#'fun weird uncle' is pretty much always the vibe i give off around kids

[geraskier]

on the topic of me being a kept pet--roomie and his fiancée were half-jokingly talking about hiring me as a live-in nanny if/when they have kids and money.

[tossawary]

Chapter 27: “The First Day” of “pride is not the word I’m looking for” quotes and commentary. Not a full list of favorite quotes or full commentary.

-

Right now, deep into the safety of darkness, Shang Qinghua thinks about how he never actually expected to be lying in his bed with Mobei-Jun. No, there’s a reason his sofa is comfortable enough to sleep on! That was by design too! Sure, Shang Qinghua had lots and lots of bed-related fantasies, but he had no expectations of those fantasies ever coming true. He didn’t dare to have expectations.

It’s kind of weird, lying in bed with Mobei-Jun. It’s definitely weird lying in his bed partially on top of Mobei-Jun. With the way things were headed, Shang Qinghua was admittedly fostering some hopes about those bed-related fantasies, but he still didn’t think to mentally prepare himself for the practical details. He really wasn’t mentally prepared for the softness of Mobei-Jun’s hair, for the thickness and the weight of the man’s arms, or for the coolness of his skin against the warmth of the blankets.

Fuck, now there is no way that Shang Qinghua is going to be able to see Mobei-Jun with a plunging neckline without thinking about touching the man’s bare chest. It’s a nice chest! It feels great underneath Shang Qinghua’s hands now.

He can feel a steady heartbeat beneath his fingers.

He can feel the gentle rise and fall of it with the man’s slow breaths, as the man’s eyes have fallen comfortably closed.

Shang Qinghua has never seen Mobei-Jun this relaxed.

-

AN: Moshang in bed together is very good. I loved writing Moshang cuddles. I think it’s really nice when they’re allowed to be soft and relaxed, and everything is understood between them. Mobei-Jun at this point has learned to treat Shang Qinghua like a particularly anxious cat sometimes - if he just stays still and relaxed, eventually Shang Qinghua will calm down and chill with him. 

Shout out to Mobei-Jun and all those years he spent trying to get some hint as to how human social everything worked, only to get nearly no help from Shang Qinghua. In this fic, part of the idea is that Shang Qinghua has been a slightly better communicator. Mobei-Jun can be a good listener when he doesn’t feel hideously embarrassed over his fuck-ups. 

-

“I had made plans to speak with you at some point about… this,” Mobei-Jun agrees. “But that was not why I had come to see you that day.”

“Ah, what… what was it, then?”

Mobei-Jun sighs. “I had come from a gathering of demon lords, hosted by my father at their request. They have loosely agreed to each contribute to an attack on the next conference of human cultivators,” he explains, apparently annoyed at just having to recollect this event. “My uncle encourages my father to force my involvement. He must have trouble planned… or see an opportunity for it.”

Shang Qinghua processes this, then sits bolt upright in bed. “What?!”

Mobei-Jun frowns up at him.

“There’s a demonic alliance to attack the next Immortal Alliance Conference?!” Shang Qinghua demands, leaning over the demon lord beside him.

“Yes.”

“And you waited to tell me this?!”

“There are years left before this event,” Mobei-Jun points out.

Shang Qinghua stares at him.

Sure! But he feels like he should start planning now! He already knew that there was going to be a demon attack of some kind - the seal on Luo Binghe’s powers has to be broken - but demon lords getting involved is bad news! Multiple demon lords who are important enough to be socializing with Mobei-Jun’s father is worse news! Demon lords potentially including Mobei-Jun’s shitty father and shitty uncle is the worst news of all!

“You should warn your people,” Mobei-Jun says, dryly.

- 

AN: Mobei-Jun doesn’t care about the sects, but he cares that Shang Qinghua cares. Mobei-Jun and Shang Qinghua really are villainous in SVSSS. Shang Qinghua just so happens to sometimes be on the protagonist’s (Shen Yuan’s) side and Shen Yuan has romanced a budding tyrant who has MBJ as a loyal minion. But, oof, I didn’t want to go that route with this fic. 

I mean, I considered it! I considered having Shang Qinghua be forced to bring a demon invasion down on the sect he’s come to care about and his own nephew, but that felt a little too angsty for me. It totally could have been good, I was just like, “I can’t handle that.” Plus, with the world update, it felt fitting to jazz things up a little bit - to up the ante by inviting more demon lords and also have a little role reversal by letting Mobei-Jun be the spy. This way, I think, it really feels like Mobei-Jun is on Shang Qinghua’s side. 

Shang Qinghua isn’t on the demons’ side. Mobei-Jun isn’t really on the humans’ side. But they are on each other’s side. They’re a team! 

Again, what’s more romantic than your demon boyfriend actually doing the work of growth on his own? Moshang can be a little rough and with a lot of sharp edges (on both sides, they’re both kind of mean people) sometimes, so it’s sometimes nice to remember that they can support each other too. 

Also, I’ve always been kind of curious about what Mobei-Jun’s family thinks of his relationship with a human. Mobei-Jun’s father is still alive throughout SVSSS, so it’s fun to think about ice demon politics, power and influence and loyalty in that court, and whether that factored at all into Mobei-Jun’s extremely slow-moving courting timeline of a human. 

-

The person at the door knocks a third time, and Shang Qinghua feels the person beside him stir. He can feel a not insignificant amount of weight shifting, a low and unhappy grumble, and cool skin brushing against his own as that person makes to get up. Possibly to handle the person at the door? Shang Qinghua here abruptly remembers many important details about his current situation that make the sect potentially being on fire seem like a not-so-bad emergency.

 “Demon invasion,” Shang Qinghua finds himself thinking. “Mobei-Jun. Fuck.”

“No, no, no! Don’t get up! I’ll get it!” Shang Qinghua cries, throwing off tangled blankets and flying out of bed. “I’ll handle it, my king! Sorry! Ahhh, sorry! I’ll take care of it, you can just stay where you are-”

Shang Qinghua, now on his feet, pushes firmly down against Mobei-Jun’s chest. He’s not expecting the man - a very, very strong and very, very stubborn demon lord - to go back down under his hand without any resistance at all. This easy obedience, this willingly being pushed down, leads to a surprised Shang Qinghua overbalancing and catching himself hard on Mobei-Jun’s chest and shoulders.

As though Shang Qinghua is actually pinning the man down.

Mobei-Jun stares up at him, eyes low-lidded, and raises his eyebrows.

Ah.

Wow.

Shang Qinghua is going to… well, he’s going to think about this for the rest of his life, probably.

-

AN: Mobei-Jun is so self-conscious in SVSSS that it’s kind of hilarious. So it’s fun to let him be a little more confident (rather than arrogant and lashing out defensively). Mobei-Jun probably thought to himself here, “You know what’ll be funny here? If I just go down now.” I feel it in my heart that Mobei-Jun is a teaser, especially when he’s relaxed and happy. 

- 

Shang Qinghua takes the time to fix up his appearance a little more - to get rid of the “I slept with a demon” smell - because if the asshole at his door has kept it up this long, they can wait a little longer. It turns out that he didn’t really need to bother, because it’s his fellow transmigrator and most dogged critic, Peerless Cucumber.

“Bro,” Shang Qinghua says seriously. “Do you have a deathwish?”

Peerless Cucumber - Shen Yuan, Shang Qinghua has to remember to call the kid by his real name - lowers his hand with a scowl. “...One of your disciples told me to knock on your door and keep knocking until you answered,” the other transmigrator says defensively. “After I said you said to meet you in the morning.”

“...Which one?”

“Wen Shufen, I think?”

“Ah, just for that prank, Sticky Fingers is going to be hauling fertilizer for Long Sheng Peak for a month,” Shang Qinghua says tiredly. “Bro, do not believe half the things your martial siblings here tell you. They’re pretty much all liars, cheats, and thieves.”

“Then why keep them around?”

“Ah, well, sometimes you need someone to lie, cheat, or steal.”

“...It’s nearly not morning anymore, you know.”

“Eh, I guess you get a pass this time, since I did tell you we’d have a nice long talk about things tomorrow morning. Come on in.”

- 

AN: I don’t know if this vibe is coming across, but Shen Yuan feels a little ignored and neglected. They just got back from a mission and Shen Yuan has already been shooed off like twice. Shang Qinghua is so busy. Shang Qinghua is so experienced and so established here. Shen Yuan has latched onto SQH as his lifeline, though he’s trying very, very hard to be independent, and yet Shang Qinghua kind of has SY on the back burner most of the time. 

Not only is Shang Qinghua the author of this world, but he’s also an important figure in this world. Shang Qinghua really lives here and if the plot wasn’t looming over them, SQH would be very happy here. This place feels 100% like Shang Qinghua’s | Airplane’s world and brand new transmigrator Shen Yuan feels like an unwanted intruder. SY is still lonely and scared. 

- 

“...Are you going to try to activate it now?” Shen Yuan asks.

“Hmmm… no, not right now,” Shang Qinghua decides, standing up off the dusty stool he was sitting on. “Cucumber, bro, I’m just not awake enough for tackling anything serious right now. Let me get a few texts and tools together first to test this thing properly, alright? Some safety equipment! Aprons and face shields! Thick, fireproof gloves! I’m still trying to figure out how to safely ask Duan Tianyu what he knows about this map the System apparently made him send me, when he might not even know what the fuck I’m talking about! Maybe he can give us some hints.”

“Who?”

“One of my Huan Hua not-disciples,” Shang Qinghua answers. “I picked up some extras a few deadly missions back. They’re good kids. All grown up now! Less naïve than they used to be! Duan Tianyu is teaching back at Huan Hua Palace now, so maybe I’ll have to be the one to wander over there on some pretense.”

Shen Yuan agrees that getting as much information as possible is probably the better course of action. Shang Qinghua ushers the kid out of his secret basement and his fellow transmigrator goes easily enough. Shang Qinghua complains about his shitty, no-good System on the way up for forcing them to do all the work by themselves.

“It must think everything is more ‘authentic’ if I don’t know what the fuck is going on,” Shang Qinghua suggests, removing his spiritual seal and causing the door to the secret basement to vanish. “Ah, I’ll admit that’s kind of cool to watch.”

-

AN: Throughout this conversation, SY is kind of reaching out, giving himself or Airplane excuses to let him stay. It’s not that he doesn’t want to cultivate, but SQH represents a sort of safety and familiarity SY doesn’t have right now. 

In SVSSS, Airplane was always pretty direct with Shen Yuan, from what I remember, but he wasn’t necessarily open. He was direct about some potentially vulnerable or personal topics, like Luo Binghe’s insanity or his own general fear of his character’s planned death, but that’s not the same as actually being vulnerable. They snap at each other, they’re pretty direct about their personal goals, but they don’t actually get vulnerable with each other by confessing their personal fears and new relationship developments. 

So I’ve tried to adopt that here, while making Shang Qinghua a little kinder and slightly more vulnerable, thanks to the efforts of Luo Jiahui. But Shang Qinghua still isn’t necessarily open here and neither is Shen Yuan. He’s just like, “Hey, it’s shit and I don’t like it either, but what can you do?” He’s not actually seriously talking about his breakdown or just how scared he is of his own plot. 

For some people, there’s a certain kind of openness in confessing things to a stranger, so it’s kind of like that too. Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan have fallen into kind of familiar dynamics, because there’s nothing else to really do, and they are kind of acquaintances, but they’re still not friends yet. 

I think I want to have SY and SQH actually address this soon. SY feels that SQH has been kind of dropping the ball when it comes to honestly helping his fellow transmigrator, though SY, being SY, can’t quite put his finger on the lack of emotional intimacy and affection that he’s starved for right now. 

- 

The day-in-day-out of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect can’t get him down today! He feels kind of like he’s walking on air! Sure, the work never stops and there are some fucking terrifying things ahead, but he just had a very successful mission overall! He just had a really, really successful conversation with Mobei-Jun! He and Mobei-Jun are romantically entwined and Mobei-Jun was very explicit about the fact that he expects them to be romantically entwined… pretty much indefinitely!

“There is no one else,” Mobei-Jun had said. “There will be no one else.”

Shang Qinghua fostered a lot of hopes over the years! More hopes than he felt that he should have reasonably fostered! And to have those hopes unexpectedly fulfilled like this is… really something! It’s really, really something! Mobei-Jun really isn’t the type of character to say that - to say any of the things he said, and wow, he said a lot of things back there - without meaning it completely.

Shang Qinghua doesn’t really know what to do with that.

Forever is a long time.

He understands, of course, that some things really do last an impossibly long time. He used to be pretty certain that all love matches faded eventually - that people were genuinely wildly in love… that people were sincerely in love with each other, sure… up until they inevitably weren’t anymore - but now he can’t really imagine Liu Qingge or Luo Jiahui ever getting tired of each other. Liu Qingge keeps bringing Luo Jiahui new recipes to try and rare ingredients to interest her, so she can make dishes for the two of them or her family as a whole, and Shang Qinghua can easily imagine the two of them doing that pretty much indefinitely.

Shang Qinghua can’t think about this for long, before he has to focus on greeting his disciples (it’s just Peng Hongpeng and Chen Xuan in here at the moment) and getting to work. “Good things last while they last!” he decides for now, because thinking about things not lasting kind of makes him feel like he’s dying.

-

AN: Shang Qinghua can’t quite bring himself to believe in a relationship lasting forever right now. Part of it is his commitment issues, but another part of it is his persisting inability to see past the looming plot. He’s still worried about Luo Binghe and the Eternal Abyss, so he’s having difficulty seeing past that hurdle, even though things like Luo Jiahui’s marriage and his new relationship with Mobei-Jun are forcing him to confront the fact that there’s still a life outside of and beyond the plot. 

For Shang Qinghua, it’s kind of a “I’ll think about that later if we all survive” thing when it comes to him and Mobei-Jun. 

- 

“He made a mistake with good intentions and got a small injury for it,” Shang Qinghua says, as reassuringly as he can. “He’s fine! He’s in trouble with his shizun for it, though, but I’ll see what I can do about bringing you up to meet him or bringing him down here as soon as possible. I’ll do my best to make it happen!”

Luo Jiahui leans into Shang Qinghua’s side and admits, “I miss him.”

“He misses you.”

“I miss you too,” Luo Jiahui adds.

“...Ah, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” his sister-in-law says warmly. “I’d miss you even if you visited every day.”

Shang Qinghua is holding her hands, but it feels like she’s got an extra one wrapped around his heart. “Where’s that husband of yours? Doesn’t he come down the mountain every day? Should I be telling him off? Sorry I ran off with him for a little bit!”

“What does Qingge have to do with you and me?” Luo Jiahui demands. “It doesn’t matter how often I see everyone else, I still miss you and Binghe the most.”

“Hm, that’s a point! That’s a point.”

What else can Shang Qinghua do but admit that he misses her the most too?

-

AN: It was fun to follow up Shang Qinghua’s romantic developments with a return to his most important and longest relationship: the one he has with his “fake” sister. Luo Jiahui is and always will be important to Shang Qinghua and who he’s become. They have such a lovely relaxed feeling that’s nice to revisit. I’ve missed Luo Jiahui these past few chapters, as things get twisted up more and more in sect business. 

It would feel dishonest to the rest of the fic if Shang Qinghua’s other relationships disappeared in favor of his new romantic relationship. They all have their own importance. Mobei-Jun and Liu Qingge don’t make Shang Qinghua and Luo Jiahui any less important to each other. 

I am looking forward to making Mobei-Jun and Luo Jiahui meet again, and tackling some of Mobei-Jun’s thoughts on Shang Qinghua’s relationship with his family. Mobei-Jun has a really shitty family, so it’s interesting thinking about what family means to him and how loyalty/love plays into it. 

- 

While he's busy plotting around the plot, there’s a hum of power behind him, the cool whoosh and crackle of a portal opening, the faint hair-rising warning of demonic energy. Shang Qinghua finishes tapping at his own face in thought, looks up at the looming shadow standing behind him, and smiles. He kind of feels like he should run away, but it's too late for that now. He held on long enough that he made it too late for himself.

“Hello,” he says.

- 

AN: I took this almost exactly from the first chapter of Part 3 of this fic. I can’t remember the chapter number, but it was the one titled “The Inevitable Plot”. 

Parts 3 and 4 of this fic blend together a little. Part 3 of this fic kind of ends here, but I have a couple more chapters that I want to tackle before I feel that I can say we’re for sure in Part 4? I have some things I want to accomplish before we go into a slight time skip towards the Immortal Alliance Conference. 

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas : Bad Joke

Also on AO3

TL;DR: 

While it would be accurate to call Izuku the son of the two heroes Ms Joke and Eraserhead, it'd be more accurate to call him the collective child of the Mustutafu hero community.

(to see where this idea - loosely - came from and better (and more depressingly) explored, try Gallows Humour by Nuclear_Equipped_Walking_Battle_Tank)

General Prompt: Izuku is the Biological son of Aizawa Shouta and Fukukado Emi. Lets get into it!

So; Izuku is the product of a one night stand very shortly after graduation. They were both mostly trying to get over other people - it didn’t work, at all. Aizawa and Mic have just moved in together, so Emi joins them. It’s honestly some of the best times of their lives, even if its a mess. Nemuri visits so often she may as well be living there and they plot for the future.

Emi and Nemuri start and on again off again thing that never really dies. Aizawa and Mic finally get over themselves and start dating before Izuku is even born, Emi is very proud Aizawa managed to talk about his feelings for once in his life.

Quirkless Izuku for this one.

The four young adults live together until Izuku is around 3, whereupon they get offers to teach at Ketsubutsu and UA respectively. Their apartment is too far from both schools, so they make the decision to live in different homes from then on. Everyone cries, even though they see each other on the weekends.

It’s one week at Emi’s, one week at Aizawa’s until Izuku starts preschool. He starts preschool near Emi’s house but after she finds out about Bakugo being a little brat, they look for another. The only one with openings is near Aizawa, so that’s where he goes. Ends up being childhood friends with Tenya and Momo.

The three of them are a collection of very smart, very nice children. They all are, however, too heroic for their tiny child bodies and Izuku and Tenya will try and fight anyone they see being a jerk and Momo has perfected the art of distracting the teachers. They are a team to be feared – even If none of them are tall enough to reach a kitchen sink.

Tenya and Momo are both often at fancy parties and they always bring Izuku so it’s a little team of children in suits and fancy dresses all holding hands while Izuku drags them up to every hero and excitedly asks for an autograph and rambles about their quirks. Basically everyone loves them.

I

zuku spends so much time at UA and Ketsubutsu he has his own ID card for each school. The staff love him. Aizawa and Emi tried to keep him away from work, but the moment Izuku saw other pro heroes there was no hope, the kid just looks like you’ve given him the whole world and boy are the two of them weak for their little man.

Nezu ends up making Izuku his little apprentice and teaches the kid stuff above his level in subjects that interest him. Hes not crazy ahead of the curve in general subjects but he’s a sharp kid with a good eye for quirks.

In analysis though hes hard to outclass, even as a child. He just as a knack for putting things together, even without doing it intentionally. After a little training from Nezu he becomes impossible to lie to which is a great skill for a hero, but a really aggravating skill for a 5 year old.

“Can I be a hero?” “Sprout, you could probably be a duck if you put your mind to it, I’m pretty sure no one can stop you doing anything.” “I’ve tried.”

Izuku’s personality is pretty similar to canon, but more like current canon than past. He’s socially awkward, can’t handle a crowd unless he’s in a fight or presentation (same vibe tbh) and easily flustered, but he’s more sure of himself and social. Most of his issues with being quirkless come from society at large rather than the people around him.

He also has a sense of humour! It’s much drier than you’d expect from knowing the kid, but he gets it from Aizawa.

Also, his hair is different because no one can stop me from making minor cosmetic changes. Less true green more iridescent black. Neon green eyes too.

Gets One for All, All Might knew Izuku as a child because if you’re a pro and your kid loves All Might more than oxygen, you abuse your connections to arrange a meetup. All Might falls in love with this tiny good boy, and becomes pretty good friends with Mic, Aizawa and Emi in one of the strangest friendships the world has ever seen.

50% of it is everyone, including Izuku, trying to force All Might to take care of himself. The other 50% is them just doing it for him anyway. Izuku has learnt that if he falls asleep on All Might, the man can not make himself move from that spot until Izuku wakes up. He abuses this.

All Might is just the fun uncle who shows up with presents randomly and you let him in because he’s trying his best.

He actually asks permission from Izuku’s parent’s ab giving him One for All, they basically go with “Nothing was going to stop this kid being a hero but fuck will that make life easier”

This AU basically includes Izuku, his two dads, his two mums, his fun uncles All Might and Nighteye, his weird grandpa Gran Torino and his crazy ??? Nezu. It’s the world’s oddest family.

In an act only Aizawa and Izuku could manage, they kinda,,, forget,,, to tell 1A they are related. Shouto still asks if All Might is Izuku’s dad and he loses his shit laughing for so long  he gets uncomfortable.

Bakugo is aware, he and Izuku were good friends and kids but had a falling out when Izuku’s quirk didn’t come in. Bakugo just assumes he was a late bloomer and while he doesn’t say sorry because hes a brat, hes about as nice as Bakugo gets. He kinda whispers “isn’t,,, that,, your dad” and Izuku just nods. Bakugo says nothing more because its fucking hilarious.

Literally the moment they work it out is when Ketsubusu comes over to see them in the Provisional License exam. Izuku just turns to Aizawa, deadpan “Goodbye Father, I’m leaving you to live with Mother.” “Back Monday like usual?” Izuku and Joke just start wheezing. The whole class is silent and lost and it’s at that moment Izuku and Aizawa realise they maybe kinda forgot to tell 1A. Izuku is just rolling on the ground laughing ,Aizawa has buried his face in his capture weapon to hide his own snickers and Bakugo is fucking wheezing, leaving poor Tenya and Momo the job of explaining exactly what the fuck is happening.

[entityskillcount-archive]

Thoughts on everyone in the realms?

"Short Answer; I made a chart. Not a well drawn chart, mind you, but a chart. Sometimes you don't wanna put effort into drawing 50 something faces"

"Long answer, uh....well lemme go down the list"

Claudette: My Starflower~!! She's so sweet and kind and amazing in trials and every time I see her I swoon a little- I love her so much~ Dwight: He's cute- And he's a good leader, despite his nervous personality, he knows how to bring a group together. Final guy potential. Ash: ....Don't...Tell him I said this? But uh....Evil Dead was one of my biggest comfort series, the thing that got me through losing both my parents....the thing that helped me transition, pick my name, and fueled my FX hobby. And I'm still attached, even realizing he's a real person and all- But...it's weird to just, be upfront with something like that, so I'm just...burying it as best as I can. David: He's a little rough around the edges but he’s good to have in a trial, plus when you can get past the walls, he’s nice to talk to. Kate: Her music by the campfire is calming and she’s such a sweetheart. If we were in a better situation I’d love to learn Guitar from her, but, it’s hard when you’re a moment away from a trial at any given time. Amalthea (@askthewidowstars OC): She judged my entire vibe but jokes on her I’m the one who snagged a cutie for life- Meg: If I had a dollar for every time she left me for dead I would have enough money to paint the entire campfire in solid gold. The only time we’ve ever properly talked was about SAW traps and 90% of it was her admitting she could beat every single trap because she was ‘built different’  Jeff: He’s a sweetheart and really nice to be around. Sometimes when we’re by the campfire in our downtimes I’ll let him draw on my arm. it kinda makes me want a tattoo, honestly. If we ever get out of here, I might get one. Steve: Bros!! We kinda make up team ‘Altruistic Himbo’, Plus the ‘Babysitter/Brother’ Vibes mesh really well. I kinda wanna re-style his hair though, mostly because it looks fluffy, and nice to play with.  Quentin: Bros!! We’re gonna make matching T-Shirts about committing Arson on Freddy in particular. He’s fun to hang around in our downtime, and I hope there’s a chance he can get some actual rest, even in here. He deserves it. Adam: If Dwight wasn’t the leader I feel like he’d take over the Reigns. I feel like he’s the calm type that doesn’t handle energetic types well though. Which, y’know, makes things hard.  Nea: Anytime I see her she’s either sneaking around the map and watching everyone get killed, or doing something stupid to get herself killed. I’d get grey hair if We were actually friends.  Feng: Gamer bros- I got to find out we actually played a lotta the same stuff before we were taken by the Entity. We get a chance to nerd out in between trials- Laurie: Best Final Girl hands down. I kinda hope she can teach me Decisive Strike one day- I feel like its also just a little awkward since again, still a fan of Myers Nancy: She doesn’t agree that Demo’s a good boy, which makes sense, but we but heads over it. Also I’m pretty sure she wants me dead for touching the bones around the map one too many times. They’re just too tempting.... Jake: He’s pretty quiet, but he’s helpful in trials. I heard he’s been to a convention a few times, but I don’t think he’s actually into it as much as I thought...Which kinda sucks. I’d love more cosplay buddies y’know? Yui: Kinda makes me want a motorbike. We don’t talk but she seems really cool. A little too cool to me around if that makes sense.  Yun-Jin: She benefits off of throwing everyone else under the bus. And 90% of the time she will throw everyone under the bus. Even if she needs actual help to escape the trial.  Cheryl: Cheryylll!!  She’s really cool and honestly would add her to the ‘Can kill god if she was not nerfed’ Squad. Especially since y’know, she has- I bet if we got enough of the kids together we could just beat the Entity’s ass. I know she could.  Tapp: Always been a fan of Tapp before I was taken, although I feel like he’d wanna arrest me if we weren’t in the Entity’s Realm. I might be a little too excited for my own good about Kramer’s work. I don’t think he’d believe the fact its a movie either.  Ace: He’s kinda like the Uncle of the group around the campfire, but, coming into trials, He’s still for saving his own skin- You can also only stand dad jokes for so long. Especially in an eternity like this.  Leon: He’s cool!!! I got so excited first realizing He and Jill were here, and I wanna get a chance to talk to him about everything that went down, but Haven’t got the chance. He’s nice inside of Trials though, usually doesn’t leave anyone behind. Not a fan of getting blinded though.  Jill: She knows how to lead the trials well, and I look up to her a lot. She’s always been such a badass!!  Bill: If Bill gets his hands on a weapon the entire Realm would be fucked. Badass as hell and Kinda scary. Another one on the list of ‘Entity needed to Nerf’ Felix: You’d think a Childless Father and a Fatherless son would be able to bond a bit more, but, I think we each kinda get the same vibe of homesickness from one another. He’s kind though, and it’s neat to see his work whenever we’re by the campfire.  Elodie: She’s better at helping out than most of the others, but she’s still in a survival of the fittest mindset. I loved hearing about her studies from before she was taken though. I feel like if we had more time we could dig deeper into this whole world and what its about. But we don’t get that- Zarina: We just don’t really click as much, honestly. I’d love to get to know her better but I think she’s more into digging into the killers and what she can find out about this place. Which y’know, could be better done with a team. Sage (@askthewidowstars OC): HUSBAND!!! My husband. I love him to the Moon and back. He’s amazing and I miss him even when we’re five feet apart-  ...I need a hug now-  Amanda: Best girl hands down!! We vibed a lot in between Trials talking about her traps and old designs, she was impressed by my knowledge, and we hang out in Gideon sometimes!   Ghostface: He’s pretty cute- Also fun to be around, even if he’s kind of a dick when he’s actually at work, it’s better when you’re outside of a Trial. It’s also neat to see he’s not just two idiots in a halloween costume and his own person, as much as I love the Scream Series, too-  Leatherface: Bubba!!! Honestly I’d handle being chainsawed. Fuckin Love Bubba-  Huntress: I wanna learn how to throw hatchets but I know I never will. She’s kinda scary, but also I feel like if she could adopt some of the others in the Realms, she totally would.  Oni: The only times I’ve ever really seen him is just before my skull gets bashed in. All I really have associated to him is the splitting headache.  Twins: I’m gonna punt Victor into the sun. I haven’t been good around kids beforehand and this tiny gremlin motherfucker just makes it worse.  Pinhead: I was so excited to see him!! He’s one of the few that talks more often than not in a trial, and he’s always had this air of elegance about him which makes it so much cooler! I’d be tempted to grab the box to solve it, but, at the same time Dwight’s already been hunted. I just...want to see how it works, really. Maybe if I ask nicely? Nah, probably not.  Pyramid Head: He’s so fucking COOL!!! He’s always just been really fucking cool and I still get stars in my eyes. I wanna re-create his weapon one day.  Joey: Joey’s one of the chill killers to be around, probably my favorite amongst the legion. Also Cosplay gang?? Hello? Susie: She’s cute!! I like her vibes whenever there’s not violence involved. I wonder if she’d ever get into costume making, she has the artistic eye for it. I also wonder if she’d ever dye other people’s hair...I’d kinda want green tips one day- Frank: Still wanna throw a palette at him. He’s one of the more serious of the Legion, and usually the one you’d find with a Mori. Not as Serious as Julie but only because he has the cocky god complex to go with it.  Julie:  She’s definitely the most serious out of the Legion. There’s no real rest whenever we’re in a trial against her. Scary as hell and less of a bastard than the other three.  Hillbilly: I know he deserved a lot better than this, especially after hearing more about him. I...Haven’t gotten to see much than the end of his chainsaw though.  Blight: This dude’s singlehandedly bringing back my fear of needles and I thought I lost that with HRT- Also like, dude spits up orange fuckin everywhere.  Michael: My Mans!! I always get a little excited knowing we’re up against him. It’s habit- It’s kinda weird to see him easily affected by like, palettes or flashlights though.  Spirit: She seems like she could be nice when there’s some downtime. I’m also one of the few that can understand her well enough, which probably makes things easier. I found out she’s basically my age when I survived a trial by myself. I’d hope to hang out more sometime. Nemesis: God he’s so fucking tall. Kinda surprised it was Nemesis out of everyone that could’ve been brought, and also, kinda terrified? Still am kinda terrified. I’m surprised he hasn’t just torn up an entire map yet. His zombie minions are also annoying. Wraith: All this motherfucker does is roll up to pull me off Gens and Exist as a problem. I don’t see much of him outside of a Trial. Trapper: Motherfucker Incarnate. If the Entity lets us throw hands I’m fighting him first.  Freddy: ....Gross. I liked the Nightmare on Elm Street series a lot, but...Freddy as a person? Ew. Especially this iteration.  Demogorgon: Demopuppy!! He’s a good boy and he deserves to get treats. Even if the Treats are flesh....I wonder if he likes candy though. Trickster: Pretty!! He also Gives me DIO vibes because of the Jacket and the Knife throwing...Imagine if a killer could stop time...that’d be terrifying. Deathslinger: I wanna sit down and look at his gun more but I also feel like if I ask I’d just get shot on sight. Intimidating as hell but also cool. Mary: ....Still on the very complicated ‘Ex Girlfriend that murdered me’ State. It’s hard to avoid her though. Especially since she wants to get back together since we’re stuck here. Nurse: She does not help my fear of Hospitals, honestly. While she’s easy to go up against, it’s still eugh. Plague: I really, really hate her power. The Sickness and the Vomit is just- Eughhhhh- It just hits every bad sensory issue at once.  Clown: ...I get killers are Killers and aren’t supposed to be good people but also like....Disgusting. Please Remove from the Realm. He’s just- ...Ew.  Doctor: NOPE. NO. NEVER. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.

[bunnys-beetlejuice-blog]

time for another goofass take it easy nonsense fic chapter! you like ghouls and demons and weird family dynamics? come on in and have some fun! this is set in my BJ Deetz au, so Beetlejuice is a teen, adopted by the Deetz family. There, you're all set, go read.

There’s a moment where they’re all staring at each other, siblings and their sudden guest all in the know, or at least partially, about secrets the others are holding, and none of them seem sure what their first move should be. Then Emily comes up, and puts her hands on her children’s backs, and leads them to the front door. “Kids, this is your dad’s cousin, Ash. Ash is going to be staying with us for a few days,” she tells them. “Ash, this is BJ, and Lydia.” “Hi,” Lydia squirms. “What’s good?” BJ tries to look casual. Ash, for his part, doesn’t seem inclined to mention the very clear demonstration of magic BJ had pulled in front of him, hardly a few hours ago. “Good to finally, officially, meet you kids,” he says, and then sticks out a hand to shake. BJ takes it, is given a shake, and Ash tilts his head. “You run hot. Feeling sick, BJ?” “Nah, just.. Always a little warm,” the demon pulls his hand back, and Emily smiles. “We’ll have dinner in a bit. Charles always cooks, he’s a great chef. Kids, can you show your uncle to the guest room?” She nudges them, and trapped by social convention and an inability to say no to Emily, BJ huffs, but nods. “Yeah, sure. Follow me, then.”

He’s so used to floating around the house that he has to really remind himself not to lift his legs and just levitate, like he normally does, and the feeling of his body physically trudging up the stairs is almost alien to him. Lydia, weird kid she is, scrambles up the stairs on all fours in front of them, and Ash follows dutifully behind them, as BJ leads him up to the second floor and then down the hall, to the guest room- the room across the hall from his own. He opens the door, gestures to it, and Ash steps in, looks around. “Well, it beats a motel six, that’s for god damn sure,” he says, setting his bag on the bed, and then he turns to look at the kids.

“So. Should we talk?” he quirks a brow. “Up here, where your parents can’t hear?” “Oh no, don’t tell me you’re a creepy kinda uncle,” BJ grimaces. “We’re family. Getchur head outta the gutter, kiddo. Now. That was some disappearing act you two pulled. Never seen anything like it, before.” “What can I say, I love illusions,” BJ tries. “M’gonna be the next Houdini.” “I bet. You wanna share how you did it?” “Magicians don’t reveal their secrets!” Lydia pipes up. The siblings are standing in the doorway, tense, as their newfound relative leans against one of the posters of the antique canopy bed frame. “That was a little more than stage magic. You learn to do that from the book?” Ash asks. BJ blinks. The monster hunter in front of them is still buying that he’s human. Okay.. okay. He can work with that. “Yeah, the book,” he agrees. “Pretty crazy, right?” “I’ve seen that book do wild things, but none of them ever good,” Ash tells them, arms crossed. “It might seem like a fun toy, giving you the ability to do stuff like that, but it’s like a snake, kid. It’s gonna turn on ya. Last thing I want is to have to ruin your daddy’s life by killing his two little treasures, when they get possessed and become deadites.”

BJ’s a little insulted on behalf of snakes, his aspect animal, but he understands the metaphor. Also, “You wouldn’t even hesitate?” he asks, and Ash shrugs. “I’ve taken out a lot of deadites. Once someone’s possessed, they don’t come back from it. No reason to go getting sentimental over who gets latched onto.” There’s a pain behind those hard dark eyes. “Don’t make me shoot the kid,” he nods to Lydia, who tries to match the cool guy vibe. “I’m not a kid, I’m eleven,” she argues, which doesn’t really help her case in the way she thinks it does. BJ puts a hand on her head. “No one’s doin’ anythin’ to Lydster,” he says, a growl in his gravelly voice, and Ash hardly reacts. “I’m tellin’ you, when this goes tits up, and it will, that I will be the one cleaning up the mess. And it’ll get a lot messier before it gets cleaner.” That doesn’t make much sense, but he gets the vibe uncle Ash is going for, at least.

“So if this book is so dangerous, why don’t you destroy it?” “You think I haven’t tried?” He sort of had assumed that, yes. “You can’t burn this thing, or drown it, or bury it. Whatever ancient evil powers it, doesn’t let it be destroyed. It’s humanity’s curse.” “You just sit around, practicin’ these kinda lines, or what?” “Funny. The book, BJ.”

BJ grimaces, but digs into his hoodie pocket, and impossibly, pulls an entire book out. Ash pauses, at that. “Wh-” BJ lifts the book, gives it another huff. The scent is a little addicting, honestly, but he passes it off to Ash, who takes it. “Got pretty cozy with this thing pretty fast,” the older man says. “You know it’s bound in human flesh, right?” Ooooh, that’s why it smells so good. Lydia, at least, has the sense to be disgusted. “Ewww, and I touched it,” she grimaces, and wipes her hands on BJ’s striped hoodie. “Guess th’ ink inside ain’t ink?” he asks, and Ash nods. “Human blood. Sort of cliche, but the ancient Sumerians weren’t askin’ me when they penned the damn thing, I guess.” Ooooh, again. No wonder he couldn’t read it. Ash finally takes a seat on the edge of the bed, and cracks the book open, thumbing through it. “Can you read what it says?” Lydia asks, curious, coming over to peer down at the book in Ash’s lap. “Sure!” and then a pause. “Well, not exactly, one hundred percent, all the way, no,” he admits. “I know a little, though.” “An’ you picked up ancient Sumerian where?” BJ asks, coming to stand behind Lydia. “I wouldn’t say I picked it up,” Ash avoids the question. “Just sort of learned enough through various means. My pronunciation is pretty good. I even remember most of the words.” That doesn’t instil a lot of confidence, but alright.

“Which passage did you read, to learn that teleportation trick?” Ash looks up at him, and BJ grimaces. “Uh, I dunno, it was.. In th’ middle, I think,” he lies, a bit poorly. Ash thumbs through the pages, and then pauses. “Wait, can you read ancient Sumerian?” He asks. BJ rubs at his neck. “I can speak enough Spanish to ask where a library is,” he says, and Ash squints. “Well then how the hell did it give you a weird demon power? You sure it was this book?” “Sure, I’m sure! This is only like, th’ third weird possessed demon book I’ve ever handled, it’s gonna be somethin’ in there that did it,” BJ says. “BJ is totally normal otherwise!” Lydia blurts. Smooth.

Ash closes the book, and stands. “Except that’s not true, is it?” Their uncle asks, studying the demon’s face. “Because in the alleyway, you pushed the power back. I’ve been chased through the woods by that thing, and I didn’t stand a chance. It was going to pounce, grab one of you, and you stopped it, somehow. And the deadite handed the Necronomicon over to you, when it’s goal was getting it away from me.” He takes a menacing step forward. The Deetz siblings take a collective step back. BJ’s got his hands on Lydia’s shoulders, and he maneuvers his kid sister behind him, quickly. “So what’s the deal, kid?” Uncle Ash’s glare is hard, and a little crazy. “Don’t go blowin’ smoke up my ass. I know when I’m being lied to.”

“Not immediately, which is pretty funny,” BJ says, and before they can argue, there’s a scream from downstairs. BJ scoops up Lydia, and Ash scoops up his green canvas duffle bag, and the two of them rush to the stairs, quickly, panic rising in BJ’s chest, because that scream? That’s Emily. you can read the rest right over HERE

[miraculousgemscc]

Not So Berry Extended

I was inspired to write out a few more generations for the Not So Berry Challenge! I’m currently playing it in my spare time as a Vampire Not so Berry (cause why not?) and i’m having a lot of fun playing it and watching others play through the challenge! If you’d like to see more of these or maybe another version of Not So Berry Extended but with more of the careers then please let me know!

NOTE: This hasn’t been play-tested! If whatever’s listed below is impossible to complete please let me know and i’ll make the needed changes!

Gen 11: Black

(Requires Snowy Escape, Get Famous, Parenthood)

Growing up, you always thought you had the perfect life: You had the dream house, the dream family. Until one day you found out that your mother/father/parent had a secret affair. This completely broke you and in order to cope with the news, you decided to become a rebel. I mean, don’t we all go through a rebellious phase in our lives? Your whole perspective on life went 360: you changed your sense of style, your personality, etc. all at once. At least you had the great outdoors giving you comfort during your “everlasting phase”! Your favorite season was Winter because you could ski/snowboard all day, everyday. And what about those dreams you had of becoming a famous skier/snowboarder? Well we can do that too!

Traits: Hot-Headed (give as a teenager), Active, Self-Assured

Aspiration: Extreme Sports Enthusiast

Career: Manuel Laborer, Ski/Snowboarding YouTuber (once you reach Level 10 of Ski/Snowboarding)

Rules:

Must enter “rebellious phase” either at the end of childhood or beginning of being a teenager (you don’t need PH for this, it’s just apart of storytelling) (this is when the black color of this gen. should occur)

Must get the Argumentative, Insensitive and Uncontrolled Emotions Character Value traits (PH)

Must max either the Skiing or Snowboarding skill (SE)

Must enter the Manuel Laborer job as a teenager and stay in that job

Once your able to create Snowboarding videos, you must make your money off of your videos only

Reach at least Rising Star of Celebrity level (GF)

B-Lister is preferred but since getting fame with Get Famous is hard as it is Rising Star is ok

Must move to Mt. Komorebi (SE)

Gen 12: Dark Academia

(requires Get to Work, Nifty Knitting) Your mother/father/parent was one of the most famous skier/snowboarders in Mt. Komorebi. She/He/They always encouraged you to spend your time outdoors and take in the fresh air. Yet, you preferred to spend your time indoors, curled up in bed with your tea and book in hand. You craved to enter the fictional worlds you’ve read in your books from a young age. When you entered high school, you found your love for the arts and decided that you’d become an artist. At least then you could bring the worlds you’ve read to life on a canvas! And why not have a little snack while we’re at it? You can just learn some new foods you can make through cooking books after all!

Traits: Bookworm, Creative, Art Lover

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire

Career: Stay-at-Home Painter, Painter career (⚠️Only if you get offered the job⚠️)

Rules:

Must complete the Painter Extraordinaire aspiration

Must max out Painting skill, Cooking or Gourmet Cooking skill and Photography skill (GTW)

Must make your money through your paintings only

if you get a call about joining the Painter career, you must accept

Must move into a “rundown” lot/apartment with only a kitchen, bathroom, and a bed (and maybe your books if you want but you can’t sell these for money)

your funds when you move out after moving into your house must be $60

(this will be enough for your painting and some extra money to spend elsewhere)

Must have a library in your house

Must have 3 kids (biological or adopted)

spouse must be employed as a Salaryperson and/or Business career (recommended if it’s game generated but you can give them either job yourself)

can only marry partner towards the end of adulthood

Must purchase Knitting Skill Book 1 from bookshelf (NK)

Gen 13: Pastel

(requires Nifty Knitting, Get To Work, Get Together) Your family was pretty stable for the most part. Sure, you may have had trouble paying the bills here and there but what mattered most is that your family was together. Even though you enjoyed your mother/father/parent’s love for Forrest Green, Rosy Brown and overall Earthy tones you felt like you needed a bit more color in your life. And by color, you mean bright and colorful. One day while going through your mother/father/parent’s library you discovered a book on knitting. Figuring your mother/father/parent spent all of their time cooking and painting anyways you decided to take the book and learn how to knit. Yet, knitting cute decor and beanies isn’t going to put food on the table and a roof over your head. Guess running your own business is going to have to wait. Oh yeah, you also have a weird obsession with the letter B...

Traits: Perfectionist, Cheerful, Childish

Aspiration: Lady/Lord of the Knits

Career: Barista (teen), Business (young adult), Business owner (adult)

Rules:

Must complete the Lady/Lord of the Knits aspiration

Must max out Knitting skill, reach required skills needed for jobs before quitting them (ex. If you need Level 3 of Charisma for the Business career but you’ve age up to an Adult, you must reach level 3 before quitting the job)

Must Donate to Charity at least once a week

Quit your career in Business and open your own business as an adult (GTW)

Must get 2/5 stars for your business

Must live in Windenburg and have your business in the Old Platz neighborhood (GT)

Must create a Knitting Club and meet your friends (GT) when you reach Level 3 of the Knitting skill

Can only have relationships with immediate family (siblings, parent(s), grandparent(s), aunts/uncles) until you create the club. Once you create the club you may make friends.

Must become good friends with club members and best friends with one of the members

Marry your partner from the Knitting Club

Must have their first and/or last name start with B (you can cheat the name if you want)

Gen 14: White (Requires Get Famous, Get Together, City Living) Living in Windenburg for most of your life, you always loved how the town was so inclusive to everything and everyone. You always found yourself vibing with the music and dancing whenever you had the chance. But you also had a passion for music, specifically rap. While browsing the internet one day you came across some videos about some kid with blue hair rapping with his friends and you immediately became obsessed. (yes, I just made a FNF reference) From that day on, you wanted to become a Triple Threat: a dancer, musician, and a producer! The world isn’t stopping anytime soon so you gotta act fast and get your dance on!

Traits: Dance Machine, Music Lover, Geek

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Career: Entertainer Rules:

Must max the Dancing skill, Media Production skill, and Guitar/Violin/Piano skill (your choosing) reach level 6 of Singing skill

Must complete the Entertainer career

Must be signed to a Record Label and release your music (GF)

Must marry someone named Keith and has the Proper trait (you may cheat the name only)

Have a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner in high school but break up with them before becoming a Young Adult

must be Hot and Cold with High School love (negative friendship, positive romance)

Have Dance Battles with your friends at least once a week

Have at least 2 Enemies (you can have more if you wish) (this doesn’t include your High School love)

Gen 15: Navy Blue

(Requires Discover University, Eco Lifestyle, Parenthood) Growing up you tend to lean towards a more sophisticated lifestyle thanks to your father. With having good role models around you and supportive parents, you were able to pursue your dreams of becoming a lawyer. Helping those in need was one of your biggest goals in life. The world right now isn’t perfect and you strive to change the world for the better. Having been the smartest kid throughout your school career, you were given the chance to jump straight into the Law career. Although you were grateful for the opportunity, you decided to continue your studies and learn as much as you could before going into Law.

Traits: Proper, Ambitious, Genius

Aspiration: Academic

Career: Law

Rules:

Must complete the Law career

Become a Private Attorney

Must max out Research and Debate, reach level 5 Logic skill, reach level 8 Charisma skill

Must complete the Whiz Kid aspiration and Academic aspiration

Must attend college for the Law career (you may disable aging while you go to college if you want)

Must get an A in school (child and teen)

Must have the Responsible and Mediator Character Value traits

Must make your neighborhood a Green neighborhood (EL)

Attend volunteer events at least once a week (PH)

Never get married, only have 1 child

(can have boyfriend/girlfriend/partner)

Must move to Britechester when you start the Law career (you can live in Britechester while attending college if you want)

Gen 16: Phoenix

(Requires Vampire) You grew up wanting more from the world besides all of the “change the world” stuff your mother/father/parent kept blabbering on about. Instead of changing the world, you wanted a change of scenery. While roaming the world trying to find your new normal you discovered the world of Forgotten Hollow. There, you met your soulmate and later the person who would eventually turn you into a vampire. As crazy as it sounds, the minute you became a Young Adult you up and left your home in Britechester and moved to Forgotten Hollow. This you thought was it! You were finally free to be yourself! Until the dreaded accident.....

Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Romantic, Erratic

Aspiration: Master Vampire

Career: none

Rules:

Must purposely burn in the sun and die

Must have no kids

Must complete Master Vampire aspiration except the, “Survive for an Additional 20 Days as a Vampire” section (you must Die by Sunlight before this reaches the full 20 Days)

Must max Vampire Lore skill and Pipe Organ skill, reach level 5 Gardening skill

Have your own garden in Forgotten Hollow and make your money through your garden only

Must unlock the Thin Skinned weakness from Vampire levels

Must immediately move out as a Young Adult to Forgotten Hollow

your partner must be a Vampire and turn you into a Vampire

And that’s it! I hope you find this as interesting as I did! :D

If your wanting more ways to spice up your gameplay, I have a save file that i’ve been working on the past couple of years! You can find it here.

[entity9silvergen]

Mosaic (Disenchantment Fanfiction)

Summary: We are just mosaics of everyone we love and that mosaic shows everyone we love how beautiful they are. Bean doesn’t think she can love like everyone else but maybe that’s okay.

Fandom: Disenchantment 

Word Count: 2K

Characters: Bean

Relationships: Bean/ Mora, Mentioned Bean & Everyone, Mentioned Odval/ Sorcerio, Mentioned Zog/ Oona, Mentioned Zog/ Dagmar

Warnings: Internalized arophobia, first person pov, some self-deprecation, sex mention, drug mention, mention of interspecies relationships in fantasy setting 

Other Tags: F/F, Mentioned F/F QPR, Reflection/ Self-Reflection/ Internal Thoughts, No Dialogue, Queerplatonic, Aromantic Character, Aromantic Homosexual Character, Arospec Character, Queer Themes, Unreliable Narrarator, S3E6, Oneshot, AroWriMo 2021

Author’s Note: My friend sent me the line “I am a mosaic of everyone I’ve ever loved” about twenty minutes after I watched “Final Splash.” I’m working on the prompt for Week 2 of AroWriMo rn but I had to drop everything and write a short fic about this. Again, I didn’t really use the prompt but it kind of fits with week 1’s prompt romo/loveless & future. 

I’m headcanonnoning Bean as aro or demiro/ greyro. I think in the show it was implied she never experienced romantic attraction prior to meeting Mora because she likes women and I don’t want to erase that in any way but Bean still gives off a big aromantic bisexual homo(queer)platonic vibe.

_____________________

My name is Princess Tiabeanie of Dreamland and I’ve never loved anyone.

I mean, I love my dad and my friends and all that but I’ve never loved loved anyone. Is that weird to say? That makes it sound like I don’t really love my dad and Elfo and Luci and everyone. I probably shouldn’t say that then because I actually love them a lot. They’re my everything. 

One time, I was walking down Elf-Ally and this elf was sitting on the side of the road with some chalk. I feel like elves would really like chalk but I’ve never seen any of them use it, not even Arto, except this guy. I’d never seen anything like it before so I asked what he was doing and he said he was making this mosaic to show his love for this other elf he liked. I didn’t really understand it so he explained it to me like this: we are just mosaics of everyone we love and that mosaic shows everyone we love how beautiful they are.

I still didn’t get it so I just laughed at him and he got kind of upset and threw a piece of chalk at me. It didn’t really hurt but Luci was with me and the elf started throwing stuff at him and you know how Luci gets when he hits his nose so we left. I couldn’t really forget what that elf said though. 

You see, a mosaic is a mix of a bunch of little pieces taken from different things that all come together to make one thing. There’s this mosaic at the church and it’s pretty freaking ugly but the mosaic this elf was making was just so beautiful. He used so many colors and he drew all these little pictures and hid these words I didn’t understand in them. I’d expect it to be all crude and gross like those scribbly pictures Derek would draw when he was younger that Oona pretended to love but it all came together so well. It didn’t even look like separate pieces. It was just one.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The influences of countless parts of my life, weaving together into an insanely complex mesh- That felt like me. I always felt like something was broken in me but maybe I’m just a mosaic. 

I think my dad made me who I am the most. Even if he wasn’t really present most of my life. Sure, we don’t see eye to eye sometimes but I think we’re better because of that. He made me strong. His actions guided me into becoming the woman I am today. He taught me how to keep fighting. Literally and figuratively. He taught me to keep my head up and he taught me how to stab people. It’s pretty cool. I remember this one time as a kid he took me out to the courtyard, stole this guy’s knife, and taught me how to use it. I think I still have the knife actually. I don’t stab people with it anymore though.

(I hope he’s okay. He hasn’t been the same in awhile.)

My mom… Well, I don’t really love her anymore but I did for a long time. She was… How do I put it? A constant in my life. Even though she wasn’t there. What I felt towards her, it kept me together for a long time. When I had nothing to fall back on, I always had her memory. Until she tried to take over Dreamland, obviously. Now I just say she gave me my love for alcohol and that’s pretty sweet too. 

(I still miss her. I bet she’s dead.)

You know those pictures where the guy has an angel and demon on his shoulders telling him what to do? That’s Elfo and Luci, and it’s literal for Luci. And maybe for Elfo? He did go to heaven that one time. It can be kind of annoying to hear them bickering all the time, especially since they almost never want the same thing, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Elfo keeps me safe and Luci pushes me to be more than I am. They make life fun. Fuller. Less lonely.

(I’m scared they might leave someday. I wouldn’t blame them.)

I don’t really like Derek but I still love him. Maybe a little less since he tried to burn me at the stake. Maybe a little more since he chickened out at the last second. And a little less because he still went through with it. And maybe a little more since it was an accident. We have a complicated relationship but he’s still my little brother, as weird as he is. He reminds me of what I have to fight for, if that makes sense. I don’t really see him as the future of Dreamland or anything but he’s still a little kid and I can’t really help but have a soft spot for him. Don’t tell him I said that.

(I wonder if he’ll keep me around when he’s king. I’d be lying if I said I was surprised.)

The same goes for Oona. I never liked her but I think I love her. Especially after she tried to save me from my mom. And since she became an epic pirate. She’s awesome. She’s the mom I always wished I had except she was actually there the whole time and I didn’t realize it. I’m happy with how things turned out though. I don’t regret it. Plus she’s got great taste in drugs. I still steal them sometimes.

(I don’t know if she loves me. Maybe she did once but not anymore.)

I kind of hate Odval and Sorcerio in a weird way where I like them at the same time. They’re not really family but always been there. Like they’re kind of like second dads to me. Second dads whose the sex lives I know way too much about. My gay polyamorous uncles? But they kind of care under all that court properness and tradition nonsense so they’ve kind of wormed their way into my heart. They’ve always made my life difficult but I don’t think I would be myself if I wasn’t challenged so much.

(I think they’d rather have me gone. They don’t hide it every well but I can pretend.)

I’m going to be honest, I was really bummed when Pendergast died. We were kind of the same age and he hung around the castle for most of my life. And my dad trusted him so we actually did stuff together sometimes. A lot of adventures that never really went anywhere. He could be kind of a stick in the mud but he never really minded that I’m a girl and let me tag along on crusades and helped me get better with weapons and stuff. And Pendergast was weirdly loyal to Dreamland, even after Dad forked his eye out. Or was it spooned? I don’t remember. Some kind of eating utensil. I wasn’t there when it happened. But it was nice knowing I could trust him. He could be kind of fun though when he was off-duty. Total lightweight though. He threw up on one of those little guys who carries dad’s cape once. 

(I wish I’d known him better. I really miss him but I can’t tell anyone since Dad gets set off by anything that even reminds him of the guy.)

Who else is there? That’s right, Mertz and Turbish. Turbish and Mertz. Two peas in a pod. Plus Mrs. Mertz. Don’t get me wrong, they are idiots. Totally incompentant. It’s a wonder they’re still alive. But they’re sweet. And they try. They’re not good at anything but they try. Sometimes I don’t want to try but they tell me I always can.

(I’m waiting for the day they realize they could have a better life. It’ll be weird not having them around the palace.)

I even kind of like Merkimer. As a pig, not a human. God, he was an awful human but he’s a funny little pig. He lets Luci ride on his back sometimes. Both of them like it way more than either of them will ever admit. It’s cute. I think they’re friends. If they’re not, Elfo and I will start plotting until they are. Or maybe not. A Luci-Merkimer friendship might be too much for Dreamland to handle. They’re kind of a lot, even on their own. Merkimer always kind of had a big head and it only got bigger when he accepted his new life. It’s actually kind of inspiring how happy he is now. 

(I don’t want him to change but he already has. It makes me sad sometimes.)

And Bunty. Oh, Bunty. And Stan! The world doesn’t really deserve Bunty. Stan does though. I think they’re the ones who taught me what real love is. Bunty always showed me love as a kid, she was like the second mom I never had but actually did have because Oona was there. But she gave me something neither Oona or Dagmar could. I didn’t really understand it until I saw her and Stan and their family together. I still don’t. They’re really sweet.

(I’d give them everything. I know they just see me as some spoiled princess though.)

I want what those two have. Or what Odval and Sorcerio have. What my dad had with Dagmar or Oona. What Elfo’s had, and Luci’s had, and Derek’s had, and the knights have had. It feels like everyone’s had that kind of deep love at some point except me. I didn’t even realize until I was talking to Mora. 

I’ve had the chance to have it. Merkimer, that brother of his I accidentally killed, that one time Pendergast made a pass at me, that Steamland guy… I don’t think any of it really would’ve worked out though. I’ve had a lot of things with guys and there’s been kissing and touching and I’ve always enjoyed it but I think I always knew it would never go anywhere. That it will never go anywhere. And I can’t even blame my dad because it’s all me. It’s always been me. And I’m okay with that? Maybe? I don’t think so but I’m not really good at understanding my feelings. It’s just another thing on the pile of things I won’t work through.

I think I understood what I had with Mora though. It wasn’t… romantic but it felt like it almost was. We just… clicked. It felt right. She was tough and funny and she didn’t hold anything back. She followed her dreams and didn’t let the world get her down. That one night we had together, I felt like we were alone in the world.

Mora gave me the ocean and the stars.

She was beautiful. Maybe that’s what was missing? None of the guys I ever screwed around with were beautiful. Not like Mora was. Not like a woman can be. I really felt like this was it but there was still that disconnect. Like something was there but not quite. Like something was missing. I don’t know what it was.

But then she just left. I had that dream and I just felt so happy. I’d never felt happiness like that. And I never felt pain like the pain I felt when I woke up and the necklace was gone. I definitely would’ve cried if Elfo wasn’t there. I might’ve actually cried a little bit. It’s kind of hard to hear anything when Elfo’s sobbing. Some of those tears might have been mine.

Did I love her? I don’t think so. Not like Elfo loved that boat. It wasn’t romantic. But it was real. It gives me hope. I don’t think I’m capable of the same kind of love everyone else seems capable of and that’s not even a slight at me. It’s just reality. But what I had with Mora, however brief and imagined it was, tells me that’s okay. I don’t need the kind of love everyone else has. Not when I have so many others in my life.

Still, I hope I see her again, even for a second, just to feel that kind of happiness again.

I think that’s what that elf meant when he said we are just mosaics of everyone we love and that mosaic shows everyone we love how beautiful they are. Mora was beautiful and she didn’t see it but maybe she would if she saw how I looked at her. 

Stars and the ocean, I’ll never forget them. They’ll be a part of my mosaic forever.

Other AroWriMo Fics By Me, Posted on Ao3, Posted on FFN

[simptasia]

share your headcanons on dan and charlotte as parents if you’d like!

ooh thank you!

'"if you kids don't stop fighting back there, i'm turning the car around and nobody will get ice cream!" "charlotte!" "for god's sake dan, it's an empty threat"

four kids total: penny, ada, marie and isaac. and they're all geniuses one way or another. miles jokes that these two gotta stop fucking cuz they keep creating nerds. 5 year old marie is writing haikus for fuck's sake. little isaac could build you a PC if you wanted

daniel isn't a helicopter parent per se but he is Extra worried about the kiddos safety in contrast to charlotte's "let them climb trees and eat dirt" attitude. char isn't irresponsible or anything it's just that dan gets worried when the kids play with a basketball cuz they might bonk their heads but kids are made of sturdier stuff than that, hun. he's just very protective of his babies, ya know. penny II skins her knee on the concrete, cut to dan googling "how do i babyproof the planet earth" jhkfsakjhfs

dan is the one least willing to like, scold them when they do something bad, char is better at that. not implying she's a screaming nag, no way, i mean a reasonable telling off

but otherwise char is more lenient when it comes to things like. eating junk food and playing with bugs in the backyard and rough play which are all things that give dan the worried eyebrows. like "do you really think we should let them eat this much sugar?" "dan, it's a birthday party, calm down. also have you seen how much chocolate i eat? they'll be fine" "but their teeth..."

for most of their lives both daniel and charlotte didn't really think they were the parent type, both, to varying degrees, were like "oh i've never thought of myself as a dad/mum", but together it started to feel right, like something they wanna have together. a family. and turns out, daniel and charlotte are great parents. i mean, obviously i wouldn't make my beloved dan and char bad parents

char was worried she wouldn't have the patience for kids, but she handles it well, just breathe char. daniel was worried about. everything. dan ends up knowing so much about pregnancy and babies because he read like a bagillion books on the subject

side note: i consider miles a co-parent so these two got extra help. miles is a pretty good dad too with added fun uncle vibes

they never talk down to their kids or be patronizing, they talk to them almost like they're grown ups, which is good for children's development. char talked to her pregnant belly like, all the time. and totally did the "play mozart for the baby" thing. they read to the kids a lot. supply them with lotsa books. basically they did really well with their kids developing intellects and language abilities. they ain't just geniuses cuz of the dna, they're nurture smort too

the schools wanted each of the kids to do the whole skip grades, finish high school and start college early thing but dan and char said no to all that because daniel wants to avoid his children suffering the enormous pressure and stress he had of being like 14 in a college enviroment

at least one of the kids is bullied for being "weird" (aka neurodivergent) and char goes into Mama Bear mode and goes to the principal office ready to fucking handle this and then the mother of that bully is like, in a far more subtle way than im about to write: "well yeah but your kids are fucked up tho" and char is filled with untold levels of fury. daniel and miles are angery too. but they're like, basically that meme, char like "i'm gonna kick your ass. here, hold my flower" and dan and miles like "i got your flower, baby, kick their ass", thats the vibe. anyways that bitch got a black eye. do not. fuck with. charlotte. staples. lewis

these kids got the most encouraging parents ever, cuz dan and char are not gonna let their babies repress themselves in any way. i mean, within reason. but like, as you can imagine, with dan's upbringing, he leans heavy on "you can be whatever you want and do whatever you want with your life and we'll always love you" attitude. you know. the way all parents should be. but theres layers to when dan says it because of. [gestures at eloise]

"am i ever going to get to meet my grandchildren, daniel?" "mom how did you get our new number" "i have my ways"

i can't think of anything else particularly remarkable and i'd just because saying variations of they're good parents and do good parent things. they have really smart, happy and well adjusted children

[snow-wind-and-all-we-will-find]

Hi! My names arthur and im working on improving my word and building my story, which currently has no name haha! I have a myriad of characters who ill try to list out and give brief descriptions of, aether is technically my main character and some of the characters who are up for question are dead in canon. But you can still ask them stuff, itll just be set before death.

When asking characters questions, rememeber to include the name, their age if theres diffrent ages, i dont mind repeated questions, but if you see the question try not to ask it again lol. If you cant find it with a quick scroll just ask it, although i dont know if this blog will even get that big.

Aether

He comes in three evolutions lol, technically, theres four but idk if i would count 7 year old aether.

Ages: 13 yo - colder, hasnt gotten used to emotions, there are two to this as well, pre-rev and then post-rev 13 yo aether, remember to specify lol.

16 yo- a bit more out there, still kinda disconnected and figuring things out, a bit more defensive

22 yo- lax, hes sorta figured shit out, hes not going to go grazy, hes just gonna be chill lol.

!The gaggle Ghosts!

Yurei

Her personality is very, ehhh, becuase i havnt done work with her, and i havnt completly figured out who she is fully yet, shes 18 yo when aether is 22 yo

18 yo- pretty oblivious, somehow still a bit cynical, very nice and sometimes motherly

Kakoku

Few thousand- mean, likes to bully yurei as he huants her, lowkey a simp for yurei but he wont admit that. Kinda cynical and likes to bring others down, generally a bully

Tamashi

19- emotionless, has to be a really strong emotion to make her emote, tends to stray away from other people, likes to be alone, blunt

Gunnar

A few thousand- sweet, warm and welcoming, tries to be very fatherly and a trusted figure, is very busy most of the tiime unfortunatly though.

!The greek gang!

Argus agapov

16- unstable, pretty baby, protective over friends and family

Mythos agapov

23- whore. He also loves his family, lowkey, hes a trad wife

Perceus

15/16- timid, intrested in posiosn and acids, generally quiet, likes to eat leaves, scaredy cat

Diogenes

14- germ of phobe, kind of a brat, more just a bitch, will yell at you if he sees your hands were dirty from gardening or something while you’re walking to the sink, other than that hes fine, picky eater

Herodotus

15- disorginized, trys his best, likes to write stuff down, helps plato with his writing and grammar in general, gullible, likes record data, has a nice typewriter with tha good clicky clack

Plato

8- sweet baby boi, loves his older brother (socrates), idolizes him even, not a good idea though. He writes down everything socrates does, sometimes he imitates his brother as well.

Socrates

17- dumb of ass, also just dumb, held back a grade, feral child, bites alot of people, soft aestechic but hed stab as a warning

Heracles

30- also dumb of ass, loves cars in that ‘mah babeh’ kinda way. Hates motorcycles, he thinks they’re ugly. Chaotic but he utilizes it to be the weird and cool uncle/cousin thing

Zeus

46- too tired for this shit, is a dad, went out to get milk, jk jk, dissapeared for a hot few years, probably got captured by some gang dunno, it happens. Very serious, would make the dumbest jokes with his brothers with a straight face

Hades

50- lowkey the neglected middle child, soft goth lookin ass, loves his kid, tries his best to raise his kid, sometimes gets help from esme

Poseidon

57- proud stay at home dad, buff but does the typically wifely duties, makes sure his children get enough love, nutrience and care

Lillith

54- very active, the money maker, kinda soft, both her and her husband poseidon are so just in love with their kids, dote on them constantly, very extroverted, always makes time for her kids

Esme

51- tired of zeus’ shit, does her best to make sure no one dies, still treats mythos as her ‘little baby boy, tired mom vibes.

!the Eden gang!

Eden is a fictional country that i slapped onto the globe. It is where aether is from, technically aether is apart of the eden gang as well. Everyone here, if they have an age option, the first age option is the age they are when aether is 13, and the second will be when aether is 16 unless stated otherwise

General kyelli

49- fatherly, thinks of most of the gang as his children, calls everyone ‘son’, as a general rule. If you ask for another nickname, he will do his best. Has a bad knee, and is kinda of bad at existing physically

52+- fatherly still, loves almonds, always has a bag of almonds, dont test him. Enjoys travel, might adopt people he meets along the way, still has pains but now he sees doctors, wants to stay active

Indigo

13- sweet, optimistic, always looks on the brightside and tries to see the good in others. Little heater, understands that sometimes fighting is the only option

Akrano

16- lively, very loose and relax, can get serious when needed though, always making jokes and trying to lighten up the mood

19- a bit more, mellow. Still quite lively and childish, but with two signifigant-others you have to settle down sometimes

Ekrano

16- lively, more stern than akrano and kinda worried, but ultimatly also very loose and bright

Lilliana

16- serious, seemingly colder towards everyone, gets along great with psycho-lops, makes him new eye-patches to pass time, actually just very monotone and blank most of the time, although she does care

19- she doesnt change much, she got a bit more expressive, likes babysitting howl

Psycho-lops

16 1/2- always looks determined, actually kinda scared of conflict, likes to help out with healing though, very proficient in it as well, sounds intimidating while talking about how cute puppies and kittens are

19/20- still the same, is considering studying medicine and medical practices to become a doctor.

Bark

17- bright, incredibly lively, loves to joke around and tease and sometimes bully the others, targets aether primarily, hangs out with his brother most of the time, he can fight for himself but he likes the backup, especcially since he is kinda glass-jawed, being that hes a twig

Bite

17- quiet, intense eyes, always sounds vaugly confused when he speaks, deep voice lol, likes to train, doesnt understand barks need to tease others, likes to read to the children

20- quiet, intense eyes still, more so nervous sounding, slightly paranoid, cluastrophobic and cant stand dusty places, usually in his house or at the docks, doesnt really go anywhere else

Hanelle

17- loud, headstrong, adamant about her opinions, gets along well with bark, she tries alot to be intimidating, not a twig, but not very big, pretty friendly and sociable

!the band of pirates!

Aklea

A few hundreds of years- kinda bored seeming, loves blood, technically cannibal, but not really since he isnt human, to an extent. Despite being fine on the ocean, he gets very car sick very easily. Actually quite nice, very easily triggerd into violence, especcially by something that could be used as a good murder weapon, blood makes him jittery and more lively

Nerone

21- calm, too calm, deals with akleas bullshit wonerfully, he just stands there, blank smile on his face as aklea beats the shit outta someone, unintrested in most anything, likes to draw, but hes a much better pastry chef.

!the shakespears!

Midem(pink boi)

33- lively, loves to work with kids, very creative, likes to make things, mainly art, mainly carvings. Often make little minitures of scenes from midens writing, loves his twin, does anything it takes to fund midens intrests. Very loving to those hes close to

Miden

33- calmer by alot lmao, pretty introverted but he can hold a long conversation without becoming too drained, enjoys writing and making stories, also makes plays for fun, runs off little sleep cuase he stays up so late to write, and gets up early to write.

!gods!

Gideon

9 billion- confused boomer, loves his ‘children’, hates to be hated, always tries to help in anyway he can, despite making them, always curious into what mortals are doing, loves the universe he created and does anything he can to protect it

Merik

7 million- sore loser, does get a little salty, ultimatly bounces back and becomes a very good sport, always will adopt tactics, whatever it takes to win within the rules, keeps most all of his trophies from random feats hes done

Ventus

5 billion - calm, straightforward, tends to disregard others and do things himself, likes to sit on cliffs and watch the ocean

Kyle

Hes been around since 776 bc- very loud, lively, bright, tries his best to educate people on proper form, workout regime i intesne, doesnt allow others to take it, makes custom workout regimes for free, owns a gym, dude bro but hes nice, baby

Horo-sha

Her age technicaly is not accurate, shes like, 2 billion? Since dima was made right after her death. But since her history still lives, ima count it

5 billion but older than ventus- bitter, violent, former god of justice, fucking dead haha, hates mortals, primarily humans

Dima

Also not super accurate, hed only be a few centuries of being an active god before being sealed, but since hes technically, concious and has cognitive function hes counted

3 billion- mean lol, likes blood and gets even more violent when it starts getting messy, ‘new’ god of justice, uh, pretty bad at it like the last one, but worse, will kill over slight misdeameanors, everythings a crime smh

!misc!

Ivan

24- softspoken, from imperial russia, died young, he no longer feels his face is his own, has a mask that he likes better, has the sickness, but since he was human it killed him, can control it post mortem, is strong enough to be seen, but weak enough he can go invisible and go through solid objects.

More ocs will be added when i remember them, or create new ones, characters i dont really have built at all are not included

[okayoonoh]

JAEHYUN’S FAMILY

a/n here is jaehyun’s family! honestly, imagining jaehyun as a dad fills me with so much joy lmao

here’s a link to the masterlist with all things nct dad related! go and check it out if ya want!

JUNG YOONOH:

he has has two kids, 1 girl and 1 boy. jung lani is 4 years older than her baby brother, jung leon.

JUNG LANI: >> as a baby <<

smiles galore

she got her dad’s dimples

and she used them

she also got her dad’s little “smile whiskers”

jaehyun is honestly the best dad

like he is so caring

he did so much research and everything

he knew more than enough to raise lani

he was pretty calm throughout most of it

and lani was calm too

she really loved watching you and jaehyun

like if jaehyun was just walking around doing chores or something

or if you were working on something

her eyes were on y’all

like she had the biggest eyes too

they were full of wonder

jaehyun held her like she was the most precious thing in his life (bc she is)

he was confident in his skills from the start

she made it easy on him tho

she wasn’t a super needy baby

she could be pretty independent when needed

it was really easy to get her to smile

like all you had to do was play peek-a-boo with her and she’d smile instantly

she’s easily entertained

if you sat her down in the living room

a snack in one hand, a toy in the other

she’s occupied for at least 30 minutes lol

snacks are literally her favorite thing

she was a big eater from the start

but like snacks just hit differently for her

she had so much hair as a baby

like headbands were her aesthetic from the start

you had to baby proof anything and everything in your house

bc she really liked to follow you guys when she learned how to crawl

like if you guys had to put gates so she wouldn’t crawl into the kitchen

she just wanted to hang around her parents :,)

whenever you and jaehyun were both home, you would rock paper scissors or flip a coin for who’s cooking/cleaning and who’s playing with lani

the boys fell in love with lani

like jaehyun would bring her to practice and it would just be so much fun

they would be so amazed with how easy it is to make her smile

johnny would be like “it takes so long to make noah smile but if i just put lani in front of him, it’s all he can do... wth...”

honestly, most of the guys were just so amazed that she was so smiley and just chill overall

like if jaehyun left her with the dreamies, she wouldn’t freak out

even like if he left her with the newer artists she’s never met

just as long as she sees that they’re not weirdos she won’t freak out

she loves to friend everyone she meets

she’s just full with natural cuteness

honestly like return of the superman situations with lani and jaehyun would be the best

they would get so much content because everyday, lani would just bombard you with cuteness

she’s just really out here being the cutest.

>> as a child <<

still a sweetheart

she is still a huge daddy’s girl

she still loves to give the biggest smiles all the time

like even when she lost her front tooth, she still would flash her beautiful smile to the world

jaehyun is still so whipped for his daughter

he would buy her the most gifts every time he left for tour

she honestly wasn’t super defiant

like she would play a prank here and there

or something would go wrong with her playing

for example, one time she was playing salon with jaehyun

and he was kinda sleepy so he didn’t notice that much

then she grabbed the actually scissors and cut his hair

like a huge chunk of it right in the back

no one told him the whole day until you got home and noticed

he wasn’t even that mad lol

when she found out she was gonna be an older sister?

she was so happy

like she loved being an only child

but she was so excited that she was gonna have a baby brother to take care of

she’s honestly a pretty good older sister

she always makes sure leon is taken care of

like always

i cannot emphasize this enough:

HEAD!!!BANDS!!!

that is your family aesthetic

jaehyun wears his 2/3 dollar headband

you wear your own

lani wears one

leon wears one

your pets wear one

eVeRyOnE

omg imagine

like again, return of the superman situation lol

lani is marching around while jaehyun is cooking her breakfast

and she goes up to the cameramen/women in the tents and is like

“excuse me... do you think you can wear one too?”

and they don’t even hesitate

when jaehyun goes around to give the cameramen/women coffee or some breakfast

he starts to laugh when he realizes they’re all in headbands

she’s best friends with mark’s oldest, ethan lee and ten’s second child, somchai leechaiyapornkul (shawn)

they’re an iconic group

they all compliment each other so well

like ethan is pretty energetic and a little bit of a crackhead

lani is happy smiley and just good vibes

and shawn is super shy but he’s doing his best!

like lani and ethan really just do things to get shawn to be more daring and stuff

and shawn does!

they’re all pretty smart for their age

like if they go out to buy something, they’ll combine their money to get a value pack (i explained this a bit in ten’s family description if ya wanna check it out)

they’re just super cool and just a really good dynamic

lani is honestly the most empathetic of the entire group of kids

like from a young age she was already doing her best to listen and understand the emotions of others

and like from a young age her advice was actually good?

she’s really pretty

like a lot of the guys in her classes had crushes on her

the only dudes she cares for are ethan and shawn tho

pero yeah

like she was just a sweetheart who was really mature for her age and still shocked everyone haha

>> as a teen/adult <<

she becomes a solo artist

she does a lot of chill vibe songs

like she loves chill r&b songs

lani is just so aesthetic too

she films a lot of her music videos in nakamoto yui’s flower shop

she gets along well with yui because they’re both rather calm by nature

she’s honestly just super iconic

she inherited her dad’s poreless skin

like she’s so wholesome and kind

she’s more on the quiet side

she has so many fans lol

she get’s overwhelmed with them a lot tho

again, still jaehyun’s biggest fan

a lot of people like her because she’s not living the pish posh life

like you know those hidden cams that see the reactions of celebrities and stuff?

like her reactions are really really the same ones she shows on tv

like her personality is just so genuine and kind

everyone who meets her tells that she’s like that too

as a solo artist, she loves to learn more about music

she learns a lot from kun’s oldest, qian lei.

lani understands a lot about music and they work together to write songs and stuff

it’s definitely not a competition between her and the other music artists amongst nct’s kids

like they all are so supportive of one another with any and every concept

if the company has luna, youngmi, and aria’s group do something a little odd

all of the music artists in the group would still go nuts over it lol

they all support and love each other

anyway

the person she loves and supports the most is her brother tho

like they don’t usually quarrel a lot like kaleb and aria or noah and leo

almost every show/interview she’s on, everyone asks her about her brother

and she just fills with so much pride

she’s so proud of her little brother and all of his accomplishments

like no jealousy whatsoever

she’s also like super humble

she forgets that she’s an idol sometimes

like her manager would be like “lani, DPR LIVE wants to collab with you, are you down?”

and she’s like “THE DPR LIVE??? what??? why me??? what?? is this a prank???”

her manager is like “lani... don’t forget that your famous too...”

she takes a while to understand certain jokes

like her brother makes a lot of jokes but a ton of them just fly over her head lol

snacks are still her favorite thing

her manager has to stop her from eating snacks because her fans give her so many and she just wants to eat them all forever lol

ethan becomes a rapper and they collab the most out of all the people she collabs with

they honestly lowkey realize they like each other and just start dating haha

shawn is a pretty dense dude

but the second ethan and lani got together he was like “bruh even I COULD see that you two liked each other.”

they became the celebrity couple of the century™

they’re honestly that couple that’s like “okay, why haven’t they been together like this entire time?”

anyway, lani is just so empathetic and kind and just so happy to be alive and born into her big and beautiful family

JUNG LEON: >> as a baby <<

also inherited his father’s dimples and smile whiskers

he was pretty smiley like his sister

he also wore headbands a lot because he had so much hair lol

but honestly

he was an alien lol

he was weird

but it was so cute

like if people asked him a simple yes or no question

he’d answer incorrectly

allow me to provide an example:

“is your name jung leon?”

“NO!”

he was so giggly and stuff

loved to make people laugh from an early age

like whenever any of his uncles would watch him

he’d make them laugh so hard

like most days, leon would just be chilling in the living room giggling the day away

and like nothing is happening but he would find ways to make himself laugh

like there was a mirror attached to his little play mat

and he’d look at himself, smile, then laugh, then repeat

leon would learn this while jaehyun was on tour and like you would have to explain to him that your child isn’t insane

he just thought everything and anything was funny

those days were the best for y’all tho

like every single day, leon would do something that made you just laugh like crazy

whether it was somehow taking his socks off and putting them on his ears

or somehow moving his diaper from the front to the back

he just made you laugh

jaehyun was so happy to have a son

i mean, he’d be happy regardless

but still

i feel like he would just be so happy to have a mini him

and that is exactly what leon is

a mini him

lani looks a little more like you

but leon is all jaehyun

leon inherited the trait that turns his ears red when he’s crying/embarrased

he honestly loved to play too

like he honestly needed to be doing something all of the time

leon simply just didn’t know when to stop

he eventually learns, but still

he just can’t stop/won’t stop hahaha

>> as a child <<

still kinda weird

he’s really funny tho

like he’s genuinely a comedian

he makes you and jaehyun laugh a lot

he’s best friends with the squad™ of him, jungwoo’s middle daughter, kim jieun, hendery’s middle son, wong mochou, and haechan’s middle daughter, lee haeun.

all of them together is just a treat

they’re all so loud but all of their personalities are just so unique

leon is the oldest in the group so he’s sort of the leader

i’m just gonna say it

they’re all crack heads

the most calm out of all of them is kim jieun

but she even still has a huge personality

leon is like the clumsy leader

like he tends to fall a lot

but they’ll follow him when he falls lol

like if they’re just walking a line or just in a group

and leon trips

they’ll all fall with him lol

leon is definitely the class clown

but he’s not like super annoying

he has “class” (badum tsssss)

leon can just be so genuinely weird sometimes

he doesn’t really make any super inappropriate or bad jokes

he’s still a little bit of an alien

just a straight up weirdo sometimes

lani cares for him a lot

and he looks up to her

they don’t really quarrel with each other

like they’re both just chill with each other

every year, they work together to get a birthday gift for you and jaehyun

and every year they succeed in getting the best gift for the two of you

when lani was old enough to watch leon by herself, their gift to you was a date night lol

leon picked up a love for basketball at this age

he learned that he was lowkey really good at it lol

jaehyun would play basketball with him as often as possible

it was the sweetest :,)

leon is also really good with scary things

like he seems fearless

but 

he is scared of one thing and one thing only

the pure and utter rage of the maknae of their squad, lee haeun

take all of the burning rage haechan has and put it in his daughter

that is haeun

when she’s mad, she’s MAD

leon isn’t scared of spiders, snakes, heights, etc.

he’s scared of angry haeun lol

he’s just a goofy soul that is just vibing tbh

>> as a teen/adult <<

ooh boy

he’s so handsome

he’s also so funny

he becomes a model™ 

like with a face like that? why waste it?

he works under noah seo

leon and noah both do a lot of modeling gigs together and stuff

leon is honestly following in noah’s footsteps

at first, a lot of the high class modeling agencies didn’t like leon because they thought he smiled too much and his dimples were too deep

but noah was like “exUSE ME THIS BOY RIGHT HERE IS ONE OF THE MOST HANDSOME BOYS YOU’LL E V E R MEET.”

noah teaches leon how to be an independent model and leon is honestly thriving

so many people use him in music videos like just because he’s so handsome?

people also started to realize that he’s like really really funny

like he’s almost always smiling

and his jokes are just so funny

they realized this and were like “okay, time to put him in front of a camera just to see what he does.”

and like

he’s just so goofy

not only is he a well known model

he becomes a well known comedian/tv personality

he embraces his goofy personality and honestly just vibes

he’s also really good at keeping up with the trends

like when he models, he’s pretty serious

but like right after? one of the funniest people you’ll meet

he’s just super quick witted and comes up with so many good jokes

lani can’t catch on to some of the jokes but it’s okay

he’ll give his sister a second lol

he’s also kinda dense when it comes to girls

leon is super confident in his looks and everything like that (like lucas level confident)

but when it comes to girls?

he just doesn’t think he’s good with it lol

which is a lie bc he’s actually really good with girls

he’s really really really good at making people like freak out over him

like he does the thing his dad does that makes everyone weak in the knees

he poses, runs his finger through his hair, and just stares

uGH

everyone melts whenever he does this

he still loves basketball

he plays a bit in his free time

when it comes to acting tho?

he sucks lmao

he just can’t stay serious for too long

like in front of flashing cameras, he’s fine

he can honestly fit any concept

but if you have him act like a serious role?

he can’t do it

he’s really good at doing the funny roles

but he honestly just can’t do serious roles

he still is scared of haeun

he also still respects his sister

he’s just a goofy dork who’s just living life lol

---

i honestly just can’T jaehyun’s my ult and just thinking about him as a dad just uGHHGHHGHG

also, i’m sorry if i started to get carried away, i just honestly couldn’t help myself

anywayyyy i hope you guys liked it! i’m so hyped for winwin’s family lol

again, requests are open and let me know if you want me to tag you so you can stay updated everytime i add onto nct’s family things!

- amy <3

[msragdoll]

Personal stuff (TW death)

So today I went to a get together for my cousin Nick who was killed in May. I say get together because it wasn't really a funeral or service. More of a 'lets gather at Nick's favorite restaurant and be together for his memory."

And, I've got so many emotions about everything. And so I'm just gonna type it all out here and throw it into the wind so I feel heard...

I'm so mad at myself right now. I feel guilty. The last time I talked to my cousin was in 2019. I walked into the pawn shop that he (basically) owned and asked for advice on how to track down some things that were stolen from @r-ochoa . He told me he'd keep an eye out at his shop and the other one nearby and told me to check out sites like 'Let Go' but in different zip codes and counties nearby. And that was the last time I saw him.

Previous to that, maybe by a year? I saw him at his rehearsal dinner for his wedding. I hadn't even known it was happening until my mom called me and told me I should come and that an old family friend was there that I hadn't seen since I was 11 was there too. I rushed over, moreso happy to see the old friend. While I spent most of my time talking with that friend Nick made a point to hang out with us and talk too. The whole evening was about him and his soon to be bride but he made a point to join in with our catch up, spend time with my daughter and share in our time.

I didn't go to his wedding the next day...I hadn't gotten an invitation (I found out alot of people didn't, it wasn't that formal) and I'm so mad that I didn't ask him that night if I could come...

I'm mad that I never took a moment to tell him that he was the one out of two cousins I had that didn't treat me like garbage. The second cousin got frustated alot with me as a kid though, where Nick was always patient. Growing up I had 5 cousins. 4 boys; the only girl being the oldest so we never really hung out unless she was babysitting, but that rarely happened. I was the youngest. One of the boys (that 2nd cousin) was from a different part of the family so hanging out with him was usually just the two of us.

That left Nick and the two other cousins and those 3 plus me often hung out together. The other 2 cousins teamed up alot and would pick on me. They'd take my favorite stuffed animal that I insisted on treating gently and kindly and throw him up and down the stairs and push me away when Id try to get him back. Or they'd play hide and seek and ditch me. Sometimes they'd put me in dangerous situations that as a 7 year old I didn't realize how dangerous they were. They'd even steal things from me or break my things. And I wanna say I have no hatred towards my cousins for these things, as an adult I understand that kids do fucked up things, especially when they don't know how to process what theyre feeling.

But Nick. Nick never did any of those things. In fact if he was there, he'd intervene. He got my stuffed animal back for me. He'd come find me if he realized I had been ditched or put somewhere dangerous. He never took things from me, and would actually give me random things he thought I'd like from his own stuff.

Maybe it was because both of us had influences in our lives that encouraged kindness, where as the other 2 cousins didn't. Whatever it was, Nick was always there. I remember going to his grandma's house, with his sister (his sister had a different dad so I didn't see her as often as I saw Nick) and the three of us would always have a blast.

In fact, it was Nick who helped me get over my fear of motorcycles. Nick's dad, my uncle, had taken us out on bikes and I was on the back of my uncle's ATV. My leg kept getting sucked into the wheel and it hurt so bad. I kept crying and asking my uncle if we could go home, that I was hurt. But we didn't go home until later. I don't know if Nick had seen what was happening. Later on, at Nick's grandma's house (she had a HUGE property that had a track on the grounds) he asked if his sister and I would like to ride on the back of his quad and take a few laps and jumps. His sister was all for it but I was so scared. I didn't want my leg to get hurt again. I didn't want to fall off the back going off jumps either.

But he told me not to worry, he would take it slow and only go as fast as I told him. So I got on. When we got to the first jump on his track he stopped and asked if I wanted to stay on the ground, go in the air or go really high. I told him just to start out on the ground...and he listened when I asked him to take it slow. Not to go too high in the air. And by the end of it all he had built up so much confidence in me thay I had asked him to take those jumps higher and higher. I wasn't afraid anymore because he didn't throw me into a situation I had no control over....in fact... thinking about it... I think this was the first time in my life where I was allowed control over a situation....that I wasn't just plopped into something because the grown ups wanted to do it and I had to just accept it and deal with no say.

(TW: Menstruation) Nick was also there when I got my first period. He was probably a teenager by then but he didn't get weirded or grossed out. We were all having a campout sleepover at his grandma's house before his sister was moving away and I can remember the girls she had invited being kind of weirded out and me trying to hide it. I remember just kind of sitting away from them feeling gross and Nick being like "yeah, my mom told me what's going on. Mind if I sit with you and just hang out?" And so we did.

There's so many other memories I have him him, all of them good. I can't remember a single time where he was mean to me or frustrated with me. He never told me to leave him alone or to go away. If I was afraid or worried about something he never made fun of me or brushed it off. He took the time to show me how it'd be okay. I remember my mom freaking out that I was going to have this specific teacher she had growing up who was a total hard ass and Nick reassuring me that Mr. Roach was one of the kindest, coolest teachers at our school and was not the same man he was however many years ago. And Nick was right, Mr. Roach was the best teacher I ever had.

And I never told him how much it all meant to me. How his kindness always shown so bright to me, especially after losing my dad. I feel like all the fucked up cousin shit happened as soon as my dad died, especially cause he wasn't there to intervene anymore. (My dad didn't really like that side of the family so when they were around he was pretty vigilant about how they behaved) but Nick was always kind and friendly. I never felt like a burden, or 'just a girl' or annoying or all that general 'youngest one nobody likes' vibes.

And I never told him that it meant so much to me. And now I can't. And I hurt because I can't tell him and I also hurt because I feel like I shouldnt feel as sad as I do because as we grew up and my mom married and moved us away and we grew apart. I saw him less and less. The tight bond we had growing up faded as we aged and wasn't maintained. Sure everytime we saw each other we always fell back into that bond, but those times became so few and far between...and...how can I be so sad when I hadn't seen him for over 2 years? I didn't even know his wife outside of her name.

And I know that feeling that 'undeserving of feeling sad' is super irrational. But I just...I can't seem to turn it off. And it couples with the guilt and anger of never telling him how he was such a beacon of kindness growing up and how as an adult I realize how important that was for me as a child to have.

I have so many emotions about him dying right now and I've kept it all mostly to myself. But it's mostly regret and frustration at myself...I'm hurting for sure right now...

[portalford]

Chasing Dreams ‘til We Reach Them

AO3

Mabel crosses her arms, decides against it, and puts her hands on her hips instead.  She wants to look scolding, not mad.  “Grunkle Ford, you haven’t been sleeping.”

Ford startles a little at her voice.  “What?”

“You haven’t been sleeping!  Dipper always gets bags under his eyes when he stays up too late, just like you.”  Mabel squints suspiciously.  “Do you chew on your shirt, too?”

“What?  No, I don’t chew on my shirt.”

“That’s good.  Sweaters are super soft, but they taste awful.”  She’s only tried it twice, maybe three times, but never again.

Ford’s just kind of looking at her, half-slumped over his journal, and Mabel stops trying to joke because this is just sad.

She walks over to him and clambers up into his lap.  He pushes his chair back to make room for her and she hugs him, mindful of his injuries.  She’s still got a few bumps and bruises from Weirdmageddon, too, but hers all have sparkly bandaids.  Ford’s just got boring white bandages, but he lets Mabel draw on them sometimes, so that’s good.

“Grunkle Ford, why don’t you sleep?”

Ford sighs.  She feels him rest his chin on her hair.  “I’ve never been very good at sleeping, Mabel.  Always too much to do, too much to see, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.  Dipper’s always up reading a nerd book.”

Ford’s chuckle ruffles her hair.  “I did that quite a bit at his age myself.  Stanley used to hide my books before bed.”

That’s a really good idea, actually.  Mabel usually just whisper-shouts until Dipper gives up and pays attention to her.  “Do you stay up late reading nerd books now?”

“Sometimes, yes.”

Mabel pulls away to look at him.  “What about other times?”

“Other times, I just don’t sleep.”

“Do you have nightmares?”

He won’t look her in the eyes.  “Occasionally.”

Mabel still hasn’t figured out how Stan’s twin brother can be so bad at lying.

Ford is smiling at her now, but it doesn’t make his eyes light up the way his real smiles do, so Mabel knows it’s fake.  “I’m fine, Mabel.  I’ve just got a lot of work to catch up on.  I’ve been away thirty years, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Mabel gives him another hug, willing every bit of her own happiness into her uncle’s body, before sliding off his lap.  “Have fun with your science stuff, Grunkle Ford!”

Ford smiles again, and it looks a little more real this time.  “I will.”

Mabel stops in the TV room to take a deep breath.

Plan A didn’t work.  That’s okay.  She’s got plans all the way through E by herself, and she’ll get Dipper and Soos for backup and invent a whole new alphabet if that’s what it takes to get Grunkle Ford to sleep.  It’s her life mission until it gets fixed.

Plan B: Grunkle Stan.

*****

“Grunkle Stan?”

Stan looks up from the gift shop counter and smiles at her.  “Hey, kiddo.  What’s up?”

“Not much.  How’s your brain doing?”

“It’s got all the useless information it had yesterday, so I’d say it's doin’ pretty good.”

Mabel laughs.  Stan always knows how to cheer her up.  She jumps up to sit on the counter, and starts kicking her legs.  “Actually, I did have a question.”

“No, you can’t set up the sprinkler system indoors.”

“That wasn’t my question, but I will ask about that later.”  Mabel kicks her heels against the counter a couple more times, listening to the hollow thump-thump.  “Grunkle Stan, why doesn’t Grunkle Ford sleep?”

Stan’s smile disappears.  “What?”

“Grunkle Ford doesn’t sleep.  Sometimes I come downstairs for a midnight snack, and he’s always in the kitchen working or I can hear him in the basement.  And he’s always got bags under his eyes, and not the usual old-man kind.”  Mabel shrugs.  “Just… not sleeping always makes me and Dipper super cranky and sad, and I don’t want Grunkle Ford to feel like that.  I want to help.”

Stan sighs and hoists himself up on the counter next to her.  “I know you do, sweetie.  You’re a good kid.”

“I asked him about it and he just talked about other stuff.”

Stan snorts.  “Yeah, he does that.”

“Well I don’t want him to!  I want him to sleep, because he’s old and needs to sleep and be happy.”  Mabel grabs Stan’s arm and looks urgently up at him.  “Why won’t he sleep?”

Stan tugs his arm away so he can wrap it around her.  “Right, how to put this.  Y’see, kid, it’s… you know how Dipper was, after that sock puppet thing?”

Mabel does.  Dipper kept having bad dreams and pacing around and clinging to Ford’s journal like it was the only thing holding him together.  It was one of the worst weeks of Mabel’s life, and she just had the apocalypse.  “Yeah.”

“Well that was, what, a couple hours of putting up with that demon?  You saw how bad it was for him?  Ford’s been doing that for thirty years.”

Mabel’s brain breaks for a second.  Thirty years of bad dreams and pacing around and hanging on to your weird nerd books just to keep it together?  She tries to imagine having nightmares and no sleep for her whole life, then twice that, and her brain breaks again.  She stops thinking about it and hangs on to Stan’s arm instead. “Grunkle Stan, that’s so sad.”

“Yeah.”  Stan sounds sad, and really tired.  “Ford’s just got a lot to deal with, you know?  Bill’s been after him for half his life.  It’s hard to stop running when you’ve been at it a long time.  Hard to believe you’re finally safe.”

Mabel looks up at him.  “Did you ever have to run from anyone?”

Stan shrugs.  “Once or twice.”

“So what did you do?  What made you feel safe again?”

Stan shrugs again.  “Just hangin’ out, mostly.  Having time to think about it and realize that it was really over.  Also changing my name and holing up in a tourist shack in the woods, but I don’t think Ford’s gonna want to do that.”

Mabel giggles.  “He already lives in a tourist shack in the woods.”

“Not his choice, I’ll tell ya.”  Stan ruffles her hair playfully.  “You wanna hear what really makes Ford happy?”

Mabel leans closer.  “A magic science thing?  Is it dangerous?”  She gasps.  “Will we have to go on a mission to find it?”

Stan gently bops her on the head.  “You can go on as many magic science missions as you want, so long as you don’t drag me into it, but no.  What really makes Ford happy is you and your brother.”

“Really?”

“Really.  You two knuckleheads mean a lot to him.”  He rubs the back of his neck.  “To both of us, honestly.”

“Aww, Grunkle Stan.”  Mabel twists around so she can hug him properly.  “I love you too.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Stan’s tone is dismissive, but his arm tightens around her.  “I’m guessing you won’t listen to me if I tell you to just let Ford work it out on his own?”

“No way!  I’m gonna fix this.”

“That’s what I thought.  Just think of something that makes you feel good when you’re having a bad day, and as long as it’s not loud or glittery Ford will probably love it.  Or at least tolerate it for your sake.”

Mabel scowls and pokes Stan in the side.  “Grunkle Stan, I want it to make him happy so that he’ll sleep.”

Stan pokes her back.  “I just told you — if it’s something you’re doing for him, it’ll make him happy.  Just think safe and quiet.”

“Safe and quiet…”  Mabel jumps up so fast she falls off the counter.  She pops back up immediately.  “I’m okay!”  She hugs Stan around the legs.  “Thank you, Grunkle Stan!”

She’s already halfway out the door when Stan shouts “no karaoke!” after her.  She ignores it; Stan loves family karaoke.  Ford can join in next week, too, but first:

“Dipper!”  Mabel bursts into their room, almost knocking her brother over.  “Dipper, come on!  I need your help with something.”

*****

“So what is this about again?”

“We’re having a party!”

Ford doesn’t exactly pull back, but he definitely hesitates.  “A party?”

“Well,” Mabel amends, “it’s not really a party because it’s just me and Dipper, and maybe Stan when he gets back from his thing with Soos, but we might play truth or dare and other party games, so it’s a party!”

“Ah.”  Ford does pull back when he sees the living room.  “You turned the entire room into—”

“A pillow fort?  You bet!”

Mabel’s super proud of this idea, and it only took her and Dipper the entire afternoon.  They gathered up every pillow in the whole house, then every pillow in Soos’s house, then Dipper went to ask the Multibear and came back with a golf cart full of pillows.

“He’s got one for every head,”  Dipper had said, and that was that.

Mabel tugs at Ford’s hand.  “Come on!  Actually, wait.”  She points at his boots.  “No shoes allowed in pillow forts.  It’s the rule.”

“I see.”  Ford pulls his boots off and drops them near the doorframe.  “Is that better?”

“Much.”

Mabel had thought about all the things that make her feel better when she’s sad:  Dipper, Stan, Ford, Soos, Candy Grenda, Waddles, Sweatertown, ice cream, glitter, arts and crafts, disco parties, and about a hundred other things, but most of them probably weren’t things Ford would like.  Especially disco parties.  And that was fine, because disco parties were fun, but they kept you awake and energized, which was the opposite of what Mabel was going for here.

She’d landed on a pillow fort as the perfect thing.  You sleep with pillows and blankets, and you can play fun games and eat fun snacks and spend time with your family, and those are all good things.  She just isn't going to connect this in any way to their conversation this morning, because that’ll make Ford get all weird and unhappy and this is a Good Vibes Only zone.

Ford settles crosslegged under the big blanket tent Soos helped them rig up with eye hooks on the ceiling (Stan won't mind) and looks at her intently.  “So what do we do at this party?  Besides truth or dare.”

“Well, Dipper and I usually tell stories, or play video games, or braid each other’s hair.”  Suddenly excited, “Grunkle Ford, do you know how to braid hair?”

“Well, I’ve never tried to braid hair, but I know how to braid rugs.  Also, there’s a species on Jeevar 8 that braids its fur in different ways to keep it clean and show status, and I stayed with a family with three children who taught me—”

Mabel’s already flinging her headband across the room.  “Show me!”

Ford laughs.  “All right.”

It’s a very complicated braid, but Ford is gentle and only pulls once, and that’s really Mabel’s fault for getting excited and bouncing.

“Is it easier to braid hair with six fingers?” she asks.

Ford’s hands pause momentarily.  “I suppose I can hold more strands at a time,” he replies, twisting her hair up near the back of her neck, “but you could do this with five fingers.”

“Sweet, because I want you to teach me all the braids you know.  Including the rug ones.”  

“I can do that.”  There’s the slight scrape of a pin on her scalp.  “And… that’s done,” Ford announces, just as Dipper finally makes an appearance with the snacks.  

“Dipper!  Grunkle Ford space-braided my hair!”  Mabel twirls around to show it off.  

“That’s really cool, Mabel.”  Dipper sounds genuinely impressed, but that might just be because it’s a space braid.  Mabel runs to the bathroom to check herself out in the mirror, and that is definitely a space braid.  

“It’s beautiful, Grunkle Ford!”  Mabel yells when she runs back to the TV room.  “I love it!”

Ford looks up from one of the boxes Dipper brought in.  “I’m glad it meets your approval.  What’s this?”  

Mabel flops down next to the box.  “Pictionary!  It’s like an art guessing game.  You’d be great at it.”

Eight rounds later, Mabel is sort of forced to reconsider.

“Grunkle Ford, you’re so good at this you’re bad at it.”

Ford is comparing her drawing of ‘in the doghouse’ with his of ‘third wheeling.’  “Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

“It is kind of funny to see the Author’s drawing style in Pictionary though,”  Dipper offers.

“That’s true.”  Mabel jumps up, scattering pencils and paper.  “Hey Grunkle Ford, if I pose, can you draw me but give me a really pretty dress?”

Ford looks confused, but he’s already reaching for a pencil.  “Why?”

“So I can hang it on my wall forever.”

Ford does, in fact, draw Mabel posing in a really pretty dress.  He also draws Dipper in an outfit that may or may not resemble his own portal attire, and Dipper and Mabel together as super-rad government agents.

Mabel holds this last drawing up triumphantly.  “With the power of imagination, we can be anything we want, and with the power of Grunkle Ford’s drawing, we can make other people believe it!

“Please don’t con other people using my art.”

“We’re gonna con other people using your art.”

“No, we’re not,” Dipper says hurriedly, snatching the paper away.

They play charades and a couple different card games and consider a game of Monopoly, but Dipper is already starting to nod off, so Mabel introduces Ford to origami instead.  The paper they were using for Pictionary isn’t really origami paper, but whatever.

Ford glances at a snoring Dipper over his origami Mothman.  “Should I take him to bed?”

“What?  No.  That’s missing the whole point of a pillow party.”

“Which is?”

“Passing out in a big pile.”

Ford folds out the wings on his Mothman.  “I don’t know if I’ll be very good at that part.”

“That’s okay.  Staying up all night is always an option.”

Ford gives her a Look.  “You do need to sleep at some point.”

Mabel bites her tongue on “so do you,” because that’ll make him suspicious, if he hasn’t figured it out already.  “I know.”  She holds out her origami pig to change the subject.  “Look, I made Waddles!”

Ford smiles.  “It looks just like him.”

An hour later, Mabel is curled up under a blanket against Ford’s side, listening to portal stories.

“So she really was a princess?”

“Yes, the last of her family and hereditary ruler of her planet.  It was right out of a fairytale.”  Ford shifts a little, adding another pillow to the pile he’s propped up on.  “It was a privilege to meet her.  She was very kind, and helped me immeasurably on my journey.”

“Sounds like you saw some really cool stuff.”  Mabel’s eyes are drooping, but she’s determined not to fall asleep.  Not until Ford does.

“I did.”  A pause.  “There was a lot that… wasn’t good, in the multiverse.  There was a lot that was good.  I had my fair share of both.”

“M’glad you’re back home now,”  Mabel mumbles.  Ford is warm and his sweater is soft and it’s really hard to think of things to say.  “Getting to meet you was one of th’ best parts of this summer."

There’s a long silence, then Mabel feels Ford’s hand run over her braided hair.  “I’ll go one better and say that meeting you and Dipper was one of the best parts of the last thirty years.”

“You win.”  Her eyes are shut now, but she hears Ford laugh softly.

“I think we both did.”

*****

Mabel wakes up slowly.  She’s warm and comfortable and last night was wonderful, and—

last night.

Ford.

Mabel is awake in an instant.  She messed up; she wasn’t supposed to sleep until she figured out something that would help Ford sleep and they have to go home in a few days and—

her common sense catches up to the rest of her brain and tells her to chill, and also to look around.

She does, and sees the pillow fort is more or less intact.  Dipper is still asleep with his face mashed against the Pictionary box, and he’s gonna have a heck of a red mark when he wakes up.

Ford is—

Ford is behind her, and fast asleep.

Mabel rubs her eyes to make sure she’s not dreaming, then rubs them again, even harder.  They start watering and she has to rub them a third time to clear them, but she’s definitely awake.

She’s awake, and Ford’s not.

He slipped off his pile of pillows at some point during the night, and now he’s curled up on his side.  Curled up around her, actually, which explains why she’s so warm and comfy.  

Ford slept last night, at least for a little while.  Mabel kind of wants to give a victory whoop, but she’d have to go out into the woods to avoid waking him up and she can’t be bothered to move right now.

Heavy footsteps cross the carpet, and Stan’s head pokes around the corner of the blanket.

His eyebrows shoot up when he sees Ford.  He glances at his watch, then back at Ford, and then at Mabel.  She beams proudly at him.

“You did it, kid,” he whispers.  “Remodeled the TV room, but you did it.”

“I sure did,” she whispers back.  “Power of Mabel!”  She wiggles one arm out of her blanket and points at the stairs.  “Can you get the camera?  I want a picture for my scrapbook.”

Stan winks and slips away.  Mabel carefully settles back against Ford, thinking up and discarding photo poses.  In the end, when Stan returns with the camera, she just decides to lay her head on Ford’s shoulder and smile.

“I want a copy of this picture,” Stan says, pointing at the camera.  “Photographic proof that Stanford Pines does, in fact, sleep.”

“You got it.”

“Whassat?”  Dipper blearily raises his head.  Sure enough, he’s got a big red mark on his cheek.  

Stan immediately takes another picture.

Dipper groans and rubs his eyes.  “Ow, ow, Grunkle Stan it’s—” a brief pause while Dipper realizes that he has no idea what time it is— “too early for this.”

“It’s eight o’ clock, kid, so I agree, but three out of four are already awake.”

“Three out of—”  Dipper turns.  “Oh, hey Mabel.  Is Grunkle Ford still sleeping?”

“Yeah.  He must have been really tired.”

“Idiot’s been up all week.  And injured, too,” Stan grumbles, but his expression is fond when he looks at Ford.  “Good on you for getting him to sleep, kids.”

“Thanks, Grunkle Stan.”  Mabel glances down at Ford, suddenly anxious.  “What are you gonna do when we leave?  Is he going to stop sleeping again?”

“I’ll make him a pillow fort every d—dang night if that’s what it takes to get him to sleep.”  Stan’s voice is dead serious, and it makes Mabel feel better.

“Okay.”  She leans against Ford again, determined to stay until he wakes up on his own.  “I don’t think you’ll have to, though.  I think he’ll be okay.”

Stan smiles at her, a kind of contented she doesn’t usually see from him. 

“I think we all will, pumpkin.

Mabel smiles back.  She thinks they will, too.

[crimsonblackrose]

I’m officially reunited with about 90% of my things. It’s weird. Very very weird but I feel like there’s some stable ground beneath my feet. It just feels nice to not be living out of a suitcase that’s mostly business professional clothing and be reunited with comfy college t-shirts. I’ve gone through all of my stuff, mostly organized it, and set up a bookcase. As a lifelong bookworm and someone who went to college for writing, I have a lot of books. And I haven’t read all of those books. So I decided books I haven’t read or don’t remember reading will go on the bookcase. The rest will stay in their boxes.

My plan when I was expecting to come home pre-pandemic was to frequent the library but try and focus on the books I haven’t read yet that I own. I figured if there were things I desperately wanted to read that I couldn’t get at the library I’d get it for my e-reader or maybe at the store after getting a job. But then the pandemic happened and our library has only recently opened so e-reader and my TBR bookcase should get me through for a while. (Plus I can always grab something off of my aunt or uncle’s bookshelves if I need to branch out. They’ve already given me recommendations.)

The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri by Dante Alighieri. This book is too big to fit on the shelves so it’s chilling at the top with my Korean Count of Monte Cristo musical book. This is one of my Dad’s books that he gave me when he moved. I’m sure I missed more that are in a box in the basement. I organized but I have lot of books so I know I missed things.f

So buckle up here’s all the books on my bookcase in no particular order. Shelf #!.

The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula K. Le Guin is a staple author for fantasy and I thought for sure I’d read this but I wasn’t 100% sure so I grabbed it anyway.

Monsterkind by Taylor C. I kickstarted this a long time ago and it’s one of the things in my boxes that I didn’t realize I had because I’m pretty sure it arrived while I was in Korea. I’ve sadly missed the cut off for book two but am pretty excited to jump into this.

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel. I don’t know when or where I got it but looking at the tag line I can see why I found it intriguing “The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein” sounds fun.

And Another thing… Douglas Adams Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Part six of Three by Eoin Colfer. Fun fact when I was in elementary through high school I read everything Eoin Colfer I could get my hands on and I loved The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy and everything I’ve read by Douglas Adams so this was a no brainer. Though I haven’t read it because I guess I don’t know what it is.Aa sequel? A prequel? Something in between? No idea, it’ll be a fun adventure.

What You Don’t Know About Men by Michael Burke. This is one of those books where I’m just staring at it wondering where it came from and why I have it.  It is signed and after deep diving my own Instagram it’s a book from college. But whether I met the author at an event, something I was volunteering for or at school is beyond me.

Gramarye City by Paul Revere Lester. This is another signed book, but I’m pretty sure it’s self published since there was nothing about it on Goodreads. Could be wrong. But this one I don’t know if it’s from high school writer’s club or what since it, like the last one references my own writing and cheers me on in the note with the signing.

Fiery Dark Secret by Emma Bown Meyer this one is also signed but doesn’t reference my own writing or any sort of cheering me on so who knows. I’m going to assume this is from a library event where the authors came and signed their books from when I was in high school.

Hush Girls by Emily Hansen. Another signed book. You could guess that I don’t read books I get signed but in this case this came out this year and it’s one of the few books I’ve recently purchased. Emily Hansen was one of my cohorts and I try my best to support my cohorts.

Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones, did I get this book because it was recommended reading in college or because it looks cool or was it gifted to me? No clue.

Zombies vs Unicorns. This is a collection of short stories about Zombies versus Unicorns. So each author picked a team and wrote a story to try and grab the reader to their side and some of my favorite authors are in this collection and it’s just super cool looking so I’m greatly looking forward to reading it.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, oh this book hasn’t been read out of pure spite. My department in college had this thing where we had to go and attend “literary” events and then write about them as part of our grade. The problem being there were plenty of literary events for people over the age of 21. So many readings and events that our teachers recommended did not work for those of us under the age of 21 who weren’t allowed in the bars. For one of these my friend said that a famous author had an event at Borders (RIP) on the other end of the city from where we lived. So a small group of us went all the way out to that Borders realized we weren’t early enough to sit in on the discussion which was then sold out and our best and final bet was to get a number for the book signing. So we did that and got dinner nearby. My friends had books but I had nothing to get signed. This book was one of the few ones out and on sale so I bought it and then spent the many hours left waiting in that line reading manga.

Here’s the thing. Kudos to David Sedaris’s work ethic. He’s one of those authors who will stay until everyone in line goes through as long as the place is willing to stay open. Which is super cool. But for me, a college kid who was utterly exhausted and had never even heard of the author before, showed up at 3am after waiting in line for ages to learn Mr. Sedaris either requests a joke or gives you a joke when he meets you. I really really just wanted to get the book signed so I could go back to my dorm and sleep and then write up my journal entry for class. I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. And my humor isn’t really okay with cancer jokes at any time let alone 3am. So I haven’t read this book. It’s been on my shelves for ages, moved from dorm room to dorm room to boxes and forgotten. But it’s signed. And even though I’m still very bitter I’m willing to give it a shot. But I don’t have high hopes.

Listen to the Echos, The Ray Bradbury Interviews by Sam Weller, to continue with the books I’m bitter about and have been putting off reading. This book is also signed and the signing is the part that I’m a little bitter about. Again backstory time. So there’s two things you should know. One is that my school would host some pretty cool events from time to time with dinners and what not with authors or other people in the arts and one of my best college friends and her family went to this school fancy dinner at, I believe, the school’s President’s home and they very sweetly got me this book. What kills me on the inside is the signing.

Lauren!

A gift from the —– family!

Live Forever!

Sam Weller

Now you might be like well it is a gift, right? True. But the kicker. The painful kicker was that Sam Weller was my teacher. I was in his Ray Bradbury class at the time this was signed. I spent an entire semester learning about what made Ray Bradbury who he was and how his short stories and works created a ripple effect that gave us so many beloved movies, stories and idioms we have today. I loved that class. I planned to get this book myself and get it signed because I enjoyed it and the teacher so much. And this is the equivalent of getting “Have a great summer” in your yearbook. Now to be real, he probably didn’t put two and two together and at some point, I could’ve tried to get it re-signed but I didn’t. I should’ve, I wish I did. Because I remember laughing about it and taking the book to class but I chickened out. I think, in all honesty, it has to do with teachers who make huge impacts on you and then forgetting who you are when you’re not in class with them. My college departmental advisor just completely forgot who I was when I went to visit after graduating. I get it. I do, but it sure does sting.

Breverton’s Nautical Curiosities by Terry Breverton which is a delightful book about nautical things, another passion of mine from growing up. I’ve never sat down and read it but I’ve flipped through it many a time.

Feeding Hannibal a Connoisseur’s Cookbook by Janice Poon. I loved this TV show and I’m forever in awe of Janice Poon and how she made the food look appetizing but also vaguely human (gross, very gross) while also edible for the cast. I bought this in Korea at the Seoul Comic Con and brought it home.

Healing Herbal Teas: A Complete Guid to Making Delicious, Healthful Beverages by Brigitte Mars, A.H.G. I don’t know if you know this but I love tea. I’m warming up to coffee in the same way I am to booze, as long as I don’t taste it we’re good. But with tea I’m obsessed. This was a gift. I haven’t set about reading it but I am curious about it.

Onto shelf #2

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I’m not sure if other majors have this but my department while I was there was pretty obsessed with this book. Not teacher’s necessarily but my cohorts talked about it a lot and said they loved it or talked about how it shaped them. So I bought it. Don’t know why since one of the go-to books that drew a lot of students to our school and department because the teacher worked there  creeped me out but hey, willing to give this massive book a try.

The Revenge of the Shadow King by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis. This is a book that’s been on my shelf a long time. Probably since around when it came out in 2005 that I just kept putting off reading even though I knew I wanted to read it. I’m a sucker for fantasy novels with fey or even a twisty dark vibe to them.

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. I’m going to be honest, bought this book because of the cover. It was a pretty art style with faeries of some kind.

The Magicina of Hoad by Margaret Mahy, for a paperback this book is super shiny. Not sure if that’s why I got it or because anything genre tended to grab my attention in high school.

Timeline by Michael Crichton. In my first year of college, my group of friends and I had a secret Santa and the person who had me didn’t have a clue what to get me except books. So he decided to do one of my favorite things ever which was to get me some books that were his favorites. This is one of them that I hadn’t gotten around to reading yet.

Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan. I’ve been saving this one. I spent most of high school and college devouring any nightmarish adventure Darren Shan concocted. The Thin Executioner is still one of my favorites despite being so ghastly. This one though I remember spotting at the store and going “how dare no one tell me he’d come out with a new book?” And grabbing it. However after living overseas so long I’m sure I’m behind on a lot of books and authors I used to keep up to date on before.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Sorceress, The Necromancer and the Magician by Michael Scott. You may remember I’ve read the first in this series and did not enjoy it. But I heard from some other readers that the series gets better and since I have these three books as hard backs which aren’t cheap I’m determined to read them and give them a shot before…probably donating them.

Lost in Space by Ben Tanser. My college hosted a literary event every year while I was there called Story Week. They invited authors and publishers and agents to celebrate books and share what they knew and it was free. As a person who volunteered for it several times it means I’m not sure if I bought all the books I own or if I just got some of the books and this is one of them. I know the publisher was big with our school, our teachers and faculty loved Curbside Splendor, but again I don’t know. This isn’t signed so I think it’s a case of I got it to better understand the publisher and then didn’t get around to reading it because I had big paper’s due like every other day and required reading as well as job and club responsibilities. How I got any fun reading done is beyond me.

The Old Neighborhood by Bill Hillmann is one that I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t read before now. It’s signed and the author came to class to talk to us about his work because he was good friends with our teacher. He seemed pretty cool and still does. He usually does the Running of the Bulls in Spain and actually got pretty injured one year and made international news.

Where’d you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. I got this book for free as part of “World Book Night U.S. April 23, 2014” which is pretty cool but I did not read it when I think I was supposed to. Nearly over 6 years late on that one. Sorry World Book Night.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I don’t know about this one. Did I get it because movies were being adapted of Ayn Rand’s work? Did I get it because people were talking about it? Did I get it just out of curiosity because her work is so polarising and pretty much as hated as Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey were within my cohort? Was it on a list of books to read? Not a clue. I’ve read Atlas Shrugged since and looking at the size of this book it’s going to be a long journey of tiny print.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. My local public library when I was growing up would participate in a book event where they’d pick a book and then everyone could sign up for that book and they’d host events related to it. Like a big massive book club. Chicago did it too with Neverwhere and many others. I signed up, got the book and then…didn’t read it.

The Princess and the Pirates: The Timelight Stone by Mio Chizuru. This book is a library book. A high school library book that they stamped with rejected and removed all the stuff on it. I assume I got this from a book sale of our library getting rid of books or the librarian just told me she was getting rid of books and since I was working there during my free periods repairing books. The bonus I guess of being a constant presence. It looks like manga but it’s actually a novel, so it’ll be interesting.

Emerald Death by Bill Craig I’m not 100% certain but I’m pretty sure this was from my childhood public library again. It’s signed and I think it was from one of the author events.

The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet this is like Lost in Space. I bought this so I could better understand the publication because my genre teachers were full of praise for Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet and honestly loved the style. But got too busy to read it. I’m sure I have another collection or two for a different publisher in my boxes somewhere but that can wait. I’ve never really been one to read anthologies or collections of short stories so these types of books usually fall a bit on my TBR list. But I should read them.

Push and The Kid by Sapphire. Both of these are signed and were from a literary event while I was in college through the Harold Washington Library. I think I attended an interview at the library where she discussed her work. From what I remember I know these books aren’t going to be the happiest so I am pretty sure that’s why I’ve set them aside.

The final shelf time.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.  I borrowed this book in high school from my dad because we were supposed to read it in English and then…never did. I don’t know why. We probably we got too busy in the other books we were supposed to read that we also never finished. Like Julius Ceaser by Shakespeare that we just stopped reading after he died. So, thank you, Dad, for letting me keep it along with all the others.

The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles, this book is pretty beaten up but I always grab classics even if 70% of the time I hate them. This was probably for a class, quite possibly the most frustrating class I ever took, or I found it cheap somewhere.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo I picked this up in Paris. Pretty sure I read some copy of this in high school in French and I’ve seen the musical in Korean and the movie version as well as the old film of the musical my French teacher had…but we’ll see how I remember it as I go with the translated English.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I also got this in Paris. I’ve never read it but after learning about how it single handedly saved Notre Dame I feel like I have to.

Redwall: The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques. This is the last book Brain Jacques wrote that was published posthumously. I loved Redwall so much and I’m pretty sure I’ve read almost every novel Brian Jacques wrote. When he died I was heartbroken and I got the book but just couldn’t bring myself to read it.

Artemis Fowl the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer, I loved the Artemis Fowl series when I was younger and I really want to jump into this book which is book 7 in the series but I think I’m going to have to go back through my boxes and find the rest of them before reading book seven. It’s been waaaayyyy too long.

The Faeman Quest by Herbie Brennan is another series I absolutely adored when I was younger. Again it’s another where it’s been so long I’ll probably have to re-read the previous books in The Faerie Wars Chronicles to fully understand what’s going on here.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Up to this point I was fairly good at reading all of Neil Gaiman’s works. And attending any event he had in Chicago. This one I remember going to with a bunch of friends at the Music Box theater and then staying up late with them to get it signed. It was a fun event but I was saving it to read later since it’s a small book.

Silas Marner by George Eliot not sure where this one came from but I haven’t read it so here it is. I recognize the title though but don’t know why.

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix. I love books by Garth Nix he’s one of those authors in Zombies vs Unicorns but I haven’t gotten around to reading this one or even finishing the series of his I started and loved when I was younger. (I don’t like things to end)

Swords of Riverside by Ellen Kushner. This has harlequin romance vibes from the cover but also older fantasy/historical novel vibes. Don’t know where I got it or why but it’ll be interesting for sure. Very curious to see which it falls into or if just the long hair blown back by invisible wind on the male character was just for fun.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, middle school/high school me might not have jumped on the Uglies train whenever one else did but I apparently went ahead and got this book by the author. (Fun fact he’s also in Zombies vs Unicorns). I assume I grabbed it because of the familiar author name and the steampunk vibe of the cover.

Seven Sorcerers by Caro King has a spooky-looking cover with magic vibes, my go to when I was younger.

Changeling by Delia Sherman, when I tell you any sort of fantasy fey adventure or magic novel usually ended up on my shelf just because it fell into that category I’m not joking. This cover is kinda creepy and weird but I can see why I got it because of the title. Oh boy.

These are the books that I plan to read for the most part of the rest of this year. Mixing in e-books and maybe some old ones. There are more books on my bookcase but those are reference or books I’ve read but didn’t remember until I started making this list and realized I had. I also have several books that I didn’t realize were book 6 of a series where I haven’t read or own book one through five. So that’s going to require being set aside until I can check books out from the library. (I’m putting it off because I’m trying to figure out how to renew my library card that’s been inactive for over 5 years during a pandemic)

Anyway wish me luck.

What are some books you’ve had on your shelf for a long time and haven’t gotten rid of but also haven’t read yet?

TBR Bookcase tour I'm officially reunited with about 90% of my things. It's weird. Very very weird but I feel like there's some stable ground beneath my feet.

[camillemontespan]

the golden boy [interview with leo rhys]

I wrote this a month ago and after editing, think I’m ready to post it. No reason for this other than it’s Leo!

@fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @pug-bitch @moonlightgem7 @emceesynonymroll @burnsoslow @ibldw-main @emichelle @katedrakeohd  @notoriouscs @thecordoniandiaries @gardeningourmet @dcbbw @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @be-still-my-aching-heart @rainbowsinthestorm

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When I come face to face with Prince Leo of Cordonia, his smile reminds me of the quote from F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.

Leo has that smile. It lights up his face and makes me feel all gooey and warm. We meet on an Autumn day at a coffee shop on the square and he enters the shop wearing a brown leather jacket, black woolen sweater, jeans and boots. He looks like an off duty model, not a prince. He ignores those who turn to stare at him and greets me with that smile and a kiss on the cheek.

'Sorry I'm late,' he says, before settling down on the chair opposite me. The waitress comes over to take our order, blushing as she asks what he would like. 'I'll have a latte,' he says, giving her the same smile he gave me, 'and the lady will have?' he gestures to me. I ask for a cappuccino.

'Sorry, I did read your email but I've forgotten your name,' he tells me, wincing apologetically.

'Carmen,' I say. He flashes me a wolfish grin. 'Nice to meet you, Carmen.'

I gather together my notes but can't help but feel like he is watching me. I look up and he is, his arm draped over the back of his chair, that smile on his face. He is all golden skin and golden hair; a Greek god come to life. I clear my throat and ask how he's settling back into Royal life after spending years away travelling.

'It feels good!' he enthuses. 'Honestly it's nice to kinda be settled and spend time with good people. It's awesome seeing my little brother again.'

His little brother is King Liam. Three years ago, Leo was the one with the crown on his head until he suddenly announced he was abdicating. He left Cordonia and his brother took the throne and crown, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Leo has the decency to look guilty when I bring the subject up. When the waitress comes back with our coffees, he looks relieved for the distraction.

'Okay, I'm an honest person,' he says. 'An open book. I'll tell you anything and to be honest, I do regret leaving my brother in the lurch like that. But I was in no way fit to be a king. I never have been.'

I ask if he could elaborate. He fixes me with his forest green eyes. 'Carmen,' he says, 'look at me. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. I'm a reckless irresponsible asshole who would have run Cordonia into the ground if I was given absolute power. Trust me, I may have gone about it the wrong way but I made the right decision.'

Leo is the party boy of the Royal family. Much like Prince Harry in the UK, he spent his early twenties drinking, running around with girls and acting like there was no tomorrow. Leo smirks at the comparison with Prince Harry.

'Thing is, Prince Harry was the second born, the spare. He is never going to be the king which was why he could pull all that shit when he was younger. That said, I don’t condone dressing up like a WW2 figure -you know who I mean- Jesus, have some fucking decorum... But I didn't have that luxury of being the spare but I sure acted like I did. It should have been Liam going out till 7am every night but it wasn't. It was me.'

Prince Harry is in his thirties now with a wife and baby. Has Leo grown up?

'Do you see me with a wife and kid?' he jokes. He smiles and sips his coffee before answering.

'I think I've turned over a new leaf but don't quote me on that.'

He had been engaged to Duchess Madeleine but that ended abruptly, at the same time he abdicated. Has he seen her since he's been back? Leo runs his hand through his blonde hair awkwardly.

'Okay so you know how I said I'm an open book? Yeah, scratch that. Maddie is off limits in this conversation.'

He must still care for her if he calls her Maddie.

'Actually, I don't,' he says shortly. 'We've moved on. She's dating, she's happy. I just don't think she would appreciate me talking about her. She likes her privacy.'

I feel myself turn red. He's told me off. His eyes soften and he gives me an apologetic smile. 'Sorry, Carmen,' he says. 'I didn't mean to be a dick.'

We brush past the awkwardness and I ask him if he's dating. He chuckles. 'I'm seeing people.'

People. So not just one. Clearly, he isn't settling down just yet.

'I can't be pinned down,' he says. 'I'm actually a terrible boyfriend.'

I ask how.

'Ugh, God. I make promises I don't intend to keep. I believe the best way to fix an argument is just buy the girl something sparkly instead of talking about feelings. I take forever to answer texts. I choose a night out with the guys over a romantic night in. I’m always late. Shall I go on?'

So this new leaf he thinks he's turned over. If he's not settling down, what's changed?

'I'm actually staying in Cordonia permanently,' he answers. 'A year ago, I would have hated the idea of putting down roots and settling but now, I'm happy to be home. I want to make up for lost time and make amends to my brother. I know I can be an asshole but I am actually a good person underneath it all. I've learned the hard way that my actions have consequences and I don't want to treat those I love like shit again.'

He gives me a happy smile. ‘Liam is doing so good,’ he says. ‘I’m honestly so proud of him. He’s really turning Cordonia into a modern place and he listens to the people, you know? He genuinely cares. I’m glad I’m back with him.’

Who is he close with at court aside from Liam?

'Maxwell Beaumont is the fucking MVP,' he says, a broad smile forming on his tanned face. 'Honestly, he's the best. We bonded over his love for planning a Beaumont Bash. You know I love a party. We've joked that we should start our own party planning business.'

He then begins to list other famous faces at court. 'Drake Walker is my brother’s best friend but we get on well. He's changed so much since I was away, I mean he's married now! I always thought he would end up living in someone's basement like a weird uncle.. But no, he's married to Camille [the Duchess of Valtoria] and they have a baby. It's insane.'

I ask if he's close with Olivia Nevrakis, Liam's childhood friend. He smirks. 'Define close?'

I blanch at his suggestiveness. 'Are you guys..'?

He laughs and takes a swig of coffee. 'Ha! As if I'm telling you that! I mean, I would but Olivia would castrate me with her favourite dagger if I said anything.'

There wasn't any denial. Leo sees me trying to work it out and chuckles. He chuckles a lot by the way, like he is in on the joke and just waiting for everyone else to catch up.

'I'm dating people, she's dating people,' he says. 'Why label anything? What is the good in doing any of that? I've had so many women believe they could change me, make me into the boyfriend they wanted and needed. They always asked me about a month in if we could talk about ‘what we are’ you know, like, define the relationship. Nothing terrifies me more than that conversation.’

I tell him that sometimes, it’s just nice to know where you stand with someone. Leo throws his hands in the air, becoming really animated now. ‘But surely, the fact I’m taking you on dates and having sex with you is enough of an indication! Why are women like this?! If I’m fucking you, then be happy.’

‘Sometimes, women want to know if they’re dating a man or a boy,’ I say. 

‘Are you saying I’m a boy?’ Leo asks me, raising an eyebrow - he is smiling though. He launches back into his subject.

‘I've started to just be brutally honest from the get go. I'm not the guy you can come to for deep conversations. I'm not going to text you good morning. If you want mindless fucking with some fancy dinners thrown in, I'm your guy. Otherwise, I'll just end up disappointing you.' His voice goes quiet .'Why deny the inevitable?'

His expression turns dark until he sees me and smiles again. 'You dating anyone, Carmen?' he asks me. I say no. He gives me a wink.

'They're missing out,' he says. He then gets serious again. 'As I said before, I learned the hard way that my actions have consequences. That's also why I'm now honest with women I might date. That new leaf again. I used to not be honest and go along with it, string them along but that's cruel. There's no need to be that kind of guy.`

Is he a feminist?

'Women should rule the fucking world,' he announces. 'Honestly, you guys are brilliant. I love women. The ones I know at court are strong and independent, they are powerful. Besides, if you believe that women and men should be equal, then you're a feminist. If you think women deserve to miss out on a promotion or pay rise because they have vaginas, then you're an asshole.'

So if he loves them so much, why does he treat women and relationships like they're nothing?

He blinks at my bluntness. I think I've definitely overstepped, until he leans forward. I catch the scent of his cologne. He smells expensive.

'Maybe I used to treat women like crap because I wanted them to dump me before I hurt them,' he whispers. 'Think of it like a weird armour.'

Has he got any chinks in this armour of his?

He gives me a wry smile. 'I love it when a woman challenges me. I like women who go toe to toe with me, who don't take my shit. Its refreshing. And so fucking sexy.'

His green eyes are steady on mine. I ask who his celebrity crush is. 

‘Ha, what am I, thirteen?’ he laughs. Shaking his head, he smiles. ‘Fine, I’ll bite. Jessica Rabbit.’

I blink. ‘Um, she’s fictional..’

‘She’s still famous though. You think I’m kidding? She’s a fucking babe.’

I note that he didn’t pick a real life woman. I wonder if that’s because he doesn’t want to admit feelings for someone real, even if it is just a fun game. He sees me studying him and sips his coffee before interrupting my thoughts. ‘Carmen, there’s no use in trying to analyse me. There’s a lot of fucked up shit going on in here.’ He points to his head and chuckles. 

I change the subject. He has been travelling for the past three years. What's been the best place he's been to?

His face lights up. 'Aw man, so many! Okay, so I went to Bali for a month which was incredible. Prague is pretty awesome, really cheap beer, I love Havana for the laidback vibe and how it’s so untouched. They have the best cars. I also tried a cruise but Jesus, that was really weird..'

Does he prefer to travel solo?

He nods. 'I can just do my own thing. There's nothing better than waking up in your own camper van with a view of the mountains in front of you and no plan. It was so freeing.'

Leo would have felt trapped as the king of Cordonia. That is obvious. Is that why he always flouted the rules?

Leo smirks. 'Rules are meant to be broken baby.'

I ask him to be serious. Leo sighs. 'Yeah. I hated this gilded cage that I was born into. A life of decorum, etiquette and restrictions is not a life I wanted, I never did. But I know there's so many people out there who have been dealt shitty cards. You've got poverty and homelessness. They've got it worse. So I shouldn't complain. But I just always wished I could be normal.'

Leo being a commoner? I can't imagine it.

Leo corrects himself. 'I tried to act normal given my life situation. I went out with girls, got drunk, did non-princely things. But being who I am.. It doesn't fit. I will always be Prince Leo, one time King of Cordonia. I will never escape that. I will never be a normal guy... It just look me a while to realise that. '

Does he regret any of his partying and the constant headlines? He nods. 'Yeah, I do. It wasn't easy for Liam. I think me acting like I did forced my brother to grow up quickly, which was unfair. As I said though, I'm back to make amends.'

I ask if he'll live in the palace. He shakes his head. 'No. I know I should but I don't like the place anyway and besides, when Liam is trying to be a king and command attention, I don't want people to look past him and at me. The abdicated king. No thanks. I've got my own place. It's got a beautiful view over the harbour.. You'd like it.'

He gives me a wink and I hate to say it but I blush. I actually blush. Leo gives me a grin. 'Tell you what, Carmen..' he says, 'anything you want to ask me, you can, but it has to be off the record and over a drink with me.'

I tell him we're drinking coffee. He chuckles. 'I meant something stronger.'

He looks at me steadily for a moment, waiting for my response.  I shake my notes, trying to look professional. Leo grins and raises his hand in the air. 'Can we have the check please?'

                                                     ******

As this article goes to print, we must inform our readers that we have had to dismiss Carmen Cortez for inappropriate behaviour with her interview subject and failing to uphold our values of journalistic professionalism.  She now works at TV Guide.

[sighingsiren-tales]

ZODIAC MEN

So, I haven’t really said it much here but I have been healing from something terrible and this was my way of healing. I love astrology and this is something that I may start permanently in addition to the fan fiction I write here. I hope you enjoy it~Kae

*Note, this is from the perspective of a Leo Sun, Aquarius Moon, Leo Mercury, Virgo Venus and Rising and Scorpio Mars. (I’m a female) 

ARIES

❌My middle school boyfriend. Ha, you still hit me up and tell me i look cute and how we’re gonna have kids from time to time, maybe even flirt with me here and there. can’t say i don’t like it the attention but that ship sailed long ago. Funny, a definite goofball, popular after his insecurity phase was over. 

❌one of the first guys i fucked in college. lol you were fun, fun as hell. you were always easy going, funny and matched my energy relatively well but you were most definitely a fuckboy (sorry) you just liked pussy and women too much for us to ever work, assuming you even wanted us to work. You still tried to hit on me when i had a boyfriend (who was your roommate) and when you had a girlfriend. Bold as hell and he was h u g e.

❌ah, one of the few of your kind that I actually like on campus. loud personality but actually very timid. always asks me how to seduce people and tells me that I get what i want relatively easy. a ball of insecurities and emotion. learn your value king and get over that. 

TAURUS

❌over emotional man child lmao sorry. you want someone to be your mother and hold your hand and i can honestly say no one has hurt me like you have. too self absorbed, needs reassurance, can’t be himself. drinks and smokes too much. navy dude.

❌one of my self proclaimed brothers. he’s a bit of a hard ass and a commitmentphobe but he has a big heart and truly acts like a second dad haha. i love him as a friend. caring, soft, funny, protective asf (especially of me), won’t let me walk back to my dorm alone. 

❌my little brother. a pain in my ass. acts tough and hard, uses a lot of slang. needs attention and reassurance often. loves hard but can be annoying. told me he cared about me when i ran away. needs a healthier way to show his emotions. we butt heads a lot as kids. stubborn as hell. love you though kid 

❌ahh, this one (he’s a cusp kid, 4/20 hehe blaze it). honestly a super hero. so caring and sweet but also kinky and your handprint is kinda still on my ass. i had a crush on you before you did. honest, respectful, loveeessssss his mom, has a lot of female friends (which makes me a bit jealous). anime buddy. patient, protective, a bit of a temper (it’s kinda hot), the best kind of man. can get me to open up but strengthen me at the same time?? my superman, the only man i don’t mind being vulnerable to. reminds me of an anime character. a warrior with a heart of g

GEMINI

 ❌fun while it lasted and i’m pretty sure i was your flavor of the month and you were mine as well. you were funny, and meshed with my energy well. didn’t last long in bed tho😬 your laugh was contagious. really good dancer. can’t hold a relationship for your LIFE. not good with emotions, a free spirit. kinda wishy washy. didn’t like it when i avoided hanging out. 

❌quiet, had an intimidating presence. everyone thought you were scary but you were funny, logical and very headstrong. strong silent type. always opened up with me but no one else. has a “lone wolf mentality” strongest man i know. made me happy with who i am, gave the best advice. unmovable, easy going. the one i stay with at all family functions. a big chunk of my heart. love you big bro.

CANCER

 ❌absolute trash lmao. always attracted drama and stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. ultimate instigator. i think you just need a diary and a xanax. everyone said you tried to break up me and my (then) boyfriend?? cute but annoying. an acquired taste (and that’s me being nice)

❌my little baby brother. the sweetest thing upon planet earth. always asks me if i’m okay, comes to me when he’s sad and cried when i told him i was leaving for college. tells me he loves my hair and nails and always protects his big sis. always excited to see me. so smart, a damn genius actually. amazing with technology. i love you so much little man.

LEO

 ❌ahh my first love. so caring, tender, sweet but had too many scars and wounds for us to heal together. we made so many mistakes with one another but you were always trying to be my own personal naruto and, for a while, you were. and for those few months you were my everything. kept me going when i wanted to die. kissed my scars all the time. always bought me food. loved to spoil me. had a temper and hid his emotions. put everyone before himself too much. things ended bad and our egos clashed. i hurt you. i’m sorry. the last words we said to each other were good bye and i love you. 

❌someone at college who wants to fuck me lmao. always hugs me really tight, stares me down in a way where i know he’s undressing me mentally. says love is bullshit but wants a happy ending and i know it. also also, you’re not fucking me lmao.

VIRGO

 ❌my summertime coworker. a party animal, mentally resilient and smart as all hell. we fooled around once lmao but it never got far. funny as fuck. never spoke about what he had going on but i know he was hurting. a perfectionist, a scammer. 

❌sweet in a weird kinda of way. always asks if i’m okay. always asks if i need something, always willing to help. trusts me to make my own decisions and encourages me to think for myself and watch my back. hard working, quiet with bit of a hardshell. never lets anything dictate who he is. love you uncle. 

LIBRA

❌my distant friends ex; wishy washy. not very good with commitment. really cute room and good fashion sense. pretty lips; respectful and honest fuck boy. made a move on me once after a party once. pops in and out of my life. 

❌invited me to a gala once. loved the attention of having me on my arm. hated my ex. smoked weed a lot, easy going and soft spoken. never got angry, went along with anything. probably in jail or in some legal trouble right now.

SCORPIO

❌you wanna fuck me. lol i know you do and you’ve made it clear as the only thing you want me for. came up to my room and tried to barge in after i told you not to. kinda creepy. quiet. doesn’t say much. always seemingly where i am. in my same major, soooo tall, soft spoke voice. 

❌oh boy. obsessive. possessive, jealous. we were good friends. then you fell in love with me. i didn’t think of you that way. you told me it was okay and then began to blow up my phone with messages, text my friends to ask where i was and blow up on me when i said we needed space and cursed me out. safe to say we don’t talk anymore. when i blocked you, you emailed me an apology and asked my friend to tell me you’re sorry and give me your letter. overthinks a lot. always needs to be in the know and/or control. consuming. reallll timid and unconfident. weed addict. total beta male.

❌you’re sexy. i’ll give you that. and you’re smart. you pop and out of my life. easy going. sweet. quiet, distant and a little annoying with your wishy washyness. i took your virginity 😬 lmao yikes. always around a group of females. nice hair, always played in mine. really funny and the times where you matched my energy it was magic. 

SAGITTARIUS

❌lol uh i knew you in high school. went to harvard. super super attractive, very competitive and very funny. had a pretty chill vibe. i wanted to kiss you. had perfect teeth, the valedictorian of the class before me. 

❌a hardass, lol. sees things like they’re black and white. has a funny side, hilariousssss but in a mean kind of way. doesn’t show much emotions but you know he cares. blunt. caring in his own way. took me to get my first tattoo. affectionate in a awkward pat back type of way. when he sees me sad, he helps best he can although that’s not always in the best of ways. helped me get through my grammy’s death. my dad. 

CAPRICORN

 ❌ah the fwb that turned into my boyfriend. we should’ve never happened. i care for you but a relationship was a bad idea. we started based off sex. was fucking a lot of girls when when with me (9 of them lmao yikes 😬) aloof, funny, dorky, another anime buddy. thinks he knows everything, thinks he’s a god (literally), an emotional baby when it comes down to it. made me his reason and told me he loved me. i regret telling you i loved you too. gas s god complex and wants things to come to him with minimal effort. 

❌ahh, you always had a thing for me. you and everyone else told me. held my umbrella for me while we walked in the rain. told me i was perfect, always promised that you’d marry me. pop in my life from time to time. down with anything. 

AQUARIUS

❌ ahhh the forbidden fruit. distant, friendly, charming, a liar. very sexual, always complimented me and once told me he loved me(yikes). really cute, made me feel special, has been trying to get me for yrs. not sure if it’s just sex or if it’s more but not giving myself the chance to be hurt and find out. sometimes i wonder what we could’ve been but the drama attached to your back makes me think otherwise. i still think of you from time to time. great kisser. 

PISCES 

❌my self proclaimed older brother. really knowledgeable, wise, sweet, loves his girlfriend with all his heart. encourages me to open up. supports me the best way i need, not always want lol. funny, a meme lord, hilarious in a subtle way. knows he’s that bitch. has almost all female friends but still retains his masculinity perfectly stronger than he lets on. an absolute blessing. helped me learn to love who i was and to be open to living others.

❌a wanna be gangster. lmao wants to fuck me but not happening. a big ball of unsorted through emotions. needs to get over his toxic masculinity but soft, caring. a big ass baby. unfaithful and childish. needs to learn his self worth within himself. daddy issues.

[adamarinayu]

Now that we're on this hiatus, do you mind telling us what you thought of each episode?

Okay, I know I’m super late to answer this but here I am! I’m not gonna go too in depth on them, but I do want to talk about them.

Treasure of the Found Lamp!

This one was amusing, and I absolutely love what they did with Djinn. I’m so so so glad they changed his name, too, as “Dijon” always bothered me, even as a kid. Also, the story of the lamp was very heartwarming! And seeing Selene again was fun, especially as she had to run around and we find out she’s a terrible liar lol (so she definitely had nothing to do with Della’s disappearance, I think we can all finally put that theory to rest).

The wild goose chase aspect was funny, coming from both sides, and I still think the actress on Ma Beagle’s TV looked vaguely like a character from PKNA so. But Djinn did not pull punches and them Beagles at least got hurt XD

Also. It kinda has a “the greatest treasure is family” vibe to it.

The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck!

As someone who loves Scrooge and loves Goldie, but is indifferent to Scroldie… I still loved this episode. It was great! It was also absolutely hilarious. And Gyro’s time traveling was amazing. Especially Scrooge’s sudden moment of realization when Gyro returned lol.

Louie’s gonna befriend Goldie! That makes me excited. I bet they’re gonna teach each other things that we haven’t even thought of (ie Louie values his family, while Goldie doesn’t even have a family. Maybe Goldie will officially join the Duck-McDuck family not through her strange but obviously antagonistically-romantic relationship with Scrooge, but through her friendship with and tutelage of Louie? Maybe he’s the one who shows her the importance of family and offers her a place in their family… it doesn’t mean giving up adventure, it just means always having somewhere she can call home, and people she can trust and rely on!).

I’m iffy about Jeeves’ redesign, and also his somewhat betrayal of Rockerduck, but I’ve never been like a hardcore fan of the two of them so it was easy for me to move on. I am curious, though, just how they’re gonna come back… guess Gyro’s not quite done with time travel shenanigans.

The only real gripe I have is Sheriff Marshal Cabrera. DON’T GET ME WRONG, I absolutely loved him. He’s a beautiful babby boy. But at the same time, he’s literally just. Fenton. I know he’s like. Fenton’s great grandfather (or maybe uncle, idk) or something. There should absolutely be similarities yes, but it felt like someone had taken the characters and placed them in an old west setting. That being said, I do love him, I just wish he’d been slightly more his own character. Like, maybe a little more like a mix of M’Ma and Fenton! Idk.

The 87 Cent Solution!

…….. You really want to know?

Okay, the episode was good. It was funny, and I enjoyed seeing Glomgold’s timestop shenanigans.

But the funeral scene? That wasn’t cool. I saw the “not really dead” twist coming, I think we all did, but no one thought to tell Donald? Donald thought that, so soon after finally making amends with his uncle, he had lost him for good.

And I get it. It’s meant to be a gag. It’s supposed to be funny. But it kinda really soured the rest of the episode for me. I hate to say that too, because it was a good and funny episode… I just… I can’t believe they did that to Donald. :(

The Golden Spear!

AGONY. Agony is how I feel about this one. Della made friends with the Lunarians! Actual friends! And then Penny made a bad choice, and Lunaris… damn you, Lunaris, you traitor.

All the things Della listed off, wanting to do with her kids and brother and uncle… they’re things the others have already done without her. That hit me in the feels.

AND THEN DONALD- AGH, I CAN’T EVEN. Poor Donald. He’s so stressed and his family loves him so much and just wanted him to have some peace. But alas, it was not to be. And now the fandom cries.

… Even if he really shouldn’t have climbed into that rocket but y’know. He didn’t MEAN to press buttons….

Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!

Della reunites with her boys and no one realizes Donald is gone. And we see Della trying to be a mom, and kinda failing miserably. But she’s trying, and she’s learning!

ALSO THEIR WOULD-BE NAMES HFBVSHKFCS

It really put to rest one of my biggest fears, that all of the triplets would accept her immediately (Louie showed serious hesitation through the entire episode, definitely coming from his place of insecurity that Dewey and Huey don’t share) and she’d be super-mom. She makes mistakes, and it’s acknowledged that she seems to be trying to be one of them rather than be their mother. It does feel awkward at times, and alien, like the boys are trying so hard to think she’s doing great when she’s really causing harm, but in the end when it comes down to it she’d do anything to protect them, and gives them the choice of letting her into their life. She doesn’t try and force her way in (as she kinda did at first, but came to realize this isn’t easy for them either).

Right now she feels kinda more like a cool aunt than a mom, but she’ll learn.

Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!

IS LUDWIG’S CONSCIOUS TRAPPED IN THE VAULT?! HE REACTED TO AND INTERACTED WITH THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE.

Anyway Scrooge and Glomgold’s parts were absolutely A+ hilarious. Della and Dewey bonding, they’re so much alike, but we see Dewey’s insecurity flare up- how he wants to impress Della, feeling like he has to earn her love. Even though she’s already loved them for ten years, even without ever knowing what they looked like.

Della has a moment of realization here, too. She looks down and realizes Dewey is in a dangerous situation. She realizes that Dewey is in danger. She questions if they’re doing something crazy, clearly thinking maybe we shouldn’t be doing this, but when Dewey quotes her “I’m your son, I can do anything!” she instead chooses to encourage him, not wanting to discourage him and possibly cause him to fall.

And then of course, her “exit strategy” thing. I honestly kinda feel like it’s a bit of an ass pull, but it at least makes a little sense. When you’re being hunted by a monster on the moon, you always want to have an escape route planned. Scrooge sees that, even if she’s the same ol’ Della she was before, she’s still changed. Ten years still changes you.

Friendship Hates Magic!

New Girl! New Girl! Violet’s pretty cool. At first she comes off as one of those “um, actually” people, but since I’m one of those “um, actually” people it’s pretty whatever to me lol. And Lena’s back! I’m super excited about that.

Lena gets a little jealous-possessive but who can blame her, Webby’s one of the few people who have always believed in her. And Webby spent so much time we never knew about trying to find ways to bring Lena back, to the point that it’s like clockwork.

The whole “being tormented by her own mind” thing was actually frightening in a way, and I’m just glad it all turned out alright. And now Webby isn’t just a fourth triplet, she’s the central member of her own trio. It’s great!

The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!

Admittedly another plotline to be seen from far away. A good episode full of secondhand embarrassment, but dang Huey’s LUNGS.

I love Gandra’s design and personality. It’s pretty durn great. I love it! I just have one gripe. Warning, this is a bit of a rant.

Why can’t we let characters be feminine? By this I mean traditionally feminine. Dresses, makeup, shopping, high heels, giggling, soft and compassion and gentle and things I’m not, pinks and lilacs, etc. Yes, Webby’s favourite colour is pink and she likes glitter and wears skirts, she is pretty feminine. But she’s the only one, besides Roxanne Featherby (Featherly? I don’t remember, and that’s only arguably because of her clothes), to be even slightly feminine, and even then it can be argued she’s not all that traditionally feminine because, well… she’s the bruiser of the group. Which there’s absolutely nothing wrong with! A feminine bruiser absolutely works, and I love it, but looking at it from certain angles…

Most of the (non-villain) females, besides Webby, show next to no traditionally feminine qualities- Goldie is the closest, when she dresses up for special events or for schemes. Which I don’t mind, per se, I don’t have many traditionally feminine qualities either, but you’d think at least a few would. The original Gandra Dee, who I am glad they changed mind you, was very feminine; she wore her hair long, wore dresses, enjoyed makeup and manicures, etc. She was traditionally feminine, AND smart. (even if I never liked how they drew her face (the eyes and beak look weird imho, DT17 pulled it off better), and I felt like she left much to be desired *cough*…)

There is nothing wrong with having traditionally feminine characters. There is nothing wrong with having characters who enjoy dressing up, or putting on makeup, or shopping, etc. The problem with traditionally feminine characters comes in when it’s done for sex appeal, or you have a woman running from dinosaurs in 6 inch heels (yeah I’m calling that out) or there’s a feminine character there only to be dragged on by the others for their feminine characteristics.

Anyway, rant about that over. I still love what they did with Gandra, but I’m just noticing this trend where female characters aren’t being allowed to like traditionally feminine things. Yeah, there are absolutely a lot of girls who don’t, but there’s probably an equal amount who do! And there’s nothing wrong with showing a competent, traditionally feminine character. :/

The Duck Knight Returns!

DARKWING DUCK DARKWING DUCK DARKWING DUCK NEGADUCK AAAAAAAA

Need I say more?

Okay, Launchpad is a sweetheart and let’s be honest, we knew the moment we saw him that the other guy at the signing was Drake Mallard.

I love that they kept the “Darkwing Duck inspires Drake Mallard to become Darkwing Duck” aspect of DW’s origin story, while twisting it around so that time travel and paradoxes don’t occur. Also! We still get Jim Cummings as Negaduck, while also getting a new VA for Drake Mallard/Darkwing Duck- someone who does a pretty good job at sounding like them, too. So now Negaduck, who is no longer Darkwing/Drake Mallard from an alternate universe, has his own distinguishable voice!

… And I still think Negs is gonna have an unhealthy obsession with Launchpad, thanks to the “my fan” comment. I figure that’s how we’ll get Nega Launchpad, but who knows! There’s so many possibilities!

Anyway Gosalyn, yesterday please. Gimme.