#so she’ll give her son plenty of good advice

[incorrectbatfam]

Stepmom!Selina?

She sees what she's getting into from a mile away, but she welcomes it because Bruce's kids are a part of him, and she loves all of Bruce.

The kids all see it coming too, and while some (Damian) take longer to warm up to her, she's welcomed into the fold with open arms.

Selina's got a heart as big as her partner and while she's not always perfect, you can see how much she cares.

As a former foster child herself, Selina understands Duke's unique experiences and traumas from the foster care system, so whenever he needs to talk, she's the first one he goes to. Sometimes he doesn't want to (or need to) talk, so they'll watch boxing matches or she'll teach him little bits of Mandarin. If the kitchen isn't busy, they'll try their hand at new TikTok recipes, and film themselves either succeeding or debunking the original poster.

Being raised in isolation to be a human weapon meant Cass missed out on a lot of the things daughters typically learn as children/teens. The evening of Cass's first gala, she didn't know the first thing about doing her own hair and makeup. She's braved assassin armies, but her self-made disaster of bobby pins and eyeshadow nearly drives her to tears. Selina swoops in, wipes Cass's face with gentle reassurances, and walks her through step-by-step.

Selina considers it a privilege to have watched Dick grow from the spunky little Robin to the man he is today. Even though he's taller than her, she still ruffled his hair when he does a good job. She also keeps the first ever birthday card he gave her, which includes a pop-up bat signal and scented stickers, and remembers all of his favorite radio stations. Also, when Bruce does something, Dick goes tattling to Selina.

For a while, Carrie mooched off of her siblings' Netflix profiles, but everyone got tired of her messing up their algorithm and she was forced to make her own. She soon realized how much freedom she had because no one could see what she was watching. Selina caught on to the power trip and started researching and watching snippets whenever a new show comes out. That's how she stopped a bunch of preteen girls from watching Squid Game.

Tim often gets overlooked as not just the middle child, but the child who appears put-together and regularly takes on adult responsibilities. Selina, however, remembers that he's still a teenager. She regularly checks in and gradually teaches him that it's okay to let go and act his age. Selina encourages him to call his Young Justice friends outside of missions and take small acts of rebellion against Bruce. When Tim and his boyfriend snuck out to a famous lover's lookout, Selina gave them the car keys and covered for them.

She noticed that Jason really enjoys hanging out with Harley Quinn, bonding over not just Joker trauma but other shared interests like music taste. After Harley turns to the antihero side, Selina discusses with Bruce and they start inviting Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy to dinner. The first time they do that, Harley is so excited that she baked a three-layer cake just for Jason. Literally, in strawberry frosting, it said, "THIS CAKE IS FOR JASON ONLY." Finding someone that Jason can relate to remains one of Selina's proudest accomplishments.

She's trying her best, but she makes mistakes too. For instance, although Wayne Manor has plenty of kitchen space, Selina does her cooking at Harley and Ivy's because Ivy can offer her fresh plant-based ingredients that suited Damian's needs. When Alfred's not available, she sends Damian to school with healthy, flavorful vegan lunches shaped into Cheese Viking characters. One time, she was tasked with bringing brownies to a PTA meeting. Incidentally, Harley was simultaneously baking a... different kind of brownie for a block party (you can see where this is heading). When an angry superintendent demanded to know who was responsible, Selina wisely kept her mouth shut and thankfully, so did Damian.

Cullen loves concerts, but he's a huge introvert who gets anxiety when he's left alone in a crowd. Selina becomes his concert buddy, and she'll go as all-out as he does. Sometimes that's showing up to a garage band dressed-down in hoodies and sunglasses. Other times it's painting their faces and looking like they just came out of a Hot Topic blowout sale. She even listens to the discography beforehand so she can blend in. Selina learns a lot about Cullen through this, because nothing says more about a person than the music they listen to.

Harper, though looking rough around the edges, turns into a giddy little kid at interactive science museums. During one of these trips, Harper got distracted by the giant Newton's Cradle so she didn't notice a fourth grade field trip sweeping up Selina. When they reunited at the gift shop, a chaperone had given Selina a school t-shirt and she was put in charge of grading ten kids' assignments. Harper laughed so hard that she spewed lemonade on the museum owner. Neither of them will let the other live that day down.

Selina and Barbara openly talk about guy stuff, and Selina is more than happy to offer advice in times of need. They're both pretty liberal talking about that stuff, and one time they did a tier ranking of all the Gotham Rogues based on how effective their gimmick is (Joker was the only S-tier). They then proceeded to get into a debate on whether or not Man-Bat and Killer Croc should qualify for the list, which led to them staring each other down at dinner while the other family members sat around them confused.

Steph's school offered a Mother's Day breakfast. Although Crystal Brown was doing her best and wanted to make it, she was scheduled a double-shift that the breakfast fell right in the middle of. Selina reached out to Crystal and with permission, went in her place. Afraid that Steph would publicly reject her, Selina sat in the parking lot for ten minutes as Bruce amped her up over the phone. Steph, thinking that no one would no up, was ecstatic and said that she couldn't have thought of anyone better. They enjoyed stacking up waffles and making the girls who bully Steph envious.

Long before she and Bruce got married, Selina made it clear that she would not be relegated to the gender-typical role of a homemaker, and Bruce happily concurred because it's 2021. They knew that to give Alfred a break, they'd have to take on some chores themselves. Instead of dividing up a boring old chore chart, they find ways to make cleaning fun and collaborative. They'll dance around the halls in mop slippers, play "guess the stain", and race their roombas. The kids see this and start modeling the behavior in their own ways—Dick swings from high places to dust them, Damian trains his pets to pick up garbage, and Cass and Duke compete to see who can clean the most bathtubs.

Some parts of the Manor are due for redecorating, so Selina and Alfred make a day trip out of interior design sketches, flipping through furniture catalogues, and looking at paint swatches. It sounds boring at first, but the menial tasks meant they had plenty of time for conversation, and she finally understood why everyone respects him. They also made room in the afternoon for a stroll through the park and afternoon tea, where he told her and her only the secret to a perfect scone.

The other Justice League partners welcome her into the group too. Whenever Selina's in Metropolis, she joins Lois and Ma and Pa for Sunday brunch where they share what their kids have been up to. Iris shows her life hacks to cooking large batches of food in a short time. Selina and Dinah discover an online store dedicated to selling vigilante gear and go on a Cyber Monday spree for their whole families. Steve Trevor, Diana's partner, teaches Selina how to fly with the invisible jet so she can surprise Bruce with the batplane.

After overcoming their initial conflicts, Selina and Talia hold a high amount of respect for each other. Talia sees Selina as not just a capable combatant, but a worthy partner to her former beloved and stepmother to her son. Selina, after spending all that time with the kids, understands the motherly love that Talia holds for Damian and makes it abundantly clear that she would never try to replace Talia in the boy's life. Regardless, looking after all those kids is hard, so they are very much open to the idea of co-parenting.

(Selina doesn't know it, but all this makes Bruce fall in love with her all over again.)

#ask #anonymous #selina kyle #catwoman #gotham city sirens #gotham rogues #batfamily #batfam #batkids #batsibings #batclan #batman family #dc comics #headcanon #tw food mention #tw mental health mention #tw drug mention

[riffheartsgraziella]

Ice & Karen as parents if you have the time would be lovely

Love Ice and Karen! Here are some headcanons for their family:

- Ice and Karen end up having four sons: Mark, Stephen (Steve), Gregory (Greg), and Timothy (Timmy).

- All of the Jets are shocked to see Ice, who’s normally so cool and calm under pressure, absolutely freak out when Karen goes into labor with their first child. The thought of her being in any sort of pain sends him into a panic.

- Karen handles labor like a champ though, much to Ice’s relief. By the time Timmy comes along, she hardly makes a peep during labor and delivery. All the doctors and nurses are impressed.

- All the Jet children think Ice and Karen are the coolest parents ever. They never seem to lose their tempers, never yell. They usually only need to shoot the boys a look to correct their behavior.

- In a house full of men, Karen gets absolutely spoiled. Ice makes the boys help her with everything and hardly lets her lift a finger when he can help it.

- Karen, as much as she loves the boys’ efforts, likes to keep busy and usually has to come behind them anyway to fix their attempts at “cleaning” the apartment.

- It’s a good thing that Karen learned the basics of first aid while she and Ice were dating because raising four rowdy boys means that there’s a lot of bumps, scrapes, and cuts that involve plenty of cleaning up.

- Karen always giggles to herself when she watches the boys follow Ice around, wanting to be like him in everything.

- When the boys get older, Ice gives them the best advice for dating and girls. Karen warns them that she’ll castrate them if they get anyone pregnant.

- Though they love spending time with the other Jets’ daughters, both Ice and Karen are very content being boy parents.

#ice x karen #ice west side story #karen west side story #west side story #west side story 2021 #wss headcanons #kyle coffman #lauren leach

[purrincess-chat]

Kill Em With Kindness CH5

So, I know I said I wasn’t going to update again until I finished the rest of this, but my secret MDCSP project is taking up a majority of my writing time now, so I haven’t been in the mood to work on this one, so rather than keeping you all in suspense even longer, I decided to go ahead and post chapter 5 since it’s finished. But for reals next time I update, I will be finished. There are only 2 chapters left, so I’ll get to them eventually so the final two updates can be close together.

Read on AO3

Chapter 5

Marinette laid back on her chaise, humming along to Jagged’s newest single Liar. Adrien’s interview had just ended, so she kept her phone nearby for his inevitable call. While she knew about the rumors spreading about them, she still hadn’t been prepared to hear Adrien tell the world they were just friends on live TV. Part of her hoped that this thing with Lila would bring them closer, and it had—just not in the way she wanted. No matter. There would be plenty of time for flirting after Lila was taken care of.

When her phone buzzed, she lowered the volume on her playlist and answered. “Nice job on the interview.”

“Thanks. We’re in good shape for tomorrow. Clara told me she’s really looking forward to our shopping trip,” Adrien said. “I can’t wait to see the look on Lila’s face when Clara posts about her new fashion advisor.”

“Do you really think she’ll do it? I mean, I still have to impress her with my choices tomorrow. What if she hates everything I pick out?” Marinette bit her lip.

“Relax. You’ll do fine. I know you will,” he assured her. “Clara really respects you. She told me earlier that she’s hoping you two can be good friends.”

“For real?” Marinette shot upright.

“Yeah, for real,” Adrien laughed. “Funny how almost everything Lila lies about is coming true for you now.”

“Well, she has one thing on me. Jagged did write a song about her…” Marinette turned the volume up with a smirk.

I see through your disguise. Can’t touch me with your little lies.

Adrien chuckled at that. “Maybe we’ll make an honest girl out of her.”

“Doubt it. She loves the attention too much,” Marinette said with an eye roll. “But we’re the ones with the real connections, so we still have the high ground.”

“And we have each other. I promise I won’t let her get you ever again, Marinette. If she tries to hurt you, she’ll have to go through me.” Marinette’s cheeks warmed, and she leaned back against the pillow, trailing her thumb over her lucky charm.

“Thanks, Adrien. It means a lot to know you’ll always be there for me,” she said.

“Of course. You’re a dear friend, Marinette, and I know you’d do the same for me.”

She smiled up at her ceiling, pressing a soft kiss to the lucky charm as if it were his cheek. “See you tomorrow?”

“Let’s make Lila regret coming after you.”

***

Raindrops pattered against Lila’s umbrella on the abandoned street corner. Most citizens had moved inside to avoid the downpour, but Lila barely batted an eye. She had business to attend to.

Her mental clock ticked away the seconds until a silver car rolled to a stop to her left. She kept her eyes forward as the window rolled down, and Gabriel glared out at her. It wasn’t that he held any personal disdain for her. Gabriel glared at everyone.

“I’m growing impatient, Lila. Every time I turn around, I see my son with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I thought you said you could handle her,” he said, and Lila’s jaw clenched.

“I’ve run into a few hiccups, but I assure you, I can take her out for good. I just need more time,” she said, watching the droplets splatter against the ground.

Focusing kept her from losing her temper. While it was incredibly tempting, Lila couldn’t afford to lose Gabriel now. She wanted to scream about how Adrien was plotting against her. That Marinette had been playing dirty. But Gabriel didn’t care for excuses. He needed results, so if Marinette was taking low blows, Lila would throw a few of her own.

“Perhaps it might help you to know that she and Adrien will be out shopping with Clara Nightingale tomorrow afternoon. Clara hopes that Marinette can give her fashion advice. She has dreams of being a designer, you know,” Gabriel said. “It would be a shame if something got in the way of those dreams.”

A smirk curled on Lila’s lips, the calm reassurance of Gabriel’s support relaxing her shoulders. “Understood.”

***

“Don’t be nervous.”

Marinette ripped her gaze away from the window and removed her fingers from her mouth. Wiping the chewed nubs on her pants, she let out a breath and began tapping her feet instead. Adrien gave her a soft smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ll do great. Just relax,” Adrien said as they rolled up to Gabriel’s boutique.

Nathalie climbed from the front seat and opened the door for them, and Marinette took a deep breath.

“You’re right. I can do this. Clara wants to be my friend, so everything is going to be totally fi-” Her voice trailed off as they climbed from the car, blood running cold.

“Marinette? What’s wro- oh, no.” Adrien stopped in his tracks as Clara approached with the only person on the planet who could ruin this trip.

“Hey, Marinette, Adrien.”

Lila.

“Marinette, it’s so good to see you. This girl says she’s a friend of yours too,” Clara said, pulling her in for a hug.

“Thank you two so much for inviting me to come along on this trip. I’m such a big fan of yours, Clara, and when Marinette told me she was nervous about picking out your outfits today, I was happy to come along and assist,” Lila said with a sugary grin. “Marinette and I share a love of fashion, and we bounce ideas off each other all the time. Isn’t that right, Marinette?”

“I wouldn’t say all the time,” Marinette grunted, crossing her arms over her chest, and at Clara’s curious expression she added, “because you travel so much, right, Lila?”

“It’s true. There are so many countries out there that need our help. I’m just doing my best where I can,” Lila said, pressing a hand to her forehead in a ‘woe is me’ fashion.

“How very noble of you. I can sense a deep bond between you two,” Clara said, and Marinette suppressed an eye roll. Nothing bonded people more than mutual hatred. “Well, there’s nothing to stand out here for, so let’s go in the door.”

Lila shot Marinette a pointed grin the moment Clara turned her back, and Marinette exchanged nervous looks with Adrien. This trip had just gotten a lot more complicated.

An employee let them in, the boutique having been closed for their private shopping spree, and Clara twirled around with a cheery squeal. “I’m so happy having you all here. Nothing’s better than spending time with friends so dear.”

“The pleasure is all ours,” Lila said, linking arms with Adrien.

“Ya know, I’m kind of in the mood for coffee. Why don’t you and I go get some, Lila? Nathalie can accompany us,” Adrien said, tugging her toward the door, but Clara’s bodyguard stood in the way.

“There’s no need for that today. Mme. Nathalie, will you fetch some straight away?” Clara said, and Nathalie nodded.

“Of course. You all carry on,” Nathalie said, oblivious to Adrien’s pleading look.

Adrien shot Marinette an apologetic wince, but she didn’t blame him. They should have expected something like this from Lila, so they would just have to navigate this one on the fly. It was risky, but Marinette had a plan.  

“Clara, why don’t we make this a little more fun? Why don’t Lila and I could both pick out outfits for you, and you could choose the one you like better. That way you have more options,” Marinette suggested, and Clara took her hands, twirling her around.

“I have been wanting to change my style, so let’s see what you two compile. For my first look, let’s keep it easy, an evening dress that’s not too cheesy,” Clara said before shimmying off to the dressing rooms.

“Not so fun, is it?” Lila said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t know how you got in, but-” Marinette held up a hand to cut Adrien off.

“It’s fine. If Lila wants to play designer. We’ll let her,” she said before turning and stalking toward a rack on the other end of the store.

She shifted through hangers as Adrien fell in beside her. “Are you sure about this?”

“Look, Clara asked me to come on this trip, so obviously she respects my opinion. Not to mention your father, Audrey Bourgeois, and Jagged Stone have all praised my work in the past. I can beat her,” she said, meeting his gaze, and Adrien blinked in surprise.

“Anything I can do to help?” He asked, but Marinette shook her head.

“No. I have to do this on my own,” she said, grabbing a couple dresses from the rack and heading for shoes.

“You’ve got this, Marinette,” he said with a grin.

Marinette’s heart pounded as she assembled her outfit, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins only fueled her determination. Lila could challenge her in a lot of things, but fashion was hers. No amount of lying or deceit could take that away from her. She would beat Lila no matter what.

“I have your coffee.” Nathalie reappeared with two cups in a paper tray.

“Thanks, Nathalie,” Adrien said.

“Have you picked out your outfit, Marinette? I can take it to Clara for you,” Nathalie offered, and Marinette nodded, exchanging the garment bag for the tray.

“Thank you!” She bowed, and as Nathalie sauntered off, she let out a breath.

“Don’t worry. Clara will see the one with real talent in just a few minutes. No way Lila beats you,” Adrien said, and Marinette offered him a smile, taking a swig of her coffee before they made their way to the platform outside the dressing room to wait.

“She’s trying on Marinette’s pick first,” Clara’s assistant announced, and Marinette held her breath as the curtains parted.

Clara stepped out in a lime green skirt, a neon orange tiger-print shirt, a pair of red heels, and a black feathered hat, and Marinette’s jaw dropped.

“What?”

“Marinette, your choices are a little off the wall. I’m not sure I’d have paired these at all,” Clara said, examining herself in the mirror.

“But that’s not-” She stopped short, shooting a cutting glare at Lila. Her fists shook, angry tears burning her eyes. Accusations formed on her tongue, but she bit them back.

Of course Lila wasn’t going to play fair. She should have known better. Without even realizing, she’d played right into her trap. There was no way to win because Lila already stacked the odds against her.

“This must be a mistake. Marinette didn’t pick any of those things,” Adrien said, stepping forward. “Her bag probably got switched.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t pick that outfit,” Lila said, pressed a hand to her lips to hide her smirk.

Clara tapped her chin with a hum then turned to Nathalie. “You brought Marinette’s bag to me. Do you know where the real one could be?”

“I placed it on the rack for you, and then I brought your coffee. I’m not sure what happened after that,” Nathalie said.

“Hmm…This is quite the mystery, but this outfit not being Marinette’s is something I’m glad to see,” Clara said, giving it one last disgruntled look in the mirror. “Having you come on this trip was such a delight, so I’ll give you one more chance to get it right.”

“Thank you, Clara!” Marinette breathed a sigh of relief.

“In the meantime, why don’t you try on my outfit, Clara?” Lila said, casting an impish smile over her shoulder at Marinette.

“It would be my pleasure. Let’s see how your picks measure.”

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest as Clara retreated to the changing room and turned to Adrien. “I should have known she’d try something underhanded like this to make her outfit seem better. I can’t believe I fell for it,” she sighed, flashing Lila a sardonic grin when she waved to them.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her next round so she can’t switch your outfit out for something lame,” Adrien whispered as Clara emerged from the stall.

“Now this is what I’m talking about. This outfit is totally me, no doubt.” Clara hopped onto the platform and gave a twirl, and Marinette nearly blew her top.

“But that’s-” Marinette started, clamping a hand over her mouth. “A great choice. I would have picked the same thing.”

Only she had because it was hers. Lila hadn’t just swapped her outfit for a ridiculous one—she’d outright taken it. Marinette could beat her easily, and Lila knew that. Rather than just make Marinette look ridiculous, Lila took it one step further and used Marinette’s talent to make herself look better. If there weren’t so many other people in the room, Marinette would have transformed on the spot and ripped her head off!

“Lila, your understanding of my style is quite profound. Marinette will have to try harder next round,” Clara said, admiring the stolen red dress. “For my next look, I want something more hearty—an outfit that will make me the life of the party!”

Marinette stormed from the dressing area, and Adrien followed her to the men’s changing room on the other side of the store. Pulling the curtain closed behind them, Marinette leaned against the wall with a huff, cupping her cheeks.

“Lila was ready for that. She’s catching up,” Adrien said, taking the wall across from her and crossing his arms over his chest.

“She’s already caught up, and now she’s ahead of us.” Marinette shook her head. “We need to gain back some ground.”

“What should we do?”

Marinette drummed her fingers on her jeans before digging out her phone. Adrien didn’t question as she dialed furiously then pressed the phone to her ear. She answered on the third ring.

“Hey, girl, how’s your shopping trip going?”

“Alya, I need you to do me a favor.”

***

Adrien paced across the floor to where Lila sifted through a rack. She didn’t look up as he approached, but an amused smile curled on her lips.

“Marinette has such strange taste, don’t you think?” She asked, holding up a bright green blazer.

“I told you to leave her alone,” Adrien said, and Lila rolled her eyes.

“And yet every time I mess with her, you do nothing,” she said, returning the jacket to the rack. “You could end this whole charade right now by telling Clara you didn’t really invite me, but you’re not going to do that, are you? Because that wouldn’t be very nice.”

“I mean it, Lila. You’re messing with Marinette’s dreams, and that’s not okay.” She examined his stern expression with amusement.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” She asked, and Adrien held her expression for a long moment before stalking off.

Marinette was finishing her second outfit when Adrien rejoined the group by the dressing room, and this time, Marinette personally handed Clara the bag. Adrien stood guard by the curtain, shooting daggers at Lila the moment she approached which only made her chuckle under her breath. He wasn’t taking any chances. Lila wasn’t going to ruin Marinette’s dreams. He’d see to it.

When Clara emerged, she skipped onto the platform and gave a twirl. “Now this is a party outfit that’ll make me dance! I’m so glad I gave you a second chance.”

“You look awesome, Clara. Marinette is super talented when her actual picks don’t get switched around,” Adrien said pointedly.

“I couldn’t agree more. This outfit is one I simply adore!” Clara said, stepping down to take Marinette’s hands. “Your style is simply the best. When it comes to fashion, there’s no contest.”

“Thank you, Clara. That means the world coming from you,” Marinette said, that spark of confidence returning to her eyes.

Lila’s jaw clenched, and Adrien high-fived Marinette. For added insult, he draped an arm over her shoulders as Clara tried on Lila’s outfit. It didn’t matter what Lila had picked; she was no match for Marinette when they were competing honestly.

“Hmm,” Clara hummed, twisting in the mirrors to see the dress from all angles. “A lovely choice, don’t get me wrong, but this outfit just isn’t my song. Your first choice was far more on the nose, and I’ve got to be honest, these shoes are hurting my toes.”

“That’s okay. Marinette is incredibly talented. The only reason I won the first round was because of that mix-up. I’m sure she’s got something amazing up her sleeve for this next round too,” Lila said, curling her shoulders in the fakest show of humility Adrien had ever seen.

“Then let’s not waste any more time. I can’t wait to try on an outfit so divine. Tonight I will be Nadja’s TV guest, so let’s see which one of you is really the best!”

---

As Marinette took off, Adrien shot Lila a warning look before following after her. It was cute that he thought he could intimidate her into being nice, but Lila had direct orders. Things were going exactly as planned, and those two idiots were falling right into her trap. Soon Marinette’s aspirations would be nothing more than a pipe dream.

When Nathalie emerged from the back with a garment bag, Lila sauntered over to meet her. “Is this my dress?”

Nathalie responded by offering Lila her phone, and Lila pressed it to her ear.

“Nathalie tells me everything is going according to plan,” Gabriel said on the other line.

“Of course, Mr. Agreste. Marinette thinks she’s getting ahead, but with your help I’ll make sure her dreams are crushed for good. Then she’ll be sure to stay away from Adrien,” she said like a dutiful student.

“Good. I’m counting on you,” Gabriel said before hanging up, and Lila lifted the bag with a smirk.

Marinette chose the wrong opponent to challenge, and Lila was about to prove that she didn’t lie about everything. She really was going to take everything from Marinette. Clara was just step one.

---

“I still don’t trust Lila,” Adrien whispered while Marinette browsed the wall of shoes.

“Don’t worry about her. We’re onto her little game now, so it’s impossible for her to steal my outfit again, and we both know Clara prefers my picks to hers now without a doubt,” Marinette said, sounding confident, and under normal circumstances, Adrien would have been proud. Lila, however, was not normal circumstances.

“I know you’re better than her, but I just have a bad feeling. I don’t trust her,” Adrien said, glancing at Lila in accessories out of the corner of his eye.

Marinette zipped her bag up then turned to look him in the eye. “I’m not asking you to trust her. I’m asking you to believe in me.”

Her bright blue eyes glowed with determination, and although he couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in his gut, he nodded her on. Marinette was brilliant and amazing—Adrien knew that quite well. She had a bright future ahead of her so long as nothing got in her way, and one thing was certain: if Lila even tried, Adrien would never forgive her.

“Alright, chickadees, let’s see what you’ve got for me,” Clara said, bouncing in anticipation.

Marinette didn’t spare Lila a single glance as she paced over to Clara, but Adrien hung back to make sure she behaved. Lila seemed to all but ignore him until the last moment when she shot him a playful wink that sent his blood boiling.

“Oh, Clara, since I know Marinette is probably going to win, will you try on my outfit first?” Lila requested innocently. “Naturally, mine will pale in comparison, so I want you to give it a fair shot.”

“Lila, that’s quite the humble stance. I’d be more than happy to give yours a chance.”

Adrien instinctively bristled when Lila passed off her bag. What was she up to? His stomach churned in knots, and he stepped closer to Marinette, gleaning comfort from close proximity as if he could protect her from whatever scheme Lila was trying to pull.

When Clara emerged again, every jaw in the room dropped, and Adrien’s mind whirled with a thousand thoughts at once. That dress wasn’t part of the normal collection—it was one of a kind. Adrien had overheard his father and Nathalie talking about it a few days prior. He wasn’t entirely sure how Lila got her hands on it, but it wasn’t by accident.

“This dress is so…so…” Clara gasped, abandoning her riddles and rhymes as she stared in awe.

Lila beamed, clasping her hands behind her back. “I really wanted to impress you this round, so I asked the staff if they hand anything special in the back. I truly care about your style, Clara, and I wanted to prove that to you.”

“Your attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile certainly make you standout, Lila. I’d love for you to be my new style consultant,” Clara said, clasping her hands together over her heart.

Adrien’s heart snapped when he turned to Marinette, her once confident demeanor now shriveled in defeat. Lila caught his gaze, tilting her chin up with a smirk. I win. She seemed to gloat, and Adrien’s hands clenched into fists.

“Clara, I know this dress is beautiful, and I’m not entirely sure how Lila found it,” he started, shooting her a quick glare. “But designing is Marinette’s true passion, and in my professional opinion, I think she would make an amazing personal stylist.”

“It’s fine.” The voice was Marinette’s, and she turned to Lila with a small smile. “I’m really happy for you, and I know you’ll do an amazing job.”

She held her head high and threw on a smile despite the anger and humiliation she must be feeling. They were committed to being kind to Lila in front of everyone, but Adrien didn’t care about that now. Lila had taken something from someone who deserved it, and more importantly, she’d done it to someone Adrien cared about. If Lila was going to ignore his warnings, then he’d have to repeat them a little louder.

“Clara, why don’t you try on Marinette’s pick just for fun. She worked really hard picking it out,” Adrien suggested.

“While my search has come to an end, I’d be more than happy to wear something picked by a friend,” Clara said, brushing Marinette’s nose with her finger before climbing back into the changing booth.

Adrien marched over to Gorilla, yanking his collar down to whisper in his ear. Lila was going to learn the price of hurting people precious to him. He didn’t care if it wasn’t nice. Lila wasn’t a nice person, so just this once, he wasn’t going to be either.

With everyone focused on Clara, no one noticed when Gorilla clamped a hand over Lila’s mouth and carried her to the back. A single employee followed, opening the door to the private bathroom as Gorilla tossed her in.

“What do you think you’re-” Lila’s voice trailed off when Adrien approached, hands shoved in his pockets. “Is this the part where you try and intimidate me? It’s not going to work. I know your little niceness scheme is all an act, and I’m about to leave you both in the dust.”

“Maybe,” Adrien said, leaning against the doorframe with a shrug. “But you seem to have forgotten where you are. Did you really think you had the advantage in a shop named Agreste? In case you didn’t realize, everyone here works for me.”

“You’re too late. I’ve already won,” Lila shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Clara picked me, and Marinette will never make it as a designer.”

“Marinette is going to be just fine. I’ll see to that,” he said. “Clara respects my opinion, so she’ll listen to me.”

“And why would you convince her to pick Marinette over me? Doesn’t that contradict your whole plan to nice me into compliance?” Lila asked with a smirk. “As soon as we go back out there, Clara will still have picked me, so this whole conversation is pointless.”

“Who said you’ll be going back out there?” Adrien quirked a brow. He stepped away from the door, and an employee stepped in to lock it from the outside.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Lila beat against it, furiously tugging the handle.

“It’s such a shame you’re so busy, Lila. Clara will be disappointed to hear that you’re too busy volunteering to clean public restrooms to devote time to being her personal stylist. I’ll be sure to send Marinette your best,” he called from the other side. “Don’t worry. Someone will let you out after we leave.”

“Adrien! Let me out!” Lila screeched, but he was already walking away.

Clara was admiring Marinette’s outfit in the mirror when he returned to the dressing area, and he draped an arm over Clara’s shoulders. “Marinette did an amazing job, don’t you think, Clara?” He asked, shooting her a wink.

“It’s true that Marinette has good taste. Not picking her would be a waste…” Clara hummed, tapping her chin. “But Lila’s pick is still on my mind. A dress like that deserves to shine.”

Marinette’s shoulders slumped, and Adrien pursed his lips. “I know you picked Lila, but I think you should reconsider.”

“Where is Lila anyway?” Marinette glanced around, and Adrien bit back a smirk.

“Oh, uh, you see, Clara, Lila has a very busy schedule. Her parents are ambassadors, so she is always traveling. She pulled me aside while you were changing and expressed worry over being able to devote the time to being your stylist,” Adrien explained smoothly. “She was absolutely thrilled that you wanted her for the opportunity, but she just has so much on her plate right now.”

“I see. Well, that’s a real pity,” Clara said, and Marinette eyed him curiously as Alya burst into the room.

“Sorry I’m late,” she panted, doubling over to catch her breath.

Adrien stepped down to retrieve the pink sketchbook tucked under her arm. “Designing is Marinette’s true passion, and while she is good at pairing other people’s designs, creating her own is where Marinette really shines.” He offered Clara the sketchbook and nudged Marinette forward. “I know you had your heart set, but Marinette is incredible if you just give her a chance.”

“Wow, Marinette, your skills are certainly plain to see,” Clara said, admiring her sketches. “So, what do you say? Will you design clothes for me?”

“I- Yes! I would absolutely love to! Thank you, Clara,” Marinette gaped, and Clara took her hands.

“The pleasure is all mine. Your designs are so divine! This deal is all set. I’m so happy that it’s you, Marinette,” Clara said, giving her hands a squeeze.

“What’s happening?” Alya asked, quirking a brow, and Adrien smiled.

“Marinette just became Clara Nightingale’s personal stylist.”

#miraculous ladybug #ml salt #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #lila salt #kill em with kindness #my writing

[sylkhi]

Let's review: parenting from the pjo olympians! (Specifically: what do they do when their children have breakdowns?)

[I'll refer to them by their Greek aspect for the headings, and Roman aspect WHEN I'm speaking of their Roman aspect. The only exceptions are gods exclusive to one or the other. Also, I'm only dealing with gods who have children (there's a technicality on this though). Sorry, kymopoleia and Hestia stans.]

Zeus

The worst of the parents BY FAR. He's neglectful, and unresponsive. He only really cares when it (the subject of his child's breakdown) threatens his image, thus his power and position.

He tells his children "Get your shit together or else..." (Apollo) and then makes a big show of being a good dad in front of others, but that's rare (Thalia's "death").

You're only in his good graces for a very short while after doing something that bolsters his image. He's never really impressed by anything you do (Jason).

He only helps you when there's something big to gain from it, but otherwise, you don't exist (everyone, with 2 exceptions).

He has favourites, and only because they make them look good. He treats them like trophies (Athena, Artemis).

Poseidon

Terrible. Second only to Zeus, really.

The true kind of neglectful; distant and makes no effort.

He only ever shows care sporadically (look at how he interacts with Percy).

He wouldn't even know if his child were having a breakdown.

Triton probably can't stand the man, but there's a power dynamic bigger than father/son between them and he can't really do anything about it.

Amphitrite, in the brief amount of time she interacted with Percy, was probably a better parental figure than Poseidon. She doesn't particularly like him. Let that sink in.

Hades

Him, Demeter, and Persephone tie for best parents.

While he clearly favoured Bianca over Nico at the start, he's grown as a parent due to actively seeking improvement.

He's willing to die on a hill with his children, and will correct them when they are wrong.

I head-canon that he and Demeter regularly get together to discuss parenting tips.

If any of his children were to have a breakdown, he'd carefully analyse the situation and very awkwardly offer heartfelt words + doing some form of activity together (he's socially awkward, happens when you're ostracised).

Gold star for Hades.

Demeter

Definitely parents the same as Hades in the significant ways.

When her child has a breakdown, she brings them loads of food, especially whole-grain stuff. They talk. They hit the farm afterwards.

She's very sure of herself.

Athena

She rarely does emotions.

If her children were to have a breakdown, she'd have a sit-down with them at the table and she'd logic through the problem.

She'd be at odds with her children who feel more deeply, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't try to meet them halfway.

Bellona

Same energy as Athena, a bit more fierce in her approach.

Aphrodite

Sometimes she feels really hard to reach for her children. She tries her hardest to compensate whenever that happens. It creates a sort of hot-cold, but that's not really accurate.

While she's not the best at parenting, I'd argue she's the best at dealing with her children's breakdowns.

She knows how to handle each one. She'll sit in a heap of blankets and watch a movie with Drew as they eat a tub of icecream.

She'll give Piper plenty of space to work on her feelings on her own, then take her out window shopping afterwards.

She's so-so.

Hephaestus

He has a hard time expressing his emotions, and isn't the most willing to do it. For his children, though, he tries.

He isn't the greatest at understanding a breakdown from the get-go, and a machine-related analogy might be needed, but once he has a grasp on the situation his advice is VERY solid.

Dependable.

Ares

Say what you're saying bluntly, no hesitation.

Are you having a breakdown? He'll take you to the shooting range, or paint-balling, or to a rageroom, just to do a (somewhat) safe violent activity. After observing how his children went about the activity, he offers advice. The subject of the breakdown normally isn't even mentioned unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.

Prefers action over words; speaks the language of the body with more finesse than he does spoken ones. A solid dad for people who have a hard time verbally expressing themselves.

Hermes

He's seen a lot, and has a pretty good grasp on a lot as a result.

He also works a lot, but he makes a great effort to be there. He's somehow always there when he's needed.

He never lacks advice for a situation, but said advice can depend on the person receiving it being at least a little hardy.

He also uses a lot of doublespeak, so you have to think over the true meaning of his words sometimes.

A great parent to pretty much any child.

Hera

Surprise, her bovine majesty appears. I know she doesn't have children of her own blood, but Riordan does give use a glimpse of how she raises someone (Leo) and how she'd treat a demigod child of her own (Jason) and I think that's more than enough.

She seems pretty strict, but that stems from being in one of the most loveless and miserable marriages of the ages. That will never change.

Surprisingly, she still manages to get her love and care across. While the relationship between her and her children might be slightly antagonistic, she does love them.

She's a firm believer in letting her children find their own path, and being there to help them when they think they're lost or defeated.

If her child were to have a breakdown, I believe she'd be super gentle and do stuff to get their spirits back up, but still give them space.

She'd also give really good advice, but always with an undertone of bitterness (again, the marriage)

Cross her child and you will be trampled by cows and smothered in goat skin.

A dependable parent, even though her marriage makes her a bit bitter.

Anddddddd I'm done. I know I left out Apollo, but that's because I can't help but think of him as a demi-demigod cause of ToA. He'd parent almost the same as Ares, but swap violence for a non-violent art of your choice.

I also wanted to discuss Janus, Hestia, Iris, and Boreas, but you know what? I'm tired. Maybe later.

Is there any other god you want me to discuss? Cause I can, just ask.

#pjo #hoo #zeus #poseidon #hades #demeter #aphrodite #hephaestus #hera #apollo #hermes #a discussiom on parenting in pjo #what is going on with me and these weird ideas in my head #athena #bellona #percy jackson

[galarianace]

Dating, getting engaged, finding a place together in Wedgehurst, getting married - ten years is a long time to be a champion! Kira retires after that so they can instead focus on the next step they plan to undertake in their shared life: to start a family.

Leon’d like two kids : he’s always been close with Hop, and doesn’t want their child to be lonely. While Kira maintains that she wasn’t lonely despite being an only child, she likes the sound of two kids. So, tenatively, the future is being further planned out.

It’s a good thing their moms have been through this ( twice, in Heather’s case ) - because they’re there to give advice along the way, especially as the first pregnancy progresses.

Taichi gives Leon the best advice he can give him in this situation: “The pregnant wife is ALWAYS right. Even when she’s not.” He calls these words to live or die by, with the emphasis on die. It helps drive the point home pretty well.

Kira and Leon attend various classes on parenting as they wait for the first child to be born. Baby names are pondered, and as the final stages arrive Leon is running all over the place to ensure Kira is the most comfortable she can possibly be.

Leon makes sure to take the day off work every time they have an appointment with the doctor : he doesn’t miss a single one. Kira jokes that he better not run off because someone’s threatening Galar or something, to which Leon responds that the current Champion can deal with those sorts of things - to him, this right here is more important.

The first child is a son: Killian. Leon cries when he holds him the first time, holding back sobs as he smiles, whispering thank you’s to the tired Kira as she recovers on the bed next to him. It takes a good amount of convincing and struggle ( and calling his mom on him, despite him being a solid adult ) to get Leon to hand the baby over to the nurse and leave the hospital room so that Kira can sleep.

Kira’s knowledge mostly comes from their parents and the classes they took. Leon’s comes from that and having helped take care of Hop in the past. Neither of them is prepared for diapers, but at least they learn fast.

The second child comes almost two years later: a girl, Lyra. Leon tells Killian that he’ll have to be the BEST big brother EVER and Killian cheerfully agrees that he will be. Meanwhile, Kira makes it very clear a third child is not in the stars because childbirth was NOT fun, she REFUSES to go through that again!!

Leon still works at the Battle Tower and maintains his position as League chairman. Once Lyra is two years old, Kira starts making steps for her own ambition : getting a teacher’s certificate. She schedules the classes to ensure they happen on Leon’s day’s off, despite how both their parents love to watch the kids and keep ‘hinting’ they should just BOTH leave somewhere and leave the kids behind.

Kira got her ears pierced pretty early in her life - she passes this on when Lyra is five as well. Originally enthousiastic, Lyra gets a bit nervous when it’s finally time. Killian tells her it’s nothing to worry about, she’ll see! He decides to get his ears pierced as well. He hides the discomfort at the sting in his ears and instead boasts to Lyra that it was easy - she can do it, too! And she does. Afterwards, Lyra asks why Leon’s the only one ‘without holes in his ears’. Leon asks her if he should get some too, so when Lyra and Killian both say he should, he gets his ears pierced as well. Leon sticks to simple studs: golden-yellow topaz on the right and red topaz on the left. The kids both choose a few sets of earrings that they like, themselves.

Kira opens a small trainer school, though it grows rather rapidly. Once the kids are a bit older it goes from a part-time project to a full time job.

When Killian is ten he gets his first Pokémon: a Rookidee he catches with Kira’s help. When Lyra is ten her first Pokémon is a Wooloo - Killian catches it for her and gives it to her as a present. Despite owning Pokémon, it’s not until they’re fifteen that they’re allowed to actually partake in the gym challenge.

Killian stops his challenge half-way. It’s nice to travel, and he’s plenty knowledgable about battling, but he doesn’t really feel this path is for him. He also thinks it’s weird that all these strangers have high expectations for him. Instead, when he turns sixteen, he asks his parents permission to join auntie Sonia - she’s about to head out on a research trip to Kalos : he wants to see more of the world. They tell him to contact them often, and let him go.

Lyra’s got a full, solid team ready by the time she’s fifteen. She takes part in the gym challenge to see how far she can get. Upon winning the title, she reigns as a champion for three years.

#⟡♛ take charge of your own destiny 「 head canon 」 #⟡♛ let's have ourselves a champion time 「 kira && leon 」 #dsjfhdsh AS MENTIONED BEFORE--- ... yeah it got done before the post on their alola trip #which happens like WAY before ANY of this :'D #Pokemon RP #⟡♛ the best is yet to come 「 future 」

[chilly-me-softly]

Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright • Chapter 13

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12

Discharge day, she's finally going home with her baby where her new life as a mum will really begin. She's excited, she can't wait, but she also feels so much anxiety. Is she ready for real life?

Ben and his mother are with her to help with the last few things, the last few papers to sign. Or rather, correction, her mother is helping her. Ben has Cece in his arms, as always, and he's watching a game. Aston Villa is playing and Evelyn has found herself staring at that screen a few times as she tidies up and makes sure she doesn't leave anything in that room. Just to make sure their captain wasn't sleeping on his feet obvious, despite it being a couple of days since his brief visit.

"Look at them! Come on guys get off your asses, this isn't a hotel" their mother enters the room rolling her eyes, watching her kids almost hypnotized by the TV just like when they were little.

"Can't we at least wait until the end of the first half?" clearly teases her Ben, the grin on his face proving it as the woman glares at him.

"All set?" Evelyn nods at the clipboard the woman is holding in her hands.

"Yeah. You got everything?"

"Um yeah, we're ready" she looks around one last time before nodding.

Ben then gently places the little one in the carrier on the table, hooks the belt and adjusts the blanket for her. "Okay, we're ready to go" he brushes her little nose with a finger before grabbing the handle of the carrier and leading the way to the car park.

It takes them longer than expected to get home, Ben so careful that an old lady has walked past them twice. On foot. A pink cockade waited for them in front of the gate, Deb and her father in front of the front door instead despite the slight breeze that began to blow.

The little girl closed her eyes almost halfway, frowning slightly only when a car had passed by, honking mercilessly, but still resting. It's always Ben who carries her in and Evelyn lets the others have a moment with the newborn for a few minutes, before taking her into the room for the first time and setting her down in her cot where she'll definitely be more comfortable.

"Tired?" she nods to her mother as she sits down on the bed, her gaze immediately ending at the crib.

"I want to sleep but I don't want to take my eyes off her" she confesses and the woman laughs.

"You'll get used to it"

"You know I'm so proud of you, don't you?" the woman sighs after a moment going to sit next to her.

"Mom"

"No I know it's not the time, we'll talk about it when you've recovered a bit. I just... I don't want you to think anything different. Because that wouldn't be true"

"I love you mom" is the only thing she manages to say before letting the woman's arms wrap around her and rest her head on her shoulder.

That was perhaps the thing she had missed most, being with her mother but not having to do anything. Just being each other's company. The first days she had left home, Evelyn didn't want to show that the suddenness of the separation hurt, that she missed everyone. She wanted to be strong even though she cried every time she heard her mother's voice on the phone. Few times she had returned home, the journey between different cities didn't exactly allow for touch and go. But in any case, time passed too quickly for her liking, she didn't even have time to enjoy a breakfast like in the old days before she was back in the house she still found hard to see as her own. Then the routine had taken over and the calls had started to not hurt so much, she had started to realise that she could do it, that it wasn't so bad and that it would all be better those times when she came back. Funny to think that knowing she was going to screw it all up from there.

"You're going to keep her here with you?" her mother interrupted the pleasant silence as Evelyn straightened up, the position not quite fitting at that moment.

"Yes, where else"

"There are plenty of other rooms here you know, your brother doesn't really need them" the woman rolls her eyes in saying that and something in her tone of voice makes Evelyn chuckle. She remembers how the woman had tried to keep her son's feet on the ground in his search for a house because he didn't need all those rooms. He had always been much more determined than she was and when he was sure of something he hardly let others talk him out of it. He had stated that each room would be filled with something: jerseys exchanged during matches, trophies, a gym. A child, his mother had added, and he had brushed it off, but she was sure that from that moment he had started to think about the layout of the rooms in a different way.

"I mean it's fine for the first few times, we all do it. But you need to rest Eve and before you say anything no, you won't be able to sleep properly with the baby in the same room as you trust me"

"I'm on my own mum"

"That doesn't mean she doesn't need a room to herself" the woman retorts and Evelyn sighs.  

"I'm not planning on staying here forever mum. As soon as I'm feeling better I'm going to get a job and we'll get settled"

"I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about when you want to let her sleep on her own. When she's crying all night, what are you going to do?"

"I'll do it somehow mom. I don't want to impose myself here" Evelyn says harshly and the woman stops with her questions, looking at her softly.

"Oh honey, you know you can come home if you want to"

Evelyn scoffs, "And how would that be different from living with my brother?"

"The difference is that I would be with you and I could help you with everything if you wanted to"

"Mom, thanks for that but no. Don't take it personally. But I want to do it my way"

The woman sighs then, squeezing her knee, "It's fine, just remember that you're a human being too"

Evelyn's gaze falls on the crib, where her baby is sleeping peacefully. She has no intention of adding anything else and the woman understands it because she gets up announcing to go and prepare something to eat. And she doesn't have time to think properly about what her mother told her anyway, that Ben enters the room with a package in his hand.

"How are you?" he asks sitting down across from her, "Have you girls talked?"

"No but we will. Right now I'm just glad she's here, even though she's already gotten on my nerves twice"

Ben chuckles, "I reckon all mums do that a bit. You know, how to give advice because they've been through it and all that stuff. It's just the beginning"

"Thanks, you're the best" she smiles sarcastically as he shrugs.

"What's that?" Evelyn nods at the package the boy had set to the side and he hands it to her.

"It's for her"

"Ben, we said-"

"Shut up and open it" Ben shrugs it off and she shakes her head lifting the lid off that box.

"Ow how cute is this" she murmurs pulling out a teddy bear. It's brownish with a white belly, with a small grey scarf around its neck. Evelyn absentmindedly strokes it with a smile on her lips, clutching it to her chest.  

"It reminded me of the ones we had when I saw it, so now she has one too"

"Thanks, that's... really nice" she spreads her arms wide and Ben leans in slightly to hold her close.

"I've actually got something for you too, a question actually"

"Sure. Go ahead"

"Do you wanna be her godfather?" the question really took him by surprise, he wasn't expecting it and for a moment he doesn't know what to say. Or rather, his brain has been screaming yes for a few seconds already but his mouth still needs a few moments to connect.

"I just can't think of a better person. You're ambitious and good hearted and a great example to follow. And you're my brother. You've been my anchor so many times and since I've come back even more so and I know you can be that for Cece too, no matter what happens to her. I've never made a righter decision in my life"

"Okay okay, I'll say yes before you make me cry" Ben interrupted her softly, standing up with his back to her and taking the opportunity to wipe his eyes.

"Wait. There is one condition though Ben"

"Which is?"

"Don't exaggerate. She doesn't need expensive clothes at three months or a car at ten or anything else that hasn't been agreed with me first"

"Okay" he smiles sweetly holding out a hand helping her up.

"I'm serious Ben"

"Yeah, okay. No clothes, no candy, no secret alliances against mummy..."

"Okay the offer is about to be withdrawn" she jokes rolling her eyes but he pulls her close.

"I'll be good"

"I know"

----

Tag: @alexajanecollins @emwritesfootball @rosie7703

Chapter 14

#every little thing's gonna be alright #original #my writing #football imagine #football imagines #jack grealish #jack grealish imagine #jack grealish imagines #ben chilwell #ben chilwell imagines #ben chilwell imagine

[rolanberry-rebel]

LFRP/Bio: Lissa

I figured I’d do an updated version of this, add a little more info and pizazz.~

Name: Anylissa Sebastis Nicknames: Lissa, Liss; Anny only if you want to get on her bad side. Race: Hyur (midlander) Age: 22 Gender: Cis female Orientation: pansexual Relationship status: Single Profession: Singer, dancer, spoiled dilettante

Height: 5′3″ Weight: 118lbs. Eyes: Dark blue Hair: Black with (artificial) purple-red highlights Skin: Fair, softly sunkissed Build: Petite, more bottom than top Scars/marks/tattoos: small beauty mark near her left eye, and a teensy pair of berries tattooed on her left hip. (Don't tell her parents.) Fashion/accessories: Fun, cute and ostentatious, with lots of gold, lots of jewels, lots of silly accessories and lots of her favorite colors, vivid violets and rolanberry reds. Prefers light fabrics with plenty of skin, in contrast to the stuffy gowns and expensive dresses she has to wear to family functions. Has a whole closet full of shoes and a cupboard full of jewelry and eyeglasses, which she doesn’t actually have to wear for eyesight, but likes to as a fashion accessory.

Birthplace: La Noscea Residence: Her family’s estate, near Wineport Alignment: Chaotic good Hobbies: Singing, dancing, modeling, partying, going to clubs and dive bars, hanging around with the wrong crowd, petty crime, making friends, frivolous spending on pretty clothes, jewelry and accessories, reading fun adventure and romance books Likes: Fun, money, physical activity, art, exciting new experiences, jokes and good-humored people, getting into trouble, free spirits, creative minds, beauty and beautiful things Dislikes: Her family (except for her brothers Riverton and Octavius), ponderous bores, philosophical or stuffy academic conversation, social expectations and high society, religion, emotional ugliness, dishonesty and scheming Personality: Flighty, flirty, loud; silly, chatty, loves to laugh; fast-paced and deeply unserious. Sweet with a side of playful and bratty. Always looking for fun; life of the party, loves to be the center of attention. Kind but immature; air-headed but not naive. Doesn't like applying herself, prefers to have fun. The kind of girl who takes a grumpy and unfashionable friend to the markets to play dress-up and takes lots of selfies along the way, and no matter how annoying she is, you can't help but crack a smile. Virtues: Quick to make friends; she’ll be your friend even if you don’t want her to be, and she’ll come through even if you’re stubborn about it. Always kind. Creatively talented, has a natural skill for music and rhythm especially. A faint affinity for magic, though raw and uncultivated. The Sebastis family blood gives her a streetwise cunning and intuition; you’ll have a hard time getting away with lying to her. Extremely generous; she’s always the one to cover the tab. Deeply loyal and kind-hearted. Bad habits: Laziness; gives up easily. A spendthrift who doesn’t know the value of a gilpiece. Has problems with commitment and responsibilities.Defiant, rebellious and insolent. Smokes, drinks to excess occasionally. Can be counted on to never finish what she starts. Often childish and sometimes needy. Short attention span. Terrible at any kind of fighting unless she gets to cheat.

Significant Other: As an heiress, Lissa’s family have had a spouse planned for her since she was a little girl, as a means of business negotiation. Lissa has no interest in the man and in fact has found him repellent in the few interactions she’s had with him. She has no plans to go marry him and is for all intents and purposes single. Children: None Family: A lot. I’ll have to write a more detailed profile for them eventually. Most relevant to her personally are:

Grandparents: Lissa’s only living grandparent is domineering family matriarch Eugenia Sebastis (nee Marshe), grandmother on her father’s side.

Parents: Cumberland and Marie-Arelle (nee Brattlebrough) Sebastis.

Brothers: Matthias, Riverton, Spaulding, and Octavius, and her brother-in-law Brunas Tiernach, married to her sister Allure.

Sisters: Allure Tiernach (nee Sebastis) and sister-in-law Brietha Sebastis (nee Verias).

Aunts, Uncles: She has many, but most important are her great-aunt Lucia Windholme, her father’s sisters Louisette and Bedelinda, her father’s brother Arvram, and her mother’s brother Tanner.

Cousins: Again, a lot, but notably her elder first cousin Chauncer (great-aunt Lucia’s son), whose Costa del Sol bungalow Lissa holes up in a lot, and her second-cousins Barnabath and Ava Donncaster, who she visits in Kugane fairly frequently.

Friends: A lot! I’ll write stories about a lot of the non-PC ones eventually, but she always loves having more. Always up for writing pre-existing friendships, too, if you wanna be one of them!

High society: If you're a part of, or well-acquainted with, the aristocratic side of Eorzean society, you've most likely heard of the Sebastis family. You may have even heard about the pretty and troublesome young scion of theirs, always bringing shame on the family name. High finance: Any character with a background in business or tradecraft or who has a good amount of wealth themselves has probably done some sort of business with Lissa's family or its proxies. Family business: Lissa has tons of family, all of them involved in various legit and shady business schemes across all of Hydaelyn. You may have encountered one of them - as friends, rivals, employees - and you might eventually parlay that into some sort of exchange with Cumberland Sebastis’s bratty younger daughter. il Mercenario: As it turns out, when you run a big family business, sometimes things get rough, and more often than not, it pays to have a few sturdy sellswords at your side. If you operate as a mercenary, particularly working inside La Noscea, you may find yourself hired to shadow or protect some billionaire berry-farmer's bratty daughter. Alternatively, you may have been hired by a shady business rival to, well, 'take care' of her. Drinks and dives: Sometimes you just want some peace, quiet, and a mug of the good stuff to yourself, right? There's no better place for that sort of local color than the scummiest holes-in-the-wall. But for some reason, some irritating girl keeps showing up at all your favorite watering holes, insistent on making herself life of the party... Low lives: You run a small gang, crime syndicate, or have a background in raising a firm little bit of hell. You're known and you might even be a tad feared by the underground. So why in the world is this loud-mouthed rich girl weaseling her way into your escapades? Who knows. Maybe she'll come in handy as a distraction or something. Fashionista: Talent can be so hard to come by, and even when you find it, in the fashion world you're bound to run into an unending stream of selfish divas. But hey, you need someone to show off your new spring threads, right? There just happens to be an heiress from Wineport with a knack for pretty clothes, pretty poses and a powerful strut. She might even be willing to give you some fashion advice of her own, too!

Hi! I’ve been RPing forever and I’m lookin for new friends!

Adult female OOCly who’s RPed in every game you can probably think of and happy RPing lots of themes/scene types so long as we talk about it beforehand.

Available at random times, usually late evenings EST. Will always try to respond to private messages here no matter when you send them though!

Discord: I’m not on there very much, but I know it’s become a big way for a lotta people to do most of their OOC communication/RP threads so I’m willing to get on there if you wanna talk!

In-game: Anylissa Sebastis (Balmung) or Kjalla Nisemi (Mateus)

I have another character, too, so if Lissa doesn’t seem like a great fit we can talk about stories/threads with my violent bunny mercenary Kjalla!

#ffxiv rp #lissa

[datawyrms]

Dannymay2020 Day 31: Free Day (ghost sword fight lets go)

It was for science, a good cause. His life would be so much better if he didn’t have to hear his parents gleefully discuss ripping apart some mindless ectoplasmic scum molecule by molecule. Right now though, he was remembering the other reason he flinched in horror when having to take his parents anywhere. Complete embarrassment. One extra downside to ghost powers: knowing you actually can just have the ground swallow you up in shame, but knowing you really, really shouldn’t. When your dad is sitting with sodas strapped to his head and waving a foam finger with your friend’s name on it, it got very tempting.

He’d almost prefer dealing with an ecto gun. “Dad, you’re actually going to pay attention, right?”

“Course I will Danny-boy! That goth friend of yours will kick that ghost right back to its own dimension, and I’ll be watching.”

The half ghost groaned, crossing his arms. “Dad.”

“And totally see if it’s actually a fight with rules. I did listen, son! It’s just good to see young people taking up ghost hunting!”

“This isn’t ghost hunting!”

“Right. Your friend is just going to clobber a ghost with a sword. For Science!”

Well he wasn’t wrong exactly, but it wasn’t helping him not regret every second of this stupid plan. “It’s more Sam’s doing the ghost a favour, and Sam’s doing me a favour by letting us watch. Sooo don’t go calling the ghost scum or anything. Please.”

“Hmmhm. I did read your notes son. You think I’d come with no weapons if I thought your observations were shoddy?” he clapped the boy on the back, who had to struggle to not fall over. “Still gotta root for your friend kiddo!”

Yes. Yes he did, actually. Yet asking his dad to maybe be a little less enthusiastic was like asking the sun to maybe be a little less bright. Pointless, and possibly amusing to anyone overhearing you. “She manages without a cheering section most of the time,” he felt the need to point out before heading down the hill to check in with Sam.

“I don’t know what I expected. Not that, that’s for sure.”

“Tell me about it. I didn’t think he’d do anything but scowl from the hill because he’s worried about a dastardly ghost. Sorry.” he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flicking between his friend and the bright orange blight on the hillside.

“Nah. Arlas will probably get a kick out of it anyway, she likes having an audience,” Sam shrugged, fiddling with the lightweight wooden sword. “I have a few new tricks. Who knew Star of all people would like fencing?”

“Did she swear you to secrecy?”

“Bought my silence by being a pretty good practice partner,” her grin faded somewhat “Guess I’ve been buying into their ‘popular’ shtick too. She’s not that bad.”

“Then I’ll pretend you didn’t tell me. You don’t think she’ll try and talk to Dad, right? That could get ugly real quick.”

“She might. She knows to keep the whole met in the ghost zone thing quiet, but I can’t promise much else,”

“Well I can’t promise he won’t call her putrid protoplasm so we’re totally doomed.”

“Maybe we can make it sound like good natured ribbing?”

“With what ribs?” Danny smirked in spite of himself

“Oh shut up you. Go worry about not turning invisible trying to hide from your dad or something. I’ve got this.”

He nodded, backing off to head back to his expected spot. He wasn’t meant to know the ghost well, after all. He did notice the ghost showing up before anyone else, but forced himself to act oblivious.

“Oh, there’s the spook! You mentioned the heavy leg armor, these ones can’t do the leg shapeshifting thing, right?”

Danny blinked. He’d actually read and paid attention to all of it? “Yeah, that’s right. It can be pretty heavy since they don’t have to walk much with the whole flying thing, apparently.” his eyes flicked to his Dad’s face, trying to figure out how the man felt about Sam and this ghost greeting one another in friendly terms. He didn’t look angry, so maybe it was a good sign?

“First to three hits is what you said, right?”

Man this felt weird. Answering things about ghosts without constantly worrying he’d be called a ghost for it. “Sam’s pretty sure five would take too long. Either because she gets tired out, or a ghost hunter barging in.” Something he had almost done three times, but he couldn’t mention that bit.

Jack kept his eyes fixed on the two, leaning forward even as he slurped from the ridiculous soda contraption. “That’s how she wins, right son?” he pointed as Sam blocked a swing and danced backwards, forcing the knight to give chase. “She outruns em and can go for smaller openings.”

“How did yo-yeah. That’s usually how, since she can’t just fly after her…” How could he pick up on that and not his son literally falling through things for a month?

Arlas looked as if she might have caught on to Sam’s usual plan as well, backing off instead of pursuing after another failed clash. He honestly had zero idea what to do in that situation that wasn’t ‘shoot ecto blast’, but his friend seemed to have a decent idea, feigning a left swing before jabbing forward at a much greater speed.

“Ha! Lookit that, already winning!”

“You’ll distract her if you cheer louder.”

“Nah, your little friends are tough!”

He did seem to be right, the boisterous cheering when Sam had the upper hand not earning as much as a glance from the fight. Sam did shoot Danny a look at the boo his Dad made when Arlas managed to turn a block into a strike Sam couldn’t defend against in time, and he could only shrug. Hopefully the knight wasn’t too annoyed at the blatant favoritism. Or maybe she expected it, being a visitor and all.

Still, making it through the combat without having to stop his Dad from trying to capture or hurt the ghost was pretty good. Even if it was still really weird to have him just watch. He personally didn’t even need to watch the fight, watching Jack was more than enough indication on how things were going. Okay, maybe he was a bit paranoid, watching just in case he had to do some split second overshadowing. Moreso now that the ghost apparently wanted to say hello to the watching human, to his complete dismay.

“Oh, so it is a family thing! What interesting armor.” Arlas said, looking at the bright orange jumpsuit. 

Jack did seem a little surprised at the possible complement, hiding it with a nod. “Always need to be prepared!”

Danny manared to peek out from behind his fingers. Dad hadn’t threatened her. That was progress. That was good! Him possibly wondering why she thought jumpsuits were a family thing was not good! Sam’s advice of remembering not to turn invisible suddenly seemed very useful.

“Still I hope it was a good show. Sir Manson is still a bit too fast for me, but I’ll figure out a way around that soon, you’ll see.”

“You could just lose the armor, you’re way better at planning than I am.” Sam pointed out, earning a laugh from the ghost.

“If I plan to work in it, I must be able to beat you in it! The extra preparation can only be a good thing. That, and I can use the same trick on the others if they get overconfident.”

“So you consider being a knight as a job? You could do something else if you got bored of the sword swinging gig?” Jack asked, hand on his chin as he watched the floating knight.

“Of course! There are plenty of things to do back home, but who wouldn’t want to help protect the Queen? It’s not like I cannot retire when I no longer wish to do it.” she paused, looking up at the sky as if searching for an example. “I suppose you do not really have proper communities of ghosts over here, just the stronger sorts or the occasional animal?”

“Nope. We just get the town attacking beasties”

“Ah, well who doesn’t? Troublemakers will be troublemakers.” she shrugged easily, apparently not considering herself a ‘beastie’.

Jack considered the answer, the loud slurping sound rather at odds with the pensive look on his face. Surely he didn’t think this ghost would make up an entire fake backstory, or be perfectly fine with losing to a human in a fair fight while being ‘mindless’. “So the Fentons are known over in your world then?”

“Well I wouldn’t say unknown. The outfits are pretty memorable! Yours more than your son’s. He is your son, I think. That’s the right term?”

Of course she had to bring up his jumpsuit. That he never wore. Because it was on his ghost form. Sam’s wince in sympathy did not help.

“See Danno, even the ghosts think you need more colour! Even Jazz’s is blue, maybe we should get you an orange one.”

“Maybe. Mine’s fine, thanks.” he managed to speak, hoping he didn’t sound too much like he’d been internally choking.

Sam took up damage control before her friend managed to be more suspicious than a wolf in a sheep pen. “Well, I’ve got stuff to do, and Arlas does too. See ya Mr. Fenton.”

The ghost did seem a little put out to not continue to chat, but took Sam’s lead, turning invisible before making her way back home.

“Not even going to try and scare anyone while she’s here huh? Interesting.” Jack commented. “Certainly a lot to think about kiddo! Our little researcher,” he ruffled Danny’s hair, earning a grunt from his son. “You think you might be able to arrange talking to some of these other ‘non-violent’ ghosts?”

“Oh. Yeah. Probably? Not right away, but sure.”

“Great! I want to see for myself if the stories line up. If they do, then we’ll need to figure out why only the blobs and animals showed up before the portal.” he got to his feet, apparently wanting to go write things down in the lab right away.

“Because they were the only ones dumb enough to leave the ghost zone without a portal to go home with.” Danny muttered “The smart ones wouldn’t risk it,”

“Right, you scrawled that on the back of your folder. Which ghost told you that again?”

In truth? Frostbite. Yet he didn’t have a way to explain that. “Phantom.”

“Well you can’t use yourself as a primary source son, that’d be considered speculation.”

Danny could only stare. Whoops.

#dannymay2020 #Danny Phantom #Jack Fenton #sam manson #my stuff #i think the burnout got me #today was hard #even tho i kinda knew what i wanted to do #so the fight is lameee #oh well #I DID IT 31 DAYS WOO #...now what am i gonna do :v

[fanfoolishness]

waves (Steven Universe)

Greg knew it would be hard, raising a child alone.  He never knew it would be this hard. Angst and a little dash of hope, Rose’s death, 2600 words.  Thanks to @followerofmercy and the Connverse discord writing hour for helping me suss some things out on this one!

***

They say the day your child is born is the happiest day of your life.  One you’ll never forget.  They say a lot of things, Greg thinks later.  

He doesn’t remember much of Steven’s birth at all.  Just… flashes.

Late afternoon summer sun, drenching the van with gold.  Rose’s hands, soft and large and powerful, tightening around his.  Her smile is a little pained, a little frightened, so excited.  Tears in her dark eyes.  Is it now?  Before he can form the words to ask her, she kisses him, and it’s over.

He doesn’t know what he expected.  None of them knew how it would happen.  Rose is there one second, bright and alive and so, so beautiful.

And then she’s gone -- there’s only light, light, light, a pink flare shocking in its suddenness --

There on the blankets, small and round and squalling, is Steven.  Rose’s gem glows from the curve of his belly, then fades.  Steven’s blotchy face screws up into a wail that pierces the silence. Greg stares.  The baby is so, so beautiful.

For a moment, Greg doesn’t know what to do.  Rose.  Her absence is a void that crushes, his chest is caving in without her, how does he breathe, how does he do anything --

Steven’s hands are angry fists.  His legs wheel. His tiny feet kick jerkily.  And he cries.

Shaking, Greg wraps him in the blanket.  The baby stares out at him with dark eyes, his face relaxing beneath the black curls plastered to his forehead.  Greg clumsily picks him up and holds him to his chest.  The baby quiets and settles against him, and Greg kisses the top of his head with a sob.  

Flashes.   

He fumbles for the pink onesie Rose liked most. It’s a little too big for Steven.  He cries as Greg cleans him up, cries as Greg gently directs his arms through the sleeves. 

Greg tries to remember the directions for formula.  He messes up the first three bottles, too hot, the formula mixed unevenly.  The fourth he holds for Steven, and the baby feeds hungrily, gazing up at him with those dark trusting eyes.  

She’s gone.  Rose is gone.  He’s so cold in the summer heat.  Is that why he can’t stop shaking?

The sunset’s brilliant rays play on the wall of his van.  He remembers how much Rose loves, loved, the Mr. Universe logo.  Remembers the way her large hand splayed against the paint when he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her.  How she grinned.

It isn’t true.  She’s away right now, busy on a gem mission, that’s how she got this baby, right?  He’s mistaken somehow, confused, and any minute now she’ll knock on the van door and there’ll she be --

Voices, visiting.  Not hers.  Familiar.  No, no, how can he explain, there wasn’t time, they didn’t know -- 

“Rose?  Greg?” The van door opens and the light spills in.

He can’t speak.  Mouth isn’t working right.  

Mechanically he turns to the bassinet and lifts up the sleeping baby.  They stare, and Greg sees their world change in an instant.

Pearl, wide-eyed, mouth dropping.  She screams.  Keeps screaming.  It’s a sound that tears through him, keening and terrible; she cries on her knees on the pavement with her face in her hands, and Greg knows she will never forgive him, not for this, not for all of it.  

Amethyst, nudging the baby, whispering at first, voice rising louder and louder into a ragged yell, Rose, Rose, Rose Rose Rose ROSE!

Garnet leaning against the van to stay upright, tears leaking from all three eyes, hoarsely muttering that she should have known, they should have come earlier --

Steven crying in the commotion, Greg laying him back in the bassinet; what if he drops him, his hands won’t stop trembling, how is he supposed to do this….

Just flashes.

***

The days blur.  It’s hard to keep track of them.  It’s with a shock he realizes that Steven is a month old.

There’s plenty to keep him busy, he supposes.  Beach City might be small, but there’s a surprising amount of tourists passing through in the summer months, their cars dirty with sand and exhaust.  Greg gets a decent amount of work.  More tips than he used to.  He suspects the tips aren’t for the sad sack with the swollen eyes and the receding hairline, but probably have something to do with the sleeping baby strapped to his chest.

In the downtime he sits with Steven, pulling him out of the baby carrier and cradling him in the crook of one arm and just… marveling.  Every day he finds a new wonder.  Today it’s the shadow of his long black eyelashes against the curve of his plump little cheek. Yesterday it was his small hand, fierce and mighty curled around Greg’s index finger.  He can hardly bear to think of what it will be tomorrow.

Sometimes the downtime is different.  He’ll hear a song out of a car radio, one of those silly human things that made her laugh, and he’ll hear her voice singing along -- but sometimes he doesn’t hear it, sometimes he’s afraid he’s forgetting it, and he sinks down to the ground behind the car wash and bawls.  Steven cries with him.  And he realizes in those moments that Steven will never know why he’s crying, he’ll never fully understand who Rose was, and he cries harder.

But those moments slowly, slowly become fewer.  One morning he doesn’t think of her immediately upon waking; it’s ten minutes after he checks on Steven that he remembers, feeling a familiar pit deep in his stomach.  Another day, busy at the car wash, he doesn’t cry at all.  It’s freeing and frightening both.

He keeps going.  It’s not as if he has a choice.

He closes up the car wash after the day’s rush, takes Steven for a walk in his stroller.  He swings by Vidalia’s to bug her for baby advice for their weekly meeting.  He can tell she doesn’t know what to say about Rose, so Greg doesn’t mention her, and Vidalia doesn’t ask.  Instead they talk about Sour Cream, and Steven, and how to get babies to sleep through the night.  Vidalia mentions colic and diaper rash.  Greg shrugs.  Steven always seems fine, his skin pink and healthy, his stomach settled.  He wonders what role Rose’s gem plays, pink and gleaming in the baby’s belly.

He makes up a little routine for the two of them.  On the evening walk he stops by the market for more formula, picks up dinner at Fish Stew Pizza.  He was never into cooking much before, and he sure as hell doesn’t have the energy for it now.  It keeps him going, anyway.

On the boardwalk people smile, and peer into the stroller, and coo at the baby.  Steven stares up at them with wide eyes, looking from face to face in the deepest concentration Greg’s ever seen.  “You like people, huh?” he murmurs, and Steven gives him that look, and he melts.

He feels all right like this.  Like a real person.

But every night he eventually pulls away from the real people and stands on the boardwalk, looking over the top of the stroller to the temple beyond.  He tells himself the wheels would just get stuck in the sand, and he turns aside.  He can’t face them again. Not yet.

Some evenings he climbs to the top of the hill, lays on his back in the grass, Steven nestled against his chest.  He watches the sun set in the distance.  Somewhere out there the old farm sees the sunset, too, and Greg wonders about the DeMayos, where they are, what they’re doing.  He wonders if his old man ever held him like this on a summer night in the twilight, ever marveled at his small hand. 

He climbs down the hill in the deepening dusk, Steven safe in his arms, and he prepares for another night.

***

Nights… aren’t good.  This one’s no different.

He’s set up a little cot in the back of the carwash beside a little crib.  He doesn’t mind the van for himself, but a baby needs a real crib, not a crate in a passenger seat.  

He tries to sleep with one hand dangling over the edge of the crib, fingertips brushing against Steven’s chest as it rises and falls.  Tries to sleep on the saggy cot, each position more uncomfortable than the last.  Tries to sleep in the summer heat, lingering heavy on the air.

Tries to sleep when he knows she’s gone.

And there it is, the sledgehammer: the agony that leaks around the daylight’s edges, the shock that tears the air from his lungs every time it hits again.  

He gasps with it, the weight of missing her.  How, he howls silently into the night, how can Rose be gone?  It’s a reality that makes no sense, a hollow wound bigger and darker and more confusing than anything he’s ever felt in his life, and he thought he was ready, she told him it would be worth it, she told him so many things --

It’s a full five minutes before he realizes Steven’s stirring, making soft cooing sounds in the crib.  The sear of missing Rose fades blissfully away.  It’s a wave, he thinks blearily, it crashes over him and drowns him every time, and every time, somehow, he comes up breathing once again.

The baby cries.  Greg turns to him, eyes blurry with tears as he drinks in his angry pink face and those fierce little fists.  He picks him up and rocks him on the flimsy cot.  “It’s okay, little man, it’s okay.  I got you.” 

Once, Rose had him.

He tries to ride out the next wave, focusing on Steven cuddled in his arms.  He presses a trembling kiss to the top of his son’s head.  The wave crashes again; he drowns again.  This time he cries so hard he hiccups, cries so hard Steven echoes him with a ringing shriek.  

“Rose,” he sobs.  It strikes him again that it isn’t fair -- she should have been here, she should have felt the weight of their baby in her soft arms -- she should have been able to see those long eyelashes, those dark curious eyes -- and why couldn’t she, why couldn’t she, dammit --

But Steven needs him.  So he does the things he needs to, tears still streaming down his face.  He changes the baby.  Dresses him in a new pink onesie, the shade as soft as Rose’s hair.  Tries to rock his son back to sleep, hoping Steven can’t sense the emptiness spiraling deeper and deeper through him, cutting to the core.  The baby whines in soft tired noises.

What did we do? he asks the darkness.

He clicks on the light, sleep vanished again. He paces with Steven in his arms, walks in circles around the tiny room with the peeling linoleum and faded car posters, and he sings nonsense lullabies in minor keys.

***

The days begin to shorten, summer’s hold on the town starting to slip into autumn.  Steven’s getting bigger, outgrowing the newborn clothes.  Vidalia gives him a few of Sour Cream’s hand-me-downs.  Greg tries them out, but Steven looks strange in them, little button-up outfits in blue and white.  Greg picks up a few more pink onesies in the next size up.

The days get a little better.  The waves still come.  Sometimes he can even see them coming from a distance, can hunker down and prepare for them.  Sometimes, though, they’re still a surprise.  Like the dreams.

“Greg,” she laughs, pink hair dancing in the breeze.  She’s adorned in pink flowers, a glorious goddess.  He reaches out to hold her hand, and he remembers.

“Rose, you -- you’re not supposed to be here,” he says in a small voice.  He feels guilty for pointing it out.

Her laughter fades.  The flowers wilt, petals dropping to the grass beneath her bare feet.  “I know,” she says softly.  Then a mischievous grin.  “Don’t tell anyone.  Promise?”  

Despite himself, he grins back.

He jerks awake from the dream, blinking back tears.  The morning is still in the blue-black pre-dawn, and he knows Steven will be waking up soon.  Might as well get up now anyway.

He mixes Steven’s bottle, tests the temperature.  Still a little warm.  He looks back to the sleeping baby, then picks him up.  Steven breathes quietly against him.

It only takes a few moments to get together Steven’s diaper bag and bottle, and settle him into the car seat in the van.  He doesn’t know where he’s going, not exactly, but he feels restless.  

He drives through the town’s empty streets in circles until he remembers the dream, Rose in flowers.  He heads for the hill as the sun begins to crest the horizon, far over the edge of the sea.

Steven drowses in Greg’s arms, waking up as they reach the top of the hill.  The sun spills over the waves below.  Greg throws down a blanket for both of them, and settles down on the grass.

“Hey there, Schtu-ball,” he says as Steven fusses.  He reaches for the bottle, tests it again.  Perfect temperature.  He holds it to Steven’s mouth, and the baby drinks hungrily, watching him all the while.

“Did I ever tell you about this place?” he murmurs.  With his thumb, he brushes a stray lock of hair from Steven’s forehead.  He’s so small.  Yet he’s already grown so much.

“Of course not,” Greg answers.  He looks out over the water.  “You know, your mom and I used to come out here all the time.  We’d sit in the flowers while I wrote her songs.  She said that in all her years in Beach City, the ocean never changed, but everything around it did.  She thought that was beautiful.”  Steven flailed his fists in agreement.

“Yes, she’d think you were beautiful, too,” says Greg.  His voice cracks.  “You’re perfect, Steven.  You’re everything we hoped for.  And I’m sorry -- I’m sorry you’ll never get to meet her.”

The tears burn, a familiar sting as the morning light grows.  “I loved her so much.  I always will.  You don’t just stop when someone dies.  You keep loving them, and that’s why it’s so hard.”  Little feet kick against his chest; he breathes faster, swallowing.

“Rose was incredible. I loved her laugh.  Her smile.  The way she sang.  Just… everything about her.  I wish you could really understand what kind of person she was.”  He sighs.  “She saved the Earth, you know.  Not only that, she loved the Earth.  And she loved me.”  His breath shudders.  Steven looks at him in concern, and he straightens up.  “She wanted you more than anything.  I hope you always know that, kiddo.”

Steven finishes the bottle and Greg sets it aside, holding him upright in his lap.  He rubs his back, the action now practiced, natural.

“I miss you, Rose,” he whispers.  

The sunlight sparkles on the water, white and gold dancing on the sea’s surface.  The light edges the grass of the hilltop, outlines Steven’s dark fluffy hair.  Greg lifts him from his lap.  He turns the baby around to keep the sun from getting in his eyes, giving him a watery smile.

Steven searches his face, his tiny hands still, his eyes intent.  Then his mouth lifts in a smile, his eyes crinkling at the edges, and he laughs.

“Steven--” Greg gasps.  “You -- you smiled!”

Steven flaps his hands in delight, letting out a giggle.  And Greg laughs through the tears, laughs on the green grass, laughs amid the pink flowers unfurling in the morning light.  He holds his son, remembering Rose’s voice, treasuring it.

Steven’s laughter is the sweetest sound he’s ever heard.

#greg universe #gregory demayo #steven universe #rose quartz #greg x rose #fanfoolishness' steven universe fic #fanfoolishness steven universe fic

[lady-divine-writes]

Good Omens - “Death Takes a Holiday” (Rated PG13)

Summary: Azrael and Raphael are stuck trying to give relationship advice to a woman stuck in a literal Hallmark Christmas Movie, but she's just not getting the message. Raphael is having the time of his existence, but Azrael isn't too sure how much more Christmas cheer he can take. (2257 words)

Notes: Written for @theantichristmaszine 2020, and inspired by @dianacrimsonia's Ineffable Opposites au where Aziraphale is Azrael, the Angel of Death, and Crowley is the Archangel Raphael. Diana's art for this fic can be seen on their Insta: dianacrimsonia. Please go give them all the love :)

Read on AO3.

“So let me get this straight …” Azrael plants both hands on the table, staring down in frustration at the starry-eyed red-head in front of him “… you’re prepared to leave it all, your entire life, everything you’ve built from the ground up on this miserable cesspool of a planet … for love?”

A smile, serene in its decision, content with a shiny vision of the future, answers him before a single word slips past perky, coral-tinted lips. “Yes. I am.”

Azrael slaps the wood as he pushes himself upright. “That’s rubbish, that is.”

An amused tilt of the head sends crimson curls spilling over a narrow shoulder. “How can you possibly believe that? How can you go through life not realizing that love is the greatest God-given force in the universe?”

“How did he get you to do it? Hmm?” Azrael asks, purposefully dodging the question. “You’ve been here, what? Three days? A week tops? What magical spell did he cast that would lead you to make such an asinine decision?”

“Well … we went on a hayride,” manicured fingers count off, “we went Christmas tree shopping, watched the candy puller make candy canes, listened to carolers ... Oh! We had hot chocolate and then ...” A pause, followed by a dreamy sigh “… he kissed me. At this cafe. Right here at this picnic table, as a matter of fact.”

Azrael jerks his hands off the table top as if burned, scowling at the bench beneath his bent right knee as if it were diseased. “We had hot chocolate and then he kissed me,” he mimics, dreamy sigh and all. “You are, without a doubt, the most insufferable creature I have ever met! And if you had a clue who I play Pinochle with on Thursday nights, you’d know that that’s saying something.”

“In her defense, the hot chocolate here is very good,” Raphael offers, taking a careful sip of the steaming liquid in his own Frosty the Snowman mug.

Azrael’s eyes shift away from the infuriating woman sitting in front of him to the equally infuriating angel seated down the bench from him. “Please enlighten me, sunshine, on how you keep getting us into these unsavory situations.”

Raphael raises his eyes, countering Azrael’s glare with a mischievous grin as a rousing rendition of Jingle Bells - Azrael’s least favorite Christmas tune of all time - begins from out of nowhere. “I read. A lot.”

“I may have to confine your literary resources to picture books from now on.”

“We’re here because we’re needed,” Raphael explains to his unamused companion. “Obviously there’s something we need to accomplish. A message we need to send. It’s kind of what angels do during the holidays.”

“Seeing as we’re stuck in a movie on what’s apparently called The Hallmark Channel,” Azrael divines, squinting at a golden emblem that follows them around like a puppy no matter where they go, “I would say that part is accurate.” He turns back to the woman who has done nothing since the moment his attentions went elsewhere, as if she only exists when he’s interacting with her. And even though he’s an Angel of Death, regarded as one of the spookiest, most sinister omens in all of recorded history, it creeps him out.

“Does he have any investments?” Azrael implores, returning to their lost cause. “A retirement plan? A 401K?”

Sara shakes her head.

“Does he at least collect commemorative plates!?”

“Those things aren’t important to him,” she announces superiorly. “Besides, I have enough money socked away to take care of the both of us. We’ll want for nothing, as long as we have …”

“Love. Yeah. I get it. Probably what he’s counting on, the leech. Man almighty,” Azrael grumbles, running a hand down his face in frustration. “Unbelievable! This dillhole should be working downstairs with us!”

“Simon doesn’t want to raise his son around a den of corporate greed!” Sara argues passionately.

“Really?” Azrael scoffs. “What about a den of good schools and culture? Does he believe in those things?”

“All we need is love.”

“What you need, lady, I can’t seem to say out loud.”

“That’s because this movie is rated PG,” Raphael interjects. “You can’t curse here.”

“Pity. Give me exactly five seconds and I’ll make their ratings go through the roof.”

“More like in the toilet. Guidelines for these movies are extremely strict.” Raphael stirs his cocoa, staring wistfully into his cup. “Darling? You do believe in the power of love, don’t you?” he asks, a deep, abiding concern coloring his voice.

“Of course I believe in the power of love!” Azrael stares up at the too bright, too blue sky, mentally venting using every four-letter word he can think up. “But sometimes the power of stupidity is stronger!” He sighs, so long and hard it deserves its own backstory. “Look, lady, love is grand and all, but so is carving a name for yourself and being able to make your condo payments!”

“Love will provide,” is the only reply she gives him.

“This is a nightmare!” Azrael groans, taking a seat opposite his angel and burying his face in his hands.

“I don’t know,” Raphael says, gaining a chipper lilt and a gleeful little wiggle. “I’m having a grand time!”

“Yes, well, you’ve eaten seven Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer cookies, drunk three mugs of cocoa, and you bought a quilt!”

“It’s Amish! Hand stitched! Did you see the craftsmanship?”

“You won’t be able to take it with you,” Azrael points out in a taunting, sing-song way.

“The Hell I won’t,” Raphael murmurs, diving into the mound of marshmallows swimming at the top of his mug.

“This Holy Holiday Messenger gig is all well and good, but did you really have to go and get us stuck in an American movie?”

“I had no control over that, love. But look on the bright side (for you) - we’re not going to be here forever.”

“No?” Azrael blows out an incredulous breath through tightly pursed lips, producing a rude sound that turns a few heads. “It’s only going to feel like it.”

“The spell will wear off in twenty-four hours, I assure you. Which should give us plenty of time to …”

Azrael cuts Raphael off with a look that could melt lead. Raphael puts his hands up in surrender.

“Fine. Here - let me give it a go. Maybe all this needs is a touch of Grace.” Raphael scoots closer to Sara, who’s gazing blankly at a tall, overly decorated tree, with moony eyes. “Look, dear, as much as I hate to admit it, my gloomy but pragmatic friend is right.”

Sara turns on him, glaring like he just spit in her cocoa. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah,” Azrael says. “Excuse me?”

“It seems as though you have just as much wrapped up in your life in New York as your young man does in his daydream of fixing up a run down horse ranch that he doesn’t even have the capital to purchase yet. If I were you, I would go home, back to your life and your job. And either the two of you work things out apart and see how it goes, or find someone whose ideals better line up with yours. Someone who is worthy of you, who wouldn’t ask you to give up everything to live here with him. Because love - true love, the kind of love that lasts - doesn’t come from the sacrifices others ask you to make. It’s about the sacrifices you’re willing to make for others, freely and unsolicited.”

Sara stares open-mouthed at the traitor sitting beside her. But as aghast as she appears, there’s a moment when both Raphael and Azrael think a light bulb has gone off. She’ll agree with them, thank them for their time and their sage advice, then be off, winging her way back to NYC. But after a few blinks, she slowly shakes her head, tsking with every turn of her neck. “You guys just don’t understand the meaning of Christmas.”

Raphael shrugs and slides back to his original seat. “Guess not.”

“Don’t fret, my pet,” Azrael teases. “You tried your best. Guess it wasn’t a matter of Grace after all. There’s no getting through to her, is there?”

“We don’t need to,” Raphael says, reconvening with his cocoa.

Azrael frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I mean the person who needed that message has heard it, and has changed their mind about giving up everything for someone who isn’t willing to meet them half way.”

“Who was it?” Azrael asks, sweeping his gaze around, trying to spot the love lost soul in question.

“Someone out there.” Raphael gestures off to his right. “A real life person out in television land.”

Azrael grins at this turn of events, giddy with relief. “That’s … that’s wonderful! Now we can get the Heaven out of here!”

“Uh … n-no.” Raphael fidgets sheepishly with his mug. “I-I’m afraid we’re stuck here for the full twenty-four hours.”

“Wha---? How!? How can that be!? We fulfilled the requirements of the spell, didn’t we!?”

“Y-yes, but …”

“I know the rules behind these ultimatum locked spells! Once you fulfill your duty, then …” Struck by a sudden realization, Azrael turns wide, scolding eyes on his angel. “Raphael! What did you …?”

“I’m sorry, dear! But when I felt the spell start to pull us out, I just … shrugged it off!”

“But I didn’t shrug it off! How come I didn’t leave?”

“Funny thing that.” Raphael giggles nervously, peeking up at Azrael through glittering lashes. “I sort of … overrode it.”

“Raphael!”

“Azrael! It’s Christmas! I have been trying and trying to get you to take time off and go away with me! This twenty-four hours outside of time could be a holiday for us! Look at all the neat stuff they have planned!” Raphael snaps up a festively decorated flier. “Apple cider tasting, cookie decorating, a peppermint eating contest … and look! A Mistletoe Forest! Do you know what that means?”

Azrael crosses his arms over his chest. “It means this entire town has a huge fungus problem?”

“It’s a forest covered in mistletoe! Mist-le-toe!” Raphael repeats as if talking to a stubborn toddler. “You know … if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“Parasites?”

“No.” Raphael wraps a glimmering curl coyly around one slender finger. “I was thinking more along the lines of dozens of hidden corners to get caught under and kiss.”

“My star …” Azrael inches closer, lowering his voice in the hopes that only his love will hear him “… if you want me to kiss you, all you have to do is ask. In fact, you don’t have to say a word. Just look my way and bat those golden eyelashes of yours. I’ll kiss you anywhere you want, wherever you want,” he emphasizes with a cheeky bounce of his eyebrows. “We don’t need mistletoe for that.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Raphael breathes in deep, exhales long. “If you want to leave, I’ll understand. I’m sure that I can summon a portal and send you back to your mortuary. Your grim, dreary, lonely mortuary, with that single, sad wreath on the door …”

Raphael sniffs theatrically.

Azrael rolls his eyes.

“Would spending the day here make you happy?” Azrael asks with the enthusiasm of someone about to have teeth pulled sans anesthetic in preparation for a lengthy root canal. “Really happy?”

“Yes,” Raphael answers hopefully, sparkling a vibrant gold like the nebula he is. “Effervescently.”

“I can see that,” Azrael mutters. “All right.” He drops down onto the hard bench, level with Raphael’s beaming gaze, and despite this whole headache, he smiles. What can he say? He loves to see his starshine happy. “Finish your cocoa and come along. We have a PG rating to tank.”

“Ooo! Is that one of your fantasies? Whisking me off to the woods like a cad and having your way with me?” Raphael asks, blithely misreading Azrael’s mood. Too eager to be on their way, he snaps his fingers, transforming his snowman mug into an argyle-printed Thermos to transport his cocoa in. He wouldn’t want to waste good cocoa. Real or not, it’s way too tasty to leave behind. “Oh! Shall I change into a dress? I know! Something Victorian! With a red-trimmed corset and …!”

Azrael catches Raphael’s hand before he can snap his fingers again.

“Raphael! You are a strong, fiercely independent archangel! I would not think to insult you by acting out a fantasy that employs such a flawed and sexist stereotype!”

“Oh,” Raphael squeaks, equal parts stunned by Azrael’s response as disappointed, causing his shimmer to dim. “Oh, I apologize. Yes. Yes, I see your point. I …”

Azrael brings Raphael’s hand to his mouth, a wicked grin spreading his lips as he kisses Raphael’s knuckles one at a time, stopping to swirl the tip of his tongue on the soft web of skin in between, making Raphael’s glow go from brilliant to blinding. “That said - yes. Yes, it is. So please, if you don’t mind … wear the dress.”

***

The Hallmark Channel movie ‘Death Takes a Holiday’, which network execs couldn’t recall green lighting, not a single director remembered directing, nor likewise any of the writers recalled writing, was so insanely popular that, by virtue of a voracious, fan-led letter writing campaign, it ran for three weeks into the New Year, and prompted a sequel for Valentine’s - ‘Death Takes a Spouse’.

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #ineffable husbands #ineffable opposites #aziraphale x crowley #azrael x raphael

[capitanogiorgio]

Mr Miyagi and Samantha & Anthony headcanons

Since Cobra Kai tells us Miyagi died in 2011 (a rough seven years before the beginning of season 1), it leaves us with many opportunity to explore his relationship with Daniel’s kids, especially Sam, being the oldest. As stated by her Wiki Karate Kid page, she was born in 2002, making her 9 when Mr Miyagi passed away; plenty of times for them to know one another and interact. As for Anthony, I’m pretty sure he’s met him but being born in 2008 (if I trust the KK Wiki) that would leave him being 3 years old when Miyagi died so he probably would not remember him specifically aside from Daniel’s, Amanda’s or Sam’s tales.

(Which honestly, when I think about it, makes me kinda sad because that kid, although having such a rude attitude, seems left out and the fact that everybody have something to say about Miyagi and Anthony doesn’t... Well. You get me)

Anyway, here’s of a list of little things I headcanon between Miyagi and Daniel’s kids:

Knowing Daniel it wouldn’t surprise me if he told Miyagi he was going to be a father first before Lucille. Would not surprise me at all. And of course Miyagi would be ecstatic, the kind of ecstatic when Daniel takes the car and he screams ‘BANZAI” at him. But I feel he would be really emotional as well. After losing his father in The Karate Kid Part II, and said his farewell to Yukie, he truly has no one else in the world except Daniel. Daniel is like the son he should have had but didn’t because of the internment camp. So for Daniel to 1) Manage to get his way up to being his own boss with the dealership 2) Meet Amanda, a beautiful and brilliant woman with whom he’s serious and settles down and 3) Starts his own family with her, this would make Miyagi so proud and emotional because he’s a part of it, Daniel makes sure he’s a part of it.

Maybe Daniel freaks out sometimes during Amanda’s first pregnancy because he wants to be a good father and he doesn’t know for sure if he’ll be one since he didn’t have his father for long, and what if he’s not good enough. So Miyagi gently but firmly reassures him and gives a piece of wisdom. And some alcohol too.

MAYBE MIYAGI TEARS UP WHEN DANIEL PRESENTS SAM TO HIM

And MAYBE he’s at the hospital having driven Lucille from the airport, and MAYBE he waits patiently as Daniel paces and then goes to be in the room with Amanda and just waits with Lucille and MAYBE he stands up abruptly with Lucille when Daniel comes out and he’s grinning like a madman and he just says “I’m a father” like he can’t believe it and Lucille and Miyagi hugs him real tight.

Since Daniel has no siblings, that, until Louie Jr came to LA for a job at the dealership, his family lives on the opposite coast... Daniel asking Mr Miyagi to be Sam’s godfather. He’d probably be considered a grandfather but up until them there would have been no official link/ties between Miyagi and the LaRussos (not that they need any but you get my point) (though Daniel would probably ask Miyagi to be his wedding witness because you know he would lmao) and that’s another way for Daniel to show him just how much he loves him and considers him like a true member of his family.

For real tho, Miyagi would legit be so gentle, tearing up at seeing a little bundle in Daniel’s arms and he’s so happy to introduce his daughter to his father figure and it’s all very solemn and emotional before Miyagi cracks up a joke about Sam being as stubborn as his dad when she does whatever.

If you don’t think Miyagi would swear to protect little Samantha LaRusso until his dying breath, think again. He’d cherish and treasure her and yet still spreading his bits of wisdom when Daniel is too hot-headed to do so.

One time, when Daniel and Amanda have no solution, they drop Sam off to Miyagi’s and she spends the day with him. He shows her his garden, that has seen better days but is still pretty much alive and not as rusty as we see in Cobra Kai before the renovation. He tells her many funny tales about Daniel learning Karate and falling into the river, of being covered in green paint. And Sam’s listen, she has stars in her eyes (Sam may look like Amanda but she’s a LOT like Daniel). Miyagi shows her some basic movements like Wax On/Wax Off without the waxing cars part and Daniel is this close to be jealous of a five year old.

Sam being excited whenever she goes to Mr Miyagi’s or he comes around and she asks him many questions about Daniel, about karate, about Okinawa too, how it was like (since I’m pretty sure Daniel would already talk a lot about his trip to Okinawa, etc).

When Sam pouts Miyagi laughs because it really is Daniel’s spitted portrait. He always have a little hug for her though and sometimes a little sweet to comfort her.

She’s not too fond of fishing however from times to times she’ll go because she just wants to keep Miyagi company

When Daniel tells Miyagi Sam wants to do karate. That she wants to learn with her dad. Man’s legit the happiest crying mess on earth.

Daniel freaking out big time when Amanda’s expecting Anthony (I read it was apparently unplanned but I can’t remember when it was said in the show so I might be mistaken. Another good excuse to rewatch, eh :p).

Miyagi comforting all the freaking LaRussos during that pregnancy. Daniel who’s panicking a bit (lot), Sam who has your typical “what if they don’t love me anymore” and Miyagi taken her up in his arms saying NO ONE could ever stop loving her and that she’ll have a friend in Tony and that she’ll be able to teach him loads of stuff. But also Amanda. I NEED some Mr Miyagi & Amanda interactions.

Like even though Miyagi is a constant presence in Daniel’s life and is obviously very important to him and Sam that would still be Daniel’s world, something Amanda knows on the surface but not well. And I need a moment between Miyagi and Amanda when it’s heartfelt and touching and Miyagi opening on how she helps him find balance and how he’s really happy for the both of them and that it truly makes his old man’s heart soar to see Daniel, to see the closest to a son he has find happiness and stability and that’s thanks to Amanda. Also give me a lunch or dinner when Miyagi is invited and Daniel suggests something stupid and Amanda is “na nah” and Miyagi backs her like “Listen to wife, Daniel-san. Amanda very smart” and Daniel crosses his arms like a pouty child.

I’d like to think Anthony was named after Daniel’s father so, once again, Daniel’s a mess and Miyagi’s there with Lucille maybe other LaRussos.

Dealing with two mini LaRussos will be the death of Mr Miyagi he swears (even though he loves them with his life)

Sam coming in one day after she pestered Daniel to teach her some japanese word like (Konnichiwa or Samu desu, arigato, simple words you know), she’d be so proud to show him and he’d be really touched and smiling his tight-lipped smile and warmth in his gaze.

Sam helping Mr Miyagi to cook whenever he cooks a dish from Okinawa or from Japan. Sam being the best sous-chef anybody could hope for and being really focused and intense on the tasks Miyagi gives her and just him making her feel like a real pro and how he couldn’t have done it without her.

Sam and Anthony making tons of drawings for Mr Miyagi and he keeps them all, hangs them all up in his house

Anthony stopping his cries the second he’s put into Miyagi’s arms.

Mr Miyagi singing traditional songs from Okinawa as lullabies for Sam and Tony.

And his last year when he begins to get weak and can’t move as much as before, Sam always hugging for a bit longer every time. She doesn’t really grasp what really is to come but when Daniel makes him soup when he’s sick or when he comes back from an appointment at the hospital, Sam is always there to help and to bring it to him and make sure he drinks every drop with her little hope that he’ll get better.

When Miyagi dies, she’s as distraught as Daniel. She cries a lot, sometimes at random but she also cries because she sees just how sad her dad is.

That’s about when she stops doing karate altogether because it hurts too much and moves on, meeting Aisha and being passionate about physics with her

She has photographs of her and Miyagi, some with Anthony and Daniel and the whole family. She has them hidden into an old children’s book in her bedroom and there are times when she feels a bit down and she looks at the pictures and although she’s sad and misses Miyagi a lot, she remembers his kind words, his advices and his gentleness and she feels suddenly better and warm, as if Miyagi had just wrapped a blanket around a shoulder and given her some hot chocolate or tea.

Anthony knows about the pictures, found them by accident once when he wanted to read the book (before being introduced to video games) and sometimes, when Sam is not there and he goes in her room and looks at them trying to remember scenes, words, Mr Miyagi’s voice. He can’t, not really, just some faded images and sounds. It makes him sad in a way that he’s the only one that doesn’t really remember Miyagi but still, he feels a sort of comforting feeling whenever he looks at the pictures.

Anyway, just Mr Miyagi loving the hell out of Sam and Anthony and being there for all the LaRussos and being a comforting presence and thought and a positive influence on them

#Cobra Kai #The Karate Kid #headcanons #Cobra Kai headcanons #Sorry it got a bit angsty #but yeah give ALL OF THIS #Mr Miyagi #Samathan LaRusso #Anthony LaRusso #give me more of Anthony please #Daniel LaRusso #Amanda LaRusso #Lucille LaRusso

[swanqueeneverafter]

The Once & Future Queen Pt.21

Forest. Continued. (Merida releases her arrow and the deer disappears through the trees.) Merida: "Gold sovereign says she’s hit." Anastasia: "We have to go after her!” (Anastasia runs into the woods.) Merida: (Calling after Anastasia:) "Squeamish about letting the poor thing suffer are we? (Cocks another arrow:) Aye, we'll put her out of her misery." (Anastasia searches for the injured animal.) Anastasia: “Guinevere! Guinevere!” Merida: “Guinevere? You know it’s not wise to name your food, especially after fellow royalty, Your Highness.” (Ignoring this, Anastasia spots a trail of blood on the forest floor.) Anastasia: “Come on, she’s this way.” (Following the trail, they find the animal lying unconscious, shaking from cold and shock, an arrow in her leg.) Merida: (Drawing back her bow:) “It’ll all be over in a second.” Anastasia: (Falling to her knees beside the deer:) “Stop!” Merida: (Lowers her bow:) “I told you not to name it. Now out of the way so I can end Bambi’s suffering. (Anastasia waves her hand over the animal, using her magic to return Guinevere to her true form. Dropping the bow:) Oh no, not again.” (Anastasia pulls out the arrow and places her hand over the wound.) Anastasia: “What do you mean ‘again’? You’ve seen this kind of thing before?” Merida: (Grimaces:) “Once or twice, yeah. Is she-” Anastasia: “I think she’ll be okay, but we need to get her out of here, now!” Camelot. Castle Corridor. (Agravaine leads Caerleon’s soldiers down the corridors when he is intercepted by Elyan.) Sir Elyan: “This is your doing, isn’t it? Arthur’s return, his defeat. All to put Morgana back on Camelot’s throne.” Agravaine: “Oh, stand aside. There’s nothing you can do about it now.” (Elyan draws his sword.) Sir Elyan: “I can kill you for the traitor that you are.” (Agravaine draws his sword.) Agravaine: “Brave words, Elyan. And they shall be your last.” (Elyan is thrown backwards and falls to the floor unconscious. Caerleon’s soldiers step aside revealing Morgana behind them with a hand raised.) Morgana: “We don’t have time to play soldiers, Agravaine.” (Morgana marches past them and they follow.)

Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. (Entering through the front door on a mission, Emma neglects to close it behind her in her haste to climb the stairs.) Regina: (Calling out:) "Oh, Emma? (Emma pauses at the foot of the stairs, confused by where Regina could be. Glancing at the top of the stairs, she sees that Regina is no longer in the window:) I'm in here. (Walking past the staircase and into the other room, Emma leans against the door frame for support when she sees Regina laid out before her. Reclined on the sofa with her underwear swaying tantalisingly back and forth between her toes, Regina gives her wife a satisfied smile:) I thought you'd be too tired to climb all those stairs." Emma: "And you'd be right. (Stands and approaches:) But for some reason, I feel a surge of energy coming on. (Regina chuckles and with a quick flick of her leg, sends her panties flying towards Emma, who catches them neatly and stuffs them into the back pocket of her jeans:) I'll keep those for later." (Raising her legs and pointing her toes to the ceiling, Regina stretches languidly before bringing her legs down to wrap around Emma's waist. Bending over the arm of the sofa to lower herself gently down onto Regina, Emma kisses her way up the brunette's body before being pulled into a searing kiss.) Snow White: (Entering the house:) "Did you know there are garden tools strewn across the path? (Regina stiffens and wraps her legs tightly around Emma at the sound of Snow's voice. Hearing her mother's loud gasp, Emma winces and slowly turns to look over her shoulder at her:) Y-your door was..." Emma: "Open, yeah. My bad." Snow White: (Dropping her gaze to her binder:) "Hello, Regina." Regina: (Gives an amused wave:) "Hello, Snow." Snow White: (Muttering to herself:) "Why does this keep happening to me?" Emma: "Er, Mom, could you give us a minute?" Snow White: (Looks up and then straight back down, averting her eyes:) "Y-yes. I'll... wait in the kitchen." (Snow leaves and Emma slumps down onto Regina.) Regina: "I think I'll be needing my underwear back now." Storybrooke. Rollin’ Bayou. (After showing Ella how things are done, Tiana reacts to Ella’s bombshell.) Tiana: “Ella, what the hell?” Ella: “I know, but Henry said that Merlin told him about a place that will guide us towards our next great adventure.” Tiana: “First you ditch me to work at Robin’s bar and now you’re quitting that job so you can go swash-buckle your way across the realms?” Ella: “Well firstly I don’t swash-buckle and second, you told me I’m nowhere near ready to run my own food truck yet.” Tiana: “No, no, no. I said you needed more training.” Ella: “That’s just because you’re a-” Tiana: “Perfectionist.” Ella: “Control freak.” Tiana: “Whoa, hey! Whoa.” Ella: (Laughs:) “It's true.” Tiana: “Look, okay, it's not that I do not trust you.” Ella: “Hmm.” Tiana: “I just I know how I like things. And anyway, you and Henry, you have all this time to make up for, right? You should be spending it together. Maybe curled up on a couch, playing some board games? Couldn't you both use a nice, quiet day at home?” Ella: “There’ll be plenty of those days when we’re married. Look around you, Tiana, the opportunities for adventure are drying up. Come on, what do you say?” Tiana: “Let me think about it.” Ella: “That means yes!” (Laughs.) Tiana: “All right, but I’m only taking you as far as the starting line. After that, you and Henry are on your own.” Ella: “You are the best! And, (Leans out of the truck, yelling:) the Food Truck Queen of the United Realms!” Tiana: “You may bow.” (Tiana laughs when Ella performs the most elaborate and over the top bow she’s ever seen.)

Camelot. Throne Room. (Queen Annis approaches Morgana who lounges on the throne.) Queen Annis: “The city has fallen. Camelot is ours.” Morgana: “Ah. I’ve been meaning to speak to you about that.” (Annis gives her a look before being attacked from behind by Agravaine who stabs her in the back, smiling as she falls to the floor, dead.) Agravaine: (Wiping off his blade on Annis’ robes:) “Camelot is yours, Morgana.” Morgana: (Unimpressed:) “And? (She rises from the throne:) Taking Camelot was the easy part, Agravaine. I want Merlin. Where is he?” Agravaine: “I don’t know, my lady. But wherever he is, he’s nowhere left to run.” (Morgana smiles.) Morgana: “In the meantime, I have a good idea where our dear Lancelot is. Prepare the horses! We’re going on a hunt.” (Agravaine smiles and laughs as Morgana stalks past him.) Storybrooke. Granny's Diner. (Rumplestiltskin finally sits down to talk with Merlin.) Rumplestiltskin: "So you're the father of magic." Merlin: (Smiles:) "Well, we both know that's not true." Rumplestiltskin: "Indeed. Morgana's brand of magic goes back thousands of years." Merlin: (Nods:) "I'm very aware of the Old Religion." Rumplestiltskin: "As am I. Even as the Dark One, I knew there were some things that you just don't trifle with." Merlin: "Yes, you preferred to store magic that was too dark and unpredictable in your vault. Are you suggesting I do the same with Morgana?" Rumplestiltskin: "I would never presume to offer advice to someone as powerful as yourself, but it might not be a bad idea."

Merlin: "As someone who knows a lot about being locked away, I can tell you it rarely solves anything." Rumplestiltskin: "So you mean to face her head on then. Need I remind you of your track record when it comes to dealing with powerful sorceresses?" Merlin: "I've learned from my mistakes. I underestimated Emma Swan, and I mishandled Nimue. With Morgana I shall endeavour to show her there is another path." Rumplestiltskin: "So you wish to mentor her?" Merlin: "No, I believe we can learn from each other. Something I failed to consider with either Nimue or Emma. It was my hubris that allowed the Darkness to roam freely for centuries. I shall not make the same mistake again." Rumplestiltskin: (Smiles:) "Third time's the charm as they say. I hope you succeed and manage to help Morgana, but once you've been immersed in the power that she possesses, that's not something you can easily walk away from." Merlin: "You would know that better than anyone." Rumplestiltskin: (Nods and leans forward:) "Dark One or not, I still have the capacity to utilise magic." Merlin: "But you have not practiced magic since the Jabberwocky had Henry write your powers out of existence?" Rumplestiltskin: "It was the push I needed to be able to put magic behind me. I've since found other ways to protect the ones I love." Merlin: (Nods:) "Everything we do in this world is a choice, and I intend to offer Morgana the opportunity to choose the right path." (Their conversation is interrupted by Regina and Emma who enter the diner looking for answers.) Regina: "There you are you arrogant son of a bitch!" Merlin: (Stands, calmly:) "Ladies." Regina: "What the hell did you say to our son?" Merlin: "I merely-" Emma: "Maybe you thought you'd send him on one of your special missions? One that he won't come back from?!" Merlin: "It's not like that, I promise you." Emma: "You promised you could help rid me of the Darkness too and we all know how that turned out!" Merlin: "Listen to me, please. (Takes a breath while both women continue to glare at him:) Henry was looking for answers and I told him of a place where he and Ella might find them. I must say I'm a little disappointed as I made Henry give me his word that he wouldn't share this information." Regina: "Don't you dare doubt Henry's word. You just happened to make the mistake of trying to keep a secret in the presence of the world's biggest tattletale." Emma: (When Merlin looks to her in confusion:) "Snow." Merlin: "Ah, of course." (At that moment, further reprimands are cut short as the town's second biggest blabbermouth enters the diner.) Leroy: "Terrible news!" Emma: (Turns to face him, annoyed:) "What is it, Leroy?" Leroy: "Morgana's retaken Camelot and Guinevere's just been brought into the hospital." Emma: (Sighs:) "Great." Regina: (Poking Merlin in the chest:) "Don't think for one moment this is over. (Takes a breath:) Now you heard the man, Morgana's out of control so go do your job!" (Merlin stands shell shocked as he watches Regina and Emma leave the diner with Leroy.) Rumplestiltskin: (Smiling:) "Just be glad it's not Regina you have to deal with. I trained her myself." Merlin: (Flatly:) "I'm well aware of that."

Camelot. Forest. (Lancelot, having reunited with Bedivere, travels quickly through the woods.) Sir Bedivere: (Hearing footsteps approach:) "Shh! (The others stop and Bedivere grabs someone:) Elyan.” Sir Elyan: “Don’t hold back on my account.” (They smile.) Sir Bedivere: “Is the way out of Camelot clear?” Sir Elyn: “As far as I can tell.” (They continue through the forest.) Sir Bedivere: “They’ll come after us." Sir Elyan: “Then we have to make it across the border, find sanctuary anywhere we can.” Lancelot: “Wait! (They stop and Lancelot turns back to listen. He hears hoof beats:) Listen.” Sir Bedivere: “Run!” (They run as Morgana, Agravaine, and Annis’ former soldiers ride straight for them. Morgana casts a spell, her eyes glowing and Lancelot and his knights are all thrown forward. Elyan helps Lancelot to his feet and they keep running. Soldiers pursue on foot.) Lancelot: “Where’s Bedivere?” Sir Elyan: “We have to go! (They reach a rock trench and Elyan stops:) Go!” Lancelot: “What about you?” Sir Elyan: “Don’t worry about me. Go!” (Reluctantly, Lancelot keeps running while Elyan steps into the trench opening and fights off the soldiers as they attack one at a time.) Storybrooke. Storybrooke General Hospital. (Dr. Whale leaves Guinevere’s room to find Anastasia and Merida waiting.) Anastasia: “How is she, Doctor?” Dr. Whale: “The arrow missed the femoral artery so she should be fine. I’ve got her on fluids and she’ll need to be kept under observation over night.” Merida: “Has she said anything?” Dr. Whale: “She was asking for Morgana.” Anastasia: “Morgana?” Dr. Whale: “Yes. Apparently she was the one who enchanted Guinevere. Now, if you’ll excuse me, ladies, I have rounds to make.” Anastasia: “Thank you, Doctor.” (Dr. Whale leaves.)

Merida: “Why the hell would she be asking for Morgana?” Anastasia: (Shrugs:) “Maybe Guinevere was worried that Morgana might come back to finish the job?” Emma: (Entering with Regina:) “Sounds to me like Morgana isn’t the one Guinevere should be worrying about. (To Merida:) You’re the one who shot her, right?” Merida: “Aye, but only because I thought she was dinner.” Anastasia: “It’s true. I sensed something was odd about the deer, but by the time I figured it out, Merida had already fired.” Emma: “Relax, I’m not here to arrest anyone for what was clearly an accident. (To Regina:) Why would Morgana turn Guinevere into a deer?” Regina: “I don’t know, to make her easy prey?” Emma: “Well that doesn’t make any sense. If Morgana wanted Guinevere out of the way, why not just kill her?” Regina: (Shakes her head:) “Whatever her reasoning, this is just yet another reason Guinevere’s faith in Morgana is misplaced.” Emma: “You can say that again.” Zelena: (Walking towards them:) “Oh I don’t know, maybe all that’s needed is a change of heart.” Regina: (Turning to her:) “Zelena. Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be back three days ago!” Zelena: “Well I’m sorry, but Robin and I ran into a little trouble. Turns out that creepy knight who attacked me was following us on our way to Oz.” Emma: “Mordred was following you?” Zelena: “Yeah, we managed to lose him by leading him into the poppy fields. He went out like a light. We took the long way home just to make sure we weren’t followed.” Regina: “What was so important that you had to go to Oz in the first place?” Zelena: “To retrieve something that can help stop Morgana of course.” Emma: “Like what, a weapon?” Zelena: “No, just the opposite.” Regina: “I don’t understand, what are you talking about?” (Zelena puts her arms around both Emma and Regina and leads them back down the hallway.) Zelena: “Well, after I kicked Morgana’s arse and left her laying in the forest, it reminded me a little of myself. She believes that Camelot is her birthright, much like I believed that everything Regina had should’ve been mine.” Regina: “So you’re both deluded. What’s that got to do with your trip to Oz?” Zelena: “All will become clear soon enough, and if this works, you won’t have to release Merlin from his tree.” Emma: “Yeah, about that...”

Wonderland. Forest. (Tiana and Ella walk together following a map given to them by Merlin. Henry and Will lag behind as they try to clear the air.) Will: "Listen, mate, I'm sorry about what I said and did back at Granny's." Henry: "Will, it's fine. I know you weren't in your right mind and that you had been tasked by Morgana to procure one of my tears. As things turned out, it was just a means to an end anyway." Will: "Yeah and I know Merlin's free, but is that a good thing?" Henry: "Well, Merlin's destined to be Morgana's downfall and he's the reason Ella and I are out here looking for our next great adventure. I'd say that things are definitely changing for the better so far." Will: "If you say so. Just as long as you and me are all right." Henry: "We're good. Besides, there's no point in dwelling on it now. It's all in the past. Come on, let's pick up the pace." (Up ahead, Tiana and Ella are reading the map.) Ella: “According to this map, the place we’re looking for should just be straight ahead.” (Looking up, Ella gasps. Standing in front of them are two large red doors. Between them stands a stoic looking guard.) Tiana: “What in the world? This place just gets weirder and weirder.” Ella: “Excuse me, Sir. We need-” White Knight: “Two doors appear along a stony path, and travelers always wonder; which door will lead them to their fate and which will tear asunder. Choose poorly and meet certain doom. There is no room for blunder.”

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

[doof-doofblog]

"I'm Taking Ben With Me!"

Tuesday 17th November 2020

Hello again everyone! Hope you're all doing okay! Now this the episode that the majority of us have been anxiously waiting for! Is the robbery going to be a success? Or is something going to go horribly wrong and someone gets caught? I'm really looking forward to writing about this episode, something tells me it's going to be gripping and explosive!

The episode begins with Phil, Shirley, Ben, Kat and Kush all arriving at the Insurance building to make a start on their robbery. Phil instructs the group that he wants things to be over as quickly as possible, it makes sense that they shouldn't be there for as long as they specifically have to! He makes it perfectly clear they need to be in and out, end of! Kat informs them that the security guard won't be there until 8am, which really should leave them plenty of time! But then again is it 8am or 8pm? Who knows? I'm sure that will come to light as the episode goes on. They quickly go off in separate directions - Ben and Phil together, Shirley and Kat together and then Kush.

Ooooh, meanwhile back on the Square, Ian enters the Vic after calling the police about the robbery. The look on his face looks like guilt to me - maybe even dismay, jealousy, shock - maybe all of them rolled into one? Max once again calls out to him as he's sat in a booth, as to whether he's got the money to pay him back - Ian ignores him and turns around to see Sharon behind the bar approaching him, asking him where he had been, he ignores her also and makes his way upstairs of the Vic. Max and Linda giggle as they think he's giving everyone the silent treatment because of their actions earlier in the day, sneaking behind the bar and giving out free booze! As they giggle about Ian, Max is looking through Linda's portfolio of her idea of making superhero costumes for autistic children. Sharon watches them as they seem to get cosy. Max is complimenting Linda's work and pushing her to go for her new business plan, even though Linda admits she can't afford it, even if she did want to go ahead with it. Max then asks whether Mick knows, but Linda bows her head and admits that she hasn't told him yet, considering he's been going through a lot lately, she feels perhaps this isn't the right time to be informing him about her new idea. Max looks at her almost with sympathy, but it does look as if he's contemplating something - will he somehow give her the money to start her business? Will he end up helping her set it up? What do you guys think?!

Across the Square, Tina has packed her suitcase after overhearing Iqra and Ash talking about her moving out. She tries to reassure them that their decision is fine and that she completely understands, Iqra appears to be really sympathetic and Ash apologises for her finding out the way she did. When they ask where she's going to stay, Tina jokingly says "The park bench seems free!" - they look at her with shocked expressions but she reassures them that she'll be okay. But in all seriousness, where is she going to go? It's not like she can go back to the Vic, will Gray maybe take her in as he has with Shirley? Could she go and stay with Mick and Linda for a while until she finds her own place? I'd hate to see her be homeless!

At the police station, DI Thompson is playing the recording of Phil and Kat discussing their robbery, whilst Callum is also in the room hearing the discussion. Thompson pushes for Callum to inform him about what he knows, but Callum insists that that is the first time he's heard anything about it, he even insists that Ben wouldn't tell him anything like that! Thompson begins to get frustrated until a fellow officer rushes in telling them that they've had an anonymous tip-off about a robbery and the culprits disguised as cleaners. Thompson knows that that is where Phil and Ben are, he instructs Callum that no matter how he does it, he wants someone arrested! Callum begins to panic and we see him send a message to his boyfriend, warning him to get out of the building! But back at the Insurance company, Ben, Phil and Kush have found the parking lot with the expensive cars, Ben and Phil work separately on different cars whilst Kush stands and watches - he questions how he can help in any way, but they just inform him not to touch anything. Kush watches with a (quite a cute) smile - must be the adrenaline!

Returning to the Vic, Ian is starring into space, almost in a world of his own. Are the events of his actions running through his mind? Does he actually realise he's put his brother and his Dad in danger? Does he feel no shame or dismay?! As he sits alone, Lexi is stood in the doorway and calls him a "Snake!" - which takes Ian completely by surprise. I love little Lexi, she's such a superstar! She informs her Uncle that that is what her Dad calls him. As she continues to insult her Uncle further, Kathy appears and informs she'll be taking Lexi home shortly. As Lexi disappears, Kathy informs her son that she's come deliver his mail, Ian appears thankful to his Mother, she informs him that not everyone is against him, even though it must feel like it right now. She then shows him that one specific later that came was the first payment of the Cafe remortgage is due, suddenly Ian's face drops as his Mum asks him to take care of it, he then sheepishly asks her whether she can pay for it for the month and he'll start to pay from the following month. Kathy instantly looks really disappointed in her son, she questions whether that was his plan from the very beginning, put her into debt and then her be the one to pay it all back. Ian insists that that isn't the case and tries to explain that he needs a few weeks to sort things out - I think that Ian has got himself into something he can't control, he can't pay Max back, he can't pay his Mum back, he can't even pay for the remortgage payments. I think he's on a big downward spiral. Kathy refuses to pay for it and tells her son that it's on his shoulders, but just as she turns to walk away, Ian starts acting like a child and saying that she would do it for Ben - so he is! He's jealous of his brother! Is that it?! - He claims that Ben is the Golden Boy and can do no wrong, but when he drops the insult that she's an unpaid baby-sitter, Kathy hits back! She informs her son that she actually doesn't want paying to look after her granddaughter, because that's what families do!!! That's what Grandparents do! You'd think by now that Ian would understand the concept of "Family" instead of always focusing on money. Kathy states that she would've hoped that Ian would've had a conscience after everything he's done, but it looks like he well and truly hasn't got one!

Back at the parking lot in the Insurance building, Phil and Ben are attempting to jump-start the cars. Ben appears to get his car going pretty quickly as Phil is struggling with the wires of his car. Ben looks over and queries whether his Dad is having problems, but Phil is adamant he's almost got it working. Kush then asks whether he could help, but Phil insists that his only role is to get the gate open when they're ready to leave, but Kush checks they only have 40-odd minutes remaining. Kush makes the valid point that getting the gate open will only take him 5 minutes, Phil then passes Kush the crowbar, instructing him to get the last car working. As he does so, Kush once again gives Phil an excited smile, I do feel it must've been the adrenaline rush of the possibility of doing a successful robbery and the chance of getting a good amount of money at the end of it. Phil laughs and comments that the job they're doing now is much better than selling boob-tubes!

Returning to the Square and at the Prince Albert, Tina walks in with her suitcase to find Kathy drinking on her own. As she joins her, Kathy notices that she has her luggage with her, she informs the poor girl that she can't sleep in the bar again. Tina then comes to the realisation she'll have to bunk up with Shirley again. It's then that Kathy responds to her by telling her that she has family who care about her, Tina can see that Kathy is upset about something and asks what's wrong. Now whether it's the drink that causes her to spill the beans or whether she just needs someone to talk to, Tina pours her another glass of wine and promises not to say a word to anyone, Kathy confides in her colleague about Ian committing fraud by forging her signature and re-mortgaging the Café, much to Tina's shock.

Back at the Vic, as Ian quickly sneaks out into the back in the background, Sharon is at the front and appears to be on the phone to a solicitor, she's informing them that she's knows what is owed to her and what Phil's solicitor is offering can think again about their offer. Ahhh, it's all coming to light now! Max has approached Bobby and is trying to convince him to change the age on his leaflet, and the only reason that Max has done that is so Linda can apply for her business idea. Bobby seems doubtful at first as his thought process is that his sister would want the opportunity to go to someone who was her age, but Max tries to push him to change the age limit, as that way there would be more applications from older ladies. Bobby asks Sharon for her advice, seeing as she and Max are both trustees for Bobby's charity, and she voices her opinion - on what good it'll do for Max? But he insists he's just doing right with a business attitude. Suddenly Linda appears and asks them what she's missed and when she realises that Bobby has agreed to change the age limit on his applicants, Max smiles at her and Linda instantly knows that he's done that for her. She thanks him for helping her and she starts to wonder how she'll make a start on her new business plan, however she needs to send in the application first - what if she's not successful?! She's getting in a bit over her head isn't she? Well Max also?! Or is it written in the stars - she'll apply and she'll get the money to start her new business. Max encourages Linda to call her husband and tell him the good news, however she seems reluctant to do so. As Max approaches the bar to get them another drink, Sharon confronts him head on - she knows what he's up to and warns him to stay away from her, even though Max plays dumb, Sharon can see right through him and warns him that she is her best mate and doesn't want her ruining her marriage to Mick, she doesn't want their marriage ending in divorce - she states that Mick and Linda are meant for each other. Max tries to reassure the blonde vixen that he and Linda are just friends, so she has nothing to worry about. But Sharon gives him one last warning, she'll be watching him from a distance!

Back at the parking lot, Kush successfully manages to break into the car, he seems so proud of himself and so excited, once he knows that he has managed to get into the car, Phil sets things in motion, for them to get into their cars ready to driver off and he instructs Kush to get the gate open. However, when Kush goes over the gate and types in the code, nothing happens. He tries for a second time and once again, nothing happens - has Kat given them the wrong code?! Or is he simply putting in the wrong code?! I don't know whether you guys noticed but the final digit of the code looks like either the number 6 or the letter B (In lower case) - Kush only types in the number 6, something is telling me that he's simply typing it in wrong and it actually is the lower-case B. But I could be wrong, maybe Kat has got the code wrong. Kush looks over to Phil and Ben in a slight realisation of panic that they might not be able to get out. Meanwhile, Kat and Shirley are trying their best to clean the offices, well Kat is however, whereas Shirley is being typical Shirley and is casually sat whilst Kat does all the work. As Kat asks her to make more of an effort, Shirley declines and Kat is quick to announce that she's done good when it's come to the robbery plan. Suddenly, a member of staff comes into the office and finds her and Shirley there.

Ian has found his way into the restaurant and appears to be in such dismay he throws a stash of paperwork all over the floor. As he does so, Suki walks in and see the state he's left the restaurant in, as she approaches him, Ian makes it clear to her that he doesn't want her in the restaurant. However, Suki is quick to make a proposition for him, she informs him about her plans for the Slater household and with him being a member of the council, she thinks he can help get her application get the attention she's wanting. In return she will give him £10,000! Ian is left stunned by her offer and tells her that he's actually not to be bought, but in his desperate need for money, will he take her up on her offer? It may just be the only way to get the money he needs to pay people back with. But of course, that would mean even more trouble for Slater's, once they find out that Ian helped Suki with her plan, he'll only have a few more people out to get him! Something tells me this whole situation isn't going to end well for Ian! What do you guys think?!

Back at the Insurance building, Shirley and Kat are in a blind panic as they're trying to get rid of the gentleman that's walked in on them. Shirley pushes Kat to try and get rid of him. They very subtly and quickly leave the man in the room as he appears to get distracted by sirens approaching the building from outside. Downstairs in the parking lot, Phil is frantic for Kush to get the gate open, Ben quickly notifies Kush that the police are approaching and Kush finally realises that he's been putting the code in wrong, finally he manages to put the code in correctly and franticly, Kat and Shirley dash towards the cars as Phil is shouting for them to get going. Kat pleads to Kush to come with them and leave the one car on it's own, but he's adamant he can do it! As Ben and Shirley drive ahead, the police are gathering outside the building, Kush is frantically trying to get his car to start as Kat begs him to just leave it and go with them. Phil shouts at Kat that they need to move quickly before they get nicked, Kat takes one last look at Kush and simply just says "I'm sorry!" before getting in the car with Phil and leaving him behind.

Kush is absolutely stunned that she's just left him to face the police alone. Callum arrives outside and manages to see Ben leave the scene in his car, only when Phil follows in his car, DI Thompson sees him very clearly and instructs his fellow police officers to go after him. He then instructs Callum to go into the parking lot to see if there is anyone else about. Unfortunately Kush is still struggling to get his car to work, Callum comes face-to-face with Kush and tells him to simply exit the car peacefully as police forces are surrounded everywhere, there is no easy way for him to get out of this now. Kush realises he's backed into a corner, he does everything Callum instructs him to do, only he decides to quickly make a run for it! Callum quickly dashes after him and follows him into a room on the third floor of the building. Kush attempts to hide, Callum comes into the room and spots Kush's reflection, however what he does next is a very interesting thing, he informs his boss that Kush actually got away, much to Kush's relief. When Callum shuts the door, making Kush think he's left the room, Kush attempts to make his escape but is surprised to see Callum still standing there. For a moment, I truly did think Callum was going to let Kush go, but instead he insists on arresting him. Kush begs to let him, but when Callum states he can't simply do that, Kush makes one last threat - if Kush is going to be sent down for this burglary, then he's going to make sure that Ben does to!

Ooooooo what is Callum going to do?! Is he going to let Kush off the hook so he can protect Ben? Will the police catch up with Ben and Phil?! What does this mean for Kat and Kush's relationship?! This has been a brilliant episode to watch, really gripping! I don't think I've seen one as gripping as this for a while! I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens next! What are your thoughts on this episode? What do you think will happen next?! I'd love to hear your thoughts, please feel free to comment or message me, I'll always find the time to reply! Thank you so much for reading! I'll be back again very soon to see what the aftermath of this robbery will be! Love you all xXx

#eastenders #kushkazemi #callumhighway #benmitchell #philmitchell #katslater #shirleycarter #tinacarter #kathybeale #ianbeale #suki panesar #maxbranning #lindacarter #sharonwatts #iqraahmed #ashpanesar #bobbybeale

[petals42]

Coach - Part V

Hello all. I know in my major fics I’ve made Coach and Suzanne not very nice people, but after the latest updates I figured I’d try my hand at writing canon-compliant Coach. This is in his POV so obviously Coach-centric and he is not magically a perfect ally. He’s trying though. 

3.6k; canon-compliant; content warning: homophobia; post- Coach IV

It’s Sunday. Which means Church for Suzanne always and Church for Richard when he has the time. Or about every three weeks when Suzanne starts asking him on Thursday whether he is going to make it this week instead of waiting til the morning-of. It’s his signal to go with her so she can show him off or introduce him to new folks or just re-establish that they are together and happy and she can still make him go to Church whenever she wants. 

Either way, it’s not bad. He doesn’t mind listening to the sermons, even if he’s not quite sure how much stock he puts in all of this, and the music is good enough, even if he’s not one for singing himself. 

He doesn’t even mind the post-Church chitchat. In the fall and winter, the traditional spread of baked goods made by the women of the Church is usually served in the small auditorium. It’s cold when you first walk in and then all the bodies heat it up so that by the end Suzanne will be complaining that if they don’t want to put the AC on, they could just open a window or something.

Richard knows his role in this too. He stands off to the side with his plateful of baked goods, making sure to take the ones baked by Suzanne’s friends and avoid the ones made by anyone his wife is currently feuding with. He chats with some folk who wander over, always polite, but mostly people know him well enough to let him be and wait for Suzanne to finish talking with everyone. 

They have a good system. They walk through the line of food together which is when he puts on his best smile. Then he goes to a corner, she claims she has to use the restroom but takes her plate with her and stops to mill and chat with everyone on the way to the bathroom. She’ll finish her plate before she gets to the bathroom, throw it away, and then talk to many of the same people on her way back. He’ll wait and watch and when she starts looking a little tight around the eyes or flexes her left hand in that certain way, that’s when he’ll walk up and ask if she minds leaving. She’ll say of course, they will make their goodbyes, and that’s that. 

Sunday morning. 

Usually his time in the corner is almost meditative. He lets his eyes unfocus and eats just steadily enough that people can see he is eating and lets his mind drift. It may be a weird place to meditate, in a room filled with other adults, but it works for him. Coaching is a loud job, filled with the noise of teenagers and yelling and grunts and sounds just of working in a high school, really. And then Suzanne is not loud in the same way and he loves listening to her (for as little as he inputs, really he does), but she’s not a still person. She’s light and movement and laughter and she fills up a room enough that usually he is content to just bask in her presence. It’s more joyful than meditative. 

This, though. This is just right. His brain is already a little fuzzy from spacing out during the sermon and he’s bored enough that usually he would pull out his phone, but standing and relaxing in a corner is fine. Playing on your phone in a corner is rude. According to Suzanne. And he doesn’t disagree. So he’s a little bored, unable to do anything to fix that boredom, happy to turn the chitchat around him into a sort of gray static he doesn’t have to pay attention to and just… relax.

Of course, this week relaxing is a bit difficult.

He’d been busy in the week he’d gotten back from Samwell. He had booked that flight a bit last minute so it was fly out late, late on Tuesday and then leave Thursday midday to try to make it back for Thursday’s practice because he was the head coach of a football team and, goodness Junior better make it late in the playoffs when there is plenty of time for him to actually go up and see more of the games. 

So it was practice and then cram all the strategy and tape he was supposed to do Tuesday and Wednesday into Friday and game Saturday (a win, but a sloppy one if he is being honest) and it is now, Sunday, as he stands and watches people try to eat while holding a small paper plate filled with too much food, that he is finally able to think about it all. 

About the car ride and Junior telling him that he wasn’t acknowledging his relationship and getting upset and telling him that he needed to know he wasn’t messed up, like Richard would ever think he was messed up but the fact that Junior had to even ask was--

He blows out a breath. Not angry just… annoyed. At himself. And maybe a little but at Junior even though he shouldn’t be and he isn’t, he just--

Sometimes he feels he never got credit for the things he did do. He paid for all those ice dancing lessons even though he didn’t understood a bit of it. And then when it became obvious Junior was good, he paid for that private coach and went online to learn at least some of the terms even though he was never going to be able to give Junior any actual advice on anything. Which had… well, he could at least admit that that had been a bit of a disappointment. He loved teaching and coaching and yes, see, don’t rely on your elbow so much. Power’s in your shoulder-- there you go, feel the difference? He loved being a coach. But with Junior and ice skating… he looked up enough to sometimes manage a weak Remember to pull your arms tight and Junior would look up at him and smile and nod when he was little but he got older and better and eventually he had to stop trying. Because Junior was more advanced than any of the little tips he could find and he had that private coach to tell him what he was actually doing wrong and he didn’t want to look like a fool and certainly didn’t want Junior to get annoyed with him so…

He’d moved too. He and Suzanne. Packed up their house and he’d gotten a new job away from the kids he’d been coaching for years and they never talked about it with Junior, never wanted him to feel like it was his fault but his son wasn’t stupid. He would’ve thought that he made the connection between the bullying and the change of scenery, as it were. 

And then there was hockey, another sport for him to learn enough so he could at least understand what was going on and offer tentative tips, and Samwell and taking out a loan to cover what Junior’s scholarship didn’t and flying up to see at least some of the games and he’s tried to keep things as normal as possible after Jack. Tried to make it obvious that nothing had changed. That he viewed his son exactly the same. But even that hadn’t been enough.

He looks down where he’s holding his paper plate filled with post-Church snacks and realizes he’s crumpling it. But he can’t quite get his hand to loosen. Kids these days. And even thinking that made him feel old but it was true. Kids these days want everything spoken aloud, everything talked about, all mushy, like actions don’t count for anything anymore. It just-- he could count on one hand the number of times his daddy had ever said anything like “I love you” or “I’m proud of you” but he still knew it was true. Of course he knew. His father attended as many of his football games as he could and shook his hand on his wedding day, offered him a cigar when Eric was born...

And, really, he thought he had been being pretty obvious. Right after the Cup, he had started talking about Jack’s goal and his great game and congratulating him and he thought that was clear enough. That if Jack was important to Junior, than he would care about Jack’s sport as much as he could. And then he flew up to see Junior on a week where he could see Junior’s game and they could watch Jack’s game together too. Sure, he referred to Jack as Junior’s friend, but he… he didn’t know if boyfriend was the right word or if they were using partner and, okay, okay maybe it was easier to say “friend”, at least at first. Which, okay, was wrong. But also Junior didn’t even seem to hear the rest of what he was saying. He had gone up there and complimented Jack and Jack’s team and how Jack and Junior worked together and had thought he was being obvious about starting to invite Jack over for Christmas and somehow Junior still ended up yelling at him in the car. 

His mouth twists at that. That had been… not good. Not only because Junior had been hurt and crying, but because he’d been angry and yelled and he was pretty sure he mentioned that he had had to find out through the TV, like some stranger and he…

You weren’t supposed to tell your kids when they hurt your feelings. He knows that. He’s… he’s not allowed to get his feelings hurt, anyway, from the sounds of it. From the reading he’s done in the days he’s been back. The internet says that coming out is a personal thing and everyone makes their own decision and, according to most websites, it’s probably his fault. His and Suzanne’s for not being more openly supportive of people when Junior was growing up. For making him feel like he couldn’t tell them. And he doesn’t-- well, he doesn’t remember ever saying anything blatantly rude like that, he figures he’s usually a live and let live type, but apparently all those little things-- microaggressions, the internet calls ‘em-- apparently those add up. 

So, again, his fault. 

He shifts and swings his head to find Suzanne. It only takes him a moment; his eyes are long used to flicked through a crowd to find someone just her size with that specific hair color. She’s laughing, chatting with Ruby, and from the looks of it, he’s still got a while. Which is fine. He could go find one of the guys to chat with and, as the local football coach, there’s plenty of chatting he could do but he--

He looks as Suzanne and wonders instead. If her feelings are still a little hurt by Junior’s way of telling them. If she feels old and forgotten and replaced by all those friends he’s got up at college. The ones who knew first.

He pops a cookie in his mouth. Feels his stomach twist up as his mind flashes once again to that dumb car ride. And really, how was he supposed to know Junior even cared about his opinion anymore? He had all those friends and Jack and all the Falconers who all spoke out about it afterwards and there had been pictures with Jack’s parents who were there and clearly knew and Eric hadn’t even called them after. Not for hours and hours. 

He can’t help but think it wasn’t right. Suzanne had been beside herself with worry and called him over and over and Richard thought he was pretty okay, but he didn’t like when someone hurt Suzanne. Especially not Junior. Those two talked nearly every day, it seemed to him, and it was a hell of a time for his son to suddenly be so irresponsible with his mama’s feelings. 

He takes a breath. Lets it go. Those two have clearly made up and there’s no point in fighting someone else’s battle especially if they didn’t seem too torn up about it anymore. 

He wishes he had remembered that during the car ride. That he was better at not reacting with anger sometimes. At not getting all defensive. Then maybe the car ride would’ve gone smoother. Maybe that whole mess could have been avoided. And he wouldn’t still feel so embarrassed and guilty about it even though he thinks that maybe he’d finally gotten the message through on his way to the airport. 

Yes, thank God, at least that went well. He’s pretty sure. So Junior’s good with Suanne and good with him and Jack is coming down for Christmas so that’s that.

To be honest, he isn’t quite sure what to do next. Junior seems to watch him to talk and ask about Jack, but the internet said to treat the relationship just like any other and he isn’t sure he had been planning on talking to Junior much about girls except for maybe a quick check that they were being safe and he was being honorable and perhaps a “Is she expecting a ring?” or “Seems about time you went out and got one” talk. That’s about all he and his daddy had done. 

Other things he’s doing now-- reading up about things on the internet and planning to maybe pop over to the GSA at the high school when he thinks the other coaches can run the beginning of practice without him -- those things don’t come up in conversation much. At least not naturally. So there is no way to tell Junior. Not that he wants to. Would sound too much like bragging or trying to get points for doing the basics. Which, again, the internet tells him is bad. 

Watch gay movies (queer cinema, he says in his head, trying it out from what he’d read) is next. He has to make sure he looked completely comfortable with Junior and Jack kissing and the like when they came for Christmas. Luckily, the internet has a list of ones available on Netflix. Though, he’s not sure he’s supposed to talk to Junior about those either. He found one tweet or something in his search that seemed to imply that parents telling or asking their gay children about gay movies is awkward. Like assuming they all know each other. 

There seems to be a mighty fine line between not acknowledging that your kid is gay enough and talking about it too much and making them feel all different. It’s a shame he can’t ask Junior for some advice. But he’s already done enough damage. He’ll have to figure this out on his own. He had spoken disparagingly of parades and rainbows in the car because, sonuvabitch, that seems like a hellish way to spend a Saturday, what with the noise and the heat and people all crammed into a small area like that, but if… well if it would help Junior feel better, he could probably do it. For a couple hours. Maybe. 

He’ll have to talk to Junior directly more, he decides. Not just wait for major updates to come through Suzanne. He’ll have to--

“Hey, hon,” Suzanne says, stepping in front of him. He blinks and refocuses his eyes and wonders what brought her over. He doesn’t think it’s been as long as she usually stays. “You okay?”

“Wha- yeah,” he says. “Why?”

“Just checking,” she says. “You were just looking pretty intense, that’s all.”

“Just thinking about plans and stuff,” he replies. Not a lie. 

“Plans?”

“Football stuff,” now he’s lying. “Game was sloppy yesterday. Gotta tighten up.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” she says, patting his arm. She knows more about football than people assume and she can talk strategy with him when he needs to, but she’s not about to do it in Church. Sometimes she gets enough gossip here to last her the week. 

“You ready to go?” she asks.

“If you want,” he replies. “I can stay longer if you want to talk to--”

“No, no,” she says. “You were up at Samwell this week. Let’s head back.”

He nods and accepts it when her path to the exit leads them through the center of the room rather than around the outskirts. There are hugs and kisses on the cheek and he nods and says goodbye when prompted and they are just about out when--

“Oh, the Bittles!” It’s Martha. Her last name escapes him at the moment but it’s not a big deal. He waits for Suzanne to finish her hug and then he leans down and gives her a polite hug as well. “How are you two holding up?”

“Just fine,” Suzanne says. Richard bobs his head up and down in agreement. “Did Todd make it today?”

“I’m afraid not. He’s got that new job so he’s just been busy, busy, busy!”

“Oh well, send him our love,” Suzanne says effortlessly. “And we certainly know what it means to be a bit busy. Especially this time of year!.”

“Oh yes,” Martha says. “It’s always like school starts up again and then suddenly it’s Christmas!”

“With somehow a thousand stressful football games in the middle.”

“Seems the weeks get shorter every year,” Richard adds which is what he always adds during this conversation. 

“And the football games get longer,” Suzanne stage-whispers to Martha where it gets its usual short laugh and Richard shrugs to say ‘What can you do?’ and he’s pretty sure they have a clear shot to the door once they finish this one. 

“Speaking of,” Suzanne continues and here it is, her exit strategy. “This one’s got to get home to plan for next Saturday so…”

“Of course, of course,” Martha says, waving them on. “Good luck!” and that should be the end of it, except Martha leans in one last time to Suzanne, speaks softly enough that Richard knows the comment wasn’t really meant for him at all, and says:

“We’ve been praying for you, you know. You and little Dicky.”

Suzanne’s smile goes a bit off-center but she is turning the lean into a quick goodbye hug already and moving and--

“Praying for Junior?” Richard finds himself saying. His blood has gone a bit cold somehow. “Why?”

Maybe he meant it to come out confused and dumb-like. It doesn’t. It comes out like he actually meant it: accusatory. Barely polite. 

Martha freezes. Suzanne sort of looks at him, her eyes flashing a bit of a warning. He doesn’t know if it’s to not cause drama or to just ignore it but he does neither of those things. He just stands and waits for her answer. 

“Well,” Martha says, glancing quickly around, probably to check who is listening. No one really appears to be so far. He hadn’t actually spoken that loudly. “Well, you know, with the… the… you know.”

“No, I don’t,” he says. Suzanne is definitely glaring at him a bit now.

“We’re not judging,” Martha is saying, voice almost a whisper. “We love Dicky. We do. We’re just keeping him in our prayers while he works through…”

She fades out or at least Richard doesn’t hear if she says more because all he can hear is his son worrying that he is messed up somehow, that he needs to be fixed, that he’s anything less than perfect.

“My son,” Richard starts and it’s a bit of a fight to keep his voice even. He clears his throat and tries again. “My son is the captain of his college hockey team, is graduating this May, and is currently dating someone who makes him very happy. A man. His boyfriend. My son’s boyfriend makes him very happy. He just told me. He is very happy.”

Richard takes a breath. Now people are looking. Not everyone, he hadn’t been talking quite loud enough to cause that, but people near them are looking and Martha’s mouth is sort of hanging open and, actually, Suzanne looks a bit shocked himself and suddenly Richard is very aware that he does not want to be the center of attention anymore. If ever. 

“I- Well I--” Martha tries to start up again but Richard cannot even express how much he does not want to hear it. 

“I reckon you should save your prayers for those who actually need ‘em,” Richard says. “Which doesn’t include my boy.”

He moves then. He doesn’t care what she has to say or what anyone else has to say, and, God help him, he doesn’t even know if he cares what Suzanne has to say, not if it’s something negative or worried about the gossip he just started. He just nods one last time at her because that’s what he does when he walks away from someone and takes a few quick strides out of the room. Then it’s down the hall and hang a left and there.

Outside. 

That’s a bit better. Suzanne is right. It does get too hot in there. 

He’s just sort of standing there, taking deep breaths, calming down, hands on his hips, when suddenly an arm links through his. 

He waits a beat before looking down at Suzanne.

Her grin is blinding.

“You are brilliant,” she says, standing on her tip-toes and that’s his cue to lean over for a kiss on the cheek and he can feel a blush coming on (Junior thinks he gets that from his Mama, but that’s all Bittle). “Brilliant! I wish I had a picture of her face. God, she’s been saying that shit-- excuse my language, Jesus-- that shit for months and I’ve just been ignoring it and you! You just… Brilliant!”

She is bouncing and happy and they walk to the car, arm in arm, like back when they were dating and, alright, let’s not throw a parade or anything, he tells her, well aware that he’s still blushing, but--

It’s a start.  

#check please #check please fanfiction #look whos writing again #also i already have TWO MORE ideas about bitty and his relationship with coach changing after this #i shall try to write them ASAP #lest i forget #my fic #richard bittle #coach bittle #canon compliant #bittle familiy feels #coach is a guy trying to do better #also is he just a fictionalized version of my father?? #sources say maybe #suzanne bittle #she is also here though not in a major way

[isitgintimeyet]

Road To The Aisles

AO3

Previous

I hope you have all had a great Christmas and wishing you a Happy New Year. After a short hiatus last weekend, this story is now back, picking up where we left them

Hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the feedback on this story. I do appreciate it.

Thanks as always to @mo-nighean-rouge, @happytoobserve, @wickedgoodbooks for all their support.

16. A Considered Countermeasure

‘It wasn’t until ten years ago that they replaced trial by ordeal with trial by lawyer, and that was only because they found that lawyers were nastier.'

Terry Pratchett - The Fifth Elephant

It was a bleary-eyed Jamie who made his way downstairs the next morning. The night had been a mixed bag as far as he was concerned. The good points were obvious -- naked Claire in the shower, quickly followed by naked Claire on the… well, not quite on the bed. They hadn’t managed to get that far, more like naked Claire on the patch of carpet just inside their bedroom.

Totally spent, Jamie had crawled into bed and succumbed to a deep, almost comatose slumber, only to be woken by Claire’s elbow nudging him in the ribs and mumbling in a sleep-filled voice that his son was awake and needed tending.

William’s demands had disturbed Jamie’s sleep twice more. With a clean nappy and a full belly, he had seemed to be looking for physical comfort from his father. Sitting on the rocking chair, Jamie had cuddled the baby against the bare skin of his chest until William’s whimpering ceased and his eyelids closed before gingerly placing him back in his cot, handling him as carefully as an unexploded bomb and tiptoeing back to his bedroom to spoon Claire once more.

Jamie couldn’t help but smile at the memory of his and Claire’s shower damp bodies joining together. Their passion so great that even the two yards to their bed had been too long a distance to bridge. He rubbed his hip through the thin fabric of his sleep shorts, wincing slightly. Carpet burns were an occupational hazard with ‘al fresco’ passion, but well worth it. He wondered if Claire’s knees had suffered the same fate.

He could hear Claire pottering about in the kitchen over the sound of the radio playing a Spice Girls’ track. She was oblivious as he opened the door and stood there watching her gyrate her hips in time to ‘Wannabe’ as she stared into the fridge. William studied his father over her shoulder, a slightly furrowed brow denoting, in Jamie’s mind, the baby’s bemusement at their Sassenach’s antics.

Having clearly found what she was looking for, she shut the fridge and spun around.

“Zigazig ah -- oh, Jamie, you startled me. How long have you been standing there?” She handed a chilled toy to William who immediately put it in his mouth and began to gnaw ferociously on it.

“No’ long, Sassenach, jes’ enough tae enjoy the cabaret with ye shaking yer booty.” He yawned and stretched. “Why did ye no’ wake me up?”

“We thought we’d let you sleep in. It must have been quite a tiring night for you, what with William and everything…”

“Aye… everything…”

Jamie took William from her. “And ye’ve changed him too.”

“Yes, all fed and watered. I think he’s teething. That's why he wasn’t too good in the night. Look how red his cheek is… and the dribble. That teething ring’s been in the fridge so it’s nice and cool on his gums.”

“Plenty of dribble, right enough.”

Jamie glanced at his bare shoulder, now sprayed with a layer of William’s drool. He lifted the baby above his head and stared him in the eye. “Ye’re a wee tyke, are ye no?”

William took the ring from his mouth, smiled and watched as a line of drool slowly descended onto his father’s face.  

Claire laughed. “Go and take a shower. Then you can go and get those croissants that John likes so much. We may well be owing him big time.”

“Geneva’s still not rung. She kens the bairn is fine. She kens exactly what I want to talk to her about. Christ, I’m going tae try her again.”

Jamie handed the baby back to Claire and stalked out of the kitchen.

************

William, safe in his father’s lap, stared solemnly across the table at John. No amount of face pulling could induce a smile as he chewed his teething ring.

“Have ye no’ a smile fer yer Uncle John, William?” Jamie asked as he wiped the baby’s chin. “Ye ken him well.”

John grinned and waggled his fingers, with no acknowledgement from the baby.

���Claire reckons he’s teething.” Jamie spoke apologetically to his friend.

“No ‘reckon’ about it, he is teething. Trust me, I’m a doctor.” Claire playfully punched Jamie’s arm.

John laughed. “Don’t worry, Jamie. William’s wise to be suspicious when there’s lawyers about. So, tell me again, what did Geneva say when you spoke to her?”

Jamie sighed. “Weel, she wouldna confirm or deny anything about moving. She did say that there were changes with the PR company she works fer and that she would let us know as soon as there was anything to tell. But if she thinks I’m going tae sit back and let her take ma son away without a fight, she is sorely mistaken.”

Instinctively, Jamie pulled William closer to him and kissed the soft red down on his head. The baby squirmed against his father’s arms, trying to break free from the tight embrace. Jamie relaxed his hold and William immediately stilled once more, now content in his father’s lap, let his teething ring drop to the floor and began to try to fit his fist into his mouth.

John studied their interaction over the rim of his coffee mug. An unknown feeling crept over him, settling in his stomach. Mixed in with his usual, deeply hidden lust and longing for Jamie came a sense of… John struggled to identify it… of yearning and even broodiness. That image across the table from him -- the familiar muscled body and strong features of the man John had known, and longed for, for years but now in a different, and possibly even more attractive role, as a father.

John was momentarily overwhelmed by the depth of this emotion. He wanted to be part of this picture, to be part of this family. Not to replace Claire, he liked and respected Claire and realised she was a worthy partner for Jamie. It was just sometimes so hard… he wanted what Claire had got. Perhaps it was time he reevaluated his life style, looked for something more substantial that his meaningless flings, found a partner, a home, maybe even a baby.

John blushed as he realised how intent his stare had been. He shrugged and tried to make light of it. “Poor little chap, being told to smile at a strange lawyer when you’re in pain. I certainly wouldn’t want to.”

John paused and pulled a small notepad from his leather messenger bag. He flicked over a few pages before finding what he was looking for.

“Right, so, I had a quick chat with Ned Gowan after you rang last night. He said to tell you that even though he was giving advice to you through me, he, most generously, wouldn’t be billing you for it. And that he hoped that he won’t be seeing you in his office any time soon.”

Jamie grimaced. “Me neither, John. So, what’s the score?”

“Well, it’s not the simplest, but, if Geneva does decide to move away and take William, there are things you can do. If she wants to move abroad she definitely does need your consent.”

Jamie gave a slight sigh of relief.

“Wait,” John continued. “That’s for outside the UK. She can move away in this country without your consent-“

“That’s no’ right. I am his father. I should have some rights.”

Jamie passed the baby to Claire. He leant forward in his chair and ran his fingers through his ginger curls. He screwed his mouth up in disgust at his perceived view of the legal system.

“And you do. In this case, Ned would apply to the courts for an emergency Prohibited Steps Order to stop the move or delay it significantly. What Geneva would probably do then would be to apply for a Specific Issues Order to allow the move.”

“And the courts would have tae decide?”

“Yes.” John nodded.

“Weel, I’m sure they’d be in favour of the mother.” Jamie’s shoulders fell perceptibly.

“Not necessarily. They would be considering William’s best interests with any move, not any career advancement of Geneva’s. And the fact that you have joint custody and…”

John looked across at the baby on Claire’s lap. William was watching his father intently.

“... and are a hands-on and fully involved father would certainly be included in their decisions.”

“So, what do we do now?” Claire spoke quietly, placing a reassuring hand on Jamie’s knee.

“Now,” John replied. “We wait. We can’t do anything until Geneva says something. And remember, it’s not even definite yet.”

Jamie wiped his hand across his face. “Ye ken she’ll be willing tae take this all the way, to the courts if need be.”

“She didn’t go to court before.” Claire reminded him.

“Aye, But that was different. She kent she would have tae lie on oath then. There’d be no lying involved this time… jes’ Geneva going all out tae get what she wants, as per usual. And with her mother backing her up all the way.”

John glanced at his watch. “You don’t know that yet. Look, don’t worry about it yet. We have plans in place. And now, I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Hot date, is it, John?”

John reddened slightly. “Yes, actually. Well, just a date, nothing serious.”

He thought about his earlier feelings of yearning and broodiness. Time, perhaps, for a change.

***************

Jamie tried to push any thoughts of Geneva from his mind and enjoy his weekend with William.

The parent and baby swimming session was a real success as far as Jamie was concerned. Initially a bit grumpy as his father got him ready, William gradually relaxed once in the water, enjoying the freedom of movement and not even minding as the water splashed around his face.

At first, Jamie had felt a bit out of place in the predominantly female group but quickly forgot that awkwardness as he focussed on his son. He was occasionally aware of female eyes on him, their gaze raking over his body. But this was generally fleeting as the mothers quickly turned their attention back to the babies.

Driving home with a sleeping William in the back of the car, Jamie reflected on the success of the swimming lesson. He hoped this would become a regular activity, one that Claire could share, perhaps every fortnight when they had William on a Sunday — Jamie’s stomach suddenly turned over unpleasantly.For how long, though? What if Geneva…? He couldn’t bear to think of that possibility.

It was ironic, he told himself. When Geneva first told him that she was pregnant, it was almost the worst news he had ever received. Only the death of his mother had been a bigger blow. He had never asked, or even contemplating asking, Geneva about an abortion, but just wished, with all his heart, that the situation would somehow magically disappear. It was only when he heard the foetal heartbeat for the first time that he felt a warmth towards this new life. A warmth which increased and expanded into this deep, deep love.

And now… now, the thought of William not being part of his life was almost more than he could bear.

He didn’t mention these worries to Claire. It was as if, by saying them out loud, he was making them a reality.

***********

On Monday evening, Jamie had just put William -- freshly bathed and clad in a Winnie the Pooh sleepsuit -- in his cot for the night, when his phone rang. Jamie stepped into his bedroom to answer it.

Geneva’s voice was crisp and business-like.

“Hello. Is William doing ok?”

“Aye, he’s champion. Jes’ gone tae sleep now. Nae problem. Why are ye ringing?” Jamie asked nervously.

Geneva hesitated for a moment. “I thought I should tell you straight away. I’ve been offered a promotion at work… it’s in Manchester.”

#outlander fanfiction #outlander fanfic #Road To The Aisles #Jamie Fraser #claire beauchamp #chapter 16

[trashbinbackyard]

so many good questions aaaaaa but uhh 1-10, 15-24, 26, 33, 39, 49, 50 for ivana and hecca wadda hell, if you want you can toss in a zoe too for the milf trifecta

bad milf, goth milf and jock milf

How old are they?

Ivana is in her late 40′s, 47-49 

Hecca is quite young, around 90

Zoe is nearing/is in her sixties. I’m bad with specific ages saddvggeqheth

What gender are they?

Trans woman

Trans woman

Cis woman

What is their romantic/sexual orientation?

Demiromantic lesbian

Pansexual

Lesbian

How tall are they?

She’s huge, 195cm

She’s even huge’er, 210cm

Not as tall but still pretty tall: 182

What do they look like?

Like she’s had seven facelifts, very narrow face with noticeable cheekbones, topping off the cinched face look is a tall skinny ponytail, she’s lean, no way skinny noodle but not heavily muscular either

She’s albino, white skin and feathers, quite broad shoulders, she’s had few surgeries, on her chest and hips/butt to get an hourglass shape

She’s got a rectangular body shape, she’s wide as shit and muscular, thighs that can crush a watermelon and biceps the size of rihura’s thigh

What are their defining features?

Tall and narrow

She thicc

Wide smile and cross scar on her forehead

Does their name have a meaning?

Nah

Came across Hecca on alien name generator and thought it sounded close to hecate and thats neat

nah

What family do they have?

Mom and pops somewhere, probably not in talking mood, she visits them like once a year

Mom and dad back in homeworld, cut off, she’s raising her girl on her own

Both parents dead, nothing traumatic, just old age

Do they have a good relationship with their family?

It’s not As Bad as you might first think, but its not great either, she’s a difficult person to be around and she got it from one of her parents, she drops by once in a blue moon just to check they’re all good, no warm family dinners there

She was cut out from the family for running off to outer rim and and then she got a baby, and she just doesn’t want to make contact again, she’s trying to make it on her own

She still talks with her ex Nina and their son. Her relationship with their son is getting better by the month now that she has time to work on it

If not, why not?

She just comes from a weird family

She wanted to do her own thing, didn’t wanna stay and study, nor did she want to marry, got some pressure from her parents and sibling so she just left it all

Ngl she wasn’t that great of a wife or parent for a while, she never had bad intentions but some people just dont have it in them at the moment to be the best

Who is their best friend?

Idk if she even has friends, Hecca once was but now the two barely speak

She’s got a small friend group she hangs around with when she got free time

Reno, for decades, been through thick and thin with him

Do they have any enemies?

Plenty, criminals prolly dont like someone competent leading a force made just for catching them

Not really, she likes minding her own business

The pigs

Who is the person they hate most in the world?

She has special place in her cold dead heart for Ipes

No one really, she doesn’t like Ivana but she doesn’t quite hate her

No special enemies here

Do they have any love/hate relationships?

Every relationship with her is a love/hate one, though the love part is hard to point out

Again, she doesn’t really hate anyone

Ivana, she respects her fellow high rankers but she just makes it so hard

Have they ever fallen in love?

Sure

Few times

Absolutely

Who is the person they love the most in the world?

She and Hecca had their difficulties but she would never wish harm on her or her baby

Her girl, Ineqira, or ini for short

Her son, Malcolm, Reno

Does that person love them back?

Not really

Absolutely

Her son not so much as she loves him but they’re trying, Reno absolutely

Have they ever hurt or lost anyone?

Yes and yes, most of the time by just being inconsiderate and brash, few times seen a comrade kick the bucket

Her family, she didn’t take joy in leaving

Yes, hurt her ex and son, lost comrades and it did hurt her too to see adele gone

Are they a good shoulder to cry on?

No, she would just advice bottling up any feelings and then just throwing them into the ocean, or go start a fight in bar, she dont give a shit

Yes, she puts up a brave face to seem tough but she’s pretty emotionally intelligent

Not really? Like she tries but all she can really offer is a listening ear, but sometimes that’s all you need

Are they well liked?

Respected? Yes. Liked? Not really.

She’s pleasant, though she can be bit brash and not for everyone’s tastes

Kinda? Again it takes a certain type of person to be able to handle her company, but she’s not mean or anything she’s just very loud and a hothead

Are they an affectionate person?

No

Yes

She tries, oh my god does she try

Do they like themselves?

She’s just fine with herself, doesn’t hate or love necessarily, doesn’t spend too much time dwelling on it or else she would have to face the fact that she’s not a good person

Yes, she likes what’s she’s got going on, loves being a mom, after few surgeries she also loves how she looks

Yup, though there’s room for improvement

How do they react to criticism?

Most of the time just brush it off, unless it’s big boss Orion telling her off, then she better listen

If she was open to it she’ll take it in, but otherwise just brush it off, but if it hurt really bad then try to brush it off with a tub of space ben and jerrys

Again, depending on who’s it coming from, but she always makes a point to remember all valid ones, if a cop tells her she’s doing something wrong she’s most likely to just go ask Reno or Very Big Boss Of Bounty Hunters Who I will make someday what they think about it

What is their job?

Bounty hunter commander of Outer rim, still does active duty

She runs a laundromat

Bounty hunter commander, though slightly less important than Reno in the office, she deals with third parties like cops, navy and individuals outside of the force

Do they enjoy their job?

Yup, she gets to boss people around And shoot

Yep, she likes the chill work it is to just watch over the register and help customers choose the right laundry sauce if needed. Her place is also a very much no-tell bc if she sees someone bring a basket of bloody clothes she just wants to stay out of it

Yes, she’s worked had to earn her title and loves working with Reno, also loves telling pigs off and disappointing anyone who wanted to meet just Reno

#fun fact #ivana and hecca met at the laundromat #back when ivana was more hand to hand with bounties and needed to wash some blood off her coat #me writing this: oh my god ivana is bad person #she's got her morals straight but she's just genuinely unpleasant to be around #meanwhile hecca is pretty nice #she's not wholesome bean either but compared to ivana it sure seems that way #space shitstorm #is-that-what-i-think-it-is