#not the topic! but yeah! procreate!

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

hey, just out of curiousity, if you are ok with me asking this, what do you use as your drawing program?

yeah! i use procreate <3

[la-topazzz]

BIRTHDAYYYYY💥💥💥💥

Meet the artist will be soon but YEAHH ONE YEAR OLDER!!!

[uorufein]

perrin is not a clanleader descendant please get well soon <3

[meanbossart]

Hi, just a warning for the following unhinged question. (I'm getting baby rabies.) I love seeing Dadstarion and Famstarionnstuff all over tumblr- AND of course that lil thing you drew with Drow and Astarion and fucking little Bhaalings into his belly sparked the question-

DOES DROW WANT KIDS SOMEDAY? UNCONSCIOUSLY? SUBCONSCIOUSLY? Like with the whole Sarevok, epilogue reveal, is it spoilers to ask how your Drow would deal with the new sudden urge to procreate? (Sorry if this is actually a spoiler for ANE future chapters) BUT If so, how does it manifest? Does he start nesting? Hoarding even more shiny crap and dirty rags than usual? Does he start adopting every mangy orphaned cub they come across? Does his dirty talk in bed just get progressively more and more disturbing and natally oriented that even he starts thinking "wtf" post encounter? Does he ever think about putting a round bundle under his shirt and pretending it's his and Astarions dhamphir love-child?

Also IF yes to any of the above, What would Astarion's reaction be?

TYVM

Unhinged fan of yours

First of all I love unhinged questions. Those are my favorite questions. This is an unhinged couple and It's what they deserve, so thank you for this LOL

This topic, at least in this context, never comes up in ANE so I think i can answer it without anything being considered a spoiler.

"Currently" I definitely don't think either of them consider the idea of children in the slightest, while both probably get on with kids relatively well, in their own weird ways (kids love weird people) they're strongly in the "don't want kids and never will" frame of mind despite any joking and uh thematic dirty talking.

THAT BEING SAID, they are both bound to exist for a long time. Depending on how things turn out for him, Astarion's lifespan is either a good 700 years or a big Ol Forever. Drows also live for up to seven centuries and I don't even know whether or not DU Drow's particular kind of Bhaalspawn-ness doesn't affect that, as you could argue he's some type of demigod. The idea that they may change their mind at some point is not out of the question.

In regards to DU drow getting a baby fever in the future, I do think it will be something they have to deal with. Obviously, him and Astarion can't procreate as they are, and even if magical options exist DU drow is still aware that it would be a bad idea to follow through with it. I have honestly no clue how a desire like that would externalize, but - and I hate to be a downer but I assume you want my sincere answer here - based on Sarevok's letter I don't actually think it would be as fun as the bedroom talk or the cracks he makes - it sounds like it would be a spiraling depression and state of unfulfillment that they would simply have to learn to cope with if he is to remain childless, peppered with a profound yearning for a More he can't quite pin down. Luckily I think Astarion's character has demonstrated time and time again that he has the ability to be extremely sensible towards that type of thing, and he would be pretty much the ideal partner in those circumstances (especially if we're talking an older, more mature Astarion). An adoptive child could sate that, or it could not, I have no idea, but I don't think he would ever just say "yeah fuck it lets have/get a kid" in response to it.

Either way, as I mentioned above I believe it's not out of the question (if not inevitable?) that they could come to become someone's guardians someday regardless, especially if they ever become more firmly settled in life and the people they are. I doubt it's something they will ever actively seek out (I don't really see them ever completely retiring from a dangerous lifestyle of their own will) but maybe they stumble upon an orphan or, more likely, kill some kid's actual parents and out of guilt keep it for long enough to develop a bond. Lets say this happens out on the road - maybe they want to at least drop it off at a city somewhere where the thing would have a better chance, but ultimately decide against it for whatever reason... Yeah I could see something like that happening lol It's a cute thought, and funny enough I don't think they would make the Worst parents, assuming their character developments continues in a generally positive direction.

[ask-the-meteor-crew]

FAQ Behind The Curtain

How do you draw so fast?

I'm currently double majoring in Animation and Creative Writing. I'm built different and also just, not trying very hard on most of these drawings. Drawing fast is kind of the backbone of animation and I've noticed coloring everything makes most people assume whatever line quality or level of finish on the outlines is a stylistic choice rather than laziness. What program do you use? I used Clip Studio Paint until about #021 when I picked up after haitus and used Procreate out of comfort and convenience. Do you use stock backgrounds or make them as you go? Every time I decide a scene needs a new background I draw it out in it's entirety and save it to my collection of backgrounds to use. So yeah, I'm not redrawing the background every single time it appears, I'm basically building out the meteor one room at a time in hopes of one day not having to draw backgrounds anymore. Where do you get the space photos? NASA's Hubble Space Telescope team has politely made all of the telescopes published photographs public domain, I imagine as a service to the planet as the intersection between photographers and people able to go that far into space is understandably zero. Font/Handwriting questions I stopped handwriting for most panels as I realized my best handwriting is all caps and it would be a shame if Karkat was the only character anyone could understand. I still use handwritten text for "special speech" which is whispers, and shouting, anything that's supposed to feel or sound radically different from the rest of the yapping. It did take me a while to settle on a font, I found a really good one for Dave that didn't have apostrophes and gave everyone else a typewriter font for a while, until I found the alternate version of the font I used for Dave that had all the special grammar symbols and numbers I could ever need. It's called the Atari font in the actual file but I have no idea if Atari ever actually used this version of it. Does the ask box ever close? When will my question be answered? It doesn't close and I have more questions than I'll probably ever answer. Some are confused about canon, others have had the core idea of their question asked multiple times already and I just didn't feel like collecting them all as screen shots. And some I just don't have answers for. Some get deleted because I don't like the tone, don't get the joke or found a typo particularly difficult to parse. No biggie. Questions will be answered if and when I feel like drawing a comic for it. Some questions are a better starting point for a comic than others, don't take it personally. Can the characters still talk to John and Jade? Can they run into them in the dream bubbles? According to canon, no. According to this blog, also no. Do you take magic anons? No. While I've gotten flimsy on the vlog framing device in order to make a more entertaining comic overall, the truth still remains that anything beyond messages in a digital inbox from some far off unspecified rift in paradox space would have some pretty immersion breaking implications on the setting overall. I know I answered a question offering Dave some clothes but the clothes were not given to him, I used it more as a prompt for him to take the clothes he already had out of the dryer. Is this blog safe for minors? This blog contains canon typical violence and themes, however when it comes to sexual content (the one thing minors absolutely CANNOT legally interact with) this blog is rated T for teen. Think like The Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother. Sex can be implied and a frequent topic of conversation but never occurs on screen. Ultimately it's up to you and maybe your parents to decide if you can handle the blogs contents as you are responsible for curating your own online experience. TLDR if you're old enough to be on tumblr you should be fine.

How do I address the author?

My name is Sky, she/her pronouns exclusively. Please don’t try to hold conversations via the ask box. Just DM me.

Where do I send questions and comments for the author?

@meteor-crew-after-dark

[quetzii]

Hello! Love your toh au!

Question is Luz the next baby that aldore is pregnant with or someone else/fankid?? How did aldore get with belos? Will be and the kids escape or try to kill belos??

Second question; how do you draw scars so well??

Hiii!! And thank you!! I plan to make more things!

Sure!

1. I still have some things to edit or write, but Luz is apart; I plain to make the same as the show; just with different hints. Luz entering to Boiling Isles, but the things I have in my mind

As the baby; yeah, Alador gets pregnant for the fifth time, but it was again from Belos (spoiler; the baby born after Belos stomp, being blonde and almost likely to Caleb ‐something that Belos wanted LOL)

2. I don't have it well written/planned yet But, in a certain way, Alador manages to enter the Emperor's coven (being 23 years old) mostly for his creativity in abomination and also later being good at abomatrons, something that caught Belos' attention and he wanted to know more. I need to develop their relationship more, but it's more about manipulation, abuse and fear. At first everything was nice, but because of Belos' ambition and more ideas, all that withered away.

Also that Belos saw in Alador that he was a good candidate for procreation; genes and magic.

3. The four of them know perfectly well that the relationship between Belos and Alador is horrible. They only have the support of Alador, but nothing from Belos, even though he is their father. Hunter is the one who questions himself the most and sometimes tries to rebel, but ends up failing. They have thought a lot about doing something, but at the moment; fear and the "what will happen next?" win in their minds and they slip away, not wanting a punishment or worse case: that Belos does something more serious to Alador.

Secretly, the four of them lived their lives or did things that Belos did not want and that But they really wanted to do that without hiding or fearing being seen.

4. About scars! Thank you!!!

The truth is I don't consider myself that good at that topic of scars because sometimes I make mistakes or they don't look like them hahaha The truth is that I am very inspired by other drawings; scars from cuts/sh, wounds and so on. I get almost everything from drawings. I look a lot at how scars are drawn and I try to imitate them; I mean, so that they look good and not just a line. but I will keep practicing so they look better!

[darkfictionjude]

What f!Luce and Carmen parents thinks about Carmen wanting an open relationship and same gender relationship?

Because the year and italian mafia tradition

Well must we tell our parents everything? It’s not like when Luce loses or lost their virginity they went running to their parents to tell them, that’s not really a topic of conversation brought up between a parent and child

So they would see their relationship from the outside and not really know it’s open. The issue of course would be the same sex-ness of it all. Not only is it immoral religiously, it also creates issues for procreation. Like yeah Luce could get pregnant by a man but tradition (reminder, this isn’t me talking) dictates that when two people marry the dna of the two families are within the child to really secure that marriage and alliance

So an open relationship is easy to hide and hard to spot unless those two are making out with people at a family event, the same sex stuff not so much

[triforce-of-mischief]

dammit im going on a mental rant about storks again but this time im not letting it go to waste

(tw for blunt discussion of dark topics in the context of babies)

tulip is EIGHTEEN YEARS AND THREE DAYS OLD when the movie ends. she has THE REST OF HER ENTIRE ADULT LIFE to deal with the consequences of A SINGLE BIRD producing A MILLION HUMAN BABIES IN ONE DAY. which she enthusiastically takes joint credit for, because she has no idea that things could go wrong.

but let's backtrack a bit, junior could've been wrong. i don't know how many letters were in that case, i don't know how many babies were on the floor, i don't know how many postcards were on the bulletin board. let's just assume that he was right, for the sake of everything.

"but fable," you say, "there's a lot of people in the world, like a few billion which is a lot of millions. maybe a million babies is a perfectly normal amount of babies to materialize in a single day."

"About 385,000 babies are born each day according to the UN. That adds up to more than 140 million a year."

junior enabled the creation of almost 1.5 years worth of babies with a single "i did not think that through." THAT IS A BIG DEAL.

ESPECIALLY when you remember that this is a backup of EIGHTEEN YEARS worth of babies. for the million expecting and unexpecting parents, that's a lifechanging event they might not be ready for. the storks could be handing babies to people who are too old, too depressed, too abusive, too apathetic, or in any other mental and/or physical state that makes them unfit to care for a baby. oh yeah, or they could just be dead. hope the orphanages are ready for THAT can of worms.

"but fable," you say again, "what if this is a handmaid's tale thing and it's okay because they're behind on eighteen years worth of babies?"

the gardners explicitly establish that humans are doing just fine procreating without the storks and the machine. until that moment, earth's population was still naturally balanced.

and then there's the whole thing about the babies speedrunning the first three months of their lives, which for human babies is also a pretty big deal. (i forgot to research when babies start to laugh; the answer is 4-6 months)

are stork babies just as susceptible to sickness and all the stuff that makes the first stages of existence so perilous? it's a good thing stork babies are free (apparently) because if so, that's just a delivery of grief and depression. yaaaay.

on a lighter note, i do love how diamond destiny was handled. she's proof that the babies are created with the traits that are best for their family, even if it's not exactly what they thought they wanted. she doesn't get any special treatment for being a girl. she's not any more pure or innocent than any other baby, her ninja skills aren't a #baby girlboss moment, and the only physical characteristic symbolizing her gender is her pink hair. she only wears a diaper for the entire movie (except the future-vision), because girl babies dont need any more clothes than boy babies. not even a frilly dress or a cute hairclip.

i'll stop for now, but there's more where that came from 💖

[aimfor-theheart]

You’re so right about the aversion to sexuality in media over the last ~5 years in particular. I really hate when people argue against the presence of romance and more specifically sex scenes in movies and tv shows bc they usually say something about it “not advancing the plot” but like??? Not every scene has to be perfectly logical and precise and move the narrative forward. As you said, romance and sex are just common parts of our daily lives, even when they don’t serve a purpose in advancing our lives.

And it all plays into amatonormativity too by reinforcing the idea that the only valid form of romantic relationships is one in which two people are monogamous and procreative, but enjoy no real sense of intimacy. After all, procreation is the most valuable mode of production under capitalism, there is no money without labor, so we’ve almost returned to this era where people are expected to partner up, have sex to procreate, and not talk about it.

Anyway that’s all I got lmao sorry for rambling

no no no anon youre so completely right!!! we’ve absolutely gotten back to this point!! i think the sex without intimacy is huge right now—sex without romance. sex without kink or taboo or even just pleasure. it really is sex just to procreate! which is not only the most valuable production under capitalism but also continues to assert that your body is not a sexual or romantic one, but rather one for work. for production.

i also completely agree with you that i don’t personally need every single moment to advance the plot—but i also think sex and romance CAN advance the plot.

or like i said, give us another side of a character or characters. romance and sex can help us understand a fuller picture—these things are also personality traits!! facets to characters!! these are questions and topics that DO provide insight into a characters psyche. and more than that, is a safe place for us to explore sex and romance. or engage with it.

but yeah you’re completely right!! i’m right there with you friend!!! do not apologize for bringing up more good points!!

[guiltycorp]

thoughts on this current quest! ! CARIBERT SPOILERS

good thing that we got a specific answer as to 'where was Khaenri’ah located' 

LOVED the tidbit about Kaeya trying to run away to Sumeru as a kid — as nice as living in the winery might have been, little Kaeya was still sentimental enough to risk that newly gained safety just to reconnect with his roots, very sad and revealing

...also, his absence caused a ruckus and Crepus personally went and took him back, which means either that he truly cared about his sworn son ...or that he had a yet unknown goal for him 👀

more confirmation for Kaeya being a little bit too much into alcohol since he tried every kind of liquor the tavern offered and appears to have a high tolerance (day-drinking even though he must have known that a difficult conversation with the Traveler and Dain was incoming)

on that topic, tbh im not sure if his excuse (learning about Sumeru’s alcohol industry and leading trade negotiations) was supposed to be just that, a lie that he came up with, or if genshin writers are this bad at writing excuses for characters to be places... like I guess 'alcohol import regulations' could be something that the Knights would do, but when Snezhnayan merchants wanted to import their firewater they went straight to Diluc, and overall this doesn’t seem like a worthy task for the Acting Grandmaster’s right-hand man

...unless it was supposed to be a vacation that Jean sent him on, but why would she want him to miss Windblume?

also apparently Diluc won’t be in Windblume either, so maybe this is something they coordinated on, idk

but yeah no, most probably Kaeya just lied and specifically went to Sumeru to find out more about Alberichs

anyway, he is as avoidant as ever, getting the small bit of info he wanted and immediately bailing on mc and Dainsleif (who seems like the type to reveal important secrets without meaning to, so it probably would have served him better to pry a bit more) 

i would have enjoyed it if they actually started arguing haha but alas

don't have a lot of thoughts on Dainsleif himself, his reaction to Kaeya makes sense considering his grudge against the Abyss Order

i still think that Kaeya might have ties not only to the Abyss Order (which he only confirmed for himself now), but also to the Fatui (which he might have known about all along), but that's all just theories

overall i really like that Kaeya doesn't seem to know that much about lore stuff — this gives him an opportunity to learn about it alongside us and have to actually grapple with his duties to either Mond or Khaenri'ah rather than it all happening in the backstory somewhere

also since we are told that Kaeya is Chlothar’s descendant that must mean: 1) Caribert was rid of his hilichurl curse somehow and later procreated  2) unless Kaeya is Caribert lmao but that would be too much?.. 3) in either case Kaeya has some Mondstadt blood in him too since Caribert’s mother was from there, tying the whole ‘bloodline’ issues together neatly

otherwise, yeahh, the usual unfortunate writing choices...

gasp did you just empathize with a character who stands against the current status quo? well, let's spend looots of time proving how unreasonable they are.. 

like it's not even a good play on the standard story of cults preying on vulnerable ppl, but who cares at this point

i guess it’s somewhat interesting when compared to Kaeya’s dad writing which made it sound as if Alberichs took over the responsibility of ruling over the survivors as soon as Khaenri’ah’s royal line was incapacitated, while this quest makes it seem as if Chlothar Alberich lived on his own with his cursed son for a while before he founded the Abyss Order 

which also means that they weren’t officially recognized as regents by the nation? hmm

oh and we didn't even get to see what's under a hilichurl's mask :/

we did learn a bit more about Khaenri’ah as a country, specifically that they had some serious divide between the ‘true’ Khaenri’ah bloodline ppl, the nobility, and the commoners, but im guessing this just leads to ‘it deserved to get nuked bc it sucked’

the gravity thing was fun, i liked it in Elden Ring and i like it here hehe, hope there's more of it in the future

but the dungeon seemed pretty cheap overall, especially that same reused statue prop lol Also man, imagine how fun it would be if the twins actually switched places and we played as the evil one for a bit. It would make the dialogues so much more interesting...  Because yeah, the writers should really stop making so much of the story revolve around the mc when they still don’t have much of a personality or specific motivations. At least our sibling has a goal in mind.  But yeah, no. Anyway!!

[honeykngdom]

𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 | 𝚎.𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 | 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚗

Pairing: Embry Call x Original Character Summary: Join Ainsley and Embry as they embark on a journey where they are forced to question everything they thought they knew, and embrace the pain that is inevitable to avoid in love. An imprint story. Self-discovery. Angst and romance. Word Count: 6.1k Warnings: Mentions of blood. prev. chapter | next chapter

𝙴𝚖𝚋𝚛𝚢

She looked absolutely gorgeous; her lightly bronzed skin practically glowed in the dim light, shoulders bare and inviting. Embry spent the majority of the night appreciating the effort she put forward. He had merely showered, shaved and put on a matching pair of socks. Ainsley curled her hair, lashes were thick and full like feather dusters, and her cheeks were a subtle pink. 

Admittedly, Embry devoted the last several years of his life to sleeping with beautiful women – he knew what beautiful looked like. Ainsley certainly took the cake. She wasn’t beautiful in just that simple girl-next-door sort of way, but in a way that made him believe she was strong, almost powerful. He was completely captivated by how intoxicating she was to him. How her scent alone was enough to ease the tremors, how her voice invited a new sort of calm and peace into his life. Her presence was certainly his most cherished gift. A world without her big heart was just simply a world Embry did not want to exist in. 

Jacob and Embry previously had conversation on that topic, trying to decipher the true meaning of an imprint apart from the mating and procreation the elders seemed to think it meant. With Renesmee in the picture, should that ever be a possibility, it was very obviously not just about procreation. Embry usually hated all things fairytale and hopeful. If there had been one thing Embry wished he had learned sooner, it was that life is not apologetic about fucking up everything good you’ve ever had. To live life with zero remorse. 

He had gone from fully hating the way his best friend had turned into a mindless robot intent on existing for one female, to completely sympathizing and letting himself get lost in the feeling of the bond. He hated being apart from Ainsley, hated watching any sort of pain pass through her eyes. And he could see it all: the disappointment, the sadness, the stress, the exhaustion. How daunting it was adjusting to her new life and his lifestyle. He appreciated how hard she was trying to be okay with everything, but knew she still didn’t fully understand it. 

Soon, that would change. Soon, he would give up this life so that he could fit more comfortably into hers. She already had given him more than he should have asked for; having moved in temporarily on rotating weeks so that she wasn’t disrupting the peace at home, he was certain she felt terrible, leaving her mother feeling abandoned. How lost she must have felt when she returned home one weekend and the family was absent, having gone to Seattle for an engagement party for one of TJ’s friends. 

Ainsley always teased him for watching her, always mentioned something about taking a picture because it would last longer. Embry never feared he would need a picture, because he was certain she wouldn’t leave him. Despite knowing he never deserved her or her kindness and patience, he knew Ainsley wouldn’t abandon him. Truth be told, Embry watched her carefully all the time, knowing in every moment which emotion she was feeling, knowing exactly how to respond (to the best of his abilities) to offer her comfort. 

Now he sat across from her, watching her lips break into a half-smile around her words, the sound of her laugh filling the room. Although they were careful to remain quiet, to not disturb those around them, he still felt as though her words sent vibrations through his core. 

Oh yeah, he had it bad. 

“You okay?” She asked, fingers reaching forward to rest gently on his knuckles. Embry inhaled deeply, the cool touch of her fingers soothing the fever of his skin. 

“Never better,” He smiled, bringing his drink to his lips. There was very little Embry was afraid of in this world. He was scared of death, first and foremost. He was scared of his mother and her disappointment. He was scared of losing the family he had built for himself on the reservation.

He was scared of waking up one morning and realizing he hadn’t been able to be good enough for her. That his carelessness had pushed her away, or worse – 

Killed her. 

Ainsley bit down on the last piece of chicken on her plate, hand folded together on her stomach as she chewed and forced herself to swallow. It always amused him, the way she tried to keep up with his appetite. 

“No dessert, then?” He chuckled when she shook her head quickly. She had pointed out the skillet cookie on the dessert menu left on the table when they first arrived, demanding that they not leave until she had devoured an entire cookie for herself. It was very clear now that Ainsley’s eyes were bigger than her poor stomach. 

“I can’t believe I have to go see Trent.” She sighed, playing with the straw in her drink. “All I want to do is go home and sleep.” 

Embry leaned forward, stabbing one of the pieces of broccoli she had left behind with his fork. “Why not just reschedule?” 

Ainsley grimaced. “I can’t.” She mumbled, looking down at her nearly-empty plate. “I do that enough as it is.” 

They sat in silence for a few moments, the unsettling reality that Embry occupied the majority of her spare time now the elephant in the room. He wanted to feel bad, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He had spent the last six years being okay with never having a love of his own - he would be damned if he’d share her with anyone. Including her family. 

When he paid the bill and escorted her to the Jeep, he moved slower. The closer they moved to Ink Obsession, the thicker the anxiety that radiated off her. She gripped his hand tightly, fingers playing with his absently as she watched the city pass by her window. He tried to squeeze it in comfort, but never got much of a reaction out of her.

“Honey,” he pulled her from her thoughts once he cut the engine of the car, watching her gnaw on her lower lip in the darkness. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” 

Ainsley lifted her heavy lids to his: the blue had shifted into a hazy green and appeared weary. She was very obviously withholding information, or not telling the entire truth. Embry wanted to respect her privacy, but it was unsettling, not knowing for the first time in months what was going on in her head. 

“You trust me, right?” She asked quietly, eyes desperately trying to read his face. Embry focused on keeping his face even and smooth, hoping it provided some sense of relief to whatever internal turmoil she was facing. 

He nodded, “I do.” 

“Then don’t think too much about it.” She tried to smile, leaning forward to press her lips to his quickly, “I’m not sure when I’ll be home, but I promise you don’t need to worry about me.” 

The lights to the shop flickered on as Trenton’s figure emerged from the darkness on the other side of the lot with his keys in his hand. He stopped just outside the shop's door, looking towards the Jeep expectantly. Embry felt Ainsley shift beside him, her heartbeat increasing.

“Ainsley,” he leveled, but she was already exiting out of the vehicle. He sighed in defeat, rolling the drivers window down as she rounded the car to his side and leaned up to pucker her lips. He kissed her quickly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she lied, heartbeat stuttering the slightest as she looked over her shoulder at her brother. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home, okay?” Ainsley was backing away from the Jeep, skin slightly pale and clammy in the dim streetlights, but her eyes held a sort of promise. Embry nodded once, turning the keys in the ignition. He tried to push the unease away, pulling out of the parking lot slowly; in the rearview mirror, he watched as Trent and Ainsley's faces fell in unison. 

𝙰𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢

I let my eyes travel over the shop again. It had changed so much from when Trenton had first started working here - the black walls had been covered with a pretty oak laminate, framed pieces of each artist’s most favoured pieces or inspirations linked together to pop against the dark oak. The carpet had been ripped up and replaced with clean white tile, the once open and shared space had been turned into personal enclosed rooms. Trent’s room sat the furthest from the front desk. His room was less cluttered than the others had been: his client chair was pristine and black, that matched all the other furniture in the room. All of his sketchbooks were neatly lined up in a bookshelf, the corkboard on the opposite wall held what appeared to be small up-for-grab ideas. 

“How do you know he’s even coming?” I asked quietly, folding my arms over my chest as I leaned over his desk to scanned my eyes over the open concepts he had drawn earlier that day. “How do you know this isn’t some sort of ambush?”

I could practically hear the eye roll from the other side of the room. “This isn’t an ambush.”

“You don’t know that.” I said firmly, fingers pulling back pages to look at other ideas. I paused momentarily when I stumbled upon a page that held the tribal sigdial that the pack bore – except more detailed. Four different designs that added their own uniqueness to the symbol. I wondered if he was trying to pull them together for Leah, to offer her some sort of individuality. “How long are we going to wait before we leave?” I asked impatiently, another wave of nausea rocking through me. 

Trent sighed, flicking the lamp on in his room to illuminate it. The shop was supposed to be closed to the public, and he wanted to draw very little attention so he had opted to use his phone flashlight and small office lamps to provide just enough light for us to navigate comfortably. “We’ll give it an hour. If he doesn’t show, we’ll leave.”

“This is stupid.” I grumbled in response. “We shouldn’t be here anyway – do you know how pissed Leah and Embry would be if they knew we were willingly meeting with him?”

My brother collapsed onto the short couch, arms spread across the back. “Are you his bitch now?”

“Shut up,” I grumbled, folding my arms again. “I’m respecting boundaries.”

“His boundaries.” Trent corrected, raising a brow languidly. “You are still able to live a life away from him, you know.” 

“I know.” 

“Are you sure about that?”

I licked my lips, letting my eyes wander to the door again. I didn’t want to admit that Trent had a point – that Embry spent a lot more time keeping very close tabs on me. I was certain it was in good faith, that he was merely concerned for my safety. “Don’t you spend as much time with Leah as I do Embry?” 

“Your point?” He asked tiredly. 

“What makes us different from you?” I asked, leaning against his desk. “Your girlfriend wears the pants in your relationship anyway –”

“Oh, fuck off Ains.” He growled, brows pulling together in a glare. “When’s the last time you or Embry took any interest in what was going on at home?” 

“Don’t,” I started, shaking my head, “Leah knows what it’s like to be a part of a family. She understands the obligation to check in.”

“Embry doesn’t?”

“No.” My voice had dropped, feeling bad for even thinking about it. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about Embry’s home life except for Jacob two months ago. I hadn’t bothered asking Embry about it, not knowing how uncomfortable it made him. “His mom remarried a few years ago, lives somewhere in Forks now. He doesn’t have any siblings.”

“He has us.” Trent said after a few moments of silence, staring down at his boots. “We’re his family now.”

I appreciated my brother's words, letting them offer momentary solace. “I know. It’s still new to him, and I know he doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries.” 

“Maybe invite him over for dinner.” Trenton suggested. “You’ve been attached to the hip since Billy’s birthday. In the last four months, you’ve had no trouble sneaking him in through your window but can’t be bothered to actually have him properly integrate into the family.” 

“It’s risky.” 

“Why? Leah had no issues.”

I exhaled loudly. “Leah also doesn’t lose her temper as quickly as Embry has lately – if at all.” The pair of us fell quiet, watching each other before Trent finally nodded in defeat and sighed. “I’ll try, okay? I’ll bring it up to mom and see what she says.”

The chimes at the front of the stores broke the quiet of the shop. My head reared to watch the door to Trent’s room, eyes watching the casted shadow approach slowly. I held my breath, fingers digging into the skin of my arm when Maddox slipped through the door.

His hair was loose, slightly curled at the ends to frame his sharp jaw. His dark eyes scanned the room carefully, stopping a heartbeat longer to watch my controlled expression before he turned his eyes to Trenton’s. “Thank you,” he said quietly, pressing his back against the door to close it, “for meeting with me.” 

“Don’t thank me.” Trent’s voice held a sort of roughness to it, something I was not accustomed to hearing. “Thank her.” 

Both pairs of eyes shot to me quickly, the room settling into silence again. I shifted uncomfortably under their stares, swallowing the lump that had built in my throat. “I thought I told you to leave.” 

“To leave the diner.”

“I meant to skip town.” I clarified, pushing away from the desk to move into the seat behind it. 

Maddox clicked his tongue, lips spreading into a sort of playful smile. “No can do, love.”

“Don’t.” Trent sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows against his knees. “She agreed to come meet you, don’t give her a reason to walk out the door.”

That would be tough considering Maddox was leaning against it. 

“Wait, I thought he wanted to speak to us.” 

“I do – but I know that Trent can’t help with everything I need. You can.” 

“Like fuck if I’m doing anything for you.” I bit, glowering over at his tall frame. 

Maddox stood rigid for a second, before he shot forward. The speed shocked me, his sudden closeness throwing me off guard as I sat back in the chair as he leaned forward across the table. 

Definitely nothing like the wolves. Definitely a different kind of monster. 

“You’re going to help me.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I haven’t had anything to eat in almost a week and I’m trying very, very hard not to feed on you.” 

I folded my legs under the desk. “How kind of you.” I muttered sarcastically. 

Maddox shook his head, “I don’t want this. And there’s no way to undo what I am without killing me – which also isn’t an option, by the way.” 

“Noted.” I said wearily. 

“So, what’s Ainsley supposed to do?” Trent asked from his corner, brown eyes locked on Maddox’s frame. “Convince her boyfriend not to rip you into shreds?”

I watched Maddox’s lips form a small smile as he stood straight. “That’s a good start. I actually need to get in contact with the Cullen’s.” 

I pursed my lips together tightly. Obviously Maddox hadn’t watched me close enough, otherwise he might’ve known that they were likely my least favourite people, save for Renesmee. Despite not speaking to her since Thanksgiving, Nessie was still the only half-vampire I could see myself tolerating. I very much didn’t not like Edward – and liked Bella even less. Especially after Embry explained all the theatrics and all the hoops Jake jumped through to prevent her from becoming who she was. Selfishly, she had done it anyway. 

“Good luck with that.” I muttered, locking my ankles together as I leaned my elbows against the desk. “We’re not exactly best-buddies.” 

“Jacob is.” He replied.

“That’s Jacob.” I nodded, lifting my chin. “But I’m not involving him. The Cullen’s and I don’t exactly see eye to eye.” 

“That’s Edward and his mate – not the others. You could get in contact with them if you really needed to, couldn’t you?”

I paused, narrowing my eyes up at him. “Why couldn’t you just ask Trenton? Why do you need me?”

Maddox leaned against the desk, the muscles in his arms straining under the fabric of his jacket. “Trent wasn’t formally bff’s with the vampire spawn.”

Trent scoffed. “Neither was Ainsley. She and Ness only hung out whenever Jake brought her around.”

“But you have her number.” Maddox pressed, looking down at me again. “You’d be able to make a phone call, get an address.”

“I’m not doing you any favours. You and your friends are going all over Forks slaughtering families –”

“I’m not.” He growled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I told you. I haven’t fed.”

I clenched my jaw tightly, leaning back in the chair. I mulled over several different ideas that ran through my mind, trying to decide what the best course of action moving forward was. Which would get me back home the quickest – which would provide the fastest relief. 

“You don’t like them, do you?” I asked quietly.

Maddox shifted the slightest, pulling his eyes from mine to muse over the collection of drawings behind my head. “No. I don’t.” He said after two heartbeats.

“Why?” 

“We don’t see eye to eye.” He reiterated my words, face softening. “Megan and Damien – they’re in this for all the wrong reasons.”

“As if there’s a right one.” Trent grumbled, folding his arms. 

“Look, Garrett is out there scoping for the next addition.” 

“Who’s Garrett?” Trent asked. 

“He’s the one who turned us.” Maddox said simply, almost tiredly. “He came around one night mentioning that I could have it all. I could shut it all off, all the guilt and anger. I could leave behind the person I was and become whoever I wanted to be. 

What he didn’t mention was the agony. When he bit me, everything set fire inside me. Not just warmth – white hot searing pain. Every vein burned, I felt like everything inside me was going to explode. I thought I was dying.

When everything stopped, and I came to, he was partly right. I blocked out everything bad, I left it all behind. My family thinks I’m dead. I shut off the part of me that wanted to feel human emotion and I felt powerful. Like I had found something to give me a new start. When moved around for a while, jumping from town to town, only feeding when absolutely necessary – but Megan –” Maddox stopped, shaking his head, “she got carried away. Started feeding without the rest of us, brought Damien with her. Realized that the more they fed, the stronger they were. They kickstarted the whole process, they’re the one’s going around town killing everyone in pairs. And they’re getting sloppy.”

“What’s this got to do with us?”

“I want them dead.” He stated simply. “They’re risking so much, and this isn’t what I signed up for –”

“What did you think this was going to be, Maddox?” I asked. “You thought that killing innocent people to maintain your appetite and live forever was a better trade?”

“I only fed on the elderly.”

“Dude!” Trent shook his head. “That’s not any better!”

“Better someone who’s nearly dead than a fourteen year old that has their whole life ahead of them.” He said firmly, snapping his eyes towards Trenton’s figure. “I thought about everything, heavily, before I accepted Garrett’s offer. I knew what I was going to make of myself. I thought so carefully. But the part he didn’t mention was everything I felt as a human was amplified. The thirst was unreal – and still is. It’s like my throat is sandpaper and sitting in this room, with the two of you –”

I shivered involuntarily. “Enough. If you want them dead, that’s easy.”

“No. It has to be the Cullen’s. I’ve heard about them – they’re reasonable. They can help me, they’ll take mercy on me, and help me eliminate the threat.” Maddox sighed. “If your boyfriend and his pack have part in it, they won’t stop until I’m dead, too. That’s not the outcome I want.” 

“Yeah, well,” I stood from my seat, moving around the desk and Maddox to join my brother on the opposite side of the room, “we don’t always get the outcome we want.” 

“Ains.” He looked defeated. Tired. Worn-out. “I don’t know what else I can say, I’m more sorry than you’ll ever know.”

“I’m not interested in your apology.” I said sharply, another wave of nausea rolling over my stomach. “I’m interested in getting my life back to where it belongs. The sooner the threat is eliminated, the sooner that can happen.”

“Ains,” Trent started, “what are you suggesting?”

“A trade.” I folded my arms, turning to Maddox again. “I will call Renesmee – provided you give me the exact details on where the others are.” 

Maddox deadpanned. “Ainsley.”

“That's the offer. The only offer I am willing to put on the table. I suggest you take it, Maddox, or I’ll give Embry more incentive to hunt you down and kill you.” 

Maddox threw his shoulders back, tilting his head to the side. “He doesn’t know.”

“We try to keep our private life private, douchebag.” Trent mumbled, coming to stand next to me. “No one knows about you, or about what happened. Not Jennie, not TJ – it’s just us.” 

“And Travis?”

“And Travis.” 

Maddox considered this, his eyes dropping to the floor. “Okay. Call them. As soon as you follow through on your end of the bargain, I’ll give you every safehouse from here to Seattle.” 

I nodded, knowing it was better not to push for anything further. I grabbed Trent’s arm, and pulled him towards the door. “Fine – I’ll call Ness in the morning.”

“No.” Maddox said, shooting forward to hold the door shut, leaning down into my face. I froze, carefully watching his features contort into a firm grimace, nostrils flaring as he inhaled my scent deeply. “We will do this tonight.”

“I can’t. Embry’s expecting me –”

Maddox flashed his eyes, the slightest tinge of red seeping through as he brought his face near mine. “Better work quickly, then.” 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

I walked next to Trent, our hands balled into fists at our sides. Neither of us felt comfortable about the way this night had turned out. I was trying very hard not to give my brother more of a reason to feel bad. We both lied to our respective partners. We had fraternized with the enemy – and now were both currently walking up the pathway to the Cullen house. It sat nestled deep in the woods, away from most of civilization. That didn’t bring any peace or comfort to either of us. 

“This is a really bad idea.” I muttered quietly, eyes scanning the giant illuminated house. It appeared to be mainly glass, the careful eyes of five different figures from different parts of the house watched us as we approached. 

“You think?” Trent hissed, glancing over his shoulder at Maddox. 

We stopped at the door, watching a tall blonde male extend his hands in an open gesture. He seemed kind, and careful. I appreciated that. I met his golden eyes, head tilting to the side just the slightest as he pulled the door open and moved to the side. “We’ve been waiting for you. All of you.” He said smoothly. 

I followed behind Trenton, sticking close to his frame as the three of us made our way up the stairs into what appeared to be the living room. My eyes fell over each figure, recognizing none of them. I shifted uneasily beside my brother, trying to keep my shoulders back and head high. 

“This is Ainsley Black – Jacob’s cousin – and her brother, Trent Johnson.” The man said, all six sets of eyes darting between us carefully. “And this is their friend –”

“He’s not our friend.” Trent clarified.

“- Maddox Knight. It appears he’s one of the nomad vampires.” 

After brief introductions between the remaining vampires of the Cullen family, I felt Maddox press into my side; I grimaced slightly, thankful there was about a foot height difference between us so he couldn’t see my distaste. I tried to casually put distance between us by standing in front of my brother. “I spoke to Renesmee on the phone, where is she?” 

Alice stepped forward. “Edward and Bella think it would be best if they stayed out of this conversation – especially if you’re trying to keep it hidden from the pack.” 

“They’ve never heard of telling a lie?” Trent asked sarcastically, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. 

Alice pursed her lips, folding her hands in front of her stomach, “Bella’s loyalty to Jacob doesn’t permit that sort of thing – it’s one of the main reasons we co-exist in peace.” I thought about my cousin then – how difficult it must have been for him, trying to vouch for a human that was so hell-bent on being anything but what she was supposed to be. 

Alive. 

And despite it all, on some level, he loved her. And her daughter. 

“We understand it’s Maddox that asked you to arrange this meeting?” Carlisle asked, looking past me to where Maddox stood. I glanced at him over my shoulder; his body was rigid and slumped forward. He was trying to make himself small again. 

My brows pulled together, voice coming out far quieter than I intended. “He’s looking for a new lifestyle. He –” I paused, licking my lips as I considered my next words. “We believe you’d be his best shot at that. That you would be capable of helping him – so long as he’s willing to make the change.” I added, looking up at Maddox with hard eyes. 

He nodded once, looking at the group in front of us. “I thought this was what I wanted – I didn’t fully consider every aspect of this change.” 

“It’s difficult to control for some, but if you’re willing to try,” Carlisle looked around the group, several members nodded their heads once – Alice’s smile confirmed his sentiment. “We’d be more than willing to work with you. If you need somewhere safe to stay, you’re welcome to our home.”

I exhaled loudly in relief. “That’s great.” I forced between clenched teeth, my smile tight. 

“Do we need to speak with your coven, first?” Carlisle asked, wrapping an arm around Maddox’s shoulders to bring him forward. “Or are you handling that?” He looked at Trent and I, trying to piece together the plan. 

“We’re going to bring the information back to Leah and Embry.” Trent explained, folding his arms. “We’d appreciate it if they didn’t find out about our being here.” 

“Still not our biggest fans, huh?” Emmett asked from the couch, a smug smile breaking across his lips. He reminded me so much of Paul and Maddox – so incredibly sure of himself. 

“Leah’s getting better.” Trent offered. “It’s mainly just the part of her that’s biologically trying to tell her she hates you – at least, that’s how she explains it to me. But Embry …”

“Embry’s not quite there. Especially not after yesterday, and I don’t think he would be too happy about my being here without his knowledge, so please,” I shifted on my feet, returning to my brother's side, “can we keep this amongst ourselves?”

“You have our word.” Esme said quietly, offering me a small smile in comfort. “Would you like something to drink while we figure out the kinks?”

“Oh, uh –” Trent cleared his throat, linking his arm through mine. “We should get going – this wasn’t exactly something on our agenda for tonight.” 

“Ains.” Maddox looked at me, almost pleadingly. I held his eyes for a moment, gnawing on my inner cheek.

“You haven’t fed, and us being here is likely not helping any –”

“You haven’t hunted?” Jasper asked, brows pulled together. The Cullen’s moved quickly then, Rosalie and Emmett standing between Maddox and Trent and myself, creating a sort of barrier. I looked at Maddox, watching his face contort into a thousand different emotions.

“He hasn’t tried to feed on you?” 

Trent and I shook our heads. “He’s mentioned it twice – but no.” I thought back to the car ride, where Maddox sat in the back seat and opened the windows to alleviate our scents – then tried to stifle my laugh when he had stuck his head out of the window like a dog. 

Carlisle looked at Maddox again. “Interesting.” He mused, turning to us. “Would you mind coming here for a moment? I’d like to test his control.” He asked, his eyes focused on me. 

“I think it’s better if I don’t – Trent!”

Trenton stepped forward, sliding past Emmett to stand next to Carlisle. “What do you need?”

Carlisle disappeared down the hall, returning in a flash with an object in his hand. “Can you prick your finger for me?” Carlisle asked, holding the letter opener out. I tried to follow my brother's steps, but Rosalie’s strong hands gripped my arms gently and gave me a look of caution.

“You’re better off where you are.” She warned.

I watched as Trent grabbed the handle, his eyes locked on Maddox’s. “Are you insane?” Maddox asked the room, his dark pupils fixated on the sharp point that pressed into Trent’s palm.

“If you’ve been this close to them for this long, having not fed in what appears to be quite a few days, then you’re already stronger than you think.” Carlisle said slowly, keeping a tight grip on his arm. “I need you to focus on anything except the thirst. When he breaks skin, his scent is going to fill this room very quickly and it’s going to be your responsibility to put your instinct aside.” 

“This isn’t going to help me –”

“We need to know just how much we’re working with. Better it be this way –”

“Better it be my brother instead of literally anyone else?” I asked, struggling in Rosalie’s grip. 

Trent inhaled slowly, adding pressure. He hissed when the skin broke, I watched Trenton’s hand shake the slightest bit, his eyes locked on the blood pooling in his hand. Maddox’s chest heaved, filling his lungs with the air – his nostrils flared, eyes flashed brightly. It was then that the other members in the room moved quickly – Rosalie pulled me away from the group, trying to cover my body. 

Maddox lunged forward, the snarl ripping through the room, followed by a loud boom as Emmett collided into his side, sending him flying across the couch. Esme wrapped Trenton’s hand in a cloth, whisking him away to another room completely out of sight. I gripped onto Rosalie’s arm tightly, eyes watching as Maddox tried – and successfully – threw Emmett off him, rushing towards the staircase. 

He was trying to run. 

“Maddox!” I yelled, halting his movement. He didn’t turn to face me; he didn’t move at all. He was incredibly still, body mimicking that of a statue. The group watched him carefully for a moment, before Jasper moved forward to rest his palm on Maddox's shoulder. There was a gradual ease in his posture – the tension in the room slowly released. 

“Let’s try this again.” Carlisle said, holding the letter opener towards me this time.

I pulled my brows together, “I – what?” When no one spoke, or made any movements to offer another solution, I laughed once. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Okay, first of all,” I started, taking a step backwards, “hell no. He’s obviously not able to handle this.”

“Not with Trent’s blood, no.” Jasper quipped, holding his hands behind his back. “But his personal … ties to you might be enough incentive for him to remain in control.” 

Maddox shook his head, snapping his neck in Jasper’s direction. “No way.” He seethed, looking at me, “I came here for help, not to get her killed.” 

“You won’t hurt her.” Alice said, standing next to me. I tried not to let her sudden presence scare me. It was still an odd thing, having everyone around you move more quickly and smoothly than human eyes could detect. “I promise.” She added, smiling at me in reassurance. We were nearly the same height – me being taller by just a few inches. 

That was a first.

“No.” Maddox said again, looking towards the kitchen where Trenton was being tended to. “I can’t risk that – if anything happens to either of them, I’m a dead man.”

“If anything happens to either of them, we’re all dead.” Jasper added cynically, watching me with careful eyes. “Embry would make sure of that.” 

“But this will work.” Alice said quickly, nodding her head. “Your feelings for her are stronger than the need to feed. That’s why you’ve gone so long without it - the first day you saw her, you stopped. Because you wanted to see her. You were able to sit in that diner with all of those humans.” 

“How –” he was confused.

“I’ve been keeping close tabs on you.” Alice smiled, pulling me forward by the hand. “So, I know this is going to work. But we need to show you in order for you to have faith in yourself. Because right now, you think you’re going to rip her head off and drain her body. And that’s not the mindset that’s going to get you where the rest of us are.” 

Carlisle offered me the letter opener again, and this time I wrapped my thin fingers around the handle and slowly brought it towards my left palm. “I swear to god, if I die,” I warned, looking around the group one more time, “I will come back and haunt all of you. Forever.” 

Alice squeezed my shoulder gently. “Trust me.” She said quietly, trying to keep her face as sincere as she could. 

I clenched my jaw, looking up at Maddox with unease. “Don’t kill me.” I repeated, watching his face crumble when I pressed the sharp edge into my hand. I winced when the skin broke, watching the blood rise to the surface. My pain tolerance was not very high – it was one of the main reasons I spent very little time participating in gym, why I always opted for Trent and Travis to fight my battles for me. They lived for a little pain, damn masochists. 

A full ten seconds went by and nothing changed. I looked up at Maddox again, studying his face just as carefully as the rest of the vampires were. His face resembled much of what it had earlier; his eyes were dark and focused, his nostrils were flared and full of my scent, his body was rigid, but he remained still. Incredibly still. 

He wasn’t running and he wasn’t trying to kill me. Both were good signs, by the looks of it. 

I carefully followed Alice when she moved forward, closing the distance between Maddox and myself. I swallowed uneasily, trying to keep the tremor out of my hand. Please don’t eat me. Please don’t eat me. Please don’t eat me.

Maddox exhaled slowly, his eyes falling shut as Alice prompted my hand closer to his face. His brows pulled together, breathing ceasing entirely when my hand stopped a mere five inches from his nose. 

“Very good, Maddox.” Carlisle said quietly from behind me. He pulled me away slowly, offering me a tissue for the wound. “Now, try to breathe. Slowly, evenly.” I turned, pulling my hand to my chest quickly, tending to the small wound. Trenton stood in the archway, eyebrow raised in disapproval as he clutched his wounded hand wrapped in thick gauze. 

Neither of us spoke. 

Several hours later, I exchanged numbers with Maddox. I still needed the safehouses, and Carlisle had requested that I stop by whenever I could to assist in pushing his control further as a sort of experiment. Neither Trent nor Maddox seemed entirely thrilled that I had agreed. 

We walked side by side down the dark path towards Trenton’s truck; he had remained mostly silent for a majority of his time at the Cullen’s, mainly speaking when spoken to. “Are we going to talk about that?”

“About what?””

Trent snorted, shaking his head. “How is everything so obvious to everybody but you?” When I didn’t respond, he sighed, “‘His personal ties to you are helping him control his thirst?’” He asked, looking down at me dubiously. 

“What about it?”

“Something tells me that his guilt is hardly what he’s holding onto.” 

I rolled my eyes, storming past his frame towards the truck. “You’re overthinking it – now take me to Jennie’s. I need to shower before I step foot in the wolf's den.” 

[riddles-n-games]

To begin this post, I’ll quote Maxon here from the Elite, “I had a thought.” Or maybe a few. Yeah, that’s more accurate when it comes to my sort of pondering. So, in terms of King Clarkson, as a fandom, I think we can collectively agree that had he been alive, he would have made life really difficult for America and Maxon as a married couple. Although, I feel like we never fully let ourselves imagine the extent it could go to; sure, some fanfics delve into those realms of possibilities but it’s only surface level. Look, I’m definitely not shaming anyone, I didn’t really think of this topic too often or that much, either, until now given how terrible it is but I just wanted to open up the conversation to see the community’s thoughts. 

First of all, I really think that getting to the wedding itself would have been a challenge especially if Clarkson continuously pushed the matter of those New Year’s announcements on America. There would have been literally no peace after the engagement with that going on. I think that he would’ve also harassed Maxon often about the final choice, making his displeasure known at every impasse and at the slightest mistake that sent him raging, he would cane him more harshly. All to get his anger out at Maxon’s supposed incompetence, his future daughter-in-law, and all her flaws and mistakes, too. I bet that he would also try to keep his son as busy as possible to keep him and America separated and in addition, intimidate her as much as he could every spare moment.

Now, with the case of America’s marriage to Maxon, that would bring about a whole new set of problems. I’m sure that he’d try to put off stepping down for as many years as he could but even with their ascension, he would keep a tight leash on Maxon. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made threats to his son about his wife’s safety and that would make Maxon heel every time just to keep the peace, making his decisions stringent and very much not his own. They’d be spineless. Essentially he’d be a king with no power, a puppet leader being pulled by strings. Oh, and the abuse would continue being bad, if not worse, in regards to where America would be involved with making certain changes. Clarkson would likely be enraged at her being more included in such decision-making because ain’t no way that Maxon wouldn’t do exactly that. He’s done that sort of thing in the books, this wouldn’t be a new thing to see during their marriage. 

Then, we get to the next gen. Of course, America and Maxon would still be monitored for their procreating abilities but I feel like this would be some next level spying and maybe even some sort of intervention on Clarkson’s part if the baby was revealed to not be a boy. We know of Amberly’s miscarriages and I’m sure we all believe that there is still something suspicious about them despite the explanation we got about the toxins because of where she lived. There is speculation here and there that Clarkson may have poisoned her to induce miscarriages if the babies were girls and if this was something he did to his own wife, he definitely wouldn’t have been above doing it again to his daughter-in-law. Given that we also know that he abused Maxon after he found out about his affair which resulted in an illegitimate daughter and that he was cheating on Amberly, who knows what he would have done to his son this time around if it was uncovered that he poisoned America? This man is shown to go to great lengths to keep something incriminating against him quiet, whether that be family or not. But let’s move on from that. 

Say Clarkson didn’t care whether they had a bunch of children that included daughters and sons, he would still likely prefer that the first born is a son but more so, he would be concerned with the fact that the next heir should be a male child as by tradition. The grandchild he’d want to lead the country after Maxon as hereditary heir to the throne would be any boy and that would possibly translate to favoritism bias based on gender. If the twins were still born in this alternate scenario, the likely version of events to follow would be that Ahren would be favored and Eadlyn would be disowned as heir even though she’s older. Actually, I don’t believe that it would just be the case with Ahren being the favorite, I’m sure that any of America and Maxon’s sons would be liked better by their grandfather, meaning Kaden and Osten would all be better treated by Clarkson than Eadlyn, just Ahren would get more attention because he would be the crown prince. Because Eadlyn is a princess, by this timeline, her fate would be to marry off to foreign royalty as per Illéan tradition and though I have a feeling that America and Maxon would have been able to abolish that law even with Clarkson around, he would oppose this action greatly. It would make him resent his granddaughter severely, neglecting her when it comes to spending time with all his grandchildren and in the case that he got involved with training her as Illéa’s first queen regnant, he would take every opportunity to belittle her, the situation becoming reminiscent to that of Maxon’s days as prince minus the canings. Anyways, in the other scenario where he got his way and Eadlyn wasn’t made heir but rather Ahren, Maxon would have had extensive arguments with his father about it regardless but caved. Although, he would have fought Clarkson in terms of marrying her off and tried to still set up a way for his daughter to have a role in the monarchy when she was older. Otherwise, Eadlyn’s childhood would have still been rough with Clarkson around and similarly he would be displeased with her but on a lesser scale because there was a crown prince and not a crown princess to take over. 

In short, Clarkson would have made America and Maxon’s lives a living hell along with that of their daughter’s. I’m just happy we don’t have that as canon in the books. It’s for the best that Clarkson was dead when Maxon married America in the end because I think there would have been twice as many obstacles for them to face and even though Maxon would have been married to the love of his life, he would be unhappy and unnecessarily pressured due to the constant circumstances of his wife and children being under threat by his tyrant of a father. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

[godstaff]

It's a kind of magic...

This is a topic I touched some time ago, but it's still happening and is still bothering me: Everything human heroes do is perfectly natural. Everything metahumans do need to be explained scientifically.

Batso, like Cyrano, can beat 100 opponents at once because he practice a shit ton of martial arts. No questions asked. This is so. Period.

Green Arrow can place an arrow in the asshole of a cockroach a 100 yards away. Okay, he's an artist with the bow. He was alone on a desert island an practiced a lot. Cool.

Superman flies. How the hell can Superman fly???? Well, he manipulates gravity forces and such...yeah. But how can he change directions so fast? He manipulates gravity very fast, even in deep space, where gravity is so thin, you must go near a solar system to feel some. But...how???

Bullets bounce out of his chest. His body is as hard as steel. Better yet: he projects an energy field about one inch around his body which deflects the bullets, that's why his clothes are unharm...or his clothes are indestructible...or something...

How??

How??

But...how???

It never ends. It's a kind of magic.

For humans doing the impossible is like breakfast: happens every day. It just is.

For Supers it's like going to the Moon: there has to be an explanation, a reason why this is so.

Iron man has metal shrapnels inserted milimeters from his hart. He parties, drinks, fights, has sex. No problem. Business as usual. Batso has his entire body scarred and sewed together like a map. It only bothers him when he laughs. No biggy. Nothing too severe.

Superman catches a tiny fragment of Kryptonite in his torso, every human around him must carry his fainted body to the nearest meta medical emergency facility before he dies.

I know it is to celebrate the immense resilience of the human condition...but, how about extend the same courtesy to the metas and aliens?

In the end, all explanations reach a loop. A neverending circle where How and Why are repeating incesantly ad infinitum, like Pi. Then writers, exhausted their meager imagination, conclude shouting "It just is!" in annoyance. Then why didn't you say that earlier, instead of the scavenger hunt for explanations, one more idiotic than the other. (it must be said that scientists stil have supercomputers working 24/7 on Pi, it must be the same sentiment).

DC went so far as to post a book, supposedly written by Batso, called "Anatomy of a Metehuman", which offers little or none answers to the big "how" and "why". It just complicates matters. For a price.

Basically, don't look for answers there. It's a waste of your hard earned money and your precious time.

Interesting thing is: in spite considering Superman a different species than us all together, he still has sex and reproduces with a human...sort of.

Like in the fifties Sci Fi movies, where aliens abducted women to procreate.

No so different after all.

Guys...

Just admit it's a kind of magic and everybody happy. Stop digging for plausible explanations that don't exist.

Remember in the "Golden Age" of comics when couples got married and children magically appeared from the woodwork? No questions asked.

Let's leave it at that. The better answer is always the simpler one. Specially in literature.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

This is an Awfully Slim Book to Talk about Everything...

This book was a Christmas gift from my family a bunch of years ago, and to this day it's one of my favorite popular literary analysis books. The juxtaposition of this slim little tome and the big "EVERYTHING" in the title is enough of a visual tension to make you jump in. And I did. Voraciously. And repeatedly. And then when I started teaching and tutoring, this book was a huge help in that it was an unintimidating entry point into thinking about the Shakespearean corpus and its impacts on life. I even let one of my tutor students borrow this book, and I do NOT let people borrow my books. So let's talk How Shakespeare Changed Everything.

...do...do I...do I need to put a spoiler for Shakespeare here? I really hope I don't, but I guess SPOILERS BELOW THE BREAK?

I think the best way to do this is to just briefly go over each of the ten chapters of this book, because each one takes up and different topic and gives an overview of it.

The book's introduction introduces the conceit of the book and essentially reasserts that Shakespeare was the popular media of his day, before alluding to the power of popular media to change, well, basically everything. We also get just an amazing cross-section of some of the wilder ways people engage with the bard, including the Shakespeare Mas (google this or read the book, I promise you won't be disappointed). The introduction ends on this just incredible line: "All that strange power, all his world-shaking, reality-transforming impact begins from a simple but mysterious truth: His stories sound good to everybody." And honestly? I don't think I can disagree with that.

The Fortunes of the Moor

This phenomenal first chapter is a stunning overview of the performance history of Othello, and particularly highlights Paul Robeson and Ira Aldridge, two of the famous historical Black actors to play Othello. This chapter also speedruns the history of racism in American theatre, whether or not the play is racist, and the role of mixed-race sex in the play. This chapter is a fantastic introduction to both Othello and race in Shakespeare, and it grounds itself in performance history anecdotes that never fail to be fascinating.

Words, Words, Words

This chapter does not focus so much on a single play as it does on the words Shakespeare added to the English lexicon, and what the knock-on effects of those added words are. It also brings up two words that we just...straight up don't have definitions for: prenzie and scamels. This is a more linguistic-focused chapter, but it's still fun and has a ton of excellent examples of how to close read Shakespeare passages for linguistic purposes, and it's a fabulous teaching tool for that.

The Beast with Two Backs

Oh yeah. It's the sex chapter. Sex in Shakespeare is way more prevalent than school boards are aware of--as evidenced by the fact that not even the avid book banners in Florida in the year of our lord 2024 seem to have caught on to the fact that Shakespeare is transgressive AF and tried to ban him (as far as I know). This chapter explores how Shakespeare uses sex and sexuality, how people have tried to censor and liberate Shakespeare because of it, and author Stephen Marche asserts that, "If you've had sex without shame, sec for pleasure, for fun, for any reason other than procreation within marriage--Shakespeare, more than any other single figure, is responsible for the climate of permissiveness that made it possible." So I'm sorry if this is how you have to find out that Shakespeare is all about characters doing the sex at each other, but you cannot approach these plays without understanding that sex and sexuality are a huge part of the plays.

Flaming Youth

So strictly speaking, the word "adolescent" has been around since the Middle English period, and the OED cites the earliest instance of the word in 1440. That said, adolescence as we know it wasn't necessarily something that Shakespeare knew. That, of course, did not stop him from writing about teenagers. This chapter is all about teenagers, teen culture, and Shakespeare, and honestly this was the chapter that had my student asking me if he could borrow this book. If you are teaching teens and they're reluctant to see how Shakespeare relates to them, this is my recommendation for a short reading to change their minds.

All Honorable Men

In this chapter we focus back in on a specific play: Julius Caesar. This book predates the 2016, 2020, and 2024 US presidential elections, and this play and its relationship to US politics and presidents have been well trodden since, but this is still a solid look at how Shakespeare is inevitably tangled up in US politics and how we relate to them. We also get some super juicy details about John Wilkes Booth and his theatre career prior to the Sic Semper Tyrannis event. It also is a good entry point to how how Shakespeare uses (and abuses) political rhetoric in ways that are uncomfortable similar to modern politicians.

To Hold a Mirror Up to Nature

The moral of this chapter is to not use your fandom as an excuse to low-key commit ecological terrorism. *massively side-eyes Eugene Schiefflin*

Give Me My Robe, Put On My Crown

If "All Honorable Men" focused on US presidential politics, this chapter expands Shakespeare's political reach globally, showing how world leaders and politicians have used and appropriated Shakespeare for all sorts of purposes.

Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments

This is the English major chapter of this book. It does a beautiful job of beginning to contextualize Shakespeare's place in the western literary canon, and more than a few famous writers' relationships with him. It even gives a nod to Shakespeare's relationship with more modern popular culture (Shakespeare is best in the original Klingon, anyone?).

A King of Infinite Space

Previous chapters have been heavy and serious, which Shakespeare absolutely is. But that's not ALL Shakespeare is. This chapter focuses on the mundane and profane that is Shakespeare. It asserts that Shakespeare is anyone's who wants him, however they want him. And as a Shakespeare scholar who has herself been a bit of a snob in her younger years, this is an IMPORTANT reminder. Yes, Shakespeare is heady themes, tragedy, and important topics of discussion...but it's also three butt jokes in a trench coat that turns to the audience, farts, and immediately begins pelvic thrusting. A king of infinite space indeed...

To Be or Not to Be

This chapter explore Shakespeare, the man, the myth, the legend. Quite literally, because we don't really have all that much hard historical knowledge about Shakespeare, and his plays are such that trying to argue anything about the playwright from the plays is deeply problematic at least. There is also a really interesting discussion about the extant portraits of Shakespeare and which one Marche thinks might be the most accurate. This chapter is a wonderful reminder that Shakespeare is both man and myth, and the man and the myth have blurred and merged to become legend. (And this is why I straight refuse to play the author question game. It's not worth it.)

Overall, I adore this book. It's a great introduction to the breadth of the field of Shakespeare studies in a deeply accessible way. The writing and the tone are light, playful, and deeply entertaining. This is one of my FUN reads about Shakespeare, and I think that if high school or early college students want an accessible, fun way into the wider world of academic Shakespeare studies, they could do a lot worse than starting here.

[originemesis]

@high-seraphims xxx

Sera looked at Adam, seeing him 'struggle' a bit with the more seraphim suited accommodations fit for her than him. Without much of a word after he asked, one of her wings wiped over the cup and other accessories and extra additives for the coffee, turning them to a slightly more easy size for Adam. Same went for his chair, a raised one to fit better to the table on the overlooking balcony atop her office. "If you want to speak to me about work and taking breaks, I should hardly be the one to bring that up to when we have Michael." She said as that was the definition of one without a break, commendably even, to an extent.

"Of course, I don't see why it wouldn't have been without you. As much as you probably would love to hear how it would go so smoothly with you, rather than without. And to be frank, rather relieved it went like this instead. The initial wave of it was a mess, sure. Now it is going down the stream more fluently after that."

A subtle flinch is born from her wing swiping too close to him and he cringes back in his chair to avoid its touch...really- doesn't wanna end up with stunted growth like that short, serpent fuck of an apple peddler, does he? Though the smaller mug and easier to reach cream and sugar is appreciated, which he shows by casually dumping about half the small tin of sugar into his cup and stirring in some cream enough to spill a few drops when it overflows from his enthusiasm at making the drink as pale and non-coffee looking as possible. Yummy! Sweet milk with a hint of caffeine. A bit more spillage happens when he furiously uses a little spoon to stir the beverage in lieu of Mic being brought up. "...he's the one that put me in charge- what the fu..." He snaps his teeth around the outburst before continuing in an attempt at a dignified response...not that it's without the usual fratty tone.

"What's his deal anyway? He never wanted anything to do with the Exorcists before. Now he's concerned? Psh... all the work I do with them and now suddenly he wants the credit." At least that was how he saw it and why his feathers often bristled at the thought of Mic's visits as of late with him laid up and unable to offer the flock their usual training.

At her admission, he practically chips the mug with a sharp tap or two on the bottom of the glass via the spoon, grin looking like it might shatter his own teeth with how hard he's bearing down. "...you really hate self esteem, don't you, Sera?" With a snort, he shakes his head and clasps the friendly sized mug, bringing it up to his face where it fogs up the glass, muddying his expression so it looked wet and a bit heavy hearted. "Yeah, well..." A careful lap or two with a golden tongue that breaks free of the display and dips down into the coffee later, he muses up at her.

"So, uh... you know anything about angels knocking each other u-...er ~ procreation? Well...besides what Lucifer did?" Technically he was the same as Lilith in this equation, and an angel fallen was still an angel. He was curious if anything. Not that he'd ever admit it without the guise of passing conversation topics.

[highlifeboat]

I saw your post about Sara being new to some aspects of sex (cause ye olde religious village) and had a thought:

One of the most common things you see in highly religious areas like that is the belief that sex is only for procreation, not pleasure. Which is why you gotta be married. And sometimes that gets twisted into younger folk believing that if you have sex while married, you'll have babies, but if you're not married, you won't. Cause you gotta be married to have babies, yeah?

All this is a long winded way of saying it'd be hilarious for Sara to be told that you don't have to be married to have kids by Daniela/Max and therefore wondering if she's gotten pregnant yet. Or expecting to be.

(Cause Max is a man and maybe they also told her some women can impregnate other women. She's a bit confused but she got the spirit)

Alternatively (more angst potential): She finds out Daniela and Max are married (cause lbh they would do an equivalent at some point) or that Mia/Alcina are and wonder why they have no babies yet. Cause marriage = babies.

(Several, potentially angsty, talks have to be had. Also in this context she didn't know Mia was trans, she just deadass thinks if you're married you can have kids together, full stop)

Okay, I need to touch on both aspects of this.

For the funny aspect; Abso-fucking-lutly love that.

Just the idea that they were somehow on the topic and Sarah went "At least we are not married. No fear of pregnancy." And Max and Daniela kinda look at each other. Like, yes, there IS no fear of pregnancy, but not for the reasons Sarah believes. So they tell them "Uh... Sarah, you can get pregnant without being married." And Sarah is like ":) ...What :)"

Cue the snippit version of a sex ed class for Sarah, who really only took away "You don't need marriage to have babies. Babies happen just with unprotected sex." And now they think that they're going to get/are pregnant because they've been having all this unprotected sex. Despite the fact neither Max nor Daniela have the right bits to actually GET them pregnant in the first place.

And just fucking IMAGINE them going to their sisters in a panic

"SISTERS! SISTERS!!"

"Sarah, what is-"

(Distressed) "I MAY BE WITH CHILD!!!"

"W H A T??"

Winnie and Mary almost kill Max (because he IS the man. So obviously he's the only one that could get Sarah pregnant) and him and Daniela have to explain to all three of them that NO Max CANNOT get Sarah pregnant. That just isn't how this works. They still don't fully understand, but they don't try killing Max anymore.

I do love the angst potential too, especially with Mia and Alcina but I'll get to them.

I love the idea that Daniela and Max kind of tell Sarah they're married ("married" more in a common law sense than actual ceremony, but they would probably have rings and refer to each other husband/wife), and Sarah is kind of like "Oh! Lovely! But, may I ask, why hast thou not had children?" And they're both confused but Sarah just says "Surely thou hast thought about it. What other reason wouldst thee be married?"

And... Dani and Max have probably entertained the thought before. Or at least Max probably has. He's always kind of wanted kids, but given the circumstances he's in he hasn't entertained the idea in a while. Because they can't. Unless they could convince someone to be a sperm donor, and even then Max isn't sure he'd be willing to go through with a pregnancy (because, y'know, Daniela doesn't really have the ability to carry a kid).

That whole train of thought aside, and probably to avoid going down a spiral, they'd probably just tell Sarah that they got married for love, not for procreation. And Sarah... is confused, but they do think it's a nice thought to marry without the idea of children.

In terms of Mia and Alcina, though, I think they have more angst potential.

Because I personally think Alcina has always wanted kids, and to have the experience of being pregnant and giving birth. She adores her daughters, of course, and she's very grateful they exist as a part of her life, but there's still that lingering of something missing. But now with the mutations she can't get pregnant at all (what a cruel joke because now she has a partner actually capable of doing that), and she's pretty much come to terms with it. She's grateful for her daughters, whether she birthed them or not. She still gets to be a mother all the same.

Mia isn't quite in the same boat, but let's be honest her track record with kids is... sketchy. I feel like being a parent to actual children scares her. (I think Ethan wanted kids more than Mia. My excuse for Rose being non existent in the Miacina verse is that Ethan lives and he's mainly raising Rose. Mia does care for Rose, though.)

Sarah asks why they don't have children, and their initial response is "We do?" and Sarah points out "Yes. But not with each other. Why is that?" and they're both kind of thrown off by the question.

Alcina's hit with this familiar pang of hurt, and Mia kind of fidgets. They're both uncomfortable, and Sarah staring at them is not helping. They eventually settle with "[Alcina's] daughters are enough for us." and move on from the question but now there is this lingering... tenseness.

Mia can tell Alcina is bothered by it way more, though.