#hopefully i'm not being too self indulgent lol

[upsidedownsmore]

Ohhh! I found you from your giveaway but I remember seeing your Hollow Knight x Warframe crossover and thinking it was really cool :D Love your art and thanks for the giveaway :D

Thank you so much!!! I'm really glad you like my stuff and participated in the giveaway!! :)

I was actually working on hollowframe Qorvex when I saw your ask, so here's a wip screenshot of where it's at currently! Lot's of background shading and coloring to do still but it's coming along nicely

Anyways sorry about this but I'm gonna hijack this ask to talk about hollowframe for a bit under the read line cause now I'm in a real reminiscent mood lol just bear with me

This hollowframe project really has gotten so much bigger than I thought it ever would when I first started. It really was just an idea for a longer term project to keep myself drawing during my pandemic slump in 2021. It's really hard for me to believe that it's been two and half years since I started lol.

At first they were just gonna be simple like this

and then I kinda just kept adding detail and color and

now it's like

lol

For the longest while I tried to be as style accurate as possible to challenge myself with character design elements and techniques. That provided me such a good wealth of practice and the reception to it was crazy.

Once I had caught up to the most recent frame though I started abandoning full style accuracy as I pushed myself to practice more advanced styles and techniques while waiting in between new frame releases.

It's honestly such a cool feeling being able to trace a lot of my art progression within a single project, as silly as a cross over like this can feel like at times lol. It's so funny how hard it is to explain to people outside of the fandom how important hollowframe has been for me and the development of my other projects, I legit don't know where I'd be at without this thing and that is such a wonderfully absurd but awesome feeling

Anyways sorry again for hijacking your ask! I guess it's just still such a surreal thing to meet people online who are familiar with my work lol. Thank you!! :)

[amusingmusie]

“You don't want it to end this way.

"What is going on? Tell me, Alastor, tell me now before this is ruined beyond repair! Give me answers! Talk to me!" you implore Alastor who looms in the doorway. Inky black shadows hover around his lean form, quivering and warbling while he twitches with the effort to come after you.

The edges of his lips curl upwards painfully. "If you have to ask-"

"No, fuck you. You don't get to finish that line. I'm done. Alastor, you're being unfair. This isn't funny. You're being mean."

You slide the engagement ring off of your finger and sling it at his feet.

It's done.

"...Are you forfeiting?" he asks softly. Something nasty is simmering beneath that gorgeous grin and honey eyes, you can tell. You're not blind to it, not now. "You signed the contract. You're playing the game until you admit defeat."

"No. No, you don't get to win." No, you won't give up and hand him this unfair triumph. Maybe he won this battle with your retreat, but he hasn't won the war. "I'm just done for now. Done until you can explain yourself and this mess, done until you'll hand over your secrets for me to hold."

A beat.

A breath.

A frown.”

Here you go, I spent way too long on this, it was supposed to be a comic, but I got really lazy. I wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your story. I’m not an avid fanfic reader, and (in fact I think this is the only one I actively follow), but your story really drew me in, pun intended. Anyway, I wanted to draw this because that scene had me in a chokehold for the past week, and I succumbed to my self indulgence.

Also notes on the drawings;

1) The second panel is my favorite

2) Nel’s hair keeps changing size and I’m just realizing that now as a write this and it’s really pissing me off

3) I’m insanely proud of myself for drawing Al’s shoes, I’ve literally never rendered shoe before so I’m surprised it came out so good

4) The last panel was a pain in the ass because I couldn’t draw Al right without making him look stupid, hopefully I did him justice lol

(Btw the razzledax name is my alt account, I was planning on showing you this with that account because it’s for fan art, but apparently I can’t do that because I’m dumb and don’t know how to ask questions with my other pseudo. I’m no art thief!! Fuck that shit)

Consider my jaw officially dropped and on the floor. Holy SHIT. This is beautiful. Wow. Wow wow wow wow. Thank you so much, I'm quite literally honored to receive this.

[libraincarnate]

astrology notes: 4 🤠

quick note: i'm absolutely not an astrologer. these are just a collection of some observations, thoughts, theories, and personal experiences. with that being said, i'm still learning along the way & i may come back to edit this post to make corrections. above all this is just for fun. lastly, keep in mind that i’m not reading your birth chart and i know nothing about you. these are just some possibilities that may or may not apply to you. enjoy!

✦ having a lot of difficult aspects to uranus/aquarius: you may be bad with technology. might not use electronic devices much or might not know how to really use them. if you do use electronic devices it’s a struggle to use, hard to figure out, or frequent technical issues. probably don’t care for social media much either.

✦ pisces moon/mercury: music is important to these natives. it can be therapeutic or healing. music can make them feel understood, especially since they often feel misunderstood. this is probably because while most people wouldn’t bare their soul, emotions, and honest truth to just anyone they may feel more comfortable doing so through music, so these natives can relate to the artist/musician.

with that being said, they may like emotional music and lyrics matter to them, they pay attention to the words, the meaning. but also the overall feel of the song. the sounds. may like listening to music while bathing/showering as a form of self-care/love, to cope with their emotions, as an emotional outlet, or to simply relax. music & water feels like medicine or food for the soul. could use or benefit from using singing bowls, tuning forks, harps, or other musical tools and they may be an important apart of their spirituality or way of life. it also brings them pleasure, not just healing.

could like reading fantasy, fiction, romance, mythology books which can be just as healing/comforting/pleasing for them.

✦ speaking of pisces, pisces venus/7th house: you guys probably day dream about love a lot. you love love. you know how some kids have imaginary friends? well these natives probably have an imaginary lover but they only exist in their heads .. hopefully lol. they day dream of them, thinking of different romantic scenarios, and he/she is their dream guy/girl. could apply to pisces mercury in the 7th house too.

✦ 4th house ruler in the 8th house: you might have a curse in your family, there’s a good chance it's on your mom’s side. you may feel the effects of the curse strongly if it’s a generational curse. lots of deaths in the family pertaining to the women. could’ve experienced eerie, paranormal, supernatural events as a child growing up. could come from a family involved in esoteric practices like witchcraft, fraternities like freemasonry, etc. you might've been initiated as well.

✦ taurus in the 12th house: you may be a quiet person. probably sleep good. can be over indulgent in the pleasures of life because there can be wealth and abundance. but be careful, you may think you have more than you actually do. a spiritually grounded individual. signs of having talent that’s hidden/unrecognized by themselves and/or others. or if others do see these gifts/talents in you, you don’t or you deny it.

✦ neptune-uranus aspects: not having a stable sleeping pattern.

✦ while having prominent capricorn/saturn/10th house placements might indicate having issues with your father, if you are sun dominant he might have a big and positive influence in your life. he can be someone you look up to and respect. you could actually have a close relationship with him, especially if your sun is more dominant than your saturn. if you're a girl, you may be a daddy’s girl.

those with positive sun-saturn aspects might even be able to relate. synastry matters too. if you have 5th or 11th house synastry with your dad, you guys are probably besties and spend a lot of time together.

the house the sun is located in can show you the themes of your relationship with him and the kind of influence he’ll have on you/your life.

in the 9th house: he could be a very wise and intelligent man. someone you have learned a lot from. he may be a lawyer, a teacher, or a pastor. might be someone you look to for advice or guidance. pushes you towards higher education. going on vacations/traveling with him. introducing you to a variety of things. he might not be a strict dad, lets you be/express yourself, doesn’t try to change you or control your personality. no curfew? or you were allowed to come home later than most. in the same breath, dads who are religious or who have a job that has to do with the law/legal justice system are stereotypically strict so you might not relate to this sense of freedom.

in the 5th house: a natural leader. he is probably talented in someway. you may also inherit these musical/artistic/creative gifts. could have a playful/fun relationship. may play games, music, or sports together, watching tv/movies together, sharing your hobbies with one another. someone you look up to, an inspiration. he brings a lot of joy and happiness to your life but you're also his pride and joy. just an overall indicator of him having a positive influence in your life.

in the 4th house: he might be your favorite family member, could have made your life at home easier. you may be very grateful for him. he might be a family man, someone who works hard and takes care of their family which sets a good example for you. probably hang out with him at home a lot. could be closer to your dad’s side of the family. i feel like sun in the 4th is especially a daddy’s girl placement. he’s proud of you and tends to brag about you. if you have children he’s probably close to them.  

✦ speaking of sun in the 4th house, it sounds like a good placement for a positive relationship with your mom but check your moon sign too. for example, having a sun in the 4th house but a scorpio/capricorn moon can indicate relationship issues with your mom because moon is in fall in scorpio & moon is in detriment in capricorn so both signs and the moon are weakened and uncomfortable here. moon in the 12th/8th is another example. but again, check your synastry with her too.

✦ libras & leos: may be known for being vain & attention-seeking, but they also like hyping people up, complimenting them, and making them feel good about themselves.

✦ saturn-uranus aspects: can indicate a career in technology, science, engineering, architecture, politics, or math.

✦ moon square/opposite chiron: difficulty expressing/validating your feelings. it can  be hard to comfort yourself emotionally because heavy emotions make you feel uncomfortable or you don't know how to deal with them. on the flip side, you are quick to validate the feelings of others and feel bad for them. still you are empathetic, maybe too much. it can be overwhelming taking on people’s emotions and burdens for yourself. more willing/easier to comfort others instead of yourself and to heal their emotional pain, but if you show yourself that same love, maybe a little extra, you can heal yourself too.

if you read this until the end i hope you enjoyed it & thank you so much for reading. ♥︎♥︎♥︎, those hearts are for you. 

[bella-rose29]

Deck the Halls (and not your partner) - part 12

it's here everybody

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everybody that has read and enjoyed along with me, whether that was in the form of reblogging with commentary, leaving a comment or kudos, or even if you just read it and moved on, and to everyone who binge read after the whole thing came out, or stumbled across it months after it finished, thank you to you too. this has most definitely been a labour of love, very self-indulgent at most points, and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing every word (although maybe not so much when Steph was being a grade-A Bitch), and I hope you enjoy this last part!

while the main work of this series is over, keep an eye out for holiday specials (bc I can't just let go of my schmoopies forever)!

Warnings: swearing, mildly spicy bit near the start, you might cry from this being the finale (I did lol), flustered/awkward lockwood, oh you also might cry from the part in the middle/end because I'm evil and can't let you have a fully happy ending (@ the anon who requested this hopefully this satisfied the masochistic urge hehehe), if I forgot anything it's bc I'm tired while I write this

Word count: 6.3k

series masterlist

“Are you sure you’ve got everything? It’s a long way to go if you leave something behind,” Ben said, peering in on Anthony and Y/n where they sat in their loveseat. 

They had packed pretty much everything but their wash bags (which they would need tomorrow morning) and pyjamas (which they would wear tonight), and now they were cuddled up in front of the fire that was roaring in the hearth. “Yeah, I think so. I’ve checked and double checked so if we leave anything behind then we’ll just have to make do.” Her father nodded, smiling at them before ducking back out the room. Everybody else was gathered in the kitchen, making drinks and getting dinner (leftovers and an assortment of deli), which meant that Y/n and Anthony had the living room to themselves. “You alright?” she asked, voice quiet. He hummed in answer, the low sound vibrating in his chest and through her head where it laid on his shoulder. 

“I’m more than alright, darling. Looking forward to being home again, though. Not that I haven’t enjoyed the last few days,” he hurried to add. “I just miss sleeping in my own bed.”

“I get that.” There was a momentary lull in the conversation, both of them basking in the warmth of the fire and each other. “Wait. I feel like we should probably… talk about when we get back? And what… what we’re going to do about…” she trailed off, waving her free hand between them. 

“No, you’re right. We should… we should definitely talk about that.” Another lull, although this one was slightly more tense. “I mean-” Anthony cut himself off with a huff, and she felt him clench his jaw from where she was nestled underneath it. “If you wanted, you could move out of the attic? Obviously if you’d rather stay rooming with Lucy then that’s fine too, I just-”

“Where would I go if I wasn’t in the attic?” She cut him off when he started to ramble, lifting up her head to frown at him. He flushed a delightful pink that wasn’t too dissimilar from the socks he had on, and opened and closed his mouth a few times before turning even more red and answering. 

“In… in my room? It’s a big bed, although not quite as large as the one here, and I’ve got extra pillows if you wanted. But if you would rather stay upstairs then that’s fine too.” He was fidgeting, his leg bouncing and his tongue darting out to wet his lips, and Y/n smiled softly. 

“If you’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind, darling.” The blush stayed on his cheeks but his worry eased. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you there.”

“Then… when we get back tomorrow, can I just go straight to bed with you?”

“Absolutely,” he grinned, and she couldn’t help but mirror his smile, pressing a small kiss to his lips. 

“Ew, go suck faces somewhere else.” Y/n rolled her eyes at Will’s teasing tone, flipping her middle finger up at him and putting it away swiftly when Tom walked in, already snacking on the food on his plate. She hadn’t heard Will come in, which was quite the feat given how loudly he was chewing, but he was smiling behind his comments as he settled into an armchair. He was ecstatic that he could openly tease his younger sister now (much to her chagrin) and had wasted no time in doing so. “Bet you two are glad you’re going home?”

“Yeah. It’ll be nice to be back in London, I think,” she replied, shifting around in Anthony’s lap to face the room a little more. “And I miss the others. I did call George the other day after we booked our train tickets, just to let him know what was happening and when we’d be back, but the reception is so bad up here that contacting any of the others has been tricky.” Lucy had been somewhere near them visiting Norrie, but her signal had been awful too. Y/n hadn’t seen the point in calling when mostly it was just static. 

“I didn’t realise you’d called George,” Anthony said. 

“Oh, yeah. I knew he’d be at Portland Row so I figured I should let him know why we weren’t there. He said he wasn’t gonna spend the entire holiday with his family because of the whole ‘your siblings are engineers, so why aren’t you’ thing that always happens.” George had been the first friend that Y/n had opened up to, despite sharing a room with Lucy. They had been researching for a case together in the Archives late into the night, early on after Y/n had first joined the agency, and something about the calm atmosphere and rustle of the papers had meant that when George asked about her backstory in a tea break she had spilled it all. Lucy had been next, also late at night while the boys were on their own case, and Holly not too long after. But George had been the first, and the two of them had been close ever since. He’d opened up to her about his own family, and they’d found they had more in common than they had originally thought. 

“Well, it’s a good job you called. I imagine he would have been quite worried about us.”

“Us? No, George was definitely only worried about me. He didn’t once ask about you.”

“Rude.”

“I’m just telling the truth, it’s not my fault your ego can’t handle it,” Y/n teased. Anthony scoffed, fighting the smile that was breaking through. 

“Sure, Schmoopie.” Her responding glare would have been enough to make even Barnes shrink back, but Anthony could see that it lacked any heat when directed at him. 

He did yelp when she jabbed him in the side though, and her grin turned devilish. 

~~~

The next morning, Anthony was awake before Y/n was. 

At some point in the night she had obviously grown cold, as the duvet was bunched up more on her side than it was his, leaving most of his body out in the not-so-warm air of the bedroom. He didn’t mind, though. Not if it meant that she was happy. 

He didn’t often get the chance to admire her in the morning, not without her knowing he was doing it (not in a creepy way, it just meant that he often got caught and she often made fun of him), so he took his time now. 

He didn’t think he would ever get over how gorgeous she was. 

There was barely any light in the room, but from what little he could see she looked like an angel, especially in the t-shirt of his that she kept stealing. He didn’t mind that either, mostly because somehow she made it look so much better than he ever could. Anthony wasn’t a fool (although given his behaviour over the past few years there was definitely a strong argument against him), and he was well aware that Y/n knew the effect her wearing his clothes had on him. He’d had to excuse the two of them the other day when she’d come downstairs for breakfast wearing his grey hoodie and her pyjama shorts, and when they reemerged from their room nobody commented on the flushed faces or the messy hair of either of them (Y/n had stayed in the hoodie, too). She’d teased him mercilessly since finding out, and now he finally had an opportunity to gaze lovingly at her without her poking fun at him. 

“Morning.” Damn, he must have cursed himself and made her wake up. 

“Good morning, darling.” He smiled at her, wedging his arm under his head while he watched her wipe the sleep from her eyes and turn to face him. “Did you sleep alright?”

“Yeah. Like a log. You been awake long?” She reached out for his hand where it rested on the pillow between them, and he gladly let her thread her fingers through his. 

“Not really. Any good dreams?” There was a pause where she flushed, and Anthony’s curiosity only grew when she shook her head. 

“Not… not that I can think of.” She was avoiding his eyes, which meant she was lying. He smiled, huffing a laugh before shifting his weight. 

“Are you sure, darling?”

“Prick.” He laughed properly at that and propped himself up on an elbow. Y/n had covered her face with her hands to hide the rapidly growing flush, and she was shrinking further into the mattress with every passing second. “It wasn’t even- we were just, like… in a field.”

“What?”

“We were just having a picnic in a field. It was sweet.” She still hadn’t moved her hands so Anthony had to strain a little to hear what she was saying, but the amusement was very present in his voice when he next spoke. 

“So why are you acting like we were doing something else?” There was another pause, and he raised his eyebrows. “Were we doing something else?”

“It might… have ended up that way…”

“I see,” he said, moving again to prevent the arm under his head from falling asleep. Instead of lying back down, however, he pushed himself further up, placing one hand beside Y/n’s head and the other at her waist, slotting a leg between her thighs. He felt her shiver in response, and he gently pried her hands away from her face, lacing his fingers through hers and holding their joined hands in position on the other side of her head. 

“Anthony,” she whispered, lifting her hips a little and brushing her nose against his. 

“Yes?” He could feel her breath on his mouth, could feel it hitch when he let go of her hand to trail his own down her arm slowly, then tracing a path down the side of her body to her thigh. She didn’t answer him, instead reaching up to grab the back of his neck, tangling her fingers in the hair there (god, he loved it when she did that) and kissing him in a way that reminded him of honey. It was long and slow, both taking their time to bask in each other, although if she kept tugging lightly at his hair in the way that she was then he might have to speed the pace up a little. It was ridiculous, the power she held over him, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. If she was an angel, then he would gladly fall into hell a million times over for this little piece of paradise he was experiencing right now. 

He wasn’t sure how long they were there for, kissing, laughing softly when the t-shirt got stuck around her head, tangling limbs but never taking it further than a few bold touches just in case someone walked in with the morning tea, but it felt like barely a few seconds and eternity at the same time. 

When Ben did eventually knock on the door, Anthony went to answer, collecting the teas with a smile and a thank you before kicking the door closed. He smiled down at Y/n where she lay in bed, eyes closed to the light of the lamp that had just been flicked on, and planted a lingering kiss on her forehead. The action had her smiling immediately, and Anthony felt his heart jump in his chest. 

They spent most of the next hour lazing in bed, trading more kisses and soft touches before their stomachs started complaining and they were forced to get up and have breakfast. 

A million times, Anthony mused as he watched Y/n get stuck in her (his) jumper. A million times and more, and he had definitely fallen for her already. 

~~~

“Alright, you’re absolutely sure you have everything?”

“Yes, Mum, just like I was the previous six times you asked.”

“I just want to be sure! Who knows when we’ll next see you!” The statement hung in the air for a few seconds, the words sinking in and nestling into everybody’s minds. 

“Soon,” Y/n said, her tone decisive. “As long as Steph and Linda aren’t there.”

“I think I can live with that,” her mother grinned. Anthony and her father had been pulling their bags out of the car and were just now rejoining the gathered family members. Her parents were here, as was Will, but everybody else had stayed behind. They had said their goodbyes back at the house, with promises of phone calls for Nana Jean and Gramps and games of whatever Tom liked the most when she next saw him. Olivia had pretended to be indifferent about her sister leaving, but had squeezed just that little bit tighter when Y/n had said that she really needed to go. Y/n had pretended not to notice the slight shine to Olivia’s eyes, opting to ruffle her hair and laugh instead. Sam and John had wrapped her in hugs so tight she thought she might pass out before even stepping foot outside the house, and had left one last remark of ‘if you hurt her, we’ll kill you’ with Anthony before waving them off cheerfully as though they hadn’t just threatened murder. 

“Right then, Squeak. How long ’till your train?” Will asked, placing an arm over her shoulders and drawing her into his side. 

“About thirty minutes?”

“Why do you always get here so early? You could have had another cup of tea!”

“Uh, no, we couldn’t. Have you got any idea how much can go wrong with trains?!” Will just laughed at her, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“You’re ridiculous, Squeak.”

“You love me anyway though.”

Their parents stepped over then, having finished talking to Anthony about… whatever they had been talking about (she had been too busy with her conversation with Will to hear), and wrapped her in a teary hug. “You promise you’ll come back sometime next year?” her mother choked out, pulling back and holding her daughter by the shoulders. 

“Promise, Mum.” Her father hugged her then, letting Will comfort Emma. 

“I love you, Y/n. You’ll call us too, won’t you?”

“Of course,” she replied, huffing a laugh. “I already said I would about a hundred times.”

“We’re just making sure! Right. Off you two go, then, or you’ll miss your train.”

“Ben, they’ve got half an hour.”

“I know that, Emma, but what if something goes wrong?”

“Dad, please don’t jinx it. I’ll let you know when we’re back, alright?” She moved away, grabbing the handle of her suitcase and frowning when she felt Anthony’s hand already there. “I can take my own luggage, Ant.”

He shrugged. “I know. But I’ve got two hands and you have the tickets.”

“Your logic doesn’t make much sense; I also have two hands. And anyway, you could have your bag and your ticket, and I could have mine!”

“Just- just let me take your luggage, darling.” How could she say no when he was looking at her like that? She relented her grasp on the handle, casting him a mock glare before turning to look at her family one last time. 

“Have a safe journey, you two,” her mother said with a smile. 

“Yeah, get back home safe,” Y/n responded, starting to move towards the station entrance. She could hear Anthony behind her, the suitcase wheels dragging on the concrete while his repurposed kit bag bounced against his side. 

“You alright?” he asked once they were on the train, bags safely stowed. 

“Yeah. Looking forward to being home again.” It was funny, really. The last time she had been on a train she would have scowled at herself for calling Anthony Lockwood’s house her home, but now here she was, doing it without a second thought. 

“What are we going to tell the others?”

“Well… it’ll be late when we get back, right? I mean it’s already three o’clock now and it’s getting darker, so maybe by the time we get in they’ll be in bed? Or on a case if they managed to get a client. We could just do what you said and see how long it takes them?”

“I think you coming out of my bedroom in the morning would be a pretty big hint, darling. But I do love a game,” he grinned, already thinking about their friends’ reactions. “How do we think they’re going to respond?”

“Not a clue. George will probably say ‘I told you so’ or something.”

“Was… was that meant to be an impression of George?”

“Yeah?”

“Darling, no offence, but I think you might be worse than me.”

“Arsehole.”

~~~

It was dark when they got back, although that wasn’t a surprise given it was the middle of winter. 

Anthony had unloaded the bags from the taxi, smiling and thanking the driver with both words and payment, and had turned around to see Y/n stood on the pavement. She looked exhausted, rubbing her eyes and yawning while she waited for him to finish up. The gate stood locked, and 35 Portland Row seemed empty, the windows as dark and grey as the sky. 

Weird, he thought. Maybe they’re out on a case.

He shouldered his bag and pulled up the handle on Y/n’s suitcase just as the last of the noise from the taxi leaving died off and the road went quiet. Then he heard a scream that was so piercing he dropped the luggage and clapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut as though it would save his hearing. A ghost? Only Visitors could make a sound that fear-inducing, and if the chill that crept along his spine was anything to go by he would need some sort of weapon. Maybe their best bet was to get inside the house, so he reached for his keys and tried to block out the screaming. 

His keys. 

Shit, where were his keys? He looked up to see if Y/n was alright, if she had maybe had the wise idea to remove herself from possible danger before he did, and his heart stopped in his chest. 

The gate was still closed, and 35 Portland Row still empty and cold. Somehow it felt a whole lot darker than it had just a few moments ago, and Anthony belatedly realised that it might have something to do with the rapidly spreading blue tinge on Y/n’s arm. He couldn’t see any Visitors nearby, or any death glows that might have been stepped on by either one of them to provoke an attack, but all of that had happened so fast that he didn’t have time to process any of it. “Darling? Darling look at me.” He couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice when he spoke, memories of another time a girl he had loved died in much the same way, and he refused to let that happen again. “Let’s get you inside, yeah? There’s some adrenaline shots in the hallway, I just need you to stand up for me, darling. Y/n, please. Please, just stand up.” Why was she so heavy? Why was he so heavy? Was this what dying felt like?

“Anthony?” 

Why did her voice sound so far away? No. He couldn’t let this happen. He tried to lift her again, but somehow she was even heavier than before. Maybe he was tired, or too weak. 

“Anthony, what’s going on?” Her face was blurring and he realised that it was because he was crying, but his hands were too weighted to lift and wipe the tears away. 

“I don’t know,” he muttered, his voice cracking. “I don’t know, darling. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’ll be okay.”

“Anthony!” 

That had been louder, as though she were talking right into his ear, and he gasped for air and sat bolt upright. 

“Anthony, are you okay? You looked-”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, eyes blinking back the harsh light that threatened to turn him blind. 

“What are you sorry for?”

“I can’t… I can’t help you,” his breath was coming faster now, and vaguely he noted that there was someone nearby offering him water. His gaze was solely fixed on Y/n, though, and-

Wait. Hadn’t she been on the floor? Now she was on his left where before she had been on his right and in his arms, and her arms were the colour they always were, no blue tinge in sight. “Anthony, what were you dreaming about?”

He stared at her, partly in realisation that none of it had been real, but mostly in disbelief that she wasn’t dying in his arms in front of their home. “What?” The train carriage came back into focus, checkered seats and wooden table forming solid shapes in his line of vision. The view out the windows was barely visible from how dark it was. 

“You were asleep, and then you started… I don’t know. Twitching, I guess? And you were talking but I couldn’t make it out but you sounded really sad, and-” He cut her off by launching himself at her, wrapping his arms around her torso and burying his face in her neck and holding his breath. “Ant?” She paused, slowly bringing her own arms around him and shifting position so that she was more comfortable. “Are… are you breathing right now? I’m gonna need you to breathe for me, Ant, can you do that?”

He did, and immediately choked on a sob. It hadn’t been real, and she was alive. They sat there for a long time while he cried, and then even longer after his tears had subsided and he was just sniffling into her neck. He didn’t know whereabouts they had been when he first woke up, but Y/n finally moved him off of her the station before theirs. “Sorry, just need to shake my arm out. You’re heavier than you look, you know.” They both sat up, and Anthony went to take a tissue out of his coat pocket. “Here,” Y/n whispered, reaching up to wipe his face with her sleeve. Her hands were gentle, barely-there touches on his cheek, but Anthony needed more. He pushed her hand to his face, focusing on the pressure and the warmth of her skin, and the callouses that had built up from being an agent all these years. A few seconds later he felt her forehead against his, and her breath on his mouth (her breath was warm too), and her other hand slipping into his hair, holding him as close as possible. “You’re okay. It’s okay. We’ll be back soon, alright? I think it’s only about ten minutes until we get to our station and then we can call a taxi and go home.”

“Okay.” Whoever it was that had been offering water earlier had left the bottle on the table, and he reached for it now, twisting the cap and downing the liquid. “We’ll be careful once we get out though, right? Because it’s dark and there could be Visitors, and we don’t have our rapiers, and-”

“Anthony, we will be absolutely fine.” Her tone was firm and she pulled his chin up to stare directly in his eyes. “The taxi will drop us off right outside, and if you like I’ll take the keys and get the kettle on. Or you can do that and I’ll get the bags, or we can get our own bags and go up together. Whichever you feel most comfortable with, yeah?” When he nodded she sighed, letting go of his chin and holding his hand instead. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’m here, alright?”

“I know. Thank you.”

He didn’t let go of her hand until they were safely back in 35 Portland Row, front door shut and locked and bags in his room ready to be unpacked in the morning. 

~~~

Lucy Carlyle had had the best sleep of her life. 

She’d come back from seeing Norrie the day before, the freak snowstorm keeping her from getting back sooner, and the journey had been so horrific she’d passed out the moment she got into bed. Screaming children and drunk men had populated the carriage, creating so much noise that she hadn’t been able to go to sleep on the train, and she was starting to look like Lockwood with the bags under her eyes. 

Now it was nearly midday, and she had managed to crawl out of bed, sling on some clothes, and stumble down the stairs to put the kettle on for some tea. 

Given how late Lockwood and Y/n must have got back last night (it had been after her, and the clock in the hall had shown a time that was both far too late and far too early for her liking), she had been expecting them, as well as George, to be in bed. But then again Y/n hadn’t been in the attic with her when she’d woken up just now (although her vision had been rather blurry, so she totally could have missed a whole human being in the room), so maybe she was already downstairs?

What she hadn’t expected was walking in to the kitchen to see both Y/n and Lockwood having a normal conversation (well, as normal as conversations in this house could go, she was quite sure they were discussing frogs), in which neither of them was glaring or looking like they would commit a felony at any given moment. Lockwood was leaning back against the kitchen sink (looking very snug in his grey hoodie and comfy trousers), mug of tea in one hand while the other braced his weight on the counter, and he was chatting happily to Y/n (who was wearing what looked suspiciously like one of Lockwood’s jumpers). She was sat at the kitchen table, cupping her tea with both hands, and the smile on her face, Lucy realised with a start, was genuine. 

“… Morning?” She started, pushing the kitchen door open and moving further into the room, eyeing her friends. 

“Morning, Luce,” Lockwood replied, taking a large gulp of his tea. He didn’t seem fazed by the incredibly strange situation that was happening right now (was this some sort of a fever dream? Maybe she was hallucinating from sleep deprivation or something), and Lucy nearly poured the still-hot water on her hand instead of in the mug. “Sleep alright?”

“Uh… yeah. What time did you two get back last night?”

“Oh, I don’t even know,” Y/n started. “Definitely past two in the morning, but we were so tired we didn’t really look at the time.”

“Right.” There was a pause while Lucy finished making her tea, and as she took an experimental first sip she regarded them over the top of her drink. “So… Y/n. Did you just collapse on the sofa downstairs or something? I didn’t hear you come in last night.” The other girl froze for a moment, and if Lucy wasn’t a trained operative then she probably wouldn’t have noticed it since her panic was almost instantly replaced by forced calm. 

“Oh, uh…” she glanced at Lockwood, who made some sort of face in reply. “… no?”

“Huh, you must have been quiet, then. That or I was sleeping like a rock.”

“Sure,” Y/n said, a weird look on her face. She was smiling, but almost like she knew something that Lucy didn’t, and that puzzled her. A chuckle sounded from the corner of the room, and under a blue and white striped tea towel, Skull had woken up. 

“You’re really going to take that for an answer? She didn’t even pick one!” Lucy frowned, begrudgingly realising that Skull was right. Y/n hadn’t really answered her question, and what had happened at her parents’ house the last couple of weeks for her to stop trying to kill Lockwood by glaring at him? 

As nonchalantly as possible she asked “So you were quiet? Or was I sleeping like a rock?” 

“Um… I was quiet?” She didn’t sound very sure, and Lucy’s suspicion was growing at the same rate that Skull’s grin was. 

“I know for a fact she didn’t make it all the way up the stairs last night,” he said, some of the sludge in the jar forming comically large eyebrows that waggled around. Now that was interesting. Why would Y/n say she’d been quiet coming in if she had never come in in the first place? Lucy was just about to ask that very question when George trudged into the kitchen, oversized shirt thankfully covering what his lack of trousers didn’t. He pushed his glasses up his nose and squinting at the people gathered. 

“… What’s going on? Y/n’s not trying to murder Lockwood.”

“Why is that a thing?! I’m not always trying to kill him!”

“In fairness, it was a regular occurrence, dar-” Lockwood’s mouth snapped shut, cutting off whatever he’d been about to say. Lucy saw his jaw clench, unclench, then clench again while he flitted his eyes closed in some sort of silent prayer. 

“Yeah…” George said. “This is weird.” He stood at the head of the table, lifting a hand to scratch at his side like a monkey. “Dare I ask how your Christmas was?”

“I mean… Steph and Linda were there, but after I slapped Steph and Mum shouted at Linda they left.” Lucy stood straighter in shock, pushing off the counter she had previously been leaning on. George was similarly surprised, but Lockwood? Lockwood was grinning with pride. 

“You slapped your cousin?!” George exclaimed, a smile growing on his face. “Like, you properly hit her?!”

“I mean… yeah?” Y/n replied, taking a sip of tea. 

“It was awesome,” Lockwood added, and Lucy and George shared a look. 

“You think he would have said that before?” Skull piped up again. “I certainly don’t. Something happened while they were away, that’s for sure. And I know what it was!” He said the last part in a sing-song voice, face turning over in the jar. 

“Yeah, well you could just tell me,” Lucy muttered, drawing everyone’s attention. “Sorry. Skull’s talking.”

“Where’s the fun in that! Better to watch you figure it all out on your own!”

“Bastard.” 

George had started making his own tea, popping two slices of bread into the toaster and giving it a good whack when it didn’t immediately start working. Satisfied that his breakfast was underway, he busied himself with his drink. “So Y/n… how come your suitcase was in Lockwood’s room?” he questioned, turning and pushing his glasses further up his nose. Lucy tried to disguise her shock, but that resulted in a small smirk instead, her eyebrows rising while she regarded her friends. 

Lockwood answered. “She didn’t want to lug it all the way up the stairs, not with the time being what it was. It just… hasn’t been moved yet.” Y/n nodded, a little too enthusiastically, and cast a worried glance towards Skull. 

“So Y/n and her suitcase slept in Lockwood’s room?” George asked, still probing for answers. He had a little smile on his face, one of those ‘I figured it out’ ones that when she had first joined the agency, Lucy had mistaken for ‘I’m better than you’ smirks. She wasn’t far behind him, and if she hadn’t already figured it out then the reactions of Y/n and Lockwood were enough to confirm her suspicions. 

“Yeah, that’s right,” Y/n said, sipping her tea. There was a brief pause in which Lockwood nodded, smiling softly at her, and then it set in. Lockwood looked like he had malfunctioned, the cogs in his brain turning but not producing any kind of reaction other than a blank stare with confused eyes. Y/n choked on her mouthful of tea, spitting some of it back out into the mug and resting it on the kitchen table while she coughed. Immediately Lockwood’s brain started functioning properly again, and he quickly put his own tea down and went to help Y/n, fussing over her like a worried parent. 

Skull was chuckling in the corner again, and Lucy couldn’t help but join in. George laughed too, his mirth only growing when Lockwood and Y/n turned and glared at him. “Alright,” Lucy started. “Why was Y/n sleeping with Lockwood?”

“I wasn’t sleeping with him!” the other girl spluttered, apparently thinking that Lucy had suggested that the pair of them had had sex, and George was now nearly doubled over with laughter. Lockwood smirked, and before Lucy could protest he was already opening his mouth. 

“I mean not last night, but there were plenty of times at your parents’ house where we-”

“OH MY DAYS NO, STOP-” Y/n got up, all but tackling Lockwood to the ground and slapping her hand over his mouth to prevent him from finishing his sentence. Lockwood went down like a sack of potatoes, and the ‘oof’ he let out on impact had made Lucy snort into her mug. “They don’t need to know that, idiot,” she whispered, but since sound echoed in the kitchen Lucy and George could still hear her, even after the toaster popped loudly. 

“How long have you two… been like this?” Lucy asked, waving her hand in their direction where they now laid on the floor. Lockwood tried to talk but Y/n’s hand was still firmly keeping his mouth shut, and while he was attempting to prise himself out of her grip she was apparently too strong. Lucy didn’t want to think about how much his jaw would hurt afterwards; she had had pillow fights with Y/n that had ended with trips to the medical cabinet because the pair of them got too ambitious with their hits. 

Y/n answered, still attempting to maintain some dignity. “On the floor? A few seconds-”

“Let me rephrase,” Lucy cut her off, putting her finished mug of tea down on the counter with a decisive thud. “How long have you two been together?” Y/n stilled, giving Lockwood time to wriggle out of her grasp and glance awkwardly between his gathered colleagues. He pushed himself to sit back against the kitchen cabinets, one arm resting outstretched on his knee while the other scratched at his neck. He was nervous, then. He looked like he wanted to answer, but he was still shifting his gaze between them all. 

“Uh…” Y/n started. There was a pause, and then she sighed. “Dammit.” She fished around in her pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled five pound note. Lucy frowned for a moment, wondering what the hell a fiver had to do with this situation, then huffed in surprise when it was passed very begrudgingly to Lockwood. He looked very pleased with himself, accepting the money without moving much, hand outstretched to catch the note between his index and middle fingers. 

“What was that for?” George asked, although he’d just taken a mouthful of his toast so it came out more muffled. 

“Lockwood said we wouldn’t last a day keeping it secret from you both, and I bet that we could.” Y/n shrugged, shuffling around on the floor to sit between Lockwood’s legs. He didn’t get the message at first, too busy stuffing the money into his hoodie pocket, but after a sharp jab to his thigh he moved, wrapping his arms around her waist and complaining when Y/n shoved her elbows into his middle. 

“I swear you do that deliberately,” he muttered, but there wasn’t any malice behind it like there would have been before the holidays. 

“I don’t! If you keep complaining about it then I will do it on purpose, dickhead.”

That was better. Lucy shuddered at the thought of the two of them being overly sickly sweet, all cuddles and pet names like ‘Sugar’ or ‘Schmoopie’, and was instantly glad that the competitive streak in them both had apparently stayed. It would be a lot easier to stomach living with a new couple if they weren’t being insufferably cute. 

“So… you bet on your own acting skills?” questioned George, finishing his slice of toast. “Seems a bit stupid, really. You’re both awful at acting.” Lockwood and Y/n stopped bickering, instead staring up at George in shared outrage. 

“How dare you! I’m a charades champion!”

“I can act, it’s Lockwood that’s the problem!”

They spoke at the same time, both pointing at Lockwood for their respective comments, and Y/n took a moment to take in what he’d said. “Charades champion?” she said, drawing out the syllables and turning slowly to look at him over her shoulder. “We already talked about this, Ant. Using props is cheating, so you lost every game you played!” Lucy frowned. ‘Ant’? Since when had Lockwood let anybody call him Ant?! Apparently he didn’t mind, instead being too busy looking at Y/n with hearts for eyes while he tried (ineffectively) to argue his case. It was obvious that Y/n would win, given how wrapped around her little finger Lockwood was, but the argument wasn’t really an argument. More like… friendly teasing. Lucy could deal with that, she decided. It was much better than having to comfort one of them or convince apologies out of them after a screaming match. 

Skull had gone silent in the corner, but there was a smile in the sludge. He almost certainly had some information, but Lucy could get the details out of him and her friends later.

For now, she was content to watch them be a proper family for the first time since Y/n joined, even if Lockwood’s laughing face was being shoved away from the aforementioned girl as he tried to kiss her in an attempt to apologise for cheating at charades. 

tag list (if you're on here twice or I forgot you I'm so sorry, this tag list is honestly such a mess whoops):

@strawberryloveyyy, @chameleon021, @genderfluid-anime-goth, @cottagecore-babe, @anthonylockwoodandco111, @a-taken-url, @ahead-fullofdreams, @aislinrayne, @anathemaloren, @anthgoldenhrry, @augustisintheair, @aysha4life, @briar-rose23, @curseofhecate, @dangelnleif, @edible-rat-vomit, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @ettadear, @fearlessmoony, @fudosl, @idkbubs, @imaginebeingmentallystable, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @lady-ashfade, @light-23, @locklyebrainrot, @locklyle1kanij, @locknco, @magicandrosewaters, @mentallyillsodapop, @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @newbooksmell777, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @phlooper, @ran23sblog, @reggiepeterss, @simrah1012, @somethingrandomwatzit, @star-of-velaris, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whistle1whistle, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife, @y0urm0m12, @zoom1374, @asyouwish-fromcabin3, @rhysand-devorak, @a-candle-maker, @h0lyheck, @apple-bottom-jeans6, @icantwaittoliveandlearn

@neewtmas, @bobbys-not-that-small, @avdiobliss, @demigoddess-of-ghosts, @maraschinomerry, @lewkwoodnco, @uku-lelevillain, @oblivious-idiot

[thickenmyblood]

I don't know how to thank you. This feels like the end of an era. I can't believe it's been 4yrs since you started posting hiuh and I was instantly hooked. It literally got me through the pandemic. I learned so much from the story and felt I had Neo as a therapist(the best in the world). You must be flooded with asks now but I am really curious how the story formed in your head. It's hard to believe how consistent the story is as you posted chapter by chapter. Did you outline the whole story when you started? did you stick to all the original ideas? if you changed your mind what were they? It really is a master piece - much much better than many published books I read and I hope you will publish someday, if that's what you want.

I'd also offer you my first born to have an epilogue. hopefully lamen with their child(ren) playing on the beach and Nicaise being the doting big brother. they all grew so much and deserve all the happiness. oh and Kastor and Jo and Galen for big family gathering. I'm so proud of all of them.

thank you thank you thank you for all your patience and genius and mostly, generosity.

hello!!!! i'm so happy that my story resonated with you and got you through some tough times. it did the same for me!

It's hard to believe how consistent the story is as you posted chapter by chapter.

thank you!! it will never be as good as it was in my head or as good as I know I could have made it if I had spent more time on it, but for me the most important thing is that it is completed and at least 70% of what I wanted it to be. a win is a win!!!

Did you outline the whole story when you started? did you stick to all the original ideas? if you changed your mind what were they?

i got the idea for a modern au break up fic in 2020 while I was writing and posting wtsioa. i started the story as a 20k one shot and then realized 5k into it or less that it was not going to fit into that word count. the reason was very simple: i did not want a break up fic centered around "miscommunication" in a naive, fluffy way. i did not want to write a fic where the main issue was that one loved the other too much or that they thought the other was cheating when it wasn't true, etc. i wanted to write a break up that felt honest to me, and this meant giving them both issues that felt real, that i saw in myself and in the people around me irl. which meant that it would take them both considerably more than 5k to get over them (if they ever did).

i outlined the fic very roughly. my first drafts . . . they are not it, girl. like, anyone that has read wtsioa knows that. I'm a much better editor than I am a writer, so for hiuh i outlined the main beats (nicaise calls damen after months, damen goes to therapy, nicaise is out of control and some incidents happen, laurent is dating maxime, they get back together). then, i wrote the entire thing in . . . a year? maybe less? then, i made a mistake and got cocky: i edited the first three chapters and started posting on ao3. that's why the fic took so long to post. i had to edit each chapter a lot after the first three were released.

i edited out too many things to count. things you wouldn't believe if I told you now because they make no sense when looking at the finished version. idalia was a pretty big character, and so was jokaste. in the og outline, I debated between claude/heavy drugs for nicaise. i almost named dog NIKANDROS!!!! damen actually punched aktis at the party when he talks shit about laurent . . . which led to him also punching nik. laurent slapping nicaise once. aimeric and damen baking together. then, there were things I wanted to write but couldn't because they didn't feel very real to me, despite being the best self indulgent daydream scenarios ever: damen hunting claude down (yeah, ruth wanted this to happen), dog getting sick, aimeric's EVERYTHING lol, nik and nicaise talking, etc.

thank you for sending this ask and reading the story through all the ups and downs and... lack of updates on my end!!! it has been the best experience ever, knowing that someone out there is reading and cares about what I made. thank you!!!!!!!!

[queenofbaws]

as someone who is SO GOOD at forgetting i was tagged in stuff immediately after being tagged in stuff, i thought i'd go ahead and fill this puppy out while it was fresh in my mind ;)c hehehe thanks for the tag @phenanthreneblue!!!!!!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

156 😎 and hopefully no sign of slowing, lol. i've been writing and posting fic since aboooooout 2007 though, so. do with that as you will.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

it's. um. it's. uh. a lot. ahem. it's a lot.

(1,923,174)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currrrrrrrrently the supermassive universe and dragon age, but i'm slowly adding the remedyverse in there, and silent hill pops up from time to time!!! and in ye olden days, i wrote a LOT for kingdom hearts. i've been CONSIDERING adding horizon to the list too, but...only time will tell, hehehe ;P

4. Top five fics by kudos

the (almost)s; who ya gonna call? not these creeps.; my fav part of summer camp [not clickbait!]; lipstick stains & coffee cups; yes, no, maybe so: circle one and let me know!

5. Do you respond to comments?

i do! i figure if you took the time to read AND let me know how you felt about my work, then by golly, i'm gonna tell you how much YOU made me smile :)c i've met some pretty cool people thanks to the comment section, hehe

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

aw man, probably alone time, right? probably alone time. i'm sure there was some extremely angsty stuff in my kingdom hearts days, but lord help me i am old and i have forgotten a lot of that

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

well, the durellion affair ends with everyone getting to eat as much cheese as they want, so i think that fits the bill!!! 🧀

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nah. i've been crazy lucky that, aside from the occasional (and likely unintentional) insensitive comment, people have always been super kind with my stuff <3 the deviantart days were a slightly different story, but why relive THAT time period, i ask you?????

9. Do you write smut?

nope. i'm not, like, opposed, i just don't think it would be good, and i've yet to write something where i felt it would add anything, so. nah. there are so many other things i can do to earn that m rating ;)

10. Craziest crossover?

for sure did an organization xiii/sweeney todd crossover once, in the long-long ago asldkjflsakdjf recently, though, i guess i'd have to say reading & other fun rituals was a VERY self-indulgent way for me to smash the remedyverse and supermassive universes together!!!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

eh, every time one of those "this site is scraping people's fics!" posts goes around, i end up finding my stuff, but in terms of bumping into an individual nabbing something i've written? not that i'm aware of! (i like to believe anyone reading would recognize the overabundance of adjectives and come tell me, ha!!!)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i've had people ask, but i've never seen a finished product, so probably not! i tend to write pretty long stuff, though, and i wouldn't wish that kind of work on anyone alsdkjflaskdjfksljfd

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i have! none that are posted currently, but i've for sure co-written in the past. i'm also slowly but surely co-writing a fun little thing over here with my buds where our (totally cool and DEFINITELY not overpowered) self-inserts have fun being npcs in the federal bureau of control, so...keep your eyes peeled for that, heheheheh

14. All time favourite ship?

right now? varric tethras and f!hawke 🥺 at this point in time, i only have eyes for them

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

sigh. soft reset 😔 it's a big ol' silent hill 2 timeloop fic that i started back in 2015 i think, and as much as i WANT to finish it...i haven't felt the silent hill muse strike in a hot minute. maybe once the remake comes out.

16. What are your writing strengths?

oh, i like to flatter myself that i'm pretty solid when it comes to character voices/interactions 😉 it's why i do so many character studies, honestly - i just *clenches fist* love studying characters!!! i also think my dialogue's fun

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

how much time do you HAVE??? hehehe i feel like i flounder when it comes to straight up-and-down fluffy/shippy stuff, like if the focus of a story is, for example, some sort of romantic gesture, i'm fairly lost. i'm also HORRENDOUS when it comes to keeping things concise, and god help me, every time i have to delete a passage and kill my darlings, i am miserable, so i tend to just...not do that

also? just putting it out there because i do consider it a weakness in regards to writing: sometimes my self-esteem with posting stuff is just. MISERABLE. so i have a tendency to get anxious before, during, and after hitting the post button, just really wallowing in those good, good I'M A FRAUD feelings, lmfao. i'm working on it, though!!! i love writing so much, sometimes the irrational part of my brain just worries i'm not Doing It Right, hahahaha

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

no one's done it better than the thing (1982) and no one ever will

19. First fandom you wrote in?

proooooobably kingdom hearts??? don't quote me on that, though, it very much could've been x-men: evolution asdlkfjsalkjf (those just never saw the light of day)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

c'moooooon. the (almost)s :)

i'm gonna go ahead and tag...hmm... @love-fireflysong @jadedsunshine @unicornaffair @big-ass-magnet @mrs-theirin @theartofdreaming1 @icequeen-07 @chris-hartley and anyone - yes, i mean ANYONE - who wants to talk about their stuff ;) especially YOU!!!

[froggybrainz]

I'm still currently fighting artblock rn, so HEAD CANON TIME!

Jacky

When Jack was kicked out of the Garden, his box was found by Isaac's father, who then brought it home (we all know the story from there).

Isaac became Jack's new owner/brother when opening the box. I think it'd be cool that for anyone opening Jack's box, he then gets their memories to help create a bond.

Jack has a hard time remembering his past before Isaac. For as much as he knows, his purpose was to be Isaac's friend.

Jack is well a Jack of all trades, lol. He's an old man with too much time on his hands while being blessed with talent from a certain red character:)

Jack is old old. He only thinks he was created around the 1800s, but boi doesn't know it was more like 1566 or 1600. ( I made an entire timeline to keep track of my nonsense).

Jack is one of the few who are able to shape-shift into a human with the only defect being his eyes. Glowing blue/silver eyes aren't exactly human, you know.

Ma boi Entity

Entity is an agent of chaos doing whatever whenever they please.

They are the first and only anomaly/demon that can successfully shape shift into a human form without defects. Only the most powerful can perform such a task without too much strain to their original forms. Anomalies created after the 2nd or 3rd generation are lesser than the ones before.

Originally, I had it where they didn't actually talk it was more telepathic, but after some thinking, I think they would have the voice of a broken radio. Like it hurts to listen to them talk, so preferably, they take on more comforting voices, whether it be a parent or cartoon character. Personally, I hear them with the voice of either Will Wood or the singer from Mindless Self Indulgence.

I don't like creating one-sided characters, so the idea of them acting like a white girl holding a Starbucks coffee with the song Barbie Girl playing in the back ground while also being the most powerful and destructive being in this known universe is funny to me.

Willie boi

Will plays an old Yamanha guitar he got from his Pa (granddaddy). Well, most of what Will owns is his Pa's. His house and everything in it were given to him when he passed away. You can find him playing it on the front porch.

His Pa later died in the hospital due to severe injury caused by fighting off some feral monsters off his property. (Living in more rural areas is more dangerous due to law enforcement and the GOC being further out from reach). Will blames himself for his death, saying if he wasn't so far away, he would have been there in a heartbeat.

Will carries a firearm while putting up cams around the property to keep an eye out for and to track the ferals around the area to hopefully take revenge on em.

[treason-and-plot]

REPLIES TO SAFFY LAMBASTING LIAM

@windermeresimblr

Wow! There's Saffy's backbone.

Yeah she's not known for holding back!

@drudragonrose

She's with a boy her own age that she actually likes. Be gone worm!

@ivorycrayon

Man, you write shades of grey so well. It’s hard to root for anybody, but it’s also hard to condemn anybody completely because all your characters’ actions are way too complex. “He’s wrong but..” “She shouldn’t have to deal with this but..” I could use your characters if I ever taught ethics class 😂 (except for Anita, that is, I always struggle to find any redeeming qualities in that lady :P)

Thank you so much Ash! I love writing morally grey characters who have questionable (but hopefully relatable) motives so it's extremely heartening to read your comment. And I love how steadfast you've always been in your opinion of Anita, lol!

@keoni-chan

I don't like this one bit. I hope Liam's brand new backbone doesn't evolve into an "if I can't have you..."-situation 😱

who knows what might have happened if fate hadn't intervened....

@dresdendarlin

Oooh it’s his snapping moment. He’s gonna do something drastic and crazier next.

@batsheba

Ok, now let's see if he, the creep Liam, can process this information?! Whatever happens I hope Saffy will be ok... I'm worried Liam will do something utterly stupid and potentially dangerous.

@oasislandingresident

Ooooh shit's about to go down!!! 🍿

@kimmiessimmies

I'm with @batsheba, this is not going to go down well with Liam...

@wannabecatwriter

Be careful, Saffron. He's in a weird mindstate now.

@bool-prop

Oh no. He's going to snap.

@muses-circle

🤦

@muses-circle

Liam will either have a meltdown right there, in the parking lot, or he'll wait until he's in the middle of class and doing something worse. I'm worried about what his breaking point will look like.

@muses-circle

And Saffron, men DO leave their wives. It's call divorce, honey. Life isn't as black and white as you think.

I didn't write Saffy's speech very well...what she was trying to say was that it's a well-known fact that married men never leave their wives for their side-pieces! She was actually quite enraged that Liam turned out to be the statistical anomaly, lol. That was the last thing she wanted to happen!

@echoweaver

Woo. Saffron's right, but wow she's still got so much growing up to do. OTOH, Liam seemed to be with her in large part because she verbally abused him. It's such a messed up puppy.

Yeah, he seems to derive a perverse satisfaction from being the victim and indulging in self-defeating behaviour. It's also not an accident that the two women in his life routinely humiliate and criticise him.😬

@sweetnovember77

Saffy's words can devastate ANYONE with strong emotions toward another person. It's like a knife to the heart.

Yeah, Saffy can be very acid-tongued. He probably deserved the wake up call but Saffy can count herself very lucky he didn't snap or do something as drastic as Stephanie.

@anamoon63

😮 This is not going to end well. I wish Saffy had been a little more diplomatic. 😔

It definitely did not end well, but fortunately for Saffy she was not the one who was impacted the most! I hope at the very least she learns some important life lessons from this whole sorry experience.

@simsaralove

I really hope this will make Mr. Yucky realize he better go live in the Twinbrook swamps and not make him do something stupid and ruin Saffy’s happiness 😭

@justanothersimsblog

I'd tell her to slap him but I think he likes that so... maybe knee him in the balls then lol

lol he is such a pathetic masochist that he would probably enjoy that too!😆

@greywardenconsort

He's a monster thru & thru

A sad, spineless, loser monster.

@streetlites

That's gotta sting. Bwahahah. Also, what did he think she was going to do? Leap into his arms? She was never like that toward him to begin with.

@mysimsloveaffair

They are both better off without each other. Saffy is doing him a favor and he doesn't even know it. SMH

Liam was always doomed by his poor life decisions and victim mentality. I'm also thinking that it was possible he had affairs as a passive-aggressive form of revenge, but didn't count on falling so heavily for Saffy. In any case, I think he got what he deserved.

[elysianwayy77]

HIII JADE GUESS WHAT I GOT U 💃✨

THAT'S RIGHT IT'S YOUR ARCTIC ALBUMS!!! CONGRATS ON ONE HUNDRED FOLLOWERS AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE BETTER PROGRESS ON OUR JOINT FOLLOWER EVENT SINCE SCHOOL IS STARTING AGAIN SOON-

so anyways 😊 I made u two character aesthetics! one to congratulate you on your 100 followers (🥳🎉👏) and one for being my second ever moot! ilysm 💚 also I hope you don't mind me yapping abt the inspiration behind the themes and stuff cuz I need to yap abt how amazing u are and why u deserve this and stuff. I swear I don't yap this much normally (or do I? 😱 if so sry for being annoying and yapping too much 😣) anyways, without further ado, here they are!

so this first one was inspired by the overall calm soothing feel the colour green gives. I wanted to experiment more with the colour green since its such a pretty colour 😍❤✨ and one of ur fav colours u mentioned in ur intro was green! I wanted to use red as well (u mentioned wine red 🍷 as well but I've used red for some other reqs and the vibes would've been too similar so I wanted to make it more special 🥰) so this piece (wow I sound like an old artist talking abt their work lol, which I suppose I am in a way) is centred arnd self love 💚 I wanted to remind you how awesome you are and remind me you to love yourself 💚)

for the second one, I decided to contrast it a bit. it still centres around self love but in a more, um, "fuck stupid ppl" kinda way? so this one is more realistic in a sense? Compared to the other one where everything is happy vibes, cuz let's face it, life (and people in general) are still stupid at times. So this one was to remind you: "yeah sometimes life still sucks and it'll probably stay that way at least a little bit, but you, yes YOU, can overcome it not matter what 💪. You are strong enough, you are amazing enough AND YOU CAN TAKE TIME TO YOURSELF TO INDULGE IN YOURSELF AND RESET AND BE LAZY A BIT 💃 (ik u love being lazy). Basically do what YOU want to do and listen to what YOU want. the idiots DON'T get to have their way every time. DO WHAT YOU WANT AND DON'T GIVE A 🦆 ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE SAY ONCE IN A WHILE. GO KICK ARSE SISTA 💃

and that's it 💚 I hope you like it jade and remember i love you with all my heart 💚

OMGGG HAILS THIS IS SO GREAT AND AWESOME😭😭😭 BOTH OF THEM ARE SO PRETTY AND I LOVE WHEN YOU YAP ABOUT THINGS TO ME CAUSE WHY NOT AND THE INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE THEMES IS SO ISKAJAGSHKAIS I LOVE IT AHHHH ILYT SM!!!! (Cmon I'm not that lazy now or maybeeee👀)

[fitzrove]

Now that I'm talking about history sklslsldldld here's another post...

Historical accuracy in fanworks - why?

A recurring thing w me is that people get annoyed with how obsessed I am with historical accuracy 😭😅 Like people have had to physically restrain me from doing 5 hours of research for a throwaway line in a fanfic, and one friend and I once had an hour long argument about word choice... But unfortunately I am just Like This lmao.

The thing is though, it's not because of any inherent sense of superiority or anything like that lol, I just have preferences. Also, I'm not the kind of person that needs everything to be 100% accurate all the time, I can still have fun JAPFLDPGPF. Basically, for me it comes down to a few things:

1. Suspension of disbelief / immersion

With historical fiction, the "he would not fucking say that" kicks in w dialogue easier than w something set in the modern day. Sometimes it's because of glaringly modern language (a 19th century guy going "sup" or something xD) but other times it's because a character is way too familiar with people of a different class, or acts/dresses/speaks too casually in general.

My hugest pet peeve with this are character names for side characters that the author made up 😭😭😭😭😭 As a non-native English speaker I don't really get the urge to insert random English names into my stories even when the stories are in English, I always look up the historical context and try to use names that a parent would give their child in that context. I'm sorry for naming and shaming but in one tdv fic Alfred's surname was Smith and I had to put down my phone because it broke my immersion so badly xD

2. Enjoyment

Historical accuracy can also be a characterisation thing!!! With crown prince rudolf of austria specifically his whole appeal as a character comes from his neuroses, and his neuroses are the specific way they are because of his specific position and status, and all that those entail in his historical context. It makes a story so much more interesting if these are properly taken into account 👀

3. What's the purpose of fanfic?

To me personally the purpose of writing and posting FANfic, as opposed to writing other stories, is threefold:

Making a point about the original story (is it a fix-it fic? An AU reimagining? A canon-compliant elaboration on something I think could expand upon a character's personality or two characters' relationship? These approaches all comment on the original work and its themes and characters.)

Personal enjoyment/self indulgence (I write what I would like to read)

Hopefully connecting with other fans (persuading them to see my Vision re specific characters/relationships, the setting, or the work as a whole; keeping the fandom alive; inspiring other people to make fanwork; providing entertainment; finding people who are the same kind of insane as you and making friends)

To me, putting historical accuracy into my fic or drawing inspiration from history fulfills all of these goals. With the first one: the original work usually comments on its era in some way as well, so drawing inspiration for the fic from that era complements it and keeps them grounded together. IRL history can also give you fun ideas to put in. W the second one: I love late 19th century history specifically and historical accuracy is my kink KSLFPEPDOFO. W the third one: I like sharing weird/funny/interesting historical facts w people so we can enjoy them together 😌 I also like Informing people of things that happened in history so hopefully they can have as much fun w the knowledge as I do. I try not to do this unsolicitedly and in general try to avoid criticising anyone for historical inaccuracies without being asked to because that's boring, I'm not trying to be cinema sins here

4. Exceptions

Sometimes historical inaccuracy is more fun than historical accuracy, though this is highly personal - you just have to do what you think is best and accept that something you enjoy might be something that breaks another person's suspension of disbelief (and hence makes them not enjoy the story). My personal metrics are roughly:

Sojblfpldlpf fun fact an unnamed person and I had a conversation about rudolf's probably not existing [redacted] register last night and while writing a fic about it would be historically inaccurate, the conclusions we arrived at about it were pretty funmy and interesting. With gay and homosexual implications

One of my favourite pastimes is to comb over crown prince rudolf's life and purposefully misinterpret random things as gay KSOGODPFOTK 😌😌😌 it's a good way to get fic ideas. So um yeah idk where I was going with this post haha

[bluntforcespatter]

yeeeah i get that a bit more than i'd like to lol. 'm sorry it's like that for you tho /gen n yeah. it's def easier to just be some little electronic beastie than imagine myself to be properly tangible for anyone. i'm real like a digital pet or smthn, ig is my personal like...thoughts on it. ppl like those cuz they're cute, so they like me because i'm just a lil critter ywy. but if i'm more real and like....more than just words then like it becomes "what if i'm [neg thing here]" like i said, ik all of that's not entirely true, just kinda a ramble of like. getting it in my own ways lol, even if it might not be the most sensical way of putting it edtfbh n i get what you mean! i've watched/played/read stuff like that before. it's a weird sorta cathartic pain, so it's nice in a way. it sounds really good :3 thank you ywy hopefully yours does too. no problem o7 i get it n i'm glad it helps a bit for me to ramble n stuff ywy i always worry it's a bit much or annoying or w/e, so it's nice to hear [read?] that it's actualy helpful gtrfh - 📺

ah, thank you (ᵕ—ᴗ—) all we can do is our best, though, so... i am trying? ¯\_(ᵕ—ᴗ—)_/¯

and SO TRUE !! i spent my childhood online. like i was on forums and shit when i was 6 ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) i was in a very very bad situation and escaping onto the internet made me feel better. i could pretend not to be from my home there. but so many years spent on the internet without anything in real life that was good really made me worse in a lot of ways - like ... the internet was the only place people ever listened to me, let alone interacting with me out of choice. in my home, i wasn't treated as a person. my parents didn't even really use my name, the name they gave me, until i was older. but online people would say "hi ghost! how was your day?" and it made me feel real. but now i feel more real online than offline... and if i am real IRL, then that means all the bad stuff that happened to me IRL did happen. so i just sort of mentally shut it all down and i wish i wasn't this way but my brain is protecting itself or something. that's what i'm told anyways.

i miss quotev i practically lived there. most of my system THRIVED there, with the RP groups we could pretend to be in character and then just be ourselves, people would address us as ourselves and it was so affirming and it felt amazing to finally exist and matter to someone. we have an alter who is basically all digital, so we often see ourselves like a little sprite traveling through 0s and 1s and pixels out into the wide web !! it's fun but sometimes very lonely.

so i totally get what you're saying. if you were a tamagotchi i would put you on a keychain and take you out and about !! digital friends ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

cathartic pain !! yes !!! it's nice to remind yourself that it hurts - remind yourself you're still here, you still are feeling and alive, you did experience things that you carry around with you... i am very dissociative unfortunately so i relish anything that makes me feel again. most of the time i feel like a fuzzy static CRT TV...

and thank you (o^▽^o) im going to try to have a good evening. i think i can do it. im going home today (was at my roommates mum's to visit, she gets lonely) and im excited to go home and relax !! you're certainly not being too much or annoying. i only get annoyed by actually irritating things. like frustration at ignorance or injustice... i am always yelling on my blog that anyone can come yap anytime about anything because i like to listen. a pain shared is half a burden, a happiness shared is twice the joy !! (* ^ ω ^) hopefully you make time today to do something self indulgent . it's important to take time to do stuff that feeds your soul . or whatever that sounds cheesy but i hope you know what i mean !!!

[dandylovesturtles]

🌻🚦🎁 (sending u so much creative energy)

🌻 How often do you read your own fics?

Oh all the time. idc if this makes me conceited, I write fics because I want to read them lol

I go through cycles sometimes where there are fics I feel embarrassed about (because it didn't turn out how I wanted or I'm really aware of a mistake or whatever), so I don't read those much, but then I usually get over it and start reading them again.

🚦What sort of endings do you prefer to write: ambiguous, bad, happily ever after, etc.?

It's almost always happy endings (I would call them "happily for now" lol, maybe they'll have troubles in the future but for now they are happy). I used to write tragedies or hurt/no comfort more often as a teenager but ultimately I'm not super into writing this kind of thing.

It's kind of funny because I actually am a tragedy fan for original fiction, there's a lot of things I really enjoy that don't have what most people would consider a happy ending, but usually for fanfiction I'm being more self-indulgent so I want all my special little blorbos to come out alright in the end.

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

Yeah why not:

“Leo?” Mikey asked hesitantly after a moment. “Are you mad at me?”

Leo took a breath and let it out. Was he mad? No, not really. He was far more scared than he was angry. For a split second, he’d thought it was a lot worse than a few cuts and bruises.

“Nah, Mikester, I’m not mad,” he said. “I was just worried about you, is all. I’m glad you weren’t hurt worse.”

“O-oh.” Mikey looked even more miserable now, somehow. He looked down at his lap, lips pursed like he was going to start crying any moment.

Well, that wouldn’t do. “Hey, hey, come on, bud! I’m sorry I yelled, okay? We’ll finish getting you fixed up at home.”

Mikey flinched, which was a weird reaction. Maybe Leo wasn’t managing to be as cheery as he thought. “…Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Leo got to his feet, holding out his hand for Mikey to take. He could hear Donnie and Raph coming back now, hopefully with good news.

“Love ya, Mikey,” he said once his little brother was standing. Mikey still looked so tense, and Leo didn’t know what to make of it. Had he hit his head after all? “Mikey?”

“Uh, yeah. S-sure.” Mikey gave him a wan smile. “Love you too, Leo.”

(for a bad things happen bingo that I will hopefully finish sometimes soon)

Thanks for the ask!

[vertiny]

Hi, Sarah~ 💜

For the ask game: 3, 6, 14, 24, 38

hiii anna !! nice picks 🤍

3. three films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

ooooh good question. naturally i've forgotten everything i've ever watched, but i would say: 1. atlantis: the lost empire (+ the sequel if that counts as just one lol) 2. the proposal 3. kingsman: the secret service

6. what's the best and worst part of being online / a creator?

the best: being able to expand my creativity ! trying out all different types of things in photoshop and playing around with all the layers to get something different each time. honestly, it's super freeing(?) sometimes, bc i can watch a video and see a moment and go "i want that as a gif" and then remember that "wait, i can make it into a gif!" we all deserve some self-indulgent giffing from time to time ! - the worst: keeping up to date with the content my groups post. bc sometimes it straddles a fine line between keeping up with the content bc i want to and feeling like i need to, bc in some twisted way, bc i'm a cc, it feels like i'm failing? or falling behind? even though i know the content will (generally - looking at u universe) always be there and will always be welcomed with open arms whenever i post smth, regardless of if it's something from a recent video or a video from debut time

14. what's something you've always wanted to do but maybe been too scared to?

flying, tbh. when i've had to go to different parts of aus, we've always driven to wherever. do i know that catching a 2 / 3 hour flight would be so much quicker and easier than a 12 hour drive? yes, but i've yet to be on a plane and so my brain makes it bigger than it probably would be. one day hopefully !!

24. what's one thing you're proud of yourself for?

uh . good question? SDJKGH 🤭 hm... probably the fact that i'm trying to do my best? lmao that sounds so dramatic, but idk, it's smth

38. favourite song atm?

god it changes always 😭 but rn? i'd have to say i've gone back to looping 'trauma (aquarium)' by onewe !

questions i think would be fun to be asked

[fangaminghell]

( @valkyrie-of-the-rising-sun )

A hopefully quick debrief of the very self indulgent Supernatural Au!!!

How it started: I literally was just thinking about Sasha, and if he was a mermaid. Literally couldn't stop thinking about it, bc Sasha already is so fun to think about, but him as a man eating mermaid? Impossible to ignore.

What came after: I don't remember the exact events that lead to it, but at some point 1) I started to imagine what my other ocs would be like as monsters and 2) my friend Rowan ( @eclysia ) added Asfrith to the table ( bc at this point, Asfrith being tied to Sasha or ( especially) Isador was always a given, hehe) as a researcher of sorts of monsters. He uh. Was almost drowned by Sasha before Sasha thought it would be very funny to let him live. And thus started....whatever they got going on. Because Isador is Devil in Paragon, I thought it'd make sense if the twins were both demons in this au, and by proxy, Flynn. I could go into deeper detail but the main gist is that things Expanded than just " omg Mermaid Sasha he's so hot".

How's it going: While the world building is super set in stone, I'm honestly having fun here lol. Au's are great for showing sides of characters that aren't usually shown in canon. The post about Teddy is a big example.

I know this was supposed to be short but lemme breakdown the characters so far reaaaal quick:

Sasha: Mermaid. Favorites past time is sinking ships, eating humans, and looking amazing. Is currently having fun with his new little play thang ( Asfrith). Was planning on killing him when he finally gets bored but uh. Maybe not?

Isador: One half of the Arkwright Twins, he's still a grumpy bitch, but when business calls, he knows how to put on a performance~ Got connected to Asfrith when he summoned the two for a deal. Instead of taking Asfrith's soul like Isador wanted, Teddy instead offered to look after their cousin Flynn, hence, the two becoming more connected than Isador thought would be necessary.

Teddy: The other half of the Arkwright Twins, and is usually considered the friendly options. It doesn't help that he looks more angelic compared to his brother: no he's not half angel, he just looks like that. Great for business, easier to lure people into a false sense of security- Ahem. A sweetheart who can and will go on a rampage if you dare hurt his family. May or may not be a bit of gremlin. Who's to say ( Isador. Isador is to say)

Flynn: The twins younger cousin, a kitsune that is often in disguise in the village where this whole thing is taking place. She's terribly shy, and has low self confidence, much preferring to be away from the attention. Her parents believe they have power over the village - they don't - and often pester Flynn to do something in order to increase their- I mean her status. Really, her only solis her cousins, and bc of their business they tend to be too busy to visit. It's a lonely life, but she's fine....at least, she think she is until two humans(?) show up in her life

Imani: The only human of my ocs so far! Well not really, but I'll explain that later. Her story isn't fully fleshed out, but she's Asfrith self appointed assistant! She happens to hang out with monsters more often than not, even getting along with those she really really shouldn't be! But it's okay, more friends means a greater time!

Arrow: I'm still not sure but I'm working on it I swear! Maybe a harpy, but still gotta think about it.

Other ocs: So, this au is actually a build up on the old mermaid au I had featuring Leo and the reborn gang. Given how I didn't exactly want to get rid of it, I just decided that the old au and this au are the same thing, with different things happening to different people. They don't all have to know each other, these stories are, for the most part, separate but within the same time and place, basically. Aaaand. Yeah!

This was not short at all! Lmao. Hoped it was decent context though. Probably not, since it. Doesn't fully explain Teddy. Ah well.

[servicereward]

i don't fancast often because i try to approach the task within the limitations of probably likelihood (and hopefully without being too self-indulgent, lol). i'm very weary of the whole live action thing but my brain has been churning and i do have one (1) fancast to throw in the ring

[questforgalas]

Mission: Sit Tight and Wait

**remastered July 2023, updated version here**

Summary: While Obi-Wan and Rex are rescued off Kadavo, Cody and the 212th can't do anything but sit and wait

Words: 2.9K

On AO3

Notes: Lol at the title, I had no idea what to put. This one got away from me, but I'm really happy with it. It made me happy cry at the end, so hopefully you enjoy this little journey too. There are so many side scenes from The Clone Wars that I wish we could see on screen, so here's my self indulgent remedy.

Warnings: Fluff, minor angst (uncertainty and flashes of anger), slavery mentioned, mentions of captivity, Cody's perspective, Jesse, Wolffe, and Fives make appearances, brothers comforting each other, banter between brothers, swearing in Mandoa, Cody almost loses his cool on Yoda, Obi-Wan's influence on the 212th, brothers concerned for their brother, mentions of alcohol

Mando'a Key: Osik: Shit Vod: Brother Ori'vod: big brother

______________________________________________________________

The Negotiator was never quiet. No matter the time of day, there was always some kind of ruckus that Cody could hear. Sabacc games, mess hall conversations, troopers doing their rounds, enthusiastic retellings of the latest battles. That last one was always Cody’s favorite as he listened to his brothers gradually one-up each other. Somehow a simple smash-and-grab would involve 12 tanks, 8 droidekas, and 3 platoons of commandos that his brothers each took down single-handedly. Normally the quietest part of the ship was the bridge filled with the quiet beeps and taps of navigation systems and radars. The only time Cody found himself up there was when he was needed for a briefing with General Kenobi or required to attend a meeting. Otherwise, he preferred to spend his time elsewhere in the ship - most often in the makeshift fitness center where he could work off his restless energy or remind his brothers why he was named Commander.

He happened to be up on the bridge finalizing reports when he heard the holotable beep with an incoming message from the Jedi council. Cody hit the receiver and General Yoda’s small blue form flickered in front of him. The warning in his gut told Cody he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear, but he was wrong. It was so much worse. The council just received a message from General Skywalker and Commander Tano from Zygerria, the former slavery empire. Cody was there when General Kenobi was briefed on his joint mission to locate the missing Togruta colonists and saw his general off just 2 rotations ago. While the 212th waited for Kenobi’s return, they remained in the Shili system with the Resolute incase the separatists decided to return to the unoccupied planet while the colonists were missing. It wasn’t surprising to Cody that they hadn’t heard from Kenobi yet, but as Yoda continued relaying his message, Cody felt the very strong urge to plant a permanent tracker on his general and, in this instance, his little brother because while Skywalker and Tano made it off Zygerria of their own will, Kenobi and Rex had been transported to Kadavo, the Zygerrian’s processing center, at least a rotation ago. Cody’s blood wasn’t cold - it was pure ice running through his veins. 

He knew he was supposed to respond to the elder Jedi. Just an acknowledgment that he heard the message. Anything, really. Instead, Cody just stared. How was he supposed to respond to his general and little brother being taken captive on a slave planet? This wasn’t exactly a scenario that was covered in the simulations the Kaminoans setup for them. Figuring the blinding rage Cody wanted to respond with wouldn’t be considered appropriate, he dug deep and found it in himself to act something like a commander of the GAR.

“Understood, sir. We can be on our way within the hour and in the Kadavo system at 0500 tomorrow.” The Kadavo system was located in Wild Space and one of the furthest points from the Negotiator’s current position. As efficient as the 212th was, they still wouldn’t be able to get there in less than 12 hours. “That’s 12 hours more that Rex and Obi-Wan are at the hands of that scum,” Cody thought to himself. Them being in that center for even just 12 seconds more made Cody feel sick, but it was the best he could do.

“Negative Commander. Remain you will. Closer the 104th are and aid Skywalker and padawan Tano they will. Remain you must,” Yoda responded.

For the second time during this call, Cody found himself speechless. Obi-Wan Kenobi, their general, and Rex, his little brother, are currently captives, and the 212th are expected to just sit here. Cody blinked. He blinked again. Surely, this was General Yoda’s sick idea of a joke, right? But as Cody stared, the general didn’t correct himself, and Cody had to accept that he and his men were actually expected to sit tight and wait. He was confident that he’d rather face off against 3 hungry rancors than report this to the boys.

“Understood, sir,” Cody nearly spat. His professionalism was hanging on by a thread. “Have the 501st been informed?”

“Aware they are.”

“Understood.” With that, Yoda’s figure flickered out, and the soft taps and beeps of the bridge’s systems bombarded Cody’s ears. Slowly, his gaze shifted out the viewport to the Resolute sailing next to them. It was then that a thought more terrifying than the information he just received hit him. With no Skywalker, Tano, or Rex on board that star ship, who in the Maker was keeping an eye on Fives?

Once Cody was able to collect himself, he got the task of informing the boys out of the way as quickly as he could. When he was finished relaying the information over the ship wide comms, Cody swore he could feel how still every one of his brothers went. If he hadn’t glanced up and around, he could’ve been convinced none of his brothers on the bridge were breathing. He saw in their eyes the same emotional storm that had been swirling in him since he received the orders: anger, fear, helplessness. But his tasks weren’t complete just yet. He was a commander, but he was also a big brother, and there was a ship just next to them going through the same Maker made hell without someone in command to guide them. Jesse was capable, but the lieutenant still looked at Rex with the adoration of a shiny so Cody could only guess what the energy on the Resolute was like. He was glad he made the call as soon as Jesse’s form appeared in front of him – there wasn’t an emotional storm brewing in his eyes. There was just pure, unhinged rage.

“This is osik, Cody, and you know it.”

“Jesse, I see you’ve heard the news,” Cody hoped some light banter would bring Jesse’s rage down to a simmer.

“It was bad enough we were told to stay here, systems away while our general, commander, and captain go undercover on a slaver planet, but this? Did you hear General Skywalker and Commander Tano were captives on Zygerria?” Cody hadn’t heard that, but it seemed like Jesse was more than willing to fill him in.

“Skywalker was forced to be the Queen’s arm candy. And Ahsoka? Sat in a cage hanging over the city for a rotation.” That last sentence he said as if he was spitting venom out of his mouth, which Cody didn’t blame him for. Red flashed before his eyes, and she wasn’t even his commander. If Jesse was referring to Ahsoka by her first name over official channels, Cody knew he was hanging on by a thread.

“And now Rex is in a processing center being forced to do who knows what, and I just. I just don’t know what to do Cody. I know Wolffe and his boys will get them out of there, but sitting here doing nothing? I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that the boys aren’t taking it well.” Jesse mumbled that last part with a side glance. An image of the 501st standing off screen glowering jumped into Cody’s head.

“How many times have you had to stop Fives from jumping into a ship?”

That earned Cody a soft chuckle from the Lieutenant. “I considered locking him in the brig before I even reported the news just to keep him somewhat controlled.” Jesse went quiet, looking down at what Cody assumed was their holotable on the Resolute’s bridge. He let out a deep sigh, and Cody saw his shoulders slump. No, more like sink as if he just took on the weight of Kadavo itself.

“Cody, what if…what if they’re not in…”

“Stop it right there, trooper,” Cody cutoff Jesse’s train of thought knowing exactly where he was going because it was the same one that kept ringing through Cody’s mind. What if they aren’t in time.

“If this were General Plo Koon and the 104th were in our shoes, they’d trust us to get him out of there. We have to do the same. Our brothers would never let us down. Besides, you know that Wolffe has a soft spot for Rex. There’s no way he's not getting him out of there.”

Cody relaxed a little more when he heard Jesse let out another soft chuckle.

“Thanks ori’vod. I can’t imagine the 212th is taking this too well either.”

“We’ve seen General Kenobi get through the impossible. We all believe we’ll see him on the Negotiator soon enough,” Cody responded honestly. Even though he felt the restlessness of his troops, he knew it was out of frustration of sitting and doing nothing and not in lack of belief in their general. Chaos would freeze over before any of them lost faith in their Jedi.

“Alright, well I better go check to make sure Fives hasn’t recruited a bunch of shinies to do something reckless like prank call General Yoda,” Jesse runs a hand down his face, but he doesn’t look as weighed down as he did moments ago. Cody chalks that up for a win.

“I’ll keep this channel open in case you need anything.”

“You’re going to stand by that holotable until you hear from them, aren’t you?”

“And you won’t be doing the same?” Cody quipped back.

A sly smirk appeared on Jesse’s lips, “Rex wouldn’t expect anything less. Osik, I already miss his eye rolls. We need him back soon.”

“He will be. The Wolffepack know how to pull off a rescue better than anyone in the GAR”

“Thanks again, Cody. Let me know if you hear anything”

“Same to you, Jesse.” Cody shut off the call, and then he was faced with what he considered one of his hardest missions to date: sit tight and wait.

That was 5 hours ago. Well, 4 hours, 35 minutes, and 29 seconds, but who was counting? Just as Jesse guessed, Cody hadn’t moved more than a foot from the holotable this whole time. Sometimes he caught himself staring at the machine as if that alone could make this rescue go faster. He noticed that the beeps and taps of the bridge’s systems had reduced over the hours, and he had a feeling it was a subconscious effort by his brothers to stop driving themselves insane by jumping at every beep that came through. At first, the 212th made a good effort to keep themselves busy and not seem like they were being driven mad by lack of information. But Cody noticed the subtle ticks. Over the hours, comm links became increasingly more interesting as his brothers frequently checked to make sure theirs were active and ready to receive. Any beep in the room would cause every head to shoot down and check if it was their comm notifying them of an incoming message.

The bridge, normally quiet and barely populated, had become the most popular place on the ship. At first, his brothers tried to play it off with half-cocked excuses. Cody found the amount of “maintenance reports” that needed to be filed over the last 5 hours amusing. But soon his brothers didn’t bother to hide their restless energy, and it felt like more than half of the 212th were sitting or standing on the bridge now. Some were engaged in hushed conversation, but the majority were channeling their energy into quiet, busy tasks. About an hour ago, someone brought up a couple cans of their sunburst orange paint, and many troopers were adding touchups to their armor. Cody couldn’t help his fond smile at the thought that his brothers found comfort in the task that Obi-Wan often expressed as his favorite bonding activity for his troops. It wasn’t a strange sight to see Obi-Wan sitting in the mess with shinies, offering his steady hand to paint some of the finer details. As Cody looked around, he thought he saw some Jedi symbols being added to helmets and vambraces. Thinking about Obi-Wan’s bashful reaction to the not so subtle tributes had Cody chuckling to himself. “Skywalker’s never going to let him hear the end of it”. In fact, Cody knew that the 501st were going to get an earful from their general if he returned to no tributes and Obi-Wan had a battalion covered in customized armor.

4 hours, 55 minutes, 48 seconds. That’s when the beep came in. Cody had been staring at the table for so long he didn’t process that it was in fact the holotable that was interrupting his thoughts at first. *Beep*. The most alert troopers’ heads immediately shot up. *Beep*. Troopers that had been sitting were now scrambling to stand up. *Beep*. Cody finally registered the incoming message signal. In the split second it took for Cody to hit accept, he noticed it wasn’t coming from the Jedi council. It was coming from CC-3636. It took the longest 2 seconds of Cody’s life for Wolffe to flicker into focus. The first thing Cody noticed was that Wolffe was breathing hard, as if he had just finished running before making the call. The second thing he noticed was the lack of scuffing on Wolffe’s armor. “That’s good, that means it was a relatively clean mission.” The last thing Cody caught was that Wolffe still had his helmet on which told him that he was very much rushing from whatever he was doing previously to make this call.

“We’ve got them.” Three simple words, but they held enough power to push the collective relieved breath the room was holding. “We’ve got them Cody. We just left the atmosphere, and I have to run to the briefing. But I wanted to tell you. Sinker’s calling Jesse as we speak.”

“Th-thank you, Wolffe. Thank you.” There wasn’t much else Cody could say. Wolffe gave him a curt nod and the call cut off. Cody could hear his heart in his ears. One beat. Two beats. Three beats. The room erupted. Command structure was forgotten as a room of troopers celebrated the news that their Jedi and their brother were saved. Cody was lifted up by someone, Jetsetter he thinks, and unceremoniously thrown in a circle in one of the biggest hugs he’s ever received. Sunburst paint was being thrown in the air. Chants of “Wolffepack! Wolffepack!” echoed throughout the room. Cody was shocked his mouth hadn’t split with how wide he was smiling. Just moments later, the holotable started beeping again. The Resolute was calling.

“Sounds like you heard the good news,” Fives openly laughs as the noise of the Negotiator no doubt goes through to their end.

“I can say the same about you all,” Cody jokes as he hears “Break out the spotchka!” in the background.

“Sinker said they’ll be jumping into hyperspace shortly, and we should see them by 1000 tomorrow,” Fives informs him.

“Thanks Fives. Did he say how they are? Wolffe had to run to the briefing.”

There was a small tendril of fear behind Cody’s question. Obi-Wan and Rex were only captives for 36 hours, but who knows what the Zygerrians conjured up for their processing facility. He studied Fives face as he waited for his answer. Thankfully, nothing dark crossed over his features.

“Definitely beaten up. Going to spend the hyperspace trip in the med bay. But physically fine. I’m sure some ghosts will be coming with them, though.”

“We’ll be there to help fight them when they appear,” Cody said instantly. He knew Obi-Wan had his Jedi ways of dealing with the traumas of war, but there was no way he was letting his little brother take his usual stoic approach after this one. He was thankful for Fives’ tendency to ignore Rex’s personal space because he knew the ARC will do the same.

“I can’t believe I’m looking forward to Rex chewing me out,” Fives chuckled to himself.

“Better to have him around to chew you out than not have him around at all,” Cody said.

“Cheers to that vod. I’m going to make sure Jesse doesn’t over do the spotchka, and by over do I mean not share with me. See you on the next one,” Fives gave a casual salute to Cody before cutting off.

“Hey Commander! X-Ray found some Correlian whiskey in the mess. We’re cracking it open!”

“Be right there vod. Tell them to save some for me.”

Cody looked around the bridge. The majority of the 212th had moved out of the room during his call with Fives. He guessed they headed to the mess in search of something worthy of a celebration, and it sounds like they were successful. Sunburst orange was smattered all across the now nearly empty bridge, and Cody smiled to himself. He hoped getting paint off of radar screens wasn’t too much of a nightmare, but that was something for future Cody and some shinies to figure out. Something told him Obi-Wan wouldn’t mind the new décor, but Cody wanted as few headaches as possible to be around when their general returned.

When they returned. Not if. Not maybe. When. Of all the wins the 212th collected, this one was by far Cody’s favorite.