#the other girl does have a name and story but she’s a reworked oc like saiya is so i need. to make a new name for her

[thehappiestgolucky]

Oc posting. As a teen I tried shoving all my ocs into one universe and now i’ve separated them out and I find ‘broke college crew just trying to exist and also this random angsty teen gets tossed in there’ universe extremely fun to draw they’re goofy goobers

my persona has a species now. ig. this creatures name is Eclipse. And meet gods angriest teen, Saiya

[ntaras]

Would you be willing to speak of this OC you added to the Lin Kuei brothers' dynamic? (Just kidding, you have no choice. 🫴)

HI i’d love to talk about her!!! i’ve been purposefully quiet about her because i’ve been making some changes to her + waiting to finish writing a fic about her 

but because you give me no choice i’ll talk about her

i’ll talk about her in context of her role in the new era because that’s what i’m really currently focused on in regards to her. that and her role in the previous timeline(s) are currently to much of a mess to coherently write about because i’m reworking her previous roles 

ANYWAYS. her name is luna which i did take from the “look to la luna” easter egg because 11 year old me wanted her name to somehow directly reference something in mortal kombat. she is kuai liang’s daughter even though i do view/headcanon kuai liang as someone who would not have kids, but i think it’s fun to bring that element into their relationship. 

the usual backstory for her goes that when kuai liang was a teenager he met a girl named nariyaana (whom i mostly refer to as yaana) and their relationship can honestly be described as a very quick-paced love because they were both so young when pursuing each other. like had they not met when younger, they would never be together because their relationship is solely based on them being young. so far in every timeline yaana has died during childbirth, resulting in kuai liang being a single dad and that moment marking the change from his youthful naivety and growing into the mature man we usually see him as. 

in mk12 before he became the god of fire and was still making his own timeline, liu kang made sure kuai liang and yaana would meet so luna could be born, but what he didn’t decide was when luna would be born. one of the things that frustrated me about kuai liang in mk12 was how he was already treated as a character dealing with so many inner demons and very quickly became this wise and flawless leader, so luna’s inclusion allows me to dump a whole bunch of hardships onto him that make him more tolerable for me. and one of those hardships is the quick and rushed love he had with yaana, resulting in her pregnant and unfortunately dying in childirth at 16 and him bieng a father at 16 (i also decided on doing that because ik the characters are meant to be on the younger side, so making him a teen dad was the route i went with trying to make him as young as i could when the actual story would happen). 

ik cryomancer used to be established as something that was able to be harnessed at an older age (with the exception of the ice brothers and frost), but for mk12 i’m establishing that it’s something that begins to develop at a younger age. i’m still unsure what to do with pyromancy but the idea i’m going with is that it’s something that can very rarely develop in cryomancers instead of cryomancy. 

what happened with luna is that her powers were not showing at all and as she grew older and past the age cryomancy develops (and she showed no signs of pyromancy) it was assumed that she didn’t get her father’s genes of either cryomancy or pyromancy. but eventually at around 10 years old she reveals to bi-han that she does have cryomancy (albeit developed very late and a weaker form of cryomancy), and at that moment bi-han saw potential in her and became her mentor and eventually choose her to be his heir to the lin kuei. 

before i get into the dynamic she has with the brothers (her father and uncles) i need to establish the most important thing about her is her inner powers and her physical body. the reason why her cryomancy developed so late and is weak is because her body is meant for someone who has pyromancy, but she was born with cryomancy. her body is constantly struggling to keep up with itself, but i’ll get more into that in a bit because that’s like one of the most important factors to her relationship with her family. 

bi-han is luna’s mentor, and he chose that role himself after she revealed her cryomancy to him. and the reason he chose to be her mentor is because he 1. Saw potential in her and 2. wanted to build her up to become something greater than the current lin kuei. her issues with her cryomancy and her body already pose a tough a life for her but bi-han’s insertion into her life as her mentor makes things worse for her, as he’s really tough on her. 

bi-han himself was mostly trained by his dad, so a lot of methods bi-han uses are from his dad. BUT the thing with bi-han is that he is also trying to further himself from his father and teach luna differently, but luna still experiences the same harshness bi-han experienced through his own training with his father. it plays with the idea that cryomancy just inherently causes not just physical pain, but a specific isolation that no one else can understand. because of this (and for other reasons) luna struggles making connections with other people and forms a unique connection with bi-han that she cannot form with her own father.

it’s eventually why she chose to stay with bi-han rather than flee with kuai liang and tomas during the story. her inherit cryomancy bound her to bi-han while also she felt like she lost a sense of who she was and felt guilt for having something that sevrerd her relationship with her dad, so it was easier to let him go rather than go with him. 

her physicality (which is constantly causing her pain) is her father’s, while her inner self (which is also constantly causing her pain) is bi-han’s. she’s kind of like the physical representation of the dispute between the two brothers. just like her body cannot naturally keep up with herself, she cannot handle being stuck between her family’s war without it causing immense confusion with herself.  

that’s the most condensed summary i can offer because other wise you would be getting a 100k word response from me lmao. but thank you for asking!!!!!!!!! i adore luna and i can only appreciate mk12 because of her

[basicallyjaywalker]

For the ask game >:3 ✂️❤️

🎨 I know you have OC’s but I know embarrassingly little for being a mutual this long. Hand them over rook :)

Edit: I forgot to say hi 😭 sorry I saw you mentioned OCs and literally just. mind blank got the zoomies started stimming forgot my manners. Anyways

Hello Oli :DDD

One thing I would change: I mean. I would rewrite a lot of the series but mainly I would wanna give Nya a more prominent and starring role early on. Let her have more Samurai X moments and quit putting her on the sidelines while the boys do things!!

Favorite ship? Canonically Pixane ngl. I love Jaya but Pixane is soulmate coded for me I break Jaya up at the drop of a hat for funsies I feel bad breaking up Pixane.

Do I have OCs? You're goddamn right I do I have wayyyyyy too many. I'm working on character sheets for the main ones now but until those are uploaded have a taste!

Nataly Chumsworth: Master of Love, half Serpentine, menace to society. If the name did not clue you in she's Pythor's daughter and they have. A relationship.

Roxie Andrews: Master of Peace, local stressed out mom friend, former student at Marty Oppenheimer's! Old friend of Cole's and someone i imagine Nya being besties with.

Jasmine Bucket/Julien: Master of Nature (secondary: Ice), engineer at Borg Industries, made before Bolobo I swear. Zane's half sister but neither has any clue about that yet

Jackie Fei: Master of Magic (I have a whole system set up for this), chronically tired and depressed but gets to have a glow-up, chaotic good incarnate. My favoritest little blorbo ngl

Hannah Stone: Master of Music (different from sound and again swear she was pre-S4), punk rock girl, Chen's former... student is not the right term. Embodiment of that one audio: "they got their weapon, I got cheated out of my childhood)

Kyle Stone: not an elemental master but a former member of Chen's cult kinda (born into it), instead of masking his trauma with anger like Hannah he masks it with bubbliness, chronic overprotective disease. He and Hannah aren't blood related but they're also the closest thing to family each other has

Master Twyla: Master of Light, the teacher of these fucking kids, trying her best to keep the memory of the former EMs alive. Bops her on the head this bad girl can fit soooooo much trauma she's trying to overcome in her, goddamn

Ivy Crest: Master of Wind except not fully until S5 (thanks Morro), Morro's bio daughter and Ronin's adopted daughter (bet you can't guess who she prefers), expert in forgery and shit at mechanics. She and Nya form a close bond in S5 and Nya continues to try and teach her mechanical stuff (it does not work)

Luna McCallister/Garmadon: Master of Dreams, long lost Garmadon daughter who?, big fucking nerd. I have no idea when she and Lloyd realize their related but it makes their interactions at the comic store beforehand a lot funnier (for reference: she is about 2 years older than him)

Jonathan Borg: heir to Borg Industries, curious about the supernatural elements of Ninjago, knows about something he probably shouldn't. His place is not fully figured out yet but I feel like he's gonna start wanting to prove more useful after S7 to mixed results, esp bc his sister is way cooler than him

Willow Whispernight: yeah check back later chief I am reworking her ENTIRE lore lmao. Currently also connected with nature in some way and Jasmine's step-sister

Ahahaha that isn't even all of them. it's been over a decade I am soooo normal. I do not have *checks notes* approximately 20 OCs, named and unnamed, with various places in stories and development

[gglitchshit]

OC questions: 1, 4, 35, 43!

OC questions: Accepting!

Aaaa ty for the ask 🙈 <3333333 And for your patience dgjhdk this took a while-

1) Your first OC ever?

I'm pretty sure it was this guy! (2016 rendition)

I made him when I was about 11 and he's basically a superhero cat with superpowers (like flying and laser eyes lmao) saving the world full of anthro animals (furry spotted). His name is Cirmi (basic ass hungarian cat name) and the whole thing was heavily influenced by Powerpuff Girls. :D

4) A character you rarely talk about?

Anyone who's not my main 4 (Anassy, Lucien, Gin, Gliaster) lmaooo rip... but hmmm the least talked about are probably my story characters like the kitty above. I used to try writing stories as a kid/teen a lot but then I was like eh. Too much work and I didn't have confidence in my writing. ^^"

35) Any sibling characters?

I do have a few! *looks at list* ...A lot!

I'm an only child and when I was younger I was super obsessed with siblinghood because I really wanted a sibling and I guess it never really went away so I have a few sibling OCs, yes. (But yeah since I'm an only child whenever I write dynamics/characters they're not the most realistic for obvious reasons but it's still fun anyway heh)

ANYWAY

Gin has an older bro Vin and they're menaces together. They hang out a lot (dragging/forcing each other to be involved in their hobbies the other is not into lmao) and do stupid stuff a lot and fight sometimes but stuff always works out between them...

Then, not as much featured/mentioned but Lucien also has an older sister! I'm reworking everything around her and them and their dynamic together so I can't say much lol rip but basically she's the goth girl ever who got Lucien into horror and stuff blame everything on her basically (jk no don't-)

AND lastly but not least, my "f/o (fictional other) but it's my OC" Rei also used to have sisters (or I guess still does but I just never think about them lmao) mainly back when she was a Naruto OC. (Both of them were based on irl friends lmfao.) They were orphaned early on so that strengthened the bond between them and idk god I wish that were me (except the being orphaned part)

(old ass art but this is all I have that I'm willing to show lol)

43) Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess

Villains

Or just...Not Good People(tm).......Not all of them, but a lot of them.

....And I also have quite a few redheads for some reason lmao.

(also edit: just realized most of my OCs are either women or genderless but still feminine lmao help)

[mysticstarlightduck]

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

Thank you for the Ask @saturnine-saturneight! Since we were talking about my WIP Supernova Initiative earlier today, I'll go with characters from that WIP for this one!

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

JACK - Jack Tithus' design has changed a bit from the first one/original idea. Overall, his clothing styles, height, and general appearance have indeed remained similar, but there were quite a few changes. The main difference is that he originally had short dark brown hair, and now he has a medium-length asymmetrical bob and his hair is bright auburn. There were a few reasons why I changed his original design:

For some reason, my brain refused to imagine him with brown hair, and every time I envisioned him he had dark auburn hair;

His first design didn't seem to match his personality well - he is a very flashy guy, so I don't think a traditional short haircut would be really his style, so I changed his haircut to a longer asymmetrical bob (with an undercut),

I wanted to differentiate Jack - who is the Main Character - from some other characters in the crew who would also have brown hair (namely Aleks, who has dark hazel brown hair, and Artemis, who has dark brown/light black hair).

GABI - Gabi's design actually didn't change that much from when I first envisioned her. She is one of those characters that have been really clear to be from the first concept that led to the creation of the character. She has long brown hair, which she often streaks red or pink, but never fully. She also usually wears practical clothes in a style similar to our Earth's 'grunge', with a futuristic/cyberpunk twist - but she also often has bright, girly accessories that she is very proud of. Generally, I think that her design has remained largely the same ever since I created this character.

VESPER - Vesper is one of those characters that changed A LOT throughout the development of the story. Originally, she wasn't even a cyborg, nor a lethal assassin on the path to revenge. Her original concept was as a secret agent for the Junction who had been betrayed/abandoned by a loved one. However, that idea didn't stick with the character and that concept instead gave origin to Noctus (who is a secret agent working for the Junction and has a past he does not remember), while I reworked Vesper into a completely different character. I scratched the idea of her siding with the Junction entirely, and instead made her a lethal enemy of the regime: she's now a Khosmonian - whose homeworld was raided under the behest of the Junction for refusing to comply - and a girl who wants revenge for the brutal death of her older brother (which she witnessed) and the disappearing of her mother, who likely died in the bombings of her planet. She is a Vorzar by birth (an alien species native to the planet of Luk'tih) but turned herself into a cyborg in order to become deadlier and semi-immortal (she's tougher to be killed, and can regenerate easily) in a way.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

(Vague Inspiration/Vibes)

JACK - Poe Dameron (Star Wars), Robin Hood (the folk tale), and Nightwing (DC). Jack is a charismatic leader with a heart of gold who would do anything to keep his team safe, even if it means being self-sacrificial (much like all three of those characters). he also uses stealing as a way to rebel against the rich and powerful (kind of like a space-opera version of Robin Hood). He also has a strong spite against authority and is willing to take reckless risks in the name of what he considers right, characteristics all three of those characters possess!

GABI - Ellie Williams (The Last of Us TV Show), Vi (Arcane), and Hawks (MHA). Gabi is a fierce girl with a strong personality, a stubborn nature, and sometimes a fiery temper (much like Ellie and Vi). She also does not shy away from a fight and is quite good at it to be honest. Gabi also likes adventure, and doing things she's not supposed to do just for the thrills. She's also outgoing, charismatic, rebellious, and can be quite good at manipulating people in power to get what she wants.

VESPER - Arya Stark (GOT), Black Widow (Marvel), Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows). Vesper is a vicious alien assassin with a brutal past who "upgraded" herself with priceless tech to hunt down the people responsible for the deaths of her family, and who also has a strict moral compass and secretly cares a lot for her friends. Pretty much like those three characters too.

[firefl1ezz]

i've been thinking about making an oc ask blog recently as well as having been inspired by others but. i don't know who to throw into the blog. i'll put a poll up in a bit but i figured i'd make short intros for a couple of oc's who i've considered putting into one of these blogs, since some of them haven't even been featured on my main blog yet. oc's are under the cut because this got REALLY long.

(poll link)

ASPER - basically my self insert. i may change their name to match mine because of this but for now it's just Asper. Asper currently lives on the surface with ink's older sibling Marley after escaping an octarian army. they're an art nerd and constantly collecting weird shit that fills their apartment. it's strange interests seem to keep them almost too busy.

MARLEY - Asper's older sibling who's currently a music nerd. She plays drums and does backing vocals in a femme fueled queer punk band which is fairly underground, but very enjoyed intensely by those who like it. Both Asper and Marley are inkocto hybrids who almost mirror each other in that where one has inkling-shaped ears, the other has octoling-shaped ears, and so on.

ASH - (or any other extended name you can get from Ash) absolute dumbass (/pos) who can barely read or write but has a masterful way with words when they want to. She's very chill and doesn't argue much, tending to just go with the flow. He has a slightly obsessive interest in spiders and will scare Jax with them.

JAX - speaking of spiders, Jax is absolutely terrified of them. You'd think not given his cold and somewhat uncaring outward expression, but he's death scared of them. Jax considers himself to be the team emo and dresses accordingly, while Ash has been (accurately) dubbed the team aroace and Bliss, the team crazy person.

BLISS - the very jumpy and exciteable third member of "Team What" as they call themselves. Bliss has been dubbed the team crazy person for how feral they act in turf wars and anarchy, murdering everything in sight. It's a similar story in salmon run, however they don't always know how to use all the weapons there. Team What is still looking for a fourth member. They often have to pair up with a random.

ANGEL - an enigma, basically, even to me in a way. I need to work on her more... Angel is another cryptic goth-esque girl to most, minus most of the make up (she's allergic to a lot of makeup brands.). She's an avid salmon run player and has multiple EVP badges from 200 up to 999, and is currently working at those she doesn't have. She often takes her friends into salmon run to scare them when a king salmonid comes up.

FERRI - (currently in the midst of being reworked, things may be changed.) an ex-surfer become whacky australian thing who plays with quite possibly dangerous animals for a living. He also surf instructs. He's a close friend of Angel's who has on multiple occasions been dragged into salmon run only to have the shit scared out of xem by the king salmonids.

RAZOR - A close friend of Asper's who could end up in a "they were roommates" situation with it later. Razor is a salmonling, purely because I think they would look cool, and she tends to hang low because of her differing appearance. She doesn't play turf, nor would she know how given she doesn't really have ink for the ink weapons, but she is learning to mod them for... reasons not yet known.

small note for anyone who is aware of the au i've posted about 3 times on this blog: the au isn't mentioned because it's currently in heavy rework stage. it may get an ask blog of some kind once i've reworked it, but for now i'm keeping that out of this until i figure out what i'm doing with it.

[pikawarrior]

Welp welcome back to my random rambles im just gonna talk bout alot of random stuff mainly my stories so here for go lets hope this is understandable

Story/maybe comic stuff

Turning of the orange | The Strawberry Patch - Old soon to be remade/written stop motion strawberry shortcake zombie movie me and my dad were making when i was in elementary schoolish. We unfortunately didnt make it that far since he had to leave often and for long times cuz work, but recently i found my old tablet with all the pics and my notes so rework time baby. Im about to use all my years of angst/horror writing to fuck these bitches up even more

The Butterfly Effect and It's Consequences | The Phoenix Effect -

The Butterfly Effect is my main rottmnt fanfic series. About my little rottmnt oc's (Ame) life and how the gang adopting them into the family changed everything mostly for the better but the bad things kinda got alot worse. Idk been focusing on the phoenix effect more

The Phoenix Effect is kinda an extension of that. Its basically the same thing but adds the cass apocalypse series into it. Basically how future Ame being there also changes things and how oopies mystics powers are hard to control after being half dead in stasis for about 12 years hope Ame does trys to leave to protect everyone from himself only to get kidnapped putting everyone in worse danger also oopies isnt that the super dangerous alien someone accidentally freed awhile ago

The Future Diary - So i watched The Hot Box's video on the anime future diary and well here we are

Another rottmnt oc thing. Ame obtains a diary from his future self being like "hey so the world is gonna end soon here's how i think you could possibly stop that. Pls dont do this all alone ur like 5" and ame decides to do it all by himself.

Got all eight chapters planned out already with two already at stage two (aka fully written out just needs to be edited and stuff). I just dont know how to use ao3 in this sense or how to tag stuff plus i got anxiety so its just sitting in my notes app

Video stuff cuz yes

Currently working on a few more special videos. On my channel ive technically reached 100 videos (i unlisted alot of old ones/never posted a bunch more so technically i reached that months ago but shhh let me have this) plus i got 135 subs now so celebrations are in order. Idk what to say bout this, am making a video using the ok ko ending song idk the name, one is a fake collab a friend made and another is an original meme a youtube mutual/friend by association made. Plus like so mant mini things for my ocs, Dimension and Watcher are gonna get so much development and cute couple moments.

Also everyone else is gonna go through so much trauma my gods its gonna amazing.

Also ive been trying to like voice things, audio quality sucks cuz im working off of my tablet but like ive voice a few of my own videos (only one posted) and like its so fun i wish i had proper stuff to do this so i can do it more

Other art stuff

I got a toyhou.se (its EnviousDeath), pls enjoy these characters and stuff

Im trying to make my art more mess and chaotic while staying clean? If that makes any sense. Still a lover of doing gacha stuff but am trying to branch out more.

Also btw how do people just idk do social stuff like trade characters, comment, and just aaaa idk what am doing i forgot how to do social stuff and also i never understood how to do this type without being awkward as hell

Character stuff

Watcher - *slaps religious trauma onto them* bitch gets sacrificed. Okay okay so Watcher, wasnt always Watcher. Before they used to be Ena a simple kid who was sent away for reasons i havent thought of yet to a church. Blah blah corruption, Watcher gets sacrificed for not falling in line blah blah they were saved and given a second chance.

Dimension - *slaps alot of anxiety and identity issues onto her* bitch got issues. Same as Watcher, Dimension wasnt always Dimension. Before she was Ellie a poor girl hated by her whole town because of the lies their mother spread about them and their father who had left years ago. She only had one friend, Watcher. Somehow they managed to make contact with each other despite being in different universes. Eventually Dimension snapped and went on a killing spree, slowly ripping apart her world in the process because this wasnt supposed to happen (think spiderverse canon events but different ill explain later) with her world crumbling around her, Dimension messages Ena one last time, not knowing Ena was already long gone, and accepts what they assume to be death only to fall into whats basically the anti void from utmv, gets corrupted and became a villain technically more of a multiversal criminal.

(For time and length reasons im cutting this segment short)

Multiverse stuff

OKAY TIME FOR WORLD BUILDING

How does what happened to Dimension's universe work? The way i explained it is like spiderverse canon events but different, but heres the details. Idk how to explain this but bare with me

Imagine each universe as a game in a folder on a computer. Each game has different code, story, art assets basically all are mostly different.

Most games are coded to have very specific story events and when something goes wrong everything breaks. Like take a spaghetti thing of code that shatters the moment you try to do something like trying to talk with an npc while having a status effect and thats how some of these worlds are like. And Dimension's was very much one of those worlds, and her breaking down like that shattered the code of their world and everything fell apart.

Im too tired to continue but my main multiverse is like one big computer own by a game creator who only sometimes knows how to make a stable game

Feel free to ask about any of what ive just ramblef about am always willing to ramble bout my stuff

[miekasa]

the babysitter’s club (1)

+ pairing: levi ackerman + (fem) reader, featuring bright-eyed but very easily intimidated interns and part-time babysitters eren and armin who are trying their best

+ genres and warnings: modern au, parents au, fluff, yes the dog’s name is captain and he’s tiny what about it

+ summary: eren and armin are good subordinates, who happen to be pretty good babysitter, too. usually. 

+ word count: 2.7k

+ notes: this was just something fun i edited and reworked again, also to provide some more insight about dad levi and my oc kids; this focuses only on holden, who is the oldest of the bunch, but you’ll more about the rest as they go

It’s not that Levi doesn’t trust Holden’s babysitters, he just would rather watch over her himself. Moreover, he would rather have the time to spend with his small daughter instead of having to leave her in the care of someone else who isn’t you, but sometimes life gets busy, and babysitters come in real handy.

He still doesn’t understand why Erwin would schedule the both of you to attend such important work-related meetings on the same weekend; much less, to send you half-way around the world for yours, and then book Levi for damn near twelve hours on a Saturday. He would murder Erwin if he weren’t his direct boss, and a long-time friend. But shit happens, and while it’s a major inconvenience and pain in his ass to be working on a weekend, it’s good to know he could rely on the brats at the office to step up on such short notice.

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that if anything happens, I won’t hesitate to dismember you,” Levi says calmly, closing his briefcase after triple-checking its contents.

“Of course,” Armin stiffens visibly, awkward laughter seeping through his words, “Eren and I would never let anything happen to Holden.”

To his left, Holden has already tugged Eren to the coffee table for a game of children’s Scrabble, determined to show off her new skills. Levi smiles slightly as he remembers playing the game with her last week, and how awe-struck she was to have seen Levi create a word bigger than “unattainable”—which is currently the longest word in her four-year-old vocabulary. But he’s certain she would have no trouble beating Eren.

He gives Armin a slight nod. He knows Holden is in good hands; or good enough hands with Armin, anyway. It’s not the first time the duo has babysat, and for as air-headed and clumsy Eren could be at the office, he seemed to be pretty damn good with kids if Holden’s attachment to the brunette was anything to go by.

Levi recounts that you’ve questioned on multiple occasions why Eren was so dedicated to being your PA when he seemed to have a potential career in taking care of, and maybe even teaching children. Not that he’s not a good assistant to you, but he’s certainly not as organized or detailed-oriented as Armin. Levi shrugs away the thought. Eren’s career choices are none of his business; his only concern is that he keeps his daughter safe and sound.

“Right. My card is on the kitchen island, you can buy lunch and dinner or whatever, I don’t think there’s much in the fridge,” Levi informs Armin. He looks briefly to the clock on the wall; he really should get going. “Remember to walk Captain at some point, and no matter what Holden says, he absolutely does need a leash on him. If Erwin isn’t being a complete asshat, I’ll be home by nine. (Y/N) will probably still be on her flight, so call me if you need anything.”

Armin nods enthusiastically, promising Levi that they would take care of everything. They’d better.

“Alright, I’m heading out,” Levi announces, pulling his keys from the table near the door, “Be good, Holden. Tell Armin and Eren if you need anything.”

Holden’s head perks up at the sound of her name. Elegantly, or as elegantly as a four-year-old can be, she stands from her seated crisscross position, to run over to Levi by the door. He should remind her that she should use walking feet inside the house, but he can’t bring himself to, instead crouching down to meet her height.

“Bye, daddy,” she tells him sweetly. Levi reaches a hand out to ruffle the top of her head, much to the small girl’s chagrin. She sports a grimace almost identical to his as he reaches up to try and smooth out the aftermath of her father’s affections, “Daddy!”

Levi can’t help but chuckle, reaching two fingers out to poke at his daughter’s forehead. “Be good. I’ll be back soon.”

“Mommy too?”

Levi sighs, “No, mommy doesn’t come back until Tuesday.”

“That’s four days away,” Holden’s doesn’t hesitate to express her dissatisfaction. Levi nods, a little proud of how quickly she’d calculated that in her head, “Can Eren stay until Tuesday?”

“No, Eren cannot.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Holden crinkles her nose. Levi really has got to do something about her fascination with Eren.

Holden looks backwards to where Eren is still seated around the coffee table, he and Armin watching the father-daughter duo. After reconciling with the fact that Eren does, in fact, have his own home to go back to at the end of the day, Holden turns back around, and holds her hand up, palm facing Levi. He does the same, bringing his larger palm to hers, so that her hand is pushed against the middle of his.

Not one for hugs, kisses, or larger displays of affection, Holden simply turns her palm so that her hand grabs around Levi’s as best as possible, hooking her thumb around his pinky finger—what Levi’s heard the young girl call a hand hug.

“Bye, daddy,” she repeats, squeezing his hand, “Come back soon.”

Levi bends his fingers to wrap around her hand, “I will.”

“Keep an eye on her,” Levi reminds Armin and Eren, after standing back up and gripping his briefcase in his hand, “Don’t cause too much trouble.”

“Holden never causes trouble,” Eren says in response, but his words are spoken in coos to the young girl, who’s already back at his side. 

Levi scoffs, “I was talking to you.” 

“We’ll be fine, boss, don’t worry,” Eren chuckles with an awkward blush, “We love looking after Holden.”

“I’m not your boss,” Levi deadpans, double-checking his pockets for his keys, “You’d better hope everything is fine. Call me if anything happens, I’ll be back soon.” 

With one final round of good-byes, and a wave from his daughter, Levi’s out the door, and stepping into his car with a grimace. It was just one stupid day out of his life. Besides, Holden would be fine with Armin and Eren; she always is. Levi is just grumpy that he can’t be the one to spend the day with her. 

He sighs, reluctantly, putting his keys in the ignition. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could come back to Holden. Everything would be fine in the meantime; for now, he had to focus on how he was going to get himself to sit through Erwin’s long-ass meeting. 

“Levi! Hi! Um… okay, so don’t freak out, but Armin and I are at the hospital with Holden right now—don’t freak out—because there was a small incident at lunch—don’t freak out and fire me please—but! It’s all gonna be okay, they’re already treating her and she’s doing fine now, so don’t freak—”  

“Tell me not to freak out one more fucking time and I’ll castrate Armin and feed you his balls myself.”

“You sound a little freaked out,” Eren placates, wincing and holding his phone away from his ear when Levi growls in response.

“You have five seconds to tell me what you two idiots did to my daughter and explain why I shouldn’t decapitate you immediately.”

“It’s a funny story, actually—so, um, we think Holden might be allergic to nuts…?”

“What do you mean might be, Jaeger?”

Eren can feel his heart in his throat. He eyes Armin on the other side of Holden’s hospital bed. He looks no better—color almost completely drained from his face, but Eren doesn’t think he can say much else to his boss before his knees give out from underneath him.

“Uh, well, it was a lot of technical terms, and—I—um, actually I’m going to let Armin explain!” Eren hurries, all but chucking his phone at the unsuspecting blonde.

Armin’s blue eyes look almost grey with anxiety, but before he can protest, Eren is flailing his hands and pointing fingers and reminding him that Levi will kill them both if he doesn’t start talking.

Reluctant, and terrified, Armin finally lifts the phone to his ear, stuttering out a pathetic hello, but Levi cuts him off before he can say anything else.

“Save it. Send me your location, and pray I don’t kill you when I get there.” Armin chokes out a “yes, sir,” before slowly bringing the phone down to his side.

The good news is that Holden’s allergic reaction wasn’t too severe: her throat had been irritated, and hives had emerged as a result, but it hadn’t been closing up. And luckily, Eren had the endurance to run nearly a mile and half with a four year old tucked under his arm; because with the traffic Armin observed whilst he and Captain huffed and lagged behind, it would have taken thrice as long to get Holden to the ER had they waited and called for an ambulance.

Even better was that Holden was an unnervingly calm kid, even whilst having an allergic reaction. She looked almost back to normal now, save for a few red looking blotches on her neck and upper arm; and seemed more than content to be watching a video on Eren’s phone, despite the situation. She was a little bummed out to find out that she could never eat the new ice cream she liked so much ever again, but she seemed to quickly get over it once Eren reminded her that there were lots of other flavors out there for her to try. Flavors that wouldn’t make her choke to death.

Still, Eren and Armin could probably kiss their jobs goodbye, seeing as they had nearly just poisoned their bosses’ daughter. Holden seemed to like them enough, but, unfortunately, Holden wasn’t the Ackerman who signed their checks.

At the very least, Eren doesn’t think you’ll be too upset with him. He doesn’t think you’ll be ecstatic to hear that while you were away on your already inconvenient work-trip on the other side of the globe, that he also managed to land your daughter in a hospital bed… but you were the more forgiving one. Then again, maybe not so forgiving when it comes to the health and wellbeing of your daughter. 

Eren falls back against the wall in dread. You weren’t even in the same country as him and he was worried about what you might say or do to him. Levi was probably less than twenty minutes away and fully capable of beheading him.

“You… uh, you think the Interior Branch is still looking for interns?” Eren breaks the silence, looking towards Armin, who’s taken the seat next to Holden’s bed, petting Captain robotically as the dog sits in his lap.

“I don’t think it matters,” Armin responds, “They won’t hire corpses.”

Fifteen minutes, and several run red lights later, Levi is bursting through the doors to the pediatric wing of the emergency room. He doesn’t care about the old woman at the reception yelling at him for causing a ruckus, or the other parents, doctors, or visitors eyeing him for marching around like he owned the place. Holden was in there somewhere, and he was going to get to her.

“Holden—oh, god, Holden,” Levi coos, frantic, as he marches into Holden’s room, scurrying to the side of her hospital bed. A cold hand reaches up to stroke her face. Angry, red bumps litter the sides of neck, her cheeks are puffier than usual, and the perimeter of her mouth seems a bit irritated, but Levi is relieved. She’s okay, his baby girl is okay.

“’M fine, daddy,” Holden assures him. She’s almost overly-perceptive for her age, able to pick up on her father’s out of character antics, and does her best to console him. “Eren ran with me all the way here when I started coughing and itchin.’”

Levi nods, the dark grey splotches in Holden’s eyes bringing him comfort, ensuring him that she was okay. “They gave me a shot, and I don’t like needles, but I didn’t even cry at all. Ask, Armin and Eren, they saw! Captain, too.”

“Brave girl,” Levi smiles, reaching his hand up to push her hair out of her face then leans over to press a kiss to her forehead.

Levi had almost forgotten that Eren and Armin were in the room until he hears a blundering cough from behind him. The younger boys look petrified, Eren practically shaking in his shoes, while Armin doesn’t even have the confidence to look him in the eye.

“We’re really sorry, Levi,” Eren apologizes, voice scratchy and wobbly, like he’d been the one to just get a shot, “We didn’t know—and when she started coughing and saying she couldn’t breathe, I swear, I ran here as fast as I could—”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s… fine?”

Levi sighs. Maybe he’d been a little harsh with them on the phone, letting his emotions get the best of him. He’d already been pissed off enough to not have the time to spend with Holden this weekend; hearing that she’d been hurt was just the final push over the edge for him, but it wasn’t necessarily Armin or Eren’s fault.

“I didn’t know either,” Levi exhales, reaching at hand out to pet the top of Holden’s head again, the young girl now distracted once again by the phone in her hand, “She’s never had a reaction to anything before, and neither (Y/N) or I have any strong allergies.”

Armin shuffles where he’s standing. “The doctor said she might be allergic to tree nuts. We, uh, we gave her pistachio ice cream after lunch.”

If there’s anything concerning Levi, it’s that they gave Holden ice cream before dinner, but he supposes he can let it go for now.

“Eren told me to try it, and it tasted good, daddy,” Holden interjects, “Before I started coughing, it was good.”

“Ah, well, you can’t—you shouldn’t eat things that make you feel sick!” Eren stutters loudly.

“But it was good,” Holden pouts, “And you said to try new things, Eri. I won’t know if it makes me sick if I don’t try them.”

Levi holds back his laughter. He knows that Holden definitely wouldn’t want to try the same same flavor again knowing now that she was allergic to it; she was just pulling at Eren’s leg. Levi would have to keep an eye out for the stuff anyway, especially if her oh-so-precious Eren has expressed any former love for it. 

“Um, Levi, sir,” Armin calls, pulling Levi’s attention towards the blonde, “We didn’t know if (Y/N) would have landed already, but do you think you should call her, to, um, let her know?”

Levi’s face pales three shades when he realizes that none of them had already informed you that your daughter was currently hospitalized with a new found allergy.

“You can call her,” Levi says, a shudder in his spine at the thought of relaying this information to you, “That’s your death sentence, not mine.”

[nostalgiachan]

Four more entries in my 100 OC Challenge! As always, new versions up top, first drawings of each at bottom, character info below the cut.

#29: Hime Kokoro (SHUT UP)  Idea: Beyond "Sin's Love Interest," I've got no clue anymore. Story: Year Zero

Oh, honey. Honey. I did you so dirty, girl. Not as dirty as Luris, certainly, but dirty. Or at least I think I did, because I cannot for the life of me remember what Hime was supposed to get up to. 

Well, for starters, what we see of her is that she's Sin's closest (and only seen) friend amongst Lord Gerardis' captains. Despite the fact that she gets a POV chapter, the chapter is more focused on their trip out to where Absolution was found than anything really involving establishing her as a character.  Regardless, I remember that she was obviously supposed to be the one legitimately nice person in the whole of the White Tower. 

Also I pretty fucking blatantly based her appearance on Orihime from Bleach. Teen Nost wasn't even trying to hide it, honestly. 

As for her role when our "heroes" get to the White Tower, I honestly can't remember. I don't remember if she was going to attempt to fight them in a sort of "I don't want to fight Sin, but I have to remain loyal" deal. I almost certainly didn't figure out what happens with her and Taris, what with them being identical twins. But like the rest of the heroes, she does survive and probably waits around for Sin to come back from his wandering the Earth in penance because that's what nice girls like her do. 

If I ever get around to The Rejiggering, beyond the obvious "giving her more agency and overall purpose," I definitely would want to put more emphasis on her "morals vs. duty" conundrum. And, you know...change her name.

#30: Absolution Idea: Mysterious genocidal tree man, also hella gay Story: Year Zero

At last, the guy I was most curious about how much his design would change now that I'm not just slapping a brown skin tone on an anime face, but am actually considering semi-realistic facial features. Still a work in progress, but we're getting there. 

Absolution is probably the one character in this whole story I don't see changing too terribly much outside of digging more into the nature of his being, or possibly making him even more eldritch. 

But yes, as stated numerous times through the other characters, Absolution is the mysterious man found in the mysterious glowing tree with the ability to create life from nothing. G finds him, plans to use him as part of a double team with Sin in his world domination plans, but Absolution decides "Nah, fuck that" and kills G when our heroes reach the top of the White Tower. See, for reasons I don't think I fully developed beyond "Wouldn't it be cool (and also kinda hawt)," Absolution was obsessed with Sin, or at least the bioweapon inside of him, and wanted to activate him and wipe out the entirety of the planet, leaving nothing but the two of them. He does a hell of a job at first, too, activating the Great Destroyer with a kiss, but Sin manages to contain the damage to just the Inner City. 

So, you know, RIP rich folk. 

Absolution's pretty upset that his husbando doesn't want to kill absolutely everything, but he figures, "Eh, if I smack you around a bit, you'll come to your senses and we can get to killing." That doesn't go well for him, and Sin kills him after a big dumb anime fight over the ruins of the Inner City.

As for the reworking, I mentioned before it'd probably be a more interesting idea if Sin and Absolution were both part of the same mysterious bioweapon plant race; it'd also certainly go a ways towards better establishing why Absolution's fixated on Sin beyond "I'm just a nihilist, I guess, lol." Beyond that, the damage would absolutely not be contained to just the IC. Everything needs to get fucked. Maybe our heroes survive, but ain't no winners with doomsday weapons around. I also see Sin and Absolution pulling a mutual kill, possibly with a cheeky little "they're regrowing somewhere else, maybe in Lacryma's ruins". Iunno.

#31: Luris Idea: Sexual assassin. That's unfortunately it. Story: Year Zero

At last, we get to probably my most unfortunate character, the culmination of the "Mostly Here to Be a Sexy Villain" trifecta alongside Mulore and Maria. Only this time, she actually has sex. Like, I'm not kidding when I say her whole character is probably the nadir of my teenage internalized misogyny and my adolescent notion of what made mature writing mature. Full disclosure.

Luris is the most trusted captain and bodyguard of G, and rumors abound they may have a little something going on behind the scenes; at least, Sin seems to think so.  Her specialty is sexpionage (and no, I didn't come up with that pormanteau) and assassination, and G so values her work that he even allows her to occasionally target Inner City civilians in order to keep her skills sharp.

Her primary role in the story comes down to one chapter. She manages to not only locate Sin in the Outer City, but to find the very rebel base itself. She presents herself as having defected from the White Tower after hearing about G leaving Sin for dead, and claims that she always loved Sin, but knew that he wouldn't choose her over "that prude Hime," so if she couldn't have his love, she wanted his hate instead. But from the first word, Sin doesn't buy it.  He allows her to start to get intimate with him, but only to get her into a vulnerable position on his bed so he can stab her to death. He makes sure to say some pretty goddamn terrible things about her to the microphone in her earring which he knows is feeding audio back to G.

And that's it. The sum totality of her character is "she's a black widow and then she fuckin' dies." And honestly, as much as I don't like mercy killing a character, in the rejiggered story, the best thing to do would probably be to cut her entirely. But I feel like Teen Nost did her too dirty to just take her out behind the shed, so I should really come up with something more substantial for her to get up to.

#32: Winter Idea: Shy little ice mage who has to fight her friends Story: Love Like Winter (based on the album "decemberunderground" by AFI)

Now here's a story I'd definitely like to revisit, even if it's fairly simplistic.  I totally should've drawn these next few characters before the Year Zero cast, since they predate them, but I didn't actually upload the one drawing I did of them to deviantART, so I forgot to include them until I'd already started the Year Zero kids. But whatever. 

So this is Winter, a teenage ice mage who lives in a hidden city housing the last of humanity. She and her best friends, the fire mage Summer and the shadow mage Silence, were training to become proper mages and join a monastic order dedicated to protecting the city from the demons which threatened them daily.

One day, the three of them learned of forbidden rituals which could unlock incredible magical power within the user, provided they 1) "survived" the process and 2) kept their sanity. Silence, being young and reckless, wondered why the monks wouldn't take them through this process; obviously, if all them went through the ritual, they'd have more than enough power to drive back the demons and reclaim the surface world. Winter was much more against the idea, for the obvious reason of "it tends to kill people," but Summer was on the fence about it. 

That was, until Silence managed to not only figure out what the ritual entailed, but to successfully complete it. Now imbued with powerful dark magic, she took to the surface and started cutting swathes through the demons with monsters of her own creation.

Seeing just how well she was tearing through their mortal enemies, Summer sought her out and asked her to take him through his own ritual. But while the two had managed to overcome hurdle one of the process, they hadn't completed hurdle two: the keeping of the sanity. And it wasn't long before Silence decided that because she was the one who was finally clearing the demons out, she should be in charge of the city instead of those dumbass monks. Summer decided since he owed Silence for this newfound power, he was along for the ride. 

Which left Winter with the unenviable job of having to kill the two of them. The monks now had their hands full with trying to stop both demon incursions and Silence and Summer, so they tasked Winter with tracking down and defeating her former friends, for who is the last person that they'd see coming? 

Well, despite her best efforts, this turns out to be a bad idea. Though Winter managed to break through Silence's ranks with her trainee abilities, between her lack of power and her hesitance to fight her friends, she couldn't stop Summer. Winter barely managed to escape and return to the order, where she came to the conclusion that she was unfortunately going to have to fight fire with fire (or fire with ICE, huh? HUH?!). She was going to have to go through the ritual herself. Initially, the monks were reluctant, but it quickly became apparent it was the only option they had. 

Thus, she finally learned what the process was: the ritual practitioner would be consumed by the element of their choice to the point of death. If they were truly attuned to this element, however, the element would reanimate them, allowing them to freely channel this power through their form. For Winter, this meant drowning herself in a frozen pool of water. Thankfully, the process worked, and she returned to Silence's tower ready to beat some ass.

Though still not completely ready, since there was another hang up: she was completely in love with Summer. Like any good teenage protagonist, she'd originally thought Summer was in love with Silence, but after the death ritual, she wasn't going to play that game anymore. She was going to beat Summer's ass, make him see reason, and confess her feelings. 

And she does all three in spectacular fashion, winning Summer over to her side and convincing him to help her fight Silence, since she was the strongest of the three even before the death ritual. The three have a hellacious battle, but by that time, Silence's sanity was so far gone that after wearing down her body, Winter and Summer had to infiltrate her mind in order to return her to sense. It's magic, you know how it is. 

Whether or not they manage to bring her back, however, has flip-flopped over the years. Initially, they did, and they convinced the monastic order to simply imprison rather than execute her. But later, I started to think that maybe she actively chose to stay locked within her own mind in a catatonic state out of penance, and would only come back when she felt she'd reflected enough on what she'd done. 

But at the very least, Winter and Summer get a relatively happy ending together.

Originally, Winter's superpowered mode was basically just standard aura-floating hair-glowy eyes stuff, but doing the redraw, I thought, "Wouldn't it be cooler if I incorporated the dying part more and made her look frostbitten?" I dunno how well that comes off, but y'know. I tried.

[bebepac]

Falling For You

I am participating in @wackydrabbles​ Prompt # 94 courtesy of @rookie-ramsey​  “I’m giving you one last chance.” which will appear in bold.

This is also chapter 4 of The Meet:  To catch up on what you’ve been missing, please click:  The Meet

The Book:  TRR

Pairing:  Liam x Jilian (Liam x F!OC) / Leo x Bebe? (Leo x F!OC)

 Warnings: profanity, I think.   Fluff.  I really think Drama Whore is locked in a basement somewhere.  

Leo, Liam and Maddy belong to pixelberry.  Jilian belongs to my friend @queenjilian​ , and all others are my own characters to help support our story.

Summary:  Jilian and Liam celebrate their six month anniversary.  Leo shows up to Bebe’s apartment unannounced.  

A/N:  This took a different turn than originally anticipated.  Thank you @dcbbw​ for giving me an idea to rework a section, and @queenjilian​ as I feel we talk about this series daily.

This keeps taking a turn on me guys.  I’m sorry I don’t outline.  But I guess that is part of the magic here too.

Word Count: 1496

ORIGINAL POST DATE: 05/11/21 at 12:15PM EST.

He couldn't help but stare.  She was so beautiful, even while she was sleeping.  

"Liam, don't be creepy."

Jilian opened her eyes looking at him.

Liam’s mannerisms turned incredibly bashful.

"I can't help it.  You're a vision.  I am completely enamored by you, Jilian Winchester. Happy six month anniversary.   I have something for you.”

Jili gasped. Her work schedule the past few weeks had been so hectic she had totally forgotten the date. That night was the first time in several weeks they had actually been able to see each other.

Jili was panicked.  

“What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t realize the date.. Work has been so crazy. I know that’s not an excuse.”

He held out his gift for her.  She felt guilty.

“I don’t have anything for you Liam. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not the reason you give a gift to someone Jili."

He pulled the small perfectly wrapped jewelry sized box out of the dresser.

Jili sat up in bed, the covers drifting a bit revealing bare skin, to which Liam's eyes quickly fell upon.

"Jili, your body is present enough for me.  You are absolute perfection."

She opened the box.  Inside was an adorable charm bracelet.  

The charms on the bracelet were all medical inspired.  There was a medical bag, a stethoscope, a little ambulance, and she took particular time with the caduceus.  

“This is a beautiful gift.”  

“I see you’re staring at the Caduceus. Did you know….”

“It’s Greek.  The symbol goes back to Greco-Egyptian mythology.”

Liam’s eyes flashed in interest.

“Greece has always been on my bucket list, Liam.  I’m going to make it to Santorini someday. What I’ve seen of it in movies and in books,  I have to see that in real life.”

“And you will.  Maybe I’ll make it there with you.”  

“Maybe. Thank you for the beautiful gift.”  

“Anytime love.”

His lips met hers again in a sultry kiss.  Jili melted in his arms, falling back into the pillows. 

 She could be late for work once.  

Liam at dinner that night couldn’t be more sweet and romantic.  The flowers, the music and the dancing.  He just made her feel like she was the only woman in the world when he looked at her the way he was at that moment.      

“How do you do it Liam?”

“Do what?”  He questioned her.

“Make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world?”

“That’s easy Jili.  You are.”

Liam paid for the check and Jili booked the rideshare back to her place.   While Liam was in the restroom she got a text from the driver saying they had arrived.

“Shit!”  Jili ran out of the restaurant, texting Liam “Silver Honda accord “

She jumped into the honda.

“I’m sorry!  My boyfriend will be out in a second.”

“Jaiden Brooks?”  

“No.”

Jili glanced at her phone.

“I was sure it said silver honda accord.”  

“It is.. But there’s also one behind us.”

“And you’re not Chloe.”  

The man chuckled.  “I’ve been called a lot of names in my life,  Chloe is not one of them.”  

Jili jumped out of the vehicle barreling head first into a guy.

“Whoa, moonlighting as an offensive lineman?”  

“It’s how I went pro.”  Jili flexed her muscles.

He laughed, his soft brown eyes twinkled.  

“You take it easy now.”

“Likewise.”  

She smiled as she walked to the second Silver Honda Accord.  

Still in earshot she heard a woman come up next to him.  

“Are you serious Jai?”

“What?”  He seemed genuinely confused.

“You’re flirting and looking at some random chick right in front of me?”

Jaiden looked exasperated.  “Carmen, I wasn’t looking at her!!!!!  She ran into me, I was polite to her, that’s all.”

“You would say that now that you’ve been caught.”  

She pointed her manicured finger at him.

“I’m giving you one last chance.”  

“I WASN’T LOOKING AT HER!!!!  Carmen, you're my girlfriend!!!!”  

They climbed into the car, and Jili was sure their argument was far from over.

Liam joined her a few moments later, pulling her into his arms.  

“I’m glad we have such a healthy relationship.”

“What brought this on?”

“I just saw this couple.  I ran into the guy by accident.  The girl immediately accused him of cheating.”  

“Well…. Maybe he gave her a reason to, in their past.”  

“He really didn’t seem like the type.  He cracked a corny joke.  Seemed really kind.”

“We’ll never know Jili.”  

Author’s note:  Ohhhh But we will.  We’ll know all about Jaiden Brooks at a later date…

Bebe was out in the bar with Leo.  Something they did from time to time.  They have been a wing man/woman for each other  several times now.  That night  she had been a wing woman for him. He was chatting up a cute blonde.  Things looked to be going well for him.  He gave Bebe a wink.

She gave him a thumbs up, studying the two continuing to flirt.   The girl was cute and petite, and appeared to be hanging on Leo’s every word. He seemed interested, and they looked cute together.  

Her stomach grumbled.  Was it the foreshadowing of her monthly monster coming to wreak havoc on her life for the better part of the week rearing its ugly head early?

Bebe winced at the pair.  Tears filled her eyes.

What was that feeling?  She didn’t like it.  Had to be the cramps. She shrugged it off.

Her work was done for the night.  Leo had settled her tab, and would be leaving shortly with Ms. Blondie.  

Bebe headed for home herself, the weird feeling still tugging at her heart, her stomach still feeling a mess.

She didn’t hear from Leo for a few days.  

Until he texted her late that afternoon.

‘Sup Girl?’

‘Nothin’ much.’

‘Can I come over?’

‘Not in the mood.’

‘I didn’t ask for that. You know we have emojis for that.’

She laughed.

‘Not tonight Leo.’

Thirty minutes later there was a knock on her door.  Bebe dragged herself off the couch.

Leo had two bags of goodies.

“I got you your favorite.  Mint chocolate chip, some chocolate syrup, and your white chocolate kit kats you love, and there’s a meat lovers pizza on the way, and I got root beer and Funjuns.”  

“Leo?”  

“How did I know?  As much as I’m around, I kind of know when you go M.I.A, and why. So can I come in?”  

Bebe glanced down at herself.   She was in a pair of dark gray sweatpants and a Hartfeld Heels tee shirt.  

“You look fine, now let me in! This ice cream is going to melt.”

It was the first time Leo had been over to her place, not for sex.  

“So what are we watching?”

“The Time Traveler’s Wife.”  

“Ahhh chick flicks. Bring it on.  I’m going to put this in the freezer unless you want it now?”

Bebe took the mint chocolate chip ice cream, and syrup away from him.  

“We’re doing dessert first, I can dig it. So am I.”  

Leo liked butter pecan and had brought himself a carton as well.  He put the rest of the items on the table until the pizza arrived.

“I’m getting comfortable then alright?”

“That’s fine.”  Bebe shouted when he walked into her bedroom.  

Leo came back after a minute in her pink leopard print robe.  

She shook her head at Leo.

“What?!?!?!  I see why you bought it.  I like the way it feels on my skin.”

Leo was truly something else.

“That’s probably the pizza.”  He went to the door in the robe zero fucks given. Bebe roared in laughter.  Leo just didn’t give a damn about anything.  

Bebe found herself fishing for details.  “So I thought you’d be hanging out with Miss blondie.”

“Meh. Maddy was alright.  But she really didn’t have much of a personality.  I won’t be seeing her again. Why were you jealous?”

Bebe shrugged it off in a nonchalant way.  “No. Not at all.”  

“Trying to keep Mr. not all of him is fun sized for your own personal enjoyment?”

She hit him laughing.   She nudged his shoulder.  

“Thanks for coming over and hanging out with me.”  

He nudged her back.  “Anytime.”  

He put his arm around Bebe and both focused on the movie.  Later she relaxed to resting her head in his lap.  He softly played in her hair.  

She heard Leo sniffling towards the end of the movie. 

She glanced up at him.

“Leo, are you crying?”

“No.”  He quickly wiped his eyes.  

"The tin man really does have a heart."

"It's a sad story okay. Why couldn't they just live happily ever after?"

"That's not the way life is."

"It should be. You should be able to be with the one you want.  That wants you."

She sat up looking at Leo.

Bebe giggled. "When did you become such a hopeless romantic?"

Leo softly stroked her cheek.   

Bebe stopped giggling abruptly as she gazed into his eyes.  

There was so much fire and passion in Leo’s eyes, that Bebe gasped.

Leo’s signature smirk crossed his face, as he leaned in and claimed Bebe’s lips that were in a seductive pucker for his own.  

Tags in the comments!

[lynny246]

That moment when your discord art group challenges everyone to resurrect your  dead OCs. Born from the ashes and rising like a phoenix is the first OC I ever drew, Reany for Kingdom Hearts! Long story short; I was so in love with Kingdom Hearts 2 that I made a terrible OC that I refurbished when DDD came out. I completely reworked her when KH3 came out. I figured she deserved a better design to boot, I am now a proud OC parent :3

===============================

Name: Reany (Ree-Knee)

Age: 15 (KH2) around 16 (KH3)

Gender: Female

Nickname(s): Rea (Ree-ya)

Alias(es): Guardian of the Moon (self-proclaimed)

Birth Date: July 20th

Occupation: Fighter/Guardian

Affiliation(s): Guardians of Light

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

About the Character

Personality:

Outwardly, Reany can be seen as your typical tomboy. She is a very energetic, athletic, focused, controlled, loyal, and affectionate. However, this is more of an image and serves as a mask to gain more relationships. Reany's truest self still consists of some of the aforementioned traits (i.e. loyal, energetic) but is more defined by her being reserved, awkward, abrasive, ambitious, and pessimistic.

Fear(s): Rejection and loneliness. She fears people forgetting her and never forming any meaningful bonds.

Likes: card games, fighting, painting, eating, teasing, corny jokes, the Heartless, and stargazing

Dislikes: scorpions, isolation, secrets, losing

Habit(s): Chewing her hair. It’s simply an anxious tic when she has difficulty using her more confident persona.

Flaw(s): Very apathetic, she finds it hard to be emotionally invested in certain situations, fearing her attachment can lead to negativity if that attachment is ever discontinued by her or others. A slight inferiority complex, she feels that her presence as a whole isn't important in anyone's life. Socially awkward, while she can appear warm and welcoming, her natural inability to communicate in a normal fashion can cause embarrassment and general awkwardness. Clingy, since she does not initially have any meaningful friendships, she tends to attach herself to anyone who gives her a shred of attention or affection.

Talent(s): War Hammer Proficiency, after proclaiming herself to be the Guardian of the Moon, she began training with a war hammer and has found herself to be a competent fighter. Painting, while incapable of drawing anything concrete, she enjoys making abstract paintings. Topography, Reany has exceptional photographic memory, as such, she can construct detailed maps of any location she has spent minimal time in. 

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The Character’s Relationship With Others

Reputation (Quick Character Bio):

A Twilight Town resident with a warm disposition and energetic personality. She has been helping Sora and the others travel an altered Twilight Town and discover hidden locations. It seems that she is not well received by everyone in the town as some of her hometown's inhabitants see her as a mysterious girl of questionable origin and motives...

Love Interest(s):

Riku. Reany has always been attached to Riku as he has always made an effort to keep her involved in the group (initially, just to keep her around for her navigation skills). As they spend more time together during the journey, Reany is becoming more infatuated with him and tries (in her own gawky way) to appeal to him. Riku has picked up on her interest in him, but has yet to decipher whether he feels the same way. 

Friend(s):

Sora

Riku

Selphie (has not met her, but Reany considers her a friend based on all the stories Sora has told Reany)

Seifer (Not mutual, Seifer considers her a sparing partner at best)

Fuu (Not mutual, Reany looks up to her and admires her)

Freun (A rogue heartless she adopted [captured] during the events of KHII)

Enemy(ies):

Kairi (Not mutual, Kairi considers her a friend while Reany views her as a rival)

Arxyne

Organization XIII

Relationship(s):

Sora: They meet when Mickey recommends the gang go check out Twilight Town, which has had an abnormal amount of heartless and, for some reason, experienced alterations to its’ layout. Reany agrees to guide and house him and his friends. Initially, Sora befriends her due to pity after hearing some citizens of Twilight Town gossiping about her being the cause of the strange circumstances. After going through so much, they form a genuine bond and become good friends. Reany treats Sora like her little brother, despite being the same age.

Riku: The two meet the same way she meets Sora. During the adventure, Riku does his best to keep Reany in a good mood so that she can be a good navigator and Reany becomes fascinated with Riku's experience with darkness and his adventures. After the events of Twilight Town, Riku is the first to help her process what has occurred and offers her the opportunity to travel with him, Sora, and Kairi while they prepare for the Mark of Mastery. It is after all this that Reany develops romantic feelings for Riku, it is unknown how Riku feels.

Selphie: During their exploration of Twilight Town, Sora tells Reany about his home, Destiny Island, and describes some of his friends there. One such friend is Selphie who Reany believes is the ideal female friend to contrast perfectly with her personality. She considers Selphie a friend and believes the two have a girly-girl and tomboy dynamic. Reany is so invested in this dynamic that she envisions several shenanigans (most that are common in real world sitcoms) they could get involved in that would make them better friends. These fantasies seem strange to Sora and Riku.

Kairi: Sees Kairi as her complete opposite, a confident and beautiful girl who doesn't even have to try to get friends. Reany chooses to define their dynamic as typical rivals who will "battle eternally to better themselves." (Could you tell that Reany is incredibly eccentric?) From that moment on, Reany expresses a childlike dislike of Kairi, mostly pranking her, mocking her lack of physical prowess, and quoting fictional lines to assert their rivalry. Kairi does not appear to reciprocate the feelings of rivalry, viewing her as a childish little sister. Kairi responds to most of Reany's actions with kindness and general ambivalence, which confuses Reany and has her deem Kairi as "too bright"(referencing her purity).

Arxyne:  (NOTE: this plot is obviously fan-made and happens between KH2 and DDD, it has no true tie-in with the story) Arxyne is a nobody's shadow, a malformed and incomplete nobody born from someone who has not lost their heart physically, but metaphorically. Born from Reany's intense feelings of self-pity and loneliness, Arxyne is ultimately the reason behind Twilight Town receiving a high amount of heartless and changes to it's terrain. Reany's hatred is obvious, opposed to the idea of Arxyne’s existence being her fault. However after everything has reached it's cessation, Reany admits to pitying Arxyne for only being able to feel Reany's negativity and blames herself for Arxyne's suffering.

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The Character’s Abilities

Weapon(s): Mondbrecher, a hammer enchanted with ether. The hammer boosts the physical capabilities of the user and imbues users with "Clarity", a state of supreme focus which improves proficiency and precision. Reany has the weapon from the start of the story and uses it haphazardly, once using it to hammer a nail in her house. Reany notes that the hammer gives her confidence, which is attributed to the "Clarity" state. This confidence allows her to use her confident persona without risk, meaning she is able to keep up appearances better and not break character, but doesn't make up for much of her social inadequacy or disguise her real personality. Once Arxyne is defeated, the hammer is at full power, giving Reany the ability to modify it with temporary magic arts items.

————————————————————-

Stats:

Agility: 9/10

Weapon Handling: 8/10

Hand-to-Hand Combat: 9/10

Elemental Control: 6/10

Defense: 4/10

Offense: 8/10

People Skills: 2/10

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The Character’s Familial/Biographical Information

Birthplace: Twilight Town

Family: Freun (Pet)

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Story (Rather a synopsis of how she gets involved in the main KH protagonists)

Reany is an average inhabitant of Twilight Town, appearing randomly during the beginning of KH2. Despite living there for quite a while, no inhabitant seems to remember her causing her to reintroduces herself multiple times. Strangely, it is when Twilight Town begins changing that people seem to remember her. She meets Sora and the gang after they are sent to investigate the strange changes going on in the world.

She agrees to help them find out information and instantly attaches herself to the group. As the team investigates, they find a strange portal, hidden within the clock tower. It leads to a strange labyrinth, crawling with heartless, that has no exit. The labyrinth has 6 puzzles to be solved in order to open a silver gate. Each puzzle offers an upgrade to the team's weapons which can open the gate.  Once a puzzle is solved, a guardian appears to battle. Each guardian being a member of Organization XIII, however, something is amiss. The roster is missing Roxas and Axel, the members lack knowledge of prior encounters, and each member's personality is severely exaggerated (i.e. Demyx is incredibly dimwitted, Larxene is militant).

As they defeat each member, the group takes note of these strange differences and finds evidence that they are not battling resurrected members of Organization XIII, rather they are fighting puppets. Donald identifies the dark magic leaving their bodies, theorizing this is what gives them sentience, and Riku discovers they are being controlled physically by hairlike strings. They finally reach the top of the labyrinth where the truth is revealed. Arxyne, Reany's nobody who was created from Reany's negative emotions about her loneliness, awoke in the clock tower and found herself unable to leave the tower as she lacked physical strength and the knowledge of how to unlock the gate.

Born with the ability of omnipercipience, Arxyne was able to observe many worlds without leaving the tower, most interested in the heartless and different nobodies. Noticing the stray heartless who found hearts evolve to nobodies, Arxyne believed that she was unable to leave the tower because she was incomplete and created a plan to find her somebody. If successful, she believed she could be complete and finally leave the tower. Arxyne attempts to persuade Reany to reunite with her and allow her to leave by appealing to their mutual feelings of loneliness and abnormality. Reany, worried that the others would realize the girl they had known as of now was a fake persona, refuses and makes an attempt to destroy Arxyne. Arxyne becomes enraged and disarms Reany. Arxyne, detecting the power and potential of Mondbrecher, proclaims that she was wrong to need someone as pathetic as Reany and believes Mondbrecher is all she needs. She uses Mondbrecher to give her the physical capabilities to fight. The battles ensue and the team comes out victorious. Reany takes back Mondbrecher, which absorbs Arxyne's spirit making Reany complete again.

After this, the group returns to Twilight Town, finding it has returned to it's normal state and the clock tower disappears. Reany makes a big speech, showing her real personality and thank them for not only their help with this mission, but for befriending her. She apologizes for deceiving them and offers to distance herself if they don't like the real her. Kairi assures Reany that nobody will give up on their friendship with her and they are glad they met her. The group concludes the day with a quick casual exploration of Twilight Town before Donald decides it's time to report back to Mickey with Riku agreeing that they need to prepare for the Mark of Mastery. Reany bids them farewell, clearly somber about losing new friends again. Sora asks if she was willing to join them and Reany questions whether she would be a bother. Riku quickly states that she couldn't participate in the test but could travel to Destiny Island with them as they need to return there first. Reany accepts and monologues about this being her chance to be the Guardian of the Moon, a warrior she read about in a book who protects worlds that have fallen into the darkness from being consumed again. The group chooses to ignore this and welcomes her, she has been tagging along ever since.

That’s All Folks~ (probably update this as mor KH content comes outs)

[theros]

12, 23, 37, 49 for OC questions!

wasn't actually expecting to get asked anything holy crap!

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

@acheyri's FFXIV character Svee! I have never been so obsessed with an OC that wasn't my own, but I genuinely love Svee so so much, both her design and her story. She's complicated and messy and real, and Ripley's art and discussions about her are absolutely fantastic.

23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?

Ough, that would be Sira, my very first OC. I don't have any pictures of her first design (when I was 8-10) because I never took photos of it and have long since lost the journal she was doodled in, but she was a completely human girl with brown hair and ordinary human blue eyes. She was one of three protagonists of a very very YA "series" I was writing about three human girls who became nonhuman through shenanigans and had perfect nonhuman boyfriends and saved the world lmao. Then when I first joined the furry community, I reworked her into a cat/dragon (and supposedly wolverine but I was 12 and this was literally never shown in her design) hybrid:

(old art by @felisrandomis - like, 11 years ago old lol)

over the years i reworked her again and sort of merged her with another character of mine, a werecat assassin, and bounced her through several design changes. I made her dark gray with light gray rosettes, dark gray with blue rosettes, then finally settled on and stayed with silvery gray with darker gray rosettes.

(art by Chandraken - also 11 years old; i went through changes for Sira rapidfire for a while there lol)

(crop of the last ref i did for her a few years ago. she does have a fully human form but I used to draw her as an anthro or neko 90% of the time so)

Her story is also waaaaay different than the original iteration. Rather than a 13 year old girl who magically saves the world with no pain or consequences and also gains cool powers and a hot boyfriend, she's now a bitchy, traumatized adult assassin/ex child soldier locked into a life contract with an employer she wants to kill. She also murdered her husband (he kinda deserved it). Her storyline... really does not have a happy ending any more.

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human

How human do they have to be/appear to fit the "not quite"? By my definition Sira would qualify, as would my answers to number 49, and also this dude!

Greirat, local satyr boy. One of two different satyr OCs I have and definitely the more wild one despite having such a sweet face. He's lowkey a shapeshifter and his true form is a cat-satyr creature created by @.Felisrandomis, so this is about as human as his appearance can get:

His ref sheet is like. The only art I've ever drawn of him and I really oughtta fix that sometime. Maybe tweak his design a little, now that I think about it.

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes

My MTG oc Mestas, hands down. Lovac, one of my FFXIV ocs, would be a very close second, and it's probably a good thing those two exist in totally separate universes, because they'd likely drive their friends batshit constantly memeing back and forth with each other.

If social media was a thing on Ravnica, Mes would totally be a tumblr blogger. She'd constantly post memes about her friends, the guilds, and any prominent characters from canon. She'd @ Jace Beleren in every single one. He has no idea who she is or how she got his contact information. He's blocked her 16 times and she still manages to do it. She doesn't even have multiple accounts.

No pics for these two cause I'm redoing Mestas' ref and I changed Lovac's skin tone, and my only saved screenshots of him are from before that. He's not my main file so I rarely play him OTL.

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch29. The Sokovia Accords Part 1: When You Gotta Go...You Gotta Go.

Summary: Things didn’t go according to plan in Lagos and as a result The Avengers are faced with a set of regulations which the Government are seeking to impose on them. But, when Steve gets a phone call with some devastating news, it all pales into insignificance.

Warnings: Bad language, Smut! (NSFW, Under 18s) Bad Language words.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: Elements of this have been reworked/rewritten…for reasons which will become apparent at some point! Once again HUGE thanks to @angrybirdcr​

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 28

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chaos. That was the only way to describe what went down when The Avengers mobilised. The Institute was compromised and, after a violent chase Natasha secured the biological weapon which had been stolen, whilst Katie and Sam provided support from the air, Wanda dealing with a huge cloud of poisonous gas which had been released.

And then Steve and Rumlow ended up exchanging blows, which was where it all went completely to shit.

Neither of them seemed to have the upper hand, although it felt like Rumlow did for a while, as he slammed Steve into a building and extended a blade from one of his gauntlets.

“This is for dropping a building on my face.” He snarled. Steve, however, was quick to respond and pulled the gauntlet off, only for Rumlow to reveal another knife. After a violent struggle, Steve finally got the better of the man, forcing him to his knees, both of them heaving from the exertion of the fight. As Steve glared down at him, Rumlow reached up to remove his mask and Steve’s mouth fell slightly open at the sight of the man’s scarred face.

“I think I look pretty good, all things considered.” Rumlow chuckled.

“Who’s your buyer?” Steve asked, grabbing him by the collar.

“You know, he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky.”

Steve froze, his stomach twisting slightly at the mention of his friend. He remembered him? Really? His jaw clenched in anger slightly as he looked down at Rumlow who was smirking.

“What did you say?” He demanded.

“He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in a blender.” Rumlow wheezed with a laugh. “He wanted you to know something. He said to me, ‘Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go, you gotta go…’ And you’re coming with me.”

It was whilst this was going on that Katie, who had been flying over, saw exactly what was happening. FRIDAY scanned Rumlow and told her about he was wired to explode, but even as she yelled a warning to Steve on the coms, the bomb vest exploded. Steve staggered back slightly, but the blast was encapsulated by a ball of red energy. Katie landed besides Wanda who was concentrating on keeping the explosion contained around Rumlow and she lifted him into the air before she lost control. The explosion finally blossomed, devastating entire floors of a nearby office building. Wanda’s hand flew to her mouth in shock as Katie stood by her side, looking up in disbelief.

“Oh my…” Steve approached the girls, looking up open mouthed. This was bad. Really bad. “Sam … we need fire and Rescue … on the South side of the building.” He stuttered between breaths, before he looked at Katie “We gotta get up there.”

She nodded and took off.

The Avengers did all they could to help the rescue efforts, but after twelve long hours Katie suggested they leave, as just like in Sokovia, the locals were baying for blood. They didn’t know the exact death toll. Steve wasn’t sure he wanted to either. When they landed back at base Wanda was first down the ramp, she hadn’t spoken a word since the incident, and she sped straight past Rhodey who was waiting at the bottom. He watched her go and then looked at Steve.

“Secretary Ross has already been on.”

“Ross can kiss my ass.” Katie mumbled, wiping at her face which was dirty from the clear up efforts.

Rhodey smiled a little as she stepped off the ramp.

“What does he want?” Steve asked, ignoring Katie’s grumblings. .

“A report.”

The Captain sighed. “Okay, we’ll get right on it.”

“No we won’t” Katie spun round to face him, her face stern. “It’s gone four am and we have been awake for over twenty-four hours. The team are tired, you’re tired. Ross can wait.” Steve opened his mouth to tell her that he really thought it was best they deal with it now but she wasn’t having any of it. “Don’t argue with me Steven.” She cut him off before he could start, her eyes flashing dangerously. “We’ve been away for almost a week, and it’s been a long day. We’re all tired, we need rest, and that means you too.”

Rhodey and Sam exchanged a grin, they loved it when Katie put her foot down with Steve. She was the only one who could make him see sense when he was like this and the only one of them that the Captain was secretly, just a tiny bit scared of. With good reason the men thought, because, let’s face it, she had the keys to his sex life after all.

Steve looked at her, half of him was exasperated at her calling him out like this, but the other half knew she was right. Eventually, to avoid an argument he sighed and nodded.  

“Fine. Rhodey, tell Ross I’ll call him tomorrow. Go get some sleep everyone, we’ll debrief in the morning.”

“Somebody should probably check on Wanda.” Sam pointed out and Katie nodded.

“I’ll go.” She volunteered, heading out of the room.

After a brief search Katie found her in the communal kitchen, slumped down against a counter with her knees pulled up to her chest. She made her way over and slid down to sit next to her. The two sat in silence until Wanda eventually sniffed.

“It’s all my fault. I thought I could contain it. I should have thrown the bomb somewhere else.”

“Wanda, you did your best.”  Katie sighed, putting her arm around her. “That’s all anyone can do.”

And then the younger woman broke down. She sobbed, dropping her head onto Katie’s shoulder and there was nothing to do but let her cry and soothe her, telling her it would be okay.

Once she had settled Wanda back in her room, Katie made her way back to their apartment, running her hands over her face. She was exhausted, but she also knew Steve was brooding over the events as well. She walked into the bedroom and looked into the en-suite through the open door watching as Steve was drying his hair and his face after having showered, dressed in nothing but his grey sweat pants, which hung off his hips in a way that usually made his wife combust. As he finished he glanced in the mirror and caught sight of Katie who was leaning up against the door-frame.

“How is she?” He asked.

“Upset.” Katie said honestly “She’s taking things really hard.”

“This is all my fault.” Steve sighed heavily, shaking his head as he turned to face her.

“Steve, what happened is no one’s fault…” She began, but he cut her off.

“You were there.” Steve looked at his wife. “You saw what happened, Doll.” His shoulders dropped as he tried to brush past Katie to exit the bathroom, but she stepped to the side to block his path.

“Yes, I saw what happened.”  She looked up at him. “But I still don’t understand why you’re blaming yourself.”

"Because I lost focus!” Steve yelled, his frustrations bubbling over and he ran a hand through his damp hair as Katie blinked, the only reaction she gave to his angry change in demeanour. “All Rumlow had to do was mention Bucky and it was like I was a little kid in Brooklyn again.”

“Bucky?” she frowned. “He mentioned Bucky? I don’t-“

“He told me that Bucky remembered me, well he did, until they, and I quote, ‘put his brain back in a blender.” Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and Katie looked up at him, his face was contorted with a mixture of grief and tiredness. She sighed and wrapped her arm around him and he buried his face into her neck. Always so stoic and unmovable to the outside world, but with her it was a different story.

“Sorry for shouting at you.” He nuzzled closer, sniffing slightly, his voice slightly muffled when he spoke.

“It’s okay.” She soothed and he took a deep breath.

“All he had to do was say his name and I lost it. He was wearing that fucking vest from the start, I should’ve gotten rid of it right away but-”

“It is not your fault.”  Katie shook her head, her hand gently stroking his hair. “Stevie, I challenge anyone to be in that position and not react the same.”

"I’m supposed to be the leader,” He pulled away with a shake of his head as he straightened up slightly. And it was true. As far as he was concerned this started and ended with him. “I’m supposed to stay professional no matter what, but when it comes to Bucky and you for that matter…”

“Baby, you’re only human.” Katie assured him, her voice gentle as she took his face in her hands “Super-strength, enhanced yes, but still a wonderfully flawed, dumbass human being, just like the rest of us.”She leaned up to give him a gentle kiss. “We can only do our best, Love. Nothing more.” He sighed and then pulled her in for another hug, burying his face into her hair, which smelt of ash and gunpowder and her, giving him something to anchor himself to. As her face pressed into his bare chest he felt her smile softly before she pulled back to look at him.

“Wanna be little spoon tonight?”

His face split into a childish grin because the thought of her holding him was so damned comforting and appealing right now. “Yeah, yeah I do.”

**** The relative feel-good factor that had been present at the base for months was completely decimated. None of them had ever been under the illusion that life as an Avenger would be easy, but now it seemed to be getting harder by the day. In the weeks that passed by following the Lagos incident, various Diplomatic Heads of States waded into the debate, demanding some kind of regulations were put in place to police The Avengers, something Steve, Sam and Katie felt drastically opposed to, the three of them often getting into protracted discussions between themselves about what it could mean for the Avengers were it to happen, discussions which Natasha, Rhodey, Vision and Wanda avoided.

The most troubling thing for Katie though, was the silence on the issue emanating from Tony. He’d called by, of course, to make sure everyone was alright, but she had assumed he would be anti-government control considering his stance on all things official previously. But he hadn’t commented to any of them about it, which worried his sister immensely. Katie tried several times to get him to open up whilst they were out touring with the Foundations but each time he shut her down and changed the subject. This wasn’t helped by the fact that one day they were accosted by a woman who had lost her son in Sokovia. She blamed him, blamed her, blamed all of The Avengers, and had grown even angrier when Katie had tied to placate her. Their flight home that day was a silent one, Tony speaking only when they landed home to state that everyone needed to get round the table to talk things over, specifically how they go forward as a team and that they should face facts, The Avengers needed to be accountable for their actions and if that meant they were put under sanction, then so be it.

Steve had reacted exactly how Katie had assumed he would, out and out refusal to even contemplate listening to what Tony was going to say. Katie had sensibly pointed out that the issue of Government control wasn’t going to go away and they had to confront it, and to do that they needed a joint position, of which Tony was a big part. Steve had simply shook his head, insisting that it was out of the question at which point Katie’s temper had bubbled over and she had yelled at him, calling him an stubborn prick, before telling him to take his head out of his ass and look around at his team. His team, which at the moment, was struggling a little. She’d continued to blaze at him about how things couldn’t continue the way there were, and something was going to have to give, and then she called him a moron for not being able to see what was staring him in the face, before slamming the door to their quarters as she stormed out.

In the wake of her spectacular exit, Steve angrily headed to the gym to pound his frustrations out on a punching bag. And whilst there, with each blow he landed, he thought about what Katie had said, and as the angry fog cleared from his brain he realised she was right. Wanda had been withdrawn for the past few weeks, rarely emerging from her room, talking to no one really but Vision. Natasha was currently taking some time out at Clint’s which was almost unheard of, unless it was over a holiday period. Sam and Rhodey had continued their training with Evans and the new recruits but even there Steve could see things were subdued, neither of them socialising much. His team were suffering and he’d been so wrapped up in his own, stubborn little world to realise. And, as their Captain and leader, he had to rectify this and do something about it. So, he swallowed his pride and apologised to his wife and told her to call Tony.

They arranged to meet the day after next, and in preparation, Steve gathered his team they day beforehand and told them what was going to happen. He asked them to think about their positions and feelings carefully, but made it perfectly clear that whatever they decided it wasn’t going to be a problem, and they would reach a conclusion jointly, because that’s what they did.

As it was a sunny day, Katie suggested an early evening BBQ to try and coax them to spend some time together. And Steve was happy to see it working, as for the first time since Lagos, everyone seemed to be relaxed. But then that was his girl all over. Full of great ideas because she understood people and could empathise with how they felt in a way Steve could only wish of doing.

“Well, I gotta say.” Sam dropped his cutlery onto his plate with a clang. “For an old man, you sure can grill a steak pretty well.”

“I’ll take that as a back handed compliment.” Steve rolled his eyes and picked up his glass which contained a decent measure of the Asgardian Liquor Thor had left for him. He was secretly pleased though, whilst Katie was the cook, the grill was most certainly his domain.

“That potato salad was fantastic!” Wanda looked at Katie “Where did you learn to cook?”

“Sure as hell wasn’t Tony!” Rhodey quipped .

Katie laughed and shrugged “I dunno, I picked various pieces up from Pepper, and I watched a lot of cooking shows as a student in England but, well, I just tried and found I could I suppose. Has everyone had enough or…”

There were murmurs of a general stuffed nature from around the table, and she stood up to clear the plates until Steve gently grabbed her arm. She’d been fussing like a mother hen around everyone all evening and he wanted her to sit down and relax.

“Leave that, we can do it later.” He insisted gently, shooting her a look.

“Mr Neat-Freak telling me to leave the dishes?” She grinned, as he pulled her onto his lap. “That Asgardian stuff going to your head already?”

He shot her a look but at that point they were both distracted by a loud “Shit!” from round the table where Sam had spilt his beer.

“Now, just hold on a minute.” Rhodey said, his eyes flashing as Sam hastily began to mop at the river of Peroni that was cascading across the red and white gingham table cloth. “Cap doesn’t like that kind of talk.”

Everyone laughed, except Steve whose brow creased into a serious look.

“You heard Rhodey, Sam” He arched an eyebrow. “Watch your fucking language.”

The table descended into fits of laughter and Steve took the opportunity as he looked around his team to raise Katie’s hand to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to her wrist, a gesture she took and understood to be a thank you and another apology. She’d been right, agreeing to talk about what was coming had lifted a weight off everyone’s shoulders.

Well almost everyone’s.

Steve still had that sick feeling in his stomach, that sick feeling that told him there was something big and bad looming on the horizon.

*****

“11 Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission when the attack occurred.”

The next afternoon Steve was sat watching a news report on the screen above his desk, turning his compass over in his right hand. He felt exhausted. As he ran his hands over his face he felt himself tense up when King T’Chaka of Wakanda came on the screen

“Our people’s blood is spilled on foreign soil. Not only because of the actions of criminals, but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all.”

The King had waded straight into the debate immediately after the incident as a group of his people had been killed in the blast. He was one of the main campaigners about the need for some form of sanctions to be put in place. Steve was on edge enough about Tony coming, and deciding he didn’t want to hear or watch anymore, he turned the TV off. But, his sharp ears caught the continuation of the news broadcast being continued elsewhere, and he inclined his head a little to the left as he took in which direction it was coming from. He glanced up and saw that the window to his office was open, and standing up he walked over to it, the sound growing louder.

It was coming from the residential floor above. Directly above, unless he was mistaken. Which meant the person watching was in Wanda’s room. He turned and made his way out of his office and up the flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, figuring out he could make it up one floor faster than he could call the elevator. He pressed his palm to the door which would allow him access to the floor which contained Wanda, Evans’ and Natasha’s rooms, and it slid open with a little hiss.

“They are operating outside and above the international law. Because that’s the reality, if we don’t respond to acts like these” came the voice which grew louder as he approached her room. He stopped at the door, which was open, and paused as he saw Wanda was sitting on her bed, watching a TV which stood on a dresser in the corner.

“What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeri – “

With a deep breath Steve picked up the TV remote from the nightstand and turned the set off before placing the remote down, leaning on the doorframe

Wanda looked round. She spotted him but she didn’t get up.

“It’s my fault” she swallowed gently shaking her head.

“That’s not true” Steve replied gently.

“Turn the TV back on. They’re being very specific.” She said sarcastically.

“I should’ve clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it.” Steve pushed off the frame and walked over to the bed where she was sat.  “Rumlow said Bucky and all of a suddenly I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn” He sat on her bed next to her, “And people died. It’s on me.”

“It’s on both of us” Wanda looked at him.

“You know,” Steve smiled gently as he recalled the words Katie had said to him years ago, “this job, we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live with that, next time maybe nobody gets saved.”

Before Wanda could reply, Vision materialized through the wall making them both jump. It made Steve slightly uneasy how the android was the only person who seemingly could get the drop on him like that.

“Viz! We talked about this.” Wanda chastised him.

“Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that…” He gestured at the door and stopped. “Captain Rogers you wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving.”

“Thank you. We’ll be right down.” Steve nodded.

“I’ll use the door. Oh, and apparently, he’s brought a guest.”

“Who?” Steve frowned, that hadn’t been part of the plan as far as he was aware.

“The Secretary of State.” Vision said, turning to go.

Steve’s frown deepened and he turned to Wanda. She was sat looking at her hands. He knew instantly why Tony hadn’t mentioned he was bringing him, because he would have been met with a resounding no. Giving Wanda’s shoulder a squeeze he stood up and left the room telling her to follow him down when she felt ready to.

“Why is he here?” Katie was blazing at her brother when Steve arrived at the conference room.

“Oh hi, Tony.” The billionaire snarked, rolling his eyes. Katie glared at him, her arms folded and chin jutted out defiantly, a look Steve had seen many times before. Tony sighed. “Look, I suggested he come. He can explain the thinking behind the proposed sanctions better than I can.”

“What do you mean, proposed?” Steve looked at Tony. “I thought this was supposed to be a discussion on the idea?”

“They already have a set drafted.” Tony informed him after a moment’s hesitation and Steve scoffed, turning away as Katie rounded on her brother.

“Are you for real?” She hissed through her teeth. “So not only do you spring him on us, now you’re saying the very thing we thought we were going to be discussing, as a team, is already fucking decided?”

“Kiddo, just hear us out, please?” Tony sighed

“Us?” she spat, as she looked over at General Ross who was stood talking to an aide at the other end of the room, in front of the large TV screen. “That asshole is not part of us, Tony. This is bullshit.”

Steve had to fight the snort at the utter look of disgust on his wife’s face. She despised the man, for no other reason than she thought he was an arrogant prick. That said, he knew if he didn’t calm her down, that infamous temper was going to really boil over and that wouldn’t be helpful to anyone.

“Come on.” He stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to placate her. “He’s here now so let’s listen and see what he has to say.” She pulled a face which was a cross between annoyance and disappointment aimed directly at Tony as she shot him one last glare and allowed Steve to guide her towards a chair, his large hand in the small of her back. She flopped down, angrily, her nostrils flaring as she looked away from everyone, out of the glass walls of the room. This was a shitty stunt for Tony to pull. Whilst she knew Tony wasn’t opposed to some form of sanctions, the fact that he was seemingly already involved in drafting them without discussing it with any of them, didn’t sit well with her at all, but what worried her more was the fact that he and Steve were undoubtedly now going to be majorly at odds over all this, which in itself was going to test team loyalties.

And make her life a bigger pain in the ass than it already was.

Wanda and Vision arrived shortly after and once they were all seated Steve’s hand slid onto Katie’s thigh under the table. She squeezed his fingers gently as Ross cleared his throat and looked at the assembled team, before beginning to speak.

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing.”

Shame you got up, Katie thought to herself.

“Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass I found something forty years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective.” Ross continued.

I wonder how many Post Its I can staple to his head...Katie considered the question for a moment, deciding that eight, one for each of the original Avengers and an extra for good luck, should do it.

“The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some… who would prefer the word “vigilantes”.

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?”  Katie asked, unable to contain herself anymore. Steve’s hand gave her knee a gentle squeeze in an attempt to calm her down.

“How about “dangerous”?” Ross responded, not flinching at her question.

Fuck the staples, let’s use nine inch nails.  

“What would you call a group of US-based Enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

Ok, so now Steve was starting to get slightly uncomfortable. He stared at Ross, his chin resting on his left hand, jaw set. Ross then activated the screen behind him. News footage from past missions and SHIELD matters began to flash as he spoke.

“New York. Washington DC. Sokovia.”

Katie swallowed and her hand tightened around Steve’s. He knew Ultron and Sokovia had affected her more than she tried to let on. She took a deep breath and then the footage stopped and flicked to the latest incident in…

“Lagos.”

As footage of the burning building morphed into a shot of a dead girl, Steve glanced up at Wanda and saw her bottom lip began to wobble. The Captain took a deep breath, his face dark as thunder as he looked at Ross, gently bringing his fist down to rest on the table.

“Okay. That’s enough.”  He spoke firmly.

Ross nodded to the aide, and the images disappeared.

“For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.”  Ross spoke as the aide handed him a thick book. He slid it across the table to Wanda. She picked it up, then slid it to Rhodey.

“The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.” Ross explained.

It was worse than they had imagined. They’d expected to be subject to some kind of regulations, rules, a code of conduct. Not overt Governmental Control. This would essentially make the Avengers another branch to an army, and Steve wanted no part of that. Keeping his voice level he looked up at Ross. “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that”.

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?”

Why use nine-inch nails when you could use a javelin? Katie glared at Ross a Steve took a deep breath, glancing down at the table.

“If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”

“So, there are contingencies?” Rhodey asked.

His question was left hanging.

“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords.” Ross carried on. “Talk it over.”

Katie glanced over her shoulder at Tony, at the same time as Steve did too. He was behind them, in the corner of the room. His brown eyes locked onto Katie’s as she shook her head at him. He looked away and then Natasha turned to Ross.

“And if we come to a decision you don’t like?” She asked the question that no one else had dared to.

“Then you retire.” Ross smirked at her before he made his exit, flanked by his aide.

“Glad that clears things up.” Katie muttered, standing up. “Oh no you stay right there!” She pointed at Tony as he also made to leave. “What the fuck, Tony?”

“So much for coming to discuss potential ways forward.” Steve stood behind his wife, eyeing his brother in law, his nostrils flaring in anger. “Instead you help issue us with an ultimatum”

“Can I suggest you take time to read them first?” Tony sighed. “You know, before you hang, draw and quarter me.”

“I’m assuming from your use of the word, you, that you have already read them?” Katie looked at him. Tony stayed silent for a moment, before he groaned.

“I need a drink.”

With that he left the room and Steve looked round at his team, all eyes on him, waiting for direction. He took a deep breath. “Take ten guys, and we’ll meet in the communal lounge.”

**** Chapter 29 Part 2

[gailynovelry]

WIP List Tag

Thanks to @albatris for the tag!

Rules: Share a list of the stories you’re currently working on, regardless of whether or not you have introduced them to writeblr before. I’m going to apologize to you beforehand because all of these are going to long. They are also queer. I do not apologize for that.

Heralds of Rhimn: A YA Dark Fantasy and my oldest project. The first book in the series is Shadow Herald;

“Few gods remain on the world of Rhimn, and the ones that do use special servants known as Heralds as pawns in the conflict between themselves. And not every Herald is happy with their role…

As Navaeli the Shadow Herald comes clashing with the dual threats of the Irongardhe knights and her own vengeful goddess, she finds romance in a handsome hooligan girl and friendship in a young feyrie thief — and with them, the courage to fight back against the injustices of her world.

But can Navaeli break free from the chains of her duty, or will she be the first casualty in the oncoming war between the gods?“

In essence, Navaeli is a dark messiah lesbian who Does Not Want To Be A Protagonist Please, Crislie is a love interest who decides to put her brawling problem to work protecting Navaeli, and Meparik is baby, but baby with many issues. In the time you’ve taken to read these character descriptions, he has probably already stolen your wallet.

The series as a whole involves some good wlw rapid-yearning-to-mutually-protective-girlfriends, REVOLUTION, a new take on fairies and a big ol’ middle-fingered subversion to the Oppressed Mage trope, and eventually some good ol’ fashioned god-killing.

The first book is going to come out May 20th this year! I have made a pretty cover for it, and also for the sequel! I am very proud of this!

Mindhive: A NA dystopia and the first project I’ve written where my characters are explicitly allowed to say “fuck.” They very much need to use this word, given the world I’ve built for them to inhabit.

“Dead-broke and dead-set on paying off his student loans before he’s forty, Nathaniel Emersin signed up as a paid test subject for ReGene, a genetics company with a mysterious new invention that they promise will change the world; the Worker Bee Implant.

But Nathaniel has one little secret that didn’t make it onto paper…

He’s also been hired by ReGene’s rival company, Future Body, to sabotage the trial and steal the mysterious new technology that ReGene’s been working on.”

Complications arise due to the presence of a very amicable security AI and the fact that Nathaniel gets attached to the two other lab rats he gets assigned to for the trial. And by “attached” I mean “develops mutual deep crushes on both Lucine and Avery, has a few cover-compromising panic attacks over it, and eventually reveals to them that he’s being hired to be a secret agent guy doing secret agent things.”

So he sort of decides to run away with his new girlfriend and datemate to an activist group who could a) remove the implant possibly and b) sue ReGene?

Needless to say, ReGene nor Future Body are happy with this turn of events, and decide that they should probably stop him before they experience consequences for the human experimentation and corporate sabotage.

Also, they take the AI with them. His name is Vertigo and he would like for someone to explain to him what a Vocaloid is.

Galactic Empress: This story is me indulging in my very specific need to write a royalty space opera political thriller. It is very high up on the Maslow’s chart of needs for me. It showed up one day and did not leave my brain.

“After the unresolved assassination of her mother, sweet but politically-savvy Princess Glissandrah Ayamarak — known better as Gliss — ascends to Galactic Empress earlier than she’d ever wanted to.

With her mother’s murderer still at large, Glissandrah turns to outsiders to protect her while she figures out just what game is being played in the Galactic Quorum. And it turns out that turning three hardened mercenaries into loyal royal bodyguards is harder than she first thought… but when anyone inside the Quorum could be after the crown, what other choice does she have?”

The hot and slightly controversial bodyguard team in question consists of Li-ah-li, a polite and slightly tired space furry, Yuukmi, a plantperson gunslinger with a space blaster in each of xer four hands, and Jennifer, a gruff human mercenary with a protective streak for her two alien comrades. This story is also polyamorous!

The Ghosts of Grimmigkeit Manor: I literally started working on this one again yesterday; it’s a reworking of a VERY old fully-OC pokemon fanfiction I wrote when I was fourteen, which has been subsequently lost to time. The genre is uhhhhhh paranormal shenanigans with semi-mystery vibes and a strong dose of snark. Probably NA.

The story follows three protagonists. Firstly is Eustace, a coroner who is doing a terrible job of divorcing himself from his family’s slightly goth business and reputation. Secondly is his triplet sister Alison, who is currently being The Responsible One running the family business of selling funeral caskets and who maybe should stop breaking the maids’ hearts in her free time. Thirdly is Dirk, the other triplet, who looks up to Eustace quite a bit and would really like it if his siblings got along more and maybe relaxed enough to let him leave the manor to go to college?

Anyway, during Eustace’s yearly Christmas visit to the family manor, it turns out that Eustace and Dirk can both see ghosts! This phases Eustace significantly more than Dirk, since Dirk has schizophrenia and didn’t realize at first that the ghosts were separate from his usual hallucinations.

The story at large involves family secrets, intimidating and quirky relatives, a murder that happened a quarter of a century ago, and this one really terrible ghost who needs to STOP MAKING THE WALLS BLEED BLOOD and who maybe is the triplets’ father. They have to figure out how to yeet him into the afterlife so that he stops causing problems.

Also, a different and more chill ghost owes Uncle Freddie money.

Misc: I have a dozen other ideas that I float around but Deliberately Wait To Work On because my stories are stews and they need some time to simmer in the crock pot that is my brain. Among these are a mermaid/selkie wlw romance, a mlm post-apoc ??? story, and various wlw Eragon ripoffs where there’s dragons being ridden and cool things happening.

[littlemessyjessi]

Torn: Remus Lupin Story: PS OC:Chapter Three: Backbone

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Remus Lupin Imagine Turned Story

Re-Written and Edit of an old story of mine I had on Mibba that deserved some more love and attention, lol.

Remus Lupin x Vega Black (OC, OFC, PLUS SIZE OC, PLUS SIZE OFC)

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“Sometimes a horse has got to do what a horse has got to do and this was one of those times.”

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Song: “You Can’t Take Me” - Bryan Adams 

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Vega sat quietly on the bed in the hospital wing. Madame Pompfrey had healed her wounds and had given her a replenishing elixir to heal any internal injuries that might have occurred and to deal with her very obvious fatigue. To her left, Professor Slughorn, Madame Pompfrey and Professor Flitwick, the head of her house were all arguing furiously over the repercussions that needed to be taken. Andromeda Black had informed them all of what had happened before they all launched into an argument with each other. She then took a seat across from her younger cousin. Andromeda had obviously known Vega since she was born.

For the longest time, her time with the girl had been limited due to her living in America with her parents. 

However, Vega had always been quiet. She was even a quiet baby in the fussiest of times. As proven many times when her parents had brought her round for the obligatory winter gatherings of the Black family.  Andromeda hated to say but the reason Bella picked on her so much was because she let her. Since they were children, Bellatrix had a mean streak and Vega had always been too shy or mild mannered to stand up to her. Andromeda didn't want to tell the girl that she needed to grow a backbone while she was still sitting in the hospital wing...but it was true. She was sure that Sirius was aware now and she was very exasperated with what would happen in the following days. Unlike Vega, Sirius was unlikely to let it go. When a loud bang sounded behind her....she could almost see him coming. Sure enough, twelve year old Sirius Orion Black was blasting his way towards them. "Vay." he breathed a sigh of relief, "Are you alright? What happened? I swear, I'll get her for this. I swear." "Sirius." Vega started. "Just leave it." "No!" he exploded. "She attacked you! She has to pay!" "Mister Black!" came the stern tone from Professor Slughorn. "This has nothing to do with you and you will stay out of it." "Like hell!" he challenged. "She's my sister!"

“She’s not your sister.” 

“She might as well be!”  "And I don’t want you involved!" Vega snapped rather harshly. It was so out of character for her that everyone looked shocked. She deflated a little at the look in his eyes. "Siri, I appreciate what you're trying to do here. Really, I do. But I don't want you involved because I don't want you getting hurt." she said. "Besides, if you stand up for me again...Bella will never leave me alone. I'll have to be the one to do it...but you need to let ME do that." she said. Clearly, he didn't appreciate the sentiment because he looked unconvinced and very unhappy. "Andromeda." Madame Pompfrey said. "Please escort Sirius back to Gryffindor common room." Andromeda nodded and waited for Sirius to join her. The young Gryffindor stared at Vega for a moment longer before following his older cousin. Vega sat there on the bed, continuing to listen to the elders and drinking her horrid elixir...all the while her mind was in other places. Something need to change....and soon.

She stared at her fingernails as thoughts brewed in her mind. 

She had to do something. 

This wasn’t like her.

Yes, she’d always been quiet but somehow by playing nice and being a the perfect little child she’d let everyone assume that her kindness and her quiet nature made her weak. 

She’d let herself become weak. 

But she knew she was strong. 

She’d been through hell very early in life. 

She’d had wonderful parents and they’d died in a horrible way...but it hadn’t been for nothing. 

Her father had loved her and her mother more than anything and he was a strong and kind man- regardless of his family’s background.  Her mother had been a wild, beautiful and free woman with a fierce passion and determination unmatched by anyone. 

Vega used to be that way. 

A willful and wild child who did what she wants and took up for herself and the ones she loved. 

Sure, she was calculative and she knew when to pick her battles. 

In her younger years, she’d dealt with Bella because she knew her interactions would be brief...but not now. 

Now she was relentless. 

She’d been broken by the loss of her family and young enough to be molded into submission by the ever looming fear of Orion and Walburga. 

Her uncertainty in life had caused her to simply deal with things and choose the easier route. 

But enough was enough. 

Vega made up her mind and when she set her mind to something that was it. 

She was nothing if not stubborn.  On the way back to Gryffindor tower, Sirius was fuming...much to the silent amusement of Andromeda. Sirius had always been hot tempered....a usual stark contrast to the mild mannered Vega. "Can you believe that?!" he exploded. "She's gone completely mental!" "Well, she's just trying to be reasonable." Andromeda reasoned. "Reasonable?!" he snapped. "Bella needs a good.." "Careful, Sirius." Andromeda warned. "That is MY little sister you're talking about." For a moment, he almost looked sorry. "You know what she did was wrong." he said to his older cousin. "You KNOW Bella attacked her. She picks on V all the time." "I know that and so does everyone else. And most importantly, so does Bella." Andromeda said before glancing at her cousin. "But Vega is right in her assumption. If she doesn't stand up to her...it will never end. Bella is far too like our parents for me to be comfortable with. She's power hungry and self important. A true 'pureblood' in her right." She rolled her eyes. Although, not always outwardly verbal about it...Sirius knew that Andromeda hated their families radical pureblood purification hysteria. After all, she was secretly dating muggle born, Ted Tonks. "I don't think she'll ever stand up to her though." he admitted. "What if Bella goes to far and she really, really hurts her? You saw what she did today? What if.." "Sirius." Andromeda sighed. "You can not fight her battles for her. If you do...she'll be worse off. Like she said. And don't count her out. I think we all misjudge Vega. There's more to her than we think. She’s been through alot and she’s still standing.  She’s just finding herself.  She’s only eleven. After all, she did stand up to you, didn't she? When's the last time that happened?" Sirius was silent after that until they reached Gryffindor tower. He mumbled the password to the Fat Lady and went to head inside. "Sirius?" He turned to look at his cousin. He and Vega looked so similiar sometimes.

While they were actually cousins, they could easily be mistaken for siblings. 

At times, even twins.  "Yeah?" he said. "I'll look after her, Sirius." she assured him. "And...if she doesn't deal with Bella, I will....this time." He couldn't help but grin at his older cousin before she shooed him inside and left for the Slytherin dungeons to have a 'talk' with her sister. Although, she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't be going after Bellatrix. She would attack the weakest link. Narcissa.

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Chapter Two

Chapter Four 

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Hello my lovelies! 

How do we feel about Vega’s bubbling attitude?  

Here is another rewrite of a previous work of mine that I had on Mibba! I did a bit of reworking on the character, her name and her backstory because I just felt like she deserved more!  I would love to know what you think of little Vega!

So please comment, reblog with thoughts and/or smash the ask box!  I do so love hearing from you my loves!

Love,

Kenny

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@frankie2902

@pleasantdreamqueen   @becrazy–beyou

@littledeadrottinghood @blackirisposts

@therealmrshale @woodworthti666@thegreatirene@fanfictionandjunk

@angelus320

@alanlizzingtonshore@buriednurbckyrd@disneymarina@tubbypeachwriting

@sullybot @georgiagrl1990 @whenallsaidanddone

@mischiefnevermanaged94 @inumorph

@congurl

@centerhabit

@bubblymusiclover13

@qtmeryr

@thisismysecrethappyplace

@tnupsweetpie

@alisoncdariel

@hannahloveslife

@wormyboi

@blackirisposts

@maggyme13

@amethyst09

@ibenkastberg

@fanfics1717 @mrscasnovak

@thickemadame @babygirl-barnes

@theladyofmasks @aengsty

@kalliravenne​

@witchygagirl​

@gruffle1​

@writtenbywolfie​

@kribbydahhufflepuff

@leah-halliwell92​

@thelastwildangel​

@silent-browser​

@simplymagical​@simplymagicalwritings​

@lilac​flicker

@malulucifer

@minxyvixen​

@moncheriemoony

@queenlexusloverofbts​

@criminalyetminimal​

@plus-size-reader​

@owenniasstars​  

@adventuresofnight

@tuutifruuti​

Love, Kenny

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[choicesfanatic86]

Through the Storm: Part 1

DISCLAIMER:      All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters  unique to my story.  Those belong to me. ;)

PAIRINGS:  Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC

SUMMARY: Riley Lawson returned to New York a broken version of herself after a failed whirlwind romance.  Years later, she has put the past behind her and rebuilt herself into a successful event planner who is happily enjoying her fast-paced New York lifestyle.  However, just because she’s put the past behind her, doesn’t mean it won’t come back to haunt her.  When an unexpected letter turns up on her doorstep, she’s forced to face the people and feelings she ran away from all those years ago.

Please check out my MASTERLIST.

PERMANENT TAG LIST:  @umccall71​ @drakelover78​ @jamielea81 @bobasheebaby​ @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject​ @theroyalweisme @gardeningourmet​ @jlouise88 @hamulau​ @traeumerinwitzhelden​ @blackcatkita​ @mrs-simmy​ @kaitycole​ @alwaysthebestchoice @mfackenthal​ @trr-duchessofvaltoria @pbchoicesobsessed @liamxs-world @flyawayboo​ @devineinterventions2​ @ranishajay​ @jayjay879​​ @alepowell @greyeyedsmile14​​ @mspaigemoore​​ @princesaakl @annekebbphotography @angelicfangirl  @katurrade​ @cordoniaqueensworld​ @ao719 @kingliam2019​  @custaroonie​ @lovemychoices​ @texaskitten30 @harlequinash @smalltalk88  @pixieferry @thatspicegirlssong 

Tag List for TTS Only:  @herladyshipxx  @captainkingliam  @cocomaxley @queencatherynerhys​ @spetstoof​ @grapefrults @pessimystic-fangirl @dralenamax @hhiggs @penguininapinktuxedo @topsyturvy-dream @diamond-dreamland @pnhanga @ladynonsense​ @mrsdrakewalkerblog @crookedslimecreatorpasta @liamxs-world​ @flowerpowell​ @bruteforcebears @withice​ @jared2612​ @darley1101​ @sleeplessescapades @leelee10898 @craftytacotrashdream​ @eileendannie​ @bella-ca @x0valkyrie​ @sunandlemons​

11/26/29 - Here we go again.  I bet you’re wondering why I’m rewriting/revamping TTS? Five months ago I got a critique about TTS saying that the reader felt it wasn’t realistic enough.  For them, things felt rushed and kind of disjointed (examples they gave were the beginning/agreeing to go to the wedding; glossing over Drake/Olivia’s relationship; Riley’s relationship with Paul; Maxwell and Andy’s engagement.  I’ll admit, my heart hurt a little because I had put so much time and energy into it and had been getting so much positive feedback that I kind of got blindsided by that critique. With everything that was going on in my life, I kind of just ignored it and moved on thinking that I’d address it when I had more time.  Of course, I didn’t really get back into writing again until recently.  So, I took the opportunity to reread TTS and I found that the reader who shall remain anonymous (lol!) was correct.  It was rushed . . . I did do a disservice to such awesome characters like Paul and Andy and Maxwell and even Olivia!  So I’m gonna do right by this critique and rework it so that it is a bit more realistic.

So?  What does that mean?  The plot is going to change.  Eek! I know.  Scary.  But the general premise will remain the same.  Plot twist - I already have the ending written and that won’t change.  But Riley’s time in Cordonia will be a bit different. :)

I really hope you guys decide to continue to follow along!

If you want to be removed from the tag or be tagged, please message me! :)

                                          PART 1 - LIFE GOES ON

“Oh my goodness,” I whispered.  “Roxy, you’re a magician,” I sighed as I inhaled the delightful cinnamon aroma permeating from my warm cup of cappuccino.

Roxy winked at me.  “I know what my best customer likes,” she chuckled.  “It’s been ages since you’ve swung by for a visit.  I had to make it just perfect for you.”

I smiled brightly at the owner of the coffee shop.  Roxy’s Coffee Shop had become a second home to me over the last two years.  I had stumbled across it back in college when I first came home to New York.  I was in between mid-term exams and needed somewhere to decompress before heading back to campus and happened upon this little hole in the wall café.  It was love at first sight.  Sure, there were a bunch of mainstream coffee shops scattered across the city, but there was just something that drew you in at Roxy’s.  For one, they had the coziest little set up going on.  The lighting is dimmed just right and the chairs are extra cozy – which is perfect when you want to get lost in a good book or in my case a really tough crossword puzzle.  Another thing?  Roxy makes THE best cup of cappuccino this side of the Hudson River.  I couldn’t count how many times I found myself huddled in a corner sipping a cup of Roxy’s perfectly brewed coffee after a long day of classes.

And that’s just where I am today – snuggled in a plush, brown chair at the far corner of the shop, steaming cappuccino in one hand and the New York Times in the other.  This was the life.  I brought the cup of cappuccino to my lips, savoring the delicious taste as I sipped it slowly.  “I’ve missed this,” I sighed happily.  “I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much,” I offered.  “Business has been crazy, and . . . well . . .you know how it goes when you’re your own boss,” I explained.

“Do I ever . . .” Roxy agreed.  “Stay as long as you like.  I’ll be sure to have Gus bring you a refill when you’re done,” she smiled.

“Best Barista Ever,” I exclaimed.

“Just you today or is that handsome hunk of man joining you?”  Roxy asked waggling her eyebrows.

“Just me,” I laughed.  “Paul’s in Boston.”

“Too bad,” Roxy winked at me.  “I’ll leave you to it,” she motioned toward the crossword puzzle page in front of me.  “Mmhmm, she chuckled.  Only girl I know that does the New York Times Crossword in pen,” she shook her head as she went off to tend to another customer.

Sighing, I leaned back into the chair getting myself comfortable.  Roxy had been right.  I hadn’t stopped by in at least a month.  After all, it had been just as long since I had an actual day off.  I was about due for some nice rest and relaxation.  When Alicia offered to do my consults for the day, I jumped at the opportunity to breakaway for a little while.  I was going a bit stir crazy in the four walls of my office.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job and I loved being my own boss even more, but I seemed to constantly be moving at the speed of light.  I started Savvy Events right out of college and despite the rocky start I had trying to get it off the ground, things have been booming every since.  

I loved the hustle and bustle of my fast-paced life.  My weekends were spent planning and coordinating some of the trendiest events in New York City.  So I wasn’t planning parties for the Kardashians just yet, but I did plan a party for one of the girls from Sex and the City once and it got featured in Glossy magazine.  That was pretty epic.  Mostly though, I found myself catering to high-end business professionals who were just too busy to plan parties themselves – corporate galas, year-end celebrations, weddings.  You name it; I pretty much could plan it.  My weekdays were just as busy – filled with client meetings, scouting visits, and designing sessions.  It wasn’t easy, but it kept me busy, the money was great, and I was really, really good at my job – if I do say so myself.  

Admittedly, there were times when I missed how much downtime I used to have.  I sometimes longed for the days when I could randomly decide to wander aimlessly around the city and discover all of the little idiosyncrasies that New York had to offer.  But the Riley back then didn’t have as much responsibilities as I do now.  Man, just thinking about how much has changed over the years makes me nostalgic for life pre-business.  I’ve come quite a long way from the days when I was waiting tables at that dingy little bar out in Brooklyn.  I couldn’t help but smile when I thought about all the late night shifts I spent working at Upscale.  I snorted at the memory.  Upscale . . . what a totally misleading name.  There was absolutely nothing upscale about that crummy, little bar.  The patrons were a bit too touchy, and my manager Craig was a giant ass.  It wasn’t all bad though.  My coworkers were fun and the tips were a dream, especially when I was trying to save up enough money to get back into college.  And if it wasn’t for that oh so glamorous waitressing gig . . . my life would have turned out pretty differently.  Hell, I never would have met him.  Had I not picked up that last party the night he walked into the bar, I never would have met the man that turned my life upside down.  I never would have had the opportunity to cross off so many items on my bucket list.  I never would have gotten to see the world outside of my tiny little studio in Brooklyn.  I never would have fallen in love.

Ouch.  Let’s not go there.  It had been months since I had even thought about him. I closed my eyes at the thought, clinging onto my cup just a tad bit tighter.  My heart had a slight twinge . . . of pain?  Regret maybe?  I shook my head, mentally chiding myself for letting myself go there again.  I was doing so well.  What had it been three months since I last thought about him?  Or them?  That had to be some sort of record.  They say time heals all wounds, and I was slowly starting to believe it.  It had been two years since everything had happened, and I refused to allow myself to ever be that weak again.  I’ll never let myself revert to the girl I was back then.  I came back to New York a ghost of my former self.  I remember feeling like the aching heartbreak would stay with me forever.  I thought that I would be doomed to a life of wallowing in my never-ending grief.

It still amazes me that I was somehow able to pick up the pieces of my broken life and glue them back together again.  It was a long and hard road that took many months, but here I am . . . almost as good as new.  Were the fractures still there?  Oh yes, of course.  Once something was broken, you couldn’t just pretend that it hadn’t shattered into a million pieces.  The cracks of my former life . . . as much as it killed me to still admit it . . . were still dancing along the surface of my rebuilt life . . . although faded they were still very much a reminder of everything that happened all those years ago.  

God, how tragically sappy.  The buzzing of my cell phone thankfully interrupted my thoughts.  Looking down, I saw my boyfriend’s name flash onto the screen.  I couldn’t help but smile.  Here I was dwelling on the past when my future was calling.  Paul had been away for the last three weeks facilitating a corporate merger between two well known companies.  Headquarters for both companies were based in Boston, and although his law firm was centered in New York City, they wanted him to go out and meet the clients directly in their neck of the woods.  He’d been flying in and out of Boston for the last few months.  I missed him something fierce when he was away, but we’d been getting by through countless text messages and many FaceTime sessions.

“Hi, Handsome,” I answered.  “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until later today,” I murmured.

“Hey, Gorgeous, I know . . . but I just couldn’t let a whole morning go by without hearing your voice,” he responded.

“Well, lucky me then,” I smiled.  

“Luck you indeed because I also happen to have a surprise for you,” he said.

“Ooh,” I hummed.  “What kind of surprise?” I could feel my smile grow wider.  Paul was something special . . . he was funny . . . sweet . . . caring and oh so thoughtful.  He spoiled me.  A lot.  And I didn’t know exactly what I did to deserve snagging a guy like him, but I was certainly thankful for whatever powers that be that found us winding up together.

“Guess who was able to book an earlier flight and is flying in to see you in exactly three hours?” He said in a sing-song voice.

I was grinning so big my cheeks were starting to hurt.  “Shut up!” I exclaimed.  “Paul, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.  And you know what?  You’re just in time for movie night,” I almost squealed.  “They just haven’ been the same without you these last few weeks,” I laughed thinking about what it’s been like him without the last few weeks.  I had used my best friend Andy as my stand-in date and she was less than thrilled at my movie selections.  “I’ve had to resort to spending movie nights with Andy and you know how that goes,” I chuckled.

“Oh, I have a funny inkling about how that went down.”  He chuckled.  “Let me guess, she demanded it be a sci-fi flick?”

I groaned.  “YES!” I exclaimed.  “She tried to get me to watch Deep Impact three times,” I sighed.  “I told her that I had no desire to watch a movie about a giant asteroid pummeling down to Earth, but she scoffed when I suggested Legally Blonde,” I said with a slight chuckle in my voice.  

Andy had been the first friend I made when I moved back to New York.  We found ourselves in the same creative writing class at Hudson University and instantly bonded over our love for all things French.  Before you knew it, we were inseparable.  I loved her to bits and pieces, but she drove me absolutely crazy.  For every similarity we had, there were at least two differences.  For one, I was an absolute neat freak . . . whereas Andy seemed to leave a trail of clutter wherever she went.  Even our taste in movies differed astronomically.  Andy was all about action-packed sci-fi thrillers, whereas I leaned more toward the cheesy romantic comedies.  Despite our differences, and me wanting to throttle her a time or two, she and I became tremendous friends, and I absolutely, positively couldn’t imagine what life would be without her.

“Let’s just say that last movie night resulted in a full blown popcorn fight,” I laughed.  “That I ended up cleaning all by myself,” I sighed.  “There were many a moment I wanted to shove a handful of popcorn in her mouth just to keep her mouth busy,” I chuckled.  I paused for a moment, before clearing my throat.  “It’s been a long few weeks, Paul.  I’ve missed you,” she murmured.

“I’ve missed you so much, too, baby.  Remind me not to leave you this long again. Next time, I’m packing you up with me,” he laughed

I grabbed the newspaper and threw it in my tote bag.  “Careful … I just might hold you to it.”

I glanced down at my watch and was a bit surprised with how much time had flown by.  “Ah damn, if you’re coming home in a few hours I should head back to my apartment.  Get things cleaned up a bit.  Maybe we can do dinner at Russo’s tonight if you aren’t too jetlagged?  Then maybe catch up on all our movie nights we missed while you were gone?”  I asked hopefully.

“Anything you want, babe.  I honestly don’t care what we do as long as I get to see your gorgeous face.”  

I could feel my cheeks grow hot at his compliment.  This guy.  My God, was he a sweet talker or what?  I got that our relationship was still in the honeymoon stage so to speak – we had only been exclusively dating for eight months after all, but man, did he know how to sweep a girl off her feet or what?  Butterflies?  Nope, I had full blown moths fluttering around in there, and somehow, he also managed to make me go weak in the knees each time I saw him.  

Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of going out with him at first, but I’m very glad that he was able to wear me down eventually.  Yeah, the frequent trips to Boston were hard, but we were making it work.  And surprisingly, we hadn’t even had a single disagreement since we first started dating.  Our relationship was easy.  Comfortable even.  And well . . . normal.  God, how I craved normalcy.  Those were things that I never had with him.  Then again, I don’t think there was anything really normal about my relationship with him.  Ugh.  I’m doing it again.  Just stop.

Paul’s voice broke through my internal struggle.  “There’s ah … something I wanted to talk to you about, too.  Been thinking a lot about it while on the trip, and was hoping to run it by you today.”

“Oh?  Okay, that sounds good,” I replied, as I waved a quick goodbye to Roxy.  “I’ll see you in a few, babe,” I smiled as I tapped the end on my phone and left Roxy’s Coffee Shop.  

The trek back home wouldn’t take me long as I only lived a few blocks away.  There was so much I needed to do before he got in, but I was pretty excited to see Paul.  FaceTime was great, but nothing could replace seeing him in person or hearing his laugh right across from me.  We had met about a year after I returned to New York.  I had finally picked myself back up and moved on from my time in Cordonia.  I had reenrolled in college, finished my last semester and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Shortly after I graduated, I went to my local credit union and asked for a loan to start up my own business.  It was a gigantic risk at the time – after all, I had no backup plan if I failed miserably.  They started me off with a modest loan which I used to get the foundation of Savvy Events created.  Even with the loan, money was tight.  To cut down costs, I was working out of my apartment with only a single laptop and my design book.  

Paul’s law firm was one of my very first clients.  I’d been hired to coordinate an event honoring the firm’s newest partner – Paul.  When I went in to meet with him for the initial consultation, I found myself surprisingly attracted to him.  I hadn’t dated anyone since . . . well since Cordonia, and it wasn’t like I was looking to date again.  My heart was pretty shut off from jumping into ANY relationship, and when I met Paul and felt a little spark, I tried my best to snuff it out.  I didn’t NEED a relationship and I certainly didn’t WANT one.  Especially after the shitshow that had happened back in Cordonia, but there was something about Paul that kept drawing me in . . . even though I wanted none of it.  Paul was tall, slender with touches of gray in his dark hair.  He was just under ten years older than me, and he had an air of sophistication that was very fitting of a corporate attorney.  I tried my best to ignore the growing attraction between us.  It was my first major gig and I could not screw it up by being attracted to the guest of honor.  That would be a big no-no.  I wanted to keep things professional.  I also didn’t want my newly pieced back together heart, broken again.  I tried so hard to pretend that there wasn’t anything between us . . . but each meeting had me falling a lot more in like with him than I wanted.  He was sweet, charismatic and genuinely interested in knowing more about me.  That’s why, I wasn’t all too surprised that when the party was over he had asked me out to dinner and wouldn’t accept no for an answer.  

I agreed to a single dinner and made it clear that I wasn’t looking for anything serious.  I didn’t go into a lot of detail, but just gave him the rundown that my heart had been smashed to smithereens and there was no way in hell I was going to fall down that black hole again.  He was oh so patient and understood completely.  That single dinner turned into a standing weekly date which then turned into frequent movie nights throughout the week.  Eight months later, I’m still in major like with him.  LIKE.  Not love . . . I mean, yes, there have been moments when he does something so amazingly, sweet that I go all heart-eyes on him . . . but love . . . yeah, no.  Thanks to him, I don’t really think I can ever “love” someone so freely again.  If there was anything that I learned from my time in Cordonia it’s that love is a four letter word that makes you weak . . . and I’d be damned if I would allow myself to get swept up in that whirlwind again.

After wrestling with my thoughts, I found myself standing on the front stoop of my apartment building.  It was the typical New York City brick-built walk up.  It was in a pretty good area near a lot of shops and markets.  It was also ridiculously close to the subway making it so easy to find yourself in any one of the other boroughs of the city.  Because of that it was obscenely expensive.  I mean, two bedroom apartments in New York are already obscenely expensive, but one in close proximity to the subway typically broke the bank.  Thank God for Andy.  Without her splitting of the rent, we never would have been able to afford something in this area.

I climbed up the three flights of stairs to my apartment unit, all the while, butterflies floated around happily in my stomach.  My mind raced to what I was going to wear to our early dinner tonight.  It also drifted to what Paul wanted to talk to me about.  He seemed a bit vague about it.

“Hey,” I said happily as I walked through the front door.  I threw my keys onto the island in the kitchen.  Andy was sitting on the floor furiously typing away on her laptop.  Papers were strewn all around her in different piles.  

“How’s the thesis going?” I asked, eyeing a few of the crumpled, wadded up paper next to her.

Andy stretched her arms over her head, yawning.  “I’ve been at this since seven this morning and got all of one page done.  You tell me.”  She snorted.  

Andy was an English major who had earned her Bachelor’s Degree two semesters ago.  Her educational goals were much loftier than my own.  She wanted her PhD.  I just wanted to get the hell out of school.  It had already taken me a bit longer than expected to get my degree, and I didn’t have the funds or drive to continue any further beyond my BA.  

Andy was in her second semester of Hudson’s Literary Studies MA program, and I didn’t envy her in the slightest.  While my life had become consumed with all things Savvy Events, her life was consumed by her thesis.  I didn’t understand why someone would willingly spend so many hours of their life working on a paper that could either make or break your educational endeavors, especially when there was going to be more schooling and papers waiting for her on the other side of her MA.  She’d still have at least four more years in her doctoral program.  I internally cringed at even the thought of it.  Andy had mentioned a few times that she’d probably have to move out of state to pursue the PhD program that she wanted.  I didn’t even want to think about what that meant for our friendship.  

Andy had been my saving grace when I first moved back to New York.  And if I were being honest, she was the only friend I had for quite a while upon returning.  When I had come home to New York, a lot of my college friends had graduated and moved out of state.  Even my old coworkers at Upscale had found new jobs and moved on with their lives.  A lot changes in six months.  I was left in a state of limbo, not really having anywhere to go or anyone to turn to.  Meeting Andy was a blessing that I so desperately needed at a time when I wasn’t really sure what to do with my life.  

I never really told Andy what happened to land me back in New York, and being the godsend that she is, she never pushed or pried.  I vaguely mentioned that I had been traveling out of the country for a while, and she assumed that I had been a part of some foreign exchange program.  She never prodded and I never corrected her because . . . well . . . talking about Cordonia . . . and him . . . would just reopen the wounds that had taken so very long to heal.  I wanted a clean break from all things Cordonian.  I left no contact number or forwarding address.  I wanted them to forget I ever existed, and to be honest, I wanted to forget they had ever existed, too.  

“Hey, one page is better than nothing right?”  I popped open the refrigerator grabbing a soda can out of it.  “Want one?”  I said as I held up a can to offer Andy.

“I’m good.  I’m wired on three cups of coffee right now.  I don’t think my body can handle any more caffeine right now.  So how was your day off?”

“It was fantastic.”  I sighed happily.  “Paul’s flying in today . . . in a few hours in fact.”

Andy cocked her eyebrow.  “Really?  I thought he was going to be gone for nearly a month?”  

“Me too, but I guess his negotiations must have wrapped up quicker than expected, so he’s flying back.  We’re doing dinner tonight at Russo’s, so you’re on your own tonight okay?  Looks like my movie partner is back in action,” I chuckled as I made my way toward my bedroom.

“Thank God!” Andy exclaimed.  “Your taste in movies is horrendous, geeze,” she sighed.  “Wait . . . does that mean you guys are planning on coming back here and having some post business trip loving, because I was planning on working until at least eleven tonight.”

“Andy!” I yelled, turning away from my doorway.  “Seriously?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“I’m just saying!  Every time that man goes away on business, you can’t keep your hands off of each other when he gets back. I mean, I get it, you’re still in the honeymoon phase of your relationship … but can you may be spread the lovey dovey googly eyes crap at his place tonight?  I do not like being the third wheel,” she said pointedly.

“Stop it,” I scolded.  “And we aren’t that bad,” I chided.  “I mean . . . yes when he comes back from his business trips we are quite happy to actually be together in person again . . . but we hardly push any hard limits . . . we always keep it to a nice and comfortable PG-13 level, thank you very much.”

Andy waggled her eyebrows.  “Sure, you keep telling yourself that.”  

I rolled my eyes and threw my balled up jacket at her head.  “I’m going to go get ready for tonight.  Get your mind out of the gutter.”

As I turned into my bedroom and started to rummage through my closet for something to wear, I heard Andy enter my room behind me.  "Hey, before you go off to get all glamorous for your date …  you got mail today.  Seems pretty fancy . . . and it looks like it has some sort of foreign postmark.  Cor-something?  I can’t make out the rest,” she said as she squint her eyes to make out the lettering.  

My hand clenched on my closet’s door, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of my stomach.  “Foreign?” I asked, turning to stare at Andy, my jaw clenching.  “What do you mean foreign?  What’s it say?” I asked, abandoning the clothes in my closet.

Andy had the envelope in her hand and looked at it again.  It was a cream-colored envelope.  She scrunched up her face again.  “Well, the postmark looked weird, and I had to sign some sort of funky slip of paper to acknowledge that I received it,” she shrugged.  “I can’t really read the full postmark.  Look,” she motioned to the envelope.  “It even has a fancy red seal on it.”  

My heart beat faster in my chest and my legs felt like they were turning into noodles.  A wave of emotions washed over me.  Foreign postmark . . . red seal . . . it couldn’t be.  Could it?  Not after all this time.  I mean . . . it’s about two years too late to be reaching out.  The thoughts hummed through my head as I eyed the envelope in Andy’s hand.  

I cleared my throat, trying to steady my voice.    “Does it say who it’s from?”

Andy shrugged nonchalantly, as if the letter she was holding wasn’t the ticking time bomb that it was.  “Nope, just some sort of insignia.”  Andy handed me the envelope.  “Does it look familiar?”

I swallowed hard, my eyes dropping to the seal.  My fingers traced the wax seal on the envelope.  Did it look familiar?  Of course it did.  I’d seen the crest hundreds of times during my time in Cordonia.  Bertrand and Maxwell had made sure that I was familiar with all of the court’s seals and crests.  I wanted to speak, but my voice cracked a little in the process.  How could this happen?  Fifteen minutes ago I was so excited that Paul was flying home . . . . now all I felt was absolute dread.  The butterflies from earlier were gone, replaced by a gnawing feeling of anxiety.

“Ri?” Andy questioned.

I lifted my head.  “Hm?” I asked as I felt my eyes glazing over.

“Does it look familiar?” She asked again.  I could sense the impatience growing in her voice.

“Y-yes,” I replied softly.

I could feel Andy’s eyes boring into me.  “Well?  What is it?” She asked.  “Who’s it from?”

I licked my lips nervously, and cleared my throat.  “It’s the family crest of House Beaumont from Cordonia.” I replied softly.  My chest felt tight, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe.  I braced myself on the arm of the couch, trying to sit down.  I tried my best to remain composed, but I could already feel hot tears pricking my eyes.

Andy scrunched her face up in confusion.  “From where?”