#if i made something and it's not either predominantly blue or predominantly red is it really my brand?

[davinciae]

ray's o'clock

[chandlermead]

Lmao I’m going to be a bit of a bitch for a min. So just ignore this if that’s not the vibe for today.

But I saw a post that was like 2023 was such a great year for queer film, and it’s was three posters with like predominantly white men. And from what I know of these actors almost all are either straight men or have not openly stated they are queer. Saltburn, Red white and Royal Blue, and All of Us Strangers

There is a lot to unpack 😮‍💨 Firstly using the umbrella term queer, yes I suppose these could fall into that category, but the only three movies the post highlighted are all center around gay men. And once again these are for the most part not openly queer men IRL. They are just actors in a gay for pay role. I want to be clear that there is nothing wrong with enjoying these movies. It’s been almost 20 years since Brokeback Mountain (2005) was released, the impact of these kind of stories doesn’t hold the same weight today. It is okay to be critical of casting, stories, labeling, choices, etc.

With the addition of Red, White and Royal Blue, a romantic comedy, I would venture to say these three weren’t picked on the impact of the story telling and cinematic quality. Again, nothing wrong with romantic comedies, they are enjoyable, light hearted, easy watches, and there have been romcoms that have been highly praised and awarded. The point I suppose I’m trying to get at (if I ramble enough I might make a coherent one 🤞) is these feel like they were selected based on the attractiveness of the men involved. Why not just say something to the effect of “2023 was a great year for Hot Gay Characters 🥵” or “2023 Thirsty Gay Movies 🍿” I do not mean this sarcastically or in any negative way. I think it is more accurate to what the post was trying to convey and I don’t see anything wrong with that. Hot guys acting gay is, well, hot. We know that and enjoy it, and like to see it.

You don’t need to label these as ‘Great Queer Films of 2023’ if that’s not what you’re going for. And it is a bit of a disservice to a lot of other films and movies that can fall into that category if we use the term loosely. I’d say a movie like Bottoms, could fall into this category, it was enjoyable, popular and had queer characters. It was not included, maybe the original poster didn’t like that movie as much, but my gut feeling is, like I said before, that the list was more about hot gay characters.

Anyway, idk, you can choose your words however you like, I’m no authority on the subject. I just think it’s important to remember how and why you use certain words and the implications they have. Those three films do not highlight the breath of vastly diverse characters that embody queer films in 2023. I don’t think that was the intention, so saying those three films are what made 2023 a great year for queer film erases all those other stories and normalizes and reinforces centering queer topics around predominantly white, affluent, gay men.

I added some of my personal highlights from 2023 for Queer films. I even included a hot guy comedy in the mix, that is not sanitized for mass appeal like a hallmark movie. This isn’t an exhaustive list but I think shows some of the diversity in story telling and characters that makes queer movies and queer culture as a whole so exciting.

Edit* Andrew Scott is an openly gay man

[toongrrl-blog]

My Style Analysis: Cyclical Iconic Fashion and a Missed Prom

Originally posted on Reddit

Anyone notice something about Devi's prom dress? Something retro?

The chiffon, long flowing dress, the neckline, the ruffles, the florals and pinks feel very retro. Like very 1970s (look I know per ShopYourTV that it's a recent find from Nordstrom's) maybe 70s does 30s...

In fact Devi's dress slightly reminded me of Marge Simpson's prom dress in "The Way We Was" which was set in 1974, 49 years before Nalini almost had a heart attack seeing her daughter and Ben in bed together (albeit with clothes on). It's all there: the pink, the apparently lightweight fabric (chiffon or rayon or polyester or a combination, that was a staple of the era), the ruffles around the neck. Marge's pink dress (surely from Gunne Sax, which was fondly remembered by Boomers and Gen Xers alike) and Homer's baby blue tuxedo were so iconic that they were made into figurines.

In fact Devi's dress falls into good company with some other examples I listed in a old post on Tumblr about this frilly, utterly feminine aesthetic in fact I want to show another Mad Men example and one from the 1930s period piece The Group (1966).

Every outfit looks so floaty here and these were promos for episodes set in 1970, thankfully our girls up there have much happier endings than the former Mrs. Drapers.

Here is your 1930s example with The Group, which focuses on graduates of a Seven Sisters college as they navigate adult life in Depression era America and the patriarchy (it's rough as hell). The brunette in black is future Lucille Bluth, the late Jessica Walter. Bonum est mulier.

Eleanor's look sort of reminds me of: Cher, Selena, and Liz Taylor. All very iconic women who followed their passions boldly and became icons without blindly following trends set for either fashion or for their gender.

(EDIT: Much better example)

As for Fabi? Well the tuxedo is pure androgyny. Calling to the OG ladies in a suit, Bessie Smith (EDIT: Gladys Bentley) and Marlene Dietrich and Annie Lennox

All these women flouted restrictions regarding gender expression admidst the jeers of conservatives, pearl-clutchers, white supremacists, Jim Crow, fatphobia, and one even told Hitler to go fuck himself (okay maybe not those words but you get the gist).

The red may be a call back to predominantly African-American men in the media donning a red suit, as noted in u/eve_salmon's "A Cinematic Guide to The Weekend Pt. 3", Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. (known for a flashy yet very traditionally masculine sense of style) donned a red suit for the film Poor Devil, whom like Fabi, was Black and queer in an era that was even more racist and queerphobic than the present. We also see Richard Pryor (comedian for those not in the know) donning a red suit along with Joe Pesci in Goodfellas and Casino. The red is likely a sign of pure confidence and defiance, keep in mind that Pesci's characters and Pryor (as well as Davis) grew up in eras where looking a white person in the eye can get a Black person made past tense to use a TikTok phrase and where Italian Americans were still looked down upon, so dressing well and in a manner that commands attention was a act of resistance.

Both examples of Marginalized Men in Red Suits and Gender-Bending Women Looking Sharp-Dressed, speaks well to Fabiola's own development as a character and taking ownership of her identity in a world that tells you to be a laundry list of things to be acceptable (be girly, be outgoing, be into pop culture, be straight, listen to your parents, focus on what boys like, fade into the background, wear uncomfy formalwear that ain't you) and points for the series highlighting HBCUs as up there with the Ivies; where the Ivies represent mainstream power, the HBCUs represent how a community managed to carve their own space to let it's members thrive and accomplish more (also while Princeton waited until 1969 and Columbia until 1983 to accept women, Howard been doing that since it's founding!), what better place for Fabiola whose journey is about owning her sense of self?

What can Iconic Lady Joan Holloway say, well I can think of her Bonwit Teller shopping spree where she decides what to take with her fabulous black dress with ostritch feather cuffs: "I'll take the boots, the tan heels, the chiffon (in a cooing voice), the red (even more cooing), and this (to her flamboyant dress)", in other words, she approves.

[itcamefromthetoybox]

The Wolf Queen Awakened

Greetings and welcome to another in our ongoing series of reviews of “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” toys! Every week, we draw closer to the movie and I become more and more excited, and I’m also pretty thrilled to do this week’s review, since we’re looking at a gift my wonderful wife got me! Let’s dive into “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Beast Alliance Beast Combiners Arcee and Silverfang” and see how this set worked out.

If you think “female Transformer,” Arcee is the character who tends to come to mind. When she first appeared in the original 80’s cartoon, she was basically the sensible girl character that every 80’s cartoon had. Since then, though, she’s gotten a lot more characterization and focus in different adaptations. The hit series “Transformers: Prime” made her Optimus Prime’s go-to field operative, IDW Comics made her a battle-hungry blood knight who eventually found a sense of peace, and “Transformers: Cyberverse” had her as an energetic and cheerful hero out to have a good time. Different writers have all done different things with her, more than with other members of the cast, whose characterizations have been largely consistent over the years. As for the movies, where this Arcee comes from, they haven’t done much with her in terms of personality, much to my annoyance. The movie “Revenge of the Fallen” had her in it, and that’s about all I can say there. She’s there, she gets shot, it’s ambiguous if she died, and we’re moving on. “Bumblebee” features her in the very beginning with the other Autobots during the fall of Cybertron, but other than being a frontline soldier, we don’t learn much about her and she doesn’t do all that much. Hopefully, we get to see more of her in “Rise of the Beasts” and learn more about her personality and role with the Autobots.

As we’ve discussed previously, the “Beast Alliance” line is the more kid-friendly collection of “Rise of the Beasts” toys, with a focus on figures interacting with mechanical animals that become accessories. The “Beast Combiners” are figures that come with a larger animal who becomes bulky armor and some weapons for the figure to wear. The figures in this subline are larger than the Beast Weaponizers we looked at last time, meaning that, even though the two sublines share some characters, such as Optimus Primal and Arcee, the figures are completely different, a necessity for the Beast Combiners to be able to interact with their armor.

From the front, Arcee looks great. She’s broad-shouldered, a necessity for the “Beast Combiners” gimmick, has a predominantly red and white paint job that works really well, and has some touches of silver that, in addition to her blue headlights, really stand out and emphasize Arcee’s general role as a lighter fighter. Her face has a slight smile, showing some warmth and confidence, which serves to give her some personality that a lot of movie figures tend to lack. It’s a humanizing detail that I really like. I’m also a fan of her strong-looking legs. From what’s been shown in the trailers so far, Arcee’s someone whose fighting style focuses on jumping and skating, and while this figure can’t skate, it’s cool to see that she has the build of someone who runs, jumps, and skates. She looks like she’s built to kick some ass, as opposed to other characters, who are built to shoot or punch.

The lack of elbows means it’s either she stands like this or strikes a T pose

From behind, she’s very hollow. It almost looks like the manufacturer just flat-out forgot to put a back on the figure. The thing is, though, leaving her back open like that is actually a necessity due to how she transforms. Any covering there could impede the transformation. I’m not thrilled by it, but I understand it.

Arcee’s x-ray from the doctors

Arcee has pretty decent articulation, which is definitely something you want from an Arcee figure. Aside from a disappointing lack of elbows, she has all the same articulation as last week’s Optimus. A lot of her articulation is focused on her legs, which makes sense since moving them around is about half of her transformation. I do feel let down by her arms, though. The lack of elbows is a bummer.

Arcee transforms quickly and easily, which is what you want from a kid-friendly toy. The hardest part of transforming her into her motorcycle mode is just getting the tabs on her leg lined up with her hands, and even that’s not really a challenge. When I say it’s “the hardest part,” I mean that in a really relative sense, since this is a really easy figure to transform.

The motorcycle mode looks more alien than intended, or like something from a 90’s anime. Honestly, though, I like it. It rolls, it balances, and it looks like how the 90′s thought the future would look. It’s a fun mode.

Top of the line motorcycle of 2023, as envisioned by 1994.

Silverfang, Arcee’s partner, is a large, mechanical wolf, and he’s also a completely original character. Feel free to give him whatever characterization you want, because until he appears in anything else, he’s a blank slate to do whatever you want with! I really like his looks. One of the big appeals of the original Maximals and Predacons was that, when in animal mode, they looked like actual animals and not machines. While Silverfang is clearly a robot, it’s very downplayed. Aside from a few touches of silver, most of his mechanical parts are painted white, like his fur, which helps them blend in more. He also has sculpted fur all over his body and is painted predominantly white, which serves to further obscure his mechanical nature. While he’s still visibly a robot, he’s a robot who clearly has some effort put into his disguise. His head’s sculpted to radiate anger, so this is someone clearly ready to throw down.

A very good dog

In terms of articulation, we have almost no articulation. Silverfang’s entire body is designed to transform into a suit of armor for Arcee, so there is no room left for articulation. Yes, his legs do move, but that’s just so you can fold them up for his armor mode. As a wolf, any attempt to pose them looks weird and/or results in him falling over.

Combining the two figures is a really straightforward process. You fold up Silverfang’s legs, take off his tail (relatively speaking, this is the hardest part), and peg him onto Arcee’s shoulders, covering her head. Flipping down Silverfang’s side both reveals the combined mode’s head and triggers a bit of automatic transforming (automorphing, as it’s called in the fandom) that moves almost all of Silverfang’s body into position. The top of his head becomes wrist armor and his tail becomes a sword. It’s a super simple process.

The top half of the combined mode looks really great. The added wrist armor and sword hide how small Arcee’s arms are compared to the rest of the body, and the armor looks really cool. The head is meant to look like a combination of Arcee and Silverfang, which is the exact look you want for a combined figure. The bottom half, however, looks really skinny by comparison. It’s like you took the body of a buff, hairy dude and gave him the legs of a young teenager. It’s helped by how armored Arcee’s shins are, but her legs still look scrawny compared to the MASSIVE SHOULDERS AND WOLF HEAD ARM she has in her combined form. 

Arcee’s “Princess Mononoke” cosplay

Combining Arcee and Silverfang limits Arcee’s arm articulation by a lot. The bulky armor means you can only raise her arms a bit, so don’t expect dynamic sword poses. Also, and I know this is going to come as a shock to you, but sticking a fairly large wolf on top of Arcee has made her pretty top heavy. Expect to have to do some careful leg maneuvering to keep her from falling over like me when I try to walk without my cane.

“Beast Combiners Arcee and Silverfang” is recommended for ages 6 and up, which I definitely feel is a good age for this set. The figures aren’t super complicated and are fun to play with, so kids will really enjoy them. The problem here is the price: $20. That really feels more than the set’s worth. $15 would be reasonable, but $20 makes me raise an eyebrow, especially from how the set’s packaged. It’s one of those open packages Hasbro’s been doing a lot of, where the toy’s exposed to the outside so you can see and feel it in the store. The problem is that this means there’s nothing protecting the toy from damage before you buy it. If you go back and look at the white on Arcee’s legs in this review, you’ll see some scratches on the paint. Arcee came like that, after getting scratched in the store, and it was really easy to miss. I’m not bothered by it personally, but if I’m paying $20 for a new toy, I would hope it wouldn’t come damaged. Would I recommend this set? I absolutely would, but just be careful about the paint. Next time, we’ll be looking at more “Rise of the Beasts” figures, as we’ll be doing until the movie comes out and maybe a little past that point. Until next time, this is JS signing off and wishing you Happy Toy Hunting!

[joltning]

Do you think you could describe your issue further?

yeah sure I can try

it’s more of a root problem with me and my writing in general, I have an issue I feel with character balancing (where they’re either too sensible, too open, or too bitchy) where instead of having all their responses be somewhere in the middle of illogical and logical, some responses will be fully logical and some will be fully illogical.

that’s more of a general thing though. the issue i have with writing the triplets + Sherry’s team is of course, lack of screentime (as well as fewer fanworks to derive ideas from, but that’s less of an issue.) With Idaho in particular, his change from kind of silly to irritable to being more open to being silly again over the course of 2 episodes makes his mood seem like it’s very sporadic and changes often, or at least does under stress. It’s harder to gauge if his personality is ALWAYS like that, or if it only happens in stressful situations (which tts1 IS, so I could portray him as such but then it would be harder for me to get across that he isn’t usually like that unless I explicitly say it)

With characters like Ohio and Sherry, I want to depict them as strong leaders, but also as a little pathetic. They have their strengths but they got dumped here for a reason, which is once again, something that needs to be balanced which I’m not so great at

I try to make (most of) my ideas as canon plausible as possible (not via actual canon but in format and like, if we were in an alternate universe where this released instead.) I’m of the opinion that characters are best characterized by their actions and it’s a little difficult when there’s not that many one that can stand out in a 2 episode timeframe. Speaking of not standing out….

Darryl and Terrill are so nothing characters like I love them all but come on guys. There’s almost nothing to pick up on, other than the fact that like, Darryl makes a “thats what she said” joke, Terrill keeps asking about White Russians, and they’re incompetent and annoy Sherry. Darryl and Terrill were basically made to be virtually indistinguishable, with their armor almost being the same (I thought it was the same for MONTHS) With them, I feel like I HAVE to inflate their personality traits to make them seem more distinct as characters (which is funny cause their plotline revolves around them not being distinct actually) which kind of goes against my whole “stick to canon” thing that I’m trying to go for. It honestly feels like they show up just to be teammates for Sherry. I like them, but they don’t get enough.

I’m not predominantly a character writer. All my stuff spirals into vague references into itself. I also want to write ideas and themes connecting each character. It’s just awfully hard for me to be subtle, especially if I don’t REALY know if those themes fit the characters at all.

I can describe the reds and blues each in one word. I CANT describe either snow planet team, period. Someone please write me a mega analysis on their characters so I don’t have to look at their lines in the wiki again pls /j

[moonchild-things]

Chapter Two: Captive

Summary: Delphia Odinsdottir is the Goddess of Virtue. While stopping petty fights between her brothers, sparing with her friends, and practicing with her mother, Delphia has visions of the future. However, her once boring, uneventful life as Princess is disrupted by one of the most disturbing visions she had ever seen. Which leads her to run into a patriotic captain in red, white and blue.

Word Count: 6174

Blog Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

---

Berlin, German

1940

“I MUST INSIST THAT I CHECK ON her,” Dr. Abraham Erskine followed Johann Schmidt through the corridors of their testing facility. It was only meer hours ago that the leader of Hydra had marched into their facility with a woman in his arms. Johann had instantly brought the woman to a secluded room where she now rested, still unconscious. As soon as he had heard that Johann had brought a possibly wounded woman into the building, Abraham wanted to see her immediately. He was still slightly hazing on what her condition was, but he wanted to make sure that she was still living! “I wish to make sure that this woman is in a stable condition.”

Johann continued to march down the hallway and barley looked at Abraham. Dr. Erskine had been working with Hydra for a short time and proved to annoy Johann quite a bit. He opposed Johann with every decision he made and even laughed at his goal of trying to find the Tesseract. However, now that Johann had this woman, who he was certain would lead him to the tesseract, there was no way that the doctor could ignore the fact that the tesseract was out there somewhere. Especially now that his mysterious woman knew about it.

“I can assure you, Dr. Erskine, she is perfectly fine and is being supervised,” Johann explained in a monotone voice. “If there is any change in her condition then we will know.”

Abraham still shook his head, “I still want to see her.”

Johann stopped in the middle of the corridor and stared at the other scientist. His stare was calculating and hard. He desperately wanted to prove the doctor wrong, but he also didn’t want to allow him to see the woman. The unnamed woman was his discovery! And if she proved to be vital to his search for the Tesseract, then he didn’t want anyone else getting involved.

“Just let me take a look at her,” Abraham continued to plead, “it will only take a few minutes.”

Johann puckered his lips and glared at the older man, “you have five minutes with her…” He started to walk down the corridor again. Abraham was hot on his heels as satisfaction and relief washed over his face. He didn’t think that Johann was going to agree to let him see the woman, but he was relieved that Johann was at least permitting him to see her.

Johann begrudgingly lead the doctor to a door that opened to reveal a small room. It contained a few pieces of technology that was being used to monitor the poor woman who rested on a bed in the middle of the room. “Five minutes.” Johann instructed before allowing Abraham to enter the room and closing the door roughly. 

As soon as the door closed, Abraham set off to work quickly and diligently. He found a few medical instruments around the room and started to check her over. He could not find any bruises on her body along with no signs of internal damage. He quickly started to speculate if something was wrong with her head. Perhaps she had hit her head? She may have a concussion. However, he couldn't really find any signs of that either. He also tried many times to wake her up only to fail.

However, he decided to see if he could run any tests on her. He pulled out a needle and delicately stuck it into her pale arm. He was worried that it was far too easy for him to find a vein as they decorated her skin predominantly. Abraham was worried that the woman was slowly dying. He knew that the cold also didn’t help her situation as well.

Once he was done collecting a few needles of blood, he searched for some blankets and wrapped them around the unconscious woman. He watched the woman for a moment and studied her. She was such a pretty girl. He had no idea why she was found on the outskirts of the city with unsuitable clothes for the cold and who fell unconscious. She looked like an angel. He was just glad that she was at least living.

The door opened abruptly and Abraham turned to look at Johann and a pair of soldiers flanking him. Johann glared at Abraham before turning his gaze to the unconscious woman who was now covered in blankets. “Have you finished your assessment?”

Abraham nodded his head and started to collect his bearings, “yes, yes. I do wish to run a few tests, however.”

Johann’s eyes narrowed, but he did not object to the idea, “fine.”

With that, Johann turned and left the room while the two soldiers followed obediently behind him. Abraham cast one final glance at the young woman who laid still and silent on the table before he too left the room. He quickly walked through the corridor towards his lab. He needed to start the blood tests as soon as possible. He needed to find out why she seemed to have fallen into a catatonic state.

---

“Captain… Captain…” Delphia’s weak voice repeated over and over again. Her eyes moved rapidly underneath her eyelids as it seemed she was having a very immersive dream. Abraham watched with pursed lips as she took shuttered breaths. Her condition had improved as she showed signs of getting better. She constantly mutter certain words in her sleep and her skin had started to regain its normal color. As she appeared to grow better, Abraham noticed that she seemed to have an aura surrounding her and reminded him of an unearthly being. She had the looks of a beautiful creature that could only be found in Heaven. ‘An angel’ he had once called her. However, he wished he knew her true name. He could only wait to ask her when she woke up.

“Good morning, Angel,” he greeted the woman as she continued to mutter under her breath as if she would respond back to him. Her dainty fingers twitched every once and awhile as if she was trying to wake up or perhaps to reach out to something. 

Whenever Abraham wasn’t working on the super soldier serum, he had used his downtime to visit her. It had been only two days since she had been brought to the facility and Abraham was glad to say that he had been working hard to make sure that she was healthy. 

At the moment, Abraham held a few files in his hands and a box that held two glass vials of blood that Abraham had taken from her the first day she arrived. He had finally finished his tests on her blood. He ran every test he could think of in order to figure out what was wrong with her. He had yet to read the results and felt that it was only appropriate to look at it with her. Even if she wasn’t really awake to hear the results.

“I’ve come to see you about your results.” He explained and sat in the chair that was right next to the table she was laying on. He got himself comfy and pulled out the correct files. “Let’s take a look, shall we?” He opened up the file and started to sort through the papers. He skimmed the words on the results. After a few minutes, his eyes flickered to the woman on the table with a wave of curiosity and wonder washed over him. “How peculiar.”

He turned back to the papers and started to rifle through them quickly. The results were beyond peculiar! It was as if she wasn’t even human! Abraham gulped as he let the revelation settle in his chest. If this woman wasn’t human… and Johann was adamant that she would help him find the tesseract… then there was no telling what lengths Johann would go to get her to help him. He had to hide these results and forge others quickly. He was completely intrigued by who the woman was and what she was, but he would let his curiosities die before he allowed any harm to befall to the mysterious woman.

“It seems you are a far bigger mystery than I thought, my dear.” He mumbled to himself as he started to collect his things. He had to start on the false documents right away, for Johann was waiting to see the results himself. Abraham had to be quick. He stared at the woman a moment longer and brushed a piece of hair that rested on her face. “I’ll only be a moment.”

He scurried out of the room and looked down both ends of the hall to make sure that no unwanted soldiers or scientists saw him. Once he made sure that no one saw him, he closed the door to the small room and started to make his way down the hall. He weaved throughout the lines of soldiers that marched in black uniforms while making sure that he kept the files close to his chest. He didn’t want someone to see them and report to Johann about his findings.

Abraham was only a few meters away from the entrance of his lab when a hand landed on his shoulder. He jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion of his personal space and sucked in a breath when he saw who had stopped him from the corner of his eye… it was Johann. He stiffened and slowly turned to the man who stared him down with narrowed eyes. 

“Dr. Erskine, I heard that the results have come in,” Johann’s sick, cold voice surrounded Abraham like smoke as he could feel his breath catch itself in panic. He turned to meet the steel-like eyes of the man who held out his hands expectantly. “I wish to see them now.”

Abraham gripped the folders that were in his hands tightly as he stared at the menacing man in front of him harshly. “The results that I have are incorrect, the equipment must be faulty.” He tried to come up with an excuse, “I was just about to rerun the test to make sure that the results came out correctly.”

With a calculating stare, Johann looked over the jumpy scientist who seemed to desperately want to get away from his predatory like gaze. His glare shifted over to the papers and files that were clenched in Abraham’s arms. Obviously, they were the results to the mysterious woman’s tests that the Doctor was adamant about running on her. Despite arguing so much with the scientist, Johann at least agreed with Abraham on the idea of testing the woman. If she was important to his search for the legendary Tesseract then he wanted to be certain if she was any different from a human being. He hoped that she was like the beings that lived in the heavenly land of Asgard.

Perhaps then he would finally get his hands on the Tesseract to help with not only Hydra’s success but also Hitler's ultimate goals.

“May I see them?” The skeptical that flooded his eyes was evident to Abraham. He was certain that the man could see through his lies quite clearly.

He tried to plaster a smile on his face, “well, I insist that it would be a waste of time to read these silly reports!”

Johann shook his head and tutted, “no, no I believe I do want to see them, to be thorough, of course.”

Abraham gulped and held onto the files tighter, “these files are incorrect-”

“Dr. Erskine, let me see the report.”

Before he could protest once again, the files were ripped from Abraham’s hands by a soldier who had snuck up behind him. He squeaked and tried to reach for them again, but Johann’s glare caused him to halt in his movements. Johann took the files from the outstretched hand of the loyal soldier and began to look through them.

After only reading a few words, Johann began to smile. It was unsettling to watch as the sick, twisted grin stretched across his lips as he took in the information that the files provided him. He simply finished reading the results, tucked the papers back into the folder neatly, and handed them to the soldier. He shot daggers at Abraham with his heated glare. How dare he try to hide the results of the tests on the mysterious woman from him! Now there could be a possibility that the report was incorrect. However, from the fact that the results were completely abnormal and from Abraham’s reluctance to give the results to him, Johann was certain that the results were most likely not wrong.

“It seems like you were trying to hide these results Dr.” Johann sneered with his lips pulled back to show off his perfectly straight teeth. 

Abraham stuttered, “n-no, I-I-” 

He was cut off when Johann raised a hand to stop any possible excuse that the older man may have and glared at him. “You should know, Dr., that I do not appreciate being lied to.” His eyes pierced the older man’s skin with hatred that caused Abraham to shrink back, frightened.

With that said, Abraham could only watch as Johann walked off with the files in hand. Dread pooled in his gut as the situation weighed down on his mind… Johann was going to do everything he could to wake up the poor woman in order to get the answers he needs… Abraham took a shuttered breath and bowed his head in defeat.

---

Berlin, German

1941

Screams bounced off the metal walls of the lengthy corridor that was decorated with Hydra banners and soldiers who stood rigid against the walls. The screams were constant and not an abnormal occurrence to hear. For the past year, the pained, terror filled screams always drifted through the air like a cold wind. It was a far too common occurrence to hear the poor woman’s screams nearly every minute of every day.

Electricity surged through every one of her nerve ends and lit them on fire to the point where she almost felt numb. Though She was used to this pain. For a year, she had been locked up in a small room, barley fed, and tortured to, what the scientists thought was near death. It wasn’t like the tools and technology that the Midgardians use were really able to kill a being such as herself, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t try. It also didn’t mean that they knew what she was and that their torture devices couldn’t kill her.

Everyday she was greeted with the same few scientists in the morning who would check her vitals, make sure that she was healthy enough, and run their tests on her. Of course, she never left the small grey-walled cage that became her new home. People came to her when they wanted to test her or question her. At the moment, one of those scientists had come to do the latter.

Johann held down a switch that activated a generator that delivered a painful amount of electricity into the defenseless woman. He did not flinch at her cries and wails as he stared at her with narrowed eyes. Finally, he let up on the electricity and only let a small amount to surge through the wires that were connected to the woman laid out on a metal table. There was only a small surge of electricity that he wanted to inflict on her to remind her that she was helpless.

“Come now, dear girl,” Johann stated earnestly as he came to stand next to the table and stared down at the brunette. “If you wish for the pain to stop,” he moved a strand of sweaty, tangled hair from her face in an… affectionate manner. “All you have to do is tell me what I’d like to know.”

Delphia just stared at him with lidded eyes that rested above purple bags the showed her exhaustion. The spark of curiosity and excitement that once swam in her hazel eyes were gone. They had disappeared the moment the first prick of the cold metal of a needle penetrated her skin. Her breath was shallow and strained as her chest barely moved. It was always the same routine nearly every day!

Johann or some other scientist would come into the cramp, sterile room and run tests on her. They varied in all sorts of ways. There were the blood tests, bioscans, brain activity monitors, and strength tests. Of course, after those series of tests that she was constantly tasked with, Johann would then come to see her. He would go on and on about his mission on finding the sacred Tesseract. Oh, the number of times she had heard him urge her to tell him where he could find the precious tesseract. She had heard him preach about the power that he could possess if he got his hands on the ultimate power source. But she wouldn’t budge. Johann was then given the pleasure of hearing her screams every time she refused to cooperate with him.

Delphia would never allow a horrible man such as him to get hold of the tesseract. Not only would she not allow it, she also had no idea where it really was! The tesseract was lost years ago and is believed to be on Midgard, but no one could really be certain. For all she knew, Johann was torturing her for an object that could be in a different realm, completely out of his reach.

Though she won’t deny that she saw these events taking place. She saw it. In her visions, she had seen herself screaming in agony as a man with pasty skin and beady, narrow eyes watched her in satisfaction. The pain that she felt from the torture with the many tools that the Midgardian had was not as bad as the pain she had felt in her visions, however. Which she thanked Odin for that fact. But the pain still left her a near empty husk of the beautiful woman she was before. Such a shame… 

She panted heavily as she watched with empty eyes as Johann continued to glare at her. She was the key to finding the tesseract, he was sure of it! She was an unearthly being who no doubt was a goddess. Of course, the scientists and himself had researched every inch of myth, lore, and ancient text they could get their bloodied hands on and had only recently came to a conclusion on who she was. It had warped all of their minds to even think that a goddess had fallen to the Earth and right into their hands. Not just that but the daughter of Odin himself. If she couldn’t produce a location for the tesseract, then there would be no hope for them to ever really find it.

“You are making this far more difficult than it has to be, dear Delphia…”

Delphia sighed out shakily and closed her eyes in defiance. She would never tell a hateful man such as Johann Schmidt where he could find one of the most powerful objects in the universe. She didn’t want to imagine what he would do with that power. Who he would hurt was a vast variety of people that Delphia knew he would take great pleasure in harming.

Johann grunted unhappily. It was disappointing to see that this woman was unwilling to give him the information that he needed. To think, he had treated her with the utmost hospitality when she had first arrived. He had practically nursed her back to health himself to see her safe. She wouldn’t even return the favor and give him even a small sliver of information. So he only saw it fit that he punish her for her ungrateful attitude.

He shrugged his shoulders, indifferently, “I suppose we can end it here then. We’ll continue our… conversation tomorrow, my goddess.” He stroked her head once again which caused her to flinch at his touch.

She could hear his shoes beating down on the prestin, cold floor, the door opening and shutting harshly, and his faint voice from outside as he ordered some soldiers to guard the door. She didn’t see the need for any guards to make sure that she didn’t leave. Yes, she is an Asgardian and has a large amount of strength when compared to the Midgardians but that didn’t really matter. They kept her heavily sedated and she rarely was ever able to keep herself awake due to the medications they gave her. She was helpless and weak and it felt as though they had stripped her own identity from her.

The Völva hadn’t had any more visions since she had first arrived on Midgard due to the medicine. She did have one that lasted another three days as soon as she landed on Midgard but after that, there were no more. She wished that she could have at least one vision. She knew that she survived this ordeal, but she was desperate to know when she did. True, she never knew when her vision took place in the universe. However, she could sometimes pinpoint when it may happen with at least a small margin of error. But she was really good at making guesses.

Her tired ears were greeted with the sound of the door opening again and quick footsteps moved across the floor. They were rushed and light which was completely contradictory to those of Johann’s or a few of the other’s who were permitted into the room. Delphia opened her eyes in curiosity to see who had decided to come into her small cell that they were no doubt not allowed in. 

As soon as she opened her eyes she came face to face with the kind, concerned face of Dr. Abraham Erskine. The man was the kindest to Delphia. Unlike the other scientists who looked at her as a subject they could poke, prod and torture, or the men who looked at her like she was a piece of meat that they could ravish, Abraham looked at her like she was a person. Every once and awhile, he would sneak her extra food and water whenever she was in dire need of it. He would give her medical treatment for burns and cuts when needed. Though he couldn’t do it all the time because Johann had forbade him for seeing her until he had some sort of progress with the super soldier serum.

Abraham gazed on Delphia’s body as she shook slightly in an attempt to see him better. He quickly rushed to her side and held her hand tightly in both of his. “Oh, angel…” He sighed out pitifully as he could see the pain that she was in. He rummaged through his briefcase and pulled out a few bandages that he would use to wrap up the minimal open wounds that she had. 

He made quick work of bandaging up her arms and legs before he stroke her cheek with a soft smile. Of course, his smile was slightly strained and Delphia could see the concern, determination and fright swarming in his aged eyes. “Abraham…” Her voice was weak and scratchy which caused her to cough harshly. 

He shushed her, “Calm down, Angel. We don’t have much time.” He moved over to the different machines that lined the walls of the small room and started to push buttons, turn dials and unplug cords. 

Delphia strained her neck to see what exactly what he was doing. “Time?”

Abraham glanced at her for a moment before continuing on with his work. “Johann has gone mad with all of this work and I fear we are in far more danger than before.”

Delphia tried to snort in amusement before relaxing her neck once again on the cold table. She knew that Johann had been mad with his search long before she ever came upon Hydra. Abraham continued to ignore the woman for a moment longer as he worked on the machines to disconnect her from them. Soon enough, the machines shut down and Delphia was finally able to take a deep breath once the dull throb of electricity finally stopped. 

Abraham made quick work of unstrapping Delphia from the table and helped her sit up. She grunted in discomfort slightly and allowed the man to pull her over the table. She stumbled slightly when she was placed on her feet and leaned on Abraham for strength. 

“What are we doing, Dr.?”

Abraham glanced at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to stabilize her. “We’re leaving.”

Delphia’s eyes were wide as he started to pull her on her feet. “L-leaving? Dr., what do you-” He shushed her as he pulled her through the corridor. Surprisingly, there were no soldiers or guards standing in the corridor like Delphia knew there should be. A group of soldiers dressed in all black and hints of red marched down the corridor in the opposite direction of the two and answered her question about where they all were. Once they finally disappeared, Abraham continued to drag Delphia in hopes of finding the exit. “Where are we going?”

Abraham licked his lips while they made their way through the halls. “At the moment, I’m unsure, but I must get you away from here.” He couldn’t bare to see the woman hurt any longer. He needed to get her far away from this pain and torture. Abraham also couldn’t continue to work for Hydra and creating the super soldier serum that Johann wanted. The serum alone would give Johann an all powerful army that no one would be able to stop. The old doctor couldn’t let that happen.

She swallowed dryly, “and if we’re caught…?”

They both knew what would happen if they were caught. Delphia would be locked up once again and subjected to even more tests and harsher punishments. Abraham would no doubt be killed for what he was trying to do, if they were caught. So they had to make sure that they were not found. Of course, Delphia was slightly hesitant with Abraham’s plan to escape as she didn’t want the kind man to be killed for his attempt at trying to get her away. However, Abraham was more than willing to help her which was obvious by the way he practically dragged her around the compound quickly.

He had already given a solution that he had put together for the super serum to Johann. He knew that it would not work at all and had no intention of fixing it and producing the correct formula for the tyrant. 

The two of them stumbled through the lengthy corridors and avoided any sign of soldiers. Abraham gave the tripping woman encouraging words to help her drag her feet quicker across the clean floors. Their quick footsteps were barely heard over the sounds of marching boots and blaring alarms.

The corridors were soon painted in red lights as they flashed in alarm. It was quite obvious that whatever distraction Abraham had devised to distract everyone had been forgotten about and the disappearance of their most prized subject had been discovered. Of course, that didn’t matter. Abraham and Delphia were able to make it out of the building quite quickly and to the awaiting car the doctor had set just outside.

He placed Delphia in the old looking car before scurrying over to the driver side. Johann had just burst out of the doors that the two had previously emerged from with a malicious glare. Brandishing a pistol and soldiers at his sides, the enraged man shot wildly at the two in the car as they started to drive erratically away from the building. The furious leader barked out orders in his harsh German voice and commanded the soldiers to go after the runaways.

However, Abraham and Delphia were distancing themselves from those who were scrambling to follow them. The young-looking woman gave out a shaky breath as she watched the building that had held her hostage, tortured her and caused her pain for over a year became smaller on the horizon as they continued to drive.

Soon enough, the building became nothing more than a speck as the snowy environment swallowed it whole. Abraham let out a deep breath. They were finally free but they had to be quick and find somewhere safe far away from Hydra… America seemed to be a logical destination. He glanced at Delphia from the corner of his eye. “you should rest, Angel.” The woman looked over at him, “we have a long journey ahead of us.”

Delphia nodded her head slowly as she tried to get comfortable in the car. She let her eyes slide closed instantly and soon enough she allowed her exhaustion to smother her into sleep.

---

The long trip to America was somewhat troubled. The pair had ran into Hydra once again and were nearly captured if it wasn’t for Abraham’s quick thinking, Delphia’s strength and seiðr. They avoided the searching eyes of Johann and his loyal soldiers to the best of their abilities. Soon enough, Abraham was able to get two tickets to America before they could be found. It had taken him some time and money to do it but it was obviously worth it. If it meant getting himself and Delphia away from Hydra and the horrors the terror organization subjected them to, he was willing to go to any lengths to get them far away.

It took them a few days to even get out of the country. With the help of some kind people, Abraham was able to get himself and Delphia onto a plane towards the land of the free. Delphia had become far more relaxed after they had left the country and were on a plane. She allowed herself to sleep on the plane ride when she realized that they were safe for the time being. For the longest time, she didn’t believe that she would ever get to say that. Though now that her and Abraham were on their way to America, she was sure that they would be safe for some time.

However, Delphia knew that they would not be safe for long… She saw it. The result of Abraham’s serum would be very successful and Delphia saw that Hydra would try once again to get her and Abraham back. For now, she would let herself forget about the pain that she had suffered and let herself think about the joyful, bright future that she saw in her vision.

When the plane landed after hours of flying, Abraham and Delphia stood in front of the busy airport. Bystanders rushed past them in order to make it to their planes on time. Delphia had never been around so many midgardians at one point. She was so used to only ever seeing the small cell and its four bland walls that the colors and sights of the airport had startled her. Though the bombardment of colors and new places were well received. If she had to be truthful, she was never certain if she would have actually gotten out of that hellish place and escape Hydra.

Since she hadn’t had any visions since she first arrived in Midgard, she didn’t have much hope of ever getting out of there. She suspected that the reason that she didn’t have any visions of the future was due to the stress and pain that her body and mind had gone through while held captive. Though that didn’t matter now. She was free. All thanks to the aging man who stood next to her with a wide, relieved smile as they waited for a taxi, she recalled what he had called it.

“What will we do from here, Dr.?” Her soft voice asked.

Abraham looked over to her with warm eyes and an encouraging smile. He knew that it would be a challenge for her to get used to the norms of a life outside of Hydra and on Earth, but he knew that she would pull through. Despite being nothing but a test subject for the past year, Delphia had proved to be strong to an extent. Her spirit had been broken but whenever he was able to slip into her room to check on her she always questioned him on his well-being. She always put the worries of others before her own, he thought.

The old man sighed out heavily, “I suppose we must find a place to stay for a short while, then you can go home, Angel.” He thought that she would be more than willing to go back to her glittering gold home that was untouched by humans as soon as she was well enough. “I will continue with my work, the Americans will certainly like to know of my serum and perhaps they can use it in the war.”

Delphia nodded her head as her long, knotted hair swayed in the wind as an air of uneasiness. She bites her lip, “if it is alright with you,” Abraham stared at her, “I would like to help you with your serum.”

Abraham tilted his head with furrowed eyebrows, “don’t you want to go home?”

The blonde woman nodded her head, “of course, I do! However, I feel like I need to repay you for what you have done.”

“There is no need-”

Delphia raised her boney hand to cut him off, “I want to help you, Dr.” She flashed him a kind smile, “please allow me to repay you for your heroism.”

It took Abraham a few moments to make a decision but as soon as he did it, he knew that he wouldn’t regret taking the goddess on as an assistant to his project. He knew that she may not know too much about science and Midgard in general. However, he knew that she could help him in a few different ways. She was kind, resilient, and honest. He thought she seemed perfect for an assistant to help him.

With their decisions made, the two travelers worked their way through the U.S. government. It had taken some time and effort but the Asgardian Princess and German Scientist were able to get a decent standing and allowed to help the U.S. and British Army’s with their efforts to stop Hitler and Hydra. One year has passed since her and Abraham had gotten away from Hydra and to America. They had both worked to achieve the standing that they had in the allied powers and were excited to finally implement the serum for the war.

They had taken residence in New York where they were looking for the perfect candidate for their experiment. Abraham had been working tiredly to find a good man and not a soldier. He had shared his sentiments with Delphia on who they needed for a subject of the serum. Delphia knew that they needed someone of high virtue. And seeing as she was known in many realms as the Goddess of Virtue, she seemed to be the perfect person to find a possible candidate.

Now that the stress of experiments had been lifted off of her, Delphia had started to get her visions once again. She was more than glad to find that she was no longer seeing any sort of heart-wrenching, devastating futures. She didn’t see any more death or destruction during her meditation or while she slept. She only saw simple things once again. For example, she had seen Abraham working on some work, herself exploring New York, and the marvelous Stark Expo.

Which is why she was here. She stood in a modest white dress that reached a few inches below her knees and sleeves that reached her elbows. They ultimately covered up the scars that littered her body to any prying eyes who stared at her in awe. She was a beautiful woman and was getting quite a few longing looks from many men around the expo. She stood just outside the enlistment building with her arms wrapped around her middle and her cherry colored lips pulled in a polite smile that were directed to anyone who passed her. 

Abraham and her were in need of a subject for the serum. And she had a strong feeling that she would find the perfect man at the expo. Just as she had that thought, a short, skinny man with blonde hair, and a pair of the brightest blue eyes that she had ever seen walked up to the building with a strong aura of righteousness. She didn’t know who he was, but she could tell that he was perfect. Her eyes lit up in a way that they had not shone in such a long time. Yes, she was certain that this man was going to help them end this Midgardian war against the tyrant Hitler and his loyal, bloodthirst follower, Johann Schmidt.

[orange76655]

Painting the shed with the Genshin Boys

 Featuring: Zhongli, Childe, Kaeya, Diluc, Kazuha, Venti, Thoma, Gorou, Scaramouche, and Albedo.

Warnings: There is cussing, and it’s slightly suggustive in childe's

A/N: I would do house but then like childe probably has like a mansion and I didn’t put Itto because idk how to write for his character. Also, are Albedo’s eyes green or blue??????

Zhongli 

- Zhongli has lived thousands and thousands of years, but he’s never done something like this. 

- So this is a new experience for him

- But it makes him happy that he gets to do it with you :) 

- he probably choose a nice, totally not expensive, brownish beige color 

- After all, living 100 years has it’s perks.

- One of those is good taste

- So Zhongli won’t choose an ugly color

-He’s also tall and handy, so you guys won’t need a ladder to help paint

- He’ll also do things more efficiently 

- Unfortunately all the supplies he picks out is like 50000 mora each

- You don’t mind though

-Right???

- RIGHT?????

- Anyways, overall painting the shed with Zhongli is really fun 

- Besides the extra mora fees

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Zhongli can you pass me the paintbrush? I need to paint this one tiny spot that the roller can’t get”

“The paintbrush? Sure.” Zhongli looks around looking for the paintbrush. 

“To your right” you giggle.

Zhongli wipes a bead of sweat from his brow before tossing you the paint brush. You easily catch the paintbrush. “Thanks ^^” 

“No problem.” You and Zhongli continue to paint for a few more hours. 

Out of all the ideas I’ve had, it’s quite confounding on how one of them wasn’t to take off this outfit.” 

You laugh. “So in other words, you’re disappointed that your suit got paint on it? “ 

“predominantly”

“Zhongliiii~ I told you to change” you say huffing. 

“I should of listened. Now my outfit is ruined; I suppose I’ll have to buy another one.” He looks at you innocently. 

“WELL DON’T THINK YOU’RE USING MY CREDIT CARD” You say playfully. 

Zhongli looks at you, obviously hurt. 

“...fine. Just this once. But you better not mess any more clothes up mister!.” You flick some paint playfully at him. 

He looks up at you giggling at him. You looked like a damn angel in with that sun behind you. And maybe you were an angel. But you were his angel. You were his savior. 

Childe

- Childe has terrible tastes 

- He has no experience either. IN the fatui they fight people, not paint sheds. 

- He only has good tastes when he has to

- And now doesn’t count as he “has to”

- He tried to choose an ugly poo color :(

- You had to stop the man from making the entire shed look like a giant bird dump

- But he wouldn’t budge ;-;

- So you guys made a compromise 

- Both of you combined orange and blue to make a brown that didn’t look like poop. 

- It  actually looked nice 

- But either way, he wastes a lot of paint 

- Like he dips his brush in the bucket when it still is covered in paint

- You guys are in liyue btw

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“TARTAGLIA WTF!” You scream. You walk out from getting another roller, to see your boyfriend COVERED in paint. 

How did he even get some on the back of his head while he’s painting the roof of the shed??

“Oh hey! Did my little droplet miss me-” You cut him off by flinging a bunch of paint at him.

“You do know that this paint doesn’t wash off clothing right?” 

“WHAT?! THIS IS MY FATUI UNIFORM- IT CAN’T GET DIRTY!!!” 

“Well I guess you’ll have to buy a new one then.” you shrug. 

“...this shirt costs 1,000,000,000 alone.” 

You almost feel guilty. Almost. But then you realized you didn’t do anything. It was all his fault. 

“I WARNED YOU EARLIER!” 

“No you didn’t.” He claims. And so this goes on. 

“Well fuck it then. I don’t need this shirt anyways.” AND HE PROCEEDS TO TAKE IT OFF. 

The second his shirt lands on the floor your face turns bright red. 

“I-I-i PUT THAT SHIRT BACK ON CHILDE!” 

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?! Why would he do that?! 

“If you wanted me that badly you could of just said so~HEY! WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT BUCKET OF PAINT?! DON’T COME CLOSER! GET AWAY! AHHH I’M SO SORRY!!” 

Little did you know, Tartaglia would gladly swim in an ocean of paint, just to see you smile at him. 

Kaeya

- Kaeya has definitely done multiple jobs like this before

- After all, the knights have him do various little tasks for the citizens in mondstat

- He also has surprisingly good tastes in paint 

- He choose a nice coy grey to compliment the landscape 

- That doesn’t mean that he will spare you from the teasing comments either

- He will also makes you get everything yourself too :(

- Like you ask for the roller, and he just tells you where it is

- LIKE BRO IT’S RIGHT NEXT TO YOU 

- But other then that it’s a pretty good experience

- He finishes the job really quick and also he makes sure you don’t get hot with his cryo vision

- And he’ll definitely use the leftover paint to annoy the shit out of diluc

- Luckily Diluc will understand that it wasn’t your fault

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kaeya can I have the paintbrush? I need to paint this one tiny patch.” You did not want to get up and walk all the way across the roof, and go onto the other side of kaeya to get the paintbrush. 

He claimed he needed it but right now he wasn’t even using it. 

“Sure it’s right next to my leg.” 

“Can you pass it to me?” 

“No, I’m ok.” 

“I wasn’t asking you. I was telling you; give me the paint brush”

“Or else?”

“Or else I’ll take your fluffy, furry, snow white scarf that you always wear and dunk it in the bucket of paint.” 

“You wouldn’t~” 

You sigh in frustration. Of course he knew you wouldn’t. You loved Kaeya way too much to do something as DrAsTiC as dunk his knight uniform in a bucket of paint. 

“...then I’ll tell Charles and Diluc to not sell to you for the next 3 weeks” 

You knew he knew you would tell them. After all, you hated when he drank. It was bad for his lungs and might one day be the death of him. 

Kaeya gasps like he’s just seen a joke.

“YOU WOULDN”T!”

“I would.” 

Kaeya scooches back so that way you can just get up and access the paintbrush. 

You sigh. Of course he wasn’t going to get it for you. So with that you get up pick up the paintbrush and sit back down, wiping sweat off your brow. 

“Oh? If you told me you were hot I would of helped you sooner.” 

All of a sudden it felt a lot cooler. You looked up and realized Kaeya was using his cryo vision to lower the temperature. He may be a dick but he’s not gonna let you melt in the heat.

He would never admit this, but you meant more than the world to him. 

Diluc

- He literally doesn’t understand when you asked him to paint the shed with you.

- Man is so busy with work all the time this was the best excuse you could come up with to get him to paint with you

- It’s kinda like pulling teeth to get him to paint with you tbh

- He’s so dense you have to spill it all out for him 

- Poor guy :(

- But don’t worry!

- All your hard work paid off in the end 

- He’s never had experience, but Diluc is really good at being precise and good with the paintbrush.

- He also has very steady hands, and his side of the shed looks almost perfect.

- Diluc probably choose a brownish-redish color

- And you bet Diluc doesn’t waste a drop of paint.

- There’s like half a bucket of paint left over afterword 

- LIKE HOW?! 

- Diluc is also smart, unlike the other boys he’ll wear a smock and some old clothes. 

- You almost got him to wear a maid’s outfit

- ALMOST

- He also will use his vision to help make the paint dry faster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Diluc pleaseee can you tell me how you paint the shed so well” you whine. It was hot and you were stuck there painting and sweating. 

“If you want, I can finish your side and you can go inside and rest.” Diluc said. You sigh. He still doesn’t get the idea. 

You wanted to paint the shed so you could spend time with him, not to repaint the shed. 

“No, no it’s fine! I just wanted to a good job like you!” 

“If you don’t like it you can go inside. It’s really hot outside.” 

“Diluc! How many times do I have to tell you? I wanted to paint the shed with YOU. It can be a fun experience!”

Diluc looks at you unflustered by your flirting. 

“I see.”

“I’m serious~” 

He looked at you unamused. “Are you almost finished finished painting your side of the shed?” 

“Almost!” You finish up one last spec. “Yep!” 

Your side didn’t look nearly as neat and clean as Diluc’s side. On you’re defense you tried! 

“Little flame, can you get off the roof and sit down at the bottom of the shed against the wall?” He says softly. 

“Uhm- ok.”

You didn’t want to argue with him, because you didn’t want him to get upset and go back to burring himself in work. 

You hop off the roof and sit against the part of the shed that you guys haven’t painted yet. 

All of a sudden a giant orange phoenix comes out of nowhere and flies past your head. 

You stand up and check wtf this man was doing. “Diluc what are you-” that’s when you realize. He literally dried all of the paint on the roof so you guys could paint a second layer. 

“What?” He looks at you questioningly. “Now we save a few hours of waiting for the paint to dry.” You laugh and get the paint and roller ready again. 

You didn’t know this, but Diluc loved you more than the burning phoenix he just sent across the shed. 

Kazuha 

- I’m making it so you guys are painting a section of the ship that’s shed-like because you guys probably live on a boat

- So anyways

- Kazuha can get onto the really high places due to his vision 

- He’ll probably carry you in his arms bridal style and then boost himself up onto the high surface that you guys need to paint. 

- Kazuha probably has no experience with something like this

- Especially because he came from a noble household. 

- For painting and little tasks like these, Kazuha could just ask one of the workers.

- Nevertheless, he would still try

- he also would probably choose a nice turquoish-brownish color.  

- Kazuha has really good taste. After all he is a poet. 

- While he may not be very experienced, kazuha will be very neat and he won’t get paint anywhere where it’s not supposed to be.

- That means he won’t get any on his clothes, his hair, or any other parts of the boat.

- Kazuha is very thoughtful, so it won’t be that hard for him

- But he’ll wear an apron anyways

- Beidou would probably get mad at him if he spilled paint all over the place 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kazuha! You’re not gonna leave me down here after taking the paint up to the top of that thing right?” You say playfully teasing him. 

He smiles lightly at you. “Of course not my little treasure. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

He knows you’re joking. He knows you know he’s joking, but he still acts as if you’re serious. 

Kazuha hops down, picks you up, and hoists you up onto the platform. 

Your eyes flash; indicating that you were happy. 

“Once again sorry for continuously making you help me up.” You say. You felt a little guilty because every time you hopped down for something, he had to stop what he was doing to help you get back up. 

“Don’t worry about it.” he says lightly as Kazuha continues to paint. 

You feel the guilt wash away as you too begin to paint some more. 

After a little while you’re covered head to toe in paint. In your defense, you got every last spot and the paint was spread out equally. 

When you look over at kazuha your jaw drops.

He had managed to not get a single drop of paint on his apron. If he knew this was gonna happen why did he even wear one in the first place???

“Kazuhaaaa how do you manage to preserve so much painttt?” You whine playfully. 

But even through your playful demeanor Kazuha could tell you were slightly upset that you couldn’t do as good of a job than you hoped. 

“Here,” Kazuha scooches towards you “like this,” 

Kazuha gently grabs your hand and shows you how to use the roller properly. 

You realize that you’ve been doing it all wrong. While you may not realize this, but Kazuha doesn’t mind a few extra set backs if it means spending time with you. 

Kazuha’s love for you blew more fiercely than the wind in dragonspine. 

Venti

- Venti probably doesn’t even remember agreeing to paint the shed with you

- He was probably drunk lol

- But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to paint the shed with you! 

- Venti would be more than happy to!

- After all he doesn’t really have anything better to do with his time either

- Venti would probably be an asshole and use his anemo power to help him get onto the roof and then leave you down there

- You have to literally threaten to take away his alcohol for him to let you up

- Like Diluc, Venti will also probably use his vision to help dry the paint faster. 

- Surprisingly Venti has really good taste.

- He was an archon for celestia-knows-how-long. And he basically made a bunch of Mondstat so

- He probably choose a light green that looks nice with your house 

- Venti probably has like no experience with this whatsoever

- He’s very sloppy with paint too since he recently woke up from his 300 year nap or whatever

- And he’s gonna make you pay for all of it because man is too broke from spending it all on wine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“VENTI! LET ME UP OR ELSE!” Venti the asshole used his power as the anemo archon and boosted himself up onto the shed and left YOU down there.

The worst part was, HE HAD BEGAN PAINTING WITHOUT YOU. He started painting less than 5 minutes ago and Venti had already ran through half a can of paint.

You KNEW this was going to happen, so luckily you spent like 100000000000 mora on several cans of paint. 

“Uhm. Uhh... My sweet, loving, amazing, caring, kind dandelion~?” You know that voice. The only time Venti addresses you like that is when he fucked up. 

 “What.” You say. Honestly, you don’t even want to know what Venti has to say. 

“Can you get another can of paint...?”  Your jaw drops. “YOU WASTED ALL THE PAINT ALREADY VENTI?!” 

“Ehehe~” 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘eHeHeH?@?!?!?!?!?” You sigh and storm into the storage room to get some paint. 

When you come back, luckily Venti lets you up onto the shed to help him paint. That’s when you realize why he ran out of paint so quickly. 

He had DUNKED the roller into the paint instead of getting a separate container, used it unwisely with the paint all uneven, AND he kept dunking the roller in when it still had a ton of paint. 

VENTI ALSO HAD MORE PAINT ON HIMSELF THAN ON THE SHED. 

“Venti.” You say sternly. “If you keep wasting paint like this, all of the paint cans we are using is going on YOUR bill.” 

All of a sudden Venti begins asking you how to save more paint. 

You sigh as you begin showing him how to use him the roller properly. After you two finish, he easily dries up the paint using his anemo abilities.

“Why couldn’t you have done that earlier?” “Hm? What do you mean” Venti innocently responds.

“Venti, you could of saved us all this time and paint if you just spread the paint around using your anemo!” 

“But then there’s no fun in that.” You sigh defeated. He had a point, after all the whole point of asking him to paint with you was to have fun and spend time with him. 

You didn’t know this, but Venti would give all his archon powers over to you if you wanted it. For his love for you was stronger than Celestia themself. 

Thoma

- Due to being head cleaner person of the Yashiro Comission Thoma is very experienced with things like painting and such.

- He’s very precise and makes sure the building looks nice when it’s completed

- Thoma also doesn’t take any short cuts at all though

- TBH he’s probably the one who ends up helping you paint your side better

- Thoma is tall so he has no problem hoisting up onto the shed’s roof. Also, unlike Venti, Thoma won’t be an ass and leave you down there. Thoma is a gentleman and ofc he’ll help you get up onto the shed!

- IN fact Thoma probably helps you get up first before he helps himself up.

- He probably lets you stand on his shoulders to get up

- Anyways, you guys will only need like 1 can of paint

- He also probably chooses a nice purpleish-blue color to go with the scenery of Inazuma

- Also Thoma is definitely going to change into a smock for painting. He’s a house keeper and Thoma has learned his lesson about paint.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thoma how do you do the details so well?” You ask him. HIS SIDE LOOKED LITERALLY PERFECTO

“Hm? You want help? Sure! I would be more than happy to help you.” He laughs while scratching the back of his head.

Thoma gets up and walks onto your side. “Wow! You’re doing a really good job already! The one thing you could do better is use the paintbrush for the details. The roller is mainly for putting a layer of paint down, while the roller...” 

While Thoma goes on and on about the difference between the two paint utensils. 

“Ok! Thanks Thoma!” You say happily desperately hoping that you’d be able to do as good as a job as him.

As you two continue to paint you can’t help but notice how Thoma was panting and sweating. You feel guilty since Thoma was doing most of the work and all...

He even finished doing a perfect job on his side before moving on to yours.

However this only encourages you to paint faster and better. Thoma looks over at you and laughs. 

He wasn’t laughing at you, but rather he found your sympathy cute. 

“You know it took dozens of tries to get this good at painting, right?” He tells you. 

“WAIT WHAT?!” You say in surprise. You knew this wasn’t his first time, but you didn’t expect that as a house keeper he’d have to paint so much. 

“Mhm! In fact I have to repaint things all the time, so this isn’t anything new to me.” He laughs. 

Thoma would happily help you over and over again. After all, he doesn’t mind doing most of the work if it means spending time with you. Thoma would paint the whole shed for eternity if you wanted him to. Thoma’s love for you was stronger than eternity. 

Gorou

- Gorou has a little bit of experience 

- But he’s not that  great at it 

- He probably gets his tail full of paint :( 

- However, Gorou does have excellent taste. He also knows how to use his resources wisely. 

-  He also probably knows how to spot the cheap paint that’s high-quality 

- Gorou will definitely know to wear a smock. After all, he can’t get his battle clothes full of paint.

- He’ll also probably need help getting that paint off his tail :( 

- At some point he’ll just be like “fuck it” and start painting the shed with his tail 😂

- Anyways, Gorou will definitely choose a shade of greyish-brownish 

- He’s actually really diligent, but probably does a sloppy job. 

- He’ll probably immune to the heat too (If there even is any heat on Watatsumi island)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “FUCKK!” You immediately look up from what you were doing to look at Gorou. 

“What’s wrong?” You ask him. 

“I got paint all over my tail again.” He snarls. “It feels so stiff now. And once this shit tries it’ll look so ugly” he whines. 

You giggle at his antics. “It’s ok Gorou, I’m sure this stuff washes our of your fur.” 

You both know it’s gonna be a hard time for Gorou when bathtime comes. 

“It’s ok! Since your tail is already covered in paint then why don’t you just start using it to paint too! That way you can get twice as much work done at once.” You say. 

One look from Gorou and you know your fucked. 

“I MEAN I’LL HELP YOU WASH IT OUT LATER!” you say quickly. 

“Yeah that’s what I thought.” Gorou says sternly. He was NOT in the mood to joke around. If he got hot that would of gone worse. 

You two continue to paint for a few more hours.

“My little pebble, how tf do you paint the little spots like that?” He says, genuinely confused. 

Oh fuck. You guys forgot to buy another paintbrush! That was the one thing that you both forgot. 

“You’re not supposed to use the roller for the tiny spots gorou...but it’s ok! You can use mine!” 

You toss him the paintbrush, which he catches easily. 

“Thanks.”

Gorou was ever-so-grateful for having you to do this with. You didn’t notice it, but gorou’s tail was wagging happily while you two painted side by side. 

Scaramouche

- He straight out REFUSED at first 

- But you easily managed to convince him B) 

- He’ll probably be an ass at first, but then loosen up.

- Like Scaramouche has never done a task like this before in his LIFE

- He was made for great things not minor tasks like painting a shed

- So he’ll do a sloppy job and then get angry if you try to help him fix it :(

- But later he’ll loosen up and let you help him once your almost at your limit

- Until then tho, good luck lmao

- He’ll probably choose a purple-ish color that actually looks nice 

- Surprisingly

- he’ll pay for the paint since he’s a rich boi 

- Scaramouche will probably put the ladder down, act like he’s going to let you go first, then suddenly just climb up before you

- Scaramouche will probably wear his fatui uniform because of his dignity :’)

- And he’ll make you wash it out later like the ass he is :skull: 

- jk

- But anyways

- It’s actually a fun experience over all

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Scaramouche! You’re doing it all wrong.” You attempt to tell your boyfriend.

 He was using the paintbrush for covering up the space, he could get the painting done 10x faster if he just used the roller like you told him to and stopped being so stubborn. 

“Don’t tell me what to do.” He snapped at you. 

You sigh. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, I’m trying to give you feedback so you can improve.” You say reluctantly. 

“Yeah right. You think I’m doing a bad job and it makes you look down on me.” He spat back. 

You turn around to roll your eyes. Sometimes you wonder why you loved him. 

“Scaramouche- if you just listen to me, maybe your clothes wouldn’t be stained with paint, and maybe we can save a fortune from all the paint that’s been wasted.” 

Bad idea. Scaramouche Demon Face Activated. 

“WELL YOU’RE NOT PAYING FOR THE PAINT SO WHY DOESN’T EVEN MATTER?! AND UGHGUHGHGHHG YOU KNOW THIS STUFF DOESN’T WASH OUT RIGHT?!!??!!?” 

Sometimes you wonder how he became the 6th fatui harbinger with all the fits and tantrums he throws. Scaramouche continues to throw fits and complain for the next half hour. 

However, the second Scaramouche sees you getting upset he immediately stops. 

“Never mind, can you please pass me the roller?” He asks politely. For once, he asks politely. 

You sigh in relief. Thank archons, he finally came around. “Ok.” You pass him the roller and watch as he actually does a good job with the paint using the same technique you recommended to him. 

“Thank you Scaramouche!” You say so thankful that he’s finally coming around. 

And there you go, giving that damned smile of yours. This may be a rare moment for anyone to see this side of the balladeer but he looked at you dead in the eye and gave you the prettiest smile you’ve ever seen. 

After all, his love for you was stronger than the thunderstorm that surrounded Inazuma. 

Albedo 

- Albedo would probably want to make his own paint

- He’ll also go through a very long and logical explanation of the best way to paint the shed without wasting any extra.

- But he would still keep his stoic show up :’) 

- Fortunately for you, Albedo knows the exact amount of time the paint will dry and how much paint you have to use for it to look nice.

- There’s no way ya’ll will need a ladder

- In fact, Albedo IS the ladder with his vision :’)

- Actually more like an elevator but whatever

- So

- He would probably choose a light blue since you guys basically live in Dragonspine

- But you guys will probably choose two paints and mix them together

- When I say you guys, I mean him. He knows the perfect ratio to look good with the background

- Albedo will also know the perfect sized roller and paintbrush to get the shed done efficiently

- He’s also a painter so he can do everything perfectly 

- He even helps you a lot :D 

- Now if you two could do it physically... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Albedo what size roller should I use for this part of the shed?” 

“Hmm use the 3 by 12 inch roller for that part, make sure everything there is layered equally.” Albedo says. 

You look over at his side and it was perfect. “HOW DO YOU DO IT LIKE THAT?! WITH THE PAINTBRUSH I KEEP SHAKING AND MESSING UP.” You say in frustration. 

“Hmm try doing it like this.” Albedo guides your hand and steadily paints over the little corner you were struggling with. 

You watch as he strokes the corner perfectly with your hand.

“Do you understand? Don’t feel bad dove, it took me years to become decent at painting. The most important part is your going steadily. The speed doesn’t matter.” He tells you. “Klee has the same problem as you, she tries to go too quickly and accidently overlaps the paint too much.” 

That was the reason why you were improving. Albedo gave you solid advice and somehow knew exactly what you were doing wrong. 

“Ok!” You say determined to do better. You go slow but steadily, and before you know it the corner you were painting looked almost perfect. 

When you turn around to show Albedo what you did your jaw drops. He had finished most of his side already! 

“Albedooo how do you work so quickly?” You whine at him playfully. 

Albedo looks at you with those gorgeous greensih-bluish eyes. He looked stunning in the snow. 

“It’s ok love, keep at it.” And he gives you a soft smile which made your heart melt. 

“For this part of the shed you want the paint rollers to be exactly 3 inches apart so that way we can go over it later with the 2 by 3 brush.” 

Ok! You say enthusiastically. 

When Albedo looked over he saw you trying your best on the shed. He honestly thought it was cute how hard you tried. You didn’t know this, but Albedo was willing to be patient with you till the end of time. 

[just-someone-online]

So, I’ve been getting into Lego recently (Understatement of the year) and at some point, I began brainstorming ideas for Percy Jackson mocs. At first it was typical stuff like the Princess Andromeda, or some cabins, or Festus. But as I began rereading the Camp Half-Blood series, I noticed that Percy had a habit of making giant fists out of water (Actually, I can’t remember if he did that in PJO or if it was exclusively a HoO thing) so I thought ‘Why doesn’t he just make a giant dude out of water?’. So I started thinking about how that would work.

Then I started getting back into Spider-Man and forgot I was reading ToA and noticed how there were a lot of mechs and vehicles for him in the Lego line despite Spidey never needing anything like that (Not that I mind it, giant spider mechs are cool). I think you can see where this is going.

So, uh, I started thinking about mechs and shit for the Seven (Plus some other characters). I want to go through each of them and the ideas I had for them. And I know that it wouldn’t make sense in canon and the closest we’ll get to actual mechs are automatons and Festus, but this is mostly for fun.

All right, ready? Let’s go!

Percy - Okay, so Percy was the first character I thinking up designs for. Obviously, I went for a design based around water, so it would mainly be cyan. I debated going for a horse or a pegasus at first since, y’know, Poseidon. But after a bit of hemming and hawing, I decided to go for a traditional giant robotic dude. It would have a gold trident for a weapon and a cockpit in the chest for a minifig to sit. It’s kinda basic, but I’d like to try and add more to it at a later point. If I had to come up with a piece count, it would ideally be around 600-700 pieces.

Annabeth - Annabeth was one of the hardest to come up with something for. I wanted to do something based around each of the Seven’s powersets, but Annabeth’s abilities comprise mostly of her brain. Eventually, I decided that she’d have a smaller, lithe mech designed for easy stabbing (Of course, it would have a big dagger as a weapon). Kinda like the smaller Spider-Man mechs. It would be gray in color, y’know, cos Athena, and would probably be about 150-200 pieces.

Jason - Bit of backstory before we begin. At first, I was only doing the Seven, and decided that Jason would have a lightning jet, then I got distracted thinking what Nico, Meg, and Thalia would have, and decided to switch it up for the Zeus babies. Since Jason is able to control the winds, I decided he’d get a wind vehicle and Thalia would have something lightning based. Eventually, I decided Jason would get a either a jet or a flying mech armed with air cannons. I couldn’t decide if it would be purple or electric blue in color. Ideally, it would be 500-600 pieces.

Piper - Another smaller mech. It’s not as small as Annabeth’s, but not as big Jason’s. At first, I was gonna make it pink, since I associated the color with Aphrodite, but I honestly can’t see Piper rocking a pink mech, so the color remains undetermined. It would have large speakers on its back to allow Piper to charmspeak from a distance, as well as cannons to loosely represent that fucking cornucopia. I’d say it would be, ehh, 300-450 pieces.

Leo - At first, I was gonna give Leo Festus and be done with him, but I wanted each character to have something that complimented their powers (And in hindsight, the giant fire-breathing dragon that spoke in morse code did that pretty well). Leo’s would be a fiery orange tank, although I’d also like it to have an air form. It’d be 500-600 pieces.

Frank - Ngl, I’m stumped with Frank. I was thinking of having it be large mech that could transform into a dragon, but that just wasn’t clicking for me for some reason. All I can say for certain at the moment is that it’s predominantly red and 600-700 pieces.

Hazel - Given Hazel’s control over the underground, it only made sense to give her a tunneling vehicle. It’d be either golden or purple in color with little jewels all over it. I wanted to do something that reflected her control over the Mist, but the best I could come up with was making half of it out of translucent pieces. 350-450 pieces.

Nico - Ooh, our first non Seven character. Giant black skeleton mech, without a doubt. There’s this set from Monkie Kid called the Bone Demon Mech and it’s almost exactly how I would envision Nico’s mech. It’d be considerably smaller than the MK set, so about 700-800 pieces.

Thalia - As stated when I talked about Jason’s, Thalia would have a lightning mech. Bright blue with some traces of gray/white to represent Artemis, Thalia’s mech would be armed with an electrified lance and cannons that shoot arrows. It’d be 600-700 pieces.

Meg - Unless I’ve forgotten someone, this is the last one I came up with. Of course, she’d have a green mech with a plant motif. It would have plants growing out of its hands to represent Meg using her abilities against her enemies. It’d be on the smaller side at about 200-300 pieces.

I wanted to make one for Reyna but literally the only thing I could come up with was ‘purple’.

Feel free to come up with your own ideas, or hell, tell me how you feel about mine or how you’d improve them.

[ashensparrow]

Drow in Baldurs Gate 3 and what it means for Drizzt Do’urden

this topic excites me. I have both put a great amount of effort into  over thinking this and  the potential of  6th edition DnD (whenever that will come out)  as well as with my own headcanons.  will be putting it under cut so I don’t clog the dashboard.

I will start this off by saying I didn’t start reading the legend of Drizzt books until my mid 20s a few years ago. and I am still currently on the Neverwinter saga. though I am aware of some plot heavy stuff for the most recent books, partly for my own inability to sensor what I read online and partly because my BF has them all and reads them has religiously as I do but he has a decade on me in terms of reading. Drizzt also wasn't my first introduction to Drow. I knew nothing about the race until my first ever dnd game when I was 20. another player played a lawful evil Drow in predominantly lawful good party. and he roleplayed it so well no one knew until he pretty much told us. I loved his character, and the backstory he came up with and it inspired me to research drow as a race as a whole, eventually getting into the LoD books and now I play a Drow in every game I can. this cannot be understated if these first two paragraphs didn’t give you a hint. I love Drow. I love every aspect of their race, it fascinates me to no end. the Introduction of the Seldarine Drow in Baldurs Gate 3  has me foaming at the mouth with excitement. not only because it brings more depth to a race that has in a wide sense been relegated to being the ‘evil elves’  but it also brings a whole new way of reading the Drizzt books for me.  going by the game, Drizzt very well could have been one of, if not, the first ever,  Seldarine Drow, the first in a new subrace within a subrace of elves. we can pretty much confirm this by his eye colour. in BG3 all Seldarine Drow have either white, pale blue, black or purple eyes. Lolth-sworn Drow only have red  eyes. now if we put aside the potential godly influence for a moment, that is a clear, genetic difference, however minor. what other differences could there be? maybe height? Drizzt describes as small in the books. only about 5′5, but that is pretty tall for a Male Drow elf. who are smaller than females,  and the smallest of all the elf races.  could there be anything else? maybe an ability to adjust to light easier? when Drizzt was born and his sisters held a candle close to his eyes, he apparently didn't even flinch. there is also the obvious mental differences. starting with Zaknafein, who for the sake of this post was the one who had the ‘Seldarine’ gene. his life didn't sit well with him. he was still Lolth-sworn by his eye colour.  but he had something in him that even after close to five centuries made him feel different than the rest of his race, not enough to change his path but it was something. in fact when he thought Drizzt had killed a child he was pretty heart broken believing he would be just like the rest of them. Drizzt takes it further. he is disgusted by his Underdark world. he doesn’t understand  the way of his people, that in some respects, reminds me of myself as an Autistic person, he’s neurological divergent to the rest of his race. at least in the first few books.(Drizzt being Autistic was a nice  little headcanon for me)  previously this struck me as a nature vs nurture argument. very few people are born evil. I  would say  that even in a fantasy setting, and a whole race born evil even with godly influence just feels off to me. but if you grow up in an environment where that is the norm and that's what is taught the vast majority of people simply will accept it and go along with it. its far easier, especially for a male in an environment where the wrong questions can get you killed. for Drizzt to be the first of a new subrace of his people. is a big deal. evolution - adapting  to new environments is a thing, even in a world full of magic. with more Drow to he surface;  thanks to Drizzts influence and Bregan D'aerthe and the Followers of Eilistraee, after a few generations maybe Drow will start to be born able to adapt to light better, will be taller. etc.  now of course there is the simpler argument. its all done for Wizards change up, the expand the ‘evil’ races and to be more inclusive, and in 6E there will be some massive differences to the races we can play and I’m on board with that. but I love speculating and I am going to be rereading the Dark elf trilogy very soon. this probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone else. just the ramblings of a person who is hyper fixated on a fantasy race of people. I'm also probably completely off the mark. but what if I am right...

[sunshine-shitposts]

Twenty Second

Sunnie takes Dio out to dinner, unusually happy for some reason, and they enjoy good food together. Pure fluff.

TW: some drankin

=

Nights in the suite were usually lazy, with Sunnie either gaming or watching movies with Dio. He enjoyed their time together, and watching her slowly open up was quite rewarding.

Tonight, however, she was in her room.

He didn't question it as he read a particularly interesting book Sunnie had given him: The Elegant Universe, which discussed something called string theory. It was incredibly well-written, and he was about to turn another page when he heard her hum brightly as she opened and shut her bedroom door. She began walking down the hallway, some nonsense tune she'd invariably made up floating through the air.

She sounded like she was in a good mood.

She then stood in front of him, grinning widely and twirling the blue carabiner that she had her keys on with her finger, her other hand fisted on her hip.

"I'm in a good mood!" Sunnie said happily.

Ah, so she was.

"So," she continued, bouncing on her heels, "You should get dressed. We're going to my favorite sushi place."

"We are?" He asked, an eyebrow quirked upwards.

She nodded. "We are!"

And that was how Dio, dressed in a soft black button-up shirt (the first few buttons undone, of course), black slacks, and some new shiny shoes he'd purchased, was in the shotgun seat in Sunnie's oddly spacious little blue car.

The music in the car, in contrast with the heavy rock music he'd heard her playing in her room from time to time, was bright—some infectious dance tune that had her head bobbing and body swaying in time with the beat as she drove, smiling excitedly as she softly chanted "soosh, soosh, soosh" at various intervals. Dio wondered what exactly it was that had made her so happy, but chuckled amusedly as she bounced in her seat and pulled off onto a ramp heading north, and the music changed to something lower tempo, but still electronic. She hummed along with it, and a little while into the song, she began to giggle.

"Aaaaaah, here it comes, here it comes!!" She wiggled, and began singing with the music, "I promise to build a new world for us twoooo, with youuuu in the middle…"

And then the song exploded into bright, excited pulsing and drums, and she danced in her seat accordingly, grinning widely the entire time. He was impressed with her apparent skill at seat dancing while driving, he had to admit, but seeing her express her happiness so openly and so genuinely brought a smile to his face as well.

Fifteen minutes later or so, she'd pulled off the highway and onto a street that led them to what appeared to be a group of stores that were predominantly Asian, with a large grocery store that seemed Asian in nature as well. There were at least two dim sum restaurants that he could see, what looked like a small Korean bank, among other things like salons and cell phone stores. Sunnie took a left and drove to the outer section of the shops and neatly parked the car.

"We're here!" She chirped, shutting the car off and unbuckling herself, getting out of the car.

"A nice and easy drive," Dio remarked, exiting the car as well.

"Ever been to a revolving sushi place before?" She asked, shutting her car door.

Dio followed her as she trotted excitedly across the parking lot and through the light autumn rain to a door beneath a lit sign that said 'Kitsune' with a cute brushstroke fox next to it. "I have not, little bird," he hummed, "What's the occasion, if I may ask?"

"Oh, I got the courage to shut Vinh out of my bank account today," she laughed, face absolutely beaming, "so the meal's on me!"

He looked at her with a sly smile on his face. Good for her.

They reached the door, which Sunnie pushed open and they walked through, but not before Dio caught various people who were milling about in front of the stores and restaurants gawking at him–good, he always did love a little ego boost. The young man in all black at the front welcomed them and Sunnie happily gave her name ("Green, party of two, booth reservation!") and an employee came up to receive them and guide them through the restaurant.

It was dimly, yet warmly lit, the wood stained beautifully and the seats padded with dark leather, and, to his mild surprise, a winding conveyor belt throughout the main room. On the belt, plates with sushi covered by clear domes snaked their way around the room at a casual pace. Most of the seats were bar-style, but Dio saw, as they walked, several booth tables tucked away towards what seemed to be the beginning of the conveyor line.

The waitress sat them down at one of the booths and placed two drink menus on the table.

"Hi there, m'names Marissa, and I'll be helpin' you tonight!" She said in a sugary sweet voice, "Have y'all been here before?"

"I have," Sunnie smiled back as Dio inspected the moving plates with interest, "I'll explain it to him."

The waitress nodded. "I'll be back in a second for your drink orders!"

As she turned and left, Sunnie patted the table happily, turning his attention from the plates making their way past them to the small woman across from him. "So! Figure out what you wanna drink–"

"I already know what I want, my dear. Explain to me how this," he pointed his clawed finger up and twirled it around in a few circles, "works."

"Oh! Well, here's the revolving part of 'revolving sushi'," she said, gesturing to the moving sushi plates, "They're under these domes, see, but all you gotta do is grab the plate right here, under this little spot–" she reached up and grabbed a plate with her thumb under a semi-circle cutout on the dome, and the dome easily lifted up and she pulled the plate away and to the table, sliding it to Dio. "When we're done with it, we slide it into this spot down here," she pointed at a slot at the base of where the table met the wall, "and it tallies up the cost based on the number of plates. Simple?"

"Delightfully so," he responded, taking a pair of chopsticks out of their paper packaging, "Do you want one of these…" he looked down at the sushi in front of him and tilted his head.

"Kappamaki," Sunnie told him, getting her own chopsticks as well, "It's just a cucumber roll, nice and refreshing. But you can have those, I have a little ritual to carry out first…" she sat up on her knees and looked at a touch screen, scrolling through options and making a selection, "I always start out with niku udon. You make the selection on here and it comes to you on the linear conveyor belt above the sushi one. They have things like karaage, ramen, and you can also order specific sushi if they keep vanishing by the time they get to you, but since we're near the front of the line, that won't be a problem."

Dio picked up his first piece of kappamaki and popped it in his mouth, the bright crunch of the cucumber just as refreshing as Sunnie had said it would be.

"Is it good?" She asked, eyes sparkling, and he nodded.

"It is indeed," he responded, reaching for a shallow dish and pouring some soy sauce for himself, "If all of the choices are of this quality, tonight will surely be a feast."

Sunnie laughed. "No worries there, big guy, they're all really good, from what I know."

Marissa came back around and took their drink orders—Sunnie ordered a lemonade, and Dio opted for 'an entire bottle of your most expensive sake', and when Sunnie shot him a glare, he added sweetly, 'to celebrate'—and by the time their drinks arrived, Sunnie's niku udon had zoomed towards them on the linear conveyor belt. It was in a smallish stoneware bowl with handles and a second bowl on top, which she unclipped and removed to reveal a savory-looking broth filled with thick noodles, thinly sliced beef, scallions, and what Sunnie said was a 'kamaboko slice'. Dio smiled as she said an excited, "jaa, itadakima～su!" and immediately began digging into her dish, and he poured himself his first glass.

"So," Dio asked, sipping the sake, "Is this a date?"

She choked a bit on her udon, and he laughed as she swallowed, her face red and brows furrowed.

"Asshole!!!" She gestured accusingly at him with her chopsticks, "That noodle nearly went up my nose! Fuck you!!"

"You can take your time answering, dear, I don't mind."

"It's not that!! It's—you say things that throw me off!!"

He grinned smugly. "I do?"

She slammed her elbow on the table and pointed right at him, rising on her knees to stare him down closer. "Don't be a little shit. You know you do," she growled, narrowing her eyes at him.

His grin only widened, and his canines glinted in the low light.

"See??" She slapped the table, pointing again with eyes burning just as bright as her blush, "See??? You DO know!!!"

Dio laughed again, eating the second piece of kappamaki. "I do."

Sunnie sat back in her seat, leveling him with an intense glare before slurping down more udon and tearing almost viciously into a piece of beef, grumbling to herself.

"...So, is it a date or not?"

"No!!"

"If you say so."

"It's just to celebrate, and you're my friend. So I brought you," she stated, slurping up more noodles.

"Why not ask your other friends? You've said that you miss them," he asked, not taking his eyes off her as he pulled another plate of sushi without even glancing at the type.

Sunnie paused, brows furrowing in thought. "It's… I mean, it's just that you're basically the first person I can really share my whole life with." He raised an eyebrow, smirking, and she flushed again. "Not like that, Dio. Like… you know what's going on in my life. A lot of them don't, because I don't want to involve them. I don't have to hide that from you."

"You don't have to hide anything from me, Sunshine. Not your scars, not your bruises, not your Stand," he said softly, "Though at this point, I feel like it's in your nature to hide."

She stared at him blankly, tapping the end of her chopsticks on the table for a few seconds before breathing in, looking at her bowl, and slowly breathing out. "...You're not wrong." She slurped up the last noodles in her bowl, picking it up and draining the broth. "I've had to hide parts of myself my entire life. You know, 'don't tell people about what you can do, Sunnie. They wouldn't understand. People might try to hurt you'—remember, we're in the south. I'm not sure how much you know about things down here, but we've got an oddly high number of megachurches, especially in this area. There are plenty of people out there who, if they knew, would probably want to try to exorcise me. Not to mention, my parents worked for years to be able to adopt me. I overheard them a few times; they were scared I'd be taken by like, the government or something. I couldn't put them through something like that."

Dio watched her like a hawk as she reached up and grabbed a plate of three pieces of sushi before they passed by. "I didn't grow up with a Stand, actually," he said, pouring a little more sake into his cup, "I've never considered the implications of having such abilities from birth. It must have been hard to navigate, as a child."

Sunnie shifted in her seat, popping a piece of nigiri in her mouth and chewing for a moment before swallowing. "I mean, yeah, sort of. When you're a kid, imaginary friends aren't that weird, and the shit you say gets written off as you being over-imaginative. I only started understanding Windy's power and that no one else could actually see her when I was like, four, and by the time I was five, I knew to keep her hush-hush. I felt like a freak. Like in some way, I could never truly get to know anybody." After taking a long sip of lemonade, she sighed. "It's kind of alienating, y'know. There was always something that I would know but I couldn't say. I couldn't really be honest with my classmates."

"Was keeping such a big secret from them difficult for you?"

She shrugged. "I read a lot of comic books as a kid. Superheroes and stuff, y'know? And a lot of them had to keep secrets too. I always thought Superman's design was a bit basic, but I figured that if a country bumpkin journalist nerd could grow up without people knowing he could fly and shoot lasers from his eyes, I could do it too, so to speak."

He figured that made sense. As they took a few minutes to eat, he found himself looking back up at her over and over, before another question made its way out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"So," he broke the silence, an interested twinkle in his eye, "Tell me, aside from your spectacular secret keeping, how did you handle being a child with superhuman abilities?"

Sunnie, who was sipping her lemonade from a straw, nearly choked on her drink with snorting laughter. "Fuck, dude are you kidding? I was a menace!!" She grinned widely, snickering to herself. "So I have these family members, right? They call themselves Catholic, but they're this… like, really extreme…? I don't know how to describe it, but fuck I hate them. Except for one, she's kinda crazy in a good way. Anyways, so like," she settled back in her seat, absolutely beaming as she recalled the past events, "Carrie Anne, who's like my dad's cousin or something, she likes to pinch your cheeks and baby talk you and be weird and shit, so one time when we were staying over at their place when I was, like, six, I had Windy start to move things here and there. Small but noticeable, you know? A picture frame turned backwards, some flowers on the other side of the table. It drove her nuts. She rushed us out and cut the reunion short so she could try to get an exorcism or something."

Dio let loose a deep laugh. "Was it just them that you bothered?"

"Fuck no! Imagine, you're a wild child with the ability to not only control wind, but to also pull the sickest pranks of all time. That's exactly what you gotta do!" Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "At that point, it's an obligation. Rolling pencils off desks, tripping people I didn't like, just small little ways to make things fun and amusing for myself."

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on the top of his interlocked fingers. "Just small?"

"I mean, I did lose control a couple of times. Once when I was in second grade, some third graders made fun of one of my friends, so I climbed on top of the giant cement tube on the playground and waited to ambush them when they walked through it. We got into a fight, three guys against me, and after scrapping a bit with them, I blew them all off of me when the teachers ran up to separate us. It wasn't that bad, but it just sort of… happened."

"Heat of the moment?"

"Yeah." She ate another piece of sushi, chewing it thoughtfully before swallowing. "No one got hurt. Well, besides their pride. A girl a whole year younger than them took them all on. It was the talk of our grades for like a week. They didn't talk shit after that, though." She looked at him curiously, her head tilting to the side. "I know you're like, evil vampire man and all, but have you ever done anything dumb with The World?"

He hummed, eyes narrowing mirthfully as he took another sip of sake. "I once scared a French man shitless by repeatedly moving him down the stairs in stopped time when he'd try to ascend."

She barked out a laugh. "No one should hold that against you. He was French."

Dio chuckled, shaking his head.

The rest of the dinner was spent with good food and good company. Finally feeling full, Sunnie chose plain cheesecake as a dessert, and Dio indulged in some as well, at his companion's insistence. After the bill was paid (Sunnie's eyes bugging when she saw the price of the sake, then sighing and telling him 'You're lucky my job pays well, asshole'), they left the restaurant and drove back, the remaining sake in a brown paper bag that Dio happily carried. The return trip was spent conversing as well, music playing in the background and the occasional bout of Sunnie spitting frustrated curses towards particularly poor drivers.

When she crossed the threshold into their shared suite, Sunnie happily kicked off her shoes and took off her hoodie. "That was a fucking good meal," she hummed, satisfied.

"Indeed it was," he agreed, taking his shoes off as well and mussing his hair, "Here, little bird," he added, holding the bag with the sake out towards her. She looked at him and then the bag, surprised.

"Oh?"

"A gift," he continued, "A celebration of your new slice of freedom."

Her eyes met his again and her expression was blank for a moment before her face soured comically. "So you had me buy my own gift, basically."

"Yes," he chuckled as she took the bag from him, rolling her eyes.

"Welp. It's the thought, I guess. I'm gonna drink some of it, then." Placing her backpack on the hook she'd installed, she swept off to the bar. "You want a glass, big guy?"

"No thank you, dear," he responded, sitting by his favorite arm of the sofa and grabbing The Elegant Universe back up, opening to his bookmark, "I've had my fill for tonight."

"Right-o," she signaled, getting a small cup and heading towards the sofa as well, "How d'ya like that book, by the way?"

"It's quite fascinating, if I'm to be honest," he said, shooting her a dazzling smile, "Greene has a fantastic way with words."

"He does!! He's a lot like Carl Sagan, in that sense," Sunnie grinned back, pouring herself a bit of the sake and downing it easily, eyebrows raising. "Wow, smooth. But like, Greene is able to speak about complex scientific concepts in a very accessible way. It's something I strive for, especially when I was a STEM teacher. You can't introduce people to the wonders of science if they can't understand what the fuck you're saying."

"I suppose not," Dio nodded, "Is there any reason why you chose this book in particular for me, though?"

She shrugged, a sheepish look on her face. "I mean, you are from an alternate dimension. I thought it might interest you."

He considered her explanation for a moment, then tilted his head, amber eyes glittering with appreciation. "You thought correctly."

The next hour and a half was spent discussing various scientific topics as Sunnie made her way through some of the sake, relaxing more and more as time progressed. Her cheeks were beginning to become rosy, the tip of her nose a cute pink, and her words were blurring slightly into each other—but only a bit.

"See, so that's like, what I've always wanted to do," she stated matter-of-factly, chomping down on another sea salt and vinegar chip. "It's dumb but I wanna do it."

Dio shook his head as he looked up, shoulders shaking lightly with laughter. "Navel bacterial cultures," he said, amused, and she immediately puffed up to defend herself.

"It's interesting!! Everyone's belly button microflora is different!!" She thought for a second, and her eyes lit up. "Probably their ass cracks, too!!!"

Dio let out a deep and resounding belly laugh. "Darling," he said once he caught his breath, "I don't know how many willing volunteers you would get for a swab of their ass crack."

"I could do it if I paid 'em," she said indignantly, a smile on her face nonetheless, "Money. S'the great motivator."

"That's true," he hummed, laying back against the corner of the sofa. There was a comfortable silence for a minute between them before Sunnie spoke again.

"Happy fuckin' birthday to me," she mumbled happily as she took another long swig of the sake, finishing her cup, and Dio's eyes shot up to her, surprised.

Birthday? Did he hear correctly?

"It's been an insane journey around the sun this round, but I'm in a better place now, I think," she continued, eyes unfocused, "Better job, I'm away from that shitbag… Yeah, I'd say I'm doin' pretty well."

"Why didn't you say it was your birthday before, Sunshine?" Dio asked, confused. She just laughed warmly and waved her hand dismissively.

"Naaaw, well it isn't much of a big deal, is it," she responded, getting up to pour herself a glass of chilled vanilla rum. "Just another rotation around our closest star, another year on this complicated ball of rock… time passes. I get older. That's just how it is."

She walked back over to the sofa and took a drink of her rum before plopping back down.

"Hey, Dio," she looked at him expectantly, "Can we watch a movie?"

He regarded her for a quick moment before nodding. "Of course, darling."

"A horror movie?"

"Anything you wish."

She grinned and turned the TV on, pulling out her phone and switching to one of her apps. "Good, 'cause I have a good one. It's called Coherence. I mean, it's not horror horror, but it's a thriller. Horror themes. Sci-fi, too. It's an excellent low budget film." Her phone connected to the casting device, and Windy popped out, switching the lights off before returning into Sunnie. Dio was mildly surprised, however, when Sunnie scooted right up against him, snuggling into his side as she took another few gulps of rum. The movie began to load, and she looked up at him, cheeks flush from drink and contentedness. "Thanks, man. Tonight's been great."

Strange woman.

"It's always my pleasure, Sunshine," he replied, smiling. She hummed and turned to the TV, settling comfortably against Dio, who huffed a small laugh and brought his arm around her as the movie began to play.

The Twenty Second of October.

He'd make note of it.

[cruelfeline]

Being in a medical field, I’ve always had a morbid curiosity about Hordak’s defects. And I think it’s high time I made a proper list, don’t y’all? 

Come. It’ll be fun! 

kind of I mean it’s kind of depressing to look at it all in one go but whatever let’s go!

**

Altered Pigmentation/Possible Scarring

We now know that a Horde clone should have a white face and an otherwise blue-grey body. The white on Hordak’s trunk and arms shouldn’t be there, though whether the skin there is normal and simply missing color, or actually diseased, is unknown.

The darker blue, somewhat vein-like tissue located where white meets the normal blue-grey does look like it is legitimately abnormal. It is hard to say if this is diseased tissue, scar tissue, or some other problematic lesion. It may be directly due to the defect, or perhaps it is a result of attempts at self-cure. 

Cachexia (vs. Emaciation)

Hordak has the typical look of what should be a fairly large humanoid man who has lost a severe amount of weight and muscle mass. The bones of his arms, his spinous processes, and his ribs, are overly visible. One can also appreciate the odd-looking, sharp definition of his shoulders: this exists because his arm, neck, and shoulder muscles have wasted significantly, leaving the bones very sharp and prominent. This gives the illusion of large shoulders, when really, his limbs are so wasted, that the clavicles and shoulder bones simply overshadow them.

Emaciation refers to severe weight loss, involving both fat and muscle, due to starvation or malnutrition. Generally, fat is lost prior to muscle, as this is a condition caused by inadequate caloric and nutrient uptake. It can be a result of simply not getting enough food, or of not being able to digest and absorb that food properly. Once the lack of nutrients is addressed, emaciation can be reversed.

Cachexia, on the other hand, refers to severe weight loss involving predominantly skeletal muscle tissue that is not entirely responsive to appropriate nutrition. This is a complex syndrome that is associated with multiple serious illnesses in humans, including but not limited to muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerative diseases, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and cancer. It differs from emaciation in that it is not predominantly due to inadequate nutritional intake, but rather due to metabolic changes caused by various illnesses. Even with good nutrition, it cannot be entirely reversed.

It’s hard to be absolutely certain which issue Hordak suffers from, but given that Horde nutrition is likely efficient and complete, I’d guess that the defect causes cachexia rather than emaciation. Even if Hordak had issues digesting nutrients, I’m sure he could find a way to intravenously feed himself. Such feeding, however, would not be able to fully address cachexia.

The predominant symptom of cachexia would be weakness, though more dangerous issues can occur as certain muscles are affected: if throat muscles or the diaphragm are affected, swallowing and breathing issues can occur.

Muscular Atrophy and/or Aplasia

Hordak is missing a significant number of muscles in his forearms, along with the interosseous membrane that should be connecting his radius and ulna. I’ve got a lovely post specifically about this right here. to be brief: he is missing the muscles that would allow him to move his hands and fingers. The nerves and blood vessels crossing that region are also either missing or moved to run along his bones, leading to potential vulnerabilities. 

It is uncertain, as of now, if these missing tissues are the result of atrophy or aplasia. Atrophy refers to a tissue wasting away, while aplasia indicates that the tissues never formed in the first place. Either way, the clinical signs are likely similar: inability to perform the movements said muscles are responsible for. In addition, his arms are likely more fragile due to the missing muscle and connective tissues. His ability to lift heavier objects is probably impaired without technology, while an enemy’s ability to seriously injure his forearms is likely higher.

I suspect he’s using internal cybernetics to compensate for this when bare-armed, while the armor provides him with appropriate strength for all of his rage-throwing needs. 

Altered Mucous Membrane/Ocular Pigmentation

I am putting one fucking cute picture of him in here you can’t stop me

Hordak’s red eyes and mouth are, according to one of the character designers, part of his defect. Whether this is simply a coloration issue, or whether it is connected to his individuality and free will, remains to be seen. Likely something we’ll learn more about next season!

Syncope

At this point, we have witnessed Hordak suffer an episode of what appears to be syncope once.

Syncope is the medical term for what most know as “fainting” and can be defined as a sudden loss of consciousness due to transient inadequate blood flow, and thus oxygenation, to the brain. Recovery is generally spontaneous. Syncope is thus different from loss of consciousness due to other issues, such as seizures, low blood sugar, or stroke. Given that Hordak’s loss of consciousness was rapid, with likewise rapid recovery and no evidence of convulsions, it is likely that the episode was one of syncope, rather than a seizure or other issue.

While many different conditions can result in syncope, the cause can generally be divided into three main categories: reflex, orthostatic hypotension, and cardiovascular.

Reflex syncope is the most common kind and involves a neurologically-mediated drop in blood pressure. Some sort of trigger activates an inappropriate cardiovascular reflex via the autonomic nervous system (the part of our nervous system responsible for unconsciously regulating our bodily functions). For example: stimulation of certain nerves due to emotional stress, pain, coughing, or a variety of other triggers can lead to simultaneous vasodilation, decreased heartrate, and low blood pressure, resulting in interruption of cerebral blood flow and, therefore, syncope. This is the most common cause of syncope and what most people think of when imagining people fainting in fear, for example. 

Orthostatic hypotension refers specifically to a drop in blood pressure upon standing. While this is something that can, in mild form, happen to anyone, orthostatic hypotension is most often seen in the elderly and in those on certain medications or with certain medical conditions. It is essentially an issue caused by the body not being able to properly account for the blood pooling caused by gravity, leading to decreased blood flow to the brain and thus syncope.

Cardiac syncope encompasses loss of consciousness caused by a failure of the heart itself to pump blood to the brain, either due to structural defects in the heart, or due to cardiac arrhythmia that prevents efficient cardiac output. Low output leads to low blood flow to the brain, leads to syncope.

Given that Hordak was already up and standing when he fainted, orthostatic hypotension seems a less likely cause for his episode, though given that he raised his upper body suddenly, it is still possible. Both reflex syncope and cardiac syncope appear viable, though without physically examining him and/or knowing specifics on his cardiac health, it is impossible to tell what the true cause was. Given his emotional outburst, reflex syncope is a real possibility, but if his defect involves his heart in any way, altering either structure or rhythm, then cardiac syncope is likewise a reasonable differential. Or, if he’s particularly unlucky, he could potentially be at risk for suffering from syncope for multiple reasons, mediated by both neurological issues and cardiac problems.

**

Well! I think that about covers what we’ve seen at this point. I will say that it’s hard to put a specific name to Hordak’s condition (though I feel like some sort of neuromuscular disease or dystrophy, genetic or otherwise, appears likely) without knowing all of the specific ins and outs of his issues, but this list at least covers the visible, clinical signs.

I didn’t really go into the armor-related shocks that he experiences in times of over-activity or stress, as these seem less biological and more mechanical in nature and can likely be mediated by improvements to his armor. 

As the series goes on, I’ll likely update this post with additional information, if we get any! For now, I hope it serves as a fun curiosity for some of you, or even a writing resource, if desired. Enjoy!

[inscribed-in-asteroids]

AN: Here’s chapter two!

Title: The Ripple Effect

Characters: Hordak, Entrapta, Odessa, features original characters

Pairing: Entrapdak, features other canon couples (and some fanon)

Rating: M

Read on AO3. It’s always posted there first.

                                                     Evaluation

“You want us to help you… find your dad’s… home planet?” Hydrangea questions.

“Not necessarily that,” Odessa replies. “I’ve been mulling over this the last couple of years. Wandering through space, it’s apparent that my father’s species has predominantly settled into Etherian life. But when I ask my father where we are from, he has no answer.”

“Not in the withholding information way,” Tristan clarifies.

“Exactly. In the sense he has no answer to give. Period. I’ve discussed it with my mother, and she believes it could be an exciting chance to find out where he’s from!” Odessa claps her hands together. “We know about the biology, physiology, mental health, behavior of one person. My father has been studied thoroughly for years, but his makeup can only tell us so much.”

They nod in understanding. It does make sense. He has been genetically manufactured over and over, thousands of versions of him co-existing among species that still have yet to see anything like him before. Hordak has lived among Etherians, has explored world upon world, but they know he is an anomaly. They all do.

Odessa looks down at her hands, an anomaly herself. Her parents have always been supportive of her intellectual pursuits, and this could very well be one of the greatest. She has filled a medical textbook composed of both Entrapta’s research, Hordak’s explanations, and her own observations, theories and notes about how his species operates. But what good is it if it simply applies to a single individual; that’s not applicable to how science or medical practice works.

Hydrangea pours them tea. She knows how determined Odessa can be once she sets her mind to something. There’s no stopping her once her brain gains traction on an idea. Tristan’s set face comprehends this as well.

Tristan speaks first, “When would you like us to begin?”

Odessa smirks, “Soon as you’re done with your drink.”

“Hm, of course you’d say that.”

“Damn right,” Odessa answers.

Hydrangea places her hands on her hips, “Alright, Des. We’ll get going soon as we’re done!”

“Or you could chug your chamomile in one go.”

“No.”

                                                              -

Dryl is etched further into rocky cliffs, its labyrinth excavated deep inside the mountain. Its residents welcome their princess, happy to see her return. Entrapta’s kingdom had been left to its own devices for years, even prior to Entrapta’s departure; yet they view Odessa as the rightful heir, and treat her as such. She supposes it's something to be grateful for, as it does leave them with a place to rest and organize without much interference.

Though she could do without the large paintings of herself lining the walls.

“I never get over how cute you were as a baby,” Hydrangea says, giggling. “Look how chubby you were!”

“You were so adorable,” Tristan gushes. “So innocent.”

“The sweetest little baby,” she continues. “I still want to pinch your itty bitty face!”

“Shut up,” Odessa pouts, blushing. Curse these portraits… and curse their laughter...

“Odessa! Hello, hello!”

Relieved, she turns, smiling at the friendly face, “Hi, Uncle Wrong-Man.”

Crushing her to his chest, he presses their cheeks together, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen my most favorite niece in the world!”

“You’re going to make all the other nieces jealous,” she says. Then smiles, “But it’s true.”

“I can’t help it, you were the first niece I had!”

Back on her feet, Odessa glances at the vicinity. Normally, there’s more of her uncles wandering through the halls. “Where is everyone?”

“Oh, they’re working outside or in the kitchens. We heard you were back and we felt a welcoming party would be fun!”

“You don’t have to throw one every time we come back.”

His eyes turn watery, a sad, morose frown on his features, “Oh… I see… You don’t… like my parties anymore…”

“No, no, that’s not it!” Odessa says, trying to cheer him back up. “I just meant you don’t need to go through all the trouble each visit.”

He looks up at her, ears drooping lower, “Do you like them?”

“Yes, Uncle Wrong-Man, I love your parties,” she insists. “You’re the best at it!”

In seconds, his bubbly personality returns, “Excellent! I look forward to giving you another party suited to your tastes!”

Tristan leans toward Odessa, hand held up to his mouth, “Wow, for a minute I thought I heard violins.”

“He has that dramatic flair to him,” she agrees.

“How have your parents been? I haven’t seen them yet!” W.H. asks.

“Mom and Dad are fine,” Odessa tells him, following him through the halls. The maze has been modified to be easier to map out. The first time she had come here, they had gotten lost since Entrapta couldn’t quite recall where all the secret entrances were. Odessa took it upon herself to make her own layout, and added to it whenever a change had been made. “They went to Beast Island to see how it is there.”

His ears fall for a moment, “Aw, I hope they’ll visit soon!”

“I’m sure they will,” she assures him. “They had some business to conduct over there.”

“In the meantime, what brings you to Dryl?”

“I wanted to talk to you and some of the others regarding your past,” she explains.

W.H. enters the closest kitchen, walking toward the oven. Tucking on mitts, a perplexed expression crosses his features, “Our past? My dearest niece… have you been afflicted by amnesia?”

“No, my memories serve me right,” Odessa says, patient. “I am asking for information regarding where we had come from, as a whole species. What world we originated from, what our culture was like. I had spoken with father about the matter, but he said he didn’t know due to being younger than the rest of you.”

W.H. crosses over to the countertop, removing the cookies onto a cooling rack. He is silent for a few moments, and it is clear he is choosing his words carefully, trying to understand what she’s asking. He turns, a serious mien about him, unusual on his face. “I… I’m not sure, either.”

Odessa walks over to him, “Is it because you were separated from the hivemind?”

“I don’t believe so,” he replies. Folding his arms over his chest, the fact they’re all one person reveals itself in his posture and tone. “We had been created to serve Horde Prime. Nothing more or less. And I do think that I myself had been cloned after your father. He had been Horde Prime’s general as well, and if he didn’t know, one of our elder brothers might have the knowledge you seek.”

Odessa glances at Hydrangea and Tristan, then back to her uncle. “Do you know who would?”

W.H. ponders for a minute. “Hm, no one here, I am certain. The residents of Dryl are like myself—of the younger group, since we have more people skills to associate with the Etherians.”

Hydrangea says, “I always wondered how that worked. Where you were designated and why.”

W.H. nods, “Oh, yes, we put thought into what our new purposes would be. After I helped my brother and sister with Beast Island, I came here to demonstrate how to function with Etherians!”

Tristan walks over to the counter, “Where do you recommend we go, then? Also, can I have one?”

W.H. beams, nodding enthusiastically, “Please do! I am going to make much more. But in regards to your first question, I would suggest visiting family in Mystacore or Beast Island.”

Odessa takes a cookie off the rack as well, munching. Mystacore is closer, so it would be prudent to try there before traveling to Beast Island. There are portals stationed throughout Etheria, but it’ll be worth stopping by Mystacore. She hasn’t seen anyone there at all yet. Although, it’s not as if there are many who live in the clouds, visiting her family there is always exciting.

“Thank you, Uncle Wrong-Man,” Odessa says, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “We’ll head there now!”

“Take some food with you to go,” he insists. In a flash, he’s bagging the cookies into a cellophane sack, tying it with a pink ribbon that shapes into a butterfly. “Healthy meals are important, but so are treats! Otherwise, you get moody.”

Hydrangea and Tristan are handed their own bags, much to their surprised delight. Before Odessa can accompany them out the door, W.H. stops her, giving her another, “Would you mind taking this with you for your cousin?”

Odessa smiles, “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

                                                             -

Hordak and his brothers were categorized not by their clothes, or hair dye choices, but by their eyes. Odessa and her mother had noted the various shades of eye color, their teeth matching them the most; however, inside of their mouths, it adjusts to mimic the change as well, affecting the tongue and beneath it, gums, hard and soft palates, uvula, even extending down to the oropharynx. All her uncles are in good health, and with none of them dead, she can only assume that the change continues down the esophagus. She got it in writing several years ago that, should any be willing to be dissected for scientific purposes, she has a few choices for her study.

Their eye colors are fascinating: while they all reflect light to glow, which is meant to intimidate opponents, she has observed the change serves as behavioral distinction. The lighter the color, the more mellow and passive the personality; the darker or more intense, the more independent and aggressive. A chameleon-like feature, reflecting mood. And, in turn, signifying mental and physical health, as peppier individuals tend to be less plagued by feelings of inadequacy, anger, and low self-esteem. W.H. had his eye color eventually become the joyful chartreuse yellow she’s known since birth, and her father’s returned to their fiery red sometime after the war. This is the one true variation that doesn’t need attire or fanciful hair styles and dyes to show that no matter how alike they are by DNA, they are their own separate people.

So when she teleports to Mystacore, and she finds dark blue eyes staring at her from above, she remembers, quite immediately, that sometimes, darker eye colors don’t indicate low self-esteem but rather, an egregious amount of confidence.

Her uncle jumps down from his perch, landing daintily on his feet. He narrows his eyes, leering, “Odessa… it has been ages since you’ve arrived on Mystacore.”

“Hi, Talon,” Odessa says.

He looks at her friends, “You two are faring well, I hope.”

Hydrangea smiles, “Yes, thank you for asking!”

Tristan nods, “You look good, too, Talon.”

“Indeed,” Talon answers. “It would be a shame if I lost my abilities.”

With that, he throws knives out from his sleeve. Tristan dodges the attack by barreling to the side, somersaulting along the ground. Hydrangea calls up plants from underground, knives embedding into the sides. Odessa leaps into the air, reaching behind her to draw out a handheld bar. With a click, it extends to a staff, and another morphs it quickly into a pilum.

Reeling back her arm, she launches it with full ferocity at Talon. He avoids it, jumping to the left and pulling out more knives, but he aims them at Tristan, who runs toward the nearest fountain to pull water out from its containment. Tristan moves his arms upward, pushing out enough water to create a vertical depth, the knives slowing down as they pierce its surface and float inside.

Odessa tugs her spear out from the dirt, cornering her uncle at the right. Hydrangea pulls plants forward, fingers splayed in the air. From her fingertips, electricity strings across her exoskeleton. Tristan rushes to their side, water sloshing around them, encasing Talon in its center, creating a barrier.

Talon sneers, then bursts out laughing. His stance loosens, standing upright, “Your senses haven’t weakened. Good. I’d be vexed if you squandered my generosity to teach you combat.”

Odessa smirks, minimizing her staff and settling it behind her back, “We wouldn’t do that.”

Hydrangea grins, “Tristan and I do practice on our own.”

Tristan shifts the water back toward its source, then rubs the back of his neck, “Which is great, since there was no holding back from that attack.”

“Enemies don’t show mercy,” Talon says. Adjusting his collar, he nods his head, “But tell me, what brings my niece and her companions to Mystacore?”

Odessa speaks, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Me?” he replies, curious.

“Yes. It’s about your origins. Uncle Wrong-Man said it might be beneficial to come to Mystacore and question my relatives here.”

Talon raises a brow. He looks up at his home, then addresses the trio, “Are you intending to stay for longer than an hour?”

“Most likely.”

“I will invite you to my home, then. Come. Dinner will be prepared soon, and we may discuss the topic during.”

Accepting this, they head in the direction of his home. An impressive, ornate building that’s three stories high; they tread up wide steps, where one can overlook the weigela bushes lined around the vicinity’s front entrance, a fountain spouting water in the garden’s center, surrounded by lilacs and roses. Cool air wafts over their bodies, welcome from the heat outside. Odessa remarks that the decor has only slightly changed, the furniture taking on silver, blue, and white qualities, polished until they gleam.

Going to the stairs, Talon nods at them, “Make yourselves at home. As usual, do not break anything. I will see you at dinner promptly.”

Once he’s gone, Hydrangea chuckles, “He’s still intense.”

“He’s gonna kill us one day,” Tristan sighs.

Odessa pats his shoulder, “Only if we let him.”

He lips thin out, “Not reassuring, Des.”

Climbing the steps, they decide to wait until they are called, and opt to entertain themselves by bothering someone else.

                                                             -

Magic radiates within the room, energy felt even behind the door. Odessa carefully pushes it open, seeing a slim figure move around. Putting a finger to her lips, she leads her friends into her cousin’s quarters. His face is stern, staring at the spell hovering over the ground at shoulder height.

Hydrangea sits quietly on a cushion on the floor, and Tristan does the same. Odessa leans against the wall, and they all watch. Eon is her cousin, and their similarities begin and end with their fathers having chosen Etherian women as their partners. He differs from her, and any other potential cousin, by having the capability to do magic. Real, Etherian magic.

Eon takes measured breathing, focusing on the spell. It elongates toward the ceiling and floor, then narrows to a thin line. Reaching for it, he plucks it with his forefinger. It snaps, and a discordant sound follows, uncomfortable and shrill. Hydrangea and Tristan cover their ears, as Odessa winces.

Eon looks at them, brow raised. He grins, “Did you all enjoy the show?”

“We did, until that,” Hydrangea complains, glaring at him. She frowns, lightly slapping her ears, “Aw no, there’s some ringing!”

“It’ll pass in a few moments,” Eon explains. “Besides, you three coming into my room unannounced and unwelcome deserves a bit of retribution.”

“By popping our eardrums?” Tristan asks, deadpan.

“Exactly,” Eon says, one hand on his hip. He turns to Odessa, and smiles. “You’re here sooner than expected.”

“I believe we arrived on time,” she answers, grinning back. She hasn’t seen him for a while, but he has gotten taller since then. He takes after their species' propensity for large heights, but she knows he’s grown a few inches and might continue to grow for the next couple of years as well.

Eon begins putting away his spellbook and notes, arranging them neatly, “What are the three of you doing here? With you on Etheria, you normally visit me later on your returns.”

“I came to ask your father some questions, but then he invited us to dinner.”

“He can be standoffish, but oddly enough, never when it comes to hosting meals.”

Hydrangea sits up, “We got into a sparring session with him right away too.”

Eon joins them on the floor, one knee bent to prop up an arm, “I had mine early this morning. You know him, he’s never done with training.”

Crossing outstretched legs, Tristan reclines against the wall, “Your parents don’t let up, huh?”

“No, but I head to my place at Bright Moon later in the month. I check in biweekly to continue my sparring and magic training, then head back and repeat.”

“That’s a lot of back and forth,” Hydrangea adds, holding a pillow to her chest.

Shrugging, Eon says, “I don’t mind. Keeps me busy.”

Odessa chuckles lightly, taking a seat beside Tristan, “For being super busy, Uncle Wrong-Man said to give you this.” Pulling out the bag, she tosses it to him.

Eon catches it deftly, a quiet ‘yes’ of triumph leaving his lips. His diet is strict when he’s with his parents, for optimal nutrition and betterment. But he has a sweet tooth that rivals Odessa and Entrapta, thus any opportunity to consume sugar is taken. Using a levitation spell, he has it placed atop his desk, and an invisibility spell follows after, keeping it from view.

“Won’t your parents find it? It’s not like you can’t smell cookies,” Odessa states.

“I’ll say it was one of you.”

Hydrangea laughs, “I don’t think they’ll be entirely fooled by that.”

“If not, that’s fine by me too,” Eon says. “I let them think they’re savvier than myself.”

Tristan smirks, “How often has that worked?”

“More than for you,” Eon says, smirking back.

Odessa and Hydrangea whoop at Tristan, who laughs in good humor.

Stretching his arms up and to the side, Eon turns to his cousin, “How did the last journey go?”

“It went as planned. We went to Pilan, and my parents found what they needed for research.”

“And you two?” he asks, addressing the others.

Hydrangea lays on her stomach, drawing circles on the pillow, “Hm… my moms have started taking me to council meetings, which is interesting. We had a gathering with some of the leaders in Plumeria that are helping to manage its growing space. And New Chelicerata has been thriving for years now, since we removed all the machinery in the Fright Zone and expanded it into the Flower Field.”

“Not all the toxins have been removed, I’m assuming.”

“Some of the groundwater had been too polluted, and it leaked into larger bodies of water, but, as a whole, we started seeing real progress six years ago.”

“I’ve been helping the residents there by removing water too far gone,” Tristan adds. “We’ve been separating them into larger containers as instructed, and we’re hoping that newer technology from Entrapta and Hordak will yield positive results in another decade or so.”

“Even if it’s slow, progression is always good.”

Odessa glances to her left, letting her mind drift. Time doesn’t pass by the same when traveling through space. She watches her mother age, while her father stays the same, and that’s the extent of how often she pays attention to the changes happening around her. It’s not from ignorance, but from not giving too much thought to it, even with the years she has spent returning to Etheria to evaluate and aid her people here.

Settling against Tristan, Odessa yawns. He keeps his body still as she falls asleep, finding their chatter relaxing. Dinner will arrive sooner if she’s napping. Even closing her eyes is enough for her body to rest, breathing quietly as she listens to them discuss any topic they happen upon.

Her friends are interrupted mid-conversation, a knock at the door grabbing their attention. Odessa opens an eye. The housekeeper bows her head, addressing Eon, “Your parents are waiting for you in the dining room. Please, follow me.”

                                                              -

Odessa knows her uncle, Talon, is a force to be reckoned with in combat, but her aunt, Nyxia, is a woman with severe features and a severer personality. If there was ever given a choice between fighting him or her, they may have to weigh their options a little more carefully.

She is seated next to Eon, with Hydrangea and Tristan placed across from them. Odessa leans toward her cousin, “Did Nyxia poison the food this time?”

Eon shakes his head, “Maybe Tristan’s.”

Tristan bawks, “Hey!”

Waving his hand, Eon smiles, “I’m teasing. It’s more than likely Hydrangea.”

“What?!” she demands, worried.

“You two are making this easy,” Eon grins, shaking his head. “Really, after all this time, you continue to doubt my parents’ hospitality.”

“I haven’t seen your mom in a while, okay? I wouldn’t know if I offended her last time,” Hydrangea breathes out, leaning back in her chair.

Ear twitching, Odessa catches the sound of footfalls, her aunt coming into view from the corridor, chin-length, violet hair framing lithe, dark features, gown flowing behind her. Definitely not a person to be out of line around.

But that only applies to non-relatives.

Nyxia smiles warmly at her niece, “Odessa! My charming girl, how have you been?”

“Wonderful, Aunt Nyxia, thank you,” Odessa replies, nodding her head in respect.

“Excellent. I heard all of you did well in your impromptu session with my husband earlier,” she says, making her way to the other end of the table. Standing beside her chair, she looks at her son’s other friends, “Talon remarked that you’ve improved considerably.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Hydrangea and Tristan reply at once.

Talon comes from the opposite corridor, walking toward Nyxia. Pulling out the chair for her and sliding it beneath, he moves to the other end and takes his place at the head. The staff bring out their meal: roasted pheasants and potatoes, slathered in its drippings, with baked seasoned vegetables on the side. Wine is served to all of them, as Nyxia and Talon are lax in this department of child-rearing, though the option to have different beverages is always available. Odessa requests her usual fizzy drink, as Hydrangea asks for lemon water. Tristan and Eon have no qualms with the choice displayed in front of them.

“Smells delicious, Miss Nyxia,” Hydrangea compliments.

“Thank you, my dear,” she answers, laying a cloth on her lap. “When I heard you three were in Mystacore, I chose to make this instead.”

Odessa and Eon twiddle each other’s fingers under the table, a silent ‘fuck yeah’ to the change in menu. Nyxia is a phenomenal chef, but she abhors cooking. The usual staff do lovely work, except they are meant to keep things simple, clean, and balanced. Nyxia, despite agreeing with her husband on meal preparation, manages to create rich, satisfying food each time. Normally, when Odessa and her family are visiting.

Relishing this opportunity, Eon cuts into his pheasant, stabbing a portion of potato with it, melting on his tongue. Trying not to pretend-weep. Or actually weep.

“What was your question, Odessa?” Talon asks, swirling the wine in its glass. “It’s not like you to come without your parents.”

Dabbing her mouth, Odessa looks at him, “I wanted to ask you questions about your time serving as a soldier for Prime.”

He doesn’t break the smooth motion of his wrist, not minding that part of his life, “Yes?”

“I was told that older clones might have information regarding our origins. A life before Prime sought out to conquer the universe. My father and W.H. are too young to remember, or were never privy to it. You’re one of the eldest, so I figured to come here before heading to Beast Island.”

Talon sets down his glass, lifting his fork and knife. He takes a bite of his food, chewing quietly. Swallowing, he says, “I will be blunt: it is not possible to know such a thing. Our purpose, our life, was to do Prime’s bidding.”

“There isn’t anything you can think of?”

Talon mulls the question, glancing up at his wife, then back to the plate. He narrows his eyes, and they flicker to an even darker shade of blue for a fraction of a moment. He gives a minute shake of his head, imperceptible to all but his wife.

Odessa waits for him to speak, slipping out her recorder with a strand of hair.

“I… cannot remember a time before Horde Prime. There was only war. Ravaged lands, and screaming,” he leans forward. He meets his niece’s gaze, “You might have to go to Beast Island for your answers, though I do not trust they will know more. Many of us have been alive for decades, but not millennia.”

“Is there a reason for that?” Tristan wonders. “The hivemind was the source of connection. Did you lose memories once it left?”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be that way,” Talon answers, sipping his drink. “It’s more… you have recollections, starting from the present. And it continues backwards until it stops. A wall in your head, which is the moment of when we, for lack of a better word, are ‘born.’ From what I’ve gathered, raising Eon, and observing all of you growing up, an infant that develops naturally can have memories that are faint—both in sensation and imagery, and the mind’s eye develops scenarios of what could’ve happened. Piecing puzzles in your memory banks. Attempting to make sense of your childhood and surroundings, and it even causes you to feel certain emotions into adulthood on a subconscious level. For us, and my brothers, there is no guesswork. There is the instant of emerging from the vitrine, and from there it goes on. Our memories are crystal clear, and gaps do not occur. If we feel emotion, it’s from direct experiences, not preconceived ideas of maybe how we experienced living. The hivemind being removed made us how we are now, but its absence didn’t seem to affect anything else.”

“Fascinating,” Odessa says, forgetting her meal. “So, you remember everything?”

“Yes. It would seem my brothers and I recall memories at greater capacities than most.”

“Would you say you have photographic memory?” Hydrangea asks, leaning forward.

“Our superior intellect allows us to retain knowledge quicker, and we remember things for longer, but a true photographic memory isn’t an aspect we have considered.”

Nyxia cuts into her pheasant, “It’s not unlikely. Your brothers and you have shown an uncanny ability to remember things more greatly than Etherians. It might be prudent to research it further, wouldn’t you say?”

Nodding in agreement, Odessa would not rule it out. She’ll discuss it with her mother for an unbiased opinion later.

Dinner finishes with chiffon cake and fruit, leaving guests and hosts satisfied. Talon and Nyxia wave at the door, as Eon walks them to the portal.

“It was good to see you all,” Hydrangea says, turning to Eon. She clasps his hands, “You should visit more!”

Eon blushes slightly, still not used to open demeanors, “I’ll try to make an effort.”

Tristan pats his shoulder, “You have to get out more. Between you and Odessa, I don’t know who’s more of the hermit.”

“It’s definitely me,” Eon replies. “Odessa’s too needy.”

Punching him in the arm, Odessa gives a side-hug right after. She and her friends step onto the portal, “I’ll drop by again soon! And visit my parents sometime, dumbass.”

He flips her off, smirking.

Hopping through the portal, they arrive in Plumeria, where she bids goodbye to her friends. Then, she heads to Beast Island.

                                                               -

“Odessa! My little cupcake, how was your trip to Mystacore?” Entrapta asks. Imp, crawling around on the walls, chirps his greetings with Emily beeping at her return.

“It was very interesting,” Odessa says, pulling out her recorder. “Would you like to listen with me?”

“You bet!” Entrapta shouts, sidling over to sit on her hair. Odessa takes a proffered seat before playing back the conversation at dinner. She listens with rapt attention, the two of them quiet. Afterward, Entrapta grins, “That was fascinating! I had noticed that your relatives tend to be more affluent with recollection than most, but this requires more study.”

“Do you think there is a possibility that they have photographic memory?”

“We won’t know unless we test the hypothesis,” Entrapta turns to her daughter, grinning wide. “You know what that means!”

Odessa grins wide too, saying it with her.

“Time to experiment!”

                                                               -

Odessa and Entrapta had to decide what and how to measure. The test is simple on paper, but part of the reason memory tests can be difficult is due to fallibility of nature. Recalling a memory does not equate accuracy. They also had to take into account that Etherian children were more susceptible to false memories, which could affect them as adults, hence, why Talon said that there’s no guesswork for his brothers and himself. And when it came to the ethics, Entrapta reminded Odessa that it’s part of experimentation, much to the latter’s chagrin. Odessa would’ve followed, regardless, but she’s more determined to see things through without obstacles.

A lack of true full-blooded children for Hordak’s species, and Eon and Odessa were not little anymore, that wasn’t necessary to entertain. However, Odessa and Entrapta believed it would be prudent to test the memory of Eon and any other hybrid cousins simultaneously to the Etherian and Horde groups, sans Odessa.

After deliberating, they chose to experiment by gathering Etherians between the ages of 15-50, to cover the age bases of both Etherian teens and adults, hybrid offspring, and Horde descendants. After age 14, correct absolute judgments and relative judgments have better succession rates and are not as affected by false positives. With this in mind, Odessa sends out a mass message asking if anyone would like to be part of a study.

She receives her answers quickly from her uncles, who would be more than delighted to aid her in any quest. She splits them into four groups, Group A, B, C and D. To accommodate for the choice in subjects, they will be separated into three sections, Etherians being the first, hybrids the second, and her uncles will be the third subsect. Over the course of the week, she receives the rest of her subjects at Beast Island.

Tristan and Hydrangea are the first to arrive, looking forward to spending time with her and her family in the meantime. Hydrangea gives Emily and Imp hugs and kisses, cooing over them incessantly. Imp clings to Hydrangea’s neck, completely at ease.

Tristan pats Emily’s surface, smiling at her beeps, “It’s good to see you too.”

She beeps even louder and harder, spinning around in place.

Entrapta grins, “Aw, you made her day!”

“No one else is my favorite robot, are they, Ems?” Tristan asks. She spins again, and the whirring becomes softer, almost shy.

Odessa nudges his ribs, “Great, my sister has a crush on you.”

Tristan rolls his eyes, smiling.

Odessa peers at his face, “Hey, you shaved!”

“Yeah, you were right. It was horrible,” Tristan remarks.

“You look better this way,” Odessa affirms, pinching his cheek, and he lightly whacks her fingers away.

Scorpia comes a moment later, and immediately bolts over to them all. Once the hugs are done, Scorpia and Entrapta discuss things on their own. Entrapta settles into the crook of Hordak’s arm, resting easily over her shoulders. Scorpia gushes over how cute they are. Hordak humphs in disdain, despite the blush on his cheeks.

Another five minutes pass and the portal hums. Catra, Adora, and two of their children come through.

Odessa sighs. Not looking forward to having some of them here. But she smiles, walking to Adora, “Hi! Thanks for coming.”

Adora smiles, giving Odessa a warm hug. She pulls back, holding her at arm’s length, “It’s no problem. We’re glad to help! You’ve gotten taller.”

“You’ve definitely sprouted more than we thought. I remember when you were knee-high,” Catra says. “You were the worst ankle-biter in Etheria.”

Odessa teases, “Still am.”

Laughing, Catra pats her back, walking hand in hand with Adora to their friends.

Her smile falters after that, though she manages to keep it in place. If Catra and Adora weren’t there, she wouldn’t hide her contempt or indifference.

They have four children in total. Quadruplets in fact. All a year younger than her at 15. Two of them, Clawdeen and Marlena, tend to spend their time in Bright Moon, and she has no opinion of them other than they’re not her sort of people. Well, that’s not true. They’re surprisingly elitist and refuse to associate with anyone they find unworthy of their time. They mind their business enough, however, so Odessa doesn’t pay them attention.

Barely coming to five feet tall, Molly is one of the children here today, a skittish, timid thing; the runt of her litter. She inherited Catra’s heterochromia, one eye blue, the other green, and that’s the one interesting thing about her. She stands, unsure, by the portal. Her appearance here is odd, since she tends to be alone. Odessa doesn’t hate her, or even dislike her, but the girl’s meekness doesn’t make her striking enough to have an opinion on either.

Adam, their one son, is another story. His eyes are bright blue, and slightly jarring in the feline face. The opposite of Molly, he is loud, prone to temper tantrums, and his temerity leaves much to be desired. She prefers the company of confident, open people, but he’s, without a doubt, the most obnoxious fucker she’s ever had the misfortune of knowing.

His eyes, the only one to resemble Adora’s, land on hers, and he leaps over, grinning. Placing an arm on her shoulder, leaning, he says, “Yooooo, what’s up, girl?”

Odessa turns to him, narrowing her eyes, “Please don’t take my smile for welcome, you complete ass.”

“Ooh, baby, you need to chill,” Adam says, poking her nose.

“Try that one more time and I’ll bite it off.”

He winks, “That a promise, thottie from space?”

Odessa smiles wider, eyes flashing, “It’s a threat, you parasitic fool.”

Sensing her growing irritation, her friends bound over. Hydrangea waves at Adam, “Hey! We haven’t seen you in a long time. How’ve you been?”

Adam turns to her, “Hey, Dragon Fruit! You know how I be—taking care of all this,” Adam gestures to his thin body, puffing out his chest. “What you been up to lately? Those flower braids are doing everything for your look.”

Hydrangea urges him to walk far, far, far, far away from Odessa’s area.

Rubbing her temples, Odessa takes a breath.

Tristan rubs her back, “Remember, Des: think of the experiment.”

Odessa nods at him. Science. Her one true refuge. “I know. It’s a little… irritating that he’s here. But I’m sure that empty-headed dolt will yield some results for me.”

Tristan smiles at her, ensuring she doesn’t lose her cool. Once he’s sure she won’t murder, he looks at Molly, “Hi! I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Molly brushes hair away, looking briefly at the ground before addressing him. “Yeah… Um, my moms thought it would be cool to take one or two of us. To help Odessa out.”

Odessa shakes her head, “So glad about that.”

“Um… I’m sorry about Adam...” Molly starts.

“It’s fine,” Odessa replies, focusing back on her clipboard, walking away.

Sighing, Molly bites her lower lip, feeling uneasy.

Noticing that, Tristan smiles at Molly, “Come on. We can wait over here.”

“Sorry you’re stuck with me,” she mumbles.

“I’m not stuck with you,” Tristan answers. He leads her to an unoccupied stone ledge, the occasional pooka darting across it. “Though, I didn’t think this was your sort of thing.”

“It isn’t. I don’t really want to be here,” Molly answers, pulling her legs to her chest.

“It might be fun, right?” Tristan asks.

Shrugging, Molly places her chin onto her hands.

They both watch the portal light up, a plethora of clones marching through. It has to pause for a brief moment, then it continues to spew individuals out of it. Tristan glances down at Molly, knowing there’s no point in attempting to converse. The silence doesn’t bother him, and she seems to take more comfort out of not having to make dreadful small talk. He hates it too, so this works.

Eon and his parents eventually pass through. Waving at him, Tristan reclines in his seat, “You and your folks actually came. I didn’t think any of you left the house.”

Standing with his arms behind his back, at ease, Eon smirks, “You’re all lucky we don’t come out more often.”

Tristan sticks his tongue out at him. He gestures to his left, “You remember Molly?”

Eon looks down at her, “Yes, we have met before. Nice to see you again.”

Molly flushes, turning away, “Nice to see you too…”

He glances at Tristan, who gives a one-shoulder shrug.

She keeps quiet, looking at the people around her. Hordak and his brothers all stand out as one unit, and other cousins similar to Eon slowly arrive. Not as large in number, with more variation than Hordak’s species but less than natives. She watches Etherians coming forth as well, and doesn’t wave or acknowledge them. Hoping to blend with the background, she scoots further away, sinking behind Tristan.

Tristan notes her discomfort and doesn’t move.

Eon, however, waves at some relatives, who rush over to greet him.

Molly frowns, accepting her fate. She takes to watching Eon speak with his family, his tall, sleek body impressive even among those similar to him in build. His hair, cropped shorter at the sides, falls in front of his forehead, a darker hue than his cousin Odessa. His eyes are a lovely shade, bordering on magenta with a stronger red tint, the sclera an equally pretty color, lighter than his irises. His usual confident smirk remains on his face throughout, bright, sharp teeth against the usual backdrop of pale face with the sides of his cheekbones and neck becoming a shock of dark blue or purple. It seems to be a common male trait, since Odessa’s face is white all around, but she isn’t sure. She doesn’t see the other cousins close enough to tell.

She spies Odessa wandering with her device, either barking orders or quietly checking off things. Long, lilac hair floats behind her when not in use, her frame just as slim and tight as the others, and inheriting a tall height seems to be the norm for them. Despite her gorgeous features, Molly finds it interesting, also intimidating, how much redder Odessa’s eyes and sclera are compared to Eon’s.

Hydrangea is speaking with Odessa now, platinum blonde hair brushing against her body, falling in the softest of waves to the small of her back. Her lithe frame befits the gentler, kinder nature she has, which isn’t surprising considering who her parents are. But there’s that powerful change in limb, her arms spiking at the shoulder in dark red, the skin of her arms mottled with it, until it reaches her elbows, where it spikes again, hardens, forming another patch of chitinous skin that reaches her fingertips, claws neatly filed down. And then there’s the tail, shorter, but as potent as Scorpia’s. Deadly and graceful.

She looks up at Tristan, beautiful, brown eyes staring off to the distance. Long lashes frame them, delicate yet full. His hands rest lightly over his knees, fingernails painted black. Hair reaching the end of his neck, lightly touching muscular shoulders, it enriches brown skin with its color, more than a mere dark purple. It’s the color of wine in the dark, of a gorgeous night as the last remnants of light dash away. The blue of his clothes highlight everything further, lavish gold trim clashing against the bright colors, revealing every taut muscle without meaning to, and she traces the curve of his spine with her eyes.

She feels a gaze on her, and finds her brother staring at her from a distance. Molly, snapping from her reverie, darts her sight to the ground. Unaware of Tristan looking in her direction.

Once enough participants have arrived, Odessa claps her hands, “Alright, people! Listen up: I have divided you all into the following groups. Step up this way, where I will assign you all with a place to go to.”

Adam bounds up out of nowhere, whispering, “Can whatever group I’m in be called Team Sexy?”

Odessa ignores him, “Let’s begin, shall we?”

                                                               -

                                                    HYDRANGEA

                                                        Age: 15

                                                Species: Etherian

“Alright,” Odessa says. “I’m going to show you 10 pictures. You will have seven seconds to absorb all the details for them, and afterward, I will ask you one simple question about what you can remember.”

“You got it!” Hydrangea sits in her chair, comfortable. “Sounds easy enough.”

Odessa smiles, “Here’s your first one.”

She holds up a simple image of table mats atop a wooden surface, decorated with plates of breakfast foods, drinks, and fresh fruits.

“Okay, ready for the question?”

“Yep!”

“What fruits topped the waffles?”

“Oh, um… berries and apples?”

Writing it down, Odessa proceeds with the next image.

                                                      TRISTAN

                                                       Age: 17

                                               Species: Etherian

“Hello!” Entrapta says, bringing him in. “I’m going to show you 10 pictures for less than 10 seconds each, and you’ll let me know what you remember.”

“Sure thing,” Tristan replies, sitting upright.

She pulls out an image of miscellaneous items and personal effects on a desk, three photographs in the middle, a drawing in one of the corners, a grey notebook, and a folder with intricate patterns.

“Okay, ready for the question?”

“Yes.”

“Were there tickets on the table?”

Tristan mulls his answers for a moment, “No.”

                                                        MOLLY

                                                        Age: 15

                                                Species: Etherian

Odessa approaches the girl, relieved that she doesn’t have to deal with the handful that was her brother. She looks at Molly, “I’m going to hold up 10 pictures for you, and you will have seven seconds to absorb the image. Afterward, I will ask you questions.”

“Alright,” Molly nods, nails clicking against each other.

The image is of a mountain peak, glinting from the light; the moon shines above it, and a trip of hoofed animals moving along its surface.

“What was the total number of baby goats in the image?”

Molly thinks over the total, and says, “Five.”

ADAM

Age: 15

Species: Etherian

Entrapta comes into the room, “Hello! I’m going to be showing you some pictures—”

Adam interrupts her, “Is this going to take long?”

“Nope! It takes less than five minutes for this segment to be complet—”

“Do we get paid to do this?”

“...No.”

Scratching his nose, Adam leans back in his chair, “Got it, got it. Lay it on me, girl!”

Entrapta smiles, “Great! So, I have 10 pictures and I will show them to you for about seven seconds. I will ask you questions after each one about what you saw.”

“Question real quick: is this one of those tests that explain anything about your psychosis?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is it gonna tell me anything, like, am I gonna learn about who is the most likely to be a murderer or nymphomaniac?”

Raising a brow at him, Entrapta says, “I can’t divulge too much about the study to participants. But this is not that kind of test.”

“Aw… okay,” Adam shifts back further in his seat, lifting the front legs from the ground. “Well, that’s less fun.”

Entrapta proceeds to bring out a picture: a series of potted plants are lined on shelves, different heights and colors smashed closely together in the frame, their pots not resembling the others save for a few.

“What was the centre motif for the pots?”

Adam scratches his chin, “Frog, I think.”

                                                         EON

                                                       Age: 18

                                          Species: Etherian and ?

Odessa approaches her cousin, sitting relaxed in the seat. She had gone through the first ten pictures with him already. She glances at him, “Are you ready to continue with the process?”

“Whatever this study is, I’m assuming that you need me to come back again for another trial run.”

“Yes, you will be returning a few times after today to aid in the study, as per your agreement on the written form.”

“Of course.”

“You went through the first half, and you’re going to begin the second half now. This is slightly different,” Odessa explains. Instead of photographs, she holds up a pad, similar in size and weight to her telecommunicator. “I am going to hold up one image: a grid of white and black squares. Then, I will show you a second image, of the same number of squares on the grid; however, you will choose the one square you believe was white in both image one and image two. Image three will have the grids with numbers in the squares instead for you to pick. The amount of time will be the same, seven seconds. There are four levels of difficulty, and you will proceed until we reach the last level.”

Nodding, Eon watches her lift the screen to his eyes. A grid of white and black appears, and he keeps in mind which are white only. The second image appears. Then the third. He makes his decision. He will not know if he is right, as the data is processed within for the researchers alone.

Odessa keeps her face neutral the entire time, intrigued at what this part of the test will yield from everyone else.

                                                          TALON

        Age: approx. 90 (total) | approx. 52 (mental) | approx. 52 (physiological)

                                                        Species: ?

Entrapta smiles, “We do appreciate you helping with the test.”

“It is no trouble,” Talon states. “You and my niece are a select few that do not leave me…”

“Irritated?”

“We’ll use that word.”

Entrapta approaches her brother-in-law, setting herself down on swathes of hair, “Are you ready for the second half of the test?”

“Yes. By all means, little sister, proceed.”

“Excellent! I’m going to show you a grid with black and white squares. Another image will appear after on the device. The number of squares will not change, however, you have to decide what is the one square that remained white. You will pick that in the third image, where the squares will all be numbered.”

“Understood. You may show me the first image.”

                                                            W.H.

        Age: approx. 40 (total) | approx. 23 (mental) | approx. 27 (physiological)

                                                       Species: ?

“This must be exciting for you, isn’t it?” W.H. asks. “You haven’t done a study like this in a while.”

Readying the pad, she nods, “It has been a few years since I’ve conducted anything in this manner.”

“I still remember when you were little, and you insisted on having your first experiment be a methane explosion. You were so cute!”

Odessa smiles, “Speaking of memory, we’re going to begin the second half of the test. You will have the same amount of time to memorize the image on screen. Another will follow right after, and your task is to choose which square on the grid remained white. The image will be your selection on a numbered grid.”

“Sounds fun!”

Holding it up for him, Odessa watches his eyes stay in place, focused. A flicker to indicate change on the screen, then another before he makes his decision.

                                                        HORDAK

        Age: approx. 56 (total) | approx. 57 (mental) | approx. 35 (physiological)

                                                        Species: ?

Entrapta can’t help but smile at him, “Thanks for helping, Lab Partner!”

Hordak smiles back, rising from the chair, “Of course. The experiment seems to be going well.”

“It’s been so fascinating!” Entrapta lifts herself up in the air, at his height. “Everyone has been super helpful, even when they’re rambling about their own assumptions!”

“Who was rambling?”

“One of Catra’s kids—the boy. He was very interesting when he talked, but I had to stay focused! We’re collecting so much data… Odessa is going to be ecstatic!”

Happy to see her in good spirits, Hordak leans forward, kissing her cheek, “When you’re done, I will be waiting for you in our room.”

Entrapta waggles her eyebrows at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, “Ooh! Is this about that new maneuver you wanted to show me?”

“We’ll see if your memory serves you just as well tonight,” Hordak smirks.

Squealing, Entrapta kicks her legs behind her, pecking his mouth with her own. “Can’t wait!”

                                                               -

The results, overall, took two months to compile through the data machine and to check back in with the participants. None of the groups had different numbers, pictures, objects, or words. Odessa and Entrapta tested everyone on their eidetic and photographic memory ability. Group A had no distractions, Group B had Etherians with distractions only, Group C was where her cousins had the disturbances, and Group D it was her uncles with diversions.

When it came to eidetic memory, the numbers didn’t vary too much. But the photographic memory yielded noteworthy results. Each group was brought back a month after being tested to see if they could recall things better. A few Etherians showed some promising ability for it, but overall it wasn’t strong. Her cousins showed stronger signs for photographic memory, Eon being one of the best candidates.

But her uncles were nearly at a 97% rate of accuracy. Talon and W.H. showed an adeptness for remembering things weeks later. Hordak was somewhere in the middle. She wonders why.

“Mom,” she says, holding the charts in her hair. “I know that photographic memory is rare, but these numbers are unreal.”

“I know! The majority of your relatives have a knack for it! That’s so fascinating.”

“I have a theory that it might be due to the hivemind, and perhaps the military training they underwent. It would make sense why they have such capability, even two decades later,” Odessa says. She pulls another chart toward them, tapping her forefinger in quick successions behind it. “It may or may not be that, since we’re not certain of Dad’s origins, but it would explain aspects of it.”

Entrapta’s hair moves her behind her daughter, peering over her shoulder, “It may. I saw that Wrong Hordak was remarkable with photographic memory, and Talon as well.”

“I believe it’s possible that it might be due to neither having depressive episodes. It may have been a group study, but I saw that clones similar to Dad in terms of mental health had a tendency toward memory loss or confusion. It’s not as often or strong as Etherians, or a couple of my cousins, but it’s there. Brains are brains after all.”

“It is exceptional to write this in our records. I wish we had more examples to go by,” Entrapta says. She smiles, “I think it says quite a lot when you compare it to Etherians and your cousins, though.”

“I do find this riveting. Even if it’s Dad cloned thousands of times, there’s something in their brains, their minds, that can provide clues to them as a whole. It’d be prudent to conduct more research, but I’d like to begin as soon as possible, and I can add notes as I go along.”

Entrapta pats her daughter’s head, “And now that you have this information, what do you intend to do with it?”

Odessa looks up at her mother, then back at the data. “I’m going to have Tris and Gea come with me on a little field trip.”

[thewitcheress2389]

Marked For Death

Jaskier x Reader

Summary: Geralt, Y/N, and Jaskier are staying in a small village where Geralt accepts a contract for a leshen. Lots of angst.

It was a small, isolated village that you, Jaskier, and the witcher Geralt were visiting. Most of the people living there were predominantly hunters, gatherers, or other types of woodsmen. They didn't seemed bothered by the witcher's arrival, however.

You on the other hand, felt a chill run down your spine and you suddenly felt uneasy. A hand gently grasped yours, and you turned to see Jaskier smiling at you. He squeezed your hand in reassurance as you both trudged along behind Geralt. That small action caused the hidden feelings in your heart to soar.

After tying Roach to a post, you all entered the tavern. Which in all honesty was probably were the most people were and that's saying something. No one smiled. Of course, nothing about Geralt's appearance would make them want to smile.

After settling in the back corner of the room, Jaskier spoke up, "Lively little place, isn't it?"

The sarcasm dripped off of his tongue. The bard stood out quite a lot in this atmosphere and you could tell he was itching to pull out his lute to try and brighten the place up.

"Hmm." Was all Geralt said. You on the other hand, felt like you were in a bubble. All the sounds blurred together and you were staring dead at the wall. It wasn't until Jaskier nudged you, that you broke out of your trance.

"Y/N? Are you alright?" He said with concern in his blue eyes. You blinked several times before looking at the man you had come to love. Geralt just narrowed his eyes in a suspicious manner. You nodded with a slight smile. Jaskier, however, kept staring at you and it made your cheeks burn a bright red. He smirked and was about to say something until a frantic man made this tavern a bit more lievely.

"It's back!" He shouted. "It's back I tell you!"

All the townsfolk in the tavern sighed unanimously. It seems to you that this man is not well liked by the village.

"We've told you before old man," a hunter of the village stepped forward. "The leshen is a product of your grief and sick mind."

The older, frantic man's eyes widened and he slowly stepped forward. "Does a 'sick mind' kill your wife?"

"It might." Jaskier muttered and you nudged him to keep quiet. However, the bard was heard and the old man's eyes flickered towards you. Then a look of relief came about his face.

"You there! Witcher!"

All eyes were now on Geralt. He looked bothered at the sudden attention he was getting, but still his golden eyes flickered towards the old man.

"You have my word that a leshen prowls this forest, slay it." The old man humbly asked the mighty witcher. Geralt sighed through his nose. Jaskier's eyes brightened at the prospect of a new ballad, and you just felt uneasy again.

"It's not worth it witcher," the hunter from before said. "Found one leshen before sure, but we slayed it. This man is clearly still grieving and seeing things."

The old man glared at the hunter. Then he looked at Geralt with pleading eyes. You eyed your brooding companion. It was hard to read what he was thinking. Finally, he said, "Show me where you saw the leshen."

Everyone in the room sighed. Geralt stood up, grabbed his swords, gave you and Jaskier a look that said "stay", and followed the old man out of the tavern. Soon things returned to normal. People chanting amongst themselves, and Jaskier was pressing on new song ideas about the "The witcher who slew the forest spirit." The bard soon got permission to play in the tavern, and people actually enjoyed the entertainment that they clearly have never gotten before. You were smiling and blushing whenever Jaksier winked at you. Especially when he started singing about a maiden with h/c hair.

It felt like hours have passed and still no sign of Geralt. The witcher must've found something. Soon people were dispersing and Jaskier took his seat beside, chatting about anything. However, you soon realized that his words were becoming blurred. All you could remember was Jaskier's worried voice as your world went dark.

---------------------------------------------------

You woke up later in a room you've never seen before. Sitting up slowly, you noticed that it looked small and rustic looking. Once your senses accumulated, you could tell that this house smelled of the woods. Voices. You could hear voices as well. They were getting louder until the door opened.

"Y/N!" Jaskier exclaimed as he went over and hugged you. You breathed in his calming scent and silently wished that this moment could last forever. However, he pulled away when two other figures entered the building.

It was Geralt and the old man from earlier. Geralt looked peeved and the old man looked concerned. You, on the other hand, were just confused.

"Geralt came back just as you fainted." Jaskier explained. "The old man was willing to help you."

You smiled. "Thank you. I'm feeling a lot better."

"So," you directed the question on Geralt. "Did you find a leshen?"

The witcher crossed his arms and nodded. "Found it deep in the forest. Like the old man told me, this leshen was the same one that the hunters killed before."

Your eyes widened as Geralt continued. "I managed to bring it down, but then it's eye sockets began to glow and it let out a monstrous roar. I had no choice, but to flee like a coward."

You could tell that Geralt was pissed off at his pathetic display, but what else could he have done?

"How is this possible?" Jaskier asked from his place beside you. "How can the leshen just not die? I mean, is it immortal?"

The witcher shook his head. Then the old man spoke up. "I've heard that leshen's mark certain people and, in a sense, continue to live so long as they do."

Geralt nodded at that comment, however, his eyes still seemed far away and his body was still tense.

"Well," Jaskier stated with a small smile. "Then all you have to do is find the one the leshen marked, kill him, and then kill the leshen. Simple."

You gave him a look. "Jaskier, it's not simple."

The bard shrugged at your comment, and you shook yiur head in disbelief. Geralt's eyes have been boring into you as soon as he stepped foot into the house. It was starting to creep you out.

"What?" You looked back into Geralt's eyes. "Is there something on my face?"

You were smiling slightly, but the witcher was not.

"It's you." He suddenly said. All eyes were suddenly on you. You narrowed your eyes in confusion, and were about to ask Geralt what he meant, but he explained himself.

"You're the one the leshen has marked." His voice was deeper than usual, like he was suppressing some sort of emotion. You, on the other hand, felt your mouth go dry and your head started to spin.

You felt like fainting again. Would Geralt really kill you?

"In the tavern," Jaskier started with a much more morose sounding voice than before. "That's why you fainted."

You glanced at the bard, still in shock about this whole ordeal. The old man at this point had left, apparently he couldn't handle this either. The witcher with his arms still crossed, explained.

"When I downed the leshen, it absorbed some of your essence to fuel its own power."

You finally understood the emotion in Geralt's voice. It was despair. It was the first time you've ever heard it from the witcher. He was torn.

"Well," Jaskier started. "You can't kill Y/N."

It wasn't the first time Jaskier stood up to Geralt, but it was the first time that you saw Jaskier with such a serious look. You looked at him with loving eyes, but then you turned to look at the witcher.

"Geralt," you started. "I unders-"

"No!" Jaskier cut you off. "I won't let you die just for the sake of this tiny town."

The bard didn't care who heard him, he was now clutching your hand in his and giving you one of his most thoughtful looks. A mix of emotions that you couldn't decipher swam in his ocean eyes. You wanted to lean in, kiss him, but Geralt's voice cut off your thoughts.

"The only thing that dies will be the leshen." He uncrossed his arms and started towards the door.

"But is that even possible?!" You yelled after him. There was no response except for the door slamming shut. You and Jaskier were left alone. A nervous atmosphere enveloped the both of you.

"This is not how I wanted this day to turn out." Jaskier stated while folding his hands into his lap. You glanced at him while crossing your legs underneath yourself.

"What do you mean?" You asked the bard. After a couple seconds, he let out a nervous chuckle and looked at you with so much love.

"Was I not being obvious enough?" He said with a smile. You felt your heart flutter, hoping he wasn't seeing you as just another filler. You smiled at him, a real smile for the first time that day. He smiled back. You felt it was the right time, and you knew he did too.

Suddenly, an emptiness went through you. Your senses were blurred again, and you grabbed Jaskier's shoulders in support for your rapidly blackening vision. Jaskier grabbed your shoulders in hope that if you fainted again, he could catch you. After a few moments of coming in and out of consciousness, your ragged breathing evened out. You now realized your head was resting on Jaskier's chest. His arms were wrapped around you in silent support.

"Geralt can't beat the leshen..." You whispered into the bard's chest. "Not while I still live."

A hand ran up and down your back in a comforting way.

"Geralt will come back and then we can leave." Jaskier whispered back, his head resting on top of yours.

No, you thought. I need to do something.

A morbid thought ran through your head, and you removed yourself through Jaskier's grasp. More people would die if you didn't do something. What's one life compared to dozens of others?

You made up your mind.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you gazed at Jaskier, who still kept a firm hold on you. You could see it in his eyes, he knew you were planning something. Something bad.

"Jaskier..." you choked out, a sad smile staining your face. Then you kissed him. It was short, sweet, but too quick. He didn't even have time to kiss back. Then you pulled yourself out of his now weak grasp. He didn't even have time to react as you grabbed a nearby knife and ran out the door shouting, "I love you!"

If he said something, you didn't hear it as you bolted through the forest. Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you jumped over roots and ducked under branches. Finally you could hear the sounds of Geralt fighting what you could only guess is the leshen. You broke through the underbrush to see the most horrifying creature in your entire life.

It stood nearly 8 feet tall. Its body was made up of mostly wood and moss. Human skulls hung off of its side and back. Sap pooled out of some openings in its body and its claw like hands tensed. The most terrifying part would be its head. Its head was the skull of a deer, and it was looking straight at you.

Geralt had landed on his back from the leshen's blow, but he recovered quickly and noticed you.

"Y/N?!" He growled. "What are you doing here?!"

You ignored him and slowly began to walk towards the beast. It stood stone still as you stared deep into its black skull sockets. Geralt, with silver sword in hand, was just watching and breathing heavily from his brutal attack from the leshen.

"You won't kill me." You said to the leshen. It continued to stare blankly at you. With shaky hands, you lifted the blade you've been concealing, to your throat.

"But I can." You stated bravely. Geralt's eyes flickered between you and the leshen.

Just do it.

Just do it.

Just do it.

The leshen roared in distress as it raised its arm towards you, but you acted quicker and sliced your throat. Blood gushed from the gash like a rapid river, spilling out over the grass as your body collapsed to the ground. You were dead before you even hit the ground, the knife limply falling from your grasp.

The leshen collapsed to its knees, groaning in agony. Geralt didn't even register what happened. He just quickly thrusted his silver sword through the place where its heart would be. The leshen let out a ghostly howl of pain and as soon as the sword was ripped out from its chest, the leshen collapsed.

The leshen lay dead.

Geralt then lumbered over to the body of his dead companion. Your body was now pale as all the blood had drained from your throat. Your e/c eyes were closed and you looked more at peace than ever. The witcher shook his head in disbelief.

"We could've found another way..." Was all he mumbled as he stood there, sword in hand. His witcher senses picked out the sounds of something else in the forest. Heavy breathing and a fast pulse. Geralt couldn't even bring himself to lift his sword.

Suddenly Jaskier broke into the clearing looking like a wild animal. Eyes wide, hair wild, and breathing labored. He wildly looked around until his eyes met Geralt's. The witcher didn't even know what to say to the bard as his eyes slowly lowered down to your body.

Jaskier walked towards you with the most emotionless face Geralt has ever seen on him. He knelt beside your corpse before slowly cradling you in his arms. He didn't care about the blood, he didn't care if Geralt judged him. He just wanted to hold you once more. To feel your touch. Even if it was cold and lost.

Geralt sheathed his silver sword, but didn't approach his mourning companion. He could hear the ragged sobs just fine.

Geralt's head whipped to the left when he heard the approach of another person. It was the old man.

He stared at your body for a while before looking apologetically at the witcher.

"I know it was quite a price to pay, witcher." He said while gesturing towards the bloody scene. "I'm sorry."

Geralt put his hands on his hips and gave the old man a hard stare with his cat-like eyes.

"Don't tell me that," Geralt then gestured towards Jaskier with his head. "Tell him that."

The following days were hard. Geralt and Jaskker continued to travel together, but it wasn't the same. Jaskier hardly spoke. It was always silence. Your lovely voice wasn't around anymore. Both men felt like they had a void in them.

One day, Jaskier told the witcher that he was leaving. He said he needed some time alone, time to think. Geralt responded with a simple hum, wishing he was better with words.

The song about "The witcher who slew the forest spirit" never came about.

Instead there was a ballad about "A h/c haired maiden who made the ultimate sacrifice."

[xenophiliarp]

@superlustersnew52 from x

Diana was growling lightly as she made out with Clara. Diana has grown a blue dragon tail and red dragon wings, and had white horns on top of her head. The tail had torn straight through her outfit, right above where it became a skirt, while the wings had at least grown above the top of the back of it, not damaging the outfit any more.

Clara, meanwhile, had changed more than Diana. She’d become more of a lizard, with blue scales on her arms and legs, stopping at her elbows and knees. She also had claws, as well, and a long blue tail sprouting out of her lower back, with more scales on her back around it. She’d already removed her suit, too...she almost felt like she’d shrunk a bit, and her suit didn’t properly fit anymore, in addition to the tail having torn it. As she was busy making out with Diana, Diana was also able to notice that Clara’s tongue had become forked.

Nearby, Ruby, Kara, and Jessica were busy with each other. Ruby had grown black bat wings, as well as black horns on top of her head, and a tail that was more demonic, thin with a forked end to it, and it was also black. She’d removed her clothes to inspect her own body, before finding herself distracted as her hands explored her body. Soon enough, Kara and Jessica had moved over to her as well and their hands were all over each other’s bodies. She let out a groan as she mumbled, “This isn’t working...I need somebody to dominate me...” Unfortunately, it appeared that whatever had changed them all had also made them all more submissive...so even elsewhere in the Tower she doubted she’d find what she needed...

Kara, on the other hand, had changed in a rather different way. She only had a single horn, sprouting out of her forehead, and her hair had become rainbow-coloured. She hadn’t removed her outfit for the most part, yet, but had had to remove her boots, as her legs had transformed, fur covering them and her feet replaced with hooves. She was too busy making out with Jessica to even hear what Ruby had said, despite being right next to her.

Jessica was also more focused on Kara’s lips than Ruby’s words. Jessica’s traits were all predominantly green, except for the white horns on the sides of her head. She also had a green, spiked turtle shell that had grown out of her back, with a green scaled tail below it. Luckily for her, her costume was a construct by her ring, so she hadn’t had to worry about it getting damaged before she’d let it vanish. Kara and Jessica probably would’ve recoginzed what Jessica’s changes were if their thoughts weren’t taken up by their lust. Jessica moaned into Kara’s lips as one of Kara’s hands stroked one of the spikes on her shell. That felt oddly good...

The scales which had grown out of the bodies of both of the League’s most powerful women were incredibly alluring, while abundant across their bodies they appeared to still be quite soft to some degree.

However, most of them seemed to be pairing off with each other, save for one; Ruby, whose appearance seemed more demonic than simply bat-like. The bits of dark fur that had sprouted across her body almost like she was wearing a faux animal accessory was far more alluring to him. It just looked so cute and fresh, he had to take the bite out of her first, and if the others’ neediness with their own desires caused them to intervene, so be it!

“Now, now,” H’El cooed, materializing behind her, an arm around and pressed against her taut belly about the navel and just above where the fur grew a bit thicker. Why he held there, he didn’t quite understand himself, the anticipation was a tease in its own right. His front was otherwise pressed against her back, an overwhelmingly long and thick mass pressed into her posterior from her ass up to where her tail began at the base of her spine as he situated between her wings. Her scent had become more attractive too, a bit more raw and animalistic. “You said something about needing to be dominated? Why don’t you tell me a little more about that? Let me see if I can help you?” He ran a hand up the woman’s back between her wings, a sensitive area where her wings conjoined to her spine, he wanted to know if it would be erogenous in anyway and how easy it could be exploited, her horns he’d need to test too for the same reasons.

“Sisters—Clara, Kara—don’t play too rough with them, that’ll be my job.” He now had plenty of test subjects which seemed to be eager to do anything, without even the need of being told. Each one of them so brazen and desperate that they hadn’t thought or mentioned anything regarding the privacy of the situation either. A quick glance at Jessica left him a tad curious, her transformation seemed to be more drastic, her being almost completely human aside from the influence of her ring, and left her with his overall base observation, that she’d been affected the most.

[comicdiego]

Nothing at All

WARNINGS: uh light sex mentions, alcoholism mention, racism mention

PAIRINGS: comic diego hargreeves x tua oc mello walker

UNIVERSE: the umbrella academy comic verse, early 1972

CHARACTERS: diego hargreeves, tua oc mello walker

There's always been something about her. He's known her for three years now, seen that sparkle in those emerald green eyes, watched her cackle on her- their- eighteenth birthday as she crammed red velvet cake into her mouth, smearing the frosting across her cheeks with a bright smile and he swore everything seemed warmer around her. Remembered how she'd offered him a slice and he'd merely shaken his head, but when she winked and slid the plate before him and commented that it was her so-called birthday wish, he'd slowly taken a bite, with her grinning like a madwoman, her teeth a pearly white, lips painted a deep shade of red. "Just for your birthday," she'd claimed, crossing one bare thigh over the other, the smooth skin glistening under the light, turning the native Indian skin tone a shade of golden brown. The desi woman was something else, one in a trillion, and he wouldn't ever tell her otherwise. She'd even worn matching red undergarments, a dark shade of maroon, with some sort of silver lining tucked into the lace fabric. It stood out against the black silk robe she wore, the strings tied across her bare abdomen. "Thought I'd mix it up, just for you." Then a few months later, when she'd dragged him into a mall- one predominantly for white people with a decent amount of money to spend, middle class. He let her. Locked his arm with hers, even as he grumbled about how much he hated going to the mall. Walked around a few stores, pointed out blazers she'd love to wear. Ones he'd even gone in and bought himself- a few. One white, one black. She'd paid him back later despite him telling her she didn't have to. The lingerie she'd picked out- deep shades of sapphire blues, and some of snowy whites and midnight blacks. He'd paid. Just because he knew it'd make her happy to wear something she should be allowed to wear, no matter if the people behind the register sneered a her and called her names, or called him names. He didn't care, and nor would he ever. What mattered to him was that he knew she was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen- even if he denied it to himself in his mind. Her trembling fingertips would glide across his upper arm after they'd go shopping, and her soft whisper would always follow. "I wish I could shop there without someone treating me like I'm a criminal." To which he would always reply that they were assholes. Then she'd smile up at him and say, "Thanks for taking me anyway, Blondie." When they were nineteen, and she was dancing on the table at the strip club she worked at, the robe she normally wore off stage long gone and the lace underwear she usually opted for in more public settings being exchanged for a black thong. He'd always drag his eyes away, feeling his cheeks warm. Though it was clear she didn't mind his gaze, slipping into the chair beside him and leaning in close, whispering something about a lap dance in his ear that she knew would set his cheeks aflame. Probably cause the man across from him to scowl, because Mello herself was a beautiful woman, even if most people only liked her for the shape of her body and the thought of getting her into bed, even though it seemed that she didn't do that all too often- or ever. He couldn't say he could name a time where she had taken someone to bed. Until they were both twenty, and she was leading him into the bedroom with soft kisses along his lips, his jaw, his throat. Walking backwards, with his hands grasping her hips. He doesn't know how to describe it other than hungry and eager- that's what he was. For what, he didn't entirely know, though his heart told him it was for her. The night had ended in moonlight dancing across their bare skin and her dark red violet lipstick across his athletic figure and her soft sighs forever in his ears, but all the morning brought was him thinking it was stupid and neither of them spoke of it again. No, he'd slowly moved out from under her body, tugged his pants back on and sat at the edge of the bed for a moment. She hadn't awoken until a few minutes later, wrapping the blankets over her naked body, though he had memorized every curve of her skin, every small scar, every sensitive spot where she would sigh his name if he so much as dragged his fingertips across it. The taste of her lips on his, the forever lingering sensation of her pressed against him. Her emerald green gaze had dropped then, and her only words were, "I'm sorry." He never understood what for. To this day, he still doesn't. But he regrets not saying anything in reply, though he hadn't gotten up to walk away. To leave her abandoned there, alone. No, instead, he'd stayed as she slipped out of bed, let his gaze drift back over her body, to the marks he'd left across it, the stretching of her legs that suggested she had an ache. She would pull what she wore back on, let her hand linger on the doorknob. She doesn't look back at him, or acknowledge the fact that he's watching her, burning her image into his mind. Now, at age twenty one, they'd pretended that their bedroom exploration hadn't happened- at least, towards each other. It had definitely happened, and he was very much hung up on it, watching as her hips swayed when she walked, remembering her soft words brushing against his earlobe, the quiet 'I love you's that he didn't feel like he deserved. She was stunningly amazing, and he was a remnant of what he could have been. His father had always told him that- he was less than. Not good enough. That he needed to try harder. His failures were due to his shortcomings that he would never be able to live up to, and yet his only purpose in life was to be a hero. He couldn't love or have a family or find someone who cherished his existence- not that Mello does. No, he doubted she thought of him as more than a friend nowadays. "Diego?" she says, her voice smooth like silk and dragging him from his thoughts. She had a glass of whiskey in one hand, one he pointedly glares at. When she was nineteen, she had fallen into alcoholism, and he'd been trying to help sober her up ever since. Lately, it seemed to be working- whenever he was around. She releases a sigh and sets the glass down, then takes a seat in front of him upon the coffee table, across from where he leaned up against the wall. "Are you alright?" He nods, twirling the blade in his hand, a method to keep him thinking straight instead of thinking about how the curve of her waist had felt in his calloused palms. He doesn't give a smile of reassurance, because he doesn't smile- no, it was only rarely that he did smile. This wasn't something that made him smile, not a basic question about how he was feeling. Standing, she walks over to him, brushing her thumb across his jaw, her skin soft against the roughness of his stubble. He pulls his head back, worried she would lean in for a kiss and leave him reeling and yearning for something more when he couldn't have that. Mello was too good for him, and he wasn't truly capable of being loved. No one even thought he was capable of giving it, but if that was the case, why was his heart beating so fast and why did he have the urge to lean in and sweep her off her feet and kiss her all over her face like he was in some shitty romance novel? But he was good at pretending that wasn't at all the case, and their shared moonlight was nothing more than a moment of weakness for them both. Not that either of them ever spoke about it to clarify if they both were making love to one another, or if they were simply trying to feel love for themselves, and to prove to themselves that they could love. Diego knew what he had been doing- loving her. Trying to show that he did love her. The issue is that he doesn't know what she was trying to do. Her lips press together in a thin line of cherry red, and she casts a glance at him. "You're sure?" He gives a quick nod once more, the handle of the knife finding it's way back into his palm again. She parts her lips to say something, but she quickly closes her mouth, turning on her heel. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'll be here." She chooses to say instead, finally starting to take a few more steps away from him, across the apartment. He notes that she doesn't even take a second glance at the whiskey, which makes him sigh softly in relief. But she always distracts him- her dark hair falling down her back in waves, the lower half of her robe only reaching her mid thigh and showing off her legs. He quickly glares at the wall opposite of him, frustrated at himself for betraying what he knew would be logical- he knows he shouldn't act upon those emotions. But there is something he wants to say, despite it all. Something he needs to say. Something bundled up in his heart and he knows it'll hurt and keep adding to his usual bitter attitude until he gets it out, which doesn't seem to be something he plans on doing because he's terrified. He's terrified that she'll walk away from him, and lately, she's the only person he can call family. The Umbrella Academy wasn't family- it was some glorified orphanage that turned you into a shitty superhero with insufferable amounts of trauma. The only person he thought of as a sister had left to go to Paris because he'd chosen to help his team when they were in imminent danger and she'd taken it personally. He had nobody, except for Mello, who he sees now, standing at her kitchen counter, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. Her skin seemed softer in the light of the sunset, and her lips seemed more of a red-orange. The window lets in the light, wrapping her up in the sun's glow, akin to the image he'd always seen her in, despite her shadowy powers. He himself stood in the shadows now, where he should remain, because she may be the sun, but he was the night, cold and dark and terrible, and he wouldn't be good enough for her. Never. Because the stars never needed the night to be beautiful- no, the night needed the stars to be breathtaking. Alone, it was nothing. And with her, he doubted he would ever amount to being good enough. Still, the words find their way to his lips, even if they escape his lips in a whisper. "I love you." Her head lifts, and those green eyes are trained on him, one of her eyebrows lifting in question. His heart stops for a moment, and his eye widens slightly from behind the domino mask, thinking she had heard him, until she says, "Did you say something?" "No." He replies, betraying himself. Nothing at all.

[mydearsaddiary]

Neil Season 3- Chapter 1: 1933

Little curiosity notes: Every chapter will have one. One in the beginning, one at the end. The last name I chose for the Speakeasy Tonight MC is Granger. I wish I could be inclusive with all the last names you guys must’ve chosen but I’ll keep that one for the story (Generic English, I always had the vibes she had English ancestry since it’s never mentioned what her nationality is but we know it’s some sort of European but not Italian, Irish or French and her family had predominantly English names (I think her parents are Edward and Frances, but we have Charles, Edith and Hazel). However, I found a little way to be inclusive of the first name. I named the main character here Mary Catherine Granger, but almost every time everyone will call her by the nickname MC (Also works for Main Character) or Ice Box Flapper, unless it’d look weird (like her parents wouldn’t call her by her nickname). I hope when MC appears you guys can at least imagine what you decided to name her in the game! Hope this helps!

Author notes: It took me a while to write this but I finally did so here’s the first episode! I really hope you guys enjoy my imagination, I miss Speakeasy Tonight as much as you guys do! Please reblog, share, like it and don’t hold back on sending me opinions or criticism in here or in my private messages! It’s a long chapter and it starts with a future look, the next chapters will focus completely on 1926, with only a few occasional scenes in the future but not like this! Thank you, enjoy!

-Candy, My Dear Diary.

——

Fanfic: Speakeasy Tonight (originally by Lovestruck Voltage Games)

Neil Season 3

Chapter 1: 1933

1933

My ways had taken me to live in one of the famous bungalows in Chicago, it’s not what I would’ve imagined for myself, but it was more than I could ask for during these times. The now bankrupt city was once the source of vitality of my not so misspent youth.

The Chicago bootlegging scene was a world I discovered and would come to love when I was just nineteen. The youthfulness and freeness and excitement of the Prohibition life and running a speakeasy had turned into something completely different. I was twenty-six, I was still relatively young but I wasn’t nineteen anymore. The thrill of the illegal drinking had died once it was back to being legal. Gangsters were still alive, but the risk wasn’t worth it anymore, now vileness was the only reason to remain in a life of crime

Needless to say the location of the Ice Box had closed its doors, but the Ice Box itself remained alive in the family we had created. Cliff Conway had opened the Conway Diner. He was the owner along with still using his talents as a bartender there (and working in the kitchen sometimes making the best strawberry pie in the country). The place focused more on food, but drinking, dancing and music was still all part of it.

Uncle Charlie was a stubborn old man who wasn’t going to sit at home if his life depended on it. After being shot he was never the same, he had considerable health problems that weren’t huge if he watched himself. After being in the hospital countless times for not doing so (and after Neil yelled at him some) he finally got that into his head. Charlie’s appliances stayed open and things were going fine somehow, so during the day he stayed there and worked. It didn’t require him to do much and it still brought revenue. Later he’d come to the diner and spend time with everybody, Cliff would let him help sometimes. On top of everything, Uncle Charlie still had his Neighborhood Association. Crime was still part of life in Chicago and he still put in time to make sure people were safe.

Cleo, Julius and Sophia still provided entertainment there. Andrew was no longer needed as a bouncer or to keep people out, so even though it seemed like the last thing we’d imagine him doing, Cleo and Cliff both convinced him to take some culinary classes and work as a cook (and occasionally send away a rude client or somebody who drank too much).

Elliot was away much of the time in Hollywood. Since the Wall Market crashed a few years back, movies were everybody’s distraction. He got deal after deal, but he couldn’t stay away from us for too long, we’d always see him back here, playing poker and still always winning against some patrons (and Vince, who still always lost).

Donovan was in love. Everyone knew that the reason the flatfoot still hanged around us even though the Conway Diner didn’t need protection from the coppers was because he was still completely in love with Cliff’s whiskey. So at night after his work he’d always be there. He missed Elliot most of the time but still found ways to entertain himself.

Even Gerald O’Fallon was still in some ways involved with us. He opened up a ritzy restaurant he named The Broiler after his joint back in the Prohibition days. He still worked a deal with Cliff so Vince would supply his restaurant like before and they were still competitors. Funny to think it’s still the same. He sometimes comes by to dine with us and get into an argument with Vince as usual, which brings us to our Italian friend.

Vince was sometimes still involved with the crime life, Mad Dog Moretti’s reputation followed him until the end of prohibition and after. He helped out bringing supplies, food and doing the same he did with Liquor at the Ice Box. However Vince was still a hot head with a gun who had no other gangsters to fight. Sometimes he still let it get the best of him, he would get in trouble with some criminals, exchange shots and ended up the diner at night when it was empty with some different wound. Because of that Neil was still needed to patch him up.

Doc Dresner. Besides fixing Vince up and taking care of my uncle, well, he still sat at the bar and drank his bourbon at the diner. However, a few things had changed for the doc who sat down at the Ice Box and gave everyone the cold treatment. He still had his sarcasm in his voice and the cynicism in his personality, alright. Everyone still got treated the same, but since 1926 somethings had softened this man.

First he carried a little more of a tired look in his eyes from having to deal with children and a wife (although I like to pretend the latter one isn’t much to deal with). The responsibilities that came with being a father showed through. Me and the kids, we kept him less dark and bleak. Although his personality would always be there, he smiled, that warm smile, more often when we were around. Then sometimes when he was mad at one of us he’d put up the façade he built for everyone else, but that didn’t last long.

I think Neil was also happy now that our oldest, Alton, was old enough he had just started teaching him how to play chess. Charlotte and Lucius (or as everyone called him little Luke) had some years ahead of them. But besides his family life there was something else that improved his mood.

About two years ago, Neil had sent an application to the State Medical Board to reapply for his license, he went to hearings and it was a long process. I didn’t take much part in it but I understood that Charlie and the doctors that took care of him throughout his withdrawal processes downstate testified as witnesses that he had overcome his morphine problem and the court approved.

Neil joined the legal side of things along with the rest of us and was able to practice legally again. Being at a hospital took too much time away from everything so everybody helped out to reform the infirmary he had before into a nice doctor’s office not too far from the appliance store. He helped out the neighborhood like he did before, took care of some emergency situations and sometimes went to people’s houses if they were too incapacitated.

I believe that only leaves me. The Ice Box Flapper. Well, flapper no longer. Not me and not any other girl either. I still liked the red hair as an added charm of mine and my curls didn’t go nowhere but they were more organized like romantic waves and you’d find my hair a little longer these days. I didn’t spent a lot of time at Menken’s anymore but I still loved fashion. Although nothing was as extravagant as what I used to wear, even the calf-long dresses or skirts still had a belt with a glimmering accessory attached to it, or the delicate tilted hats had a bow. I always found my ways.

The question is, what exactly was I doing? The day I normally spent at the house with the kids, Neil would come home and we’d spend some time together and then he’d give me a ride to work and stay there. Where? Well, the Conway diner still needed a chippie with a way of the words as a host, and what better than this former flapper with a way for numbers too? I helped Cliff out with the clientele and worked on the accounting side of the business. Some days Cliff would lend me to Uncle Charlie when he needed help. I’d bring the kids over and Alton and Charlotte would help (or try to).

Even if things did change, it seemed one way or the other we all found our place. There was really a life after prohibition.

I was coming back from the market. It was a little solemn watching people have to count and put back things they could no longer afford, but there was no way to avoid buying food. It was Friday morning, last day of work for this week. Neil and I decided we’d save the weekends for us and the kids. I gave the taxi driver his dime and climbed out of the cab to meet the front of the bungalow we’d bought after we found out I was pregnant with my second child.

It met the sidewalk with a nice little white fence, and once you were past it a clean little garden decorated the front along with one small tree facing the street. Everything contrasted the neighbor’s porch who had given up on the positive and hid behind tall, uncared for, grass. The white stairs led to a small but still nice-sized porch. I had made a point of making it a place to spend summer mornings at. I had placed a wooden bench and on the other side of the blue door there was a table and five metal chairs surrounded it, I always liked to people watch, Neil liked to read more than anyone, so when it was hot outside we’d lose ourselves in our activities and small talk.

I walked inside to meet the living room, mostly in shades of blue. The wall paper also had shades of white and Victorian patterns on it. The sofa and the loveseat surrounded a coffee table and where by the fireplace, which on top resided the house’s radio. Further back by the window there was a dining area with wooden tables and chairs. Only a half wall and an open doorway separated the room from the kitchen. I liked it that way, it eased the conversation. The kitchen was well-lit and mainly white.

A corridor was by the front door. It led to a nice bathroom right in the middle, in which I took longer-than-necessary baths and right after it on the same side two doors led to two bedrooms. One was ours and the other the kids’.

Our bedroom looked like a mixture of Neil’s old room in his apartment and mine in Uncle Charlie’s house. My vanity table and mirror were still where I got ready in the morning, one-third of the closet was Neil’s and the rest was mine, but it was still all fair and square since he occupied most of the drawers. The bed I brought in from Uncle Charlie’s house, but the blankets were a cool shade of green instead of the more feminine colors I had before.

The children’s room we kept light. They had to share so sometimes things got messy, but their beds were separated enough that they didn’t feel suffocated. Luke slept with us half of the nights too, so that helped. They were all a close pack, even if they were very different from one another.

Alton Hasting Dresner had just turned six. Named after Neil’s best friend, he was the spitting image of his father with icy blue eyes and golden slightly curled locks. On top of it, he was (for sure) a daddy’s boy. He imitated Neil in everything. His favorite toy was the doctor’s set, he spent hours asking Neil about chess and moving paws across the board. Sometimes he’d get Neil’s philosophy books and talk about arguments and keep saying the word “rhetoric” and talk about Plato and Aristotle even though he had no idea what he was talking about. Once I caught him drinking orange juice out of one of the whiskey glasses we kept for Neil’s bourbon. He sat right where Neil sits and looked just as pensive as he would. Alton says when he grows up he wants to be a combat medic in the army (Neil is very against it) and then after he wants to be a doctor. If we had told him about the morphine problem Neil had I bet he would want to be a morphine fiend.

Charlotte Granger Dresner was named after my uncle and Charlie came to be her nickname too. That for sure made her his favorite. We both loved Uncle Charlie, so choosing her name was a piece of cake. She sported light brown curls like Shirley Temple and bright hazel eyes. She was a little blabbermouth and her manners reminded me of Edith, it also made her my parent’s favorite. She enjoyed playing Momma and being the perfect pretend wife taking care of the house and dolls just as much as Edith liked doing as a kid.

She was also too preoccupied to make sure she looked good, too much at five if you ask me. I let her play and so did Neil, but she did end up being the biggest target of his sarcastic comments. She’d come into the living room with enough powder on her face to fluff up a sugar cookie into a cake, Neil proceeded to giggle, she’d look at him and say “What are you laughing at?” to which he’d reply with something along the lines of “Didn’t know the circus came to town”, which would promptly get her in a lather and she’d stomp away into her bedroom.

However, she was the one Neil was most protective of, after all she was his little girl. Neil almost passed out when she came out declaring she had a new boyfriend called Rick whom she met at the playground that afternoon. Neil gave a piece of his mind to Little Rickie and his parents the next day and let’s just say they haven’t been there since.

Lucius Edward Dresner was our youngest. Everyone, called him Luke or Little Luke. He was named after Neil’s sister Lucille. She had been bending Neil’s ear as soon as she found out I was pregnant and Neil probably felt he should since she named the now 7-year-old Cornelia after him. He was just one year and seven months old. Luke had hazel eyes like mine and blonde hair like Neil’s. In appearance, Luke was the one who resembled me the most. Even though he could barely walk his personality shined through. He was a shy and quiet kid, didn’t make much of a fuss as a newborn and he only cried out of pain, being scared or if he was really tired.

I have to say I never imagined myself as a mother. Alton was an accident, I had a lot of doubts. Having Neil by my side made things easier, he was responsible and he took care of me, always reassuring me everything was going to be okay. When he was born I had a lot of growing up and adjusting to the situation to do, but I got there. Eventually I found out I loved my little family with Neil. I loved everything about it even if it was hard. Our little chaos in our house added the sense of adventure I enjoyed, so we planned Charlotte. We decided we were done then, until the year before when we tried for Luke. Then we promised ourselves we were done for good.

-Helen?- I asked going into the house. Helen was an older nanny we’d pay to watch the kids at night. That morning I asked if she could watch them as I ran some errands and she came to help out. She was a bigger woman and taking care of kids was a joy for her, so I knew she’d take care of them well.

She came out of the room into the kitchen happier than ever- Mrs. Dresner, you’re quick, you got everything you needed?

-I told you MC is fine, or even Mary, Helen- I mentioned it again, but the woman wasn’t fond of nicknames or being on a first-name basis. She was very traditional. She called me “Mrs. Neil Dresner” for months. I finally convinced her to shorten it, but something told me I wouldn’t be able to do much more than that- But thanks for asking, everything is just fine.

-That’s good Mrs. Dresner, Little Luke is taking his nap- she ignored my first comment with a friendly smile on her face- The kids are playing in their room so if you don’t mind I put him in the crib you have in your room.

I let her know I didn’t mind one bit and she said she’d come back later at night and watch them. I thanked her and she was on her way. I still wasn’t much of a cook but being a mother required me to be at least a little better than what I was before. I fixed up lunch for the three of them. I usually ate later with Neil when he got home.

I could hear Alton’s loud laughs and Charlie’s mad little screams and it was sure a good time to break them up- Hey, you guys, lunch is ready!- I poked my head out the corridor to call for them- Now!- I said when they took long, Alton came running and Charlotte came out still mad by whatever her brother did, but soon enough they were both sitting at the table

-Where did you go Momma, you didn’t go to Robbie’s did you?-Alton looked up while he ate. A fella named Robert had this toy store and it was betrayal for Alton if we went in there without him

-Wouldn’t want you to take any more money from me by going there- I joked around with him

-Yeah, Alton- Charlie said staring him down- She doesn’t want to spend all of her money on your silly toys!

-Hey missy, you spend all of my money too using all of my makeup- I pointed at her, but that didn’t stop the both of them from going at each other like Vince and Donovan

-Alright, stop it you too. Eat now- I put the rest of the groceries away- If you don’t behave there’s no ice cream after- I said and they both started making good progress with their lunch. I stepped out taking my apron off once I heard Little Luke’s noises from the bedroom. I came back, lectured Alton about eating too fast and sat at the table helping the youngest one eat his baby food while the others finished up

They were well into their ice cream when Luke pointed and kept saying “Ishe crean”, and those big pleading eyes of his convinced me to give him a little bit of it.

Neil chose that moment to walk into the door, taking his shoes out and sighing like he had the most stressful day at work and was happy to be home. Alton abandoned his ice cream to go running to the door yelling “daddy!” all excited. Neil smiled to him and lowered himself to pick him up and walk him back to the dining table

-Have you been behaving while I was gone? - He asked putting him to sit down to eat ice cream again

-Of course I have!- He lowered his voice to seem manly and then went back to eating

Charlie didn’t stop eating and with her spoon in her mouth she opened her arms to Neil who hugged her and kissed her forehead- Hi daddy!- She greeted him, while Luke who had made a mess out his ice cream on his hands and mouth kept pointing at him saying “Dada”.

Neil asked how she was doing to which she replied “Great, because she had tea with her kids and her teddy bear and it was the classiest tea ever”, and Neil pretended it was the most interesting thing in the world

-Dada!- Luke said it louder this time since in the other three times he didn’t get the attention he wanted

-Seems like someone’s needy- I said looking at him on my lap while he anxiously waited for his Poppa to come.

-What has your mother been doing to you?- He lowered himself in front of us and before I could give him a snappy comeback he started cleaning his mouth and fingers with a paper towel. His attention to it and his calm hands over him showed his doctor steadiness. It put me in a trance when he acted so carefully, and I smiled to myself thinking of how something so small as cleaning his little flingers made me think of how much I was in love with Neil Dresner. Being there with him, watching the family we created together, gave me this warm fuzzy feeling in my belly. Happiness. I had settled down and this was my life and I didn’t mind one bit.

After, Neil picked Luke up giving him the attention he wanted. I got up collecting the ice cream bowls and washing them while Neil sat down where I was and caught up with the kids who fought for his attention talking about their day. He glanced at me in the kitchen, giving me a small smile, the one letting me know he was coming to greet me in a second. I watched their exchange from the sink for a little bit. Then, Neil gave Luke for Alton to hold and walked in my direction

I giggled lowly when he held my face giving me a long kiss, a kiss I was longing for since he walked out the door that morning

He looked at me, face still close to mine, hands still resting on my face-I love you-He whispered, like it was a precious secret between the both of us

-I love you, Neil- I answered in the same tone, leaning towards him for another kiss- How was your day?

-Oh, you know, desperate people thinking they’re going to get pneumonia and tuberculosis and scared they won’t have the money to pay for it because their husbands got laid off.

-What do you tell them?-I hugged him around his waist, looking up

Neil responded with one arm hugging me around my waist-That if they’re worried about their money they shouldn’t be coming to the doctor’s perfectly healthy

-Not very sweet with the words are you?

-When have you ever known me to be sweet with words?-He looked down giving me that sarcastic glance

-Hmm… You can give me a toothache sometimes- I smiled kissing him once more

-Not if you’re giving me a headache-He snapped back and let me go- I haven’t achieved my perfect bourbon levels to handle the rest of the day yet- He said walking over to his bourbon cabinet pouring him a drink- Want one? - I replied not right this second and he poured it in his cup two more times before putting the drink away

-Hey daddy-Charlotte looked at him from the couch while playing with her dolls- Can you and mommy tell me that story again?

-Your mother is better at talking than I am- He pointed at me, still with the bourbon glass in his hand

I walked over sitting by her- Which story this time?

-How you and daddy met- She said while Neil sat by her other side, interlacing my fingers in his, holding my hand firmly

-No, Charlie!- Alton complained- We hear that one all the time. Poppa worked with Uncle Charlie- “Great uncle Charlie” was too long for everyone- And then Momma came to Chicago and to live with Uncle Charlie and that’s how they met!

-Oh and how mommy was working at Uncle Charlie’s store so hard she fainted and daddy had to take care of her- she sighed- So romantic!

Me and Neil just giggled between ourselves at their silliness.

-Stop it, Charlie!- Alton declared- We already heard that one SO MANY TIMES- He put a huge emphasis on that phrase- I want to hear a different story

-Alright Alton-I said- What story do you want to hear?

-How did you and Poppa get married?- He looked up from the ground where he was sitting

-Oh yea!- Charlie seemed just as excited- Did he kneel in front of you? Did he say that you were the love of his life? Did you wear a beaaautiful gown? Did you guys go to a really romantic honeymoon in Paris?

-If you keep asking we can’t answer- Neil said, making she just look at us excitedly waiting to hear what we had to say. Neil then looked at me since he declared I was the best storyteller

-We decided to get married over a chess game. I told Neil that if I won we had to get married

-And then what happened?- Alton asked, this time sitting on the couch himself

-Well, I won!

1926

More than a few times I’ve heard from Poppa that my actions were comparable to a gal who’s on a fast track to hell. I must think he convinced himself that was the path I was on, which is why he sent me to Chicago to live with uncle Charlie, whom he thought was even a stricter blue nose than he is. By my father’s standard I was going to hell, alright. Until half a year ago I would have cared. Besides my escapades to have fun in the middle of nowhere in Ohio, I would’ve still cared some. I didn’t want to be a complete disappointment.

Funny thing is my attention changed. I no longer sought the approval of Poppa, but of the father figure that had come into my life since I’ve been here: Uncle Charlie. He didn’t judge me for being who I was and he welcomed me into his little Ice Box family which I soon figured out was where I belonged.

Uncle Charlie was back home for good and he was very pleased when Neil asked for my hand in marriage to him. It was a little too traditional for me but he insisted in talking to Charlie and getting his blessing. Uncle Charlie was indeed pleased. For the sake of keeping up with the traditional standards for the older people we said Neil was the one who popped the question.

Then, Uncle Charlie gave us a two-week vacation from the Ice Box. After Vera Peters was no longer a threat, things had been a little more pacific at the speakeasy. The occasion was that since we had made it official we couldn’t delay any longer meeting each other’s families. We had to go to Columbus and to Boston.

I didn’t know if I was ready to see my folks yet, but Neil seemed more prepared than I did. He had gotten invited for Lucille’s baby shower for his niece Cornelia and with a little push from me he had decided to become close to her again. Neil was ready to go back to Boston. He then finished up his letter to his sister. I didn’t read it but I know it mentioned some apology to never answering her letters, catching up with what’s going in his life, letting her know that he was soon to be married to little old me and that I would be coming along with him to attend her baby shower.

I also sent a letter to Momma mentioning our visit but it was shorter and to the point.

The next day, Neil picked me up from Uncle Charlie’s house. Charlie gave me a letter for Poppa and to let him know he was expecting him in Chicago. I made sure to tell him I’d let them know.

We made our way to La Salle Station and soon enough we were in a fast-moving train, I was going back the same way I’d come and the anticipation of showing a new self that my parents expected made my heart pulse a little faster. Neil must have noticed my agitation because he held my hand tight

-Everything will be okay, MC- He smiled at me- I’ll be there the whole time.

——

Little Curiosity notes: MC and Neil will be visiting first Columbus then Boston in the next two chapters. Both their families will show up. There’ll be a little drama in Columbus but Boston will be very eventful, lots of drama! After that the two will go back to Chicago where the main setting will be the Ice Box and follow the original story of Gangster and Prohibition drama + The growth in Neil and MC’s relationship until the wedding.

Author’s note: My chapters do run a little long! Let me know if you guys want it shorter, but normally they’ll be about this length! This chapter focused more on the future but from now on we’ll be focusing our story on 1926 on and what happened directly after Neil Season 2. I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! Thank you!

-Candy, My Dear Diary