#anyways uh last ask for now!

[deoidesign]

Hm... I'm feeling benevolent...

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Junicrane/Starstruck Ramble

I will not be brief, all under the cut

To clear some things right off the bat:

No corpse, no proof with Juniper. Obligatory this is set in a canon where he's alive and adjacent to the agency in some way.

Reggie & Juniper are just gay to me, but I don't mind any interpretation of their sexuality

The games are set in 1967/68 to me (based on a couple bits in game) which is before it was legal to be gay in America at least (1971), which is relevant to how I interpret canon as being somewhat grounded in reality, despite unrealistic elements.

This is just an insane amount of headcanons/elements of and AU all culminated into one post. I will talk about some headcanons like they're just facts because they are established in my head, and it saves me over explaining literally everything, however I will explain some parts a little bit for clarity.

Alright. Actual beginning of the ramble:

Juniper is a character to me who had gotten so lost in his job as an actor and a social presence that in the end his whole life revolved around that 'role'. Because of this, by the time he's put into the situation where he's around the Agency, he basically knows nothing about himself, though he doesn't realise at first. Furthermore, what little identity he had has changed in so many ways. He's no longer a beloved famous actor in the prominence of public light, he's legally dead and he tarnished his career just before he was supposed to die, with the bonus of that making him lose the majority of his estate. From that, he also has horrific facial scarring from the electrical burns from literally having his face fried. I believe a friend of mine made a post about this a while ago (I also think they were the first to think it up also), but, to me, Juniper has a permanent trimmer in his right arm (aka his dominant hand) from the electrical current and it is messing with his nervous system.

All in all, he's not doing great, but he's too proud to admit that he's not doing great, because if anything, what's left of his ego is all he has as a defense since he's deep in unfamiliar water.

Before ending up around the agency (I have multiple interpretations of this, so I'm just going to bring it up generally), he'd never actually seen Reggie, and his only impression of him is a single voicemail, which was his only reference he had to later impersonate him. Juniper probably has very little feelings other than the ones he projects onto him because of Phoenix and that, at the very least, he's physically attracted to Reggie to some degree (that's like the beginning of how everything else would tumble into place in this sort of interpretation at least).

And on Crane's side? His feelings towards Juniper are probably very intense and muddled. On the one hand, he adores musical theatre, and that's his now ex-favourite actor. The thought of just casually being around him blows the bit of fanboy in him away at first because THAT'S the GUY, plus the inklings of a celebrity crush which still poke at him. And then there's the rational side of him, which knows Juniper has committed absolute atrocities on the side of Zoraxis, and hates him for that. Then there's how much Juniper comes off as an asshole at first because he refuses to cooperate with anything the Agency tried to put in place. He finds Juniper endlessly frustrating, and yet he's stuck working with him since, afterall, he's the one who knows the Agency's history with Juniper the best. I imagine him acting a lot like how he does IEYTD 1 around Juniper.

At this point, I'm just describing the pitch for a romcom.

I think the start of their relationship with one another largely started with Juniper trying to wind Crane up. It was a way of getting his attention, and I don't think Juniper knows why he's so dead set on that at first, because I don't think he realises he has a crush on 'this grump' at first. (I think that's actually the fun part about these two, because it's almost like a role reversal of the celebrity crush dynamic. This ex-big name actor has a TERRIBLE crush on an average joe and it is KILLING HIM.) But of course the Agency keeps them together because Juniper is at least conversing with Crane, so it's a start.

Through one way or another, they actually get talking casually, at least mildly at first. It takes Juniper a long time to fully deconstruct the wall he's built, and the thing is, Crane isn't the one trying to deconstruct it, at least at first, because yeah, Juniper realises if he wants Reggie to actually like him in any way, he can't keep winding him up. So they talk. Small talk at first, something rhythmic and almost easy to keep to a script. And over time that turns into actual conversations. Genuine ones in which Reggie rips out the occasional one of his jokes which Juniper is endlessly endeared about. The way he smiles just before he makes them, like he wants to chuckle at what he's about to say before he says it. That's probably when Juniper realised that he does have some vague crush on him, and that it wasn't going away.

This is what kickstarts John I can't-buy-you-things-to-impress-you-so-acts-of-service-it-is Juniper to do little things for him. It mostly starts off as him trying to make Reggie his tea how he likes it. However, the nerve damage in his arm makes that hard, as the weight of the kettle and trying to pour is hard all of a sudden. And he refuses to accept that, so he tries for a very long while. Long enough that Crane would go to investigate what was going on. And when he does see Juniper leaning over a cup with the kettle as he uneasily tries to pour it, and when Crane asks Juniper responds so matter-of-fact that his intention is nothing but genuine. And it catches Reggie off guard because Juniper hadn't done anything like that up to that point, and his very apparent vulnerability is so clearly on show.

It shifts something between them.

From that point on, conversations are longer, more familiar. Both of their attitudes soften, and Reggie makes more jokes. Juniper learns how to better use his left hand while strengthening his right back to a point where it could be used again. Slowly, they're both spending time with one another not because they have to, but just because they can. Little bits at first, not too far outside what they already were doing, but those little bits turned into long bits to a point where the other person's company was genuinely desirable.

As time passes, Juniper probably realises that he doesn't genuinely know much about himself or what hobbies he's into, because he never really had the time when he got big, and his home life in his youth wasn't bad, but it wasn't picturesque. I think Reggie would pick up on it, and absolutely try to introduce him to some things he's into. Some things stick, other things don't (corn husking very much stays Reggie's passion, and John will go with him sometimes because it's him, but it's not something he strongly cares for). Crane introduces him to a lot of music, and it's something that becomes a staple between them, with tracks they listen to more than others (tragically, I know relatively little about 60s music so I couldn't really say what). Occasionally they dance, never anything intense, think slow dancing, but the closeness is nice.

Through all of it, Juniper is battling the worst crush of his life, and he can't stand it, because I think he struggles to read people since he doesn't have anything like a script or a director to refer back to, so he has no idea if Reggie likes him back or if he's just desperate for that to be true. I think because of that any sort of confession between them would be incredibly raw, not only because of the time they live in making it hard for them to be truthful about how they love, but because it's a complete show of Juniper who's worked to be this better person. I don't exactly know how that would go, mainly because I don't have one set version of their dynamic, this post is just a generalisation of main consistent points.

Reggie does like him back, because he's gotten used to Juniper being just this guy, not a figure in the public eye, not a Zoraxis lackey, and not any sort of Agency operative (despite being under their care to some degree). He's someone he genuinely cares for, because they've given one another the time of day to learn one another, and I think because Reggie was a field agent, he was a lot better at reading Juniper than Juniper was at reading him. Eventually Juniper's company becomes something he could see around him for the rest of his life, and I think he accepts that he likes Juniper a lot more gracefully.

I think any affection directed at Juniper would at first be met with him feeling a little muddled. Reggie was a very physically affectionate person when he could be, and sure the initial flirting with one another came with the occasional little touches, but everything now was so deeply intentional. I also don't think Juniper would almost ever get over the novelty of being able to kiss him, or many other gestures, because it made the fact that they were together so very real, and it was great. I do think it comes easier to Reggie, and it's a big way of showing how much he cares, so it's important for Juniper to try and show it back because he knows how much it means to the other.

I like the idea of them eventually living with one another, too. I think Juniper would have always had a quiet little daydream of sorts where he does just live a domestic quiet life, and he can with Reggie (well, as close as they can get between the Agency and Zoraxis always being at odds), and he loves that, and he loves him, and it's immense.

I think they cook for one another a lot, it helps Juniper work on his dexterity in a controlled environment, which means a lot because it's a huge point of insecurity (that and his scars). He does improve, and Crane is proud of that and shows it and it's great. I also think they'd probably cook together too, because they can deal with being in the kitchen together and they work well with one another. It's probably a good way for them to unwind because over time they can do it in relative silence.

As I said before, I also think music is a staple in their household, and that Reggie listens to things on vinyl almost all of the time because he likes the background noise. Sometimes Juniper will catch him chuntering along to the music which he finds endlessly endearing. I wouldn't put it past his dramatic ass to also join in to fluster Reggie, but I also don't think Reggie would mind that terribly because Juniper has listened to the music enough to know the lyrics, and that's huge to him.

I don't think they are without rough patches, no relationship is, but I think the good part about them is that they're willing to talk about it (... eventually). They're used to long conversations, and while they're often less fun conversations, they're needed and they know that, and it works out.

Alright. I think I'm done for now. I haven't mentioned everything, but this definitely got the worst of it out of my system. If you ever want to hear any specific thoughts my ask box is open but other than that, behold my general dynamic for these two which has been festering in my head for years. I think they're great

[kanerallels]

Platonic sebezra, circus au?

Oh-ho-ho I did NOT expect this prompt to take root the way it did. Ahem. But here's a little ficlet that doesn't even begin to touch the depths of brain rot you've given me

“You’re the new tightrope walker, right?”

Sabine didn’t look up from lacing up her shoes as she replied, “Looks like it.”

This wasn’t where she’d expected to be— a circus in the middle of nowhere, barely breaking even. Clearly, it wasn’t as popular as it used to be. Everything made that clear, from the worn out waistcoat that the ringmaster had been wearing when he hired her and the threadbare costumes hanging on a rack near her, to the fact that the tent was still nearly empty, and it was fifteen minutes until show time.

But she’d gotten stuck, and she needed the money. And luckily, she was good at more than one thing. Tightrope walking would be easy.

Rising, she turned towards the arena— and froze, coming face to face with a lion.

Her instinct was to scream, her second to run or fight. But instead, Sabine deliberately tensed her muscles, feeling the panic race through her, silently counting to five. When she reached five, she let out a long exhale, then lifted an eyebrow at the orange clad boy standing behind the lion.

“Let me guess,” she said. “Lion tamer?”

He grinned. “How’d you guess?” With a quick whistle, he called the lion back, and it settled next to him, looking like nothing so much as an over large cat. “I’m Ezra, and this is Jasmine.”

“Sabine. This how you greet all your new coworkers?”

Shrugging, Ezra said, “Only the ones who can handle it. And it looked like you could. Besides, it’s a good test of who’s going to stick around.”

Sabine had no intention of sticking around. This job would, hopefully, get her enough money to make it to her next destination, and then she would move on.

But for now, she just nodded. “Looks like I passed.”

“Looks like it,” Ezra said with a grin. “Welcome to Circus Spectres.”

[skitskatdacat63]

catie hello :))) roman empire seb nando au?? saw the sketch you made during suzuka & would love to hear your thoughts!! <3

Aaaah Claire hello!!!! I think you're talking about this one, right?

I joked in the tags "Hadrian and Antonius who?????"so I guess that would be the basis??? Seb is a favorite lover of Fernando's and when he dies, Fernando deifies him 😥

This Seb is obv from a different au, but this would be how I'd vizualize them:

[rivilu]

I have scientifically created the most mutually uncomfortable dynamic in my fucked up little lab that the world has ever seen. I'm being arrested for unsound character keeping practices

[larabar]

Please give more info for your Frontiers au, it makes me very happy

HI YES ALWAYS

this is late because i wanted to have a little more to show you than i had before but Anyway

ok .ok so

each character in the game had their own Main Issue/Thing. amy's was .idk love and wanting to share it with others. knux's was his ancestors and his own past, learning to get off angel island once in a while. and tails' was all about his independence

but for sonic it was really hard to find something sjdnfj since he doesn't really have anything to go off of (flat character and all that) but. i got thinking about how cyberspace affected each character and just how it Works

from what i understand, being stuck between cyberspace and reality has no feeling to it, no sense of being 'grounded', and all that other fun stuff .

and that sounds like a living hell for sonic

he can't do anything. he can run but it doesn't give him the same feeling because there is no feeling. the most he can do is just sit back and wait till everything's fixed.

y'know what just take this

not finished but it gets my point across and also im so normal about these two

[scottishoctopus]

Just wanted to say that I adore your blog, it brings a smile to my face whenever I see your posts! You seem like a really cool person and so I was wondering - would you be interested in becoming mutuals? <3 Asking as a seagull because I'm shy. *flies away*

Thank you and for your lovely words! I'm very happy to know that you enjoy my posts so much, that brings a smile onto my face! :D

Sure thing we could become mutuals! Just send a message my way, don't worry I'm not intimidating or grumpy like Davy Jones!

*insert scene of Davy grumbling bitterly in the background*

[tasklinemgr]

oughh. save me dawn au

[cleromancy]

hi! I was scrolling down your DC tag and found this post (www(.)tumblr(.)com/cleromancy/735420182202368001/fucking-no?source=share) -I hope the link doesn't vanish but just in case it's one where you talk about approaches to writing DC and you cite waid, grayson and morrison. I know a bit more about morrison's, but (if you don't mind), would you care to elaborate on each style?

speaking very very broadly here, and therefore making generalizations that won't apply to every single thing each writer has ever written, but rather their general reputation or what i personally have found reading their work

waid is famously well-read and generally tries to reconcile as much canon as he can while still 1) telling the story he wants to tell and 2) fitting with modern style/genre/etc conventions. if he does make a departure you generally assume he knew he was doing it and did it on purpose while still mostly adhering to that former goal. im thinking of the donna/garth situationship in worlds finest teen titans here, which to me read like he was like "wait, why *wouldnt* they have ever had a thing, they have so much in common" and an exploration of that, and it does actually mesh with stuff that came before imo. but i picked waid as an example of someone who is extremely well read and puts a lot of effort into yes and-ing what came before. but at the same time he Builds a lot off of it, he's not just parroting.

devins approach to my reading is more like... she's character driven in a way where like. 1) she probably has a solid understanding of the history of her mains and has probably read at least the recent stuff but definitely hasnt sat down and read their Whole History, and 2) if her character concept differs from what came before she's comfortable stepping away from it. so by contrast to waid as an example, you generally won't see her playing with minor elements from teen titans 1966 or new teen titans, or if you do it's a surprise and she might have just taken a concept and turned it on its head, if that makes sense. shes more likely to bring in her own stuff. but at the same time you usually don't expect anything of hers to be a sharp departure from anything recent or any of her contemporaries. devin is someone who can read catwoman comics and then be like "i actually think catwoman should be more like xyz, because when i boil her down to what i see as her essential/core elements, this is what feels honest and compelling to me," and then that's how she'll write her.

morrison is pretty infamous for their "everything is canon" approach by which i mean. they may not have read anything recent scrimblo scringus was in, but they *did* read the elseworlds comic from 1989 where they originated that bears little to no resemblance to their current iteration, and they think it would be fun to randomly bring in some shit from that story into scrimblo's mainline continuity. so you get things like new earth jason being a redhead but also entirely unlike either pre-crisis jason or post-crisis jason in any discernable way, or they'll import batcow from tiny titans to the main continuity. because actually why Shouldn't we have batcow too. so morrisons something of a wildcard in terms of both what they might have read and in what they'll use and what they'll ignore, its a total free for all. every comic ever written is their playground, pretty much.

hopefully that makes sense lol. and i am oversimplifying a lot but that was my logic in name-dropping those three

[mythvoiced]

-. FORTUNATELY i'm alive, work's been keeping me busy & tired but i shall see to it that i RETURN~ i opened this text post and realized i've completely forgotten how to be on tumblr, how--

unfortunately for all of us, my brain has been trying to concoct a New Guy, and unfortunately he's gay and annoying? and unfortunately he has such a nasty personality as defense mechanism and unfortunately he can't even be loved into healing because if you're mean to him he's 'hehe i was RIGHT then' and if you're nice to him he's 'don't you fucking try to scam me i'm not stupid' so he's hopeless and my little princess~

[byanyan]

content warning: self harm. no explicit descriptions or anything, but definite discussion of the habit

byan has self harm scars. they're a bit difficult to differentiate from the myriad of other scars scattered across the skin of their arms and legs from things like knife fights, but you can pick them out if you know what you're looking for.

self harming is a coping mechanism they picked up in their preteen years, a time where they were struggling a great deal with a lack of stability in their life, a difficult time in school, less than stellar foster homes (which occasionally ended with them in the street), bullying, and all assortment of challenges in figuring out and expressing their gender identity. they were miserable - depressed, angry, and deep in their self-worth issues. self harming was a way to release all their pent up emotions, a way to do something with them and make them less overwhelming, however briefly. there was also something about the self care that came afterward in treating the injuries that they found... not comforting, exactly, but maybe soothing, in a way.

eventually, as they got older and began to turn their anger more outward than inward, byan would start taking their emotions out on others and slowly dropped the habit for the most part. every now and then the urge to self harm resurfaces, but 99% of the time they'll use that urge to go out to get into fights and inflict harm on others rather than themself. in a way, their habit of picking fights is still a method of self harm - there's more to their penchant for fighting than that, of course, but it fills that same void and still results in the process of taking care of themself afterward.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

for those who know russian: how do i make skirk into a diminutive? would it be skirka? skirkya? kirka? skichka? skilka? skirkaya? do any of those even work? i need help

[master-k0hga]

Sooga: Everybody always asks "WHERE is Sooga", "WHO is Sooga"

Sooga: But they never ask how is Sooga. . . .

Kohga:

Kohga:

Kohga: Worst date of my life

[owl-with-a-pen]

Merry Christmas/Hanukkah!! <3

prompt of brainy and nia spending the holidays at Nias parents house???

Happy Holidays! I whipped this one up in record time so forgive any mistakes. Hope you enjoy! x

Mornings had once been quite the monotonous feat to Brainy. A simple routine of waking, preparing for the day ahead and executing those plans exactly as intended. Some time before then, the morning hadn’t even been a time of day at all. It had existed outside of his perception, neither here nor there, as he had worked through the rise and fall of sunlight locked within his lab, or the artificial rays that had run in conjunction with the Legion ship’s automated Earth-clock.

That had changed in recent years. Now, Brainy had learned to indulge in all the gifts the morning had to offer. The most important of which he could find just by rolling onto his side, glimpsing one Nia Nal curled into her pillow just inches away from him. Sunlight held a far more pleasant aspect when it glowed atop her head as she slept soundly half buried beneath their comforter, not quite ready to face the world just yet.

When Brainy had awoken that morning, they weren’t in the familiarity of the bedroom they shared in National City. Instead, they were some miles away, spending the holiday period at Nia’s family home in Parthas. This was not the first time that Brainy had slept in Nia’s old bedroom, but sharing a space with his partner that was filled with so many memories, so much love, was a comfort he found he was never quite prepared for.

When Nia stirred at his side, a soft groan parting her lips, Brainy shuffled in close, burying his nose into her hair. “Good morning,” he murmured, his mouth lingering at her throat.

Nia smiled, lifting her head to meet him. “Morning to you, too,” she said, her voice still a little croaky. She rolled over so that she was facing him, snuggling into her favoured spot tucked away against his shoulder. Brainy grinned, relishing in the feel of her warm breath tickling his collar bone.

“How’d you sleep?” Nia asked into his pyjama shirt. She poked his chest, lifting her chin to fix him with a half serious look. “Did you sleep?”

Brainy had expected the question. Since his brush with death at the hands of Leviathan, Nia had taken to checking in with him every now and then on his sleeping patterns. He knew she felt regret at how soundly she could sleep on nights that a vision didn’t intrude on her dreams, but he had assured her time and time again that he was only glad she could find that peace so often now. Since she’d begun to master her ability, the chances of nightmares had tapered off to a handful every few months.

Brainy’s sleeping pattern, however, remained unruly at the best of times - old anxieties that he still struggled with from the removal of his inhibitors. It was true that he required less sleep than most species, but even he knew that he had made something of a habit of pushing at those limits to an unhealthy degree.

Today, though, he could be honest with her. “I did,” he admitted. “In fact, I slept for far longer than anticipated.”

Nia’s smile was infectious. She nuzzled into his throat, her lashes brushing against his skin. “The perks of sleeping in a Dreamer’s bed.”

“This room is indeed very cosy,” Brainy agreed. The natural light that bled in through the windows gave everything it touched a warm orange glow, reflecting against old nick knacks and stuffed animals, cherished items of Nia’s childhood that had been cared for with utmost love in her absence.

Brainy wound an arm around Nia’s back, drawing her in close. “I would have slept for longer I suspect, but I wanted to wake before your father.” He frowned thoughtfully. “He is quite the early bird normally, but factoring in the eggnog that was consumed last night—”

Nia chuckled. “Oh yeah, you’ve got an extra two hours, easy.”

Brainy smiled triumphantly, kissing Nia once on the cheek before sitting up. “In that case, I would like to propose that I make breakfast this morning!”

Nia sat up hastily at Brainy’s declaration. She took his arm, trailing down until her hand was wound firmly to his wrist. “Alright, so I’d like to propose we do that together.” She smiled at him honestly. “Dad’s – uh – had a taste of your cooking before, so he knows what to expect, but Maeve’s coming over this morning.”

“Ah,” Brainy said seriously, leaning in towards her. “Is her palate not as well-refined as your father’s?”

Nia snorted suddenly, covering her mouth in a blatant attempt to hide it. “You could say that.” She rolled her eyes, pecking him quickly on the lips. “It’s alright, we’ll figure it out together. Just, let me brush my teeth first.”

She whipped off the blanket in one swoop, bounding off the bed with revitalised energy. Just as she was about to skip out of the door, she paused, turning towards Brainy with a grin. “Oh, and Merry Christmas!”

Brainy grinned even brighter. “Merry Christmas,” he returned.

---

This wasn’t the first Christmas Nia had spent without her mom, but it was the first time she’d been back to Parthas for the holidays. It had been something Nia had both been looking forward to and totally melting down over in equal measure.

Brainy had kept her strong throughout the worst of her backpedalling, holding her firm when she’d tried to talk herself out of going this year, reminding her of all the stuff she’d expressed over and over again about how much she’d been looking forward to.

For starters, Parthas never did anything half-assed. Their holiday celebrations were some of the biggest and brightest, a community event that brought everyone together to celebrate with music, food and good company at the town square. Nia had never believed that holiday spirit could be superficial, not when she saw it so animatedly in the eyes of a town that shared so many unique cultures and holidays, both from Earth and off-world.

That part, Nia wasn’t dreading so much. She was even looking forward to visiting her mom’s grave again, laying out some flowers for her in all the colours she knew she loved. Ever since she’d paid the ultimate price to see her again, the connection with her mother didn’t feel so far out of reach. When she talked out loud to herself, she could almost imagine her mother listening in; there were even times when she’d catch the impression of someone familiar standing with her in the dreamscape, encouraging every step of her progress.

So, no, those things weren’t what was freaking her out so much. As she helped Brainy cook up a breakfast spread for her family, though, she knew exactly what it really was.

This was the first Christmas she’d be spending with Maeve since their mother had passed. Since the fight that had separated them. Since… everything that had come to light in between.

It was also the first time Maeve would be meeting Brainy in person, which felt so weird. Brainy was such a large part of her life and, up until recently, so was Maeve. Nia knew that her sister was trying in earnest to build her trust again, but it wasn’t going to be easy and whether Nia admitted to it or not, she could feel that strain whenever they were together.

She wanted things to go well when Maeve turned up, but at the same time she was painfully aware of how different it would feel for her to be here with them for the holidays. It wasn’t just Nia that Maeve had disappointed, and although she’d finally gone to visit their dad shortly after their team-up in the dream realm, things were still a little rocky on all fronts.

Again, Nia couldn’t have been more relieved for Brainy’s endless patience throughout her meltdowns. She was honestly surprised this hadn’t triggered any unwarranted anxieties of his own, but it seemed his adamance to support her had overridden any signs of that.

When the doorbell rang at the Nal household, Nia nearly dropped her spatula. She was just plating up the last of the pancakes, and Brainy had been digging in a drawer for cutlery, but they both paused to look up, catching each other’s eye.

Nia held her breath, holding her chin high. It was now or never, she supposed.

“Coming!” she called out.

---

“Nia, hi! How have you been?”

Maeve’s high-energy smile was dazzlingly hard to figure out, especially when she swept Nia into a hug that lingered a little awkwardly for everyone involved.

Nia was the first to draw away, trying to relax her jaw as she offered a smile of her own. “Hey, Maeve. I’ve been good—really good, actually.”

“I can see that.” Maeve winked at her conspiratorially, squeezing her hands. Nia wasn’t sure what she was talking about at first, that was until she felt Brainy join her at her side.

Maeve’s eyes darted to Brainy eagerly. “So, you’re the brainiac that Nia won’t shut up about.”

Nia felt a blush warm her cheeks.

Brainy smirked, bumping Nia’s shoulder. “I suppose I am exactly that.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Nia said easily, kissing his cheek.

“Aww, you guys are so cute,” Maeve gushed, but Nia could already see the game she was playing. She still hadn’t let go of her hands, after all.

Just as she expected, the second Maeve spotted the ring, she gasped. “Is that—?”

Nia bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smile. She and Brainy had been engaged for a couple of months now. They’d already announced it to their friends and family, in fact, the last time she and Brainy had been back to Parthas had been in the summer when they’d surprised her dad with their engagement. She still remembered the tears of joy in her dad’s eyes when he’d hugged her tight, shaking Brainy’s hand before pulling him into a hug of his own, formally welcoming him to the family he’d long-since been a part of.

Maeve had been a no-show at the engagement party Kara and Alex had put together for them, work obligations had predictably tied her down. Nia honestly hadn’t minded all that much. As much as she wanted to build a relationship with her sister again, she knew it was never going to feel the same as before.

Maeve squealed in delight as she turned over Nia’s hand, inspecting the ring from every angle. “Oh my god,” she said, scrutinising each detail. She paused suddenly, her eyes snapping to Brainy. “What, no rock?”

Brainy quirked a brow. “That ring is far superior to any Earth diamond, I can assure you.”

Nia grinned proudly, splaying out her fingers for Maeve to see. “It’s made of Nth metal,” she explained. “It gives you the ability to fly.”

Maeve visibly recoiled, although she collected herself quickly. She looked at Nia accusingly. “You just made that up!”

Nia’s grin broadened. “Nuh-uh,” she said. “And hey, maybe if you’re on your best behaviour, I’ll even show you how it works later.”

Maeve’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, you cannot dangle that over me!” But her tone was made in good jest, enough that even Brainy smiled along.

The rest of the morning went better than Nia had ever expected. Maeve relaxed to Brainy’s unaltered appearance almost immediately and seemed genuinely curious about his culture and species as a whole. She brightened tenfold when she realised that he was fluent in Naltorian and the three of them spent a good thirty minutes dipping in between languages as they grew to understand each other a little better.

Late to rise, when their dad finally came down the stairs, he was greeted with the sound of shared laughter and the smell of palatable pancakes drenched an inch to their life in maple syrup.

They ate together in the living room, sharing stories old and new, catching each other up with their lives and for the first time in forever, feeling like a family that wasn’t hollow at its core. Nia caught herself glancing up at the photo of her mom that their dad had displayed on the mantel, her smiling face watching down on them in the same way she’d imagined in her dreams.

She would’ve been happy to see them all like this, Nia knew. And maybe, someday soon, she might even catch a glimpse of her in the dream realm again, and maybe she’d be able to hear that from her lips for real.

They spent the majority of the morning lounging lazily in each other’s company, Nia curled into Brainy’s side as they shared their engagement story once more for Maeve’s benefit. It was the first time in a long time that Nia saw real elation in Maeve’s eyes. No resentment, no jealousy, she seemed to be truly happy for them. She didn’t even tense up when their superhero lives were mentioned. If anything, there was a sense of pride that had begun to radiate from her now, for the sister who had spared her a second chance, who she was determined to prove herself to with every waking breath.

A few drinks were shared before they headed off for the town’s festivities. Nia found herself walking hand-in-hand with Brainy, her free arm hooked through her sister’s, their dad walking amiably at their side, and she suddenly wondered why she’d ever been so scared of this day at all.

For today and – she hoped - for every day after, they were a family again.

That was the best gift she could have ever asked for.

[ssreeder]

SREEDIE YOU UPDATED and I haven’t even read the last chapter yet…

in my defence, I have moved countries so uh… keep waiting for me, my love, I shall soon return from the war <3

YOU MOVED?!??? I demand details please. I’ll wait forever for you my reekie-leekie. <3

[astros-arts-inthestars]

...okay.. I think I'm ready. This is it!!! No more holding back!!! I need to reveal to the world my truth and my heart!! Guys! I'm uh.. coming out......

....as a Persona fan. W-WELL PERSONA FAN-IN-PROGRESS?? I don't know the WHOLE story.. but I know enough to be hyperfixated and VERY attached to the characters..?

Why am I saying this? Well.. I guess I wanna jumpstart the possibility of.... um... Persona art.. on this blog- But I'm WAY too embarrassed to start on my own accord so...

To those aware of the media (there's bound to be some..) um.. I'm opening requests for Persona 4 and 5 art! So uh.. hit me with it!! I guess!