#Just so you know I actually don't mind the name

[snakeredbirdbatkatana]

Clone baby AU TimKonBartCassie

Part 1

"Don't be mad."

Tim is more than aware he might not be the most sane, he also is more than aware that sometimes he does things that can be considered rage inducing or morally wrong but he can't say he regrets his choices.

Especially when she's seven pounds four ounces and just holding her makes him ready to burn the whole word down.

A perfect blend of him, Kon, Bart, and Cassie which oddly enough was extremely difficult to do since as it turns out genetic sequencing which is already absurdly complicated gets even worse when you add two more people.

She's perfect.

It was a spur of the moment decision a nightmare that drove him right back into the center of his grief.

He was staring at his previous cloning calculations and for a moment he was so incrediblely selfish.

He wanted a piece of his friends proof in a way of how deeply devoted he is to them. Something that no matter what couldn't be taken from him, something he could love unconditionally.

In a darker part of his mind he admits that the baby, his child who is incredible could have been just his and Kon's a half kryptonian but in his experience that is still too mortal.

But combined with a speedster and demigod he might have just made an unbeatable weapon. Not that his little girl will ever be that, he won't allow it.

"Tim is that a baby?" Kon gasps.

He only had held her for five minutes the greatest thing in the word had only been alive for ten minutes before he raced to titans tower holding his precious cargo.

All of them, the other parents? His friends sitting peacefully watching some program completely unaware of what's he's done. Not that it stayed that way for long.

"Is that Luci?" Bart asks.

All of them turn even Tim completely shocked his entire explanation that he had been planning for the last few hours gone with one sentence.

"Bart do you know this random baby? Also Luci what kind of name is that? Tim why do you have a baby?Cassie demands trying to sound stern but everyone can tell is beyond confused.

Bart who had gotten up walks not an once of speed the calmest any of them have ever seen, over to him a soft smile directed at apperently Luci although Tim agrees wth Cassie it's a weird name and not what he was planning.

"Our son, and Luci is a nickname, and if I'm right Tim just spent the last twenty four-ish hours creating him."

Before he can comprehend half of what Bart just said. Luci?

Is being cradled head perfectly surported by the speedster along with soft cooing from said speedster looking so natural as if fatherhood was created just for him.

Finally he finds his voice.

"Daughter, but Bart is right she's ours."

A giggle interrupts the cooing before a smirk paints Bart's face.

"No it's definitely son but it will be a good few years before he's able to voice that specific issue, not that it's much of an issue with all the money your daddy has isn't that right little lightening?"

And once again Bart is back to being absurdly attractive holding their child that Tim is getting a feeling he had prior knowledge of. Who also is trans? Maybe? which is completely fine of course but back to the whole Bart clearly knows something.

"Imp, ok I get the whole Rob made a baby with our DNA thing. No offense but I'm not exactly surprised Sunshine, your crazy we love that about you, but Bart why are you talking like you already know them."

Kon asks sounding very tired which Tim is a little offended by, he's not crazy.

Also how dare he be so accepting of Tim's cloned child as if this is Tuesday and Tim does this everyday he definitely does not, he's not Batman well ok maybe a little bit like him but still.

Wow Tim is way to sleep deprived if this is his inner monologue right now.

"Because I do. Lilith right? That's the name you had in mind apperently he doesn't actually mind you going with that for now since in his own words it inspires his much scarier name. God I love that kid."

Tim blanks.

He swallows throat suddenly really dry.

"Bart did you go to the future?"

He is trying to process but is now very scared is a time line fractured? Could his child not exist, and nevermind the whole Bart apperently already has insider info on the child his child that Tim just made ten fucking minutes ago.

"Oh no nothing like that."

He laughes out as if Bart hasn't been sitting on life changing information for who knows how long. Which is also extremely hypocritical of him considering secret child and timeline shenanigans that he was just panicking over.

"Our wonderful, gremlin, of a child ran into me actually some evil rouge with Time Travel powers which was a whole thing."

He pauses clearly rejoicing in some memory of their child that again Tim you know his mother wasn't privy to. Even though Tim is a man which would make him Dad but he created the baby so he should have been the first to have fond memories.

"I went to interrupt said fight not knowing and your child, yah Robie he was hundred percent your child, threw a DNA test in my face told me to get out of his way and absolutely demolished the dude before who I believe and I am just speculating here, was your brother's kid grabbed the dude and threw him into some weird portal before vanishing."

Tim is gonna lose his fucking mind his baby who he just created.

Grows up to be a superhero which alright not surprising, but also apperently one of his siblings has a child also not surprising. But they apperently travel through time together and cause chaos how fucking lovely he is starting to feel really guilty about everything with Bruce.

Oh my god he has to tell Bruce. But first.

"Which sibling?"

He doesn't actually know what's he's hoping for maybe Dick's kid yah, a sunshine child, chaotic but nice yah that sounds like a good influence. On once again his twenty minute old son? Daughter something? Whatever baby.

"Well based on the guns, and arrows that were floating around. You also can't forget the helmet I would say that was Arsenal and Red Hood's very own precious bundle but Luci wouldn't give me a straight answer but what would you expect when we raised him."

Tim's tired very tired he doesn't even stop himself from face planting onto the floor. Everything will make more sense after a nap a very long nap.

Oh my god Jason procreated is his last thought before he falls into a nightmare filled sleep.

[cutiekaijumuseum]

A little trivia for those that just got introduced to Ultraman thanks to Ultraman Rising

You know that part where baby kaiju Emi is shown a kids cartoon with an earworm of a song?

That cartoon is real!! It's called Kaiju Step Wandabada and it stars cute kid versions of different monsters from different Ultraman series (mostly the original from 1966 wich Rising is also based on). The opening shown in the movie is in stop-motion while the cartoon itself is in 2D.

The Ultraman heroes don't appear in person, but bizarrely enough they seem to exist as fictional superheroes in-universe, with the kaiju kids having toys and dolls of them. It's no surprise Emi liked it so much! She would be right at home in this show!

The episodes are 5 minutes long, there are two seasons of 26 episodes each for a total of 52. The official Tsurubaya channel has the first episodes of both seasons uploaded...

...but the rest were sadly only up for a limited time cuz gotta sell the dvds. What is officially available online right now is a series of educational shorts.

Some years ago Marvel Comics got the rights to make Ultraman comics and made a mini-series called "The Rise of Ultraman" (no relation), and these Kaiju Step designs got to appear as part of in-universe instructional videos about dealing with monsters and aliens:

So let's have a quick rundow on the little monsters and where each comes from:

Pigmon or Pig-chan is the main protagonist and new kid in town (forest). This coral-looking guy is one of the most iconic and recurring ultra monsters and the go-to kid-friendly one, as he stood out among the original set of kaiju for being friendly and heroic (as well as human-sized). He has the bad habit of dying in many of his apperences but fortunately that's not the case here.

Kanegon or Kane-chan is the second member of the protagonist trio, and the most energic and simple-minded. A coin purse monster that eats money, and usually a human kid under a curse. He actually pre-dates Ultraman, appearing in the black-and-white anthology series Ultra Q wich had monsters but not superheroes. Fortunately this one doesn't need to eat money and was born a kaiju.

Alien Dada or Dada-chan is the reliable but temperamental inventor of the trio, he dreams of building a rocket ship. One of the most iconic villains from the original 1966 Ultraman (and that's saying a lot), it's a weird alien with weird powers looking for human subjects for his weird experiments, like testing his shrinking ray. He really earns the name of a weird art movement.

Gomora or Gomo-chan is probably the most iconic ultra kaiju of all. Remember how in Ultraman Rising there is this whole sequence where the dad omniously talks about fighting him? There is a good reason for that. Gomora had the only two-parter in the original 1966 series, and was able to actually defeat Ultraman in their first figh. He's essentially Godzilla if he lived underground rather than underwater (He's even been a good guy and had a robot counterpart). Here, however, Gomora is a chill guy who's passionate about agriculture. (btw, you can also spot Gomora in Rising on a screen around an hour and eight minutes into the movie).

Red King or just Red is another iconic ultra dino, that looks like corn. In the show he's brute but well-meaning, and has a friendly sport rivalry with Kemur-chan. But in the Ultraman series he's a sadistic and murderous bully who beats up weaker monsters but gets his butt kicked rather easily by Ultraman (although more recent incarnations have have been more positive, both in his fighting ability and sometimes even becoming a loving father). (and yes, you are right, he's not red).

Jamira or Jami-chan is a passionate archeologist and fossil collector in the show, whereas in the original Ultraman he was a human astronaut that got infected by a virus. He hasn't appeared much beyond his debut... but doesn't need to, as his episode was very memorable in how sad and tragic it was. I can't imagine the target audience's whiplash seeing this cute creature one moment collecting fossils and the next having a horrible sad death. I guess one could say the same for most of the characters, but this one takes the cake.

Miclas or Mic-chan is the youngest character, a baby, and loves bugs. He was one of the "capsule monsters" from the second ultra series, Ultra Seven. Sometimes the titular ultra wouldn't be able to fight himself so he would summon up to three very loyal monsters from little capsules to do the fighting instead (or at least buy some time, they weren't very strong). One was a triceratops, another was a robot bird, but the most iconic had to be Miclas because really, what even is he? Some kind of bull toad hybrid? (By the way, fun fact, the capsule monsters were one of the inspirations for Pokemon).

King Joe (yes, that's his name) or Joe-chan is a robot controlled by alien invaders and is to Ultra Seven what Gomora is to the original Ultraman: he's the subject of a two-parter and was able to beat the hero to a pulp at first, made harder to fight by his ability to divide into three flying parts. Fortunately this Joe is very shy and very friendly.

Eleking or Ele-chan from Ultra Seven is another of the "mascot" ultra kaiju. If two ultra kaiju have to appear in anything, chances are they will be Gomora and Eleking. In fact, in Ultraman Rising you can see Eleking in a monitor right next to Gomora (around an hour and eight minutes in). It's a dinosaur-like eel monster with (of course) electric powers, and the enforcer of an all-female bug-like alien species set to conquer the earth, that are nonetheless very affectionate towards their pet-weapon dino-eel. The fact that Eleking's masters are always women may explain why the Kaiju Step one is a very femenine and elegant girl despite having King in the name, though no less dangerously electric.

Alien Guts or Guts-chan here is a very little alien bird child who can multiply into three separate individuals to cause all the destruction in their sincere attempts to help out. The original duo from Ultra Seven meanwhile are ruthless alien invaders that are infamous for freaking crucifying the aforementioned hero, leading to decades of japanese media having christian imagery for the sake of looking cool, most notably Neon Genesis Evangelion, because these birds did it first and it looked so cool.

Alien Kemur or Kemu-chan is a very agile alien that comes from the distant future of 2020 to consume humans and extend his lifespan. Here he's a friendly but competitive ninja from the present, and has a rivalry with Red King being the speed to his strenght. Like Kanegon, he pre-dates Ultraman, being from Ultra Q.

Motokureron or Kureron-chan originates from the whimsical, fairy-tale like Ultraman Taro. A kid found him as a baby and fed him until he grew to giant size, but when the kid couldn't feed him anymore he turned destructive; fortunately he was easy to pacify with food, including the kind that made him shrink. He retains his glutonny and clumsiness in Kaiju Step, often doing the bad thing (tm) so the others can teach the kids in the audience why you shouldn't do the bad thing (tm).

Nova or No-chan originates from Ultraman Leo. This creepy and bizarre ghost-like alien created a red mist that made people go crazy, and manipulated a kid with illusions of his deceased family, and under his cloth there are lots of tentacles and a scythe. So of course, in Kaiju Step she's a happy and energic little girl that loves to sing.

Mugera or Muge-chan is by far the most obscure kaiju of the cast. She's from the 2001 series Ultraman Cosmos, the one where the titular hero protects monsters instead of fighting them. Mugera is an ET-like cryptid that lives in an amusement park that only kids can see, with the ability to fix toys and heal wounds with her magic. After the amusement park closes down she phones home and the protagonists have to protect her from the goverment wich is a little too eager to shoot down the UFO that came to pick her up. In Kaiju Step she likes reading and plants.

And that was your daily dose of kaiju sugar, that may be overdose because you probably already met Emi. Cheers!

[furiousgoldfish]

I'm writing this scared and upset, because I am hoping someone could help me see things more clearly. A nightmare scenario has happened. I received a call, from a person I don't know well, but who has my name and my number, and lives nearby. This person described to me, that there were people on her doorstep, looking for someone with my name and description. My fake name that I use so I wouldn't be found.

This person swears they didn't tell on me, but I am unsure. The story of the people looking for me were 'we are the parents of x, we haven't seen them in 8 years, we just all want to see them, their siblings miss them'. I admitted that it probably was my parents, and I explained why they were looking for me, and asked to be kept a secret from them, as I was sure they would try to drag me back to a life of violence, and I barely escaped. The person calling asked me if I was lying! And then offered to call my parents and tell them I no longer live in the city. I panicked and said no, because if my parents knew this person has my contact, they would be harassing them endlessly until they got my location. The person calling just laughed, not taking it so seriously, and I begged them to just pretend they don't know me.

The location they were looking for me, is not that far from where I live! I am now too scared to go outside. If they ask anyone closer to where I live, people here know my fake name, they'll tell them! Neighbours and people I introduced myself to, they don't know my story, or that they shouldn't betray my location, I felt it safer to be kept a complete secret.

I don't know what to do. I don't have enough money to move right now, or the resources. I am scared to go outside. This is completely insane, they're walking around in the city asking door to door, for my location, under pretense they're just so worried and aching to see me! My mind is going insane from one scenario to the next, if they find my location I can't stay, I'll die. I am thinking about how to get to work tomorrow unrecognizable, I'm working on changing my appearance as much as possible. My life has come to a halt. I can't think about anything but impending confrontation that will decide whether I get to live the rest of my life or not.

 It's literally a matter of luck whether I'm found or not. If they stumble on someone dumb enough to point them in my direction, I'm done for. If they search for a while and find nobody willing to point them anywhere, they'll maybe give up. I already called one person on the block and asked them to not betray me, but I don't have numbers for most of the people, and it's terrifying.

Also, I told one of my roommates my situation, because they heard me on the phone, and first they looked down on me for thinking this is an actual threat, but when I explained how serious it was, they started complaining how this is stupid and they now feel uncomfortable living with me if there's people who might come in and cause violence or disturbance. Which hit me like 'now that you're associated with dangerous people you're a burden on society, you shouldn't drag us innocent people into your mess' like this is my fault. Made me feel worse. Roommate is not on my side.

[dinogoofymutated]

Cable/GN!Reader Okay, so I'm on my Cable shit again. I found this WIP and a couple others for him and GODDD UGH I'm so fucking obsessed. Love a good danger room sparring scene so this one was just for fun ;) I'd consider it part of the tender moments series I have going on, but you don't need to read the other two to understand this one. TWS: Kinda spicy, no smut. Making out, sparring, Nate being an absolute goofball in his own way. Caught by the parents trope (sorry Scott). Short but cute.

    Cable’s gun was smoking by the time the two of you cleared the last level of the danger room, and you were having the time of your life. You were tired, sure. But there was just something about the danger room that gave you such an adrenaline rush, and you were sure it might just be that you don’t actually have to worry about dying in here compared to real fights (mostly, at least). 

    You were having fun, but that didn’t mean you didn’t have a plan to excite the day a little further.

    “Alright, Last level finished. We should clear out for the others.” Cable says to you, switching the safety on his gun as he sets it to the side, stretching his arms and shoulders.

    “Well, actually…” You don’t even have to finish the thought, Nathan raising an eyebrow at you as he stands up to his full height, crossing his arms at you.

    “Seriously? You requested extra time to spar?” He asks, and even though he’s frowning, you can tell he’s poking fun at you. You shrug at him, looking up at him with an excited smile on your face.

    “Yeah? Why not?” You ask, knowing full well that you had never sparred with Nathan before despite the many years the two of you have been a team. Nate lets out an amused hum, looming before you as he squares his shoulders.

    “You realize that I’m twice your size, right?” Nathan says, an amused smile on his face.

    “And? Come on Nate, It’s not like I haven't fought someone your size before.” You tell him, and it makes Nathan laugh.

    “You mean the times I had to step in to save your sorry ass?” He says, causing your smile to drop into a pout as you start to deny it, just for him to flood your mind with somewhat embarrassing memories of him doing just that.

    “I- would you cut that out!” You scold, slapping his arm just to immediately try to hide the fact that it hurt- the sting of the metal a sharp pain across your palm. He chuckles at the action anyway- but you’ve never been a quitter.

     “-It’s starting to sound like you’re just making excuses, old man.” You say instead, and his eyes narrow at the name. He tilts his head at you with a dry expression like he’s asking if you're absolutely sure you want to play this game today, only for you to stubbornly meet his gaze with a defiant smirk.

    He doesn't stop to reply, instead immediately rushing you.

    He catches you off-guard at first, taking the breath out of you for a moment before you’re quickly ducking under his arms. Escaping him before he can get a good grip on you. If there was one thing that always surprised you, it was how Nathan managed to be so quick despite his huge stature. It’s hard to go blow to blow with him due to the size difference between the two of you, but you manage to get more than a few good hits in. You don’t know how long the two of you spar for, but when Nate finally kicks your legs out from underneath you and pins you to the ground, you’re too tired to fully fight back.

    The two of you are heaving, grinning at each other as your gaze stays locked, and even though you’re outmatched, you’re still unwilling to give up. Nathan gives you a judging stare as he hears the thought, unable to understand why you’re just so stubborn. Sure, he technically had bested you- calling just about every move you made down to the T due to his abilities, but you found that the best way to take Nathan by surprise was to act on impulse. 

    “Don’t be stubborn. You know you’ve been-” Nate lets out a surprised noise as you cut him off with a kiss, dragging him down closer to you by his broad shoulders. He’s stiff and surprised for a moment before he relaxes into the kiss. You had originally planned for this to be a distraction, but lord knows that you should have realized you would quickly be too caught up in the feeling of him against you to remember or care about what you were doing before.

    Nathan nips at your lips as one of his hands slides under your back to support you, the other keeping himself propped up against the tile floors. You let him take charge in the kiss as your hands wander up and down his clothed chest, drifting down to yank his shirt out of his belt so that you can touch his bare abdomen instead. Nate sighs into the kiss, adjusting so that he can press his knee against your core, causing you to moan into the kiss as his hand begins to slide your shirt off and he begins to kiss down your jaw and neck, just barely beginning to ravish you completely when the door slides open with a swish.

    “WOAH!” A voice calls out from the doorway, one you recognize instantly. You and Nathan separate, both startled by the sudden intrusion. Scott quickly covers his sunglass-covered eyes he looks away, embarrassed. You swear that you and Nate had never separated so quickly before, trying to make yourselves proper as you stand up and turn to face his young father.

    “I was- Uh, I was going to tell you two that dinner was ready.” Scott stutters out, still covering his eyes.

    “Oh! I didn't notice how long we had been in here!” You ramble, nervously fidgeting with your hands as you pretend to check the time. “Thank you for coming to get us.” You continue nervously, knowing for a fact you were only digging your hole deeper. Maybe once you’re done digging you can lie down inside of it and die from this horrible embarrassment.

    Thank him or apologize or something! You think pointedly at Cable while you're standing there, and all he does is give you an incredulous look.

    I’m not doing -either-. He interrupted us! Nathan tells you, returning the thought without so much as speaking a word.

    That’s because we were about to- You can't bring yourself to finish the sentence, blushing intensely at the images you think of as you picture exactly what you wanted him to do to you on the danger room floor. You see a light blush rise to Nathan’s cheeks too, despite his ever-grumpy expression. -WAIT!- Not the point! It- Damnit! PUBLIC space, Nathan! Public space!!! Damn your stupid intrusive thoughts! You know you’re completely flustered and embarrassed, unable to actually believe that you were just walked in on by Nathan’s young father.

    Scott finally turns to leave for a moment, and you feel the tension in your shoulders let up a bit when the doors slide shut, only for your anxiety to spark immediately after when the doors swoosh open again, Scott still standing there with his eyes covered.

    “I, uh, since you’re both grown adults and everything, I assume I don’t need to give you the talk, Right?” Scott asks, and if you could shrivel up and die right at this moment in time, you would gladly do so.

    “Oh my god.” You sat, covering your red face.

    “No, Dad! Could you just leave already?!” Nathan finally yells, and for a moment you wonder if all this embarrassment you’re feeling is coming from him, too. Scott nods vigorously, letting out a quiet, “Yeah, Yup.” as he quickly and finally leaves the room. 

    Both of you let out a sigh of relief when he’s gone, still embarrassed to the very core at bening caught like that.

    “Jesus Christ, we look like a couple of horny teens or something, getting caught like that.” You mumble after a long pause, trying to shake it off. You hear Nathan snort from next to you, and you give him a confused look. 

    “Who’s we?” He asks. You roll your eyes and he lets out an amused huff at the sight.

    I’ve seen every corner of your mind, Sweetpea. You can’t hide your thoughts from me. Nate tells you, flashing the images of some of your dirtiest and most inappropriate thoughts about him in your mind. You were sure there was so much blood rushing to your face at this point that it was about to explode.

    “Would you, please, stop that!”

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Don't You Worry Your Pretty Little Mind

I'll Write Your Name Chapter 8

Roy Kent x Latina!Popstar!Reader

6.8k words

Warnings: Language, mentions of drinking, slut-shaming and mentions of an age gap, me not knowing how making an album works and not letting it ruin my fun, judgey internet trolls being judgey, lots and lots of pining

“Can I come see you in the studio?”

I looked up from the Scrabble board to find Roy staring at me, that hard stare of his that often accompanied a long silence. Sydney was curled up in his lap, enjoying a nice ear massage while we played a quiet game. Somewhere in the background, a movie neither of us was paying any attention to was playing, filling the room with something more than our lack of conversation.

Something had felt different when we returned from the lake. Somewhere between our heated make out session and his weird indifference to being the subject of my song, something had shifted. It was probably just me, I conceded. It was me overthinking and worrying that Roy was going to figure out how I felt. If anything, I was probably starting to weird him out with my awkwardness.

“In the studio?” I repeated, cocking my head at him. “Is Keeley bugging you for pictures of something other than a Scrabble board?”

Roy smirked. “No,” he scoffed. “I was just thinking, you’ve seen me at work. A lot, actually. How about you let me see you at work, sunshine?”

My gaze fell back to the board, to the word wrinkle that Roy had just put down. The album was coming along well, I admitted to myself. In fact, the majority of the songs were brand new as opposed to reworked lyrics from my old albums. Not that Roy Kent needed to know, but he was apparently quite the muse. In the back of my mind, I knew he’d hear all of the songs eventually, but the little nervous part of me wasn’t quite ready for it- especially for him to hear them live in the studio.

And yet, those brown eyes had me murmuring, “Sure, Kent.”

He grinned- one of those real, joyful grins- and turned his attention back to the Scrabble board. “Maybe tomorrow?”

My mind raced, trying to remember what song we’d be recording; I couldn’t remember for the life of me. “Uh, yeah.” I fiddled with the ends of my hair, trying to offer Roy a casual smile. “Sounds fun.”

~

Roy leaned into the leather couch along the back wall. Did she always look this nervous when she was about to record- or was it because of him? No, he scolded himself, rolling his eyes at his wandering thoughts, the same ones that kept wandering to that afternoon at the lake, when she’d sat on his lap for the benefit of some paparazzi and kissed him hard enough to almost make him believe it.

Fuck off, he told himself as he crossed his arms. She was being forced to create an album that was supposedly about a man she wasn’t actually in love with; of course she looked uncomfortable. He’d be foolish to think it was anything else.

“You ready?” Her producer- a loud, lanky guy named Alex- spoke into the microphone that echoed into the recording booth.

She nodded, brushing her hair out of her face. Roy liked seeing her look so casual in a sweatshirt and minimal makeup; she was always stunning, whether dolled up, or in her Greyhounds gear, or in pyjamas. But this look- so comfortable and domestic- was his favorite by far. As if she could feel his soft gaze, her eyes flickered to him. He offered her a tiny smile, trying to tell her how excited he was to see her at work. She offered a shy grin in return and straightened up before returning her focus to her producer.

“Let’s do it,” came her confident voice.

The producer shot her a thumbs up and hit a few buttons, filling the studio with a dreamy tune that immediately warmed every inch of Roy's body. She swayed a little, eyes closed, feeling the music, before she opened her mouth and her eyes- eyes that went straight to Roy.

I feel so high school every time I look at you

I wanna find you in a crowd just to hide from you

Roy couldn’t help but crack a small grin. She’d mentioned at some point how people often said she sounded like a girl that never left high school behind- and now here she was, proudly proclaiming that yeah, she felt like that girl, at least sometimes. He was learning that not only was she fully aware of the things people said about her, not only did she not let it affect her, but she could lean into and make fun of herself. There was something charming and, frankly, kind of sexy about it.

And in a blink of a crinkling eye

I'm sinking, our fingers entwined

Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights

Tell me 'bout the first time you saw me

I'll drink what you think, and I'm high

From smoking your jokes all damn night

The brink of a wrinkle in time

Bittersweet sixteen suddenly

The warmth in Roy’s chest became more of a burning when he heard the words wrinkle in time. The book he’d read on their holiday, one of his favorite books, the one he’d admitted to having read countless times. She’d mentioned it in her song. Roy quickly shook off the excitement that tingled in his fingertips as he listened to her sing about American Pie and feeling like high school; she was adding in details about him, he reasoned. She had to make it seem like these songs were about him, after all. Of course she’d sprinkle in real details so people wouldn’t be able to guess that the songs were about other men, real romances she’d had.

It was all part of the act.

Still, he couldn’t help but grin when she sang about him- or whoever the true subject of the song was- knowing how to ball while she knows Aristotle. It was cute, silly, the words of an infatuated young woman. Lucky man, some tiny voice in the back of Roy’s head thought as he tried not to feel a smidge of jealousy towards whoever had apparently pulled her into the backseat of a car.

“She’s great, ain’t she?”

Roy tore his eyes away from the singer to find her producer grinning at him. He nodded to the empty seat by the controls. Glancing back at the singer, Roy stood and took the new spot, closer to the glass that separated her from them.

Alex continued, “You must be something, Roy Kent. She’s a workaholic, that’s a known fact, but wow. She’s been nonstop these days. I’m getting phone calls and texts and voice memos at two in the morning with nearly completed songs.” He raised his eyebrows at Roy. “M’girlfriend’s starting to get worried,” he joked. Glancing back at the still-singing star, he went on, “But seriously. I’ve worked with her for years, and I’ve never seen her so inspired.” He nudged Roy. “Must be love,” he hummed.

The song finished, her voice soft and wistful and her eyes on Roy. She smiled at him, something that looked like a real smile on her face, with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. Roy couldn’t help but smile back, ignoring every tight feeling in his chest, those tight feelings that kept growing and growing no matter how much he fought them.

“Yeah,” he managed to huff. “Must be.”

~

 Normally, I wouldn’t be caught dead scrolling through the hate and gossip that usually accompanied my name online. But for whatever reason, after a rehearsal for my tour, I couldn’t help the way my eyes stayed glued to my phone, to all the jokes and headlines declaring that Roy Kent was too old for me, that he was a senior citizen and I was a child.

“Must be a slow news cycle,” April chirped as she watched me stretch in front of the dance studio mirrors.

I sat my phone down so I could make myself focus on my cooldown. “It’s stupid,” I grumbled, sitting with my feet out in front of me. “It’s not like I’m sixteen and he’s thirty. I’m a full-grown woman. He’s got what, a decade on me?” I scowled at my reflection. “I write about my exes, they tell me to grow up. I date a nice, stable guy with a good job, and they tell me I’m a baby.” My deep sigh filled the empty dance studio. “It’s like I can’t do anything right.”

April’s face softened as she sat on the floor beside me. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” she reminded me. “They always have something to say about you, babe.”  After a pause, her eyes sparkled. “So, you think Kent’s a nice guy, huh?”

I pretended my heart didn’t skip a beat as I rolled my eyes. “He’s a good friend,” I huffed. “And I hate to think that his own reputation is getting sullied by associating with me. Especially since-” The words caught in my throat before tumbling out. “-since none of this is real.”

“What about your reputation?” April asked quietly, watching me with those gentle eyes that I always hated being on the receiving end of, gentle eyes that were far too familiar.

“My reputation…” I sighed. “Let’s be real, it’s always going to have problems.” I laughed hollowly and picked my phone back up, resuming my scrolling. “But if I’m being really honest, April, if I was in a relationship- an actual relationship- as healthy as the one I’m pretending to be in, well all the shit they say might be worth-”

I froze as words began to bloom and swirl in my head. Ignoring April’s questioning look, I scrambled to my feet to hurry and grab a notebook before those words began to disappear. Lucky, I was able to start scribbling down my thoughts, thoughts that multiplied rather than vanish. My pen continued to fly as April chuckled and loaded me into her car, as she drove me home, as I sat in front of my piano all night. The pen was still moving the next morning as Roy followed April and me into the recording studio, where Alex greeted me with that familiar giant smile.

“You are not still fiddling with the lyrics. It's already perfect,” he scoffed. He shook Roy’s hand as though the two of them were old pals now. “Your girl kept me up all night with this new song,” he huffed. He gave me a pointed look. “Steph looked about ready to kill me when I got out of bed to head down to the home studio.”

“Steph’ll be fine when I thank her in the liner notes,” I hummed, waving him off, thinking of all the other late nights my insomniac tendencies had caused his poor girlfriend. “Now, do you have my music or not?”

The playful annoyance on my producer’s face was replaced with glee almost immediately. “Here, give it a listen.” He placed some headphones on my head and hit a button.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, letting my head fill with the twinkling music, something that felt like young love and hope and romance. It was exactly what I’d imagined in my mind- but better. For the millionth time since we’d started collaborating three albums ago, Alex had done pure magic with just a few manic voice memos sent obnoxiously late at night.

“Perfect,” I sighed after only about thirty seconds. I handed him the headphones back and nodded. “Let’s try it.”

As Alex prepared to play the music, I grabbed Roy’s hand and gave him my coyest smile, replaying Keeley’s reminders to really sell this thing in my mind; my chronically online producer was the perfect audience for a little PDA. “Come on, Roycito. I want you to hear this one.”

Roy shot me a curious look and followed me into the recording booth, watching me sit down before joining me. I kept his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers as I nodded to Alex to play the song. When the glittering music echoed inside the booth, Roy turned to me, the corners of his mouth turning up and his eyebrows raised.

Keeping my eyes on his, I opened my mouth and began to sing-

Flamingo pink Sunrise Boulevard

Clink, clink Being this young is art

Aquamarine Moonlit swimming pool

What if all I need is you?

As the song continued, I offered Roy my best smile, the one I realized I wore so naturally when he was around. He returned it easily, with sparkling brown eyes and pink cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alex recording us with his phone, mischievous grin on his face. If this was real- if we were real- this would make an adorable video, one I’d cherish and play over and over. Me, singing a song I’d written about Roy, for Roy, pure infatuation all over both of our faces.

At least it would look good on our socials.

But if I'm all dressed up

They might as well be looking at us

And if they call me a slut

You know it might be worth it for once

And if I'm gonna be drunk

Might as well be drunk in love

Roy’s eyebrows flew up when I got to the title of the song. I wasn’t surprised; sure, I wasn’t the sweet little nineteen-year-old I once was- I openly swore and wrote songs about sex now- but I’d never called myself something so crude before. But as I sang it, I found I liked the way the word contrasted against the romantic dreaminess of the song; it kind of reminded me of Roy, a juxtaposition of gruff hardness and tender sweetness.

Send the code, he's waiting there

The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air

Everyone wants him

That was my crime

The wrong place at the right time

And I break down, then he's pullin' me in

In a world of boys, he's a gentleman

On the word gentleman, I reached out and tapped the tip of Roy’s nose with my index finger. His skin was warm, and I swore the pink in his cheeks deepened. Some small, timid part of me was scared that he was uncomfortable with the attention, with being implied as the muse for this song after his reaction to “Sweet Nothing”. But something in his bright eyes and soft smile told me that maybe, just maybe, he was enjoying himself.

Figuring that he was also playing things up for my producer’s benefit, I let myself lean into the performance, offering Roy flirtatious smiles and bumping his shoulder coyly as I sang to him.

Half asleep

Taking your time

In the tangerine, neon light

This is luxury

You're not saying you're in love with me

But you're going to

Half awake

Taking your chance

It's a big mistake

I said it might blow up in your pretty face

I'm not saying do it anyway

But you're going to

And if they call me a slut

You know it might be worth it for once

And if I'm gonna be drunk

Might as well be drunk in love

Roy shook his head as the music faded. “Fucking amazing,” he murmured, too softly for the microphones to pick up. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, leaving an undeniable warm spot where his lips touched my skin. “That’s a fucking hit.”

I ducked my head, suddenly overwhelmed by the look in his eyes. Remembering where I was, I looked back into the control room, where Alex had a wide grin and April wore a curious expression. Ignoring my assistant’s raised eyebrows, I nodded to my producer. “Well?”

“It’s perfect,” he chuckled into the intercom. “Seriously, I love it.” He cocked his head at me. “Needs a new title though. Maybe ‘Lovesick’ or ‘Love-Struck’?”

I knew this conversation would be coming. “No,” I said with a small shake of my head. “It’s ‘Slut!’. I don’t want any other title.”

“Kid,” huffed my producer, calling me the nickname he knew made me roll my eyes. “This is a radio hit. Song of the summer. But you’re not going to get any airplay with that title. You're already fighting the fact that you call yourself a slut in the chorus. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot here.”

“No.” I sat up taller, keenly aware of Roy’s arm pressed against mine. “If they can spend the last decade calling me a slut, then I can too. They don’t want to hear me sing it, maybe they shouldn’t have said it.”

Alex groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine,” he grumbled as he stood up. “’m gonna go grab some water and cry about the fact that you’ve just cost us our millionth Billboard top spot.”

I rolled my eyes with a grin; he always gave in when I felt passionate about something. “Don’t worry,” I assured him as he left the studio. “I’ll write you another hit.”

“Fucking badass,” came a sigh next to me. When I turned my head, Roy was staring at me with raised eyebrows and a slacked jaw. The corner of his mouth turned upwards in a lopsided grin. “Sticking up for what you want, flipping the bird at the people who talk shit about you. You’re a badass, sunshine,” he chuckled, planting another kiss on my cheek.

“Thanks,” I murmured, ignoring the fact that he'd kissed my cheek without a real audience to witness it. “So you liked the song?”

He nodded earnestly. “Fuck yeah,” he assured me. “Tell me you’re going to do that one live. It’d be fucking magic.”

I paused, glancing at April though the window; she was watching us with something that looked way too much like a smirk. After narrowing my eyes at her, I turned back to Roy. “Well, I was kind of toying with the idea of previewing the album during the tour. Like surprising some of the shows with a new song.”

Those thick eyebrows flew up. “You’ve gotta do it. People are going to lose their shit when they hear these songs.” He shook his head and leaned forward to plant a tender kiss to my temple. “What a fucking mind, indeed.”

Fuck fuck fuck, I thought as I glanced away. This crush, this stupid little crush, was becoming too much for me to handle. Roy Kent was too supportive, too nice, too kind, not to mention too fucking handsome. Why couldn’t he be the moody jackass I first met in Keeley’s office? Why did he have to be one of the most genuinely good people I’d ever met? This whole thing might blow up in my pretty face if I wasn’t careful.

But when I looked back at Roy’s sparkling brown eyes, I felt like it might really be worth it for once.

~

“Hey Roy-o.” Keeley bounded over, wearing something with far too many sequins, and gave Roy a friendly hug. “Where’s your better half?”

Roy rolled his eyes, giving Keeley a small squeeze before letting go. “She’s over with April,” he answered, not bothering to correct Keeley about calling the popstar his ‘better half’. He nodded across Jamie’s living room, where the singer and assistant were huddled in a corner and giggling. As if she could feel his gaze, those familiar eyes flittered around the party until they met his; he swore her smile widened.

Keeley's bright voice interrupted his thoughts. “Have you gotten to hear any of the new album yet?”

“I have,” he said, unable to hide the hint of bragging in his voice. “It’s fucking brilliant so far, actually.” His eyes returned to the popstar- who was already glancing over at him.

“Think she’d honor us with a preview?” Keeley teased, waggling her eyebrows at Roy. “It’d be nice for Jamie’s piano to get used for once.” She wrinkled her nose playfully. “Don’t know why he bought the damn thing in the first place,” she added.

Roy hesitated for a moment as he looked around the party. Jamie had decided to throw a party to show off the pool he’d built in the backyard after the end of the season; after a day spent in and out of the pool, the house was packed with the Greyhounds and their significant others, wearing cover ups and sweatshirts over swimsuits and newly acquired sunburns and laughing over drinks. The “power couple” had, of course, come together, with Roy opting to wear his usual black and his ‘girlfriend’ in a sweet summer dress that looked like it belonged on a magazine cover. Unsurprisingly, she looked lovely as ever, chatting with everyone with ease and looking as if she belonged. She was like that in every room, Roy realized; always relaxed, charming, making whoever she was with feel like they were the most important person in the room. For the millionth time since they’d met, Roy felt awed that the woman he’d thought would be a complete brat and diva was actually one of the most genuine people he’d ever met. And that knowledge had him growing more and more protective of her by the day.

Because that’s what friends are for- right?

“I mean…” Roy cleared his throat. “I guess if she fucking wants to-”

“Great!” Before Roy could finish his thought, Keeley had grabbed his wrist and began dragging him across the room, a movement Roy was surprisingly irked by. She didn’t let go until they’d reached the popstar, who offered Keeley that sheepish smile she always wore around the model. “Hey!” Keeley chirped.

The singer accepted the hug Keeley wrapped her in. “Hi, Keeley,” she murmured. Her body seemed to soften when she realized Roy was looking at her. “Sorry you had to miss the pool party. Rebecca said you had to go rescue a photoshoot or something?”

Keeley nodded eagerly, seemingly pleased that the popstar was engaging her in real conversation. “Yeah, the model was being a bit difficult, so I had to go talk her down. Bummer to miss out on all the swimming, but what can ya do? It's not easy being the boss.” She nudged the popstar. “Well, you know how it is. You're basically running the music industry these days.”

“Oh, I don't know about that-”

Roy rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around the popstar’s shoulders so he could tug her close. “Oh fuck off with the modesty,” he gently chided. “You’re on top of the fucking world.” He turned to Keeley, holding his head high with pride. “Have you seen her tour numbers? Fucking impossible to get tickets to the show now.” He quirked an eyebrow at the singer. “Good thing I've got an in, otherwise I'd be missing the event of the summer.”

“Think I could manage to score a ticket?” Keeley teased with a wink; funny, Roy didn't feel those usual butterflies.

“Definitely.” The popstar leaned into Roy's touch; fuck, she always made it feel so natural.

Ignoring the fluttering in the deepest pit of his stomach, Roy gave her a squeeze. “Speaking of the show…” Roy cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “Any chance you'd want to preview one of those new songs? Tartt’s got a piano.”

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second. “I dunno, Roycito,” she hummed, scrunching her nose in thought.

Immediately, Roy shook his head. “You don't have to,” he whispered, loud enough for only her to hear. “You absolutely don't fucking have to.”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment- her thinking face, the one Roy had gotten quite used to while watching her work at the lake. He briefly wondered if she was aware of it. “Sure,” she finally said. “I’ve got one I can share.”

In the blink of an eye, the entire party was squeezed around Jamie’s never-been-used piano, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to hear the unreleased song. She looked so at ease as she sat down, all smiles and giggles as the Greyhounds chattered about what songs they liked, teasingly asking if this song was about Roy, speculating if this meant there was a new album coming soon.

Before the singer could even pluck one key, Roy barked out, “Oi, no fucking recording. I see one fucking phone, I’m punching dicks.” When he looked back at the piano, he was greeted with a smile, the kind that was stifling full-on laughter. Roy smirked; he was good at making her laugh, he’d discovered. He gave her a small nod, letting her know that he was cheering her on.

With a deep breath, she looked down at the key and began to play gently, creating a warm tune that Roy hadn’t heard before. Immediately, he liked it and knew that, once again, she’d created a hit.

There's glitter on the floor after the party

Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby

Candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor

You and me from the night before, but

Don't read the last page

But I stay when you're lost, and I'm scared, and you're turning away

I want your midnights

But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day

It was sweet, romantic, perfect. Roy didn’t bother hiding his grin as his shoulders relaxed, making him realize how tense he’d been before she started. Keeley seemed to have noticed, because she grinned up at him with raised eyebrows.

Not that Roy noticed, not when he was too busy watching the popstar and soaking in every word she sang.

Hold on to the memories

They will hold on to you

Hold on to the memories

They will hold on to you

Hold on to the memories

They will hold on to you

And I will hold on to you

Roy dared to tear his eyes away from the piano to peek at the reactions of his friends and his team. He watched as Colin wrapped an arm around Michael and leaned in close to his boyfriend; he noticed the way Jamie’s fingertips brushed against the inside of April’s wrist; he caught the tears forming in Rebecca’s eyes and her wistful expression; but none of the little moments made him smile the way the singer’s voice did.

Especially when she finally looked up from the piano to lock eyes with him.

Please don't ever become a stranger

Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

Please don't ever become a stranger

Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

As Roy’s chest tightened, Keeley leaned close and whispered, “It’s incredible, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Roy breathed, not looking at the model. “She is.”

Without another word, he left his spot next to Keeley to walk over to the piano and sit beside the singer, whose smile widened. She scooched closer to him, not missing a single key and never breaking eye contact. It was as if the room around them disappeared, as if they were back in their quiet little world by the lake, where nothing existed except the two of them and the music she created.

Don't read the last page

But I stay when it's hard, or it's wrong, or we're making mistakes

I want your midnights

But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day

The moment her fingers lifted from the keys, Roy instinctively leaned close and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, feeling her smile pressing against his. And he ignored the feeling that, for the first time, he might not be kissing her for the benefit of an audience.

~

When I pulled back from Roy's kiss, I was still smiling. Smiling at the song, smiling at the enthusiastic cheers from the Greyhounds, smiling at the awed look on Roy's bearded face.

But on the inside, I was screaming, wishing that the kiss he'd given me was as real as the feelings that grew inside me every day, the feelings I had poured into this song.

“That was fucking gorgeous,” Roy whispered in my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin. “Seriously, sunshine, I'm having a hard time picking a favorite song.”

All I could do was smile at Roy, with his sweet words and bright eyes, and murmur, “Thanks, Kent.”

As everyone else returned to mingling and chatting, Roy reached down and touched my hand gently. “Let’s go grab a drink.”

Plastic cup in one hand, Roy’s hand in the other, I followed the footballer through the house, offering my most dazzling smile as people commented on how much they liked the song. Eventually, I found Roy leading me up some stairs. Before I could ask him where we were going, he led me into a side bedroom and to the window. Once he pushed the window open, he nodded to me. 

“How about some fresh air?”

Suppressing my surprised grin, I climbed out the window after Roy, accepting his warm grip as he helped me out onto the roof overlooking Jamie’s backyard. The twinkling patio lights below echoed the emerging stars above, making it seem like Roy and I were floating somewhere in space; the sounds of shouts and laughter from the party reminded me that we were still on Earth.

“How’re you doing?”

Roy’s growling voice returned my thoughts from far-off galaxies. “Hmm?”

He shrugged and scooted closer, as if trying to keep me warm. “I know there’s been some shit about our age difference,” he said slowly, searching my face for a reaction. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

A hollow laugh spilled out of my chest. “Me? I’m fine. They spend years telling me to grow up, be more mature, stop spending all my time running around with boys. But here I am, with a man, a stable man, and suddenly I’m sixteen and need to be protected and need to be protected from big, bad Roy Kent.” I nudged him and took a sip of my beer. “I’m more concerned about you, actually. Everyone’s acting like you’re a dirty old man because of a couple photos of you grabbing my ass.”

“Honestly,” Roy chuckled. “I’m starting to feel like one.” A blush settled on his cheeks. “Sorry about that, by the way. Guess I got a bit carried away.”

I shook my head. “Don’t,” I assured him. “What did everyone think we’ve been doing, cuddling and holding hands? We’re supposed to be adults in an adult relationship. You’re Roy Kent. Anyone with a brain could assume we’re, well, you know.”

He sighed and wrapped a warm arm around my shoulders. “Yeah,” he agreed, “but I don’t like seeing your reputation take all these hits. That’s not the point of all this,” he reminded me.

“Kent,” I said slowly, fighting the urge to lean my head on his shoulder. “If the worst thing they can say about me is that my boyfriend is a smidge older than me, then this is the best my reputation has been in ages. It’s annoying, sure, but it’s not the worst thing they’ve ever said about me.”

“I guess,” Roy mumbled, tugging me closer. “Just… keep me posted on how you’re doing, alright? If we need to cool things down, or call it off, you let me know. I’ll handle Keeley and Lanie. You’re more important than any fucking plan, you know. Much more important.”

With those kind words, I gave in, leaning my head on his shoulder and watching the lights twinkling below us. For a little bit, I let myself forget all about the press, all about the beautiful ex-girlfriend I saw him whispering with while I sang, all about the party downstairs. Hell, I let myself forget all about the fact that this was a fake relationship with an undetermined but very real expiration date.

For a little bit, I let myself pretend that Roy Kent might love me back.

~

Roy grinned as he watched her nose scrunch in concentration while she studied the chess board on his coffee table. After informing Roy that she’d never played chess before, he insisted on teaching the popstar before their early bedtime. She was spending the night at his place, something he realized was kind of rare; normally they were at her place, mostly because of Sydney the cat. But Sydney was staying with April (and probably Jamie too), plus Roy’s house was closer to the airport. 

The two of them would be leaving early in the morning for their flight- on her private jet- to Los Angeles, where they were due to celebrate her niece’s birthday. Roy felt apprehensive- he wasn’t the kind of guy who met families; even with Keeley, he’d only met her on a handful of occasions. But here he was, suitcase packed so he could fly halfway across the world and meet what his fake girlfriend described as “a typical loud Mexican family”. She’d spent the last week warning him about which uncles would try to get him drunk, about the nephews who were already obsessed with him, about how her mother was going to try to feed him the moment they walked through the door, and about how her very protective father and sister were both going to give him the third degree during their visit.

“They’d always thought I’d bring Dani Rojas if I ever brought an athlete home,” she had joked when he asked what they thought of the fake relationship so far. “Not an old British man.”

Even though this was all for show, so that there would be no suspicion from the press if she showed up to a major family event without her supposedly serious boyfriend, Roy still wanted to make a good impression. His own family pretty much consisted of his sister and Phoebe; there was something lovely about a big family, even one as loud and overbearing as she described to him.

“My folks are really looking forward to meeting you,” she hummed now as she finally moved a chess piece, looking comfortable in her criss-cross position, leaning her back against the couch. “You’re going to be the first boyfriend they’ve met in awhile.”

“Seriously?” Roy took his turn, trying not to smirk when he saw the disappointment on her face when she realized her move had set him up for victory. 

She snorted as they reset the board. “I mean, you’ve met Everett. Not exactly the kind of guy that parents like mine would be excited about. Drinks too much, pants too tight, total bad boy. Scared the living daylights out of my poor Catholic mother. Meeting him would've killed her.”

Roy fidgeted with the pawn he held. “But they’re excited for me? The old man who swears every other word?”

“They say I look happy,” she murmured, eyes on the board. “They’ve seen photos of us, they see that I’m not out partying like I used to. They think I’m in a really good place thanks to you.” She offered him a small smile, cocking her head thoughtfully. “Honestly, I think so too, Roycito. This friendship has been really good for me.” She reached out and touched his hand gently. “So, thanks. For being such a good friend.” 

For a moment, Roy just stared at her hand in his, warm and soft and familiar now. His mind wandered to that afternoon by the lake, the way it had ever since they'd gotten home from holiday, and a quiet voice wondered if all of her was this soft and warm.

Fuck off, he scolded himself harshly. Perverted old man, indeed.

“Oi, I've got something for you,” he murmured. Gently, he pulled back his hand, hoping the movement wasn't too gingerly, and stood up. He walked briskly to his room and returned with a small jewelry box. Trying to keep his signature apathetic expression, Roy handed her the box and sat back down, wondering if she could see the way his fingers twitched in anticipation.

With a coolly raised eyebrow she opened the box. When she saw the silver necklace, a smile broke out across that pretty face.

“It's perfect,” she giggled.

Keeley had mentioned to Roy the idea of giving her some kind of trinket to symbolize the relationship, another piece of evidence that this fake romance was real and very serious, especially in the face of the age gap discourse they'd been facing. Immediately, Roy knew exactly what to get her.

It was a simple silver chain with a little square charm, with a large R engraved in the middle and a tiny number 1 in the corner. A Scrabble letter.

And for whatever reason, Roy didn't bother telling her it was Keeley's idea. Not when he saw the brightness in her eyes as she took the necklace out of the box. Her smile widened when she looked back up at him, at what he knew was his most pleased expression.

“Thank you, Roy,” she finally said, her voice thickening. “Wanna help me put it on? I'm sure the girls would want me to post a selfie or something.”

Roy's stomach sank a little at the mention of the publicists, reminding him of how orchestrated everything between the two of them was, but he didn't let his easy expression fade. Instead, he went around to her side of the coffee table and took the necklace from her hands, not minding too much when her fingers brushed against his. He settled on the couch behind her and brushed the hair off the back of her neck, wondering absently if the back of every woman's neck was pretty or just hers. He lifted the necklace in front of her, smirking to himself when he saw the way she immediately patted the charm against her skin. He clasped it securely into place and gently laid the chain on her neck. However, he didn't immediately remove his hands from her. Instead, he found himself staring at the smooth skin he back of her neckon the back of her neck, wondering how it would feel against his lips. He knew what her mouth felt like, of course; but what about the rest of her?

Spurred on by this newfound curiosity, Roy leaned forward and ghosted his mouth over her bare neck. But before he could properly attach his lips to her skin, his mobile vibrated across the room, breaking whatever spell he was under.

Clearing his throat, Roy scrambled to his feet, ignoring the raging heat in his cheeks and refusing to look her in the eye. He rushed over to where he had carelessly tossed his phone earlier and glanced at the name on the screen: Keeley.

“Yeah?” he grumbled when he picked up. He dared a glance at the beautiful singer; she was staring down at the forgotten chessboard with wide eyes, fiddling absently with the silver Scrabble letter around her neck. Had she felt that little kiss? he wondered, his heart frozen in panic. What the absolute fuck was wrong with him?

“Just checking in,” Keeley chirped, ignorant to Roy’s frazzled state. “You two’ll definitely be photographed when you arrive in L.A. So just make sure to post a few pictures, look like the happy couple, you know the drill.”

Roy nodded, then remembered that Keeley couldn’t see him. “Yeah,” he repeated. “I know the drill.” He cleared his throat and averted his eyes, lest he be caught staring. “Anything else?”

“Are you alright, Roy?” Keeley’s voice was filled with concern. “You’re even more monosyllabic than usual.”

“I’m fine,” Roy lied. “Just, dunno, fucking anxious for the long flight or some shit.” He glanced back across the room; those pretty eyes found his. “I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

Keeley sighed, clearly unconvinced. “Alright. Have a safe flight, Roy-o. Say hi to-”

Roy hung up before she could finish. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and shifted his weight. “Should we get some sleep, then?”

“Was that Keeley?”

He blinked in surprise. Her voice was small, not at all the confident woman he’d gotten used to. “Uh, yeah,” he admitted, cocking his head when he saw her wide eyes. “She says hi and to have a safe flight.” He paused for a moment before blurting out, “You don’t like her very much, do you?”

Flustered. The Grammy-winning, Billboard-topping, record-breaking popstar looked positively flustered as she gazed back at Roy, with her parted lips that formed a pretty little O. “Why do you think I don’t like Keeley?” she asked with an awkward little chuckle. “Of course I like Keeley. She’s great.”

Roy wasn’t convinced. He saw the way she looked when Keeley was around, quieter and more reserved, only speaking to the model when spoken to, almost disappointed when Roy and Keeley were in close quarters.

If Roy was a more foolish man, he’d think the singer was jealous of his ex-girlfriend.

But only an idiot would think that.

Instead of pushing the matter, Roy just shrugged and nodded in the direction of the hallway, of the separate bedrooms they’d be sleeping in. And, as she quietly followed him down that hallway, he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d fall asleep thinking of him- the way he would fall asleep thinking of her.

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[bubblewrapsnek]

Phantomarine Live reread: Prologue

I'm anticipating the reread before the chapter finishes cause I want to read it now again, altho I wanted to wait the chapter to be over to have a cleaner finish line for mental order and to avoid posing questions to things that would be maybe have more ground to speculate on or outright be answered in a few days This is my first time rereading Phantomarine, so if anyone is actually goint to read these posts expect me to come to realizations about stuff that everyone knew ages ago probably, also it's my first time liveblogging something since a friend suggested it could be appreciated, I am not convinced there would be interested but it can't hurt I guess. That said I hate the idea of clogging with posts and like keeping stuff a bit more tidy, so I'll post one post per chapter with my thoughts, silly ramblings and whatever comes to my mind that I feel like sharing while trying to put my thoughts in order

So uhh if you exist and are reading, have fun and feel free to interact!

First thing I'll not here with a few examples and try to not say everytime, but I can't help seeing how the royal family brands EVERYTHING with the Manta, I swear you could fill a where's waldo book by searching the mantas in Phantomarine's pages at this A manta hat, manta drawer, manta desk, and a manta polo in just the first pages, I swear they have a disney park-esque gift shop outside the palace

A manta hat, manta drawer, manta desk, and a manta polo in just the first pages, I swear they have a disney park-esque gift shop outside the palace

Bonus neat things, the candle has the same pattern as Cheline's dress and there is what I guess is a samoyede on Irving's shirt

Next thing is something I hadn't noticed before but I've seen already people point out in the comments now, Irving having very clearly pink eyes, at first I thought it might have been lighting but in the pages where he is alive they are very clearly pink, and even when in shock the characters get drawn with pinprick irises, while the others get black dots he has pink and is even more blatant in the shot with the Fata morgana stabbing them where he is eye to eye with a Fata with the same eyes

Bonus: alive Lani is very cute

I pointed the next thing in another post but I love how Cheline wanted to be sure to scapegoat the Fata Morgana so much she painted the arrows and bow too with Cheth's name bands(confirmed to be painted on by the transcript too altho it was the only possible reason they had those bad with what we know now), also I love that the cyan outline was faintly on the Fata Morgana's eye from the beginning

I am also getting suspicious about the ghosts being blue and the veins(referred as such in the transcript) that spread from the bite being purple, tho I don't have a concrete or sound thought about this

Also, something I love a lot in comics is paneling so some of this won't be thoughts but just panels that are really pretty or fun or creative here I love how the action flows very well, having many details making what happens readable such as the "magic" squares making phae's body on the bottom edge of the silouhette in the middle also appear on the heart, showing the wound being "repaired"

Love the veins snaking behind her

Something I had completely glossed over was Phae's middle name being Augusta, and I do find it possible to have a reading on it, as Augustus was the name and title that Octavian took as the first emperor of rome, the member of a what can be considered a royal lineage establishing the name for himself and becoming a key turning point in the history of an empire, just as I can see Phae become the turning point for the history of her reign, a change of the guard and of the status quo of the kingdom she watches over

End in the end, to finish the prologue of this reread, a funny typo Cheth appears, tipping his fedora: "M'Phaedra"

[tj-dragonblade]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love ❤

Thank you! This is such a hard question! I love most everything I've written, picking favorites is hard, I swear it would be easier to name the ones I'm least thrilled with lol. And just because most of these are Sandman doesn't mean I don't care about my older fandoms either, just that almost always what I'm happiest with writing is going to be the most recent years. Maybe one day I'll go through fandom by fandom to pick a top three from each, or something. But for now! In no particular order, and after much thought, here we go.

When the Chips Are Down from the tail end of my Saiyuki days, published 14 years ago this month. It's comical crack-treated-seriously based on an obscure canon-adjacent factoid and that sort of thing has never been my forte, but I succeeded admirably here if I may say so. It was a joy to write, Jiipu is my favorite and forever under-utilized in fic so centering this around him, around a ridiculous tidbit of info about his counterpart in the original Journey to the West and telling it in his pov was absolutely delightful. I had so much fun writing this one and I'm still so proud of the character voice work I managed in here.

The Thessaly breakup fic from fluffbruary 2023, which I like for having a semblance of plot and because I see lots of talk about what Hob would think of Thessaly but I don't know if I've run into any other actual fics dealing with it. Not that this is the Hob-gives-Thessaly-a-piece-of-his-mind fic that I think we all need, but I'm still very pleased with it. And I just really like the scene of Dream crying on Hob.

Of Cutoff Shorts and Classic Cars. I'm just. So happy with how quickly this one happened, how much it kept growing in the writing and how it turned out in the end. I also laugh at myself for nitpicking over the right British terms for back yard and driveway and such but then I completely spaced using bonnet instead of hood. 😂 Also fun fact this was my first time ever writing oral with a vulva and I'm very pleased with how well it's been received.

The Keeper and the Traveler currently sits pretty high because I've always loved and wanted to write that fairy-tale narrative style and this got pretty close. I don't know if it will still be in my top five by the end of the year but for now, it is.

And lastly will cheat a smidge and say Cruise Ship Boys, because I love both pieces of the 'series' and can't decide which I like better. The porn piece again happened quickly and wrote easily and I'm delighted with how it turned out. The sequel was meant to be one cute-ish little scene to revisit them but snowballed into a whole depressing backstory for Dream and an illuminating look into his everyday life and again, it wrote easily which seems to be a theme with these faves, lol. But yeah. I would love to come back to this AU one day.

[mustainegf]

Are we gunna get a drunk ‘n’ love pt 3 😭 I’m dying.

YESSS HI HERE IT IS SORRYYY!!!!

𝐃𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐊 ‘𝐍’ 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ¹⁹⁸⁵ — 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟑

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐

I inhaled deeply and said, "Actually, there is something. It's about last night."

He raised his eyebrow and gestured for me to continue. "Okay, what is it?"

I fidgeted with my hands, trying to find the right words. "Well, you were really drunk, and, um. after you threw up, I helped you into bed, and then. something happened."

James' face screwed up, he scowled, then leaned really close to what I deemed my personal space. "What do you mean? Did I do something stupid?"

A lump seemed to develop in my throat, and my voice shook. "You kissed me, James."

He gazed at me as though he was confused, a hint of surprise even. "I- I kissed you?"

I nodded quickly as my cheeks flared red. "Yeah. You did. And then you passed out."

His eyes dropped in embarrassment. "I'm really sorry. I- I didn't mean to-"

I broke in quickly, my own voice still shaking. "It's all right. I mean, it was a shock, but. I didn't mind."

He looked up at me, his face a mix of puzzlement and something I couldn't define. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. "It was. nice. I just wasn't sure if you remembered, or if it.. um, meant anything to you."

Then we just sat there for a minute, the tension thick. He finally spoke, his soft voice barely above a whisper. "I really don't remember much, but. if I kissed you, it wasn't just 'cause I was drunk."

My heart skipped a beat, and I could hardly believe my ears.

We stared at each other, the words suspended in the air. I whispered his name, "James."

His whisper echoed mine, "I know."

Ever so slowly, he reached a hand out to cup my cheek, his shaking the least bit. I leaned into him, mine eyes fluttering shut. Then, with such tenderness that it hurt my heart, he pressed his lips to mine, much more passionately now.

Warmth flooded me, my hands somehow finding their way to his shoulders as I kissed him back, savoring every second.

Finally, when we broke apart, our foreheads leaned on each other, panting and staring. The suspense that had really been hanging over us seemed to melt away just like that, replaced by something new.

Softly, James smiled, his thumb pressing against my cheek. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," he whispered in. “I fell for you the second we met.”

I smiled back, and my heart felt lighter than I could remember. "Me too."

I felt bravery and excitement within. I playfully giggled, settling into James's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He chuckled quietly, his hands settling on my waist to cradle me in close.

We leaned into another kiss, our lips meeting slowly as our faces were held gently away from the touch of each other's hands.

His hands slid up to cup my face, his thumbs brushing against my cheeks as we lost ourselves in the moment.

I couldn’t forget the taste of him, it was surprisingly sweet, like brown sugar, and a slight tinge of the bitterness of cigarettes.

Abruptly, we were brought back to reality by a voice from the doorway. "Holy shit," someone chuckled.

We broke apart, turning around to find Lars standing there, shock and amusement written across his face. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, the wide grin growing across his face.

I feel my face burning, and in a rush to climb off James's lap, he holds me there firmly but gently, preventing me from going just yet. James laughed, obviously as flustered as I was. "Uh, hey man." He chuckled.

“It’s not what it looks like…” I mumbled, shoving my face into James shoulder to hide the embarrassment.

Lars raised an eyebrow, only his grin growing wider. "Really? Because it looks exactly like what it looks like."

James looked just as relieved as I was and finally allowed me to slide off his lap, though he kept his arm around my waist. "Okay, fine. Maybe it is what it looks like."

Lars chuckled again, shaking his head. "Well, it's about time. I’m losing count of how many times you get hard around her."

I looked at James, surprised by Lars's comment, and James just shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "Fuck off dude. Whatever, I’m not subtle."

"Nope," Lars said, still smiling. "Not at all."

I was mortified, but also well, relieved. So I might as well just go with it. I leaned into James's side, smiling at Lars.

Lars nodded, giving us the thumbs up. "Yeah yeah, good for you guys I guess. Just, you know, try and keep it PG."

James and I laughed, the tension broken. "We'll try," James promised, still holding me close.

As Lars left the room, still chuckling to himself, I looked up at James, my heart so full. "So, what now?" I asked softly.

Now you get back over here and we’ll start where we left off." He smiled, pushing the strand of hair back from my face.

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog: Wakfu Season 1 (episode 19, The Sadida Kingdom)

NOTE: This is the thing I've been looking forward to the entire rewatch. I'm not sorry for my insanity. This entire blog has been built on my insanity.

This translation error in the fansub is the source of the mistaken belief that Amalia's father's name is Oakheart btw. Though it is a nice name.

Two days prior is when The Horror started...

Sadida also have their own Boufbowl tournaments... Big day for Joris hobby lore.

I'M INSANE. I have waited for ages to get here, and I will not be leaving until I have multiple paragraphs of insane things to say:

They have been arguing for a bit of time at this point. Joris does not sound happy about this conversation. Armand also doesn't sound happy about this conversation.

Armand is probably high on his "I am acting in the stead of my father, so you will tell me everything that you need to tell him" supply. Joris is so fucking desperate for Armand to act normal. He doesn't want to be here either. He doesn't need to be arguing with a 17ish year old prince with daddy issues on a weekday.

All of this to say: This level of politeness from Joris always screams to me "I'm so fucking mad right now."

The way he uses the same words, "allow me", almost reads a bit ironic, or like a thinly veiled show of disregard.

Him repeating the information that we as the audience already knew to Joris — which Joris probably also knows, judging from the fact that they have been talking for at least a little bit, — seems less like exposition, and more like Armand treating Joris like an idiot who just won't get it. A power struggle is happening here.

And while it isn't a part of the subs, I can hear him say "my father, the king" which is, in my opinion, yet another little element of psychological warfare going on here.

Basically, he uses a lot of thinly veiled little jabs to establish himself as The Leader.

...He really is high on his own supply.

The mention of the Master of Bonta is interesting. Joris is not just under the King's direct command, — he is also a messenger for other people in the Bontarian government. Perhaps the master in question is connected to the Huppermages?

His exasperated tone here is so customer service-core. Which wouldn't be that funny if we didn't know he also works customer service.

Also, the dramatic "Alas!"... That he definitely added just to seem less rude. While cutting off Armand's last word, as if he was waiting for him to shut the fuck up. Before looking up at him at the end.

The way he's so fucking rude is just so jaw dropping.

"I have an important secret message", "come back later. FUCKASS."

Joris's first instinct whenever things go bad is to go political incident mode and political incident all over the place.

But to be more serious: I think after 600 years of witnessing wars and murder, Joris's mind would go in that direction after seeing Armand's behaviour.

Joris just doesn't know Armand well enough to know that he would not do that, and that he loves his father. It's quite prudent of Joris to get sneaky.

And even if he didn't think of this — you have seen my headcanon for what I think Joris wanted to tell the king (soft oak and that weird xelor that keeps ravaging places). It concerns the safety of the country. And just like Amalia and Eva, I doubt Joris would want Armand to be the one taking care of this.

[guy who made an entire blog thats 33% literally just talking about doomed siblings] I don't know why I like Armand and Amalia's relationship so much. I think I hauve covid. It's just that imagine you were a kid, and your father — who is so, so very powerful, who is the leader of your people, liked your sibling more. And your sibling had this fortunate life, and you were always in the shadow, and people thought you're mean and furless and bal— [I am electrecuted]

Joris behind the columns, trying to stop himself from screaming or trying to actually kill Armand:

I hope he dies. <- I said, before remembering.

If I was forced to work in Joris's sphere, I would literally just end my life instead. The things he subjects himself to...

On the topic of subjecting himself to things, I really think that Joris came so late because:

He was sneaking around like a silly little gumshoe (he was spying on a foreign government),

He needed a break after talking to Armand. <3 Who doesn't

He hoped that this situation wouldn't end so disastrously. Like maybe Armand would get hit a little bit... Just a tinyyy bit. But no. It's worse. Multiple people are down.

He looks so fucking unimpressed with Armand's words here. I can't do this anymore. He hates this shitty teenager.

Magical powers activate! [hits you with a tree stump 16 times until you lose consciousness]

I don't even know what to say besides the fact that the things he subjects himself to (having to defend and talk to royalty who don't even take him seriously and insult him the whole time) are literally unspeakably insane. Could never be me.

He has a lot of anger within him, and for legal reasons, it cannot be expressed.

[luvo27]

anyways jack drake is living in normalworldeverydayguyplace and wondering if he's wasting his life trying to apply to grad school for history because he doesn't want to be a teacher or anything and he's having major regrets when he sees a kid about to get hit by a train, jumps in to save him and dies

he wakes up. he's standing in a sunny street and there's a train flying towards his head and there's a woman with dark hair and the most beautiful blue eyes he's ever seen in his life and now he's certain that he's dead, because one, he was just hit by a train, and two, this woman grabbing his arm must be an angel

the woman drags jack out of the way of the train and shouts something like, "are you an actual idiot for real?"

and jack is like, "no, actually im graduating with a 3.9 gpa,"

and the woman is like, "oh my god you're an idiot for real. first time in metropolis?"

and jack is like, "city city? who came up with that?"

and she's like, "holy fuck well i cannot let you wander around on your own did you get your mind wiped-"

"mind wipes don't exist-"

"I'm janet. you're coming with me, and also do you want to get nasty?"

so janet becomes jack drakes guide to the dc universe.

conversations abound like, "so, dr. psycho. good guy, like dr. strange?"

"who the fuck is dr. strange?"

"From marvel?"

"What the fuck is marvel? no, dr. psycho sucks."

"sucks like ultron or sucks like magneto?"

"literally what the fuck are you talking about?"

and as janet teaches jack about the alternate history of this strange new world where superpowers and superheroes are real, jack rediscovers his passion for history. janet, in seeing her universe through a new pair of eyes, also finds herself falling in love with history

they go to grad school and become archaeologists together

they watch a lot of wonder woman speeches and things. the existence of the amazons and their culture utterly fascinates jack. time capsule culture is an archaeologists wet dream.

through their studies and travels and learning about the world together, jack and janet fall deeply, deeply in love. they move to gotham because jack doesnt technically exist as a person and they can get away with it there. they get married. they have a baby boy. they name him tim

time passes. they all get older, jack and janet go on an expedition, their plane goes down, there's a villain who isn't a racist caricature and janet dies and batman is too late to save her, and jack is grievously injured

without janet, this new world of superheroes loses its luster. Jack wants no part of it anymore, he remembers the good old days where people died normally, in accidents and regular murders and to illness

so when he finds out his son is one of the heroes in the world, he almost kills batman

time passes. jack gets to know his son without this secret in the way, through tim's eyes he is once again reopened to the world of heroes, in a different way than janet did it, but his eyes are opened again regardless.

he understands now, that this world of heroes means that regular, ordinary people like his son can save untold numbers of lives in a way they couldn't in his old world.

and then he dies. rip.

[lover-lyn]

Ranpo my beloved <3

gn!reader, no pronouns or pet names used

Space girl

Space Girl, I saw a lunar eclipse

Looked like how I feel 'bout your lips

Space Girl, the only way that we'd end

Was if you were sucked into a black hole

But I'd still spend my days dreaming 'bout you

Frances forever↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

Coworker!Ranpo who already knows that your in love with him, he's the world's best detective so of course he figured it out before your attraction to him even began

Coworker!Ranpo who uses this knowledge to mess with you, sending you mixed messages and keeping you on your toes

Coworker!Ranpo who continously drops you hints that he reciprocates your feelings, insisting that you be the one escorting him to and from crime scenes, taking the time to actually explain how he solved a case to you and occasionally letting you have a taste of his snacks

Coworker!Ranpo who makes sure to always check on you, asking how your mission went even if he already knows the answer

Coworker!Ranpo who takes any chance he has to show off in front of you, this is also why he likes dragging you with him to crime scenes most

Coworker!Ranpo who would not hesitate to call you a dumbass, a fool, an idiot or anything of the sort but makes sure to turn it down. Where he would usually tell someone their stupid and insult them unprovoked he'd just tell you that your wrong

Coworker!Ranpo who always knows what to get you, whether that be for a holiday or simply becaus he was feeling particularly generous that day

Coworker!Ranpo who will never let you work in peace, constantly pulling you away from your desk and demanding to get him snacks and entertain him

Coworker!Ranpo who corners you one day and tells you how stupid it is that despite being aware your feeling and his reciprocation to them you still don't make a move

Coworker!Ranpo who decides that if you still won't do anything he will

Coworker!Ranpo who pulls you by your shirt and locks your lips together

Lover!Ranpo who's not very affectionate, don't expect him to tell you that he love you every minute of the day, he's in a relationship with you and in his eyes that's more than enough proof that he loves you, he doesn't need to say it out loud

Lover!Ranpo who's the world's best detective but can't seem to understand why people cheat, he's a firm beleiver that you shouldn't be in a relationship with someone unless you're absolutely sure that you love them and want to spend the rest of your life with them, so you don't have to worry about him, there's no way he'd even think about dishonoring the most basic agreement of your relationship like that

Lover!Ranpo who starts entrusting you with his cases, he doesn't need the help but he's just too lazy to actually put in the effort, your smart enough to figure it out on your own right?

Lover!Ranpo who talks a lot, during the night when the two of you are the most vulnerable he talks about any and everything that comes to mind. He knows you don't mind but he's not the best with flowery words so he opts to showing you that he appreciates you and all that you do by trusting you, he trusts you and tells you to trust him. he talks, you listen. You talk, he listens. That's the way it works

Lover!Ranpo who admires you, he doesn't say it but he shows it. He values your words, normally he doesn't listen to others, their talk doesn't benefit him so just doesn't pay attention to them yet he hangs on to your every word. He values your opinion and that's more respect than he shows anyone

[moonfromearth]

On Repeat - an oc tag by @elderwisp

"rules are pretty simple, pick as many (or as little) oc's as you'd like and find a song that you relate to them the most! feel free to mention why too! o and tag some more ppl too! that would be cool!"

I may have gone a little overboard 😅 To be honest this tag came around at just the right time! I'd just gotten a new song association and have been working on schoolwork so much that I really needed to do something creative 😆

Originally these were all going to be in similar editing styles (more like Corey's) but somewhere along the way that stopped because I had different ideas that I really wanted to do. Also I cheated a little and a few got more than one song... 🤫

I'm really proud with all of these in the end, and if you want to read more about the stories behind them you can check below the cut! ❤️

I know I'm pretty late to the party now buuut I'll tag: @igglemouse @swiftviolets @stargazer-sims @auspexsims and @seniorpollinationtechnician. Feel free to ignore though if you've already done it/don't want to! 😁

[deep dive under cut!]

COREY ALTMAN

"Holiday" - Green Day:

This song being here is random song association at its finest. The trail pretty much goes "Holiday" by Green Day > Surf's Up > Beach Vibes > Sulani > Globetrotter Challenge > Corey Song. If that makes sense... 😂 Pretty much, you can blame the Sulani round of the Globetrotter Challenge for it, plus the fact that I feel like it's the type of song/genre Corey would use in his own music.

"Catch Me If You Can" - Set It Off:

Now, it would be a crime to talk about songs and Corey without a song by Set It Off. Corey was created when I was listening to their songs a lot, and it definitely rubbed off on him. From his aesthetic to the songs I imagine him playing, a lot of it came from Set It Off. Even his name was derived from the band's lead singer (although changed from Cody to Corey because that's the route my mind took with it idk). So, this song in particular specifically reminds me of Corey for... Honestly probably obvious reasons 😆 "Catch Me If You Can" was pretty much the theme of his Globetrotter Challenge, where he was constantly moving on the run from the law. A line I really like though for him is the part that says, "I only feel at home when I'm on the run," because I feel like that leads into the deeper aspects of Corey. He really isn't at home anywhere, he's always on the move, even when he's not evading capture anymore. There's a certain non-permanence to everything he does. Something funny about the image itself is that it originally wasn't going to be edited to look like the back cover of a CD. When I took the picture of Corey with the guitar I kind of thought "this looks like the back cover of a CD" and when editing I just needed a way to fill the space at the bottom and it turned into a CD back cover edit 🤣 It actually kind of fits though since both of these songs are the sound I associate with Corey's own music so it worked out in the end.

LIZZY ALTMAN

"Unopened Windows" - Set It Off:

So this one is the context behind this post lol. It's been like two years since I started working on this plotline I have to finish it eventually 😆 Anyway, Lizzy's been teased in many tag games so far, but without a name or much information (note: and this name's not final I'm not sure yet). Here you can probably guess based on the song choice how her story goes 😅 Going back to the epilogue of the Globetrotter Challenge, we see that something is going on, and it leads to Lizzy and her dad being separated. So, the entire song lyrically I really felt spoke to them and their situation (more in a future gameplay 😉). Bonus points for it being a Set It Off song, who I associate with Corey, and thought music could have been something that they bonded over and enjoyed together. I have a few things to say about the image itself because it was a struggle but I looooove how it turned out! It turned out essentially how I imagined it with Lizzy playing guitar in the foreground with a sort of memory of her time with her dad in the background. I probably had about five or six different poses that I put in the background because I couldn't decide which one I liked the best 😆 This was the last image I had to work on out of the four, and I was having trouble with how I wanted the song title to look. While I was browsing for overlays and stuff I came across a lot of cutout style poems and ended up adding in some of the lyrics because I thought it would help explain the concept behind the image. In the end this one is one of my favorites which is unbelievable considering how much I thought it was not going to turn out like I imagined 🥰

*UNNAMED*

(Sorry I don't have a name for her yet and don't want to commit to a temporary one 😭)

"Little Chaos" - Orla Gartland:

In a wonderfully serendipitous coincidence, this was the song association I was very into when getting tagged, and was already planning what became this edit! I rarely have song associations for sims/sims stories (despite how many ended up coming together here) so that's why I'll never get over how well timed this all was (thanks again elderwisp!!) On to the song, it has to do with my upcoming gameplay story centered around the For Rent game pack, and starring the pictured sim (who doesn't have a name yet sorry! 😅). She's going through a bit of a tough time where she's very lost and I thought the lines, "And it's a good day for a meltdown. All my thoughts getting too loud," fit really where she's at, especially at the start. Plus, the vibes are perfect. The image itself was inspired by the song's MV and one part in particular, but it looks a lot different now (I was limited by the poses I could find because I refuse to sit down and learn to make my own yet). I liked this idea of the torn pages framing the image, especially because it plays into the plot, which sees the main character do a lot of journaling throughout the story. So, the lined paper had to do with that, and it doubled as being good for making the letters stand out, which I wanted to be big and misaligned to be more "chaotic," though I think that could have been done more/better. Aaaaand the background is a picture of Tomarang, where the story takes place. To be honest this will probably be the cover image once I finalize a name and get started on playing it 😉

GHOST COWBOY

(no he also doesn't have a name yet same as above 😆)

"Ferryman" - Schafer James and Will Wood:

I've actually been having a lot of fun with this character since initially creating him back before the Horse Ranch pack came out (more on him coming out in a few days for the outlaw challenge 😉). So this song.... The entire concept of our ghost cowboy is that he, being somewhat half dead and half alive, winds up being a good source of convincing "unwilling souls" to cross over, and works with the character Death to do so in exchange for finding out why he's not entirely dead. I'll explain it better another time, but I also really love this song and just thought that the concept of the ferryman and the ghost cowboy as ferriers of the dead.

"Toss A Coin To Your Witcher (Epic Version)" - Samuel Kim and Black Gryph0n:

Liiiiisten... My family made me watch three seasons of The Witcher I had to get something out of it 😆 I joke a lot that this character gives off Geralt vibes but honestly they are definitely super similar just based on their overall aesthetic and horse companions. I wanted to be special though and chose this epic cover instead of the original... Just for fun 😁 There were some cool piano covers too that almost made the cut. This is probably a good place to talk about the actual image (yay!). I hope the visibility on it isn't too bad because it ended up waaaay more cluttered than I originally intended, plus the mist effect definitely makes it harder to see the characters. I made his (also unnamed) horse a little more transparent to try and give off this ghostly see through effect so I hope that comes through. The font isn't the kind of "wild west wanted sign" font that I wanted, but I think it's close enough lol.

Credits:

Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

[thiccpersonality]

What Is A Father?

What is a father? 

This is a question Bruce has been pondering on for awhile now, especially now that Father's Day is coming so quickly. A part of him still feels the stinging pain of loss from all those years ago, yet also Bruce finds his heart warming at the memories he shared with Thomas Wayne...somewhere in his mind echoes the deep rumbling laugh of the doctor. It has been so long since Bruce has felt those strong arms wrap around him, his body trying desperately to recall the smell of medicine and antiseptics that always seemed to cover his father.

Bruce sighs loudly while turning to lie on his back, his nostrils flaring at the sudden scent of Thomas Wayne suddenly in the room. Icy blue eyes shut tightly at the tears that start to form in his eyes, it's been so long...yet that smell is undeniably his late father. There is the smell of the medicine Bruce hated so much mixed with antiseptics and yet something...warm, like a campfire, something very earthy and natural that was so undeniably Thomas.

Hm? With these thoughts, Bruce thinks he'll never get to sleep now.

The man grunts softly as he sits up against the headboard, his back cushioned by his pillows as he looks to the ceiling in thought. Because what is a father to Bruce? A father to him is many things, one of them being something to lose and mourn, but Bruce knows that is his negative side talking...everything in life is something you can lose, so he knows that people aren't too different.

As Bruce is thinking about the question, his eyes fall closed, his body still upright on the bed as an unconscious smile tugs at his lips from the memories playing in his mind...

-A Father Is: Structure-

Bruce was only three, small and innocent to the ways of the world and all the mess it can cause. Oblivious to the lies and gossip of the media and what they say about his family, more specifically, his father and mother. Though he is oblivious and naive, Bruce isn't a stupid kid, he knows that something is bothering his mother by the way her hands reach up to play with the pearls that adorn her neck, can see it in the slight furrow of her brows and the way she keeps tapping her armrest with her manicured nails.

And when his mama is distressed, Bruce is distressed as well. 

The toddler pouts at the hushed conversation that's going on across the room, his toys long forgotten as he watches his mother carefully as she whispers something aggressively to Thomas. Bruce's head tilts in confusion at the calm smile placed on his papa's face, is nothing actually wrong? Why is his mom so upset and his dad so relaxed?

Bruce scoots forward, being able to do so easily as his parents are distracted with their conversation, leaning in closer when he gets close enough to hear what they are whispering to each other about.

"How can you be so calm about this, Thomas!? They have been doing anything to try and ruin your name and reputation, and quite frankly, I don't know why you would invite the same people who talk about you behind your back into your home. I'm just-" Bruce's frown deepens at the anxiousness and exhaustion in Martha's tone-"I'm just so tired of people talking about you and I. I'm afraid that they will one day pull our baby into all this mess and Lord knows I don't want that for him, Tommy."

Bruce doesn't know exactly what his parents mean...but he feels himself getting upset at whoever is hurting his mom and dad. His daddy is good and kind and helps people, does no one else see it?

A gentle hum from Thomas catches Bruce's attention, the small tot freezing in place when he looks up and sees that warm gaze directed towards him. Thomas Wayne smiles gently at his son and holds his hands out for the child, "It seems we have a little guest, Martha. Looks like it's bothering Bruce as well." Martha gnaws at her lip in worry at seeing her little Bruce toddle his way to Thomas, the boy's face looking uncharacteristically worried for him and someone his age. "I'm sorry, my little Brucie. Mommy didn't mean to worry you-no? What do you mean no?"

Thomas and Martha watch as Bruce shakes his little head, "Not mommy. Bad people lie about daddy and mommy...that's not true. You're good, why can't they see it?"

Martha melts in her chair, her fingers stopping their constant tapping as she turns questioning gaze towards Thomas. "I don't know, Bruce. Why can't they see it?" Thomas sighs fondly at the slight aggravation that's still in his wife's tone, his arm tightening around Bruce while he leans over to hold Martha's hand in his own. "Sometimes people are complicated, this is something we know. I cannot say exactly why they can or cannot see what we see, Martha and Bruce, but one thing I do know is that I am happy where I am with you two and no lie or rumor can change that." Martha softens further at the gentle kiss placed on her hand and the kiss her husband plants on Bruce's cheek.

"I also know that I am in charge of how I choose to act. It can be hard to face lies...but I know the truth and that's all that matters to me, now, why don't we go smile and laugh and enjoy our night?"

Bruce relaxes in his father's hold, amazed at how calm Thomas can be despite everything feeling so scary, holding firmly onto the relaxed smile his dad is giving and doing his best to imitate one of his own.

XXX

Bruce sighs softly at the memory, his lips stretching into an imitation of his father's smile as he remembers how assuredly his father was in a moment where himself and his own mother weren't sure. Bruce always remembers Thomas being firm and unwavering in moments where anyone would shake and tremble, there was always a kindness and an understanding to him that Bruce always wondered about...

-A Father Is: Understanding-

Thomas and a four-year-old Bruce walk down the street hand-in-hand, the doctor has a rare day off and miraculously has not been called in for work at all, and because of such a rare thing, the older Wayne decided it would be a great time to go out into the city to bond with his son. Bruce does his best to keep up with his father as they turn the corner to head to their car, the child grunting as he bumps into Thomas's leg from the man abruptly stopping.

"Daddy?" Bruce questions while looking up to the older man for an answer, huffing and stomping his foot lightly at the lack of an answer from him, what could he be looking at?

Bruce looks to where Thomas is looking, the boy's eyes widening at the child standing in front of their car attempting to pull the tires off. Bruce hides behind his dad, his small hands gripping the man's pants leg tightly in fear as to what will happen next, his shoulders relaxing somewhat at the hand that rests gently on his head comfortingly. "Don't be afraid, son. What do you say we go talk to the young man?" 

Thomas chuckles at the look Bruce is giving him, the man choosing to smile kindly and walk forward quietly, trying not to laugh louder at his son attempting to pull him back from the other boy.

When they get close enough, Thomas places his hand on the kid's shoulder and clears his throat, effectively startling the young teen out of his concentration. "May I ask why you are trying to take my tires, young man?" Bruce hides behind Thomas's leg more when the older boy looks down at him for a moment and scoffs suddenly, "I don't hafta explain shit to you...old man. You wouldn't understand." Bruce feels his brows furrow in irritation at the boy's behavior, feeling indignant on his father's behalf at the tone the boy is taking with him.

Before Bruce can say anything in defense of his dad, Thomas just gently squeezes the teens shoulder again with a hum.

"Maybe I wouldn't or maybe I would. You never know unless you tell me everything over a meal, is that alright with you?" Bruce looks up at his dad in confusion, this person was just trying to steal their stuff and he wants to feed the boy? But he is always told that stealing is bad and you face the consequences of stealing, Bruce knows it to be true as when he attempts to steal snacks, he's scolded, put in timeout or popped on his backside depending on it.

Bruce isn't the only one baffled by the question, the teen looks around before staring back up at Thomas cautiously. "This your idea of a joke? I don't need pity or your sympathy, okay? I'm doing just fine on my own."

Thomas listens to the boy complain before nodding softly, "It isn't a joke. Nothing about this situation is funny...and I don't doubt that you are incapable of taking care of yourself, you seem to have some kind of experience on how to. But, you must be stealing my tires for a reason, yes? There is absolutely no shame in needing or asking for help, no one should be alone and struggling, especially a fine young man such as yourself. Now, how about that offer if you'd indulge this old man?" Bruce watches as something in the teen softens, no doubt there is some sort of caution still put up, but the boy looks more confused and in shock that Thomas is being genuine in his request.

"Uh...sure?"

------

"That's pretty much it. Guess your gonna call the police on me now?" The teenager, now known as Caleb, leans back in his seat while pushing his empty plate away. He looks content with the food, but something in his eyes is tired and lost as he asks the question, Bruce hears him asking: "you gonna toss me away too?" And that makes him sad for Caleb and how he thinks he's unwanted or unlikeable.

Thomas shakes his head, "No. I'm not calling the police on you, obviously you know stealing is wrong as you were trying to do it in secret-" he raises his hand to stop the boy from saying anything-"though I understand now where you were coming from. But, I would prefer if you could actually work and make money for yourself and your little sister instead of resorting to stealing." Caleb crosses his arms defensively and looks out the diner window, "Yeah...well, no one wants to hire a street rat like me. Your kind don't like people like us, guess we are too savage and dirty for the likes of them." Thomas looks troubled at hearing that, his tone kind yet firm as he speaks, "Don't say that. I like you very much, and it isn't any fault of yours that you are in the position you're in, so leave that train of thought behind you."

Caleb turns to look at Thomas and physically squirms at the look the older man is giving him...it has been so long since anyone looked at him with love and concern, usually people are too busy looking at him with contempt, as if he's nothing but trash. "You are old enough to work decent hours for your age. Caleb, would you do me the honor of working at one of my wife's orphanages or homeless shelters? I don't want you to be on these streets anymore...and you can work hard for me in payback for attempting to steal my tires."

Caleb feels as if he's in a dream, "I tried to steal from you...and you want me to work for your wife? Y-You are offering me a job, why? What's in it for you, huh?"

Thomas writes down the address and his number on a napkin and slides it over to the teen, "For one: you would be off of the streets and two: you would have a stable enough life, job and living conditions for yourself and your sister. That is exactly what is in it for me...I know this must seem like a lot, and I know you don't trust me right now, but just think about it. There is a door open to you anytime you want to come to one of those addresses and that number will always pick up when you call." Thomas slides out of the booth with Bruce in tow, smiling at Caleb one last time before leaving the restaurant.

Bruce looks back one more time when they are outside to look at the teen, his lips lifting up into a happy smile at how the boy is aggressively wiping his eyes and hugging onto the napkin like it's a lifeline.

A soft ruffle to his hair causes Bruce to look up at his dad, "You never have to be afraid, Bruce. Sometimes...people behave in scary ways or in a way that makes us mad, but you never know what got them to that point." The four-year-old nods and then tilts his head curiously. "He stole though, papa. You always say that is a no-no." Thomas chuckles and picks Bruce up, kissing the boy's nose: "Yes, and stealing is a bad thing. But, I would rather give Caleb an actual chance to get better when he's never gotten one before. I know he'll do well at his job and then he'll learn better things and grow so much. That is how he can pay me back for the attempt at stealing." 

Bruce gasps like he's gotten an epiphany as he's lowered and buckled into his car seat, "Is he serving out his time like in jail?"

Thomas stares for a second before laughing loudly and nodding his head. "Sure thing, kiddo. Sure thing."

XXX

Bruce feels the phantom touches of a strong hand ruffling his hair and lips gently pressing to his nose. He always was amazed at how his father seemed to be able to talk to anyone, all he had to do was speak kindly and offer one of his soft smiles and it seemed no one knew what to do with it. 

Bruce recalls moments when he was a-in his own eyes-a little monster, brat, or just annoying. Yet Thomas always remained patient with him despite any inconveniences...

-A Father Is: Patient and Fun-

Thomas Wayne sighs tiredly as his five-year-old son keeps squirming in his lap, the boy won't settle down no matter what he tries to do. If he lowers the boy to the floor, he screams, and if he holds onto the child, squirming is all that happens. "Bruce, why don't you sit on the floor or go play while I work? Daddy has some things he needs to review and sign." There is a bit of hope in Thomas's voice as he suggests this, maybe Bruce will magically feel like going to find Alfred or pester his mother instead.

Alas, that is not meant to be the case as Bruce whines loudly at the suggestion of being "separated" from his dear father.

"No, play with me." 

Thomas closes his eyes and inhales deeply before exhaling, he loves his son, he really does, but if only the boy could leave him be for just a couple minutes to let him get his work done. "I can't play a game right now, bud. I have work to do that is time-sensitive, and if I don't do it, it will be very bad." Thomas hopes Bruce will quit by mentioning things being bad for him if he doesn't finish work, his son is usually so kind and understanding about those things whenever him or Martha put things that way, but when Bruce decides to be a gremlin about things...he sticks to the roll well and doesn't care.

Bruce pouts and squirms more, " No. It's not more m'portant than me. Play with me?" 

Thomas sighs loudly once again before perking up, "Oh! How about we play hide and seek? I bet you that you can't find me if you're the seeker."

Thomas smiles triumphantly as Bruce's competitive side comes out (he gets it from Martha) and he narrows his eyes challengingly before climbing down his father's lap and turning away while counting. While Bruce is distracted with counting, Thomas quickly snatches his pen and papers into his arms and runs out of the office and into Alfred's bedroom, hiding in the man's closet and slumping in relief at the silence while reading and reviewing what the papers say.

Back with Bruce, the child shouts loudly how "ready or not, here he comes." The boy checking around the office first before exiting the room and standing in the hallway, he's a bright kid so he avoids any places that he can fit into, he can be oblivious and naive, but he knows some of the secret places are too big for Thomas. Let's see...if Bruce didn't want to be found, where would he go? There are a lot of places in his home where he could potentially not be found, but there is only one place no one ever goes: Alfred's room.

Bruce giggles and makes his way to his best friend's room, sniffing the air and feeling happy as the scent of his father gets stronger the closer he gets to Alfred's room.

Thomas holds his breath as the door creaks open, what is with children being able to find their parents no matter what? The older man listens quietly and grows confused as he hears Bruce sniffling, did he make his child mad? Does he think he doesn't care about him anymore because he is trying to work? Before Thomas can reveal his hiding spot, he is interrupted by Bruce knocking on the closet rapidly with a few giggles. "I know you're in here, daddy! I can smell you!"

Thomas opens the closet door to stare at Bruce, smiling softly at the proud look the other wears on his face.

"It looks like you've got me. How about we make a deal? You let me finish my work and then I play with you to your hearts content." Bruce frowns and crosses his arms with a pout, trying to remain stubborn as Thomas pulls him into his arms, "Why don't you wanna play with me? I just want to be with you, papa." Thomas chuckles at the slight dramatics in Bruce's tone, but his heart warms at the soft admittance of his son, hugging the boy close and pressing a kiss to the child's crown. "I want to be with you too, in fact, I love to be with you. But, I also have big people work to do to help provide for this family and that makes me not able to play all the time, but it doesn't mean I don't ever want to."

Thomas tugs Bruce closer to himself until the boy is curled up on his lap, "Do you know how you get tired after playing with Alfred, your mother and I?" Bruce slowly nods. "Well, that happens with my work and when playing with you too, it's very fun, but there is a point and time where you stop to just rest. However, my most important job is making sure you're taken care of, just how your most important things are making your mother and I beautiful paintings to make us happy."

"And Alfred."

Thomas chuckles and nods, "Yes. And Alfred, he adores every picture you make for him, as do we. And do you like being disturbed when making us your art?"

Bruce slumps at the explanation, "I'm sorry. I just wanna play." Thomas quickly peppers the pudgy face in kisses at hearing the sad tone in the boy's voice, "You don't need to apologize to me. I understand what you are going through, I was a kid once too, Bruce. And I'm pretty sure I was worse when I was your age...I went out of my way to sabotage my parents work so they'd pay attention to me."

Bruce makes a weird face at those words and shakes his head, "You are daddy. You can't be my age."

Thomas laughs loudly and stands up with Bruce in his arms, blowing raspberries into the child's neck as he tosses him on Alfred's bed.

XXX

If he focuses hard enough, Bruce can feel the bed shake as if he is bouncing up and down on it, can feel the tingle of raspberries being blown into his neck and can hear Alfred's exasperated sigh at seeing his Masters messing up his bed. He really wants to stop imagining things of the past...but whenever his mind slips and allows those memories to push to the front of his mind, Bruce finds himself desperately grabbing onto those once happy memories like a lifeline.

Bruce knows there are many other things his father was: gentle, forgiving, firm, silly, brave, peaceful and many more things. But the one thing Bruce seems to remember most is the version of him that is lifeless in an alleyway...

-A Father Is: Someone To Mourn-

Bruce is eight-years-old and cold. He doesn't care that the sun is shining down to share its heat, nor does he care for the beautiful blue of the sky...if anything, he hates the colors and the happy chirps of the birds in the trees, despises the fact that nature is so happy when he feels so blue.

Bruce hates looking out the window and seeing his mom's garden in full bloom, the red of her roses mocking him as each petal dances to the sound of the breeze. They're red like two things Bruce can think of firsthand: blood and his mother's favorite lipstick...lipstick she'll never be able to wear ever again. Why do Martha's flowers get to bloom and live another day when the woman herself is gone now? How is it fair to his mother that her garden continues to flourish when she is no longer here to tend to it?

Bruce feels anger and looks away from the too lively garden, his eyes turning to the trees and the birds living in them. His father loved listening to the birds every morning, Bruce recalls watching the sunrise on the balcony with his dad as the man cradled him in his arms and listened to the birds. Bruce remembers his father telling him once that the birds are singing every morning because they are happy. That they are trying to extend their own happiness out to the world with their joyful songs, and Bruce remembers feeling happy when hearing the birds sing...but now it makes him sad.

He desires to tell the birds to shut up, there is nothing to be happy about when his whole world was taken from him a couple days ago, he hates how alive everything is and wishes the sky was grey with clouds. He wishes that the sun would hide and rain would fall in mourning of the people lost to him, he wishes that thunder would rumble and lightning would strike in grief and he wishes that nature would still itself and be quiet, that the birds wouldn't sing a happy tune as there is nothing to be happy about. The once colorful memories of Martha's garden and Thomas's trees are now tinted blue with sadness at memories Bruce can never share with his parents ever again.

Bruce looks up into the bright blue of the sky as a tear falls down his cheek, his chest tightens at the overwhelming feeling of grief in his heart, his knees shakily lowering himself to the ground as the scent of his mother's flowers in the air are now tainted by the smell of gunpowder. 

A sob escapes the child as he wraps his arms around himself in imitation of how his father used to, he doesn't want to feel cold anymore. His body trembles as the sound of the birds chirping is tainted by his father's pained shouts as he collapses to the ground, why is he alone? All alone. Where is-

A firm hand rests on Bruce's shoulder, tugging him into a warm body that smells like lavender and something slightly smokey.

Bruce hadn't even realized he was panicking until hearing the sound of Alfred's sturdy heartbeat, now that he has something to focus on, he focuses on the life beating in the other's chest. His body slowly starts to warm up as Alfred also presses his shaky hand to his chest, the other just simply being a solid presence when Bruce is scared and unsure. "D-Don't leave me...please don't leave me." Bruce whispers into Alfred's suit jacket, something oddly warm spreading through his heart at the bleak looking clothes Alfred is wearing, usually the man has at least a splash of white to add some color...but the man is wearing all black. It's like he's letting Bruce know that he misses them too, that he isn't alone in how mundane he feels and that despite how bright things are, maybe there is still room to mourn and miss someone who is lost.

"I'm here, Bruce. I'm right here."

XXX

Bruce comes to at a firm hand on his shoulder, his hand automatically reaching up to feel the now aged hand of Alfred, breathing in deeply at the man's voice. "Bruce, are you alright?"

Bruce opens his eyes and is shocked to see the sun light coloring the room in its beautiful rays of red and orange. Blinking twice at the wetness he feels on his eyelashes, Bruce finds he doesn't mind the splashes of color as much this time around, he knows he has so many things to grieve and feel saddened over...but he also knows he has plenty to celebrate for. The man standing before him looking down worriedly, that grounding touch gently placed upon his shoulder-

"Father."

Bruce's breath hitches as he looks towards his open bedroom door, his eyes watering at the slightly sleepy look his youngest child still has on his face, he has never seen something or someone so beautiful. Is this how his own father felt long ago when Bruce came to him during mornings or for Father's Day? Bruce opens up his arms and smiles as Damian doesn't complain and climbs into the bed, holding in his laughter at the sound of the boy's other siblings making a ruckus as they flood into his room. Bruce takes a moment to look back at Alfred and finds his heart swelling with love at the man he now calls father...he knows that Alfred will never be Thomas, but the man never expected to be, all he knows is that they both are what is and was needed in his life.

Thomas Wayne taught him many valuable life lessons while he was alive, but Alfred showed him the other aspects of what a father does: step up.

Alfred didn't have to take Bruce on as his own...and yet he took care of him, fed him, clothed him, comforted him, was patient with him, was firm and a solid structure when Bruce himself felt he was about to crumble. But most importantly, he showed him to love unconditionally and without any expectations from the person you care for, the man truly has only wished the best for Bruce in times where he would scream, shout and cry at or to Alfred...and yet the man only ever opened up his arms or offered his hand for the grieving child to take whenever he was ready to.

A small hand on his cheek breaks Bruce out of his thoughts, looking down he sees Damian staring at him worriedly. And when looking up...Bruce sees so many beautiful colors from the people he loves. Finding himself thankful for the proof of life from every single one of them. "I'm...happy?" Someone in the sea of children snorts at how it sounds like a question, but Richard shushes them and tackles Bruce into a hug, the one body slowly turning into a dog pile of giggling children (plus one cousin) as they all shout. "Happy Father's Day, dad!"

Bruce feels more tears fall down his face as he closes his eyes and holds his family close to his heart, finding himself thankful for the memories of his parents as the smell of Martha's roses blows through the room and the sound of Thomas's favorite birds sing loudly for Bruce to hear. And when opening his eyes to see Alfred standing at the side of his bed simply content to watch over them, it is Bruce who offers his hand for the other to take if he wants.

A genuine smile graces Bruce's face at the warm hand wrapping around his own. The man only finding one thing to say to the man who stepped up as a man and a father-

"Happy Father's Day, Alfie."

(I just wanted a fic about Bruce actually thinking about how much he misses his parents, but because it's Father's Day I focused on Thomas a bit more. I hope I wasn't sleepy enough to not have this make some sort of sense? But again, I apologize for the writing this time around. 😭😭😭

I am sorry for the lack of Bruce's children being involved here, but as stated before, I wanted to focus on Bruce actually pondering on how much he does miss his biological father while also being happy at the father he also found in Alfred. I wanted to show a Bruce who is realizing that it's okay to still miss his late father and it's also perfectly fine for him to love Alfred like that as well.

Near the end there is a slight parallel (that probably wasn't noticeable as I didn't exactly write it that way lol) between Alfred and Bruce as father's near the end, because Bruce stepped up and in for all of his children when they were scared, alone and unstable. I also got that idea because I feel I recall one time in a Batman comic that Richard mentioned Bruce stepping in for all of them and all that cute family stuff!

DC can try to rip good dad Bruce and happy BatFam out of my hands, but I won't allow it. That version of the family is all that should exist UwU, they deserve it all! You darlings are much appreciated for stopping by to read if you did. Don't be afraid to leave a comment if you want, I promise I don't bite! 😂

You darlings please stay safe, happy, healthy and of course lovely as always. And if you can...let your father's (whether bio or not) know how much you appreciate them or love them and know that everything will be alright, you just gotta believe. 💛💛💛💛)

[reorientation]

It's the anon that shared her deadname with you a few days ago 😵‍💫😵‍💫 I don't know if I'm the only one who shared it but my name is just soo embarrassing to actually spell out again I need you to do it for me instead >.<. I wanted to tell you I bought myself my first dildo. I was scared since I haven't fit anything else inside me that thick that it would be too big, so I even bought a second one 😵‍💫. It's so fucking humiliating, I thought the first dildo I bought would be to fuck or top someone else but my pussy is the one getting fucked 🥺. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm so fucking excited to get addicted to cock and be unable to turn back to the top trans man I used to be no matter how hard I try. I thought you deserved to know how much of a slut I'm turning into because I love your posts so much.

~ Angelina💕

Angelina here again sir🥺 you mentioned my name reminds you of an obedient wife and mother. how can i aspire to be a submissive and obedient wife and mommy to a man? how can i offer my full submission to him? how can i serve him in every aspect of life and just become his bitch? 😵‍💫 i'm so fucking confused daddy, i need as much help as i can get💕 i need to submit to men so badly

(Previously, though she sent me the first part of this before I even answered that last ask)

Oh, Angelina, you sweet little thing. Did you really think that you could be a top, much less a "man"? That must have been terribly confusing - trying to figure out how to fuck someone when you just have that drippy little hole between your legs begging to be fucked.

You clearly have the makings of a cute little cocksleeve, though: getting scared of the dildo you ordered before it even got there. It's fun to fuck a girl when she's a little scared of it, you know? I can just picture the timorous look in your eyes as I pushed your legs back and got ready to push my cock inside you.

As for your aspirations... You're already on your way, little angel. Giving up your ideas about being in charge, looking to a man for approval and guidance, dreaming about being made into an obedient wife and sweet little mommy: all of those are brave steps towards being the good girl you want to be. In the end, all you really have to do is hold the goal in mind and let your natural inclinations guide you to it - until you find a man who will tell you what your goals are and take your decisions away.

[askthe-r-m-au]

Yeeeee I'm finally doing this-

Restarting the old R-M fic

(It's on my main account but it's pretty old... so...)

uhh just so yall know as lore gets added onto the AU things might change

Feel free to ask me here or on my blog directly

[ @dayseedrawz2 ]

Ok now onto the Fic!

[The Ring-Misstress | Chapter 1: an alliance]

☆Welcome... to the AMAAAAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS!!! My name is Caine!!! And I'm here to show you the most Jaw-dropping,Heart-stopping, MIND-BENDING parraphinallia you have EVER LAYED YOUR...☆

Blah blah blah... that's all Pomni could hear. She'd been a part of the circus crew for about a week or 2 now?? Maybe more?? Eh, who's counting. Not her! Long enough to know that Caine's daily routine consists of him rambling on about the adventure they'll have that day for at least 5 minutes. So she had plenty of time to dissociate.

Not that she minded Caine's endless rambling. In a way, it was actually kinda comforting, weirdly. Like listening to white noise to fall asleep. She was too busy in her own world to make out completely what he was saying, though. "Blah blah blah, adventure, blah blah blah code, blah blah blah Pomni, blah- Pomni?"

"Pomni??"

☆POMNI!!☆

♧Gah! Huh?? Wha??♧

The Jester was suddenly brought back to reality (unfortunately).

☆You got all of that, right??☆

♧Caine, I don't really care what you have set up for the next adventure-♧

☆My dear, that's the thing!! Today's adventure is unfortunately canceled because SOMBODY just had to EAT AN ENTIRE CHUNK OF CODE...☆

The ringmaster angrily turned towards Bubble.

°○I regret nothing○°

Caine could only groan in frustration before he poked bubble, who disappeared with a "Pop!"

☆... Well then, with that outta the way, I suppose you all enjoy your day off!! I'll be out here if anyone needs me!☆

The crew set off to their rooms, including Pomni. She turned towards the hallway with everyone else, being the last one to her room. But just as she was about to reach for her door, she noticed something...

What looked to be some sort of glitch?? Should she call Caine?? She wasn't sure... but she decided to anyway.

♧Uhh, Caine??♧

No answer. Oh, well. Guess he must've left to prepare the next adventure. That's all he ever does. I mean, he isn't a real person. There's probably not much else he'd want to do.

She took a double-take at the weird thing she'd seen.

♧Wait a second...♧

What at first seemed like just a jumble of 1's and 0's infact, was not. She recognized this... A string of code...

She could read it.

♧"01010101 00100000 01001100 00100000 01000010 00100000 01000010 00100000 01000101"♧

Hesitantly, she reached for the string of code...

Just then, a familiar voice hurriedly approached...

☆My sincerest apologies dear!! It seems my WackyWatchTM must've missed your message!! I hope I'm not too- Huh?☆

Pomni was fidgeting with the numbers. Scrambling them around, trying to make something of them. Eventually, she left them in a certain order. The numbers formed a sphere and slowly dissappear, leaving a familiar transparent ball...

♧Bubble??♧

°○Wow!! That was weird!! I'm gonna go now!!○°

And with that Bubble floated off to who knows where.

Pomni stared down at her hands. In them, few little bits of code, like glitter, slowly faded away.

She looked up from her hands startled to see that Caine had been floating there the entire time. He looked almost- dumbfounded...

☆How... did you do that??☆

Pomni seemed a bit confused at the question.

♧Y-you code things all the time what do you mean??♧

☆Yeah no- how did you do that without a Cane??☆

He gestured to his cane that was floating beside him.

♧I- Well- I dunno I just- sorta reached out and-♧

☆Well dear, I'm quite impressed!! Not only because of that but- I've never seen that sorta thing happen to bubble before...☆

He muttered under his breath.

☆unless...☆

♧Hm?♧

☆Say... Perhaps whenever you aren't busy with adventures, like today, you could help out with bugs and stuff!! How's that sound??☆

He look right into Pomni's eyes, almost pleading, in a way... Pomni thought about the offer for a moment.

What if... there were a code for the exit..?

Maybe... just maybe... helping the ringmaster was her ticket out of here!! To get on his good side!!

♧Uhh, yeah sure.♧

☆Well then, I understand if you d- wait, really?☆

♧I guess so.♧

She couldn't believe it!! He was actually buying it!! "Exit here I c-"

☆Oh Thank you thank you thank you!!! I could really use a hand around here!!☆

He wrapped her in a very uncomfortably tight hug. Nonetheless she manged to force a smile...

♧Heh, n-no problem...♧

YIPPEE IM FINALLY DONE-

This took all day-

Also I'm finally on summer break so imma hopefully have alot more time to write-

Uh anyways uh-

Ask Caine, Pomni an Voz I guess-

(or me about the au/fic in general)

See ya in chapter 2!!

[eternity-111]

He's the type to... 𖹭

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ Title is explanatory, this is the side characters part! including thirteen,Raphael & Mephistopheles. NO LUKE! (fem reader x side charas)

NSFW! minors scroll down ⊹

name calling (princess, daddy, etc), overstimulate, size different, public sex, creampie,Dacryphilia, etc

𝜗𝜚 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

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reblogs, likes are appreciated! If you see any grammar mistakes, feel free to tell me <3

Diavolo is the type to purposely ruin you, in a good way of course. He loves to see you beg and whine for him to slow down because you can't take it anymore.

"princess, I know you can take it."

I know you don't want him to stop, so stop asking him to slow down. Besides, you are his anyway. Let him ruin your pussy whenever he likes. Oh, not only he can ruin you with his cock but he can ruin You with his thick fingers! You don't want to upset the future demon king, don't you?

Barbatos is the type to have a quick sex or a blowjob during his working hours.

"This will be quick, I promise you mc."

So be prepared for a few surprises during the day. Sometimes he can even go bold and fuck you where everyone can see. Meeting room, or even the garden, he doesn't care! The feeling of being able to show everyone that you are his makes him crazy. Moan his name out loud, Let everyone know that you are his!

Solomon is the type to use magic while having sex. randomly tying you up, making you hotter, and his favorite.. making his cock bigger inside you!

"What's wrong? it seems like you want to tell me something but physically can't."

It's true, his cock makes you go crazy. Especially when he suddenly makes it bigger! But.. you can't complain, you like it anyway. He can do whatever he wants! just relax and look sexy for Daddy! Maybe he'll reward you with a creampie if you are good enough.

Simeon is the type to get very vocal during sex, not that you don't like it but sometimes it's hard keeping him quiet while talking on the phone!

"Mmnff.. Mc.. Nghh.. I-im trying to be quiet! b-but you are making it harde- ahh.."

To be fair, you did that on purpose. You love it when he whimpers and moans. But you are calling someone right now! If he doesn't stop making noises.. you'll have to punish him! By not letting him cum or touch you. Watch that needy guy beg and whimper. He's so desperate to cum inside of your pussy!

Thirteen is the type to make toys that are specifically made for you. I mean.. you can use it on her but will she allow you to?

"Don't try to dominate me you little slut, I'm your mommy!"

She's good at making traps, and also toys! but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. She loves to see that her creations can make you lose your mind. Especially when you cry telling her to stop or else you'll get overstimulated. You can cry all you want but your wet pussy still needs her.

Raphael is the type to ask you for "help" about a certain topic from today's class, but he's actually just scanning and daydreaming about your body.

"what? me? yeah im listening princess."

All of that daydreaming made his cock tighten up inside of his pants. Why don't you make his dream come true and help his cock? He can finally touch every part of you while you ride him! It's a win-win situation, Your pussy gets what she wants and so does he. The way he touches you make you even wetter anyways, such a whore.

Mephistopheles is the type to fuck you at the RAD newspaper club. He'll even try to make news about you having sex with him.

"Don't worry mc, if you suck me a little bit longer I won't publish it!"

You already did a blowjob, a boobjob, and even a thighjob but he still wants more?! How the fuck are you going to be able to hold that wet pussy of yours? You can't just tell him that! Maybe give him a hint? Look pretty while you suck his huge cock, And swallow every bit of cum he released. all that effort just to try to get him into fucking your wet pussy. At this point, You don't even care if he published it or not. Just use that needy pussy, please.

#the_sidecharas ꩜ .ᐟ