#and my aunt was like in her defense you also said she was working like 60-70 hours a week

[wellthatschaotic]

are nts allergic to giving full clear instructions or something

[cjsmalley]

Wished Away 9

Tylers meet Phantoms:

“Christ, Mum,” Rose said as she took in how Jackie, Pete, and Tony were dressed, “we’re just meetin’—”

“Royalty!” Jackie squeaked. They were all done up like they were meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace itself!

“Honestly, Mum, they don’t care,” Rose rolled her eyes, grabbing her mother’s wrist and tugging her through the console room and to the wardrobe room, “I told ya ta dress casually. Let’s just hope the Ol’ Girl has clothes fer ya.”

It took about an hour to get everyone redressed, in things much more casual but still nice, before Rose led them back to the console room.

Jackie was clearly anxious, “Are ya—”

“’m sure, Mum. Danny an’ Sam don’t do formal unless they have ta. Unless you’re an annoying subject or someone threatenin’ war, ya don’t even have ta call ‘em by their titles. They’re just Danny an’ Sam ta family.”

“Lookie what I found,” Jenny bounded from the innards of the TARDIS, holding a tiny bike helmet.

She went to her toddler uncle and put it on him, making sure it fit right, “Landings in the Realms are worse than normal ones. The TARDIS does Her best but the Realms give her…nausea? A headache? She just doesn’t do good.”

“Oh, goody,” Jackie said lowly, hugging a strut for dear life already.

“Let me protect Anthony,” Bad Wolf came out, holding out her arms; without hesitation, Pete handed his son over.

Bad Wolf settled Tony in her arms, against her chest and shoulder, and then spread her feet and crouched slightly, clearly bracing for impact; she stayed steady even as the TARDIS began Her flight.

Everyone else was thrown about the console room, the Doctor and Jenny barely holding on to work the console, but Bad Wolf and Tony did not move an inch.

The landing was rough, just as Jenny said it would be, throwing even the Time Lords to the grated floor before the TARDIS stopped quaking.

Jenny recovered first and stood up, rubbing her shoulder, to peek out the doors, “We’re in the Palace. Uncle Danny and Aunt Sam are waiting…”

Slowly, everyone picked themselves up and Rose reemerged, straightening with some popping from her knees.

Jenny led the procession out, racing to hug a man and a woman, “Uncle Danny, Aunt Sam! How’re you?”

Danny and Sam chuckled and hugged her as one, “Good, doing good. You?”

“Perfect!”

She let go of them to drag Jackie, who was hesitant, forward, “This’s my Gran, Jackie. Mum’s side, duh. Completely human. He’s my step-granddad, Pete, and Mum’s holding my uncle, Tony.”

“Yer Majesties,” Jackie tried to curtsy even though she was in trousers, “an honor ta—”

“Oh, enough,” Sam chuckled, “didn’t they tell you? We don’t do formalities with family.”

“Family?” Jackie’s eyes were wide, “I know Rose said—but—”

“We count Clockwork as family,” Danny explained, “and he’s claimed the Doctor as family. The Doctor and Jenny. Rose’s basically married in by this point. Common-law, you understand. That makes her family our family. Welcome to the Palace, your home in the Infinite Realms.”

“My god,” Pete muttered, somewhat disbelieving.

“Not a god, not yet anyways,” Danny winked.

“Where’s Dani?” Jenny burst out, “Is she still in school?”

Sam grinned, “With Anakin, in the nursery. We let her stay home today.”

“Oh, Gran! Can I introduce Tony to Anakin? Please!” Jenny nearly begged.

“Anakin’s our youngest,” Danny explained kindly, “around Tony’s age, actually. We also have a nanny looking after them, Nanny Clara. He’d be perfectly safe.”

“Well…” Jackie looked to her husband, who nodded, “if you’re sure.”

Jenny cheered and took Tony from Rose, dashing off with him deeper into the Palace.

“Jenny knows the Palace as well as anyone,” Sam assured, “and if she gets lost, she can flag down a servant for help. She’s heading directly for the nursery. It’s the most defensible part of the Palace.

Danny stood up, helping Sam, “C’mon, we can talk over food; stay close, Tylers. Doctor?”

“Rose and I can bring up the rear,” the Doctor agreed, taking Rose’s hand as they began walking.

The Palace was a gothic masterpiece, in a very literal sense, though even Sam had wearied of all the gloom and had sought artists and artwork to fill the halls, soft, plush carpets and tapestries to keep the warmth, glassworks to fill the once barred windows. Statues and busts dotted the hallways, some classical, some avant garde

Masters had given their masterpieces, their magnum opuses; they were paid handsomely of course, in either coin or material.

Oils, watercolors, acrylics, textiles, glass, all created for Her Majesty the Ghost Queen. For His Majesty the Ghost King.

It wasn’t yet a riot of color, nor would it ever be, but it was more alive.

Jackie gasped and the group stopped, turning as one to see what had captured her attention.

“When they said the family was huge…”

Ah, it was the most recent family portrait; all the children were gathered around Danny and Sam, all in formal wear.

“We…sometimes people sell the souls of children to me,” Danny started, causing her and Pete to whip around to him in horror, “I know, it’s horrible, isn’t it? But anyways, we adopt the kids. Only Dani—Danielle—isn’t adopted.”

He pointed out each child and gave their backstory.

“Good Lord, you were young!” Pete said at Damian’s story.

“Old enough to be king,” Danny shrugged helplessly, “it…it wasn’t easy, we had help, so much help, and we made mistakes…”

“All parents do,” Jackie told him softly.

“So we’ve been told,” Sam smiled just as softly, “and we’ve learned and made new ones with each kid.”

Danny coughed and continued to point out kids and tell stories, until all had been covered and then they moved on.

As they neared the dining room, Danielle and Jenny joined them with each holding a toddler.

“Oh my,” Jackie said, taking in the Anakin Skywalker; she knew who he grew up to be, or would have if he had not been adopted.

“We’re hungry, Dad,” Danielle said.

Danny waved them into the dining room where the smaller table was already set for a meal; there were two chairs with booster seats and Jenny and Danielle put Tony and Anakin in them before sitting beside them and helping them get food.

The group chatted over the meal, Jackie and Pete slowly relaxing at how easy going the Royals were, and generally had good cheer.

After the meal was done, Jenny asked, “Do we put their photo up on the family wall now? I know you’ve got me, Dad, and Mum…”

Danny chuckled, “We can, if they’re okay with it.”

“Family wall?” Pete questioned.

“We keep walls of pictures of the extended family,” Sam explained easily, “you know, like Rose, the Doctor, and Jenny. Harry’s and Neville’s parents. Damian’s paternal birth-family. The Royal Portrait is just the immediate royal family. The walls are for everyone and everything else.”

Danny and Sam led the group out of the dining room and down another hallway; the walls were plastered with photographs. Some were professional, most were candid and amateur.

A common camera sat on a small round table; a high-end camera but nothing too expensive or professional.

Danny picked it up, saying, “If Jackie, Pete, and Tony don’t mind—”

Jackie decided it would be a family photograph and dragged the Doctor in; Rose and Jenny came without complaint.

Danny took a set of pictures.

After that was done, it was decided it was time for the Tylers to leave, taking pity on the still disgruntled TARDIS.

They were, however, invited to the next family gathering.

[dreamwritesimagines]

Garden of Secrets [7] - Marigolds

A.N: Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and support my loves!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please don’t forget to tell me what you think, thank you! ❤

Thanks so much to @theskytraveler​ for helping me with the chapter!

Summary: Love can be cruel to heart.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, some gender specific language and terms.

Word Count: 5300

Series Masterlist

Technically, you knew it was a bad idea to stay under the scorching sun for hours, working in your garden without a water bottle by your side or your hat on your head.

You knew that very well but in your defense, you hadn’t really noticed the time passing.

“Auntie, how much longer are you going to act like I’m about to say my last words?” you asked as she shushed you, tucking the corners of the heavy covers into the bed, almost trapping you there.

“I’m glad you find a near death experience amusing.”

“Near death exp—I stood up too fast and passed out for what, five seconds?”

Your maid wrung the cloth in ice cold water, then came to press it on your wrists, making you heave a sigh.

“Thank you Paula but it’s honestly not necessary-”

“Fainting is a serious issue that has a lot of people in its clutches Y/N,” your aunt said solemnly. “It’s no topic to be made light of.”

“I doubt it counts as fainting.”

“The doctor said it does,” she said and took another cloth to press it on your forehead, shaking her head. “Heat exhaustion, he said. We’re blessed that we didn’t lose you.”

“The doctor also said I would be alright in a couple of hours auntie,” you pointed out. “So before you call the priest here for my final confession—”

“Y/N!” she chided you, making you grin at her but before you could say anything, your uncle knocked on the doorframe as Teddy wheezed past him to throw himself into your arms.

“Teddy, careful dear,” your aunt said. “We don’t want to overexert your sister.”

He nodded shyly and looked up at you.

“Sorry. Are you better now?”

You pressed a kiss on his forehead and smiled at him.

“I’m absolutely fine,” you said. “I assure you. Were you worried?”

He chewed on his lip, nodding again as he played with your hair and you wrapped your arms around him.

“It was just too much sun, Teddy,” you said. “That’s it.”

“Do you need anything Clover?” your uncle asked and you shook your head.

“No I’m alright. Thank you uncle.”

“Howard,” your aunt said, putting her hands on her hips. “I think we should call the doctor again.”

“We should not,” you told her and your uncle repressed a chuckle.

“Well, considering you had a close encounter with Hades…”

“Not you too!”

“Who’s Hades?” Teddy mumbled and you grinned.

“Um, the doctor my sweet.”

“I took it upon me to tell your suitors you’re in no condition to accept any visits until further notice.”

Your head shot up and you cleared your throat.

“That’s a good idea, thank you,” you managed to say. “I still feel a bit faint to be honest.”

Your aunt gasped as Paula put the cloth in the water again, but you stopped her and winked at her, making her bite down a smile.

“See, I told you!” your aunt said. “Of course you cannot receive any suitors while you’re like this, and no attending balls until you’re in better health either, I will not hear it.”

“Oh no,” you deadpanned. “That’s so sad.”

“And no spending time in the garden either.”

“What?” you asked as your eyes widened. “Auntie!”

“And when it’s time, you will wear a hat and carry an umbrella with you,” she said, holding up a hand as you opened your mouth to argue. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I will tell the cook to change today’s menu, and get you as much fruit juice as possible.”

“But—” you started but she walked out of the room completely ignoring your protests. You leaned back with a sigh.

“She worries too much.”

“You know how she is when it comes to you and Teddy,” your uncle said and came to sit beside the bed. “Teddy, why don’t you let Paula take you to the kitchen? So that you can tell the cook to make that drink you like for you and Y/N.”

“That sounds like a good idea!” you said and Teddy shook his head, making you frown. “No?”

“No,” he muttered, still holding you tight and you exchanged glances with your uncle.

“Why not?” you asked. “You like chocolate milk. We can even put pieces of cookies into it the way you like.”

He shook his head again and frowned up at you.

“If you’re sick, I will stay here to protect you.”

You could swear your heart melted as a smile curled your lips, and you rubbed his back.

“And I’m sure you would do a wonderful job at that, but I’m not sick,” you said. “Do you remember how you scraped your knee the last summer and I was very worried but you were alright?”

He nodded.

“It’s just like that,” you said. “I will rest a little and I will be fine. But you know what would make me feel much better?”

“What?”

“Those figures you make for me from twigs.”

He gasped and sat up straight. “Really?”

“Yes,” you said. “Would you make one for me while I rest?”

He nodded fervently and kissed you on the cheek, then ran out of the room. Paula took a look at you.

“My lady, shall I keep an eye on him?”

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” you said and she walked out of the room. Your uncle gave you a smile and ruffled your hair, making you let out a small laugh.

“Are you sure you’re not dying?”

“Quite sure,” you said. “Do you think auntie will be alright though?”

“Not until she is convinced you rested enough,” your uncle said. “So, I wanted to ask you. I know I told your suitors you would not accept them at this time but do you want me to make any exceptions for any of them?”

You frowned. “Like who?”

“Like a certain artist if he visits?”

You rolled your eyes and leaned back in the bed, crossing your arms. “He’s not my suitor.”

“Do you wish him to be?”

You scoffed, making a face.

“I would never marry him,” you said. “It’s a good thing that he’s not courting me officially, saves both of us from wasting our time.”

He tilted his head. “Clover.”

“It’s just Lady Whistledown’s gossip.”

“Your aunt thinks you two have feelings for each other.”

“Benedict Bridgerton seems to have feelings for a lot of ladies in the ton, I wouldn’t assume it’s anything special for me.”

“And you?”

“I do have feelings for him,” you said, making him raise his brows. “Vexation is the first one that comes to mind. Ire too. While we’re at it, let’s also throw in some exasperation—”

“Alright,” he said with a chuckle and held up his hands in a mock of surrender. “And not an ounce of affection beneath all that?”

You pursed your lips, the sight of him at the greenhouse shooting through your mind. Even the thought was enough to make your heart beat faster and as much as you would have loved to lie to yourself—

No.

You couldn’t even entertain that idea.

Yes, perhaps you didn’t dislike his presence as much as you pretended to, and maybe your eyes had started searching for him in every outing lately but you couldn’t let that cloud your judgement.

He was attractive, there was no denying it, but that was all there was to this strange feeling.

“Clover?”

You snapped out of your thoughts and looked at him. “Huh?”

A smile curled his lips and he shook his head with a sigh.

“You know,” he said. “I find it quite ironic that you keep using the same approach with your suitors but are unable to see it for yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, my dear,” your uncle said, giving you a knowing look. “Silence is an answer too sometimes.”

You pulled back, swallowing thickly and he stood up.

“Do try to rest a little,” he said. “I’m sure you need it. And just see whether you will miss him until you see him again.”

You let out a breath as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving you alone. You shook your head and pressed your palms over your eyes, slipping further into the covers.

“I had too much sun,” you muttered to yourself. “That’s all.”

                                           *

After three days of complete rest, you were about to lose your mind. You really wanted to go and check your garden and you had almost managed to sneak out until your aunt caught you by the door and insisted that you kept resting in your room.

“It’s not as if there’s a lack of flowers there,” she had told you and even if you hated to admit, she was right.

Somehow.

Your suitors, after hearing of your so called sickness had all decided to send you flowers and now your room was filled with multiple bouquets of roses and tulips and forget-me-nots. Ironically you couldn’t even put a face on the name of the lord who sent you the forget-me-nots, but since your aunt had told you not to exert yourself, you weren’t even going to strain your mind about that.

Daphne and Charlotte had visited you earlier yesterday, and apparently Benedict had accompanied them but your uncle had told him you were in no condition to accept anyone except your lady friends.

You didn’t want to scream out loud when you had heard of him doing so, not at all.

You knew exactly what your uncle was doing. He was trying to see whether you would want to see Benedict after a couple of days of not talking to him, to prove to you that you would miss him more than you cared to admit. You couldn’t decide what was more annoying, the fact that your uncle was right or that you hadn’t been subtle at all when you told him you “didn’t mind” if Benedict decided to visit.

“Not to overexert you of course,” your aunt said as she walked to smell the newest bouquet of flowers in the vase. “But I was thinking tomorrow evening we could go see a play?”

“Anything to get me out of the house, yes,” you said almost too quickly. “And to repeat, I’m not overexerted. I’m completely alright auntie.”

“Thankfully,” she said and touched the roses. “Aren’t they beautiful? Who sent them?”

“Lord Brumley,” you said with a wave of hand. “What’s the play?”

“Taming of the Shrew,” she said. “You’ll like it I’m sure.”

You tilted your head at her, narrowing your eyes and she shot you a smile.

“What?” she said. “I said nothing.”

“Auntie—”

“My lady?” Paula knocked on the door. “Lord Thorne says Mr. Bridgerton is here if you wish to see him.”

You could swear your heart leaped to your throat as you sat up straight in bed.

“What?” you asked, your voice coming out a bit high pitched before you cleared your throat, frowning while your aunt suppressed her smile.

“That’s nice of him,” she commented and you nibbled on your lip, then fixed your gown.

“He may come here,” you managed to say before you turned to your aunt. “Auntie…”

“Paula stays right here,” she said and you nodded.

“Of course,” you said and she walked out of the room, greeting Benedict outside. Paula approached the nearest vase to make herself look busy, giving you as much privacy as she could considering the circumstances and you shot her a small smile, then turned your head when you heard the knock on the doorframe.

You couldn’t ignore the fluttering in your stomach if you tried, but it didn’t mean you wouldn’t try.

“Miss Y/N,” he said as he bowed and stepped into the room. It didn’t escape your attention that unlike your other suitors, he hadn’t brought you any flowers—

Not that he was your suitor, or that you wanted any flowers from him.

“Mr. Bridgerton,” you greeted him back as if your heart wasn’t pacing against your ribcage and he looked around the room, raising his brows.

“Roses and tulips,” he commented. “Your favorites.”

You repressed a small smile and shrugged your shoulders. “And surprisingly no Venus Flytraps.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at you before he let out a breath, his soft gaze focused on you.

“How do you feel?” he asked. “Charlie says it was heat exhaustion?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “It was nothing.”

“I doubt it was nothing, she says you passed out.”

“For five seconds,” your reply came quick. “It doesn’t even count.”

“It sounds like it does.”

You rolled your eyes.

“A man of many talents, are you not?” you asked. “Benedict Bridgerton, the artist, eligible bachelor and now doctor.”

“Oh look at that, you’re back,” he teased back. “I was beginning to go through withdrawals after three days of no snark from you.”

“Not to worry, I spent those three days saving some for you,” you answered and his expression turned from amused to gentle.

“But are you certain you’re alright?” he asked. “Did the doctor say so?”

A warmth spread through your chest and you cleared your throat.

“I’m more than ready to be up and about and insult you in any kind of outing,” you deadpanned. “I can start now if you want. Beginning early and everything.”

He tilted his head and motioned at you. “Do your worst.”

“You seem quite tired and sleepless,” you noted. “Have you been getting enough inspiration lately?”

A surprised chuckle escaped from his lips, the pleasant sound making you bite back a smile.

“On another thought, I don’t want to know. Please spare me the details or the general idea.”

“Y/N—” he started but you widened your eyes and stole a look at Paula who was still in the room. He followed your gaze before turning to you and took a deep breath, then cleared his throat.

“Miss Y/N,” he corrected himself. “I uh…I’d better leave you to your rest.”

You could feel your stomach drop but you shrugged your shoulders. “I’m grateful for your visit, Mr. Bridgerton.”

“And I’m grateful that you’re alright,” he said and took a step to the door but then turned around.

“I almost forgot,” he said as he reached into the inner pocket of his waistcoat to pull out a folded paper, and placed it on your bedside. “Get well soon, Miss Y/N.”

He bowed and walked out of the room, making you frown and reach out to get the paper before you unfolded it with nimble fingers, a breath leaving your lips as soon as your eyes fell upon what was inside.

You would have recognized it anywhere.

He had painted you a small picture of Middlemist Red, your favorite flower. You blinked a couple of times, the warmth rushing through your face and you let a smile pull at your lips as you traced the brush strokes with your fingertips, nearly mesmerized.

He had brought you a flower after all, and he had managed to bring you your favorite.

You pushed the covers off of you and approached the painting of a garden hung on the wall before you carefully tucked the paper to the frame, then stepped back to look at it better.

“It’s very beautiful my lady,” Paula said and you turned to her, barely aware of the smile lighting up your face.

“Yes,” you managed to say. “Yes, it really is.”

                                            *

Thankfully your aunt was finally convinced that you weren’t going to drop dead all of a sudden so this play -though it was not your favorite- was going to be a nice distraction from the last couple of days. Charlotte had found you the minute you stepped foot into the building and whisked you away from your aunt who already seemed eager to talk to Lady Danbury.

“…So then Mr. Fairfax asked me to see him in the garden after the dance.”

Your eyes widened. “Lottie, please tell me you said no.”

“Of course I said no!” she said quickly. “My mama would lose her mind if I were ever alone with a man. Not that she had much to worry about, because I happened to mention Mr. Fairfax’s request to Benedict and he looked very angry for some reason, then nearly dragged Mr. Fairfax out of the ballroom!”

Your heart skipped a beat but you sipped your drink just so that you could act normal.

“Good,” you commented and Lottie tilted her head to the side.

“What do you think Mr. Fairfax wanted to talk to me about in the garden?”

You heaved a sigh, Charlotte was too sweet for this world.

“I have no idea but I doubt it was anything good,” you said and looked around, trying to distract her. “It’s very beautiful here, don’t you think?”

“Oh yes!” she said. “Is this the first time you’re here?”

“Mm hm. You?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been here a couple of times, they hold wonderful plays here. Not that anything they put on stage can beat the rooftop, but…”

“There’s a rooftop here?”

“Oh my God yes!” she said, reaching out to hold your arm. “You simply must see it! Perhaps we can go up there after the play and watch the stars—I swear, it’s the best view in London.”

“You’re raising my expectations, I hope you know that,” you said with a smile but before she could say anything else, your aunt approached you.

“Miss Harlowe,” she said. “Do you mind if I borrow my niece for a moment?”

“No of course not,” she said and your aunt linked her arm with yours, and slowly led you away from her.

“It’s a shame our seats are so away from each other,” you said, “I’d quite like Lottie’s commentary on the play.”

“Clover my dear,” your aunt said. “I was wondering, what do you think of Lord Shaw?”

You pulled your brows together. “Uh…I don’t think of him,” you said. “Why?”

“I just talked to him,” she said. “He wants to ask your uncle for your hand in marriage.”

That was enough to make you stop dead in your tracks, your heart dropping down to your stomach. You could feel the fear filling you and you tried to find your voice that seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden.

“Auntie…”

“Obviously the decision is all yours dearest, and if—no?” she asked as you shook your head fervently, breathing hard.

“I don’t…” you swallowed thickly. “I don’t want him. I don’t want him as a husband.”

“Alright, then your uncle will turn him down in your behalf.”

Fixing your breathing felt nearly impossible. “Will he?”

She looked at you with a soft look on her face and rubbed at your arm.

“My dearest, we would never, ever force you to marry somebody you don’t wish to,” she asked. “I assumed you did not like him, but I wanted to ask you to be sure.”

“I’m sure,” you said, fear still keeping you tight in its cold clutch. “No I don’t—I don’t want to marry him.”

“Then you will not marry him,” she assured you as they announced that the play was about to start. Your aunt pulled you to your seat and out of the corner of your eye, you could see Benedict walking into the theatre with Colin to sit beside Charlotte but you were too lost in your thoughts to even turn your head.

If the proposals had started coming…

It wasn’t that you didn’t know it would happen when you debuted. After all, your uncle was very wealthy and your dowry was huge, so it was no wonder you would receive proposals but you hadn’t really stopped to think about the actual possibility of marriage this soon.

It was alright. It was going to be alright, you weren’t going to get married to someone you didn’t want, and you were going to find someone that fit your criteria, and—

And then you would be experiencing every aspect of marriage.

Where had the air disappear to in this goddamn theatre?

You took a look at the stage to see the actors and actresses taking their places and you forced yourself to inhale just so that you could get some air into your lungs. You gritted your teeth, then touched your aunt’s hand.

Charlotte was sitting far away from you and your aunt didn’t have her glasses on.

“Auntie, I think Charlotte is still outside,” you said. “I just remembered I needed to tell her something, I’ll be right back.”

“But Clover, the play has already started.”

“I’ll be right back,” you said and stood up from your seat, painfully aware of Benedict’s gaze on you but you walked out of the theatre into the hallway without so much as a glance back. You rubbed at your wrist, your heart still beating in your ears.

You didn’t want to be seen by anyone, and you desperately needed somewhere you could pull yourself together—

The rooftop.

You gathered up your skirts to lift them a little, then rushed to the stairs to ascend them until you reached the very top, and pushed open the door to step outside, the cool weather hitting your burning face. You closed your eyes for a moment, then opened them and approached the edge, a breath of awe leaving your lips.

Charlotte was right, the view was gorgeous.

You had to have stared at the view of the city for almost a minute before the sound of the door opening made you turn your head to look over your shoulder, that familiar warmth making its way through the icy cold of the fear in your chest.

“Let me guess,” Benedict said, “You hate Shakespeare as well?”

You pressed your lips together, then turned your gaze to the view again.

“I like some of his plays,” you said. “And before you ask, Romeo and Juliet is not among them, no.”

“That’s shocking.”

“How did you know where I was?”

“Charlie assumed you couldn’t wait to see the rooftop,” he stated and you nodded.

“I guess that’s true in a way,” you commented before you fixed your skirts, then sat down on the ground. Benedict approached you and hesitated for a moment.

“May I?”

“Go ahead, I’m not the owner of the building.”

He shot you that crooked grin of his before he sat beside you.

“Are you alright?”

You bit inside your cheek and stole a look at him, then nodded.

“Yes,” you said, making sure to keep your expression flat. “I suppose I needed some fresh air after being cooped up in the house for days.”

“Is that the only reason you’re here?”

No.

No, of course it was not.

The reason was that you couldn’t even imagine being married to someone without feeling as if all the air was pulled out of your lungs, but you couldn’t exactly say that. You rubbed at your wrist as you looked up at the sky so that you could avoid looking at him, then laid on your back, curling an arm behind your head. The glimmering stars were so beautiful in the dark sky that for a moment you wanted to tell him to look up, but all his attention seemed to be on you.

“Y/N,” he said, his voice soft. “What is it?”

You rolled your eyes.

“If you’re going to keep smothering me with your questions, I may reconsider my decision about letting you stay.”

“I thought you said you weren’t the owner of the building.”

“I can pretend otherwise if need be,” you said. “Your presence is much more enjoyable if it’s not accompanied by questions.”

He tilted his head. “I thought you hated my presence.”

“You have your moments,” you pointed out. “Very rare moments, and it seems that right now is not one of them.”

He shot you a roguish smirk. “I’m still taking that as a good sign.”

“You do that quite a lot,” you remarked before you raised a hand to trail it in the air, following the shape of the stars. “It’d be one less thing to worry about if I were dead, I tell you. I wouldn’t have to deal with suitors.”

He pulled his brows together. “Yes because you’d be dead.”

“Yet here I am, constantly subjected to suitors and their nonsense,” you muttered and sat up. “Go on then.”

He looked a bit confused. “Hm?”

“You’re here, so you might as well make your presence useful,” you said. “Entertain me.”

His smile was too irresistible, and that was why you refused to look his way but you hadn’t expected him to lean back on his palms and take a look at the sky.

“As my lady wishes. Do you know what that constellation is?” he asked, pointing at a couple of stars and you followed his line of sight, then shook your head.

“No,” you said. “What is it?”

“Andromeda.”

“Judging by my limited knowledge of mythology, I’m going to go on a limb and say Zeus had something to do with that.”

He let out a chuckle. “Not really.”

“No?”

“No,” he said, “Andromeda was this… beautiful princess of Aethiopia. She was so beautiful that her mother Cassiopeia started saying she was more beautiful than Nereids, Poseidon’s daughters.”

You hissed in a breath. “Hubris. Bad idea in Greek mythology.”

“Very bad idea,” he nodded. “As you can tell, Poseidon doesn’t take that kindly.”

“Of course not.”

“So he sends a sea monster to ravage their coasts to punish the king and the queen for their hubris,” Benedict said. “The king asks his oracle for a solution, and the oracle tells him he has to sacrifice Andromeda, that there is no other way.”

You made a face. “I don’t like this story.”

Benedict grinned. “But,” he said. “As fate would have it, when they tie Andromeda to a rock for the sea monster to take her, Perseus happens to be flying over there on his winged sandals, having just slain Medusa. He sees Andromeda, and…”

“Ugh,” you groaned. “Let me guess, he falls in love with her?”

“He falls in love with her,” he nodded. “So he kills the monster, saves Andromeda and marries her.”

“Shocking.”

“And after her death, Athena places Andromeda into the sky as a star with her whole family,” Benedict said, pointing at the star. “Right there.”

You bit down on a smile and clicked your tongue.

“Interesting,” you commented. “You know all myths by heart?”

He nodded his head. “Most of them,” he said. “You’re not the only one with a specific interest.”

“Here I thought the only thing you could offer was your good looks.”

That mischievous smile curled his lips. “I wasn’t aware you found me good looking, Miss Y/N.”

You shot him a glare but that did nothing to wipe that smile off his face.

“Kitty Morris is still inside, I suggest you go to her if you’re in need of compliments,” you said. “Or Madame Delacroix. Or any of your dalliances, really. I’m sure there’s quite the queue.”

“Are all your compliments instantly followed by biting remarks?”

“I couldn’t say, I’m not in the habit of giving people compliments.”

He chuckled, the pleasant sound making your heart skip a beat but you bit on your lip.

“That being said…” you said after a small hesitation. “Thank you. For the—for the flower, earlier. Middlemist Red.”

He looked almost abashed. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“I loved it,” you said, nervousness hitting you out of nowhere. “And I will keep it.”

He turned his glances to you. “Will you?”

“Well, yes,” you said. “When you unavoidably become a famous artist, I will either sell it to get rich or keep it to use it as an object for boosting and elevating my position among the ton. I haven’t decided yet.”

He stared at you before he scoffed a laugh, his blue eyes glimmering in delight even under the moonlight, and he ran a hand through his black hair in almost a nervous manner, messing it up in such a lovely way that you had to remind yourself not to reach out to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked.

“Thank you,” he ended up saying. “It means more than you know, coming from you.”

You offered him a small smile, playing with the silk skirts of your dress just so that you could do something with your hands.

“Why are you here?” he asked after a couple of seconds of silence. “Really?”

You shrugged your shoulders and fixed your skirts.

“I told you,” you said nonchalantly. “I was in need of some fresh air. Why are you here?”  

A silence fell upon him only for a moment before he took a deep breath.

“Can’t you tell?” he asked, and as if on cue, your heart started pacing in your chest. Your eyes shot up to his blue gaze, your breath getting caught in your throat and all you could do was stare at him for a moment.

The warmth of hope that had shot through your whole system was so sudden that it made your head spin, and it would’ve been intoxicating if it weren’t for—

If it weren’t for the familiar fear turning it into ice shards in your veins.

You pulled back slightly, your eyes burning as you dug your fingernails into your palms before you subtly twisted your wrist and clenched your jaw, painfully aware of the hostile glare taking over the happy light that was in your eyes a moment ago, and judging by his expression, so was he.

“Y/N—”

“Don’t,” you cut him off through clenched teeth and shook your head. “I wouldn’t even entertain that thought if I were you.”

He swallowed thickly, his eyes darting over your face as if he was trying to read your mind. “Why not?”

You shook your head again, fear slowly poisoning your system even if you were trying your hardest to remain calm.

“I know you artists like to be tormented, but trust me,” you said as you stood up, with him following you suit. “What you are implying would result in more of a torment than you could take.”

“It doesn’t have to be—”

“Perhaps it does not but it would be,” you insisted, the burning in your eyes getting even worse but you quickly blinked back the tears. “I’d make sure of that.”

He let out a breath, his gaze locked in yours and he took a step towards you but you stepped back as soon as he did, glaring up at him.

“Don’t make me rip your heart out Benedict,” you forced the words through your teeth, trying your hardest to ignore the pain in your chest. “I will if I have to, so please do not make me.”

The hurt in his eyes was so clear that you could feel the lump growing bigger and bigger in your throat and you walked past him, desperate to get away from his sight before he could see the tears blurring your vision. You pushed open the door and made your way down the stairs before you reached the bottom of them and turned a corner to lean back to the wall, a sob climbing up your chest. You pressed your palms to your eyes as if that could help you with tears and tried to fix your shaky breathing.

It was the right thing to do. You couldn’t even—

You wouldn’t even entertain the thought.

You wiped at your eyes, trying to pull yourself together.

“You’re alright,” you muttered, pushing yourself off the wall. “You’re alright, don’t be foolish.”

You took a shaky breath, fixed your dress, then threw your shoulders back and made your way back to the auditorium.

Chapter 8 

[eu-nicola]

Pedri x single mom reader ? Maybe pedri meets the kid first and the kid plans for them to be together because mom + fav footballer = happiness !! Thanks love.

Pedri x Reader

sorry english isn’t my first language

You were sixteen when you had your son, you were very young but you didn’t think it was a mistake and the moment you told your boyfriend that you were pregnant he left you and never showed up again of course it hurt at first but over time you realized that not having him was the best, after all, you didn’t need it.

You loved being with your son teaching him new things, one of those things was football and you made sure from the day he was born that he loved the Barcelona club as you loved it and you loved having a partner with whom you could always go to watch the games, your son was now 4 years old and was old enough to understand everything or almost everything that happened in a game so it was more fun to see him enjoy.

On Sunday you and your son were going to watch the game and throughout the week he had been asking you to make a poster to ask for the shirt of one of the players and of course it was something you could not refuse so you told him that they would as soon as you get home from work and I accept. As soon as you came back you saw your son and your sister at the table making crafts and you wondered what they were doing so much and you saw that they had already made the poster for the game and the phrase they had chosen certainly made you laugh.

"Look mom, I told the aunt to put that we can exchange you." Said the little boy very happy. "Yes, I see it, son." You responded with a laugh.

"It was the kid's idea, not mine, I promise." Your sister said raising her arms in defense.

On Sunday you had found out that you would have to go later to watch the game because you work longer so first your sister would take your son to the game and then when you got off work you would go.

—-

The little boy and his aunt were waiting for the players to get off the bus and with all his might the little boy fought for the players to notice him and especially Pedri who approached him with the intention of signing his shirt.

“What’s your name kid?” Pedri asked.

“I’m Niccolo sir.” The little boy responded politely, very excited to have his favorite player in front of him.

Pedri just laughed and left the place, Niccolo was overjoyed when he saw that now his shirt was signed by Pedri, it was something that did not fit into his little head.

——

Barça was beating Cádiz 2-0 and you had just been able to get to see the game, there were a few minutes left until it finished and your son had just decided to take out his big poster that he could barely hold and shout at the same time so that Pedri I could see it, which actually happened and when the game ended he approached and gave the shirt to the child while he did not take his eyes off you, something that your son noticed and immediately yelled.

"My mommy likes you." Your cheeks turned red with embarrassment and you tried to hide your face in your hands while you heard Pedri giggle. "I also liked your mommy boy."

A few minutes later he left and you thought all the embarrassment in the world was over so you told your son and sister to get out of the club as fast as possible so you could go home but before that happened a guard came up to you. you and gave you a paper that you read immediately. “This is my number, • • • • • • • Pedri”.

God if shame was a punishment that day the punishment was yours and your son thought it was funny because now he was jumping like crazy yelling that Pedri was his new father.

“What are you going to do?”. Asked your sister. “I guess talk to him.”

“Niccolo would kill you if you didn’t, he wants a new daddy.” Your sister told you while she laughed. “God stop calling like that and just talk to him to thank him for the shirt.”

“Yes sure how you say”.

That was the last lie, so after the conversation you talking to Pedri and not just because of the shirt but actually it spread much more and that was the beginning of a friendship and maybe something else.

[romanarose]

About a Girl: Chapter 4

Beautiful header by my beloved @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

Joel Miller x Trans!Fem!Reader (Nickname, Blue)

Series Masterlist : The Last of Us Masterlist : Full Masterlist

Summary: For week 2 of my pride event: Transitioning. Not a whole not of Blue and Joel but getting there. Lots of people involved in this story lol! We learn more about Blue's transition. Next chapter will get more with those two's relatioship.

Warnings for whole fic, not chapter by chapter: 18+ ONLY!! I cannot warn against everything, but these are major themes. Joel is a lil ignorant but not out of hate. He just doesn't know. He's trying his best. There will be smut. Penetrative sex, all of the anal play, oral. There will be transphobia from other people. Addiction and alcoholism. QUICK child neglect not by Joel but I promise, Sarah is fine and is having a great time in life. Fetishization of women attracted to women by a shitty guy. Will update as needed. Again, this is adult content. Expect adult content.

Immersivity: Reader is transgender, AMAB female, reader has had gotten bottom surgery, not top, and is on hormones. reader has visible hair and a blue streak in hair, but not described. Could be braids, could be natural hair, whatever. Header is for aesthetics only. Reader is about Joel and Tommy's height. Let me know if i miss anything!

TRANS LIVES MATTER! TRANS YOUTH MATTER! TRANS ELDERLY MATTER! TRANS WOMEN MATTER! TRANS MEN MATTER! NON BINARY TRANS MATTER!

Joel nervously hovered as Sarah sat in the kitchen on a stool, kicking her feet while Talia looked at her hair.

“And then Ellie kicked him!” She was recounting the thrilling story of how a boy was being mean to Sarah, said her hair was weird because she wore it natural today. Sarah was the only black kid in her kindergarten. Apparently her new friend Ellie was very defensive, aggressive where Sarah was gentle, and didn’t take kindly to the boy's words. Ellie ended up in time out again, and a call to her foster mom.

“I ain’t saying he deserved it.” Talia sang, feeling out Sarah curls. “But God’s timing is always right.”

Joel smiled at her. He wasn’t going to agree, he didn’t want to be the one condoning violence… but he always wasn’t going to lose sleep at night. “Well, don’t listen to a thing he says, baby girl.” Joel walked around to face his daughter. “You’re the prettiest girl on the planet, with the coolest hair I’ve ever seen, and Miss Talia here is going to teach me how to make it even cooler.”

Sarah turned to Talia. “Are you going to marry my daddy?”

Joel opened hi mouth to say no, but Talia’s bright laugh answered for him. He turned to Talia with a smile that let her know he was joking. “Hey know, I don’t think I’m that bad.”

“It ain’t you, Joel.” She patted his back, easing him. “It’s the equipment you’re working with.” She turned back to Ellie. “No baby, but if I play my cards right, I might marry your aunt.”

Sarah squealed a giggle and Talia took her off the stool.

“Good.” Sarah confirmed, walking off to the TV. “Mommy wouldn’t like that.”

Joel and Talia looked at each other, Joel questioning gently. “Did mommy say something, sweetheart?”

Flopping on the couch and sighing dramatically as if she’d just gotten home from a 12 hour shift, Sarah replies, “Yeah she asked if you were dating Aunt Tess. I said no, she’s dating Uncle Tommy.” Talia giggled at that. “She said to tell her if you were dating someone and I said okay.” Sarah’s head popped up over the couch, sensing her dads distress. “That’s okay, right daddy? Lying is bad.”

Closing his eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink, Joel considered his next words. Of course it was okay that Sarah said what she thought. Joel didn’t want her in the habit of lying, especially to her mom. However, he also didn’t want Sarah to feel like she had to be Kayla’s spy. That wasn't fair to her, and Joel was careful not to pry Sarah for information on Kayla’s living conditions or the people around her apartment. That wasn’t something a 5-year-old needed to worry about. He tried to make the most neutral sounding comment he could. “You should always tell me and mommy the truth, babygirl, you did good.”

Sarah smiled and went back to her TV. “Oh! I love this show.” The Soprano’s was on.

“No, absolutely not-”

“But Uncle Tommy-”

“Sarah.”

He’d have to talk to Tommy about watching violent TV with Sarah. Why couldn’t Tommy just be… not himself. He turned back to Talia, who was smiling. 

“I see why Blue likes you so much.”

Joel waved her off with a blushing face. He was nothing special. “What's the verdict, doc?” Joel shuffles nervously, hands in his pockets. Did I ruin my sweet baby's hair forever?

This made Talia laugh again. Joel noticed she laughed a lot. Tess always did like joyful people, that’s why she always got on with Tommy so well, both as friends and friends with benefits. He wondered why she even liked him at all.

“No, Joel. It looks very healthy. You oil her hair?”

“Yeah, Argon oil.”

“Hair bonnet.”

Joel internally cringed. “I tried, she won’t keep it on.”

“That’s okay.” She eased his worries. “Try a scarf or a silk pillowcase. If she doesn’t like the feeling on her face, the world won’t end until she’s older and is ready to keep a bonnet on. Her mama wear bonnets or scarves?”

He shook his head. “Not unless it’s changed the last few years. She has hair not unlike mine.”

Talia nods. “Well, honestly I think everyone could benefit from wearing scarves, but that’s just me. I know y’all ain’t got the best relationship, but maybe mention it to her. Little girls love matching their moms. How often do you wash it?”

“Twice a week, unless she’s been running around a lot. Her and Tommy like playing soccer in the park.”

“Just once a week is fine, unless it’s one of those sweaty days. Natural oils are good for her hair. I know you’re a busy man, but if you get time, I’d suggest you get some coconut oil, sit her in front of a TV, section out her hair and really rub it into her scalp, like a massage. Helps stimulate hair growth and keeps from drying, but, Joel I mean this sincerely.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing a good job. I know this isn’t easy, especially as a single parent but you are doing everything for that baby, so go a little easy on yourself.”

He tried to brush it off. “I’m just doing what any parent would do.”

“You’re doing a lot more than many, hon.”

After going through more hair tips, Joel is about to call over Sarah so Talia can show her some new hairstyles, she stops him.

“Hey, Blue told me how things went… I really appreciate you being respectful. She’s my best friend, I knew her before she transitioned… It really hasn’t been easy, especially the early years of it all.” She smiled sadly. “She was in a bad place. At the time, she was living as a gay man in Austen’s gay community, but coming out hadn’t helped. Things got really bad.”

Joel’s heart hurt for you, wondering how many years you suffered. “What happened?” His eyes widened a bit. “Sorry, shit, you don’t gotta say anything.”

But Talia gave him the short version. “I’m sure she’ll tell you all of it. She’s pretty open about it with the people who know she’s trans. The Austen gay scene… well unfortunately, there’s not a lot of queer places that don’t involve drinking, and given that half of us are disowned by family and rejected from society, there's a big issue of drinking and drugs in the community. An issue she both fell into. After our friend who’d taken us in, Jeff, died of AIDS, she took it really hard.” She shook her head at the memory. 

Joel didn’t know much about AIDs, it seemed no one really talked about it and people acted like it was a gay STD, or that one kid that got it from a blood transfusion. Reagan never even mentioned it, so was it really a big issue? All he knew is that dying of AIDS was a slow death, watching someone waste away like that couldn’t be easy.

“After he died, she spent months in his apartment, drinking away and being piss-drunk every time I came over. But I also noticed her going through Jeff’s books and his writings… he was a college professor for sociology, and talked a lot about gender. One day she just emerged, asked to be called a woman and help looking like that version of herself. We picked names, got clothes. I tried not to get too excited and overwhelm her,” She chuckled. “But as a stylist, it was right up my ally.” 

It was obvious how much Talia cared about Blue. “Thank you.” He said earnestly, and she made a funny face.

“For what?”

Joel crossed his hands over his chest. “For being there for her when I couldn’t be.”

“She’s been there for me every step of my way making it in this world as a black lesbian, I’ll be with her through everything. Now!” Talia clapped her hands together. “Tess and I were talking, but if you’re comfortable with it, we’d love to take Miss Sarah to the salon I work at, give her a spa day, deep clean, deep conditioner, all that. Tess and I know how hard it is for you to get time away. We also know you feel guilty when you do anything for yourself, so this way you know your princess is getting spoiled.”

As much as he wanted to say no… she was right. Sarah would have a great day with some positive female influences, and Joel could spend some time with you. Win/Win.

*

“She wanted to wear her princess dress today, so if she gets it dirty or anything, I swear it ain’t no big deal. I can get another one at the Family Dollar, easy.” Joel spoke to Tess while he tried to fix the bailer. One of the belts broke and he caught it in time which made it easier without it getting bunched up. Tess was inside the bailer. It was a two man job.

“You’re awfully hard on him Joel.”

Joel set down the riviter, it was Tess’s job now.  “I’ve actually been mean’n to talk to yuh ‘bout that…”

“Uh-oh, am I in trouble, dad?”

“No, no, not like that I just…” He sighs, putting down his tools. “I know Tommy’s been have’n a hard time and I tolerated the drink’n… It’s the coke I got an issue with.”

Tess nodded, understanding as she retreaded to the belt to the bailer’s teeth. “He told me you were pretty upset with him the other day.”

“And what did you say to him?”

“I told him it was your home, and if you don’t want him high there, you can make that rule.”

Sighing, Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, Tess, that’s not- I don’t want him doing coke, doing MDMA, doing molly-”

“Hey! Molly’s a nice girl!” She joked, but then went straight faced when she saw Joel didn’t find it funny. “Sorry, but I don’t know what you want me to do-”

“Stop giving him the drugs!” Joel shouted, not too loud immediately regretting it.

There was a long pause as she focused on her work before speaking. “I don’t know who the hell you are speaking to like that, Miller, but it sure as hell better not be me.”

“”M Sorry.”

“I know you are but you-” A clank, and Tess grumbled some swears. “Hold on. I’m done down here just- fuck.” Tess climbed out of the bailer, making eye contact with Joel. “Let’s get one thing straight. I am not pushing drugs on Tommy. We both know the same guy, and when one of us is out, we share, but you know damn well my crazy days are starting to fly past me. I’ve even been dating the same person a whole ass month. You’re brother does what he wants to do and I am neither his baby sitter nor keeper. I’ve kept that kid alive the last 2 years when he’s having a bad trip so I really don’t appreciate you talk’n down to me like I’m some bad influence on a 16 year old. He’s a grown ass man and can make his own choices. Terrible choices sometimes, but his own choices.”

Joel looked down, ashamed of his outburst. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just… worried, but that ain’t your business.”

She stared at him with a hardened face, wanting to be angry… but it was Joel. Her posture softened. “It’s alright Joel. I know you worry about it.”

He shook his head. “Ain’t right to take it out of yuh, Tess.” He went back to work, but felt a hand on his back.

“No, but I forgive you, so forgive yourself. You’re really bad at that.” Tess kissed him cheek.

Joel cleared his throat. “Kayla was ask’n Sarah ‘bout you again.”

Brushing off the last few minutes, Tess laughed out loud. “Oh great, she gonna show up at my door at 2 am again?”

He groaned. 

*

“You just have SO MUCH fun, princess, okay? Gonna look even prettier than ever!” Tommy hugs Sarah goodbye for her special day. Tess promises she’ll take care of dinner and bring her home around 7, in time for her bedtime. Bedtime will likely be delayed as Sarah will want to tell Joel every single detail, but it was a friday. No big deal.

“Bye uncle Tommy! Bye daddy!”

Joel waves her off, watching as Tess louds Sarah into the carseat and safely buckles her up, taking her off for a few hours. Joel was lucky to have Tess in his life, and was hoping she stuck with Talia… he liked her a lot too.

As they drive away, Blue pulls right up. She had been parked down the street, politely waiting for Sarah to leave. Joel hoped to properly introduce them one day, but right now it was still so new.

His phone rang, Kayla again. “Tommy, can you tell Blue I’ll be out in a min?” He clicked answer, and Tommy ran out to check out the bike.

“Hey Kayla, what’s up?”

“Is Sarah there?”

Hi. Hello. How are you, Joel. Thanks for taking care of my daughter, Joel. “No, sorry, she just left with Tess. I can call yuh back when they get home this evening.”

“What’s she doing with Tess.”

He wasn’t lying. He just didn’t need to tell her what he was doing while she was gone. “Tess’s girlfriend, Talia, she has a hair salon. Gonna give her some deep conditioner and stuff like that. Make a spa day off it. She even set up a little tea party fancy dinner after.”

“Tess has a girlfriend?”

“Yeah, been dating a few weeks now. Seem’s very nice, she was over helping me learn some styles for Sarah. Don’t worry, Tess will be with them the whole time and I trust her.”

Kayla sighed over the phone. “Joe, I really don’t want her in that environment.”

“What environment?” Joel was genuinely curious.

“I mean, it’s bad enough she says things like ‘Frank’s husband’, I don’t need her knowing about lesbians too.”

“Kayla-”

“She don’t need ideas in her head. For fucks sake Joel, she’s only five. It’s bad enough they wanna teach this shit in schools-”

“Kayla.” He spoke more firmly now. “I really thought you grew out of this.”

“You used to agree with me!”

“No, I didn’t!” But that wasn’t entirely true. Joel was raised very religious, thinking it was all a sin until he teens. When Joel and Kayla began having sex, it went against everything he’d been taught about sexual purity. He honestly just spoked caring what grown adults did in bed. He was surprised Kayla cared this much. “Bill and Frank have been good to me, they took a chance on me when no one else did-”

“Because no one wants to work for fag-”

“Kayla!” Joel shouts, and this time he doesn’t regret it. His blood is boiling, thinking of Bill and Frank, of Tess and Talia, of you. “They’ve treated me like their own, and I won’t have you disrespect them or Tess in front of me again. Tess has been around Sarah consistently the last few years, something you can’t say you’ve done. I trust her with my life and more importantly, my daughter. Tess has never abandoned her to get fucked.” He referenced Kayla’s abandonment change. “And just so you know, I’m seeing someone. It’s very early so Sarah hasn’t met her, so you can stop putting our child in the middle of your jealousy.”

Silence, and then she hung up. This would probably come back to bite him.

He had no idea where that all came from, how much had been building up inside him waiting to come out. His heart was still pumping with anger and anxiety. How could she think like that after everything Bill and Frank and Tess have done for Sarah? How could she not have grown up at all since high school?

Joel found Tommy outside, riding the motorcycle up and down the street, slowly and with a helmet. Seems Blue was protective too. Your back turned to him, Joel walked up and hugged you tightly, tucking his face in your neck. “I missed you, Blue.” It’d only been a week, but it was too long. 

“Joel? You okay?” She reached up to hold where Joel’s arms have wrapped around her chest. “You’re shaking, baby?”

“Much better now, Blue.” Yeah, he was shaking. He was still angry, but your touch was calming him. He chastly pecked your cheek. “I got your back, okay?” You didn’t need to know Kayla’s remarks. You just needed to know Joel would take care of you.

*

Joel had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and he held your shoulders like a victorian dutchess. Still, it was so fun seeing him get off the bike with a gleeful smile, helmet hair going every which way with a wild look in his eyes. Joel had packed you a sweet dinner for outside, and you two both sat on the blanket. 

“How come you rejected Tommy?” Joel asked, mouthful of food. They were on a picnic, enjoying the nice weather before it got cold.

You laughed at that. “What do you mean?”

Joel shrugged earnestly. “Tommy’s always been girls' first choice. He’s younger, cooler, more handsome, more fun.”

You lean over to kiss his forehead. “He’s not as handsome as you.”

Joel smiled at that, but still teased. “But he is cooler.”

“Well, Tommy can at least name a Nirvana album. You’re still listening to Alan Jackson.”

“Nevermind.”

“Oh no,” You giggle, reaching for a pickle. “You don’t get to just change the subject-”

“No.” Joel shakes his head. “Nevermind. The album. That’s that band you like, right?”

Your hands drop to your lap. “How did you know that.”

He wouldn’ meet your eye. “A very nice lady at the library when I took Sarah on tuesday who I could tell was trying not to laugh at me… She informed me of the song you got excited about at the bar and I checked out the CD.”

Chuckling, Joel responded. “Well, I can’t say I like the yell’n… but Something in the Way was good, and I liked Come as You Are.”

Your eyes sparkled, your cute little smile… “You listened to a whole album just for me…”

“Yeah I mean, I can tell you liked ‘em. Ain’t no big deal.”

But it was to you. No one did stuff like that for you, no one cared that much outside of Talia. Joel Miller, as always, made your heart sore to new heights.

“I appreciate that, Joel. You’re sweet, you know that?” You watched him blush. He was so cute like this, your nervous man.

After dinner, you laid down on his chest, basking with the sun on your back and a cool breeze on your arms, Joel holding you tightly. Jesus christ, his arms were huge. She traced a vein on his biceps. 

“How did you get so…”

He kissed the top of your head. “So what?”

You giggle, burying your face into his pecks. “Big.” You’re laughing so hard you’re shaking. 

“BIG?!?!?” He bawks, and you can feel his chest move as he laughs. 

“You’re fucking HUGE!!!”

Joel wrapped you up in arms, turning you over until the two of you are rolling around in the field, grass in your hair as you both squeal and laugh. This was the life. 

Litle more on Blue and how she found herself <3 Net weeks theme is sex/kissing so!!!!!!! v them focused!!!

We love Talia here, just an absolute sweetheart ride or die.

shout out to my IRL buddy who farms for helping m with farming info!!

How to keep up with the series:

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[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 21]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.2K

Although you were so swarmed with work and haven't got time to sit down and speak with Mingi, you were still glad when he would show up to spend the night with you. You appreciated having him around you to comfort you.

He also assured you that with the both of you busy working on music production, you didn't need to pressure yourself to talk. Like you, he just wanted your comfort.

"Thanks for getting take out." You smiled tiredly, fresh from the shower. Mingi saw you and waddled over to you.

"It's the least I can do, seeing you work so much." He said as he engulfed you into a hug.

"You're working hard too..." You yawned, voluntarily leaning into him.

"I'm glad to be back at the studio though. At least you can come over without me worrying about Hongjoong showing up at my door to work." You smiled softly.

"Mhmm." Mingi stroked your cheek, bending down to give you a sweet kiss. You sat on your bed, fiddling with your phone while Mingi placed his head in your lap comfortably. There was a slightly frown on your face as you focused on what you were reading or watching on the screen.

"You're frowning too much." Mingi lifted his hand to poke the space between your eyebrows, making you relax instantly.

"Sorry." You sighed.

"Mm-mm, don't apologise." Mingi shook his head with a kind smile. You felt your cheeks heat up at the way Mingi was smiling at you, making you look away.

"Are you worried?" You asked, putting your phone aside to look at him, opting to play with his fingers than the device.

"Worried about Hongjoong hyung? No. Worried about KQ? No. Worried about the fans... A little. I'm more worried for your safety than anything else." Mingi kissed the palm on your hand.

"I'll just disappear underground if I have to. I've done a good job of hiding despite my line of work." You shrugged, trying to lighten the conversation.

"But I don't want you to disappear." Mingi stated with a small frown. You couldn't help but laugh, now it was your turn to poke his frown. He relaxed into a smile at your playfulness. You fell backward to lie down, letting out a groan.

"Are you worried?" Mingi asked back.

"About myself? No. About you and possibly, Haneul? Yes." You cast your eyes over him.

"I'll never let anything happen to Haneul. And you." Mingi assured. He knew that Haneul meant the world to you but it was just thinking ahead now.

"Can I ask, why did you decide to take care of Haneul? You know, despite your young age and everything." Mingi asked. You froze at his question. Were you really ready to be so vulnerable around him?

"Y-You don't have to if you don't want to!" Mingi quickly added after he noticed your defensive posture.

"It's okay... Well, my aunt and uncle weren't exactly the best parents too, like mine. They didn't plan to have a child actually so Haneul wasn't wanted from the start." You explained.

"They wanted to terminate the pregnancy but my grandmother convinced them not to. You know, just on the off chance that they might grow fond of the baby. But when she was born, they wanted to give her up for adoption. I guess the love or fondness never festered." You shrugged.

"But I thought Haneul was beautiful. She didn't deserve knowing that she wasn't wanted from the start. I just bonded with her ever since."

"Your parents were okay with you having a baby around?" Mingi tilted his head.

"They never knew. Or maybe they never bothered to know. I found the orphanage Haneul was given to and had the arrangement with the ahjumma there. As long as I paid, Haneul was safe." You replied.

"It must not have been easy doing it all on your own. Especially since you were just starting out." Mingi held your hand.

"It wasn't a walk in the park. I moved out when I could, got a small apartment. Every other cent I made went to Haneul, to feed and clothe her."

"But every time I see Haneul, I don't regret it. She's an amazing child, she's my world." You smiled softly.

"I'm selfish, aren't I?" You looked up at Mingi with tears brimming in your eyes. Mingi's eyes widened at your sudden statement. He had so many thoughts about your story but you being selfish didn't even cross his mind.

"Why would you say that?" He asked, reaching up to wipe your fallen tears.

"Haneul could be living lavishly now. With two parents and maybe even siblings. Yet, I'm the reason that isn't happening." You smiled bitterly through your tears.

"I know that having her here with me means that she would have to grow up alone most of the time. And I can't do that to her, having her grow up like me, coming home to an empty house."

"But for some reason, I can't let her go. I'd rather live with the guilt than to let her go." You cried.

"Indigo..." Mingi pulled you to him, letting you sob into his chest.

"You're not selfish. Far from. You've sacrificed so much to give Haneul the best. And Haneul is such a great kid thanks to you." He hushed you, stroking his head to comfort you.

"Having Haneul around taught me to care for others. How to live for someone." You whispered. Mingi's heart broke as you continued talking and crying. Outside, you were cool and collected but it was just a facade, it was the way you protected your vulnerable self. And now, you were slowly letting your guard down around him.

"Shh..." Mingi could only hold you and listen. He never once made a remark or reaction that made you feel embarrassed.

"I started underground because I wasn't old enough to work, no one would want to work with a 14 year old girl that had no experience. But producing became the push I needed." You said.

"With my music, I wanted to be something. Then I met Hyuk and he helped me grow. He taught me what I know and refined my skills." You continued.

"You were so young..." Mingi stroked your head.

"So I've been plagiarised, taken advantage of, everything. The music industry is cruel, especially if you're a nobody." You sighed.

"But through it all, you've made it. And it's all thanks to your own effort and hardwork. You've come so far, I'm proud of you." Mingi kissed your forehead. Your heart grew warm and fuzzy at Mingi's words, your inner child felt healed.

"Thank you. No one has ever told me that before." You confessed. Mingi stroked your cheek with a soft smile.

Now he understood why you hid your name and your face. It was another way you protected yourself after you've been hurt. And now that you were a known name, you wanted to protect that even more.

"Wow. I need to stop crying or I'm going to be puffed tomorrow." You went to the bathroom to wash your face.

"Will you be at the studio tomorrow?" You asked from the bathroom.

"I have a dance class at 1 but that's at an external studio. I have PT at 5." Mingi read out.

"We can sleep in then. I told Eden I'm taking the first half of the day off. Last night's all nighter gave me a splitting headache the entire day today, I barely got anything done." You sighed.

"While I'm glad you're taking a small break tomorrow, you shouldn't be pulling all nighters anymore. It's not good for you." Mingi sat up, being the one to hover over you now. He had a worried look on his face which you thought was cute. Luckily he was at a height where you could wrap your arms around his neck.

"You okay?" Mingi asked, his hands coming to rest on your hips as he gladly let you hug him, his head resting on your chest. Of course, he was careful not to rest his entire weight on you.

"I don't know... I just know I want to hug you." You confessed. Luckily he couldn't see your embarrassed and flustered expression now.

"Hug me all you want." Mingi chuckled.

That's how you and Mingi fell asleep and stay asleep until morning. With Mingi around, you didn't feel the need to always be working, to just take the time to relax.

"Would you prefer to eat out sometimes?" Mingi asked as he sat opposite you for breakfast.

"Actually, it doesn't bother me. I'm always an indoor person anyway. Why? Do you want to go out for a meal?" You tilted your head.

"I'm a slow eater so eating at home is less stressful. I just thought it would be nice to take you out on a date..." Mingi confessed. You choked, realising how you didn't even realise his intention.

"Sure, Mings. But I don't need to go out to fancy dinners to have a nice time." You smiled.

After breakfast, you went to your studio to quickly reply to some emails while Mingi did the dishes. You and him had that plan, one person cooks while the other person will do the dishes after. When Mingi was done, he crept into your studio.

"You're supposed to be resting." Mingi covered your eyes with his hands. He looked over the top of your head to see that you were looking over some documents

"What's all these?" He let go of you to take a closer look.

"I've been so busy I forgot to sign the contracts and working agreements for some other collaborations I'm doing." You informed.

"Wow, these are some big name companies and artists." Mingi said in awe, eyes briefly glancing through. You hummed, not really feeling the weight of the fame and reputation for these people.

"So what's this stack?" Mingi pointed.

"That's the people I rejected working with or decided not to work with because of different reasons." You explained.

"May I?" He asked. You nodded, too focused on reading the conditions of the contract right in front of you. Mingi's eyes widened at some of the things that he read but he did hide the rest of his shock well, clearing his throat and just putting the papers back into a neat stack.

"Can we not work for a while? I have to leave in an hour." Mingi requested, putting his hand over yours to stop you from writing. You snorted in laughter.

"Have any of the members asked where you disappear off to for the whole night?" You raised an eyebrow.

"I have my own room so they never really know when I'm in or not. Plus, I stay at the studio overnight most of the time." Mingi said.

"Oh, that's true." You nodded. You did put your papers away to spend time with Mingi before he had to leave and you needed to be at the studio. You sat on the couch, tucked under his arm.

"You should watch the Wanteez episodes. They're hilarious." You slapped his thigh.

"They're embarrassing." Mingi mumbled.

Soon, Mingi had to leave. You walked him to the door and he wore his shoes. He leaned against the door frame, looking down at you with an endearing smile on his face. You blinked as you stared back up at him. He leaned down to give you a kiss.

"Have a nice day." He stroked your head. You nodded, wrapped your arms around his waist, pressing your ear to his chest. You felt him press his cheek to the top of your head.

"I'll see you later?" You mumbled. He hummed in reply as he pulled away to leave your place.

After that, you got ready to leave the house. You wore your mask before getting onto the bus to go to KQ.

"Hi, Joong. Did you wait long?" You asked as you stepped out of the lift. Hongjoong looked up from his phone and shook his head with a small smile.

"Let's go." You took the lead in walking to your studio. You and Hongjoong have been working together almost every day.

"I worked on the beats I was showing you yesterday if don't mind helping me review it?" He asked as he walked into the studio behind you. You nodded your head and proceeded to turn on your system, plugging your laptop in. Hongjoong now even had a more comfortable chair in your studio.

"Thanks again for helping me with producing." Hongjoong rubbed the back of his neck.

"Why are you suddenly acting like that/ You're already a great producer, Joong. There's nothing to help you with honestly." You laughed, slapping his shoulder.

"Yah, you can't hit your elders." Hongjoong feigned anger.

"Have you decided what songs to propose to the company yet?" He asked when he saw all your folders.

"Kind of? I still have changes and edits to be made before I decide for sure." You scratched your head. You have been deciding what songs would fit the concept the best.

"Mingi said he might submit some tracks too since he has been writing more lyrics and going to the studio. Has he told you?" Hongjoong asked. He missed the way you stiffened slightly at the mention of Mingi.

"I've not worked with him as much on producing but I'm glad he was able to start writing his lyrics again." You kept you eyes on the screen.

"Maybe you can help him? Mingi isn't very confident in his producing skills." Hongjoong suggested. You shrugged, if Mingi needed help or advice, he would have asked you.

"Anyway, which track did you want me to review again?" You changed the subject.

"This one." Hongjoong scrolled to the folder on his laptop. You didn't know why you felt slightly awkward talking about Mingi to Hongjoong.

"I mixed the raw piano." He explained as you listened.

"Mmm... Sounds good..." You nodded, bobbing your head and tapping your fingers against the desk.

After going through some tracks and working on them, you and Hongjoong decided to order in some food for a mid day snack. According to Hongjoong, you 'made the mistake' of telling the boys and inviting them if they were around. Because that meant that you invited chaos.

"Why did you invite them...?" Hongjoong groaned, shaking you with his hands on your shoulders. Just as he said that, there were knocks on your door.

"Don't let them in. They'll go away if you ignore them." Hongjoong said. You laughed and removed his hands from you.

"We know you're in there!" Wooyoung yelled. Then there was the spamming of the door bell.

"You..." Hongjoong gave you the stink eye while you shrugged and went to get the door. Just like a bunch of excited puppies, you were tackled the moment you opened the door.

"Oof!" You fell back from the sheer force.

"BOYS!" Hongjoong yelled in shock, immediately rushing you and bending down to help you.

"You okay?" He asked. You nodded as he helped you stand back up, shooting the boys a disapproving glare. Luckily your floor was carpeted to kind of cushion your fall. Seonghwa shook his head, sparing the blame since he didn't rush in.

"Sorry, Indigo. Are you okay?" Wooyoung held your hands, turning you around to check for some sort of physical damage on you. San did the same.

"I'm fine. It's okay." You assured.

"Boys, I told you to be careful. Not everyone can take your strength, especially multiple of you." Hongjoong lectured.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" Seonghwa asked softly with a tilt of his head.

"I'm really okay, omma. The carpet cushioned my fall." You giggled as Seonghwa wrapped his arm around you. It was apparent that you had become of the favourite child of the parent duo.

"You're like that friend that comes in and acts like an angel to be the parents' favourite." Jongho said with amusement.

"They've practically adopted me because I'm such a perfect child, you know?" You scoffed with a hair flip. Seonghwa and Hongjoong rolled their eyes.

"Perfect child? You're a child that we constantly have to worry about. Worry if you're eating, sleeping and not working all the time. I already have to worry about someone being sleep deprived and that's Hongjoong." Seonghwa clicked his tongue, making you pout. But the others found joy in this, sticking their tongues out at you.

"Then in my defense, I would like to say that I take after my father in that workaholic behaviour." You pointed at Hongjoong.

"Don't drag me into this." He glared.

"Everyone grab a seat. Help yourself to any drinks in the fridge." You instructed while you all were waiting for the food to arrive. You finished up whatever you were doing with Hongjoong previously.

"I'll save our progress." You looked up at him. Hongjoong looked at what you were referring to and nodded.

"You two. Stop working already." Yeosang shouted from his spot. Mingi and Yunho were the only ones not around, still at their external dance class.

"The delivery guy is downstairs." Hongjoong said, checking his phone. Jongho went with him downstairs to pick up the food.

"Come here. I haven't seen you in so long since you've been cooped up here." Wooyoung pulled you onto his lap, squishing you and burying his face into your back. You squealed in laughter from how ticklish you were.

"Food's here!" Hongjoong and Jongho came in with the food. You stood up to help take the boxes out of the plastic bags and give out the cutlery.

"Thank you for the food, Joong/ captain/ appa!" Everyone chimed before digging in.

"Sit here." Seonghwa pointed to the space beside him. You pulled your work chair to sit between him and Hongjoong.

"This was the afternoon snack we needed." San laughed.

"You guys weren't even supposed to be invited." Hongjoong huffed in a disgruntled away. You laughed, taking a bite of your chicken. Seonghwa took a napkin to wipe the edge of your mouth.

"Is Mingi hyung at his studio?" Jongho asked.

"Nope. He's at an external dance class with Yunho." You replied instinctively. That was when you felt eyes on you.

"How do you know?" Wooyoung tilted his head. You remained cool on the outside but on the inside, you were cursing yourself for replying too quickly.

"He told me when we were talking about the progress on his lyric writing. Besides, I always know all your schedules." You played it off cool with a scoff. The boys shrugged before nodding in agreement. Thank goodness they bought it. Honestly, it was normal for you to know their schedules, especially Mingi and Hongjoong.

"Indigo! Will you work on me for my next cover?" San suddenly asked with a big excited smile.

"Sure." You nodded, making him fist pump. Even if your schedule was undetermined and just filled with projects, you would gladly make time to work with San or any of them.

"How's Haneul?" Jongho asked. It warmed your heart knowing that he was thinking about her.

"She's doing well. She's been asking me when she can see you all again. I think she's more excited to see you guys than me." You chuckled.

"Let's go to the aquarium next time!" Wooyoung suggested and everyone cheered.

"Somehow, I feel like the hyungs are more excited than Haneul will be..." Jongho shook his head as he facepalmed.

~

Series Masterlist

[literallyjusttoa]

SUUUNNYYYY

I was reblogging some posts of yours on my sideblog (@apollosgiftofprophecy) and!!!! found!!!!! your art of the Delphic Family!!!!!

YOU SAID YOU HAVE IDEAS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THEM👀👀👀

ABOUT MY FAV KOIOS AND PHOEBE???? ASTERIA PERSES HECATE LELANTOS AND AURA???

I LUB THEM SO MUCH. PLEASE. PLEASE INDULGE ME. I AM BEGGING YOU. I WILL WRITE FANFICS - I HAVE WROTE FANFICS ABOUT THEM AND I HAVE MORE FANFICS ABOUT THEM

LITERALLY BEGGING YOU TO SPILL THE TEA

OK OK I DON’T KNOW IF I’M AS WELL VERSED IN THIS SIDE OF THE FAMILY AS YOU ARE BUT HERE ARE SOME OF MY LITTLE HC’S

All the cousins are besties, but Artemis is closer to Aura and Apollo is closer to Hecate. Artemis and Aura hunt together all the time, and Apollo researches magic practices a lot (God of knowledge and all that) so the two of them have fun experimenting with mystic stuff.

Asteria, Lelantos, and Leto were very close growing up, but the titanomachy put them all on different paths. They all still care for each other deeply, but scars from the past hold them back from being truly close. Recently, Asteria and Leto have been reconnecting, but Lelantos is still reluctant. 

Also because of the Titanomachy, the three siblings have various levels of strained relationships with their parents. Asteria sees her parents most favorably, and she and Leto are still regularly in contact with their mother. Leto holds a grudge against their father, and Lelantos doesn't speak with either of them. 

All of the third generation (Hecate, Aura, Apollo, Artemis) love their parents so fucking much (minus Zeus, of course) And not only that, they love each other’s parents too!! Hecate thinks Leto is the most kickass coolest aunt she could ever have! Artemis looks up to Perses like nobody's business! If Lelantos didn’t exist, Aura would ask Asteria to adopt her! And of course I have my little post-toa hc that Apollo and Lelantos become v close and wholesome and I love this family. 

Phoibe loves to brag on her kids and grandkids. Specifically, she loves to brag on the twins. See, Phoibe is not a fan of Olympus, or gods, in general. So to her, Apollo and Artemis are the only redeeming qualities of the immortal world today. So whenever something good comes out of Olympus, Phoibe is like “Well of course that was 100% because of my grandchildren. They get it all from their mother you know, nothing from that nasty child of Kronos. Oh how glorious, and you don’t see any of the godly children becoming the rulers of the sun and moon hmmm? Exactly.” 

Also according to her Apollo and Artemis are honorary titans. 

Koios hasn’t been able to interact with his grandchildren much, but he’s just as proud of them as Phoibe is, just in a … less wholesome way. Mans is certain he can convince his grandkids to retake Olympus for titan glory, which is never gonna happen. Whenever he brings it up the rest of the family just smile and nod awkwardly. 

Bonus: A little blurb about Leto I wrote about a month ago

During the titanomachy, Leto stayed on Hyperborea with her mother. She shored the defenses and kept the other titans alive. Leto had no exceptional healing or magical abilities, but she worked tirelessly and kept her heart open. She cared easily and earnestly. She fought to get her brother out of trouble with the gods after the fight ended, though she could not do the same for her parents. For years, it was just the two of them, until Leto met Zeus.

Zeus was everything Leto wanted to be. He was confident and assured, and so kind with her. They sang and danced and spoke about everything, and Leto did what she could to soothe his fears. When she get pregnant, Zeus was overjoyed. However, after the twins were born, he became colder and distant.

Leto was basically abandoned, her children taken to Olympus and her lover rebuffing any attempts at being close. She resolved to make a place for her family to return to, but they came less and less. Now Leto keeps her hearth steady, as she has for her whole life, wishing desperately that someone would stop drifting away, and come back to her. In her solitude and grief, she doesn't even realize that the earth itself will set down roots if she only asked, just as it had before.

[missmoodring]

Act 1 Chapter 2 Part 2.1

Magnolia Promenade – Sunday, January 7th, 2024

Miles away, the Satos also enjoyed their first family dinner. Of course, Mr. Sato was nowhere to be seen, a common occurrence in this family. Instead, two other people joined their meal.

After a troubling conversation with her husband, Ken, Marlene looked forward to spending this night with her family. She wasn’t ready to start this ‘intensive investigation’ into her family’s past but she understood it was necessary step to uncover who was stalking them. But before that fiasco, Marlene forged a smile and raised her glass.

“Tonight let’s celebrate my handsome nephew, Kion, and his return to Willow Creek. I understand that a redirection in life may be unsettling but Kion returns a new man with a new girlfriend and child. I think the growth of his family and subsequently, the growth of our own, is quite beautiful! Welcome home!” Marlene toasted.

“I can drink to that!” Kion said with glee while the family took a polite sip of the aged red wine.

“Where is that girlfriend of yours?” Ken Jr asked. Out of everyone here, KJ was the most excited to have his favorite (and only) cousin back.

“She’ll be here any moment. She got caught up at work.” Kion answered and chased his answer with another sip of wine. Marlene couldn’t help but to catch her sister’s eye. She heard a few things about the new girlfriend.

“You guys are gonna love her! Right mom?” Kion asked.

“Right,” Sabrina answered and then quickly washed her lie down with another sip of wine.

“I’m sure we will. Everyone was so accepting when I starting bringing Natalia around. No worries, champ.” KJ said in an attempt to comfort his cousin. Although that was true, Marlene shared a similar uneasiness about Natalia that Sabrina had for Kion’s new girlfriend.

To Marlene, Natalia was nothing special. Sure, she was cute but that was it. She wasn’t witty, charming, or intelligent. She was just …bland. Eventually, Marlene learned to accept that her son had settled for a dough faced girl who was nothing special. Just a girl.

At the far side of the table sat Evelyn Sato. She was still taking in the presence of everyone gathered together. She had spent years away from her family so the reintroduction of “family dinners” was tough. In the last few weeks of being home, Evelyn had mastered adding meaningless commentary to every conversation to mask her disinterest in whatever her family blabbed about. Weddings, grandchildren, business ideas, vacations… None of it interested her.

She twirled her nearly full glass of wine. Just one glass tonight should be alright, right?

“Ev,” it was Aunt Sabrina who broke Evelyn out of her thoughts. “What’s it like working with your dad?”

Evelyn released a deep exhale which only made Sabrina laugh. Sabrina was well aware that her brother-in-law was an uptight asshole in and out of the office, but she didn’t think it would only take a few days for the daddy-daughter duo to bump heads.

“If you’re looking for work, you’re always welcome at Fox and Associates.” Sabrina offered.

Being a lawyer was Evelyn’s long lost dream. She always imagined herself in court fighting for innocent people like Aunty Brina did. It wasn’t until Evelyn got to college that she got a taste of being an actual criminal defense lawyer. She definitely couldn’t imagine herself doing this for the rest of her life. But for a couple hours a day, just to get away from her father, she would definitely reconsider.

“Evelyn wouldn’t hate it that much if she actually cared.” Ken interjected.

For the next few ten minutes, the siblings argued over how boring the makeup of a computer chip actually could be.

“Baby!” The voice silenced the siblings as a woman walked up to the table and kissed Kion’s cheek.

“Hi everyone, I’m Cheyenne,” the woman introduced herself as she sat down at the table.

The family warmly greeted her back. Well, mostly everyone.

Kion introduced everyone at the table to Cheyenne. Immediately, Cheyenne took a liking to the other outsider, Natalia.

“How did you two meet?” Cheyenne asked.

“Oh, the typical way. Social Bunny. He ‘accidentally’ sent me a friend request and then ‘accidentally’ liked all my pictures and posts. Then he sent me a message saying he thought he knew me and we just started talking all the time. How about you guys?” KJ snickered as Natalia retold the story.

“At a club.”

“He saw me first”

“but I approached him first”

“we danced together”

“and the rest is history”

Beginning \ Previous\ Next \ Directory

[mechazushi]

Meet Mizu Ashiro. Also Known as Kaiju n. 24

(I am aware this is the BLURRIEST f*cking shot of my art, but I don't have access to technology where I can scan my art directly into my laptop that I work out of.)

See kids, this is what happens when a writer tried to branch out from their norm and try something they're not good at. You get shitty proportions, half the art is off the page, and your art style looks like a pre-middle schooler's attempt at a f*ckin' Mary Sue lookin' *ss OC. The worst part about this is I was also planning on drawing out her boyfriend as well, only to re-realize my drawing skills are sh*t and go back to waiting for izfaish to finish the Kn8 Pic crew that I'm assuming is still being worked on (which is FINE. That sh*t takes forever because you have to be meticulous with it due to compound layers and uploading it all. I'm sure it's a headache.)

I was even going to draw out a meme! Only having to sacrifice the space for it for the side profile. Doesn't matter. Back to having my artist skills hibernate until I can't take it anymore.

Anyway, onto the loooooorrrreeee!

So the universe where I picture this happening is the same one where I headcanon Mina being ace-sexual. (I don't apply this to ALL my Kn8 universe headcanons, just the ones that have Mizu in them.) Mina and Kafka reunite, all the Kn9 sh*t goes down, things settle out and something happens that makes Mina consider dating Kafka. She's not really sure it will work due to her sexuality, but Kafka manages to talk it out with her and he's fine with it. They date for a couple months, have one hot and heavy drunken night out, only for Kafka to die about a week later by stray rebar on a mission while saving people.

No, I don't hate the guy, he's actually my favorite. I don't know why I wanted him dead in this AU, it just happened. I am well aware that due to Kafka's Main Character Energy, this is something he should be surviving from, but I like the morbid irony that comes with him living through all those previous moments, only to die by something mundane as Random Debris. And, I mean, I didn't completely disrespect his death, he died doing what he loved which was saving people!

So Mina catches on pretty quickly that she's pregnant and voices the concern with Hoshina (Who I also see as ace-sexual in this world.) They talk it out a lot, both of them listing pros and cons of having this baby, and eventually Mina decides to check out a support group for Widowed Wives and talks it out some more with them. She comes to the conclusion that she's going to raise the thing, but will make a serious attempt NOT to raise it to think that there is pressure to be something great and that it needs to follow in it's father's footsteps due to said father being a hero. In fact, Mina hardly ever talks about Kafka. If she does, she only mentions that they were friends, some stories she remembered that he told her about his time in the monster sweepers, and very rarely, talks about the two of them working in the Defense Force. Never once mentions that he was a Kaiju due to not wanting to cause her daughter to think that she was also a monster and hate herself and also, to be honest, no one had any idea what was going to happen to the kid biologically in a few years.

Mina keeps the pregnancy on the down low for as long as possible until delivery. The entire Third Division shows up for the delivery and congratulates her on the new daughter. There, she reveals who the father is and makes everyone depressed for a moment. They all agree to help her out any way they can, with Hoshina personally stating that he'll act as the Main Father Figure in Mizu's life.

So Mizu gets community raised by the Third Division for a few years and it's great, now calling and considering all of the division to be her Aunts and Uncles. She grows up with an unspecified heart condition that makes her heart beat really weird and causes her to lose her breath a lot and is prone to fainting spells (this is due to her developing her own kaiju core). She goes to school and it kinda goes downhill for a moment due to the other students bullying her because she (unfortunately) developed her father's heavy weight stature. It's not all doom and gloom as she makes a friend in the school's Manga Drawing club.

{Cliche tragic backstory ahead, Final Warning}

Fast forward to late middle school (around 14 to 15) and her class is on a field trip to the local museum to check out the new exhibit that showcases the life and achievements of Kaiju Number Eight, Japan's Hero. Her friend called out sick that day, so now she's left to defend herself from the wolves, i.e her bullies. Cut to the front of the museum and an incident happens. Mizu gets tired of somebody's bullsh*t and yells at him to stop.... only to trigger her first Sonic Screech near point blank at someone's face. (Don't worry, the kid lived. She's not that powerful yet.) This however sets off the Kaiju alert system and her class runs to the nearest bunker. She gets kinda lost in the confusion for a moment, making her behind everyone else. Once she makes it to the bunker's entrance, the teacher of the class, who saw the whole thing, panics and closes the door in front of Mizu, leaving her there out in the open. Mizu is left standing there and cries in front of the Kaiju Number Eight statue as she hears choppers out in the distance. The Third Division shows up along with her mother and everyone is wondering why the hell Mizu isn't in the bunker and where the hell is the Kaiju? Through her tears, Mizu explains what happened and tries to apologize for it, only to be comforted by her mother and the rest of the division. They do however gain suspicions and MacGyver up a test. They slide on an arm of a defense force suit and have it connect up to a screen. When it reads back 0% aptitude, it confirms that Mizu is now a Kaiju like her father.

Having not told her about this because she thought she wouldn't have to, Mina decides to break it to her daughter gently that she's a Kaiju like her father by using the new exhibition. Mina, Mizu, and Hoshina get the whole museum to themselves since Mina commanded that her daughter's class stays in the bunker for a extra three hours. Ya know... for safety. There, the two of them break it to her gently about who her father was and what she might be now. Mizu doesn't take it well at first, but thanks to healthy communicating, she's not that angry about it afterwards.

This, however does bring up a problem with the higher ups. They say that Mizu can't be with regular students anymore due to being an untrained threat to the public. Mina somewhat agrees but wants to let Mizu keep as much of a normal childhood as she can before sh*t totally hits the fan that is her new life in a few years. The Higher Ups are trying to strong arm Mina into having her daughter register as an officer of the Defense Force so that they can keep an eye on her. Mina discusses it with Mizu and they come up with a plan. Mizu home-schools the rest of Middle School at the Division and goes on to Neutralization High School to finish out her degree. Mina gives her the speech about how she doesn't have to fill in her father's boots or think that she has to be someone important to the defense force because she's a Kaiju. Mina says that she can convince them to let Mizu out of service once she can demonstrate that she has control over her abilities.

Something happens (I haven't figured out what exactly) and Mizu decides to stay in the Defense Force. After a while, she's offered a special place on a new team. It's called (for the moment until I can come up with a good acronym for it) The International Division. Basically, Japan has decided to come up with an elite task force made out of other counties's misfits and gather them together for the explicit mission of taking out Kaiju invasions with unusual circumstances or unusual Daikaiju cases around the globe for countries that don't have the man power or are in desperate need of over-powered back-up.

On the team is:

A Swedish tactician/medic(in theory)/and mechanic that's anaphylactically allergic to Kaiju material (and because of this) is also severely hemophobic. (42% aptitude)

A blind, Turkish Bomb expert with a special weapon / visor that helps her see and who's Code name is Pile Driver. (67%)

A German Mech suit driver (Who may or may not be a paraplegic from the waist down, I'm not set on the idea just yet) who's suit looks like a mixture of the Berserk armor and the Day Armor from the Castlevania Anime on Netflix. He also wields a claymore. (87%)

And an Australian man, born from a Texan Mother and a Floridian Father, who mains a trench sweeper shot gun (Look it up, its concept is terrifying) that can transform into an anti-tank rifle. His problem is that he's unruly, bloodthirsty, and possibly borderline insane. (72% as a sniper) AND THIS MAN GETS TO BE MIZU'S BOYFRIEND!

(Don't worry, he chill and has a thing for cats. He's just got ADHD.)

So yeah... that's her story... here's a quick breakdown of her design because I know ya'll can't see that shit.

So I initially had a problem with coming up with her Kaiju design. Her whole thing is that she's the daughter of Kafka so her design should still look a little like Kn8 but with some more female connotations, right? How the f*ck does one do that? And it gets harder because all the kaijus in Kn8 either look completely alien or like a monster version of Unrealistic Peak Male Form. (I feel like there could be a really funny meta commentary about this, but I'm not going to get into that right now.)

Eventually, my brain came up with the thought of-

"What if we came up with some bullsh*t Kaiju science and said that because Bakko is a tiger AND a Kaiju, we say that there was some weird exposure/interference that changed some things for Mizu while in vitro."

So now I'm coming up with a tiger-like design for her (you probably can't tell, but to me the head looks more wolf-like than tiger but that's because my artist skills are sh*t) And for the most part, she just looked like an inverse-colored version of Bakko with a mane. At some point while drawing this out, I started to hate it because, like I said in a previous post, she just looked like a furry with a Kn8 style mask. Which led me to come up with some samurai like inspirations for her armor like what Kafka has on the lower half of his body. So yeah, now she has Shoulder Pauldrons, Upper Arm Bracers (I miscalculated her size so the lower half of her arms are off the page.), Rib/Thigh protection, and an armored snout.

She's mostly black with white stripes, most of the armor is dark gray with black borders, and all of the white areas glow Glacial Blue when she's powering up. And yes, the mane is white and glows as well. (She's my pretty little Magical Girl Kaiju ✨🫶✨)

I don't know if anyone can see this as well, but she also has these black little Horns? Attached to the outside of her ears. They don't really do anything, I just wanted to give the similar appearance of Kn8's horns without copying them directly.

As for Mizu Ashiro herself, I tried to split the difference and modeled her after both of her parents. She's got Mina's long hair and hair clips, but her father's spiky type of hair (Which is why it sticks straight out like that.) She's got her mother's eyes and ears, but her dad's eye shape and nose. It's also clear that she takes after her father in body type. (Gotta carry on the tradition of carrying them Tig Bitties in both Human and Kaiju👍)

She's a fairly bubbly and optimistic person, but definitely gets terrified very easily (especially around heights.) Thankfully, she works with a team that can talk her through it most of the time and is actively working on it.

She also grew up exhibiting a lot of Cat-like traits like making lap biscuits when nervous, murrping at someone when they catch her slightly off guard, and napping in the weirdest positions/places. Not even being in the defense force broke those habits out of her and her team likes to poke fun at them playfully when they happen.

[synchodai]

I personally prefer Jacegan too, but I’ve noticed there’s often a kind of self-insertion bias with white characters that doesn’t happen with Baela. I read fics where she’s frequently sidelined, villainized, or just outright ignored, so I understand why Jacaela fans can be so defensive. Yeah, the show could have portrayed their relationship much better, but instead, it turned most of the characters into Rhaenyra’s cheerleaders. Jace got so much hate when episode 7 came out…

Hi, anon! I only read my own fics and the fics my friends write and/or recommend, so I honestly don't know how other fans treat Baela. That being said, I get why fans of her character would get defensive if they look for fics and art about her and all they see is her being villainized, tokenized, and relagated as an accessory to other characters.

I'd like to think I do Baela justice in my own work. She's understandably mad at Jace for delaying their marriage, she is fully in the know that Jace is in love with someone else and is mostly okay with that because marriage ≠ love in Westeros (that's how she rationalized her father Daemon marrying another woman after her mother Laena's death so quickly), and she wants to be queen to have power to do what she wants. She loves Rhaena and looks out for her entire family, not just Rhaenyra. She talks to Jace like an equal and like family, not a petulant child that she has to nanny for Rhaenyra.

"Your mom/My step-mom is just looking out for you!" Would you ever say such a thing to your step-bro/cousin/boyfriend who is in the same age group as you about your first-cousin/step-mom/aunt-in-law who ALSO doesn't let you do the things you want? No, it's more believable for Baela to side with Jace in those situations and agree that Rhaenyra was unfairly restricting them. (Unless she was devoted to Rhaenyra for reasons beyond logic 👀)

I think a good portrayal of Baela isn't even her ending up with Jace or her being completely in the right all the time. I just want her to be written as someone who has her own problems and desires outside of him and Rhaenyra.

(I also don't know much about Jace getting backlash for episode 7, I'm afraid. Staying off social media, purposefully refusing to know other people's opinions and reactions, and minding my own business is how I role when it comes to fandom. Whatever gets messaged to me is pretty much all I know about the discourse du jour, so I can't speak much on that other than offer my sympathies and recommend the block button.)

[the-air-nomad]

A predestined match

You were one of Toph's students and also one of her best friends. 

So when the Gaang decided to take a trip to Makapu Village for Aunt Wu to read Zuko, Suki and Toph's future, you were invited. 

You didn't have high expectations but you liked to laugh at Sokka. It was clear that he hated that village with all his heart.

You arrived in Makapu in the evening and camped in the forest, and the next morning you set off for Aunt Wu's house. 

She was happy to see Aang and Katara again and to meet the rest of you but she wasn't too happy to see Sokka again. 

You laughed seeing how much hatred the two looked at each other and accidentally bumped into someone.

 You apologized and helped the girl up from the floor. 

You looked at each other blushing but were interrupted by Suki who was impatient to know her future.

While Aunt Wu was reading Suki's future, Meng brought you snacks. She congratulated Aang and Katara on their new relationship and winked at Aang. Aang blushed and Sokka chuckled. 

You, Toph and Zuko started talking about superstitions and the supernatural. Although Zuko fully believed that there were signs foreshadowing certain events, you and Toph were skeptical. 

your debate was interrupted by Meng who complimented your big ears which made you blush.

 Your friends started to laugh heartily. 

You thanked the girl for the original compliment and complimented her hair. She blushed and started playing with her tails. 

You chuckled, in your defense the girl did seem cute. 

You invited her to sit next to you. 

While Aunt Wu was reading your friends' fortunes, you continued to talk to Meng.

Finally it was your turn. 

Aunt Wu said you picked the love bone. You threw it into the fire, and the fire rose up to near the roof, which worried you a little.

 Aunt Wu looked at the flames with a frown and told you that you recently met your future wife, that she is not a bender but has a gift given by the spirits. 

When you left the room, you noticed that Aang was helping Meng spy on you.

You rolled your eyes at their silly excuses. 

You looked at Meng with an evil grin and told her that a future fortune teller should be able to guess what's going on in the room without spying.

 And then it hit you. 

Meng had received the gift of fortune-telling from the spirits and you had met her today. 

Meng blushed and told you stammering that she knew it was you since she saw your ears. 

Aang ran off to tell the others and you asked her out trying to look disinterested.

Although I do not own the characters from avatar the last airbender, this work belongs to me! I sincerely hope you liked it. please rate it and leave a comment! follow me to see my next posts! Don’t forget that the request are open💖💖💨 

You can buy me a coffe if you want to support my work :  buymeacoffee.com/TheAirNomad

[paddockbunny]

I just have to have a rant right now.

It was a family members birthday today so we went to a family lunch. I was sat there minding my own business (letting the louder family members take over) when one of them mentioned something about Copenhagen and I pepped up and said I was actually thinking about going on a solo trip there and wanted to ask what they thought of it etc. When out of the blue my aunt pipes up and goes “SOLO TRIP? WHY? DO YOU NOT HAVE ANY FRIENDS?” So loudly everyone turned to look at me.

I held it together but I’ve literally been crying since I left at 3 and not because I was completely humiliated but because I’ve been thinking about it constantly for the past few months and the stark harshness of her words have truly upset me beyond describable words.

It’s true. I don’t have a lot of friends. I have 3 or 4 friends in general but none I would term “close friends” and I’ve not had a “best friend” since I was 7. It’s not because I’m not sociable, I love interacting with people (I couldn’t do any of the jobs I’ve had/currently have if I didn’t like speaking to people), I can talk to anyone from any background and creed, but I struggle actually making and keeping friends because I was bullied from the age of 11 to 21 - and even beyond that if you include workplace bullying - so feel like I’m a hindrance, unwelcome, a spare part and always in the way. The thing is, even without the PTSD from being bullied for so many years I do prefer my own company. I’m happy at home and enjoy my own space possibly more than a lot of my peers (so much so the thought of Uni halls gave me anxiety attacks before I went to Uni that I found a flat by myself and worked two jobs to afford it because finance wasn’t enough in a ridiculously expensive city.) I’m incredibly independent and don’t need “chummed” anywhere to do anything. I go to the movies alone, take myself for lunch, shop, travel all completely autonomously. So when my aunt said that this afternoon it wasn’t the fact she exclaimed “SOLO TRIP” so loudly that everyone stopped talking that upset me - and truthfully it wasn’t even the humiliation of her screech of; “do you not have any friends” that garnered a smattering of subtle laughter that did either - it was the fact that she made something that I had taken as one of my biggest strengths away from me in 5 short seconds.

I was instantly reminded of all the times I cried myself to sleep as a teenager wondering why no one liked me, why I had to try twice as hard to fit in as everyone else and why I had to be the one that was the target for childish immature disdain for no other reason than existing. It triggered thoughts (from only last month) that I wasn’t “right” to be friends with and even closer ones from this week as to why I wasn’t invited along to something this weekend. It also triggered that feeling of “what’s wrong with me?” that I know a lot of people who have gone through childhood bullying carry with them and trying to pinpoint exactly what it is that I needed to “fix” about myself for people to want to be around me.

As much as my aunts words and reaction stung what probably hurt more was that my mother said nothing. She stayed silent. She didn’t even give me a reassuring “it’s ok, she’s a fucking idiot, I’ll talk to her later” glance. She sat there and pretended not to chuckle even though she knows what I’ve gone through in the past. She just wrote it off and brushed it under the carpet with ease and nonchalance. No doubt thinking her usual bullshit line; “you’re old enough to defend yourself, you don’t need me to do it - but watch how you retort and how you come across because everything you’ll come out with will piss me off and make me angry as no matter now gently you do it you always sound so defensive” as she usually does.

So seconds later while I sat uncomfortable and on edge - everyone now glaring at me like I was the first great white shark in captivity waiting with baited breath for my answer - I just shrugged and stated; “I do, but none of my friends have any money ergo no people to go on holidays with.” Now, while this is semi true (thank-you very much cost of living crisis, fuck you!) it isn’t the case for a few of my friends….they just don’t want to spend that much time with me and honestly, I get that because I would probably not want to spend that much time with them either (because, funnily enough, I like my own company.) And that’s before we even consider the fact that not everyone likes the same things. My idea of a holiday and my friends ideas of holidays differ wildly and that is perfectly ok. One friend likes Ibiza, nightclubs with very little clothing and sleeping all day partying all night. And that suits her. One actually likes travelling but solely stays in hostels, flies by the seat of her pants, always ends up with some medical injury or illness and doesn’t plan a single thing. Again that suits her. And one goes to the exact same location, exact same hotel, exact same two weeks of the year and would never think of leaving the resort to see anything other than the beach or the pool. And that, absolutely suits her. I like culture. I love a museum and attraction (think The Met in NY and The Colosseum in Rome). I love eating local food and seeing how things are made like wine, olive oil, chocolate that come from that country or region. I like taking a guided tour, I like talking to local people, I like asking for recommendations and experiencing the culture and history of wherever I am. That’s just me and I realise that might not suit everyone and not be the idea some people have as a holiday so I don’t ask people to go with me. What I guess my aunt finds so sad is that the person I usually go with that was the person who installed all of that travel intrigue in my was in fact my own mother - the one who stayed silent when this all came up, the one I’ve got a trip coming up with this coming week, the one who laughed as I was made feel small and didn’t defend me.

Overall, I do want friends that would travel with me - actually, I just want friends in general to be honest - but I can’t seem to make and retain friends who even really like me very much, let alone enough to take a trip with me. And I’ve always told myself I’m happier like that but now being so triggered, maybe not. I’ve always thought I’m independent because I find it easier, I don’t need anyone else, The only person I have is myself, I have to rely on me and me alone and I always thought the lack of dependency was something I should be grateful for.

But today has made me realise that being alone and flying solo, is now something to hurt someone with and independence can be used as a weapon.

[ashitomarisu]

Delicious Party Precure (Final Thoughts)

(Bro, chill).

Now that I have gotten through another Precure season, allow me to share some opinions.

Prior to watching this, my first impression was honestly not too optimistic when it originally aired. Kirakira Precure a la Mode also had a food-related theme, albeit more on desserts than actual cuisine. Nonetheless, I had a quota and this was the most recent completed season available; it was bound to happen.

With 45 episodes, this is another short Precure season (alongside Healin' Good), although it works. The plot basically has our protagonists protecting Recipepes from being stolen by the Bundoru Gang. Exactly what are these "Recipepes"?

(Great. I'm getting Healin' Good vibes again, but without the Furi.)

Answer: These adorable food fairies that are subjected to getting kidnapped in almost every episode. They actually belong to three different groups: rice, noodle, and bread. That's where our fairy mascots come in as the protectors of these groups.

Kome-Kome is the main "marketing" mascot (and Cure Precious's partner) of this season (and ends up being the youngest of the three as the story progresses). Obviously, she doesn't talk much at first until later on when she gains power and eventually gains enough strength to lend a hand with the cures. Of course, this is a fox-like mascot, which I adore.

(Fuck, they named one after my aunt. WTF Toei?)

Then, there's Pam Pam, Cure Spicy's partner. She's my least favorite (and not because she's a pompous ass). The writers did not try hard enough to convince me that she is better than the other two; which sucks because I'm a dog and bread lover. *sad face*

(Crunchyroll, it is prounounced "men" not "mem").

Men-Men is the dragon-like mascot partner for Cure Yum-Yum. This one is quite interesting for saying "WONTON" every time Ran transforms. He's a good boi; in fact, my middle nephew is now in love with him and demands plushies. I quite like the dynamic between the two the most for having that savory connection.

Plus, Men-Men has a cool human form.

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

Now, let's look at the cures:

Yui Nagomi / Cure Precious

The main protag of the four, Yui sure does love eating. Her late grandma was the reason she became so passionate for food (there is a slight backstory explaining this in a later episode). Her family owns a restaurant that houses these...maneki-nekos (I'll come back to this later). She is quite a fighter, delivering a devastating punch (500 kcal, then 1000kcal, and eventually, 2000 kcal power). I did admire her demeanor, being a wonderful leader.

Kokone Fuwa / Cure Spicy

Contrary to her partner, my feelings are the opposite for Kokone. There's something about her that immediately said "YES. THAT'S THE MISSING KICK IN THE MOUTH I'M LOOKING FOR IN A BLUE CURE". She's not Karen Minazuki levels of cool, but still freaking cool and Spicy had great defense that worked well in offense with the BREAD ROLLS.

(Give me a moment to savor the mental warmth that is bread).

WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? Kokone brought some calming traits that I enjoyed and overall class.

(How are you not related to Rin Hoshizora, FFS?!)

Ran Hanamichi / Cure Yum Yum

I've never in my life wanted a yellow cure that brought literal charisma and flaming passion (and I bet there's one before her that I forgot).

Ran oozes so much life, I don't even know if life can handle her. Her dynamic with Men-Men was one joyride down a noodle coaster and into some Lo mein paradise...or General Tso sauce.

All food pun aside, I've had my eye set on her even before watching; I swear she and Rin Hoshizora would make good "Ramen buddies".

As for Yum Yum, noodles as cutters was a clever way to go. I also like the design, even if it feels a bit awkward at times; however, it works for the idea of a traditional Chinese background. Now that I think about it, I don't even know if it was confirmed if Ran was Chinese-Japanese to begin with. (Surely, someone mentioned this in an interview).

(Student council president with diamonds on her head and yet Arisa Komiya was not considered...but I'll take another Ai.)

Amane Kasai / Cure Finale (formerly Gentlu)

OOOHHHHHHHHH. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT AMANE FOR A BIT.

During her villain arc, Gentlu had this aura of a frosted strawberry pop tart: once you warm it up, it tastes great. She was this sad frosted strawberry pop tart left sitting in a wrapper, waiting for someone to open it and put her in a toaster of love.

Once she became Cure Finale, I started having mixed questions about her drastic hair color change. She barely qualifies as a purple cure in design, despite the rest being multicolored. At this point, the rules in Precure are starting to unravel a bit with the color coding.

Unlike Precious, Spicy, and YumYum, Finale has a sweet motif; even Amane has "amai" or "ama" in her name, which means "sweet". It makes sense for someone who works in a sweets parlor.

Side note: her unofficial mascot partner is a parfait Recipepe that acts so ritzy-titzy it's hilarious; only Pam-Pam and Men-Men can understand it.

-------

As for the Bundoru Gang, I felt they were a decent bunch.

Narcistoru and Spiritoru were pretty strong; Secretoru in her civilian form was more entertaining and I wish the writers would have done more of that earlier in the show. Then, there's Godatz, who [spoiler alert prevents me from revealing a lot so this censor is all you're getting].

-----------

Moving on to some other opinions:

The OP is a literal earworm; it feels refreshing to hear a more cheerful, upbeat score.

The next to last episode had one of the most hilarious, absurd climaxes to a final boss fight I, in my opinion, ever witnessed.

The movie was surprisingly good for the most part, although Cait Sith was a hell of a movie villain with a somber backstory. When he went AWOL, I was just speechless.

(The STAPLE of Oishina Town became the deus ex machina and I couldn't keep my composure.)

----------

In the end, yes, Delicious Party Precure, despite my doubts on a food motif, actually impressed me with how it was executed. It surely was more entertaining than Tropical Rouge, but not enticing enough to leave a mark as a favorite. It has some odd moments, but, this is a season involving food and also etiquette; what were you expecting? A five-star lore to come out of it???

Anyways, this is definitely one to check out if you're passionate for food. I would even consider this to be a good starting point if you've never seen Precure at all (alongside Smile, Fresh or Maho Tsukai).

-------

With that being said, thus ends my yearly Precure season quota, even though Otona Precure 23 just started. As for the rest of the year, it has already been decided on the schedule. The Wheel has now finally been put to rest and hope to God I do not use that thing again.

Next month, look forward to me revisiting another anime title I've covered in the past. Perhaps....the most...clusterfuck of crossovers...featuring a familiar white rabbit looking son of a--

[you-can-be-what-you-want-to-be]

honestly fuck off using the same word for just treating your child as a friend (good) that's used for sexually abusing them (bad)

My dad kissed me till I was 16 on the lips and to this day the only movies we watch together are sex based.

He treated my aunt the exact same way he treated me except we didn’t have sex.

He said I was the only person he needed in the world and took me out drinking with him as young as 10.

We did not have sex. It was incest. Emotional incest (also called covert incest) is a thing. I only found out I was a victim of it after my grandpa had sexual incest with me and my therapist pointed out the similarities.

I am telling you from personal experience that if your parent treats you as an adult and tells you about their sex problems and emotional problems and there isn’t food a lot of the time because he’s broke and asks you borrow your money and it goes in cycles of that and taking you out to dinner and cuddling and being the most important person in the world to the point you are so codependent that you are able to fill out all the paper work at the hospital for him at 12 because he’s two shakey from the blood loss because he’s suicidal and you earnestly tell him you will kill your self if he dies then that’s a problem.

If you love your parents that much this becomes the case it’s hard to see the problem because you love them so much, but the fact of the matter is that the person you’re supposed to go to for that shit is your spouse. If you treat your child like your spouse in every single way but sex that’s incest.

And honestly I am worried about your personal life and the fact you have nothing better to do than this and the reasons why you might be so defensive of this. Are you still trapped by your parents? Is your relationship falling apart because your parent is acting like a jealous scorned lover? Are you a kid who desperately needs to believe they’re good people? Are you an adult who treats you children like this and needs to believe you’re a good person? What is your problem that you’ve sent a victim of incest three different asks insisting that asking children for like advice and trauma dumping on them is a good healthy thing?

You can be your child’s friend. They can not be yours. That’s the difference. Children receive zero benefit from this behavior . Parents do.

How selfish do you have to be to see the examples I gave of sharing issues earlier and then insist it’s good to tell your kids that? Not once did you say “no not like that, I meant tell them that a family member is dying or that hour in a bad mood and need alone time” you said “actually shut the fuck up it is fine.”

It’s not fine when your parents need 12 restraining orders because they keep hooking up with people they shouldn’t and they see you as a comrade in arms. It is not normal to being your child to a friends house where a rapist is to protect them from a rapist (this actually happened! I was 14 it was her ex she lived in the mountains and they used me and my brother 13 being there as the reason not to rape her because “the kids are here”. I’m not saying it was wrong to help I’m saying bringing your teenage children there is BAD and they SHOULDNT HELP WITH THOSE PROBLEMS). It’s not normal to bring them to the house their molesters partner is at when they have a panic attack and insist you stay and say nothing because his current partner wants to stay and it would make it uncomfortable. It’s not normal to push them to see their molester two years after the fact to help the molester through their mandated therapy because it’s the responsible adult thing to do.

THAT is confiding in your children and telling them why things bug you and going to them for help and advice and having them be your friend is. THAT is spousification and covert incest. THAT is treating them like an emotional mental equal, trusting they can deal with all of that. That’s what you’re coming into my inbox to tell me is normal and right and not incest.

My mom treated me good. Our conversations were “I’m having a rough week I need alone time right now” and “I’m sorry I yelled at you I’ve been really stressed lately and it’s not your fault, you don’t have to forgive me now but in your own time” and “I don’t want to talk bad about your dad but when we were together he did the same thing to me.” THATS open honesty. None of that is confiding or going into details or coming to me for advice. The closest I ever got to giving her advice was “do you like this new guy” or “I don’t know if I should work more for more money or enjoy my time off with but we don’t go to that theme park you wanted.” That’s a healthy relationship with zero confiding or advice. Anything more than that isn’t garenteed emotional incest, I’m not saying that. I’m saying those are often signs to look into, and that more than that is at the very least parentification and still abuse.

Do you get it now? Do you see the difference in expecting children to have adult emotional capacity and sharing things you would with an adult with them Vs just being open and taking them seriously? Or are you going to tell me my dad was just trying to be my friend and send me more stuff?

[sorrel-haven]

Hi, I’m known by many names. For the purposes of this blog you can call me Faerie or Mx. Sorrel. And this will be my pinned post.

About me:

I am 30 and don’t mind younger people talking to me but please keep in mind I’m not your mom and don’t have any responsibility for your internet experience. That said I do try and tag common triggers/squicks and if you ask me nicely for specifics I’ll try to remember to tag things. (I have poor memory tho so if I forget I’m sorry.)

Other than ffxiv I play stardew valley, pokemon and animal crossing primarily. I also play D&D and do art for my non video game hobbies.

About this blog:

I have a collection of characters I use cause I like making alts lol They range from rp alts to alts to run through story again. I’ll primarily try to post about them. But I’ll also post stuff like RP Venues I work at and Housing commissions since I’m starting that!

I might also reblog ffxiv related stuff since spoilers and I know people follow my main who are not yet done. I will tag reblogs and posts by expansion names to let people block as they see fit.

Current cast of characters: under the cut. List is ever changing.

Odetta Sorrel- my main, currently a sun miqo was a viera but hats….

P’nelope Sorrel- main alt, sun miqo, Odetta’s half sister in the lore.

Lament Sorrel- bun boy alt, adopted into the family, is called brother by Odetta.

Arabella Sorrel- bard alt, Odetta’s Wife.

Beatrice Sorrel- alt made to go through MSQ with my irl cousin, Odetta and Arabella’s Daughter.

Lil Storyteller- lalafell alt made for a Halloween FC murder mystery event. Tons of fun. Now she’s continuing her role as a story teller at Café Eòlas, a venue I helped design and run. Her real name is Luluci Luci and is everyone’s weird aunt.

Tiny Doll- lalafell alt made to do a housing commission but I fell in love with her. Her lore is that she’s a defense doll from the great gubal library that gained a soul after Odetta brought her home. I call her Dolly.

Barbie Roberts- she’s an Au Ra alt made as a joke but now I love her so she gets to go through msq.

Kore Grimvik- Lament’s long lost twin sister. She’s been looking for him since she found out he didn’t pass his right of passage. She’s still looking for him but is close she can feel it. — Kore has now been adopted by a family. But not the Sorrels. By the Flowers who incidentally know the Sorrels but neither family knows Kore’s connection to Lament yet >:3c

Strawberry Mango — a lil crybaby healer who is not above crying to guilt you when you need to rest but refuse.

[the-players-arcade]

Personal

I’m not sure if i’m going to post this or not. I feel like I should. Like I want to. Fuck it. I’m gonna. So. I’ve been a bit busy with life. Mainly, dealing with myself and my mother being kicked out by my Aunt, Christine Brooks.

The reason we got kicked out was because my Aunt, was yelling at my mother and blaming her for things like asking if she wants the trash in the living room to be taken out. And my mother began crying.

I couldn’t stand it, and I stormed into the room, and screamed back at her in defense of my mother, saying “She was trying to help you”.

Out of all the things I thought my Aunt would do, CALLING THE FUCKIGN COPS ON ME, is NOT what I expected.

I would’ve yelled more at her if I wasn’t so shocked. I went upstairs with my mother, who afterward went back downstairs, and waited for the Cops to arrive. I was sitting there, shaking and rocking in place as I genuinely believed that my life was now over because my Aunt got scared of me, as I couldn’t stop thinking the words “It’s my fault”

And I had to mentally fight against myself on that thought. Because it wasn’t. I couldn’t have known that my Aunt would escalate to calling the fucking cops on me, because I yelled back at her for the first time in fucking ever. Because I chose to defend my mother against her yelling, because I could not fucking stand hearing my own mother cry.

The cops arrived, and I calmly stated that all I did was yell back at my aunt. I made no move to physically harm her nor ever had the intention to do so. My goal in that moment was to get between my aunt and my mother and protect my mom.

No one got arrested. All the cops did was say they can’t make me and my mother leave, and said my aunt could try and get an eviction on us. Which she said she would try to do so, once the Courts and stuff were open; It was the weekend, and the court would only open on Monday.

After that, I was genuinely afraid of going downstairs by myself. Because I know my Aunt owns a gun. And after her calling the cops on me, I no longer knew what she might decide to do.

To skip ahead a bit... We managed to get a place, on lease for a year. I ended up personally putting in 1,400 dollars. One bedroom, but we can make it work. Happens to be something me and my mom are good at; Making stuff work.

It’s a lot nicer then living out in the city. I don’t hear gunshots at night. i don’t hear explosions. or screams. Or yelling. It’s so much nicer here.

But my Sister got left behind. Sierra. Who Christine Brooks raised as her own child. Who, legally I must admit, took her form my mother. Because when me and my sister were born, my mother got sick. Really sick. To the point she didn't know if she’d make it. She trusted me to my Father, and my Sister to Aunt Chris.

She made it. She lived. And then my Aunt decided not to give Sierra back.

My aunt has since used the funds she has procured from having Sierra to get things she otherwise wouldn’t have. And currently, before we left, all my Sister was given to fucking eat, has been biscuits and gravy, cheese pizza, and fucking puffy cheetos. Christine Brooks also babysits for her actual child, Tony, helping care for Tony’s baby. And neglecting my Sister.

Did I mention my Aunt also smokes pot? Legally, yes. But she smokes it way too fucking much. She smokes it around Sierra. Even around the baby. Whenever me and Mom got back from somewhere, we’d be able to smell the pot before even getting in front of the front door. Oh, speaking of that baby, she lets that baby draw on everything. On the walls, the fridge, and even lets her play atop the stove.

And my Sister is forced to be stuck in a fucking room so the baby can leave her alone. Because my sister, has autism. More severely then I. She has health issues, medical problems, and problems with her sight. So yeah, my Aunt made a lot of money raising her. Money isnt’ really the issue I have with her having my Sister though.

The real issue is all the time I could’ve spent with her. All the time me and her could’ve bonded. When we were kids, we got along great. We played so much stuff together, when we could see eachother. But then we had to move a long time ago, and saw eachother a lot less. ...And my sister changed. I don’t know of everything she went through. But she seemed a lot less happier.

And now my Sister... may never see me again. As she probably gets yelled at more by our Aunt for not understanding things. Manipulated and mentally messed with by my Aunt. My Sister is about as old as me, but mentally... she didn’t really get taught how to grow up. My aunt tells her she needs to learn things, yet she still yells at her and makes her stay in her fucking room for so long.

I am so sorry Sierra. I am so, so sorry. You deserve a better life. You deserve so much better. i’m sorry I couldn’t stick around to help you. I would’ve if I didn’t feel so scared of being killed by my own aunt because I no longer knew what she could decide to do.

As for my aunt, Christine Brooks? Believe me, I know what I could have chosen to do. I know what i’m capable of. But it’s not knowing what you can do that makes someone dangerous or evil. It’s whether or not you choose to. And I chose not to do anything to her. Because she’s in her 60s. I’m in my 20s. I have a lot more time in my life then her.

I’ll outlive her. And that’s good enough for me.