#i am going to say it's a little annoying trying to decorate housing in pirate compared to w101

[piecesofchess]

April's Extra Credits Objective is Spring Cleaning, so I decided to clean out the clutter that was Diego's dorm. He'll be moving into a real house soon, so his place is going to be simple while keeping its Pirate theme in the meantime.

I used to be *extremely* into house decorating on W101 when I was a kid, but it's going to take some time + effort getting back to it. I figure starting on a clean slate and spring cleaning my P101 houses + dorms will be a good way to start!

P101's house decorating is definitely more...restrictive than W101's currently. I would still like to try and make it my goal to theme one of my houses in-game someday!

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Dark Shenanigans - Nandor x (f)reader

Summary: It’s Nadja’s something hundredth birthday, with that said, you’re on a mission to make it great.

Warning: fluff, general vampire nonsense

Masterlist

“Yeah being a half vampire half human does have its perks. I mean for one I can do all that cool vampire shit and I can go out in the sunlight...so that helps for when they’re all being really annoying.” You admit with a casual shrug to one of the documentary cameras before turning to an isle of party supplies. “So anyways we’re at this store.”

The camera shifts to the multiple arras of supplies and materials at the local supermarket in Staten Island that you and your vampire lover’s human familiar, Guillermo, currently are. Specifically on the hunt for birthday decorations for Nadja and ghost Nadja who’s possessed a strange looking doll for the time being.

Since the other four actual full vampires can’t shop for themselves at this time of day or really in general, you and Guillermo have been given such an honorable task in making Nadja’s birthday the best one yet. Considering she’s the most well balanced in the head out of the four of them and is the only other lady of the manor.

“Hey Y/N, how’s this look?” Wonders Guillermo as he holds up a bunch of Mardi Gras beads of yellows, purples, and greens. “Comments, questions, concerns?” He adds with a small smile.

Eyeing up the beads, your head shifts over to the other various colors, “Hrmm, G I’m feeling the vibe you’re going for this year and I like it, but let’s go with Nadja colors.”

Guillermo’s dark eyes light up at your positive suggestion, “Right! So the red and black ones then?”

“Yup. She’ll love that shit.” You state with a satisfied nod of approval, “Let’s get some black and gold confetti from over there and oh, those masquerade masks look cool as fuck.”

You pick up and test out various masks in the background as Guillermo adds some bits of dialogue for the documentary crew, “Um yeah she’s really cool isn’t she.” He says with a smile while glancing at you then back to the camera, “Which is kind of odd since Y/N’s been with Nandor since 1793 so you’d think she’d be a little more like them but no, she’s super chill and really nice.” Suddenly his face goes a bit serious as he leans in to whisper, “But she did kill a whole street gang once when they threw a slur at me so I wouldn’t mess with her. For your safety.”

The camera pans back over to an oblivious you who’s put on a masquerade mask and is swinging a plastic light saber around with a whole lot more accuracy and grace then would a normal person. The camera then pans back to Gullimero, “Um, I’m just gonna....make sure she doesn’t smack anyone.”

——

Arms full of groceries of food for you and Gullimero, as well as random party decorations for Nadja’s birthday tomorrow night, you use the bottom of your boot to skillfully open the door as the documentary crew and Guillermo follows suit. Guillermo now on the verge of falling over with the large heart shaped pillow in his arms that’s covering most of his body.

You don’t feel tired in the slightest due to your half vampiric abilities so this is nothing to you, “Alright.” You state, turning on your heel to face the crew and Guillermo, “They’re asleep so we gotta be extra sneaky now, I don’t want Nadja catching us with all this cool spooky birthday shit. Everyone to the attic!” You whisper yell before leading the charge to the attic.

They all follow as quietly and as quickly as they can and then soon enough in no time are you and Guillermo back outside in the sunny garden trying to figure out if you should blow up the giant sea monster pool floaty.

“I mean it would look cool as hell and no doubt out-do whatever the fuck boring thing Lazlo probably has planned.” You quip with a shrug while the two of you stare thoughtfully at the small gloomy dark pond. “He’s got no chance with us. I’ve won best decorator and card maker for two hundred years in a row.”

Guillermo side eyes you in honest amazement, “Wow that’s a lot of years. And cards.”

“I know. I was an artist in the 12th century but my no good terrible good for nothing piece of garbage trash sexist human husband, who I was forced to marry when I was only sixteen, took all the credit for my artwork in that era.” You confirm with a growl, “But it stings less because once I finally grew into my powers and strength at eighteen I simply made his untimely demise look like an accident.” You add with a smirk.

“Oh, wow.” Mutters the intrigued familiar.

“Precisely. The old fool was thrown off his horse because I told Philip, the horse, to throw him off. And he did. Which killed the idiot so I got the house and all of his money.”

“That’s......neat.” Mutters Guillermo as he shoots the camera crew from behind you and him a nervous look. “Uh the suns going down so I should probably help Nandor out of his coffin.”

Raising your head to the sky you immediately see how the sun has begun to paint the clouds in beautiful colors of oranges, reds, light pinks, and darkening purples. “Oh, how bout that. Yeah alright let’s get inside.” You nod to Guillermo before turning to walk towards the manor’s giant mahogany doors.

——

Turning the handle and walking a couple feet into the large main room that holds itself as a sort of crossroads for all the other various connecting hallways and staircases. You don’t make it even three more steps towards the left ascending staircase before you hear the highly recognizable voice of your one and only.

“Y/N! My lovely wife and favorite person still ever so lovely!” Announces Nandor loudly with a grand smile showing off his pearly white fangs, “How I have missed you and your morning kisses. Where have you been off to?” He wonders softly as you smile a big dumb love-struck grin right back up at him, you’d absolutely die to hear that accent one last time.

“I can’t tell you right now it’s a secret!” You whisper yell back, causing his thick dark brows to scrunch up in confusion.

“But I am your lovely strong puff dragon Y/N.” Whines Nandor adorably as you roll your eyes at the cameras before looking back up at him.

“Fine. Come here then.”

In an instant he’s at your side, excitedly awaiting what secretive news you will tell him, “Okay, so we know it’s Nadja’s birthday tomorrow right?”

“Yes. I remember because she hasn’t shut up about it.”

“Right. So me and Gullimero got some fun surprise birthday party decorations and they’re in the attic and we can’t tell Nadja.”

Nandor gives you a knowing look of affirmation as he leans in closer to you, his demeanor suddenly shifting into a more saddened one, “You went shopping without me?” He says quietly.

Leaning up to give him a quick peck on the cheek your hands instantly find his, “Just for a little while, but I still need to find more stuff so....you wanna come?”

Nandor’s big dark eyes light up with joy as you hand him a kind smile, “Yes! Let us go in search of unknown treasures for our lady friend Nadja so she will not be mad at us for terrible dull gifts of friendship.”

Laughing you give his hands a playful squeeze, “Come on I’ll race you to Party City!” You say before leading him past the camera crew and Guillermo who simply watches the two of you leave, glad to have an hour of peace.

“There’s a whole city for partying? Y/N why have we never been to this place?”

——

“Y/N there are no people partying here.” Whines your vampire lover in puzzlement as he follows you from the entrance to a side isle. “You said this was a city for partying.”

“That’s just the name of the store Nans.” You retort with a small chuckle as he looks from right to left at all the color coded party plates and napkins galore.

“Well the title is very misleading.”

“Agreed.”

Turning to the right you guide him towards the decretory pirate themed isle in search of something that will peak his interest. Also you wanted so badly to make it to this spot but Gullimero was a man on a mission so your intention was thwarted for when you had Nandor with you.

Speed walking down the pirate themed isle you quickly halt all movement as Nandor’s large body stops within less than an inch from your back. Smiling brightly you snatch the desired object in front of you and as swift as a cat turn to face him.

“Have you come for a dual my old enemy?” You speak slyly, eyes narrowed as you hold the foam sword right in front of his face. “I sense a nervousness about you. Tell me, are you ready to face your inevitable bloody end?”

Staring at the pointy foam, his dark puppy eyes shift over to you as an adorable fangy grin breaks out across his pale face, “Seems you have come prepared, oh radiant and alluring seductress. Well, so have I!” Shouts Nandor before grabbing two foam swords from off the rack and swinging them in both hands like a mad man.

Taking a cautious step back you hold your pathetic five dollar sword in both hands like a true warrior ready for battle, “Only one shall leave this place alive.” You affirm with a smirk, “And it’s not going to be you.”

“Arrrrrggg.” Bellows your lover as he charges you like the true conqueror that he once was. But all to soon do you swiftly duck under his arms and swat him over his stomach with a confident thwack sound.

He makes a puny little “oww” as you turn around to face him once again, “Y/N you hit me kind of hard.” He complains, looking rather defeated and genuinely hurt that you could have intentionally injured him on purpose.

Bringing the plastic weapon down to your side once again, your face suddenly softens as you walk over to him, “Come here you big baby.” You quip sincerely as he leans down so you can give his cheek a quick kiss.

Rising back to his full height, Nandor almost blushes as the corners of his eyes crinkle into a happy smile, “Actually it didn’t hurt at all I just wanted you to kiss me.” Reveals the vampire with a proud grin as you simply roll your eyes.

“Should have known.” You add before turning and snatching up four more plastic foam pirate swords for the others. “Alright let’s get outta here, follow me my love, to the checkout line we shall purchase our weapons of war and partying on the high seas.” You announce with gusto as Nandor stands proudly at your side, ready to follow you anywhere.

“Yes. To check out.”

——

Kicking open the unlocked door, Nandor bursts into the vampire residence with bags full of goodies for Nadja’s birthday party. You right behind him but less dramatically, “We’re back!” You shout to no one in particular as Colin Robinson suddenly appears from out of nowhere, looking ready to leave with his funny little hat and usual beige jacket.

“Oh hey guys,” He starts with a friendly nod, “I’m just heading out on the town tonight. I guess there’s a fair or something in the park and I wanted to test my skill at the ball toss. I’ve been reading up on the body mechanics and how the game is set up which seems pretty basic all in all. Also I really want to win a stuffed bear this time, it might add a little pizazz to my room. Welp see ya’round.” Adds Colin before walking past the two of you without another word and out into the night he goes with some of the camera crew following close behind.

Nandor turns to you with a look of annoyance, “Jeesh I thought he would never leave. Let’s go to your room I want to kiss you some more now.”

“Why my room?”

“Because since you are half vampire you get to sleep in a bed and because I am a full vampire I sleep in a coffin.” Inquires Nandor while looking at you with those big beautiful dark eyes of his, “And my coffin is too small for cuddles so your room will suffice.”

“Yeah that’s a fair point.” You shrug before following him to your room.

After many cuddles leading to other more rated R type activities that lasted until just about sunrise, you finally got some well needed rest while the sun shone high in the sky until she began her dramatic descend back into oblivion. Opening your eyes you slowly rise from out of your comfy bed, already missing the presence of your obsidian eyed lover.

He gets too nervous about your closed windows for fear that the sun might burn him which would be impossible because you black out the glass. But alas, he’s very cautious about these types of things and won’t risk it for anything, though he feels bad about leaving you in the morning, you understand.

Suddenly it dawns on you that today or perhaps tonight, is Nadja’s birthday and you completely forgot to set up any decorations. Shit, how stupid. Throwing the blankets off of you, your feet move quick as you speedily change yesterday’s outfit for something a bit nicer and more clean.

Racing out of your room and into the dimly lit manor hallway, you make a bee line for the attic but before you’re able to reach the steps, Guillermo runs into you, just about knocking you into a wall of various stolen ancient weapons. Sharp ones at that.

That was close.

“Y/N are you okay!” Worries the familiar as you quickly gather your bearings.

“Guillermo! The decorations! Nadja’s birthday!” You whisper yell as the human man simply smiles. “Why are you smiling, this situation does not call for smiles.”

“Don’t worry. While you were sleeping I set up all the decorations.” He replies with a shrug, “No problem.”

“What? But that must have taken you all day, you could have asked me for help. I would have come.” Your brows furrow as he shakes his head, though you still feel bad for not helping with anything.

“Well I did try, but um,” Gullimero awkwardly clears his throat, giving the camera a quick glance, “Nandor was with you and last time I asked for you while you and him where having alone time he threatened to carve out my eyeballs and force feed them to me.”

Pinching the bridge of your nose in annoyance you take a deep breath, “Sounds like him. Very creative when he wants to be, alright, well....where’s everyone?”

“Oh, they’re not up yet. I was actually on my way to get you. I made blood popsicles and the pool floaty is all done and in the pond.” He says with a sense of pride for his decorating skills. “I think she’ll like what we’ve come up with this year.”

-

Standing in the living room with your three fellow immortals you search a dresser for her card, “Oh shit where’s my card? I could have sworn I had it yesterday on my dresser but I don’t remember seeing it there in the morning. Maybe it’s in this one?”

“Witches!” Hisses Nadja as you huff in frustration, where the hell did you put that damn card?

“Oh, Y/N my love,” Intervenes Nandor with a gentle tug of your sleeve, “I took it with me when I left your room before sunrise because I wanted to put my name on it too so she would know it’s from us.”

“What?” Replies Lazlo dramatically, “Now hold on just a damn minute, this card competition is individually scored so I won’t be having any of this nonsense. I worked really hard on mine this year.”

“Oh lick a donkey’s arse, look here,” You retort with, quickly holding up the card for Nadja, “there are two separate drawings on ours so either way if one of us wins she gets both our pictures. So you better hope your drawing doesn’t resemble a night clubs bathroom wall.”

“Yeah.” Mutters Nandor, who’s hiding behind you while resting both hands on either one of your shoulders as you glare at Lazlo.

“Fine.” Agrees Lazlo begrudgingly, “And mine will be amazing, this bitch of paper took me a whole six months to plan and produce. Can’t get quality this good anywhere else I guarantee it.” Adds Lazlo with a firm nod of self approval as you glance at the nearby camera.

“Right, okay everyone sit it’s time for presents. I want to know what you all got me.” Beams Nadja excitedly as she smiles a fangy grin in delight, plopping herself down in one of the arm chairs. Lazlo quickly finding the other one while you and Nandor seat yourself on the large couch. Colin and Guillermo finding somewhere to sit close by respectfully.

“Well, all I can say is hold onto your socks my dear cause this is going to blow you away.” Smirks Lazlo as he pulls a small box from out of his jacket pocket.

“If it’s a self made business card that says invitation to sexy town I will puke.” You deadpan while Nandor laughs from beside you, causing Lazlo to lose his smirk as Nadja hides her amusement the best she can manage.

“He he, sexy town, nice one Y/N.” Mutters Nandor with a proud grin as you raise a brow at Lazlo who’s giving you a hard glare.

“Oh, my dear pumpkin pie love, don’t listen to Y/N I will love anything you gift me.” Encourages Nadja with a bright welcoming smile, no doubt immediately boosting Lazlo’s once irked mood.

Rolling your eyes you shift a bit to find yourself leaning into Nandor’s body as Nadja opens up the rest of the vampire residents various gifts. A joyous fangy smile gracing her pale features every single time, revealing this birthday party was a thrilling success.

After much more fun that just about lasts throughout the whole night, and some rare but hilarious attempts at dancing between the five of you vampiric individuals. You’re feeling rather sleepy and you can tell Nandor is ready for a trip to dreamland as well.

Swaying to the lowly playing record instrumental, you hold Nandor tight while simultaneously enjoying the feeling of him so close, him doing just the same as he keeps you firmly pressed against his chest. His long dark hair tickles your face as he presses his head to your cheek, doing his absolute best to keep the flow without tripping up.

Sensing his growing fatigue, you gently squeeze his hand, “My love the sun will be up soon, let’s get you to bed, yes?”

A small lazy smile tugs at the corners of his lips while he looks down to meet your gaze, “But my dark angel I’m not tired. I want to dance with you a little longer.” He whines adorably before failing to conceal a big yawn.

Giggling, you lean back to slowly lead him towards the door, “That yawn says otherwise.”

“That wasn’t a yawn Y/N, I was just smiling really big.” He protests, though he still follows your lead to the door.

“I’ve never seen anyone smile like that.” You add with a raised brow.

“Well maybe that’s just how I smile.”

Letting out a breathy snort, you pull away from him to at last take his one hand, “Come. I can’t have a single ray of that dreaded sun to get a taste of your precious skin. Not on my watch.”

Glancing at the closed front door, Nandor squeezes your hand, “Well um, now since you’ve mentioned the sun...I think I’d like to go to my crypt now.” He says, the flash of worry crossing over his face for only a brief moment.

“You sure? I mean a sunrise is pretty beautiful if I’m being honest and I know you never get to see them...”

“Not funny Y/N. And not fair, you know I can’t because I am full vampire.”

“And you’re missing out.”

“And I’d like to stay alive Y/N.”

“Aren’t you dead?”

“Yes and I am your only husband so I need to stay not burnt to a crisp.”

Chuckling, you follow him down the hallway, “Oh really? Don’t want me finding myself with another vampiric lover? Some new beast to sweep me off my feet and take me away into the night.” You tease.

Side eyeing you, he frowns, “No. Don’t I sweep you off your feet?”

Stepping into his crypt you stop him with your hand against his bicep, “Always.” You whisper sincerely with a quick wink, causing him to break out into a big fangy grin.

“Good. And if anyone would try and whoo you I would make sure there would be no more whooing again!” Exclaims Nandor, making the candles rise in flame for only a short second at his rise in emotion for how much he loves you.

“I don’t doubt they would fall by your blade. Not for a second.”

[avocadogirl216]

Sparkling Blue

AN: This was requested by lizzz47 on Wattpad.  I’m so sorry that this took forever to come out and I am sorry if it is crap.

Summary: While your brothers and yourself are looking for Jack, you run into Clark Barker, who you can’t help but feel attracted to.

Pairings: Dean Winchester x sister!reader, Sam Winchester x sister!reader, Jack Kline x reader, Clark Barker x reader

Warnings: Flirting (Is that a warning?), Violence, Fluff, Underage Smoking, Language, Depressed Reader, Kissing

Word Count: 3,263

(I do not own this GIF)

You groan as you wake up on the floor of the nursery.  You sit up and immediately try to find your brothers.  Sam and Dean were a couple of feet away from you, also starting to gain consciousness.  

“What the hell happened?”  Sam asked as he started to stand on his freakishly sized legs.

“The kid.  That’s what.”  Dean said as he followed suit of his younger brother.

“Are you guys okay?”  You asked as you started to look over yourself for any injuries.

“Other than the skull splitting headache, I’m freaking fantastic.”  Dean replied in a sarcastic tone as he made is way over to you and extended his hand.  You put your small hand into his large one and he hoisted you up onto your feet.  “We need to find that kid.”  Dean stated as he found his gun on the floor and holstered it into the back of his jeans.

“Yeah, but how?”  Sam asked.

“He couldn’t have gone far.”  You stated.

“Unless he can teleport.”  Dean replied back while running his hand down his face in a frustrated matter.

“Well let’s think of the smaller picture right now.  Okay?”  

“Fine.”  Dean grumbled.

“Let’s say that Jack can’t teleport, the next best thing for him is to walk.  So we can look around town and ask of they have seen him.” 

“Yeah, lets just go around town asking if anyone has seen a naked newborn nephilim.  Good plan.”  Dean said as he started to make his way out of the house.

You and Sam shared a look.  You just lost Mary and Cas all in the same hour and now Jack, who possibly has the power to end all of humanity with the snap of his fingers, is roaming Chuck’s green earth.  You understand why Dean is pissed, hell you were just as pissed as him, if not more.  Every time you seem to catch a break, something happens, proving to you that you can’t be happy.  As you and Sam made your way out of the house, Dean has already started the car and was waiting on you.

After 20 minutes of driving towards town, you spot a burger place on the side of the road.  As Dean pulls in, you and Sam both volunteer to ask the people inside if they have in fact, seen a naked newborn nephilim. 

When you walk in, Sam immediately goes to the counter, which is occupied by a clearly drunk woman who was moaning for fries.  You start to look around the small burger place with way too much pirate themed decor.  You look at the menu screen to see that all of the menu items were changed to where their names had butt in them.

Immature

“I want fries.”  The woman demanded yet again while setting her high heels on the counter.

“Lady, I’ve already told you, I can’t give you any fries before lunch.  Rules are rules.”  The kid said in a annoyed tone.  He couldn’t have been older than you, 16.

“Screw the rules.  I’m outta here.”  The woman moaned as she stumbled out of the burger joint.

You and Sam approached the counter.  

“Welcome to Pirate Pete’s Jolly Treats!  What would you like today?”  The kid asked, his mood already improving since the drunk woman left.

“Umm we won’t be ordering anything.  We’re actually looking for someone.  A kid, around 17, not exactly clothed.”  You said.

The boys eyes widened.  “Yeah I know who you’re talking about.  He stopped here asking about his father or something and Clark called his mom, who is the sheriff and she came and picked him up.”  He explained.

“Oh okay.  Could you point us in the direction of the police station please?”  You asked kindly.

“Uh yeah, sure.  If you take the main road through town and turn on Greenly Avenue, its just on your right.”  The boy explained.

“Thank you.”  Sam said as you two made your way out the door.

Once you got on the car with Dean, Sam repeated the directions to the police station and you made your way there.  It took about 10 minutes before you pulled into the parking lot of the small station.  As everyone made their way out of the car, you all started to walk towards the front door with caution.  When Dean opened the door for you and Sam you could immediately tell that something was wrong.  The lights were flickering like crazy and the floor was vibrating.  You pulled out your gun along with your brothers and you started to make your way towards the voices in the office portion of the station.  

When you entered the room you could see three people, a woman who was obviously the sheriff, a teen boy with a red jacket and Jack whose eyes were glowing a vibrant gold, clearly angry.  You needed to take Jack down before he hurts anyone, so you made a quick decision.  You ran to the sheriff and stole her taser out of her belt, which got you a confused look, and you shot it at Jack.  

Jack hit the floor with a thud, clearly unconscious.  You handed the sheriff the taser back and holstered your gun in the waistband of your jeans.  The teen boy gave you an impressed and shocked look.

“Dude!”  He exclaimed while raising his eyebrows.

“Who the hell are you?”  The woman asked, confusion written on her face.

“We’re the ones who just saved your ass.”  Dean replied.

The sheriff looked between you, your brothers and Jack on the floor.  “Umm, what just happened?”  She asked.

“Look, we can explain everything but right now we need to get him to a jail cell for your safety and ours.”  Sam explained.

“Fine, but after we are going to have ourselves a nice, long chat about what the hell is going on.”  The sheriff said.

After Sam and Dean both carried Jack into a cell, they were lead into a large office.  “Don’t go anywhere.”  Dean said to you before walking in.

“Yeah, yeah I get it.”  You said as you leaned against a desk.

Once the door to the office was closed, the teen boy looked at you again, awe still in his eyes.  He was attractive.  He had slick, black hair that was almost as long as Sam’s but was curly at the ends, blinding white teeth and sparkling blue eyes.

“Who are you?  Like some superhero or something?”  He asked.

“My name’s Y/N and I am a hunter, which is almost like a superhero if you think about it.”  You said as you crossed your arms across your chest.

“Cool.  I’m Clark.”  Clark said while a smile growing onto his face.

You returned the smile as best as you could, which turned out to be a depressing grin.  Clark noticed this.

“Hey, you okay?”  He asked while tilting his head.

“Yeah, yeah.  It’s just...”  You sighed while looking at the floor.  “Things haven’t exactly gone great for me lately.”  You said sadly.

There was a moment of silence before Clark spoke.  “I know something that might help.”  He said with a mischievous smirk playing onto his lips.

You shot him a questioning look.  Clark grabbed your hand and started to lead you to the back door of the building.  When you made it outside, Clark put a fruit basket in the doorway, preventing you two from getting locked outside.  He then reached into his bright red jacket and brought out a pack of cigarettes.  You raised your eyebrows at him.

“You ever smoked before?”  He asked as he started to pull a cigarette out of the box.

“No, not really.”  You said in a shy tone.

“Wanna try?”  Clark asked as he held one out to you.  “It’ll calm your nerves.”  

You hesitated.

“Hey, I’m not pressuring you or anything.  You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.  I just thought that it would help you calm down a little.”  Clark explained.

You bit your lip before taking it out of his hand.  Clark gave you a wide smile as he pulled one out for him and took out a lighter. 

“Ladies first.”  Clark said while winking at you and lighting your cigarette at the same time.  You blushed a little while feeling fluttery in your stomach.  When he lit his stick, he started to talk again.  “All you do is bring it to your lips and inhale and after a little bit you exhale, like this.”  He said as he took a drag from his cigarette.  After a few seconds he blew the smoke out of his lungs and into the air.  “You think you got it?”  He asked while raising his eyebrows.

“I think so.”  You said.  You copied his movements and followed his instructions carefully and inhaled from a cigarette for the first time.  There was a burning sensation in your throat and in your lungs.  You immediately started to cough and choke on the smoke.  Clark quickly made his way over to you and put a hand on your back, rubbing reassuring circles.

“Yeah, I forgot to warn you, the first drag is a bitch.  But it will get better, trust me.”  Clark said once you started to breath normally, his hand never leaving your back.

“It’s okay.”  You said as you started to wipe your eyes of tears that were starting to form involuntarily.

After a minute you stand up straight again and catch your breath.  You notice that Clark's hand still hasn't left the small of your back and you give him a questioning look.  Once he gets the message, he retracts his hand and puts it to his side as he clears his throat.

"So.... You good?" He asked, clearly trying to clear the awkwardness from the air.

"Yeah, I'm good." You said as you took another drag from your cigarette, noting that it went down easier than the last time.

Clark gave you an impressed look while copying your actions.  After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence, he decided to speak.  "So,  your job is to what?  Control people with super powers?" 

"Kinda.  I hunt the things that lurk in the dark."

"Like ghosts and vampires and stuff?" Clark asked with a chuckle.  You have him a serious look, confirming his question. His eyes widened in realization.  "Wait, you're serious? Those things are real?"

"Yep". You said as you looked away from his face and took another lung full of smoke.  

"Damn.  That makes you like ten times more attractive."  Clarke said.  Your eyes widened as blush made its way to your face and neck.  Clark noticed this and smirked, which made your stomach fluttery.  

You cleared your throat, trying to think of something to say.  As you were looking around, you noticed that Clark was wearing a Pirate Pete uniform under his red jacket.  “So, you work at Pirate Pete's?”  You asked.

Clark looked down at himself, seeming to notice the stupid costume that he was still wearing.  “Yeah, my mom made me get a job there since I kept getting into trouble.”  He stated.  “Like that would work, I make my own trouble.”  Clark said as he stomped out his cigarette.

“Were you the one who changed the menu earlier today?”

“Yeah.”  He said.  “Not my finest work, I’m better at other things.” 

“Oh yeah?  Like what?”  You asked as you threw your cigarette down and stomped it out with the heel of your boot.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”  He said while wiggling his eyebrows at you.

A small smile made its way to your face.

Clark’s smile widened while stepping closer to you.  “Maybe I can show you some of my talents later, huh?”  He asked.

“I would but people who get close to me seem to get hurt or worse.  I think that you’re a nice guy and all but I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”  You said, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Hey I get it.  I just thought that I would shoot my shot, its not everyday that I meet a superhero.”  Clark said as he leaned against the wall behind him.

Before you could say anything else, you heard a foot steps approaching.  You whipped your head up as you saw three people, the woman from the burger joint who apparently wasn’t drunk anymore, a man and a woman, both of whom you didn’t recognize.

“Well well, if it isn’t the youngest Winchester.”  The not-so-drunk woman said as she started to pull out her angel blade. 

You took out your own blade as you stood in front of Clark, swearing to yourself that you would protect him as much as you could against these dicks that called themselves angels.

“Aww, young love, adorable.”  The woman sneered as she started to step closer to the two of you.

“Clark, run.”  You said as you met his wide, fear filled eyes.

Clark made a break for it to the back door of the station but the angels were faster.  The man grabbed him and held his blade to Clark’s throat, nearly breaking his skin.

“You seriously didn’t think that would work, did you?”

“Doesn’t hurt to try.” You said but before you could make another move, the other female angel came up behind you, knocked the angel blade out of your hand and held her own blade against your throat.  You held up your hands in surrender, seeing that there was no way to get the upper hand without getting your throat slit.

The angels seemed to share a silent conversation with each other and after a couple of seconds, the lead angel opened the back door and lead the way into the building.  You were lead into the office sector of the police station along with Clark.

“Anybody home?”  The lead angel called out.  Shortly after Dean and the sheriff came out of the small office.  You noticed that Sam did not exit the office along with his brother and the cop which meant that he was more than likely in the jail cell.  When Dean took in the scene before him his eyes widened double their size.  Sheriff Barker drew her gun on the angel holding her son hostage, not knowing that it would do nothing to him.

“Hey Deano.  Care for a chat?”  The woman asked.

Dean pulled out an angel blade that he had hidden in his jacket, anger showing in his forest green eyes.  “Let them go.”  He commanded.

“What’s the fun in that?”  The lead woman asked.

“I won’t ask again.”  Dean said in a deadly tone.

“You won’t have to, all that I want is the nephilim.  Give him to us and these two will walk out of here without a scratch.  I promise.” 

“Why should I trust you?”  Dean asked.

“I never asked you to.  Just give us what we want and everyone walks away happily.”

You watched as Dean considered taking the offer.

“Dean I know what you are thinking.  Don’t do it.”  You said.

“Shut up.”  The angel who was holding you captive said as she pressed the blade deeper into your neck, drawing blood.

“Maybe we can work something out.  Just let them go and we can talk.”  Sheriff Barker said, putting her gun back into its holster and putting her hands up in surrender.

The lead angel scoffed.  “You humans don’t get it do you?  If that abomination walks the earth, that can be the end of all life.  We are trying to help.”  

“Then that’s a risk that I am willing to take.”  Dean said, giving you a signal to get ready.  You quickly gave one back saying that you already were.  Before the angels could register what was happening, Dean aimed and threw his blade at the head of the angel who was holding you.  As the blade went through her skull and killed her, you quickly grabbed the blade that was being held at your throat.  You make your way over to Clark and attacked the angel who was holding him.  You stopped the angel just before he could stab Clark in the neck.  You took the blade out of his hand, throw it towards Dean and you stab the angel square in the chest.  Dean gets the upper hand and kills the lead angel in one quick movement, catching her off guard.  

You make your way over to Clark.

“Hey, you okay?”  You asked as you stashed the blade into your jacket.

“Not really.”  Clark responded with fear in his voice.  “I almost died.”

“But you didn’t.”  You assured him while putting a hand on his shoulder.  “That’s what matters.”

“Yeah.”  He said while putting his shaking hands into his jacket pockets.

Sheriff Barker made her way over to the two of you, looking over Clark to make sure that he was okay.  As they started to talk to each other, you walked towards Dean, preparing yourself for the lecture that he was going to give you.

When you eventually got to him, you crossed your arms and looked at the floor, avoiding Dean’s gaze.

“Y/N, look at me.”  Dean commanded.  You sighed, lifting your head to look at your oldest brothers face.  “Are you okay?”  Dean asked, anger melting from his eyes.

You were taken back by his question but you quickly get yourself together.  “Yeah.”  You answered.

“Good.”  Was all that Dean said before he started to walk towards the jail sector of the station.  You quickly followed.  When the two of you got there, you saw that Sam and Jack were in the same cell.  You shot a look to Sam, silently asking if he was okay.  He gave you a single nod before standing up with Jack and walking to the cell door.

“What happened?”  Sam asked Dean.

“I’ll tell you about it later.”  Was all that Dean said before opening the cell door and letting your brother and Jack out.  “We need to get out of here.  The sheriff called for backup and they can be here any minute.”  Dean explained.

Dean started to lead the way out of the station but you were quickly stopped by your name being called.

“Y/N.”  Clark said, beckoning you to come over to him.

“I’ll catch up.”  You told Sam, making your way over to Clark.

“So, this is it huh?”  Clark asked with a sad smile.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”  You said while sharing his expression.

“Well, there is one thing that I want to do before you leave.”  

“And what would that be?”

“This.”  He said before leaning in and pressing his lips to yours.  Butterflies were fluttering in your stomach as you kissed him back with as much passion as you could muster up at that moment.  You two kissed each other for what felt like eternity before you broke the kiss.

Your eyes met his with love and wonder.  “Wow.  You weren’t kidding when you said that you were an expert in other areas.” 

He threw his head back, chuckling.  After a moment, he calmed down and met your eyes again.  “Guess not.”  He said.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before you spoke.  “Goodbye Clark.”

“Bye Y/N.”  He said back with a smile.

You returned the smile before turning around and walking out of the station and towards the impala.  As you climbed into the backseat beside Jack, you couldn’t help but hope that you would run into Clark Barker again.   

[lovelylexipedia]

Headcanon: The Halloween Season – MAGIC + Season 7 Main Cast

Type: Headcanon

Requested: No

Summary: N/A

Warning(s): None that I'm aware of

Note(s): Happy Halloween everyone! I know some of us aren't able to celebrate because of the pandemic, but I just wanted to push this out to maybe brighten y'all's spirits, haha, puns. :)

———

Meredith Grey

Meredith doesn't do Halloween

Her mom never took her trick-or-treating when she was younger so she doesn't like celebrating it now

If she's around kids, then she'll try to get into the spirit, but sometimes it just exhausts her

For the sake of it, you guys try to treat it like a usual day

Alex Karev

Alex thought you weren't gonna celebrate the holiday, so he stayed at work

You were waiting for him to come home so you could freak him out with the Ouija board you had bought

He ended up staying at the hospital until 3 AM and arrived at home at 3:33

It scared you shitless and you thought a demon was out to get you because you had practiced with the Ouija board alone, trying to find the best way to scare Alex

You didn't sleep for the rest of the night and Alex basically cuddled you the whole night

George O'Malley

You had promised George that you would take it easy this Halloween

Before you were dating, you'd scare and tease him around the hospital every Halloween

This year you guys would just have a small movie marathon and eat candy and then go to bed sick

But then plans derailed when you guys found a small black kitten had come into your apartment through an open window

The whole night, the both of you debated on whether or not you would keep it

You guys named him Freddy

Izzie Stevens

Izzie goes hard for Halloween

The two of you decided to throw party at your shared place, thinking it would just be work buddies

Nope. Izzie worked too hard for just a couple people to show up

She practically invited the whole hospital

The both of you dressed up as sexy witches, Izzie's a bit more toned down so she could hand the kids candy

The party was supposed to end at 11:30, it ended at sunrise

Never again

Cristina Yang

Cristina loves Halloween ... because of all the surgeries

She loves getting people in scared half-to-death from corn mazes and haunted houses, always flares up the heart problems

Not a fan of costumes, but if you begged hard enough or gave her enough surgeries, she'd consider a low-key one

The kids asking her for candy really annoy her though

You have to steer them away from her when they ask "trick-or-treat" cause she almost always chooses trick, and when she chooses treat, it's a granola bar

If you do end up doing something, it's probably just going for drinks at Joe's

Derek Shepherd

Derek prefers to just work the holiday away

In the morning you guys get into the mood with some spooky music around the house

But at work it's just another day

He does like seeing you mess around with your costume though

Owen Hunt

Owen is not into costumes, like at all

He thinks they're a waste of time and money

Owen likes the idea of it, not so much participating (though he secretly wants to)

He likes the traumas that roll in though, that does get him excited

Mark Sloan

During the day, he couldn't stop imagining you in your costume

You were going as Catwoman, you had bought a black latex suit and black cat ears days prior and had shown him the costume on you as a tease

You both had been invited to a party, but he wanted to skip and just get right to the good part

Instead, you scrapped the costume and you decided to bake some cookies and cupcakes to hand out the next day

He was disappointed, but after he put an orange pumpkin sugar cookie in his mouth, he shut right up

Lexie Grey

Halloween is one of Lexie's favorite holidays

She always has her costumes planned for the next year and the year after and the year after that

Wearing costumes together is her favorite part

ESPECIALLY couple costumes

She asks for the day off so she can decorate the apartment you guys share

You guys just stay in and eat candy and tell each other "spooky" stories

But then show up at the hospital after shoving y'all's faces with candy and taking a power nap

Callie Torres

Callie treats Halloween as another day

She acknowledges it, but it's not a huge thing for her

The only way you could get her excited for the holiday is if you promised not to force her to get a costume

The day of, she surprised you with a homemade sexy pirate costume

Not a lot of work got done that day

Arizona Robbins

Arizona goes all out for her patients

Every Friday she dresses up in a new costume and plays a little game with the kids, having them guess who she was

She sneaks them extra pieces of candy from time to time, and when there's extras, she takes them home

Arizona handles the decorations while you go costume hunting

Your apartment is small, so you really only decorate the outside door with an orange/black wreath and hang tinsel around the windows

You start telling her scary stories in the middle of the night and she is so unimpressed

April Kepner

April is iffy about the holiday (her grandma would say that Halloween was the devil's holiday)

She loves giving candy and seeing little kids dress in costumes though

She dresses up in cutesy outfits, not really costumes

April will pull on a flannel and jeans, put her hair in pigtails, and call herself a cowgirl

You guys typically just go around the trauma bay and sit with the little kids waiting for/with their parents and hand out candies

Jackson Avery

Jackson takes the 'trick' in "trick-or-treat" very seriously

After a few harmless ones around the house, he gets risky and pranks you at the hospital

Each gets you more and more amped up, so you decide to get him back

Does not end well at all, Webber and Bailey aren't happy

The day ends with a slap of the wrist from the Chief and a movie night

[suckasstakenames]

Craig and Those Guys Week: Day 1 - The Beach 🏖

“You definitely brought the towels didn’t you Craig?”

“Yes Tweek, for the third time, you saw me put them into the bag.”

Five teenage boys cross the parking lot and make their way towards the beach. It was the weekend and this particular beach was quite the tourist spot, but it was one of the only days of the week in which all of the boys were free. They’d assigned this trip as their monthly event; an event that wasn’t just meeting up at the cafe or hanging out at somebody’s house.

Leading the group was a tall, slender boy. The tallest of the group. This was Craig. His beach attire was pretty basic; he donned navy blue swimming trunks and black sandals. He wore a beige bucket hat over his jet black hair, and covered his blue eyes with blacked out sunglasses. He was carrying a big beach bag, filled with all the essentials. Craig was their ring leader, the centre of the group. Whenever anyone else would talk about their group it would be referred to as his gang.

Trailing closely behind him was a noticeably skinnier boy; Craig’s boyfriend, Tweek. He too wore a bucket hat, white this time, and covered his bony torso with a vest of the same colour. He had untamed wild blonde hair, shooting out from underneath the hat in all different directions. His hand was fiddling with the bottom of his khaki swimming trunks, clearly on edge. His eyes were bagged, but he wasn’t a bad looking guy overall. Tweek’s anxiety around large groups of people meant that he was practically clinging to Craig for dear life.

Not far behind was a more boisterous boy, rambling about his friends’ sense of fashion. Clyde was a little chubby in build, but wasn’t afraid to flaunt it. He wore an open red shirt with a palm tree design on it, and on the bottom half…a pair of black speedos. He even accessorised with some aviators and a shark tooth necklace. He was clearly the most enthusiastic of the group; flicking his chocolate coloured hair in the wind whenever he sensed a female within range.

Next to him was Token, who didn’t try as hard on the fashion side, but still managed to pull off a pair of violet trunks and gold-rimmed sunglasses. He was assigned the role of carrying the parasol. His body was probably the most toned out of the group, but he was cool about it, and wanted to come across as casual as possible to his peers. But that was slightly difficult when you’re the son of a millionaire…and it definitely showed.

The last boy was a brunette, using his crutches to keep up a steady pace with his friends. His ochre coloured trunks were accompanied with a brown baseball cap and a grey t-shirt. This was Jimmy, who had a form of cerebral palsy, yet was one of the funniest guys in their town. He was wearing trainers and had no intention of entering the water at all, simply content with chilling out with his best friends.

The boys eventually reach the beach, finding a spot nearer the back that wasn’t too close to everyone else for Tweek’s sake. Token forcefully stuck the parasol into the sand and opened it, Tweek immediately running underneath. With the palest skin out of them all, he’d coated himself in 3 layers of sunscreen before coming out for the day.

Craig sets down the beach bag, whipping out a pile of folded towels, leaving a couple spare in the bag. “Take your pick.”

Tweek is the first to grab one; a simple striped design.

Clyde was next, opting for the one with the slogan ‘Cool story bro’ on it.

Token passed one to Jimmy that had fruit decorating it, and then took a basic blue one for himself.

Craig was left with the towel with an adorable looking cartoon shark on it, one of which used to belong to his younger sister Tricia. He didn’t seem at all bothered and laid it out next to Tweek’s towel.

“Alright so who’s coming for a splash in a little while?” Clyde enthusiastically asks.

“FUCK no. I’m not gonna be present while you awkwardly try to pick up chicks by the water.” Craig protests.

“Oh Craig,” Clyde tuts, “You should be more supportive of me!”

“Yeah well, I’m not supportive of those speedos.”

Token chuckles, “Again with the speedos…you really aren’t a fan are you?”

“Dude, look at him. He looks like a middle aged dad who flirts with teenagers.”

Clyde pouts, “HEY…at least I’m not flexing a damn fisherman hat!”

“Nghh, not cool Clyde! Don’t drag me into this too!!” Tweek contributes, awkwardly tugging on his hat.

“Firstly, it’s called a bucket hat. Secondly, fuck you. It keeps us cool.” says Craig.

“Appearance vs p-p-practicality. A truly difficult decision f-for sure.” Jimmy jokes.

“Who cares about how good you look when you’re frying to death?!” says Tweek.

“Chill out Tweek, we’re not frying! We’re just sun-kissed.“ Clyde teases. Token pushes him playfully, shaking his head and smiling.

Jimmy looks out over the crowd of people, stopping when he sees someone he recognises. An auburn-haired boy of their age was sat reading a book next to his mother, who was watching his father and younger brother throw a ball back and forth to each other.

“H-hey, isn’t that K-K-Kyle Broflovski and his f-family over there?”

Token squints his eyes in the same direction, “…oh shit, it is! Shall we go say hi?”

“What?! I’m not going all the way over there!!” Tweek protests.

Craig lies back on his towel. “If Ike sees Clyde he’ll just annoy him with pirate songs again.”

“I don’t need reminding of that you guys!!” Clyde whines.

“Kyle looks pretty bored…” says Token.

“Damn…and S-S-Sheila is looking pretty…th-th-th-thick.” Jimmy stutters, watching as Sheila rubbed herself with sunscreen.

“Gross Jimmy, put your boner away.” says Craig.

“Relax b-buddy! Only her m-mother could love t-that face.” he jests.

Token gets up, “I’m gonna go say hi, Craig come with!”

“Ugh fine but we’re not staying long.” Craig groans.

“Bring us back ice cream will ya!” Clyde declares, pointing at the ice cream van nearby.

“Anything for you, princess.” Token jokes, before helping Craig up by the hand and wandering off towards Kyle.

~

They quickly return with 5 ice cream cones, one with toffee sauce since Tweek likes toffee.

Obviously, Clyde had something to say about this. “Uhhhh, where’s my toffee sauce??”

“Go and get some from the van if you want it, you lazy twat.” Craig says, handing the cone to Tweek. Tweek smiles warmly up at him before thanking him. Clyde takes his cone from Token, pulls a sour face and sticks his tongue out at Craig before heading towards the van.

After not even 2 minutes of receiving his ice cream, Tweek has a sudden large twitch and accidentally drops the cone onto his leg. Clyde bursts out with laughter, while Craig grabs a spare towel from the beach bag and helps him to clean up.

“I will literally pay you half of my w-w-wage if you lick some of that.” Jimmy jests.

“WHAT?! Are you nuts?!” Tweek yells.

“That’s a comment I’d expect from Clyde, not you Jimmy.” Craig retorts. “Fuck off.”

“What if it was Token’s wage?” Clyde suggests.

“Not even for Token’s wage.” says Craig.

“You guys, my wage isn’t that much different than yours!” Token objects. He’s not wrong; he only earns about 3 or 4 more dollars than the rest of them. However he serves wealthier customers and the tips tend to be double, even triple the average waiter gets.

~

Once Craig finishes cleaning up a very embarrassed Tweek, and returns to the van to buy him a replacement ice cream, the five of them lie on their respective towels and sunbathe quietly in each others company. So quiet in fact, that none of them realise until 20 minutes later that Clyde had fallen fast asleep. Only when he suddenly lets out a loud snore, waking himself up in the process, does he attract the other’s attention.

“Jesus Clyde, scared the shit out of me.” Craig snaps.

“The heat must’ve knocked me out…” says Clyde. “I need to cool down…time for a swim!”

Almost instantly, as if he hadn’t just woken up, Clyde immediately springs to his feet and flings his shirt off. “Who’s coming??”

“I will. The water looks fresh.” Token gets up a little slower, taking off his shades and placing them on his towel.

“Tweek?”

“Ngh, maybe later…” Tweek replies. And by ‘maybe later’, he meant ‘probably not at all’.

“No worries bud.” Clyde reassures. “Jimmy? Oh yeah Jimmy said he wasn’t swimming today…Craig?”

The two standing look over to Craig, who’s very clearly pretending he didn’t hear them. Clyde bends over him, casting a shadow over his face.

“Craig? Yoohooooo?”

“What?”

“Are you coming swimming with us?” Token asks.

“Nah.”

Token rolls his eyes, exchanging a disappointed look with Clyde, before leaning in and whispering something into his ear. Clyde grows a mischievous grin and looks over at Craig, who is completely oblivious.

Craig is a slim guy and relatively lightweight, so it wasn’t a problem for Clyde and Token to grab him by the legs and arms and lift him up abruptly.

“Wh-? What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Taking you for a dip.” Clyde replies nonchalantly.

“I hate you both so much, fucking put me down!”

Craig wriggles a little in protest, his hat falling off in the process, but it’s not long before he gives in and simply lets the other two carry him over to the water.

Tweek and Jimmy laugh as they watch them go.

“Ngh…am I an unsupportive boyfriend if I just sit back and let them pick on him like that?” Tweek jokes.

“It makes a ch-change from Craig p-p-picking on everyone else, I suppose.” Jimmy shrugs.

They watch on as Clyde and Token count down from 3, and on zero, Craig is slam dunked into the water. He resurfaces flicking his hair and immediately targets Clyde by jumping onto his shoulders and sending him underneath the water. The antics continue as Tweek smiles from afar, happy and tranquil. Seeing his boyfriend and his friends messing around and having fun made him feel so relaxed and carefree, and distracted him from any worries he may have.

He sighs with contentment. At least he didn’t have to worry about being alone. His friends were always there for each other and supported each other an equal amount. And days like this just proved that the five of them were closer than ever.

—

[greyias]

SO. Apparently Tumblr is being an utter jerk today, and is not letting me put "Read More”s at all in asks today. SO. I improvise! *ahem* I think I might have something for this already written what would work perfectly! 😉

The automated search that Theron had set up on the HoloNet and Rishi comm hubs regarding the Red Hulls pinged with a few new results. He had set up a connection between his datapad and his implants so that he could know the instant any new information arrived, without alerting the rest of his companions in their hideout.

It was partially to preserve the fragile peace of their cohabitation from one more thing to argue about (Jakarro wasn’t fond of shrill noises, despite the droid that he hauled around with him everywhere) — but it was also to restrict the flow of information. Lana may have been his longest running partner, mostly out of necessity, but she was still a Sith. She may have done nothing but earn his trust over the past few months, but old habits were hard to shake.

Lana was currently listening to the latest in the long line of grand adventures of Onderon’s royal badass, Queen Lina. The glazed look in her eyes indicated that she had gone to whatever the Sith equivalent of a happy place was to survive the ordeal. Theron slipped away from the remnants of the party they had set up in their main communal area and off to a secluded corner so he could look at the datapad in relative privacy.

He was expecting some delayed reports on the ‘Red Hulls’ last raid on the Nova Blades, or maybe some general chatter on the exploits of their feared captain. Like anything else she seemed to do, Theron’s favorite Jedi Knight left quite the impression in her wake — even when she was pretending to be a pirate. As he scanned through the few short results that had been fed to his datapad, he frowned. Well, the part about her leaving an impression hadn’t changed.

After the fourth report he put the datapad down and kneaded his forehead in frustration. This woman was going to be the death of him. Despite having some privacy in this area, it wasn’t sound proof, and he didn’t really want Lana eavesdropping on what he hoped would be a quick conversation. As quietly as possible, Theron slipped outside into the alleyway, checking his surroundings even as he had his implants hail the Jedi’s comm frequency using his private channel.

“Um, hello?” She sounded confused—and distracted.

“Why hello to you too.”

“Theron?”

“How you doing?” he asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from leaking into his voice.

Apparently she didn’t pick up on it. “Fine… hey, Teeseven, there’s another one over there, could you…?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable now, “did I interrupt something important?”

“What do you want, Theron?”

“I just thought I would check in, see how things were going.”

He heard a long sigh on the other end of the line. “I’m detecting some insincerity in your tone.”

“And here I thought I was being so subtle.”

“You called me.”

“That I did.”

“You mind telling me why?” she asked, a hint of annoyance leaking across the line.

“I wanted to ask about the scenery over there on Torch’s private little island,” he tossed back sarcastically.

“I’ll let you know about their interior decorating choices when I get there,” she said, biting back irritation. “Something came up.”

“Something that would say, have you going around passing out free medical care to people on the streets, repairing all of the monsoon baffles, volunteering for trash duty, and in general ruin the carefully crafted cover story of a fearsome pirate cannibal that I spent so much time on?”

“How do you even know about… wait… you came up with the cannibal thing?”

“Um—“ he was briefly taken off-guard, “no. That was one-hundred percent—“

“I knew it!” He wasn’t sure if she sounded scandalized or vindicated, and was suddenly happy for the distance between them. “Lana would never come up with something so ridiculous!”

“It’s not ridiculous,” he protested.

“Oh, then what is it?”

“It’s…” He almost decided to defend its necessity to the mission, but she’d already gotten him to admit his part in it, so what was the point in trying to talk himself out of the hole he’d already dug? “Honestly? It was funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yeah, the thought of the sweet, perfect little Jedi having to pretend to be a fearsome, literally bloodthirsty pirate was too good to pass up,” he snickered.

“I’m not perfect.”

He ignored the warning in her tone, and pressed on. “I really wish I’d had a holo of your face when someone asked you about your dietary preferences. It had to have been classic.”

He thought he heard her mutter something about “there is no emotion, there is peace”, but he wasn’t sure. After a few more moments of muttering, she grumbled so he could hear, “It was not funny. Everyone’s afraid of me.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“No, it’s not!” For the briefest moment, he thought he heard something more in her tone, but since he couldn’t actually see any facial cues, he was probably imagining it. “That’s not who I am…”

“That’s kind of the point of a cover identity, you not being recognized as yourself,” he said, sobering, “and by the way, you’re kind of undoing the whole fearsome pirate image with all of your sudden, inexplicable acts of kindness.”

“I’m a Jedi,” she said, as if that explained everything.

“Yes, in real life, but for the sake of the argument of, say, us trying to unravel a giant conspiracy, let’s pretend that you’re the cannibalistic pirate captain of the Red Hulls who doesn’t get a thrill out of rescuing nexu kittens from trees.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I need to do this.”

“But why?”

“It’s…” Her voice dropped a few decibels, and now he was sure he could hear some irrepressible emotion color her tone. Something almost like sadness. “It’s personal, all right?”

He tried to ignore the sudden needle-sharp stab of guilt and focus on the larger picture. The one about him and his merry band of n’er-do-wells (and one stubborn, guilt-inducing Jedi Knight) saving the galaxy from the machinations of an evil cult lead by his former Sith/Jedi ancestor come back from the dead — if only certain Jedi Knights would stop trying to run for mayor of Raider’s Cove and focus on harassing some Mandalorian retirees like they had all agreed on. And when he thought about it like that, he had to briefly wonder when insanity took over his life.

Oh, right. Shortly after he met said Jedi Knight.

The effort for him to focus past his own emotions took a little more effort than he cared to admit, which may have made him come across a bit more gruff than intended. “Fine. How long is this going to take?”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly.

The comm remained silent for a long few moments as Theron tried to reign in the flare of impatience that non-answer ignited. He lightly paced the alleyway, unable to ignore the gnawing sense of guilt at her quiet, chastened tone. Finally, he managed to swallow his annoyance enough so he could talk like a normal person. How she had managed to key him up so quickly was beyond him. Even Lana couldn’t push his buttons quite so efficiently, and he was pretty sure his Sith partner put in more effort to intentionally annoy him than his Jedi one. “Look, just try to keep a low profile, okay?”

“I haven’t been—“

“If you blow your cover, the Revanites might catch wind, and they might clam up and run. And we’ll be back to square one.”

“I know…”

“They don’t take kindly to people meddling in their business,” he said seriously, the bulk of his annoyance evaporating away into a fine misting of exasperation. “Look what happened to me, Lana, and Jakarro.”

“I’ll be fine, Theron,” she insisted, her tone warming to something something akin to fondness. “I appreciate the concern, though.”

“Well… good,” he said lamely. He thought he heard a quiet huff of laughter, but it could have been something else as her comm wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up quieter noises. “I better get back inside before they notice I’m gone.”

“You didn’t say anything to them?” she asked surprised. “About… this?”

“Nah,” he said softly, “figured it could be our little secret. If that’s what you wanted.”

“Thank you,” she said, almost so quiet the comm didn’t pick it up, before adding, “something tells me Lana wouldn’t approve of me getting ‘distracted’.”

“She’s terribly practical like that,” he agreed.

“That can be a good and a bad thing.”

“Tell me about it. That’s been my roommate for the past several months.” He made his way back towards the door, pausing before he keyed in the sequence to let him in. “Since you’re… otherwise occupied, I’ll see if I can’t get Jakarro to find you some transportation out to the local Mandalorian retirement community. Lana will probably appreciate the save so much she won’t realize you haven’t left yet.”

“Deefour?” Grey asked knowingly.

“If I never have to hear about another member of the Onderan royal house again, it’ll be too soon.”

This time the laugh came through the comm loud and clear. “You sure you won’t need rescuing soon?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I plan on curling up on the couch and sorting through the rest of this lovely cache of data this fearsome pirate got for me. Should be boring enough to send Jakarro running for the hills, taking the royal storyteller with him.”

“You sound like you have this all figured out.”

“I have a good idea every now and then.”

“I might have heard one or two, I’ll admit.” The undercurrent of fondness in her tone caught him off guard, and he wasn’t sure what he had done to warrant that. Nor was he sure what to make of the sudden ball of warmth that had flared to life in his gut.

“Don’t have too much fun doing… whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’ll try,” she sounded amused. “I’ll check in after I have that chat with Torch and her crew.”

“I meant what I said earlier,” he reminded her quietly, “be careful out there, okay?”

“I will,” she promised, and to her credit, she only sounded half like she was humoring him before she cut the call.

He shook his head, trying to banish the little warm ball of emotion in his gut before slipping back inside. If he wasn’t careful, that Jedi was going to get him in a lot more trouble than a Revanite cult. That was for sure.

[usuknetwork]

USUK Christmas Countdown 2017: December 20

Title: Of Ugly Sweaters and New Friends Day 8: Baking/Cooking Summary: Arthur has a crush on school poster boy Alfred, and in order to get closer to him, he decides to join the Baking Club, because they share a similar passion for the kitchen. Rating: PG Warning: None

(Written by: @apanphanfanwithaplan and Art by: @kurisutythehero)

High school consisted of three main things is what Arthur always thought. People, parties, and clubs.

He himself was a part of several clubs, such as the Magic Club, Model UN, and Gardening Club. Not very interesting hobbies, people always thought, but they were his.

He had friends, like Lukas Bondevik and Francis Bonnefoy. No matter how annoying the latter was, they were friends, and friends introduced friends to cute new boys in Model UN.

Alfred F. Jones was five feet, six inches tall, had a nest of messy blond hair, and god, was he loud. He carried a somewhat authoritative aura that clashed with his impulsive personality and made Arthur Kirkland fall head over heels. He was the new captain of the football team, America in Model UN, student council President, and part of the Baking Club.

The Baking Club was not for kids like Alfred. Kids like Alfred joined sports teams and played the trumpet. Kids in the Baking Club were like Feliciano Vargas and Feliks Lukasiewicz and Emma Maes, who were sweet and kind and as soft as their desserts. But all desserts had their secret ingredients, and Alfred's was his real personality.

Alfred thought only the Baking Club understood who he really was and how different he was, because he definitely was not like the other ‘jocks'. He helped at his grandmother’s animal shelter on weekends, cheered for his brother at chess matches on Wednesday, went to baking Tuesdays and Thursdays, and did football on Mondays and Fridays. He played flute in band, was in HRC in Model UN, and picked up trash around school as president of his peers during school hours. All in all, he was absolutely perfect, and it gained him a one way ticket to Arthur’s heart.

And now, Francis was teasing Arthur endlessly at lunchtime.

“Get your eyes off Captain America over there and onto your pizza. You haven’t even touched your grapes yet! I swear, Artie, if I wasn’t your bestest friend, I would seriously be supes worried,” the Frenchman complained.

“Okay, one, shut up, and two, who said you’re my bestest friend?”

“Who bailed you out of jail when you had some fun at that amusement park?”

“Okay, yeah, but that was holding. There’s a difference. So shut up.”

“Besides, who else would be your best friend? Lukas? He spends more time with that weird Lego Robotics kid. What about that vampire? You still friends with him?”

“Vladimir isn’t a vampire, he’s just Romanian.”

“Yeah, right. And there’s something in the Kool-Aid making us gay.”

“That’s it, for once, you’re right. I need new friends. I’m joining the Baking Club!”

“Not to interrupt your ‘starting today I’m going to be a host' moment, but last time you ‘baked', you set the kitchen on fire. You were literally heating ramen in the microwave, and you burnt my house down!”

“Is that why you stopped inviting me over for sleepovers? Just because I burnt your house down? I said sorry!”

“We’re getting off topic. So, how are you going to get loverboy to love you back?”

Arthur blushed a deep shade of crimson at that.

“Hopefully my charm will take over if not my obviously amazing cooking skills.”

“Arthur, you’re my best friend, so I’ll say it one more time, just to get it through your thick skull. YOU BURNT MY KITCHEN DOWN MAKING RAMEN, YOU PRICK!”

“Details, details.”

And with that he walked off to sign up for the Baking Club.

Soon enough, Arthur had signed up, the rest of the school day had passed, and he was standing at the door for Baking Club, which was covered in mistletoe and holly in celebration of the Christmas season, it being mid-December.

Definitely not the kind of club he thought he’d ever join, but here he was.

He gently rapped on the door and pondered if it was too late to run away when none other than his reason for joining this stupid club answered the door in a super cheesy Minnie and Mickey ugly sweater.

“Hey! Arthur, man, I didn’t think you were into clubs like this! Come on in, I’ll introduce you to everyone!”

He grabbed Arthur’s ugly-sweatered wrist and dragged him in, and he saw the kindest club in school in all of their ugly-sweatered glory.

“This is Feliciano Vargas, whose specialty is cannoli!”

A young man with dark brown hair and an obnoxious curl in a two person sweater with a blond male waved energetically.

“And this is Emma Maes, and her main dish is waffles with boysenberry syrup and strawberries inside, and she’ll be adding some extra stuff to her usual waffles today for holiday stuffsies!”

A girl with mid-length blonde hair and a kind smile wearing a punk sweater the same colour as the patterned blue and black bow in her hair waved nicely, and then turned back to her measuring cups and holly.

“Here’s Ludwig Beilschmidt, who’s a little grumpy, but really nice when you get to know him, and he loves to make bread pudding, and he’s making a plum one today for the Christmas celebration, which isn’t as terrible as it sounds!”

The tall stoic guy next to Feliciano and in the couple’s sweater with him calmly waved and smiled ever so slightly.

“Feliks Lukasiewicz, my man! He specializes in making this thing, it’s like funnel cake! You know what funnel cake is, right Artie?”

Arthur nodded.

“What’s it called again, bro?”

Feliks, who was wearing a slightly less dramatic sweater than the others, rolled his eyes and sighed, flipping his blond hair from his eyes. “I’ve told you like, at least five times, Al! It’s called skruzdelynas! It’s a Lithuanian dessert, and yes, it is like funnel cake, I suppose.”

“I don’t know how to pronounce that, so Feliks specializes in funnel cake, and he’s making a cherry one with powdered sugar today for Christmas!”

“Ugh, you could, y’know, at least try!” called the Pole to Alfred as he went on to introduce the other members.

“Love you too, bro!”

“Ugh, whatever.”

“Is he actually your brother?” Arthur asked Alfred.

“Who? Feliks? Nah. My brother is Matthew, and he’s at a chess meeting today. He’s got a tournament tomorrow! So proud of him. But his twin is in this club, and my twin is in Swim Team. Which brings me to our next member… Madeline!”

A shy girl with pigtails and a red beret with maple leaf hair clips who greatly resembled her brother Matthew waved a little before looking back down at what she was doing.

“Maddie is the beeessstttt at maple pops!”

“Maple pops?”

“Yeah! And maple donuts! And maple bacon biscuits! Just a lot of maple, I guess. I don’t know where she gets it.”

He lowered his voice.

“But between you and me, I think she has a dealer.”

Arthur had to stifle a laugh.

Only Alfred would think his own sister had a maple drug dealer.

To his surprise, Madeline, in her The Nightmare Before Christmas sweater, laughed at that. “Alfred, mom and dad and Matthew have all told you, there is no dealer! We can talk about this later, I’m making muffins.”

“Fine. Bye sis!”

“She seems nice and calm, at least for being related to you,” Arthur laughed out.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Eyebrows? What if I said your brothers were pretty sober, at least compared to you?”

“Then I'd call you a liar.”

Alfred laughed, and it made Arthur think of home.

“Annnndddd last but not least, in our fabulous baking club, we have our longest here members, Antonio and Matthias! Toni is best at chocolate flan, and Matthias here rocks at making rice pudding with cherry sauce, and he’s even adding sugar plants to it!”

Matthias waved politely in his stoner themed sweater, but then looked back determinedly to his pudding, which he was decorating with edible sugar holly.

“Hey, Arthur! I haven’t seen you since forever man!” Antonio, himself, in an incredibly tacky sweater, waved and spoke cheerfully to him.

“Oh, hello, Antonio. Fancy seeing you here,” Arthur spoke quietly.

“What’s wrong Artie? Did you two have an argument or something?” Alfred asked, puzzled.

“Hmm? Oh no. We’re just old friends. We used to play pirates on playgrounds, but we kinda grew apart, I guess,” Arthur said to him sadly.

“Well now, since you’re in the same club, you can grow back together as friends! Wouldn’t that be awesome?” Alfred asked excitedly.

Arthur smiled at his enthusiasm.

“Totally.”

The tour of everyone in Baking Club was now over and Arthur finally got to sit down and start baking his own something. Scones were always his favourite. And Alfred mentioned something about liking boysenberries, so boysenberry scones it was.

For an hour or two, he sat there in his area making and cooking scones, just for Alfred. These had to be perfect, because he probably wouldn’t get another shot to impress him.

Francis was right, he thought. I can’t cook, and I certainly am not handsome enough for the likes of Alfred, he sighed sadly.

Soon enough, the scones were done, and with only minimal burning!

“Al, Alfred?” he called out.

Alfred was over there in a heartbeat.

“Something wrong, Arthur?” He sounded worried.

“No, no, I just, uh, I made you some scones?” he stuttered out.

“For me? Really?”

“Yeah. I heard you say something about boysenberries, and I kinda suck at anything but scones, so here’s some boysenberry scones, I guess.” He sheepishly handed him the plate of scones.

Alfred cautiously picked one up and took a bite. He first made a slight face of disgust, then corrected himself. “Wow, these are pretty good!”

Arthur frowned. “You hate them. I suck at baking. Sorry.”

Alfred looked upset at Arthur being sad. “No, no! These can get better with just a little bit of improvement! Here, I can help you!”

Alfred went over to Arthur’s cooking area, which was covered in flour and hearts drawn in it.

Alfred laughed. “You like hearts, huh?”

Arthur blushed like mad. “I, uh, I, like the design?”

“It’s fine, I like hearts too!” Alfred replied cheerfully and flashed him a wink.

That did not help Arthur's blushed state in the least bit.

For two hours the duo worked together on new boysenberry scones, and some Christmas cookies as well, and both drew more little hearts on the flour around the area, laughing at shared jokes and throwing berries and sprinkles at each other joyfully.

Soon, they were done.

“Wooo! These look great Artie! Try one!” Alfred exclaimed.

Arthur took one and started nibbling, and was surprised at how good they tasted. “Wow! Al, you’re, well, amazing!” He finished it up.

Now Alfred blushed. “Oh, it’s nothing. You did most of it anyway.”

Arthur grabbed another from the tin.

“Hey Artie, close your eyes, I made you a surprise!”

“Alright…” he agreed suspiciously, closing his eyes.

Within two seconds, he felt a pair of warm lips against his own. They tasted like berries and soft vanilla crumbs.

He opened his eyes and almost gasped. It was Alfred.

Alfred pulled away slowly but kept his hand on Arthur’s back.

“Heh, sorry Arthur. I have been wanting to do that for forever. Plus, mistletoe, y’know?”

Arthur looked up and laughed at the plant hanging above the two and then, without thinking, immediately pulled him back in, and there they stood for a few more seconds before breaking apart again.

“I guess we match my sweater, huh?” Arthur said sheepishly, and Alfred looked down at his KISS sweater and chuckled.

“We should probably go share these scones and cookies anyway. Come on, and today is actually club picture day, in case you forgot. We haven’t taken a Baking Club picture for the year book yet, so it’s good you came here today,” Alfred spoke first.

“Good idea.”

The two shared their scones and when everyone was done, Alfred ran to get Francis, in his own ugly wine themed sweater, from Photography Club to take their group picture.

The group of only but nine huddled together for their picture, Alfred and Arthur side by side, holding hands.

“Everyone say ‘merde'!” exclaimed Francis from behind his camera.

Everyone took French, so they all laughed cheerfully, and said “Merde!” into the camera, the group of mismatched friends smiling ever so brightly, because they had found their home, right here, in this silly high school baking club, with more friendship and adventures to hold.

He originally joined it for the boy toy, but stayed for the friends and fun.

Arthur had changed his mind.

There were actually five things that high school was made of.

Sweets, friendship, clubs, ugly sweaters, and love.

And he couldn’t be happier that he had found all of them here.

[othercat2]

Ficcish Thing: Wanting to Give (As Good As You Got)

Somewhat based on Melt Me, Mold Me by BirchBow and also on Gotta Like What You Do by silverpaper_toffeepaper  Continuing from here.

Dave is allowed to pursue his interests, though he is still not allowed to go anywhere without supervision. Supervision is usually Gamzee, but also Kanaya. Dave is kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Gossip and rumors are intense in the quadrant quarters! No one quite knows or understands what Karkat wants from the newest inmate of the harem, but Gamzee thinks he has a suspicion.

See, Gamzee never started out in the pale quarter. He started out a mostly feral pit beast picked up by the warlord Karkat overthrew. Karkat went into the pitch quarter looking for a fight, and presented with a baited, frightened-angry Gamzee, shooshed the living night shadows out of him, and then ordered that he be put in the pale harem. This is something that’s been kept private: only the head of the kismesis quarter knows what happened, or why Gamzee was retrained for pale.

So, Gamzee has a notion of what’s going to go on the next time that Karkat comes by the pale harem and is completed vindicated about it when after about an hour of restful snuggling and detailed discussion of feelings, Karkat calls Dave over.

During this entire scene Dave has been sitting a little apart from the pile, and given something that should have been decorous and quiet to do: drawing on a sketch pad. It wasn’t, because instead of a nice still life or life drawing, Dave drew figures inspired by ancient Grecian pottery and a book of ancient Alternian art. Some of them are extremely rude.

He’s a bit deer in the headlights at being called over. (Karkat doesn’t call him by name, just says, “you, come over here,”) He starts to put his sketch pad aside, but is told to bring it. He has no idea of what he’s supposed to do. Dave tentatively tries to do a pale move, but Karkat goes, “No, let me see your sketches.”

The other concubines can see what he’d been drawing and they don’t know whether to laugh or by annoyed. Karkat finds the art amusing! In between looking at the sketches, he asks questions about how Dave has been getting along, and also how Dave ended up in the pale harem.

Dave bullshits a little nervously, and Karkat looks up and says. “Do you really expect me to believe that? No, really, what happened.”

Dave, who is still pissy about being “rescued” (and the whole situation seemed like a rescue at the time, kinda. They’d talked all night, and they both bitched about Slimey Assbut the Pirate King, and then Karkat got Slimey by the short hairs and then yanked, and made him spill about his actions against some of Karkat’s territorial concerns. And Dave’d been added to some kind of bloodprice thing, and then Dave found that he was being kept instead of you know, being freed like he thought was going to happen for some obviously stupid reason.)  

So Dave tells the whole damn story. First they thought that since he’d been pretty pissy at the time that he should be trained in the kismesis harem. The head of the kismesis harem, skinny teal with the most terrifying witch laugh ever decided he wasn’t fit for the pitch harem. Something about him not being the right kind of angry, and not the right kind of contentious. Then they tried him in flushed and he got rejected straight off because oh hey, he’s pissed off at Karkat. Ash just kinda laughed and shut the door in his face, and somehow, somehow he ended up in pale where at least getting cornholed wasn’t on the menu.

“Oh, that couldn’t have made anyone happy.”

Dave is like, “no shit.”

The concubines are scandalized but are trying to assure Karkat that no, of course they didn’t mind having been the last resort for finding a place for Dave!

Karkat does not believe them. “I wondered where you might end up,” he says. “I suppose you ended up in the harem because my head of house figured you were pitch, because of the circumstances under which I acquired you. I thought I might see you as a valet or some other position where I’d see you every day once you were trained.”

“Yeah like that’s going to be a thing,” Dave says, ignoring various glares. “Ooo, alien exotic slave boy. They don’t expect much out of me except being alien and exotic.”

“Well I’m not exactly sorry you ended up here. It was one hell of a surprise though,” Karkat says, and he smiles at his concubines. “And I’m sorry that you’re mad at me for keeping you. I wanted to do you a good turn, and also stick it to our friend Slimey.”

“Couldn’t you have done that without keeping me?”

“I’d worry about you,” Karkat says, raw and so honest the concubines are flustered by the amount of pale and frankly, a little jealous that Dave’s on the receiving end of it. “Even if you made it back home and were able to somehow send me letters or something I’d worry. Also, one of my enemies might target you or, fuck, I don’t know. It seemed like a better idea to keep you, even if it pissed you off.”

“Because I have your colors.”

“That and I want to take care of you.”

“Well shit,” Dave says. “What the hell am I supposed to say to that?”

“That you’re honored by his attention, you doorknob,” growls one of the concubines who might or might not be Feferi.

“I’m sure he’s doing the best he can,” Karkat says. Dave’s told he can leave, and Karkat spends another couple hours snuggling with his concubines. (Dave sticks it out for at least thirty minutes before absconding for his room.)

Gamzee is completely vindicated by this revelation, and shares it with Kanaya. He also shares the situation that led to him being moved to the pale harem. “I think he’s been wanting something like that for a while now, taking care of a brother.”

“But he does take care of us,” Kanaya says. “He treats us very well.”

“We all don’t have any problems,” Gamzee says. “None that we care to tell him about anyway. We all have to be serene and be his listening ear, giving him advice and palest affection. He aint ever had to pap one of us,” Gamzee sounds a little wistful about that. “And he has the kindest way about him. I was sad as anything when I found out I wasn’t going to be getting any more paps from him.”

“Am I so bad a replacement?” Kanaya asks, a little pettishly.

“You’re fine as-is Kanaya-sis,” Gamzee says. “But if he ever sets frond to your cheek in a conciliatory manner, you’ll know why I ain’t forgot it sweeps after.”

Then next bit is here

[deusaeverythingcomestoanend]

D. Series: The Pirate

Hello, I am the creator of D. Series: The Pirate. I don’t know how many people are reading the chapters I posted. For those of you you have read and enjoyed them. I am grateful you took your time to read them. I have decided to only post Monday-Friday.  That way I am able to create more chapters for you to enjoy as well as giving the completed chapter a good read before posting them. I want to avoid any continuity error as much as possible. Although I had promised to update daily I will be posting a chapter today, but not tomorrow that way you are not disappointed today. 

I am also working on turning this into a graphic novel. First, I just want to get the written portion out of the way. So when I start drawing my series the story I won’t be second guessing myself. Since I will already know where I will be going with my series.

Do not set foot outside the hometown barrier. At least not without the company of an adult. Cause if you do they will come. They will come at night when you are weakest. The Guardians of the Dragon Seal do not know foes from allies. 

Chapter 4

Army Ruler Cross

What is won and what is lost,

You can win but at what cost,

A fool lives in hell and calls it paradise,

While the wise know that by his own hand he will die.

"Did you see anything interesting?" the man rephrased his question keeping his distance.

That was when Cronus finally took notice of the man's strange outfit. He was wearing black pants that were made from a material he knew very well was not anything he had ever seen before. The man also wore a black leather jacket that was closed all the way to the middle of his chest; however, there did not appear to be any buttons in sight that could cause such a thing. The man's left pale wrist revealed a bit of his black tattoos which Cronus did not doubt might cover his forearm. The only bit of the man's shirt that Cronus saw he could tell that it was made of a very soft material and was the same color as the ocean right next to them during the summer. Cronus felt the soft material underneath him. He could almost swear that it must have been as soft as he imagined a cloud felt, yet the part that touched the rocky sand beneath made a ZZIP ZZIP sound when he scratched it with his nail.

"I... I do not know what I saw, who... Who are you?" questioned Cronus knitting his eyebrows together.

"Who...No, what are you?" questioned Cronus as he stared at the man.

The man took his arm from the back of his head and began to tap a finger on his mouth as if he was choosing his next words with precaution. He glanced to the upper right then to the upper left, as if Cronus had asked him a complex question.

"Human, I suppose, but not one from this universe, you better start heading home. You do not want to be caught outside when it's dark. Imbeciles might accuse you of something you are not," groaned the man jumping to his feet and dusting off the sand from his pants and extending a hand to Cronus, "I'll take you home. With my help you will be able to get there in seconds."

"What is your name?" demanded Cronus refusing to take the hand reaching out for him.

"You are not going to let that go, are you?" sighed the man dropping his hand, "Very well my name is Aroldo, Aroldo Cruz. From now on I will be your teacher, Mr. Cruz. Although you could keep calling me Aroldo, since I will not be the only Mr. Cruz you will be coming in contact with."

"Arrowldoo Crooz," repeated Cronus it sounded a bit off when he said it.

"No, Ah-rroll-dough Crruise, Ah-rroll-dough Crruise," repeated Aroldo letting Cronus know that he wanted him to repeat him.

"Uh-rowl-du Kruzz," tried Cronus once more.

"No, say Ah," taught Aroldo.

"Ah," repeated Cronus,

"Good, now try to purr like a cat," commanded Aroldo.

"Why?" questioned Cronus thinking that Aroldo was insane.

"It will help you roll your Rs," explained Aroldo, "now try to purr like a cat."

"Meow?" imitated Cronus feeling ludicrous for doing so.

"No, like this RRRRRRRRRRR," corrected Aroldo sounding like a purring cat, "stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth and push air from there, but do not let your tongue stop touching the roof of your mouth."

"thsss," hissed Cronus getting annoyed with himself.

"No, keep your tongue inside your mouth, and try again," coached Aroldo not letting Cronus give up.

"THSS TRRRRR," Cronus stopped shocked by the sound he had managed to make.

"Good, now say rroll," ordered Aroldo.

"Rroll," repeated Cronus ecstatic that he was able to say it right this time.

"Great, now say dough," smiled Aroldo waiting patiently for Cronus to repeat that word.

"Dough," smirked Cronus positive he could at least say that correct.

"That's right, now say Ah-Rroll-Dough Cruise," coached Aroldo.

"Ah-Rroll-Dough Cruise," repeated Cronus looking at Aroldo seeking out his approval.

"That's right my name is Aroldo Cruz. That is your first lesson, always try to learn how to say a person's name. Even if it seems impossible at least make an effort in learning how to. You can gain more people's respect that way. My first name means Army Ruler and my last name is just Cross in Spanish by the way," beamed Aroldo at Cronus offering his hand one more time for Cronus to take.

This time instead of rejecting the hand, Cronus used it to help himself back up. Cronus picked the peacock cloak along with him. He handed it back to Aroldo who took it and with one sharp movement got rid of the sand stuck to it. Aroldo then in one fluid movement placed it back on and snapped a large silver carved button together.

The carvings on the button looked like a lion resting underneath an oak tree with a feathered serpent surrounding it. Upon closer inspection it was in that moment in which Cronus realized that the button wasn't silver at all; however it was a metal much more precious than gold. He stared at each tiny peridot gem that covered the oak tree's branches as if they were the very leaves themselves, or how they shaped the feather's of the feathered serpent. Aroldo could not help but recognize the curiosity plainly written on Cronus eyes when he viewed his crest. Every member of the Robles Family had one almost exactly the same, the only difference were the stones that decorated it.

"It's my family's crest, the lion represents that state of Spain which our last name originates from, the tree is an oak tree an homage to the city Roble, and Quetzalcoatl is honouring our native ancestors," explained Aroldo as he faced the large button up at him.

"Kuetsu- Kuets- What?" asked Cronus starting to wonder if Aroldo was a crazy man after all.

"The feathered serpent, that's Quetzalcoatl. True you guys probably do not know about the "New World" yet," sighed Aroldo as he did little air quotes, "now, hold on tight."

Cronus did not understand as to why Aroldo wanted him to hold on to him, nevertheless he did not get a chance to ask. For it was only a few moments after that phrase had left Aroldo's mouth that they were now flying into the air. Cronus wanted to scream in terror except each time he managed to suck a lung full of oxygen to do so the wind would be knocked out of him once more.

As promised Aroldo had brought Cronus back close enough that he would be able to reach home within half a minute. Aroldo gently placed Cronus down on the soft tall grass and observed how Cronus flopped down like a rag doll. He could not blame him after all the poor boy was not used to being so high in the air. Hell, he could even bet that Cronus had never even been more than two feet in the air in his life time thus far. He watched as Cronus waddled back up to his feet took three zagging steps before tumbling back down. He tried not to laugh, but the way Cronus walked reminded him of a drunk friend trying to prove he was not drunk at all by walking in a straight line only to fall back down.

"Don't laugh at me!" snapped Cronus puffing up his cheeks.

That only made things funnier for Aroldo as he held his stomach and placed a hand on his mouth. Tears streamed down his face as he glanced at the very young but demanding little Cronus. He did not want to think about what the little boy would have to endure. He wished not to even imagine the stern man that cruel future would transform the small boy before him. No, for now he only wanted to laugh at the stumbling child in front of him who kept on staring daggers in his direction. Aroldo was thankful that Cronus future technological vision was only a zeptosecond long meaning that would go unnoticed by those around him and yet he knew that would still cost him dearly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," smiled Aroldo as he turned back and began to walk away.

Cronus features softened when he noticed Aroldo raised his right arm in the air and waved good-bye without looking back at him. He got up his legs no longer feeble form the flight of being carried like a sack in the air. He began to head to his domicile well aware that his parent's would scold him for having gone beyond the town's limits by himself. He wanted to sleep on the tall soft grass beneath his feet, yet his stomach growled in protest. He was not able to deny the scent of his mother's fresh chicken stew that invaded his nostrils and watered his mouth.

"-NUS! CRONUS!" he heard Victory calling out to him as he moved ever closer to his house.

"CRO- there you are! Where have you been mother and father have been sick with worry!" shouted Victory as she made her way to her brother snatching him up by the arm and dragging him home.

"The beach, I needed a quiet place to think and you will not believe who I met ther-"

"I do not want to hear it!" glared Victory pulling Cronus closer to her hurting him in the process.

"That hurt!" screamed Cronus as he messaged his shoulder.

"I do not care! You know we are not supposed to go beyond the town limits without an adult accompanying us!" glared Victory.

"How come?!" demanded Cronus as he tried to pry himself from his sister's iron grip.

"Those are the rules, Cronus, they are made for our own protection!" barked Victory as she made her way up the wooden steps of their house.

"But, why? Why can't we go beyond the town limits without an adult? I left and nothing bad happened to me!" argued Cronus snatching his hand away and running inside the house.

"Oh, Cronus, you're back, I was so worried abo-" sighed Godiva not being able to finish her sentence as she watched her son scurry by her. She gazed as her son ran past her and up the stairs more than likely going into his room. Godiva flinched when she heard his bedroom door slam shut. She moved her eyes from up the stairs and shifted her glance at her daughter who had walked inside the house.

"Where was he?" questioned Godiva placing her hands on her hips.

"He told me he went to the beach, probably a lie," huffed Victory crossing her arms glaring up at his general direction.

"The beach? Cronus knows that he is not allowed to go beyond the town limits without either me or your father," gasped Godiva as she moved a trembling hand to her lips, "what if he had ran into a wild animal, a monster, or worst the devil himself."

"The good news is that he is home now," reassured Victory walking up to her mother taking her hand into hers.

"Is Cronus home yet?" asked Clement as he walked in through the front door. He closed the heavy wooden door behind him and made his way to his wife and daughter.

"Yes, he is up stairs in his room," replied Godiva gliding over to her husband helping him with his coat.

"That's a relief, we should start to lock up all the windows and doors before it gets dark. We cannot be too safe," softly ordered Clement, "is dinner ready?"

"It is, I will go call Cronus to come down to eat," answered Godiva as she placed Clement's coat on the coat hanger.

"No, let me. I have to talk to him, either way. May as well get it over with now," smiled Clement as he kissed Godiva's forehead.

"Very well, I'll go get the table ready, Victory, come with me," ordered Godiva making her way into the kitchen.

"Father, I believe there is something you should be made aware of," called Victory as she walked up to Clement.

"What is it, Tore?" asked Clement redirecting his attention to his daughter.

"Well, you see...Um, Cronus told me he left the town limits," tattled Victory as she fidgeted with her feet.

"Did he now?" snarled Clement his nostrils flared.

"Yes, he told me that he had gone to the beach," replied Victory not daring to look at either one of her parents. She already knew that her Father would be furious and if looks could kill she would be dead where she stood from the way her mother was glaring at her.

"That moronic boy! Does he not know that we have that rule for a grave reason," raged Clement truth be told he was not infuriated but timorous.

He looked out the window maybe if he was quick he would be able to get the animals into their barn. As he looked at the setting sun his heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. It was too late all he could do now was rush to lock all the windows and doors of his house to protect his family, he knew he had to try.

"Victory, run upstairs and close every single open window. Be sure to lock them all when you do," ordered Clement running out the door.

"Victory, do as your father says," commanded Godiva, "I will lock every single window down stairs, while you go and take care of the ones up stairs."

Victory knew that there was a reason as to why they were not allowed to leave town without an adult. She did not understand why her parents seemed so anxious that her brother had done so. Victory stood there for a second but shook it off knowing that if it scared her parents she better do as they said.

Clement searched for all of the livestock ushered them into the small barn locking them inside. He heard how the animals stamped the grown letting him know that they were feeling uneasy. He pushed down his fear, not allowing it to overcome him. He needed to get things done fast, his eyes glanced over to the horizon. His eyes widened with fear as he saw the thick black fog coming in his direction. At a speed he was not aware his body could move as he was already opening and locking the door to his house behind him.

"AAHH!" Victory screamed in terror before Clement could tackle her into the ground and covered her mouth.

"Hush, calm down! Victory, calm down," soothed Clement, "did you do what I told you?"

Victory nodded her head as tears flooded her cheeks. She pressed herself closer to Clement burying her face into his chest. There was no way to describe what she had only seen a glimpse of. It was so atrocious it was far worse than any demon the church had told her about. Cronus ran down the stairs glomping Clement. Cronus sought refuge in his father's arms proving that he was still a child. Godiva walked over to them and covered everyone in a large blanket herself included.

"What is that?" whimpered Cronus as he stuffed his face into Godiva's bossom.

"Monsters, now hush," soothed Godiva hugging him closer.

"Wh-" Clement covered Cronus' mouth and glared at his son. Now was not the time to make any noise, but how were Cronus and Victory to know that. They had no idea of the danger that stood right on the foot of their door. They had no idea that it was only here after Cronus nor did they need to know that. All they had to know was that they had to keep quiet, it would be there for a few minutes and hopefully leave.

SSTIIIIIIRR STRIRS STTIIIRR They froze when they heard the scratching that seemed to come from not the front door. Instead the sound seemed to be coming from the floor underneath them. It sounded as if something was trying to claw its way up towards them. They jerked away from that spot and scurried into four separate directions. The scratching noise only seemed interested in Cronus as it appeared to follow him no matter which direction he took. The scratching made circles around Cronus' body, he cried and threw his arms into the air as he looked up at Clement. Clement could care less about his own safety and rushed over to Cronus' side and yanked him into his arms.

The door exploded open startling the small family inside. Clement thrusted Cronus into Godiva's arms and both she and Victory rushed to hide behind his back. After the debris had settled Cronus glared at the man before him. Who did not seem to pay them any mind, and dusted the fragments of wood and dust off his hair and shoulders.

“I am sorry about that, Cronus, I should've taken care of those pesky Dragon Seal Guardians? Demons?” questioned Aroldo more to himself, “Whatever, I am here now, so who gives a fuck.”

“I beg your pardon, but who in God's name are YOU, SIR? And how exactly do you know my child?” demanded Clement as he continued to shield his family from Aroldo.

“I would love to sit down and chat over a nice cup of tea with you. Truly I would I mean I do not mind; however, don't you think we should deal with THEM first,” emphasized Aroldo as he stepped aside.

Clement's eyes widened with fear as he was reminded of the danger that stood outside his home. He swallowed the lump in his throat he did not know he had until then. He nodded his head and glared at Aroldo.

“I will go get my sword. Can you keep them busy while I go retrieve it?” inquired Clement forcing himself to trust this stranger with his family.

“Geez! I do not know, can I?” grinned Aroldo as he grabbed a demon's fist. He pined the demon onto the ground both breaking and dislocating it's arm. It roared on the floor as it clutched onto it's wounded arm.

“I guess that was a rather stupid question,” sighed Clement not believing his eyes.

“You think?” sassed Aroldo getting up and stamping on the demon's head. Stopping once there was nothing else left other than a pile of shattered bones, blood and brain mush.

First Chapter:

https://deusaeverythingcomestoanend.tumblr.com/post/614218140111470592/d-series-the-pirate-i-said-i-was-going-to-do-it

To read the previous chapter click on the link bellow:

 https://deusaeverythingcomestoanend.tumblr.com/post/614419924950056960/d-series-the-pirate

Next chapter:

https://deusaeverythingcomestoanend.tumblr.com/post/614677799900528640/d-series-the-pirate

[silver-soliloquy]

COMC week I don’t even know anymore but here are some Notes

XLIV

o   Edmond, do you…do you know anyone who isn’t connected to this whole revenge nonsense? Have you ever spoken to a single person without a sinister ulterior motive?  You might try it sometime, it’s fun o   That said, Edmond Knows Nothing About This Backstory is always a hilarious game o   So I think this is the first time Edmond’s used two disguises on the same person without being caught, as the Abbe Busoni and the Count?  Mysterious Stranger level-up! o   I also love that all his aliases apparently KNOW each other, half his social circle is actually just himself in different wigs o   Oh, Caderousse.  Yikes.

XLV

o   I have no comments for this chapter except WHAT LADY MACBETH NONSENSE EVEN IS THIS o   “I like ghosts” okay you goth weirdo

XLXI

o   A retreating forehead!!  Edmond, how did you not realize Danglers was evil when you first met him! o   Edmond spying on people from his window with binoculars like a stereotypical suburban housewife on the hunt for gossip is the most amazing image ever, thank you Dumas o   The whole horse theft thing is just SO PETTY. Like I know it’s part of a Scheme, but…sooooo petty. o   The politeness mind games Edmond plays with people is honestly the most enjoyable part of the book so far, why can’t we have less obscure chess mastering and more clever social maneuvering?

XLVII

o   The baroness Danglers is Terrible and kind of hilarious in her utter lack of chill o   I’m not sure which headcanon I like better—Edmond actually spending the timeskip years hanging around theatres and annoying the actors into giving him lessons, or Edmond being super obvious and overacting literally all the time but everyone assumes it’s just part of his ~eccentricity~ and never calls him on it o   He gave the horses diamond earrings.  What the hell, Edmond. o   Okay again, Edmond the shadowy figure pulling the strings of some mysterious grand plan isn’t that interesting of a character to me—Edmond the petty, passive-aggressive verbal sparer using rich people’s own societal convention and etiquette laws against them is FANTASTIC and I am totally rooting for him in those moments

XLVIII

o   Not really sure how much of this Edmond actually believes and how much he’s just saying to weird out Villefort, but what the hell anyways o   Nortier :(((((

XLIX

o   Haydee!!! o   …question, was Greece actually included in ~The East~ from a 19th century French standpoint?  I don’t think I’ve ever heard it lumped in with orientalism before, but Haydee being Greek also seems to make her Turkish and generally ~Eastern~ as far as her wardrobe and interior decor is concerned? o   Haydee definitely needs some friends, but she is awesome regardless

L

o   The Morrels are adorable and I’m really glad they’re doing well o   Watch it Edmond, you’re on the verge of making a friend o   Edmond BLUSHED oh my god let’s keep Julie around always o   Edmond’s identities are getting a little precarious here—if Maximilien ever talked to Franz about the whole Sinbad saving his family thing Franz would be only too happy to tell him that Monte Cristo goes by that name sometimes and “oh uh no there’s TWO Sinbads running around and the one who helped you is my weird English friend who just happens to look a lot like me” would be a pretty flimsy excuse o   But possibly that would require a higher level of friendship than Edmond would expect, especially since he had no reason to expect Max’s social circle to overlap with his enemies’ kids’ o   I would laugh so hard if all his castle of lies collapsed from a couple friends chatting though, oh my god o   WAIT A SECOND, didn’t Albert talk about Franz’s Arabian Nights adventures with the Count at the breakfast that Max was AT?  Come on dude, put it together, there can’t be that many people running around with that ridiculous an alias o   Also, so far Mercedes and Julie are the only two who have even looked funny at the Count so far!  A+ perceptiveness, ladies! o   Also I’m so glad that part of Edmond’s disguise routine is tight corsets o   I had to put down the book to go OOOOOOH at Morrel attributing his salvation to Edmond Dantes’s ghost, DANG Dumas I was not expecting that o   Edmond: oh well I have no idea who that is but I have to leave right now immediately for totally unrelated reasons

LI

o   At least twice this chapter I found myself thinking “wow, this is really Pyramus and Thisbe!” before remembering that that is, in fact, the title of the chapter, so well done Dumas you got me o   Also side note last time I read a thing where the heroine had an evil dad and the name Valentine was involved it belonged to the dad, so my brain keeps trying to autocorrect “Valentine” to “Valentine’s Daughter” o   Be quiet, brain, we can reread Mortal Engines later o   Valentine also really needs more friends!  Can she make friends with Haydee, please? o   @aporeticelenchus​  okay now it definitely makes sense that Edmond would have sought out Franz separately from Albert—I wonder what exactly he was hoping to find in his enemy’s future son-in-law, and if Franz met expectations? o   Marking this down as another class-as-costume moment, now for romance purposes! o   …I wonder what Franz did to make Villefort want him as a son-in-law so bad, since he doesn’t seem to like most people—maybe just being rich and titled, of course o   I’m so sad about Valentine and Nortier’s friendship already :( o   VALENTINE NEEDS A HUG o   I’m glad she at least had a good relationship with her mom?  Her mom was a good, from the little we saw of her :( o   I love how much literally all the kids hate Danglers.  He has a creepy laugh!  Thank you, Valentine

LII

o   This whole chapter is just…very extra.  There is absolutely zero subtlety happening here. o   Valentine is also definitely right to be scared of her stepmom, jeez.  Now I want to hug her even more! o   AU where Edmond’s grand vengeance is actually just raising all his enemies’ kids better than they ever could like in Maleficent o   “this domestic pest answering to the name of Edouard” man I love it when the narrators get judgey o   Once again Edmond pulls two disguises on the same person and gets away with it!  although the fact that he admits it makes me want to think he actually hired someone else to play the doctor in Italy, just to be contrary o   Edmond judging people’s parenting skills is also hilarious o   (Maleficent au!!!) o   EDMOND IS THE DREAD PIRATE ROBERTS, THE TRUTH IS REVEALED AT LAST

LIII

o   Eugenie!!! o   Albert is so rightfully terrified of her, this is amazing o   I would actually kind of love for the two of them to get convenience-married and then just ignore each other forever? o   Eugenie checking out literally every woman in the opera house is incredible, girl wouldn’t know subtlety if it bit her on the nose—but Haydee is a musician!  Eugenie should invite her over for jam sessions with her and her singer girlfriend! FRIENDSHIP! o   Please just give Haydee friends okay o   Also the slave/princess thing Haydee’s got going is making people uncomfortable and unsure how to treat her, class as costume but the other way around maybe! o   AT LEAST HAYDEE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE STAGE o   Haydee backstory!  Excellent!

LIV

o   “ADORABLE” o   Franz’s comments about the count in his letter to Albert—PLEASE CHILL??? o   Unless Albert is making this up as an excuse to compliment the count himself, in which case YOU chill o   Oh so Franz’s dad was a royalist!  That would explain that arranged marriage o   Albert’s really making a fuss about this marriage thing, Eugenie seems mostly indifferent?  Well, maybe it’s just because she’s a lot scarier than he is

LV-LVI

o   These are…a weird couple chapters o   It’s interesting to see the behind the scenes of Edmond’s chessmastering though! o   Also, these two are really terrible actors and I would not be surprised at all if they gave the game away o   At the very least, we should get to see Edmond judging their acting prowess which should be ENTERTAINING o   Again we have ~Andrea~ meeting Edmond in various identities without being any the wiser!  I really want to do a comparison with Fantomina tbh o   They’ve already broken character??  STANDARDS, guys

LVII

o   I’m sad that Eugenie and Valentine aren’t friends, but at least they can talk to each other? o   I do get the feeling that Eugenie wouldn’t have a ton of patience for Valentine’s woe-is-me spiel though, so okay o   …did Nortier murder Franz’s dad, because I would scream o   Honestly, all the next gen boys are so hearteyes about Edmond it’s hilarious o   Sweet of Edmond to get Max that horse he wanted, though!  And…he actually exercised subtlety for once in his life instead of just sending it to Max’s place with diamond earrings??  INCREDIBLE

[dust2dust34]

Pieces of Always: December 2014 (FICoN ‘verse)

Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows.

by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34

Summary: Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. (You do not need to have read FiCoN to enjoy this, but it will spoil the end. Please see the first installment for additional author notes. Thank you @jsevick​ and @alizziebyanyothername​ for the amazing beta!)

A/N: Please see the first chapter for an important Author’s Note, as well as under the cut for an additional one.

A/N: I am taking more of a beta role for right now. The effervescent @so-caffeinated is fully in the driver’s seat and she’s kicking all the ass, so please go send her your love!

(read on AO3)

December 2014 - Sins of the Mother

‘Things’ don’t mean a whole lot to Will. They never have. But, he’s awfully pleased with his room at his dad’s house. It’s not that there’s so much stuff in it, even though there really is. It’s that his dad and Felicity obviously put so much thought into it.

There’s a Lego Movie poster on the back of his door and a picture of him and his dad at a ballgame on the edge of his mirror. He’s got Big Hero 6 sheets and a whole pirate ship play set of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Now, that might just sound like a typical first-grade boy’s room, but it’s not to Will. It’s a reminder that Felicity took him to see the Lego Movie when his dad got stuck at work and that his dad got season tickets to the Starling City Rockets just because he likes baseball. It’s a reminder that his dad had stopped him from crying when he’d skinned his knee by quoting Baymax and asking ‘On a scale of 1-to-10, how would you rate your pain?’ Will had said zero, even though it hurt, because that’s how the line goes. It’s a reminder that he spent a solid month saying “aw, coconuts” at every opportunity, just like Jake’s pirate friend Cubby, and they never once pointed out how annoying it was, even though Will’s pretty sure it drove them nuts.

Will’s room is a filled with evidence that he belongs here, that his dad and Felicity love him and welcome him as a part of their family. So, that’s why he loves it. It’s not all the ‘stuff,’ it’s what all the stuff means.

Today there’s an extra layer of excitement to it all, though. Because today he gets to stay here. He gets to sleep in that bed for the very first time. And, while part of him is really super worried about being away from his mom all night long, a bigger part is just buzzing with anticipation at staying the whole weekend with his dad.

Until this past summer, his mom was his only family, but it’s grown quickly this year. He’s got his dad and Felicity and soon he’ll have a baby sister. He’s got kinda mixed feelings on that last one. He’s excited to be a big brother - he’s always wanted that - but he’s also a bit worried that it’ll change how his dad sees him.

He hasn’t said that, though. Not to anyone. The idea of voicing it makes him too nervous.

But he doesn’t need to worry, yet. Julianna is still more than a month away from being born, and Will has a super awesome weekend ahead of him and a second Christmas with his dad. It sort of promises to be the best weekend ever.

He tosses his overnight bag in the corner of his room and sits on the edge of his bed, bouncing a bit on the mattress - because he can - and giggles when he flops backwards and looks up at the solar system model that decorates his ceiling. It’s a nightlight, too. ‘Cause his dad was worried he’d wake up and not know where he was, so now he’s got the glow of the planets to remind him.

Will’s not a hundred percent sure, but he strongly suspects he’s got the best dad in the whole world. And he gets to spend two whole days with him.

A little thrill of excitement runs through him at that and he grins up at Jupiter for a moment until his stomach rumbles loudly.

Snacktime seems to be most of the time, lately. His mom says he’s in the middle of a growth spurt, which has Will checking his height against the marks on his doorframe back home on a daily basis. He swears there’s a difference from a few days ago, but his mom had flattened his hair and told him otherwise. He’s not buying it, though. He knows he’s grown. Just like he knows he’s hungry and Felicity totally bought him those yogurt push-up things his mom won’t get because she says they’re too messy.

There are so many perks to being at his dad’s house.

Will hops off the bed and scurries from his room, all inexhaustible childish energy. He barely pays attention as he slams his bedroom door behind him and bolts down the stairs, taking them two at a time and wondering if he’d get in trouble here for sliding down the railing like he does back home.

He might try that later. It’s super fun, even if it does get him scolded pretty hard by his mom.

It would probably be a good idea to just try it now. His dad had to go answer the door just a few minutes after his mom left and Felicity had gone up to her room for something. It’s tempting. He’s all alone, way less likely to get into trouble… But, no. He wants that yogurt and he wants it now.

Apparently Felicity couldn’t remember what flavor he liked, because he opens the fridge to find pretty much all of them ever made. This is extra awesome because there’s Berry Bubblegum Bash which is a thing his mom says is gross and he doesn’t need, but it’s totally his favorite anyhow. He tears into the tube of yogurt and happily starts sucking it down when he hears his dad talking to whoever was at the door.

“Mom, I don’t know what made you think this would be a good idea.”

Grandma Moira, then, Will realizes. He’s met his dad’s mom twice and she’s… she’s weird. She’s not like he thought grandmas were. She shook his hand instead of hugging him when they met and she just kind of stares at him like she can’t figure something out. He’s pretty sure his mom doesn’t like her much, either. They barely spoke and when they did it was clipped and stiff like the way his mom had been with him after that parent-teacher conference last year when she’d found out he’d been ditching his homework assignments on the bus since October. So… super mad, is what he’s thinking. She’s super mad at his grandmother and he doesn’t know why, but it’s enough to make him a little nervous around her anyhow.

At least he has Felicity’s mom. She sorta makes up for it because she’s all hugs. She squishes him and leaves lipstick smears on his face and sneaks him cookies with a wink and a finger to her lips urging silence. Grandma Donna’s pretty awesome, even if she’s not actually his grandma.

“Of course it’s a good idea, Oliver. He’s my grandson.”

Oh… they’re talking about him. Will freezes at that realization, yogurt in hand. He squeezes it tightly between his little fingers, but he’s no longer drinking it down. What are they talking about?

“You know exactly what terms you can see him under and you know why,” his father counters sharply.

Will’s brow furrows at that. He’s got no idea what they’re talking about, but it’s enough to make him nervous. Had he done something? What did he do?

“Don’t be ridiculous, Oliver. These barriers you’re putting up are completely pointless.”

“The one thing Samantha insisted on if he was going to be a part of my life is that he not see you unless she’s there, too. And you know what? I agree with her. So, no, Mom, the barriers aren’t pointless at all. They're there to protect my family.”

His head spinning with all of this, Will takes a few hesitant steps toward the stairs and holds onto the railing before sitting on the bottom step and tucking his legs in close, making himself small as he listens in.

“I am your family. And whatever you might think, everything I did, I did to protect you.”

“You told me my son was dead!”  

His dad’s voice is so loud and so sharp that Will don’t have to strain to hear it. He’s never heard his dad yell before, never heard him really angry, but he definitely is now.

And he’s not done.

“You robbed me of knowing my son for years. And you’d have kept doing it if I hadn’t found out on my own. This is my son, my child, and he spent the first six years of his life without a dad because of you.”

“Yes,” his grandmother confirms. “And he was better off for it. You weren’t ready to be a father then, Oliver. That boy would have ruined your life.”

There’s more yelling after that, voices increasingly loud and definitely angry on both sides, but Will can’t make out the words because he’s crying too hard to hear it. He doesn’t feel like he’s ruining his dad’s life. He doesn’t want to do that. He’d sort of thought everything was great, that his dad was happy. Is he not? Does his dad secretly wish he’d never met him? Would he be happier if it was just him and Felicity and their baby?

Will tucks himself into the tiniest ball he can manage, his tears soaking through the sleeves of his Super Why sweatshirt. Maybe he should go back home. Maybe he belongs with his mom. But what if he’s ruining her life, too? What if he’s just no good, if he doesn’t belong anywhere? What if no one really wants him?

He’s so heartsick that he’s nauseous and he squeezes the yogurt in his hand hard enough that it gets all over the knee of his jeans. That just makes him cry harder because now he’s made a mess and that already gets him a scolding from his mom. Will Felicity hate him for it? Will his dad?

“Will?”

He can’t make himself look up at the sound of Felicity’s voice. He just scoots closer to the wall, away from her and whimpers into his arms.

“Will, what’s wrong?” Her voice sort of trails off at the end and he’s pretty sure that’s because his dad and his grandma are yelling loudly enough that she hears whatever they’re saying.

He’s not sure what he thought Felicity would do, but lowering herself down to the step he’s on and pulling him into her arms isn’t it. She’s huge these days. Her baby takes up all the space where she’d have had a lap and there’s no room for Will, but it seems like that’s something Felicity refuses to accept because she holds him tighter than he could have imagined.

“I’m sorry, baby, you shouldn’t have heard this. I’m so sorry. She’s wrong, okay? She’s wrong.” It’s whispered fiercely into his mop of hair and there’s so much determination in her voice that he thinks maybe she actually means it. That just makes Will sob harder into her chest because maybe he doesn’t even deserve this. Maybe she’s just being nice.

Later, when he’s older, he’ll wonder how the hell she’d managed to both stand and pick him up. He’s not that big yet, but she is eight months pregnant and it has to be incredibly awkward. But she does it anyhow. He buries his face in her neck and clings to her because even though all of a sudden he’s not sure he deserves to be comforted, he still needs it.

He’s only dimly aware of them moving closer to the shouting in the living room, but he does register when his not-quite-stepmother speaks up because her voice is low and livid and it rumbles beneath his cheek.

“Get the hell out of my house,” she snaps.

The yelling stops instantly and he can hear his father quietly say his name. It sounds concerned, but then maybe his dad just feels like that’s his responsibility. Will clings to Felicity’s neck, his fingers gripping the back of her maternity blouse so tightly that his knuckles hurt.

“He wasn’t meant to hear any of that,” Grandma Moira states. She sounds a little uneasy as she says it. “I didn’t intend to-”

“I really don’t care about your intentions, Moira,” Felicity announces, cutting her off. “You hurt my little boy. Again. So you can get out, cool down and give us a call next week when I want to throttle you slightly less for doing this to him.”

Will melts a little as he feels his dad’s now-familiar arms lift him from Felicity and pull him close. It’s so warm, so welcoming, and Will is so very terrified that it’s not real, that it’s been faked out of some sense of obligation, and that maybe it won’t last.

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m so sorry,” he sobs out brokenly against his dad’s shirt. “I didn’t mean to ruin anything. I’m sorry.”

“Mom, get out,” his father says. It’s softer than Felicity’s voice had been, but no less firm and the click of heels along the wood floor a moment later gives way to the thunk of the front door shutting.

And then his father’s attention is entirely on him. “She’s wrong, Buddy. You didn’t ruin anything. I promise. I love you so much, okay? We all love you. My life is so much better with you in it.”

“Why’s she hate me?” Will asks into his dad’s collarbone, eyes pinched shut and his nose running on his dad’s shirt. “What’d I do? I’ll fix it. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, god, Will… you didn’t do anything,” his dad says. His voice is so thick that Will thinks maybe he’s crying, too. “Felicity… what do I…?”

“I don’t know,” she answers quietly. “I don’t know. This is…” She sighs hugely and he hears the sofa creak under her weight as she plops down on it. His dad follows suit a moment later and Will winds up on his dad’s lap, his head tucked under his father’s chin while Felicity runs her fingers through his hair.

“Will, look at me, Buddy, please?” his dad asks.

It’s hard, but he does. With a sniffle and a swipe of his nose along his sleeve, Will looks up to find his father looking back at him brokenly.

“Nobody hates you, Will,” he vows. Will flinches because he’s not sure how he can believe that right now. “Your Grandma Moira made a big mistake before you were born, okay? I… I wanted to wait until you were older for us to talk about this. I wanted to talk with your mom, first, but…”

“You don’t have a choice now, Oliver,” Felicity murmurs from his side. There’s a whole silent conversation that goes on between the two of them and Will finds himself bracing for whatever’s going to come next.

“Your mom and I… we were young when we found out she was pregnant with you and we didn’t have the kind of relationship Felicity and I do,” his dad says. It’s all a bit broken, like he’s not sure what he’s supposed to be saying here, but that just makes Will listen harder. Grown-ups tend to be more honest when they haven’t planned out what they’re gonna say. “My mom thought I was too young to be a daddy. She thought I might miss out on too many parts of growing up if I had a baby. So she made some bad choices that kept us apart.”

“She told you I died,” Will supplies.

His dad doesn’t want to agree. He can see that much, but there’s also no arguing that point. Not after what he’s heard.

“She did,” he confirms. “She did tell me that and she made your mom go away so I wouldn’t know that you hadn’t.”

“None of this has anything to do with how we feel about you, Will,” Felicity assures him. She’s stroking his hair like a mom, like his mom, and looking at him like she’d give anything for him to believe her. He wants to. He loves them so very much and he’s gotten painfully attached to this side of his life very quickly. “Your dad is so happy that you’re his son. Even when you aren’t here, we talk about you all the time. He’s always showing off your picture to people and telling them stories about what you did together. And me? Will, you’re an awesome kid with such a big heart. You didn’t have to accept me in your life, but you did. Right from the very beginning, you did. You’re not really my son. You’re not even my stepson. But I can’t imagine my life without you in it and I’m so happy that you’ve let me be a part of yours.”

“But…” Will pauses, his eyes casting down. Felicity’s baby bump is front and center, full-on proof right in front of him that they don’t need him to be parents. They’ll have a baby of their own soon enough.

“But, what?” his father asks, wiping his thumbs beneath Will’s eyes to clear away the tears.

Will clears his throat and looks up nervously. “But… you won’t need me, soon. You’ll have Julianna. Your real kid, the one that belongs to the two of you and you get to have all the time.”

Aw, damn, he’s made Felicity cry. In truth, it’s amazing it took this long. She cries a lot lately. His dad says the baby makes her do that sometimes, that it’s something called ‘hormones,’ but Will’s never seen her not pregnant, so he’s not all that sure about that yet.

“Come here,” she insists, tugging him from his father’s lap. His dad seems reluctant to let him go, which is pretty nice, but Felicity is insistent. Sitting on her lap is awkward as anything. He’s sort of draped over her stomach as she hugs him like she’s afraid he might disappear if she lets him go. “Nothing is ever going to change what you mean to us, Will,” she promises. “Julianna is completely separate from you. We need both of you to make our family whole. She’s gonna need her big brother and I’m gonna need my Will and so will your dad.”

“Were you worried about this before today?” his dad asks.

Will can feel his lower lip quivering and his eyes watering up again. “Maybe a little,” he admits.

There’s a rustling of fabric for a moment and a squeak of the sofa. Soon enough, Will realizes his father is standing up. “Hold on a minute, Bud,” he says. “I need to show you a Christmas present.”

“I don’t need a present,” Will tells him, his heart sinking a little because he knows no toy is going to make this better.

“Good, because it’s not for you,” his father says, shooting him a slightly amused look. That’s enough to pique his interest and Will watches as his father disappears into the kitchen and trots up the stairs.

It’s very quiet then, except for the sound of his father’s heavy footfalls and Felicity’s concerned sigh as she rubs his back.

“We found out about you when we needed you the most,” she tells him, tucking the top of his head under her chin. “I know you don’t understand that, yet, but you’ve brought us a lot of joy when things were pretty tough. You’re a bright spot in both of our lives and neither one of us would give you up for anything. You make everything better, Will. You make us so happy…”

He cuddles in, ignoring the way Julianna pushes back against his chest when he squeezes Felicity. Every word she’s said, every word his dad’s said is like a balm to his bruised heart. And he wants to let it heal him. He wants that so badly…

“Found it,” his dad says, reentering the room with a box in hand. “I got this for your sister for Christmas, but I think maybe she’d want you to hold on to it for her for now.”

Will eyes the slim box warily because he can’t possibly begin to imagine what’s in it. Felicity clearly knows, though, because the smile on her face grows about a mile wide as she watches Will’s dad with teary-eyed affection.

“Go on, open it up,” his father urges, handing him the box.

Will untangles himself from Felicity, as his dad sits back down next to them and pulls them both closer with an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder. It’s nice, cozy, leaves him literally surrounded by the family he’s been sitting here questioning his own value to. They’re definitely acting like they want him, anyhow.

He shakes off the top of the box and looks down at it with a furrowed brow before looking back up at his dad. “It’s a picture frame with lots of spots for pictures.”

“It’s a little more than that,” his dad tells him. “How’s your reading going?”

“It’s… going,” Will says a little anxiously. Words are hard. He’s got letters down no problem, but books with pictures are just so much easier.

“How about I help you a bit here, then, okay?” his dad offers, taking his hand and placing it over the engraving beneath one empty spot for a picture. “What’s this first word? You know this one.”

“It’s Will,” he says a little astonished at the familiar letters beneath his fingers. “And the next word is ‘and.’ I know that one. It’s a sight word at school.”

“Good job,” his dad says. “Can you sound out the next word here?”

“Um… Gel?” he asks before huffing in frustration when his dad doesn’t agree.

“Maybe we should save the reading lesson for sometime a bit less… this one,” Felicity offers.

“Jules,” his dad tells him. “That word is Jules. This says ‘Will and Jules at their first ballgame.’”

“It does?” Will asks, looking up hopefully.

“Yeah,” his father confirms. “It does. And this next one says ‘Will and Jules at the park.’ And the next one says ‘Will and Jules at Mom and Dad’s wedding.’ ...You were always gonna be a part of our family, Will. From the instant I knew you existed, we wanted you to be in our lives. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise, not your grandmother and not your own heart. Julianna won’t make you less a part of this family, she’ll just give you a bigger family to be a part of, Buddy.”

It’s a good thing that Felicity had one hand on the picture frame because Will drops it without warning and launches himself at his father. Oliver’s more than ready for him, holding onto the boy for all he’s worth.

“I want you in my life, too, Daddy,” he murmurs into his father’s neck. “Felicity and Julianna, too. I’ll be a good brother. You’ll see. I’ll take her to the park and teach her baseball and I’ll only sneak her cookies sometimes.”

“I know, Little Man, I know,” his dad whispers back, rocking him and cupping the back of his head. “I never had a doubt, because you’re already the best son I could ask for.”

Will swallows hard and nods, before pulling back and looking at his dad. “Is it okay if maybe I don’t like your mom so much?” he asks. “She makes me feel bad. I don’t like feeling bad. I don’t think I want her to be my grandma. Can I just have Grandma Donna instead?”

He’s pretty damned nervous about asking this, but he just doesn’t know how he can face his Grandma Moira. Not after today, not knowing what she thinks of him. And he doesn’t want to feel sad. It’s awful. He hates crying.

“You’re always gonna have Grandma Donna,” his dad tells him. “And I think maybe it’s a good idea that you don’t see my mom much for a bit.”

“I think Samantha is going to insist on that,” Felicity adds quietly.

His dad tilts his head in agreement. “However you feel about my mom is okay, WIll. She hurt both of us and she cost us a lot of time together. I can’t blame you if you don’t like her. She’s not always an easy person to like. And if you don’t want to see her, I’ll limit that as much as I can for you, but she’s still your grandmother. Nothing changes that.”

“Okay,” Will agrees, because that’s as close to getting his way as he thinks he can really expect.

“Do you feel a bit better? Did you want to call your mom?” his dad asks. Even without looking, Will knows just from his tone that his father is desperately hoping he doesn’t want to make that call. His mom will come rushing back in a heartbeat. She’d probably be upset with his dad, even though it’s not really his fault, and Will might not even get his holiday weekend with his dad if that happened.

“I’m good,” he assures him. He lets go of his dad with one hand to rest it on Felicity’s belly. Jules kicks him immediately in greeting - or maybe it’s a fist-bump, he’s decided his little sister is the fist-bump type; maybe they’ll make up their own secret handshake someday, just like in Big Hero-6. Felicity’s hand settles over his and squeezes gently. Something in his heart settles at the closeness with the three of them.

When he’d been younger, when he’d daydreamed about his dad, he’d come up with a million scenarios for what his father would be like. Sometimes he was awesome, sometimes he was awful. Sometimes his dad had a whole huge family that existed without him, sometimes his father was a spy or a soldier or a superhero. His imagination drafted a hundred scenarios, a million lives that could have been his, but thinking about that now, he realizes not a one of them was as great as his life really turned out to be.

“I’m more than good,” he says. “I’m sort of great.”

*

Thank you for reading! Reviews literally feed the soul and muse, so go feed @so-caffeinated!

[ghosta-r]

1-70, Dragon ask

O.O omg someone actually did it. alright here we go. this is gonna take a while.

how would you handle living on Berk? well, it would be a huge culture shock for a while, obviously. it would take me a while to get used to not having wifi and running water. but i think in the long run i’d like it! they were simpler times, after all. also adventure. can’t get adventure like that in the 21st century, can we?

how do you think you’d be different if you grew up on Berk? i think my mind wouldn’t be as cluttered. i think i would live a simpler life. i would likely still be enthusiastic and creative and kinda weird, but in a very Viking way.

yaks, chicken, or sheep? um... i guess sheep? i’d probably have one that i’d just hang out with all the time and talk to like it was a cat or something lol

the chicken is not amused. what did you do wrong? i procrastinated homework that’s what

favorite dragon species? don’t ask me that. it’s like trying to pick a favorite cat breed! i don’t care what kind it is just give me all the kitties!!! same with dragons. i love them all.

what type of dragon would you like to ride? is that different from the dragon you’d most likely ride? um... i think i’d like to ride a Triple Stryke or a Deathsong or a Flightmare. something unexpected! but i’d most likely ride a Gronckle; probably all i could handle.

how would your first flight on a dragon turn out? maybe with me flopping down on my back and simultaneously wanting to fly every minute of my life and to never fly again.

on a scale of Snotlout to Hiccup, how are your dragon riding skills? on that scale i am Dagur. just dicking around like a maniac until i figure it out.

would you get into trouble on Berk? it depends. i’m not exactly a daredevil and i’m not an inventor of potentially dangerous weapons. looking at you, hiccup. but no matter how much i try to stay out of the spotlight i manage to do one or two things wrong so yeah i’d probably get into minimal trouble

would you try Astrid's yaknog? yes, out of politeness. then, if i’m brave enough, i’d critique it. without getting punched in the face.

coolest dragon? NIGHTFURY

scariest dragon? the Screaming Death. that thing is freaky. of course i did once make up a giant spider dragon but that’s not canon so it don’t count

most unique dragon? i’d say the Triple Stryke! it’s like a scorpion pokemon and i love it so much

favorite dragon class? uh.... i guess Strike class?

suggest a new dragon species. what does it look like? what are its powers? SPIDER DRAGON!!! well, technically it’s called the Arachnid Vilehide. it looks similar to a Deathsong, only in dark, dull colors with no bright decorations, and it has eight long skinny legs and wings that it can fold into special flaps on its back. also it’s got a couple different venoms; one to put prey to sleep and one to kill prey.

if YOU were a dragon, what would you be? oy. i have no clue. maybe a Terrible Terror.

any underappreciated dragon species you want to give a callout to? GRONCKLES!! they are so sweet and pure and so overlooked!

what do you think Stoick does with all his wooden duck carvings? maybe he’s creating them for his future grandchildren. hehe

the dragon riders can visit anywhere in the world, any place in history. where would you suggest they go? ah....... maybe the Lewis and Clark expedition???? cmon, exploring a mysterious new land? hiccup loves that shit! 

you, Hiccup, Snotlout, and Tuffnut are now roommates in an apartment. how well does this work out? alright i feel like hiccup would be a decent roommate. snotlout and tuffnut on the other hand would not. tuff would probably keep his space fairly contained, but he’d just do a lot of weird shit. i don’t know

you, Astrid, Heather, and Ruffnut are now roommates in an apartment. how well does this work out? alright this would be pretty cool. since we’d all be girls, it wouldn’t be so weird. plus it would be easier for us to bond. girls nights!!

what do you think the dragon riders are like as old women and men? uh... like themselves but.. slower, quieter, and weirder.

which character do you relate the most to? definitely Hiccup. we are both restless explorers. we are both discovering who we are. we are both compassionate, but at the same time take no shit. we are awkward and know we’re a little weirder than everyone else. we are adventurers and stubborn rebels. 

how well do your know your dragon stats? not at all.

who would you want to spend a day with? who would be your best friend? HICCUP.

how would you handle the twins' pranks? Loki'd! i would be very annoyed with them at first. but then as i get used to it i would learn how to retaliate.

you and Snotlout are on patrol together. what happens? Snotlout tries to flirt with me and i ignore him. 

which character would you get along with the least? ah... maybe Snotlout. i don’t know, i kinda get along with everyone so idk

anyone on Berk you'd date?  I hear Bucket is single... maybe ruffnut? she’s so pretty!

axes, swords, hammers, bows and arrows, or maces? i think bows and arrows. i’d suck at close combat!

what would your house look like on Dragon's Edge? homey and cozy. i’d have lots of space for my hobby activities (painting and embroidery, probably) but also special spaces where i have my books, candles, blankets, and pillows just so i can chill there in the evenings. 

what is your favorite house on Dragon's Edge? i think the clubhouse, actually!

what's your favorite island? (outside of Berk) uh i guess Dragon’s Edge? it’s a cool lil place.

favorite villain? i think Viggo. he is definitely one of the most compelling villains i’ve ever seen, and not just in httyd. sad to see him go! i hope he’s not dead.

how would you handle being kidnapped by the Outcasts? i would barely be able to handle it at all. you know, panic and stuff. i’d kinda just hide in wherever the Outcasts put me while i wait for Hiccup to come save my sorry ass.

give the dragon riders superpowers. what can each of them do? um.. Hiccup has actual wings and can fly. Astrid has super strength. the twins can predict anything that will happen in the next hour. i don’t know what the rest of them have, i’m tired

favorite track in the HTTYD or HTTYD 2 OST? i love the track Flying With Mother from httyd2. hiccup is such a mama’s boy!

favorite ship? HICCSTRID. but i also have a soft spot for Dagcup.

favorite friendship? i love Hiccup and Snotlout’s friendship. 

favorite dragon-rider duo? the twins make a great duo. i love them.

favorite secondary or background character? DAGUR! does he count?

suggest a new pairing. why would it work? ah.... maybe Ruffnut and Dagur? they’re both pretty weird but also have lots of strengths. also they are cinnamon rolls. i think they’d make a really cute ship.

I want these two characters to spend more time together... definitely Hiccup and Dagur.

come up with a crack pairing. um.. Snotlout and Fishlegs. idk it’s off the top of my head.

have any HTTYD OCs? YES!!!! i have an OC named Glacier who was once a forager of dragon root for Viggo. eventually she figured out what the dragon root was being used for, so she quit and ended up joining the dragon riders, but not without a lot of hardships along the way. anyways she ends up breaking off completely from her abusers and rising above her fear to defeat them.

suggest a new AU (or mention an AU you like). i’ve recently been getting into a pirates AU! i’ve only just started so it’s really new but i like it a lot

suggest a new crossover (or mention one you like). um idk i’d really like a crossover with Voltron. i think it would be fun!

list off your top three fandoms. now combine them with HTTYD. what would the crossover be like? um, Gravity Falls (a wormhole in time and space makes the dragon riders fall into Gravity Falls), Ghostbusters (the ghosts of the dragon riders are looking for the ghosts of their dragons and the Ghostbusters end up helping them do so), and Voltron (the dragon riders are targeted by Zarkon and Team Voltron protects them). 

list off any three of your fandoms and combine them with HTTYD for the weirdest crossover you can think of. but i just did that! 

do you think any of the dragon riders have children? have any headcanons about the next generation? i have many headcanons. but my favorite is that Hiccup and Astrid end up adopting a little girl and her younger brother when their village is completely destroyed by an unknown enemy.

favorite thing about your favorite character? i love how compassionate Hiccup is. he tries to avoid bloodshed if he can and that’s why he is so pure.

tell me a character and I'll give you a headcanon. um.. i don’t really understand this one.

tell me a character and I'll give you a favorite quote. ???

tell me a show, movie, or movie short and I'll tell you a favorite scene. ?????????

have you read the books? if so, which book is your favorite? i’ve only read a handful of them! but i loved How to Be a Pirate. i’ve gotta finish reading them!

suggest a DreamWorks Dragons episode plot. um... Hiccup is kidnapped by pirates and held for ransom. idk i think it might be a fun episode.

who's an underappreciated character and why do you appreciate them? RUFFNUT IS SO UNDERAPPRECIATED. did you see how badass she was in “Twintuition”??? she’s fuckin awesome!!!!

you have to give each of the dragon riders awards. what awards do you give everyone? to Hiccup: most near-death experiences without actually dying. to Astrid: supreme queen of badassery. to Snotlout: not as big of a jerk as you could have been. to Fishlegs: sweetest nerd in existence. to the twins: best secret geniuses. to Heather: 

who has the best hairstyle? Heather! i love her braid.

should Hiccup, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut grow beards? .....nah.

who has the best outfit? i’d say... Hiccup. he just looks great

how would you react if Snotlout started hitting on you? roll my eyes and ignore him. 

how would you react if Ruffnut started hitting on you? i think i would instinctively blush!

do you know all the lyrics in "For the Dancing and the Dreaming?" yes. yes i do. i may or may not mouth the entire song to myself in the shower. 

let's be mean. how do you think each of the dragon riders will die? in an ideal world, they’ll all die of old age surrounded by their loved ones. but most likely, some of them will die by murder, maybe by recklessness, maybe by accidents with dragons. i honestly don’t know. do i even want to know?

how did you enter the HTTYD fandom? officially? well, it was June 15, 2014. i had just seen httyd2 in theaters with my family. i cried in the theater and i was blown away by how incredible it was. so, as i do when i’m blown away by a movie, i checked out the tag on tumblr. what i found was an amazing fandom filled with such sweet and talented people. that was the day i joined the fandom. 

when did you enter the HTTYD fandom? as i said, June 15, 2014. 

what made you fall in love with How to Train Your Dragon? i think it was the sense of adventure and wonder, and the idea that the person who didn’t expect much of himself and was different from everyone else was the one who changed his entire world. that’s inspiring.

what is something you didn't initially think about but grew to love about HTTYD? probably all the meta that goes with the series. there’s deeper things behind what you initially see. once you see it, it’s beautiful.

what is the BEST thing (to you) about HTTYD and its franchise? the best thing? i’d say it’s the characters. they’re really deeply created. they have flaws, fears, and goals. i just love how they’re written

wow that took forever. 

[mscocherell]

Paris- Day 2

Today was COLD!! It hovered a little below freezing most of the day and the sun never came out. At least there was no rain!  What a bad day for Disney, but we went anyways.  So we got up, got on the metro and headed towards magic.  I wanted to be there for rope drop, so we were a little early and ended up having to wait about 30 minutes to get into he park.  That was still 30 minutes earlier than the posted opening time.  We started the day at Walt Disney Studios which is the Paris version of Hollywood Studios.

First we ran to crush's coaster but it already had a 50 minute wait due to all the extra magic hour people and since it's not on the fast pass system we moved on to get a fastpass for ratatouille.  That made our first ride of the day Rock'n Roller Coaster.  None of the external decorations are present which makes walking into the ride kind of lame.  While the intro video is in English and features Aerosmith it makes no sense.  Something about model roller coaster and coming up with a new song or something?  IDK, anyways, you spill out not onto the alley to catch the super stretch limo, but into some sort of AV room to catch your super stretch limo....??  The ride, however, is literally the exact same coaster but none of the decoration on the inside is present and the music is not as loud.  Definitely not as good as the Orlando version.  

Next was tower of terror.  The tower looks a little different on the outside, but overall has the same feel.  The intro video is the exact same but in French.  The middle parts of the ride are different, which made it really fun because I wasn't sure when the drop was going to happen.  It made it a lot of fun-- kind of like riding it for the first time again.  We then headed to Lights, Moteurs, Action!! So, this show originated in Paris and has been retired from Orlando (because the space was demolished for Star Wars Land). It was a lot of fun to see this again.

It was then time for our fastpass to ratatoullie.  The ride was really neat!  I'm excited to see the version that they are bringing to France in Epcot.  Lastly, we tried Crush's coaster again but the wait had gone up and we really needed to move on so that was a wrap for Studios. Disneyland Parc (the Magic Kingdom) is a 2 minute walk across, so that was neat.

I'm going to steal Michale's quote to explain to you how we felt about walking into this side of the park-- "It feels like someone came into my house and rearranged the furniture".  Main Street looks just the same, but a little different and the castle is obviously pink!  Everything in Disneyland Paris is just a little smaller than in Orlando.  Even the main street buildings are shorter.  The rides are shorter too.  The castle seems significantly smaller.  So we went to see the castle and below lives a dragon, so of course we had to go see the dragon.  It is a really neat touch to have a dragon living below the castle-- not a super thrilling attraction but just a Disney touch.  

Then it was time for lunch.  What a freaking disaster!  Nothing was open and the places that were open had a HUGE line out the door (even quick service).  We went to several places around the park and eventually had to walk by hyperspace mountain so we picked up fast passes.  Eventually we found ourselves in Casey's corner for a hotdog.  The line took forever and the food wasn't even as good as the original Casey's.  Whatever, at least we had food.  Oh, but right before we went into the store the Christmas parade happened so we stopped to watch.  It was a pretty good parade.  We obviously picked going to the park on one of the most crowded days of the year-- yes I know it was Saturday, but based on some other factors we really had no choice.  Everything had insane lines so we were more just there for the experience and the atmosphere.  

So after lunch it was time to pick a "must-do" ride.  We obviously picked Phantom Manor.  The building looks great!  The interior room where the photos grow had different photos which was a lot of fun.  Actually, instead of the ceiling growing the floor goes down which was also an interesting twist.  The room where you get on the rides is actually a lot better looking than Orlando.  However, there is no ghost host throughout the ride and there is only one boring hitchhiking ghost.

The next must ride was pirates which was essentially the exact same except it was actually a little longer and rearranged a bit.  We also attempted small world where we stood in line for 40 minutes only for it to break down 10 groups back.  It was kind of good timing though because the Parade of Stars was about to start right next to the raised queue line and they let us stand in the queue to watch since the ride was closed.  I am not going to lie, this was an AMAZING parade-- maybe better than Festival of Fantasy (sorry Diane).  The floats were really pretty. 

We were freezing at this point so we took a quick look through the shops on main street.  Then we were off to Star Tours, which is in Discoveryland (think Tomorrowland at MK).  Star Tours was the exact same, except in French of course. We did manage to get a flight we hadn't done before though. We went and re-tried Small World which is essentially the exact same BUT instead of playing "It's a Small World" they played Christmas music in different languages which was awesome.  Even some of the animatronics towards the end were dressed up in Christmas clothing with presents and there was even a Santa Clause. Much more enjoyable.  

Finally it was time for our Hyperspace fastpass.  I am pretty sure everyone knows that my #1 Disney ride is space mountain, so I was pretty excited for this one.  Since this had been the case with most of the other rides, we were expecting the same ride we have done a million times, but the entire ride looked different walking up to it.  We got on and an over the head bar came down instead of just a lap bar so I was starting to anticipate something a little more.  This ride is like Space Mountain (dark, stars, AWESOME!) + Rock'n Roller (fast start) + Star Wars (theming on the inside).  I am shocked to type these words-- but it was SO MUCH BETTER than space mountain.  It really was a great ride!

By this time it was already 8:15p and we were pooped.  We decided to try dinner which fortunately we found a quick service that was pretty empty, even though by this time there were only 4 restaurants in the park left open.  We were able to find a table and take a load off to get warm.  We went back to the spots to buy a souvenir and hang out in the warm until the fireworks started.

Obviously it was too cold, because everyone was in the shops waiting and very few people were out side staking out viewing spots.  About 5'til we stepped back into the cold right onto Main Street for a great view.  The show is mostly castle projections, some water features and a few fireworks.  It's a good show, but will never (and nothing every will) stack up to Wishes.  Actually, here is where I have to make a confession.  We didn't stay until the end-- reason being you could no longer see the castle due to a combination of a thick fog that rolled in about 10 minutes before the show, the mist from the water features, and the smoke from the few fireworks.  When I say you could not longer see the castle I mean it was totally 100% obstructed even from just a few yards back.  So we left to beat the crowds to the train which we strangely found pretty empty.  We are totally beat!  Tomorrow is another, but much less packed, day in Paris.  

Just a few extra notes about Disneyland Paris:

-The Disneyland side of the park is beautiful.  Maybe even more so than MK, just on a slightly reduced scale.

-Even though the park decor and styling was really beautiful there were overflowing trash cans everywhere.  You could tell the staffing/care was not the same caliber as Disney World.

-People totally disregard the smoking areas and smoke EVERYWHERE which was really annoying

-People over here do not understand personal space.  I was so annoyed!  I kept getting bumped and stepped on in the que.  I know that Michael thought I was overreacting but I really just don't like people touching me.  Especially when you know that I am right in front of you and there is plenty of space to spread out.  I would stop early, let people hit me and then move up.  It was the only "semi" solution I found.  Ugh!!!

-The park is REALLY not handicap friendly.  There are stairs in every que and all around the park.  I have actually found this to be the case for most of Europe.  It is so different than the USA where everyone is so conscious about it.  

Michael’s notes:

-PokemonGo still lives over here. Saw it being played at Disneyland Paris. Don't think I've seen it played at all in Alabama since about a month after release. 

-It was so cold today. Would have been nice to have something like the Hall of Presidents to go and warm up in (weirdly, since all its good for in Orlando is to cool down). 

-The Phantom Manor (haunted mansion) didn't have a ghost host and therefore our doom buggy lap bar had to be lowered by a human. Lame sauce.

-We both liked that "Tomorrowland" was called Discoveryland instead. They gave it a cool steam punk theme which is way better than the "future" motif in Tomorrowland that looks dated. 

-I didn't hate "It's a Small World" this time. Instead of the constant droning of "It's a small world after all" ad naseum, we were treated to Christmas songs. I don't remember that being a thing at Disney World but I may just be forgetting.

-There wasn't that much going on at the Studios park. It was essentially Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, Ratatouille (which I thought was pretty neat), and Lights Moteurs Action. No real atmosphere to speak of and since there were a coupe rides down it meant long lines since everyone was at the 2 other attractions. 

-The one thing Studios did have was ok wifi coverage. That was nonexistent at Disneyland which I thought was weird. Contrasting this to Disney World where the wifi is actually pretty good and you are connected everywhere there's any kind of attraction.

-Speaking of internet, it's really been poor (for us) all around in France. Our hotel wifi, Disneyland wifi, and even our cellular data plan has was really spotty and overall slow, and it's pretty rare to find public places with decent wifi.