#lucia: be nice to this sweet girl

[sunsdiary]

( @ ) YOUR LOVE IS THE ONLY MELODY ૮₍ ´ ꒳ `₎ა . . .

sephiroth & gn reader · rhadore period · mini!sephiroth · he's around 17 · you're two years older · hurt/comfort · angst and feelings

"do you like sweets, sephiroth?"

he shifts his jade eyes over to your hand, his pupils resembling feline slits which expand the more he wore your warmth as comfort against his skin.

his body naturally flinches from this, but he lets out a weary hum soon after.

"mmm..."

finally landing on your own eyes, he met them in a nervous hast. there was an unreadable expression forming there as he went to open his mouth to speak, taking the candy from your other hand as his attention went back to his arm.

you were patching him up after another fight with the rhadores.

when you smile at the youth, it encourages him to take it.

"...it looks... interesting. but i heard they rot your teeth?"

sephiroth stares at the wrapper in your hand, his expression a mix of curiosity and almost skepticism, as if such a thing were unheard of in camp.

but, he still studies it closely, examining its shape and colour before looking over to you.

you let out a soft, hearty chuckle, giving him a dismissive gesture with your eyes as you go to wrap a bandage around his forearm.

"well..." you say doubtfully. "maybe not... but! i heard just one sweet alone can cure any tummy ache."

all he does is deadpan, "but my stomach doesn't hurt?" sephiroth then looks at the dressing, watching red seep through the material. it stings a bit, yet he doesn’t flinch.

you then poke at the middle of his chest, placing the tip of your index finger on his turtleneck. he follows your digit.

"inside, here."

he gives you this doubtful look, interest still on the tip of his thoughts, but, it was an amusing one, at that.

sephiroth takes a moment to consider your words carefully.

"i suppose i could try it. if you say it'll make me feel better, i guess there's no harm giving it a taste..."

he pauses briefly before taking it from your palm and unwrapping it. he pops it into his mouth, and thats when his eyes widen almost instantly at the sweetness hitting his taste buds.

you give him a wide grin, watching him chomp on it enthusiastically. although, the thought of him chewing rock candy made you cringe a bit. . .it was still extremely endearing to watch how caught up he was in its flavour.

something new and unfamiliar, again.

"you like it?"

sephiroth continues chomping the candy, his eyes glazed over with content at the newfound and strange excitement. when he finally swallows, he licks his lips, a very subtle grin growing on his face.

he nods, "it does taste. . .rather good. i never thought something sweet could taste. . .so nice?" you forgot that sephiroth was never rewarded with such snacks before in his life.

you stand, ruffling the youth's hair about.

"then i shall ask the camp to bring more candies in for the young man. wouldn't want you perishing on the battlefield, would we?"

perceiving his bandage again, you brush some hair out of his face. "you're all patched up. i think glenn, lucia and the rest of the team are waiting outside for you."

sephiroth looks down at his treated arm, wiggling and flexing his fingers to test its durability. after appreciating your handiwork, he looks up at you, expression returning to his signature look; neutral.

"thank you. it feels much better already."

you swore for a second that a smile ghosted his lips in that moment, and your heart skips a beat.

he looks toward the door, where his comrades were waiting for him outside. but in that moment, there was a sense of uncertainty in his movements.

you had never seen sephiroth break his resolute before, causing you to tilt your head in mild confusion.

"is something bothering you, sephiroth? you know, you can always tell me. are you having girl problems? i know the younger nurses can be quite the-"

sephiroth cuts you off, looking at the ground as he speaks, "it's... not that. just... sometimes i get lonely. when it's silent, and everyone is asleep, i cannot stop thinking about..."

its like your body froze up when he bombarded you, and initially, you weren't sure what to say or how to react. sephiroth has never been good at reading the room, but this may be your only chance to figure him out.

you needed to know why he was upset. you could sense it, even from a weeks ago.

sephiroth trails off, mumbling, his grip on the bedsheets tightening.

you sensed the pain in his voice, and it compels you to sit back down to sooth his back with your palm. the sudden touch makes him flinch, giving you a side eye with a slight furrow on his face before sighing.

you chuckle nervously at his response.

"well, you don't have to worry about getting lonely when you have me, right? i'm not sure how long this war will last, but good things will come from it."

sephiroth looks up at you, eyes interlocking with yours. they were always intimidating, and beautiful, which was always why you could never bring yourself to look into them directly. you were certain that, if you did, your heart would shatter.

but that was already too late when his pupils form a thin line; you could feel the emptiness staring back at you.

but he faulters, unable to hold your gaze, and it catches you off guard.

there's a hint of vulnerability in the way his lips quirk up at your words.

what did you mean by that?

he nods slowly, the corners of his lips tugging up into a hurtful smile, almost as if what you said was some sort of joke.

"yes. . .you're right. as long as you're here with me, i won't be lonely. . ."

sephiroth pauses for a moment, considering his next words carefully; he didn't want to make you upset, he already felt terrible and awkward for bringing this up with you, but something was stuck in his throat.

"do you think. . .we'll win this war?"

a breeze seeps through the front of the tent and it blows his fringe away from his forehead. your mouth comes to open slightly, hesitating in a stutter, but you end up giving him another awkward smile of comfort instead.

"if we have faith, i think we will. the rest of P0 seem positive about it, despite what we have seen thus far with the rhadore's."

maybe those were the wrong choice of words. . .

sephiroth looks away from you, and somehow you knew why he felt so vulnerable at the mention of the native's.

"will you bring rosen back with you? i'm sure you'll have a lot of fun showing him around midgar?"

and then a pain shoots up his chest; he coughs and he ponders your question for a moment, expression growing despondent. you were closest to him out of all the medics.

he could trust you. he does trust you. but whats stopping him?

"when the war is over, i... i'm not sure." he pauses, contemplating.

"i suppose i should go back to midgar, but... i don't know what awaits me there, if there's anything for me to return to. and as for rosen... it's up to him if he wishes such a thing. it all just feels so..."

he trails off again and you tilt your head at him, a hint of sadness spreading over his sharp green eyes, dulling them a bit more.

you knew this was a touchy topic for sephiroth, but you needed him to know that you will always be there for him. even when he doesn't want the comfort, and even when his mind fights you off.

you go to hold his hand, giving it a tight squeeze of support and encouragement. he looks down vacantly, although, there was a feeling of tingly sensation and warmth behind it. something he had never felt before. something that was foreign to him.

he meets your eyes again, squinting a bit, as if he was fighting back tears from spilling from them.

"it all feels so... empty, i guess. like there's something missing... something that i am supposed to be seeking, fulfilling. but... i don't even know what that is? i feel lost, and..."

his voice trembles, and that was it, the tear he had been holding back forms in his waterline.

a few more seconds of silence pass and he takes his hand back from you, feeling a disgusting sentiment called insecurity. he brushes over his face with his glove, letting you know so.

you know he's not trying to show any weakness right now, yet how sweetly you encourage him to speak his mind to you, makes his heart beat faster than what he was originally upset with.

don't burden yourself with me, he'd probably be thinking right about now.

you always knew that sephiroth was a little different from the rest of his comrades. he never had friends, maybe considering him an outcast and a major introvert. but you wanted to show him that people did care about him, that people would miss him. that you would miss him.

"it's okay to be a little sad sometimes, sephiroth. just because you're strong, doesn't mean you can't feel these types of emotions, y'know? if you couldn't shed a few tears, i'd be worried." you scratch the back of your head, giving a nervous laugh.

his head is still turned away from you, but you knew he was listening attentively to your words, somehow. his hands ball into fists as they tremble under your touch when you go to reach out to him. he struggles to keep his composure, and ohhh how much it irritates him.

and the worst feeling of all, he doesn't know why he is feeling this way.

"i... i know. but... i'm supposed to be strong all the time. that's what everyone expects of me. i'm supposed to be the one who... who leads the team, who takes charge, who doesn't show weakness. i don't want to disappoint everyone. i don't... want to disappoint you."

the pain hitches in your throat, and your body grows warm. why were you happy to hear that? especially now, of all times.

you shake your head sincerely, rubbing over his knuckle to the arm that had the bandage around.

"ahh. . .sephiroth. . ." you let out a sigh. "is that really how you think i feel. . .?"

"even if you don't know what that is yet, i'm sure it will come to you in the future." you finally let out a puff of air from your lungs which you had been holding in forever.

somehow, his emotions were getting the best of you. he stays silent a bit more, not really sure how to response to you.

"and don't you think that's a bit much for someone your age? just because people have expectations of you, doesn't mean they can treat you selfishly? you're not some machine, with no feelings or concerns. you don't have to feel these things alone. why do you do this to yourself?"

you grip his wrist now and he turns to you, eyebrows furrowing and eyes lowering.

"lean on me, rely on me. focus on people who are important to you."

you then chuckle at the thought of glenn squeezing sephiroth in a suffocating hug, and sephiroth looks up at you momentarily to catch it in his vision.

he loves it when you smile.

"and even P0 will listen to your concerns. they always have shown endless compassion towards you, have they not? they care about you. don't take these relationships for granted. you will miss them in the future."

did you really mean that, though? or were you selfish; did you want him to only feel this way about you?

but nonetheless, sephiroth still listens closely to your words, absorbing every tone and every syllable that falls out of your mouth, like a sponge. he's not sure what you're trying to get at, but his heart absorbs it like deoxygenated blood, and the tear finally slips down his cheek.

he nods slowly, lifting your hand up as his follows yours. the pads of both your fingers touch before he clasps your palm, the light seeping through the zipper of the tent, illuminating the back of your head. he only just realises that you may be thinking he's staring at you. . .

"maybe. . ."

he takes a shaky inhale, his voice barely above a whisper, his tongue clicking in his mouth.

"but. . .you don't have to go out of your way to save me". and then he slips away from you again, when you were so close to understanding him.

you give him a weak smile, understanding however. "do you think you'll find that eventually? do you think you'll be happy after you know what that missing piece is?"

sephiroth then smiles, a smile you had never seen on his face before. it was genuine and raw and real, and maybe you were that reason.

"maybe i have already found that missing piece."

when he looks up at you, his expression faulters and his heart skinks into the abyss. there's a look of hurt on your face, and he's not sure where that came from.

he clicks his tongue again, avoiding your gaze, nettling in his own emotions again.

"i don't feel like i am. there's... always this. . .emptiness inside of me. like something is. . .missing. and no matter how strong i become, it just. . .doesn't fill that void."

he now looks at you straight in the face. "and everytime you show me such compassion, i'm not sure whether i'm feeling it correctly or not."

you're silent again; oh how easily he made you mute, so you stand, ruffling his hair again to try and brighten the mood. you then wipe his tear away with the back of your knuckle, his skin soft against your touch.

"what will you do now then?"

sephiroth looks up at you, his hair disheveled; he looks more innocent this way. he manages a small, grateful smile despite his lingering uncertainty.

"i don't know? i suppose i'll just keep doing what i'm doing. keep fighting, keep trying to be the best version i can be. . .and i hope that someday, i'll find what i am looking for. or. . .maybe it will find me instead."

you smile at him, meeting his gaze, albeit, his eyes a little red.

"i'm sure you will. you're blessed, sephiroth. only good things happen to those who are blessed."

you stand, releasing his hand. "now. . .i think we should let the team know i've patched you up and you're ready to move. are you good to go back?"

he lets your words sink in, his behaviour changing in almost an instant at the mention of his team and the work that lay ahead. his posture straightens and his expression shifts aloofly.

"yes, i'm ready. let's go back."

sephiroth stands up, a little more determined than before. somehow, you found it cute, and on the other hand, it somehow made you sad, that you were his only form of encouragement.

despite how he felt, there was a newfound resolve in his mind that he couldn't ignore.

you watch him walk out of the tent, the sob that you had been holding in the entire conversation, spills out quietly.

"that boy. . .this world is undeserving of him. please, don't take him away from me."

[avastrasposts]

Swimming lessons with Catfish

@secretelephanttattoo has taken on the role as my muse apparently and is feeding me inspiration on the daily.

So inspired by this ask, a shortish (2.2k) drabble with sweet and hot Frankie Morales. This one is set in an alternate, no-outbreak, universe of The Pilot and his Girl.

Couldn't find a suitable Frankie coded pic so I must again ask for your inspiration and suggestions! Thank you @secretelephanttattoo again for the perfect gif!

Smut below the cut, you have been warned (or notified if you will).

You hear the giggling as soon as you open the car door, the humid heat hitting your body with a vengeance after the air conditioned interior of the car. Lucía is squealing loudly from your back yard and you follow the sound through the house, dropping your laptop bag on the kitchen counter. Through the sliding doors in the back you see the glitter of the blue pool and Frankie’s tanned back in the shallow end. He’s got Lucía in front of him, holding her gently around the middle as she lies flat on her belly in the water, diligently working her way through unsteady breast strokes. 

“Muy bien, princesa,” he praises her as he almost lets go of her and she glides through the water. 

You hang back, leaning on the door frame, watching Frankie patiently help his little girl take stroke after stroke, reminding her to keep her fingers closed and flat. His cap and shirt lay discarded in one of the sun loungers, Lucía’s dress on the ground just by the pool. She must’ve been wearing her swimsuit under it, she’d been so excited about learning to swim ever since you’d bought the house and now every day after school she demanded swimming lessons. 

Frankie turns around in the pool, helping Lucía flip over to swim the other way and spots you. 

“Cariño,” his eyes crinkling at the corners as he shields his eyes against the sun and smiles up at you, “get out of those boring office clothes and jump in the pool with us.” 

“Look, look!” Lucia shouts excitedly, “I can swim by myself now!” She launches herself from Frankie’s arms before he has a chance to react, and takes two successful strokes before she starts sinking, coughing water, Frankie quickly catching her and pulling her up to the surface. 

“Careful, gordita, you need to be a bit more careful,” he gently scolds her, holding her up as she coughs, “Maybe that’s enough swimming for today?” 

“No, I want to swim more!” she protests, wrapping her arms around her dad, “Please, papá…” she looks at him under her eye lashes, her big brown eyes, so like Frankie’s, leaving him helpless. 

“Fine, a little bit more then,” he smiles and you laugh. You’ve been on the receiving end of Frankie’s puppy eyes more than once, it’s nice to see that he’s just as powerless to resist when it’s his daughter wielding them. 

“I’ll start dinner, Frankie,” you say, “maybe we can….later…” you say, giving him a wink that makes his dimple break out as he smiles back at you with a mischievous grin. 

It’s a good thing swimming is tiring work you think as you load the dishwasher after dinner. Frankie had come back in with Lucía after you called out to them that dinner was ready, sending her to the bathroom to change into her fluffy bathrobe, a special allowance since she would have to take a bath after dinner. While she was in her room he’d come up behind you at the counter where you were busy spooning spaghetti alfredo into bowls. 

“What plans did you have for later, mi hermosa,” he muttered, slipping his warm hands around your waist, snaking one hand up under the t-shirt, his t-shirt, you’d changed into before you started cooking. 

“I don’t know, maybe answer some emails, do the taxes, fold some laundry,” you say casually, pretending to ignore how his thick fingers caresses one of your breasts, circling the nipple. With a growl he pinches it between his thumb and finger, making you gasp as the sensation shoots liquid heat through your body. 

“I have other plans for you,” he mumbles, his mouth just under your ear, before he sinks his teeth into that sensitive spot, beginning to suck a mark into your soft skin. The sound of Lucìa’s bare feet padding down the hallway makes him pull away, moving to grab the salad and put it on the table. 

With dinner done, he takes Lucía to the bathroom for her evening bath, followed by a bedtime story. Once you’ve got the kitchen clean you slip into the bedroom you share with Frankie and change into one of your bikinis, not your favorite one, but Frankie’s favorite. You think it’s annoying because it doesn’t let you jump or dive in the water without flashing your tits and ass to the world. Frankie, on the other hand, loves it. He loves the thin ribbons on either side of the bikini bottoms that untie with just one simple pull, unless you double knot them, which you always do, or the way he can sneak his hands around your neck and with one gentle tug untie the ribbon that keeps the top attached, letting your breasts spill free for his big hands to grab. 

You don’t double knot the ribbons tonight, instead you slip out through the glass doors and into the pool. The water is warm after being heated by the sun all day, and glitters faintly in the light of the porch lights you’ve strung up around the back. You lie back and float easily in the water, looking up through the trees at the pale sky, slowly darkening into midnight blue. 

The gentle splash of Frankie getting into the pool pulls you out of your daydreaming, but you don’t look up. You know he’ll come to you, and soon his warm hand slips along your right side, up into your hair as he gently pulls you through the water to the pool’s edge. His lips brush over your forehead, pressing a kiss to your damp skin. 

“Stand up, cariño,” he whispers and you obey, your feet finding the bottom of the pool as he turns you towards him.  

“She’s asleep,” he says, his voice low, “went out like a light after half the story, but I think the neighbors are still awake so keep your voice down, cariño.” 

“Why, what do you have in mind, mr. Morales?” you smile, his dark eyes and roaming hands are making it very clear what he’s up to but you like to hear him say it. 

“Swimming lessons with Catfish,” he smirks, making you snort loudly and he chuckles as you quickly hide your face against his neck, shaking with repressed laughter. 

“Potentially the worst porno title ever,” you whisper once you’ve regained your composure. 

“I don’t know,” Frankie says, his mischievous grin slipping into something more sinful, “it has potential.” He dips his mouth to your collarbone and lets his tongue taste the salt and pool water that’s hanging on to the skin. You tilt your head and sigh, letting one hand find its way into his still damp curls, the other resting on his bicep, feeling the muscle flex under your palm. Frankie’s hand is unsurprisingly finding its way to your neck, pushing your wet hair out of the way and grabbing the ribbon of your bikini top. You feel it slip across your skin as he tugs, the wet fabric catching on your hard nipples. 

“Fuck…” Frankie growls, “I fucking love this bikini,” his hands following the ribbon down to pull it free from your skin and grabbing each one of your breasts in his big hands, the thumbs rubbing over the nipples as he watches the skin pebble and tighten under his ministrations. One hand drops from you and is replaced by his warm mouth, hot against your cool skin as he sucks the nipple firmly, laving his tongue over it with strong strokes. It makes you tilt your head back, drawing in a deep breath and cupping the back of his head with your hand. 

“Frankie…” you mumble, sighing into the warm night air. He hums against your skin and and both hands slip further, into the water and grabbing at your hips, finding the ribbons at the sides, with sharp tugs he pulls at them and chuckles approvingly when they slip out straight away. 

“You didn’t double knot them, cariño,” he smiles, his mouth leaving your nipple so that he can look at you, his eyes half closed and black in the dim light. 

“Knew you’d want easy access,” you smile back, pulling him close so that you can kiss him, making him open his mouth to your tongue, which he willingly does. He tastes like pool water and the coke he had for dinner, soft lips and warm breath against you as his hands pull your bikini bottoms away, letting them float off somewhere in the pool. 

It’s not until his hands pull you flush against his hard erection that you realize that he doesn't have any swim shorts on, just naked, hot skin pressed up against you in the water. He’s grinding himself against you, pulling your legs apart a little so that he slips between your plush thighs and rubs his hard length against your clit. It makes you moan into his mouth, his fingers gripping your hips, rutting against you as he breathes heavily into your mouth, barely contained moans slipping from him. 

“You feel so good, bebita, so fucking good even in the water,” he mumbles, thrusting harder between your thighs. 

“Frankie, please,” you moan, tangling your fingers tighter into his curls, “fuck me…I..I need you inside me, please.” 

You spread your legs, letting him slip out from between your thighs and he gives an unhappy hiss at the loss of contact. But you quickly hook your legs around his waist, the water making you almost weightless, and he turns you both around, pushing you up against the edge of the pool. With a firm grip around the base of his cock you guide the blunt head against your opening, made slick both by the pool and your arousal. Frankie locks eyes with you, one big hand around the back of your neck, as he slowly pushes in, making you keen under the sweet sting as he stretches your tight entrance. His mouth is open, tongue resting on his bottom lip, you watch him quickly lick it before he bites down, grunting as he drives his thick cock deeper inside. 

“Mierda..” he pants, glancing down at where his length is disappearing into you, made blurry by the water, “so fucking good…” 

You tilt your head back, Frankie’s hand holding you steady as you close your eyes and relish the burn in your core, the pulsating feeling in your spine. Frankie bends his head to your neck, his teeth biting down, hard, on the soft skin, the pleasure from the nip shoots through you and makes you clench around his heavy cock, nestled deep inside. He hisses and begins to move, one hand on your hip, the other still cradling your neck. 

The water sloshes around you, splashing against the edge of the pool as he drives himself deeper, groaning against your throat. You have to grip on to his shoulders to ground yourself, the slip and slide of the coarse hairs at the base of his cock rubbing against your clit with every thrust of hips. Biting your lips hard, you breathe through your nose, trying to stop yourself from crying out. Frankie’s low grumbles, throaty groans, float through the still night air, he’s trying, but can’t hold it back. 

“Baby, I’m not gonna last,” he mutters, moving up to watch your face contort with every thrust of his cock, “Look at me, please, hermosa, I wanna watch when you come, so fucking beautiful every time.” 

You blink open your eyes with a heavy effort, Frankie pushing your head up so that his dark eyes can stare into yours. 

“You feel so fucking good, when you come around my fat cock,” he growls, slamming his hips into your harder, as much as the water will let him. It’s splashing over the edge, covering your both as he chases his high, holding on to let you get to yours first. 

“C’mon, cariño, be good to me, let me feel you come, you take me so fucking well, so tight for me, so slick, so fucking tight,” he moves his hand from your hip, finding the aching bundle of nerves between your legs and finds that perfect rhythm, a tiny bit more pressure that has you gasping as squeeze your eyes shut. 

“That’s it, baby, that’s it, c’mon, let me feel it,” he moans, holding on against his own climax as he works you through it, sealing your mouth with his own when your cries threaten to grow loud. You cry out into his mouth, wailing as his thick cock coaxes every last ounce out of you.

As you begin to come down he digs his fingers into your hips and grinds into you, your spasming pussy milking him dry with every thrust as he fills you up with his spend. You can hear him groan under his breath, low grumbles and heavy panting, a long exhale as he finally slows, his forehead against your shoulder now. 

“Fuck…” he mutters, you can feel his lips move against your skin, “I just realized this means I need to clean the pool before tomorrow.” 

You bite your lip, trying to stop the laughter but your body shakes and betrays you.

“For what it’s worth, Frankie, it was totally worth it,” you giggle, running your fingers through his hair as he pulls out of you with a hiss.

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one who cleans the pool.” 

Also tagging @ladybess-a03 @harriedandharassed @your-slutty-gf @rhoorl @casa-boiardi @trulybetty because I think you might like it 🥰🥰

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

What Would They Name Their Children? (Headcanons)

Rise!Turtles

A/N: More names!💚 And for some reason, I decided to use gifs that made me laugh lol.

Warnings: None💚

Raphael:

Big brother Raph might very much want some more “traditional” names for his children. Names that might be a little bit more common, but still very beautiful. Of course, Raph would very much want to hear what his future partner thinks of these names, before settling on any of them.

For Boys:

Edward, meaning “rich guard”.

Arthur, meaning “strong as a bear”.

Adam, the name of the first human man in the Bible.

For Girls:

Beatrice, from French, Italian and Latin origin meaning “voyager” or “traveler”.

Eleanor, meaning “one who is as bright as sun rays”.

Alice, meaning “of the nobility”.

Leonardo:

Would it surprise anyone that Neon Leon would want to give his children a Spanish name? Not really. Most people would have seen that coming from a mile away. A very avid Spanish speaker himself, it just feels natural for Leo. And if his future partner is up for it, then he already has a few ideas.

For Boys:

Marco, most likely derived from Mars, the god of war.

Joaquín, the Spanish version of the name Joachim.

Alejandro, the Spanish variant of the name Alexander.

For Girls:

Gabriela, meaning “God is my strength.

Esmeralda, meaning “emerald”.

Lucia, meaning “light”.

Donatello:

Donnie’s partner wouldn’t even have to ask - Donnie would name his children after some of the greatest scientists there have ever been. However, with Donald being the way that he is, he would want to be extravagant with those names. He would want them to have old and long names, thinking that they sound not just nice, but beautiful.

For Boys:

Archimedes, after the Greek mathematician.

Pythagoras, after the Greek philosopher, mathematician and music theorist.

Avicenna, after the Persian doctor, philosopher and politician.

For Girls:

Mercuriade, after the 14th century Italian female physician and surgeon. One of the few of her time.

Aglaonice, after the Greek astronomer.

Guillemette, after Guillemette du Luys, the royal French surgeon of king Louis XI of France.

Michelangelo:

Mikey would want to decide on a name, before the birth of his child. A name he can use to reference the child, in a way that feels more natural to him. But he would do this very early on, seeing that as one of the many reasons why Angelo would only want to give his children gender neutral names. A name he would be able to use early on, while giving his child a chance to explore their own identity, with a name that wouldn’t upstruct that.

Phoenix, after the mythological creature.

Peyton, from the Old English language, with an unknown meaning.

Lennox, meaning “place of elms” in Gaelic.

Madhu, from Sanskrit meaning “sweet”.

Presley, meaning “priest” or “clearing” in Old English.

Bellamy, meaning “beautiful friend” in Old French.

[manheeiim]

Nothing Lasts Forever - The Graveyard

ᥫ᭡ link to nothing lasts forever masterlist

After what happened at Lana's house, JJ and his friend took me home. JJ had promised to keep talking when we could and maintained that promise. A few days later, I got a phone call from him, late at night.

"Hey, Lucia." I heard him say through the phone.

"Hey." I responded, unable to help the smile that crept onto my face upon hearing his voice. I guess you could say I developed a crush on him. Not just a crush where I thought he was cute or whatever- a real crush.

"What are you doing right now?" JJ asked.

"Nothing much. Just laying in bed." I respond.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd want to come with me and my friends on a little... late-night adventure, we could call it that." JJ asked.

"Uh... I mean, I guess. Where are we going?" I questioned as I sat up in bed.

"It's a surprise. Just get dressed in something you don't mind maybe getting dirty." JJ tells me.

"Okay..." I respond as I get out of bed, walking to my dresser, the phone still up to my ear.

"We'll come get you. See you in a few, sweets." JJ said and let's just say the nickname didn't pass me by.

"S-see you soon." I flutter out before we both hang up.

Around ten minutes later, I saw the van pull up into my driveway and thankfully, they were smart enough to turn the headlights off. I open up the window of my luckily one-story home and sneak out of it, leaving it slightly open so that I could get back inside. I run over to the van and the door slides open, revealing JJ and some guy I had yet to meet in the back.

I get in the back as well before glancing towards the front and see John B and a girl I hadn't met yet either.

"Guys, this is Lucia." JJ introduces me as Pope closes the van door.

"Hey." The girl says as she looks back.

"I'm Pope." The guy in the back says, holding out a hand for me to shake which I do.

"I'm Kiara." The girl greets me.

"It's nice to meet you guys." I politely say.

JJ pulled me back onto the seat where he sat gently without a word. I glance over at him and he smiles down at me.

"You ready for some adventure?" JJ asks lightly.

"I still don't know what we're doing but... sure." I respond, a small smile on my face as well. John B starts to drive the van away from my house and towards the destination, turning the headlights back on.

JJ grabs a blunt from off a surface in the van and lights it up, putting it in his mouth and taking a hit. I never minded when people smoked so it didn't bother me as I just chilled next to him.

"Do you want a hit?" He asks.

"Sure." I say and he hands it over to me. I didn't do much smoking on my own but if I was with friends that did, I'd do it too. I put it in my mouth and take a hit before exhaling the smoke and handing the blunt back to JJ.

"Guys, I know that I was wrong about the lighthouse and pretty much about everything else. But, I was right about one thing. My dad is trying to tell me something." John B says, obviously picking up a conversation that they were having before I got here.

No one says anything and I glance over at JJ. He leans in closer to whisper into my ear, "I'll explain later." He says and I nod. I look ahead out the front windshield before flinching when I feel JJ's arm go around my shoulders, pulling me closer. I glance over at him and he's just looking away, smoking the blunt, completely chill about doing this. I un-tense as I look out the windshield again, relaxing into his touch.

We get to a graveyard and all get out with either a flashlight or a lantern. We walk through the dark graveyard and I can't help but find myself walking closely to JJ. It wasn't exactly comforting to be at a graveyard so late at night.

"So, Redfield. This whole time, I thought it was a place, right? But it's not a place." John B says and we walk up to a mausoleum. "It's a person." He says and I look up at the name on the building.

"Voi-effing-là." JJ says next to me and I can't help but giggle quietly to myself, making him look over at me with a smile.

"See, my great-great-grandmother Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name." John B explains though, personally, I'm still confused.

"Okay, help me with the door, come on." John B says and Pope goes to help. JJ stays back with me for a moment before Kiara tells him to go help. So I simply stand back with Kiara.

I watched as they all started to attempt to push but obviously, it was really heavy and it would not open from just the strength of the three of them. Suddenly, they jumped back and I could see a snake slither out and hiss.

"That's a moccasin, all right. Ye olde Doctor Cottonmouth. Death in tall grass." JJ says and I simply furrow my eyebrows. He then starts to bark at the snake.

"JJ, shut up. Shut up!" Kiara quietly yells.

"You're gonna wake the friggin dead, man." Pope complains.

"Dude, they're afraid of dogs. Everyone knows that, man." JJ says as he steps back with me for a moment. "Wait, hold up. If there's one, there's probably dozens." JJ says before he starts to bark more.

"Stop barking at the snakes!" John B exclaims.

"We're not gonna get in there, all right. It's not budging." Pope tells John B. "We should probably just go."

"I can get through." Kiara suddenly says and everyone looks at her.

"What?" John B responds. "No, no, no. You think you're gonna fit through the hole?" He asks.

"Look, this is about your dad. And honestly, I really don't believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth." She tells him.

John B then looks at me, "Maybe Lucia can go with you." He suggests.

I don't even have time to respond before JJ says, "No. No way. She's not doing that." He says and everyone goes silent for a few moments, the others a little shocked. "Kiara wanted to do it." He then adds.

"Yeah. It's fine." Kiara says.

The three boys help her up into the mausoleum and we wait. JJ stands to the side and lights another blunt. He stands there and smokes. JJ glances over at me and sees me looking. He motions me over and so I go.

JJ exhales some smoke as I walk over, "So, how're you liking this little late-night adventure?" He asks.

"I'm a little confused but... it's different, for sure." I respond.

"I'll tell you all about it later. Well, all that I know. I really don't get it but..." JJ trails off. "Weed sure does help a lot." He randomly adds, making me giggle.

He hands me the blunt and I take a hit before handing it back to him. He takes another hit and we both look over when we see headlights.

"Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!" JJ tells the others. He grabs onto my hand, not rough but in a firm manner as we all start to rush behind the mausoleum.

We all rush to turn our lights off and JJ's hold on my hand remains as we stand behind the building. He looks over, quietly saying, "Homie has a gun."

"Screw this." Kiara says before she starts to run and we all do the same.

We ran towards where there was a gate and a wall. I exhaled before going to climb up the wall and I could feel JJ's hands on the back of my legs as he helped to push me up and over. I hop over and quickly he hops over as well.

We all stop when we see that Pope is stuck on the fence by his pants. "Guys, I'm stuck!" He whisper-yells.

"Pope, come on, man." JJ says.

JJ pulls out a gun and holds it up. John B quickly pushes it down, "No, JJ." He says. Kiara pulls Pope down and his pants rip, leaving him in just his underwear.

"Nice." JJ teases. "Come on, dude. It's a little tootsie roll." He adds as we all run to the van making us all laugh as we pile into the van.

[toasttt11]

early

June 29, 2024

John hopped out of the car after Jack pulled into the driveway of his lake house.

John had contacted Jack that he was wanted to come a day earlier to the lake house to surprise Lucia and Jack easily agreed and picked him up from the airport.

John grabbed his suit case and followed Jack up the front steps of the lake house.

“They are all probably still all outside if you want leave your bag in here.” Jack told John, he left a hour ago after taking an early morning boat ride with everyone so they are all most likely still outside.

John nodded and set his suitcase down and followed Jack through the house, his eyes seemed to automatically find Lucia in all of the pictures of the walls and he could see the little pieces of Lucia’s things across the house.

Jack opened the sliding glass door and let John walk out and closed it behind them, they walked down the stairs of the deck.

Cole, Ethan, Mark, Dylan and Josh were all in the lake and Quinn was reading a book on the deck and Lucia was sleeping on the outside couch on the dock.

“She’s always sleeping.” Jack shook his head fondly not surprised she is napping especially since he woke her up earlier than she usually wakes up. Quinn and Jack had bought the couch for the dock specifically for Lucia.

Quinn looked up hearing Jacks voice and smiled seeing John, he closed his book and got up waking to John hugging his quickly, “Hey man.”

“Hi Quinn.” John smiled at him. His eyes flickered over to the pair of three eyes drilling it in head and he knew exactly who they are.

Ethan, Mark and Dylan shared a look and got out of the lake and back on the dock where the others were.

“John.” John nodded at the three slightly nervous as he wanted the approval of his partner’s best friends.

“We know.” Mark nodded back having heard a lot about John.

“It’s nice to meet you, Dylan, Ethan and Mark.” John nodded at all three.

“You know our names?” Ethan questioned easing an eyebrow at him.

“Luce talks about you.” John simply told them making the three exchange looks as he obviously listened to Lucia but also Lucia lets him call her Luce.

Jack shook his head fondly at the three being protective and introduced John to Cole and Josh.

“How long has she been sleeping?” John asked looking over longingly at his partner.

“An hour.” Quinn told John.

John nodded and started walking over to her.

“Wait, wait you’re gonna wake her up?” Cole’s mouth dropped in shock, he knows how much Lucia hates waking up and usually smacks someone when they disturb her naps.

“Yes….” John trailed off, he knows she hates waking up but he has never had a problem. She is always an angel with him.

“She hates being woken up.” Mark explained looking at John oddly.

John just shrugged and walked over, he kneeled in front of the couch by her face and gently brushed her hair off her face, “Hi angel.” John softly whispered making her stir, “Sweet girl.” He cooed caressing her cheek.

Lucia’s eyes fluttered open and she froze in shock as she saw John in front of her, he wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.

“Johnny.” Lucia sleepily smiled and reached her arms up and pulled him down to her and hugged him to her.

John chuckled fondly as happily let her pull him closer to her. John pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

The rest of the boys were all shocked watching the two. Lucia has never not looked annoyed waking up. Quinn and Jack shared a look knowing John is really good for their sister.

Lucia reluctantly let go of John and sat up patting the spot next to her, John sat down and Lucia immediately curled up to his side and he threw an arm over her shoulder.

“You came early.” Lucia whispered looking up at her partner happily.

“Jack helped surprised me.” John softly old brushing her hair back. Lucia smiled softly and pressed a kiss to his cheek before turning to the boys who were all staring.

“You three done?” Lucia called out to her the best friends knowing they definitely grilled John already and were glaring at him.

Ethan, Mark and Dylan shared a look agreeing John seems really good for her, especially with how touchy Lucia is with him.

“Yeah.” Dylan nodded.

“It’s nice to finally meet you John!” Mark beamed as he sat down on one of the chairs on the deck.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” John told him back smiling at him.

“We have heard so much about you from Cece.” Ethan grinned mischievously as he plopped onto the deck near Lucia with Dylan.

Lucia just rolled her eyes and reached over ruffling Ethan’s hair, “Shush.”

Lucia felt content watching John get along so well with some of the most important people to her.

They all sat out around the dock for a few hours letting John really get to know everyone better Lucia finally started dragging John away.

“Leave the door open!” Ethan teasingly called after the two watching as Lucia held hands with John as they walked up the grass hill back to the house.

“Ew.” Jack gagged at Ethan’s words elbowing Ethan sharply.

Lucia just shook her head and continued walking up to the back glass sliding door and opened the door walking in with John.

John grabbed his suitcase as they walked through the Lake house as Lucia led him to upstairs and all the way down the hallway to her room that’s away from any other rooms.

She opened the door and walked into her room with John closing the door behind them.

John set his suitcase down and looked around her room, it was so very Lucia. Her room in New Jersey was her too but it didn’t have as much yet but her room here has so much of her.

He smiled as he looked at all the photos of her with her friends and family that were scattered across her dresser, the many items from Umich across her room and a few stuff animals on her chair in the corner.

Lucia walked up behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder wrapping her arms around his waist, “I missed you.” Lucia softly admitted to him, she had seen him a little over a week ago after they were together for almost three weeks around Europe but being together long made her miss him more.

“I missed you too.” John whispered softly back resting his hand over her hands and squeezing them softly. He was excited to be able to get to know more of another side of Lucia and know more of her friends.

Lucia untangled her arms from John and grabbed onto his hand and pulled him to her bed so they could cuddle for a little while.

John stopped when he looked at her nightstand and saw a picture frame, it was picture of him with Lucia when they were at Cape Cod at the beginning of the summer.

Lucia noticed him staring at the picture when he stopped and felt her cheeks heat up, “It’s my favorite picture of us.” She admitted making his eyes snap towards her and he saw how she was blushing and the shy smile on her face.

John’s whole face soften and he stepped closer to her and cupped her face softly and pressed his lips to hers.

John slowly pulled back, “I love you.” John softly whispered caressing her cheek softly making her eagerly lean into his warm and comforting touch.

“I love you too.” Lucia whispered back her nose scrunching as John pressed a kiss to her nose.

the photo on her nightstand

[cowgurrrl]

So This Is Love

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Author’s note: this came to me in a fever dream

Summary: A Beach Day [1.5k]

Warnings: time jump kinda (Sam is 17 and the girls are 13), me giving Dina and Jesse last names (Caradonna and Pierce) because Neil Druckman couldn’t, Lucy is Tommy and Maria’s daughter 🥸, family life, fluff

If there's one thing you've realized about your family, it's that they love nothing more than a beach day. Sam will almost immediately ask when you're going to the beach when temperatures get past the eighties. His follow-up question is always, "And can Penelope's family come with us?" Because it can never just be a Miller beach day, it has to be a Miller-Hernandez-Garcia-Long-Caradonna-Pierce beach day. As the kids have gotten older and your lives more hectic, it's nice to have a chance to get away every once in a while. Sarah, Ethan, and Isaac will drive in from Sacramento, and Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and JJ will meet you guys there since they don't live far from you, Joel, and the kids. Joel and Ryan inevitably become pack mules because they refuse to let you or Carolina carry anything, and you've both learned not to argue with them. 

That's what today has consisted of. You, Sarah, Carolina, and Maria sit in the sand as you watch your husbands unload beach chairs, towels, coolers, sand castle molds, and more. It took Sam all of ten seconds to break into Fun Uncle Mode and start a game of football with Isaac and JJ, Penelope, and Lucy joining the boys. Elizabeth, Victoria, Sophia, and Violet sit in a circle with supplies to make bracelets and whatever books they're reading at their feet, gossiping just out of earshot of their uncool parents. Ellie, Dina, and Jesse have given up on arguing with Joel about helping to unpack and have settled on wading through the water, splashing each other when they're not looking. They make a sweet little family. Unconventional, sure, but loving and amazing, nevertheless.

Once the Hernandez-Miller-Long boys unload all their stuff, they join the football game Sam started, in which nobody keeps score because they're all laughing too hard. It's fun to watch Joel and Tommy play on separate teams, the sibling rivalry coming out just enough to entertain you and Maria. You would think Joel would slow down or get tired faster than he used to, but something about the summer sunshine makes him twenty-five years old again. He goes from playing football and playfully tackling Isaac to teaching JJ how to surf, holding his hands as they stand on the board together, to bounding over to Ellie in the waves, picking her up, and throwing her in the water. "Mom!" She complains when she breaches the surface with a big smile. She laughs when you throw up your hands to let her know you can't control him. 

All the moms end up running around with sunscreen, water, and snacks to make sure nobody gets neglected, no matter who they actually belong to. You once joked with Carolina that, at this point, you basically have a commune of parents who take care of all the kids. Jesse will send birthday cards and money to the twins on their birthday. When Elizabeth got too drunk at a college party, she called you instead of her parents. Not because she didn't trust them but because she knew you'd pick up the phone even though it was two in the morning. And when Sarah gave birth to Isaac, you, Lucia, Maria, Carolina, Ellie, and Dina descended upon her home to take care of the laundry and dishes, prepare food, and ensure Sarah and Ethan slept. It's like having a huge family without the drama or strained relationships. 

After Joel has all but run himself ragged and the sun is casting purple and golden rays across the sky, he pulls you onto his lap, and you sit with him as you watch your kids. Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and JJ sit nearby, munching on sandwiches and listening to JJ's latest science fair project about space. Sarah and Ethan build sand castles with Isaac, and Ryan, Carolina, and Victoria nap together in a too-small beach chair. The only ones still up and being rowdy are Sam, Penny, and the twins. Sam is trying to teach Penny how to throw a baseball, and the twins are surfing along the coastline. The sound of the waves and the heat from Joel's body makes you sleepy as you rest against his chest, his hand drawing patterns into your thigh. 

"D'you have fun today?" He asks quietly as he kisses your temple. 

"I always have fun at the beach with you."

"Cheesy," he shakes his head, and you slap his chest. "You can't even get mad at me 'cause you know that was cheesy."

"You married me for my cheesiness."

"No, I married you for the money. Obviously." He says, and you laugh. Penelope and Sam's laughter overlaps yours, and you both turn to see them leaning against each other with big smiles. Sam's eyes twinkle familiarly in the sunset as he looks at Penny again, holding up his baseball.

"Be serious about this! When I go pro, you're gonna be the one to throw out the first pitch!" He urges, and she rolls her eyes.

"If you go pro, you'll have much bigger things to worry about than me throwing out the first pitch." She teases, and he raises his eyebrows, hiding the baseball behind his back and stepping into her. You'd have to be fucking blind not to see the way they flirt with each other. 

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" 

"Like controlling your roid rage."

"I'll have you know I've never done steroids in my life!"

"You're still young, Miller. I give it three years."

"You think that little of me?" He asks and collapses to the sand dramatically when she nods. You laugh, and Joel adjusts so your ear is by his mouth.

"They remind me of us." He whispers, and you furrow your brows as you face him. He smiles sleepily and reaches out to push your hair out of your face.

"How so?" 

"Other than the fact she just called him 'Miller,'" he says, and you smile. "'M not sure. He just... seems lighter around her. And they're always together. They have their own little language and dynamic. Not to mention, anyone with eyes in a twenty-mile radius can see how hopelessly in love he is with that girl."

"I thought you married me for my money."

"I mean, that was a plus, but I married you 'cause I couldn't imagine spendin' another moment without you as my partner and 'cause I wanted to be with you every day," he says as he kisses your jaw. "'Cause I was and still am hopelessly in love with you." You take a deep breath as you wrap your arm around his shoulders and lean back to look at him in all his sunburnt nose, heavy, happy-eyed glory. 

He's aged in the years since you've been together. His hair is a little more gray than brown, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes have deepened through late-night feeds, early-morning school drop-offs, tours, movies, albums, everything. You've aged too. You're not the same twenty-something you were when you met Joel, but you love this version of yourself. You love this version of your marriage and family and can't wait to see what joy the next version will bring you. You lean down and kiss him. He tastes like sea salt and beer and him. His beard scratches your face, but his hands on your skin are soft and heavy. You remember an old song from the original Cinderella film. She hums it after meeting her Prince Charming and goes home utterly in love with him. You swear, if this moment were a shot from a movie, that song would play over this moment.

"Cheesy." You mumble against his lips.

"Oh, that was cheesy?" He asks, and you hum. In one movement, he secures you in his arms and stands. You squeal and hold onto him for dear life as he starts walking through the sand. "I'll show you cheesy." 

"Joel!" You yell as he walks into the cold water and dunks the both of you under within two seconds. You don't see or hear it happen through the salt water in your eyes and your laughter, but your family rushes into the water after you—all of them. Ryan picks up Carolina, Ethan picks up Sarah, Jesse, and Dina work together to grab Ellie, and Sam picks up Penny, and they all run into the water. The kids follow suit, and before you realize it, all your favorite people are in the water with you, laughing and smiling as they cling to each other amidst the waves. Sophia jumps on Joel's back, and he goes underwater with all three of you as the sun sets overhead and the moon slowly appears over the cliffs. You're shaking from the cold and clinging to Joel, but you can't stop smiling. There's no place you'd rather be than here, freezing in the water with your family as the sun sets on another perfect Miller-Hernandez-Garcia-Long-Caradonna-Pierce beach day.

[jay-zzz87]

Lumity and B!Lumity fluff

Warning, there is implied smut. Not actual, just implied through jokes. Also it's only with Betas cuz they're 18. Anyways I lowkey kind miss doing writing prompts.

Luz: Amityyyyyyy

Luz is standing outside Amity's balcony with a bouquet of flowers for her awesome girlfriend.

Luz: I'm ready for our daaaate!

Suddenly the door swung open and a taller figure came out. It was Amelia, Amity's oldest sister.

Luz: Oh, hi Amelia

Amelia: Hello Luz

While Amelia is definitely intimidating given that she's taller, older, and has an attitude, she still has a sweet spot for Luz given her circumstances and how happy she makes Amity.

Luz: I'm here to take Amity out on a date

Amelia: She's inside getting ready

Luz: Ok, I'll wait

There's silence for a brief moment until Luz starts up again.

Luz: How are Ed and Em?

Amelia rolls her eyes.

Amelia: As annoying as ever.

Luz lets out a nervous laugh: Hehe....siblings

Then, she looks at the flowers she got Amity.

Amelia sighs: How's your sister?

Luz looks up: Lucia?

Amelia, sarcastically: What, you got another sister I don't know about?

Luz: N-No, I-I um....she's good. She's just at home....doing stuff

Amelia: Doing what?

Amelia wants to know but is hoping that she doesn't sound too interested.

Luz: I don't know. Watching oracle or something?

Amelia: Hmm....ok

There's a moment of silence again until Amity comes out of the room to the balcony.

Amity: Hey batata

Luz can't help but stare at how beautiful her girlfriend looks.

Luz: Whoa

Amity blushes: You like it? Amelia helped me pick it out

Luz: You look amazing amor

Luz quickly goes up to Amity and gives her a hug. When they seperate, Amity notices the bouquet in Luz's hand.

Amity: Ooo, are those for me?

Luz sheepishly laughs: Yeah, I picked them out myself.

Amity: They're beautiful love

Suddenly, Amelia clears her thoat loudly to imply she's still around.

Amity gets annoyed and tolls her eyes.

Amity : Really? You don't have to be here

Amelia, sly: I don't have to cover for you. I can always tell mom about your batata

Amity growls but Luz holds her hand to calm her down.

Luz: C'mon amor. Let's just get on with our date.

Amity: Yeah, ok

Luz summons Owlbert and they both get on and fly away. Amelia scoffs as she's a little irritated that her little sister would talk to her that way. Especially since she's covering her and could easily get her into trouble with their mother if she wanted to. Although there is a part of her that's is proud of her for sticking up for herself. She won't deny that it is definitely something Amity needs to work on. In the meantime while they're gone, she's gonna have a bit of fun. She summons her staff and flies to the owl house.

Lucia is on the couch sleeping her ass off. The previous night left her drained from having to complete a bounty just so she can get Luz enough money to atleast afford a nice restaurant to take Amity. Lucia usually doesn't care about Luz and Amity's relationship, but she does care about Luz. That was enough to help out Luz to get some snails. After that, she immediately went to bed and knocked out.

Amelia arrived to the house and was immediately greeted by the bird tube.

Hooty: Hello!

Amelia: Titan! Don't scare me like that!

Hooty retreat back to the door

Hooty: But that's my job! Anyways, Lucia is inside and sleeping! Thou shall not- ow!

Amelia kicked the door open to force herself in, then shut it. She can here Hooty on the other side complaining.

Amelia: Titan he's annoying

Lucia is suddenly awake with a line of saliva on her cheek.

Amelia: Hey

Lucia looks around and lets her eyes adjust before landing them on Amelia.

Lucia: Oh hey. What brings you here?

She does a quick stretch.

Amelia: I got bored

Lucia: Oh, sucks

Lucia lays back down. Amelia grabs one of the pillows and hits her with it.

Lucia: Hey!

Amelia: Asshole

Lucia sits up: Profanity

Amelia: Shut up. You spit shit all the time. And it's not like your sister is here.

Lucia: Ok ok. Chill girl

Lucia rubs her face.

Lucia: What do you want?

Amelia: I just wanna do something

Lucia: ....well it better not be me cuz I'm tired as fuck

Amelia hits her again

Amelia: I DIDN'T MEAN THAT STUPID!

Lucia couldn't help but laugh.

Amelia: You're such a child

Lucia: If I'm a child, then you're a pedo-

Amelia hits her again, this time repeatedly.

Lucia grabs the pillow and pulls it away.

Luz: Ya, I'll stop Ames

Amelia rolls her eyes: Whatever

Lucia grabs her waist and pulls her close.

Lucia: Don't whatever me baby

Amelia and Lucia have been dating for a while. They definitely dated after Amity and Luz got together but had relations before then. Eventually they fell for eachother and Lucia took out Amelia for a date. Amelia made it clear if they dated it had to be kept a secret. She's afraid of her mom and ex knowing. She knows that Lucia's life would be on the line if they ever found out. Lucia claims that she's not afraid and could take them on, but Amelia wants to be safe. She can't stand the thought of losing someone that actually cares for her for who she is and not her popularity.

Amelia pushes Lucia away.

Amelia: Not here stupid

Lucia lets go and giggles. She loves seeing Amelia get nervous and mad. It's really cute to her. Almost reminds her of a mad cat.

Lucia: Ok. You wanna go somewhere else?

Amelia: Yeah. Did you have something in mind?

Lucia: Not really. Like I said, I'm tired.

Amelia: We can go to your room and.....I don't know, cuddle.

Lucia: ....yeah sure. Lets go

They get up and go to the upstairs room. Lucia gets the sleeping bag comfy for them. Amelia is aware of the situation Lucia and Luz are in. There are times where she wishes she could just give them a bed since it's not much to her, but Lucia is stubborn and always wants to earn everything. She managed to get one for Luz so at least she doesn't have to suffer due to Lucia's ideals. Lucia lays on the bag and Amelia lays on top of her. Lucia holds her and kisses her head. Amelia has her head on Lucia's chest. She likes hearing Lucia's heart beat. It's very calming to her for some reason.

Lucia: Did you wanna do something later?

Amelia: Maybe, if you're ok with it.

Lucia: Yeah baby, I don't mind. I just wanna rest a bit first

Amelia looks up at her

Amelia: Ok babe

Lucia pecks her lips and rubs her waist. Amelia couldn't be happier that she's with Lucia. She wants them to be public just so they can at least hold hands all the time, but she can't risk anything. She needs Lucia and Luz to be safe, no matter what.

One day

[oswaldsleftbicep]

Hey,how are you? I know that you're not very atm but i saw that you had 0 asks so I thought I'd leave one here for when you come back :)

I'd like to know your headcanons about them boys in a human high school, since we already got the college hcs

anyways, take ur time and i hope you will feel better <3

the boys as high schoolers

omg this was so fun to think about lol also you're so sweet :,) i am doing a lot better, just trying to push myself back into getting my life back together again

genre: crack, unintentional angst

cw: american high school, language, mention of sex

Lucia

❧ deffo in the popular crowd, the one with the preppy boys and girls who are also all involved in a sport, throughout all four years of high school

❧ he gave off the vibes that he would be kinda stuck up and would laugh at you behind your back, but he was actually one of the nice ones, albeit just a tad bit insensitive

❧ played a sport, maybe something like lacrosse or basketball, and was the captain of his team in his last year of high school. he'd also been on the team since he was a freshman, spiking his popularity immensely

❧ his favorite class was probably chemistry, because of the experiments, or gym, because it was easy

❧ his language arts teacher loathed him because he just could not understand any of the books they assigned. he would always take things too literally or say "it's not that deep, bro" to the teacher's face lmao

❧ he and his friends would sit to the side of the class, never up front but not quite in the very back, and this mf would always be making some kind of noise, either tapping his pencil or running his mouth-- at least he was kinda funny

❧ he was on grade level for most of his classes, except for being in honors sciences beginning his second year. he managed to graduate with a 3.1 gpa!!

❧ went to all the dances and formals, and he won prom king his senior year, although the girl he went with wasn't even nominated for prom queen awkward

❧ he honestly had one of the biggest glow ups, but like personality wise. when he was a freshman he was obnoxious and running through the halls and bothering people with rude jokes, but then he got diagnosed with adhd, got meds, and learned a bunch of coping strategies that calmed him down and made him a better student and friend

❧ picked on levy in the halls every chance he took, and if it weren't for the teachers, he would've picked on him some more in the classes they shared. he would've done the same with mefy, but his youngest brother always seemed to evade him somehow

❧ had a petty rivalry with mikael, and was pretty good friends with ricardo in that they always got into shenanigans together

Levy

❧ straight-a student and valedictorian the year he graduated :,) you bet your ass lucia was cheering so loud for him during his speech

❧ volunteered in the school library all four years, but especially so in his senior year when he had a bunch of free periods. anytime he had free time or it was study hall, he'd go to the library

❧ valued comfort in terms of his outfits but he also wanted to look put together, so he'd always be in a sweater or nice shirt with dark jeans or casual dress pants

❧ had a small group of friends that consisted of people he'd have multiple classes with or was in clubs with, but he also spent a decent amount of time with mefy and kaim

❧ speaking of clubs, he was in the book club all four years of high school as well as participating in the debate club. he was also in several honors societies and acted as a peer tutor, and you bet he was decorated as hell during graduation

❧ wanted so bad for his school to have an equestrian team, which they didn't because what kind of school has that, so he joined a local team instead, which got a few snobby popular kids to tease him for being "a horse girl"

❧ he liked all of his classes, although is favorites were history and english; his least favorite was gym, hands down. he would always be doing the bare minimum and coming up with excuses to get out of the more intense sports

❧ didn't go to any of the typical high school events like dances or games because he thought he was above all that, but he was really just too anxious

❧ he played an instrument in his first year of high school, something he carried over from middle school, but he just got too busy for it and it was no longer a priority. he either played viola or some shit like the oboe

❧ his teachers at the start of every year would see his last name and get filled with dread like "oh no not another one" but they then visibly relaxed when they realized he wasn't anything like lucia

❧ was in a lot of above grade level classes, which eventually led him to be in the same class as lucia a few times. levy thought it was so embarrassing and tried to sit as far away from lucia and his friends as possible. lucia has tried to get levy to do his homework before lol

Mefy

❧ he was an enigma to like ninety five percent of the school; he barely associated with anyone, always stuck to himself, wouldn't linger in one place for very long, and no one could find him during free time

❧ this unfortunately led him to be labeled as the "school shooter kid," which never bothered him but his brothers would be livid at hearing anyone call their baby brother that awful thing

❧ he had like two close friends and spent a lot of time with levy, and he was also close with the psychology/sociology teacher, whom he would eat lunch with every day for his last two years of high school. he liked that they never seemed to mind his deep, somewhat worrying questions about life and the human psyche

❧ his first year he stuck with levy in the cafeteria for lunch, then his second year he'd steal lucia's student id to eat outside in the senior courtyard

❧ he was a brilliant student, but he hardly ever participated in class and didn't put in more effort than he needed to which lowkey brought his grades lower than they could have been. his phych/soc teacher was the only one who noticed this and talked to him about it, which earned them his respect

❧ his favorite classes were psychology, sociology, and computer science, in that order. he was okay with the other classes, but refused to take any that would draw attention to himself, like theater or music

❧ he faked a doctors note that got him out of gym and levy was so salty about it. so all he ended up doing for that semester was walking laps lmao

❧ he joined the debate club with levy, but solely for the purpose of arguing with people and being able to get under their skin and gaslight them without serious repercussion. the advisor for the club knew what was up but genuinely did not care enough to stop him

❧ for his foreign language credit, he probably took something less popular like german or latin, and he'll just be saying shit in that language to lucia while levy snickers in the background

❧ he came up with the senior prank for his class and everyone loved it and immediately had a change of heart for him like, "man maybe this kid wasn't so bad." the prank ended up being a little too much for the principal, who demanded to know whose idea it was, but nobody snitched

❧ ...which made him feel just a little bit bad for hacking the school's grade system and changing everyone's grades to a d it got fixed don't worry

Oswald

❧ the american football coach tried so hard to get him on the team, but oswald didn't trust himself to go through with it because of his anger issues. he also didn't know if he could keep his grades up enough to stay on the team

❧ also kind of a loner, but in that he didn't really have anyone who he was close with at all. he hung out with noel the most, and lucia and kaim every so often, but for the most part he walked the halls alone

❧ he was a part time babysitter all four years of high school, and all four years he worked for kurt's family, and he brought that kid to watch every football game the school had

❧ he was a below average student, graduated with a 2.8 and had to retake algebra 1 his freshman year. he had to get a tutor for pretty much every general subject, especially for language arts his handwriting and essay skills are atrocious

❧ the one subject he never had to get help in though was science. earth and space, biology, chemistry, somehow even physics he always excelled in. physics was a bit of a struggle for him because of how much math is in it, but at the time kurt really wanted to be an astronaut and oswald was willing to learn physics to help him achieve that goal

❧ by the time oswald graduated, kurt no longer wanted to be an astronaut :,) rip

❧ he found out about the votech program and enrolled his junior year. he joined the agriculture one and fell in love with it, setting up an easy career path for him to go on as soon as he graduated

❧ he joined the environmental club starting his second year and managed to convince the principal to start a student garden! oswald spent pretty much all of his free time taking care of the garden, making sure it was watered and weeded

❧ he was so close to being able to join the science national honors society, but his gpa was just under the minimum requirement :(

❧ which meant that he didn't have any chords or anything during graduation which is nothing to be ashamed of, but he was kinda hard on himself about the snhs thing, so little eight year old kurt made him an honor chord by messily finger crocheting a row of chain stitches out of neon green yarn :,)

❧ he wore it with pride and anyone who'd ask about it would swoon at the answer, "my kid brother made it for me"

❧ he was low-key a heart throb in his school, but solely for his tall, dark, and handsome appearance. anyone who tried to ask him out or confess immediately found out that he's kinda clueless and not at all the bad boy they thought he was lmao

Kaim

❧ he was absolutely that mf who wore a suit to school every day. he'd go "casual" on friday by wearing a cashmere sweater and some dress pants

❧ his mom is friends with the brothers' mom, so he was close with all of them growing up but more so because his mom told him to "look out for them," knowing he was the only one out of all of them who had any real sense

❧ he was lowkey the therapist friend but on a more crisis intervention scale than a "do u need to vent" scale. he called lucia out several times for his shenanigans, kept mefy from becoming a bully, and talked oswald down from a lot of near spirals

❧ his favorite class was consistently language arts and he could write one persuasive ass essay, which helped him a lot in history, too. his least favorite class he had to take was computer science; no matter what he did, he just could not get his code to work and it nearly cost him his flawless gpa lmao

❧ speaking of gpa, he maintained honor roll throughout the entirety of high school, and graduated with a 4.0. he was above grade level in all his classes but refused to take ap classes, claiming they were a waste of time and money they are

❧ he favored his electives a lot more than his general classes. he low-key thrived in home economics, and the teacher convinced him to take the culinary class starting his junior year and got him enrolled in the field experience for culinary arts in his senior year

❧ he absolutely was an orchestra kid and had been playing the cello since fourth grade, earning him first chair by the time he was a junior. he also played the piano and helped out with school musicals and talent shows by playing the piano for songs if it required live music

❧ he earned a decent amount of chords for graduation: honors society for language arts, culinary club, orchestra, honor roll. he now uses them to tie his curtains back lmao

❧ everyone low-key dreaded being partnered up with him for projects, only because he's such a perfectionist and would make damn sure everyone did their part of the project and did it correctly

❧ absolute teacher's pet though, all of them loved how diligent and intelligent he was, making him the high school version of a teacher's assistant

❧ my school didn't have this, but he would absolutely have been hall monitor. he was, however, almost elected student body president despite not running, his class just nominated him lol

❧ much to his dismay, he was elected vice president of the student body and was put in charge of organizing student events. planning prom almost gave him grey hairs at the ripe age of seventeen

Mikael

❧ he didn't really fit in with a particular crowd, so i guess you could call him a wallflower in that sense? he was kinda a loner, but didn't give off the typical "loner" vibes

❧ very quiet, always got his work done on time, and always did his work exceptionally well, which made him a straight-a student as well

❧ he very well could have been the top of his class, but his lack of participation in class discussions and such knocked his grades down slightly. he always preferred to work alone, hated presentations, and never elaborated his verbal responses

❧ the one exception to him working alone was if noel was in his class; he knew that noel would be reliable and would just want to get the assignment over, and he wouldn't talk his ear off

❧ some of his teachers understood that he just wasn't comfortable and made an exception or didn't deduct points because they saw how eloquent his written responses were, but there's always those few teachers that just don't care lol

❧ he graduated with a 3.9 unweighted gpa, and he took several honors and even a few ap classes on top of being in science national honors society and national art honor society twin; he's a smart cookie

❧ his favorite classes were astronomy and art, he loathed gym and, despite him being good at math, he just could not understand geometry. he chose latin as his world language, although i could also see him taking greek if his school offered it

❧ he took ap psychology and ap world history, amongst a few others, and the exams annihilated him; he would have been elated to get a 3, but was beyond shocked when he saw he got a 4 on all of them

❧ his immense knowledge about the christian religion and the bible impressed the school's christian athlete leader did y'all's school have one of those?? and she tried to recruit him thinking he'd be perfect for the group, but he looked at her with the most perplexed look ever and responded, "i'm neither christian nor an athlete, why are you asking me this??"

❧ she got super embarrassed and refused to look at him when he took her sat prep class the next semester lmao

❧ he ate his lunch consistently in the atrium for the first three years of high school, and then in the senior courtyard next to the little fountain his last year, always alone though

❧ he was in choir for the first year of high school, something he'd done since elementary school, but he quit after seeing how petty everyone was to each other

❧ he'd hated lucia since he met him in the third grade, and on graduation day, mikael told lucia that he was genuinely surprised to see him graduate lmao

Ricardo

❧ definitely a student athlete, his first year was spent in basketball and his last three years were in american football, and he definitely got benched a few times

❧ he actually almost got kicked off the team in his sophomore year for bringing a fucking knife to school-- at least he was smart enough to not bring his gun

❧ he's a decently smart guy, but he just didn't put in the effort for his classes-- he did just enough to stay on his team. he was practically on a first name basis with his guidance counselor from how many visits they'd have between his grades and since the knife incident

❧ that being said, his grades never saw above a 3.0, in fact he averaged about a 2.6 all of high school. he also didn't bother to take the sat because he genuinely didn't think he'd go to college until the last semester of his senior year when he got a surprise scholarship for his athleticism

❧ his favorite class was gym, he always made sure to take a physical education class once a year. he also secretly really enjoyed the home economics class he put off until his last semester of senior year. the teacher was this older lady, and they grew pretty close and he'd even eat lunch with her, spending his free period and study hall in her classroom under the excuse that he needed more help on a certain topic. he gave her his jersey at the end of the year and she made sure to get a photo with him on graduation day :,)

❧ definitely infamous in his school for being a massive flirt and has definitely hooked up with several cheerleaders. it's funny cuz he always scoffed at what you learn in health class about sti's and safe sex, until he caught mono from someone in the theater class lmao

❧ i'm sorry but he was low-key very disrespectful to his teachers, at least for the first half of high school. like he'd roll his eyes at them, leave a mess, be on his phone all of class

❧ he was also a pain to be partnered up with for a project; if you got stuck with him, you bet your ass you'd be doing all the work. anything he said he'd do would be half assed, and you better hope you had a teacher who didn't grade collectively

❧ the academic classes he'd pay the most attention to were history and government, especially in terms of war periods and diplomacy. he lowkey loved playing devil's advocate in these classes which pissed off everyone else lmao

❧ his freshman year he was definitely the kid who wore those god awful graffiti-style backpacks with a speaker inside them, blasting the worst trash rap you ever heard

❧ another thing that almost got him kicked off the team, he got caught bullying a freshman in his junior year. he had to have a meeting with the kid's parents and apologize formally to the kid, and he got a semester's worth of detention and suspended from his sport for a month

❧ he shaped up a lot after that, and he ended up becoming one of the team's star players, definitely not the mvp or the captain, but he was valued for being a machine on the field, pure manpower and determination

❧ was pretty close friends with lucia, and although they drifted apart in their junior year a bit, they got close again come senior year and talked about going to the same college together after ricardo found out about his scholarship

❧ brought an air horn to the graduation ceremony and almost didn't get to walk the stage lmao

Noel

❧ won the superlative for being the quietest in his class lol; it got to the point where his teachers wouldn't cold call him for discussions knowing they'd get one word responses that wouldn't contribute anything at all

❧ he was always seen alone, or with either mikael or oswald, never anyone else. with mikael, they'd just eat together every once in a while, or they'd work on a project together. with oswald, they were just the oddest duo to see: a behemoth of a man and a small guy with a killer resting bitch face

❧ he really enjoyed biology as a class and elected to take anatomy, but promptly dropped it when he learned what they'd be dissecting. instead, he switched to forensic science and had a little too much fun making his crime scene diorama

❧ this poor kid could barely make it through his math classes. he had to be tutored in math all through high school and oswald became his study buddy aw

❧ the same thing applied with his language arts class: he just kept falling behind, his written grammar skills were awful, as was his handwriting. between this and the fact that he hardly spoke, his teacher just assumed that he didn't speak the school's primary language and had the bright idea of putting him in an "x for speakers of other languages" class lmaoo

❧ he was evaluated and it turned out that he, in fact, could understand the primary language, he's just very silent and is bad at grammar. so, he was moved again to a lower language arts class

❧ he didn't particularly hate any of his classes, he just knew he had to suck it up and do them. he'd try his hardest, sure, but sometimes he'd just do the minimum effort required if he really wasn't feeling it

❧ he joined the environmental club with oswald and helped him with the gardens. he also tried out the culinary club, but upon promptly burning his first dish to ashes, determined that maybe it wasn't for him lol

❧ so aside from the environmental club and tutoring, he didn't really have any extracurriculars. he was very much a "i'm here to learn and go home" type of guy

❧ he graduated with a 2.8 gpa, and hated the grad cap lmao he absolutely wore his casual clothes under his gown, which he took off almost immediately after the ceremony was over

Lucas

❧ very well known through the whole school, he was regarded as a heartthrob and resident pretty boy, but for some reason he didn't seem to have very many friends, and no one really seemed to know much about him

❧ he was as active as possible in school life; he joined the yearbook committee in his first year and started taking journalism classes in his junior year, he also one of the only ones to pay attention to student board elections

❧ he was very big on the arts classes that his school offered, especially photography, which in turn helped out a lot for the yearbook. he also took a ceramics class, and the art teachers loved him so much that they gave him his own senior studio space in his sophomore year

❧ he actually did really well in all of his classes, he's a quick learner and had a phenomenal memory. the one thing he sucked at was note taking. so when he took a history class that required cornell notes?? bye, that was the lowest grade he's ever gotten

❧ mans was the king of extracurriculars, on top of the yearbook committee he was in the gsa and best buddies, and he scored national art honors society

❧ he hung around a different friend group every day, so he knew everyone's beef all the time, which easily made him the most powerful man in the school in a way. he never used it for bad, but it would give him topic ideas for the school newspaper

❧ failed the pacer test so bad in his freshman year that half the people in his class that had crushes on him got the ick and stopped lmao

❧ he tried doing theater in his sophomore year, but everyone was so in each other's business that he stopped after that one year; he landed a spot in the musical though and killed it

❧ the psychology/sociology and language arts teachers always got a kick talking to him because of the odd shit that comes out of this guys mouth; he'd pose the most thought provoking and lowkey existential questions about the content material that had the teachers on a tangent for the rest of class. his classmates would either love him or hate him for this, grateful to have an easy rest of class or freaking out at the question too

❧ he graduated with a 3.6 gpa, and he had several chords from his extracurriculars. he didn't really want to wear them, not finding them important or that big of a deal, but his art teachers convinced him that he worked hard for them

❧ the yearbooks all four years of his high school career were the best the school had seen that their sales went up. after he graduated, they dipped in quality and the yearbook committee advisor was so sad lol

[koukouture]

Random HCs abt command but specifically Hassen and Nikola

Note: “Command” just sort of refers to the people who hand out missions. So Celica, Asimov, Nikola and Hassen

Okay okay so Nikola very obviously Slavic coded, I think Russian bc he’s immune to the cold lol like in Luna’s interlude he’s watching Lucia train in the snow in nothing but a SUIT. That out of the way

A friend suggested that Hassen is Pakistani American and honestly? I can get behind that. I do think he’s only half tho bc this guy is a white man 💀 I’m sorry but being raised in an orphanage did not help him.

Nobody in command can cook. Absolutely nobody. Except for Celica. Bc that girl can do everything

I also think that Celica can speak like five different languages. She’s just built like that

I think it’d be funny if Celica is trying to explain something and she just blanks and forgets how to explain it in all five languages.

Nikola gains an accent when he’s really angry. It’s like a scale the angrier he gets the more Russian he gets. (idk but personally I gain a weird Filipino accent when I’m frustrated does this happen to anyone else?) If anyone hears him yelling in Russian they better hide because Nikola does not yell

Oh yeah and on that, I don’t think Nikola yells. Yes he’s very menacing and scary and you know when he’s mad, but he never yells. And it’s because he has a nice, tight lid and control over his emotions. Basically you REALLY have to screw up in order for him to yell at you.

Hassen is scary for a different reason and that is that he’s super patient. When he’s mad he’s twice as a scary because once again, you have to really fuck up. He can tolerate A LOT but the scariest thing in the world is an angry Hassen because it’s probably very justifiable

I think this is somewhat in part to him actually being rather cunning. I think he can be quite manipulative as well and that’s where he gets the patience from

Asimov canonically having an attitude is kinda funny to me. Everyone else is stepping on eggshells around the president and commander but Asimov’s unhinged ass is out here like “Uh yeah, so here’s the thing; you’re fucking wrong”

I think the little nerd is feisty and he’s a a little smug about it because he knows that he’s usually right

I genuinely think Hassen and Nikola are friends. You can pry this from my cold dead hands but they’ve known each other forever and they are both the leaders of the Kurono hate club. They trust each other so much I just know it

Nikola has siblings and they’re all high ranking Kurono members

Nikola strikes me as a rich boy that was funnelled into politics and shady business by his parents. Idk he gives that vibe

Asimov has a sweet tooth. Maybe because it helps him stay awake idk.

Hassen keeps alcohol in his office. It’s not even like a nice wine or anything it’s just cheap beer

Asimov has a dark sense of humour. I just feel like he cracks some very out of pocket jokes sometimes

I know Hassen is good with kids it is written all over him

I like to think that surprisingly, Asimov is too. Hey, kids LOVE cool science he would be a neat baby sitter and they’d make one of those little baking sofa volcanoes or smth

Celica is not. She has no idea how to deal with the little suckers but they all like her anyways bc funny lady say funny words

I’m sorry but Nikola is last place here I don’t think he can deal with kids at all 💀 I feel like it could mostly be rooted in his guilt from helping Kurono get actual children to experiment on. Yeah he just cannot with children. He doesn’t hate them though

Anyways that was it for today’s episode of Kou’s Delusions hope you enjoyed it!

[walker-extended-universe]

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Relationship(s): Lucia Reyes/Cordell Walker

Tags/Warnings: Dreams, Dreamworld, Dreams vs Reality, Falling in Love, Alternate Universe- Farm/Ranch, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Angst

Summary:

Cordell is getting older. The effects of his job are starting to show on his body and, with his kids out of the house, it's getting harder to find reasons to want to get out of bed to do it all over again. Some days are better than others, but his life is definitely missing something.

On top of that, he's having some very strange dreams where he works as a ranch hand during the frontier days of Texas and he's taken a shine to his boss's daughter.

Written for @flufftober day 31: Dreams do come true

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

-------

Cordell Walker collapsed in bed after another long day at the office. Most of the time, he loved being a Ranger. He loved the thrill he got from taking out the bad guys and the satisfaction of a job well done. And then there were days like today, when he was counting the days to retirement.

Things were just harder. He was getting older, though he knew he wasn’t exactly “old” per se. Middle aged at most. But still. His kids had already moved out and onto bigger things, his back and joints hurt more than usual, and he was really just feeling the effects of living a full life.

He just wanted to sleep and forget everything for a while. He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh and wished for sweet dreams.

When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t in his own bed. Or even his own house as far as he could tell.

This dream again. He sighed and rolled out of bed.

It started had a few weeks ago. He went to sleep one night and woke up here. “Here” being some kind of weird dreamworld where he was a ranch hand sometime in the frontier days. He’d work with the horses, eat some delicious chili with the family, and then head back to bed, where he'd wake up back in his own life, perfectly rested for the day. It was like some kind of weird lucid recurring dream (aside from the fact that it changed every time but he couldn’t think of any other explanation for it).

Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to complain. It was restful, in its own way. Sure, the work was exhausting, but there was a simple clarity to it. He never felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders when he was caring for the horses and mending fences. There was no crushing responsibility, no judgemental family, no too-empty house…. None of the things he felt in his waking life.

It didn’t hurt that the family he worked for here was nice too. Anna Maria Reyes provided two meals a day for all the ranch hands and Francis was an understanding, if strict, employer. Luis was a bit off in Cordell’s opinion, always speaking about how he was going to take over the ranch one day but rarely listening to his father’s words.

“Good morning, Senor Walker.”

Cordell blushed and tipped his hat to Lucia as he entered the house for breakfast. “Good morning, Miss Lucia.”

And then there was Lucia, the beloved daughter of the ranch. She was beautiful and charming, but no one dared make a move (not when Francis was around anyway). But it never mattered, since everyone knew she was enamored with the infamous Hoyt Rawlins. Cordell shook his head just at the thought. Just like the Hoyt Rawlins he knew (rest his soul), that man clearly didn’t know what he had.

But that wasn’t really Cordell’s concern. He was just there to help with the horses and mend the fences. And he was just fine with that.

So long as Francis never caught his eyes lingering, that is.

—-------

“-not that big of a deal, Papa. I’m singing and I’m getting paid. I don’t even have to pay for the costumes.”

“I don’t like it. Young ladies shouldn’t put themselves on display in places like that. It’s not safe.” 

“It’s safe! Hagan treats the girls well and-”

“You are not one of his girls!”

Cordell really tried not to listen in on the conversation. It wasn’t any of his business. But mucking the stall wasn’t exactly mentally stimulating so he couldn’t really help it.

“I’m already scheduled to sing tomorrow! I can’t just not go! How would that look, hm? Do you want Hagan to complain about your daughter not being trustworthy?”

Cordell cringed. She was lucky Francis had a soft spot for her. He knew Luis would never get away with saying something like that.

Francis sighed. “I don’t like this,” he repeated. “Cordell!”

Cordell set the pitchfork aside and stepped out of the stall he was in. “Yes sir?”

“You have the day off tomorrow, yes?”

“Yes sir.”

Francis nodded. “Would you mind escorting Lucia into town tomorrow? She’s insistent on going to Hagan’s and I want to make sure she’s safe.”

“Ah-”

“Papa!” Lucia hissed. “It’s his day off; he has better things to do.”

“I really don’t mind,” Cordell said quickly. “I meant to go into town anyway. I’d be happy to take you.”

“Good, it’s settled.”

“Papa-” Lucia cut herself off and huffed as Francis left them, presumably to do other work. She turned to him, eyes full of apology. “You really don’t need to waste your day off with me.”

Cordell smiled. “Like I said, I don’t mind. Besides, I’ve never gotten to see you perform before.”

She smiled, a soft blush dusting her cheeks. “Well…. Only if you’re sure. I wouldn’t want to derail your plans….”

“You could never.” He tipped his hat to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

—--------

After a crappy day in the office, he was honestly looking forward to tonight’s weird lucid recurring dream. The fact that he would be spending most of it with Lucia was a different matter altogether.

“Are you ready to leave?” he asked when it was time, holding his hand out to her to help her onto the family’s horse-cart.

She smiled and nodded, taking his hand. “Ready.”

The drive into town was pleasant, not too hot with a nice breeze. Neither of them spoke on the way, content to enjoy the nice evening ride.

When they arrived at Hagan’s, Cordell helped her down and she took his arm as they walked inside.

Then, he showed up. “Lucia!” Hoyt Rawlins came running over, charming smile fading as he saw her arm in Cordell’s. “I didn’t know you were coming to town tonight.”

“I didn’t know you’d even be in town,” Lucia said stiffly.

“Well, in my letter-”

“I burned it,” she snapped, gripping Cordell’s arm tighter. “You think you can just disappear for months and send a short letter and that will keep me hanging on? I’m not one of your white doves, Hoyt.”

“That’s not what I-”

“It doesn’t matter. I stopped waiting for you long ago.” She turned away from him and looked up at Cordell. “Let’s go; it’s almost time.”

“Wait, Lucia.” Hoyt grabbed her other arm. “What are you saying?”

“I think she said she’s done with you,” Cordell said in a low voice, holding Lucia closer as she wrenched her arm away.

Hoyt’s eyes narrowed at him. “What? You shackin’ up with him now?”

“Yes. What business is it of yours?” she snapped. “Don’t write me anymore, Rawlins.” She pulled Cordell into Hagan’s, muttering under her breath.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Cordell murmured. “We’re here for your show, remember?”

“I know, I know.” Lucia sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him.”

“No, no, I mean- I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I know we’re not….” She trailed off, blushing and looking att he floor.

“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I don’t mind. More reason for him to leave you alone, right?” He smirked and kissed her hand.

She giggled. “I suppose so….”

Shortly after, she went onstage and sang the most beautiful song Cordell had ever heard.

When he woke up the next morning, he couldn’t help but feel a loss.

—---------

And so it went. Cordell would wake up, live his normal life, now almost eagerly awaiting the moment he would fall asleep again and return to the lovely Lucia.

Almost. Who was he kidding? He much preferred his “dream” life to his real life and probably had for longer than he was willing to admit. It wasn’t long before he found himself not wanting to wake up again.

And, one day, he didn’t.

One day, he announced to Francis his intentions with Lucia. One day, he took Lucia into Independence for a proper date. Many days later, he rented a room at Hagan’s and spent the night there with Lucia.

That night, he fell asleep with her in his arms. The next morning, he woke up and, rather than being in his empty bed at home, he was still with Lucia.

He really didn’t mind that.

[venyasum]

Recently I remembered the romantic of Ukrainian literature, Vasyl Symonenko, and his letters to his wife. For some reason, it seemed to me that the dynamics of their relationship are similar to those of Alice and Peter White, so I want to share these letters.

Note: the names will not be changed, just so you know, Lucia Symonenko is Alice, Vasyl Symonenko is Peter White. Further notes will be near the translation of the text.

((If you see a mistake in the text or a word that does not fit the context, please let me know.))

«Yesterday, I spent the whole day running around Kyiv. I was very sleepy, but I vowed to calm down only after 11 pm. There are a lot of nice girls here, but unfortunately, I haven't seen anyone like you.»

«Lyusia! I've already missed you a lot. For some reason, all the girls in dark blue coats look very much like you from a distance, but not up close. It's a pity. I love you - I love you wildly. No one has ever messed with my head like that. On paper, kissing is not very tasty, but I kiss my little Lyusia a million times. My lips won't hurt, don't worry.

Write a couple of lines <...>. I'm waiting.

I love you. Miss you. Kisses. Your Vasya.»

«Hello, Lyucia! I thought I had finally found the girl I had been looking for for so long. But your silence speaks volumes. Obviously, my letters were unnecessary and superfluous to you, just as I was unnecessary to you. Well, in that case, I'm sorry for bothering you with clumsy tenderness. I'm not going to throw a tantrum, because that's not my role, and, after all, I don't really know what the matter is.

It's just a shame that I can't forget you. I fell in like a boy. But this has nothing to do with the letter. Until I get some news from you, I won't write.

I'll leave you to it.

Vasily.»

«...The main thing is that I love Malyusia* and miss her very much. And, besides, I hope she misses me too. Don't you?

Love. Kisses. Yours, Vasily.»

((*It's a play on words. Symonenko's wife's name is Lyusia. In a diminutive form, he calls her Malyusia, which in Ukrainian is comparable to "my Lyusia" or "Little Lyusia."))

«I think about you so much that it makes me angry. I love you and miss you and hug you and kiss you and... and.... and....

Wait for news.

Give my best regards. Your husband Vassily.»

«I missed you, as always, more than you missed me, even though you're silly.

But I'm not going to talk about it, so that you don't turn up your nose. You already have it up*.»

((*Simonenko playfully alludes to Lucy's upturned nose. After all, in Ukrainian the phrase "to turn up one's nose to the sky (to be conceited)" and "to have a snub nose" are similar. And here it's a play on words.))

«And that's a goodbye*.

My little spindly girl, I love you, my one and only little, sweet girl.

Kisses.

Your Vasya.»

((*It may be interesting to someone, but Symonenko used anglicism here. That is, he wrote the English word 'goodbye' in Ukrainian letters - "ґудбай"))

«Lucy! You see how I am trying to please my beloved, and I am writing such a long letter that if it were not for you, I would probably never have done it. I love my little sinner. I miss her so much. I will be there soon. Wait a little longer and I will come home early.

I kiss your little hands with which you cleaned the fish <...>.

Bye, Lucia.

Say hello to family.

Your Simon.»

«I kiss my naughty Malyusia.

I've been writing the fourth letter, and I haven't heard from you. Are you lazy or do you not want to write? Or maybe the gray-haired boy who appeared on the postcards has appeared? I've never believed in superstition, but now I'm starting to be afraid. I missed you terribly. God knows what a bad girl you are, but I can't forget you for an hour. At first, all the girls from afar somehow looked like you. I even suspected that something was wrong with my head.»

«Dear Malyusia, you probably never think about me, because I don't seem to be hiccupping. If this sign is true, then you must consider me your worst enemy. You should be hiccupping from morning to evening, from evening to morning. Because you are always with me, because "blue-blue eyes shine into my soul like the first violets in spring."

I studied your only letter like a diplomatic note. But you probably won't be a statesman. Even though you have everything you need for that. You can speak in riddles, but a statesman must also be able to make promises. And you, my little minister, promise nothing.»

((Everything that follows will be without an attached photo, as unfortunately Tumblr does not allow more than 10 photos per post.))

«I can imagine how happy you are that your cranky husband can spend an extra day in Kyiv. The little tiger, if he could, would not have written you this unnecessary letter today, but would have appeared in person. To be honest, when I left you, I was afraid that I would still be throwing lascivious glances at girls, but I was afraid in vain. Now you are the only one who exists for me. That's right. Do you understand, stripy? If you don't like it, then complain to the police.»

«I bow to my little mistress! I kiss you from the first line, because I can't wait to the last one. I am staying temporarily at Yurka's for two days; tomorrow I will go to the dormitory.»

«Lucia!

I'm writing because if I talk, I'm bound to get confused and say something stupid. And then you don't like my habit of showing off my gnarly teeth.

I want to tell you this: I would be the last person to think of deceiving you. I drowned in your blue eyes. If another girl had dared to think of me the way you did, I assure you that at best I would never have spoken to her even about the weather. But I wasn't even really offended by you, because no one else has ever bothered me like that, because there is not a minute that goes by when I don't think about you, and there is not a night that I don't dream about you. You may not believe it, but I may die on this word if I write a lie.»

[stxrmnight]

You're Gonna have a Bad Time

Boy, Garlemald looks cold and I've experienced -20 C

Though she knew not relaying her identity would be concealing enough, Nemi elected to wear a mask like protective gear for her eyes. Extra precaution wouldn't hurt right?

I think I failed this two times

"...? He's dead?"

"Wow, they taught their kids to kill themselves. I'm glad to not be related to this shithole. Alisaie, Alphinaud, don't take this too far. This is an atrocity of their own making."

Really, she felt nothing... and that was probably what was saddest about it. It was an inevitability from the profound hatred Emet as Soluz folstered rather than give a whole nation a real way forward. The pig was fat enough for the slaughter by the string on its taut ribcage.

Is this the start of her paternal trends?

THIS WITH THE ENSHROUD ON?!!

Oh and for the note, she channeled this every step and almost giggling cause who said she agreed to keep silent :)

Of course not to a dangerous degree but definitely indulging in beinh nonchalant

...what was this about again? At least making a Dark Knight reference was delightful. I guess she could weaponize niceness as well specially with how obnoxiously bright like the sun she is when talking. Everyone malds because oh why is this foreigner so pleasant in voice and sweetness when she wants to be

GIRL... WE HAVE THE SAME FUCKING EARS WHAT ARE YOU ON

LMAO

I still think we were being too polite overall hehe

Damn even your playgrounds looked like shit. Why not conscript some interior designers to fix your park at least. are you like british and spices

I'm sorry Alisaie she'll take every opportunity to be silly

God Lucia I'm so sorry. Seeing your birthplace self destruct itself must be so disheartening

This is right after coming back to camp right? I think Nemi might have felt joyous enough to give him a hug for this. Bard boys always the best

Everyone is so sweet... Nemi truly thought that even with the communal hurdles, at least everyone could be safer and hale and the worst could be avoided

Despite all her flippant behavior... Nemi did go and fetch every call for help, not to prove anything but just to get more survivors safe. She didn't say anything if no one was grateful at base and just gestured sarcastically like, "would you prefer to find them frozen?"

Oh, Nemi thinks it's cowardice. All alive will be left to question and answer for their crimes, and it did nothing but distress everyone who believed in him. I don't recall what the second line is for, but it fits for burying behind such lines of thinking.

God they really just gave us lesbian Sadu. There is no other explanation for this

Why did the devs not give him a coat :(

Oh she had to forget about Fandaniel being a true tormenter. In from the Cold goes from bad to worse in my canon and the trauma does linger affecting Nemi personally. It shall be a separate post...

After all that traumatic experience happened, it would be Fray who is actually controlling her body while she mentally rests. To the Scions they don't pretend, but to others they answer just as Nemi would. She really agonized on what could have been different for Zenos to not develop his obsession, which made him give Fandaniel the resources and name power to carry out this violence.

Just why did she have to be tracked in her mind and been so, thoroughly invaded and used against herself? With what had happened to her as a teen, her body felt like a trap.

She didn't wake up until Fray stepped foot on the moon...

[galaxae]

HIIII could you do the ship questionnaire for my bestest friends sebastian and tariq specifically the love section :3

you are so fucking epic thank you for asking. it's been a while since i've done anything for those two but rest assured they are on the brain

ship questionnaire can be found here (pls send me asks! or dont! my oc ships are charity/ace, sebastian/tariq, and uhh lucia/v but those two are not as well developed as the first two ships)

Who said “I love you” first?

tariq did! it was on sebastian's birthday, december 28, the first birthday for either of them since they started dating about 3 months prior. sebastian invited him over to his house for it. he usually had huge birthday bashes, and he was going to the next day, but for his actual birthday he just wanted a nice dinner with his bf and brothers. as tariq was leaving after the dinner (which was a bit awkward, but very sweet regardless), he hugged and kissed sebastian and said "i love you". sebastian was silent for a moment and then said it back :) and then tariq went home and had a panic attack about saying it, lmao

What are their primary love languages?

tariq likes gift giving and he likes receiving words of affirmation. physical touch is also very nice half the time, and the other half the time he'd rather die. sebastian likes giving words of affirmation as a more shallow and performative expression of love, but when he really falls for tariq, he does his true expression of love which is quality time. he's also a physical touch enjoyer

Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

sebastian uses cheesy pickup lines at first, which flatters and charms tariq "the only people who've ever complimented me are my parents, and one of those parents is dead" al-amin so much. once tariq gains enough confidence, that flips. and oh boy, sebastian can dish it out, but he really can't take it. he is rendered speechless by tariq's attempts at pickup lines, even if they're really bad or awkwardly delivered, seb just loves it

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

not very often at all. tariq is way too socially anxious to agree to pda, and sebastian wants to keep their relationship under wraps as much as he can so the media doesn't get all weird (seb is a celebrity, whoops)

Who initiates kisses?

sebastian does at first. but like with the pickup lines, tariq eventually gains some confidence and is the one to initiate more often instead

Who’s the big and little spoon?

tariq is the little spoon 100%, and sebastian is the big spoon 100%, it works out

What are their favorite things to do together?

honestly? just kinda hang out and chat. the beginning of their relationship involves a lot of Dates(TM), to fancy restaurants, cafes, the movie theater, etc. but they soon calm down a little as their relationship becomes less performative on both ends. they sit in the same room while tariq does his coursework and sebastian trains, and they'll play video games or listen to music together too. just the simple things.

Who’s better at comforting the other?

sebastian is better at that. he's got such a good charisma stat. tariq has like -2 charisma BUT he soon learns that just being a gentle, quiet, calming presence that doesn't expect a performance will be super comforting to seb, so tariq's not half bad at that either

Who’s more protective?

they have a goddamn competition going or something to see who can be more protective. sebastian is like, i'm gonna track down beat up that one girl who pranked you in 7th grade, and also i'm gonna make sure this relationship stays as secret as possible because i don't want you to suffer from fame, and if someone tries to question why you're next to me i will use my ice powers to freeze their mouth shut. and tariq is like, i will straightup break my whole body to go help if you seem even a little in danger, i don't care if i'm useless in a fight, i'm gonna beat up the supervillain that hurt you and murdered one of your brothers and no you can't stop me. fuck you. their mutual friends are so tired of their bullshit.

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

mostly physical, in many forms. unless tariq is having a bad sensory day, or bad symptoms from his chronic illness, in which case verbal affection is the way to go

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

idk many, but i know um, it's kind of a lot by will wood honestly reflects both of their perspectives, they're both afraid of losing each other for many many reasons. particularly sebastian, he's not used to genuinely falling in love with the guys he asks out

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

tariq calls sebastian "habibi", and eventually he takes to calling him "sebby" too, a nickname usually only reserved for sebastian's brothers. sebastian calls tariq things like "babe" or "baby" at first, but as they get closer, he starts calling tariq "my songbird".

Who remembers the little things?

they both do, but tariq especially, he has a keen eye for details and a sharp memory when it comes to things he's actually interested in (i.e. his boyfriend), so he remembers and points out those things all the time. sebastian notices the little things too, but he's unused to being this deeply in love, and he struggles to articulate those little things that he notices -- he can't fall back on his rehearsed, more generic compliments, and this causes discomfort, so he doesn't really say or do anything about those details

gawd this was fun i miss these two :3 thank you again!!

[danicadenniss]

Totally Spies 2024: Alexandria Elisa Laurent-Casoy

Fullname: Alexandria Elisa Casoy

Aliases/Nicknames: Alexia, Alexis, Alex, Mean Girl/Girly Sister by Mandy, her younger twin sister Caitlin and her friends, Sweetie Bell by her mother Aimee, Pretty Tall by her father Cameron

Dates Of Birth: July 22nd, 2010

Age: 14

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: European (part French, part Spanish)

Height: 4'9

Hair Color: Light Auburn

Eyes Color: Ocean Blue

Skin Color: Peach (Freckled Complexion)

Sexuality: Autistic Pansexual

Religion: Christian

Home: Beverly Hills, California (Born in Nice, France)

Hobbies: Studying English, French and Spanish, Taking care of animals, Practicing Soccer and Cheer Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Studying Biology with her best friend Sammie, Doing some exercises at P.E with Clover, Stopping her Caitlin and the other mean girls included Mandy for hurting her best friend Sammie, ruling her and her older brother Allen's lives, Going to Church every Sunday, Studying Medical Science, Spending Time with Family and Friends

Favorite Color: Light Pink, Golden Yellow, Pale Blue

Family Members: Cameron Casoy (father/papà), Aimee Laurent-Casoy (mother/mère), Alexander Diego Casoy (older brother), Caitlin Kelly Laurent-Casoy (younger twin sister), Oniky (pet pig), Elena Casoy (paternal aunt/tia), Miguel Casoy (paternal grandfather/abuelo), Cassandra Casoy (paternal grandmother/abuela), Lucia Casoy (paternal great grandmother/bisabuela), Carlos Casoy+ (paternal great grandfather/bisabuelo), Casoy Ancestors+, Charles Louis Laurent II (maternal grandfather/grand père), Anna Laurent (maternal grandmother/grand mère), Charles Louis Laurent III (maternal uncle/oncle) Charles Louis Laurent I (maternal great grandfather/arrière grand père) Françoise Laurent+ (maternal great grandmother/arrière grand mère), Claire Laurent+ (Ancestors)

Role in the team: The Animals Lover

Friends: Samantha Nyad Simpsons (best friend), Kairi Yue Ewing, Britney Diana Smith-Lewis, Dean Ace LaBride, David Santiago Rodriguez, Louise Sarah Wallace

Rivals: Candace Margaret Sweet (arch rival), Amanda Erica Luxembourg, Isabella Luz Dominique, Marvin Robert Luxembourg

Love Insterests: Blaine Hiro Chen

Fashion Choices: Cute, Elegant and Elegant Clothes

Favorite Movies/TV Shows: My Tiny Horsey

Favorite Music: Christian Pop, French Pop, Latin Pop

Favorite Foods: French Cuisine, Spanish Cuisine

Favorite part of being a spy: To save and help people, her family, her friends and animals including Oniky

My version of Alexandra is different from the original. The original Alexandra is a mixed between a tomboy and a girly girl, She is a shy girly girl.

For the design I turned her into a beautiful, peach-skinned, freckled complexion, lean figure Southern and Western European teenage girl with long straight/wavy light auburn hair with sides swept bangs kept in a braided ponytail, spot narrow light ginger eyebrows, thin long eyelashes, ocean blue eyes, rosy cheeks, thin lips, her makeup consists of golden yellow eyeshadows rose gold blush on her cheeks and light pink lipstick on her lips and wearing cute, comfortable and elegant girly clothes including dresses, blouses, tops, pants, shorts, mini leggings, skirts, flats, comfortable shoes, jewelry accessories instead of sporty clothes including hoodies, sweat shirts, sweat pants and sneakers.

Alexia is a kind girl in Beverly Hills High School. She is a girly girl, she practiced a bit of sports including soccer, cheer and pep, and dance, she is an animal lover and she taking care of animals including her pet pig, Oniky. She studied biology with her best friend Sammie and she practiced cheer with Clover, the girls and boys waved at her nicely, she dislike her younger twin sister Caitlin for not being girly, she and her friends including Mandy who bullying her and her classmates included her best friend Sammie and ruined her her brother Allen's lives by skipping school and classes, cheating everybody's papers and other mean things including her mean and rude behavior, she wearing short sleeves golden yellow catsuit, fingerless gloves and combat boots, she interested in Medical Science.

Alexia was to work W.O.O.H.P because she resuce a newborn piglet from scary cannibalism butchers, when she was in Knotty's Dairy Farm, she was 5 years old, her Cameron, Jeri and the agents of W.O.O.H.P arrested them for cannibalism, as he comforted her and she named her Oniky.

Alexia's family was born between in Spain and France and moved to USA, when she was a year old baby and she had Autism. She lived with her parents and her siblings, her father Cameron Casoy is a scientist who worked for W.O.O.H.P, her mother Aimee Laurent-Casoy is a fashion designer who at Faith's Spear, her older brother Alexander Diego Laurent-Casoy who is a college student at the University of California Los Angeles and Art, he is a good artist and smart like Clover and Sammie. She studied to be a physical therapist until she graduated from Beverly Hills High School and attended to the University of California, Berkeley for the next four years.

Totally Spies c Zodiak Kids & Family Studio

Characters design and art c D.D's art

[merrock]

CHARACTER INFORMATION

face claim: Gina Torres

full name: Aleja Alverez

nickname(s) / goes by: Aleja

pronouns & gender: she/her, cis woman

sexuality: heterosexual

birth date: November 3rd, 1969

birth place: Baltimore, Maryalnd

arrival to merrock: 2001

housing: the coast/pier

occupation: marine biologist

work place: Aquatic Conservatory

family: daughter, Lucia

relationship status: single

PERSONALITY

Aleja is the kind of woman who believes that if she works hard, she can have it all. She’s blunt but always sweet and earnest in all that she does. She’s always been the type of person with strong maternal instincts and even outside of raising her daughter, puts a lot of emphasis on helping others and mentorship. Aleja as at the age in her life where while she’s very career driven and motivated, she’s starting to slow down and take the time to enjoy the finer things in life (like nice red wine and designer shoes). You don’t want to cross her, though, because she can take you down in just a few words.

WRITTEN BY: Lindsey (they/she), est.

BACKGROUND/BIO

It’s not that Aleja doesn’t fondly remember her childhood, it’s just that if you asked her to describe her early life, she’d start with her first trip in the early 80s to the newly opened national aquarium with her parents and three older siblings. The first time she saw so much marine life up close, she immediately fell in love with Marine Biology as an area of study. While she was into normal preteen and teenage things like boys and clothes and music, she also was already fostering a deep love of the field and doing whatever she could to prepare herself to be successful in the field. Her parents did find it a slight improvement over her initial dream to be a rock star without any known musical talent, but they’d have believed their youngest girl could be successful in anything she put her mind to.

When she left for college in the hopes of pursuing her dream job, even she had wondered if maybe she’d fall in love with something else. It was a singular obsession for Aleja after all. But she graduated and was even more determined to pursue the field, taking a few years to focus on research and her masters degree, leaving a few broken hearts in her wake. She loved the opportunity to travel and get to encounter so many of the species around the world- and she quickly learned she was not only dedicated to studying animals to understand them, but to promote their health, well being, and the conservation of the world’s oceans.

When Merrock’s conservatory offered her a position, she didn’t hesitate to pack up so she could focus on work (and work on her PhD.) It was only after she settled in with the job that she realized she’d neglected building a life outside of her career. Sure, she had friends and parents and family that she loved dearly, but she hadn’t really worked at building a life for herself doing anything but working. She knew at that time that she was ready to be a mother and with the help of a donor, gave birth to her daughter Lucia. This was a commitment to raising a better future not just for the oceans, but the world at large, and to staying relatively landlocked in her work. (And yes, she still got that PhD, so it’s Dr. Alverez to you.)

In the years since, she’s focused her work heavily on studying the basking sharks that make their home off the coast of Maine, appreciating the gentle nature of the fish, and wondering how species like this can show the promise of humans to coexist with their aquatic friends. She moved from her rented apartment downtown to a cottage on the water and, recently, gained some privacy from moving her daughter into the adjoining boathouse (at least until she packs up and moves to college.)

[daphnemontagu]

“I often find the best artists are the ones with less classical training,” Daphne offered with a gentle smile, “As you said, sometimes it can take what is raw and passionate and turn it into something more regimented. It’s not always for the best.” She wanted to lift her shoulders in a shrug, but she didn’t dare jostle her and ruin what she was creating.

Daphne listened to Lucia talk circles around herself, finding herself feeling a sense of fondness for the girl. It was sweet, and she sorted of reminded her of herself in that respect, when Daphne had been far younger, and human. Except in her time period, women were encouraged to sit quietly and look pretty. They weren’t meant for ambition or opinions. Daphne was glad that that had changed for Lucia. “You sound like you have a very supportive family. You should start charging your friends, though,” she joked, laughing softly.

“It’s nice. It’s good to have personality in your space when you’re here so often.” She agreed. “It’s looking great, thank you.” Daphne smiled, having not noticed any additional movement. “Did you grow up in the city?” Daphne asked, happy to continue chatting until it was done.

Daphne smiled as she listened, watching Lucia work the slivers of gold between the blue birds feathers and brighten its main body of colour until the powder blue stood prominently against Daphne’s snowy skin. When it came to the supernatural community, you could never be sure how old the person was in front of you, but it seemed from Lucia’s words that she really was as young as she looked. It didn’t phase Daphne that she way young in years, she had known many young minds in her time, who’s talent and strength far superseded their elders. “How did you know this was what you wanted to do?” Daphne asked curiously. “Did you go to art school?” She asked, although often she had found the best treasures were people that were hidden away. “I used to dabble in a little art, a long time ago. Though mine were mainly oil paintings.” She gave a faint laugh, almost shy, knowing it showed her age.

“I think if the talent is there, it doesn’t matter how young you are.” Daphne told her warmly, “Being young gives you an imagination that others may not have.” The vampiress smiled, “And you’re obviously doing well for yourself here.” Daphne lifted her eyes to take in the tattoo parlour again, her light blue gaze skimming the lit candles and the decorated walls.