#no but he's moody because he is 14. but he grows!!!

[eliounora]

my oc dara drawn at lightning speed!

[relatableblorbopoll]

Round 1 of preliminaries, group 14

The first two places get a place on the bracket

Little reminder: there will be 2 more rounds of preliminaries, the losing blorbos of this poll still have 2 chances of getting in the official bracket

Propaganda under the cut

Oz Vessalius (Pandora Hearts)

"Struggles with self-worth, adores books, ADHD (though that’s not canon—but he fits the diagnostic criteria), his strongest/most important relationships are platonic"

Sound (My School President)

"Lonely gay teenager who tries to be cool and sauve but gets adopted against his will by a group of losers and then falls for one of the losers who gets on his nerves a lot because he was nice to him once and then he gets all awkward and flustered around the boy and tries to avoid him and antagonize him but the boy sees through it and they eventually end up together and he becomes the most annoying person in love ever"

Luz Noceda (The Owl House)

"adhd. possibly some autism too. a weird girl who got outcasted by being herself and sure has some WACK coping mechanisms to deal with it. self worth is IN THE DRAIN. gnc and not straight. writes fanfic. artist. goes through a depression era when at her moms house. loves her mom also. this is canon stuff i'm saying"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA she is so ASDHSUJD. Okay I started watching the owl house because I knew there was a WLW couple, so obviously I had to check it out. But upon watching the show, I got so emotionally connected to it, or moreso the protagonist, Luz, that it could go beyond some people's understandings... I remember that almost any scene showing her neurodivergent traits would hit SO. CLOSE. HOME. It would be unbelievable. I literally rewatched the show more than seventeen times one summer. She is just so goshdarn relatable man. She's the weird kid, has no friends, loves making anime edits, is OBSESSED with a book series, loves witches and magic and stuff, has ADHD, an attention span that is so high when she's engaging with something she likes doing and so low when she's bored. She's just so lovely. I know a lot of people found her annoying in season one but she hit close home to me. Season two was amazing as well and she started getting even MORE relatable!! She started showing her people pleasing, how much she blames herself, it was so sad but I was glad to see a character I could relate to so much on screen. I mean i personally didn't experience the loss of my father and I personally do have one friend whom I'm able to share my life with, but she's still super relatable. She can be so silly and so cool. And her impulsivity and the way she realized she doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up also hit close home. Mwah"

Gundham Tanaka (Super Danganronpa 2)

"Goth autistic theater kid"

Saiki Kusuo (Saiki Kusuo no Psi Nan/The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

"He's very dead inside, especially in the English Dub, and introverted. But even so, he cares a lot for his friends, even if he never says it to them and he finds them annoying most of the times. He also be nosey and just insert himself into others' situations that don't involve him (obviously, he makes it so that nobody knows he's there and, obviously, he's also complaining about this all the time). He's canonically aroace, or at least aroace spec He's canonically trans. He was born as a girl but he didn't like it so he immediately turned himself into a boy with his psychic powers. An argument could be made about him being on the autism spectrum."

Drew (The Music Freaks)

"I don't like him actually I hate him and love him st the same time in fact but. This man is so real and such a horrible jerkwad to everyone around him. I mean I can't relate to THAT but I should mention he also gets jelous easily, he is in love with his best friend who does not like him back, he's all moody and grouchy and bratty. And so am I and I hate it lol."

[targaryenluvs]

Over you’re post about the crows x child!reader. And I was thinking of the same for a while! But I wanted to ask you about the crows with a moody teen. Like she’s maybe grown up, she’s like still bad ass but she’s going through teen age eyes. Like maybe like 13-14. Sorry, I just think it would be so funny like the guardians of the galaxy and teen age groot. She can have like a attitude problem with kaz.

Teenage Scare

six of crows x teen!reader, kaz brekker x teen!reader

Mean.

That’s how most people would describe you.

No matter what a discussion was about you always had something to say. When you were younger you were new to the Crow Club. Despite your rough life you were kind and sweet.

That part of you was snacking on waffles deep inside, because with your teenage years came change. And you didn’t like change. First came with your height, you were still short for your age but you could see you were growing faster than usual. Then came your face, where it was usually smooth came bumps and rough patches, not noticeable but to you? This was an attack on your face.

Then your chest, which was the worst. From 12 to 14 it grew and grew and you had no clue if it would stop. You’d caught the eye of local boys when you didn’t want to. Which lead to a few catcalls to you, and a few broken noses for them. You didn’t want to be treated differently for something so vain, so natural.

But it would happen either way, not only did boys notice but men did too. Although they always bit their tongue since the first (and last) man to say something ended up with all his money fit snuggly in your pockets and his teeth in a bin.

It made you angry and bitter.

You had to get new clothes every few months since it didn’t fit here or there and so on. After a big job the Crows had pulled off which you played a huge role in you were definitely more than able to afford it but you didn’t want to waste all your money on clothes.

So you took up sewing in secret.

You didn’t feel like being bullied for doing something so girlish whilst you condemned the Ladies of richer houses for being shackled to a birthing bed or cooking and cleaning.

But the thing was you liked it. It brung a sense of calm, using different colours of thread and different needles giving various outcomes. And there was nothing you could make that had been made before. There was so much freedom when it came to it.

Everyone else noticed the calm of the storm that was you, pretty quickly.

“What on Ketterdam just happened.” Wylan said to Jesper as he sat down with his breakfast. “What do you mean?” He looked up at him and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I should’ve been clearer.” Jesper laughed, “What did I say about apologising for how you speak?” Jesper smiled timidly, “Not to. I remember, just a slip. It’s just, when I went into the Kitchen, Y/n was in there.”

Jesper tilted his head, encouraging him to continue, “Cooking. She hasn’t cooked since she was twelve.” Jesper brung his hand to his forehead and faked shock, “Oh my Saints, the world is off its axis.”

Wylan smacked his chest and frowned, “It’s not funny! She hasn’t cooked in so long, she says it’s boring and we have people for it so what’s the point?” Jesper wraps his arm around him, “I’m sorry love, you’re right it is odd. But maybe the beast is about to go into a deep slumber and we get the normal Y/n back. You know how the younger teenage years are.”

“We’re all in our 20s, we may not fully remember but it was awkward and weird. Everything was changing and we were adapting. Let her adapt.” He finished as Wylan nodded in agreement, what he didn’t notice was Jespers hand sneaking towards his toast.

“Hey! Drop it!” Wylan shouted as Jesper took a big bite out of the corner, “You love me, let me eat.” Wylan huffed in annoyance before getting up to leave but Jesper promptly wrapped his arm around his waist and brought him back down, “Oh no you don’t.” Jesper laughed as Wylan did too.

“Please stop giggling like school girls, you’re making me want to vomit.” Y/n said as she sat down with her food in front of them. “Don’t make any sudden movements, we don’t want to scare the animal.” Jesper ‘whispered’ as Y/n laughed sarcastically, “For a second I was wondering why I never sit with you two in the mornings anymore, now I remember why.”

“Oh it was just a joke Y/n, please sit, I feel like I never see you anymore.” Wylan spoke as he took a sip of his juice. “Maybe open your eyes up babe, I live with you.” Wylan smiled, “Yeah but I uhm, I missed talking to you.”

“Thanks. I’d miss me too.”

Jesper snickered as Wylan hit him again.

That was one of the moments you realised how much you’d changed. Whilst fearing over things being different you’d pushed away the Crows, your family. You’d begun spending more time in your room, or with other friends your age and while having friends your age was okay, you spent more time with them than at the Slat or Crow Club.

You’d let your fear take over. Not wanting to eat with them in the mornings to hear their questions and teasings of, “Are you okay?” “Is it that time of the month?” “New clothes?”

What you’d seen as annoying were actually just genuine questions of concern. From that day on you’d ease back into your life. Eating with them in the mornings, actually attending meetings rather than hearing the summary from Inej.

You’d go shopping with Nina for food, or have your daily reading sessions in Kaz’s office. You’d shop for hats and ingredients with Wylan and Jesper and laugh when Jesper touched the wrong thing and would get told off.

You’d be home again.

The meeting was at seven pm and this time you planned on showing up.

You were there twenty minutes early, grabbing your favourite book of tales you’d obtained from East Ravka. “You’re here for once?” Kaz asked as he walked into the room. You nodded, the realisation that you hadn’t talked to him in weeks.

Kaz noticed your change first. No longer did he receive sweet notes in the morning that had him smiling at himself, no longer did he hear your humming as you read in his office, something he claimed to loathe but he’d grown familiar to the sound, like a white noise.

When he worked to hard he’d always be so engrossed in whatever he was doing he’d sometimes not notice you bringing him dinner, lunch or breakfast.

Before every meeting you’d be the first to come along, not for the sake of punctuality, but so Kaz could silently hand over his plan, and have you fix anything that seemed out of place.

Once you’d become a teenager, you grew distant and indifferent to Kaz most of all. You didn’t want him to see you as an adult. Someone he could treat the same as others he worked with. You liked how it was, him always asking you if you’d slept, him telling you off when you became cheeky, when you ate like a girl starved. (Which you never were), when he’d let you, little by little break away his barriers.

With a pat on the back, a comment of praise, a loving look etc. What you both missed most of all was your night talks. Where you’d talk about anyone or thing. Nothing was off limits, it was in these talks that you found out about Kaz’s past.

His change of scenery from his fathers farm to the bustling streets of Ketterdam, the con played by one Jakob Hertzoon on two unknowing boys. How they were cheated out of their inheritance, Jordie’s death and the eventual reasoning behind Kaz and his fear of touch.

You vowed with him to bring Pekka down.

The words which he uttered, ‘Brick by Brick’ held new meaning in your eyes. And you and Kaz held them dear, you would do anything to bring the ‘King’ of the Barrel to his knees.

After such a monumental breakthrough, even if Kaz wouldn’t admit it, you drifted and it stung.

“Early as always.”

“What else do you expect from me?”

“For you to run away, play with your little friends rather than do your job.”

You lifted your head from your book, “I know I’ve been gone a bit, but I always get the job done. I’m always there.”

“I know you are. But as a Crow you’re supposed to be at every meeting, every briefing. Just because you’re a child it does not give you a free pass to skip out on anything.”

“I’m not a child.”

“No? You run away from your responsibilities, the plan is as important as the mission. You should know the ins and outs, the layout of the area rather than running around aimlessly before finally finding a window to go through.”

“That’s was one time!”

“It’s not good enough. You’re not good enough.”

You slammed the book down on the table and rose from your seat, “I’m sorry if I’m not fucking perfect Kaz. But I’m human. We all make mistakes and you know that. There’s a reason you always make me go over every plan. You’re not subtle, having Inej bring me plans as ‘potential opportunities’ and asking for my opinion. I know she relays all the information to you. I’m fourteen not stupid.”

“It’s been a while since I heard that phrase.”

“Oh fuck you.”

“Y/n.”

You stopped in your tracks, you knew that tone, you’d heard it on countless heists and with it you knew not to mess around. You turned slowly and crossed your arms, “What?”

“Brick by Brick.”

You sighed, the words had been lost to you, having not said them in forever.

“Brick by Brick.”

“Those words are close to me. I do not take them lightly, they’re a promise, it will happen. Don’t make me regret telling you of my past if you’re slacking. If you’re slipping, if you can’t handle yourself you can’t handle this life. If you’d rather be an ordinary girl I can organise a wealthy family to adopt you. It wouldn’t be hard, you’re well educated, mannered even if you’ve shown a lack of them in the past few years. But if you want to continue, continue with the Crows then let me know right now. I cannot have someone lacking in focus and effort because they’re moping about change.”

“I want to be here, I do. And the phrase, means a lot to you I know. I know how hard it was for you to share your past with me and i’m grateful you did. It showed me so much more to you. You built all of this from the ground and as much as you’d never admit it, it means a lot to you. The Crows do. I’d never want to jeopardise all you’ve done. I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting and I promise to get my act together. I don’t remember much from my years before here. And I don’t want to. This is my life, I was made for this.”

“That’s the Y/n I know. Now, go over the plan before everyone arrives.”

You sat back down, “Brick by Brick.”

You looked up and grinned, “Brick by Brick.”

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

One of the things that sticks out to me about Jon is just how active and readily available his kindness is. And it’s funny because the fandom at large considers Jon to be someone with a good heart, but he usually isn’t specifically linked to kindness as a key character trait even though he should be. Because every now and then, we have moments where Jon is just so proactive in how good he is to people. Not like it’s a performance, but it’s just something that comes to him naturally. And it doesn’t have to be big things either because sometimes, it’s really the little things that matter. Take this interaction with Tyrion for example:

“Boy,” a voice called out to him. Jon turned.

Tyrion Lannister was sitting on the ledge above the door to the Great Hall, looking for all the world like a gargoyle. The dwarf grinned down at him. “Is that animal a wolf?”

“A direwolf,” Jon said. “His name is Ghost.” He stared up at the little man, his disappointment suddenly forgotten. “What are you doing up there? Why aren’t you at the feast?”

“Too hot, too noisy, and I’d drunk too much wine,” the dwarf told him. “I learned long ago that it is considered rude to vomit on your brother. Might I have a closer look at your wolf?”

Jon hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Can you climb down, or shall I bring a ladder?”

- Jon I, AGOT

First, it’s quite adorable how readily he strikes up conversation with Tyrion, a man he’s just met. The hint of curiosity mixed with concern when he asks Tyrion why he isn’t at the feast is cute.

But it’s the last line that stands out to me. “Shall I bring a ladder?” Because he could’ve just said “shall I call for a ladder?” but he didn’t. The latter suggests that someone else will do the brunt of the work. It’s still kind, because he’d still be looking out for Tyrion, but it puts him in a passive role. Instead, he means to get the ladder himself. He will look for it, bring it, and position it for Tyrion to use. So now his kindness is very much active. His empathy is on full display here as well because he acknowledges that Tyrion may need assistance and takes the initiate to provide it.

This seems like such a silly thing to get hung up on but I love this small moment because it provides a lot of depth to a character who is meant to serve as the series’ traditional hero - a role that is often times “good” by default without exploring how or why. Anyone who’s read Jon I knows that he has spent the chapter being a raging jerk. But GRRM uses this moment to remind us that despite being a moody, asshole-ish, 14 yr old boy, Jon is a really good kid at the end of the day. He’s is kind and he’s so active in how he practices his kindness. Even to people he doesn’t know and has no obligations to.

Because we’ve had a bit of whiplash so far. Bran I established Jon as a sweet and empathetic, self-sacrificial brother. But the first part of Jon I makes us question that when we see his pettiness and immaturity on full display. It almost seems like a case of unreliable narration from Bran, until we get to this last part when Jon gets a small moment to redeem himself. Which he does ~ and it’s done beautifully because it later links to some of the larger themes in Jon’s storyline. That he is one who actively looks out for the “cripples and bastards and broken things”. It’s not just looking out for Bran when they found the direwolf pups, but looking out for Tyrion in this chapter, and then for Arya and Bran again in Jon II, and then for Grenn in the last part of Jon III, and for Sam in Jon IV, and so forth and so forth. It’s a pattern that’s established through big and small moments all throughout AGOT where Jon still has a lot of growing up to do. But these moments, at large, serve as an anchor to remind us why we ought to care for this hero’s journey.

[niko-jpeg]

Originally, Shadow 05 was not going to be in this au. But then I came up with the funniest possible way to include it in the story, and I couldn’t help myself. So you know how Camp Green Hill is set up like an animated series, with seasons and episodes and such? Well, I present to you Camp Green HIll: Shadow the Hedgehog, a post canon movie spinoff featuring our beloved moody hedgie and his adventure of accidental self discovery. The details are a little in the air right now, since I’m still finishing the base plot of CGH itself, so doodle explanations under the cut <3

Title Drop: First doodle of the batch I made, featuring Shadow and Rouge. They still work together under GUN post canon, and are cool and badass and etc. Slight design changes to Rouge because I wanted to, and Shadow rocks the button up and suit jacket combo. And yes, of course, he still has a gun.

I Can’t Draw Omega: I tried. And it did not go well, I’m so sorry Omega truthers. 

Weird Way to Meet Your Dead Beat Dad: I saw this scene vividly. After the opening sequence, Rouge and Shadow are going back to the apartment, only to be met by Shadow’s alien dad, who he does not remember. 

In the Lab, All Alone: This one’s more of a stretch, a vibe doodle if you will. I wanted to draw him in emotional distress, so I stuck him back on the Ark in the classic shitty hospital gown while he tries not to cry tears of frustration. Why? Because I said so. I don’t think it’ll make the final cut, but I had fun drawing it anyway. 

Sonic and Tails: As I said, this au takes place post canon! Now Sonic is 18, and Tails is 14! Shadow is 19 himself. However, because of just how many times Sonic has gone super, he’s begun to physically change a little. While coming down from being super has its emotional fallouts, he’s done it so many times he’s begun to grow electric yellow fur on his ears, hands, feet, and around his eyes. It also seems to be on his quills, strangely. Tails is as nerdy as ever, clearly.

Super Shadow: Unfortunately, Shadow goes super every once in a blue moon too, and it too is beginning to manifest. While at the moment the third eye is just a temporary thing while super, there's no saying if it may stick around if he does it again. A note on that as well: the only Hedgie that doesn’t go Super more than once is Silver. This is intentional, on his part, as while he was super, he found it quite a challenge to keep himself under control and has avoided it since. Who knows what his manifestations may end up looking like. 

Expressions: A surprised (though not unhappy) Shadow, contrasted with a visibly aggressive Shadow. 

Cuddle Pile: Request from the stream. Coming down from being super has its downsides, and a pretty rough mental fallout. Being a god for an hour doesn’t leave a guy unscathed, y’know. While Silver resists it initially (for various plot reasons), eventually the two are able to convince him to join the emotional recovery party Sonic’s closer friends throw him when he goes super. This usually includes blanket time, as seen here. 

Post Credits Shenanigans: I have this very vivid scene in my brain that would take place after the events of the story. Earlier, Sonic gushes about how cool he thinks Shadow actually is, under all the bitey rough exterior. Rouge, naturally, gets a recording and after everything is said and done plays it for him. This obviously flusters him. Please excuse the poorly edited blush, I realized I forgot to turn that layer back on only after I had saved the file. Oops. 

Remember, asks are open for the characters themselves, or about the au <3

[walkergirlsposts]

//A few episodes of S1 and S2 that was Sam focused does not mean the whole 15 years of Supernatural was about “Sam’s story”//

Anon needs to reevaluate what "A few episodes of S1 and S2" means. Lol.

Season 1-5 - Are literally Sam's hero arc. Of course Dean has stuff going on too, but Sam's story leads to him sacrificing himself to save the entire world (with Dean's support).

Season 6-8 - Are the consequences to Sam's heroic action, another hero arc, and breaking him down into desperation, partly because of Dean's constantly shitting on him or making him feel guilty for having something wrong with him.

Seasons 9-11 - Are Dean's Consequences for betraying Sam, Sam doing anything to save his brother, and Dean stopping the end of the world (by talking up sibling love to Amara) because he and Sam are finally secure in their love and understanding each other

Seasons 12-14 - are about Sam becoming a leader and a father figure, while Dean becomes increasingly sullen, moody and bitchy, but still finds acceptance with his life with Sam.

Season 15 - is a hot mess, but it’s about Sam not giving into the story written for them and giving Dean the inspiration to keep fighting, and ends with him getting his goal from Season 1, a normal life, only now it’s bittersweet.

AAs and hellers confuse screen time with who the story is actually about, and that’s the character who grows and changes and adapts. That’s Sam. Dean is always shades of the same character, but Sam at the end is miles apart from Sam at the start.

Also, let’s not forget that the Seasons that have more Dean screen time, with him constantly bitching and tantroming on screen, are worse written and more boring than when they gave the Sam plots more development and focus.

They hate the show. Lol

[goldenseresinretriever]

You Catch More Bees With Honey: Chapter 14

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: Bradley Bradshaw, blindsided by a team he trusted like family has been traded to the San Diego Dogfighters. Across the country from the place he calls home, Bradley feels lost and betrayed. Not to mention the familiar faces and ghosts from his past that he now has to face every day at work. Bradley’s caught between wanting to show his former team the mistake they made in double-crossing him and wondering if it’s time to hang up his skates after one final season. You’re living your dream as the PR representative for the Dogfighters. When Coach Maverick made a bid to bring his godson to the team, you hadn’t batted an eye. Bradley was a good teammate, and a good player. Unfortunately, the Bradley that shows up in San Diego is nothing like your research suggested. He’s moody, irritable, aggressive, and angry, throwing a wrench in all your careful planning. What’s caused such a drastic change in him? And can you figure out how to help him before he makes a mistake you can’t fix?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, dead parents, drunkenness, alcohol consumption, violence, sports violence, blood probably, angst, fluff, eventual smut, age gap (28 and 38), enemies to lovers, suggestive language, hockey inaccuracies etc. There will be individual chapter warnings. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 4.4k

A/N: This is a repost of my completed series, You Catch More Bees With Honey. It was originally posted in November-March 2023, and was lost when my blog was deleted.

Previous Chapter // Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

You stretch as you sit up in your seat as the plane starts to descend for landing. You’ve spent the last few hours with your head tucked on Bradley’s shoulder. You lean the other way now, staring out the window at the city of Philadelphia. It’s not your first time in Pennsylvania but you’ve never been to Philly. You turn to see Bradley watching you, a fond look in his eyes that makes your cheeks heat. You reach for his hand, threading his fingers with yours. “You ready?” You whisper and you watch emotions swirl in his eyes as he looks past you out the window. For over a decade, this was his home, and he had been unfairly ripped from it just a few months ago. You know the wound is still fresh and aching and while you’re excited to see the city he loves so much, you can’t help the way your heart aches for him. You wish you could just go back home and wrap him in your arms, chasing away his demons with the strength of your feelings for him.

Home. It’s weird how natural it feels, to call Bradley’s apartment your home. Since the other day, you’ve been spending more and more time there. Feet swinging as you perch on the counter while Bradley cooks for the two of you. Curled under soft blankets on the couch, wrapped in his arms. You hadn’t spent the night again, though. Not for any particular reason, at least that’s what you tell yourself. It definitely has nothing to do with the sheer strength of your feelings for Bradley. They’re growing every day, at a rate that threatens to overwhelm you. You know you made a choice that day, asking Bradley to kiss you in the kitchen, where it had become clear that he was clearly as desperate for you as you were for him. That knowledge is the only thing keeping you from spontaneously combusting at the size of your feelings. You love him. You know you should tell him, let him in all the way, but you’re terrified because you’re not sure you’ve ever loved anyone this way. Sure, you’ve said the words before, to other men a lifetime ago, but you were a different person then. One that didn’t yet know loss and perhaps didn’t even know love. Not the romantic kind, at least. You’d always known love. Your mom made sure of that, and your dad too. And then Mickey, showing you love in little ways until you broke apart and let him show it to you in bigger ways. And now Bradley, showing you love in the quiet.

You squeeze his hand gently when he doesn’t answer immediately. His gaze shifts to you and you smile softly at him. “Where’d you go, Bear?” He shakes his head, bringing your clasped hands to his lips, brushing them across your knuckles.

“Nowhere, Honey. I’m right here.” You know he’s lying but he’ll come to you when he’s ready. The two of you are similar in that way.

***

You glance down at your keycard, trying not to frown. Cyclone had eased up on his insistence on you babysitting Bradley since he stopped causing trouble during games and as a result, you’ve no longer been assigned to share a room with him. Technically, you’re sharing with Dragon but she’s sleeping in Mickey and Bob’s room and Mickey’s now your roommate. “Ready, roomie?” Mickey chirps excitedly as he slings an arm around your shoulder. You force a smile onto your lips, trying to disguise your disappointment. Mickey’s not a bad roommate by any means, you lived with him for two and a half years after all. There are far worse people you could be stuck rooming with than your best friend but you can’t help but consider the alternative. Mickey skips off to chat with Bob about something and you drop the smile as a chuckle sounds in your ear.

“Someone looks disappointed.” You turn to scowl at Javy who’s grinning mischievously at you. You’re about to tell him you’re not in the mood for his teasing when he dangles a keycard in front of your nose, a smirk twisting his lips as your eyes widen in surprise. “I’ll handle Mickey, go get your man.” You can’t help how your face lights up instantly and you can’t even find it in you to be mad as Javy laughs at your transparency. He hands you his keycard and takes yours with a wink. “Don’t forget to use protection.” You roll your eyes but can’t help the giggle that spills from your lips as you turn to track down Bradley in the crowded lobby. “I think he already headed upstairs, sweetheart,” Javy informs you and you turn back to him, full-on grinning now.

“Thank you, Javy.” It’s his turn to roll his eyes and he waves you off.

“Just go, before Garcia realizes you’re gone.” You nod and check around to make sure no one’s paying attention to the two of you before you make your way to the elevator. You can’t help the way you fidget as the elevator climbs the floors and you can’t help but think of a different elevator you’d stood in with Bradley, the night everything changed between the two of you. You can’t help the way your thighs clench at the memory of Bradley growling in your ear, his brazen hands squeezing you close. The elevator reaches your floor and you collect your things, lugging your suitcase and garment bag after you as you search for the room listed on the cardholder. You hesitate, considering knocking, but Javy gave you the key after all and so you simply pass it over the reader, turning the handle when the green light flashes and the door lock clicks open. You push open the door, awkwardly as you struggle between your luggage and the heavy door, one hand still gripping the keycard. You manage to shuffle in, loudly clattering down the sort hallway that opens into the bedroom. Bradley’s sitting on the bed by the window, socked feet up on the covers when he turns, brow furrowed. “Machado, could you please try to be at least a little quieter-” the words dying on his lips as he takes in your slightly disheveled appearance, laden with your luggage. “Honey?” The question is instantly in a softer tone, one you’ve realized is reserved for you and Dare.

“Hi,” you manage before starting to move again, and then your suitcase’s wheel spins roguely and slams into your ankle and you let out a squawk of pain as your balance is thrown off and you throw your full hands in front of you in an attemp0t to avoid faceplanting onto the carpeted floor. You brace for the impact, squeezing your eyes shut but it never comes. You carefully ease your eyes open to look up at Bradley who’s got his hands wrapped around your waist, holding you against him.

“Honey,” his voice is concerned and exasperated as he chides you gently. You give him a rueful smile as he helps you stand, taking items out of your full hands. “What are you doing here?” He asks, raising an amused eyebrow and you feel your cheeks heat as you show him the keycard.

“Javy told me to, and I quote, ‘go get your man.’” Bradley's eyes brighten and he chuckles as he bumps your nose with his.

“You man, hmm? I wonder who that is? He’s a lucky man.” You giggle and rub your nose against his.

“Is he now?” You whisper and he gazes down at you with a fondness that makes your knees weak.

“He is,” Bradley affirms before stepping away and you try not to whimper at the loss. He hangs your garment bag in the closet, and you place your suitcase in there as well as he places your purse on the desk. You lean against the empty bed that would have been Javy’s, suddenly shy as Bradley comes over to you, gently pulling you with him as he backs up towards his bed. He raises an eyebrow in question when the backs of his legs bump the bed and before you can answer, your phones chime, reminding the two of you that you’re expected back downstairs ASAP after freshening up and changing. The boys have a full evening of practice at the Flyer’s rink.

“We should get ready to go,” you remind Bradley and he lets out a groan, leaning his forehead against yours. You nuzzle his nose with yours. “You ready for this?” You whisper. He lets out a heavy sigh and you feel his body press harder into yours as he leans against you. You reach up to wrap your arms around his neck, gently, threading your fingers into the curls at the base of his neck. You feel him relax into your embrace. “I’m here for you, remember that. If you need me, I’ll be right there. And if you need me to kick anyone’s ass, I can do that too.” He chuckles at that and you smile at the sound. “I’m also pretty good at blackmail if that’s the route you want to take,” you continue and Bradley pulls you close, swinging you off the ground as you squeal, tightening your grip around his neck. “Bradley!” You yelp as he chuckles, easing your head back to look at him. There’s still uncertainty swimming in his eyes but you can tell that the smile on his face is genuine.

“And if I want to burn it all down to the ground?” He whispers, his voice a low rumble.

“Then I’ll bring the matches,” you assure him and before you can stop yourself, you lean forward, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips that he returns. A banging at the door makes you both jump.

“Hurry up, lovebirds, we’re going to be late!” Javy’s voice calls from the hallway and you scowl at the door as Bradley growls. He reluctantly places you back down and excuses himself to the bathroom to change into gym clothes for practice while you touch up your makeup in the full-length mirror.

When he comes back, you can feel his eyes on you, watching as he ties his shoes. You turn to him, fidgeting with your hands slightly. “Do I look okay?”

“You look beautiful,” he says before you can even finish the sentence. “You always do.” He reassures you and you feel your cheeks warm at the compliments.

“Anything I should know about the Flyer’s PR rep?” You ask as you collect the things you’ll need for the rest of the day. He shakes his head.

“Maria’s nice, you shouldn’t have any problems with her.” You’ve spoken with her before, of course, when negotiating Bradley’s trade but that was before you knew Bradley and how his team had stabbed him in the back. You’re nervous about the next few days, to say the least. Bradley’s clearly on edge and you can tell that Mav and Dare are too which isn’t helping things at all. This city holds painful memories for all three of them and you can only hope that they can escape without adding more wounds to their tally. “Shall we go?” Bradley asks then and you nod, slipping your hand into his as the two of you make your way out.

***

“BRADSHAW!” An elated voice calls out as the Dogfighters enter the rink. They’d gotten situated in the visiting locker room and suited up for practice. The Flyer’s PR rep had been called out of the office on a last-minute errand so you’re observing practice until she returns. One of the Flyer’s players is waving excitedly from the ice. You watch the man skate over, leaning over the boards so far he almost topples over and throwing his arms around Bradley. Shaggy dirty blonde hair pokes out from under his helmet and frames an angular face that’s stretched into a huge grin. “Welcome home, brother!” He’s missing a tooth and it makes him look even more boyish, causing you to smile.

To your surprise, Bradley returns the enthusiastic embrace, hugging the man close before pulling back to examine him. “Lucas, good to see you.” He’s smiling in a way that you’ve only ever seen him do around you and even then it’s been rare. You feel your smile tug wider as Lucas looks him over.

“You look like you’ve aged ten years, man, sure you didn’t retire to Florida instead of San Diego?” Bradley rolls his eyes and shoves Lucas’s shoulder in a gesture that you can tell is riddled with affection. Javy howls a laugh at that and pushes himself in between the two to introduce himself to Lucas. Dare decides to get along with practice then, and Lucas skates off back to his team.

***

After spending a long afternoon with Maria, setting things up for the game tomorrow, you’re looking for Bradley. You know better than to barge into the locker room, so you’re waiting outside when Javy comes out. He grins at you before nodding back up the tunnel towards the rink. “Loverboy is still out there. Quite the little social butterfly, who would have thought?” He smirks and you roll your eyes, thanking him and hurrying up the tunnel.

Bradley’s sitting on the bench, a couple of Flyer’s players either leaving up against the boards or sitting beside him in various states of sweaty disarray. They’ve discarded their helmets and gloves and their hair is plastered to their foreheads with sweat from the hours of practice. You smile at the scene as Bradley chats with the guys until Lucas notices you standing there and smiles, nodding in your direction. “Hey Bradshaw, I think there’s someone looking for you.” Bradley turns at that and smiles as he takes you in and you smile back shyly, he waves you over and you push through the tiny door that leads to the bench.

“Hey Honey, how was your day?” He asks and you balk at the casual term of endearment he’s tossing out in front of his old teammates. You’re instantly shy and he reaches out a hand to you that you take, trying to ignore the fact that every one of the other guys’ eyes is on you as Bradley scoots over to make room for you to sit next to him on the bench. He kicks at the guy next to him. “Scoot, Torp,” and the dark-haired man rolls his eyes before scooting over so there’s room for you to sit down.

“Who’s this beaut?” Lucas asks and you can hear the humor in his voice as your cheeks heat.

“Guys this is my girlfriend, Zam.” He introduces you and you give a shy wave. “She’s our PR rep.”

Lucas whistles at that, “Damn Bradshaw, you’re just full of surprises aren’t you.” He grins at you then, holding out a hand to you. “Lucas Bailey, nice to meet you Zam, that’s an interesting name.”

“Oh, it’s a nickname, short for Zamboni.” You explain, embarrassed and you feel the man to your left shift in surprise.

“Zamboni? Did you go to the University of Wisconsin?” You turn to face the man, surprised. He’s got short black hair and piercing gray eyes dancing with curiosity. You nod, confused as his eyes widen.

“No way! One of my buddies from back when I played in Toronto used to talk about you all the time. He said you saved one of his friends’ careers, he was super grateful for what you did. Neil Jackson, you know him?”

“You know Jacks?” You ask, surprised as he nods enthusiastically.

“Man would sing your praises from dawn to dusk.”

“Well, how about that, small world,” Lucas remarks with a grin. “What’d you do for him?” He asks and you sigh. You remember Neil Jackson plenty.

“Jacks was one of my best friend’s teammates. I used to hang out with the hockey team a lot because of him and so I got to know the whole team pretty well. My friend, Mickey, who plays for the Dogfighters now actually, got into it with a rival team’s player and the guy didn’t take it well. He tried to frame Mickey for drug possession and use.” Bradley stiffens next to you. “I wasn’t in the best place mentally at the time…” You hesitate, shaking your head before you can get lost in your own thoughts, “but I couldn’t watch him lose everything that he had worked for so I got involved, found a way to prove it was the other player. It was a whole mess but Mickey got off clean and the other guy got off with a slap on the wrist.” You clench a fist tightly in your lap. “It’s actually what got me interested in PR, and it’s the reason I have this job.” You shrug, trying to downplay it and alleviate the now-tense atmosphere. “How’s Jacks doing?” You smile at the dark-haired man who’s studying you carefully.

He nods slowly, “He’s good. He’ll be over the moon to hear you’re doing well.” He smiles then, holding out a hand to you, “Alex Torp.” You smile back and shake his hand.

“So I know we’re all trying to be nice and all, but what on earth are you doing dating this old man, Zam?” The guy on the other side of Bradley says with a grin at the two of you and Bradley jostles his shoulder with a look of faux irritation mixed with fondness. He’s the youngest of the group and his white-blonde hair is sticking up in every direction from his helmet. His features are boyish and they match the grin spread across his face that lets you know he’s just teasing.

You shrug, a soft smile gracing your features as you bump Bradley’s shoulder gently. “Someone’s got to look out for him, and he’s not too bad at looking after me too.” You reach for Bradley’s hand then, feeling braver and lacing your fingers with his. He squeezes your hand and smiles back at you. The blonde man gags at that and you laugh.

“Whenever you get tired of the vintage model, you can always give me a call,” he says without an ounce of seriousness in his voice. “I’m Wyatt, Wyatt Eaton.”

“Not a chance in hell, Wyatt.” Bradley cuts in, frowning at him and Wyatt just shrugs.

“Fine, but I’m just as excited to get a mom,” he says and Lucas howls at that as Alex snorts. You blink surprised as Bradley groans.

“Wy, cut it out, I’m serious.” Wyatt just grins.

“Mom, you’re definitely joining us for dinner, right?” Your cheeks heat in embarrassment as Alex joins Lucas laughing as Bradley lunges at Wyatt and he scrambles up to his feet, backing up from the much-larger defenseman. He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, hey, ease up Dad, save it for the ice tomorrow.” He grins over Bradley's shoulder at you.

“Bradley,” you say firmly, suddenly concerned that Bradley might actually smack the younger man. He doesn’t however, swinging an arm around his neck in a loose headlock, ruffling his hair roughly.

“You better show your mom some respect.” He admonishes him and Wyatt grins as Bradley grins back as your jaw drops. He releases Wyatt who plops down next to you where Bradley had been sitting.

“He’s not actually my dad,” he unnecessarily reassures you. When I joined the team, I lived with him because I was straight out of college and had no idea what the fuck I was doing. He showed me the ropes and raised me in a way, so I call him Dad.” Your heart warms at that and you see a piece of the Bradley that you know now.

“Well,” you straighten up, squaring your shoulders before fixing him with your most intimidating glare. “You heard your dad, you better show me some respect.” You stick your chin out a little for dramatic effect and Wyatt gapes at you before grinning.

“Ma’am, yes ma’am.” You fight the urge to roll your eyes as you fight to keep the firm look on your face.

“Okay, all you sweaty boys need to get cleaned up or else dinner is off the table” and the boys crowd past you heading for the locker rooms, Bradley hanging back to place a sweet kiss on your cheek.

“You handled them pretty well,” he praises and you shrug.

“Handling idiot hockey boys is my job,” you remind him and he chuckles.

“And you’re damn good at it too.” You smile at the compliment before he excuses himself to go get cleaned up.

***

After getting cleaned up, the Dogfighters headed back to the hotel. You showered and changed into more casual clothes that you’d remembered to bring this time. Now you’re walking hand and hand with Bradley through Franklin Square, wrapped in the coat he bought you back in D.C. It’s chilly in the early December air as the sun sinks below the horizon and you stay close to him. He’s been showing you all around the city where he spent the last twelve tears and you can tell how much he loves it. It shows in the way he talks about the restaurants that he tells you about, describing the good food, and the way Wyatt got them all permanently banned from one of them. He shows you the apartments he lived in when he first moved to the city and even takes you out to the suburbs to show you the house he spent most of his time in. After his third year in Philly, he’d felt the urge to put down roots so he’d bought the house and that’s where Wyatt had eventually moved into the guest bedroom and made the place a home that at least one or two other teammates, usually Lucas and Alex, would be hanging around.

“It’s always made me feel closer to him,” Bradley explains as the two of you pause in front of the fountain that’s actually turned on today, not quite cold enough to worry about the water freezing in midair. “My dad, I mean. This was the last place he lived, the last team he played for.” You nod, squeezing his hand gently. “Have you ever been to Yale? To see the places she used to go?” He asks. Once the question would have sent you spinning off your axis but now you just shake your head.

“She never took me, I think maybe she was afraid of running into Cyclone. Or maybe she just wanted that part of her life to remain just the way she always told me about them, like a fairytale. Too good to be true.” He nods, quietly. “Are you okay?” You ask after a long beat. “Is this too much for you?” He shakes his head.

“I thought it would be, you know? That I’d miss it more, but I don’t think I do, not anymore.”

“Why not?” You ask, tentatively.

“You,” he says and his raw honesty takes your breath away. “This isn’t home anymore, because it doesn’t have you, San Diego does.” You feel tears well up behind your eyes and you squeeze his hand tightly, three words on your tongue that you’re desperate to let break free.

“Bradley,” your voice breaks on his name and he pulls you close.

“Thank you,” he whispers into your hair and you can hear the emotion laced in the words. “Thank you for bringing me home.”

“Thank you for being my home,” you whisper back and when his arms tighten, pulling you even closer, you want nothing more than to skip dinner and take him back to the hotel, to never have to leave the safety and security that his arms bring you and you can tell he’s feeling similarly.

“We could skip dinner,” he suggests and you roll your eyes, the suggestion sounding ridiculous now that he’s the one saying it.

“And miss out on hearing all the embarrassing stories I’ve been looking forward to all evening? Not a chance.” You giggle as he scowls when you pull away enough to study his face. His expression softens as he takes in the sight of your tear-stained cheeks and he leans forward to kiss away your tears until you’re smiling against him.

“Honey?” he asks when he’s finished and simply leaning against your forehead, relishing the closeness and you hum your answer. “Can I kiss you?” Your lashes flutter as you open your eyes to see the waves of emotions in his brown ones and you nod, unable to deny him such a simple request when you want this as badly as he does.

“Please,” the words have barely passed your lips when he leans forward and connects his lips to yours, the kiss sweet yet deep and full of all the unspoken words between the two of you.” You’re not sure how long the two of you stay that way, simply enjoying each other’s company until a text from Lucas asking what time you’re all meeting and Bradley pulls away from you begrudgingly leading you out of the park off towards the pizza place the other boys had selected for dinner.

***

You let out another laugh, tears tracking down your cheeks as Bradley rolls his eyes for the thousandth time as Wyatt regales you with yet another story from his time as Bradley’s roommate. You’re warm and full of pizza, leaning comfortably against Bradley in the round booth with Lucas on your other side. You’re glad you’d insisted on not ditching your dinner plans because you’d loved every second of this. You’re seeing a side of Bradley that you’d never seen before and it’s so special. Here he wasn’t a lone wolf who kept to himself but rather poked fun at his friends of over a decade, teasing and comfortable in their presence. It makes your heart ache at what he’s lost but gives you hope for what could be once he gets more comfortable with the Dogfighters. You’re also immensely thankful that he’s willing to share this part of his life with you. He trusts you, and you trust him, even more so after your conversation in the park. You can see a future with him, you realize, and slowly, but surely, it brings you more comfort than fear.

[13keithxpidge13]

I got around to creating my Lucemond love children on Artbreeder! I hope you guys like them! This isn't exactly how all of them are supposed to look like but it's pretty close to what I imagined them to be like! Enjoy!

First up; Renaela Targaryen

She's the firstborn daughter of Lucerys and Aemond almost five or so years later after the events of Forest Fire. Next in line for the Driftwood Throne, Renaela is headstrong, very outgoing, and practically the leader of all of Aemond and Luke's little band of ducklings. She is now sixteen going on seventeen in the main story.

Age: 16

_

Vaenyx Targaryen

Secondborn daughter and first twin to come out Lucerys, Vaenyx is a bit mischievous and pulls her twin brother along in her games. She likes to fool around and dress up in the prettiest dresses. She's somewhat of a diva, definitely spoiled, but loves her family and her twin brother more than anything.

Age: 14

_

Vaenys Targaryen

Firstborn son of Lucerys and Aemond and second born twin out of the two, Vaenys was originally named this because Aemond thought that he was born the girl and Vaenyx was born the boy due to how much hair he was born with. In reality, it was the opposite but Aemond and Lucerys kept their names as they were. He's somewhat quiet, somber, but has a deep love and affection for his family. He loves his twin sister more than anything else and would protect her no matter what.

Age: 14

_

Aenelys Targaryen

Firstborn of the second pair of twins that Lucerys and Aemond have, Aenelys is quiet, ill-tempered, and a little troubled. She has always felt different than her siblings, having to get used to whispers and stares throughout court in Kings Landing whenever their family visits, and it makes her quite bitter growing up. Even so, she has a strong love and devotion to her family-her twin sister especially.

Age: 12

_

Rhaenerys Targaryen

Secondborn out of the twins, Rhaenerys is named for her grandmother; Rhaenyra Targaryen. But, no one could have predicated how much alike the two of them really would be. She is a confident, happy, sunshiny little girl who loves pretty dresses, jewelry, and cake. Out of all of Aemond and Luke's children, she's definitely the one who cares about her looks and status the most. Quite spoiled, she is, but still attempts to be very humbled in the presence of others. She holds a strong love for her twins sister and spends most of her time by her side.

Age: 12

_

Visenys Targaryen

Firstborn triplet. Out of all the siblings, Visenys is most like Aemond. He is a brash, moody child that prefers to be left alone and tries hard to earn his father's approval, even at such a young age. He wishes to be Renaela's personal guard when he's older and tries very hard to please her. As expected, he's very much a people pleaser but very harsh mannered. If he does not know you, he will not make any conversation or make any attempt to get to know you.

Age: 9

_

Visenya III Targaryen

Secondborn triplet, Visenya couldn't be more different than her namesake. She's a spoiled, happy-go-lucky little girl that has no interest in battle nor training. She prefers to dress in extravagant, over the top dresses, and loves to be the center of attention. She's the darling of the Court in Driftmark and claims to be Luke's favorite child (he has none, he loves them all equally, haha). But, she very much looks up to her parents and her older siblings and works hard to earn their approval and feels great shame in disappointing those she holds in high regard.

Age: 9

_

Visenyx Targaryen

The third born triplet, Visenyx is a very well-mannered and happy little boy. He holds a love for books and tries to sneak out to ride his dragon almost everyday. Very much like Aemond, he holds a fascination for dragons and lords and ladies in court whisper how they think he is more dragon than human. He has no interest in training to be a knight but merely wishes to travel across the Narrow Sea and see the great wonders of the world when he grows old enough.

Age: 9

_

Jacaerys II Targaryen

Jacaerys is the firstborn twin and the last of Luke and Aemond's sets of twins. He is a loud, obnoxious child and has a somewhat unhealthy attachment to Lucerys. He doesn't have much of a personality that is truly his own yet but instead follows in the footsteps of his older siblings and does what they do. But, Lucerys is sure he'll grow into a fine knight and dragon rider one day.

Age: 5

_

Dacaerys Targaryen

Final born twin, Dacaerys is practically mute but is incredibly smart for his age. He loves to read and loves it when Aemond reads to him. He's mostly attached to his father more than Lucerys but, does find peace with both of his parents. Jacaerys and he don't have the strongest bond yet but, surely one day, that will change.

Age: 5

_

Aemma II Targaryen

The last child of Lucerys and Aemond, Aemma is named for her great-great grandmother in remembrance of Lucerys' mother's most treasured person as a child. She's quite the smiley girl and loves to be with her grandmother; Rhaenyra. She's as beautiful as a Targaryen is expected to be and finds joy in watching dragons fly and dance in the sky.

AAAAA That's all of them! I hope you guys like them! I had so much fun making these little guys! I hope you enjoy my little gremlins and I hope to get to writing little stories about them soon!

[soullessjack]

Please tell us more about Kripke Era Jack (in my opinion given the era he would be born a 13-14 year old instead of a 17-19 year old because that's like... The start of autonomy and the show would have more time for him to grow into the adult we know and love. Early teen Jack my beloved)

ooh i like your idea, but I personally havent made his age any different lol. the baseline of it was really just “he starts off as a moody angsty bitchy teenager so what if he had an emo phase,” which then became ‘what if he was in the kripke era of the show with the early 2000’s gritty americana horror/fashion/music/aesthetics’ and i just kept adding on from there! it’s not a time-travel au or really any kind of au….it’s more just a general concept exploration of his personality? if that makes any sense?

like, i take a LOT from him in 13x02/03 (sarcastic, dry-humored, impatient, bitchy, moody, angsty, the whole shebang) and a few miscellaneous habits he has in canon (holing up in his room when he’s depressed, getting upset about how nobody understands him) along with other of the more negative traits he’s shown to have, like his temper or impulsive violent streak, (or any of the volatility he showed when he was soulless) — all of the things that typically get swept under the rug by his whole precious baby / Cheery Sunshine mask, which is actually another ‘core’ of the concept!

i won’t go into the full meat of how he’s masking bc that could be its own post But i will shorten it & say that jack has this very specific image of himself that he maintains and gives out to others to be considered more likable/acceptable/palatable/safe/Good; the swept back hair, the optimistic outlook, etc. a lot of his volatility does tend to stem from Lucifer, after all. kripke era jack is basically, “what if he stopped caring about maintaining this image?” “what if he stopped caring about being palatable,” etc etc, you get the idea.

(he’s also waayyy more freaky, because kripke era was on fucking meth with the religious horror / angelic brutality aesthetic. if he’s the antichrist he should be fucking blood-spattered and murderous like it!! he deserves to be more morally gray than the show lets him be!! #let jack be a little freak 2K24).

i don’t draw him enough as i should for how often i think about him and continuously flesh him out (auDHD brain working overtime), but if you wanna look at the drawings i do have up they’re under #cal scribbles, #kripke era jack and #my art to search!!

i hope this made sense bc i am a chronic rambler lol, and i would Love to see your version too if you ever draw him!!!! 🫶🫶

[kob131]

RWBY WA here. Turns out that volume 5 got me...

So, I really loved Qrow, especially episode 1

The Belladonna family's arc was great, although I'm not sure what animal the father is exactly (I guess some kind of feline anyway. Maybe lion?)

Sun was still great.

I loved seeing Yang's development with Raven. It was really great and I hope that when the series end, we get to see her healing her inner child by being an amazing mom.

Speaking of Raven, I was like that all season: "I'm sure the Fall Maiden is Raven. Oh, the way they talk about it, probably not. Ah, I see, it's the woman from the opening. It probably won't end well so I guess that Raven will be transferred the power. Oh oh... I KNEW IT!"

(Turns out that this info never stuck to my brain, so I was half surprised by it but now that I'm thinking about it, I must have read somewhere that she was the Maiden)

I'm happy to see Weiss growing her power like that, along with how Jaune found his semblance. I also kind of wished I didn't know who are still alive by volume 9 because there was no tension for when Weiss got hit by Cinder... (and I'm also not worried about Cinder's fate for example...)

Strangely, I feel like there haven't really been a lot in this volume. It didn't feel like 14 episodes but more like... 8. It was a nice volume, and I'm still highly enjoying the show.

Will see when I start volume 6, but I'm confident that that after 5 volumes, I cannot be disappointed.

Well, I'm glad you liked it. Volume 5 is the roughest spot in the whole show due to the higher ups, one guy in particular, being dicks which exasperated RWBY's issues. So that's a big sticking point.

Once again- Qrow is great. He's a very versatile character who can act as the cool mentor, the cynical professional, the overly jaded broken man and the powerhouse of the team.

I actually really do like the Belladonnas. They're loving parents to Blake even after she ran away, which kind of shows why she's so ashamed to come back: she kind of spat in their faces when they were kind of right all along. Kali's great acting as the subtle jokester to Ghira's very serious and somewhat awkward demeanor, especially when she pushed for them to talk in Volume 4. Kind of reflects what Sun did. And Ghira's an upstanding, moral guy who actually shows were Blake got her personality from...and it logically leads to them being very awkward around each other until they finally have an understanding.

Yeah, Sun's great once again. He's a fucking great contrast with Blake with his louder vocal delivery, jokester personality and little to no knowledge about the WF. A better contrast (specifically) than Yang whose a little more soft spoken, moody and just isn't connected to the WF though is more connected to Adam than Sun is. I love that: the two characters contrasting Blake do so in subtly different ways.

So fun fact: I'm not a big fan of Raven. Granted, this is partially because her fanbase loved to bash on Taiyang during V4-5's run but I'm just not a fan of her cowardice, hypocrisy or her utter use of her family (Qrow and Yang) as bait.

Though don't get me wrong- she's not badly written. Raven is MEANT to be cowardly and hypocritical. Those are intentional character flaws that catch up to her in the finale, as her hypocrisy is due to her just doing whatever benefits her. Meaning she has no reason to think things through, like taking a Relic Salem wants to get out of the conflict. Or how her cowardice leads her to being unable to stand with her own daughter and brother, leaving her to run away to the only place she has left- Patch. And even that probably didn't give her solace, given Tai's look. And it does make sense that she cares about Yang with the context of her watching over Yang for a long time now alongside her Semblance so she is set up for a redemption. But-

I just like the heroes in RWBY better than the villains. I like about two villains and one of them was a former hero.

I'm not surprised you may have heard that- The fanbase FLIPPED when Raven revealed it. Because the writers did a REALLY good job using misdirection and common narrative build up to convince us Vernal was the Spring Maiden. So you likely caught some of that from the aftermath of that big flip out.

All I can add is- Jaune's Semblence fits his arc perfectly in recognizing that he ISN'T the big, proud hero and...yeah, spoilers can suck.

Really now? I guess I can see that- the episodes do flow together very well so it may have made it a breeze.

Before you go to V6 though, make sure to check the Adam Character Short before you do. It's important supplementary material.

P.S. I'm surprised there's no talk of Illa. Because I think she's still one of the best written characters in the show. She demonstrates why someone would join the WF, how their pain and the slow progress of equality would lead someone to radicalism and how even her feelings for Blake gave her a mirror image to Adam and how it really drives home that Adam could have been good once upon a time...but he choose to be malicious and petty.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 1 Pt. 14 (Big City, Biggest Pumpkin)

When Spencer returned from Selvadorada, Everett visited her at home. Spencer was none the wiser to Heather and Everett's kiss, and she and her boyfriend lost their virginity to each other in her family’s animal shed. When Heather found out, she plastered on a smile for her friends, but Holly knew she was devastated. She suggested the family return to the city for another day trip to take her mind off her drama, this time to the Arts Quarter near the waterfront.

San Myshuno was hosting a flea market, but the kids played on the playground nearby while Neal and Heather played basketball. Daisy and Holly, meanwhile, spent hours fishing beneath the San Myshuno Bridge, catching fish they’d never find in the River Bagley back home. It was a wonderful bonding experience for them, and Holly started to muse about life catching fish in the Simlandia Sea, working in big ocean trawlers docked at the mouth of San Myshuno Bay.

Holly was a petite girl who loved makeup, so this revelation was a bit of a surprise to Daisy, but it was the thought of her growing up and leaving Henford that filled her mother with the most dread. Luckily, Holly was still far too young, and even though Daisy’s new job kept her away from home more than ever, she cherished every minute with her family. When it got too dark to fish, they rejoined the others at a karaoke bar, where they’d stumbled on a contest which River won. His energy doing Sinatra-style jazz won the crowd over several accomplished singers – San Myshuno was a paradise for aspiring entertainers.

Daisy and Neal were surprised to run into Abby Goldbloom and Hayes Harms but thrilled to catch up and hear how love had beaten the odds with them. The lonely creature keeper had finally been brought from his shell by the outgoing grocer. After the birth of their son, Elliot, she sold her grocery, and he sold his cottage in the Bramblewood; Neal and Daisy hadn’t seen them since they’d moved to Brindleton Bay and adopted an Australian Shepherd. For her part, Heather hated hearing about their happily ever after, but she kept her tortured feelings to herself.

(NOTE: After I took all the Henford NPCs and made them playable, the game generated replacements for the grocer, delivery person, creature keeper, and mayor. I use MCCC cheats to alter relationships, like making Kim Goldbloom the daughter of Ian and Derek Moody-McMillan, and I made Agnes and Agatha an old married couple and set Agatha as Bob Pancakes' mother. The game generated clones of Agatha and Agnes in their place, but Abby and Hayes were the new grocer and creature keeper so I played out the in-game creature keeper/grocer lore a little as a side plot, and used MCCC again to make Abby pregnant with Hayes' kid before I made them both playable and moved them to their own lot.)

The family worked together to grow two oversized pumpkins and an enormous watermelon for Finchwick’s Oversized Crop Fair. River got to put his name on the biggest, juiciest pumpkin because he’d helped his parents the most with weeding, so River won the first-place ribbon. Only the third first prize the Nesbitts had ever won from the Finchwick Fair, Heather’s smaller pumpkin placed second and Neal’s watermelon placed third, solely because it was more of a summer plant than a fall one. Now Daisy’s prizes for her chocolate pie and garden crops had to share space on the walls of their home. In all the fair was a great day, and the townsfolk thought it fitting an astrobiologist would be able to grow the best and biggest produce Henford had ever seen.

With Harvestfest around the corner, would the Nesbitts' fresh produce grace their holiday table? And would Daisy ever find a UFO fruit? ->

<- Previous Chapter | From the Beginning

[libellule-ao3]

Life Links

14. Ben Copper/ Monster

Summary: How did Ben Copper get there? A series of unfortunate circumstances.

⚠️Warning: Violence, Implicit abuse, Feeling of extreme loneliness, dark, Fenrir Greyback, ⚠️

A/N: This chapter was written at a time when Ben was considering a career as an Auror. It also explores the idea that an outcast ultimately chooses to stand by a "monster" rather than be alone and shunned by everyone. Which makes for a pretty dark chapter.

Chapter index - previous chapter (Irma Pince) - next chapter (Merula Snyde) -

The efforts of hundreds of wands united in a single purpose pierce the dome that protects the thousand-year-old school. Attacked from all sides, the protection collapses piece by piece, scattering reddish residues of magic into the night. Like the others, Ben Copper casts uninterrupted salvos of offensive spells to eliminate any trace of the impenetrable barrier.Behind him, the bloodthirsty werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, urges them to use more magic, more effort... more rage!

Ben Copper does not bear the Dark Mark. Yet, he joined the Death Eaters of his own free will. He, a Muggle-born.

The paradox!

The man of today left behind him the boy trembling under Merula Snyde's bullying, like a leaf beaten by a storm, the ridiculous student with multiple phobias isolating him from everyone, the reckless teenager rushing headlong into danger because he had something to prove, a life to justify and another, lost forever, to avenge.

Buoyed by Rowan's sacrifice, the wizard embarked on a career as an Auror alongside Tonks, Talbott Winger and Annie Thorn. A way for him to take part in the evil's eradication that plagues the world. Their training has been a long and bumpy road that has highlighted mental instability and a pathological propensity to take reckless risks that could turn him into danger to himself and others. In order not to be expelled, Ben Copper fought against himself to correct his nature and, in the end, he graduated with honours, his results surpassing even those of Annie and Talbott.

He soon received his placement, a quartet composed of personalities as different as they are complementary. His first mission: to solve a series of murders, the barbarity of which, judging by the corpses, would have turned the guts of a butcher. After a long investigation, Ben and his team tried to arrest a suspect.

After falling into a trap, two teammates were subjected to the Imperius Curse. Manipulated, blackmailed, pushed to their deepest limits, they all experienced Hell before managing to free themselves from this deleterious grip and regain the upper hand. Shocked by the sadism of this bloodthirsty assassin and determined to prevent him from doing any further harm, the young Auror eliminated him. If Sirius Black knew how to take advantage of the loopholes in Azkaban, this guy would have been able to do it too. The prospect of this demon regaining his freedom was both terrifying and unacceptable. For Ben, a radical solution was needed.

The outraged disapproval of his teammates still rings in his ears.

They called him a "monster"! In a panic, Ben falsified all the witness memories to make it look like self-defence. It wasn't legal. It wasn't moral, either. But it was damn right. Ben did society a favour by killing that sadist! Because he was working for justice, Ben didn't deserve a stay in Azkaban for the death of that murderer. Why did they refuse to understand?

Observant and perceptive, Alastor Moody found out. He demanded Ben's resignation before he retired. Excluded from a society he wanted to serve with all his soul, the wizard's isolation was the fertile ground for the growth of the worst seed.

Hate grows in the voids of existence. And the void, Ben, was full of it.

Later, Voldemort controlled the Ministry of Magic, which created a Muggle-born Registration Commission, an administration designed to discriminate and weed out the wizards like Ben. Abandoned by all and forced to rely only on himself, the ex-Auror lived in total destitution in hiding, until one day the Snatchers dragged him to the feet of Fenrir Greyback, the alpha among outcasts. A morbid fear had frozen his bones as he recognised the man, the beast... The monster.

A ruthless predator voluntarily at Voldemort's command, waiting to build up enough Werewolf troops to overthrow those wizards on all sides who unanimously despise lycanthropy.

So Copper had an idea. Since the wizarding world didn't want him, Ben would reject it in turn and drown the resentment that consumed him in blood.

"Make me a werewolf."

After the stupor, Fenrir grinned carnivorously. Greed glinted in his dilated pupils. Greyback didn't know it yet, but they were made of the same wood. Men who will do anything to achieve their goals. Hardliners.

"I enjoy biting kids better... They're more tender," Greyback hummed, licking his lips obscenely.

Nevertheless, the alpha pounced on him and gave the blond a painful glimpse of the violence of his dominance instincts before imprisoning him until the next full moon that has made him a new werewolf.

A large, muscular hand ruffles Ben's blond hair. The ex-auror submits willingly to this treatment, which is not at all affectionate.

He is no longer alone.

Never again alone.

A shadow clouds his large brown eyes. At the signal, the entire pack sets off. Ben is in the front line. He is strong, powerful. Copper runs, adrenalin runs through his veins. An army of animated stone statues in a tight row stands in his way. Not for long. His magic makes his wand twinkle.

"Flipendo Maxima!"

Part of the first line of defense collapses on the second, as Acromentulas slither between the stone legs, or advance over the rubble. Other wizards follow suit. The haphazard steps of the trolls and the slow, heavy steps of the giants make the ground tremble under his feet. As in a game of dominoes, the second line of statues topples the third, then the fourth. The fifth resists. But no matter!

The Battle only just begun!

[natequarter]

4, 6, 14 and 16 for my guy Arthur please! - thelastplantagenet 💚

4: What's your character's favourite recreational activity?

theatre! including a variety of elizabethan/jacobean playwrights, of course, but i like to think he's very fond of shakespeare. he wishes his dad could've seen macbeth. (oh, and also his later life. that too.)

6: What is the thing your OC likes the least about themself?

by nature of his family he's somewhat at odds with the religious/political climate of elizabethan (later jacobean) england, and sometimes he wishes he didn't have french heritage because it would make his life simpler. not necessarily better, but simpler. most of the time, however, he enjoys confusing humphrey by holding conversations in french; he would be a very different person without that background

14: An embarrassing secret about your OC?

he hasn't so much walked in on his parents as accidentally dug up an old miniature of his dad's mistress. it was humiliating for all involved, except for sophie, who found it hilarious. he was a very moody teenager, and as he grows out of it he finds it rather embarrassing to reflect on

16: How does your OC feel about their parents?

he's very fond of them! (even if they can be embarrassing.) both of his parents are trying not to repeat the same mistakes their parents made, so he's well aware that his parents do very much love him and want the best for him. of course, this is elizabethan england, and there's only so much his parents can do to protect him - never mind that sophie's a staunch catholic - but overall, they get on well. (just don't talk to humphrey in french.)

30: Does your OC wish to be married someday?

ultimately, he doesn't really have a choice in the matter; as his father's eldest son, it's pretty much inevitable. but he isn't forced into marrying at such an early age as his parents, so he does look forwards to marrying someday.

(link)

[eolewyn1010]

Dragging Frankenstein - Chapter 20, part 1

Moody lighting, slate claps, here goes! This is honestly my favorite chapter of the entire book. The quandary around the Distressing Damsel, the conflict between the Creature and the creator taking the deciding turn, Victor FOR ONCE proving insight and strength of character? This here. This is why it's worth to read this book. Since my talk about this got way long, I'll split my recap in two parts for once.

I’m quite shocked that Victor actually does some reflection on how fucking clueless he is about the Distressing Damsel, same as he was about the Creature. Not repeating the own mistakes? Who is this, an actual scientist??

Of course, he only thinks about how miserable said mistakes have made him (William and Justine whomst?), so he still gets IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 21

I LOLed pretty hard at him also, and fucking finally, subverting the Saintly Girl stereotype that was set up all throughout the book, by randomly assuming that the Distressing Damsel might not only be more prone to violence, but also more sadistic about it than the Creature. Don’t worry, honey; he’ll grow into the sadism just fine on his own.

And there’s this: As I noted a few chapters back, Shelley’s God-Adam-Satan parallel has always avoided an Eve character insert. The women in this story are passive and pure; they don’t take on a proactive role. For the first time, Victor acknowledges that this hypothetical woman could be different, and it scares the shit out of him. In his role as God wannabe, it’s ultimately him who chooses not to complete the Creation story at hand. It’s incredible, it’s much too late, but it is a sign of direly needed humility, as he has no power over her.

I’m even more shocked that Victor of all people reaches the conclusion that no one else could reach around here, not Victor’s family in regards to Elizabeth and certainly not the Creature – that the whole ship-at-first-sight thingie might not work out. Like. Where did he suddenly take the brain from (and I don’t mean the one he’s setting into the Distressing Damsel)? No one else around here ever assumed that “he was a boy, she was a girl” doesn’t automatically lead to “they hit it off immediately”.

“She also might turn with disgust from him to the superior beauty of man” …or, y’know, woman. But this reminds me of how the Creature very much gushed about the beauty of Man first; he had a pretty bad boner for Felix, so count it I shall. DAS GAY: 31

Of course, even with the reflection on how unforeseeable the Distressing Damsel is, the book still works on the presumption of absolute superficialness. Perhaps the reason why she’d dislike him is because, y’know, he’s a grooming, self-centered asshole?

And then it gets interesting. Because Victor fears that they might reproduce. That’s for one pretty fucking stupid bc – he’s the one putting the Distressing Damsel together. Just don’t give her a uterus?

But also, he works on the assumption that the Creature absolutely is capable of procreating. And he’s also the one who put him together. Evidently fully functional. Capable of the entire erection AND sperm dealie. DAS GAY: 32

INCEST VIBES: 14

Hey, I’m not here to kink-shame the monsterfuckers, but he’s still kind of the Creature’s father.

Also, gotta love the line “yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which the demon thirsted would be children”. Thanks for lampshading again that the so-called sympathies are really just a case of The Horny™.

And how he trembles at the thought of “little devils”! Didn’t he want to be the father of a new species? How the turns have tabled. Victor is also thinking of future generations of humanity now, and for ONCE not of himself. This chapter is truly baffling. Paul Cantor’s essay (highly recommend) calls that his “abstract benevolence”, in that Victor himself suffers and makes those around him suffer, but mankind as a whole is too big for him to surrender to an incalculable evil.

Eww, the Creature grinning up at Victor during the window while the latter is working on the Distressing Damsel makes me think he gives him a really nasty horny expression.

And that’s the end of the Distressing Damsel, the single female character in this book who had any potential. I will miss her. Reminds me of when I read Dracula and lowkey wanted Mina to change fully because then Dracula would have created himself a powerful enemy out for vengeance. Would’ve been so cool. Why can’t we have nice things?

Left the room, locked the door, made a solemn vow. Uhm, bitch? Maybe destroy the laboratory? Set everything on fire so it’ll never be found, especially by your smartass pseudo-offspring? Dumbfuck.

We get a foreboding night mood (how come I still enjoy these landscape descriptions? Probably bc it’s the only time Victor isn’t talking about himself), and then it’s on. Creature’s turn to talk about himself and how hard his life is! IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 22

[hirudou]

much to his disdain, wuya molts once a year for 14 days. it's something he actually calls out sick from classes for, because he doesn't want anyone to see him without his feathers. he's also very moody and hormonal when this is happening, and he's really uncomfortable to boot. -- he does actually look awful when he's molting. he loses all his feathers within those two weeks, then they grow back. his hair also loses it's shine and gloss, no matter what he does. he sleeps a lot, and eats twice as much as he normally would to keep up with the ordeal...

[hashems-truth-matters]

Returning to God's Righteousness

With all of the denominational squabbles that have occurred over the centuries, some people have become engrossed in such "battles," attempting to determine which ones are right or more right than the others. Many distortions had grown in Judaism, which the Messiah had to correct at His first coming, as we have seen. Why would we think that we haven’t gotten anything wrong since then? Though well-intended, I believe much has grown out of the flesh, leading to a compromised church that lacks the anchor of the Torah to keep it on track. This is the wrong battleground; it is a distraction.

Our God, the God of Israel, YHVH, is only concerned with obedience to His Son, who taught and did only what the Father taught. 

“So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself. The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” (John 7: 16-18 NASB)

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their way of life, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever. Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.” (Hebrews 13:7-9 NASB)

Their doctrines are similar and not too difficult for us to understand.

Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in every work of your hand, in the children of your womb, the offspring of your cattle, and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

"For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you could say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you could say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and get it for us and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’ On the contrary, the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may follow it.” (Deuteronomy 30:9b-14 NASB)

Paul cautioned the followers of Yeshua/Jesus not to claim to be of Paul or Apollos. I would also add, not of Luther, Wesley, Moody, and so forth, but only of Yeshua/Jesus. He said that these distractions come from the flesh—from immature flesh at that. 

And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people? For when one person says, “I am with Paul,” and another, “I am with Apollos,” are you not ordinary people?” (1 Cor 3: 1-11 NASB)

Rather than following a particular denominational leader, the more crucial question is to renounce all carnal questions and humble yourself to become a child of God/YHVH first, and then grow up in Him. 

Putting aside disagreements over human interpretations and doctrines, returning to His righteousness means picking up the same kind of "battle" that was fought in the first century: who is Israel? What does joining the family of God, the family of YHVH, the God of Israel, entail for me? 

It is easy to forget that we were brought up in a Gentile environment that was opposed to God's ways and that we followed a lot of paganism because our fathers had done the same, which made the practices seem reasonable to us. In an attempt to appeal to the masses, many churches have changed their message to reflect worldly wisdom and worldly definitions of success—you could call it a religion of the people that works better for them. This is the fruit and root of the apostate church. "Christianizing" pagan rituals has become the standard for far too many people. 

As a result, when we are adopted into God's family, we DO need to humble ourselves, examine, and reevaluate everything we hold dear, bringing it all into line with the way that our God reveals truth in His entire Word. This is genuinely like being a child again—not childish, but child-like in wonder. Instead of disputing something because it deviates from our prior knowledge or does not make sense to us, we should learn what He says is right and wrong. The best defense against the devil's schemes to pull us away is complete surrender to Him.

This is not limited to once or twice-a-week worship sessions. In the midst of a perverse world, it is about our entire walk—the food we eat, the holidays we observe, the commandments we uphold, the time we spend in the Word and in prayer. The walk of a believer in the God of Israel is one of supernatural power, without getting sucked into unholy spiritual phenomena. He truly is beyond our power to accomplish in our flesh. It is essential to understand that Messiah was able to approach the Right Hand of the Father through His work on our behalf and that He extends an invitation to join Him there. (Ephesians 1:20-23; 2:1-7) But since He is not coming for a child bride, we must mature and let His sanctification process do its work in us. We cannot achieve that unless we begin at the beginning and give Him permission to renew our thoughts, will, and emotions in accordance with His ways—stepping OUT of worldly ways and fleshly convenience. We have nothing to fear because Messiah's blood has been shed to cover us; that is His portion. It is our responsibility to put Him first in everything, not just to sing "I Surrender All" when we only mean to surrender "I Surrender Some."