#im still not too sure of this one admittedly. too many flowers

[spiderdotexe]

deltarune flower secret boss concept i originally made like a month ago but redrew 5 minutes ago

theyre a avatar in some shut down mmo alone and is a bit distraught at the fact that their friends r all vessels. and now theyre alone oops?

[the-s1lly-corner]

Which of the creepypastas would be okay with an asexual s/o?

Creepypastas w/ an ace!reader!

yahoo!! sorry for taking so long to get to this!! i kinda had a small lil slump for a few days but im back!! sorry for any typos or if these seem... bllluguuguh!!! im still trying to get through that lil slump so my brains still a lil... boo!!! obligatory these are with characters that i think would be compatible with an ace reader so this isnt going to follow my base/go to list of characters! a lot of these are going to dip into admins experience as someone on the ace spectrum (asexual/aegosexual!) reader is written as vague ace identity but like. mostly involved to be ace. admittedly this leans more into most of this being ace hcs since i think for the most part they dont care/dont find issue with your identity

Characters: Slenderman, Trenderman, Eyeless Jack, Masky

CWs: mentions of sex but like. nothing too bad mostly just vague sex drives and that sort of thing, really!

Slenderman;

honestly i think he might be on the ace spectrum, or maybe thats because i dont think he really knows what sex /is/

okay well he does know what it is but he only understands it on a surface level, but otherwise he doesnt really care much for it in an everyday setting

yeah i think hes on the spectrum; i also think he might be on the aro spectrum!

only really initiates intimacy if you want it (reminder that not all aces dont have sex! attraction stuff is the main thing) but otherwise i would write him the same way as i do with a non-asexual reader!

extra headannon since his is kinda short but really hes probably the most supportive out of any creepypasta simply because i like to write him as this entity that doesnt interact much with others but is still. curious. this man does not know what lgbtphobia is (and thinks its dumb when he does find out!)

Trenderman;

very similar with slenderman but more in tuned with identity stuff and things like that

personally i hc him to be greysexual, or demisexual! i think trender is like. the only one out of the 3 brothers (that i claim) that i dont see being ready to get down and dirty? like unlike slender he KNOWS what it is and understands attraction and all that but just doesnt. feel it

so he gets it! he interacts with people more than slender but like. not openly, i mean like not as himsef?! this is kind of a side tangent but i like to think that slender beings can create false human bodies and trender is the main one who uses it

anyways! im kind of getting off topic

he understands the stigma and hate ace people can get so out of the four characters today i think he would be the most likely to offer an ear when youre getting flack

i wish i had more for trender as well but this is genuinely the first time ive written for him so im still all OWOWOOOUGH!! with how i wanna portray him

speaking of i need to do like a catch up post for him, and some other characters so i might do that soon^^

Eyeless Jack;

okay so! the two above characters are fine with it because theyre on the spectrum above but i feel like eyeless jack just outright doesnt care if your ace or not since he has a fairly low sex drive 99% of the time

sappy man, one of those "i prefer people based on their personality rather than their looks" but not in the "im so deep for this and im lying through my teeth" way i (personally) see people say (school was ROUGH man) but in a "im literally turning into a monster my skin is fucking blue and starting to rot i have no place to say anything" way

anyways

he adores you so so much and he really feels like he doesnt deserve you, bro could not care

probably tries to find flowers around his cabin that make up the ace flag/which ever flag you use

though im not sure how many grey flowers there are... hes trying his best!

Masky;

similar to eyeless jack he has a low sex drive imo so it isnt too much of a big deal to him, plus i think hes graysexual? at least i feel like he would if he knew about the label

i think asides slender and trender, he doesnt know much about this sort of thing so youre probably going to explain it to him

he mostly gets it! he gets things mixed up but hes trying his best!

overall supportive bf!! probably steals a pride pin from somewhere (dont ask)

imagine he grabs the wrong pin/j

wweoeoeohh! i hope this post is okay! admittedly i wasnt sure how this was going to turn out since, as stated above, i feel that a lot of the characters wouldnt mind/are on the spectrum themselves im not gonna lie this couldve been better but im so out of it rn that my brain is all scattered n stuff :( regardless i hope this is sufficient, and once again im so sorry for the wait TToTT

[white-tulips]

Whoops i tried sending an ask previously but i encountered an error so im trying sending it again, sorry if you recieved it twice! I meant to ask about the whole deal with the White egret orchids symbolism. Whose thoughts are following whose dreams? Why are they Mari's flowers, and what's their purpose in Basil's grandma bedroom? Also what's the meaning of the Basil's hope ringer shirt? I find it all quite confusing, but maybe it's easier than that and im just not seeing it?

I think basil knows about the orchid symbolism though, after all he's a flower expert, he might have read in one of his books that those flowers can help you communicate or opening a path with a loved one, who's distant (sunny) unresponsive (grandma) or even dead (mari)... That was my idea but Im not sure anymore really

admittedly, I'm not very good at interpreting symbolism and finding meaning in certain things. I was trying to research white egret orchids to see if it could help me answer this but man, it was actually kind of difficult to find information on the flower language for it. what I did find out is that the meaning of "my thoughts will follow you into your dreams" is specifically from Japanese flower language (if what I found was correct); I'm really not that knowledgeable about flower language at all and I feel like every time I try to do research about it there's always different information everywhere jfhgjfhg so I don't know about the rest of the flowers in the game, if they're based on American flower language or not. anyways, I just thought that was interesting

when you say they're "Mari's flowers" I'm assuming you mean because they were shown surrounding her in her casket? I don't think associating them specifically with Mari is technically correct though, because I think they're a flower associated with Basil (hence the t-shirt). since the flowers surrounding Mari was in Sunny's dream (and a cg during Final Duet, but I always took that as representing said dream,) I've always interpreted that imagery as being more aesthetic/symbolic rather than literal. not to mention, while I was researching I found that these orchids are intensive to grow and care for, and are a little rare so I think having so many of them to fill a casket is a little unrealistic (not to say it couldn't be taken literally bc it's fiction and w/e but, I personally do think it's more symbolic)

the reason it's in Basil's grandma's bedroom is because Basil put it there, and since they also appear by Mari's grave, and at the lake, it can be concluded that Basil is leaving them there too. if we think about the flower language, I think it's clearly because he wants his thoughts- his hopes, his wishes, his regrets- to be heard by the people he loves. I'm not good with words but in my research I did find this blog post that described it in a way that I think really gets the sentiment across: "of waking ideas and things invading dreams, stable, sure things becoming evanescent and haunting, from established objects to transient shadows that cannot really be grasped, but stay with you."

and I think Basil's thoughts do seep into Sunny's dreams as well. that's why I think there are so many of the orchids present like surrounding Mari's casket and being all over the Lost Library. and while writing this I remembered this Stranger line too-

"My problems... my hopes... my dreams... You knew them all. So if you're still there... Please let my words reach you one more time."

whether there is some supernatural quality to these flowers or if it's all symbolic, whether Basil is aware of it or not, I think his thoughts are reaching Sunny, and hopefully his grandma, and hopefully even Mari too. this is why I think the t-shirt is called "Basil's Hope," because white egret orchids are like a manifestation of everything he's hoping for, and wanting to say but isn't able to

[noonmutter]

Introductions

Daily Writing Challenge 2021 Day 12: Ball/Gravestone

"It's gonna be a quiet meetin'. They're not...th' most talkative people, these days."

"No, I know, love, of course. I absolutely still want to do this. You're so brave for this and I'm so proud of you."

Leon couldn't hold in a chuckle at that. Valarin's open, whole-hearted support of him for what was, admittedly, a trip that Leon had made dozens of times by now was all but impossible to ignore. The reassurance wasn’t necessary, but he wasn’t about to ruin Val’s fun. He simply set a hand on his wee love's shoulder to momentarily silence him, and bent to kiss his forehead.

"Thank you, love. It's okay. I'm not gonna collapse, it's just...a li'l tense, sometimes. Bringin' somebody new..." He let himself trail off as he inspected the kit they'd brought with them. Valarin had brought the supplies for their lunch, and he'd brought a bag of gardening tools, along with a couple bouquets of marigolds at Val's insistence. Asking about the marigolds had opened up the floodgates, not that he minded; listening to Valarin get himself going about something he was passionate about was one of Leon’s favorite things.

"The marigolds are traditionally very important! You see, the land of the living can be confusing and difficult to navigate for spirits. We try to help them by providing strong sensory things to guide them. The marigolds have a strong smell, but I think their color is quite strong too! And the candles are a little lighthouse..."

The flowers had been a bit of a trick to avoid crushing once they'd left the road that would've led them across the border into Stranglethorn, but they'd managed. He still wasn't sure if mum and dad would actually like the marigolds, but he understood the importance of it being this specific kind of flower, now. It was both like and unlike the little ceremonies the Gilnean was familiar with.

"This is such a lovely area, too. I’m honestly so excited to see where your parents rest. I’ve not really seen many human gravesites. I’m interested to see how similar they are. I’d like to learn about Gilnean customs regarding it. I know that the Day of the Dead is more widespread now, so I’m sure your parents will enjoy the offerings all the same. And--Hey, are you doing okay? You’ve been a little quiet."

Leon paused, then gave a short shake of his head. "Just tryna make sure we don't get lost, hey?" It was a lame excuse for letting his mind wander, but Val let it pass, since they were tromping through an awful lot of dense foliage. Valarin was aware there was a moonwell not all that far from where they wandered, and though there was a ceasefire, it was still Alliance territory and he was still visibly not a night elf. The tension wasn't really there like it'd been during their trip to Aerie Peak, though; they were alone and nowhere near a proper settlement.

He almost asked another question before Leon stopped, pointed at a small cluster of bright purple blooms hugging the forest floor, and said, "We're 'ere." It was hard not to get excited all over again, but he wanted to be respectful of Leon's feelings, so he kept himself from squeaking and simply gave Leon his best 'I'm here for you' smile. Leon answered it with another kiss on his forehead. Val liked those kisses, even if they were usually Leon filling in a silence when he couldn't figure out what to say.

He watched Leon pull a ton of vines and push a ton of branches aside like a very sturdy set of curtains, and after a moment, rushed to assist. Together, they opened up a relatively worn footpath to a small clearing. Val couldn't help but gasp softly at the sight; it seemed like every square inch of the ground was covered in lilacs! Little purple flowers were everywhere, and the scent was almost overwhelming. Butterflies fluttered from blossom to blossom in every direction, and small clouds of them seemed to erupt every time he or Leon took a step. He found himself tiptoeing to try and avoid crushing anything almost immediately.

"Oh, Light, it's absolutely beautiful, Leon. You did this?" The thought was enough to bring tears to his eyes, but he tried not to let it, at least not yet. He knew he'd do plenty of crying before the day was out and he'd really rather not start again so soon. It was a little embarrassing, even if Leon said it wasn't. Just focus on not snagging your pants on anything, Valarin…

"Well, I mean, th' flowers did it on their own, mostly... flowers do tha'..." Leon looked sheepish as he deflected praise, "All I did was plant a couple an' leave 'em be. Lilacs 're 'ardy, easy thin's. Part o' why mum liked 'em so much." The Gilnean made his way carefully but quickly through the dense growth, well used to the path he took and not worrying overmuch about whether he was stomping flowers or butterflies; the flowers were going to be cut back anyway, and the butterflies were quicker than he was. Reaching the apparent edge of the clearing, Leon bent to set his hand on a particularly tall lilac bush, then abruptly tore away a few branches to reveal the carved wooden grave marker underneath it.

It was not a professional job, this marker, but it had definitely been a work of diligence and a high degree of effort. It was sanded down to a nearly glasslike smoothness, and it would probably shine like it once it was cleaned up. The uneven top edge of it suggested it had originally been a chunk of driftwood, but it’d been stained so dark that it was hard to be sure. Valarin was privately glad he’d gotten better at reading Common lettering; hand-carved stuff like this was a little tricky. “Bettany Marie Ambroce” caught a bit of light and practically glowed. 

“Right. ‘Ere we are, then.”

“Oh, Leon,” Valarin said, “This is so lovely. This is your mother?” He knelt down beside the wood and brushed his fingertips over the lettering. “Hello, Missus Ambroce. I’m happy to meet you.”

“Yeah.” Leon didn’t really know how else to answer, but felt like that was woefully insufficient. “This’s mum.” Okay that was almost less helpful. He brushed his fingers along the lettering in much the same way Valarin had, mulling over a few things before he settled on a simple, “...You r’member Val’rin, right? I’ve talked about ‘im b’fore…” He risked a glance at his little love, offering a weak smile. “Only th’ good stuff, though. Promise.”

“It better have been!” Val flashed a playful grin and tossed his hair. “I am a perfect angel, after all.”

Chuckling, Leon set down the bag of tools and took out a pair of hedge trimmers, offering them to Valarin. “I’ll take care o’ th’ bigger messes, you clear out th’ stuff all over th’ ground, okay?”

“Wait, are we doing this entire clearing?”

“Course. Otherwise th’ lilacs’ll grow way too far an’ get completely outta control. It’s already bad enough cuz I waited longer’n I should’ve, I norm’ly come by ev’ry month or so.”

Valarin looked out across the small expanse of purple with a tiny bit less wonderment than he had the first time. This was a bit more work than he’d realized, but, he had to admit to himself, Leon had warned him. And he was bound and determined to help, regardless, so! Nothing for it but to roll up his sleeves and get to work. Leon had to restrain himself from grinning at the look of almost militant determination that Val got before he started clipping away.

“Cheer up, at least y’ don’t ‘ave t’ make it look pretty, too, hey?” He waggled his own pair of much smaller clippers, and gestured toward the high-piled bushes covering the pair of markers. “I’ll prune these down an’ then we’ll both tackle th’ rest of ‘em. It only takes about an hour if there’s two of us.”

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“‘Ow d’you mean?”

“Well I’m going to end up killing most of these by cutting them back all…all willy-nilly, aren’t I?”

“Sure, but tha’s kinna th’ point. They can’t all keep growin’ or they’ll overtake more’n th’ forest kin afford, see? S’why I come back an’ clean it up at all. Can’t just plant whatever, wherever, or it throws th’ ‘ole balance outta whack. I’d be a worse druid than I already am if I just planted a bush an’ left it.”

“You are not a bad druid!”

Laughing, Leon pruned away, and Valarin attacked the rest of the lilacs with gusto.

Once they were roughly halfway through the clearing as a whole, Leon mercifully called for a break. Valarin was not at all accustomed to Leon in work mode, at least not like this; he knew the man could get lost in his leatherwork for hours, but that wasn’t quite so physically demanding as this. It was impressive, if a bit exhausting to keep up with.

They both sat down with a satisfied sigh, and Leon stretched his legs in the much more visible grass by the cleaned-up gravestones. Once properly polished, the lettering on both gleamed like it had been painted with gold:

Bettany Marie Ambroce Beloved wife and mother I’ll take it from here

Graeme Iain Ambroce Beloved husband and father I’ve got this

“Dad would’ve liked you, y’know.”

“You think so?” 

“Yeah. Anybody ‘o kin keep up with an Ambroce’s bullshit is worth keepin’ an eye on, somethin’ like that.” Leon chuckled with a subdued smile, thinking back on various times when he’d heard that. Naturally, Graeme had been talking about his own wife, but still. It had merit. “‘Especially th’ wee ones.’ Mum was about yer ‘eight, I think.”

Valarin’s ears went back just a little. “I’m not that wee.” After a moment, though, he let himself chuckle, too. “Although I suppose it’s still a compliment. You said he was a mountain, anyway.”

That made Leon laugh, and he threw his arms out wide. “Oh yeah, an absolute fuckin’ behemoth, was dad. ‘E wrestled with steer at th’ yearly fairs, sometimes, an’...”

As much as Leon enjoyed listening to Valarin give impromptu dissertations, Valarin loved listening to Leon tell stories of his family and his home. Knowing that he’d never get to see either of them the way his boyfriend did, he clung to every word to try his best to imagine it, and let the farmboy ramble as long as he was willing to. He only dared to interrupt long enough to break out their picnic, which thankfully didn’t stop the flood at all.

Once they’d eaten and Leon had run out of tales to tell--some of which Valarin was sure had to be at least exaggerated, if not totally made up, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out which ones--they’d gotten back to work. It was almost agony to start over again, since they’d had enough time for their hands to start hurting. That only seemed to spur them to get done quicker so that they were able to put the tools away after what felt like no time at all.

While Leon was raking the detritus into a corner of the clearing, Valarin set to work by the markers.

First, Valarin set up a small collapsible bed tray in front of the markers themselves, and covered it with a white cloth. He set out a few candles and arranged the marigolds all around what would become their ofrenda. Upon the tray he left portions of the favored foods they had brought; raspberry tarts, beef pasties, fried taters, all sorts of things. Though they had no pictures of the deceased--Leon couldn’t bring himself to risk losing the only image he had of his entire family--it was the thought that counted for this.

Obviously, Leon wanted to help, but he also didn’t want to do things wrong (despite Valarin’s many and constant reminders that there was no wrong way to arrange an ofrenda), so he hung back until it was almost finished. At Valarin’s urging, Leon took up a long match, and they each lit a candle at the same time, one for each parent. Finally, a small bundle of marigold petals was pressed into Leon’s hands, and he awkwardly scattered them in a rough line from the ofrenda to the graves themselves. Valarin had already made one out of the clearing itself, and with Leon’s contribution, there was a complete path.

When he returned to Val’s side, Val immediately curled both arms around his waist and tugged him down till they were both seated in the grass before the ofrenda. There, Val could finally get the cuddles he so cherished. Leon smiled softly and dragged the insistent thing into his lap, the better to hug him close and rest his chin on top of Val’s head. 

“So… what ‘appens now?”

“Now, you tell me more stories about them, and cuddle me, and I’ll tell you stories about mine, and cuddle you.”

“All night?”

“All night.”

“I think I kin do tha’.”

Though they couldn’t leave everything behind, the next morning, a pair of marigold-and-lilac wreaths hung from the wooden gravestones.

( @daily-writing-challenge​ @valarin-sunstorm​ )

[5-falsehoods-phonated]

March Ado About Nothing

Series Summary - A series of one-shots and  drabbles written based off of prompts posted in the TSS Fanworks Collective server. The goal is to take traditional whump prompts and fill them in the least-angsty way possible every day through March.

A note that though some of these fills are written bait and switch style (written in a way you think is going in one direction but reveals it to be the opposite towards the end) they are all written in a fluffy or silly style with very little, if any at all, actual angst.

Day 7: To Make the Broken New

Summary: After much begging from Roman and Virgil, Logan and Patton decide to make fixing up the old treehouse they find one day into a summer project.

Prompts: Burned, *Broken Down*, Blackmail            

Ships: Dad Patton to kid Virgil. Dad Logan to kid Roman. Platonic Logan & Patton. Platonic Roman & Virgil.

Warnings: none. Let me know if there are more!

General taglist (ask to be added or removed): @/janus-is-an-adorable-snek-boi  @/im-an-anxious-wreck  (in an effort to not flood your inboxes I’m only tagging in the first part ^-^)

WC: 881

“You sure you got that kiddo?”

“Mhm.” Virgil stuck out his tongue in concentration as he hugged the paint can tighter to his chest and carefully walked around bumps in the lawn and fallen sticks that might trip him up. They could just hear hammering the distance and Patton readjusted the two cans he was carrying so the metal handles didn’t dig too much into his skin. They still had a little ways to go before they made it to the long forgotten treehouse that sat broken down and lonely about a quarter mile into the woods behind him and his neighbors backyard. They were quite friendly with each other and loved talking their kids out to play and explore, using wildlife as mini lessons that all of them could enjoy. One of these outings had them stumbling on the wreck as they had been following a shallow creek to see where it ended up- or in Virgil and Roman’s case to see how many frogs they could catch before they got back home. After much pleading from the boys and a quick visit to the people in the area to see if anyone actually owned the thing, he and Logan finally relented and began saving up little by little to fix up the old house to make it a safe new spot to play in.

Logan and Roman should be just about done fixing the new ladder boards to the tree by the time Patton and Virgil would get there with the paint- a striking red and purple the boys had picked out themselves to color and waterproof the outside. Logan wasn’t sure how well the colors would actually work together and the house would surely stick out like a sore thumb amidst the blooming green wildlife around it but as long as it made the boys happy they both agreed it was probably fine. He smiled down at Virgil as the stubborn six year old stomped confidently with the paint can still held firm in his arms. He was glad moving here had turned out so well for Virgil. He didn’t struggle to make friends at his old home he was just never interested in it- something that Patton had struggled to let go of his worry for since he seemed perfectly content and happy on his own. But once they had moved here and he had met Roman he had come out of his shell completely as they hit it off right away, and Roman’s father Logan being fine company himself made moving to a completely different state that much easier for both of them.

“Be careful!” Virgil had started walking a bit faster as the house came into view. Roman was searching diligently for any stray nails at the base of the tree while Logan was putting his tools away and grabbing out the painting supplies from the box he had carried up earlier that morning. Patton truly didn’t know how to thank the other man enough for everything he did with and for them- from helping them move in and accepting Patton’s admittedly awkward attempts to pay him back with dinner and breakfasts to offering to let Patton and Virgil join him and Roman when they went on their adventures as the latter dubbed them.

“Roman! Dad got paint!” Virgil stumble ran the rest of the way, stopping just before the tree and crouching down to carefully set the paint can down next to the twisted roots. Clapping his hands excitedly Roman grabbed up a couple of paint brushes and bradished them like duel swords, casting a glance at Logan to make sure it was okay before striking a princely stance in front of his friend.

“We’re gonna have the best house on the block and everybodies gonna be so jealous we’ll have to find a dragon to guard us from burgers!”

“Patton snorted as Logan turned around and handed Roman a paint tin before reaching to open the can. “Burglars, Roman. You eat burgers.”

“I don’t eat people!” Roan squealed in distaste, making Logan shut his eyes for a moment before shaking his head as his son quickly jumped to a different topic, energetically talking Virgil’s ear off to the delight of the quieter child.

Patton crouched next to Logan and started separating the pans to pour the paint into, smiling at his tired but amused expression. “Thank you again for doing this, you know they’ll have a blast every time we come up here. We could even try and plant some flowers; I think Roman especially would enjoy that.”

Logan nodded. “It’s been nice for both of us to have the company. I appreciate just as much.”

Patton amiled wider and nudged his shoulder gently against Logan’s, earning an eye roll and a small nudge back as the paint was poured and a warning to be careful given to the boys before they got paint all over themselves within the first five minutes. Neither of them had expected anything less, exchanging signature parent looks with each other and simply shaking their heads. They were smiling and laughing and scaring away any animal within a ten mile radius, and neither of them could ask for anything better at the height of their first summer together.

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[rabbitsparklez]

✨sorry Im kinda late if you're still doing the ask thingy. anyway, what are some of your UNPOPULAR opinions?

No, it’s fine! I’m happy to get asks whenever :)

First of all, I’d like to apologize for the delay. It took me like 3 days to answer this because I added a lot. This was a LOT more elaborate than you asked for so uh...... enjoy?

I have a lot of conflicted opinions that I wouldn’t exactly call “unpopular”, but I also have several that I would. There is negativity in this post, and if you’d rather not read it, then please don’t.

Please do not comment or message me about these if you disagree. This is my blog, and if you generally disagree with my than I don’t know what you are doing here.

Thank you for the ask!

1. I kinda... almost.... hated “Buddy”.

 Yes, it’s a really catchy song and a great blend of Zach and James’ voices, but it also serves as a reminder that the writers prioritized Cassandra’s importance over Eugene’s. I’m already not a fan of it when people use strong and mature characters in overly silly scenarios, but it makes my stomach churn to think that they would actually dare to ridicule Eugene to such a far extent in order to give Cassandra the spotlight, when her entire arc was written poorly despite all their costly efforts to give it to her. I know that Eugene didn’t intentionally fall under the influence of those flowers and he certainly would’ve done something had he been there when Rapunzel discovered the Moon Incantation, but honestly that just bothers me even more because Eugene had so much potential and they wasted it.

2. (I don’t know what’s gonna come of this) I don’t hate King Frederick. I’m very disappointed in him, but I don’t hate him. Everyone hates him because of his failure to handle a threat to the kingdom, and his rashness and dishonestly toward his daughter, and I both agree to a lot of it, but I don’t hate him.

I have no excuses for the fact that he lied about having the black rocks under control because he didn’t know what to do about them. As the king, it is his responsibility to consider what is best for his kingdom, and by lying about a major threat, he only caused the problem to get worse. The reason the black rocks came in the first place, however, is because he took the Sundrop to heal his dying wife and unborn child. I know it wasn’t the most prudent decision, and he did a horrible job cleaning up the mess he made afterwards, but he was desperate to save his family, and chances are likely that he didn’t have time to consider every aspect and consequence that taking the Sundrop would cause.

Regarding his actions towards Rapunzel, I hate the fact that he would dare consider locking his own daughter in her room to protect her from something that he’s not making any effort to fix. Treating people immorally harshly while saying it’s for their own good is toxic, and I want to make it clear that I am the last person to defend abusers, but I highly doubt that Frederick gingerly considered every aspect of locking his daughter in her room and how it would affect her. Rapunzel was kidnapped as a baby, and that gives two reasons why Frederick is so protective of her: the fact that he is her father and the pain and trauma in itself. Everyone takes trauma differently, depending on the person and the weight of the situation. I hate it when people who are clearly smart and strong enough to understand the situation use their traumas as an excuse to justify their actions, but some people are so devastated by their traumas that they completely lose themselves. Again, he logically wouldn’t have thought about every single thing he was doing and the trouble it would cause. He lost his baby girl. I’ve heard many times that losing a child is the worst pain imaginable, and you could only understand that pain if you experienced it. Perhaps he even felt responsible for the fact that his daughter was kidnapped because he thought that he wasn’t as protective as he should’ve been, and the idea of “making things right again” and protecting her was drilled so deeply into his mind. In addition to the pain that he went through and how that affected his judgments, Frederick had no parental experience whatsoever. All parents have to figure out who their children are and how they should handle situations. Doing this involves trial and error, tears and pain. As seen in the episode “You’re Kidding Me”, Rapunzel and Eugene both thought they knew how to treat children but both of them made errors due to the cooperation and sensitivity of the kids they were looking after - this applies to every parent and every child. Frederick was completely ad-libbed into parenthood, and his trauma from losing his child did not mix well with Rapunzel’s spirit of adventure and independence.

As a king, Frederick failed in his responsibility to do what is best for the kingdom, and I agree that he wasn’t justified for the actions he took (or didn’t take), and he was a jerk for lying about it; but as a father, I feel more sympathy for him because in his eyes, he was doing the right thing, even though we know that he wasn’t. People are so quick to justify Varian for his actions following his traumas, when he’s admittedly intelligent enough to understand them; but people are so quick to demonize Frederick for his actions following his traumas, when he’s clearly not intelligent enough to understand them. I don’t think that’s fair in the minimal sense and it still irks me how biased a lot of people were in this situation.

3. I’m not sure how “popular” or “unpopular” this one is considered, but I hated both Stalyan and Brock Thunderstrike. It takes a lot for me to actually hate a character, but considering how much they wronged Eugene, I can’t ever see them in a positive perspective.

Aside from almost killing Lance, Stalyan abused Eugene. When he was only 16, she tried to marry him so that he could be her partner in crime, and judging by the way she talked to him in BTCW, it’s likely that she manipulated him and constantly belittled his choices. (which is another reason I hate how they did that with the Cass arc, because he should be entitled to such a valid opinion). She called him by his fake last name and tried to pull him back into the past, showing that she gave no importance to his persona and development as a character. When he refuses to marry her, her dad poisons his best friend and forces Eugene to either let his best friend from childhood die, or leave his girlfriend - his closest companion who filled in his missing parts and helped him to know that he mattered. Afterwards, she brushed it of with “that was my dad’s idea, but bad guys have a flair for drama”, in the least sympathetic tone imaginable. She then locked him and his dying friend in prison until the wedding, and tried to convince him that he wasn’t good enough for the woman he loved. The writers could’ve used her as a way to understand Eugene’s insecurities and pain a little bit better, but they freaking REDEEMED her. She just went with Rapunzel on a little road trip where she decided “y’know what, you can have my ex boyfriend and I’ll move on! Tell him I said hi!”. We didn’t get a proper address that Stalyan likely had a role in damaging Eugene’s sense of importance and trust, but even worse, we didn’t get an apology. I can’t believe that they made Rapunzel deal with someone else’s abusive relationship, where she hardly understood what was actually going on. Stalyan never said another word to Eugene or apologized to him or Lance for what she had done to both of them. She married a guy that looks exactly like him in the end too! Instead of looking for someone new, she chose a guy who looks exactly like her ex, showing that she cared more about his looks than his inner self.

Speaking of her new boyfriend, I hated Brock Thunderstrike. Let’s just pretend that Eugene hasn’t already been sidelined and ridiculed for Cass, and make an almost exact copy of him, only without his flaws and development! Let’s make him look exactly like him, make him repeat every iconic action and line that he made in the movie in a flawless way, and make him steal his entire former identity!  - THAT WAS SO STUPID! I can’t believe they actually did that! Eugene is one of the most meticulously created, personified, and multifaceted characters that Disney has ever created, but not only did they push him in the mud to give Cassandra space, but they created this idiot Mary Sue copy of him with no personification otherwise! In the end, just like Stalyan, he decided with no redeeming deeds or apologies that he would make a new person of himself.

They really make a good match, and that’s not a compliment.

4. I love Lance as a person, but not as a character - If that makes any sense.

I love that wholesome boy a lot, but I don’t like the way he was used in the show. I think that even he pitched in to the factors that flattened Eugene as a character in the show. First of all, it takes away some of the meaning of love and it’s necessity to Eugene’s life. We always thought that Eugene was a lonely, rejected child who needed love more than he realized, but it turns out he did, in fact, have a buddy who wasn’t just his partner in crime for years, but a close, brotherly figure. That contradicts the significance of Eugene’s childhood and life as an orphan. Secondly, Lance was often used as an object to distract Eugene and drag him into the stupid and nonsensical scenarios that prevented him from interfering with Rapunzel and Cassandra’s overly prioritized involvement to the plot of the episode. Don’t get me wrong. I love Lance and have nothing against him, but his role as a character could’ve been used in better ways.

5. Adira should have either had a larger or smaller role in the show.

When we were introduced to Adira in Season 2, she was the fairy godmother  that always came when the squad was in distress. She could do everything: she is superhumanly strong and agile, can cook, can effortlessly cut down trees, can survive in the wilderness, knows everything, and is practically perfect. But considering her knowledge of the Sundrop and Moonstone and her past with the Dark Kingdom, I was disappointed that we couldn’t explore more of her character and personality. In Season 3, she just kind of vanished. Considering her amazing abilities, we could’ve explored her character and learned of her weaknesses and backstory in season 3, but we didn’t. She played a lot of parts in Season 2 but almost none in Season 3. I thought Adira was sort of a Mary Sue. She’s perfect on the outside, but we have little knowledge of the inside. To make her a better character, she could’ve either been brought into the light in Season 3, or not given as much attention in Season 2. Either way, she’s an unbalanced character. I like her, but she’s hollow.

6. I like Shorty. 

He’s kind of pointless and it made me roll my eyes when he unintentionally saved the day when other characters *cough* Eugene *cough* could’ve done so, but he also made me laugh a lot. He’s an idiot but fairly harmless otherwise. Also, unlike a lot of things in the show, he’s in character. In the movie, it wasn’t out of character for Shorty to pop up in weird places or save the day without really knowing it (he was one of the ones who helped Eugene break out of prison). The Snuggly Duckling was a major point in the movie and we didn’t see a lot it in the show. While Shorty’s tagging along didn’t contribute anything to society, it kept the Snuggly Duckling present in the show.

7. As much as I love him, I’m not attracted to Eugene.

I think he’s handsome and charming, but I ship him with Rapunzel too much to be in love with him :). I would give anything to have a platonic friend like him, but maybe not a husband.

To be frank, I’m a little creeped out by people who seem to “fall romantically in love” with characters, because they sometimes........well let’s just say that they portray them in a way that makes me incredibly uncomfortable - if you know what I mean. This applies to all characters, but especially to the ones that I like.

8. Varian’s role was too invasive. You’re probably surprised at this, because a lot of fans seem to think that he didn’t get enough of a role and wasn’t put to his full potential. I agree that he is a very elaborate character with a lot of potential, but he was never intended to be a main character, and he shouldn’t have been given a larger perspective and more angst factors than the actual main characters.

After his villain arc, fans started hating Rapunzel because they had sympathy for Varian and accused her of not treating him well, which I hated. It is true that he was in a situation worth having pity on him for, but they expressed a lot more emotional impact from his perspective than from anyone else’s, thus fans only considered his feelings. Rapunzel was going through an extremely difficult time at that moment, too, but it was shown in a less dramatic and sympathyzable way. She almost lost her parents and the man she loved in a snowstorm, while for the first time when she had to make prudent decisions as a leader, the kingdom was in a state of distress. After the storm, her father continued to lie to her, and the reason she never helped him was because he convinced her that Old Corona was under control. All she wanted to do was stabilize herself in a calm state of mind, which was ok, because she didn’t realize that there was more trouble. Even so, she could hardly do so because she was still stressed and traumatized. If these things from her perspective were more clearly presented to the audience, there would’ve been less of a war in the fandom and there probably would’ve been sympathy from both sides. But they wanted to show things from Varian’s point of view, which was valid until he went feral. {He stated in the episode before the finale that he understood that Rapunzel “did what she had to”, and he is clearly intelligent enough to pull things together, but everyone used trauma as an excuse. If he could connive that entire plot where he would kidnap the queen, use a dummy of him, extract the Sundrop’s power, etc. then he clearly was in a sane enough state of mind to put things together, but he didn’t. In Season 3, he admitted that the reason he became a villain was because he had taken his anger too far, after realizing that he was wrong. }

Considering that Rapunzel is the main character and the writers expect us to feel sympathy for her, they should’ve at least made the situation less dramatic from Varian’s point of view. Chris Sonnenburg himself was annoyed with fans who sympathized more for Varian and watched the show for him instead of Rapunzel - but in a way it was his fault for the way he portrayed the situation. I agree with him in the sense that I was annoyed with Varian fans taking over the fandom and demonizing Rapunzel, but it was the crew’s own choice to make Varian such a likable character to so many people.

Although his redemption arc was handled well in my opinion, it was more focused on and important to the show than that of the Father of Tangled Redemption Arc’s - Eugene’s. His redemption arc is the backbone to the entire franchise, but the series didn’t take him seriously, so even though his redemption subtly fell in place in Season 1 especially, I was disappointed that he didn’t have a nice serious episode where his redeemed self shined in the light, while Varian, a secondary character, did. Although not to such an extent, Varian’s role, similar to Cassandra’s was prioritized in the show above the main characters’ and that bothers me.

9. I’d say this one is more under-acknowledged than unpopular, but Cassandra’s existence contradicted Rapunzel’s development rather than bringing out her characteristic “compassion”

Even after all of the horrible things Cassandra did to Rapunzel, to Eugene, and to the kingdom of Corona after deciding to turn evil, she was redeemed. Anyone would’ve stopped pitying her and left her behind, but Rapunzel still cared for her and let her be her friend again. Why? Because the writers tried so hard to convey the message that Rapunzel has compassion for everyone and anything that comes in her path.

It is true and in her character for Rapunzel to be compassionate and humane. The movie conveyed the message that Rapunzel, even after spending so many years unloved and mistreated, loves and has sympathy for everyone. She sees the good in everyone and everything, thus she is capable of redeeming those who have strayed. This characteristic of hers is what caused Eugene to leave behind his past self and find a new life. She didn’t fix him; she opened his soul and brought out the good person who had been hiding inside him for the longest time. The same thing happened to the thugs, other former thieves, and many others. Rapunzel’s compassion and love for others brings the best out of the unlikeliest of people. The way Glen Keane described it, Rapunzel is the representation of humanity.

However, Mother Gothel is the representation of everything that is an obstacle to Rapunzel and her freedom. She gaslight and objectified her by passively claiming that she loved her, and used her as an object to satisfy her own vanity. She never let her express her energetic and adventurous self by locking her inside, and when Rapunzel rebelled, she locked her in chains and took her to the dungeon. Rapunzel’s development can only grow if she is not stifled by chains and abuse, therefore she should avoid Mother Gothel at all costs. But who is this person who, three years later, Rapunzel tries to redeem? The very daughter of Mother Gothel, who is more like a reincarnation of her to be frank. She brought back what Rapunzel was supposed to leave behind. She condescended over her and shamed her for her underdeveloped tendencies before she even betrayed her. She constantly wanted more from her instead of accepting her who she was. She blamed her for her problems and victimized herself. Rapunzel is supposed to be past these things so that she can grow to be a strong and independent woman. Using Cassandra as a permanent villain who Rapunzel would fight against would define her as a developed woman who has moved on from her traumatic past - but it wasn’t like that. Rapunzel pined onto Cassandra despite everything she put her through. The writers tried to use this situation as a way to bring out Rapunzel’s compassion, but it contradicted her self independence and strength.

Rapunzel and Cassandra’s relationship was a toxic one, and it shouldn’t have been portrayed as a good thing at any time in the show, because of it’s disintegration of Rapunzel’s development. Rapunzel is both compassionate and resilient, but because of how poorly the writers handled this, they contradicted both of her character tendencies. It looked more like schizophrenia to be honest: One day Rapunzel resents Cassandra for her actions and fights her with a powerful incantation to keep her away from Eugene; the next day, she sings a song mourning their friendship and expressing how much she wanted her to come back.The way a character’s personality traits are presented is very important. Imagine that you’re at a restaurant where every item uses the same ingredients, but is arranged and composed in a different way. A burger on a bun with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and ketchup would be delicious and appealing; however, a hamburger and cheese smoothie with chunks of lettuce and tomatoes floating in it and ketchup drizzled on top would be nauseating and a horrible idea (sorry for the ridiculous comparison but hopefully it gets the point across). Even though the two items have the same composition, one of them works and the other doesn’t. Rapunzel is both compassionate and resilient, but the writers made a contradicting mess out of these two tendencies because they made them clash.

10.. It annoys me when people think Eugene overreacts to things. He’s neither whiny nor childish. He’s a realistic person in a crazy world, who can’t help but be upset about certain things.

Let’s face it, he’s been through a lot, and all things considered, he’s very tolerant and resilient. He’s the most realistic character in terms of skepticism and trust issues, and that’s something I’ve always loved about him. In situations where nobody’s in danger and things are fairly normal, he tends to “overreact” to minor things, but in dangerous and serious situations, he is the first person to stand up and help people. If he was a shrimpy, whiny wimp who can’t handle things, he wouldn’t have willingly died to save someone, led a rescue squad to save the king and queen in a dangerous situation, decided to live with his former abuser to save someone who was dying, or willingly accepted his role as a captain and lead the safety of the kingdom.

If you were abandoned by your father and ended up as a poor orphan who became a criminal to fend for yourself, it’s only human to not immediately feel inclined to accept him into your life, especially considering his apparently whimsical and unconcerned personality. By the end of the episode, he himself realized that his father kept in touch with him and by the end of the show, came to understand his motive for abandoning him. Nobody forced him to see the good in his father. He realized it by his own effort. When his father gave him a gift at the end, he was the first to hug him, showing that he had come to accept him willingly.

If for generations, your family has dedicated and lost their lives to destroying a dangerous object that has caused a lot of deaths and destruction, and you break your trust with your girlfriend to protect her from it; then when you finally allow her to take it when her jealousy-driven handmaiden takes it with every intention to kill her - of course you are going to resent that woman and be upset that your girlfriend still cares about bringing her back, (especially considering you weren’t keen on her in the first place). Even though Cass didn’t deserve it, he still patiently put up with and respected Rapunzel’s opinion of her despite obviously still disliking her. That doesn’t show that he was happy about it, but that he patiently tolerated situations that he didn’t agree with.

Imagine that the only comfort and security that you had for 15 years was your fake reputation as a different character, despite knowing it wasn’t a good one, and you find it difficult to let him go because you still can’t help but wish you were as established and “successful” as he was. Then some cocky twerp that looks exactly like you comes along, dresses exactly like you and uses the same name as you did, and repeated everything that you were proud to accomplish but only better, and is liked by your friends better than you ever were. Despite the fact that your former identity wasn’t a good one, it was the only thing you had and the only thing you could find pride and joy in because you had a low self esteem about your actual self. I can certainly say that if I met someone like Brock Thunderstrike but a copy of me instead of him, I wouldn’t be happy at all. But in the end, although he obviously resented and was jealous of him, Eugene disinterestedly told him that he saw potential in him, and allowed him to find his own identity.

Eugene is one of the most realistic characters that I’ve ever seen, but he lives in unusual circumstances that he’s not used to. There’s nothing wrong with the fact that he can’t immediately see something, because all’s well that ends well - and in the end, he always makes a just decision.

{There was one more that I wanted to post but I thought it would be too conflicting so I didn’t.}

If you agree with some of these but not others, that’s fine! After all, these are unpopular opinions and I’d be lucky if anyone agreed with them.

Again, thanks for the ask!

[lovemesomesurveys]

Name:  Stephanie.

Country: USA.

Age:  31.

Gender(s): Female

Height:  ~5′4

weight:  70-something lbs.

eye color: Brown.

skin color:  White.

Heritage: I’ve been really wanting to do one of those ancestry dna or 23 and me tests to find out exactly what I am. Relationship status:  Single.

Are you physically healthy?  No.

Are you mentally healthy? Nope

Job?:  No job.

school:  I graduated college back in 2015.

Favs:

Animal:  Dogs and giraffes.

Flower:  I don’t really have one.

Movie:  I have many favorites.

TV show: I have many favorites.

Music:  I like variety.

Band:  One of them will always be Linkin Park.

Video Game: Mario Bros games and Animal Crossing: New Horizon

Gaming Console: Nintendo Switch.

Name:  Alexander. ;)

Person:  My family.

Love life:

1: Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Nope.

2: Do you love them? 

3: Are you still in love with an ex? No.

4: How many people have you dated?  Two.

5: Do you think you’ll get married?  No.

6: Have you ever been emotionally/physically abused in a relationship?  No.

7: Have you ever hurt your partner by accident without knowing it? I’m single, but no I don’t think I have in the past. But if I didn’t know it then I wouldn’t know?

8: Whats important to you in a relationship?  Communication, trust, understanding, patience.

9: Do you have to see them everyday? ( or hear from them)? I’m singleeee. 

10: Do you think you can love someone within 2 weeks? I personally don’t think so.

Friendship and Family:

1: How many friends do you have?  Zero.

2: What type of friend are you?  Not a good one anymore.

3: Have you ever been friends with someone for longer than 7 years? Yeah. My former best friend and I were friends for almost 15 years.

4: Do you have one best friend, more or none?  One, my mom. 

5: Have you ever had a friend just stop being your friend and you never knew why?  Yes.

6: Do you get along with family?  Yes.

7: Do you have a family member you hate?  No.

8: Does your family accept who you are?  Yes.

9: Are you an only child or have siblings?  I have 2 brothers. 

10: Do you have parents that still live together? Yes.

School:

1:What grade are you in? I’m not.

2: Are you in Middle, High, or college? ( or neither)?  Neither, like I said I graduated college back in 2015.

3: Whats your favorite class?  English was always my favorite. In college I enjoyed most of my psych classes.

4: Do you have a fav school year?  Elementary school years.

5: Are you a good student?  I was, yeah.

6: Do you think homework is good or bad?  I wouldn’t say it’s good or bad. I mean, I get seeing if you’re understanding then material and whatnot and applying it. I guess it depends on the amount assigned and what type of assignment it is. 

7: Have you ever had a teacher who was really funny but had poor teaching skills?  Yes.

8: Is your GPA high or low?  It was high.

9: Do you like to particpate in conversations in the class room or are you the listener?  I was definitely a listener. I haaaaated classes that made class discussion apart of your grade.

10: Do you take part in extra school events? (eg. Plays, sports, leadership,clubs)? I was in clubs in high school and the psych club in college, even serving as a board member.

Health

1: Do you need to lose or gain weight?  I definitely need to put on some weight.

2: Have you ever had the swine flu? (H1n1)  No. I remember being scared about getting it and that whole thing wasn’t even on the level of covid. 

3: Do you like to go to the doctors?  Nooo. I’ve had more than my share of doctor appointments of all different kinds all throughout my life. They still make me anxious and stressed out, they’re definitely not something I find enjoyable.

4: Have you ever puked in school or at work?  I remember getting sick once in kindergarten and having to rush outside to the trash can.

5: Have you ever been extremely sick where you couldnt even leave your bed? Yes, I’ve experienced that several times.

6: Do you hate puking or does it make you feel better? I hate actually doing it, but afterwards I usually do feel better. There are times where it gets to the point where I wish I would just do it already and get it over with cause I know it’d help me feel better. That’s when I’m really not feeling well.

7: Have you ever coughed up blood?  No.

8: Should you be eating healthier ? Yes.

9: Do you lie to your doctor?  I downplay some things or not share certain things, admittedly. :X

10: Have you ever taken too much advils?  No. That would make me sick.

Mental Health:

1: Do you have a mental illness?  Yes.

2: Do you take anti-depressants? No.

3: Are you mentally stable?  Uhhh.

4: Have you ever been misdiagnosed? Yes.

5: Do you think you have an disorder but havent been properly diagnosed yet? Maybe.

6: Is self diagnosing good or bad? I don’t see an issue with researching yourself and thinking you may have something, but it’s important to take that information to a doctor. However, sadly I know that not everyone is able to do that. And I also have a problem with doing that myself, which I think can cause unnecessary stress. I also think people tend to throw around labels and say they have something when they don’t. Gah, it’s a slippery slope.

7: Should we give more money to mental health research?  Yes, absolutely.

8: Do you think everyone has a chance to over come their mental disorders?  I think many can learn to better manage some of them, but I feel like they’re always going to be there. 

9: Would you ever not date someone if they had a severe disorder? ( Schizophrenia,BPD, mood disorders)? I don’t know and I’m probably horrible for saying that. I have my mental disorders and I know it can be a lot for people to be around and handle. I just... I don’t know if I’d be able to be there for them in a way they might need ya know? I lack the experience. I can’t say no for certain. I think it would just really depend on the situation and if I learned more about it. 

10: Does mental illness run in your family? Yes.

SEX

1: Virgin?  Yes.

2: what age did you lose it? 3: Did you take sex ed? 6th grade, middle school, and a health and psych class my freshman year in high school.

4: Does size matter?

5: Whats your favorite poistions?

6: Does virginity exist? I believe so. I know some feel it’s not a real thing or a social construct, but to me it’s a thing. It’s someone who hasn’t had sex. When you have sex, you’re said to have lost your virginity and to me that just means in the very literal sense that you’re not a virgin anymore. I’m not referring to it as something deeper. Although, it can be for some people. And while I don’t think it’s like losing some part of yourself or something life altering, I personally feel like I would feel a change in some way. I also want to add that it’s something I want “lose” or share with someone special. I don’t know, man. I’m sure I’m not explaining it well. It’s just a personal thing.

7: Do you think sex is overated?  I wouldn’t know.

8: Is making love and fucking different? One just sounds more romantic and slow and passionate and the other sounds rough lol 9: Is it important for both genders to understand eachothers bodies?  Yeah.

10: If someone was a virgin and was raped, did they lose their virginity? If it’s not consensual or your choice then you can choose not to count it is how I see it. Like yes, technically they’ve had sex, but something so horrific and traumatic doesn’t count. Losing their virginity should be done their way, with someone they want to share that with. In the situation they were raped, they’re allowed to take their power and control back and count it when they do so with someone they want to do, consensually. 

Check the box:

1.My hair color is: [x] Brown [] Black [] Blonde [x]Red [] Funky colors [] Auburn [] more than one color <<< It’s a mix of my natural color and red because I haven’t dyed it since February.

2.Eye color: []Blue []Grey [x]Brown []Light brown []dark brown []green []amber [] I have two different colors of eyes

3.I am a : []Male [x] Female []Trans Male [] Trans Female []Gender Fluid [] I dont have a gender []Non Binary [] other

4: I am: []Fit [] Average [x]Skinny []Fat

5: I love my : [x]Hair []Eyes []Smile []Teeth []Skin []everything about myself []None of these.  <<< Italicized because I only like my hair when it’s been dyed and my roots aren’t showing haha... unlike now.

6: I hate my: [x]Hair []eyes [xx]smile [x]teeth [x]skin [x] everything about myself [] I dont hate anything about myself

7: My feet are: [x]Small []Wide []Narrow []long []large [x]Ugly []Pretty

8: I have a hard time: []Finding something to wear [x]Making Friends [x] making food [x]staying focused

9: I am: []Employed [x]Not employed []retired []I can’t work []Self employed []Looking for a job

10: I love: []the moon []the sun [x]the stars []our galaxy []planets

Bold what is true:

I am Funny

I am a girl

I have no hair

I have curly hair

^ I hate it

I have straight hair

I have a dog

I have a cat

I have both

I love to get drunk

I don’t drink

I love to smoke weed but i hate smoking cigarettes

I love both

I rather have one best friend than 20 friends who i am not close with

My dad died

My mom died

My parents are both dead

My parents are alive

I like to touch my bruises

I have funny teeth

I love Mcdonalds fries

Sometimes when Im alone I sing as loud as I can

even if i cant sing

I believe in God

I believe in the butterfly affect

I hate video games

I wish I was taller

I can’t understand math

I am very good at writing an essay

I never had sex before

I love Mac N Cheese

I love Disney Movies

I prefer Dreamswork over Walt Disney

I am going to College

I finished college

I wish I went to college

I hate my job

I am the boss at my job

I have a feelings for a friend but i cant tell them because it would ruin our friendship

^ I have feelings and i told them

I wish soda was healthy

I sleep with the window opened

This survey was too long

[boogiewrites]

Choking On Sapphires 72

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Genevieve (OFC)

Title & Song: Stay In My Corner

Word Count: 4200+ 

Summary: On a night out with Arthur, reminiscing over drinks at Alfie's club, a face she hasn't seen since she was young appears out of nowhere and stirs up all the bad feelings and past trauma that it brought upon her. Alfie reads her as always and finds out the truth, even if it hurts her too much to tell him herself. He delivers on his promise of no one ever hurting her and getting away it. **Chapter song is Stay in My Corner by The Arcs.**

Warnings/Tags: References to past sexual assault. Not graphically described. Language. Protective Alfie. Revenge by Alfie for Gen. Alfie finds out why Gen left home all those years ago.

Click on my icon then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

Arthur had come down to London for business for Tommy. Having already finished that part of his trip, he decides to call you and see if you'd like to get together for the evening. He makes it a point to call this time around because the effects of not doing so last time were still burned into his memory when he found Alfie having his way with you on top of your desk.

You sit at a more secluded booth in Alfie's club. Both you and Arthur are drunk, sharing stories and talking about marriage and babies and life outside of crime. You would seem just as normal as anyone else if you'd eavesdropped on the conversation. You got to suspend reality a bit as Alfie made snarky comments and came and went to handle business and schmoozing as the opportunities presented themselves. He'd never admit it, but he was thankful for having Arthur around, he kept you good and distracted and he knew he wouldn't let harm come to a single hair on your head. If there was something he had in common with the Shelby's, and particularly Arthur, it was that they would always fight for and protect you. His suspicions of you and Arthur having more than friendship between you had long since passed and he was thankful for it.

The hefty payout for the job done for the country, the killing of the fascists and Nazi's had certainly helped sway Alfie in his acceptance of the Shelby's as allies. You'd told him as you rode back from Birmingham the night you'd gotten drunk and sang for the entire bar how elated you were that he would entertain working with Tommy again for you. You poured out how proud you were of him, how touched he would change his stubborn ways for you and even though you were drunk, he felt that you really meant it. You also profusely apologized for Tommy having lied to him, but he understood. He knee jerk reaction was to get angry, and he admitted that, but he saw your point of view very clearly. He'd had to test the loyalty of many men and he knew how little trust he had in them personally, so he could only imagine with what you'd been through how low most men will go when they want something. He gave you a little bit of hell for it, whenever you would ask him to do something simple, such as fetch you a drink if he was going to the kitchen, he would ask you if you were sure you trusted him to do such a thing. At first, you had taken it seriously and he felt guilty afterward as he watched your previously cheerful face fall and your shoulders slump. He'd had to dig his way out of that one with kisses. But you soon caught on it was his way of making you pay for having done it and that was a totally acceptable price in your opinion.

With no secrets between you, you were both rather content with your lives at the moment. Living together was a dream for you, getting him to yourself so often, getting to wake up to him every morning and at least get to have him in your bed every night. He had started sending you gifts again, not all grand, sometimes something as simple as flowers or a batch of fresh bread to the house during the day. He didn't want you to feel like you weren't being doted on, what with your insistence that you cut back on your admittedly, lavish spending habits. Claire had been in shock when you sat down with the books in front of her and told her it was time to go through them, organize them and see where to cut corners. But you weren't about to cut anywhere that would affect anyone else, only yourself. So you went without shipments of special soaps and perfumes from France, canceled your portrait painting, saying you should put it off until you were married and have one done together. You were honing in the ways you'd stayed wild while culling the reckless behavior you'd been unlearning with your time in London. You felt good, solid like you were really getting a hold on yourself and your life again. Alfie satisfied your sexual needs, willing to play and experiment with you and as you loved the man it kept you perfectly happy, never considering looking elsewhere. If you'd known being in love with someone could've helped you from wanting to flight about the pretty boys you would've tried harder long ago to find it.

So when you were out with Arthur one evening, drunk and happy and not a care in the world, when a person from your past comes into your line of sight it shakes you more than it would have if you'd been on your toes and sober. Alfie is standing and talking to some of his men, his barked words all white noise to you as Arthur gossiped and shared stories. You rose a glass of wine to your lips and when you freeze in mid-motion, it even catches you off guard.

Arthur's face frowns deeply, seeing your eyes go wide, your face pale out. "What is it Genny?" he asks loudly, his drunken voice an echoing boom no matter what he tried to make it sound like.

You take a shaky inhale, seeing the man in an expensive tailored suit, walking on the lower level and looking around. When your mouth opens, tongue moving and lips trembling but no words come out, Arthur switches into protective mode.

He sets his glass down, scooting closer, speaking more quietly, putting his hand over yours and lowering your glass to the table as your hand had begun to shake. "Genny. What's wrong?" he asks with a low brow.

"Someone's here." your answer barely above a whisper. "In the tall hat. The man in the three-piece suit and the mustache." Your eyes start to blur and sting, having not blinked since you saw him. You begin to get flustered. You lower your gaze and put your hands on the table.

Alfie notices the sudden silence and seeing your body language stiff he turns his attention to you, leaning over the back of the booth to put his hands on your shoulders. "Somefin' wrong?" he asks, quirking his brow to Arthur.

"She said 'ere's a man here. She's frozen, poor thing." Arthurs observes, keeping his eyes on you.

"Who, love?" Alfie asks.

"The man in the tall hat. Mustache. Three piece suit. In front of the bar." you say softly, your hands up and touching Alfie's for comfort, your face down at your lap.

"Is that... fuck me that innit Prittance is it?" Arthur says with such disdain in his voice that Alfie knows something is wrong. He signals to his men to stay where they are next to him.

You nod and swallow loudly. "I need to..." you begin, clearing your throat and trying to get out of the booth. "Please move Arthur I need to be excused."

"Right, right." he says, sliding out of the booth and helping you.

"Who is that, love?" Alfie asks, pulling you to him as you try to leave for the restroom, blocking you from the man's sight.

"I need to go to the loo Alfie, please." you say not meeting his eyes, but he could see they were scared.

"Genny, what'd he do to you?" he cuts through the needless questions and gets to the point.

You shake your head and try to move gently away again.

"Genny you know you have to tell me. What the fuck am I supposed to do when ya start acting like a scared little bird? Tryin' to fly away. My Genny bee doesn't fly away does she?" he tries to be supportive and lift your chin up.

You take his hand and hold it, lowering it but forcing your eyes to meet him. "If I told you, you would kill him." you say flatly, holding his eyes to show you were serious. He lets you go, his forehead wrinkling, eyes batting in confusion, mind firing off options quicker than he could explore them.

"You follow her. Don't let her out of your sight except for in the loo. If you hear ANYFIN' that sounds wrong you go in, yeah?"

The young man nods and follows behind you quickly.

He turns to Arthur, who is watching you shrink into the distance with sad eyes.

"Now who the fuck is that and what the fuck did he do to our Genny?" Alfie spits out quietly, his shoulders hunched and body language ready to tear the man apart.

"I 'on't know if it's my place to say, mate." he shakes his head, his lips in a tight line as he sighs.

"I fuckin' swear Shelby if you don't tell me I'll beat it out of ya. She innit gonna tell me, she's fuckin' terrified. Now, who the fuck would scare her in such a way?" he demands.

Arthur looks back to meet Alfie's eyes, they're clearly hesitant, but he knew he's right. "Well." he begins, taking a deep breath. "She told me one night when we's pissed yeah? Talkin' 'bout our fucked up childhoods 'n that ya know? Reminiscing the 'ol trauma." he shrugs. "Apparently that man." he turns to finds him on the floor again, moving slowly about the space. "Did some awful things. And he's the reason she were kicked out of 'er own home when she was but a wee girl." he nods.

"What'd he do?" Alfie's voice is deep and dark, more animal than human now.

"She wouldn't say." he shakes his head. "But my guess is it's something fuckin' awful. As awful a thing as a man like 'im can do to a young girl." he shakes his head and looks to the ground. "I don't even wanna think about it."

Alfie shoots daggers with his eyes at the man who is oblivious to it. "I'm gonna fuckin' shoot him." he says, hand twitching for his gun.

"Ya can't fuckin' go off like some fuckin' cowboy there, Solomons, he's a powerful man, ya gotta bide your time if you want to take someone like him out."

"Powerful?"

"Some member of government me thinks? Somethin' of the sort." he tries to recall.

"Someone her father would know." he states coldly.

"Exactly." he gives a nod. "She's comin' back. Don't look so bloody angry." he suggests. "'Ello Genny." Arthur greets you with a sad smile.

"Alfie, love? Could we go home?" you ask with your purse clutched in your hands tightly.

"'Course sweetie." he says, rubbing his hands on your arms. "Ollie take her out the back, will you? I'll be out in just a moment, love. Just gotta tell 'ese boys what to do for the night. Fuckin' useless innit that?" he smiles and kisses your head. His eyes are dark as Ollie takes your arm and escorts you to the back. "That man 'ere. I want him followed. But don't get fuckin' caught. If you do get caught. You don't fuckin' know me, right? Ya got it? If he leaves here, I want him followed. I'll be back later for 'im. Abe, set up the basement for me." he adds with a dark tone to his order.

"The basement, sir?" he asks with raised brows, suprised by the request.

"Did I fuckin' stutter? Yes the fuckin' basement." he hisses, his chin jutting out at the man.

"Yes, sir." they all nod and break away, Alfie getting his coat and putting it on, taking a deep breath to center himself, to put on an indifferent face for you for the night.

Alfie tells Arthur to stay for a bit, look like things are normal, have some drinks, flirt, fuck whatever it was he did these days then to come back to Gen's he'd need him there for the night.

Alfie baby's you and you don't mind in the least. You're feeling terribly small like you had all those years ago. You'd been doing so well, feeling so confident and in control and then this man who had at one point destroyed your life, stripping you from everything that you'd once had appears out of nowhere. You believe it not be coincidence. What with George trying to fuck with you now. Of course, it was London and Alfie's club was popular, but you don't know why someone who worked with your father would be at a Jewish owned club. But perhaps he didn't even know who's it was, it wasn't like he was from London.

"You need to slow that mind down, pet." Alfie says, pulling you into his side. "I see those eyes dartin' about." he taps you on the nose and let out a heavy sigh.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Nuffin' to apologize for." he clarifies, kissing your head. "Ya want me to fetch ya little sleepy vial for ya? Help ya calm down? he offers, rubbing your arm reassuringly.

"Yes, please." you give in, rubbing your temples as he goes to your cabinet and brings it to you, sliding back into the bed. "Thank you." you speak softly, taking a drink of it and putting it on the bedside table.

"You've been doin' very well wif talkin' 'bout your feelin's as of late. Would that help you now?" he asks, pushing your hair back from your face, as he laid on his side, pulling you into his chest.

"I don't... it hurts to recall." you admit. You feel him nod, his chin moving in your hair.

"You know I'd happily remove anyone who hurts you from the face of the fuckin' earth, my love." he offers.

"I know. But you can't kill him." you mutter.

"Why not?" he asks, stroking your hair down your back as he knows relaxes you.

"Just can't. Not him." you say, your words mumbling now, he knows the potion you took was working.

"Is he important to ya love?" he asks.

"No." you slur out and snuggle your face into his chest. "He's just bad." you let out before sleep takes you. He holds you until your breathing is still, your lips parted with little snoozes escaping them.

"I'm gonna get him for you, my love." he says, kissing your forehead as he covers you up with the blankets. You don't register it at all, he touches your cheek one last time before he leaves.

He dresses, moving to the phone after waiting for Arthur to come home. "Do ya have him?" He asks his men on the phone. "And he's left? Right." he pauses, rubbing his chin. "You have the boys what don't look Jewish get him yeah? Steal a car, don't let no one see ya. Get him quiet and fast. And people have seen him elsewhere since he's left the club? Good." he nods. "Get him to the basement then. String him up. I'll be there soon."

"Ya gonna get 'im anyway?" Arthurs' voice carries from the doorway.

"No one hurts her and lives." he says, pointing in the direction of your bedroom. "I need you here, yeah? I need you to be able to say I was here all night. I got her out with her little sleepy time medicine, right? So she'll be fine for a while."

"Ah. Need me to be an alibi I see."

"I do." he nods, moving to the foyer of your home.

"And what about us?" he hears Claire with arms crossed across her chest, Aggie standing sheepishly behind her.

"Fuckin' 'ell." he groans, his shoulders slumping. "I was hopin' you were asleep." he says obviously.

"She told me who she saw tonight. I know what you think you're going to do." Claire announces walking towards him.

"What I fink? It's what I am gonna do, Claire. No thinkin' 'bout it. It's good as done."

"You are right about the no thinking part." she scolds and he purses his lips.

"I need you all here for my alibi as well. She's sleepin', she'll think I've been there the whole time. She won't know."

"So more lies?" She spits out and Alfie feels his face burn.

This was a secret, wasn't it? He sighs at the realization, so easily falling into his old habits that he hadn't even realized. "Then I'll tell her after it's done, yeah?"

"She told you not to do that." Claire says harshly.

"No one does whatever that man did to her and gets away with it. She won't let me kill her fuckin' father, thinks it'd be too obvious but I'll be damned if I've not got men on him every minute of the day to do such a thing. I told her I would protect her and that's what I'm gonna fuckin do, yeah? No one hurts her and lives." he spits out, his finger once again pointing in your direction.

Claire takes a deep breath and turns to Aggie. "Go see to her, Aggie. I need to depart some knowledge that you don't want to relive onto Mr. Solomons," she says with a solemn nod and Aggie frowns, knowing she was right. She waits for her to be out of earshot, a quiet room with only the patter of Aggie's feet echoing down the hall. "You can't kill him." she states plainly.

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because Gen wouldn't want you to." her arms go back across her chest, a look of disappointment on her face. "He's in a government position. People will try to find out what happened. He isn't some disposable lad who has no one."

"And I have killed people more important than 'im and here I stand, yeah? I pay the cops, Claire. I'm not some daft fuckin' donkey who doesn't know what he's doin'." his tone showing he takes clear offense to her statement. "So you tell me what he did to her so I can know what punishment to give 'im." he says moving closer to her, his voice seething and his head low. "I can see you hate him too." he says nodding her way.

"I do. I've wished him dead for years." she states coldly.

"Then tell me and we can all have our revenge." he offers.

The deal is a sweet one if it worked out. She knew Alfie was no amateur, and if anyone could pull it off, it would be him. She saw in his eyes he meant everything he said and that as long as he was around, no one would hurt you and get away with it. "She had to leave home because of him." she says, taking a less aggressive sigh and looking away from his intense gaze.

"Why?" he asks after her pause goes on too long.

"He's a friend of her fathers. Genevieve was rejecting every suitor that he sent her way. And in no delicate way. She was always very outspoken and rebellious towards anything her father tried to make her do. As you can imagine." she shrugs. "So George told her he was forcing her to marry that man. So when he was invited over, George leaves them in a room together alone, and displeased with her reaction when he tells her this... he..." she lets out a long sigh and closes her eyes. "He abused her." she forces out and waits before opening her eyes again. "I was there. I heard them and was locked away across the hall with the other girls. We were powerless." she shakes her head, rubbing her arms recalling the dark days. "He told her no one would believe her. Her word against his. That she had no right to refuse, she was his property now and after he was done with her no one would want a broken, used thing like her."

Alfie is deadly still, his face showing no emotion and that was how she knew he was close to exploding. "Go on." he grits out between clenched teeth.

"So, she runs to her mother. Who was horrified by the whole thing and approached George about it. There was fight that nearly tore that old, gilded house down. You know how bad Gen gets, so you can imagine the behavior of the woman who birthed her." her brows are high and her lips tight. "He refused to believe them, despite there being clear proof of it. I still remember how shaken Gen was. Dealing with that at such an impressionable age and then being treated in such a way by her father. To call her a liar with her looking like she did." she slumps her shoulders. "It wasn't as if she thought George loved her or anything but you can understand how she was broken by it nonetheless. He forced her out, saying he disowned her. Awful things were screamed and said, slaps and shoves given and taken by both. He said things no young girl should ever hear from anyone. Let alone their father. It broke her. She's carried those words with her all these years. They've fueled her to be better, most times, but they also fuel her demons. They made her think there was something wrong with her, deep down. Thinking there was something amiss about her that she couldn't fix, that she was unwanted, unlovable. It fueled a lot of her reckless and wild behavior. If it wasn't for Altar reigning her in, who even knows what would've happened. He gave her focus. Her mother eventually, under the guise of caring about the family's public image, of course, talked George into keeping her in the family for legal reasons. But it took him a long time to come to that decision and she had to build herself up from nothing on her own after that." her shoulder shrug, her hands up in defeat.

"That man." Alfie nods, his face red and his brow almost hiding his eyes. "That man did this to my Chanah?" he chokes out, his throat tight.

Claire looks at him with pity, knowing how much it hurt to know something like that about someone you loved. She simply nods.

"Has he had any contact with her since? She acted like she saw a ghost."

"She's been forced to be civil in social dinner situations. Her father kept inviting him, so even if she came home he was there and she eventually stopped going."

His heart breaks, his blood pumps faster, his face seems as if he's looking far away. His eyes narrow and twitch, darting back and forth in their clear overload of emotion. He knew this meant there had been no remorse from his man's end and he didn't feel bad in the least for about what he was about to do to him. In fact, he had started to feel a lot better about it. Certain things about your behavior start to make a lot more sense. Overwhelmed didn't begin to cover how he felt. He clears his throat as he felt a bit as if he were drowning in his emotions, both for your sake and his. "I am going to make him pay. For what he did to her. For what I'm sure he's done to others like her." he points at the door.

"I wish I could say I was against it." she shakes her head, her face now sad, lost in memories. "But I'm not. If you tell her after the fact, I can let you go. Because she deserves peace. Seeing her like that tonight I..." she swallows and wipes her face quickly as a tear threatens to show.

"I saw it too." he says with a nod.

"Nothing scares her anymore and she was..."

"Terrified."

"Yes." she nods and sighs. "I was hoping she had put it behind her but..." she shrugs. "Things like that don't fade so easily." she almost mumbles, but Alfie is close enough to hear.

"They do not." he says in agreement. "I will tell her, yeah? I will be careful. I will make him pay for what he's done to our girl. Be sure of that. She won't let me kill her father, but I will kill this man." he gives a stern nod.

"Be quick." Claire manages a whisper. "He doesn't deserve it but the sooner you're back-"

"The betta, yeah, I know." he says standing back up straight, fixing his coat and moving towards the door. "Thank you Claire. For telling me."

She gives a sad smile a nod. "I believe you to be the man for her. I wouldn't tell you otherwise. She's a complicated woman who has been through a lot and if I can share things like this with you and her not know I told you, then your ability to handle her better is worth the minor betrayal on my behalf."

"And I thank you for it. She will not know it was you. I guarantee that. I will be back as soon as I can." he gives a curt nod and with that, he disappears into the night to do the devil's work.

@fangirlfreakingout @jaegeeeeer @cosettewinchester @lookuptheskyisfalling-blog @brianaisasongbird @cry5t4l-w4rri0r @iliveonchocolateandnetflix @jess2464 @hardygal69 @thegarrisonpublichouse @a-flock-of-angry-pigeons @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @musingsby-night @wtf-is-wrong-with-this @shine-dont-shadow @inkinterrupted @vale0413 @lafayettes-baguettes-1 @sxlomons @aphnxrising @emerald-bijou @elaenom @give-jack-a-lightsaber @anrm1 @ultrablackwidower @tinastarkandco @arrowswithwifi   @marvelgirl7 @they-are-not-just-stories   @ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes

[thetravelerwrites]

Commitments: Part 2 (Gargoyles Fanfic)

Rating: Teen Fandom: Disney’s Gargoyles Relationships: Goliath x Elisa Maza Additional Tags: Marriage, Wedding Day Trigger Warnings: Light Language, Sex Mention Words: 3443

It's the day of the ceremony. Elisa has a heart to heart with her mother and father. Please leave feedback!

October 24th, 1999: Goliath and Elisa had chosen this date for the ceremony because it was five years to the night of their first meeting, when he had plucked her from the sky after, admittedly, scaring her off a parapet.

Unfortunately, their union could only be symbolic and not legal. It would also have to be a secret from everyone except for their family and closest friends, but they figured, what else is new? Elisa had long been a target of hate groups for merely having alleged, unconfirmed connections to the Gargoyles, and coming out publicly as one of their staunchest supporters hadn’t done her any favors, but openly marrying a Gargoyle would not only have been extremely controversial, it could have cost her her job, home, safety, and possibly even her freedom.

After talking with Amy, Goliath’s public defender who now acted as the Gargoyles’ legal representation in all civil matters, he had learned that there was a law prohibiting humans from marrying any being that was not also human, regardless of level of sentience or intelligence. Which meant that Elisa’s relationship with Goliath was technically bestiality and as such, illegal. Attempting to obtain a marriage license could have landed them both in jail.

There had been no such law as of 1997, Amy had told him, and she surmised the law had been pushed through in secret around the same time the Gargoyle Civil Rights Movement was being fought in court.

Eighteen months after Gargoyles had become public knowledge, the Gargoyles of the Manhattan Clan and many of their allies had testified in front of a grand jury for the Gargoyles’ very right to exist without persecution. After a lengthy battle and many sacrifices and concessions, they had won.

Following the trial, a bill had been passed granting the Manhattan Clan American citizenship, basic civil rights, and put them on the endangered species list, which automatically protected them against unlawful imprisonment, exploitation, experimentation, assault, and murder.

Before the GCRM, ending a Gargoyle’s life had no legal ramifications whatsoever, but after the bill was passed, the act of killing a Gargoyle while they were awake had been classified as murder. Any person responsible for the killing of a Gargoyle could face up to 25 years in prison.

Destroying a stone Gargoyle was seen as a “common law murder” and carried with it a much lesser sentence, but the prosecution would have to prove that the stone statue the defendant destroyed was a living gargoyle. Otherwise it was simply malicious property damage, though it could possibly be tried as a hate crime.

The bill also protected any human that associated with the Gargoyles from retaliation or discrimination, which finally allowed Elisa the chance to proudly support her friends for the entire world to see. It felt great to stand with them as an advocate after hiding them and keeping her friendship with them a secret for so long.

Despite this historic victory for their kind, there was still much prejudice and hatred toward Gargoyles and the people who stood up for them. Their bold willingness to take on public opinion had afforded them some liberties, but in the eyes of the world, Gargoyles were still practically animals, and the bill had done nothing to change that.

 There were new laws in place to protect Gargoyles against threats and violence, but seemingly nothing to defend them from discrimination. In fact, several xenophobic laws that had not previously existed prior to the GCRM seemed to have quietly popped up out of nowhere.

There was a law that protected the right of any public, private, or federally owned business to refuse service to Gargoyles, including hospitals and clinics. Gargoyles also could not secure a job, license, or any property that exceeded $2000 unless they could procure a valid social security number, while at the same time there was a law prohibiting Gargoyles from legally obtaining a social security number. Gargoyles were also barred from attending any state funded schools, including trade programs, and could not earn any certificate, diploma, or degree. Amy was working to change the laws, but progress was slow and she was meeting opposition from all sides.

It baffled Goliath and infuriated Elisa, who was now forced to uphold these ridiculous laws. She hated it. It was unconstitutional and disgusting and she loathed every second that she had to be a part of it. It very nearly caused her to quit the justice system altogether, because this wasn’t justice, it wasn’t freedom, it wasn’t the same system that had convinced her to join the police force in the first place.

This was a perversion of civil liberties, bigots hiding behind a mask of equality, using the publicity of the Movement as a distraction to quietly impose their will on her friends without anyone realizing it. It made her sick to her stomach, mostly because there was nothing she could do to fix it.

The only thing stopping her from planting her boot firmly inside someone’s rear end the next time she heard the term “flying rats” was Goliath’s steady patience and temperance. He constantly reminded her that no one couldn’t stop them from affirming their love for each other, regardless of these new laws. He didn’t care who found out or how many jail cells he’d have to sleep in, he was committed to becoming her mate and nothing would stand in his way.

He loved her; nothing else mattered. He told her this every night, and every night she needed to hear it just to maintain her daily composure. But she was still angry.

The day of the ceremony arrived cool and comfortable. Elisa awoke at noon in her parent’s apartment, where Beth, Maggie, and Derek had also been staying, not just for moral support but protection in case word got out.

Since there were six hours until sundown, the process of getting ready was leisurely and relaxed. Elisa had decided to forgo several things considered normal for a wedding. There would be no bridesmaids or groomsmen, no flower girl or ring bearer, no best man or maid of honor. How would they choose one, anyway?

The ceremony itself would be short and simple with no frills or embellishments, other than Goliath and Elisa reciting vows that they had written for each other.

One thing would be done according to tradition, her father insisted, was walking her down the aisle himself. The ceremony would be taking place in the main hall of Castle Wyvern. Goliath would be standing at the fireplace with Diane with all their friends and loved ones gathered around them, and Peter would hand her off to Goliath. But, she said pointedly, he would not be giving her away as if she were property. Peter had held up his hands in acquiescence, laughing.

She wouldn’t be wearing a wedding dress; she instead wore a simple gown made of sapphire blue satin, to match the ring, with a low back and a short train. Attached to the straps was a small glass lily suspended on a silver chain that would dangle halfway down her spine. It was sleek and elegant with just a hint of slink. Beth had bought it for her in New Orleans during her post-semester vacation a few months ago, before Goliath had even asked Elisa to wed him. She and Beth often didn’t see eye to eye on fashion, but she had to admit this dress seemed like it was made for her.

She wouldn’t wear a veil or carry a bouquet, either. She did put her hair up, though, held back with a kanzashi in the shape of a blooming peony that Katana had given her as a wedding gift.

An hour before sundown, Elisa and her party loaded into two taxis and headed toward the Eyrie building. Maggie and Derek took to the rooftops and likely would arrive at the castle before them.

As they approached the building, Elisa had to admit she was feeling nervous. She tapped her foot anxiously and wrung her shaking hands.

“Wedding jitters?” Diane asked, sitting beside her.

“Yeah, I guess,” Elisa replied shakily.

Diane laid a calm, warm hand on her daughter’s cold, clasped ones. “Second thoughts?”

“No,” Elisa said firmly. “None whatsoever. I love Goliath. Marriage is unnatural for Gargoyles; he’s only doing this for me. And I want this, Mom. I really want this.” She shook her head and exhaled a trembling breath. “I don’t even know why I’m so nervous.”

Diane laughed gently. “It’s completely natural to be a little nervous, sweetheart. I needed several bellinis and a shot of tequila to marry your father, and even then, I thought I might ruin his shiny new shoes. Of course, that could have been the tequila.”

Elisa breathed a soft laugh. She looked at her mother shrewdly. “You’re really okay with this, aren’t you? Me and Goliath, I mean?”

“Of course I am, baby,” Diane said. “I want you to be happy. If Goliath makes you happy, then that’s what I want for you.”

“Dad wasn’t so sure.”

“Yes, but that’s just how fathers are, Elisa,” Diane tutted. “Remember your first boyfriend, Lucas?”

At that, Elisa laughed out loud. “Junior prom, first date, Dad sitting at the dinner table, cleaning his guns. How could I forget?”

“He did that with every boy you brought home,” Diane chuckled. “He also really liked giving those boys a rundown of all his arrests and showing them awful case files, just to shake them up.”

“Ricky ran from the house before I had time to get dressed for our date, remember? He was too scared to even look at me in class for weeks.” Elisa laughed.

Diane nodded, and they found themselves in a fit of giggles, holding each other. After a moment, they tittered to a stop.

“Goliath isn’t intimidated by Dad’s gun collection,” Elisa said.

“No, that he is not,” Diane agreed. “To be honest, honey, those boys you dated before were no match for you. You need a man who is just as strong as you are, even if he isn’t exactly a man. You’re good together. You’re a lifeline for each other. That’s something you don’t just give up on because it’s hard; the trials are what make it all worthwhile. And the two of you have had your fair share of trials. You have earned each other. Nothing else is important.”

Elisa smiled gratefully at her mother and hugged her around the shoulders.

“Thank you, Mama,” She said.

“Always, baby girl,” Her mother replied, returning her hug.

The taxis pulled into the private carport reserved for the Xanatos family. Xanatos had given Elisa and her family a code to use so they could avoid getting out in the company parking complex or in the street outside.

Peter and Beth had exited first, and Peter opened Elisa’s door and offered Elisa his hand, who smiled up at him and accepted it. She walked arm-in-arm with her father to the elevator, with Beth and her mother trailing behind, holding hands.

The sun was going down as the elevator opened to the top floor. The Maza family walked out into the open courtyard to reach the private room just off the main hall, and could see the Gargoyles on their perches in the red-gold light of sunset.

Unlike the other Gargoyles, who faced outward in their typical vigilant poses, Goliath stood inward, straight as a rail, head bowed, with his wings folded around him. According to him, this was traditional gesture for when a Gargoyle declared their intentions for another. It was also traditional to stand in the perch of one’s intended mate, but Elisa didn’t perch, so that aspect was overlooked.

Waiting for them in the private room was Derek and Maggie, who had arrived first as Elisa predicted. Owen had rather thoughtfully put out a small refreshments table for the bridal party. Xanatos had offered to throw them a big wedding with a reception and everything, which Elisa had refused in no uncertain terms. This smaller touch was much more fitting.

Also in the room were the stone figures of Angela and Broadway, crouched defensively around their egg. They were understandably protective of it and had taken to sleeping in this room during the day, as it was far more secure than standing out in the open over a one hundred and thirty story drop. Since the castle no longer had a rookery, and even if it did, keeping a single egg in there would be superfluous, the anxious parents-to-be took to guarding their precious cargo closely. When they were awake, the bundle never left Angela’s arms. Even during missions, Broadway and Angela took turns staying with the egg, keeping it within view at all times.

Elisa understood. It took a very long time for Gargoyle children to be born: six months gestation in the body of the female and then a full ten years as an egg. Elisa thought nine months was a long time to wait for a baby. She couldn’t even imagine the kind of apprehension and patience it took to wait for over a decade to meet your own child.

But, she reflected, if that’s what it took even for humans, she would do it. She would do anything to have a child. Before she met Goliath, it wasn’t something she had given much thought. Back then, she was much more focused on her career and wasn’t sure if she even wanted kids. If and when she decided she did, she figured she had plenty of time. Now that she knew it wasn’t a possibility with Goliath, it was all she could think about.

Elisa had talked to Beth and Maggie about it the night before. Maggie lamented that she wasn’t sure her augmented body was capable of bearing children or what effects her’s and Derek’s altered DNA would have on them. Beth and her girlfriend Serena, both only 21, had no interest in children. They both sympathized with her, but what could be done?

In Goliath, Elisa had found her true equal and soul mate. She was overjoyed to be with him and wouldn’t change a thing about their relationship, other than more social acceptance. Her mother was right, they had earned each other and they deserved to be happy. A child wouldn’t necessarily make it that much better, but still. Still. It would always be in the back of her mind, the one thing just out of reach.

Just as they settled in, cracks began to form in Angela’s and Broadway’s stone exterior. Instead of the normal explosive way they shed their skin, they carefully shifted this way and that to slither out of their cocoon, diligent even in sleep about protecting their offspring.

“Elisa!” Angela exclaimed upon seeing her, rising to her feet. “You look lovely!”

“Thanks, Angela,” Elisa said, embracing her.

“Are you nervous?” Angela asked as Broadway came up behind her, holding the egg.

“A bit,” Elisa said.

“I’ve never seen a human wedding before,” Broadway said. “Other than on T.V.”

“Neither have I,” Angela said.

“Well, this won’t be your average wedding, Big Guy,” Elisa said. “I dumped a bunch of the traditional stuff I didn’t think was necessary. This’ll be pretty bare bones compared to most other ceremonies.”

The door opened. Lexington, Brooklyn, and Katana entered the room with Matsuko, who had her tail wrapped around her father’s hand.

It was an odd contrast to see Brooklyn next to Lexington now, who had at one point been his and Broadway’s equal in age. Brooklyn no longer crouched when at rest anymore; that was apparently a trait among young Gargoyles or ones on the smallish side, like Lexington. Brooklyn had aged over forty years in the time stream, though it was more like twenty in equivalent human years, and his countenance reflected it. He stood much taller than before and straight as a post next to his mate, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Elisa felt a little like Lexington had gotten the short end of the stick. Compared to Broadway and Brooklyn, who were both mated and fathering children, Lexington seemed a little left out. He was always his usual cheerful self, though, and never seemed bitter about how things were.

“This is so exciting!” He said brightly. “Aren’t you excited?”

“That’s one word for it,” Elisa said wryly.

Katana grinned to see her gift in Elisa’s hair. “It suits you,” she said. Brooklyn smiled fondly at her.

“I love it, thank you again,” Elisa said.

“Goliath is in the Main Hall,” Brooklyn said, his voice deeper than it used to be. “He and the others are setting up and getting ready.”

“We’d better join them,” Derek said, nodding to the others in the room. All except Elisa and her father moved toward the door.

“Hey, guys, before you go,” Elisa said, addressing her Gargoyle companions and her family. “I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to have you all in my life. You guys have been the best friends I’ve ever had, and I don’t know how to thank you for it. I know that this is all a little alien to you, and I’m honored that you’re all a part of it. I don’t know who I would be without you and I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate each of you. I love you guys.”

“Aw, Elisa,” Lexington said shyly. “We love you, too.”

“I look forward to becoming part of your family,” Angela said. “My father loves you. His joy is my joy.”

“We’d better get going,” Diane said. “I need to get into position and prepare Goliath for the ceremony.”

Elisa nodded. They hadn’t done a rehearsal. This was all being done with no prep-work, largely because the ceremony itself was going to be short and to the point, so they hadn’t felt the need for it. Elisa was rethinking this now, perhaps a bit too late.

The others left to get into their places, leaving her alone with Peter. He held out his hands for hers, and she took them, facing her father and willing herself not to cry.

Peter shook his head, smiling gently at her. “I can’t believe it.”

“What?” Elisa asked.

“My baby girl. My firstborn. Getting married.”

Elisa laughed. “Technically. Not legally.” She looked up at him, wincing. “Does that bother you?”

Peter shrugged. “Laws change. In ten years time, who knows? Maybe you’ll renew your vows with a real license in hand.”

“One can dream,” Elisa said wistfully. She looked up into her father’s eyes. “I’m glad you and Mom are being so cool about all of this. I can’t imagine what you thought when Goliath first spoke to you about it.”

“Well, to be honest, we’d have supported it regardless. Nothing Goliath could have said would have actually mattered,” Peter replied.

Elisa frowned. “Why not?”

“Because I trust my children,” Peter said. “If he had asked you and you said yes, there must have been a damn good reason for it. Even if I don’t fully understand it, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad decision. You’ve always been a good kid, Elisa. You were the one out of all your siblings I never had to worry about. You always had a good head on your shoulders. Hell, you never even had a rebellious phase, and you could have been a real monster if you wanted to be.”

Elisa flinched at the use of the word monster.

“Sorry,” Peter said. “Not what I meant. I should have said disaster.”

She playfully nudged him, laughing a little.

“You’re smart, Elisa,” Peter continued. “Smarter than your old man ever was. If you say this is what’s right for you, how am I supposed to argue?” He pulled her into a hug. “I’m here for you, kid, no matter what.”

She squeezed him tight. “I don’t deserve you guys.”

“Yes, you do,” Peter said. “You deserve the world. What kind of dad would I be if I didn’t give my little girl the world?”

A knock came at the door and Brooklyn peeked his head in. Peter and Elisa parted.

“Everyone’s ready,” He said. Elisa nodded with a shaky smile of thanks, and he withdrew.

“This is it,” Peter said. “Ready?”

“Yes.” Elisa closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, holding it for a five count. She exhaled slowly, opened her eyes, and said, “Lets go.”

He extended his elbow and she hooked her arm through it. Straightening her spine, she let her father lead her out of the room.

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience! To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[polar-stars]

✂️ Tori/Suzume (This one was way too perfect), (I couldn’t find the emoji for this one, but it’s the your muse finds mine injured) Hibiki/Akio and ☁️ Nana/Hiroshi

Alright then! I hope I won’t mess up and that you’ll enjoy them ;w;

Tori/Suzume - Our muses discover to have a common enemy/rival…and decide to collaborate

There are many things that are just quite frankly impossible. Like staying alive when falling into a pit of lava, traveling at the speed of light, walk on water or having Tori Isshiki and Ichiro Eizan in the same room and somehow maintaining peace. 

All it took was them merely having eye contact and already they were at each other’s throats. To some amusing, to some tiring but certainly not in anyway peaceful. 

“Your presence sickens me!”

“Great to know that we’re on equal terms!”

“Just go to hell, Isshiki!” With that her number one enemy stormed out of the room, while she huffed in annoyance and sat down. How could one human being just consist out of so many irritating traits? No word came even close to describe the immense hatred Tori held for her fellow Elite Ten member.

While already planning her insults for their next banter which could pretty much happen any time if she was being honest, suddenly a girl was sitting next to her. She had long, wild blonde her, purple eyes, a red fan in her hands and a friendly grin on her lips. “Heya!” She said, 

With a little bit of surprise in her eyes, Tori turned to the girl and pulled up an eyebrow. “Uhm…Good Day?” The girl immediately held out her hand and laughed. “Hojo Suzume! Sorry, for just sitting next to you out of the sudden. If you want to be alone, I will leave. However…” Her laughter faded but she was still smiling. “I just couldn’t help it as I saw that we seem to have a similar problem.” She leaned a little bit towards Tori, like she was exchanging top-secret information. “An Eizan-problem.” 

Still a little unsure what to think about this girl, Tori still decided to shake the hand and introduce herself. “Nice to meet you, Hojo-san. My name is Isshiki Tori.” She then tilted her head a little. “And I would appreciate it if you would be a little more precise.” 

Suzume chuckled at this before announcing. “Watch this.”

She turned her head away and chirped in a lot more louder voice. “Oooh, Four-Eyeees~” 

On the other side of the room a person that was, much to her displeasure, familiar to Tori looked up from his mobile phone, eyes glaring and face dived in shadows. “Fuck off.” Was the mere response that Suzume got.

Suzume began to laugh again. “Right back at you, Eizan! Just wanted to ask how your day was so far? Been nauseating as always? Or did it finally dawn to you that you’re literally everything wrong with the world?” 

Once again Shigeo Eizan looked up. Now even more annoyed. “Hojo, why don’t you just do us all a favor and just die already?” 

Suzume turned back to Tori. “Isn’t he just charming?” 

Tori’s face had took on another annoyed expression when she had listened to this conversation. It must be the surname, nothing good could come out of it.

She sighed and adjusted her glasses. “I see what you mean.” Her voice became sharp and hard. “Except for Eizan Kei, all Eizans are terrible.” Energetically Suzume nodded and exclaimed: “You took the words right off my mouth! Except for poor little Kei who has to deal with two of them daily, they’re all just so awful!” 

Tori couldn’t help but to nod as well, just not as energetic as Suzume did. Before she frowned a little. Suzume seemed like a rather loud person and had the moment Tori admittedly had enough loud people in her life. However, this girl was also one who could truly understand her hatred for Ichiro like not many could. “I guess, you really are correct on us forming a sort off…..alliance in this matter.”

Suzume’s grin grew a little bit. “Tori-chan, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.“

“Alliance.”

“Of course.” 

-

Hibiki/Akio - Your muse finds mine injured

An unfortunate placed rock on the road had caused Hibiki Hayama to trip and fall on his way home. Now he sat there all alone, his leg dripping a little bit of plot and hurting like what not. 

All he needed was a medical kit. That would solve everything. However, it was hard to get something like this in the middle of nowhere. 

He was just trying to stand up so he could walk home himself as he suddenly heard a concerned, familiar voice. “Hibiki-san!” And just mere seconds after is technical brother Akio Hayama was beside them, looking at him worriedly. “How…How did this happen?”

Hibiki only smiled, hoping that this would calm Akio down a little. “I tripped over a rock.” 

The concern did not leave Akio’s face yet and he inquired. “Can…Can you walk? Ohh, if only Kaori was here. She is much more experienced in medical matters than I am.” 

“It’s….It’s admittedly a little hard to walk yet, but I’ll manage.” Hibiki answered. “And it’s fine. I could deal with this myself, if only I had a medical kit.”

At this Akio’s eyes grew and he responded. “I…I have one!” Hibiki blinked. “You do?”

Akio gave a nod and reached for his bag which he had thrown away when running towards the injured Hibiki. “I always carry one alongside with me in case something should happen to Hiraku-sama!” 

He began searching his bag and truthfully to his words he pulled out a little medical kit which he immediately gave into Hibiki’s hands, who gave him a sweet smile. “Thank you, that’s a great help.”

Within just a few minutes, Hibiki had taken care of the wound. 

Akio assisted him standing up and supported him throughout the whole walk.

“I’ll cook something for you at home.”

“Oh, you don’t have to! I’m sure you’re busy.” 

“No, I insist!” 

“Alright, alright, but then at least let me brew some tea.” 

-

Nana/Hiroshi - Our muses find shelter from the weather…in the same place

Of course the weather app had said nothing about rain today. Well, at least her flowers in the garden would get some water. 

Quickly Nana searched her surroundings and finally spotted as little temple near her. She began to run, so she could escape the raindrops as quick as possible. 

And in just a few seconds, she had reached the little temple. 

On the other side of the temple, a young boy with the same hair color as Nana had the same idea and so it happened that the two teens arrived simultaneously from two different directions, both dripping wet and both staring at each other with round, surprised eyes before calling out.

“Nana-chan!” “Hiroshi-kun!”

After that a small little silence of the two just looking at each other emerged. Nana broke it. “Hello then! I guess we had the same idea.” She smiled warmly. “It’s nice to know that I don’t have to be alone waiting for the sun to show up again.”

Hiroshi shyly raised his hand and answered. “H…Hello and yes, I guess you could say so.” He then returned her smile, a little bit more unsurely and said. “I always like spending time with you, Nana-chan.” 

“Same here.” Nana responded. She then sat down on the cold stone floor of the temple and suggested. “So why don’t we talk a little? Maybe about..” Their favorite topic. “..The Polar Star Garden in each of our universes.” 

Hiroshi still fumbled with his fingers a little but sat down as well. “That’s a nice suggestion, Nana-chan.” 

And so the two managed to talk the rain away with not only conversations about vegetables but also various other things.

[junionigiri]

BNHA Rarepair Month - Day 17 - Future

for @bnha-rarepair-month​ -- waaah im late

Summary: Shiozaki Ibara is concerned about Hatsume Mei's future.

Relationship: Shiozaki Ibara / Hatsume Mei (ShioMei)

Rating: T

Warnings/Notes: Flanderized, yandere!Shiozaki (but I don’t think it’s as extreme as it could be)... also, OOC Mei

Links: AO3 | FFNet

The moment Hatsume Mei lay her eyes over Shiozaki Ibara, she knew that this girl will be the end of her.

She can’t even remember how their paths crossed. Mei isn’t one to remember names or faces of her classmates or of her clients in the hero courses, instead she remembers them by their distinct traits and the support items they use--for example, billboard muffler-legs and broken-arms with supports and brainwasher with artificial vocal cords. She can probably pick them out in a crowd and tell you with confidence how the items she’d lovingly made worked with their quirks. But ask her about who that person is, their hero names, what they stand for? She'd probably stare at you quizzically, with a I don't understand the question and I refuse to acknowledge it kind of expression on her face, and resume working on her babies.

Yet, Shiozaki Ibara… of course the first name she remembers is hers. It's baffling and astonishing that Hatsume Mei recognizes a human being other than Powerloader-sensei,  and she is loath to admit that fact to anyone, even herself.

She remembers her as clearly as the blueprints to her baby jetpack legs--a girl from one of the hero classes who thinks that most hero costumes are useless vanities and support items are massive displays of human arrogance. “One needs only their God-given quirks to fight,” she declared loudly enough for Mei to hear, as a response to some extra or another who asked her why she has chosen to fight her battles in nothing but a flimsy white pillowcase. Without even bothering to wear sandals, even in the wintertime. Her power remains fearsome, all the same.

It’s impressive to many, yet all Mei sees is, funnily enough, a massive display of human arrogance.

For the first time ever, the machinist feels a strong human emotion for a fellow human being, and not a machine. And of course, of all things, it has to be contempt. Granted, Mei doesn’t know that it’s contempt at first, because all her life she’s never felt anything but detachment for organic life-forms.

Which is why, on this fateful encounter with her, Mei declares her beliefs loudly for the thorny girl to hear. “I don’t believe in God, I believe in science.” And she does it while she’s working on one of her latest babies, the leg-engine glasses dude’s set of armor. It’s merely an experiment, of course, one that’s admittedly loaded with bias with poor outcome measures, but she tries it out just the same.

Shiozaki turns her frighteningly blank green eyes at her, and she knows her hypothesis is correct. Mei feels a little proud of herself for being able to produce a frown on that perfect angelic mug of hers.

She makes a show of ignoring her, instead keeps her eyes on the machines in front of her. From the corner of her eyes, she sees the mesmerizing way she moves, as if she’s walking on water on a dark and stormy night. The scent of olives tickles her nose, even through her face-mask, as the vine-girl comes closer to her.

“I see a lamb lost in the valley of the shadow of death.” Her voice is chilly as it enters Mei’s ears. A thorny vine curls around her neck and pricks the bottom of her chin lightly, as Shiozaki uses this to turn her head to face her.

“What was that? Sorry, I can't hear you over the sounds of sound scientific reasoning,” Mei quips, in a tone that’s hopefully sharper than her thorns.

Shiozaki stares at her, her mouth slightly agape at her retort. It’s satisfying only for a second, because in the next moment there’s an absolutely condescending look in those cold eyes. As if she’s looking at a wretched orphan caught stealing from the church coffers. “As I’ve said, I see you are truly lost. Swayed by earthly temptations, misguided by these these idolatrous adornments. You godless machinists are all the same.”

Mei is wearing a set of thick goggles and a face mask, but she finds herself fighting to keep a straight face at how piercing Shiozaki’s gaze is. The tightening vines around her don’t help, either.

She tries not to falter as she says with a challenging grin, “I’ll take godless machinist as a compliment, thank you. But do me a favor and not call my babies earthly temptations. They don't deserve being sullied by the likes of you.”

Shiozaki hums contemplatively. She keeps her two hands clasped in front of her, like she’s praying to God for strength and enlightenment. “A shepherd must return all sheep to its flock. What must I do to bring you to the path of righteousness and away from eternal damnation…?” she mumbles, blatantly ignoring Mei’s yelps as the vines keep winding around her, closer. Tighter.

Mei’s arms are bound to her side as they entwine around her like ropes. The thorns poke through her clothes and through her thick work gloves. They draw no blood, but perhaps they will if she struggles. It’s only a matter of time before the machinist is lifted off the ground by Shiozaki’s quirk.

“I for one, forgive you for all your transgressions, my little lamb. If I act quickly… I can see your future in striking, heavenly clarity, Hatsume Mei,” she says with an enlightened smile that’s creepy in all possible ways. “I know now what I must do.”

Before she can ask what she means by ‘her future in striking, heavenly clarity’--because it sounds suspiciously like the girl has every intention of sending her to the other side, if such a thing exists-- thick vines wrap around Mei’s mouth, sealing any and all future complaints. The scent of herbs and flowers floating across a quiet stream overwhelm all her senses, until her mind forgets the comforting and familiar scent of grease and iron and steel. Quickly, before she is able to struggle and let the thorns shred through her skin, Shiozaki is already calling out to the dim areas of the support office, “Powerloader-sensei, I am borrowing one of your disciples. I need to save her from eternal damnation.”

Mei starts to protest, but the blasted vines are still around her mouth. Powerloader is just a tad surprised at the development, but shrugs. “Um… sure, Shiozaki-kun. Can you feed her something while you’re at it? She hasn’t eaten anything in a day.”

“Ask and you shall receive. I shall feed both her body and spirit,” answers Shiozaki, already turning away. “For man cannot live on bread alone.”

Mei doesn’t need bread, she needs science! Besides, from this interaction alone, she’s sure that Shiozaki’s going to feed her tasteless flatbread without anything on it! Not that Mei would oppose to that--she’d eat anything, if she can eat it quickly and has enough nutrients to last her until her next meal 24 hours later.

Her sensei is unperturbed though. Even seems relieved that Mei’s having such a prolonged interaction with anybody else, even though that person happens to be someone with serious delusions of grandeur. “Uh, sure. That’d work. A bath would be nice too.”

“I shall submerge her body in waters as pure as the River Jordan and cleanse her spirit anew.”

More like slam-dunk her in a nonconsensual baptism! Some of the vines move, as if they’re ready to undress Mei as soon as Shiozaki wills it. She screams fruitlessly once more.

“And sleep?”

“If she is weary, she shall rest forever in the fields of Eden after I am done with her.”

“Okay, that’ll do. Thank you kindly.”

You Judas! Powerloader-sensei!!! While Mei isn’t one for biblical references, this is what she chooses to uselessly scream within the vines as she feels herself being carried away.

After she’s threatened to feed her bread, drown her, and take her to her eternal resting place with Powerloader-sensei’s blessing, she gives an eerie, self-satisfied smile up at the struggling Mei. “Worry not, little lamb. I shall be the angel who will guide you to the light.”

“Mmmmph!!!!” cries Mei, locking in her zoomy eyes over her beloved teacher, who looks a little too much like a man who’s suffered centuries of misfortune (or a semester full of explosions in his precious laboratory) suddenly had something right happen in his life for a change.

“No flirting in my office, please,” Powerloader calls out brightly as they leave the room.

[exolstice-blog]

Sweet Lies | Yixing

[A/N: this was requested by another anonie😖💕

genre: Criminal Investigator!AU , Criminal!AU , Angst , Fluff

group-member: EXO-Yixing

prompt: 25- Being somewhere you’re not supposed to be, (05) “You’re one of the most important things in my life.”

word count: 1885

ummm i actually had this idea for a while so im so happy I got to write it, I hope you all like it✨💓💓

It didn’t take long for you to realize you were in a position you shouldn’t entirely be in at all. 

Alright. Maybe you’d figured part of it when this child—as in, the-man-you-were-supposed-to-incarcerate’s child—threw her tiny arms around you like you were some kind of T.V-bonbon nanny. 

You weren’t much a kids person, not friendly and certainly not sweet. You’d lost all and any capability for sugar-coating the moment you joined the forces, just one in the many casualties of the whiplash of mental barbarity and callous reception. 

So, of course, you could only stand there around and about looking painfully uninterested when the kid began pulling dolls from her backpack so as to make up for the lack of conversation. 

“When is Papa coming?” The girl lifted her mellow gaze to you, doll discarded. Her eyes sparkled with the incredible endeavor of keeping herself from crying. God knew how she’d learned to pull the trick with Zhang Yixing for a father.

“He’ll be here shortly,” you said in as soft a voice you could summon as you looked outside the tarnished apartment window to the rundown street below. As convenient as it was to have some secret den in the worst part of the city—where it sure did not look safe at all and would totally be overlooked as a place to stay—you couldn’t give him all the credit. The move was smart, yes, but other plagues fouled the streets and therefore other things could get you killed. 

Luna seemed to understand that.

“I’m scared,” her fingers fluttered on her lap, arms tentatively rising in a gesture that craved for touch, for a hand to grasp her own. 

“You don’t have to be.” Really, she didn’t. You’d been trained to disarm a man double your weight, to shoot point blank without the needless gnawing feeling of contrition that brought you near to vomiting when the bullet shot straight through the back of his head.

But you weren’t just about to tell her that. You shook your head and shut your mouth, pushing yourself away from the window and coming closer to the girl.

“I’m here.”

That should be enough. You weren’t someone for pretty words and consolations, and so you couldn’t believe all that “it’s going to be alright” bullshit yourself, even more when—

“Thank you.” You stiffened again when her arms came around you, when she pressed her head like a little cat on your waist and hid her tears in your coat. 

Now, this shouldn’t be happening. Not when the existence of this girl was practically unknown to you still until barely a mere three days ago and specially not when you were betraying yourself (becoming all fluff and rainbows and all for this kid) for a man you’d started catching feeling for and whom you were supposed to investigate. 

So, yeah, you could only stand there, petting her head like the small creature that she was and wonder what the fuck was going on.

Then, the door creaked, and you had your gun out before it could be opened, shoving Luna behind you. A breath, your aim and—

“Papa!” 

You heaved a sigh with Yixing entering the room with a gun of his own, handing it to his right man when Luna ran and leaped to his arms. 

“My baby,” he seemed to be gasping, rocking the little one in an embrace, more to comfort himself than to appease her. “I’m so sorry.”

“I thought you wouldn’t come see me,” Luna was crying, having finally given in to what had put her in a trance all those hours that you’d waited.

Yixing clutched her tight, “You’re one of the most important things in my life. No, you are my life, my moon. If something happened to you...”

You swallowed, turning your back on the two and encasing your gun. You’d never seen Yixing so helpless, so at the mercy of something that involved not gunpowder and lead. Granted, you’d never encountered the one thing that made him the weakest.

Zhang Yixing was tranquil and numb in all his hushed ire, a demonic doll with a handsome hard cover and calculative death for stuffing. A man that lived up to the “highly-deceiving” “manipulative” and “vicious” that accompanied his name. 

The moment you met him you’d learned as much. Admittedly, you shouldn’t have ambushed his home without a permit and aimed your weapon at him, yes, but he shouldn’t have just almost dislocated your arm either. 

From then on, you were forced to work close to him and follow his every move, much to your, quite sickening, internal abhorrence of him. Yixing was acute, alright, and knew well you were reporting back everything you caught so he let you hang around, a gimmick he pulled so as to prove to you he wasn’t into the shady business his files said he was. 

And the guy did it right. You couldn’t yet prove how much of his records was certain but only that the “highly deceiving” part was well earned.

Yixing wrought you in a string of lies with darling words and daring gazes, blinded you out of all competence for setting apart right from wrong and good from bad with the upward tilt of his blushing lips. Introduced you to the bitter taste of failure with alcohol in them, but with the saccharine savor of his mouth that made it all feel worth it...

You shut your eyes harsh until you saw things, dark things that stung and weren’t him kissing your neck, anything that wouldn’t drive you close to delusion. 

You opened them again and turned your look back inside, away from the window that had hosted your little reverie. Luna was laughing now, showing her father a doll she mentioned to have borrowed from her friend, before she received a call saying he was waiting outside to pick her up. That was a lie, and someone wanting to hurt Yixing’s greatest treasure had been able to pull it. 

Luna, smarter than to be fooled by a car that wasn’t her father’s, sneaked away before being caught and hid for almost an hour when Yixing frantically called you and virtually demanded you to protect his daughter, which is how you’d ended up in that apartment in the first place.

You still wondered how he’d been able to know what went down and who was it that threatened Luna. Mentally, you took a note on questioning him later, you wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily when you could’ve just gotten a lead to proceed with your investigation.

“Go with Uncle Byun for a minute, alright my love?” Yixing kissed Luna’s forehead before standing up, cleaning off her tears tenderly and brushing back her hair before he looked at you. Oh, you needed to talk too, alright.

“Yes, Papa,” Luna followed the dark haired man who outstretched his hand to her, taking it for a second before letting go. She looked at you timidly before running and hugging your hips again, smiling, “Thank you, pretty lady.” With that she ran back to the man who took her hand cheerfully and let her out in high-spirited conversation. 

Yixing seemed to have regained a little bit of the color of his cheeks as he watched her go and sighed, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something—”

“Probably execute me first,” you deadpanned, crossing your arms and smiling like you meant it as a joke. Partially you did.

“Probably,” he grinned, walking up to you and claiming your mouth, fixing you in place by the strong hold of your jaw. Yixing, as it’d come to be the usual, tasted of liquorice and alcohol and was rough with his hands but kind with his lips. He was the embodiment of a flower that was delight with all its charms but that hurt when you touched it because it kept its thorns. Only that sometimes Zhang Yixing was all thorns. 

He pulled back flushed and bit his lip. His hair was pushed back and he was smiling some kind of way that was hazardous, that made that dimple that he had appear and drive you giddy.

It wasn’t fair. 

“Thank you,” Yixing rested his head on your shoulder, didn’t quite look at you. His hand grasped yours and, yes, it wasn’t fair, because he knew his way with deceptions and you couldn’t let out a word. “I could never be more at your mercy, if they’d hurt her—”

“Who is ‘they’?” You avoided his fingers tangled with yours and only looked ahead. Forget all kisses and touches, bottom truth was all of it was done for both your purposes and it was only a matter of time to see who accomplished theirs first. And you intended that to be you. 

Yixing stiffened and backed away and inch, smiling, “You don’t expect me to actually tell you, do you? They could hurt you too, and I don’t want to be responsible for it.”

“I won’t blame you, just tell me who they are.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that, I really don’t want something to happen to you.”

You laughed, retracting your hand from his, “And it won’t. Let’s stop playing pretense for a minute, alright. You know who I am and what I do. You know whatever this between us is is nothing but sweet lies and make-believe. I catch bad people for a living, Yixing, and whoever tries to abduct a six-year-old in plain daylight clearly qualifies as bad. And if you won’t let me catch them, I have all reason to think you’re trying to protect them.”

You knew you might have gone too far. Yixing developed a pallor that sickened you greatly. Of course, you shouldn’t have mentioned that last thing when he’d almost gone insane with his daughter at risk, how stupid of you. But you were mad, alright. You weren’t sure you could handle more of it, of his blasphemous touches and softer-than-feathers kisses, even if they were all but sweet lies. 

No, you didn’t want a liar, and you knew a bad guy when you saw one and Zhang Yixing was unquestionably and irrevocably one. 

He ran a hand through his hair and cursed, looking at you only reluctantly, “To think I liked you.”

“Fuck, Yixing, are we kids? Do you think I’m that stupid to believe you?” You gritted your teeth, maintaining your voice as low as possible and hoping the air wouldn’t carry it to wherever Luna was. 

Yixing sighed, shaking his head ‘no’, and turned to leave. And goddamn him because, somehow, any lie could be better now than to watch him go.  

“I thought I could have you by my side by doing this. I guess you really can’t expect too much from me and I can’t blame you.”

Yixing stopped on the threshold, then—

“It was her mother—Luna’s—when I said ‘they’.” He gave you one last glance. “I hope that was all you needed, officer.”

Zhang Yixing took all the sweet and lies that constituted him when he closed that door, leaving a liquor-bitter scent in your mouth if you closed your eyes and wanted him, if you wondered whether you had been the pretender all along.

 how did you like it 🍭?

[tensify]

Love Bouquet {Flowershop! Haechan}

Pairing: Haechan X Reader

Request: “hello!! can you do a haechan flower shop au please?”

Genre: Fluff; Flowershop! AU; College! AU; Bulleted Scenario

Word Count: 1727

Summary: Who knew your old high school crush would be helping you pass your floral design class in college?

you recently graduated from high school and are now attending university

when looking at your schedule, you notice that you were put in an elective class called floral design

confused, you talk to an administrator to get this all sorted out

because why would you want to take a floral design class when that wasn’t even close to being your major?

you were really hoping that you would be able to switch classes

unfortunately, you’re not able to

so now you were stuck with this floral design class that you didn’t even want

and you would have to attend the class because you needed to keep up your GPA in order to keep your scholarship

the first time you came attended the class, you thought to yourself, well this is easy

well you were wrong

the class was in the morning and you were always tired from staying up late to study that you fell asleep during this class

let’s just say you weren’t doing too hot and needed some extra help

except you didn’t know anyone in your class (because you were always asleep) so you couldn’t exactly ask for help

one day you notice that there’s a flower shop across from your favorite restaurant 

and you think to yourself, what if the florist there could help me?

but then you’re like nah because it would be weird for a random person to go in and say “can you help me with my homework?”

eventually you regret the decision to not go in

now you were desperate

you had a test next week and guess who didn’t understand any of the material???

you!!! 

bc you played yourself

desperate times called for desperate measures

you were going to go into the flowershop even if you were embarrassed 

because despite you always saying “C’s get degrees” you really didn’t want that as your grade

so you go into this dainty lil flowershop

and your eyes divert toward the counter where you see a familiar face

you see donghyuck, a boy who went to your high school

admittedly, you had a crush on him in high school

as did many others in the student body

he was cute, funny, and full of charms and charisma 

it was hard to not fall for him

you knew he attended the same university as you, but you’ve never really seen him around

seeing him again may have brought up your past attraction to him

you thought you were over him?

BAM! you caught feelings again

there was just something about him that made you fall for him even if you didn’t know him very well

back in high school, he would always make jokes during class and you remember just laughing your ass off at all his jokes

from what you observed, he had a great personality, it’s just you didn’t know much about him

but of course, you never really did get to know him more because you were always too scared to talk to him

but now you were standing right in front of him at this flowershop, not saying a single word

which was embarrassing on your part

you didn’t even know he worked here, which proved how little you knew about him

after a while, haechan speaks up “did you need something?”

im always using names interchangeably im really sorry if this bothers anyone

and you just freeze, your body going into fight or flight mode

realizing you’re making a complete fool of yourself, you decide to speak up before you embarrass yourself any longer

“do you happen to know anything about flowers?” you ask

you mentally face palm yourself because obviously he would if he was working here!!

maybe you wouldn’t have embarrassed yourself if you didn’t speak at all

“no, I’m working at a flowershop and no absolutely nothing about flowers” he says sarcastically

you’re taken aback from his words because you weren’t expecting it and you were already so nervous in front of him

you stutter on your words, not knowing what to say in response

donghyuck notices your flusterdness and apologizes

then you proceed to ask him if he could help you in your floral design class

which lead to a “i’m in your class!! but you probably didn’t know since you’re always sleeping”

curious, you ask him how he knew that because you swear you’ve never seen him in your class

“you sit in front of me. i always see the back of your head and it’s always on the desk”

now you’re like shit, since you discovered that your former crush sits behind you in class!!! and notices you sleeping all the time!!!

haechan agrees to help you with the class

so the next time you come to class you look behind you, and sure enough you see him

he gives you a small wave and you turn around feeling butterflies in your stomach

because boy was he cute!!

later that day you met him in the library so he could help you with the class

he brought a binder which had a bunch of pictures and descriptions of each flower

he was really focused on making you learn everything

but you couldn’t focus because of the cute boy next to you

your head felt fried, all the thoughts in your head just scrambling

does anyone else want eggs rn??

“hey, are you listening to me?” he asks

you snap out of your daze and nod your head yes

“i think we’re done for today, we can continue tomorrow”

so as you start to pack up your stuff, getting ready to leave

donghyuck is like “wait, y/n. i have something to as you”

and you’re not sure why, but you were scared bc what could he possible need to ask you?

“is it true...that you had a crush on me in high school? a lot of people told me you did but i didn’t know if it was true”

your eyes widened at the question

you just did not know how to respond

yes, it was true that you had a crush on him in high school and it was even true now that you have a crush on him now

it was embarrassing, you didn’t want him to know about your crush on him

“uhhhh” was all you could say

“don’t worry I had a crush on you too” he said

if it was even possible, your eyes had widened even more

you were shook™

letting out a nervous laugh, you proceed to gather all your things and leave

when you went home all you could think about was donghyuck and how he said he had a crush on you too

you wondered if he still did and if you could ever had a chance with him

for the next few days, you had awkward tutoring sessions

well they were for you

donghyuck acted like his normal self, cracking a few jokes and there

they were just awkward for you because you were shy and nervous around him

within the past few days, there were only a few things you remembered

and when asked for what you remembered, all you could say was “red roses mean love and desire, gardenias mean secret love, and red tulips were a declaration of love”

“that’s all you can remember?” he asks, because boy did he teach you way more than that. “they’re all about love”

here you are again, with the heat rushing to your cheeks

“uhm those are just the easiest ones to remember” you defend yourself

and he laughs at your cuteness

the next day was different

you notice he had a bouquet of flowers

all the the flowers you mentioned yesterday were in the bouquet

red roses, red tulips, and gardenias

thinking back to the day before, you recall that all these flowers meant love

“i made this flower arrangement for you” he says

you are in utter shock you could just not believe it

did lee donghyuck,,, really,,,just make a flower arrangement for you?

hE DID

“i’ve had a crush on you since the tenth grade” he confesses. “now it’s our freshman year of college and i figure it’s about time i do something about it”

now you’re a mess

but alls i can say is during this session you guys cutely keep looking at each other and smiling

he reaches to hold your hand and it’s warm and something about it is just so comforting

but to be honest you still don’t remember anything he tried to teach you

eventually, your days are numbered

your test was coming soon and you seriously haven’t remembered a thing

donghyuck came up with a new way of teaching you

this time, he was going to bring you bouquets of flowers and would teach you individually

and you could keep it too

that really did help you because it wasn’t like you were trying to learn this subject but it was like learning the meaning of a gift he gave you

soon enough, you were all set for that flower design class, thanks to haechan

you learn that you have aced the test about flowers and its meanings

you go into that cute little flowershop to see your now boyfriend and thank him

“can i get a bouquet of yellow tulips” you say

your boyfriend goes and prepares you a bouquet of yellow tulips

and as you’re about to pay, he stops you and tells you it’s on him

as soon as he hands it to you, you give it right back to him

“I remember that yellow tulips meant ‘sunshine in your smile’. yellow tulips remind me of you because your smile is my sunshine” you say

donghyuck just about made the biggest grin in his entire life

he was so happy and his grin went from ear to ear

it was so cheesy but he loved it

now i imagine dating donghyuck would be very sweet at first but like the evil maknae he is, there’s a turn

you can’t be around him without any roasting or pranks

sometimes he sends you orange lilies, which as pretty as it is, means hate

it means no harm because you know he loves you :)

what a cute fluffy relationship

goodbye and i think this is my favorite writing so far :’)

masterlist

[cineriia]

The evens B)

oh HELL YEAH 

2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad? 

never been abroad so i just automatically prefer staying in scotland, i wanna go up into the highlands this summer tho

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

STOVIES please if u ever come to scotland just ignore the haggis go straight for the fucking stovies or even just neeps and tatties those r so good as a side for scotch pies MMMMMMM

6. most hated song in your native language?

its a love hate thing

8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom?

i still have friends think im irish, a lot of people think i just have a really weird english accent (idk either) and a couple people have thought i was australian......idk man

10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language?

bawbag

12. what do you think about English translations of your favourite native prose/poem?

OH DONT GET ME STARTED like listen if i hear someone sing auld lang syne OR EVEN FLOWER OF SCOTLAND without the pronunciation or if someone tries to “””translate””” any robert burns poems then im gonna be dead inside even more than i already am 

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?

our movies are complete shit (except trainspotting which is a cinematic masterpiece) but our tv shows r fuckign hilarious i love them go watch still game

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

theres a lot.......admittedly our stereotypes are more annoying that harmful to how people see us but if i get one more person asking me if i have a kilt and bagpipes im gonna scream

idk about ones i agree with.....a lot of people see us as aggressive and i can agree BUT only partly...........like we’re aggressive when we fight for something we believe in, not in a physical bar fight kinda way if that makes sense???

18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language?

yea i speak lowland(?) scots (tho a lot of people dont class it as anything other than regional slang)

20. which sport is The Sport in your country?

football probably, our national team is terrible but we still like to give it a go n just have a laugh (but we take our games against england very seriously...........last time they had a game n we scored i deadass heard my entire street start cheering)

22. what makes you proud about your country? what makes you ashamed?

im a very proud person when it comes to my country......but we do like to play the victim too much, yknow??? like im proud that we stood against people who literally wanted to wipe us out and we fought for what we believed in in the past, and modern day we’re working towards making scotland a much more accepting and welcoming country.

BUT as much as we like to play the accepting and lovely scots that we want to be, we’re fucking dickheads like just 1 of many examples in our history look up the highland clearances that was literally scots vs scots and then modern day??? i cant speak for other areas but where i live its fucking full of racist pricks who still feel the need to get angry if they see something they dont like or dont accept 

idk the scottish media likes to portray us as a sweet and beautiful country and sure some areas are absolutely lovely and are full of welcoming and accepting people, but they always seem to avoid showing the more poverty stricken areas where harmful attitudes are too common???? the lower class just gets brushed to the side in favour of showing all these trendy areas in edinburgh or glasgow or hell even the city center in dundee where i live its just annoying

24. what other nation is joked about most often in your country?

we take the absolute piss out of america and england, then i feel like we have a mutual piss taking contest w ireland

26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal?

not really?? the few scottish actors in hollywood end up changing their accent to fit in w the movie (james mcavoy in xmen, karen gillan in the mcu are the first i think of) and then we always get shown as the drunk comic relief who usually dies early on 

28. does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? do you have favourites?

do i even need to answer this scotlands like 99% mountains lakes and rivers 

30. do you have people of different nationalities in your family?

not that i know of, i mean theres probably some irish relatives that we dont know about but thats probably it lmao

so can u tell i love being scottish

[artificialqueens]

Meat and greet (Trixya) ~ Evelyn°c

AN: I saw the fic challenge and i was truily inspired. Somwhere along the line i associated Anatomy, Flawless and Crispy with a cannibal AU. Its a weird concept, and the fic ended up going on alot longer than i expected. Also its set in England for some reason. ENjoY!!,!.!

Dear Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova

You are cordially invited to the annual feast of baroness needles, and we would be delighted to have you cater for the event. Im sure you are already aware of the guests unconventional tastes and trust you will prepare each dice of meat to the highest quality. We await your reply, and presence at the table.

Yours faithfully, Alaska~ ~

Of corse the invite was no surprise. It had been this way for the past four years. She’d chopped, diced, seasoned and minced food for the best. Baronesses, Countesses, even Queens.

Katya took another glance at the finely inked words on the parchment in front of her. She rolled her thumbs over the flat surface of the paper, it felt like it was probably worth more than her entire existence.

The words burnt into her mind. Unconventional tastes. Thats certainly one way to put it. Nothing about this was conventional. She choked the rising feeling of dread back down into the pit of her stomach as she looked up from the paper to the stone structure ahead of her.

She found herself on the infamous driveway of Sharon’s mansion. Anybody who was anyone had been here, gawking at the archaic stone structure and probably questioning their decision to visit. The sunrise casted a silhouette of abject terror over Katya.

The nicest way to describe it would be intimidating, but even this was a push. The walls were draped in ivy and lichens, spilling from each crevice, crack and gargoyle the mansion contained. The stone itself was less of a grey, more a stained black, presumably from the years of moss swallowing the building. Twisted trees with dislocated branches splintered in the distance, bearing no leaves.

The thick fog rolling over the valley didn’t exactly ease the atmosphere either. Katya began her trudge up the drive feeling the gravel underfoot envelope her heel with a satisfying crunch, the feint buzz of light coming from the tinted windows just visible as it soaked into the mist.

The only thing spookier was probably Baroness needles herself.

Katya felt the sting of cold air knife her as she grasped the edges of her jumper, knuckles turning white. She let out a drawn breath before finally making it to a large regal door, equipped with a bronzed knocker in the shape of a serpents face. She ran her hands through her frizzy blonde hair taking in the feeling of deja vu.

The cook gave a brief knock, awaiting a response. Of corse Alaska or Sharon themselves wouldn’t answer, it would be one of their various butlers unfortunate enough to find employment there.

Katya leaned on the frame of the door, observing the landscape. Thorn bushes never yielded any type of flower in the vast courtyard, and any pond with once running water was reduced to a thick mass of brown and black algae. Sharon had inherited the mansion but god knows how. Her chats with Baroness needles were normally limited to food preparation, so much of her past was unbeknownst to Katya.

Alaska on the other hand was a more sharing individual. She’d stop by the mansion kitchen every now and then, maybe ask for advice on what colour to wear then and wander off. Katya could only imagine what drew Alaska and Sharon to marry in the first place, but she had a feeling Alaska’s lust for money had some role in the matter.

Nothing about Alaska and Sharron’s wealth was subtle. They flaunted it. Every social event, every gathering, they wore crowns and jewels supplied by countries Katya couldn’t even pronounce. They threw events left right and centre, but this event was special.

Not because the guests were royalty, not even because of the excessive amount of cash being flaunted. It was special because the dish Katya would be serving was human flesh.

Admittedly, this was an acquired taste, but Katya was never one to judge a pallet, especially that of the richest people in the country. She liked to treat it as any other dish she prepared. Any other shank of lamb, any other belly of pork.

Katya could picture the stiff pale body in the middle of the cold metallic table. She could picture the apron she’d been so used to, draping around her form, covered in copper blood, rusted and brown. She could picture the blank milky eyes staring into Katya’s blue ones, eyelids peeled back from de-hydration.

She had become accustomed to the anatomy of the human body very well at this point. She knew what flesh tasted good with what kind of wine, and what parts were rendered useless and chucked outside for the crows. She could recite every meat cleaver in order of size and tell you the best one to use for cutting cartilage.

Alas, each calculated chop and stab still brought up a question in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to shove it down. How did they die?

Of corse Katya didn’t kill the victim herself, thats just immoral. Her best guess is that Sharon sourced dead bodies from a local morgue or something, but the bodies never looked a day over 30. Whatever they died of wasn’t old age.

Though morally twisted, Katya found herself in this position every year. She never stuck around to eat the specially prepared meat, her clothes just didn’t match the high fashion atmosphere. She looked like a pebble in comparison to the diamond encrusted corsets and gowns.

Why would this year be any different? For starters, a butler didn’t answer the door, Sharon did. The Baroness instinctively grimaced at Katyas apparel after looking her up and down.

“Hello to you too” Katya sniffed after a few seconds of silence, turning her attention from the courtyard to the well dressed woman ahead of her.

No surprises, Sharon was clad head to toe in black, pale skin in stark contrast, creating the visage of some sort of undead leather fetishist. Her pupils were two pin pricks, sharpened further by the shadow that engulfed her eyes.

She looked behind Katya, scanning for other people in the way only a paranoid cannibal would. “Katya, do come in” Sharon spoke through her jagged teeth, gritted into an obligatory smile.

Katya stepped into the confides of the mansion. whilst the exterior was more than grim, the interior screamed sophistication and wealth. Her eyes were first drawn to the long velvet staircase, a rich shade of red with gold lining. Katya could picture the grand entrances Sharon had probably indulged herself in over the past few years.

The room was a warm hue of red, lit up by a glass chandelier just overhead. Paintings strung up around the wall depicted past and present queens, a good deal of them a participant in the annual feast. Katya shuddered, picturing gravy dribbling down chins with the noise of crunching bones and fat filling the dining hall.

The pair entered the front room as Sharon began to furrow her brow almost instantaneously. “Look there’s been some trouble with the…meat”

“How much trouble can dead meat cause? Did it bite you?” Katya joked, feeling the gust of wind slam the door behind her, causing her to jump.

“Theres been some trouble getting the meat” Sharon spat back, rolling her eyes. She began pacing the room, rubbing her temple instinctively. “Ive got too many people coming tonight, i can’t tell them they aren’t getting any food…”

Katya shrugged, making her way over to the shelves to observe the various taxidermied creatures on display. “So ill just cook up some beef. The posh bastards will never know the difference”

“Katya, they’re paying thousands to eat human flesh, if its not somebody else’s they’ll eat mine” Sharon sighed, looking up at one of her many paintings.

“I don’t know what you want me to do about it, we could cook Alaska?” Katya laughed, poking a particular stuffed racoon apprehensively, only half listening to the baroness.

“For god’s sake I’m being serious, my reputation is on the line!” Sharon yelled, lacing a hand through her white hair, balling her fist. She looked tense. Sharon’s expression cleared slightly as she began to approach a startled Katya. “I need you to do something for me.” She spoke with a hint of desperation.

Katya backed off a little bit here, bumping into the shelves. “No way you aren’t eating me, back up” She said frantically, raising her hands in front of her.

“Not you dipshit”

Oh.

“Then who?”

The baroness narrowed her eyes in consideration here. “A member of staff.” She nodded, happy with her conclusion. “I want you to kill a member of staff.”

Katya reeled back, she was used to cooking people, not killing people. Those were two completely different leagues. “Why cant you?”

“I have to tend to the guests, completely out of the question” Sharon shook her head, crossing her arms expectantly. “Are you in need of some extra persuasion miss Zamo?”

“Im not sure i like where this is going” Katya grimaced, looking around for Alaska.

“I’ll pay double”

“Well this is a potentially traumatic experience for me. The guilt may drive me insane…” Katya drawled, tracing her finger across the wooden surface of the shelf.

“Triple”

How could she refuse? She’d live in luxury for the entire year with that kind of change in her pocket. Katya pursed her lips. She needed to show Sharon she meant business here. “Triple plus that stuffed racoon” She pointed, grinning manically at the creature.

The white haired woman planted her head between her palms. “I can’t believe you” She croaked. “Fine, just have them dead and cooked by this afternoon” She said, making her way over to the staircase where she took one last glance at Katya.

“Any member of staff?”

“Except the butlers”

“And just to confirm not Alaska?”

Baroness needles stormed up the staircase, mumbling some profanities to herself. Katya chuckled before taking a glance at the grand clock in the corner. 9:45. Sharon was right, the guests would arrive soon and there was only so much stalling she could do.

With that, Katya brushed the lint from her jumper. Nothing stood between her and getting £100,000. By any means necessary, she’d eliminate another human being for the satisfaction of 50 inebriated millionaires.

~

Katya strolled around the courtyard. The air was still thick with fog as she tried to navigate her way around the rows of dead greenery and fallen leaves. The blonde squinted her eyes, trying to distinguish any kind of human silhouette.

Katya wasn’t sure who she was looking for, but she concluded most of the butlers worked in the house, and Sharon had made it clear butlers were off limits. Perhaps she could find a nice janitor, scrubbing the gutters precariously balanced on a ladder that could take an ‘accidental fall.’

Katya was enjoying this a little too much, going over each possible scenario for murder in her head.

After a small walk and a few unfortunate accidents involving stepping on snails, Katya found herself at the furthest end of the courtyard. She felt the cobblestone and leaves under her feet abruptly end as it was replaced with lush grass, still moist from last nights downpour.

If the rest of the garden was dead, this part was living, breathing.

The hedgerows littered with berries, a glossy red colour, resembling small marbles rather than fruit. Circles of mud decorated with soft pink primroses and petunias surrounded Katya. Gusts of wind would rustle the trees and wind-chimes, sounding delicate metalIic clinks. It was an idealistic flawless sanction of growth.

Everything was undeniably pretty, but also raised a few questions. Why the hell would such a thriving area of garden be in an otherwise stony decaying courtyard? It wasn’t exactly fitting with The baronesses aesthetic. Alaska didn’t seem the type either.

“Oh, can i help you?” A hushed voice sounded behind Katya, causing her to jolt and grasp at her heart in mild shock. She spun in place towards the source of the noise.

Stood by a small tree with a pair of hedge clippers in hand was a woman with long blonde hair. Katya was completely caught off guard, she was almost as flawless as the garden she was maintaining. Deep blue eyes, a sympathetic smile, a terrifyingly large pair of hedge clippers. Katya almost forgot to breathe. She shook herself out of it. This had to be a sign. The other woman was tall and curvy in figure, she looked delectable. “Just admiring this beautiful garden.” Katya admitted, making her way over to the blonde. “You did this yourself?” She asked, arching a brow.

The other girl grinned, flushing slightly, using a well manicured hand to brush some dirt off her pink skirt. “I thought it was a shame such a large garden was so empty” she said propping the clippers against the tree.

Katya was standing in front of her now, putting on her best smile. She needed every moment to be casual, nothing out of the ordinary. If Katya did this right the girl would think she’s just making a new friend. “I didn’t think Sharon hired gardeners?”

“Ah she brought me in a couple of months ago…” She looked to the floor here. “Do you work here too?”

“Im the chef for the event tonight, Katya Zamolodchikova.” The smaller woman said, enjoying the blondes reaction to hearing her last name. Katya was aware it was an unusual one, most would assume she’s Russian.

“Trixie Mattel” she beamed, extending a hand for a brief shake. “You’ve been to the feast?? Whats it like?” She gasped, her pink lips thinning into an expectant smile as they parted hands.

“Have you seen the scene in Indiana jones where they serve monkey brains? Sort of like that” Katya chuckled. Trixie screamed in delight. Of corse she would have no idea what the real dish was, if word got out there would be a public scandal no amount of money could cover up.

“Ive always wanted to sit at the table with Sharon, thats a life long dream” Trixie admitted, crossing her arms and drifting off into fantasy. Little did Trixie know she would be at the meal. She’d be the guest of honour.

A plan formulated in Katya’s head as Trixie looked wistfully into the distance. She’d have to murder her of corse. There was too much money riding on someone being dead to not go through with it. Still, she was such a sweet girl. Shyly breaking eye contact, red around her ears and cheeks. Such a waste of life.

“Well” Katya said, pulling Trixie out of her daydream and placing a hand on her shoulder. “How about i whip you up some food? You must be hungry”

Trixie burnt under Katya’s touch. “I couldn’t expect you to do that for me” she shook her head, looking both apologetic and grateful.

“Nonsense it would be my pleasure, lets go” Katya spoke sternly. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Katya pictured the scene in her head, Trixie biting down on Katya’s specially prepared dish, the poison seeping into her body, inevitably shutting it down. Quick and easy. She’d poison Trixie mattel.

Trixie tried to protest but Katya’s hand moved from her shoulder to the small of her back, forcing her along the pathway. “Its a lovely offer but-”

“How does a nice beef wellington sound?” Katya cut in, flashing a perfect row of teeth to the taller woman.

Trixie looked slightly confused, knitting her brows. “That wouldn’t be so bad” she shrugged as the pair made their way down the path, exchanging pleasantries and light conversation.

~

“I’ve never had a chance to explore the mansion” Trixie said, wide eyed admiring the dining hall, running her fingers across each surface as she passed. “If Alaska or Sharon found me slacking off they’d have my head on a platter”

Katya let out a small laugh, but not for the right reasons. She looked over to the other girl, she really was in awe of everything the mansion contained. She felt a small pang of guilt remembering this would be the last thing Trixie would ever see.

“It has it’s charm” Katya admitted, making her way over to the table in the centre of the room. Silver cutlery circled the edges, placemats probably woven from the silk of Scandinavian jumping spiders or something outrageously posh like that.

Trixie nodded, taking a seat. Katya instinctively took the chair besides her, quirking a brow. “So, how do you like your beef?” Katya inquired, a joking tone in her voice.

“Ive literally never thought about it…crispy?” Trixie giggled, resting the side of her head into her palm.

“Eloquently put miss Mattel” Katya leaned back in her seat, taking in the smell of floral incense that attempted to cover the smell of thick varnish that plagued the stately home. She heard Trixie sound a small chuckle beside her.

“I cant help feeling a bit bad, i have nothing to offer in return for a lovely meal” The gardener admitted to Katya. She sounded sincerely apologetic. This made Katya shift in her seat. The more the other blonde spoke the more real the situation was. She felt sick.

“How about a bunch of flowers?” Katya spoke, voice strained. She just wanted to get this over with. The less time it had to fester in her mind the better. “We’ll take a stroll back to the garden before i have to begin meal preparation for the guests”

“I’d like that” Trixie nodded, that familiar creep of red showing around her ears.

Katya smiled, giving her a quick wink before standing from her seat and making her way over to the kitchen door. This was getting alot more sentimental than Katya was hoping for. Her time with Trixie, though brief, had sent a hurricane of conflicting feelings through Katya.

Her laugh, her smile, her sense of humour. Of all people deserving of death it certainly wasn’t Trixie. Katya took a glance back to the gardener. She was poking at the silverware on the table with a huge grin. Adorable.

To think she was about 6 hours away from being served on a platter.

Katya burst through the kitchen door, hand over her mouth, feeling about ready to eject her stomach through her throat. She saw the room she’d been so used to. For the past four years she had no hangups about slicing and dicing dead bodies, why would Katya start growing a conscience for a poorer-than-dirt worker?

Katya wiped a growing bead of sweat from her brow. No, this wasn’t right. 100,000 quid doesn’t make it any more acceptable to take another life. Still, she had to give Sharon something. If she went back empty handed, Katya would never find work again.

The cook groaned. She did know one thing. She had promised a delicious, crispy, beef wellington to Trixie.

After about half an hour of pounding beef and rolling puff pastry with pure rage, Katya had popped a savoury dish in the oven. She opened the overhead cabinet and spotted the rat poison, wincing at its glaring warning sign equipped with skull and crossbones. This would be the garnish, the finishing touch. Taking it down from the shelf, Katya placed the poison on the side for later use, turning quickly to exit the kitchen and check on Trixie.

“In the oven” The chef puffed, taking the same seat beside the gardener. “You, Trixie Mattel, are in for a treat”

“Im sure i am” Trixie laughed breathlessly. They were sitting close. Katya could see each of her features gleam under the intensive lighting. “Can i ask you a question though?”

Shit, had Katya blown it? Crap she could only imagine what Trixie was about to ask. The last thing she wanted was to raise suspicion.

“Your last name is odd, are you from Russia?”

Oh.

“Not last time i checked” Katya let out a sigh of relief hearing the other blonde chuckle. God, she enjoyed Trixie’s laugh a bit too much. It was infectious. Katya let out a breathy laugh grasping the side of Trixie’s arm leaning forward. Not that her comment had been particularly funny, but the gardeners delight was infectious.

“I didn’t think there was anyone on the estate that would go near me” Trixie admitted, Katya’s hand still clasped around her arm. “I was surprised when you offered me food” Her voice softened.

“Well you seemed like you earned it. Anyone who has to put up with Sharon needles deserves a 5 star meal”

They sat there for a moment, Katya realising her grip on Trixie was a little too tight as she reluctantly removed her hand. She broke eye contact and began to scoot back her chair. “I should go check on the-”

“Wait, Katya” She felt a warm grasp around her hand, stopping the chef in her tracks. She looked over to a flustered Trixie. “I-uh…Thank you”

Katya paused for a moment before offering a large open mouthed smile. “You are too sweet miss Matell, thank me after you’ve eaten” Katya squeezed down on Trixie’s hand before letting go, standing from her seat. Trixie sunk back down in her chair slightly with a defeated look. It pained Katya but she really couldn’t allow herself to get attached.

Katya pushed open the kitchen doors and glanced over the prepared food, baking in the rattling oven. She took it out, chewing the inside of her cheek, feeling the sting of heat under her fingertips as she placed it on the cool counter by the rat poison.

This is for 100,000 pounds. Thats alot of money. How many copies of contact can you buy with that kind of cash? Alot probably.

Katya steadied herself as she opened up the poison container with a satisfying pop, before taking a handful of pellets in her fist. She was shaking badly, trying not to picture Trixie’s face. Reluctantly the cook stuffed the pellets within the confides of the beef wellington. She was sure enough they could be passed off as fancy herbs if the question arose.

She added the finishing touches before delicately placing it on a silver platter. Katya would even consider eating it herself aside from the fatal dose of rodent killer. Walking through the doors into the dining hall, Katya saw Trixie’s look of amazement as she oogled at the steaming dish.

“I can see why they hire you here” Trixie said with an exited tone, eyes fixated on the silver platter. “Want to half it with me?”

Katya shook her head patting her stomach, placing the platter on the varnished surface. “Im watching my diet”

Trixie shrugged before taking the knife and fork from the table, sinking it deep into the beef wellington, relishing the slow cracking noise of the pastry. She looked so contented. Katya wanted to look away but she couldn’t. All the thoughts and doubts she had been pushing down were surfacing. She was about to commit murder, no better than a petty criminal. No amount of money would rectify that.

No amount of money would change the fact she’d taken another life.

“Wait wait Trix” Katya spluttered instinctively before the beef could reach Trixie’s lips. The gardener turned to her expectantly, a little confused. Katya had to think of a reasonable explanation fast.

“I…didn’t check the expiration date on that beef” Katya choked, mustering up the lamest excuse she could. “I wouldn’t eat that”

Trixie put the fork down, still smiling. “You tease” She joked, shaking her head. “Well, i still got to see the mansion at least”

Katya felt a wave of relief wash over her, followed by the jolt of realisation that she’d never find work again. Sharon would make sure of that. It didn’t phase Katya at this point, her newest friend would stay alive and healthy, planting flowers, blood pumping.

She felt the urge to just run. Get out of the mansion as soon as possible. Katya shrugged at Trixie before giving another one of her manic grins. “Fancy going out for a meal instead?”

“Im supposed to be working”

“I’ll vouch for you” That was a lie on Katya’s behalf. She was never going to set foot near Sharon or Alaska again. Or at least thats what she hoped.

“Well-”

Before Trixie got the chance to reply she was being dragged out the door, into the low fog. Katya knew this was the right choice, the dinner guests would just have to go hungry tonight. Their meal was safe and sound by Katya’s side, laughing at her terrible jokes.

They left the estate laughing maniacally, talking about food.

[nelson-riddle-me-this]

20 Questions!

Thank you @alwayseleven I really love when I get to actually interact with people on Tumblr. Plus, it’s taking along time to import Sinatra At The Sands and I still have to burn the Ben-Hur soundtrack.

rules: answer 20 questions, then tag 20 people (I don’t know 20 people on Tumblr. Imma tag a few)

name: the pasta-tense of draw (I like pasta) nickname: don’t really have one, although on occasion people will refer to me as “grandpa” or “old man” or something like that because I’m so old-fashioned (I swear, I’m only 191). zodiac sign: O my sweet Katherine Hepburn, this junk? Pass. height: 5′8? I think, I don’t get measured much. I think I might still be growing. orientation: (Playing this song in the car is no joke how I came out to one of my friends)

ethnicity: I’m a soup of all of the European countries that sunburn, and Grease (so white). fave fruit: Oh, that’s tough. Peaches are lovely and fun to rub against your face! fave season: Maybe Summer, because there’s something profound and simple and happy about it. fave book: Gosh, I admittedly don’t read as much as I should. I always really liked Catcher In the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, but I don’t know. I really love this book by Carol Burnett called This Time Together. It’s a bunch of short vignettes in chronological order and it’s really funny and touching.  fave flower: I admittedly don’t know too many flowers. Orchids are gorgeous, although bougainvillea are great to have in a yard. fave scent: I’ve always loved the scent of jasmine in the air. fave animal: Maybe foxes. They’re adorable, but also cunning. coffee, tea or cocoa: Coffe, tea, or meee? No, really, tea most of the time. average sleep hours: Oh, well. With school staring again, 11/12-7/8:30 depending on when class starts. I really should manage my sleep better (I say typing this at 2am..) cat or dog person: I never personally had either, but I’ve of course had friends and relatives with pets. I guess dogs. fave fictional character: Oii! That’s a tough one. RRRRGGGG HRMMM AWWWRRREMMEMEMGGGGG.. For now, at 2am, I’ll put down Tracy Lord (as played by my idol Katherine Hepburn [Grace Kelly plays her in the musical remake High Society, but she at times comes across as too snooty and looses the audience’s favor. My opinion.]) from The Philadelphia Story. She’s gorgeous, sophisticated, smart, witty, hilarious, utterly lovely, damn strong, yet vulnerable. I very much relate to the whole ‘goddess on a pedestal’ thing that's one of her major plot points as I like to think I have extremely high standards for myself and this can be tough. As Tracy is told by what, 3? people independently, with no group co-ordination or communication whatsoever, that she needs to “have some concern for human frailty”, I’ve been told by a couple people that “it must be nice to be perfect” or my favorite one (which inspired a drawing) “is it cold up there (on the pedestal you put yourself on)?” [he followed up to be sure I understood the implication]. Tracy gives me strength and inspiration, but also validation as she’s not just a tower of strength, she has weakness and human frailty of her own that I can empathize with. number of blankets you sleep with: Most of the year, just two. My top sheet and a blue/sea-foam green one, but when it’s cold out like this, I’ll add a third thicker blanket, and if it’s really cold, pile on my comforter and if that’s not enough, put on this sheep rug we have. dream trip: Oh gosh. I don’t know. It may sound kind of touristy/nerdy, but I’d love to go to The Bahamas and Jamaica. I’m a huge James Bond fan and there are tons of Bond locations on those islands. Plus, they’re gorgeous tropical paradises. I’d want to stay at the “One & Only” Ocean Club in the Bahamas (sadly, the Coral Harbour hotel from Thunderball was turned into a naval facility :( and at Ian Fleming’s estate: Goldeneye, in Jamaica. Scuba diving, shopping, good food, palm tress, blue mountain coffee? Mmmm blog created: When? I started Tumblr late last summer. number of followers: 30. It would be a bit more, but I block porn blogs from following my personal/main blog. I don’t even post anything pornographic! I don’t get it! At the most, on rare occasions, I’ll reblog a photo of a cute guy, but even then I try to keep it very tasteful,SFW, and non-sexualized. I don’t get it. And it’s all these lady porn blogs. I’ve seen more lady parts blocking these blogs than I have/will ever see anywhere else.

Tag -  @bonjour-im-tired @reluctant-martyrs @justalittleblue-butterfly @orosnagos @tyronepowerbottom @kelliiee22 - YOU’RE IT! 

Update: I just started Ben-Hur... that only took half an hour...