#it's like all sense of etiquette has just gone

[ourceliumnetwork]

y'know that post that's like everyone's got their special super power or whatever, it might just look a little different from the super hero movies? right?

yeah my bio family's version of that is Impeccably Bad Timing

[syrikif]

Gamer Etiquette

Kodzuken x Streamer!Y/N

Pairing: Kenma Kozume x Fem!Reader

Genre: SMAU, Written Elements, Strangers to Lovers, Romance, Fluff, Humor, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Streamer/Youtuber AU

Upcoming content creator/streamer, Y/N, has gone viral for lots of things. Her infamous dumb moments, her blended cookie recipe (which tastes better than it sounds), the way she rages at her friends during games, and about a hundred more.

But her most recent viral moment? Accidentally knocking famous streamer, Kodzuken, off the Bedwars map and making him lose his two year winning streak.

Now with more attention (and hate) than she ever asked for, her only option left is to go to the source: the man himself, Kenma Kozume.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Chapter 8 (b): Little Things

Word Count: 2243

It’s past three in the morning.

Kenma ended his stream only minutes ago, having spent the past seven hours playing a hardcore Pokémon Nuzlocke (as decided by his viewers). 

And he’s not even tired. 

He sighs as he relaxes back into his gaming chair, his fingers idly messing with the strings of his hoody as he watches all the messages coming through on his discord server.

He frees one hand and leans forward just enough to grab his mouse, opening a clip that one of his fans sent in the chat. Kenma realizes shortly into the video that it’s from one of his own streams, an older VOD that’s most likely still up on his neglected YouTube channel.

He makes a mental reminder to start posting on the website more often; his fans clearly like watching the videos after all, regardless of the lack of uploads.

Kenma watches his past self yell almost incompehnsibly at the game he’d been playing, a soft smile coming across his features as he picks up on Kuroo’s voice quietly taunting him underneath all the screaming.

“Some things never change,” he mumbles to himself as the clip ends with the two roommates arguing over each other.

And suddenly it all feels so bittersweet, a sense of nostalgia filling his chest and leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Because while things may not have been easy then, they were simpler somehow; less demanding of Kenma despite the fact that he’d had so many more pressing responsibilites.

He hears himself sigh and briefly wonders when exactly he’d started getting so old.

It’s almost laughable - Kenma reminiscing over his college years at the age of twenty-four.

He releases a low breath, his gaze straying from the chat to the list of active users on the side of the screen. Unsurprisingly, there aren’t as many people online as there usually is and one name manages to catch his eye.

Kenma rarely ever cares to check on things like roles and ranks in his server, he has moderators for that very task after all. But there is a role that he personally made himself when the server was first created, strictly for the purpose of having his friends in one place.

No one has been added into that level in years.

Until now.

Now there’s Y/N.

Kenma isn’t the person who placed her there (he didn’t even know she’d joined his server before this very moment) and the only other people with the ability to do so are his mods.

With this realization he remembers the message he’d recieved from Moe, one of his very first moderators, from earlier that day.

“You can thank me later.”

Kenma had been confused at the time, even assuming that she’d texted the wrong person and not bothering to respond.

Now he understands.

There’s only a moment of hesitation, his cursor hovering above that unmistable gray symbol, before he finally just clicks.

He isn’t sure how long he waits, long enough to feel a sense of dread beginning to sink in but too short to dwell on the feeling.

And it’s futile really, the way Kenma tries to hide his grin from the camera when Y/N finally answers the call wearing cat ears and a blanket that seems to swallow her whole.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she suddenly says, her gaze deepening into a glare.

Kenma wants to laugh because she probably knows exactly what he’s thinking right now. “Like what?” He does his best to appear nonchalant, leaning back into his seat and running a hand through his hair as he stares at her through the screen.

She looks different like this.

Or maybe he just isn’t used to seeing her on video.

“Like I’m some little kid or something,” Y/N huffs, her eyes rolling back as her blanket falls to her lap.

“More like a little cat,” he mutters almost unthinkingly. He watches her eyebrows furrow, her head tilting as his words reach her ears.

“Huh?”

Kenma shouldn’t tease her. He really really shouldn’t. “It’s fitting,” and yet he’s completely incable of resisting, “Kitten.”

Y/N’s jaw quite literally drops, her eyes widening as her face turns a satisfyingly bright shade of red.

And Kenma can’t help but think that she looks so- so- (what was the word?) something.

“Wh- what did you just?” She shakes her head, “You- why would you- ugh!”

Cute.

Yes. That’s the term.

Kenma thinks she looks cute right now.

The realization is slow to hit, his mind even slower to catch on as he watches Y/N fan her face and cup the skin of her cheeks.

It isn’t even the right word, honestly - to kenma - she looks adorable, cute was just the first thing that came to mind.

Why did it come to mind?

“You’re the one wearing cat ears,” he defends. He’s not sure what he’s defending at this point (himself? his thoughts? his weird obsession with cats?); he just doesn’t want her to take it the wrong way.

What would be the wrong way? Flirtaitiously?

But, if she were to flirt back, Kenma doesn’t think he’ll care.

“You piss me off,” Y/N suddenly announces, her voice full of exagerated annoyance, but there’s no doubt that she’s smiling at him - because of him.

No, he really wouldn’t mind at all.

~~~

“Favorite color?”

“Oh come on.” Kenma rolls his eyes, taking a small swig from the can of soda he’d grabbed from the mini-fridge just beside his desk. “You know my favorite color.”

Y/N gives him an incredulous look, “Um, since when?”

Kenma’s eyebrows raise, “Um, since the first day we met?”

“You’re literally lying,” she says with a mouth full of some sort of food. He doesn’t know what she’s eating at this point; first it was chips, then tomato soup, a thin slice of pie (Kenma’s sure that she was trying to rub it in his face), and now it seems to be a kind of fruit.

He’s never seen someone eat so many diverse snacks in one sitting.

Y/N’s eyes suddenly widen, “Shut the fuck up.”

Kenma’s at a loss for words, and he’s sure that Y/N can see the disbelief in his features as he sets the drink on his desk.

“No, like seriously shut up.” She lifts one hand, using her index finger to point at Kenma - or (more accurately) the camera of her webcam.

He blinks. “I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m trying to think here, okay? So shh,” she glares at him.

Kenma makes a show of pressing his lips together, mimicking the motion of zipping them up and tossing aside the key.

He can see Y/N trying to suppress a smile at his actions, a small huff of a giggle escaping her own lips when he pretends to struggle against the imaginary lock on his mouth.

Her face suddenly lights up with recognition, “Red!”

Kenma’s charade breaks. “That’s what you were trying to figure out this whole time?”

“I was right?” She suddenly looks confused, more confused than when she didn’t even know the correct answer.

“Obviously.” His head tilts, “Did you just guess or something?”

A sheepish smile, “Or something.”

“You just guessed, didn’t you?” It’s not really an actual question at this point, they’re both all too aware of what she did.

“Well I mean- kind of?” She shrugs, a clumsy movement that makes her appear so much younger than she probably is. “To be honest, I just happened to remember that Nekoma’s colors were red and black. So,” she hangs on to the word for a brief second, “Lucky guess?”

“Well what’s your favorite color?”

Y/N had suggested a scuffed form of twenty-one questions, a version with no drinking (not that either of them were against it, Kenma just doesn’t have any alcoholic beverages in the house) and no limit on how many questions they could ask.

It’s been years since Kenma had gotten to know someone like this.

She hums with consideration, “I’m not sure. I like all of them.”

“That’s such a cop-out answer,” he light-heartedly scoffs.

“Oh don’t even,” Y/N straightens in her seat, the black cat ears slipping further back on her head. “At least I didn’t make you play a ten minute guessing game,” she retorts.

Kenma tsks, “That was not ten minutes.”

“Well it felt like it. So hah!”

He laughs as he stretches out his legs, adjusting the waistband of his sweatpants when he notices that they’re off-center. He looks back up at the screen, eyes fixated on the way Y/N tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“How old are you?” Kenma asks out of mere curiosity, because he knows she must be at least close to his age, but he feels so much older in comparison to her cheerful nature.

She’s staring intently at something off to the side, scrutinizing whatever happens to be there. “Twenty three.”

Only a year younger, maybe even less depending on her date of birth.

But-, “Wait,” his eyebrows furrow. “Didn’t you date Sugawara in high school?”

He regrets bringing it up the moment he’s finished speaking, mentally cringing at the idea of talking about her ex’s.

Y/N groans, her face falling into her hands. “Don’t remind me.”

“That bad huh?” And if Kenma’s being honest with himself, he feels strangely . . . relieved.

“Like I love the guy,” Oh. “In like a totally platonic sort of way though,” she suddenly rushes to explain.

Kenma nods, “Right.” He pauses for only a brief second. “So you were a first year when you started dating then?”

Y/N’s head tilts with obvious bewilderment, “What? Oh,” she laughs. “No, I was a second year. I just have a really late birthday.”

“Oh okay,” he releases a small breath of relief. He isn’t sure what he would’ve done if he found out that one of Y/N’s boyfriends was a sick fuck that preyed on first-years.

That’s something he couldn’t let himself overlook, no matter who it was.

“Why’d it end then? Was he not,” he hesistates, “Good to you?”

They’re getting into dangerous territory now; it’s none of his business why their relationship didn’t last, but it feels like it should be. And he supposes that if they’re going to be friends and if he’s going to come into contact with said ex-boyfriend, then it would be better to know anyways.

Right?

Who is he kidding? That’s just an excuse.

He has no real reason for wanting to know, but that’s not going to stop him from asking.

Y/N shakes her head, a thoughtful expression painted across her features. “Nothing like that. It was almost like he was too good to me, you know? It was a good relationship but it was like so good that it was uneventful and boring. We just don’t mesh well romantically.”

Kenma nods as though he understands when really - the truth of the matter is that - his only relationship had ended on such bad terms that he hasn’t dated since.

“And you’re twenty-four right?”

“Yeah,” he confirms without thinking. Then his eyes narrow on her form, “How do you know that?”

She sighs deeply, as if even the mere thought of it is taxing. “Sho has not shut up about you since we met, it’d be more shocking if I didn’t know that at this point.”

Kenma smirks, “All good things I hope.”

“Please,” she rolls her eyes, “That man is practically singing your praises.”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Despite the confusing choice of words, Kenma feels himself chuckle at the idea of one of his closest friends boasting about him to a complete stranger.

“He just like won’t stop talking about how cool you are, or how you’re so fun to be around. Or how you’re the most awesomest - yes he used that word - person he’s ever met.” Kenma’s disappointed when she unexpectedly stops, her hands raising to massage the skin of her temples. “It’s honestly starting to get annoying. Like you’d think he was trying to make me fall in love with you or something,” she snorts.

Is it working?

The words are on the tip of his tongue, his stomach turning at the possibility of her responses.

Kenma swallows thickly, “So what? He’s trying to set us up?”

Some questions are better left unasked.

“I guess so?”

“That’s a little weird.” Only a little bit though.

Y/N smiles then, but it’s mischevious and temptingly playful. “Really? You don’t think we’d look good together?”

His mind races at the implication behind her words, his body growing warm from her teasing tone of voice. And he abruptly feels so thirsty, his tongue brushing across his lips as he watches the way her lashes flutter when she blinks.

“Now I never said that,” he murmers in return and he can’t tell if his voice is as throaty he feels like it is.

Her gaze flickers down somewhere below his face, and Kenma silently berates himself for his choice of lazy clothing, before slowly trailing back up.

Her voice is soft when she speaks, her eyes never straying from his. “Neither did I.”

Kenma’s breath catches in his throat.

He forces a smirk, “I guess we can agree on one thing then.”

Her grin comes back in full force, wicked and full of invitation, “I suppose we can.”

Yeah, Kenma definitely doesn’t mind when she flirts.

Taglist: @crazy-people-are-here, @existential-traveller, @peachesncats, @royalz658, @musicluverr, @tamimemo, @leathernourishingshoepolish, @captaincyberqueen, @dellalyra

Any names in bold are unable to be tagged.

[lamardeuse]

This is not a Wendy's, and my story is not your burger.

A note up front: the following does not refer to the serious issues of racism, anti-Blackness and white supremacy in fandom spaces, which deserves a much more nuanced discussion than a ridiculous food metaphor could ever hope to express. This is a general discussion of fandom standards around tagging and warnings.

Over the three – now nearly four – decades that I've been in fandom, I've seen a lot. I've seen a lot of foolishness, and a metric fuckton of toxicity, and even some good faith, honest debates about how we should conduct ourselves as we move through fannish spaces and interact with one another. So from the start, let me explain that this is not the old lady crabbing at the kids. None of this is particularly new, and fandom culture ebbs and flows. Heigh-ho, nonny nonny, the wheels roll on.

That said, we need to have a talk. Because some people may not be as experienced as the rest of us, and need to understand some fundamental truths about fandom that they may not have picked up, because no one reads Fanlore from top to bottom for fun. That's not inherently a concern. We all learn from one another – I've learned so much from younger people in fandom, particularly here on tumblr – but there are occasions when younger fans could also benefit from some knowledge flowing the other way.

First, fandom is vast. It was huge when I started in the Dark Ages, and it's increased exponentially in the last fifteen to twenty years, since “geek culture” has gone mainstream. That widening of the circle – and more importantly, the naked commercialization of it by media giants who smell our money like vampires in a blood bank – is both a blessing and a curse, because on the one hand, more people who love a thing means more love for everyone! On the other hand, though, I think it's unmoored us in some senses from the fundamental truth that fandom is unhinged, joyful obsession, the fulfilment of a need for communication, creative expression and connection, and most importantly – community.

Yes, fandom is – or should be, at its best – a community first and foremost. And just like any community, it's filled with individuals who form groups, subgroups and cliques. And none of those groups have ever, in the over half a century since the first Star Trek fan made Kirk and Spock fuck, agreed upon one single, overarching view of what 'community' means. Which means the minute you as a fan come striding up to another fan's little electronic nest on the AO3 or Youtube or tumblr demanding that standard X be applied to their fannish creation in the name of 'fandom courtesy' or 'fandom etiquette'? All the old ladies (gn) in fandom realize that you are desperately, painfully new*.

Does that mean that we shouldn't strive to be a community? Of course not. But I would argue that the single and only “rule” of that community is that we make an effort to treat each other, first and foremost, with kindness and grace, and the understanding that the person you are interacting with is not you. They're not even one of the fifty-two people you interact with on Discord who all agree to the same “rules of fandom” (newsflash: they probably don't). And if you come into their fannish space as a stranger demanding they cater to you, you are probably going to be in for a shock.

Commercialization complicates this issue, because I think one element that's new is that some of us have lost sight of the fact – or never learned – that fans do not place their creations in front of you like a server handing you a bag at a fast food drive thru window. They are not producing a commodity to be consumed for which you paid hard earned money that entitles you to certain rights, such as the right to complain if you ordered a burger with mayo and received mustard instead. You would certainly have a right to demand compensation if you're allergic to mustard and had to go to the hospital as a result.

Fandom is more like a potluck, a gigantic potluck with literally millions of dishes. At some tables, there are agreed upon warnings for certain allergens, but others are not required to be mentioned and if you have an allergy, you will need to ask directly. At some tables, you are told that there may be allergens in any of the dishes and you proceed to eat them at your own risk. That risk and your assessment of it is, for better or worse, entirely your responsibility to manage. And your preferences – level of spice, aversion to certain textures and flavours – those are not allergies and there is no prior agreed upon standard to break down every possible element of a dish so that you will always be able to avoid any contact with the foods you personally don't like. There never has been, and there never will be.

The only thing you can be certain of is that on every single table, there are dishes that people have created for you for free with love, effort, experience and care. If you walk up to that table and take a bite and then politely turn down any more, that's fine. If you take a bite, spit it out and loudly tell that person that is not what you were expecting, you wouldn't have tried it if you'd known what it tasted like, and you are appalled that this person did not inform you of every single ingredient before you tried it? You, my friend, are not going to be welcome at the potluck.

Fandom is not a Wendy's. The stories, songs, costumes, artwork, edits that we put out into the world are not mass produced burgers made in a giant factory and shipped to restaurants where you can rest assured that the burger you eat in London will taste the same as the one in Dubuque. And no, the time you invested in reading a fic, watching a vid or contemplating a piece of artwork posted freely on the internet is not something you have the right to demand a refund on either, because again, fandom is not a fast food restaurant, and our interactions with one another in fannish spaces are not transactions. Every creation you choose to put in front of your eyeballs took that person time and energy, and they are putting that out in the world to make a connection with other human beings.

The next time you leave a comment, choose connection. It's easier than you think.

(*I'm going on good faith here and presuming most people who do this are relatively new to fandom. I'm not counting the people who think it's fine and dandy to hurl abuse at strangers for not obeying their standards – those people should be blocked and excluded on sight. I sincerely hope that they get help for the demons that are chasing them and telling them this is an acceptable way to live.)

[slaymitchabernathy]

Keepsake

| a companion to 'Visiting Day' |

Coriolanus can’t stop staring at it.

He’s been sitting on the edge of his small cot for the past five minutes just staring at the small photograph in his hands.

This photograph should be framed and put in museums.

He had gotten a letter today, which he expected, she always writes to him. But he hadn’t expected this particular photograph to be a part of the letter.

Being stationed in District Twelve has been less than desirable, but, Coriolanus often reminds himself of what's waiting for him back home in the Capitol. A diploma commending his time spent serving his country for starters, an extra credit towards his studies at the University, the fame and glory that will come his way since he's one of the only people in his year to take on this task, and of course, his loving girlfriend Soarynn Nightingale.

He saw her two months ago when she came to visit, six hours had never gone by so fast before. He has less than two weeks left but it feels like years now that the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. And this photograph is not helping.

Soarynn has sent him lots of photos before, photos of her and Petunia, photos of her and her friends, and more photos of Petunia, he's used to getting photos from Soarynn. He's got a drawer full of them.

But this photo will be taken to the grave.

It's a photo of her in white lingerie, beautiful lingerie at that.

The bralette pushes up her breasts while her hands press against her hips, giving him a peek at the panties she's wearing. This must be a part of some intricate set with garters and thigh highs and yet she's teasing him by cutting the picture off at her hips.

That little vixen.

He'd be lying to himself if he said that he didn't constantly think about their little reunion on visiting day, how tightly her cunt wrapped around him, how breathy her moans were, and how soft her skin was. Living with stinky men caused Coriolanus to find a whole new sense of gratitude for his girlfriend who was always so feminine and gentle.

No, six hours had not been enough time.

And the amount of comments he got about her after the visit was astounding. Men were absolutely floored at the fact that Coriolanus had the most beautiful girl they'd ever seen on his arm. Some of them couldn't believe that she was truly his but Coriolanus wasn't surprised at all.

To him, it made perfect sense.

Soarynn Nightingale is a beautiful girl, one might even say the most beautiful in all of Panem, therefore enabling her to pick whoever she wanted to be her future husband. So considering her wide array of choices, she'd want someone of equal status and importance, someone who was also attractive, who dressed well and was well versed in Capitol etiquette. Someone who could take care of her, shower her with gifts and expensive trips.

Someone like Coriolanus Snow.

Coriolanus prided himself in how well he took care of Soarynn, ensuring she was always safe, warm, fed, and properly fucked to her liking.

But this photograph might push him over the edge.

Coriolanus carefully sets the photograph on the bed next to him and his fingers fumble to open up the letter she sent him.

To my beloved Coryo, Not a day goes by that I do not think about you, my love. The penthouse feels so empty without you to fill it with your presence. Our friends ask about you constantly, and I assure them that you are still dutifully serving your country without fail. My studies have been faring well, my exams have been easier than I anticipated and I should finish this semester with excellent grades. I can't wait to have you back by my side while studying in the library or strolling through the University courtyard between classes. Petunia misses you dearly, just the other day I found her asleep with one of your socks in her paws. Should I bring her to the train station when I pick you up? Please let me know in advance. I must admit that our reunion all those weeks ago has left me longing for you more than ever before. No one knows my body like you do, including myself. I can't wait for you to come home so we can have a true and proper reunion, no sergeants or soldiers yelling in the background. I've sent a sneak peek of what's waiting for you when you come back home, I went shopping with the girls the other day and they convinced me to buy some new lingerie pieces. I hope this set is to your liking. This photo can serve as a keepsake until we're reunited. My heart is always with you my darling, please keep yourself safe. I can't wait to become Mrs. Snow when you return. Love, Soarynn

Coriolanus runs his fingers over his curls, remembering how it felt when she tugged at them while he ate her out. He remembers how sweet she tasted, how she whimpered so desperately for him.

This photo is going to be the death of him.

Coriolanus glances down at his wristwatch, twenty minutes until it's time for dinner which means he's just getting closer and closer to getting the hell out of here. But it also means that he has a little bit of time to take care of the problem that Soarynn has unknowingly created for him in his boxers.

Coriolanus sighs and unzips his pants, slowly reaching his hand to take hold of his hardened length. Never in his life has he ever had to do this himself, not when Soarynn always offered up her own hands, mouth, or cunt. He always prefers the last one.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

He quietly sighs once his hand slips under the waistband of his boxers, finally skin on skin. He does his best to recreate how Soarynn usually does it but it just feels so much better when she does it with her dainty little hand and those blue-gray eyes batting up at him as if she's so innocent.

And he usually has at least two fingers lodged in her cunt while she's doing it so that always makes it more fun for him.

"Fuck," he mutters, increasing the pace of his strokes, grabbing the photo with his other hand to get a better look at it. He imagines what it'll be like to have that body on top of him again, to have her skin beneath his hands while he manipulates her body.

He tries to imagine her whimpers, her moans, and gasps while he fucks up into her.

"Oh fuck Soarynn," he grunts, giving his cock one last final stroke before he finishes in his hand.

His forehead is sweaty, and his boxers are now ruined.

Coriolanus takes in a sharp breath once he starts to calm down, settling back into the shitty reality that is living in District Twelve for two more weeks.

But that doesn't excuse him being late for dinner so he makes his way into the bathroom to wash his hands and change out of his pants and into new ones. He tosses his boxers into the wastebin and assesses his appearance in the mirror one last time before walking back into his small room.

He takes the photograph and tucks it beneath the pile of other photos she's sent him over the past few months, making sure it's out of sight for anyone who might dare to rifle through his things.

He'll have to write her once he gets back from dinner.

꧁ ꧂

To my darling girl, I can't wait to have you back in my arms my love, these next few weeks are sure to be sheer torture for my heart and me. Not a day goes by where I do not think of you and the joy you bring me, you simply light up my life. As for bringing Petunia to the train station, please don't. I would be lying if I said that the photo you sent me didn't have a large effect on me and my body, it's been so long since I've felt your touch and I can't wait to experience it again. I'm so proud of you and your studies, you've always been so inclined when it comes to your academics and I can't wait to roam the University halls together once again. I will be thinking of you every moment leading up to our reunion. Take care of yourself, my darling girl, for you are my entire future. Love , Coryo

꧁ ꧂

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

[galvanizedfriend]

Klaroline WIP Wednesday

This is my humble contribution to this wip Weds! It's a tiny little snippert from the next chapter of Speed Dating, which has been sitting untouched for way too long. Genuinely hoping this might give me the will to keep going because I am this 🤏 close to the finish line (before editing starts and the finish line gets away from me again but shhhh, we're not going there yet).

--

She doesn't see Elijah again for the next two days. Whatever he's in town for, he either glides around the apartment like a ghost or their schedules are totally at odds. If not for the extravagantly fancy woolen overcoat by the door and what she has quickly learned is a very particular brand of moodiness for Klaus, she would've thought he'd already left.

It's probably for the best, considering the horror of that first meeting, but curiosity is an unscratchable itch. Elijah has intrigued her for years, more so than any of Klaus’ other siblings. Putting a face - well, a little more than a face, really - to the person is a given, but she can't help the desire to dig deeper. It’s in her nature to be nosy. About him, about Klaus, about the whole family. 

Despite the fact she's lived with one and been friends with another for years, the Mikaelsons remain a mystery to her. The more she knows, the more confusing it gets. Nothing about them seems to make much sense, and Caroline hasn't even decided if that's a super-rich, children of the 1% thing, or if the Mikaelsons are especially wacky even among their peers.

After two days, though, she's just about lost hope of bumping into Elijah again. She doubts he'll be staying for much longer, especially with Klaus' cordial show of hospitality. Not that Elijah seemed bothered - being rude to siblings for no apparent reason seems to be one of those things that are normal by Mikaelson standard. It's just how they operate.

She's just back from a shift at the hospital, idly scrolling through her Instagram while she waits for the microwave to deliver her sad leftover dinner. Bitterly, she realizes it has been months since she last updated her feed. Her last photo is with Tyler, for crying out loud. Should she even keep it there? What's the etiquette for when you break up with someone for no earth-shattering reasons, the relationship just fizzling out and running its course? Is it rude to delete all evidence of him from her social media records? Is it expected? Will he be upset? Has he deleted her from his social media? 

In fact, now that she thinks about it... Is Tyler even seeing anyone?

"Huh," she mumbles to herself, fully internalizing in that second how truly messy her life has become that she hasn't even cyber-stalked her ex to know what he's been up to since they broke up. That's a whole new level of rock bottom unlocked, right there.

"Miss Forbes?"

Caroline nearly drops her phone when she looks up to find Elijah standing by the kitchen door. She swears to God the man is unnaturally feline; she didn't even hear him approach.

Unlike in their first encounter, he's now fully clothed and, unsurprisingly, he looks just as good as he did without a stitch on. Maybe better. His suit looks as though it was sewn directly onto his body by an Italian master tailor. The range of that man.

"Hey!" She cringes at her high pitch, standing up straight. 

His smile is affable as he steps further into the kitchen. "Do I interrupt?"

"What? No. I was just scrolling."

Caroline feels suddenly very self-conscious of just how crazy frumpy she must look standing in front of Elijah. The man is a poster boy for wellness and prosperity, while she is... Well. Not.

Suffice to say she's wearing a Timberwolves t-shirt from her long-gone cheerleading days in high school with at least five visible holes on it.

"I've been meaning to apologize for that horrid incident the other day," he starts. Caroline wouldn’t have brought the incident up, assuming he would rather forget it ever happened, but if it causes him any measure of discomfort to have been butt naked in front of a complete stranger, he does not show, which - now that she thinks about, is something else that feels very Mikaelson-esque. They do all seem to be incredibly comfy in their own skins. "Niklaus warned me that you would be home soon, but my despair for a proper shower was stronger than caution. I should've been more careful."

"You don't have to apologize. It's fine. It was nothing." That would've been a good place to stop. A very mature and dignified let's leave it at that and never mention it again. But her stupid mouth just keeps going. "I see naked people all the time at the hospital. It's totally unremarkable." Elijah's eyebrows inch upwards into a mildly curious expression. "I don't mean that you are unremarkable!" she corrects, and then, getting immediately horrified at the implications, adds, "You're not - I mean, you're ok, you're - obviously. Not that I was looking, I wasn’t - I just mean - You know what? I'm just gonna shut up now." She snaps her lips sealed, half-wishing that a hole would open underneath her feet and suck her into the magma of the earth.

[swallowedbyfandom]

Her chambers soon begin to look like a florist shop. Colin has been a busy bee, she will give him that. He has sent her beautiful elaborate bouquets everyday this week with sweet little cards attached. In the week since that awful dinner at Bridgerton house Colin has managed to purchased a home in Bloomsbury. He has also interviewed and hired several servants to fill household positions. There have been trips to the lawyers and other legal affairs that has the Ton holding their breath. It is clear to all he is preparing to take a wife.

Her mother observes the situation with a shark's predatory anticipation. It is almost makes Penelope sad that her mother cannot see what he does not do. He has not gone to see a doctor yet nor has he had one come to call. She is serious about that, she had once overheard a midwife tell her mama that certain illness can led to infertility. While at the time she did not understand, what they were speaking on she does now. Her Papa's whoring likely left her mama unable to carry a child again. Colin has not come to call and he still has not come to her mama to formally declare his intentions to court her.

Frankly she has stated clearly what her expectations are for a suitor. That he is still falling short of her expectations is his own doing. He had eight weeks to work with. He just burned nine days of that with half measures. Flowers are a nice gesture but they are an empty gesture when she has a home filled with gentlemen callers daily. When they take time from their day to hand deliver her flowers and sweets. When they line up and wait to spend time with her. He is stalling, and falling woefully behind.

She is standing with Agatha who has used her dragon's glare to give her succor during the last three balls. The pickings of available bachelors worth spending time with tonight is minuscule. They are in the middle of giggling like schoolgirls over Lord Duncan trying to hide behind a curtain, when she spots Francesca looking uncomfortable with Lord Samadani. She lets out an aggravated sigh.

"Please pardon me. I must rescue Fran from the Queen's import. Please let her Majesty know they are incompatible. He wants an army of children and Francesca does not want more than two." Agatha lets out a snort, with a knowing smirk.

She makes her way over to Fran who is politely trying to give the Marquis a not so subtle hint. She flashes Fran a reassuring smile and smoothly cuts into Lord Samadani's ramble.

"Please pardon my interruption, my Lord. Francesca, Lady Danbury has been trying to get your attention. I believe she has a message from your mama to pass along."

Francesca gives her a relieved smile, before turning to excuse herself from Lord Samadani. Penelope opens mouth to excuse herself also, when she spots Fife making his way over to her.

She grabs Lord Samadani's arm and turns her wide panic filled eyes on him. She speaks rapidly.

"You must sign my card and take me to dance immediately."

To his credit he reaches for her dance card as he speaks.

"Why am I breaking the rules of etiquette to dance with a Lady I have not yet been introduced to?"

"You are a gentleman are you not? I am a Lady in distress. What better reason is there?"

They take their positions on the dance floor.

"Are you really in distress?" He asks her.

She places her hand on his shoulder and relaxes her frame while responding.

"I assure you my Lord, any Lady with sense would be distressed by Lord Fife. I am sure that if I am forced to dance with him once more tonight I shall stab him with a dessert fork."

He releases a deep rich laughter that draws attention to them. He smirks at her.

"May I have the name of the violent lady I am to dance with?"

Giggles escape her as she demurs.

"Penelope Featherington, my Lord. However I dispute the claim that I am violent. I prefer the term vigilant." She frowns as she continues speaking. "Lord Fife is swine. He enjoys making comments that are improper. While I may not understand the actual innuendos, I understand his leering looks enough to be uncomfortable."

The Marquis looks decidedly less amused by that. His frame carries a tension now it did not before. She distracts him with questions about his country. He is surprisingly charming and intelligent. He escorts to her to Albion after their set is complete and once he sees Lord Fife approaching again, this time trailed by Colin he signs her card for a second dance. Thankfully it is her last spot available on her dance card. She gives him a curtsy while graciously thanking him for his aid. Now she has a viable reason to deny Fife and Colin both a dance.

Colin is lucky she is not holding a drink in her hand when he asked why she did not keep a dance available for him. She for certain would have thrown it into his face at that moment. The hubris of that question fills her with rage. They have been at this ball for hours if he wanted to dance with her he should have asked when she arrived. She has danced six sets tonight with a variety of different gentlemen. She has danced an additional four sets that were second dances. Lord Samadani will be the fifth Gentleman she has a second dance with that night. That Colin thought he would swoop in the last hour of the ball and finally grace her with his presence. He must believe her desperate or still a silly girl waiting for crumbs of his attention.

The carriage ride back is entirely too long in Penelope's opinion. Her mother has spent the ride blatantly evaluating Penelope. She allows her mother to look her fill without comment until she figures out which question she wants to ask. Finally Portia seems to make up her mind.

"Have you finally given up on Mr. Bridgerton?"

She rolls her eyes. God, her mama is so short sighted.

"Contrary to what you like to believe I had never really set my sights on Mr. Bridgerton."

Her mother scoffs in response.

She makes a dismissive gesture with her hand, before she continues speaking.

"You don't have to believe me. Your opinion in the grand scheme of things matters very little. I have always adored the Bridgertons as a whole. It is also true I have always held tender feelings for Colin. However I never expected anything to come from it. I was aware that our close childhood bond would always have him viewing me as a little girl. I did not try to entice him. I never felt the potential fallout with his family to be worth the risk."

"If I were as blinded by love as you believe, I would have accepted his proposal. I did not because I am no longer certain he would be an ideal husband for me. He has allowed peer pressure to dictate a change in his values and behavior. What use would I have for a fickle husband?"

"If he wants to be my husband he will prove it. He will swallow his pride, eat his words and court me publicly. He doesn't get a pass because we were childhood playmates. We are not children any longer. I will not marry unless I am sure my husband will not leave me and our children in dire straits the way papa did to us. I am more practical than you believe."

"I do not need to be in love to marry well. I am looking for a stable partner I can grow to love. I am looking for a man who will think disappointing me is a fate worse than death. Who will choose me and our children before anything else. I would rather be a spinster than settle for less than that."

Her mother's lips are white with how hard they are pursed together.

"Colin Bridgerton looks down on our family, mama. He thinks he would be doing me a favor by marrying me, and saving me the shame of the Featherington name. Our family may be a scandalous mess, but we are survivors. While I am not proud to be a Featherington, I am proud to be Penelope Featherington. If I allow him the upper hand of being my white knight now, he will have it forever."

Her mama looks so pensive. Penelope allows herself to lean forward and drop a kiss on her forehead.

"I have been caring for myself for years now, mama. Put your efforts on my sisters they need you, I do not."

Her mama seems to startle at that. " I have tried my best with all of you girls. You know that right?"

Penelope exhales heavily she is too tired and short tempered for this conversation.

"No you did not. You tried and failed with my sisters. Phil and Pru are helpless and without a single drop of cunning. You married them to idiots. Albion and Philippa I can understand. They are in love and happy but neither of them is particularly bright. They are one shady steward away from poverty. Albion needs someone to teach him how to run an estate. Hopefully his parents will do so."

"Pru and Harry are doomed. Harry is sweet and simple, Pru will take advantage of him. While the Dankworth fortune is sizable, it is not so sizable that it can withstand Prudence's spending and inheriting the debt remaining on the Featherington estate."

"That your daughter's are completing to inherit that debt, should tell you everything you need to know. Yes a son will secure the title of Baron but it will also inherit the mess Papa and Jack made. If either of my sister's had sense they would pray for a daughter. If you had sense you would remarry and wash your hands of papa's mess. That is why I have finally entered the marriage mart. I am looking to wash my hands of our family."

"You have never tried to help me succeed, mama. Everything I am, I am in spite of you. Perhaps you were trying to make me strong? I doubt it though you are not a long term planner. You love me. I know this but you do not like me. That is fine. I feel the same way. We do not have to play pretend with each other, mama. We are adults."

Her mother remains quiet after that. She knows she has broken something irreparable between her mother and her. However they have been broken for years. Why should she be the only person to carry that burden?

She has carried the Featheringtons far enough. She has kept them off the streets. The more she thinks on it the more she realizes that the money she has set aside for her mother is unearned. Why would she leave almost half her earnings for her mother to spend on tacky gowns? Let her mother count on her son in laws or let her remarry.

She has worked hard to secure her future. Why the hell would she leave behind half her fortune? No. She isn't leaving anything behind. She has already done more for them, than they ever did for her.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Alice 'Allie' Parkington is WonderSpider!

____________________________________

Miguel: One year and four months ago, I devised the formula for inter-dimensional travel, allowing me to open portals across the multiverse. I created an elite stri-

Alice: Oh, Okay! -

[Alice is the result of a 'Adapt-A-Spider' Challenge, where you adapt a pre-existing character into a Spider! You can see more of my fun Spidersona challenges HERE]

(Also HUGE THANKS to @fairytalespider who made the OG SpiderSnow!)

Gwen Stacy isn't the only blonde who knows about miraculously falling through wormholes.

Except Allie got sent to the universe with talking animals, and a maniacal queen with of taste for beheadings. Not that she's complaining. Not when the tea parties are so delightful~

At 7 years old Alice Parkington found a white waist-coated rabbit, on a hurry to who knows where -

And she followed him, fell down a hole, and never came back.

Origins:

[Alice's world is a mix of the book's portrayal, the cartoon's, and Tim Burton's (though I haven't seen the movies). Her story begins at the end of book - a similar ending to the cartoon movie, but instead she doesn't wake up.]

After losing a game of croquet to The Red Queen of Hearts, Alice is sent to the dungeons, awaiting her beheading on the Queen's orders. That is, until she finds an enchanted Spider in her cell, sent by an ally. When she's bitten, it gives her all the power of Wonderland - and binds her there forever. After escaping The Red Queen's Death Row, Alice was adopted by the woman who helped free her - The kind but exiled The White Queen or Marmoreal, aka Her Aunt Mirana.

Now The Blue Princess of Marmoreal, Alice is next in line for the throne, and the web-swinging protector of Tugley Woods, Wonderland. She spends her days fighting against the tyrannical and murderous rule of The Red Queen of Hearts, and The Court of Cards. With The Mad Hatter as her martyred Uncle Ben - Alice calls Wonderland her home, though she's always left questioning what's real and what isn't. At this point, she's accepted she'll never know the answer. So when she's recruited for Spider Society, it's just another rabbit hole to go down, and another adventure to fall into. On campus she's known as WonderSpider, and she's a lot more powerful (and ruthless) than you'd think.

Design and Personality:

Alice is a lot less sugar and a bit more spice, with her personality taking after the book (moreso than the movies).

Alice is bubbly and independent. She's as curious as a cat and as chatty as a bird. And she's all about asking questions and finding her own way in the world.

She's loves tea parties and foraging and making crazy experiements in the Hatter's workshop. And now that he's gone, she still finds herself in there, cooking up another magical sweet or Victorian style gadget. When she's not doing that, she's at The White Queens side, begrudgingly taking (literally) nonsensical etiquette classes. She isn't afraid to speak up for herself and others. And once she makes her mind up, it's settled.

Despite what some may think, she's isn't an entire lunatic. She's hasn't gone Wonderland Mad yet.

Even since a young girl, Alice has always been known for asking questions - trying to find the sense in nonsense before coming to a conclusion. She's great at picking up on details, and thinking outside the box. And she's always the one to keep a level head, no matter what the circumstances. Doom is not assured when reality is subjective. She's as logical as she is loopy, and although some may think there's nothing going on between her ears, they are sorely mistaken.

She always wears her glasses. She needs them to see.

Or rather, she needs them to see correctly. Having a cause of The Mads, taking off her glasses distorts her vision of the room into a psychedelic and disorienting wonderland version itself - which hurts. She keeps them on always. Though they can be knocked off during battle. Like other Spider-people - The lenses squint, blink, and emote. They have a permanent and consistently moving patterns and colors. Between blinks, the design may change, the swirls changing color or direction. Sometimes the words she's saying may flash over them for emphasis, and they can contain anything from exclamation points to tie dye.

Alice is a de facto genius.

An expert chemist, Alice has mastered dozens of recipes and chemistry formulas using the vegetation in Wonderland. She's cracked the code to rabbit holes, and has an amazing affinity for science and theoretical theory. And if she doesn't understand a certain law of physics or something, she can just choose to ignore it. Literally.

Powers & Abilities:

Hobie told Alice that laws are oppressive. She agreed, told him she hates the laws of physics - then started floating to the ceiling like a balloon. Needless to say, reality doesn't really work for Alice. And she cannot control it.

But no matter what her misfortune, though - She'll always say 'Oh, dear.'

Reality Warp:

Wonderland has side effects. Alice can grow and shrink at will, but once she's there, she can't go back. When she wants, she can manifest rabbit holes to Wonderland on any flat surface, but she doesn't know where they are - so she always falls into them. Her tears are huge, and they flood any room. And for some reason, she's obsessed with cookies. It she sees one, she'll eat it. It doesn't matter if it says 'Eat Me' or not. If you hand her something and tell her to drink, she will. It's the one thing she won't question, although she should know better. She'll read the label, and if it's not clearly labeled bleach or poison, she's drinking it. If it's not those two things, it must be safe right?

The Power of Imagination:

Like Spider-Ham has the Super-Slapstick ability, Alice has the Power of Imagination on her side. If she can make logic of it or believe it, then there is a random chance it will happen. If the team is looking for a way past a locked door, Alice may say 'If only there were a mousehole somewhere here. Mice are such scampers, they can get into anywhere!' There will probably be a 1/4 chance of a mouse running by, leading them to a cartoon like mousehole she can shrink and go through. However, Alice can't will it to happen. She can't be asking or hoping for it, and the thought has to be completely innocent and 'wonderous' for it to work. The ability can also be compounded, with multiple unlikely things happening rapid fire - however this is less likely and HIGHLY dangerous if done in other universes, and is likely to cause an anomaly. Plus everyone else involved goes a tad bit 'loopy' for a bit.

This ability only works outside of Wonderland, and it was discovered by Miguel.

When Alice met Miguel, she began to question his interesting suit, and so she asked. Miguel began to explain to her, but confused, Alice said 'Well, that's nonsensical. Surely you can't wear light like fabric. If that were true, I could pull this right off you.' - And then she did. And suddenly she was holding his suit in her hands as if it were made of fabric, and Miguel was there in his underwear.

Alice's response: 'Oh dear.'

Chesire Mode:

When surrounded by enough chaos or kinetic energy, Alice can go Chesire Mode, and really goes off the bend. She experiences full Wonderland Madness - similar to the Hatter, and gains the ability to unravel herself and turn invisible. Her voice begins to echo, creating a disorienting and hallucination-like affect. Doing this is known to cause madness, but it affects everyone in the room.

Equipment:

WebShooters: Alice uses mechanical Web-Shooters created by her and The Mad Hatter. Her webs are silly string and streamers. 'Bow'-nus Arms: Alice's waist ribbon is extendable like Mr.Fantastic's limbs, serving essentially as a second set of arms. However, when it's off of her, it's much more similar to Doctor Strange's cape, having a mind and personality of it's own. She can take it off and ask it do it, and it'll go off and (try it's best) to do it, just like a snake. It's name is David Bowie. She does not know who David Bowie is - it's just a coincidence: it's family name is Bow-ie, and David is a common name.

Random Facts:

Alice hangs out with a lot of the 'Eccentric' and Mini Spiders - She likes others from cartoons or fairytales, or anyone made for whimsy.

And she likes spending her time small.

She has a crush on Lego Spider-Man. She shrinks to be with him lol

He naturally finds her a little offputting, they're NOT a thing but she wishes (sis he's literal plastic)

Alice's best friends are SpiderPetal, SpiderSnow (@fairytalespider), SpiderFairy (@stardust948) and Spider-Ham.

Since they all live in either a woodland area, a cartoon, or both, those are usually who she's with

Though she only goes small around people she trusts - but never someone like Miguel. In fact, with Miguel, she does the opposite.

When Miguel is in the room, Alice prefers to grow 'full size' as in... taking up the whole room giantess style.

She says it helps, because 'It makes Mr.O'hara look like a little toy soldier.'

With the size of his lair, she can often grow taller faster than he can get lower - so he'll stay up there, and she'll grow to meet his eye.

She can decide when to stop growing or shrinking, just not when she'll turn back.

This power is transferable. Alice's wonderland powers still work elsewhere, and so her cookies and drinks do too.

Alice can only keep 1 cookie and 1 drink on her at one time, never more, it'll always be ruined.

She can use these to either extend her state, or have someone shrink or grow along with her.

But once she uses the one of each item, she can't get more until she returns home and makes more.

HOWEVER. HOWEVER - Alice is down for deals.

If you come to her world and ask for some cookies or potions, she'll give it to you. But there's a mandatory tea party involved, and the only payment she asks is that you bring sweets for the guests - Vegan please!!

(Her favorite is angel food cake, after cookies of course)

Those aren't the only ones - she has dozens of sophisticated concoctions for any need - floating and weightlessness, invisibility, even the ability to mimic voices perfectly -

And just the same, she's able to carry one of each when outside of Wonderland.

A frequent customer of hers is Hobie. He puts the potions to work - plus he makes the best vegan coconut macaroons.

Oh - also DO NOT Drink her tea though - it's made with Wonderland Tea Leaves....Great for a good time, horrible for bedtime.

Despite not knowing her specific age - Alice is a young adult - and she works at The Society.

Her Uncle Hatter was a master chemist, alchemist, magician, chef - and dozens of other things. And for years, Alice studied under him.

Originally, Miguel assumed all of this knowledge would be non-transferable nonsense, but - wrong.

Alice is one of the leading scientists at The Society - with a concentration in Multiversal Physics, studying everything from the visual styles of universes, the path between universes, and differences in time.

She'll often say something, only to get dismissed by Miguel.

But Lyla will cut him off, telling him that scientifically, Alice IS making sense.

It's just that because her world is totally backwards, the ideas she has to describe her thoughts are backwards too.

After a while, she becomes one of the main people to write the updates and programs for the watches, working with Miguel as her boss.

She's like a bop-it, full of weird and very useless quirks.

If her feet get wet, they make the duck waddle sound when she walks.

If she hits her head, it makes the TikTok 'Boink' sound. She runs and it makes the Flintstones noise.

If she stubs her toe or gets hurt on something tiny, she'll scream like Tom The Cat.

She burps bubbles (like the soap kind) and her sneezes sound like one of those party straw thingies.

Sometimes her Wonderland powers play tricks on her. She'll be like 'I'm outta here!!' then walk into a looney toons wall. And she's so embarrassed cause the cartoon noises make it so much worse fhgsuigdf

Sometimes when she tries to run she stays in one place for a second before the running kicks in (like a cartoon) - and Miguel just grabs her and she's like 'Dratz, I was trying to get away.'

She enjoys hanging out with Hobie, though she does not understand him at all.

Like, she's British too - did I mention she's British, cause she's from Victorian England -

But she has no opinion on his ideology because it's ???? lost on her

He's like 'This is a metaphor for capitalism' and she'd be like 'I don't know what that is.'

He's like 'count your blessings'.

But Hobie LOVES that Alice doesn't stick to the rules -

and that she gives the middle finger to the laws of physics by just existing

He's like 'That's so cool, what you just did. Real Metal.'

She's like 'I suppose I am just a container, filled with slowly decaying food - so in that way, I am quite like a fridge, which is cool and made of metal-'

And he's like 'what are you talking about-'

And they mainly hangout because they're both lazy.

Alice is tirrreeed of all these weird physics rules and new technology and non talking cutlery.

She'd much prefer to take a nap, or wander off, of have a tea party, or do ANYTHING that isn't work. Same girl same

And that's it! Most of it, I'll probably maybe maybe not write a post about her joining the society and how it completely warps her perception of reality because she's been trying to get home for so long, she doesn't even know if her home exists then there's this new society through ANOTHER wormhole but she still can't get home-

Oh and before I go, her intro art is inspired by Qveen Herby's single Abracadabra!

Yeah. If you made it this far THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME UR TIME! Thank you so so much for entertaining me I MEAN IT THANK YOU I KNOWI POST SO MANY OCS AND IT'S KINDA OVERWHELMING SORRY AAHHH MY BRAIN CANT STOP I CANT FOCUS HELP

Anyway I'm normal

HERE HOBIE

Bye.

[yikes-kachowski]

Hiii! I dropped by on accident and found out your avatar headcanons and OCs so so nice

I gotta ask a few curiosities of mine if that's cool? *takes out a notebook and a pen*

- since katara and zuko are a thing, did it make their friendship with aang weird or was he cool with it instantly? And how did it even began for them? Did it followed the show's events? Did Aang even got a crush on Katara?

- What happens to Azula?

- How does all these next gen kids react when Korra shows up? Is it weird, is it fine, is it all the same? I mean, they all knew the previous avatar and he was pretty much their family and all. Tho I think them having their own lives also mean it's not that much of a deal?

- Is Katara still one of Korra's teaching masters?

- Sokka's kids get along?

- Does Tenzin and Bumi eventually get okay with each other?

- Korra still loses her connection to the past avatars and therefore Aang? Do they even talk, like he did to Roku and all?

- do you have any other headcanon or change of other characters from tlok or tloa that you mind sharing? like, a plot from tlok that you think it could be better improved or discarded, or something that happens on your universe and you haven't talked about yet?

Sorry for this such a big of an ask, i really REALLY liked these ideas you had (and your art is also amazing and so awesome and pretty too 💞).

heyyyy anon! sorry for the late reply, i hope you still see this.

First of all, thank you! I love genuine interest in my stuff I never expect it. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and clever. ALSO thanks for complimenting my art! i'm a slow artist so my blood sweat and tears (mostly tears) are in every drawing !!!

onto answering your questions to the best of my ability:

1) Aang is completely cool with Katara and Zuko's relationship. He's basically their biggest shipper :) He did have a crush on Katara (and Zuko tbh), but he was able to let it go pretty quickly. As the Avatar, after the war he was almost too busy to even be sad about it. Overwhelmingly, he was just happy for his friends

Also, Katara and Zuko get together after the war, when Katara's about 17 and he's about 19. Katara goes to the South Pole and they fall for each other through letters and short visits.

Most show events aren't really taken out for me. Just really the kiss right at the end.

2) Azula has a redemption arc. I like to think of it as being a redemption arc she herself is hardly aware of. She just thinks she's really in the long haul of fooling the gaang into liking her. Her redemption arc starts immediately after the war because Zuko keeps her safe in the palace.

Aang becomes her friend first and encourages everyone else to give her a chance. Sokka provides an outlet for all of her older brother issues, since she and Zuko have an awkward relationship. And Katara is tutored by Azula in Fire Nation etiquette and history so she's better equipped to be Fire Lady.

sorry if this is confusing, but believe it or not this rambling all makes sense to me.

3) Korra is very important to the next gen kids, aang's kids and the zk especially. Her arrival is in the middle of great political conflict that never would have happened if Aang wasn't murdered, so they're eager to get her in on the Avatar business.

My idea with Aang dying so young, is that all of his business is half finished. His kids didn't get real closure for their relationship. So Bumi, Yelaan, Palkyi and Tenzin all have complex feelings toward her. Bumi's in particular are very intense.

Being around Korra FEELS like being in his father's presence, which is hard for him. He doesn't want aang to have been a good person or a good father because then he'd really have to miss and mourn everything he was gone for. but this is a lot and hard for me to say so

the steambabies also need Korra and consider her central. They watched their parents' reactions when Aang died (particularly Zuko), and that has affected them deeply. Sakari has been advised to always follow the avatar, so she's happy to have guidance. Besides, she hopes the Avatar will restore and era of peace since she worries for Bumi and Akiak.

Akiak has changed since Aang died, a lot. In ways he's not always proud of. Facing Korra is somewhat hard for him for that reason. Especially since sometimes she opposes some of his methods. He thinks her way of bringing peace is naive.

Tophs kids (and Tenzin to some extent) are the same :)

4) Yes! Katara is one of her waterbending masters. I feel like when you're an Avatar's Master, that's your role for life. She already knows how to train the Avatar. She, Zuko, and Toph taught Korra in the right order, and are old friends with her. Korra has already met the whole Gaang even if she doesn't see Toph or Zuko as often as she'd like

5) I usually choose not to give Sokka kids. I feel like he doesn't want to be a father (even though he'd definitely be the best at it). He and Suki work too hard and have agreed they just aren't super interested in kids. He and Suki are full time Aunt and Uncle to all of the Next Gen. Now, ive made some OCs for asks and I'd say that they do get along :)

6) Bumi and Tenzin's relationship is ROUGH in this story, but yes, they do. It takes a while but eventually they're only mildly hostile with each other. Tenzin helps Bumi reconnect with Air Nomad culture, and Bumi helps him commune with the spirits better. This is jumpstarted by Korra.

7) Korra does keep communication with her past lives! But her path to being a fully realized Avatar is much more difficult. The decision to raise her in a compound was a mistake, and so her growth as an avatar is severely set back. This means, she speaks to her past lives when they reach out to her (and she's in tune enough to listen). Aang is not easy for her to talk to, but eventually she masters it. She doesn't really tell anyone because she's scared everyone will then only want to talk to aang, not her.

8) First of all: for atla, i write very particular cultures and geographies to expand the universe. They affect things in only minor ways for the most part in atla. Also, Aang is trans. I love it too much for it to not be true (if youre wondering how he had kids he made deals with spirits)

Now for tlok. In my opinion, it's very necessary for the different conflicts to not have clear starts and ends. These should all be interweaving conflicts that everyone's caught in the middle of. Not only does this facilitate a lot more character interactions, but it also builds stress and feels realistic.

Mako and Bolin are former triad members and pro athletes, they should be rougher around the edges. Also, Mako would NEVER EVER become a cop after seeing the direct damage they cause marginalized communities. I think that perspective would be very important for korra as an avatar.

Season two plotlines should just be a civil war between north and south. Tbh, I'm not digging all of the subtle ways the north takes over the south, and I imagine the south isn't either. They separated from the north for a reason, and then during the war, the north didn't even help them. The tensions were rising and Aang never came up with a good long term solution when he was alive, and that affects Korra.

Season three's plotline can mostly stay the same except there is no harmonic convergence that introduces new airbenders. The airbenders are the group that they are. They're travelling the earth kingdoms doing peace talks since much of the earth kingdoms don't want to be under ba sing se. Particularly the Si Wong Desert. Aang was in active peace talks when died and was never able to come up with a long term solution.

Season four is also mostly the same except no mechs or spirit nukes.

All the while the equalists are raging on at home.

ANYWAY. thanks for the ask! I hope you see this after i posted it SOOOO late.

See the pattern? Korra must fill aang's shoes while also dealing with all of his unfinished business. Every character serves a unique perspective that helps inform korras decisions.

I dont think these ideas are perfect and the only way to write Korra, but I think they make sense. They help tell a story Im more interested in.

[aeons-domain]

Madison's Character Inspiration

where I pick 6 characters to yoink their storyline and personality with and glue it onto my OC 🤓 (half-joking there, but, they did serve as my core inspiration for Madison in a number of aspects)

Tagging the friends who also did theirs in the Discord server, as well as some other folks to do this with their beloved OC(s) and S/I(s) as well! No pressure by the way, do it if you want to! 💖 @emproleon (the OG!! Thank you for sharing this in the server ❤️) @amberswords @anikasenkujo @funnyvalentineswife @hand-domain @jellyluchi @papersirens @shaylistic @sweetsparklerain @trashbabyart @uminozerol @werewuffgoth @white-cherries @whitespirit91 @zizalovesyou

Empty template + Character inspo blurbs under the cut

Ruby Rose (RWBY) - In the very early days of RWBY coming out I fell in love with the young female lead who had a strong sense of moral justice. We've all had our fair share of young protagonists who aim to do a lot for the world they live in and that especially rubbed onto Madison especially in her younger teenage years.

Steven Universe - Steven is described to be optimistic, outgoing, and soft-hearted but also naive and socially oblivious. His journey of maturing throughout the series was something that I got a huge chunk of inspiration from when I was writing down Madison's backstory from birth to the various stages of her life. Madison does go through a similar matter like Steven where she carries heavy burdens at a young age and struggles to keep up with the demands made of her due to her inexperience with life and lack of emotional control.

Nana (Elfen Lied) - If you see art of Madi with horns on her head similar to Nana then I'm sure you can piece two and two together to see that they're of the same species (and personality too ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ – ✧)). Madison is exactly like Nana in the sense that her empathy for other people's pains is what keeps her from conceding to the part of her genetics that desires to be homicidal. You've also got that bit of lore where Madison has gone through a part of her childhood where she was raised as a test subject in a research institute which I'll share more in the future.

Nancy Drew - The inspiration I got from Nancy and put into Madison's character is her ability to stay determined and help others when she can provide such assistance. I adore how resourceful and independent Nancy is and so I try to emulate that onto Madison especially in her older years. A fun fact is that Madison has a love for books in the mystery genre and reading the Nancy Drew series lead her to be more curious and critical of the world, mentally solving puzzles in her head that she can apply when situations call for a solution.

Akane Tsunemori (Psychopass) - Fun fact here is that Akane's VA Kana Hanazawa is my voiceclaim for Madison and I just love love looovveee Akane so much that I had to put her here as one of Madison's main inspirations! You've got that naïve to callous pipeline characters go through when they soon face the horrific realities of the world which definitely happens to Madison in her late teen and young adult years. Generally polite and respectful thanks to several etiquette classes she took up in high school, Madison earns the respect of fellow peers when they find that she is also intelligent, insightful, and compassionate. Despite having the means to enforce violence with her Stand or her vectors from being a Diclonius, Madison does what she can to deescalate a situation and employ less destructive actions, just like Akane in her former years as an Inspector.

Misaka Mikoto (A Certain Scientific Railgun) - Along with Mikoto and most of these characters, I think I really like the trope of "Friendly and easygoing character with great powers has keen sense of justice and wishes to keep the world safe, but wants to do so with peaceful/harmless means as much as possible….But then gets cold and unfeeling in the process 🙃" way too much that you can see the similarities in all of these characters' backstories and how I'll be incorporating that with Madison too sdkjbsjkd but! the same can be said for Mikoto too with how she does her best to help others to the point where she sacrifices her own wellbeeing for their safety.

[funnuraba]

My review of Most Ardently as A Transmasc (not the worst recent transmasc YA book, but not great or even good):

I didn't care for this? The dysphoria is well-described, but I didn't get anything else out of the experience. I thought at one point that Bingley might get fleshed out a bit more than the original book, and Oliver could enjoy being one of the guys in a way that strengthened all their characters, but then it was mostly just Oliver and Darcy after that.

Firstly, there are three or four scenes where the author was clearly feeling it and putting in effort--the fair, Oliver's dream about going swimming with his ideal body. Those are fine. All the other prose is so turgid and dull that rereading it for this review was a chore. There are at least four scenes where Collins/Wickham/Mrs Bennet/Lady Catherine says something outrageous, and Oliver stares at them thinking, 'Bwahh? Are they seriously saying that (PREMISE OF SCENE)? They can't be serious. It's almost like (OTHER CHARACTER'S FATAL FLAW).' Not funny. Not fun. The support Oliver gets is boilerplate "I love and support you always." Everyone else is constantly saying, "Wow, you're so feminine and should be more feminine, I love women and you are a woman and women are feminine, do you have dysphoria yet or should I start over?" Please trust your audience a little bit, even if you're writing YA!

Beyond that, I don't feel like this was Pride & Prejudice in any meaningful way. It doesn't engage with the characters or setting except that the plot is vaguely "hot rich guy might hate you, and someone spreads rumors about him?!?" It felt more like Disney's Beauty and the Beast if Belle (or Beau) had a sister and the Beast had a friend. Collins and Wickham might as well be two halves of Gaston, because they're not Collins and Wickham. Nobody is the same: Mr Bennet isn't witty but lazy and passive-aggressive, he's just the smiling kindly father who accepts Oliver instantly, and takes decisive action to protect him. Crazy old Maurice! Jane is supportive but sassy, not at all the Jane Bennet who refuses to think or speak ill of anyone down to the man who runs off with her sixteen year old sister. She's Oliver's Generic Sister. Oliver himself has no wit, no spark, no pride, no prejudice. No growth or flaws to overcome except being closeted. Collins isn't one of the most famous comic figures of English literature, he's just a dull guy who complains about modernity and tells Oliver he has beautiful child-bearing hips in public (what?!?!). (Collins in the original book has a very distinctive way of speaking that usually vanishes in remixes; as usual it's gone here. I'll grant that it's exhausting to replicate!)

Now, Wickham had unbelievable potential to explore in this remix, because how does Oliver, who likes men, react to being charmed by a handsome, charismatic man whose charm is predicated on addressing him as a woman the whole time? That's never addressed, because Oliver can simply sense the child molestions radiating off Wickham with his built-in Geiger counter, and dislikes him immediately. And Wickham is like a real sad sack here and has no game at all. Just straight to "Darcy is a bastard man, mean to my cousin. Maybe gay 🤨??"

There's little to no engagement with any of the social mores of the era, even the ones that only require an annotated copy of P&P to research, because they're already in the original book. Oliver says "arse" at a public ball while presenting as a woman. Jane says "bastard"!!! Oliver is addressed regularly as "Miss Bennet" in situations where his elder sister is present. Later, Mr Collins calls him "Miss Elizabeth" and he's shocked by the deadnaming, but has a whole little moment explaining in his head that oh, that makes sense, because there are other Miss Bennets in the room. ....Except Oliver Bennet wouldn't have that thought, because there was a basic etiquette rule to deal with the surname problem, which he should know. He would always have been Miss Elizabeth unless Jane was totally absent.

Furthermore, the Bennets' financial and class situation seems to have been completely altered, except I don't think the author realizes it. Oliver mentions that they can only afford books on special occasions, and he dreams of having a library--but Mr Bennet in the original book has that very library, because they have a good income that they've spent rather than saved. They wouldn't be in their social circles otherwise. In Most Ardently, the Bennets don't live on a countryside estate with tenants who pay them rent. They live in a London townhouse that supposedly has servants, but in practice nobody acts like they do. Oliver has regular chores, Mrs Bennet brings food out to their guests, and Oliver offers to bring a broom for a dropped teacup. Mr Bennet is vaguely mentioned to have "work". Is he in trade? This is a pretty major change to their class, and it makes them into a family that would be excluded from every ball and gathering that the Bennets attend.

Except none of that matters, because the author wasn't trying to write anything but a modern single-income family that has to scrimp and save on some fronts. So Most Ardently just doesn't take place anywhere or any time in particular.

Charlotte, meanwhile, is now Charlotte Lewis for some reason. Her father isn't wealthy, he was never knighted, and the rest of her family doesn't exist, so it's just her and her hardworking father with no servants. We're told that they can't afford servants. Again, this is a worldshaking alteration to her class. Oliver Bennet, if we assume he's in Elizabeth's position from the book, would never socialize with a woman this poor. Not ever. They wouldn't be friends. He wouldn't go over to her servant-less house. Not even if his father were in trade. Charlotte Lucas helping out in the kitchen sometimes is already an object of derision from Mrs. Bennet in P&P; to have zero servants at all was the sign that your family was itself in the servant class.

(While I'm here: Charlotte Lewis was renamed from Charlotte Lucas, and her girlfriend is named Lu, which makes me feel like she's dating a gijinka of her original last name? Is that why Lu has no discernible personality? There's a lot of Oliver going over to their homes, talking to them alone in private, being in their bedrooms. It would've been interesting to see how a trans man from this time period would feel about all that, given that men weren't supposed to do any of those things--how does this alter the pre-existing friendship from before he realized he was a man? Does he feel invalidated that he has to break the rules of being a man in order to talk to people who will treat him as a man, or does he find the rules don't matter as much to him now? Nothing like that is ever addressed, though.)

Lady Catherine (who is somehow OOC despite doing the same things she does in canon) is now Darcy's former guardian, because Darcy was aged down. I don't know if a widowed aunt could even be made legal guardian of two underage relatives when Darcy's mother still has a living brother--an earl, no less; but again, there's no consideration of how things might have been different in the past. There's no Anne de Bourgh, which, fine, you can pare down the cast for a shorter story. But we still have to have the famous shades of Pemberley confrontation, so Lady Catherine wants Darcy to marry...... Wickham's cousin?! In the original story, this would be the niece of her brother-in-law's steward. That's not happening! Wickham doesn't seem to be in a different class here in Most Ardently. In fact, I'm not sure what he does, besides stalking Oliver and socializing with Mr Collins (?). I don't think the army is even mentioned. So why on earth would his cousin be a candidate to marry the incredibly rich nephew of an earl? This universe has no anchor in reality!

I guess my issue here is that all the social commentary and character detail from P&P is erased, and replaced with the singular conflict of being gay and trans. However, it doesn't even address that fully, because it might as well be 1990. It feels dishonest and cheap to ignore the actual concerns a trans man (who's white and in a certain social class) would have in this time period, precisely because many of them are IN the original book. Why is Oliver acting like it's solely a question of "living alone" if he refuses to marry? As an unmarried person perceived as a gentlewoman, he won't be able to earn any income, and he'll have to live an unpleasant life of poverty and dependence; not even dependence on his sisters, but on the mercy of their husbands. And when Darcy proposes to "Elizabeth" at the Collins', Oliver just goes "Ummm well first off you're gay" while refusing him. Darcy doesn't know this is Oliver, whom he'd been flirting with previously and knew he was gay. To him, this is a random woman who somehow blurts out that she knows he's attracted to men, while he's trying to acquire a beard to hide that very fact. His response is completely inappropriate. He's somewhat put out and asks where she heard this. In no way does he react like someone whose life could be turned upside down if this fact got into the wrong hands.

Also, why in god's name is Oliver so insistent that everyone needs to Live Their Truth openly instead of hiding it? He comes across like a spoiled little brat with no idea what danger or suffering look like. He goes around demanding this of people as if it doesn't endanger them and their loved ones. Of course Darcy wants to marry a woman! He has wealth and property that need to be passed on, and a little sister who needs to make a safe marriage to a man who can support her. Rich people could get by with a little deviance, but only as long as they played the game in other respects. How would Oliver not understand this?

Then there's Charlotte. She and Oliver quarrel over their respective life plans: she wants to hide herself, marry a man, and go on with her secret relationship with Lu. Oliver wants to be recognized by the world as a man. So, Oliver could be planning to abandon his original identity and live stealth as a working man. There were trans men doing this back then; he could have heard stories about men being discovered "as women" after their deaths, and have a romantic dream of doing this, which Charlotte finds unrealistic.

But instead Charlotte tells him something completely true for the vast majority of queer people back then: that he'll most likely have to hide who he is and marry a man. Oliver gets mad at her for this. They somewhat make up, and Oliver sees things in a more nuanced way, and Charlotte tells him that Collins is actually very sweet to her. But then at the end, Collins turns out to be a blackmailing transphobe.... and not even a smart transphobe, because he finds out from Wickham that Oliver, whom he knows as Cousin Elizabeth, is wearing trousers at home. And Collins inexplicably thinks this could be a legal threat to him inheriting Longbourn. Why? Who would think that? Also, why are they friends? I'm choosing to believe that Wickham seduced him off screen, because it's never explained. They have nothing in common.

So Collins is so scared that he offers to pay Wickham to coerce Oliver into marriage as a woman, and of course Oliver, who had never considered inheriting Longbourn, is like, "🤨 wait a minute. That's a good idea," and it turns out Mr Bennet was secretly working on having him legally recognized as a man all along. Through the means of... well, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm not gonna quibble with this part, because people did get away with some surprising things back in the day. That part was fine.

So Oliver is declared legally a son, and good for him and all, but as a Charlotte fan, it feels like her arc is just, okay fuck you girl! Woman can't judge people for shit. Enjoy your shit asshole husband while Oliver openly lives as a man, you stupid bisexual(?). (A lot of reviewers call her a lesbian, but Lu says that the two of them aren't repelled by men like other "women who love women", so, bisexual? Or... I don't know?)

I don't want to be tearing down #ownvoices writing, and I do feel like there's a good story about dysphoria and parental acceptance in here. But everything else is so confusing and distracting that it doesn't work. This feels like it was forced into a very narrow shape by having to be a Pride And Prejudice Retelling. (Just like your waist in a fictional rib-crushing corset, huh?! Huh?! 🤣) There are plenty of modern-day P&P adaptations where the writers can write what they actually want to write around a much vaguer core story, while excising or altering subplots and characters they don't want to deal with. That would've eliminated nearly all of my problems with the story.

For example, a reimagined Mrs Bennet could accept Oliver as a man without the baggage of having acted like the canon Mrs Bennet for the entire preceding novel. That was just unbelievable! She's been sulking and taking swipes at Oliver ever since he started wearing men's clothing at home, but suddenly he says, "I'm a boy!" and she not only understands immediately, but says, "Of course! That explains why you hate dresses!" What?! It was even set up perfectly for her to be consistent and say something like, "I don't know what that means, but if Mr Darcy's courting you, you can do whatever the hell you want!"

Also good lord there were some clunky moments. Mr Collinsbot at one point says, "All Of Your Sisters Are Of Marrying Age," and Oliver all but forms a T with his hands so he can timeout, look at the camera and think a full paragraph about how Actually, while it's technically legal for my youngest sister, 14, to marry, it would be highly irregular and unexpected, dear readers from the 21st century with ethical concerns. I swear at one point they're talking about Robinson Crusoe, and Darcy pauses to say that "some of the depictions are... questionable"--and that has to be about the racism, right? I'm sorry, but I don't need your wealthy, white 19 year old in whatever-year-this-is to be meaningfully anti-racist, because you know what? I just don't believe it. Devote a little time to explaining why he'd feel that way--is his family involved in anti-slavery efforts? Did he somehow befriend a man of color in between his years at rich white boy school?--or don't bother.

The Lydia thing doesn't happen here, because Wickham would rather scheme to force Oliver into marrying him so he can gain..... nothing, really..... but it turns out the Georgiana thing did happen. We never see Georgiana, so don't worry that there might be a character who has anything going on in their life beyond their thoughts about Darcy and Oliver being gay and trans. Original Darcy is deeply concerned with his sister's feelings, and with period-specific worries about her marriage prospects; this Darcy just drops You Groomed My Sister in front of like five other people. No Ragrets. Hilariously, Mr Collins is horrified to learn about this, even though he came here to blackmail his own 17 year old cousin into marrying this same man, so it comes across like he's only upset because a relative of Lady Catherine was inconvenienced. Most in-character he's been so far. In conclusion, fuck you, Charlotte.

{EDIT: I wrote this a few months ago, and just now, a more recent review has made me aware of something I missed from the audiobook and a second look through the text, because it's so completely stupid: this Wickham is of an age with Darcy and Oliver, 18 and 17. So his attempted elopement with Georgiana took place between two people who could conceivably be in a modem high school together. .....Yeah, well, I can't even think of something to say about that. Wow, nobody, but nobody, has anything happening in their life except for Darcy and Oliver's epic love, huh? The review I learned this from says that Wickham and Georgiana were schoolmates in this book. Now, what co-educational school facility are they attending in the grand old years of 1790ish-18whatever? Be serious, Most Ardently.}

One scene in a molly house (a wholesome one, serving young adults and teens) makes me think it was literally written to take place in a modern club, with someone sitting down to play a brief waltz. A few couples stand up and waltz around in the molly house for a short while, Oliver and Darcy kiss... off the basis of two conversations.... then they all sit back down to keep reading. Why is Oliver so casual about kissing Darcy in semi-public? He only realized he was a man about a year ago, and already he's thrown everything he ever learned about physical relationships out the window? Is anyone in the downstairs establishment wondering where all that hidden waltz music is coming from? And why does Oliver casually say that people with no gender at all regularly come to this molly house, then add as an afterthought that he's EVEN heard tell of one or two trans men like him going there? Wouldn't that be way more common than nonbinary people? Just statistically?

Another issue I can't ignore, pursuant to the Charlotte Problem: this is just kind of a sexist book. I hate to be furthering the narrative of trans men being misogynistic, but it simply can't be overlooked in light of the original P&P having multiple flawed, but developed and memorable female characters. There are none of those in this book. Everyone is an accessory to Oliver. Elizabeth Bennet worries a lot about her sister Jane and counsels her, reassures her, acts as her rock. In Most Ardently, Oliver is the one getting all the support and being told that he's valid and wonderful by Jane, who has no personality beyond which men she likes. Charlotte lets Oliver use her home as a base to change his clothes and presses his pants for him--what kind of asshole is he for letting her do this, instead of resting for a few minutes? She has no servants! There are no dishwashers or washer-driers! She's cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry by hand every day all by herself! She's emptying the chamber pots too! Oliver needs his secret sets of pants pressed?? He can do it his damn self!

Darcy casually reveals to multiple strangers that his sister was groomed and nearly eloped with Wickham, with seemingly no thought that Georgiana might be hurt by this. Oliver is the center of everyone's universe. On top of that, Darcy's unpleasant behavior is put down to the fact that he doesn't like women and can't be polite to them. Because he's gay. This is never addressed at all. He's just gonna keep acting like that, and it's apparently not a problem.

Anyway, as I said, Charlotte gets some lip service towards having a valid point about having to live in the closet, but it's all undone by showing us that actually, she's a stupid idiot who shackled herself to an actively malicious man for the rest of her life. Meanwhile Oliver was completely right, and he gets to live his life out of the closet as a man while she spends her life with Collins. The original book lets the reader decide whether or not Charlotte made the "right", or at least righter, choice. Here, she's unequivocally wrong, and her life is going to suck, and she doesn't even get to inherit Longbourn someday. Oh, and she's only nineteen, so why did she jump at Mr. Collins anyway? She has no reason to be desperate yet. Her entire basis and motivation has been erased and invalidated.

And, we cannot forget the main thing mentioned by critical reviews: Oliver thinks of himself and Darcy as "boys" roughly 250 times in this book. (I joke, but Libby's word search shows 99 uses of the word as of chapter 17, at which point it gives up.) Does he know any other words? Young man? Youth? The dreaded male, even? It gets so irritating. The other boy, he's a boy, boys kissing boys, everyone's a boy, we're all boys. Fellas, sometimes we are grownass men and that's okay.

Wait, I just realized Oliver's kinda screwed as a future gentleman at the end, because he has none of the formal schooling boys were supposed to get, and his dad obviously has no money saved up to send him to a good university out of nowhere. Why weren't Darcy and Bingley at university in the book? This is where all that widdle baby shit gets you. Oliver Bennet: Child Left Behind.

I did laff at the author trying to write a straight man in Mr Collins though. Okay diva... We'll go queen out at Rosings...

[ragsy]

Sid sent me a bajillion oc ask prompts which i am splitting up into separate posts for each guy! link to the original list at the bottom of the post!

5 of 5: Sloane

-What would your character wear if they were told they had to gussy up? Charcoal suit. White shirt. First couple of buttons undone. Sleeves rolled up. Leather combat boots. 

-Is there an item your character doesn't like to leave without? Her gun. Duh.

-What is your character's favorite food group? [redacted] [redacted] [redacted]

-Would your character prefer baking, cooking or mixing drinks? She’s not bad at mixing drinks; she could have probably made it pretty okay as a bartender in another life.

-What kind of drinks does your character prefer? Nothing too elaborate, a simple rum n coke just a cold beer will do. 

-What would your character do if they were suddenly caught in the rain? Curse louder than the thunder, then trudge to the nearest shelter. Not worth running for. 

-Does your character have a good sense of direction? She’s got such good spatial awareness that she might as well have a minimap HUD floating over her vision at all times

-What type of environment does your character like best? Small, nowhere towns where everyone knows something, but no one says anything.

-How willing would your character be to nap outside? She’ll do it, but it better be a fucking important nap.

-What animal would your character say best represents them? Feral hog. Born of pigs, gone its own way. 

-Does your character prefer company or solitude when sick? Oh buddy you better leave her the fuck alone when she’s sick, she gets CRANKY.

-Is your character upfront about their feelings? No. What’s it to ya. 

-Who would your character first seek if they needed medical help? She’d rather bleed out in the snow

-How likely is it for your character to initiate a friendship? Unlikely– She likes messing with people too much, she can’t let them know she LIKES them,

-Is there a habit your character has that they learned from someone else?   She’s got top-notch firearms etiquette thanks to her parents drilling her on gun safety since she was dubiously still too young to be handling one

-Does your character have people they think would worry about them if they got injured? She doesn’t think so, but she DOES!! SLOANE THEY CARE ABOUT YOU! LISTEN! SLOOOOOAAAANE!!!!!

-How would your character react to being put in a position of leadership? Yeah, sure, fine, if it gets us out of this mess in one piece.

-Would your character be good at providing medical assistance?  Ehhhh, not really. She knows first aid, she knows how to put pressure on a wound, that’s about it.

-Who would your character say knows them best? Diane Fishwoman. She does NOT understand why that little freak seems to take to her so much.

-Is there a person your character would turn to for backup in a fight? Sebastian and B. She doesn’t know their strengths super well yet, but they’re her team, that’s what they’re there for. And she’d do the same for them.

-How well does your character work with others? I mean, she’ll get the job done in a team project just fine, but she’s such a contrarian and button pusher she’ll probably get left to finish it herself. Which is probably what she’d prefer anyway.

-What would it take for your character to get into a fight? Really, not much. Like, at all. She’s rough n tumble.

-Is your character more prone to fight or flight? Fight. She loves punching. It’s enrichment.

-What words could tear your character down? “I just don’t trust you anymore.”

-How well does your character act under pressure? That’s when she turns into diamonds babyyyy

-Is your character good at practicing self-care?  Bare minimum. At least she’s not using 3-in-one shampoo/conditioner/body wash.

-Does your character have any allergies?  I don’t think so, but it would be incredibly funny if she were allergic to seafood.

-Is your character a light, medium or heavy sleeper?  Depends on what setting she’s on. If she’s in Job Mode she’ll wake up to the slightest noise, but if she’s in Off Duty Mode she sleeps like the dead. 

-Does your character have strong willpower? Yeah, she’s a brick wall of a woman.

-How does your character relax?  Liquor and a porch chair, staring off into space. 

-Is your character more energized in the morning, afternoon or at night? She’s more of a night owl. A lot of her jobs need to be done under the cover of darkness, so she’s got somewhat of a nightshifter’s sleep schedule.

-How often does your character have nightmares? A few every once in a while, but you’d never know. Mostly about her failures coming back to haunt her.

-Is there a fear your character wants to learn to overcome? The aforementioned failures coming back to haunt her

-Does your character have a high pain tolerance? She’s tough as nails. She likes to complain, but her tolerance is still pretty high. 

-What is a talent your character wishes they had? She wishes she was lighter on her feet. She wonders what it would be like if she ever learned to dance. 

-Is there an activity your character used to enjoy that they now dislike?

She used to really like hanging out at the local bar, but something weird is going on there that she doesn’t fully comprehend. So she’s had to steer clear for safety.

-Which does your character try to prioritize more, work or hobbies? She doesn’t have time for hobbies. Not really. 

-What is a talent that your character is proud of? She’s a great shot and she’s a daredevil behind the wheel of her car

-Is your character more outdoorsy or indoorsy?  Indoors is always better. Fewer angles of attack to keep looking out for. 

-What is a topic your character would be excited to talk about?  Stories about all the jobs she’s been on! She’s got one for every occasion and context. She’d love to tell all about the reported extraterrestrial sighting who turned out to be just some snotnosed kid–

-Is there a skill your character doesn’t know they’re bad at? Workplace appropriateness

-Does your character have any injury stories? Tons. Pick a scar and she’ll tell you what did it and how she wrestled that thing into submission.

-What kind of music does your character enjoy? Country, rock & roll, blues.

-Has your character ever made something for themselves or someone else? She almost made something of herself when she was younger, but it was just one of many almost-success stories that ended with a rugpull. 

-What’s an activity that reminds your character of someone else? She drinks like her dad. Cheers, you old fuck.

-What is a topic your character wouldn't want to talk about? Her arm. Don’t ask her about her arm.

[asherlockstudy]

Hello again just saw the horeshoeing reply so I wanted to come back for a follow up, I’m not 100% w you on Link purposefully trying to manipulate Rhett into feeling insecure because he himself felt insecure.. no hate to differences in opinion! I couldn’t definitely see how that route would make sense, but this is a more detailed description of the way I interpreted their behavior!!

Link asked Rhett how he was feeling so they could both talk honestly about the potential of the episode—honestly I think this entire discussion should have happened off screen or have been scraped but it seems like they are on a pretty strict time limit so it makes sense that they would have discussions like this occasionally on camera— then Rhett didn’t answer honestly, Link noticed and could tell Rhett was actually upset so Link kept pushing, Rhett tried to change the subject, link egged him further with a ‘playful’ insult, and then Rhett’s feelings, that he said specifically Link brought out of him, came out and instead of being honest Rhett took all his anger out on Link directly because link ‘poked the bear’.

They poke and prod each other all the time, especially Rhett to Link about him being dumb and not having great social skills and Link absolutely doesn’t lol I don’t think it’s always a bit, sometimes when Link says stuff it takes me a second to understand what he means and Links said before that Rhett is way better with words than he is.

In my opinion Links egging was more innocent than the way Rhett ‘playfully’ insulted him for the remainder of the more, especially because Link said his intentions were for Rhett to admit his insecurities so that he could alleviate them. I did believe Link was being honest there and I think he wanted to have an actual honest discussion about the episode because he didn’t know if it was going to be entertaining. I think the conversation could have gone a completely different way if Rhett had answered at least semi-honestly and then reciprocated by asking Link how he was feeling. Link also asked innocent sounding questions that didn’t feel spiteful.

It seemed like Rhett’s intentions were to make Link feel bad because he himself felt bad about not being good at horseshoeing. He had said he was fine in the beginning, and link should have let it go there, but the way Rhett over reacted to Links egging revealed that Link was right in the first place; Rhett actually was pretty upset and prolly even feeling like a failure. It was Rhett who couldn’t talk about that openly, couldn’t ask Link for help during the episode in the first place, tried to avoid the topic entirely, and then got so defensive that the episode turned into a ‘lesson for Link to pretend he has human empathy’. Many things Rhett said did feel spiteful which he tends to get away with more often than link.

I understand being upset but I don’t agree with the ‘if you notice I’m upset then you must walk on eggshells around me’ type of mentality, or the condescending way Rhett tried to coach Link through it. That was manipulative and something especially insulting for people who have a hard time understanding social etiquette (aka link). I have noticed in a ton of episodes little ways that Link goes too far, doesn’t understand, and creates awkward situations that feel very unintentional and genuine. It would make sense for someone who constantly gets made fun of for this to learn to sometimes play into it, especially for the sake of comedy

Link to his part played right along with the whole learning empathy ‘joke’, he made a bit out of it without getting offended, de-escalated by making jokes and making everyone laugh, and listened to Rhett monologue and talk down to him for longer than I would have. Then he honestly asked Rhett for a take away so the situation wouldn’t happen again, it seemed very honest to me, to which Rhett seemed further annoyed by and didn’t answer. I think that was because Rhett didn’t want Link to find one, he wanted Link to stew in the ‘mistake’ he made which felt vindictive. a bit later when Link checked in about the issue being resolved he didn’t answer again, I think to let Link stew more. He didn’t want the problem to be solved he wanted Link to feel bad. At this point link was already visibly nervous but seemed even more so and, for the first time, tried to change the subject.

This felt like Rhett trying to bring Link down to his level and succeeding. link was literally trembling, making awkward faces, smiling too much, and stuttering his words. Personally, i don’t think this was warranted, or is warranted in any case really, especially again because I don’t think links intentions were to be nasty and it was very obvious to me that Rhett’s were.

Even then it wasn’t enough. Rhett egged him again with ‘do you feel like a failure’ clearly trying to get Link to see “the way Link had made him feel” by asking that question but Link answered honestly which seemed to surprise Rhett and illustrated the clear difference between the two: Rhett got offended because he interpreted links questions as ‘link making him feel bad’ instead of taking responsibility for his own feelings and understanding that they weren’t links fault, link was not offended by Rhett’s questions because he took responsibility for his feelings even after Rhett had been insulting him and purposefully trying to make him feel stupid— which in my opinion is a big feat considering how link was turned into the bad guy, insulted, and laughed at by most of the crew for not understanding social skills. Link clearly took responsibility and apologized for the whole situation, didn’t react out of anger, and complimented Rhett many times trying to alleviate Rhett’s ego. Rhett, quite literally, avoided responsibility, reacted out of anger, insulted link, and didn’t apologize.

Anyways I just wanted to vent abt my opinion on it, again no hate or anything to your view!

Hey I understand your need to vent and that your interpretation of the situation makes you feel strongly about it. I don't like doing this because I respect your vent, but because the blog has always been sort of theme specific - I feel like it's not technically R&L generic but it presents specifically my personal understanding of their dynamics, I just feel obligated to clarify again that this is not how I interpret this situation, just so anyone is not confused that this is the stance of the blog on the matter, so to speak. Of course anyone can agree with your perspective but it's not the perspective of my blog, that's all I am saying.

Again, I understand your need to vent and I won't reply with counter-arguments here because it's not like we're fighting or anything.

The original ask regarding that matter is about five posts back.

[twisted-in-underland]

“I would steer clear of Crystalline if I were you. Unless you have a death wish that is.”

Unique Magic:

Fleeting memories - Roma’s unique magic is a memory erasure type spell. This spell allows Roma to summon a black and white dragonfly which can erase a targets memories by circling the targets head. The sting from the dragonfly is said to be painless, though seems to drain the targets energy, leading them to fall to the ground. They will not remember anything since they woke up that day, and the memories are gone forever. If stung enough times a target may loose vital memories such as their sense of self or even their name. Roma, however, has never utilised his magic to this extent since he would run the risk of overblot.

All credit for the og sprite belongs to the Twisted Wonderland team and Yana Toboso! The info template belongs to @unfinished-projects-galore here on tumblr!

(More info under the cut)

As promised here is my updated Roma sprite sheet! Ngl I literally just traced over my original sprite with a different brush just so it looked cleaner. I also made the gold trim more vibrant; Roma may not like bright colours but his uniform is still the standard for all students.

When I originally did this sprite I used Vil’s school uniform sprite as my base.

Same as Yuri, you can find Roma’s original concept/info here, but I here are some other fun facts about him!

He is 17 years old and uses They/He pronouns. He’s a second year Pomefiore student

The symbol on his coffin card is a dragonfly

His hairstyle is inspired by Yor’s from Spy x Family. I imagine his hair when down is at about his lower back.

Roma is the “Twisted” version of Princess Ivy from Sofia the First

They really enjoy gardening as it was their mothers favourite pass time

Roma never met their mother, she died when they were a baby.

Roma has one older brother, Albedo, whom he’s not super close with. Albedo was the favourited son, leading Roma to feel neglected and under appreciated.

Due to their father’s favouritism, Roma holds a lot of resentment towards both his father and brother. However, a lot of the resentment towards Albedo is more out of jealousy.

After meeting and befriending Yuri, Roma is very slowly beginning to repair his relationship with his brother.

When Roma first visited Ramshackle for the first time he was “shocked and disgusted” by the state of the dormitory.

He was more shocked that Crowley thought this was an acceptable living space than anything Yuri did given Yuri has been cleaning up the dorm themself.

The first thing Roma did was give Yuri a new set of bedding for the dorm

Roma claims the first favour he has ever asked of Albedo was to send over some bedding from their manor. He would have snagged some from Pomefiore, but I imagine Vil keeps a close count of dorm supplies.

Roma is a pretty observant guy who I imagine would be really good at tutoring others. He’d likely be able to tell what teaching style works best for each individual and go from there.

I also like to imagine that Roma is more effective in teaching Epel etiquette and table manners because he’s a bit more patient and less strict than Vil.

Roma holds a lot of respect for Vil and seems to be on amicable or friendly terms with his housewarden. They do, however, butt heads on how to best teach new dorm students.

This is mainly because Roma gets annoyed when he has to constantly listen to other people complaining

Roma can also be stubborn and sometimes doesn’t let up if he thinks he’s right

Roma founded the enchanted gardening club which is open to all students but tends to attract students with flora magic. The general idea of the club is learn how to tend to enchanted plants.

If anyone has any other questions about Roma or even about Yuri feel free to ask! My inbox is open!

I think I’m going to work on Harry next so be on the look out for him!

[radical-revolution]

RENUNCIATION: THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

"If we are serious about achieving enlightenment, we need the strength to renounce the things that are a big deal for us, and we need a great deal of courage to step onto the path alone. Those who do not pursue praise and gain, those who do not shun criticism and loss, may be stigmatized as abnormal or even insane. When observed from an ordinary point of view, enlightened beings may seem insane because they don’t negotiate, they cannot be lured or swayed by material gain, they don’t get bored, they don’t look for thrills, they have no face to lose, they do not conform to rules of etiquette, they never employ hypocrisy for personal gain, they never do things to impress people, and they don’t display their talents and powers just for the sake of it. But if it benefits others, these saints will do anything necessary, from having perfect table manners to leading a Fortune 500 company. In 2,500 years of Buddhist history there have probably been countless enlightened beings who were never identified or who were banished for being insane. Very few were appreciated for possessing what we call “crazy wisdom.” But when we think about it, we are the ones who are really insane, falling head over heels for echolike praise, brooding over criticism, and grasping at happiness.

Forget about going beyond time and space; even going beyond praise and criticism seems out of reach. But when we begin to understand, not only intellectually but emotionally, that all compounded things are impermanent, then our grasping lessens. Our conviction that our thoughts and possessions are valuable, important, and permanent begins to soften. If we were to be informed that we have only two days left to live, our actions would change. We would not be preoccupied with putting our shoes in line, ironing our underwear, or stockpiling expensive perfumes. We might still go shopping, but with a new attitude. If we know, even a little bit, that some of our familiar concepts, feelings, and objects exist only as a dream, we develop a much better sense of humor. Recognizing the humor in our situation prevents suffering. We still experience emotions, but they can no longer play tricks on us or pull the wool over our eyes. We can still fall in love, but without fear of being rejected. We will use our best perfume and face cream instead of saving them for a special occasion. Thus every day becomes a special day.

Buddha’s qualities are inexpressible. They are just like the sky, which has no end in space. Our language and our analytical powers can only go as far as the concept of the universe. At some point a bird that flies higher and higher to find the end of the sky will reach its limit and have to return to earth.

The best metaphor for our experience in this world is an epic dream that has a number of complex, intertwining stories, ups and downs, dramas and thrills. If an episode of the dream is fraught with devils and beasts, we hope to escape. When we open our eyes to see the fan turning on the ceiling, we are relieved. For the sake of communication, we say, “I dreamed the devil was chasing me,” and we feel relief at having escaped the clutches of the devil. But it is not as if the devil has gone away. The devil never entered your room during the night, and while you were having that hideous experience with him, he also was not there. When you are awake into enlightenment, you have never been a sentient being, you have never struggled. From then on, you do not have to be on guard against the devil’s return. When you become enlightened, you cannot think back to when you were an ignorant being. No more meditation is needed. There is nothing to remember, because you have never forgotten anything.

As Buddha said in the Prajnaparamita Sutra, all phenomena are like a dream and an illusion, even enlightenment is like a dream and an illusion. And if there is anything greater or grander than enlightenment, that, too, is like a dream and an illusion. His disciple, the great Nagarjuna, wrote that the Lord Buddha has not stated that after abandoning samsara there exists nirvana. The nonexistence of samsara is nirvana. A knife becomes sharp as the result of two exhaustions—the exhaustion of the whetstone and the exhaustion of the metal. In the same way, enlightenment is the result of the exhaustion of defilements and the exhaustion of the antidote of the defilements. Ultimately one must abandon the path to enlightenment. If you still define yourself as a Buddhist, you are not a buddha yet.”

— Dzongsar Khyentse, What Makes You Not a Buddhist

[neurosky]

Little vent/rant here. I partially just need to say this, but I'm also wondering if anyone else has felt the same.

So, I haven't spoken to any of my friends in a week. I haven't posted on any apps that people I know irl are on, and I've even gone so far as to not interact with anything that could show up on my friend's pages as "Liked by [Sky]." I basically just disappeared off the planet to anyone I know irl. I even started biking in a different town.

I am so incredibly burnt out with social things. I've been told by everyone I know and almost all of my therapists/psychiatrists that I'm probably autistic, but we don't have the money to get me tested, so I feel like I don't have the right to say I am most of the time. I struggle so much with social etiquette and communication, and I worked on it for YEARS and got a little better, but recently it's like all that progress just... disappeared. It feels like I'm speaking a different language all the time, and I can never tell if what I'm saying is coming across rude or not until it's too late.

Since I'm not diagnosed and I don't feel valid saying I'm autistic, I don't have any explanation to give people. But it's gotten to the point where I'm literally shut off from anyone and everyone. I can't even muster up enough social battery to tell people why I haven't messaged them back.

I accidentally made a new friend yesterday, and I feel so bad because I've been practically ignoring their texts most of today. I don't know how to tell them that I just CANNOT deal with any new friends right now. I can't even push myself enough to open our chat. I don't know how to describe it, but just the thought of doing anything like that is so overwhelming that I just can't.

I feel like if I was able to get diagnosed, this would all be so much easier. I'd be able to confidently give people an explanation, I'd feel valid with my feelings, everything would make more sense. I just don't know what to do, I am so, so burnt out.

[theink-stainedfolk]

The Tale of The King & His Knight Ch3

The King was not the same,

He approached his Knight as if he were his friend. 

Known is the King for being ruthless,

For all his Knights were slain mercilessly. 

I didn't want to wake up. I drank the poison for the purpose of not waking up.  But I really didn't want to wake up in the Knight's Quarters, and in my Knight's body. I was rethinking my life decisions when suddenly someone just… banged open the door.

"WAKE UP LAZY ASS. YOU'VE GOT AN ASS TO PROTECT. " a very lean man standing in front of my bed, spoke as bread crumbs fell off his mouth. I cringed. Has he no knowledge of etiquette? 

"Stop making a ruckus…Feblone." I sighed, getting up. Thank God I remembered his name. 

"Oh. You've got a surprisingly good memory." He said. I almost forgot his name. "Come on, let's go for a good hot bath!" He said, slapping my back. I almost cussed out loud due to the pain being so sharp. How could Famien withstand this?

I really regret drinking that potion. I shouldn't have gone to the old man. 

In front of me was a large hot bath… filled with men. Naked. I'm used to taking a bath alone, in my large warm tub, scented soap, shampoo and lots of lather. Now I didn't know where to look.

"Are you shy, Big boy?!" Pervez, another Knight smacked my back again as he saw how reluctant I was to strip. "Last time you jumped in as if you didn't care about anyone watching you!" Damn Famien! The least you could do was have a sense of shame! 

"Regrettably, I have recently been experiencing a touch of coldness. I trust my indisposition shall not inconvenience you; should it discompose you, I shall refrain from bathing this day.” I rambled, trying to escape from their clutches.

"What's up with you? " Wearing nothing but a towel around his bottom, Feblone chuckled. "You speak like a monarch."

Well I am a monarch. I laughed nervously, lest my cover get blown. "No, it's not like that…I mean… his highness asked me to-" I was explaining myself before I was interrupted by Feblone's loud laughter.

"Doesn't matter!" He said. "Now jump in before I push ya'!" I immediately removed my clothes and went inside the tub. It was much better than being pushed. I can't witness myself get embarrassed, it doesn't matter if it is not my body that is being laughed at.

"Ohohoho! Of course our King chose the best looking men out of all of us!" Roared Pervez.

Out of nowhere, a competition started; comparing who has the best body out of the few men left in the tub. I wanted to leave but I got caught up in their competition. I didn't intervene in their talks. But suddenly Feblone started complimenting Famien's (now mine) body. Of course, he is extremely well built as he should be. Being the King's Knight requires basic strength. But I didn't know that he is indeed, extremely well built. I thought he was just bluffing when I caught him admiring himself.

"Today, you gotta eat a lot! More than before, 'cuz you have to be tailing that ass!" Feblone laughed. 

I knew that the Knights feared guarding me, but before that I knew that they hated me. Because, unlike my father, I was useless. And I was the only royal that survived the assassination that killed my family. I left my family behind. I left my kind hearted family to save myself. And my family left me in this God forsaken world.

"For real," I said. "Tolerating him requires inhumane strength. That good for nothing monarch of ours." Feblone stopped laughing and looked at me curiously. "What's wrong?"

"You never called him 'good for nothing'. What changed your mind?" He said and I went speechless for a while. Why didn't he refer to me what the whole empire did? What did he think about me? 

Pervez and one more guy that I unfortunately didn't remember brought four plates each filled with Roast venison with a side of wild berries, beef stew with root vegetables, Roast quail with honey glaze, Spiced lamb shank with couscous and for dessert, Pheasant pie with a flaky crust. They then placed the plates in front of me.

"What?-" I began asking but Pervez spoke before. 

"Pal, I know that you usually eat 3 plates," my eyes widened with shock. "But today you gotta eat one extra! Protecting the king, tailing around him for the entire day, and night, we don't know if he'll stop to feed you since he barely stops to fill his stomach too. So eat up and come back alive, I mean it." 

I know that he means well. I also know that I need food to increase my strength, but I Don't think that I'll finish eating before I collapse. I laughed nervously and  I prayed in the name of God and started eating.

I managed to finish 4 plates with the help of Famien's friends.  By the time I took my last bite, the whole cafeteria was chanting 'you can do it Famien!'.

I trudged towards the palace ground where Farnak must've bought him by now. I saw him looking at a flower very closely. Minister Farnak seemed to be taking his leave but he paid him no heed.

"Good Morning….. Your Highness. " I bowed. But just as I said it, Famien (now in my body) whipped his head so hard towards me I almost heard it crack, and also bowed out of reflex. 

In the garden there was not only me and him, but multiple gardeners and knights guarding from distance. My eyes almost bulged out of my socket. I saw Famien sweating profusely. Before he could say any nonsense, I exclaimed. “I apologize to Your Highness and thank you for teaching me the correct way to pay my respects to you, I shall reflect on my behavior and never give you the chance to correct my mistakes ever again.” I spoke quickly so the situation gets clear. The workers, who were confused and shocked, then nodded in agreement and went back to their work.

He looked at me as he got the signal and stood up straight, and cleared his throat. “Very well, I… shall.. overlook? Yes, overlook your mistake since it is your first day. However, I won't be very…. Lineint? The next time.” I bowed once again. As expected, speaking posh words seemed hard for him. I need to give him etiquette classes as soon as possible before he taintes my image further.

“Do you mind joining me for a walk?” He asked as elegantly as possible. I bowed and followed behind him.

“Getting used to your way of life is harder than I thought.” He spoke first as soon as he saw the coast was clear. “Says you.” I scoffed. “I felt like I could burst out by eating 3 plates of heavy food. Do you eat like this on a daily basis?” I asked him genuinely. I feel the need to puke as soon as I eat more than ten bites.

“Yeah, and for your sake, I only ate one plate today. So now you have to do me a favor and sneak me in the kitchen so I can eat more because I am still hungry.” He said. “Why do you only eat porridge in the morning? Are you sick?”

More than sick, I believe, I just wanted to die. The guilt of eating and living better than my family who were left to perish ate me alive every day and night. The look of my servants, who once used to serve my family, gave me when I ate good food made me puke. They must have been thinking that I too should have died, that I shouldn't have been eating deliciously and sleeping peacefully when I left everyone to die.

“Earth to, dear Emperor.” Famien waved his hand in front of my face, pulling me out of my distant thoughts. Startled, I refocused, clearing my mind. "Apologies, I drifted off. What is it?” I asked.

“I asked if you were sick.” He was walking backwards, facing me. “And if you were, I suggest you eat more lean proteins such as grilled fish or roasted chicken for muscle strength, Whole grains like brown rice or quinoa for sustained energy, Dairy products like yogurt or cheese for calcium and probiotics, Green tea for antioxidants and hydration, I hate green tea by the way and my favorite,” he spoke and his eyes sparkled. “Dark chocolate for antioxidants and a touch of indulgence.” He smiled and looked up at the clear sky. “It is such a beautiful day today–” as he said this he almost stumbled and fell on his bottom. Thankfully, I was there to catch him. I caught his hand and pulled him towards me. I don't know if it was his strength in my body or me in his sturdy body, but due to someone's strength he fell on top of me and I almost fractured my hip. I hissed loudly but I felt no pain in my head, thankfully.

“Are you okay Your Highness?!!?” Famien exclaimed, his hand pressed beneath my head, protecting it from the disaster that might have occurred if not for his quick thinking. All the servants and soldiers were shocked and ran to us. “Shut up you dimwit!” I whispered. 

The knights pulled him up and helped him dust his robes. My bottom hurt more than I expected it to. “Come up.” I saw Famien reaching out his hand to me. I looked around. The servants were shocked. Never have they seen me doing this to anyone. I should tell him not to do this next time. 

I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up with little to no difficulty. “Are you okay your- er.. Famien?” He is doing everything I never did. I sighed. “Yes, Your Highness, I'm perfectly fine, I should be the one worried about you. Had you fallen, who knows what might have happened. I'm glad you are okay.” I said and bowed. How many times have I bowed today?

Famien looked around and with a very stern face, said to everyone. “You all may go now. As you can see, everyone is fine. Thank you for your concern." Everyone bowed and resumed their work. He looked at me with concern in his eyes. I never knew I could make a face like that until I saw myself. I guess he has a knack of making many expressions. “I'll send a doctor to your quarter.” He said. I was about to refuse but I realized I could use some help. Because I feel like I won't be able to train the next morning if I didn't take the help. I nodded and continued our walk.

“How was today?” I asked him. “What was hard for you? Tell me so I can guide you.” He avoided eye contact and gulped nervously. I squinted at him. He was being very suspicious.

"Oh, hahahaha! Nothing much.." he nervously scratched his nape. That expression tells me that a lot happened this morning, and that none of it was good.