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separatist-apologist · 7 months ago

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Never Not Mine

Summary: Elain Archeron has been betrothed to the seventh born son of Autumn for as long as she can remember. With her family's reputation in the balance, Elain is resigned to her fate.

That doesn't mean she has to like it…or that she has to make it easy for him.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3| Read on AO3

Elain knew she’d gotten Ayla into some trouble. For a month, her friend had been locked away in her family's chambers and when she returned, Elain noticed she winced every time she sat down.

You’re making a mess of everything, she thought morosely when Ayla wouldn’t make eye contact with her at all. Arina had retreated back into the library, leaving Elain to return to her overrun garden. She’d begun sketching it out crudely in a journal, trying to map out where things would go so she wasn’t planting blind.

Elain’s garden was the only place she felt true peace anymore. Spending time around Lucien was beginning to feel unbearable—something hot built in her throat if they were around each other too long, spilling into angry words that she couldn’t take back. Elain didn’t know why she couldn’t just be nicer or why the sight of him frustrated her the way it did.

Lucien had given her another gift just that morning—a pretty set of pearl combs she’d thanked him for before tossing them into a drawer that was increasingly becoming dedicated to the things he purchased for her. Lucien was trying, in his way. Everything he gave her was thoughtful and generous—Elain loved the simple elegance of pearls set into silver combs.

They weren’t good for gardening, at any rate—that was what she told herself as she tied a scarf around her head and headed out, prepared for another long day of ripping out weeds until she couldn’t take the seeping cold. She wasn’t alone today. There, hanging around the gates, stood Tanwen.

“Come to help?” she asked, certain he wasn’t there for any particular reason.

“Why not,” he replied, opening the iron for her before following just behind. “What do you need from me?”

“You could rip up that tree?” she suggested, pointing toward a sapling that was more weed than anything. “Or loosen up the soil with your magic?”

“Why not both?” he replied with a lopsided smile. For a while they worked in silence, digging up a pile of weeds they tossed in the center of the garden alongside all Elain’s ruined rocks. It was nice to have Tanwen there, if only to provide a little muscle when she didn’t want to exert herself so much.

“So,” Tanwen began when the skies began to darken and a gloomy fog started to roll over the hillside from the cursed forest. “Have you seen Ayla?”

It took Elain a moment to absorb his words. “I see her, but I don’t speak to her. I think she’s angry with me.”

“Ah,” Tanwen said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I should take these to the stables, if you’ll…excuse me.”

Elain watched him go, hair blowing in a vicious wind. Was he asking because he’d been the one to carry her in, or because he wanted to hear more about her? Elain couldn’t be sure. It was wrong to meddle when she’d already been the cause of Ayla’s suffering and yet…

“Lucien,” Elain breathed later that night, greeting her husband sitting in a chair in the bedroom, book in hand. His eyes found her nails, caked with dirt and cracked again. Lucien’s mouth drew into a deep frown, though he said nothing.

Smart, she praised silently.

“Wife,” he replied, as if reminding her of exactly what she was to him. Elain knew they were on borrowed time—at some point she was going to have to get over herself and have sex with him. How long, she wondered? Another month, perhaps? Two? Lucien didn’t want her unwilling, but Elain couldn’t imagine a scenario in which she went to him gladly, either.

“We never had a celebration,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed once she was done with her hands.

“Why would we?” he replied, turning the page of his book without looking at her.

“Why wouldn’t we? Everyone else gets one.”

Lucien glanced up. “You want to celebrate wedded bliss?” he questioned.

Truthfully, no. It would require the two of them to be together all night, touching and dancing and smiling. Elain took a breath. “Yes, I want that. Will you ask your mother to organize it?”

Lucien stared long and hard, as if he could read her thoughts simply by willing it. Elain was careful to leave herself casual, though it did no good.

“What are you up to?”

“Nothing,” she replied, heart picking up speed. “I just…think it’s strange we haven’t.”

Lucien took a breath. “Does this mean I can expect you to crawl into bed with me that night?”

“I get in bed with you every night,” she snapped, immediately annoyed. Elain didn’t bother mentioning that they were getting a little too accustomed to sleeping beside each other. She’d woken in the middle of the night to find Lucien’s arm flung over her stomach as he drooled into a pillow.

“You keep your night clothes on.”

They were in dangerous territory. “What are you demanding of me?”

Lucien ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I’m demanding nothing. You’re the one who wants to celebrate our marriage and I…” And he was simply a male. He wanted the right to touch her and perhaps considered this a good negotiation point.

“Don’t host it, then,” Elain said, turning back to the bathroom as a means to escape him. She slammed the door behind her, back against the wood as she listened for his response.

“Cauldron boil me,” he mumbled, but Lucien did nothing else. Even after Elain took a long bath, hoping he might find some other way to amuse himself, but when she came out, hair freshly braided and mostly dried, Lucien was already in bed. He seemed asleep, back facing her as it rose and fell in a steady, fluid motion. He’d pulled his hair out of the strap he’d been wearing, allowing it to cascade over his shoulders and Elain considered, not for the first time, what it might be like to let him touch her. To be curtained with the waterfall of auburn hair, to feel the muscles of his back shift as he moved…

Touch him, a little voice whispered. Elain panicked, drawing her fingers into a fist before sliding them under her body to keep her from doing so. What was wrong with her? The urge had come from nowhere, the instinct to run her finger down the length of his spine so overwhelming that Elain’s hands shook from the effort it took not to touch him.

It was his closeness, she decided as she settled into bed. His male presence and her instinctual response. Nothing more. Still, it took Elain a long time to sleep as a familiar vision crowded behind her vision.

Go away, she demanded. She didn’t want another image of Lucien’s naked form writhing atop her as her mind forced her to contend with what might be if she just gave in. He didn’t want her and Elain would be damned if she made the first move. Or second…or hundredth, actually. She woke a little before him, dressed herself, and made her way down to breakfast before Lucien could speak to her at all.

So she was surprised when the Lady of Autumn came to her, face beaming with joy. “I heard you wanted a celebration,” she said in that sweet voice of hers. The voices in the room fell to a near whisper as everyone listened in, the excitement in the room palpable.

“I would,” Elain said, wanting so badly to be the daughter The Lady of Autumn—Amera—wanted her to be. She saw the way Amera fawned over Arina, who allowed it with glowing cheeks and shiny eyes. Elain bet Arina let Amera throw her a party the morning after, even if she spent the night torturing Eris with a knife.

Elain didn’t want to think about the implications there.

Amera clapped pale, delicate hands together. “Oh, how lovely. It’ll take a bit of time to put together…would you like to help?”

“Yes,” Elain breathed, forgetting why she wanted to do this in the first place. Her own mother could be cold, calculated and careful. There had never been much warmth even for her favorites, and Elain often felt intimidated around her mother. Amera exuded the kind of warmth she’d often wished for as a child. If Amera had asked her to commit a murder, Elain was certain she would have picked up a sword and marched beneath the Lady of Autumn’s banner.

Not that Elain knew how to use a weapon. Perhaps Tanwen could teach her.

Or your husband.

“Should we get started?” Amera asked.

Elain couldn’t suppress her grin. “Nothing would delight me more.”

LUCIEN:

“How do you stand it?” Lucien demanded, interrupting Eris and Cadmus in their private parlor.

“Looking at you?” Eris replied dryly, eyes flicking up from his cards. “I manage.”

Lucien growled, earning a laugh from Conall across the room. He sat on a sofa, the picture of bored nobility while Tanwen tossed a knife up in the air. They were hiding from Beron, who had woken up in a foul mood. It was only a matter of time before he came looking for his sons.

Better to make themselves scarce and wait for the storm to pass.

“You’re very funny,” Lucien said flatly, pulling up a chair to sit with his brothers. “I mean with mother. How do you stand her fawning over Arina?”

Eris’s brows knit together. “I rather like it.”

Of fucking course he did.

“Gets her out of your hair, does it?” Tanwen taunted, clearly bored and looking for sport.

“Her mother is dead,” Eris snarled, eyes flashing dangerously. It hadn’t been more than a year since the bond had snapped and Lucien didn’t think Eris would ever stop chafing beneath it. Even a whisper of insult toward Arina was enough to set his teeth to snapping.

“Elain is planning a celebration,” Lucien informed his brothers, sinking further into his chair as he swiped a decanter of whiskey from the ornately carved table. “All mother speaks of is how sweet and lovely Elain is.”

“She is sweet,” Connall goaded. “If she were my—”

“That’s enough!” Eris barked, unwilling to mop up blood. “She would never be your wife because that would require you to be a male with honor…which you are decidedly not.”

Tanwen chuckled as Cadmus only nodded, eyes flicking from Eris to a scowling Connall. Would Cadmus break them up? That was his usual role in moments like these.

“I don’t have a wife because Elain and Arina electrocuted the only good option left to us. How is little Ayla doing these days?”

Lucien looked up at the ceiling, wondering why he bothered to talk to his brothers at all.

“She’s well,” was all Eris said, laying his cards down with a triumphant smile. Lucien, having the benefit of standing behind Cadmus, cracked a half smile knowing that Eris was outmatched. A scowl darkened Eris’s face as Cadmus chuckled, pulling coins toward his already sizable pile.

No one could outsmart Cadmus in a game of cards.

“If you’re so bothered by your wife, why not remove her from court?” Cadmus finally said, glancing over his shoulder. “Send her to the Mountain Palace, or the Seaside Palace, if you must. Send some of the ladies from court to keep her company.”

The room had suddenly become frosty, the temperature dropping by several degrees. Lucien could feel all of his brothers glaring at him, their disapproval plain. She’d won them over just as surely as she’d stolen his mother and Lucien was jealous. Elain had simply come in and charmed everyone while he’d been trying to win the approval of his family presumably from the day he’d been born.

His brothers acted as if they knew something about him he did not—he was kept just out of reach, tolerated but not one of them. They shared some secret language Lucien did not speak. It didn’t help that Lucien was also a century younger than his next oldest brother, and Eris was nearly three centuries old by the time Lucien had been a baby. They’d watched him grow up, but in his memories, they were all grown.

Why was it so hard for him and so easy for Elain?

“Enjoy yourself, little Lucien,” Connall said in that easy, flippant way of his. “If mother likes Elain, it means you’ve found yourself a keeper. From Spring, no less.”

“It’s just…”

Not what he wanted. Every eye in the room fell back to their hands, refusing to look at him. They knew, though. Even after Eris had sent Jesminda away, even after she’d told him to leave her alone, he was still holding out some sliver of hope that he was going to wake up one morning and it would be Jesminda's dark hair splayed out on the pillow.

Even after everything, he still wanted her.

Lucien knew he was a fool.

“Go to bed, Lucien,” Eris said, rising from his chair. “Go fuck your wife until you can think of nothing and no one else. And if that doesn’t work, take a mistress to amuse yourself.”

“Leave Elain alone,” Tanwen added, a sharp edge to his voice. When Lucien looked around, he found his brothers all looking at him again, their eyes matching Tanwen’s tone.

Right.

She was one of them, but he was not. Lucien strode from the room, determined not to take Eris’s advice. Cadmus’ held promise, though. What if he sent her away after the celebration? Eris would never agree to let Arina join her, but Ayla would likely be allowed. Hells, Elain could hand pick the ladies she wanted to accompany her. And if she picked up with some sentry, well. Lucien didn’t care.

I’ll kill any male who touches her—

Lucien exhaled with frustration, making his way back to his bedchambers where he found Elain seated at a table staring at several different color swatches. She looked up when he walked into the room and without thinking, offered him a pretty half smile.

“Come help me,” she said as Lucien stood there agape. Was Elain willingly asking him to sit in her company? She typically darted off anytime he walked into a room. Lucien walked to her, waiting for the spell to shatter and her to realize it was him and not one of the brothers she preferred.

“What do you need help with?”

“These different shades of pink,” she said, a frown tugging the corners of her pretty mouth. “I hate them all.”

“So do I,” Lucien admitted, drinking in the rosy, spring shades. “What is your theme?”

Elain’s cheeks heated. “Old meets new.”

Spring meets Autumn, he supposed. Elain fidgeted with one of the squares of cloth, unable to meet his gaze.

“Perhaps something darker?” he offered. “More maroon than pink?”

“I thought the same thing,” Elain admitted, setting the little square back on the table. “But your mother has this vision of pink and silver and I don’t want to disappoint her.

“Trust me when I say you’ll disappoint her far more if you let her dress you in something you don’t like.”

“She’s been so nice,” Elain admitted, chewing on her bottom lip. “She’s like my mother if…”

Lucien held his breath, waiting for Elain to finish.

“Nevermind,” she said with a sigh, gathering up her swatches. “I—”

“No,” he breathed, strangely desperate. “Tell me.”

“It’s nothing, I promise,” she said, but Lucien wasn’t going to be deterred. He’d take anything, any little piece of information that would give him a more solid footing with the stranger he called a wife. They’d been married for nearly two weeks and Lucien knew practically nothing about her. Elain didn’t give up her secrets easily and in her defense, Lucien hadn’t tried to make conversation with her, either.

“Tell me anyway.”

“You’re not going to let it go, are you?” she said, bracing herself against the table. Lucien scooted closer as Elain lifted herself atop it, legs swinging sweetly. He wanted to get on his knees, wanted to slide his hand up her slim calves and—

“No. So you may as well just tell me,” he said, flashing her what he hoped was a charming grin.

“Your mother is like my mother if she was warm,” Elain managed, eyes latching on a painting across the room.

“Your mother is unkind?”

“No, not unkind, just…” Elain bit her bottom lip again. “Spring is a lot like a vipers nest, and you have to think like one if you want to survive. My mother is queen of the vipers, I suppose. She wasn’t cruel, but…we all had our parts to play, clearly.”

“Why did you go first?” Lucien asked, giving voice to the question that had plagued him since she’d first been sent to him. “Why not your older sister?”

Elain sighed. “The High Lord delays the match. He’s angling for Feyre, but the humiliation of spurning Nesta would ruin all of us. I think mother wanted to see me gone just in case he decided to spit in the face of tradition.”

“Tamlin loves tradition,” Lucien said softly. “If he promised to marry Nesta, he will.”

Elain nodded, though it was clear she didn’t agree. Whatever was going on over there, Elain certainly knew it better. Still, it was nice to have some context to the marriage. Elain had agreed, even though she didn’t want to, to ensure her sister's futures, too. There was something strangely lovely about it.

Or maybe it was just the insight that Lucien appreciated. He didn’t understand Elain at all, especially knowing her father likely would have intervened if she’d begged. Sometimes, Lucien imagined that Elain had come simply to torment him, even if deep down he knew that wasn’t true.

She’d come because she loved her family. That made it a little harder to dislike her. Would Lucien have done the same for his brothers? He genuinely couldn’t say, though he suspected he wouldn’t have. Not that it mattered—males weren’t held to the same standards as females. If Lucien had ruined his engagement, Elain would have been tainted in the process but he would have come out unscathed.

“If you want, I can talk to mother,” Lucien offered, wanting to do something for Elain that wasn’t half apology. He felt earnest—hopeful, even. “Soften the blow.”

Elain offered him a half smile that made her even more beautiful than usual. Lucien was terrified of the day she gave him a full smile, wholly directed at him. Would he survive it? Lucien wasn’t sure he’d survive any of this because Elain was his mate, and he had the terrible feeling that if he got to know her, he’d like her.

It was a constant war between not wanting her at all and wanting her so badly it made his teeth ache. It was going to be like this for his entire life. Lucien understood why so many gave in to the bond. A not small part of him wanted to. Wanted to throw himself at her feet and demand to know why she hadn’t told him if she felt it, too. And another part wanted…well. Wanted to know if she’d like her if he didn’t have that thread tugging in his chest. His heart pounded out a steady, consistent beat: mine, mine, mine.

“I can do it,” she said, rising from her chair while stretching out her neck. “I don’t want her to think I don’t respect her.”

“She wouldn’t think that,” Lucien assured her, though he appreciated Elain was willing to have a personally uncomfortable conversation.

“All the same,” Elain said blithely, eyes still dancing even when her mouth had flattened into a neutral expression. She was so fucking pretty.

“Well. Tell me the colors so I don’t embarrass you,” he said, hoping, once again, he was coming off as charming and not demanding. Elain glanced over her shoulder, a curl ghosting over her cheek.

“Whatever you say.”

She turned for the bedroom, leaving Lucien to trail helplessly behind her.

ELAIN:

If everything went according to plan, Tanwen would ask Ayla to dance. They’d look at each other. Maybe even speak, assuming Tanwen could move both his feet and lips at the same time. Maybe they’d kiss, if the night went well, and Tanwen would realize he was madly in love with Ayla and Elain could spend the rest of her time arranging their marriage to take her mind off her own.

The Lady of Autumn had gone all out—the ballroom was packed with people from a myriad of courts, including her own. She’d seen Nesta floating around in a gown made of spun silver—a match for the blue of her sharp eyes. If Nesta was there, Feyre was, too, likely exploring some hidden area of the palace she shouldn’t be in. Elain had seen a few Day Court courtiers flock to Arina, their eyes lined with kohl, dressed in bright, breezy linens that seemed strangely out of place around Arina.

Elain had taken Lucien’s advice, told his mother she didn’t like the rose color that had been chosen and ended up in a blood red gown that she never would have chosen for herself, once upon a time. When Amera presented it to Elain, setting the silk gown gently on the bed, Elain’s heart had thrummed.

Feyre would have worn it. Nesta, too. Her sisters were bolder, less afraid of making a statement. She wanted to be the kind of female who wore things like that, though. It was modest enough, with the off-shoulder sleeves that revealed freckled skin and delicate collarbones without even a hint of cleavage. The bodice was tight, the sides embroidered in gold flowers that made it seem as if her waist was pulled in smaller, creating the illusion of real curves.

She’d pulled her hair off her face with the pearl combs Lucien had given her as a show of good faith given how nice he’d been over the last few days. Not friendly, exactly, but nicer than he’d been since they’d met. He was looking at her when he spoke to her, which felt like a major improvement.

She hadn’t seen him yet, though the night was still early—plenty of time for Lucien to embarrass her yet.

Floating through the throngs of people, the smell of sticky pastries and wine in the air, Elain tried to find Ayla. Her friend had sworn she’d be there, as had Tanwen after a lot of cajoling and pleading.

Who will dance with me? she’d asked, making her eyes big and round. Tanwen, unused to being manipulated by a female, had folded almost immediately though he’d grumbled that he didn’t dance. Not with her, perhaps—but someone else? Elain didn’t believe he was above courting entirely given the rumors she’d heard floating around.

The Vanserra’s had a reputation and if Elain had to guess, she’d bet she was one of the few people left that had no idea what it was like to be underneath one.

“There you are,” Lucien’s warm voice murmured as his fingers brushed the tops of her shoulder. Elain turned and immediately wished she hadn’t. Lucien had asked what color she was wearing and Elain had said red and yet somehow, he’d managed to coordinate his jacket to the exact shade of her dress.

Fuck him, she thought privately as she took in the well-tailored fabric fitted to his broad, muscular chest. His boots gleamed beneath the faelights, cut up to his knees before giving way to black pants that showed off powerful thighs. He wore a gold band around his ring finger and he’d half braided his hair off his face much like Elain had done with the combs. He looked…he looked good.

Beautiful, even, in a roguish kind of way.

“Were you looking for me?” Elain asked, noting that Lucien was looking at her much like she’d just done. His eyes darkened, scent sharpening and oh. This wasn’t a good time for him to realize he was sexually attracted to her.

Lucien cleared his throat, eyes returning to her face. “It’s our celebration, I figured we ought to be seen together. Happy,” he added with a frown.

Elain couldn’t help her laugh. The whole thing was absurd. “Well, you’re truly selling it.”

Lucien blinked. “Are you going to tell me what this is in service of, now?”

“You don’t believe I’m so incandescently happy?” Elain teased, gaze snagging on the High Lord. She hadn’t expected Beron Vanserra to come, but there he was, arm linked with his wife and brown eyes bright as he listened to her speak. Elain was terrified of Beron and his shows of temper, his violence, and the bruises Elain often caught on Amera’s body when her sleeves slid up her wrists.

And yet here, he was the picture of adoration. Was it possible to love someone you hated? Elain turned, catching her husband also watching with a disdainful expression on his face. He didn’t bother hiding it, and Beron didn’t notice. Elain had heard Beron was preoccupied with Eris and Cadmus, but paid little attention to Connall and Tanwen and practically none at all to Lucien. To Elain, that seemed like a best case scenario, but maybe Lucien resented his fathers disinterest.

Or maybe he resented the way Beron terrorized his family.

She’d never asked, determined not to make it her business.

Lucien rolled his eyes, returning to their conversation as his fingers skimmed down her spine. He’d been touching her more often—absent gestures she wasn’t certain he was even aware he did. Every time his skin met hers, Elain’s whole body ignited with interest, which prompted her to try, desperately, to avoid his touch. What would Lucien do if he ever caught a whiff of her changing scent?

Elain knew she was on borrowed time, that eventually there would be questions about what they did when they were alone. The expectation of children would begin to arise and Elain would have to bow to the pressure and at least try. It had taken her own parents nearly five decades to conceive Nesta and Elain expected it would take her just as long, even if she and Lucien put themselves on a strict schedule.

What was worse was the thought that she might enjoy it. The vision persisted, lingering in her mind as it taunted.

You could be happy if you made different choices.

Lucien's fingers stilled at the small of her back, as though he realized how far he’d drifted and knew he was in danger.

“Tell me the truth,” Lucien murmured, leading the two of them through the throngs of people dancing to soft music played by musicians seated in elegant chairs. Cool air blew in from the open windows and some brave souls donned cloaks before sneaking out toward the garden for a moment alone.

Elain would bet that's where Feyre was.

“We deserve a little celebration, Lucien,” she said, turning abruptly for the garden just to see what her sister was doing. The last thing she needed was for Eris to find Feyre poking through something and start an international incident like that one time Feyre had been permitted to join their father in Winter.

“Elain—”

“Why does it bother you?” she asked without malice, letting him trail after her as they made their way into the dark. A pillar half hid a couple furiously kissing, the smell of salt and desire half choking Elain. Lucien coughed, for all the good it did—the pair broke apart to look at them before deciding they didn’t care if they had an audience. Elain scurried toward the grounds when the male dropped to his knees, head ducking beneath a skirt. Behind her, Lucien muttered something she couldn’t quite make out, though it sounded disapproving.

“What if I wanted to help whatever scheme you’re currently working through?” he responded, jogging up beside her. “Did that occur to you?”

Elain’s steps slowed. It hadn’t. “I’m trying to set up your brother.”

Lucien’s brow furrowed. “Which one?”

“Tanwen.”

He laughed, which annoyed her. “What?”

“Tanwen? Elain, if you want to set him up, you need to hide her in the woods for him to find.”

“He said he’d dance,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she faced off with Lucien. The grass was damp, the wet bleeding through the soft fabric of her shoes. Unlike Lucien who had layers beneath his jacket, Elain merely had the thin fabric of her gown. Lucien looked warm, and some part of her wanted to close the distance between them and fold herself against his body.

“Did you use your feminine wiles on him? Poor Tanwen,” Lucien teased, poking her in the stomach.

Elain scented something strange just as she was about to retort—sea salt and citrus, wholly out of place in the Autumn wood. Lucien, too, caught the scent of it, his eyes flicking up over Elain’s head as one hand came out to half pull her against his body. She’d been right—Lucien was warm.

A moment later, Feyre Archeron appeared looking dazed and pale. Elain’s sister had merely stepped out of a rip in the world, trailing star-flecked shadows behind her as she went. There was no one with her—just Feyre, who could apparently winnow. Elain had never known that.

“Are you okay?” Elain asked when Feyre passed. Her sister started, eyes bright like the moon.

“Of course,” she said, her tone strangely breathless. “I was…lost.”

“Lost.” Lucien repeated, his tone rich with disbelief. “Where were you going?”

“I…out,” Feyre finally said, practically floating away from them. Both Elain and Lucien watched and she suspected if she’d turned to look at him, they’d be wearing matching expressions of confusion.

“That…was strange,” Lucien finally said, releasing Elain from his grip. She took a step away on instinct, desperate for a breath of air not tainted by the soft, masculine scent of him. “Is she always like that?”

Elain wanted to assure him that Feyre wasn’t, but… “Yeah,” she said with a sigh. It was pretty par for the course for Feyre to slip off and keep secrets about her magic. If Feyre could winnow and hadn’t told anyone, it was for a reason. Elain certainly wasn’t going to divulge that information.

“Come on,” Lucien murmured, and she swore when she looked at him, a faint glow emanating off the edges of his skin. She blinked and it was gone, fading to a memory she couldn’t quite recall. Had she seen it? Or had she merely imagined it?

“You’re shivering,” Lucien added when Elain didn’t move, reaching for her once again. He couldn’t keep touching her—he was wearing down her resolve. One of these days Lucien might put his hands on her and she’d thank him for it.

Something in her wanted to make him work harder, even if it was inevitable. She wanted to like him, at least, before he took her clothes off her. And more than that, Elain wanted Lucien to like her, too. She was certain he didn’t—not really. What she found gazing back at her when she looked at him was merely acceptance. He’d made his peace with this marriage, something he should have done the moment he found himself standing at the priestesses altar, and was ready to get on with things.

Elain followed Lucien back into the bright, dizzying warmth, eyes scanning the room for both her sisters and Tanwen. She found Ayla, dressed in rich burgundy chatting with a male whose name escaped her. She saw Connall leaned against a pillar holding court while a semi-circle of females laughed at something undoubtedly stupid he’d said.

Cadmus and Eris patrolled the edges of the room, talking among themselves even as Eris’s eyes continued to slide to his mate, giggling with some of the females that routinely came to Ayla’s card games.

But no Tanwen. Lucien must have realized it, too, because his fingers brushed the back of her hand. “Told you.” It was the wrong thing to say to her right then. His touch, combined with her own confusing mix of emotions, caused a rush of anger to flood through her. Elain’s attraction to him, the closeness of his body, the way she swore she saw him looking at her at times—all of it was too much.

“That was uncalled for,” she hissed, grateful when he didn’t follow behind her. Elain didn’t turn to look at him, either.

She knew he was watching.

She could feel it.

LUCIEN:

“You’re an asshole,” Lucien began, snatching the weapon from his brothers hand before Tanwen could take a swing. Tanwen turned, brows raised.

“For what?”

“You told Elain you’d dance with her,” Lucien reminded him, almost telling his brother the truth of the matter. Lucien very much doubted Elain would be forgiving if she learned he’d messed up her little plan—even if Lucien thought it was ridiculous.

Tanwen blew out a breath. “I don’t dance.”

“It was one dance.”

“You dance with her,” Tanwen retorted, reaching for the axe but Lucien held it just out of reach. They were matched for height and likely matched in strength, though Lucien knew from experience that if Tanwen wanted to hurt him, it would be relatively easy for him to do so. In his youth, he’d tried to take on all his brothers to disastrous results. Besides, if he limped back into the house with a bruised eye and busted lip, Elain would know that he’d been meddling to help her.

It might make her like him a little better…and Lucien didn’t want her to know he was trying as hard as he was. He couldn’t explain it—call it petulance, call it his own inner angst, but Lucien wanted Elain to simply wake up one day desperate and needy from the bond and court him a little, too.

“You made a promise,” Lucien pressed, tossing the axe to the damp, leafy ground beside his brother.

“I fucking hate that shit,” Tanwen snapped, running a hand over his messy hair. “The people, the noise, I—” he took a breath. “I tried, alright? But someone tried to talk to me and I couldn’t do it. If you want me to make it up to your wife, though—”

“Watch your fucking mouth,” Lucien warned, temper flaring. Lucien was coming to the realization that he likely couldn’t spend another month sleeping in the same bed as his mate without touching her. He toyed with the idea of creating some kind of bargain between them in which he was allowed to have her in the evenings and she could do whatever she liked with the rest of her time. But Lucien’s treacherous mind betrayed him, conjuring images of her taking a lover and he became restless and angry all over again. In his mind, Lucien was allowed to have her however he wanted her, but ultimately bore no responsibility toward her as he figured out his own feelings.

To make matters worse, every time he pictured Elain, his guilty thoughts bled Jesminda into the image until Lucien was frustrated with himself—Jesminda had told him to move on. Move on. It was taking too long, the heartbreak making a fool out of him. How did people get over it? Did they ever?

Or maybe you’re scared you’ll move on and be fine, a traitor's voice whispered in his mind. Maybe you’re afraid you’d be happy if you let yourself.

“Shut up,” he mumbled under his breath.

Tawnen glanced at Lucien, rolling his eyes. “I’m sorry if I upset Elain,” Tanwen conceded, though he didn’t look too shamed. “I’ll make it up to her.” Lucien doubted it, though, given his wife was very much trying to set Tanwen up. He trusted she’d find some new little scheme to put them back in the same room. Begrudgingly, he had to admit the thought of Elain trying to set Tanwen up amused him, if only because Tanwen was the most oblivious of the bunch. If he had his way, he’d abandon court entirely for some cottage in the woods and live entirely off the land. Tanwen would have thrived as governor of the rural counties of Autumn, though that post belonged to Connall, technically.

Beron sent Tanwen to their biggest port city and forced him to oversee the people there, knowing Tanwen hated the politics just as he knew counting crops bored Connall to tears. It wasn’t about learning anything, either. He simply liked making his sons suffer for his amusement. Lucien wasn’t allowed any leadership positions—Beron said he didn’t have enough cities, though Lucien knew that Beron simply didn’t like him and did not want to nurture any potential High Lord qualities in Lucien that might unseat Eris or Cadmus.

Lucien left Tanwen to his weapons, meandering even when he knew where he was going. He wanted the pretense of stumbling upon her, of seeing her with her hair tied off her face with a pink bandana, hands buried in soil. Lucien found her dressed in a rich purple, hem pooled around her knees as she plunged a little trowel into the earth.

She wore his gloves. Lucien’s heart raced at the sight of them, once tossed carelessly in a drawer along with everything else. She’d worn his combs the night before, his gloves today…Lucien took a breath. Elain was softening. Maybe he could bend a little, too. Pushing open the gate, Lucien made his way toward her.

“Planting?” he asked, noting the bed of weeds had been cleared out of the space. It must have taken her hours to do it.

Elain glanced up, a bead of sweat sliding down her brow. He wanted to taste it. “Your brothers helped clear this place out,” she said sweetly, rising up to sit on her heels. “It’s made things go faster.”

“What are you planting?”

“Here? Aster,” she said, showing him the little trays of budding plants she’d clearly been growing herself. “I’ve mapped it all out. Would you like to see?”

“Yes,” he breathed, coming close enough their knees brushed when he lowered himself to the ground. Elain pulled out a little journal and a rolled up piece of paper that she spread out for him.

Lucien recognized Cadmus’ work, sketched out beside Elain’s looping, pretty handwriting.

“Your brother painted it for me,” Elain admitted, running her fingers over the pretty watercolors that graced the page. I showed him my layout and he put it together.

“We should frame this when you’re finished,” Lucien murmured, thinking it really was lovely.

Elain’s eyes were bright. “Really?”

He didn’t like that creeping hope in her voice—her belief that he wasn’t a kind male, and didn’t care about her at all. It wasn’t true, though Lucien knew he’d done very little to disabuse her of the notion.

“Of course,” he replied, trying to keep his voice light and nonchalant. “You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

Elain tucked a curl behind her ear. “It’s just a garden, it’s not as if—”

“It’s important,” Lucien interrupted, tone gentle but firm. “Beautiful, too.”

Elain’s cheeks flushed, eyes slipping back to the ground. “That’s…thank you, Lucien.”

“Can I help?” he asked, deciding to push his luck. What did it hurt, he reasoned, to try and get to know his wife? His mate?

Biting her bottom lip, Elain nodded. “That would be nice.”

“I saw Tanwen this morning,” Lucien said, adopting a lighter, more gossipy tone. Elain’s eyes lit up.

“Did you tell him he ruined my night?” Elain demanded with a grin. “Winston occupied nearly all of Ayla’s time.”

“Winston,” Lucien grumbled, though in truth he had no issue with the lord. Winston was perfectly polite, in a bland kind of way. He was the kind of male Ayla could boss around and dominate, which wasn’t the worst position to be in given how Autumn viewed females. It was the closest thing to autonomy Ayla could hope for.

“Right?” Elain agreed, taking one of the little plants from him to nestle it gently in the dirt. “He’s so…”

“Agreed,” Lucien replied, heart thudding in his throat. “Could I offer you some advice?”

“Please,” she replied, eyes darting to him again. The urge to push her into the dirt and cover her mouth with his own reared through him with an intensity so hot that Lucien could feel his cock stir in his pants.

Calm yourself, he ordered.

“Consider an activity that Tanwen is interested in.”

“Like what?”

“What is the game you, Arina, and Ayla are always organizing on the lawn?”

“It’s a bit like tag, but less rough,” Elain admitted, cheeks flushing again.

“So why not a larger game?” Lucien suggested, mind racing with possibilities. “Or, perhaps something more akin to hide and seek. That could be romantic.”

Elain’s brows raised. “You’re quite clever.”

He grinned. “I’ll take the compliment.”

“How would we ensure we get them alone?”

“Easy enough. You and I will hide somewhere together—somewhere only I know,” Lucien added, his heart picking up again. He knew the exact tree he’d put her in, ancient and hollowed out by a High Lords son long since dead. Lucien had spent years hiding there as a child, reading and writing and otherwise daydreaming about more interesting adventures. With Elain, the space would feel smaller…perhaps he’d take the opportunity to truly touch her. Run his knuckles over her cheek, his nose along the curve of her neck.

“And Arina?”

Lucien snorted. “Eris won’t be able to help himself.”

Elain wrinkled her nose, scrunching the little freckles adorably. “Ew.”

“And Tanwen considers himself an expert tracker. Finding Ayla will be easiest, because she won’t be masked by another male's scent. And maybe, once they’re alone…”

Elain clapped her hands in front of her chest, giving him an excuse to look at the soft swell of her breasts. Elain was far too appealing, mate or not, and Lucien had the sinking suspicion he’d want her even without the cord currently wrapped around his throat.

Squashing his guilt, Lucien took a breath.

Unaware of his inner torment, Elain offered him a smile. “Okay. I like this plan—give me a few days to put it together so it seems natural and not too suspicious.”

“Naturally.”

“And you’ll join?”

“Nothing would amuse me more than to see Tanwen fall prey to the very court scheming he loathes.”

“You make it sound so sinister. I merely want him to find happiness,” she said, unaware that Ayla was the kind of female Tanwen had made a habit of ignoring. He could see her with Cadmus, perhaps, if Cadmus ever deigned to smile or have a moment of fun. Connall was too busy fucking his way through Prythian to ever consider a wife and truthfully, was likely to make someone very unhappy given how little he thought of commitment.

“And you think Ayla is his happiness?” Lucien questioned.

Elain only shrugged. “Maybe. It doesn’t hurt to try, does it?”

Lucien began digging out Elain’s next chalk mark as she carefully replanted, not willing to look at her. “I suppose not,” he murmured, feeling as if she were speaking to him as well. You’re not trying at all, he swore her voice accused which wasn’t true. He’d given her gifts, hadn’t he? He was sitting outside despite the biting chill, hands without gloves, dirt gathering beneath his nails.

Lucien wondered if she couldn’t sense his hesitation, his indecision. What did she feel? He was desperate to know. Experimentally, he pulled on the bond just to see what she’d do. Elain’s brow furrowed, hand flying to her chest to rub.

“Are you well?” he asked. Tell me you feel what I feel.

“I may have strained myself,” she admitted, hand falling to her lap. “Or perhaps I’m coming down with something.”

Lucien bit back his sigh. She felt it, but didn’t realize what was happening. Perhaps that was a blessing, then. He wondered if the snapping had felt different for her, or had been masked by her other emotions, lost to the swirl of fear and anxiety. How did he tell her without upsetting her? Could he?

“You should take it easier,” he murmured, unsure how she’d even go about doing that. “Rest more.”

Elain bit her bottom lips, gaze far away. “I feel like all I do is rest. I garden, I go about with my friends, I eat, I sleep. Hardly exerting.” Interesting. “What would you like to be doing, then?”

She considered this, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Travel?”

Lucien’s whole body tightened. Was that it? His disbelief must have shown on his face because she quickly added, “I heard the continent had tulip fields as big as a sea.”

“I’ve never seen them,” he admitted, mind racing, “I’d like to, though.”

“Maybe we could go?” she suggested.

Lucien resisted the urge to crush her against him. “Whatever you like.”

It was a start.

#elucien #im a day late and i fear this is terribly uninteresting #a filler episode before we get to the touching

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hestzhyen · 3 months ago

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Volume 4 Extras and Da Vinci Interview Yap: Names Edition

Not going to post screen caps since the extras are considered an incentive to buy the volumes. But I will definitely talk a bit about the info we got!

Names!

Braidbro's given name is Enji (円慈). 円 (en) means "circle" or "round" and is also the kanji for the Japanese yen. It's chosen for a baby to convey a sense of being valued, successful, and surrounded by love. Hm. 慈(ji) means love (in a parent-child sense), mercy, or compassion, and is chosen for it's direct meaning. HM. Wonder why he was the one Shiba talked to about honoring Tenri's memory by making sure none of the other kids followed his footsteps... (not). [circle of compassion] perhaps?

Sazasis is Tamaki (珠紀)! 珠 (tama) means "pearl", chosen for purity, beauty, and grace. 紀 (ki) means era or chronicle to remember special moments or events, the family's legacy and history, and/or to follow rules and regulations. [pearl chronicle] is a pretty name!

Birthdays

Kerfluffle over Hakuri being 17 aside, not much stands out. Unless you're into zodiac signs and Western birthstone interpretations I guess- go wild if so.

Well, actually... Sojo being confirmed 30 years old is pretty funny. Dude legit had beef with an 18-year old because of his parasocial relationship to the kid's dead dad. LMAO. He must have been so happy to have been born a day (and like 10 years) after Kunishige too.

If we want to take holidays into account, Chihiro was born on Mountain Day (8/11)! It's a fairly recent holiday that was only enacted in 2014, ostensibly to promote appreciation of the many mountains in Japan. I don't think there's any special meaning to this beyond the trivia value, as it was probably a coincidence if anything.

Hakuri's birthday falls on an unofficial holiday- Sakura Day (3/27). It was created in 1992 by the Cherry Blossom Association to promote interest in the tradition of hanami, or cherry blossom viewing. Probably another coincidence but we take these. It seems to suit him somehow!

Spring and summer, what a wonderful combination~ Don't think too hard about how Kunishige probably had New Year's sex based on Chihiro's birth date though. Don't imagine sexy Kunishige. Don't do it! Stop that!

SoTen?!

There was a little sketch of Soya talking to Tenri (thanks to Hella for the TL!) in the extras. It mentioned that Soya had a slight inferiority complex towards Tenri due to how fast his youngest brother surpassed him, which led him to fixate on Hakuri instead.

SoHaku folks are going a little nuts over this as you'd expect. Can't blame them though since several prominent artists in and outside of that circle had thought this might be the case. To have it confirmed in canon is pretty satisfying for all those who believed in it.

I never gave it much thought from the Tenri perspective, but it makes sense. Soya seems like he was supposed to be That Guy but was found lacking for some reason. He was lurking in the background every time Kyora was talking to Tenri and Hakuri side-by-side, completely unnoticed. And the stuff with his name, of course... So yeah. Hakuri really was Soya's punching bag because Soya felt he wasn't good enough. Thank goodness Soya is dead and definitely never coming back. Clothing Mysteries Revealed

There were also simple sketches of Hakuri and Chihiro's top layers to basically confirm what we already knew thanks to Chapter 45. Chihiro wears a plain long-sleeved black shirt, a track coat, and a trench coat that is a pain for Hokazono-sensei to draw. He might change the trench coat for something else later but wouldn't count on it for now. Hakuri wears a long-sleeved black turtleneck under a dress shirt and a haori that he tucks into his pants (cute!!!). The biggest surprise is that the dress shirt has a breast pocket I guess?

I'm happy for all the fan artists out there who will find the references useful, but... THE STRAPS? HELLO??? WHY THE STRAPS ON THE PANTS?! I insist this insignificant detail gets elaborated on. I require it. Is it his own fashion sense? If so, he didn't have them the day Ice Lady died despite the half boots, pants, and haori-undershirt combo remaining intact. At least a day passed (maybe) between her death and him being kicked out- he has a different style of dress shirt on the second layer compared to when we see him in the present day. So Hakuri had time to change but why add the straps? Where did they come from??? I cannot let this go. HELP.

Da Vinci Magazine Interview

Hokazono-sensei provided a long interview to the magazine that was published to help promote Volume 4's release. Brasilbro posted a lightly edited Machine TL of it, which has caused some buzz (my soul withers at the prospect of trying to do it myself...). As expected there's a lot of love given to Naruto, John Wick, and depicting blood splatters. He also references JJK and CSM as other manga that tell a faster story than previous shounen series. I've seen a lot of manga in recent years try to emulate Fujimoto-sensei's style, but I think Hokazono-sensei's done it the best because he's also a film buff. You can tell he loves action movies and has a movie director's PoV when he's composing the scenes (and especially the fights). Not that other styles are bad- I love me some more traditional shounen like Wind Breaker and HxH too. It's just if you're going to try and copy the feel of a Fujimoto manga, you need to be as insanely in love with movies as he is.

That's why the pacing in Kagurabachi is so fast, too- he doesn't want to lose reader engagement by slowing things down and having longer arcs with a few "dead" chapters here and there. He acknowledges that this makes the manga a very dense read at least. And I'm fine with it. I wish it was a smidge slower, but I still wouldn't change the pacing. I just hope it doesn't go any faster than this because every week is like a whirlwind already.

Kind of interested, kind of worried that he's using up all his prepared ideas as fast as he can to try and create new ones. Won't call it arrogant but maybe... idealistic? Creation is hard, man. Especially working at the brutal pace of a weekly serialization. I just hope he can keep up without compromising his health like so many other mangaka are forced to do. He mentions in the next paragraph that he's starting to feel the pressure. Not surprising in the least with all the extra art he's had to make for cover and color pages, volume bonuses, and re-draws.

I'm also really, really glad that I can put my worries of a sudden introduction of yokai or mythical beings as enemies to rest. He confirmed that he wanted Kagurabachi to be about people versus people. Yay! I wouldn't drop the manga if we changed course into fighting a supernatural threat, but I could get that pretty much anywhere. I'm invested in Kagurabachi for the storytelling about the human vs. human conflicts more than anything else. Keeping the cast and foes entirely (or mostly) human helps sell the extremely personal nature of Chihiro's revenge mission IMO.

Then there's this...

You wanted Hakuri to add some cuteness, huh?! Oh boy did you nail that one, Hokazono-sensei. These two are going to be fruity as heck to the end I can tell. But I'm also reassured as a HakuHiro shipper that Hokazono actually wanted Hakuri there and likes the character (he also mentioned that he likes drawing him in the Vol. 4 extras). I didn't believe the bad-faith accusations of Hakuri being the result of executive meddling for one second- don't sell me that short. I've read all of Hokazono-sensei's oneshots so I know he loves his color-coded SasuNaru expy duos. But sometimes I feel the relationship he's written between Hakuri and Chihiro is too good to be real. If he REALLY wanted them to come across that sus, though? Okay then! I won't worry about the wellspring drying up any time soon.

In general it seems like Hokazono-sensei's pretty put-together (for a memelord) and happy to be drawing Kagurabachi. I'm really, really glad for him and It's exciting to see his series finally get the recognition it deserves. Kagurabachi's on the big come-up now with all the extra promotion since winning the Tsugimanga award. Become the future of WSJ!

It's late. I've yapped too much today. If you read this- thanks. Say something nice to yourself, alright? And take care.

#kagurabachi #Kagurabachi meta yap #The fandom's rep for being kind and inclusive is under a major stress test right now and I'm not here for it #So let's just have a nice relaxing yapfest about the new info we got instead

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ladykailitha · 2 years ago

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Oh For a Muse of Fire! Part 12

Thank you so much for the love this story has been getting. I love every comment and tag. You guys are the best!!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

“They want us to record a demo?” Jeff asked for the hundredth time since the agent had talked to them.

They were in the garage they used for practice the next day. They still were on the high of suddenly having an agent. Something that they certainly wouldn’t have had without The Queen’s Crown.

“Holy shit!” Gareth said, his voice high from the excitement. “They want us to record a demo.”

“Hell yeah, they do!” Eddie said clapping a poor stunned Brian on the shoulder.

They sat in stunned silence for a couple of minutes.

“This doesn’t mean we’ve made it,” Brian said softly, barely above a whisper.

“No,” Eddie agreed. “But making a demo to shop around to all the labels is a hell of lot closer than we were two weeks ago.”

Gareth let out a shuddering breath. “I thought that song would do it for us, you know. That it would put us on the map.”

“Hey,” Jeff said. “It still might. We just have to knock the recording out of the ballpark too.”

“Think of it as a campaign,” Eddie suggested. “You found the magical item, now you just got to get to the final boss. There’ll be other adventures along the way, but we’ll get there.”

They all nodded.

Steve was set to start his painting. Eddie was strewn out on a bed of red satin, his hair a halo around his head, his body beautifully stretched. Steve yearned.

He yearned to press his lips on the indent of Eddie’s collar bone. To taste the line where hip met leg. To run his fingers through those dark locks. To bring a flush to those pale cheeks.

Steve bit down on his lip. He couldn’t fuck this up. Not like what he did last year. He had to paint the whole thing. His face, his thighs, his cock. Steve couldn’t cover anything up or place anything in the frame that cover any part of Eddie.

Everything else? Was completely up to interpretation. He could Lucifer fallen from heaven (if you wanted to torture yourself with painting wings). He could be fair Lysander asleep from Puck’s flower. He could be from any myth, legend or story.

Steve had chosen Eros asleep when Psyche comes to him the first time. Because if there was anyone who fit the god of desire and love, it was Eddie.

He got to work on sketching Eddie’s outline. Choosing the scene carefully. And then when he was home he would work on painting the bed, using an old catalogue as reference for the four poster bed he wanted.

Every time Joyce walked by when he was painting Eddie, she would nod her approval and walk on.

“Fuck, Chrissy!” Eddie cried, burying his face into the throw pillows on her sofa. “The way he looks at me makes it very hard not to get aroused. And I cannot get aroused. I’ve tried thinking of horror movies, cataloguing my band t-shirts in order of when I got them, or even Jeff in a tutu!”

She patted his head gently. “Is this beer, ice cream, or Chinese food freak out?”

Eddie raised his head thoughtfully. “Chinese food.”

Chrissy nodded and went to go make their order. She squeezed onto the sofa between his head and the armrest. She began threading her fingers gently through his hair.

“Do you think he’s doing it on purpose? Like to fuck with you?” she asked softly. “Or you think he has the hots for you so bad it’s leaking out all over the place?”

Eddie slowly sat up next to her and put his head on her shoulder. “I want to believe it’s the latter. But we really haven’t done much except grab the occasional coffee. We text and call all the time, but I don’t know what means.”

“Have you told him you’ve had a crush on him for awhile?” Chrissy asked. Her and Pearl spent most of their shifts together complaining about how their best friends were morons that kept making googly eyes at each other.

“No...” Eddie said with a sigh, dragging his hands over face. “Because of the nude thing.”

“What’s up with the nude thing that prevents you from going after what you want?” She shifted on the sofa to prop her head up on her fist, her elbow on the back of the sofa.

“It’s already hard enough keeping everything down,” he gestured vaguely below his waist, “but add actually knowing what he tastes like, knowing what his skin feels like under my hands, my lips, my tongue? It would take all of two fucking seconds of him looking at me with those bedroom eyes and I’d be harder than that god damn concrete floor.”

Chrissy giggled. “Yeah, I could see how that would be a problem. That’s the best part about being a woman, when we get aroused, it’s a lot harder to tell.”

Eddie scoffed. “Which also makes it the worst part about being a woman because then it means the other person is fucking clueless.”

“Mostly guys,” she agreed.

“Are you glad you’re a lesbian?” he teased, going into tickle her sides.

She squealed with laughter and batted him aside. “Knock that off.”

Just then the doorbell rang. “That’s our food. Saved by the bell.”

Chrissy hopped up to get the food and paid. She set their food on the coffee table and began going through the boxes.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Eddie said. “I could have at least covered the tip.”

Chrissy laughed. “Babe, you’re working part time as model and getting paid by the gig. Save your money. I get paid $15 an hour plus tips. Believe me when I say, I’ve got this.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’m glad the Queen’s Crown is working out for you, sweetie. You seem so much happier since you’ve started working there.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “And Diamond is thinking of hiring a third bartender things are going so well. It used to be that they only needed the one on week days and two on Fridays and Saturdays, which is when Diamond would step in and help. But with how well Garnet and I get on, we have more people coming in on the week days and we’re getting better tips, too. So Diamond wants to bring in a third so that Garnet leaves we’ll still have two at the bar.”

“Wow,” Eddie said. “I’ve been stuck in the same place for so long...” he spread out his hands, “I forgot what freedom was. We’ve been in the studio recording the last couple of weeks working on our demo to be shopped around.” He sighed heavily. “I’ve writing every moment I can. Hell, most of my best lyrics come from me just lying there for three hours. Well...the ones that don’t have Steve in them, anyway.”

Chrissy laughed. “Oh, I’m sure the lyrics that come from those classes are way to risque for radio.”

Eddie blushed and shoved hair in front of his face. “Shit, Chris. I don’t know.”

She ate her food thoughtfully watching Eddie push his food around. She nudged his shoulder with hers. “So what’s the real problem?” He looked up at her confusion. “I know you. There is something else that’s bothering you, love. You’re wound up so tight.”

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know.” He set his food down and clasped his hands together, looking down at his feet.

She bumped him again. “You just talked about the freedom to write music, to get the chance to really do something with your life. But I don’t see it in your features, babe.”

“What happens to Steve if I do get a record deal and have to start touring?” he muttered mournfully. “What happens if we’re more than friends when we leave? I just feel torn apart. Having to chose between the life I’ve always dreamed, and my man of my dreams. I don’t know if I would chose touring with the guys if it came down it.” He threw his arms around her. “I would chose Steve every time and that scares me.”

“Oh.” She set her own food on the floor and wrapped her arms him. “Oh, sweetie. That’s why you have to talk to him. Because it sounds to me like those questions have answers only he can give.”

Eddie let out a sob. “What if the answer is that he doesn’t want to try because he doesn’t want to be left behind?”

She kissed the top of his head. “How would you be leaving him behind? Just because he stays in one place while you tour, doesn’t mean you’ve left him behind. It just means you’ve given yourself a home to come back to.”

Eddie looked up at her in awe. “Oh.” He snuggled in close. “You’re the best friend an idiot could ask for.”

She poked his side until he squirmed. “You’re not an idiot, Eddie. Anymore than you were an asshole about Steve. You can only work with the knowledge you have. And yeah, maybe some of your choices were pretty fucked up, you were able to move past it and become friends.”

Eddie let out a shuddering breath. And then another. “I love you, Chrissy.”

“I know, sweetie,” Chrissy murmured, kissing the top of his head.

“You wanted to know who Garnet is,” Jonathan snapped. “So that’s why we’re here.”

Nancy sighed. “Doesn’t this go against the bar’s rules or whatever?”

Jonathan threw his arms in the air. “I don’t care at this point. They all know who I am and I know who they are. Because shit happens outside of work sometimes and it gets revealed.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “I’ll just go to the bar tonight like Onyx suggested.”

Jonathan furrowed his brow. “No. Absolutely not. Because if you do, you’ll get upset and if you get upset, you’ll make a scene and if you make a scene Diamond will ban you.”

It was Nancy’s turn to throw her arms in the air. “Can’t you just tell me who it is?”

“Because you wouldn’t believe him,” a warm, gentle voice said behind her.

She whirled around and gasped. “Steve!”

Steve smiled sadly. “Hey, Nance.”

She looked back and forth between Jonathan and Steve in shock. “He’s Garnet?”

Both men nodded.

“Pure coincidence,” Jonathan said. “I had been working at the bar for a year when we needed a new bartender. Steve came in with Robin and they were both hired.”

Nancy’s eyebrows shot up. “Robin works there too?”

“Yup!” Steve said with a smile. The smile slowly slid from his face. “Look. I know me turning out to be gay was hard on you. Especially with how it all came out. But just remember, I didn’t come out because I wanted to, it was because I forced to.”

Nancy buried her head in her hands, she looked up at him, anger sparking in her eyes. “If you hadn’t tried to be a hero...”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you say that it would have been better for a girl to be raped and not realize I’m gay over what I did,” Steve snarled.

She opened her mouth to refute him but no sound would come out.

“I’m sorry it ruined your life, Nancy,” Steve said. “But it wasn’t just your life that was ruined. Do you know long it took for me me to walk down the street without people whispering behind their fingers? How long it took to be able to look at myself in the mirror because of the scars around my neck? I’m sorry I’m the reason you can’t trust Jonathan, but fucking hell Nancy, you aren’t as big as the victim you are making yourself out to be.”

Jonathan touched her elbow. “I didn’t know you felt this way. You need to talk to someone, Nance. That was some pretty messed up shit I just heard.”

Her lip began to quiver. “I didn’t mean that. I swear I didn’t. Because you’re right, that was so mess up.” She let out a shuddering breath. “The newspaper has someone...I’ll give him a call.”

Steve reached out and held open his arms to her. Nancy wavered a moment, looking to Jonathan. He nodded and she ran for Steve’s arms. He wrapped her up in a fierce hug.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” she whispered. “I’ve just been so angry for so long.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You’ve got a good boyfriend there, Nance. Take advantage of that, okay?”

Nancy nodded. “Okay.”

He gave her a brief squeeze and let her go. “I’ve got to get to class. But you take care of yourself, you hear?”

She smiled and let Jonathan lead her away.

Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Epilogue

Tag List: @artiststarme @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @itsall-taken @m-owo-n @zerokrox-blog @runyousillydetective @grimmfitzz @wonderland-girl143-blog @sapphirecobalt-1 @scheodingers-muppet @victor-thee-corvid @apricottree @bookbinderbitch @sleepyboosstuff @biatcgh @pixiefallingupthestairs @grtwdsmwhr @thepainisspicy @carlyv @eboyawstenn @bisexualdisastersworld @bidisastersworld @abstractnaturaldisaster @evix-syne666 @nerdsconquerall @lololol-1234 @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @a-little-unsteddie @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @elluminis @tailsfromthecrypt @danili666 @plyerice27 @alittlegreyfish @n0-1-important @no-upper-limit-to-stupidity @maya-custodios-dionach @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @heaven428 @thedragonsaunt @ceaselessly-watching @imfinereallyy

#My writing #stranger things #steddie #art school au #gay steve harrington #bisexual eddie munson #ladykailtiha writes

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acolorboom · 3 months ago

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!!! you have a JJK au :0

do you have a plot for it or is it just unconnected doodles? either way! i love the art you've made for it, so ig use this ask as an opportunity to talk about it if you want?

Yes!!! Thank you so much!!! It came to me in a vision while I was watching JJK (I’ve been obsessing over it since June smh)

For now it’s just very rough sketches that I’m trying to make sense of, but here’s what I have so far, (but be warned though it’s very unpolished) :

- story

It follows Hypno, a fully fledged grade 1 sorcerer as he tries to survive slaying curses. He’s still based in whatever version of Jujutsu High there is in this universe, however he’s mostly out on missions with his work partner XB.

On one of these missions the two stumble upon an injured kid with marks on his back that suspiciously resemble the ones of the Watchers, who, in this universe, are a group of highly skilled sorcerers that are so powerful they are regarded as gods.

The kid, Grian, doesn’t remember a single thing that happened to him before he went unconscious, and some of the sorcerers begin to suspect there’s something deeper going on.

Hypno gets reluctantly paired up with Grian as his student, and, along with several other sorcerers they try to figure out what is wrong with the Watchers, and the inner workings of their universe.

It also merges some aspects of the Minecraft universe (ex. Mobs and some lore points) with JJK

Unfortunately for now it’s all in rough doodle and loose note format, but I have some designs :D

—-

You probably already are familiar with Hypno’s design. I didn’t change it much since I thought it already fit the design standards of JJK, I mainly added more weapons and slightly altered his outfit. I imagine he customized it a bunch because he canonically doesn’t like symmetry (?), also matching his schtick as sort of a death & sleep deity I have going on for him.

I’ve mentioned it already but XB’s design is mainly inspired by diving suits and just the ocean in general. I imagine his powers include water manipulation and summoning of sea creatures.

Pearl,Scar,Mumbo and Grian are the students!

I mostly got notes on Pearl and Grian, who are half - siblings whose powers complement each other (moon and sun) and who are separated at the start of the story, while as I imagine Scar and Mumbo being the “veterans” (they’ve just been at the school for longer but them and the Skyblings are all in year one)

I still have more hermits I am planning to add but Tumblr has a file limit so that’s gonna have to be it lol

As always feel free to ask more questions :p

#hermitcraft #hypnotizd #xbcrafted #unnamed jjk au #boatem #hermitcraft season 8 #kinda

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periwinklemoonlight · 1 year ago

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I AM VERY INTERESTED I LOVE HEARING THOUGT PROCESSES AND ITS SO CLEAR HOW MUCH PASSION AND CARE WAS PUT INTO YOUR ZINE PIECE

AHH THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! i have so many thoughts i dont know where to begin LMAO ill start with the outfit designs first!!

to start things off, every design has one specific colour in mind to represent that hermit! pearl - blue, gem - green, impulse - yellow, doc - black/gray, and grian - red! (everyone's nails are painted their colour) every design was deliberately punk-inspired, since during the king arc the soup group was a force of resistance against the monarchy's tyranny :P therefore, the soup group are the main focus of the art and their designs are intentionally made so that they stand out more from the other two, though i made sure they were all unique in one aspect or another :] let's go character by character now! (i'm including all my initial design sketches + some inspo photos too)

pearl - she's the lead singer of soup group, along with playing the electric guitar! her design features a double tank top + low rise big pant combo, moon motifs of course, and two distinct shades of blue! The darker one is seen throughout her hair and outfit, while the lighter one in her moth antenna is reflected in her guitar. the main inspiration for her look was avril lavigne, which is also what influenced me to add those fun blue hair streaks :D on her shirt i wanted to have a sort of skeletal moth/butterfly design!!

gem - the keytar! i wanted to make sure that gem and pearl's designs looked very distinct from each other, so i went for a slightly different vibe with gem's! her design is based more off of the plaid skirts, big boots, and fishnet looks i found while looking through early 2000s lip service magazine scans (as well as some hayley williams looks!!) :D additionally, shes got vine tattoos over her body to call back to her nature elf vibe this season!

impulse - the drummer of course!! for his look, i wanted to go a little more anarcho-punk (since its a much older punk style and hes the oldest member of soup group LOL), so his vest jacket has got a bunch of diy additions like patches, pins, paperclips, and chains, along with a bunch of spikes!! in my mind, the back of his jacket has probably got a whole lot more patches, spikes, and studs :] beyond that, i made sure to give him lots of piercings (though my options were limited since s9 impy has a beard lol), and stretched earlobes for fun!! ideally his pants would also have a lot more patches and fun bits, but since his legs would be entirely covered by his drums in the final piece i went for something simpler

doc - an opener and feature on the song! since he's not part of the soup group, his design is quite a bit simpler than the others in terms of both look and concept :] his look is monochrome save for his robotic red parts and green skin, but still looks interesting thanks to that fun leather jacket :D his look is purposefully more reminiscent of a 50's style greaser, i wanted to go for an older fashion style to make him look more intimidating/mature, as well as set him apart from the look of soup group since the perimeter was an independent nation in the king arc!

grian - another feature/opener! design wise? hes literally just green day i can't even lie like the pun was perfect and also the black shirt + red tie combo is iconic and also fits his look so effortlessly it had to be done LMAO also, if you look closely in the final piece you can see he's wearing eyeshadow! this of course is again because hes grian day /silly. but to be real, i think this style also fits him really well since the tie + spikes & studs combo gives the look that sorta rebellious vibe that was all over his videos during the king arc :]

AND NOW FOR THE INSTRUMENTS!! this segment is thankfully much shorter

pearl's guitar is of course a nod to my design for her and her moth wings! butterfly guitars are harder to draw than you'd think LOL

gem's keytar has got a vine design all over it to match her tattoos

impulse's drum set has got the soup group punk band logo! the logo design may honestly be my favourite part of the piece, i feel like i really nailed what i was going for :D

and thats it! i'll edit this post or rb with any details i missed if they come to mind! thank u for reading anyone who has made it this far <3

#elle's design talk

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pikatrainer99 · 1 year ago

Text

Sinnoh Trio character analysis (headcanon supportive) SPOILER WARNING FOR A POKÉSPE MANGA ARC THAT IS OVER A DECADE OLD AT THIS POINT BUT STILL, JUST IN CASE! 😅

This post is a follow-up to my post where I drew the Sinnoh Trio as TBH (autism) creatures. That is my personal headcanon and today I'm going to analyze these kids, and go more in-depth on why I hold this headcanon. I'm going to focus on one character at a time here, followed by a scene analysis of a particular important moment...so this will be a long post because these kids are SO neurodivergent and I love them so much.

First up, we have Pearl, who is my favorite of the Sinnoh Trio and the one I relate to the most. My personal headcanon for him is that he is AuDHD (both autistic and ADHD). I also headcanon him to have an anxiety disorder (specifically GAD) because he is constantly freaking out over pretty much everything (which is so relatable as someone who has GAD myself). There's so many panels that show his anxiety that I honestly can't pick ones to include here...

Anyway, on to the ADHD, Pearl exhibits many traits. He is constantly on the move and impatient and loud, and wants everything to be done immediately. He's energetic and much faster compared to Diamond and Platinum, even to the point of always being the first one to wake up every morning. This is, in my opinion, the ADHD side of him, it reminds me a lot of my ADHD brothers who act like this often. Because of these traits, I personally feel like Pearl has the hyperactive type of ADHD rather than the inattentive type, as he is shown to be not scatterbrained and is capable of focusing on whatever he's doing quite well, even able to go into hyperfocus mode at times, which is an extremely ND thing to do (and is common in both autism and ADHD). He is also the most rational of the trio, which I always found interesting that they actually gave the Barry counterpart the brain cell. So yeah, he's hyperactive, but to me he doesn't seem to have many issues with his attention span.

Now, onto Pearl's autism, which I feel more confident to talk about because I'm autistic myself and I know what to look for in terms of traits and behaviors, and the first thing I noticed with Pearl is that he has a CLEAR special interest in comedy. He's INCREDIBLY passionate about it, he's the one who decided that he and Diamond should become a comedy duo, he's the one who writes all their scripts and all their sketches, he's the one who always initiates practice time, and he's DEFINITELY the one who takes it the most seriously out of the duo, to the point where he had (what seems like to me) a legit meltdown about how Diamond didn't stick to the script and how awful their performance in the comedy competition was because of it, complete with yelling, nearly bursting into tears, and being afraid that Diamond was breaking the promise they'd made to become comedians all the way back when they were 4 years old. Looking back on it now, I think THAT was his biggest problem with the whole situation and what caused him to completely explode like that in the first place, because once Diamond reassures him that he's not breaking the promise, Pearl IMMEDIATELY cheers up and tells him "No use moping about today then!" when that was EXACTLY what he was doing just seconds ago. He then initiates practice time for NEXT MONTH'S comedy competition, his mind ALREADY hyperfocusing on their next opportunity...and this is their INTRODUCTION SCENE! This all LITERALLY happens within the first few pages of volume 1 of the DP arc! Here's the scene I'm talking about.

Also in regards to his special interest in comedy, there's something he does with Diamond that I've gotta talk about...and that's using the comedy routines as their own special way of communicating. They use it almost as if it's their own language, they use it to process things, they use it to give hints to Platinum when she's battling, they even use it when they meet someone new as kind of a judge of their character (in the minds of these children, if they make the person laugh, the person can be trusted, if not, stay away...that kinda thing). He even outright tells Platinum that he uses it to communicate through rhythm. I always found it interesting how they used the comedy like that, and it definitely helps with my belief that it is in fact, a special interest for them, as special interests do actually be like that, I speak from experience. Here's some examples of this usage of the comedy routines.

Another thing about Pearl that I noticed is he's REALLY not good at communicating how he's feeling or what's on his mind. He also is (brutally at times) honest, speaks his mind, and doesn't sugarcoat things. He can come off as rude and bossy because of this, even though he's really a good kid. This is something I relate to because I'm the same way, I also struggle with communicating my thoughts and feelings, and I'm also brutally honest, speak my mind and don't sugarcoat things. I have been perceived as rude and bossy so many times in my life it's not even funny. Another thing I find relatable about Pearl is that he can't lie to save his life (neither can I), here's a good example of such a moment.

(Uh-huh...SUUUURRRREEEE ya did, Pearl XD)

Also, while we're on the topic of expression, Pearl is VERY hyperexpressive, which is once again, very much an ND thing (I am hyperexpressive a lot of the time myself)...he almost always reacts to basically anything in an over-the-top, exaggerated way, compared to Diamond and Platinum's more calm and composed approach to things...I'm seriously thinking of doing a post of all of my favorite Pearl expressions because he's got so many great ones!

Pearl seems to exhibit low empathy (a stark contrast to Diamond's hyperempathy), but he really does care about his friends and will even help wild Pokémon. The wild Luxio that he helped in the chapter titled "Extreme Luxio" is one of my favorite Pokémon in the whole manga and his dynamic with it is very wholesome. He figures out that it's being ostracized by its pride because of the fact that it's disabled - its claws are too short, which makes it harder for it to communicate with the others in its pride. Pearl helps it out, and even says to the others, "Listen all of you, it's got a disability, and can't communicate as clearly as the rest of you! That's no reason to reject it!" He was quite angered by this situation and when you put my headcanon into perspective here, it's quite easy to see why. But anyway, point is, he went out of his way to advocate for and help a disabled Pokémon, and it leads to one of the best Trainer/Pokémon bonds in the series in my opinion, as the Luxio comes back later, now a Luxray and the leader of its pride...and decides to become one of Pearl's Pokémon. That moment is so sweet and wholesome and I'll just leave the picture of their reunion here for you guys. Look at them hug! They're so happy to see each other again!

Pearl also seems to have hypersensitive hearing (as do I), as demonstrated when he hears someone who's basically lost his voice calling out for help from a ways away.

He also experienced what I can't help but percieve as sensory overload in the Old Chateau when all the Gastly were hovering around the place making vibrations that were so loud it shook the room and it overwhelmed him a lot. I get it Pearl, that would be too much for me too...just look at his reactions here, he's clearly in pain.

I also sometimes can't help but feel like Pearl is unaware of his own strength, like when he hits Diamond in their comedy routines...I get the feeling that he doesn't quite understand that he's hitting Diamond way too hard, as he seems shocked and taken aback when Diamond finally stands up to him and tells him he's not happy with everything he's been doing lately. Diamond makes it a point to make Pearl aware of how much getting smacked by him hurts...all I can say is, good for Dia, but judging from Pearl's reactions to his best friend's words...oof...just look for yourselves...

My takeaway from this scene is that Pearl was being made aware of all this for the first time, and not only felt like a bad friend, but also, he was once again afraid that Diamond would leave him...which he really REALLY didn't want, and I totally get why, considering how long they've been friends and how much like brothers those two are (though Pearl is SO parentified during their journey it's insane and it's another HUGE stressor for him which does NOT do his anxiety any good). And now that I've decided to open THAT can of worms, I might just do a post about it as well. Because...yeah it's not good considering the fact that HE IS 12!!! Still very much A CHILD!!!

At least Pearl learns from his mistakes, which I really love his development. After his and Diamond's fight, he learns to mellow out a bit (that says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about his anxiety though). You can really tell that losing Diamond's friendship...that is one thing he absolutely DOES NOT want, and he makes a conscious effort to improve his treatment of him. He starts by not hitting Diamond in their comedy routines anymore, and even letting him come up with his own joke instead of always doing it himself and forcing his own ideas onto him. While he still yells a lot, it's mostly out of worry for his friends now rather than pure anger towards them. He even learns how to put himself in Diamond's shoes at one point, during his fight to protect Azelf from Team Galactic. I love this moment btw, it's a great moment of realization for him.

All in all, in my opinion, Pearl is an amazing AuDHD character who goes through a great character arc (and unfortunately, a trauma arc as well, as per usual with PokéSpe protags...there's NO WAY he doesn't have PTSD after all he went through in both the DP and PT arcs, I refuse to believe he's fine after all that), and I absolutely wholeheartedly love this child like he's my own son. Now for the next member of the Sinnoh Trio...Diamond!

Diamond, in my opinion, is EASILY a hyperempathic autistic child...his Dexholder title is literally "The Empathizer" and he is associated with Mesprit, the Pokémon known as the Being of Emotion. He is the only member of the trio with more than one special interest from what I can see. His are comedy (which he shares with Pearl, but his interest is to a lesser extent than Pearl), cooking (which he's extremely good at and takes very seriously), and a TV show called Proteam Omega (which his enthusiasm for it is way too adorable honestly).

Diamond is the most impulsive member of the trio, which like how they gave the Barry counterpart the brain cell, I find it interesting that they made the Lucas counterpart the impulsive one. He possesses a strong sense of justice and wants to do what he believes is right, including stand up to Cyrus, much to Pearl's dismay (this was actually the catalyst for their big fight in volume 4). He is very intuitive, his emotional intelligence is mostly intuition to him and he's also much, MUCH more perceptive than he lets on, for example he knew the whole thing with him and Pearl being Platinum's bodyguards was a misunderstanding from the beginning, but he didn't say anything about it because he was enjoying their time together and didn't want it to end. Here's that scene where he reveals he knew all along.

Diamond is a very calm, laid-back, "go with the flow" kind of kid. But I think this is because he's constantly feeling A LOT...he's extremely empathic, so he picks up on others' emotions easily and it happens so much he just keeps it all in and resorts to being incredibly calm throughout it all. When he DOES get upset or serious though, he's like a whole different person. He's hard to anger, but he is absolutely capable of getting angry. His anger though, is the tranquil fury kind. He's not explosive like Pearl, but rather, he gets much more serious and intense. Here's an example of angry Diamond.

(He angy boi.)

Diamond is also an easy crier, of the Sinnoh Trio, he's the one who is the easiest to bring to tears...which I can't stand...everytime any of these three cry it breaks my heart...and we'll talk about the scene that's the biggest offender of that soon. I guess what I'm trying to say is, Diamond is the one who's most in tune with his emotions, compared to Pearl and Platinum, who struggle with that. It makes sense though considering his hyperempathy. Also, can I take a minute to mention that he has the type of big eyes that are similar to the TBH creature...? Yes...? Okay. He does. I saw a post about this recently and it's so true! His eyes are so similar to TBH it's not even funny! And it makes total sense too, that's the best part!

Diamond is more of a pacifist than Pearl and Platinum. He's a pure, sweet soul who can do no wrong. He doesn't like conflict, he much prefers to make people smile instead. I love this about him, I don't think there's a PokéSpe protag that actually acts their age as much as Diamond does. In my opinion Diamond is a precious autistic bean and I absolutely love him like a son as well. Now for the final member of the Sinnoh Trio...Platinum Berlitz!

Platinum is definitely a masker, she's incredibly good at passing for NT (probably because of her upbringing). But there are definitely cracks in that mask that I've picked up on. First, her special interest, which is learning and experiencing new things. She says that back home she always read a dozen books a day, but seeing her actually experiencing the things she'd read about and having so much fun is great, she throws herself wholeheartedly into everything she tries, it's honestly adorable. She is also a bad liar, though she at first "lies" all the time, even though Pearl sees right through it and catches her everytime. Here's some examples.

Platinum is a stimmer. Plain and simple. She moves her arms up and down really fast when she's excited about something, and it's often accompanied by her saying "New experiences! New experiences!" in a sing-song voice.

(Why is she so adorable?!)

She is also an infodumper...a MASSIVE infodumper...just look at this scene with Thorton as just one example.

Platinum is also not the best with words, and finds that writing is the most effective way for her to organize her thoughts and feelings, as well as communicate them (relatable). She says so herself in volume 5, after finding out the truth that Diamond and Pearl are not her real bodyguards, and the scene of her reading the letter is so wholesome I love it so much!

Another thing I've noticed with Platinum is that she is a mimicker (something I myself did A LOT as a child), despite all her attempts to deny it. She often copies things she sees the others doing, even mimicking...SMACKING HERSELF...at one point, as seen here, complete with quietly saying to herself "Stop it! Stop it!"

She also has the capability to hyperfocus, particularly on details (when she thought that Diamond and Pearl were her bodyguards because green and red scarves were what she was told about them and since the boys had green and red scarves she immediately latched on to that specific detail despite everything else about them screaming that they're just kids). She also hyperfocuses when she's playing the slot machines in the Veilstone Game Corner in what is probably one of my favorite scenes in the manga, it's so funny! Because of that intense focus though, she is INCREDIBLY good at the slot machines which is hilarious to me considering she is like the richest person in Sinnoh and yet she still becomes addicted to gambling. I dunno, that scene is just funny, okay? I mean, look at her! She's so hyperfocused on it and it's just great!

Platinum is my favorite rich girl character in any media ever, and the fact that she's autistic coded in my opinion really helps with that as well. But she's also just a sweetheart who loves learning things and is just such a precious child. They're all precious children and I love them all so much. They are my fictional children and I would die for them.

Now, time for the scene that gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME...the scene where they split up to try and protect the three lakes. Pearl goes to Lake Valor, Diamond to Lake Verity, and Platinum to Lake Acuity. On their first morning separated from each other, they wake up and realize everything is so different now that the Pokédex isn't beeping. They all talk to themselves about their morning routine, Pearl gets up first, and is always the first in the lobby, then Platinum comes down afterwards, then Diamond comes after that...and the Pokédex always beeps to let them know that everyone's there together...but now it's not making a peep. Once they realize that, they all start crying and breaking down...and it's heartbreaking to read every single time. Just look at these poor kids...

Taking my headcanon into account here, I see this scene as not only being sad that they're separated from each other, but also the stress of their routine being broken for the first time since their journey started. The way they all recite step by step how their morning routine always went when they were together, and then just start breaking down when the realization hits that everything's different now...yeah, I relate to that feeling, if my routines are broken, I get real thrown off, recite how it's supposed to be, and then break down...it's very similar to what the Sinnoh Trio are experiencing in this scene. I would analyze more scenes but this post is already way too long as it is, so I'll leave it at just this one.

Well, that's it for my headcanon supportive analysis of the Sinnoh Trio from PokéSpe! These three are my favorite characters in the manga and this headcanon is one I will hold till the day I die. My two main beliefs I hold about these kids are this headcanon, and "Do Not Separate Them!"

I hope you all can understand where I'm coming from with all this headcanon stuff. Also, headcanon deniers, you STAY AWAY from this and do not interact with this! I know it's not canon, that's why it's called a HEADcanon...I don't force my headcanons onto other people, I just talk about them, so I don't need headcanon deniers forcing their "canon" beliefs onto me!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed this analysis! Please feel free to let me know how I did in the comments, and if you support this headcanon and think I missed anything, please let me know what I missed! This is only my second time doing this in my life after all, so I'm not used to this kinda stuff and I'm pretty nervous about it honestly.

#pokemon #pokespe #sinnoh trio #my second attempt at headcanon supportive character analysis #trainer diamond #trainer pearl #trainer platinum #these three are autistic and that's final #pika's headcanon #pika talks #pika rambles about his favorite characters #long post

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pasta-in-the-pudding · 1 year ago

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Hey I really like your creepypasta stuff and I was wondering about general headcannons for Jane and clockwork ? Thank you!

I haven't gotten any clockwork requests yet! And i get very few Jane requests! Super excited for this one...

Thank you so much for requesting!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jane

Very much into trad goth and romantic goth subcultures

Lesbian, she/her, 24 years old

5'8"

Her favorite band is She Wants Revenge

She lives in the manor, but she and jeff are kept far away from each other due to constant fights breaking out between the two

For a while, liu tried to help them work out their differences as a mediator, but that obviously didnt work

Jane, however, is actually good friends with Liu

She has a huge crush on nurse ann

I mean, who doesn't

Shes a very quiet person, generally

Very logical, ordered, scheduled

She is one of Sally's primary caretakers, along with Liu and EJ

Her ultimate fantasy is to have a date with her soulmate in a graveyard

Shes very interested in fashion, even designing some of her own fashion lines, but they are nothing more than sketches as she hasn't taken the time to learn how to sew yet

She's one of the very few creeps that keeps her distance from everyone else

She has a few close friends, namely, Ej and Liu, but other than that she doesn't really talk to anyone

She is polite and civil, but she doesn't go out of her way to be overly friendly

She is African American

Her proxy tattoo is on her thigh

I like to imagine her voice sounds like a deeper version of Amy Lee's

She likes having her nails done, and especially likes having acrylics with charms on them

Her favorite set (and the one she gets done over and over again) are black nails with silver crosses, pearls and chains

I feel like she has very intense PTSD from everything with Jeff, and refuses to be anywhere near fire, or men that she doesn't know for too long

And sure, it makes her work harder, but she's slaying so its not all that bad

As far as her work goes, she is normally used for spying and recon missions, as she is very stealthy, and even if she does get caught she can be very persuasive and manipulative

I feel like she would be the type of person to have very few tattoos and piercings

The tattoos she does have, they have meaning

For example, she has a rose on her left arm, and a daisy on her right arm, as these were her parents favorite flowers

I feel like she would use very high quality perfumes, like gucci and dior stuff

The best way to explain her signature scent is "expensive"

She is absolutely a boss bitch <333

Clockwork

Lesbian, she/her, 23 years old

5'6"

She's very butch <333

The best way i can explain her personality is Applejack from mlp

She's very extroverted and enjoys hanging out with people around the mansion

She wears so many flannels

Seriously. Someone needs to stop her from buying them

Flannels and blue jeans are her jam

I imagine that she smells like old spice, because she thinks all "female" deoderants smell too weak

Also, old spice fits her aesthetic better

Shes so gay for Jane

I feel like Jane would know at least a little about Nat's feelings

She wholeheartedly denies having said feelings though

She loves physical sport, and can often be found wrestling or sparring with another creep

As a result, she is tanned and buff

She has a septum ring, an eyebrow ring and has contemplated getting small gauges

Her proxy tattoo is on her shoulder

Other than that, i don't think she would have many other tattoos

I can see her having something like a star on her shoulderblade, or maybe a dolphin on her ankle, but thats about it

I would think that she's really close with Toby, Jane and maaaaybe Liu

Her proxy work normally consists of fast paced missions

If you need someone beat up quick, shes your girl

I feel like she would try really hard to be a plant person, but she just can't figure it out

She can also play the acoustic guitar

She only really plays it when Sally asks her too, though

When Sally first got in the mansion, Nat would help lull Sally to sleep by playing a song and singing softly by her bed

It really helped Sally warm up to the manor, and get comfortable living there

Ever since then, Sally and Nat have gotten really close, making Nat one of the first people she asks to play dolls with, asks to watch tv with, asks to dance with, etc

I feel like she would smoke every now and then, but its only to help calm her anxiety and she only does it when she knows there aren't any small children that could potentially be watching her

I feel like she would have BPD and maybe some OCD

#creepypasta #creepypasta x y/n #creepypasta x you #slender mansion #creepypasta x female reader #clockwork #clockwork creepypasta #jane the killer x reader #jane the killer creepypasta #jane arkensaw #jane the killer

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genderqueerfuri · 7 months ago

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Guess who's crashing the first every GR⚡️D GALA? It's Kamen Rider Aguilera of course!

Keep on reading for Hana's outfit sketches, as well as very rough sketches for Orteca and Julio/Tamaki's outfits and a VERY LONG RAMBLE ON MY DESIGN IDEAS.

(also crossposted on twitter here)

onto the sketches! here's the original sketch of the final design, as well as a variant where the cape was much thinner and she had much longer end sleeves on her dress shirt.

i ended up scraping the long sleeves in favor of giving her the world's largest cape. the centerpiece for the cape was also meant to be a golden rose, but i wanted to pay homage to her relationship with Sakura (and also i didn't want to overwhelm with the gold) so it became a Sakura flower instead!

unfortunately, i didn't have time to fully sketch or render out Orteca and Julio/Tamaki's outfits. so instead, here are some very rough preliminary sketches!

this wasn't something i planned initially, but all three ex-deadmans ended up having some sort of corset piece (Hana with the classic corset, Orteca with a tentacle corset, and Tamaki has a metallic ribcage piece under the vest he's wearing), so i guess that's the tying accessory for all three?

they all also ended up wearing heels or platforms of some kind, but that's less thematic and more of just me thinking everyone should wear heels.

some quick notes on Orteca and Julio/Tamaki's designs:

Since Hana had the bee motif, I wanted to stick to the squid and wolf motifs for Orteca and Tamaki respectively.

For Orteca, this is mainly shown through the tentacle corset, plus the incorporation of pearls since they're associated with the ocean. i wanted his design to be equally as dramatic as the rest without doing big cape or big hat again, so backless shirt and hanging pearls it was!

For Tamaki, the highlight piece is the gigantic fringe hat because i love a good hat moment. Also I love his original deadmans outfit (sans the haircut) so much I wanted to replicate it with the hat and the ribcage corset piece.

I don't know if ripped jeans and giant punk platform shoes are appropriate for a gala but they definitely help with Tamaki's wolf motif! It's hard to see, but he also has a stag beetle belt buckle and two metal horn-like things protruding from the finger stripe gloves to pay homage to him as Over Demons.

i've never considered myself much of a fashion designer, so getting the opportunity to design some high fashion looks for my favs was super fun!

defo a big thank u to @itmethanh for putting this art event together, i'll definitely be back next year :)

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bastardwerewolf · 2 years ago

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I love ur TMNT 2012 and Steven Universe AU!

And all the art and concepts u have done so far!

I wanted to do a art request for it, since u said that would be okay, and I want maybe some

Leo and Raph Homeworld stuff, but with the idea that Leo as a Saphire and Raph is a Ruby, because God, those gems are pretty perfect for them (though, I could maybe see Leo as a pearl too, but honestly, Leo as a Sapphire is just too perfect. Oh! Him as a Lapis too, would be really cool too actually now that I think about it); even though them all as ammanites (or however u spell that gem name) is a cool idea too.

Anyway, back on the Request idea. Maybe Raph can be showing Leo there is more to life than just a being Homeworld's precious puppet, and then maybe they could end up fusing (because I also want to see more fusions. Esp. Leo and Raph and April? ones, but honestly; I just love fusions in general) like Ruby and Saphire do in the show, but it is a fusion more out of friendship and/or brotherly care for each other?

Or something like that. If that is too specific, the basic gist is that I would love some Leo and Raph stuff with them being a Sapphire and Ruby stuff and/or a Leo and Raph fusion.

Eeeee thank you so much!!! Your art request was very much appreciated :D

(I've been doing a lot of concept stationary art, so decided to treat myself to a proper illustration. Hehehehe.)

Au notes time :

Here's Garnet:

Plus! I think I'm gonna go ahead and finalize what the boys gems are. In my first post I said I couldn't decide between them all being ammonites or separate gems, so they're just gonna be both. Leo for example, is both ammonite and sapphire.

Exactly how that works... I'll decide later. But yeah...I couldn't decide between the two so I went to even ground. They can just be both.

Another April fusion!

I love April and Leo's friendship so this was a treat to design. I imagine Labradorites voice being very soft and I think that settled the design for me.

(-Leo on his own has very weak/unreliable future vision, due to him not being fully sapphire. So Labradite is the one to go to for future advice. )

Homeworld X notes:

Gonna be honest. Uhh I actually had no idea what I wanted homeworld to be like for my au, I had to sit and think for a good long while after reading your request and I think I got a general idea down now.... hopefully...

-I'm gonna polish up some story stuff then I'll do some homeworld X sketches. Promise!

#tmnt 2012 #my art #2012 leo #raph 2012 #2012 april #gem au

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saraiisstanky · 2 years ago

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I’m trash so I made another au before I finished the Arcane one

Blame my sister she’s the one who said it would be a great au

I didn’t finish the sketches for the Rainbow quartz scene so these are messy sketches

Neil is Blood Quartz originally Red Diamond

(I questioned making Neil bigger and thicker but I felt like it wouldn’t look like Neil so he’s a ring quartz but still way taller than Andrew)

Kevin is a green pearl and he isn’t in love with Neil in this he just saw potential for freedom in him. He’s super competitive tho and doesn’t trust Andrew all that much. In the scene he’s trying to show Andrew he’s closer with Neil than he is cuz they can fuse and Neil trusts him to do so

Neil ran from Nathan and hid as a quartz on Earth. Met the Foxes (all gems besides Andrew’s ppl) later met Andrew at a concert. Andrew Aaron and Nicky were in a band but stayed in beach city because Andrew was interested in Neil

Nicky and Aaron got a job at the Big Donut while Andrew spent his days flirting talking with Neil. Eventually Neil realized he and the Foxes should stay in beach city but wouldn’t be able to live peacefully unless the other diamonds stopped looking for him. He also wanted to stop being ‘nothing’ and make ‘something’ so he made Milo (but didn’t tell the Foxes or Andrew his plans)

One day Neil disappeared and in his place was a baby and a note. The note explained his plan and who the child was along with farewells. Andrew and the Foxes shared the responsibility of raising Milo despite Neil specifying he wanted Milo left in Andrew’s care

They lived pretty peacefully until gems started coming to earth and antagonizing Milo believing it to be Neil in disguise (there is no happy reunion of the gems- they are shattered and the Moriyamas make a deal with Milo to leave earth alone)

#all for the gems #art #doodles #fanart #neil josten #aftg #andreil #andrew minyard #kevin day #steven universe #Steven universe au

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panda-writes-kpop · 2 years ago

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Princess! Handong x Suitor! Reader - Queen of Aces

A/N: Hi guys, girls, and non-binary pearls! I hope everything is well for everyone! ❤️

TW: Reader and their family is struggling financially, crowds, reader is kind of mean and a nervous wreck under pressure, Handong's parents are kinda shady (obviously not irl, this is just part of the storyline, please just go along and ✨️suspend your disbelief✨️)

Summary: Desperate to single-handedly save their family from ruin, Reader takes a wager and tries to woo the princess. What happens when their last resort actually works, and, to complicate matters further, they fall in love with said princess?

♡ Masterlist ♡

Why are the fanciest clothes so insufferable? Is it really such a crime to look good?

You pull at the collar of your top for what must be the millionth time as the sun beats down on you. You grab a lace handkerchief from your pocket as you attempt to wipe sweat from your face.

I’m meeting royalty, right? I have to look as best as I can!

The royal gardens in this castle make the one at your mansion look like child’s play. Flowers from many different countries and empires line every walkway, and the walkways themselves twist and turn around every possible space that encloses the garden. The fence of the garden is a eight-foot tall hedge that surrounds the palace on three sides, and it naturally combines with the castle to create a privacy wall that keeps prying eyes away.

You’re not the only suitor that’s waiting under the scorching sun for a chance to meet the famed princess herself - Handong. Her beauty is said to be unmatched by any other in the land, but no one has ever seen more than a black and white sketch of some of her basic features. Even then, it was rumored that it was commissioned by none other than the princess herself to settle the rumors that she was some sort of horrid monster because she stayed hidden from sight.

The others in line ahead of you are experiencing varying degrees of nervousness. Some look like they’re ready to bolt when given the chance to go, and others look like this is something that they do every day. All of them, however, share one difference to you - they all have an expensive gift in their hands. Some are holding jewelry boxes, others have roses and chocolates, and some even have items that are famous in their home countries or kingdoms.

You, on the other hand, had gone for a more understated approach. One of you dearest friends, Lisa, had taken up tailoring and sewing as a way of “curing her endless boredom”, or so she said. It didn’t take much convincing for you to get her to make a small stuffed cat, one that was big enough to be cradled between your arms. Although Lisa made you promise to tell her where her work was going after it was delivered, it was a worthy sacrifice to make in order to have the cute yet odd creature in your hands right now, at this moment.

I wonder if any of these people are in the same situation that I am?

The truth was, your family was struggling for money. They had enough money to scrape by, but the maids and servants that you dearly loved as a child were now jobless and looking for other forms of employment. From what you had heard from late-night discussions that you weren’t supposed to hear, the family would only have enough money for another month or so before they had to start selling off farmland and the other properties, like the lake that you and your friends had gone swimming in as teens.

So, a potential marriage with royalty would more than solve your family’s money issues. You weren’t looking for love nor a happy marriage; instead, you wanted a way to save your family from becoming one that lived on the rugged roads. Was this surefire? No, but it was better than leaving everything up to fate.

What is fate, if not a cruel mistress to everyone that happens to meet it?

You feel your nerves start to rise as the line starts to diminish in front of you. You weren’t the last person to go because whenever you looked back, the line that gathered behind you seemed to grow longer and longer as time dragged on. You dared to glance back one last time before a royal guard approached you.

It’s now or never, I guess.

“Are you ready to meet the princess?” They ask, and you gently nod your head.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” You mutter at a barely audible volume as the guard leads you along another path.

The flowers seem to increase in intensity, number, and color as you continue to travel along this path.

This place is stunning… no wonder why the princess wanted to meet her future partner here.

You remember the day that the announcement was made - an announcement about the future Queen needing to find a partner urgently before her spot on the throne was given to someone else.

Lisa dragged you down the main crossroads in the middle of the kingdom as you protested against her.

“Lisa, for the thousandth time, I do not give a shit about what the royals have to say!” You loudly exclaimed as Lisa scoffs.

“Well, I do happen to give a shit about what the royals have to say, so I’m here. Since no one else will let me drag them along, I had to bring you. If I knew how much complaining you were going to do, I would have left your ass at home.”

“Thanks, Lisa, I appreciate the invitation.” You rolled your eyes before intentionally trying to keep up with Lisa’s long strides. “Do you always walk this fast, or are you just excited because the castle is releasing correspondence with the kingdom after ten years of unbearable silence?”

“So you do admit that you’re curious too!” Lisa teased as a large crowd began to gather around the town square, which was where the announcement was to take place.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Lisa, but I do have to admit that I am a little intrigued. What would be so urgent that the royals feel the need to hold such an old-school method of communication?”

“You really are a mood-killer, Y/N!” Lisa whined as you finally stopped moving.

You two managed to find a good spot in the crowd where you could see the stage, yet you still had the anonymity of being in a crowd.

“Considering the fact that neither of us are supposed to be out, don’t you think that my behavior is warranted?” You folded your arms in disapproval as Lisa offered you one of her infamous shit-eating grins.

“You are criticizing the royals for an ‘old-school method of communication’, yet you talk like my grandmother half of the time!”

You smacked Lisa square on her right shoulder, which caused her to howl out in pain.

“You deserved that, Lisa. Don’t say you didn’t.”

“I hate you, Y/N.” She huffed.

“I strongly dislike you too.”

“You see what I mean Y/N-” She stops talking before pointing to the stage, “-there! Right there! The town crier is here to deliver the news!”

The crowd went into an uproar as the town crier held a piece of parchment in their hands. They clear their throat, and the crowd’s noise dissolved into hushed murmurs as they began to speak.

“It is my absolute pleasure and joy to be giving such an announcement on behalf of the royal family.” They pause to clear their throat again before beginning to read from the parchment.

“Dearest, kindest folks of our gracious and noble kingdom - we appreciate your continuous support throughout the past ten years. It has been a rough journey for our family, and although this is a story we are not yet ready to share, we still have exciting and invigorating news to deliver to you all. As you may or may not know, we, the King and Queen, are starting to age in a less-than-graceful way. We are more than excited to say that our eldest daughter, Handong, has verbally expressed her interest in the throne, and we are more than willing to step down to allow her to lead as well as we know she can. The issue arises with the constitution that states that only men can lead the throne without a partner to rule by their side. Since Handong does not have a partner, she cannot take the throne unless we either make a constitutional change, or if she marries within the next year; otherwise, the ability to rule the kingdom will pass down through the line of succession until we find an heir that can take the throne. Our daughter has decided to willingly accept these terms - to find a partner - but she wishes to do so on her own terms. As her parents, we fully support these terms as we find them to be fair and reasonable in every possible way. Therefore, we are more than happy to announce that any unmarried land-owning or descendant of a land-owning person can come to the castle next week for a chance to marry the princess, and we will welcome them with open arms. Handong believes that anyone is fit to rule next to her, no matter how much or little wealth they may have. We look forward to seeing who all may come to us next week. Prepare as much or as little as you wish, but come with a desire for nothing but the best for our kingdom and our daughter.”

The crowd broke into another uproar as the town crier slinks off of the stage. Every person is talking with their minds going much faster than their mouths can articulate. You don’t blame any of them at all - it isn’t every day that a silent empire says that they’ll welcome any person into their castle with the intention to marry their daughter.

“Well, I’ll be damned. I guess I owe Jisoo those coins.” Lisa shrugged as you just sighed.

“You really bet about what the announcement was about?”

“What can I say: I like to play the game!” She laughed before shaking her head. “I said that it would be about the state of the kingdom, and Jisoo bet me that it was about Handong. I thought she was totally bullshitting me, so I bet against her. I swear she’s a witch, I mean, how could she know that?”

“Handong’s our age, right?” You mutter softly as the gears in your head start to churn.

“Yeah, somewhere around us. She might be a year or two older.” Lisa snapped her head in your direction. “You’re not thinking about actually doing that, right?”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. I’d never have a chance!” You lied straight through your teeth to Lisa, but it wasn’t like she would know the difference.

She didn’t know about your money troubles, and if you had everything your way, she would never have the chance to.

You take another deep breath to calm your fast-beating heart as the guard awaits for you to cross under the white-painted wooden arch. Once you passed through there, all bets were off on what would happen.

And I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t say that was a terrifying possibility.

You give the cat in your arms a reassuring squeeze before you nod at the guard. They move from their position, and you get a soft and quick ‘good luck’ before they’re off to gather the next suitor in line.

It’s just a one-time thing, and it’s not like this crazy plan of mine will work anyways. What’s the chance that she will actually like me based on my first impression? I should just hurry up and get this over with.

You sigh while setting yourself up for preemptive disappointment. You loosen your grip on the stuffed cat as you pass through the wooden arch.

You look around and you see a mostly-blank grassy area that’s closed off from the rest of the garden by more tall hedges. A small wooden shed sits in the way back of the private garden, and you assume that’s where the gardeners keep their equipment.

It’s just like our property… except for the fact that it’s much smaller and we no longer have any gardeners to take care of our property.

The only other thing in this private garden is a small picnic table, and sitting at that table is none other than the princess herself.

My goodness, she’s prettier than I could’ve ever imagined!

Wearing nothing more than a simple black, knee-length dress and matching black flats is Handong herself. Her blonde hair is neatly combed back to show off her beautiful facial features. She gently sits at the table, as if any motion would cause the picnic table to break into a million pieces. Her brown eyes express nothing but pure boredom as she waves you forward.

“Another suitor?” Handong huffs as you immediately make your way over to her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m sorry about the disturbance, Princess.” You quickly apologize before offering her a short bow.

Maybe that will get me in her good graces?

After bowing, you look at her face, and you notice that her eyebrows are scrunched, and an amused smile is on Handong’s face.

“You aren’t royalty, right?” She asks before softly giggling to herself. “If you are, then it’ll be the first time that a royal has ever bowed to me.”

“Oh no, my family owns a few farms just outside of the kingdom.” You explain as you glance over to the open spot on the picnic table. “May I sit?”

Handong laughs again, which causes you to frown.

Have I done something incorrectly? I thought those courtesy lessons from my private tutor were supposed to help me in situations like this…

“Go right ahead. I could use some…” She trails off as she looks at the sky. “How should I word this… competent company, perhaps?”

“I’d be more than delighted to, Princ-”

“Please call me Handong. I hate when people use such formalities with me. It feels like I’m talking to my grandparents.” She chuckles as you take a seat opposite from her. “May I ask what you’ve brought with you? It doesn’t look like you’ve brought a crown jewel or something else of extreme value.”

She gestures towards the stuffed cat in your arms, and you immediately hand her the cat.

“My best friend made it.” You explain as she admires every feature of the cat, as if it’s the most interesting thing that she’s ever seen. “I wanted to bring you something that would bring you comfort after a rough day. I used to have many stuffed animals like that one, and they would comfort me after I had a tough lesson with my teacher or I got scolded by one of our maids for sneaking out some baked goods.”

“I love cats. My parents never let me have one since I was too busy, you know, training to be the future leader of a country. I appreciate the gift.” Handong gently holds the stuffed cat in her arms, and a smile settles on your face as you feel yourself start to relax.

You can do this, Y/N. She’s just like any other person. There’s nothing to be scared about!

“Are you scared about being the future Queen?” You ask out of curiosity, and you notice Handong tense up, so you immediately backpedal. “I mean, you don’t have to answer the question. It’s totally personal and I’m such an as-”

Handong reaches out and squeezes your hand, which silences you from the moment her skin touches yours.

“It’s okay. You didn’t grow up in this environment, so it makes sense that you would be curious. I’m just so used to having to lie around everyone by saying that I have no fears about ruling an entire kingdom.”

You, in an effort to comfort her, move your hand so the two of you are holding hands. Handong notices, and a light blush appears on her face.

“You don’t have to lie around me, I promise. There’s no judgment here.” You honestly say as you place your free hand over your heart. “I swear on it.”

“That’s a serious promise. Do you seriously mean it?” Handong softly asks, and you nod. “Of course you do, you’re a part of the reason why I want to rule this kingdom. The good people out there, the kind-hearted people like you, they need someone who’s looking out for their best interests. I want to be that person, the one to advocate for them when no one else will.”

“That’s a noble and bold mission to have, Handong, but I’d love to see the day where you are crowned Queen. The kingdom will be in good hands - I just know it.”

Handong blushes again before smiling at you.

“You’re too kind, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Her eyes widen before she laughs. “Where are my manners? I never asked for your name.”

“Oh, yeah!” You say before laughing along with her. “My name’s Y/N.”

“Y/N, huh? I’ll have to remember that name.” Handong has a serious look on her face for a moment before she relaxes again.

“Handong, I wanted to say that I-”

The voice of a guard interrupts your statement.

“Your Highness? The next suitor is ready.”

You both visibly deflate as Handong lets go of your hand.

“Of course, let me finish up here.” She turns to you again with a warm smile on her face. “I think you’re the first person I’ve met that I could actually talk to for hours on end. Thank you for being you.”

“I think I should be the one thanking you for not dismissing me right away.” You chuckle before standing up. “Have a nice day, Handong. I can only hope that our paths cross once again.”

You get up and head towards the exit, but you hear Handong say something that piques your interest.

“Me too, Y/N, me too.”

“Y/N!!!!”

“Yes, Lisa?” You ask as Lisa excitedly wraps her arms around you.

You shake your head in disapproval at your best friend’s child-like behavior.

She’ll never grow up, but I don’t want her to change anyways.

“Where have you been all day?” She squeezes you again before letting go of you. “Have you been out doing business for your family? Did you meet somebody and fall in love?”

Lisa gives you a once over before her infamous teasing smile spreads across her lips.

“So you did fall in love with someone… Who are they? Do I know them? Are they cute, beautiful, or somewhere in-between?”

“Okay, Sherlock, you need to back off.” You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose. “Nothing’s for certain now… but I can only hope that I’ve charmed them as much as they’ve charmed me.”

“Oh, you lovesick fool!” She giggles for a moment as you give her a confused look. “That’s who the stuffed cat was for, right?”

“Yeah… it was.” You scoff as you try to shake off any sort of visible embarrassment. “Don’t look at me as if I’ve grown a third arm, Lisa!”

“I just never thought I would see the day that my dearest Y/N actually fell for somebody!"

“Oh, you’re never going to let this go, are you?”

Lisa laughs loudly with a grin on her face.

“You know me so well, Y/N!”

“Lisa, believe it or not, I can walk just like any other normal person!” You holler as she drags you down the main road that leads to the town square.

“Yeah, but you walk slowly! It’s probably ‘cause you have a stick up your as-”

“You can’t go a day without being vulgar, can you?” You mutter with an accompanying sigh as Lisa finally stops.

“It’s one of my charming points!” She loudly announces as you have to stop yourself from ramming into her.

“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that.” You say as a crowd starts to gather around you. “Are you sure this is where the announcement is supposed to happen?”

“Positive!” Lisa doesn’t hesitate to shoot you a confused glance. “I thought you weren’t interested in the royals, Y/N.”

“I never said that…” You whisper as the town crier walks up to an already set-up podium.

They pull a paper from their coat pockets which causes the crowd to gasp, and then everyone falls into complete silence.

That’s got to be the official document about Handong’s choice. I wonder if I even should’ve bothered coming here… I felt a spark, but how do I know that she felt the same? Handong could’ve been polite because that’s who she is as a person. Not every person that’s nice to you is in love with you, Y/N!

You cringe at the scolding you’re giving yourself as the town crier clears their throat.

It’s time to know, whether or not it’s good news or bad news. Either way, you’ll be able to make a plan about what to do in order to get your family out of financial trouble.

“To our dearest citizens… our prized daughter, Handong, has come to a decision about her future marriage partner. The problem, however, is that marriage cannot be easily decided in such an informal and minimal setting. What we are trying to say is that we, as Handong’s mother and father as well as the King and Queen of this Kingdom, wish for our daughter to get to know the best of the best of who came to see our daughter; therefore, the following marriage suitors are invited to reside at our castle until Handong believes that she, in good faith, has discovered the best marriage partner to rule beside her for as long as she may reign. Any person who is mentioned in this list is expected to be at the kingdom in twenty-four hours, and if they are not to be found, then their spot shall be forfeited. With no further disturbances, we are happy to announce that our daughter has chosen the following candidates:...”

Your head is buzzing at the thought of spending a long period of time in that castle.

You do realize that if you marry Handong, you’ll spend every waking moment in that castle, right?

You glance over at Lisa, who is enthralled at every word that the town crier is saying.

I really should be paying attention to what they are saying. What if they are calling my name and I don’t hear?

You softly chuckle before turning your attention back to the town crier.

She’d strangle me for not telling her, so I’m sure that I’d know one way or another.

“...and our final candidate who has the honors of competing for Handong’s heart is Y/N L/N!”

I beg your pardon… ME?!?

“What?” You exclaim softly as Lisa screams at the top of her lungs.

Oh God, I’m really never going to live this one down.

“Okay, so when exactly in this grand scheme of yours were you going to tell me that you were planning on trying to court the PRINCESS herself?!?” Lisa whines as you sit next to her on her bed.

“I wasn’t… I didn’t think they would make this such public news!” You complain as Lisa smacks your arm for the fifteenth time today.

“You idiot… What do you think was going to happen? That she’d show up in a carriage and whisk you away to her castle?”

“Now look at who's not being nice and polite.” You grumble as she scoffs.

“You lied to my face!”

“One time, Lisa, it was one time!” You rub your temples with your fingers before deeply sighing. “If you want me to be honest with you, then I will.”

“Of course I do, Y/N, you’re my best friend! I’m just upset that I couldn’t be there to support you.”

You reach over and squeeze her arm in reassurance.

“My family… We've been struggling for money as of late. I’m doing this to keep us off of the streets.”

Lisa looks over at you with a sad smile before grabbing your extended hand.

“Does Handong know?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you going to tell her? She deserves honesty from you.”

You chuckle to yourself.

“You’re still lecturing me about love, even after all of these years. Yes, Lisa, I’m going to tell her eventually. I fell hard when I saw her, Lisa. You don’t get it.”

“I won’t, Y/N, because I’m not you. Be kind and true, okay? I don’t think that’ll be an issue for you, since you don’t mind being brutally honest with me from time to time.”

“I will, Lisa. I can promise you that, but I need to go.” You squeeze her hand and attempt to let go, but Lisa keeps a firm grip on you.

“Does your family know?”

You shake your head.

“I don’t want them to know until they have to.”

“I’ll keep quiet, but you owe me big time, okay? I expect a full castle tour from you once you sign those prenups!”

You feel yourself relax more as you playfully shove Lisa aside before exiting her room.

“As if, Lisa!”

With as little luggage as you could manage to bring, you approach the castle with a heavy heart, nervous body, and troubled mind.

Is this really the right thing to do?

“Are you Y/N?” One of the guards asks as you nod your head.

I was told to preserve and never quit, but what if this is the exception?

“Good luck, Y/N.” The other guard says before opening the castle doors for you.

I guess I’ll never know what it’s like to give up. Lisa’s right - I am one hell of a stubborn ass.

Exploring and living in a castle was about as amazing as anybody would imagine it to be, but you had to tame your excitement around the other suitors. They were pure royalty, which meant that the grand allure of the castle, in all of its glory, did not affect them in the slightest.

Handong, on the other hand, was more than pleased to see your excitement at your living arrangements. You were able to speak to her during dinnertime, as each suitor was given a designated meal or tea time, which was when they could have some alone time with the princess. You ended up getting very lucky as dinner was often the longest meal of the day, but you weren’t sure if that was because there was so much food served, or if it was because you and Handong spent most of the time talking.

Tonight, Handong sat across from you, as she did most evenings, but she didn’t usually reach out and grab your hand as she was doing right now.

“Y/N, I want you to be honest with me… Are you enjoying yourself here?”

You ponder Handong’s question for a moment before answering.

“But of course, Handong! Everyone here is so lovely and welcoming - it’s hard to not feel comfortable here, if I’m being honest.” You shyly admit before digging into the meal presented before you.

“That’s good, but I think I worded my question incorrectly.” Handong clears her throat before letting the pleasant smile on her face become a distant memory in your mind. “Do you have ulterior motives with me?”

“I-” You pause as Lisa’s words ring in your head.

She deserves honesty from you, Y/N. Lisa was right, and I can’t believe I’m admitting that in my head. I’ll never admit that out loud to her, otherwise, I’ll never live it down.

“I never told you anything about my family, Handong, and there was a reason why. We weren’t living in the lap of pure luxury, but we were well enough off to own multiple properties, along with maids and tutors. The problem is… the fields haven’t been supplying like they did when I was a wide-eyed child. We had to release our maids and other servants from their jobs, and the next step we might have to take in order to try to stay financially stable is to sell our property. I don’t want my family to suffer anymore, and I didn’t want to watch as my family fell into financial despair. So, I took action into my own hands, and I-”

“-came to the castle, and then you try to woo me in order to help your family, correct?” Handong lets go of your hand, and she sighs deeply.

“I know how it sounds, Handong, but I’ve really fallen for you. I understand if you need time to digest this information. I would be upset if I were in your position.”

You look away in shame before setting your fork down.

“Y/N, I knew about your family, and I wanted to ask you about it because my family had me look over tax records this afternoon.”

Your heart sinks because you have a feeling that you know what she’s going to say.

“How much, Handong?”

“I’ll be frank with you since you were honest with me, Y/N. We’re talking thousands upon thousands of dollars on each property. It’s way more than the worth of all of your properties combined.”

“I-” You bite your lip in an attempt to hide the sadness on your face. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into my mess, Handong. It’s not your issue to fix.”

“Don’t say that, Y/N. You’re a citizen of this kingdom, just as any other person is. I’m just so… sad that you felt like you had to go to such extreme lengths in order to help your family. It’s not fair that kind-hearted, good people like you have to suffer because my family wants more money and chips to cash in.”

Handong looks guilty, and you can tell that there’s more she’s not telling you.

You, however, have to ask the question that lingers between the two of you.

“Handong, have your parents been raising taxes and not telling anyone?”

As a tear runs down her face, she nods and you gasp.

“The years of silence with so many people going hungry in the streets and losing what is most valuable to them… was because your parents don’t understand how to manage money?!?!?”

“I can’t judge you on secrets that you keep because I have so many of my own.” Handong admits, and you immediately grab her hand.

“You’re not your parents, okay? You are your own person, just like I am nothing like my family. The people we are, in this moment, should not be defined by who we were raised by.”

“It’s not like they were bad parents, Y/N. They just kept so many secrets, and I got sick of them lying to good, honest, and hard working people. I decided to start gathering proof for blackmail, and when I had more than enough, I confronted them.” She wipes a few tears from her eyes as you piece together what she’s trying to say.

“Your parents didn’t like this, correct?”

Handong nods, and you continue to talk.

“In an attempt to salvage the situation and to prevent an uproar, they offered you the throne with the stipulation that you should marry someone else. Your parents, however, wanted you to marry another royal so you would be forced to keep their customs so as to not upset your in-laws. Another royal marriage wouldn’t fly with the state of the kingdom and its economy, so they proposed a rigged ‘competition’ in order to keep everything fair. Am I correct so far?”

“Yeah, you are.”

“Fuck, politics suck!”

Handong laughs at your sudden outburst as she wipes away the last few tears.

“You can’t imagine their hidden disappointment when I told them that I wanted to marry someone who wasn’t a royal.” Handong offers you a sly, teasing smile, and you do your best to remain unflustered as she continues on. “My parents told me that I needed more time to decide, since there was no way that I was in my right mind at the time, so they invited a few of their favorite suitors, along with you, to the kingdom to not raise suspicion.”

“Let me guess… these suitors aren’t exactly crowd-favorites, right?”

“Y/N, I don’t think you understand how many people are depending on you. They have only the hope that another commoner, or at least a non-noble, will be able to change how my family has been ruling for years. When you hit rock bottom, tax collectors can take everything from you but the hope that someday, someone’s going to change how the world works.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“That’s why I need you, Y/N. You can speak for the people you represent because you are one of them. I just need you to trust me.”

“I already do, Handong.” You gently squeeze her hand. “You should know that I trust you with all of my heart, and that’s not a promise I make lightly. Name whatever you shall need, and I will do it with no complaints.”

“Marry me.”

You dryly cough before clearing your throat.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, Handong?”

“I told you, Y/N, I need you to trust me.”

“I- I’ll marry you, Handong, and I promise you won’t regret it for the rest of your life.”

You wink at her before bringing her hand up to your lips. You press a soft, lingering kiss to her hand, and she blushes in response.

“We have much to do, Y/N.”

“I know, Dongie, I know.”

“Dongie?” She gives you a confused look.

“What? You don’t like the nickname?”

“I’ve never had a nickname before,” Handong confesses, “but you can keep calling me that if you would like."

“I would like nothing more, Dongie.”

You sweetly smile at her before raising the wine glass in front of you in the air.

“To the future Queen of this kingdom, and to my future wife: May your reign be long, and your legacy everlasting. I adore you, Handong, and I wish for you to, someday, look at me with the same fondness that I have for you. Cheers!”

Handong raises her glass and offers a toast of her own.

“To my Y/N: You are a bright star in a dimly-lit sky. I can’t promise a future of safety and reassurance, but I can tell you that a future with me will be nothing less than an adventure for the ages. Cheers, my dearest.”

You shyly laugh with Handong before you gently tap your wine glass against hers.

Tonight is a different night - tonight, two souls intertwined in a way that no one else shall understand. The future is uncertain, but my love and adoration for you will never be in question.

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kaylatechheart · 4 months ago

Text

Bathbomb Trinity Redesigns (Adoptables)

I made redesigns to my one time OCs that I made for a Deviantart Badge thing back then, and I'm very proud on how much of a glow up it has turned out. I decided to remake them so it be in a better condition for friend @Blacksun98 to work with. As well as providing and helping info that they would want for these characters, the info will be provided below. So hope you guys like it! Note: These guys takes place in a different city but within the same PPG universe area. Old Designs: https://www.deviantart.com/kaylatechheart/art/BathBomb-Trinity-Sketch-846257627

Bathbomb Trinity now owned by: @Blacksun98 PPG is owned by: Craig McCracken

Bathbomb Trinity Info: Ingredients: Shampoo, Soap, and Conditioner + Chemical H

Ages: All 8 - 10 Years Old (Around 9 current time) Species: Neko Fish (They are not Catfish lol)

Shayla:

INFO

Shayla, a very outgoing and chaotic girl who enjoys being the center of attention and within the spotlight of others, whether in a positive or negative way. She's often very brash but straight forward towards others, and will not be afraid to be hesitant to express her feelings and thoughts. Often or not this can hurt someone else's feelings due to lack of awareness or lack of filter, but because of that other people are able to understand her better as a person and her intentions are pretty predictable to anyone's knowledge.

With her being very expressive, it's not hard to tell how she feels within that moment, making her feelings easily readable, so when it comes to her trying to hide how she's feeling it can't fool anyone. She's also known to be hypocritical with her actions when calling out on others, though that makes it easier for her to identify other people's true intentions a lot more faster if she ever notices.

Although she's not your typical "good girl" she's not inherently a "bad kid" either. She's more much a wild card and has her handful of fair share of naughty moments, hence getting into a lot of trouble. She often likes to tease her brothers a lot, especially Connor as he is not outspoken as Sean, though if she goes too far with her actions she would feel very bad and terrible about it. She might not be the best sister but tries to be a good one at least.

Shayla often wishes she have a sister as she felt left out, being the only girl in the group her interests are sometimes far different from her and her brothers leaving her very few to talk about with them. She sometimes wishes that her brothers are either girls or that she is a boy herself so she wouldn't feel so drifted from them. Funny enough its the only thing about herself she never revealed as she wishes to keep at least one insecurity to herself for once. OTHER INFO

Has a pearl that can see all that's happening in the current time (within the vicinity of the city). It is used as their version of the "Hotline" and not a phone like the PPG, the pearl also glows upon a bad event that has happened within the city. It has an active ability as well that shows 5-10 seconds in the future, but only triggered when a life threatening situation occurs. (Meaning Shayla cannot trigger that ability herself, it has to happen on its own)

Loves a lot of Seafood, mostly fish meat related though or squid but she can eat other foods.

Surprisingly she's not a picky eater and will eat anything on the table unlike Sean. The food will have to be so bad for her to dislike it.

Is pan when she's older.

Has a good relationship with their parent, decent with Connor, but bickers head to toe with Sean. But she still loves Sean regardless, and sometimes even enjoy his company if they aren't fighting.

Secretly jealous of Sean's and Connor's brotherly bond, hopefully have something similar if she had a sister, or maybe with them as well.

Her signature color is Sandy Yellow, her main ingredient being Shampoo.

Since Sean doesn't hang out with her as much, usually she hangs out with Connor.

Is a decent swimmer, however is a really good listener from far away due to the lack of fluff in her ears.

Despite her and her brothers are all spoiled and loved, she has more toys and trinkets in her room than her brothers, though no worries its not out of favoritism, she just asks for much though understands if she cannot get said item (even if she is upset about it).

Her hobbies consist of reading (mostly comics), playing with toys, stuffed animals, doing outdoor activities (mostly be reckless), arts and crafts, watch TV and play video games. (She doesn't really play board games as it boring to her as it has no action to it) Connor: INFO Connor, a meek and soft spoken child, he is a shy and nervous little boy, often times spoke in a quiet and polite manner. Very sweet to others, though is very unconfident about his leadership skills, and himself as a person. Despite his 2 other outspoken, rowdy siblings of his, somehow he's is the self proclaimed leader of the group. Reason of that being his persona changes 180 when being under pressure, being able to successfully lead and get him and his siblings into formation and work through with his plans and save civilians and innocent bystanders successfully. Though kind, Connor is very smart and is not naïve towards people's bad intentions. An attempt in the past was made by him to switch his leader position to Sean and Shayla when his anxiety filled thoughts of responsibility as a leader peaked through the roof. It was proven both was unable to keep calm under pressure when put in a stressful and potentially life threatening situation, and then the group eventually realized Connor is the better option as a leader. Some believe that this sudden persona change from Connor is due to his survival responses kicking in, being in flight or fight mode. Due to his nature of being pretty much full of worry and anxiety filled. OTHER INFO

Obtains a trident that can summon lightning, water beams at will, can also give a fly boost during in a water setting or rain.

Enjoys Sea Plants as food, though does eat Seafood (Fish and Crabs and etc) and many other things.

Is bi when older but more straight leaning.

Has a good relationship with his parent and both siblings, and gets along with them pretty well.

His signature color is Seaweed Green and main ingredient being Conditioner.

Is a very good swimmer, due to his tail being sharp and slick.

His hobby consists of reading (mostly comics and novels), playing toys and hugging stuffed animals, knitting, watching TV and play board games or video games. Sean: INFO Sean, a very laidback and chill guy often enjoys things that are within the moment with no rushes or anything. Although is nice, often gets annoyed pretty easily and has a very short temper due to unable to convey of show emotions well or correctly. And even goes as far as to hide their emotions to not cause any disturbance, but only within his convivence as he doesn't have to deal with more things. Because of that he often butt heads with his sister, who they pretty much disagree on a lot of things with each other. Though despite that, Sean is very overprotective of his siblings and would do anything to protect them, whilst being the "oldest" he often has rational thinking and a clear head to make very important decisions, even have a good planning systems as well and take his time on thinking about it. However the drawback comes with being unable to think under pure pressure, when Connor attempts to give away his leadership title to him at the first time when he felt inadequate at being a leader. This ended up being a disaster when Sean had a panic attack trying to think his plan at a fast and quick pace which he wasn't used to. Sean often times can be seen as "cold hearted" or "emotionless" by strangers when in reality he doesn't know what to feel around them, hence a lot of other kids tend to be slightly afraid of them. Sean often feels insecure about his tail, as it was born defective, making him unable to swim properly, despite him and his siblings are born to swim, making him swim way more slower than the others. As well as how his tail looks. Often or not in dire situations, him swimming pretty slow had almost got him killed hence needing assistance from Connor to use his ability to cling onto him and swim away faster. He wishes he can swim like the others normally. OTHER INFO

Has a Conch Shell that can play music, summon a help call to alert his siblings, as well as summoning sea creatures to aid him and bubble rings to float but with a limit of 5 mins. It can also blow normal bubbles as well.

Enjoys Seafood, but specifically crustaceans such as shrimp, crab lobster and etc. Can eat other variants of seafood and other food items, he just prefers those mostly.

Is a very picker eater, but that's due to taste and sometimes sensory issues. (EX Pineapple stings their tongue and injures them)

Despite loving both siblings, he enjoys Connor's company more. Sometimes secretly wishes Shayla not being there when they are talking something they all like, and only wants Connor's company. Honestly, he even feels bad for even thinking that and never reveals that truth to any of his siblings.

Is gay when he's older, he at first thought it was because his experience with Connor and Shayla made it like this, but in reality he genuinely likes guys.

Has a good relationship with parent and Connor except Shayla. While Shayla sometimes enjoy his company, Sean really doesn't with her. Making the company with the both of them one sided. However masks the truth of it as he at least loves her enough to see her happy. He loves both of his siblings, but has heavy favoritism with Connor.

His signature color is Ocean Blue, his main ingredient being Soap. Funny enough the soap was heavily chipped off, maybe that was the result of the tail being chipped as well.

Is a bad swimmer, and although can hear far, doesn't has as sensitive ears as the others.

His hobby consists of sketching, reading (novel and manga but comics if Connor ever shows them) and puzzles. Especially the 3D puzzles. Sometimes plays board games with Connor or normal video games and even watch TV with him.

#powerpuff girls #ppg #the powerpuff girls #ppg fanart #Bathbomb Trinity #kaylatechheart #ppg ocs #ocs #powerpuff ocs

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