#My man Leo does not know how to process his emotions

[sorrinslays]

Still black and bruised

One shot

Basically Leo processes his feelings about the death of his pet turtle, Stripe. Donnie is trying to make him feel better

---

This is my iteration of the TMNT franchise which is why it might seem out of character.

(Trigger warning:

-Animal death

-Thoughts of self-harm

-Mild description of animal corpse

-Slight description of overstimulation (I think, I'm not sure what the fuck that is)

-My iteration of the franchise)

[blossom-works]

The Apple of His Eye

A peek into the life of the Kennedy household with a gentle cocker spaniel, a nurturing mother, a protective father, and their oh-so-adorable little human.

Original prompt

A/N: OC is the same OC from His Sunshine

---

Leon's eyelids start to flutter at a familiar sound. His tired mind slowly lulls itself back to sleep. A few seconds later, his ears pick up at the same sound. Leon tries to go back to sleep but a loud babble forces his brain to kick his body into high gear. The babbling gets louder and louder.

'Doesn't sound like she's crying.' Leon compromises. If she really needs him or her mother, she will start crying. Finding a rational excuse, Leon sinks himself further into the mattress. Just a few more seconds and Leon will be back in dreamland.

.

.

.

Wrong.

The baby monitor transmits a loud screech, compelling Leon to open his eyes and kick his legs over the edge of the bed. Hhm, that is weird. The other side of the bed is empty. Where are you? The squawking does not give Leon enough time to think.

"Okay. Okay. I'm on my way, bunny." Leon grumbles while shutting the monitor off. The distance from the master bedroom to the nursery is only a couple of feet away. In fact, both rooms are located at the opposite sides of the staircase. The master bedroom is at the left, down a mini-way. The nursery is the door directly to the right of the staircase. Per routine, Leon looks down at the door to see Shiloh tapping her paws against the wooden floor, awaiting her chance to say "good morning" to her little human.

Pushing the door open, Leon gives the medium-sized dog to enter the decorated room. When the DSO agent first encountered BOWs, he never thought that he would get married and have a kid. It was something pre-Raccoon City Leon thought about, but that wishful thinking quickly left the man after the events of '98. It was not until after your one-year wedding anniversary did Leon really started thinking about having kids. He discussed his desire with you which led to some serious baby-making.

Leon never had any experience with babies before Eri was born. He never changed a diaper and he never held a baby. Kids, Leon was comfortable around. They know how to use the bathroom on their own, and they mostly run around all day. The cherry on it all was that Leon would be raising his baby from day one. As soon as that baby popped out of you, Leon would be a father.

Your pregnancy with Eri was relatively easy. You did not experience morning sickness or many aversions to food or cravings. You did get emotional here and there, giving Leon some serious whiplash. Most of the time you were just tired. Leon forbade you from doing field work when you told him you were pregnant. He was even able to convince the president to give Leon domestic cases so he could be closer to you.

After Eri was born, Leon's view of the world permanently changed. As much as Leon hates his job, the moment he held Eri, Leon knew he would be a DSO agent until his late fifties. Maybe early sixties. Why? Leon needs to do everything he can to make sure his little girl can live in a world without the worry of bioterrorism. When you took Eri home, Leon used his connections to up his home's security system.

Changing diapers. Bathing. Changing clothes. Cleaning spit up. Diaper explosions. Late-night feedings and changings. You name it, Leon did it. It was definitely a learning process for him, but you were able to show Leon the ropes. Thank goodness that you had experience with babies. You spent your teenage years babysitting your little cousins, and your older brother and sister have kids of their own. Lord knows the chaos that would have erupted if the both of you were clueless about babies and raising them.

Leon loves fatherhood. His own childhood (at least the parts he remembers) was not a happy one. His parents got into some sketchy stuff with equally sketchy people. Their family was always on the run. Then, Leon was orphaned. Eri is Leon's chance to make up for his childhood. He would be the father he never had. You would be the mother Leon wished he had growing up. The two of you would give Eri the childhood Leon never had.

Shiloh claws at the crib, whining through the wooden bars.

"Calm down, girl. I'll get her in a sec."

The baby stops her crying when she sees her father. Cheeks are free from tears. Leon lightly pinches her chubby cheek. "You little faker." He coos. On most mornings, Eri would whine and fake cry to get her parents' attention. She would always greet them with a mischievous smile that said, "Ha ha, I tricked you. Now pick me up!"

"Morning, bunny." Leon picks his daughter up by her armpits and holds her against his chest. Morning cuddles with his baby girl are one of Leon's favorite ways to start his day. The others are cuddling with his wife and umm...cuddling with his wife. Eri nuzzles against Leon's t-shirt, further messing up her brown hair. Other than her eyes and hair, Eri looks just like you.

After their morning routine, Leon lays Eri down on the changing table. His daughter looks around at the wall beside her and her curious hands try to grab at the garland of stars. With his quick reflexes, Leon stops her.

"Nu-uh. Your mom would yell at me if you pulled that down."

You spent days planning Eri's nursery. A couple of those days were just trying to figure out the theme of it. Leon told you that he did not care, which ended up biting him in the ass. You wanted his opinion, but you forgot that the man is not well-versed in home decor. Eventually, you narrowed your options down to a night sky/starry night theme. Leon never heard about this website called "Etsy" until then. So. Much. Shit. You bought off that place.

You even had your baby shower themed the same to keep things simple. Since most of your family lives in Georgia or the Carolinas, you had the baby shower in Atlanta. The Redfields, Jill, and some of your FBI friends came down to celebrate too. In this entire room, Leon's favorite object is the framed footprints on the wall. You asked your nurse to print Eri's feet on cardstock so you could hang up. Every month since Eri's birth, you and Leon make it a goal to stamp Eri's feet. A cute memorabilia for the two of you.

Clean bum, check. Now Leon needs to feed his baby. Putting her down on the living room carpet, Leon rummages through the fridge. On the second shelf, he sees two plastic-wrapped plates. The bigger plate, his plate has a note on it. It says, "Good morning, handsome. I left for a quick trip to the grocery store. I made you and Eri some breakfast to keep your morning easy. All you need to do is cut up an apple for her. I already fed Shiloh, so don't worry about her. - Sunshine <3"

God, you are amazing. Leon heats up Eri's plate first. Like Leon, she tends to get hangry. After heating the small plate up, Leon sets it aside to let it cool and he takes an apple from the fridge and cuts it into bite-sized pieces (while also getting his "dad tax" in).

'Wait a minute...It's too quiet.'

Putting the pairing knife down, Leon wipes his hands with the kitchen towel and looks for his daughter.

"Eri? Where are you, apple?" Leon peeps from over the couch and his daughter is nowhere to be seen. He calls out to her again. Great. Another game of hide-n-seek. Eri's favorite game to play. If you leave the little girl alone for long enough, Eri will wander off and hide. He blames you for introducing the game to her. You would hide around the house with Eri, waiting for Leon to find you. It was cute until Eri decided to spontaneously play the game by herself when she learned how to crawl. You and Leon had a full-on panic attack when you could not find your daughter.

Both of you have dangerous jobs. Resulting in making dangerous enemies. When you and Leon moved out of your shared apartment to live in a house in the suburbs, the main concern was security. Files on DSO agents and their families are strictly confidential. Even the people who work at the Pentagon have to have a certain level of clearance to access that information. Even Eri's birth certificate is confidential. The only information that is not blocked out is her name, date of birth, and sex.

But, there is always that small chance that someone can find out about your family. When that does happen, Leon wants to be prepared for it. Your home is on a large piece of land in Arlington, Virginia. It is close enough to the city for help to arrive in a reasonable time frame, but far enough to enjoy some well-deserved privacy. With Hunnigan's help, Leon was able to equip his property with a high-tech security system. Cameras, motion detectors, audio recordings, and more. Leon even chalked up some hidden compartments around the house to hold firearms of different kinds.

After twenty minutes of looking, you found Eri asleep under the dining room table. The chairs blocked her from your view. That day, you and Leon did not take your eyes off of her. One of you was always with her to make sure she did not crawl herself into trouble.

"There you are, you bad girl." Leon bends down to drag Eri out of the walk-in pantry. Oh, and Shiloh often hides with Eri. The two of them are partners in crime. "Let's get you something to eat alright? And not give your old dad a heart attack."

By the time Leon finished doing the dishes, you came walking in from the garage door with two arms full of groceries.

"Hey, handsome." You greet while tossing the plastic bags onto the kitchen counter. Leon greets you back with a kiss before helping you put the groceries away. Seeing her mother, Eri squeals in delight. She leans over the tray and makes grabby hands at you.

"Awee! Did my baby miss me?" You pick Eri out of her highchair and smother her with your love. Leon could live in this moment forever. If he had one wish, this would be it. Just him, his daughter, his wife, and his dog at home. No spontaneous calls from work. No investigations. Secretly, Leon takes out his personal phone and snaps a photo of you cuddling with your daughter.

The afternoon comes and it is almost time for Eri's nap. She usually naps for about two hours before being put to bed around eight-thirty. Today has been an easy one, and Leon hopes it stays that way. When the two of you are home, Leon puts Eri to sleep while you make lunch for the two of you. Eri always has an early lunch before she naps and a snack after she wakes up. The two of you found that to be easy considering Eri's tendency to get cranky when hungry. Like father, like daughter.

Leon walks into the kitchen to see you watching something on your phone. A pan is on the stove, sizzling.

"Watcha' watchin'?"

"A video popped up on my YouTube feed. It's about three things this guy learned from raising daughters." You hand the phone to Leon since the lessons are being told from a father's perspective.

When you plate your respective meals, Leon is sitting on the back patio. You find this unusual because he always tells you where he is going (with the exception of some missions). Even if it is somewhere around or in the house. You slide the patio door open.

"Leon? What's wrong, babe?"

He shakes his head. "It's nothing." Leon opens his arms to invite you onto his lap. You wrap your arms around his neck and nuzzle into Leon's shoulder.

"Did you get another mission?" Your guess is a valid one. Leon almost always gets like this, quiet, when he gets a call from his higher-ups. Your husband hates to leave you and he hates it more when he has to leave his darling apple, but Leon shakes his head "no".

"Is something bothering you then?" Again, Leon shakes his head "No".

Alright, then you will wait for Leon to tell you what is bothering him. Until then, you pull Leon up and bring him to the kitchen. There is no way that you are going to forsake your hard work. His appetite has gone down a little, but Leon knows that if he does not eat, he will not get a chance to without paying the "Eri tax".

Later that night, after Eri is snoozing in her crib, Leon tells you what is bothering him. The last thing the man in the video said hit Leon straight in his heart. The last lesson for dads is to teach their daughters how to shoot. It is Leon's job as a father to be his family's main provider and protector, but there will come a time when Leon will not be there to protect and provide for his family.

As much as Leon tries to rid of the dangers of the world, darkness will always lurk. It will be his job as Eri's father to teach her how to defend herself. To protect herself from the monsters that try to stop her from reaching her full potential in the world. Cause'...someday daddy will not be there to do it for her. Sometime in the night when the baby monitor picks up on Eri's cries, Leon volunteers himself to care for her.

Half-asleep, you hear Leon talking to your daughter. Repeating the same promise he made when she was born. To protect her for as long as he can. Then you hear Leon say, "Did you just pee on my hand?"

In the morning, your family of four go to a nearby park to take a walk. Eri is in her stroller, you pushing the stroller, and Leon is walking Shiloh. This writer has been focusing on the nurturing mother, protective father, and their adorable daughter, but what about the gentle doggo?

Shiloh has always loved people. Cocker spaniels are known to be wonderful family pets and very tolerant of small children. The first day you brought Eri home, Shiloh would not leave her alone. While you were pregnant, the dog would find every opportunity to nuzzle against your stomach. When Eri still slept in the room with you and Leon, Shiloh would sleep at the foot of the bed or next to the bassinet.

Their relationship would only grow as Eri gets bigger. You have a video of Shiloh giving one of her toys to a one-month-old Eri, wanting the baby to play a game of fetch with her. When Eri started eating solid foods, she would purposefully throw a small handful on the ground. Always nearby, Shiloh would lap up whatever Eri was eating. There was one time when you were out of the house, Leon was giving Eri a bath and then Shiloh hopped into the tub.

You used to be Shiloh's best friend, but you gladly gave that position to Eri. They make a cuter pair anyway.

With a household full of girls, Leon is always smothered with love. Before, you and Shiloh would always fight for his attention, and now he has three girls fighting for it. You like to mess with Eri when she gets cuddly with Leon. You would pick Eri up and put her a few feet away from Leon, before running back to him and taking her place. Purposefully, you dramatically nuzzle against Leon and kiss his cheek with a loud "Mwah!"

She only started crawling about a month ago, but Eri is a fast one. She would pop up at her father's feet and cry out to him, demanding that he pick her up. When he does pick her up and place Eri on his lap, she would try with all her might to push you off. If she could talk, Eri would say "My daddy!" Then Shiloh and Eri fight with each other to get Leon's attention. Safe to say that Leon loves the attention he gets from his girls.

Bath time is Eri's favorite. Right behind cuddling with mommy which is right behind cuddling with daddy, which is behind chasing the things that likes to play with her and lick her. Eri loves water. She loves slashing it everywhere. Leon introduced Eri to a water bath toy. It is a whale that lights up and spurts water out of its blow hole. Kind of a double-edged sword because Eri will not let either of you bathe her without that toy.

"That's enough, bunny." Leon begs as he scrunches up his face. Thanks to his baby girl, Leon's chest is all wet. He learned to rid of his shirt whenever he bathes Eri. It is easier to dry himself off without having to deal with a soaked shirt.

Eri dismisses her father's pleas and continues to punch the water. Her dark brown hair is clean and the water droplet on her nose enhances the button-like feature. Eri's eyes are a hazel brown, but if the light hits her irises just right, you can see a swirl of blue in them. You once joked that Eri's charming features would attract all the boys in her class, begging her to be their girlfriend. Leon did not find that funny. He protectively held Eri to his chest and said, "The sons of bitches better know how to shoot then."

Leon's last straw during bath time is when Eri shoves water over the edge of the tub, drowning the tile and soaking the edges of his gym shorts. Leon puts a diaper on Eri and takes the towel-clad baby to her room. Carefully, Leon tosses the clothed baby on your shared bed where you are typing away at your laptop.

"Watch the brat. I've gotta clean up her little mess."

You put your laptop on your bedside table and curl against your baby. You lift her shirt up and blow raspberries against her puggy stomach.

"Did you give your dad a hard time again?" Her little giggles say "yes".

You like to keep a few baby books in your room to keep Eri entertained. You sit up against the headboard and plop your daughter on your lap.

"Guess how much I love you."

Animated, you read the book in different voices and inflections. You use your hands to copy what the hares are doing in the book. At some point, Shiloh lays herself in the middle of the bed where your legs are. When you finish the book, you pull out another one.

"The giving tree."

Before you can read the first page, Leon takes it and climbs into his side of the bed. Minding the sleeping dog, he slides you over to him. Practically squishing Eri between you two.

"Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy..."

The Kennedy family has vital parts to it.

You are the sun that gave life and light to the apple seed, allowing it to sprout into a little tree. Shiloh is the birds and small animals that give the little apple tree companionship. And Leon. Leon is the protector. The one that wards off the pests that try to nip at the little apple tree. The one that fights off the wolves that try to eat the birds and small animals. The one that blows away the clouds that try to cover the sun's rays. Then there is the little apple tree itself. A precious gift of life that should be nurtured and protected.

"And the tree was happy."

---

Note: Eri may or may not have been inspired by the Eri in My Hero Academia...Why? Cause she's so darn diggity cute, that's why!

[lulublack90]

Prompt 31 - Lock

@jegulus-microfic January 31 Word count 1755

This is it folks. I'm quite emotional. I really hope you all like it.

For my biggest fans @weirdtinkerbellversion @thedvilsinthedetails and @beautyoftheships I love you guys.

Previous part First part

All he could hear was white noise. His brain couldn’t process James’s words. His eyes found the bottle of wine, and he automatically poured himself a glass and downed it. 

He grasped the edge of the counter with both hands and felt his body shake. 

James remained silent, not wanting to push him. 

Regulus bit back tears and turned around, putting his protective mask in place, leaving his face devoid of emotion. 

“So that’s it for us then?” He stared at James with dead eyes, his voice a bored monotone. It made James shiver.

“I don’t want it to be.” Tears dripped down his face. “Reg,” He croaked. “I love you. I want to be with you. Lily told me this life-changing news,” He looked at his watch. “Four hours ago.”

“So, you didn’t know anything while I was arranging my return to England?” He sounded cold and accusing. He tried not to care. James shook his head. 

“No, Reg. I swear. I’ve only just found out.” James looked at him, features full of heartbreak. “You’re the first person I’ve told. Not even Sirius knows.” This shocked Regulus almost as much as finding out James was going to be a father. 

He smelt burning. He spun around and pulled the ruined dinner out of the oven. He threw it on the side and bit down on his lip. 

“James, I need you to go. Please.” His mask had slipped. It would be only moments before he broke down. 

“Reg—“

“Please, James. I need to figure out if this is the life I want. Kids were never my plan, and now…” He didn’t know how to finish that sentence, so he let it sit. 

“I’m so sorry, Reg. Nothing ever seems to go right for us. Does it? I really hope that changes.” His voice was thick as he continued. “Please remember whatever you choose, I will always love you.” With that, James left. The door hadn’t even banged shut before Regulus was sobbing. 

———————————————————————————

James’s chest hurt. What should have been a hopefully pleasant evening had turned into yet another nightmare. He looked up at the skies and called out to whoever might be listening.

“Could whoever is writing our story please give us a break?!” When he got no answer, he walked back to his empty house. Even Leo had gone out.       

His phone buzzed. 

‘Hey. Reggie just texted me and said you’d gone home already. Take it it didn’t go well then? Wanna meet for lunch tomorrow? Usual place?

Love ya

xxx’

He sent back a quick, ‘Yeah, sounds good to me. See you at noon x.’ He decided the best thing was to go to bed and deal with everything in the morning. 

***

James heard the sound of thundering boots coming up fast behind him. He began to turn, but before he could see what was happening. There was an almighty thud. He looked down at the pavement and sprawled across it. Hair in a wild mess was Sirius. 

“Trip over your laces again?” James said flatly. 

“Yup.” A muffled reply came from the heap on the floor. James snorted loudly as he bent to pick his friend up. 

Miraculously, Sirius had gotten away with only a slight graze on his cheek. 

“Is it true? Am I going to be an Uncle!” He shook James vigorously in his excitement. 

“I suppose so, I guess,” James said as he tried to escape Sirius's grasp.

“I’m godfather!” He burst out, bouncing up and down. 

“Sirius, we’re not even religious.” 

“Fine, fairy godfather, whatever. Either way, I bagsy it.” James sighed and clapped him on the back.

“You got it, you absolute crazy man.” He bent down and tied Sirius’s laces for him. 

“Awww, you’re gonna be such a good dad.” He gushed as he wiggled his foot, checking out his shoelaces.

“Come on then, let’s go get lunch. I had some amazing news to tell you.” James chuckled as he threw his arm around Sirius’s shoulder and continued down the street to the little cafe on the corner. 

Sirius didn’t stop babbling about all the baby things he’d googled and spouted off so much information that James felt his chest tightening in panic.

“I think he just needs time, you know.” 

“Hmm, what?” James had completely zoned out, picking his sandwich to pieces.

“I said, he just needs time. It’s a lot. But I really hope he picks you, mate.” Sirius said, taking James’s hands away from his decimated sandwich and squeezing them gently. He didn’t want to get his hopes up again, but he didn’t fight very hard.      

***

He was painting when the door went. He nearly fell off the ladder as he hurried downstairs to answer it. He was covered in paint, so he tried to touch as few things as possible. 

He yanked the door open, slightly red-faced, and lost all his breath when he saw Regulus standing there. 

“Hi,” 

“Hi,” 

“I’ve made my decision.” Regulus blurted out, not waiting to be invited in. James felt his mouth go dry.

“And?” His tongue was like sandpaper. He couldn’t take the suspense.

“I’m in,” Regulus said confidently. “Nappies, late night feedings, helping them plot their revenge on the school bully. All of it. I’m in.” Without warning, James flung himself at Regulus. He gathered him up into his arms and spun him around. He was bursting with joy. 

He suddenly dropped him and ran into his office. He rooted around in a draw and rushed back to Regulus, who was still waiting at the front door. 

“I got you something.” He held out the small box.

“What the fuck! James! Are you proposing?” Regulus’s eyebrows disappeared into the curls that hung over his forehead. James’s eyes widened.

“NO! No, No,” He opened the box. “It’s just a key!” 

“Oh,” Regulus sounded disappointed. James made a mental note to put a pin in that for later. 

“And what lock does this open, James? Your heart?” A playful smirk settled on Regulus’s mouth. 

“It’s a key to the house. So you don’t have to knock any more, you can come and go as you please. And—” He took a deep breath. He’d been preparing for this. “And if you’d like to—No pressure, by the way—But if you’d like to, I’d love it if you moved in with me.” Regulus took the silver-coloured key from the box and held it in his hand, staring at it, flipping it over in his palm. He looked up at James, a sweet, shy smile on his lips. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?” 

“Okay, I’ll move in with you. Being away, I forgot how obnoxious Sirius is. I’ve had to buy earplugs to block out his nighttime noises.” He pulled a face, gagging slightly. James grabbed him in his arms again and lifted him into the air. 

“I love you,” He whispered across Regulus’s lips before closing the gap. 

Only when he set a breathless Regulus back on his feet did he remember he was covered in paint. He looked in horror at the cream-coloured paint splattered all over Regulus’s black coat. Regulus looked down as well. 

“Is that paint?” His eyebrow shot up as he questioned James. 

“Yeah, sorry. I was painting the room that’s going to be the nursery. Er, put your coat in the wash, and you can borrow one of mine. I’ll just go get changed.” He ushered Regulus inside and shut the door. Being very careful not to touch him again.

Regulus shrugged off his coat. 

“Did you get it finished.? He asked matter of factly. 

“Er, no, I didn’t. I barely even started. Only done about half a wall.” Regulus pulled his jumper off and started up the stairs. James chased after him and into his bedroom. But Regulus wasn’t there. “Reg?” He called out as he tried and failed to figure out where he’d gone. 

“I’m in the baby’s room. Where are you?” Regulus called back. James hurried out of the bedroom. Clearly, he’d gotten the wrong idea. 

Regulus, roller in hand, was making a start on the wall that James had started. He’d already accomplished more than he had and didn’t have a lick of paint on him. James leaned against the door frame, watching the man he hoped to spend the rest of his life with painting his unborn child’s room. 

He didn’t think there were enough words in the world to describe how much he loved him.     

———————————————————————————

Nine months later

“James, he’s beautiful.” Regulus hadn’t expected to feel this way when meeting baby Harry for the first time. The tiny raven-haired boy slept soundly in James’s arms. James grinned the biggest grin Regulus had ever seen on his face. He turned to Lily. “He’s amazing, Lily. How are you doing?” She looked exhausted, but she still had a smile for him and a cheeky wink. 

“You know me. Cup of coffee, and I’ll be right back up.”

“Do you want to hold him?” James asked him as he slowly rocked the baby to and fro. 

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Regulus said quietly. His palms felt sweaty as he looked nervously at the tiny, delicate bundle that was nestled in James’s arms. 

“You’ll be fine. Here.” James stood and awkwardly transferred Harry into Regulus’s arms. 

He looked again at the tiny baby and felt a protective love surge through his body. 

Harry fussed in his arms, and he instinctively began to sway. Harry opened his little mouth in a perfect O and settled back down. He was so in love. 

There was a quiet tap at the hospital door, and Sirius’s face popped around it. 

“Can we come in yet?” He whined. James nodded.

“Yeah, of course you can.” 

Sirius rushed in, followed more slowly by Remus. They crowded around Regulus so they could get a good look at the baby. 

“Look, Sirius,” Regulus said, pulling his gaze away from Harry to look at his brother. “Isn’t he perfect?” Sirius wrapped an arm around him.

“Yeah, Reggie, he is. Now give me a turn!” Reluctantly, Regulus handed him over and went to stand next to James. James pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around him as they watched Sirius and Remus quietly argue over how long Sirius got to hold him before it was Remus’s turn. Lily had fallen asleep. She was exhausted after the long labour. It was peaceful. 

James leant his chin on Regulus’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“How you doing, Papa?” Regulus’s heart melted.    

[corgiplays]

I'm alive people, and well just listen.

Okay so Nevermore, the Webtoon my god does it have a chokehold on me.

So in the spirit of it being to late to type my non-canon fic that I have the first chapter lined out and started to line out the second chapter for I want to talk about my theories on how Annabel and Lenore died.

(Friendly reminder that I do not have fast pass and anything I talk about it both speculation and what I plan on using in my fic)

First things first, Annabel's promise ring and wedding band.

-We see Annabel wearing both the flower ring that we know is from Lenore since we saw the flashback to when she opened the box.

-We also see that Lenore doesn't have any rings on her hands while a human

So the question is why does Annabel have two rings while Lenore has none?

Simple, Annabel never got the change to put the wedding band on Lenore. Their forms while at the academy is how they died, so it's safe to say that Annabel didn't die while walking down the aisle like I initially thought.

Promise rings (at least I believe the flower ring is a promise ring) are typically moved to the ring finger of the right hand once married.

So my theory is that Annabel was killed by her father after Lenore put her rings on, and since Annabel died Lenore wasn't able to get a ring herself. Since they never specified that the 'Lady in White' had to be killed by a romantic partner but by someone they loved.

And I know you're probably typing "But Corgi, Lenore could have killed Annabel if she was going to marry someone else." And yes, she could have, but why would Annabel wear the promise ring? No man back from their time (I'm thinking pre revolutionary war) would want their soon to be wife to have a promise ring from another 'man'.

In conclusion

Annabel was killed by her father after he received a letter from Lenore's parents saying they never had a nephew named 'Leo'. Ira thinking he's been played decides to kill his daughter so when it comes out that 'Leo' is pretending his image won't be ruined. When the wedding come Ira tries so hard to not get emotional as he pretends to be happy for his daughter, who seems genuinely happy with this man. Once 'Leo' and Annabel exchange heartwarming vows 'Leo' slides over the promise ring and slides the wedding band onto Annabel's hand, and as Annabel goes to place the wedding band on 'Leo's' hand a shot rings out and Annabel falls forward into a shocked and confused 'Leo' who feels blood on her suit as she sees and hears Annabel gasping for breath. In the end 'Leo' try's to kill Ira, but gets shot as well and ends up holding Annabel until the two of them die. (Annabel died first, looking at Lenore's face as blood trickles down her chin from her lip.)

I swear when their death gets revealed I'm going to need like a week to process, also when Lenore gets her specter, like I'm going to be feral.

[colibrie]

So I

I read the Rise x Star Wars crossover

AAAASJDHSHWWHDJSHHSDJCYYAHQNEDIXUSHSNSUXYXUAMABEVEYAYSUXXJSJSNSJAKAOAKSJSHGCYDHANSBDV

Everything hurts 👍

I LOVE the way you write. The descriptions of everything from Leo's numbness, to Donnie's memories of the temple, to Mikey's real life healthy way of processing emotions, to Leo's face man persona, to Donnie's box, to Raph being Raph and taking the blame, to Krang's perspective... ALL SO GOOD. I love the connection between the twins through the force. Absolutely immaculate.

I can't WAIT to see where this goes. Inquisitors vs Jedi is inherently angsty because of the bond once shared, but you've somehow managed to make it even more painful. Incredible!

@trilobitepunch 's art also adds so much. The style matches up with the writing perfectly, and the angles are so awesome. I especially love the use of shadows from Don and Raph's helmets. And the way Krang is drawn??? Terrifying. Absolutely accurate to Star Wars style.

I'm excited to see where this will go! The brothers working their way back together as Krang breaks Raph and Donnie down further and further... I of course hope that there will be a happy ending but I now from my own writing experience that the paths to happy endings are paved with miles of angst.

I just have some questions! Are you planning for April to make an appearance? When did Donnie build 5HE-DN and does Krang know?

Anyway, thanks so much for writing this wonderful story! I eagerly await further updates, but be sure to take your time and take care of yourself! Sorry it took so long for me to get around to it

*Takes deep, professional breath*

TXJXKTKTXXKTTKXXKTXKYGKXDDTKSKTXGKXKGXKGMGXKTURSTXKKTXSURFKYSTJXYKXKTSJTKTDTDKDKTOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHTHAANKYOUUUUUUUUUUUU!

This made my night! Especially because I just got done devouring your writing (which has me utterly emotionally wrecked. Sincere thanks for that btw!)

I am happy you've found so much to enjoy. As my first foray into the Rise fandom, it's been tricky at times trying to blend all the parts together into a cohesive unit. But I love writing description, and in tinkering with descriptions I feel like I've slowly gotten a better grasp on who these boys are. Shockly, (likely to absolutely no one) Leo and Mikey are the easiest for me to write. Donnie is the most difficult, but lucky for me I have my own brilliant genius!

Trilo is INCREDIBLE to work with. There have been times where I have been struggling to put a scene into words, and she returns with a page or a picture or a paragraph that just instantly helps things to click. I swear, it's magic! Her command of shadows, expressions, and body language are astounding, and there have been several scenes that tripled in length because her art inspired me so much.

We've built out much of how this story will unfold, and as a fellow angst lover (and self proclaimed angst fairy), I can confirm that there is a light at the end, but the path to reach it will push all four of them to the limit.

To answer your questions:

We debated whether or not to include April. We both love her character, but we ultimately decided that we wanted to keep the cast small so we could keep the focus on the boys.

5HL-DN is the fifth in a series of droids designed by Donnie. The first one was built when he was a still a child. He is by far the most sophisticated, and the one with the most developed personality. As for the circumstances around how 5HL-DN came to be.... spoilers. I promise you'll find out.

Yes, Krang knows about 5HL-DN, but he doesn't see him as particularly important. To Krang, droids are tools. Weak and easily expendable. He's aware that Donnie built 5HL-DN and he considers Donnie's investment in 5HL-DN to be a foolish weakness, but Raph is a much better and more effective tool to hurt Donnie with so Krang mostly ignores 5HL-DN. Plus, he has his utility in keeping Krangs favorite toy in the game....

This story is a joy to write, and I'm so glad my words can do justice for @trilobitepunch 's amazing art work. This au is a labor of love on both our parts and seeing it come together to get this kind of reaction is one of the greatest feelings. We are working on the next installments as we speak, so I hope you'll enjoy those as well! In the mean time, if you or anyone else has any other questions, feel free to ask!

[purplemarshal]

Cause For Concern

Chapter two of my 2012 Caseytello fic! I don't know how long this will go on for but, I have many ideas. I am also going to start posting some of my art soon!

Casey’s P.O.V. 

Our laughing stopped as we watched Donnie sprint out of the dojo, promptly slamming their lab door behind them.

“Great job Casey, now we won’t see him for like two days.” Raph claimed.

“What?” I turned to look at him, “does this happen a lot?”

Leo took a step forward and placed one of her hands on my shoulder, looking past me.

“I’m sure it wasn’t all you, they mainly just do it if they're overwhelmed.” She looked at Raph, and even with her still not looking at me I could see the concern in her eyes.

“Well,” Raph started. “This time it was clearly from Casey!” 

Now if I said that I wasn't confused before, I definitely was now. I never thought that my flirting really had anything to do with their attitude lately. Maybe I embarrassed them though? But this seems like a real cause for concern.

“No, my children. Donatello just has some things they need to figure out.” Splinter paused. “Emotions that they aren’t sure about.”

Leo steps back as Splinter takes his spot, startling me.

“Perhaps Casey should talk to them. Hm?”

I looked up at the rat man. “Yo, I don’t know if that is such a good idea, I mean like what if they try to get revenge or something.”

“Pft- like they would dude.” Mikey laughed. “Do you really not know yet?” 

“Not now Michelangelo, you go check on them.” 

“You got it Sensei!”

And with that the orange turtle was also gone.

Leo and Splinter sat down to talk and most likely meditate, kicking out Raph and I in the process. So we just went to the entrance/living room of the lair and talked, awaiting the arrival of the other family members.

“What was that anyway man?” I looked up at Raph as he said that. “You were like a major cringe fail.” Raph stated with a look of disgust on his features.

“C’mon man.” I whined as I stretched out my limbs.

“I’m serious Casey, you aren’t going to get anywhere with how you're going about it.”

I gave him a look that told him to elaborate, so he did.

“Don and I are like twins so we know everything about each other. And to get them to melt like you want, you have to massage their intellect.”

“Massage their what?” I stared at him blankly.

“Look.” He sighed, “the smarter they feel, the more they’ll melt. Complement them dude.”

“Y’know I can’t do that!” I threw my hands up dramatically. “Everytime that I try to, it just becomes an insult.”

“Or maybe you should write it down and get them a gift. That’s their love language.”

I shot up at that, jumping off of the couch.

“Y’know what, I will be back.”

I started to walk to the turn thingies but the sight of two turtle mutants made me rush back to my original spot, then moved again by the orange clad turtle who plopped down basically on me. Donnie on the other hand just stood there awkwardly probably waiting for Splinter or Leo.

I took careful note of their fidgeting, how their three (6 if you count both hands) fingers messed with about everything they could before finally landing on their mask tails. The light purple seemingly dancing between the light green of their skin.

Oh how much I wanted to know what their hands felt like. They have clear burns and scars, but something about them just seemed so soft and warm and. I don’t know.

“You gonna be okay Don?” Raph was the first to speak which was followed by a hesitant nod from the mentioned sibling. “You can sit down y’know, you don’t really look too good.” 

If this was any other time the turtle in red would’ve followed that up with a snicker, but I took note of the lack of one. 

See, I can be very observant when needed.

“Casey, could I talk to you for a moment?”

Wow, a cliffhanger! Who wants to talk to Casey? We may never know. Hope you enjoyed it, stay tuned. <3

[nerves-nebula]

After the turgles all get out do any of them go low contact with Leo, at least at first? Leo reminds me a bit of my brother who I had to not talk to for a full year to finally get his head out of his ass lol

ALSO if they all live together after they get out how exactly do they all handle no longer depending on raph to do things? Like.. do the other turtles know how to do laundry? Or use a dishwasher? Does raph try to continue in his role of caretaker after they get out, even if the others tell him he doesn’t have to?

oooughhhgg, its rough, man.

they all kind of have really co-dependent relationships if im honest. it'd do them good to be away from each other for a while, but they're kinda scared to be separated. they've been fighting as a team for years now, and have lived together their entire lives before that. they mostly only feel safe when they're around each other. the only times they've been separated for long stretches have been when one of them is injured or hurt or something. PTSD type shit.

they all also have different ways of approaching conflict. Donnie wants to just ignore it and let it "heal" but that doesn't actually help him. he NEEDS to confront it to feel better. but he REALLY doesn't want to.

Raph is just so tired. he doesn't mind discussing his feelings but he almost doesnt know what to say. he always just feels tired and empty, he doesn't know where to start processing things.

Mikey is ecstatic to finally be free and spends the most time away from the apartment, I think. which is cool for him, but also makes things weird at home with Donnie, Raph, and Leo all being both volatile and allergic to sincere emotions. Not that it's mikeys JOB to mediate them but, like. it'd help if he was there before they start yelling :')

The others generally know how to take care of themselves, yeah. like, they CAN cook and do dishes and stuff if they have to (raph was also a kid so it's not like he could ever fully replace a parent. they all had to become self sufficient in some way or another) but they usually just.. don't. or they didn't usually, at first.

sso yeah, at first the labour does land a bit heavily on Raphs shoulders, which Raph doesn't complain about being who he is. It takes Casey's intervention (forcing Raph to relax/refusing to let Raph do all the chores haha) to get them to realize they should probably not perpetuate the dynamic of Raph cleaning up after them and cooking all their food now that they're away from splinter.

it's awkward tho cause so much of the abusive dynamics between them are just assumed, since that's how it's always been.

[bluepeachstudios]

Ok so you've told us about the rise! Version of your fusions, so what would the 2003 version of the fusions be like?

I could've sworn I answered this before but I can't find it so guess I just thought about it in my head? .u.

The 2003 turtles act more mature than 2012 (which prob comes from writing teenagers like they're grown adults half the time but I digress). The fusions also have no doubt that Splinter loves them, because '03 Splinter was actually quite chill with his kids fusing into other beings. He's seen weirder.

He actually trains them to focus their minds and gives them exercises for teamwork and learning how to make their fusions more stable, and make it easier to unfuse when they need to. He also gives the fusions themselves their own training.

Pheo is a storm. He's entirely confident in himself, in leading, in being a good brother, he knows his component parts are both good at what they do. Raph always calls Leo out for his bad leadership choices and Leo always holds back Raph's impulsive sides. Pheo's relatively calm, his anger is quiet and controlled like a fine point.

Deangelo is a LOT calmer. Still has that ADHD/Autism solidarity, still very positive and cheerful. Still very much thinks out of the box, though his ideas are less "silly" and more "terrifyingly efficient". He hides any hint of negative emotions that he has and never processes anything. Refuses to. Jokes about it or just suppresses it. Also he's the best artist of the fusions! He loves to draw! :D

Daphy isn't explosive at all. His anger is cold as ice and happens slowly over time, with lots of planning. 2012 Daphy will explode a building 2003 Daphy will get it legally demolished by a construction crew while making you pay out of your pocket for it and destroy any chance of gaining income for the next 30 years. His FAVORITE thing is motorcycles and he wants to build them in his spare time. Also the most protective over his brothers! Would kill a man for looking at Leo or Mikey wrong.

Mio is literally the most terrifying thing anyone has ever had to fight. He can take Splinter down. Mikey and Leo's skills combined are such a terrifying combination. He's not as flashy and cocky, he's more... Sure of himself, is the best way I can think to put it. He is however still VERY dramatic. Plays dead often to trick enemies into getting close enough to hit him and usually scares the shit out of his brothers when he does do this. But now enemies are even more scared to get near him while he's down. :)

Lonny is cool as a cucumber. Calm, collected, nothin' pisses him off, nothing shakes him. He has anxiety but it's all inward turmoil and never really shows on the outside except in small moments. He snaps sometimes if he gets too anxious. He's also the most protective of his brothers! His planning is immaculate and he's great at adapting honestly. Inside he is a literal mess. If he's left alone he gets increasingly anxious, though he usually defuses before it can get to that point.

Machiel is rough-and-tumble, goofy sarcastic, snuggliest dude. He can and will eat several whole pizzas on his own. Most openly affectionate. He's got some self-worth issues, like he worries if he's doing enough, if he's good enough, but he mostly covers this up with bravado and posturing. Angry crier which only pisses him off more.

[thedawningofthehour]

Yea I forgot the story plays in like 2021, so I just wrote that Avatar comment bc man I love the second movie (I dont remember anything from the first), it‘s like 2am rn I am no night owl so I didnt use my brain much

ANYWAY, I am impressed the fam still believes they will get Donnie back bc I am losing hope lmaoo, also, interesting tidbit about the XXY chromosomes, will that be relevant in the future??

Honestly, the extension of the world of Avatar is smth really great about the second movie. Plot wise, I fear it might become repetitive if they dont think of smth for the next one. The emotions are 🤌🏼✨

Not really relevant to the plot, just something I thought of when I was looking up spiny softshell biology and trying to figure out how all that nonsense works.

Weirdly, Klinefelter's does actually seem to fit Donnie. I know they didn't, like, plan that, but it is funny that it happened with the turtle that had sex chromosomes before and therefore may have weird chromosome things going on already. (Splinter probably also has chromosome weirdness, but he was already past puberty and snipped, so his infertility didn't really matter)(they obviously have other chromosomes and there's other chromosomal issues that arise from mashing two completely different species together, but Draxum's ooze was made to minimize complications arising from that, and obviously the original Yokai who had significant genetic issues didn't pass them on) People with Klinefelter's are often taller with lower muscle strength, which fits his lankier build. They often have coordination and speech issues-check and check. It even fits my personal headcanons, with people with Klinefelter's being more likely to develop auto-immune disorders and having a low interest in sex. (Donnie's bi but he's got shit to do, he doesn't have time for that)

Also worth pointing out that it's not exactly Klinefelter's, because Donnie doesn't have two X chromosomes. He has the XY chromosomes from Splinter and a single Z chromosome from his turtle parents. The Z chromosome just occupies the space a second X chromosome would be and Leo confused it because it looked similar to an X chromosome. I have no idea how the whole 'chromosome mashing' thing works for Yokai overall, but while I can go ahead and say "mutants are allowed to have weird numbers of chromosomes that would normally result in severe health problems in humans because they're really not human anymore," it's a bit different for allosomes. In organisms that use sex chromosomes, aside from some organisms that use X0 or Z0 systems where the heterogametic sex just has the one, they all have two sex chromosomes. And there are issues if there's more than that.

There's some weirdness in the mutation process, some chromosomes get thrown out, some stay against their best interest, and sometimes the resulting mutant is a pile of tumors and meat. Draxum's ooze was modified to prevent most of the catastrophic consequences, but stuff still happens. I chose to say he has three sex chromosomes instead of four because trisomy disorders are generally pretty mild, while tetrasomies are usually much more severe and cause serious intellectual disabilities. Which doesn't fit Donnie.

(I don't mean any of this in a TERF bullshit way, I'm talking exclusively about what Donnie's got in his blood, he can be whatever gender he damn well likes)

[daimonclub]

100 magnificent quotes

100 Magnificent quotes 100 magnificent quotes, great aphorisms, ideas, maxims and quotations by various famous authors selected for the World of English by Carl William Brown, the literary avenger. Oh, love isn't there to make us happy. I believe it exists to show us how much we can endure. Hermann Hesse Madness is something rare in individuals - but in groups, parties, peoples, and ages, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. Plato The mirror is my best friend because when I cry it never laughs. Charlie Chaplin Aphorisms are the true form of the Universal Philosophy and containe the greatest quantity of thought in the smallest space. Friedrich von Schlegel Educate the children and it won’t be necessary to punish the men. Pythagoras If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them. Isaac Asimov Without goals, the very concept of intelligence is meaningless. Steven Pinker I suppose that in no educational institution can one become an educated person. Mikhail Bulgakov No one's fate is of any interest to you except your own. Mikhail Bulgakov Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. Sun Tzu The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept. George Carlin A fool contributes nothing worth hearing and takes offence at everything. Aristotle By now humanity has become so imbecile that we often tend to mortify intelligence, in order not to offend stupidity. Carl William Brown Show respect to people who don't even deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours. Dave Willis Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim. Bertrand Russell It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the number of bad books. Voltaire The more real you get, the more unreal the world gets. John Lennon The more intelligence you have, the more you will suffer. Arthur Schopenhauer

Voltaire quote Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. Abraham Lincoln The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. Bertrand Russell Love on one side is not enough, love is a dialogue, not a monologue. Oriana Fallaci Interacting with people that don't like you it's a fundamental process to study human stupidity. Carl William Brown The measure of a man is what he does with power. Plato No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up. Regina Brett The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates Fashions have done more harm than revolutions. Victor Hugo A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears. Montaigne From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs. Karl Marx There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage. Seneca The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. Isaac Asimov A man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait. Goethe I was ashamed of myself when I realized life was a costume party and I attended with my real face. Franz Kafka Without love living is easy; but it's meaningless. Leo Tolstoy Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It's something you have to find out for yourself. Noam Chomsky Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds! Bob Marley Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. Plato Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it. Lincoln It is not the man who has too little, but ht eman who craves more, that is poor. Seneca

Nietzsche quote You can’t get much done in life if you only work on days when you feel good. Jerry West The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog. Mark Twain In our society logics is intertwingled with nonsense, good things with evils ones, and most of the time you can't tell which is which, therefore there is nothing more truly realistic than stupidity. Carl William Brown Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing. Thales To destroy war, destroy patriotism. Leo Tolstoy I don’t trust anyone who’s nice to me, but rude to a waiter because they would treat me the same if I were in that position. Muhammad Ali Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Pablo Picasso A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Seneca Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. Alber Camus Non serve a niente essere vivi, se bisogna lavorare. André Breton All cruelty spring from weakness. Seneca Be careful what you tolerate, you are teaching people how to treat you. Dr. Phil McGraw Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life. Bob Marley For the Putrid President of Russia, remember Sun Tzu wise words, that is to say, the greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Carl William Brown Get busy with life's purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue. Marcus Aurelius All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values. Marshall McLuhan Life is such a great a teacher that when we don't learn a lesson, it will repeat it. Anonymous Fishes live in the sea, as men do on land: the great ones eat up the small one. Pericles A bad system will beat a good person every time. W. Edwards Deming Our life is what our thoughts make it, used to say Marcus Aurelius, but I would add that sometimes it is even worse! Carl William Brown

Chomsky quote You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Simplicity is not a mere idea. To be simple demnds a great deal of intelligence and sensitivity. Jiddu Krishnamurti People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them. Epictetus Disturbance comes only from within, from our own perceptions. Marcus Aurelius All higher humor begins with ceasing to take oneself seriously. Herman Hesse The longer I live, the more convinced I am that this planet is being used by other planets as a madhouse of the universe. George Bernard Shaw The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. C.S. Lewis Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil. C.S. Lewis A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. Bruce Lee We have freedom of thought, now we need thought. Carl Kraus I may not have been sure about what really did interest me, but I was absolutely sure about what didn't. Albert Camus No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. Charles Dickens Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large group. Geroge Carlin The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject. Marcus Aurelius Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. William Shakespeare Never depend on the admiration of others. There is no strength in it. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source. Epictetus The old world is dying, the new world is slow to appear and in this chiaroscuro the monsters arise. Antonio Gramsci In most men, intelligence is a field which remains uncultivated for most of life. Eugène Delacroix Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is. Albert Camus Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller

Karl Marx Wise men speak when they have something to say, fools speak because they have to say something. Aristotle What moves those of genius, what inspires their work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough. Eugene Delacroix Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller An honest man is always a child. Socrates Open your mind before your mouth. Aristophanes Neither Christ nor Buddha nor Socrates wrote a book, for to do so is to exchange life for a logical process. William B. Yeats Why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice. Marcus Aurelius Love is the state in which man sees things most decidedly as they are not. Friedrich Nietzsche Only during hard times do people come to understand how difficult it is to be master of their feelings and thoughts. Anton Chekhov Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility. Sigmund Freud I no longer know if I wish to drown myself in love, wodka or the sea. Franz Kafka The first thing that reading teaches us is how to be alone. Jonathan Franzen There is no greatness where simplicity, goodness and truth are absent. Leo Tolstoy Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways. Sigmund Freud The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. Charles Darwin Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward. Oscar Wilde The most common form of despair is not being who you are. Soren Kierkegaard Each of us assumes everyone else knows what he is doing. They all assume we know what we are doing. We don’t. Philip K Dick Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. Benjamin Franklin Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at. Goethe

100 magnificent quotes to read He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. Confucius Gentleness is stronger than severity, water is stronger than rock, love is stronger than force. Herman Hesse Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life. Bob Marley Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. I am inclined to say that it is the only real mode of individualism that the world has known. Oscar Wilde Everyday is like a fashion show and the whole world is the runway. Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside. Coco Chanel There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. Friedrich Nietzsche Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Harry Emerson Fosdick If you wish another to keep your secret, first keep it to yourself. Seneca the Younger When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them. Confucius It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone... but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Kahlil Gibran He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at. Epictetus L'amore è l'arte che non si impara mai e che si sa sempre. Benito Pérez Galdós The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Marcus Aurelius The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others. Vincent Van Gogh The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Sun Tzu Facts or opinions which are to pass through the hands of so many, to be misconceived by folly in one, and ignorance in another, can hardly have much truth left. Jane Austen Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. Epicurus People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Thomas Merton For we are all divorced from life, we are all cripples, every one of us, more or less. We are so divorced from it that we feel at once a sort of loathing for real life, and so cannot bear to be reminded of it. Fyodor Dostoevsky Don’t miss these other similar posts: 100 best quotes and aphorisms 100 magnificent quotes and aphorisms 100 brilliant quotes and aphorisms 100 famous quotes and aphorisms 100 memorable quotes and aphorisms 100 top great quotes and aphorisms 100 excellent quotes and aphorisms 100 great quotes and aphorisms on Love Great and famous philosophy quotes Quotes by authors Quotes by arguments Thoughts and reflections Read the full article

[causticfilth]

Introduction

DISCLAIMER

Please DNI if you are: under 18, an exclusionist or "anti" of any description, a TERF, a MAP or any other description of shithead, sad act or fascist. We do not judge, we do not discourse and we do not care what you do with your time, brain or body as long as it does not cause any non-consensual harm.

On that note, hello reader, we are the Coin. We call ourselves that as we are currently only two, which from what we can tell is unusual, so we are working under the assumption there may be others we are not aware of yet, based on observable statistics.

We are a "mixed origin system", or as we call it, no clue whatsoever where we come from and why, but as far as we are aware, have always both been here.

We are 24, transmasculine to varying degrees, Jewish, autistic, unemployed, crippled, absolute disasters in every sense, and that is to all intents and purposes where our similarities end.

We struggle with the words currently in use for the "host" or the "front" as we have found they don't describe our experience, we call whoever is piloting in that moment the "head" and the backseat driver becomes the "tail". Our switches, which, until recently, lasted years, were seismic, and almost ruined our shared life, we call "flips". We will be using this language when describing our own experience, although if you feel this fits for you, we would love if our framework helped somebody else.

We are a "median" system, so most of the time share one another's head memories and can feel one another's emotions, which makes trying to live separate lives, and have our own sense of self, complicated.

My other half will do it's own introduction post but since I have typed this post, I will tack mine on here.

Hi, I am Leo, I use he/him pronouns, I have been functioning as the Head since a hard flip 4 years ago. Before that, I was mostly the Tail for as long as I can remember, with some notable exceptions. This means I am, in many ways, newer to the 'being alive' schtick, and cannot seem to stop fucking up. We live with multitude chronic illnesses, I seem to process physical pain better than the other one, which we suspect to be the reason I find myself drawn to the front nowadays.

I am, I think, grey-ace/bisexual and biromantic, or hyper-romantic if such a thing is recognised, although based on the breadth of my existence being the voice in someone I detested's head, I haven't dated much to find out. I am a writer, I mostly write poetry but am trying to branch into more long-form fantasy so if that interests I may make my own blog for that.

I think that is everything, thank you for reading and have a lovely day!

-Leo

Hey loves, I am The Other One or, as I call myself, the big brother. My name is Tyler, yes that is a Fight Club joke, yes my little brother despises that decision, the more he hates it, the funnier I find it. You know how it is.

I could disagree with almost everything we have already written, for example I consider us a traumagenic system with dissociative amnesia, based on the way my 'mind' works and the memories I do, and notably do not, have. I also do not believe for a second we are alone in here, but I accept the current inability to turn around and face the headspace, for multiple reasons.

I am, currently, the tail of our coin, and have been most of the time for a few years now, so will, presumably, be posting here less, although we are currently working through some stuff, so I have been in the front more than usual.

I guess I'm aromantic, bi, transmasc but not in like, a 'Binary Trans Man' way like my brother, in a fruity, fabulous, fagdyke, femdom way.

I'll be tagging my posts with T and Leo will tag with an L, if anyone wishes to see our posting in isolation.

On that note, peace out and have a cracking day darlings x

-Tyler

[helenhenny66]

Exclusive Interview with L-Velvet

We had the privilege of sitting down with L-Velvet, the R&B alter ego of Leonardo, the leader of the Mad Dogs. In an intimate setting, L-Velvet shared with us his inspirations, creative process, and the stories behind his soulful hits.

Q1: L-Velvet, congratulations on your latest album "Pain and Heartache"! How does it feel to have your music resonating with so many fans?

L-Velvet: Ah, man, it's an incredible feeling. I put my heart and soul into every track, and to see people connecting with it on a deep level is truly humbling. I'm just grateful that my music can be a soundtrack to people's experiences, you know?

Q2: Your music often explores themes of heartbreak and relationships gone wrong. What draws you to those topics?

L-Velvet: For me, it's all about authenticity. I've been through my fair share of struggles, and I know what it's like to feel like you're stuck in a dark place. I want my music to be a reflection of that, to let people know they're not alone in their struggles. It's therapeutic for me, too – getting those emotions out in song form helps me process and heal.

Q3: "Don't Make Me Wait" is one of your most popular tracks. Can you tell us the story behind that song?

L-Velvet: Yeah... "Don't Make Me Wait" is a very personal song. It was written during a particularly tough time in my life. I had just gone through a breakup, and I was feeling lost and alone. I remember being in the sewers, surrounded by darkness, and just pouring my heart out onto the page. The song is about the pain of waiting for someone to come back to you, knowing that they're never gonna come back. It's about the longing, the yearning, and the eventual acceptance that it's over. When I wrote that song, I was crying, I was screaming, I was hurting... but in the end, it was cathartic. It was my way of taking control of my emotions and channeling them into something positive.

Q4: Your vocal style has been compared to some of the great R&B legends. Who are some of your biggest influences?

L-Velvet: Man, I'm all about the classics! Brian McKnight, Tyrese, Ginuwine – those guys are the real deal. I grew up listening to their music, studying their techniques, and trying to absorb as much as I could. But I'm also influenced by the likes of Anthony Hamilton, Ray J, R. Kelly, Lyfe Jennings, and Sammie – those guys know how to bring the soul.

Q5: As L-Velvet, you've developed a distinct persona that's both charismatic and mysterious. How do you separate that from your life as Leo, the ninja turtle

L-Velvet: (laughs) That's a great question! For me, L-Velvet is like a character, a persona I can tap into when I'm in the studio or on stage. It's a way for me to express myself creatively without being confined by the expectations that come with being a ninja turtle. Leo and L-Velvet are two different entities, but they both share a passion for music and a desire to connect with others.

Q6: Your R&B albums often feature sultry, atmospheric production. Can you walk us through your creative process when it comes to crafting a track?

L-Velvet: Oh, man, it's all about the vibe. I'll usually start with a beat or a melody that sparks something in me. Then I'll start humming or freestyling over it, seeing where the music takes me. Sometimes it's a slow burn, other times it's like the floodgates open and the song just pours out. I'm all about capturing that emotional intensity and honesty in my music.

Q7: You've mentioned that your music is a form of therapy for you. Can you elaborate on that?

L-Velvet: Yeah, for sure. When I'm writing, I'm not thinking about hits or sales – I'm thinking about getting this stuff off my chest. It's a release, you know? When I'm on stage, performing, it's like I'm sharing my diary with the audience. It's a connection that's hard to explain, but it's real, and it's necessary for me.

Q8: How do you balance your life as a ninja turtle with your music career?

L-Velvet: (laughs) It's a juggling act, for sure! But music is my passion, and fighting crime is my duty. I've learned to prioritize and make time for both. When I'm not battling the Foot Clan, I'm in the studio, working on new material.

Q9: Your stage name, L-Velvet, is intriguing. What's the story behind it?

L-Velvet: Ah, yeah! So, when I was trying to come up with a stage name, I wanted something that reflected my personality and music style. I was messing around with different combinations, and "L-Velvet" stuck. The "L" is for Leonardo, and "Velvet" represents the smooth, soulful sound I'm going for. Plus, it sounds cool, right?

Q10: What's next for L-Velvet? Any upcoming projects we should know about?

L-Velvet: Yeah, I've got a few irons in the fire, so to speak. I'm working on a new album, which I'm really excited about. The sound is evolving, and I think fans are gonna love it.

Q11: Your fans love how open and honest you are on social media. How important is it for you to connect with them directly?

L-Velvet: Man, it's everything. I want my fans to know that I'm real, that I'm human, and that I'm going through the same struggles they are. Social media is a way for me to break down that fourth wall and be more than just a persona or an image. It's a way for me to be L-Velvet, the person, not just the performer.

Q12: You've had an incredible run of success, but what drives you to keep pushing the boundaries of your music?

L-Velvet: For me, it's about the art. I'm always looking for ways to grow, to experiment, and to innovate. I want my music to be a reflection of where I am in life, and I want to keep surprising my fans. If I'm not pushing myself creatively, then I'm not doing my job.

Q13: Your music often touches on themes of heartbreak and longing. What drives your creative process when writing about these emotions?

L-Velvet: I believe that vulnerability is key to creating authentic music. When I'm writing, I tap into my own emotions, memories, and experiences. I ask myself, "What would I want to say to that special someone if I had the chance?" or "How would I express the pain of losing someone I love?" Those honest emotions are what fuel my creativity.

Q14: How do your brothers react to your music career? Do they offer any advice or support?

L-Velvet: Oh, my brothers are my biggest fans! They've been incredibly supportive from day one. Raph is always giving me constructive criticism, which I appreciate. Mikey is my biggest cheerleader – he's always dancing to my songs and spreading the word. And Donnie is my go-to guy for technical advice; he's always helping me with production and mixing. They're my rock, and I'm grateful to have them in my corner.

Q15: What's the most challenging part of being a ninja turtle with a music career?

L-Velvet: (laughs) Definitely the scheduling! Balancing ninja training, fighting crime, and touring can be a logistical nightmare. But it's worth it in the end.

Q16: Can you share a memorable fan encounter or story?

L-Velvet: Oh, there have been so many! But one that stands out is when I met a fan who had been going through a tough time. She told me that my song "Don't Make Me Wait" had helped her through a breakup and gave her the courage to move on. Moments like those make everything worth it.

Q17: What's the best advice you've received in your music career?

L-Velvet: Ah, man, it was from my pops, Splinter. He told me, "Blue, the music is in your heart, trust it." That's the best advice I've ever received. It's about trusting myself, trusting my art.

Q18: Finally, what's the message you want to leave with your fans?

L-Velvet: I wanna leave them with a sense of hope, of perseverance. I want them to know that, no matter what they're going through, they're not alone. My music is a reflection of my own struggles, my own triumphs. And, if they can relate, if they can feel something, then I've done my job.

[casspurrjoybell-31]

The Consort - Chapter 25 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Finn

I slide a hand through my damp hair, ruffling it as dry as I can while walking downstairs.

Brayden and Kelly come into view when I reach the landing.

A small grin hangs on the edges of his lips and the sight is so surreal that I study it for a selfish moment before walking into the room.

They're talking in hushed voices, sitting at opposite ends of a large, oak dining room table that is overflowing with platters of fruit, cheese and breads.

I step into the room and their red eyes flicker over to me.

It's the first time since I've seen Brayden since the night of Fiona's escape.

His face is blank, his lips set into a thin, hard line.

His eyes are even brighter than Kelly's.

Yet he hasn't come to me for a feeding.

Why?

I bite my lip and Brayden's eyes follow the movement.

They narrow as I nibble on the tender flesh, still sore from my kiss with Leo.

My cheeks flush in embarrassment and horrified realization.

The kiss. Of course.

Brayden told me just a few days earlier that he can't control his emotions when it comes to jealousy and possessiveness over me.

He also informed me that every time I am touched by somebody else... he knows.

How must it have looked to him when I kissed Leo after he shared something so personal with me?

I lower my gaze and plop down into the matching oak chair.

No wonder he doesn't want to be anywhere near me.

Kissing Leo must have infuriated him.

The legs of my chair scrape nosily across the floor as I scoot in to the table.

The noise seems out of place in the company of two of the most graceful, soundless creatures on earth.

"Where's Fiona?" Kelly asks, irritation thick in his voice.

"Taking a shower," I mumble.

"And you let her? On her own?"

I stare at him and frown.

"What...?"

Kelly scowls at me and leaves the table.

His footsteps fade, leaving Brayden and I alone in this suffocating silence.

I reach for a grape and struggle to get it off the vine.

When I finally pluck it free, a second grape falls off the plate, rolling along the wooden surface with a nervous wobble.

The sweet nectar spreads across my tongue.

Fresh fruit was never something I overly enjoyed before the war began.

Sure, I'd always force myself to eat it because I knew it was good for me.

But it never struck me as a delicacy that I craved to have at every meal.

When I was at Leo's, however, all of my meals consisted of some type of concoction made from a jar, box or can.

Everything was processed.

Everything was tainted with the touch of man.

It was then that my craving for the fruits and vegetables from nature's bountiful land developed.

And I promised myself I would never take them for granted again.

"Do you ever miss food?" I ask suddenly, reaching for the escaping grape.

"No."

Brayden stares at me, unblinking.

"You cannot miss what you cannot remember."

His answers are always so definitive, as if my question was stupid to ask in the first place.

The sweet spurts of juice roll around my mouth.

I know that when a human becomes immortal, they forget everything.

But a taste?

A taste is something that becomes engrained in you.

It weaves into your body, pulling forth a reaction with something as simple as a smell.

"What does blood taste like to you?" I try again.

A sliver of black swirls in Brayden's eyes.

He remains quiet for a few beats of silence and then leans forward with quickly elongating fangs.

"Mortal blood doesn't have a taste," he begins.

"It has a feel. The second it touches our lips, it begins to swim through our veins, touching us in places we don't remember existed."

The plentiful amount of saliva in my mouth runs dry at his description.

Back in Leo's classes, I remember him teaching us that live feedings are an intimate experience for mortals and immortals alike.

It's because of this that bags of blood became the preferred method of exchange between a vampire and their consort.

Humans didn't want to feel anything towards their immortal, and vampires didn't want to share such intimates moment with their consort.

"But yours... yours is different," Brayden continues.

"It does have a taste."

My face is on fire.

Every inch is red with want hearing the possession in his voice as he talks about my blood.

"It is sweet," he murmurs.

"Rich. It has a spice in it, too. It burns when I drink it, the type of burn that consumes you. It's intoxicating, human. I can feel my body becoming stronger, more alive as it courses through my veins made of demonic ice."

My breathing is ragged.

His words and his voice, the combination is an aphrodisiac that causes me to harden without warning.

The two holes on my neck prickle to life.

I want him to touch me. To feed from me.

"Brayden," I whisper.

"About what happened with Leo..."

"That's not appropriate dinner conversation," he snaps, cutting me off coldly.

But unlike the other times he speaks to me, this time I hear actual emotion in his voice.

Sure, it might be anger but it's something.

"Can we talk about it tonight?" I venture quietly.

Fiona and Kelly's soft voices filter down the staircase and Brayden's gaze flickers to them before settling on me.

He nods a single time.

"Yes."

[writing-good-vibes]

brad dourif characters x reader headcanons: marriage

marriage isn't for everyone but if you did tie the knot, there is no way it wouldn't be a wild ride with all of them, one way or another. warning for smut (mild).

charles lee ray

no one could ever accuse this man of being a romantic

(except he really, really is)

legally he doesn't care if you get married or not

but you suggest it first (not a proposal) and you both mutually agree to it

then he sort of proposes (with a ring and flowers) after you've already agreed

if you want a legal marriage it would have to be before any of his murders are he is known to the police

(he's already known for petty crime but getting married would really blow his cover if he's already a wanted murderer)

you go to the nearest courthouse and have a bare minimum ceremony

he wears the nicest suit he already owns

and you go out and get a white dress that you could wear again to a bar

you sign the papers

then you consummate your love in the ladies toilets

whether you go on honeymoon depends on how much money you have at the time

either you go to a tacky wedding motel or you stay in and don't leave the apartment for a week

either way you're having a lot of sex

like seriously

jack dante

it's hard work to get him to actually go through with the wedding

he is actually the one to propose to you

after sex of course

"babe, we should like, get hitched"

he means it, he does, but maybe in a more metaphorical way??

it takes some nagging but you finally get him to go down to the courthouse with you

there is definitely a legal/financial aspect of your marriage

like he may be the wild card employee but he gets paid ludicrously well for everything he contributes to the company (and to try and keep a little bit under control)

if something happened to him (and he has no doubt one day bob might just have him bumped off) he may as well give everything to you, there's no one else for it to go to

neither of you dress up for the ceremony

but you do buy some tacky bridal lingerie to wear underneath

another bare minimum ceremony

it's not your first rodeo doing it in a public restroom

it's almost romantic, a repeat of your first time

the white lacy panties are surprisingly very appreciated

you have to convince him to move back to his old apartment together now that you're married instead of hiding away at CHAANK

he honestly probably forgets you're even married until you bring it up

billy bibbit

he proposes to you

one day while you're at home on a sunday afternoon

lay together on the couch while you read

"h-hey, i h-h-have sssomething to a-ask you"

his stutters gets a tiny bit worse and you worry something is up

"l-l-listen, I-I rrreally love y-you a-a-a-and I-" he has to pause and collect himself

but you already know what he's going to ask and you can't keep from smiling

"w-will you m-m-mmmarry me?"

you throw your book aside and throw your arms around him

"yes! yes, of course I will billy!"

billy is a good christian boy so you have a good christian church wedding (unless you have other religious/secular preferences)

it's a very small wedding

only your favourite family members and closest friends come

same with billy

he feels incredibly guilty for not inviting his mother, but he hasn't seen her since he finally discharged himself from the hospital

you reassured him and remind him that this is the start of your lives together

he looks so dapper in his suit

you help him pick it out

he insists he doesn't want to see your dress until the big day

he cries when he sees you walk up the aisle

loves calling you his wife, and you calling him husband makes him feel wanted

puts your wedding photo in every room and carries it around in his wallet

sheriff brackett

he didn't expect he'd ever find someone he'd want to marry

(what with his last marriage ending the way it did)

when he realises he's truly in love with you, and you with him, he plans his proposal

it's nothing extravagant but it's absolutely perfect

you have a romantic dinner together and he does a whole speech about how much he loves you

and you see where it's going but you let him go on for a minute until you're like "do you want to ask me something?"

he flusters about it but is very cute and finally pops the question

"i - sweetie, i'd be honoured to make you my wife, will you marry me?"

you have a church wedding (unless you have other religious/secular preferences)

close family and friends only

cries when you walk down the aisle

annie gets very invested in helping with the planning and is probably more bothered about it than either of you are

you have a (very) classy dress

loves that he can call you his wife now !! the sheriff's wife !!

reception at your house, classic buffet

lowkey you both cannot wait untl everyone just leaves

*wink wink*

you do have a first dance in private though after everyone leaves

you're both soft and giggling and the song is a cheesy love song but it's perfect

your wedding night is the height of romance

your bridal lingerie really does it for him

what better start for your marriage than him making you cum so many times that you lose count?

doc cochran

you and doc didn't think you'd get married at all

neither of you felt the need to make anything official

you both consider yourself as his common law wife anyway

but something happens (either you get pregnant or some unrest with the camp politics makes the future seem uncertain) you decide you may as well tie the knot officially

there's no real proposal, he just sort of asks

you go to the Grand where E.B (being mayor) unfortunately has to officiate

you don't intend to invite anyone, saying it is no one elses business

but people catch wind (i.e. al, trixie and jane, merrick, maybe sol and seth) and basically invite themselves

you wear your best dress

and doc doesn't half scrub up well

Al invites you both back for a drink at the gem which you accept

("only one though, al" "sure, sure, you gotta get back home - the marriage bed is waiting - I understand")

the marriage bed is waiting though and you get kind of emotional when you go home together for the first time as husband and wife

funnily enough no one shows up at doc's that night for treatment and you have the whole night to yourselves

grima wormtongue

it takes you both a long time before you admit your feelings for each other and commit to having a relationship rather than a friends with benefits situation

marriages move fairly quickly in middle earth

no sooner are you engaged are you at the alter

wedding is moderately fancy because grima is doing pretty well being the king's adviser

few people actually show up who don't have to be there though because neither of you exactly have a lot of friends

grima almost clams up when it comes the ceremony because he doesnt want to say all this personal stuff about how much he loves you in front of other people

but you both get through it and finally, finally you are properly married

he's very emotional when you consummate your marriage but he tries to hide it

(but you know him too well)

tommy ludlow

he proposes one morning after sex

it's only just getting light and you both have to get up for work soon

you're still sweaty and his face is pressed into your neck

and in hushed tones you whisper back and forth

"will you marry me?"

it takes you a second to process what he said, "you wanna get married?"

"if you'll have me"

you kiss him and whisper "yes"

it's a church wedding for you and tommy (unless you have other religious/secular preferences)

he has a pretty big extended family and he has to invite them all

your dress and his suit are second hand

(because you're saving for better things)

laura takes a lot of photos for you

including the classic confetti toss one as you leave the church

takes you ages to comb all the confetti out of tommy's hair afterwards

cheesy first dance at the wedding reception

you can tell tommy is nervous so you joke around and make sure he doesn't take it too seriously

when you get home? goddamn you ride him like there's no tomorrow

(still in your wedding dress)

leo nova

it's go big or go home with him

80s fashion at its best

your dress is worth more than the rent on your old apartment

he doesn't see it before the wedding

you're surprised at how many traditions he sticks too despite him having the emotional range of a teaspoon

not many people get an invite to the ceremony but it's a wild after party

like a bunch of coked out 80s gangsters ?? amazing

the honeymoon is next level

you go to some tropical holiday resort (caribbean, thailand or spain) and it is all sun, sex and sangria for two whole weeks

tucker cleveland

didn't think he'd want to get married again

but in reality he just didn't like his first wife all that much

takes you out to dinner and proposes

when you say yes he is honestly relieved

but because he doesn't want to get emotional he calls over the waiter to get your free dessert

courthouse wedding

you do insist he wears a suit though and you buy a white dress

does the whole "just married" thing on the back of his truck

actually takes you on a honeymoon (sort of)

you go out of state and stay in a motel for a week

(vigorous sex ensues)

now you're married good and proper you can be his good little wifey

[columboscreens]

Something I've noticed is how those who aren't directly involved with the murder react the most directly AT and TO Columbo, either through antagonism or facetious appeasement, and the rest just react to him as normal. That's one of his coarse filters to find out who is behind the murder.*

Someone should get a stopwatch and show how much time Columbo interacts with characters in the episode and how core they are to the murder. *: But as always Donald Pleasance** is the outlier and that episode will always be my favorite because I think he captured and reveled in that character so well and the ending being such a solid and emotive scene has partially got to be in part to those two playing so well off each other. **: Leo McKern would have been an EXCELLENT murderer in the same vein and don't even @ me because in your heart you know I'm right. They got Patrick McGoohan to be a reoccurring actor, why not Leo McKern?!

yeah, if you take a character like mrs. peck who is immediately and completely repulsed by columbo you can clearly see the difference in how murderers vs non murderers treat him lol

i was actually chatting about something similar on twitter with someone recently who mentioned that their theory is that columbo always instantly knows who did it. i think that's valid of course, and in the later series it truly does seem like the only explanation for how he could possibly pinpoint the killer so quickly.

but i'm of the personal opinion that he's about as in-the-dark as anyone else when he first pulls up. most times you can pretty clearly see he has no idea yet, he's just milling about the crime scene or even at some point a bit later, talking to the murderer normally like he would anyone else.

then maybe they're acting comically hysterical, maybe they're completely unflapped, even partying without remorse. maybe they won't shut the fuck up trying to rationalize how the murder went down (this is the usual tell). maybe he discovers an overwhelming motive, maybe he realizes their alibi is complete horseshit. maybe he gets lucky and finds a damning piece of evidence early on like a pillow feather or a match. or they're the clear outlier, a black sheep amongst everyone else in some way.

maybe all of the above! and then no need for chili today because you're his lunch.

whatever the case, i personally just think it sucks some of the Fun out of columbo to remove that realism, that part of the process of him putting pieces together, the big shiny look in his eyes when the gears in his brain turn and he realizes he's looking at the perp. but to each their own!

p.s. i too am very fond of the donald pleasance episode, and i also agree that mckern wouldve killed it! come to think of it, it is odd that they never actually got him on the show. speaking of which, did you know that the arab embassy episode (a case of immunity) almost starred ben gazzara and the nazi magician one (now you see him) almost starred orson welles? jack cassidy did a great job as always but man, imagine an orson welles columbo................

[kithmet]

hi! i read your beautiful fic after nickelodeonhottub recommended it over on her blog, and just can't stop thinking about how well you managed to write/develop dream and george's characterization. she mentioned that you used astrology to kind of influence your writing, and i wanted to ask your opinion about dream and/or george's charts...i'm fascinated with the way you described them and would love if you could explain some of your thought process about their personalities/charts

Hi, anon, thank you for the sweet message! This is a fantastic question to be asked, especially if you enjoy talking about astrology and Dream and George as much as I do — but I fear you didn't know that I am neurotic as hell and am going to respond with a full-on essay. So, uh, sorry for that. 

Preemptive warning that this post is my own personal thoughts, heavy on the speculation (and while I do believe in my takes, I’m not saying you have to), and some dashes of truthing. Here goes, under the cut.

Before getting into the astrology part of it all, I need to put this out there, first and foremost: a lot of my characterization in this fic had to do with the fact that I had consumed all public information about these two beforehand. If you like Dream and George and follow them and went back in the time machine of their history from 2019 onwards (and listened close enough to stories they tell in recent years about how they were before that), I feel like it’s easy to come to personal conclusions off of watching them, seeing how they act (both individually and together, and also with their friends compared to one another), and also how much they have changed (once again, individually and together). My friends aren’t into astrology and we discuss them all the time; they don’t need astrology to ‘get it’ or read between the (very obvious) lines.

But, having knowledge of astrology and birth charts and synastry does make it easy to fill in the gaps, to understand them on a deeper level, beyond what they give to fans. I love learning about people, especially through their charts, so naturally I took several looks.

In terms of characterization, Dream is straightforward for me. I pay close attention to everything he says and does, so all the details that he offers up whilst talking about himself and his life, even the way he lies. That man loves to talk. It makes understanding him easier, even though he hides parts (which he is fully entitled to). Seeing how much he’s evolved as a person in only a year is really fascinating; the ways in which he handles controversies, criticism, his fanbase, his haters, his career, how he speaks about his struggles (then and now), how he talks about subjects like politics or internalized homophobia, all of his pastebin posts and the countless podcasts, how he talks about school, how he’s spoken about his family and friends. He’s interesting, and pretty open. 

The stuff he’s not open about, or that he evades — well, that’s where astrology would come into play, to help figuring things out. I literally cannot go into every single detail in his chart, I would be here forever, but quick notes: Leo sun, Leo mercury, Aquarius rising (the self, communication, how one comes across to others): so, he’s passionate as hell (once again, easy to see for anyone with eyes and ears), bit of a god complex whilst still deeply insecure and desiring of external validation. Virgo moon and venus (emotions, love): perceptive, loyal, loves to overthink, constantly aiming to be the best possible version of themselves, pushing through the tough shit to get things done. Scorpio mars (energy, sensuality): an all-consuming lover, obsessive, intense, emotional, wants to know every fucking thing about the people around them, especially their love interest. Possessive, too. 

Characterizing George is tougher, because he’s more private than Dream. It’s why people often get him wrong, or misunderstand him and his intentions — and, well, I know not everyone aims for pseudo-realism when writing RPF, but I kind of do. I like reading much-too-realistic fic; it’s my favourite. George might not like to give up personal information, at least not in the public sphere, and he’s a bit harder to understand. He prefers it that way, which I respect. A bit cryptic, isn’t he? A bit of a chaos king. A menace. 

But, I see through him. Sorry, buddy. Love you, but your chart is such a tattle-tale. Also, the fact that every single friend that talks about George uses the word ‘kind’ and ‘easy-going’ to describe him when he’s such an instigator and sarcastic bastard (/pos) on stream is pretty fucking funny. He cares a lot, about all of his loved ones — but with Dream, he’s on an entirely different level.

Scorpio sun and mercury: he’s intense, very emotional, but he tries to hide it. He doesn’t want just anyone to know about his deepest, darkest feelings and thoughts — he needs to really trust that a person won’t hurt him before he lets them in, fully. A lot of this is probably why he’s so private, too, but why all his friends still know (parts of) his true self — he lets them in, at least as much as he can. Cancer moon: he is a sweetheart. An angel. A bit of a manipulative fuck (lmfao, and this goes for the Scorpio aspects as well), but that’s not a bad thing! He’s very shameless and obvious about it at least. Libra venus: he gets a lot of friendly and romantic attention, as he should, and he loves it. Thrives in it. Virgo mars: uh, how do I say this lightly? Kind of a freak. Kind of wants to know everything about their lover to the point that they will perfect whatever it is they’re doing. (Every single person I’ve spoken to that has a Virgo mars and every astrologer that I follow that talks about this placement says one thing: they are freaky. In terms of uh. Y’know. Stuff.)

Honestly, with his chart in mind, it’s easy to see the parts of George that slip through the cracks, and also the part that he plays off as jokes but actually means deep-down.

Together, Dream and George share a lot of traits. Deep-rooted loyalty to those that have earned it, obsessive and possessive, intense and passionate, the desire to know every part of one another, mutual jealousy. A lot of caring, between them both, a lot of kindness between them (and for others). An understanding of one another that people might not get, but I think for them, they enjoy those parts of each other? Like, the jealousy, the obsession, the possessiveness... I think they can recognize these things in each other and appreciate them, see the value in them, rather than believe it is bad for their relationship (whatever their relationship may be). They know parts of each other others don’t. And also: I think they can see through each other pretty easily. The things that they hide, the stuff that they might repress, the stuff that they might not find easy to say directly, et cetera. That’s basically why I wrote this entire fic, to be honest.

I didn’t even get into the fact that they have Mars-Venus conjunct (what the hell, why is it like that), the Lilith-Sun aspect whatever the fuck that is (it’s a lot, just Google it), the specific house overlays, the Plutonian extremities, the shared Scorpio and Virgo planets in their charts. These bitches are obsessed with each other on another level, and that’s especially George (though Dream a lot too, but he’s more outright about it). Dream is not a Scorpio, so he doesn’t try to hide it the way George does, but I mean... George is pretty obvious, though he doesn’t intend to be. Listen to the man in any stream. He’s obsessed with Dream, jfc. He cannot shut up about him; he relates everything back to the man (his height, the colour green, his name(s), even his star sign, anything Dream has said or mentioned ever). He wants Dream’s approval for everything he does, to know everything he does, to know every part of Dream (and I bet this is why it drives him so fucking crazy not knowing what he looks like, yet). He just... deeply loves Dream lol, and that is evident. Especially if you have the context of his chart and their synastry, it’s easy to understand why. 

I mean, they are best friends. But there’s a lot of potential for more in their charts. We have been watching their story unfold for months, years for others, so we know better than anyone that these two are flirty as hell and have romantic undertones and overtones and every-tone-ever in all aspects of their ~friendship~, so we can see they’re blurring the lines. Do they have limits? Boundaries? No. Do they want them? Also no. Kind of crazy. 

This is also why I wrote this fic this way. They’re constantly pushing boundaries with each other, and their sexual tension is otherworldly, so I wanted to explore a world where they continue to push and push and push until they finally give up. Also, it was fun to write it at this specific point in time, where I find they seem to be very comfortable with their relationship (once again, whatever it is. Only they know.).

Final comments... uh, basically I wrote them that way because I observed them closely and then used astrology to figure out the not-so-obvious parts. Obviously my word is not God, I could be wrong on a lot of it, but astrology doesn’t lie if you believe in it (which I do, and have since I started studying it 2016). Also, Dream is the craziest bitch in existence for giving fans his full birth chart with time. I love him for it. The end.