#I'll keep fiddling with her design

[novahedron]

Time. Isnt. Reaaaal

[guirgaleo]

final pass at an oc design

additional sketches I made as I was figuring this out

[russellsppttemplates]

Uh oh, I'm falling in love (Lando Norris)

Y/N and Lando both have jobs that require good sight and attention to detail and yet they're oblivious to their feelings for eachother

Note: english is not my first language. I'm in a very fluffy mood, so I got really excited when I got this request! This also makes my expectations even higher and calls me single in about seventeen different languages at once...

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: mentions a needle (for sewing)

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"Hey guys! How's everyone?", Max said to the camera as you made sure the set up was right, the screen showing his and Lando's faces on one screen and the table on the other like it was supposed to.

"As per your many, many requests, we have brought our graphic designer at Quadrant, Y/N", Lando announced as you appeared on camera, sending a very awkward first wave to the camera, "today's stream is little different than our usual programming, but it was the only way she agreed to be in one! You guys really wanted to see her, so we had to be creative!", Max said as he moved the friendship bracelets making kit into view on the table.

"Hey, Queen Taylor said we should make the friendship bracelets, so we're just following her!", you chuckled, looking at all the coloured threads and colourful beads, sorting them out and grabbing a pen and paper so you could draw your ideas.

"Since you guys wanted to get to know Y/N, can I tell them to send in questions?", Lando questioned you, "sure, I'll answer them to the best of mu ability", you smiled.

You were picking the letters you needed for the bracelet you were making when Max spoke up, "first one: how did you start working with Quadrant? I'd love to work on the team when I finish my degree!".

"I saw the job offer, and I must admit at first I didn't really know much about the company. I looked it up, looked cool enough and I sent my CV and portfolio in. So keep your eyes peeled for any offers, I guess? We have them now on the website, which was my doing, so you can check them out there if you want to be part of the team", you offered.

"I need help, guys", Lando said as he fiddled with his bracelet, the orange and grey beads with his initials sliding on the elasticated material, I can't do the closing knot on my own", he pouted as you placed your bracelet down.

"You have to flip it like this, here. Just put it on your wrist and I'll do the rest", you ushered him, your fingertips gingerly touching his hand and wrist as you quietly laced it, "this way we don't get frilly bits out and it looks pretty, see? Pretty!", you smiled, modelling his wrist for the camera.

Pretty, that's what he often thought about you. Not only pretty, but it was one of the first physical traits that came to mind.

"We should all have matching ones!", Max said as he completed his bracelet, impressively on his own, revealing the colourful beads with Quadrant spelled in white round beads with black letters, "I'll make one for each of you", he said as he watched you show your own, pink beads and a lyric he assumed was from a Taylor Swift song.

"I'll make Y/N's, she helped me after all", Lando said as one brave fan sent a comment into the chat.

He's so giddy to make Y/N a bracelet, it's a shame it will snap because of his lack of skills

Am I delusional if I say that they'd make a great couple?

If you're delusional, then what do I call myself? I still think they're making heart eyes at eachother whenever they catch the slightest glimpse!

We're joining forces, I think it's a noble pursuit!

He's a dork, Y/N, but you should give him a chance

Have you always known you wanted to be a graphic designer?

"I thought about different careers before I settled on this one, for now at least", you explained, "engineering was in the running up, but then I figured out that I was curious about how things worked, but that didn't mean that I wanted to be the one working on it. And this was a way to express my creativity, my strategy planning as well, and at the moment it's been quite good", you smiled as Lando grabbed your wrist softly, "I need to make sure this fits", he interrupted, "and it won't snap because I've learnt how to do it, thank you very much", he blushed. So he, too, was reading the comments, choosing not to dwell in them.

"Look, this way you always have a lucky charm with you everywhere you go, even if we're not together. We're eachothers lucky charms!", Lando announced as Max mafe a fake gagging noise.

.

"Are you all ready?", you said as you and Tara walked inside the room, clasping your watch on your wrist and hoping to find the boys ready.

Quadrant had been invited to a gala dinner that celebrated the companies in the same line of business, inviting five people to take part in the meal. After some team members politely declining the invitation since they had things booked already, the group ended up being Lando, Max, Callum, Tara and yourself.

The dress required everyone to up their usual style, hence the long dress you were wearing. Even though it was far from your usual everyday attire, you felt beautiful in the dress you ended up with after browsing the online shops for a while. The cut was simple, the skirt widening from your waist down and complimenting your curves as the sheen from the midnight blue fabric looked soft and sweet against your skin.

Lando seemed to think the same, trying his best to not let his mouth hang open when you and Tara walked inside their room, heels clicking on the wooden floor as you hurried them, "does it really take that long to put on a suit? I had to help Tara with the laces on her back and we still got ready faster than the three of you?", you asked, shaking your wrist to check if the dainty watch wasn't going to fall and that it wasn't too tight either.

Looking up to meet Lando's eyes, you were sure you physically and audibly gulped. No one should look that good in a plain white shirt. The cuffs were still unbuttoned, but the shirt itself was tucked in his black pants. He didn't have any jewellery, so his tanned skin caught your eye as it contrasted with his clothes.

"Lando has a problem with his shirt and we are trying to solve it", Max said, a little bit too antsy given that, at the naked eye, there didn't seem to be a big issue with the piece of clothing you had been inspecting quite closely.

"There was a loose button, and I tried to fix it, but I made it worse", Lando said as he pointed to the button on his hand, the slight movement showing you the place where it was supposed to he holding the piece together and closed.

"Three people in this room and no one thought about grabbing the sewing kit from the amenities?", Tara suggested, looking for it in the box that was the same as it was in your room, "see? Simple as that! Can you sew it, Y/N? My hand isn't fully healed yet, I can't quite grasp something that small yet".

Tara had injured herself earlier on in the week, prompting her to ask to tag out of the gala until you pleaded her to go so you wouldn't be alone, so she couldn't do it. None of the other guys seemed to even know how to pull the thread through the needle, so you grabbed the kit from Tara's hand, "sure, I'll do it", you said, "if that's okay with you, that is", you looked over at Lando.

"Sure, anything to solve this. Do I keep it on or should I take it off?", he questioned, wanting to slap himself straight after at his offer. Why would he volunteer to be shirtless in front of you? It certainly wasn't the way to go, shoving himself like that.

"On should be fine", you muttered, missing the snickers going on behind you as you wet the thread with your tongue, careful to not transfer any of the lipstick on it and ruining the piece without point of return for good, easily looping it through and adjusting the size of the ends.

"Button", you put your hand out so Lando could place it in your fingers, "I will do my best not to poke you, let me know if I do so accidentally", you mumbled at the closeness to him you found yourself in. It was the third button from the top, and as much as you loved the sight of the shirt slightly undone, the dinner required his shirt to be done up. Looping the thread on the button a few times, you moved to pierce the crisp white fabric so it would be secure, your hands dangerously close to his skin as you could hear his laboured breath. Lando still remembered and thought constantly about your fingers touching his hand and wrist when you did the friendship bracelets video for the YouTube channel, and right now, it only added to his predicament.

"It's done, all good!", you exclaimed, looking up as you cut the thread and seeing Lando's eyes on you. The intensity nearly threw you off of your balance as you stood the tiniest bit crouched down on your high heels.

Scrambling to further the distance between your bodies, you smoothed out the non existent wrinkles on your dress, storing the supplies back in the kit as Lando managed to utter out a thank you, too stunned and intoxicated by your scent to say anything else.

"I sewed a button as neither of you look any more ready that you were when we got here? We're going to be late!", you hurried, sitting next to Tara and ignoring her smirk as you scrolled through your phone.

.

"That shoot will have to wait since Lando won't be back here soon, then", you said, moving things around in the online shared calendar, "when did you say you could again? I'm sorry", you asked, rubbing your forehead and squeezing your eyes, adjusting your glasses and looking at him through the screen.

"The first weekend of the next month", Lando assured, "are you okay, Y/N?", he asked. The bags under your eyes didn't fool anyone and you looked tired. And sick, he guessed by the layers of clothing you had on.

"I had a pretty shit day, actually", you admitted, "I had to go with the guys from storage because there was an issue. The supplier sent the samples and we wanted to get things moving so I could have some ideas for the description and the social media team also wanted to prep the draft for the whole story telling, but it all went under. I also think I caught some bug, so it's been a fun day", you exaggeratingly smiled, mocking your own misery.

"You look like you need a hug, Y/N. Do you need a hug?", Lando asked as you nodded, "Actually, that would be pretty good, but I live alone. The neighbours would think I'm pretty weird if I went around like this asking for one, too", you reasoned.

Even though he wasn't next to you, Lando still managed to pull a smile out of you as he got up from the chair he was sitting in, hugging his laptop, "did you feel that hug?", he loudly wondered, "it's full of Get well soon fairy dust!", he smiled charmingly.

"Fairy dust, mate?", Callum wondered, reminding you of his presence in the videocall, "you try and spend more than a few hours with a little girl and you let me know. Mila has taught me all about fairy dust and princess magic", Lando added.

.

"How will we get out of here?", you wondered, starting to regret joining Lando, Max and Pietra when they said they were going to watch a football game. You loved the sport and you figured it would be a nice distraction after a work loaded week, but now, things were looking less than a distraction.

"We will let them space out once the game finishes, free up the roads as well because getting out of here will be a pain, too", Lando suggested.

The game granted your team a win and three points in the championship, the crowd going wild as they clapped, whistled and waved their scarfs, slowly leaving the stadium.

"Should we make a run for it now?", Pietra said, holding her boyfriend's hand as she allowed him to pull her away.

You followed Lando, thanking his choice of a colourful hoodie to wear today as it made it easier for you to spot him, "go in front of me, I'll back you up", he switched positions. You weren't having too much trouble until you were met with a ramp, people carelessly shoving others as they tried to leave as quick as they could, all with the same intent of avoiding traffic and crowded roads.

"Here, Y/N", you heard Lando as he grabbed your hand, lacing your fingers in his and pulling you along, excusing you two as you approached Max and Pietra again, "we're here", you tapped the blonde woman's shoulder with your free hand.

"Goodness, that was and adventure", she said once you reached the stadium car park, the crowd clearing up significantly as there was maybe another ten people headed the same way as you were now, "is everyone alright? I think someone stepped on my foot quite a few times, or many people stepped on it at various different times", you reasoned, walking alongside Lando still.

"Don't we need to hand the bracelets back?", Max said as he looked at the sign, taking his bracelet off and depositing it in the box in the booth, Pietra doing the same as you seemed distracted.

"Are you okay, Y/N?", Max asked, seeing you and Lando were still holding hands and, because of that, not taking off your bracelets.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?", you scrunched your eyebrows, "we need to hand the bracelets back in, so I kind of need to have yours, too", he teased, looking at your hand still entwined with Lando's.

Removing your hand from Lando's as if it har started burning all of a sudden, you removed the bracelet, apologising quietly to the stadium employee as you thanked him, "shall we go now?".

"Dinner out?", Lando gulped, getting into the driver's seat, "Good idea, yes", Max added, sitting in the passenger's seat as you and Pietra sat in the back, your hand rubbing your other hand that had been laced with Lando's own one for a long time. Uh oh, you were falling in love.

.

The launch was finally over after an amazing response from the fans, leaving your heart happy and warm with a sense of mission accomplished.

"Is everything packed into the van?", you asked Tara, "yes, it's just this box. It has fragile things, so do you think you guys can take it in the car with you? It probably only fits at the front, so you'll have to squeeze in with the boys on the back", she smiled apologetically, "it's fine, we'll keep eachother warm like penguins do", you chuckled, holding the door open as she set the box safely.

Saying goodbye to her and the rest of the team, Max and Lando joined you, "You sit in the middle seat", Max pointed at you, opening the door ao you could scoot closer to Lando and he could get in.

"Could you tell me how long we have until get back?", Lando asked the driver, "with traffic at this hour, I'd say around 90 minutes", he smiled, turning on the blinker so he could leave the car park.

"Plenty of time for me to catch up on sleep, then!", you cheered, making yourself comfortable in the space you had, folding your scarf into an impromptu travel pillow, closing your eyes.

"Are you a snorer?", Max asked, making you blindly swat his thigh, "only when I'm sick, and lucky for you, I'm in presteen health, no blocked nose", you grumbled.

It didn't take you long to fall asleep. In the last week, all of the nights combined, you probably slept less than thirty hours, so your body was indeed in need of rest.

"And there it goes", Max said as your pillow undid itself, Lando lifting his shoulder in reflex so your head wouldn't drop drastically, landing on top of him, "Good thing she isn't our engineer, hm?", he chuckled, looking at how his bestfriend was looking at you like you hung the stars and the moon.

"I think I'm in love with Y/N", Lando whispered after he took your appearance in. You had forgone wearing make-up today, so he could see all your moles and scars, your pouty lips and the darkened skin under your eyes. It took everything in him to not bend down and kiss your forehead.

"Congrats on being the last one to find out, mate", Max added, shaking his head, "I genuinely thought you had some issue processing information, I'm glad to find out you don't.

"Now you just have to act on it, which is going to take you, what? Two, three more months?".

[songsteps]

the SparkLark family!! (that is fun to say) I still feel a lil iffy with my Finchlight design irt her markings but I think if I keep fiddling I'll go insane

[auroravictorium]

bejeweled (k.b.)

Summary: reader gets ready for a heist and shares a few sweet moments with kaz.

Pairing(s): kaz brekker and reader Word Count: ~2.2k Warnings: a bit of violence (mentions of prior stabbing), allusions to kaz's touch aversion, mentions of a near-death experience Genre: total fluff

Author's Note: the response to lavender haze has been SO AMAZING, thank you all so much for your notes and kind words <3 you do NOT have to read lavender haze before reading this, but these two can be read as part of a larger series that i'm working on if you so choose! the link to my grishaverse masterlist can be found here. please drop any requests you have in my inbox! happy reading loves <3

You fiddled nervously with the skirts of your dress, bunching up the silky fabric in your palms and releasing it. Scrunch, squeeze, release. Over and over until Inej slapped your hand. "You'll wrinkle the fabric," she told you, then returned to figuring out the best way to hide a knife in your hair. If anyone could do it, it was Inej. You aspired to be as collected and creatively armed as she was.

"Sorry," you muttered. You examined your outfit in the cracked, dirty mirror in front of you. You wore a gown nicer than any clothing you'd ever owned, clearly seized from a store along the Geldstraat. The material was soft and dyed a rich color that went beautifully with your skin tone. It was also very susceptible to creases, judging by the look Inej kept giving your nervous hands.

A few harsh tugs on your scalp later, Inej stepped back to admire her handiwork. The blade was thin and capped with a black sheath, making it look like an innocuous stick holding your bun together. It wouldn't do much damage, but it would be semi-useful if you lost access to the five other knives and the pistol strapped to you.

Three months after the disastrous job where you'd almost died after a nasty dagger to the chest, Kaz had tried to assign Nina to this mission. You argued that he couldn't keep you out of heists forever. After one tense standoff in front of the Crows and two hushed arguments in his room and an empty Club parlor, he'd reluctantly agreed to designate you for the task. The conditions? Jesper should not leave your side, and Kaz would kill him if you got injured again while partnered with him on a mission. You found that unfair, considering it hadn't been Jesper's fault you got stabbed in the first place, but you could only get so far arguing with Kaz. He'd forgive the sharpshooter eventually.

"Well, it'll have to do," Inej sighed. She caught your gaze in the mirror and rested her hands on your shoulders. "You'll be alright?"

"Not you too," you said, though you appreciated the concern. You'd heard it enough from Kaz in the past three months, and it was getting tiring.

"We're just worried about you." She squeezed your shoulders. "Especially him."

Heat rushed to your face, and you looked down at your hands and wrists, adorned with beautiful jewelry too glittery for your taste. You and Kaz hadn't told anyone about how he'd been waiting for you to wake up after the heist had gone wrong or how he'd bared his feelings to you as best he could. In fact, you thought you had continued with business as usual between the two of you. Aside from more lingering looks and brief moments spent together in your rooms, soaking in each other's company a few feet apart, nothing had really changed. 

Her observation had only reminded you how nobody could hide anything from Inej.

Inej turned you around and squeezed your shoulders again. "I won't tell anyone," she told you. You lifted your head and looked her in the eyes. They were filled with sincerity, and she offered you a smile that matched the warmth in her eyes. "I think you're the only one he doesn't scowl at. It's refreshing to see a look on his face that doesn't indicate him plotting or mentally counting his kruge."

A laugh slipped past your lips before you could stop it. "Maybe I'll put in a good word for the rest of you. It would do him some good to stop scowling so much. I've heard that prevents wrinkles."

The day Kaz stopped frowning was the day hell froze over, and all of you knew it. Inej grinned and handed you the last piece of jewelry to complete your outfit: a glittering necklace that Kaz had swiped from an oblivious Dime Lion's pocket. "Can you get this on yourself? I need to help Nina in the Club."

"Yeah, of course." You smiled at her. "Thank you."

She ducked out of the room, and you turned back to the rusty old mirror. You almost didn't recognize your reflection. Never in your wildest dreams did you believe that you would get to wear a gown and jewelry like this and attend a party like tonight's. Though it was a facade designed to get an expensive set of Dekappel paintings for reselling (you assumed), you thought you looked... beautiful. Wildly overdressed for a potential combat situation if you got caught, yes, but beautiful. You polished up quite nicely.

You jumped when a pale reflection appeared in the mirror behind you and cursed. Whirling to face Kaz, you demanded, "Have you heard of knocking? Or making any noise?"

He smirked in amusement and nudged the door shut behind him with his cane. His eyes roamed you up and down, taking in the exquisite gown you wore and how it clung to your hips and fell gracefully to the floor like a silken waterfall. 

As his eyes scanned your form, your breathing stuttered. There was no reason for you to feel exposed as you did right then, but you did, and you started to fidget with the necklace in your hands. Your face heated up again, and you prayed that he would stop looking at you like... that. You were losing focus on the assignment ahead. Instead, you were thinking about his eyes and that stupid smirk on his face.

"You look...beautiful," Kaz finally said, hesitating before choking the word out. Saints damn him. Why couldn't he offer a simple compliment without feeling like he needed to throw up? As soon as the word was out, his nausea receded, and he felt like he could breathe again. 

You smiled, unaffected by his hesitation. You understood. "Thank you," you murmured, looking down at the hem of your gown. You turned and went back to fiddling with the necklace in front of the mirror.

With your back turned, Kaz took the opportunity to admire how the neckline fell around your shoulders, how the gown clung to the curve of your waist, and how the skirt spun around your legs as you turned from him. How absolutely perfect you were. All the little details that he had secretly let himself indulge in before you nearly died, he now admired openly. He embraced the way his heart pounded faster and leaped into his throat when you smiled. He made sure to savor every grin and laugh, and he would never take any of those things for granted again.

"I like the color," he added. He felt like he needed to make up for hesitating so clearly. He loathed himself for it. He saw you struggling with the necklace in the mirror and stepped forward. "Can I help?" His blood rushed in his ears as the words left his mouth, and it took every ounce of determination in his body to not yield to the terror starting to rise in him.

You looked up from the chain, catching his icy blue gaze in the mirror, seeing the genuine desire to help in them. "Okay," you said softly. You passed him the necklace, and he undid the chain with ease.

Slowly, he brought the necklace around your throat. He saw you swallow, the goosebumps spreading across the back of your neck. His gloved fingers brushed your skin as he clasped the necklace for you, and they lingered even after the jewelry had been fastened. His eyes fixated on the contrast of the metal against your skin, and he imagined how soft and warm you felt compared to it. For a moment, he let himself remain this close to you. He challenged the water rising around his chest, threatening to crush his lungs, and he brushed a few loose strands of hair away from your shoulder.

Before he could back away and bow to the tide trying to pull him under, he slipped off a glove and brushed that loose hair behind your ear. His fingers stayed there for a long moment. You sucked in a startled gasp but remained still, watching him close his eyes and try to battle the current. He could feel the warmth of your skin ghosting across his fingertips, and he clung to that feeling. 

Warm. Near. Alive. All the things Jordie wasn't.

Kaz pulled away as his brother's name crossed his mind and pulled his glove back on. He gripped his cane so tightly that his knuckles ached. "No mourners," he said roughly. He took a few steps back, and self-hatred burned within him as the pressure on his chest lessened the moment there was space between the two of you. What kind of man was he if he couldn't stand close to the woman he cared about?

"No funerals," you whispered back. You smiled at him. He caught your glance one more time, expecting pity or sadness. Instead, he found pride. You were proud of him, and that realization startled him so much that his cool mask slipped. The knot of anger within his sternum loosened, and a ghost of a smile crossed his face. Then, adjusting his grip on his cane, he turned and made his way out of the room deliberately louder than when he came in.

You couldn't help but giggle and cling to that feeling of bliss as you worked through the heist without a hitch. Aside from a band member pressing too close for comfort and asking if you had anyone waiting for you, to which you responded with faux timidity, "I don't remember," and cursed Jesper for taking so long, it went perfectly. 

"Your delivery, Boss," Jesper said proudly as the two of you swept into Kaz's office, pulling the canvases out of his jacket with a flourish and setting them on Kaz's desk. He bounced on his heels and waited for an acknowledgment. "Shall I take a bow for our excellent work?" he asked after a few moments of silence from Kaz, who finally looked up from some piece of parchment he was looking over.

"Well done," Kaz murmured, but his eyes flicked to you. He searched your face, then let his eyes run over your body. You realized he was checking for injuries and offered a reassuring smile. Nearly imperceptibly, his shoulders lost some of their tension. "Can you handle the door?" he asked Jesper.

Jesper sighed. "'Shouldn't you be at the door, Jesper? Can you handle the door, Jesper?'" Despite the mocking, he left without complaint and whistled as he strolled down the hall.

Kaz pretended he didn't hear the sarcasm and turned to you. "You're okay?" he prompted, analyzing your face more closely once the door closed.

"Perfectly unharmed," you confirmed. You started to remove your jewelry, intending to give it back. Maybe Kaz could pawn it and add the funds to the emergency reserve he pretended he didn't have. For someone so brilliant, that discolored brick in the wall wasn't the best hiding spot for thousands of kruge.

When you got to the necklace, you hesitated before removing it too. It reminded you of him, of the moment he trusted you enough to take off his glove and touch you. You didn't want to give it back.

"Keep it," Kaz said, seeing the hesitation written clearly across your features. "It suits you." He'd go to his grave before admitting to anyone other than you how much he enjoyed seeing it on you. He liked seeing you sparkle, and he also liked knowing that it made you happy. In the three months the two of you had been something, he realized that your happiness was a drug he could not get enough of. It was stronger and sweeter than any liquor, and he longed to protect it.

So damn the kruge he could get from selling the necklace. It was yours. It had been from the moment he'd seen it and swiped it for this heist.

Your hesitation dissipated upon hearing the sincerity in his words, and you pondered your response. "Only if you help me put it on sometimes," you said. A small smile curved your lips. 

Kaz was silent for a moment, considering. In his opinion, and he was quite the business expert, this seemed fair. "Deal," he said. He gestured for you to sit in the chair across from his, and he passed you a book of his that you'd started reading.

As the night passed by and heavy rain started to pour over the city, the two of you sat in his office and basked in the success of the heist and the sheer comfort of each other's company. You shared your lingering glances and tiny smiles, and when you left his office in the early hours of the morning to finally get some sleep, the necklace back around your neck, you couldn't wipe the stupid smile off your face or the memory of his fingers brushing over your skin out of your mind.

[wasyago]

unsure if you’ve been asked this before but what is your character designing process?

i have already answered in this post (you can go read it if you want), though it's more jrwi based, so i feel like i can answer again! i doubt I'll end up saying something new but hwhatever who cares dhhdhd

obviously this isn't math, so there's no specific scheme i follow every time, and each design is different and it all varies heavily.

in general, when i start working on a design i already have *some* sort of idea in mind. normally not for the entirety of it, but some bits and pieces here and there that help me characterize the design in my head! i try to get those on the canvas first. they're like key points, and i most likely wont change them.

(and if i don't have an idea, i don't start drawing. and instead scroll through my gallery or pinterest in search of inspiration)

let's take my Gem's recent design as an example! i knew i wanted her to be a squirrel, and i already had squirrel scar and cub designs to base it off. so the key points were big pointy ears, curvy tail, claws. i also knew i wanted her clothing to look regal and floral, and reflect her main base. this is an idea that i haven't fully visualized, but i kept it in mind and knew in which direction i had to move.

after that comes the point where i start making stuff up 👍👍 i enjoy thinking my designs through and making them make sense in my head and be practical. so the process consists of me asking myself questions and then answering them in a design. with occasional "oh wouldn't that be cool" thrown into it.

continuing with gem. she needed to have her clothes be suited for a tail, so her underskirt splits in three parts to make it easier. i still wanted the design to be recognizable as gem and have it resemble her skin; so i kept the white sleeves, the green skirt, the corset. i wanted to make her and scar's designs match, so i changed the corset to green with this long piece of cloth but decided to change the patterns on it. because the brown from the corset was gone, i removed it from her shoes as well and made them black instead, so brown wasn't part of the color pallett anymore. i will introduce pink into the design later, so getting rid of one of the colors wasn't that big of a deal. plus, brown makes her look more down to earth, whereas i want her to look elegant and rich, so its a win/win. i wanted to keep her antlers, but obviously she's not a deer anymore, so i turned them into a crown and made it black to match the shoes. etc etc. i can ramble for three more hours about this hdgshsh.

well, that's how the well thought designs work.

sometimes it's just "im gonna draw all the things i think are fun and cute until i can't think of any" and there's no rhyme or reason to it. that's why things like "doc as a unicorn", one-off series designs, random concepts, aus exist!

sometimes its a "i have no idea what to do with it, so im gonna merge all the layers together and just keep fiddling with it until i figure it out", and that's exactly what happens. if i feel stuck with a design, merging it together and working with both line and color helps a ton, because it helps me to see the design as a whole and i dont have to divide my process and think of which parts im gonna do in color and which in line! recent example is hypno's design. here it is when i didn't know how to make it interesting and the final version:

(funnily enough i still like the first concept, the fact that all the clothes is the same color is quite tasty. but i know that if i needed to draw this design in the future, i would struggle with keeping the clothing layers separated and shading and all that stuff.)

visually i don't think there's much difference between how i design things (?), but the process varies and in my head they're all on like, different tiers.

hopefully this was somewhat helpful! if not it at least let me ramble about my design process which is great hdhsjsh

[vershl]

I'm not sure if you've thought about this yet, but what are all of the Gems' weapons?

I have a feeling that Knuckles' weapon is somewhat similar to Garnet's dual-wielding gauntlets, but what about the others?

Okay so my answer is going to be kind of limited atm, I haven't doodled any of the others, but I'll do my best to answer you!

---

Knuckles

So first off, yes, Knuckles uses his gloves just like Garnet's dual gauntlets. It's perfect for him, and I couldn't picture him using any other weapon.

Shadow

don't drool over him in the first doodle pls, i already did enough of that-- ahem

also GOD y'all love jacket shad, we'll keep it, we'll keep it. sheesh- i'll even put a star on the back to mirror sonic's gem and it'll be really gay and cute ANYWAY, read my stuff

Shadow's is still in the works, but I'm REALLY liking the scythe idea. With his game motif as well of course. I'm still not entirely sold on it, part of me is contemplating a spear for a nod to 'Chaos Spear'. The handle in the first sketch will remain the same for sure, but I may fiddle with the spear thought. I contemplated giving him a gun of course, but I don't think it really fits in the SU world.

Sonic

Now Sonic... I have NO idea to be honest with you. I'm going back and forth on whether he even has a weapon or not.. he has his speed and could fight like his normal game self. Then I get the idea of maybe he uses a sword? And I just now got the idea of spikes along his body, so when he runs fast/spins into someone it just shreds them. Adding on the thought of lightning abilities, don't know where that one came from but I like it-- I don't know, what do you guys think?

Amy

Amy uses her signature hammer, I'll definitely play with the design more. But yep, she gets to keep her weapon.

Tails

Tails is going to use gadgets/inventions to help in battles, and is the designated medic. He's not a frontline fighter.

Rouge

So I have two ideas for our stupid bat bitch; One, I dress her and equip her like a rogue, which would be sick I think. And two, dress and equip her like a paladin, sword and shield style. I'll play with both ideas, but I am leaning a bit more towards the rogue.

Silver

Gonna be real? Zero idea. I mean I COULD give him a sword.. or ice powers because he's a sapphire. But in SU we've never seen a sapphire fight, so we don't really know a thing about their abilities in combat. But yeah, could be cringe and have him be the ice to blaze's fire.

Blaze

Speaking of Blaze; She uses her fire abilities to fight, encasing her fists or feet in flames, she uses martial arts in combat. Hers was simple and easy to come up with, lmao.

[rowretro]

✧𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓✧

✧CHAPTER 3✧

WARNINGS: nth I think

✧tag list✧: @chlorinecake @nikisdubblchococake @enhypensccstarlight @strwberrydinosaur @sunghoonsbeautymark

3 sleepless nights. It's only day 4 of having the baby and Riki was already starting to regret his decisions a little. He groaned, waking up a little late to find the space beside him, and the crib, empty. Riki proceeded to take a quick shower, brush his teeth and go downstairs in search of the 2.

There he saw Y/n cooking something in the Kitchen while the baby sat on a mat, playing with some soft baby toys. There were times where he did regret taking the baby with him, but there were also those small, rare times where he's just so glad he decided to keep him. He didn't want to admit that he was definitely all for the idea of raising this baby, though part of him was hoping that a real dad would take the baby, or did he?...

Riki lied down on his stomach, beside the baby and watched as the baby shook the soft dinosaur toy. "What should we call you... Junior Riki? Riki Junior? Riki Jackson? Rizziki? Nj Nishimura Jr? Rj? Lil riki? lil ki? Riki little?" As riki continued to list names that involved his name one way or another, the baby, still continued to play.

"Ugh name choosing is so complicated- I'll do it later..." Riki said as he took the baby's hand in his. "Don't end up anything like your biological dad..." Riki randomly blurted, looking the baby in the eyes. "Be more like me, unlike him I actually want to name you-" He added as he played with the baby's hands. "So cute..." He smiled.

"Ok you stay here, Im going to go annoy your mommy~" Riki smiled, softly ruffling the baby's hair, as he went to the kitchen, back hugging Y/n. "Rough night?" she asked as she kissed his hand, "Baby was crying all night, he won't even smile at me- god the things I do for you Y/n..." Riki complained as she sighed.

"Ki you can go take a nap now if you want, but after you eat lunch mkay?" Y/n smiled as Riki kissed her forehead "No need, I'm going to go play with the baby~" the male replied, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her forehead lovingly. "God I don't know where I'd be if you weren't in my life" he mumbled, as he snuggled her tightly. The girl blushed a little, not looking up at Riki, she turned to face the baby.

Riki sat beside the baby who was fiddling with some soft, building blocks. "ba!" the baby babbled, as he stacked one block on top of the other, staring up at Riki, wanting to get a reaction out of him. Riki smiled, acting a little shocked, as he pat the baby's head gently "Awww my Riki junior is a smartass!" He cooed, as the baby giggled.

"Lunch is ready babe~" Y/n called out as Riki carried the baby boy with him "Let me feed the baby this time" Riki pouted as Y/n shrugged, handing him the baby food, before serving Riki his dinner. "Lookie here Riki junior- when you grow up I'll let you smoke a joint with me, only if you eat this yummy baby food ok?" Riki asked, seeming oh so series as Y/n nudged him.

He fed the baby a spoon, and the baby happily swallowed the food, Riki sighed in relief, as he knew the last few times he tried, the baby did not want to help him. Riki then turns to Y/n "Babe I'm hungry a-and my hands are busy so can you feed me too?" Riki asked innocently, staring at Y/n with those convincing, cutie eyes, rolling her eyes, she took some food with the chopsticks "Here comes an aeroplane~" She sang as she fed Riki his lunch. The male smiled as he eat happily, feeding the baby more baby food.

Y/n finished washing the dishes after eating, and walked into the living room to find the baby asleep in Riki's hold, in his mouth was a dinky, that had a cute yet funny design of a moustache and a cigarette coming out of the mouth. the baby innocently chewed on the dinky as Rowan snickerred. "You have more facial hair than daddy" the girl joked as she gently took the baby out of Riki's hold, noticing that Riki had fallen asleep.

She kissed his forehead and pecked his lips, "Sleep well my little baby" she said as she tucked Riki in, a nice soft blanket coverring his body as he napped on the couch.

✧𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓✧

[pjocharacterdesign]

Hello, I was wondering if I could ask more about the roman demigod with the label [Lifeguard] from your roman cohort post on the blog as well as the demigod on the fourth cohort page with the Camp Jupiter Confidential demigods on it, first in the second row with the brown shoulder length hair, green eyes and glasses? I love your art and your art style, its so beautiful. :) Sorry, if the ask to long.

Of course! [Post anon is referencing here]

These two are from my project to flesh out Camp Jupiter for my askblog, @deadangelos!

The lifeguard one is in 3rd cohort, and is referenced in Camp Jupiter Classified and I fleshed him out a bit - mainly giving him a design, name, and divine ancestor (Venilia - a nymph/goddess of winds and sea, which felt fitting for a lifeguard). His name comes from an Italian form of "Alexander," and is the name of the painter of The Birth Of Venus (There's actually a mountain on Venus named for Venilia, so that's one of the tie-ins there), and the name Morgan means "sea circle" essentially, so again lots of water themes for him for the lifeguard stuff. Cause giving demigod ocs referential names is fun.

Jenifer is a double-legacy in 4th cohort. Palatua is a goddess guardian of Palatine Hill, and Vacuna was a goddess prayed to in favor of absent or missing friends and family. She joined the legion basically right at the end or right after the Titan War. He looks all depressed cause I thought it'd be interesting if, because of the exact combo of his double-legacy, he feels a lot of responsibility for the safety and well-being of Camp Jupiter and the Romans who live there, and they just got out of the Titan War and are still reeling from that and the losses/destruction from that- and because he was either new during the end of the war or joined just after, he couldn't really do much to help. She's just got a lot on her mind.

Design-wise they're both mostly born out of me fiddling, as are most of the bg romans designs I make. I just kind of keep working at them until I like them and then flesh out a character around that - Jenifer was more that, and Sandro was more me trying to work out a design that I was more or less satisfied with that fit for the character briefly referenced in CJC and figuring out what he might be like in more than one sentence. Sometimes I'll have a particular design or concept I wanna mess with and I'll work around that, but usually it's just me messing around until I get something I like.

I have a lot of fun designing background riordanverse characters and fleshing them out like this, so always feel free to ask about them! I tend to talk a bit more about those concepts over on my main pjo sideblog @aroaceleovaldez, but I'll happily chat about the design aspects here as well!

[echoedcrosshairs]

Foxglove ~ Commander Fox x F reader

According the language of flowers Foxglove symbolizes riddles, conundrums and secrets along with ambition and creativity.

Summary: A small fancy caff shops pops up in the senate building. Commander Fox is not amused.

Slow burn, enemies? to lovers, Commander Fox x reader, Commander Thorn x reader (platonic)

Warnings: Angst, Smut, implied smut, cannon violence and talks of cannon related violence.

Part two

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.9k

You fell had fallen asleep at your desk stretching out the design for the caff shop until one of the senators poked you back into consciousness. Embarrassing a paper clung to your face as you sat up, however the peeling sound was extremely satisfying.

"Thank you, Senator Chuchi," you said laying the paper back down on your desk. You noticed her observing eyes looking at the papers and partial recipes, "I was thinking to see about opening a Coffee shop a few level down so the troopers could get some," you admitted anxiously trying to tuck the papers away.

"I think it is brilliant, do you mind?" she asked pointing on the proposal paper.

You blinked stunned, "Be my guest," you said handing it to her, "I think it would benefit everyone's late nights."

"Give me a couple days, I'll see what I can do," she smiled taking the paper reading over it as she walked off.

It didn't take long for an answer. After work you had started cleaning up your desk for the next rotation when you noticed the red shock trooper approaching with a rather large looking envelope. He handed it to you and waited for the response. Your fingers ripped the seam of it open, the senate had thought it was a very good investment. You screamed giddily and through your arms around the trooper hearing a disgruntled groan come from him before coughing and stepping back, "My apologies, the senate building is getting a coffee shop on the lower levels for the troops and senators."

"Good evening, Ma'am. I will let Senator Chuchi know the delivery was successful."

The moment the trooper was out of sight you did a little happy dance. You turned your attention back to the small packet and reread it, excited that you could begin work immediately. You practically danced your way down to the designated level and room, fiddling with the controls you finally got the door to open to the near empty expanse except for a few stray box's.

"The senate building is closed to the public, I must ask you to leave," a voice called behind you.

You turned finding him waiting a kama and a visored helmet, "Commander! I work upstairs in filing, I am currently inspecting this location for a new shop."

"You must be mistaken with this is the Commander offices." You handed the commander the filing paperwork, "Great just wanted I needed distractions," he mumbled handing you the paper back.

"Given this is mostly for the stationed troopers, I thought it would be nice," you said curtly.

"Last thing I need is baby sitting duty to keep my brothers in line," he grumbled, "Good evening," Fox said turning in his heel heading back towards him office grumbling to himself about professional courtesy.

How rude? You did your best to shrug off the comment but it kept eating at you. I'll just start ordering supplies after a full nights rest. You walked past the offices noticing the Commander from earlier but another lounging in his office who gave you a small wave. At least some of the soldiers will appreciate it. You got onto the bus to head home finding the trooper who waved was standing there, he flagged you over. Keeping your hand on the rails you made your way finding the section marked 'clones' your stomach fell to the floor, the discrimination of the clones was a touchy subject but one that made you want to kick and scream.

"I just wanted to say thank you for the opening the Caf shop, no idea how you pulled it off but the boys are excited."

"The other commander seemed less then thrilled," you tried to hide the scowl on your face.

"Fox? He's rougher than durasteel around the edges. Name's Thorn by the way."

You awkwardly stuck out your free hand and said your name, "Nice to meet you," he took your arm and shook it back. His hesitation to you suggested he wasn't use to people to greeting him back, "So why are you on this bus? Don't you guys have personal speeders?" you asked noticing the lack of other shock trooper colors.

"I'm going to 79's, remember citizen don't drink and fly," he chuckled at his own joke.

"79's... Oh the clone bar?" You had never been there but overheard several troopers talking about fun nights out.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Are non clones allowed it?" You asked arching an eyebrow.

"Nat borns? Also yes, never been?"

"No, might check it out. Might give me ideas."

"You should if you're free sometimes."

"I'll go home and change, sounds like fun."

"Oh, do you want an escort?"

"I'd love that," Thorn walked with you back to your small apartment waiting outside while you get changed, "You're neighbors love to stare."

"Oh yeah... their probably wondering why work followed me home, if I'm in any sort of trouble so I should be expecting a text..." your comm beeped, "Speaking of which," you laughed. You answered the messages as quickly as possible while following Thorn back onto the train.

"That's good you have friends that care about you," he offered once you were done telling anyone that your coffee shop project got approved.

"Everyone deserves a friend, got many?"

"Thousands," he chuckled, "Just warning you might want to stick close to me or my brothers are going to hit on you something fierce."

"It can't be that-"

"Yes, yes it can be. Especially if the 501st is there," he genuinely laughed, "offer still stands, also since we'll be sitting at the commander's officer, if there's a guy in grey armor that's Wolffe. He's a major flirt don't mind him."

"Thanks for the heads up."

Both of you kept up the small talk as you reach 79's. You took it the bar, semi low lit, loud music towards the dance floor, a few luxury female droids, a distinct beer smell, and tons of troopers with a handful or too 'nat borns' wandering around. For some reason the place made you grin, happy soldiers enjoying some down time from the war given a place to feel... normal and accepted. Thorn guided you to the back table furtherest away from the music, you heard the small groan when he saw both Wolffe and Fox

"The bane of my existence," Fox grumbled.

"Don't mind him, he's grumpy because I dragged him out of his office... literally," Wolffe smirked, "Take off your helmet, breath, and drink, vod."

Thorn took off his helmet first, setting it on the table in front of him. His hair was a dark shade of red but in the regular solider cut with a miniature tattoo spelling 'Hammer' across his eyebrow. He stared down Fox until he caved and took his off. You stared at him for a moment to long looking at his short shaved sides and medium top combed comb making him squint at you for a moment before flagging the service droid for drinks. Unlike his brothers Fox’s eyes were almost true to his namesake, perfect golden sunrise kissed irises with his tanned complexion making them almost seem to glow even in the faded light.

"Need a drink with how much work I won't be able to get done," he scowled.

"It's not like I had a choice on where the location would be," you countered, "Wear earplugs."

Wolffe smirked watching Fox's anger flared up, "The lady has a point."

"Yes," Fox gridded out, "You know the 'cafe' is going to cause distractions which means lack of productivity and efficiency."

"Are you really complaining over decent caf? You live on that poor excuse of black sludge excuse for coffee," Thorn nipped at him which just got an eye roll.

"Do you really not trust your men to behave professionally and be respectful and timely? Isn't the Coruscant guard suppose to be the best of the best?" you poked getting a deadpan stare from Wolffe at the audacious comment.

Fox's lip twitch into a snarl, "Bold," is all he said.

Thorn tried to keep the smile off his face by covering his mouth with his hand eyeing the droid bringing the drinks over. Between drink the two of you passed comments back and forth about decor and drink name ideas. Most of the drinks took on names of various command titles and battalion numbers to really make it clone friendly. Wolffe scowled when his came up but didn't complain that the concept of it was made expresso.

"Him!" A blue captain came walking over who had been very obviously eves dropping pointed at a blue trooper, "Never serve him coffee. Ever. Hardcase is hyper enough. Mind if I join?"

"Getting off your leash for once, vod?" Wolffe snorted scooting into the booth giving him space to sit, "Sit, Rex" he said casually so you wouldn't have to ask.

"Switch spots with me," Thorn whispered, "501st has a few flirts."

You contently stood up letting Thorn slide out so you could slide into his spot unfortunately sliding in next to Fox causing him to scoot closer to Wolffe in the middle. Rolling your eyes you grabbed your glass taking a few sips. While they all conversed about recent duties you took your time eyeing the trooper's automatically finding the flirts as one winked at you. Thorn noticed shooting him a looking smirking as he turned around, "They should leave you alone... hopefully," his tone suggested he was less than positive about the statement.

"She should get use to it," Fox said curtly.

"Just want to through her to the wolves don't you," Wolffe teased winking at him, "You really are a blurg in the mud sometimes."

"Sometimes?" You watched the brotherly banter unfold about the stick up Fox's ass about how tightly wound to he is to his work. Another round of drinks came and they shoved towards Fox telling him to enjoy himself, he drank both of them to shut his brothers up. The drinks had started loosening him up finally but there was still an air about his unwavering authority and harshness after they got a couple more drinks in him that finally started to subside too.

"What do you think so far?" Thorn whispered.

"Like this better then the regular cantina's" you admitted, "Seems more relaxed."

"Most of the time, sometimes fights break out. I don't recommend you civs get anywhere near when one happens."

"Nat Borns, Civs, any other terms I need to know?" you asked curiously.

"Not off the top of my head. Dance?" Thorn asked while the both of you watched in slow motion as the question jostled you enough for your hand to miss completely setting the drink fully down on the counter spilling it's context over Fox.

He growled, "Can't even be asked to dance without being a problem," he grabbed the napkins out of the dispenser blotting up the mess, "Can't wait until you burn yourself with just getting hit on, the amount of paperwork."

"Fox," Wolffe growled back, "Stow it."

Thorn slide out of the booth letting you climb out the flush across your face as bright as Coruscant guard red, "I'm sorry, Fox," you said looking at him.

"It's Commander Fox to you," he said climbing out heading towards the refresher.

Slowly you made your way towards the door before Thorn caught you trying to sneak away, "Dance, he's just tired." You looked between the door and him opting to dance just so he wouldn't hold leaving over your head. After fumbling stepping on Thorn's foot several times you finally got into the grove of the danced "Something on your mind?"

"Just wondering if he's right-"

"The what if's of life are keeps you from being in the present and tends to leave you with guilt."

"Thank you."

The men he tried to ward off kept staring, Thorn scowled at them before giving them a warning gesture to back off. Putting himself between you and them he finally relaxed again muttering about maybe if Fox got laid wouldn't be such an ass, you couldn't help but giggle. He apologized saying he didn't realize he had said that out loud. After a couple more dance the two of you headed back to the table, the three of them still sitting there chatting mindlessly about whatever came out of their liquid freed up mouths.

"Pretty lady at the counter checking you out Foxy," Wolffe snickered.

"I choose the company of my Vod's."

"Even I know how to relax," Rex scowled, "Don't make me call your batch mates," he jokingly threaten.

Fox grimaced looking at the woman at the counter then back at you then back at the woman, "Your sister is prettier than you."

"So are your brothers," you deadpanned slipping out of the booth and out the front door, you felt entirely humiliated. At the risk of crying you flagged down a taxi to take you home instead of wanting to wait around on the bus. Peeling off the dress and stepping into the shower the tears finally shed. The pressure of trying to get the shop up and running, that embarrassment and just wondering what you did wrong after just trying to do something nice hit you like a plummeting ship. You shut off the water just sitting there for a moment before pulling yourself up, Tomorrow is a new day... but avoiding him couldn't hurt.

Between finishing the work load of filing early you ordered everything you needed stating the room number where it needed to be delivered too. Arriving downstairs you found the door prompt open with boxes inside along with Thorn hauling the rest of the guards boxes out.

"Stupid droids delivered some of the supplies to my office, I'll bring them over after I drop these at filing."

"Thank you, Commander," you said formally turning your attention back to the boxes. You groaned at the amount of work you had to do, finding his office you found a few more stacks groaning you push some of them to the room thanking the tiles floor for cooperating. By the time Thorn had gotten back you were gleaming with sweat but managed to get all of the boxes inside.

"I said I was going to bring them over," he scolded watching you down water as if your sweat had sucked all of it out of you.

“Problem?” You heard Fox’s rough voice.

“No, Sir,” you said gulping down the rest of the water prying yourself off the heap of boxes, “Just explaining that I can move my own boxes,” you added curtly glowering at him before stalking off to organize the piles of boxes.

“Next time please let me, it isn’t a problem,” Thorn said pointedly staring at Fox.

You didn’t hear Fox leave, you turned to see his lingering presence in the door frame “Can I help you?”

“Not even open yet and causing problems,” he scoffed walking off.

You wanted to throw a box at his head, if he wasn’t the head of the guard it might have been worth it. Even Thorn cocked his head glaring at him as he walked away, “Funny cause you went home with her ‘sister’ last night.” You’re face turned bright red, you heard him apologizing for the unchaste comment before you shut the door in his face not being able to get the burning under control. He went home with her? If that isn’t a backwards compliment. That insufferable dreadful man is not going to ruin this for me.

Hearing a barely audible tap on the door you opened it apolozing to who you assumed to be Thorn about needing a moment to yourself to find Fox standing there and the rest of your words died in your mouth. He handed you a cup of Caf, as if you didn’t have a few boxes worth in one of these piles, and walked off. Was that a poor excuse for an apology? You took a sip of the caf and nearly sprayed it into the hallway. This is why I’m opening a caf shop, this is disgusting. They get disgusting beer and even worse coffee. However you forced yourself to drink it wrinkling your nose with every drink. It was dangerously caffeinated you zoomed from task to task until the coffee bar was fully set up which looked odd in such an empty room.

“See, the coffee is fine as is,” Fox chuckled walking by to peer at the progress you were making impressed with how much you accomplished.

“I see why you have no taste,” you saw his footstep flatter for a moment knowing the punch landed.

“Don’t know if I should applaud you or be afraid of you,” Thorn chuckled bringing in another huge box, “You forgot your cups, kind of hard to serve coffee without them.”

“Thank you.”

“79’s after?” he asked setting the box next to the counter.

“Because that went so well the first time,” you muttered, “Sure,” you said offering a smile.

Sure enough, Fox walked in saying he was going too. You tried to keep a straight face but the tension between the half hidden glare was enough to make Thorn squirm hauling his brother out of the room to leave you to your work.

[gumballavocadoharry]

First comes love, then comes marriage; Jack Chambers:

*This is a time jump where Susan and Roger are adults and Jack and Alice are older of course. Some angst and mentions of depression, abandonment and loneliness. *

For @howling-wolf9/, it was her idea and request!!!! I want to give her a special thank you for being so patient and kind through all of this- I know you waited a long time for this imagine and I'm so lucky to have you as my number one fan and I hope I can be as half as an amazing one to you as you've been to me. Listening to my PM rants of my story ideas and keeping them confidential. You're amazing and you deserve the world! Much love to this gal!!!!!

The wedding of Susan and Sean! RSVP your attendance!

The French lace against the edges of the paper were the first thing that caught Alice's eye. How beautifully it was decorated in its neat prim type design. Its beauty resonated with Alice as a sign. A sign of the blossoming love that had been festering between her daughter and her fiancé for over a year. She had possibly expected this- hoped secretly that they would decide to join a union in the flesh of marriage. It brimmed her eyes with tears, some spilling against her soft cheek and dripping onto the head of her yellow sundress.

"Honey?" Jack quietly followed into the room; eyebrows deeply furrowed. "What's wrong?" Alice sniffed and turned the letter towards Jack's direction. "She's getting married, Jack.... our little Susan... my little girl's getting married." Scanning carefully through the letter, a smile slowly appeared over Jack's mouth. "Oh my gosh! Time sure does fly...." Jack licked his lips. "When is the wedding due?"

Alice scanned the letter. "In two months." Jack kept the smile on his face. He needed it. It hid something he didn't want anyone to know. How could it be time already? He thought. How could she have grown so fast? Wrapping his arm around his wife, a carapace covered over Jack like a filling in a tooth. A chinch seeped through Jack- slowly, but surely. It was official. Susan was getting married and two months. And Jack would need to be there. He knew he would.

***************************

Snapped from their dinner, the phone blared through the living room. "Hello?" Alice answered.

"Hi Mom, did you hear about Susan's wedding?"

"I did!" Alice's smile had grown twice within size. "Can you believe it! Your sister is getting married! I'm still in shock..."

"I know.... Sean's a really nice guy. Him and Susan are a really good couple." Alice beamed. "They are. I wonder what she wants us to do.... or what her dress will look like!" Jack watched his giddy wife from the table. Shuffling his meatloaf back and forth against his plate- mixing it in his mashed potatoes a bit. 

"Oh yes, I'll have to see if Susan needs any help with the planning- Oh! Her gown and veil!" Alice's smile beamed from ear to ear. Alice glanced over to Jack before getting back to her conversation. "Oh- okay- here I have to go now, something's overflowing in the pot... okay, talk to you later. Bye." 

Jack, so deeply invested in his thoughts, didn't even feel the gentle touch of Alice's hand smoothing over his. "Jack... you, okay?" Jack forced himself to look up from his plate. "Oh yeah, I guess I was just..."

"Thinking about Susan and Sean?" Jack flattened his lips. "She hasn't even known him that long." Alice tilted her head to the side. "Jack... they've been dating for over a year now. We met him before a few times and he's a very nice young man." Jack sat up from the table, walking to the bar area for a glass of scotch with dinner. He kept silent for a while, making Alice gain this wobbly feeling through the craw of her intestine. "Jack...." Said so quietly, that even the wind couldn't make it out. Alice fiddled with the strands of hair that was swooshed over her shoulders.

"You know.... maybe if we went down there and saw how they were preparing for the wedding, maybe it would remind of how much you liked Sean?"

"I never said I liked Sean- I thought he was nice- but anyone could be nice." Alice rolled her eyes and sighed. "Jack. Come on... this is a happy occasion. And you have to cheer up soon- Susan is probably going to ask you to walk her down the aisle." Jack turned around to see Alice turned back to the table, finishing her dinner. She didn't make eye contact with Jack until he came back to the table and spoke again. "Of course I'll walk her down the aisle, if that's what you're insinuating......" Cutting into his meatloaf, Jack looked up again into the tip of Alice's forehead. "I'm happy for her... that's all." 

Alice met Jack's eyes for a brief moment before turning back down to her dinner. "Good." 

The evening stayed silent that entire night until bed.

***************************************

The clock read 3:09. Jack's eyes were still open- untouched without so much as a single strain that could only appear through genuine tiredness. Instead, Jack's mind could only focus on the rambling polaroids of him and Susan together. A piece of Jack hated himself for such selfish desires to keep Susan webbed up in this lace knit net for his security, while the other sympathized with him as just wanting to spend a little more time with his daughter. But this was more than just simple time together.

Jack- for all of Susan's young life- was her hero. The only man she could depend on for support. Jack would take her into his arms and sing her to sleep. He could make boo boos disappear with one kiss. Jack would take a three-year-old Susan out for milkshakes at the local diner, while Alice stayed home with a nursing Roger. He was the first person she ran to when big people were mean or when tears spilled from her eyes after a bee sting or when a picture, she drew became ruined. Jack could almost picture how it felt to have his arms wrapped around her smooth skin, his nose pressed up to her temple, trying to soothe an upset Susan. And the more Susan grew, the more Jack would try to foster those times. But, as time held it, she grew away from them. Packing inside her Pasadena condo, Jack could only helplessly let Susan walk away.

Hearing the soft snoozing of Alice's breaths, Jack quietly exited out the bed and tip toed into Susan's old bedroom. The walls were still peach, and the windowpanes and door jams were still popcorn white. The room still has this sultry smell of fresh flowers and mused honey. Susan wore this amber and sunflower perfume in her late teens and the room still carried a twinge of that scent. It sent a shred of happiness through Jack. A piece of this closure like she was still here. The closet was empty- it had sat empty for a while- but still carried the presence of Susan in some way. The faded memory of her favorite peach and lavender cardigan that she wore in the spring, and her dark maroon sweater for the falls and her bright sunny tank top for the summer. They all still sat together inside her closet, lank and together like symbols of her past.

The thought of Sean pinged through Jack's brain for minute, before he echoed it out with his own domineering desires. He didn't want to think of Sean, not now. So, he didn't. Instead, he left Susan's bedroom and joined Alice back in their bed.

************************************************

Jack woke up to the dim blue sky- more clouds hovering in it that usual. He rolled to Alice's side, where it was empty and already made up. She had left a note on his nightstand: 

Jack, I went out to grab a few things for Susan to help her with the wedding. Me and Roger will be at her place to celebrate with her. I hope you can join us!

Alice.

Jack felt this twinge of anger peer inside him. Like Alice was deliberately leaving him out of one of the most important milestones of their child's life. It made Jack pounce from the bed and throw on his clothes for the day. Making up the bed again, Jack ran out to the diner for breakfast, before speeding down to Susan's apartment. Pulling in, he saw a black chevy bel air: Alice's car. The twinge grew bigger, but Jack bit into it to collect it- contain it within himself. Jack's legs felt wobbly like Jello. Carefully watching his step up each step, Jack finally made it to Susan's front door, where after a knock, she appeared. "Dad!" She invited him into her arms with such warmth and tenderness, even Jack had to let himself melt into them. 

Coming into her cozy home, Alice's face came into view and then Roger's. Then Sean's. Jack bit his tongue like a reflex flinch- the same as if a fly landed on your arm. "Jack... it's nice to see you here- what a nice surprise!" Jack's smile was tight. He kept his focus on Alice for a moment before turning to Roger, who came to hug him. Jack let himself sink into the scent of his well missed son. Squeezing him a little tighter, it was forever since Jack was able to let his body press against his and erode a deep wedge of affection into him. Pulling away with this soppy smile across his face, Roger let his own curl up to his cheeks, giving the same toothy ornery grin he always did. It eased the swirling tension that seemed to hover over everyone. 

Sean, wrapped his arm around Susan's midriff, making her flush with love and warmth, looking back into her lover's eyes that held this light of twinkles inside them. Jack caught this, and let his smile settle a bit. 

"Well, now since everyone's here, let's celebrate!" Susan exclaimed. 

The room was soon filled with chatter from Roger and Sean talking, to Susan and Alice discussing plans for the wedding- Susan detailing how Sean proposed on the rooftop of a private restaurant in Los Angeles, while the sunset skirted under the buildings. A squeal came from Alice, reminding her of when Jack proposed. It was on the cliffside coast of Malibu. During their picnic, Jack couldn't hold back the impending question he had stored inside him for as long as he knew Alice. Jack remembered it well- it always brought a smile to his face every time he thought about it.

Jack stood in the distance, taking in only the crust of Susan and Alice's conversation. A jaded glance was made over to Sean's direction. He eyed Jack up and down; confident smirk and laxed body tone. He had Susan wrapped around all five fingers and Jack knew it. And it hollowed him. It made fury rush through him like the cold feel of an icy touch. Jack let the fringes of the room singe. 

Sean- light brown hair with swishy bangs, gray eyes with specks of light blue, deep dimpled smile and a subtle clef planted in the middle of his cheek. 

A slight furrow pecked through his forehead. Jack kept biting his anger down- planted somewhere deep into him. Sean made his way to Susan, wrapping a protective arm around her waist like a sash. A thick irk swam through Jack in his bloodstream. It pierced through the layers of flesh he built up inside for this very moment and was now fragile against it. Seeing a man kiss his daughter's neck so passionately, sent this shiver through Jack. It bubbled and boiled until it became this puny ache that made his lip quiver, and his eyes become stung with watery vision. 

But nonetheless, he along with Alice still managed to muster out a "Congratulations!" to the happy couple, leaving their home once evening rolled around. Jack and Alice drove their cars home, Jack's in front of Alice's- something he was happy with. The solitude sauntering through the car, leaving Jack to settle whatever was on his mind in the privacy of his car. 

Tears slowly trickled- quietly and neatly- down his cheeks, leaving a sticky wet trail behind. Jack wiped his eyes, forcing himself to see where he was going. Pulling into the driveway, Alice's car pulled up next to him a few minutes later. Jack tried to plaster on the same smile he wore at the little gathering but couldn't. Like his muscles were too weak, his smile was recharging, and his serotonin just didn't exist. Jack watched Alice enter the house. She didn't knock on the window like he had hoped. Jack knew he would have to pull himself out this one.

*************************************

Dinner was pizza delivered to the home. Alice was too exhausted to cook and maybe she just didn't want to. Not for Jack.

But it was after hours, where Jack was sitting up in his chair, sipping his scotch and questioning himself. Sean never asked for his blessing, but he didn't need to. He could easily swing Susan away to a Las Vegas chapel or courthouse and marry her there without him even sensing it. And it stung. It hit hard into Jack's body more than he wanted it to. He wanted to be happy for Susan and he was... he wanted to like Sean....and he did.

It was just buried underneath something this time. But he did really like Sean. And Sean liked him. 

But it was those years spent with Susan, knowing her personality like the back of his hand. Her being his princess and him being her big papa bear that would run in and growl at anyone harming his cub. Susan would never know the agony he felt that first year of her life, behind the glass window of the NICU, praying for his baby to be healthy again. She would never know those nights he prayed for a baby at all as a young man, striving to make his dream of a family life come true.

Jack seen it all. First breaths, first steps, first words, first period, first dates... now this. Marriage. Sean would now bear the responsibility of caring for Susan- honoring her and making sure she was safe a cherished. The man she would give her life to, the man who would protect her and who she would wrap her arms around like a savior. Sean would become Susan's world, and she would become his. They would collide with each other and let their bond be sealed like thick cement in the pavement. And it disturbed Jack a bit. 

He would no longer need to light her world to see it glow. Sean would hang the sun and moon for Susan and that would be the end of it. Jack would no longer exist as Susan's beaming ray- just a mere spark of the past and all that it held. 

And Jack... for one reason or another, would still be living in it.

Jack shot back to the one thought that still weighed on his mind like rocks. Sean never asked permission. He didn't need it.... he wanted Susan and Susan wanted him, and that was all there was to be said about that. And Jack- whether he liked it or not- had to accept it.

But he silently made a choice still.... to keep his own answer of whether he found it acceptable for Susan to marry Sean. It was tightly reigned on his tongue; undisturbed and quiet, Jack kept it folded on the shelf in the back of his mind like he had to. But it was still there, and Jack would never let it get washed away.

****************************************

It was the end of the month, and wedding plans were still ringing through the air. It seemed to be everywhere: on TV, in newspapers and books, on billboards, Jack just couldn't get away from it! Alice on the other hand enjoyed it. Wanting to see her daughter dressed in all white and walk down the aisle on her special day was more than she could ask for and everything she hoped for. 

Not wanting to needle Susan or stress her more than life was already; Alice took a side position in helping Susan plan her wedding. Roger and Sean would go and pick out suits and suggested honeymoon spots to surprise Susan with. Jack, he would give thumbs ups and happy cheery smiles, while everything seemed to swirl around him like tornado wind.

Jack didn't want to be selfish. Covering his defensiveness like the way criminals covered their tracks, Jack weighed his emotions down beneath his gut and let his logic talk for him.

It was a challenge though. Susan- being so busy with her own life- would unintentionally blow Jack off for ice cream dates or small little lunches together. "She's just so busy, Jack... maybe she'll go the next time." Alice reassured her husband. Jack always held to those 'next times.' But they never came. He wanted them too though. But instead, Jack tried to suck the value from them- pretend as if they were trifling little things that would never matter anyway.

But they seeped into Jack's brain in other ways. Every Sunday evening was a tradition of scotch or bourbon with Susan's baby pictures on his lap. Susan still carried the image of a helpless infant in her- at least to Jack. So fragile like a China doll, still this little baby doll that would grasp her little fingers around his. How much she depended on her parent's gentle touches and their attentive affection. Still that gurgling little baby in his arms, Jack couldn't shake the memory. Sean would sweep Susan away without so much as a thought to how Susan's parents might take it.

Flying her off to the other side of the pacific, away from the protective zone of her family. Sean- could never protect her the way Jack could. He would let her fall hard onto the rocky pavement and slam against the grated cracks. He would swoop her away- away from everything Susan knew and loved, whisk her into the misadventure land of nothing and throw her away once he had his fill. Jack became sure of this. Sean would never be good enough for Susan. Courting was one thing, marrying was another. And neither Sean, nor Susan were ready for it. A gasp of hope shot through Jack. This sense of being able to maybe stop time for a moment, gave him back his adrenaline. Closing the book, finishing his scotch, Jack at up from his chair and tip toed upstairs; small smile lingering over his face.

******************************************

Alice layed in bed, barely even moving once Jack's body dipped the mattress. Her stare was blind and frozen on her nightstand. Jack's body pressed against her back, making her edge a little over, leaving a small gap in between them.

A slight furrow arched over Alice's forehead. A small wrinkle begins to grow there, starting since the first dinner on when she found out about Susan's wedding. 

Jack- assumed he needed to be 'happy' to keep from bearing the brunt of the social disgrace if his selfishness grew out of control- something he assumed being the case as to why his wife would be sore with him. But to Alice it was more than that. It punctured something deep inside like a needle. Reminding her of what had played out through their marriage and their parenting for years; Jack's parenting, that was.

On the day Susan became sick with meningitis, Jack latched into being an overbearing cloak to Susan- hovering over her like a gloomy cloud on a sunny day. Alice knew that this approach would only cause more harm, more pain. She understood just how much pain could be saturated from this type of overreaction.

She knew Jack loved the children to death. She never made a problem of it. But with every milestone of the kid's lives, where Jack would make a fuss from something unalarming, it rang through Alice in a particular way. Similarly in the way it appeared for her with Jennifer Lowe. Alice wept for her friend for days upon the news. Untimely and unfair she thought. But every fiber of anger that wasn't drenched in sadness was thrown at Jennifer's parents. It was their fault, and they deserved what happened.

And every overreaction from Jack just reminded her about those events leading up to day Jennifer went away. 

But now it their daughter's wedding, and Jack couldn't even be happy about that. It always laced with his selfishness and his sorrows- no one else like they didn't exist. And it became too much. Alice's anger had cooled, but her reservations on the matter hadn't. So, the little sliver of space that layed between them, would have to remain until Susan was safely married to the man she loved and there would be nothing Jack could do about it.

Shutting her eyes quietly, Alice adjusted herself in the bed and pulled the covers over her, taking one last glance at the clock that read 2:09.

***************************************

Sean's apartment- located by the seaside on the other side of town. The beige color exterior and the French styled staircase was the first thing that captured Jack's eye. A French vela decor, lingering all around Sean's place, a fresh smell of amber and lavender with a twinge of sunflower. Susan was here, and Jack knew it.

"Could I make you a drink Mr. Chambers?" Jack smiled. "No thanks..." Taking a seat on Sean's suggestion, Jack picked his brain for the words he wanted to come out. "So, how's wedding plans going?" Sean shrugged. "It's.... well... exhausting at times- but Roger has been a huge help in picking out honeymoon spots and matching up what suits would like good for the groomsmen. He's so nice about it- taking time off his work just to help out."

Pride gushed inside of Jack. Roger was a good boy, always wanting to help people. "Yeah, he's very sweet." Jack became serious. "Are you both planning on moving after the wedding?" Sean raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, like are you planning on being in California once you and Susan marry?" "Well... me and Susan have been discussing it and we were thinking about either maybe Napa Valley or possibly more up North like Maine or Chicago. But it's not decided yet."

A twinge pecked Jack inside. "I know, Susan loves California so much- Pasadena is the perfect spot for her. Her chef job is one her main passions." Sean smiled.

"Yeah, she's a wonderful cook. Susan said that she would love to cook in a big city like New York or somewhere like that one day. I know she works at one of the finest restaurants in the city right now, but she told me that was always something she wanted to do."

Would she even be able to keep that job or anyone that makes her happy? Jack thought. "Yeah... Susan's worked so hard to be where she is now, and I'm so proud of her for really sticking to it. Chef jobs can be so harsh, the pressure is demanding and from what Susan's told me, the boss is always yelling at someone." 

Sean raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, she told me that one time when we were eating somewhere about this girl who was let go on her first day for messing something up. It's tough." Sean took a small sip from his drink before a smile peered across his face. "When we get married, Susan said that maybe she would open up a restaurant. She would use her skills as a chef and get the place off the ground with that, and she'd make her money that way. I thought it was really nice and told her that if she'd ever wanted to, I'd support her... it would be nice."

"I know Susan's has so much on her plate right now....in fact, I was actually concerned whether Susan was ready for marriage or not. I still don't believe she always knows what she wants sometimes." Jack smiled, but there was no causality about it. Jack meant what he said, and Sean squirmed a bit in his chair. An uncomfortable spice now fell into the air and Sean could only give a tight pinched smile. Susan- filling him in on the type of Father Jack was, made Sean fully understand exactly why Jack even came over to his place from the beginning. He wanted to believe it to be because he needed time to fully adjust to the news. But he hadn't adjusted.

And Sean begins to feel a prick of anger slither through him. Jack felt it. He knew what he did and so without hesitation, excused himself from Sean's apartment.

*****************************************

Later that afternoon, Jack returned home. Alice was in the kitchen finishing up the dishes. seemingly slamming some of the plates a little harshly against in the dish rack. "Hey babe..." Alice glances behind her to meet Jack's figure before turning back to the sink. "Hey."

Coming closer, Jack furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong?" Alice took a deep breath. "Jack.... did you stop by Sean's apartment today?"

"Yeah?"

Alice turned around, gloves dripping of the suds and water. "Why?" 

"Well, I just wanted to know if Sean needed any help with the wedding, that's all." 

"Jack... Susan called me. She told me that Sean called her and told her what happened with you and him. 'Sometimes I don't think she knows what she wants'." Alice mocked. "It's none of your business about their plans for marriage! You had no right going over and questioning Sean like that- and you owe him an apology!"

"No! I have every right to know what this boy plans to do with my daughter!"

"He's not a boy Jack! He's a grown man- an adult and so is Susan. You should treat her that way. She doesn't need you poking around just because you can't accept that's capable of making her own choices!"

"Of course she needs me, I'm her father! She's going to always need me, Alice!"

"Well, then she doesn't want you! She doesn't want you trying to always pick her up after every little fall."

"Alice, Susan is my daughter-"

"She's my daughter too, but you don't see me smothering her like that! Jack, I was angry at you before- I still am- because the minute Susan announced her engagement to Sean, you couldn't even be happy for her! It was all about you and your worrying and your having to say goodbye or whatever- but that's your job! That's what comes with being a parent, learning to let go! Because if you can't, then Susan will! And that might mean she won't want to see us or be around us because of that! It's not always about how you feel Jack and I'll be dammed if Susan cuts me off too because you can't stop being selfish even for one SECOND!"

Jack stood back. "All I'm trying to do is protect Susan, that's all! And you know that....." Jack kept a solid stare on Alice.

Alice took a deep breath in. "Whatever your intentions are.... that has everything to do with you. And only you. You know what's right and what's wrong Jack- and without blowing my words out of context- I don't feel the same way. So, whatever the reason you do, do everyone a favor- keep it yourself and just stay out of Susan and Seans wedding plans. Bite your tongue until all of this is over and you can do what you wish with that."

Alice put the last dish into the dish rack, before snapping off her gloves and walked past Jack to the stairs.

Jack was left alone with only the sound of the sink draining over the downstairs.

**********************************************

Jack drove down alongside the coast to Susan's apartment. Taking in the sand washed blue sky and tan acres of sand that seemed smooth like butter.

Jack had to make this right. Susan would understand. She had just called Alice, so maybe there was a window for conversation. Maybe Susan would be able to see his point of view and how much he was just trying to protect her. 

Pulling into the parking lot of her condo, Jack readied himself. He came up with every reason her could justify to himself. Slamming the car door, it was Susan who spotted him from the window and was already waiting for her father at the front door. 

"Hi," Susan opened the door wide and suddenly, taking Jack off his guard for a moment. A slight wrinkle stood on her forehead, lips set still and sternly. "Hi... Susan...." She shook her head. "You went to Sean's apartment?" Her frown becoming deeper.

"Susan I-"

"You badgered him! You try to convince him not to marry me?!"

"No! Of course not! I was trying to make sure he would let you be happy."

"Like you do?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

Susan tilted her head. "You go to Sean's apartment, you start trying to get him to spill if he'll let me work, or what type of future he wants us to have- our private business! You should never have done that, Dad! You know Sean- you've met him, and you still don't want to trust him. You can't trust me- you have to still be there holding my had for everything!" Tears waved through Susan's eyes. Biting her lip, she continued to stare into Jack's eyes.

"Susan... sweetheart- I'm your father, I just wanted to make sure you were okay! I just want to protect you." He raised his eyebrows. Susan's soppy feeble look turned into a furrowed crossed one. Tightening her lips and clutching her fist into tight cuffing balls, the green in Susan's eyes became vivid and her pupils small and sharp.

"I'm not a little girl, Dad. I'm a grown woman, Sean is a grown man-"

"I know,"

"You don't know- or you don't care! So... I want you to stay away for a while. Me and Sean are planning the wedding- I'm stressed out enough as it is, I don't need this on my plate. Please just go..." Susan went back inside and locked her door. Jack felt like the door slammed against his face- or more like he was slammed against the door himself. Stepping off the balcony, Jack walked down the stairs and got into his car. Sniffling, Jack turned the key in the ignition and left the lot, letting Susan's apartment disappear out of the rearview. 

Tears trickled down Jack's cheeks. A piece of his heart chipped. A swirling feeling fell over him like an umbrella. It drove home with him, even though his thick glass pane vision of tears. Something soured Jack's stomach- something inside his gut that ate away at him, told him how much he screwed up. And he believed it. 

Pulling into the driveway, Jack took an extra five minutes alone to himself. Alice saw from the window- but like before- didn't take notice. The curtain barely flinched, and Jack sat alone in the drenching silence of what he had just done.

**********************************

Just as Susan preferred, Jack stayed away from her, Sean and even kept a distance between him and Alice for a time. Roger had flown back here to California for a time to prepare for Susan and Sean's upcoming wedding. Jack still prepped his tuxedo, his corsage and tie. Silently preparing for the occasion, Alice went around him in beelines, refusing to discus the wedding or anything to do with it to Jack. The chipped broken piece still remained hollow in Jack, but he bandaged it. 

The wedding was right around the corner, and Jack didn't want to jeopardize himself to be anything like a distraction or a problem. So, he would discreetly take his suit to the dry cleaners, Alice would see him dragging it through the house, but never said a word about it. She pretended she didn't notice and would either sip her coffee or turn back to whatever she was reading. But it was still ironed and pressed neatly when Jack couldn't tend to it because of work. The flower was still sprouting from his pocket, and it still had that fresh scent to it. Alice would tend to it just as discreetly as Jack would.

Jack knew this, but it still never made conversation. But now the day of the wedding was here.

Jack- dressed in his suit- accompanied Alice to the chapel. The rooms were crowded and overflowing with family from both sides. Sean had three siblings, Roger was taking pictures and stood as one of Sean's groomsmen and Jack and Alice could only remember or pinpoint certain faces of their families in the crowd. "Alice!" Melony threw her arms around her sister, while their parents stood watch behind them. As Alice and Melony caught up, Jack excused himself and went to find Roger. "Hey Bud!" Roger turned and a smile fell over his face. "Hi Dad." Jack wrapped his arms around Roger and held him tightly enough where his cologne could whiff into Roger's nostrils. "Isn't this exciting? Your sister's getting married!" 

Roger giggled. "I know, her and Sean really do love each other. And he's such a great guy. I hope they're really happy together." Jack tightened his smile. Roger looked back at his camera and politely excused himself. Jack let the distance of Roger sink in more than he wanted. It had been almost two years since he'd last seen him after that one March. It was something he never liked to think about but couldn't ignore it. It followed him like a shadow and harassed him sometimes like a stalker. A lump grew in his throat everytime he saw Roger's face- everytime Roger's face could be pictured with those moments and everything he said to his father. Jack didn't want to believe Roger meant it.... but it never changed. 

And as the he saw the back of Roger's head disappear into the rush of the crowd, it was proof that Roger hadn't changed what he meant, and Jack still had to accept that.

 ****************************************

Jack checked every room, until he finally found Alice and Susan together in her dressing room. A big beautiful white ballgown with a bellowing veil that swished as if it were a natural part of Susan's hair, kept Jack in awe. "You look so beautiful!" Alice and Susan turned around to see Jack with tight smiles over their face. "Oh, hey Dad......thanks." Alice looked at Susan, sensibility swimming through her eyes. "Oh Susan....." was all she could say. Jack kept a tweeness smile over his face. Susan gripped her bouquet of white flowers and let the deep smile cross over her cheeks, protruding her dimples. "Susan, are you ready?" She nodded. Glancing to Jack she bit her lip. "Mom... could you give us a moment?" Alice kissed Susan's cheek and then left the room, but not before rubbing a hand over Jack's shoulder.

"Dad..." Jack looked down and then up again. "Susan....." He swallowed. "I am so sorry for the way I treated you, and Sean and your marriage. I had no right to just come in between you and him like that and..... I am very sorry." 

Susan looked down. She came closer. "Dad... I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to say that you should just stay away from me or Sean... I was just angry, and I was stressed bec-"

"It's okay, I understand. And you were not wrong to say that. Truth is... this was something new for me. But I guess because since the idea of you being with someone who would now be responsible for your happiness and be your first priority in life, scared me. Me and you took care of you for almost your entire life- it wasn't easy to let you go into the city of Pasadena, and it was definitely not easy to give you a way to another man. But.... I was still wrong. I overstepped my place not only as your father, but as another adult- another person. And I respect you, Susan. I love you and I love Sean. I know I still see you as a little girl sometimes, but it's no excuse. And I guess I just have to remind myself of that." Jack came closer, letting a smile form. "You go to your wedding. You're going to be a good wife. You'll be a good mother, you're an amazing daughter and chef already.... I know you'll be amazing at this too. I love you."

"I love you too Dad." Susan let Jack engulf her into a hug. A long hug, lasting until the organ started. Pulling away, Susan hooked her arm into Jack's. "Ready?" 

"Ready."

The pair walked down the aisle to the slow sound of the organ. Big smiles were spread over Susan and Jack's faces. The audience of family and friends all stared at the bride and her father, until they reached the altar. As the preacher introduced the couple. Susan and Sean shared their vows to each other and the crowd of emotions. Alice wiped the tears from her eyes as did Jack. Roger hadn't shaken the smile from his face from the moment he saw Susan appear in her Cinderella dress. A stray tear was quickly wiped from his eyes. As the last words of Sean's vows were spoken, so were 'I dos.' 

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe. You may now seal your vows with a kiss." Sean and Susan leaned in and kissed each other passionately as the crowd cheered. Susan and Sean run down from the altar and through the pathway between the seats. The crowd followed them into the community center where the reception began.

******************************

As the car was ready, Susan and Sean gathered around Susan's family. "We're headed to Tampa," Sean winked to Roger, who winked back. 

Alice threw her arms around Susan, as she cried into her silky hair. "We love you sweetheart.... be a good wife.... take care of each other, okay?" Susan nodded against Alice's neck. She pressed several kisses to her daughter's cheeks before letting her go. Alice clutched her tissue while watching Roger say goodbye. "Name your son after me," Susan laughed before pulling out of the hug from Roger. "Kidding, kidding!" Roger kissed his sister's cheek before stepping aside and allowing Jack to hug Susan.

"Goodbye baby girl.... I love you... I'll miss you." He cried into Susan's hair. And Susan finally cried, ushering a family hug. Sean was mingled into it by Roger. "Take care of her, Sean... okay?" 

"I will." He smiled with a nod. 

As the newlyweds drove away to their honeymoon, Jack, Alice and Roger looked on at the car that sped off into the glistening sunset. Jack let tears fall from his face freely as he stared well into the sunset, even after the car was long gone. The broken piece had been mended. It was sealed with a fresh new coat of pride and overwhelming warmth. 

Jack knew it would take some time, but he would never reject the idea of his daughter being Susan Wolfe, with the love of her life. 

Taking one last look into the sun, Jack smiled happily to himself before walking back to join the rest of his family.

[the-bed-gremlins-reading-list]

Hi this If looks very interesting! I haven't played the demo yet but I'm very excited to! For now I was wondering if you had a post sharing what the ro's look like for My marriage to the cursed royal?

Quick edit addition because I forgot the first time: Thank you for your interest and for asking! :)

I don't have any images or anything because I'm a terrible artist, and if I tried to do anything they'd probably end up looking like the shrieks from DA:O.

Also none of this is 100% set yet, except Rune who has made their first appearance, I'm still in the middle of deciding the final designs but I'll list everyone out below the cut. I'll do a more polished post once I'm more confident of the appearances.

Lucius - Tall, lean with curly black haired human man with pale violet eyes. Wears his hair long as a matter of vanity. Facial scar but location still under debate. He tends to be practical about his fashion, if a little fussy about neatness when not serving in the military.

Lucia - Tall, lean black haired human woman with pale violet eyes. She wears her hair cropped short to around her ears because she prefers the practicality of it fitting easier in a helmet, she also treats it so it is wavy instead of curly. Facial scar but location is still under debate. Wears earrings even though they're a terrible idea and she's had them yanked out in a fight more than once (she's lucky that she has access to skilled healers) but is otherwise practical (though very neat) about her manner of dress.

(I'm probably going to give the Luxes a medium range skin tone. My original designs had them with "ice pale skin, appropriate for their magic" but I think I would rather give them something more appropriate for just how Greco-Roman the Nasennian empire's ended up. So medium a medium to dark though their undertones will still be cool.)

Rune - Average height, muscular individual who appears to be human. Short curly dark brown hair with blue eyes, skin tone is fair. (I think there's still a reference to them being purple in the demo but they should be blue.) Their appearance as an adult will have heavy scarring along their neck and shoulder and more on their face. Hates wearing anything formal.

Marcus - Tall human man with black coily hair that he wears in a variety of styles (I haven't chosen the one that he'll have when introduced yet) and dark brown skin with warm undertones. Amber colored eyes. He's keen on fashion and wears more jewelry than his elder siblings.

Rossella - Half-elf woman of average height with long brown* hair. She has a golden olive skin tone and dark brown eyes. Has a beauty mark below the left corner of her lips. Conventionally extremely attractive and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful women in the empire. She's careful to keep at the height of fashion when in public though her private preferences are much more relaxed. She never wears white because it's not practical as a healer and she rarely wears anything with sleeves because they get in the way when using her magic. *Her name is the Italian version of "Scarlet", as a result she's taken to claiming she has red hair and Lux and Marcus when they were younger helped her gaslight the entire court into being too confused to argue about it so she'll sometimes be referred to as red haired, especially by the princes or their people. She is not. It's a medium brown.

Caerwyn - Our ACTUAL red head. He has bright ginger colored hair and, probably, hazel eyes (not set in stone yet I keep changing their color). As a true vampire (versus a dhampir like some MC's and Halli) his eyes will sometimes change as a result of the predatory urge. Haven't quite settled on how I want to do that. He has very pale skin, with a faintly blue undertone. He's of average height and has a crooked nose from it being broken when he was young.

Robin Watcher - She's under construction because there's a plot element I'm fiddling with related to them. Haven't quite gotten it sorted out in my head yet. My original notes on her have her as blond, lots of freckles, curvy, and short with a habit of dressing like a stereotypical bard, bells and all. Those aren't reliable since I'm turning over several ideas at once regarding her. She'll probably end up demonblood - so black sclera - but that isn't settled yet either.

[acewithapaintbrush]

"Thank god you’re back, I need to rant.”

Let's have some ROTTMNT ranting! 🐢

EDIT:

I have revised and turned this into a proper one-shot. Give it a read over on ao3 here

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

"Thank God you are back. I need to rant. Stop screaming, it's me- OUCH! That was my head!"

"Donnie!" April screeches and quickly closes her bedroom door behind her. They are lucky her parents are still downstairs parking the car. For good measure she throws the last of her school books at his head as well, but this time the turtle is prepared and dodges the dictionary. She briefly considers throwing her backpack too, but in the end she'll be the one who'll have to tidy up again so she simply lets it slide from her shoulders instead. "I swear to the big turtle in the sky Donnie, one of these days I'll dropkick you right back into Witch Town. Stop lurking in my room in the dark. I'll die of a heart attack if you keep that up."

The turtle scoffs (he actually says the word Scoff, the big nerd) and crosses his arms. "How can you still be surprised? Didn't Papa teach you all of his secret ninja techniques?"

April rolls her eyes and ignores the decidedly jealous undertone in his voice. Her brother in all but blood (and kinda also that after Mikey heard about blood pacts and wouldn't leave them alone until everyone got a little nick in their thumbs to press against each other) is sitting on the edge of her bed, the long legs crossed over each other. She can't help but notice his foot whipping up and down and his hand repeatedly thumping against the mattress.

Before he can notice her watching and force himself to stop, April lets herself fall backwards onto the bed right next to him. She can feel him bounce up and down a little. April crosses her arms behind her head and stares at the ceiling. She has long since learned that he opens up better and faster if people aren't looking at him. If he can act like he is unobserved, trapped in a bubble of pretend privacy where he can just throw his words into the void, to either be heard or forgotten.

April never forgets.

"So, you need to rant."

"Surprised you heard that part amidst all your screaming."

"Doh-nnie!"

"Alright, alright. Geeze." He fiddles with something he's snatched from her bedside table. Looks like her alarm clock which means she'll probably be awoken by another awful techno song in the morning. She really gotta figure out how he keeps reprogramming that thing. "It's Mikey."

Okay. That is a surprise.

Usually when he is this worked up, it's about his 'annoying twin' or about 'overprotective Raph' or sometimes even about his 'totally-don't-crave-his-parental-attention Dad'.

Never Mikey.

She dares to glance at him. He doesn't notice, too wrapped up in pressing the buttons on her clock. "Mikey?"

His sigh is like a mini explosion. The clock gets put back on the table with a loud bang and he jumps to his feet to pace her room from one end to the other.

"He won't shut up about the spaceship and what happened. Pestering me about talking about it. Like something is wrong. Nothing is wrong! Why would anything be wrong? I was a spaceship! How cool is that? Super cool, that's how cool! A spaceship, Apes! A fucking spaceship!"

April sits up, abandons all pretense of the bubble, stares right at the heaving back that is facing her. The back that is covered with his most advanced battle shell. Big and clunky and heavy. It's thicker than all his other shells, usually reserved for the hardest and most brutal fights, designed to withstand everything and let nothing through.

He's been wearing it constantly ever since the Krang attacked. Even in the lair.

Yeah. 'Super cool', her ass.

Before she can get up to go to him, Don comes back to the bed. He falls face down onto it so his back is exposed, as exposed as it can be with the literal tank covering it, and something warm spreads through April at the show of trust.

"I was a spaceship." he mumbles into her duvet.

April hums and touches his shoulder, right above his battle shell. She can feel him shudder a little at the contact, but he doesn't squirm away or makes these clicking sounds in the back of his throat he makes when he is uncomfortable. So she keeps her hand right where it is, rubbing little circles into his skin, her thumb slipping a tiny bit into a gap between his skin and the metal. Her fingernail barely scrapes his soft shell underneath and he goes very still.

"Must have been scary." she whispers.

"It was cool." he insists. His voice breaks a little and after what feels like an eternity he adds quietly on a soft breath "And scary."

She can't even imagine what it must have felt like. Getting swallowed by technology created by beings whose only goal was to destroy. Who only ever operated on hate and disdain and a complete lack of empathy.

Donnie's tech has always felt warm to her. Alive and vibrant and fun. Holding one of his gizmos in her hands, April can feel the love he put into it like a physical thing.

Did the spaceship feel like the Krang as well? Did it feel like being buried under hate and darkness and a hunger for suffering?

Sometimes she thinks that Raph wasn't the only one getting possessed by the Krang. What Don experienced was a lot more subtle, a lot more insidious, but for a moment he'd been one with something that was completely alien to him and his mindset.

He wasn't just a spaceship. He was a spaceship designed to destroy.

Donnie, who creates, who programmed an AI so life-like that it went through puberty.

A creator, forced to become one with a weapon of destruction.

April lowers her head and keeps rubbing circles into his shoulders and neck and her fingernails keep scraping his soft shell. With every contact, he seems to grow less tense, his shoulders relaxing, his breathing evening out.

"It's alright", she murmurs. "It's gonna be alright."

[shitpostingkats]

8 and 18 for the YGO ask meme? P.S. Helloooooo ^.^

8. Favorite antagonist/villain

You know? Shoutouts to Brron! He doesn't get enough love. I really love his design and they way he's animated in the show, this sort of creaky dusty mummy that doesn't have any bones and joints in all the Wrong places.

18. A random headcanon

Ooh I can't narrow it down to just one so I'll do some for each series I've seen.

DM: Atem is stupid nearsighted and this is why he does the squinty squinty whenever he takes over. This is really impressive because he's the one who actually passed the drivers test for Yugi (Yugi's a fine driver, he just couldn't get through the exam without having a panic attack) and to this day no one knows how he did it because the man is coke-bottle-glasses-blind and needs help crossing the street most days. Yes, this means Yugi has technically driving illegally his entire life. No, he doesn't feel one bit bad about it.

GX: Listen to me. I am looking directly in your face. Tyranno Hassleberry would be an amazing principal/chancellor of duel academy. He's a friendly leader type who loves learning and being in charge of rowdy hooligans. He effortlessly takes command of the student body like three times in the series. He's weird and fun and would be utterly beloved by his students because yeah he talks like a retired army colonel but he also goes off on hours long tangents on the cretaceous period and lets any student who wants avoid going home over the holidays tag along on his archeology digs and/or camping trips. He seems to be friends with the entire work force of pro duelists and duel historians and duel physicists and regularly invites them to the island to give presentations. I know Shepard set the bar low but Tyranno Hassleberry is going to raise it.

5Ds: I haven't posted any art of it, but I like to draw Yusei with tattoos! He gets a new one for every person that's important to him, so he has a full sleeve on his right arm (though his tattoo for Martha is right over the scar on his stomach) and even gets the dragon head inked back on after the end of the series. Also as stated previously I fully believe in my heart of hearts that Carly Carmine is a lesbian. And I believe with certainty that she should go on a date with Stephanie (the server from blue eyes coffee). Stephanie opens up her own little queer coffee shop called "Les Bean" or smth and Carly becomes a full on investigative reporter who keeps getting in trouble with the cops because she and her six foot tall emotional support himbo investigate leads by picking fights with violent criminals and there's really nothing anyone can do about it.

Zexal: I haven't finished with the series yet but I am full to bursting with headcanons for what astral world is like and if the show wants to contradict me it is welcome to try. I think astral world is completely underwater and filled with bioluminescence and weird deep sea creatures. Everything is floaty and sways in the currents and an astral's hair is like the fronds of a sea anemone and it is customary/fashionable to have schools of fish swimming around in it. Some astrals decorate their bodies with coral and plants and are floating ecosystems. There's a good deal of Societal Value attached to how many creatures you are in symbiosis with. Astral himself doesn't know exactly why he feels so grief stricken when he sees Yuma fiddle with the beads in his hair, or feels so lonely when he looks in an aquarium, but he's working on it, and as far as he's got Yuma, then he's not alone at all :)

[sydneyofalltrades]

TRICK OR TREAT

AND A TREAT YOU SHALL GET DEARIE

There were quite a few more Halloween contests Uranium was hosting. Besides the schools' and their costume contests, there were bakery confection designing, which Constance bashfully accepted first prize of, a "list how many Halloween movies you know in 30 seconds" contest, one Ocean gleefully accepted the big bucket of treats as first prize for, stuffing the treats in her Dorothy basket.

There was a creative writing contest, the one the whole choir had submitted drabbles for, and Noel was anxious to see who the winner would be.

"What's got your hat screwed, poet?"

Noel looked up and saw Mischa standing over him, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm sorry," Noel started, "'Hat screwed?"'

"English be damned, you okay?"

Noel shrugged and fiddled with the bag Ricky had given him full of treats. "Just waiting for this contest to be over and for the winner to be announced."

Mischa sat next to Noel and picked up some of his chocolates. "You wrote some ridiculously insane work, you'll be first."

Noel couldn't met Mischa's enthusiasm or confidence. "I don't think I'll win, Misch."

"I'm sorry. You sent in six whole pages for this contest, you're winning!"

"I sent them an infodump on my fictional persona," Noel said, burying his face into his hands, "If the judges don't think that's embarrassing, then-"

"Poet, your writing on Monique was absolutely fantastic. Descriptions on point. Characters are amazing. The dark parts were actually cool, bro. You will win this. Trust me."

Noel nodded. "Alright."

Mischa grabbed Noel's face and it made Noel jump. "Noel, we did not make out in a warehouse to some ghost robot while we were dead for your story not to win."

Noel's face turned scarlet. "Don't remind me-!"

Mischa grinned. "That worked. You feel different."

They waited for the announcement, interacting with the others and trying to keep Noel's mind off the contest.

Finally, finally, the moment came. Noel anxiously picked at his black nails until Mischa squeezed his hand tightly.

"And the winner of the annual Scream Teen Halloween Writing Scene is... Noel Gruber! For his fantastic submission of his story, 'Monique's Lament!'"

Mischa cheered and hugged Noel tightly. Noel was stunned, but accepted his prize of several dozen king-sized candy bars.

"I did it," he asked bewilderedly.

"You did! Told you you'd win!"

Mischa gave Noel a side hug and smiled. "Come on, let's find the others and split the win."

Noel beamed, and the two of them walked out to find the rest of the choir.

[cottoncandy-cult]

New Kind Of Home Pt 2

Zelman Clock X Fledgling! Reader

(Y/n) giggled from where she sat in her room, she was a fledgling black blood that had recently joined the "darkness" of the special zone. She lived in Zelman Clock's manor; she was one of the few maids who took care of the east wing of the second floor. This had been Zelman's wing, which thankfully meant it didn't get near as messy as some of the other areas since Zelman himself wasn't innately messy. Like the other maids she was paid nicely, so she often spent her money on food and her hobbies. One thing she had become really taken with was making candles, sure there were all kinds of things she could do in this day and age but candle making had just really caught her eye. She loved getting to pick the scents and make the designs, she even had a little shop online to sell her creations. Of course, everyone knew about her hobby, at any kind of gift giving event she often made custom candles for the people she was close to. Currently she was sat on her bed, a sketch pad on her lap as she doodled some ideas for some new candle designs. Though she was quick to put down her pencil when a knock at the door caught her attention, she looked up in the direction of the sound as she sat up straight. "Come in." She tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow as she saw her boss come in. "Hey there, Sayuka said you missed lunch, so I came to check on you." He stepped into the room, his hands in his pockets as he glanced around. Despite being seen as a villain by some, Zelman paid attention to those who served under him and took great care of them.

"Sorry, I got hit with some inspiration and lost track of time." The young woman sat the sketch pad to the side, scooting closer to the edge of the bed. "You can sit down if you like Sir." She smiled sweetly as the red-haired old blood chuckled, moving to sit in the chair at her desk. "So, what kind of candles are you making this time? Those cupcake candles you did for Jura's birthday were pretty popular." Zelman leaned forward, peaking at her sketch pad. Something she happily passed to him, (Y/n) loved getting to talk about her creations. "I wanna do some pie themed candles, I was thinking of doing 3 kinds. Apple and cinnamon, Peach and Vanilla, and Mixed berry. I was gonna keep the design simple, layer 3 different colors each." She pointed to the designs, explaining her thoughts as she indicated to the colored layers of each candle drawing. "I see, simple and classic is always appreciated. I think the Peach one sounds best though, so make sure you make an extra for me, ok?" He had winked at the woman, not oblivious to her blush as she nodded her head quickly. "Of course, if you ever have any requests let me know. I like getting to make personalize candles."

The young woman scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, trying to talk away her flustered cheeks. "I'll keep that in mind, I'm sure you've noticed I always have a candle burning in my favorite rooms. So, it would be nice to get something personally made for me, having it be one of your products just makes it all the better." His words had (H/c) female stuttering and stumbling over her words, something that stopped with a squeak when one of Zelman's large hands gently cradled her cheek. He stared into her eyes, his grin never faltering. "Just as I thought, you're even cuter when you're flustered." His thumb stroked her cheek, and in her flustered state all she could think to do was hide her face. So, she turned it into his palm, closing her eyes as she listened to Zelman chuckle. "Would you like to have lunch with me (Y/n)? A new restaurant opened in the old sector, so I was going to check it out." He slowly sat back, removing his hand as she had finally met his gaze once more. "S-sure, I've finished writing down my ideas anyways…" She bit her lip, her hand fiddling with the pencil that sat on her bed. "Let me get ready first, I don't wanna go out in public in my maid outfit. That would draw so much attention." She blushed darker at the thought, having made the mistake of doing it once and there wasn't a single person that WASN'T looking at her. Though her words made Zelman laugh, nodding his head. "Understandable, I'll be waiting in the common room downstairs. Meet me down there when you're ready." He winked at her again just to see her flustered face once more, then moved to stand and exit the room. Once that door closed behind him (Y/n) flopped back on her bed, her hands resting over her racing heart as she took several deep breaths. She wasn't oblivious to how attractive her boss was, the other female workers were often desperate for his attention and fawned over the older male. She didn't want to get ahead of herself, despite his behavior she didn't want to assume this was a date and embarrass herself later by saying the wrong things.

Though she didn't spend long like this, after all he was waiting on her regardless of the reason why they would be sharing this meal. It didn't take long for (Y/n) to get changed, she didn't do anything too fancy. A simple (F/c) sundress with some black tights and a pair of flats, she had worn a few bracelets around one wrist and a chain necklace that had a red jewel which rested against her collarbone. Her footsteps were quick but quiet, not wanting to seem desperate or accidentally trip in front of him. Before she entered the common room, (Y/n) came to a stop and took a moment to brush out the skirt of her dress and adjust the top to make sure it was settled comfortably but nicely. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting Sir." She entered the room with a shy smile, he had changed as well into something a little less recognizable for him. Leaving his beanie off he had brushed out his hair, settling on wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Despite the relaxed look, he still brought color to her cheeks at the sight. "Not at all, I actually just set down before you arrived." He moved to stand, approaching her with his hands in his pockets. He stood close to her, offering her a fanged smile as his cologne engulfed her. "You ready to head out? I was checking the reviews, and this place is supposed to have some pretty good grilled food." He offers her his arm, grinning at her darkening blush while she slipped her arm within his own and nodded.

All she could do was swallow quietly; afraid she'd stumble over her words if she tried to speak in that moment. She took a slow breath, looking up at him as calmly as she could. "Thanks for inviting me, it's been a while since I've gone somewhere new to eat." She looked away from him after that statement as they made their way out the door, causing the old blood to chuckle and hold his head high. "It's no fun to try something new alone, besides you always make for interesting company." His bold words made her heart flutter, she had to focus on her breathing a moment as she looked up at him once more. "I enjoy your company as well, Cayne and Sei can be somewhat intimidating so I'm glad it's you I work under." This made Zelman chuckle, his head tilting as he gave her a fond look. "I'm glad you're so comfortable with me, I'd hate to think I scare you. I'm glad Sayuka brought you to my home, as a fledgling I can imagine it was quite lonely coming to the special zone on your own." His words held an understanding tone, Zelman had seen many people come and go within the special zone and within his domain. Most of those that came on their own found themselves feeling lost, the special zone was a big place and could be a little hard to get used to.

"I will admit it was overwhelming, I was beyond lost in the city and if it wasn't for Sayuka I'm not sure I would have found a place to live that night. I was a bit scared at first, I wasn't really sure what I should be doing but you made it easy for me being so naturally organized." She smiled softly at the thought as she stared ahead, she had been so afraid at first. But she had been given ample patience to get adjusted to her new life. "You reminded me of a kitten when you were first brought back, soaked in the rain and jumping at every noise. It was pretty cute, I felt bad for your cause you looked so out of place. So, I had you placed in my personal wing since I figured it would be low maintenance and easier for you to adjust to. I meant to adjust your duties once you had got used to the place, but there was no real need for it and since I needed someone to clean my wing anyways, I decided to just let you stay where you were. Plus, I got used to seeing you in the mornings on my way to breakfast. It was a nice routine, and I wasn't ready to give it up yet, I know you aren't a morning person but watching you sleepily waddle down the halls just makes my day." He chuckled as he looked to her, seeing the way her cheeks flushed as she looked into his eyes made his own still heart beat once more. "You aren't wrong, I hate being awake early but the sooner I get my chores done the sooner I can read or work on my hobbies." She turned her head to the side, subconsciously leaning into his side and not noticing til his arm slipped out of hers and wrapped around her waist. It left her flustered at first, though she had soon melted into his side as she took comfort in his presence despite how he made her heart race uncontrollably.

"You know, I'd like to spend more time with you if you're up to it. I'd love to see how you make your candles, if that's ok." He smiled down at her, one of his pointed fangs visible as they walked together. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she hoped it made it harder for him to see her face directly. "I wouldn't mind, no one's ever asked to see how I do it before. Maybe you can help me design a candle, you know pick out the colors and smells and stuff…" She bit her lip, fighting the urge to meet his gaze which she could feel focus on her. "Alright, it's a date then." He winked at her when she looked at him in shock over his wording, causing him to give into his urge and press a kiss to her cheek before watching her brain short circuit. They slowed to a stop as she stared at him as if he just laid the stars at her feet. Releasing her side he took her hand, raising an eyebrow as he pressed another more gentlemanly kiss on her knuckles and kick start her brain once more causing her to stumble over various words before giving up and hanging her head while hiding her face with her hand. He loved her reactions; it made him want to smother her with affection until she was a flustered mess. For now though, he held back, lacing his fingers with her own as he led the way to the restaurant for their planned lunch.