#Marvin in a strawberry dress

[chaosducks]

The strawberry dress.

For @nickys-theater-blog

And for some reason I decided to write a one shot for it (bellow the cut)

"I think you'll look good in it," Whizzer said holding a summery dress up to Marvin. "Why can't you wear it?" Marvin complained. His boyfriend had probably brought the dress without thinking like he did with most things. "Because it won't fit me, it's too small." Marvin sighed, "okay fine, I'll wear it for half an hour. You can take pictures, do what ever you want. But only for half an hour, then I'm never wearing it again."

Marvin started to remove the clothes he was currently wearing then took the dress. It was very pretty he must admit, not something he'd wear. It's more Whizzer than Marvin, but if Whizzer thought it would look good on Marvin then who was he to judge. That man has unlimited knowledge of dreck. Marvin slipped into the dress. It was snug, he'd give it that, the elastic around the waist accentuated his hips perfectly.

He nervously looked to his lover, "so? What do you think?" Whizzer wrapped his arms around Marvin's waist and lifted him up. Spinning the shorter male around, Whizzer said," you look really sexy. You honestly do not know how hot you look right now." Marvin smiled and kissed Whizzer, blushing.

Soon half an hour turned into and hour, which soon became four hours. It reached 9 pm and Marvin still hadn't changed back into his normal clothing. "Marv you can take it off now, if you want." Marvin shook his head, "it's better than I thought it would be." Whizzer laughed, "you're adorable, you really are. And god I love you so much," Marvin blushed and snuggled up next to his lover.

The week after, the pair had a party to go to(it was a Christmas party for Marvin's work), and Marvin decided that instead of the suit he had prepared for this party, he'd wear the dress that he now adored. When they arrived at the party, the pair turned a lot of heads, both of them were by far the best looking couple there, and the only same sex couple it seemed. If any one was rude to either of them, the other would protect him. There was this one man, looking to be about 60 years old, and very drunk, began to throw slurs their way. Basically being a prick. They both ignored him, knowing he probably would face the consequences when sober.

Once home, the pair turned to eachother. Marvin placed a kiss on Whizzer's lips, "thank you for defending me. Maybe wearing this wasn't the best idea for a work party," Whizzer returned the kiss," No, it was the best idea. You were showing those people that you don't have a stick up your arse like they do. You were showing them that you can wear whatever you feel like," Marvin smiled and nodded," I suppose your right, let's head to bed." Whizzer gave him a suggestive look, " No, I'm tired, we are going to sleep tonight,"

[cheesesoda]

Strawberry Marshmallows

rookie!leon x fem!cutecore!reader

request by: anon

request: “hey love ! i was wandering if i could requests a "hellokiity/cutecore/strawberry" fem reader x rookie leon? basically a reader who is obsessed with anything pink and cute :) im thinking just some very heavy flirtnig that makes leon blush a ton ok thanks bye 1!!!”

a/n: this is so cute!! i’m goth but i hope i do this justice because this idea is adorable 😭 also i did this as a non-apocalyptic/nothing bad happens au!

summary: leon develops a crush on the cute receptionist of the rpd.

genre: fluff!!

cw: flirting, slightly suggestive?

—————————————————————————-

it was finally his first day. leon kennedy’s lifelong dream of becoming a police officer was finally coming true. he drove to the station, excited to start his career. when he walked into the raccoon city police station, he was met with a reception desk, but behind it sat a beautiful young woman, dressed in light pink, and decorated with accessories of the same color. she looked fairly young too, probably about his age. he took note of how her desk was also decorated with pink stationary, hello kitty plushies, and next to her was a bag of hello kitty strawberry marshmallows. unlike the somewhat drab and plain police station, her desk was very visually appealing and colorful.

“hi! what can i do for you?” she greeted him with a smile once she noticed his presence. her smile made him nearly melt into the floor. “uh- i’m the new officer, leon. leon kennedy.” he stutters. “oh! it’s so great to meet you, leon! and congratulations! i’ll get you checked in and you can go up those stairs, turn right and go to the stars office!” she explained as she typed away at her computer, her pink nails tapping against the chunky computer keys. little did leon know, she wasn’t necessarily checking him in, she was notifying the team that the new rookie arrived.

“thanks,” he says and stands awkwardly for a moment. “i- uh- i like your decorations.” he compliments, gesturing to her desk. she looks up at him, a glimmer in her eye and a smile. “for real? thanks! most people would think i wouldn’t be allowed to decorate my desk like this and dress like this working as a police station receptionist, but they can’t resist me.” she winks at leon and his cheeks turn a soft pink hue. she eats a small pink marshmallow out of the bag as she finishes up logging him in. “you want one?” she smiles softly, holding out a tiny soft marshmallow to him. “uh- i- sure” he chuckles and thanks her. she hands him the marshmallow and he eats it hesitantly. “i might not be the youngest in the station anymore, how old are you, leon?” she asks. “21” he replies. “me too!” she exclaims as if he has just said he loves her favorite music artist.

suddenly, marvin branagh walks up to the reception desk. “you must be leon kennedy. lieutenant marvin branagh. nice to meet you.” marvin says with a small smile as he shakes leon’s hand. “nice to meet you too, lieutenant.” leon smiles. “we should get going, i’ll show you around and you can meet everyone else.” marvin says. secretively, y/n gets up from her desk and makes her way to the west office, where everyone was, preparing for leon’s arrival. a banner saying ‘welcome leon’ hung from the ceiling, as well as other decorations such as balloons, streamers, etc.

once marvin and leon reach the west office, they open the door and suddenly the lights turn on and everyone cheers, “welcome leon!” leon chuckles in disbelief. “i- thank you, i don’t know what to say.” he smiles. he spots y/n immediately—how could he not? she grins at him and waves excitedly and he waves back a bit.

everyone starts celebrating and mingling with the new rookie. leon can’t help but let his eyes wander to the receptionist though. “i see you looking at our receptionist.” chris teases, putting an arm around leon’s shoulder. the blond blushes and looks away. “it’s alright, man! go for it, rookie!” chris laughs and pats him on the back before walking away.

y/n approaches leon, two pieces of cake in hand. “i got you some cake, leon!” she smiles and hands him one. the cake is vanilla with little strawberries inlayed on the top. the words “congratulations, leon!” decorate the center of the top in pink icing (though, on leon’s piece, it looks like it just says “congr”).

he took a bite of the cake before complimenting it. “wow, this is really good…” he says. “really? thanks! i made it myself.” y/n smiles. ‘she made me a cake? she doesn’t even know me but she made me a cake…’ leon thinks to himself. he blushed at the thought.

his first day and he already has a crush.

4 months later…

leon walks into the station on monday and sees y/n at her pink desk as usual. “good morning, leon!” she smiles at him, as usual. “morning, y/n” he smiles back. she has another bag of strawberry hello kitty marshmallows, and a cup of some pink colored tea that leon never knew the name of, as usual. in the 4 months leon has worked at the rpd, if he has learned one thing about the beloved receptionist, it’s that she is a flirt. like, a big flirt.

a week after he joined the rpd, the team invited him out for drinks. y/n went too of course, and leon found out that she is a very… physically affectionate drunk. her hands crept up his thighs, on his arms, even on his cheek at one point and he could feel the sweat forming on his face. he wrote it off as just her being a touchy drunk.

that was until a couple weeks later, y/n asked him about his girlfriend. “oh, i actually uh- don’t have a girlfriend.” he smiled awkwardly. “seriously? damn, you’re so cute, i never would’ve guessed.” she said casually as she typed in her computer. he blushed harder than ever. ‘she was calling him cute?’

another occurrence was about 2 months after he joined. y/n dropped off some papers at leon’s desk. “thank you.” he said. “no problem, pretty boy.” she winked. he died.

then, roughly 3 months after he came to the rpd, the flirting happened again. leon walked into the station and was met with y/n’s beautiful face, as usual. except today, she was leaning back in her chair and groaned. “long night?” leon asked with a slight chuckle. “i wish, if only you were there, we both would’ve had long nights if it were up to me.” y/n winked at him and his heart stopped. “it was just some stupid guy last night who was hitting on me and i could just tell he was some arrogant prick.” she sighs. “i just want a guy who is sweet and nice to me,” y/n smiles softly. “you’d be such a good boyfriend, leon.” he was sure he was redder than a tomato. ‘we both would’ve had long nights’. dammit, now he’s thinking of what it would be like to have sex with her. but he’s also thinking of what it would be like to be her boyfriend.

despite all the heavy flirting and hints, leon was still way too nervous to confess. that is, until february 14th rolled around. he decided he would tell her. leon came into work that day as usual and y/n gave him a strawberry hello kitty marshmallow, as usual. they went about their normal days but once y/n was walking out of the station to head home, leon called her name and caught up to her. she wore pink earmuffs, a pink scarf, and white leg warmers to help protect her from the cold february weather. “i uh… i don’t know how to say this so i’ll just get to the point…” leon takes a deep breath once he reached her, the white snow slowed him down a bit but that didn’t matter. “you’re so sweet and adorable and beautiful and i just always want to be around you. ever since my first day, i’ve wanted to ask you this because i really like you, like, i really really like you. so, y/n, will you go out with me?” he says and she grins warmly and sincerely.

she wraps her arms around his neck and gives him a soft but loving kiss. he stands there in shock for a moment, since he was expecting rejection. “of course, leon! i was wondering how long it would take you.” she giggled. “oh and i um got you some things.” he said as he held out a fairly large my melody plushie, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, and, of course, some hello kitty strawberry marshmallows.

[orlandoooooooo]

@nickys-theater-blog asked for Marvin in the iconic strawberry dress

So here you go

[glass-trash-bab]

also can i see a marvin in the black strawberry dress please. just thought of it

This fruit loves wearing fruit

[palettepainter]

As someone who is transgender, Penny has caught my eyes and I love how great she looks and just her character in general

Aww that makes me so happy!! I'm so joyed that you like Penny!! I've never done a trans female OC before, and I thought it would be an interesting way to strengthen Penny's and Laser's bond! (I have been debating drawing a younger version of Gavin and maybe Penny too, when she's experimenting with female pronous and such, but idk I'm still a nervous of accidentally upsetting any irl trans people with how I draw Penny)

Since most of the cousins have been getting posts with facts about them, lets dedicate this one to Penny!

-She's older then Laser by ten minutes

-Laser was the first person Penny told about being trans. She asked Laser if he could refer to her by female pronouns when it was just the two of them, just to see if she liked it. Laser agreed, and while at the time he didn't understand Penny's feelings fully, he did see how much happier she was

-She's a big binge eater when she's sad. Her favourite foods include London cheesecake, strawberries, strawberry flavoured ice cream and eclairs

-She's had top surgery and the rest of her cousins know about her being trans, but she's still very shy about wearing clothes that are more revealing, suck as bikini's and some types of dresses. She's not loud and open like Laser is, and Penny finds it difficult to be so. Laser pats her on the shoulder and tells her to not force herself, for now Penny is comfortable with just her cousins knowing about her being trans

-She and Lips are nature besties and have very in depth talks about wildlife conservation and natural environment preservation. Lips is probably the only band members who has seen Penny drunk (she gets very emotional, mostly sad, when drunk. She cries about manatees)

-She has a gianormous manatee plushie named Marvin who she treasures and adores with her whole heart. She's very particular on who she lets hug him cuz she hates it when he gets dirty. Laser may hug Marvin when he's sad - after Penny checks his hands are clean - and her other cousins may hug Marvin with permission

-Penny likes the band, they may be a bit much at times but she has no malice with them....she cannot stand Teeth's fashion sense though. The different patterns combined with the clashing, brightly coloured patterns make her head hurt if she stares for too long. It's kind of thanks to her OCD she has such a dislike for some of his outfits, but she tries to not bring it up

-She has a soft spot for their youngest cousin Liv. Liv has told Penny and her other cousins all the crazy and dramatic stuff she's gotten herself into since joining the band as their sparky. And while she and the band always make it out fine in the end, Penny can't help but be a teenie, tiny bit concerned at times for Liv

-Her and Teeth bicker over what cheesecake it better, London cheesecake (a pastry dessert with icing and coconut ontop) or Newyork cheesecake (apparently the type of cheesecake Teeth likes is called Newyork cheesecake?). Both are utterly perplexed by the others favourite dessert choice because it's so different from their own. Their discussions will either end in them agreeing both types of cheesecake are delicious, or a vicious battle to the death

-She was terrified of Animal when she first met the band and would offer several, quick, awkward pats to his head whenever Animal would randomly give her one of his many bizarre gifts

-She's since grown fond of Animal and actually likes him a lot. Me and @jjsesame spoke about an idea of Animal, sorta like how he is with Nora in Muppets Mayhem, being a bit smitten with Penny. Also inspired a teenie bit by his character on the OG Muppet Show, but Animal respects all women, trans women and women and anyone who thinks otherwise gets bit. Cuz of this Penny grows to really like Animal, and will sometimes bring him snacks and stuff when she comes to visit since she knows Animal is a bottomless pit (has joked to Floyd if she can borrow Animal for emotional support if she ever gets the courage to go to a pride parade)

-Debating on her being Aroace or just Aromantic, Penny just strikes me as the type who wouldn't really be interested in romantical relationships, but would be perfectly comfortable and okay with just having a queerplatonic relationship with somebody if she ever found the right person

-Her job is making custom suits, dresses or fancy outfits of any type for people. She's visited the Muppets a few times when she and Gavin have come down to see Liv, and surprisingly Penny has made a strong friendship with Piggy, whom she likes to drink wed wine and gossip with. She's also close to Deadly, both being fashion designers they like to ramble about little details they put into their work and offer valuable tips and pointers to each other (She also loves Piggy's dog Foofoo, Floyd doesn't see the appeal)

-She boxes to relieve stress. Raph offered to teach her mediation, but Penny just didn't find it helpful. Initially hesitant, Raph proposes she try boxing, and to his shock it works. Raph is more or less Penny's fitness couch, she's not a supreme boxer, but she does own a punching bag at home and gloves so if she ever needs to blow off steam she can (her OCD leads to her anger sometimes being more violent then others, so the boxing is a good and healthy way for her to get her anger out without hurting herself or breaking things). Outside of Laser, Raph is the person Penny trusts the most

-Since entering the world of the fashion business she started smoking to help handle stress. Raph smokes occasionally, not as much as he used to when he was younger, but sometimes him and Penny will step out have a smoke together in silence

[bessmrvin]

CHARACTER  STUDY.

LAYER 001 :    THE OUTSIDE.

NAME  : elizabeth ‘bess’ marvin

EYE   COLOR  : dark brown

HAIR   STYLE   /   COLOR  : black, mid-back length / typically, flat-ironed straight.

HEIGHT  :  5′5″

CLOTHING   STYLE  : loveslovesloves fluffy cute fashion. the selkie dresses? she has them all. the strawberry dress? she has a rip-off. she is very fashion centric, so she stays up on the most recent trends but favors more soft feminine looks.

BEST   PHYSICAL   FEATURE : bess would say her smile. every boyfriend of hers had a different answer lol.

LAYER 002 :    THE  INSIDE.

FEARS  : left behind, never figuring out what to do with her life, boring life, never falling properly in love.

GUILTY   PLEASURE  :  ice cream, watching bad soap operas.

BIGGEST   PET   PEEVE :  cracking knuckles/joints

AMBITIONS   FOR   THE   FUTURE  :  uh..... figuring that out.

LAYER 003 :   THOUGHTS.

FIRST   THOUGHTS   WAKING   UP  : ugh, where’s my phone? alarm off.

WHAT   THEY   THINK   ABOUT   MOST  :  love

WHAT   THEY   THINK   ABOUT   BEFORE   BED  :  the next day, her outfit for tomorrow, her skincare routine.

WHAT   THEY   THINK   THEIR   BEST   QUALITY   IS  : kindness

LAYER 004 :    WHAT’S BETTER ?

SINGLE   OR   GROUP   DATES  :     single

TO   BE   LOVED   OR   RESPECTED  :  loved

BEAUTY   OR   BRAINS  :  brains

DOGS   OR   CATS  :  cats

LAYER 005 :    DO THEY…

LIE  :  she is really bad at lying.

BELIEVE   IN   THEMSELVES  : yes.

BELIEVE   IN   LOVE  : yesyesyes

WANT   SOMEONE  : always.

LAYER 006 :    HAVE THEY EVER…

BEEN   ON   STAGE  :  no.

DONE   DRUGS  :  she’s smoked weed, but didnt really enjoy it.

CHANGED   WHO   THEY   WERE   TO   FIT   IN  : when she was in middle school, but she loves herself now.

LAYER 007 :    FAVORITES.

FAVORITE   COLOR  :  pink

FAVORITE   ANIMAL  :   penguin

FAVORITE   BOOK  :    she’s a historical romance fan so she loves bridgerton.

FAVORITE   GAME  :    favors point-and-click mystery games - so she can feel like nancy drew.

LAYER 008 :    AGE.

DAY   THEIR   NEXT   BIRTHDAY   WILL   BE  : june 23, a thursday

HOW   OLD   WILL   THEY   BE  :  verse dependent.

LAYER 010 :    FINISH THE SENTENCE.

I   LOVE  :   love.

I   FEEL  :   a lot.

I   HIDE  :   candy.

I   MISS  :   the clue crew.

I   WISH  :  to find my purpose.

TAGGED  BY:  no one lol TAGGING: steal it and tag me.

[marvinsmasterpieces]

i. dont have an excuse for this

[celestial-potato]

Falsettos as Conversations Between my Sister and I Pt 2:

Whizzer: 🐄

Marvin: What does the cow mean? 

Whizzer: It means you’re a bitch.

----------------------------------------------

Charlotte: This guy today was really trying to see how problematic he could be at once. He managed to be ableist, homophobic, and racist in the matter of ten minutes. 

Cordelia: Damn, he didn’t even get a bingo, no sexism or xenophobia.

----------------------------------------------

Jason: What’s that?

Trina: His name is Mendel and his armpit smells like strawberries. 

----------------------------------------------

Whizzer: My knees hurt.

Marvin: Then why are you going for a walk? In boots.

Whizzer: Because I'm stressed and walks are nice, and these boots go with this outfit.

Marvin: You're going for a walk why does your outfit matter, also it's cold out. Are you bringing dog?

Whizzer: What I'm wearing always matters, and yes but she's going in her stroller with her winter coat.

Marvin: The neighbors are going to see you dressed completely inappropriately for the weather, pushing a dog in a winter coat in a stroller.

Whizzer: And they'll admire my fit.

----------------------------------------------

Marvin: I'm going to walk in the mud, and kick you in the legs so you're white pants get stained.

Whizzer: I'll beat you with a sock.

----------------------------------------------

Cordelia: Oh my god a cowboy!

Charlotte: Please don't yeehaw at him like the last guy you saw wearing a cowboy hat in the store.

----------------------------------------------

Trina: I lost because of a penis.

Mendel: That's what she said.

Trina: I'm leaving.

----------------------------------------------

Whizzer: I have a date in 30 minutes so I'll tell you more about incestuous vampires later.

[bugmangaka]

More designs! Here they are in order:

Tuft was Bel’s lover from when he was a young man. He was courting her for marriage at the time, but their tiny village was attacked by animals and they were separated.

Next is Bel’s design from when he was young!

Then, Dolly’s updated design from when she was pregnant, I scrapped the old one.

Cindell without her dress, showing her “birthmark” that was actually inflicted by Silvanna the night she hatched.

Noble showing the placement of his scars.

Amber, Asha’s youngest daughter, fully grown and in her ballet uniform. She became a famous ballet dancer after Asha died.

Emanuel is Amber’s husband.

Rosemary is a new waitress at a bar Jeremiah frequents. She’s pretty, but certainly spells trouble...

Gale is Joel’s boss. She owns the small publishing firm he works at. She’s middle-aged, pretty deadpan, and not a fan of children.

Ford is Linus’s ex-boyfriend.

Blossom is one of Soot and Branch’s daughters and one of Sato’s close friends. She is trans.

David is the father of Lacey’s kids. They met through Ms. Matchmaker’s “Matchmaking Program,” where he understood that Lacey only wanted to meet someone to help her have kids rather than have a relationship. The two ended up being friends with benefits and trust each other deeply. David has romantic feelings for Lacey, and deep down, Lacey returns them.

Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, and Mulberry are Lacey’s 5 babies! They were born prematurely and need special care.

Ridge is part of the Special Aphid unit. This unit specializes in training aphids for work, specifically for law enforcement. Ridge is known as one of the best trainers out there, having trained his aphids to track scents very well. He also has abnormally sensitive antennae, which allows him to track scents even better than a regular seiki could.

Peanut and Wolf are Ridge’s two aphids.

Wilder is a member of the gang, and is the one Sasha’s ex sent in to hurt her.

Daphne is Marvin, Pam, and Cece’s ancestor! She was the one that ran the Buzzy Bee Inn back when Ruben and Asha stayed there.

Eucera is Charlotte’s favorite guard bee. Bombus, Apis, and Xylo were also her other guard bees. Sadly, they all passed away while defending Charlotte from wasps that were taken over by Ruben’s plague.

Mega, osmia, Hali, Colletes, and Meli are baby bees, and Eucera’s offspring. They are being raised by Charlotte.

(Click for better quality!)

[sxveme-2]

strawberry pancakes // bucky barnes

MASTERLIST

SEQUEL TO BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

DESCRIPTION: Lily Osborne and Bucky Barnes were never blessed with an easy relationship. Whether it be emotional trauma, or Lily's parents trying to be evil scientists. But they somehow made it work, after coming together once again after the birth of Lily's nephew. They were smooth sailing for a while. He proposed, they got engaged, but have yet to marry. While also juggling raising a teenager together as Hunter reaches the age of 16 now. All the while struggling with adjusting to their new lives in Long Island, balancing careers. Meanwhile, Lily struggles with the new found fame of being the fiancé of The White Wolf; and handling the tabloids critiques on her life and gossip columns digging up any information they can on her. While trying to maintain a low profile; and handle her life as it is. And becoming parents. Lily for the second time, while Bucky, well, this is his first attempt at a biological child. All the while a new threat from their past rises up once again, blind siding the family. Bringing forward old hatchets that had been buried, and putting their relationship at risk once more.

DISCLAIMER:  I do not own any original Marvel characters! All canon plots and canon characters belong to Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. This is an original work. You may not publish it anywhere else

STATUS: Unedited

NOTES: Takes place after endgame. I have elected to ignore Tony's death and Steve's leaving. Did not happen. Quick Reminder! My works are only published here, AO3 and on Wattpad, thank you.

Chapter Two: The One With The Dinner

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 2241

    “Who does that woman think she is?” Lily exclaimed as she burst into the Barnes residence, “Telling me I need to calm down. She called my fiance a terrorist.” The blonde fumed, storming into the kitchen to start making dinner.

“Doll what’re you doing?” Bucky sighed as he set Stella down, following the woman into the kitchen, “We have the conference tonight. Remember?”

Lily dropped her hand from the cupboard, placing her face into her hands. She had forgotten that Bucky and she had an Avengers conference dinner that they had to attend. The dress she wore was sitting in their room, calling for her to go put it on. She could feel the pressure laying on her shoulders from the level above her. The blonde turned her head, meeting Bucky’s eyes. He looked sorrowful and sympathetic, knowing that Lily wanted to stay home more than ever.

“Is that tonight?” Hunter asked as he joined the others in the kitchen, “Did we agree that Stella and I were coming?”

“Yeah, why don’t you start getting ready,” Bucky began, “Take Stella with you to her room. I’m just gonna talk to mom quickly.”

Hunter nodded and took his little sister from Bucky’s arms, glancing back at his mother as he walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house. Lily leaned back against the counters of the kitchen, her face still resting carefully in her hands as she attempted to calm herself down. The entire day had been something out of a nightmare for Lily, especially when she learned about what happened at Hunter’s school. The anxiety in her skyrocketed, and she wondered what everyone around them thought of the two’s relationship. About Bucky raising two children. Marrying an “all-American girl”, or so the tabloids had been saying over the last few years when the public got a hold of their relationship and Lily’s story.

“I know you hate these, baby,” Bucky whispered, walking towards the blonde and placing his hands on her shoulders, “I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a very, very long day,” Lily whispered, removing her hands from her face and staring up at the man, “Don’t apologize. Let’s just...let’s just go get ready.”

“Wait wait,” Bucky sighed, taking Lily’s hands and pulling her closer to his chest, hand moving to the side of her face.

“What’re you doing?” She sighed, tilting her head into his hand.

“Jus’ lookin’ at ya,” he purred, Brooklyn accent pushing through, “My beautiful, beautiful, fiance.” The brunette cooed, bending down and pressing a gentle and barely-there kiss to Lily’s lips.

Laughing softly at his words, Lily squirmed from Bucky’s grip, “Sam’s right. You have a staring problem.” She teased, poking her fingers into the brunette’s stomach before turning towards the stairs.

-----

Lily sighed as she readjusted her black peacoat. Her hands dusted off the satin material of her dark green dress that had a black lace pattern along the entirety of it. After readjusting herself, Lily bent down to Stella’s height, smiling softly at her beaming daughter. The four-year-old wore a white dress with a baby blue floral pattern along the entirety of it, white tights on her legs, with bright white ballet flats as well. Her dark brown locks pulled into a bun, a baby blue flower pinned onto it.

“You do love dressing up, don’t you?” Lily cooed, pressing a kiss to her daughter’s cheek before standing up, running her hand through her curled blonde hair, “Shall we?”

“That makes one of us,” Hunter muttered as he readjusted the white dress shirt he wore, glaring over at the crowd gathered in front of the building, “I feel like a clown right now.”

Lily chuckled softly at her son and ruffled his tousled blonde hair, before picking up the four-year-old girl. The dinner was being held in Gotham Hall, a beautiful place where the Avengers were gathering to recognize a few that were retiring, and welcoming more who were joining in on the initiative. It was a televised event, and each Avenger was individually introduced to the hall, including the families. Meaning Lily, Hunter, and Stella were being introduced alongside the White Wolf, aka Bucky Barnes.

“Did we remember to tell Tony to have the chef make Stella chicken fingers? She won’t eat what’s on the menu.” Lily sighed, following Bucky as they walked towards the entrance, smiling at a few of the paparazzi and fans.

“I told him, as did Steve. Mostly because we had to ensure that Leo also got chicken fingers.” Bucky chuckled, hand resting on the small of Lily’s back, other arm slung around Hunter’s shoulder.

The family waved and smiled as they walked down the sidewalk, shielding Stella’s eyes from the bright lights. Friday night in New York was already an insane time, and with an Avengers event, it only grew more hectic. Which is not always the best for a four-year-old who was not the biggest fan of large crowds. Hence why she thrived in the countryside in Long Island, enjoying her time alone or with a few of her close friends. It sometimes freaked Lily out just how much the girl was like her father. But warmed her heart at the same time.

“Let’s go find our seats,” Bucky whispered in the blonde’s ear as the four walked into the hall, making their way through the halls towards the dining area, finding their seats with Sam and Steve.

“Well look who decided to show up,” Sam chuckled as he embraced Bucky, kissing Lily on the cheek, “You lot clean up well, hm?”

“Your girlfriend cleans up better than you,” Bucky teased as he embraced Rose, kissing his fiances sister on the cheek as well before taking a seat next to Lily, “Even Leo looks better than you.” He teased, winking at the five-year-old boy across the table.

“He was being nice Buck, c’mon,” Steve chuckled, clapping the man on the shoulder before smiling as Natasha joined the table, “Now the whole families together again.”

“Oh don’t go pestering cyborg, I looked at the playlist Tony made,” Sam chuckled, sitting at his seat, “He’s got Marvin Gaye on there. Might be the thing that sends robocop over the edge.”

Lily chuckled and shook her head, pouring a glass of water for Stella and placing a straw that was on the table in it. She loved hearing the banter between the three and laughing at Rose and Nat’s interjections. Lily herself was not the best at bantering back and forth with them all, but apparently, a few of her quips were some of the funniest things said. Hunter as well. Neither of them were big talkers, which is why the two never really enjoyed the events that they had to attend.

“When are they doing introductions? Just to prepare Stella for the camera that comes zooming around,” Lily hummed, catching Bucky’s attention, “You know she freezes when they come by.”

“We’re up first,” Steve commented, sipping his whiskey, “So it’ll be done and over with quickly.” The blonde chuckled, pinching his goddaughter’s cheeks gently, “But they may be doing interviews. Tony sent an email.”

Lily glanced to her side, watching Bucky turn his head away from her gaze and focus on the whiskey he himself had. The blonde shook her head, focusing her mind on the water in her own glass. Hunter seemed to go a bit pale as well, most likely worrying he’d have to speak. Lily nudged Bucky’s arm, nodding towards Hunter. The brunette nodded, turning to the boy and whispering to him. Lily sighed softly, watching Hunter relax at his words.

Time went on and Lily felt herself relax a bit. But when the camera crew entered, her anxiety skyrocketed once again. Bucky’s hand rested on her thigh, the coolness of the metal seeping through her satin dress, causing goosebumps to pop up along her skin. Stella was busy on Lily’s phone, too distracted to really see the cameras entering and everyone setting themselves up. Lily pursed her lips and turned to Bucky, looking up at him through her lashes. The older man bent down and pressed a kiss to the woman’s forehead, soothing her nerves. Or at least trying to, as the cameras made their way over.

“Welcome everyone to the annual Avengers Dinner!” The announcer chuckled, her voice radiating through the speakers around the room, “Let’s start this legendary night with the star of the show, Captain America!” She grinned, “Or, should I say. Captain Americas.”

Lily sighed softly as she watched Stella lift her head, dropping Lily’s phone into her lap. The blonde rested her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, squeezing gently as the cameras made their way towards the table. The announcer plastered on an obviously fake smile that made Lily want to leave the room, but she stayed silent as she came closer.

“Look at this lovely group,” she chuckled, “Steve Rogers, always an honour to see you here. Alongside the ever ravishing Black Widow, aka, Natasha Romanoff. And who do we have here? Sam Wilson, aka Captain America, and fashion designer Rose Osborne! With her little one.” The redhead grinned, gesturing to the group before turning her attention to the family of four, “And last, but not least, the Barnes. James Barnes, the now-retired White Wolf, with his stunning fiance, Lily Barnes. Have you two tied the knot officially yet?” She asked, lowering the mic to Lily.

The blonde flushed a deep red, chuckling softly, if not awkwardly, “Not yet.” She stated simply, readjusting in her seat.

“What’s the holdup? We’re all dying to know!”

“Just been busy.” Lily hummed, glancing over at Stella, who was staring down at her lap.

“How could I forget! You two have your own kid,” she hummed, glancing over at Hunter, “Kids, sorry. Stella and Hunter correct? How do you two feel about the announcement tonight?”

Bucky jumped in, taking over as he saw Lily’s confused face, “Walker has had a past. But I’m sure he’ll do great. Especially with some reinforced supervision.”

-----

“Walker!?” Lily whisper yelled, pushing open the front door, “What the hell is Tony thinking?” She muttered, dropping her purse as she cradled Stella’s head on her shoulder.

“We tried to talk him out of it.” Bucky sighed, nodding up the stairs for Hunter to head up to bed.

“It’s ridiculous,” Lily sighed, following her son up the stairs, Bucky following close behind, “Was what happened nothing to him? He decapitated a man in a town square.” The blonde continued, walking into Stella’s room, slowly stirring her, “Darling wake up, gotta get you into PJ’s.”

“He redeemed himself near the end of it all,” Bucky sighed, pulling pyjamas out of his daughter’s dresser, “Maybe that counts for something in Tony’s books.”

Lily had her own personal reasons to resent the man. Whenever there was a function where he attended, he was always a bit friendly with the blonde. Bucky mostly stepped in before it got too far, but still, it made Lily uncomfortable regardless. But above all of that, the events that happened with the Flagsmashers was something that Lily couldn’t get past. Bucky had gone to help with the entirety of the ordeal but ensured to keep in constant contact with Lily, who was sitting at home, pregnant as can be.

She remembered the day he came home like it was yesterday.

-----

Lily watched the TV with relief in her eyes. She watched Sam’s speech with pride, her heart swelling at his words. She had always admired Sam, and watching him officially take up the mantle was something Lily would remember for decades to come. Her hands rested on her swollen stomach, counting down the minutes before she could see her boyfriend walk through the door of the Manhattan home they still lived in.

Lily made her way to bed, laying uncomfortably in it. She didn’t remember how she was able to sleep when pregnant with Hunter, but the baby currently growing inside of her was making her want to turn back the time and keep Bucky at bay that night she was positive was the day the fetus was conceived. Though she knew deep down, she would want to relive that night time and time, and time again. As she tossed and turned, the blonde wondered if Bucky was still directly in the middle of the city.

When the door opened, she felt herself almost float up from the bed. Turning her head, the blonde jumped from the bed and walked towards the man, not hesitating to kiss him deeply as his hands found her cheeks. When they broke apart, he dropped to his knees and pressed his lips to Lily’s seven-month pregnant belly.

“Please tell me the arrested walker,” she whispered, running her hands through Bucky’s brown hair, “Please.”

“They didn’t...I’m sorry my love.” He whispered, standing to his feet, “We don’t know what’s going to happen with him.”

-----

Three years later, they figured out just what would happen to Walker. He’d be given the same privileges as people who had saved the world countless times, including that of Lily’s fiance. It sat heavily on Lily’s shoulders as she undid Stella’s hair, placing the elastic to the side and running her nimble fingers through the dark tresses as Bucky helped the young girl get changed into her pyjamas.

After the two tucked their daughter into bed and undressed into pyjamas themselves, and climbed into bed, Lily let out a heavy sigh. Not only was the Walker situation heavy on Lily’s mind, but the announcer’s comments on the state of their engagement did also as well. She never really thought about it. The two had been busy, there was no time for them to really sit down and properly plan a wedding. But then again...Steve and Nat had been able to. Their own rehearsal dinner was in a week. They had gotten engaged about six months ago. Lily and Bucky...they had been engaged for two years.

Yet legally, they weren’t married. And it worried her.

“Why haven’t we gotten married yet?”

[glass-trash-bab]

Strawberry dress marvin

Fruit

[sleightofsight]

 angst  :-)

warning: possibly major character death, blood/injury mention, general whump warnings. light gore warning. 

word count: 1.6k

characters: 

berith ryan kensley. (oc, belongs to me (alt account for berith &co is @divergent-demons) )

marvin collins-delvaux. 

erin attwell. (belongs to @lilsprout-exe.) 

alphie hallbjörn-seeker.(aka they of many names.) (belongs to @sibling-ursidae)

 jackson collins-delvaux. (belongs to @miishae) 

nebula (haha redacted last name go brrr). (belongs to @oasisofgalaxies.) 

mentions of egos.

  ——⍟——««»»——⍟——««»»——⍟——««»»——⍟——««»»——⍟——

Our star adversary of the night clicks his tongue impatiently as he tosses a knife into the air with a casual flick of his wrist, his softened wool coat lying open and spread against the seat of his chair. The coat framed a white button up shirt, short-sleeve with a formerly worn black suit jacket below it. Admittedly, he’d only taken it off after sneaking into an apartment complex full of people who could take him one with one hand tied behind their back.

Taking two of their occupants with him was hard enough without detection, but well-placed portals helped Berith out well enough.

Not to mention the chosen time of half past three am, of his caper. 

The stress was enough to make him sweat, even with the planning he’d taken,  and it did. No one likes wet clothing.

Two teenagers glare at him from the center of the surprisingly well furnished hideout, wrapped down into softened velvet armchairs with twin clear sprays of water. The substance had wrapped around their wrists and tied them down to the armrests, traveling upwards to fasten to teens to one another with their forearms back to back.

There was no reasonable answer for the bruises and inch-long cuts they’d both suffered, with about three each.

Information has a price.

No bonds for their heads or mouths yet, as neither of them had really mouthed off all that much. 

Save for the one with strawberry-pink hair cursing at him using...candies? Whatever being called a ‘rotten peppermint patty’ and ‘plastic-mold gummy bear’ meant, Berith didn’t quite care for it. 

Along with the other one, the one with messy brown hair knotted into a braid...they were merely glaring at him, but every so often, they seemed to....-vibrate?- in their seat. 

Certainly a trick of the eyes. 

Right? 

“When will your father arrive?” 

His first words to the pair were ones of calculated weight, measured out for the moments of silence before, and yet thrown out with all the grace of plastic-wrapped rubbish. 

The brighter boy manages an extremely non-threatening scowl before turning away, but the other one- Alphie, his research had garnered, they/them and rather...ordinary- spoke up, almost certainly vibrating in their seat this time around. 

“Why’d you take us? Where’s da? Where’s dad?” 

With an over-pronounced sigh falling from the man’s lips, Berith stands up from his own ornately decorated armchair, catching the hilt of the emerald-inlaid blade with one final flick of his fingers. There’s barely a space of ten feet between the chairs, but each step he takes makes it feel as though it was an eternity, widening the distance as the silver of his weapon glints from a diamond-decorated chandelier light. 

“I couldn’t give a single damn caring about your father’s husband. I want your father, the one who goes by the name of Marvin Delvaux, here. We have a matter to settle, and he seems to ...spurn my beckoning. Seeing as you two are the closest ones to him, exempting the space girl, and the husband, you were the best ones for the job.” 

He could see Alphie visibly tense, and another few steps were taken forwards as the strawberry-blond boy speaks. Erin Attwell, taken in by this family, as Alphie had.

“They wouldn’t come here, they’re not pissbabies like you. Marvin and Jackie are better than you could h-” 

Pissbaby? 

Berith blinks in semi-shock at the teen’s statement before rolling his eyes, flicking his wrist and binding a bolt of water across his mouth, cutting him off mid sentence. 

“You don’t know the magician like I have. The fool would do anything for his loved ones.” 

With his back towards the wall, and body facing the teens, his blade was inches away from Alphie’s neck, ready to draw blood if need be to get this damned man out of hiding, after all these years- 

So he’s able to see the way their lips blossom into full smiles within moments, shoulders straightening as their eyes both fix on a point behind him- 

Ah. 

Probably should’ve done something to take care of the parents, rather than leave them be- 

“Berith!” 

Shit. 

Seafoam green cracks a vertical line in the wall before widening into the familiar circular portal of the magician wielding it, slicing open as fire swims off of the man emerging from it. 

Formerly blue eyes roll with dark blue flames, a color rarely seen at Marvin’s hand, before he levitates over to the demon, gripping his white dress collar and lifting him about an inch off the ground. 

Only raising the two-inch shorter man to Marvin’s level. 

Behind the two, from the portal, a baseball-cap wearing entity with wild purple hair leaps down, accompanied by a supersuit clad hero in red and black. 

Nebula and Jackie, both hellbent on making one man pay. 

Neb grips the hilt of a baseball bat, eyes dancing darkly as a single nod from the hero at her side leads her to the tied down teens, followed soon after by Jackie himself. 

Those bonds would take some time to work through. 

While they led on, Marvin’s fingers tighten around Berith’s collar, burning the fabric under his mere touch, as he yanks the man up higher, pure rage and adrenaline dancing through his red-hot blood. 

“Marvin, old friend.” 

Even in this scenario, Berith gives the magician a winning smile, toes barely brushing the ground, as his knife was only gripped tighter between the fingers of his right hand. 

“Don’t you dare call me that ever again. Not after what you did.” 

Marvin’s fingers tighten, burning Berith’s upper torso and shoulders, along with either side of his neck- but it didn’t garner an emotion other than a mere flutter of pain from the man. 

Emotions run high and fast between the two of them, as Marvin lowers Berith to the ground, only to grab at his wrists and form a fiery linking chain- but he wasn’t fast enough. 

Sometimes, the numbing power of adrenaline, in certain parts of the body, was a disadvantage. 

What he didn’t notice was the knife slipping into his rib cage. 

What he did notice, however, was the sudden stabbing pain searing it’s way through his chest, causing a scream to tear from the magician’s lungs; multiplied by two. 

Multiplied by twists. 

The second wound leaves the silvery blade slick with blood, the winning smile formerly displayed on the demon’s face extending more into a sick grin. Dislodging the weapon, scarlet shines against the delicate carver, the amount of blood dripping from the wound becoming wildly disproportionate for a blade injury of that size. 

“Gotcha.” 

Blood magic. 

A subset of water magic. 

One Berith’s training had let him learn, and handle well. 

And one that caused the magician to drop to the ground, sucking in a rattled breath as his hands rise to the feline shaped mask crowning his features, ripping it off in a search for air. 

His hands fall to the ground, trying to raise themselves to the wounds to heal. 

The leather dress shoes before him click against the ground for a moment before a wave of whitewater rises up; 

and Berith Kensley is gone. 

“Jackie-” 

Vermilion shades flash before Marvin’s eyes as he nearly slips in his own blood, feeling the coppery liquid soak into his clothing as it formed a decent-sized puddle below him. 

Neb and Jackie had managed to loosen the bonds just enough for them to slip out, but upon Berith’s disappearance, they slid away, splashing against the ground. 

Just in time for Jackie to glance up, and see his husband lying in a pool of his own blood, breathing raggedly. 

“MARVIN!” 

He doesn’t wait for the others. He doesn’t wait for anything, or anyone. Not right now. Jackie’s footsteps thump across the wooden flooring, falling to his knees- damning the bruises, sure to form.  

The trio can hear his shattered cry, and they glance up, almost confused- before their eyes widen. 

By the time Jackie’s reached his body, Marvin’s magic is flickering across his chest, trying to stitch the first wound up. Flickers of spring green essence manage to staunch the flow somewhat, but deep carmine bursts fight back, bringing forth the damage once more. 

Seems as though someone left some of his magic in Marvin, as a residual. 

As insurance. 

“Hey, love.” 

Marvin manages a grin, glancing up at the man, despite the white fabric turned cerise-red all over the front of his chest, and the strong scent of copper throughout the area. 

“Don’t you ‘hey, love.’ me. You keep your eyes open right now, Delvaux.” 

Tears roll down the hero’s cheeks as he grips the scarlet smeared fabric within his fists, holding the man’s mask in the other as he’s pulled Marvin into his lap. 

Blood dribbles out of the wounds steadily as Marvin’s magic intensifies in color and speed, flying back and forth, and yet it’s barely doing anything, capping off the blood flow. 

Marvin’s breath rattles within his chest as he manages to speak again, the blood loss getting to him. Spots dance before his vision as he struggles to stay awake, the magician seeing blob-like spots of his family’s faces. 

“Guess I should’ve...figured out a way to talk this out over coffee, then.” 

His chest rises and falls unsteadily before falling stock still for a beat, lips pausing between breaths to release a breath of air, eyes slipping shut. 

[hollenka99]

Photographs

Summary: A selection of moments in Jackie Mann’s life, as told through photographs.

Upon a pillow laid on a table is a baby. He's asleep, having only been born a handful of days earlier. The hand resting by his cheek makes him appear dreamily fed up with all this attention. Behind the baby is a card declaring 'It's a Boy!' and vase full of flowers from the Aherns down the hall. It's not much in the way of celebrating his birth but it's more than his mother had anticipated. After generations of the family living in what was now Northern Ireland, he was the first to be born south of that border. Miss Coghlan only hoped she had made the right decision by moving away. And when she has the pictures developed, she captions this one

John Bartholomew Coghlan Born 10/07/1966 7:22pm --- John appeared to be caught off guard. In his hands were a wooden spoon and a small pan. He'd been banging them together, as two year olds had a habit of finding enjoyment doing, when he had been caught. His mouth was slightly agape in an expression that was a mix of startled and bewilderment. Seconds before, his mother had asked him what he was doing with humour in her voice. As she tucked the black and white photograph in a safe place, Aoife Coghlan smiled fondly, thinking to herself how her son was already a budding musician. There is no writing on the back except for 'November 1968'. --- The two boys looked like an absolute disgrace. It honestly made you wonder if they'd straight up rolled around in the dirt. The only reason John's mother had taken the photo was to help herself believe it had actually happened. Still the 7 year olds posed with their hands on the handlebars, mounted on their bicycles and a foot on the ground to steady themselves. The whole time they remained beaming, content with their day's worth of exploration and play. John had only received that bike for his birthday the prior month. Now look at the state of it! Dear Lord... On the back of the photograph, coloured this time, it is written: John and Dermot after riding their bikes in Ravensdale Forest, August 1973 --- Aoife couldn't have been prouder. The Aherns, whom they'd invited to witness this important moment in John's life, happily offered to take some photos of the mother and son duo. With his mother (dressed in the best of her Sunday best, obviously) placing a hand on his shoulder, John held his copy of the Bible up for the camera. He looked incredibly smart in his shirt and tie. In the background you could catch parts of other families celebrating the same occasion outside the church. This one was going to be catalogued as John's First Holy Communion - 13/06/1974 (Corpus Christi) --- John holds baby Bridget in his arm. Annette, her blonde hair in pigtails, is sitting on his lap. The siblings both have their gazes on the latest addition to their family. Seeing him with his two little sisters is enough to make anyone wonder how the boy is already 13. If his mother wasn't careful, he'd be preparing to leave home before she knew it. But for now it was her three children, together in one beautiful moment, and there wasn't anything more she could ask from the world. It may be grainy but what photo wasn't? It is filed away with September 1979 inked on the other side. --- Jackie had announced this was the year for change in his life. He was going to legally change his name as soon as his 18th birthday arrived in July. But first, Jackie Mann needed a look. Perhaps that was why he'd styled it into a mullet over the holidays and dyed it a vibrant green. None of his bandmates were going to be the ones to point it out but a mullet wasn't exactly the hairstyle you saw and thought 'punk rock'. Regardless, it was Jackie's hair and if he wanted that over a mohawk or anything else, then fine. Even with his arms crossed and back against the wall, it would need some work. Jotted down on the back is He claims it's here to stay, 3rd January 1984 --- It was clear Jackie felt fairly self conscious while wearing feminine clothing. More to the point, he didn't look comfortable if he knew others could see him in those garments. It was why he only wore it at home. Even so, he wasn't keen on Chris catching him in a dress. However, Jackie appeared to be too engrossed by dancing to whatever was playing on his Walkman when his friend returned from grabbing takeaway. The drummer remains oblivious with an absent minded smile as the moment is captured forever. This one gets titled Happy is a good look on him, 19th May 1984 --- The pub doesn't have particularly good lighting. It doesn't matter. You can at least still make out the scene. Jackie is drinking from his pint of Guinness and giving a thumbs up to the camera. In the corner is part of Matt's raised arm, in the middle of cheering. His friends had heavily encouraged him to choose the stout as the first alcoholic beverage of his adult life. He'd acted as if he was annoyed but ordered it regardless. Why the hell not? He'd been half considering doing so anyway. What the camera doesn't catch is the way he very visibly cringes in disgust seconds afterwards. Nor Stuart daring him to chug the whole pint to get out of buying rounds, Jackie stating he shouldn't have to buy rounds on his birthday in the first place then attempting the challenge despite it. Matt suggests the moment be dubbed 'Baby's first drink, 10th July 1984' --- The knife worked on the charred pieces of meat. In amongst all these restoration efforts, Chris' teasing and jokes caused him to have the blade pointed in his direction. This only triggers more of his offending behaviour. He rushes off to grab his camera. Jackie clutches the knife, swearing he was going to 'Psycho his ass in a minute'. This is the very moment preserved through the lens. The 18 year old repeats his threats of murder when he notices the latest addition of 'Jackie pretending he's not completely hopeless with turkey, 25th December 1984' to Chris' photo collection. --- Jackie's left arm was laid on the kitchen table and acted as a cushion for his head. The other hand was clutching a jar of pickles. With unkempt hair, no top and a pair of pajama bottoms not visible to the camera, he looked as terrible as he felt. The second picture was Jackie in a similar pose a minute later. He'd noticed Chris taking the first photograph, lifted his head a moment before having it drop down in the comfort of his arm. Chris, regretting the night before himself, had told him to smile. Instead Jackie's right arm was raised from the elbow and only one finger was not hidden. In the album, the two photographs are placed side by side. And below them is the caption Why 'cooling down' after Live Aid was a bad idea, 14th July 1985 --- In Jackie's arms, cradled like a baby, is a corgi. Her tail is blurred from wagging too much for the camera to catch it. Caoimhe's owner has his eyes clasped tight from laughter. On the other side of the camera, Jackie's new friend Nate watched as the dog did everything in her power to lick his face. The two men stay giggling throughout the whole thing. The more presentable results are put under Caoimhe 1st birthday, Apr '86 --- In the picture dated July 29 '86, Spencer is sat upon his big brother's shoulders. Pinned to his top is a badge declaring he is 5. He looks down and his face lights up as their eyes meet. Jackie has his hands firmly holding on to Spencer's. His eyes are directed skyward while his tongue pokes out. The brothers jointly revel in each other's company. The photograph could not have been taken sooner because a minute later Jackie is racing around the garden, much to Spencer's delight. --- 'Kissing at Stuart's birthday party, 9th October 1986' is pretty much what it says on the tin. Both of them are a little inebriated. Jackie is comfortably tipsy while Chris is gradually working his way towards plastered. Neither will admit to the other the feeling their relationship has seen better days, despite them both experiencing it. That didn't matter tonight. They were here to celebrate a friend turning 24 and damn it, they were going to do just that. It's a sweet moment where any grudges or frustrations are non-existent. Even better, it is still approximately an hour before Jackie will call it a night, say his goodbyes and leave for home. The party hasn't even reached the point where perhaps a dozen people (all intoxicated to varying degrees) join forces to sing 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' as the cake is presented to Stuart. The pair are happy together and for a frozen moment in time, they will remain so. --- He knows that he should technically be turning 53 today but ah, screw it. He's been living in 2019 for more or less five months now. Marvin gifted him several Queen albums this morning which he hadn't even had the chance to listen to yet. The hero had disappeared off to the kitchen, leaving Henrik, Chase and Jameson at the table with Jackie. Joel hovered between the kitchen and the party like he had been ever since he arrived. Standing in the doorway, his roommate counted their guests down from three. Happy Birthday was sung as his cake travelled towards him. Layered chocolate with strawberries and cream inbetween. Of course Marvin had chosen to bake that one. A couple of candles, a 2 and a 1, were situated in the middle of the top layer. He extinguishes them with his breath to the sound of collective cheering. All the while, Joel was filming it on his mobile phone. His phone of all things. Even after all this time, Jackie was still wrapping his head around that. They ask him what his wish was. He chuckles and winks, reminding them it won't come true if he tells. The truth is, however, that he can't think of one. He isn't sure what he wants. And somehow the thought of birthday wishes returns to him that evening. Long after Chase has rushed back to work with a takeaway slice and the others have bid their own farewells, he's got his legs dangling off a roof by Marvin's side. They sit together, hands entwined, gazing at the skyline in the fading light of a summer evening. He'd love to return to 1986, to live his life in a linear chronological fashion the way everyone else got to. There are people he misses, those he never got to say a proper goodbye to and countless memories he could have made but won't now. That said, he's already become part of dozens of memories in the past few months that he was never meant to be involved in either. If he really had to wish for anything, it was to remain happy throughout life. And currently, he was doing a pretty good job of achieving that.

[gamer-url]

All of them!

oh lord ok 

peach: do you have any piercings or tattoos?: 6 piercings and 6 tattoos

raspberry: favorite flower? Already answered

lemon: do you have any pets? what are their names?: i had a golden retriever named maggie but shes passed away 

mango: what is your trademark? Already answered

passion fruit: how would you describe your style?: lazy 90′s grunge and i look at the pretty tattooed girls on instagram

pineapple: sexual orientation?: straight

strawberry: favorite desserts?: urmm brownies or fruit 

cherry: can you play any musical instruments or can you sing?: i took drum lessons and i was in show choir so i miss singing, but i still sing in my car all the time lol  

grape: if you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?: south korea just to eat street food lol

banana: favorite horror movies?: the conjuring movies are fun :~) 

blackberry: is your life an action film, a comedy, a romantic comedy, or drama?: comedy 100%

pomegranate: when do you feel the most confident?: unfortunately at work with my gamer knowledge 

cantaloupe: what are your parents’ names?: trishia and marvin

guava: dark & dramatic makeup or natural makeup?: natural but i usually don’t put makeup on too often 

tangelo: if you could be any mythical creature, which would you be?: the qunari dragon age ladies were cool if u wanna call that mythical 

plum: favorite clothing brands?: i have a lot of old navy dkjdljas

coconut: favorite perfume?: i have a vanilla infused perfume, it smells so good  

lychee: satin or lace? Already answered 

blueberry: what do you want to dress up as for halloween?: no idea yet

apple: what do you use more, tumblr or twitter?: tumblr probably 

kiwi: what’s something that fascinates you?: idk video games, fashion/fashion history 

watermelon: do you have a job? if so, what is your job title?: professional dumbass

papaya: what song describes your aesthetic?: oof um either seven seas of rhye by queen or miss you by the rolling stones 

cranberry: favorite time of the day; morning, afternoon, dusk, or night? Already answered 

nectarine: would you consider yourself an emotional person?: um yeah sometimes

orange: do you have long eyelashes?: i mean i think so, they get in the way sometimes 

apricot: what do you do when you’re sad?: uhh cry and be nauseous 

star fruit: favorite sea creature?: would you consider those round seals a sea creacher??

dragonfruit: do you drink alcohol?: nope! 

[nicknederson]

you know what i want?

a nancy drew reboot of the old mysteries with a modern take similar to the first person perspective of the nancy drew diaries

so anyway i wrote the first chapter of secret of the old clock (edit: chapter two; chapter three; chapter four)

"Can you wash cashmere?"

“Nancy Drew.”

“Don’t yell at me. It was a joke, Bess Marvin.” Not a very good one, I’d admit. But lately, Bess was on edge about her cousin’s upcoming wedding. I could have cracked the best joke of the century and she would have told me she didn’t have time for humor because she had to focus on flower arrangements. I seriously couldn’t even remember what cousin was getting married. But I was being a good friend. Which is why I was here. At the department store. Picking out our rehearsal dinner outfits.

“Nancy, I cannot deal with this right now,” Bess said with enough dramatic flair to star in a school play. That was one of her new favorite words- cannot. I guess can't just wasn't cutting it anymore. "I have a bridesmaid dress fitting in about ten minutes and I'm pretty sure I gained about ten pounds so they're going to be making even more alterations to it!"

"Maybe stop eating your weight in chocolate-covered strawberries," I tried.

"Oh, what do you know?" Bess complained. "Just buy whatever off the rack and you can return it if I don't like it."

"Yeah, I can return it," I said about as dryly as I could manage. "Because I clearly don't have anything else to do with my life." I really didn't. “But Bess, I think you’re taking this a little too seriously. Laura-“

“Lily.”

“Lily probably doesn’t want you stressing this much about the wedding,” I said. “I mean, you’re a bridesmaid. Not the maid of honor.” I had more of my speech. All about how weddings were archaic and really just a means to trap women in a cycle of impossible standards and unnecessary self-punishment.

“Yeah, that’s great, Nancy. Get me something blue. It’ll match my eyes.” And then she hung up. Well, so much for my speech. It was a good one, too. George Fayne- Bess’s cousin who wasn’t the Lily side of the family and my other best friend- would have liked it. Unfortunately, George was up in the mountain for a summer sports camp and could be reached by pigeon more reliably than cell phone. And here I was- shopping for clothes at our sleepy town of River Heights’s only department store right back at home. No big summer plans or schemes of grandeur before school started again.

That said, I couldn't really complain. Summer was supposed to be the best thing in the world when you were sixteen and didn’t have much to do. Plus, I did need to do some shopping for new clothes, anyway. And I had the benefit of my dad being nice and footing the bill for me. I was originally supposed to get a job this summer- something underpaid, underappreciated, and with a silly uniform presumably in the form of a hat shaped like a hot dog-, but that didn’t happen. Simply put, I forgot. There were probably applications buried somewhere in my room.

I would pay my dad back, don’t get me wrong. But for the time being, I preferred the term ‘appreciated’ to ‘spoiled rotten’. Though that term could easily be applied to two girls I happened to spot talking to a sales associate one aisle over. The place that I picked to shop at wasn't exactly high-end, but it obviously wanted to be. And that was also a fitting description for the two girls.

"This is abhorrent," one of them was snarling at the poor sales rep. Both of them looked to be about my age, but this one just looked older. Maybe it was her greasy hair, maybe it was her major overbite- personally, I thought it was both. She was short, stout, and angry in contrast to the rather vapid-looking girl standing next to her with her eyes sort of glazed over. She was rail thin and sort of pretty if you looked at her from exactly the right angle. Potentially on a full moon with the planets properly aligned and an eyepatch over one eye to make her seem further away from you than she was. "Do you know who we are?"

I'll admit it- I was curious. I have this natural inclination to be nosy and it's gotten me into a few weird situations. But I love drama as much as I love intrigue so I was all ears for this conversation. Pretending to peruse a rack of ugly skirts nearby, I expertly eavesdropped on the conversation. "My apologies, Miss Topham," the sales rep sputtered out. "But I was helping someone else until just now and-"

"My sister and I are about to be very rich!" the stout girl spat. I don't think the tall skinny one knew how to use her mouth to form words. "And we will remember how awful your service is when that happens, do you hear me?"

I will also admit to another weakness of mine- I hate watching people get treated unfairly. It was what made me stick up for kids getting picked on on the playground since I could first walk two steps in front of me. And what was happening a few feet away from me definitely looked like bullying. So when the shorter sister sent the sales rep scurrying off to find something for her, I continued to pretend like the ugly skirts were actually the best thing I'd ever seen just to make sure they didn't do something else awful to the poor sales lady. It didn't take very long for them to do exactly that. "What is that?" the short one harped when the sales rep presented her with a dress. "Isabel, have you ever seen something more hideous?"

The dress wasn't bad. It was a cute powder blue slip that had tulle design near the top of it. It was something Bess might like- especially because it was blue. Still, the taller girl- Isabel- nodded fervently to her sister's claim. Keeping an amicable expression was clearly the sales rep's greatest achievement for the day. "Oh, but this is just in off the designers from Paris. It's haute couture." I wasn’t much of a fashion plate, but I could tell that probably wasn’t true. I wasn't going to fault her for trying. She probably made commission.

Still, the stout sister stuck her nose up at it like it were covered in dog poo. "I don't know what that means, but it certainly doesn't mean 'even mildly fashionable'," she threw out before snatching the dress away from the sales rep. "Go find us something else that doesn't make our eyes hurt."

I could tell by the sales rep momentary slip in composure that that was not her usual job. She practically slunk off to do the girl's bidding and didn't look too happy about it in the process. Meanwhile, Isabel peered at the dress with her big, dewy eyes while her sister held it up and sneered at it. "It's not too bad," she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear it from where I was lingering near the ugly cardigans. I don't know why they thought putting them next to the ugly skirts was a good arrangement. "Mama would like it." Isabel's voice was worse than her face- a high, reedy voice that sounded sort of like a kazoo that someone had left in the sandbox.

Her sister checked the price tag on the supposedly 'ugly dress' and scoffed. "It's too expensive. Daddy would throw a fit if we started spending all of old Crowley's money before we even got it." Now that was an interesting sentence. "But we can just make an adjustment." An even more interesting sentence. Coupled with the fact that she reached up one grubby hand to rip some of the tulle on the dress right off had me nearly drop my jaw in shock. "There," the squatter sister cooed, seemingly pleased with herself. She switched back to sour-faced a second later when the sales rep returned with an arm full of dresses. "We've changed our minds. We'll take this one." She pointed to the blue dress in her hands. "But we will not pay full price."

The sales rep looked like she'd just been punched. "But that's one of a kind!" she said, clearly flustered. "It's the only one in the store."

"Well, it's damaged," snapped the stout sister. Isabel just stood by blank-faced. I realized she kind of looked like a ferret. Her sister, on the other hand, was just a plain rat. "We want 25% off."

"But-" the sales rep couldn't even finish her sentence. I couldn't blame her.

"Where is your manager?" the stout sister trilled. "I demand to speak with him."

At that exact moment, a balding man walking by reeled around on his heel- face serious. "I'm the manager," he announced. "What seems to be the problem here?"

The sales rep went pale as the shorter girl peered at the bald man. "Your associate here just tried to sell us a damaged dress at full price," she insisted.

"No, I didn't!" the sales rep yelped. She snapped her mouth shut the moment her manager levelled her with a look. The 'how dare you be rude to this customer' look that every retail worker feared.

"I'm very sorry, miss," the manager said with a bow of his head. "We'll give you a discount if you'd still like the item. And we'll even pay for the damage to be repaired by a top quality seamstress."

From the looks of the dress, it didn't even deserve that much. But while Isabel had a rather self-satisfied look on her face, her sister didn't look like she was done. "One more thing," she said sweetly. Granted, her attempt at 'sweet' reminded me of black licorice that melted on a dirty sidewalk. "You should take the fee for the repair out of her salary." She pointed at the sales rep and the woman visibly looked ready to faint. "It's only fair."

The manager hesitated for a second before he nodded. "Of course-"

I'd had enough. With a funny little hop, I was over to the group in seconds. "Excuse me," I called out. I flashed a smile- hopefully not looking super awkward. "Yeah, hi, I was just over there and saw the whole thing. She-" I pointed to the sales rep, "Did not try to sell them a damaged dress. They-" I pointed to the two sisters who were giving me the evil eye. "Ripped it when she wasn't looking to try and get a discount."

I could tell I was the sales rep's new best friend. And that I was the Topham sisters' new worst enemy. "She's lying!" the short sister shouted. "I would never do something like that."

Figuring she'd say that, I grabbed her wrist- turning it to reveal some small blue strings of fabric on her palm. "You have some fabric on the hand you ripped it with," I provided fluidly. "And you'll see that there is also some on the floor by your feet. Not anywhere else on the floor- meaning that the dress was only ripped and losing threads right around here."

The girl jerked her hand back as her face went bright red. Her sister looked ready to bolt straight out the door. "I don't know who you think you are-"

"Given the evidence," the manager coughed, interrupting them. "I'm going to have to ask you pay for the full price of the dress you damaged."

The short sister looked like her face was going to explode. "I don't want it!" she shouted. Some other shoppers were starting to linger around the spectacle she was making the same way I had. And of course, the manager was quick to notice.

"I'm sorry, but you damaged the dress so you must buy it," he insisted. "And then I have to ask you to never set foot in my store again."

It seemed a little rash, but the short sister's reaction was worse. She straight up threw the dress onto the ground. "I won't buy that! You can't make me!" Then she stormed off- her sister trailing in her angry wake all the way to the door.

Once they were gone, the sales rep gave a sigh of relief. "I can't thank you enough," she told me. "The repair for that would have cut my pay more than half!"

I just stuck with smiling. "It's no problem," I assured her. "If anyone had been around to see how awful they were to you, they'd have done the same thing." That didn't seem to stop the sales rep from looking at me like I’d accessorized with a halo and matching wings that morning.

"Regardless," the manager spoke up, clearing his throat again. "We're still going to have to do something about this dress."

"Wait-" I reached forward a took a hold of the dress to take a look at the tab. "I'll take it."

The manager looked just as shocked as the sales rep did. "But it's damaged," the manager had to remind me.

"It's not too bad," I assured him. I touched some of the ruffles that the shorter Topham had ripped. "I could probably fix it myself."

"Well," the manager huffed. "At least let me give you a complimentary discount. Both for your help in exposing those two young ladies as crooks and for helping Loralei here."

I didn't argue. I just considered it a bonus. As Loralei rung me up with the 50% discount, I couldn't help, but poke my nose even further into other people's business. You know, as I'm wont to do. "Who were those girls anyway?" I asked. "I mean, did you know them?" I’d never seen them in school before over at River Heights High. After that display, I really didn’t want to.

I could tell by Loralei's face that she did. I could also tell she didn't really want to reveal that information. But I just waited patiently until she caved. Despite everything that had just happened, Loralei was still a sales rep- they loved to gossip about customers. "Those were the Tophams. They've been in here before. Ada and Isabel." Knowing that Isabel was the skinny one, I assumed Ada had to be the stout one. It was fitting because I had never heard of someone with a more unfortunate name. Very invocative of covered wagons and long trips overland with plenty of dysentery. "Don't get me wrong, they spend money when they're here so they're technically good customers. But what you just saw was pretty much the standard fare for dealing with those two."

I just nodded along like this was all news to me and I was a completely impartial party. "I think I heard them mention something about an... old man Crowley?" I had, in fact, heard that, but Loralei didn't need to know that.

At the mention of the name, her eyes went wide. "Oh, you're from around here, are you?" I nodded. "I’m from a town over- in Hayworth. It’s been the subject of debate around there for the last few months!" She paused to look around for other customers before leaning across the counter to elaborate. "See, Josiah Crowley was this eccentric old man who lived around here. He never really had a home- always stayed with relatives no matter how distant- but he was supposedly loaded up to the eyeballs. Well, the last family who got stuck with him was the Tophams- Richard and his wife Cora. And when Crowley passed away, they came forward with a will that gave all his properties, money, and stocks to them!" I made the appropriate face so that she knew I found this just as shocking as she did. "Normally, who cares about those sorts of things, but the Crowley will just struck so many people as strange. He wasn't really a big fan of the Tophams. Fact, they hated him up until they found out he was dying and they'd profit from it. But Crowley used to promise a lot of his other- much nicer- relatives that they'd live comfortably after his death." Loralei gave an unaffected shrug. "Those poor people will never see a dime. A few of them were even contesting the will."

"Really?" I didn't have to feign interest now. I was definitely interested in all this talk of a mysterious will. Hayworth was a little town off the side of a little town- that kind of drama was uncommon for such a sleepy place. And I could swear the name Crowley sounded familiar. Not just ‘two seconds ago when I asked about it’ familiar, but ‘I’ve heard it somewhere before, but didn’t pay too much attention to it’ familiar. "Do you think they stand a chance?"

Loralei gave me a level sort of look as the machine spat out a receipt. "I don't think so." She ripped the receipt off and handed it to me. My 'savings' happened to be in the triple digits and I was sure Bess would just love her new rehearsal dinner dress. "Crowley was a weirdo and not all there on a good day. Chances are, those Tophams coerced him into re-writing the will in their favor." She put a manicured finger to her lips. "But you didn't hear that from me."

I smiled back. "Of course not."

[marvinsmasterpieces]

you guys wanna see my strawberry dress marvin drawing