#i want all the cats but i need to see her do it with meredith

[heyanobody]

what do we have to do to get taylor to do the “spin with your pets to august” tiktok trend???

[dawnoftime22]

adorable.

| T.S

Warnings: None!

Summary: Taylor sees you sleeping adorably, and couldn't help but pull out her phone.

Word Count: 587

Category: Fluff

A/N: I've started to actually write more taylor and like what I did with the fics, so I thought, why not just post them :] if this one does okay then I'll continue <3

| Started on 09/09/2023, 11:36 PM |

| Finished on 10/09/2023, 2:38 PM |

Masterlist | T.S Masterlist

“My darling, you are far too much of a work

of art for a picture not to be taken.”

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

It was yet another day full of work and exhaustion was all that filled the blonde's body as she drove back home from work.

She got out of the car and unlocked the front door of the house, only wanting to have you beside her, cuddles, and kisses, and every single other thing she could think of.

Though the house was quiet. Too quiet. The tv wasn't on, and you weren't in the living room or the kitchen. She didn't get a message from you of you going out or anything, so her head wandered a little.

And then, before Taylor could panic any more, she walks into the bedroom, not expecting to see you laid on the bed horizontally with your eyes closed, covering the space of both her side and yours, while her guitar was placed just a few inches below your legs.

You must've been practicing to learn the guitar, and got exhausted too, she thought. She adored how you were learning, and not only for her, or from her, but also because you got inspired by her music.

What was important was the way you were breathing. And your face, oh, your peacefulness in your face. It made her smile so lovingly at you. She couldn't find anyone else who she would be more in love with.

Before she got any closer or that you would somehow wake up, she pulls out her phone from her pocket and captures a quick picture of you. It was the perfect picture.

She wanted to just jump into bed already and cuddle you, with how fuzzy she's feeling from seeing how adorable you looked, but she needed to shower first. She was sweaty from all the rehearsing for her upcoming tour.

And so, she got her clothes ready on the bed and went to take a shower. When she got out, you were still thankfully asleep. But your position did change. You were more curled up into a ball this time, like a cat, which made her want to squeeze herself and you. But she didn't wanna wake you, so she quietly put on her clothes, and tip toed to bed. Gently laying down next to you, which she could do so now, since you were more curled up, letting more space on the bed loose.

She takes you in her arms and pulls you closer like a teddy bear without waking you up, but also making sure you're in a more comfortable position.

Nothing could be better than this feeling she has in her heart. But then you instinctively snuggled closer to her, your nose nuzzling on her skin near her neck, tickling her a little, but the feeling of her wanting to melt overcame it. Well. That was a better feeling.

She went to sleep with you that night with a precious memory.

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

You were smiling as you looked through her gallery of pictures, full of Meredith, Olivia, Benjamin, and basically all the cats. Some pictures are of you and her, and to see them warms your heart.

Until you scrolled and perhaps accidentally found something you shouldn't have. Your eyebrows rose while Taylor blushed from behind you.

"Um, babe, you took a photo of me while I was sleeping?" You questioned softly, so as to not make her feel embarrassed. But her cheeks only turned red even more

"I couldn't help it. You're just too adorable." she giggled, now you're the one who thought she was adorable.

You playfully rolled your eyes, turning your head to look at her, and then went in to kiss her. She gratefully accepted it and kissed you back. Soon after, she pulls away and admires your face, just as she had the night before.

"I love you." The both of you smile at each other like two idiots in love.

"I love you, too."

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

taglist <3 - join here! :]

@dmenby3100

[dre6ming]

The delicate beginning rush

Instagram photo dump - part 7

Masterlist <all chapters here>

Instagram photo dump masterlist

Pairing: Austin Butler x singer/actress fem reader

!!!!Everything Fake!!!!

𓆈𓆈𓆈𓆈𓆈𓆈𓆈

y/n4real.2002

Liked by austinbutler tchalamet and 1.293.299others

y/n4real.2002 my babies are now 2. So glad I stumbled upon you next to that garbage can. Love you forever!! #catmom

View all comments

tchalamet: sweetest boys I know

↳y/n4real.2002: tchalamet I raised them well 😎

fan23: this is so cute, I live for those pictures

↳fan.258: omg yess they are so sweet

taylorswift: Ben, Meredith and Olivia wish their best friends the happiest of birthdays

↳y/n4real.2002: taylorswift let's have a play date soon

↳fan1: iconic cat moms

fan.tastic: this is so cute, Simba and William supremacy

↳fan192: perfectly curated names

↳fan6: true gentlemen

austinbutler: the cutest ever

↳y/n4real.2002: austinbutler thx

↳aus.b.fan: this interaction seems so strange to me 😭

↳aus.b.fan: this interaction seems so strange to me 😭

joshua.fan: um where is Joshua? Come support your girl!!

↳joshua.fan23: I don't think she's HIS anymore...

republicrecords

Liked by joshuabassett fan34 and 708.390others

republicrecords some very exciting things happening in the studio right now. #y/n #joshuabassett

View all comments

fan293: he liked the photo, but she DIDN'T...I actually dying

↳fan09: omg she's so unhinged

joshuafan283: so excited for this

↳fan383:same here

fan990: all the confirmation I needed that their relationship is just PR

↳fan10: yeah..

fan494: girl does NOT love him, her heart is with AB, has been for weeks now 😭😭

↳ab.fan.2: can we blame her?

y/n4real.2002

liked by taylorswift roxanne.02_b1tch and 2.394.399others

y/n4real.2002 #girlsnight 📸: the one exception we allowed in.

View all comments

tchalamet: not mad at all😭

↳y/n4real.2002: tchalamet I see that, I really do🤣

↳fan12: wait if Timmy is not the exception from the girls night, then who took the photo? JOE?! 👀🫣

↳tsfan13: omg my heart, it has to be!!

austinbutler: 🧶

↳y/n4real.2002: austinbutler 🧶

↳ab.fan49: what kind of code is this 🤔

↳fan2: I'm loosing my mind here?

↳austin.fan: Austin using an emoji?! And the ball of yarn? What the hell is going on??

gossip.w/.me

Liked by fan2 austin_fan3 and 500.389others

gossip.w/.me: via deuxmoi 's story, new update on the whole y/n x Austin Butler and Joshua Bassett thing. Also her being rumored to be on the Elvis Soundtrack? I think I'm losing it.

View all comments

austin_fans: this is too much for my little heart

fan10: she's so amazing of course they'd want her on the soundtrack

elvis.movie.fan: Baz asks personally for her 🥺😩

ab.34.fan: ugh this is so unfair, I really wanted them to be dating. Austin and Y/n would make a great duo

joshua_fan: at this point they are just messing with us

tmz

Liked by fan48 fan_5 and 200.583others

tmz: y/n4real.2002 spotted out in LA driving alone

View all comments

fan23: she looks so cute

fan1: I love to see her smile

fans.4.love: can she be more beautiful?

ab_fan: she's incredible

↳austi_n_fan: Austin would agree here

↳fan395: how wouldn't?

fan1loves: why did they have to say alone??😩

y/n4real.2002

Liked by austinbutler tchalamet and 2.030.293others

y/n4real.2002: dandelion into to wind you go, won't you let my darling know... that I'm in a field of dandelions wishing on everyone #dandelions #outnow #stream

View all comments

austinbutler: so proud 🧶

↳y/n4real.2002: austinbutler 🧶

↳fan59: again with this emoji what's going on??

↳ab.3.fan: nah they enjoy to torture us

tchalamet: sounds good I'm not gonna lie

↳y/n4real.2002: tchalamet huh 🤔 just good? Ok fine!

↳roxanne.02_b1tch: 🤣🤣🤣

jackantonoff: happy to be part of this

↳y/n4real.2002: jackantonoff 🥹

billieeilish: hot mama

↳y/n4real.2002: billieeilish stop I'm blushing

Tags: @kittenlittle24 @amorx @cryingabtab @lexicox044 @lrissa @feral4austinbutler @sageskywalker @jesssssicaa @rainydayz101 @flwersgarden @bobthefishiesworld @captured-memory @homebodybirkin2003 @galaxygirl453 @butlerslut @chrisevansgirl34 @myradiaz @pennyroyalcreep @macey234 @im-lame-irl @lordandmistress @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf @poppet05 @gabbywontlose @4shbug @0-thegoodwitch-0 @hauntedarchivesx @chewiethecatus @sunnyx07 @francesbloomer @jessaroni19 @finelineskies @stargirlbytheweeknd @cerenaydins-blog @girlblogger2002 @gigisworldsstuff @my-baexht-Is @xmusselisims @denised916 @bluepeacheslandia @kibumslatina @samaraannhan20 @goldobsessionworld @silliypapercreatorangle @cmrxac @donnamarie23 @justarandomfamdomblog @marlowmode @natsnosehair @xxgggooomm @banksmars @namoreno @areuirish @choppedlamphandscowboy @yeetfack-blog @fangirl125reader @aliceforbes @k-1898 @lucid315 @numberonepaperbeard-blog @lunacat616 @katelswan @jellysquidjj

[purpleprincessonfyre]

OUAT AU - Galentines and Valentines

Characters: Liane Felton and Belladonna St James

Mentioned: Ethan Lensherr Long

Category: Fluff and Platonic familial love and hints to possible romance

Liane St James had never really hated any holiday before. Even when she was little. There were some she'd found boring or tedious but never any that just made her feel so low. Until of course now, when even the word Valentines felt like someone had put sandpaper on her tongue.

When you've had your heart broken as many times as Liane has, you almost become numb to the notion of romance and true love. She would watch Meredith flirting with McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy and feel nothing, see people kiss on the street and feel empty, and watch Romcoms like a zombie, just barely alive as the cutesy couples flirt and play cat and mouse.

For Bella's sake she still tried to show her love to her daughter on Galentines Day. A day out in town, a meal for two, a present, and Belladonna would accept them all in her usual manner. A slight nod, a mumbled thank you and then she would go back to whatever she was already doing. It still drove Liane a little crazy not being able to read Bella's emotions that well but she knew deep down that her efforts were appreciated.

But now with Bella's father in town, the Mayor wanting her to find dirt on him, information about a coma patient coming to light and so much going on, Liane had no time to plan anything for the 13th. Her head was too full of questions and concerns to even consider a moment for herself. Her world had been shaken up like a snow globe and the dust was still settling.

Liane was still at the office long after school had let out. She felt awful that Bella would be walking out those doors with no one to greet her but she had deadlines to meet. So wanted to just throw all her papers into a fire but she continued to work, her tightly wrapped hair starting to unravel, layers of her neat suit coming off until she was sat hunched at her desk in just a cami top and pants, furiously typing away and writing as the clock ticked on, pushing her reading glasses onto her nose.

As her work day finally came to a close and the sun began to sink in the sky, painting the clouds orange and pink, Liane gathered herself up and trudged out of the office to her car, running to the supermarket for supplies. It would probably be an oven pizza night. As she entered the store she was bombarded by posters declaring "Show your love for that special someone" and cheesy cards saying "Be mine" in cute lettering with teddy bears hugging on the cover.

Liane rolled her eyes and grabbed a basket as the realisation hit her. There was no gift for Bella! Frantically she searched through the store for something Bella might like, not wanting to let her down and she finally saw the perfect thing for her dark, gloomy daughter of shadows. She stuffed it in her cart and continued her shopping, starting to take more time picking out what she needed, grabbing a bottle of wine for herself.

"I'm home!" Liane called, opening the door with her foot as she brought in groceries.

"Sorry I'm so late, got held up at the office then went to grab groceries. You here?"

"I'm here." Came the response, calm and collected. Liane sighed in relief. She started carrying groceries to the kitchen and eventually Bella came to help her, putting away cereals and meats in the freezer.

"So how was school?"

"Kids were making Valentines cards. The jokes were unfunny and their messages insincere. I do not plan to send any of course but I doubt I will receive any either."

"Oh honey! Anyone would be lucky to have you as a Valentine."

"Inaccurate. But kind. What's for dinner?"

"Pizza! Listen kiddo I'm sorry I didn't plan a meal or do my cute Valentines sack lunch today. I've really dropped the ball this year. Forgive me?"

Bella paused and surveyed her tired mother's eyes. She saw the pain in her face, the ache in her throat, the sadness in her eyes. She cleared her throat and spoke.

"I do not need a Valentines nor a Galentines to know you love me. You show you love me every day without sending flowers to my door or writing inane poetry. Your actions speak louder than any cheap box of chocolates or heart shaped sandwich. Love is a feeling, and I know your love is real."

Liane smiled, rubbing her daughter's shoulder kindly. She had raised this girl but that mind was often too smart for its own good. As she let go, Liane remembered the gift she had bought.

"So I know you said all that and I also know you aren't easily impressed but when I saw this thing I just...I thought of you so..Happy Galentines Day, Belladonna."

Liane reached into a large shopping bag and pulled out a soft black mass of stuffed velvet and handed the mass to her daughter. Bella turned the velvet egg shape around in her arms and saw it had a face stitched on it with bright green thread for eyes, black thread for whiskers and a triangular shaped nose, and two soft triangular ears. It was an egg shaped black cat plush toy.

"I know you said you're too old for toys but I know you still have that old doll in your room and even though it is soft and cute I thought this one matches your aesthetic a bit more and I know that you don't mind hugs that are asked for and wanted so I just-"

"Mom. I love it."

Bella responded, her mouth curving up into a very small smile. She held the plush in her arms and squeezed it very gently. It was soft and warm like her mother's hugs. She looked up at Liane, satisfied.

"Thank you. I will treasure this." She put the plush down and opened her arms to her mother, wanting a hug. Liane's eyes were already filled with tears as she embraced her girl. Instead of rolling her eyes, Bella just let it happen, enjoying the moment.

Liane had never seen Bella smile like that before and she was overcome with emotion, it was like she had finally done something right in this journey of motherhood. As she felt her daughters arms around her waist she felt a huge weight lifting off her shoulders. Her back had started to twinge but she didn't even care. She had made her daughter smile. And that was all she needed.

Eventually Bella pulled away and brushed herself off, picking up her plush and turning to face her mother, her dark brown eyes serious again.

"Since you have made my Galentines so special, I feel there is something you should know. You can choose not to believe me or you can realise this is fated to happen because its all happened before." Belladonna stated, holding her plush tight.

"What's this about?"

"About your Valentines. You aren't meant to be alone. You may say you are a Girl Boss all you wish but there is someone in this town who loves you and I think you also may have begun to love him."

"Bella?"

"My father. Ethan. He has not said it to your face but he is clearly in love with you. And you have grown to love him despite the fact you are spying on him for The Mayor but that cannot be helped, he is an asshole and you can't refuse him."

"Bella!"

Belladonna stopped, her gaze fixed on her mother. Liane's cheeks had gone quite pink at this point and her eyes had widened very noticeably. She took her daughter by her shoulders to try and put her mind at ease.

"Sweetie. I- I wouldn't want to- how- that's very sweet, kiddo. But I doubt that. He would more likely hate me if he knew what I was doing. And you're right, I don't like it but I can't refuse the Mayor he's- I can't. But I do want to make you happy so I will stop trying to find dirt on your father if it will make you happy. I'm tired of this anyway, it's eating up my sleep and my time with you. Screw the Mayor. Ethan can do as he pleases in this town. Do you care that he has a record?"

"No."

"Then that's all that matters." Liane finished, smiling at Bella. Belladonna eyed her fairytale book, knowing Liane's actions would have consequences but knew that there wasn't much she could do to predict those just yet. But maybe...she could make sure there was someone to save her.

I know it's a day late but hope you enjoyed!

@jackiequick @gcthvile @cherrysft @blueboirick @meiramel @ask-starrk @ask-missparker @askstevella @therealdaydreamstark @thechoooooosenone @wizzzardofoz @rickb-chaos @luna-d-marsh

[jellicle-chants]

@ride-a-dromedary Since you asked, here's my beef with Hugh Jackman Meredith Willson's The Music Man Sutton Foster. (No really, that's what the soundtrack album cover looks like.) Basically, I think the revival did a terrible job of capturing the soul and energy of the original show. If you want to read my protracted rant about it, then by all means, continue below.

(Note: I'm mostly going off of the movie adaptation to count for the "original" since it's the version I'm used to, but I also listened to the OBC recording occasionally to see what was shortened for the movie.)

I think the first big thing I should mention is that Hugh Jackman is simply a terrible choice to play Harold Hill. No offense to him, but in my eyes he's always been better at playing a character who seems very charismatic but is actually a bumbling fool (i.e. PT Barnum). Harold Hill might be a conman, but his whole livelihood revolves around getting people to believe that he means what he says and then believe that, too. You need an actor with an incredible amount of charisma and presence to be able to pull that off, and IMO, Jackman is not that actor.

He's also (again IMO) really just snoozing his way through this recording, especially on 76 Trombones! He's dropping R's left and right (to the point where it almost sounds like he's making the effort to sound Southern) and they had to add in a trombone sound behind his mimicking one because it sounds SO dull. Then he mispronounces "Creatore" somehow?? I know that's the littlest thing to get upset over but it also just shows how little this show's creatives know or care about what this musical is all about (more on that later).

And then: they do the MMM thing from Cats 2019. AKA, where they drop out all of the orchestra and sing the biggest song, probably the song that the most people in the audience will know, in a really annoying, slow build-up that entirely kills the flow of the piece. Speaking of killing the mood, the dance break in the middle of the song really does that as well. "76 Trombones" is about the farthest you can get from broke, so I have no clue why they tried to "fix" it in this way.

My least favorite Hugh Jackman song from this soundtrack, however, is not 76 Trombones, but Marian the Librarian. Just from the off, this is one of my favorite musical theatre vamps ever and they absolutely ruined it by playing it at like twice the normal speed. It also starts in the wrong key and then keys up again (???) before he starts singing, and from there it only gets worse. He basically gets every single vowel he possibly could wrong (my favorite being the classic Brit-as-American "Watt can I do") and just trips and falls through the entire song extremely uncharismatically. He says "li-berry" at one point, for goodness' sake! Please, if you haven't listened to the original Robert Preston version of this song (either from the movie or the show), go do it now and then listen to the mockery Hugh Jackman makes of it. It's so obvious that Preston has such a better command over his voice and sound that it makes Jackman sound like he has no clue what he's doing.

Sutton Foster is not nearly as bad as her co-star, although I think she's also miscast. Obviously a Shirley Jones-style voice is really hard to recreate these days, but she's just got such a bright singing and speaking voice that if you had told me in 2021 that she was going to be playing Marian I would've thought you were bad at fancasting. I think she still does a fine job with the poor directing choices she was given — a true professional.

OK, some quick things before I get to the most infuriating part of this revival.

It was also very bold of the creatives to not only keep My White Knight, which is one of my always-skips of the original, but to also add another one in in "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean".

Why the hell is Pick-A-Little so slow??? It's a patter song, folks, it's supposed to be peppy.

I guess they directed the poor kid playing Winthrop to exaggerate the lisp as much as possible (could they have considered maybe just hiring an actor with a lisp instead?) because it straight up sounds like he's putting it on as a joke most of the time. 😬

I think the new lyrics to "Shipoopi" are cringe. Is it that hard to suspend your disbelief that people in 1912 had antiquated views on relationships? Is "hussy" really even that bad of an insult anymore? This song also gets the slowed down + long-ass dance break treatment, God save me.

So, if you're familiar with The Music Man, you might have noticed that I haven't yet mentioned a few key songs/moments. This is genuinely the part of the story of this revival that makes my blood boil. If you're unaware, 4 side characters in The Music Man make up a barbershop quartet, played in the original Broadway production and movie by the Buffalo Bills, a pre-existing quartet who Willson had become friends with even before writing the show. The Bills get multiple songs in the show, all sung in the barbershop style, and they all show off the iconic barbershop effect known as ringing chords, created from the quartet's just tuning. (I don't know enough about music theory to get into the weeds about this, but suffice it to say that barbershop singing and musical theatre singing are not interchangeable).

Apparently, when the revival was first being produced before the pandemic, a barbershop quartet called Category 4 was approached to play the quartet members. Great! Then, allegedly, post-pandemic, it was, to quote a spokesperson for the revival, "in the best interest of the show" for them to suddenly cut ties with Category 4, which would have broken contracts Category 4 said they signed. Less great. Instead, the 4 men credited as playing the quartet are Phillip Boykin, Eddie Korbich, Daniel Torres, and Nicholas Ward. I say "credited," but keep in mind that the OFFICIAL cast recording on Spotify does not credit Nicholas for "Sincere" AND "Lida Rose" (where Phillip's name is also misspelled), and on the two songs he is credited for, Spotify seems to have him confused with a violinist/conductor of the same name.

I bring this up to say that I don't blame these men for the situation Category 4 was put in — it seems the producers or someone else behind this production is extremely sloppy and willing to cut corners, including casting four musical theatre singers as a barbershop quartet. Because of this mindset, the songs are distinctly missing those ringing tones that are present in the Bills' versions, replaced with what I can only describe as "tricks" to make it seem like the harmonies are ringing, like a heavy overuse of dynamic changes, especially sforzandos. There's also at least one moment where one member (I think it's the tenor?) straight up sings the wrong note and completely changes the chord. Obviously I don't blame him for not being good at a singing style he literally isn't a professional at, but if there were at least one person in the booth familiar with barbershop or the original song, it hopefully would've been re-recorded.

And that's what hurts me the most — Meredith Willson was a huge fan of barbershop music and the Buffalo Bills especially, and now the music he wrote for them is being butchered by people 60 years later who want to make a quick buck. This revival has "cash-in" written all over it, from stunt casting the leads regardless of how well they fit the roles to not bothering to get actual professional barbershop singers to play a barbershop quartet. It's a soulless attempt to resurrect a great musical that didn't need to and shouldn't have happened.

[giraffefeather]

Absolutely love playing DAII for the first time with minimal knowledge. Like... all I know is Anders blows up the Chantry. At some point.

(Post got long, have a courtesy cut) Spoilers up to the end of Act II.

So I'm just wandering along Kirkwall, doing whatever quests pop up. I somehow managed to acquire Fenris at the VERY END of Act I. Like the last quest before finishing the main quest. I kept wondering when he'd show up.

Meanwhile, I've already decided to romance Anders. (Even though Fenris's voice hit me like a fucking freight train and I very nearly switched sides immediately). And I'm just blindly doing what he asks because he's my future husband, you know?

Totally forgot about the conversation with him about meeting at my house. Went to my house to read a letter and BAM! There's Anders! My Champion is absolutely a moron and definitely forgot in game, but hey, pleasant surprise, right?

And I'm jumping from quest to quest so randomly that I managed to complete Aveline's goofy date quest and then immediately followed it with my mother dying in the most horrific way. The fucking whiplash nearly broke me!

Every decision I make either pisses off Anders or Fenris. But Anders is my boy, and the only other warrior option I have is Aveline and I am not dealing with her! So I have to take Fenris. I have somehow managed to keep his friendship level just above rival, but boy does that elf dislike Hawke. And Anders. Jury's still out on if he likes Varric.

(My Hawke is a dual-blade rogue, so my party is always Anders, Varric, Fenris. For balance! Yeah... not because their banter has me giggling like an idiot)

Thought for sure that Anders was gonna blow up the chantry during his Justice quest. Was mildly disappointed when the Chantry was intact.

But uh... hey Anders? Trying to give away your prized possession to Varric? Keeping secrets? Absolutely eluding to some type of betrayal? WHAT DID YOU DO????? Mentally preparing for the worst while desperately trying to convince him to stop this nonsense or at least TELL ME WHAT THIS NONSENSE IS! (I need to know but I refuse to spoil it).

Haven't looked up any guides except the one for the Books of Evil. Because fuck that one. (I have a desperate need to get every achievement I can, to do every quest available).

Hey, as someone whose very first DA experience was a Qunari Inquisitor... where are the lovable Qunaris? Why do I have to hate and kill all of them as Hawke? Justice for Qunari! (Or at least give me a Tal-Vashoth that survives Kirkwall)

IMMEDIATE distrust of Meredith. What's up with her? No... don't tell me. Not yet.

Why am I so surprised at the amount of swearing in game? I mean DAI wasn't exactly PG, but feels like DAII has the language while DAI has the nudity. Is there nudity in DAII? Do I really want to see it? Or do I just want DAI to say fuck?

I started my playthrough months ago before returning to it. I do not remember naming my dog "Jurn." Why did I name my dog Jurn?? It's not even funny stupid, just stupid stupid!

Checks out for my Hawke. She really is just stupid stupid. Varric is truly holding this team together.

Constantly asking myself what the plot of this game is. Act I, make money. Got it, easy enough. Act II? Qunari for some reason? Act III.... ????

Isabela you little shit, come back to my party! I sided with you and you just up and left?? Come back! I miss you at the Hanged Man...

Bethany has been unavailable for like half the game. I didn't notice her absence for the majority of Act II. Idk why I thought I could just take her from the Circle if I ever wanted to. I just... didn't ever want her in my party. (I feel kinda bad, but with the Hawke family history, I have a sneaking suspicion she won't survive Act III).

I keep hearing about Anders's cat. He keeps talking about kittens. Where is this cat??? When does he get a cat? Can I pet it?

Act I has scarred me and I am hoarding gold like a dragon. I have bought exactly 2 things. An armor upgrade I found for Isabela (who is absolutely never in my party) and a gift I was curious about. That gift was immediately forgotten until I started talking to my companions. Suddenly, I had a gift for everyone that I picked up on my travels. I have no idea which one was the one I bought.

Really need to look into those armor upgrades... It's Act III and everyone is in their beginner armor. Except Isabela. But... she's fucking gone, so...

I love that Varric keeps track of kills. I'm ashamed that my Hawke is an idiot and probably has less than everyone else.

If I hear "out of range" one more fucking time... shut up and do your rogue jump into battle, Hawke. You're embarrassing me.

I keep hearing about this Sebastian fellow. I hope I get to meet him. I think I have all the add-ons. I just don't trust myself to find the right quest to find him. Maybe he's late game?

Love/hate that all my poor decisions come back to haunt me. Refuse to pay the loan shark dwarf? Yeah, we're getting ambushed at every turn. Hawke is very good at making enemies.

Merrill, sweet ray of sunshine, daisy with the eluvian, you scare me. But damn, I really want to see if the eluvian works (reason number 76 why Fenris hates me).

WHY DOES ANDERS ALWAYS BRING ME TO THE SEWERS??? THIS IS NOT VERY ROMANTIC, ANDERS!

Keep forgetting to protect Varric in battle. That man has used more injury kits than I care to count. I love the idea that he keeps telling all this to Cassandra, too. Like "yeah we had to battle the Qunari, but I was knocked out for half of it. Anyway, here's what happened while I was out cold."

Have I mentioned my battle skills are absolutely horrendous? Like button mashing is a strategy, right? Varric having to tell Cassandra, " yeah so we were fighting like 8 shades and 2 rage demons and Hawke was... waving her daggers at an empty corner for 3 minutes."

Hey uh, how does Varric know what went on in the privacy of Hawke's bedroom when Anders came to visit? And why is he telling Cassandra? Varric, I have questions and concerns.

Anyway, I'm loving this game, and how different it is from DAO and Origins. I like that I never know what the main plot is. I mean, yeah, mages vs templars, but I mostly know that from DAI and other lore referring to it. While playing, it just feels like Hawke is a person doing her best to meddle in absolutely everything with no game plan. And it's lovely!

[thedragonagelesbian]

For the OTP asks: 5, 13, 22, and 26 for Cyrus and Wyll

yaaaaaaaaaaay

5. What activities do they enjoy together?

Cyrus socializes like a cat, so he's happiest just being nearby for whatever activity Wyll wants to do-- snuggling while Wyll reads or listening him play his flute (or his cello once they're moved in to their estate post-game). Wyll similarly insists that his greatest creative inspiration comes when he's with Cyrus and loves to compose in Cyrus' garden, drafting sonnets and serenades while Cyrus is tending to his plants.

As for things they really do together, they love planning outings into the woods around Baldur's Gate. Romantic picnics, hunting, foraging, birding, just getting away from the bustle of the city

13. Name something they would never do for the other person. 

Cyrus for Wyll: I think Cyrus outright refuses to do the Champion/Ansur/whoops bitter gay exes quest. Not even in a reluctant 'I'll tag along to make sure you stay safe' thing, drags his heels to the very edge of the chambers of trials and is straight up like 'we shouldn't do this. I don't care how helpful the dragon will be we should Not Fucking Do This please don't do this i don't want to lose you to some impossible bullshit test you're already enough please don't make me watch you do this'

Of course there's no vindication in being right.

Wyll for Cyrus: Hmmmm Wyll is so accommodating it's hard to think of what he'd refuse… Of course there is the classic "you don't have to be the Blade of Frontiers" for me early on. No matter how many times Cyrus tells him that he doesn't have to perform for him, it's so hard to let go of a technique that has allowed you to cope with & make the best of such horrendous circumstances

22. If their lives were what was originally intended at birth, would they have still fallen in love?

Oh boy the 'at birth' specification is interesting, I've never really thought about what this version of Malcolm and Leandra had planned for him… He grew up on the road because Malcom was being hunted by his archfey patron who ends up killing him when Cyrus is very young (tho I have some. Extremely vague ideas about a post-game adventure involving Malcolm actually still being alive & Cyrus & his LI needing to save him). Presuming Malcolm doesn't die and is thus still around when Leandra passes from her illness, I could see him raising Cyrus as a much more well-adjusted rangers, mayhaps even of the fey wanderer variety as they work to free Malcolm from his patron

(…..i dont know how i've gotten this far without realizing before that the first loss in cyrus' life was to a vengeful warlock patron but it sure. Uh. Adds some Something to this dynamic…)

Wyll more obviously grows into a young lordling, but even without Mizora, I think he goes through life about 5 terribly repressed seconds from a nervous breakdown having grown up knowing absolutely nothing but his father's rigid expectations

And while I can't think of any self-evident way for their paths to cross, the notion of Wyll meeting a more fey version of Cyrus who whisks him away from the pressures of noble life for a whirlwind adventure straight out of the fantasies and fairytales Wyll grew up reading and dreaming about but had given up experiencing himself… well i think it FUCKS immensely

26. What are their favorite parts about physical affection/sex?

For both of them, the best part about physical affection is feeling safe. It's so new for them, but being able to melt into each other's arms and let all of their past disappear into the sound of the other's breathing and pulse is just one of their favorite things about being together, period.

For Cyrus, his relationship to sex is different than other iterations of the character because of his history with Meredith. Generally, Cyrus has two somewhat contradictory things he wants out of sex: to please his partner as much as possible, and to know himself and his body in relation to them. Contradictory because that first desire always trumps the second one and can even foreclose it entirely, depending on the partner, or make him vulnerable to someone who wants to control his sense of self.

Whereas ranger!Cyrus is pretty adamant about not relying on anyone else for that external validation/appraisal/identification. That just leaves "trying to give Wyll a religious experience every time," and that is something Cyrus adores immensely. (And his favorite part of /that/ is any indication of incoherency-- babbling and whining and stammering. Any sign that Wyll is trying sooo hard to be the calm & collected Blade and failing miserably turns Cyrus on a Lot; he refers to it playfully as 'making Wyll sing')

And as hard as it is, Wyll enjoys being made to let go and get out of his head and into his body and being taken care of and treated with a level of slow, gentle tenderness that is almost too much to bear (but he does and Cyrus praises him throughout to tell him he's doing a very good job bearing it)

[marcholasmoth]

OSRR: 3461

today was quiet. i talked to leo early on but i was laughing so hard that meredith sent him a message "molly is laughing too hard. go to sleep." it was so funny omg

anyway it was pretty quiet. i like getting to hang out with meredith. she's delightful.

at the end of the day, i ended up staying for another hour and a half to sit and talk to and hang out with jey and leo because i don't get to see them much. it was a great decision. i got to see leo's cats, we all talked about a bunch of things, and i laughed a LOT and im very happy.

when i left, i drove down the road and ended up at a red light. my windows were down because it was nice out (to me), and the car next to me had music playing, so i was nodding and moving along to the music. and then the lady in the passenger seat of the other car says to me, "you can do the macarena to anything, it works! try it!" she was doing the macarena to a song that should not have the macarena done to it. i laughed because that was the LAST thing i expected to hear today 😂 so i said i would and i laughed down the road when the light turned green. and at the NEXT red light, i was a few cars back from the front of the line, and that SUV would be the first in that line, but they slowed down next to me and the lady was dancing more! it was SO FUNNY because she (1) stopped to say something, (2) said something, (3) danced while saying it, and (4) stopped AGAIN to show me that she was dancing! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

literally i laughed halfway down the bridge.

and joel's out for now, and i realize how often he comes home really late. i would like to cuddle with him one of these evenings.

a couple other things, but they're trauma-based.

tw religion, religious trauma, personal trauma, mental and emotional manipulation and abuse

tldr i remembered some ~church~ and "friend" shit that made me angry for my past self and my current self.

as i was driving in cambridge yesterday, i found the mormon church in the area. it's on the road i take to get back to the main thoroughfare to get back to the bridge to get back to the highway. it's right there. i could've lived without finding it. but today as i came up to it i cursed it out and all the people and establishments that fucked me over for so long. i thought about all of the mental gymnastics and hoops i had to jump through to stay and to believe it all.

and then as i was on the highway coming back home, i thought of another experience that i have zero qualms with talking about.

once upon a time, i had a friend at church named lisa. she was funny and smart and no-nonsense and was bisexual, so we understood the lgbt. she also had an account on here and freaked out when she learned that i was in charge of the account. it was nice.

for a while.

lisa and aaron and tyler, the three friends ("friends") i had in that group i had told before that when they hang out if they want to include me that i needed an explicit invitation. i told all of them that. they refused to respect it. but i ignored it.

i texted the group the most, i think. i always texted first. i ignored that, too.

and then one evening when the gathered young adults were playing a game for family home evening, the teams got into an argument and were shouting and yelling really loudly at each other. i didn't want to play but i got up, threw my hands in the air, and yelled as a response, "okay! i'll go next!" just to appease everyone. and i went into the hallway and proceeded to have a panic attack.

while i'm in the middle of breaking down, lisa and tyler and aaron come out to "check on me," which im sure was their intent, but it didn't come across that way.

lisa asked me what was wrong and i said i didn't know. she then said something to the effect of, "this is why we walk on eggshells around you, why we can't talk to you, because we don't know what will set you off since you won't tell us."

it was the meanest thing i can remember her saying to me.

(this was SEVERAL years ago.)

i was just beginning to work through my trauma, much of which stems from constant arguments and screaming matches between my parents throughout my entire childhood.

i didn't know that listening to people yell like that was going to set me off.

if someone is having a panic attack, you don't go up to them during it and say "we can't talk to you because you don't tell us your triggers."

how am i supposed to tell you what's going to set me off when even i don't know what's going to set me off??

it's not okay to blame someone for your actions because they don't know something. it's less okay to do that in the middle of a panic attack. it's even less okay to disguise it as care.

i left that night in tears. i felt terrible. i was exhausted from the attack. but that was the first time i started to think about the mental gymnastics i was doing. i didn't ignore it.

i realized that i always texted first. so i stopped texting first.

i didn't get any more texts.

i stopped offering to do things.

i stopped getting asked to do things, eventually.

and the three of them have been blocked since.

tyler came to visit once, which was nice of him. my only ire towards him is that he went along with lisa's narcissistic tendencies and didn't speak up when she was out of line. narcissistic tendencies don't look good on you.

aaron had been my friend for a long time. not anymore. he didn't stand up for me. he didn't reach out or call or text or try to contact any other way. too mormon for his own good. it's obnoxious. and he's a narcissist, too.

and lisa? i hope she stubs her toe and steps on a sliver of glass. that someone she loves and trusts does something so incomprehensibly unfair and unkind that she knows and feels what it's like to lose an entire group of friends. you don't fucking blame someone for not knowing triggers when they just fucking find out about them. for someone who was getting a phd in criminal justice, you really lacked the empathy and understanding to be a good friend. you fucked that up and you treated me so terribly. and for what? because you and the other two stooges who also were narcissists needed someone to take advantage of?

fuck you.

get fucking bent.

[negative-speedforce]

Dami has decided all the animals on your OCs Earths deserve a better home and MUST be liberated to their Earth (their home specifically) immediately, how do your OCs stop her? lol

Siv: Runs off with Delilah to Argentina or something because NO ONE is touching her cat

Jay: Sends Dami back to their Earth

Cassandra: Contacts E-63's Batwoman and tells her to come and get her kid

Hailey: Literally can't be bothered, Dami is just one kid, she can't possibly make a dent in E-2002's biodiversity by themself

Arya: Assists them for shits and giggles

Esme: Temporarily blinds Dami with her light powers then gives her to someone who can send them home

Gina: Distracts her with a hauntingly beautiful performance of the Queen of the Night Aria (or annoys them, depending on her opinion on opera)

Ember: Sits them down and has a long talk about how Earth-2002 needs its biodiversity and she can't have all the animals

Cat: Sends her back to her earth

Kyle: Defends his koi pond to the death

Max: Grabs Dami in the fist of his mech suit and keeps her there dangled 50 feet above the ground until she promises not to touch his cat or Kyle's koi pond

Eric: Could care less, Dami is one kid and it would take far longer than her lifespan to take ALL the animals

Jacob: Tries to parent Dami into not taking all the critters

Khalil: Warns Dami about rabies, then wanders off.

Antonio: Shows them the feral cat colony that he visits on his way to school bc they all deserve good homes

Ameerah: Does her Prism thing to make Dami go apeshit at a pet store so she can rob the bank across the road to pay off her psychology degree

Rania: Tells Dami to go away because she's working

Director Hawke: Honestly as long as Dami's not a meta she doesn't give a shit

Meredith: Asks Dami if they know ASL bc she found a nest of very angry possums and it thought they'd be interested in seeing them (and potentially taking them home)

Liah: Beams down on the nearest M-class planet and shows Dami all the cool alien wildlife

Qiara: "Kid, we're in space. I appreciate your love for animals, but the only animal on here is Tul's targ, and that thing is MEAN."

Marie: Beams Dami onto a Borg Cube and sends her off to the Delta Quadrant because she doesn't want to deal with annoying teenagers.

Soraya: Locks Dami up in the brig for their own protection because that targ is so mean and she knows Dami's probably going to go after it

Thalia: "First of all, I have never even heard of this 'Earth', second, no, you may not have my Loth-cat."

Athena: Attempts to trick Dami into going into her lab with the promise of space hamsters so she can experiment on her

Laila: Abandons them on an uninhabited planet- she's no longer Laila's problem.

Reyna: Will fight to the death to protect her 14-foot pet snake/lab assistant

Aldrich: Really could care less

Samira: Gives Dami a long talk about taking things that don't belong to them

Matt: "Excuse me that is my service dog-"

Sohelia: Will fight to protect Matt and his dog. Do not mess with her. She has no sense of self-preservation

Dolores: "Can you at least get that annoying bird that screeches outside my window at four o'clock every morning?"

Vanessa: Hides her pet lizard in her hair and hopes that it's thick enough to hide him

[xandriagreat]

Modern Nimona

Chapter 5: The Train and The Jeweler

First chapter | Last chapter | Next chapter

Author's note: Everyone brace yourself for It's going to be a long chapter! Also my co-writer and I decided to post the chapter once in the week.

Notice/warnings: disguise, weapons, news, knocking out, kidnapping, wounds

▪▪▪

Nirmoa and Ballister were checking each other before they went to the subway.

Ballister had his black jacket on with the hood up, so that no one recognized him and screamed in panic.

Nimora started to shapeshift again into a cat and ponce on a mouse, scaring Ballister in the process.

“Would you stop that?!” Ballister asked angrily.

Nimona looked at him with a deadpan look. “Counterpoint. Your plan sucks and it’s boring!” Nimona replied, letting go of the mouse. “Where are we going?”

"The market," Ballister answered, glaring at her, "Meredith always saw him when she needed to get some food."

But then they saw the news and it was the mayor speaking up.

"Fellow citizens," the mayor started, “In light of yesterday’s horrific attack on the Institute, we are taking every precaution to keep you safe.”

People had mixed feelings on their looks about this testing.

“Please do not be alarmed. This is only a test. Go about your normal lives and rest assured that the Institute has this situation well in hand.” the mayor added with a soft smile. "Good day and may Gloreth guide you always."

"Do not be alarmed." One of the military generals said to the people. "Please remain calm. This is only a test."

"Oh! A “don’t-be-alarmed” alarm." Nimora said sarcastically, her arms crossed.

Nimona and Ballister jumped when they heard a voice say, "That's effective."

They looked and revealed to be Meredith wearing her invisible coat.

Ballister and Nimona jumped when they heard her. “Meredith?” they whispered, looking in the direction that she was.

"I was looking for you guys." Meredith said, looking at them. "Plus the news is garbage."

Nimona nodded. “Yeah. It’s also a joke.”

Both of them laughed while Ballister rolled his eyes. "Don’t you guys get it?" Ballister growled at them. "The second we let our guard down, something terrible comes over that wall."

"Have either of you ever even been outside the wall?" Nimona asked, looking at both grownups.

“Yeah, ’cause I have a death wish.” Ballister said sarcastically then he hissed. “No! No one has!”

"So, maybe there’s nothing there?" Nimona said, looking at the grownups with a smile. Then she revealed two wings on her back.

Meredith was amazed while Ballister was so done.

"You know what? We need to go underground, now.” Ballister said, looking at both of them. “Without the wings."

“You’ll want ‘em later.” Nimona grumbled as she shifted to hide the wings.

They begin walking through the underground subway as Nimora got bored and unplugged the game the kid was playing, making the kid cry as they headed to the underground subway station

☆

The subway was quite busy when the three got there but a lot of people were doing their business while some were trying to get money.

Nimona just walked with him like it was normal. “Hey look, we’re famous!” Nimona exclaimed, pointing at something. Ballister looked at what she was pointing at.

It was the news.

The news began popping up about the two, and new wanted signs all over the news.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me…” Ballister growled at that. “Don’t Bal, it’ll be over soon and you’ll be a hero again.” Meredith whispered to him.

They began taking the down escalator and looked around to see if there were any police officers around. There was one at the bottom who was checking for any faces under the hood and two at the top, who were talking about an otter, trapping them.

"Great! We got to figure out a way to distract them" Meredith said, sarcastically.

“Leave that to me!” Nimona said with a big smile. "Who has four thumbs and is great at distractions" Then Nimona shapeshifts her thumbs into two more and points at herself.

"Nononono…Don't eve-” Ballister and Meredith said together, but calm down. "But at least try something inconspicuous and discreet, like…" Ballister said before Niroma vanished out of their sight. “Aaand she's gone." Ballister and Meredith said in unison, looking at each other.

Then they began to hear a scream at the bottom of the escalator.

"Mayor killer!" someone screamed, pointing at someone before running up the other escalator.

Meredith and Ballister began to take a peek to see what was going on with the officer at the bottom of the escalator.

It turned out to be Nimora who had shape-shifted into Ballister. The only thing that would definitely be a dead giveaway is the streak of her hair.

“Ah! Yes! It is I, Ballister Blackheart!” Nimona exclaimed in Ballister form, scaring the jazz musician and then scaring the woman as well

As everyone began to ran they were distracted looking at Nimona.

“I hate everyone and everything!” Nimora said, ripping one of the stuffed animals.

‘Oh dear.’ Meredith thought as she sighed, doing a facepalm. 'Out of ALL people, she had to shapeshift into you, you had to pick Bal.'

Ballister was thinking the same thing.

“But not as much as I hate myself…” Nimona in Ballister form said, sounding sad. “Could someone give me a hug?”

Meredith tried not to laugh a bit knowing that it is kind of funny but stopped when Ballister noticed her snorting.

"Baah! I hate smiles!" Nimora said, just as the other officers tried to catch him.

"Got him." One of the officers said, almost grabbing Nimona but Nimona jumped out of the way with Ballister and Meredith slowly began hiding behind one of the pillars near the escalator.

"I hate cupcakes and I think babies are ugly!" Nimona yelled as she dodged the officers more.

"Hoo hoo!" Nirmoa begins picking up the trash can and throwing it everywhere "Look at this! I’m loitering, and I’m littering!"

Then she picked up the saxophone that someone dropped earlier.

"I hope you all like freestyle jazz!" she said as she began playing random notes and began tricking every officer as she ran up the escalator.

"Get him!" One of the officers yelled, chasing after her. All of the officers ran after Nimona.

Meredith was pretty surprised that Nimora is pretty good at freestyle jazz. She did like that during her high school years. Ballister groaned as he covered his ear, hating freestyle jazz.

"Hurry up!" One of the officers shouted trying getting up the escalator

"Stop pushing me! I’m trying!" One officer shouted back at the officer.

"I’m not pushing! I’m encouraging you forward!" the other exclaimed.

"Well, do it without hitting!" the other exclaimed back.

By that time the officers were gone, the train arrived and the subway was already a mess.

Nimona slid down the escalator in a red pink rat form. When she got to the bottom, she grabbed a piece of pizza in her mouth, dragging it.

They heard the door chime and the doors opened up.

"Our chariot awaits," Niroma said as she dragged the pizza to the train cart.

"Let's just go, Bal and Nim." Meredith said, adjusting her hood. "Before any more trouble is done."

"And what was that?” Ballister asked before getting on the train. “You never said you could turn into me."

“Oh… I can turn into you and other people too.” Nimona said, getting on the train.

"Well, for the record, that is nothing like me." Ballister said.

They stepped onto the train.

"You’re right. You’re never that much fun."

"Your kind of right, Nimora" Meredith smirked at Ballister while he growled.

The train then begins to move leaving their way to the marketplace, not noticing the security camera of the platform.

☆

At the security place they were looking everywhere in the city for any form of trouble.

One of them working began to notice something from the train station.

"We found him. We found him!" the worker exclaimed.

The new director came in with most of the officers and the mayor, looking at the cameras screens.

“It looks like him.” Thaddeus said, sounding convinced. "All right, let’s go. Let’s get this gutter punk."

Ambrosius felt that something was off. “Wait.” he ordered, putting a hand up. “Let’s continue watching.”

Everyone looked at the screen.

"Something doesn’t feel right." Ambrosius said to himself as he looked at the screen while it continued. "He hates freestyle jazz."

"You’re letting him get away." Thaddeus said, his arms crossed.

“Keep playing.” Ambrosius ordered, still looking at the screen.

Then a hooded figure appeared, along with another hooded figure. One of the hooded figures showed part of Ballister’s face while the other stayed hidden. It was some sort of invisibility coat that showed the outline body of the person.

Then a red pink rat appeared, dragging a piece of pizza in its mouth as they got on the train.

"That's him," Ambrosius said, pointing at the screen of the three, “and it looks like he has company.”

The new director looked at one of the workers and asked, “What’s the next stop?”

“It goes to the market.” the worker said. “It’ll arrive there in six minutes.”

“That’s where we’ll meet them.” Ambrosius said as he looked at the other officers. “And now we go.” he said to Thaddeus, a bit of rubbing it in his face as the officers went out of the room.

The mayor looked at the invisibility coat on the female figure and the red pink rat, as if they knew each other before.

☆

On the train Meredith and Ballister begin looking at Nimora, who is now in gorilla form, and eating pizza.

Meredith found the kid fascinating while Ballister was uncomfortable.

“You guys have been staring at me,” said Nimora, sounding uncomfortable, "does anyone want pizza?" She waved the pizza in their faces before eating more of it.

"I didn't know you can shape shift to people." Meredith said in amazement. "And you ate the pizza that was on the ground in your mouth. You could cause bad germs in bacteria to another person and could get them sick."

"And can you please just be normal for a second?" Ballister asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ballister!!" Meredith said, smacking his head a bit, be more of a person to straighten someone out when someone didn't say something nice.

Ballister whined a bit at that as he rubbed where she slapped him. "Ow."

Nimona rolled her eyes as she asked, “What do you mean 'normal’?”

"Well, being a teenage girl." Ballister said, chuckling nervously, hoping that Nimona won’t attack him.

Meredith raises a brow at him as Nimona asks, “You want me to be just a girl?” 

Then Nimona laughed sarcastically like it was a joke.

"What he means is not everyone is as accepting as us." Meredith said, explaining in a more simple tone but not an offensive one. "Thank you, Meredith." Ballister said, still rubbing his slapped head. 

Nimora noticed Meredith's words, and then she sat up a bit from slouching. "I haven’t heard that in a while." Nimona said, her voice softly.

"What do you mean you haven't heard of it for a while?" Meredith said, trying her best to tell what was going on. "You know you can tell us anything that has been bothering you, Nimona."  

“So, how did you get your shapeshifting from?” Ballister asked, wanting to understand.

Nimona sighed as she looked out the window, watching at the tiel pattern of the subway.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asked, getting worried about Nimona. "You want to talk about it."

Nimona can already imagine the tiles of the wall moving around like in a movie theater. “I wasn’t always like this… ”

Nimona already imagined herself as a little girl running and hopping on the tiles of the wall. 

“I was just a kid. Cute, little, innocent me. I was playing in the woods, following the birds flying and the fish swimming and the deer bounding.” Nimona explained, watching the tiles. "They all looked so happy together, but I… I was alone, with my mother trying her best to keep her family afloat after father passed away. And when I was rummaging in the woods, that’s when I heard it…”

Nimona could remember hearing a woman's voice begin to sing in a soft, beautiful way. Vocalizing leading to a well, a big one with beautiful colorful stones all over. 

"…a song, calling me, leading me to a wishing well."

"Really, a well?" Meredith said, very interested. "That seems interesting."

"But how did you know it wasn’t just a regular well?" Ballister asked.

"Bal, let her continue the story." Meredith said, talking some sense into him. She then turned to Nimona. "Go on, we're listening."

Nimona looked down at the grownups with a deadpan look. “I just knew.”

"Knew what?" Meredith asked, getting invested by the story.

“That the well was magic.”

"And…" Meredith said, try to encourage Nimora to continue the story.

“As I went to it, a coin appeared in my hand and I made a wish.” 

"What is it?" Meredith asked at the edge of her seat

“To be trapped with a wanted guard and his scientist friend with small minded questions.” Nimona said sarcastically, smiling.

"Really?" Meredith asked, feeling a bit down but sarcastic. "That's all?"

“No. But I’m not telling you.” Nimona answered as she shapeshifted back to a teen girl.

"All right, fine if you're not ready to talk, We understand." Meredith said, nodding in understandment.

“Do you still have the pizza?” Ballister asked.

"I'll pass on the pizza" Meredith said in disgust.

Nimona handed the crust of pizza to Ballister. Then a second later, Ballister tossed it at Nimona’s face, making the both of them laugh.

Then they heard the subway chime as the train was heading to a stop. "Now arriving at Market Station." The driver said over the speaker.

"Finally, we're here." Meredith said, just as they looked out the window, they saw a bunch of police officers already there. 

“And it looks like your friends are here too.” Nimona said, pointing at the officers.

"Yikes!" both grownups exclaimed as they begin hiding under the window.

"Everyone, don't make a sound." Meredith instructed as she got her hood up.

 "Did you think they saw us?" Baluster asked Nirmoa. Nimona took a quick peek as a lot of lasers started pointing at the window before going back down. "Yes." Nirmoa said as they saw a bomb smashing through the window.

"Run!" Meredith said as they began to run out of here as the officers began following them

 "Go,go,go!" On the officers said as the three begin to run

Ambrosius entered the cart along with the officers.

Everyone was surprised to see it was empty besides them. 

“What?” Ambrosius asked himself as he looked around.

“Director.” one officer called out to Ambrosius, pointing at the ceiling. Ambrosius walked over to see what the officer was pointing at. 

There was a big hole in the ceiling of the cart. 

"Tiny whale." one officer said while the others exclaimed, "Whoa!"

☆

Luckily the market is quite busy so they're easily lost the cops.

Meredith, Ballister and Nimona Began running to the alleyway getting away from the police.

"That was a close one." Meredith said, catching her breath. “Agreed.” Ballister panted as he caught his breath

"What in the name of Gloreth?!" Ballister exclaimed, holding his chest. "Did Goldenloin see you do the thing?"

"Seriously? That guy cut off your arm, and you’re worried about being seen with me." Nimona exclaimed angrily at Ballister.

"I told you, it’s…" Ballister started but was cut off by Nimona exclaiming, "Complicated! I know!"

"Look! Jeweler!" Meredith said, pointing at Diago, who was out shopping. Nimona and Ballister looked at where Meredith was pointing to see Diago by stand.

"Hi. Hi. Uh, excuse me." Diago said, trying to get the owner's attention.

"Okay. We’ve gotta get him out of here quietly." Meredith said to the others.

“On it.” Nimora said shapeshift back to her teen girl.

“Wait, not like that. Not like that, either.” Ballister said, stopping her.

“You want me to shift. You don’t want me to shift. Pick a lane!” Nimona exclaimed in anger as she shapeshifted into a little boy with black hair wearing blue overalls over a green t-shirt, white socks, and red race car sneakers.

“And now you’re a boy…” Ballister said flatly, pointing at Nimona.

“I am today.” Nimona said with a dark giggle as she moonwalked out of the alley.

"Wait, no!" Ballister said before being pulled back by Meredith. "Lay low, Bal." Meredith said, looking at the wanted signs everywhere.

Ballister nodded and put his hood up.

Meredith did the same.

"Now, we need to hurry before mayhem happens." she said as they left the alley.

Meredith and Ballister were about to follow Nimona but stopped by a big futuristic car.

Then they heard voices in the distance.

Meanwhile the other officers try to find them when Ambrosius gets caught by a bunch of his loyal fans.

Ballister and Meredith got into the car to hide.

“Don’t move!” a woman outside of the car said, making Ballister gasp, so did Meredith. It turned out to be a car saleswoman with a name tag, having the name ‘Coriander Cadaverish’. “Cause if you do then you’ll miss this big deal!”

Meredith sighed in relief while Ballister sighed in in anyonce.

☆

Nimora found Diego, who looked at an ad on a TV screen about Dragon Krisps, and began playing innocent and acting in a cute little boy's voice.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jewel, sir.” Nimona said in the cute little boy voice, getting Diego’s attention. “I can’t find my mommy. She went to that scary alley over there." Then she pointed at a spooky alleyway before looking back at him. "Can you help me find her?" Nimora begins putting on that puppy eye face. "Please?"

"Oh, no." Diego says sarcastically, then begins to look around. "Let me go ahead and pass this on to someone else."

Nimona dropped the cute little boy act and went into a pretty deomatic voice while in the little boy form, "There’s no time!"

Diego began to scream and began to run away, dropping his groceries.

While that was happening, Ballister and Meredith were trying to keep guard while listening to the saleswoman

"This baby’s fully loaded.” the sales lady explained with a smile. “State-of-the-art sound system."

As rock music begins to play, Meredith begins trying to stop the music before anyone heard it while Ballister tries to keep in guard.

“There. Can we just part the waters?” Ambrosius asked, trying to get through the crowd. "Thank you. Thank you. Move aside."

Diego was running through the market, trying to get help. “Please help me! Help me, please! A little demon baby is after me! Please help me!” he tried to explain.

Nimona growled at him when she caught up to him, causing Diego to scream. People began to scream in terror too.

“Check this out! With our 360-degree dashcams, you’ll always see what’s coming,” The saleswoman explained, pressing the screen, showing the officers walking toward the car. “and our news feature will keep you up to date with the city's latest trends and headlines.”

The headlines that showed on screen were the wanted posters of Nimona and Ballister. The saleswoman began to recognize the face as she looked at Ballister.

"Uh, you look a lot like…" The saleswoman started, fear in her voice.

“I’m innocent!” Ballister yelled as started the car and drove.

"Help!" The saleswoman screamed as Ballister drove.

The officers began to notice the car drive off.

"No!" Diego screamed while being dragged by Nimona.

People begin to be shocked and scream as Diego finds something to hit the boy with, one of the last things was pizza with pineapple on it.

“Pineapple on pizza?! Bleeh!” Nimora said, in disgust.

"There!" One of the officers said, pointing at her.

"Excuse me. I need to get through. Move!" Ambous said, trying to shove other people to get to Nimona

"Uh-oh." Nimora said, realizing she was taking Diego shoes.

Diego begins laughing in joy knowing he's going to get out of here until a car hits him, making him crash into a stand and knocking out.

Then the doors opened to reveal Ballister and Meredith in it.

"Aw. Why did you get to kill him?" Nimora complained, kicking the jeweler's foot.

"He’s not dead." Ballister said, picking Diego and putting him in the trunk. Nimona helped him.

"Hopefully." Meredith said under adjusting her hood to be invisible.

"Is that Ballister?" One of the customers said, pointing at Ballister.

"It’s the mayor killer!" another customer screamed, pointing at him. "He’s working with the demon baby!"

"I thought he ate babies!" Another screamed.

"Uh oh, Let's get out of here." Meredith said as she got back into the car and rummaged through her bag.

Ballister couldn’t agree more as he went into the car as bullets flew by.

"Ballister! Stop! Halt" Ambrosius shouted as he and the other officers ran, their guns out.

"Yeah!" Said the child cheering and excited.

"Get in!" Meredith and Ballister said in union to Nimona.

“Bal!” Ambrosius called out.

“Shoot him in the face!” one of the other officers.

“What are you doing?” the sales lady screamed in fear as her door opened.

“We’ll take it.” Nimona said to the sales lady as she got in.

The sales lady was pushed out of the car and Meredith threw a few pink smoke bombs immediately sending electrical shocks to officers nearby.

"Drive, DRIVE!" Meredith said to Ballister to start the car and drove off.

“Dang it!” some officers growled.

People screamed in a panic all around the market.

☆

The whole ride was silent with Meredith taking a deep breath in the backseat, knowing it was a close call while Ballister was angry as he drove. 

"I hate to say it, but you make a pretty good bad guy." Nimora said, trying to lighten up the mood while still in child form.

Ballister slowly turned his head to look at Nimona, glaring down at her.

"Please, Let's just go somewhere when we won't be seen or cause any more trouble again." Meredith said, rubbing her forehead "We already caused more than enough mayhem for one day."

Ballister sighed as he looked back at the road, knowing a good spot where they wouldn't be seen.

They went to a hidden sketchy highway.

Nimora shapeshifted back to her normal self as the three got out of the car when it was parked.

"We’re gonna shake this dude down in this sketchy part of town.”

“We’re just going to talk to him-” Ballister started but stopped when he looked at Nimona’s leg. "Y-your leg!" Meredith said in horror, looking at Nimona's leg, which was strung by a bullet.

“What?” Nimona asked, looking at her wounded leg.

"There's a bullet in your leg!" the two grownups exclaimed in horror.

Nimona shrugged like it was nothing. “It’s just like a splinter.”

"I'll get the first aid kit!" Meredith said, looking through her bag and began instructing Ballister, "Bal, get Nimona to sit down."

Ballister nodded and got her to sit down. “We’re going to take a seat and take a look.”

"No, it’s fine." Nimona reassured as she sat down. "It's totally-"

"Look at you! You’re not fine!" Meredith said, getting the first aid kit from her bag and looking back at her leg, which was now bleeding. "You're bleeding!" 

"Now sit and relax." She began getting the tweezers out and went to get the bullet.

Ballister held Nimora's leg still. "Stay still." Ballister said to Nimona.  "It'll hurt for a moment. We're going to do this on the count of three. Ok?"

Nimona nodded.

"One…" Meredith started as she got the bullet.

"Two…" Ballister added, holding Nimona’s hand while holding her leg.

"Three!" Ballister and Meredith said in unison as she took the bullet out of Nirmoa's leg.

The grownup expected Nimona to scream in pain. But Nimona didn't even scream instead she said ouch a little as it was a little pain.

The grownups looked at each other then back at the teen. “Most people scream at this part.” Ballister said, looking at Nimona and the bullet.

"I’m not people." Nimona said, reminding the grownups.

"Right." Meredith said, as she began using rubbing alcohol just to get rid of any bacteria on Niroma's leg. "Um… does it hurt at all?"

“It does.” Nimona said, nodding as she rubbed her leg a bit. “But I’ve been through worse.”

Ballister had a thought come to his mind and wanted to ask it. "What does it feel like?" Ballister asked, looking at Nimona.

“Pretty stabby in my leg region.” Nimona said, waving her hand above her leg.

"No. No. The shape shifting." Ballister and Meredith said, feeling sorry for the girl.

Nimona went quiet for a moment as she looked at the two.

"Sorry. Small-minded question." Meredith said apologetically. "Now hold still." She said as she begin getting the bandages and wrapping around Niroma's leg

“Honestly? I feel worse when I don’t do it. Like my insides are itchy.” Nimona said, moving her fingers in the air like to tickle it. "You know that second right before you sneeze? That’s close to it."

"When you shapeshift, you're free?" Meredith asked as she finished wrapping the leg.

Nimona nodded with a soft smile.

"And what if you held it in?" Ballister asked.

“I die.”

“What?!” the grown-ups said in union 

"Don’t be so gullible. I wouldn’t die-die." Nimona said, reassuring them. “I just sure wouldn’t be living.”

Then they begin pounding coming from the trunk of the car

"So nice to hear you guys bonding." Diago said muffed from the trunk. "Ah, it’s such a shame I have to go. So… Let me go!"

“Oh yeah, the punk in the trunk. Let’s go dunk on the punk in the trunk." Nimona said, getting up and cracking her knuckles.

"Agree." Meredith said, following them with a smile.

They opened the truck and Diego screeched for a moment when he saw them.

"Start talking." Ballister and Meredith said, both of their arms crossed as they looked down at him.

"We want blood." Nimona said with a sinister smile.

"Blood?" Diego asked worriedly.

"Your blood!" Nimona shouted at him, still smiling that smile.

"We don’t want blood." Meredith said, shaking her head.

"Buckets of blood!" Nimona added.

"No! What I want is answers, so start talking." Ballister explained, wanting to hear Diego explain. 

"Or we start stabbing." Nimona said, moving her arm like she was holding a knife.

"No stabbing!" Ballister and Meredith said to Nirmoa.

"Slapping." Nimona said for the torture.

"No!” Ballister yelled before taking a breath and looked back at the jeweler. “Why did you set me up?"

“I didn’t!” Diego except in fear.

"Then who?" Ballister asked in anger.

"You!" Nimona yelled l, pointing at Diego

"No!" Diego said, shaking his head. 

"Who?" Ballister asked, more angry. 

"Let me explain-" Diego started but was interrupted

“Blanche? Chad? Thaddeus?" Meredith said in a strict manner.

“Thaddeus?!” Diego exclaimed in disgust. 

“Punchable face guy?” Niroma asked excitedly.

"Of course. Thaddeus did something to my ring, didn’t he?" Ballister said, pointing at Diego.

“What? No!” Diego exclaimed in shock.

"Why are you protecting him?" Meredith said.

"Who’d ever protect Thaddeus?!" Diego screamed at them.

"Guess we’re just gonna have to do things the hard way." Nirmoa said, walking away for a moment

“Hard way?” Diego asked, confused as he watched her walk away. “Hold on a second. Wait. Just wait.”

Nimona shapeshifts back to the boy from earlier and jumps up to get into the trunk. "Peekaboo." Nimona said.

Diego screamed when seeing her in that form. “Alright! Alright!” Diego screamed, not wanting to be hurt by a baby again.  “I have a video.”

“Then show it to us.” Ballister growled.

"Ok, ok, I'll show you the proof." Diago said as he pulled out his phone and began to play a video that took place a week before the university graduation of 2013.

“Check it out!” a young Diago on the phone said, who was in the fixing shop. “Right here, with me, is Ballister Boldheart’s ring!” Then the video shows Ballister's ring but the top gem had a big crack. “And I thought that this is a great opportunity to show you guys how to fix a university ring!”

"Boring." Nimora said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you going to show us the entire video or do we have to do it again?" Meredith said to Diego, flames in her eyes.

"Oh, we can just fast-forward!" Diago said, not wanting to cause trouble as he began fast forwarding the video. "Okay, this is the part you have to see."

A young Diego, with a gem to replace the old one, hid behind the shelves as the director, who was wearing a hoodie over herself, breaks into the shop, swapping the ring, and goes out of the shop, not being aware that someone witnessed her doing that or that a camera was still rolling.

“Um… I’ll do this on another day.” young Diego said to the camera before hitting stop recording.

Diego looked at everyone, who were in shock.

"The Director set me up…" Ballister said with realization, anger boiling up. "She killed the Mayor… She killed my mother!"

"I can't believe it." Meredith said in disbelief, but then turned to anger. "We trusted her. We put our faith in the institution and what did she repeat us swapping out an important ring that would have changed the city's history!" Meredith begins saying it out loud and angry knowing for years she's been working hard putting her fate. However, this discovery completely sent her to the end now realizing who the director really was, a selfish person.

Nimona looked at the grownups worriedly as she got out of the trunk, shapeshifting back to her teen self. “Hey! Snap out of it!” she yelled, getting their attention. “Take a deep breath and let's calm down.”

Meredith took in a deep breath and sat down while Ballister took in a breath and looked at the phone. “Did you ever post this?” Ballister asked Diego, wanting to know.

Diego shook his head. "No, I planned on doing it after graduation but after the whole thing, it would have looked like I supported you and I would have gone into questioning or more trouble."

Ballister got the phone from Diego and got his phone out, sending the video to his phone before he handed Diego phone back to him.

Meredith stood up and walked away with Ballister following her. 

Nimona was about to follow but noticed that Diego was getting out of the trunk. She turned back into the little boy again. “Oh. Hey, buddy.” Nimona said in the baby voice. “I’m sorry for kidnapping you.”

"It’s okay." Diego said with a smile.

"Or am I?!" Nimora said in a deep voice 

Diego screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran away while Nimona laughed as she changed back to her teen self.

☆

Meredith was processing what she saw while Ballister was transferring the video to her phone just in case something happens to his phone when Nimora caught up with them when they got home.

“So, what do we do now?” Nimona asked but then she noticed that both Meredith and Ballister looked betrayed.

“I can’t believe it.” Meredith growled as she hugged herself. “I had to pretend that I wasn’t friends with you, to protect you, Ballister, and I was working under the killer the whole time!”

"I get it. It sucks. But we did it. You’re innocent, Bal, and we have the proof." Nimora said, pointing at the phones. "Once we upload that video…"

"We’re not." Ballister said, looking at Nimona as he put the phones away.

"What?! Everybody needs to know the truth." Nimora exclaimed madly. "The system is jacked. The Institute needs to shut down."

"Will you be quiet?" Ballister asked angrily.

"Prospective target. Clear on Avenue Three. Over."

"I will not be quiet about this!" Nimona exclaimed loudly, her arms opened wide.

"For once, I have to agree with the kid." Meredith said, her arms crossed. "We can't keep the truth silent, everyone had to know what the mayor did to your mother-"

Ballister rolled his eyes before he looked at Meredith and Nimona, saying, “Look, this video could damage people’s faith in the Institute."

"No duh!" Nirmoa said 

"Look, I don’t know why she framed me, but the Institute’s not the problem."

"The Mayor is."

"That’s why I’m taking this to Ambrosius."

"Who cares?"

"Ambro-"

"This is the man who cut off your arm. Arm-chopping is not a love language!"

"He didn’t cut off my arm. He disarmed a weapon." Ballister said "It’s how we were trained."

Nimona looked at them in shock. "Wow!" she breathed. "They brainwashed you both pretty good."

"You think this stops with the Mayor?" Meredith asked 

"You should be questioning everything right now." Nimona said, standing on the couch.

"The will of Gloreth, the Institute, the wall." Meredith said, listing the things that are questioning their minds. "I knew everything we were taught here was a lie."

"And what’s it all really for?" Nimona asked, sitting down on the couch.

"For protecting the city." Ballister said

"You mean villains like you?" Nimona asked, pointing at him and then pointing at herself. "Or monsters like me?"

"Nimora, you are not a monster." Meredith said, putting a hand on Nimona’s hand, rubbing it gently.

"Look, if we get this to Ambrosius, everything is gonna be okay." Ballister reassured, looking at both of them. "For all of us."

Meredith saw a pair of scissors on her desk and began to do something she hadn't done before like she did with her previous haircut, cutting off her entire hair in a while.

"Ready." Meredith said, getting her coat ready

Nimona sighed and got off the couch. "Okay, fine. But when things go south, I’m breaking stuff." she said, hitting her first into her hand.

"That won’t be necessary." the grownups said together, shaking their heads.

☆

The mayor and the director were riding in the mayor’s private limo.

The mayor noticed Ambrosius had a sad look on his face. “Director, are you ok?” she asked with concern in her voice.

Ambrosius was in his thoughts: 'I’ve lost my mind. I’ve lost everything in ten years. The man I love, my best friend. Although now he’s got a new best friend. What’s that about? What else is he hiding? Who is the real him? Who am I? A direct descendant of Gloreth? I never asked for that. Now everyone expects me to arrest Ballister. If I don’t, I’m a traitor to you. If I do, I’m a traitor to him. Oh, and on top of that, I chopped off his arm! HIS ARM! Who chops off an arm? Because I was trained to? I could have killed him! Also, ARM CHOPPING IS NOT A LOVE LANGU-!'

But all that Ambrosius could say was, “I’m fine, Mayor…”

The Mayor sighed and held his hand. "Stay strong, Ambrosius." she told him. "The blood of Gloreth runs through your veins."

Ambrosius sort of appreciated it but there was another thing on his mind, choosing not to tell it as well.

As they arrived at the mayor's office, it seems that it's been overrun. They began getting out of the limo to see what was going on.

"Ambrosius." a familiar voice called out.

“Ballaster?” Ambrosius said, looking at who was in front of them.

It was revealed to be Ballaster, Nimora and Meredith who no longer had her invisibility cloak, and her hair completely chopped off into a messy boyish cut. They didn’t look too happy.

"Security!" The mayor begin calling

But a lot of the security guards began getting knocked down by not only Meredith's electrical smoke bombs but Nirmoa's fighting skills.

"They were like this when we got here." Meredith said, finally spoken up with her arms crossed. "Plus I own the fighting part of Nimona." They look at Nimona 

"You!" the Mayor exclaimed, pointing at them.

"Us!" Nimona said with a smile.

Ballister smiled a bit before letting it fade and looked at Ambrosius. "Ambrosius, the Director,” Ballaster started, pointing at the Mayor, “killed the mayor ten years ago."

"What?" Ambrosius asked, looking at the Mayor before looking back.

"Another desperate lie." The Mayor said to Ambrosius.

“He’s not a liar." Meredith said, shaking her head.

"Says the miscreant, whispering in his ear." the mayor said to Ambrosius.

Ballister, Meredith, and Nimona glared at her.

“I’m innocent, and I have proof.” Ballaster said, getting his phone out to show the video.

"He’s got a weapon!" the Mayor shouted, pointing at him.

The next thing that everyone knew was that the phone was shot out of Ballaster’s hand and falling to the ground, breaking it.

"No!" Meredith yelled. She was about to use her smoke bombs when someone grabbed her. "Let go of me!"

"Not happening, sweetie.” Thaddeus said with a low chuckle.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT YOU MACHO CHEATING JERK!" Meredith shouted as she began kicking Thaddeus's leg and face, with her own experience, learning some karate online in her spare time and finally kicking the officers holding her, setting her free.

"Ow!" Thaddeus said in pain.

"That's what you get for treating me like crap when we dated and making fun of my life and height!" Meredith shouted at him.

Ballister and Nimona grabbed Meredith and pulled her away before they all looked at the mayor and the new director.

“It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t need proof.” Ballister said, looking at Ambrosius. “You know I’m not a murderer.”

“What are you waiting for, Director?” the mayor asked, looking at Ambrosius like if he was going to let this happen.

“Hurry before the whale gets here.” an officer shouted.

“Come on, man.” another officer shouted.

“Do the right thing.” another officer shouted.

Ambrosius sighed from the pressure as he got his gun out, pointing at them. Before he could give the order to arrest them, he looked at Nimona, wondering who or what she was. “Who is she, Bal?” Ambrosius asked, pointing his gun at Nimona. “What is she?”

“Ambrosius, we’re begging you to trust us.” Meredith said, sounding desperate.

“Arrest them.” the Mayor ordered the officers, pointing at the three. 

Ballaster, Meredith, and Nimona looked at the officers starting to approach them

Ballaster looked at the officers approaching them, being done by following the rules. “You wanna know who the kid is?” 

“Oh, I like where this is going.” Nimona chuckled with a smile.

“You wanna show ’em?” Ballaster asked, looking at her.

“I’d love to.” Nimona answered.

"Now, let’s break stuff." Meredith said, getting a laser gun with a smirk. "And show these corrupted officers what we misfit are made of."

Nimona chuckled as her eyes glowed before shouting, “Metal!”

The next thing that everyone knew when Nimona jumped up was Nimora transforms into a gorilla.

“Is that a gorilla?" an officer said, pointing at her.

Nimona roared in Ambrosius' face, making his hair go back, before booping his nose. “Bloop.”

Meredith begins electrocuting some officers with her electric gun, replacing her laser gun.

"Bal! Get the gun!" Meredith said, instructing her friend and then began to run away. 

Ballaster nodded and grabbed a nearby gun. He followed after Meredith.

The officers begin running for their lives as Nimona attacks them.

The Mayor watched this mayhem happen and wanted to stop it. “Give me a weapon!” the Mayor ordered Ambrosius.

“We need to get you to safety!” Ambrosius responded, looking at her.

He begins taking her to the limo along with the other bodyguards. “Get her to safety now!” Ambrosius orders the driver before going into the fight.

"Let's go!" Meredith said to Ballister as he got a protective shield from a knockout officer.

The officers began to scream as Nimona attacked them in her different forms as she caused more mayhem and laughed.

"Sorry, not sorry!" Nimora said when she hit an officer.

"You see a way out of here?" Ballister asked Nimona as they fight the officers.

"Of horse… I do." Nimora said with a pun, shapeshifting into a horse.

"Okay, that was terrible." Meredith said, "No offense." Getting on Nimora with Ballister before Nimona started to run off.

"Stop that… horse?" Ambrosius said confusedly, looking at at them.

"We’re going over, aren’t we?" Ballister asked, clinging onto Nimona.

"Yep! The only way out is down!" Nimona exclaimed as she jumped off and the three start to fall.

"Why are we always falling?!" Meredith and Ballister screamed.

Then Nimona got her wings out as she held them. "Ha ha! Told you you’d want the wings. Whoo-hoo!"

Ballister and Meredith smiled as they both hopped in a helicopter.

Nimora shape-shifted into a whale and “ate” the officers that Ballister threw out of the helicopter as Meredith took over the controls of the aircraft.

When Nimona landed, she spat out the people.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" said Nimora as she shapeshifted back to her teen self.

"Okay, that was super gross." Ballister said with a chuckle, pointing at Nimona as he and Meredith got out of the helicopter.

"Ha ha, I know!" Nimora said, as more officers came to the scene.

Ambrosius was in front of them and he was glaring at them.

"Well, if it isn’t the golden boy." Nimora said before she shapeshifted and ran off to do more mayhem.

Ambrosius was about to shock her with his electric gun but Ballister tackled him, making both of them fight each other, while Meredith takes care of the other officers.

"That’s the otter that bit me!" The other officer from the train with a casted arm said in fear before Nimona attacked him.

"I can see your confusion. I have the tail of a river otter, but the webbed back feet- oh forget it!" Nimora said as Meredith held one to her gadgets.

Ballister and Ambrosius was still fighting over the gun.

"Did I ever mean anything to you? Or was it all just a lie?" Ballister asked, pinning Ambrosius to the ground.

"A lie? Says the guy running around with a monster!" Ambrosius shouted at him, glaring at him.

"Don’t call her that! She’s smart, kind, and quite sophisticated."

"That guy just peed his uniform! He peed his uniform!" Nimora said as she chased some running officers.

"You shouldn't see the look on his face, Hahaha!" Meredith said, feeling excited as she began using more of her electric guns and smoke bombs on them.

"And she has Meredith and mine back, unlike you." Ballister said, growled at Ambrosius.

"You lied to me about everything!" Ambrosius growled back.

"Only one lying to you is the Director!" Ballister yelled.

"What? You’re gonna kill me now too?" Ambrosius asked, glaring up at him.

"You believe that?" Ballister said in disbelief.

Ambrosius looked at him in surprise.

"Then you never knew us at all." Ballister said in a melatonin tone. "After all we've been through."

Then he tossed the gun to the side before he got off him.

Ballister started to run off to help but he got grabbed by a group of officers and was getting punched.

"Yeah. Now I’m gonna punch you in the face." Nimora said, laughing before leaping onto the officers with the cast "Now, I’m no doctor, but this cast looks delicious." Nimora said while Meredith used the teaser to put him down.

Nimona and Meredith made more mayhem but then stopped when they heard Ballister scream in pain. 

"Boss?" Nimona breathed, looking over with Meredith to see Ballister getting hurt. "Bal!" Meredith exclaimed in worry.

"You think this hurts?" Thaddeus said to Ballister with a dark chuckle. 

Meredith began trying to attack Thaddeus but she was almost kicked in the stomach.

"Wait till you see what we do to your pet monster." Thaddeus said, before nodding to the officers as Nimona ran over.

Then the officers tossed an electrical net and started to shock her.

Nimora growled as she tried to shape-shift while being shocked.

"No! Leave her alone!" Ballister and Meredith screamed with terror in her eyes. "She's just a teenager!" Meredith screams, wanting the officers to stop.

Nimona growled low and then the next thing that everyone knew was that Nimora turned to a dragon from the Dragon Krisps ad.

"Kwispy!" Todd exclaimed happily, pointing at Nimona but then was confused. "Wait, what?"

"Hope you brought milk!" Nimora shouted, in a demonic voice.

"No!" Officers shouted, starting to run.

"Wait, wait! No, no!" Ballister and Meredith shouted.

Nimora begins throwing up cereal to the other officers, making them run away or slip and fall on the bits.

Ballister and Meredith watched in amazement and smiled at Nimona.

Just as all the damage was done, the sirens began alerting them and everyone around the area.

"Monster attack. Monster attack. Seek immediate shelter." An automatic voice said from the speakers.

As Nimona panted heavily, noticed a little girl looking up at her with terror on her face.

Nimona figured that her current form was scaring her.

Nimora transformed into a little girl wearing a beautiful pink overall dress, red pants, brown shoes and her hair down to her waist.

Ballister and Meredith were surprised as she saw Nimora's child form.

"It’s okay." Nimona reassures the girl, showing her hands to her that she's not going to hurt her.

“…immediate shelter. Monster attack. Monster attack.”

The little girl saw a nearby taser and picked it up. "M-Monster." The little girl said with fear, pointing it at Nimona.

"…immediate shelter."

Then the little girl pulled the trigger, shocking Niroma who immediately collapsed.

The little girl was pulled away from her mother.

"Her! Come on!" The officers said, noticing the Nimona was down.

Ballister and Meredith quickly ran to Nimona before the officers got to her.

"We've got you, kid!" Ballister said, pick up Nimona as Meredith got a smoke bomb out and tossed it to the ground, giving them time to escape.

Ambrosius watched as his former friends went away with the teen girl.

The mayor watched, horrified at the scene from the limo.

☆

Nimona was unconscious as they went home.

Ballister started to make food while Meredith took Nimona to her room to clean Nimona and herself up. She gave Nimora warm clothes before she got herself dressed.

"That poor kid." Meredith said as put it on her gray sweatpants and a teal shirt. "I knew she had an awful life, but just look at her."

"It is sad." Ballister said as he came in with two plates of food.

Then she checked for any more injuries on Nimoa as Ballister put the plates on the bedside table.

Meredith saw that her leg had been healed already.

"Huh? How's it already healed?" Meredith asked, putting a gentle hand over it.

Ballister checked her leg too and was surprised until he remembered what Nimona told them. "She's not people." he reminded Meredith.

"Indeed." Meredith said, nodding. "But that kid was still terrified of Nimona when she shapeshifted into her form of a child."

Meredith stepped away and sat down on the arm chair, placing her hand on her forehead, rubbing it. "It's like she knew someone before who did that same action to her."

Ballister nodded and picked up one of the plates from the bedside table, offering it to her.

"Thank you." Meredith said, taking the plate.

"You're welcome." Ballister said, nodding before he went out to get himself cleaned up and changed into different clothes.

Meredith looked at Nimoa, which reminded her of how she grew up differently and how she was an outcast after hitting her unexpected growth spurt right after summer.

☆Flashback: 14 years ago☆

A young 17-going-through-18- year-old Meredith walked around in the halls of the Institute.

Her gray hair was down to her waist. She was wearing a gorgeous headband, black cat frame glasses, a blue dress shirt under a white sweater vest, dark brown khaki pants, and pink flats.

She was holding her books close to her chest and a special light brown knapsack.

Of course but she was under her invisibility coat she was working on, hopefully not the cash on other people who would mistreat her like her formal 'friends'.

Her father has signed her up so she can make some new friends and hopefully to come happy.

As she headed to her first class, she thought she's finally going to be alone further away from the other students until… the invisibility of her coat began wearing off just as someone was about to come over.

"Just leave me alone." Meredith said, fixing her cloak, hopefully to get work again.

“Oh… sorry…” the student said, sounding sad. The student started to walk away but tripped over a popular student's leg, hitting the ground hard.

Meredith got out of her seat, helped the student up, and began checking for injuries. "Are you ok?" Meredith asked the student, who nodded, before she looked back at the other student. "Do you want me to get the principal involved?! You couldn't have ended up seriously hurting someone!"

“Well, he doesn’t deserve to be here.” the popular student said, pointing at the student. “That’s Ballister Blackheart.”

“It’s Boldheart…” Ballister corrected. “Mayor Valerin Boldheart adopted me a few years ago.”

The popular student rolled their eyes and said, “Who cares! You’re still part of your original family!”

Meredith noticed that Ballister looked down. She wasn’t going to let the bullies get to his head. "Well, CUT IT OUT!' Meredith said in anger. "If you ever hurt him, What makes fun of whatever it is again…YOU WILL REGRET IT " Meredith added, as flames in her eyes, showing some serious business "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

The popular kid and their friends were terrified and quickly ran to their seats, because of how tall she was. It looked like she's going to strangle them.

Ballister looked back at Meredith, seeing how tall she was. “Wow.”

Meredith was shocked and was about to go back to her seat that is usually far away until someone grabbed her wrist.

It was a different person. A young blonde East Asian student grabbed her wrist.

"H-hi." Meredith said hesitantly. "I request you let me go."

The student let go of her wrist and she began to calm down.

"Nice to meet you, Ballister Boldheart and -" Meredith said, looking at Ballister and the student.

“I’m Ambrosius Goldenloin.” the student said, offering his hand to her.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Meredith Blitzmeyer." she introduced herself, shaking his hand. "I just transferred to the institution." Meredith smiled warmly at the both of them as she fixed her glasses.

Ambrosius hummed with a smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh cool! It’s my first day here too!” Ballister exclaimed with a smile.

Meredith couldn’t help but smile softly at them, knowing that she had found friends.

☆

Meredith met up with Ambrosius and Ballister at lunch time, talking with them while they ate lunch. 

They were talking about the bullies earlier, which made Meredith scoff. "These bullies had no matters, agreed?" she asked, looking at Ambrosius and Ballister.

“Agreed.” Ambrosius said, nodding.

"No… they're right…" Ballister said, looking down as he hugged himself.

"Hey, hey." Meredith said, in a sympathetic tone. "Talk to me."

“But they’re right! I shouldn’t be here…” Ballister said, wiping tears away.

"Want to talk about? What happened back there?" Meredith asked, sitting down with him.

Ballister looked down and sighed sadly. “I was raised on the street… with my family who did a lot of bad things…”

"Like what? I'm listening." Meredith said in a more kind way "Is it bad? Were they…bad?"

Ballister nodded. “They stole and sold things… killed people to get the things.”

"Oh my, that's bad." Meredith said to him, giving Ballister a pat on the shoulder. "But did your parents ever love you?"

Ambrosius gave Meredith a look.

"Sorry." Meredith said. "I'm just asking."

“It’s… it’s ok. I don’t mind it.” Ballister sighed softly, rubbing his neck.

Ambrosius and Meredith waited patiently for Ballister to answer.

“My parents didn’t really care for me… Just for the money that they got with their deals and heists.” Ballister said finally, hugging himself. “It just got to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore and called the cops on them during a heist.”

"Oh my, but then the cops tried to catch you leading you to the institution?" Meredith asked.

"Well…" Ambous said, getting out of video from his phone. It was when the other students were training. Mayor Valerin Boldheart was there in the video, supervising, along with the director.

A young kid with long, dark hair covering one of his eyes, and wears torn down gray shirt and black pants, appears to begin attacking the dummy. "I’m here to slay monsters and protect our city!" he said with pride, before being tackled by other police officers pinning him down.

Mayor Valerin Boldheart stood up and shouted, “Stop!”

Which made everyone look up at her.

Then the next part of the video shows the news going on with the kid and the mayor. The young kid began looking at the beautiful ring from the institution.

"Whoa." The kid said, with his eyes in wonder.

“No, he’s not from a royal or rich family.” Mayor Valerin Boldheart said into a microphone. Then she smiled as she put a gentle hand on the kid’s back. “But he does have the heart of a hero and I’m willing to help him on the right path.”

The kid looked up at her and smiled at her while reporters started talking about the situation.

Then Ambitious stopped the video while Meredith was surprised as her thoughts clicked like puzzle pieces. "So that's how you got adopted." Meredith said, now knowing the whole story then she pointed at the video. "I never watched the news. I say it’s a waste of time, that's why."

Ballister nodded, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing embarrassedly.

Meredith couldn’t help but chuckle, enjoying her friends. "Well, I know this might be fast but after school, can we go out around town? You know, looking at the city. Stop by Huff and Puff to get some food, if that’s alright with you two?" Meredith asked, twirling her hair.

Ambitious and Ballister looked at each other before looking back at Meredith and nodded. “That sounds like a plan.” both of them said together, nodding.

☆present time, the same night☆

Nimona woke up and looked around to see a plate of food on the bedside table.

Meredith went to check on her.

"Nimona! Thank God you're ok!" Meredith said, hugging Nimona in a big hug.

Nimona didn't hug back.

Meredith let go of her and backed away from the hug as Bal came to check on them.

“Hey, everything ok?” Ballister asked, looking at both of them. He noticed Nimora was awake. “I see that Nimona is awake.”

"Yeah, she's okay." Meredith said, nodding.

“No, I’m not ok.” Nimona growled, arms crossed. “I’m awake but I’m not ok.”

The grownups noticed the kid's behavior.

"Please, let's talk about this." Meredith said, trying to be more understanding to her.

Nimona looked down, not looking at them.

“Nimona, please.” Ballister said, walking over and sitting down on the bed.

"We are sorry about you-" Meredith started.

Nirmoa got up from the bed and tried to walk away. "Don't talk to me." Nimora growled, hugging herself.

Ballister and Meredith looked at her in worry.

"We know something’s wrong." Meredith said, trying to stay calm.

"I said I don’t wanna talk about it!" Nimona yelled, transforming into an almost bigger and muscular version of herself.

Meredith and Ballister were shocked to see this side of her but remained calm.

"Nimona, calm down." Meredith said, instructing the kid to take deep breaths. “You’re ok. You’re safe.” Ballister said to reassure Nimona.

Nimona growled as she looked at the both of them before turning back into her normal teen self.

Ballister and Meredith looked at her as they noticed that Nimona was trying not to cry.

“Did you see the way that little girl looked at me?” Nimona asked, looking at the grownups with tears in her eyes. "Kids… Little kids… They grow up believing that they can be a hero if they drive a sword or shoot into the heart of anything different. And everyone says that I’m the monster?"

Ballister and Meredith looked at Nimoa as she started to cry. 

"I don’t know what’s scarier." Nimona cried softly, holding herself and looked down. “The fact that everyone in this city wants to run a sword through my heart… or that sometimes I just wanna let ’em.”

Both grownups were surprised at Nimora's story.

"We have to get you out of here." Balusters said, going to pack a bag. “We’ll go over the wall. We won’t stop until we find someplace safe. Okay, we’ll go together.”

"Together?" Nimona asked, looking up to look at him.

“Listen, you were right about everything. The Institute, the wall…” Ballister said sadly, hugging himself. “Ambrosius…”

“No matter what we do, we can’t change the way people see us.” Meredith said, coming to an understanding.

“You two changed the way you see me.” Nimona breathed.

“Didn’t you?” Ballister said with a chuckle.

“We can’t let the mayor get away with this. We shouldn’t have to run. And you made a deal, right? We clear your name, you make me your sidekick.” Nimona reminds them with a smile. “You can’t back out on a deal because you believe in truth and honor and blah, blah, blah. All that stupid stuff.”

“Truth and honor aren’t stupid, but all right.” Meredith said.

Nimona chuckled as she walked over to them. “So, you got a plan?” she asked.

“‘Course I got a plan.” Ballister said with a smile. “Something, something, something…”

“We win.” Nimona finished with a smile.

They started setting the plan into action.

[moinsbienquekaworu]

yooooo Star Wars ocs?? *grabby hands* share. infodump. how much swag do they have on a scale from 1-10

Pigeon I love you I am kissing you right now (platonically but enthusiastically)

Okay so the main guys that keep occupying my brain are Korcha and her lineage, Reil, Devafe and Lineth. You've seen my drawings of them I think? Korcha's the spider lady, Reil is her first apprentice with the long hair, Devafe her second apprentice, she's the one with the cool art where she's doing lightsaber training, and Lineth is a wet little cat girl (affectionate)

First off, they all have swag by virtue of being Jedi, I don't think you can manage to be under a like 3-4 in swag when you're proficient at using cool laser swords and space magic. That said, among other Jedi, Korcha is swag enough but not exceedingly, maybe a 5 or a 6 depending on who you ask? She's got wild anecdotes, by the Clone Wars era she's in her 70s and you don't get to that point as a Jedi without cool life skills, plus she's pretty good at Jar'kai (using two lightsabers simultaneously), and that's really cool, but she's nerfed by the importance she puts on Rules and The Correct Thing To Do, which makes her a more reasonable person and therefore less likely to do absurd but cool stuff.

Reil is on the list of swagest people in the Temple because by the Clone Wars he's been a crèchemaster for like 15 years and that means a lot of the younger Jedi know him and like him. He's good at his job he's patient and he lets the kids play with paint and that means if there were contests like you see in fics for various title among the Jedi Order he would be in the top contender for Coolest Crèchemaster or something. Like that cool counselor people like, or the teacher everyone wants to have in class. A solid like 8/10 at least

I'm not subjective on Devafe because I project onto her accidentally her vibe is Dooku but to the left, since they've got similar fighting styles and that's linked to who she is as a person, and Makashi simply is The swagest form out of the seven (or like, Vaapad, we love Mace here) So automatically she gets points for that because who doesn't love someone who fights in a focussed, neat and precise, fencing-like style with cool laser swords, even when they prefer reading books? Nobody. She's cool. She doesn't go below a 7 and I'm not being nice here purely because she was a bit of an annoying teenager (like Korcha btw lol, like master like apprentice sometimes)

Lineth is - I want to be nice to her because she deserves it, and she gets a pity point for staying alive the whole war, a feat not all Jedi could accomplish, and certainly not all Padawans. Ahsoka makes it, of course, but Ahsoka is Special and Cooler Than Everyone Else, and Lineth is just there trying not to break down more than once a week. That's still like a 5 though, but it's not her fault she doesn't get to develop fully as a person because there's a war on :( In the alternate world where everything is okay and the war ends she gets more confident and she's swager though don't worry about her

Other SW OCs are Cehim, who makes maps and lives alone in her spaceship and is part of a group of artists and has multiple QPPs and is a bit like a space version of Meredith but different, she's super cool I love her, 9/10 at least; and the clone commanders under Devafe and Korcha & Lineth during the war. Devafe's commander, Jellyfish, picked his name because he likes jellyfish, and that immediately gives him a 8/10 on the swag scale, plus he talks shit with Devafe sometimes and that's extremely fun to me. Korcha & Lineth's commander (or technically captain but he kind of fills the role of commander since Lineth is a baby) is called Stellar and he's wonderful, dare I say he does a stellar job, you get the idea, he was the first (but not the last) to see Lineth and think oh, that's a baby, she needs a friend not someone who'll obey her orders, as opposed to Korcha who during the war wanted competent officers first and then people she could have tea with second, though she very much wanted both, and for that he's also swag, maybe a 7/10. What do you want, all of them except Cehim and Reil fought in a war, that makes you swag just by virtue of The Horrors <3

[beachbumsfm]

did you see BRISEIS ‘B.B’ BENITES wandering around the island today? they kind of look like CHRISTIAN SERRATOS from certain angles? i heard around town that the ASSISTANT is FOCUSED, and TRUE BLUE, but also RAGEFUL, and HAYWIRE. people say that they remind them of HALF FULL CHAMPAGNE GLASSES, SUNCATCHERS AT 5 PM, and DRIVING PAST THE SPEED LIMIT PAST MIDNIGHT, and SADE IN THE 90S by QVEEN HERBY is definitely their theme song. they seem like a nice enough person, but we all know how hard it is to keep a pristine reputation in a small town. 

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 … 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: briseis sophia benites 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄(𝐒): bb, bri 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: October 25, 1994 𝐀𝐆𝐄: 29 years old 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: cisfemale 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒: she/her/hers 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: demiromantic 𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: bisexual  𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐒: christian serratos 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃: left handed 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌: sade in the 90s, i am not a woman i am a god, genesis, bikini porn 𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒: half filled champagne glasses, smoke against a neon sign, here is her pinterest for further imagery.  𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘… WORKING ON THIS RN PERSONALITY briseis can be a very tough person to want to get to know. she is very demanding, wants things done as soon as possible and has adopted a borderline aggressive attitude in the industry and in her adulthood. professionally, she is organized as well and needs things to be done perfectly. she is not easily intimidated or swayed by others. (she’s a corporate bitch) personally ? she’s a car wreck on fire. she is very loyal once you are in her heart, she will go to war for you. or crowbar your ex’s windshield if you need. she is someone you would want in your corner. she does desire to be somewhat softer and more feminine, however due to her history she finds herself often unable to feel safe enough to do so. she may not be approachable, but if you were to ask her for directions or help to locate something in the grocery store she would respond kindly.  𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐖 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐒… her first love, the one that broke her.  the other half of her twisted sister duo.  the bitch she would definitely run over with her car.  the person that she definitely doesn’t deserve but she keeps running back to when times are tough for her.

 FUN FACTS -she is left handed  -she really loves the mummy with brendan fraiser -she has a black cat with white patches that she named domino her -favorite candy are fuzzy peaches. -she really wants to go to greece someday. - she was inspired by characters such as peyton sawyer, cristina yang, meredith grey, maddy perez, beth dutton -her favourite colour is green

[dawnoftime22]

lullaby.

| T.S

Warnings: no talking from R, a very light nightmare, and panicked/fast heartrate

Summary: Taylor was doing her work in the middle of the night while you slept, until you had suddenly received a nightmare, leading to Taylor to help you fall asleep.

Word Count: 1k

Category: Fluff

A/N: you guys...I hit 500 followers and I'm BEYOND in disbelief. I'm so so happy I wanna squeeze each and every one of you in a hug!! I loooove you all sm - I'm thinking of doing a special for it, although I would have to push myself a little and get my motivation back up. who knows, I'm hoping to maybe do a comfort week where I post comforting fics each day in a week for the times that anyone needs them :]

| Started on 28/06/2024, 2:26 AM |

| Finished on 28/06/2024, 8:30 PM |

Main Masterlist | T.S Masterlist

“My, my, your gentle voice, oh, to be softly soothed with as I fall asleep.”

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

You were asleep, laying on the bed with your breathing deep and soft. It was quiet, a peaceful atmosphere as the cats, too, were sleeping.

Taylor was still awake. But it wasn't without reasons, as she had emails and work to do before tomorrow arrives, and also a melody stuck in her head too.

She had told you to sleep before her earlier, just because she knows you've had a long, exhausting day as she did. Even though you tried to stay up to accompany her, it was obvious you weren't able to keep your eyes open, so, a few minutes of cuddling had you sleeping within seconds.

The laptop screen made her squint through the dimly lit room, reading the words of a document, or her notes she had to check for anything she's forgotten.

A yawn escapes her mouth, and as her fingers made the keyboard keys clack with her typing, she felt herself getting sleepy.

Her eyes travel to the clock. It was 2 am. The night was still young, really, for any nights she's ever wanted to stay up for. But she wouldn't deny some sleep for now, especially with you already in slumber.

Deciding she needed at least a break, she makes sure everything is saved and mostly done on her laptop before looking to the side to grab her phone.

The screen was unlocked after seeing a picture of you and her, with Meredith, Olivia, and Benjamin at the bottom. A smile raises upon her lips, her eyes going to your, thankfully, still sleeping figure.

She closes her laptop and set it aside before scooting closer to you slightly, then returning to her phone. The screen shows instagram loading up, and she uses her index finger to scroll, seeing posts and stories of her friends and other celebrities.

The gentle hum of her voice quietly sounds out, a smile still on her face, which raised up further at the sight of one of your posts; a photo of your hand, intertwined with hers, but a small cat paw joined in, atop the back of your hands.

She remembered when that happened. It was when you were sitting on the living room couch together, watching a movie. Taylor had reached your hand up to leave a soft kiss, and was about to settle it back down comfortably, when Benjamin's fluffy paw had come out of nowhere to touch your intertwined hands.

She scrolls a bit more, seeing Gracie's video of the fire in her kitchen. Again, Benjamin had come into the scene, but he was confuzzled with what he walked into. Taylor didn't even notice he was there when the situation was happening-- especially not when she was cursing at a fire extinguisher hoping her house wasn't going to burn down while Gracie was mindlessly holding up her phone.

She went to type a comment to the video, her thumbs hovering over the digital keyboard, but just as she did, she saw the smallest movement of your stirring in the corner of her vision.

Taylor senses the chance of your awakening, and her eyes lock onto your face with concern. But then, you had jolted out of your sleep with a sharp breath, your eyes snapping open.

Even with her surprise, she catches herself to gently wrap her arm around you, careful not to scare you further as she pulls you closer.

You look around panickly before you felt her hand moving in a soothing rhythm at your back. You find her blue eyes in the darkness, and she could see the vulnerability gleaming in yours.

Her face softens, and her hand moves up so she could gently make you lean against her forehead. "Shhh, it's alright." She whispers, letting go of her phone to wrap both her arms around you, making sure her phone was beside her instead of in between the both of you, just in case she accidentally moves atop it.

With a slow, gentle breath you let out, you snuggle close to her, your nose brushing against her neck, tickling the skin ever so slightly.

Although she was concerned, she could see it in your form; you were calm on the outside, but your rapid heart told otherwise. It was clear. You had a small nightmare, but thankfully not one enough to terrify all your being.

Taylor looks down, tilting her head to take a little peek at you. The tiredness and sleepiness was still in your eyes, the yawn that escapes your mouth told it further.

She smiles softly, turning to lay a soft kiss against the side of your head. Her hand was kept on your back, moving in a soothing motion still.

Minutes passed by, the white noise of the fan and A/C sounding through the room, and her own yawn coming from her mouth.

With a check on you again, she saw your eyes half open, but also not fully closed. The movement of your hand fiddling on her necklace also was a clear sign. You were having difficulty falling back asleep, and she knew you needed a small push.

With a gentle deep intake of breath that she releases slowly, she closes her eyes, leaning into you. A soft hum starts to quietly sound from her, a familiar melody that had your bleary eyes traveling up to her.

"I spy with my little tired eye, tiny as a firefly..."

"A pebble that we picked up..."

"Last july..."

All that filled the space now was her whispered words, starting to lull you to sleep. Her hands lovingly run through your hair, in hopes that it will calm you. With the melting relaxation of your body, it indeed did.

"Down deep inside your pocket,"

She smiles softly, looking at you once more with a warm smile, even while she too, was sleepy, it almost made it even sweeter.

"...We almost forgot it..."

"Does it ever miss wicklow...sometimes?"

Your eyes had grown heavier, and she watches as they finally close. Your breaths dissolve into a steadier, slower rhythm, and her humming matches with the timing.

"Mm, mm..." She hums softly, continuing on with her lullaby, until she too starts to fall asleep herself, joining you in slumber.

They said the end is coming...

Everyone's up to something...

I find myself runnin' home to your...sweet nothings...

Outside, they're push and shoving...

You're in the kitchen, humming...

All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing.

-----------

taglist <3 - join here! :]

@dmenby3100 @wandsmxmff @tia-thesimp @marvelwomen-simp @escapereality4music @fawnedolly @justgayloringeverthrone @lovelyy-moonlight @stevecore @midastouch013 @liloandstitchstan @maleahoswick @raven-ss

[themomsandthecity]

How That "Childless Cat Ladies" Discourse Stings For Blended Families

Practically every day, it seems as though vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance finds a new way to disparage and shame people who choose to be child-free. The discourse began back in 2021. During an appearance on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Vance, who was at the time an Ohio Senate candidate, said, "We are effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too." Vance went on to list Vice President Kamala Harris as an example. More recently, when President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 election and subsequently endorsed Harris, the 2021 clip began to circulate, sparking much conversation and backlash. At press time, however, Vance has not backed down from the now infamous remarks. If anything, he's doubled down, saying the "Democratic Party is becoming anti-family and anti-child." First and foremost, whether a woman chooses to be a mother or not does not affect her worth in any way, especially her ability to do a job. That being said, Vance also blatantly ignored Harris's role as a stepmother to her husband Doug's two children, Ella and Cole Emhoff. Omitting this information to push a certain narrative onto Harris simultaneously devalues and undermines the role that she plays in her stepchildren's lives. Maybe it's because we've all become so accustomed to the "wicked stepmother" stereotype. From Cinderella's evil stepmother to Meredith Blake from "The Parent Trap," most depictions of blended families have a negative undertone. But this narrative couldn't be further from the truth in this case, with Emhoff's ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff telling CNN, "These are baseless attacks. For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it." Harris and other stepparents alike deserve their flowers because the way that they show up for their stepkids leaves a long-lasting impact. My stepdad definitely did. When I was 12 years old, my mom remarried. I gained a stepdad and a couple of adult stepbrothers in the process. Despite having kids of his own, my stepdad never made me feel like I was an afterthought or just his wife's kid. He was always kind, considerate, and a great example for my sisters and me. During my most formative years, he was there. He was the person who bravely took me out driving for the first time and taught me how to parallel park. He disciplined me when needed and always had my mom's back. He kept his judgments to himself as I obsessively watched "Glee" as a teenager. And most importantly, he made my mom happy while they were together. They amicably parted ways years later, but I still see him as my stepdad. When I think of the men who have truly shaped me, I will always point to him and my grandpa. Even though he was in my life for a short time, I'm so grateful for everything he did and taught me. From getting us all Valentine's Day gifts each year to picking me up from camp to help my mom out even after their split, he was always someone we could rely on. My stepdad may not have created me, but his presence in my life shaped me. Outside of his parental duties, he always just supported me being me. When I wanted to pursue fashion design, for example, he bought me a sewing machine. Even now, as I continue to write and pursue my dreams, he always hypes up my accomplishments. He may not have created me, but his presence in my life shaped me. The bond between a stepparent and stepchild is unique in every way shape and form, but one thing it isn't? Insignificant. Choosing a partner to take on life with is one thing, but choosing a partner who can help guide, care for, and raise your children is another entirely.… https://www.popsugar.com/family/jd-vance-childless-comment-stepdaughter-opinion-49384069?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[hyperfixationspam]

tma voice actors rated on how well they would play the character in live action

Jonathan Sims as The Archivist: 3/10. He just doesnt look pathetic enough. Its the poor little meow meow factor. He gets some points for looking like he might be just a little bit insane tho. Also, fun fact, when I started the podcast I was having trouble picturing Jon so I looked at a picture of Jonny and immediately went "...no. he doesnt look like that"

Alexander J Newall as Martin Blackwood: 0/10. Alex is an evil little man and you can tell by looking at him. Even without the suit, there's malice in those eyes. He is neither gentle nor a giant. Just an all around unpleasant experience, not a Martin!!

Alexander J Newall as Jared Hopworth: -10000/10. No explanation needed

Mike LeBeau as Tim Stoker: 9/10. Im pretty sure he is actually s1 Tim. He's very charming and good looking and just generally has the right personality. Season 3 is harder but I bet he has the range physically too!

Lottie Broomhall as Sasha James: 7/10. She looks very sweet and nerdy! Shed be a good fit. Not like shes around for long anyway...

Evelyn Hewett as Not-Sasha: 5/10. She also looks very sweet!!! Which is the problem!!! I dont think shes creepy enough... but that might actually make it more creepy?? Idk man, take a half rating

Ben Meredith as Elias Bouchard/Jonah Magnus: 4/10. Hes just not scary! Not to mention too young. However he gets points because it would be absolutely hilarious

Lydia Nicholas as Melanie King: 8/10. Something in their face just says "Im a nice person but I could kill you if I wanted to." I think she would really pull off the woman slowly losing her mind look

Hannah Brankin as Jane Prentiss: 7/10. I mean. Shes gonna be covered in worms anyway. Anyone will look terrifying with good enough sfx

Hannah Brankin as Rosie Zampano: 4/10. She looks very sweet but I feel like Rosie has this very specific vibe of well concealed yet visible rage that Hannah just doesnt have. Plus I imagine her being a bit older

Frank Voss as Basira Hussain: 5/10. Theyre too sweet! Basira is very serious and I just dont think I could be intimidated by Frank. They could definitely do the more emotional moments but they just dont look like they would hold someone at gunpoint!

Imogen Harris as Helen Richardson: 4/10. Similar situation to Not-Sasha. She doesnt look unhinged at all but the lack of unhinged energy might actually be creepier? -1 point for not having ringlets. Idk why I just cant imagine Helen without ringlets

Luke Booys as Michael Shelley: 15/10. Just put a wig on him and tip to toe that is a Michael! He has the perfect energy. Theres just something in those eyes that says "I have seen madness beyond your comprehension and I have become a part of that madness." I think hes an avatar of the Spiral irl based solely on his face. He doesnt even fit the canon description but hes just so perfect you cant cast anyone else

Fay Roberts as Daisy Tonner: 10/10. Ze looks very graceful and gentle yet also like ze can and will kill you which is the exact energy I get from Daisy. And their hair is so perfect for her too!! Like yeah thats Daisy!!

Carrie Cohen as Mary Keay: 10/10. Shes got the unhinged old woman energy down to a SCIENCE!! She is TERRIFYING!! Good for her!!

Sasha Sienna as Georgie Barker: 6/10. He looks very sweet, very strong cat mom energy but the problem is they just look too innocent. No offense but I just dont see death in her eyes

Guy Kelly as Mike Crew: 8/10. He looks pretty much exactly how I imagined Mike but I dont think hes tiny enough. Hes gotta be a real short king

Jessica Law as Nikola Orsinov: 11/10. Youre not allowed to cast anyone else!! Shes perfect!! Like Nikola doesnt even have a face but if she did thats what it would look like. There is a reason she gets typecast as a sentient human shaped object and its because she slays it both vocally and physically!!

Lowri Ann Davies as Lynne Hammond/Celia: 8/10. Im just enjoying imagining her in a cult

Francesca Renee Reid as Julia Montauk: 10/10. My only justification for this is that I am gay for both of them

Ian Hayles as Trevor Herbert: 8/10. Needs a little more chaotic bastard energy but nothing a little makeup cant help. Give him a more fucked up beard and put some dirt and blood on him. Thats Trevor!

Jon Gracey as Gerard Keay: 2/10. Hes Not Even Goth. Like I know you could just dress him up goth but its just not the same! We need an authentic goth actor for accurate goth representation! Points for being a weird nerd tho

Alasdair Stuart as Peter Lukas: 7/10. Alasdair is way too wholesome for Peter and I dont think I could be intimidated by him or see him as pathetic. HOWEVER I am giving him a bunch of extra points because I simply thinks he deserves to play Peter in live action. Alasdair is the OG Peter kinnie and who am I to deny him that right?

Russell A. Smith as Oliver Banks: 9/10. He looks so nice and handsome! Yet also a little depressed at the same time! Give him some dark circles under his eyes, and yep, he's Oliver!

Helen Gould as Laverne: 10/10. Theyre such a comforting presence. She could totally be a therapist. I would tell him all of my problems

Layla Mannings as Manuela Dominguez: 5/10. Shes too adorable! She doesnt look like someone who would try to extinguish the sun!

John Henry Falle as Arthur Nolan: 2/10. He definitely looks insane but not in a landlord kinda way ya know? He looks like he would commit arson but not like he would be a class traitor

Karim Kronfli as Simon Fairchild: 0/10. Hes like 50 tops. Simon is like 500 and appears 100. We need a man whos fucking decaying

Richard Soames as Eric Delano: 1/10. This Dude Is Like Thirty

Chioma Nwalioba as Annabelle Cane: 9/10. Shes adorable!! And I think Annabelle is adorable too!! She would look great in some vintage clothes. I would tell her all of my secrets I dont care if she would use them against me <3 I cant imagine her as a giant spider tho but Im sure she has the range

Ray Chong Nee as Mikaele Salesa: 10/10. He really does look like he would sell people cursed shit, he just has that eccentric vibe. Seems like hes a big dude too. Definitely the kind of guy to dramatically play the piano to reveal he was alive all along

Mabel Syrup as Dr. Jane Doe: 10/10. Looked at her instagram for ten seconds and nearly went insane. My brain cant process any of this. Thats the kind of vibes we need. Good for her

Anil Godigamuwe as Arun: 10/10. I literally just imagined him as Anil the entire time. I cant separate the actor from the character

Tim Ledsam as Jordan Kennedy: 10/10 but only if he wears the Gunpowder Tim getup and this is never addressed

[dandelionflower]

She hikes alone

Marinette skipped to her friends, tapping Adrien on the shoulder before hugging him tight.

“Hey, Princess,” he gave her a smile that melted her heart, “we were just talking about things we could do on our free day.”

He gestured to the class, who were all deep in a debate over ice cream place or pizza parlor.

“I was thinking we could go to a park; a new friend of mine has a couple of places we could check out. I think it would be really good as a lazy activity to get rid of jet lag, or in Kim’s case, excess energy.”

“Sounds really nice!” He smiled and began to open his mouth to tell them; he had become Marinette’s representative to the class, when Lila stood up.

“Hey guys! What if, since today doesn’t have anything planned, we went to a park and hung out?”

“That’s a genius idea, Lila!”

“I could play frisbee!”

“I’d enjoy observing the local flora.”

That’s genius Lila. You’re so smart. Marinette growled under her breath, Lila obviously overheard her talking with Adrien and took credit for her idea.

“I actually know some parks we could go to, from when I visited with Jagged Stone a few months back. We could go to one of those, if you want?”

“That sounds great Lila!” Adrien cut in before Marinette could protest. “Let’s go now!”

“Don’t worry,” he whispered to her as the class cheered and stood up, “I’ll make sure we go to a nice park.”

That’s not what I’m worried about. Marinette thought as she watched Lila attach herself to Adrien’s arm.

She followed at a fair distance from the class; not by choice, her friends just seemed to speed up whenever she tried to walk near them.

“Marinette!” Grace tapped on her shoulder, a broad grin on her face. She was wearing the headband. “Where did you decide on going?”

“A park.”

“That’s great! Which one are you going to? Because if you haven’t decided, I have a ton of great places for you to go...” she plucked some pamphlets from her back pocket and displayed one. “I think this one would suit your needs best.”

“Thanks, Grace, but...” Marinette spared a glance at the pack of students, led by Lila and Adrien. “I think it’s already been decided.”

Grace’s expression soured. “Okay, but keep ahold of that pamphlet, will you? You might end up finding time to go.”

“I hope I do.” She waved Grace a quick goodbye and dashed back to her friends, who were already going through the door.

—

They hopped on a bus and Marinette smirked as Lila worried her lip, eyes darting towards every sign that could possibly lead her to a park.

As fun as that was, Marinette quickly got bored and began perusing the pamphlet Grace handed to her.

Quarry Stone Park

Known for its towering pillars of black stone, it is rumored that Quarry Stone Park was where the brick for the famed Culpa Manor was mined.

While the parks naming is rather obvious, it also contains many hidden paths, leading to waterfalls, gem-filled caves, and even the ocean.

A popular landmark of the park is Quarry Ledge, which overlooks the ocean. The natural black spires and stark white sands make for an amazing view.

That’s where we should be going, Marinette mused, not wherever Lila’s going to take us.

“Here we are!” Lila sang. “The best park in the whole town.”

Sure... Marinette glanced at the rotting wooden sign, the crumbling letters reading, Wooded Glade Park.

The class ran in, Alix already tossing a frisbee for Kim to catch. Adrien fell back and greeted Marinette with a silent smile and had just grabbed her hand when everyone fell silent and stared at the open field surrounded by borderline rotting trees.

“Uhh, Lila?” Ivan asked, shielding Mylene’s eyes from the mistreated plants. “Are you sure this is he place? It looks a little run down.”

“Definitely!” Lila protested, and though her back was facing Marinette, she could almost see the false tears welling up in her eyes. “I- I don’t know what happened; it used to be so beautiful... I’m so sorry everyone.”

“What if we helped you clean it up?” Rose offered. “Got rid of any trash and planted some flowers!”

“Yeah!” The class cheered, voicing their agreement.

“You- you would all do that for me?”

“Of course!”

“I can’t believe this! I... thank you!”

Mylene pulled Ivan’s hand from her eyes and glared at the offending trees. “Babe? I need a lift.”

Ivan picked her up and placed her onto his shoulders.

“Alright everybody!” She shouted, voice abnormally loud. “I need someone to carry heavy stuff, a couple people for trash and, Marinette! Can you organize our efforts?”

She smiled and was about to pull out her notebook, when Lila opened her mouth, which had proven to be a tragedy in itself.

“I don’t know guys, remember how late Marinette came in? She didn’t even get to have breakfast, we don’t want to tire her out what with the jet lag and all. I can just organize, you know I was an organizer to a famous charity.”

“That’s a great idea, Lila! I’ll help!” Adrien leaned over to whisper in Marinette’s ear. “Don’t worry, I can keep her out of trouble while you just relax and walk down one of the trails, it’s a win-win.”

But I want to walk the trails with you...

She smiled, gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked to the closest trail as fast as she could so Adrien couldn’t see the tears collecting in her eyes.

She loved how selfless Adrien was, she did. It was just... he never seemed to choose her.

She stood there for a moment and allowed herself to cry. This was supposed to be a fun trip where she could hang out with her boyfriend and friends as they all explored her favorite place in the world.

Marinette finally looked up and observed the signs marking the different paths she could take.

Daisy Walkway.

Riverside.

Quarry Stone Path.

Quarry Stone?

Marinette pulled out her pamphlet and compared the names.

Maybe I will get to see Quarry Stone after all.

—

It was a fair hike to Quarry Stone, but it was so worth it.

The trees were lush and green, every bench and table were in perfect condition, people were everywhere, and interspersed across the field were dozens of giant black pillars of rock.

Marinette gave a glance to the other trails.

Waterfalls, meadows, beachside.... there were so many choices.

“Excuse me, sir?” She touched the arm of a nearby elderly man, who was exiting one of the trails. “I was wondering, do you know these trails well? Could you maybe recommend one to me?”

“Never been to Quarry Stone, have you dear?” He gave her a friendly smile.

“No.”

“Well, when I was young and adventurous, I would go on the Nymph’s River path. On a sunny day like this, it’s sure to be a magical sight.”

“It’s cloudy, you old coot!”

A frail old woman in a worn pink dress stumbled from the same path.

“What?” The man put on a thick pair of spectacles and squinted at the sky. “So it is.”

“I’m Henry’s wife, Meredith, and what’s your name, sweetie?”

“I’m Marinette. It’s nice to meet you.” She grinned at the familiar banter that reminded her of her parents.

“Likewise, dear.” A bony hand grasped her own. “Now, what’s a little thing like you doing out here all alone?”

“Um, my class, we’re here on a field trip and we had… a disagreement on what to do.”

“Ah, and they let you do your thing but it’s not as fun alone, is it?”

“No, not really.”

“I’ve got just the place for you dear. Henry, what about...” she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“You’re a genius, Mere. Kiddo, just go down that path,” he pointed her to the forest, “and I promise it will be a sight worth seeing.”

“Okay, thank you both so much!” She waved to the couple as she headed down the path, memorizing their faces in case they encounter one another again.

—

It truly was a sight worth seeing, as promised.

When Marinette finally broke out of the dark greens in the surrounding the trail, she was met by the most soothing sight she’d ever laid eyes on.

She was standing on a large ledge carved out of the hill; metal posts and railings were surrounding the platform. Nothing noteworthy.

But the sight it was there to show was unimaginably perfect. The sand was a pure white, which would have been blinding if it wasn’t for the clouds covering the sun. The stone spires that decorated the entire forest were dotting the beach in all their splendor, rising proudly and casting barely noticeable shadows across the sand and the pale, rolling waves.

She leaned on the railing; taking in the soothing spectacle. It was almost like she was falling asleep, her consciousness drifting until she had no other thought but the muted colors in front of her...

“Meow?”

Marinette screamed and leapt away from the sound, pushing her back against the railing and gripping it with both hands likes she was on a crashing elevator.

A black cat with startling blue eyes stared at her, tilting its head in a quizzical motion.

“Mrrrrrr.” Was its only reaction to her panic.

“He- hello?”

It stared at her waved hand, like it was the most interesting thing it had seen.

She held it out tentatively, in an open gesture, leaving enough space for it to leave.

It stared at it for a moment longer before tentatively leaning forwards to place its head in her palm. It purred as she scritched its chin.

“What’s your name, kitty?” She mused. “Garfield? Like the Culpa that started the mansion?”

It leaned its head into her pinky in a silent gesture to go on.

“Harriet? Darrian? Abigail?”

No cigar.

“What about Culpa?”

The cat purred and nuzzled her hand with a vigor.

“Culpa it is.” She brought her other hand to pet at the newly-christened Culpa’s ear.

Culpa mewled with a satisfaction that seemed... almost human on the face of the pitch cat.

—

The rest

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