#whenever I think of cooper I think of trolls cooper

[jade-green-butterfly]

I did a thing. It had to be done~💗uwu (Credit goes to the creator of this cute meme :3)

[soosoosoup]

Haaayy can you tell us more about your au where branch finds cooper's egg?

Hiiii!! Thanks for asking! And of course :)

lol turns out I had a lot more thought out. Fair warning, none of this is concrete, this was thought up a while ago and uhhhhh… writing is not my strong suit lol

In this au I had debated whether to make copper a little bit younger, I already hc him as the youngest of the snack pack so idk if its needed lol.

While in the beginning of making his bunker, branch (who’s maybe 7??) would travel farther out into the forest and gather supplies to build when he stumbles on what looks like an egg? Just in time too, ‘cause Coops pops out like in twt, does his little groove, & then proceeds to flop over to nap (being baby is tiring work).

Branch is just ??? cause like what?? Baby? Way out here in the woods?? Why does the baby have 4 legs??? Why is said baby all alone? And that last part makes b pause for a sec bc where’s his family? Did he lose them? Or is it even worse…was he left behind? (He might be projecting a lil).

Cooper and Branch proceed to live where other kids w/o families go. Caretakers try to care for cooper & he is not having it. After all, branch is the first person he’d ever seen, was the first person who’d carried him. He’s imprinted on branch and whole heartedly believes and he is his family. So if C needs to be taken care of B has to be there. It goes on long enough that the caretaker decides it'll just easier if branch helped take care of him; and who knows maybe he'll regain his color being around such a happy little goober.

At first, branch doesn’t realize how much he means to C and assumes his attachment will fade. After all why wouldn’t it when he’s being doted on by warm and cheerful trolls. But nope! Whenever the caretakers aren't taking cooper around the village, Cooper is always following Branch. Around the pod, and through the woods. Branch looks out for him, talks to him, teaches him what he can, and even plays games! I think the fact that branch has been a part of Coopers whole life gives him a sense of obligation perhaps like a big brother?. It's easy to be open to him.

All attempts to foster Cooper are unsuccessful. It's not that Cooper doesn't match the family, it's that he just doesn't want to live with them. Imagine a foster family having the time of their lives singing & playing around & when the time comes Cooper's like 'I had a lot of fun today! Time to go! what?? Stay here? be a part of your family? ...Nope :D

When the time comes that the bunker can feasibly house him, (preteen?) Branch packs up what little he owns, and prepares to leave that night. It's not like the anyone at the orphanage would chase after him. Well, except for one trolling.

It's been years, long enough that their bond is strong, they're brothers in all but name. At least unnamed on branch's side, he kind of refuses to acknowledge it.

Anyway- Branch waits until everyone falls asleep and sneaks out. He doesn't even make it out of the room lol. One foot out the door and a sleepy voice is asking him where he's going. Branch just says he's going to the bunker, that he'll see him soon, it won't be forever you see what im trying to parallel? and it's true. It's not like he's leaving to who knows where. Cooper just nods & yawns out a "bye, see you later". Love me a parallel

Branch lasts an hour or two in the bunker. He's on edge the whole time, racked w/ guilt. Has a little mental spiral until there is just one loud thought of 'what am i doing? there's someone waiting for me' and runs back.

In the joined room, Cooper fell asleep on branch's bed waiting for him. So making sure not to wake him, Branch rests coopers head on his lap. Leaning against the headboard Branch just stares at his vest left at the end of the bed & has a moment of clarity. Like oh, that's why i felt terrible, i left my little brother behind. (Keep in mind that no, he didn’t really do that, but he’s a kid and that whole ‘see you later’ really shook him so he’s making some jumps in logic)(there some projecting happening as well)

So yeah, gained a brother!! yay!!! Cooper beat you to that revelation yeeaarrrss ago lol.

One thing I like about branch being a big bro is this idea that the more he learns about what it means to be one, the less he can understand his brothers. And are they his brothers?? Over the years it’s not looking like it.

[wileycap]

Crackfic Idea:

30-year-old Zuko gets randomly flung back in time to his 16-year-old self. For a couple of hours at a time. At the most random times imaginable. Imagine the potential.

Zuko assumes that it's a dream or a vision, but definitely not real. He tries not to freak everybody out too badly, but he's also fully enjoying himself and seeing all of his friends as their young selves.

ZUKO, as he and Aang circle each other at the South Pole: I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating. You're just a [Spirit Shwoop Sound] ... baby Aang!

AANG, confused: Well, more like preteen Aang. How do you know my name?

ZUKO, looking around: Wait, where are we?

AANG: Um... this is the-

SOKKA: Don't answer him! He's trying to get information out of you. You can't give away our location!

KATARA: Sokka, he's standing in the middle of our village. I think he knows.

ZUKO: We're here? This is so weird. I was just here for the Annual Penguin Race.

AANG: THERE'S AN ANNUAL PENGUIN RACE?!

ZUKO: Well, yeah, it was your idea... you gave a whole speech about cross-cultural cooperation and friendship, but I know you just wanted to go penguin sledding with a bunch of people...

AANG: Well, I-

SOKKA: Stop giving him more information! He already knows about the penguins!

Everybody else is confused, bewildered and even befuddled except for Iroh, who assumes that it's Spirit Shenanigans™️ and just fully accepts that his nephew likes tea and hugs and Pai Sho sometimes while being his usual shouty surly traumaball self at others.

ZUKO, stepping into the cabin: Hi, Uncle. I brought you some ginseng. How about a game of Pai Sho?

IROH, tearing up a little: I would love that, my nephew.

ZUKO: I wish we could do this more often, but you live so far away...

IROH, mentally calculating that he lives exactly three doors away from Zuko, and nodding sagely: The rat-viper may never climb the mountain that a hog-monkey can, but the monkey does not know what lies underneath it.

ZUKO, sighing sadly: I know, Uncle. I do appreciate my position in life, even if it has disadvantages.

IROH: Hmm. Your move, nephew.

The crew of Zuko's ship is terrified by the fact that whenever it happens, Zuko is somehow even more hyper-competent, seems to be weirdly calm about everything, and most unnervingly of all, he's polite.

SOLDIER: Here is a report on the best teahouses within three days travel of our current location, Sir. And, uh, Commander Zhao sent a messenger hawk.

ZUKO: Excellent. Thank you very much, Sergeant. I think we can ignore whatever Zhao has to say. In reply, I want you to send him a list of the most famous officers in Fire Nation history, and point out that none of them had sideburns. I want to see if he shaves them.

SOLDIER, sweating nervously: O-of course, Sir.

As a matter of fact, the whole fic could just be Zuko trolling Zhao. It would be glorious.

[tantei-chan01]

Did you know Branch was originally going to be the one Velvet and Veneer had kidnapped? That would be extremely traumatic for him in the mute au since he had just gotten to the point he felt comfortable even singing in front of other people and not running for cover whenever Bridget or Gristle comes by and suddenly MORE giants are kidnapping him and trying to use his talents specifically because he started singing again.

I like to think in that circumstance, Bridget and Gristle would postpone the wedding to support Poppy, but John Dory would somehow still crash some important even they were a part of, that Poppy would still insist on going with John to save Branch and probably be joined by more than a few guests, maybe even Bridget while Gristle stays back (someone has to watch the kingdom and while he may be bros with Branch, he also knows his first Troll friend is justifiably nervous around Bergans and probably gonna have a bad time if he sees him), and the group would not have as many jokes about Brozone still thinking Branch is a baby because A) he isn't there and B) his friends are and while they are all there for teasing their most introverted friend and learning about his past they cannot get over the fact Branch had been left alone for over 20 years with no family and suddenly they discover he had 4 older brothers who all presumably had jeut up and left

I did know about that and agree it would have gone much differently. Mr. Dinkles would have sent some critters to Mount Rageous to delay the performance for as long as possible.

Poppy would enlist the bounty hunters to help them track down the brothers. First, finding John Dory thanks to Delta's help. Him being horrified at the fact of his brother's kidnapping just as he was packing up to go see him and at the fact that he was also traumatized into losing his voice and turning gray and now this will just make it worse. Luckily he has clues that helps the group find the others.

Floyd would be performing in a small town when they find him. He immediately agrees to go with and feels guilty on what he's been informed about.

Bruce immediately jumps to save the baby of the family, which Brandy encourages and beats himself up for not thinking of going back for Branch after he found Vacay Island.

Clay can immediately tell what's going on after a few words and immediately packed a rescue bag, refusing to leave his brotherbehind again. Viva tries to keep them from leaving, but Poppy, who's already stressed with worry, shuts that down and tells her that sometimes you have to do scary things if it means protecting someone.

They make it to Mount Rageous, where the critters successfully delay the performance for another day, they find out where they live and sneak into the bedroom to find Branch. He's already lost a large amount of talent and can barely pull himself up. The brothers immediately hug the prison and express worry.

Crimp walks into the room and tries to tell Velvet and Veneer when the bounty hunters restrain her. They convince her to help them expose the two fakes of their crime. The brothers try harmonizing again, but it fails due to unresolved issues. Then Cooper asks if it really was necessary for them to be perfect?

He explains that it was something Branch always told Poppy and others trolls when they stressed out about it. He always says that perfection doesn't exist and that being yourself is enough. Velvet and Veneer walk in and immediately try to capture the trolls. The bounty hunters and critters distract them long enough for Poppy to start singing.

Everyone starts singing together and manages to break the prison, Branch landing in Floyd's arms, clearly exhausted and in bad shape but alive. Bridget bursts in the room with the authorities, Velvet tries to argue that they have no proof only for Crimp to reveal that she had livestreamed the entire thing. Veneer willingly gives himself up to the police while his sister fights the entire process.

They head back to Pop Village to get Branch checked out. Along the way, the brothers finally have a much needed talk with each other and agree that being separated for so long affected them in many ways and decided to work on their family relationship. With the help of licensed professionals.

[justali-anne]

Undertale special interest kicking in... I swear I'm never getting tired of these guys...

I can imagine them sometimes meeting up Post-Pacifist for game nights. Like... board games, card games, video games... I have a few headcanons about it.

Card/Board games:

Let's address the elephant in the room: Monopoly is banned. Just straight up banned. They played once... Never again. Let's just say by the end of the night there were magic spears wedged deeply into Toriel's new wallpaper... and the wall... and the brick of the house... And the window was shattered. Yeah, Monopoly, it's banned, it's banned.

Papyrus has no poker face whatsoever. Meanwhile, Sans and Frisk have VERY impressive poker faces, and they're both aware of it. Once, they formed some sort of secret alliance and they dominated poker night. It was Frisk's first time playing, too!

I imagine Frisk would just be a natural at all games, hands down. Well, kind of. They don't always win, but they learn very quickly. Jack of all trades, I suppose.

Undyne has this habit of flipping boards (a classic) and shooting magic spears whenever she loses at a game or just gets EXTREMELY passionate about it. Although, if Alphys or Papyrus are the ones that beat her, she'll grit her teeth and act happy for them, just to make them happy.

Unfortunately, Papyrus picked up on Undyne's bad habit and bones started scattering the walls. Toriel had to ban magic bullets in the house after one of them almost gave Frisk a concussion.

Asgore is pretty good at card games, actually! I like to imagine he sometimes spends time with old friends of his, like Gerson and stuff, and they would have tea and play games while they chat, so he's had a lot of practice.

Toriel, on the other hand, hasn't played any board games or cards in AGES thanks to her isolation in the Ruins. She's not terrible, but she's not particularly GOOD at them either.

Sometimes, certain members of the group would try to break Sans' calmness, because while everyone had gotten annoyed at one point or another during game nights, Sans never did. Long story short, nope, he's just too chill. He's just happy to be here.

Once, Alphys bought a Mew Mew Kissy Cutie board game for game night, and she was so excited to show everyone the ropes (and dominate the night for once). She only won one game. And then she had an identity crisis afterwards!

Snacks! They do a rotation on who gets to be in charge of the food! Undyne and Papyrus are NO LONGER in this rotation after they brought in flaming spaghetti and almost set the couch on fire. Even then, you could only really trust Frisk, Toriel and Asgore with the snacks, since Alphys doesn't cook (she brings in store-bought cupcakes, it's the thought that counts), and Sans always forgets or is just too lazy to get snacks, so he orders pizza.

Video games:

They meet up to play stuff like Smash Bros, Mario Kart and Mario Party, but when they play online multiplayer games, like Minecraft, Terraria etc. they just stay home and go on a Zoom call or something. It's a lot less stressful for the introverts of the group (mainly Alphys, but I suppose Toriel could qualify [Undyne and Papyrus are absolutely extroverts; Sans and Frisk are moreso ambiverts, I think]) because they don't have to go out to do it! Yay!

They do all the things typical friends do when they're playing online games! They troll, they tease, they laugh, they help each other out, they TRY to work as a team (emphasis on TRY)...

One of the games I'd like to see them play is Human Fall Flat (I have that game and I play it with my sister :]). I want to see some RAGE. I'm sure Papyrus would love doing the puzzles, but at the same time, I'm sure the others not cooperating or knowing what's going on would tick him off. Yessss... Let Papyrus rage.

Sometimes Alphys and/or Sans would trail off into some scientific conversation or tangent, and after a minute or so, the others would start yelling over them, "NERD!!! NERDS! NERRDDD!!!" Alphys would get flustered, and Sans would desperately try to keep his composure and try not to burst out laughing.

Undyne and Papyrus have the extraordinary ability to make even the calmest, simplest games intense. ESPECIALLY Undyne, oh my goooood. Though I guess she could use the extra stimulation, she will NOT settle for a game with a slow pace. So much for Animal Crossing.

In addition, the gang can get VERY competitive at Mario Kart and stuff. Undyne is obviously the most competitive, but I think Papyrus and Alphys would want to try and impress her. Frisk and Sans? Nah, they're chilling. They don't care, they're just here to watch the chaos. Yeah... There's a reason why Asgore and Toriel don't often play games with these guys. Though they would watch and look upon them fondly. I dunno, it just seems cute.

[spooky-circuits]

I’m calling the Branch hunts down his brothers with the snack pack the snack attack because I think it’s funny.

Anyway I think most of the snack pack actually decides to go on this journey for Cooper once he sees the other genres in the scrapbook and has his moment of “That one looks like me!” Poppy is motivated to find the funk trolls first for Cooper and all their friends want to help. None of them know why Branch also wants to go and keeps insisting he was already going except for Poppy who found him sneaking around. Whenever someone asks why he wants to come he just says “I’m looking for some people.” And doesn’t elaborate while avoiding eye contact trying to look mysterious.

Cue bonding montage of them travelling through the forests in search of clue. One rough night when everyone is sleeping at their camp Poppy has a moment of regret because she’s homesick and wondering if this was the right choice and she starts quietly crying to herself which just breaks Branch’s fragile little heart and he quietly sings her a short song. Nothing elaborate just something his grandma used to sing for him. (The rest of the group heard he wasn’t a quiet as he thought)

Cooper has a moment later after hearing Branch singing where he confides in him why finding people like him is important to him and Branch decides that Cooper should know why Branch is out here too and he just Pulls out a Brozone poster (he didn’t have time to get his family photos) and tells him He’s looking for them. Cooper comes to the conclusion that Branch is a Brozone stan looking to reunite his favourite band but he respects it and offers to help him.

Of course Cooper tells everyone later that Branch is also a brozone fan and everyone is like well their music was amazing this is a perfectly normal motivation for trolls. Branch is their buddy now of course they’ll help him out!

[marvelmaniac715]

As a child two of my best ongoing jokes were literally ripped straight from tv shows, I just didn’t tell the adults in my life - I essentially committed copyright infringement 😭. Whenever my early childhood came up in conversation, like in doctors appointments or something, I’d answer it seriously, but if recounting that when I got home, I’d look the person I was speaking to dead in the eye and say “Darkness… I emerge from the womb…” Well, that was taken directly from the Christmas episode of the Netflix series ‘Trolls: The Beat Goes On’, and it’s a line delivered by the pink giraffe troll named Cooper upon being instructed to “Start from the beginning.” And once, when asked about my vision for the future, I pitched a wardrobe that used holograms to project clothes onto your body… that was taken from the new Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures Netflix series and the tie-in Budge Studios kids game that I played for way too long. My plan was to use such obscure references that people would be tricked into thinking that I was a lot funnier and creative than I actually was. I’m sorry to anyone from Netflix, Dreamworks or Mattel who sees this post, I no longer rip off copyrighted lines or concepts for the amusement of others 😔.

[vixendoesstuff]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

ALRIGHT, SO-

World Tour, where (please excuse my language) shit hits the fan, for real. My notes on this saga is hectic and convoluted, so I'll try to make some sense of it for this post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the askbox or my DM's, whichever you prefer.

I wanted to do bullet points for this, but maybe most Tumblr users prefer to read long paragraphs than bullet points, since my posts not having bullet points do better? IDK, I've only been on Tumblr for like, a year at best so forgive this soul for her cluelessness lol.

And also, depending on how much I've typed, I might have to split this saga into three parts, 'cause I know y'all don't actually want to read a really long post that took up three scrolls wide lol.

Anyway--let's start this crazy train.

So, the story begins the same way as it is in the movie--opening shot with Cloud Guy giving a quick recap about the first movie, and then the next shot panning towards the Techno Trolls (ay, Branch's tribe, let's go!). Unfortunately, the amount of screentime (or appearance in this case) they got here minimal, since we're focusing on Branch and co.

But anyway, same thing happened, King Trollex hosting the rave, Barb barges in demanding his string and destroyed Techno Reef to get him to comply, same old. Poor guy, honestly, he just wanted to vibe.

Next shot pans to Pop Village, same thing there. Everyone is smiling and singing and dancing (with Techno!Branch joining in, look at that! Since he can't extend his hair like everyone else, he relies on acrobatics and just generally hang onto someone ((mostly Poppy)) whenever they swing on the trees with their hair). Branch tries to confess his love to Poppy, but got friendzoned unintentionally by her (ouch). Then Barb's bat pet thing comes in, and King Peppy's history lesson.

They're not the only ones here in this world. There are other trolls out there; Pop, Hard Rock, Classical, Country, Funk, and Techno.

This is where it gets interesting. At this point in time, Branch has all but accepted that he's possibly the only Troll in the village that looks the way he does. That he's the only one that ever existed in the world. It's why he and Cooper has a sort of closer bond with eachother in this AU : different Troll (tribe, but not that they knew this yet) solidarity. Sure, he was curious once, like how come is egg was in the Troll Tree, why does he look different, ect. But now he's more than content with his current predicament. He has friends now, something to look foward to; he was happy, after so long.

But now with the news that there are other Trolls out there, different from the rest, his past yearning came back to life. And while King Peppy hadn't said it outright, his lack of words all but confirmed Branch's suspicions. That he's not the only one out there. And from what he saw in the scrapbook, he can pinpoint which one of the tribes he supposedly belongs to; Techno.

Then we cut to when Poppy packs up to leave and got caught by Branch. The same argument happens, with the addition of Poppy saying that because there are different Trolls out there, then shouldn't Branch be curious about them? Who knows, maybe there's a tribe that looks exactly like him! Branch refuted by saying that, even if there was a tribe just for him, how would he connect to them? He's been living as a "Pop Troll" his whole life, what connection can he form with these hypothetical Trolls (identity issues go brrr)? What if they found out that he's gone Grey for almost all his life? If the Pop Trolls, who has known him since he was born, didn't react well to his whole Grey-ness; what are the chances his own kind would react badly to the news? Or worse, reject him outright.

Before he could go on, boom! Cooper appears from the shadows and said something like, "That's not how you really think, ain't it Branch?". They were surprised he's there, and then they exchange some more dialouge sort of expressing Branch's concern about not fitting in with his hypothetical tribe out there, and shed some light on Coopers concern as well about wanting to find you who you really, and even if you don't fit in atleast you know the truth now, that sort of stuff. IDK, I'm not great at writing angst, lol.

Anyway, after some convincing from Poppy, Branch relented and decides to accompany her (even if he denies it, he wants to know if his people is out there). Cooper also wants to come along, and while Branch refuses for his own safety, Poppy allows it in the condition that he sticks with them at all times. So, the three sets of to explore the entire Troll Kingdom, to "reunite" all the tribes and make one big party at Queen Barb's World Tour.

Little did they know just what kinds of trouble they'll encounter on their journey.

Woah, plot twist, Cooper actually comes along instead of going on a solo journey this time around! He replaces Biggie in this! What a shocker! Shocked emoji!

Admitedly, while it's funny the first time, Cooper's solo adventure is... I don't wanna be too rude about it, but it's sort of unnecessary in the big run? I mean, not entirely unnecessary, but like, if you remove that and just have him go along with Poppy and co., nothing major would change. He'd still be reunited with his family in Vibe City, except this time he'll have a first time reaction to the history of the Strings and see the truth of it, y'know what I mean?

But anyway, Poppy, Branch and Cooper's gonna explore the world of other genres. I don't think much will change with his inclusion, but the reactions will be far more varied, me thinks. Stay tuned for the next part, 'cause wow did not expect this part of the series to be so convoluted lol.

Also I had wanted to include some scene redraws from the movie with new implemented elements for this AU, but artblock is gripping me tight and college is starting soon, so I won't have much time to draw than I do write. So, yeah, hope y'all don't mind lol. I'll definitely do some artwork for this AU in the future though, believe it!

Until next time!

[sometimes-she-becomes-it]

prompt idea: while callie was chatting with dirk, the topic of how cherubs work came up. being heartbound, he can tell that callie has complicated feelings about herself as a cherub and about caliborn. he gently pressed, wondering why, if she hates caliborn, she doesn't talk bad about him or insult him; why she seems to be going out of her way to work with him despite his lack of cooperation. eventually he pieces it together and says what she's never put words to: she likes him, perhaps even loves him. denial ensues; she's a cherub so that's impossible!

by the time their chat ends dirk has already decided to bring it up with caliborn. he does always react positively (and creepily) to the idea of affectionate touching... dirk wonders if he realizes callie feels that way and if the way he talks about callie (especially his "slip-ups") gives away how he feels about her deep down. so naturally dirk and caliborn had a very interesting conversation... and an even more interesting one between the cherubs follows.

all that setup doesn't need to be included! the goal is the conversation between the cherubs, but i couldn't pull it out of nowhere of course.

part 1/3

“So, the thing is, one of the main differences between troll romance and cherub hatred is the source- as in, the base feeling for it, right?” Callie glanced at Dirk whenever she wasn't looking at the floor. The embarrassment Dirk knew she felt whenever the topic of cherub anatomy, culture and stuff like that was obvious, but she was clearly trying to push past it. “For trolls, a kismesis is something like a rival, someone you want to be better than, in a way that pushes the both of you to become better and better in an attempt to one-up eachother- or at least, that’s how it is supposed to be, since obviously different kismesis pairs may have different ways of feeling that hatred for one another, but the point still stands! A kismesis is someone you try to be better than because no one else can challenge you the way they do- your kismesis has to mean something to you, they have to respect you and you, them, right?”

Dirk hummed “Of course. Are cherubs not the same?” 

Calliope made a complicated expression “ah, not exactly. The way cherubs experience hate-romance is… quite different from trolls. I don't think it can be called romance at all.”

Dirk waited for a few moments, expecting her to continue. Of course, Callie was hesitant to give out information about cherubs even in the tamest of subjects, so it fell on him to prompt her to continue “And how exactly is it so different?”

A few seconds of silence, He could practically see her internal debate as to whether to be polite and tell him, or be rude and keep silent. 

Eventually, she sighed “well, with cherubs, the main feeling behind their… reproduction activities is something more akin to… nostalgia. Nostalgia mixed with hatred, I suppose. They want to experience that conflict they could only experience with their other half, the one they killed in the path to predomination. And to do that, they have to chase for another cherub, one with the same alignment as the other half they lost, in hopes that it will feel like they’re in conflict against their counterpart again. So, in this case, the cherub isn't quite in hatred for their mate, but is simply using them as a sort of…. stand-in for their sibling, which is the one they actually want to have- erm- intercourse with. Does that answer your question?”

He still had questions, but he could see the way Callie’s claws kept picking at her skin, the nervous jittering of her leg, the way she kept glancing up at Dirk before looking away just as quickly. The poor girl was clearly nervous, and while Dirk was curious, he still decided to have some mercy on her and hold back on his questions. 

Well, some of them.

He wasn't sure if it was a heartbound thing, or if Calliope was just very easy to read, but he knew Calliope had… complicated feelings towards the topic of cherubs and, most interesting, the topic of Caliborn. Oh of course, she could talk to him and tease him and tell him off when he was being way too rude. But as soon as others stopped looking, her expression would turn conflicted and confused, and Dirk could almost see the way her feelings unraveled all over one another, tangling in weird and complicated patterns, bound tighter than a Gordian knot. A thread of fondness, a string of longing, a lifetime of knowing one another and no one else, and the contempt bred from familiarity. All wrapped up with a lovely gift-paper of what if what if what if and tied with a bow of I’m not supposed to feel this way. And of course the way Caliborn acted, sometimes decent, most times cruel, sometimes sincere, and yet often dishonest…. Certainly would not make things any easier for Callie to make sense of her feelings. And Dirk very much so wanted to pry, and fix, and meddle….

“Sure. I have another question though.” He replied

Callie made a face like she was really really hoping they could be done with the topic, but instead of saying anything she simply nodded.

“What are your feelings towards Caliborn?”

Dirk could practically see her train of thought screech to a halt as she heard the question. Her face looked like she would have paled if her body allowed for it, and the swirls in her cheeks were definitely a lot less vibrant than a few seconds ago which- was that her version of going pale? Curious.

“Uhh- umm. I fail to see how that relates to the topic.” She stammered, looking around at the empty park around them as if hoping for an out of this conversation.

“It’s not related, I just want to know”

“W-well. You know what my brother is like already, don't you? He’s an asshole, a brat, and I hate him. I don't think there's anything else to say about him.”

Well, those first two things were definitely true. Dirk was willing to cast some doubt on the third, though. 

“If you hate him, then why do you never show it?”

She blinked “what is that supposed to mean, exactly?” 

“Well,” Dirk leaned back, shrugging casually. This topic seemed to have gotten Callie’s guard up which, understandable, if Dirk's suspicions were true “You say you hate him, sure, but you never show it. You never talk badly about him, or insult him, or call him names, and even when you do, it’s only when you're angry. If you hated him, you would do it all the time, wouldn't you?”

Callie hesitated for a second- seemed Dirk had struck a nerve. “Look, just because I hate him, doesn't mean I must sink to his level, does it? Besides, even if I insulted him, he would just, you know, throw them back at me, or at one of our friends which, as you can guess, is not necessarily something I like! So that’s why.” 

“Sure, but you don't speak badly about him even when he isn't there to hear you. Sometimes you even defend him, like that time Jane and Roxy were going on about how stupid he was and you said something about how he wasn't stupid, he just had a different way of learning and could actually be very clever in certain subjects…. That’s not the kind of thing one says about someone they hate, is it?”

Callie still refused to meet Dirk’s eyes “If you're so sure then what, exactly, do you think is going on?” She spoke carefully. Dirk had pressed a button- or twelve. 

“I think you like him”

She seemed relieved at that answer “well, I mean he can be fun to play with sometimes-”

“No. I mean you like like him. Flushed romance. Red feelings. All soft kisses and gentle touch and sweet, sappy things.”

Callie's cheeks grew steadily brighter and brighter with his every word, until he could almost think they were glowing. She was blushing? It was cute. It also meant he was right, probably.

“I- well- um- no! I'm a cherub, you know what our romance is like. It’s hatred. Pure pure hatred! There’s no- you know I'm incapable of- of love. It’s impossible. We’re not- I'm not made for it, you know that! So, sorry to be the one to say this, Dirk, but you’re wrong.” She crossed her arms and huffed as if that would improve her argument

“Oh don't say that ‘you can't feel any attraction outside of what your species says’ bullshit. You were literally the one to propose Roxy and Jane start a moirallegiance! And you were the first to notice Karkat and Jade’s kismesissitude, even before Karkat 'expert at quadrants’ himself! You know better than that Callie. If humans can feel non-flushed forms of romance, then cherubs can absolutely feel romance outside of pitch.”

Calliope’s blush intensified even more, but she didn't say anything to contradict what Dirk said. 

“So, am I right, or am I right?”

“...... You can't tell anyone about this, please. I know it’s- I know I shouldn't. I know. I get it if you judge me but- please don't tell anyone.”

Oh, that was what she was worried about? “Don't worry, I won't tell any of our friends about any of this, I promise. My lips are sealed. And I won't judge you. It’s practically part of your biology after all, and it’s not like I haven't seen worse.” 

Callie sighed in relief “Thanks. Sorry I just…. I worry you know?”

Of course he knew, if anyone on earth C understood what it was like to fear being judged after having a secret of yours come out, it was his. The fear that others would judge you if they found out could grab a heart and rip it apart, whether or not that fear was justified. And with the ways some of the other players (and yes, he was talking about John.) spoke about things even as harmless about quadrants…. Callie's fears were very justified indeed.

“Don't worry, I get it. Can I ask you a few more questions though?” 

Callie hesitated “You can have three question, and I'll answer them for free.”

“For free?”

“If you have any questions after that, you’re gonna have to treat me to an ice cream- or any kind of candy, really. But I know you prefer ice cream.” She smiled cheekily, almost mischievous. 

Ah, so she was just playing. And probably also looking for an excuse to keep hanging out. Not that he was going to deny her, he did like ice cream quite a lot.

“Alright so, first question… how long have you had an interest in him?”

Calliope needed a moment to think, humming softly to herself “since I was…very young, I think. Like, before I contacted you guys for the first time.” So at least seven years. That was a very long time “I couldn't help it, he was so…. Determined, and headstrong, and innovative, and passionate… and so confident too, I couldn't help but admire those qualities of his.” She laughs slightly at that admission. Dirk can almost see what she means, even if he never thought it could possibly be a reason for anyone to be interested in Caliborn, but of course he should have expected Calliope to somehow see something in the little brat. 

“I see.” He nodded “second question then, what exactly is it you feel towards him?” 

“Honestly? I have no idea.” Calliope leaned back and rested most of the weight of her torso on her hands “I want to fight him, I think. I want to see what my hands look like with his blood on them. I want to leave his face bruised and his body bitten. I want to beat him. I want him to acknowledge me as an equal.” A slight growl seemed to vibrate under her words, Dirk didn't even know she could make that sound. Her face was twisted in a mixture between a grin and a snarl, before slowly softening up “but… I also want him to come to me with his problems, I want to be able to hold him in my arms and whisper sweet nothings to him and tell him everything is going to be okay. I want to be trusted with the most vulnerable parts of him. I want to be able to pet his head and hold his body- and I want him to do the same, I want to be able to trust him to hold me when I'm most vulnerable and know that he will not harm me…. And yes! sometimes I want to kiss him and kiss him and kiss him and make love to him until neither of us can remember our own names, why not!” She giggled at this idea, her face a vibrant, almost glowing lime as if she was flushing.

Damn, she had it bad. Like, Dirk was expecting it, but still. And she'd had that crush for seven years? If it were him he’d already have done something unadvisable. Callie was either made of very strong stuff, or she was just that good at repressing her emotions. Could be either honestly.

“Okay. So, third and last question, for now” Dirk thought about it's this was his last question so he had to make it count “does he know? Do you plan on telling him?” 

Callie sent him an odd look “I believe that’s two questions, dear”

“Indulge me?”

A huff “fine.” A moment of silence while she seemed to think about the answer “honestly, I have no idea whether he knows. I have never told him. And he’s not the cleverest when it comes to emotions, neither of us are. I think he still thinks I have a crush on one of the girls, though I’m not sure which one…” probably Jane, if the way Caliborn glared at her and made her cry and targeted her- so much more vicious than the way he jeered and mocked everyone else, like whatever issue he had with her was personal…. And looking back he was always that much worse when Jane had been spending time with Calliope, or when Calliope stepped in to defend poor Jane….

Dirk wondered how much of that could be solved by just getting the twins a motel room and leaving them to figure it out.

“Point is-” Calliope continued “I'm not sure he knows? But sometimes he makes a certain comment, or does a certain action, or he just looks at me like I'm a puzzle he’s trying to solve and…. It makes me wonder…” she shook her head. “Whatever, maybe he knows, maybe he doesn't. I don't plan on telling him anyhow, so it shouldn't matter.” 

“I suppose.” Dirk's mind kept doing what it did best, planning and scheming, planning and scheming. “It’s getting late, I think we should each head home.”

Callie looked at the sky. Already the clouds seemed tinted with a soft pink, almost purple, and if he focused he could see some stars beginning to appear “Huh, I guess you're right.”

Dirk stood up and dusted himself off, just as he was about to say goodbye, Calliope grabbed his wrist “Dirk, regarding what we just spoke about….” She looked him in the eye, biting her lip. Her eyes seemed to almost be pleading “Please don't tell anyone about this, alright? It’s very private, I don't know how comfortable I am with other people knowing about it…”

“Don't worry Callie” he looked at her, and allowed himself a rare smile “I don't plan on telling any of my fellow humans or the trolls about it, you have my word”

Callie smiled back at him, trusting him completely, and both of them said their respective goodbyes.

Perhaps he ought to feel guilty, considering the way she trusted him unconditionally, and the way he was about to betray that trust.

After all, he'd promised not to tell any of the humans or the trolls.

He never said anything about not telling Caliborn.

[razzle-zazzle]

(Between AU) Poppy might see Branch while on her rescue mission and decide he needs to be rescued too? If he’s the most Bergen-like a troll can be, she’s the most troll-like a troll can be, so even if they have similar goals they probably won’t get along whenever they first meet. Without knowing Branch is coming behind her, Poppy would probably be more careful going through the forest, so you can use that to mess with the timeline of her arrival however you want? Maybe she could meet Bridget first, and you could contrast her decision to try to make Bridget happy with Branch and Gristle’s determination to be unhappy together? Branch being a Bergen prince will probably affect her perception of both Branch and the Bergens as soon as she learns about it too, though idk how

OOOOOO ALL OF THIS IS SO GOOD IT'S SHAKING AROUND IN MY BRAIN.

On the subject of Poppy's journey to Bergentown, I've found myself with two options:

Option One: Poppy Goes Alone.

Through sheer wit and determination, Poppy manages to make her way through every obstacle thrown at her. Basically the "Get Back Up Again" scene but she manages to escape the spiders at the end with the same strength and wit she used to escape every other danger. She's already pretty well equipped to make the journey in canon, so it's not implausible for her to make it all the way on her own!

The main benefit of Poppy going alone is that her determination gets repeatedly challenged. Her main arc in the movie is learning to temper her limitless optimism without giving it up completely, so even though she makes it to Bergentown successfully and with a smile, she's a little worn down by the journey.

Option Two: Poppy Gets a Buddy

King Peppy was pretty against Poppy going out to Bergentown alone. Sure, she left regardless, and she still would, but that doesn't mean she has to be alone.

In this option, her buddy, being another member of the village that isn't Branch, would take a more supportive role instead of Canon Branch's opposition to Poppy's optimism. Poppy would find herself tasked with protecting her travel buddy (it would be a team effort at multiple parts ofc), playing into her role as Princess and future Queen of Pop Village. The constant danger wears her down, but she has a voice coming along believing in her wholeheartedly and doing their best to cheer her up. It'd give Poppy more energy, but it'd also give her more pressure to have a smile on her face when she reaches Bergentown.

In this option, the Troll I'd pick to accompany her would likely be one of the Snack Pack. Smidge would be interesting with her strength, Suki would be fun, Guy Diamond could be really funny, and there's also Satin & Chenille or Biggie... but I think I would probably go with Cooper as the Snack Pack member that Chef fails to grab, in this option. Largely because of the headcanon that Cooper was adopted by Peppy, which regardless of whether Cooper's taken by Chef or not is going to be canon to the Between AU. Having her little brother along would give Poppy someone to reassure her, but also someone for her to be responsible for both as a Princess and big sister.

So far, I'm leaning towards Option One.

[sburbian-sage]

Holy shit how did none of us think to try reusing the server disc. Getting another server worked, looks like the dickhead doesn't care enough to put any EFFORT into sabotaging me cause he didn't revert it or anything. Still hate the fact that someone else is in control of my hive but apparently having someone cooperative in control of my hive is the best I can hope for so thanks for getting me to that point.

And yeah, don't worry, I don't expect relationship advice from you off something as vague as 'co-player said I was mean help plz'. For context tho it's less of an in the wrong/in the right situation and more like, hate at first sight, ignorant alien bumbles his way into the social cues of blackflirting long enough to throw me off, etc. But thanks to the double server thing we never have to acknowledge each other's existence again so that problem's solved!

Glad to hear. And apologies for the snippy last response. I brought up snickers in an earlier post and the realization that I've been eating potatos and rice and other staple crops with nothing else to supplement it unironically made me mad, and I was in fact not myself when I was hungry (for food that tastes differently than what I've been eating for the past month).

On Human/Troll culture shock and other social faux pas, maybe it's just me but whenever I hear about these horror stories, "Human accidentally engages in caliginous flirtation and it causes issues" is weirdly recurring. Not even in a "if I had a Build Grist for every time that happened, I'd be able to alchemize one Perfectly Generic Object, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice" way, this is genuinely endemic. I don't know why this keeps happening. I was about to say "this never happened to me" but apparently that one Cherub chick walked away feeling spadesy? But that guy might have just been joking and she does genuinely want to kill me. Maybe it's a praying mantis thing.

I was about to say "I'm glad everything's cleared up but you might want to try settling things because who knows when you need to collaborate again", but I'm honestly now more invested in this phenomenon and how we could stop "accidental romantic rivalry Political Incidents" from happening.

[underestimated-heroine]

i’m gonna be real i never understood you all with the whole john green thing. you don’t care and that’s fine. but for the sake of saying my piece, back then and now all i think when i look at the details is “...what.”

what do you mean he should’ve joined in with the cock monologue joke. that’s a terrible fucking idea. you all were accusing him of being a pedophile.

and while we’re on the subject, what do you mean he’s a pedophile for writing books with older teenagers where they’re implied to have sex and teaching a course on sex ed. that’s not a real person opinion that’s like a twitter ya opinion or a troll bot take. that opinion deserves one response and that response is “...anyways,” it’s literally not even worth talking about.

what do you mean the harassment campaign was okay because he’s a (these days) fairly rich author. what the hell do you mean. how am i goiung to click on a blog and see a posts like “fuck how you treated amber herd, we’re a cooperative species, you deserve forgiveness, it’s never okay to unhuman a person” followed by an obscure john green hate post you awkwardly reblogged years after he was harassed into deactivating.

i’m sorry but it creeps me out that a lot of you recognize how fucked up this was and just like step back into it whenever it comes up without actually addressing what caused you to get caught up in the first place. we all fuck up but the refusal to acknowledge when you’ve done wrong and accept the responsibility to improve is what separates the children from the adults especially when it pertains to something so vicious and drawn out.

idk what to tell you but this shouldn’t have happened in the first place and you should ask yourself why you contributed and try to grow from that.

[morporkian-cryptid]

Today in "Elliott's Niche AF AUs": one (1) person asked me about this, sooooo...

Lupin III Discworld AU crossover headcanon pile thingy!!!

For those who don't know: Discworld is a flat world held on the back of four giant elephants on top of a giant turtle, floating through space. That world has magic, as well as trolls, dwarves, goblins etc... but in a way that's meant to subvert typical fantasy tropes.

Ankh-Morpork, the biggest city on the Disc, is a hotbed of crime, innovations, and innovations in crime. It is run by a council of guilds, and by a Patrician (a lifelong tyrant; he's elected by the guilds but he has the final say in everything). Notorious for having an Assassins', Thieves', Beggars', and Seamstresses' (sex workers) Guilds. Also notorious for its Watch (the police), which is actually surprisingly good at solving crimes. It's also the biggest immigration destination on the Disc.

Character backstories/situations:

Lupin : half-quirmian-half-agatean (Quirm being the DW equivalent of France), grew up in the Agatean Empire (DW equivalent of China/East Asia). He moved to Ankh-Morpork to follow Fujiko, and/or to escape Zenigata. He’s an illegal thief (meaning he's not registered with the Thieves' Guild), and his favourite hobby (besides just stealing in general) is screwing with the Guild. Commander Vimes, the head of the Watch, is supposed to catch him (or at least help Zenigata catch him), but he's secretly rooting for him because he dislikes the Guild slightly more than he dislikes Lupin.

Jigen : son of a couple of Agatean immigrants in Ankh-Morpork, grew up as a street urchin in the Shades (the most crime-ridden neighborhood of the notoriously crime-ridden Ankh-Morpork). He joined the Assassins’ Guild later in his life as a (mostly self-taught) sharpshooter, with a talent that outshone that of the Guild's best students. He later quit the Guild after he met Lupin (possibly had a contract to kill Lupin, and decided “screw this I’m going with him”). He can use any kind of shooting weapons, but favors crossbows. He’s tried stealing and using the gonne (DW's first and only firearm); it didn't go well. He somehow managed to learn one single spell from the wizards, the fireball, by becoming pals with Arcchancelor Ridcully (wizard, head of the Unseen University, and famous for his unfortunate passion for crossbow shooting).

Goemon : agatean immigrant/fugitive, master swordsman. He left Agatea because Fujiko stole his Zantetsuken and fled to Ankh-Morpork, so Goemon had to follow her to retrieve his sword. He then met Lupin and Jigen and decided to stick around. The Zantetsuken is a talking sword, and its personality is basically the embodiment of Bushido. It's extremely annoying (like all talking swords), but Goemon loves it. (it was probably his only friend back in Agatea)

Fujiko : agatean immigrant/fugitive. Ran away from the Agatean Empire chased by Goemon. She joined the Thieves’ Guild, but everyone confuses her for a seamstress because her technique usually involves seduction. She tried it on Vetinari once. It failed spectacularly.

Zenigata : agatean immigrant, part of the Empire’s police force, who came to Ankh-Morpork chasing Lupin. He only brought his assistant Yata with him, and has to cooperate with the Watch to have resources to catch Lupin. Vimes doesn’t particularly like him, but he’s good at his work so he can’t say anything (they're both too stubborn to get along).

Bonus:

Yata: Zenigata’s assistant, came to Ankh-Morpork with him, rapidly became great friends with Rufus Drumknott (the Head Secretary of the Patrician, Lord Vetinari). He has a bad influence on Drumknott. He also befriended Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson, but then again Carrot befriends everyone.

Ami: She's a clacks operator. Clacks are basically the DW equivalent of telegraph. There's a group of clacks hackers called the GNU, so she might have joined them.

Albert: He's part of the Patrician's Dark Clerks (they're the secret services of Ankh-Morpork)

Rebecca: She's from Quirm. That’s all I have about her for now. (Quirm's the equivalent of France, but in the french translation it was made into an equivalent of Italy)

Random-Ass Headcanons

Lupin gets along like a house on fire with Moist von Lipwig (former conman and current postmaster, notorious adrenaline junkie), both figuratively and literally. Lupin and Lipwig sometimes team up on heists and rely on each other’s help, when they’re not busy competing against each other because Lupin keeps daring Lipwig to thieving competitions.

One of the contests’ goal is to steal Vetinari’s manuscript, The Servant. Fujiko wins. She wasn’t even in the race.

///

Fujiko quickly became friends with Adora-Belle Dearheart (Moist von Lipwig's rather explosive girlfriend), they get together every now and then to trash-talk their respective boyfriends.

///

For some reason everyone thinks Lupin is a werewolf. (it’s actually Jigen)

(maybe. I haven't yet decided whether or not he is. That would be a very good source of angst, considering what most werewolves are like, and also a very good source of domestic fluff if the whole gang has to adapt to the moon cycle and Jigen's transformations. Idk. Might be fun.)

///

Fujiko owns a horse golem (a gift from Adora-Belle or something she stole, we may never know). The Gang also owns a carriage, modified with a spell so it will drive faster, and they drive it completely carelessly. It has been destroyed and rebuilt countless times. (actually a bunch of spells, Lupin probably found a way to blackmail Ridcully so he could mod the shit out of his carriage. Or they rely on Jigen’s friendship with Ridcully)

///

Lupin uses swamp dragons as firearms (dialogue courtesy of @marquise-de-clarabas: Jigen: You stole a dragon??? Lupin: I didn’t steal him! He’s his own person and can make decisions himself! Dragon: I wanna steal). He has an alias and disguise entirely dedicated to visiting the Sunshine Sanctuary For Sick Dragons, and somehow became friends with Lady Sybil Ramkin-Vimes (Commander Vimes' wife, and the greatest expert on swamp dragons in the city, probably on the Disc). Vimes doesn't know about it, and Lupin finds the whole situation hilarious. He constantly makes jokes about how he’s playing with fire.

///

The Thieves’ Guild and the Watch are competing to catch the Gang, but secretly Vimes is rooting for the Gang (the Guild just hates them). That said, Vimes also hates Lupin (only slightly less than he dislikes the Guild), because he's always a little shit whenever he gets put in jail, and then he immediately breaks out.

///

Rincewind (famously bad wizard with a shit luck and a tendency to run from problems) once got arrested by Zenigata, because he got startled by him yelling LUPAAAAAAAAAN! and started running for the hills, making Zenigata believe he was Lupin in disguise. Rincewind is terrified of Zenigata.

///

Zenigata is actively trying to stop the Thieves' Guild from catching Lupin and Co, both because he wants to catch them himself, and because he knows what the Guild does to illegal thieves and he doesn’t want it to happen to Lupin.

///

Lupin stole Ridcully’s hat (custom wizard hat with a bunch of pockets, drawers, a crossbow, and a tiny flask of alcohol) as a gift for Jigen’s birthday. He also stole Lipwig’s hat (golden cap with dove wings), after which Adora claimed she didn’t recognize Moist (dialogue courtesy of @marquise-de-clarabas: Moist: C’mon babe, it’s me, your boyfriend! Adora, knowing full well who he is: I have never met this man in my entire life). He also raided the Assassins' Guild's armory/museum to get a birthday gift for Goemon.

///

About Jigen and the gonne (spoilers for Men at Arms) : basically, the gonne being such a dangerous and destructive weapon compared to crossbows, it has a nigh-magical attraction on people, and awakens and strengthens whatever lust for power, vengeance, blood etc they have. It basically controls its user and feeds on their convictions, addictions, wants, etc. The only person known to have resisted it is Vimes (because he's a stubborn mofo with a sense of morals you could bend iron on), and even he came damn near to losing his mind. (And Carrot, because... he's Carrot.)

Assuming the gonne didn't get destroyed in this AU: after they steal it, Lupin tries to use it, gets completely possessed/cursed (again) and accidentally tries to murder his friends (again), prompting Jigen to take it from him. Jigen then gets possessed as well, and they start fighting for the gonne, until Goemon just walks in, takes it out of their hands and takes it away. Goemon's completely unaffected by the gonne because 1) of his ascetic training and 2) "it is a filthy morporkian artifact and cannot compare to the noble art of the sword."

///

Zenigata often teams up with Angua (resident werewolf of the Watch), they get along very well. The Gang is very easy to track, they smell like a tobacco factory that has caught on fire.

///

Yata and Drumknott (Patrician's head secretary, and confidante, sort of) get together after office hours, and argue about whose boss is the best (because as we all know they both have a crush on respective bosses). One day Drumknott accidentally calls Vetinari “Sempai” after he heard Yata call Zenigata that all the time.

///

Lupin follows Lipwig’s example and steals all of Yata’s pencils every time he visits the Pseudopolis Yard (the Watch's HQ). Drumknott is fuming when Yata tells him about it.

///

Leonardo Da Quirm is butt-naked, because Part 4.

///

Something with vampires, probably.

///

tagging @carriagelamp and @mad-whoman-with-a-book00 because I know you may be potentially interested in this AU ^^

[marvelmadam08]

Baby Blues 1/?

Summary: Chris and Alex have just brought a bubbly baby boy into the world. Now they have to face the most challenging year of their lives.

Chris Evans x Black Reader, OFC!Alex

Warnings: Childbirth, mentions of death (No actual death), anxiety, swearing, Chris as a new dad FLUFF!

A/N: More of a prologue than anything.

~~~~~~~

“Come on, you got this! Just one more!” Chris encouraged

“I can’t!” Alex cried, she knew it was an ugly cry too. She was covered in sweat, muscles she didn’t know she had ached, and she had used every swear word in the book, including a few Romanian ones she learned from Sebastian “I’m fucking tired. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Yes you can baby girl.” He rubbed down Alex’s back “You’re almost there. You’re doing great.”

Two years of dating, two more of marriage and trying to a baby, nine long months of pregnancy and ten longer hours of labor and Alex and Chris were just a strong push away from meeting their son. 

Alex clutched down on Chris’s hand, and took in a huge breath before she pushed again. 

“It’s a boy!” The doctor cheered

Chris looked over to see the wailing newborn and broke out in a smile so wide his cheeks hurt.

“He’s beautiful Al.” he kissed her on top of her head “You did it.”

“Is he okay?” Alex panted 

“He’s perfect.”

“Would you like to cut the cord, Papa?” the nurse asked Chris while handing him a pair of umbilical cord scissors

“Yeah, yeah.” Chris wiped his tears away with the back of his hand before carefully cutting the cord. Once the baby was whisked away to be cleaned, Chris was back to kissing and praising his wife “You were amazing.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely, he’s beautiful, you’re beautiful.”

“I’m a sweaty mess.”

“So I’ll run around the block a few times, we’ll both be sweaty.”

“Congratulations.” the first nurse returned and lowered the fussing bundle into Alex’s arms

“Oh Chris, look at him.” Alex cooed, the baby began to settle a bit, only fussing when exposed to the cold air of the hospital room “Hi sweetie, I’m your momma. He’s just the most beautiful baby ever.”

“He looks like his mom.” Chris slid on the bed next to her

“Oh please, he looks like you. I don’t know why you’re so against naming him after you, a little Christopher Jamal Evans.”

Chris laughed “I think he looks more like a Levi.”

“We can’t name him after jeans.” Alex pouts 

A simple but complicated decision, Alex and Chris went back and forth between names for the last two months. Nothing sounded right to Alex, except for Christopher Evans Jr., and Chris wanted to give the baby his own, independent, name. Or whenever they did come up with a name, the initials would spell something out like “PEE”, “DIE” or “ICE” Now that their baby was here, the choice was even harder than before.

“Benjamin?” Chris tried

“No, Cooper?” Alex scrunched her nose

“Cooper the pooper?” 

“Yeah, that doesn’t work either.” Alex sighed “What is your name baby boy?”

Chris watched Alex gently whisper and rock the newborn “How about Alexander?”

“You wanna name him after me?”

“Yeah, why not?” He suggested “You did most of the work anyways.”

She paused “Alexander... Christopher Evans.” The newborn fussed loudly, Alex smiled “I think he likes it.”

“Okay then,” Chris happily agreed “Alexander Christopher Evans, it is.”

“Great name.” The nurse jotted it down “Oh how cute, his initials spell out Ace.”

Chris and Alex laughed as quietly as possible to keep from disturbing the sleeping newborn.

“It’s better than ‘PEE’.” Alex shifted him gently in her arms “You’re turn to hold him.”

Chris cradled his son close to his chest, tears threatening to fall over again. Alex laid back against her pillow and listen to Chris hum ‘Return to Pooh Corner’, a sleepy smile on her face.

“You’re a Dad now, Chris.”

“And you’re a Mom.” He smiled back at her “Get some rest, we’ll be fine.”

Alex didn’t have to be told twice, once she was comfortable enough sleep over took her, but only for about thirty minutes until she had to feed. Chris stepped out to wake up everyone in his contact list and tell them how Alex and the baby were doing.

“My Mom is gonna come by first thing in the morning.” He whispered “And your parents send their love. They’re already demanding pictures and even said they’ll sign a NDA if it makes us happy.”

The two of them had agreed not to post any baby pics until later on. The two of them weren’t comfortable with letting online trolls give their unwanted opinions on their baby. Especially not after they first came out as a couple. Most comments came from vengeful (alleged) Marvel fans that threatened to boycott Chris’ movies if he didn’t break up with Alex. Others came from Alex’s (former) fans that claimed she didn’t belong to the Black community anymore since she was dating Chris. The last thing they needed were those same hateful, comments under any pictures of their son.

“They can get all the pictures they want.” Alex softly stroked the small hairs on her son’s head

“How are you feeling?” Chris asked 

Alex sighed “Happy- and a little nervous. He’s so small, and fragile. Is it wrong that I wanna stick him in a protective bubble?”

“Of course not baby girl. I feel the same way.” Chris watched in adoration while his wife rocked their son back to sleep. He couldn’t help the small, negative thoughts that popped into his head.

When Alex first told him that she was pregnant his first negative thought was “What if there’s a miscarriage?”. Even with numerous doctor appointments, research and reassurance from his both his wife and therapist, Chris wasn’t able to shake off that fear until seeing his son in the doctor’s arms. But now he was terrified of doing something wrong. “What if he stops breathing at night?” “What if he’s allergic to the baby food we give him and we don’t catch it?” “Am I gonna accidentally drop him? Forget him the backseat of the car on a hot day?” “What if he gets kidnapped?” Chris couldn’t stop the run away train of disasters in his brain.

Alex touched the crease forming on her husband’s brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you think we’re ready for this? Being parents?”

“A bit late to ask that question don’t you think?” Alex hoped her joke would ease Chris’s anxiety “When my mom had me, she relied on her instinct. Then she had my brother, and relied on prior experience. When my brother and his wife had their first kid they relied on the books. And even now, they go on about how much they were blindsided by everything within the first year alone.”

She caressed Chris’s cheek with her free hand. “We got this.”

A soft smile cleared away the frown lines on Chris’s face. The amount of love he had for his wife at this moment couldn’t be put into words. Her ability to find the silver lining in every situation was just one of the reasons Chris fell in love with her in the first place. They pulled each other out of their dark places, comforting each other and erasing any sign of doubt they might’ve had about anything.

He leaned over to give her a soft kiss on the lips “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Alex turned to their, now awake, son. He stared at them with soft brown eyes, his tiny eyebrows scrunched up “And I love you.”

“We both love you, Ace.” Chris tickled his son’s exposed foot

“Ace.” Alex tried out the nickname “Oh no.”

“What?”

“’Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks’.” she half sang the jingle and giggled

[danganronpaheadcanons]

Confession: I wish more people acknowledged that Kokichi most likely didn’t say things he realized outright because of how in chapter 1, two people to die were the ones declaring they would end the killing game and how in trial 1, Ryoma suggested that the mastermind might have drawn Rantaro to the library with a bait to get killed.

This idea then gets thrown out of the window when eyes turn to Shuichi and Kaede, but just like how his throwaway line of asking Miu if she didn’t really ask about what the cameras were for and how he started to commission Miu, and with his Chapter 2 first breakfast talk being about how “everyone agreed there is no mastermind because if they tried to look for it, would make the same mistake as Akamatsu-chan”, it sounds plausible to me that he took first chapter’s events as “mastermind showing them to not mess with them/that they have the power here and anyone who proves to make the show boring/trying to end the show would get killed for their efforts”.

He is on the side to not use flashback lights, which everyone else agreed to until Kaito and then Tenko one by one get others convinced to try the lights, and then when he is the last one left not wanting to use it joining to the crowd.

He mentions he is against keeping the pads from each other and he does team up with Gonta (as evidenced by Gonta’s pre-FTE talks in that chapter, he did tell him about gathering the pads rather than how the main game framed it as Gonta was angry about him lying him about that while said optional dialogue contradicts that), and whenever you check him in that chapter, he seems delighted at the idea that you are on his side on that issue too (as he didn’t know motive videos had flashback light sort of effects) and he seems just fine teaming up with Shuichi be it thinking about ways to not get killed by Maki or in chapter 4 looking for where to use the keycard- as well as commissioning Miu which turns to asking her if she wants to work together to get out with him and everyone. He is also fine with teaming up in chapter 1 until Rantaro’s death.

So, it is a balancing act of trying to get people realize things and showing that he caught certain things and trying to remain as an interesting character they wouldn’t want to take out of the story, so that he doesn’t die.

This doesn’t mean that others had any reason to give his words the weight to get the secondary meaning in them as he started off as an asshole/troll right off the bat, as well as didn’t really go against it when people misunderstood what he meant in chapter 1 (Notable examples including two times where Rantaro takes his words way differently than he means), but it also doesn’t mean that he was just being “unreasonably paranoid” or just was being a prideful dick who never would have accepted cooperation or help if anyone came up with a realistic, working idea.

He certainly has a pride, and he does increasingly get frustrated with others not catching what he means, which he definitely in part got as a reap what you sow, but I think just saying he kept things vague when he had all the option to cooperate openly and was “just being unnecessarily” paranoid is simply not acknowledging the circumstances they are in.

Others didn’t have a reason to trust him from the way he acted so far, but he also had a limited amount of moves in terms of what (in his eyes) wouldn’t get him killed but help his and others’ situation, and from his point of view, despite the fact that him actually being honest in a surprising amount of time before his mastermind plan starts to kick in (likely around start of chapter 3, since his first reference to that is in Maki’s lab when he says that he knew about her real talent because of his “position” than seeing it in the motive video) people never actually taking him seriously or getting what he means, he eventually starts to distance himself when his attempts at getting others questioning the trust ability of memories from the motive videos and flashback lights fails too.

Tl;dr I think that Kokichi wasn’t just being ‘uncooperative’ for no reason and it doesn’t mean others somehow magically should have read his mind and realize it, but Kokichi also didn’t have as much power over choosing what moves were available for him especially after realizing that open defiance in the way of making the game get stagnate like Kaede and Angie tried would him killed for his efforts, and that simplifying it to either “he had all the chance to work together but didn’t out of complete choice” or “he always acted like a pure bean who never made hard choices/mistakes” misses the reality of the situation.

Thinking he got the short end of the stick in terms of communication while not blaming others for “not understanding him” can coexist.

[spooky-circuits]

I like to think that the Fun Royal Family and Peppy come to an agreement that Cooper can have shared custody between the royals and his adopted parents, sharing half the year with each other. And that Darnell is allowed to visit pretty much whenever because he's attached to all the kids now. It wouldn't be fair for Cooper to take him from the family and tribe that raised him, nor would it be right to keep him form his birth family so this is the best compromise.

They do alternating weeks since the Funk trolls can fly over easily. That way no one feels too lonely.