#which her siblings strongly agreed with

[fbwzoo]

Good morning 🥰

[thesummerestsolstice]

Silmarillion AU Where all the Elves are Hobbits and the Stakes are Significantly Lower:

Finwe is mayor of his part of the Shire, happily married to both Miriel and Indis because they all have two hands

Miriel doesn't die after childbirth she just goes off on a trip to find new artistic inspiration and doesn't come back

Don't worry she eventually shows back up again– turns out she got lost and a kind elvish warrior named Vaire helped her find her way back

Feanor has a good relationship with his siblings, although he and Nolofinwe have engaged in several bouts of passive-aggressive one-upsmanship

The most famous of these ended with Nolofinwe swimming several miles across a lake in winter to prove that he was the more dedicated brother. Feanor agreed after telling him off for being reckless.

The Silmarils aren't pseudo-holy gemstones here, they're a set of three really intricately carved pipe-weed pipes that the Finweans pull out on ceremonial occasions

Morgoth isn't a fallen god he's just an asshole elf who regularly breaks into the Shire to steal things

One day he steals the Silmarils; he doesn't kill Finwe though he just knocks him out

The rest of the First Age is mostly just increasingly convoluted plots by various Finweans to break into his fortress and steal back the pipes (and all the other stuff Morgoth has stolen)

The first of these attempts involves Feanor stealing one (1) boat from Mayor Olwe. No one dies though and he puts it back afterwards. It still results in a lot of petty gossip.

After one of the attempts Morgoth catches Maedhros and hangs him up in a really tall tree

He's stuck there for three weeks before Findekano finds him and gets him down with the help of a homemade hang-glider called "Thorondor"

One of the other hobbit mayors is Thingol, a dear friend (and possible ex boyfriend?) of Finwe

Most of the Ainur are elves here but the concept of hobbit Thingol marrying an eldritch goddess is too funny to pass up so Melian is still a Maia here

She and her descendants look pretty hobbit-ish but they have fairy wings and little antennae

It causes a huge scandal when their daughter, Luthien, runs off with a dwarf prince named Beren

Thingol even writes a very strongly worded letter telling her not to marry him, which is a very extreme measure by hobbit standards, but she doesn't listen

Eventually Beren decides to steal some hobbit stuff back from Morgoth to prove his worthiness

He ends up stealing back one of the pipes and giving it to Thingol

Thingol grudgingly accepts him and Bluthien settle into a nice, quiet life in the Shire

There's no Doriath kinslaying either there's just a long, very passive-aggressive series of letters between Thingol and Feanor until Finwe eventually steps in and Thingol returns the pipe

[blasphemousclaw]

Ok. U no I'm obligated to ask.

Do you suppose Rykard ever actually interacted with Blaidd at any point? If not, what do you envision their relationship could've been like if they had? (I've always been torn because Ranni and Rykard obv cooperated to some degree, but Blaidd is also a creation of the Two Fingers and by extension the Greater Will, lol.)

GREAT question. obviously there isn’t much to go off of re: Rykard, except we DO get Blaidd’s perspective on Radahn! which is… highly strange to me?

“Hmm… So Ranni’s fate is kept in stasis by Starscourge Radahn… That reminds me of something I heard. There’s a festival being held at the castle on the southern edge of the Caelid Wilds, east of Limgrave. It’s a festival of combat. And I heard… that you can fight Radahn himself. He who was once called the strongest of all the demigods…”

“The glory of the clash is shared, by Radahn and you. And hah! Did you see that, afterwards? A falling star, right before our eyes! I can’t fathom how Radahn was holding back something of that scale. He was a living legend, if ever I saw one.”

honestly, with the way Blaidd talks of Radahn, the two of them might as well be total strangers! which is weird, because according to Iji,

“Blaidd is Lady Ranni's stepbrother. Ranni's mother, Queen Rennala, approved of him, and they played like siblings from childhood.”

so if Blaidd was basically a brother to Ranni, then why does he talk about her brother Radahn like he’s this distant, legendary figure, not a family member? Well, Ranni herself doesn’t seem to have any significant connections with Radahn in the same way that she does with Rykard… like, the Blasphemous Claw reveals that Ranni and Rykard conspired together, and Ranni keeps one of his abductor virgins to guard Caria Manor, and you can even see the Volcano Manor from Caria Manor (and vice versa). But nothing gives us any hint to her relationship with Radahn; all we know is that he keeps the stars in stasis, and he must be killed in order to set Ranni’s fate in motion again.

I would guess that Ranni received both her empyreanhood and Blaidd when she was very young, since they “played like siblings from childhood,” so perhaps Radahn was much older than Ranni, and had already left for Caelid when she received Blaidd? This might account for Blaidd having seemingly no personal relationship with Radahn. Rykard, however? If he was 1. younger than Radahn, or 2. older but stayed close to home, then that might explain why he and Ranni seemed to have closely shared their plans and beliefs, and it also might mean that he and Blaidd knew each other better than Blaidd and Radahn did?

I can’t see Blaidd and Rykard being very close though… I feel like Rykard wouldn’t really see Blaidd as his brother, more like, he’s meant for Ranni, so neither of them really have an obligation towards each other. I would be shocked if they never interacted at all, though, because again, Rykard seemed to be privy to Ranni’s plans and secrets, and Blaidd is as close to Ranni as you can get. I don’t think they would’ve been super buddy-buddy, but I think their interactions would be amicable enough. I do like the idea though of Blaidd maybe not being Rykard’s biggest fan because of like, his rancid vibes, and he always feels like he might be hiding something, but Blaidd knows he and Ranni care about each other so there’s no reason to distrust him?

But also, like you said, Blaidd is a creation of the Two Fingers, and could be a huge liability to Ranni and her plans, like Iji says. It’s pretty strongly implied Rykard hated the Two Fingers and the Greater Will just as much as Ranni, so I think it’s pretty likely that he would’ve agreed with Iji and distrusted Blaidd because of that? Like Blaidd seems totally loyal to Ranni, but if the Two Fingers get in his head, that might not matter… I can see Rykard warning Ranni about Blaidd in that respect… which would be kind of juicy, because Blaidd was loyal to Ranni to the end, and Rykard was kind of always going against the gods for selfish reasons in the first place…

anyway yeah I guess this is kind of boring but I think their relationship was kind of like they are both standing in the same room with Ranni not interacting lowkey distrusting each other but also not having beef with each other and then Rykard leaves for another 6 months to do god knows what in his manor and Blaidd briefly forgets he exists

[din-miller]

We’re Stronger Together

Pairing: Reader + The Bad Batch (Platonic)

Word count: 4.3k

Summary: It was an unspoken rule; you don’t go on solo missions. But when Rex asked you to aid him in taking down a slave ring, you agreed. The Batch takes an issue with that. Especially when you came back smelling strongly of foul men leaving Hunter to struggle with his heightened senses. The only way to fix that is a giant bantha pile.

Warnings: set after S2, tech is alive, harm to children mentioned, slavery mentioned, non-consensual touching mentioned, (none of which are graphic), protective batch, no romance between reader and the batch, platonic cuddling, so much sibling-relationship content, bantha pile > puppy pile, keldable kisses, female reader

You can’t remember the last time you’ve gone on a solo mission or at least a mission where the Batch hadn’t been involved. You had joined them after Order 66 and wherever they went, you went and vice versa.

Inseparable, the lot of you.

Which is why you’re here, chewing your bottom lip nervously as you watch the argument unfold in front of you. Rex said something rational and Hunter glared, then Echo huffed at Hunter’s behaviour but made no move to step in to defend Rex who's three seconds away from throwing his hands up in frustration, “Look boys, I only need her for a couple days, a week max.”

“That’s not happening.”

Honestly, Rex should’ve seen this argument coming and prepared a better speech.

“Yeah, I kinda agree with Sarge. I don’t like it.” Wrecker rubbed the back of his head, looking a tad lost. He’s never been good at picking sides during arguments and you feel bad for him.

“It’s a simple mission, boys. She’ll be in my line of sight at all times.”

“Armed,” All eyes turned to Crosshair, whose head was turned away from them, seemingly unperturbed by the whole situation. When Rex went to speak, Crosshair sneered, “That wasn’t a question.”

“We might consider it once you tell us why you need her.” Echo said, addressing the eldest clone.

“The mission requires more of a…,” Rex trailed off, trying to find the right words that won’t get him shot, “Feminine touch.”

“Absolutely not,” Hunter pushed himself to stand between you and Rex, blocking the older clone’s view of you, “Find someone else.”

“I can do it!” Omega bravely offered, “I can be feminine.”

“No!” Came a chorus of shouts causing Omega to shrink in on herself before Wrecker pulled her into his side with an apology. Hunter ran a tired hand down his face, giving his own apology to the young girl.

“As much as I appreciate your concerns, it’s my decision.” You looked over at Tech for help. Out of all of them, he’ll be the one to back you up.

Tech nodded in your direction, stepping in to join the conversation, “While I don’t particularly agree with one of us being separated, I can see logic in Rex’s thinking-,”

Wreck sent him a look of disbelief, “How?!”

“-If the goal is to distract the target with a certain female attractiveness, I do believe she’s the best candidate for the role.”

“There was never any doubt about that,” Echo stated, “The issue is that we don’t split up. Any of us. Not after Mount Tantiss.”

Omega nodded in agreement, her mouth twisting down at the mention of Mount Tantiss, “Echo’s right. We stick together.”

Tech adjusted his goggles, avoiding eye contact, “As I said, I do not agree with her going with Rex by herself, but we can not stop her from choosing to aid in this mission. The best we can do is offer our support.”

“Thank you Tech. Look, I’ll take my viroblade with me,” You promised them, moving to Rex’s side, “I’ll be fine guys. I was on my own for years before I met you, I know how to handle a few scumbags.”

“You’re not on your own anymore,” Hunter reminded you, before letting out a defeated sigh, “You will be contacting us every chance you get, you’ll report any injuries to Tech or Echo; I don’t care if Rex’s crew has an all-star medic on board, you comm us.”

“Yes, Sarge. Anything else?”

“You’ll take my blade with you, it’s sharper than yours. You will be getting a crash course in disarming bombs with Wrecker before you leave and most importantly; you will be coming home.”

You look down at the kid who’s nodding along to Hunter’s words, a serious look plastered on her face. You feel a twinge of guilt settled in your chest, but from what Rex has told you about the mission you’re not backing down no matter how crestfallen Wrecker looks.

You attempt a reassuring smile, most likely failing as that guilt shows clear as day despite your best shot at playing it cool. You promised nonetheless, “I’ll be back before Wrecker’s able to pronounce ‘worcestershire’.”

“Hey!” Wrecker cried, but a bright smile took over his previous expression and that twinge inside your chest starts to fade away.

Truth be told, a part of you yearns for this mission. To stretch your feet, to use your muscles and brains outside of your normal mundane life on Pabu. To feel useful in a more powerful way. You also understand why your boys’ are so reluctant to let you leave. To do this mission when they’ve all turned Rex down time and time again.

Hunter’s thirst for battle quickly died out when he watched how Omega thrived in her new life. At the peace she is now able to have, away from bloodshed.

Wrecker’s able to use his strength to help the town folk. Lifting crates, furniture, bags of soil and sand. He’s also taken up construction. He’s able to burn energy without bloodshed.

Tech was never one for battle and after Mount Tantiss, he was more than willing to settle on Pabu. To accept Phee’s dinner invitation. Then the key to her place. One day you hope he’ll accept the ring Phee has tucked away. A loving marriage away from bloodshed.

Echo was the one who adjusted the hardest. Whenever Rex required his help on a mission Echo was always on the front line. But one day you watched him emerge from his room, eyes red and swollen. Another sleepless night and you know he’s done with all the bloodshed.

You don’t ask, you don’t have too. You were there, you remember all of it. You remember Echo’s disbelief over your comm as he said he found Tech. You remember running into the room, seeing Tech floating inside a tube, dead bodies scattered across the floor. You remember Echo’s hand laying flat over the glass that separated him from Tech. You remember the bloody handprint left behind when Echo turned to you.

Most of all you remember the scream that rattled the walls around you. You remember how Echo’s mouth parted, Crosshair’s name falling from his lips before he’s racing down the hallway, metal legs creaking at the strain he’s putting on them.

You remember the crying, the begging, that left Crosshair’s mouth, so broken and scared, as Dr. Hemlock held a blade in his hand and Omega’s still body on the medical table beneath him. You remember the smell of blood, how the red of it dripped onto the floor.

You remember the sound of a blaster fire, a body hitting the floor. You remember Echo desperately trying to hold Omega’s stomach together as he cauterised her skin knowing there’s no time for stitches or bacta patches.

You remember it all so kriffing vividly that the crate you had been moving falls from your grip, dropping loudly to the ships metal floor beneath you, the noise drowning out your gasp as the air around you thins and your lungs ache for steady breaths.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Your head snapped up in Rex’s direction, eyes widening when you spotted the clone trying to bypass Rex and enter the ship, “Crosshair?”

The sniper doesn’t acknowledge you. Instead his attention is solely on the older clone, “You’re sending her into a cantina full of powerful, greedy, vile men who would do anything to have her.”

Rex sighed, “Crosshair-,”

“I understand not wanting the others to be involved, they’re too protective. The second anyone touches her the mission would be ruined and dead bodies make things complicated.”

Rex gave another, deeper sigh, “Your skill sets would prove to be a huge asset to the mission, I’m aware and if I thought you were any different from the rest of them, I would have asked you. I know you Crosshair, you’d be the first to pull the trigger.”

Finally Crosshair’s eyes land in your direction, the subtle pinch of his brow letting you know that the panic that's choking you from the inside is written all over your face. He stared at you, knowingly, “Don’t do this. For your own sake, don’t.”

“The man we’re after is a slave trader. Young kids and helpless women,” You said, although you figured he’s aware of that already, “If you were in my shoes you’d do the same thing. For me, for Omega. Crosshair I need to do this.”

You moved to stand in front of him and you pulled his head down until your foreheads met, an action you’ve only done once before with him. Only this time he’s leaning in instead of pushing you away with a threat of you meeting the barrel of his rifle.

“Take care of the boys and Omega while I’m gone, yeah?”

“I’m not their kriffing babysitter.”

You chuckled and pulled back to meet his gaze, “Take care of yourself too.”

Although the mission only took three days, your body – your soul – is screaming for your family. For their arms around you, their voices reassuring you that you’re okay, that you’re home. That you’re safe.

So when the front door is the only thing that stands between you and them, a weight is lifted from your shoulders. A breath you hadn’t realised you’ve been holding leaves your lungs and you draw in a new one full of relief.

You punched in the house’s code and the green light blinked, lock unlocking. You smiled, opening the door and before you’re fully able to close it behind you, you’re being pushed back against it, Hunter’s face buried in the crook of your neck.

Not exactly the welcome home you’d imagined would be awaiting you.

You looked over at the other boys, hoping to get an explanation. You start with Echo but the clone just leaned back against the couch, a smile on his face. Beside him is Tech; the clone brought a finger up to tap the side of his nose.

Oh

Right. You probably reek of–

“Testosterone.” Hunter snarled, and you can feel the way his nose scrunched up at the smell of male hormones on your person.

“Not the welcoming home I expected,” You joked, trying to push Hunter away but the clone didn’t budge, “Come on I can’t smell that badly, I had a shower on Rex’s ship. Seriously Hunter, at least let me enter the house.”

Hunter finally pulled back, eyes still locked in on the flesh on your neck. You try not to squirm under the intensity of his gaze, or the smug looks from the others. Hunter tilted your head and you're quick to give him access to the other side of your neck despite your earlier protest. He spared no time diving in, head jerking back instantly, nostrils flailing and he growled, “They touched you.”

The smug look on Echo’s face disappeared instantly and he stepped forward, eyes narrowed in on the back of Hunter’s head like he can see the skin where you had been touched through the clone’s skull.

Hunter pressed you back farther against the door, voice demanding as he asked, “Where else?”

“Hunter-,“

“I won’t ask again.”

The sound of tiny feet racing down the hallway saved you from having to answer, from having to admit that they were right. That you weren’t strong enough for the mission. Not without them. Admitting that would make the phantom feeling of hands on your body too real.

You pushed Hunter away and caught the girl just in time, your name falling from her lips as giggles filled the air when you tickled her side. Behind her Wrecker smiled at you, welcoming you home.

“You’re back! I want to hear all about the mission!” Omega said, jumping out of your arms when you tap on her back. She’s grown so much in the last few years and you’re too exhausted to hold her weight, “Sorry, I’m just excited you’re back home. Are you hurt?”

You’re able to give her a quick shake of your head before that phantom touch across your skin is back and you can’t hide the rise of goosebumps on your arms. Not from Hunter at least. The man studies your body language, breathing in the scent of foul men that lingers on your skin, even after using Rex’s refresher to shower.

“Omega, I want every blanket and pillow in this house brought out here,” Hunter turned to address the biggest clone, “Wrecker, clear all the furniture out of the living room.”

“Oh, you betcha!” Wrecker cheered with a grin, “We haven’t had a good ol’ bantha pile in ages!”

“Bantha pile?” You questioned as you watched the two follow Hunter’s orders.

“Yes, it is when a group of people all sleep and/or cuddle together. It was a way for Hunter to memorise our scents growing up. To help calm him,” Tech informed you, “It’s been awhile since we’ve had one, but given that Hunter is indeed struggling with you not smelling like us, the bantha pile is warranted. I’d even say necessary.”

You nodded. It makes a certain amount of sense but you’re not entirely sure it is warranted. To your knowledge they didn’t do this when Crosshair came back, when Tech was found or when Omega healed from her injuries at the hands of Dr. Hemlock. Or maybe they did and you weren’t there, that they didn’t find it necessary to include you.

No, it’s best not to go down that path. You’re here, your boys are crowded around you as you all await for Omega to return and that’s all that matters.

But Tech has always been able to read you and he awkwardly bumped his shoulder against yours, voice hushed, “You’re part of our alitt. You and Echo were dealing with Sid when Hunter and Wrecker welcomed Crosshair, Omega and myself home. We tried waiting for you but Hunter was struggling. It wasn’t an easy call but it was necessary to proceed without you and Echo.”

You brushed a hand over Tech’s and sent him a smile, “I understand, truly. I shouldn’t have questioned my place with you guys.”

“We won’t allow that to happen ever again, ner vod.” He promised and you believe him.

“I got everything!” Omega announced, bouncing back into the room, her voice muffled behind the mountain of fabric balanced in her arms, which Hunter quickly relieved her of. The young clone looked over at Echo, “I got your heated blanket too. I wasn’t sure if our body heat will be enough to keep you warm through the night. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“I…” Echo blinked, accepting his blanket as he fumbled for words. No matter how long you all have known Omega, the smaller clone always finds ways of surprising her family with her never-ending kindness. Echo cleared his throat, “Thank you, Omega.”

She beamed up at him, brushing off his thanks as she grabbed a handful of pillows to scatter around the living room. Wrecker and Hunter followed behind her with blankets. Eventually the room was approved for a bantha pile by Wrecker’s standards and six bodies started to settle in for the night.

With Hunter against your left side, head buried in your neck, his lips gazing the skin over your pulse point and Wrecker snuggled behind him, Echo moved to claim his spot on your other side as Tech sat cross legged by your lower right leg and Omega’s balanced on your chest leaving just Crosshair left to pick his spot.

“There’s still room.” You pointed out to him, silently hoping he’ll join.

Crosshair looked down at the pile, disgust written all over his face, “Not happening.”

“C’mon brother,” Wrecker patted the empty spot behind him, “You know you want to.”

The sniper may be rough around the edges but he’s not immune to his brothers’ pleas. He’ll cave, you know so.

“Not in the slightest. I’d rather eat glass than be sandwiched between you all.”

“Fine, but you’ll regret it.” Wrecker shrugged, snuggling closer into Hunter’s side, his large arm thrown over the smaller body to rest on your arm.

Crosshair rolled his eyes, “Doubt it.”

Tech glanced up from his datapad, “I have informed Phee that I will be staying another night here,” He looked at you, “She is pleased that you have returned unharmed and has invited you for dinner tomorrow if that is to your liking.”

“Tell her there’s no other place I’d rather be.”

He nodded, “I will inform her immediately, she will be happy to hear so.”

Omega frowned, rifling through the blankets, “Where’s Lula?”

Wrecker’s head shot up, alarmed and you glanced around until you spotted her by the hallway entrance. You pointed Omega to the toy, “You must have dropped her.”

Omega looked over at her brother, eyes wide and childlike, “Crosshair? Can you get her?”

The clone looked at her, then the pile of blankets and pillows that were basically drowning her small frame, before blowing out an annoyed sigh, but he went and got the toy anyway. He carelessly threw it in her direction, which earned a cry of protest from Wrecker. Crosshair rolled his eyes in response before crouching down beside Echo, moving his blanket aside.

The former ARC Trooper’s body stiffened when a pair of hands met his pelvic. Then he flinched away from Crosshair’s touch when the clones fingers found the clasps of his prosthetic legs. You watched slightly puzzled at what was happening.

Crosshair’s fingers froze for a fleeting second before he scowled down at Echo, “Relax Reg, if I have to suffer sleeping here tonight I’m at least going to make sure my nuts stay intact.”

A puff of air met your skin as Hunter grunted, “Language Crosshair, the kids here.”

Omega giggled as she settled comfortably on your chest, “I’m not a kid, Hunter.”

Beside you, Echo flicked his youngest brother’s arm, “I don’t move in my sleep.”

Wrecker let out an loud laugh, “Ha, good one Echo!”

“You could sleep on the other side of the bantha pile,” Echo cocked his head over to where Wrecker is, “Snuggle up behind Wrecker. He doesn’t sweat that much.”

“I’d rather not. Now are you going to let me continue?” Crosshair gestured to the prosthetics.

Echo nodded, moving to make it easier for his brother to reach the clasps, “You better not steal my blanket throughout the night.”

“What are you going to do? Chase me?” Crosshair jeered, but his tone held no malice behind it and Echo for his part just playfully shoved the sniper back until his ass met the floor. Beside you Hunter mumbled something incomprehensible into the crook of your neck while Wrecker and Omega laughed as Crosshair scowled up at them.

Once the prosthetics were removed, Crosshair huddled underneath Echo’s heated blanket with him, keeping enough distance from the clone for it not to be weird. Crosshair’s words, not Echo’s. The latter couldn’t care less, especially when the added warmth helped him sleep soundly.

With them both settled in for the night Tech was able to finally curl himself against your thigh, directly underneath Echo, giving the fact that without the clone’s prosthetics there’s now room for Tech to lie down and be close to you.

“This is… nice.” You said, pulling Echo in closer to your body when he struggled to do so himself without use of his prosthetic legs. His prosthetic arm had been taken off too. Most likely so you don’t get hit by it.

“Aw, yeah it is!” Wrecker’s usual loudness is muffled by Hunter’s shirt and the older clone chuckled at the rough vibration that spread across his back.

Omega propped herself up to rest her head in her hands, her elbows pressing against your chest and you hid the wince when her pointed appendages dug into your sternum.

Her eyes twinkled as they met yours, “We’ve missed you,” She exclaimed, the twinkle in her eyes grew brighter, “Tech barely left the house, Phee brought over food for us but we ended up giving it to the shelter ‘cause Echo went bananas and made enough food for the entire village! And Wrecker built a giant shed in a day! The Unstoppable Machine they called him. Oh and Crosshair slept at the gun range every night. Echo had to bring him food and a pillow and blanket-,”

You blew out a disappointed sigh. Leave it to Crosshair to do the exact opposite of what you said. Taking care of yourself does not equal three nights at the gun range. Crosshair hid his head in Echo’s shoulder shielding himself away from your scowl.

“Hunter wouldn’t leave my side,” Omega continued, “I wasn’t even allowed to sleep over at the Hazards. It’s okay though. Truthfully, I didn’t feel like sleeping away from home anyways.”

You swallowed around the lump in your throat. You knew they didn’t want you to go but you never really knew how much pain you’re absent brought the six of them.

“I’m so sorry,” You whispered into the silence of the room, “I’m here now and I’m not leaving ever again, I promise.”

Omega held out her hand, little finger up, “Pinky promise?”

You locked your smallest finger around hers and brought them both up to your lips, pressing a delicate kiss to her skin, “To the brightest stars and back.”

Omega was the first to fall asleep, followed quickly by Echo; the warmth of his blanket and your body heat lulled him into a peaceful slumber. Wrecker was next, his snores unnaturally quiet for a man his size. Small blessings, truly.

Tech’s head is pillowed on your thigh, his datapad loosely held in his hand, conversation with Phee most likely cut short by his sleep. Out of all your boys your heart is warmed by him the most. He’s the only one who doesn’t live here, he’s the only one who has spent four nights away from their partner. He’s never once complained about it and you know neither has Phee; she’d let Tech spend a thousand more nights here if that’s what he needs.

Crosshair and Hunter were the last to drift off, their bodies on high alert, tracking any movement that could possibly take you away from them. Crosshair once said that nothing is ever too good to be true, but like most things the sniper’s believed, he’s wrong. Because you’re here for good, and that’s true.

You felt a nudge against your right side and you rolled your eyes fully expecting to get an ear full of Tech’s latest discoveries during your absence but instead you're met with an unreadable expression as Crosshair stared at you.

He doesn’t say anything and he looks more pissed off than before. It’s late and you're tired, physically and emotionally and the last thing you want is an angry clone glaring at you through the night.

“This wasn’t my idea,” You reminded him, tone a little rougher than it probably should be, “But I’m not going to have you ruin it because I need this. I might have only been gone for three days but I was alone for each one and you were here, with the boys’ and Omega.”

He’s silent, eyes sharp almost like he’s studying you. When he does speak it sounds like it’s through gritted teeth, “Where else?”

And, oh

You had been expecting that question from Hunter, maybe even Echo, but not him.

You sighed and let your head fall back against your pillow. Whenever the gentleman got too bold, you were able to direct their attention somewhere other than your body… but sometimes you just weren’t fast enough.

“You were right, the others wouldn’t have been able to sit and watch,” You shifted your eyes back to the sniper, “The man grabbed me, pulled me into his lap and sometimes when I close my eyes, I can feel his breath against my skin and I hate it.”

The arms locked around you tighten, Hunter's head unburing itself from your neck, his breathing falling to the softest puffs against your skin. You honestly should have known that he wouldn’t fully be asleep.

You sighed, pulling Omega closer to your chest, needing to feel her heartbeat, letting it ground you, “Rex was immediately lifting me off of him and using his body as a shield, keeping me out of the man’s sight. What was supposed to be a stealth mission turned into a full blown blaster fight. What was it you said Crosshair? ‘Dead bodies make things complicated’?”

“Sometimes complicated is necessary for survival,” Crosshair said, “It may have not gone down the way you wanted it to, but tonight there are people finding their freedom from slavery and that’s because there are good people out there willing to fight for them. People like you.”

Your throat constricted at his words and you felt the beginning of tears build up, you do your best to blink them away before they get a chance to escape.

“You’re not leaving us again, right?” Hunter’s voice was rough, and it was clear from the way he asked the question that there was only one acceptable answer.

“No, never again,” You replied, before asking your own question, “Do I smell better now?”

Hunter made a show of taking in a deep breath, pausing for a second before giving a slow nod, “You smell like my aftershave, Echo’s mechanical oil for his prosthetics, Omega’s shampoo, Phee’s perfume that lingers on Tech’s clothes and the chemical ingredients in Tech’s eye drops.”

“Wrecker and Crosshair?”

“By the morning you’ll smell like them too. I promise.”

“Good, but in case I don’t; I’m not doing anything tomorrow night.”

Crosshair pressed his front flushed against Echo’s back and threw his arm over his brother's body to rest on top of Omega’s back, “If we must, I'm making Wrecker bring the mattresses down here. I’m getting too old for this shit.”

You laced your fingers with his across Omega’s body, “Deal.”

A/N: I’ve had one rule when it comes to tbb. I don’t write for Crosshair – He’s a hard character to write – So how the heck did I manage to include him in 80% of this fic?! I’m not sure I was able to capture his personality completely but I hope I did him justice. (runs and hides)

[sokkastyles]

I have some thoughts about Iroh bonding with Azula and Ozai, after reading your post about it. I find it very interesting to think that Iroh probably is reminded a lot about his relationship, or a lack of it sort of, with Ozai whenever he sees Zuko and Azula interact with each other. I think there are very interesting parallels between both sibling pairs. I also find it very strange that people think that Iroh didn't do enough to help Azula, because I don't think that's completely true. After the scene in Book 2 when Azula almost kills Iroh after shooting a lightning bolt at him, Zuko's response to him asking what they are going to do about Azula is "I know, she's my sister and I should get along with her." This pretty strongly implies that Iroh (and Ursa also most likely) did try to encourage Azula and Zuko to actually try to get along at some point, most probably because he didn't want them to have a strained, basically nonexistent relationship with each other like he does with Ozai. There's also the fact that Zuko would have still wanted to have some type of relationship with any of his family members, and Iroh absolutely would have supported this. I think this is very interesting to think about, because while Iroh and Ozai both grew up believing very strongly in Fire Nation propaganda and ideals, by the time Iroh realizes the truth about the Fire Nation, he's lost his son and his family is shattered in other ways too. Iroh sees how ruthless and cold Ozai becomes and he would never want that to happen to either Zuko or Azula. But he sees that Azula is becoming like that due to Ozai's influence, and I really think that he wanted Zuko and Azula to keep trying to get along as a way of circumventing Ozai's influence on both of them. Whether or not that was enough is debatable I suppose, but I think what changes Iroh's mind on this completely is when Zuko's face gets scarred. I think that's when Iroh would have realized that there's no real way to get through to Azula or Ozai, because they are both violent and manipulative. I don't think any of this can or should be reduced down to Iroh not having done enough to help Azula. While I also do think Azula was failed by the adults around her due to not having anybody around her who could have helped curb some of Ozai's influence, she absolutely should be held accountable for the things she did (and the actual situation surrounding why no one would go against Ozai at that time is quite complicated). This was basically my long-winded way of saying Iroh-Ozai and Zuko-Azula are very interesting to think about as narrative parrallels. What are your thoughts on this?

Yeah, I mean, the fact that Zuko thinks Iroh is going to say that he should learn to get along with his sister is evidence that Iroh isn't pushing some anti azula agenda. But Iroh is also very much reacting to the things Azula has done so far, not just the agni kai and the fact that she was sitting right there smiling at Zuko being burned, which I do agree was an eye opening moment for him.

Iroh's regrets are often about feeling like he didn't do enough, and I think he did try to shield Zuko in a lot of ways from how bad his family was, thinking that that would make things better. Even in "The Avatar State," Iroh is rightfully suspicious of Zuko but goes along with things not just because Zuko won't listen, but because it's hard to tell someone that their loved one is abusive. It was probably hard for Iroh to realize that. I don't know how much of that conversation he ever had with Zuko before, but the impression I get is not a lot.

There's this moment that I think is under-discussed before Azula meets Zuko and Iroh for the first time, where she is practicing lightning, and the scene cuts to Iroh noticing the lightning on the horizon with a wary look. This is supposed to tell us that Iroh knows either Azula or Ozai is after them, but I don't know that he ever said anything to Zuko. I think for a long time he hoped he wouldn't have to have that conversation at all. But he also had to know that he couldn't keep Zuko safe forever, that whatever freedom Zuko's banishment offered would never last.

So when Zuko modifies his need to protect himself from Azula with "I know I should be trying to get along with her," I don't think this is Iroh saying this out of lack of trying to bring the family together. It might even be Iroh feeling guilty for having said something similar in the past, or felt something similar, since we know from Legacy of the Fire Nation that he did once have those thoughts about Ozai, and since we know he got Azula a doll. Like, maybe he was thinking about all those warning signs he ignored or tried to downplay, because no one wants to think a father would hurt their son or a sister would want to hurt their brother. Maybe he was thinking about his own guilt about not trying harder to "get along," and it was important for him to not let Zuko suffer the same feelings, to let Zuko know that he didn't have to stand by the way Iroh himself did for so long, for his own protection and for other people's protection.

Can you imagine Iroh having a similar thought process, right before the agni kai, about how surely Ozai would not really hurt his own son?

Or maybe Iroh was thinking about how Zuko thought he couldn't defend himself from his own father for the sake of family. "She's my sister," sounds a lot like "I'm your loyal son," doesn't it?

I mean, if I had to guess what Iroh was thinking after Zuko got scarred, it might be similar.

He was my brother. It was his son. I didn't know.

I have no time for people who think Iroh is acting out of some weird prejudice and isn't intimately familiar with what it feels like to love a sibling who isn't capable of loving you back.

[sigillite]

does anyone know what happened to this one bill cipher x reader fanfic I AM DESPERATE

okay this is kind of a stretch but there was this bill cipher x reader fanfic i read years ago on wattpad and i've been trying to find it again.

basically the main character was dipper and mabel's long lost triplet and grew up in an orphanage for some reason. then through some turn of events which i forgot, she reunites with her siblings. this takes place during the summer after weirdmageddon, and so dipper and mabel decide not to tell y/n about it. i think they warn her about bill cipher though? i don't remember. but basically y/n befriends bill cipher who is stuck in his human for some reason. she hides this friendship from her siblings who strongly hate bill, but y/n likes him. bill is also a teenager because of something that happened in his past with his brother will cipher. also y/n had a best friend at the orphanage who comes to visit her at gravity falls one day.

yeah i don't remember much but i remember this story having such an impact on me when i was younger and i NEED to find it again.

edit: just remembered more info: y/n first agreed to make a deal with bill cipher cause her dog or some pet died, and she really wanted it to come back to life. so she made a deal with bill and that's how they first met.

[dragon-creates]

A Good Luck Charm (for funnybunny writing week)

Read on AO3

In a world where the fae walk among mortals, a disguised jackrabbit named Jax finds a mortal named Pomni alone at a park. Feeling sympathy for her struggles, Jax casts a small good luck charm for a few hours to help her. However, even if the charm lasted for a day, it wouldn't be the last time that the fae saw the human.

IMMA BETA READ THIS IN THE MORNING I PROMISE JUST PLEASE TAKE THIS ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE IVE WRITTEN ANYTHING!!!!!

The fae had always existed. They have been right in front of you, yet you never even spared a glimpse. Whether it was a siren hiding beneath the murky waters, or a pixie hopping from flower to flower, they’re not so human features were hidden from the everyday mortals.

Years ago, the king and queen of the fae realm had discovered a portal to the worlds of mortals. They had considered keeping this secret to themselves, knowing that they were some fae with tricks up their sleeves that aimed to do more harm than good. However, they know someone would find out eventually, and cause more uproar.

And so, a law was stated: those who wanted to enter the fae realm were to use a glamour to hide their magical forms and use minimum to none of their powers unless it was an emergency. The law had been strict and for good reason, many fae had tested to see what they could get away with and had found themselves behind the prison walls of the castle prison.

It wasn’t to say no magic could be use. Whether it was the glamour spells themselves, or a chant to help them through everyday tasks like cooking. But under no circumstances could they perform curses, hexes, or use a spell to own a human’s name and soul.

It was surprising to everyone that the fae that strongly agreed with the king and queen’s law was none other than Jax the jackrabbit.

The werebeast had proven many times how mischievous he could be with his spells. Whether it was using it to replace hair cleanser with syrup, temporally turn his fellow fae into different species using illusions, or creating booby traps with the magical material he had. It was definitely whiplash with how much Jax approved of the royal couple’s decision, not even their own son Prince Caine agreed.

Yes, Jax was well… an ass. But he knew that interfering with mortals was an unfair power imbalance, and he himself knew all too well about that. Werebeasts were always looked down upon by other fae, especially jackrabbits and how so many fae saw them as ‘weak’. Maybe it was why Jax acted the way he did, to prove those stereotypes wrong. But he knew from experience the type of entitlement people felt when seeing something they saw as insignificant to them.

While he did pull a few tricks here and there in the mortal realm, it was usually something small like spilling a drink on someone’s clothes or turning a possession they had invisible – it was always funny seeing them run around looking for it. And he always made sure to do these misdeads to people who actually deserved it, whether it was overpowered rich man talking down to a waiter, or an entitled customer demanding a refund at Ragatha’s bakery.

Speaking of which, was where the disguised jackrabbit found himself. Many fae had started up their own lives in the human realm, whether it was falling in love, starting a business or even wanting a change of pace from the chaos of the fae realm. Once of those being Ragatha, an enchanted ragdoll come to life. Her kind and gentle nature had to be even sweeter than the treats she baked for the mortals who visited her shop.

She and Jax had been friends throughout their childhood, with the former acting like an older sister to the rabbit. At times they butted heads, with Ragatha often times being quite overbearing and Jax too mischievous. But when push came to shove, they always supported one another, just like how any sibling would.

The ragdoll handed a small paper bag to Jax over the counter, her glamour hiding her plush form and instead showed a tall woman with curly red hair and an eye patch covering one of her deep brown eyes.

Jax nodded to her in thanks, handing over his cash as well as putting a few paper notes in the tip jar beside her cash register. His usual purple fur was replaced with dark brown skin, along with brown eyes and black dreads pulled into a short ponytail. It was nearly Ragatha’s lunch break, so Jax liked to use that time beforehand to make sure that no ill-willed mortals bothered her with useless demands or complaints they made up on the spot.

The day had been peaceful, the customers pleasant and Ragatha been sickly sweet as usual. She had even prepared Jax two ham and cheese croissants for his own lunch. “Sorry about the extra one, I overdid in the kitchen earlier but at least you’ve got something to eat,” her smile was apologetic.

Jax waved his wand in dismissal, “All good rags, I’m sure Zooble wouldn’t mind trying this.”

“Yeah. I think I’ve gotta put out some job applicants soon. It’s getting a little hard baking and sorting out the register” she huffed tiredly, untying her apron. “Well, I’m closing up for the lunch hour. Are you gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Jax grinned. “Besides, what could I possibly do while I’m alone dollface?”

Ragatha whipped round with a scowl, “Jax you better behave! And I told you not to call me that!”

The man snickered, pointing a finger to his cheek, “Come on! You like that nickname! Besides, you always know I don’t get caught.”

Ragatha growled, her face softening with concern, “Not yet. You don’t know who might catch you when you least expect it. I know the law says to use minimal magic, but I don’t want you to push it.”

“Hey, I practiced my spells for years now. I’ll be fine,” Jax gave her a reassuring smile. “Besides, the ones I do it to are too self-absorbed to notice anything.”

“Just be careful, please?” Ragatha’s brows furrowed. “You never know who might catch you, mortal or not.”

It wasn’t a paranoid fear. Both of them knew what would happen if the wrong person would catch fae magic. Whether it was a mortal who could abuse that knowledge, or another fae who could use it for blackmail and benefit themselves while the recipient suffers. Jax knew this all too well and was why he well versed himself with magic and the concerns that came with it when entering the mortal realm. Despite his pranks, he was always careful.

“I’ll be fine rags, nothing has stopped me yet, besides,” Jax smiled, turning slightly darker with his next sentence, a hint of his true form’s Cheshire grin behind the glamour spell. “They don’t know just how dangerous I can get.”

“Ew, put that away,” Ragatha squirmed with a laugh. “That smile always freaks me out when you use it with your human face.”

Jax snorted, his smile returning to pearly teeth once again, “Sorry dollface, you know I like messing with you.”

“Alright, out!” Ragatha chortled, throwing a damp towel at him.

Jax let out a yelp as he rushed out of the door, unable to wipe the smile off his face. For all the teasing, he did care for Ragatha like she was truly his sister. Jax shook his head, bringing the paper bag up to his nose and breathed in the delicious scent of the croissant from inside. Ragatha always outdid herself when it came to cooking and baking. With just a sprinkle of magic and a ton of hard work, she made the best pastries on both the fae and mortal realm.

Rolling his shoulders back, he set off towards the town’s park. It was the place that reminded him the most of home, with winding paths, beautiful flora and the sun peaking out of the autumn tree leaves that felt oh so similar to the magical feeling of wandering the enchanted forest back home. It might not be home, but it certainly was beautiful.

It was where he liked to take refuge and eat when he wasn’t pranking anyone, on his usual bench in front of the rippling river. Although when he was walking towards it, it seemed that his usual spot had been occupied instead.  

A short young woman, perhaps in her twenties, with short brown hair and dressed in a long-sleeved blouse and pencil skirt. Her hair was frizzy, sticking out in places, food stains on her shirt and bags under her eyes. She looked exhausted.

However, her eyes were focused on a pencil and paper she clutched in her hands, sketching away without paying mind to any of her surroundings.

Jax raised an eyebrow, now this was certainly new. And whenever something new was plopped onto his lap, he needed to grasp the opportunity to explore it. He slowly stepped towards her, making sure she couldn’t hear him coming before speaking in hushed whisper, “I see you’ve stolen my spot.”

A strangled gasp mixed with a scream left the woman’s mouth, scowling when she found the culprit to her fright, “Dude! What the fuck is wrong with you! Don’t sneak up on people like that!”

Jax couldn’t help but laugh. It was the cheapest trick in the books, but it was still funny as hell. He cleared his throat as he calmed down, “Sorry, couldn’t help it. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

The woman sighed, the frustration leaving her as she mindlessly returned to her drawing, “I haven’t been here in a while. I used to come here all the time before starting my job. Seems like forever ago.”  

The fiery nature that she had displayed fizzled out quickly, like a cheap sparkler from a supermarket. Jax’s brows furrowed, usually someone with an inner fire such as the woman wouldn’t have let out that spark so suddenly. It wasn’t really fun when someone was like that, it took the fun out of it. “Can I?” he pointed to the empty spot beside the bench.

The woman looked up to see what he was doing, giving him a curt nod before Jax sat down beside her.

“So what brings you here now?” Jax asked, becoming more curious for the human.

“Nostalgia and self-pity,” she replied with blunt honesty. Jax had to bite back a laugh, it didn’t feel like the time or place. “It was always my main inspiration for art. I’d get so many ideas and then draw them out the minute I got them. It was always my passion that passed me through my art classes. However art commissions and a childhood dream alone doesn’t help you through college debt. It’s a good thing I’m good with numbers, even if the job that comes with it is soul sucking.”

Ah yes, the average mortal office job. From how others described it, Jax would have been convinced that it was an unholy cursed fortress that stole the spirits of anyone who entered. And while it wasn’t quite what he thought it would be, he didn’t want to spend time in one of those buildings to find out. This woman had the heart of a warrior for making it this long. “Why not try and continue your passion for art if you love it so much?” Jax asked. “Why let this job stop you?”

The woman sniffed, “As if I haven’t tried before. But corporate greed is a strong foe. They’ll try and do anything than hire and pay genuine talent these days. You have no idea how disheartening it is to see something you’ve poured your entire life into be thrown away just because someone is too entitled to give you a chance.” She groaned, wiping away a frustrated tear. “God I’m insane, why am I telling a random stranger this?!”

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m very charming,” he gave her a grin, trying to bring back some of the charm to see if it could lift the situation. Judging by her growl it didn’t. “Ignore what I just said. Look, the point is, you’ve sunk yourself to the lowest point that you could ever imagine by venting to a random guy you’ve met at the park.”

“Wow, yeah, thanks for the reminder,” she rolled her eyes.

Jax cringed, yeah he understood how that sounded, “Okay, ignore that as well. Right now, you’re at a point in your life where you’re letting yourself be miserable. That doesn’t sound like a life worth living.”

The woman sighed, her face softening as she brought her knees up on the bench and hugged them, “Yeah, I know. But what other path is there for me to take?”

“One that makes you happy,” Jax stated.

“Easier said than done,” the woman looked towards him.

“Is it?” Jax tilted his head. This mortal was definitely stubborn. “Or have you wallowed so much to not realise that a better path is there for you?”

That seemed to have struck a nerve if the look on the woman’s face said anything. She looked back down to her notepad, the flow of lines weaving together to begin a possible masterpiece. “I don’t think I’ve actually finished a project since my job,” she whispered.

Jax heart panged. The only downside within the mortal world was the way that some humans would tear others so low to the point of being destroyed all for an extra coin. It was extremely disruptive to his carefree personality and made him feel sympathetic to random strangers. Like this woman.

Although it seemed that his words were getting through to her, with the way her eyes started to gleam as she looked over her sketch. Jax wasn’t one to interfere with mortal lives, but this woman…her sad eyes was something that pulled on his heartstrings in way he never felt before.

He quietly snapped his fingers, the branches and leaves parting above the little wooden tree canopy above them to reveal the sun sparkling on the lake in front of them. Jax’s pulse quickened when he saw how the woman’s eyes shone, gripping her pencil tighter as she began to draw again, quicker than before.

It was just a simple good luck spell, nothing more and nothing noticeable. Just something to help her out. He was only doing it because it wasn’t fun when humans were sad. Yes, that was it. Nothing else at all. It didn’t stop him from pulling the spare croissant out of his paper bag. “They gave me an extra with my order,” he said, holding it out in front of her. “Want one?”

She shook her head, “No thanks, I’m not hun-” The growl of her stomach interrupted her, making her blush.  

Jax snickered before breaking out into a full belly laugh, making the woman’s face flush even more red. “What’s that about artists never taking a break? I always thought that was a myth,” Jax snorted.

“Oh haha,” the woman furrowed her brows, but wasn’t able to hold back her smile.

Jax froze. Oh gods…her smile was more beautiful than a charm itself.

“Hey, you gonna pass that croissant or what?” she giggled.

“U-uh yeah,” Jax gulped, blinking before handing it to her, taking his out first so she could hold the bag and not get her fingers dirty. “By the way, can I ask what your name is?” Jax always had to be careful when asking a mortal’s name, just so it didn’t result in an ownership spell. He always despised fae who used those spells.

The woman wiped away a crumb from her lips before replying, “I’m Pomni.”

“Pomni…it’s nice to meet you Pomni,” Jax smiled.

“Nice to meet you too…uh what’s your name?” Pomni asked.

“Jax,”

“Well then, Jax, it’s nice to meet you too,” her eyes sparkled before biting into her croissant. She let out a groan at the taste. “Oh my god this is amazing! Where did you get this?!”

Jax’s stomach fluttered, as though she had performed her own spell on him, “Um, my friend Ragatha own a bakery up the street. You should visit it sometime.”

Pomni hummed through her bite, “Maybe I will.”

The two continued their meal in silence. Jax smiled one more time, this mortal surely was interesting. Maybe fate would let them meet again one day.

And it seemed fate was listening, for when Pomni looked at the name of the bakery on the paper bag, she recalled Jax’s words. Or have you wallowed so much to not realise that a better path is there for you?

Maybe he was right. Maybe there was a better path.

.

.

.

It had been a few days since that day at the park, yet Jax couldn’t stop thinking about Pomni. She was like the first chapter of a book, introducing a story that lured him in yet there were the only pages he was given, leaving behind curiosity. But he knew that it wasn’t likely that he would see her again. She was only one mortal out of many.

But still, she was nice.

It was another day, the wind was getting colder and nipping at his cheeks. Winter was getting closer, so he was on his way to Ragatha’s to warm up with food and drink. The bell on top of the door jingled once it Jax opened it, rubbing his hands to try and warm them up, “Hey Rags, I hope I’m not to early. Am I good to have my usual-” He paused, it wasn’t Ragatha behind the register, “Pomni?”

 The woman looked up from the register, pausing from sorting out paper bills to see the familiar man in front of her, “Jax?! Hey, it’s good to see you again.” She wasn’t in the office blouse and skirt like the last time he saw her. Instead, she was in a long cotton skirt with a blue and white checkered shirt with small fluffy sleeves, all tied together with an apron.

Jax wanted to burst, she looked so fucking adorable, “Pomni?! What brings you here?”

“Well, I kinda thought about what you said the other day,” she told him. “And I wanted to come here to see what else they served here. Maybe I was impulsive, but when I heard that Ragatha was hiring someone to take care of the finance part here, I decided to put in my application. Long story short I got the job, quit my old place and now I’m here. The pay is actually really good!”

All part of the fae abilities Jax spoke internally. He knew hat the fae were financially secure, the hobby that came with the job was just a perk. So that meant that most of the pay that was made all went to Pomni, no wonder it was better than her last job.

But she seemed much brighter than last time, no bags under her eyes and her beautiful smile was on full display once again. His heart skipped a beat, she may be mortal but her smile was pure magic.  

“Hey Jax, your order is nearly ready,” Ragatha came out from behind the kitchen, wearing a red version of the shirt Pomni was wearing. “Have you met Pomni? She’s made my life a hell of a lot easier being here. She’s so good with numbers!”

Pomni blushed, shaking her head, “She’s exaggerating. But yeah, we actually met last week at Circlevale park.”

“Oh, you did?” Ragatha turned her head to Jax, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, I was having a rough day but this guy gave me the courage to find a new job,” Pomni gleamed. “Even if he decided to scare me first.”

“Jax!” Ragatha exclaimed, scowling as she put a protective hand on Pomni’s shoulder.

“Hey this is me we’re talking about! What else did ya expect?” His usual Cheshire grin returned.

Pomni turned to Ragatha, “I take it that he’s always like this?”

“Oh you have no idea hun,” Ragatha deadpanned. “He’s lucky he hasn’t been thrown in a ditch yet.”

“Ppphh!” Pomni put a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter, even if it was a poor job doing so.

Even her laugh felt like a chant to him.

Ragatha looked between the two, her face becoming serious as she analysed the way the disguised jackrabbit looked at the human, “Hey Jax, could you come to the back to collect your order? We need to talk.”

Her teeth were grit together. Jax gulped, he was in trouble.

“I��ll be right back Pomni, you just keep doing what you’re doing,” she smiled softly at the girl.

The brunette grinned back, focusing on the register again.

Jax sucked in a breath as Ragatha led him to the kitchen, having a feeling that he knew exactly what she was going to say.

She stopped behind the flour dusted countertop, turning round to him, her face stern like a mother about to scold her child. “You wanna tell me why a human who met you spontaneously quit her job just to work for me? This better be a coincidence and not you trying some new prank on this poor girl!” Ragatha hissed, her voice low and dangerous.  

Jax felt the hair rising on his neck, the ragdoll could be terrifying when she wanted to be, “Okay, I know how this looks. Just hear me out, please.”

Ragatha crossed her arms, motioning for him to continue.

The man let out a sigh of relief, “We did meet at the park the other day, but I swear this isn’t a trick!” He held his hands up in defence. “All I did was a small good luck charm, but nothing that would lead to this! Just to help cheer her up!” Ragatha raised a brow at him. “I swear!”

The redhead crossed her arms, concern lacing her features, “I’m just worried that you might slip up. And I know, I know. You’re always careful. But you’ve met this girl and have casted a luck charm on her, you’ve never done that for anyone before. Even if luck charms aren’t deep spells or dark magic, it’s the fact that you were vulnerable towards this mortal to feel like you had to cast this for her.”

Jax scowled. He knew she wasn’t doing this intentionally but it felt like she was comparing him to Prince Caine. Jax grimaced, just even thinking about Caine made his stomach churn. He was nothing but a leach who felt entitled to owning anything and anyone to do whatever he wanted, disguised over his overly positive persona of a naïve prince who didn’t know any better. At least Jax was upfront about his flaws, and not hiding behind a mask like that disgraceful heir.

“I know you think that, but you’re wrong,” Jax stated. “I cast a luck charm because I don’t believe anyone, mortal or fae, should be oppressed by those who deem themselves above them. I cast the charm, but she left that job on her own accord. She chose to work here on her own accord. She chose to be happy on her own accord. All I did was give her the option and the push.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know what I’m doing, please. Trust me.”

Ragatha sighed, there was still a voice in the back of her head telling her that something was going to happen, but she didn’t want to be clouded with judgement in case it affected Pomni or Jax. “Ok,” she looked up. “But if anything happens I will chop you up and serve you as rabbit stew. Are we clear?”

Jax went stiff, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple, “Yes ma’am”

“Good,” Ragatha picked up a scone and placed it into a paper bag, handing it to Jax. “Now go pay up with my new assistant. And don’t forget to leave her a tip.”

“You wound me Rags, I’m decent enough to tip,” Jax put a hand to his chest in mock hurt.

Ragatha rolled her eyes, pushing him back out to the front before going back to baking.

Jax exited the kitchen, stepping back out into the main area as he faced the brunette once again. She was serving another customer once of the desserts in the display area before typing up his check and sending him on his way. The way she was quick to piece together the math of the items picked, not even needing to use the automatic calculator on the register, relying on her mind alone. Ragatha was right, she was good with numbers.

Pomni turned to him, “You all figured out?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jax nodded. “Ragatha just needed me for something.”

“Okay, what’s your order for today?” she asked, straightening her back professionally.

“Just this scone,” Jax placed the bag on the scale next to the register.

“And your total is…two dollars,” she told him. “Are you paying cash or card?”

He fished out his card from his bag, maybe sure to place a ten inside of her tip jar. Pomni smiled one last time at him. At that moment, when his heart skipped a beat when seeing that smile did he decide that he wanted to see her again, “Um, are you busy this week? By any chance?”

The mortal was caught off-guard by the question, but still answered anyway, “Oh, well I do have my shifts here Monday to Friday, but I have weekends off.”

“Well, would you like to…um,” Jax rubbed the back off his neck. Mortal movies made this look so easy!

“Would I like to what?” Pomni grinned, slightly mischievous.

Little minx, “Hang out?” Jax suggested. “Grab a coffee? See a movie? Go back to the park again?”

Pomni’s cheeks turned pink at the implication of the question, “Are you asking me on a date?”

Jax cleared his throat, “Would you like it to be a date?”

“I don’t know, do you?” her grin was back.

Jax smirked, two can play at that game, “I do actually. I wanna take this beautiful girl in front of me on the date of her choice and treat her with the respect she deserves.” He leaned down, his confidence returning. “How’s that little lady?”

Pomni flushed, not expecting the sudden boldness, “I-I can go to the park on Sunday afternoon.” She smiled shyly, yet excited at the same time.

Jax felt his heartbeat quicken, this was really happening, “Great. Would you like to give me your number?”

She held out her hand, with Jax placing his phone into it as she typed the number into his contact. He had to stop himself from jumping for joy as he placed it back into his pocket. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

“See you Sunday,” Pomni repeated, folding her hands together.

Jax waved to her as he stepped out the door, a new warmth rushing through him despite the winter chill. Sunday couldn’t come fast enough.

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.

.

They spent the entire winter together, visiting each other, finding out their hobbies, making messes in the kitchen whenever Jax tried to teach Pomni to cook (yet failing every time), but their main spot had to be the very park they met in.

Jax couldn’t deny it, he was falling in love with Pomni. And he was falling hard. But he couldn’t help it, she had him under a spell, and he didn’t care one bit.

When spring finally came, they found themselves more at the park and on the bench where he first found her. Overtime, Pomni had become more comfortable with touch around Jax, with her currently resting her legs over his lap and resting her head on his shoulder and Jax wrapped his arms around her.

“Can I tell you something?” Pomni murmured, picking up his hand and playing with his fingers.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Jax intertwined their fingers together.

“I think you made my life better by meeting you,” she admitted. “I can’t describe it, but after meeting you, everything just felt so much clearer. I think you’re pretty amazing.”

Jax chuckled, holding her closer, “I think you’re amazing too.”

“And I think my art has become more special,” she told him. She sat up, “I have something else to tell you…I’m submitting my art into an art exhibition next month.”

Jax’s eyes widened, still holding her in his arms as he stood, “Pomni that’s awesome! You did it!”

“Jax oh my god! Put me down you idiot!” Pomni laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck, unable to contain their shared excitement.

Jax had fallen so deeply in love with her. He wanted to do everything with her, help her build her dreams, smile as they fell asleep together, kiss her as though she was his last breath of air. But first, he had to tell her about his true origins. But not now, they would enjoy this moment now.

Both of them giggled and cheered, so wrapped up in their own little world of joy. Their own little magical bubble…

That neither of them realized a pair of eyes watching them afar…

.

.

.

Jax looked in the mirror as he fixed a stray piece of hair back into place. Today was the day he was going to tell Pomni the truth about himself. He wanted to tell her how he felt so badly, but he knew he couldn’t have an honest relationship with her without mentioning the fae part of himself. All he had to hope was that she still saw him as who he is, without panicking about his rabbit features.

She would be here any minute, he had already had the coffee machine turned on as well as her usual snack whenever she visited. He wanted to make sure she felt comfortable before saying anything. To take the pressure off her.

Knock, knock

Jax sucked in a breath, she was here. He brushed off his shirt one more time before answering the door. He opened it, expecting to see the same smiling brunette before welcoming her in, but this time, she looked terrified.

“Hey,” he reached a hand towards her, pulling back when he saw her flinch. “Is everything okay?”

“I-I,” she stammered, walking into the apartment. “It’s hard to explain. It all happened so quickly and I didn’t know what was happening and I don’t know what to do or where to go and I’m freaking out I’m really scared right now-”

Jax shut the door, leading her to the couch and sitting her down. “It’s okay, breathe, I’m here,” he started a breathing exercise, one that would help her calm down. Once he saw her repeating them, he got up to make her usual coffee, grabbing a small bag of popcorn before sitting bag down again.

He placed the warm mug in her hands, letting her take a sip as her nerves became steadier, “Feeling a bit better?”

Pomni nodded slowly.

“Good, take another breath and tell me what happened,” he told her, already listening.

“It’s gonna sound stupid,” she muttered.

“Don’t worry, you’re talking to the king of stupid here,” Jax nudged her shoulder lightly, that got a quirk of a smile from her, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“You won’t believe me,” her voice was barely a whisper.

“Hey,” he took her hand in his. “Trust me when I say I’ll believe anything you say.”

She gulped, taking a breath, “I was walking through the park yesterday and I saw a man by the lake. I though nothing of it at first before he reached out to me, asking for help. I went over to him and it looked like he was crying. I got scared, I didn’t want to leave him so I asked if he was alright. He then asked for my name, so I told him…that’s when he smiled. Then he wasn’t a man anymore, but he was a body with teeth and eyes for a head!”

Jax heart plummeted, no.

“I looked around but it was like no one could see us,” she sniffled. “That was when he told me that he owned me, that I was his…fiancé. I thought this was a weird dream, that I would wake up soon. But then I saw this ring on my finger.” She showed Jax. “I tried getting it off, but each attempt was so painful, and it kept proving that I definitely wasn’t dreaming. He said I had some time but he’ll be back for our wedding.”

She looked back up to Jax, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

“Jax you have to believe me!” Pomni’s voice trembled. “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know if he’s watching me right now! I’m so scared!”

“Hey, hey,” he cradled her face in his hands. “I believe you.”

“Y-you do?” Pomni’s voice trembled. “How?”

“Because…” Jax grimaced. Of all the ways he wanted to tell her, this was far from what he had in mind. “Because I’m one of them.”

Before Pomni could say another word, Jax’s human features melted away. In his place and clothes stood a tall, fit rabbit like man stood in front of her. Pomni’s words were stuck in her throat, the feeling of his fur hands on her cheeks was the only thing helping her stay grounded. “T-that day in the park…did you trick me too?!”

“No!” Jax winced as she flinched at his volume. “No, all I did that day was cast a small good luck charm that would last a few hours. But that was it. Pomni, everything we have done together was all your choice. I know you’re scared and confused and you have every right to be. But everything we’ve done together was the truth. I was gonna tell you, believe me I was. But not like this, and I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.”

“T-the man who did this, who was he?” Pomni asked.

Jax’s eyes became turn, a bitter taste on his tongue, “Caine. He’s the prince from my realm. The reason why no one could see you was because of a cloaking spell. That’s how he managed to force the engagement on you.”

“Your realm?” Pomni tilted her head.

“The fae realm, where people like me reside,” Jax explained. “Caine is the prince there. But he shouldn’t have the authority to do this.”

Pomni trembled, tears leaking from her eyes again, “Oh god, am I trapped?”

“No,” Jax’s voice was low as he shook his head. “I’m gonna get you out of this, there has to be something going on. I’m not gonna let Caine do this to the woman I love-”

He froze.

He said it.

Pomni’s tearful eyes widened, her breath hitching.

Jax’s didn’t move, he didn’t know what to do. But he had said it, and that word wasn’t something he could reverse like a spell. He wanted to apologize, for adding more stress onto her shoulder. But he was interrupted by a pair of lips on his.

Pomni’s kiss was quick, like she was testing the waters, “I’m still confused, scared and mad. But…I love you too.”

Jax let out a shaking breath of relief mixed with joy, pressing his forehead to hers, “I’m getting you out of this engagement.”

“But what if Caine-”

“Caine isn’t going to do anything, he isn’t going to get away with hurting you like this,” Jax told her firmly. “I love you Pomni. I’m gonna fix this.��

Pomni let out another sob, pressing her lips to his again.

Jax sighed, kissing her was like breathing new life to him. He didn’t know where do start with getting right of the hex that Caine placed on her. But he did know this for sure. No one was going to take Pomni from him.

He was going to set her free.

But first things first, they had to get to the fae realm…

[garnettfox]

Miracubots AU

Sooooo, me and a friend reconnected after a few years of silence (Thanks depression) and discovered not only do we still share similar old fandom brainrot, but we share NEW fandom brain rot and have very similar opinions about the Miraculous series, which lead into the brainrots fusing and with their permission. I present. THE MIRACUBOTS AU

AKA What if we took the cool and interesting magic system and initial set up of Miraculous....AKA the only good bits, and put it in a show with great writing and characters who we love and who deserve to go feral on a villain every now and again?

The AU takes place instead of the canon season four, Cody is aged up a little to 14/15, Doctor Morroco never lost his Verns device to Madeline Pynch so he's still around to be a menace, and the Prime bots...We haven't fully established if Prime is still happening, or if it's after RiD but the Autobots are still around and mentioned occasionally. And since it's a different version of season 4, the bots are still undercover to the town, only the family knowing they are sentient.

Madeline takes stage as the main villain of the series having acquired the Butterfly Miraculous and after discovering Nooroo and it's power, forcing the Kwami to tell her all about the other Miraculous, including the fact that using two of them, the Ladybug and Black Cat together gives one the power to alter reality.

Seeing an easy way to get her goal of being the riches and most powerful person on the planet, she forces Nooroo to tell her where the Miracle box is, but the poor Kwami can only confirm he senses it on Griffin Rock. With her goal in mind Pynch uses the Butterfly to become Swallowtail creating her first Akuma to draw out the guardian and hopefully the Miraculous she seeks.

Master Fu once he realizes what is happening, charges Tikki and Plagg to find two children they resinate strongly with to become the new holders of their Miraculous, reasoning that Children will be easy to teach and control, and he'd be better able to take the Miraculous back from children if the pair chose poorly.

To no one in this fandom's surprise, Cody Burns is who's picked by Tikki to be her holder. He does try to convince her to go to his dad or siblings so they can protect her after she tells him she's what the Akuma is after. But Tikki insists that she picked the right person to be her holder able to sence Cody having a loving heart full of courage.

Cody becomes the new Ladybug Hero Beetletron! looking very much like a miniature version of one of the Rescuebots, though one with a beetle Altmord, when he asks about it Tikki explains that it's because well, the Rescuebots have more or lest become his mental image of what a hero should *be* and thus the Miraculous copied their form. The name comes from Cody trying to think of a Cybertronian sounding name and vaguely remembering hearing the bots talk about some important mech from Cybertron....something-tron? Well it sounds robotic and he's a beetle so, Beetletron!

Fighting against the Akuma he's joined by another hero, a girl in a cyber punk looking get up, dark leathers and neon greens with a head covering mask, she even has a USB cable acting as a tail that she can use with her tech knowhow to hack! The new Black Cat introduces herself as Felidae Fatale, named for the scientific cat family Felidae, and well, she might not be the classic version of a Femme Fatale, she'll prove she can be just as badass as they can be.

Working together feeling like they've known each other for years though they just met, they beat the Akuma, and when Swallowtail makes her threat to claim their Miraculous's they confidently announce they'll make sure a villain like her, never wins.

In the aftermath the pair meet up and agree, keeping a secret identity from the other would be pretty silly considering the life and death danger their in, so. Reveal themselves.

And Cody laughs crying as he hugs his best friend Frankie, as there really could be no other person it would be.

Feel free to tell me or ask me about this AU, We have a TON of stuff planned out, what Miraculous's people get, Akuma forms for almost everyone. Admitedly have some self-indulgent stuff like putting in OC's we love to use XD but it's all in good fun

[asvterias]

𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝟣: 𝖬𝗈𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖲𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗌

Series Masterlist || The Cast || Next Chapter

chapter warnings: mentions of being homesick, getting attacked with a baseball, minor cursing, and minor injuries

chapter pairings: lynn loud x black!fem!reader, bailey!family x bailey!reader, friend!natalie x friend!reader

tag list: @sheluvv-jen

word count: 2.0k+

author’s note: the first chapter is done, how are we looking so far guys??? pls don’t be silent, i crave feedback!! i just realized that this is probably one of the fastest times i’ve ever written.

also, send me a private message, an ask, or leave a comment if you want to be apart of the taglist!

Growing up with a therapist for a mother, you were taught to genuinely express your emotions daily, so naturally it came in handy for your personal use in the future. You spoke strongly against moving from Chicago to restart your life elsewhere in a small town called Royal Woods. But, your parents were so adamant about moving that even your poor attempts were deemed useless.

You weren’t alone in this dispute, your siblings agreed with you, not wanting to leave their life behind. Sadly, your house was already resold so there was no turning back.

In Chicago, you were highly known, well mostly based on your family’s background, but nonetheless, you had a few real friends there. A week before officially leaving your childhood home behind, your friends hosted a goodbye party in honor of you. You appreciated the party planned by your friends and enjoyed the celebration to the fullest.

However, when it was time to leave, you couldn’t find yourself to do so. Maybe it was all of your lingering memories which danced around your mind that trapped you in there. You remained in your bedroom longer than intended, soaking in the lack of joy that your bedroom once vibrantly held.

Your room was completely empty, and all of your belongings were stored away in their respective boxes, probably already shipped to the cargo.

“[Name], stop daydreaming, and come on, we have to leave in 10 minutes!” Your older sister Cass shouted.

Inhaling sharply, you begrudgingly pulled yourself off the bed and left the room, not once looking back.

The plane ride was 3 hours long turning it out to be a complete drag. You slept throughout the whole plane ride and were rudely awakened by your sister, Maddy when you landed.

Despite being jet-lagged, you still made your way to the car and snuggled yourself in a seat. The car ride was smooth for the time being, everyone found themselves occupied with little mundane activities.

Of course, your mom was the first to cut through the silence, often being optimistic. “Come on, girls! It’s great to start anew.”

Your mom tried to make the moving a good thing but was desperately failing at so. Perhaps she should stop trying so hard and accept the negativity for a change.

“Oh yeah, mom. I don’t think us starting anew is doing any of us any good.” Madison intercepts rolling her eyes. “Just take a look at Queen Righteous over there.” She irks her head towards your other sister who was blatantly checking herself out in her hand-size mirror.

“That reminds me, how long are we staying in this town?” Cassandra emphasizes as she starts to file her well-manicured nails.

There was a beat of silence followed along which made her look at mom with a piercing glint in her dark brown eyes. Who was gonna tell her?

“Oh didn’t you hear, dear sister? We’re here for a couple of years so possibly by the time I graduate high school.” Your tone was laced with pettiness, taking in the glory of watching Cassandra’s face fall.

She blinks in astonishment. “She’s kidding, please tell me that [name]’s kidding, mom!!”

“It’s not that bad, you’re overreacting.” Your mom reassures her eldest daughter. “Think of it as a vacation.”

“Yeah, a long-term vacation…” Your dad chirps in the conversation.

You lightly scoff at your parents’ logical explanation, clearly not swooned by it, and put back on your headphones, purposefully ignoring them.

“Overreacting is not the word that I would use.” Madison murmurs with a small smirk. Cassandra closes her eyes, leaning her head against the headrest, clearly irritated at the turn of events.

With a defeated sigh, your mom turned around, giving up on trying to lighten her daughters’ mood.

“You should’ve kept quiet.” Your dad chastises.

Amari scoffs. “Oh shut up, Ben.”

Being tuned out of the world by your songs, you stared out of the car window, observing the town sights. You were impressed so this town better bring the best.

By the time, you reached your new house, it was already nightfall so being introduced to your neighbors was out of bounds anymore. Getting settled into your new home was a hassle, but surprisingly your family managed to make it work.

For dinner, your dad had ordered two pizzas which everyone devoured within seconds. Guess the car ride wasn’t provided with a sufficient amount of snacks to fulfill the hunger.

The remaining of the night consisted of everyone rummaging through their name-based boxes and unpacking basic necessities. For you and Madison, it was partially school related as well. After a rough hour and a half, your parents called it a night and sent everyone off to bed.

The following morning flew by in a breeze. After completing your morning routine, getting dressed, and eating breakfast, it was already 7:45.

To be honest, the journey to school wasn’t as boring as you expected. Once you reached on school grounds, you were introduced by the principal to another high schooler who would be showing you around the school.

Approximately 5’3 and having sensible fashion taste, you were met with your tour guide. She was showing off a beautiful shade of fair caramel with medium-length straight black hair to complement her slender body. She wore a colorful polka dot short-sleeved shirt with denim jeans and black converse shoes.

“Hi, I’m Gabriella and I’m your school tour guide.” She warmly greets you with a wave of her hand alongside a vibrant smile.

“Hey, I’m [name].” You introduce yourself with a small smile before pointing to your sister, “And this is my sister, Madison.”

Your sister gives a small nod of her head in acknowledgment at Gabriella. The perky girl ushers both of you into the school gates. Gabriella gives you and Madison a tour of the school, sometimes adding necessary details about specific teachers that will get you in their good books.

She was kind enough to briefly answer your inquiries regarding the school.

Throughout the tour, Gabriella made certain attempts into becoming your first friend in the school, and you accepted it with a smile. You decided to exchange each other’s numbers on your phones to keep the great bond over messages as well. You had thought that it would take you multiple weeks to gain a friend, but you had underestimated yourself.

Lunch rolled around just in time for the school tour to finish and Maddy had ditched you a long time for new friends.

“Okay, I’ll go get our lunch and you go find us a bench,” Gabriella suggests with a wide grin. The ravenette disappears and left you on your own before you had a chance to speak.

You sigh heavily as you surveyed the surroundings of the lunch areas, clutching onto the handful of books. It was a huge campus, there were many spacious areas to hang out by. Being too invested in finding a certain spot, you failed to notice that you were near batting grounds.

All of a sudden a ball comes flying at you, leaving no time to react and move out of the way. Surprisingly, the ball was directed at your wrist instead of your face.

You’d figure that in a sense that was a better approach. Rather get hit in the wrist than the face. Great thinking!

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!!” You exclaimed, flinching at the impact. Tending to your injured wrist as the ball and your books hit the ground with a thud.

The echos of running feet weren’t fully comprehensive until you looked up and noticed a brunette girl. She was pretty if you were to say so. The girl wore a red baseball cap with her hair styled up in a ponytail and matching colors in her baseball outfit.

“Woah, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.” The brunette girl apologizes before her eyebrows furrow in confusion. She removes her baseball cap revealing her face before mildly pointing to you, “I’ve never seen you around school before, are you one of the new girls?”

“No, it’s fine….and yes I’m the new girl,” you replied.

She greets you with a rough nod of her head. “Ok cool, my name is Lynn. Lynn Loud, what’s yours?” Her voice was raspy but oddly welcoming.

“[Name]…Bailey.”

“Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.” she offers, picking up your fallen books.

You dismiss the brunette girl with a shake of your head and hastily retrieved your books back from out of her hands, unwilling to rely on codependency. Although your response was unintentionally rude, Lynn brushed it off and kept the conversation going.

“It’s the least I can do.” She attempted, wanting to provoke a verbal reply from you. This time, she looked right into your eyes wanting to observe more closer and intimately.

“Y’know for someone who’s injured, you sure don’t like accepting help whenever you receive it.”

Resisting the urge to end this conversation with a snarky comment, you found yourself eventually staring right back into her eyes, and for some reason, you felt flushed under her gaze. You awkwardly shifted on your feet as you attempted to maintain eye contact, seemingly ignoring the fluttering heat in your stomach. Her gaze was so intimidating yet mysterious, and you were curious to discover the meaning behind it. It was unusual for you to get easily flustered, especially to a girl who you just met mere minutes ago.

Luckily, Lynn was the first to break eye contact but her eyes wandered carefully analyzing your facial features. Taking you by surprise, she gently held on to your broken wrist, her attention diverted.

The brunette girl sits you down towards the nearest bench accompanied by a cool shade.

“How bad does it hurt?” her fingers trail around your right wrist, thoroughly searching for the stimuli. “Do you feel any swelling or bruising?” Knowing that Lynn was persistent on getting you some kind of medical attention…you kinda admired her for that trait.

“Didn’t take you for a doctor, baseball girl.”

She chuckles, “Neither did I.” staring back at you, a smile still adorning her face, “But if a cute girl coincidentally gets accidentally injured, I’m obliged to check on her and see if she’s alright.”

Unknowingly, a grin was plastered on your face to which Lynn reciprocated back. She had an endearing charm to her smile and her dimples were just an—

“Ow!” you exclaimed in pain, which brought you out of your train of thought. Despite not pulling away from instinct, you allowed Lynn to cradle your area of discomfort without making such a huge fuss.

“I think that I found it!” She cheered, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm while still being cautious about your well-being. Oh, you would have found her excitement so sweet but the current throbbing pain disagreed, desperately needing to seek professional help.

“Fine…but maintain a distance, don’t want anymore more unnecessary injuries.” She finally lets go of your wrist and puts your books in your bag before zipping it close.

Her confused expression made a smile slightly from upon your lips but your pointed playful gaze gave you away. It was adorable watching how it finally clicked in her mind and she sends you a sincere smile, her dimples poking through her cheeks.

“I’ll try my best.” She jokes, nudging you with her shoulder, content with your playful banter. Lynn slings your bag over her shoulder and helps you off the bench as you both head toward the nurse’s office.

Perhaps it could be the start of a second amazing friendship today.

© asvterias, 2023. please do not plagiarize any of my works.

[coffin-ramblings]

The Coffin of Candy Scabs: A Treat with Delightful Tricks

I finally got to play The Coffin of Candy Scabs and I really liked it a lot! It hit all the right spots for me and not only was it fun, but I can tell the writers cared a lot about capturing everyone’s characterizations and the Nemlei multiverse. I'll keep some things a surprise but will talk about the endings in detail, so be warned before you read this before playing or watching the mod.

You can play the mod here.

We start off Eschar deciding to use a portal to get to Valerie’s grandpa’s house to get the tooth necklace for the Void. Which as we soon see, that was definitely a bad idea.

Then we cut to Andrew watching TV, which is a really nice CG.

Faeces Chocolate is really funny, and so is Ashley jumpscaring Andrew and biting on his neck. Though I would like that we get a CG of her actually biting him with the bite on his neck, it’s still a very funny and oddly sweet scene. 

I really do like Ashley being so excited for Halloween even despite quarantine, and how Andrew quickly and willingly agrees to dress up for Ashley and she gets so happy. It’s a very sweet and touching moment that shows how fond Andrew is of her. 

Also their costumed and overworld sprites are so cool, I need to post a pic here. 

I was a bit thrown off that Andrew is way darker than in the original game, but it’s not a big deal. I also like the small little details on their designs, which I only fully realized at a second rewatch. I like Andrew’s green buttons, bunny ears on his cravat, and the two bunnies on his shirt that look like him and Ashley. The cravat also kinda looks like his sweater tag too, still maintaining some form of his iconic accessory. Ashley has stars in her collar, lace, and necklace, and the petal patterning on her bodice, which are motifs strongly associated with her. She also still keeps something around her neck, though the ending says it’s not her usual choker, which makes the part of me that headcanons she always wears it because Andrew gave it to her sad. But it’s not a big deal.

Though unfortunately, the happy mood does get deflated by them not being able to eat because they don’t know if more food will come, with Andrew immediately justifying to not do that because it’s a “stupid holiday”. However, given Ashley doesn’t put up too much of a fight, it shows how bad their justified paranoia has gotten and how she really wants Andrew to participate in the festivities with her. 

We then cut to them watching a horror movie and being kinda bored, when suddenly, Valerie and Slough appear out of nowhere! And they’re very cute too.

I do like how Andrew and Ashley subvert the expectations placed on the menu screen where we assume Andrew doesn’t care but Ashley is pissed, where Andrew is the one being grumpy and calling the two freaks, while Ashley is happy to celebrate Halloween with them. Ashley also wouldn’t mind Slough that much since she’s more of a fan of the macabre than Andrew is. Her jumping to introducing herself as Andy and Leyley was a very nice touch, as it shows she’s getting in touch with her childish side. Andrew being grumpy seems to be both his insistence that he’s “mature”, and that the CS duo seemed to promise them a way out but failed on it. However, Ashley doesn’t mind because hey, at least they have some food and she can have fun with Andrew. 

Also Valerie assuming that Ashley is married is fucking hilarious, even though she introduced Andrew as her brother. Valerie, you have to call any woman’s marital status you don’t know ‘Ms’. 

I really do like how quickly Ashley and Valerie get along and she joins in her game, both for festivities and also because Ashley acts quite child-like. I’m not sure if Valerie referring to how it’s like “Halloween and Easter in one” is intentional with the bunny motifs the siblings have, but it’s still adorable.

The interactions with the two are very funny, I won’t spoil the puzzle other than Valerie giving up the hints quickly is one of the best moments of the mod. I also do like that moment of conflict with Valerie not realizing just how dire the situation the siblings are in, with both of them getting mad at that. However, Ashley recovers from that remarkably fast. Though I expected there would be unique dialogue if you get to that realization at the end of the puzzle.

Though if you enter their bedroom, it's odd they mention this, because I can't remember anything special about that shelf, and I have checked it.

Slough liking the demon summoning music was cool, and Eschar thinking it’s a signal so he could save them was a very nice touch. Also Eschar looks awesome kicking down the door, and so does his sprite.

Him being easily able to break down the cultist’s door really shows there was a psychological aspect to the siblings’ entrapment. Even though they knew either Valerie or Slough has magic, Slough not being able to teleport any of them out seems to further prove they’re trapped. Andrew pointing out the door is barred on both sides also convinces the CS duo easily as they’re impressionable, and Slough doesn’t feel confident in his own abilities. Though it was weird that Andrew got confused when Slough mentioned Eschar can teleport.

But anyway, the connection of the Nightmares to TCOAAL demons is such a great detail, as it isn’t really covered by the fandom because the path to the demon realm doesn’t have anything to it.

Slough eventually realizing Ashley’s tar soul was also very cool, as it goes with the theory that it’s a marker of her being close to becoming a demon (or whatever’s close to it). Ashley getting mad at him calling her an older woman was very hilarious. 

Eschar then tells them the portal is at the elevator and the siblings walk outta there. You get some easter eggs going into the cultist’s room, which I won’t say. But I will say that I like the new intro dialogue to getting money from the cultist’s pockets.

My main gripe is that Andrew is much more aggressive when Ashley refuses to give him the money, because he wasn’t that aggressive in the original game.

Also, it doesn’t make sense the mod remarks he may steal the money from her when he didn’t make that threat.

Given that you can still interact with Ashley’s desk, and suddenly, both of them are out of costume talking about the “ANDY AND LEYLEY AND THE VERY VERY QUIET” drawing, it was weird they didn’t keep the rest of the main game dialogue. Though the ability to interact with the drawing seems to be removed in a later patch.

After exploring the cultist’s apartment, they then leave through the portal. I love Ashley going “This is a new adventure! This episode will be called Andy and Leyley in the Mysterious New Lands!” and Andrew goes along with it with a fond look on his face. Also Andrew biting down on Ashley’s necklace as payback is so funny and clearly him unable to hold back being close to her. I do wish it was a CG though.

And then, they decide to celebrate by eating candy Valerie gave them, with them actually sitting in the background. I like that a lot.

You then get three different choices with the candy that parallels the three main routes of the main game, which is a very brilliant touch. 

If Ashley chooses to be selfish and eat it all herself, then Andrew gets upset, they talk about the harsh realities of their new situation, Andrew worries about Julia, and Ashley gets mad and tries to come up with a way to make Andrew prove his loyalty to her. This parallels how Ashley can choose to not give Andrew her trust during the Episode 2 ritual in the selfish belief that he betrayed her in Episode 1. While it’s not that dark here compared to Decay where Andrew feels like suicide is the best solution to their hopeless situation, the two talking about how they’re probably in a new country homeless and are kinda stressed also parallels that. I chose it first because I knew it was gonna be the bad option and wanted to see the better ones later, so I thought it was weird Andrew bringing up Julia was weird here when he doesn’t care about her. When I chose the other choices and saw she’s not brought up at all, I realized he only did that as a way to shame Ashley for being selfish which is a very smart move, so props to the writers for that.

Though that ending isn’t all gloomy, my favorite part of that is Andrew directly acknowledging how dystopian their hometown is, it’s really funny and it fits him.

If Ashley chooses to give her candy to Andrew, she says that she doesn’t mind as long as she gets to be with Andrew and glad that they “escaped from their apartment and sins”. Andrew says he’s “The luckiest man alive”, and they end the game being happy. This parallels Burial Sane, where Ashley can choose to give up her own desire to have a romantic and sexual relationship with him because she thinks that he doesn’t return her feelings and doesn't want to drive him away with them. She doesn’t really care if she’s Andrew’s sister or lover, she just wants to be with him, and while Andrew would rather be her lover, is happy with being her brother too. There is still that focus of needing to escape from the consequences of their actions, with Ashley saying “escaped from our sins” here paralleling to her joking “Death row here we come!” in the main game’s route. However, the two are still overjoyed they're free together, with no discussion of how they're homeless in a possibly different country now.

If Ashley chooses to share her candy with Andrew, she puts it in her mouth and offers it to Andrew, where we get a CG where they almost kiss. That caught me by surprise to say the least.

Andrew gets the candy and Ashley cheerfully mourns she lost it. Andrew taunts “Better luck next time”, to which Ashley teases him that he seems excited to almost kiss her again. Ashley then says, “We’re lucky that we escaped our apartment and our past”, with Andrew saying, “I’m the luckiest man alive”, same as the give candy choice. I like that this is an implied love confession between them, as it makes sense with their anxiety on what it means to commit to such a relationship when they’re also siblings, but they are open to having that together under a new identity. It parallels to Questionable where Ashley shows she is willing to share her true feelings to Andrew at the great risk he may reject them, and she sees that they are returned. The two are at their happiest with no mention of their harsh realities in that route and this choice, like a new couple whose only care is each other.

The nicer choices are such a great way to end the mod, and I really am glad I chose to do that. I love it dearly, but of course, I do have some criticisms. I wish that the spelling didn’t have text slang, the misspelled words got corrected, and that the grammar and punctuation is cleaned up more. There are also the oversights where the cultist's apartment door isn't actually destroyed despite that it should be barred on the other side as well, and while in-story, they can pass by the cultist's apartment and see him dead on the floor, they don't remark about it until they reach elevator. It'd be nice to have them suddenly stop when they pass by the doorless entrance with Andrew going "Wait, why is he on the floor unconscious!?" and Ashley going, "Whatever, let's get out of here!". The dialogue at the elevator would then change if you interacted with the cultist's body or not, with either Andrew going "It's better to get out of here before we get in trouble for breaking quarantine rules and assaulting that guy." if they didn't, and the "Let's get out of here because we'll be accused of killing him" if they did.

The art definitely needed more polish and like I said, more CGs would be appreciated, but given the time crunch the team was in, I understand that. I also have to note that the almost kiss CG shouldn’t have Andrew have fangs, he didn’t wear any throughout the mod. 

There was also the glitch where if you reload the save to happen before the two enter the portal, you’re stuck in the CG background even though they’re still in the apartment and can interact with the environment. You can just move them up and find the elevator or enter or leave a room though.

But all in all, I really love this mod! It has a lot of heart and thought put into it, carving its own delightful identity from this crossover. It is definitely the best AU mod we have so far, and I look forward to any future projects by the dev group.

[kipperlillyforpresident]

I received an anon ask which I found to be... well, really interesting. I agree with a lot of the points they make. But I also disagree with the way that they've presented their argument in many aspects.

I considered not responding to it, but it's my policy to answer all asks which are sent in good faith (at the moment, at least). And I could just answer it as-is, but I didn't really want to do that either.

So, instead I'm answering it with this disclaimer. Opinions of anonymous users do not represent the beliefs of Kipperlillyforpresident.tumblr.com, etc etc. With that out of the way, here is the ask:

I want Gorgug to go to Artificer class and try to explain to Henry why his nephew wasn't worth saving, but Aelwyn was. Ragh was. I want Fabian to sit alone at his house because Mazey won't talk to him, and think about how his last words to Ivy just reflected his own thoughts about himself, because he'd never learnt anything about her. Fabian is a vindictive, vain, sex obsessed rich kid with no person in his life who wants to really listen to him. I want Fig to see Henry in the corridors on her way to Paladin class, not meeting his gaze because doing so she would have to explain to him that his nephew wasn't worth the justice her Goddess promises. I want Riz to go to a psychiatrist – not Jawbone – and I want him to talk about the fact that he hates a version of himself so much he couldn't possibly allow her to live, and he in fact relished in the idea that she'd never come back. I want Lucy to come back and hear what The Bad Kids did in her name, and I want her to absolutely tear them a new one. I want her eyes – that they all thought of as sorrowful and deep while never having paid attention to them before her death – to be cold and unwelcome as she looks them up and down and asks them to explain their actions. I want her voice to raise well above the level of what any of them had envisioned of her when they studied her desecrated and fragile body in the woods. I want her to ask them if they knew where Mary Ann lived, or if Reuben had any siblings that would miss him. I want her to hear the podcast episode written about her by a person having a wild guess based on her lifeless form and a handful of anecdotes from her now deceased friends. I probably won't get it, but it's nice to imagine.

So to start off with: I really do like the premise of this. Dealing with the consequences of rage is the part of the story - both in TRG and TBK - that I'm most interested in. And a part of my frustration with the narrative is that I don't think we'll be getting any consequences along this line, and that everything is going to be tied up in a neat bow for a happily ever after.

I do agree/find myself interested in almost all of the scenarios you present. Gorgug and Henry in particular - I think that really needs to come back and haunt the narrative. My personal headcanon is that Henry strongly recommends he take dual credit classes for Artificer at the local community college, because he knows he'll be unable to be fair to him.

And god, Fig and Ankarna! How is she going to justify redeeming the one who caused all of this conquest and rage, yet brutally and cruelly torturing people who were infected by it? It's really compelling. Although for the Riz thing - I don't think he'd willingly go to a psychiatrist at any point, lmao.

And Lucy, holy shit, Lucy, I hate so badly how TBK talk about Lucy. I always talk about her being "dead wife montage", because that really does feel like how she's been treated. Going into battle and murdering all of her friends and claiming its "for Lucy"??? It's really dark. I do NOT want Lucy to like TBK after everything is over.

All that said... I really don't enjoy the way anon has characterized Fabian here. I've been on the record as being deeply uncomfortable with how he treated Ivy. And I want him to face consequences for it. I want him to realize he never learned anything about her, and that the fact she rejected him is almost certainly a part of why he hates her so much. I want him to remember that we "don't talk about women like that"!

But to call him a "vindictive, vain, sex obsessed rich kid"...? It doesn't fully sit right with me. I suppose that it's not entirely wrong, but it's leaving out a lot of aspects of his character. It's painting him exclusively in the most negative light possible.

This ask is treating Fabian - and TBK in general, I suppose - in the exact same way that most of the fandom treats TRG. Exclusively focusing on their worst aspects and ignoring any extenuating circumstances.

And if I'm going to crusade for TRG to be treated with more respect in the narrative, then I suppose my natural inclination is to do the same for TBK. Not that anybody is mandated to do so. You're allowed to engage with media however you'd like, and if fully despising TBK is what brings you the most enjoyment, then go ahead. But it's not my own philosophy.

I appreciate anon for sending this ask, because it did make me think about a lot of stuff! I hope that everybody interacts with this post in a respectful manner, but if discourse happens, it happens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[fundieshaderoom]

Great BreakDown of a February Olivia Plath Interview

Notes:

Olivia grew up believing that California was an evil place.

The interviewer pointed out that the show started with the older Plath children wanting to move away from the strict religious upbringing but now it seems that only Olivia is still wanting that distance. Olivia specifically notes that Moriah mostly dresses and eats different rather digging deep into family dysfunction and other more meaningful beliefs.

Olivia watched the first 3 seasons and stopped at season 4 because she felt that was a dark time and did not stand by some of her actions. It would have been a hard rewatch for her.

Olivia realized she was dissatisfied with life at age 14 or 15 but did not know why. She then realized she had no deep emotional connections. Around that time, she cut her hair to her shoulders and began wearing eyeliner (which was a no-no in her home). At 16 or 17, she apologized to her father and the church via a spoken letter.

Olivia met Ethan at a family conference. Years later, Ethan wrote a letter to Olivia's father. Olivia's father then called Kim (note: not Barry!) to discuss. The two families agreed that Ethan and Olivia could talk on Skype for one hour every three months.

Olivia has been dating! It is hard for her to get past the first date. She has been struggling with shame due to growing up in purity culture.

In regards to the statement Ethan made about how Olivia should be making 3 meals a day, more was said but cut out due to TLC avoiding politics. Olivia now asks men right off the bat if they cook.

The interviewer was confused when first watch the show. He did not understand why such a "pure" family would want reality tv fame. He then asked how Ethan and Olivia were approached with the idea.

Kim invited TLC to film Olivia and Ethan's wedding without asking because she knew Olivia would say no. It was not shown on the show, because to release, it required Ethan and Olivia's consent too. Ethan and Olivia then made a list of requirements to join the TV show. At this time, Olivia and Ethan could not see the siblings. In order to do the show, seeing the kids was added to the list.

Olivia will be in Season 6. She wants viewers to see what happens when someone actually walks away from the fundie lifestyle.

Olivia loves the TLC crew.

Olivia talks about the initial separation she had with Ethan. Ethan agreed they could live in 3 different places in 3 years.

Ethan agreed to marriage counseling during the first separation. He went to three sessions and then quit.

Olivia said Ethan said if his hypothetical son came out as gay, he would disown him. Olivia is strongly opposed to that.

Ethan tried to get her back during the divorce process but Olivia was not interested. They did not have any relationship at this point.

The Plaths allegedly had a party when they found out about the divorce.

Ethan is still very close with Nathan Meggs, Olivia's brother. Ethan heavily leaned on Nathan during the divorce, which affect Olivia's relationship with her brother.

Olivia still has a relationship with Ethan's extended family in Minnesota.

Olivia is willing to have a conversation with some Plaths to connect the storylines. Olivia said, "if this turns into a circus, I'm walking away" (quoting Moriah's song about her lol).

Olivia said WTP was not producer driven, rather "cast-members" drove the narratives of each season.

Olivia said 2023 was a tough year. In March, she split from Ethan. In May, her younger brother died unexpectedly and she had to see the Meggs family with whom she's estranged. In this February 2024 interview, she says she now has peace.

Olivia had not seen her family of origin in years, specifically her parents. Her parents have blocked her and all other siblings who have left the fold. She has not been able to talk to her youngest siblings, even her brother who died.

Lydia Meggs helped Olivia through their brother's death and funeral.

She is looking for a man who is okay for it to not be a forever thing.

[lincolndjarin]

Best Kept Secret : What If...?

a series of alternate/unused bks story lines!!

contains spoilers for all of bks!!

alternate torture @ the end

i grappled with this a lot. i very strongly believe that the worst thing you can do with your characters in a high stakes situation is coddle them. if i've learned anything from dnd it's that you cannot be afraid to hurt you characters.

yet for the first time in my life i've become so attached that i just couldn't do it.

the tongue in a box scene was something that caused me a lot of turmoil. in the original cut it was elaine's tongue, but i talked to my friend catie about it and we agreed that cutting off a lesbians tongue is fucked up. then i considered actually cutting off din's tongue, i thought that that would make for something really interesting with the big reveal if he couldn't talk to her but it just seemed too brutal? i couldn't really wrap my head around it so i eventually just made it someone elses tongue.

my replacement for that was din's leg, that was something that sort of came on at the last second, i gave him the limp as foreshadowing and then said fuck it, lets take the whole thing.

dress maker

the scene in chapter 4 where din walks in on her in the bath was originally a much longer sequence where a modiste visited the castle and there was a lot of stuff around making new dresses for her and din was going to walk in while she was getting changed.

eventually i scrapped the entire concept and gave elaine the seamstress trait instead.

multiple parties & balls (masquerade)

i briefly mentioned this in the q&a but in the original bks outline there were a lot more parties and big scenes like that. i realized pretty quickly that balls and parties are a visual medium. the reason why i like those scenes so much in other things is because they're so visually appealing which is harder to do when writing. there was going to be a readers birthday ball, a few other parties or wedding for kodos siblings etc but it always felt like filler.

the masquerade was my dream sequence that just never really fir naturally fit with the story so i eventually had to let it go.

no breakup/rules storyline

there was no break up in the original bks story board. instead, everything after chapter 7 was gonna be based around breaking each and every rule.

each chapter following would have been dedicated to breaking a few of the rules up until the last one that would have been; no falling in love, stop when i say to stop, and no kissing would have all been one big climax chapter. it would have been very little women in the 'we have got to have it out jo' sort of sense where she begs him to stop talking but he just keeps confessing.

eventually i realized that a rule or two break every chapter wasn't very sustainable. it was a fun idea and it might work in a different setting but bks at its core is supposed to be an overly dramatic period piece and there just wasn't enough conflict with that so instead i went with the breakup.

alternative ending

i had a similar ending for quite some time and one day i was listening to music and thinking about bks and realized that she loved naboo. originally they fled after kodo was killed. they built a cabin somewhere far away etc. etc.

but the character seemed to make more sense as someone who would want to do right by the people she had grown to love within the kingdom so i decided to make it a sort of thing where she disassembled the monarchy.

(there was also an ending where she faked her own death, framed kodo, and he was ripped apart by the citizens of naboo)

and of course i briefly considered genuinely killing din and having her raise the baby on her own. but the idea made me so truly upset that i just couldnt do it.

hoth story line

not much to say here other that there was going to be a thing where she went back to hoth to visit her family accompanied by the mandalorian. another thing that was fun as a concept but ended up feeling like filler so i dropped it.

elaine plot twist

another case of me really loving elaine and being conflicted about her character.

originally elaine was going to tell kodo about their relationship. it was going to be a situation where kodo suspected something and threatened lysa forcing elaine to take action but eventually i decided to use my backup which was leo since there had been foreshadowing for that anyway

neutral kodo

for quite a while i planned for kodo to be just a bad husband and not a villain. but i needed more conflict and i needed a driving force and he was easy to mold into that.

there was an alternate storyline where he fell in love with the reader and “killed” din out of jealousy

[podcastenthusiast]

Reflections on family (Or: I gave Astarion even more father issues which says nothing about me personally nope)

--

They are not unkind, the Ancunins, your still-living family. Stilted, formal, like you're strangers--which you suppose you are at this point, yes. But they invite you into their home knowing full well that you could not enter if they so wished it. A show of trust for which you are grateful.

If this were a bard's tale, they would lead you to a musty room unchanged for two centuries, a lovingly kept shrine to a past you barely recall, the promising young man you once were. You would unearth artifacts of yourself. They would embrace you as you are now, public reputation be dammed, because you were missed and you are valued.

But this is not that story, so instead you are taken to the parlor--with its faded carpet that reminds you unpleasantly of your former home--where you pretend to sip tea across from your aged father and younger brother. Conversation is awkward and strained. You can charm people almost effortlessly, but being here is like talking to a chasm; the silence fills an unbridgeable gap in time.

You're told your mother died fifty years ago of a weak heart. You saw her portrait in the foyer. Apparently you used to have her eyes. You get the sinking sense that they're relieved she did not live to see your monstrous return from the dead.

Your brother is the one to finally ask. How it happened. Where you were all those years you didn't come home.

You tell them about Cazador.

"This calls for something stronger than tea, I think," your father says.

"Please," you agree.

They struggle to look at you. Their expressions remain a careful mask of polite neutrality except for occasional flickers of sadness, fear, guilt, anger. Disgust.

Well, if they want to play it like that, fine. You can wear a mask better than anyone.

Your family are not warm. They are not outright cold toward you, either. Never cruel or pitying. You almost wish they were. The familiarity would at least make it sting less.

Two hundred years lost. How can there be so little to say to each other?

You don't blame them, of course. To lose a son or brother violently, to grieve him, must be an unspeakable tragedy. To gain a vampire spawn, well... that is nothing other than an ill omen to add to the family's already waning fortune.

It is exactly what you'd come to expect of the dark place Cazador showed you the world could be. All you thought possible before you saw the sun again and dared to hope for more.

You leave the manor feeling quite like an unwanted ghost exorcised from their lives. It's closure of a sort for them, you suppose. You are just an untended grave in their eyes. Never mind that you had been hoping for a new beginning.

You regret making this journey alone.

Soon, though, you return to the arms of your dearest love.

"How did it go?" she asks.

"It was..."

You think about your darling who saved you. You think about your handful of tadpole-forged friendships--Karlach, and Wyll, Lae'zel, even Gale. You think about your siblings, the other spawn, bonded through shared blood none of you chose.

"Astarion?"

"It doesn't matter," you say dismissively. "I didn't find my family there."

"Hmm."

She's writing something, a while later.

"Composing another ballad?" you wonder.

"No. I'm writing a letter to Dalyria."

"What? Why?"

You had no idea they even correspond.

"Because I think you need a hug from your sister."

Perhaps she isn't wrong, but still, it seems like a lot of effort to go through just for that. For you.

"She's very busy," you protest.

"Then she'll make time. That's what family does."

You don't know what to say. Something in your chest uncoils; you're filled with warmth like fresh blood, an emotion akin to gratitude. Something you haven't felt so strongly in a very long time.

You feel wanted. Loved.

[zeroducks-2]

Let’s talk Helena Wayne bc like it’s criminal that we barely get anything about her and that they completely changed her origin and family (the bertinelli mafia family) to add her into the main comic book line.

im torn bc I love both versions of her :(

But I wanted Dick to share some older siblings trauma with her and for Damian to have that “blood” sibling bc I think that would have completely rocked early Damian’s shit. All his life, he was told to be the true heir of Bruce Wayne, but it turns out he has an OLDER SISTER BRUCE HID FROM TALIA AND RA. Idk I just think that would have crushed his lil murder ego and made for some interesting sibling moments and an interesting dynamic.

Lastly, can we talk about how the Batfam fandom completely stole all of Helena (Bertinelli)’s character traits and gave them to Jason??? Im sorry but when in the material source has Jason ever been super devout and catholic? Helena is the religious one, why am I reading about Jason’s apparent Catholicism in fics and HC dumps? Also Jason (besides his Robin days) has never been this savour and protector of the woman and children of Gotham, that’s very very veryyyyyy clearly a trait from Helena and strongly ties into her backstory as a child who suffered coming from a rich bloodline of syndicate crime. And don’t think this is me bashing on Jason, bc it’s not!! I love Jason Todd - but for who he is. Not for this weird fandom version of him who is either still suffering from the craze the lazarus pit puts you through, or this Joan of Arc of Gotham character either.

I'm gonna be honest with you, this character confuses me a bit. I know that Bruce and Selina got married and had a daughter in their Earth-Two incarnations, and this daughter is Helena Wayne, who's Dick best buddy and a vigilante in her own right called Huntress.

Then I know Helena Bertinelli, daughter of a mafia lord who was introduced in the late 80s in the preboot comic continuity, and was a quite murdery vigilante called Huntress who Bruce didn't accept because she "reminded him of Barbara" (you gotta love DC's excuses for sexism and ableism lol it's not like Barbara was dead just paralyzed. Also it did not look like Bruce gave a shit about it at the end of TKJ that Joker had crippled her - "she reminds him or Barbara". LMAO Bruce).

Then post reboot the title Huntress was given back to Helena Wayne, however Helena Bertinelli is ALSO there and she's ALSO called Huntress? She appears in the Grayson run where Dick is an agent of Spyral, and she seems to be Italian-American but I don't think her origin is the same as in preboot? Also I have no idea about Helena Wayne's continuity post reboot - when she was conceived, who raised her, how did she become a vigilante, neither I have any idea where to find this info.

I agree that if she had been raised by Bruce it could have made for an interesting dynamic amongst the bats and birds. It did in Earth 2 even if only Dick is just there - they're not siblings but they also aren't not siblings? The dynamic is murky and I love murky. Pretty sure it would have changed everything for Damian as well, especially the fact that she would have most likely been the first object of Damian's need to prove himself worthy, instead of Tim.

That being said, not much of what you mentioned is fanon about Jason.

Jason had an arc in which he's a priest. Pretty normal that fans HC him as devout or anyway catholic.

Father Todd in Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Vol. 1 - this is an AU in which Jason was never taken in by Bruce and was never Robin.

As for the whole "protector of women and children" thing, you probably know that Jason was born in extreme poverty, his father was in and out of prison and his mother died of overdose. He is very much a child who suffered because of a broken system, and given how harshly he reacts when women and children are the recipient of violence "in his Robin days", is it really that strange that fans assume he carried these traits in adulthood?

We see him being sweet and protective to kids many times, or anyway losing his mcfucking shit when children are being harmed (like in Brothers in Blood). Imo that of Jason caring about vulnerable people is barely a headcanon, and I don't see how this would make him the Joan of Arc of Gotham either - if I'm being honest ALL vigilantes should care about minorities and vulnerable people, it's the other way around that is weird as fuck (like that arc in which Dick almost dies to prevent this guy from shutting down Bludhaven's casinos, like what the hell was Tim Seeley thinking exactly).

That being said, I understand your frustration if the character you like doesn't have recognition. Trust me I do! There's a lot of them for me too, especially female and/or non white characters who had maybe 1 run ages ago and then got forgotten by DC, and I would REALLY LIKE to see them more, and to see them acknowledged more by the fans (from the top of my mind, Jenni Ognats or Patricia Trayce).

But this isn't fandom's fault. As I mentioned before, Helena Bertinelli as a fleshed out character was a thing between 20 and 30 years ago, and most of tumblr's userbase was either very young or not born yet. DC forgot about her, stripped Huntress from her to give it to Helena Wayne, then brought her back but as an agent of Spyral and it really doesn't look like they care. Fans can't be held accountable for the fact that she's simply not there. They didn't "steal" Helena's traits to give them to Jason; this implies a willful and malicious intent from people who saw this character and decided her features fit another character better, and it's obviously not what happened - people barely know Helena Bertinelli exists if at all.

Also - I said this about Jason already and I will repeat it a million times: Jason wasn't picked at random from the sea of DC characters to be people's blorbo, he resonates with fans for a reason. Under the Red Hood is a deeply emotional and relatable arc for many people because it's the story of how a child was failed by every single person who was supposed to protect and guide him, and then was failed again as an adult victim who demanded to be seen and heard and acknowledged, and instead was silenced again. It's heartbreaking to see how many people see this and say "this is me, this is what happened to me", but it is what it is, and most of all there is no taking this away from Jason's fans. DC tried to villainize him, to make him look and sound like a madman, to make him unhinged and deranged and they had Tim suggest that "maybe it's the Lazarus Pit that drove him mad", but it didn't work and fans still love him and still consider him a symbol of how "bad victims" are treated worse than their abusers, and keep being retraumatized by a society that prefers turning a blind eye to violence than deal with the issue at its root.

And lastly, bitching won't get you anywhere. I am the living proof that the right way to make people interested in something is to be passionate about that something. You want more folks to pay attention to Helena Bertinelli, then since DC won't do anything with her, the most effective thing you can do is post about her - write essays, draw her, write fics with her, create webweavings and moodboards, commission this stuff if you don't have the skills. Complaining that she should be the recipient of fandom love won't make anyone more interested in her.

[friendlyfire454]

So these are some redesigns i did of Charlie and Agatha(i'm not calling her by her real name) from Hazbin Hotel. They are not the best bc i did at highschool during math, so they were also slightly rushed. But anyway here they are, with some descriptions:

Charlie or as i renamed them Charlos:

They are Lillith's child, but not Lucifer's. Lillith gave birth to them after she separated from Adam, it is unknown if they are Adam's child and it remains an mystery in both Heaven and Hell. The only one that knows who's Charlo's father is is Lillith, but she never revealed it. Due to Lillith being cursed to give birth to dead children, Charlos was stillborn. Lillith then went to Lucifer to revive her child, he agreed but if only she promised to leave Charlos with and that she never speaks with Charlos again. Lillith hessitently agreed and Lucifer revived Charlos. Lillith was heartbroken leaving her child behind, but hoped that Lucifer will give a better life. Charlos now ressembles a goat marrionate doll, the cracks on their body are from Lucifer who would take out his anger on them. Charlos would live in fear of Lucifer until they rebeled an ran away to start a rehabilation centre for sinners who went to Hell for unfair reason(like killing their abuser or having to do nasty things to sustian themself, like theft). They then met Agatha an fallen angel with an missing. They decided to take her in to the rundown building where they become closer. But they aren't dating, yet, mostly because Agatha doesn't trust Charlos due to them being raised by Lucifer and still being kinda of xenophobic to demons due to how she was brought up on Earth and in Heaven. Charlos currently only has one client, that being Anthony/Angel Dust, they also hired two maids, Niffty and Mimzy and Husk who was hired to be the chef but does a pretty shitty job.

(Please ignore the messed up hands, i'm not good at drawing them)

Agatha:

On Earth she was poor girl who had to take care of her 3 younger siblings in Columbia. Their mother died due to an illness, while her father was an well meaning men, but he always left due to being in the army. Agatha had to fo everything to take care of her siblings, which also meant missing out on school and falling behind her education. When she was at school, she was taught by an extremly religoud teacher, who warned them about the horrors of Hell and Sin. This stuck with Agatha her whole life and afterlife to the point she became strongly religous. She even punished herself due to being a lesbian. Since her whole life she was taught that it was sinful to have same-sex attractions. Whenever she had a crush on a girl she would cry and pray alot because she tought she was angering good. She died at 22 when an robber broke into their house and Agatha was shot in the eye as she tried to protect her siblings. She arived in Heaven soon after a year passed and she was found by Lute, the leader of the exterimation unit, and took her in. Lute treated Agatha like an younger sister and soon got her to join the unit. At first Agatha refused but then Lute pressured her by the same stories about Hell that her teacher told her about. Agatha became one of the best in the unit making Lute extremly proud. Until one day, Agatha fell inlove with female Seraphim and angered Lute. Lute killed the seraphim and then blamed Agatha and got her casted out of Heaven. Agatha was devasted as she arrived in Hell, she then stabbed herself in a order to end it all. But instead Charlos found her and took her to their rehabilation station. When Agatha woke up she was horrified seeing Charlos and tried to attack them. Until Charlos explained their plan to help sinners who arrived in Hell unfairly, Agatha saw this as oportunity to go back to Heaven and reveal that Lute killed the Seraphim. Agatha currently helps Charlos run the hotel and keep everyone in charge so they do their jobs.

Anyways thanks for reading and if this gets alot of likes i might do other redesigns