#she goes from adoring her sister to denying the relationship they’ve always shared over a manipulative man they’d known for barely a month

[quotergirl19]

I’m still waiting for Edwina to apologize for disloyally calling Kate her half-sister.

[botwstoriesandsuch]

P-please talk about your Rito OC, please... ramble without any context, please... I have one too... please make me feel less alone...

Ok ok let me just *unloads all of Illeka’s super angsty self-indulgent backstory*

I technically have two backstories, one for botw that I’m gonna use for my fic Where Time Takes Us, and another I use for my dnd campaign. My dnd one is more fleshed out (thanks to my amazing GM) so I’ll probably just share that one. 

Warning for super duper long post that is barely coherent and I haven’t checked for typos and also rip to ADHD folks because I have no pictures to ease your brain with. Anyhow prepare for like thousands of words worth of rambles this is not edited at all

This is just a copy paste of the random incoherent shit I sent to my poor DM. Anyhow, I technically have 3 ocs here, but Illeka is the one I play

A weird Rito, that one is. I hear they’ve only cried at birth...

- Illeka was born on the Day of Living Fire, its a celebration of the dead essentially, where you mourn and remember your loved ones and ancestors and all that. It’s superstition to be *born* on this day, because your life/creation takes away from the day that’s supposed to honor the dead, and some people on birb island believe these things, that if you let the kid live it’s a curse. But most people are like no wtf you boomers it’s fine there’s no such thing you crazy old people are weird, which to be fair is kinda true.

- When Talako is around 6, his single mom dies. He’s adopted by a new family, Kala (also around 6 years old) and her parents.

- Illeka meets Talako after he kinda follows her around, because he’s an innocent cinnamon bun that admires Illeka’s calm and stoic demeanor after they help him with some bullies. Through this, Talako, Illeka, and Kala all become best friends.

- The events in Illeka’s life aren’t really helping their whole curse case. Every bad event, from their dad getting injured and having the slightest limp, to their brother, Zekk nearly setting himself on fire— it’s all a supposed punishment for not killing them when they were bored. But at this point most people brush it off as coincidence, besides, nothing THAT bad has happened yet.

- the trio of friends grow strong, becoming some of the best in their arts on the island. And their relationship is seemingly adorable. The serious ~~cursed~~ one, the optimistic sunshine one, and the sarcastic firey one. Prides of their village, set to protect their people from harm.

- Illeka is the best in the village when it comes to physical fights. Trusty halberd, and a keen shot with a bow, they’ve never lost a sparring match on that front. Their personality is offputting to some, there’s a rumour that they’ve never cried. The easiest of jokes, and the vilest of insults don’t spark much reaction from them— except in the presence and topic of their family, Kala, and Talako. But otherwise, the story goes that the cursed kid doesn’t have a soul, and hence, no morality or emotions.

- When they train with Talako and Kala, they never back down, if only out of respect, Illeka wouldn’t want to embarrass them with pity. Talako always laughs at his inevitable defeat, though he tries nonetheless. He promises that one day he’ll be strong enough to beat them.

- Talako is a pleasant soul, but has an nack for adventure and a hint of chaos. He prefers to dual wield daggers, and on occasion a short sword or two. He’s great with the blade, loves the thrill of the fight, but is more skilled with cooking and physical healing and remedies. He’s always the one encouraging fun celebratory hang outs at the tavern, with his two closest friends after a day of guarding the village. Kala always sides with him, and Illeka typical gives in after at least putting on a show of reluctance. He humble and happy and loved by most of the village, if only things would last

- Kala is of wit and cunning, she’s typically the first to speak. She’s headstrong and not afraid to insult whoever she displeases, and a bit too arrogant in her abilities. She laughs at all of Talako’s jokes, if perhaps only to spite Illeka’s groans. She’s also the most strategic of her friends, being the “one with a plan” in battle. While she’s a decent wield of two khopesh, Kala’s mostly gifted with magic. She’s got a knack for conjuring, though is well researched in other types as well. Illeka and her are an even match, with decent win ratios on either end. Illeka doesn’t take it that personally, they suck/hate magic after all. Kala’s a bit more competitive tho.. While her power in magic is certainly the best on all of the island, she can’t help but feel salty/jealous for always being overshadowed by Illeka’s feats, since the people prefer/understand the physical over the magic.

- Oh, and she was born on day after the Day of Living Fire, according to her parents. How lucky.

- In a sense, they’re all a bit of an outcast. Kala the fiery independent one, a bit sidecasted for prefering magic over steel. Talako the weird orphan, for being a chirpy, happy boi, which is a bit annoying for some. And Illeka…well lets just say their situation isn’t going to be improving

- One year, Illeka’s family is expecting more kids, twin sisters at that! It’s the most excited anyone’s ever seen Illeka, thought perhaps that’s not the right word… They’ve still got their usual demeanor, but they did spend nearly a week crocheting little baby hats and tunics and scarves. They threatened to kill their brother if they told anyone, although Zekk was allowed to let it slip to Tal and Kala

- [They are absurdly good at crochet btw. They never do it anymore to try and maintain their “reputation,” but their family will never forget the time they crafted matching blankets and hats to win a little competition in their home town.]

- Then the Day of Living Fire arrives for that year. Theres a little celebration for Illeka’s birthday, before moving on to other activities.

- The twins die that night.

- The village was in a bit of shock…and rumours grow considering the timing of it. The mysterious circumstance of it…well it does turn the heads of even some of the less-superstitious. The rumours, the death, the silent thought that perhaps that cursed bird caused some babies’ death, Illeka endured it.

- Years later would it get worse.

- Illeka is still publically respected at this point, weird rumours sure, but try telling that to the edge of her halberd. Their mother had made the twin’s shrine, but they say Illeka didn’t visit that often. Talako was always by their side, trying to help them, which was always appreciated, even when they tried to hide it.

- Kala was busy in the library these days.

- Zekk had started a family by now, a little baby birb named Mili hatched into the world.  Illeka would often steal her away for little cuddles when they (thought) no one was looking. Zekk would jest that they had to fight for the right to hold his own kid. Kala would also occasionally tease them about it, though Tal was mostly happy to see them in better spirits

- Then, another Day of Living Fire.

- Talako and Illeka were usually on guard duty together, the northern patrol by the village edge. But tal was still a bit worried about his friend’s state of mind, he’s not sure he’d even seen them mourn. He pushes for Illeka to take the day off, it’s technically their birthday after all, plus they can pay their respected at the shrines and attend the festivities and do the ceremonies and all that. Illeka denies it, brushing it off like they always do.

- Soon, their nightly patrol begins, and Illeka is about to set off to met up with Talako, but Kala intercepts. She has a talk with them, similar to that of Talako’s, but with…more well crafted and laced words. It’s nearly the same message that Talako tried to tell them, “It’ll be healthy for you, visit the shrines, be with your family, maybe brush off some rumours in the process.” Illeka nearly denies again, joking that Talako would get afraid of the dark if they didn’t show up. But Kala interjects, stating that she’s already made plans to take the patrol that nigth with Tal. Trusting their friends to be safe in each others care, Illeka relents and takes the day off.

- …yeah. so

- perhaps you can see where this is going.

- Kala’s jealousy had been growing over the years. Not only was she being shadowed by Illeka and their non magic ways, but it was irritating even more that all the talk about magic in the town was not of her exceptional abilties, but of stupid rumours and non-existent evil curses. If the people wanted show, she’d give them a show

- This mindset made her spars with Illeka a bit more personal as of late, getting it in her head that she needed to get stronger, strong enough to best Illeka with ease. Strong enough so that there would be no question who was the best warrior on the island, magic, bows, halberds, or no.

- The library had many forgotten books that she had been studying. Conjuring, rituals, illusions, necromancy. It was all…beautiful. Kala soaked in every word, sometimes berating the bookkeeper offhandedly for not keeping them in the best condition

- In her research she eventually found a beast. A..thing, a demon? A monster, the specifics weren’t there, but the gist of it was, if you had the courage to summon it, it would grant you the knowledge for attaining anything you desired. All it asked in return was…to eat some people.

- But not just any people mind you! Supposedly the ritual only worked for the people with the greatest of ambitions, willing to sacrifice the lives of people they might care about. The sacrifices had to be of someone with great trust and bond with the person.

- Kala’s parents disappeared that day, a few feathers laid about, but there was no blood.

- Near the northern border, by a open field, a weird circle dripped the grass red

- Talako waited by the village edge, ready to fly off with their patrol partner when they arrived. When Kala greeted him, he was a bit surprised, but happy when she explained that Illeka had gone off back to town.

- Indeed Illeka was with their family now, as the sun started to set. Occasionally, a passerby would give them a weird glance before walking swiftly away.

- Somewhere in the northern border, a warrior is knocked unconcious, and dragged upon a blood red pattern

- Illeka is by her sisters’ shrine. For the sliver of a moment, they contemplate crying.

- Then an explosion is heard off in the distance

- Talako was wide awake at this point, although his wings being pinned to his sides wasn’t that helpful considering there was a giant, *giant* dark monster in front of him.

- Kala lets off a final remark, saying it was for his own good. The death would be swifter if he didn’t squirm.

- He whipped back at her, glaring with a fire she hasn’t seen before. He calls her a coward for tricking Illeka, a coward for kill their parents, a coward for not even giving him the decency to fight for his life.

- She nearly smiles at the last remark. “Fine.” She tosses him his blades. “You were never much of a warrior anyway.”

- Illeka was flying towards the booming sound at full speed, nearly knocking over their family and other mourning, people in the process. A few others had tried to slow them down, claiming they should suit of better first, before confronting whatever had been the source of the explosion. Illeka didn’t listen.

- They barely had time to grab a weapon, before approaching the northern border. After gracing the crests of the hill tops, they finally saw it. A giant demonic beast, snapping it’s jaws against a flying dash of black feathers, Talako.

- Illeka called out to him, nearly dashing off into the air again, but they stopped when they spotted Kala, standing idlely by next to her.

- Before they could even speak, before they could even question why she was acting so nonchalantly while their best friend was fighting for their life against an evil monstrosity, Kala shook her head and spoke. “You always have to ruin my fun, don’t you?” She struck a magic blow and Illeka, square in the chest.

- It knocked them to the ground, but they got up, setting their halberd and pointing it at them.

- Then insert some dramatic scene where Kala is like “you’re so selfish, hogging all the attention, thinking you’re better than me, but today I’m gonna finally best you mwahaha” and Illeka is like “wtf why did you do this? I thought we were friends? I trusted you?? the fuck? also talako is our friend!!?” and then its “yeah thats right I manipulated your stupid feelings to gain the upperhand. you’re super pathetic honestly for falling for it. anyhow yeah talako will probably die, i tried to give him the luxary of a swift death but he wouldn’t listen, so now he’s probably gonna get brutally slayed lol” and illeka is all “I’ll kill you” and kala is “no u. This whole thing is gonna give me so much power no ones gonna question me again” and then they fight each other

- The duel is nearly a draw, Kala’s magical ability is certainly is certainly stronger, but she’s not as all powerful without that knowledge from the demon monster guy that needs to eat his meal. Illeka is fighting with all theyve got, but all they brought was a halberd, but they are very fueled by rage and spite so it’s still an even match. Illeka eventually lands a blow that’s got Kala bleeding severely, but Kala pretty much almost kills them with a direct attack. Kala’s too weak to finish the job, plus those other guards have finally started to fly and approach in the distance, so she flys off. Illeka finally slips into unconsciousness.

- When they wake up, it’s almost sunrise. Their mom is shaking them awake, part of the party that was investigating the explosion that summoned the beast. Illeka bolts up, they’re still in the field were they had fought Kala, but she and the beast are no where to be seen.

- They run off, trying to find Talako, and ho boy do they find him alright. His body is crumpled by some rocks, his wing nearly ripped clean off, theres so much blood, even a warrior like Illeka can hardly bare it. Some small bit of hope in their head thinks that he might still be alive, and they listen to his chest to see if he’s still breathing.

- His eyes flicker once at Illeka, his chest rises, then falls for the last time.

- Illeka cries.

- Then, still pretty wounded and tired, they collapse again

- The days following are living hell. Kala hasn’t been found, and their her parent’s [bodies]. The rumours are creeping as ever, at the coincidence of Illeka and this disaster. They spend nearly a weak in bed at home, recovering physically, thought probably not mentally.

- As soon as they’ve fully recovered, Illeka’s mind is set. They are going to leave, no more warrior/village protection for them. They’re going to travel far off, train and hone their skills in combat, and find and kill Kala.

- Their family is opposed to this at first, but in the end nothing they say changes Illeka’s mind.

- In a sense, there was another, unspoken reason Illeka was leaving the islands. They didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

- Hell, the rhetoric is even stronger down the line, concerning the fate of poor Mili. Illeka has given in and accepted it, they are cursed to cause pain to the people they care about. [It’s basically that trope of the character isn’t actually cursed but they believe they’re cursed] Illeka will stay away, and go it alone for as long as they can. Then once the deed is done, once they draw Kala’s corpse across the mud, they’ll probably fly off somewhere far to die, before anyone else gets hurt. It’s probably best for their family never to see them again.

- - - - - - 

Wow you did it, you made it through the super angsty self-indulgent backstory congrats. Illeka is my lil baby and I love them and I’ve gonna send them on a revenge quest and then they were gonna have a cool character arc probably about learning to grieve and have self worth and all that and to actually allow themselves to show emotions for once in their lives. That’s the general plan I had in my head anyhow

But you know what my dm thought?

They were like how about mORE ANGSt

Fucking shit you not, session three of the campaign, I’m heading back to birb island because of circumstances, and I’m getting supplies from my blacksmith dad and showing off this sword that says “fuck” a lot that I got from a dungeon that took a selkie’s soul which they gave up willingly in exchange for fire hair...long story

but THEN I meet up with my bro Zekk and it’s like “wassup bro just passing through” but then I find out that Talako’s shrine thing was DESTORYED by some unknown entity and that’s very not good because spirituality and all that

and also I find Mili and they’re a cute lil toddler birb now aww it’s so great hope nothing happens to them because I sure do have enough emotional traume to burden right now. anyhow due to CIRCUMSTANCES our only lead to the thing that destroyed Talako’s shrine is 1) a delinquent named Chesio [that our party nicknamed cherrio because the GM misspelled it the first time i think] who apparently was Talako’s shitty cousin and his only living relative who could build his shrine and 2) the destruction of the shrine lines up with a period of time where Mili went missing but its ok she came back so her parents were like “chill we gucci”

Our party decides we should go down the Mili lead [because I accidentally knocked Cherrio i mean Chesio to near death with a crit roll with my halberd so they’re in the infirmary now but it’s really not my fault that they triggered my emotional trauma by mentioning how I keep running away from grief and never staying around to confront it it’s fiiiiiiiiiiiiine] so we stop by Zekk’s house and we’re like “hey so remember when you disappeared for like a week where did you go, and then mili was like “oh it’s in this cavern that no one knows about and I can’t really give you the directions but I can lead you there if you take me with you” in which I then glare at the GM for this obvious attempt to force us to take Mili with us to put her in danger and apparently I was the ONLY one who cared about this because everyone else in the party was ready to adopt this birb child, and Zekk was like “sure take the kiddy harness” so here I am, watching my niece run around in a kiddy harness that’s also attached to me, while my Chaotic neutral party someone gets grilled cheese sandwiches in the background

Badabing, badaboom, we come to some crystal caverns. while I, being one of the only members of the party with morals other than one chaotic good dragonborn, am watching the selkie, halfoot, and elf girl steal a bunch of crystals, Mili fucking DISAPPEARS the fucking KIDDY HARNESS fucking NOT GOOD she FCUKING SLIPPED OUT AND SHES GONE AND IM FREAKING OUT 

after about an hour or two of searching through the deeper parts of the cavern and tunnel and also fighting a minotaur and discovering an abandoned arena and a cleric, long story. We find Mili fucking laying on A NECROMANCER’S RITUAL CIRCLE WHAT THE FU- 

I pull a “I don’t hesitate bitch” on the hooded dude that’s hovering and chanting shit. He’s dead, it’s all swell. Saved the day, the evil’s dead. Mili’s fine she can go back to being a cute lil baby who loves shiny rocks and-

oh wAIT actually Mili is still transformed into a demonic monster and the necromancer dude was actually in the middle of completing a ritual to bring her back to life after he killed her a few times

So turns out, necromancer dead dude was hired by a mysterious someone, to steal something from Talako’s shrine, and to destroy any evidence. Turns out, his methodology for doing so was to kidnap some birb kid who had the misfortune of wander too close, killing them, turning them into some demonic monster that does their bidding, using that monster to steal and ruin some shit, and then when the day’s done he turns them back like nothing happened. Sure do wish he was alive to redo that last part

I’m freaking out, the party’s freaking out, that sword from earlier is cursing to high heaven for no apparent reason. Cleric unhelpfully remarks how it was a bad idea that we impulsively killed the evil dude bro, yes wow thank you for the help

Eventually everything’s fine. After a few round of shouting “NO ONE TOUCH MY FUCKING NIECE OR YOU DIE” after said demonic niece is kinda mindlessly attacking everyone, we eventually do some good ol blunt force trauma and a bit of magic and BOOM. Mili’s back. Although they do have permanent black ritual markings on them but its fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinee (its not)

We find a note on necromancer dude bro that his employer was from another island, so that’s a lead yay Find Out Next SessionTM but at this point I really don’t care as I’ve already started tying Mili to my chest and walking back to the village

I go back to Zekk’s house, hand off Mili, explain everything that happened, give a super heart feel apology about how I pretty much killed Mili (even though I really didn’t but also as we all know Illeka is an angsty birb who’s steadfast in the idea that their existence hurts everyone they love so yay <3) and then I leave as fast as I can before anyone can protest sure was nice visiting my family after i’ve been away for a few months sure am glad that my inner thoughts about staying away weren’t justified whatsoever hmmmmmm

A session or two passes. We try to assassinate and elf’s evil parents and fail, we get into a Fake Dating Being Someone’s Children Au with a dragon. The selkie keeps trying to date everyone, even thought they’re already married to a necromancer princess and a boat (long story) and inbetween we head to that island that note i got was talking about and turns out it was to a place where all your inner demons and anxieties manifest into reality and taunt you, until youre slowly broken down to the point where the evil dictator on the island can “magic” away your problems with puppet strings. fun for the whole family!

Anyways, after our party fights out evil neon-blue clones, I get a lead from dictator dude that the employer I’m looking for is a Rito that’s good with magic, and was last seen headed east, in the same direction we just came from. fun.a

So I’m kinda low on leads, other than the fact that theres a magic school in the east, but in between we have to deal with the fact that husboat (again, the boat that is married to the selkie who is also our entire party’s form of transportation across the ocean. wait a sec did I mention that we weren’t in Hyrule? We’re not in Hyrule, this is a flooded land with a bunch of islands. Think wind waker) was being chased by pirates. also these pirates were the ones that raised the selkie, and also they kinda also slaughtered an entire island of halffoots in their time with the pirates, and also that island was the one that the halffoot in our party grew up in. So basically that’s some cool tension and drama. Anyhow, back to moi

One talk about how “no we cannot kidnap aNOTHER priest” to the selkie and elf later... magic school! Magic school is pretentious and I hate it. Everythings glowy, they don’t allow you to fly over the gates. There’s puffy noble middle aged men and children in bedazzled cloaks. There’s magic in the air and I swear I would choke and die on the glitter and rainbows of it all. 

Half the party is off getting into cloak fashion, I head off with my dragonborn friend Ness because highfive! We’re the only one’s with morals in this party! Morality pals! (This is saying something considering I am true neutral and she’s chaotic good but we might as well be clerics in this party...)

My morality pal and I and hanging around, then we catch word that there’s this transfer student that no one has seen in a while and “oh I wonder where she could be” and all that jazz from other students. Mortality pals are like “ok let’s go look for her” so we drag the rest of the party off of their larceny spree and look around.

Eventually, after I spot a tattered cloak roaming the halls that matches the description of the gossip, we find the transfer student.

TURNS OUT (unsurprisingly honestly given the way the dm framed stuff) this transfer student is someone I know. She’s standing there, in the middle of the room, preparing to do some ritual or something. She’s standing there, my life purpose, my one and only goal, literally the only reason I’m still going in life, my arch nemesis, my target, my mortal fucking enemy. It’s Kala.

Ness sees a demon dog in the background and says hi, ruining our element of surprise, but to be fair, she doesn’t know it’s Kala. 

Kala whips around from her table thing. We make eye contact. Her face suddenly shift from confusion to surprise to bewilderment to shock to happiness. 

Happiness.

“Illeka I thought you were dead!” Kala runs towards me, but I’m too shocked to move.

She’s smiling. It’s not sadistic, it’s not...harmful, it’s just genuine joy. For a moment I thought I saw a tear in her eye. 

Kala hugs me for a long moment, before letting go. “So how did you survive?”

...

In my head I’m thinking, “oh you fuck face”

THE. AUDACITY. OF. THIS. BITCH. 

“HOWD I SURVIVE” UH NO THANKS TO YOU FOR ALMOST KILLING ME FOR YOUR STUPID RITUAL WHATEVER THAT KILLED TALAKO WTFFF

ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO PULL THE SAME TRICK AGAIN??? GONNA PRETEND TO BE ALL SENTIMENTAL AND NICE JUST TO TRY AND KILL ME LATER ON? HA OK OK

how about instead, I do the one good thing, the one worthwhile thing I can do in my entire life...just one simple course of action that might hope to make up for the mountain of regret that is my entire existence. 

I am finally going to kill you.

Kala’s staring at me, eyes curious, head tilted as if all she ever did was ask what I had for brunch. 

I blink once, and my neutral expression, faintly coated with shock morphs into determination.

I roll for initiative. 

- - - - - - 

It’s 1am. 

So have a cliffhanger, kinda. 

If anyone bothers to read this far, congrats! Your reward is me being lazy. I’ll tell you what happened sometime tomorrow if anyone really wants to know :P Long story short, it doesn’t end how I, and therefore probably you, would except. 

[auggie-hunter]

the questionnaire~

who rocks the ferris wheel seat, and who flips out and begs them to stop?

neither. too busy making out.

who is always horny and will have any place, any time?

auggie. he’s always game for a quickie at any given moment. any. given. moment.

“wait, here?” teddy gasps and giggles against his lips as he kisses her.

“mhm,” he nods.

and so what if they’re the ones having slutty coat room sex at someone else’s wedding. so what.

who is more into taking showers/baths together? who tries to make it relaxing and who gets handsy?

they both are. something about showers and baths together really ticks the intimacy box for them. but believe it or not, teddy is the one to get handsy in the shower/bath.

“so i was thinking,” she starts, shifting her weight in the tub. she swivels around, careful not to slosh too much water around as she straddles his lap

his hands easily find her hips as she eases closer. “so you were thinking...” he echos with a nod.

her left hand rests at the base of his neck, while her right glides down and into the water between them. “i have nowhere to be for the next hour, so maybe,” she takes him in her hand. “we could make it worth our while.”

who likes to walk around the house naked, and who tells the other to go put some clothes on?

neither, really. they usually keep whatever space they’re in comfortably chilly so as to be wrapped up in sweatshirts and cardigans. sweatpants and socks and heavy blankets. cozy.

however, they are huge fans of being naked together. huge. top two on the list, probably.

who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight?

auggie. 

(but teddy will be nudging him to scoot over not 30 minutes later and crawling onto the couch and under the throw blanket beside him. “what you said really hurt.”

and auggie will just wrap her up in his arms and kiss her head. “i’m sorry. it was uncalled for. i didn’t mean it.” and he’ll kiss her head three more times and tell her how much he adores her and they both sleep on the couch because the idea of sleeping apart sucks to even think about. call them codependent)

who takes photos of the other while they sleep?

teddy tends to take photos of auggie because auggie rarely sleeps. let me clarify. auggie’s a very excitable human, and will stay up and about for most things. because of this, he is always tired and falling asleep at inopportune times, and (teddy’s favorite) adorable ones.

(like the time he fell asleep while trying to stay up for a 24-hour stream and she had to inconspicuously wake him without getting caught on camera.

she did take proper photo evidence and post it on his instagram before he woke up. puppy filter and all)

who said “i love you” first?

teddy. it outright took his breath away. 

who ends their arguments in a fight with “because i love you”?

teddy.

auggie has a lot of anxiety. he’s been working on it, but he’s also made his peace with the fact that a portion of it will remain unresolved, and will be something he just feels and deals with. kinda like white noise. it’s a dead parents thing. whatever.

the point is, it happens less and less when it comes to teddy the longer they’re together, but he goes through deep pockets where he needs reassurance.

because he thinks, no knows teddy graham is the very sun in the sky that the planets revolve around, that she hung the moon and all the stars, and there’s absolutely no possible way on this earth he could ever be good enough for her. that he or something would inevitably fuck this up.

she’s gotten pissed off at him about it only once their entire relationship. but they’d been going through a rough patch with schedules not lining up, and not enough hours in the day to make long distance work, so it’d been a pot of emotions on the verge of boiling over. she’d shouted at him to stop doubting her. that if she hadn’t left yet it’s because she wasn’t planning to. “because i love you!”

he’d felt awful that day. because that’s the last thing he wanted to make her feel. and he’d promised her he’d work on it.

but they don’t tend to argue. their conversations are softer, more compassionate.

“hey,” she grabs his hands “i’m not going anywhere.” pressing kisses to each of his knuckles, she glances up at him. “because i love you, okay?”

they do annoy each other though. quite a bit. sometimes for fun.

who likes to wear the other’s clothes?

teddy loves to wear auggie’s sweatshirts to run errands if it’s something she doesn’t have to get dressed up for. or around the house she’ll grab a shirt or button up. she once wore a flannel of his to record a music special.

they also wear her merch around the house. free clothes and whatnot.

who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had? who has the most nightmares, and who sings them back to sleep after?

teddy for sure. auggie’s more about letting her sleep, but teddy always wakes him up to share. good dreams, bad ones, crazy ideas, good news, song ideas… her imagination is always going, going, going.

who is more likely to cheat?

on each other? truly? neither. they’d faster cheat on other people for each other. and that sounds cliché and almost fiction, but it isn’t that it’s that they both genuinely like and love each other. cheating doesn’t fit in that box.

who starts a food fight in the kitchen?

probably auggie. though teddy has been known to throw flour.

who initiates duets? and who is the better singer?

teddy. auggie will be humming something to himself and she’ll jump in as off-key as possible.

“you’re the oates to my hall, baby,” teddy says, swinging him with her around the kitchen island. “the garfunkel to my simon.”

“oh, so you’re just gonna full on side-kick me now?”

“i’m down on a daydream!” she sings loudly, and okay, maybe the brunch mimosas had been a little more champagne than orange juice that morning. “but that sleepwalk should be over by now, i know!”

auggie throws his head back laughing and he can’t help but grab her face and just kiss her.

objectively, teddy is the better singer. but, and he will deny this, she thinks auggie sounds beautiful in the shower.

who starts the hand holding? who grabs the other's butt? who slides their arm around their waist? who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops?

the hand holding is somewhat mutual. it kind of happens naturally. they gravitate toward one another to begin with. some… fucking weird energy thing, his sister frannie would say. it was actually visible between them.

the butt touching is totally teddy, and it happens a few dates in when she accidentally has a bit too much wine at dinner. she grabs his ass on the way back to the car. “small but mighty.”

they laughed for a solid ten minutes.

of course, that then meant free reign for him to return the favor. respectfully. but also at will. and gosh was he grateful.

the arm around the waist is auggie, but he’s a very physical person. always pulling her closer, touching her back, anything to feel her right there with him.

who is more seductive when they are drunk? and who is louder in bed?

auggie, who is already kinda handsy and forward when it comes to sex with teddy, gets handsier when he’s been drinking and his voice is like 2 octaves deeper than usual.

but teddy’s a master at seducing him. like she’s read every book on how to turn him into a putty in her hands. he thinks she finds it fun. no, he knows she does. he knows every outfit she keeps for it. hmph.

she might be louder though. for sure.

who is more protective?

auggie is wildly protective of teddy. her heart, her world, her happiness. and takes it really personally when that’s threatened in any way. but teddy’s really protective of auggie’s feelings. in a healthy way. but she’s always there to catch him if he falls. she’d also go to war for him. in a heartbeat.

who talks to the other while they are sleeping?

not necessarily while they’re sleeping because if it ever starts, the other tends to wake up. but they do talk a lot. unless they’re wiped from exhaustion.

who drives and who has the window seat?

teddy insists on driving most of the time. she enjoys it, and implies he can’t drive. it’s a lie, of course. he’s the better driver.

(“are not.”

“baby.”

“you’re not, though.”)

who falls asleep in the others lap and who carries them to bed?

auggie tends to be the one to fall asleep in her lap. he’s usually the one falling asleep first if his insomnia’s been acting up.

it’s the most rain new york has gotten all year, she observes from her place where she rests against the corner of the couch. the dreariest darkest afternoon they’ve seen in a while. the apartment is dim despite it being just after 2pm that sunday afternoon.

she’s kind of sleepy and could probably go for a nap. but she’d already thrown off her sleep schedule by letting auggie con her into smoking and staying up to watch all of doom patrol. while fun and great, it turned into distracting hands under throw blankets, which turned into 5am, thus making her want to sleep now but she’d just managed to fix what early quarantine had broken.

they’d need to set a new boundary on this friends with benefits thing.

time. sleep. rest.

but then again, who was she kidding? he could say jump and she’d ask how high and never stop. he didn’t know that though. they’d agreed on not going there for the sake of their friendship. that it was just sex. whenever, but still. just sex.

she glances down at him where he’s fast asleep arms wrapped around her midsection, head resting comfortably against her abdomen, lulled by the sound of the rain coming through the open window. and she’s looked at his face a hundred times, but like this, her heart flutters, and she can feel the way she just fully adores him like this.

she can’t help but smile to herself, and sighs. she needs to get over him. and fast. of course, all this weird intimacy they insist on maintaining just because they’ve spent all this time indoors together isn’t going to help that.

she threads her fingers through his hair, lightly scratching at the back of his head. “hey, go to your bed,” she says softly. “you fell asleep.”

“mm.” he doesn’t budge and her smile widens. she lightly tugs at his ear. “ow.”

“bed.”

he grumbles without another word, and if she’s wistful as she watches him go to his room, she’ll deny it.

who cuts the other's hair?

that’s not a risk they’ve been willing to take just yet.

who is super bad at sexting? and who sends them encouraging messages throughout the day?

if auggie’s feeling particularly confident (usually after a few drinks), he can swing it. otherwise, he’s not great at it.

teddy’s usually the one sending encouraging messages though.

(“yeah, you don’t send me any cause you’re always sending them to darby and ravi.”

“that’s true. but i love you more than them.”

“that’s actually debatable.”)

who thinks they are not good enough for the other’s love? and who’s more afraid of losing the other?

read the anxiety question above.

who starts random slow dancing with the other in the kitchen?

teddy definitely. but auggie will every once in a while. slide her around the kitchen at two in the morning by the light of the refrigerator.

who kissed first?

auggie kissed teddy first. bit the bullet before he lost his nerve. and then he just never stopped.

who orders take out at two in the morning? and who wakes the other up at three in the morning to go downstairs with them to get a glass of water because it’s too dark?

who writes love songs about the other? do they sing the songs they write for them?

if teddy could write every song in the world about him she absolutely would. but yes, she writes most of the love songs and most of them are about him or to do with him or about dreams they’ve planned together.

there’s a world in which he gives creative input, basically a song writing duo, but he takes no credit. “all the magic is yours anyway, i’m just a sounding board.”

of course, he gets wildly emotional about it, and the way she expresses herself when it comes to him, because again, for the millionth time, he can’t believe her.

who is embarrassed when they have to wear their glasses and who thinks they look super cute?

not necessarily embarrassed, but auggie typically only wears his glasses at home, so until they live together, it’s rare she sees him in them. she does think he looks cute in them.

which is great because he’s blind as a bat.

who likes to nuzzle their head into their partner’s chest?

teddy. at her coziest. if she could live there, she would.

how many and what colours are the blankets they like to snuggle in?

four or five, at least two of which have been knit by teddy herself. the colors are usually on the softer side, neutrals, navy, dusty pinks. and a blanket crosby brought teddy from a trip to thailand years ago they’ve piled into the mix.

who runs up and hugs their partner and who stands arms wide open to catch their partner?

teddy runs. auggie catches her. every time.

eight months. it’d been eight months since he’d seen her outside of a screen. eight months since he’d held her, touched her, kissed her.

eight months without her. all for the sake of democracy or whatever bullshit.

auggie had been starting to doubt how much longer he could do this without her. and the truth of the matter is deep in his bones he knew he’d wait forever, even at freshly eighteen, he just knew he’d wait for this girl forever and a day.

he’s shifting his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels, hands tucked anxiously into his pocket as he waits at the guest area. her flight had landed and she’d sent him a text saying she hadn’t checked a bag and that she’d be out soon, which meant she’d be here soon.

whether it’s the nerves or the excitement, he isn’t sure, but he might throw up.

but he doesn’t have time to process it, because not a second later, a whirlwind of blonde hair, pink lips and a soft blue dress was running toward him.

and just as her carry-on bag smacks the ground, he catches her in his arms, pressing his lips to hers.

“i missed you so much,” she sniffles, lips finding his once more.

would they rather go on a romantic date or a laid back date? explain why.

any date uninterrupted is a dream date for them. and they could make any moment romantic.

he stumbles some, but somehow manages to regain his composure, even if it means he leans on her a little more than intended.

teddy’s arm around his torso squeezes some, knowing that steadying him means steadying both of them. “you’re so drunk,” she mutters, head tilting onto his shoulder.

auggie scoffs, but ends up laughing in the process, the arm he has around her shoulders squeezing her tight. “babe, it’s two in the morning and you’re wearing sunglasses; don’t—” he giggles. “—don’t call me out for being drunk.”

she grins and giggles herself, the cat-eye style of her sunglasses adding to her mirth. “i calls ‘em like i sees ‘em.”

“you ‘calls ‘em’ huh?”

“shh.” she’s on her toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and readjusts his sunglasses in the process.

joy dripped off them like warm light. her heels hung off the fingertips of his left hand and over his shoulder, having traded them for his sneakers. he offered, and would probably have to throw out his socks once their night was done, but he truly couldn’t care less. not when he had all of this around him.

“okay, listen.” she took a sip from the bottle of champagne she was holding before holding it out to him.

“i’m listening.” he lets her go to take a drink, the bubbles no longer tingly against his cheeks.

“you know we can’t stay here for 39 more days, right?”

he furrows his brow, unsure of what she means by that, though it’s taking quite a bit to connect most complex thoughts that aren’t about teddy graham at the moment.

“to get married. you have to live in paris for like 40 days in order to get married here.”

“oh.”

“yeah.”

“wait, why not?”

“auggie. baby. focus.”

“sorry, let’s sit.” he laughs and holds out his elbow for her to take, leading her to an empty bench just up the way. plopping down on the end, he draws her down to his lap. teddy sits sideways and chooses to extend her legs onto the rest of the bench, crossing her feet at her ankles. his shoes look huge in the distance.

“we can’t stay here.” she pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “the world’s not looking good and i kinda don’t wanna get stuck here.”

auggie nods in agreement. “fair point. so what do we do? do we wait?”

she sighs and grabs the bottle from him, taking a sip before setting it down between her thigh and the back of the bench, next to her shoes. “i don’t wanna wait.” she kisses him. “we’ve waited so long for everything,” she groans, her frustration evident.

he gives her the tiniest of smiles and presses a kiss to her temple, lingering for a long beat. he gets it, of course he does.

“let’s wake daily up.”

his eyes widen as he wraps his arm around her. “no.”

“no?”

“no, she’ll be pissed,” he chuckles. “i already woke her up once to find you, i don’t think i’d survive a second night of interrupting her sleep.”

teddy laughs, full belly laughs, and he can’t help but join her. they might have to lay off the champagne soon, but they can worry about that later. “daily is ordained.” she curls into his chest. “she’s the only way we can leave paris married.”

he leans forward, resting his forehead on her shoulder. “starting my first official day as a member of your family by getting murdered. cool.”

she smiles, dropping a kiss atop his head, hints of his shampoo wafting into her nose. “is that a yes?”

“i gave you my shoes; a real no for you doesn’t exist in my vocabulary.” he gently kicks his socked feet to make a point.

“first of all, you offered and insisted, and second, you should be proud of yourself for saying vocabluary.”

“vocabluary?” he picks his head up, amusement coloring his features.

she’s kissing him then, both hands pressed against his cheeks. “come on, let’s go get married before you start feeling over-dramatic and change your mind on me.” she swings her legs over and stands, holding her hands out to him.

“never, ever, in my life.” he takes her hands and stands.

“oh, sure. like you didn’t just fly across the ocean cause you missed me even though you just saw me. the level of drama is staggering.”

“i didn’t.” he shakes his head and grabs her shoes and the near empty bottle of champagne. “i had business.” he takes a swig before handing her the last of it.

“in paris?” she giggles and sips the rest, tossing the empty bottle in a nearby trash can before he wraps his arm around her so they can start to walk.

“mhm. i had to pick up my wife.” she hip checks him and he grins. “all the more reason for you to know i’m not changing my mind.”

“i know. all your drama is reserved for how much you love me and how you have to make a big deal about that all the time. softy.” she presses a kiss to his hand resting over her shoulder. “doesn’t mean i can’t make fun of you for it.”

“i like a gesture.” he shrugs.

“yes, you do. it’s cute.”

teddy grins, wide and bright, and he squeezes her tight. “you’re cute.”

who still gets butterflies after years of dating?

they both do. there are a lot of reasons for which their relationship has had to take a backseat, so every moment they do get to spend together is cherished. and when it becomes permanent, it feels brand new every day.

who is the one who makes their partner laugh so much that their face hurts?

despite how cool they both come across, they’re both actually spectacularly dorky and goofy and ridiculous. so they’re always laughing about something dumb or silly or an inside joke they remember all the time, especially at very inopportune times.

(”we ran out of a funeral once.”

“aug, don’t remind me, i’m still ashamed.”

“well, it was either that or we had a laughing fit in there.”

“we’re monsters.”

“i feel like the dead parents club gives you morbid privileges by association.”)

who accidentally drinks too much caffeine and who has to deal with their partner bouncing off the walls?

auggie already has too much coffee to begin with, but when he has too much caffeine he’s a bouncy ball off concrete walls.

where is a special place they hold close to their hearts? why is it special?

paris. whenever they’ve allowed themselves to think of a place where they want to be together, to dream about where everything would be perfect, it’s paris.

walking along the seine, seeing the eiffel tower, watching the sunset on a rooftop, seeing the art at the louvre

(“being the art at the louvre.”

“auggie.”

“you are though.”)

she proposes before one of her paris shows.

they wake up her sister in the middle of the night to officiate their marriage before they’re back in the states.

there’s just something about paris that’s everything and more to them.

who has awful taste in music?

not awful, but auggie probably likes more questionable music.

“unironically listening to nickelback isn’t a bad thing, you’re all just haters.”

which one of them is the meme lover?

auggie loves a good meme. he loves making memes also. and making memes about teddy as a goof.

how did their second date go?

terrible. they’d wanted each other for so long they didn’t know what to do now that they had each other so they were so nervous they ruined it.

(”you didn’t ruin it.”

“i didn’t talk all night!”

“well, at least you didn’t spill wine all over your dress.”

“it wasn’t that bad!”

“i could never wear it anymore.”)

of course, the apology that followed and the makeup date more than made up for it.

how many children do they want/have?

depends on if they ever stop going at it like bunny rabbits. no, but three. honorable, beautiful mention to their son, lip.

who is the better dancer?

natural dancer? auggie. still a klutz though. teddy is a terrible dancer, but she’s become great at choreography. she also does not care.

do/did they have a theme wedding?

no. they eloped, actually. got married together in secret. they did have a party though after to celebrate with family. no theme though. 

what do their parents think of them dating?

teddy’s parents love auggie. they think he’s sweet, and kinda dorky. but he’s as dorky as their sweet girl and they love that about him. they’re especially delicate about being parents to him. not replacing or overstepping, but reminding him he’s their son now, too.

are they a super sappy couple?

severely. nauseating. but in a really endearing way. refreshing almost.

who asked the other to get married?

teddy proposed seconds before she went on stage.

who stays up too late and makes stupid jokes?

auggie stays up too late, and teddy makes stupid jokes.

who is the nerd?

auggie

who knows the most obscure facts?

auggie.

who makes the other a flower crown?

teddy (and cardigans and blankets and mittens and hats and scarves)

who likes to read?

teddy. she reads constantly.

who bothers the other person while the other person reads?

auggie. very adorable. very annoying.

do they have similar taste in movies?

yeah, for the most part. they’re both into classic comedies. auggie does love a superhero/comic book movie though.

how do their personalities complement each other?

teddy is bright and loud and awkward and unapologetically herself. auggie is bright but more reserved unless in good company and definitely second guesses himself more. but they do a great job of catching each other wherever they need, if that makes sense. filling in the blanks, combining all the puzzle pieces, yin to yang.

how do they tell everyone that they are going to be having a kid/adopting a child soon?

the minute they’re in the clear about things being safe. especially after lip. they do get creative with sharing their news, though. and it’s always cute.

who has better fashion sense?

teddy for sure. she can create an entire look from a color. auggie dresses well, but well for him.

who will punch someone out if they are rude to their partner?

auggie. no question.

what songs do they sing together in the car?

depends on the mood. sometimes oldies, sometimes the radio will just play. sometimes loud with all the windows down.

who likes to prank the other?

auggie came from a house of pranks, so he loves pranking her. 

who is the one who loves to take pictures?

teddy likes a random selfie here and there, but auggie likes having his camera out during quiet moments to catch her unaware. not often, because their private moments are sacred. but every once in a while.

how would they react if they found out they were soul mates?

they wouldn’t be surprised. it’d be the missing piece of the puzzle.

where would they live?

depends. sometimes new york. sometimes suburbia. sometimes an estate up in maine. sometimes paris is the way to go. wherever the other one is, really.

what type of dragon would they own, if they could have one?

probably like drogon targaryen. protective, and only trusts them.

what would they dress up as, for halloween?

they have pretty creative costumes, usually comedic ones. wayne’s world. cosmo and wanda. dumb and dumber. juno and paulie bleeker when they were pregnant with rosie and briar cause they both got a kick of it (and cause she actually got to drink a gallon of sunny d… even if she puked it all later while he held her hair back)

there was one year they did nightwing and batgirl for allie’s superhero themed party and he absolutely dragged her out of there early because of the red wig.

can they name each other’s favourite food?

teddy would say auggie’s addiction to chinese takeout is borderline unhealthy.

“whoa, hey.”

“dude, it is.”

but probably italian after that summer he became obsessed with learning how to make homemade pasta and pasta sauce.

auggie would say desserts. sweet tooth galore for her.

do they have pet names for one another?

usually ‘ted’ and ‘aug’, but teddy has welcomed ‘baby’ into the mix. cause he’s her baby. he’ll let a ‘baby’ or ‘babe’ out here and there, but he usually just prefers ‘ted.’

teddy is also in the business of coming up with every pun on his name she can think of. snoop auggie aug and augustus gloop might still be her best work.

how do they cheer each other up?

distractions and affection. sometimes food. games. music.

do they show a lot of pda?

they don’t really makeout in public, but they are very physical. hand holding, hugs, back rubs. proximity is a security blanket for them.

how old were they when they got together?

depends on the universe, but anywhere between 15-22, usually with history.

can they do yoga couple’s poses?

no they’re a pair of klutzes. it’s ironic as hell.

what is their song?

such great heights - the postal service lover - teddy bea~

what does their room look like?

they usually have a big cozy bed, one allowing them room to stretch out and take up space, even though they end up in each other’s space nearly every single night.

their things are intertwined. her clothes with his. his toiletries near hers. there are pictures and art they both love, and the agreement that they wouldn’t have a tv in their room to enjoy each other and rest in there. 

relaxing colors. wood tones, soft greens. maybe a few plants. definitely a balcony with a view.

who would be the one to kill zombies while the other keeps them grounded?

auggie currently kills zombies while teddy keeps him grounded.

who makes the other breakfast in bed?

auggie makes breakfast in bed unless he’s slept in.

who loves kids more?

they’re both a pair of big kids themselves. so it’s pretty even. they adore kids.

do either of them have a crazy ex?

possibly? hm.

what are their favourite colours?

auggie likes shades of blue and green. teddy likes golden colors and pinks. 

who likes to cook?

they both do. they like to cook together. though teddy is more of a baker, and auggie is more of the savory chef. cooking’s cathartic for both of them, and definitely something they love to do together.

who is the forgetful one?

probably auggie.

does either of them know how to fight?

make (lots of) love not war. they’re the softest of humans. soft, soft, soft.

what do they do for valentine's day?

depends. usually any excuse to spend time together is nice. valentine’s day can be any old day for them. flowers though. making a dessert to eat together. maybe a weekend getaway.

who swears more?

auggie’s a fucking potty mouth.

who has the better comebacks?

teddy. for sure.

who would start a fight with another parent at a bake sale?

her brother crosby and his sister fiona.

who reads buzzfeed?

auggie. fanboy king.

who is the hopeless romantic?

teddy, but they’re both wildly romantic, almost in equal measure.

do either of them know how to do a handstand?

believe it or not, both of them.

who can rap better?

teddy.

“ollie might’ve disowned me if i didn’t learn.”

do either of them want to go skydiving?

god no.

“i mean, i might wanna try. north said it was fun.”

“and your name is not north oeste. it’s auggie hunter, and you’re not jumping out of a frickin plane.”

what do they usually text about?

missing each other. food ideas. teddy’s legs. reminders. whatever crazy idea bixby’s got going on. whatever insane idea allie’s got going on. date plans. i love yous. and teddy’s legs.

who is the dramatic one?

auggie.

is either one confrontational?

not particularly. they talk too much for heavy confrontation so fights are rare. they’re willing to fight for each other though. 

what is their favourite cuddle position?

auggie’s love language is physical touch. he likes to touch and be touched, so when it comes to cuddling, if he’s tired or sad or depressed, he’s for sure the one to rest his head in teddy’s lap for her to rub his head or back. but he’s also definitely happy to be the big spoon and wrap her up in his arms so there’s no space between them.

“can i tell you a secret?”

“let me guess, you were already married,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to where her bangs meet the rest of her hair, both arms wrapping around her shoulders.

“pfft.” she snuggles up into his chest, closing her eyes as she tucks her fingers under his left suspender.

“okay, that’s definitely not a no.” his hand trails over the bare skin of her upper back, pinky lightly gliding over where the fabric of her dress begins.

“you married me two weeks ago, keep up.” auggie hums in agreement. “also, there’s really hot lingerie under my dress right now...”

“oh?”

“but this dress has at least nine hundred and three buttons, and i know we wanted a party, but weddings are really tiring.” her voice is quiet and a little bit whiny.

“and you wanna take a nap,” he finishes.

“as badly as i wanna get into your pants.”

he laughs again, this time squeezing her a little bit tighter than before. “i promise i won’t tell anybody we took a nap on our wedding night if you won’t.” he smiles to himself, closing his own eyes as he drops another kiss atop her head.

she swoons.

who listens to more vulgar music?

pretty even. they’re not picky about that.

do either of them have secrets even the other doesn’t know?

no. they know everything. everything.

who is their go to couple for a double date?

eli and thayer, josie and ollie with daily and naomi, darby and north, or allie and frannie, though he’s still yet to figure out how he can manage to be the only one with the girlfriend in the bunch and still be the odd one out when those two are involved.

do they tip the waiter/waitress on their date?

absolutely.

how do they work out a fight?

sometimes they’ll need space just to let themselves cool off. saves them from saying something they don’t mean.

and then they talk. for hours.

who brings home an illegal pet?

neither of them. maybe teddy.

what side of the bed do each of them sleep on?

auggie on the right and teddy on the left. (or really, auggie closer to the window and teddy closer to the door)

what is their favorite photo of them two together?

it always changes but it’s a tie between them at disney and this random photo of them at an award show backstage.

she’d been wearing a pink cape over her shoulders, and sitting on top of the back of the couch in her green room after she got all her awards. and when he’d sat between her legs, she’d wrapped him up in it like a blanket and kissed his cheek. naomi caught it just in time.

who takes longer in the bathroom?

depends. usually teddy.

who has more songs on their ipod?

teddy.

what movie did they first see together?

stepbrothers.

what do they like to see each other in?

“nothing.”

“auggie.”

auggie prefers nothing, or really anything that shows off her legs. he really, really loves her legs. her ass too. all of her really, anyway…

“i like a tux. you look really good in a tux.”

who makes jokes at inappropriate times?

auggie.

at what age do they discuss the possibility of children?

i think they just know they want kids, and it comes about as a “when we have kids” kind of moment. and neither of them question it because there’s no objection. there’s also the fact that the first time she gets pregnant catches them both by surprise.

what do they love about each other the most?

auggie loves how much teddy loves. her heart is enormous and the amount of love that pours out of her at any given moment takes his breath away. she’s there for all her friends and family no questions asked, and the way she loves him, and the way she takes care of him, he could’ve never imagined he’d ever deserve a love like that.

she’s his loving, perfect little goofball.

teddy loves how much auggie cares about stuff. he’s so excitable and bright eyed and he has every reason to be jaded but just isn’t. not really. not in the ways it counts. he just loves things and people and comes at them with the excitement of the very first day.

and that smile of his. she’ll do anything to see him smile. that… wow. yeah.

who is the one that sees the big picture, while the other focuses on the small details?

teddy sees the big picture always. she’s patient like that. auggie focuses on the details. it’s why he can spiral, and how she can make sure he doesn’t.

what would they write on their partner’s social media for their anniversary?

vlauggie: no idea where you came from or what i did to deserve you, but life with you is pretty amazing. (and then a picture of teddy baking in the kitchen with her back turned)

teddybea: for sure my favorite human. (with a video of him playing a vr game he didn’t know she was recording)

who is bad at math?

teddy. math sucks.

who googles everything?

auggie probably. but he’s always connected to something so it’s a habit at this point.

who does stuff on impulse?

also auggie. anxiety. and low patience. he talks about allie, but he’s worse, just less vocal.

(“okay that’s a lie, nobody is like allie. nobody.”)

how do they comfort each other when they are helpless to do anything about the situation?

there’s a lot of holding and cuddling for comfort. sometimes they just sit in silence in front of the fireplace. or they’ll lie on the floor. they like the floor. there’s a lot of thinking done on the floor.

what is an inside joke they have?

if there’s a secret room they’ve likely hooked up in it. not sure if that’s an inside joke but there ya go.

just for you

who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all?

teddy just has to breathe and auggie is smiling for the rest of the day.

what is their favourite holiday?

probably christmas because they’re two big kids. and there’s something really wondrous about christmas lights. for all the times they’ve been apart on holidays, christmas has always been the one they’ve had to figure out how to make their own.

they like to lie side by side under the christmas tree and look up at the lights and dream.

who is the one that is calm and collected while the other is angry and destructive?

they’re both pretty calm and collected for the most part. he’s definitely the one to lose his head first, though.

what is their favourite board game to play?

classic? clue. though they go through a chess phase after the queen’s gambit. also life. not technically a board game, but taboo. but their brains are connected, so people hate playing with them.

who has the car ready while the other is robbing the store?

auggie would probably drive the getaway car.

what artist/group did they go to for their first concert?

some tiny indie show deep in brooklyn where they could hide in plain sight.

who is the more social one?

probably teddy. auggie’s fairly social, and nice, but it does take him a second to jump in.

what are their karaoke songs?

auggie does a mean “it’s all coming back to me now” by celine dion, and no, he will not be taking questions after this.

teddy does classic pop queens of course. “stronger” by britney spears is a show.

(though, and this isn’t necessary karaoke, she once got pulled into singing an acoustic version unpretty by tlc with daily and it was probably the most beautiful thing ever)

who would get up on stage and make a fool of themselves just to make the other laugh?

auggie, one thousand percent. happily.

which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway?

teddy always warns auggie not to stay up, but he does anyway, and then he’s dealing with the consequences.

which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies?

that kitchen is fucking master chef. next question.

which one spends all day running errands and which one says “you remembered [thing], right?”

auggie probably spends time running around and comes back with his arms full of stuff.

“shit, i meant to text you, i’m sorry. you remembered the ice cream, right?”

“fuck.”

(he’s driven back to the store on a few occasions)

if they were about to rob a museum, which one does backflips through lasers and which one is strolling behind with a bag of chips?

auggie is certainly more dramatic so he’d make a huge deal about it, while teddy just strolls in behind him. “you could’ve just pushed this button.”

which one likes to surprise the other with a lot of small random gifts?

teddy brings auggie something from every tour stop he doesn’t make it to. or she’ll replace his streaming headphones every once in a while.

auggie’s more of a gestures guy. he’ll make dinner, show up unannounced (though she’s done this before and he nearly fell over) plan a date in front of the fire or on a roof top, whisk her away on a long drive for an adventure.

which one screams about the spider and which one brings the spider outside?

okay, it was one time and he doesn’t scream about spiders, but he’s a city boy and bugs are just not his wave at all.

which one gives the other their jacket?

auggie. he’s been known to give her the shoes off his feet also. so that tells you everything you need to know.

who keeps getting threatened by the other’s overprotective older sibling?

not threatened but roasted. daily, belly, and honey forever roast auggie within an inch of his life. all with love. it’s the one time he’s grateful for his mess of a bunch for giving him a thicker skin.

olive, on the other hand, threatens his very existence if he ever hurts teddy. but she and teddy are like sisters too.

who’s the first one to admit they have feelings for the other?

teddy, probably. auggie might be too nervous. unless he literally can’t take it anymore and then it just bursts out of him,

how good would they be at parenting?

team effort for sure. auggie’s probably a bit more of a pushover than teddy is, but that’s because he has such a soft spot for teddy that of course he’d be mush at any human who came from her.

and they just adore their kids so much. like heart bursting kind of love.

losing lip is hard, and nearly breaks them, but it makes them appreciate the little moments in between even more. even if that means getting rosie’s little feet in the face in the middle of the night. or briar’s knees in the ribs. or having to squeeze into aurora’s bed to make sure the monsters don’t come out in the middle of the night.

(their daughters don’t seem to make the connection that they have towers for parents until way later in life)

which one types with perfect grammar and which one types using numbers as letters?

they’re both pretty regular with their typing. auggie definitely uses more internet slang though.

who makes the bad puns and who makes a pained smile every time the other makes a pun?

teddy makes terrible puns and laughs at herself while doing it. 

who comes home from work to see that the other one bought a puppy?

teddy probably would bring home a puppy or kitten no question.

which one gives the other a piggyback ride when they’re tired?

he’d never been to disney before, and his dad’s miracle campaign stop lining up with her tour ends up being the brightest source of light through the end of the tunnel.

but here he is, sparkly ears, blue, pink, and purple, atop his head, and a ‘my first visit’ pin on his chest, both purchased by her. she’d played tour guide and they’d had the best first day ever.

“‘d you have fun?” she mumbles, arms wrapping tighter around his chest as her lips lightly find the side of his neck.

he nods, rearranging his hands on her thighs and boosting her up so she could rest more comfortably on his back. “yeah, it was amazing.”

“good,” she smiles, resting her chin on his shoulder.

which one competes in some sort of activity and which one does the overzealous cheering?

teddy performing on stage is auggie’s favorite brand of euphoria. she shines up there, but ironically, he can’t cheer for her. he can only smile proudly or else his heart bursts from love.

family game night, however? the full hunter-graham labor day weekend maine extravaganza, when they destroy everyone at charades? yankees winning the world series level cheers.

“they definitely practice when we’re not here,” bixby mutters.

“oh totally,” frannie agrees beside him. “gross.”

auggie on a baseball field is also a sight to see. he doesn’t play much anymore. but he’s zeroes in his focus, and the seamlessness between him and allie is impressive, considering how much they bicker. teddy totally shows up in her cute “watching baseball outfit” jersey, cap, foam finger and all.

which one would give the other a makeover if they asked?

teddy should definitely be the one trusted with fashion because auggie, while not a bad dresser, doesn’t have much variety to his wardrobe.

however, teddy did ask auggie to help touch up her highlights over quarantine and dye some of it pink and he did a pretty decent job for his first time. only missed a few spots

“you can thank me for that,” allie says one day over zoom. “i bullied him into learning how to french braid my hair when we were seven.”

“no, don’t laugh,” auggie says seriously. “she actually did bully me.”

which one owns a pet that the other is absolutely terrified of?

auggie’s fully convinced teddy’s cats want him dead. they haven’t done anything to him, not really, but there’s a look that warns him he won’t make it out of this house alive by the end of it. whatever ‘it’ is...

which one holds the umbrella over both of them when it rains?

auggie. they’re both towers, but he’s still taller than she is, so it just makes sense for him to hold the umbrella and hold her in the process.

if your they went on vacation, where would they go and what would they do? who would take the pictures?

see paris above.

although they’d thrive on a beach, minus the inevitable sunburn.

“but the freckles you get after are cute,” teddy says, and kisses both of his cheeks.

and in a winter lodge.

“so,” he says, setting down his eggnog on the lip of the hot tub to tug on her arm. “where were we?” he asks, drawing her onto his lap.”

and in a tiny hostel in amsterdam they end up having to share a tiny bed in because they make a mistake when booking.

“i swear to god if you two start hooking up down there, i’m going to kill you both.”

“allie,” he groans, kicking the bunk above him, “shut the fuck up.”

teddy giggles. “did you have to do all that?” she asks, twining her leg with his again. “we’d just figured out how to get cozy.”

“are you guys just gonna talk all night or let me sleep?” olive grumbles.

“all of you? shut the fuck up,” frannie says finally, and if she could’ve slammed a door, she probably would’ve.

[dotthings]

Heavily cluttered, as many Bucklemming eps are, but worth the trip. There was a lot of goodness in 15.08 and there were two moments where I shrieked out loud.

My two out loud-shriek moments, let’s get that out of the way: 

Queen Rowena. Caaaaalled it.

Dean and Cas are going back??? To???? Purgatory???? Together?????? And Bobo???? Is???? Writing the episode???????????? *SHRIEKING AND FLAILING*

Okay more orderly and sedate now. Eileen is so damn fierce. She’s a very physical fighter, she’s smart but seems to use a blunt fighting skill. She can punch HARD. I love watching that so so much. I would enjoy female characters on SPN like this regardless, but the fact that this is a hero character with a disability and it’s never a big deal is deeply refreshing and SPN did something really really right bringing her back, amen.

Protective Sam shows up and Eileen is happy to see him but literally pushes him aside so she can make the kill. She doesn’t need his protection, but she also values him as a hunting partner as the ep shows. Also they’re trying to build a relationship here. Eileen seems used to hunting solo and Sam wants to offer backup, and he got worried. 

So the plan is to lock up Chuck like Chuck locked up Amara. The sweet irony of this delights me. He tried to shut away the divine feminine rather than actually stepping up to deal with his sister as, well, a person (well, a divine deity, but still, a being with feelings and thoughts and complexities). Chuck, the arrogant and narcissistic toxic masculinity God, maybe to be locked up now instead as his hubris and his lack of empathy and his petulance is exposed. What if Amara was the more competent deity all along? 

There is no way Dean doesn’t know what an Achilles’ heel is. The random WTF of this is so much it’s not even angering it’s just so bizarre. LOL what even. Look I am really enjoying S15 but I hope the butterfly net tightens on stopping this kind of thing because honestly. I’ll just pretend that scene isn’t there. Luckily I enjoyed the episode overall a lot.

Team Free Will in research mode together in the bunker just really makes me happy. Cas is where he belongs.

Donatello!Chuck threatening Jody, Donna, Eileen, “pretty much everyone on your speed dial” as a deterrent to Sam and Dean is bearing out again my impressions of how Chuck views these characters. I’m still not 100% sure what he thinks of Cas who is right in the room but Chuck doesn’t seem to acknowledge him, except as some sort of right arm to Sam and Dean, as I’ve said in other posts, I think Chuck regards him as a nuisance now, and a deterrent to his miserable endings, and a pawn. Just like Donna, Jody, and Eileen, to him, they’re just pawns. They’re all people Sam and Dean care about, and Chuck will use them to keep his two favorites in line.

See what I did there?

Yeah. Chuck doesn’t care about the characters as people. Everyone except Sam and Dean are expendable and tools to be used so he can control Sam and Dean and that’s it. He’ll destroy them with a snap of his fingers and won’t care. Look at that. Familiar attitude, isn’t it. How interesting.

“If you want to stay here, stay here.” Dean’s gone back to not!listening to Cas I see. While Cas is Dean-avoidant and trying not to look at him throughout the episode. But both of them are thawing just a little.

Like when Cas heals Dean’s cut palm and the way it’s staged looks like he’s going to take Dean’s hand to do it which I don’t think is an accident. That moment was meant to be soft.  Dean didn’t ask. Cas offered. And Dean didn’t jerk his hand away or say no. Then there’s the fact that Cas is going to go with Sam and Dean into Hell despite all his misgivings about Michael and this entire plan. 

Team Free Will, getting all researchy together, and then getting all BAMFY together with their angel blades going into Hell.

We didn’t get any kind of nod back to Dean and Cas’s last visit together to Hell and that’s the second time they have been back to Hell (well the last time was some sort of Hell ante-room, the cage was brought up iirc) and SPN failed to nod to it, WHY AM I CONTINUALLY DENIED THIS.

“Hello, boys.” There it is. My actual shriek of delight. I hope it didn’t alarm the neighbors.

“I took it.”  Yes you did, my red-headed goddess queen of the underworld. You sure did. GET IT ROWENA. Rowena won the game of thrones. Boom.

She’s a little flirty with Sam, still has a soft spot for him I think. 

And then starts playing marriage counselor for Dean and Cas. “What am I picking up with you two? A wee tiff?....So fix it.” Someone called this, I’m fairly certain, that if Rowena saw Dean and Cas again during their divorce she’d size that situation up and down and comment on it. FIX IT. So say we all.

“Family sucks.” Jake Abel did such a fantastic job in this. tbh I didn’t give much thought to Adam all these years, it seemed like SPN was never going back there. I liked Jake’s performances in S5, but it just seemed like a story that was over. But Jake Abel, man. He comes back after all this time and owns the dual roles and made me care. With a performance that was alternately fearsome and vulnerable. 

“That’s adorable.” Dean is SO happy about Sam and Eileen, he looked so soft, and still a bit not okay because his chosen other half is barely looking at him, but mostly Dean’s rooting for Sam to have some happiness. “If it was to work, she gets it, she gets us, she gets the life.” It’s a retreated on Sam’s speech back during “Baby” about someone...something...who understands the life. And Sam has found that with Eileen.

Meanwhile Cas is right there, with Dean, with this great big chasm still open between them but...he’s there. And all the arrows point towards him for Dean. 

Dean and Cas are being magnets again. Not like in S14 where every time there is a crisis they stand very close together and are drawn together, now they’re like magnets that are trying not to feel the pull but they cannot escape each other’s pull nor do they really want to, but they can’t quite figure out how to cross the distance. 

There’s more than one scene where Dean or Cas is out of focus and the other in focus, as if to emphasize how they’re both there but not in phase with each other. Not yet.

I so enjoyed the Cas and Michael stuff. Cas’s prayer to Michael, Michael’s mad on for Cas. “Oh, I didn’t come to beg.” And there’s the ruthless strategic angel.

There’s also something really...fitting about Sam and Dean and Cas all being the ones standing outside the ring of holy fire together to trap an archangel who they effectively hope to bring in from the cold, to their side, in a post S6 era of the show. 

“To paraphrase a friend you had an entire oak tree shoved up your ass.” I see Cas is still quoting Dean, having Dean as a compass point or a North star. Even if he can barely look at Dean right now.

Cas telling Michael his unimportance to God and keeping the upper hand is just...so satisfying. Cas has grown so much. I keep thinking about S5 Cas and how despite how powerful Cas was back then, radiating power in ways he doesn’t quite do the same way now, Cas always seemed so...smol next to the archangels. Punching above his weight class. But now he faces down Michael and tells Michael rawly how it is with their dad Chuck. And when Michael tries to choke him, he fights past it and goes into Michael’s mind to show him everything, to help him see the truth. Cas has grown so much, this felt a lot like a little brother constantly picked on leaves home, grows, and comes back to find big, big brother isn’t quite as big and intimidating as he remembers. 

Which in fact he isn’t, because Michael is capable of insight and change and feelings too. He’s not his father. Despite being the favorite. Despite clinging still to his hero-worship. But Cas worked past that with Chuck long ago.

When Eileen’s friend needs help on a hunt, and Eileen goes to Sam, Sam goes with her, no doubts. Tells Dean he’s going, as Dean recounts to Cas, and Dean seems cool with it. 

Sam and Eileen seem to be growing closer and closer, and while there is something tentative about Sam, he definitely is drawn to her and cares. That tentativeness is from past hurt and loss and maybe he’s scared to enter into this kind of relationship. But they’ve got their own magnetic pull together, they fit. 

Dean and Cas facing each other in that bunker kitchen, the lighting darker and colder than usual. They’re facing each other, and each shift in and out of camera focus, not looking at each other much. Cas can’t look at Dean at all in this scene, while Dean keeps sneaking glances at Cas. In other scenes, Cas does sneak looks at Dean. They are ridiculous and my heart hurts. The blocking here is them facing each other only not--they are a few feet off, so looking past each other.

Cas sitting at that table, hands folded, staring straight ahead and working very hard obviously to Not Look at Dean. 

Dean’s reaction on Cas reporting the words Michael said, “I want you dead, get out.” The things Dean has said to Cas are coming back to haunt him, coming from the words of their once mortal enemy, that’s gotta sting.

Both Dean and Cas have some work to do here, but Dean definitely is already very aware his own words went too far, and has been for a while. 

“God lied to me. I loved him.” Oh wow that hurt, I didn’t expect these feelings. 

A thing about Adam and Michael, both feeling so abandoned by their families, and losing everyone. They offered support to each other. They worked out a time-share in Adam’s body. We’ve seen genuine vessel and angel bonds form before (in Lily Sunder). There’s also a S7 episode by Ben Edlund about the bond between a human and the demon who possessed him. Not sure how healthy Adam and Michael are, but they seem weirdly functional, and don’t despise each other and I kind of have some feelings about Adam and Michael bonding the way they did in The Cage. Perhaps Michael shielded Adam from the worst of it. It’s how Adam is coherent after being down there for so long. Maybe Adam made Michael less lonely. Did I ASK for feelings about Adam and Michael, no I did nOT and yet here we are.

Then there’s Adam. It was interesting that scene where Sam acknowledges maybe they gave up too easily. Because Sam and Dean refuse to accept it when it’s each other they lose, and have gone way over the line to get the other one back. Here Sam is admitting that it shouldn’t be just for them. That Adam was worth saving. Even though they don’t know him well, he still didn’t deserve what happened (as Dean acknowledges at the end of the ep). And Sam and Dean never mentioning him again or giving him another thought apparently, all these seasons...well, that kind of made me assume that was that. Just because someone is blood, doesn’t make you family and they barely knew Adam. 

But if it’s someone who could potentially earn that? Someone basically good? And they just...forgot about him and left him to his torment in Hell? So this did need addressing. There’s not much time to develop a relationship with Adam and TFW this late in the game but there was a start here. 

Dean likewise offers his apology to Adam at the end. “You’re a good man. You didn’t deserve that.”

Right when I was thinking, so many of them don’t get what they deserve, they just keep getting Hell heaped on their heads, Adam says “Since when do we get what we deserve.”

There’s a subtle thing there where Adam looks at Cas, Cas very pointedly still tries to be not looking at Dean, and after Adam leaves Dean turns to Cas looking so...sorrowful for a moment. I keep saying, Dean and Cas deserve each other, and right now they can’t figure how to have each other. 

But Michael left them a strange gift. The Leviathan flower, to seal away Chuck, but the gift has a double meaning (unintentionally on Michael’s part). It’s not just the tool to shut away the villain, Michael opens a door to Purgatory and boom just like that, opens up a whole doorway on Dean and Cas’s story because of the emotional significance of Purgatory for them. What they had there. What happened there. The way that place broke loose some of their feelings. I’m not sure what’s going to happen now, if they both go, as the promo glimpses seem to suggest, does one return and the other gets trapped? Is Dean’s prayer to Cas going to be inside Purgatory, is Cas also still in Purgatory and they get separated? Is being thrown together back into that environment going to help them heal? Or will they be torn apart again but that provides another route to reconciliation?

[amadgirltm]

V.8: Tangled Verses

V.8A ( collecting stars and dreams );

Pre-Queen for a Day

        Lady Allison Jones. It’s a name that not many people would think twice about. Which was exactly the point of her name. The name ‘Jones’ has been passed through her family for generations, as well as her status as a Lady. After all, who would think someone named ‘Jones’ was actually a descendant of Lord Demanitus? 

        Scrolls and notebooks all written in code, passed down through her father’s line until they eventually ended up in her arms. Alice has been given a rather important task: mean nothing to the world, be polite, give no one reason to look at her strangely.

       For someone else? That might be easy. For Alice? It’s a bit harder. After all, she fell through, what she thought was a rabbit hole, and spent a bit too long in a strange place of nonsense, where she happened to met a woman with seemingly intense powers. While Alice was too young to truly understand it all, and while it’s a bit hard for her to remember it all, you can often find her still talking about ‘wonderland’, the ‘queen’ who wanted nothing more but to ‘cut off her head’, and she always says to never trust a Cheshire grin. Strange, isn’t it? 

V.8B ( shine brighter than the sun );

Stardrop Verse

      Here’s the Link to the OG post! Nothing has really changed except that Alice’s family history now follows 8A.

V.8C ( woke up into a nightmare ); 

Post Canon-Adult

         Follows Verse 8A, unless tagged with 8B. Alice is now an adult, and yet it feels like nothing has changed. She’s still struggling with her home life, and her mother is still as terrible as always. While Alice is being perused by a young man named Daniel (whom she despises), Alice is preparing for her own final test to prove she herself is worth being a guard. 

V.8D ( they’ll pay if it happens again );

 Saporia’s Role 

 Everything happens the same until Queen for a Day: Varian ends up trying to get Rapunzel’s help with the Amber, however, She doesn’t help him (Just as in canon). He goes back & Ends up trying to free his dad himself but instead gets himself trapped in the Amber. Cue Alice finding him, and trying to get Rapunzel to help, again She doesn’t. She has to put the whole of the kingdom first. Alice does not fight Rapunzel, instead, she starts planning things, and then Rapunzel leaves on her journey to find her Destiny. Alice spends this time working, and studying up on Alchemy, and trying to figure out what exactly Varian used.

                   Alice ends up in jail a few months later due to stealing stuff from the castle, more specifically she finds her way in and steals the flower. She ends up in the same cell as Andrew. She’s already figuring out how to escape, but they end up talking. He offers his assistance in freeing Varian and Quirin since none of her attempts have worked, He also promises a chance to get back at Rapunzel & co. Alice accepts, saying that she’s in charge though. And Proves her point by using her vorpal blade to get them out of their prison cell. (It’s magical, of course she still has it).

                 They end up taking over the kingdom, Alice leading and planning things out the whole time. Unlike Varian, Alice actually is in charge due to her sword, her skills, and her lack of obvious remorse over hurting people.

>Verse will change depending on if Rapunzel returns, and if Rapunzel is willing to help Alice >Possible variant of verse: Rapunzel frees Varian and his father before stopping the Saporians, meaning that Alice is still in charge of the kingdom >Can take place during any point within this timeline

V.8E ( pull your knife out of my back );

Season Two / Early Season three

        Alice had been turned away from the guards every time she attempted to see Varian, leaving her feeling lost and a bit hurt. However, she didn’t give up on him. Not until he was suddenly taking over the kingdom, and working with the Saporians. Alice attempted to talk to him, only to be taken away by a few saporians (ordered by Andrew) to the mines, where she was forced to work for three days without breaks or food. (Varian did not know about this).

        After the first episode of season three, Alice no longer trusts Varian, and believes it was him who forced her out of his life, and believes that he betrayed HER trust. She is very upset, and is not willing to talk things out, she’s angry, and depressed and feels alone. She’s not willing to trust ANYONE again (besides Feldspar). However, she still believes there’s good in him, and wishes she could trust him again. It will not take much to befriend her again, but a sincere apology and perhaps a bit of bribery by sweet treats may sway her back to his side. (How can she ever deny being such a sweet boy’s friend?)

V.8F ( i will guard you with my life );

Adopted Verse

       Rumors circulated Old Corona, that Helen Kingsleigh was hurting her daughter. Quirin, being in charge, ended up looking into the manner, and found the rumors to be true, although he couldn’t prove it. The daughter was easily given up, with Helen claiming she couldn’t take care of all three children. Taking the young girl home, he found himself unsure what to do. He already a three year old son, and had recently lost his wife- he couldn’t take care of another child. He called upon the Captain of the Guard, who came and met the four year old Alice, deciding to take her in himself.

      Alice grew up alongside Cassandra ( @moonstonetm ), whom she looked up and admired greatly. However, Alice also finds herself constantly comparing herself to her sister, and finds herself increasingly jealous of Cass. Her love for her sister is never a question, but she tends to act out in order to try and get attention in any way she can from her sister (typically at Cass’ expense). These dark feelings have come from the voice in her head has been telling her to not trust her for a VERY long time. While Alice tries to ignore the voice, it constantly seems to want her to distrust her sister. These has caused a small rift in their relationship, which might only get worse with time.

       In this AU, Alice is being trained to be a guard as well, and while she is excellent, and even exceeding, at swordsmanship, she does not have the temperament or attention span to be a guard. However, Alice is still often assigned duties and jobs just as Cassandra is. She is never given an official position, instead she often sneaks out of the castle grounds and into the town, and even to Old Corona sometimes (often getting both her and Cassandra in trouble). 

V.8G ( there’s hell to pay );

Role Reversal 

               Alice is a brilliant young inventor and alchemist, living with her father in Old Corona. Her favorite pastime is decoding the notebooks and scrolls kept in the safe in their basement, and she adores attempting to rebuild the blueprints she finds. Sure, her father tells her it’s best to not do so, but he also can’t stop her from engaging in such an old family pastime.

             She’s not the only alchemist or inventor either! Nearby, lives the genius Varian, whom she often shares ideas and supplies with. Together, they’ve earned quite the reputation, labeled as a wizard and witch, who deal with dangerous and rare magic. However, they often work at Alice’s house more than his, due to her father being much more accepting of their unique hobby. While Varian often overlooks things, Alice tends to be much more particular in what they do, and will often stop Varian before his projects get out of hand. Together, they’re a real force to be reckoned with.

Then, Rapunzel showed up on their doorstep, asking for answers for her hair. Unlike in the series, it wasn’t one of Varian’s projects that caused them to receive no answers: no, it was a miscalculation, that neither caught, that ended up labeling her hair as a rock instead. Varian also has no need during the expo to look for a partner, as he already as has Alice willing to work with him.

However, the events of Queen for a Day play out VERY Differently, as Varian and Alice are both working diligently on trying to fix the rock issue. and Alice’s father comes to check on them, letting them explain what they were doing, before testing a new serum. As far as they know, it doesn’t do anything, and Alice’s father sends Varian home, also Sending Alice upstairs to eat something. This is when the Amber encased him.

Alice proceeds down Varian’s route within the show, slowly descending into her own madness and using manipulation, alchemy, Dinah, and her inventions to fight and try to find a way to free her father. Unlike Varian, Alice also uses her skills in both alchemy and magic to run away at the end, and get away from the Corona guard before she can be arrested. She’s currently holed up in Demanitus’ tomb, sifting through his blueprints and notes.

Whether or not Varian helps her, decides to leave her, or fight against her is up to who ever interacts with this verse

V.8H ( practically perfectly replaceable );

Rapunzel Replacement         

Helen never wanted the blonde girl, and it didn’t take much to convince the local ‘mayor’ of sorts to take her. After all, a baby is so much work, and what use for it does she have?

          That’s how Quirin ended up swaddling the baby, only a few days old, in the Throne room of the Corona Castle. Unsure what to do with the child, given that he had his own to take care of.  The King and Queen took one look at the child, and felt their hearts stop. She looked so similar to the lost princess, until she opened her eyes, and bright blue stared at them instead of green. Sure, she was a few years too young, but she was still, practically perfect. Like a gift sent to them from the heavens.

                    The kingdom was growing worse every day, yes they prospered, but without the princess, and without security of knowing what would happen if something happened to the king and queen? Well, things were tense to say the least.

                           So, they decided to take the young blonde, Alice, they were told her name was. But that would be the most well kept secret King Fredrick had, along with who she really was. After all, the next day, it was announced that the Lost Princess had been found, by Quirin, along with the witch who had stolen her, and had kept her young. They displayed the long blonde locks, and the small baby that looked just like she had when she had been stolen. The Kingdom rejoiced.  Finally, Rapunzel was home.

           Growing up in the castle, trained in protocol, and royal duties, Rapunzel was practically a perfect princess. The only thing was that she always kept her eyes down, and out of sight at all times.

              Plus there was the growing issue of that VOICE in her head.

            Imagine EVERYONE’S surprise when Flynn Rider shows up with a woman named Rapunzel, with short brown hair and green eyes, whom he claims is the real princess. And the younger, fake Princess Rapunzel’s whole world is twisted, and suddenly she’s now the lost princess, just metaphorically.

V.8I ( Swear to the Moon ); 

Brotherhood Adopted

           Alice was born, and instantly forgotten. She was found as a child by Hector. She was trained by him to be a warrior, a fighter, a killer. At age ten she was sworn into the brotherhood, pledging herself and her life to the moonstone, and to the dark kingdom.

          Hector, having to stay to protect the Great tree, has given Alice the task of locating any other members of the dark kingdom. Not to make them return, but to be sure that they’re alive.

          Alice has no knowledge of Corona, nor the people within it. She has no prior emotions for anyone. And is likely to treat others with hostility, and violence, have a lack of manners, as well as speak in a bit of strange ways. She also has a pet Bearcat, whom she rides, and who she calls “Teddy.” Her family history has no place within her, except for the ever growing threat of the voice in her head.

V.8J ( WAKE UP ALICE );

Nightmare Trapped

          Alice wakes up being told that it is her Wedding day. When she looks in the mirror, it not her sixteen year old face that looks back at her, instead it’s some woman. One that she wouldn’t recognize without that typical blue ribbon in her hair.

    No one in Corona sees anything wrong with this, In fact, everyone is acting as if the missing four years had happened. Apparently, somewhere down the line Rapunzel and Cassandra had made up? Alice had gotten engaged? Eugene was prince now? Alice didn’t live with her mother.

           Honestly, it didn’t sound TOO bad. Actually, it was a dream come true. Which was Alice’s issue with everything. No one just FORGETS four years of their life, and when Alice shows up on time somewhere?

                Well, she realizes, it’s time to wake up. And to figure out who-or WHAT- is trying to keep her here.

Who ever wants to interact with this verse can either:

                    A.) also be ‘awake’ and be aware that something is wrong

or

                     B.) try to convince Alice that everything is fine and okay.

V.8K ( i’d give anything for you );

Late Season Three

Soon after the events of “Be Very Afraid”, Alice will have changed quite a bit. Realizing her own fears, and who she was actually afraid of, Alice will force herself to face it.

            In doing so, she has begun to stick up for herself much more. By this I mean, Alice has officially stopped living with her mother and family. She now lives in the Castle as a squire.

           The guard she is currently working under is quite strict during the week days, but is also quite caring and understanding and much more relaxed than other guards. This means she has weekends off, once she has finished doing her work, allowing her to walk around Corona, and do what she pleases.

           While most squires are typically teenage boys, due to Alice’s skills with her swordplay, she was given a pass and allowed to study, and to one day become a full fledged Corona Guard.

              She has also taken up extra time studying with the now retired Captain, allowing him to decide when and where it will take place. As well as constant running between the Castle and Xavier’s for training in blacksmithing.

            While Alice has not forgiven Varian, fully, she is much more willing to work with him, talk to him, and so on. However, this is mainly due to her need to be willing, and listen to orders. She does still wish though to fully make up with him eventually. 

V.8L ( these voices these strange noises );

Post Canon

         Life in Corona has seemingly gone back to normal. Cassandra is gone, and everything seems okay.

            That is until the small voice in Alice’s head begins talking. Random black outs, and actions unlike herself (or perhaps too close to herself?). Alice is struggling with the long lasting effects from her time spent in, what she now knows is called, the lost realm.  She’s trying to become a guard, a knight if she gets that far, but the way things seem to be going, it appears her madness is taking it’s toll. Who knows if Corona will ever truly be normal again?

And worst of all for her, it seems she might have to put her trust in the very person she wishes to keep at a distance.

[beca-mitchell]

a little bit guarded (1/1)

summary: Three times Beca meets Chloe’s sisters and how it makes Chloe feel, after the fact.

word count: 2685

Okay, so unexpectedly since it was brought to my attention that Amy Adams and Bryce Dallas Howard might be well-suited to play Chloe’s sisters, I couldn’t get it out of my head that Chloe is the baby in this sibling trio + she often lives in her sister’s shadows.

So here’s a little Bechloe one-shot based on that.

Enjoy! This was written really quickly, so apologies in advance.

i.

Chloe loves her sisters – she does. She loves how crazy they are – though she sometimes hates it when they drive her crazy.

When she goes long stretches of time without seeing them in person, she misses them terribly; she wishes that they stayed in contact more frequently, but the occasional phone call or Google hangout is usually enough to tide them over.

Growing up, she hated living in her sisters shadows. The twelve years between her and her eldest sister meant that they had virtually nothing in common growing up.

Her eldest sister, Alison, is twelve years older. Chloe has one very fond – or not so fond – memory of being almost literally thrown out of her sister’s room when she was five because she had been playing with Alison’s necklaces while she got ready for prom.

It wasn’t fair that just because Blair had been ten at the time, she was more entitled to hang out with Alison.

And by the time Chloe entered high school herself, both her sisters were long gone, having left home to either work or study and finally Chloe felt like she could breathe.

There were benefits to being the youngest in some respects – it meant that her sisters did everything under the sun and it meant that her parents had figured out the whole, well, parenting thing by the time Chloe came around.

She got her pick of clothes from both sisters, which meant that she got a variety of styles and clothes to try on.

She got good (and bad) advice regarding dating, sex, and everything she could possibly want to know.

She also got the brunt of teasing and exclusion, and all the other fun things that she couldn’t quite do because she was never old enough, never tall enough, and never mature enough to appreciate.

(It’s totally unfair because Blair and Alison have a larger age gap than she does with Blair, but Blair still got to do the fun things, simply because Alison wasn’t annoyed at having one sister, but she was a little annoyed at having two sisters.)

Still, she adores her sisters – loves them with everything in her, and she’s fairly certain that they feel the same way.

It’s just – they have a way of inadvertently getting in the way of her relationships, though Chloe hates that she lets it get to her more than necessary.

(She vaguely recalls a high school boyfriend commenting how attractive her sisters were and musing over why they were still single.)

Within all the advice they had given her over the years, there was nothing that really detailed what it meant to fall in love with somebody and they definitely didn’t prepare her for what it meant to fall in love with her grumbly, sometimes-annoying, always-endearing co-captain.

Beca Mitchell is a force of nature – one that swept unexpectedly into Chloe’s life and compelled her to do a double-take. Chloe’s not really sure how she fell in love with Beca, let alone when. It just happened, as slowly as falling asleep – or maybe waking up.

So, she keeps it to herself – just one thing she wants to mull over and enjoy because it’s not like she can do anything, not when Beca is dating (maybe? Maybe not?) Jesse. She neglects to inform her sisters that Beca is maybe the love of her life because it’s quite frankly none of their business.

She lets them poke fun at her for staying back for three additional years at Barden University, gritting her teeth because she doesn’t want to hear whatever judgement they might bestow upon her if she tells them that she’s just kinda, maybe, sort of in love with this dark-haired, blue-eyed girl who enjoys combining songs together in a capella mash-ups.

And she’s not embarrassed of Beca – she never could be.

She’s just…possessive.

Alison So excited to see you this week for grad! Congrats, you big baby.

Chloe rolls her eyes.

“Allie and Blair are coming over before we head over to campus.” Chloe zeroes in on Jessica munching on chips. “Don’t make a mess,” she warns.

“Who?” Beca asks, fiddling with a pair of earrings. “Who’s coming over?”

The doorbell rings.

“My sisters,” Chloe tosses over her shoulder before rushing to the door. When she flings it open, she’s engulfed in a tight hug and twin screams of delight.

“How did you all manage to come out with red hair,” Stacie deadpans. She peers at them. “I used to think Chloe had a nice shade, but I like yours the best,” she says, pointing at Alison.

“Hey!” Chloe cries. “What the hell?”

Stacie shrugs. Alison laughs. Blair holds Chloe at arms-length, assessing her thoroughly. “Have you eaten?” she asks immediately.

“Yes!” she exclaims, shrugging her hands off. “Hello to both of you,” she says in a more tender tone. She smiles, cuddling into Alison’s side for a hug. “Hi,” she mumbles again, a little shy, when Alison kisses the side of her head.

She’s twenty-five years old and finally about to graduate university, but she still feels like a child whenever she’s with her sisters. It’s both comforting and unnerving on some levels for reasons Chloe can’t quite place.

“Introduce us to your friends!”

Introductions go off without a hitch. Emily is the only one a little shy, but everybody else manages to introduce themselves in a pleasant-enough manner that doesn’t make Chloe want to set herself on fire in embarrassment.

Then, Beca –

“And this is Beca,” Chloe says, conscious of the reverence in her tone. She hopes she won’t get questions about it later, but she can feel Blair’s eyes boring into the side of her head. She ignores her.

“Hello,” Beca says, extremely formally.

Chloe’s eyes swivel slowly towards her.

“Hi,” Alison says, a little slowly like she thinks Beca will spook. “Beca, was it? You’re the co-captain, right?”

“I – yes. Definitely. Co-captaining the Bellas.”

Chloe thinks she might be having an out of body experience. Beca looks flushed, like she’s embarrassed or – or smitten.

Chloe resists the urge to clench her jaw. She clenches her fist instead, thankful for the long sleeves of her gown.

It makes sense, she thinks bitterly. Of course, Beca would have eyes for an attractive older woman. Never mind that Alison is fourteen years her senior.

Chloe kind of wishes she never suggested they come to the Bellas house before convocation.

She thinks she kind of drifts away, outside her mind. She doesn’t want to see whatever Beca’s saying or doing because it only serves to remind her that she could never live up to whatever expectations shine in Beca’s eyes.

Later, when they leave, Chloe avoids eye contact with Alison who stares her down, one eyebrow raised knowingly.

“You didn’t mention you had sisters,” Beca says in a tone that Chloe can’t quite place. It sounds vaguely familiar.

“Yes, I did,” Chloe replies, frowning. She has mentioned her sisters on multiple occasions. “I have one-hundred percent mentioned them. Alison? Blair? Ring a bell?” It’s more sharp than she intends, but Chloe feels like her worlds should have never collided.

“I…sorry,” Beca laughs, a little breathlessly. “You, uh, you definitely did. You just didn’t mention that they’re um, very attractive.”

Everything in Chloe kind of locks up then.

“Don’t tell me you’re crushing on her sisters,” Stacie chimes in from Chloe’s left. “That’s such a cliché.”

“How is it a cliché?” Beca asks immediately, glaring hard at Stacie. “Shut up,” she mutters when Stacie snorts at her reaction.

Chloe notes that Beca doesn’t necessarily deny it.

It suddenly feels stifling hot in her graduation gown. She doesn’t feel like she’s made any progress over the past four years, let alone the past twenty-five years.

“Let’s just take some photos,” Chloe mutters.

It is truly unfortunate that she loves her sisters dearly because she never expected it would coincide so deeply with the fact of being in love with Beca Mitchell.

ii.

Chloe tries not to think about it. It actually doesn’t come up again at all because they’ve somehow wrangled a small apartment together in Brooklyn and they’re sharing a bed and it’s … it’s a relationship, just without the label and the kissing and hand-holding.

Beca remembers to buy her favourite tea and takes her out for dinner occasionally; Chloe saves money to buy new cushions and earpads for Beca’s favourite pair of headphones.

Whenever they fall asleep, they gravitate towards each other, so naturally that it almost makes Chloe want to whisper how much she cares for Beca – how much she loves her – in the early morning sunlight.

But she holds back, for whatever reason she finds. First, it’s that Beca’s still with Jesse. Then, it’s the fact that Beca just broke up with Jesse. Then, it’s that…Chloe doesn’t want to scare Beca away, not when she spent so long just figuring out how to gently chip away at Beca’s walls. She doesn’t want to be on the outside looking in.

It kind of all comes to a head when Blair visits their apartment for a couple days over a weekend in March.

Chloe is delighted – she loves seeing her sister when she can.

Beca is delighted – perhaps more than strictly necessary, Chloe thinks.

It makes Chloe watch the way Beca behaves closely.

There isn’t anything particularly suspicious about her actions, though she does still flush horribly when Blair so much as touches her shoulder or smiles at her.

It’s enough to make Chloe’s protective streak flare up and she scoots her chair closer to Beca and finds more reason to touch Beca’s shoulders when she can.

Blair looks immensely amused and it only makes Chloe want to hit something. Maybe Blair.

By the time the trip is over, Beca manages to only embarrass herself a total of two times. Chloe manages to stop herself from stomping her foot at least ten times.

“You know, if you’re in love with Blair, you should just tell me,” Chloe says when they’re both lying on the pull-out later that night, staring straight up at the ceiling. There’s a weird distance between them, physically and emotionally.

There’s a brief moment of silence and all Chloe can hear is the creaking and clanging of the pipes in their building, but there’s no way it compares to the thudding of her heart as it threatens to burst from her chest. Beca’s silence is ominous.

Finally, Beca exhales slowly. “I’m not in love with your sister,” Beca laughs. “Either of them.” She looks like she kind of wants to say something else, but merely sucks in a deep breath instead.

Chloe’s first instinct is to be offended because why wouldn’t Beca be in love with her sisters? It’s a normal enough reaction – one that Chloe is used to seeing whenever she’s in public with her family.

“Could have fooled me,” Chloe mumbles before she can help herself.

Beca looks mildly alarmed at Chloe’s reaction, like she hasn’t seen this level of animosity directed at her before.

“I…what’s going on?” Beca asks, confused. “I feel like something’s going on here and I’m totally missing it.”

“You’re definitely missing it,” Chloe says, pouting. She turns, facing away from Beca and tries not to cry. She’s not sure where all this overwhelming emotion comes from – it’s like she has this well inside her and it is just threatening to collapse with the weight of how long she has been shouldering this burden inside her.

“Oh God,” Beca says, sounding kind of resigned. She shifts behind Chloe. Chloe thinks that she’s going to get out of bed and go for a walk. Instead, she feels an arm slowly slide across her waist, tugging a little until her back is nestled snugly against Beca’s front.

“What’s happening right now?” Chloe asks lowly, unsure if she can trust her own voice.

“I have something to tell you. It’s kind of a confession.”

Chloe has immediate flashbacks to one of her high school romances – how he had sat her down and confessed that he was only going out with her to get close to her sister. She had primly informed him that he had no chance with either of them after that.

(She’s still a little confused by that because Blair had been well out of high school by that point. Chloe’s not exactly sure what he had been hoping for.)

“What’s up?” Chloe asks, going for casual even if all she wants to do is spin in Beca’s arms and kiss her senseless.

“I’ve been talking to your sisters, actually. About something that’s been on my mind for the past little while. Well before graduation,” Beca says lightly, like she’s talking about the weather. Chloe’s heart plummets. “And, well, it’s mainly Blair because I think Alison thinks I’m some kind of annoying bug she can’t get rid of and that she has better things to do.”

“Sounds about right,” Chloe agrees. “On both counts.”

Beca pinches her side. Chloe squirms, unconsciously pressing further back into Beca, but Beca only tightens her hold and nestles her chin on Chloe’s shoulder. “I’m trying to tell you that I’m in love with you,” Beca says gently.

It hits Chloe in the chest like a sledgehammer crashing through a wall. She chokes, hand flying to clutch at Beca’s forearm. “What did you just say?”

“I said that I’m in love with you.”

“You’re not in love with Blair,” Chloe enunciates slowly.

Beca snorts indelicately. “I’m not in love with Blair. Or Alison. Or Jesse. Or anybody else.” Then, with reverence and gentleness, she says the words that Chloe has only ever wanted to hear directed at her for years. Maybe even before meeting Beca Mitchell. “Just you,” she murmurs.

Chloe spins as best as she can in Beca’s arms and kisses her. She kisses her for the first time – the last first kiss she wants either of them to have – and she revels in how soft Beca’s lips are. How instantly Beca’s arms wrap around her. How Beca moans quietly into her mouth when she unabashedly uses her tongue to pry Beca’s lips apart.

She is so happy that Amy is never home.

iii.

The next time Beca meets Chloe’s sisters, they’re at Chloe’s parents’ house for Thanksgiving. Beca gets the full experience of meeting Chloe’s family and she looks overwhelmed the moment she sees how many cars are in the driveway.

“God, I can’t believe it took you years to lock that down,” Alison mutters to Chloe. They’re both kind of watching Beca play with Blair’s baby, Jamie. Well, Alison is observing. Chloe is kind of barely holding herself together and threatening to melt into a puddle based on what she’s seeing. “We literally spotted it the moment we walked into your house.”

“Yeah, well,” Chloe says, trailing off. She watches as Beca carefully extracts strands of her hair from Chloe’s niece’s flailing hands. “I thought she had a stupid crush on you. Or Blair.”

“I was the one who messaged her, you know,” Alison says lightly. “I told her that she better treat you right or I’d send somebody after her.”

“You what?” Chloe is in disbelief.

Alison laughs. “I thought you two were dating! It was actually fucking hilarious because she messaged me back saying that she had no idea what I was talking about because you two weren’t even in a relationship and that she was dating somebody else.” She nudges Chloe with her shoulder. “Didn’t we teach you anything?”

“Not really,” Chloe mutters. Still, she can’t fight the smile that threatens to overtake her lips at the thought of how shocked Beca must have been.

“Still,” Alison says, her voice taking on the most affectionate tone Chloe has ever heard in her twenty-seven years of being alive. “I’m so happy for you and I’m glad you’ve found somebody like Beca.”

“Thank you,” Chloe says, wiling herself not to cry. She’s not sure what she’s thanking her sister for, but she feels it from somewhere deep within her. “I love you, you know?”

“I love you, too.”

And, Chloe thinks, she really does.

fin.

[insomnia-productions]

modern mdzs: Jin Ling x Lan JingYi

fight me this ship is so good

[this is ridiculously long so I’ve put it under a cut]

They meet in high school, because of course they do. It’s freshman year and they’re both late on the first day — LJY overslept and woke up to LQR screeching at him from across the house two minutes before he had to leave, while JL was staying at JGY’s house that weekend and the both of them only remembered he had school today when JC called them 14 times to ask if they’d left yet.

They meet, specifically, at the principal’s office. LJY is in a panic, stumbling into the waiting area with his hair in a mess, books falling, tripping over his own feet. (LQR is going to murder him). So, when JL strolls in five minutes later in his expensive clothes, looking like he couldn’t care less, it pisses him off.

Actually JL is panicking just as much, but he’s learned that, when people have already decided not to like you, it’s better to act like you don’t give a shit than to try and share your point of view. So he throws himself into a chair and glares at the wall with his arms crossed over his schoolbag. When the kid next to him frowns and looks like he’s going to speak, JL just scowls at him, and they both huff and look away.

So begins the dislike.

Unfortunately, over the next few weeks, they find themselves constantly getting seated next to each other or paired up in class. This does not make them get along better — instead, they’re constantly bickering and getting sent back to the principal’s office, where (for once) they become united in falling to their knees and begging the principal not to tell their grandfather/uncle.

The only thing they have in common is LSZ, a senior: JL’s sort-of cousin and LJY’s childhood friend. Neither of them will allow the other to have LSZ all to himself, so whenever one goes to sit with him the other will follow, even though all they’ll do is sit on either side of him and shout at each other.

And then, one fateful day, they find themselves somewhere in the school where they really shouldn’t be. It’s a secluded little spot where people don’t often go, mostly because students aren’t allowed back there, mostly because it’s where the teachers go when they want to bitch about students.

JL goes there because he gets into a fight. The guy is just another asshole envious of JL’s money, who sees the shine and the gold and somehow doesn’t see the price it came for. (Because JL doesn’t particularly want the money he’s inherited; he’d give all of it away if he could just have his parents back.) He doesn’t want anyone to see him cry, so he storms off and (like a coward, he thinks) hides.

LJY goes there because he witnessed the fight and, even though he doesn’t like the Little Princess, he thought that JL looked really upset and he wants to make sure he’s okay.

When he gets there, JL is huddled against a wall. He tries to pretend he isn’t crying. LJY hands over a handkerchief in silence, letting him preserve his dignity. After a moment, JL stands up and shoves the handkerchief back into LJY’s hands. He’s about to stalk away when they hear a cane tapping the ground, and A-Qing, the head boy’s little sister, pops her head around the corner.

A-Qing is beloved by all students, but she’s also a lil shit who loves to gossip, and she demands to know what they’re doing back here. LYJ knows that JL won’t want anyone to know he was crying, but the other boy is still upset and looks slightly panicked—which is when LJY panics too and suddenly blurts: “W-we came here to make out!”

Then he immediately blushes, but not nearly as much as JL.

A-Qing is ecstatic — she snaps a quick photo while they’re both red and hurries off. Once she’s gone, JL screams at LJY: “WE CAME TO DO WHAT?!”

“I panicked! I’m sorry!!”

It’s too late to fix the situation: by now, the whole school will know about it. JL still refuses to admit to crying, so they decide that the only thing for it is to pretend to date for a week or so and then stage a break-up (as one does).

JL: “Are you sure this will work?”

LJY: “Trust me, you see it all the time in fanfiction.”

So they start fake-dating. The only person who knows the truth is LSZ. About a week into the farce, he asks them about it in private and they both burst into tears and spill the whole story as he pats their heads.

Thus ensues a series of your standard Fake Dating tropes: going on pretend dates, holding hands in the corridors, making up increasingly more ridiculous stories of things they’ve done together, getting stuck in awkward situations that only increase the romantic tension.

As partners in this whole messed up scheme, they start to get to know each other better.

LJY learns that, while JL is very proud, he’s also really insecure and never thinks that he’s good enough. That he hides at his paternal uncle’s house when his maternal uncle is angry, but always goes back because, somehow, he feels more at home in JC’s flat than in JGY’s mansion. That he’s trying, every day, to mend the relationship between his mother’s brothers, because even though Crazy Uncle is really weird and kind of annoying and Purple Uncle claims to hate him, he can tell that they really miss each other. LJY learns that JL absolutely adores dogs, and calls them cutesy names, and that his whole face lights up if he even catches a glimpse of a dog.

JL learns that, for all of LJY’s class clownery and chaotic nature, he’s very dedicated to his education and is determined to live up to his family name. That he cares deeply about his friends. That he’ll get pissed and defend anyone he feels is being treated unjustly, even if he doesn’t like them, because that’s what Hanguang-Jun does and he’s going to be just like him. That he acts like he’s scared of his grandfather, but he isn’t, really, because he knows that for all LQR’s sternness he really holds a soft spot for his grandson.

(Maybe they don’t really hate each other anymore. Not entirely.)

(Wait, weren’t they supposed to be broken up by now? How long has it been?)

Then comes the day when JC and LQR find out that their children are dating. Each summons their son for The Conversation, and all they want to know is: why him?!

JC asks JL what he sees in LJY and JL panics for a moment before the words suddenly come to him: his beaming grin, his dedication, his chaotic vibe, how fun he is, the way he cares about people, his weird adoration for Crazy Uncle’s husband, the fact that he likes bunnies, the jokes he makes under his breath in class, the fact that he’s always running late for something, his laugh that makes the air feel warmer.

Meanwhile, LQR asks the same to LJY and he ponders this before declaring: his pride, the way it contrasts with his insecurity, his drive to prove himself, his cute smile that appears before he can catch himself, his love for dogs and the cutesy names he gives them, the way he aggressively cares about people while denying that he cares at all, the way he complains about his uncle but also seems really similar to him, his competitive streak, the weird little snort-giggle he does when LJY says something funny and he’s trying not to laugh.

(Wait, hold on a second… where did all that come from?)

After all that, JL is sitting in his room, having a crisis because oh no feelings, when suddenly he hears knocking at his window. He turns to see LJY hanging onto the windowsill, frantically knocking to be let in. JL lets him in and whisper-yells: “What are you doing?! It’s like 2am!!”

LJY: “I don’t want to break up with you!”

A few very awkward, chaotic, and blushy minutes later, they’ve both managed to work out that they like each other and decide to start dating for real.

(Or, at least, they’ll start dating once JC and LQR stop yelling and they both get ungrounded…)

fuck now I want to write this

[secretlystephaniebrown]

Take My Love: 2/?

Thanks guys for following along with this self-indulgent nonsense! <3

Just a tiny warning for this chapter, this is high school. Feelings get hurt. People are asses. Also, more world building about Jackie's (and Wash's and Donut's) home planet! Fun times!

Summary: Allison Texas is a wanted woman. She stole something very valuable from the Alliance. And even if it’s going to bring a world of trouble down on their heads, Carolina can’t help but think it might be worth it.

Pairings: Church/Tex/Jackie (OC)

Previous

Also on Ao3

The day after they meet, another boy steals Church’s glasses so Jackie kicks him in the shin.

She gets a bloody lip for that, but Church manages to grab his glasses and they go hide in the library. Not under the table this time, but on top of the thickest, widest shelves, perching out of sight and out of reach. .

“Why’d you do that?” He demands, glaring at her. “That was fucking dumb!”

Jackie stares at him, frowning. “You shouldn’t use that word, you’ll get in trouble,” she says.

“You’ll get in fucking trouble!” He yells, throwing his hands into the air. “It wasn’t a big deal, it’s just glasses!”

Jackie stares at him. “They’re expensive,” she says. The last time one of her bullies broke her glasses, it meant no new books or clothes for three months. Her family back in Iowa was stable, was comfortable, but there was never money for extras.

Church looks at her, confused. Then his mouth closes. “Oh.” He shifts, uncomfortable. “I can afford it,” he says. “Really.”

And that’s when Jackie is reminded that he’s from a whole other world. Things are different, here.

“Oh,” she says, and she feels her cheeks heat up.

Church grins at her, clearly trying to distract her, but she’ll take it. And never mention it, because even after knowing Church for only a day, she knows he’ll deny it. “Can’t believe you kicked that guy though. Did you see his face?”

Jackie smiles back, clutching her books to her chest.

“Still was fucking dumb,” he tells her.

“You’re such a jerk,” she sighs.

It’s an important thing to know about Leonard Church, she realizes later.

Two months later, Church tells her about Tex, who punched a guy in the face for him. “It was awesome,” he tells her, eyes wide and eager. He doesn’t shut up about her for a whole week, before Jackie finally gets to meet her, and sees what Church is talking about.

Tex is a whole year older than them, and she’s taller than Jackie by two full inches. Her hair is long and blonde and she’s got hard brown eyes and eyebrows that always seem sharp and angled, even when she’s laughing. She’s one of the kids who are going to be soldiers, so her uniform’s different. She’s scholarship, but Core scholarship, not Rim scholarship, and even Jackie, still trying to figure out the culture and nuances of the Core, can tell there’s an important difference.

She’s beautiful and tough and she doesn’t punch Jackie or take her books or make fun of her uniform. She just joins them at lunch one day and when Church starts to make fun of people, Tex joins in without even a second’s hesitation.

She starts to hang out with them sometimes. At first, Jackie’s not sure what to think about that; Tex gets bored in the library and prefers to punch her way out of problems than to run from them or to screw with their heads.

She’s really more of Church’s friend than Jackie’s. Jackie gets the feeling that Tex is distinctly unimpressed with her. Which hurts a little, because Tex is cool and pretty, even if she’s a bit mean sometimes. But Jackie’s used to people not liking her.

Then one of the older girls rips up one of the few pictures Jackie brought from home.

Jackie doesn’t leave her room all weekend, crying and missing home and wondering how much her parents would hate her if she flunked out so they’d send her back.

Church tries to come visit her. She doesn’t let him in.

When she comes out of her room, she finds two things.

A digital version of the photograph has been emailed to her account. She can see the tape holding it together, but it’s intact, and that’s what really matters.

And the girl who did it has a giant black eye and won’t even look at Jackie.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jackie says to Tex, because who else would it have been?

Tex glances up at her. “She made you cry,” Tex says. “Seemed like she deserve it.”

Jackie smiles tentatively at Tex, and sits down next to her, closer than she’s let herself sit before.

After that, it’s different. Tex is her friend too, now. Jackie learns to be willing to put down her books every now and then to go follow Tex on whatever weird thing she wants to do that day--scale the fence and go into town, play a prank on the sports teams, break into the school gym and play loud music at midnight.

Jackie’s never done anything like that before in her life, and Church hasn’t, either. She loves this, spending time with them. Church tells stories; all sorts, both real and fictional. He’s good with words, and he knows a lot of things.

They play games; Church breaks couples up, Jackie sets them up, Tex places bets on it. Tex, Jackie learns, is poor, despite being from the Core. She never tells Tex that Core poor sounds pretty comfortable, really, because that’d be rude. Tex splits her winnings, sometimes, which is nice, since Mom and Dad haven’t been able to send much, with David being at the military academy. Mitch is helping out on the ranch, but Martha’s apprenticeship to a mechanic had to be paid for, and extra things for Jackie--spare uniforms, new glasses, some decent clothes to wear into town on their free weekends--have to fall to the side. Everything’s more expensive in the Core.

Church is rich, they learn. His father’s someone important, his mother is dead, he also has a sister at the military academy. Her name is Carolina. Jackie wonders if Carolina has met David. She considers writing to him, asking if they know each other, but she decides against it.

“Maybe you’ll find them, when you go,” Jackie tells Tex. It’s always hanging over their heads, the knowledge that Tex will graduate before them, move on to real military training, and then the army. She’ll leave them behind.

“Maybe,” Tex says, but she looks doubtful. “They sound boring though.”

Jackie laughs. “Tex! Don’t be rude.”

Tex and Church both roll their eyes at her.

Tex is not impressed by Jackie when she first meets her.

Most thirteen year olds are generally unimpressive to Tex, who is fourteen and thus that much more mature. But Jackie is a tiny little scrap of a a girl who follows Church around like a lost puppy. She’s... mousy, that’s the best word Tex has. Brown hair that never seems to be in control, blue eyes that never stay still, glasses that never seem to be on straight.

She barely even seems speak, those first few weeks, and when she does get started, it’s to correct or to ramble, and Tex doesn’t take either of those particularly well.

She’s a nerd, Tex decides, and she tolerates Church. Which is probably why Church sticks around. That and the adoring look on Jackie’s face most days. Church probably likes the ego boost.

One day though, Tex learns that one of the jerks that gave Church a black eye last week, who she’d warned off, had gone after him again.

Tex is planning on teaching them a lesson. A much more painful one than last time.

When she gets near the corner, she hears Jackie, and pauses, listening.

“So get out of here! And if I see you near Church again--”

The guy rips past Tex, face pale and his eyes red. Like he’d been crying. Like he was scared.

She peeks around the corner, and sees Jackie, looking very satisfied with herself. The look on her face isn’t mousy at all. It’s almost predatory in its confidence.

Tex’s eyebrow raises slowly, and she finds herself grinning.

It looks like she’s underestimated Jackie.

Tex resolves to pay more attention to her from then on.

When they’re fifteen, Church and Tex start dating.

Jackie’s fine with that; she’s glad they’ve finally stopped dancing around it, because they’ve obviously liked each other for ages, even if it means they’re too busy for her a lot of the time, instead spending their days just hanging out with just each other.

It’s fine, she tells herself, as she watches them walk away, holding hands. She has other friends. She’s good at making friends, now that the bullies are too scared of Tex to go after her. She spends more time with other people, focuses on her studies more. She runs a successful campaign to get one of the nicest girls in the class the title of homecoming queen, utterly humiliating the girl who’d been so sure she’d win, and probably would have if she hadn’t cheated off Church’s test last week.

But she doesn't get to share it with the other two, and Jackie pauses, missing them, even though they’re right across the common room from her. But they’re holding hands and laughing, and she doesn’t want to get in the way.

So she goes back to the library to study more.

Tex and Church lasts two months, a week and three days before they break up for the first time. There’s a huge row, a lot of broken china plates, and they both get detention for a week. They try to pass along angry messages through her and yell a lot.

Jackie’s bewildered, unsure of what to do or how to handle this. This is nothing like the relationships she saw back on Iowa. It lasts three whole days before she catches them making out in a broom closet.

Soon she gets used to it; the regular ups and downs, the breakups, the fights, the getting back together, the blissful weeks between those points, where things are calm and they’re getting along.

It’s not perfect; every time they break up, they tend to yank her back and forth like it’s a game of tug-of-war, and they tend to ignore her when they’re together, busy gazing at each other and kissing in corners. Jackie alternates between feeling harried and stressed and lonely and sad. She sleeps fitfully at night, missing the time before.

Jackie tries to date other people herself, trying to see what the big deal is. But they all tend to be boring, and every time she hangs out with them, she keeps thinking of Church or Tex, and that’s not fair on anyone, so she always ends it quickly. She’s not sure Tex or Church ever even notice any of them.

She gives up on that endeavor pretty quickly, and goes back to trying to make sure the two of them don’t forget to hand in their homework when they’re dating and passing messages between them when they’re broken up.

She sits on a couch across from them, while they cuddle and talk about a vid they went to see yesterday, and Jackie reads her book and tries to ignore the nasty, clawing feeling in her stomach.

It’s fine, she reminds herself. It’s a waste of time, being jealous. What she’s jealous of, she’s never quite sure. Is she jealous of Church? Of Tex? Of both of them, for having something like that? Is it even jealousy, or is it just her being bitter that they’re leaving her behind?

She’s never sure. She wishes that it would just go away though. It’s making things harder, when she should just be happy for them.

Then comes the big one. The nasty one.

Jackie isn’t even sure what it’s about, but this time, she thinks, they might be broken up for good. Tex is furious, spitting mad, and Church is quietly sulking. They don’t even want to talk to each other through her, and every time they meet, they yell and fight again, making Jackie want to run away until the dust settles. She splits her time between the two of them as best she can, trying to help keep them apart to avoid hurt feelings.

“He’s just such a jerk,” Tex says. They’re on the roof of the school, which they’re not supposed to be, but Jackie’s bad at telling Tex she’s scared to do things. Jackie hasn’t ever managed to convey to Tex just how horrible it would be, to go back to the Rim. Tex hates school, most days, and misses home. So does Church.

Jackie misses her family, but she does not miss the Rim. She doesn’t miss hungry nights or dust storms or schools where the teachers don’t know what to do with her. She doesn’t miss no one else being able to follow her rapid fire train of thoughts or to see things. Even her family was slow, most days. She misses them like crazy, but she still has letters, and she needs this. She needs to do something. She needs to matter.

She knows what everyone sees. A girl in second hand clothes, clinging to her scholarship with everything she has, competing to be the smartest to stand out, to prove herself. But all her awards can’t erase the Rim accent, all her fancy books don’t change the fact that she slips into farm idioms on occasion, and all of her hard work doesn’t make her uniform fit better or fix the scuffs on her shoes.

She’ll always be the girl from the Rim, but back home, she’d just be a useless burnout with hands too soft to use a hoe, so she’ll suck it up and take it.

This world is bright and real and clever and she loves it, even if she hates what it stands for. And she’ll do anything to stay here.

“He can be, yeah,” she says, staring upwards, trying to see if she can make out any constellations. The stars aren’t real here. They’re projections. She wonders what the stars look like, back home.

“He doesn’t control me, why doesn’t he get that? Why can’t he just trust me?” Tex asks.

“He’s stupid, sometimes,” Jackie says, leaning against Tex’s arm. “He’s a boy.”

Tex lets out a huff. “Sometimes I’m sick of boys.” Then she leans away from Jackie, as if she just saw something.

Jackie lifts her face up to look at Tex, curious about what she saw, and then Tex is kissing her.

Jackie doesn’t even hesitate before kissing back, bunching her hands in the thick fabric of Tex’s coat, because she’s thought about this way more times than she should admit, even to herself. Jackie’s never kissed someone before, and the fact that it’s Tex makes it even better. It’s warm and nice, almost idyllic. Tex tastes like the sweets Tex stole from her roommate’s stash and it makes Jackie want to laugh, because it’s so perfectly Tex. Jackie’s eyes are closed and she tries to convince herself she’s not dreaming.

Then there’s a clatter of something against the ground--books hitting the ground, and Jackie pulls away from Tex, and she realizes why Tex kissed her in a moment of horrifying clarity.

Church is standing there, looking wide eyed and hurt and the warm, dizzy feeling that had just filled Jackie only moments ago is suddenly gone, replaced with white hot fury and pain.

“Stay away from me!” Jackie pushes Tex away, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. Stupid, how could she ever think that Tex would—how could she do that to Church?

She runs away, and neither of them try to stop her.

Church comes to find her the next morning. He’s waiting outside of her door, as usual after a fight, hands in his pockets, head bowed.

“I’m sorry,” she blurts out, the second she sees him, clutching her book to her chest.

He gives her a watery grin. “It’s fine,” he says, but he’s still hurt. She knows he’s only not yelling at her, calling her names, because he doesn’t want to talk about it. If he wasn’t so hurt, he’d be making her grovel and cry, lashing out with his infamous temper. She swallows, and tries to make him happy. She helps him arrange a gigantic breakup of the school’s power couple and lets him play his stupid videogames all night instead of making him do his history project. She does it for him, carefully imitating his messy handwriting and practicing his turns of phrases while he curses loudly as he misses every shot.

She determinedly does not think about Tex, or the kiss.

They’re studying at the library late one night, rubbing elbows while making fun of each other’s fields of study, when Church grabs her arm, breaking off a tangent she was in the middle of.

(It’s been fifteen days since the kiss. Fifteen days since she’s let herself be in the same room as Tex.)

“You like me, right?” He blurts. His eyes are wide, and she thinks he might look nervous.

Jackie stares at him, confused by the expression on his face. She’s good at reading people, but she has no idea what to say. She doesn’t know what’s the right answer.

“Yeah,” she says, slowly.

“Good,” Church says, and then he leans forward and presses his lips against hers.

It’s different than kissing Tex; Tex was harder, fiercer, more sure of herself, while Church is softer, cradling her face in his hands.

Jackie melts into it just a little, leaning forward, bumping her nose against his. Her mind, normally firing off in a thousand directions at once, focuses on one thing only, and it’s Church. He tastes like bitter coffee and his hair is soft beneath her hands and Jackie’s wanted to do this for so long. Their glasses bump together and Jackie smiles against Church’s lips.

“Am I interrupting something?” Tex’s voice is acerbic and cutting and Jackie flinches away from Church with enough force that she knocks over her own chair, landing on the floor of the library in a sprawl.

She stares up at Church, who’s flushing and looking angry, and then stares at Tex, who doesn’t look hurt. Tex doesn't do hurt. Tex looks furious.

The realization that she’s just been used again sits heavy in her stomach.

“I can’t believe you!” She yells at Church, and this time she’s not fast enough, tears flowing down her face. “Both of you! You’re such—” A sob cuts off whatever she’s going to say next and she grabs her books and runs away again.

And again, neither of them chase her. She hears the echoes of their fighting down the hall as she runs as far away from the library as she can manage.

Jackie manages to avoid them for a full week, which, given the size of the school, is pretty impressive.

They manage to corner her on the grounds. She’s been studying in the small grove of fake trees instead of in the library to avoid Church, but they must have spotted her or bribed her roommate, since they corner her.

They’re holding hands. Jackie struggles with the waves of emotions that threaten to overwhelm her—happiness and jealousy and sadness and anger.

Jackie wonders if they’re mad at her. She can’t figure out their expressions, can’t figure out what they’re thinking. She did kiss them both back. She wonders if they’re going to tell her she’s not their friend anymore because she kissed them.

She hopes not. She might have other friends, but she doesn’t have other Texes or Churches.

“What do you want?” She demands, drawing her knees up to her chest. She’s not ready to talk to them. She’s hurt and mad and upset in ways she doesn’t quite understand.

“We’re sorry!” Church blurts.

Tex is looking at the ground very carefully. “Shouldn’t have done that,” she mutters. “Made you cry.”

Jackie flushes. “It’s—” She stops herself from saying it’s alright, because it’s not. She knows that. She’s not just going to be okay with that. “That’s why you’re sorry? Because I cried?”

“It wasn’t right to drag you into our mess,” Tex says, finally looking up. “Not fair on you.”

Jackie swallows. Her throat hurts. It’s not what she wants them to be sorry for, but they don’t know why she’s upset, and she’s not about to tell them. “Okay,” she whispers. “I guess that’s—that’s okay then.” She offers them a smile, wobbly as it is.

They grin at her, and sit down on either side, wedging her firmly between them. The tightness in her chest loosens, even if her throat still hurts. She’s missed this. She’s missed them.

“Hey Jackie,” Tex says, pulling Jackie out of her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Want to try something? For science?”

Jackie lowers her book. “You always make fun of my experiments,” she says, accusing.

“It’s an important experiment,” Church tells her.

She looks between the two of them, frowning. “Fine,” she says suspiciously. “What do I need—”

Tex cuts her off by curling her fingers around Jackie’s neck and kissing her again.

Jackie freezes this time, refusing to melt, even though Tex’s mouth is warm and firm and demanding. Tex’s other hand brushes against her cheek in a way that’s oddly tender and then Jackie gives in, kissing back with everything she has. This is a dream, she thinks, closing her eyes. Her mind again is hyperfocusing, refusing to acknowledge the existence of anything besides Tex and her lips and the way that Church is pressed up on her other side and how fast her heart is racing.

Church’s fingers dig into her arm, bringing reality back just a little. “My turn,” he says, and Tex pulls away and Jackie is dizzy and then Church is kissing her, with Tex’s hand still warm against the back of her neck and Jackie gives in even faster this time, grabbing the collar of Church’s uniform to pull him closer, and Church lets out a small yelp, which makes Tex laugh, the sound reverberating through her chest in a way that Jackie, pressed up against her, can feel.

She pulls away, her brains still not working right. “What?” She asks, blearily and confused. Tex has a hand wrapped around her wrist, as if to prevent her from running away again.

“We like you,” Tex says, and Jackie twists around to stare at her, wide eyed, because she could not have just heard that.

“You like us,” Church offers, slightly less sure of himself. “And well, we like each other. So it makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Jackie’s mouth hangs open, in shock, while her brain tries to process this information. “You… you mean it?” She hates how her voice sounds. How vulnerable she sounds.

“Yes,” Tex says, close enough to her ear to make her shiver.

“C’mon, Jacks,” Church says, fingers threading through the hand that Tex isn’t holding captive. “We did the experiment. I’d say it was a success.”

“What do you say?” Tex cups Jackie’s face in her other hand, her eyes oddly serious.

“I—I—”

“Stop stalling,” Tex orders. “I know you’ve got an answer in that big brain of yours.”

Jackie manages to nod, her heart still racing in her ears.

Tex smirks. “Great.” She yanks Jackie forward onto her lap and kisses her again.

They spend the rest of the evening on the grounds, just kissing each other and laughing.

Jackie runs her fingers through Church’s hair and leans against Tex’s shoulder and smiles so wide that her face hurts.

They have six months, two weeks, and three days before everything changes.

Tex finishes school and gets transferred to the military academy.

“I’ll call,” Tex tells them, pressing her forehead against Church’s, then Jackie’s. “This doesn’t change anything.”

“Okay,” Jackie says, kissing Tex quickly. “We’ll be here.”

And they are, for a month and five days. They message her and have video calls and things are okay.

And then Church gets transferred to the Academy.

Jackie’s heard about the Academy. It’s prestigious and fancy. Only the best of the best get in there.

She also knows, although Church doesn’t like to talk about it, that Church’s father is in charge of the Academy. And she knows that Church hasn’t seen his father in years. In all the ways that counts, she knows, it’s just Church and his sister, Carolina. (Carolina’s in the same school as Tex now, as David. Jackie wonders if Tex has found them.)

Church hates his father. But he won’t say no to the Academy. It’s too big, too important. With the resources and the training they can offer him, he can do anything. The sky’s the limit.

“My scores in physics were high enough that they decided they wanted me,” he says, staring at the email. “I—Jacks…”

“Hey,” she twines her fingers through his and squeezes. “I’ll join you soon, probably. Pysch exams are in a few months. I’ll probably be high enough to make the cut, don’t you think?”

He looks at her. “Maybe,” he says, smirking.

Jackie elbows him in the side. “Jerk,” she says.

He kisses her, leaving his forehead pressed against hers, their glasses knocking together. “Keep in touch, okay?”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy,” she promises.

Church hates his father. But that’s okay. He doesn't need him. That’s why he has her and Tex.

Jackie wants to take Church home, someday. Show him the farm and let her siblings pry things out of him and her mother fuss over him and Dad tutt over how skinny he is and feed him until he can’t move.

One day, she tells herself, as she helps him pack his bags.

One day, she’ll bring them home with her.

It takes Church three weeks to realize what’s wrong with the Academy.

He also knows that Jackie isn’t a guarantee for a spot. Psych students are a dime a dozen, and they aren’t that interested in Jackie from what he can tell, poking around in their computer files every chance he gets.

She can’t come here. Church thinks, looking at the face of his roommate after her last“session”. He’s seen the blood on the floors, he’s heard the screams. There’s nothing he can do to stop this, nothing he can do to save anyone, not even himself. They monitor communications, and while he has relative freedom as a new student who hasn’t been pulled for a session, he knows it’s only a matter of time.

It’s not like he thought, it’s not like they were told.

He doesn’t know what they want, he doesn’t know what they’re planning.

But he does know this. That a girlfriend (or two) is a weakness he can’t afford. They use people against you, in the Academy.

He needs to keep her safe. They can’t touch Tex, they can’t touch Carolina, but Jackie’s just a kid from the Rim. No one would care if Jackie goes missing. Or, even if they did, no one could do anything about it, and that’s what really matters.

“I don’t think this will work. Sorry. –Church.”

[fontasticcrablettes]

Vesperia, abyss, symphonia, the second symphonia if you have experienced that one, star wars?, and .... eh, big bang? Can you do alll those fandoms? Sorry for the extensive request

Thanks for the fandoms, this will be fun! :D I already did Vesperia so I’ll skip that.  And I don’t think my answers for the second symphonia would change much because all my fave relationships in that game are still the original cast.  I don’t know Big Bang though, sorry!

Abyss:

My favorite parent-child relationship: I have a lot of feelings about Natalia and the King of Kimlasca and like how devastated they were to learn they weren’t related but how the king came around and got over his shock and realized that the relationship he has with Natalia is more significant than blood ties and accepted her as his daughter.

My favorite sibling relationship: Van and Tear and the way that they loved each other and he was such a huge influence on her but then she realized that the only way to save the world was to kill her beloved brother, and that her beloved brother has become so callous and cruel… ah that’s good angst.

My favorite family relationship (other): I adore the way Guy like adopted Luke and he was all set to kill him but then he ended up becoming a brother to him and was so integral to raising him to be the good guy that he is.  Guy set out to avenge his family, and instead he found a new one

My favorite friendship between two people: Gotta love the way Anise and Jade are these snarky assholes who get along great even though he’s a grown man and she’s a little girl.  It’s ok, Anise has an adult’s cynicism and cunning, she and Jade can be asshole bffs.

My favorite friendship between a group: I like the way the God Generals are like, you know, villains, but you can real feel for them sometimes.  The’re the bad guys, but like the way Largo carries Arietta away after she’s killed is just… they’ve all been cast aside by the world in one way or another and they found friendship with each other even though they’re doign awfult hings.

My favorite mentorship: So this isn’t a healthy thing but I think Luke’s relationship with Van is really interesting.  Van’s an abusive dickbag but the way Luke continues to call him ‘Master’ all through the end of the game, and how long it takes him to accept that he has to kill him, it really shows how much Van means to him and that makes it so much mroe tragic that Van was just using him all along and betrayed him so horribly.

My favorite rivalry: Arietta and Anise, like what happened to Arietta really sucks. 

My favorite hatred/antipathy: Asch and Luke, and how Asch is just so angry all the time and like it’s understandable that he hates Luke because Luke is the reason his life was ruined.  But also it’s not Luke’s fault.  And Luke doesn’t share Asch’s hatred, which probably just makes it worse for Asch because he can’t just have a healthy mutual hatred here.  And they end up as… not friends but like accepting each other.  

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon: They don’t quite never talk, but I would have been really interested to see Asch survive and go back to Baticul and rebuild his relationship with his parents.  

Symphonia:

My favorite parent-child relationship: This isn’t a hard question and anyone who knew me in my ToS days knows the answer lol.  Complicated parent-child relationships are my jam and Kratos and Lloyd give me feelings like nothing else in this game.

My favorite sibling relationship: It doesn’t get much focus in the game but I’m really interested in the relationship between Zelos and Seles.  Something I think about so often is the way she says “come back safe” but then denies it and Zelos doesn’t hear and she doesn’t really say a proper goodbye to him.  And then if you do the Kratos path, and he doesn’t come back safe… who goes to the abbey to tell her Zelos is dead and how is she going to react to that?  

My favorite family relationship (other):  Another sibling relationship, but Raine is a good big sister and the fact that she raised Genis, alone, from the age of 12 is really impressive.

My favorite friendship between two people: I love Zelos and Lloys and I also ship them but also just love their friendhship in canon, like how whether or not Zelos betrays the group entirely comes down to whether Lloyd trusts him.  Lloyd is like the first person to actually be a good friend to Zelos and the fact that Lloyd trusts him means so much to him that he can’t bring himself to betray that trust.  I love it.  

My favorite friendship between a group: The Iselia trio of Lloyd, Colette, and Genis are so cute and I love them.

My favorite mentorship: I really like to think abotu Kratos being like a mentor to Mithos before everything went to shit and I wish we saw more of that.  

My favorite rivalry: Not exactly direct rivals but the vitriolic friendship between Sheena and Zelos is great.

My favorite hatred/antipathy: Mmm give me more of that Kratos/Kvar hatred like I want to see Kvar being a dick and Kratos with his righteous hatred all the time. I love the Asgard arc.  

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon: I’d like to see Martel and Colette have a chat. 

Star Wars:

My favorite parent-child relationship: Gotta go with the class Vader and Luke.  Vader turning against the Emperor to save Luke is what I live for.  

My favorite sibling relationship: There’s only one sibling relationship int he movies lol but Luke and Lei’s awkward accidental incest to strong friendship is great.

My favorite family relationship (other): Han and Chewbacca are basically family, right?  I love them.  They’re bros for life.  I like how Han clearly understands Wookieese so fluently.  

My favorite friendship between two people: Han and Luke become pretty good friends over the course of the films and I find it sweet.  

My favorite friendship between a group: The original Han/Luke/Leia trio but I already answered almost every question with them lol so I also rather like Rey/Finn/Poe, even if it isn’t quite established yet as a trio.  

My favorite mentorship: Qui-Gon to Obi-wan is the best.  I read a whole series of mid-grade novels about Obi-wan’s apprenticeship and they may not be canon but they’ll always be canon in my heart.  I love Qui-Gon a lot.  

My favorite rivalry:  I want to see more of Han and Lando’s competitive asshole friendship.  

My favorite hatred/antipathy: Haaa I love when Finn shouted at Phasma like “I’M IN CHARGE NOW”.  I’ve said before I love love love the character trope of a character overcoming being used as a pawn and establishing themselves so his fighting back against the woman who manipulated and controlled him is great.

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon:  I want an actual scene between Leia and Bail Organa.  What we’ve seen of Bail in the prequels is interesting and I want more of him and I want to see his actual relationship with Leia but that’s not going to happen now ;_;

[bizmediaweb]

10 Reasons Celebrities Are Better at Instagram Than Brands

The 25 most-followed accounts on Instagram are, more or less, what you’d expect. There are quite a few familiar faces: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Beyonce Knowles, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry—the list goes on.

And, of course, the ubiquitous Kardashian-Jenners make a good showing. The alliterative sisters Kim, Kylie, Kendall, Khloe, and Kourtney all rank within the top 20.

It’s hard to deny that celebs are good at social. And why is that?

There are a few things that they get about Instagram that brands just don’t.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear. Plus we’ll show you how you can use Hootsuite to grow your own following on Instagram and other platforms.

1. They get internet humor

The internet is a vast place, full of disparate people voicing a cacophony of opinions. There’s very little that can typically be attributed to the culture of the internet as a whole.

Except maybe humor.

The internet at large, and social media in particular, is home to a particular sense of humor—a unique constellation of memes, clever hashtags, and puns, mixed with a healthy dose of nostalgia. Add in a dollop of self-deprecating jokes and you have internet culture.

And celebs get it. They get it in a way that brands just don’t.

Kylie Jenner pokes fun at herself in this Instagram post where she wears a t-shirt featuring an unflattering photo of herself that’s been circling the internet for years.

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Apr 18, 2016 at 12:44pm PDT

This shot of Kylie Jenner is a great example. She’s showing that she can laugh at herself—it’s goofy and self-deprecating in a way that the internet loves.

2. They’re so relatable Not only do celebs get internet humor, they also get what works online: nostalgia (the #tbt is alive and well). Specifically, they get that their primarily millennial audience responds to 90s references.

🦋🦋#Butterfly is my favorite album, it's the most personal work I've ever done and will always be a defining moment in my career and in my life. I'm so happy to celebrate this anniversary with a special picture disc vinyl release – link in bio. Stay tuned for more surprises!🦋🦋

A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Sep 16, 2017 at 2:36pm PDT

So when celebrities post throwbacks—like this one from Mariah Carey—to 90s moments from their own lives, it’s very relatable for their audience.

But the relatability of celebs—that authenticity that people love to describe as ‘so real’—goes beyond embracing nostalgia. It’s about sharing moments from their lives that are a tad less glamorous than the usual red carpet shot.

In a way, the content that celebs now share on their own Insta timelines is reflective of the kind of material that paparazzos once doggedly pursued. But they’ve realized something fundamental about it: if they post it themselves, they control the message.

And, on a less cynical note, these down-to-earth, ‘authentic’ moments give them the opportunity to connect with fans. It’s precisely this relatability that explains why followers love celebs’ bathroom selfies.

A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Feb 15, 2017 at 5:32pm PST

And the oh-so-relatable moments they share with the mini-humans in their lives.

Love u so much x kisses @Cruzbeckham X ✨

A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Feb 12, 2018 at 8:43am PST

Or their relationships with their parents.

Bonnie and Clyde

A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) on Aug 5, 2017 at 5:18am PDT

Or those moments of uncontained, bona fide joy.

THE TRAILER IS JUST EEEEPPPPPPPIIIIICCCCCCC! Star Wars is back! gaaaaaad laaaaard! You know what! Let me just relax because this kind God oooo! Lmao! Seriously congrats to everyone ! December 18th!

A post shared by John Boyega (@johnboyega) on Oct 20, 2015 at 12:02am PDT

John Boyega’s reaction to The Force Awakens trailer is so utterly relatable, because his excitement reflects that of the franchise’s fans. It’s the sort of over-the-top, genuine, unabashed enthusiasm that spawns reaction GIFs—the kind people share with the comment, “Same.”

3. They get that the caption can make or break a photo

I think we can all agree that celebs have great photos. They’re often glossy, professional images that beat the average snap. But it isn’t just their photos that make their Instagram feeds stand out from the crowd. Celebs get that Instagram captions can be just as important as the image they’re attached to.

When you could go anywhere for your bday dinner but you're so OG that you go to OG with all your OG's. 📷 by @ronyalwin #thosebreadstickstho

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Oct 27, 2015 at 12:37pm PDT

This Instagram from Katy Perry is the perfect example. The photo itself is nothing special, just another group photo at a restaurant. What makes it special is the caption, which cleverly plays on ‘OG’ as short for ‘Olive Garden.’

I'm up at 4am everyday to work extremely hard BEFORE I go into work, not because I'm bat shit crazy (well maybe a little;), but because I know my competitors are not paying that price and sacrificing to that degree – and that will alway give me the edge and anchor for an opportunity for success. You don't have to get up at 4am, but I encourage you to find the thing that gives you the edge over everyone else around you. Once you find it, let it be your anchor. Then you've just created an opportunity for yourself to succeed. And that's all we ever want to work hard and create for ourselves.. opportunity. #GainTheEdge #FindYourAnchor #ButForTheLoveOfGod #YouDoNotWantToWakeUpAt4amEveryday 🖕🏾😂

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Apr 12, 2016 at 2:14pm PDT

In this shot, The Rock goes beyond simply posting a photo from the gym. Instead he gives his followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his routine and his motivation. It’s the details around it that make the shot special.

When brands post to Instagram, their captions are often short and unexpressive—they lack personality. But personality is something that celebs have in spades. And when it comes to Insta, it not only shows—it pays off.

What many brands fail to recognize is that they need to go beyond the image. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a great Instagram caption can be worth so much more.

4. They get that people connect with faces

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, celebs have selfies down to an art. And while selfies may be considered narcissistic, they’re based on a fundamental truth—people respond to faces.

A study by Georgia Institute of Technology and Yahoo Labs found that Instagram photos that feature human faces are 38 percent more likely to receive likes than photos without faces. They’re also 32 percent more likely to get comments.

The study’s lead, Saeideh Bakhshi, theorized about why this might be: “Faces are powerful channels of nonverbal communication. We constantly monitor them for a variety of contexts, including attractiveness, emotions, and identity.”

The researchers also found that the number of faces in a photo, their age, or gender didn’t make a difference.

We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. – The Carters

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Feb 1, 2017 at 10:39am PST

This shot of Beyonce announcing her second pregnancy proves that faces work—it was the most-liked photo on Instagram in 2017.

5. They understand that cute animals win on social

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the internet loves a good cat photo. Or a snap of a cute puppy. Or basically any warm fuzzy thing. (Chewbacca aside, though the internet certainly loves him as well.)

Taylor Swift gets this.

Some real tough questions I had for Olivia.

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Sep 7, 2017 at 8:05am PDT

She incorporates her adorable felines, Dr. Meredith Grey and Detective Olivia Benson, into her feed, with excellent results.

Mary Jane ❤️

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Dec 2, 2017 at 11:18pm PST

Miley Cyrus is no stranger to this tactic either. Her feed boasts snaps of her own pets, puppy Boomerangs, and a personal tattoo commemorating her dog Mary Jane—effectively taking her ‘cute animal’ game to the next level.

Thankful for @beaglefreedom and their mission to free captive pups from inhumane animal testing labs! Without BFPs work I wouldn't be falling asleep next to Little Dog, being lulled by the sound of her heartbeat …. #whosavedwho #myrescuerescuedme #fucktestingonanimals ❤️💙💚💜💛 @happyhippiefdn

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Jul 22, 2017 at 9:41pm PDT

How can brands make this work for them? Think beyond your product and get right into your customers’ lifestyle. Might that lifestyle involve pets? Insta ‘em. Hootsuite does it with our #HootDogs hashtag.

Building friendships 👫 Some new #hootdogs getting aquainted with Owly over lunch 🐾 Welcome to the team! #lifeofowly 📷: @evarobin

A post shared by Hootsuite (@hootsuite) on Mar 31, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT

6. They go Insta-first for big news

Something that celebs do often that brands rarely emulate: they announce big news on Instagram.

Taylor Swift did it with a music video. Beyonce did it with an album.

Surprise!

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Dec 12, 2013 at 9:12pm PST

Others have gone Insta-first for more personal news, like engagement and pregnancy announcements.

Like Kylie Jenner did with the first shot released after the much-anticipated birth of her first child.

stormi webster 👼🏽

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Feb 6, 2018 at 1:14pm PST

Or Danneel Ackles did with the announcement of hers and Jensen Ackles’ twins.

Yep! Doublemint here we come! http://celebritybabies.people.com/2016/08/10/jensen-ackles-danneel-harris-pregnant-expecting-twins-son-daughter/

A post shared by @ danneelackles512 on Aug 10, 2016 at 11:31am PDT

Or this heart-melting post from Michael Phelps on his engagement to Nicole Johnson.

She said yes😁😁😁 @nicole.m.johnson. (Photo credit to @arschmitty )

A post shared by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on Feb 21, 2015 at 10:49pm PST

When Disney employed this strategy it was massively successful. They released the much-anticipated Star Wars teaser trailer on Instagram first and fans went wild.

There has been an awakening… #StarWars #TheForceAwakens

A post shared by Star Wars (@starwars) on Aug 27, 2015 at 10:00am PDT

7. They don’t shy away from taking a stance

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Instagram feed is a mix of beautiful landscapes and endangered animals, accompanied by fact-filled captions urging action on climate change, environmental, and humanitarian issues. Nearly all of them are Regrams.

DiCaprio uses his Insta to amplify the images, causes, and work of activist organizations. The few original posts he shares are still clearly focused on his overall message of environmentalism.

Last night’s win at the #Oscars was an incredible honor – but it was also an important opportunity to bring even more attention to #climatechange. Last year was the hottest in recorded history. Climate change is real, it is the most dire crisis our species has ever known, and it is happening right now. We must empower leaders who don’t speak for corporate interests but who speak for us, our children’s children and those whose voices cannot be heard. Take action now: LCV.org/act

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Feb 29, 2016 at 7:53am PST

This dedication to his core message gives his feed a consistent focus that fans can connect with. It also tells the world what he’s about, giving him a chance to do good.

#Regram #RG @nrdc_org: Anti-environment members of Congress are trying to weaken the Endangered Species Act, effectively declaring it open season on imperiled species like the gray wolf. Visit the link in our profile to help us defend the Endangered Species Act before it’s too late.

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Feb 12, 2018 at 5:43pm PST

DiCaprio isn’t the only one doing this. His single-minded focus is similar to Emma Watson’s commitment to gender equality, as she often shares posts on her talks and appearances. Like DiCaprio, Watson uses captions as a call to arms for followers to learn more and take action.

Marai- what can I say. You were the best date on the most meaningful red carpet I have ever walked. Thank you for being so darn articulate and fun. Thank you for the trust, care, compassion and solidarity. I am so proud to say I work with #Imkaan and the End Violence Against Women Coalition and to be learning from you. Emma 💪 @jusmarai

A post shared by Emma Watson (@emmawatson) on Jan 14, 2018 at 11:41pm PST

While companies don’t necessarily need to transform their feeds into a list of social justice issues, it can be beneficial to declare public support for causes about which the brand feels strongly. For example, Hootsuite is a B Corporation. B Corps use business as a force for good to solve social and environmental issues.

8. They shoot for a consistent look and feel

Celebrities are excellent at creating aesthetically-pleasing feeds. Whether they’re filled with vibrant colors, muted tones, or black and white, celeb feeds are typically identifiable by a distinctive look and feel.

Kourtney Kardashian has mastered the art of the #triplegram—a series of three related photos posted to Instagram consecutively (something that any pre-Instagram photographer would identify as a triptych).

      Image via People

    On the other hand, Joe Keery is all about creating consistency through the look and feel of his overall feed. Joe’s photos typically have a matte-finish look with muted tones reminiscent of film photography. Wherever you land in his feed, it’s clear whose photos you’re looking at.

9. They talk up their friends

Who do you see most often in celebrity photos (other than the celeb you’re following)? Their friends and family of course, just like anyone else.

Except for them, those people just happen to be other celebs.

Gettin advice. From da GOAT.

A post shared by Samira Wiley (@whododatlikedat) on Dec 14, 2017 at 3:08pm PST

They’re all about the casual name-drop mention.

Happy Birthday to my work sister #JenniferAniston !! 💕🎂 Wishing you a day filled with lots of love and laughter ! 🎊 #HBD

A post shared by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon) on Feb 11, 2018 at 1:38pm PST

And the birthday wishes.

You might be thinking: my brand doesn’t hang out with celebrities, how is this useful to me?

The key, you see, is in the mentions. Brands should mention their friends, influencers, people they admire, and customers in posts. Tag people to show a little love and increase the potential reach of your content. After all, if you mention them, maybe they’ll mention (or even Regram) you!

10. They get that it’s all about the fans

Celebrities are only famous because of their fans. But some of them are better than others at recognizing this crucial fact.

Selena Gomez is the queen of this.

Just look at how she shows off her appreciation for her fans on her own feed.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year.. My year has been the hardest yet most rewarding one yet. I've finally fought the fight of not 'being enough'. I have only wanted to reflect the love you guys have given me for years and show how important it is to take care of YOU. By grace through faith. Kindness always wins. I love you guys. God bless

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Nov 24, 2016 at 6:21pm PST

One of the best ways for brands to show appreciation for their fans on Instagram is, of course, engagement. Like and comment on photos that have to do with your brand or your business. Emulate Selena Gomez and make your interactions personable.

Due to safety I couldn't go outside tonight in Winnipeg. That did NOT stop me from gettin my pic tho 💘

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on May 20, 2016 at 8:40pm PDT

Whether you follow celebrities on Instagram or not, there’s a lot that brands can learn from them.

Follow your favorite celebrities on Instagram. Schedule posts, manage, and publish directly to Instagram with Hootsuite. Try it today.

Learn More

The post 10 Reasons Celebrities Are Better at Instagram Than Brands appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.

10 Reasons Celebrities Are Better at Instagram Than Brands published first on https://themarketingheaven.tumblr.com/

[riotbrowngrrrl]

Experiences that Stretch Boundaries and Open Possibilities

The other day, my friend Antoinette and I entered our utmost delight with choclos, which are roasted corn in the cobs dressed in shredded cheese glued together with mayonnaise. The shop is a woman-run restaurant that specializes and only offers the best empanadas in all of Ecuador. She has grown to be a very familial, comfortable part of my routine in Ecuador. I get to be embraced with her warm-hearted and comforting smile every week. “Vienen con choclos!” She cried smilingly.

“Claro!” I giggled. At that moment, I swear to God, I felt like a kid in her favorite place with a lollipop. We ordered our empanadas de morocho and proceeded to find a seat in the all-too-familiar restaurant that I’ve brought todo el mundo to, including one day when I requesting to have a 1-1 Spanish class there. This is all thanks to my host mom in Quito, who was like, “What have you even been doing in Ibarra if you don’t go to this restaurant???” when she realized I was not aware of this wonderful delicacy despite just being across the street from it every week.

–

There’s so much joy here, but that’s not necessarily what’s new to me—it’s the joy without the paranoia and seemingly endless exhaustion that came hand in hand for me before. Exhaustion of waking up before the sun rises, commuting for an hour, enduring hours of being talked at—struggling to stay awake, going to work and juggling complicated, sometimes non-communicative, sometimes fulfilling, sometimes exasperating, hopeless relationships, commuting for another hour, coming home and studying and doing homework for as long as I can keep my eyes open, catching a couple of hours of sleep and repeat.

Exhaustion of always having to play an expected role. Here, nobody tells me I cannot wear this because it’ll be too obvious that I am a woman with boobs or because too much of my skin is exposed to the thirst of men. Nobody tells me I cannot go to a late night concert because I am a girl or I cannot have sex or flirt with boys or like girls because that’s inappropriate and I should be a proper, decent Muslim girl. Nobody tells me how to live, or rather not to live. Here, I can live. I can just be. I don’t have a role to play here. I don’t have expectations to be a good student or a good Muslim or a good role model, here, I just am and that’s enough. Before, I have always had to perform—or pretend to perform to please the people who believe that’s the only way the world can go round: with people performing. I don’t know if that belief doesn’t exist here or it just doesn’t apply to me because I’m an extranjera or I decided it did not apply to me here, but whatever it is—I do not perform here and from that liberation is where my joy stems from. Here, I decided I am free and do not accept the things that would suggest otherwise, because I have little hope that I will enjoy such liberation when my feet touch the ground of the rushed, grey city I know as home.

Perhaps it is this hopeless pessimism that things will remain exactly the same despite my life taking a sharp turn and pushing what I thought I knew of the world and life beyond its previous boundaries that is compelling me to find another escape as soon as I return. Or maybe, it is this newfound thirst to continue to know life differently than I have known for the past 18 years with the exception of the past few months. Truthfully, I cannot deny that at some level—I want to continue escaping the life I knew back home. I have become infatuated with not living each day struggling superficially, but rather struggling to learn and grow and become even more curious of the things around me. At home I struggled with people’s expectations, here, I struggle with what I thought I knew of the world and what’s possible. Such struggles are so much more fulfilling to overcome; it’s not an endless cycle but something I can build on. Is my pessimism well-founded, or is it just that? Pessimism? Perhaps life will be different when I return and I won’t really know until I live it full of heart and soul and trust. Perhaps. Vamos a ver.

My mom and younger brother and sister are coming to spend time with me here in Ecuador. I cannot wait to show them my world here and for us to spend time together. My family has never once since my parents’ divorce more than a decade ago and the economic fallout that followed after been on vacation. We don’t go to parties. Eid celebrations, that are the only two celebrations in the Islamic calendar, compose of going to the masjid for prayer and then sleeping at home after eating my mom’s Eid meal and deserts. Thus, I don’t know what to expect out of this trip and so naturally I am filled with excitement and nervousness. We will be spending time together just to be spending time together, experiencing traveling together—something we’ve never done before, but maybe the same authoritative, not-to-be-disputed expectations that I always nonetheless try to exhaustingly dispute will come with being with my mom again. I love my mom—my heart both fills and breaks simultaneously for her. Not so long ago she told me, “Too much fun is not good.” This comes from someone who’s life consists of waking up, getting her children off to school, working, coming home and then doing some more of taking care of children, and repeat 24/7. Never once have I seen my mom take a break. She doesn’t go out with friends and the only time she participates in any form of amusement, it is for her children. She believes that those who suffer in this world will find heaven in the hereafter. That those who find pleasure in this world are denied entrance to heaven and people must endure life and trust that their pleasure is waiting for them after death. For me, as someone who isn’t sure about the existence of anything after death, this is a true tragedy because if there’s anyone in this world more deserving of perfect joy, it is my mother

I know she loves me and wants the best for me, it is just difficult for me to reconcile with her when we have such different views of the world and life due to structurally different perspectives: hers being religiously- and economically-driven and mine being secularly- and liberation-driven. This fight—regarding my life choices and desires: wearing low-cut shirts instead of scarves or traveling instead of staying home or being a community organizer instead of a doctor—has lasted years and its a fight I’ve partially given up on and partially continue hoping that she will eventually understand.

 Being in Ecuador has provided me with a much-needed break from all of that but despite this I desperately miss my family, friends, and co-liberation workers back home and so life goes on with dialectics.

As I get closer to my plane ticket back to the United States, Ecuador feels more and more like a home and it is as if the sooner I have to go, the more I am finding possibilities for me to learn and grow. The first person I saw as I was entering my house, after coming back from a few days in Ecuador’s jungle, was my 10-year old host sister, Sisa, and so I said, “Te extraño!” and she jumped into my arms crying incredibly sweetly, “Yo tambien!”

Another day, just when I was climbing my way home from the city I saw Luna, our dog, looking towards my direction waiting a few feet below our house. When she caught sight of me she immediately got up, wagging her tail, and within a blink of an eye had her paws on me, tongue stuck out, eyes begging to be adored—so I obliged, because she was waiting for me to come home.

Another time, when I returned home after a few days away, I bumped into my host mom and younger sister and proceeded to give them both hugs, as I have not seen them in quite some time. However, as we began to embrace each other—Luna also came up behind my host sister, placing two of her paws around our group, joining the embrace as well.

I never expected to feel at home or as part of a family. My family has hosted many people before me, so they’ve grown accustomed to people coming and going. With so many people passing through, it’s hard forming strong emotional bonds when you know they, in just a matter of time, will board a plane going back to their old life. But sometime between September and now, things have become to feel more comfortable and familiar, and I’ve been feeling like I am really a part of something. It took some time for me to feel this way but amongst all of the chaos, havoc, and violence around the world��and particularly back home, I’m in awe that in a world with such evil and selfishness, at the same time, can be a world with people so generous, so willing to share their lives and affections. Although my host family and I come from such different backgrounds, it only took dinner table conversations and time together, when we learned about what we each care about and what makes each of us laugh, to form the caring relationship we do have.

I remember being completely fulfilled as I was picking avocados with my host mom in our backyard. Well, she would do the picking while I helped identify the avocados from the leaves and catch them as she’d release them. I balanced the caught avocados on tree branches to create a mirage of avocados and demonstrated my colección to my host dad when he inquired whether I was picking nature’s butter. My host mom, however, was quick to out me on my inability to coher avocados.

My host mom, Dolores Mami, is one of the most intelligent, delightful, hard-working person I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Whenever I ask where my dried clothes are, she never fails to respond with, “Se robó!” and then proceed to hysterically laugh as if it’s the most hilarious thing ever.

Growing up, she did not speak any Spanish. But over the past decade or so, as volunteers would come and go year by year, she’d learn the language with her interactions with them. Now, she’s fluent.

Moreover, my host dad, Sebas Papi is one of the most charismatic, social, amiable person you could meet. He literally knows everyone. When I told him I was going to a workshop with a lineup of influential indigenous people in the region he literally was like, “Nosotros somos amigos!” and made me promise that I would mention him to them.

I’ve never had an apparent, obvious father figure in my life. Sure, I had people who I looked up to in a similar way, but they were my teachers or my mentors, not actually my father. Here, I explicitly have a father figure. I remember, in the beginning, trying to find any possible fault I could because my experience with my own father and the experiences my friends have with their fathers were not necessarily positive, healthy, or supportive relationships. So, of course Sebas Papi would be the same. How can I expect anything more? God, was I wrong. For the first time in 18 years, I have a father who truly cares about me and is truly supportive of me. He cares for his daughters and wants the best for them. For my younger, 10-year old sister he wants her to finish university and be fluent in English so she can have the world of opportunities he did not get. Hearing that, well, it was never anything I’ve ever had and so, for me, I was so incredibly happy for my host sisters who are so lucky to have Sebas Papi as their father and it made me feel really special that I get to know someone like him and his relationships with his daughters.

I also feel special to know my host niece–Suri. If there’s one thing I know I want to be since I’ve come here it’s to be someone with as much soul as Suri. Suri is 4 and has as much affection as sass and it is such a heart-warming, delightful mix.

One evening I asked, “Que te gustas mas? Hablando en Español o en Kichwa o los dos?”

“Los dos.”

Her dad responds, “Pero que sobre Inglés?”

Suri cries, “Ella dijo Español o Kichwa, no Inglés! Escucha! Tú no escuchas!”

I burst into laughter and so does my host dad, but she goes on continuing to scold her dad about how he should try listening more.

I love Suri. I love how much soul she has and I love her tight hugs. I love how she embraces being Suri with open arms, not afraid to be loud or funny or to flirt. I’m sad that I won’t be able to see her grow and that if I come back a few years later she probably won’t remember me as much as how I will always know how much she’s moved me.

I’ve been consistently struck by the people I’ve met here. When I went to the Amazon, I was really moved by the people I came across. The family that hosted us had so much soul. They are developing an eco-tourism site in the cusp of the Amazon rainforest in hopes of preserving not only the diversity of the forest but also their own indigenous Kichwa culture. Each of my interactions with the members of the family were bewildering. I cannot put my words into how I know when someone is full of soul, but that’s the only way I can describe how I felt in my interactions with the people I met there. They had access to and knowledge about a part of the world, I—and so many people I know, could never even grasp to understand. And yet, they were so welcoming and eager to show us a part of their world despite our clumsy falls and inability to do basic things—like lighting a goddamn cooking fire. I was touched by the amount of knowledge they had—from the boy who was about the same age as my younger 12-year old brother to his parents who were responsible for founding the project—and their passion for preserving their home and culture and their humble generosity in being so completely and exceedingly hospitable towards us. Throughout the trip, I was overcome with an incredibly warm feeling.

Now that I only have a month left in my community, I’m constantly thinking about how much I’ve gotten used to things here that were downright absurd to me when I first arrived, and the things I’m going to miss here. My community is not a stranger to noise pollution despite it being el campo. Last night, for instance, my community had music blasting throughout the night robbing everyone of their sleep so that everyone knew that we won a futbol game. But loud music isn’t only on special occasions but a daily routine. Every morning at around 6, my host uncle and aunt never forget to put the music on full blast to wake themselves up for a long day—and the rest of the community as well. It’s a collective alarm clock. Nevertheless, I never cease to futilely attempt to put myself back to sleep until I eventually give up. Everyday. There’s also the potato and gas trucks that play each of their own tunes, while the potato truck adds, “bueno papas” to its tunes for individuality.

All jokes aside, I’m going to miss being so close to the sky that I really do feel like I can touch the poofy, big, angelically white clouds. Here, when we are lucky with a clear sky in the evening, we are graced by a blanket of stars and the magnificently black, deep silhouette of the Imbabura volcano complimented by the glistening 45 meters deep San Pablo lake. It’s a truly breathtaking view—nothing like I’ve ever seen before. And it’s something I get to see on a regular basis—well that is, until April. Going back to a crowded, large but cramped city like New York will be so odd after living with so much space—two houses, a balcony, fields upon fields beyond what the eye can see.

I’m going to miss the people here. I am going to miss the community here—a community that is so invested in each other’s success. Here, the Kichwa indigenous communities have a tradition of doing “mingas,” which is when a community comes together to collaborate in finishing a task or a community project. This can be anything from harvesting plants to building a community space or even helping out a neighbor in their construction of a new house. Coming from an individualistic “everyone for themselves” culture in the States, it’s really refreshing to be in a type of community that will support and contribute in support of each other and the collective whole.

Being here—has opened my eyes to new possibilities, not only for my life but also for another world. Before, I would never imagine my life outside the city I’ve grown up in. It was just so easy to limit myself to what I know, it was harder to take a chance and look beyond, but I feel like I can do that more easily now given this experience. A working-class, single-parent household, Muslim city girl living in a Kichwa- and Spanish-speaking Andean indigenous community with an indigenous family in rural el campo opens up possibilities of the world we can live in. Imagine if everyone can live lives that are radically different from what they’ve grown up in, with people that are so radically different from them. What kind of a world would we be able to live in? If communities can develop a system without dependency on the state to build schools, an economy, educational spaces, and lives collectively—then why can’t others? Imagine a world in which people collectively are invested in the success of each other and the whole. What kind of a world would we be able to live in?

I’m so enormously grateful for this experience—to just learn. Constantly. Not having any other expectation for myself except to learn. It provides me with the perspective that experiences can be so different between traveling and going to another country to live there. Living in another country or in a place that is very different from what you may be accustomed to allows for learning lessons that are truly unparalleled.