#so i'm keeping some of her old stuff and other than that starting fresh

[jess-suvari]

Jintara ‘Tara’ Maikhami

Formerly known as Hazel. RIP. I was tired of getting my girlies with the H names mixed up y’all

The middle child of Polo and Jess and certainly acts like it, choosing to blend into the background what with all of the big and loud personalities in her family. 

She was about 2 or 3 when Polo went to prison so like Harper, daddy issues x 2.

Unlike her siblings though she is pretty happy that Polo's around and appreciates the effort he's making. Though she's keeping a distance so she doesn't end up disappointed if things don't work out.

Has been doing ballet since she was 6 so a lot of who she is revolves around that.

Some of her ballet peers didn’t like how much of a try hard she was and how many roles she was getting so some of them schemed to take her out and pushed her down a flight of stairs. She broke her ankle and was unable to dance for the last year until she healed.

Now that she's back to dancing she's not at her best but she pushes through the pain because it's the only thing she feels she has going for her.

Might be a little too reliant on her pain medication tbh.

Runs a kids dance class at one of the local studios in her free time.

Attends Ravenwood University and is undecided in her major.

if you want connections or wanna plot hmu! <3

[n3rdy247]

HELLOO!!

can i just get a john dory x female reader! headcanons!

john dory met while crashing the wedding and immediately started to flirt with dispite just meeting her. 🫣

THANK YOU!!

HIYAAA!! CAN YOU??? 🤔🤔🤔

girl be so fr OF COURSE YOU CAN!!!

ALL ABOAAAARD THE JOHN DORY X FEM!READER HCS!!!!! WOOOOOOOOO

Okay, so, you know the whole 'watching a cute, romantic ass wedding' plans everyone had for today? Just...watching two bergens have a nice, uninterrupted marriage?

"STOP THE WEDDING!!!"

well fuck those plans. ★ Starting off the bat, when he was literally parkouring his way down that building which just happened to be the MOMENT he noticed you from the crowd, he couldn't help but throw a wink your way right after (even though he had his goggles on, that stupid mf) which led to him face-planting to the floor because his ass was NOT paying attention to stick the landing. YIKES. ★ He also DOES notice when you are at the edge of your seat to hear what the hell is going on. Apparently, he was Branch's brother (figures since both are fine ash, MUST be in the genetics), he was in a band, and his other hot brother was in danger?

remember the wedding? yeah me neither atp

★ He can't help but steal occasional glances at you when the others talk, and when he does, his smile almost seems to widen, even if it's just for a split second. He just saw you, yet look at you go! Making him all giddy and shit inside 🤭 ★ And whenever Poppy and Branch turn their backs to discuss the whole situation, you just KNOW he would be smirking at you with a smug-ass grin, trying to strike up a conversation. Keyword? TRYING.

"Soo...come here often?" lord almighty sir THIS IS A WEDDING.

"Damn, I could really go out for some fresh air right now, because I think you took my breath away." SIR WE ARE OUTSIDE WHAT

Needless to say, this man does NOT know how to strike up a convo.

★ If you do end up getting flustered about his horrendous pick-up lines somehow, he will be so fucking proud of himself for getting a reaction out of you, and WILL keep going at it. What a charmer. (Unless you are uncomfortable with that of course, he might not know how to talk to people, but he has human (troll???) decency.) ★ I'm talking him leaning slightly closer to you with half-lidded eyes, a huge smirk plastered on his face as his voice gets lower and lower, though internally I feel like he'd be going 'LET'S FUCKING GOOOO I STILL GOT IT' since he would be a bit unsure if he was doing well in the first place. It's probably been years since he had any sort of interaction with anyone other than Rhonda so it's understandable. ★ Not to mention BROZONE. MY GOD. If you know about his band? NICE! If you don't know anything about it? NICE! Either way, this man will absolutely brag about it to you. Even if it has been AT LEAST 20 YEARS. He will absolutely talk about 'the good old days' as if it was just yesterday. Bro would probably talk about how he wrote the hits "Girl Baby Baby" and "Baby Baby Girl" on the same day. ★And who knows? Maybe at the end of the wedding when sadly he has to go to save his brother with Branch and Poppy, you'll end up getting a way to contact him after the whole thing ends. You will see him sooner than you think, that's for sure though!

(please keep in mind this is the first time I've written any serious headcanons like these and not just stuff like 'he would be a great hugger' or 'he was a 7.5-inch haver 🤯🤯🤯')

GRAAAGH I'M STILL SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE THIS THOUGH, I STILL HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT EVEN IF IT IS SHORT AS HELL

[maviezz]

˚₊‧ა ☆ ໒ ‧₊˚Jealousy (Steve Raglan x fem!reader)

tags: smut, oral(m receiving), pet names, jealous william, fluff,

note: Steve’s quite subby here hehe. reader is in her early twenties, Steve on his mid-late forties. This contains mature content.

Word count: 1.4k

I stumbled upon the counseling center job almost by accident. Fresh out of college with a degree in psychology, I was eager to put my knowledge into practice. But job opportunities in the field were scarce, and I found myself settling for a position that was mediocre at best and not so well-paid.

As I settled into my role at the counseling center, I quickly realized that while the job might not have been the most glamorous, it had its perks. One of them was Steve Raglan, my boss. Tall, with a confident demeanor and a penchant for gold aviator glasses. His salt and pepper locks adorned his beard and hair, adding to his allure. He was the epitome of charisma.

Our relationship started off strictly professional, but as time went on, there was an undeniable chemistry between us. The more we worked together, the more I found myself drawn to his magnetic personality and charm.

Despite our best efforts to keep things purely professional, and also considering the fact that he was almost as old as my own father— it became increasingly difficult to ignore the growing attraction between us. Eventually, we couldn't resist the pull any longer, and our professional relationship blossomed into something more, resulting in a romantic relationship that neither of us saw coming.

"Steve, is everything good?" I asked, my tone laced with a hint of worry. I had come to his office to deliver some expedients, but I noticed he was silent, quiet even. It was highly unusual coming from someone as charismatic and outgoing as him.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Steve replied with a forced smile, but there was a hint of tension in his voice that I couldn't ignore. He glanced away, avoiding my gaze, which only added to my concern.

His response seemed a bit off, and as I glanced at him, I could tell that something was bothering him. Despite his attempt to reassure me with a faint smile, there was a tension in his voice that hinted at underlying distress.

“Are you sure everything's okay, love?" I pressed gently, my concern growing as I observed his troubled expression. "You seem a little... off today."Steve sighed, running a hand through his graying locks, his usual charisma momentarily faltering

“Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, but his words lacked conviction. "Just dealing with some stuff. Don’t worry, princess."I hesitated, debating whether to push further or respect his privacy. But as I met his troubled gaze, I knew I couldn't simply ignore his obvious distress.

"Steve, come on, just tell me what’s wrong," I urged gently, leaning in closer. "We’re supposed to trust each other, right?" My tone was soft but firm, conveying my sincerity and willingness to listen. I could sense his hesitation, but I hoped my words would encourage him to open up.

Steve shifted uncomfortably in his chair, avoiding my gaze. "It's nothing, really," he muttered, but I could see the turmoil behind his eyes.I sighed, sensing that there was more to it than he was letting on.

“Honey, look at me," I said firmly, gently tilting his chin up to meet my gaze. "I care about you, and I want to understand what's going on. You can talk to me."After a moment of silence, Steve finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I just... I can't help but feel insecure sometimes," he admitted, his vulnerability catching me off guard. "I see all these younger guys around, and I can't help but wonder why you're with an old guy like me."

My heart ached at his confession, my lips curved into a soft grin, offering him a reassuring smile.

“Steve, you're not just 'an old guy' to me," I said sincerely. "You're kind, intelligent, and incredibly attractive. Age has nothing to do with it. I'm with you because I care about you, and I want to be with you."As I spoke, I could see the tension in Steve's shoulders begin to ease

"But—" Steve began, his voice trailing off, but I gently cut him short, placing a finger on his lips to silence him."No 'buts,' Steve," I said firmly, meeting his eyes with unwavering determination.

"I'll make sure you understand how much I love you," I whispered, my voice filled with sincerity, though laced with a hint of desire.Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, I slowly knelt down in front of him, maintaining eye contact as I reached for both of his thighs, slowly running my hands up and down over his pants, tickling the skin underneath

delicate fingers dug into the fabric of his pants, causing a shiver down his spine, making his cock twitch in its confines. "I’ll suck the jealousy out of you" I murmured sensually, my words coming out sweet and honey coated. My tiny hands slowly slipped inside his pants, grasping firmly at his leaky and aching erection.

"Look at you, could a younger guy possibly compare to this?" I asked in a low voice, barely above a whisper, as I leaned in closer. My hands continued to explore, tracing the contours of his length with gentle fingers, sliding my fist back and forth over the length of his arousal while running the pad of my thumb over the tip, collecting his sticky fluids for a taste.

"H-Hng~, Honey..." Steve panted loudly, clawing at the armrests of the chair, tighter and tighter...eyes rolling back into his head with an audible groan.

The hair on his forehead was damp with sweat and stuck to his skin, the small droplets of moisture dripping onto his face. His breathing was short and rapid, his body trembling under the exertion, his breaths coming in short, shallow gasps as I ran my tongue over every single inch of him—one hand stroking his swollen and sensitive balls while i bobbed my head eagerly.

The smell of sweat was growing thicker, permeating the atmosphere and making it feel heavy and oppressive. His breathing was becoming visibly more rapid and shallow, small whines and groans filled the room alongside lewd and wet sounds as my hands and mouth worked their magic on his aching dick.

"Does it feel good, honey?” I purred playfully as I pulled away from his length. my chin coated in saliva as I looked at him with a naughty, almost teasing grin on my face.

"F-fuck…oh God, yes..." Steve panted out a breath, spreading his legs further for more access. His entire body was tense with the exertion of each movement, the heat growing between us becoming intense. He could feel himself growing harder—if it was even possible— as he looked at me, each movement and breath he took becoming more passionate. “I’m gonna cum..”

his fingers tangled in my messy hair, guiding my movements to a certain extent. His grip was firm, yet gentle, he was holding my head with authority, while he was also encouraging me to take him deeper into my throat. I could sense him enjoying the pleasure I was giving him, encouraging me to go deeper until my nose made contact with his pelvic floor.

his hips bucked slightly, it was a clear signal that he was about to reach his peak. I could tell from the way he was moving and the sounds he was making, his body tensing and his breath coming in short gasps. I redoubled my efforts, taking him deeper and hollowing my cheeks harder to intensify the suction.

“Oh m-mhm~ princess” His body lurched forward, his muscles tensing and his body twisting slightly. A louder moan echoed throughout the room, the wet and sloppy noises growing louder as his thrusting became more erratic and sporadic. His body started to convulse slightly, his body jerking suddenly as he reached his climax. Thick and heavy ropes of cum coating my mouth and throat. the sweet and tangy taste enveloping my senses.

“Oh, baby…”I gently pulled away from him, standing up on my feet. His body now lay there limp and relaxed, his hair messy with a few strands sticking out of place. His lips were swollen and red from biting on them, his cheeks flushed from the intensity of the blowjob. He was panting heavily, a wide grin painted on his face as he came back down to reality. He laid there motionless, taking a moment to regain his breath and come back down to his normal state.

"Was this enough to reassure you, love?" I said with a softer giggle, unable to hold back the reaction to his messy and disheveled form.

And oh yes, it definitely did reassure him.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

what is your second most favorite otp from any series?

AAAAAAHHHHH, DON'T DO THIS TO ME! There are some many pairings I love in so many books, movies, series, soap-operas, etc.

*sighs* Okay, gun to my head, there's three, in no particular order that I absolutely ADORE, have made me cry, and that I legitimately don't understand how anyone could watch these shows and not ship them (spoilers for Friends, How I Met Your Mother and The Borgias, respectively)

Monica and Chandler

Because I was just 4-years-old when Friends final season was aired, I already knew these two were going to be endgame when I watched the show - and it didn't take long for me to see the appeal, even when they were still supposed to be just friends.

They're just so affectionate with each other right from the start, cuddling on the couch, helping each other out - and Chandler just casually says stuff like "If neither of us is married when we're fourty, I'm totally willing to marry and have a kid with you just so you get the family you want" and actively tries PROVE to her he is boyfriend material and they make a game out of it??????? Genius. Perfect. Amazing.

And then it happens, they hook up and right away they're couple goals. Can't keep their hands off each other, are super clingy, all of their friends find them ridiculously adorable, Chandler matures A LOT and Monica is very patient with him because she knows he's used to hiding any emotional turmoil behind a sarcastic joke, and they can joke about and tease each other without either of them being too mean or too sensitive.

Also their conflicts never last more than one or two episodes and they never break up after first getting together, and it was a breath of fresh air coming from the same show that gave us Ross and Rachel.

Barney and Robin

They have INSANE chemistry, Robin was the only woman Barney was truly willing to change for, and Barney was the one guy Robin was with that ever truly liked her for who she was.

They. Deserved. So. Much. Better.

Seriously, I can't get over how unfair their ending was. There's a reason I tell Zutarians to give this show a watch before they complain about how their ship, that was never even canon, was "robbed of it's happy ending."

We see Barney and Robin being teased as potentially having at least a fling someday as early as season 1, they finally hook up in season 3, season 4 is all about him struggling with being in love with her, seasons 5-7 are all about them dating then breaking up while still being very much in love yet never properly reconciliating because life gets in the way, season 8 is them getting engaged and being adorably happy together, the 9th and final season is THE WEEKEND OF THEIR WEDDING and them working through every last issue they still have to make sure they will a long, happy life together as a married couple...

Then the finale goes and says "Actually, they divorced off-screen because their hotel room had no wi-fi. Sorry." WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT? It's really no wonder the network cancelled the planned spin-off right after the finale aired.

Cesare and Lucrezia

Ah yes, a Nichya list of great ships includes a pair of siblings, specifically Older Brother X Young Sister, who would have thought? This time a kind of, sort of historical one! (Seriously, The Borgias is the kind of over-dramatic, historically inaccurate period piece I love wasting my time with, and the aesthetic is incredible).

Even as someone who is very into that kind of dynamic and that knew the show was gonna go there, I was still SHOCKED at how unsubtle is right from the start - especially once I found out the writer didn't want to play up the sexual tension originally.

Somehow, the first time we see these two on screen, Lucrezia is spying on her brother as he has sex and once he notices he playfully chases her around the garden, berating her for spying on him AGAIN, and then when they're on the ground together he just casually admits to loving her more than he loves God????????????????????????????? NORMAL SIBLING BEHAVIOR, EVERYBODY! NOTHING WEIRD GOING ON HERE!

I adore how protective (and possessive) Cesare is of her, ready to commit murder at the very thought of a man mistreating her - yet he is still willing to step aside when he thinks she found a good man, because nothing matters to him more than Lucrezia's happiness, not even his own. It just so happens that he always has to step in again because nobody loves her quite to insane degree he does, and thus she only feels truly safe, happy and loved with him, hence her saying "Only a Borgia can truly love a Borgia."

And they, legitimately, are insepareble. They're always close to each other, holding hands, hugging, cuddling, KISSING - all long before they're ready to admit, even to themselves that they're in love.

They are so clueless about what level of physical affection is normal between relatives that they made out in front of her husband and were surprised he found out about their incestuous affair.

And more importantly, thanks to the show being cancelled after season 3 instead of getting the planned fourth season, they never broke up! The show literally ends with them in each other's arms, accepting their love. I couldn't have asked for literally anything else.

[max-nico]

Super_Charlie_001

Am I (32M) the asshole for declaring a hero of our village (16M) my new nemesis?

This all started around 4 years ago. I live in a small secluded village on the coast, I'm talking about less than 100 people living here. We all do our part to keep our little town running and at this stage in my life I had just become our Village Fruit Carrier (a very important job to have). The job wasn't the most fulfilling, but it got food on the table and it was how I met my wife, so I have a bit of a soft spot for it. Anyway, the 'hero of the village' (let's call him Red) and he got me FIRED from my job. why? Because he just couldn't stop himself from stealing my baskets, dumping out my fresh clean fruit all over the ground, using my baskets as stilts, and then disappearing right before my boss came out to check on me. In the kids defense, he's a little... Slow, so I really didn't hold it against him too much. Especially because after getting fired from that job I managed to land my absolute dream job around 6 months later. I really felt like it was fate or something. I was happy, my wife was happy, everything was good.

This brings us up to speed basically.

Recently, Red got me fired AGAIN years later from my wonderful job. I worked as an archeologist/excavator and made good money doing it, especially since our little town is built on top of ancient ruins and tech nobody's really seen before. Apparently Red wasn't trying to get me fired, he was genuinely trying to make up for making me lose my job the first time. At first he seemed a little dimwitted, but well meaning so I didn't have much of a problem letting him stick around, but I also didn't have much of a backbone at the time either.

Then things got worse, between him picking up important artifact markers, breaking multiple artifacts, breaking one of my toes, and even throwing my lunch away, I just couldn't handle it. One night, he even showed up at my house before I got home and made friends with my wife, and despite telling her I was uncomfortable she let him stay. So I'm sure you guys can tell, by this point I'm boiling with rage. This kid just cannot take a hint and I have had it up to here with him.

Then all hell breaks loose. He somehow manages to brush an artifact just right, causing a laser to fire and destroy an entire dig site filled to the brim with things we haven't even begun to study. Then he has the audacity to yell at my boss for yelling at me and gets me FIRED!!! AGAIN!!! THEN HE CALLS MY WIFE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!! AND SHE THROWS ME OUT!!!

At this point he can't just be dumb right? This has to be malicious. So I freak out at him, and do you know what he says? "Don't worry. I'll make it up to you, just as soon as I'm done making it up to you for the other thing I did." Wtf.

So I start to torment the guy. Can you really blame me? I go back to my old job and dig around for the old mech suits the ancients had lying around, like huge rocky things that shoot fire and laser and all types of things. I only use it to do things like steal his lunch money and knock him around at first, nothing super out there just protocol villain stuff.

So Red starts acting like I'M the crazy one after this. He acts like HE'S been the bigger person when he's the one who made me this way. He even made me a pie (which I shoved in his face of course), and I proclaimed myself a supervillain, and by proxy his nemesis. The whole village even gathered around to watch our fight, I felt like I was a cool kid in a school yard, and it was objectively the best feeling I've ever had.

Unfortunately I lost, not without a fight but still. Now the entire village is weird towards me (except my wife who took me back because she was proud of me for getting a new job and also a backbone) and they all act like I'm some lunatic just because I tried to destroy ONE GUY!!! so aita?

EDIT 1: Yes not even Dr.Eggman knows how this tech works I live like a couple miles away from the guy. Trust me I've asked

EDIT 2: Why does everyone know this guy and his friends? Are they famous or something?

EDIT 3: I found out that Sonic the Hedgehog, my nemesis, and their friends, are actually the heroes of Mobius and not just the heroes of my village. Small world I guess.

[appropriatelystupid]

can you tell us the story of how you found your cats? i'm sick in bed and would love a heartwarming story :)

ooo you caught me at the right time because i just sat down with quite a bit of time to kill (also I hope you feel better soon <3)

when i say rey picked me i fucking mean it

it’s a lengthy so i’m gonna put it under the cut and kitten pics (first pics i took of the three of them)

our story begins all the way back in 2015:

over the summer i’d had to say good bye to one of my two remaining childhood cats, pongo, after ~17 years. my mom still had the last, catscan, but in september i would be leaving for a new job in a new state and she wouldn’t be able to come with me

there was a few months of training for this new job that meant i was in a situation where i couldn’t have pets yet but by mid december i was in my new apartment and DESPERATELY needed felines back in my life (legit this is the longest i’d ever lived without a cat in my home)

so finally, sorta settled between xmas and new years, i began my search for some kittens

i pretty quickly found the closest humane society to me and started scrolling their cats and there was a GORGEOUS long-haired tortie/calico kitten with a tragic backstory to boot

within a day or two i drove over to try and meet the kitten and see if any others seemed bonded to it because i knew i wanted two so they’d have company while i was at work

so i get there and do some intro stuff with the staff and run through the five cats i’d grown up with (and the bonus cats that crossed my life in various ways) clearly proving i wasn’t terrible and was absolutely qualified for adoption. the next step was meeting all the cats they had

(a brief note about the layout of this place: it’s located in an old house that’s been remodeled to serve this purpose so there are a handful of rooms set up for different groups of cats and each room has a door that’s almost fully a window so they can keep an eye out easier)

so we go into the first room that has the very little kittens and obviously they’re all adorable but they’re only just big enough to technically be ready to go to a new home so none of them jumped out at me

the second room, as it turned out, would be the game changer

in the second room only had two cats in it. lucy and leon (who i remembered had a terribly unflattering photo on the website) were nearly six months old and were very obviously related and likely part of why they were separated from the others

the room had a cat tree in one corner but also had a wall mounted about waist height on three of the walls for them to get to the window. there was a single folding chair placed to the side of the room

so we approach the second room and the employee showing me around tells me she has to take care of something and that i should just wait in the room until she’s done (majorly sus but i think she could tell rey was about to pick me). both kittens are standing in the door window watching me come over

so i scooch into the room and go to sit in the chair and before i’m even fully seated the girl cat is already jumping in my lap to curl up and start purring. the boy, clearly more skittish than his sister, gets up on the wall to sniff at me from a safer distance but eventually stretches out to get a paw on my shoulder to really get some sniffs in

i only sat there for maybe five minutes but my original plan was wobbling majorly

the staffer comes to get me eventually and we continue through the rest of the rooms. the fourth room had the gorgeous kitten and some other unrelated cats. and it was too nervous to really let me pet her. the others didn’t seem too interested in our presence either so no second cat from the room seemed like the one either

we moved on, headed downstairs to the new new kittens who weren’t ready for adoption and the seniors who i wish i could’ve considered more seriously (my pain from the summer was still a little too fresh and i knew catscan was only going to be around so much longer)

as we head upstairs to finish up some paperwork we talk through the next steps. they like my vibes but still need to call my references to do their do diligence. when we walk by, lucy and leon are back in their door window watching

i leave for the day, text my friend to warn her she’d be getting a call, and head to target to pick up some stuff. within an hour, barely into my target run, i get the call that i’m approved to adopt, and do i have any front runners for who i wanted to take home

there was no question about it: it had to be lucy and leon

rather unfortunately, the timing of it all meant i couldn’t actually pick them up until january 2nd (only four days later but a long four days of impatience) but then, just like that, i had two precious little kittens in my house just in time for their sixth month birthday on the 3rd, now named rey and legolas

~cut to april 2021~

i’m sitting at work one day and my buddy texts me that his sister came home that day, during a storm, to discover four kittens in a storm drain/gutter. she’d sat around for a bit to see if a mother came back but after an hour or so couldn’t bear to leave them out alone anymore so she brought them inside

i let him know, if she needed any help with placing them after she got them checked out i could probably help (we lived near each other and both my parents had separately talked about wanting a cat again. and i was moving out of my apartment into more space and figured i could probably handle a third if it came down to it)

two-ish months later, i’ve moved lego and rey into their new house and my buddy texts me again, am i still interested in another cat

there was one of the four yet to be claimed and i said absolutely give me the little guy

my buddy puts me in touch with his sister and we sort out a time for me to come by and, within a day or two, kieran joins the clowder

[ofekma]

I think that while Rose being gone helped Pearl be more independent and grow as a person, it wasn't necessary for her to go away for Pearl to reach that state.

Pearl's low self esteem and the fact that she was literally made to serve others made her latch into every big strong gem she loved and admired. Who she hoped would compensate for what she lacked and make her feel complete. Bismuth, Garnet, Rose. Things she struggled to come with but never fully unpacked until Sardonyx.

Add that to her overwhelming romantic love and devotion to Rose, love that she herself defined as "And I'm not yours, but, I make you so happy anyway!" and to her genuine belief in Rose's vision for a better future on Earth, and you'll see that as far as Pearl came, learning to build robots and swordfight and pillow spaceships and thousands other things,

She still defined herself as Rose's lover. Rose's knight, Rose's confidant, the one who knew everything about her, the one she trusted the most, the one she loved the most.

Their relationship was way different than a diamond and her Pearl, but it was still influenced by it. As even though Rose tried to make it equal by going as far as 'kill' her old self, he'd Diamond self, in order for Pearl and her to start over as equals, Pearl's baggage thst I listed above still made her put Rose above herself.

There's a high chance that she would have done that to Rose even without the whole diamond stuff, but it likely helped. Pearl idolized her. Even seeing so many of her flaws she accepted her fully and loved her for the transformation she went through, for becoming the version of herself she always wanted to be, and encouraging Pearl to go through a similar transformation herself. Pearl idolized Rose the way many people who are heads over heels idolize their crush, or the way people with low self esteem idolize people they look up to..... But, her being a pearl likely made it easier, to develop those tendencies and lean into them.

As much as they both tried, their relationship wasn't as equal as they wanted it to be. And a part of it was Pearl, and a part of it was Rose.

After Rose lost her first pearl, she was so scared to love again. To hurt someone again. And this fear guided her in everything she did. It made her transform her powers from ones of destruction to ones of healing, because she wanted to be a person who heals and grows and brings life. How fitting that her end was in the bringing of a new life for this world. But this fear is what made Rose close parts of her from everyone else, including Pearl. Parts of herself and mistakes she made she felt like she had to run away from and to bury deep down because she didn't know how else to deal with. She was never taught.

"There's one last thing I need to do. No one can ever find out we did this. I never want to look back. So, for my last order to you as a Diamond, please, let's never speak of this again. No one can know."

In a way, she likely thought she was doing Pearl some sort of a favor. If Pearl can never refer to her as her diamond anymore, then surely their relationship would be equal from now on. A fresh start. But in the end, her fear of confronting the past and her need to get away from it locked Pearl into an order she physically couldn't break. And how can any relationship be fully healthy when one of its member did something like that to the other?

Rose didn't tell Pearl about her original pearl. Just like how she never told the other crystal gems thst she used to be Pink Diamond. Deep down she had this fear that they wouldn't love her if they knew the truth. They would see her as "the monster she really was" (more accurately, the monster she *felt* she was).

And all those things led Rose to hide more and more things from Pearl, to keep even the closest person to her in an arm's length somewhat, to have no one she could be fully vunrable with.

And all the other gems idolized Rose in one way or another, which increased the pressure on Rose to never fully rely on them, to keep hiding and lying and covering up the truth and running away to maintain this idolized picture because she can't let them down, she can't let them know the truth, they'd *hate* her, they'd leave her alone!

Greg must have been such a breath of fresh air in that regard. He idolized her at first, but in "we need to talk" he broke the pattern and treated her as an *equal*. The stairs he used in order to meet her at her level and look her in the eyes are a good visual metaphor for this: Greg wanted to be taken seriously. He wanted to communicate and commit. He knocked Rose off the pedestal everyone including herself put her on. Even Pearl.

But he also understood her in a way almost no one else did. He came from a similar background after all. Leaving home, changing his name, reinventing himself, changing.

Rose admired change maybe as much as she admired life.

Gems are immortal and if they never get poofed, they look the same forever. They get made a full person, expected to be the same and do the sake thing forever.

But Greg... Greg is a human. They change all the time. He

Rose tried so hard to change but in the end she concluded that she failed. Rose tried to heal and help and grow but concluded that she failed. Biamuth. Jasper. The curropted gems. Spinel. Her original Pearl. The kintergarden where nothing else will ever grow. Rose looked back on her life and thought that she was a screw up and a fraud and a faliure. That she could never truly change. She was made a selfish diamond that destroys everything the touches and that's what she'll always be.

But Greg... Greg is a human. They change all the time. He changed in front of her own eyes! Physical changes like balding and growing a beard and emotional changes like becoming more mature after babysitting Sour Cream. He's like.... Everything she could never be. He kept surprising her and showing her little wonders she's never seen in all her thousands of years on Earth. He came from a similar background to her but his kindness was 'real'. And he never judged her when she told him about parts of her life. He also never dug in though, never asked, which let Rose only be as vunrable as she wanted to. She kept the really 'ugly' parts to herself.

So on the end, when the negetive feelings Rose felt and the burden she carried were too much for her to handle-she found an out. Steven. This way she could both take herself out of this world she believed she only caused damage to, and bring to it instead new life capable of growing, evolving, changing the way she never could. She'd be gone but she'd leave someone else for her family to love and cherish to feel the void she left.

And she underestimated how much she meant to them when choosing to do so, because she believed that in the end they'd be better without her. Unknowingly leaving them a broken family and her newborn son with a terrible burden to carry (and that's without even the Homeworld stuff Rose never imagined would ever come back).

But as tragic as it was, it forced Pearl to do something she never had to do before: define who she was without Rose Quartz.

For someone with such low self esteem and such strong devotion it was easy to define herself as a part of a couple, as only who she is for someone else. And it wasn't healthy. As a result, Rose dying left her not only aching and grieving, but with a full on existinal crisis.

She tried to fill this hole in her at least somewhat by lunching to other gems, specifically Garnet. But only the gems she felt were more confident, stronger and more expirianced than her (which is why she never did that to Amythest and Steven who she treated as people she needed to guide).

After Garnet made it clear to her that she refused to be used like that and that sometimes she had to rely on other people too instead of being the strong one all the time, Pearl had to learn how to find power in herself. This arc started before that in "strong in the real way" where Pearl knocked down Sugilite on her own despite being 'just a weak pearl'.

Over the course of the series Pearl never abondoned Rose's vision or stopped loving her (and nither should she), but she found out things that were only hers.

Friendships she made with local humans and human costumes she adopted to herself. Things she was made to do thanks to Steven being half human and having a close relationship with Beach City. When Rose was around Pearl mostly kept herself away from other humans since she saw no need to engage with them, but Steven took her out of her comfort zone over and over and with time she started to do it on her own.

Pearl's style also changed as the show passed to more masculine and with less pink, showing her development from her initial design as Pink Diamond's pearl.

Pearl found a lot of herself with Rose, but she could only find the rest once she was forced to think of herself as a part of a matching set.

The episode where Ruby and Sapphire broke up and Ruby discovered a love for comics and cowboys is a good example for that. Ruby and Sapphire self reflected and examined themsleves and who they were without each other. What they wanted and liked and who they wanted to be, only to choose to be together in the end of it, and more whole people this time.

They had to spend some time on their own but they didn't break apart forever. If Rose would have opened up and gotten help, if Pearl would have gotten a higher self esteem and dared to confront Rose a little more, maybe things would have been different.

Because Pearl and Rose really did love each other, and I think that they deserved to be happy together.

[frog-the-author]

Chapter Four: The truth( updated version ) pt1/2

Hello I'm back again! It been six days since I last updated the book/story my reason is that I went sick I got better then I have camp went ended on Thursday went was not that long ago before camp ended I started to get shoulder pain on both of my shoulders and some pain on both of my arms and I didn't tell my mom yet...so she didn't know ooops and I went to the doctor on Thursday the same day where it was the last day at camp which I have to miss because of my doctor appointment and there was some stuff that happened there and it a lot but it wasn't about my medical condition but something else and after all that I'm here giving you the update version of chapter four the truth! In this chapter Lang Qianqiu will found out the truth that his Parents were keeping away from him and this is the start of his hero path with a help with some people on the way as well and who are these people you may asked? Well you just have to wait and see! Enjoy this chapter that is probably going to take awhile to finish lol! :)

(A/N just imagine that instead of He Cheng being there it Xie Lian because it makes more sense and I don't have the time and energy to replace all of the words that say He Cheng so you just got to use your imagination I just want to change it because it felt right to and it fitted his character more than He Cheng because when I first started I didn't really think much to it until know so yeah but in the future I will got back and fixed it:) )

And sorry for a really late update version of chapter four lack of motivation and other important things happening(aka both of my shoulders have pain in them for something days idk how long but they don't hurt anymore they is refreshing! Enjoy this wonderful chapter that I made!

Here’s the chapter you been waiting for @purplew :3

"And that's the gospel truth." They all sang together. They move out of the way and there is a painting of wonderful colors to make a beautiful sheep, hills, and trees while looking at it almost can tell if can actually believe that you looking at a real sheep, hills, and trees just by looking at the painting. The sheep were eating grass from the hills and they are next to dirt road.

(A/N I decided to add some more things to my likening)

The sun shines in the sky, the sheep are eating the fresh grass on the ground and there is a dirt path in the middle of the hill. Then a wooden wheelbarrow with haystacks on it went flying down the dirt pathway heading straight towards the market that is down hill. In front of the wheelbarrow is Hua Cheng sitting and a donkey with a broken ankle and Lang Qianqiu who is pulling the wheelbarrow with his strength. "Lang Qianqiu! Slow down!" Hua Cheng told him while holding his hat that was on his head. When they reached the market there were three men on top of the entire building entrance. "Look out!" Hua Cheng told Lang while pointing at the man. "Oops! S-Sorry guys!" Lang apologized with a nervous tone while going through the entire way.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A random person said to Lang while he was pulling the wheelbarrow. "Sunday driver." Another person said under their breath. People in the crowd are screaming because of Lang's not so good driving skills. Then he stopped the wheelbarrow and now he is stuck in a hole that he made while stopping the wheelbarrow that he was pulling. "Thanks son." Hua Cheng told Lang while he got out of the hole and sighed. "Where old Penelope twisted her ankle back there...I thought we were done for." He told his son while looking at the donkey's ankle. Lang Qianqiu walked towards the wheelbarrow and began lifting up the stack of hay. "No problem Pop." Lang told his father.

"Uh don't unload just yet," he told Lang. "First I have to finagle with Yin Yu." He explained to Lang Qianqiu. "Okay." Lang replied and put down the stack of back on the back of the wheelbarrow. Lang walked towards Hua Cheng and Hua Cheng began to speak to Lang before he left to talk to Yin Yu. "Now Lang this time please just." He began to explain to Lang Qianqiu. "I know I know.." Lang sighed. "Stay by the cart." Lang agreed sadly then Hua Cheng rubbed Lang's hair. "That's my boy." He exclaimed and walked away. There is a young man with a big pot that has the most beautiful design on it. ¨Oh my goodness! Whoa!¨ The man said to themself under their breath while almost falling backwards. ¨Careful!¨ Said Lang while he helped the young man with the pot with his hands on the bottom of it. ¨Why thank you.¨said the young man to the person that helped him and it was unknown that the person who helped him was Lang Qianqiu until he spoke. ¨No problem!¨ replied Lang. ¨W-why Lang qianqiu!¨ The young man sputtered. ¨It is you!¨ He finished his words. ¨Let me help you with that.¨ Lang offers the young man. ¨No no no no. I got it!¨ he told Lang then he turned around and went away from him and this shocked Lang then tried to help him again ¨ I'm fine! You just run along Lang now Lang.¨ He said, trying to get Lang to leave. ¨Are you sure?¨ Lang questioned him then he nodded. ¨Oh yes. Absolutely!¨ He told him and Lang left the room and the young man closed the long red curtain and Lang was standing there when he closed it. Lang began to walk away then disc appeared and fell on the ground next to his foot he bent down and grabbed the disc then he went back to standing up straight once again. ¨Yo! Give it here!¨ A random kid said while running towards him then he gasped when he saw who got his disc and some of his friends were behind him. ¨Hey..you need an extra guy?" He asked them if they wanted to play with them. ¨humm.¨ said the blonde kid. ¨Sorry Lang.¨ The blonde kid told him while rubbing the back of his neck. ¨But we already got five. We want to keep it an even number.¨ He told Lang. ¨Hey..wait a second. Five isn't an even.¨ Lang said he didn't get a chance to finish what he's about to say, so the blonde kid took the disc from his hand and ran away from him. ¨See ya Lang.¨ the blonde kid said and one of his friends said this to him.¨What a geek.¨ ¨Destructo boy!.¨ one of them said while laughing then another one said this.¨Maybe we should started calling him jerking!¨They all laugh together.

Lang walked away from them with his head looking at the ground while looking at his feet and sighed with sadness in his eyes then slowly looked up and sat down at the well that is somewhat in the middle of the market that he and his Father is at. Then the disc was flying in the air and Lang looked up and saw it. "Head up!" Said a random boy and Lang got up and ran towards the disc and tried to catch it. "I got it!" Lang said then jumped in the air to get the disc but failed and his body slammed on to the pillar. "No! Stop!" Said another kid but it was late. Lang crashed into a tall white pillar face first and fell down back on the ground making it crack underneath him.

Lang Qianqiu got up quickly and grabbed on to the pillar to stop it from falling down he took a step back and the roof that the pillar was holding fall down and Lang turned his body and the other pillar began to fall as well when Lang was trying to hold the other in place in his hands and there is a hole on it the other pillar making it crashed when that happened all the other pillars began to collapse. The pillars were falling down and people and the animals were running away from the falling pillars trying not to get hurt. Lang threw the other pillar on the other side where those pillars haven't fallen yet then Lang began running to the other side then he stopped and said. "Hey! Whoa!" In shocked and worried in his tone as he saw the pillars falling like ones on the other side. Lang ran past Xie Lian. "Lang!" Xie Lian called for him and lang responded with "Hang on! Pop! I be right back!" Lang explained to him and to continue to run past him.

"No no! Oh my! Don't please!! No no!" The young men said in worried and scared voice while holding his pots in his hands then pillars stopped for a moment by but..Lang comes running towards him. "Watch out!" Lang warned him then spilled on oil that was on the floor then crashing into him breaking all of the pots that were in the young man hands and the pillars finally fell down. Smoke filled the air and when it cleaned everything was destroyed and there was broken pots on the ground and oils spilled on the ground and everything was just a mess it will take forever to clean up. Lang was standing there looking around at all the mess that he chase just for trying to catch the dis, he pick up the dis that is next to his foot and Xie Lian walked towards him slowly then the blonde kid came running up to Lang while Lang just looked at him with disappointment look on his face about everything that happened just because of him. "Nice catch. Jerklang." The blonde kid told him with dissatisfaction and anger in his tone then taking the dis out of his hands and walked away from him."Lang..." Xie Lian said to him with sadness in his voice then a crowd began to form and they began to mumble hurtful things about Lang Qianqiu about events that happened today. "That's the last straw! XIE LIAN!" The young man said in anger while getting out of the piles of pots he was stuck in and his face is covered in red in anger. He now walking towards him with anger in his eyes while slammed the pot on the ground breaking turned into one piece into a multi pieces on the ground now. "That boy is a beast!" Said a woman pointed at the young boy. "He's too dangerous to be here!" Another one said. "He can't be around here!" A man said. "He cant be around us normal people anymore!" A old woman said.

"He didn't mean any harm!" Xie Lian told them. "He's just a kid!" Xie Lian tried to reason with the people. "He just can't control his strength." He explained to them while having his hand on his Lang back. The young man walked up to him s face. "I'm warning you Xie Lian." He told him while pointing his finger at him. "You keep that..that freak! Away from here!" He explained in anger and tried of the Lang Qianqiu always causing chaos with his strength. "Yeah! Freak! Go away!" A young boy said excitedly and the crowd agreed with the young man that is in front of Xie Lian and Lang Qianqiu is looking at him with honor on his face and eyebrows raised and his eyes wide open while the anger crowd shouted negative comments and words then the anger crowd began walking away leaving a sad Lang Qianqiu and a worried Xie Lian.

The sky is mixed with red, orange, and yellow as the sun sets in the sky and there is two people sitting on a hill with trees surrounding them and the area that they sitting have fees trees near them. The adult has an arm around the kid shoulder while sitting under a tree shadow blocking them from the sun light. Xie Lian sighed and turned his head towards Lang and his mouth began to open ready to talk to him. "Lang...don't let the things they said about you back there in your head." He speaks softly to him. "But.." Lang Qianqiu said before stopping to get up from where his sitting and now standing up looking at him bed continuing speaking. "Pop! They...they're right! I am a freak! I to fit in I really do! B-But it never works.." he explained to him while looking at the ground having his hands in a fists. "The outcome is always." He's hands stills in fits his voice changing in tone to a sad, dissatisfied, and painful voice. He turned around facing away from him then looks at the sky then at the ground. "Sometimes I-I feel like I don't fit in! At all! I don't belong here..." explains now facing Xie Lian. "Like I'm supposed be somewhere else...a place that accepts me you know." He continued to talking. Then Xie Lian got up and walked towards him. "Lang qianqiu...." He said then placing a hand on his shoulder Lang walked away from him then he sighed. "I know it doesn't make any sense..." He said to him before walking away. (A/N teenagers am I right? This a joke.) Xie Lian only looked at him with sadness in his face before sighing.

(A/N Lang Qianqiu having his Disney moment take this a joke I joke around about a lot of things and this is one of them luv u)

Lang Qianqiu is walking to the edge of a cliff looking a ocean as the colorful sky hits the horizon the wind blowing his hair while bent down and take the rock of the ground then looking back at the ocean."I have often dreamed of a far off place." Lang Qianqiu begins singing in a soft tone in his voice while he throws the rock into the ocean and the rock skip on the ocean making small circles on the water. "Where a great, warm welcome will be waiting for me." He sang while closing his eyes and raising his arms like a bird opening their wings getting ready to fly then he opened his eyes once again and put his arms close to his chest then putting them back on his sides. "Where the crowds will cheer when they see my face."His voice began to raise as he sing. "And a voice keeps sayin this is where I'm meant to be." The voice still remained calm while he sings. Now it's dark out and the moon is up in the sky and Lang Qianqiu is walking in the woods. "I will find my way." He continues to sing while walking in the dark woods. "I can go~ the distance!" Lang Qianqiu sang once more. Then he climb a huge and tall tree while singing. "I'll be there someday." Then he grabbed the next branch of the tree as he continued to climb up the tree. "If I can be strong." He smiled. Then he stand on a huge branch of the tree. "I know every mile." He continued singing while on the tree branch looking at the moon that is in the sky while the stars dance in the sky.

"Will be worth my while." He sang calmly then he put his hand on the main tree then a shooting star come by. "I would go most anywhere to feel like I...belong~"

(A/N this short ahhh paragraph)

Lang Qianqiu is now down from the tree and he have his head low and looking at the ground while walking towards a house that is where He Cheng and Xie Lian is standing at the door and where the candle is light up inside the house. Lmag qianqiu stops in front of the house and He Cheng began to speak up. "Lang Qianqiu." He told him while looking towards him while having his arm around Xie Lian and he has a hand in his chest.(A/N if feels a little bit rushed I'm sorry if it does) "There is something that me and gege wants to tell you for a long time." He says then looking down at Xie Lian then back at Lang Qianqiu who is some feet away from the door and is just standing there. They are now inside the house Xie Lian and Lang Qianqiu are sitting down next to each other with space between them and Xe Cheng is standing up in front of them and the fire place is light up lighting up the house. "But if you found me...then where did I came from?" He asked them then looking up at He Cheng. "And why was I left here?" He continued to asked them questions then he looked at Xie Lian who is next to them. Xie Lian took out a something that is covering it up and began unwrapping it when he finished unwrapping it there is golden metal with a red ribbon on it so it can go the person neck. He gave him it and began to speak. "This was around your neck when we found you. When you were a baby." He explained. Lang Qianqiu look at it and rubbed his finger against the golden metal He Cheng walked around behind them and placed his hand on his hand on Xie Lian shoulder and rubbing his finger against the shoulder. "It's the symbol of the gods." Xie Lian explained to him. Lang Qianqiu got up from his seat quickly. "This is it!" Lang explained happily. "Don't you see? Maybe they will have the answers!" He told them exactly then turned to his them with a huge smile on his face.(A/N it already 3k words I probably will go over that if so I might be finished by midnight or in the morning. I guess I'm pulling all nighter if that happens nah I'm going to end it here)

__________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this cliffhanger everyone! It been a long and crazy ride for me before I even started working on updating the four chapter because a lot of stuff happened that I explained already so you know everything about what happened before this chapter was out.

And I wanna hear your thoughts on this chapter so tell me in the comments and don't be shy to tell me about my grammar mistakes and I will got back and fix them in the future

And on the next chapter there will be a mini chapter about He Cheng and Xie Lian but I won't tell you about the mini chapter you just have to wait and see for yourself in the chapter. P.s while making the chapter I was listening to some sad TikTok edit audios and I close to crying but I stop listening to them and got back working on this chapter!

Total of how long it took me to finish this chapter: jul 15 to jul 17 11:33 pm

Whoa that's a lot see you all next time bye

[rhythm-catsandwine]

Chap 5 Birthday

It's been a while since I've updated 'Life Finds a Way" on here.

Master List and Life

Some NSFW

They got up early to eat a breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. The fresh food was a treat before flying out to find a job.

“So what's the birthday want for breakfast lunch and dinner?” Maynard looked over at their youngest.

“Duno”

“Well, we all know what he's getting for dessert.” Adam playfully shoved him towards Danny. 

“Con"t wait.” He grinned.

Danny grabbed hold of him and started licking his face. “Why wait?” giant paws roamed freely against his body.

Justin squirmed and tried to break free.

“Down boy.” Adam pulled Justin close again. Danny barked like a dog.

“Not at the dinner table,” Maynard complained. He pointed at their captain. “Don't encourage the children.”

“You mean child and his golden retriever.” 

“Why do people call you an octopus or a goat?” Justin asked Danny.

“Played drums in school. It kinda stuck, because of how I played.”

They walked back to their beloved ship after breakfast and packing up.

Justin almost forgot how beautiful their ship was. Her cool gray metal, thrusters to either side. The rear end made her look like an actual Firefly or lightning bug from afar. The thing that set her apart was her name hand-painted by Adam.  Blues surround her name in comet white. 

She smelt like home. All the little details scattered across her. From the little red, gold, purple, and yellow (Danny's favorite sports teams) alternating hearts in the engine room. To the little Strawberries, blueberries, and other fruit in the kitchen. Adam was slowly making it their own. He would likely keep going until there wasn't any room untouched. There was always a balance of space and shapes. 

Adam felt something at the back of his mind. It was like some energy shot down from the back of his neck to the base of his spine.  He glanced up to see another Firefly. But a 3, not a 6. There was some familiar energy coming from it. The feeling was like when someone else like him was near. His grip tightened on Justin’s hand.

“Wot?”

“That's a model 3” He pointed to the boat above them. 

The inspector who checked them in handed the paperwork over. Justin took it as Adam was phased out a bit. “I don't see how those old Models keep going.”

Danny nudged the captain bringing him back to reality. “All the Fireflies 3 and 6 keep going.  As long as you take care of them they take care of you” The 6 was bigger than the 3. But not like the 4 which required more crew.”  “Shadow” had a smoother ride, a fuel-efficient engine, and a longer range.

Once they broke atmo they were all on the bridge. They needed a job. Maynard leaned against the airlock leading down the stairs from the bridge. “What if we picked up the stash of meds from that moon? The atmo stuff will expire soon. And a few moons will be overdue for a delivery. Sell the stuff or trade as usual? Plus I'd like to stoke up on the other stuff we have there. “

“I'm in,” Danny said.

“Wot stash?”

“There’s this moon that the main thing they do is making clay. We hid a huge stack of stolen meds there. Has the meds that keep people on a moon or rock with fucked up atmo from dying.”

“The people are a little strange.  Sing about some guy called Jane.” Maynard folded his arms.

“They wot?”

“You'll hear. Once we're there.” Danny answered. “Some people warship weird things.”

Adam pulled up the maps and charts they needed to get there on the computer in the control panel, in front of Justin. “Some people juggle geese.”

“That's quite odd.” Justin followed Adam's finger gliding across the map of the stars, showing the route to take.

“Weirder than the occult or the fact the government cuts into people's brains to make them physic?”

“Guss not?” “Wait, they?”

“Don't think too hard. Over-analyzing separates the body from the mind” Maynard messed up Justin's hair. “Take about three days to get there curly q”

“Stop calling me that and messing with my hair!” Justin untagged his curls and got them out of his face. 

That night their captain was restless, tossing and turning between the sheets. Justin was tired from flying in empty space toward their next job. Leaving the busy moon and seeing stars he had never seen before, made it even worse. Then he worked out with Danny, with the weight equipment they kept under the stairs to the catwalk. After that Danny fucked him against the wall of the cargo bay, until Maynard needed Danny’s help with something in the greenhouse, that was next to the infirmary. He tried to distract himself with the image of the mechanic. Covered in sweat, clothes clinging to his body, showing everything. The man was big all over. 

“Adam. I can’t sleep with you moving about.” He wined. 

“Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Wanna talk bout it?”

Adam still had his back to the other. “You’d never leave us, right? Leave me?”

“No. Corse not.” He pulled the other close, pressing their bodies together. 

“It’s just that people usually leave me at some point. Even my parents. Maynard, Dan, and James are the only people who haven’t. Sometimes I think you’ll wake up one day and decide you’ve had enough. Or that I’m too much to handle. I mean Paul just left us.” He sounded fragile like he’d break if pushed even a hair further. “He left us. Fucking just left us.”

Justin propped himself up on his arm and rolled his partner over to face him. “That’s not what I’m going to do.”

“You’re the best thing that happened to me. I don't think I could handle you leaving.”

“ I promise I will never leave you. I love you.”  

“I love you too.”

“Is there anything else you want to talk bout? “ Justin had a feeling, that something was left unsaid. 

“There are things I’ve never told Maynard or Dan. I was dragged through hell. James was the only thing that got me through. Or we got each other through it. But I don’t want to talk about that tonight.“

“Is that why you get more nightmares when we’re landside?” 

Adam was afraid Justin could see right through him. “Yeah.” He let himself be held by the other. “Wait how do you know it gets worse landside?”

“I keep track.”

“You what?”

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“Hey! Tomorrow’s your birthday.”

“Mhmm” Justin pulled the other against his chest.

“Want the day off?”

“Why?”

“I know how to fly her. You deserve it.”

“Bot didn’t we already have a few days off?”

“That don’t count. Do you want off or not? Maynard and Dan do the same.”

“yes.”

Justin awoke to Adam kissing him softly all over, no inch of his skin would be left untouched. From his jaw to his neck and down towards his hips. “What do you want?” He asked between kisses.

Justin flipped them over and straddled the other.

“Hey! You’ll be doing all the work.”

“You asked me what I wanted.” He moved pulling a wine from the one beneath him. “But tonight. I want you to have yer way with me.”

“I know you like it rough. But like?” Adam felt Justin lower himself on his cock. “Fuck.”

“Like you always fuck me.” He hummed as Adam bucked his hips against the other. “I've grown to like it. Jus depends on my mood. Which I want.” 

“As you wish.”

“Cinnamon roll for the cinnamon roll?” Maynard placed a sweet treat, bigger than his face in front of him. It drowned in sweet icing. This was all real. Not protein. Real bread, sugar, and cinnamon. “And something to wash it down with.” A mug of real hot chocolate was placed carefully in his hands. “It’s salted dark chocolate with two shots of bourbon.” That’s how Maynard showed love, through food mostly but he wasn’t pushy about it. The other side was when he fussed over someone when they were sick of injured. 

“You want to get me drunk at 9 in the morning?” 

“You want to be?”

“No, I want to remember this day.”

“Happy 22 earth years curly-q”

It wasn’t long before Justin found himself pinned against the wall right next to the engine. He was getting railed by Danny. This time the door to the room that contained the heart of the ship was closed.  “Faster. Harder. “ He said between breaths. “Please.” He begged. “Dan” it was all over too soon, like with Adam just a few hours earlier. His legs felt like jello as soon as his feet hit the floor. “Bloody-” he fell into the blond's huge arms. 

“You had that coming curly q “ Danny messed his curls up even more. “God it's been? What? Like two weeks?” He was grinning like sunshine on a warm summer day.

“Duno.”

“Probably I'll stay like this until you two get out of your puppy dog honeymoon stage. “

“Nardo says we ain' going to”” Justin let the larger man hold him tight. 

Danny laughed.” It's weird when you mix accents” 

At lunch, he had his favorite soup, of meat and vegetables, and birthday cake. As soon as he was done eating the others put gifts in front of him. He opened the one from Danny first. It was a new black waistcoat with spirals in the same blue as his eyes. Maynard just gave him a blank menu for the week. Usually whoever had a birthday got to plan the meals for that week. Last he opened the one from Adam. “Lord of the Rings,” He read the name on the set of four small leather bond books. “The Hobbit.”

“I know how much you like literature and reading.” Adam pointed to the white journal with random doodles drawn on them. “And I know you’ve been wanting a new one.” 

“You didn’t have tu do this.” He blushed when he saw the little blue heart with “JC + AJ” in the middle, drawn on the first page of his new journal. 

Justin watched the others, talking and wondered why the other couple never got married. Dan wanted to but Maynard didn’t.  They would still have an open relationship. But Maynard called marriage a fancy piece of paper. Dan disagreed. He watched Adam laugh at something Maynard said. Adam was pretty. Maybe they would get married eventually. But how would they show that? Some wore necklaces some bracelets, tattoos, and others rings. Would one of them take the other's name? Or keep them the same?

Later Justin sat with Adam on the bridge, it almost felt weird sitting in the captain's chair, but they weren’t a normal crew either. Most captains would never let that happen. Adam was still flying “Shadow” with a few expert instructions from her actual pilot on how to fly smoother and more accurately. 

“Which do I read first?”

““The Hobbit”. If you want, Or you can read “The Fellowship” first like most. It don't make much of a difference.”

“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit….”  He read out loud until he came to the first song. He sang, trying his best to imagine how it was supposed to be sung. 

“I didnt know you could sing.” Adam stared at him in amazement. 

“I guess I can.”

“Don’t tell Maynard.”

“Why?”

“He’ll bring music night back and make you sing with him. Although I think you would sound great together.”

The last word resonated in his mind. He kept thinking of what the captain would do to him at the end of the day. “Adam.” He got up, placing his gifts carefully in the seat. “Would you want to go to our bunk early?” 

“You okay?”

“I jus keep thinking of what you're going to do to me.” He hugged the other from behind and giggled.”I’m already hard jus thinking about it.” 

“Or we could stay right here.”

Justin reached over to plug in the codes for autopilot.” No” He shook his head. “Our bunk.”

[citizensofeggtonarchived]

Long Poppy Theories Thing - OOC

Okay, I'm about to just go off right now on a super long rant about my theories about Poppy and what I think is really on play here. There isn't going to be any order to this at all and I will be jumping whatever point from the list I made comes into my mind so, yeah, all over the place.

I'm gonna start off with the world and what I think really goes on. We know from the beginning that the Gods created all life with the intention to give the people they made free will at some point, though when the time came that changed their mind. Only the Goddess Delphi pushed to keep their promise and in response adsorbed all the magic from her tree of life to over power all her brothers and sisters while placing the planet and everyone in her Magic Pouch while she fights all of them. Now, I think that story is false and here is some proof to this.

Magi Lila mentions this little note along with almost saying something else to Friedrich, though stops herself to check if he could know which he couldn't. Clearly this means there are still Gods around, or, at the least there has to be new Gods roaming Flora. This clearly puts some holes into the story everyone believes. What I personally believe happened is some form of fight broke out with the Gods ending up choosing sides. One lead by the Specter of Fate and the other by Delphi the Iron Matron. Get more into why I just used Delphi the Iron Matron later. This ended with all the Gods and Goddess's losing their lives, though now being reborn as new Gods. I did mention to a mutual that I thought the Specter was behind this, though thinking about it the Veil would be likely as well in order to keep the peace and because maybe it used to be common information, though this lead to wars constantly breaking out and the Gods continuing to kill each other.

This would explain how one can get such vast amounts of fresh God's Blood and distribute it all over the place and at such a high speed given how many people are reporting it in to the authorities. Not to mention just how strong the stuff is with how it effect the wildlife so who knows what old God's Blood would do.

That being said, the Specter (or Chicadino, for now) as to be getting this amount from somewhere and I have two theories for that. Either he has some Gods working for him that gives him their blood or the one I'm leaning more towards is he captured a God and just draining them of their blood until they're barely kicking, heals them, and repeats. I assume the latter because of how fast he keeps pumping it out.

Now for the Specter and I believe that it isn't Chicadino because here in this part of the comic Poda is talking about them and mentions how they're reborn over and over while being bolstered by the blood of the Gods. It makes me think the Specter is a God themselves which ties in to the start. It would mean the Specter has died many times so that could mean the Gods all fighting each other because of The Specter of Fate and Delphi the Iron Matron has happen multiple times by this point.

Now we get into two of the key players who seem to have been there since the start which are Poda and Silvana. Both seem to have some form of immorality, at least in terms of not being able to die from age. Silvana seems to be the creator of the Veil of Ignorance and one who want's to keep certain information withheld from the world while Poda is a Hand of The Specter of Fate. There is clearly some form personal beef between Poda and Silvana, though neither seem to let it deter them from their main goal.

Then we have Magi Lila, the only human we know of to exist in this world at the time, though seems to spend most of her time in the Second Rung of the Veil. Seems to have been trained by Silvana and is more than likely her top enforcer when it comes to keeping key information inside the Veil and seeing things go according to whatever plan the Veil has.

Of course if this image is to go by anything there might've been another human at one point, though Poda killed them or at least did something to them because

There is this human like hand that was the main source in controlling the dragon that attacked the temple. I assumed Poda didn't fully killed them, rather turned them into a tool for the Specter. Why they're a hand now? Not sure, though if you know Poda, she clearly seems messed up in the head so, yeah.

Now I'm jumping up to where the comic is talking place and focusing on Mary and her interactions with Poppy. When first meeting Mary instantly recognizes, though when Poppy claims to not know who Mary was mentioned how it must've been another buff opossum who was just older. I personally think Mary is Mystana and has met Poppy before. One might question how, though I believe by this point something has changed and that is this point in time is being reset and is repeating. Meaning when Poppy dies someone resets the timeline to the point of Poppy's birth because they believe they can break the cycle. I believe this is the fourth time based off King Renard's prophecy about Sky Henge Act IV and Mary (or Mystana) seems to be the only one to remember this resets. This has led to Mystana leaving the Veil and choosing to take on the guise of Mary to keep an eye on Poppy. Maybe the comment about the other opossum being old means in the past timeline Poppy was closer to thirty when meeting Mary there.

Then we get this interaction where she just called Lily a tiny version of Poppy which makes me think she just seems anyone close to Poppy another version of her or perhaps this was the first timeline where Poppy had a child and she was having a hard time adjusting to that. Bit more towards the former for me.

Of course she also starts to appear a bit more after Poppy is attacked by Poda. Could say this is just Mary being her odd self, though after their first meeting there wasn't much word from Mary other than when Poppy visited her for directions. Makes me think Mary was getting concerned Poppy would die before she normally does so wanted to keep a close eye on her to prevent a premature death.

Then we get into the vision King Renard had about Sky Henge Act IV. Now, clearly it's an opossum, though in the top right there is a cat paw which I assume is someone attacking the opossum. Then we end up having Poppy and Petuina having to fight because of Chicadino so to me that is clearly the start of the vision.

This is also more proof because during his episode King Renard said this. A-Tion When Ten Billion Eye's Close Here's Will Open. Assuming the a-tion was supposed to be attention to try and get everyone to listen to him. Then we get this picture where Poppy's removes her mental blocks and in the background we see what I can only assume is Delphi, though she not only has four eyes on her head, though all over her body. Then there's that glowing light which I assume is the one eye opening and that's connect to the stone image of Poppy with the eye on her torso. I'm thinking the magic tumor that King has is him remembering the resets, though I'm unsure why he's having this effect. Then again if Mary is Mystana then she is more than likely more powerful than him and doesn't have this side effect for remembering the other timelines.

I also think Delphi is speaking to Poppy right here rather than this being a third person thing because if you follow the trail at the last panel it leads off to the side as if someone else was there. I know it was cut off a bit at the end, my bad. Anyway, I believe the original Delphi can talk to her reincarnations and guide them, though Poppy lost the connection has a kid before she could understand it.

Now, I'm also thinking the whole thing about opossum's having anti magic because their tree was destroyed is a half lie. I think that anti magic was Delphi's God power and she passed it to her people which allowed them to have a field they can activate to cancel out magic, yet didn't prevent them from using other magic, then during the first fight with the Specter Delphi did have to adsorb the magic from her Tree of Life just to defeat him which lead to the magic getting all messed up and no it just something that prevents them from using other forms of magic as well. Now in this fight with Poppy's mental blocks gone she can cause this field as Petuina says her soul patches stopped when the pulse started. This is what makes me think this is what the opossums could originally do.

Jumping back to the Iron Matron we first get a mention of it here with Silvana calling Poppy by the title. This makes me think either Silvana can remember the timeline resets or Mystana told her sister the first time it happened and they had a disagreement on how to handle things thus Mary going out on her own and doing thins the way she is now.

However Magi Lila only called Poppy an Iron Matron Candidate which makes me think Silvana may be lying to even her on who Poppy really is which is the Iron Matron. Now, the reason I why at the start I was using Delphi the Iron Matron is because I believe that was her full title so her reincarnations also take the title of Iron Matron, though before Poppy it was a guess on who it was.

Now this to me confirms that Silvana and Mystana had a falling out as it looks like Silvana is attempting to stop Mystana from leaving with an item of some sort. Then we have the mysterious figure of an opossum wielding a hammer in the distance. Perhaps this is Delphi or a reincarnation which means Delphi's weapon of choice is a Maul (I think that's the right word) for when she fights and of course her Magic Pouch.

Alright, that's all my brain juices got and all I could honestly think of after over analyzing each and every comic frame by frame to put this jumbled mess of a theory together. In short terms someone is resetting Poppy's timeline because they believe she can be the out to put down the Specter for good and is just starting over and over while changing details each time along with the timeline changing itself. Mystana remembers, though upon telling Silvana they have a fight on how to handle things and go their separate ways, though not before Mystana steals some sort of magic item which makes Silvana not trust others anymore hence keeping the information from Magi Lila. King Renard is remembering too, though in the form of visions which have now caused a magic induced tumor to form.

[marierg]

Biscuits and Beskar

Pairing: Boba Fett x OC Kaylee Manu

Rated: Teenish (language that's about it)

A/N: Alrighty Folks this is a little intro chapter... an amuse-bouche if you will! So I'm not great at writing the not reader insert stuff so Kaylee is my OC for this but she's written as a reader insert. There's still a little bit of a gap between Kay and Boba, she's written as early 30's. If anyone has any advice or tips please drop me a line! Lemme know if there's any improvements I can do for the next parts.

PS- I should warn you all now that I write slower than molasses going down a pole in January so it could be a bit between chapters, BUT the next one is gonna be posted next week as well. Much love for our Daimyo!

Words:1450 ish

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“Whatever it is the answer is no! Not a chance of ice on the dunes.” Crossing your arms you groused as the group of young people parked their speeders. They were too jovial and your nagging sense of trouble was going into overdrive.

Skad sauntered up to the side of the cart. “Kaylee, mama Kay, my favorite chef... Can't I just order some lunch without you being suspicious?”

“Not when that slemo monger Peel came over here giving me an ear full this morning!” You were beyond ticked off at the kids this time. What hurt you was that they were going to get themselves killed one of these days doing stupid shit like this. “I know he charges a fortune for the water. I know he's an ass. But he could go to the new Daimyo and have you all shot! How do you think that makes me feel?”

“Funny thing that, the new Daimyo hired us on.” Skad put on his most charming smile.

“What, when?!”

“Last night when he came to shoot us.” Skad flinched when the soup spoon made impact on his shoulder. “Hey! Jeeze we came to offer you a job and this is the thanks...”

“What job?” Taking a deep breath you started to put some fresh rolls into a bag. Drash shoved Skad to the side, politely asking for some soup and you couldn't say no to the girl. Tossing back your braid you looked Skad in the mechanical sensor that served for an eye. “As you well know I have two jobs already. Three if you count chasing you kids.”

“Please Kaylee it would be a huge favor.” Drash was beseeching you, big bantha eyes and all.

Narrowing your eyes you proceeded with caution, “What's the job?”

“Well the big bad Daimyo's cupbords are bare and he needs someone to fix that,” Nitro was leaning against his bike looking like some type of runaway senators kid. He always wore that long suit coat like he was going to an important meeting and spoke with the same aloof air, not at all the son of moisture farmers.

“Oh and your poor grumbling bellies had nothing to do with it?”

At your very loud snort Nitro whined, dropping the act, “Awe come on Kaylee we haven't had anything worth eating since you closed last night.”

“A job at the Palace, why should I do that eh?” You busily poured to-go containers with your soup of the day. True you had a soft spot for the kids, but working for a crime boss was a whole other matter. Your life may be miserable, but you still enjoyed being on this side of the surface. “Besides you just started working for the man what, last night? Do you even know what kind of person you're working for?”

Drash rolled her eyes at you, mech arm on hip, “Kay how long can you keep rolling this old cart around the city? It's nice up there, you'd have a whole kitchen of your own. No more sandstorms, no water merchants, no bar fights, a larder as big as the karking mayors office!”

“Yeah and no roundups either,” A shiver went down Nikita's spine at the thought, nervously twirling her hair before tucking it behind the glowing sensors on the side of her head.

“Hey now that ain't gonna happen sweetie, don't even worry bout that. And besides this old cart's gotten me through till now.” You patted the counter top affectionately, salvaged from the ashes much like yourself. “If they wanted a cook they would have put out a listing. Better yet why didn't the mighty man come down here and ask me?”

“Cause he's busy running the city, big job ya know.” Skad piped in, taking the proffered bag of food and settling up the tab. “Come on mama Kay at least come up and check it out. It'll make Drash feel better, all warm an fuzzy like.”

“Kriff off!” Drash gave Skad a harsh look even as you chuckled. Drash owed mama Kay, they all did, and she didn't like unpaid debts. Sighing she tried to think of what could possibly convince you, “I mean we all know it is cheaper to feed us using that droid. Probably just as good as you if it had the right recipes... what's cooking for the Daimyo of Tatooine. You wouldn't want the headache of all those banquets and meetings...”

“Now hold on a minute little miss.” You glared at the young woman, knowing full well that she was pushing a particular button for you. “No damn droid was ever made that could replace a living chef! What in hell do droids know about cooking anyway! Bolts and sensors don't feel, don't smell. Droid can't put love into their work...”

Drash watched as you grumbled and whinged, knowing that she had won. “So you'll come and cook for the Palace?”

Groaning heavily you rolled your eyes at the girl. “IF the Daimyo wants a cook then he can ask me when YOU lot bring me up there tonight after close. Now get back to work, suns burning the day away.”

Drash and the others got on their speeders. That had gone better than expected and if Shand did her part then by tonight a large weight would finally be off Drash's chest.

“You need to eat something,” Fennec drolly commented from her perch near the throne. True none of the food was quite palatable, but necessity made the best sauce. Taking a fresh pally she tossed it to Boba who caught the fruit without even looking up. The boss had been stewing since the encounter with the twins, it wasn't good to be solely focused when there were many who wanted this endeavor to fail. Still first things first, “The Mods brought some soup up from the market.”

“They should be more careful,” Boba looked at the fruit placing it on the plate next to his helmet. Sour stomachs rarely made for sound judgment and his list of enemies grew by the day. The twins being in town added to his list of troubles along with the much needed upkeep and maintenance of the Palace and growing staff. True the younglings were fairly capable, at least in a street scrap, but against professionals? Mok Shaiz, gutless worm he was, had been right. Running a family was not bounty hunting, there was more than just his hide on the line this time. Looking at the steam coming from the mug he snorted, “Soup on Tattoine?”

“Try, it's safe enough.”

He looked at Fennec and the cup in her hand, reluctantly taking it. Well it couldn't be any worse than the slop that kitchen droid tried to serve him. Boba took a cautious sip, pleasantly surprised. The soup was a basic bone broth but the aromatics and vegetable base certainly gave it a hearty flavor. It wasn't overpowering just simple and filling. His churning gut settled with every sip, finally nourished.

“See not bad.” Fennec would give the kids credit, they knew good food. Even from her own cursory review this little cook seemed safe enough. When Skad had proposed the idea she had been resistant, but given the growing list of the Palaces' needs it wasn't unreasonable to hire a housekeeper to manage things. Sometimes to be a good leader one needed to delegate, “We could use a cook around here for banquets and tribute days.”

Boba looked to his second in command, corner of his lip turning up, “Why, so I can become a lazy slug like Fortuna?”

“Actually quite the opposite,” Fennec walked to the side board and poured herself a drink, “With a proper chef in residence you would be healthier and better able to manage the more... social aspects of this position.”

“No proper chef will settle on Tatooine.”

Quirking a brow at the boss Fennec smirked, “How much would you bet?”

Boba knew that look all too well, the self assured smirk of certain victory. Some days he wondered who was really in charge, “And you think this soup vendor could do the job?”

“Worth a shot. I'll have someone bring them for an interview.”

“Fine.” He hated that Fennec was right. More annoying was that she had managed to so easily solve these types of minor problems when he should be able to manage. As she began her daily report Boba could already hear her cat like grin widening. At least with the Mods patrolling he had more eyes and ears around the city. Yes his enemies grew by the day, but maybe so to would his small tribe of allies. Drinking down the last of the marvelous broth Boba rolled the mug in his hands contemplatively. He would see what this soup vendor brought to the table, fortune or famine.

Tags: @rain-on-kamino @daimyosprincess @pickleprickle @acatalystrising @kimiheartblade

[gravehags]

impera ghouls' fav art medium bc I just dropped out of art school lmao I hope I didn't forget anyone (I kinda went overboard so it's a long one sorryyyy)

- Mountain's kinda obvious, but he really likes working with natural materials. Enjoys woodworking and land art. Despite his size, has very deft hands and is extremely delicate. Makes a trip to the farm each season to get some beautiful fresh and golden hay to weave it into ornaments and jewelry. And let me tell you that's a testimony to his skill cause I literally cried over hay last October and I had to soak it in water to be able to bend it. The texture was disgusting and I got destroyed at the critique anyway lol

- I've already said it before, but Cumulus is totally into stamp carving and linocuts. 11/10, very calming, probably has rough hands since you have to use lots of white spirit to get the ink of off the lino, and you gotta use a special rough scrub to get ink out of your skin. Puts her creations everywhere, gives you and the ghouls little cards and patches she printed herself :)

- Cirrus and Sunshine probably share the serigraphy workshop. It's a very delicate craft, especially when you go for traditional paper stencils. But worry not, ghoul claws are sharper and more precise than your average cutter. Though, a intricate multi-colored stencil implies there's a lot of drying time involved, especially on fabric. They always have some kind of brunch during that time, with tea and snacks and such. Invite you to join them if you happen to pass by. (it's them who print the merch I know it)

- Aether makes very cool metal sculptures. He's got both the strength and the patience for it. You know those adorable little bird-shaped garden ornaments made from scrap metal ? Yeah he did some because the local old ladies are always commissioning him to make them. Also the workshop's babysitter, has to keep on eye on Swiss and Dew when they start beefing with a circular saw on their hands.

- Rain is very skilled in needlework. Originally considered himself a better painter, since he's got a sharp eye and is good at color theory, but discovered all the ways you can use embroidery and sewing with an artistic approach during a workshop in his first year. Sewed a costume made out of dried orange peels and called it 'orange leather' once. Also interested in book binding. Will get snappy if the others call him a little grandma while he's embroidering.

- Phantom is a photographer, and a pretty good graphist as well. He's too shy to admit it, but he really does know how to present his work. Has the cleanest portfolio around, and is probably a huge perfectionist. I mean, perfectionism is kind of a must in art school but bug is an anxious wreck (give him a hug). Very gentle, handles the lenses and lights with lots of care. Mainly photographs landscapes and nature mortes, but enjoys taking portraits as well. Takes a lot of self-portraits and will very shyly ask you to pose for him. (I photographed myself as Judith in Klimt's Lilith II : Judith and Holofernes for an assignment and ngl would love to hold bug's head with my tits out on camera)

- Aurora makes little pop-up zines. It's a prefect way for her to give way to both her gentleness and chaotic nature. While pop-ups may look tedious to make, it's actually lots of fun, and you can get pretty chaotic with it too. Has a whole collection of patterned and textured papers, she made most of them. Probably has a 'cool paper stash' she hasn't touched because she doesn't want to 'waste them' and said paper is like Christmas wrapping paper from 2016 (it's me I'm guilty).

- Dew is more interest in contemporary art, especially sculpture. Little guy has no patience and likes to break stuff, I see it as a match made in heaven. Uses his fire ghoul abilities to burn different matters and experiment with them. Kinda see him as my friend who burnt a humongous quantity of human hair for a project. Was pissed no one cuddled him for two days because of the smell.

- Swiss is totally a performance artist. I mean, technically, all of the ghouls have a huge affinity with it, but Swiss especially. A big fan of contemporary composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as Bahaus performance art. He likes to let loose, have fun exploring his body's and voice's capicities in an artistic light. Probably submitted some kind of sextape as a project, but it's okay because the professor likes provocative stuff.

- BONUS : all of them probably were nude models for the evening classes at some point. I haven't included anatomical study in the hcs because no one in their right mind would enjoy sitting on a stool and drawing Greek statues for 8 hrs straight, but none of them would mind being the models for the 2 hrs 6pm classes. Although they'll probably ask you for a massage afterwards because of how tiring it is to stay in the same position for so long.

-unhinged family anon

These are GORGEOUS omg thank you so much for sharing these they’re all so on point!! 🩵

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 17 - Tiffing with Tiff

The next day, the band, and Tiff, go to Miko and Penny's new apartment to talk about their song choices. Penny doesn't love the white features but Miko likes how clean it looks, and love is about compromise. Penny can at least have her eclectic furniture to brighten the place up.

Miko: Thanks for agreeing to meet us here. I know San Myshuno is far from Tartosa.

Drew: No worries, it's all the same loading screen.

Miko: Uh, Tiff? Where's the other violinists? They were invited too.

Tiff: As lead, I can relay any info back to my cohorts.

Miko: Okay then. Did you all have a chance to look over the sheet music we sent you?

Ophelia: Yes! Let's pull them up.

Tiff: You young people and your technology.

Drew: It's the same technology every Sim has had since 2014, Tiff!

Penny: You guys are the experts. What do you think?

Moses: They're all great songs! Unique but not too wild. You have no idea how many times we get the same old songs to play.

Penny: You know I've gotta keep it fresh!

Miko: I vetoed some of the more... outrageous suggestions.

Penny: Looks like out ceremony music requires violin and piano. You okay doubling up, Piano Man?

Moses: I get double the pay so you know it!

Penny: Tiff, you good to learn the sheet music? I know this probably isn't the type of song you usually play.

Tiff: Already memorized.

Ophelia: I love your first dance song. I've been singing it for days. It's starting to get on my girlfriend's nerves!

Miko: Oh, you and Libby made it official! Congratulations. You've posted a bunch of pics with her on Simsta lately, so Penny and I had a hunch.

Tiff: I see. You two are... very friendly with Miss Ophelia outside of work, huh?

Penny: Well, we kind of cornered her in a coffee shop. Hard to keep things strictly business after that. Plus, who else would I constantly text asking to go to the Spice Festival with me?

Tiff: I see. Well, I have connections of my own. Heard of Ty Harper? Head writer for PlumBright Magazine? I could get him to write an entire feature on your wedding!

Penny: The scumbag from that trashy gossip rag? No thanks. You're friends with him?

Tiff: ...I'm married to him

Miko: Uh, moving on. Were there any issues you all saw with the songs for the reception?

Drew: No, everything looks good. People might have song requests but we know a ton of songs.

Ophelia: My mind is a steel trap for song lyrics, I should be good to cover most requests.

Tiff: If young Ophelia doesn't have the range for a certain song you want I'd be more than happy to fill in!

Miko: Uh, thanks, but we made sure we selected songs in her range. I'm sure requests will be fine. You're amazing at violin, we'd like you to do that.

Tiff: I can do both!

Penny: Lady, we don't want you to do both, she's trying to be nice. You're lucky you're playing at all, after the way you treated Miko during our tour! Lucky for you, my fiancée is a lot more forgiving than me!

Tiff: In my defense, teens and young adults look exactly alike!

Miko: Honey, it's okay! Tiff, we're happy with the plan we currently have. We'd appreciate if you focused on getting your team prepped. You're an amazing violinist.

Tiff: Well your taste in singers is... different than mine but you sure know your stuff about string instruments.

The elevator ride downstairs is awkward. Tiff doesn't seem to notice or mind.

Tiff: The clients' questionable choices aside, I'd say that was a successful meeting. Gotta say, that Pizzazz girl has a screw loose. Guess that's why she's such good friends with you, eh, Ophelia?

Ophelia: Do you constantly have to undermine and insult me every chance you get? I've been trying real hard to be civil.

Tiff: I'm sorry, it's just really easy to undermine you, sweetheart. You still have your baby fat.

Ophelia: It was just the holidays. This is regular fat!

Ophelia: I'm singing at this one wedding! It sounds like you're going to sing at the rest of them after this! What's the big deal?

Tiff: You KNOW the big deal. This is a celebrity wedding. One of the guests could make me a star and you just stumbled ass-first into this gig!

Drew: Tiff, you're being more ridiculous than usual. The clients made their decision. You're not going to change their minds.

Tiff: Why's everyone on her side? This was supposed to be my big break. You don't know what it's like to have something so huge taken from you!

Ophelia: You don't know anything about me! If your husband is such a big shot, just get connections through him.

Tiff: He's too good of a man to abuse his power like that.

Moses: Didn't he send paparazzi to Judith Ward's second husband's funeral? Tiff: No one asked, Moses.

Tiff: Fine, if you're determined to embarrass yourself on that stage, be my guest. Don't worry, I'll stay away from you until the wedding. Worrying about you destroying the Laurents' reputation is going to give me stress wrinkles anyway.

Ophelia: UGH! What is her damage! Does she have some sort of tragic backstory or something?

Drew: Nah, I think she just likes being a bitch.

Moses: Look, let's not worry about her now, love. We've got your back. Let's go to the venue and practice, yeah?

Ophelia: Okay. Thanks.

[nothing0fnothing]

what was your breaking point that made you go no contact with your parents?

Honestly I don't think there was one incident that was my "breaking point."

You can see my blog and I'm pretty open about details of stuff that happened and how old I was when it went down. I think as I got older it became increasingly clear to me how wrong it all was.

Not just that it was wrong, but putting context to how my parents would keep me from school or extra curriculars if I had bruises or would lie to family friends about what happened, I realised my parents knew it was wrong too.

I went no contact with my dad first. I was eighteen. He did a lot of horrible stuff to me in quick sucession. He did a lot of bad stuff and most of it really showed me that he wasn't sorry and never would be. So I cut contact with him.

I think for a while I saw my mom through this lens that she was a victim with me. So I was a bit older when I realised that she was an enabler as well as an abuser in her own right. I had more good memories with her, so it hurts me a lot more that we don't speak.

I think the moment I realised I had to cut contact with my mum even though I love her, and I would essentially be orphaning myself, was when I tried to talk to her about some of the things she did.

I was really clear with her that these memories were not only painful for me even into my adulthood, but were straining our relationship. It was just me and her sitting on her couch and I was hoping for a fresh start with her. I was 22 and just hoping our new relationship, our adult relationship, could be defined by something other than the abuse she'd tormented me with up until not that long before.

Honestly I did expect an apology. A heartfelt one. But I didn't get that, actually she pretended she couldn't remember. And it stung me fucking deep. Realising that she would rather I beleive that some of the harshest, coldest most painful things she did to me when I was at my smallest, most vulnerable and most innocent were so inconsequential to her she couldn't even remember it.. just.. wow.

I know she remembers it. I know she's ashamed of it and that's why she can't bring herself to talk about it with me. But I have no way of knowing if she's sorry till she apologises. And I can't bring myself to love someone who can't apoligise for hurting me that deeply. I can't forgive someone who isn't sorry. So the healthiest choice for both of us was no contact.

[voxmilia]

1 and 12! 👀💕

WIP Game!!

So "Have you ever kissed a boy, Peggy?" is my very first contribution to Remy's STAE verse! It's Beej/Peg flashbacks to worldbuild and set up a lot of stuff that Beej and Peg, the codependent traumatized high school sweethearts, keep under lock and key or just don't elaborate on.

There needs to be some serious edits because since starting it, Remy and I have done a lot of planning re: Beej and Peg growing up in the Depression and Peg's family migrating from Oklahoma to California during the dust bowl. But for everyone's sapphic Peg needs, please enjoy a snippet of her about to engage in the classic trope "Best friends practice kissing and uh oh, one of us realizes we're queer"

“I guess I’ve just been…in shock? I didn’t really expect to get asked out.”

“Now that’s just silly,” Peggy retorts, looking away only to tap her fingertips against the nails of her other hand. No smudging. “You’re the prettiest girl I know!” An exaggeration, but only slightly. There were girls who puberty had hit harder and faster than Peggy or Mary Ellen - girls with the figures of movie stars and the smiles straight from toothpaste commercials. But Peg maintained her best friend was beautiful. Hazel eyes that sparkled green and gold in the summer, with the slightest smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

She knew Eddie Carlisle. Peggy sat two rows in front and one seat over from him in her history class. He wasn’t bad looking, by any stretch of the imagination. He had a crooked, boyish smile and messy brown curls that he constantly had to sweep from his eyes. But there were days when the only way she could differentiate some of the boys at her school were by height or hair color alone. Eddie was a perfectly fine boy in a school full of perfectly fine boys.

“He’s just lucky you said yes,” Peggy retorts after a pause, giggling when Mary Ellen launches a tube of lipstick at her.

As for the black eagles ot4, I'm unsure how familiar with Fire Emblem Three Houses you are but Protag/Girl Who Wants To Kill Jesus/Her Right Hand Man/Token Bisexual Actress is my default quad. And I was just feeling my wheatiess with them one day and scribbled out a little modern au for them! Something something intimacy through existing around each other in fluid harmony

Please have local rat man prosecutor annoyed that his opera singer girlfriend and his bodyguard girlfriend wake up in the middle of the afternoon. (tw bruises mention)

The sizzle of battered bread frying acts as an alarm for Byleth, as the sounds of cooking often do. The way to that woman’s heart was most assuredly through her stomach. Unlike Dorothea, Byleth cared little for the luxuries of more feminine sleep clothing. She emerges from her room, rubbing at cobalt eyes with the heel of her palm. Her sports bra and a pair of boxers - whether her own or an old pair of Hubert’s, no one remembers - show off fresh bruises that cause the attorney to narrow his eyes. An eventful night at the Golden Deer, it would seem. 

He opens his mouth to inquire about the blemishes but Byleth cuts him off with a sharp, prolonged yawn. “Morning, Hue. Morning Thea,” she greets, the sleep still clinging to her voice.

“Do neither of you wear a watch?” Hubert remarks instead. Byleth muffles another yawn with her hand but her eyes sparkle with mirth.

[frankiehagg]

writing journal: i'm restarting my manuscript from scratch, again

i just finished the fifth week of my second go at grad school. i am studying to become a translator! it is so great and uses my skills as a researcher, writer, and editor SO well, in ways i hadn't predicted. it has also, until this week, DECIMATED my capacity for non-school reading and writing. it's been so nice to pick up a non-assigned book, of fiction, about people who aren't real. missed this.

as my skills develop away from the crisis mode of learning a new skill, lean into my existing editorial skills, and leave me more free time, i find myself having time to fall into The Bad Mood, which happens when i'm not being sufficiently creative. so tonight is my rip roaring friday night of... starting the seventh draft of my six-years-in-the-making book manuscript, from scratch, again.

some FAQ about my intense journey with this manuscript:

Q: WHAT KEEPS GOING WRONG WITH THIS BOOK?

A: fundamentally, nothing. the story was too character-heavy in its first incarnation and dealt with themes that have been progressively less interesting to me. more accurate to say that my skills develop at a pace faster than the manuscript does. i don't mean this as a flex; i've averaged ~7k a month on this manuscript for years & other projects have naturally developed my skills along the way

Q: SEVERAL OF YOUR LAST DRAFTS HAVE ONLY BEEN 5-10k BEFORE YOU SCRAPPED THEM. WHY? ARE YOU *SURE* NOTHING'S WRONG WITH THIS BOOK?

A: i uh... ok, everything's wrong with this book. the themes are wrong. the beloved characters i have retained along the way no longer fit the story—at least one of them, the main character as i imagined her, needs to join the 350k pile of killed darlings, and the others need to undergo serious relevance editing. the logic of the setting is quite thin. my style is also "broke" on the scale of broke to bespoke; my skills are better now, so now every time i write this piece the voice is unbearably weak and uncompelling. fixing voice has been the main impetus for these endless restarts, and i haven't found one that both sounds good and works with the setting.

most egregiously: as the themes and setting are developed, the plot breaks and breaks and breaks.

i've been aware of these issues for a while and i hoped writing through them would fix my problems. not so. now that i've had a nice monthlong break from writing (at least, anything that wasn't translated from the original french), i opened my document and... didn't like what i saw. i opened my wiki and didn't like what i saw. i opened my file of short story ideas and—saw a theme. a theme that works very well with the setting i've been trying to develop, overhauls everything, and gives me a fresh lens from which to spawn new characters or refresh old ones with new purposes.

the first thing i am doing is scrapping everything. all meta material—gone. new scrivener file. new wiki file (i use obsidian for wikis, which i wrote at more length about here). i'll keep the old stuff for reference, but this is a new world for a new story. i am entering only with a vague understanding that this is a science fantasy story, both hero's journey and tragedy, and... isn't NOT about the john searle–jacques derrida debate.

it'll be good, i swear!

the second thing i am doing, for the first time in my life, is attempting to write a COMPLETE, COMPREHENSIVE outline—i am normally a cheerful planner-pantser combo—before i write a single word of prose. i am hoping this will help me identify areas of weakness before i invest a ton of words only to meet a dead end. since my time is at more of a premium than it used to be, i'll be able to mull things over longer-term and hopefully come to the file on weekends with developed ideas.

the third (and final?) thing i'm doing is to identify elements of style that i particularly vibe with in *reading* and make a point to run 20-minute style drills when i can carve out a spare moment, and keep them in a separate file for reference when it comes time to actually put down prose. i'm hoping this will help me hit the ground running with a style that motivates me to keep writing it, and prevent more style-related dead ends as well.

there are a lot of different ways to outline. beat sheets have helped me in the past, including save the cat and romancing the beat. increasingly i am moving away from beat sheets as structural crutches, but having a visual guide for the outline stage is still useful to me.

there's the kind of intensely complicated outlining tool like MOTT, but every time even i, a detail-loving methodical research type, open this spreadsheet, get scared, and close out again. instead i'm going to try a combination of the snowflake model and the ring structure as i try to feel my way toward a setting-relevant plot: my snowflake is going to have five act-sized points to start, and from there i will develop smaller and smaller details until i have a narrative outline that is also symmetrical for that "the hero comes home but they can never come home again because their home is NOTHING LIKE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS" kind of journey i'm going for.

i do NOT know if this is a good idea, it might NOT work, i might wind up with a rambling scrivener outline that is basically just a summary of the plot the way i have tried and burned out of in the past. but it'll be fun! let's try new things! failure is liberating in that failing again doesn't feel that bad! that's true, right? that's definitely true.

if you don't hear from me again i've gotten lost in the outline mines, but know i died as i lived: upset that my manuscript still isn't working.

(first posted in a slightly simplified format on mastodon).