#my bestie told me to draw this and she was so real for that

[unrealmuppet]

SMALL

[puttersmile]

What did you guys look like as kids?

Bobby: I do have pictures! Though, don't ask how I got them. It's strange. Hmm okay lets see...here we go! Here are some pictures of my bestie, Craftycorn! She was a great artist even way back then! I think she has a real gift.

Picky is a lot cleaner than this, but I guess rolling in mud is kind of a...pig thing? Shh! That's not offensive is it?

Bubba and Dogday really love the outdoors, I think they are in a race to collect every type of bug that exists on the island. I don't know who is in the lead right now but it has been going on for a while now.

This is a friend I haven't seen him in a while, but I think his name is Paige. Last I did see him, he has a really nice singing voice. But he has a knack for getting into trouble.

Laughs

Kickin is always making me laugh. Um. But I don't think he is trying to sometimes.

Its a bit weird that I don't have any photos of Catnap. Then again its a bit weird that I have any of these photos. Ahem

But look! Here's Hoppy!

Hoppy told me once that when she was born, she wasn't very healthy and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. But then her parents took her to a specialist and just like that she was zooming around like a race car! Hah! They had to put a collar on her because they kept loosing her!

Those are all of the baby photos I have. I'm not trying to collect more or any...thing. Hey what's this one?

What was that? Was that...Dogday? Was he? Why was he...?

It's gone now. I don't know what that was. I hope. I hope I don't see it again.

---

A/N: In the Kickin picture he is being called Ken. That's because I'm tentatively setting this ask blog in my tentatively created AU where the smiling critters have more regular names. So their canon names are more like nicknames between themselves.

A/N 2: You might also notice the incredibly questionable things I did with Crafty's front hoof/hands. I draw Crafty and Bubba with hands. But due to how I headcanon really lil critters, I admit it looks weird to see that with her walking around on all fours. Just...imagine she is part Eohippus or something.

A/N 3: Can anyone guess who Paige is a reference to?

[whitebookposts]

*skitters towards your ask box autistically* do you have any teth headcanons :3

OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED ITS BEEN A FEW WEEKS AND I STILL HAVEN'T ANSWERED THIS. I AM SO SORRY I LIVE IN SHAME EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Anyway, Teth! Our deeply beloved forest cryptid. I have to be honest, I don't have as many headcanons about her as I do about some of my other fave elders, which is a thing I should work to change because Teth is awesome. But here are some I do have for now:

CAAAAT I think my good buddy @krillking has already spoken about Teth having cat traits in his animal elder post, but yeah. While in my headcanons, the animal traits are less defined, Teth still very much has cat behavior, like her irises widening or narrowing like a cat's, and she likes to sleep in the sun (which is trouble because. Forest is 90 percent clouds and rain. Thankfully she has the yard behind her temple and the sunny forest segment, though due to the whole thing happening in the kingdom, she could visit those comfort places less and less :<) and most importantly - purring. Which she is a bit shy about, so she rarely does it. If you get to catch her purr, it means that she trusts you enough to do it next to you, though she will still be embarrassed if you mention it out loud. (Also do not leave her anywhere near fancy furniture she will try to rip it with her claws. Yes, lamed learned it the hard way.)

TRANSGENDAAAAAAAAA Idk how to explain it but Teth is just so transfem coded. Goes by both she\her and they\them. It just makes so much sense that I don't even need any proof to know that, she has told me this herself. Gotta give @dogedepan for this one though since I stole this idea from her (like many others. Can't help it Chi your headcanons are awesome)

BEEFCAKE Let's be real, TGC is a bunch of cowards for making her slim. How can you look at this woman, who is a blacksmith, and can catch a giant flying hammer with one arm like it's no big deal, and not think that they have some impressive muscle? If you draw Teth buff I am forever in your debt. PLEASE I WANT TO SEE MORE BUFF TETH ART PLEA-

BESTIE Teth and Ayin are literally fated besties, be they platonic or romantic. Even in early concept art, Ayin was described as "Teth's friend" and held the key to her realm, just showing the level of trust between them. Their realms also work with each other really well, with Ayin being the main supply for Teth's factories which is what allowed her realm to grow. I like to think of them being childhood best friends, and that they have been by each other's side through the good and the bad. Remember that headcanon about Teth enjoying sleeping in sunny places? Prairie is perfect for that, and if she decides to take a nap while visiting it is no rarity for her to choose Ayin as a bed for that (soft). I don't really see em as romantic because I already ship Teth with someone else, but as an aromantic person, it's important for me to show intimacy like that even between friendships. Ayin is always there to lend an ear to Teth, being there for her through her worst, and Teth is Ayin's "EXCUSE ME THEY ASKED FOR NO PICKLES". Although, if we go to the sadder territory, their friendship did suffer a falling out during the turbulent era of the kingdom, with Teth closing off from everyone, including Ayin, too caught in her work and darkstone production to meet the ever-growing demands, and that led to Ayin also drowning in work to keep up the light supply. That is not to mention the different world views about light creatures and how worthy they are of preservation.

CRYBABY I just like to think that despite appearing cold and serious, Teth is a very gentle soul underneath the hard facade she forced herself to create due to her position. But if you get to know her you will find a very soft, shy, and caring heart that makes it easy for her eyes to water, be it a happy or sad occasion, even if she is trying to hide it. She is also a pretty big introvert and starts getting nervous during events with big crowds, esp if they have to do a speech as an elder or something. This gentleness and softness hidden behind a cold surface is one of the things that attracted Priestess to her, which leads me to the next point:

LESBIANNNNNN You may know this already but I'm a big PriesTeth truther, which is the ship between Priestess (the original elder of the Valley from concept art, never made it to the final game but there is a pretty popular fanon that she is the mother of the twins) and Teth. Again, I was enlightened about this ship thanks to @dogedepan she is literally the CEO of this ship god bless. I know it's a bit silly to ship her with an elder who never even made it to canon, but I fell in love with the dynamic of the "serious and cold at first glance but soft and gentle on the inside x extroverted, energetic and mischievous but deeply caring and kind" that exists between them. Priestess was Teth's firework, the bright and colorful in the grey and cold of her life. Never had the elder of the Forest loved someone like she did this bright, giggly, and open girl who managed to always make Teth smile. And it hurt all the more when Priestess was lost. After the death of her partner, Teth closed off completely, lost in her work, just to not feel the pain because the grief was overwhelming. She couldn't make herself go to her backyard anymore, because it was the connection between Valley and her forest and where the two met most of the time, being there was just too painful. Some ancestors say that the rain became much more frequent after this loss.

Milf As I ship priesteth, I also headcanon that Teth is the other parent of Sah and Mekh. Unfortunately, their relationship is very rocky. Priestess died when the two were very young, and due to Teth being too lost in her grief, she simply couldn't care for them, causing the two to be raised by other elders (mainly Tsadi, who is their uncle) and kicked around from temple to temple until they were old enough to live on their own. This caused feelings of betrayal and neglect in the two, and it came to the point that they rarely acknowledged Teth as their other parent anymore. And she feels too guilty before them to try and get them back because she believes she deserves this for her mistakes. But perhaps not everything is lost, and some of this relationship can be salvaged if she finally gets brave enough to reach out.

WORSTIE She and Tsadi have a beef. That's it that's the headcanon. It's not anything serious, it's literally a "cat and dog" type of beef, the two can't even tell when it started, it's just that both will use any opportunity to roast each other. Why do I have this headcanon? Because it's funny.

INSANE SITUATIONSHIP Let's just say that the situationship between Teth and Nesting guide still left the latter one staring at her pictures every day for hours.

Hobbies Other than being a blacksmith, Teth enjoys all types of crafts, like sculpting from clay or woodworking. Girlie doesn't need any IKEA, she can make all the furniture herself (I mean, the Nesting guide had to learn this from someone)

Anddddd.... That's all for now! There's probably more headcanons but I can't remember them all rn. I hope these were written good enough and sorry for any grammar mistakes! AND SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT SO LONG I PROMISE I DIDN'T IGNORE YOU DJHGDJGDJ Teth is best forest mama, and I really should put more thought into her, thank you for sending me this ask so i can brainstorm about this gal.

[creedslove]

DESERVE IT - PART THIRTEEN

Javier Peña x f!reader

Summary: some insight on your relationship with Javi, where everything is going perfectly, until his secret with Los Pepes is out

Warnings: fluff, but the like the level of fluff is too much it will probably make you OD on fluff, smut (nipple play, fingering, unprotected p in v, creampie), a little bit of dirty talk, mentions of pregnancy and pregnancy talk, a little bit of angst

A/N: besties... Where do I start? I don't even know, I've been writing this chapter for two days and it's made me feel so many things, I was so emotional and so into it, like i felt i was buried deep in the story because more than once I ended up writing my own name when I was talking about reader lmao, this has happened so many times during this story... Anyway, I'll continue my considerations on my second author's note at the end of this chapter so there won't be any spoilers, I just hope you guys enjoy this huge dose of domestic!Javi as much as I did 🩷

• PART ONE TO TWELVE ON MY MASTERLIST

6.3k words (I got carried away, sorry)

You felt yourself waking up slowly at the same time you tried focusing back into your sleep. You didn't want to wake up just yet, the blankets over your body felt so comfortably warm, the mattress underneath giving you the complete relaxation you craved as you buried your face in the pillow and tried returning to the dream you were having.

You didn't remember much about it, but you did remember you were in a big house, you didn't know where exactly, but at the same time everything seemed familiar.

You walked through the hallways of it, taking in all the details that were so different and yet so known to you, picture frames on the wall, that passed by as a blur though you had the feeling you'd seen them many times.

You followed your instincts, going down the hallway and finding the kitchen, immediately a small little girl rushed to you, hugging you as tight as she could and giggled "mommy!!!!" she squealed happily and pointed at the counter, where Javi was standing, placing the dough inside the small, star-shaped baking pans "daddy and I are making cookies!!!" The little girl you quickly learned was none other than your daughter informed you with the happiest smile on earth.

Javi smiled too, leaving the cookies on the counter and walked to you, kissing your lips gently and caressing your stomach, that much to your surprise was round with a baby bump "we missed you and our big boy too" he told you and held your hand, taking it to his mouth and pecking it as well, just as you could see a wedding band around your finger.

Your heart raced and you thought air was lacking from your lungs when you immediately got up and looked around, rubbing your eyes and looking for any traces of the scenario you were just experiencing.

You gasped as it had been such a real dream, but now that you realized you were finally awake, you could tell the images were already fading. Suddenly, the house didn't seem so familiar anymore, you didn't remember any longer what shape the cookies were, and the little girl's face was nothing but a fog, and god, it hurt because she was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen. Your heart clenched at the realization she was just a product of your memory and you would never see her again. It was so upsetting to realize that and you wished you had the ability to draw, at least you could maybe try to get a picture of her pretty face. You were clueless to why that particular dream made such an impact on you, distractedly thinking of it as you jumped startled when you felt a hand brushing against your hair.

"You okay cariño?" Javi asked you, staring into your eyes as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched as you looked at him with the confused fog of sleep. You then nodded, smiling gently at him

"Yeah, I just had a weird dream, that's all…" you bit your lips and ran your hand through your messy hair before wrapping your arms around him and hugging him tight. You took a deep breath, inhaling Javi's post shaving cream's scent and closing your eyes at how warm he was against you. It always soothed you to have him so close to you.

Javi on the other hand didn't actually get why you were clinging so tight to him, you were whimpering in your sleep and he worried you were having nightmares about him. He knew how much you've been worrying about him and his connection with Los Pepes now that Pablo's situation was getting unbearable and he felt both guilty and concerned that he was putting you under unnecessary stress.

"It's okay princesa, I'm here… your breakfast is ready" he whispered to you and kissed your neck gently. He smiled at you, loving your sleepy face and cupping your cheek, you laughed softly

"You know what? I was just having a dream about a very domestic Javier Peña and now I wake up to you making me breakfast?" You raised your eyebrow and got off bed, stretching your body and not bothering getting dressed at all.

The way you moved your naked body caught Javier's attention immediately and whatever thought he might have had in his mind just disappeared and everything went blank. He didn't have any other reaction but get up and follow you, his hand on your hips as he tried pulling you to him,

"Don't be a bitch, mi amor, I always make you breakfast" he purred, kissing your shoulder but groaned as you got into the bathroom and locked the door. He sighed and went back to the kitchen table, knowing you would only return after your shower and much to his disappointment, fully clothed.

He poured himself a cup of coffee as he thought of the morning routine the two of you established. You had been officially dating for a little over a month now, after nearly a year of playing a cat and mouse game and Javi would be lying if he said that was the happiest he'd ever been. He just loved to have someone to come back home to, someone he could actually talk to, be affectionate with, someone who understood him and didn't demand things he couldn't give. It was different this time, all the times he'd been in a relationship he was often frustrated, or uncomfortable or feeling suffocated, but now? Javier Peña was a house cat who loved waking up early to make his girlfriend pancakes even if he pretended the pancakes were for him.

He just loved waking up to you all tangled around him, your smell on his sheets, his pillows, your hair all over his face, he didn't care. He liked waking up next to you, he liked seeing you smile at your breakfast plate ready for you, he liked how great you smelled after coming out of your shower, if there was something he didn't like, however, was how you teased him every single morning by leaving bed naked and walking past him, knowing how much he wanted to touch you, but then, you would leave your morning shower and sit right on his lap, and that could lead to many other things.

Even if the two of you would arrive late at work almost on a daily basis, it was still worthy. You hadn't actually announced your relationship to anyone, but people figured it out eventually, the first ones being obviously Connie and Murphy, and you actually liked it, especially after you and Connie started hanging out more when the boys were out at work, and that led the four of you to some double date nights, and it was nice. You liked that coziness of the situation, how the four of you could act like friends and forget about work while sharing a nice meal and some drinks.

And of course, that bitch you called Colleen walked on you and Javi making out during your lunch break and made it public to everyone else. At that point, Pablo Escobar himself probably knew you were banging each other.

What he didn't know - and no one, really did it - was that you and Javi weren't just banging. You were dating, for real, because you two were in love, you were in love for real but it was actually best no one cared for these details, it was none of their business at all, it was the part of your relationship that was only about you and Javi and you two were happy like that.

You finally exited the bathroom, only one of Javi's work shirts over your body. You loved how he eye fucked you whenever you wore any of his clothes.

You pretended you hadn't noticed it and walked to him, ignoring your own chair and sat on his lap

"Buenos días, agent Peña" you said and watched his frown. He wasn't agent Peña to you, he was Javi, your Javi. You pecked his lips and quickly sat straight, pulling your plate of pancakes and dug into it with a big bite.

Javi wasn't a great cook, in fact, he was terrible, but there was something about his morning pancakes you just loved. Nothing tasted better to you than them, just to think he made them for you, it was enough to make you drool for it.

His arms wrapped around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder as he sighed "do we really have to go to Murphy's tonight?" He mumbled and nuzzled your neck, making you squirm softly at the sudden shiver

"Yes Javi, I already told Connie we're going, besides, it's lasagna night and you know no one makes that better than I do…" you said and tilted your head to the side, so he could have better access to your neck.

You closed your eyes as his mustache tickled your skin, before his lips got closer and you whimper. Your hand went for the side of his head, fingers tangling into his hair as you pressed him against you a little more.

"Why? You don't wanna go?" You asked feeling suddenly so bothered to be still and moved your hips unconsciously. You felt him shrug against you

"I just wanted to stay with you tonight… but fine" he said in a low voice and then frowned "I can't fucking believe you took the shirt I was going to wear to work today! I gotta see Messina" he said though he felt a pit of guilt at that last part. It was a lie, he wasn't seeing Messina, he was going to see Judy, the head of Los Pepes, but he often hid that from you. He knew it made you anxious and worried, and he didn't want to ruin another day for you. Besides, he was sure nothing bad would happen, he would go over her place, listen to that bitch's claims and return to the office as if nothing had happened.

You chuckled and shrugged "well, your shirt was lying there, and you are shirtless now… I figured if you wanted to wear it, you should have claimed it first" you laughed.

His mind snapped back from the concern about his later meeting and smirked, you were such a little tease.

"Ay princesa, eres tan dulce…" he said as his hands went up and unbuttoned the shirt, one by one, opening them slowly and letting your breasts spill out of it "... Pero también eres mi puta" he whispered against your skin and quickly massaged your breasts. His fingers toyed with your nipples, pinching them gently as his big hand ran it's way down your stomach, obviously finding you completely bare.

"Fuck, Y/N… you didn't even bother putting on clothes… are you trying to kill me? Or is it just your way to beg me to fuck you, cariño? Uh? You like to be such a filthy slut for me, don't you? You like when people call you Javi's puta, don't you?" He whispered into your ear while you only whimpered.

His right hand found your warmth between your legs, cupping it softly, feeling as you parted your legs with no resistance so he could touch you. His left hand ran up again, wrapping around your neck, holding you in a firm grip

"Come on, use your words, I asked you a question.."

"Yes…" you whimpered.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I like when people call me your puta, Javi…"

He only groaned into your ear, at the same time his hand sank deeper towards your core, being welcomed by your slippery slit, always so sinfully wet for him. Javi's long fingers parted your lips, the wetness already coating their tips as he moved them up and down, finding your clit and applying pressure to it. He could feel how your ass rubbed against his crotch, his shirt being barely able to cover it for you. His rough jeans burning softly, in a tempting torture, your body responding to his immediately, his touches always descending you to madness at how well he knew you, how well he could manipulate your pleasure. There was never a lover like Javier in your life, and there would be another one. Good thing you didn't plan on leaving him, because if you ever did, you knew you were doomed.

You threw your head back at the same time his fingers went further into your pussy hole, you gushed over his hand, feeling the pleasure build up, he could play you like a fucking doll, no wonder he called you muñequita, you were completely his to be played with and you loved it.

He removed his fingers off you, the disappointed whimper that came out of your lips was a lot louder than you intended, which made him chuckle.

His left hand went for your chin, holding it in place as you obediently opened your mouth to welcome his coated fingers. You sucked on them, licking them clean and watched as Javi finished unbuttoning the shirt, finally revealing your entire naked body "here's what we're gonna do, cariño, you'll be a good girl for me, got it? You'll lift your hips and you'll sit down on me nice and slowly, eating your breakfast while I'm shoved balls deep inside of you, got it amor? You know you can do it, mariposa…" he teased, helping you lift yourself up, waiting as Javi opened his jeans and freed his hard cock. Then, he helped you lower yourself on him, moaning at how your slippery walls clenched around his girth. You, on the other hand, called his name, every time he got inside of you, felt like the first time. You were so drunk in his cock, but it was more than that, you were drunk in love and you couldn't even hide.

You tried moving your hips, but his hands held you in place, not allowing you to make any moves. He meant it when he said you would have your breakfast while he was buried deep inside of you, however, you couldn't bring yourself to actually eat anything, not when you had that aching need of being touched, of bouncing up and down onto his cock, it was too much for you. You asked Javier for mercy, tried to explain how much you needed him, and though he tried not showing how his cock twitched each time you purposely clenched your cunt around him, he wanted you to be a good little puta for him.

Javi handed you some fruit he kept on the table though they were never eaten in the morning, but it didn't matter. He got some grapes, taking one to your mouth, your clit twitched at the same time he gently rubbed it against your lips, before finally allowing you to chew on the sweet grape. Repeating the steps with the remaining others he had in hands.

And only when you were finished with them, Javi's palms went for your hips, gripping them and helping you to move. Now, he was tired of waiting, he was twitching inside of you and he helped you up and down faster and faster, only stopping when you had come for him and he finally spilled his thick load deep inside of you.

You relaxed your back against his chest, feeling tired but happy, also very thankful to remember it was your day off. You had plans of maybe cleaning up the apartment a little bit, as you often spent more time at his place than yours, but after he rocked your little world during the most important meal of the day, you figured it wouldn't hurt to maybe go back to bed and take a quick nap. You just wished you could drag him back with you, you hated to have to say goodbye in the morning like that. Not when you wanted to rest your body against your boyfriend's and fall asleep in his arms.

"You're amazing, princesa" Javi praised you and once more sank his face into the crook of your neck. You still had him inside of you, though you could feel him softening. Javier inhaled your scent again, he never got enough of how good you smelled and if it were up to him, he would spend the rest of his day… no, the rest of his days like that.

And after that feverish, erotic need for each other, he was back to being your sweet Javi. This was another thing you loved about your relationship: the hunger you had for each other wasn't just sexual, though it represented a big part of it, the hunger you felt was physical, emotional and sentimental.

You smiled and turned your head to him, kissing his lips, your heart was nothing but a puddle of love at that moment.

Javi's hands went for your shoulders, sliding down the shirt off your body and helping you get up. As much as he hated it, it was time to go to work, so he had to face his morning torture, which was leave the safehouse you had built together and go outside and face reality. It just didn't feel worse because he knew that at the end of the day, you would be there, waiting for him.

You went to the bedroom and returned fully dressed, this time wearing your own clothes and smiled as he put on the shirt that just a few minutes before was still on your body. Javi could even pretend to be impatient about you stealing his clothes, but the moment he put his shirt on and saw it smelled just like you, he smiled. It was one good thing to get him through the day.

You walked Javi to the door and kissed his lips goodbye, reminding him you loved him and couldn't wait until he was safely back home.

You got under the blankets and sighed happily, thinking of your life and how good things were at that moment. A part of you was still skeptical, not believing things would work out for you and Javi, you sometimes worried he would grow tired of you, maybe he would fall into old habits, the temptation of having to get information from the women he often did, but you immediately shook these thoughts off and reminded yourself that wouldn't happen, because you trusted him, you showed him he was worth of love, he was worth of having a life with, that he was a good man, who deserved a partner to support and love him no matter what, and that man, in return, was at your feet. Connie's words, not yours.

But you felt it, you felt Javi cared about you, you felt he cherished you, he longed for you, you just felt he loved you, and that always made your heart flutter. You were lucky to have each other, no one believed Javier could have a connection with someone like he did with you, maybe, at some point after meeting him, you wouldn't have believed it either, but there you were, being his, just as he was yours.

You took his pillow and sniffed it, loving his to sink deep into his scent and smiled, you thought of the weird dream you had had, recognizing the elements of it, as everyday things you talked about. The place you were was clearly the ranch he lately had been telling you so much about. It was the place he was born and grew up, owned by his dad and some day in the future, it would be his. As far as Javier had told you, his dad didn't have a lot of money, but life was good in the ranch, and after he retired from the DEA, he would be able to provide you in case you didn't want to get a job.

You had jokingly discussed that, like you always did, like the very first time he suggested moving into the ranch and leaving Colombia behind. You sensed there was some truth to his words, but you didn't want to read too much into it, these were huge plans, and you were still pretty recent, even if you were so drunk in love.

He had talked about baby Peña a couple of times too, both times you two ended up laughing, as it was clearly just some amusing daydream, some inside joke that was part of your make-believe future together.

The only time this joke got a little out of hand was about after a month you two made it official and you had to leave your desk several times during the morning to throw up. You just couldn't keep anything inside, and during your lunch break, when you were sat at Javi's desk, sipping some water, looking pale and sweaty, Steve chuckled at the two of you "seems like baby Peña is on its way" he said and made both you and Javier stare at each other in shock and annoyance. You were nearly passing away out of dehydration and he was insinuating you were pregnant. Neither you or Javi said anything, but you could tell the nervousness in his actions. It hadn't even crossed your mind, and probably it hadn't crossed his either, you knew you weren't pregnant, it was just food poisoning, not your first in Colombia and definitely not your last one, but still, it felt like Murphy's comment threw some kind of tension towards the two of you.

That night, after Javi got tired of hearing you throw up to the tenth time, he drove you to the hospital, hating to see you sick. He had to wait by the reception and when you exited the doctor's office with a prescription, he raised his eyebrow.

"So… baby Peña?"

"Baby Peña happens to be last night's fish you insisted on having for lunch" you told him, showing him the prescription to the few meds the doctor recommended you.

The two of you laughed together, deep inside, you knew a baby wasn't exactly a possibility. Well, technically, it was. You were on birth control, but contraception could fail like anything else in the world, but at that moment it just felt like it wasn't a possibility, you two weren't there yet, you hadn't even discussed the possibility of getting there, but it didn't matter anymore, it had just been a misunderstanding.

Javier stared into your eyes for a while, he opened his mouth ready to say something, but he quickly changed his mind. He wanted to have said he would be by your side if you were actually pregnant, he wanted to have told you he would take care of you and your baby, but instead, he just rolled his eyes

"Steve's really a dick"

So that was why your dream puzzled you, even if the baby talk was present in your life, a baby was just a blurry idea, but seeing an actual child, a little girl and feeling her wrapping her little arms around you and calling you mommy, brought a warmth to your heart you just couldn't explain. It felt so honest, so beautiful and so pure. You figured it wouldn't hurt to just dream of it, no one needed to know about it, not even Javi, not now, it wasn't the right time.

You shot your eyes open when you were hit by the sudden realization of where you'd seen the pictures that appeared in your dream. If you remembered correctly, they were scattered on the walls of the hallway you walked through and you knew you had seen them before. They were all pictures of Javier's family. You knew he kept them in a box somewhere in his wardrobe, you'd seen them briefly when he was looking for some extra ammo for his gun but couldn't find exactly where they were. He didn't exactly show you the pictures but he didn't hide them either and a suffocating feeling of curiosity began growing in your chest. What if you got the box and watched the pictures? He wouldn't get upset, would he? Well, for starters, you didn't even need to tell him you went snooping through his stuff.

Sure, they were personal stuff and you would probably be upset if he did the same to you, but it was not like you were trying to find something to frame on him, or steal anything, you wanted to take a look at the pictures and that was all. After all, it was just a weird coincidence they happened to randomly appear in your dream.

You decided to just go for it, it wouldn't be too big of a deal, you would leave everything organized afterwards so if Javi needed to check anything there, he wouldn't even notice.

You got off bed, folding the blankets and leaving everything organized, just like you and your boyfriend liked it.

Boyfriend.

It still made you chuckle at times.

You didn't take much longer to find the box Javi kept his personal things, it was just in the bottom of the wardrobe, under a couple of folded bedspreads Javier had but usually never used. It wasn't a big box, but it was heavy and you would be lying if you said you weren't excited and curious to dig into Javier's memory box. Sitting comfortably on the floor, you crossed your legs and removed the lid, taking a peek inside and saw the many pictures you recognized from your dream.

You carefully took them and watched them, taking your time as you were so entertained by it. There were pictures of his father at his young age, his mom, whom he never spoke a lot about, but when he did, it was always with so much love and admiration. She was truly beautiful and your heart skipped a beat when you saw Javier had taken his mother's eyes.

A picture of them on their wedding day, another one where his dad had his hand around his wife's pregnant bump. And the next picture made you squeal out loud, you gushed and couldn't help but acting like a silly little girl when you saw a picture of baby Javier Peña. It was the original, naked bum, baby Peña! You thought you would die of love at the picture of Javi as a baby, he was so adorable and yes, he's always had the stray puppy's eyes. You were loving each passing second of that activity. You went through all the pictures of Javier's childhood, he was such a cute boy, his hair was a lot lighter back then, and his smile was always bright, funny to think he would become a grumpy DEA agent just a few decades later.

You saw some other pictures of his extended family and another one of his group of friends. You could tell it was his friend group from highschool, mostly because he had his arm wrapped around the waist of a blond beauty. You rolled your eyes at the realization it was Lorraine, probably from the time they still dated. You knew it was kind of stupid, but you still felt a sting of jealousy. You hadn't even met her, and if you did, you would probably sympathize with her, you two had been through very similar things in life and Javier had broken her heart in a horrible way. Even if he had apologized to her, after all the years, it was still a real bad situation. If you ever met her, chances were she would hate him for having Javier and not the other way around. Besides, Javi had left her at the altar, if he ever regretted breaking things up, he could have gone after her, but he didn't, he was with you, he just kept a picture of his friends, it wasn't like he kept a picture of his ex and himself.

You felt a little shy for being jealous for a moment as you put the photographs back in place when your hand accidentally hit a smaller box. You frowned curiously and took it realizing it was a jewelry box. You opened it and found a beautiful ring inside, the one you immediately recognized it as his mother's ring.

You knew he had inherited the ring so one day he would give it to the woman he loved and had plans to spend his life with. No wonder Lorraine got the ring when they got engaged, you remembered when Javi had a few drinks one night and told you between laughter she got so pissed off she refused to return him his mother's ring, and the only reason they managed to recover it was because Chucho had to personally go to her house and have an honest chat with her dad, who then, made her return the ring.

You didn't know Chucho trusted his son with the ring again and you didn't know he had brought it to Colombia.

Then suddenly, a thought occurred to you. Would you ever get his mother's ring?

You didn't know, but it was time you stopped snooping around his things, so you took one last time at the beautiful golden band, adorned with a gorgeou red gem. It was simple, but so heartfelt. You smiled at yourself and placed everything back into place.

•••

"Fuck this, I'm out!" Javier said angrily as he stared at Judy's cynical face. He was done working with those people, they were as bad as Pablo Escobar. They were a cartel, who brought as many problems as Escobar did, just because their power wasn't as extent as their common enemy, they were still criminals. They were a cartel, they produced, sold and profited from drugs, they killed people everyday, good and bad people and they only acted upon Pablo, because they wanted to take his place in the drug cartel chain. When you use a plague to exterminate another one, it doesn't mean they aren't plagues anymore.

Judy on the other hand just laughed as she nodded at her sicario, who immediately grabbed Javier and shoved it against the couch

"I think it's too late for that, what would people say if they knew a DEA agent had an agreement with Los Pepes? Do you think the american press would be pleased?" She asked calmly taking a sip of her drink and watching as Javier stared at her.

"Besides, we know you have a girlfriend, you make a cute couple, I'm sure you as an agent would do whatever it takes you to protect her, wouldn't you? Of course, Los Pepes would never do anything to her, but we can't assure Pablo's sicarios wouldn't… you know what I mean, Mr.Peña?"

Javi went pale at the mention of you, which didn't go unnoticed by Judy who chuckled and shook her head "I'm just joking, agent Peña, you know how family is important to me, and I would never risk anyone who matters to my alleys… as long as they remain my alleys" she said.

Javier understood it perfectly and calmed down, nodding at her as they continued their meeting. He wanted to grab his gun and shoot her in the face, he figured he would be able to take down the men in the room but then, it would only take the men who stood outside maybe thirty second or less before they could burst in and shoot him to death.

It wasn't worthy, he wanted to go home at night, he wanted to go home to you. He wanted to leave that place, go back home, find you and forget about the world, about everything else. He wanted to keep you safe, he wanted to hop on a plane with you, take you to Laredo and initiate his retiring plan, but he couldn't. He was too deep in it and could only hope Judy kept her mouth shut until they captured Escobar and Javi could find something else to do with his life.

He was just worn out, stress pouring through every single pore of his body and he just needed to get home to you, he needed you. Javi knew that was probably not healthy, not once in his life he had such a deep need for a woman, but he wasn't in the mood to fight that off. He groaned as he remembered you would have dinner at Steve's, checking his watch and seeing you were probably there yet, but at least that'd give him time to shower, cool down and try to get Judy and her threats out of his mind.

He walked into his building and distractedly looked for his keys in his jacket pocket. He knew they had to be there, but for whatever reason he was taking long to find them, he didn't see when Steve approached him and only felt when the other agent shoved him against the wall. Javier frowned pissed off and his first reaction was to fight back, even if it was his friend, he didn't hesitate before backhanding Steve just as hard "what the fuck man?" He groaned at the other agent.

"I should be the one asking you, Javi. What the actual fuck? You had a meeting with Judy Moncada?"

Steve saw the way Javi widened his eyes at his words and couldn't help but laugh at how stupid he looked

"You really thought you would be working with Los Pepes and no one would find out? You thought I wouldn't find out?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and waited for Javier to get his key, so they could talk inside.

Steve sat through the whole explanation Javier gave him. It didn't matter if it made sense or if he seemed to be right at some level, he didn't agree with that. They'd been discussing the actions of the death squad through their latest meetings with the CIA and some people insisted the problem was getting bigger and bigger. He could tell Javi was in deep shit, the kind of shit he couldn't just break free, because if Los Pepes didn't try to kill him and that was a long shot, he would certainly face legal actions from the US government.

"What about Y/N? Does she know?" Steve asked and couldn't help but feel disappointed as his partner nodded, confirming the information "I bet she's fucking proud of you, Peña" he groaned, but Javier immediately frowned.

"You can bet your ass she's prouder of me than Connie is of you, at least Y/N doesn't run away when shit gets worse" he spat completely in the defensive and though Murphy's blood boiled, he knew it was a stupid idea to bring the misses into the fight. Both you and Connie were not to blame if both of them were a mess.

"You know, the girls are upstairs now, they're probably laughing as they share a bottle of wine and talking about our dicks or the fact we are both morons…" Steve said "just let's have dinner with them and pretend nothing happened and we deal with that in the morning" Steve sighed and stared at his partner until Javier nodded in agreement.

When you saw Steve entering the apartment alone, you frowned softly "where's Javi?" You tilted your head, curious to know why he wasn't there yet, and not hiding how eager you were to see him.

"He's showering, he should be here soon" he simply said and pecked Connie's lips.

You could tell something was bothering Murphy, but you didn't actually think it was your place to worry about that at all. Instead, you finished assembling the final layers of the lasagna before putting it in the oven.

Another ten minutes passed, before Javi finally walked through the door. He had just got off shower, you could tell by the way his hair was still humid. He glanced at Steve with certain anger, and you were sure something went on between them, bur before you could actually worry about it, Javier's arms immediately snaked around your waist, he placed a kiss to your neck, as you had your back to him, while you washed some dishes in the sink.

"I missed you princesa" he whispered against your ear and made your heart turn into a puddle of love. You had been away from him less than twenty four hours and yet, it felt too long.

You turned around and smiled big, the same smile that made Javier's poor heart skip a beat. Kissing him immediately as you wrapped your arms around his neck. If it were up to you, you would have just ditched dinner and went back to your place, or his place, or even his Jeep, you didn't care, so you could be just the two of you together.

But Olivia's soft tugs on your pants made you break the kiss. You looked down at her and chuckled as she extended her little arms to you so you gladly picked her up, nuzzling her cheek and making her giggle. She looked at Javier curiously and gripped his hand tight.

"See princess? That's uncle Javi!! Do you like him? He's handsome isn't he?" You cooed at her, who gave you both a sweet smile and continued holding his hand with her tiny one.

At that moment, nothing in the world disturbed Javier, no cartels, no violence, no uncertain future in your job due to his poor decisions, because all he could think of when he saw you holding that little princess in your arms, was the only thing he was sure, the only thing he was proud of and the only part of the future he knew it was certain: his future with you and the family you two you build together.

_____

A/N: okay besties, so I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because I honestly loved it! It was one of the chapters it felt like I was under a spell, everything was just flowing and I was so into the story, like my heart was melting and beating so fast just to imagine the scenes, it was like I could watch them before my eyes, I don't know how to explain but it felt special to me. I was also really dying for some domestic javi but i wasn't sure I was going to be able to write it, and then suddenly it all came to me. I just love how in love Javi is with reader, it soothes my heart. I like to see the strong bond they have and i just wish javier peña was real 😭 also, smut wasn't planned for this part at all, but it just felt so right, so erotic and so beautiful I had to add it to the story. I hope you all liked it and pls let me know what you besties think 🩷 💬

[just-an-emily-existing]

Hey pookie, hopefully this can distract you from everything because I can only imagine the feelings you have now 🩷💕

Regarding the ships in your au, how did they realise they had feelings for their partners? And also- what is their favourite thing about their partners?

(Sending lots of (platonic) love and support, even if I’m MILES away from you rn, I’m still always just a message away) 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

I knew you’d come in clutch, tysm for this bestie. I’ll do this for me and Douglas, Oliver and Toad, Rosie and Mavis, and Thomas and Percy. But I will try and go into deeper details on every couple's origin story. Let me know if you want any othe short couple stories. But these'll be short stories lol

Happy Reading!

For me and Douglas, it started when he first saw me. He instantly fell but I didn’t, I just wanted to get on the train to Sodor. But we kept bumping into each other like at the store or just on the street and we became friends, he showed me more of the Little Western and I showed him my drawings. Word quickly got around that Douglas has a crush on the new human girl. It was Donald who ended up snitching and telling me he liked me. I was honoured to be someone's special person. I immediately told Donald to take me to him. Luckily Douglas was taking a break and laying down next to Dilly's pond. I confronted him and asked if he liked me. Of course, he was a blushing and stuttering mess but he eventually spat it out that he liked me. By this time I was really starting to like him too and we agreed to go on a few dates to see if we’d be a good match. After one summer date in July, Douglas accidentally called me his girlfriend, but I didn’t mind, I liked the new title and by the end of the night, we become official! Of course, we had to keep our relationship on the down-low cuz at the time, human and engine couples were unheard of and kinda taboo. But after being yelled at by an old angry couple, it was STH who made the announcement for me and Douglas' relationship to be accepted.

For Oliver and Toad, they met after Toad was transferred to a new engine after being in an abusive relationship with Samantha (One of my Oc’s). Like Douglas, Toad instantly fell for Oliver, but Oliver was SO oblivious. Toad would leave subtle hints that he likes him but Oliver never caught on. Once Oliver was sent for scrap, Toad, Isabel and Dulcie were sent to be transferred to another engine, but Toad wasn’t having it, he had spent years with his love and refused to accept this fate. On the night Oliver was supposed to be scrapped, Toad came up with the idea to run away to Sodor. Oliver loved it and the four of them ran that night. Unfortunately the four were captured one night and were sent to the nearest scrapyard and left on a siding to rot. It was them that Toad finally told Oliver his feelings, seeing that they were not going to make it. Oliver was taken aback but accepted his feelings, although not truly feeling the same, he felt honoured to be the someone Toad was utterly devoted to. Oliver promised to go on a real date once they got to Sodor. Toad was confused but with this newfound energy, Oliver felt determined to live, not just for himself, but for Toad, for Isabel and Dulcie, and his siblings that he lost long ago. After being rescued by Douglas and were properly fixed up. the two finally had their real date and it went wonderfully! They were able to truly express how they felt for each other and explore their new home together. It was actually Oliver who asked Toad to be his “Precious Shell” (That’s Oliver's pet name for Toad) and he happily agreed. From then on, the two became inseparable, always pulling trains together and hanging out with their friends.

For Rosie and Mavis, I like to think they met after Rosie was rejected by Thomas and was feeling really down in the dumps. She and Mavis were scheduled to work together at Brendam Docks, but Rosie just couldn’t seem to focus on her work, only Thomas and his rejection. Mavis finally asked what was wrong and Rosie explained everything. Mavis listened and gave her input when needed. She told Rosie to try and move on and focus on herself cuz it was obvious Thomas isn’t interested and Rosie deserves some self care. Rosie understood that was the best move. Of course she tried, with Mavis' help and all but she just couldn’t get over him. He was perfect in her eyes and seeing him and Percy made her all the more heartbroken. As the days turned into weeks, Rosie tried hard to take Mavis’s advice. She immersed herself in her work, hauling goods, helping friends around the island, ect. But every time she saw Thomas, her heart would race. She admired the way the sunlight glimmered off his shiny blue paint and the way he laughed. Mavis noticed Rosie’s struggle. Encouraging her to join in fun outings, she suggested they go on a scenic trip to the seaside. Rosie hesitated but finally agreed, hoping the change of scenery might distract her. They talked, laughed, and shared stories the whole day and really got a better connection with each other. Mavis had a warm energy that made Rosie feel valued. Eventually, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, turning the sky a canvas of oranges and purples, Mavis told Rosie that she was loved, not just by those around her but by everyone on the island, and she didn't need the approval Thomas to feel good about herself. Rosie felt a warmth spread through her as she gazed into Mavis’s eyes. In that moment, something shifted within her. Maybe the engine she had always been destined to be with wasn't Thomas after all. It was Mavis, right there beside her, always supportive and always caring. Weeks turned into months, and their friendship blossomed into something deeper. Rosie began to notice how Mavis made her laugh like no one else could, how they shared a powerful connection that felt electric. One evening, as they stood side by side overlooking the same beach, Rosie took a deep breath, feeling a sense of freedom wash over her. Rosie finally spoke her mind and told Mavis how she felt. Mavis was surprised and asked if she was ready for a relationship. Rosie was sure, her feelings were true and was able to move on from Thomas fully. Mavis was happy to see her love become the best version of herself and from that day forward, Rosie and Mavis became a couple. Thomas and Rosie are still good friends, and are happy to have a stable friendship.

For Thomas and Percy, whoooo boy it's a crazy one. It started off as Thomas not really liking Percy (Then, pre-trans), thinking he's a bit dull and Percy just being oblivious to his subtle dislike. But of course, they grow to become good friends after working many jobs together and just hanging out as friends. Percy starts transitioning after a few years of being on Sodor, using he/him pronouns and having Thomas' support through it all. The day Percy became fully Percy, he showed off his new male human form to Thomas before anyone else. It was a bit of a shock to him but he still thought of him as a friend and would continue to call him his best friend. But little by little, after many years, they start to fall for each other and began pining for each other. Everyone could easily tell they liked each other, especially James, the engine they'd tell their feelings for the other with until finally James had enough of their pining and wishing for them to just get together already, so he planned a surprise date for them. With a plan forming in his mind, James decided to set up a special date for Thomas and Percy. He carefully devised a strategy to get them both to Tidmouth Sheds where hopefully, the two could open up to each other. Once there, James had planned a nice picnic for the three of them, as they all had the day off and had the whole sheds to themselves. It was very awkward cuz Thomas and Percy just couldn't seem to get the ball rolling, so James finally just spilled the tea. The two were embarrassed and tried to get James to shut up, but finally see that they had nothing to fear, cuz the feeling of love was mutual. Finally Thomas and Percy opened up and told the other how they really feel. James sighed in relief that he was able to bring a satisfying end to his favorite rom-com, which was Thomas and Percy lol.

[the-river-runs]

Back at it again with a post from my best friend! This one is another edit she's made!

Once again, I have been asked to post this to my tumblr for Fandom, and all content was edited by her.

Here's her Instagram!

Fandom has also asked me to relay this message:

"Hello everyone tagged here! (Hi again Naff <3)

To show my love and appreciation for the DCA content creator community, I dedicate this edit to all of you. Whenever if you draw art, write fanfiction, or both, I would like to thank you. You guys make outstanding work and are insanely talented 🫡

I already introduced myself to two of you, but to most - hello! My name is Fandom and my Instagram is @ http.redshoes. If you have an Instagram, hmu!! I would love to follow you if I haven’t already. I hope that everyone enjoys the edit! 💕💕

Ac: dex.editz (TikTok)

Vc: JazeCinema & Kyle Allen Music (YouTube)

Sdt: @naffeclipse , @zhench , @lavenoon , @bamsara , @paper-lilypie , @crow-n-tell , @spaciebabie , @sorveteir , @skizabaa , @solitary-star , @zus-a-fungi , @venomous-qwille , @pure-plum , @xitsensunmoon , @kandidandi , @bri-does-art , @pillowspace

Blender credits (on thumbnail): EliteRobo04 (Reddit)

Let’s give a big round of applause to these creators!! 👏👏👏

(P.S. - I tried doing a new editing style in CapCut so apologies the quality is a bit iffy. I’m attempting to make it resemble After Effects since I usually make simpler edits. I wanna know if I did a good job at it or not 👀)

(P.P.S. - if the one and only, the myth, the legend themselves…Solar Lunacy, Demon!Bakugou w/ Human!Izuku “let’s make an accidental ‘friendship’ deal bc we’re oblivious also my mom’s almost killed me for this one DEKU but thank goodness you don’t seem to really remember me” AU, the one that carried the Invader Zim fandom and made that one ET Katy Perry comic with Dib and Zim, while they’re being delulu about not being rivals but FRIENDS they are FRIENDS your honor but they don’t want to admit it, Bam the Sara ™ sees this…I told River to bake me cupcakes if most of the users I tagged for a separate post on Insta would see it. They all did, but not Bam Sara the Sara Bam ™. It is a sad but a true story. I got my cupcakes and they were absolutely delicious, but!! I told my bestie, River, that if Sara the Bam Bam Bam ™ saw my post, she needed to bake me a cake and throw a celebration party. This whole baking thing was an inside joke at first, but now it’s getting real. If they see/comment on this from Tumblr, Insta, or on both platforms, I will *literally* return the favor to my best friend here and bake her something. Throw a little celebration party too while we’re at it 💥💥)

(Bam, if you do actually see this, apologies for remixing the crap out of your username; I only did it for the sillies. I’m a huge fan of your content and you’re so SO creative you have no idea. Your art skills are everything and I wanted you to be appreciated as well!)" -Fandom

[master-k0hga]

: Kohga Face headcanon ? ? :

(And Also headcanon)

| Uhhh apparently I still struggle at giving this guy a face fdkjvhfvjfb

Do you see why I always draw him masked ?!?!?!? ..........

... But ngl I think this is it, I think this is the face he rightfully deserves dskjjchcgvdfgv I think I finally fucking did it-

// totally ignores all the OC refs that have been collecting dust in my drafts for months-

what who said that-

...

anyways so I think I've done it, I done did the wife's face dhgvdjfhv yas

-

Ok so basics on what I think he be like:

He / They (sometimes she, bit of a self insert (genderflluid))

Artist (secret lewd artist more like don't tell Sooga)

Big naturals ( wears a p good binder like fr you hardly notice his big bazongas)

Is actually super short and younger than he likes to let on (//cough cough pre DLC knowledge and will continue to ignore - Is younger than Sooga )

Gives off bitch vibes

Him and Sooga actually quarrel like full on they fr love each other but are on SUCH a personal level it makes the other clan members jealous . They argue like an old married couple- oh wait

Big nerd (like Zelda, nerd besties fr)

Play dates with Link for free food (they good buds fr fr . They just love food)

Competitive with Impa literally (they both like de Soogs)

Chemistry with Urbosa in the past (before coming out. When he was referred to as she)

Doesn't deal with emotions very well and has either overly expressed emotion or has gone completely numb

Babies, babies babies wants babies but is scared of what kind of dad-mama he would be

Shit parents; Emotionally abusive mama who he really loves despite it (and refuses to accept she was mentally manipulative), shit abusive step dad who potentially might've killed his real dad (both deceased)

Shit cook. Burns water and even causes fires without doing much else somehow

Had a bitch fight with another member before dealing with the situation in a civil manner (problem? Got told his Urbosa impression was shit and it spiralled into bullshit zone real quick)

Petty ass drama queen (calls himself the queen of drama fr)

Was very basic with clothing and attire, then when he took over as leader and he messed with the Gerudo for so long he ended up incorporating their beauty standards to his daily routine . (Bitch has makeup EVERYWHERE . products . jewellery etc)

Loves jewellery and extravagent attire (like a bird fr fr he obsessed Sooga buys him something new almost everyday)

... Idk I've forgotten a lot of my headcanons for him so we'' just stick to this dljhdfvfv

Now see if I can draw Sooga's face + headcanons without the whole "blank mask" syndrome.....

.....

Maybe I should get on with those OC refs...

. Art © Me . DON’T RE-POST .

[silviakundera]

Joy of Life Episode 18 liveblogging

This is my first watch, so don't tell me secrets ;)

Big brother Lin gets super ominous and gives 🍗 a sword. She's appropriately creeped out

I appreciate how at first Fan Xian declared, my mom had outstanding goals but they got her killed and I just want to survive... But he's finding it very hard to live in this world and surpress the urge to demand better.

I agree with Sister Ruoruo that ML can't get his girl if he kills her brother. But idk if the brother is just a stooge following orders or the real culprit. Maybe confirm first, then decide. Though regardless he can still fight the system & get his vengeance by destroying the CP faction

OMG IT'S UNCLE WU

Uncle Wu I can't believe u betrayed Marvolous Mom's principles like this?! Not you! ML is as shook as I am. But idk I guess he was always a robot.

Ok so Big Brother Lin has a random farmer killed just for seeing his face - just in case anyone was wavering on him being a villain. I still don't know if he's the real culprit we want, but he's definitely a baddie.

🍗's bestie: cool with murdering nobodies; draws the line at treason with war on the horizon

Uncle Wu?! So ok he's gonna obliterate Lin Gong's camp before ML even gets there

Second Prince offering to help. He's figured out ML enough that he just admits to selfish desires. And ML won't take the help but admits that he'd prefer our fanfic addict to be the crown prince... The Forbidden Bromance is back ON.

Lin Gong's vision is tragically narrow and he pays with his life. The man will never understand why pleading his status and promising the world to this blind man is just wasted breath. So yeah, I agree with Uncle Wu here. Just kill. The county and its inhabitants are better off with him gone.

Look ML and his 🍗 girl are cute and all but I trust Uncle Wu's judgment. And likely ML couldn't live with himself if he turned a blind eye. If a happy marriage is off... sucks for him but this would not be good in-laws to have

lmao did Uncle Wu just send Lord Zhu the location to pick up the bodies?

Huh?! Why is the Second Prince being framed? Now is ML going to have to rescue him?

Ahhhhhhhhhhh Uncle Wu, that totally wasn't fair of ML to ask where you were when he almost died. That's not his fault.

They have 2 places to look for the key to mom's indestructible box. Yes let's try the one that's not the palace first.

Dad totally suspects he's lying and won't direct him to mom's old house

I suspect that when he visits the Crown Prince, he's gonna be told the CP didn't actually order his murder - which is why he and Lin Gong were overhead arguing. But maybe I'm way off.

[junespriince]

Rating the inside jokes and things we've said out of context I have with Nebby ( @nebulous-shatin )

"so, do you agree." -100/10 BECAUSE MY LOYALTY IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED AND I FALL FOR IT EVERY SINGLE TIME I HATE IT RHDHDHDB NEBBY OS WRONG!

Bargain bin boy💕 8/10, I love him and his atrocious fits

Praise oia, 100/10, oia is life, oia is love.

Praise the Eldridge god upon Nebby's wardrobe, 10/10 bless neb sib for that duck too since it neb sib's duck lol will ask neb sib once there is I can hold it once, just once

Oh it grandpa! 4/10 BECAUSE I DON'T SEE GRAMPA AS OFTEN IT'S A CRIME!!!!

Thoughts? And prayers. 1/10, Nebby made me better at giving feedback BUT AT WHAT COST (tho 'FEEDBACK!? 😭" meme 10/10)

You slug! ∞/10 I was already obsessed with slugs and neb unlocked my true potential, I wouldn't be Sluggy wouldn't Nebby, most importantly timeline stuff

Vc? 8/10, I mean I get she too lazy to type shit because same and I love Nebby voice, it's very soothing for me!

Knee caps, now. 10/10 Nebby lost that one knee cap privileges.

Huggles, 9/10, Nebby just A HATER EXCUSE THIS IS PEAK WORD SMASHING.

Ew, German. -5/10, that's me being a hater but learning German is hard okay, I barely speak English well tf

*us shit talking so badly people ask are we actually fighting* 10/10, we just get bored, and being little shits it funny, if we finally have that real fight please let it be over something stupid it be so funny.

I want to strangle you 3/10, I told you I suck at platforms and you choose a platform puzzle game, that's on you lol

Horny jail 2/10, LISTEN NOT MY FAULT OKAY I LOVE 2D PEOPLE IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU

Found through birdflash, was writing about drawing birdflash, knew I love birdflash, sends her oc Dilly "Hi. Im nervous as it is." 200/10, that never be so funny to me and it branded on my brain, I ain't even written out the entire message but it up here.

Dragging me everywhere like a doll, 6/10 but I don't mind I follow Nebby to the end of the earth because why not.

Where was we? 1/10, our brain mush, we so forgetful

Peepaw and knight doomed old man yoai divorce arc, 8/10, was a funny moment playing with Nebby

I liked bullying him 10/10 Nebby gets me and my love for Cove

"I'll miss you're cute voice" 1/10 SHUT THE FUCK UP OH MY GOD I HATE UUUUUU NOBODY LOOK AT ME

Starlight, 8/10 nickname, I gotta bring it back the og nickname

Nebby, 9,000/10, just,,, don't take a drink every time I say Nebby you will die for alcohol poisoning

German goddess, 7/10, just when she use our shared brain cells to help me it is praise thee, but never used outside of joking.

Flirt 10/10 def Wally's favorite.

Ally, 9/10, shorting of my name! I adore!!

Lovebug 10/10, I is her bug, I bug her, and she loves me

Want to read that I got so far? 10/10, any fans for Nebby's work starve but I'm fed every single time, bestie privileges, sucks to sucks

Dream Nebby, 1/10 how dare you eat onions on pizza, have a TV in ya bathroom, and saying you don't like your kitty children get out of here evil Nebby,,, YebbN lol

Last one,

The first abomination child, 6/10 he haunts me. Truly worthy of being called a mistake.

I have so much more I'm realizing but I mean that's what you get for talking to someone every single day for 5yrs lol, god five years and it feels like a lifetime I've known ya nebs jeez

[chdarling]

Sorry if this is too nosy lol, feel free to ignore, but do your family/friends know about TLE? If so, have they read it? Or is this like your super secret hobby? Asking because I’ve always struggled to admit to people in real life that I write fanfics. They know I spend a lot of time writing, but I’m worried they’ll think fanfic is not ‘real’ writing and won’t take me seriously. So I’m usually just really vague whenever someone asks questions about what I’m currently writing lol

Gosh, I could write a whole lyrical-ass essay on this subject to be honest. I am, at my deepest core, an annoyingly secretive person. My secrets have secrets my other secrets don’t know about, etc. It’s not a great trait, don’t recommend! But I will admit that the anonymity of fandom was a huge draw for me during the pandemic. I took a lot of joy in being CH Darling instead of [redacted]. Never mind that they’re basically identical people, it FELT different, and I weirdly really needed that at that time. It also really helped me get over the absolute nausea I felt at the idea of other people reading my writing. I don’t really like to talk about my writing anyway, fanfic or not, because it always just leads to questions I don’t like to answer lol. But honestly, I think with where my headspace was in 2020, I could’ve taken up fly fishing and it would’ve been a secret I took to my grave.

So yes, this was my super secret hobby…until recently. I actually just told my irl bestie (hi bestie) about all this nonsense a few weeks ago, and because she is the best human alive, she forgave me for keeping my secret internet identity, well, a secret (sorry bestie). The number of people who know about miss darling is still very small…and I like it that way…but it’s also lovely (if occasionally wildly disconcerting) to see these two facets of my life merge.

Although I feel I should warn you, anon, you open yourself up to cutting texts like this:

😩

[papabigtoes]

Hiiii bestie its me again, Sal's yume gf 💘💝🥰😳 I've been adjusting to new meds (IM ON XANAX.. not really teehee) so I haven't really been online. But Sal and I are still together, in my 💖 so okay. You wanted to know what we do on dates. Well when I was about 7 or 6 my older sister thought it would be funny to make me watch the exorcist, she was 15 and she hated my fat ass but anyway!!!! I developed a huge fear of being possessed. Since I wouldn't believe my mom that demons aren't real she told me okay why don't you try to be the demons friend? and basically for the rest of my life I became ## obsessed with the idea of possession and mind control. So that was probably stupid to share but anyway I like to imagine that our dates are sometimes more chill and cozy and we are at home eating dinner or watching movies because we want to be close and not around other people. Or if we go in public he sort of wears me like a flesh suit and he rides me like a horse and he possesses me. And I'm sort of just watching as Sal does things to or with my body. And it can be incredibly kind and confident and things I'd never do or incredibly humiliating and embarrassing but ultimately I submit to him because I know he loves me 🥰💘💖💝🥵 Salaca wants to be re born and I think being inside a human host body makes Sal feel safe and its like being cradled in the womb. And the fact that Sal never shows disgust or hatred for people with my body type (I'm a big gal) is very affirming for me!! I think he'd enjoy getting to walk around and experience a soft flesh suit. I've never really latched onto a fan character like Sal before but the idea of sharing my body with him and showing him that kindness and sometimes he's greatful sometimes he's mischevious is very appealing to me. Sometimes I even wear long sleeves under short sleeves so I can pretend he's creeping up my arm 🥵 by the way since you draw them as fish I had an idea like. Sal is a shark and Orlaag is one of those suckered that attach to them. Or a tongue eating parasite. I think it would be cute. This isn't a commission thing because I'm NEET but its just a suggestion for the future okay anyway thank you for my boyfriend Sal I love you byyyyeeee bestie 🎁💝💘💖🥰💞🙈💋💌💖💗😻👽

WHAT A READ YUMEANON.

glad you are feeling better and hope you are adjusting to your meds well!

Sal’s a demon - he doesn’t care about looks - he wants someone with a warm heart (…that he can steal for his own).

your suggestions for the fish are insanely close to future plans with those fish visions. I was considering a remora fish edgar to be stuck on Nathan’s back during a dream sequence… but I think a beluga would work better, since they are so damn smart. The parasite tongue sounds wicked - if I ever do that, I’ll credit you like i do with volunteered ocs as “yumeanon”.

[nat-seal-well]

Meet my F-mancer detective :)

Muri Langford

F-manner (Farah)

She/her

Long, wavy black hair, dark green eyes, glasses, tan skin. 5’6, plus-size

She worked hard for her promotion to detective, and was excited about it

Very logical and studious; she was eager to have an opportunity to use her skills

(She has a creative streak she tries to hide, because she doesn’t see the use in it—Farah noticed when she let Muri look through her sketchbook, and she made comments on some of the drawings. Muri does her best to keep that part of herself hidden and Farah does everything she can to tease it out of her. Sometimes it works.)

At first everyone thought she took the “hey magic is real and so are supernatural beings” thing well, but that was just because she was in shock. She had a crisis the second she was left alone with her thoughts

She has a fascination with astronomy

That is not to be confused with astrology. She thinks astrology is a joke and can’t stand it

Naturally, that means Farah reads her horoscope to her at least once a week

Farah: You work with vampires, but don’t believe in the zodiac?

Muri: I’ve seen your fangs. I know you’re real. And the zodiac is real, but it’s just a bunch of constellations. That doesn’t mean they have anything to do with personalities or the future

Farah: Sounds like something an Aquarius would say

Muri:

Muri: >:(

Dresses achromatic tones a lot—grays and white and black, and with just a little splash of color (usually a black skirt and white blouse, with a red ribbon to keep her hair back. She likes red)

She doesn’t have a nickname; she just goes by Muri once someone gets close enough to her

Always has ink smudged down the side of her hand

Has a good relationship with her mother. Muri admires her a lot

She doesn’t think much about Rook. Sometimes she thinks she should grieve, but she never knew him. It’s like he was never in her life, for as long as she could remember, and she thinks she shouldn’t be sad for something she never had in the first place

Muri doesn’t talk to Rebecca about Rook because of that. She relies a little to much on blunt truth and knows it would hurt her mother if she brought it up

Her apartment and warehouse room are both more on the minimalist side; she doesn’t keep anything she isn’t going to use. A lot of it is based on functionality

Moderate combat skills. She’s more research-oriented but Ava made her learn a few basics

Speaking of Ava—they’re besties. Neither of them would call each other “besties” though. They’re very respected coworkers

Farah thinks it’s funny and teases them both about it constantly

Was bitten by Murphy on her wrist. She keeps it covered with a silver watch on a black leather band. It’s simple and elegant and has a propose that isn’t just keeping the scar hidden

Farah likes to trace it with her fingers (after the two of them have been together for a while, and Muri is comfortable with it. It takes a long time.)

Farah, playing with the watch: I see. You have an aesthetic

Muri: I just needed something to help me tell the time

She keeps driving her little silver car because it works. She isn’t particularly fond of it, but she doesn’t hate it, either. It does what she needs it to

Bobby is her ex but she acts like the two of them are strangers

Douglas idolizes her and she hates it. She just wants to do her job, and do it well

Tina or Verda haven’t found out about the supernatural world; she was told to keep it a secret, so she did. She trusts the Agency and follows the rules like a good agent.

Maybe a little too much

[thievesandtraitors]

This is going to be a long post, but it's just me explaining a funny thing that happened to me which then turned into an interesting conversation with my best friend.

To preface this--no one was offended, not me, not my boss, not my friend, no one. It was actually a funny interaction that happened, but I wouldn't have fully seen it in this particular way I'm going to describe, had it not been for my friend. Again, my boss is a very cool, kind, funny, personable man. But, he also is still...a man. So, onto the story.

My job is in the kind of industry where, much to my dismay, a lot of business happens on golf courses. We're constantly in tournaments, our partners want to discuss projects, work, potential opportunities, etc etc while playing a round of golf. And I, unfortunately, know how to play golf. I've done it since I was a kid, competed in high school (wasn't the best, but wasn't the worst), I just hate the sport. I hate everything about it. And I told my boss when he asked, "yes, I know how to play, but I really, really don't like it." Now, am I going to have to play? Yes. But generally how these tournaments work it's much easier and much more fun than competitive golfing. But, I digress.

So it's one evening and my boss invites me to go hit some golf balls at the range. I say yes because it meant I didn't have to go to the gym, and it was a gorgeous day outside. So we show up and we start at the chipping area. (For those who don't know golf, chipping is referring to the area just outside of the green. It's a very, very short distance and its just practicing short hits up onto where the flag/hole is. So, not hard). But he's giving me some pointers about where to place the ball in my stance, relative to the slope of the ground, yada yada. And I grew up an athlete; I'm coachable, I listen whenever someone is giving me direction, so I take in what he's saying and do as he suggests. At first, I thought it was kind of interesting he was giving me pointers anyway, seeing that I never asked, but I was like "eh, he likes the sport, wants to share what he knows, cool." Didn't bother me.

But then it gets funny. So I'm hitting a few balls and after every hit he goes "wow, that's really good." Every. Hit. And I'm not saying this to boast, I don't care. I said thanks. But I literally thought to myself, "is he going to say this after every shot I take today?" I was genuinely wondering why he kept saying "that's really good". Again, I'm not trying to draw attention to the compliment, just setting up the point.

But I keep hitting and don't say anything meanwhile after every hit he's just ~amazed~. So he realizes I don't need any more pointers on chipping so he's like "Okay, you get it. You don't need this, let's go." And we go to the driving range. (For those who don't know, the driving range is where everyone is stationary and they're just hitting balls off into the distance.) We get to our spot and he's like "okay, show me what's going on." And I kind of look at him but don't say anything. Like "why did he say it like that?" Again, laughing on the inside because all his commentary was just interesting. I grab my bread-and-butter club, aka the club I always hit well no matter what. Take my practice swing and then hit the ball for real and it goes dead straight, a hundred yards. Boom. Whatever. I look at him and his face is surprised, but neither of us say anything, and I hit two or three more dead straight, no issues. And finally, he goes "What did you say you needed help with?" Completely puzzled at how well I'm doing. And I say (which I totally meant to come out as a joke but it really just landed more sassy) "I never said I needed help." And he busts out LAUGHING. I mean we're cracking up, and I was like "It's true!". Anyway, I can't live it down to this day, right, and this happened three weeks ago.

Flashforward to my conversation with my bestie and why I'm writing this post. But she pointed out to me as I was retelling the story that men hear "I don't like X" as "I'm not good at X and therefore I don't like it." And, subsequently "But if you teach it to me, then I'll love it." And the way that blew my mind! Because I was just reacting as I always do whenever I do sports, especially (and usually) with a guy around; they're always shocked at what I'm capable of doing. And her saying that made me realize men will always hear what you're saying as a way of saying we're unable, and therefore need their help, because we just fail or suck on our own. And again, not dissing my boss. The whole thing was lighthearted and he meant well. But it's interesting that there's always this level of misogyny laced through a man's thinking that they always have something to teach us and can make us like something that we don't, and we're always looking to be showed how to do things. Just because we don't like something doesn't mean its because we are bad at it and will love it "once we have help". Like no. I just don't like golf. I never said I was bad at it. Ever. I never even eluded to that assumption. Just men and their superiority complex interpret everything as "oh, she's asking for my help, she just doesn't know it yet". Its what John Oliver said in his clip about people and their UFO sightings, but with a twist. "What you think you heard depends on what you were expecting to hear". It's the same way men assume my bestfriend is stupid because she's a blonde and she runs.

[satancopilotsmytardis]

WHAT JS THIS HAAAAA YOU CANT LEAVE US ON A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THIS TANCOOOOO THIS JS CRIMINAL!!!! I want to know I want the knowledge what is happening,,, they've been lied too!! Treason! Treason to the peoples!!!

Also since I know afo has always been the *real* bad guy in your story I can't wait to see what happens with him!!! Are you gonna make him a grey character (I have bad vibe from him, I'm watching him 👁️👁️) or Is Tomura going to have an existential crisis when he realized that his father ain't that great???? Hooooo so much question!!! I'm excited hihiiiii (like ik afo is a manipulative pos but is he a grey manipulative pos or is he just an evil asshole y'know?)

I really hope we see more of natsuo and shoto! I wanna see dabi reconcile with his lil baby bro :D

And Eriiiiii noooo whyyyyy baby your gonna be taken care of now papa Tomura is there for you!

I love how everyone interact together! They're such a loving family I can't!!! Toga is so cute and jin giving his leg for her that is so fucking wholesome!! Love my little psycho fr! And spinner is so cool!! Him being best friend with Tomura really shows in this! He doesn't take tomuras bullshit haha XD they're such besties my heart can't take it ᡣ𐭩 Sako is gold and the way you transformed his power is so cool too! I'd imagine it's not super practical to have a million thick stone tablet or smth instead of thin paper XD also magne omg she don't just have big sis energy she IS big sis!! How she comforted dabi and was like here take my snot XDD amazing!

Ho and the way you describe the environment!! I feel like this is the first fic (I only read all your bnha fic so I'm just talking about them) where you really went into it in the world building since we're not in the bnha world and omg this is so good! I could see everything and it was very pretty haha! You make me want to break out my drawing stylus but shipwreck are Nott he easiest to draw, would you belive it (╥﹏╥)

Chisaki sure got what was coming to him eh? Each time you described him with his smug face I was so angry omg but I'm so happy he was a good fight for Tomura tho would have been sad if he was just obliterated and that was it! Happy he's gone tho (really hope he is) and that Eri is safe! :)

Also the way you described that siren that passed the test (fucking epic, no idea what was happening but I'm loving it, singing while stabby stab? Perfect) made me think of midoriya fr but then I thought wasn't he with shoto in hollow barrier? I'm not sure anymore, do you have plans of what to do with midoriya? 👀

Them eating chocolates is gold! Did I say I love toga? Cause I love toga!

Dabi discovering how things are in graveforge is so cool yet saddening man his life really fucking sucked before (I feel like it's about to suck even more but at least it's not a boring type of suck y'know? XD)

Just leaving that there but dabi throwing up his stomach his a mood fr

I'm disabled personally and I really like how you tackled disability and ableism so far. Dabi compensating with his leg is really cool and the fact that he has to hide it or he'll be judge by his hollow barrier pair I'd verry nice (plot storywise I mean XD) as a disabled person I do feel like a fucking burden everywhere I go and with how dabi was 'sheltered' (if you can say that) he would be very easily manipulated by afo telling him he needs to contribute to the reef and all that. Kind of in contradiction of what Tomura said about no one being broken hmmmmm 👀 (watching you afo 👁️👁️) while I agree that doing nothing all day and being a trophy husband/mate can be boring, dabi just got here, is still learning the language and he's disabled! Like give him a break afo! Dabi can find his own calling without being pushed pass his limit to 'prove himself' 🙄 (sorry that one was personal 😅)

Also omg poor toga I CANNOT believe shig told her everything he wanted to say to dabi this one must have been hell! Pfffff the little awkwardness when dabi and her hugged after sksksksk

It's dabi who healed Tomura!! Im sure!! He ate flesh and boom! Magic power!! How tho, not sure XD can't wait to see what you do with his magic cause he can't really throw fire underwater now can he? Imagine he goes on land one day and just, burn the island sksksk 'oops' ˚▱˚

Also illegal that you made afo walk in on them sksksksksks horrible! But you write so wonderfully! Sometimes I read a synopsis of a story and I'm like 'no, I know I won't like this, too much second hand embarrassment' but it never happens with how you write! There were some story idea of yours that I wasn't sure I would like but everytime you blew me away! You have such a way of writing that it makes everything believeble and the story always flow so wonderfully! Also can't believe that cannibalism followed by sex was there and it was hot goodamit! Shouldn't be surprised tho, like I said you write everything so well (lost faith in myself after that zombie dabi piece you wrote. After that I was like okay keept it going ig no more fuck need to be given at this point XD)

No wait- what happening to Tomura?? What wrong tell me whATS WRONG YOU CAN NJST DO THAAAAT ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽

Gosh sorry this is all out of order but that's how my brain is and excitement doesn't help (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;) also sorry for the mistakes English ain't my first language and you can sprinkle a bit of dyslexia on top of that smh

Jail to endeavor for lying and eating his people while starving everyone else and jail to you for this horrible cliffhanger <3

Okay I'm going to sleep now. If I dream about gay fish it's on you

I'm cackling, thank you so much! This chapter was a huge one and I'm so glad that so many of the different elements stuck out to you! I can't say much about what's happening moving forward but I can say that the new siren is absolutely not Midoriya! And the beauty of writing a whole AU means that I can ignore the original main character lol, so he will likely barely be mentioned going forward

I can't wait to start unraveling all of the things to come and I hope you continue to enjoy the ride!

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

Just for fun, have some random tidbits and trivia about With a Little Help From My Friends. Much like the fic itself, this list got quite long, so I’m putting it under the cut…

I don’t write nearly enough about Eddie and Robin’s friendship, but in both ch 8 and ch 24 when Eddie is in dire straits, Robin is literally the first person he thinks of that he can go to for help.

In ch 10 while Eddie and Max are at the store, he’s debating between Red Vines and Twizzlers, eventually choosing Twizzlers. Later in ch 26 Max says Twizzlers are her favorite candy. And yes, it’s totally because of him.

In ch 12, all that stuff about Temple Grandin and the cows is true. And it totally seemed like something Suzie would just know, and Dustin would eagerly research because he wants to help his bestie.

When I wrote ch 22– the Jason in Pennhurst visited by a vision of El chapter— I had totally forgotten about how Jason kicked Gareth’s ass, but looking back and adding that tidbit to El’s motivations in keeping Jason exactly where he is gives it an extra zesty flavor.

Ch 28, the drabble where Wayne finally makes things official with Claudia, is probably the hardest I’ve ever laughed while writing.

Ch 33 contains a little drabble about Eddie and Chrissy just relaxing in a hammock together, and I honestly think it might be one of the best things I’ve ever written.

In ch 41 Steve probably seems pretty OOC at the beginning. That was deliberate— he’d just gotten back from spending a ton of time with his parents, and no longer has any idea who he actually is. By the end of ch 42 he’s getting back to his real self.

Also in ch 41 Steve refers to Grant as “T.B. Player” purely for a little in-joke with my own self regarding the movie That Thing You Do!, where the bass player never gets a name throughout the entire movie despite being a main character with lots of lines, and in the end credits is listed as T.B. Player. Justice for unnamed freak!

The part in ch 61 where first Eddie and then Steve are teaching Gareth to dance is one of my favorite scenes. If I could draw, I would’ve drawn it!

In ch 63– Will’s letters to Jonathan— I didn’t include Jonathan’s letters back because I just could. not. get his voice right. Jonathan, Nancy, Lucas, Mike, and ironically Steve are the characters that I have the hardest time getting into their heads. I love them all to bits but that’s why I rarely write their pov’s.

Ch 64 was a tough one for me to write and I’m not sure I managed to strike the right balance between Party shenanigans/hellcheer wedding planning vs Robin’s very real fears regarding her parents’ reaction to finding out she was dating Vickie. If I could rewrite the whole fic, this would be the chapter I’d start with. BUT, one thing I liked about it was Steve repairing the crocheted blanket just so Robin could unravel it again. In the Lostsoul Universe, many Party members have told Steve “I love you” but the only time he ever says it back is in this chapter, to Robin. Poor dude.

Ch 66 might seem way OTT but I stand by it. Because it happened to me.

I wrote ch 73 for the sole purpose of giving Eddie a kitten named Lucifer Dio. (Lucy for short!) He absolutely gives cat dad energy.

In ch 79 we find out how Henry Creel became Vecna. Dr. Brenner gave him an experimental drug I called “exousía”. This was a very deliberate choice. Exousía is a Greek word meaning power/control/dominion— all the things Brenner was so hungry for. I based this on googling the word “Soteria” (the implant in Henry’s neck) and discovering that it was an actual Greek word with the meanings of deliverance/healing/salvation. Food for thought!!! Honestly I was a little sad that nobody picked up on how clever I’d been with that name 🙄😂 but that was a really long chapter with a lot going on so it’s understandable.

Feel free to ask me any questions you might have or just holler at me!

[blorbology]

The other day I was thinking about the fact that I've been told my longer fics are written in a fairly unique way. While I view this observation as neither negative nor positive (it is what it is), I thought it might be interesting to dig into that particular topic more.

I feel like writing style works similarly to artistic style: you tend to come into your own eventually after enough practice and work at your craft. I couldn't actually cite a specific writer as inspiration for my writing style (or "voice" I suppose), but I also tend to not want to mimic prose styles—not even the ones I like the most. Because of this, even my earliest "writing voice" would probably feel somewhat familiar to anyone used to my work.

It feels weird to say I've always had a stable writing voice, but that's more or less the truth for me. I've bettered it over the years (versus finding it the way some do), but I think I've always felt secure in what I had. It probably helped that the old days of FFN gave me hundreds of reviews on 'fics and a lot of encouragement.

A long time ago, I saw a piece of fanart I really liked, and sought to redraw it in real life. This was the early 2000s, maybe 2002 or 2003. It was an MLP fanart of...I want to say Glory and Baby Glory (from the 80s), and I redid it on a huge piece of paper I'd taken from my school's art room. I busted ass to replicate the piece. It was a great replica, actually, and I posted it online, eager to share my hard work. I'm sure you can imagine what happened! The community recognized the source immediately and was annoyed with me. They scolded me for copying an artist, explained why that wasn't a good idea, and I never did it again. (I felt stupid but I realized that day that nobody cared how well I could replicate someone else's hard work; people wanted to see my spin on the idea.)

After that, I always had my own very recognizable style of art and I didn't seek to recreate the work of others, even if I liked it a lot. I just started drawing what I wanted how I wanted to do it—in my own style.

While I found many things to like about the prose of friends and published authors, I never tried to mimic someone else's prose wholesale. I've never even been tempted by it; writing like someone else feels so incredibly unnatural; I'd sooner give up writing entirely than tell my stories the way someone else would.

That said, this post isn't really about writing "voice" so much as the specific way I tend to tell stories, though I do think actual writing style factors in here, and I'll get to that in a second.

My favorite genre of fiction for a good number of years was historical "inspirational" fiction. You may laugh if you wish, but I grew up in a very strict Christian household, and...frankly there wasn't much literature to choose from. My mom loved doing "daily devotions" and at some point, on the recommendation of someone else, she started reading us "Love Comes Softly" by Janette Oke. All four of us kids really loved it. We memed the hell out of it and to this day we have at least one in-joke based on it. It was part of a long book series, and eventually I read them all. This book tackled a surprising amount of issues, including domestic violence, and had a great trope that I still adore: a marriage of convenience.

I was obsessed with Janette Oke's books after that. Roses for Mama, The Bluebird and the Sparrow, A Bride for Donnigan, the four-book seasons series, and They Called Her Mrs. Doc. There were plenty more, but those were some of the most iconic to me.

If you didn't know, the very specific subgenre of Historical Inspirational Romance Fiction (can I call it HIRF?) tends to read similarly across the genre. Some novels play up the romance a little more, some the relationships between the characters, some the faith aspect, but generally speaking these books tend to have predictable elements. The male lead usually has a bestie he's emotionally vulnerable and open to. The female lead's friends, siblings, and/or other family members are important to her and play a role in the story. These stories tend to feature or utilize animals. There is almost always a focus on relationships overall, in every story. In Roses for Mama a family of four is orphaned and the oldest two siblings raise the youngest two and run the farm. The primary relationships are between the four siblings and their friend group(s). The challenges of "parenting" siblings are here. Kids tend to act like kids in these books too. There are huge varieties in the ages of characters and some young women have best friends who are decades older than they are. Some of these writers are very serious too about being accurate regarding the places they're writing about (coal towns full of immigrants who are mistreated by the coal companies for example).

The first book I loved was I'll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm. The Velveteen Rabbit also holds a place in my heart.

Relationships are ALWAYS at the core of everything I write these days. I love exploring how people affect the world around them. I like to write about the complexities of sibling relationships and friendships over the years. I love history and how "the times" impacted the way relationships worked. HIRF was foundational to me as a reader and a lot of those elements are things I have chosen to carry with me. Everything I write is about a character journey more than it's about anything else.

Yes, I want to write about the blorbos in situations, but these situations are a means to an end. I want the situation to happen but I want to explore every facet of how it affects the blorbos.

Dumping a baby on Raine in Break Open the Sky was a way to explore a character trying to do the right thing but feeling completely overwhelmed by it. It was about breaking cycles and doing better for the next generation. It was about choices, about how difficult they can be to make even when they're selfish. And it was about learning to trust and love while finally having a place and the safety to begin healing from trauma. The baby was the means to that end—a plot vehicle, yes, but hopefully she didn't feel that way because she had her own needs and impacted the story right to the very end.

I think my particular writing style, my "voice" if you will, lends itself well to this particular type of slow-burn character-study-esque storytelling. I try to hit a middle ground with descriptions and write a lot of engaging dialogue. I try to write people being people without being too sparse or detailed. Both sparse and detailed writing have their places and genres they do really well in, but in the very weird subgenre of writing I've nestled into I do think my voice tells the story to satisfaction.

As to what subgenre I'm writing in... I honestly don't know what to call it. It's like HIRF in spirit, but I tend to substitute more "adult" themes for the romance and have less or no focus on religious faith (though it depends on the characters). I don't actually think there's a name for it, though of course if someone has a name for it, I'd be happy to learn what it is. In the meantime I'll just consider what I write to be HIRF-adjacent.