#they get more comfortable with themself and stuff idk i just think its fun to imagine

[eti-mun]

Lately I've been wondering if Iteya would start to embrace a more masculine mindset the more adjusted to their new body they got

[charrfie]

Soooo this has been in the works for a while. Some fun and self indulgent and silly au that I actually got way too attached to!!! To the point I've actually got a whole outline of a story for it! Going to put it in under the cut :^]

-

For context: I haven't really decided if this is a completely parallel universe where kris and susie and everyone else has any input on the world. Or if its simply just a year or two early to main storyline stuff. Idk, still thinking, I'll figure it out eventually.

Story time now though! Just as they are in their actual canon story, arrfs is from space! An alien trying to integrate into the Lightner world. Despite pups best efforts over the years, she still manages to wind up without a friend. I'm still heavily workingshopping what exactly their Lightner life was like or how exactly they stumbled into the dark world, all I know is pup gets there somehow!

Once arrfs DOES reach the dark world, pup is absolute terrified. Not only is there no one to tell them what's going on or where they are, but there's also no one to face the unknown with her. Unsure what to make of the change of clothes and new surroundings, pup treks on until- just as she does in the actual deltarune canon- queen pops up out of nowhere to capture her!!! Arrfs instinctually turns into a little tiny worm as a way to hide and defend pupself and queen just accepts it, going "Oh shit lol they disappeared woah. Okay bye."

Skipping ahead a bit bc otherwise we'll be here all day (and also bc I mainly have the meat of this story planned out rather than anything prior)! Arrfs stumbles around cyber city lost and confused after a close run-in with some ambyu-lances. That is, until they find themself in an alleyway. And who else do they find there other than spamton g. spamton himself!!! Instantly picking up on the fact that pup is a Lightner, spamton attempts to lure her into buying one of his wares so that pup may learn to trust him. Which quickly goes south when he realizes that arrfs doesn't have a single cent to their name. He frowns, instead offering her a place to relax. A place to stop running from every Darkner that attempts to approach them. This lands arrfs in spamtons shop, of course! While it seems like a friendly offer, in reality it's mainly offered so that spam has more time to think up a deal. One that would really hook arrfs and ultimately benefit spamton himself.

But then it hits him. This Lighter is lost and confused with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. If he were to hire them with promise of a roof over their head and a place to stay (however low quality and surrounded by garbage it may be), they would not only be a much friendlier face to lure his customers in, but would also come to trust him. THAT'S how you hook a customer and make them into a returning one. That's his ticket into getting into the basement. And to his surprise... arrfs jumps on the idea! Pup's very desperate to get a controlled grip on this world, and most of all, really just to find a friend after all these years. Blissfully unaware of the real nature behind the deal, she seals it.

I'm still working on the exact details of how the rest of it plays out, all I know is that the two actually do wind up becoming genuine friends! Spamton initially was in it for himself, sure, but instead he finds himself so comfortable with the first genuine friendship he's had in years. He fufills his goal of enabling arrfs to be completely trusting of him, but he never figured he would be so trusting of them as well. Not to mention that with all of arrfs help, they've pulled together a bit more of a stable income. She's even encouraged him to create his own art that sells for a much higher price than his normal wares. He almost wants to delay getting his hands on want he wants down in the basement out of fear he may lose all the good he's found. Almost.

And that's what I've got so far! I think it's fun!

-

Extra design notes!!!

I know I stylized black and gray as blue on spamton btw but that was just the fit the blue theme on the rest of this. Arrfs' cloak is actually just that color blue!

Arrfs is surrounded by butterfly themes in the dark world! I figured that since their themes are mainly focused on grubs and caterpillars outside of the au just as a normal sona, butterflies would be a cool approach to show some kind of change! That's also the shape of their cloak- butterfly wings!

[sadie-bug345]

could you do the gang at school please? (including the ones who graduated or dropped out haha)

yessss!! i did one similar to this already…

BUT I WILL ADD ON cause there have been some newer hcs i would give the greasers🫶🫶

ponyboy:

probably unironically eats lunch in the english teachers classroom or smth

but don’t get me wrong he isn’t a teachers pet by any means

considering how he mentioned how he’s like one of the only greasers in his classes cause my guy is an honor student🫶🤌, i think he feels left out a good amount

like he dreads group projects cause either there’s no friends in his class to choose to be on his group

or he hates it whenever the teacher picks groups themself and throws pony in a really awkward situation with a bunch of socs

gives middle to front row student

WILL HIT THE DEEPEST SIGH when the teacher says there’s homework

lile EVERYONE HEARS IT ITS SO FUNNY

he’s so put out lmaooo🫶

sodapop:

just there for the giggles

honestly there’s a good amt of kids in my classes that come to mind for this

its just hard to describe like similar to two bit he genuinely likes school cause friends yk

but some days for him just feel like they go on for YEARS AND YEARS

gets the most bored when it’s finals week and there’s like zero talking during classes

johnny:

i think just cause he’s the quietest of the group we forget he’s still like a 16 year old boy??

like he’s still a menace sorry

but he’s more aware of his actions compared to dally or two but definitely

he still a part of the rowdy group of greasers who yell when they pull up to rumbles and stuff

hes just a lot quieter in comparison to someone like two or steve

just the type to not talk to you unless you talk to him first but once you kinda get that friendship going in class it’s a bunch of fun

other than that just chills ngl

darry:

idk why it’s so hard to picture my guy in school like what is this😭😭

i think it’s just cause se hinton really set in stone how darry truly is young, like 20 YEAR OLDS ARE NOT SUPER MATURE GUYS THEY ARE NOT OLDIES

they probably make some of the dumbest decisions

but darry can’t afford to make those carefree mistakes cause he doesn’t have people to scold him about it but then help him get back up

dally acts more like a 20 year old than darry does and the only reason dally can make those decisions is cause he doesn’t think there’s people depending on him like there are for darry

anyways rant👹🤷‍♂️😐

dally:

whenever he sees his ex sylvia walking in the halls holding hands with another guy he gives them the worst side eye glare dirty look IMAGINABLE

either that or he totally avoids eye contact like just tryna act like people don’t get to him

i feel like he genuinely wouldn’t be popular

like yes matt dillon is FIIIIIINEEEE but looks arent everything to popularity

you gotta be willing to actually talk to people you think are cool

and when it takes short of a world war to get dallas to let his guard down, his circle is small

he def does have a reputation but i wouldn’t think he’s walking different friends to class every passing period

he just sticks to the same people cause that’s comfortable and he thinks that’s the only thing in his life that is stable🫡

two-bit:

i think we underestimate how much of A SUPER DUPER SENIOR TWO IS

LIKE 18 AND A HALF AND STILL A JUNIOR IS WILD

so when i tell you teachers either love him cause he been on campus for FOREVER now

or they absolutely despise him

i think in general teachers do like him cause he the typa guy that teachers use as an example of what not to do😟😭

definitely would eat lunch in his favorite teachers classroom and write the goofiest stuff on the chalkboards

steve:

it is so hard to hc steve omg

like i know my guy has nuances we don’t know about

but considering pony’s a little bitch and only rats on him for like half his description in the book

i think he just chills w soda yk

like they are suchhh a package deal

and it’s mutual

but steve’s the loudest of the gang, apart from two

whenever there’s like a get to know you thing in class he just says he likes cars like no other fact abt him is shared in front of the class LMAO

ANYWAYS TYSM FOR REQUESTINGGG🫶🫶

[i-am-beckyu]

im like. 90 percent sure that i have insomnia. so fun times :D

buuuut i did this with kayla once and i would like to do it with you too cause i am BORED and unable to sleep ^_^ /nf

imagine all of your au characters ever from any oneshot or au,,,, and see they're all on a boat together! but then that boat capsizes and they're forced onto an island.

who was a heavy influence in the boat capsizing?

who immediately jumps off to swim to safety but drowns

who tries to save the person who's drowning but also drowns?

who is the one coordinating everyone onto the island?

who is immediately going off to find food?

who runs off to go start a civilization on their own, away from everyone else?

who's crying at the beach reminiscing about their life

who instantly gets attacked by whatever animals inhabited the island?

who's assumed themself the position of the island ruler

who has dug a tunnel and started an intricate tunnel system?

who's already started contemplating a list of people that would be the best to eat as a last resort, and sounded a little too eager about it?

hope you like this idea cause i feel like it's a pretty fun concept :D and don't feel obligated to answer all of these fddfsj

I did a Brick, and let this marinate in my inbox :3 I don't know why I found this so hard to answer lol. Maybe its because they're all kinda similar in character? idk but here we go lol. (imma use acronyms for the long titles so just guess lol)

who was a heavy influence in the boat capsizing? Mine to hold close Tommy. He's the most comfortable and least traumatised character I have that would somehow cause a boat to capsize despite being tiny lol.

who immediately jumps off to swim to safety but drowns Pretty much any of the Borrower Tommy's would start to drown because they never learnt to swim. The one who would probably die drowning tho is Can we see the fireflies Tommy because he's afraid of the dark and if he could deep enough, would panic. (Good thing they've all got their Wilburs to help lol)

who tries to save the person who's drowning but also drowns? oooooOoO that's a hard one. I'm not really sure. Maybe another one of the Tommy's would try to save CWSTF Tommy but otherwise I don't think anyone else would drown.

who is the one coordinating everyone onto the island? JORNOS Phil and To Fly once more Phil and Kristin. Probably the only ones who could coordinate anything calmly. And I think full sbi from ATKIFYIHIMT Would probably help get everyone to shore. They're mers so ya know, they swim.

who is immediately going off to find food? mmmm probably JORNOS Techno because he wants to get away from people and maybe TFOM Phil. Survival and such.

who runs off to go start a civilization on their own, away from everyone else? Probably the Dream team from The Perfect Hill and Don't forget to mention that. They're like vastly outnumbered by Wilburs and Tommys.....

who's crying at the beach reminiscing about their life My monster to slay Tommy, probs with MMTS Wilbur too for comfort. Kids been through enough and wants to go home with his big brother.

who instantly gets attacked by whatever animals inhabited the island? Lies and The Thieves that try Tommy or MMTS Tommy. Yeah they're just attackable :#

who's assumed themself the position of the island ruler um I don't think anyone would have. None of my stories have a character of relevance that is the main villain or have traits that would do that. It's always unnamed side characters. Funny I've not done any villain dream stuff huh?

who has dug a tunnel and started an intricate tunnel system? Probaly LTTT Tommy and myabe JORNOS Tommy. Borrower bois gotta get their hidey holes.

who's already started contemplating a list of people that would be the best to eat as a last resort, and sounded a little too eager about it? MMTS Wilbur. He's a naga. He is not gonna care about anyone overly apart from his Tommy and he's a big boi. Although I don't think he'd do it immediately, just if they got desperate.

Pretty much all characters got a mention I think except Shroud and Tommy from TSTWYWTBTKWH. Tommy is human and just wants to keep his spider son alive. Shroud would probably be crying and Tommy would be Dadinnit calming him down lol.

Thanks so much for this Brick! Sorry it took a lil while to answer <3

[eggnogs-stupid-ideas]

Okay this is gonna be my info thing haha

This post is gonna get alot longer because im adding a DNI list, which I truely should have done before but still

______________

DNI:

-Proshippers in general. Theres no arguing around this. I do not support anybody who ships these types of things knowingly. Same category, even more serious, if you would like to cal yourself a "Map" or "Zoo", get out of my blog.

-Homophobes, Transphobes, Racist, Xenophobes, Islamphobes (sorry if thats not the word), Sexist, exc, for obvious reasons. On the same note, if you support Andrew Tate, get out immediately /srs

-Anti-Furries. I don't mean people who just don't like furries but are chill with it, you're okay in my book you don't have to directly enjoy us (yes, I am a furry), just respect us as humans. I mean the people who tell furries to harm themself just because theyre furries. I'm not dealing with that <3

-Anybody who villainzes or sexualizes mental disorders, sexualities, romantic attraction, gender, coping mechanisms, exc. I do not take these lightly. I will make one execption however, and that is if you villainze or sexualize anything due to being missinformed, and being willing to learn more. I know this can very much be a issue, and even I have done that in the past. As long as you are willing to learn, you are okay to me.

-People who don't respect Neopronouns. I don't care if you think its unusual, I don't care if you arent used to it, I do not care if they aren't "normal pronouns", be a respectful human being and use the pronouns people are comfortable with and don't make fun of them for it. It is not hard to be a respectful human.

-And last but very importantly, people who will yell at others, including myself, for being missinformed or incorrect. As I stated before, I am willing to give people a chance as long as they are willing to learn. I would hope you give me and others the same respect. If I do ever say something thats very missinformed, you can tell me! I am very much willing to learn and I never want to accidentally show something in an incorrect light!

Thats the main ones, sorry thats alot

--------

Hi, Hello, Call me Eggnog or Ethan please!

(Please don't use Loki, I'm uncomfortable with that nickname now for personal reasons)

I will not reveal my age out of comfortably

I go by any pronouns, I usually use He/Him, byt anything works!

I'm a fella on the autism spectrum and have adhd so thats fun. I try to use tone indicators and I will not force them but if you used them while interacting with me that would be very appreciated.

This blog will hopefully mostly have stuff about my really big cookie run au lol. I'll also mention my other cookie run aus, other series I draw (rarley being cookie runs my hyperfixation) and original stuff.

Other series im a fan of include Rhythm Heaven, The Binding of Isaac, Rise of the Gaurdians, Five Nights at Freddys, My Little Pony, Ever After High, Pokemon, a bit Digimon, Don't Hug Me Im Scared, The Path, Miraculous Ladybug, exc. If you interact with me to talk about any of these series or my fixations I will love you forever/p

Feel free to give questions to my ocs! I won't try to give out too much of the lore at first since I plan to write the stuff as well but ya know.

I post whenever I wanna post, so don't expect a schedule. I'm here to have fun after all.

Idk what else to put so, about myself anyways

but I'll put a bit about my au!

My au..(s) is called Datura/The Datura AU! Named after the flower. Its actually a collage of connected au storylines collages in one big au, I like to call them the 'branches' (kinda based on Yggdrasil and its branches). I have multiple fragments but the most important ones are;

-Family of the Dark (Main characters Milk, Purple Yam and Dark Choco)

-Frosted Fates (Main Characters Eggnog, Tiramisu, Strawberry Cream, Stollen, Frost Queen)

-Flowers, Mushrooms, and Licorice Roots (Main Characters Licorice, Purple Mushroom, and Bellflower)

-Thornapple (Main Characters Chili Pepper, Wizard, and Gingerbrave)

-Out at Sea (Main Characters Captain Ice, Pirate and Captain Caviar)

and more

Have a good day!

[fleshblueberry]

Babe wake up im going to rant about my ocs lore because im bored

Tw/cw depression, suicide, kidnapping, addiction, unreality

I write angsty stuff for my ocs oops-

When i first started making my characters they were very different in alot of ways and they were very different from what they are now. But i some how managed to glue all the chaos of my ocs together into a semi-coherent story. I went through an insane amount of world building with myself and i honestly dont think ive ever writen or typed any of it out before! its all just up in my head (and you know my memory is trash so ive probably forgotten of alot of things i made before lol). Anyways- i have two main story lines for my characters. Ethan's story, and Vevlet's story. Although i must admit Ethan's story is less complex than velvets simply beacsue it acts as a story of prequeal to Velvets story line. (Alternate realities that happen to have effect on each other basically- we love space time junk)

Ethan's world is very similar to ours, the most similar out of any of my fantasy worlds lol. Ethan's story revolves around self-discovery. I mean for it to be a wholesome/lighthearted thing that quickly leads up to dark undertones (spoilers lol). Ethan's story begins with Eef pre-transition (AFAB to NB). We get to see Ethan learn about themself and have fun exploring emotions and what it means to be alive. Ethan comes from a run-down family (mom khs, dad mia). So he lives with his adoptive parents (who i have yet to design and think about- theyre lesbians 100% though). A major moment for Eef is meeting his partner Seth. As you already know Ethan and Seth are cute ass boyfriends and stuff but guess what! im jammed their story full of angst and edgy shit bc i "wrote" most of this when i was hella depressed! Anyways Seth's family is like moderally welathy, wealthier than most i would say. Seth catches feelings for the emo chick ofc (forgot to metion Eef was definately a hot goth girl before he transitions).... uh yea anyways seth ends up flirting and crushing on eef and eef is like yea sure im bored and sad why not. and they end up dating after a while. Theres an important moment in their relationship when Ethan take Seth to this dead tree. THis dead tree is very important also bc it is where his mother hanged herself, and Ethan doesnt quite remember that bc he was very young when it happened, but he knows it as a place of comfort and he goes there alot when he feels sad or alone. this tree could be taken as symbolizim but heheh ill never tell. anyways Ethan is like yo my fevorite tree and Seth is like wtf okay bro ily and all but why a dead tree with an unstable tire swing?? ANd ethans like idk but i like it here reminds me of my childhood (op my guy) and they spend the night there. Also when ethan comes out to seth as nonbinary seth is just like ok,,, because hes bisexual lol. anyways time skip and Seth has some addiction problems once he graduates, long story short- Ethan doesnt like it bc his dad was a druggie so he trys to help Seth and Seth raises his voice and ethan is tiny compared to his bf so hes naturally like terrified of being hit and he suddenly feels his world of happy and peace he build back up bieng destroyed once again so he heads to his mothers dead tree and decides life isnt worth it anymore, and he hangs himself in the exact spot his mother did.... once seth comes off one of his highs or whatever hes like- oh fuck i yelled and acted agro to my traumatized partner. and he immedatly goes to the tree bc its Ethans favortie spot but its to late. regret is the only emootion anymore... its over for them.

now youre probably wondering how the absolute hell does that tie into velvets lore?? well do i have a tale for you. Velvets sotry begins on her 21st birthday, she is out for drinks with her douchebag bf and her bestfriend. several drinks later she yells over blaring club music shes going to the restroom, and as shes walking back she sees her bf and her bestie making out and she doesnt even say anyhting and walks out alone. She is making her way back to her apartment very tipsy. She then hears a vechile driving beside her, she cant make out anyhting theyre saying and the people in the car get out and before she even relises whats going on shes thrown into the vechile and is being beaten and yelled at. She passes out as theyre driivng to somewhere. When she next awakes she is in a barn-looking place. Concreate walls painted red and straw all over the floor. she cant stand, her legs stung and so did her entire body. for several days- she doesnt know how long she stayed in this place unable to move or do anything. Weak and starving, she gathered up her last bit of strength and hung herself on a low board (havent really worked out the details on that scence bc i keep changing my mind but she does hang herself). Cut to a space of nothingness- legit nothing- exactly its impossible to imagine nothing. In the nothing sits velvet all skin and bone, and then an entity, a hooded figure with long hair, sits next to her. No words are spoke, but the entity looks at velvet longingly. Then it tears out its eye- just full on plunges its hand into its socket and rips it out. bloody mess honestly. the entity hands its eye to velvet, and she takes it. there is no thoughts here, no sound, only actions. Cut once more to a coriners room place? ya know the place with dead bodies and tables and shit- anyways a bright light emerges from dead!vevlets chest and surrounds her entire body. *cue stunned doctor mans* Velvet arises from her death with her scars healed over and... wings. Yup shes an angel now. I mean her world already had monsters and things of suppernatural belonging but- angels are rare. She makes 1 of 2 angels in their relam as of current. Angels are "made" from regrets. Regret overflowing from two sources- one long dead and the other recent. This is where ethan comes in. Ethan's regret from how he died was powerful and sad, powerful enough for his spirt- an entity- to reach Velvets. Velvet too, had much regret in her death. So young and so many things that could have been avoided. In the days following up to her death in the barn/cellar she only felt regret. Regret for all she did and all she didnt do. So much pain summoned the entity. Their powerful forces of regret pulled them together and allowed Velvet to return- but at a price for the both of them. the entity lost its eye- symbolizing a loss of humanity and conscientiousness. While Velvet lost herself, she no longer can view her world in the same way. She has severe ptsd- like episodes and halucinations. She cant go back, she has to live through he own grief. Velvets appearnace also changes quite a bit. Her hair got longer, she has two sleek gray wings on her back, and- one of her eyes are purple now. why does it hrut her to see that eye? why is it all so familiar yet far away. Her human brain can hardly understand all the changes. But she was gifted this- she knows she must try. And luckily for her society sees angels as higher beings. They are given the umost respect but they are also greatly feared because of how misterious their origins are. The only other known angel meets with velvet quite alot through her story, he will act as a sort of guide/plot device to make things a bit easier for myself (havent worked out his lore tho or even a design for him hjbfkjsdb). Anyways im tired and its 1:35 am so thats all the lore you get for now, plus its the stuff ive thought about the most so- i dont really want to think any furtherb ahead yet lol. to many little things to work out...... i love creating but oml typing hurts after an hour or so-

Jam out!

... I don't even know what to say to this

[frustrationsoverspill]

fuck

last night was so fucking amazing

their hand is as big as my face

i cant stop thinking about how their hand felt around my neck . how theyd pull me close. how exciting it was to let them be in control, all the while snuggling, touching each others skin softly. intimacy at its finest. slow, sensual, sexual, exciting.

they referred to themself as a soft dom and i never heard of that before but it seemed accurate and definitely what ive been wanting in the bedroom

holy shit

its just overtaking my mind lol . how close i felt to them. how weve only just started getting to know each other but i already almost felt ready for penetrative sex. actually i kind of wanted to say yes but i know myself and i usually need a lot more time with someone before i do that. its extremely intimate and emotional for me. and ofc they were totally chill with my answer.

but they made me feel so comfortable and safe in their arms, letting myself be vulnerable to someone ive just started connecting to. it was a little scary but exciting and it definitely paid off. i feel so good. and still do. damn.

i told them near the start of our kissing, my mouth is really small and the kissing is getting a bit too wet for me, i dont like to wipe my mouth after kissing. >.< and they adapted, closed their lips more for kisses. and we continued to communicate which is how we ended up where we did, naked with each other in a very soft dom/sub situation. holy shit. fuck. damn.

im 4′11″ and they are 6′6″ with hands twice the size of mine and why is that so fucking hot omg. fuck... when i told them i really liked being teased, holy shit. they teased me so much, so wonderfully, for so long. prolly the longest ive ever been teased. and it was amazing. i loved it all. and the things they were saying to me >////< oh gosh. and when they finally went down on me it was insanely incredible. their tongue, i was like, how is this possible how amazing this feels, ive had plenty of people eat me out but never like this, what is happening holy shit. and i didnt even have to tell them where it was they just found it and goddamn. shit.

the ways that i felt. were so intense. and exciting and just omg. what an experience. that was so wonderful and intimate and jeez i cant wait for more. im seeing them again in a few days. holy shit. i cant focus on anything today lol. just jammin to dua lipa’s pretty please.

I know that I seem a little stressed out But you're here now, and you're turning me on I wanna feel a different kinda tension Yeah, you guessed it, the kind that's fun... Put my mind at ease Pretty please I need your hands on me Sweet relief Pretty please Exactly where I want me, yeah Underneath your body, yeah

hits so differently now. goddamn. last night i texted them a bit when they got home and they said. “holy crap you are literally the flippin cutest i love your adorable lil face” >///< guhhh . and now i came to tumblr to look up stuff about ‘soft dom’ cause now i am so interested (and turned on) by this concept lol

ive always loved being choked and being a bit submissive in bed but, most relationships ive had, people preferred being vanilla in the bedroom. which is totally fine and valid ofc and i can still have fun times with that too but this is, something else. i mean i have had a few experiences with ppl who are more into sub/dom stuff but mostly they were subs or if they were dom they were a lot more aggressive. which can be okay but this is just,, wow, being soft but dominant, what a concept. holy shit. the ways they made me feel.. this is so promising. im really looking forward to getting to know them more and maybe having a relationship. aaaa

idk if ive ever been with someone so compatible in the bedroom. holy shit. im so excited for the future. and also just looking back on last night, wow. so. amazing. fuckkkkk my mind was going crazy. i couldnt even think. i still kind of cant. o m g

[olruggioofthetorch]

sorry you know me I like to ask a million questions so here it goes- Tinsel:5,18,20,27,31,39,40 / Nila:13,28/Roman:11,6,7/Benji:4,19/Saoirse: 20,25,27 /Fionn: 6,7,10,33/ Scone:21,23 - sorry can’t remember the other siblings off the top of my head and these are the major ones anyway right haha? and this is a lot of questions anyway soooo

Ooo we're getting into the selkies tonight

Tinsel

5. What was their childhood fear?

Being alone or left behind. It was definitely a threat when they were a kid like "if you aren't on the caravan before we leave at noon, we're leaving you behind". I don't think their parents would have actually left them behind when they were small but it was enough of a threat that they and their siblings listened for the most part. Its not so much a childhood fear as it is a regular adult fear now.

18. If they could live or visit anywhere, where would they go?

Tinsel really likes where they live but they do have dreams about living on a sunny coast with their partners when they all settle down. Idk if there's anywhere specific they want to visit? They just go where the adventure leads them. I think they would like to visit somewhere to meet up with their family, tho.

20. What did they dream of "growing up" to be?

Oh man, Tinsel wanted to be an A List celebrity actor. They wanted to be lead role in blockbusters. It was a big goal for them but they were sure they could do it.

27. Have they achieved any of their childhood dreams? Are they still trying? Have those dreams changed?

They've gotten some of their childhood dreams! They moved to Holly Bay and made tons of friends. They got to act in live theater. They were almost in a movie! They got some notoriety from adventuring and were on TV for it. They got to kiss their childhood crush. They didn't quite make it to the A List after getting blacklisted but they're def still trying.

In regards to how they changed: I don't think they changed too much but they did see how hard it was to achieve them. Plus, they started dreaming about having a family when they were with Bast so that's definitely something they want now.

31. Who are they when they aren't with the party?

When they're not with the party, Tinsel is way less open about themself. They're a master of either talking around a question or lying by omission and they use it when they don't feel comfortable sharing. Pre-adventure, they didn't really even tell their closest friends the entire truth about their backstory (which is honestly buckwild and hard to believe anyway) or their relationship with Bast or really anything about their love/sex life.

I think it's bc they don't think Kira and Zona will judge them.

39. If someone could tell them anything about the future they asked, would they want to know? Would they ask?

I think they have actually, they asked if they were going to get married. I don't think they would want to ask something super serious because they aren't going to listen to a no.

40. What sets them free?

A good support system. Tinsel's very talented and driven but they need the power of friendship to keep them from burning out.

Nila

13. How do they like to spend afternoons free?

Nila likes to paint. She dipped her toe into art forgery for a little bit but decided it was more fun to steal the real thing and do her own work on the side. She has one of those cute little travel watercolors she uses to paint landscapes when she gets some time alone. Absolutely no one knows she has this hobby.

28. If they could change their class(es), would they? To what?

I dont think she'd change her class from rogue but she would def take some wizard skills.

Roman

11. What were their teenage years like?

He was a horrible teenage boy, mostly bc he wanted attention. He started off with red hair but occasionally made it redder when he got teased about it. He activated the Cain instinct in a lot of his siblings but I think Tinsel tried to kicked his ass the most purely due to how close their ages are. He shot them with an arrow by accident once and never lived it down.

His mom taught him archery at around 14-15 and he got very good at it to try and impress her. He left home around 18/19, picked up some odd jobs/repaired archery equipment professionally for a few years until Nila called him up like "hey bro miss you let's do this heist together".

6. Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

Yes lmao my boy has 9 siblings. I sort of talked about this in the last question but yeah he liked to stir the pot for attention. Even though they tried to kick his ass, his siblings still love him. Him and Saoirse always got along really well and I'm p sure she stopped him from actually getting murdered as a kid lol. He really doesn't have a bad relationship with any of them, though, besides still owing Scone a bunch of money. Rome's a lot of fun and he's the kind of guy who will give or share anything with you. He is just A Lot.

7. How were their relationships with their parents/guardians growing up?

He def knew he wasn't the favorite child lol. I think once Knox realized why his kid was acting up, he made sure to spend some extra time with him every once and a while. And once he showed promise in archery, his relationship with Fulki got better too. I think he has an okay relationship with his parents right now but he definitely would never live with them again.

Benji

4. Who was their childhood hero?

Their dad! They're very similar people and he looks up to him a lot.

19. How does the high noon sun make them feel?

Sleepy... It's too darn hot. He's 100% not interested in going out at high noon so he's either taking a nap or hanging out somewhere shady with Folsom.

Saoirse

20. What did they dream of "growing up" to be?

I don't know if Saoirse had one specific dream. What she did know is that she didn't want to get married and she didn't want to have kids. I think she went through a bunch of phases on what she wanted to be when she grew up until she landed on being a wizard. When that stuck, she just leaned hard into it.

25. What is their comfort item/habit?

She's definitely one of those "make a hot beverage when I'm stressed" kind of people. She's also a stress baker... Which used to be a "make potions and light stuff on fire" habit but she realized she gets muffins if she bakes instead.

She also has a bunch of stuffed animals in her room, purely because she's an adult wizard and no one can tell her not to have stuffies.

27. Have they achieved any of their childhood dreams? Are they still trying? Have those dreams changed?

Oh, she totally achieved the wizard thing and now she's a real Howl Pendragon figure. She got bored being by herself so she applied to get some apprentices, but due to a clerical error, she wound up with a couple of brothers (Max and Arseny) who were way too young to be apprentices. She's basically raising them as her kids (they call her mama and the Townes all consider them grandkids/nephews lol) but Saoirse insists they're still her apprentices in public.

Fionn

6. Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

Fionn was the golden oldest brother! He and Saoirse were basically 3rd/4th parents so the rest of the siblings came to love/respect him. He was really good at keeping the peace. Dude would have made a fantastic diplomat. The siblings especially liked when he told them stories about life before their family left the Muirs or stories about knights/heroes. It was a rough day when he disappeared and the siblings that remember him really miss him.

7. How were their relationships with their parents/guardians growing up?

Very strained. Like, he was def the favorite child, but Fionn really had some childhood trauma from The Fall that they couldn't help him with bc they also had it. He sort of resents that he got put into the auxiliary parent role on top of it. I think ultimately they expected way too much out of him so it was only natural he'd disappear and be feral.

10. When did their childhood end?

I don't think it was a definite ending, more of a gradual thing around his early teens when he realized he had a lot of responsibilities.

Scone

21. How did they become an adventurer?

Scone's best friend Latte (a Yuke who's good with magic) sent her a letter that suggested they'd make a good caravanning team. She was itching to leave the family caravan (she was tired of bailing her siblings out and knew that adventuring was good money) so she agreed!

23. What is their role in the party? Not just their class on a meta level, but among the individuals who make up the party?

Imagine a buff accountant and you have Scone lol.

Like Tinsel, Scone is the tank in combat. However, unlike Tinsel, Scone is weirdly responsible. She makes sure all the supplies are stocked and in order, makes sure everyone takes care of themselves and she keeps track of their earnings. She can be outgoing but she prefers to let her team do the social leg work.

[dangan-happy]

 I want Mikan to have wheelies to escape her feelies. To Kiyo and/or Yasuhiro: So I've been out of a certain fandom for almost a year now. No big deal, however there is this really pushy person in the fandom. Now, we were friends while in the fandom, and I considered them super nice cause they always commented on my stuff and asked questions. But when I got out of the fandom the messages kept coming. They would continue to ask things as if I was still in the fandom. Then, one day, after hurting my feelings a lot, they dissapeared. Now, I really thought the drama was over. Unfortunately,, I think they are back, as someone who types/and acts very similar to them began messaging me as well as sending me asks. I just,, idk what to do. It's not like I have proof, But I feel like blocking them out of nowhere is strange. I'm scared that they'll start yelling at me/accusing me of stuff/something and I genuinely wouldn't know what to do.

Hello anon. I mentally prepared myself as soon as you said the word "fandom." Fandoms are a very interesting thing. Here's a fun fact, in anthropological terms, individual fandoms are individual cultures. Each fandom has its own language terms, social norms, and social expectations, therefore making it a culture.

Apologies, I got distracted. You do have quite the interesting situation. Some people are like that. Fandoms almost become their identities. It's almost all they care about, and that can result in them being personally offended when people leave the fandom, or when people say something about a character, or a fan theory or a ship that they don't like. It's best to be extremely weary around these types of people. My guess would be that this person was angered by you leaving the fandom, and reacted as such. I am very sorry to hear you were hurt. You truly deserve better. That is a very strange continuation to your story, however I have seen it before. You seem to be an observant person, so I commend you for that. It is possible, I will say that much. I would be very careful before saying anything though. Gather evidence, mainly speech patterns or various typing quirks like using "XD" or "uwu" or something like that. Compare the speech patterns from this to those of the person's original account.

When you feel you have sufficient evidence, I'd prefer screenshots, I would confront them. If they do start yelling at you/accusing you, don't be afraid to out them for that. That's harassment, and it's perfectly ok to expose them for that if they don't stop and leave you alone. Make sure the conversation is calm and minimally accusatory. You have the right to be suspicious, but it's innocent until proven guilty. Give them a chance to defend themself and see what they say. You do hold the power in this scenario. You have evidence of the fandom person previously hurting you most likely, and you can take anything this new/same person is saying and use that if needed. I truly wish you all the best. Remember, you are in control, and you have the power to do things if needed. Don't doubt yourself, and stay confident. I believe in you, and I know you can handle this.

—

Lanky guy said it best, dude. Preparin myself at the word 'fandom'. This one's gonna be a wild one.

I just wanna add one more thing to this, cos Shinguuji covered a buncha what I wanted to say. Man, he stole my thunder.. anyways, blocking someone just because you feel uncomfy near them is totally valid. I'm not even kidding. It's just fine to block someone with no explanation; prioritise your own comfort! I predict that if ya block 'em, this stuff on yer mind won't be wearing you down. And this prediction's gunna be right this time! Seriously. If ya get bad vibes, block 'em. I promise it'll make you feel loads better.

Not much else I can cover since Kork the Thunder Stealer got to ya first. I can give ya a hug if you want one, anon. I guarantee things'll be just fine!

[elliot-orion]

1-5! :)

Pretty sure this was from the deep dive asks a while back., sorry for it taking so long! i just didn't have a project to work on, but I do now!! I’ll be answering for the White Lake (temp title) characters, Logan, Nellie, and Charlie.  Thank you so much! 

1. Who are two characters that don’t like each other? What do they reveal about each other to the readers? Will they ever learn to put aside their differences?

Logan and Nellie have a bunch of tension at first, honestly. Logan is stubborn, but Nellie is more so, and both want opposite things. They also have a weird initial dynamic of “we were like... friend adjacent in high school, haven't talked to each other since, so we feel like we know the other but we’ve really barely exchanged a few words outside of class projects.” They were both the school weirdos and stuck together out of necessity, not real friendship, even tho both consider the other a friend even tho they really aren’t, so it leads to a lot of ‘i think you are this way but you arent behaving this way, why the hell wont you behave this way??” bc of the other like... placing what they want the other to be like onto them. if that makes even a lick of sense. I guess it all reveals what they want in a friend to the reader, bc they assume the other to be their Ideal Friend since they have nothing to confirm nor deny that. But its more of a ‘what you want versus what you need’ thing. Nellie wants someone who will listen to her and let her protect them without asking questions bc not listening and asking too many questions that nell couldn't answer got her one actual friend killed. Logan wants someone who just accepts his weirdness and doesn't try to push him. But Nell is pushy when she thinks she’s right (and tbh she usually is), and Logan is curious, and its a mess at first. They do put aside their differences tho. Nell is determined as hell and she realized at some point that she needs to work with Logan to keep him safe, and Logan learns that he needs to teach Nell how to accommodate his autism (that he doesn't know is autism because his parents suck) because she has no idea and just thinks he’s being difficult and has to meet her halfway too. Its messy but they work it out and become way way better friends because of it.

2. What do you hope readers will take away from your WIP? Is there an intentional theme (or themes) to the story?

I mean there’s not an intentional theme to it. I definitely want people to be unsettled and a little freaked out, I am intending it to be like... romantic era horror level horror book, if that makes sense. more atmospheric and eerie then ‘im actually going scream I'm so afraid’ horror. But also themes of friendship maybe? idk I haven't decided if there will be romance yet but definitely friendship and found family stuff.

3. What do you love most about your protagonist? (It can be something you’d admire in them if they were real, or something interesting about them as a character.)

Oh jeez. I love how determined Nell is to protect Logan. She doesn't always do it right, because misunderstandings and her idea of safe is different than his idea of happy and she needs to learn that he might be safer with her way but he’d be miserable. She just loves her people so much and she’s determined not to fail again, but its all coming from a place of deep love and I really admire how much she’s willing to put into keeping her family together. For Logan I admire how strong he is honestly. He lives in a really conservative, ableist town with parents who think he's just being difficult when its not his fault he's neurodivergent, but he knows who he is and what he needs and even when Nell is trying to push her beliefs about him onto him he stands strong in who he is. He knows he’s not wrong. He’s just lonely because no one else knows that. Its really admirable in my opinion (maybe because I've never been able to do that with my neurodivergencies and I'm definitely projecting but whateverrrrrrr). He’s also a really good friend, he’s just not given many chances to be that. As for Charlie I just love how happy they are. They try so hard to get Nell and Logan to get along, and they are always smiling even when they are the one who has the most reasons to be miserable (considering they did you know. die horrifically and are now trapped by an eldrich lake)They are always pushing themself to make others happy, even at their own expense, and while its not a trait I admire, it is one that I love in characters because I just love the hurt comfort when they break :3 also they are just fun as hell and I love my little extrovert cinnamon roll (who is way more devious than they seem but thats what happens when you basically grow up and then spend about 130 years with a ghost circus)

4. Is there anything in the story that is implied, but not directly stated? Will this become more relevant later on? How perceptive would a reader have to be to pick up on this?

A lot of the lake stuff is implied at first, and there's a big misdirect, but it gets cleared up after just a bit so I don't think it counts. Um... idk ok I haven't even written draft one yet so idk what will be implied vs told I'm a pantser I've got about 6 plot point checkpoints and a vague idea of progression here most of this is being bs-ed. Im not even sure yet if I'm making Logan a trans guy or if there will be romance or anyone’s sexualities besides Nellie (who is v much a lesbian) I’ll get back to you on this. Although wait actually - Logan never gets his autism diagnosed, I know that, so that is implied but it's like. heavily implied so you won't have to be super perceptive to figure it out. I’m not doing any -coded stuff, he is, he just lives in a shitty town with no therapists for anyone to talk to. kinda hard to go to a therapist not from town and go ‘yea my best friends are ghosts, my town is actively trying to kill me, sorry im late the road disappeared how are you today?’ you feel? no one in this town gets any goddamn therapy. But its not explicit no. 

5. Which character has the most intricate backstory? Is this backstory common knowledge from the start, or is it revealed later on? How does this backstory affect the narrative?

Oh man uh... I guess Charlie has the most intricate backstory? definitely, the longest since they did die in the 1890s. In a fire. While they were trapped in a tiny ass box. in the middle of said fire. and burned alive.  .... What i said it was horror didn't i?? Charlie has some SERIOUS claustrophobia my guys. It’s common knowledge to the circus folks how Charlie died, they sorta agree its the worst of them all. Everyone died from the fire but only Charlie was trapped in such a small space unable to get out. They are the contortionist of the circus, it was a combo act with the magician who locked them in this way-too-small box and was going to make them disappear when the fire started and he ran off to help people and forgot them in the box. He’s super apologetic and Charlie only sorta still blames him. Logan and Nellie know that Charlie died in the fire but they don't find out until later exactly how. Idk how much it affects the narrative yet, but it does affect how Charlie interacts with the other circus performers since they tend to be mother hen-y around them, tho that also has to do with, again, charlie basically being raised by the whole crew. they ran away at like 11-12 or so to join, so yea, especially the people who have been there forever tend to view them as their kid in a way. It takes a village after all. But whether it affects the whole story, idk, again haven't started it yet. 

thanks again for the asks, and im sorry it took so long! 

[homeforchristmas-au]

Character bios pt 2!!

Decided to continue the bios for the rest of the fam squad, the full extended family!! Might change things around a bit, we’ll see!!! Here’s part one in case you missed it :3

Emile Sanders (formerly Picani):

Age: 46

Pronouns: he/him/they/them

Height: 6’1”

Curly medium golden mahogany brown hair and sky blue eyes, subtly tanned skin covered in freckles, red framed rounded glasses, likes dressing like a cartoon character or just wearing cartoon merch (his prized possession is his Mabel pines jumper) but wears a brown cardigan over a white button down shirt with a pink necktie when he goes to work

A big goofball that has a lot of love to give, but he still knows when to be more subdued and calm and when to activate “serious picani”. He’s always loved helping people work through their issues which is why he’s a therapist

Like patton, he’s excellent at reading emotions, though he’s a bit better at it since he’s a professional

Has ADHD, but has developed the necessary coping skills to help keep his symptoms under control

Has two siblings; Catarina (Patton’s mother) and Leonard (Patton’s other uncle). Emile is the baby of the family while Leonard is the oldest

Emile met Thomas when they were both in college. They shared an ASL class and quickly began getting along, and frequently practiced sign language together and feelings developed from there

It was quite some time before they got married, but it was well worth the wait

Thomas Sanders:

Age: 43

Pronouns: he/him

Height: 5’10”

The standard character Thomas look; floppy medium brown hair, chestnut eyes, fair skinned, wears the same three shirts periodically for five years until he buys three new shirts, the usual stuff

He’s a sweet, down to earth guy. Loves cartoons almost as much as Emile does, has a passion for pizza, theatre, and the cats of the world he’ll never be able to pet without dying. He can be impulsive at times, but his heightened anxiety oftentimes outweighs that

Has three brothers named Christian, Patrick, and Shea, but I won’t describe them in depth cos I don’t wanna get any facts wrong since this is based on Thomas himself oop-

I’m literally just describing the canon character Thomas except slightly older im-

There’s like nothing else to add to make this fun and unique it’s just character Thomas welp

Thomas and Emile’s kids:

Anton Sanders:

Age: 16

Pronouns: any/all

Height: idk uh ??? 5’7” ???

Medium length wavy black hair, electric blue eyes, fair skinned with a beauty mark on his right cheek beneath his eye, usually wears fashionable clothes and declares himself an eleven, often wears scarves and turtlenecks (almost exclusively black) as well as his round mirrored sunglasses

Can and will kill you with a single look. Especially if you mess with his family. He’ll never admit it but he loves them with everything he’s got, even if he never acts like it for even a moment

Especially adores Remy and respects that they’re discovering themself and exploring new possibilities. He knows from experience how tough that is and how much of a challenge it can be

Was adopted at age three after his parents were busted for child abuse and heavy drug addiction. It took quite some time for him to come out of his shell but Emile and Thomas were nothing but patient and loving and kind. He still has a lot of trust issues but he knows he can trust his family

Will never admit it now but became insanely jealous when remy was adopted into the family. He did not want a brother because he knew that meant he was being replaced and he wasn’t loved anymore

Eventually Thomas and Emile sat him down and they all talked through it and assured Anton that he was still loved and he was not being replaced

It still took a very long time for Anton to trust Remy, even if he was only a baby

His heart was won over when Remy said his first word to him

All he said was “no” but Anton admired his defiant spirit

also yes this is the Critic how did u know

Remy Sanders:

Age: 12 (birthday January 16)

Pronouns: he/him/they/them/it/its

Height: damnit how tall are 12 year olds

Shoulder length hair dyed dark purple at the roots that fades into magenta at the ends (hair colour changes periodically depending on what it feels like having), chocolate brown eyes, fairly dark skinned but not heavily so, gender expression changes at the drop of a hat but it often wears leather, skirts, beanies, and a heck ton of earrings (when it turns eighteen it starts getting a lot of different piercings like angel bites, nostril, and industrial piercings, etc) (that’s worth noting)

Almost always sarcastic but that’s its way of showing love really. It’s a helluva punk that can and will fight anyone to the death if they deserve it (or if they hurt someone Remy likes). It’s actually a huge nerd but doesnt usually show that side of itself. It loves reading, watching shows like doctor who, and doing puzzles with Logan

Was diagnosed with adhd after Emile noticed it experienced similar symptoms for quite a while

Was adopted by Thomas and Emile when it was a baby (and Anton was four), having been found by Emile when it was left in a box in an alleyway, which was a long and complicated process but one hundred percent worth it

It has a trio of male rats named Holmes, Watson, and Splinter. Thomas was a bit reluctant to let it adopt rats but they all went to a rat breeder and when Thomas saw them all and even held one he realised it wasn’t so bad and they were actually kinda cute

When it was nine years old, it nearly died in a nasty hit and run. A truck had swerved into it when it was by the side of the road. It was fine after a lengthy recovery except it had to use a wheelchair after some spinal cord damage left it immobilised from the waist down. The driver was never identified

It probably wasn’t a coincidence that this event occurred not long after remy started talking about how much it loved boys just as much as it loved girls, but that teas a bit too hot for this post

Logan’s sisters:

Ellen Adams-Waterson:

Age: 26

Pronouns: she/her

Height: 5’6”

Light auburn hair going just barely past the shoulders, honey eyes, fair skinned though mildly tanned, covered from head to toe with freckles, red framed rectangular glasses, usually wears clothes for comfort and especially likes turtlenecks

She’s a determined, steadfast kinda gal who fights for whats right and gives everything she has for her loved ones, especially her immediate family. Although she can be pretty blunt with her words she’s also kindhearted and wants whats best for everyone

She’s an avid writer, and has actually published a novel. She also dabbles in fanfiction and is unashamed about it

She’s married to a wonderful wife named Elizabeth and they have a daughter named Kaylee (15)

She’s also been trying to quit smoking but so far that has yielded no results

Ashley Fletcher (formerly Adams):

Age: 24

Pronouns: she/her

Height: 5’10”

Long light ash brown hair that reaches her tailbone that she keeps parted to the right, electric blue eyes, fair skinned and a face full of freckles, black rectangular glasses, tries to be fashion forward but mostly just wears T-shirts and denim jackets

She’s a trans woman and has been transitioning for a few years now with lots of support from her family. She’s a nice person but let’s people walk all over her a bit. She doesn’t like confrontation much because of her anxiety disorder, but she’s trying to get better with that

Loves acting and wants to pursue it as a career, but her anxiety makes it difficult to put herself out there

Married to a trans man named warren and they have a son named jack (11) and a daughter named Emma (6)

She met warren at a pride event with Logan and Patton, and it was actually Patton who met him first (although at the time he went by a different name and didnt know he was trans yet) and then introduced him to the others

They actually talked about adopting a child long before even considering marriage. Although they realised it would look better to adoption agencies if they were married, and that was the main reason they even went through all of that

Renae Adams:

Age: 21

Pronouns: she/her/he/him

Height: 6’8”

Short wavy hair dyed bright pink, amber eyes, fair skinned, a black *dabs* styling pair of Warby Parker’s, often wears high neck shirts and suit jackets, basically always business casual because she can, and loves wearing hoop earrings

There are two sides to Renae; either stone cold businessperson or happy go lucky memelord with a heart of gold. She’s a lot like Logan in that regard, although it’s harder to predict what side of her you’ll see at any given moment. She can either be a super soft bean or the scariest person on the planet

Has been dealing with OCD her whole life, and sometimes it gets particularly bad (especially the intrusive thoughts) but she has a therapist and psychiatrist she sees somewhat regularly

She runs her own coffee shop called Real Bean Café and it does fairly well. She’s always thinking about how she can improve her business

She’s aroace so she isn’t in a romantic relationship but she is in a queerplatonic relationship with a beautiful enby named Pigeon

They actually met in her coffeeshop. Renae saw Pigeon’s Attack on Titan T-shirt and was immediately compelled to talk to them

And that is it for part two of the character bios!!! Might make another post talking about Logan’s sisters’ kids and partners but idk we’ll see 👀

I just really like character designs man lmao

Lemme know if I need to tag anything else my brain box isn’t generating the required tags rn lmao

[hillelf]

novel prep: the hostess

not gonna lie, i wasnt tagged in this! but i really like the idea and i thought it would be helpful to me, so i did it anyway.

FIRST LOOK!

1.) Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator plot)

Four teenagers learn that they have chosen by Fate for a great cause. However, there are people who would do anything to stop them from carrying out their mission.

2.) How long do you plan your novel to be? (is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

as of now, i plan on it being one book with four parts!

3.) What is your novel’s aesthetic?

nature, religious imagery, warm colors vs cold colors

4.) What other stories inspire your novel?

ohh thats a good question! a lot of my favorite stories have major differences

5.) Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

tbh thats really hard for me! i have a specific aesthetic in mind but i cant think of any specific pics that fit. i think im gonna start tagging stuff with just #aesthetic: the hostess for general things but i do have pics in the tags for the characters!

MAIN CHARACTER(S)!

6.) Who is the main character?

there are four! quinn marton, emerald maryland, cain ornigana, and aerial whitton. each of them get sections of the story that focus on them individually.

7.) Who is their closest ally?

each other and the goddesses ethys and elpys! cain’s moms, too

8.) Who is their enemy?

the goddess adah and her followers

9.) What do they want more than anything?

to enjoy what’s left of their youth!

10.) Why can’t they have it?

they were called to greater things — and there’s an entire society out to kill them.

11.) What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

quinn thinks that she must be the one there to support others, and that she must not ask for help in return. emerald thinks she always has to be strong in order to protect her loved ones. cain thinks they are worthless and unlovable, and aerial thinks everything is her fault.

12.) Draw your protagonist! (or share a description)

i actually draw my protags a lot but am not comfortable with my art to share it yet! so i will describe them.

quinn is black, and has dark brown skin and coily brown hair. she has dark eyes and freckles as well. her aesthetic consists of pale blues, and often wears cute skirts or sundresses. she is short, but often wears heals.

emerald is pale (compared to the rest of them at least) and has long brown hair. she has blue eyes. her aesthetic is lowkey punk — dark jeans, leather or demin jackets, and black lipstick. she is also short, but does not wear heals.

cain is tan and has dark hair and eyes. their aesthetic is dark colors, golds, and earth tones. they have a fun and cute sense of fashion when they feel comfortable enough to express themself. they are very tall.

aerial is black as well as a native islander. her hair is long and braided, and has streaks of purple. she also has dark brown skin, freckles, and dark eyes. she likes to wear skirts, and a lot of purples and white. she is heavy-weight and proud of it; she is average height and the tallest of the girls.

PLOT POINTS!

13.) What is the internal conflict?

feelings of self hatred and self doubt; fear of death; trust issues

14.) What is the external conflict?

people are trying to kill the protags and later wipe out the whole human race except for themselves!

15.) What is the worst thing that can happen to a protagonist?

listen. two of them get shot. one dies and the other is forced to watch while in absolute agony and bleeding out. they all blame themselves for the terrible things that happen. one of them might (almost) get cryogenically frozen? and thats no where near everything. so idk!

16.) What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

why the children of adah want the hostess!

17.) Do you know how it ends?

vaguely? there is a happy ending.

18.) What is the theme?

found family, good vs evil, the inevitability of death, love is always the answer

19.) What is a reoccurring symbol?

marble statues / religious imagery, mountains, azure-naped jays (a type of corvid!), nature

20.) where is the story set?

in a world almost parallel to our own! its as close to modern day as you can get in a world where society has been set back quite a few years due to tragedy. it takes place in a country called eliad, which in a similar geographical place as brazil!

21.) Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

GOD, YEAH! way too many. i am very imaginative and i daydream a lot.

22.) What excited you about this story?

the messages im using it to share! and i want ppl to know and love my kids

23.) Tell us about your usual writing method?

LOL what writing method? jokes aside, i mostly daydream, try to write what i daydreamed about, hate how i write it because it doesn’t live up to the original idea / daydream, give up for a little bit, then slowly add to / rewrite it later. its a very slow process!

im not going to tag anyone to do the game since i just did it for fun and not cuz i was tagged! however, i am going to tag my taglist for the hostess so you guys can see all the information. if u want to do it, feel free to say i tagged u!

the hostess taglist: @bbabyapollo @siarven @joysdrop @whimsicallytwisted @pheita @silver-wields-a-pen @lr-sloane

[azoraahai]

1-10 for dom and 40-50 for jeanie!!!

oof this got super long so i’m gonna put it under the cut! thank u for asking!!

send me oc questions

1.) what is your oc’s favorite color? a soft green or a baby blue.2.) does your oc collect anything? what do they collect? she’s very big on collecting nostalgic things to look back on so movie tickets, birthday cards, and other stuff like that.3.) what kind of things is your oc allergic to? she’s actually not allergic to anything!4.) what kind of clothing does your oc wear? always wearing something comfortable while still looking nice. good pair of jeans, probably a light weight blouse, and some booties.5.) what is your oc’s first memory? hanging out with her family and doing normal kid stuff because her powers weren’t very noticeable then so she couldn’t harm anyone at that time.6.) what’s your oc’s favorite animal? least favorite? she likes deer, dogs, and owls. not very keen on skunks, squirrels, or crows.7.) what element would your oc be? she’s definitely a mix between earth and water. earth because her powers can allow her to manipulate all living things so yannoe its aesthetic. water is another good one too because she has that vibe for some reason idk.8.) what is your oc’s theme song? i actually posted about it here so you can check that out!9.) do you have a faceclaim/voiceclaim for your oc? well yes, it’s the beautiful jessica alba, but i also imagined dom’s voice to be soft, a little raspy side, and sweet sounding if that makes sense.10.) what deadly sin would best represent your oc? i think envy would suit her since she wishes she was normal and wasn’t some kind of freak.

40.) your character is getting ready for a night out. where are they going? what do they wear? who will they be with? it depends. if she’s going to a charity event or something that involves a lot of publicity, she’ll definitely wear something elegant. and normally she’ll go with fiona and miles and/or tony and pepper.41.) what does your character do when they’re angry? why? it’s tied between two. she’ll either repress her anger and shrug it off or she’ll blow up. and trust me, when she’s pissed, she’s goes fucking ape shit like she is a firecracker.42.) does your character have any scars? where did they get them from? at the moment, no? emotional scarring is the closest she’ll get to having any physical scars. 43.) what was the most offensive thing your character had ever said? not sure how or when it’ll be said, but she’ll call tony by his name and not dad and tony is highkey shook about that. (idek if it’ll happen but who knows?)44.) how does your character react/accept criticism? takes it like a champ. she knows not everyone is gonna like her and is perfectly okay with it. she’s learned how to brush it off since she was kid due to being tony stark’s adopted daughter.45.) if your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? do they even LIKE pineapple pizza? ha, fun fact, she doesn’t mind pineapple pizza. she certainly prefers regular plain pizza, but she wouldn’t really care to eat pineapple pizza.46.) your character is given a voodoo doll of themself. what do they do with it? do they see if it actually works? she would throw that shit out because this baby doesn’t believe in that shit. she just think it’s creepy and very unrealistic. 47.) can your character draw? what do they like to draw? do they doodle? i wouldn’t really say drawing, more like sketching. as in blue print sketching. she likes building/making things, so that what she would do.48.) what were their parents like? how has that affected how they are as an adult? jeanie doesn’t remember her mom all that much but she heard that she was very selfless, kind, and a fierce minded woman. very classy, intelligent, and one of a kind. and all of you guys know how tony is ofc, and jeanie has learned a lot from them growing up.49.) does your character like candy? do they get sugar rushes? what are they like when they get a rush? of course she likes candy. she doesn’t eat so much to get a sugar rush but she’ll definitely be a lot more laid back and say a lot of sarcastic shit. 50.) if your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? would they try to avoid death anyways? would they try to make their last days count? ummm???? idk???? i guess she’ll try to avoid it at first, but then she’ll use the phrase “party hard like there’s no tomorrow.” it’ll probably something similar to tony slowly dying in im2.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

yeah for real when you’ve got a Scene in your head that would make more sense as a comic, you do get the whole advantages of using that format....like the dialogue of course & being able to show the changes between one panel & another to show movement & actions & things & time passage in general. and getting creative w panels is another tool you have to affect pacing and even tone, & unlike stuff like tv/movies, you get to change the shape & size of panels, which is useful imo for not only mood/pacing but also u can zoom in on exactly what u want viewers to look at. like having a lil panel just of some Detail like a hand or piece of paper or whatever. comix can jump around different shots without adding tension the way it might w film...idk i personally find it pretty fun to work with & it comes somewhat naturally to me to picture something as a comic in my head, though i’ll picture things like A Film just as much lol umm anyways yeah i think its great just to mess around w ideas in comic format & it can be rly good for making a scene with feeling, even in a short one... and i like to show emotion in movement and expressions and all, so that works out. like you can show a bunch of different facial expressions & show the slight changes & all....& show how ppl react to someone else in the space & move around each other.....its neat b/c imo emoting is generally a lot more in the subtleties of things. like you could show someone’s feelings exclusively through direct shots of their face but, realistically, ppls feelings are in things beyond their expression at any one point in time—its like, if the expression is subdued or exaggerated vs the essential content of the expression alone, their posture and how they move, what they look at, what they say, subtle shifts in their face or body as they react to something new—all these little sorts of behaviors ykno? not to downplay facial expression coz thats p much always key, and like i said its my fave...but when it comes to trying to portray stuff w emotional impact, i like to think of a lot of other details that imo can lend a lot of visual and emotional information alike....plus just the more stuff you’re drawing the more you’re giving a scene to work with... bgs and everything can set the mood & also just give context to a scene & even i’m getting better about like, making even simple bgs sometimes. anyways not like im an expert in anything at all related to anything but i have been Drawing W Feelings In Mind for a while i guess lol and yeah about characters who are usually carrying some form of tension (symbolic like displayed persona vs their actual internal, &/or more actually feeling tense like irritable and all lol) still having tension be relatable even when they’re happier or more relaxed, & thinking about that in a drawing—for me anyways i just think of that as part of trying to show their personality in every drawing. like i was saying w the example of when i nobly set out to give ppl another pic of kip fucking, even if he’s totally chill w the situation, it’s relevant to me when drawing it to think of the fact that he’s usually Not getting to be chill with Any situation, and have that affect how i portray the state of finally getting to purely enjoy himself in a major way. like i suppose thinking abt this just now, i always make a point of drawing him actually physically tensed in at least some small way, i think as part of imagining how the like usual constant presence of internal conflict plays into the reaction to its absence. like how it’s not an on/off switch where a person who has to live w that all the time has some version of themself that gets to Be Normal and suddenly not have to think abt how that feels. like even tho he’s presumably getting a break & a good distraction from that stuff, i think of how he wouldn’t suddenly have a new set of behaviors to access & isnt like, suddenly a completely different person, & how there could actually be a pressure in enjoying urself b/c of the knowledge of just how special that is & how much u should savor the moment. like, even in relief there’s a tension. sidenote especially if you think you might not get such a great experience again—feeling fantastic can have a painful edge in that case & can even be really heartbreaking if you don’t know when you’ll next get to feel that way again. anyways Back To Fucking lol like i said i think in that relief i’m drawing in a little bit of desperation in the knowledge that his moments of relief from feeling all hyperaware and self conscious and conflicted and what have you etc are rare, that i show by giving him a little edge of intensity in some way or another. me drawing kip as sexually desperate lmao owned... but truly that’s just a little piece of always trying to show a chars personality no matter the emotion or action or situation or whatever!! like back in the day i said something about how two people will show the same emotion differently in their facial expressions even if most ppl have the same “basic format” to it...the difference in how ppl emote & react to things shows their personality (so does other stuff obv but relevant to emotion specifically...) & so say if i draw the same expression for one character as i did another at one point, it would have a different meaning for each of them in the context of their differences in personality...one person’s smile has a different meaning from another person smiling the same way, and all. obv thats most relevant in characters who r dramatically contrasted in their outward behavior. like i talk about all this like its a science or i plot a whole chart before ever making a drawing but mostly i come up w some image or scene in my head that seems good to me & then sometimes barely even plan how to put it down. or other times i do think abt it a lot, but even then i’ll usually do last minute tweaks. it’s really mostly instinct imo, i don’t know if it’s true that i’m a bit overly tuned in to other ppls emotions & good at reading even really subtle shifts, that might be part of it, but even if it wasnt true, emotions are usually a p instinctive thing. but ppl can communicate the same feeling in totally different ways, including ways that AREN’T instinctive to you, so imo its also good to like, also treat it like something to consciously think about. and like also just yeah in media you already like that already seems emotionally impactful, its cool to pay attention to that & keep it in mind & try to imitate & stuff. and like i said about it not being a science, i talk abt putting emotion & a characters personality into everything, but its not like i think of anything i do as being overly complex & i expect anyone to look at any random drawing of mine & be able to fully reverse-engineer a characters entire personality from one pic lmao....i don’t pretend anything i make is some work of genius that contains Everything. but it at least contains something. & maybe if u had a few pix to compare, it wouldnt be hard to deduce personality from it. like, even when someone’s acting different from their usual personality, it’s still the same person, & how they usually are changes how their behavior reads. like for lars to be relaxed and casual around other ppl suggests a higher level of comfort & trust than average, specifically because of the fact that u know his usual behavior is to be more stressed & in one way or another defensive around others. also i like to try to draw personality in e v e r y t h i n g b/c all of this is propaganda of “my fave & if you don’t like it get out” lol......like each pic is its own lil love letter what with how if i didnt have a certain level of fondness for a character, then i couldnt be effed to draw them in the first place. so i want to be like, look at the way this character is, which is why i love & cherish them.....and like you said, with a basic ability to draw a recognizable form & an interest in making fanart with that ability, you’ve got everything you need to make the content you wish somebody else had already made for you to look at. and with choosing a lot of suffering characters to be fond of you have plenty of motivation to want to draw them having a nice time. or at least feel loved and appreciated or something. all that stuff hmm i can’t remember if i had anything else i meant to get at but yeah lol....Feelings

[sapphicscholar]

Anon: Hello! I love your fics & writing! I know you have a lot of prompts so feel free to disregard / no rush! I would love to see more of NB!Sawyer being a mentor to young(er) NB folks. Thx for considering! I really love reading your NB!Sawyer fics they are phenomenal! And I hope your day is going well! :D

From @geofender -  So, I heard that Asia Kate Dillon came out as a non-binary and pansexual person and received the HRC Visibility Award. Idk if u accept prompts but... can u write NB!Sawyer reacting to this news?

From @lilbevmary -  for more of NB!Sawyer (sorry this one isn’t Director Sanvers!)

And for KimberKatie, I'm sorry this is so much later than expected!!

TW for a brief discussion and instance of misgendering

A/N: This chapter brings back Charli from Chapter 127! Apologies for the delay on getting back to Sawyer – I had this chapter all written on my work computer a little while ago but it got deleted and that was just demoralizing…

Chapter Text:

“Damn, they really went all out this year, huh?” Alex whispered, squeezing Sawyer’s hand as they wove through the throngs of people gathered by the silent auction tables and the line from the makeshift bar that snaked through the room.

“Stuff like this is what makes them enough money to keep going through the year,” Sawyer explained, gently tugging Alex over to a relatively quiet corner of the room so they could figure out the game plan for finding the best food and making sure they saw all the people they wanted to see.

Alex settled up against the wall, feeling Sawyer’s arm settling around her waist. She had to admit, the LGBTQ Center had been completely transformed. The fluorescent lighting had been turned off, replaced with strands of twinkling lights and a few spotlights dotted along the “red carpet” for the award night theme. The TVs—more often tuned to the news or to the handful of television shows that had decent LGBTQ representation—had been moved to the edges of the room and were showing clips from other awards ceremonies.

Sawyer glanced around at the different screens, noting Asia Kate Dillon being awarded the HRC Visibility Award on one screen and them presenting the first non-gendered acting award to Emma Watson on the next. They smiled to themself, dropping their head to Alex’s shoulder.

Noting the direction of Sawyer’s gaze, Alex asked, “Nice to get a bit of representation out there, huh?”

“Yeah,” they nodded. Sure, a handful of people out there did not a revolution make, but people like Dillon and Smith were splashing they/them pronouns on mainstream news sites, getting people who were more likely to read Entertainment Weekly than Everyday Feminism to hear about trans and non-binary and genderqueer labels, among others, and learn in a way that didn’t put the onus for education solely on the shoulders of those few out folks in media.

They pulled their gaze off the speech they had pretty much already memorized and scanned the other screens, finding the cast of Moonlight winning their well-deserved Oscars, Ellen Page coming out, and footage from the annual GLAAD awards. As Sawyer moved to turn back to Alex, they noted Charli lingering near the entrance, a roll of raffle tickets hanging from their wrist and a broad smile on their face.

“Should we go buy some tickets? Give Charli a little business?” Alex asked, looking over at the entrance as well.

“Ah, well, they should earn their free dinner,” Sawyer teased. “I’ll go grab tickets from them if you want to find us food.”

“You’ve got a deal. Dessert first?”

“Always.”

While Alex peered over the food table, inspecting all of the options and making small talk with a few of the staff members from the Center she had gotten to know over the past couple of months, Sawyer found their way over to Charli. “Excuse me, I’ll need all of your tickets,” they announced dramatically. “I need to win all of the prizes for my fiancée.” They still beamed at the new title—at the subtle band that sat on their left ring finger—a reminder of the forever they had promised one another.

“That so, Sawyer? Here I thought she stayed with you for love. Didn’t realize it was just your deep pockets.”

“Ouch! You wound me,” Sawyer teased, though they were glad to see Charli in high spirits. As much as they had opened up to Sawyer their first time meeting in the Center, it had taken a while for Charli to begin treating Sawyer as more of an equal—someone they could tease right back instead of someone who was always in the role of mentor and adult and educator.

“Yeah, yeah, somehow I don’t think the hurt will last.”

“Mm, probably not,” Sawyer agreed. “Now, how goes the volunteering? Any fun stories to tell? You know: sharing is caring and gossip is best shared with your dear friend and mentor…”

“You just wanna know if Marc brought the boyfriend that he hasn’t let anyone meet.”

“Did he?”

Charli laughed and shook their head. “He’s been here since noon panicking about all the last-minute decisions. He would’ve been the worst date.”

“Fair…” Sawyer mused, looking around to see if they had questions about anyone else in the vicinity. “Everyone being alright to you?”

Charli shrugged, their smile faltering slightly. “Eh, a few people see the dress and keep calling me miss, but, I don’t know, I guess it’s fine.”

“You can correct them, you know, if you feel comfortable.” They knew that the Center had become something of a safe place for Charli, a place where they could be out and open, could come and know that people wouldn’t misgender them or assume they were straight and cis just because they wore a skirt and lip gloss.

“It’s fine. It’s—tonight isn’t about me.”

Sawyer pursed their lips, not wanting to force Charli to do anything but also knowing just how demoralizing it could get when person after person wasn’t getting it, wasn’t acknowledging that there might be something wrong with assuming a he/she gender binary at a freaking LGBTQ Center event. Catching sight of Alex with a still empty plate talking to one of the Center’s board members who had been trying to talk her into running for a spot on the board now that she spent almost as much time as Sawyer in the Center, Sawyer decided they could hang out with Charli a little while longer, help make sure that they were being treated well even by the attendees who only showed up at the Center for its twice yearly black tie events.

The next few guests were fine. One knew Charli and greeted them with a warm hug as he thanked them for giving up their night to help out, then introduced them to his husband, and the next few were polite enough as they declined the offer to buy tickets, most of them making a beeline for the bar instead. The next group to stroll in brushed right past without listening to Charli’s pitch about the proceeds going to a good cause, and they caught Sawyer’s gaze and rolled their eyes. “Keeps happening.”

“Yeah, well, at least we’ve got a cash bar so that we still get something out of them.”

“Excuse me, miss?” came a guest’s voice as she made her way through the door. “Can you tell me where the reserved seating is?”

“Uh, sure,” Charli answered, gritting their teeth and gesturing at the door and toward the rows closest to the stage. “Left side is reserved for Center staff and awardees. Right side for family and friends of the Center.”

“Thank you, dear. Also, I love your dress. You look so pretty!”

“They do have a rather wonderful sense of style,” Sawyer cut in, throwing an arm around Charli and grinning down at them.

“Oh, ah, yes—yes, they do.”

As she wandered off into the crowd, Charli looked up at Sawyer. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I didn’t have to—and I won’t again if you don’t want me to—but I know I like it when Alex does it for me when I’m not quite feeling up to it.”

“Yeah…thanks,” they mumbled.

“Anytime, kiddo.”

“Excuse me, I’m 16 years old.”

“Psh, barely.”

“I can drive!”

“Don’t own a car, though.”

“You’re rude.”

“I’m delightful.”

Charli just rolled their eyes and turned back to the door, almost immediately turning back to Sawyer with an undignified little squeak.

“You okay?” Sawyer asked, all signs of teasing gone as they went into protective mentor mode.

“Yeah! Yeah, um, totally fine,” Charli rambled, their gaze flicking back and forth between Sawyer and the line of people filing in through the main entrance.

Sawyer scanned the crowd, their gaze lighting on one of the high school-aged girls they’d noticed hanging around the Center once or twice over the past few weeks. “Have anything to do with Neeti showing up?” they asked, a knowing glint in their eyes and a teasing smile on their lips.

“No!”

“Really? So your cheeks are just always pink and I haven’t noticed it?”

“Yep, mhm.”

“You should talk to her.”

“We already talk.”

“Why not tonight?”

“She just…” Charli trailed off, finally letting out a dramatic sigh and giving in. “This past week I think…I think maybe she was flirting with me?”

“Do tell! Let me get Alex, hold on!”

“No!”

“Fine, I’ll wait a few minutes. Spill.”

“I don’t know! She just said something about how it would be nice to see me outside the Center and maybe we should get coffee, just the two of us.”

“So she asked you out on a date.”

“I don’t know.”

“No, I’m telling you: she asked you on a date.”

“Well it’s happening in two days—whatever it is.”

“Oh my gosh, we need to make sure she’s good enough for our baby! We need get Alex over here first. She’s better at the intimidation tactics.”

“Ugh, you’re like the embarrassing parents I thought I escaped for the night,” Charli sighed, but the smile they kept trying to hide suggested otherwise.

“Oh, Alex!” Sawyer called out, motioning for her to come over and join them.

Eventually Alex made it through the crowd, two plates of food held aloft to keep them safe. She arched an eyebrow as she handed over a plate. “You bellowed?”

“Charli here has a date this week and is in desperate need of some embarrassing parental figures for the night, which means we need some shitty dad jokes to properly embarrass them. Hit me with your worst puns!”

“Why do you think I would just know bad puns?”

Charli snickered as Sawyer shrugged, looking far too innocent. “I’m just saying, out of the two of us…I’m too funny to tell jokes that awful.”

“I resent that. You’re barely funny.”

“Quite the opposite—I crack myself up.”

“Yeah, yeah, Sawyer. If you’re the only one laughing…”

“Hush,” Sawyer retorted, silencing Alex with a kiss.

“Alright, well, I’m gonna leave you two lovebirds alone…”

“Not so fast!” Alex called, handing off her plate to Sawyer and rounding on Charli. “Tell me all about your mystery date. Who are they?”

Charli sighed, even though they were secretly pleased that Alex had been just as welcoming as Sawyer. She certainly didn’t have any obligation to—not that Sawyer did either, but at least they were a volunteer—but Alex had been quick to invite Charli over to their home and hang out with old science journals while Sawyer chatted with Charli about their own experience coming out and dealing with assholes out in the world. Every so often she would lean over the back of the couch and chime in with words of encouragement or grumbled threats when Sawyer recounted some of the more egregious stories, but she was just as happy to open her doors and let the two of them take over the kitchen for the night.

“Well, her name is Neeti—she’s the one over in the black pants and the maroon shirt over there. She goes to the private school across town, but she lives kind of close to me. She’s really smart.”

“Dating nerds is the best!” Sawyer crowed through a mouthful of cupcake.

“One day she saw me in the Center reading Macbeth for my English class, and when I threw it down, she came over and sat with me and helped translate it into modern English, told me it helps to read it aloud or see it performed.”

“That sounds like a nice date idea…” Alex trailed off, grinning at the way Charli’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“No, I mean, she invited me over to come watch some of the movies, but I think she was just trying to help me with my homework.”

“Who do you think is more oblivious,” Sawyer asked, a shit-eating grin on their lips, “Charli or Kara?”

“Oh man, I can only pick one?” Alex laughed.

“You’re the worst.”

“That’s factually incorrect. We feed you. Now let us meet your totally just a friend that you have a big crush on who wants you to come over her house to cuddle and watch movies with her.”

Charli grimaced but dutifully waved to Neeti. And, as nervous as they might have been about introducing her to Sawyer, they also knew that Sawyer always had their best intentions at heart. Plus, if waving at Neeti earned them that smile…well, they would wave a hundred times more.

“Hey, Charli!” Neeti greeted them, pulling them in for a hug that had Sawyer and Alex giving exaggerated thumbs up to Charli behind Neeti’s back.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

“Oh yeah, well, um, I remembered you mentioning it, so…”

Sawyer just barely resisted the urge to let out a loud noise of excitement at the adorable awkward flirting.

“Cool, yeah, I’m, uh, really glad you made it.”

“Yeah?” Neeti beamed at Charli. “I know you’re stuck on door duty for a while, but want me to go steal you some dessert?”

“It would be a shame if you missed out on the cannoli,” Sawyer interjected, unable to resist any longer.

Seeing the look of confusion on Neeti’s face at the new voices, Charli took a deep breath and introduced them: “Neeti, this is Sawyer.”

“You look familiar,” Neeti noted.

“Yeah, I volunteer at the Center. But normally just on weekends.”

“Ah okay, yeah, I come in after school sometimes, but not a lot on the weekends.”

Sawyer bit their tongue and didn’t ask whether it was because Charli also tended to spend a couple of nights a week in the Center working on their homework.

“And this is Alex, their fiancée,” Charli added, gesturing toward Alex who offered a wave and a small smile.

“Nice to meet you, Neeti.”

“You too.”

Deciding the awkward hovering between just friends and trying to date wasn’t the best time to subject Charli and Neeti to an interrogation or shovel talks, Alex turned to Sawyer. “What do you say we go hit the buffet one more time before we find our seats?”

“It doesn’t start for another half hour,” Sawyer protested.

“And you can’t think of any way to spend half an hour with your fiancée?” Alex shot Sawyer a pointed look, trying to communicate that they should leave the two young ones to themselves, give them a chance to flirt awkwardly and stumble their way toward realizing that the liking bit wasn’t one-sided.

“Oh…oh! Okay, sure!” Shooting a wink over their shoulder at Charli, they called, “She means stuffing our faces with dessert and playing 20 Questions, just so we’re all clear!”

“Whatever you say, Sawyer! Whatever you say,” Charli laughed, turning back to Neeti, their broad grin morphing into a shy smile. “So, uh, how was your week?”

Sawyer was tempted to linger, hiding behind a group of tall people, but they let Alex drag them back to the table for proper dinner food this round. “If things go any further between them…”

“If it goes further, you can get in line behind me to make sure that they both have only the best of intentions.”

“And you’ll do the dad jokes?”

“Why do you keep insisting I tell dad jokes?”

“Look, Danvers…I’m not saying it wasn’t adorable, but I do remember the anniversary card you wrote me that began with asking me if I was made of copper and some other element ’cause I was so damn cute.”

“Tellurium,” Alex interjected, grinning and chuckling to herself.

“See! Big nerd—right there.”

Alex silenced them with a kiss, feeling their lips pulling up into a broad smile and fearing another teasing remark was coming. “If you wanna get as lucky as DNA helicase tonight…” She let the threat linger in the air.

“But you’re not even wearing jeans, Danvers!”

[luckyspike]

A boating misadventure

@louiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisa this was not supposed to be so long, also was originally going to be theme-park-based however i’ve been doing a lot of original writing lately and this shit just happened idk enjoy my idiot children

-()-

The worst part, Alice thought, was that she was not even that far away from land. Twenty, maybe thirty yards. If she could swim, there would not be any trouble. If she could swim. Which, she reflected with a frustrated growl, she could not. And though the pond behind the house wasn’t overly large, it was large enough, and deep. Deep enough to comfortably contain at least three Ceffl Dŵr, a bunyip, and an obligatory lake serpent. Even if she could swim, diving into the lake would not perhaps be the wisest choice, although with any luck the bunyip would be asleep at this hour, and the serpent would pay her no mind, as it usually did when Basha decided to go for a swim.

Regardless, of the local wildlife, however, she was stuck. In a kayak, with no paddle, sixty feet into the middle of the pond, without a helpful soul in sight to save her. Well, maybe one of the Ceffl Dŵr, but like hell she was going to trust one of them, not after what happened with the washing when she first arrived.

“Basha?” she called. She wasn’t hopeful. The little girl had gone into the plains earlier in the day with Dail to practice her magic. She didn’t bother to call for Cal, who doubtless would be in the basement, out of hearing range. She waited for a reply, and when none came after what she figured was a few minutes, she sighed and put her face in her hands, elbows on her knees. “Fuck me.”

“Can’t swim?” she looked up, startled, and blinked a few times, just to be sure she wasn’t seeing things. There was a person smiling at her, plain a day, stood as calmly on the surface of the pond as if they were on land. The only tell, she thought, were the ripples coming from under their shoes.

“No,” she answered faintly, as she let her hands fall to her lap. “I lost my paddle.”

“Yeah, I did see that part.” The … person, she settled on, because they appeared to be entirely indiscernible in terms of gender, smiled broadly and clasped their hands behind their back. “Care for some help?”

Her reply, ‘Yes’, had nearly left her lips when she paused, and thought for a second. “What’s your name?” she asked then, cautiously, because if her last nine months’ penance with the local wizard had taught her anything, it was that soundlessly-and-mysteriously-appearing beings that could walk on water likely fell into the category of ‘magical creatures’, and thus even more likely were not to be trusted.

The person’s smile widened more, and Alice became conscious of the fact that the were … rather more pointy teeth than one might expect in a human. Oh dear. “You can always call me Les. And your name?”

“Allie,” she responded, even more wary now. The name wasn’t a lie - not technically. A lot of people had called her Allie once. When she was five. But nobody had called her that for years, and though she would probably respond to the name, she didn’t think it held much power over her. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but what -”

“Am I?” Les shrugged. “I’m a Les. All you need to know really. And, did you know that just saying you aren’t meaning to be rude doesn’t absolve you of all rudeness in the subsequent line of questioning?” Alice scowled, and Les laughed. “Do you want help or not?” They spread their arms, hands open and empty. “I’m no trickster, this isn’t a bargain, Allie. I’m a friend of Cal’s. Call it a favor to him. I don’t think he’d be very happy if he heard I stood by and watched as his apprentice wasted away in a kayak behind his own home.”

Alice balked. “I mean, I’m not wasting away. Someone will realize I’m gone eventually.”

“Shame if you got sunburn in the meantime, though,” Les said easily. They sighed and hopped - right off the surface of the water, like it was solid, though it splashed and rippled in the aftermath - into the air, reclining back as if on a lounge chair Alice couldn’t see. “Would really be nothing for me to lend you a hand, Allie. No ulterior motives. Not as if I have anything to do the rest of the day.”

“Do you live around here?” Alice asked, cautiously dipping a hand into the water.

“Not currently.”

“So what are you doing here?” She hung both arms over the side of the kayak and tried a tentative paddle. The boat moved. A little. She paddled again.

Les shrugged. “Just in town, really. A little of this, a little of that. I travel.” They sighed. “Truly, Allie, I could pull you by the tow rope and you’d be back to shore -”

She paddled again. “I’ve got it. It’s fine. I’m fine. I’ll be to the shore soon, no problems.”

“Sore shoulders, though.” Les glided a few inches backwards, keeping pace with her. “Oh, or if you’d like, I could go tell Cal. He’s in the basement, isn’t he? Surely he would be. He’s always in the basement.”

“I don’t know,” she muttered, and then considered that that might have been a fantastically stupid thing to say. If Les was here to … make trouble or something, or rob them, hurt someone, then letting on that she wasn’t certain of the wizard’s current whereabouts was possibly a really, really stupid idea.

“Probably the basement,” Les concluded. “You’re his apprentice, I’m sure you’ve seen it, he probably gets lost down there.”

“I’m not his apprentice,” she grumbled, paddling to the shore inches at a time. “I just work for him.” That caught Les’s attention, and they touched back down to the water, strolling alongside, picking their way through the wake and the ripples from her hands and the kayak.

“Not in a wizardly capacity?” Les circled around the front of her boat, head cocked, eyes bright, hands clasped behind their back. “You’re normal, aren’t you? What’s Cal doing with a normie? And here I thought Dail had finally talked him into an apprentice!”

“He has an apprentice, it’s just not me.” She paddled forward, aiming for Les’s ankle, and missing by a mile when they stepped aside. “I”m an assistant.” She glared. “And I’m not a normie or whatever, I can do some stuff.”

“Dail taught you kitchen witch stuff I’m sure,” Les replied, waving a hand. “But back to the assistant thing - it’s fascinating - how did you end up as Cal’s assistant? Wizards don’t take assistants! Apprentices, sure, all the time, have fifteen or twenty, but assistants are for necromancers and charlatans and -”

“Les!” Alice froze, as did Les, when Cal’s voice boomed across the pond. Simultaneously, the turned to see the wizard, leaning on his staff with his good arm, stood on the edge of the pond. It was hard to see from the distance, and under the hat, but his posture was - not angry, she’d only ever seen angry once and this wasn’t it, but it couldn’t be -

“Cal!” Les spread their arms wide and then, in one blink, condensed into a blue-gray nimbus and shot across the surface of the pond, re-materializing on the bank and wrapping Cal up into one of the more aggressive hugs Alice had ever seen. Even forty feet away, she was fairly certain she could hear her boss wheeze. Under her kayak, the water rippled on its own volition and then, with smooth speed, she was accelerating toward the bank.

When the kayak bumped into the soft shore, Les and Cal were already halfway through a conversation. Cal wasn’t a fast talker, but apparently Les was, and Alice noted the wizard picking up the tempo somewhat just to keep up. “I leave for a few years and Allie here tells me you have an apprentice and she’s your assistant as well?” Les squinted. “Are you sick? Tell me you’re not sick. You don’t look sick.”

Cal looked surprised. “Allie? Who’s Allie? Alice?” He turned to her. “You want to be called Allie?”

“No I - I didn’t know if, uh, if Les was like, anything specifically -”

Cal snorted. “Oh, I got it. Smart move, Alice, but no, no trickster magic, no demonic ploys. Les is just Les.” He glanced at the other and sighed wearily, although he was smiling all the same. “One in a series of one.”

“Absolutely,” Les agreed eagerly. They turned that grin onto Alice again. “Told you, Alice.”

Her face fell. “So then I could have - you could have …”

“I told you so.” Les shrugged. “But better prudent than bound to an infernal deal, I guess. I can see why you’d be cautious.” They turned to Cal. “How did you know I was here? I was going to get you, since your assistant was insisting on paddling to shore herself. And on the topic of how you ended up with an assistant-”

Cal shook his head, more relaxed and amiable than Alice had seen him around anybody aside from Dail and Basha. “It was a government thing. And I knew you were here because I have wards, Les.”

Les looked puzzled. “I disarmed them. Dodged a few, too. I’m sure I didn’t trip anything.” They patted themself down, torso to knees, as if to check for any snares or wires. “Positive.”

“But you never considered the water wizard might have surveillance set up in the giant pond behind his house?” he asked, dryly.

Les’ face fell. “A scrying glass. You’re kidding. That’s a parlor trick.”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Cal shrugged again. “When all else fails, simplest solutions are usually the best, right?”

“Apparently.” Les looked to Alice. “So is anybody ever going to tell me why a wizard has an apprentice and an assistant or -”

“Government thing,” Cal answered easily, before Alice could stutter out a lie. “It’s temporary.”

Les hummed. “And why was your assistant kayaking around in the pond?”

“Great question.” Cal looked to her. “Alice?”

She looked from one, beautiful and friendly and with very sharp teeth, to the other, her boss, who looked at the moment blessedly entertained. She scrambled for a lie, and then, lamely, managed, “For fun?”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Les said pleasantly. “Allie.” Cal, on the other hand, was watching her, appraising, and she had a deeply uncomfortable feeling that there would be a Conversation about this later. Capital ‘C’. “But it serves for now.”

“It does?” She blinked, and Cal looked away, back to Les.

“For now,” he agreed. “At least until I figure out what you’re doing back here.” This he said to Les, who laughed and threw an arm around Cal’s shoulders.

“Would you believe me if I said I just missed you?”

“Not even a little.”

“I figured not.” Les turned that smile to her again, white teeth and wrinkles around the eyes which were, she noted for the first time, the same yellow color of old ivory. “Alice, you said?” Not for the first time since meeting Les, she felt uneasy, and found herself nodding in response, tucking her hands into her pockets and wrapping her fingers around her wand. Les grinned more broadly. “Fantastic. If it’s no trouble, would you mind making up some coffee? Cal and I have some catching up to do.”