#Especially Pen I adored coming up with his story

[entertaining-two]

My Biggest Problem With Bridgerton Season 3

I wanna start by saying if you wanna stay in the positive reviews for Season 3 I totally get it, I have been too because I do truly enjoy season 3 and seeing people tear it apart sucks a lot and can take the joy out of it for some.

My biggest issue with the season and take on what could've been done slightly better will be below 🥰

So I wanna start by laying out that I think the groundwork done in previous seasons really set up Penelope to have a story be flushed out and examined when it came time for her season. I think with Colin's character things were much more nuanced because it was a lot of internal work. But the main point is everything was lined up to have both of their characters reach good growth milestones within their season to wrap up their stories.

So going into season 3 I think for those of us who didn't read the books but knew the gist of what the story was about anticipated a certain level of attention put on Colin and how he had to come back into himself. He is a character known for trying to find himself, and we see it shown in trying to marry the first girl he remotely is interested in, trying to travel to find his purpose, trying to save his friends family, traveling again for more purpose, and then when he returns to the ton and has put on a facade. So when we finished the season my annoyance was that there was not much emphasis on Colin's journey.

They dove into Penelope's extensively, her battle to be seen, to have her purpose with Lady Whistledown and letting herself be loved. But Colin, we the viewer are so set up to misunderstand him this season which is why I don't blame anyone for not grasping his character at all because they don't give us a ton to work with.

Personally, as much as I adore Penelope's character and her importance to the narrative, her character got more growth and attention than Colin did and it was technically his season as he is the "Bridgerton" in question. I truly don't think that Jess or the writers knew what to do with him to get the audience to understand his story without centering it more around Penelope's perspective. I mean the big emotional moments of the story are centered around the Featheringtons, healing the relationship with her mother, healing the relationship with her sisters etc. Which is amazing I loved it, but also I felt like Colin was just kinda.... there. Especially in the second half.

So here is a list of a few things that I think could have improved the way we see Colin's emotional journey throughout the season (I will remind you again I have not read the book so take this with a grain of salt if it is super inaccurate to that).

Flashbacks: Both previous seasons give us flashbacks for the male leads, I think that it could've been useful here as well. A few that would have been nice to see would be Colin when he is younger with his brothers older and him feeling lost in the middle of them and Daphne. Colin and Pen when they were much younger laughing/speaking candidly to each other as they got older. Or flashbacks to Edmond and Violet because we know they were friends to lovers too, perhaps this is how Colin knows what love truly is.

Colin Traveling: I think a flashback to Colin on his travels and showing him receiving no letters from his family, alone in some city and trying to find comfort in a woman/ trying to find a connection but instead it's just sex/flirting and seducing someone. - I think this would have been much more impactful than having him in a brothel right away. He clearly doesn't love being there, he is there because he wants the connection that he lacks and this is the easiest way to get it. So if we got some context into why Colin comes back a different person, I think it would make it easier for people to understand this version of himself he puts on and make it more impactful when he stops acting this way and realizes he loves Pen.

Narrating: I know the only narrator we ever have is Lady Whistledown but I think it could have been an interesting parallel to have Colin narrate more of his journal entries as the Lady Whistledown discovery happens so that we can better understand how he feels about things. I've seen quotes from the book and it seems like a great deal of the realizations happen completely in Colin's head and we can always infer things based on actions and thats fine, but I think we would have had a deeper understanding of his inner workings if we had got this instead of Colin just sitting at his desk staring or writing and guessing at what he could be thinking/feeling based on past experience.

Give them more scenes: Everyone has been saying it but it's true. I think there are some spots that could have been longer conversations or just a conversation in general. For example: When Colin walks in on Penelope getting changed and we get that longing moment from Colin, I wish Pen would have asked him to stay or something of that essence, and then we could have gotten a heart to heart moment where Penelope lets Colin explain what he is feeling about this situation a little bit more, the war between loving her wanting her but also feeling betrayed. Even if it still ended in them not being on the same page and him sleeping on the couch I think it would have given us another scene that isn't as heated especially post their wedding and how it ended. They were almost coming to an understanding until the queen was there and I think having that raw conversation soon after would have been impactful for his character arc.

Last Convo with Violet Bridgerton: Something I was confused about in Ep08 was that we saw Colin prepare to sit his mother down and explain that Penelope is Whistledown after Pen send her a letter. And instead of seeing that we see the Featherington sisters excited by the details of their ball (fun but also I think the other conversation is more meaningful and that scene could have been shorter or just cut and instead explained when guests got to the ball). Violet is a major catalyst for the previous Bridgerton siblings and their story arcs. She is a binding force, a motivator, and usually the one that gives her child the words of advice/moment that is most needed. I know we got the Kate older sister moment about secrets with Colin which I loved, but I think for Colin's character who has long been a mamas boy sensitive one it would have hit hard to have one more scene with Mama Bridgerton. Especially because in part 1 we have two big conversations between the two of them: when she tells him that her and Edmund had the courage to ask in order to break from friends into lovers, and then when she tells him he's always been the sensitive one worrying for others and that Penelope might be getting proposed to. Both of those moments were catalysts for his next actions both emotionally and physically. So imagine a last conversation with her, him explaining not just who Pen is, but his own feelings hes been dealing with, letting the other person he has trusted with his feelings the most hear the worries that have plagued his mind for the past weeks since hes found out. Explaining his worry for Pen's safety, his families safety, and his feelings of betrayal and jealousy; Violet Bridgerton would absolutely know the perfect thing to say in that moment that helps get Colin over that last small obstacle. Because truly, we don't get Colin having a full heart to heart with anyone who knows who Whistledown is besides Eloise, and Eloise just asks if he can ever forgive Pen, but we need someone older, someone Colin trusts to give him advice and hold these complicated feelings and honestly Eloise was never going to be that character for him. We needed Mama Bridgerton, to lovingly hold her sons thoughts and feelings and tell him that it is okay that he felt betrayed by the person he knew best, that it's okay that he is perhaps a little jealous of her success, but that it was also okay to love her and forgive her. But also re-affirm to Colin that she is proud of him and he is capable of the success and purpose he strives for too. As well as put Colin's mind at ease in terms of how she accepts Penelope as Lady Whistledown, having his mothers approval of it may help him accept it too. Violets approval, Violets words of understanding and assurance would help untangle the confusing thoughts that then lead Colin to that final confession of love. It would make that scene all the more impactful knowing then more about the feelings that tangled through him that we are now privy to because he spoke about them to his mother, we would now understand more fully the emotional journey he had to go on to get to that point of forgiveness and understanding.

Make up scene: I think I speak for most of the #polin community when I say that we needed a longer makeup sex scene. I think with this new found understanding, post his admission of love and purpose that was so heartfelt and beautiful, it would have been all the better with a slightly longer scene where we perhaps got a few more lines of dialogue with these two. We needed a true makeup scene where they are giggly and happy that things are finally good and they can just be truly in love with each other once again without the angst between each other. I think this would have been very satisfying story wise when taking into account that (imaging that flashback scene to Colin on his travels) Colin starts so disconnected from who he is and very lonely, but would then end having been connected to his purpose and to the person he loves who loves him just as equally.

Ultimately I love Colin and his character and I do believe we got a lot of great moments with him, however I can't help but have wished to have more. I hope that next season we get a cute, sexy, domestic side story with him and Pen where we can see him be the Colin "my wife" Bridgerton that we all love.

Let me know if any of these points you also thought could work and maybe I write them into a fic of some sort 🥲🫠 Thanks for reading all my little thoughts 💕🥰

[hikaruchen]

TLK Alhtred log (Bottom! Alfred)

cw // slightly NSFW I think?

I’m rewatching tlk (AGAIN) and…their height difference is just so adorable I can’t…I can’t…

The Coronation

I was so excited to see how the coronation is described in the book and then felt a little bit disappointed by the fact that it’s actually a show original scene. Will we ever get a chance to know what exactly was in Uhtred’s mind when this scene happened?? Because, it’s like, WTF Uhtred why was your first thought when you left was to…hump???DID ALFRED FUCKING TURN YOU ON OR SOMETHING??????

Uhtred: You know what, I think I’m gay now

I would love that if every time they got laid Uhtred would leave his king only half naked (not pulling off the clothes) and just stopped undressing him because it reminded him the first day Alfred became his king

(But he wouldn’t tell Alfred any of the real reason why he didn’t pull off his clothes because…better not letting your boss know you have wet dreams of him since the very first day you met lol)

p.s. Each time I rewatch the show they (especially Alfred) just look even gayer, how could this happen…

Ok I’m done with ranting. This ship to me is like:

Me: I’m going to learn about the history of 9th century anglo-saxon kingdoms and old norse culture to get better understanding of this whole story and come up with some cool deep depth ideas with plots to draw

Still me with my pen: *drawing pwp*

[anxiousnerdwritings]

We know that in the books Viserys and Daemon had a little brother, who, unfortunately perished with his mother Alyssa shortly after his birth. But what if only Alyssa died and he survived by some miracle but had a weak immune system and had to stay inside of his room most of the day; his only company was his books and his trusted pen, who he always writing stories with it. Because of his creativity he was the family's story teller! Making his brothers feel safe with him and making them shielded from the harsh reality of their life. As you can imagine Viserys and Daemon became deeply attached to their little brother (which seen by others as "a little bit unhealthy"). And this brings us to the present day, the civil war and family drama. For their little brother it doesn't go so well and he's stuck between with his two older brother (+their families).

I really love this idea!

Even thought they’re family and both equally love and care for their little brother, Viserys and Daemon could never come to agree on what was best for their brother’s wants and needs. Each would want the brother to stay with them, Viserys wants him at King’s Landing meanwhile Daemon wants him with himself at Dragon Stone. But neither are going to let the other move their brother away from them. It’s too much of a risk for their brother’s well being. Also, whenever Daemon brings up wanting to take their brother out of King’s Landing, Viserys would always throw back at him how unpredictable and irresponsible he can be and how much consistency their brother needs because of his health issues.

Viserys would absolutely hang on every word the Maesters had to say about his brother’s condition and what would be best to treat it, to keep him healthy and happy. But Daemon doesn’t trust the Maesters, he thinks their full of shit and has no regard for them whatsoever. Not when it comes to his precious baby brother and them having control over his health. They basically hold his brother’s life in their hands and Daemon doesn’t take lightly to it.

I really love the thought of Rhaenyra being very close to her Uncle!Reader (not in the same way she is with Daemon). Like, ever since Rhaenyra could remember Uncle!Reader would always read to her and write stories just for her when she’d come to see him. If he drew then he’d draw things for her, even illustrations for the stories he’d made for her. Viserys would absolutely adore the kind of bond and connection that Rhaenyra and his youngest brother had. Two of his most treasured people spending time together just filled him with complete joy. And when Aemma passes both Rhaenyra and Viserys would go to Uncle/Brother!Reader for consoling and to just be with in their moments of grieving.

When it comes to Viserys needing to remarry he’d go to his baby brother and ask for their advice on the matter. Or to even just talk out his own thoughts and gripes about it. If there was any better listener in all the Seven Kingdoms it would be Viserys and Daemon’s little brother. Rhaenyra would probably do the same, seeking her Uncle to talk about her own thoughts and feelings about the situation to him.

I can’t help but imagine Alicent being attached to the brother too. Most likely romantically. It’s not a surprise that she’d probably be the one to really care for and tend to him, similar to how she tended to Jaehaerys before his death when she first came to King’s Landing after Otto became Hand. She’d spend the most time with him, talking, listening, just basking in his presence. Even though she’s just there to care for him and be his company throughout the day, she can’t help but feel some type of way with him. Especially if his chambers is like a makeshift safe place for not only his brother but Rhaenyra too. It would make sense that Alicent too would take comfort in the Reader, whether it’s just his presence or how calming and serene he is. Of course he’d be the first one Alicent would tell about marrying Viserys, confessing that it isn’t whant she wants, even possibly confessing her romantic interest in him right then and there.

Alicent would also totally bring her children with Viserys to the Reader. Of course when they’re all first born Viserys brings them to show to his brother but Alicent would go further than that. I could see her making Viserys’ brother a surrogate father figure for her children. And after Jace, Luke, Joffrey, Baela, Rhaena, Aegon III and Viserys II come into the picture, Alicent would feel threatened. Her children’s time with the Reader would be taken up by Rhaenyra/Daemon’s children and that would really irk her.

Once Viserys’ health gets worse he wouldn’t be able to visit his brother as much if at all out of fear and worry of getting him sick. That would really hurt Viserys. Not being able to see his beloved brother especially before he dies. It would have to be through Deamon, Rhaenyra and Alicent that the two could communicate. Unless the brother were to sneak out of his room to see Viserys, even if it is one last time.

I’d say though that it’s after Viserys’ death that shit really hits the fan and it’s made apparent where the Brother!Reader’s position is in this whole debacle and it’s smack dab right in the middle. Rhaenyra and Daemon are hellbent on moving the Reader to Dragon Stone to be with all of them, his real family. Meanwhile Alicent is desperate to keep the Reader with her just because of her own feelings for him, she doesn’t want him to be taken from her cause she knows that’ll be the end of it. And if the children were just as attached to the Reader, even viewing him as more of a father than Viserys was to them they’d do everything they could to help keep him in King’s Landing. And Alicent has no problem using the Reader’s health as an excuse to keep him where he already is. Using it to guilt trip and garner a sympathetic response from Rhaenyra, but it’s really Daemon who she has to convince and it’s not going to work.

Also, you can bet Rhaenys would also have quite the attachment for her youngest cousin. Especially if he were to have been encouraging and supportive of her when she was in line for the crown. She would have come to him after Laenor and Laena’s deaths, and of course after Viserys’ death as well. I could even see while Viserys and Deamon were always fighting about where to have the Reader reside, Rhaenys had her own wants for the Reader to stay with her and her family at Driftmark. She just knew better than to say anything but now she’ll do whatever to get her cousin away from the Greens.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

I Hope That You Burn

Pairing: Platonic Spencer Reid & Reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: uh just cheating really

Genre: kinda fluff, mostly angst

Summary: What happens when you learn your husband has broken your vows

This story was requested by @lucreziaq2001

A/N: I didn't get a chance to properly edit this one be kind <3

***

Working for the BAU has been such a whirlwind to say the least. You joined the team pretty recently and it took you a little bit to get the hang of things but you'd say at this point you're definitely starting to find your place among the team.

"We're totally gonna miss you in the field on this one." Spencer says. You'd definitely consider yourself closest to him, always whispering to each other, chatting late into the night- he's like your best friend. It's nice to have someone close to out here as you aren't from the DMV tristate and only moved here because of your husband becoming a senator.

"Aw I know Spence but with Adam out of town at that summit for a month I'm just not comfortable leaving Bella with a nanny indefinitely like that." You tell him.

"I mean I totally wouldn't have minded watching Bella she's adorable." Penelope chooses that moment to walk passed the two of you. She ranks second closest you think. She reminds you of your friends from college, colorful and bold and unapologetically herself.

"It's not your job to watch my kid Pen, plus she'll only be this small for so long and with this job we're away a lot so I wanna take advantage of this and spend time with her." You shrug.

"That's so cute." Penelope says.

"You're a great mom. This case won't be the same without you though." Spencer says.

"Spencer I'm still on the case. I'll just be running point from home base this time. Like Garcia. You guys can and probably will call me as necessary." You say.

"What're we talking about over here?" Derek joins the small group at your desk. You and Derek get along great, although that's because he and Spencer are like brothers. You find yourself in the middle of their spats like this all the time.

"Just Bella and the fact that I'm staying back to take care of her." You tell him.

"Ah yes- the joys of motherhood you say. Can't believe you're staying behind." He shakes his head.

"If someone is ever gracious enough to deign you worthy of fathering their children, by some miracle, I'm sure you'll understand." You hum.

"Ouch! Need some ice for that Morgan?" Spencer hisses dramatically.

"You'll need ice in a minute Reid." Derek steps forward as if to threaten him, albeit playfully, but Spencer runs behind your chair, turning you to block Derek from getting to him.

"Hey! Just because I'm not going doesn't mean I'm not watching Morgan. You behave, both of you. Don't y'all stress Hotch out because I'm home." You warn.

"Hiding behind Mommy are you, Spence?" Derek taunts.

"I am not hiding!" Spencer huffs.

"Mommy?" You scoff.

"Reid, Morgan, wheels up." Hotch comes out of his office and the boys head off to grab their things. "You're sure about staying y/n?" Hotch asks you.

"Absolutely. I can't leave Bella. If it were Jack would you leave him with a nanny you didn't have time to properly vet, especially given the job we do? Not even factoring my husband's job into things."

"Could never." He says.

"There ya go." You say.

"Alright, well keep your phone on. We might need you."

"Of course. Consider me a hotline." You wink.

"Good." Aaron nods and turns away.

"I'm being hyperbolic! Don't like- call me at 3am or something with case updates!" You call after him.

"That's more Reid's thing don't ya think?" He spins to ask you.

"True. Safe flight! Someone let me know when you land!" You wave him off as you're sure the rest of the team is waiting for him at this point. You turn your attention back to the paperwork you were doing before. Penelope is still at your desk though and after a few moments of waiting for her to say something you chuckle to yourself.

"Did you want to talk about something Pen?" You ask her, eyes still glued to the document in front of you.

"What's it like to basically be Wonder Woman?" She asks.

"What?" You blink at her.

"You've been here a few months and you're already amazing, everyone loves you, you have the perfect daughter and a husband who couldn't be more obsessed with you I mean I would kill to have a life like yours."

"Well- my daughter is 2 that's not- never mind. I'm- flattered you feel that way Pen really but I'm not doing much of anything different. I work hard just like the rest of you. Trust me balancing a full-time job and raising a toddler is no easy feat plus being married to a politician is certainly not a walk in the park." You scoff.

"You make it all seem so simple."

"Well if I came in here screaming every morning one of them would surely have me committed and we can't have that." You wink at her.

"True. But I mean you're like always killing it."

"I try my best Pen, thank you. I worry sometimes- with Bella, ya know." You shrug.

"Why? You're a great mom." She shrugs.

"I like to hope so but the thing with kids is- well it's kinda like coding a neverending program that you aren't the only person adding code to and you have no idea what each new line of code will actually do regardless of your intentions." You tell her.

"Woah- I see. Well from over here I'd say you're a coding wiz." She winks.

"Thanks Garcia. I wanna finish this up before the team lands in case they need me so-"

"No problem, I have some things Hotch definitely expects me to do that I forgot about til the last minute anyway." She smiles. You chuckle and tell her bye and then she's gone, leaving you to your paperwork. Your least favorite part of the job. By the time the team lands somewhere on the west coast, it's about time for you to leave the office but Spencer is sure to let you know they've made it safely and promises to update you in the morning unless something urgent happens in the next 4 hours. You pick your daughter up from daycare and head home to wind down for the day.

"Alright Bella baby, let's get you fed and then bathed." You hum pulling her out of her car seat.

"Din din?" She blinks at you from in your arms as you shift to unlock the door.

"That's right my love din din. It's time for dinner." You kiss her head. You set Bella up in her high chair with some coloring pages to keep her busy while you get dinner going. Tonight you've got fish on the menu with steamed broccoli and some grapes you cut in half. It takes about 20 minutes but soon she's got food in front of her that she's getting down without much issue. Bella isn't the pickiest eater luckily and you've learned what flavors she does best with right now, of course that could change but that's something you'll test years down the line. For now, whatever keeps her fed is what you'll give her. When she's finished you bathe her and read her a bedtime story before tucking her in for the night. A couple hours after, you've showered and eaten and are climbing into bed yourself when your phone rings. You check the ID and pick it up.

"Hey Spence, how's it going over there?" You ask. He lets out a frustrated breath that makes you chuckle a little. "So not great?"

"I'm frustrated because these cops are incompetent but-"

"We always have to make sure we maintain a friendly relationship with local police." You finish the thought for him.

"Which is incredibly difficult when the Backyardigans would be more helpful than these guys."

"I think you're spending too much time with Bella. The Backyardigans?" You laugh knowing full well he only knows about the show because your two-year-old loves it.

"To be fair it's a good kids show." He says.

"I know that Spence but to say a group of animal children are more helpful than the local law enforcement is hilarious."

"You're only laughing because you don't have to deal with them. I am in no way exaggerating y/n."

"Oh I know. You don't really do that." You smile.

"Anyway, on more pleasant subjects, how is Bella? Easy night?" Spencer asks.

"Pretty easy yeah. Adam called to say goodnight to her."

"Did he? That's good. I know how much she hates when one of you has to be away." He hums hoping you can't tell over the phone how his mood soured slightly at the mention of your husband. As far as Spencer could tell Adam was a fine husband, on the rare occasion he was around and came to visit you at work he was always singing your praises. His only problem with Adam, which he would never admit, is that he's your husband because knowing you're married didn't stop Spencer from developing a crush on you. One he works very hard to hide from you and the rest of the team. He cares too much about you as a friend and as a colleague to ever risk that.

"Yeah, he missed the last couple of nights so it's lucky he called this time or I think Bells might've held it against him til the end of his trip in two weeks." You chuckle.

"Sounds like her." Spencer laughs along with you.

"Anything else happen so far? Anything I should know?"

"Nothing that can't wait until morning. Hotch will call you. I'm sick of talking about work." Spencer says.

"Okay well, we'll talk about something else then." You tell him with a giggle. You stay on the phone for another hour or two before Spencer lets you go for the night.

It takes the team over a week to return from that case. It was a rough one, even with you and Penelope helping as much as possible from the office but eventually, you solve it and the others make their way back home. By the time they land, it's already pretty late and you've left to get Bella so you'll simply see everybody in the morning. 

Night routines are done and dusted rather efficiently and you find yourself in Adam's home office after Bella's in bed. Well technically it's just the home office and not Adam's but he uses it way more than you do, you only really come in here to print things. Still, you keep a lot of extra supplies in here, and right now you're looking for an eraser because you can't find one big enough to erase the scribbles Bella has done in one of her books. You sift through the drawers on the desk and pause with a frown when you realize one is locked. Why would your husband lock a drawer of this desk? I mean- you're in the FBI you have higher security clearance than he would as a senator, what could he possibly need to lock up? You don't like invading his privacy but there's a terrible nagging feeling that tells you to open the drawer so- with a bit of careful picking you manage to get the lock open and find the drawer full of- letters. Letters between your husband and his secretary. Handwritten letters. You pull out the top few and scan the words on those pages, your heartbeat thundering louder with each line, each paragraph, each page. You read each letter with excruciating care, it takes you hours to get through them all, and by the time you're done, the sun has already started to light the night sky. You put all but 3 of the letters back into the desk and close the drawer but don't bother to lock it before forcing yourself up on your feet. You should kill him. Adam. You should hop on the next flight to that stupid summit and kill him in his hotel room. The hotel room he's probably sharing with his desperate secretary. You know the fault is his though you see red remembering all the times that woman smiled in your face while screwing your husband who knows how often. She probably thinks you're a fool, that you're so easy to trick and lie to. You slam the door to that office so hard thinking about it that the door rattles on its hinges. You're too angry to sleep- you need to decide how to make him pay for this. Stewing in your thirst for revenge, you hardly realize how much time has passed you until Bella comes toddling into your room.

"Mama." She waddles over to you and you struggle to flip the switch but you do it. You have to. Your baby. You have to do what's best for her. You always have to do what's best for her. Maybe nailing your husband to a cross is too reckless.

"Good morning my darling girl!" You coo happily picking Bella up.

"Mornin!" She beams back at you.

"Ready to get started with your day huh? Let's get you dressed for daycare!" You say kissing her cheek. You get her ready for the day, then yourself, feed her breakfast and drop her off at daycare all keeping it much more together than you feel. It's almost more frustrating to know you can't in good conscience take him down as he deserves because your daughter doesn't deserve that kind of exposure by association and when you leave him, you want it to be simple for her, or as simple as you can make it. You have a week to figure out your game plan before Adam returns and you plan to make the absolute most of that time. By the time you're walking into the office, you've already looked up several reputable divorce lawyers and plan to call them each during your lunch.

"Good mor- y/n, what's wrong?" Spencer frowns when he intercepts you before you reach your desk.

"I- I really don't wanna talk about it Spence." You say shakily. You can feel the tears welling up in your eyes and if you start crying now you don't think you'll be able to stop all day. Spencer seems to recognize the unshed tears too, if the shocked look on his face tells you anything. He wraps his arms around you tightly.

"If you decide you wanna talk about it, please come find me." He whispers before he lets go of you. You nod and make your way to your desk. Spencer spends the whole day watching you work. I mean he does his work too, or tries to, but he's so worried about you he can hardly focus. Before the end of the day, you've called all the lawyers you found and scheduled a meeting with one. You'll be seeing her tomorrow. When you're packing up for the day and preparing to head home Spencer walks over to you. "I know you didn't want to talk about it this morning, but since the work day is over I thought maybe you could tell me what's going on with you now?"

"Adam's cheating on me." You say flatly as you enter the elevator with Spencer.

"Wait what?"

"Has been for months. With his secretary. I found out last night."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I spent all night reading their correspondences." You mutter.

"Y/n I am so sorry." Spencer breathes out.

"It's fine. I'm meeting with a divorce attorney tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"I have to be ready when he returns. On Sunday. I want all my ducks in a row so I'm not there when he gets back." You say.

"Where are you going to go?" Spencer asks.

"I don't know yet. But it won't be that house."

"You and Bells can stay at mine if you need." He offers.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if I'm gonna take you up on the offer. Right now I'm focusing on getting divorce papers drawn up." You mutter exiting the elevator as soon as the door opens.

"Y/n hang on-" Spencer grabs your arm gently.

"I have to pick up Bella." You say.

"You have to process this."

"NO. Not right now. Right now I have to protect my baby. Bella needs me and she needs me whole."

"Y/n you're not just Bella's mom. You're a woman whose trust has been betrayed and you're allowed to feel that."

"Spencer I am all that she has here. I can't fall apart there's no one- we don't have- if I fall apart there's no one looking out for her."

"Don't do that. The whole team is here for you both. I am here for you both. If you feel yourself falling apart find us, find me. I'll put you back together again." He tells you.

"Thank you, Spence. I have to get Bella." You make your way to your car and pick up your daughter. Six days. You have six days to get everything in order because god forbid you have to be here when he returns from his summit. It's practically robotic as you make dinner, feed Bella, and get her ready for bed. You don't even realize you're climbing into bed until you're shutting the lamp off beside you. The day was not easy but you made it through, and you'll continue to do so until you sort through as much as you can before Sunday.

You spend the entire week meeting, exchanging emails, and talking on the phone with your divorce attorney, and by Saturday papers are completely drawn up. You take Sunday to pack up as much of your and Bella's things as you can because you decided earlier in the week you would take Spencer up on his offer, at least until you found a new place for you and Bella or Adam moved out to find his own place, that choice would be his. If he wanted the house you were not attached.

"Alright Bella my love, we're going to have a sleepover at Spencer's house for a little while, sound fun?" You say to Bella as you give her a bath after dinner.

"Spency?" She smiles.

"That's right baby. Spency." You smile back. Once she's in her pajamas, you get her in the car and make the 20-minute drive to Spencer's place with your mind mostly on the clock.

"Hey. You made it." Spencer says when he opens the door.

"Yeah, I wanted to get Bella ready for bed so she could crash. I still have a few things to take care of before Adam returns but I didn't want her too off schedule." You explain.

"Do those things have to be done tonight?"

"Adam's taken a redeye flight, he always does. He'll be back before morning yes it has to be done tonight." You say.

"Alright, do you want me to put Bells to bed so you can get whatever it is done quickly?" He asks.

"Would you mind?"

"Of course not. I've done it before."

"Thank you Spence. I'll be back in like- an hour." You pass Bella, half asleep into Spencer's arms and give her a kiss before returning right back to your house. You have one last thing to do before you can consider this phase of your plans complete. You pull open that drawer in the office where you left those letters and toss them into the office bin. You strike a match and take a deep breath before tossing it into the collection of papers.

You saved three. Those you need for divorce things but when the time comes you'll burn them too. The rest you watch be engulfed in the fire now. Not to save him, no, you hope he will receive every wicked thing he deserves, but to save Bella. You've seen this before. Politicians in scandals are never isolated. It affects everyone around them and you won't have that happen to your dear Bella. She should not be any more harmed by her father's sins than absolutely necessary.

***

[sunburstxstarlightblog]

Because you ask for it, here are my StarBurst Headcanons!

Long post warning ahead. In no particular order:

Sunburst!

Sunburst’s hair is actually curly but he doesn’t know how to take care of it and doesn’t understand why it’s such a mess even though he brushes it every morning. (Btw, you’re not supposed to brush curly/kinky hair, especially when it’s dry, and of course that’s exactly what he does.)

He’s very proud of his goatee, his mother hates it and asks him to shave it every time he visits, which makes him like it even more, and is considering growing a full beard, just to piss her off.

He loves books for sure, but if you search through his private library, you won’t find a single novel, storybook, or anything resembling a fiction section. He doesn’t care for it. Since he knows so much about magic and history, when he reads a novel that embellishes some historical fact or magical effect, it takes him out of the story and immediately makes him lose interest.

Some of his most precious books were found while dumpster diving. That’s right, he dumpster dives once in a while, especially around libraries, second-hand stores, old houses, and construction sites. Libraries and second-hand stores usually throw away or give away books, since they get so many and they can’t sell them fast enough. Construction sites usually dig so deep that they bring up some interesting artifacts, and when the owners of old houses die, the family usually throws away the previous owners’ things, which includes books and other oddities.

Most of his furniture comes from antique stores, second-hand stores, and whatever Equestria’s version of the Good Will is.

Sunburst always leaves the house with an empty saddle bag and somehow manages to come back with it filled to the brim with books he picked up along the way.

After he dropped out of magic school, Sunburst’s income was very limited. He had to live with whatever his mother could send him and with the money he got from part-time jobs. This turned him into quite the penny pincher, he learned the hard way how to budget every bit he got.

His luck finally turned when he started working as a freelance editor since he could read through hundreds of pages in a matter of hours, red pen in hoof, and be done with hefty manuscripts in a day. Many writers appreciated his speed and accuracy when handling their manuscripts, and were quite saddened when he quit freelancing to work full-time for the Royal Family.

When the Crystal Empire returned, they were desperate to bring in more ponies to live full-time in the Empire, one of the ways to achieve this was to sell houses and land on the cheap, that’s how Sunburst got his house with his meager income. The alternative would’ve been to live with his mother, and Sunburst would’ve rather lived under a bridge than move back home.

Sunburst watches Flurry Heart from time to time. He’s very patient and gentle with her, and Flurry Heart adores him for it. He’s the only that can get her to eat her peas without making (too much) of a mess. He’s writing a book about his experiences in watching her, like a guidebook on how to raise infant alicorns, he hopes to publish it once she’s grown and already has her parents’ permission to do so. Cadance explicitly requested to send a signed copy to Twilight once he’s done, for all they know, she might be having alicorns of her own one day.

Starlight Glimmer!

Her family is actually one of the founding families of Sire’s Hollow, but unlike her father who’s very proud of this fact, she really couldn't care less.

Starlight left home as soon as she was legally an adult. She worked various mundane but safe jobs, studying magic in her free time and slowly building her philosophy, meeting ponies that were down on their luck and vulnerable to her suggestions (working in retail she met quite a few ponies like that). It was a slow process but before she knew it, she had a sizeable community.

I know everyone kills off Starlight's mother, but I like to think that she's alive and well somewhere. Her mother is an important wizard, who unfortunately loves her work more than she loves her family, and often travels to distant places to study magic. Her mother would send her letters and postcards from the places she was at until Starlight moved out and lost all communication with her. While Starlight admires her mother very much, she's resentful of her for being absent during her childhood.

Starlight is very artistic and can actually draw really well. Hanging out with Rarity made her practice her artistic skills, and now she can do a decent sketch of ponies and things if she puts her mind to it.

Ever since she became Twilight’s pupil, she learned how to be more organized. Before she used to be very forgetful since she never wrote down what she had to do or kept track of important things. If she’d been this organized back when she was commanding her village, she would have been an even more formidable opponent.

Starlight never dated. Growing up she was very distrustful of other ponies, but she was more guarded around stallions. Nothing sets her off like a stallion making an unwanted pass on her.

Starlight doesn’t care about fashion; her sense of style could be summed up in the phrase ‘function over fashion’. Her closet is very bare, even compared to Twilight’s who shares some of Starlight’s tastes when it comes to clothes. She dabbles in makeup though, but her knowledge is very limited in that area too.

Hanging out with Pinkie Pie has aggravated her already very sweet tooth problem. And since her job is very sedentary, her weight gain is starting to show, much to her horror. This prompted her to start exercising more. Now she wakes up early every day to run around Ponyville before she has to go to work.

Unlike Sunburst, all of Starlight’s books are fiction. She likes novels, especially dark fantasy, filled with action and violence. The gorier the better.

When she’s sad or upset, she twirls and levitates stuff around her. It was the first spell she could cast successfully, and it was the first one that Sunburst taught her.

Now for the good stuff, some StarBurst headcannons.

When Starlight can’t sleep, she asks Sunburst to read to her. His voice is very soothing and monotone when he reads out loud, and since the subjective he reads is very boring to her, she falls asleep quite easily this way.

When they were little Stellar Flare used to joke that their kids would get married someday, Firelight didn’t think that it would ever happen. Since then they have had this ongoing bet that whoever was right would get fifty bits from the loser and full bragging rights at the reception. Firelight just lost those fifty bits recently and was a little grumpy at his daughter’s wedding.

Starlight is more athletic than Sunburst, he can run a little faster than her because he's taller than her, but when it comes to endurance, she has him beat. This comes in handy when she’s annoyed with him; she runs around while he chases after her until he collapses from exhaustion, but he still gets up and begins to chase her again.

Things were awkward for them at the beginning, but after the events of the Parent Map episode, they learned to relax around each other again. They started to write letters with more frequency, talking about more mundane and personal things, it surprised the both of them how much they enjoyed their correspondence and their bond grew from there.

When they hang out, they’re like a pair of excited middle schoolers on a sugar high. They’re loud, a little disruptive, and just so gosh damn happy to be around the other. Sunburst just talks her ear off about magic, and Starlight is more than happy to demonstrate what she’s capable of. The look on his face when she does magic is worth it.

They rarely fight, but when they do, brace yourself! They’re both in a very rotten mood until the issue is resolved. Starlight is a raging bull and will explode at the slightest provocation, you’ll be blasted to smithereens if you catch her like this. Sunburst goes very quiet and shuts himself away, but will bite your head off if you happen to bother him, pulling out every insult in the dictionary until you leave crying. This has only happened twice, and they never let their arguments get that bad after the second time.

Their first fight was caused by Starlight’s jealousy, her insecurities got the better of her and made her accuse him of a bunch of things he didn’t do. The second time it was Sunburst’s fault, he was so tired and stressed one day that he lashed out at her and she took it pretty hard.

They make up first by hugging the other from behind, as a measure to keep the other still so they hear what they have to say, and apologizing for their behavior. Even when all is forgiven and the air is cleared, they still stay cuddled and close for a while. Their both very touchy-feely ponies at heart.

Out of the two of them, Sunburst is the better cook. Having been on his own for so long meant he learned how to take care of himself, however, the recipes he can do are very limited. Starlight, on the other hand, is much more willing to try new things, even if they don’t always work out, but the times that they do, they’re very good.

Sunburst likes to hear Starlight sing, especially when he’s tired and she runs a hoof through his mane. He’s in heaven when she sings soft, nonsensical songs for his ears only.

[nyxocity]

Hi Nyx,

I just wanted to write a quick message letting you know how much I adore seeing you here. I've been a fan of Supernatural for a long time, but it's only been in the past couple of years that I've really read SPN fanfiction or engaged with the fandom in any conceivable way, and it's something I wish I'd done a lot sooner. There are so many amazing recommendations for fics on LiveJournal that just aren't around anymore, and unfortunately, the Wayback Machine only captures a very small fraction of them (although shoutout to people who were saving webpages back in 2008!!!). That's part of the reason why I'm so grateful to see you around. As lovely as it is watching new people build their own castles in the sandbox of a piece of media I love, there's something so incredibly warm and cozy and joyful about seeing a familiar username pop up on A03 or Tumblr. It's kind of like coming home, if you know what I mean :) Fandom (any fandom, really, but SPN is near the top of that list) can be exhausting and disheartening and toxic, just as much as it can be exhilarating and uplifting and transformative, and while I'm sure that as someone who's been in this space for a long time, you've most definitely encountered an unreasonable amount of the former, I'm ridiculously glad you're still writing. Because to me, you are a part of what makes the SPN fandom such a wonderful place to be in :)

Oh, and besides that, have I mentioned how much I love your writing? Because I love, love, LOVE it. All your fics are so diverse, I have no idea how you come up with the plot sometimes (especially the current one, UGH I'm dying just thinking about it!!). But no matter how complicated or simple the story, there's something so heartfelt and tender in each one, with beautiful angst and the kind of witty humour that makes me want to reach for a pen and take physical notes—not that I end up doing that because then the hot sexiness comes in and I lose all coherent thought ｡^‿^｡ Speaking of which, your characterization of Dean and Sam is EXACTLY how I see them, too (including Top Dean/Jensen which is absolutely delicious and I so wish there was more of that in the fandom) and ohmygod I don't know whether to love you or hate you for making me read RPF, the one thing I thought I'd never be okay with, but how can I resist when your stories are so enticing?????

(Oh, and speaking of RPF, I also love your characterization of Chad whenever you incorporate him in your stories. Every time I see him on screen I know it's going to be a good time :) It's kind of funny because I know virtually nothing about the actor in real life outside of his character from One Tree Hill, but from my limited knowledge it seems to me that a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, all the authors in the CW RPF fandom got together and unanimously decided to make him a secretly smart but also complete buffoon-headed slut (in the best way) and I just have to know how that all started. Do you have any insight?)

Okay, this message is getting seriously long and cheesy, so I'm going to wrap it up now before I start proposing (although if you're willing to join me in the land of maple syrup and hockey, I will happily get down on one knee with a ring pop), but I just really wanted to let you know how much your work means me to me and how much of an inspiration it's been. I hope to one day be capable of writing fanfic as incredible as you can, and that the depth of my love for the things I enjoy will shine through my writing in the same way yours does.

Thank you so much for always putting a smile on my face (or making me cry because the angst is just that good) and I wish you all the best in life, the universe, and everything ♡♡♡

Love,

IllusionalOptics

Oh my gosh this is so much love! Wow, thank you so much for this, you made my whole week!

Honestly, I can't believe I'm still here in SPN fandom. Back in the LJ days, usually when a show ended the fandom died shortly thereafter. And a show that went on as long as SPN did means a lot of people moved on to other fandoms anyway. So I'm thrilled to still be here, playing in this sandbox. No way I would have called that back in 2007 when I first fell into this fandom. And yes, I've seen a lot of vitriol over the years, some of it slung directly at me, though not in a long time. I'm here to have fun and enjoy fandom and I refuse to let anyone drive me away from it. No one gets to take away my joy.

I'm so honored and humbled that people are still finding and reading my stories to this day--especially newer fans! Thank you so much for your lovely, amazing, wonderful comments about my writing! It's funny because I usually start out with a simple idea for the plot and then it just becomes so incredibly complex and complicated lol For Retroactive, my current story, I knew the plot was going to be exceptionally complicated, and I don't know why my brain does this to me. It's like, hey you've written so many things, this time, let's make it EXTRA DIFFICULT! This story is by far the hardest one I've done yet. And I feel like I say that every time I write a new one, unless it's just a romance piece.

So happy that my Sam and Dean match your interpretation. Everyone (not just writers) kinda has their way of seeing the characters. I try to to stay true as I can to canon characterization, but there's always my personal filter on it that I can't separate out. So it makes me happy that it matches yours!

Hahaha. Okay, so you should probably love me for making you read RPF because some of it is just ASTOUNDINGLY good as they tend to be original stories with the actors playing the parts. But real talk, RPF was a big NO for me in the beginning, too--hell, Wincest was gigantic NO for me in the beginning lol, but I tried to draw a line at RPF. And after I wrote Like Staring Into the Sun I was in a chat with two friends who basically decided I was going to write this RPF story about a teacher Jensen and a student Jared. I resisted for like an hour or more. And eventually they convinced me. But Then My Homework Was Never Quite Like This was my first RPF fic. And I was just finally like, welp, I'm already shipping Wincest so here we go I guess lol So yeah, I hear you. I live my life mostly line free these days though. SPN fandom will do that to you.

Oh my god I love writing Chad. He's a bit different in every story I do but he retains some core characteristics. Ooooh, I get to impart some fandom elder knowledge lol So, back when I wrote the original Homework verse story, there was this tendency in fics to make Chad kinda dumb and/or gross and/or a dick. Often, he was a douchebag. He was funny, but a lot of times not in a GOOD way, I guess? So when I wrote the first Homework story (2008), I decided I wanted to make him smart, but in like, the most ridiculous roundabout way, so he'd still be funny. I can't say I started it, but I was definitely way ahead on the trend for smart Chad. Back in the day there was a lot of talk about him IRL being kind of a dick, a sleazebag and sleeping around, and though I don't remember if there was confirmation, a lot of people talked about him cheating on Sophia being the reason their marriage ended. I can't confirm any of that but I remember it was the talk at the time. So a lot of people took pieces from these things and ran with them and the fic version of Chad was created as kind of a dick and a douchebag and usually Jared's best friend (because of them living together IRL for a while) and the comic relief. It seems to have morphed some over time, which is good, because RL Chad seems to have grown up and to be a good person at this point in his life.

I wanted to talk about top Jensen and Top Dean, too, but this is getting so long lol Just know that back in 2008, 90% of fic was Top Jared and Top Sam, and my understanding is that that's now shifted and rebalanced the other way, to like 90% Top Jensen and Dean now. Although maybe it has shifted again in the last five years to be more balanced, Idk. I don't read fic like I used to.

Anyway, seriously, thank you SO SO SO SO MUCH for this. It means so much to me that you took the time to write all this out to me. Thank you for telling me all these things and for sending me so much love! Sending love right back at you! And feel free to ask me anything, any time! <3<3<3

[bekkachaos]

BRIDGERTON THOUGHTS PRT 3 !

Okay here's everything else 😅 part 1 and part 2 of my ramblings if you're bored!

Again, S3 part 2 spoilers below!

I really wish they didn't make me like John Sterling so much. I mean how dare you? I know what's coming and this is just rude!

And Michaela Sterling?? Oh we are going to get fed!

And bisexual Benedict too?! I feel that's been hinted at since that episode where he walked in on his painter friend, but also now that we have Michaela, I feel that they won't do the same with Sophie and genderbend for his story too, if it's not his story next season, I feel like he might explore more. But I do think he may be next, especially with the mention of the masquerade ball by Eloise at the end.

Also why did it keep cutting from Colin and Pen being all tortured and breaking my heart to Benedict being the sexy meat in a bisexual sandwich?? THE WHIPLASH

Eloise drove me nuts in the first episode, I just felt like she was being unnecessarily cruel but at the same time I can understand why. And she got past it in a beautiful way that I really enjoyed, just that first episode I was yelling at her to take her nose out of the sky!

Kate and Anthony were gorgeous as we knew they would be, and I love Anthony's face when Colin announces his engagement and he realises he can't upstage with his news. He is such a dramatic little man!

Not to mention him interrupting Kate when they were talking to Colin and just irritating her while she tried to make her point (and in doing so, proving her point).

Violet and Lady Danbury's friendship is amazing and I love it and I love that they brought up Violet's father without having to really talk about it, and then the cut to the hat? Oh it was so sweet!

I actually love seeing the featherington sisters, especially Prudence, out of their mother's favour, I feel like that's not really happened for them before, especially not in favour of Penelope and it was a cool dynamic.

Also the way I love Finch and Dankworth, they are hilarious together and just so adorable, I think there's one clip where they're both just standing staring in awe up at this cake and it made me laugh so hard.

And Prudence saying something nice to Philippa at the very end at the ball? That was lovely.

In my opinion, we had way too much Cressida, I'm sorry but I just didn't care enough for the amount of screen time she got. I know we probably had to set up for the blackmail and her reasoning but I just didn't care.

And it actually annoyed me how she was the one to mention to Colin that maybe he was jealous of Penelope and Whistledown, I just didn't like that it came from her but I know that somebody had to actually say it because ya boy wasn't admitting it to himself.

In the book you kind of flip between the two perspectives and you can tell that jealousy plays a part in his frustrations, but it's probably not as obvious in the show if you haven't read the book.

Okay I think I'm done, gonna go watch it again and see if I have more to say but I had to get it out 😂

If you've got this far come yell about it with me 💕

[analysistics]

Y/n is weary of Nevermore, but a certain barista just might change her mind... <3 Pt. 1.5

“Y/n. What. Was. That!?” Ava demanded. “Oh. Uh. Tyler?” Y/n responded. Still flustered. His name on her tongue made her stomach flutter. “I know that, but care to explain why your face is so red?” Ava demanded, incredulous. “I- I don’t know.” Y/n was embarrassed to admit how she felt about him; especially with all her new friends staring at her. “Forget how she was looking at him! Did you see how he was looking at her!?!?!?!?” Zach spoke up to Ava. “I know!!! He looks about as red as she does!” Ava said back. “Look at him, he keeps looking at her!” Lucas spoke up. ��Are you serious??” Y/n asked, the grin on her face very prominent, despite her attempts to conceal it. “Oh yeah.” Damien said. “He’s definitely looking at you right now.” “Forget looking, he’s staring!” Zach said. Y/n dared to look up, and sure enough, there he was, staring at her. When he met her gaze, however, he immediately looked away. “Oh my god!” Y/n said breathlessly. “Glad we took you here, huh?” Ava asked smugly. “Um, yes!” Y/n said, still trying not to stare. A couple minutes later, Tyler wandered over to the table with a mug. Y/n noticed his shaking hands. “One hot chocolate.” Tyler said, breathless at the sight of the girl as she looked up at him. “Hey!” Damien exclaimed. “We ordered first!” “What?” Tyler looked up. “Oh! S-sorry about that, I’ll get your drinks right away!” Tyler looked at y/n once more before hurrying away. “Damien!” Zach swatted him on the arm. “Sorry! Instinct!” Damien exclaimed in defense. “At least he knows not to mess with y/n.” Y/n smiled at Damien, grateful for her new friends. “Your claws are the only thing you have going for you.” Ava said with a laugh. The whole table snickered along with her. In the time it took Tyler to get the other drinks ready, y/n kept sneaking glances at him. Everytime she looked at him, he was staring right back.

————————————————————————————————————— Tyler was making the drinks, but the entire time he was making them, he was working up the courage to give y/n his number. Finally, just as the drinks were ready, he quickly grabbed a pen and the leftover receipt from y/n’s drink and scrawled his name and number on it. Before he could change his mind, he gathered up the drinks and brought them over, the note between his hand and a coffee cup. He was looking at y/n when he set the drinks down, and accidentally spilled coffee on his hand. “Ah! Shit!” He exclaimed. He met y/n’s gaze, quickly walking away in embarrassment. Tyler hid in the back for the rest of the time y/n and her friends were there, half from embarrassment, half from being too nervous to look at y/n after delivering his note. After they finished their drinks, y/n and her friends were getting ready to head out. Y/n noticed the receipt with her name on it and put it in her tote bag, not paying much attention to it. As she walked out with her friends, she glanced inside the cafe one last time in hopes of seeing Tyler’s adorable face again. Alas, he waited until they were gone to come out. Y/n walked back to Nevermore with her friends, her first day complete. She had already met an adorable boy who just might like her back. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

Thanks for reading!! I really hope you enjoyed this story and please let me know if you want to see a part two as well as if you want a drawing of Ava and y/n's room.

[tmbswhodunit]

WHO DUNNIT TMBS CHALLENGE - Don't Grow Up Too Fast

“Ugh!”

Rhonda stomped down the steps angrily, plopping down on the penultimate one and sitting next to Milligan. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking up from where he was repotting some daisies. The flowers needed more space to grow, and it was high time he completed the task.

“‘Ugh’?” He fought to keep a small smile off his face, as the eight year old still looked adorable, even in her fit of righteous fury, and tilted his head curiously.

“Mr. Benedict is being such a dad!” She exploded. “He won’t let me help with the tests, even though Pen gets to. He keeps saying he ‘doesn’t want to involve me in such matters while I’m so young’, as if I didn’t pass those same tests last time!”

She continued raging against this horrible injustice while Milligan quietly listened and resumed tending to his daisies. After a few minutes, she flopped into his side, having run out of steam.

“I just don’t get it,” She moaned, “I don’t understand why Dad won’t let me help. I’m smart enough! I did pass the tests after all, and I’m plenty brave. What’s wrong with me? Why won’t he let me help?”

Milligan was silent for a moment, thinking.

“Rhonda,” He began slowly, “Has it ever occurred to you that Mr. Benedict may be trying to protect you?” He really wasn’t sure how to explain the whole situation to a child, especially one he had only known for such a short time, but he thought that perhaps this would give her a new perspective.

“Of course he’s trying to protect me!” Rhonda threw the arm that wasn’t currently curled around Milligan’s into the air. “That’s all he ever does. But I can do things! I’m not a little kid. And Penny—”

“Now,” Milligan interrupted, somewhat thrown off by how swiftly Rhonda had understood the situation, even if her young emotions had a hard time coming to terms with it. “You know how your sister feels about her name.”

Rhonda heaved a dramatic sigh and slumped back against the stairs. Milligan privately thought it looked rather uncomfortable, but she was committed to it now.

“Why doesn’t she just go by ‘Pen’ like I said? No one’s going to ask her what it’s short for.”

“Nevertheless, she has asked us to call her by the name she picked out.” Milligan got up from where he was sitting, moving around the yard to place the freshly transplanted flowers. He had mapped everything out beforehand, and it ended up looking rather nice.

After a few seconds, Rhonda let out another enormous sigh. She stood up and began following Milligan as he worked, standing just at his elbow as she watched.

"Do—" She paused, “Do you think I shouldn’t be allowed to help with the tests?”

Milligan stopped, considering. “Rhonda,” He began slowly, “I think that you should be allowed to stay a child for as long as you can. And I think Mr. Benedict would agree. He only wants to keep you safe, and I think that you should respect his judgment on this matter.” He cocked his head, glancing back at her.

“I’ll respect him,” Rhonda grumbled, “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it! I want to help; I want to know all of the secrets. Tell me more about what you get to do on missions.”

And so Milligan began to share his stories, picking ones that he thought would both intrigue the small girl and dissuade her from attempting to join in until she was at least a little bit older.

It was dark by the time he finished with his yard chores, and Rhonda was seated on the railing of the stairs, swinging her legs. She perked up upon hearing a door shut from inside the house, leaping off the railing and calling over her shoulder, “Hurry up, Milligan, they’re back!”

They had only been gone since late that morning, but to Rhonda it had seemed like ages.

She raced into the arms of her older sister, hugging her tightly. “I’m glad you came back.” She mumbled. Then she pulled back slightly, looking at Mr. Benedict, “You too. Even though you won’t let me help.” She released Number Two and hugged her dad.

“Well, I’m certainly happy to hear that,” Mr. Benedict gave her one last squeeze before letting go and kneeling down to look her in the eye. “Do you understand why I don’t want you to help with the tests quite yet? I will always explain it to you, but I feel as though there is some other reason you might be having a hard time accepting things.”

Rhonda tilted her head to the side, considering. “I’m not sure. You say you don’t want me to have to grow up any faster than I need to, which I can kind of see. I don’t understand it, but I’m going to respect it.” She shot a quick look at Milligan, who was just coming through the backdoor, still wiping dirt from his hands.

Mr. Benedict nodded, seeming proud of her for some reason. “That’s a very mature decision to make, my dear. Thank you for your trust in me, even though you may not understand my point. I promise there will come a time when you will, and we can talk this over then if you wish.”

Smiling, Rhonda nodded. “C’mon, P— Number Two, come look at the flowers Milligan potted today!” She waved excitedly at Number Two and raced around Milligan, out the door he had just come through.

“She’s never going to let that nickname go, is she?” Number Two sighed, but she had a fond smile sneaking onto her face as she followed.

And so the two sisters went out into the backyard, grinning and laughing and dancing among the flowers and exchanging stories about their days. Mr. Benedict and Milligan watched from the window, and as the night breeze blew, every one of them was content.

[concealeddarkness13]

OC Kiss Week Prompt 7: Dare

Content warning for negative body image and suggestive themes. This one is Chess, from All's Fair, and Ives, the lovely oc from @drabbleitout's story, TB! This one's fun. Tagging: @ratracechronicler, @maple-writes, @pen-of-roses, and @grailfish!

I had been with Ives for months now, had been safe on Earth with everyone watching over me and helping me to find what I was interested in. I finally had regular meals. I was full regularly for the first time that I remembered. And when my body finally started filling out, not looking as close to skin and bones, I wanted to cry tears of joy. I was truly becoming myself. I didn’t have to worry about meals anymore. And…I liked how I looked. I loved it, even.

On my world, fat bodies were praised and celebrated, seen as a symbol of being rich and not having to worry about where their next meal was coming from. But here…on Earth…

I flipped through the tv channels, and every single advertisement made my stomach churn worse. Skinny bodies, women who looked closer to what I had been before, they were all over the place. Even for food commercials. I couldn’t look away. On this world, my body was seen as bad. And Ives…would he still find me beautiful? Or would he hate how I looked too?

I started wearing oversized sweatshirts, not just because I found them comfortable. I was so fucking over-aware of how my body looked, and I even refused sex. He wouldn’t like to see me. Not like this. But…I…I still liked how I looked. But he wouldn’t. This world valued skinniness, and I wasn’t that anymore.

One night, as we were cuddling on the couch, I hid my face when another fucking advertisement with skinny people played on the tv. The sound muted, and Ives shifted. “Chess, I…is everything okay? I didn’t want to press you, but I’m worried. What’s going on, little one?”

I…I couldn’t look at him. But before I could stop myself, I blurted it out. “All these damn commercials show skinny people. But…my body isn’t like theirs anymore. You’ll hate to see my body, won’t you?”

He shifted so that I was leaning against his chest instead, his legs wrapping around me and pulling me flush to him. I squeezed my eyes shut, but he just hugged me close. “Chess, I would never hate to see your body. Never. You’re beautiful. I promise. Is…is that what you’ve been worried about this whole time?”

I nodded, tears streaking down my cheeks before I could stop them. “I know it’s stupid! I shouldn’t care about how I look. But I’m scared!”

“Chess, do you like how you look?”

I sat up a little, wiping at my eyes. He was looking at me with the softest damn expression, and I had to stop myself from bursting into tears. “Yes, I like how I look, but this world doesn’t think the same, and I…I’m scared.”

He smiled a little and leaned forward, kissing me on the forehead. “First, those commercials are artificial, much more artificial than you or even I am. Second, I think you’re beautiful no matter what. Especially if you like how you look, I definitely do.” He held out his hands. “May I see you?”

I wavered, that fear still blaring in the back of my mind. “But what if you do hate how I look?”

He smiled more, looking up at my face and not moving. “I dare you to find something that I hate about you.”

I took a steadying breath, trying to think. “My scars.” He always looked at them with sadness.

He shook his head, leaning forward and kissing a visible one on my shoulder. “No, little one. I love them, even if the reason you have them saddens me. They are the symbols of all you have overcome, how strong you are.”

My cheeks burned as he took my hands. I pouted out my lip. “My stubbornness.”

He chuckled. “You’re already reaching. I find that endearing. And important. Without that, you wouldn’t be you.”

Oh shit, he really even liked my stubbornness? I bit my lip. There had to be something. No one could like everything about a person. “My tendency to put others before myself.”

He smiled, looking at me with adoration in his eyes. “It’s beautiful. It shows how much you love. Even though I would like you to put yourself higher on your priority list, I do understand that drive to protect the people you care about does come from your deep love for them.”

I stared at him. There was no way. Even that? “My hatred of myself, how I still sometimes see myself as a monster.”

He tilted my head closer, kissing my forehead again. And that heat was starting to pool in my belly. “It’s like your scars. While it makes me sad to know that, it came from a need to survive. It was something that was done to you, so how can I hate how you are because of it? I hate the actions the others did to you, but I don’t hate what you became because of it. It constantly reminds me of how strong you are, to be able to keep surviving even with everyone, even your own mind, telling you that you were a monster.” He threaded his fingers in my hair as tears streaked down my cheeks. How could he not hate that, at least? There were plenty of things that I hated about myself. How could he not hate something about me?

He kissed my eyes as my body wracked with silent sobs. “I love you, little one, and nothing will change that. I don’t hate anything about you, and I never will. You are beautiful and strong and wonderful. And I have from a good source that you give the best dog belly rubs.” I laughed even as the tears still streaked down my cheeks. Niner. Ives kissed my cheeks before gently licking up my tears.

Which caused my cheeks to burn worse. “Are you doing that before Niner can? How rude.”

He chuckled. “Maybe I want to experience one of those famous belly rubs.”

I laughed and hid my face in my hands, but he just hugged me close and kissed my neck. “Chess, could I please see you?”

That trilling fear came back, but…he didn’t hate anything about me, so he wouldn’t hate how I looked either.

I nodded and scooted back a little so I could take off my sweatshirt (didn’t have a bra on, so he could see everything). And I sat there, braced for it just in case, but he just stared.

It was like he was frozen, like he had rebooted, and maybe he had. The first indication that he was even alive was his fans turning on, scrubbing in a way that sounded almost like purring.

“Ch-Chess.” His voice scrubbed as well, and he had to take a moment as he blinked slowly, still staring at me. “Chess, you’re beautiful.” He finally unfroze, his hands immediately going to my stomach and touching as if I was precious. “Chess, little one, I…” He whined and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer and…and squishing his face into my stomach.

I squeaked as my cheeks burned worse. “Ives.” But what was I gonna even say? I couldn’t even think of anything. “I…um…Kiss?”

He didn’t react for a bit, kissing my stomach instead, the asshole. He should be kissing my lips. But finally, he moved back and looked up at me with dilated pupils that swallowed the bright blue of his eyes. “Of course. I love you, Chess. God, you’re gorgeous.”

Before I could respond, he pulled me into passionate kiss, moaning lowly and tipping back so he was lying on the couch with me on top of him. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself as I deepened the kiss and closed my eyes.

Ives, all 6’4” perfect Ives, thought I was gorgeous. Looked at me like I was a work of art. Treated me with care. I…I loved him so damn much, and even if there were days that I was scared and doubted, he would be patient with me. He wouldn’t hate me for it. I…I didn’t deserve him, but he loved me anyway. I sighed as he pulled back and flipped us over so he was pinning me. As he scraped teeth over my neck and down my chest and to my stomach, I just relaxed. I didn’t have to be worried. “I love you so much,” I breathed out.

He chuckled. “I love you too, little one. Every part of you.”

[edwinspaynes]

I'm trying to think of what all my main blorbo's favourite Taylor Swift songs might be. Now the ones I most associate with them - that's a much easier exercise. But what ones would resonate the most with them.

I think that Matthew would really like a lot of the glitter-gel-pen songs because he likes (per CLS) modern and the good-humored. So it's just a matter of questioning which of the glitter-gel-pen songs he'd find the most resonance with. Yeah, Shake It Off is dancey, but would it resonate? Not sure. I'm definitely going with Gorgeous here because I think he'd view it as some kind of Ode to Beauty and he'd just like it, I don't know. He also might TIWWCHNT because it's petty and grudgey in addition to making a great party/dance song. Despite this, I maintain that 1989 is his favourite album for its pop-upbeat vibes. Still, when he's feeling emotional and reflective, Happiness or Dear Reader really does it for him.

Thomas feels like someone who would be a Fearless girlie (gender neutral) at heart because of the fairytaleeque romanticism and general hope that the album exudes. It's also just chock-full of emotions, which obviously is something Thomas would enjoy. I'm assigning him the favourite songs Love Story and Hey Stephen as well as vault tracks like Jump Than Fall and That's When. I also want to say I bet he adores the Lover album and vibes hard with I Think He Knows. For the, you know, absolutely madly-in-love crush vibes.

On the total opposite end of the spectrum, I think that while Alastair enjoys the glitter-gel-pen songs, some of Taylor's rawer, more emotional songs leave him reeling. Tolerate It is the low-hanging fruit because it reminds me of him a lot, but I'm pretty sure that all of Folklore and Evermore really gets to him. He could also sing the songs extremely well because he's a talented musician who sings with passion. I think he'd also like Closure, Seven, Hoax, and Tis the Damn Season a lot. Midnights is another favorite album, especially YOYOK. Probably has listened to WCS angrily, too.

As for Cordelia, I think she's a fun chameleon who loves songs dispersed across eras pretty equally. I think she vibes the honesty in Speak Now hard and would count Enchanted and The Story of Us as favorites. But I'm going to say that I think her absolute favourite Taylor songs are subsequent Reputation tracks Don't Blame Me and Delicate, because they give off the exact vibes that she does when she's in love. I also adore the idea of her and Secret Swiftie James coming up with an entire ballroom-dance variation of Don't Blame Me.

[restlesscrybaby]

I absolutely adore your content! Your posts always feel more like short stories than head-cannons :)

How do you think the pie man himself would be with a mute S/O?

Thank you so much!! I appreciate you guys love for my content!!

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

~ JACK HORNER x READER HEADCANONS. ~

~~ MUTE S/O. ~~

× 'Whats the use in words?' ×

☆ CONTENT WARNING: None. ☆

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Being mute was never easy.

No matter if it was that you medically couldn't speak at all or because you just didn't like too,

It was always hard. Always something coming up, always somebody not understanding, always somebody picking on you,

But, you adapted to that.

You knew that Jack may not understand that either...

I mean, he truly didn't at first..

Hey, lucky you, he learned sign language for situations like this.

I'm sure he's had a mute worker before, let alone a deaf one.

And, you spoke sign to him.

If you didn't, you wrote down what you were saying.

Of course, when you two got together, it became.. kinda a tough thing to go through...

One day, he had been yelling at his workers. You stood beside him, as though you were a little supervisor, with a small, velvet, notepad and pen. You had been writing things in it for him, but now he was bellowing at a worker for messing up a pie.

You took notice to something, some kind of thieves stealing some of the pies for themselves!!

Your eyes widened, as you grabbed hold of Jack's sleeve, the leather clenching into your hand. You tugged on it, yet he didn't notice. His other hand waving around as he yelled, brows furrowed and eyes wide in anger.

Why didn't he notice that? Ughh..

Come on, Jack!!

You tugged again,

No answer...

They were getting away!

You reacted fast, instead of standing around, you bolted away. The notepad and pen falling to the floor in a small jangle. The notepads paper faced down towards the floor. Some pages now folded upon itself.

You grabbed the arm of the thief, who gasped and turned towards you. Eyes you didn't recognize, but they dropped the boxes of pies... Trying to pull away.

They did so.

But punching you in the face, but they didn't pick up the pies, they scampered off. Their shoes squeaking against the floor as they booked it away...

Jack was finally looking now. Confusion tinged his eyes, as he pursed his lips. His brows furrowing, facing down, to show frustration and anger. Which, you could see, with that red face and those bloodshot eyes.

"Why didn't you try to tell me!?" He asked, as he slapped a hand against his face out of frustration.

You could only look at him in a 'Oh, really?' Way.

Of course, he sometimes forgets you don't/can't speak.

He's learned to adapt over time.

When asking what you want for dinner, if he has his back turned to you, it takes him a moment. But he turns towards you, asking you once more, now that you could sign it to him.

Or, if you wrote it down, you'd come up, showing him on the piece of paper.

It allowed him to help.

And he did try to accommodate you.

He tried to find the best communicators out there to help you talk to him better...

Or, at the least, try to understand you better,

It wasn't hard to forget you were there, you remembered that, from so many days at school and so many days at previous works or other places.

Yet, somehow, he always remembered you.

It made you feel special, how when he would walk by, he'd wave a hand off to everyone else, but smile your way.

Maybe it wasn't hard to forget you because you weren't chatty.. He didn't really like chatty people.

I suppose that's a win on your end.

You can't lie, you loved that big, dorky, bastard.

Especially when he'd defend you, telling people you didn't talk, trying to understand more and more,

And your heart aches, when you walk in without him noticing,

And he's holding a book, his thumb on the inside, separating it open. His index behind the spine, holding the book like a newspaper almost...

Where you could see the cover,

Where he's studying why you don't/can't speak.

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

× 'Isn't our love enough?' ×

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

EnJOYY!!

Surry all of these have been rushed, I've been trying to get this out quick!!

[doodle-bun-makes]

Here's some more about my wip original story "Of Dragons and Unicorns" (prepare for an essay long info dump). Thank you @catkin-morgs for asking about it!

I originally started this idea around 2017 and it was completely different. It was about the princess, still named Sylvia, who was led to a crashed dragon by her horse during a ride. The dragon gives her an egg to take care of, which shocks Sylvia because she didn't think dragons existed. The egg hatches and she has to keep it a secret from this visiting kingdom but little does she know, the kingdom secretly has dragons. There was also a love triangle between the Sylvia, the prince, and this horse breeder that wore a mask for some reason??? I don't know, young me was obsessed with love triangles.

Then sometime around 2021 I decided to revamp the idea. I wanted to make every kingdom have a mythical creature and since I'm a horse girl I made Sylvia's kingdom the unicorn kingdom. She also has a brother who she used to be close to until he married into and became king of the pegasus kingdom. So she's pretty lonely since she's a judgmental introvert and thinks other royal kids are boring; her only friends are the stable keeper and the unicorns he keeps (there isn't a love story between them, the stable keeper is happily married). Sylvia laments about being betrothed to the prince of the dragon kingdom, Crown Prince of Drakes, Eluard. She doesn't know him since they met once when they were around 4-5 years old and when she was 10-ish she tired to reach out to him via letter but she never got one back. So the only things she knows about Eluard are rumors people tell about him, like how he tamed his first dragon at 2 years old and that dragons feared him. But she thinks he's a pompous jerk because the portraits he sends annually depict him as an emotionless and cold. But when the dragon royalty arrive for her debutante ball, she sees that Eluard looks nothing like his portraits (i.e. kind, freckled, tall, more stout than jacked). He's either super formal with her or gets nervous, especially when his brother tries to play match maker to get him and Sylvia closer. That only leads to Eluard getting more distant to Sylvia which makes her think that he was just trying to trick her with a first impression. She resents him up until her debutante ball where the two dance and she freaks out because she does not want to get married. She excuses herself then escapes into the garden. While she's trying to calm herself down, Eluard comes out to check on her. This causes her to go off on him and basically rant about the awful person she thinks he is until she can't breathe. Eluard then asks what he did to make her think all that because he was trying his hardest to abide by her kingdoms customs and she tells him that he showed who he was all the way back when he didn't answer her letter. Lo and behold, Eluard did write her back but his letter got lost in the mail so he thought that he came off too strong in the letter and scared Sylvia off. Sylvia is shocked as her preconceived notions come crashing down around her, so the two of them sit in the garden and get to know each other. Originally, this part ended with the two becoming pen pals and starting to grow a friendship.

That's where I originally stopped writing, but I planned on this story idea to be two books: one taking place in Sylvia's kingdom while the other takes place in Eluard's kingdom. The second one would be about a year later after the two had kept up with one another, where Sylvia would be moving to the dragon kingdom. Since the two of them are more friendly, Eluard shows her around the castle/the towns around the castle and introduces her to a bunch of people and dragons. It becomes clear to her that his people adore him and he adores his people. At a party celebrating her arrival, Eluards estranged twin brother crashes the party to mock his family and meet Sylvia. He eventually gets chased off and Eluard has to sit Sylvia down to explain the whole curse thing to her. She's surprised but accepts that it doesn't change who he is. Then at some point while Eluard and her were out for a scenic ride they get attacked by the brother and his crew of dragons and they steal Sylvia. Sylvia, however, hates the brother more than she fears him and makes his life a living hell until Eluard comes to try to save her. The brother gives her up instantly and idk they live happily ever after. I haven't really thought about the second one too much, those are just some ideas I have for it.

My inspiration for the unicorn kingdom is a usual vague European fantasy world that most fantasy stories take place in. There are a ton of different unicorn species like nocturnal ones aside from the ones that have obviously been selectively bred. For the dragon kingdom, however, I wanted it to be like a fantasy wild west with cowboys and bandits and dragons instead of horses. I got a lot of inspiration for the terrain from a trip to South Dakota because I just fell in love with all the nature and different biomes like the the black hills and badlands. I imagine that the capital would be in a badlands like area where the castle was carved from one of the huge rock formations like this one

For Eluard's dragon, I wanted him to have a Drake (wingless dragon) because I imagine he has a fear of flying because his twin dropped him once while he was flying (brother's curse gives him dragon wings, Eluard's doesn't). I see him having a huge drake that looks intimidating but is literally his best friend. I envision the drake kinda looking like a bison, but I couldn't make it look the way I wanted to. Here are some sketches I made, but none of them really felt right

While I'm on the topic of sketches, I have drawn Eluard and Sylvia a few times in the past to help get a good picture of them in my head.

This was the first drawing I made all the way back in 2021. I knew I wanted Sylvia to have a graceful and elegant look to her to contradict how snippy and blunt she is. Her look doesn't change a whole lot in my drawings since her look is simple yet effective. I kinda want to redesign her to contradict Eluard more, but I haven't had the motivation to work on this story.

Eluard, on the other hand, changes quite a bit through my drawings. At first I didn't really know how I wanted him to look, so I went for a regular modern-ish southern cowboy (he does have an accent). I don't really like this one, he looks too young and not as rowdy as he actually is.

This is another design for Eluard (far right). I went for more of a bull rider look because he enjoys training and riding rowdy dragons that other people are too scared to ride. He's just a dumb guy who isn't afraid of pain, basically a himbo but book smart. Still didn't have the vibe I wanted, I wanted him a bit chubbier to look more like a strong man instead of a body builder.

The middle character is Eluards brother, Oswald. He's crafty, quiet, and is determined to help his brother woo Sylvia. This leads to him overstepping and trying to rush things, but he means well. He's just an ambitious kid. He didn't give off a cowboy vibe in this version, just kind of like a standard fantasy prince.

The character on the left got cut from the (for now) final version of the story. He's supposed to be a witch in training that knows way too much about flora and herbs. He was going to be Oswald's love interest, but he doesn't really fit in the world anymore and I don't want to force him in.

This is where I started getting a good idea of what I wanted Eluard to look like. He's a big tall guy that sturdy-looking, like it would take a lot to knock him over. I also leaned more into a western pleasure like style for his formal clothes. In these pictures (besides the one where he's shirtless) I drew them first meeting where he kisses her hand (I really needed to work on my side-profiles). The top two drawings are of Eluard trying to shut his brother up as he says something embarrassing then talking to Sylvia to explain that his brother was talking nonsense. I wanted him to have some unprincely "imperfections" like freckles and a chipped tooth he got after a dragon headbutted him. He also has a bunch of scars from wrestling and handling different dragons.

I also realized I wanted Eluard and his kingdom to have an indigenous American inspiration, specifically from the Lakota tribe since (from my research) they were one of the tribes that used to inhabit the badlands. I still like this idea, but I'm also terrified of accidentally depicting something offensive on accident. Because I can do all the research I possibly can but I can never know everything about the culture since I'm not apart of it. I want to be respectful of Lakota culture and include some sort of indigenous representation since it's a big part of western cowboy media.

So I really got into drawing Eluard for a while because I just fell in love with his design. I decided to make bolo ties the important piece of clothing much like a crown to help show status based on what was carved inside it. I lost my idea for the royal emblem meant to be carved into Eluard's and Oswald's bolos. Also, I gave Eluard a cane because I also gave him ~hip pain~, he got thrown around by a nasty bucking dragon and ended up injuring his left hip (inspired by my own horseback riding injuries).

I also drew Oswald, I'm still not sure what to do with his design but I was getting close in this one. I didn't draw him a whole lot all in all, but I think he turned out fine. His essential design element to me is the little snake-like dragon around neck that's his companion. He always has the wyrm with him because its his little sidekick and emotional support dragon.

In the other picture where Eluard is shirtless (I realize I have drawn him twice shirtless) I don't know what 2022 me was on but she was really working on drawing dude torsos. I think I was trying to imagine how he'd look muscle wise since he wouldn't not have muscles. He works closely with big dangerous dragons, he needs to be able to hold his own. But I honestly believe that a prince like him wouldn't care to cut his muscles, he needs the fat to help protect his organs. And there's nothing wrong with being a bigger strong guy, not every strong guy has to be defined like a body builder.

Also Sylvia being shy seeing him shirtless lol.

Again, really obsessed with drawing Eluard. I already felt pretty solid on how Sylvia looked, so I was really focused on getting his characteristics down.

In the upper left corner is Eluard with his curse starting to flair up. He gets scales coming from his pores, claws, and his pupils change shape. He gets really defensive in this state because he's afraid he might hurt someone while he's in it because he knows first hand how dangerous dragons can be.

Speaking of that, in the upper right picture is after a particularly rough fight with a dragon. Eluard isn't phased by pain, at least that's what he wants people to think because he hates it when people worry about him. Idk something about independence i guess.

In the bottom left, Eluard is hugging his drake. I was giving the drake's design another try but gave up. Also emphasizing how close the two are because I imagine dragons don't enjoy hugs and stuff because it can come off as a dominating action.

The bottom right is a little doodle of Eluard defending Sylvia from something. I don't know what, but something.

This is the first look at Eluard's estranged twin. I wanted him to really lean into the whole dragon thing and use it as an excuse to be wild and not take responsibility for his destructive tantrums. It's kind of cut off but he's saying "Y'know, if I wasn't disowned you'd be betrothed to me."

The Sylvia next to him is her reaction to him. I don't know why I gave her a Padme Amadala looking fit, but there she is. In response to Eluard's twin she said, "Aren't we glad that never happened."

In the bottom right corner there's a little doodle of Eluard and Sylvia dancing. Probably in the garden after Sylvia's meltdown when they hear a song they both like. Just very fun and enjoying each other's presence for the first time without fear of judgment. Also wanted to once again highlight their height difference. Sylvia's like 5'4 and Eluard's around 6'2.

Also another attempt at the bison drake. Literal nightmare fuel, he looks peeled.

Last but not least, a little comic thing I made about the twin crashing Sylvia's party. I really like the twin's design, but hated drawing all the scales. It's hard to decide where they should end on the skin because I don't want them to cover everything but I want it to kind of act like an armor. Also fun wings, spiky. I had fun drawing this, I like the contrast in how the brothers look at one another. Eluard with fear and surprise while the twin (he still doesn't have a name yet) looks excited. Ooo, the tension!

But, in the end, this is an unfinished idea. I have so many other doodles in notebook margins that I can't find, these were just the big ones. I'm honestly not married to any of the names, the only reason I kept them is because those were the names I used in the original 2017 story. I'm open to any suggestions you may have. And if you made it this far, kudos! I know I wouldn't have lol. If you have any questions or comments about this, please let me know!

[captainderyn]

🖊 🖊 Handing you some pens for your Nine & Five 👀 It is always IA time in my brain

*falls to knees before you* pls take my eternal love for asking about my AGENTS. HNNG.

This is going under a readmore whoops.

Quick and dirty tl;dr for those who haven't been here for the full Deryn Lore: Cipher Five (Valetyn Slovoko) and Cipher Nine (Erabelle Torven) were two OCs of mine up until about ~2/3 years ago now when I took an extended break from SWTOR. I'm not constantly on the cusp of bringing them back, without their previous ties.

OKAY with that out of the way:

Era/Nine:

Era is my canon Cipher Nine, she goes through the whole story line and all that fun stuff.

She "met" Five when she was a college student at the Intelligence Academy (side note: kind of view that like the US military colleges, someone in The Olde SWTOR Days had worldbuilding with that, cannot remember who ugh) and came across mission reports and stories of Cipher Five in his glory days of field work. He was The Example used when talking about what an effective cipher agent was. He became her idol and her idea of the standard she was working towards.

She finally met him personally when he was the temporary instructor in one of her training classes for a semester and it turned out he was...rough. Aloof, seemingly arrogant, and downright not what she'd built him up to be. She was devastated, but little did she know that her determination to prove herself to her idol in the face of that aloofness was what honed her existing skills.

Turns out, he's actually just Very Tired and Worn and is really a great man who cares for those in his circle. She leans on him intensely as a mentor and eventually as family.

Era struggles intensely in the IA storyline. The whole trigger word bit almost drives her over the edge. She becomes severely mentally unwell, ruins a lot of her relationships around her on a self-destructive path as she struggles to cope with what feels like losing herself to a puppet. She comes out of it on the other side severely traumatized (who wouldn't be) and it takes her a long time to recover.

She ends up destroying the Codex, refusing to be, what she sees as, a pawn to either side. It has been ~4 years since I've played the IA storyline but I do remember that.

A fun fact about her is that she is a painter, she adores it, and she has a series of pieces that she paints throughout the storyline that get progressively darker. Five finds them in her apartment and that's how he learns that something is deeply wrong, as he was not privy to the knowledge of the mind control Intelligence & Co put on her. It's then that he buckles down to try and get her pulled from the mission, but by then they're in too deep.

Post storyline I still like to think she opens an art gallery on Dromund Kaas and her favorite thing is when she's commissioned to paint murals in people's homes or offices. It brings her peace.

Valetyn/Five:

Val, aka Cipher Five, is my precious grumpy agent man. He's in his ~late 40s when Era begins the Imperial Agent storyline and has been her mentor ever since she joined Imperial Intelligence. He's had a hand in basically every step of her training.

He tends to go by Five rather than Valetyn. He's been an agent so long he feels disconnected from his birth name.

In my canon he's the most senior of the cipher field agents in Imperial Intelligence at the time. By this point the higher ups have most relegated him to doing things behind the scenes on Dromund Kaas while the other agents physically go out into the field, especially as things start to heat up and the higher ups are putting out more and more fires.

As such, he doesn't spend much time in the field, and actually spends most of his time training new agent cadets and bringing along the new cipher agents. He loves this aspect of Imperial Intelligence and he cares deeply for his agents. He does what he can to keep them safe. They all see him as their grumpy Office Dad.

Era unintentionally becomes his prodigy when she comes into training as a cadet. He sees her potential and decides to hone that talent, which then turns into recommending her for a cipher position, which then turns into taking her under his wing and...oh no he sees her as a daughter now, goddamnit, not another Grumpy Man Unintentionally Adopts A Daughter.

He's wracked with guilt over what happens to Era throughout the IA story, personally blaming himself for his hand in training her. He tried to put himself up for the IA mission string, but was told he was too valuable of a resource at home base to risk putting him in the field.

He's a cat person, he has a cat he found in a dumpster that he jokingly calls Agent until the name sticks and he can't change it anymore. This cat is basically a space!Maine Coon.

If he wasn't in Imperial Intelligence he should've been a librarian. He already basically has a library of his own in his home office, with walls of bookshelves and books stacked where he's run out of space. He has one of those book stampers.

He has a younger sister, named Vitaliya (aka V), who is a high ranking enlisted personnel in the Imperial Army. They fell apart for awhile during his years as a cipher agent, where he basically fell off the face of the Earth to his family, but begin to reconnect after Imperial Intelligence is disbanded. She teases him all the time that he's married to his work, he isn't amused.

[s-oulpunk]

Talk to me about Bill Denbrough? 🥺 I love him so much but sometimes I feel like the only one

OH ABSOLUTELY. I know exactly how you feel😭😭There’s not enough Bill content out there so here are some random headcanons:

Bill is a huge Star Wars nerd. He has a huge crush on both Leia and Han Solo — bc he’s bisexual so of course. I think A New Hope would be his favorite out of the trilogy. On the other hand, Eddie is a huge Star Trek nerd so the two of them are constantly swapping chaotic fan lore.

Green Day’s first album comes out in the early 90’s and you can bet your ass Bill eats that shit up. I 100% believe that would be his music taste and I want to go so far as to say they would be his favorite artist but maybe I’m biased. I also don’t want to make this entire post into Bill’s celebrity crushes but like,,he would have a crush on Billie Joe Armstrong.

When he goes away to college he starts carrying a notebook and pen with him everywhere. He’s had one too many stories ideas come to him in the middle of the day & then disappear by the time he sits down to write them. So now he writes them down as soon as he thinks of them. Sometimes they’re dumb — he rereads them later and all he can think is what the Fuck was I thinking — but sometimes they’re exactly what he needed to round out his current story.

In an AU where Georgie is still alive him & Bill would absolutely have the best sibling relationship. And that’s not to say they don’t fight, bc they absolutely do, they’re still brothers. But they’re best friends. Bill always does his best to give Georgie advice bc he wants to be a good older brother. Georgie makes fun of Bill relentlessly bc he wants to be a good younger brother. You know how it is.

ALSO okay Bill should have a dog. Like a big dog. I’m picturing a black lab or a chocolate lab. Her name is Lucy, and she’s the sweetest thing in the world. Bill adores her. She is so fucking spoiled, he’s constantly buying her treats and toys (and she gets table scraps too bc Bill can’t resist her). He takes her for rides in his car (which, btw, is super janky and beat up but he refuses to get rid of it). She loves the rest of the Losers Club, but I think especially Mike. She follows him everywhere.

I adore Bill so so much, he deserves so much better. Thank you for this ask I love talking about him🫶

[summersnow82]

Late Night Conversations - Part 3

Fanfiction _ SeaQuest

Fictober 2022/ Prompt #14: “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

Summary: Tim struggles with budding feelings.

Author’s Note: Part 3 of “Late Night Conversations.” This fic was inspired by a kinda-date my husband and I went on when we first started dating. We stood in B&N for over an hour just talking. Part of that conversation was about the X-Men, and Hank McCoy being my favorite. Instead of thinking I was weird (which I fully expected), my one-day husband told me his favorite was Colossus. Moral of the story: show your nerd early on so you can discover if they're worth your time. He definitely was.

……

It had been over a month since the SeaQuest had pulled in for shore leave.

Over a month since Tim O’Neill and Annabelle Harris had spent hours perusing the shelves of an adorable second-hand bookstore called “Plethora.”

Over a month since he’d discreetly watched the way the button-down navy and white polka dot dress she wore twirled around her calves as she moved from aisle to aisle.

Over a month since he watched her hair cascade around her shoulders because they were off duty and she could wear her hair down.

“Earth to Tim.” Miguel Ortiz snapped his fingers in Tim’s face, leaning around Tim’s bridge chair.

“Huh?” Tim jerked back, looking surprised.

“You’ve been staring at Annabelle,” Miguel told him in a hushed voice. “I don’t think anyone noticed, but… ,” he trailed off, noting the slight pink flush on Tim’s cheeks. “Is there something going on between you two?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Tim groaned, removing his glasses to rub his eyes. “I know it’s a mistake to fraternize with another crew member, especially one who works the bridge with me.” Miguel nodded. He was a big believer in the “Don’t Eat Where You Crap” mentality, much to the chagrin of many female crew members. “But we went out - .”

“You went out with her and didn’t tell me?” Miguel’s eyes went wide. His tone conveyed his surprise, but he managed to keep his tone low.

“Not… not officially, okay,” Tim said, motioning with his hands for Miguel to calm down. “She was going to a bookstore, and I asked if she wanted company. That’s all.”

Miguel arched an eyebrow. “...and?”

Tim shrugged. “And we looked at books. We talked about books. We looked some more. She got an overpriced coffee and pastry. That’s about it.”

He didn’t mention how they debated classic literature and world building for an hour in the fantasy section, or how he teased her about the price of her indulgent treat, or how she laughed when he suggested a few campy pick-up lines he’d heard.

He didn’t mention how the top button of her dress kept coming undone so he could see the lace of her slip beneath, or how he could smell the cinnamon and sugar from her apple fritter on her long after she’d finished eating it.

He didn’t mention how the little errands she wanted to run were boring, but necessary, and how he didn’t care if she needed a new deodorant or mascara or a weird makeup sponge that resembled a tear drop. She’d also wanted some fancy new pens, new hair ties, and she didn’t necessarily need the new robe, but it was ridiculously soft, and she’d wanted it.

He didn’t mention how they walked around town after it was dark because the trees were covered in white twinkling lights that made her think of fairies, how much she adored them, and how he was beginning to think he adored her.

He didn’t tell his best friend any of that because he’d barely been able to process the thought himself. Because he didn’t know if those feelings were genuine, or if he was rebounding on a good friend after so many dating disasters. If it was the latter, he’d never forgive himself for screwing up a good relationship – both friend and work.

“And that’s it?” Miguel asked, arching an eyebrow. “You just looked at books together and talked?”

Tim’s eyes widened a touch, and his mouth pursed in a seemingly innocent manner. Because it wasn’t just Miguel he was trying to convince that was all it had been. “That’s it.”

“Then stop staring or people are going to think something is going on, okay?” Miguel gave him a pat on the shoulder before heading back to his station.

Tim cast a fleeting glance in the brunette’s direction, nodding more to himself than to Miguel. “Okay.”