#ESRBverse

[broken-clover]

Could I request hc’s abt how the ersb gang falls in love? And how they act while pining over their eventual S/o? I miss them :v

Aw, certainly! I can never say no to these! Every time it pops up from the ether it puts a smile on my face

Elphelt

-Elphelt falls in love hard and fast, the actual difficult part is giving the whole thing more depth instead of it just being an idealized concept

-To try and clarify that idea, Elphelt goes in expecting a lot of things about what a relationship could be, y'know, classic scripted romcom trappings up to the nines. The first time something goes undeniably wrong, she'll have a moment of confused realization when the relationship doesn't immediately explode once she's strayed away from some imagined script

-Does not hesitate to make her feelings known, she's the sort to leave love notes in lockers and heap unsubtle praise on her object of affection

-Despite that, she still wonders whether or not she's being too subtle

-Frequent daydreamer, if you approach her in the midst of it she's probably doodling romantic scribbles all over what's nearest. Be careful not to leave any political documents nearby unless you want them plastered with 'Elphelt x s/o' and hearts with arrows all over it

Sin

-He doesn't have a lot of personal experiences with romance, so at first he gets a little confused and wonders why he wants someone to be best friends really, really badly

-He has that infamous 'oh' moment where it just slaps him across the face several weeks in.

-His parents aren't exactly great with advice given their own weird romantic history, but they're at least good at emphasizing the idea of loving deeply even if the circumstances are strange.

-Any attempted confessions ends up taking a long tangent about chairs

-Has no idea how pining works, if anything he'll just end up shouting it and/or dumping everything out to the first person who asks why he's being so absentminded today

Ramlethal

-Ram is the sort of person who believes that a partner isn't too different from a very very good friend. As such, she'll want to make sure she considers someone a friend before she can fathom the thought of being her partner

-Sometimes she gets a little ahead of herself, she can have a hard time knowing what to do in a 'normal' relationship and isn't fully certain whether or not it's appropriate or crossing a boundary . She's trying, but there isn't exactly a manual available

-She knows people like dogs, though, so Ketchup is a good secret weapon. Even if it's painfully obvious she set him out and guided him over in order to have an excuse to start a conversation.

-Ram has an impeccable poker face, but conversely to her sister, she thinks she's being too obvious and is genuinely surprised when someone says otherwise.

Bedman

-He is too intelligent and rational for such sappy displays. He has some level of dignity

-No, that little tchotchke on his shelf isn't the same one that you offered and he reluctantly took, Sin. What are you asking for. Are you a cop.

-He gets very, very mad about having a crush and it's kind of adorable. The thoughts do go away as soon as he wants them to and he scrunches up his face like a grumpy dog

-Unsubtle. Painfully, painfully unsubtle. He does everything shy of walking up to them and shouting 'I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT YOU AND YOU CAN'T PROVE I AM'

[broken-clover]

Do you mind writing fluffy cuddling hcs for the ESRB group?

Oh woah, haven't gotten anything for these little goobers in a while! I'm *always* happy to do or have an excuse to do something with my little pet AU!

Elphelt

-Well, would you expect anything but her being a massive cuddler?

-Yeah it's probably cliche. She's not sorry.

-El gives full-body hugs with as many muscles she's got in that tiny frame of hers

-Possibly kind of saccharine, though she's totally earnest about cuddling. Full-on mushes her cheeks against whatever she's holding onto, stuff like that. She looks like something straight out of a schmoopy shoujo anime

-Prefers being little spoon since she thinks it's more 'ladylike' but she'll do either and enjoy herself

-Sleeps like a rock (and tends to drool a bit, to her chagrin) but she's a very cute sleeper

Sin

-God and science gave him those absurd muscles and buddy he's ready to use them

-Sin cuddles always have a sort of 'bro-y' energy. Less in a shitbag fuckboy way and more in a 'he'll be snuggling someone and still call them 'dude'' kinda way

-In an odd sense it's disarming, because it doesn't feel romantic. It's just a bro cuddle, nothing weird about that at all!

-Big spoon? Little spoon? Nah mate you're getting the Sin Starfish, AKA somehow having at least one limb in every corner of the bed at all times. But be cautious, sailors, drifting too close can result in being grabbed onto and never getting let go (at least until he wakes up)

-Gears are practically furnaces by nature, so he's very toasty to huddle up against. In the wintertime the others are known to use him as a communal heating pad. Ram even tried roasting marshmallows on him once (which failed because he ate them before anything could happen)

-The only major risk outside of that is him falling asleep on someone. The guy is heavy

Ramlethal

-She's not much of an expert on this, but she's getting better with practice

-Usually El and Sin overcompensate with their friendly energy, which makes up for her lack of expertise

-Not quite sure where the arms are supposed to go, usually she finds an odd spot and just squeezes

-Though conversely, when she gets hugged by someone she's close to, she'll straight up melt against them.

-Likes resting her head on others' shoulders as a friendly gesture

-Despite warning El to not let it out to other people, she does have a secret: she loves it when her hair is played with (only with friends, though, if a stranger touches it it'll just be very awkward and Lucifero will likely bite their head off on instinct)

Bedman

-"Hugs? Are you serious? What are you, a six-year-old? Honestly, I'm almost insulted you asked."

-(Wait no come back)

-Being comatose means he's touch-starved as hell after the fact, and if someone gave him a hug he'd completely freeze

-He has a hard time lowering his personal barriers, though, so it's an awkward back-and-forth for the first few months

-Nobody was quite prepared for the incident where Sin gave him a playful bro-hug only for Bedman to liquefy across his lap like a housecat and cling on as though his life depended on it

-Still fully denies his fondness for being held and legitimately doesn't like touches from people outside his very small acquaintance bubble

-His friends know better, though, and he has used them all as a cuddle-mattress on at least one occasion. He's small enough that he fits perfectly fine atop any of them

[broken-clover]

I'm glad you're happy writing for them because you got me attached to them, I'd like to request some hcs of esrb on a beach date with their S/o, i wanna know whos chasing their s/o with a seagull they caught, ty

Weird coincidence, I was just at the beach the other day and was debating whether or not I wanted to write something summery (negated somewhat by the fact that I burnt the fuck out of my shoulders, which seems to happen no matter how much sunscreen I use)

Elphelt

-Beach dates are a thing, aren't they? Well, if they're not, then she'll make it a thing!

-Everything is an opportunity to be cute and get dressed up for her. There's plenty of pretty swimsuits, though odds are she'll be grabbing the one with the most ribbons

-Ah. Sand is uncomfortable, and she hadn't considered that. W-well, that won't stop her from having a good time!

-The water is fun! She likes splashing around and goofing off

-Spends a lot of time gathering shells from the shore and brings the prettiest ones back home with her

-If anything she's kind of hard to keep up with, but she looks so happy, it's hard to mind, isn't it?

Sin

-Beach = more excuses to play around, which is good in his book!

-Wait, a date? So, is he like, supposed to kiss you while swimming or something? How's this work?

-Has to be told multiple times to stop running around and splashing water at people. He has no ill intent, he's just in full labrador mode

-He never got to go to the beach as a kid, since he wasn't allowed to be seen, so nowadays every visit is like a massively special treat, and he takes full advantage

-Does little contests to see who can hold their breath underwater the longest, and at least once ended up having the lifeguard try and haul him out because he was down so long everyone thought he'd drowned

-Catches a seagull completely on accident and doesn't know what to do with it. Well, that's a lie, he shows it off to everyone and waves it in their face to mess with them. He's been bitten by it four times and still hasn't put it down

Ramlethal

-Someone once referred to sharks as 'sea puppies' in her vicinity and now she's come to the beach with a mission to pet them

-Doesn't quite swim so much as fly but underwater. It's quite impressive to witness. She looks like a torpedo

-Brings her dog, who is massively popular with the other beach-goers

-Is the one who chases the seagulls around, one tried to steal her lunch and now she has a vested rivalry with the whole species

-...yes, she did end up finding a shark. A big one. Don't ask how. She's already named it, too. Would you like to pet it?

Bedman

-Hates this. Hates that. Hates everything. If he still had his mech he would be blowing up the beach. The only reason he's here is because he was asked nicely

-He wants to enjoy it like everyone else, honest, but the beach is a terrible place. Sand is itchy and gets into everything, the ground is hot, everything is sweaty, he's been here three minutes and is already getting a sunburn, and he either has to risk his glasses getting dirty or falling off in the water, or have to swim around half-blind because he left them behind on the shore

-This is one of those times where he's very aware his friends are superhuman, and he can't help feeling like he's dragging them down because he has to do normal human stuff like wear sunscreen and sit in the shade

-He does have one ace up his sleeve, though, and that's using his cleverness to precisely figure out how to make a large sandcastle without it collapsing or sliding out of shape. By the end of the day it's nearly as big as he is!

[broken-clover]

Hello, it’s me the ersb person again, do you think you could write hcs of their S/o surprising them with a handmade gift?

Aw hell, sorry for leaving you on the backburner, anon! Coming right up!

Elphelt

-This is, like, *the* most romantic gesture outside of proposal or maybe a really, really fancy date. She's trying not to faint.

-It puts her in a tizzy for the whole day, swapping between overjoyed delight and fretting about what to get you in return.

-She also has no idea where she wants to put it. Right by her bed, so it's the first thing she sees every day? Somewhere where everyone can see it? Somewhere where nobody can see it but her? If it's from you, she has to take the best care of it!

Sin

-If anything, he might come across as a bit calm about it. It clearly means a lot to him, but his reaction is not as cartoonishly overt as, say, Elphelt's

-However, he'll find a way to bring it up in so many conversations, even ones you're not in. 'Hey, did I tell you about this awesome gift they gave me?' 'They're so talented! They made it completely homemade!' 'Oh, there's a problem? D'ya think my gift could help?'

-And this goes on for a good, long time. As much as he's teased for having a kid's attention span, he's not getting bored of this anytime soon

Ramlethal

-Is very upfront about her feelings, as she doesn't think there's any point in leaving ambiguity. 'I love it very much. It being from you and made by you gives it a lot of sentimental value. I do not understand what event caused this, but I am still very happy despite my confusion.'

-You tell her it's just for the sake of it, that people will give each other gifts just because they like each other. She has a brief panic, wondering how many gifts she is overdue for giving since she hasn't done any of her own yet

-The only downside is that she wants to keep your gift nearby her at all times, but that means finding a way to keep her dog from accidentally breaking it or trying to eat it

Bedman

-He, uh, well...

-He's crying. Yes, he will deny it, and no, it isn't convincing in the slightest. Just try not to tease him about it.

-Because, alright, he knows you care about him, but he's not used to anyone really caring about him this *much* and it doesn't feel the same as Delilah's love. It's different. It's weird. It's nice. He doesn't know how to react to it.

-He handles his gift very tenderly, like he's afraid of breaking it (which he very much is) He likes to run his fingers over it, all the handmade seams and textures over and over again and he never seems any less smitten by it no matter how many times he's done it now

[broken-clover]

This will be my last esrb hc request for a bit, Thanks for humoring all my other ones, my last one will be them reacting to S/o accidentally falling asleep on/around them(do not want to crush bedman)

Of course! I do legitimately like trying to think about what different characters would do/enjoy, it's fun to guesstimate

Elphelt

-Immediately goes red when she realizes what's happened. It's so cute she wants to squeal, but she covers her mouth and does whatever she can to not so she doesn't immediately wake you up again

-Finds the nearest blanket to toss over you, just in case the place gets drafty. Hopefully it's within reach if you fell asleep right on her

-She can't stop thinking about how cute you look when you're asleep, she really wishes she had a camera

-Gives you a little pat on the head and a forehead kiss

Sin

-Let's be honest, this is absolutely not the first time this has happened. Sin is known for his energy and can run for what seems like forever

-But, well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Must be naptime now, not like he's doing anything he can't do later

-It starts off cute, like an arm around the shoulder or someone's head against the other's chest, but before long everything's gonna be tangled up, and if you're very unlucky he'll somehow end up on top despite being nowhere near there initially

-You might end up with a crick in your neck after the fact, but Sin is warm and practically purring against you, so...hopefully you can't be too mad.

Ramlethal

-Sort of confused. But more curious than anything. Did you not get enough sleep last night?

-If you're not on a bed or a couch with decent back support, she'll haul you right off whatever you fell asleep on to carry you somewhere more suitable.

-Makes an effort to keep her dog from barking, it isn't too loud but she doesn't want to risk it

-Depending on the mood, she'll either curl up with you or sit nearby. The latter doesn't mean she's disinterested, though, to her this still counts as an interaction. She's like a cat. Comfortably existing in the same space is absolutely counts

Bedman

-Fingers crossed that it didn't happen while he was going on a long discussion about something, then he'll think you find him boring

-Will go on an entire separate tangent about the effects of daytime sleeping and how it can mess up one's circadian rhythm (which is very hypocritical of him considering he is also a frequent day napper)

-Still, all the while he's trying to put you in a more comfortable spot. He's nowhere near as strong as Ram, though, so the best he can do is working with wherever place you nodded off in.

-At first he'll go back to or find something to work on in the meantime, but there's a point where he glances over often enough and will eventually give up on it to try and curl up next to you

[broken-clover]

So... Could you do something Bedman related to April Challenge? I love your headcanons about him and I kinda miss him...

Gladly!! It makes me so happy to have someone ask! And I appreciate your patience, this took me way longer thank expected.

A lot of this is based on my own personal experiences being autistic, so I know other people on the spectrum might perceive the world differently, but I hope this still makes for a nice read!

There are exactly fifty-three and one-third wooden floor tiles between his room and the castle’s main library. He knows because he counts them every time he goes to the library, which is almost every day. Mr. Kiske lets him use the library as he pleases, as long as he puts everything back where he found it.

In his opinion, the library is the best place to be. It isn’t filled with constant background noise, and he can actually focus on what he’s trying to do. Nobody’s staring at him, either, so it feels less weird to thumb over the carved edges of the couch in the corner, back and forth and back and forth and tracing the rounded indents in the wood. He’s not sure why he does it. He just does. It feels nice to press against.

Sometimes he gets so engrossed in a new book that he forgets what’s going on around him. It’s why Sin’s sudden appearance startles him so much that he nearly throws the book at his face. 

Sin doesn’t seem too off-put by his reaction. “Hi!”

“What are you doing here?” He asks in reply, internally cringing moments later. He knows he needs to work on being more cautious with his words to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings on accident.

“El’s finally up!” Says Sin, looking not especially offended. “So we’re gonna make lunch and figure out what we’re gonna do today!”

That made sense. They seem to enjoy going on escapades together. He wasn’t much of an outdoors person, but it was fun being with his friends. They always invited him along, and it never failed to make him feel nice at the idea of being included.

“Alright, I will accompany you.”

He hasn’t memorized how many steps there are between the library and the small dining room they like to use. Maybe he should count. There’s a wall sconce between every other door, all the way down the hallway. The carpet feels nice on his bare feet. If they’re going out, that means he needs to put shoes on. Sin’s longcoat is flapping against his leg. He takes a little step away so it can’t touch him.

“So what was that book you were reading?” Sin interrupts his thoughts for a second time. “It looked really big! I wouldn’t be able to focus for that long.”

He likes when Sin asks questions. It feels like he’s interested in what he’s doing. It’s fun to talk and talk about the things he’s interested in, but it always feels like he’s boring people.

“I’m trying to understand the difference between polysemy and homonymy.”

Sin looks confused, but he doesn’t say anything. Does that mean he wants an explanation? “They both refer to words that have multiple meanings. But they’re different concepts. Polysemes have meanings that are related, but homonyms are unrelated. Some people argue about what words are which.”

“Huh. That’s weird.”

“It’s really interesting! So for example, ’head’ can refer to the top part of your body, or the top part of a bottle, or a person in charge, or a flower, or the beginning of a river. But they all refer to where something begins or something that’s ‘on top,’ which makes it a polyseme.”

“I see.”

“But there’s also some distinctions on their own. Polysemy comes in different forms, there’s regular and irregular, and then irregular breaks off into radial and chain, and those-”

Sin isn’t paying attention anymore. They take a sharp turn at the next intersection of the corridor. “Let’s go stop by Ram’s room and get her, I think she’s still playing with the dog.”

Sin probably didn’t mean to. He still has a kid’s attention span, and most people don’t find linguistics especially exciting. It stings, but he tries not to be hurt by it.

Hers isn’t too far away. Ram has her own room now, they all do. She still doesn’t know what she likes yet, so the space is mostly empty. Her dog is napping soundly on the foot of her bed. Ram is halfway across the room, pushing a closet to the other side.

“Heya, Ram!” Sin raises a hand to wave. He does the same. “What’re you doing?”

“Reorganizing. I want to see if I like it better near the window.”

There’s a panel on the wall that’s a slightly different shade of green, and he can’t stop thinking about it. But Ram probably painted it herself (green is Ram’s favorite, he knows), so saying something about it would be mean.

“We’re making lunch before we go out for the day! Wanna come?”

She pushes the closet again, making it screech against the floor. All the thoughts in his head turn choppy and erratic, and his hands fly to his ears. After a few moments, he opens his eyes again and sees his friends eyeing him sheepishly.

“Sorry.” Ram says as soon as he lowers his hands. 

“It’s fine.” He replies. “We should be going, shouldn’t we? Wouldn’t want to keep Elphelt waiting for us.”

Sin nods. “You’re right. C’mon, let’s go!”

Ram gives her puppy one last skritch to the ears before following after them back down the hall.

“So where are you guys thinking of going today?”

“Danny Missiles.” Ram says immediately. 

“Aww, c’mon! We’re eating before we go! Why would we eat before we eat?”

“I’m not picky. I don’t mind where we go.”

Sin swivels around to look at him. “Bedman, you always say that! There has to be someplace you’d like to go?”

“I really don’t. It’s just nice to make you guys happy.”

“I’m gonna find something you like, just you wait!” The blonde pouts, arms crossed. 

Sin is nice because he’s easy to read. His body language is exaggerated and cartoonish. When he’s happy, he smiles and bounces. When he’s frustrated, he glares and throws his hands in the air. It’s easy enough to follow along with.

Ramlethal is harder to read, and it frustrates him. Her expressions are often small and subdued. But she expresses herself vocally much more often. Maybe it’s because she’s learning how to sort out her emotions, too. Most people don’t casually announce that they’re happy or sad in a conversation, but in his opinion, it’s rather efficient, as opposed to having to guess so much.

Elphelt is probably going to be waiting for them in the kitchen, isn’t she? And Elphelt likes small talk. ‘How are you’ is easy but dull (the answer is always ‘fine,’ regardless) but what if she asks something else? Should he try and script something beforehand? ‘Hello, how are you? Hello, how are you? Where are we going today, Elphelt? Hello-’

Oh, he’s overthinking it again. Thankfully Sin and Ram have longer legs, so they always manage to walk a bit ahead of him. Nobody notices his flapping.

“Hey, El!” Sin announces their presence. “I found ‘em!”

“That was fast!” Elphelt is doing something with the stove. Eggs? Probably eggs. Thankfully not onions, he can’t stand the smell of onions. “What were you guys up to?”

Dammit, he hasn’t scripted for that. That wasn’t in the plan. But is she talking to him in specific? Maybe Ram can answer instead. So instead he goes over to the counter and starts working on a pot of coffee. Someone cleaned his mug and put it away in the cabinet. That was nice of them. It’s the best because it’s purple. Sin got it for him, for that same reason. It’s purple, like him.

“Uh…hello?”

He turns away from the coffee-pot. Elphelt’s looking at him now. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Perfect recovery. “Do you know the difference between homophony and polysemy?”

“No, I don’t! Can you tell me on the way?”

He grins eagerly at the thought. “On the way to where?”

She shrugs. “Dunno yet! Hoping you guys could help figure it out.”

It’s five minutes until the water’s ready. “Anything you had in mind?”

“I had a few things that I clipped out of yesterday’s paper, maybe one of those would be good?”

Someone left a pile of silverware on the table. It must have just been cleaned and left to dry. Whatever the case, he sits down and immediately gets to work sorting them.

Sin reaches over him, grabbing a pair of butter knives. “We’re gonna make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before we head out, do you want one?”

He shakes his head, not looking up from his task. “I don’t like jelly.”

“Too sweet?” Elphelt asks.

“Sticky. It’s sticky, and I don’t like sticky, especially not in my mouth.”

“I guess I can see what you mean.” Says Sin. “How about just peanut butter, then?”

“Peanut butter is good.”

Elphelt and Ramlethal sit down at the table with him. From her pocket, Elphelt pulls out several snippets of newspaper, which she spreads on the tabletop. “Here’s all the stuff I’ve got! Let’s see…I saw something about a woodworking class over at the hardware store on Redwood-”

“Isn’t Sin still banned from there?” Asks Ram.

“I said I was sorry!” Sin protests, carrying a plate to the table. “How was I supposed to know the thing could catch on fire? They should have warned me when they gave me the power drill!”

“Uhh, well, we probably should try to avoid getting arrested. I can only imagine how angry Mr. Kiske would get. Besides, I’ve got other stuff we can look at!” She picks up another paper piece. “How about a boat ride? There’s supposed to be a lot of birds migrating back!”

“Bedman gets seasick.”

“I forgot about that…”

Sin speaks up. “Uh, I think there’s some new thing that got built a couple weeks ago? Can’t remember the word, though. Plan something. Plan-o-tear-”

“Planetarium?” Ram offers.

He’s immediately distracted. Planetarium. Space. Space. Planets and comets and shiny stars and big dark quiet spaces space space space space space-

“Earth to Mattie!” Sin chuckles. “You okay, man?”

“Space.” He says, without thinking. “Erm. Sorry. Just got distracted.”

“I’ve never been to one of those.” Says Ram. “It sounds interesting.”

Elphelt nods. “I’d be up for that, if you want! I’ve been told they’re totally romantic!”

“Sounds great to me!” Sin smiles in approval. “Well, that’s three. What do you think?”

Space. Space. Oh no. He’s getting too excited. The urge to flap is almost overwhelming, but he reins it into a discrete flutter at his sides. It seems like he didn’t do a good enough job. Sin notices.

“What’s wrong? You’re all…flappy.”

And of course he has to say it out loud, so Elphelt and Ram notice too. Now everyone is staring at him. Bad. He’s going to die of shame.

“I’m sorry.” He says. “I don’t mean to. Sometimes it just happens when I get excited. I’m sorry.”

But, to his surprise, Sin doesn’t immediately berate him. Instead, he smiles.  “Don’t gotta be shy, man! Do what you want!”

“Oh. It doesn’t make you uncomfortable? You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Dude.” The other boy says, with the utmost seriousness. “Ram has a sentient balloon. I don’t think you could get much weirder than that. I think we can handle it.”

He’s not used to this, but he feels like he can trust Sin. “Are you quite sure?”

“Of course!”

The coffee-pot pings, ready to be poured.

It’s hard to flap while sipping coffee, but he manages. He’s still flapping when they leave, all the way down to the planetarium. By the time they actually make it there, his arms hurt. But it’s a nice kind of hurt.

[broken-clover]

ACC Day 2- Stimming

Back I come! Hopefully I can get my timing a bit earlier from hereon in, tuesdays are just a wonky day for me in general. But still, have a fic! This one made me happy to write, so I hope it makes you happy, too!

Today’s has more ESRB-verse, with some Bedman!

While the ultimate goal was just to have fun and pass the time, Elphelt, Sin, Ramlethal, and Bedman liked to take turns picking locations to go to for their frequent adventures. It was still something that everyone could enjoy in their own way, but if someone caught sight of a park that they’d yet to visit or an event going on downtown that caught their eye, the group would set a course for their new destination as soon as possible, taking turns each time.

Well, that was how it was supposed to go. In between Sin’s forest hikes, Ram’s lunch suggestions, and El’s marketplace trips, it was rare that Bedman would slip in his own idea. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity- his friends made it very clear that he was more than welcome to suggest something he’d like to do. But every time the discussion came up, the boy shot it down, claiming that his interests would be too dull for anyone else to enjoy it.

After more than a few attempts, Sin took it upon himself to try something that he thought his friend would like. It only seemed fair for him to be able to do things that interested him. After mentioning his plans to Elphelt and Ramlethal, the half-Gear grabbed as many newspapers as he could find lying around and retreated to the dining room table with a thick red marker.

A local football game? Eh...

Camping? He definitely wouldn’t like that.

A new winery opening up? Legally speaking, none of them were old enough to drink.

“Sin?” Ky’s voice grabbed his attention. “What are you working on?”

“Trying to think of something fun to do today.” He propped himself up on his arms. “But I can’t think of anything that Bedman would like. We never get to do stuff he likes.”

“Hmm…” Ky sat down nearby him, placing a stack of paperwork on the table. “Let’s see. I see your friend in the library quite often. He’s very interested in the sciences, correct?”

Sin perked up, just a little. “Yeah? You got an idea?”

“Let me take a look at that paper.” After being handed the bundle, Ky started flipping through. His eyes skimmed the pages rapidly, quickly settling on an article somewhere within it and tapping it with a finger. “I thought so. The museum of science over in the east district is opening a new exhibit on magical engineering. Lots of old airship frames and train prototypes, that kind of thing. Maybe that would be a good idea?”

“Engineering?” Sin took the paper back, now marked with a red circle. The article at least made it sound interesting. Plus, it was something sciency, so there was a pretty good chance Bedman would at least find the concept interesting.

Worth a shot, right?

++++++

“Sin, where are we going?”

Midday travels weren’t really out of the ordinary, but it wasn’t as common that nobody would say where they were headed off to. Even after spending ten minutes trudging downtown, Bedman hadn’t even manage to decipher whose sort of idea it was to go out in the first place.

“It’s a surprise!” Replied Sin, the closest thing to an answer he had gotten thus far.

“I don’t like surprises, Sin. Can you please just tell me where we’re going?”

“Hmph. Fine.” The other boy pouted. “We’re going to a museum. But that’s all I’m telling you!”

Despite the vagueness, Bedman perked up considerably. “Oh. I will admit, that is a rather pleasant surprise.”

“See, Sin? I told you it was a good idea!” Elphelt added with a smile. “We picked it special!”

“Sin picked it.” Said Ramlethal. “We just agreed.”

The person in question raised a hand, waving it to get their attention. “Hey, I think I found it! Right down this corner…”

“G’morning, kiddos!” A smiley attendant greeted the group at the front booth as they entered. “Welcome to the Illyria Museum of Science! Four adolescent tickets?”

“Yep!” Sin slapped down a stack of cash that Ky had given him. “You guys have all the engines and stuff, right?”

The woman blinked mutely for a moment. “Ah. Yes, the transportation engineering exhibit is up and running.” She handed him a map and pointed to a spot on it, marked with a little star. “It’s on the first floor, in the blue wing. There’s arrows at most of the corners if you lose track of where you are.”

“Cool, thanks!” After grabbing the tickets and the map, Sin spun around. “Everyone alright? Ready to go?”

“I think so.” Elphelt replied. “You guys ready?”

“I’m prepared to go.” Ram nodded.

“I’m ready.” Oddly, Bedman seemed at full attention, and his hands almost seemed to be twitching.

Elphelt turned to him. “Something wrong?”

“No, no.” His hands slowed, gripping the hem of his gown to keep them from moving again. “Just got a bit overexcited.”

“Well, don’t stop yourself on our account!” Sin beamed back. “We came here because we thought you’d like it! Go nuts if you want!”

Though his hands stayed still, Bedman all but ran ahead of the group as they started towards the exhibit. He kept slowing himself down as his friends looked over little displays on the way to the blue wings, bouncing restlessly on his heels until they could start moving again.

The narrow hallway dumped out into a massive room, with a vaulted ceiling spanning overhead at least thirty feet up. The room was filled with giant displays, many with full-sized engines or twining bundles of cable and machinery. An inert train snaked across the center, trailed by a dozen passenger cars.

“Ah…” Without even appearing to notice, Bedman started bouncing on his heels again, hands twitching and tapping against the air.

“C’mon, we said you could go ahead!” Sin was quick to remind him. “No need to wait for us!”

The boy didn’t seem to need any more prompting. In a flash of lavender, he was leaning towards one of the glass-walled sections displaying a set of rusty train wheels and pistons. “Ahh! I’ve only seen these in books! I don’t think they’ve used this type of metal since the 2070’s!”

“Solid steel?” Ramlethal managed to glide up next to him, and peered at the little descriptor card. “It seems that would be remarkably heavy.”

“Absolutely! And it was, that’s why they got rid of that kind. But they pulled these off of a real prewar train!”

Apparently satisfied with that short explanation, he moved onto the section next to it, leaving the other three for once scrambling after him, instead of the other way around.

“The Stendrive outboard propulsion system? They used these for boats! Engineers sometimes called them ‘fishtail engines’ because of the big fins at the end of it!”

It was such a bizarre sight to witness, but it brought a warm feeling with it. Bedman was running back and forth between displays, eyes shining while he wore the biggest smile any of them had ever seen on him. All the while, he kept bouncing in place, hands swishing back and forth by his sides. Every time he stopped in front of a new engine or propeller, he raised his hands up and started moving them like he was trying to shake off water. Puzzling, but there was something endearing about his eagerness.

“The Hercules Engine!” He half shouted, immediately scooting over to the next pane of glass.

“The model M-89 airship!” Bounce-flap-flap.

“The Wiseau Magi-tech converter!” Bounce-flap-flap.

“You really like engineering stuff, huh?” Sin laughed, trying to keep pace.

“Oh, I don’t like engineering as much as I like language and literature.” Bedman slowed for a second. “But this is incredibly fascinating, too! I like learning about how society and industry move around. It’s just so intriguing to consider all the technologies that lead us to where we are now!”

Before he could reply, Sin found himself left behind once more. When he managed to find Bedman again, he was hanging off the end of the giant train on display.

“Hey, Sin! Sin! The sign says you can get on the train! Get on the train!”

“No need to tell me twice. Guys! Check this thing out! Wanna see the inside?”

Internally, he jotted down a few notes. Engineering, language, and literature. Even if Sin didn’t know much about any of them, he was certainly going to have to now. He wasn’t used to seeing his friend so earnestly happy.

He was going to have to find a way to make him light up like that again.

[broken-clover]

So, since we are in the ValentinesMood (tm) may I have SinBedElRam Crew preparing stuff for their S/Os on Valentines Day? please? ;w;

Ooh, I was hoping I’d get something for this! I love making cute shit and I love these nerds, I’d be more than happy to! Hope you like!

Elphelt

-*removes sunglasses* “My time has come…”

-This girl will go completely insane. Try to envision it in your head. Then double, maybe triple it. This girl is in her El-ement and the Valentine train is not stopping anytime soon.

-El is gonna spoil the hell out of her partner and you can 100% count on that. Cute homemade cards, chocolate, the whole nine yards. Make sure you pick up something nice for her, too!

-I HC that she’s got a whole wardrobe of cute clothing so she picks out something super-special in every shade of red and pink imaginable. If you let her, she’ll probably make a cute outfit to go with hers, so you match!

-Valentine’s day is always super crowded everywhere but that is not going to stop her. El got her reservations in early, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that you two have an adorable night out together.

-Her ideal way to end the day is sharing a dessert and ending it with a kiss

Ramlethal

-She might seem like she wouldn’t be too interested in it, but perhaps because of her proximity to her sister, she does have kind of a soft spot for this. And it involves her favorite person, so what’s not to love?

-Ram isn’t as much of a nigh out kinda person, especially with how crowded all the diners and cafes are. It doesn’t need to be fancy

-She’ll attempt something new with the cooking (heart-shaped burgers, maybe?) and set up a cute little dinner in one of the courtyards

-This girl will probably start crying if you bring her flowers. She knows it’s common practice, but she’s just so touched

-Ram’s style really is more about casual intimacy. She’s not one for huge grand gestures. A relationship is basically just a really deep friendship. Even though friends probably don’t cuddle as much.

-El probably lent her a cute accessory or something out of her closet for good luck!

Sin

-El is impossible to beat in terms of valentine’s cheesiness, but he’s an admittedly close second.

-You’d think he wouldn’t be so into something that might be considered ‘girly’ or ‘corny’ but we’ve seen how much Sin values his friends and relationship with people, he’d be super into this on a romantic and platonic love.

-Probably tries his hand at making sweets by himself, or some other form of homemade gift. It might be messy, but it’s special, and he made it just for you!

-He’s not one for dressing up, but some way or another he’s probably going to wind up caked in glitter. He won’t be sneaking up on anyone anytime soon.

-Do you even need to guess what’s for dinner? Ky’s probably going to have to call in a double order of meat just to keep the kitchen from running out all at once

Bedman

-????

-Help him

-*hushed whispering* Sin how do I be romantic??

-Probably works to make something homemade too. He wants it to be something very special, so it’s likely that it’ll be related to something you’re interested in so you’re sure to be able to use it.

-He’s not used to dressing fancy or anything, but if it makes you happy, he’ll see if Elphelt has anything that fits him (spoilers: yes. She’s been looking for an excuse to dress him up for the longest time)

-Awkward as it is, he still does everything with the utmost sincerity. Even if all the blushing might eventually make him faint at some point.

[broken-clover]

Dunno if you've been asked before but ESBR at Danny Missiles or bowling night/milkshake hangout!

Nope, this is new! And I love it!

(Though I’m not sure if you meant it as like a date thing or as a friendship thing so I tried to do both)

Sin

-Sin is having the goddamn time of his life boy howdy

-He does the thing where he gets two straws but instead of sharing a shake with someone he actually drinks two at a time because He Cannot Be Stopped.

-He’s strong but precision doesn’t seem to be his strong point so let’s just hope he hits the pins and doesn’t break anything by accident

-Ky is going to regret the bill for this

-Sin is still having the best night ever and it’s even better spending time with the people he cares about.

-Cheers on everyone when they go up to bowl.

Bedman

-I question if he’s ever even had a milkshake before

-He gets too excited and winds up on the floor for ten minutes because of the brain freeze

-He doesn’t really eat much, so if you share any food with him you’re definitely getting the bigger half

-From a physics standpoint he’s excellent at bowling, but from a physical standpoint, he has little baby arms

-Hard to tell if it’s better or worse that the sugar keeps him up later than usual. He isn’t conking out at 9pm but half the things he says don’t make sense and he probably started vibrating at some point.

Elphelt

-It’s time out with friends, of course she’s going to love it!

-She’s been waiting so long for a milkshake date, it’s such a cute concept and El has always wanted to try it out.

-Winds up taking a much heavier bowling ball than one would expect, she handles it like no problem

-She doesn’t really care about winning or losing, just having fun is all that’s important

-Bemoans that the bowling shoes everyone has to wear doesn’t match her outfit

Ramlethal

-Ram is going to eat all the burgers. Five bucks says she starts a burger-eating contest.

-Honestly Ram is just having a blast, it’s as much delicious food as she can get away with eating.

-She immediately takes the heaviest available ball to play with. She’s either trying to intimidate everyone or genuinely just prefers the heaviest one, and nobody can tell.

-At some point, she gets a bit mischievous and just hovers right down the lane to toss the ball into the pins. Nobody interrupts and tells her to stop because they’re either too afraid or too amused.

-Ram wins bowling, if mostly because she basically cheated. But who can say no to that face?

[broken-clover]

Since Faust is already done, may I request my other favorite character, Ramlethal, for the ask meme?

Miss Rammy <3

– Overall opinion of them

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but I've come around, she's lovely and I'm so proud of her personal growth and self-discovery. My only complaint is that she joined the army

– Gender/sexuality headcanons

She's still figuring things out, Ram only knows so much about herself now. She's still not sure if her interest in Leo is because she wants him or because she wants his gender (in fairness he is pretty cool)

– Favorite moment in canon

Even if it was more Baiken-centric I loved seeing Ram try to calm Delilah down, you can see how much she's grown in such a short amount of time and is capable and willing to reach out to try and comfort her.

– Favorite moment in a fanwork

It's a sillier example, but I absolutely recommend reading the Illyrian Bake Off, primarily for Ram Sin and El, but everyone is in top form. Silly, silly form.

– Favorite line, in canon or otherwise

Repeating myself but really, man that whole little scene of her very calmly and politely explaining to Delilah what's happening and that she'll be alright one way or the other is just so sweet, I went to rewatch it and she's just so gentle about it.

Along with it I also love her very casually calling out Faust's self-sacrificial behavior, even if it's brief, I think it's a good showcase of how she views every life as worthwhile and not something to be tossed aside carelessly

– Characters I love seeing them interact with

*Calmly shoves ESRBverse aside* Uhhh dunno, her dogs?

– Last thing before sleeping headcanons

Someone gave her a kennel to put the dog in but let's be real, the dog sleeps in the bed with her. And you'd think she'd take the cloak off but no, she sleeps with it. She changes clothes underneath it, but the cloak stays on.

– Sleeping habits headcanons

I like thinking that she keeps changing her bed and sheets and everything because she's still not sure what she likes. She's found a blanket she likes and maybe a couple of cute pillows that stay.

Also, she absolutely has floated in her sleep before. Part of the reason she lets the dog sleep on her is because it weighs her down

– First thing after waking up headcanons

I don't think she'd really get the point of a lot of that, maybe it just comes from being a Valentine that doesn't require much maintenance. The only things of interest in the morning are breakfast and puppy time

– Favorite locations headcanon

She still has a lot of things to see and experience for herself, she's only been alive so long, I imagine so many things are new and exciting to see and do!

[broken-clover]

In hindsight the funniest thing I’ve realized about the ESRB-verse is that since Sin is somewhere around 3-5 and both Elphelt and Ramlethal are about 1 year each, that means Bedman, who is far shorter than everyone else and doesn’t look like he’s hit puberty yet, is guaranteed to be the oldest of the four of them by a decent margin even though we don’t know his exact age.

*chanting* mom friend mom friend mom friend