#they look a little less alike as cindy gets older

[bcofl0ve]

knew this kaia pic was reminding me of something

[kiss-my-freckle]

7x17: Sin Eaters

So, I’m gonna do what i did last time for this rewatch. I’m gonna type as I watch. But before I begin, I’m just gonna say that I never expected a Spader-less episode to be this damn good. The writers really brought their A game. Megan brought her A game too. 

1994 for Tom Keen. 1995 for Donald Ressler. Donald looks to be about 15 in this episode. This is where Ressler runs opposite Tom in S2 when they ran Major’s episode. I believe they’re showing the difference in these two men and their different paths. I think that’s what they’ve been doing from the start... Ressler running opposite Tom in most everything. 

“Cut the crap, Bill. You acquired Tom Keen when he was a boy. You trained him to be a deep-cover operative. It’s all he’s ever done. It’s all he knows.”

Robby trying to talk to Donald about their father, but we know Ressler. Good ol’ Rez. Mr. Emotional Support. Understandable that he doesn’t want to see his mother at a time when he’s having to move a body, but I’m glad we got to see her. 

Another back to 2x17. Knew I’d miss at least one hit back.  My gif set for those 2x17 hits can be found here.

Cindy: So, you got anybody special back in D.C., Donnie? When am I gonna start seeing some nieces and nephews? Ressler: Uh, no one special right now, Aunt Cindy. But I'm looking. I got my eyes open.

Red: Share it with someone special.  Liz: I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.

His Aunt Cindy has a brighter shade of red than his mother. Likely dyed. 

Keenler baby to Rederina -

Lisa Ressler: And he bought me a fancy new watch. Donald Ressler: It's never gonna happen. Not on my watch. Ressler outside of Laurel’s. Both Ressler and his mom are right-handed. Red is ambidextrous, like Katarina, but makes himself appear right-handed. That’s why they use close up magic and mirrors to show he can use his left hand. Most noticeable was his scene with The Corsican and his scene with Liz at the end of Rassvet. 

Young Donald mentioning dice. Three-card Monte aka Find the Lady uses three cards. Cee-lo uses three dice. Find the Queen lol... Major. “I don’t care if she’s Queen Elizabeth and screwing her made you king.”

They really nailed the soundtrack with this episode, Soundgarden... my god. I see Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, Beastie Boys, and Korn on their teen walls. Nice shit. 

As I said on the TBE podcast, I didn't expect Ressler and Robby to be so opposite from their adult selves. I expected Robby to be the problematic teen. And the meat behind that switch is so beautiful. The older brother protecting the younger brother, seeing the kind of man he could become, just all of it. Ah... great writing. I didn't expect a brother storyline to be so beautiful, but then I think... ah, the Winchesters are beautiful, so yeah... the writers brought it.

Prince Charming.  

St. Michael, patron saint of police officers. St. Michael is an archangel, Prince of Heavenly Host. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry. He’s usually depicted with a sword. 

“I am the cops.” Tommy Markin sounds a lot like Tom Connolly here. “I own the Bureau.” This similarity continues. “What are you gonna do? Shoot me? Shoot a cop?” Quite interesting, given my memory wipe theory. “What are you gonna do, Agent Keen - arrest me?” Young Donald drinking... gee, I wonder if Liz was high on Krilov drugs lol. 

Dead Markin runs parallel to dead Raymond. I find it interesting how young Donald drank his pain away as older Donald used oxy to deal with his loss of Audrey. All of this makes me think of The Informant’s episode ... dead bodies and booze. “Sins should be buried like the dead. Not that they may be forgotten, but that we may remember them and find our way forward nonetheless.” Liz helping Ressler and Robby do just that. 

“You remember Tommy Markin, don't you, Don?” Interesting question. Seeing young Ressler hunched againt the wall in tears, my god. These two young actors nailed their roles. They start running opposite with these two shootings. No witnesses in the murder of Tommy Markin, while Liz shot Connolly in a banquet hall full of witnesses. But the end result is the same. Robby tells Donald to go home. Cooper tells Liz to run. “Forget this happened. Understood?” It’s gonna be wonderful when they reveal Liz’s secocnd memory wipe lol. 

Robby: You ever lose sleep at night 'cause of what we did back then? Donald: Some nights. Not many. Robby: Ever wish you could take it back?  Donald: This man killed our father. Then stood at his wake and lied to our faces. He was a disgrace to the badge he wore. The one you were going to wear. The one I wear every day. No, this scumbag got everything that was coming to him. So, no. I wouldn't take it back. You?

Robby has a hard time living with what he did, while Ressler doesn’t - even though he believes he’s the one that killed him. How interesting, given their direction for Liz. 

Liz: I killed some men. Doesn’t matter that they were bad. That it was them or me. What matters is that I did it and I was good at it. And I didn’t lose any sleep over it. Red: You will. One of these nights you will. It’s just a matter of when.

And she was fine with shooting Connolly. 

Fulton: She murdered the attorney general of the United States - Liz: I killed a key member of a global conspiracy - Fulton: - and went on the run with you like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Liz: - and in the process, I helped prevent a false flag operation that could have put this country on war footing with Russia.

Liz and Ressler are so alike. I’d say they’re like Bonnie and Clyde.

"Unsolved cases. I fixate on them. How unfair they are. That people get away with murder. I - I know it sounds corny, but I um- I obsess over the need for justice.”

For Robby, it destroyed his chance at a career in law enforcement because killing Markin affected him that much. Or perhaps it was his allowing his brother to believe he killed him that affected Robby so much. I like how the badge caught Donald’s eye. 

Donald: I never thanked you. Look, you saved me. That night, everything in my life changed.

Sounds familiar.

Liz: What you’ve done - what you’ve made it possible for the Task Force to do - you know, I’ve never thanked you for that.

Ressler: I didn’t go home, but I never crossed over. I never thanked you for that.

Interesting how he went home after he shot Markin, but desn't go home now.

Robby: You're shocked what your brain can come up with when you're on autopilot like that.

Probably how Katarina was, throwing the body in a suitcase and burying it by the apple tree.

Robby: I thought a lot about how most people's lives hinge on a few key moments. I think mine only had one moment, and then it was over.

Red in The Vehm. 

Red: I hurt people. I kill people. And each time I do, in that moment, another part of me dies along with them.

"Letting me die... won't make us even..." My god, this is powerful stuff.

"It... It was... business..."  And there's Tom Keen. "But for Tom, it was business."

I do believe both necklaces are gonna come back into story somehow.

Robby: And I knew I was the only person that could protect you, Don. From Tommy Markin, and anyone else like him who might come along. I had no choice..."

Robby & Katarina, the sin eaters having no choice.

Katarina: What would you do if you knew... knew... that as long as you drew breath, as long as you continued to exist, her life would be in danger? She would be hunted, and she would be killed. What would you do?

"I did it for you. For me. And for Daddy. In the end, all I was thinking about was you. I was protecting your future." That's Rederina in a nutshell. She did it for Masha, for herself, and for Raymond. "To the future." And it’s all there.  "Yeah, but why? Why didn't you tell me? What - Why keep this a secret all these years?" Sounds just like Liz in the motel in 4x22 lol. “Why didn’t you just tell me who you were? Why keep it a secret?” Sin eaters have their reasons. "I did that to protect you too. Whatever that night had done to you, it was driving you. I carried the weight. I never regretted it. Because it did exactly what I thought it would do. It made you the person that you are today." Carrying the weight. Again, Katarina acting as Masha’s sin eater. “He told me he didn’t want me to live with the weight of knowing I killed my father.” Liz and Don became federal agents thanks to their sin eaters. "How to be good, like him.” Their path to follow. “Be good, little one.” Robby just handed Ressler everything he needed to hear to discover Red's truth. Because Robby is the sin eater, just like Katarina. Ressler's gonna find out Red is Liz's mother.  

"Because it did exactly what I thought it would do. It made you the person that you are today."

"If you’re asking whether it was a surprise that you became an FBI agent, the answer is no."

What “Raymond” did to Katarina. What Robby did to himself. “We become who we are.” Becoming Reddington. Katarina becoming Raymond would be like Robby becoming Markin to protect his brother. Basically. As I said before of the pilot scene when Red turned himself in... Black and white, male and female. Rewatch those first few minutes of 1x1 before they cut to Cooper and Ressler. Ressler’s statement at Fagen’s paraole hearing. The world isn’t always black and white. There’s a grey area. Just like men aren’t always men and women aren’t always women. Rederina is that grey area.  

“Well, I think we can finally put this behind us and move on.”

Back to The Informant’s episode again. 

Red: Sins should be buried like the dead. Not that they may be forgotten, but that we may remember them and find our way forward nonetheless. I hope this will help you do just that. 

Onto Keenler lol. 

Ressler: Bad time?

This goes back to S6 lol. 

Red: Bad time?

it’s a “bad time” if you’re hiding someone in your apartment. Is it a bad time? ahaha So much focus to watches lately. Because Red told Liz in Ruin it’s just a matter of WHEN. One of these nights, she will lose sleep because she will not be able to breathe. 

Liz can’t stand still. Folding blankets, keeping her distance. Standing still would cause her the need to look him in the eye, allowing him to see what she feels. So much Keenler foreplay in this scene. Knucklehead & dipstick. Two perfect words for this pair, they’re both idiots, that’s why it works. There’s nothing like saying, “Fuck you, I love you.” As she talks about Ressler being her island of calm, her hand gesture is everything. Many hits back to 2x17, but I already posted the link to that gif set somehwere up top. 

“And somewhere in the middle of that FEMA disaster of a life... Somewhere is just a tiny island of calm. And if that weren't there, I would be swept out to sea.”

Uhm... yeah. Bad news is coming, and it’s gonna come on Ressler’s watch. Liz had her memory wiped, and they have no idea. Keenler baby. Her Djinn fantasy right here. Turned upside down, turned rightside up. Liz is an ocean, Ressler is an island. 

Disaster paths' aftermaths One splash To the ground And I'm at best an island And you're an ocean You surround And you came in like a wave Through the same pale grin, I gave I can just breathe

Their hit back to Lady Ambrosia. Liz breathing in Ressler’s arms. Under the same skylight she hugged Tom, welcoming him home. Under the same skylight Tom was stabbed by Garvey. Under the same skylight she hugged Jennifer goodbye. Under the same skylight she hugged Agnes, welcoming her home.  And under the same skylight stood the WIcked Wolf. Little Red Riding Hood. 

Robby: Okay, I'm sorry. I... I didn't know... Donald: What, Mom was gonna host a family reunion? Good call on that one.

Mother-daughter reunion with the addition of a Wicked Wolf. Not on Ressler’s watch if he’s laying quietly in Liz’s bed, and woman from Paris has no idea. But just as possible she gets kidnapped just like Dembe kidnapped Aram while Elise was in the shower. 

Liz: You’re not gonna stay for dinner? Red: And intrude on your mother-daughter reunion? I don’t think so. And we need to be someplace.

This episode basically supports my theory/belief that Ressler is gonna play a huge part in things going forward. Especially given the storyline between him and Robby. Ressler-centered. After all, he's Red’s future in-law. Makes me wonder if Red knows Robby acted as Donald’s sin eater just as he did for Liz... so he knows what kind of man Ressler is. What’s best for his daughter.  

Back to Tom and Ressler running opposite. 

“I know a great many things about you, Donald.”

“Tom was a man of many truths.”

[reeree1500]

The Return- Part Three

Okay y'all so here it is!! Part 3 of the Return series!!! Ivar and reader relationship developmentttttt💕 Hope you guys like itttt :) Lemme know if you guys wanna be tagged too. And don't kill meeeee pleaseee 😂

Part 1  Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 part 8 part 9 Part 10

Taglist: @yanii-the-hippie @oceans-daughter-3 @peaceisadirtyword @laketaj24 @amy8220 @cutegyrl927 @camatsuru @cindy-exo @cainismyname @affection-rabbit

Disclaimer: My sucky writing again. Bad grammar and spelling😂 Character death. And bad plot in general.

Your POV

Excitement. Thats all I could say I was feeling at the moment. To finally be back in Kattegat with my family was something I never thought would have happened again. After my father’s grand announcement of my return, the room overflowed with happiness. People were coming up to me, asking me where I had been for the past 6 years and how I had survived. Obviously, I tried to answer everyone’s questions to the best of my ability without giving too much information. For I still didn't know, the true reason as to why I had to leave or who wanted me gone.

The happiness in the hall however did not last very long. Aslaug, the woman who was questioning Bjorn earlier that night. Was actually my father’s wife. “Im sorry? She's your what now?!?!” Aslaug screams of sorrow over my existence could probably be heard all the way in Frankia. My father however, seemed to have very little interest in her reactions at all. He had cast her to the side as if she meant nothing to him. During the course of the next few hours neither my father nor Bjorn left my side. It was as if they thought something would occur to me if I was out of their side for more than a second. “Father, if it is alright with you I would like to go outside for some fresh air.” I tell him, whilst grasping his hand to truly catch his attention. Cupping my face he says “My sweet little girl, you may do anything you please. However, I would prefer that you do not stray too far from here, as I have just gotten you back. And I would not be able to handle losing you again.” With that he gives me a kiss on my forehead and sends me on my way. 

However, I can still feel the overbearing presence of my older brother. “Bjorn, you know Im not gonna run away, if thats what you're afraid of.” I tell him whilst stepping outside. “Im not afraid of you running away. Im afraid of something happening to you (y/n). Plus worrying about you is my job, always has been.” Leaning on one of the wooden beams, I cant help but to stare up at the sky and hold my cross between my fingers. Thinking to myself how different life would have been if I had not left. “ Im only a few steps away shout if anything happens. Okay?” “Okay! And Bjorn... I love you.” At that Bjorn kisses my forehead and walks back inside.

Unbeknownst to me, a certain dark haired man was lurking in the shadows. “Awwww, If I had a heart I would think that was probably the sweetest reunion Ive ever seen.” Turning to the sound of that familiar voice, I see Ivar leaning on his crutch making his way towards me. “I never thought that I would have a sister. And a Christian one at that.” The way that his eyes scan over my body makes me feel a certain way that I cannot quite describe. And the way that his features are outlined by the moonlight really gives a sense of how handsome he is. “Wait, are you implying that...” 

“Well, if all Christians are as slow as you I don't think we’ll have a problem conquering them.” A smirk is displayed on his face, while his eyes show a hint of deviance in them. “Why do you think that Bjorn and Ubbe look so much alike (y/n)?” “Or the fact that we all share similar traits like our eyes?” As Ivar continues to talk down to me as if I were a child, I start to connect the dots. Why it was that Bjorn and Ubbe look alike. The way that they all seem to share the same traits as my father. The four young men that Bjorn introduced me too, are actually my brothers. 

With wide eyes I come to the realization that...“You’re my brother.” “Took you long enough.” At that Ivar seems to crack what looks like a genuine smile. “You know, I always thought that I was the youngest, but now that I'm not...” The genuine smile I had probably imagined was now a devious one. “ Now, baby sister. Why don't you and I go and sit down by those steps down there. And you can tell big brother Ivar, what you've been up to all this time?” Without being able to answer, Ivar grabs my hands and takes me towards the steps. Why do I feel like this night is just getting started...

-----------------------------------------

Ivar POV

Needless to say all of us were in shock to learn that (y/n) was our sister. Especially Hvitserk, who had not only been enchanted by her beauty, but was  already planning how he would take her from Bjorn. I however, knew something was up the minute I saw her in the great hall. She had no scars whatsoever on her body, meaning she wasn't a shield-maiden. And absolutely no callouses on her fingers from when she took the ale, meaning she definitely wasn't a thrall. And Bjorn wouldn't cheat on Torvi, unless he wants his balls cut off. Something intrigued me about her instantly. It was if she had been sent to me by the Gods, her sharp tongue reminded me of mine. The way that she stood up for my mother not even knowing that she had caused Lagertha and Ragnar to break up amazed me. The way she handled herself with grace and dignity was exactly what I wanted. No, what I need for in a wife.

“Ivar, are you okay? You've been staring at me for the past 5 mins without saying a word.” (y/n) places her hand on my knee to draw my attention whilst looking straight into my eyes. “As a matter of fact, Im trying to piece together, how we’re the same age, and we never met before you left.” As she goes to lift her hand from my knee, something instinctively goes over me and I grab her and hold it were it was. The initial shock she and I both had at my actions soon subsided. She let her hand rest under mine. As if we had done this countless times before, our fingers intertwined and they in my eyes fit perfectly. I could see the inner turmoil inside her, on whether these small affectionate moments between us were something that was so wrong, but that felt so right. 

It was not just moments ago that I had found out she was indeed my sister. Blood of my blood. But somehow, something in me told me that we were meant to be. I felt safe and strangely loved by this person in front of me, whom I have never met before. “You know Ivar, we lived on a farm. I was 100% certain that I would be a farm girl for the rest of my life. I was content with knowing that I would spend my life tending to the animals and my family. But, this is just too much.” Looking down at where our once intertwined hands were. I see that she is now staring at the ground playing with the ends of her long braided hair. “Why? Because you feel as if you're not good enough? Look at me for Odin’s sake! Im a cripple!” At that moment our eyes connected and I saw a reflection of myself in her. A scared child who was deprived of a normal childhood. Seeking for acceptance and love from anyone. 

“(Y/n), come inside father wishes to speak to you.” Bjorn says coming out from the great hall ale in hand. Clearly drunk as well. “Sure thing, I’ll be there in a second.” As she goes to stand up (y/n) turns to me and kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you for the pep talk, big brother.” 

I knew that I could not be the only one feeling this way. She had to have been feeling the same about me. And I will go to the ends of the world and face the God’s themselves if they think that for a second I will not make her mine. 

Your POV

What had I just done! I kissed him whether it be on the cheek or not. I kissed Ivar. My brother. Oh lord, forgive me for these sinful thoughts are consuming me. The intense feeling I got from us holding hands and from when he stared into my eyes. I had felt at home. Felt safe, felt something that I should only be feeling for the man I should marry. Not my brother! As I enter the great hall, all eyes turn on me. Remembering what I had just talked to Ivar about, I keep my head up. I shouldn't be ashamed, or feel as if I'm less than I am.

As I make my way to my father through the crowd once he spots me his eyes light up immediately. Sitting on his thrown he extends his hand and makes me sit on the throne beside his. “My beautiful daughter are you feeling alright now?” He says to me a little louder as if to make sure that people know not to mess with me. “Y..yes father Im feeling much better.” I murmur to him. At that moment my eyes trail off as if to find something that would take me out of this position right now. I have never been one to be the centre of attention. And as much as I wanna believe in myself that I can be a good princess to my people, at the moment that is not going to happen. As I scan the room my eyes land on Hvitserk. He’s eating a piece of chicken las if it were his last meal ever. I cannot help, but to laugh at him and that when he notices. He flashes a smile that could certainly melt any lady’s heart.  Without realizing I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and bit my lip. Biting my lip when Im nervous is something Ive always done.

However, what did not realize was Ivar eyeing me from behind him. At that I stop and stare at the ground. As the hours go by, finally the last person leaves the great hall. Leaving only my father and brothers with me. “Sooooo, where is (y/n) supposed to sleep, father?” Asks Ubbe. Coming from behind me Hvitserk puts his arm around my shoulders bringing me closer to his body. “She can sleep with me! I don't mind sharing my bed with her.” At this Ivar scoffs. “Of course you wouldn't, you wouldn’t mind sharing your bed with anything that has a pulse.” I tilt my head trying to figure out whatever he means by that. And all that can be heard is the snickering of my father. 

“I was thinking that perhaps I could sleep with Bjorn. You know since we used to share a room when we were little...” I say wishing that what I feel most comfortable with could be taken into account. “I don't know about that one baby sis, you'd have to ask Torvi. She defiantly doesn't like sharing thats for sure.” as Ivar says this he smirks at me while taking bite out of his apple. “Who’s Torvi?” “Wait! Bjorn didn't tell you? He's married.” 

At that moment a scream was heard throughout the town.

“Oh My God, Mira!!!!” at that moment I shot out of Hvitserk’s arms and ran as fast as I could. How could I have been so stupid that I left my friend by herself in an unknown place. Seeing the people gathered around Bjorn's cabin only made my heart more nervous. Pushing my way past the crowd I make it up the steps in one piece. But what I saw would forever haunt me. There on the floor lied my once best friend and most trusted subject Mira. And on her back was carved the death rune. All I remember is hitting the floor and watching a pair of worried and frantic electric blue eyes.

[worldbecomefantasy]

Because this will probs get long, the details on who their kids are and for what ships, that’ll all be below the cut. Some will be super detailed, others are kinda just  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they have kids I’m sure but I’ve never plotted that out. I just wanted to take some time and talk about my muses kids and spouses cause I love family man.

Muses with kiddos (in any verse)

Nyx

Cyrus

Khal

Levi

Drautos

Pine

Kanan

To be more specific to their canon verses though:

Cyrus

Levi

Kanan

Canon kiddos

Cyrus Zerrin has three kids, Cillian, Emi and Eli. Cillian is his by blood, after a few hookups with Ocean, another local to Galahd. He didn’t know about Cillian for several years though. Ocean kept him a secret, feeling like Cyrus wasn’t in a good place to be a father. After a few months of their relationship though, Cyrus ended it as he wanted to be a better person. He’d always been the bright-eyed, happy boy in town, and she missed seeing him like that. But the attack on Galahd took his happiness away. It wasn’t until her health was declining that she let Cyrus back into her life, and subsequently Cillian’s as well.

Cyrus of course felt deep regret that Ocean had to raise him for six years on her own, but he understood why she did that. He knew as well as anyone that right after Nyx and Libertus left, and he lost his sister and friends, that he wasn’t okay. He walked a dangerous path and too many times went down the wrong roads. So he doesn’t blame her for keeping Cillian from him, but it doesn’t make him regret his choices any less.

Cillian adjusted well, or as well as any six year old can be expected to. Ocean always spoke well of Cyrus, so Cillian had no problems with him. Their personalities were also more alike than anyone could have imagined. Physically Cillian took almost entirely after his mother, but his personality is a mirror of Cyrus. Always being kind, smiling, the epitome of sunshine. Even when darkness falls, when he’s nine, he maintains his smile.

His second child is a little girl, Emi, that he adopted just after the darkness fell and he went to Lestallum with Libertus. Emi is cute and sweet at first glance. She looks a little shy, but that’s expected from a four year old. What’s not so expected is how much trouble she gets into. Anything that she shouldn’t be getting into, she will find a way to get into. Rooms she shouldn’t be in, things she knows she shouldn’t be touching, whatever the case may be. She will get into trouble. That never changes as she grows up.

The third is Elias. He’s a close friend of Emi’s and when Cy takes in Emi she refuses to be parted from Elias. He’s a year older than her, but he’s the more timid one. He’s very unsure of himself as a young child, but as he grows up he gains more confidence. He’s a bit hotheaded, no doubt from growing up around Libertus, but he’s a good kid. He doesn’t mean to cause trouble- much unlike Emi.

~~~~~

Levi Valter is a husband, and a father of one little girl. Isabel is his eight year old daughter. She takes after her mother, being soft and sweet, but she’s always been a daddy’s girl regardless. She loves having him tell her bedtime stories, either made up, from story books, or real stories of his life. Her imagination runs wild, and he couldn’t be more proud. Levi loves her more than anything in the world, and he wants to treat her to anything she wants. He wants to be the parent to her that he never got.

~~~~~

Kanan has a very loose definition of family. He considers his crew his family, with Hera as his wife and the rest of them his children.

Zeb is older than him, technically speaking, but he still acts like a child. The 40 something year old Lasat goofs around and gets into trouble just as much as the 12 year old human on their crew act just the same.

Sabine is by far the most mature of the kids, but not without her own rebellious streak. That is what makes them stick together though, so Kanan doesn’t fault her for it. Just so long as she’s not painting anything that Hera will get upset about.

Ezra is the most like him, a young boy that’s lost and alone, and a fellow Jedi. Kanan could have let him go, never told him anything. But the Force didn’t allow that.

Finally Chopper even counts as one of the kids. Many people say he’s just a droid, that droids don’t count and are replaceable, but Kanan begs to differ.

Last of all is Jacen. The only of his kids that is by blood his family. Canonically he never knew Jacen, he died just before Hera found out she was pregnant. For the sake of this blog though, we ignore his death. As such, he did get to know Jacen, and he loves his son just as much as he loves the rest of the crew.

~~~~~

Non Canon Kiddos

Nyx Ulric. He’s not a man to have many kids, but across different verses he has many.

In a typical Before the Sunrise/Following the Moon verse he has one son. Elias. Rather than Libertus and Cyrus taking in both Emi and Eli, Nyx takes in Eli. It’s less stress on his best friends, and it keeps the kids close together. This happens after the darkness falls, and Nyx is based in Lestallum with Cyrus and Libertus. In this verse, Eli is the same kid that starts out very timid and grows into his confidence. The change is that rather than being hotheaded, he’s just reckless. Much like Nyx. There is also the variable of Nyx can be a single father, or he can be shipped with anyone still alive in the darkness, though traditionally he’s with @heartsurpluss’ Prompto.

Nyx with Luche. When shipped with Luche (specifically Jess‘ Looch) he has a daughter named Leila. Really the little girl belongs to Luche, she’s his biological daughter, but the mother isn’t in the picture. Nyx falls for Luche first, and meets her and falls just as in love with this tiny infant. He loves her so much. In canon, it’s rather tragic because she ends up an orphan, so we ignore canon. Before the Sunrise/Following the Moon though she gets her parents. Luche is horrifically scarred and has terrible self esteem, not thinking himself worthy of love or a family. Nyx does his best to combat that, not just because he loves Luche, but because he doesn’t want Leila growing up without her father. She needs a parent, and Nyx knows he won’t survive past the darkness, he knows she needs Luche.

Nyx with Prompto. Again, this is specific to Jess‘ portrayal. She has a verse for Prom where he had a daughter with Cindy. That daughter is named Anna. This is usually something that happens in a modern verse. Nyx is a middle school teacher and actually meets Anna before he meets Prom. She’s a little spitfire in his classroom, and he adores this kiddo. Then during a parent-teacher conference he meets Prompto and falls in love with him. Obviously it’s not an instant in love, but seeing this cute lil blonde single father stumble in is entirely too endearing.

~~~~~

Khal is semi canon, but not totally. Her main ship is with Spencer, a fandomless oc played by- you guessed it- Jess. Spencer is an ICU nurse when they meet, but shortly after that transfers to NICU. He spends 8 years there, being best friends with Khal, but never anything more. They’re dating in everything but title. Khal refuses to admit her feelings until one day, he comes home from the NICU with a baby, because the baby’s parents couldn’t keep him and Spencer refused to let go of him. That day Khal just broke and admitted to herself, and to him, how she feels. Because she wanted to be Rory’s mother.

~~~~~

Drautos is not the type one expects to see as a family man, or even a married man. He is business first and he’s always been like this. But a lesser known fact is that he does want a family. He wants the family he missed out on having from his home being destroyed when he was 12. Because of this, I have a lot of verses with Jess about how he becomes a parent. For context, Jess- as you can likely tell by now- is a multimuse. She rps a lot of characters, including: Luche, Pelna, Axis, and Tredd. With each of these is an option for Drautos to be a parent.

Drautos with Luche. Luche has Leila, this is a fact established while discussing Nyx. Drautos is interesting in the image of a perfect family, because he doesn’t know how to actually have a family. He doesn’t know how to be a parent. But slowly he does genuinely fall in love with Luche, and with Leila. He will do anything to protect them, and when Insomnia falls his highest priority is ensuring that Leila is safe.

Drautos with Axis. Shortly after Axis’ youngest is born the mother died. This left Axis alone, and struggling to care for three children. What good commander would just stand by and watch this struggle? Certainly not Drautos. He takes the chance in helping Axis, and in return gets a family.

Drautos with Pelna. Pelna is a tiny baby glaive, and Drautos maybe just likes showing off how powerful he is to the young glaive. The fact that Pelna has a toddler son named Danny only helps. It’s a fun game until he realizes he’s in too deep.

Drautos with Tredd. Tredd has no kids of his own, but he wants them, and he’s something like an uncle to Axis’ kids. So even if he’s not presently capable of providing Drautos with that image of a family that he wants, he could one day. Particularly if by some miracle (known as RP meta because fuck canon) Drautos and Tredd are the only ones that make it out they’re left with Axis’ kids, Luche’s daughter, and Pelna’s son. So suddenly they went from none, to six.

~~~~~

Pine is the one that I was basically just like, she’ll be a shrug emoji. Cause @bygonesin​ and I have discussed that yes, her and Argent will certainly have kids, we’ve never really talked about how many or who they are though. But both of them come from large families so it stands to reason they’d have a large family of their own.

[brosura]

memento mori (the curious case of the baker on baker st.) pt. 4/4

Word Count: 4629 Rating: T probably Pairings: Prompto Argentum x Ignis Scientia Warnings: minor character death, major character death (VERY temporary), alcohol consumption, survivor’s guilt, mentions of child abuse/neglect

“Ignis Scientia, young baker and private investigator’s assistant, has a peculiar gift. With a touch, he can bring the dead back to life.”

AKA the promnis pushing da*sies au no one asked for

in the final chapter, four rowdy boys and a good dog do a stake-out

big thanks to @danielkesslers for the quick read n check!

[start with part I here] [read part II here] [read part III here] [fic on ao3]

“This isn’t our old neighborhood,” Ignis observes, as they all pull up to the Hammerhead garage in Gladio’s little electric car.

The facts are these.

The Hammerhead garage, owned by a certain Cid Sophiar, is housed in the remnants of an old small aircraft hangar. For years, local elitists in the community have insisted that the giant hammerhead shark - a grand old thing Cid had built on top of the garage as soon as he’d come across enough scrap metal - be removed to avoid lowering property values. And for years, Cid Sophiar has told them, in no uncertain terms, to “shove off, ya nasty city rats.”

At any rate, it’s become something of an establishment for car people and mechanics alike, and it’s garnered the reputation as the place in town to go for a tune-up or an upgrade. That’s what had drawn a young Prompto in after he’d taken his father’s car into the shop for him. What had prompted him to take his first and last job as an apprentice to the head mechanic in the shop.

“Y-yeah,” Prompto stutters. Basil is sitting in his lap, a pre-emptive measure since they’ll be keeping each other company while Ignis, Gladio and Noctis talk to Prompto’s old co-workers. “I sort of listed my boss in my emergency contacts? I don’t know, I didn’t really want my parents to know where I was going, and I was worried the company would send them mail, so I put my workplace as my permanent address.”

“Makes sense,” Noctis says. He’s been a remarkably calming presence in all this, and an excellent sport to sit through a murder investigation that he had no reason to be invested in. Ignis owes him as many tarts as he wants.

“Um,” Prompto starts, bouncing a leg nervously as they all move to exit the vehicle. Basil’s tongue flops erratically out of her mouth. “Could you guys like, send a signal or something? If they’re ok?”

“I’ll leave my phone with you,” Noctis says, already removing it from his pocket. “Ignis’ll text you with an update.”

Prompto gives him a grateful nod and a nervous little smile as he takes the phone, then they’re heading out of the car and pushing open the front doors to the garage.

“So,” Noctis draws out the syllable in the buzzing silence of the lobby. “What happens if the murderer is like… there.”

“Let me worry about that,” Gladio says, rolling his shoulders. “Just try not to get in the way.”

“Of what?” Ignis snorts. “Your ego?”

“Nice try, Ignis.” He sends him a cocksure grin. “You don’t see the take-down so I don’t blame you, but I’ve wrestled my fair share of perps. Guy coming from behind? Plastic bag? Not a lot of confidence there. I’m sure I could beat him hand to hand.”

“Oh man,” Noctis deadpans. “Ignis, let’s get out of the way. It’s his ego.”

“Very funny,” Gladio says with a roll of his eyes.

“Well, what’s the joke?” comes a high-pitched and smooth voice in a southern drawl as a young woman steps behind the counter with a friendly smile.

Ignis instantly recognizes her as the young woman from the funeral. Only this time, instead of her Sunday Best, she’s wearing a set of coveralls that are zipped down to the waist, fastened there with a knot tied with her sleeves. And she’s covered in grease, even the t-shirt underneath the coveralls and her baseball cap weren’t spared. Even so, she’s very pretty, so Ignis isn’t surprised when Noctis balks and shrinks subtly behind him. He never was good at meeting new people, much less new attractive people.  

But Gladio has no such qualms. He’s leaning over the counter like he’s an old friend, all charm. “Nothing worth repeating, ma’am.”

“Aw, shucks. Ain’t no need for all that fancy business. You can call me Cindy, darlin’.” She gives them a wink. Ignis can feel Noct’s panic rising behind him. “What can I do for you boys today? Something with your car need fixin’?”

“No car trouble today, Cindy.” Gladio says with an amicable smile. “My name’s Gladio, and I’m actually a private investigator. These two are my, ah, assistants. We’re currently looking into the death of a Prompto Argentum.” The name scarcely leaves Gladio’s mouth before Cindy’s entire face falls. “Take it you knew him?”

“Yeah,” Cindy says, taking off her cap to run a hand through her hair. “Yeah, I knew him.”

“Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?” Gladio asks, gentle. He waits for Cindy to nod before continuing. “He listed this garage as his last workplace, and we were hoping to speak to his boss. That you?”

“Not exactly.” Cindy bites her lip, looking thoughtful. It occurs to Ignis that Prompto might have picked up the habit from her. “Look boys, why don’t you come to the back with me? I reckon whatever I can’t answer, Paw Paw’ll be able to. He runs the place.”

She gestures for them to follow her behind a closed door, then winces as if remembering something. “Just- Just let me do the talking first, alright?”

“Is he mean?” Noctis whispers, looking nervous. “Ask Prompto if he’s mean.”

Cindy ok. Ignis texts, dutifully. Is boss mean?

Very mean. Prompto responds. Then there’s a picture of Basil. For support.

“Yeah, I knew Prompto.” Cid says with that southern drawl, sipping lazily at a cup of coffee that they’d all seen him pour whiskey into. If he wasn’t sure before, Ignis knows now that it’s Cid and Cindy that gave Prompto the habit of switching to the accent. “One of my older staff, quick with his hands. For a smart kid, he sure was a real idiot.”

“Paw Paw,” Cindy hisses. She gives them an apologetic look. “Paw Paw took him on as an apprentice when he was just a little thing. Couldn’t have been more than seventeen. He didn’t talk about it much, but we knew his parents didn’t pay him much mind, so we tried to make him feel like he was family here.” She sighs. “He was a real sweet thing. Didn’t deserve to go the way he did.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Gladio says with a cold detachment that might have seemed professional if Ignis didn’t know that it was merely a product of the ‘real sweet thing’ in question currently sitting in his car with a very small dog. He leans forward, fingers steepled over his own mug, filled with only coffee. “We’ll try to get out of your hair as soon as possible, but could you answer a few of our questions?”

“Shoot.” Cid gives them a half-hearted wave and takes another long sip from the mug.

“Right, could you tell us if you noticed anything strange about Prompto before the trip? Like, was he behaving strangely or was someone asking questions about him?”

“Can’t say I did,” Cindy answers. “He’d been jittery to be sure, but he seemed more excited than anything. Wanted to know what it was like to travel and all that, but Paw Paw and I don’t leave the garage much ourselves.”

“And he didn’t have a stalker or nothin’, if that’s what you’re asking,” Cid grumbles. “Real shy boy, stayed out of the spotlight. Took years for him to warm to me and Cindy. Woulda noticed if someone came round askin’ for him. Hell, half this garage woulda noticed.”

“Alright,” Gladio says after a pause. He’s making a show of jotting down notes, but from Ignis’ perspective, he can tell they’re just chicken scratches. “How about after the trip? Anything strange happen around the garage recently? Anyone acting strangely?”

Cindy purses her lips. “Hm, couldn’t say. Why do you ask?”

“We’re just pursuing the possibility that the murderer might have been personally connected to him.”

“Well, you can quit pursuin’,” Cid says with finality. “I know my people, none of them would do anything as sinister as you’re implying, city slicker.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Gladio smirks. “Last question, and we’ll be on our way. I understand he’d listed you as his place of residence, and the cruise ship might have sent you his personal effects.”

“Yeah,” Cindy sighs. “Yeah, we got ‘em.”

Gladio leans forward, grin almost predatory. “Mind if we take a look?”

“Well,” Noctis chuckles. “Those are definitely tonberries.”

“That they are,” Ignis says, turning the tacky plastic tonberry around in his hand. They’re heavy, but he’s not sure if it’s real or the imagined weight of knowing Prompto lost his life for these little things.

“So, what do we do now?” Noctis asks, fiddling with his own tonberry.

“We leave them,” Gladio says.

“Excuse me?” Ignis finds he can’t sound affronted enough. “Are you suggesting we continue to put Prompto’s friends, his family by the sounds of it, at risk?”

“They’re at risk whether or not we take the things,” Gladio growls, crossing his arms. “The guy probably went through Dino’s papers and came to the same conclusion as us. The fact that Cid and Cindy haven’t noticed anything says he just hasn’t acted yet. We take them and he gets here and can’t find them? Doesn’t look good for Cid and Cindy.”

Cid and Cindy who, they’d since learned, lived in a small attachment off the side of the garage. Loathe as he is to admit it, Gladio does have a point.

“So what?” Noctis asks for the both of them. “We just let him take them?”

“We leave them,” Gladio explains, poking a tonberry at them in a way that might have looked dramatic and inspired if it weren’t for the fact that it was a tonberry. “And then we wait.”

The facts are these.

Ignis Scientia - twenty-two years, six months, three weeks and five days old, veteran baker, practiced private investigator’s assistant and novice stake-out participant - wishes he’d charged his cell phone.

There’s only so much tenseness stretched between the silences he can take, after all. And with Noctis and Gladio on the other side of the garage - Noctis had split up the groups with a sly look to Ignis - there’s no one else to direct his attention towards.

Well, there’s Basil. But Basil - at a scant 5.5 pounds - is too light to disturb the eggshells they’re currently treading on, and she walks between Ignis and Prompto’s laps in Gladio’s car unaffected.

“So,” Prompto finally says. “Wanna, er, wanna talk about it?”

“About what?”

“The ‘it’s not an unfamiliar feeling’ thing,” Prompto explains. He switches into an exaggeration of Ignis’ accent for part of it, and Ignis finds himself equal parts charmed and offended. “Wanna talk about it?”

It’s not something Ignis was prepared to talk about, he’d been able to put off the memory of his mother and Prompto’s father for this far. But, he can’t lie to Prompto, not anymore. Still, he’s afraid to use the details. “I made a mistake when I was younger, when I first learned about my powers. I lost people who were very dear to me and I knew it was all my fault. I thought I was a monster, that I didn’t deserve anyone’s kindness. If Noctis hadn’t been a nosy little boy so intent on befriending me, I’m not certain where I’d be today, to be honest.”

Prompto lets out a hum, curling up in the seat to hug Basil, who has settled in his lap.

“You’re not,” he says after some time. His fingers curl and uncurl in Basil’s fur, who pants obligingly. “You’re not some monster. You know that, right?”

“Some days more than others,” Ignis admits with a rueful smile.

Prompto frowns. “I mean, I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I know I kind of yelled at you.”

“You were right to. Even it was a lie of omission, I still lied to you and I kept making excuses to lie to you. You deserved to know the complete circumstances of your, er, revival.”

“Yeah, yeah I mean you’re right about that, but I didn’t have to say all that shit about not wanting to talk to you.” Prompto turns to give him a bashful little smile. “To be honest, I was really overwhelmed and I just didn’t want you to see me cry. That would have been really uncool.”

“I understand the desire for privacy, but rest assured I think crying’s a perfectly natural response. Had our positions been reversed, I would have cried at the outset,” Ignis reassures.

“Well, yeah maybe, but you’ve got that perfectly chiseled face and all that,” Prompto says. Ignis waits for him to stutter and blush, but he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps going. “Hell, you probably look great when you cry! All dramatic and noble. Totally unfair, because I just get all red and splotchy. It’s very unattractive.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I want to see you cry anytime soon.” Ignis laughs. “But I think you’re perfectly attractive, no matter the situation.”

Prompto scrunches his nose. “There’s a word for that. Starts with an N.”

“Are you suggesting I’m a necrophile?”

“Yeah, that. And I mean, you are flirting with a dead guy,” Prompto says, but he’s smiling as he says it.

And it’s that warm, longing smile Ignis didn’t think he’d see again, one that pulls at Ignis’ own lips until he’s smiling in return. Suddenly they’re both children again, back in that tree at sunset. Only this time, Prompto is looking at him with the same wonder that must have been written on Ignis’ face that day. Ignis wishes this was some fantasy land, he wishes he could lean in the way he wants, give Prompto a kiss the way he wants.

But once again, Ignis’ wish wasn’t granted. This wasn’t a fantasy land. It was a stake-out.

And they’d just missed their murderer.

The facts were these.

The man that breaks into Hammerhead in the dead of night has made a substantial name for himself by having no one know his name. He’s mysterious, dresses in all black, takes cash only, and was promised a very hefty sum from one Izunia, A. for retrieving a pair of plastic tonberries. Extreme sentimental value, he’d been told. 

This has resulted in more murders than he’d initially planned, but he’s not one to complain. The plastic bags that rest in his back pocket are the closest thing he has to a signature, and it’s unfair that he’s so rarely appreciated for his work.

It seems there’s no need for his special methods today, though, because he makes it through the garage undetected. After a moment of searching, he finds the tonberries in a suitcase next to the familiar camera of the boy he’d murdered on the cruise ship. Secretly, he’s glad it seems intact. It would have been a shame to break such a nice camera.

He’s just congratulating himself on a job well done after no end of inconveniences when a flashlight draws his attention.

“Put the tonberries down,” a gruff voice whispers.

He does not put the tonberries down. 

No, he throws the closest article of clothing he can find from the suitcase at the shine of the flashlight and runs. He can hear a muffled curse as the gruff-voiced man makes chase, but neither of them make it very far before he’s colliding with two more people.

“-mpto!” comes an alarmed cry, but he pays it no mind as he catches the smaller one around the throat. For now, at the very least, the body in front of him will shield him if his pursuers have guns and value their friends.

“Don’t move!” he growls, fumbling in his pocket for his knife, but as he fumbles, he finds himself crinkling the plastic bag on accident.

“Oh, fuck no,” his hostage growls. “Not again.”

Then he’s being flipped, dropped ignobly on the ground for someone as professional as him. This won’t do, naturally, so he grabs his hostage-turned-assailant’s hand and kicks at his midsection, flipping him in turn onto the ground and pinning him there by his throat.

In the dim light of the garage, he just makes out the face of the man, only to find it eerily, eerily familiar.

“Didn’t I kill you?” he asks, incredulous.

But that’s all he gets to ask because the lights flicker on to reveal the scene. There’s him, the nameless man on an errand from a mysterious Izunia, A. halfway through strangling what should have been a dead man on the ground. And then there’s three men frozen in place and scattered about the room, each looking on with some kind of horror at the man in the doorway.

And then there’s the man in the doorway.

“Oughtta read the sign, boys,” Cid Sophiar says, cocking his gun. “We’re closed.”

And that is how Cid Sophiar, age sixty-two, shoots Prompto’s would-be second time killer dead in the Hammerhead Garage.

“You sure your friend is ok?” Cid grumbles, pouring more whiskey into his whiskey. “Looked to be in a real bad situation when I walked in.”

They’re all sat in the office that Gladio had questioned Cid and Cindy in, trying to ignore the dead body in the other room, evidence that their stake-out had been... too active. 

Distantly, they can hear Basil barking from the car that Ignis and Prompto had fled from in haste when they’d seen Gladio’s shaky flashlight signal from the opposite side of the garage before they’d walked directly into a short-lived hostage situation.

By some miracle, Prompto had the sense to look away when Cid had turned the lights on, and Noctis had the foresight to grab one of the shirts from Prompto’s suitcase and throw it over his face when their culprit rolled, lifeless, off his body.

“He’s fine, sir,” Ignis says, as Prompto - t-shirt wrapped around his head- frantically gestures with his hands a message that he must hope comes off as ‘Yeah, really fine!’ “He’s, ah, he’s just very shy to be seen by other people. This whole experience was very...trying, as you can imagine.”

“I can imagine just fine,” Cid says with a laugh, seeming more charmed than anything by Prompto’s strange behavior. “That big old boy was lookin’ right at you, wasn’t he? Taught him not to trespass in a mechanic’s garage, though, I sure did.”

“That you did,” Gladio chuckles. 

“You really think that’s the little asshole that killed Prompto?”

“I strongly believe it, sir,” Gladio says. “I’ll be sure to inform the police so you can collect the reward.”

“Reward was shootin’ that bastard dead,” Cid grumbles. “Well, I reckon I’m not gonna complain about some extra gil, either.”

Noctis, as if sensing Prompto’s anxiety, asks, “Your granddaughter ok?”

“Oh, Cindy’s just fine.” Ignis can see Prompto visibly relax next to him. “Out on the town with her girl. Reckon she’ll get a surprise out of watchin’ the cops draggin’ a body out of the ol’ garage, though.” Cid turns to Prompto, but Prompto can’t tense because, again, he can’t see it. “You oughtta head out then, I reckon. Can’t imagine it’s much better gettin’ gawked at by a bunch of boys in blue.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Noctis says, getting up. He pulls Prompto up by the hand and starts to lead him out of the room, pausing only to give Ignis a look of comfort. “We’ll meet you guys at home.”

And they’re gone just like that. The three remaining men in the room sit in companionable silence until the police arrive, broken only when Gladio curses.

“When did that little brat steal my keys?”

The facts are these.

Noct’s apartment is a spacious penthouse loft on the top floor of one of the only high-rises of the small town they live in. It includes such features as a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a small balcony with several struggling houseplants that offers a perfect view of the city. As such, it’s the perfect place to get a breath of fresh air after a particularly long talk with the police, and the perfect place for a dramatic conversation.

“So,” Prompto says, sliding down to sit next to where Ignis is leaning against the railing of Noct’s balcony. He slips two bare feet between the bars of the balcony to kick them over the expanse. Basil waddles to his side to shove her face between the bars. “Bummer about the reward, huh?”

“Well, Cid seems to have some ideas on how to spend the money.” Ideas, of course, that he’d been sure to outline to Gladio and Ignis in the thirty minutes it had taken for the police to show up.

“I’m glad,” Prompto smiles. “He’s a grumpy old guy, but he’s nice. He deserves some cash.”

“I’m inclined to agree, but I’m also not above wishing to see some of that reward money.”

“Same,” Prompto laughs. Then he tenses, ever so slightly as he continues. “I was kind of hoping to pay for that funeral director’s, well, funeral.”

“Ah,” is all Ignis can think to say.

There’s a pause where the only things that they can hear are the quiet sounds of the restless town beneath and Basil’s quiet pants.

Then Prompto laughs. “Think they give employee discounts for funerals?”

Ignis gives him a fond smile that Prompto returns, then he’s looking out over the city again, fingers coming to tangle in Basil’s fur.

“Y’know, to be honest, when I found out that guy died for me, I felt really guilty,” he admits in a soft voice. “But it wasn’t because I thought I should trade my life back for his or anything. It was- Well, I just scared myself because I was so relieved. It felt so selfish, but he was like, sixty or something, and I remember thinking ‘at least it wasn’t a kid,’ like somehow that made it better. And I was happy to be alive or whatever, but it was just… so much at once and everything was so fucked up. It’s fucked up, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s ‘fucked up’ to be happy to be alive,” Ignis answers. “I think that’s just how it is.”

“Yeah,” Prompto breathes. “Yeah, maybe. Either way, I was hoping I could get rid of the guilt by paying for this dude’s funeral, but I guess that’s out of the cards.” He looks to Ignis with a hopeful expression. “Was he really that much of a dirtbag?”

“Dirtiest of the bags,” Ignis says. “Absolute scum.”

“Wow, what happened to ‘don’t speak ill of the dead?’” Prompto laughs.

“Well, I’m sure the rules can be suspended for a man who regularly stole from the dead.”

“Oh, wow, he really was a scumbag.” Prompto blinks. “I thought you guys were just trying to comfort me.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” Ignis says, casually.

But Prompto turns to him with a knowing look in his eye. “Really?”

“What are you trying to imply?”

“Nothing,” Prompto laughs. “Nothing, I just. I figured it out, you know. What you were talking about in the car. My dad, that was you, right?”

“Er,” Ignis chokes.

“No, it’s alright, it’s alright,” Prompto reassures. “I’m not mad about it, I don’t blame you. I just wanted to tell you that.” Prompto pulls his feet from off the edge and puts Basil in his lap, curling up into a little ball around her. “My dad, well, he was kind of an asshole, when I think about it. Yelled a lot, drank a lot. Never hit me, but I wasn’t really around for him to try. Y’know, the reason why it seemed like I was outside all the time was because I pretty much was. I’d spend as much time out of the house as possible just to avoid him. So, you can quit beating yourself up about that.”

He lets out a shaky breath. “I was a kid and it was scary being alone, but I think my life would have been a lot worse if I stayed in that place.”

“Prompto,” Ignis chuckles something that’s at once solemn and fond, caught between his sadness at the pain in Prompto’s life and the joy at seeing him finally wanting something for himself. “You died.”

“Yeah, but I got to solve my own murder!” he says with a grin, honest and bright. “I mean, how cool is that?”

They both laugh at that, then Prompto’s looking at him with that thoughtful, longing expression. After a moment, he hums and uncurls himself to stand up in front of Ignis.

“Hey Iggy?” he asks, reaching into his back pocket to produce a plastic take-out bag. Have a nice day! it says in cheerful letters. “Mind doing me a favor and putting this bag over your head?”

“Plan on killing me?” Ignis jokes, but he’s taken the bag and is pulling it over his head regardless. “I suppose that’s karmic justice, in a roundabout sort of way.”

He doesn’t quite hear Prompto’s response over the crinkle of the bag, then suddenly the plastic is being stretched over his face and for a moment Ignis thinks, ‘ah, he really is trying to kill me.’ But then warm hands come to cup around his cheeks and there’s a gentle press against his lips and Ignis can’t think anything at all.

It’s a chaste kiss, necessitated by the plastic bag, and only a moment, but it’s more than Ignis could have imagined. Prompto, it seems, was the imaginative one between the two of them. It’s not his first kiss, not even his second, but it’s the first time he’s kissed someone and imagined a future instead of only the worst case scenarios. It’s the first time he didn’t wish anything was different.

But it’s not long, and he’s left standing dumbstruck in the aftermath as Prompto tugs off the bag and fumbles with it in his hands, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“I was kissing this big smiley face, so that was a little weird,” he laughs, a little nervous and a little breathless, as he stretches the bag out in his hands. He slips a hand inside. “And you used tongue! Look at you, Iggy!”

“I, er, I was caught up in the moment.” Ignis stutters out a laugh of his own.

“Careful,” Prompto teases. “Last time you were caught up in the moment, you killed a guy.”

“Hey!” Noctis cuts in abruptly, slapping a hand against the sliding glass door, making the both of them jump. “If you two are done flirting, I’ve got something to show you.”

“How’d you manage to steal those?” Gladio says, incredulous.

Those being the tonberry statues that Noctis had, apparently, lifted while leading Prompto out of the garage.

“We all have our vices,” he says, in lieu of a real answer. They’ll have to have a talk later, but that can wait because Noctis turns to Prompto, who’s turning one of them over in his hand and says, “Wanna do the honors?”

Prompto grins and raises the thing above his head. “This is for getting me murdered!”

The cheap plastic comes away with a crack to reveal the telltale glimmer of pure gold, the trait that’s likely responsible for the unexpected heaviness of the statues and the fact that someone had been willing to kill for them. This means nothing to Basil, who approaches the statue to lick at it.

“’They’ll make you very, very rich,’” Prompto breathes, remembering Dino’s words.

“Very, very quick,” Gladio finishes, testing the weight of one of the statues in his hand.

“Speak for yourselves,” Noctis shrugs. “I’m already rich.”

The facts are these.

Ignis Scientia - twenty two years, eleven months, three weeks and five days old, full-time baker, part-time private investigator’s assistant and host/co-star of a recently developing series of instructional cooking videos titled Baking with Basil - is about to have the best birthday of his life.

The reason for this being the man curled up on Noct’s couch. Prompto Argentum - recently re-raised freelance photographer, roommate (of Noct’s) and boyfriend (of Ignis) - isn’t doing anything in particular. He’s just existing, just breathing, and to reiterate, he’s Ignis’ boyfriend. And it’s the most wondrous thing Ignis could have hoped for. There’s nothing better he could have imagined in twenty-two years, eleven months, three weeks and five days.

“What are you staring at?” Prompto says, pushing his glasses farther up his face.

“Nothing,” Ignis gives him a fond smile. “I just like to look at you.”

“That’s gross,” Prompto says, scrunching up his nose. But he’s grinning. “Noctis, hold my boyfriend’s hand.”

Noctis, who’s been mercifully accommodating of Prompto and Ignis’ peculiar circumstances, merely makes a noise of understanding and flops out a hand for Ignis to hold.

“So, wanna take a trip for your birthday?” Prompto says with a smile.

“I’m not averse to the idea,” Ignis says, but that’s entirely an understatement. He’d go anywhere with Prompto, at this point. “What did you have in mind?”

Prompto’s grin turns mischievous. “Definitely not a cruise ship.”

THATS IT! (or is it?)

i may revisit this AU in the future! but for now, i have to work on my WIP for the big bang and some other stuff!

hope you enjoyed!

[kidspartycharactersny-nj]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXYXWiN7Y5E)

How and Why to Teach Your Child About Diversity

If you’re the parent of a child who’s old enough to talk, you’ve likely experienced at least one of those embarrassing moments at the store where your child encounters someone different than she is.

Maybe you were innocently strolling down the aisle when you encountered someone with dwarfism. 

You tried not to stare. Your child, on the other hand, blurts out, “hey, look how short that lady is!” 

Her words feel so loud to you, you wonder who handed her a microphone.

You smile in deep embarrassment, still trying to avoid eye contact, and rush into another aisle where you scold your child to never talk about other people like that.

If that is in fact similar to how you’re handling these horrifying moments, you’re missing out on great opportunities to teach your child important lessons.

When children point out differences, they do so out of curiosity, free from any prejudice or ill intent. 

Unfortunately, such prejudices can quickly attach themselves to these differences as your child gets older and is exposed to the many sadly inherent prejudices in our society.

The good news is, you have a powerful influence over whether your child embraces people of other abilities, appearances, and beliefs.

Let’s look at some of the best ways to make sure she does appreciate diversity, then we’ll talk about why this is such an important trait to instill in your child.

1. Embrace Teachable Moments

The younger you can start some informal “diversity training” with your child, the better.

Younger kids speak out more without a filter, are with you more so you’re right there to help navigate their questions, and are less likely to already have been exposed to any prejudice surrounding diversity.

But since we can’t go backwards, it’s obviously best to start now at whatever age your child is.

So let’s say you’re in the store and your child expresses excitement and amazement at “that really short lady right there!” 

You’ll want to die of embarrassment, but you can rest assured this is something she’s been dealing with all of her life, so don’t think your child is inflicting some type of unique pain on her.

Fact is, most adults are pretty comfortable with what ever their diverse trait is.

Instead of running away in shame, start by responding, “Isn’t it great that people are all so different from each other?”

You can consciously move away from the person as you continue with your lesson here, but she will likely appreciate the fact that you’re using this moment to give your child some life lessons.

Explain the cause of whatever the difference is and encourage your child to ask questions. 

Teach your child that physical diversity is beautiful and that what we really want to focus on when meeting people is who they are on the inside, something we can’t at all figure out by what we see in their physical appearance.

Some people will even respond to your child when he makes a comment about their difference.

This is the best possible teachable moment so don’t try to rush your child away from it.

The child who asks you, “Mommy why does that man only have one leg?” could be met with a powerful story from the man about how he was careless as a child and lost his leg in an avoidable accident. 

When these moments happen, thank the person for their generosity in helping your child learn to navigate the world.

2. Be a Role Model

Sometimes when we encounter older people who are racist, for example, we’ll give them a pass because that’s the way things were when they were growing up.

In other words, they don’t know any better because that’s what they were taught.

Despite all the outside influences from peers, other adults, and the media, you are your child’s biggest influencer and he will, for the most part anyway, adapt the attitudes you teach him about diversity.

This doesn’t mean you have to go around constantly pushing some diversity agenda.

It simply means that you let your child see you living a life that treats people equally no matter what their appearance is.

Say hello to the homeless people you pass by rather than crossing the street to avoid him, and refuse to tolerate insensitivity from others.

If someone tells an inappropriate joke, let your child know that way of thinking and talking is not okay. 

Openly stand up against all kinds of insensitivity to diversity that you see in real life and that you hear about on the TV, radio, or social media.

3. Read Good Books

Make it a point to read books by authors who look different and have different backgrounds than your child does.

Seek out books that will introduce your child to new places, people, and foods.

Choose some books that specifically address diversity, such as:

Special People, Special Ways by Arlene Maguire

This book presents a positive image of those with disabilities and shows that despite such differences, we all still have so much in common.

My Sister is Special by Larry Jansen

Especially good for younger children, this is a beautiful story of a boy learning compassion through caring for his little sister with Down’s Syndrome.

It’s Not What You’ve Got by Wayne Dyer

This book sends the message that money doesn’t define who you are and teaches that it doesn’t matter what others have and that abundance comes in many forms.

I’m Like You, You’re Like Me by Cindy Gainer

Here kids learn to appreciate the ways we are all alike, while still affirming our individual differences such as straight and curly hair, and large and small bodies.

I Don’t Want Curly Hair, by Laura Ellen Anderson

This is a great book especially if your child is uncomfortable with a physical trait she has. When a curly-haired girl meets a straight-haired girl, we learn that we often think we want what we can’t have!

This is a tiny sampling of hundreds of books that are out there. 

Oftentimes your local library will have special sections with all the books about diversity in them. You can also browse Amazon for more books than you’ll ever need on this important topic.

4. Make a Conscious Effort to Explore Diversity

There are many ways to seek out diversity, from listening to different music, exploring different foods, and attending cultural festivals, to volunteering at a special care facility or a youth center that serves kids who come from different backgrounds than your child.

You can buy a globe and teach your child about far away places, using books and TV shows to let her see how people in China, Africa, and France look, speak, and live.

The more opportunities you seek out to surround your children with others who look different than she does, the more she’ll grow up seeing how much we’re really all the same.

Why It’s So Important to Teach Your Child the Value of Diversity

Teaching your child about diversity has value far beyond the desire to see our children grow up as well-rounded humans.

And yes, we want them to be able to work with and deal with all types of people because more and more they are going to be encountering people with different appearances and abilities in their lives. 

We want our child to be the leader, the one who says and shows that it’s right to treat people based on who they are not what they look like or what their physical abilities are.

But it goes far beyond that.

Perhaps most importantly, we want our child to know that it’s okay to be the one who’s different. 

To stand up to bullies when they are the target or when they see another child being targeted.

To make good choices when “everyone else” is experimenting with sex, drugs, and alcohol.

To pursue their dream career even if it doesn’t mean the traditional path of college and working for someone else.

Teaching your child that diversity is a good thing, that each individual has value in who they inherently are, gives your child a solid base for becoming a strong individual.

This will serve her well as she navigates all the social challenges of school and childhood, as well as the grown up challenges to finding her own path for a happy life.

At KidsPartyCharacters.com we love diversity, which is one reason we have over 200 characters to choose from.

No matter what your child is in to, chances are we have it, even if it isn’t the latest fad all the other kids are choosing for their party themes.

Visit us at KidsPartyCharacters.com to book your child’s next party, and don’t hesitate to advise us of any special accommodations you need to make your child and all of his guests feel welcome and included.

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook to for daily updates on the magic we bring to parties, as well as parenting strategies for raising happy and healthy children.