies, hoping that that contact really does work this way. “My name is Alethaine.”

Asmodea watches Alethaine closely. The dhampir feels an uneasy sensation when someone probes her mind.

“Stay away from my head!” Alethaine screams.

Asmodea chuckles.

“Oh, interesting. The dhampir.” Asmodea finishes the bottle and throws it into a pile of glass behind her. “And what does a creature of the dark want from me?”

“The spellbook,” Alethaine says. “The spellbook you stole from me? After… I’d stolen it from the ogres.”

“Gladly.”

“Really?”

“Unfortunately there are forces beyond me,” the half elf laughs. 

Alethaine sits in front of her.

“You need something, don't you? I can help!”

Asmodea turns her head as if someone else were present in the room. She cringes and shakes her head.

“Listen, kid. Honestly? This book is a mess. I doubt I can learn anything from it. But, there are things I can't control. The spellbook will stay here. Just use your natural charm to persuade the quest giver to pay you for the unfinished work. What?! Just give me a break. No, I am not giving her work? Look at her, she looks like she’s been starved!”

Alethaine concentrates on the magic in the tent. 

“What did your… patron say?”

“The Fuckface said that we can give you the spellbook if you finish the vampire who seduces my dancers. I wouldn’t agree if I were you. I suspect the little fella on my shoulder just wants to have fun.”

“But I will get the book?” Alethaine inquiries.

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Can I sign some papers with you?” 

Before Asmodea answers, Theris appears out of nowhere covered in pink powder and small pieces of glass.

“I leave you for one second,” he hisses. “And you are already getting into the warlock-ish pyramid scheme.”

“I just want to be sure she won’t fuck us up.”

“She is a warlock, she will fuck us up either way!”

Asmodea puts her legs on the table. “I can perfectly hear you both. And I also heard glass shattering.”

“It wasn’t me and It was already broken!” Theris tries to pull Alethaine out of the tent. 

Asmodea clicks her fingers, making the entrance disappear. 

“Sit,” she orders. Asmodea doesn’t sound drunk or deranged anymore. “I have a proposition.”

Theris flips her his two middle fingers. “Last time I was proposed to by an older woman, I lost my virginity!”

Alethaine pushes Theris away and sits in front of the warlock. 

“So? What is your deal?”

“Kill the vampire. Or at least, scare them enough to let my dancers go. I will pay you. Hope it will be enough to let me keep the spellbook. And I wouldn’t do anything stupid. My pact has lasted for over half a century, and you are just little kids.”

Theris opens his mouth but shuts up, accepting his destiny. 

“300,” Alethaine demands.

“250.”

“270 and you can keep the necromancer.”

“I would gladly use him as bait for vampires. 260.”

“Deal, but he isn't afraid of them,” Alethaine points out.

Theris gets impatient. “Shall we go? I don’t want to find myself chained to a bed like last time. And…” He suddenly gets serious. “I am sorry for that glass ball. I got excited.”

“That’s ok,” Asmodea asks. “We all do stupid things.” She clicks her fingers, re-creating the entrance. Theris steps outside. “Lovely fellow. I think I could find a better job for him rather than prancing in the dirt looking for treasures. Alethaine, this is your name, right. Would you like a tarot card reading?”

The dhampir shrugs. 

“Do I have to sell my soul to you?”

“I suspect you don't have one. I just like doing card reading.”

“Alright. Tell me about my future. Distant one.”

Asmodea retrieves the magic deck and scatters it on the surface of the table. “Pick a card.”

Alethaine abides. And take the first card.

“The Tower,” Asmodea comments. “The end of all hopes. Take another. The Judgement. Monsters will follow you, Alethaine.”

Alethaone shivers but keeps picking cards as if her hand had a mind of its own.

Seven of Wands.

Eight of Swords.

Three of Swords.

Ten of swords.

And then – The King of Swords, Two of Cups, and Ace of Pentacles.

Asmodea looks perplexed.

“Interesting combination.”

“What does it mean?”

Asmodea rubs her nose.

“It means that you will have a lot of hardships, little Dhampir. You will suffer. For a long period of time. Heartbreak and loss,” Asmodea points at Three of Swords and Eight of Swords. “Unable to control your life,” the warlock takes the Tower. “You will lose faith in everything, including yourself.” 

Alethaine feels tears pricking her eyes. Asmodea points at the Judgement and Seven of Wands. “Something bad, something scary and dangerous will arise in your lifetime and you will have to fight it to survive.”

“And?” Alethaine asks. “Will it end? Will I be… happy?”

Asmodea looks at the rest of the cards and smiles. “The King of Swords.”

“Will I defeat some monsters?”

“You will meet this King of Swords. He is waiting for you in the darkness. Two of Cups – it means that you will be together and together you will defeat all the monsters you’ve encountered.” Asmodea takes the last card. “Ace of Pentacles means you will greet the new beginning. Hand in hand.”

Alethaine frowns. She’s never been interested in any form of relationship. “The King of Swords? Like, a literal king?”

“Maybe, who knows. Maybe this person will be like a king to you. Maybe to everyone. But to meet this … whoever they are… You will face the hells.”

Alethaine stands up. She feels the night coming and, should they hunt a vampire, now is the time. 

Asmodea takes a new bottle of ale. “Have a good fight.”

Alethaine leaves the tent and goes searching for her friends.

The King of Swords, she thinks, what a dumb idea. Cards are all trickery and bullshit!

**

The same day, the Greenfields. 

An elderly half-elf, once a renowned adventurer and now just a poor farmer, sits on a bench and listens to his human wife's complaints.

“Leth! Please! Tell him not to go! He will get killed in some swamps and we won't even know!” Rayna sits close to him. “He is an elf, what is it for him to wait for 30, 40 years! When we both die, he can go wherever!”

Leth sighs.

“We can’t stop him.”

“Just ask! Please! My heart aches every time I think about what dangers lurk out there!”

Leth puts the pipe out and enters his house. Well, at least he will try!

“Elren!” The half-elf calls his nephew. “Are you here?”

“Yes, I am in the barn!” He immediately answers. “Is anything wrong?”

Leth finds Elren preparing the traveling sack. The twenty-four-year-old elf, barely an adult, wears his new trousers and shirt. His golden hair, a gift from his Sun Elven ancestors, is loose and his blue eyes, inherited from Moon Elves, are focused on his traveling kit.

“Your aunt worries that you are leaving.”

Elren stands up. Even though he is an elf, he's as tall as Leth. 

“I… I will be fine… I just… I really wanna go. Otherwise I think I will… hang myself in this barn like my mother did.” He tries to make it sound like a joke, but Leth brought the boy up ever since he was two.

Leth sighs. “Be careful, out there, alright, kid? And if you feel anything wrong, come back. I love you as much as my own daughters and not only because I gave your mother my word that I would look after you.”

Elren grimaces. “I will be careful, don’t worry!”

Leth looks under his own feet and contemplates.

When the Goldenroots, Elren’s paternal clan, were massacred, his mother managed to save only one thing. The only thing the poor elven orphan has got from his ancestors, the only thing that connects him to his blood and nature.

Rilyamacil, The Sword of Stars.

No, Leth decides. Not now. There is something wrong with that thing and Elren has enough to bear without being given an artifact of unknown properties.

“Go to Neverwinter,” Leth says. “Find my guild and tell them you are my nephew. If they ask how I am doing, tell them I am rich and fat and have a lot of sons.”

Elren laughs.

“I am not a good liar.”

“I don’t ask you to lie. It will take you months to get there even with your elven trance and fast sylvan legs. Just persuade yourself that it is so.” Leth hugs Elren. “I will miss you.”

“I will miss you too, Uncle Leth.”

The embrace is interrupted by the loud voices of three girls, Leth’s daughters. They are 21, 19, and 17 but each of them is more mature than their older elven cousin.

“We made you a gift,” the oldest says.

“Even though you are such a bad brother for leaving us,” the youngest adds and receives a slap from the middle one. Then, she unfolds a green cloak decorated with elven symbols.

Elren touches the fabric.

“Where did you get it from?” he asks, barely hiding his awe.

“I bought the elven fabric,” the oldest says.

“I made the cloak,” the middle one continues.

“And I found the protective symbols elves use to adorn their clothes,” the youngest finishes.

“Thank you!” Elren smiles and hugs his cousins. Then he puts on the cloak.

Now he looks like a traveling elf who accidently got stuck among humans.

And he is, Leth thinks. No matter how much he is loved and cared for, he will always be a stranger. The girls will soon wither and die. Their descendants will become ash and bones.

And Elren will still look the same, walking the roads of Faerun. 

… At dawn Elren, wearing his new cloak and carrying the traveling sack and the bow, waves his human family goodbye. 

Leth forces his wife and daughters back before any of them try to run for Elren and gaslight him into staying.

“He will be fine,” the half-elf says to the crying woman. “He can stand up for himself. At least, he will have to come back one day for his sword!”

Elven dictionary

Mae govannen (Sindarin) - Well met!

Ci orch ‘waur (Sindarin) - You are a dirty orc!

--

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[littleeyesofpallas]

So there is a certain character type that I cannot for the life of me pin down a word for... It's yakuza adjacent, but often not explicitly part of the actual gangs. a kind of shady businessman, but not the overly clean and corporate type. sort of a scammer or a conartist or grifter, but not as small time as that sort of makes it sound? I want to say it's a look associated with loan sharks, but I can't quite substantiate that.... I swear it's a thing you see in the context of Japanese crime fiction all the time, especially set in the 80s or 90s, yet I can't really point to any characters that really fit the bill off the top of my head, as they're almost always background characters. Somehow the only one I can think to pinpoint is that one random villain-of-the-week in Kill la Kill?

The persona itself actually has a shocking amount in common with, like, the classic American used car dealer, especially on the east coast either around the New York/New Jersey tristate or down in like Miami, usually with a hefty bit of Italian or Jewish racism mixed in... The style though, the gold chains, the tacky superficial try-hard glitz and the pushy rough around the edges attitude, very self-made and informally educated businessman, surprisingly successful but still not really a "big" success, and just like this Japanese counterpart I'm thinking of, almost always technically in business with local organized crime without ever being "part of the family."

Like it's such a cliche that it's literally cartoonish, and it's funny how almost perfectly beat for beat the US and Japanese counterparts mirror eachother, except that the Japanese character type, as far as I can recall, isn't associated with used car dealerships,

anyway point is... That's what Marechiyo and his dad are supposed to look like. That and a bit of yakuza/delinquent in the case of his dad when he was younger. Notably his dad straight up has a punch perm in the present day, which was The quintessential yakuza look in the 80s. And his younger version seems to also have a perm but also a regent style pompadour that's a little more youthful delinquent aligned than outright criminal, and again a look that has become so cliche as to become cartoonish to the point of being a costume you can buy in a store.

Although whatever the hell Marechiyo has going on in the new hell arc, i cannot identify.

But it's interesting that it's a different kind of yakuza look than what Iba has going on. His dark shades, the tight perm, the laborer's bellywarmer, his zanpakutou being a tanto sticking out of it, the overall posture with the one shoulder out of his kimono, even that his sword is alternatively either a Yakuza style tanto tucked into a chest wrap, or a seemingly normal katana but without a crossguard is to evoke the classic yakuza image of using a shirasaya --a plain white wood sheathe with matching handle and no crossguard or wrap-- rather than a more traditional katana. And of course his dog-like loyalty to Komamura are all iconic stoic Yakuza romanticism. The hardboiled, honor-bound, manly-man ideal of the folklore-like reputation of the yakuza. The thing you'd see in countless old movies or pulp thriller style seinen manga, sometimes even published by yakuza family magazines themselves.

His mother also plays into this, even in her barely existent appearance in the MASKED databook, as she's a pretty distinct play into a very particular matronly character type, generally typifying either a proprietress of a traditional inn, a powerful samurai family matron, or a yakuza boss's wife --all kind of loosely overlapping and all drawing from traditional roles of a head of manor or estate.

I dunno where i was going with any of this. But between these character types and Kensei's biker gang thing, I think it's funny how much of Soul Society's classically japanese vibe is just organized crime. Even the general population of unnamed background shinigami lean into a very modern thuggish aesthetic

Also i don't know what to make of the idea that the Shihouin have endorsed the Omaeda family like this over the years, especially when they're role among the royale houses seems to be to safeguard various treasures and relics. Between that and apparently being at least two generations of heads of a division of the secret police, it's hard to imagine the Omaeda were just independently wealthy unrelated to all that.