#ted is doing his older brother duty

[bow-of-aros]

Day Twenty: Tease

Summary: Ted and Steph bonding time!

And Peter is the unfortunate victim.

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Hey folks! The Hatchetfield brainrot is real and I hope that nobody's getting sick of these fics yet. The Spankoffski bros own my entire heart at the moment and I need to write about them all the time. Enjoy!! <33

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“Ugh, this is so boring! I honestly don’t understand how you can enjoy this shit, Pete.”

Peter looked up from his homework that he had positioned around himself on his bed to Steph who had claimed his desk when she’d walked in. He’d been working through the practice questions they’d been given for the math test later this week while Steph was writing an essay for her English class.

Peter tapped his pencil against his worksheets as he said, “It’s really not that bad! You just gotta get into a groove and then it’s done before you know it.”

Steph shoots him a flat look that Peter returns with a grin.

A grin that promptly drops when Steph says, “We should take a break, reset our brains, and start again with fresh eyes.”

Peter let that sentence hang in the air for a moment as he brought a hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

“Steph,�� He sighs, “We’ve already taken three breaks. We started two hours ago. Our last break literally ended ten minutes ago. Are you sure that you can’t try to work for a little bit longer?”

His only answer was a long, drawn-out groan and Peter turned back to his work, considering the matter closed.

It was very much not closed when two hands dug into his sides, drawing out a high-pitched shriek that Peter would deny to his dying day that he made.

“Wait! Steheheheph nononono! Why?!”

Peter attempted to curl up while not disrupting the papers scattered around him, reaching behind him in a desperate attempt to push her hands away.

All she does is move further out of his reach and up his ribs and say, “I just wanna take a break, Pete! You’re always wound up so tight, you really need to relax a bit.”

As Steph moves up, Peter’s laughter grows louder, “We just toohohohohok a break! We need to stUDY— Steheheheheph!”

Her fingers find the spot between his shoulder blades and he starts thrashing, mindless of the mess he’s making of his bed and the schoolwork that used to be on it.

“I dunno, Pete. I think we should—”

“Can you two shut the fuck up?” Ted suddenly bursts through the door, flinging it open so it crashes into the doorstop, “I’m trying to—”

Everyone freezes for a moment as Ted takes in the scene.

“Oh.”

Shit. “Ted. Ted, don’t.”

“Ohhhhhhhh.” The classic Spankoffski shit-eating grin starts spreading across his face and Peter is fucked.

Ted makes his way over to the bed where Peter is still trapped underneath Steph and perches himself next to his little brother. Steph is still just sitting there, waiting to see where this leads.

“Hey, Steph. Nice to finally meet you in person. You want some help with that?

Her face lights up, “Hell yeah!”

“Fuck no!” Comes Peter’s simultaneous response, but Ted just shushes him.

“Quiet, Petey. The grown-ups are talking.”

That punches a laugh out of Steph and she says, “Yeah, Petey, I’m trying to learn. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Anything that Peter might have said in response to that was interrupted by Ted getting straight to business.

“Alright. If you wanna make him cry, you gotta go for the knees,” Steph rests her hands on his knees, ignoring Peter’s protests as she listens for further instructions, “It really does matter what you do. The back of his knees, squeezing that spot above the kneecaps, pulling the whole cracking an egg shit are all guaranteed to work like a charm.”

The end of Ted’s sentence was drowned out as Steph latched on and started squeezing, drawing out frantic cackles. The sensation was made worse by how his girlfriend and his brother kept talking to each other like he wasn’t there.

“Awwwwwwww,” Steph coos, lightening her touch to elicit higher-pitched giggles.

Ted rolls his eyes but still says, “Yeah, he’s fucking adorable isn’t he?” Just to hear the embarrassed whine that slips out.

“Nohohohohoho! Guys c’mohohohohon!”

Of course, his pleading does nothing.

“Alright,” Ted just barrels on, thrilled by the opportunity to mess with his kid brother, “Next thing you gotta know is that he snorts if you scratch behind his ears. It’s fucking hilarious!”

Peter’s going to die. He’s going to melt into a puddle of embarrassment and then evaporate into mist because of how much his face is burning.

He doesn’t get much more time to wallow when he feels evil nails find the spot Ted had been talking about. Hands slap up to cover his mouth after the first snort escapes.

“Oh, absolutely not, kid. You can’t hide this shit from your girlfriend!” Ted pulls his hands away to a litany of curses being hurled at him, “Aw, isn’t he just precious?”

It’s a little sarcastic, but Peter can hear the undercurrent of genuine fondness in his brother’s voice.

“Pete,” Steph leans down to look him in the eye, not bothering to still her hands to his dismay, “You might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Her tone is serious but her eyes are sparkling with pure, unfiltered glee.

Peter had been nervous that Steph wouldn’t like Ted, or that Ted would be weird about Steph, but seeing them get along flooded him with a sense of relief.

Even if it was at his expense.

“Okay, Steph. Class is dismissed because I gotta go grab some dinner, but feel free to come back if you ever wanna learn some more.”

Steph offered him a salute, finally giving Peter a chance to breathe as Ted offered them both a smile.

Peter watched as Ted sauntered over to the door, shooting him a wink and a thumbs up before disappearing around the corner, leaving him and Steph alone again.

Steph rubbed a hand on Peter’s back, making sure that it was firm enough not to tickle and looking pretty pleased with herself when he relaxed into the touch.

“Soooooooo,” She said after a few seconds, “Wanna take a break?”

Peter huffed out a laugh. He shouldn’t let her get her way, it set a bad precedent for the future.

But, he was tired, and the bed was really comfortable right now.

“Fine. But!” He cut Steph off as she started to cheer, “Only if we take a really quick nap and then get right back to studying!”

“Deal!” Steph was already manhandling him down into her optimal nap position. She liked being the big spoon and, honestly, Peter did not mind one bit.

About twenty minutes later, Ted called up to let them know that food was there. When he didn’t get a response, he poked his head into his little brother’s room and immediately softened at what he saw.

Peter and Steph were curled around each other, asleep and breathing softly in the glow of Peter’s desk lamp.

Ted just grinned and eased the door shut, but not before snapping a couple of pictures for his blackmail folder.

He’d leave two plates of food in the oven for them.

[timaeusterrored]

‘And I’ll do my duty-I know’

Kerry was normally incharge of putting Ted to sleep. Louise watched, but Kerry was normally the one to handle it. And yeah maybe he shouldn’t be singing songs Johnny wrote about his dead ex girlfriend but.. it was Kerry’s favorite. And he had slowed it down and turned it into a lullaby for Ted.

‘Somehow I’ll find a way’

Kerry never expected to become a father, hell he didn’t know he’d survive this long. He wasn’t the best husband, he knew that, but damn if he didn’t love his son, and he did love Louise, he just didn’t know how he loved her. Especially now with her watching them like they were her everything and Kerry felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

‘But a thing of beauty’

Kerry loved Ted, he loved watching him get excited when Kerry came home, hearing his laughter was the best music he could ever hear. He never had a father that cared about him, he had an older brother sure, but even then it wasn’t a father. And when he looked at Ted, he wanted to give the baby everything.

‘Will never fade away’

Marrying Louise had taken Kerry off guard. He had proposed, but it had slipped out one night after sex. Even she wasn’t sure why Kerry had done it. She was beautiful, the public loved them together, they got along well enough.. so Kerry thought why not. So the next day, he bought a ring and asked her to marry him. She was smiling at them now, watching the Rockerboy away with an infant, their infant, in his nursery.

‘And I’ll do my duty’

“I love you, Teddy..” Kerry whispered, laying the sleeping infant down to rest. Louise came up behind him, rubbing his back as they looked down at the sleeping baby. He looked so much like Kerry, it made the older man scared. He didn’t want Ted to be like him. He wanted him to be happy, free, and not in someone’s shadow. Or stuck in a perpetual state of grief. Kerry wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her cheek.

‘We’ll never fade away’

[jimothy-hopkins]

Do you subscribe to the headcanon that Max used to be a jock before he became a prefect? If so, what do you think was his relationship with the other jocks like before he became a prefect? 

Yes, yes I do.

I’d like to think Max was a linebacker, because he’s an absolute unit.

He was team captain/the clique leader before Ted took his place.

The jocks both respect and fear him.

Max is an expert at hazing tactics too. They ALL remember their freshman year of football.

If you thought the way Kirby and Dan are treated by the team was bad the older team members got it way worse bro.

He acted as that irritated meathead older brother, especially to Ted.

Max also took part in ice hockey and wrestling.

He’s still an active member of the sports teams, he just had to drift away from the clique for prefect duties.

If anyones gonna get that locker room hyped it’s Max.

He still has a really good relationship with the team, although he does make them understand that he has more authority now, and can’t always goof off.

If you’re wondering he hazed the shit out of Ted, Casey, and Damon.

Funny enough they’re like a little football dream team.

Max is biased with punishment of the jocks, he just makes them run extra laps rather than send them to detention.

Nerds he has zero mercy. To Seth they go.

Earnest just gets his ass whooped to questions asked.

[limetimo]

RAB fics I read (Dec 23¨)

Sprinkler Splashes and Fire Place Ashes by sunnystarzJegulus, celebrity crush, singer Regulus, supportive Sirius, sweet

Do Not Go Gentle by AsILayDying Hermione gets yot to marauders era, befirends regulus, and oopsie it's not a & it's a /

Ice Ice Baby by Calypte Ice Skater Regulus yay! he's also french autistic and trans call taht a comorbidity lol. Hockey player james, jegulus

The Easiest Part by WayTooTiredForThis de-aged reggie, caretaker sirius, human disaster barty i love him sm your honour

the elysium by pixie90smom regulus has to arrange-marry a prince. On the bright side, the prince is James. Also assassination attempts or whatever

So Determined to Pay Back by KrisKikstorky So Happy To Serve by KrisKikstorky Omega Regulus got mated to Alpha Voldemort and well, what can I tell you. It's a messss of a abusive situation. and babies are on the way!!

Heart worn on his sleeves. by Aslan_Reinhart James has a crush on Regulus, bit of a prequel to what's to come

Fertility by Badhairred they're fucking. ABO Jegulus

Past Zero Hour by anonymsly *unhinged laughter* I love it soo mucchchchch Regulus survives cave becomes cursebreaker falls in a relationship with Severus snape but is too silly to realise adn also he becomes Harry's favourite neighbour babysitter AND ALSO participates in the healing process of alice and frank longbottoms ♥♥♥ so much going on, so much to love!

Sons of the Sea by lexith Sirius ran away to the sea, and after some years he returned to kidnap Regulus. Regulus is Not Happy

Gathering Home by Quietlemonhush Wolfstar, Regulus is 5 yo and in care of his 20yo big brother :D and Remus is his teacher

clear blue waters (high tide came and brought you in) by wrongcaitlyn the Tonkses drag Regulus to a cruise where he meets not only his estranged brother but also the love of his life. cute and funny jegulus

the penalty shot by bizarrestars james needs a smooch from his ex to shoot penalty shots in quidditch

Best Friend's Brother by bizarrestars a classic that needs no introduction

I'll keep you safe by Fenrir13 regulus got turned into werewolf by grayback, killed the nasty old guy, and now remus is obsessed with him. Future moonseeker

A Reason to Hold on by Sorealis Sirius offers Grimmauld as Order headwuarters but oopsie there's someone already living there? PAst jegulily

I'm not tired (never of you) by thestarsforus bartylus needs to figure out their feelings and get their shit together before Evan loses all hair

The Mudblood of Slytherin by nickahontas college students gets isekai'd to marauders era as Ted Tonk's sister, and bags herself a baby Black.

Wearing His Ring by CQueen Regulus/Teddy hellooooo if you're looking for morally gray BAMF regulus

No Longer Will You Be Forsaken by JulisCaesar reg survives the cave, it's the spy life for him ig

Butterflies Between His Teeth by YellowLark23 SIRIUS' ABUSE TRAUMATISED REGULUS TOO pain pain pain pain pain very powerful very beautiful

When you're older by hufflepuffchaos wolfstar raises harry, regulus babysits

The Alchemist by beanclip i was like yay! Regulus takes baby harry under his wing! :D and then everybody died. jk not everybody. give it a read, it's intersting to say the least

where the ice burns by jelenaRusso regulus survives the cave and off goes to the azkaban. we love kingsley

It’s Actually Our Duty by Lartistrys after a brutal attack Regulus wishes nothing more than to die. Sirius makes him promise to give him 7 months to fix things; and hires James potter to be Regulus' friend. You can imagine how that's going to cause problems later on.

Deliver Me From My Friends by minkhollow :DDDDD far too underrated gem GO READ IT NOW IT'S SO GOOD I PROMISE

Invitation by Orphaneus regulus comes out as trans to his brother

Feeling it even more (because it came from you) by onehundredflamingos james wants to date, regulus is a meanie (but james likes it)

There is another sky, (--Ever serene and fair) by llamallamaduck sirius and regulus run away on an adventure around the world and learn much strange magics (and then blackmail their fan into leaving them alone)

Faded with you by jaspoo reg and james get yeeted into a muggle au where they never were born. inchresting

How a four-year-old kind of set her uncle up during a kidnapping by Emailexplorer hermione is adopted by rosekiller, gets kidnapped, and sets uncle reggie up with james

Maybe This Time (alternatively: once more, with feeling!) by ghostregulusfest, Wanderingdonut :DDDDDDDD reg gets to live his dreams after his death, with the inferi as his posse

[nightlark100]

Consequences (Pt 9)

Things were…okay. Grace couldn't say they were bad. She had a roof over her head, she had food and warmth and friends. She had no reason to complain.

But…It was difficult. So much had changed in such a short amount of time and she felt like all the threads holding her together were rapidly unraveling. She was grateful to Steph for letting her stay, her attempts to thank the girl being dismissed with a handwave (she got the impression that Steph didn't want to make a deal about it but was actually happy not to be in an empty house anymore) but her parents rejection hurt like a physical wound. When she was younger she'd had lots of friends but as she got older, life had pretty much become centred on family and church activities. She had lost her family. And she didn't know where she stood when it came to her church. She hadn't been back since moving in with Steph, fearing that if she went there they would turn their back on her too and she'd lose the last connection to her old life. As long as she didn't go, she could pretend that she was still welcome. God wouldn't judge her for being afraid would he? Well… that was if he cared about her at all.

Meeting the Lords in Black had shifted her perspective a bit. She still believed but it was more abstract now. God was there, he just didn't care. If he did, he never would allow those creatures to cavort and deify themselves.

She had spent a lot of time thinking about everything she had been taught over the years, at bible study, at abstinence camp, at Sunday school. She had scribbled countless pages in a notebook, her handwriting careening wildly across the paper in harsh strokes of sparkly pink gel pen.

Maybe it wasn't that He didn't care.

Maybe she just didn't deserve His love.

She had sinned in the worst ways and no matter how hard she tried to fix things it only seemed to make things worse. She was worthless.

Sitting on the bed, her eyes fell on a small brown teddy bear. Peter had given it to her, it was from when he was younger and his parents had left. He said it might help her sleep, at least until she felt a bit steadier.

Peter had been a surprise for her. Steph she already counted as one of her best friends but she had found herself getting closer with Pete. He was over most of the time, although he usually didn't spend the night (which Grace suspected was for her benefit). He had kept his distance at first until a few days after the move, when he'd come in with the bear and told her some things she hadn't known.

Like how his parents had decided one day that they didn't want to be parents anymore.

How they'd left him locked in the house and told him they'd be back soon.

How he'd felt so grown up and responsible at first being left home alone but as it got dark, panic had set in.

He explained that they'd sent a text to his brother, Ted, who was away at college and asked that he look after him. But Ted was in the middle of exams and had turned off his phone, something he had warned them he was going to do.

Three days later, Ted finally turned his phone on and found the singular text message. No follow up to confirm he'd gone to get Pete. Nothing. When he'd rushed to his parents house, he'd found a terrified and sickly little boy waiting for him, convinced he was going to die.

Peter told her how, when Ted had rung their parents, they'd been told that “mom and dad just need some time to reconnect and sort out their marriage”. They'd said they'd be back and Peter would wait, sitting in the front window to keep an eye out for their car until the day that the house had been put up for sale and the two brothers moved into their tiny apartment.

“That was the last time I went to church. I was convinced that I had done something wrong and that I was broken in some way, I had to be for them to abandon me. Especially after I found out that mom remarried and became a dutiful Stepmom. I felt thrown away by everyone. Except Ted. And I felt angry that my parents could still pretend to be devout after leaving me in that house. I know it's not exactly the same but I can understand some of the things you're probably going through. And I'm here to talk if you need it.”

He'd left her alone after that, placing the bedraggled bear on her lap. It had a bowtie on. That made her smile. She'd found herself talking to him a few times after that. He never made her feel small and even when he disagreed with her, he would explain why he felt that way and present his opinion in a respectful manner. It was nice. She valued the empathy he showed her in a way she hadn't expected.

Stephanie was another surprise in her own way. She'd seen facets of Stephanie's personality while they'd been dealing with Max and she'd seen the image Steph put out at school. But at home, and the Lauter house truly was becoming home, she got to see something a bit softer. Steph didn't have similar experiences to fall back on but she supported Grace how she could and was quick to provide a distraction if her friend got stuck in her own head. Seeing Steph let down her walls, seeing her with sleep mussed hair on a Saturday morning watching animal planet allowed Grace to let her own perfectly rigid mask loosen a little. She didn't have to be perfectly tidy and presentable, an embodiment of piety and purity. And that was nice too.

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Bit of a shorter part just to give Grace some time to adjust to all the stuff I keep throwing at her

Consequences (pt1)

In which the Lords in Black aren't fully satisfied with Grace's sacrifice (or, the pitfalls of an abstinence only sex education)

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She hadn't wanted to kill them, Grace thought numbly as she stared down at her dirt streaked hands, unable to shake the image of her latest victims from her mind. Yes, she believed that the behaviour she'd witnessed from the young couple, drunk and making out in the park, was dirty and perverse but she didn't want to kill them. And yet when she had gotten near, it was as though she was seized by a terrible hunger and she just couldn't stop herself.

She slipped to the ground, resting her head against the side of her bed and felt tears burning her eyes. It had been a few months since everything with Max... since she had given in to the primal temptations and sacrificed her chastity to send him to hell. She should feel... something. Relief? But her insides felt like they were rotting. She'd done so many terrible things and she didn't even have her unwavering faith to fall back on anymore, not after what she'd seen in the school gym. She didn't know if the colourful figures had been demons or if they truly were gods but it felt like jagged claws had slashed apart the fabric of her soul, leaving jagged doubts behind. Doubts and hunger.

At first she'd been able to ignore it but it had gotten stronger. It would rise in waves, crescendoing down onto her when they peaked and leaving her scrabbling for purchase as her mind crumbled.

Even the brief moments of peace she usually got between the waves had been lost to her now as she found herself battling daily with nausea, sometimes barely making it from her bed to the bathroom in time. She had tried to hide it as best she could but she knew her parents were concerned, had heard them whispering while she lingered in doorways. If it continued much longer they'd want to take her to the doctor, but she knew medicine couldn't help her. Her soul was sick, that was the cause. She would just have to pray harder. Maybe she could ask Stephie and Petey for help? Surely her friends would agree to pray with her when they saw how bad things had gotten.

Struggling to her feet, feeling her stomach twist painfully as she did so, she retrieved her phone from her bedside and sent Steph a text asking to meet up.

Her friends would help. They had to.

[that-thing-that-feeling]

I remember seeing the writers’ account’s Father’s Day post, and I also saw a fanmade Father’s Day meme that had Hopper, Bob, even Ted, etc. and included Steve but not Jonathan 😔 despite helping raise Will

I love Steve and it’s really nice how he comes to form a close bond with the group, especially with Dustin, but it feels like no one wants to talk about the less memey, less lighthearted version of being that kind of older figure 24/7, and the way Jonathan had to step up out of necessity.

Like idk if this makes sense, but Jonathan didn’t have much of a choice—it’s not like being friendly with a kid and just happening to fall into a mentor-mentee relationship, Jonathan knew he had to take on that type of role because Lonnie, who’s supposed to be their father and supposed to be a figure that’s there for him and gis brother besides their mother, sure as hell wasn’t going to do it.

It also makes me wonder if, coupled with him being generally sidelined, people just… expected that from Jonathan anyway, coparenting his little brother. It doesn’t feel as memey, it doesn’t seem “special”, because that’s his job. And it’s like yeah, it’s generally a big brother’s duty to look out for his younger sibling, but it’s different when it’s to the point of trying to make up for the lack of father figure altogether for Will and especially when Jonathan doesn’t have that figure for himself, too.

I agree it’s not as meme-y, it’s complicated and not just light, which is why the writers don’t seem to care about it. But as for if Jonathan had to or didn’t have a choice—like yes, I think he had to step up, but that’s also who he is. Not everyone would have stepped up that way. He was out there doing all he could to shelter Will from Lonnie (the stereo scene), he was building castle byers with Will all night in the rain when Lonnie left to try to make him feel better. He’s done both logistical things like cook him breakfast, drive him places and pick him up, try to make extra cash for the family, but he also done a lot of emotional support because he’s very protective and loyal and loving to his family. The abuse he took from Lonnie was channeled instead of into distance from them or not caring, but into being there, caretaking, and making sure his kid brother had love and support (and Joyce did too in s1). I feel like he’s gone beyond just duty in how he’s cared; would be sad if the audience just expected all that from him and so takes it for granted. But the show hasn’t really cared about all that nuance since s1.

[joaquinwhorres]

moar Tink content plsssss <3 and more asks! mwuahahaa 1). What is her relationship with her brothers? 2). Where is she in life right now? What is she most pleased with right now? Any regrets? 3). What about her parents, how were they growing up and even up to now?

Such great questions!!

Tink's Relationship With Her Family

Overall Tink is very distant from her brothers. Part of this is the age gap between her and them (she was a "last try to have a fifth kid miracle baby"). Part of it is that they're all boys and seemed to easily earn her father's attention whereas she had to work for it as a girl. (Or so it seemed.)

Oliver: 5 years older than Tink & her closest brother. He always tried to look out for Tink and make her feel included, but as the youngest boy, he had to defend himself from his older brothers' ambushes. He regularly contacts Tink to check in and they have a few days long conversation before sliding back into their lives.

Charlie: 8 years older than Tink and her least favorite brother. Charlie was always a bit of an asshole, teasing Tink and challenging her to do things she just couldn't do (i.e. Win back her Barbie if she, the 5 year old, beat him, the 13 year old, in a foot race.) This antagonistic behavior continued.

Ted: 10 years older than Tink. After their mother died, Ted tended to be Tink's guardian and was often responsible for making sure she was accounted for and safe. She likes him because of this, but doesn't feel very close to him.

Gordon: 11 years older than Tink, Gordon was always seen as an adult and he acted like it too. Bossing the others around, telling them who they should and shouldn't hang out with, etc. She resented him for it.

Tink's mother died from breast cancer when Tink was six years old. She was a dutiful wife and former ER nurse turned stay at home mom. She managed to have the firmness to control her four boys and softness to round out her military husband.

Tink's father was present in every aspect of her life and yet he always felt just out of reach. He attended her gymnastic meets as religiously as an admiral could but did not comment on her performance except for a nod and "Good work" if she placed second or first. He ran his house with the same efficiency he ran his command and while he wasn't warm, he did understand children were children and allowed his own kids to have fun and friends without much interference.

As a result of this, Tink and her brothers are constantly vying for their father's approval which Tink sees as even harder to earn given her disappointing status as a girl (something she's inferred rather than been told) and her becoming a naval aviator instead of a SEAL.

She cannot get any of her family to call her Tink for the life of her. Oliver tries to remember, but it's hit or miss.

Where is Tink in Life?

She's currently a recon pilot who specializes in covert missions and collecting photographic intelligence. She loves her job (and being the first to know top secret things).

It can be hard to stay in contact with people because she's not allowed to tell them where she is stationed most of the time, but she is happy if not a little lonely.

Tink doesn't have many regrets but she does have circumstances she wishes were different. She wishes she was closer to her brothers. She wishes she TOPGUN program lasted longer so she has more time with Rooster and the two of them could have figured out what they were.

[stevesharrlngtons]

just a little downhill.

mickey x reader

summary: after a hard day of work, mickey comes home to a very unwelcome and unexpected guest: his little brother.

word count: 4.5k

a/n: mickey and his brother goodness! as briefly discussed, kevin’s face claim is pete davidson (: and if you’re curious, here is another discussion of mickey’s parents. i hope you enjoy and if you do, i’d love to hear it (:

Although Mickey had been out from under his parents order for years now, he never seemed to shake the responsibilities they had assigned him. 

When Mickey was old enough, with a high school diploma under his belt and not much else, he escaped two towns over to flee his parents and their needs. To, at the time, do his best to escape their overbearing asks and assumptions of him. He took very little when he fled in the night; a few articles of well worn clothing; his box of drugs and corresponding paraphernalia; an envelope of mementos of his relationship with you; and you, as well. You both escaped your grim situations with wild eyes and hearts, between flurried kisses and giggles, you made your way to your new lives. 

Now, all these years later, you both were still shacked up in your cozy ground floor apartment, with it’s warped tiles and shag carpets, and Mickey had never been happier. Sure, he worked a demanding manual labor job and he had few future prospects, but he was on his own and living with the woman he loved. To Mickey, there truly wasn’t anything better than that. He suspected he could be forsaken to any living conditions, demands or labor, but as long as he had you by his side, he would be happy as a clam. 

You were the one who kept him sane. The one who taught him how to float instead of thrashing in the water. The one who taught him the gentle caress of love. The one who was the only salve for any and all problems that were thrown his way. 

And when it came to his chaotic life, he needed your healing touch more often than he would like to admit. 

Because while the distance between him and his turbulent family offered excuses for why he couldn’t invariably swoop in and save the day, the milage didn’t often deter his parents from calling on Mickey whenever they needed something. Their expectations still held true no matter the separation.

Mickey was expected to come over and soothe tensions when their fights reached a volume to where the neighbors got involved. 

Mickey was expected to drop everything, no matter the circumstance, to help wrangle their old mutt whenever he escaped and began to terrorize the neighborhood kids.

Mickey was expected to drive the hour to their trailer whenever there was an appliance that needed fixing. Usually after his father had stormed off in frustration when he couldn’t do it himself. 

Mickey was also expected to fix a litany of other things that his parents refused to call in an expert about, but had no problem pawning it off on their son (even if he was no more qualified to fix things then they were).  

But above all, Mickey was expected to look out for his little brother. To watch out for him, and to take care of him when he couldn’t take care of himself. This had always been his most fervently requested task, and possibly the one he resented the most. 

And when he came home to find his fuck to of a little brother with his back against the brick siding of Mickey’s apartment building, a joint between his lips and his head angled toward the sun, he knew his everlasting duty to care for the kid was about to rear its ugly head once more. 

Today was just an exceptionally bad day for this to happen. 

Because before he even saw Kevin’s face, it had been a day where he had just wanted to come home, lay his head on your lap as you pressed delicate kisses to his skin. He needed to be enveloped in your soothing smell and coaxed into relaxation by your voice. He just needed you, because today had been awful. The last thing he needed was to deal with any member of his fucking family.

The day started off with the buddy he carpooled with burning a hole in his brand new seat cover on the way to work. Then it was announced that OSHA would be monitoring their site they were at for the morning, which meant nothing got done and the crew was way behind schedule. When lunch rolled around, Mickey dropped his sandwich on the ground, which caused his coworkers to start an uproar of teasing and laughter whenever he was around. And, of course, after he was already in their crosshairs, his drill decided to stop working, which only fueled the other mens mocking. 

And to make it all worse, his mother had been calling on a loop since noon. He refused to answer, not wanting to deal with her drunk ramblings or vicious criticisms, which just meant that the calls kept coming. Now that he thought of it, he was sure the sudden vibration in his pocket had been the reason he had dropped his sandwich in the first place.

Thanks mom. Fuck you.

“The fuck are you doing here, Kev?” Mickey grunted from around his cigarette as he approached his front door. 

“Didn't Ma call?” 

“I don’t answer her calls sober,” he shoved his key into the lock and pushed the door open with his shoulder.

As the door opened, Mickey cringed as Kevin quickly sprang to his feet and pushed past him into his home. He had expected it, but it still made his stomach drop as it happened. When Kevin planted himself somewhere, he was often hard to peel back up. Last time Kevin had come over to beg for money, he didn’t leave for four days, leaving a permanent lanky body print in Mickey’s couch. 

“Can’t really blame you for that,” Kevin chuckled as he collapsed onto the living room couch in a huff, “we didn’t invent The Scale for nothin’.” 

The Scale referred to the made up increment system the two invented in middle school on how high they had to be to pleasantly deal with their parents. Their mother was usually a Bill and Ted and their father was always at very least Cheech and Chong. The brothers sometimes would still refer to The Scale when they were going through a spurt of getting along. But this was not one of those times. 

Mickey hadn’t seen Kevin on an unencumbered social call in over two years. Kevin used to visit every weekend; to party, play video games or just spend time with his older brother; but now it was only under the guise of extorting money (that Mickey really didn’t have to give) or in a search of a place to crash while he was on the outs with their parents or whatever girl he was currently seeing. 

Because of his mother’s incessant calls and Kevin’s mention of her, he assumed it was the latter this time. 

“Yeah, well clearly you’ve already started,” Mickey grouched, as he tilted his head to the blunt that was still between his brother’s lips. 

Mickey was anything but a prude, but when his deadbeat brother came swaggering into his home with no humility or shame, smoking pot and bogarting his couch, Mickey suddenly turned into a stuffy Christian mother, sticking his nose up and huffing at the mention of any illicit substance. 

“Oh, I’m sorry man, you wanna hit?” Kevin asked, completely oblivious to his brother’s annoyance. 

“What are you doing here, Kev?” 

Kevin’s eyebrows raised at Mickey’s bluntness and whistled low under his breath, before settling back against the couch. 

“Take the stick out of you ass, Jesus Mick,” 

“I’m serious, Kev. What is it? Spit it out, I had a long fucking day. I don’t have the patience to deal with this.” 

“You sound like dad,” Kevin chuckled, smoke billowed from his mouth as he propped long legs onto the coffee table. 

His tolerance for Kevin running thin already, Mickey marched over to the couch and shoved his legs from the coffee table with haste. Kevin’s eyes grew wide with surprise and slight betrayal when he looked at his brother again. 

“I’m not fucking around, Kevin! (Y/N) is gonna be home any minute and I want you gone when she gets here,” Mickey raked a hand through his tousled locks and went in search of his work coat to find a new cigarette. 

“(Y/N) loves me,” 

“Yeah, because you prey on her kindness. Now tell me what it is or I’m calling dad to pick you up.” 

That seemed to scare him enough to reveal the reason for his visit.

“I need a job.” 

And there it was. Mickey let out an encompassing sigh as he turned his back to his baby brother. This wasn’t the first time Kevin had asked for a job, and Mickey doubted it would be the last. 

Others might applaud his brother’s initiative to better himself and search for personal contacts to find him work, but Mickey knew better. He had tried to help him get a job more times than he could count, and Kevin always did something to fuck it up. 

Whether it be never showing up, being high on the clock, failing drug tests or fighting with customers and coworkers, something always went wrong. Mickey had burned many a bridge to defend his brother from these employers, because no matter how insane Kevin made him, he was still his brother and he would be damned if anyone said a bad word about him. Other than him, of course. 

“Yeah? And what the fuck am I supposed to do about that?” Mickey challenged. 

“Talk to Stephen,” Kevin replied simply. 

“Fuck no!” Mickey almost laughed, “Man, I need this job, I can’t have you fucking it up for me.” 

“I won’t! I won’t fuck it up!” 

“Yeah, ok. Whatever you say, Kev.”

“I’m being serious!” 

“No, no way, dude. No, Kev. I can’t lose this job. I got bills and shit, now! Did you know you have to pay for garbage pick up at a place like this? Because I sure as shit didn’t! We can’t even bury it like dad did,” Mickey lectured, “and y’know what? I got a girl, one I’d really like to fucking keep. Which means actually keeping this stupid construction job to keep paying for fucking garbage. I can’t have you gettin’ us both canned.” 

“I’ve changed, Mick. I have!” Kevin reinforced when his brother rolled his eyes, “I’m twenty four now. I got like, perspective on stuff, and shit.” 

“Kev, -“ Mickey started, but didn’t continue as he heard a key in the front lock. 

Seconds later you appeared, hair piled high on your head and still adorning your work uniform. Even with his brother pissing him off and the weight of an awful day on his shoulders, Mickey couldn’t stop the goofy smile that spread over his face when he saw you. Worn from a hard day and in your boxy hotel maid get up, you were still the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on. 

“Hey, baby,” Mickey said as he crossed the living room quickly to greet you. 

“Hi, baby,” you looked up at him, a similar lovesick smile on your lips as Mickey wrapped you in a crushing embrace. 

You craned your head back to capture his pouted lips in a kiss. They will tinged with more nicotine than usual, and you knew something was off before you pulled apart. Your hands had begun to inch toward Mickey’s nape when you heard movement on the couch. When you pulled away, you saw him

“Oh, hey, Kev. I didn’t see you there, honey,” you offered him a kind smile as you moved to rest your cheek on Mickey’s chest.

Mickey tried to keep the scowl off his face as his brother grinned at you. 

“How ya been, (Y/N/N)? Man, it feels like it’s been ages!” his brother charmed, pushing up from the couch to come meet you for a hug. 

When you pulled away from Mickey to do so, Mickey swore you were taking a part of his resolve with you.

“It has, you don’t come ‘round like you used to,” you said, parting from Kevin to smoothe your hands over his broad, boney shoulders. As you inspected Mickey’s baby brother, you spied something new, “this a new addition?” 

You poked the ridge of black ink peeking out of his t-shirt, just below his collar bone. 

“Awh, yeah. Yeah it is,” Kevin pulled down the collar of his shirt enough for you to see the tattoo that joined the ranks of his many others, “it’s the Brooklyn Bridge.” 

“Oh,” you said, a little surprised by the choice, but admiried it nonetheless, “I like it. It’s nice linework. Can’t say the same for the rest of ‘em, though.”

“Yeah, yeah, very funny!”

You winked up at him before you removed yourself from his orbit to return to Mickey’s. Though, on your way back to your man, you saw the firm look of displeasure on his face, and that face was directed firmly at his brother. You stopped in your tracks and traded glances between the two boys, one angry and one bashful, before you spoke. 

“Alright, what’s goin’ on?” 

“What do you think is goin’ on?” “Nothin’.” the brothers spoke in unison. 

You turned your gaze hard at Mickey. He let silence hang in the air for a long beat before he spoke.

“Kev is lookin’ for a hand out. But what’s new?” Mickey scoffed. He planted a swift kiss to the crown of your head before he walked past the both of you to the kitchen. 

“Hey, fuck you man! All I was asking for was help!” Kevin shot back, he turned quickly on his heel to face his brother. 

“I can’t give you any fuckin’ help, Kev! Look what I got,” Mickey waved widley, “there ain’t shit here to give!”

“You could give me your contacts, I could start sellin’ the shit you have left from -” 

“You aren’t taking my contacts and you’re not touching the shit I got from Georgia. That’s mine to do what I please with,” Mickey bellowed, yelling louder than you’d ever heard before, “I don’t need you fucking up the relationship I have with my clients, either.” 

“Clients,” Kevin said in a mocking, posh accent, “their fucking drug addicts!” 

“Yeah? And what the fuck are you, again?” 

“What the fuck am I? What the fuck are you, man?” 

The two had slowly begun to advance toward each other in their squabble, and now were only a pace apart. You knew if they were to get any closer, fists would be thrown. It wouldn’t be a good fight, neither boy had ever been good in physical altercations. The fight would likely consist of misthrown punches and cheap shot kicks, but that didn’t matter. You didn’t want either to get hurt or take anything too far. 

“That’s enough!” you shouted over their bickering, “Mick, c’mon. Come talk to me in the bedroom, please.” 

Mickey’s angry expression faltered the moment he looked over Kevin’s shoulder at you, “Baby, I can handle this.” 

“Mickey. Bedroom. Now.” you had already started to head that way, and Mickey knew if he wasn’t right behind you, he’d be in deep shit. 

With a petulant sigh, he followed you down the hall to the bedroom and shut the door behind him when he entered. You had sat on the edge of the bed and Mickey found his place to slouch against the opposite wall. 

“I can’t deal with him, baby. I can’t deal with his bullshit anymore,” he said, defeated. 

“He’s your brother, Mick. You love him. And sometimes the people you love need more help than you do.” 

“But that’s the thing, he needs so much more. He takes and he takes and he takes, and somehow, he still needs more. I can’t give him anything else. No one can. He’s more of a fuck up than I am, and that’s saying something,” Mickey puffed. 

“You’re not a fuck up, Mick,” you frowned, your brows peaking with heartache. 

Mickey gave you a pointed look, “I kinda am. You don’t gotta sugar coat it.”

You stood from the bed and crossed the short space between you two. When you reached him, you wrapped your arms around his waist and nestled close to his chest. Mickey accepted your embrace easily and gratefully. 

“You are not a fuck up, baby. You have a good job, you have a good life. You provide for me, for our little two person family. And you make me happier than I ever thought possible... you simply aren’t a fuck up because no man I love could be,” you smiled at the tail end of your sentence. 

You propped your chin on his chest like you had minutes earlier and looked deep into his green eyes, both soft and brimming with adoration. 

“I fucking love you so much, you know that?” he smiled, little crow's feet growing by his eyes as he did. 

“I do. And I love you, too.” 

Mickey sighed, relaxation soothing his muscles at the sound of your confession. He gently pressed your cheek back to his chest and reveled in the feeling of your body against his. 

“But really, baby, what are we gonna do about Kev?” you asked after a moment of calm. 

Mickey’s brows furrowed, the pressure behind them intense and blaring. 

“He’s not our problems, baby. He’s an adult.” 

“He is. But he’s also a sweet kid with a good heart, and he just needs some extra help. And I think we should try to help, at least the best we can.” 

Mickey’s head made a thud as he collapsed to the wall behind him, “baby, we can’t keep doing this. We can’t keep bailing him out. We can’t keep bailing them out.”

The image of his parents popped behind his eyes, both fragile and gray and somehow even crueler than ever. He didn’t want to spend his life being their eternal whipping boy, cleaning up their messes when they couldn’t. And that included the mess they had made in his brother.

“This isn’t about them, alright? Fuck them, you know precisely what I think of your parents,” you frowned, and Mickey felt his heart pick up with pride at your protectiveness, “but you also know what I think about Kevin. He really is a good kid deep down. He’s talented. He just needs a little more support before he’s gonna feel comfortable jumping out on his own.” 

“He still drives me fucking insane…” Mickey retorted.

“He’s your little brother, of course he does.”

“Baby, he really does. You have no idea how much that little shit gets under my skin.”

“Oh, c’mon! You love him! He’s like, sad, high, tattooed Big Bird,” you giggled as you heard a grumble vibrate in Mickey’s chest. 

“Yeah? Well, then what am I?” 

You pulled away from him once more, but only far enough to look him in the eyes. 

“You’re like, strong, sexy, smart Big Bird,” you said, your voice a seductive purr as you placed a few chaste kisses to his jaw, “or Snuffleupagus.” 

Mickey’s face twisted in confusion and slight disgust, “why?” 

“Because he was always my favorite when I was a kid.” 

And his expression instantly extinguished into one of warmth and tenderness. Emerald eyes bathing you in liquid love. 

“You just never stop being cute, do you?” he grinned. 

“Nope,” you said, letting the work pop from your lips. 

He placed a gentle kiss to your forehead and took a deep breath of your pheromones; your sun bathed skin and your sweet smelling hair. And as he let his lips stay perched on your skull, he realized that he would do anything for you, no matter the request. He had had this feeling many times before; of his overwhelming and striking devotion to you; though it never ceased to rattle his swelling heart in his chest, and remind him the exact reason he was put on this earth: to make you happy. 

So, if you wanted him to try and help Kevin, then he would. It was the least he could do for all the happiness and love you brought to him. 

But, if he was being honest with himself, there was always going to be a part of him that wanted to nurture his baby brother in any way he could. 

Somewhere in his mind and his heart, Kevin would always be the small blushing bundle handed off to him in a dingy hospital room. It was one of his first formative memories, his little brother wrapped in a white blanket as his mother’s groggy eyes looked upon both of them. Mickey had never held a baby, let alone a newborn, and the tiny writhing creature looked very strange to him, red and angry and crying.

A month before Mickey’s mother would give birth to Kevin, their father had stormed out of the house, and by the time her water had broken he had still yet to turn. So pained and afraid, his mother had piled Mickey in the car after her and drove them both to the hospital. A cigarette in one hand, while her other gave the steering wheel a death grip. As she groaned with contractions and cursed at the traffic, she said something to him that he never forgot: 

“You are the real man of the house, Mickey-honey,” she said in her graveled voice, “this little boy is always gonna look up to you. You gotta live up to that.” 

And that message had bounced around between his ears as his mother, alone and in extraordinary agony, gave birth to his brother. Who as he had held him in his tiny spindly arms, Mickey knew that he would keep him safe forever. No matter what.

A part of that soul promise to his blood now seemed to be finding Kevin a job to keep him afloat. To keep him out of trouble and away from falling down the path their parents had. He honored past his past self in that moment, continuing on with the pledge to keep his brother safe. 

“Fine,” Mickey muttered to your skin, “we’ll help ‘im.” 

“Really?” 

Mickey simply shrugged. 

You moved your hands from where they had been secured behind his waist to come and cradle his cheeks, “you’re a good man, Mick.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he played off, eyelids fluttering. 

“The best man I know,” and you kissed him tenderly, the soft feeling of your lips electrifying him.

He hummed when you pulled away, but with more anguish than pleasure. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Mickey said. He quickly untangled himself from you and exited the bedroom before you could even process your post kiss haze. 

“Kev,” Mickey called, finding his brother laying down on the couch now, the television remote in his hand as he flipped channels, “get the fuck up.” 

“Hey, woah, listen Mickey, alright? I’m sorry! I am, I’m sorry,” Kevin began, stammering nervously. 

Mickey could tell that his brother was trying to save face. That he was trying to bargain for his help, and that he believed that Mickey was coming back to tell him to leave and never come back. But he didn’t stop him, Mickey thought Kevin deserved to squirm a bit. 

“I know I’ve fucked up, like really fucked up over and over again. But I got this this time, ok? I’m like, I’m ready for, I don’t know, a fresh start. I’m ready to do better.” 

Mickey simply crossed his arms as his brother stared up at him with heavy set brown eyes. They were flickering around the room, scared to look at his older brother who loomed over him. Mickey was sure he was searching for you, knowing he could always grovel at your feet for sympathy. 

“Fuck! What am I supposed to say, stop being such a-“ but Kevin stopped himself before he finished, knowing it likely wasn’t smart to start name calling the person he was asking a favor of. 

“No, no, continue. What am I being? Hm?” Mickey raised an eyebrow. 

Kevin’s jaw tightened, “.... a really, good guy.” 

His pained voice would have made Mickey laugh if he wasn’t wearing a stoic persona. It reminded him of when Kevin was forced to apologize as a child, their dad’s hand pulling up his ear as he spat out an apology. 

“Imma ask around, alright? Been hearing about some landscape work a buddy of mine has been talking about. I’ll call you tomorrow.” he finally said, putting his anxious brother out of his misery. 

“No shit?” Kevin asked with a suspicious lilt. 

“No shit. And if you get the fuck out of my house in the next five seconds, I might even put in a good word for you.” 

“Fuck,” Kevin exhaled, his body deflated like a balloon against the cushion, “you have no idea-“ 

“Nope, I don’t,” Mickey interjected, “and I don’t want to. Now fuck off, dude. My lady is home and I don’t need you here.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright!” Kevin said as he was shooed off the couch and to the door, “thank you, (Y/N/N), you hear me, babe?” 

You heard the commotion from the bedroom and popped your head out to watch Mickey escorting Kevin out. Stripped down from your uniform and now bundled in a pair of Mickey’s thread bear sweatpants and his favorite Scorpions t-shirt. 

“You look gorgeous, by the way! So good, does Mickey tell you enough?” Kevin had widened his gangly limbs in the door frame to keep his brother, who was shoving him quite hard, to stop him from leaving. 

“He does, Kev. I promise,” you grinned at the brotherly exchange as they threw jabs at each other, “I’ll see you soon, honey.” 

“Bye, (Y/N/N)!” was the last thing Kevin got out before Mickey slammed the door in his face, not worrying about if there were stray fingers left behind. 

“That fucking kid…” Mickey said under his breath, locking the deadbolt with a resound click. 

You pushed away from where you had leant against the wall and walked toward him, “my man… my sweet, strong man who has such a big heart and helps out his family.” 

You plastered yourself to his back, bringing your hands down to fiddle with the hem of his shirt, “my man who provides for me,” you pressed a kiss to his shoulder, “for the people he loves,” one to his trap, “who is the best person I’ve ever known,” one to his neck. 

Mickey whimpered under your ministrations, caught up in the whispered pleasure of your lips and nimble fingers that greedily took inventory of his torso.

“You’re really tryin’ to start something, huh?” he chuckled as you began to suck on his pulse point. 

“And if I was?” 

As soon as the last syllable left your mouth, Mickey had twisted around to take handfuls of your thighs to hitch you up around his waist. 

You couldn’t hold in the excited giggle that bubbled from your chest as he marched you both back toward your room in quick succession. His long strides getting you both back between the sheets in no time. All thoughts of  dropped sandwiches and burn holes and faulty equipment and pesky little brothers, gone. Now, there was only you, and that was just the way Mickey liked it. 

if you follow me you know that i have been going through a major writing block and a creativity dry spell, so while i don’t think this is my best work, it is fun and silly and soft and nice to write (:  if you enjoyed, i would really love it hear it <3 ‘til next time!

[mrpenguinpants]

I am a firm believer that Childe is indeed younger than Keqing and has no form of respect for her regardless.

It’s moreso a form of me establishing that the Keqing is a short adult in her mid to early twenties who has to inevitably deal with the constant neck pain she gets from having to look up at her co-workers just to make eye contact. She curses either herself for it for never growing an inch or curses everyone around her or, well, both. Regardless, she can occassionally be found in her office stomping the floor and feeling like the battle is her against the world LMAO

As a side note, I loved the little headcanons of the boys as children you included! It was a different thing that would’ve never came to mind otherwise. While I’m totally ride or die on the “four men accidentally hire themselves a babysitter and a daily slander machine (she does it out of love)” train, I do appreciate different variations to the idea.

Oh and seeing myself on the anon list makes me feel a bit warm, it feels like I’m being acknowledged as family for crashing this wonderful blog with brainworms lmaooo— on a much serious note, I really appreciate hearing me out whenever I have an idea or two to share.

Sincerely, Keqing harem brainrot anon

(I felt like using a dash was too orthodox, and these are basically my mini love letters to you for being an overwhelming amount of seretonin, so I figured why not give it a little twist)

Minor Spoilers for Character Backgrounds

I wrote some more on this here: Genshin: Royalty AU HCs

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FUCKING CATCH ME CRYING IN THE CLUB AS I HOLD THIS PRECIOUS ASK IN MY HANDS. I THOUGHT YOU DIED. I WAS SO UPSET. REMEMBER THAT ANON ASK THAT I JUST REPLIED TO WHERE ANON FELT LIKE THEY WERE COMING HOME? THAT. THAT IS HOW I FEEL RN.

Yes. I know anons have lives outside of tumblr. Am I a parent penguin now? Yes. Yes I am. I’m fucking crying, it does feel like I’m seeing my family again.

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Out of all the “adult” genshin characters, I firmly believe Childe is the youngest. He is just hovering that adult status because of his height. Can I also say how much I love that the “culturally insensitive white boy” idea came from people on twitter getting tired of Chili fanart where Childe calls Zhongli “sensei” even tho the mans Chinese? 

Speaking of short people, and because I will never shut up about this, XIAO IS 5′2. Ty for coming to my ted talk. I can literally astral project and visualize Zhongli being Keqing’s boss or co-worker that’s super respectful - but lowkey a bit slow because he keeps forgetting his wallet and Keqing is too nice to leave him without lunch - but when he’s spitting facts about the ancient art of ink blocks she’s cursing him in her mind. Why is this man so tall?? She can feel the neck muscles in her neck crying out in pain that when she finally relaxes and stares forward rather than upward, she get’s a killer cramp and ends up dying on the floor (I HATE THAT FEELING BTW). She’s out here googling ways to grow taller after puberty and chugs milk cartoons like it’s air. 

This is why I absolutely love sharing ideas with others. There is so much food to be brought to the table so I always try and encourage others to share their ideas. Plus it let’s me get my over-active brainworms out haha. 

I just love the dual personality of younger vs older genshin characters. We got to see a little bit of young Diluc in the manga (pls..I know it’s completed but crumbs. I beg of you) where he was this starry eyed and friendly knight attitude. Actual sweetheart. Your typical childhood boy next door type of vibe that was sweet and polite but was a lot smarter than he looked. He has a pet turtle (or tortoise?) and I find that so cute. I can totally see Diluc being hard working to make his father proud but also slacks hard and watches his turtle awkwardly eat a strawberry most of the time haha. He would both die for his turtle and go to war for it. Honestly, I just love the idea of child Diluc being a bit of a slacker compared to his older self, who is trying to speed run his life.  

As for Kaeya, I’m going to say this now. I fully believe in the art of shy and quiet Kaeya when he was a child. It makes sense in terms of the lore since he was basically shoved into an unknown world and all alone. Poor guy probably has a lot of insecurities and is super standoffish to happy and loud children his age. He might come off as rude but he just doesn’t know how to socially interact. As sad as this may sound, he probably mimics other children as his way of expressing emotions. Since he spent most of his time with Diluc, he probably tried to mimic Diluc’s mannerism to try and fit in but Diluc is smart and caught on. It was actually a really wholesome connection of Diluc trying to help Kaeya express himself rather than copying others. Until well, the incident that separated them. 

Complete side note since I know we’re talking about a modern au but: I know I’m stretching this super thin and this doesn’t hold up in the lore at all but I really like the idea that Kaeya is secretly the Prince of Khaenri’ah and Khaenri’ah is a code word for the Abyss. This is basically me saying I want the Abyss mages and Kaeya to actually get along but due to moving in with Diluc’s family and the world’s view on monsters. He has to talk and play with them in secret. I think it’s kinda cute haha. 

As for Childe, actual angel. Have you seen Teucer? Who is this pure innocent soul and what the FUCK happened to create this Grade A Brat? He got too many vitamin gummies and became a gorilla. I mean, both younger and older Childe would walk an old lady across the street but only older Childe would then try to 1v1 the old lady. I’m actually crippled by the idea that Childe used to be this scrawny kid that decided to bulk up due to deep insecure attitudes towards himself or protection ideas for his younger siblings. Fighting became a need to survive and he hated it at first until he met his Master and found the fun in it because it was his way of having control of a situation. Though of course, while this man has two braincells, he’s still sensible. Childe may be a clown but he’s a good big brother. 

Then there’s Zhongli. In my mind, he was basically like Kaeya. Probably came from royalty as well. He didn’t know how to express himself except his boy was actually hollow. A complete husk of a person that was just doing what he was told to absolute perfection. That was until Guizhong, who I completely headcanon as someone older than Zhongli and acts as a sister figure (fucking fight me), grew concerned for this poor child and tried her best to teach him how to have fun. That there was life outside his studies and duties. While it didn’t work out perfectly and Zhongli is still a bit slow on the uptake, he genuinely is thankful to her and her help. I can see him have a little notebook of all her advice and teachings - heck, drawings of human emotions - that he sometimes has to turn to because he’s lost. (why..do i keep making Zhongli’s part so sad). 

BUT ASIDE FROM MY BRAINWORMS. “Four men accidently hire themselves a babysister and a daily slander machine” IS SUCH A CONCEPT. I want them all to have the worst habits. Childe LICKS the yogurt peel in front of Keqing slowly because he knows it absolutely disgusts her, Zhongli eat’s his sandwiches vertically, Diluc blends coffee with 5 hours energy and doesn’t tell anyone (so everyone has the worst hangover 3 hours later because they all leech off each other), and Kaeya, for the love of god, cover your tit window. It’s too early to get arrested for public indecency. 

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I’m happy my anon list made you feel fuzzy 💕💕. I’m probably missing a lot of anons on that list because I have the memory of a goldfish so I just listed the ones I could remember. Since you know, you’re some of the few that came back to talk to me which I honestly really appreciate. I know you all have lives outside of this small blog so it does make me really happy seeing you all come back. I’ve mentioned it before but don’t be afraid to chat with me about anything, doesn’t even have to be genshin^^ but I absolutely love the stuff you come up with. 

I never thought of an anon list acting like a family acknowledgement (more as a literal list) but I’m fully on board with that. I went back to my older anon asks to see if I missed anyone (and I probably have since the tumblr search tag is garbage) but I hope they are all still around on this blog and wanna drop by to say hi^^ 

I’m going to go change my anon list to pengu family because holy fuck that’s cute. But with that said, 

Welcome back home keqing harem brainrot anon!

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Major Updates to My Weird Idea (that includes my Nightside OCs)

Go check my previous post on this - HERE

This is mainly an update for @schizoauthoress , @the--blackdahlia , @spacelizardtrashboys , @enigmaticandunstable and @piratewithvigor and I personally think @nattinngrst might like this.

I went on a trip to the beach yesterday with my parents and my older brother (who I bored and annoyed with this idea and you'll see some of his influence in this here post)

Anything written in italics is meant to be taken as a joke as you read through this wall of text, sending good vibes as always, hope y'all are doing well.

The show is set in Canadian, Texas (real place: Wikipedia). I'm thinking of this show starting in the mid-to-late 90s (1996/1997).

I've managed to do several things with that weird sitcom idea, so, where to start, how about with the three potential titles:

1 - Neighbourhood Watch

2 - First Call

3 - First Round (Which my brother likes)

Here are some options for bar names, starting with the Cop bar:

1 - The Donut Hole

2 - The Roasted Hog (which my big bro suggested)

3 - The Sherriff's Outpost

And the Biker Bar:

1 - The Handlebar Inn

2 - The Steel Horse Saloon

3 - The Rebel Room

Next on the list of updates: Cast additions, character roles and (Finally after 2 days) Names for Everyone!!

I'll start with the Cop Bar's owner & staff:

Rosalina Asturias 'Rosa' (Played by Billie Martinez) an employee of the local cop bar. Didn't grow up in the town, moved here for work.

Violet Croft (Played by Eli Herne) an employee. Grew up in town, never left, has the hots for one of the guys in the local police.

Sunshine Crawford 'Sunny' (Played by Holly Di Antonio) an employee. Grew up in town, left for college and came back.

Roscoe Power 'Ross' (Played by Jimmy Hart) the loudmouth who owns the bar, grew up in town, used to be a car salesman.

Olesya Pavlovsky 'Olivia' (Played by Penelope Voronin) an employee who grew up in town and has immigrant parents, goes by 'Olivia' because she would rather you don't f*** up her actual name.

Winona Vance (Played by Sam Griffin Silver) an employee who moved here from New York, for unknown reasons, and doesn't really understand the small town, everyone knows everyone lifestyle.

Lavender Whittemore (Played by Victoria Lucifarian) an employee who grew up in England but moved to live in America, settled in Canadian, Texas due to her love of westerns.

Next: The Local Police Squad:

Sergeant Valentine Gautier 'Val' (Played by Bret Hart) recently promoted before the series begins but still on patrol duty, watches over his younger brother.

Corporal Buck Morris 'Buckshot' (Played by Davey Boy Smith) the gun loving corporal of the squad and the only one to have both 'work' and 'home' guns.

Captain Napoleon Cooper 'Crazy Cooper' / 'Captain Crazy' (Played by Jim Neidhart) the police captain, recently reassigned to Canadian, Texas as there were rumours abut him which interfered with his work in his previous location.

Officer Duke Gautier (Played by Owen Hart) the young, recently recruited brother of Sgt Gautier, often put on patrol alone to ensure less arguments, but always checked on by his brother.

Next: The Biker Bar's Staff:

Ozzy Rains (Played by Charles Wright) A biker and member of the staff who grew up just outside of town but loves his fellow staff members like family.

Brock Martel (Played by Henry Godwin) a biker and member of the staff who grew up on a local ranch and loves beer, football and the current Mayor's down-to-Earth style.

Vincent Gore 'Vinnie' (Played by Kane) the owner's son and a known fire loving 'freak' often protected by his surrogate family, the bar staff, Vinnie knows no better than 'ooh, cool looking fire' and must be restrained or have his hands swatted away to stop him burning himself trying to touch campfires.

Raven Knight (Played by Kirby Roussimoff) the only female staff member, but also the girl who does all the tough jobs when needed, has a side business of making and selling artwork, such as portraits to locals, has designed some of the bar staff's tattoos.

Harlow Gore (Played by Paul Bearer) the owner of the bar and a loving father to his son, took Murphy (Undertaker) under his wing when they first met and also treats him, and the rest of staff, like family.

Hunter King (Played by Phineas Godwin) Brock's cousin and a member of staff, taught Raven how to shoot a shotgun and his father owns a local tattoo parlour.

Sequoia Reed (Played by Rikishi) an employee and Frankie's (Yokozuna) cousin, also a surrogate cousin to Raven, having been best friends since childhood. Reed loves his job and his staff family and will defend both at any cost.

Lupe Zapatero (Played by Savio Vega) an employee at the bar and possibly the shortest member of staff, towered over by the tallest staff members but is not any less of a fighter because of his size, a former mechanic who loves nothing more than taking things apart and putting them back together while listening to metal / rock.

Murphy Graves (Played By The Undertaker) Manager of the biker bar and an excellent member of staff, has an outlaw rules vibe, as in he would say to the police "Your jurisdiction ends when you walk in my bar." Very protective of the staff, and the owner.

Frankie Wolf (Played by Yokozuna) the most relaxed and laid-back of the staff, Frankie would prefer to be in the kitchen making potential 'Culinary Masterpieces' as he would call them. Sequoia and Raven's (surrogate) cousin, views his staff mates as family.

Next: The Local Band (Named: Exoskeleton Samurai)/College Students

Quinn Thorn (Played by Jeff Hardy) the bassist to Ros' (Lita) vocals / lead Guitar and older brother Garth's (Matt) Drums, a face paint enthusiast and an English major in college who never seems to find time to study, but always has time to date somehow.

Roz Jerome (Played by Lita) the vocals and lead guitar for the band and an art major who actually studies, dating Garth (Matt) and met Quinn through him. Roz also studies Spanish and French.

Garth Thorn (Played by Matt Hardy) Quinn's older brother and the band's drummer, a major in psychology and a horror movie lover, Roz' boyfriend and almost totally devoted to her, even at the cost of his college work.

Next: The Local Townsfolk of Note:

Mayor Robert Sweet (Played by Jim Duggan) rarely seen, but apparently a good man with good ideas, helps out in volunteer projects and absolutely loves the town. Trying his hardest and people know this, and they love him. (did I meme correctly?)

Rusty Jarvis (Played by Mick Foley) the local hippie who has never left town, somehow managing to know both everything and nothing at the same town. (Very Dude Love with hints of Cactus Jack and Mankind) Does know how to fight when he needs to.

Redd Wayne (Played by 'Sycho' Sid Vicious/Justice) the local baseball/softball star, helps out at the local school/college teaching sports and likes Raven's artwork, he watches her draw when he can, runs the local little league & minor league baseball/softball games.

Earl Black (Played by Steve Austin) the most often seen regular at the biker bar, absolutely loves both the bar and the town, a hardworking guy who has befriended the entire staff (including Harlow and Vinnie) of the biker bar.

Lex Aston (Played by The Rock) a local struggling actor, teaching an acting class to pay the bills and an absolute ladies man, and for that reason he goes to the cop bar, to try and pick up one of the bartenders who works there, often favouring Rosa as she will jokingly flirt back.

Finally (for this section): The Degenerates and Their Benefactors:

Reign Yates (Played by Billy Gunn) Leon's (Road Dogg) best friend, often the getaway driver for the group and a scout for locations, often getting all the info on a place before telling Matty (H.H.H) and Dell (HBK). Often leaves town with Leon to get the heat off them. (and make out in secret)

Zelda Hooper (Played by Chyna) the only female degenerate but possibly the toughest, has a rap sheet as big as her arms, not to be trusted when around the other degenerates as she is usually the actual brains of the operation.

Matty Battle (Played by Hunter Hearst Helmsley) the co-leader of the degenerates, often protected by Zelda or Mark (Kevin Nash). does most of the talking but has the piss taken of him for his looks often by either other degenerates or locals who don't care for the degenerates.

Romeo Colombera (Played by Mike Rotundo/I.R.S) the right hand man of the mysterious benefactor, and often the lawyer for the degenerates as well as a taskmaster for them, telling them what the boss wants done and by what date.

Mark Rake (Played by Kevin Nash/Diesel) the tallest degenerate with a rap sheet as long as his leg, a former bouncer at a now closed nightclub, alongside best friend (and possibly boyfriend) Galo (Scott Hall) and now a bodyguard (when needed) for Matty and Dell (HBK, also boyfriends).

Leon Rose (Played by Road Dogg) best friend of Reign and a scout for the group alongside him. Has found every possible way to piss off other townsfolk and often in the most fights because of it, always on the police's radar for one thing or another and constantly leaving town because of it.

Galo Villalobos (Played by Scott Hall/Razor Ramon) the only (supposedly) Latino degenerate, raised in Canadian, Texas but his parents are from Cuba, Galo is a former nightclub bouncer (alongside Mark) Galo is known (for his ability to give minus fucks) as the most relaxed member of the group.

Dell Pain (Played by Shawn Michaels/HBK) the co-leader alongside Matty, a known flirt with people regardless of gender or sexuality, just to piss them off on some occasions. Dell grew up in town, knowing it like the back of his hand.

Giles Rennell (Played by Ted DiBiase) the mysterious benefactor of the group, bailing them out if needed, he stumbled across the group after seeing a police bulletin and decided to use them to cause enough chaos to guarantee a chance in the next mayoral election.

Zac Noel (Played by X-Pac) the shortest and youngest degenerate, Zac is often treated as the child of the group, being taught how to get away with crimes and trick the police into just letting him go by clerical error and tomfoolery.

Next on my list of updates: Season 1's episode list, episode titles, episode synopses, some spoilers, and the revolving door idea a bit further explained.

Series running order:

Biker bar episode

Cops on Patrol episode

Band/College Students episode

Cop bar episode (yes these are different)

Degenerates episode

(last episode of each season/series only) town meeting/town get-together (E.X: town hall meetings, the town getting together for a sports game or barbeque or restaurant opening)

1x01: Insert Coin to Start: The pilot episode of the series sees the local biker bar of Canadian, Texas installing two, brand new, arcade machines. After leaving for the night, the team finds the bar broken into and both machines missing with no evidence or possible suspects to the robbery. The team finds the machines relatively undamaged in an alleyway nearby. By the end of the episode there's still no suspects. B plot includes an argument between father and son, Harlow and Vincent which ends when Murphy gets involved.

1x02: Hot Pursuit: Newly instated chief of police Chief Cooper [Neidhart] makes changes to the patrol teams before tasking them with looking for any persons involved with (1x01)'s robbery and break-in, leading to a high speed chase later in the episode. B plot includes the squad coming to grips with the new, and much crazier, police chief.

1x03: Making Noise: Local band Exoskeleton Samurai [Team Extreme] are writing new music late at night while Roz [Lita] tries to study for a class the following day but, during a moment of quiet, they hear a break in a couple of doors down and attempt to see who it is. The group get a glimpse of Zac Noel [X-Pac] and Mark Rake [Nash] but not a full glimpse. Now aware of the local degenerates, the band try and forget about it and focus on their own lives until their apartment gets broken into when they're not there.

1x04: Donuts & Beer: The new cop bar opens on the other side of town, serving mainly (both savoury and sweet) bagels and donuts as well as beer (on tap and bottled), the fact it's slightly more risqué gets (both good and bad) attention on the place. Winona Vance [Sam] gets in a fight with Zac Noel [X-Pac] as she's locking up. Winona [Sam] being put in the hospital with a broken arm makes the rest of [Cop Bar]'s staff double down on getting justice for the near break-in.

1x05: Dirty Work: The first episode from the degenerates perspective. The degenerates are just causing general problems for the town without reason because it's fun' but it's quickly losing their interest as the heat on them rises. The end of the episode has Matty Battle [Triple H] receiving a call from 'Mister R' [DiBiase] offering him a deal.

1x06: Blue & Black: A brawl breaks out at [Biker Bar] following whispers that the people who broke in are in the building. The bikers who work at the bar threaten to hurt anyone who works for the rival bar if they try and mess with business while in the biker bar.

1x07: Captain Crazy: A rumour that the current captain was moved location and promoted to smooth over allegations that he may not be fully sane, Officer Duke Gautier [Owen] is determined to find the truth while Sergeant Valentine Gautier [Bret] and Corporal Buck Morris [Davey Boy] are determined to keep the peace and catch the local degenerates.

1x08: Broken Strings: following an argument with an ex girlfriend Quinn Thorn [Jeff] finds his guitar smashed and has to work odd jobs to buy another one (starting a potential series c plot). Garth Thorn [Matt] ends up in a fight with Galo Villalobos [Hall] which ends when Roz Jerome [Lita] smashes a table leg over the back of Galo's [Scott's] head, knocking him out and giving him over to the police.

1x09: Badges & Bottle Tops: Captain Cooper [Neidhart] stops by [cop bar] to talk with owner Roscoe Power [Jimmy Hart]. Meanwhile the Gautier boys [Owen & Bret] interrogate Galo Villalobos [Scott Hall] about what the degenerates are doing and why, getting no information about the mysterious benefactor over than he pays them a lot of money depending on what they do.

1x10: Paid off: The mysterious benefactor 'Mister R' [DiBiase] pays Galo's [Scott's] bail, getting him free for a while but side-lining him too. The benefactor remains hidden in shadow but Matty & Dell [Triple H & HBK] have a meeting with him to discuss money and the next job.

1x11: Written in Ink: the tattooed bikers on the staff encourage regular customer Earl Black [Austin] to get a skull tattoo on his back and even take him with them to the tattoo parlour they frequent, finding it to be burned to the ground with a 'freaks get lost' sign planted in the wreckage. Murphy Graves [Undertaker] dismisses the rumours that the arsonist is the fire fascinated Vincent Gore [Kane] and even gives him an alibi when the cops come looking for answers, putting blame on someone in town who knows about Vinnie's [Kane's] love of fire, which is nearly every person in town.

1x12: Sergeant Heartbreaker: Sergeant Gautier [Bret] is accused of flirting with the staff at [Cop bar] leading to a paid two day leave to get heat off of him while he's ordered to remain at home. Officer Gautier [Owen] and Corporal Morris [Davey Boy] are put on patrol together, leading to a high speed chase of Reign Yates, Leon Rose & Zelda Hooper [Gunn, Road Dogg & Chyna] after witnessing a mugging, assault and graffiti from the trio, the cops eventually lose them down a back road on private Giles Rennell's [DiBiase's] land they would need a warrant for.

1x13: Failing Grade: Quinn's [Jeff's] lack of sleep leads to him getting a fail on an test forcing him to do the semester again. Enraged by this Quinn [Jeff] considers leaving the school but is encouraged to continue following Garth [Matt] ending up in hospital following [1x12]'s assault and mugging on Garth & Roz [Matt & Lita].

1x14: Microphones & Megaphones: [cop bar]'s owner Roscoe Power [Jimmy Hart] installs a stage for local acts in the bar, leading to Violet Croft [Eli] performing later that episode (the closing of the episode into the credits) and the night before the first performance the bar is covered in graffiti, leading to a massive clean up effort from the staff and local volunteers (like Mick Foley & The Rock).

1x15: Trench Warfare: Romeo Colombera [IRS] the benefactor's [DiBiase's] right hand man and go-to lawyer gives the degenerates an list of jobs, run the police chief out of town by the end of the year, run the bikers out of town, and ensure that 'Mister R' [DiBiase] the benefactor wins the next mayoral election.

1x16: Fuelling Up: after closing up [biker bar] Raven Knight [Kirby] narrowly avoids being burned by her motorbike exploding in a ball of fire. Her boss, Harlow Gore [Bearer] tells her to take the week off, leading to her coming into the bar and sitting at the back of the bar, sketching the regular customers and having a long conversation with local sports star Redd Wayne [Sid].

1x17: Brothers in Arms: Together: the Gautier brothers [Bret & Owen] are put on patrol together leading to the arrest of Zelda, Matty & Dell [Chyna, Triple H & HBK] before the trio are bailed out, the brothers interrogate Dell Pain [HBK] (leading to a very 'basic instinct'-esque scene with Shawn in assless chaps and boxer briefs) who gives them no information on their behaviour and why they are doing the things they've done.

1x18: Night Time Fun: the band attends a college party, unknowingly with Zac Noel [X-Pac] also in attendance, leading to the trio being high and drunk and the Thorn brothers [Matt & Jeff] end up in a fight, almost being thrown out of college entirely for their actions the next morning.

1x19: Head or Hart: Violet Croft [Eli] and (officer) Duke Gautier [Owen] meet properly for the first time on a blind date, leading to them walking through the streets of Canadian, Texas at night. The date is quickly ended after Duke [Owen] spots Leon Rose [Road Dogg] spray painting [cop bar] and gives chase after handing Violet [Eli] his number.

1x20: Grunt Work: The degenerates have a group meeting about how to sabotage the town meeting, leading to Rennell [DiBiase] coming out of the shadows to lead the degenerates in a coordinated attack on the town hall. Leading to the degenerates waiting until the town meeting to begin the next day.

1x21: Town Meeting: Mayor Robert Sweet [Duggan] conducts a town meeting, leading to everyone airing their grievances with the degenerates recent spree of activity. At the end of the meeting, paint bombs hidden above the townsfolk go off all at once, covering everyone in bright, almost neon, green paint.

[hudsweeney]

closed   :   @mattsullivan​ location   :   sully’s tavern

“  𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬,  𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐲,  𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐱.  they’re supposed to hemorrhage teeth at that age  . .  .  well,  cavities build character  . . .  he’s not gonna  --  forget it  . . .  yeah,  yeah,  see you sunday.  ”  before he could spend one more second being the asshole on his phone in public,  hud jabs repeatedly at the end call button until the line disconnects  --  quite the challenge thanks to the number he did on his screen last week.  with his sister-in-law placated  (  at least for now  ),  he shifts his attention back to matt  --  still stationed behind the bar,  still doing his best impression of ted danson in cheers.  “  unbelievable.  her kids clean me out the other night and somehow i’m the bad guy.  ”  his nephews practically bullied him into bankruptcy at the pumpkin patch.  if anyone deserved financial compensation,  it was hud.

“  anyway,  i guess we were both on cool uncle duty this halloween.  ”  he vaguely recalls the sight of sully entering the corn maze,  flanked by a kid  (  teen ?  the older he got,  the harder it was to tell the difference  )  he could only assume belonged to his older brother.  “  haven't you heard ?  single after thirty entitles all your married relatives to free round-the-clock labor.  ”

[joontier]

The King’s Guard | Chapter 5

pairings: kim seokjin x reader ; jeon jungkook x reader ; min yoongi x reader

rating (chapter): NC-17 | genre: fluff, humor, aNGST

warnings: DRAMA, swearing, slight violence depicting a fight

word count: 5.8k

g/n: HAFLKAJSFKLASFLAKSJFLAPWO. That is all I have to say. Thank you for listening to my TED talk. 

The King’s Guard - Masterlist  ||  navi.

The King’s Guard | Chapter 5 

The highly anticipated Chuseok Festival finally arrives – and you can practically feel the thickness of excitement in the air. There’s already a stead beat of the drums from a distance and you can picture the people bustling around, each borne with a task just as significant as the other.

Much to your agitation, your body won’t seem to cooperate with you on the day you need to work the most. You’ve risen early dawn this time with a sick feeling in your stomach, and ever since Chaeyoung caught you throwing up in bed, you hadn’t been able to sleep another wink.

“Call the royal physician,” you order meekly to the worried court lady beside you, messily wiping away the remnants of your state of unwellness this morning. As you shift your position so your back is resting comfortably against the wall, you close your eyes and take deep breaths, praying for your lightheadedness to go away anytime soon.

“Could it be, Jungjeon-mama?” Chaeyoung whispers, eyes wide and hopeful.  

“Perhaps, Chaeyoung. Perhaps.”

As the court lady stands up to leave, you grab hold of Chaeyoung’s wrist. “Under no circumstance should you tell anyone of my condition. Please. If they insist, make them work in the kitchen for the entire morning.”

As Chaeyoung quietly exits the hanok, sliding the doors behind her, Jungkook and Yoongi call her attention from the stairs, startling the poor court lady out of her wits. At the surprise, her footing gives way, but Hoseok deftly catches her in his arms. The two lock eyes for the first time since the southerners had arrived in the capitol, and the general finds himself staring at the court lady more than he can admit. Chaeyoung, seemingly just as lost in the general’s eyes, subconsciously gulps as she feels Hoseok’s grip on her waist tighten a little.

Yoongi coughs ultimately bringing the two back to reality. Ever the hopeless romantic, the smile on Jungkook’s face falters, scowling at his brother for ruining the moment, and of course, at his hyung’s incapability to allow people to enjoy themselves even just for a while.

The two abruptly stand up, poorly averting their gazes somewhere else. The general retreats to his place beside the southern king, while Chaeyoung busies herself with smoothing the invisible creases on her dang-jeogori.

“Has the queen risen already?” “Is Jungjeon-mama awake?” The brothers ask in unison, both looking at the court lady expectantly. Chaeyoung is momentarily taken aback by their sudden concern, but is quickly reminded of your strict orders.

“The queen is already awake, but she wishes to be left alone to pray for a little while.” Feeling slightly defeated, the two start to depart from the entrance of your hanok. The court lady, willing to test all of her luck today, thinks of a brilliant idea to get the three to help out with the palace’s very own Chuseok preparations. “She did mention something though, in case you would have been looking for her this morning…” Yoongi looks at her with a raised brow, “Jungjeon-mama requests for your assistance with something.”

Jungkook nods, ready to be of help with anything, especially when it concerns you. Meanwhile, Hoseok looks at Yoongi warily, unsure if his king was willing to do you a favor. “Of course. It’s the least way we can show our gratitude for having welcomed us warmly at the capitol.”

Smiling widely, Chaeyoung bows her head a little to show her thanks, “Very well. Would you all please accompany me to the palace kitchen?”

Thankfully, the royal physician arrives quickly even on such a short notice. Yunho leaves shortly after escorting the visitor, leaving you some privacy with royal physician Kim Taehyung in your room. The usually bright man sets his things on the table beside your bed and pulls a chair next to you.

“Ah, Jungjeon-mama it’s been a while since I last saw you. Tell me, what truly happened that it suddenly warrants my presence in the palace?” Taehyung asks, rummaging through his bag.

“Everything is just fine and dandy, Taehyung. How about you? Have you been well? We haven’t met each in a long time!”

“I believe I should be the one asking questions here, Mama. And if by “fine and dandy” you mean waking up from your slumber just to throw up, then all of my studies would have been put to waste.”

Unable to stop your giggles at his remark, you thank him silently for his visit. The royal physician’s presence always brings such a light mood wherever he may be.

Despite being the only brother of the reserved Kim Namjoon, these two were as close as two peas in a pod even when they have contrasting personalities. While Namjoon was more on the timid side, Taehyung was more playful and cheery – the two siblings polar opposites but it all seems to work out for the better.

The two brothers are distant cousins of Seokjin, hence their inclusion in the higher nobility class who freely visited the capitol’s palace. You hadn’t officially met Taehyung until you were wed to Seokjin but you weren’t a stranger to the stories your husband used to tell you about their notorious trio.

Most of the older court ladies had confirmed their reputations as major headaches while they were still kids growing inside the palace. The three would escape from their assigned guardians of the day, roam the city and would not come back until it’s time to eat, and run off to play one more time.

Adolescence took their time from each other, as this would usually be the time when boys would take lessons and become apprentices of their parents’ choosing. With Seokjin taking significantly different lessons from the other two as heir to the throne, the time they used to spend running away was now dedicated to learning the way of the scholars, swordsmanship, and politics.

“Playing was for kids anyways,” King Seokwoo would say as Seokjin gazed at the other boys his age who were free to do as they pleased. It saddened Seokjin to have let go of his youthful years like that, but with the great guidance of his father, the young man accepted his fate as the next king in line.

“Wangbi, if you don’t mind…I need you to take off your jeogori as I have to check your pulses properly.” With a hand reaching out to the ribbon on your dress but you stop midway as you notice the royal physician still staring at you. You blink owlishly at him, hoping he gets the message. “Oh! Right! Sorry, Mama.” He apologizes sheepishly before turning around to let you undress the outer garment.

You tap him on the shoulder once you’re done and as Taehyung turns around to face you, he looks anywhere but your eyes. “It’s alright, Taehyung. You can…look. I’m not exactly naked after all…” Stating matter-of-factly, you point a finger at your undergarments, still affording you an adequate amount of modesty. Your reassurance only serves to make the awkwardness in the air more palpable. “Sorry, that didn’t help, did it?”

“No, Mama,” he laughs, although admittedly endeared by your concern to make him as comfortable as possible, “But you don’t have to apologize, I am the physician after all and it is my duty to properly check my patients, so I was bound to ask that at some point.”

“Sorry,” you apologize meekly, again, and the both of you burst into peals of laughter. “I will check your pulse now, Mama,” you nod, sitting up straighter.

Taehyung places two of his fingers on your neck, just below your jaw as he checks your pulse. He remains quiet as he transfers them onto your wrist, humming as he observes your pulse one more time. The royal physician takes out a scroll and a brush from his bag and borrows an ink block nearby. Brows furrowed in concentration, Taehyung starts recording his observations.

“I will be asking a few personal questions, Mama. Please do not worry much for only I will be seeing this scroll, and what we have discussed today will only be between you and me – you know, physician and patient confidentiality.” He gives you a warm smile, one you cannot help but return.

“Have you been intimate with the King recently?”

His query definitely throws you off guard, but not because of reasons it ought to be. You’re surprised at how much of the truth his question was going require from you. Needless to say, your acts of unfaithfulness had never struck you as hard as it did today.

You hesitate for a moment, hoping your momentary silence would not be taken wrongly by the royal physician. You decide on answering the physician with half the truth. “Yes.”

“And have you bled during the past full moon?”

“No.” He nods, humming as he continues to write his diagnosis on the scroll. Taehyung pauses as he thinks for a moment, then gets on with jotting down some more. Finally, he takes out two small woven pouches from his bag and hands them to you.

“I need you to pee over these seeds, Mama, as they will determine the truth of your present condition. I will have my apprentice collect them later. I shall be able to conclude the results in a few days’ time, even though I think you and I already both know the answer. For the meantime, I need you to rest and eat plenty, my Queen. You’re going to need it.”

Silence suddenly blankets over the kitchen as Chaeyoung appears with three men behind her who all seem to cower under the unprecedented stare of the ladies in the kitchen.

“Gungnyeonim-dul, please continue with your chores. Jeonha, his general and our captain had come to assist us with the preparations – as recommended by Jungjeon-mama.”

The ladies of the kitchen, with too many tasks at hand and with even less unwillingness to question your orders, curtly bow in greeting to the three before going continuing their chores. Hoseok grimaces inwardly at the sight, knowing very well he’s just going to end up embarrassing himself in the kitchen.

The two brothers, who equally had experience helping their mother in the kitchen, likewise guided by her wise words ‘cooking is a life skill everybody must learn, regardless of gender’ head over to one corner to rinse their hands. Hoseok follows suit after an awkwardly escaping from a staring match with an elderly court lady.

Jungkook spots Haesoo across the room and as the captain sends her a small smile, Haesoo’s cheeks flush, getting shy at the small forbidden interaction. “It seems like everybody already knows what they have to do. Is there anything else we could help with?”

Yoongi speaks up, offering an idea, “This is the perfect time to boast about our city then – as the south makes the best songpyeons in the whole of Korea. Perhaps a southerner’s touch can make the capitol’s better? Not that I’m saying your rice cakes are worse, but…” Yoongi shrugs, raising the cover of a pot to check what’s boiling inside.

“As you wish, jeonha,” Chaeyoung bows, heading over to one of the tables to grab the ingredients needed. “’Least way to show your gratitude’,” Jungkook huffs, mocking his older brother’s words. “Really? By openly telling the cooks their cakes are bad? Inside the kitchen?”

“You and I both know mother’s songpyeons are better even without having to use the fancy ingredients they use here.”

Jungkook sighs in defeat, knowing his brother only spoke the truth. Nothing beats the south’s rice cakes. “Yes, I know. But you really did not have to—” The sound of food falling onto the floor causes everyone to look at culprit who’s holding onto a log used as a cutting board as a shield from an elderly court lady.

“I’m sorry, gungnyeo-nim! Please don’t hurt me!”

The old woman glares at poor Hoseok, who’s still holding onto the cutting board for dear life. “You call yourself a general, yet I’m still better with knives than you.” Hoseok looks at Yoongi, desperate for help, but the king of the south shakes his head as he laughs at his general.

Taehyung offers to walk you to the kitchen as soon as you deem yourself ready to face the day, much to your adamance, and Taehyung’s dismay. You’d caught yourself up with the cheery physician’s life on the way to the kitchen, and as you were laughing at a certain story of his patient Taehyung was animatedly talking about, you notice a crowd of court ladies standing by the entrance of the kitchen.

The physician’s supposed punchline falls into deaf ears when you ask what was going on inside that was enough to have court ladies gather around like this. The court lady you asked won’t even bother to look at you, to engrossed in whatever she was looking at inside. “See for yourself – it’s the captain and the king of the south competing about who can knead the dough better, though I’m pretty sure it’s us ladies who are enjoying it very much,” she says, pouting her lips as she nods to the two inside.

Taehyung holds his laughter in as he sees your confused expression, and tries to see the match for himself. How did they even get here in the first place? What were they doing in the kitchen and what’s with kneading the dough?

As you finally take a peek inside, your mouth drops slightly in shock as you see, lo and behold, Jungkook and Yoongi busy with kneading the dough. But, that’s definitely not what caught everyone else’s attention. The two had taken off their jeogoris, both now left in their sleeveless undergarments, with their sinewy arms on display.

You can’t stop the blood rushing to your cheeks as you catch yourself staring at them – or their arms rather. “Would you excuse me, please,” you call out to the women in front of you who were crowding the front door. “But we’re still-“ the court lady turns to complain, but as soon as she sees you, she immediately kneels. “Jungjeon-mama!” The others hear and soon follow suit.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” You reassure them, understanding where the momentary distraction was coming from. They make way for you, and as you enter, you spot Chaeyoung by a table, likewise watching the competition between the two.

“Chaeyoung,” you call the court lady who immediately bows as she turns to face you. “Please enlighten me how these two got here.”

The young court lady then proceeds to tell you how she managed to coax the two into helping with the Chuseok preparations. From initially having different tasks, they eventually got to do this together instead after so many arguments on which colors should the rice cakes be, what filling should be best inside, court lady Oh suggested they do something that won’t cause any further unhelpful squabbles.

You exhale deeply, already wondering how long this day was going to be.

The first day of Chuseok goes by pretty well, spending the rest of your afternoon, leaving the palace grounds to visit your subjects to wish them a good harvest. Apparently, the competition between the captain and the southern king didn’t end with the dough. The whole time they insisted on joining you as you pay your citizens a visit was also a competition guised as accompaniment.

It’s been a long day and as much as you wanted to relieve yourself of your aching legs from all the walking, you realized you still had a few scrolls to catch up on, so you head to Seokjin’s office to read a few before retiring to your room.

“Jungjeon-mama! Jungjeon-mama!” Astronomer Lee runs as fast as his feet could carry him, running towards your office in stunted breaths. He sees Yoongi coming from the other end of the hanok, bowing briefly in his direction before demanding the royal guards outside your hanok to let him in.

“Her Royal Highness doesn’t want to be disturbed right now.” Two guards bar him from entering the court, using their bodies to stop the anxious astronomer from coming in.

“No! No! Please, it’s an emergency! Jungjeon-mama!”

As you continue your reading, you give one look at Yunho who curtly bows before you before heading outside to check the commotion. As soon as Yunho steps out of the hanok, the astronomer clings onto his arms, frantically tugging at his sleeves.

Worry crosses Yunho’s features, not expecting the astronomer’s arrival at all. Minho would only come visit you only, and only if you called for his presence. He was never one to pay regular visits, nor was he expected to run to court, all the while screaming out your title.

Minho attempts to peek through the doors that were slid open, waving his arms to get your attention. Yunho blocks him promptly, “My sincerest apologies, astronomer Lee, but we are under strict orders of the queen to not let anyone disturb her at the moment.” The guard extends a hand out, placing it on the astronomer’s chest to prevent him from taking another step.

“Let him in,” comes your authoritative voice from inside. With a sigh, Yunho makes way, but not before Minho pushing away the former’s arm harshly from his chest.

Minho, seemingly distraught as ever, calls for you once more before falling on his knees. “Jungjeon-mama…apologies, disturbance…must see…”

“Astronomer Lee, breathe. Please,” Jungkook advises as he nears him, placing a hand on his back. The astronomer shakes his head furiously in reply, despite having difficulty catching his breath.

Likewise taking advantage of the open doors, Yoongi enters with Hoseok quietly, much to Yunho’s dismay. But all eyes and ears are focused on the astronomer right now, whose current state is worrying all around him. The pair of southerners warily watches the astronomer while Jungkook silently eyes his brother sideways, jaw clenching at the unwanted presence of his hyung.

“What brings you to the court, Minho?” Standing up from your seat, you descend slowly down the stairs from the throne. You take the astronomer’s queasiness, getting more anxious at his actions. The usually reserved Minho was never one to take a hurried pace, much less scream your title loud enough from the whole palace to hear in the middle of the day.

He lifts a bag with trembling hands – like the small pouch has demanded from him great effort to carry such a thing. With every moment that passes, trepidation gets heavier inside the room.

“What’s inside the bag?”

Minho opens his mouth to reply, but nothing else comes out but a deep exhale so you nod to Jungkook, signaling him to tell him to check what’s inside. Maintaining your distance, you watch the captain untie the knot, hand dipping inside to feel its contents.

Craning his head to check what’s inside, you instantly see Jungkook hesitate with his actions so you take a step closer, fear slowly gradually taking over your thoughts. He pulls out a garment, a blood-stained blue and pink durumagi in his hands. You’d recognize those clothes anywhere.

Seokjin.

Everything around you seem to stop altogether, including your heart. You snatch the clothes from the captain’s grasp, falling to your knees as you clutch the fabric close to your chest.

Minho’s head falls as you let out a scream that resonates throughout the entire hanok, your cry audible even in the neighboring ones. Hoseok looks away, while Jungkook calls you, reaching out his hand to your knelt position on the floor.

The grief that spreads throughout your body is indescribable, like your heart has been ripped from your chest and crushed right in front of your face. Your vision is blurry and tears are flowing freely down your cheeks. Even with daily prayers and offerings to your ancestors, your worst fear has come true, and at the worst time possible.

Memories of your husband flood your thoughts, all of which end with the vivid image of Seokjin’s lifeless body.

“Leave,” you order weakly, voice muffled against the blood-stained garments of your husband. Nobody moves, undoubtedly shell-shocked at the news. Jungkook notices Yoongi and Hoseok share a look, and the captain balls his fists as he keeps his anger at bay, just knowing these two have something to do with the king’s death.

Your order seems to fall into deaf ears of those in front of you – torn between wanting to reach out and comfort you, but at the same time, also wanting to give you the space you deserve. You don’t give them a choice. “I said leave! All of you, out. Now!”

The guards inside file out one by one first, the two southerners follow after Minho, and Jungkook was the last to leave, looking back at you before sliding the doors closed.

The world seemingly just crashes down on you when you’re finally alone in Seokjin’s office. The weight of his loss brings you bending your body further, closer to the wooden floor. Sobbing with all your might, you yearn for your husband with all the energy left inside you.

Chest heaving as you wipe at your tear-stained cheeks, you head to your husband’s throne on your knees. You don’t even make it to the second step, bursting into another round of tears. With blurry vision, you look up at his chair, imagining he’s seated right in front of you as you call out to him.

You sob, silently pleading him to come back to you, to have him in your arms one last time. “Why did you have to leave me alone like this?” People would assume you’re talking to yourself, but you sure hope Seokjin was listening somehow, someway.

As you bring the garments close to your face, the strong metallic smell of blood hits your senses harshly, but you could care less – desperate to feel the presence of your husband one way or another. “You should’ve listened to me, my love. I already told you they were going to hurt you,” you scold his throne, wishing Seokjin was listening.

‘You told me you wanted to start a family; we could have had as many children as you wanted.’ As you gaze at the inanimate garments of your husband, you force a smile onto your face, yet in mere seconds your features distort into grief once more.

As soon as the rest of the guards and the two southerners leave the room, Jungkook tells Yunho to do his rounds by the western gates. Your attempt to keep your grieving inaudible to those outside the hanok only causes Jungkook’s heart all the more, wishing you had allowed him to stay inside to at least hold you while you cried.

The captain waits until Yunho is out of his sight before trailing after his brother. “You!” Jungkook calls out, surging towards Yoongi. The present king of the south, still unaware of what is, or who is, rather, coming onto him. Hoseok feels someone else’s presence behind them and stops the infuriated captain just in time, blocking Jungkook from hurling himself at the king of the south.

Jungkook doesn’t let the southern general stop him, delivering a punch straight to Hoseok’s face. The older man staggers backwards at the strength. Jungkook jabs at his brother afterwards and throws another, bringing them both to the ground. Hoseok quickly recovers, pulling the captain and his wrath away from Yoongi.

“What the fuck is your problem, Captain?” Hoseok hisses as he touches his now bruising cheek, moving to shield his king as he stares Jungkook down.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you both that? You come here to the palace to…to…” ‘Fuck the only woman I love before my very own eyes.’ The words die in his mouth. Jungkook clears his throat, regaining his composure. “Should I believe that it’s purely coincidence that you arrived here just when Seokjin left the palace because of you?”

Yoongi scoffs loudly, dabbing at the corner of his lips, feeling a wound slowly forming. “Why does everyone actually think we’re the ones responsible for this?” Jungkook gets taken aback, quickly hiding the surprise on his face upon hearing his brother’s words. “What do you mean by that?” the Captain asks, rubbing at his now bruising knuckles.

“What else do you think it means, Captain Jung?”

Hoseok doesn’t mean to interrupt, but the nosy general couldn’t help it – “Jung?! We’re from the same clan? Are you perhaps the son of the infamous Jung Minseok? The same man my King has slain?”

“No, he’s not,” Yoongi answers, giving his brother a knowing look. Jungkook rolls his eyes. Was Yoongi expecting a ‘thank you’ from him for answering his general’s inquiry? “You still haven’t answered my question, southern king,” Jungkook continues, muttering about Yoongi always having to answer in riddles. He was smart, yes, but that doesn’t mean he’d have to regard everyone as a scholar like him.

“I told you to stay in the south, and we could’ve risen to power with no obstacle. Now, I’m guessing you’re not entirely enjoying being the clueless captain now, are you?”

“I am not clueless. I know for a fact that it’s your city that’s causing all this turmoil and you’re here to cover up the fact that you’re the one who killed him. I know, Yoongi, because I also sent someone to check on the king’s troops so—”

“I wasn’t the one who killed him. We may have encountered each other on the way here and I may also have wounded him, but it wasn’t me who killed him.”

“You… and you didn’t even bother…helping him?”

Jungkook immediately regrets his question, wanting to probe the southerners, but unfortunately sounding unintelligent while at it. “I wanted to, but how could I possibly have when we were both attacked?”

“And who would have wanted to attack the two kings of powerful cities at the same time?”

“I am not certain of that fact yet, but I will get to the end of this sooner or later.”

Jungkook stares at him intently, silently pondering on his brother’s words. At this point, he could no longer tell if his brother was bluffing or not. “Why am I supposed to believe you?”

“You know me well, Jeon Jungkook. Lying is not one of my best traits. Especially not to you.”

“Jeon…” whispers Hoseok from the side, connecting the dots together. It couldn’t be. The southern general’s eyes widen in realization – curious orbs darting back and forth between the two. It couldn’t have been possible? Or could it now? Was the Captain of the King’s guards really the lost brother of Yoongi?

Only few people knew of how Yoongi came to be the king of the south, and even fewer people knew that he had a younger brother, one to succeed the throne, lest something happens to the present southern king.

“Wangseje,” Hoseok bows immediately, acknowledging the presence of the southern city’s crown prince.

It’s been a couple of days since the news of your husband’s death, and inevitably, your duty calls for a council meeting for a discussion. 

Even before you reach the doors, you already hear the councilmen talking within themselves in hushed voices. These men never learn. They gossip just as much as their nosy wives. Nodding to the guards, they push both panels of the door open at the same time, the sudden noise startling the entire council. They scurry towards their positions and form a straight line to acknowledge your presence.

You walk slowly down the aisle they’ve provided, watching every man in the room, yet not a single member dares to look you in the eyes. You find it strangely hilarious that these men are brave enough to spread rumors about you behind your back, but once you’re in the room, they’re as quiet as the little rats that occasionally pay the palace grounds a visit. Oh, right, you’re still talking about the advisors.  

“Jungjeon-mama.” They bow, greeting you in chorus. The head of the royal advisors, Chief Advisor Park steps forward. “Jungjeon-mama, we are saddened by your loss,” he states lowly, bowing from the waist. The rest of the council follow suit. Just your loss? What about the country that had just lost its king? During the most anticipated festival of the year on top of that? What about the citizens who will no longer have a ruler who was ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of their safety? What about the lives of your people that will be put into care of these filthy, lying men?”

“Ah, such a great loss of our country as well, my Queen. King Seokjin was a ruler that will never be forgotten.” The relatively young man adds. You’re thankful that your mourning cap provides you with a fine sheath of silk that covers your face, or else the entire room would have seen your face contorted in anger.

You sigh exasperatedly, albeit quietly. Just the presence of these pompous men already makes you want to retire to bed at once – royal protocols be damned. “Our loyalty and support remain with you during these trying times, Jungjeon-mama.” Their sugar-coated words of encouragement continue, lie after lie after lie. You resist the urge to laugh at their empty statements.

What kind of pathetic fool did they take you for?

The death of your husband might have brought about an immense weight of emotion on your shoulders but your personal sentiments are not to be mistaken as a deterrent from your royal duties. You may be a widowed queen now, but that fact never made you any less of your title.

You start to seriously consider wearing this headwear more than special occasions so you can freely make faces at people who are courageous enough to lie through their teeth in front of you.

“Daebi-mama,” Slightly grimacing at your new title, you tilt your head a little, urging him to continue to voice out his concern. “The news of King’s Seokjin’s passing had not been announced yet, under your orders, but we must address to you the imminent worries if our citizens, Daebi-mama.”

Here it goes, the words determining the wretched fate of women in the country. “As you are well aware, a king’s absence may be seen as a sign of vulnerability – a sign of weakness that has been proven throughout history.” Chief Advisor Park Jimin holds his stare – a look that speaks in volumes. He knows you, out of all people, would know that fact. It is, after all, the incipient cause of your existence.

Even though he has chosen his words with caution so as not to reveal his intended denotation, is he not aware that you can see straight through his words that are dripping with ingenuine concern for your people?

Just as if the rest of the council hear your thoughts, Advisor Kim adds, joining Park “Please do not misunderstand, Mama. We do not wish to contend or question your sitting on the throne…” You swore, if he did not only share your husband’s surname and thus having been regarded as a distant member of Seokjin’s family tree, you would have dismissed this uselessly man from his duties a long time ago. At least you have proof that they are somewhat genuinely related: they both can’t look straight in your eyes when lying.

Advisor Oh joins from the other side of the aisle. Ah, the infamous lying trio. “We worry for your safety too, Jungjeon-mama.” Oh, really now? The rest of the men share murmurs of agreement. Chief Advisor Park adds to the older man’s statement, “If you don’t mind me saying, Mama…we fear the king of the south might be…overstaying his welcome.”

“He won’t be able to do anything anytime soon, and not while I’m still sitting on the throne.”

“Jungjeon-mama, I hope you understand that this is a pressing matter. The country desperately needs a king right now.” Oh adds, getting a few nods from the council. Do these people really comprise the council? Or it’s just three people who brought their coerced worshippers along with them?

“I am well aware of what sort of dishonorable duty this society has imposed upon women, I, of all people would be most knowledgeable on that,” you reiterate your point.

“Unless we have an heir to the throne, my Queen, the city will remain in unrest.” There’s the truth they’ve been itching to tell you. Did they really have to go through all those lies just to get to this point? As Chief Advisor Park takes another step forward, Jungkook moves as well, hand already on hilt of this sword, ready to wield his weapon just in case the former decides to move closer.

Yoongi, who was passing by the court heard your voice, deftly sliding a window slightly open to see you. If he thought you were endearing when you were drunk, there was nothing else compared to his attraction towards you now that you were seated on your husband’s throne.

It’s the only place you were only ever meant to be, nurtured and trained to be the queen, and an even better wife of the king. Too bad it wasn’t him on the throne, yet.

When you raise a hand at the captain, he backs away, fixing his sword back to its scabbard. Park Jimin smirks. “I would be most willing to help you with that, Jungjeon-mama.” At his proposal, you’re unable to control the scoff that escapes your lips.

“That offer would be most tempting, Chief Advisor Park…” the man visibly straightens at your words, a brow raised at your unexpected remark, “perhaps to someone who shares the same degree of desperation as the proposer.”

The rosy tinge of shame fills the man’s cheeks while you hear Jungkook and the other guards behind you suppress their snickers. You are smiling widely as well, and as Park Jimin gets a glimpse of your pearly whites through the fine silk of your headwear, he gives you the cold shoulder and walks back to his row.

Yoongi, enjoying being inconspicuous from outside the hanok beams at you, immersed in the amusement he finds in watching you put these men in their places. Behind the mirth, he knows that the chief advisor was not totally ingenuine with his concern.

It’s the unspoken truth – a kingless city was as vulnerable as a deer in an open space, surrounded by hunters. He had never doubted your prowess once, nor did he question your capability to look after your subjects. But the world was a cruel place and a kingdom without corruption is almost a concept far from reality.

“Nevertheless, the need for an heir is already out of the choices…” Whispers are shared amongst the crowd of men in front of you. Confusion arose from the councilmen at your words. Even with their numerous plots to rise to the throne, you’re still surprised at how they can’t seem to understand simple implications. Taking into consideration their perplexed expressions, you decide to state the obvious.

“Yes. I am pregnant.”

Jungkook and Yoongi look up at you from where they’re stood, just as shocked as the rest of the council.

[taglist] : @aretha170​ @strxwberri-milk @vivpurple7 @wheredoiwhaaat25 @hodginss  

(c) joontier 2020

[storybookwolf]

Everybody Loves Jonathan

[This is my contribution to Day 1 of @jancyweek2020. The theme is Family, so I’ve shown Jonathan getting to know the Wheelers as Nancy’s boyfriend. It’s set just after season 2. It’s shameless cutesy fluff, and I hope you enjoy it!]

Mike (November 1984)

Nancy had asked Jonathan to pick her up for school at 8.15. ‘Just wait in the car and I’ll come outside. If you come in we’ll get sucked into a vortex of a million question from my mom, and I’d prefer to make a clean getaway.’

He was doing what she’d asked, but he still felt like he was being kind of rude and weird, loitering outside of a girl’s house. Especially since he’d arrived twenty minutes early. He sat there, trying to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest but instead just scanning the same paragraph over and over without absorbing it and repeatedly glancing at the Wheeler house for signs of life.

Finally, at 8.04, the front door opened, and he felt all the tension drain out of his body. It was instantly replaced by confusion, however, when he saw Mike emerge from the house and come running towards his car.

‘Jonathan! Hey, Jonathan!’ the middle schooler yelled, wrenching open the door and throwing himself into the backseat. ‘How’s Will? Is he okay? When’s he coming back to school?’

Jonathan smiled. He was so glad that his little brother had someone who cared about him this much. ‘He’s doing a lot better, but I think Mom’s gonna keep him at home for a few more days.’

Mike grinned. ‘Awesome. That he’s better, I mean. It sucks that he has to stay home.’ Then he leaned back in his seat and looked at the older boy, suddenly serious. ‘So are you, like, Nancy’s boyfriend now?’

Jonathan felt himself start to blush (he hated when that happened). ‘Um…yeah, I guess? I think so. Has she said anything about it?’

‘She refuses to answer any questions,’ said Mike. ‘It’s cool if you are, though. She always seems happier when you’re around.’ He shrugged. ‘So are you dating or what?’

Before Jonathan could answer, the passenger door opened.

‘Hey, you’re early!’ said Nancy. She leaned over and kissed him. It was just a peck on the lips, but Mike started to make gagging noises as though they were full-on making out in front of him.

‘Ugh, why are you guys so gross?’

*

Karen (November 1984)

Nancy checked her reflection in the bedroom mirror for the twentieth time. Should she change her earrings? The hoops had seemed like a good idea, but her curls just kept getting tangled in them. She decided to switch them for tiny gold studs. The rest of the outfit was okay – navy tights, denim skirt, the peach argyle sweater that Jonathan had said he liked. She knew it was silly to be nervous about their first ‘real date’, given that they’d been together for three weeks now (and given everything they’d been through before that), but she couldn’t help but be a little anxious.

And the fact that he was late was only making her more nervous. It wasn’t like him, he was usually either early or exactly on time. Frowning, Nancy grabbed her jacket and purse and decided to wait downstairs … where she found her boyfriend in the Wheeler family kitchen, helping her mother unpack groceries.

‘The tuna fish goes on the third shelf down, and the spaghetti has its own special Tupperware, on the top shelf,’ Karen directed. ‘Oh, hi Nancy!’ she said when she noticed her daughter. ‘Jonathan pulled up just as I was unloading the car, and very kindly offered to give me a hand with all this.’

Of course he did, thought Nancy with a smile.

‘What are you two up to tonight?’ her mother asked.

‘We’re seeing a movie at the Hawk. Actually, it starts pretty soon, so we should probably get going,’ Nancy said, taking Jonathan’s hand and starting to pull him out of the kitchen.

‘Okay, have fun! Make sure you’re home by midnight,’ said her mom.

‘Isn’t your curfew usually 11?’ Jonathan murmured once they were out of earshot.

‘I guess you doing grocery duty gets us an extra hour,’ said Nancy, grinning.

*

Holly (December 1984)

It didn’t take long for Jonathan to become a fixture at the Wheeler house. He’d bring Nancy home from school and stay to study with her. He’d come over for Sunday lunch and weeknight dinners. He’d arrive an hour early to pick up Will from D & D, and spend the time sampling whatever Karen’s latest baked creation was. And wherever he went, he had a shadow: Holly.

The youngest Wheeler seemed to think that Jonathan was actually there to visit her, and therefore it was her job to entertain him. So she’d show him her latest drawings, and make him play dolls with her, and insist that he watch her favourite cartoons. And Jonathan always played along, engaging with the pre-schooler on her level in a way that Nancy found ridiculously adorable. But after a while, it started to grate. She just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend, and it was deeply weird to have to compete with her baby sister for his attention.

Which was why Alan Stavinsky’s retirement dinner seemed like such a great opportunity. He had been her dad’s boss at the insurance company for nearly twenty years, so her parents wouldn’t dream of missing it, even though it was being held all the way in the city and was bound to be a late night. So they’d need Nancy to babysit – she could invite Jonathan over, and once Holly went to bed they would have some privacy.

But Holly just refused to go to sleep. There was yelling, and tears (from both Wheeler sisters). Eventually, the younger girl was persuaded to put on her pyjamas and get into bed. Three bedtime stories later, she reluctantly agreed it was time for lights out.

‘At last!’ said Nancy, snuggling into Jonathan’s side on the couch. ‘I thought she’d never leave us alone. Now, how should we spend the rest of the night?’

‘Do you have any more Berenstain Bears books? I’m pretty hooked,’ Jonathan deadpanned.

‘I have a better idea,’ said Nancy. ‘How about we—’

‘I can’t sleep!’ a small voice announced from the doorway of the living room. ‘Jonathan, play Hungry Hippos with me!’

Nancy managed to stifle a groan of frustration as her boyfriend turned away from her and towards the little girl.

‘I think Hungry, Hungry Hippos might be a little too exciting for after bedtime,’ he said. ‘Let’s make a deal. Do you promise to go back to bed and stay there if we watch ten minutes of one of your Strawberry Shortcake videos?’

‘The Christmas one?’ she asked.

‘Sure.’

‘Okay!’ Holly bounced over to the couch and squeezed in between Nancy and Jonathan.

Nancy dutifully put on the video and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, hoping to miss as much of the nauseatingly sweet cartoon as she could. When she returned a few minutes later, her little sister had finally fallen asleep – and so had Jonathan.

Sighing, Nancy switched off the TV and settled into the La-Z-Boy with one of her mom’s Cosmopolitan magazines. So much for a perfect night with her boyfriend.

*

Ted (January 1985)

It was the last day of winter break. Jonathan and Nancy had spent the afternoon hanging out at her house, doing nothing much at all.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?’ Nancy asked as they said goodbye at the front door.

‘I’m sure,’ he said, leaning in for a quick kiss. ‘I told Will I’d help him with some art project tonight. Besides, your family is probably sick of having me around.’

‘Not at all! They love you,’ Nancy protested.

Just then, Ted Wheeler walked by, the newspaper under his arm and his evening scotch in hand. ‘Good night, Steven,’ he said, nodding at Jonathan.

‘Um…Good night, sir,’ said Jonathan. Nancy buried her face in his shoulder, trying to contain her laughter until her dad left the room.

‘Okay, so most of them love you,’ she said. ‘Me especially.’

Jonathan paused at that, and raised one eyebrow in an unspoken question. Really? He didn’t have to ask; it was clear from her fixed gaze on him that she meant it.

‘I love you too,’ he said.

[milf-lover42]

Bellatrix and Azula are the same character, change my mind

As most people can tell, Bellatrix Lestrange is my all time favorite character. I might get new favorites every time I watch a new show, and they all share a general similarity (let’s face it… I have a type, and if you’re reading this here on tumblr dot com… you do too, don’t lie). However, no character has ever come close to beating Bellatrix for top spot. And then I watched A:TLA for the first time a few weeks ago. I didn’t watch it as a kid, I was just young enough (2003 babeyy) that I wasn’t watching tv when it was on. Azula is obviously my favorite from this show, and is also the only character to ever come close to Bellatrix’ spot in my heart. But thinking about this and all the headcanons that people have made for the Black family dynamic… it seems like a pretty straightforward connection. Azula is essentially just a young Bellatrix.

Almost all of these Black family headcanons have been taken from fanfictions I have read over the years, and so the credit goes to their respective authors. Many overlap so I cannot pinpoint each author to each one, and it has been a while since reading some of them. Most notable of these would be Glass Silence by Zarrene Moss. There are many more fantastic stories I have drawn from but I couldn’t remember every fanfiction I’ve read to pick out each detail. For all the Azula stuff, I am drawing from Hello Future Me’s video on Youtube “The Psychology of Azula | Avatar: The Last Airbender”. If you want to spend an hour watching that I highly recommend it. Basically none of this is mine, I’m just using the headcanons and research of others to tie Bellatrix to Azula.

Let’s start with their family dynamics. Bellatrix is the oldest of the Black sisters, and has no brother. Although not stated in canon, (because apparently she’s too minor a character to deserve a backstory) it is presumed that all the duties of a male heir fell to her in a way. Marry young and marry a rich pureblood, carry on the family name and power, and secure a high social standing. Pureblood society is extremely archaic, if the treatment of muggle-borns is anything to go by, so we can safely assume that they are a very patriarchal society. Cygnus and Druella Black almost certainly wanted a son to carry on their name, especially given Walburga and Orion had both Sirius and Regulus. We can also assume that they weren’t exactly the kindest parents. At best, Druella was a silent wife subjected to abuse from her husband and ultimately was unable to keep her children safe; at worst she actively joined Cygnus in abusing their children. Each of the sisters have a unique way of dealing with this. 

Andromeda handled it by running away, completely rebelling. She fell in love with Ted Tonks, a muggle-born. I doubt this in itself was an act of rebellion, I think she simply realized how stupid blood supremacy was after speaking to him. Once she fell in love it’s clear she wanted to break away from her family so that she could marry him. Clearly her parents knew, and it’s likely she told them herself. Given Ted was a muggleborn I can’t imagine her parents reacting with a simple, “No he is beneath you, we forbid it.” They probably acted harshly in an attempt to make it stick in her head that the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black would not associate with m*dbloods. Either she ran away or was kicked out, but either way she stayed with Ted and didn’t listen to her parents.

Narcissa shut off and blocked all her emotions. Obviously as an adult she actively practices the same beliefs her parents did, but as a teenager I don’t see this as being who she was. As an adult she is very cold and unemotional. The only person she truly cares about is her son, Draco. She cares about Bella still, she just doesn’t show it because she wasn’t allowed to as a child. As for her feelings toward Lucius... it is unclear. Depending on where you stand, she either could have been forced into a marriage with him, or they were in love as teenagers and got lucky enough that their parents arranged for them to marry each other. My personal opinion is they were forced. I think Lucius was supposed to be married to Andy but when she ran away, the Blacks had to hold up their end of the deal with the Malfoy’s and so Narcissa was married off to him. She embodies the whole “Ice Queen” personality. In order to cope with the trauma and her unwanted marriage, she just blocked all emotion to keep herself sane, only showing it for Draco.

And then we come to Bellatrix. Bellatrix, who had too many expectations to live up to, so many roles to fill, and no positive reinforcement from parents who just abused her if she messed up. She felt everything. She was the oldest and cared greatly for her younger sisters, and probably did her best to take any of the abuse that was going to be given to Narcissa or Andromeda. She used herself as their shield because they were the most important thing to her. Even after joining Voldemort and going insane she makes it very clear how she feels about Narcissa. Bellatrix would follow Voldemort's orders to the ends of the Earth, but the second she is asked to trust Snape, she says that Voldemort has made an error in judgement. Cissa wants to go to him and ask him to keep Draco safe, but Bellatrix advises against this. Only when her sister is in potential danger does Bellatrix doubt her master. Even at the height of her insanity her sister is the most important thing to her. We can assume as a child she felt the same for Andy. In fact in my opinion she never really stopped caring about her until Azkaban, I think she pretended to hate her when she came out about Ted Tonks, but only did so so that Andy would run away and live her life with the man she loved. She was safer away from their parents anyway. It didn’t matter if Bellatrix thought negatively about muggle-borns; she just wanted her sister to be safe. After going insane however, she truly seems to hate Ted for being a muggle-born, and she kills their half-blood daughter Nymphadora. 

In order to cope with the trauma of her childhood Bellatrix used all of those emotions as fuel for her magic. She is an incredibly powerful witch and is massively intelligent (although why she didn’t just use Legilimens on the Golden Trio will baffle me forever… it would have been so simple…). However because of this coping mechanism, she is driven insane. It’s not instant, in fact it probably took years (probably that stint in Azkaban, lads) for the insanity to fully develop and take hold. All of that exposure to Dementors would have forced her to relive the trauma of her childhood over and over, while taking away the happy memories of her sisters. 

Bellatrix was given a support system to break away from her family. Now it’s not a good or healthy one, but it is one nonetheless. After being treated so poorly by her parents, and forced into a marriage with Rodolphus, she needed freedom. When Tom Riddle comes along and praises her skill and offers her a spot as his best lieutenant? Of course she’s going to take that. Finally some recognition, and a good amount of safety. Not to mention missions and tasks given to her and others to her husband that mean she doesn’t have to be around him. Bellatrix was mistreated by her father and mother, but probably always wanted her father’s recognition. Her mother probably preferred Narcissa because she could be groomed into the perfect pureblood wife. Bellatrix latched onto Voldemort to gain recognition, praise, and power. But I can imagine as a teenager, having a complete breakdown at least once, especially after being told she’d be married off to Rodolphus. Demolishing her room with magic, windows breaking, personal items being thrown either by hand or by magic, and screaming and crying at the end. Very similar to Azula’s breakdown in her final scene.

Now we come to Princess Azula. She has an older brother, Zuko, but is always given the limelight. She receives a ceremonial headpiece that she is always seen wearing, but Zuko does not. He might be the boy, but he isn’t expected to take the crown. Azula is even named after her grandfather Azulon, who was Firelord. She was always expected to be the next Firelord over Zuko. Her future was never her own. She is a firebending prodigy, always showing off her skills, whereas Zuko falls behind. She is favored by her father Ozai for sure, but she is never truly praised. She is simply a means to an end to him. She was always expected to be the best. Although it isn’t shown in the TV series, in the A:TLA comics Ursa and Ozia’s relationship is depicted as abusive. He cuts her off from her family saying that he is all she will need. 

 There are theories as to whether or not Azula has a Machievellian personality type, or ASPD or NPD that could have been a root cause of her diminishing sanity, and after looking into those they seem very plausible. She lacks empathy, she emotionally manipulates everyone, and she has a messed up sense of right and wrong. Altruism just doesn’t make sense to her, and emotions are not genuine, simply stories made to get your way. Ursa rewards empathy, love and trust, which is why she clearly favors Zuko. But Ozai rewards power, cunning, and loyalty. They are complete opposites so it is not possible to please both of them. If she has any of these mental disorders it would be impossible to please her mother, so she focused on making her father proud. But Ozai never really shows any level of praise towards her, so she constantly tries to better herself. If she isn’t perfect, she’s failed. 

At the end of A:TLA, Ozai forces her to stay behind in the Fire Nation. He says it’s because they need a Firelord because he will be leaving. Azula is disappointed to not partake in the final battle, but it’s what her father wants, so she obeys. However, he only leaves her so that he can become the supreme leader of everyone, or “Phoenix King”.  Azula doesn’t really get a promotion, just a fancy name. In the finale, she is shown as her mental state quickly deteriorates. Her perfect image is gone, her hair is not up, her makeup undone, and she is paranoid that everyone is out to get her. This is the beginning of her breakdown. When she is unable to put her hair up by herself, she cuts her bangs. Her hair is all of a sudden asymmetrical, which is unheard of. She then starts to hallucinate. By the time she fights Zuko and Katara she is extremely unstable, and the fact that she can actually still bend is incredible, because it requires control of your emotions. She instead manages to use her emotions to fuel her bending. At the end when she is defeated, she finally breaks. Her bending is out of control, and she is left screaming and crying. 

Azula never had anyone  take her under their wing and give her the recognition she craved. Zuko had Iroh. Bellatrix had Voldemort. If Azula had been introduced to someone like Voldemort she would have gone down the same path as Bellatrix. Likewise, if Bellatrix hadn’t been introduced to Voldemort she would have ended up broken just like Azula. Their stories aren’t identical obviously, but there are some strong parallels that place them together, so I can see them as the same person with different outcomes to their story.

Does this stupidly long character analysis have any significant purpose? Nah, not at all. But like… I’m clearly right so… yeah.

[romanovanoff]

bio says black widow stories but i do like to dabble with other characters too. ill have a full list on another post.

YOU & I

A Bellatrix & Tom Riddle story

part one

characters:

bellatrix black

tom riddle

narcissa black

andromeda black

druella black

rodolphus lestrange

rabastan lestrange

(tba)

relationships:

bella/tom

narcissa/lucius

andromeda/ted

(tba)

summary: tom is the new kid in school and is already popular amongst his peers. his goal is to have bellatrix black by his side when he conquers the wizarding world, and his only problem? bella is already in an arranged marriage and also wants nothing to do with him.

disclaimer: i have never read the books, and ive seen all the movies only like twice. im not a crazy fanatic potterhead, i just have an unhealthy obsession for bellatrix/helena bonham carter 😌. so apologies in advance if i make any mistakes, regarding whats canon in the harry potter universe and so on. the little things, the big things, my bad. i hope the fact that its mostly au makes up for what it lacks in accuracy.

word count: 3497

——————————

"I overheard earlier today that Hogwarts received a new student," Druella spoke as she took a sip of tea, delicately patting a napkin across her lips before gazing over at her three daughters. Bellatrix, who didn't seem interested at all in the conversation, Andromeda, who was busy scribbling something in her diary, and little Narcissa who was following along to her mother's words.

"Yes, it's true," The blonde girl, thirteen years old, responded. "I thought it strange at first but apparently he and his family were living somewhere in Europe. Tom Riddle, I think his name is. He'd been taught at home and his father had gotten a job at the ministry so they transferred him to Hogwarts."

Ever the gossip, it didn't surprise Bellatrix in the slightest that Cissy knew so much about the new student. She rolled her eyes, wondering why the hell they were even discussing this in the first place. It was just a new student, who cares? She voiced this several times out loud but had received the usual disapproving glances from the two blondes. It creeped the raven-haired witch sometimes at how much Cissy resembled their mother.

Letting out a sigh Bella swirled her spoon around in her teacup, not finding the appetite to drink nor eat the sweets that accompanied her tea. The three of them were currently in Rosa Lee's teashop, a place they often went to every other week, with permission to leave the school of course- though she didn’t ask for it most times. Usually Bellatrix would devour the treats but today she was feeling too anxious to do anything but. At seventeen years old she had stretched out her days of freedom and was now forced into a marriage that should have taken place two years ago.

The thought of marriage wasn't all that bad, if she was being honest. Sometimes when her thoughts and actions weren't clouded with hate and rage she'd daydream a not so near future of a perfect wedding. A wedding where she would be marrying someone she truly loved and could cherish, to honor their vows to the fullest extent. So the wedding itself wasn't the problem, it was who she was supposed to be wed to that was. Her long time childhood friend, Rodolphus Lestrange. And one of the very few in the sacred 28 that wasn't related to the Blacks by blood. At least that she was aware of… The thought still made her cringe, even after checking every family tapestry available and an exhausting amount of research.

Everyone wanted her to be happy about the fact she'd get to marry someone she's known for years, something most pure-bloods didn't have the honor of having, but it was the fact she knew him so well that she hated. He was like a brother to her, albeit at times an annoying and even sexist brother. He wasn't husband material and she was most certainly not wife material for him. And add to the fact that they'd be pressured to have children immediately after becoming man and wife, the thought of having sex with him made her want to gag. You'd think they'd notice that such a practice was incredibly outdated. She hated to wonder if the marriage had taken place two years ago, would they really pressure two 15 year olds to consumate? Fuck this life.

She felt like the world and everyone in it was against her. All her complaints had been shot down, leaving her inwardly seething with rage before being left totally subdued. Oh, how she hated being so… powerless, left without a voice, without a right to do what she wanted and to do so as she pleased, the ever present shadow looming over her shoulder that was the society and family she was born into.

Letting out a sigh she looked over at Andromeda who was still scribbling in that damn book. Probably instant messaging her friends, something Bellatrix didn't have the luxury of having. At least genuine ones anyway. The ones she had in school were merely vultures following around, waiting for the opportunity to eat away at the scraps she bared. They didn't hesitate to use her to their advantage, trying to play her like a fool. Idiots, they should've known she was the brightest witch of her age for a reason. And no one took advantage of Bellatrix Black.

Despite still being superior she continued feeling a bitter pang in her heart, knowing no one truly cared for her there. Well, maybe except for her sisters, Rodolphus and his brother that is.

Catching her eyes on what she was doing Andromeda quickly closed her book and narrowed her eyes at her eldest sister. But then a familiar smirk curled the girls lips and Bellatrix knew what was going to happen before her sister could even utter a word. She knew that smirk anywhere. Bella herself wore that smirk on several occasions, actually even taught it to her dear sister! If only mother knew how truly naughty Andy was, maybe then the heat wouldn't fall upon Bella so heavily when she did something that displeased her.

"Mother," Andromeda chimed in, interrupting Cissy's conversation with the older woman. "Bellatrix is right. Why not talk about something else."

"Andy…" The dark haired witch warned, fingers clenched around her spoon.

"Like… Bella's wedding perhaps? Surely there are plenty of plans to discuss. Some of which I'm sure my dear sister here is needed for?" The brunette suggested 'innocently', smiling back at Bellatrix before looking at her mother.

Druella blinked once, then twice before she brightened up. Damnit, Andy, Bella thought to herself angrily, glaring daggers at her younger sister. "You're right! We only have a short few weeks before the big day and still so much to do. How about we end this little meal early and say we go to one of the boutiques nearby, check up on your wedding dress," Druella said as she rose from her seat.

And so that's what they did. They went to the boutique, checked the incredibly old fashioned dress, with what looked like the most painfully looking corset yet stitched into the fabric. After, they stopped by a few other shops to double check things were in order for the wedding before finally apparating home. The entire time Bellatrix had trudged along reluctantly behind her sisters and mother, offering a few weak comments and opinions for this thing and that when asked of her.

She was glad to finally be back home, finding relief in the knowledge that tomorrow morning she'd be returning back to Hogwarts, having spent the weekend with her family. On one hand she was glad she managed to extend the wedding date, convincing her parents that it might be wise that she finish her last year and take her N.E.W.T.s before focusing on 'wifely duties'. Yes, that was how she phrased it. And yes, they'd taken the bait, obviously wanting their daughter to focus on her marriage once out of school, and not caring about the intelligence hidden behind her usual mask of indifference.

She made short work separating from her family's side to make her way upstairs to her room. And then made even shorter work getting ready for bed. No one ever bothered her when she was up the stairs and hidden away. It was known to all that Bellatrix Black inherited the 'mad' gene in the family, more prone to violent outbursts and destructive tantrums. Because of this her room wasn't the prettiest, constantly being repaired and sparse so there were less objects to break. The room was also constantly being placed under a silencing charm, quieting her screams so the rest of the household could sleep peacefully. How thoughtful of them, she thought to herself bitterly.

The sun was already down by the time she emerged from the bathroom, all scrubbed up and her hair wet, the many strands in ringlets falling down her back. With her wand, she casted a quick-drying spell to both her body and hair, not bothering with any sleeping robes as she climbed into bed. Once in she blew out the candles before getting comfortable under the covers. Usually, it would be too early to go to sleep, and she'd have at least a glass or two of firewhiskey to help her doze off but she felt the whole unexpected wedding planning this afternoon was enough to do her in. Not only that but she did need to wake up early to catch the train back to Hogwarts tomorrow. So without much further thought she closed her heavy eyes and fell asleep, hoping things could be much easier in the future.

THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS

"Tom Riddle is in our class."

"I heard Tom's family is incredibly wealthy and direct descendants to Salazar Slytherin."

"It's true! I overheard him talking to snakes! Snakes!"

The whispers and excited talk continued on and on the moment Bellatrix stepped onto the Hogwarts express. If she thought Cissy talking to mother about this ‘nobody’ annoyed her, she was absolutely wrong. Hearing everyone around her discuss this Riddle boy absolutely drenched her high spirits and put her in one of her dark moods.

No one needed to look twice to know to stay away from the young witch. If dark glaring eyes didn't strike fear into her peers, then the dark energy and aura surrounding her would.

Not wanting to hear the gossip anymore Bella separated from her 'friends' and found a seating compartment for herself, only able to hold two people, but thankfully no one dared claim the other spot. She sat close to the window, forehead touching the glass, and seeming to cool her ever bubbling irritation. Trees and rolling hills passed by in a blur but she wasn't particularly watching, eyes slightly glazed over as she got lost in thought.

So lost in thought she almost didn't notice the sounds of her compartment door being slid open and a person taking a seat across from her. Blinking slowly she looked over to the 'intruder' as the door slid closed once more, leaving the two individuals with some privacy she didn't necessarily want.

The person in front of her was a young man. Probably around her age with dark brown hair, curling neatly at the front. He had bright emerald eyes, warm but she got the hint of something darker underneath, something dangerous hidden beneath the surface and ready to strike unsuspecting prey. Despite that though everything else about him seemed pretty bland. Pale skin- but not as pale as hers-, average build, and put together uniform.

"Who're you?" She found herself asking, swallowing the automatic 'get out' she was originally planning on saying. Given the fact she hasn't seen him before in this school year or any year before that, she was already dreading the answer. She wasn't even sure why she disliked him so much already. Maybe it was the fact he's barely even started school here and yet everyone was already drooling over him. Maybe it was the fact he was well known for things the student body hasn't even had proof of, things he was already praised for. And on her side of things she was well known for her infamous anger and her upcoming marriage to Rodolphus. That or her status of being the firstborn Black daughter. Otherwise known as the current heir of the Black family. Well. That was until her idiot cousin, Sirius was old enough to steal the mantle from her.

So when he said, "Tom. Tom Riddle," She really couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. Cause of course the person she had no care for was sat in, of all seats, the one in front of her. "Does that name offend you?" He then asked, wearing the same damn smirk he wore the moment she took in his appearance just seconds earlier.

"No," She said in a bored drawl, eyes once again gazing out the window as her head rested against the glass. "Unlike every other idiot out there, I care not for who you are. You're just another ordinary student attending Hogwarts. Nothing special about that," She told him, her tone consistent in telling him of how much she didn't care.

He was quiet for some time. Not too long, but enough to give her pause and wonder if she'd wandered too deep in thought and he'd slipped away. Only a glance his way revealed that, no, he was still here. "I agree," He finally spoke again. "There's nothing special about me at all. And I'm starting to despise the fact people are so interested in me. Took a look at the school Friday and suddenly everyone thinks so highly of me just because it was a private tour by the headmaster himself," He huffed.

It was clear to Bellatrix by the way he spoke, by the way he talked that he was excellent at charming people, manipulating them even if you would use the darker term. Again, she was many things but an idiot was not one of them and she wasn't falling for his 'charms' or tactics any time soon.

"Oh, poor you," She said in a mocking voice, jutting out her bottom lip as she faced him fully. "New kid in school has everyone fawning over him. Such a terrible life you must live, knowing you have everyone in the palm of your hands with just a smile." She finished the sentence off with said smile before turning it into a sneer.

"I won't repeat myself again. I care not for who you are, and I don't wish to know you or anything about you. So if you're going to sit here, then it better be in silence, or so help me merlin I will curse you. Laws be damned," She hissed. Hopefully for the last time she turned away again, feeling her mood lighten just slightly at her first threat of the day.

Usually, other students would run away by now, flee the vicinity in which she occupied, but Tom just sat there, in shock, or because he actually listened to her words. Finding herself curious about which option she chanced another glance but was surprised to see him wearing that annoying little smirk instead. "Cute," He told her, enjoying the way her eyes widened just slightly before darkening with anger. "That threat might work on others but it won't with me."

Her magic was absolutely crackling around her, like static in the air just before an oncoming storm. She was soon to make good on her threat. "Based on your looks, in how you speak, and the way I saw you walk earlier, looking down at everyone as if they were beneath you. I would safely assume you are a… Black. Bellatrix Black? Considering you look to be in the same year as me," He continued, assuming everything correctly. She didn't need to know though that he'd actually done his research prior to moving here, and that he had asked around earlier. "I don't expect you to get along with me from the start, but you will see me around often. I'll personally make sure of that. Cause I like you," He said with a shrug, smirk still in place.

Bold. Oh, so very bold and before Bellatrix could even utter a single word or even grab and raise her wand for that matter, he was already out the door. The space in front of her was once again vacant and she stared at the now unoccupied seat as the door slid closed.

LATER THAT DAY

It was almost impossible for the raven haired witch to avoid hearing or seeing Tom. It was as if everywhere she turned, someone was talking about him or he himself was staring at her from a distance. Usually she would never admit such a thing, her pride too strong, but it greatly unnerved her. Who the hell did he think he was? Claiming he would see her more often because he liked her? “Doesn’t even know me,” She scoffed to herself, annoyed as she continued on the familiar path to her dormitory.

Bellatrix was a slytherin through and through, like every other Black family member before her. There had been no question about it. Well, maybe after. She questioned it alot. The houses, the characteristics and traits. All of it. And once she's put herself in a more outside perspective about it she really couldn't help but laugh at the whole student body, almost all of them adapting and practically absorbing their houses certain traits into their own personality.

Anyway, she was a slytherin, but she couldn't help but wonder if she'd changed her mindset that first day, if her family hadn't been so adamant on which house she went to, would she have been chosen for hufflepuff, perhaps? Maybe gryffindor? Ew, no. Possibly ravenclaw. These thoughts raced past in her mind as she made her way down into the dungeons. There was a little of her in each, she supposed.

"Drommie, Cissy," Bellatrix greeted once she made it into the girls dorm, having already said the password and walked through the shared sitting room. All three Black sisters shared the same room, something Bellatrix and her mother both insisted and agreed upon to the headmaster when first starting school here. It was a protective thing. Bella knew that her sisters weren't like her, lacking in gut and courage. She was sure Andromeda could take care of herself, at times, but if worse came to worse she was more likely to break under pressure and need rescuing from her bigger sister. And little Narcissa, the spoiled brat she was, didn't have a single backbone in her body, choosing instead to flee or hide behind one's robes. Despite those certain qualities though Bellatrix still loved her sisters dearly and simply made it a priority to keep them safe, consequences to herself be damned.

Sure… maybe it was Bella's fault for them needing protection, having spent most of her years reigning terror down upon those who even glance at her, therefore her peers not liking her and taking it out on her sisters instead. But… hey! They looked at her funny, they deserved it!

"Bella why didn't you sit with us on the train," Narcissa asked, looking at her older sister as she sat on her bed.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and walked past, towards her own bed furthest in the room and by the window. "As if I'd sit and listen to you two and your friends gossiping about the 'new boy'," She said back.

Andromeda turned to her with a quirked brow. "I don't know, by the looks of it you sat just fine with the 'new boy' before you ran him away."

Bellatrix was only able to scoff as a response before Narcissa quickly interrupted, hopping over towards Bellatrix. "You got to talk to Tom Riddle?" She asked excitedly. "How was he like? Was he charming? Did he show you parseltongue?"

"Cissy, please, calm down. He was none of those things. He was very bland… and cocky, and arrogant," Bella responded, the end getting heated with annoyance. Not towards her sister of course.

"Sounds like someone I know," Andromeda spoke up with a pointed look Bella's way.

"Shut up," The dark haired witch shot back. Because of course she couldn't deny it. She was those things sometimes… all the time. "Whatever. Let’s go. It's time for lunch anyway."

(A/N: lets be honest idk how classes work at hogwarts so lets say bellatrix and sis’s meet up w mother on the reggy, with permission or without, and this particular weekend was a break for all students to either visit their fam or relax in their dorms/explore school grounds. today (mon) is a day for them to get readjusted and classes start up again the following day. anyway continue)

All the way to the great hall Bellatrix's sisters continued teasing her about Tom. Thankfully she took the teasing easily, shoving her sisters good naturedly and joking along. That was until they reached the great hall. She didn't think her sisters noticed but as they walked past others to get to their table Bellatrix could feel a strong force on her, like something digging into the back of her head. She scanned her eyes around the room once, trying to catch the culprit of whatever was happening but all she could see were other students eating merrily, not a clue to her predicament. Thankfully by the time she'd sat down the force had vanished and she could focus back on her sisters.

Tom stood just outside the doors of the great hall, panting and trying to catch his breath. Never had he been rejected so quickly from someone's mind, not even close to breaching it in fact. Her magic was strong, untampered and just waiting to be fully unleashed just beneath the surface. A magic enough to rival his own. She may think she was strong now but oh just wait until he had her with him, by his side. Just wait until he showed her what she's truly capable of.

With these thoughts in mind he swiftly walked away from the great hall entrance, on his way back to his dorm.

[gwendolynnderolo]

An analysis of Ronan, Adam, and Gansey

So many people are quick to write off characters in The Raven Cycle, seen most often with Gansey but also with Adam and Ronan. People call them selfish, cruel, insensitive, self-centered, and bad friends. What people often don’t understand is that every single one of these characters is written like an actual person, so they’re all complex and multi dimensional people. They’re not all good or all bad, they do good and bad things. More importantly, all three of these characters have traumas that affect every single decision they make throughout the whole book. This is really long so please bear with me.

Ronan

I’m starting with Ronan because I feel like he’s the one who gets the least hate out of the three, and because he has some of the most easily traceable trauma. Gansey describes Ronan as having been much happier and more carefree before Niall died, and that he became a radically different person after Niall’s death. Considering the circumstances of his death, it’s obvious why Ronan was so fundamentally changed by it. As a 15/16 year old, Ronan found his father, who he loved more than anyone in the world, dead in the driveway after being viciously beaten to death with a tire iron. Losing your father and one of the most important people in your life at that age would be enough to seriously mess up most people, but being the one to find the body makes it even worse. Ronan lost his father, his mother, his home, and to some extent his brothers in one fell swoop, leaving him with nothing and no one but Gansey and Monmouth to help him through tremendous grief and trauma. Obviously, Ronan does not have the healthiest coping mechanisms. He clearly has depression and some form of PTSD, which affects his sleep and often leads him to do reckless things such as drinking, street racing, or getting $900 tattoos. These are all forms of self harm that Ronan is inflicting on himself as a form of punishment and a way to cope with his self hatred and trauma. Ronan is nearly killed by one of his dream creatures, which are things that are created by him and manifestations of his own desires in some way, meaning that Ronan is also suicidal, which also contributes to his poor coping mechanisms. Ronan is consistently cruel and insensitive towards his friends, which is another coping mechanism; as he’s trying to push away the people he cares about as a way of punishing himself. In the aftermath of an incredibly life-altering traumatic event, instead of a therapist or any other calming and potentially helpful presence, Ronan has Gansey and Gansey’s quest, which he throws himself into in lieu of dealing with his own issues. Not to mention, there’s definitely plenty of Catholic guilt and internalized homophobia to further contribute to Ronan’s self hatred.

Adam

I feel like people either love Adam or don’t really care about him but I’m going to write a miniature dissertation on him and his trauma anyways. Adam grew up without any affection, validation, or emotional support whatsoever. It’s stated multiple times that Adam’s parents would talk about how much they wished they hadn’t had him in earshot of Adam, which is something no kid should ever have to hear. Adam did not have a single friend until he met Gansey. He spent the first 16 years of his life entirely alone, depending entirely on himself for everything. He’s incredibly ambitious and driven, working three jobs so he can go the best school and go to an Ivy League college. He grew up with nothing, so he’s incredibly protective of everything he has, no matter how small, and resents anyone who wants to change how he operates in any way, even if their intentions are good (Gansey). Adam refuses to accept help from anyone, insisting that things only mean anything if he’s earned them himself. This obviously stems from his entire childhood and adolescence of having to fight for everything, whether it was a job, an education, grades, or food. Adam never had someone in his life who genuinely cared about helping him before he met Gansey, so he views Gansey’s genuine attempts at friendship as pity. Him and Gansey have entirely different backgrounds, sets of skills, and ways of handling things, which often leads to them not understand each other’s intentions. Adam’s fierce protection of his independence often supersedes his relationships, causing him to lash out at anyone who he feels threatens that independence. Adam lives every day of his life wanting things he can’t have and having to work tirelessly to even come close to having those things, things that Gansey and Ronan don’t even have to think about. Adam both admires and resents Gansey and Ronan, two emotions that often clash in a friendship. Adam’s reactions to Gansey’s attempts to help him throughout the series, are not necessarily justified by his trauma, but they’re certainly explained by it.

Gansey

The time has come. Gansey is one of the most fiercely debated characters in the TRC fandom. Multiple times throughout the series, Gansey is incredibly arrogant, self-centered, and insensitive, and many people criticize him for that. I’m here to say: LITERALLY EVERY TEENAGER EVER IS ARROGANT, SELF-CENTERED, AND INSENSITIVE. Gansey is a 16/17 year old kid, and all 16/17 year olds are dicks at some point. This is not excusing anything that Gansey does, but a lot of people tend to forget that these characters are teenagers, and cannot be held to the same standards that adults are held to. Gansey led a fairly sheltered lifestyle in his childhood, and developed his own way of looking at the world and dealing with problems. His only role models were his parents and his older sister, who relied on money to fix all of their problems and coasted through life on status. Gansey has never lived without having enough money to fix everything that comes his way, so that’s what he’s used to and how he handles any issue. It’s often not the best way to handle things, but he genuinely was not taught how to handle problems any other way. Gansey explicitly says in the story that he knows that he is privileged, and he consistently tries to use that privilege to help the people he cares about. His actions often cause harm or upset others, but everything he does comes from a place of wanting to help his friends. He also explicitly says that he feels it’s his responsibility to help his friends because he has this privilege, and that he doesn’t have the right to have to rely on them for anything because he is so privileged. A 16/17 year old boy should never feel like the livelihood of others is his responsibility or that he can’t ask his friends for help because of his background. Gansey has placed this incredible weight on his shoulders because he feels it’s his duty to carry it and he doesn’t even believe that he can ask anyone to share the load. On top of all of this, Gansey lives every day of his life knowing that he could be seconds from death. He died as a child and was brought back, and then he clung to the one thing he believed could save him because he believed he had no other choice. Living in constant awareness of your own fragility and mortality would be enough to set anyone on edge, and Gansey deals with that on top of his responsibilities to his friends. Nearly everything Gansey does in the series is out of love for his friends, and because we see so many of his actions from the point of view of Adam or Ronan, they’re often warped and appear selfishly motivated.

In conclusion

THEY. ARE. TEENAGERS. Every teenager does dumb shit, and hurts other people, intentionally or unintentionally, and is arrogant and selfish and self-centered. None of these characters are perfect, because they’re all people. Also, the book is never told from the point of view of an objective narrator. Every single character is an unreliable narrator because their worldview is warped based on their own personal experiences and biases. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk and message me if you want to scream about TRC together.