#Rosalind Solaire

[starlitangels]

Just saw a screenshot of a Tweet elsewhere that said:

“‘The problem with this shirt is that it’s pants.’ –my child with his head stuck in his pants”

[wanderer-among-undead]

Its Nut Evem April

The kiln of thThe first flame was like a beach with the white sand made from the people whop burned themselfs at the first fire that was dying because people were weak and not strong. solaire, marie, bendrik, and the bear of the cure all died to it. it was time to kill the flame ones and for all becAuse the world was dying.

but jarrrdo was not ready because he was training in firelink shrine. time was confusiong and his wife the rose firekeeper was beautiful and keep him companmy in the 100000000000000 years he twaiuned in the champer of fire. 

“everyone hide int he paintings rosalind, they are scared and weak because they are afraid of the flame. we will saved the world rose. no matter how many times it takes.”

[epaulesdegeantes]

Alors le rover Opportunity ne répond plus, le rover d'ExoMars a été baptisé Rosalind Franklin d'après la co-découvreuse de la structure de l'ADN.

[reseau-actu]

Les recherches de ces dernières années ont prouvé que Mars avait abrité de l'eau liquide avant de devenir le désert qu'elle est aujourd'hui. Mais les dernières données suggèrent que non seulement, la planète rouge était très riche en eau, mais qu'en plus ce climat humide a persisté pendant un milliard d'années.

Imaginer la planète Mars recouverte de rivières et de lacs est déjà quelque chose d’assez difficile. Les étendues arides et désertiques d’aujourd’hui semblent avoir toujours existé. Pourtant, notre voisine ressemblait beaucoup à la Terre dans les premières centaines de millions d’années de son existence. Comment s’est-elle asséchée ? Beaucoup de questions, mais peu de réponses, et en plus, une étude parue en mars 2019 dans Science Advances  rajoute encore un peu de confusion. Des astronomes et des physiciens issus de plusieurs universités américaine, anglaise et française, sont arrivés à la conclusion que Mars a connu des périodes de forts ruissellements intermittents jusqu’à il y a environ 3 milliards d’années.

Pour arriver à ce résultat, les auteurs ont analysé les sillons laissés visibles à la surface de Mars. Il s’agit de paléorivières, des anciens cours d’eau datant de l’époque où l’eau liquide pouvait encore exister à la surface. Ils ont alors découvert que ces courants étaient restés actifs plus longtemps que ce que prévoyaient les autres modèles climatiques, mais aussi qu’ils voyaient passer de très importantes quantités d’eau, bien plus que ce que connaissent les plus violentes rivières actuelles sur Terre.

Imaginez-vous de la pluie sur Mars ? // Source : Pixabay (photo recadrée)

Mousson to Mars

Que retenir de ça ? D’abord, l’information selon laquelle il y avait de l’eau sur Mars était déjà connue. L’analyse des sillons et des cratères nous a appris que de l’eau était présente en grande quantité par le passé, avant que la planète ne devienne le désert aride qu’on connaît aujourd’hui. Ce qui est nouveau ici c’est que selon ces chercheurs, Mars ne s’est pas asséchée en quelques centaines de millions d’années, mais a continué de recevoir un fort ruissellement, en tout cas de manière épisodique.

Grossièrement, on sépare l’histoire de Mars en trois périodes :

Le Noachien, durant lequel la planète devait ressembler à la Terre actuelle avec une atmosphère épaisse, un effet de serre et de l’eau liquide.

L’Hespérien, avec une atmosphère beaucoup plus fine, une baisse de la température et une forte activité volcanique.

Puis l’Amazonien beaucoup plus aride et avec une atmosphère presque inexistante.

Trois périodes identifiées, mais les transitions entre chacune sont mal connues et leur datation est donc sujette à beaucoup d’incertitudes. Et ici, on parle de ruissellement pendant l’Amazonien, donc dans une période où les conditions ne s’y prêtent pas forcément..

« Cette étude dit que Mars alterne entre phase aride, et phase de ruissellement intense  », nous explique François Forget. L’astrophysicien du CNRS est spécialiste de Mars et il a pu consulter l’étude. «  C’est un climat assez inhabituel parce qu’il n’y a pas du tout d’entre-deux, seulement ces deux extrêmes et c’est donc assez difficile à expliquer. »

Plus dans le détail, il y a deux choses troublantes qui ont été identifiées. D’abord des rivières et des lacs dont les vestiges ont été observés par le rover Curiosity, se sont formés avec beaucoup plus d’eau que ce qu’on pensait. Et en plus, des cours d’eau ont continué à être actifs bien après la disparition du champ magnétique de la planète. Les auteurs eux-mêmes ne sont pas sûrs de ce qu’ils ont trouvé.

Sans atmosphère, pas de nuage, pas de pluie et donc impossible de créer des lacs et des rivières

Le responsable de l’étude, Edwin Kite, a déclaré : « Ce n’est pas ce à quoi on s’attendait, et on est pas sûr de savoir ce que ça veut dire.  » En effet, la plupart des études précédentes ont montré que la dynamo de Mars a rapidement cessé de fonctionner. Il s’agit de la rotation du noyau sur lui-même qui crée le champ magnétique, l’atmosphère et protège la surface de la planète des rayons solaires. Son arrêt s’est fait naturellement et puisque Mars est plus petite que la Terre, le processus a été plus rapide. Sans atmosphère, pas de nuage, pas de pluie et donc impossible de créer des lacs et des rivières.

En théorie donc, la disparition du champ magnétique signe l’arrêt de mort de la planète qui ne devient qu’un astre sans vie incapable de se protéger de la radioactivité solaire et dont l’atmosphère se réduit à une couche superficielle quasi-indétectable. « Il y a peut-être un autre moyen de créer des lacs et des rivières avec une atmosphère fine que nous avons négligé  », reconnaît Edwin Kite sans pour autant apporter une réponse définitive.

La dune Olympia Undae sur Mars, qui n’est pas vraiment la forêt amazonienne. // Source : Flickr/CC/Kevin Gill (photo recadrée)

Ruissellement mystère

Les auteurs de l’étude ont tout de même élaboré plusieurs hypothèses pour expliquer comment l’eau continue d’arriver sur ce lieu mort. Il pourrait s’agir de pluies de météorites intermittentes qui libéreraient de l’eau, par exemple en brisant des lacs de glace, mais même en étant optimiste sur la quantité d’eau contenue, ça paraît difficile à atteindre. Il pourrait également exister de hauts nuages fins qui contribueraient à chauffer énormément la surface à la moindre hausse de températures, mais là aussi c’est difficile à modéliser précisément.

Il faut dire que les données sur le passé de Mars sont assez minces et difficiles à exploiter. « Il y a aujourd’hui des instruments très précis pour étudier le climat actuel de Mars, précise François Forget, le capteur météo d’InSight par exemple, mais en ce qui concerne un temps plus ancien, c’est assez flou.  »

Dans cette étude, la principale source des auteurs pour arriver à leurs conclusions, ce sont les sillons laissés à la surface. Une source d’information plutôt limitée puisqu’au fil des ans, l’érosion, même plus faible que sur Terre, a gommé certaines marques essentielles. En plus, l’exploration des rovers n’étant pas encore optimale, nous manquons d’images haute résolution permettant de faire des simulations solides. Les auteurs précisent tout de même qu’il reste quelques centaines de sillons assez bien préservés, toujours mieux que sur Terre où l’érosion fait beaucoup plus de dégâts.

C’est un gros problème pour les climatologues

Même la nature de ce fameux ruissellement dont parle l’étude n’est pas clairement établie, il pourrait s’agir de pluie tout comme de neige fondue. Dans les deux cas, créer un modèle climatique cohérent à partir de ça est un véritable casse-tête. « C’est un gros problème pour les climatologues, assure François Forget. Les différentes études se contredisent entre elles sur plusieurs points et on n’arrive pas aujourd’hui à faire cocher toutes les cases par un seul modèle. Par exemple, on a découvert tout récemment qu’on avait sous-estimé les propriétés du méthane et de l’hydrogène en tant que gaz à effet de serre. Cela rebat les cartes pour étudier l’influence des éruptions volcaniques sur le climat.  »

L’histoire géologique de Mars apparaît donc beaucoup plus chaotique que ce qu’on pensait. Mais s’il y a eu de l’eau plus longtemps, ça ne signifie pas que la planète était propice à accueillir la vie. Elle l’a été auparavant, mais sans champ magnétique global pour protéger la surface des vents solaires, impossible de voir se développer des organismes comme ceux qui ont vu le jour sur Terre (oui, on parle de vous). Et ce n’est pas la présence d’eau liquide qui va changer les choses puisque les auteurs insistent bien sur le fait qu’elle n’était là que de manière épisodique et dans des épisodes extrêmement violents.

La planète Mars. // Source : Pixabay (photo recadrée)

Quoi qu’il en soit, les quelques années qui viennent pourront nous apporter encore de nouveaux éléments, peut-être à nouveau contradictoires, puisque plusieurs missions doivent être lancées pour analyser le climat martien.

L’année prochaine, le rover ExoMars baptisé Rosalind Franklin foulera le sol de la planète rouge et cherchera à analyser son atmosphère. En 2020 également un nouveau venu dans l’exploration spatiale pourrait créer la surprise : les Émirats arabes unis qui ont planifié le lancement d’une sonde baptisée Hope. Sa mission avant tout : observer des corrélations entre le climat actuel et le climat passé. L’implication des EAU n’est pas sans intérêt commercial — ils comptent créer une ville habitable sur Mars en 2117. Mais malgré tout, Hope reste un projet crédible scientifiquement qui pourrait nous permettre d’affiner nos connaissances encore maigres sur le sujet.

[starlitangels]

If you’re new to my blog and are unaware of my extensive AU about the Shaw Pack characters’ children, Click Here!

[starlitangels]

(She’s) Beautiful

Request from @rdearm6 for Vincent and Lovely introducing little Rose to the clan for the first time! 1.6k

—

“Ten bucks says Alexis doesn’t say a word to either of us,” Vincent said, jerking the car’s gear shift into park.

I laughed as I climbed out of the car and went to the backseat to undo the carseat’s belts. I scooped my baby up and held her against my chest. “I’m not taking that bet,” I replied with a grin as Vincent circled the car. “There’s no point in losing money over something that I know is going to happen.” Vincent chuckled.

Rose cooed and shuffled in her sleep in my arms. Vincent smiled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. His expression was so soft as he looked down at her. His eyes met mine. “Ready?” he asked.

I nodded.

He kept his arm around my shoulders and steered us toward the underground storage room of Wonder World—the clan’s main meeting room.

Where our clan was about to meet our baby for the first time.

I pinched the tip of my tongue between my teeth, reassuring myself that it would be fine. It was unusual—to say the least—for the newest member of a vampire clan to be an actual human newborn baby infant, rather than a newborn vampire. But Sam and his partner already had their daughter. Five years ago. And, sure, Micah would probably turn out to be a shifter, but for the moment she was a rambunctious five-year-old with no magic.

As we emerged into the meeting room, the assembled vampires went silent. Sam’s partner was holding Micah in the air by her ankle while the little girl laughed her head off. But everyone else was still.

Sam’s partner reached down and grabbed Micah’s wrist, righting her and setting her down on her feet.

Micah’s squeals quieted too.

“Okay. Someone please say something,” Vincent said with an easy smile.

In an instant, the first of Sam’s progenies—Frederick—was standing in front of us, wide eyes staring at Rose with a tender look. “She’s beautiful,” he said quietly. “What’s her name?”

“Rosalind,” Vincent said. “Rosalind Solaire.”

I heard a sniff. I glanced up to see William wiping his eye on an intricately-embroidered handkerchief. I smiled at William. He smiled at me.

I looked back to Frederick. “You can call her Rose,” I said.

“Rose,” Frederick said. “She’s beautiful.” He extended his arms a little. “May I hold her?”

Vincent’s arm around my shoulders tightened comfortingly as he felt my hesitation. Our baby in a room full of vampires—clan family or not... “Of course,” I said, swallowing my apprehension. I passed Rose over to Frederick, who took her gently, holding her with tender care.

Frederick’s progeny—whose name I never remembered because Frederick, Sam, and Sam’s partner seemed to exclusively call them Bright Eyes—appeared at his side. “Awww,” they said.

I slipped out from under Vincent’s arm and went over to William. He wrapped me up in a hug. “How did the adoption go?” he asked.

“Legally it can’t be completed until she’s six months old. But everything went fine. The social worker who helped us work with the adoption agency is empowered so she could handle all the stuff that needed to be handled during daylight hours without asking why we couldn’t handle it ourselves.”

“That is delightful to hear,” William said. “I am very proud of both you and Vincent. And... you both honor me, giving her the Solaire name.”

I shrugged. “It’s her family name, isn’t it?” Not long after I was turned, I’d chosen to take my maker’s last name. Vincent’s. After Vincent had taken Solaire to honor Will. It had been fitting to give Rose our name.

William hugged me tighter. “It’s an honor,” he said. “Truly.”

I gave him a squeeze. “Thank you, Will. For everything you’ve done for our family.”

With that, I let him go and wandered over to Sam and his partner. Vincent saw where I was going and came over to join me, sliding his hand into mine. “Hey Tanker, hi Sam,” I greeted. Both smiled at me. Micah was climbing up Sam’s leg like it was a fireman’s pole on a playground, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

“How are you holdin’ up?” Sam asked, looking between me and Vincent.

“We’re fine,” I said. “Listen, we have something we want to ask you two.”

Sam and his partner exchanged a look. “Alright,” Sam said. “What is it?”

Vincent squeezed my hand. “We want you both to be her godparents,” he said.

Sam’s eyes widened and his partner’s mouth dropped open. “What?” Sam’s partner asked.

“We want you to be her godparents,” I repeated. “We—we doubt anything will happen to us. But if something did, we couldn’t imagine leaving her in more trusted hands than yours.”

Frederick came over to us and handed Rose back to me. He kissed her tiny little forehead and retreated.

I knelt down so I was at Micah’s eye level. “Hey Micah. Wanna meet your cousin?”

She dropped off Sam’s leg and stumbled over to me. She peered at Rose in my arms, then looked up at me. “What’s her name?” She had Sam’s accent.

“Rose.”

“Ro.” Micah nodded with all the self-confidence in the world.

Vincent chuckled. “Close enough,” he said, leaning down to ruffle Micah’s short hair.

Micah touched Rose’s cheek with one fingertip gently. “She’s squishy.”

I smiled. “She’s brand-new.”

“Oh. Okay.” Micah screwed up her little face like she was thinking really hard. “I’m gonna keep her safe,” she declared. “I’m always gonna be bigger than her and one day I’m gonna be a really scary wolf. I’ll protect her.”

I smiled and chuckled. “I know you will, Micah.” And I believed it too. Whether Micah felt it or not yet, she was a wolf—and wolves were fiercely loyal to their packs. Micah was probably too young to even realize she’d just accepted Rose as part of her pack. And that bond of loyalty would probably never break.

Micah spun in a circle and latched back onto Sam’s leg, going back to climbing. I stood up and leaned into Vincent’s side.

“We would... we would consider it an honor to be her godparents,” Sam said. 

His partner nodded. “We’ll do our best,” they promised. “If anything happens to you both, she’ll be safe with us and Micah.”

“We know she will,” Vincent said.

“And thank you,” I put in.

Astoria came over to us. After William, she was the next-oldest in the clan, though she hadn’t broken 200 yet. “May I?” she asked, holding her hands out. I passed Rose over. “Thank you. It has been too long since I held a child.”

“You held Micah,” Vincent pointed out with a playful grin.

“And that was so long ago,” Astoria retorted, equally playful. She’d been in her forties when she was turned, like Will. Vincent had told me hundreds of times that Astoria and William were not an item, but no matter how many times he said it, I could never make myself believe it. Something in the way I occasionally caught them looking at each other.

Maybe it was just nearly two centuries of putting up with the same shenanigans from the younger clan members over and over together, but I always wondered if it was more than that.

Astoria rocked Rose back and forth, cooing and smiling. There was a melancholy in her face that I chose not to try and place. Astoria kept her history to herself and I wasn’t going to pry. She sang a soft lullaby in what sounded like French and brushed a few wisps of Rose’s hair off her tiny forehead.

“Well, we’re not getting Rose back for the rest of the night,” Vincent said to me, smiling.

“Nope,” I agreed.

I glanced around. Alexis was lurking under her usual metaphorical storm cloud near the exit to the meeting chamber. Arms folded over her chest and expression sour. Standing all alone. Not looking at anyone.

Living like that all the time seemed really lonely. Sometimes I wondered why she did it.

Vincent’s arm around me squeezed, drawing my attention back to Sam, his partner, and Micah. Who had managed to climb all the way up to Sam’s shoulder while he just stood there with a gentle smile on his face. I was fairly certain a normal human child wouldn’t have been strong or coordinated enough to get up to his shoulder. But Micah had Tanker’s genetics. She probably wasn’t strong or coordinated enough to climb to Sam’s shoulder either—but she was stubborn enough.

Astoria moved around the rest of the clan, showing off Rose but refusing to let go, leaving Vincent and I to chat with the Collins family for a little bit. Which was something of a welcome break. Even if my newly-activated parental instincts didn’t want to have Rose away from me for too long. Not as such a delicate newborn baby in a room full of vampires.

“So, why did you adopt through the unempowered system?” Sam’s partner asked.

“Darlin’,” Sam warned quietly. “That’s their business.”

“It’s okay, Sam,” Vincent said. “We didn’t want to take an empowered child’s magic away if they decided to turn into a vampire when they’re old enough. We wanted... to... to give our child powers instead. So unless Rose turns out to be humanborn...” he trailed off.

Sam and his partner nodded.

William joined our loose circle and the conversation continued. After an hour or so, Astoria finally gave Rose back to me as the meeting wound down.

As I put Rose back in her carseat, Vincent smirked at me. “Guess who was right about Alexis?”

I snorted. “Yeah, well, I never took your bet.”

He chuckled as we got in the front seats of the car and started to drive home, Rose still snoozing peacefully in the back seat.

[starlitangels]

Keep Her Safe

Pups AU. I write so much for the Shaw siblings, I figured the Solaire Clan girls could use a little love. This one marks the first actual appearance of Rosalind Solaire! 2.2k words CW: fantasy violence, suicide mention

—

“Oh, you’re gonna get it, you little brat,” Micah teased as Rosalind pounced on her. Capping out at a solid five-foot-nothin’, Rose was eight inches shorter and a hell of a lot more delicate than Micah’s toned, athletic frame. Rose couldn’t take Micah to the ground if she tried. But Micah liked to make Rose feel powerful, so she played along, falling—slowly, and dramatically—to the forest floor. Making sure to keep Rose on top of her, so Micah’s body cushioned the fall.

Keep her safe, keep her safe, keep her safe. The mantra that Micah had held for her cousin for Rose’s entire life. Micah was five when Uncle Vincent and his partner adopted Rose as an infant. And the second Micah saw her, she’d decided it was her job to keep Rose from any harm.

Rose laughed as she wrestled with Micah. Not that she could do anything Micah didn’t let her do. Micah laughed as Rose tried to wrangle her arms behind her back.

Micah swung one of her legs and caught Rose around the waist, pushing her away to free her arms. “Hey!” Rose squealed.

Micah just laughed—

And went rigid. She reached out and put her hand over Rose’s mouth. “Shh!” she hissed, looking around wildly. “Ro, sh-sh-sh!”

Rose stopped squirming. Her big brown eyes widened as they flicked back and forth. Micah slowly removed her hand. “What is it, Mikey?” she whispered, huddling closer.

The auras grew more present. Micah hauled Rose to her feet and turned around. “Get on my back,” she said, bending her knees so Rose could reach. “C’mon.” Her Dahlian accent disappeared, leaving the Southern one she naturally spoke with.

“What is it?”

“Vampires. Not Solaires. I know every Solaire clan member’s aura. These are hostiles,” Micah replied as Rose hopped onto her back, locking her ankles around Micah’s waist. “I’m gonna try to outrun them. Get you home. Your parents have wards against hostile vampires around their house. Hold on tight, Rose. You know how.”

Rose nodded, eyes still wide when Micah glanced over her shoulder. Micah nodded back.

She started to run—and shifted mid-stride. Rose grunted and clenched her fists in the fur of Micah’s neck, holding on tight. Her face was buried in the scruff of Micah’s neck. Every bound made Rose’s grip yank at Micah’s fur, but she couldn’t mind it. Keep her safe, keep her safe, keep her safe.

Micah poured on the speed, following the path she and Rose had hiked away from Uncle Vincent and his partner’s house out into the woods to wrestle back toward the house. She was big as a wolf, especially for a female, but she doubted she’d be able to outpace them for long. She could feel three distinct auras. Muted like all vampires were, but none of them Solaire clan.

Micah wove between the trees, ignoring the smell of Rose’s fear and the way her little cousin whimpered.

With one leap over a tall fallen log, her claws crunched against the gravel of Uncle Vincent’s driveway.

She took one more bound and shifted back, holding onto Rose so she wouldn’t fall off. “Run inside, Ro,” she ordered. “Get your dad. Send him out here. Tell him there’s three hostile vamps and I’m holding them off.”

“Mikey—”

“Ro, I was raised by a vampire and one of the only wolves in Dahlia who can beat a vampire in a fight. I’ll be fine.”

“But—”

“Go!” Micah gave Rose a gentle push toward the house.

Rose, wide-eyed, nodded and bolted, crunching up the driveway.

Micah watched her for only a few seconds before shifting back to wolf form, phasing through her clothing as she did so. She wasn’t going to fight vampires with her clothes on if she could help it. Clothes were hard to work around in wolf form.

Huffing out her nose, she ran back the way she came, leaping over the log and rushing toward where the vampires’ scents were coming from.

—

“Dad!” Rose burst into the house, slamming the door shut behind her.

Zip! “Sunny—is everything okay?” Vincent asked.

Rose shook her head. “There-there’s three—three vampires. Hostile. Out in the woods,” she panted. “Micah—ran me back here—then went to go hold them off.”

If Vincent could have gone any paler, he would have. “Micah’s fighting three vampires?” he demanded.

Rose nodded, eyes wide.

“Lovely!” Vincent shouted.

Zip! His partner appeared. “I heard. What can I do?”

“Call Sam’s progenies. Sam and his partner are out of town for their anniversary. And call David Shaw, too. Micah’s part of his pack. He deserves to know.” Vincent picked up Rose and set her in his partner’s arms. “And keep our Sunshine safe.”

“Of course. Go get ‘em.” His partner nodded.

Vincent kissed them and Rose on the foreheads and tore out of the house.

—

Micah’s brain was too fogged by pain to keep track of how many legs were kicking her. Multiple bones had already broken and her fur was matted in her own blood. She hoped there were still three legs. That meant all three vampires were still focused on her. Not looking for Rose.

That was good. Assuming there were still three vampires kicking at her.

Her eyelids fluttered and she released a weak whine. She was going to pass out any second. She’d revert back to human form. Then get drained by three vampires.

“Micah!”

She felt and heard the impact of something powerful throwing the three vampires away from her.

Through her blurring vision, she saw a slender, dark-clothed figure fighting the hostiles.

She whined again, squirming slightly—before going rigid as pain lanced over her entire body. Okay, she thought, moving is out.

Blinking slowly, she tried to force her vision to focus.

It did just enough for her to riddle out the dark shape, even through the pain clouding her mind. Uncle Vincent... she thought vaguely. He made it. Rose is safe... keep her safe, keep her... safe, keep... her... safe...

With a long, quiet, slow whine, Micah dropped her head onto her front paws.

Black swarmed her vision. Even the pain started to withdraw as consciousness trickled away. The sounds of fighting drifted in and out of focus like a camera lens trying to adjust to something too close to it.

“Micah! Don’t you dare pass out on me, kiddo!”

Too late... she thought.

Zip!

Another aura joined the fray. Familiar. Familial. Vampiric.

Zip! A sixth aura. Also familiar. “Mikey!”

Micah knew that voice. She’d heard it a couple days a week for most of her life.

Her older siblings—Sam’s progenies from long before she was born—had arrived.

It was the last realization Micah had before blacking out.

—

“—but Sam and his partner are on their way back,” a familiar voice was saying distantly as Micah came back to consciousness. “I tried to convince them not to cut their anniversary trip short—that we had it all handled here—but you know Sam.”

Another familiar voice grunted agreement. “They’d both come running for Micah, even if it meant going to the other side of the world,” the grunter agreed.

Micah didn’t dare move for fear of the pain coming back. She felt something pressed down on top of her, and she was no longer lying on the forest floor. Her eyelids were heavy and felt like they’d been glued together.

Something warm and solid was in her hand. Kinda soft, but not really.

Micah peeled her eyes open. She was in her bedroom.

Natalie Shaw was—apparently—asleep in Micah’s desk chair, eyes closed with her face braced on one fist. Her other hand was holding Micah’s.

Carefully, Micah took inventory of her body. She was still in a lot of pain, but quietly poking at her ribs revealed the broken ones had been healed. Her leg, too. Cuts still littered her skin, but the worst of the damage was gone.

Micah squeezed Natalie’s hand.

Natalie took a deep breath and shuffled, rousing. Her eyes opened. She rubbed them with her other hand before rolling her wrist around to stretch it. Micah squeezed her hand again.

Her eyes snapped to meet Micah’s. “Hey,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Micah rasped. Her throat was dry. Natalie let go of her hand to reach for the glass of water on the bedside table. A mostly-melted ice cube floated near the top. She helped Micah take a few sips. “Is Rose okay?”

Natalie nodded. “Rose is fine. She made it inside. She’s downstairs, right now.”

Micah sighed, relaxing back into her pillow and closing her eyes.

The voices outside the closed bedroom door stopped. “Micah’s awake,” the first voice said. Now that her faculties were coming back to her, she recognized her uncle’s voice.

A soft knock on the door. Natalie raised her eyebrows. Micah gave a nod. “Come in,” Natalie said.

The door opened. Vincent stepped in first, quickly followed by Natalie’s dad. Micah’s pack alpha. David Shaw. Barely an inch taller than Vincent, but much broader and more imposing. Vincent perched on Micah’s desk while David stood behind his daughter. “Gave us a hell of a scare, kid,” David said. Micah shrugged with the shoulder that ached the least. She didn’t have the brain power to come up with a proper response to that. “Your parents are on their way home.”

“Figures,” Micah said. “Who healed me?” She was too tired to maintain a Dahlian accent—and everyone in the room knew how she really talked, anyway. So she let her mouth form the words with her real accent. Her dad’s accent.

Natalie and Vincent both raised a hand. Natalie’s much more tentative and awkward.

“Thank you both,” Micah said.

Vincent slid off Micah’s desk and circled to kneel on the other side of her bed. “Micah, you saved Rose,” he said seriously. “She has no powers—she could have—” He closed his eyes and looked away. “Healing you as best I could was the least I could do.”

Micah gave a half-smile. Then her expression dropped. “Who were they?”

Vincent’s expression darkened. “A rival clan trying to encroach on our territory. Newer and younger. Not established. We dealt with them.” Micah could hear the blood in his voice. Noticed the way his fangs poked out at that last sentence.

“But not before they almost killed you,” David put in, drawing Micah’s attention to the other side of the bed. The stern look on his face almost made her want to shrink beneath the blankets. “What were you thinking? Going up against three vampires, alone, was a suicide mission.”

“Dad,” Natalie said softly. Almost warning him to be gentler.

Micah caught something in his tone. He wasn’t angry.

He’d been scared.

Micah shuffled in bed. She considered sitting up, but the second she flexed her abdomen muscles and they ached, she changed her mind. “I was thinking I could only try to buy Rose enough time to get to safety, and go get help. I didn’t have time to strategize. It was get Rose out of there and try to hold them off, or let her get attacked.” Micah straightened her spine, ignoring the way it protested. “We protect our family, pack or not.”

David sighed. “Don’t scare us like that again.”

Micah raised a tired hand in a peace sign. “No promises.”

Natalie snorted and rolled her eyes. “You would say that.”

David met Vincent’s eyes. “Can you and Sam’s other progenies keep an eye on her? We should be going. To let Micah rest.”

Vincent nodded. “Of course. She’ll be safe with us. I promise.”

David nodded once. Curtly. “Good,” he said. “Natty. Let’s go.”

Natalie gave Micah a careful hug. “Stay safe,” she said softly. “We’ll be back.”

Micah grabbed Natalie’s wrist before she could leave. “Does Gabriel know?”

Natalie nodded. “I called him a few minutes ago, actually. He’ll call to see when he can come visit. He’s worried out of his head.”

Micah swallowed. “Okay. Thanks, Natty.”

Natalie smiled. “Of course. Love you, Micah. Be safe.”

“Love you too.”

Natalie and David left. Micah looked at Uncle Vincent. He was already giving her a soft look. His brow furrowed when Micah met his eyes. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” he asked.

“I don’t... I don’t want Gabriel to see me like this.”

“Why?”

“He’s only ever seen me as the tough one. He’s seen me injured, but never downed. I don’t want him to see me... weak.”

Vincent snorted. “Micah,” he said, brushing her blue bangs out of her eyes. “What you did was... reckless, but you’re not weak for taking on three enemies who far overpower you for the sake of protecting an unempowered child.” Vincent set a hand on Micah’s forearm. “Hey. Look at me, kiddo.” Micah met his silver eyes. “He’s not gonna see you as weak. I know I don’t know your pack family as well as I should, but Gabriel will see you as brave. I promise.”

Micah squirmed a little. “Thanks.”

Vincent smiled and ruffled her short hair. “‘Course.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Can I get you something to eat? You’ve been out for six hours.”

Micah’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. “Yes, please.”

Vincent’s smile widened. “I’ll be right back.” He crossed to the door but paused in the frame. “You’re gonna be okay, Micah. I swear to you.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Uncle Vin.”

He chuckled and headed out of her room.

[starlitangels]

Reckless Teenagers

So, when I asked the ever-wonderful @palilious​ (whom I love very much and if you’re following me and not her for whatever reason I highly recommend also following her because her art is amazing and she’s also fantastic just in general) what to write for yesterday’s one-shot, she offered the idea of shifter wolves being large enough to ride and suggested I could also do something with the idea for the Pups so... here we go 2.1k words If you read that run-on sentence of an author’s note, I dare you to send me a star emoji or reply to this one-shot with one

—

Natalie slowed to a stop just beyond the reach of the Greer’s backyard before shifting back to human form and readjusting her clothing. She stooped, scooped up a tiny pebble from the garden, and climbed the fence. Slowly, she crept the expanse of the backyard until she was at a good angle directly under Danny’s bedroom window.

Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she threw the pebble at the window. It clinked against the glass. Not hard enough to nick it, but enough to make noise. She set her fist on her hip and waited.

After a few tense moments during which she resisted the urge to start fidgeting, Danny decloaked and pushed the window open. “What are you doing here?” he hissed.

“Come on!” she stage-whispered. “Come to the woods with me!”

“Why?”

“Micah’s already heading out! Come join us!”

“Okay—but, like, why?”

“Because we’re young and we should sneak out and be reckless teenagers at least once.”

He rolled his eyes. “If my parents see me leaving, I’m dead!”

Natalie’s expression dropped from one of excitement to one that hemorrhaged sarcasm. “Daniel,” she said. “You’re a damn Stealth! They’re not going to see you leave!”

Danny cringed away from her use of his full first name. “Fine. Just never call me that again,” he whispered.

Natalie winked and took a few steps back toward the back of the yard where it bordered the woods. Danny rolled his eyes and cloaked. A few moments later  he appeared on the back porch, having phased through the doors. Natalie climbed the fence again, but Danny just passed through it. She grabbed his forearm in both hands and started dragging him into the woods.

“Where’s Micah meeting us?”

“The usual clearing.”

“When?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Ten mi—Natalie!” Danny protested as they jogged through the trees. “We’ll never make it in ten minutes!”

“Sure we will.”

“How?”

“We run.”

“No. No—stop.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her to a stop. “Natalie—you just had to remind me that I’m a Stealth, so let me take a turn to remind you that I am a Stealth. I can’t run like you and Micah can!”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “I know that, dumbass,” she retorted. “You’re gonna get on my back, hold onto my fur, and I’m gonna run.”

“You can’t carry me that long,” Danny said.

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth with the way Natalie’s teeth caught the light of the full moon as she bared them in the beginnings of a snarl. “Thank you—I appreciate your doubt,” she spat. A muscle worked in her jaw.

“Natty—” Danny tried. She refused to meet his eyes and stalked deeper into the trees. “Natty, wait. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.” He jogged after her, trying to keep up. They’d both stopped growing and Danny capped out at 5′7″, barely three inches taller than her. So his jog caught up to her determined stride fairly quickly. “Natalie. All I meant was that you shouldn’t have to carry me that long. That it’s not fair to you.”

“If it bothered me, I wouldn’t have suggested it. Now, are we gonna go meet Micah in the clearing or not?”

“Uh... I guess we are—if you’re not too mad at me.”

She gave him a look, and turned her back to him, leaning forward.

In the blink of an eye, a massive black wolf with her eyes was standing before him. She wasn’t as big as her dad or her brother, but she was close—and for a female shifter, that was pretty significant. The size difference between male and female shifters wasn’t always terribly dramatic unless someone knew what to look for.

But between Danny’s sister Lily and Natalie, the difference was easily noticeable. Lily was the smallest full-grown wolf in the pack, and Natalie was one of the biggest.

“You sure about this?” Danny asked apprehensively. She glowered at him and growled. “Okay, okay. But if I get to be too heavy after a bit, I warned you.”

Natalie rolled her eyes and huffed what could have been a scoff out of her nose.

Danny did not climb onto her back gracefully, but he wasn’t particularly concerned about it.

He wound his fingers around the thick, coarse but soft black fur and leaned forward. “This is a bad idea,” he muttered. Natalie’s ear flicked, acknowledging she heard him.

She shifted her weight back and forth quickly as she lowered the front half of her body, like a cat preparing to pounce. Danny peeked behind him to see her tail raised high. He caught a quick glimpse of her claws sinking deep into the soil.

Natalie took off like a shot, flattening her ears to her head to be a bit more aerodynamic. Danny squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his grip on her fur. If it hurt, she gave no indication.

In truth, it didn’t hurt her much. Vaguely uncomfortable, sure, having her fur yanked, but there was no pain. Danny often underestimated how tough she was. He knew her better than anyone—he knew she could take a beating and be fine—but he always seemed to treat her so... softly. He was a 5′7″, skinny teenage boy and yet he thought she wouldn’t be able to run with him on her back for ten minutes. Like he didn’t realize she was a Shaw. One of the strongest shifter family lines in the city. Sure, she could feel his weight behind her shoulders, his knees clamping her sides over her ribs, but he didn’t weigh enough to be a burden.

You’re not a burden, Danny. You’re never a burden, she thought. Words she would never say out loud. Danny was a sweet guy, but he was also Milo’s son through and through—and if she said something like that, he’d give her hell about being sappy or something.

She dodged between thick tree trunks as they made their way through the woods toward the clearing. As a wolf, she was quite a bit bigger than she was as a human, and she moved much faster. Her tail helped her keep her balance whenever she made a sharp turn, leaning hard to keep Danny nestled safely against her spine.

He was one of her best friends and—much as he pissed her off sometimes—she didn’t want him to fall off.

The run to the clearing did not take ten minutes. It barely took five. As a human, there was no way Natalie could have run that long. But in wolf form, her endurance was a hell of a lot better.

When they got to the clearing, she laid down. Danny climbed off her back, and she shifted to human form. Sweat gleamed on her forehead in the light of the full moon where it had cleared the trees and she panted hard. “God, I’m grateful I can just shift back to human form to dissipate all the heat that builds up in my coat,” she said through her heavy breathing. “That would suck if all I could do was pant to cool off like a lot of mammals.”

Danny grunted. Then looked around contemplatively. “Where’s Micah?”

“On her way, I’m sure. I smelled her on the wind when we made it here but it was distant so she’s probably quite a ways out.”

“Still freaks me out that you can do that.”

Natalie shrugged. “Wolf nose,” she said by way of explanation.

Danny just watched her lie in the grass and pant for a few moments. Her eyes were closed, so she hopefully wouldn’t realize he was staring. Wouldn’t see the way he stared at her with longing.

—

Micah loved the feeling of the wind in her fur. She ran fast and hard to feel it as often as the opportunity presented itself. She and her parents and older siblings liked running through the woods together sometimes. A pair of shifters and a trio of vampires would be quite the sight if they ever got caught. Thankfully, so far, they never had.

Micah followed Natalie’s scent trail up the mountain. It was fairly fresh. Two minutes old, maybe, and getting older the longer Micah took to ascend the slope.

Rose was half-asleep. Fingers twisted loosely into Micah’s grey, black-flecked fur. Lying down with her head between Micah’s shoulder blades. Micah took longer, slower strides in an attempt to keep Rose on her back. Rose was light. She felt like Micah was carrying little more than a backpack.

She was also used to riding on Micah. She’d done it a lot. Which was why she trusted Micah to keep running when she was half-asleep.

Rose’s parents knew Micah had “snuck” Rose out of the house for the night. She’d cleared it with them. Rose liked to think she was being sneaky, but Micah had texted Uncle Vincent beforehand to ask. She knew there was no way in hell she’d actually be able to get Rose out of a house with two vampire parents without them knowing, so she asked. Better that than getting in trouble.

Micah’s parents probably knew she’d snuck out for the night too, even though they were supposed to be out of town. Maybe they didn’t know—but she imagined they had a solid guess.

Natalie’s scent got older, but closer, as Micah leapt over a log, landing as smooth as she could on the soil, and bounded another half-mile to the clearing.

“Took you long enough,” Natalie said, sitting up. Remnants of sweat dampened her hair right around her forehead, leaving her usually fairly straight hair slightly wavy. Danny was sitting in the grass beside her, eyes wide upon noticing Rose.

Micah carefully lowered herself down. Danny hopped up and scooped Rose off Micah’s back so she could shift to human form,

“Why... why-why... why the baby?” Danny asked.

“She’s eleven,” Micah retorted. “She’s a kid, not a baby.”

Danny looked at the half-asleep unempowered girl in his arms, ribbons dangling from her pigtail braids, curled in on herself. “Ifff you say so,” he grumbled. He handed Rose to Micah, who took her and held her as she sat down, keeping her in her lap. “So... why did you bring her along?”

Micah shrugged. “She thinks it’s fun.”

“Do her parents know?” Danny asked.

Micah checked to make sure Rose wasn’t looking at her, nodded, but said, “Nope!”

“Alright. Great,” Danny said sarcastically. “So we’ve got the three of us and an unempowered kid out in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night on a full moon. What are we doing out here? Because I know you two—you didn’t just drag me out here to actually do anything dangerous or illegal. Did we come all the way out here to stargaze?”

“Not quite,” Natalie said. She pulled something out of the pocket of her shorts that Danny hadn’t realized was there. It was a little too cold in the grass for shorts, but Natalie generated plenty of body heat and didn’t seem bothered.

“What’s that?” Micah asked.

Natalie handed whatever was in her hand to Danny and then one to Micah, keeping one for herself. “Promises,” she said.

Micah inspected it. A braided cord of leather with a snap on either end. “Natalie Shaw—are you so sappy that you made us friendship bracelets?”

“So what if I am, Collins?” Natalie snapped back. “Look, Danny and I are graduating high school in a year. I got no plans to leave Dahlia or go to that fancy-ass academy on the other side of town—but Danny here isn’t a shifter. He’s got a lot of magic left to learn. I just want us to promise that we’re not gonna fall out of each other’s lives. We’re pack—we’re family—and we’re gonna see each other a lot anyway, but I don’t think I could bear to stop seeing you guys as often as we do.”

Micah twisted the bracelet around her wrist and snapped it into place. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere, sugar,” she said, letting her Dahlian accent fall away to her natural Southern one.

Danny did the same. “Me neither. I’m planning on going to the academy, but I’m staying close to home.”

“Good. Because we can’t be the Three Musketeers if there aren’t three of us,” Natalie said.

She dug into her other pocket and pulled something else out. “This is for Rose. Didn’t want her to feel left out.”

It wasn’t a leather bracelet—it was made of embroidery floss. Several strands of pink, purple, and gold. Micah helped Natalie tie it around Rose’s wrist. Rose cooed quietly and snuggled closer to Micah’s warmth.

“Promise we stick together?” Natalie said.

“Promise,” Micah and Danny repeated.

“Good.” Natalie nodded. “Now, who wants some of that hot chocolate I stashed behind the log over there?”

—

Tag list: @arialikestea @zozo-01 @mainhoesstuff

[starlitangels]

Pups AU Incorrect Quotes (Again)

Sam: Micah, let me see what you have

5-year-old Micah, running past: A knife!

Sam: No!

Frederick: Omg why does she have a knife?

Bright Eyes and Darlin’: *exchange a guilty look*

•-•

Sam: How did none of y'all hear what I just said?

Lily and Danny: We’ve been zoned out for the last two and a half hours

Gabriel and Evelyn: We got distracted about halfway through

Natalie and Micah: Ignoring you was a conscious decision

•-•

Micah: Yo what do you want to eat?

Danny, cloaked behind Natalie: *whispering* The souls of the innocent!

Natalie: A bagel

Danny: Nooo!

Natalie: Two bagels

•-•

Andrew: I have made up my mind! I’ll be the first man on the sun!

Lily and Evelyn: Yes Andrew!

Natalie: That’s a great idea!

Micah: Leave today!

•-•

Natalie: You ever wanna talk about your emotions, Micah?

Micah: No

Danny: I do

Natalie: I know Danny

Danny: I’m sad

Natalie: I know Danny

•-•

Evelyn: I spilled lipstick in your Valentino bag

Lily: You spi—wh-wh-wh—lipstick in my Valentino white bag—!!!

•-•

Sam: Remember what I taught you, Micah? The quickest way to a man's heart is...?

Micah: Through the third and fourth rib

Sam: no

Darlin': *fist bumps Micah*

•-•

Gabriel: Guess it's time to bring out the big guns!

Natalie: Please don’t take your shirt off

•-•

Micah: Dating tip! Hold the door for your date. Rip the door off its hinges. Then use the door as a weapon to fight off other suitors. Establish your dominance—

Lily: I’m beginning to see why you’re still single

Gabriel: No, no. Let her finish

•-•

Lily: So... Natalie kissed you, and you said "Thank you"?

Danny, lying facedown on the floor, cloaked: Yeeesss

Lily: Well, that's... very polite

•-•

Some Random Classmate: Hey can I get your number?

Evelyn, looking him dead in the eye while visibly texting: I don't have a phone

•-•

Rose Solaire: I am at a loss for words!

Micah, narrating: Despite being at a loss for words, Rose continued to lecture me for 25 minutes

•-•

Justin: Can I ask a dumb question?

Micah: Better than anybody I know

•-•

Bad Guy: I've brought you here because I crave the deadliest game

Gabriel, Natalie, Evelyn, Lily, Danny, and Micah, simultaneously: *nodding* Knife Monopoly

Bad Guy: Okay I was going to hunt you for sport but now I'm interested in whatever Knife Monopoly is

•-•

Micah, in full Southern Accent Mode: Lord, give me patience

Justin: I think you mean "give me strength"

Micah: If the Lord gave me strength, you'd be dead

•-•

Evelyn: My dad told me that I could be anything I want

Evelyn: So I became a problem

•-•

Sam: Micah did you do something stupid?

Micah, covered in blood: I think we both know the answer to that

•-•

Natalie: Gabriel, as my brother, would you take a bullet for me?

Gabriel: Of course. I would do anything for you.

Gabriel: Except eat a cucumber. Those things are nasty

•-•

Evelyn: Greetings, parental figure

Asher: Good morning, problem child

•-•

Rose: I made you a friendship bracelet!

Micah: I'm not really a jewelry person...

Rose: You don't have to wear it if you don't wa--

Micah: No. I'm wearing it forever. Back off!

•-•

Text from Gabriel: Sorry, I'm gonna be a half-hour late

Evelyn: *forgot they were even meeting, still in bed* You always do this

[starlitangels]

Some More Stuff About My Pups

Natalie remembers Caelum. Only vaguely but she still has images of him in her mind and she can still hear his laughter. Mind you, she thinks they’re the imaginings of a child playing with their imaginary friend, but she remembers him

It is not uncommon for sleepovers between Danny, Micah, and Natalie to end with whomever’s parents coming downstairs in the morning to find Danny curled up on the cushion pile on the floor between two fairly large she-wolves

Sam used to sing Micah to sleep when she was a baby. She would always fall right to sleep with “Here Comes the Sun,” so Sam took to calling her little darlin’ when she was a baby. Which Darlin’ found adorable

At their fully grown, the Pups measure in at:

Gabriel - 6′5″ (yeah, he’s tall)

Natalie - 5′4″

Evelyn - 5′10″

Lily - 5′5″

Danny - 5′7″

Micah - 5′8″

In oldest-to-youngest birth order,

Lily’s birthday is July 26th

Evelyn’s birthday is December 3rd

Gabriel’s birthday is May 9th

Natalie’s birthday is November 12th

Danny’s birthday is June 19th

Micah’s birthday is September 4th

Danny, despite having a personality similar to Milo’s and hating being scared (much to Lily’s delight, given she’s as playful as Sweetheart), has found a lot of enjoyment in scaring the crap out of Micah and Natalie. But only because they’re his two best friends and they are both hard to scare

Caelum was in the clearing the day David made Natalie beta of the pack. He was also there when both kids shifted for the first time, when Gabriel was initially appointed beta, and the days Davey and Angel brought both kids home

Caelum was so deeply integrated into Natalie’s childhood joy that she still sees flickers of his smile when she’s happy

When Natalie was a baby, Davey and Angel thought she cried herself to sleep a lot when she woke up in the middle of the night. But the baby monitor could never pick up on Caelum soothing her back to sleep

Some music tastes:

Natalie and Micah like alternative a lot

Gabriel and Natalie dig classic rock

Danny loves jazz

Lily pretends to like country music to piss off Danny. Lily actually also likes jazz

Evelyn is a big fan of pop punk. She and Micah will listen to metal covers of Disney songs together if they hang out

Some DnD since I haven’t talked about them playing it in a while:

Natalie’s the dice goblin. She has so many dice. Someone doesn’t know what to get her for her birthday? Dice. Stumped for solstice? Dice. Just find a cool set of dice no matter what kind and she will be delighted.

She plays the party’s chaotic stupid rogue

Gabriel plays a paladin, who has unilaterally decided that he’s said rogue’s parole officer

Gabriel’s paladin shares healing duty with Danny’s cleric which is good because

Micah’s barbarian has an intelligence of 5 and a wisdom of 8, and Micah loves roleplaying the hell out of that

Evelyn set out to play a stereotypical bard, but her character ended up being the group parent

Gabriel only beat Natalie manifesting powers by six months. He manifested when he was barely thirteen, and she manifested when she was barely twelve, maybe even a week or two before her twelfth birthday, and they’re only eighteen months apart.

William Solaire taught Micah and Rosalind French while the girls were growing up (and still does twice-weekly lessons as schedules permit), so when the girls want to have a private conversation around their parents or the other Shaw Pack pups, they drop into French (and, yes, absolutely smack talk the other pups)

[starlitangels]

Pups AU Incorrect Quotes (Part 3)

Micah: *wears a dark grey tank top*

Danny: Ah. Breaking out the spring colors I see

—

Natalie: Can’t you try to see things from my perspective?

Gabriel: Okay! *sits on the floor*

Natalie: Now listen here you little sh!+

—

Micah: Here’s a fun idea. We hang mistletoe; but instead of kissing you have to fight them

Danny: We are not doing that

Natalie: Mistlefoe™

Danny: Do Not Encourage Her!

—

Evelyn: I’m not responsible for what my face does when you talk

—

Gabriel: We need to distract my sister and her friends

Evelyn: Leave it to me

*approaches*

Evelyn: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss

Natalie, Danny, and Micah: *immediately start arguing with each other*

Gabriel: Oh… I don’t like this at all

—

Natalie: What are you, five?

Gabriel: Yeah. Five heads taller than you

Natalie:

Gabriel:

Natalie:

Gabriel: I’m sorry please don’t kill me

—

Micah: Can we kill Andrew and Justin for making fun of Danny?

Lily: No.

Micah: I can make it look like an accident.

Lily: …How?

Gabriel: Lily!

Lily: Alright, no…

—

Evelyn: Don't panic.

Gabriel: I'm not panicking, I'm just very concerned and alarmed at how thoroughly screwed we are.

—

Danny: But please, be careful.

Natalie: You know me.

Danny: Yeah, exactly, that’s what I’m worried about.

[also applies to Gabriel and Micah]

—

Lily: Writing a death threat and dotting all the i's with hearts

—

Justin, going through closet: What should I change into?

Danny: A better person -_-

—

Natalie: Reminder that I’m very sweet and endearing so be nice to me

Andrew: Or what

Natalie: Or I’ll punch your lights out

—

Micah: Hold your horses, Gabriel. Hold them tight. Cherish them.

Gabriel: What?

Micah: I don’t know. I haven’t eaten today.

*distressed Gabriel noises*

—

Lily: Gabriel's little sister is way too nice a person for the number of ways she knows how to kill people.

Natty, from the other room: It's called 'diplomacy,' b!+ch!

—

Evelyn: Can't believe there are so many songs about love and only one where someone welcomes someone else to a jungle.

—

Rose, to the Pups: Can I make a suggestion that doesn’t involve violence or is this the wrong crowd?

—

Gabriel: Living well is the best revenge.

Evelyn: Yeah, but obviously I'm not gonna do that. What's the second best. Cutting their brakes, right?

—

Micah: The only reason I’m not coming at you right now is because Rose here is a delicate flower who doesn’t like violence.

Rose: GET 'EM MIKEY!

—

Natalie: You’re charged with breaking into a pet store?

Evelyn: I thought the puppies might be lonely.

—

Gabriel: Describe your ideal partner.

Lily: They're dark and mysterious, and they can sing, and they play the organ.

Gabriel: I think you just described the Phantom of the Opera.

—

(Looking at graffiti on a high bridge)

Lily: That’s art.

Gabriel: No, that’s vandalism.

Evelyn: How the f^&* did they get up there? I wanna try!

Gabriel: No!

—

Danny: You guys are idiots, did you know that?

Natalie & Micah: In our defense, we actually do know that.

—

Lily: Why are you covered in glitter?

Rose: Why aren't you covered in glitter?

Lily: Good point

—

Gabriel: Recipe says to beat three eggs.

Micah: At what? Hand to hand combat?

Gabriel: Must be. My dad and sister banned shifting in the kitchen, remember?

[starlitangels]

For the ask game: 25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

😆😆😆 Thanks Romi! This was fun!!! I did one for each Pup because they are my babies

Evelyn has an “outie” belly button!

Danny is left-handed because Milo is to me

Micah actually learned how to do one-armed cartwheels before normal ones

Natalie owns 5 different pair of Converse hi-tops that are all different colors. Sometimes to make Gabriel mad she’ll wear mismatched ones

Speaking of mismatched, Lily never matches her socks

Gabriel is a secret artist. Asher taught him how and he’s really skilled, but doesn’t tell anybody. Not even Natalie or Evelyn

Rose sometimes forgets that her full first name is Rosalind

[starlitangels]

Hear me out: Will meeting Vincent and Lovely's child for the first time and automatically turning into the grandpa who constantly spoils the kid and has them on his arms 24/7

That’s exactly what happens!

Will keeps York peppermint patties in the pockets of his jacket for Vincent and Lovely’s kid to find my grandpa did when I was a kid no matter how many times Vincent is like “you’re going to spoil dinner”

Will just winks at the kid

For my Pups AU I’m assuming this is Rosalind and sweet little Rose just giggles and gives Will a big hug

[starlitangels]

Oh my gosh! Puppy crushes! We all have them, right? So imagine when Little Rose has a crush at school, she's too shy to talk about it to Mama and Papa.

So the next best thing? Gossiping with Grampa William, of course! 😂

William probably be super invested in the drama, TBH 😅

William’s been alive for over 500 years and the drama of his granddaughter’s little puppy-love crush on a kid at school is the most interesting thing to happen in the last decade as far as William is concerned. He’s mostly forgotten what it’s like to be an unempowered human child, and Rose just brings back all the fond nostalgia for his youth despite over five centuries separating her experiences from his. And sweet innocent crushes are the same

[starlitangels]

thank you so much i love it it was very good and cute i love reading about little rose

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Little Rose was really cute and a lot of fun to write! Thank you for the request!

[starlitangels]

can you do a story we're vincent and lovely take rose to meet the clan as a baby please

Yes! Oh my goodness that sounds adorable! Yes absolutely!