Tumgik
#what a lovely experience - all to being my dear wally to life!!
smile-files · 11 months
Text
here's my wally puppet - in action!!!
as you can see, he isn't perfect - his mouth is a bit odd and his hair isn't big enough - but i'm very proud of him all the same! using lots of time, energy, felt, and love, i sewed up this little fellow in a few hours... and considering how he's my first real puppet (as opposed to a sock puppet), and how he was made with a non-standard method (not an inch of foam in his fuzzy body!), i think he turned out just delightful!! don't you? :)
17 notes · View notes
peaceofflights · 1 year
Text
“What’s Three Years in the Eyes of Eternity?”
Rated: T for swearing, drug use, making out, slight references to sex.
Warning: slight age gap relationship. (And I made Wally 18).
Pairings: Wally Clark x Reader, Slight Wally Clark x Maddie Nears
Word Count: 4,000 (dear lord how did that happen.)
A/N: Honeslty I love this series and wanted to add some of my own stuff. It’s definitely not beta read so you have been warned. Might go back and edit later, but if I’m being honest probably not. If people like it I’m thinking of making it into a series.
Tumblr media
Even though you knew a lot of people who went to Split River High you always felt lucky that you didn’t have to be one of them. Though you wouldn’t call yourself exceptionally talented, growing up in musical theatre gave you a certain edge compared to your peers and landed you across town at an arts school for “gifted” children when it came time for highschool. Before death you could count all the times you had been to the public highschool on one hand, all of which had been to see your brother’s football games. It felt like a long shot when you applied to teach the school’s summer camp of guys and dolls, but when you actually got the job it felt like a weight lifted off your shoulders.
Then again they did pull a weight off your shoulders… well the majority of the catwalk when it collapsed and crushed you to death, but that’s a technicality. Being 21 is hard enough, but being 21 for eternity surrounded by high schoolers, that’s your own personal hell.
Don’t take it the wrong way, all the ghosts were nice enough. You’d think because you and Mina had similar death experiences you would be fast friends…unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Due to her young age you and Mina seemed to only have a love for the arts in common. And unlike you, her accidental death seemed to make Mina bitter, never leaving the theater. Even though the theater felt most like home to you it made the place unbearable to be in, leaving you to roam the halls.
Most days were spent goofing off with Charley. He was a good kid, he reminded you a lot of your friends in highschool. You both liked to think that if you had been in school at the same time you would have been inseparable, but who really knows.
It took Rhonda some time to get used to you. Since you’re both known for a dry sense of humor it took a while to figure out if you were joking or insulting the other. Even still people couldn’t figure out if you were friends or sworn enemies… and honestly you two liked keeping it that way.
Then there was Wally Clark.
Six foot three golden retriever disguised as a jock Wally Clark. It’s funny because you spent your whole life making fun of football players and now you're trapped in purgatory with one. One that was funny, and smart, and always knew how to make you smile. Who if you actually were honest with yourself is the best part of being stuck at Split River High.
It didn’t matter what you two were doing whether it was golf cart joyriding, smoking the weed you found in some weird stoners kids’ lockers, or even learning the moves to dirty dancing (which for some reason there is a copy of stashed in the teacher’s lounge). Life with Wally was good.
But that didn’t change the fact that he was 18.
Something you reminded him of quite often, though Wally always seemed to have his own comebacks.
“What’s three years in the eyes of eternity?”
Or
“Technically I was born in the sixties… I’m older than you.”
Or his personal favorite;
“Can you shut up so we can make out already?”
Yeah, Wally Clark was probably the love of your after life… he just didn’t need to know that. It didn’t matter how many times you turned him down he always came back, patiently waiting for when you would be ready to say yes. It was your routine, and you were more than happy to keep it that way. But I guess Maddie Nears was the day that changed.
—————————
“y/n/n, y/n/n, y/n/n”
You could already hear Wally running down the hall calling your nickname even before he turned the corner. You couldn’t help but laugh and play along.
“Wally, Wally, Wally.”
Suddenly you two were standing face to face, maybe just a step too close for dramatic effect. His over the top waving at you made you crack a smile, making you completely miss the small blonde standing behind him.
“Y/N there is someone I’d like you to meet… Y/N, Maddie, Maddie, Y/N.”
Your smile dropped for all of half a second before you forced it back onto your face. New ghosts might not come very often but they definitely stuck around so you needed to make a good impression. You reached out to shake her hand, she took it and smiled.
She took in your appearance for a moment before cracking a joke; “what are you? Some kind of camp counselor?” Gesturing to your tie dyed shirt and jean shorts.
“Um, yeah actually.” You replied, scratching the back of your head.
You both awkwardly laughed, shifting your weight from side to side, waiting for the conversation to be over. It was clear you two weren’t about to be best friends. But it was one ghost, not much in your life was going to change.
——————————
It felt like your whole life had changed. In the span of a week you went from having your friends whenever you wanted them, to feeling like Maddie was taking up all of their time.
You weren’t dumb, you knew Maddie was going to need friends here too, and if you looked at it objectively there were only so many options for her to choose from. It was stupid to feel jealousy when they hadn’t really gone anywhere at all. It’s not like any of you could roam too far.
But your days spent gossiping with Charley were now spent reading books in the library. And nights of golf carting with Wally were now spent laying alone on the football field gazing at the stars. Even Rhonda seemed too busy for you, all three seemingly absorbed in Maddie’s recent murder.
You were currently on your way to see what Dawn was up to when you heard a familiar sound coming from a classroom.
But it couldn’t be.
You swore your ears were deceiving you until you heard a familiar voice say;
“You’re telling me you’ve never seen Dirty Dancing? Come on Maddie, it’s a classic!”
Your ears weren’t deceiving you at all! That was the sound of Hungry Eyes playing through one of the tv’s dragged into a classroom.
Look it shouldn’t have bothered you, it’s just a stupid movie. Well not a stupid at all, Dirty Dancing was one of the best movies of all time. Maddie was dumb for not having seen it in life, so obviously it was a must watch in her afterlife. But this wasn’t about the movie at all, but what it represented: this was yours and Wally’s movie. The movie you both knew every line to. The movie that you’ve spent years trying to learn the choreography to, and he was watching it with another girl.
“A classic? I don’t know if I would go that far. Was this movie even out when you were alive?”
You should’ve gone in there and yelled at him. You should have told him off for doing your special thing with somebody else. You should have at least listened outside the door to the rest of their conversation, but you didn’t.
——————————
Ever since Maddie joined your little group your life felt like it had been a whirlwind. You didn’t even realize just how much you were missing out on or how much time had passed until you walked into the school gymnasium.
“Shit, is it homecoming already!? I’m sorry Wally, how could I forget?” You exclaimed as you plopped down in front of the hand painted banner the crew was currently working on.
How could you have forgotten about the homecoming game? Despite the game not meaning anything to you, you knew it meant everything to Wally. Sure, you never went to a homecoming game while you were alive, but now that you knew how much it meant to him you spent every year making it as special to Wally as possible.
You along with the rest of the support group made sure to make him feel appreciated. With a homemade banner and decorations, Wally was well celebrated on his death date.
Plus it always made up for the fact that every year he asked you to the homecoming dance, and every year you said no.
“I’m 21, I don’t need to go to another shitty school dance.”
Or
“You really want to go to the dance with the school chaperone?”
So every year Wally went to every school dance alone. And every year you spent the night locked away in some random space blasting Hair or whatever music you could get your hands on.
It was better that way. It helped you keep some remembrance of your old life. It was often difficult to remember you had a life outside the school before you died. And it kept Wally from realizing that he could do so much better than you. The closer he got to you emotionally the more he’d notice he’s way better than the musical theatre dork you are. Even in your adult life you were a loser, you came back to teach summer camp because you couldn’t pay your bills.
“You okay cherry pop, or did the mere sight of lover boy’s ass send you into a coma?”
It wasn’t until you heard Rhonda’s snide remark that you were pulled out of your spiraling thoughts.
That’s when you realized that Wally had left the gym, with Maddie (figures), and you (probably) stared at his ass while he did.
“Hey, what's wrong with you lately? You seem even more moody and distant than usual, and that’s saying something coming from you.”
You shrugged at Rhonda’s words “I don’t really want to talk about.”
“You think I want to talk through your oh woe is me crap? Trust me I don’t. But I’m getting tired of dealing with everyone’s stupid problems by myself, so spill tootsie roll.”
Your second shrug of the conversation had Rhonda groaning, but quickly cut herself off when she realized what all this was about.
“That is what this is about? You know for a college girl you really are stupid. Do you really think Wally could ever replace you? That boy hasn’t stopped drooling since your heart stopped. If you were half as smart as you think you are you’d get your head out of your ass and finally go lay one on him.”
And just as quickly as the conversation with Rhonda started she was out of the door. But this time you knew your friend was right, you needed to fix the situation and fast.
—————————-
In a way you were killing two birds with one stone. There was no way you could go to the game in your t-shirt and shorts, for some reason even ghosts got cold. But looking at yourself in the bathroom mirror dressed in lost and found stolen jeans and Wally’s jacket you couldn’t help but feel confident.
You knew it was cheesy to show up to Wally’s football game wearing his letterman jacket and express your undying love for him. But you knew Wally, and he was absolutely going to love it.
You gave yourself one more once over before you decided to head out, trying to fix your forever slightly sweaty hair from the hot summer sun. This was it, this was your moment.
As the game started you quickly snuck out to the bleachers to hide out until the perfect moment. This part was nerve racking, but also probably your favorite. Watching Wally in his element was enduring and made you think about all the time you had missed out on by his side, all because you were too stubborn to tell him the truth. You ducked down as you saw him start to climb the bleachers to sit down next to his mother, but seemed to be caught by an entirely different ghost.
“Girl, I hardly recognized up here all by yourself in your-“
Charley cut himself off when he noticed what you were wearing.
“Has he seen it yet?” He asked with a special glint in his eyes.
Your cool and collected attitude was thrown out the window as the strong blush on your cheeks gave you away. “No, he hasn’t. I was waiting until he was done with his quality time with his mom to surprise him. It’s not too much is it? I know I should have just sat him down and told him-“
“No, no, no trust me, he’s going to love it. That boy is going to die when he sees you.”
“Hasn’t he already done that?” You softly laughed at your own joke, but Charley just deadpans at you, rubbing his temples dramatically like you’re the Bain of his existence.
“You’re gooood.” He quickly drops his annoyed act to smile warmly at you. “Wally lives for grand gestures, he might actually cry.”
You just smiled at your friend. He’s right about one thing, if Wally loves anything it’s a grand gesture, and now felt like the best time to do it, but as you scan the bleachers you realize he’s nowhere to be seen.
————————————
It felt like eternity until you finally found Wally. The game ended about thirty minutes prior when you finally see him walking behind the stadium, extra swagger to his step.
“Hey Wally! I’ve been looking for you all over! What’s got you in such a fantastic mood?” You giggled to yourself like a schoolgirl, this is it.
“I just asked Maddie to the homecoming dance and she said yes! You know as friends, I mean we’re going as friends. But she’s new and I figured it would be nice for her to know she has a friend In the afterlife. It also gives me someone to go to the dance with and -“ he continued to ramble on but you were no longer listening.
Your heart felt like it lived at the bottom of your stomach. It was silly of you to assume that he’d still want to go to the dance with you after how many times you’ve rejected him. It’s silly that at your age you want to go to the dance at all. These were things you never even thought about in your adult life, but here you were about to cry because some stupid 18 year old jock would rather go with a girl who was willing to immediately agree to a date with him instead of some bitch who’s turned him down how many times in the last fifteen years. Yes it all made perfect sense to you, but it didn’t stop you from wanting to cry yourself to sleep in the girls locker room.
“Hey, is that my jacket?” His words finally took hold in your ears.
“Um yeah!” You stuttered. “My clothes aren’t exactly weather appropriate, and I figured you wouldn’t need it tonight. I hope that was okay.”
“Yeah of course! That’s what friends are for!” He smiled, ruffling your hair before moonwalking out.
———————————
Of all the things you thought you would do this year, getting help from Mina wasn’t even on your metaphorical bingo sheet. But there you were, a hour before the dance having Mina help you sew together a dress fit for homecoming.
You thought it would take a lot more to get her to help you, but her assessment of the situation was simple.
“All technical work is underappreciated by the actors.”
You weren’t sure how that translated to your current conversation, but she wasn’t wrong. We were both stagehands, and stagehands stuck together.
With an extra set of hands putting together a dress wasn’t as difficult as you thought it would be, and for the first time since your death you were ready for the homecoming dance.
——————————
Running your fingers over your baby pink dress you spotted the others standing in a circle by the punch bowl. You wiped the sweat from your hands onto your bodice before making your way over to them. If you had a functioning heart it would be beating faster than ever before.
“Hey guys, fancy seeing you here” You smiled, stealing a sip of Charley’s drink. Your false sense of chill would make others believe you did this every year, but the tapping of your heel on the floor made it obvious that you did not.
“Fancy seeing you here? That’s all you’ve got to say? You look gorgeous!” Charley the ever kind soul that he is says, giving you a half hug in the process.
“You do baby cakes! Who knew you had such nice tits under all that tie dye.” Rhonda’s voice cracked in her signature vocal fry, pinching at your waist trying to get a better look at your figure.
“Mhm” You smiled. “I’ve missed out on a lot of these things. I definitely owe it to my friends to make up on some lost time.” You looked directly at Wally as you finished your sentence, he swallowed hard before averting his gaze. He quickly put on a false over the top smile and grabbed Maddie’s hand while she was taking a sip of her punch. “Come on Maddie let’s dance!”
———————————
Wally POV
Wally laughed as he tossed and turned Maddie around the room flamboyantly, but couldn’t help but watch you through the corner of his eye sighing into your punch as you twirl your pinky finger along the glass.
“You know I think you came with the wrong girl.” Maddie said, breaking Wally from his trance.
“What?”
“Ever since she walked into the room you can’t stop staring at her. It’s clear that you like her. Wally we came as friends, if you want to go ask her to dance it’s not going to hurt my feelings.”
Wally wiggled Maddie’s arms with humor but the look on his face was anything but.
“It doesn’t matter how I feel about her, she’s made it very clear she’s not interested. Do you know how many times she’s turned me down in the last fifteen years? Way too many times for me to deem her into me.” He stated as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“All I’m saying is that a girl doesn’t wear your jacket to your death date and show up to a dance she’s never once wanted to go to unless she’s at least a little bit interested.”
“Or something like that.” Wally replied back before smacking his happy go lucky façade back on attempting to teach Maddie his moonwalk moves.
———————
Y/N POV
That’s when you heard it, your song.
“And this one was requested by that weird kid, you know who you are. Next time put on a tie.” The dj said dramatically in the annoying voice only dj’s are allowed to talk in.
“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” begins to vibrate through the gym as Maddie Nears comes to stand next to you.
“I had Simon request the song for you.” Maddie says simply looking off into the distance with you at Wally and the rest of your friends across the room, you had been too busy sulking to sit with them.
“I know it’s kind of your guy’s song.” She continues; “ I figured you two could use a little push.”
You're immediately puzzled. “How did you-“
“That dude is absolutely obsessed with you.” She smiled. “Plus when we watched the movie he wouldn’t shut up about the fact that it was your favorite and you guys had spent the last fifteen years memorizing the choreography, it only felt right.”
You gave her a big hug before whispering in her ear “thank you”.
“Now hurry up” she laughed, “This song is only like five minutes long.”
You rolled your eyes at her before making your way across the room. Yes, this was dramatic, and yes it should have embarrassed you, but for once it didn’t. When you finally made it across what felt like an ocean of people you tapped Wally on the shoulder even though he was already looking at you, stretched out your hand and said;
“Nobody puts Baby in a corner”
Wally smiled before shaking his head and grabbed your hand leading to the middle of the dance floor.
It didn’t matter that the song was already halfway over, you started your choreography regardless, laughing the whole way through it. Every part of it felt like a flirtatious inside joke. It made you realize just how much you missed your best friend. You held him as close to you as you could in peaceful silence until he stepped back from you three steps nodding his head. This of course was the best part so you nodded back and started stepping backwards.
As he lovingly put it each time, if you fell you fell. He would always break your fall, you were both dead anyway. However, just like actual Johnny and Baby you had practiced the move in the pool countless times before you got it right. Now despite the time away from the routine you trusted that both of you knew this lift like the back of your hand, and you were not disappointed when you got a running head start into your jump and were caught gracefully by a strong set of arms.
When Wally placed you down onto the ground again he smiled, pulling you as close as humanly possible.
“You know, I always thought the point of us learning this dance was so we could pull it out at every school function and show all these other losers who’s who.” He laughed clearly, making a joke out of the unspoken.
“They can’t see us anyway” You smirked, resting your arms around his shoulders. “But you're right, I’m sorry it took me this long to come to the dance with you.”
“Sweetheart, have you already forgotten? Maddie is my date to dance.” He smiled, lovingly pushing you away before grabbing you again as fast as he could.
“But I can give you the next best thing,” he said, looking down at you. “Be my date next year?”
“I can do you one better,” You smiled. “Go to prom with me?”
“I don’t knowwwww darling, might bring down my popularity to go to the prom with a chaperone.”
“Hey Wally?” You boink him very lightly on the nose. “Can you shut up so we can make out already?”
You didn’t have to tell him twice. His mouth was on yours in less time than you had to take a breath. Immediately you feel like you need to breathe but if lack of oxygen is your only problem right now then you’ll gladly take it.
His arms moved from rubbing up and down your arms to slowly being snaked around your waist pulling you in tight. You stayed wrapped up in his musky scent for what felt like eternity. You felt his hands slowly start to migrate south when you hear a low whistle from behind you.
“Alright kids break it up, nobody here wants to watch you two defile each other on top of the snack bar.” Of course Rhonda would be the one to break the two of you up after pawing at each other like cats in heat. But she was right about one thing, you definitely felt like a kid again in the best possible way.
“Haha laugh it up Rhonda, you’re just jealous. I know everyone wants to ride the pony.” He smirked, giving her a joking wink.
“Alright Stallion.” You said patting him on the shoulder. “Time to go.”
“Where are we going?” He asked as he intertwined his fingers with yours.
“The teacher’s lounge.” You said giving him a similar wink he just gave to your friends.
While you tried to catch your breath as he dragged you through the halls at dare you say a record pace, you realized Split River High might not be as bad as you thought
278 notes · View notes
romanticbat · 1 year
Note
HEY SORRY RETURNING BUT IDEA!
It's dark...about...3 am the tv is being all staticy as a hand comes out...followed by an entire wally who immediately freaks the fuck out and tries to get back inside banging on the glass screaming
...something is in there....something that's taken his form...its not him...whatever IT is could hurt his neighbors his friends and now...theres nothing he can do..at least at this rate
Turns out said dark house is owned by trans masc s\o who is also freaking out because there is a screaming puppet in his living room and he knocks it out with a pan
When wally wakes he is still...freaked out and he and s\o kinda get to know each other become friends...and wally gets to learn about and experience the real world! While trying to get back to his
Like season 3 of both the owl house and amphibia!
Also sorry if this was way too specific I just had....to say these words
If could make hcs or a One shot or...something that would be cool...
DON'T WORRY, I LIKED IT
(I don't even know how to title these hcs)
Tumblr media
Wally felt how his body was getting dragged to who knows where by god knows who, he inmediatly felt strange when it stopped, his body felt different, everything felt different, he was scared and when he looked at what was in front of him, he saw a tiny version of him... Sitting in a sofa and looking at him directly in the eyes, he screamed loudly than never, hoping that one of his dear neighbors came to his help but for his horror he was greeted by someone who looked nothing like any of his neighbors and looked a little much bigger than him... Which started to scream as loudly as him and hitted him with a pan after.
- It was strange, obviously, not everyday you get dragged to another dimension and not everyday a puppet from another dimension which is from your recently new interest get dragged to yours
- the first trouble (besides all the first drama) was that you had old merchandise from the show
- He got a little scared to see pins and plushies of him in your bedroom...
- but hey! That means you like him
- his new diet basically was apple based food in every meal, apples are easy to found and now it exists apple products which are shapped like apples!
- He was your favorite character, you were excited to talk to him of course! But it was strange meeting him as a puppet and not like the books
- You two getted to know eachother after a while
- Wally was like "This guy is actually friendly" while you were like "Why is Wally Darling eating an apple in my living room"
- you tried your best at helping him find a way to his home but... There is no much information about what to do if a puppet with life appears randomly one day at your house in google
- if you ever got the confidence with him to tell him about you being transmasc he will be very supportive
- you were friendly, a little tall but friendly and give him apples! You were a nice guy and that if you were born AFAB don't changes anything
- Supportive puppet friend will comfort you if somebody says something rude to you
- if you have any pets he would love to play with them! Until you have a cat or dog and they try to chase and bite him
- yeah... You better be careful if you don't want him to die before you get to know how to get him home
- He will talk to you about his friends and will love if you talk about yours too!
- if you have any plushies of his friend he will steal them and hug them to sleep
- he loves your home so much, it's interesing for him look at the things that make your home yours
- like, a significan picture, a plushie, any room, furniture...
- he sometimes forgot that he is not actually in his home
227 notes · View notes
iciwelcome-home · 9 months
Text
Info of Welcome Home Silly Cat~
Might as well put some info I have in my latest AU of Welcome Home. I do have ideas for it. I start showing who's in it and what role they have... Don't know if I'll say puppets, humans or just leave it at that. But I'm leaning to the world of puppet (or Muppets) beings... Animals are also puppets, but they wouldn't talk, just being like regular animals. So, I guess like... Mickey Mouse owning a dog named Pluto? I don't know, still in works. Now, human-like puppets would are like the Muppets, having animal features and all. There are mostly human puppets, plus from space, but there human puppets with animal features, depending... 🤔
The Silly 'Cats' (Drawings of them as cats in works~)
Wally 'Apple' Darling - A silly and unique yellow cat with blue hair was lost in the rain until one day, he was found by a rabbit-like puppet named Eric Hopper and was taken in. Eric named him Apple due to the cat likes to stare at apples. Being treated with kindness, care and love, Apple grew to like Eric. However, in reality, his true name is Wally Darling and he isn't some average cat when he has become a handsome puppet with the exact hairstyle. He was young painter until he was use as a lab experiment. Wally had escaped at some point and lived with Eric, but fear one day he'll be taken again and Eric might get drag into his mess... (Here are the drawings of Wally as a Cat and puppet form with cat ears)
Frank 'Lucky' Frankly - A well mannered dark gray cat has been staying with a mailman named Eddie Dear. They/He go by Lucky and this grumpy like cat enjoys catching bugs and bring one to Eddie, much to Eddie's dismay. Unknown to Eddie, Lucky is actually a puppet named Frank Frankly in the same situation as Wally. Frank has found a home sooner than other victims of experiment who had escaped. Frank remains as a cat when Eddie is at home, but when at work, Frank becomes himself to watch and clean the house.. while hoping to stay hidden in case the scientists are looking for him... (drawing of Cat!Frank with others)
Julie 'Glitter' Joyful - A colorful and hyper cat who enjoys playing with many cat toys. She goes by Glitter after her 'owner' found her. She really enjoys watching her owner doing plays and loves going outside. However, she too a different for she was puppet before becoming a cat as well. Her named is Julie Joyful and she truly misses her family, wondering if they're okay after her disappearance. She actually knows Frank and Wally, even before becoming cats. She has hope Frank and Wally had escaped while living a good life she is. Julie never thought much about the danger, but she is being careful so her owner, Sally Starlet, won't get hurt... (drawing of Cat!Julie with others; same as Cat!Frank)
Whiskers 'Stripes' Furball - He's actually a regular cat... or so it seems. He goes by Stripes long ago and has an unique gene with him. Because of that, he has been going through harsh and cruel treatment as a lab experiment until he'd escaped. He then discovered he can become a puppet, being able to speak, walk two legs and intelligence. But learning what he use for, he'd escape... He now lives as puppet with a new name while trying to find a cure for the victims who fell into the mix. He rarely goes out, but his neighbors are willing to check on him now and then... (Unknown designs)
The Owners
Eric Hopper - A kind, shy and helpful rabbit-like puppet. He enjoys cloud watching and walking in the rain. That's how Eric found a silly yellow cat. Eric took the cat in, drying it up and decided to keep the cat as a pet, naming the cat Apple. Eric grew to like Apple very much, always enjoys Apple's company. Eric gave and put a red scarf around Apple's neck. One day, Eric finds a handsome puppet in his house... wearing the same red scarf. Eric is confused while slowly learning about Apple's name is Wally Darling and his past. Eric decides to help Wally, not knowing they're falling for each other. (Eric with Cat!Wally Should I digital this? Probably)
Eddie Dear - A clumsy, sweet mailman puppet has taking in a dark gray cat named Lucky. He enjoys seeing Lucky greeting when he comes home. The only thing he wish is that his cat would STOP bring bugs into the house to show what Lucky caught. Eddie doesn't know it, but Lucky is actually named Frank Frankly, a victim like Wally Darling. Frank has been keeping up the facade as long as he could, although... Eddie has been wondering who's been cleaning the house. Will Eddie find out? We'll see~
Sally Starlet - She's a director/actor, but it can be stressful for her. Thankfully, her sweet cat named Glitter always lighten up her days. Sally would always play and spoil her cat when she can to relax. However, Glitter isn't a normal cat as well. Her true name is Julie Joyful and doesn't mind the life a pet cat, but she truly misses her siblings, hoping to see them again. But what could she do with chances of people looking for her to take her back to the lab she'd escape from. Maybe she should ask Sally to help her, but she rather not frighten Sally.
Others
Barnaby B. Beagle - In this au verse, he's a sweet funny dog who was adopted by a kind chicken puppet. A funny, silly blue dog who is adopted by Ms. Beagle, who is like a mom to him. He likes to make friends with everyone, even if they're cats. When Ms. Beagle visitor Eric, it was when Barnaby met Apple aka Wally Darling. Funny meeting, but the two becomes friends and Wally trust Barnaby about his secret. Barnaby hopes to help Wally while enjoying hanging out with Wally which lead both Eric and Ms. Beagle to set up a play-date.
Poppy Partridge - In this au verse, Poppy is the owner of a pet hotel, good at making some food and has motherly vibes. Poppy has hear rumors about a lab doing illegal, but she doesn't fully know if it's true or not. Right now, she's focus on taking care of pets when the owners away on trips or busy with work. She happens enjoys Eric coming over to help out while she has a strange feeling about Apple.
Howdy Pillar - In this au verse, Howdy is still a shop owner, but I guess mostly like a pet store owner. He's neighbor to Poppy, Ms. Beagle and a new neighbor with no background. Howdy would deliver some pet food to Poppy when she needs some.
Home aka Dr. Chimney - Unlike in Welcome Home, Home is more puppet like and goes by Dr. Chimney, a scientist who doing experiment. At first it was harmless on trying to find some cure for most diseases, but then discover something about Stripes which he slowly loses his mind and too focus on doing illegal experiments by 'asking' puppets to volunteering in his work. However, at some point, his experiments had escape. He's trying to find them, but he has no clue where they are...
Ms. Beagle - She is a sweet chicken puppet who has a blue dog to keep her company while loving her dog like he's her child. She works as an author and is a neighbor to Eric Hopper. After seeing Apple and seeing how her dog gets along with Apple, she and Eric decide a play-date. She, of course, doesn't know about Apple's true identity.
The Joyful Siblings - Not much info, but they had been searching for their missing sister. They lived in another location and have no clues where she is. All three hopes to find her soon, but... it's been over 20s though...
And I think that's all I'll add. I am still working on it. Hopefully Frank and Julie as cats looks good.
In Y/N version... Unknown, but Y/N would be someone who found Wally as a cat in Eric's place or Eric and Y/N are roomies. How it would go is... kinda similar yet different outcome. Who knows.
13 notes · View notes
ofmoonlily · 9 months
Note
🍪 my favorite roleplay memory 🎾 what type of genre of roleplay i prefer to write 📫 my favorite type of ships
Tumblr media
MY EXPERIENCE IN THE ROLEPLAYING COMMUNITY | Accepting | @bymargrace
Tumblr media
🍪 my favorite roleplay memory
There was this lady I used to RP with when I was really young. I've always called her my RP mentor because of the lengths she went to guide me through handling a muse and how to gauge a character.
I roleplayed with her for years. From 14 to 21. She taught me so many things when it came to roleplay. I will always be indebted to her, and silently thanking her each and every day for broadening my horizons when it came to my imagination. She was so patient with me, protected me from creeps, and gave me lessons in grammar - I mean, she could only do so much as a non-english teacher, but I got the gist x"D
She is my favorite memory. I always think about her. Unfortunately, we lost contact somewhere along the way. But I pray she hasn't retired and scooped up another lost soul to take under her wing.
🎾 what type of genre of roleplay i prefer to write
VARIED. I like fluff. Anything that's cute. It's very Yuna. She is an adorable little flower who has a lot of wisdom to share for anyone willing to listen. How she enjoys sharing moments of silence and stillness with the people she holds dear to her. I love indulging in that and incorporating so many wonderful, precious moments for her to look back on. I see them as her strengths. She will recall them when she feels down.
I can seldom do angst. I mean, I WILL. But. It needs to be delivered right for me to find it fun. I enjoy spiraling out of depressing control and watching my muse feel hopeless, inferior, powerless, lost, close to death, but not ALL the time. It messes with me.
But I usually lean towards silly cracky shit. There's something fun about throwing someone as serious and naive as Yuna into something so stupid and non-serious.
She really likes to play and act silly considering, she never really had much of a childhood due to her being so close with Yevon and the temples. They saw her as a prodigy because her father's talents for summoning was passed down to her. They took that, groomed her to be their new sacrifice, and she took that willingly and ran with it. Because it was the right thing to do.
She needs laughter, joy, and fun.
HORROR. I am a horror FANATIC. The Fatal Frame series is held dearly in my heart. I love those games so much. They're definitely #2 on my Top 5 favorite games. Final Fantasy series being #1. I love being scared. LOVE IT. Give me ghosts, give me zombies, give me movie star serial killers, UGH. I would love to throw Yuna in survival-horror genres where she cannot rely on magic, but her wit.
BATTLES. These are fucking HARD to do. I love doing them, regardless. However. Writing this as a healer is probably the most STUPIDEST THING. You cannot write something that doesn't sound annoying, or weird, OR UGLY. "SHE HEALED HIS WOUNDS" just sounds so bland, fake even. Like a false priest healing the sick. but make it flowery? Try, and it just sounds ridiculous. AMIRITE?
I also enjoy some smut. I'm really REALLY trying to get the hang of it. It's incredibly hard, lord I tell you. I get so nervous writing this shit because SO MUCH goes into it. You literally have to write all five senses. Miss one, and it seems as though your muse has not been attentive enough and it makes me FEEL SO BAD. Like, I read the reply! I did! I am sorry I didn't have my muse react to that. I am stupid fhirwoafjdkf
📫 my favorite type of ships
Oh god. I love so many types. It depends on the muse I write.
I used to RP Blackfire in the Teen Titans 2003 rpc and she LOVED going for the innocent guys. Bad guys? Eh. She'd use them to get her rocks off then make their life a living hell because she wanted to. Betrayal, stealing, murdering them after she got what she wanted. Yup.
Innocent boys such as Wally West, for example, (a ship I had many years ago xD) she was FIXED on. She wanted to corrupt him and make him belong to her. She was very toxic, possessive, downright horrifyingly disgusting with her behavior. While she's trying to murder her own sister, she goes back to Wally and wraps herself around him, sinking her claws into him. She was a nasty piece of work.
Yuna? I feel like her ships are incredibly flexible because of how she is. Yuna is very likeable due to how she was raised - first by her selfless father, then an entire village of Besaid. She is patient, kind, and resilient. All she wants to do is good for everyone. Yes. That includes the man who wanted to manipulate her into giving her very life to make him become the next Sin: Seymour.
And because she has a knack for holding out her hand to everyone, I think that makes her very susceptible to form ships from all walks of life. Yuna has a pool of people she would gladly give her love to, unlike some of my other muses I wrote for previously, and I think that's wonderful. ;u;
3 notes · View notes
lgbtqlegends · 2 years
Note
do you have any trans legends headcanons? I know a common one is trans guy Nate, but do you have any others?
oh, dear anon. you have Certainly come to the right place here. mod choco and i can make pretty much Any legend trans. it is a super power.
-okay so i know you asked for others besides trans guy nate, but i do feel like i have to at least mention him here because. he is a Classic and i love him. so. consider him mentioned, although he may make small appearances throughout the rest of this
-another one that choco and i really love is trans woman ava. we just. think that she's neat. and also we super love to add an extra layer to ava and nate's already great friendship by making them both trans because bonding!! (we just really love the legends bonding okay)
-i also super super love to headcanon spooner as nonbinary and using she/they pronouns. or maybe even they/she 👀👀
-okay okay genderqueer sara is also super neat. i don't think that sara is like. super commonly headcanon-ed as genderqueer, but i read like a queer pride fic challenge on ao3 that featured genderqueer sara occasionally and i loved the idea so.
-another good one is trans guy snart, as well as trans guy ray. mod choco and i really can just. make every legend trans if we try hard enough lmao
-also charlie is like super super genderfluid and/or nonbinary, and i'm kinda surprised it took me this long on the ask to mention them. i mean. come on. they're a shapeshifter. that's about as trans as it gets folks. charlie is Always Always Always genderfluid anytime they appear in our fics and honestly. i don't think i know how Not to think of them as genderfluid/nonbinary lmao
-demigirl mona. when we first got this ask, choco and i had a brief conversation that basically just. consisted of us rattling off all the legends we could make trans for this ask lmao. mona was one of them.
-zari gives. exactly 0 shits. so she just kinda rolls with whatever, and they don't really. have a preference about pronouns and none of them bothers her at all so. john Also gives 0 fucks so he also really just. rolls with whatever. actually. he rolls with whatever as long as it serves some kind of comedic and/or dramatic purpose. because john is just. That BitchTM
-also i really love trans woman astra. very very good soup. her style is Impeccable
-although he was only a legend for a very short amount of time, wally is def afab nonbinary and uses he/they pronouns. i love nonbinary wally, my beloved.
-oh oh oh behrad Also uses he/they pronouns. he really likes the freedom and fluidity it gives him.
-also. trans guy gary too. 100%
-okay i'm gonna be honest. I'm not really sure if you wanted me to just. list a bunch if legends and what our headcanons were in terms of. gender and transness. or if you wanted me to like. Expand on them more but. if nothing else you at least have a long list of new legends to ponder as trans. i will however try to expand a little bit, although mostly like. as a group so just. for these next few headcanons, assume that everyone I've listed is. on the ship and also trans lmao
-they all bond over some of the shared experiences that can come with being trans, and sometimes they like to sit around and share their individual experiences too because they find it fascinating and also kinda find it funny that so many of them are trans lmao
-they also try to help each other out with like. any medications that any of them might take, like HRT or smth, because some of them can also be very forgetful n stuff too and also just like. they all get caught up in superhero life on the ship sometimes, so it really helps that there are just. So Many of them to keep each other in check and be like "hey have you done this thing that you need to do yet?" and they all really really love each other for that
-trans jokes are made Constantly. all the time. sometimes the person who makes the joke doesnt even realize they've said it until everyone else around them bursts out laughing
-they also really like to help each other in the case of dysphoria, or just any type of discomfort, cause most if not all of them know what it's like in some capacity. it's not entirely uncommon for a lot of them to be gathered in one of the common areas of the ship, crowded with blankets and pillows and some stuffies and their comfort hoodies and try to help each other feel better
mod choco and i: forget about "i can fix them/i can make them worse". we can make them Trans
46 notes · View notes
Note
For some reason BirdFlash gives me the look like nerds but are actually jocks vibe while JayRoy are the look like jocks but are actually nerds vibe. TimKon is the classical jock + nerd and since this came to my mind I can't unsee
Tumblr media
At first sight, birdflash gives off STRONG nerd vibes. wally’s actually known throughout the school for his science achievements, trophies, and awards. you don’t stand a chance against him in the science fair, don’t even try. and dick went to a fancy rich prep school where he scored some of their highest grades. just because he doesn’t like school doesn’t mean he isn’t good at it. and whenever they see each other in civvies, wally’s chattering on about this experiment he’s doing for fun and it seems like dick actually understands what he’s talking about, not just nodding along. and with a single visit to wally’s school, he revolutionized the tech department with a few careless suggestions. but really, that’s just their individual interests. wally might like science, but his entire life is running. he trains and trains, both with and without the speedforce. along with being trapped in that thing for years, wally’s pretty sure the reason he’s the fastest speedster is because of his strict track and cross-country training. and no matter what the circumstances, dick’s always happiest when he’s in the air. he possesses a natural athleticism that leaves others in awe along with skills finely honed to perfection for years that very few others could even hope to achieve. the two of them are long and lean and strong, and are in complete control over their bodies. they play different sports for fun, give each other leg warmers, socks, and water bottles for holidays, and go on early morning runs. the two of them are sports culture to the max (i actually made a post about that here)
now jayroy give off just the jock vibe, maybe even running into punk territory. first of all, lets get this out of the way: BICEPS. two of the biggest pairs of guns you’ll ever see, i swear. roy’s got a cocky smirk and he wears threadbare tank tops with dumb slogans on them and he never takes that trucker hat off. he makes his way into the basketball game going on at the courts on the bad side of town with a laugh. he squares up his fists for a fight any time there’s a hint of action. his nose is crooked from all the times its been broken and reset. not to mention his tattoos. and yes, roy loves lian with his entire heart and cares for her with everything he has, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a teenager. now jason, jason just looks the part. he’s huge, and built like a goddamn brick wall. those muscles gotta be used for something, right? he’s always wearing those fingerless gloves, but his knuckles are constantly bruised anyway. you stop and take a double take anytime you see him when his lip isn’t split. almost everyone’s seen him with a gun. but he also spends his free time reading literary classics. his bookshelf is crammed full of old paperbacks, with everything from Frankenstein to Wuthering Heights to Farenheight 459 to The Importance of Being Earnest. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is a guilty pleasure of his. And he’s not just flipping through them either. no, he reads them. poking plot holes and other criticisms faster than a bullet. character analyzations sharper than his jawline. a lecture about the problem with many contemporary and modern novels longer than his dick. yea, jason devours those novels, and can tell you about all of them. as for roy, he’s inventive. always tinkering, always fiddling with a piece of tech, always creating. whether it be a new set of trick arrows or a coffee machine that spits out poison darts of a toaster that has 56 settings or a goddamn bazooka. he loves building stuff with his own two hands, a messy bun on his head, grease on his face, goggles shoved over his eyes as whatever he’s making sparks to life in his hands, bested only by the strike of pure creative passion in his eyes. textbook definition mechanic and geek, and we love him for it.
timkon is definitely the classic jock + nerd pairing. the only problem is that they always switch which is which. kon drapes his spiked leather jacket over tim’s shoulders when he’s cold, and later on at football games, tim cheers kon on wearing kon’s varsity jacket. but tim dropped out of high school because he has “better things to do” while kon just genuinely enjoys learning about stuff. kon does need help with his homework, so he calls tim, who always gives kon the math formulas he forgot the empirical formula of a compund that he doesn’t feel like calculating while simulaneously working on a couple other cases (he bounces his theories for a certain homicide off kon). but half of tim’s closet is made of sports jerseys for his favourite teams that he wears completely unironically even though they practically dwarf him, and he drags kon to all of their games while cheering and hollering, screaming at the tv when he can’t be there live,,,,and it’s not just one sport,,,,,nooo he’s got a good many he’s completely emotionally invested in. tim steals kon’s shirts so often that he just starts giving them to him, and dear god there’s almost nothing kon loves more than seeing tim wearing his clothes, looking tiny and misleadingly delicate and his. but tim carries around a skateboard and uses it practically 24/7, and one afternoon was spent teaching kon how to use the thing, including lots of laughing and falling over and steadying hands on waists, before a break at an ice cream parlour was followed by a sugary kiss. so yea, timkon is jock + nerd culture, with both of them being the jock and the nerd (also sorry anon i know you were thinking of kon being the jock and tim being the nerd, and honestly that’s how i usually view it too, its just this particular idea popped into my head and i had to write it) (also for timkon, i usually go for skate culture, and my hc for that is here)
ok wow this got a lot longer than i expected. i was shooting for a couple lines about my ships, and ended up with a whole new hc list instead. ooooof. tag list: @comicsandhoney @birdy-bat-writes @astroherogirl @anothertimdrakestan 
201 notes · View notes
nyanberri · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I've finally finished the first set! It's the same kids again tho, lol. But next time will be never before seen characters! So I wanted to get everyone drawn in the Omniverse style so I could visualize it all properly and it also made for a good opportunity to tweak designs as needed. They're all heavily referenced from official art so I could get it perfect and it made for great practice too! Of course I added some personal touches to the art style too cuz if I didn't it would have bothered me too much, lol.
Anyway, below the cut are finally proper profiles for all the kids and some additional info as well!
M'kay, so before we get started on the kids' bios, it's important to specify this is an alternate universe. And I don't mean it's an AU of the Prime Dimension. This is quite literally another universe within the omniverse. It's a mostly untouched one that even Paradox, Eon, and Maltruant have never been to and therefore a lot of things are different while a lot of things are still the same tho. It's unofficially called the Feniverse cuz Fen is the main character, but it does have a more official name. I'm just, uh… not aware of what that name is yet, lol!
Anyway, the Ben in this dimension branches off from the development of Prime Ben. Anybody remember the fact that the very first Ben 10K episode said Ben became the way he did in the future cuz he killed Vilgax by ripping him to pieces? Yep! That's what this Ben did too! But obviously he doesn't end up exactly like that Ben 10K. But so this dimension's Ben is therefore officially labelled Slayer Ben since some people refer to him as 'The Vilgax Slayer'. And that experience did definitely screw him up pretty bad, which is why he's so different from both Prime and 10K.
So from left to right:
Name: Fenrick Fih Rook-Tennyson
Age: 13
Height: 5'1
Voice: Todd Haberkorn
Bio: Fen is Ben and Rook's son. He has always been known for being quiet, surprisingly wise for his age, and quite the troublemaker. In actuality, only two of these things are true. Fen is more calm than he seems and as a young child he wasn't much of a talker, giving people the perception that he's quiet. Unfortunately, Fen also has many great ideas that end up badly. However, his ideas always come from the desire to help someone or solve a problem, but he always gets caught when his plans fall apart, making it look like he causes trouble. Some people even accuse him of trouble he didn't start, not helping his reputation. And as the son of Ben 10 of all people, he tends to be held to higher expectations. His wisdom never ceases to amaze people either. Even Ben and Rook get surprised at the wisdom he recites, wondering where exactly he learned it all. Due to that, he tends to put up a fight whenever himself or someone else gets wronged. He especially defends his friends and fellow alien kids in town. Although his only true friends seem to consist of his childhood friend, Millie, and his cousin, Sven.
At the age of 13, Fen discovered his ability to transform into a couple dozen of Ben's aliens. He quickly aspired to become a hero like his parents, much to Ben's disapproval, who worries about his safety. Despite that, Fen wants to form a hero trio with Sven and Millie and become the next generation of heroes in the galaxy.
Developer's Notes:
Fen's almost always been the same since I first created him, with just a few design and character tweaks done to him. He used to have a talent for jewelry making but that was switched out for him being wise for his age. He was also a bit more generic as far as the upbeat and reckless young male protagonist with famous parents archetype goes, but he's been adjusted enough that he now stands out from that archetype. Or, at least I hope, lol. Also, funny thing to note, Fenrick is not a real name! The closest name there is is Fenwick and iirc, that's a last name! I considered changing it to Fenwick or even Fenick but Fenrick is too special to me. His, uh, unfortunate name even has an impact in-universe with him being embarrassed by it and some using it to make fun of him. Also in-universe, I chalk it up to Ben having a dumb moment by misremembering the name Fenwick and Rook not knowing any better to catch Ben's mistake. Also, if you think his hair style is stupid, good. That's the point. He wanted it like that when he was seven and Ben and Rook were like 'sure' and it's been like that ever since.
Name: Millicent
Age: 13
Height: 5'0
Voice: Jennifer Paz
Bio: Millie is Ester's daughter. Her biological father is a human who decided he didn't want to be a father and Antonio soon stepped up to fill the father role when he and Ester got married. She has been friends with Fen and Sven since they were all babies. Millie is the level-headed one of the group and has been noted as being oddly emotionless. Her tone of voice is almost always flat and she usually keeps a straight face when not looking nervous. She never intends to be rude, but she will bluntly say whatever comes to her mind to her peers. At the same time, she can be nervous about making bold decisions and hates being a part of any decision making. She either refuses to do anything, or apologizes profusely for making a decision even when nothing bad happens.
Due to being more human than Kraaho, Millie is perfectly capable of handling the temperatures of Bellwood. However, she is still a bit sensitive to cold temperatures and needs to bundle up more than others during the winter. She sadly cannot handle the heat in the Hot Spot for very long either. Much to Millie's dismay, she was not born with the Kraaho's stretching ability. No one can figure out why, but it's simply something she can't do. As a result, she considers herself a normal human and has resigned herself to the fact that 'normal' is simply all she will ever be. Despite this, she has taken up quite a big secret that contradicts her decision and expresses who she wishes she really was.
Developer's Notes:
Millie only ever had one design change with her outfit and slight adjustment to the way her hair works and she's been the same ever since. Since the beginning she was always calm and stoic and I've always worried that she doesn't have much of a presence or purpose, but now I feel like she plays off Fen and Sven well enough that she stands out thanks to them. I've always flipped back and forth between Fen and/or Millie having a crush on each other, but I've finally settled on them both just seeing each other as near and dear loyal friends. It ultimately works out better that way and doesn't cause conflict with Millie's personal story or Fen's real love interest(and the one other character with feelings for him). Her name also used to be Mina, but since I've now taken that as one of my own names, it felt really awkward to keep her as that. I used to have a habit of naming characters with names I wanted before realizing I could change my name in the future, lol.
Name: Sven Elijah Levin
Age: 12
Height: 4'8
Voice: Wally Wingert
Bio: Sven is Gwendolyn and Kevin's son and Jenny's older brother. Sven is a rather unfortunate boy. He is constantly terrified of everything to the point of running millions of 'bad ends' through his head. He can barely talk most of the time without being a stuttering mess and always thinks he's going to be in trouble for anything and everything he does. Everyone is certain he either has severe anxiety or paranoia, or likely both. Perhaps even more. Who knows. Sven tends to cling to his cousin, Fen, who he looks to for guidance and advice, most of which isn't anything Sven should actually be following. Because he is a grade below Fen and Millie, he's often left alone to deal with problems in his own classes, or really just panic about them. He does, however, have a close relationship with Zed and likes to be the one to take her out on walks in the afternoon. And not many people know it, but he's actually a pretty decent artist.
Even though he is an Osmosian thanks to being Kevin's son, no one knows what ability he may have. It doesn't really matter though, since he wants to stay out of any potential trouble that having powers could bring him. Regardless of that, he has an interest in magic thanks to Gwendolyn's expertise in it. He even sneaks peeks at her spellbook and the strange bag she keeps in her office that he can hear a voice coming from at night.
Developer's Notes:
Now Sven is a character whose personality has always been pretty much the same while his design was never consistent until reaching his current one. He was originally very anime looking and in a gaudy orange outfit that I regret even thinking about, lol. He looks much better in neutral colors. I guess there's not much to say on him though, which makes me worry he's a tad unremarkable, but perhaps it's just since I'm leaving out the things about him that are better left discovering on your own… if I ever get to finishing that fic that is… ahaha.
Name: Saki Boulais
Age: 13
Height: 4'11
Voice: Stephanie Sheh
Bio: Julie and Hervé's daughter, one of the more popular girls in school, and the most deceptive in town. Saki has gone her whole life, since the first time she told a successful lie, tricking people into thinking she's a completely innocent little girl who's never done anything wrong. This allows her to get away with anything she wants, and she especially enjoys getting Fen in trouble when they butt heads with each other. The two have even been enemies since they first met at age three and Saki pulled Fen's tail, he pulled her hair in return, and she managed to get away with claiming he started it. Their feud has even turned into murderous intent, which Saki refuses to hide.
On a lighter note, Saki always has the company of her two best friends, Rachel and Diane, who will gladly join her in her tormenting of others. Saki even greatly admires the most popular girl in school, Fiona, and whoever the mysterious new hero girl, Miracle-M, is.
Developer's Notes:
Yes, Saki was always meant to be That Bitch in the cast. I feel like it's unrealistic to have all next gen kids be friends and get along with each other. It's perfectly believable to have some of them dislike, and in Saki and Fen's case, even hate each other. It makes it more interesting with them being Ben and Julie's kids respectively too. Adds good drama, lol. But anyway, really the only thing that's changed about Saki is her hairstyle and some other slight design tweaks like her necklace, shorts, and shoes. I also just recently changed her colors from purple and blue-ish purple to just blue so that isn't not all three girls here wearing purple. She also looks better in blue and it contrasts nicely with Julie's pink imo. I suppose I do worry about her being disliked since she's so antagonistic and with her being Julie's daughter, I really hope her character doesn't send the wrong message since I genuinely love Julie a lot. It really is just For The Drama Of It All. I think it's really fun to watch her go into full 'Murder Fen' mode too. Very fun to write, lol. Oh right, also Boulais is my headcanon last name for Herve. I just wanted her to have his last name but he doesn’t have one! So I had to pick one for myself.
Name: Jennifer Elizabeth Levin
Age: 10
Height: 4'6
Voice: Brina Palencia
Bio: Jenny is Gwendolyn and Kevin's daughter and Sven's younger sister. She is surprisingly serious and stoic for her age. She gets annoyed by her family's constant 'abnormal' status and wishes everyone could just act normal with no weird events happening. She throws herself into school work as a means to keep herself out of it and tries to keep her personal life at school with friends far away from her life involving family. She seems to have a quick temper, but really she just acts that way to get what she wants since she knows it works and in the hopes that she can use it as an opportunity to vent her frustrations. She hates getting involved in her brother and cousin Fen's antics, but sometimes her no nonsense attitude is needed to resolve a situation. She has a strange obsession with eating bread, finding it the perfect food and almost always exclusively eating something with bread involved. Gwendolyn definitely worries about her diet, but Kevin finds it harmless.
She may not have the spark like her mother, but she doesn't dare confess that her status as an Osmosian became very apparent just recently. As a result, she has a stash of broken objects stuffed under her bed and cracked floorboards that she covers with her rug.
Developer's Notes:
Jenny went through a decent redesign. Character wise I feel like I still don't have some things etched in stone for her as I still haven't gotten to the point in my writing where she does anything of interest. She could honestly probably end up pretty different from her bio here if I'm not careful, lol. The characters write themselves as they say after all! But I definitely prefer the newer Jenny compared to the previous way I envisioned her character, which was designed to fit a character type I actually hate just cuz I felt it worked for her. Thankfully I can avoid it tho with the big overhaul I did after returning to these characters. And I do like Jenny cuz I like writing her dialogue, but it still feels like her character is still that of a person I would not wanna be around, lol.
Name: Bevel Tennyson
Age: 20
Height: 5'9
Voice: Dee Bradley Baker/Yuri Lowenthal
Bio: Bevel is the youngest of the Big Chill offspring born twenty years ago. They were in an accident involving a passing spaceship on their way to Kylmyys that damaged their right wing to the point they could no longer fly. It's suspected the wing has severe nerve damage, making Bevel unable to unfold it as well. Their siblings helped them make it the rest of the way to Kylmyys, but over the years, the dangers of Kylmyys left the siblings with only Bevel and the eldest two, Emboss and Curve, remaining. As they got older, Bevel could never forget their only memory of their parent, who the others didn't remember. A desire to reunite with their parent caused Bevel to make the lone decision to explore the universe in search of their parent.
Bevel is a very cheerful and sweet person, but their secluded upbringing and lack of knowledge about Earth makes them very naive. They will believe anything they are told and have a very black and white moral view due to not understanding nuance. They have strange habits that appear unnatural in their attempt to act human and have an intense craving for Earth candy. They have also taken up being a mercenary to get by after leaving Kylmyys and once they join the Tennyson family, Rook suggests they use the skills they've picked up to become a Plumber, but that's an idea Ben isn't fully onboard with.
Developer's Notes:
Right off the bat I want to shout out that his old human design used to keep the Necrofriggian antennae. I still think it's a cute design even tho it wasn't canon compliant with the antennae. The only things that have changed about him too are just that, his hair style, and his shoes. Plus I stuck bunny ears on his hoodie recently as a shout out to those antennae he used to have. Otherwise he's always been the same. And I guess I haven't explained why he has a human form, but that's also an answer to discover later. I didn't draw his Necrofriggian form tho cuz we should all know what the UAF design looks like(and yes I am screwing with art style difference bullshit cuz OV Big Chill is not real and you cannot convince me otherwise). And I also just realized his pronouns aren't matching up in this section so I should add his official pronouns are he/they, but characters refer to him by he/him and narration uses they/them. He is still a Necrofriggian and therefore doesn't do the whole gender thing after all. Which is why he's fine with anyone viewing him as whatever they want to too. He just goes with it. That's also why he doesn't get what's weird about him calling Ben 'Mother' after he learned the word, lol.
32 notes · View notes
creepyalienghost · 3 years
Text
Doctors assistant 3
Sammy puts his pen down on the desk next to his sheet music. He had decided he was finish working on it tonight. Besides it was going on 3am and he needed to get some sleep for the early morning in a few hours. He was the only person there left at the studio as he usually is most nights. Even Wally goes home earlier then him, way earlier. Sammy however loves to stay here late and get work done. It was the best time to do so. It was quite and there was no one to distract him plus he was a night owl.
He Gathered his belongings and made his way out. As he Exited the studio he opened his book to the page he last stopped at and began ready about the legends and folklore. He doesn’t know why but this topic speaks to him. It calls out to him. Sammy thinks he use to be into this stuff when he was younger before going to a family that drilled things like the importance of money is and Business things, in his head. He hated that at the time. All that math and business learning he was made to do by his Foster dad did lead him to get a great job here so he was ok with it now. But he started reading folklore about three months ago when he and Joey went to the library.
The stories he read of people’s encounters with ghost, monsters and legends fascinated Sammy for some odd reason. He liked the stories about monsters the best, liked reading what they saw, heard and especially what they felt In that moment of terror.
He was invested in the book as he walked down sidewalks and into alleyways until he heard a strange noise from behind him,turning around quickly. He felt uneasy then as he looked left to right in the darkness to find no signs of life. No robbers, No homeless people, not even animals. He remembered then his friend and coworker, Jack, had always told him that walking at this hour could lead to trouble for him. He always worried for his friend especially knowing the dangers things he and Joey do together. He hated now that Jack could be right and for never listen to him.
“Hello?” Sammy called out, closing his book and holding it with one arm. He waited for a minute to see if someone would call back to him, but no one answered.
Before he took a step to move, he felt a sharp pain in his neck! He dropped his book and spawn around, gripping the spot on his neck. What he saw made no sense. Maybe it was because he’s vision was fucked up now or maybe because he felt tired but he saw three shadow like figures. “W...it-...pa” He had tried to speak but couldn’t form the words correctly.
“Shhh there’s no need to be afraid, my child” came a calming voice that he couldn’t pin point. “Your in good hands” after that all vision and feeling left his body.
——-
Sammy woke up In a dimly lit room with a foggy head. He knew this wasn’t his bed but he had no idea who’s it was and how he got there or even where there was. He sat up, shook his head to clear it then glanced around his surroundings. The room was small but pretty cozy for an abandoned building. There was a few candles on the small table nearby that was keeping the room from total darkness. Next to them laid his book neatly placed and a desk placed along the opposite wall with a chair for it. Papers and folders were scattered on it.
Sammy moved closer to the desk and felt something heavy around his ankle. Looking down, he noticed though the small bit of light he was given, a thick metal chained was attached around his ankle with not much more room to walk, Although he could walk around in this room. He was trapped though with no way of getting out or knowing if help was on the way.
He stayed quiet for he didn’t want his capturer to know that he was awake now. He needed to figure out what to do and where he was first before anything. He slowly stood up from his bed so the chains made little to no noise and slowly he took small steps to the desk. He picked up the first page his eyes landed and scan though it then he did the same though more. It was a bunch of Science and Medical junk, Stuff on diseases and sickness.
“I found the cure.” A soft gentle voice spoke from the doorway. It did make Sammy jump but didn’t place fear in him.
He looked over a the strange figure and knew he should be terrified, he did look like death, but he wasn’t. He felt Comfort from it. He felt like he knew it but couldn’t remember where. “We meet before, having we?” Sammy ask.
The being nodded his beak. “We had.” He reached in his cloak pocket, pulling out a key and gave it to Sammy. “Come. We have much to discuss.”
The being stood at the doorway, waiting for Sammy as he unlocked the chains around his ankle. “Why the chains anyways?” Sammy ask
“So you wouldn’t run in the darkness and get hurt again.” The being answered. Sammy searched his memories and only kinda remember falling thought something when he was a child. Could this being really had been there?
Sammy followed him out the small room and down an dark hallway. It was clear with the children drawings and crosses hung up on the wall that this was place use to be a church. He wondered how it became abandoned and for how long ago.
The two arrived in an kitchen area. There was a few tables that were surprisingly cleaned from dust and a couple usable chairs which the being offered one. “Please sit.”
Sammy took a sit next to the being and listened as it began speaking.
—-
Within the hours of their Conversation Sammy understands the missing pieces from back then. He now remembers the year of being with the doctor and their work they were trying to accomplish, The doctor gave him files of his research has prof. Sammy read them then it dawned on him. The doctor had drugged him and brought him hear. But how had found him? And was there another reason for those chains? “Doctor...” He looked up at the being. “I have it, don’t I?”
The being looked down in sadness then nodded after a moment. “But I can cure you, my child.” The doctor replied. “You won’t be a failed experiment ether! But for you...I’m giving you the choice. If you wanna be cured or not. Take your time. It’s a big choice.” With that the doctor left the table to give Sammy time.
Sammy sat there and read the files again then reread them a third time. He had to be sure before doing this. It was risky. It was dangerous but he didn’t want to die from the pestilence. After another reread he made his choice. He was going to be cured.
Sammy got up from the table and headed back down the hallway looking for the doctor. “I made my choice. Cure me.” He said when he found him.
The doctor stood up and placed his notebook down on the desk. “Follow me, please
Sammy followed him to the well lit operation room which was in the back of the church. The doctor guided him to the soft hospital bed and helped him on it. “Now my dear” the doctor said grabbing an surgical mask. “Lay down and relax. Once you wake you will be cured.” He slipped on the mask over Sammy’s mouth and turned it on.
Sammy laid there and looked up at the old church ceiling. He couldn’t believe after all this time the doctor found the cure. He wondered when and who it was on but that was questions for another time. Now he just needed to relax and he was begging to. He was begging to fell the drowsiness from the medicine. His eyes began to drip, getting heavier and heavier with each minute. It wasn’t ten minutes when Sammy was fully deeply asleep. The doctor got his tools, cleaned them and started his work.
———
When Sammy woke up he was weak for a few days but the doctor took care of him. He also had to regrow his hair which took months. Within years for being cured Sammy noticed that he stopped aging and only then he released what the pestilence was. It was death.
He was immoral now.
3 notes · View notes
sleuthingenigma · 4 years
Text
𝙱𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙰𝚄
Tumblr media
𝐉𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐩'𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐢𝐭.
Like the true, independent force she was, Betty Cooper was seated in the driver’s seat of her mother’s car, driving  herself to her “prom” — the floor length gown and heels one of the smaller inconveniences she’d had to deal with, not daring to compare to the more pressing obstacles she’d had to face in the last four years of high school.
Unlike some of her closest friends and basically everyone else in her graduating class, Betty wasn’t headed to Riverdale High for the big night. She had been banned from prom, thanks to that slimeball, Bret Weston Wallis — one of the most spineless human beings she’d ever come across, and she’d certainly met her fair share of them. But hey, why change up her totally deranged high school experience now? She may as well continue her streak straying far from the status quo.
As she pulled into the nearly empty parking lot of Pop’s Diner, only taken up by her lover’s motorcycle and Pop Tate’s dark blue van, Betty’s heart was already racing with excitement for whatever Jughead had planned. He’d insisted that she didn’t lift a finger preparing for this night. He wanted to give her a complete night off from everything. Whatever needed their attention could be dealt with after her carriage turns into a pumpkin. The only thing she could think about right now were the lips of her darling prince. Well, now her 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜.
After putting the car in park, Betty eased herself out of the vehicle, careful to tug the entirety of her dress out of the car so it wouldn’t get caught in the closed door. When she opened the door of the diner, that familiar smell of fresh burgers and fries wafted right into her nostrils— a specific smell no other diner could recreate. Pop’s would always stand out from the crowd, and no diner could even try to compare. She didn’t realize how much she was going to miss this place when she moved out of town, until now… so many memories were made here.
Jughead was already sitting in 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 booth, looking right at her with wide eyes nearly bursting out of his head at the sight of her. He carefully slid out of the booth, holding his hands in front of him politely. As she slowly made her way over to him, her baby blue gown just barely grazed the floor, a mix of lace floral patterns, and modest sparkles filled the entire bodice, the lacy pattern trailing down her arms in off the shoulder straps.
He didn’t waste a second before pressing multiple, eager kisses to her lips. Her hand lingered on his shoulder as he swarmed her face with his lips, a bout of giggles leaving her as she tugged away from him.
“Save some for later, handsome,” she chuckled, shaking her head at her corny darling as she carefully slid into the booth, Jughead holding her hand to steady her as she settled in.
After she was comfortable, Jughead sat across from her, and her hands immediately took his. She stared at him longingly, his thick waves slicked back with just the perfect amount of wild and tame to the look, and he wore a dapper black suit, 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 nicely fitted to his body— Jug’s tie the same soft blue as her dress.
“Jug, are you always going to take away my breath like this?” Betty blushed, caressing his hands with her thumbs.
His eyebrows shot up and a smirk worked its way across his lips. “I hope you still have that mindset when you wake up to my poofy hair and smelly breath every morning in New Haven. Just keep remembering me like this, all spruced up for you.”
Betty rolled her eyes, the smile never leaving her lips as she shook her head. “I don’t care if you’re dressed to the nines or just rolling out of bed… I’m always going to look at you fondly. Your handsomeness hasn’t faltered since the day we met. In fact, I think you somehow keep getting even 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. What’s your secret?”
“You know…” Jughead began, a sly look on his face as he looked over her shoulder. Pop Tate would appear a few moments later with their usual orders. “I think I’d have to credit my 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 to none other than Pop’s burgers. I’m doomed to wither away once we leave this town and I can’t consume my signature triple burger on the regular. Nobody makes em’ like you do, Pop.”
Pop chuckled, beaming at the compliment, looking at the two of them like he couldn’t be more proud of who they’d become. “Now, don’t you two forget about ole’ Pop… you’d better stop by here when you’re in the area for a visit. Promise me?”
Betty and Jughead gave each other endearing, heart-warmed looks, before nodding at Pop simultaneously. “We’re definitely going to stop here, 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, Pop. You have our word,” Betty said.
The bubbly man smiled ear to ear at the two, before returning behind the counter, leaving the two of them to their meal. Betty and Jughead sat there in that booth where they’d discussed many of their theories for whatever sleuthing ordeals they’d been working on at the time, sharing milkshakes over notes they’d been comparing on cases… A few booths down was their usual spot they’d shared with Veronica and Archie, their meetups with them a reprieve from the intricate, heavy thinking that came with their sleuthing endeavors.
As Betty sat there with Jug, just about finished with her meal, she began to wonder why she didn’t feel the bittersweet feelings that were supposed to come around graduation time. There wasn’t much in this town, let alone at the school, that she was particularly sad about letting go of.
Most of her best, fondest memories were with the man sitting across from her.
A smile formed on her lips as she watched her lover pick at every last bit of food on his plate. Once he’d finished up and his attention was back on her, he gazed at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. The same way he looked at her when she and Veronica were sitting in the booth, and he and Archie joined them. A first glance that she had never forgotten.
“You know, Jug,” she started, letting her fingers aimlessly trail up and down his arm. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you by my side all these years. Our lives have been… constantly turned upside down, attacked from all angles… but at the end of the day, it was you that I found my solace, consistency, safety and absolute ease within. I couldn’t have gotten through any of what I did without you, Jughead.”
Jughead immediately shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing in rejection to her statement. He grabbed onto her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “And 𝘐 couldn’t have stayed sane without you, my little enigma. Even in the darkest, most bleak times in this hellish town, you were constantly that shining light in my life— and I have always held onto that. I will always hold onto you. We have proven time and time again that we can get through anything together. I love you, Betty Cooper.”
Jughead lifted her knuckles to his mouth and peppered gentle kisses upon them, eliciting a small bit of laughter from her, closely followed by glassy eyes.
Before she could say a word, Jughead was already getting up and out of the booth, standing right at her side with his hand held out to her. “None of that, beautiful. Only smiles tonight.”
Betty took his hand and let him guide her out of the booth, and downstairs to La Bonne Nuit, giving a wink to Pop as they walked past him.
It was weird seeing the place completely empty— the chairs were stacked up on all the tables, the stage bare, no one cozied up by the bar. Jughead left her standing in the middle of the wooden dance floor as he made his way over to his laptop, typing away until music came out of the speakers surrounding them. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 by Novo Amor played, as Jughead headed back to her with wide open arms, ready to take her in them.
Betty’s smile hadn’t faltered all night, beaming so much that her cheeks were beginning to hurt. She slinked her arms around his neck and took a step toward him, to close most of the space between them. His warm hands rested on the small of her back, holding her close as they swayed back and forth to the gentle rhythm of the music.
As overjoyed as Betty was, she couldn’t help the pang of pain that registered in her chest, thinking about how the two of them had been robbed of these dear, youthful experiences they should have been able to indulge in way more often than they were able to. She must have let out an audible sigh, because Jughead slowly pulled back so he could look into her eyes.
“What is it, love?” he whispered, tucking a stray, curled hair behind her ear, searching her eyes.
Betty’s shoulders dropped a bit, a frown finding her lips. “I don’t know, Jug— I just hate that some of us in this town were just forced into a nightmarish life that none of us should have had to endure. And, because of that, you and I didn’t get to have moments like this more often. We were always sleuthing, which I loved… I loved so dearly. I just wish we could’ve found a way to escape more often, you know? And not feel so much weight on our shoulders constantly? I don’t know.”
Jughead leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, running his hand down her arm to comfort her.  “I know. Trust me, I know. This town has been unfair and cruel, especially to you. But… soon enough, you and I are going to be worlds away from this seventh circle of hell. You’ll be buried in your Criminal Psych books, discussing cases with me when you’re stumped, and I’ll be sharing my latest stories with you. And in between all that, we’ll indulge in the most authentic college experience we can get our hands on. Junk food, cheap beer, football games, late night wanderings around campus… finding the best pizza place in town, not stopping until we’ve tried them all. We’re going to have it all, Betty. We’re finally going to 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. And I wouldn’t want this beautiful new beginning with anyone else but you.”
Sliding his hands around each side of her face, Jughead slowly pulled her in for a lasting kiss… which would eventually turn into quite a few opened mouth, euphoric lip locks. When they finally parted, the two nearly collapsed into each other’s arms with how breathless they were, eventually falling back into a sway with the music.
“Jughead, I already have it all… in 𝘺𝘰𝘶. But, trust me when I say that getting out of here and starting our new lives together… this is just the beginning of our adventure. Like Romeo and Juliet, but we live happily ever after instead… well, it looks like we’re on our way to doing just that.”
His lips turned up into a soft smile, chuckling fondly as she repeated the old phrase she’d spoken to him. “Only with you, Betts. It’s only ever been you, and will only ever be you.”
Betty let out a deep, endeared breath, willing herself 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to tear up again. Bringing her lips to his once more, and removing them only when she desperately needed a breath, Betty finally, for the first time in forever, felt like a real teenager.
“As much as I hated this town… I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again. Everything that happened led us to each other— and that is the one good thing Riverdale has ever done for me,” Betty chuckled, before covering her lover’s face with little pecks.
The two lovestruck teens would spend a couple more songs getting lost in each other’s eyes, relaxing in their embrace as they moved to their own, casual pace, until Jughead’s specially curated playlist ran out. And even then, Betty would ask for just one more. One more song. One more dance. One more beautiful memory.
And just the beginning of the multitude of joyous moments to come for the two lovers. The ones who had beaten all the odds, and came out nothing short of invincible.
But until then, they were content in each other’s arms. No matter where they happened to be in the world, it could never compare to their true home that could only be found within 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.
80 notes · View notes
red-winters · 4 years
Text
*Batfam fic-recs
*Some are Tim Drake Centric
**Some links are not working in mobile (and ONLY mobile) for some reason? And some titles that were bolded in the original post are ALSO not displaying on mobile correctly. Idk what to do about that, but you can still look up the fic, I guess.
The Bat’s Crest - livierambles
Note: I will always keep recommending this fic. It’s epic, thrilling, and hilarious and sometimes angsty. Also, everyone is confused, including the ones doing the confusing. Maybe especially the ones doing the confusing. Also, some Tim and Damian bonding, which is always nice.
Summary: Tragedy strikes the hero community when Bruce Wayne commits a crime so heinous even the best start asking for blood. However, as the heroes try to recover from the hit and carry out justice for their friends, a random assortment of people start acting oddly, including the current Speedy Tim Drake, a child hostage in Gotham, and a young man from an unremarkable circus amongst others. All of them seem intent on saving Bruce Wayne from the grasp of the Justice League for no apparent reason, going as far as betraying their previous allegiances.
Unknown to the Justice League, these people are equally confused. Clearly they're stuck in another dimension, but how do they get back? How did they even get here? Who else is stuck in this world? And how long will Tim's patience last? Back home, the Bat was a planetary symbol that struck fear in the hearts of criminals. In this new world, it has no meaning, save for the handful of stranded souls.
In the Shadows - Kieron_ODuibhir
(shortened) Summary:
“I’m not like you.”
The cowl still looked like something he was wearing, but Clark knew it was not. It flexed like skin when Batman narrowed his blank white eyes and said, “I can see you know that.” 
Chirp - AmariT
Summary: Every piece of the signal Tim unlocked revealed more locks, and by the time he broke through the last one, he was already mentally rehearsing his many upcoming talk show appearances. 'Yes,' he told the interviewer, 'it was difficult for me, a ten-year-old genius, to break open the worldwide alien conspiracy. That's why it took a whole hour.'
When the crackling audio started, he expected some weird alien language. Maybe squawks and high-pitched squeals mixed with musical woofs. Maybe they wouldn't talk at all, and images would beam directly into his mind. Maybe they'd talk in practiced English with a Midwestern drawl like their other resident alien.
Instead he heard a low, guttural voice growling out of his computer speakers. "Robin," it said. "Are you in position?"
A Better Cage - Mangaluva
Note: I was absolutely DELIGHTED to see a Young Justice Crossover with the Justice Lords (Earth-50) from the animated Justice League series, which is near and dear to my heart. I admit I haven’t really had much time to hunker down and read this, but even skimming, it’s an intriguing piece of work. Also, Justice Lords.
Summary: Wally's grateful to have woken up at all, really. He just doesn't know what to make of the world he's woken up in. At least they want to find a way to his world as much as he does, if not exactly for the same reasons...
Common People - AmariT
Note: The Bat boys are all Bruce’s blood sons, but it still feels very much like a found family. I haven’t really read everything in this series, but I feel the author has an amazing grip on all the characters. Lovely and heartwarming.
Summary: His whole life, Jason’s mom had told him his dad was Bruce Wayne, but he’d never been dumb enough to actually believe it. They lived in a rundown, one-room apartment in the worst part of town, and in every single picture he’d ever seen of that rich bastard he was wearing a suit or sipping champagne worth more than everything they’d ever owned.
But if he wasn’t Bruce Wayne’s kid, then what the hell was he doing sitting outside the man’s office in Wayne Towers?
Red Robin and the Hood - momoejaku
Note: Haven’t read this in a while, but it made an impression. Though it’s a fic set during the Red Robin arc, it very much is about both Tim and Jason. Plus, it fleshes out the Pru and Z a bit more, too.
Summary: Bruce Wayne is dead. Superman brought back his body, and the family mourned him, holding a quiet funeral in secret so that the legacy of Batman could live on. But not everyone has been able to put him to rest.
Reeling from the loss of Bruce, his identity as Robin and his trust in his family, Tim Drake sets out on a personal quest that will take him across the world to prove what he knows in his heart: that Bruce Wayne is alive.
Though intending to make his way alone, Tim reluctantly accepts help from his predecessor, Jason Todd, who knows from personal experience that death is not always as final as it seems.
Together, they are Red Robin and the Hood.
Liminal Spaces - Calamityjim
Note: Skimmed this only since I’ve been busy, BUT it does look well-written, and I’m always a sucker for alternate dimension/dimension travel intervention-type of fix-its. It’s a very specific trope.
Summary:
Bruce's habit of collecting strays is not limited by dimension.
Or
When Young Justice Batman comes across an angsty, seemingly abandoned by his Batman Tim Drake, he decides to step up to the plate and parent the crap out of him.
Little Bird’s Vengeance - KatHarkness-Katara
Note: Crossover with Avengers. Awesome fic with Tim and Jason and some Outsider POV (via the Avengers) of these dimensional stragglers. I think Tim’s team shows up in the later chapters, too. If you’re reading on mobile, it’s still very much worth reading despite FF.net’s horrible format and abundance of advertisements in the mobile version.
Summary: Why is life never simple? Red Robin's ended up worlds away from home once again, and now what's he to do? What do the Avengers want from him; do SHIELD have another agenda; and is there any way back? Pre-New 52. No slash. Rated for inevitable language/violent themes.
A Displaced Red Robin - dragonprincess1988
Note: Worth reading despite FF.net’s horrible format and abundance of advertisements in the mobile version. Well-written fic! EMOTIONS! I love them. Younger Dick Grayson is adorable, Tim is a competent fixer-upper for other people but not so much himself. He’s kind of angsty and making YJ Dick want to keep him (and YJ Bruce, too, if you read between the lines). On the plus side, seems like he’s making good friends with Young Justice Roy. This fic was written before certain episodes of YJ came out, though, and the fic reflects/will continue to reflect that. Still, I give it five stars.
Author’s Summary: Tim gets transported to the cartoon Young Justice world, and he's not sure he knows how to deal with it. Attention: If you want to know about Artemis or people from Tim's world the final note on my profile is for you. Also, a special thank you to angel-gidget over at Tumblr, who made the wonderful cover art for this story.
The Till-then From the Ever Since - Keiron O_Duibhir
Note: Fandom classic. Definitely a must-read for Batfam fans, in my humble opinion.
Summary: It began, or seemed to begin, with Jason.
Usually that would have meant something in the order of fire and explosion and probably at least one gunshot wound, but for once (as Tim said, sourly), it wasn't actually Jason's fault.
The Wayne Family Ghost - pupeez4eva
Note: Please read this. Especially if you’re sad or anxious or just have time. I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s my go-to cheer-up fic. Absolutely hysterical.
Summary: In which Bruce realizes that having a legally dead son, who regularly hangs around the family, might be slightly problematic. 
Bloodline - chibi_nightowl
Note: Complicated family dynamics, this time centering around Tim, Selina, Bruce and, surprisingly, Damian. Jason and Dick make an appearance as supportive big bros, too. It works. Take a read, it isn’t that long.
Summary:
“Mr. Drake, I can’t think of a better way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt. This file is for your first adoption. By the Drakes.”
Tim blinked. “My what?”
“You were adopted as a newborn by Jack and Janet Drake.”
“Excuse me, but what the fuck are you talking about?”
Talon!Tim AU Series by keeptogethernow
Note: Found family, from a different angle. Cool fic and well-written.
Summary of Tso’ape Mumbichi, first in the series: Ten years ago, two people made a deal with the devil--unlimited funds in exchange for their child. And now it's time to pay up. But there's no way to ensure that the child will cooperate.
Shutterbug Series by goldkirk
Note: Exactly what it says on the tin! Found family.
Summary:
Tim Drake is thirteen, runs the famous BatWatch blog that has spiraled hilariously out of control, has absentee parents that suit his purposes just fine, is training himself to run the streets at night, and is doing absolutely peachy, thank you.
Alfred and Jason disagree, and get Dick and Bruce involved in figuring out their weird next door neighbor kid’s life. Everything goes uphill from there.
Thursday’s Child - anthalogia
Note: Well-written and has found family and Tiny!Tim? Automatic win.
Summary:
He’s not the first child with nowhere else to go that Bruce Wayne has taken in. Dick Grayson was the first and the most high-profile – because no one would have thought Bruce Wayne was interested in ever raising a child, let alone the orphaned son of circus performers – but Jason was maybe just as much of a shock to society for being a street kid who came out of seemingly nowhere. Tim Drake is ordinary by comparison – his parents died in a plane accident. He can’t think of anything very special about him except that he met Bruce a few times when his parents hosted parties to keep in touch with Gotham society.
Or, tiny Tim Drake is adopted by the Waynes a little earlier than scheduled.
We’re Not Driving (How did we get here?) - TimTheToaster
Note: Short and sweet, a little angsty, and then very sweet.
Summary:
Tim stared at his phone, as if that would change what was on the screen.
Dick Grayson @FlyingDGrayson
It took some doing, and in some cases a little blackmail, but we've finally got the whole family together for a movie night! #WayneManor #movienight #familytime #schedulingisanightmare
15 minutes ago
Take It Back Now Y’all - TimTheToaster
Note: And Tiny!Jason has made his appearance. Also, Tim, I am begging you to please take care of yourself—ah, Bruce has made his appearance. Interesting. Also, I gotta say this author is good.
Summary:
There was absolutely no way this sunshine was from Gotham in April.
Not possible.
Which meant, Tim was no longer in Gotham, in April.
(In which Tim finds himself in the past, and tries to do the right thing. It's more complicated than he'd like.)
Takes a Little Time, Takes a Lotta Twine (To Get Us Back Together) - TimTheToaster
Note: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, beginning of reconciliation, and brotherhood. A satisfying, cathartic moment during the Red Robin arc to soothe your heart.
Summary:
Tim was in Gotham.
Tim had pretty specifically been avoiding thinking about Dick as much as possible for the last few weeks.
For the last year, really. No need to open that can of carnivorous worms.
Dick had other plans.
Everybody’s Heard (Bird is the Word) - TimTheToaster
Red Robin Era ANGST, but like, deliciously well-written. Also, protective Dad Bruce is always epic. Light bashing of Green Arrow and BC, though. But considering the situation (in this fic), kind of warranted.
Summary:
5 times Batman heard other heroes talking about his wayward brother,
And 1 time they were talking about his son.
A Choice to Make - scorbusfics
Note: fresh and interesting premise! Cool world building, too.
Summary: They have to choose. Dick and Bruce have to choose one person each to save, and one to disappear through the door.
“Send one of us,” Dick says fiercely, not for the first time. His face is dark and angry and desperate, eyes flicking from brother to brother. “Send one of us instead. I won’t choose.”
“Neither will I,” Bruce says.
But Tim knows.
Secret Places - RenaRoo
It’s ANGST, but the author knows how to use it well. Also, Jason’s line at the end killed me. Damn.
Summary: Tim Drake goes missing. The search to find him begins.
142 notes · View notes
iheartsunset · 4 years
Note
Nick is also a fun character, I would enjoy some HCs for him
Papa Louie Nick HCs
(I’m so sorry I forgot about this ask I didn’t mean to i just have way too many tests going on that I keep failing, and I’ll try to do these on time from now on)
-Nick Banks (haha get it like river bank hahaha i hate my sense of humor) is an 18 year old boy who’s fresh out of high school and currently wondering what to do with his life. He works from home as a multimedia translator (like fit foreign language shows and books and comics and stuff) and a language tutor for CommYouNicate, though he is currently unsatisfied with both of these jobs. He’s also a rafting champion and plans to make it his full time job, although his multiple health problems often hinder his outside performances. He lives with his overprotective parents in a riverside Tacodale cottage.
-Nick has asthma and a congenital heart disease that made him easier to exhaust the other kids. His family grew extremely overprotective and doting of him while his peers ostracized him or mocked him for this. Other kids used to exploit this and often physically bullied him, making Nick so jumpy that he became clumsy. Nick doesn’t let any of this get him down, as he’s completely determined to prove everyone wrong and succeed despite his health problems, which he has done with his many rafting awards.
-He once made a wattpad account and was immediately recommended “Bought By the Romano Family Quartet (Carlo Romano x reader)”. He immediately deleted the app and never went back. Yeah I got this from one of @ccwastaken ‘s asks and I can’t stop thinking about it even though it was so long ago
-Nick is very shy and bashful, yet he jokes around a lot and often laments on how much other people suck. Like imagine you’re in the among us dead player chat and you’re all talking about everyone still alive is so stupid for not realizing who the imposter is. That’s him. Although he always says it really quietly or in another language so that nobody beats his ass. Even though he’s shy, he still has a lot of confidence in himself and uses this for rafting. Around Koilee, he becomes a blushing mumbling mess though, and someone else always steps in to order for him during these times.
-This dude speaks so many languages and dialects, it’s insane. English, Spanish, French, Swahili, Japanese, Tagalog, Mandarin, you name it he probably speaks it. Since he spends lots of his time indoors, he watches shows from other countries and reads foreign books that allow him to learn other languages. Other than rafting, it’s his favorite hobby, but now that does it for a job, it’s a lot less fun.
-He net Mitch when they were kids at a summer camp, where the latter defended him from bullies. Now they’re both best friends and are almost always seen together. Nick likes to raft with Mitch to the Tacomia (but he hates enduring Maggie scolding them for using a dang boat to get to work). Nick also helps teach Tohru Japanese, Prudence German, and Nevada Chinese, along with many other Flipline residents. He’s good friends with all of his clients, but he’s closest to Mitch and Wally.
-He has 7 pet goldfishes named Number One, Number Two, Number Three, Number Four, Number Five, Number Six, and Number Seven. He talks to them all the time and keeps many pictures of them in his phone.
-He will cry in movies or documentaries where animals die. Like he despises Old Yeller with all of his being and refuses to even look at Marley and Me.
-He has a huge and obvious crush on Koilee. This stemmed from him deciding to accompany Mitch and Wally to Sakura Bay one day for fishing near the Pacific coast. He had somehow tripped off the boat and into the ocean without his life vest, and was drowning despite still being pretty close to the shore, so Koilee swam to save him. This, combined with his suspicion of her being a mermaid are the main reasons for his crush, although she always mistakes him for a child and is oblivious to his feelings. Carlo Romano hates hanging out near Tacodale and Mitch and Wally because Nick is always there and will awkwardly try to confess his love to Koilee all the time, despite he and Koilee obviously being a thing and Koilee definitely not being into him.
-He likes visiting interactive science museums since he enjoys conducting experiments and playing with the displays and activities. He hates art museums, though, because he hates analyzing anything and he just wants to look at the pretty art work without Brody hanging around him for some reason while being the art snob he is.
-He got into rafting after meeting Deano on his childhood trip to Portallini. Deano encourages him to take up boating as an outlet and mentored him. Deano also taught him Italian, which helped spark an interest in languages.
-He owns many different colored safety vests and life boat vests. He even has some decorated for fancy events and parties. His buddy Trishna thinks it could be a very good fashion trend, but Nick doesn’t think so, as he just wants them for safety.
-His favorite supernatural creatures are sirens and mermaids, stemming from The Little Mermaid.
-Sorry I don’t have too many quality hcs about my dear sweet boy, but I still love him with 1/4 of my heart cause the rest is reserved for Taylor and Wally
14 notes · View notes
runnfromtheak · 4 years
Text
fanfic author’s tagging game (yay!)
Thank ya darling for tagging me!!!! @boyblunder-thedarkheir!!!!!
AO3 Name(s): LostandLonelyBirds aka RUNNFROMTHEAK
Fandom(s): Primarily Batfamily (so, Dick Grayson) and Young Justice (along with DCU obviously, but I also dabble into Miralculous Ladybug, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, and MCU (none of which I will ever seriously write for? Idk man).
Number of fics: 22 I will admit to (how do you have so many, my dear @boyblunder-thedarkheir​? What is your secret?)
1. Fic you spent the most time on: Are we talking writing or thinking about writing, cause those are two very different answers. I spent the most time writing this bitch of a fic I’m working on right now, and the most time thinking about the two latest installments of my main series, Death is But An Illusion (aka How Could He and How Could It Be). I agonize over every goddamn detail with Dick’s anger, Jason’s Jason-ness, and every person’s every move and word. I am a mess, and I’m going to be murdered if I don’t update them soon. I am not sorry about that XD
2. Fic you spent the least time on:  You Came Behind Me Secretly and Shattered Every Piece of Me (There's Blood On My Hands) aka my pick-your-own-canon clusterfuck of Dark!Dick Grayson and Dick Grayson being traumatized and tortured with no comfort (Some of them are so fucked up I question my own mind). I take less than an hour to write 80% of them, cause they’re short, and they very rarely take any time to plan. Fun and easy!
3. Longest Fic: At present, he had a chest full of heart and a body full of scars (pain became the only way that he could ever learn)  is my longest, but the fic I’ve been hinting at on my other tumblr, @lostandlonelybirds​ is easily double the length (why do I do this to myself? Why am I like this?) the long boi (named one, not the one I won’t shut up about) is easily my best fic at the moment, and I’m so excited to write a sequel whenever I get the chance.
4. Shortest Fic: With Bated Breath and Pain You See (We're Nothing More Than Memories) technically, I have one shorter than that, but it’s a collab that wasn’t my original idea so I’m not counting it :)
5. Most Hits: You Came Behind Me Secretly and Shattered Every Piece of Me (There's Blood On My Hands) why do you people like this trash-fire so much? I don’t understand
6. Most Kudos:  How Could He which does not surprise me.
7. Most Comment Threads: Technically, How Could He followed by the trash-fire AU title thing I’m too lazy to type again, but I’m gonna love on this one: Just Close Your Eyes (No One Can Hurt You Now) because it’s my baby, and it deserves it okay?
8. Fave Fic You Wrote: Ooo we are doing a top five.
             5. How Could It Be (Jason is precious and sad and Dick is oblivious, and I love one-sided pining wayyyy too much)
             4.  How Could He (I put my life force into this stupid fic, so ofc it’s here)
             3. I'm Scared to Live But I'm Scared to Die (I'm Numb Inside) (the suicidal boy, major trigger warning)
             2. I See Things That Nobody Else Sees (And It's Slowly Killing Me)  (the only fic I’ve ever written from Cass’s perspective, and definitely one of the creepiest and most fucked up. Bruce does not look good here)
             1. he had a chest full of heart and a body full of scars (pain became the only way that he could ever learn) (so ummm Bruce doesn’t look good here either? RHATO #25 if DC wasn’t cowardly and let Dick react how he actually would, aka fuck Batman is the new motto)
9. Rewrites?: Fuck. All my older ones? Everything? Who knows.
10. Share a bit of your WIP or share a story idea that you’re planning:
Let’s do two. I’m nice.
First comes from How Could It Be:
“You loved him,” Donna says, ignoring his barb. “You loved him, and no one’s seen you or heard from you and I’m concerned, damnit.”
 She punches his shoulder roughly, and he’s reminded of her strength, no matter how small she seems in her dead best friend’s sweater.
 “I’m fine. Peachy-keen. Couldn’t be fuckin’ better. Honestly, you should be more concerned with Replacement, don’t think he’s slept in—”
 “Jason.” Her voice is firm, even as her eyes swim with tears and she holds her arms tight to herself, breathing in the well-loved item’s scent. Jason wonders when Dick wore it last, if Donna had taken it from his abandoned Gotham Penthouse or his Chicago Apartment. He wonders if he’d left it draped over the couch, like the natural disaster he was, or if it had been folded neatly in a drawer.
For someone who prides himself on not being sentimental, Jason suddenly wishes he had something of Dick’s too.
 “I’m here because I care, and because if Dick was here, he’d be doing the same thing I am.”
 “But he ain’t here,” Jason snaps, “Is he?”
 Donna’s head falls, and he feels like a giant jerk. He just… reacts poorly to that name, hasn’t heard it spoken since the transmission and subsequent funeral, since the guy he’d had the hots for since wearing the scaly panties had his mask ripped away and his life taken in front of Bruce’s eyes (who, to absolutely no one’s surprise, failed to save his son).
In the aftermath, no one said Dick Grayson’s name, always Nightwing, or some inane nickname the superhero community had for him. Last time he said it was to Damian, a failed attempt at comfort. But even Jason’s form of mutual grieving had been better than any of Bruce’s shit ideas. Bastard immortalized the ripped costume from his own son’s corpse (not that it had been the first time) and hadn’t even had the decency to give it a plaque (No ‘Good Soldier’ or ‘Good Son’, just a bare glass case with a bloody suit). Which… was weird. Jason was far from B’s best friend, but even he noticed something seemed strange, off, just not quite right. Like the funeral he didn’t speak at, like the breakdown none of them had witnessed beyond a one-off rage fit
“B, what the fuck happened down here?”
The Batcave was a disaster, dents glaringly obvious in several vehicles and a large spiderweb crack across the Batcomputer. Bruce closes the screen down, but Jason manages to catch a spiraling eye.
“Nothing, just…”
Bruce looks at the spare Nightwing costume none of them had taken down yet, still clean and ready for use (too bad its owner died and would never wear it again).
“Dick?” Jason questions, and the way Bruce’s eyes snap to his face is almost suspicious, almost enough to arouse concern.
“Yes. I—”
Jason sits next to Bruce on the desk, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I miss him too, Old Man. Don’t mean you need to be an ass about it.”
 A memorial next to Jason’s own, but Dickhead’s is empty and broken from Damian’s fists and grief, and Jason’s is just gone. No one told him why, it was just gone.
Kind of like Dick.
He wonders if Bruce would have told him if the video hadn’t been broadcast, if he would’ve told anyone. B did love his fuckin’ secrets.
 “No,” she whispers, and he can hear the tears in her voice, can feel her grief as keenly as his own. It’s palpable, tangible, “He’s dead, and I’m alive, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
 And then, to Jason’s mounting horror, she starts crying openly.
…..
Second comes from my one I’m working on rn with Stray!Dick called I See Sunset In Your Eyes (I Hate This Part Right Here)
“Come on,” Wally says with a pout, dragging an overly amused Jason and Dick with him through the karaoke bar doors. “Donna and Roy are waiting for us, and Dick had to take forever to primp.”
 Dick shrugs with a grin.
 “Beauty takes time, time I can tell you did not take.”
 Jason snorts, and Wally glares at him.
 “At least I don’t take five hours to finish getting ready.”
 “At least I can last longer than five minutes.”
 “Ouch!” Roy butts in, throwing an arm around Jason and Dick’s shoulders. “Claws are out tonight!”
 “Speaking from experience?” Jason asks, eyebrow raised.
 Dick smirks without comment, sauntering past the group towards the table Donna’s lounging at.
 “Hey gorgeous twin of mine,” He greets with a kiss to her eyes. She smirks, rolling her eyes at him.
 “You’re just stroking your own ego with the twin tacked on, Wonder Boy.”
 Dick bumps his shoulder against hers.
 “Can’t I stroke both our egos?”
 “You can stroke mine,” Wally mutters, turning red when Stray winks at his phrasing. Jason and Roy both facepalm, groaning. “Not what I meant guys!”
 “Why Kid Idiot,” Dick replies, hand on his heart, “I had no idea you could be so forward~!”
 Wally glares, waving over the waitress.
 “Round of shots, on this dick,” he jerks his thumb at Stray, offering up his fake ID. She doesn’t bother checking it, probably because this is Gotham, and they were all in uniform. “Whisky, please.”
 “Trying to get me drunk?” Jason jokes. It is, after all, his first big outing with the Titans for non-mission reasons. Stray had practically dragged him out of the Manor with a wink at Alfred and a middle finger for Bruce, saying that Jason needed to have fun outside of books.
Jason knows better than arguing with Dick Grayson-Kyle when he wants something, Stray trained him well.
 “Of course, Batboy,” Roy replies, “It’s not a Titans outing if Stray is fully dressed and everyone’s sober.”
 Dick shrugs.
 “You’ll have to get some real liquor in me if you want me to do anything like last time.”
 “Last time?” Jason asks, looking to Donna for an answer. Dick snorts. You get near naked one time…
 “Boy Blunder ended up in just his boxers in a dancing cage drunk of his ass. Everyone thought he was one of the strippers, and he made, what, three-hundred dollars in bills?”
 “Five-hundred,” Dick replies proudly, offering the waitress a twenty as she came back with their drinks. “Keep the change, darlin’!” He adds with a wink.
 She flushes, making Jason frown.
 Stray, of course, notices this and elbows Jason.
 “Don’t get jealous, Blue Jay, it’s not becoming.”
 Jason does not blush. He doesn’t, and that’s the hill he will die on.
 “I’m not. On an unrelated note, pass me a shot.”
Jason is the master of changing the subject, Stray thinks sarcastically, passing him a shot and downing one of his own.
 “Five bucks says alley cat blacks out,” Roy says smugly as Dick makes a face, the way he always did with heavier liquors. He glares at the redhead, who shrugs unapologetically.
 Donna eyes them both speculatively, taking a sip of her own drink.
 “Twenty says he gives a lap dance before he blacks out.”
 Roy snorts.
 “I’ll take it,” and to Dick, “Don’t do it, for me.”
 Dick bats his eyes innocently.
 “Lil’ old me? I would never do something so…” He trails a finger down Roy’s chest, making him swallow roughly. “Scandalous.”
 Donna grins victoriously as Roy groans, trying and failing to hide his excitement.
 “I hate you. I hate you both.”
 Tagging whoever sees this, I suppose? 
11 notes · View notes
sohannabarberaesque · 4 years
Text
Underwater America with Peter Potamus: Florida’s Space Coast
Tumblr media
art by MaudeDraws (https://www.deviantart.com/maudedraws)
This story continues a Friday Fanfic series which debuted late last year, in which Peter Potamus and friends go on a cross-country tour of the nation’s most interesting diving sites in the hope of selling their adventures to television. This story takes place early in the summer of 1970.
I drove the bus out of Ocala at around six o’clock in the morning while everyone else inside was still sleeping off our latest refreshing adventure.
Early into the next leg of our cross-country tour, I pondered taking the winding country roads instead of the highway. I eventually decided on the highway, for the roads were generally less bumpy—thereby making the crew less irritable—and faster, even though we had lots of time to get to our next stop: Florida’s famous State Road A1A, featuring the longest stretches of beaches one could ever hope for.
About 90 minutes later, once everyone was awake, alert and begging for breakfast, we stopped at a diner in Ocoee, not far from Orlando, Walt Disney’s latest conquest. In fact, as we sat in two separate booths looking at menus, the conversation turned to the resort.
“What do you think he’s got there?” Breezly pondered.
“Do you think we could get up close and take pictures?” asked a slightly hyperactive Squiddly, shivering with delight.
“Yeah!” Magilla giddily exclaimed. “Maybe we could have a piece of history!”
“Please,” Mildew said in his usual sassy style. “I doubt they’d let anyone near a construction site. Plus, this is Disney we’re talking about, so they’d probably shoot you!”
“Indeed,” I added, dead serious. “I’m not going to waste valuable time going there. We’ve got Cape Canaveral coming up in a few hours.” The thought of me or any of the others possibly getting arrested for trespassing immediately came to mind. “Let me remind you all that even though we’re all having fun here, I’m spending my life savings to make this dream happen. You all have nothing to lose, but not me.”
Squiddly and Magilla clammed up immediately. I figured they knew what I was talking about: nobody else had any means of support. Hokey and his partner Ding-a-Ling only had their street smarts to get them out of jams. Lippy and Hardy were just struggling. While Magilla could simply go back to Peebles’ Pet Shop, it simply wasn’t a life. This was a ticket to a new life for them and I was not about to risk that for something stupid.
Breakfast, otherwise, was nothing special. The coffee was a little too strong for some of them, and some of the meals just weren’t up to par. Lippy, sitting opposite from me, wasn’t thrilled with the slightly-soggy pancakes, either. We still paid for the meal, though, and went on our way. At least Squiddly loved the bagels and lox.
To compensate for the lack of Disney in our lives, we made an unplanned stop at the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area in Orange County. The area brings hunters, birdwatchers, campers, hikers, botanists, fishermen and wildlife enthusiasts together under one roof, and today all of the above were out enjoying themselves.
We took plenty of pictures of birds that morning, with bald eagles and kestrels hunting for their next meal, while herons and ibises, among others, hung out in the wetlands. We were also able to get on camera a group of wild turkeys congregating nearby, with Mildew and Hokey instantly regretting not bringing a shotgun—if only we had one.
“Monsters,” Loopy said with a smirk, although I am certain that, deep down, he would’ve wanted it.
The excursion turned out to be a good thing: the heavy showers came in a few miles after we got back onto Route 524. Better now than later.
“Oh, dear,” Hardy moaned. “That’s going to ruin our plans.”
“Aww, don’t sweat it, Hardy!” replied his optimistic friend, Lippy. “Better now than when we’re out on the boat, right?”
“If you say so,” the sour-flavored hyena moped. “I suppose it could have been worse. We could have been out in the water when—“
As if on cue, lightning struck a few hundred feet away from us, startling everyone but especially Hardy, who would’ve jumped into Lippy’s lap had the seat belt not prevented him from doing so—and yet, we all soldiered on past the rain and out of danger, and just in time.
The timing was perfect: the sun shone brightly on the Indian and Banana rivers, the first things one sees before entering State Road A1A from the north. Sandwiched between the two rivers is Merritt Island, home to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, known throughout the world for NASA’s Apollo space missions that eventually put man on the moon for the first time in history.
We stopped at the northernmost point of Florida’s Space Coast—the town of Cape Canaveral, where space tourism and beach tourism combine to provide an unforgettable experience. As we were on a mix of both pleasure and business, however, we immediately sought out a boat to rent for today’s underwater journey.
Once we secured one, we got to work loading our gear from the trailer into the boat. To avoid confusion and clutter, not only are the swim fins and masks hooked to the belt of the harness, our names are marked on the backs of the harnesses so we do not end up wearing someone else’s kit. We then started on our way, into the Atlantic Ocean.
As we continued on our way, we were able to get a glimpse of houses lined along the streets, not far from the Space Coast’s gorgeous beaches. These streets bear the names of past U.S. Presidents, the greats and not-so-greats among them: Washington Avenue. Adams. Jefferson. Eventually ending with Harding.
“Huh. Coulda sworn Van Buren would get his due,” Wally said before letting out his familiar, ear-pleasing laugh, noting the absence of his own street.
Further along the coast, the beaches were endless, although the places had different names. Cocoa Beach? Satellite Beach? Melbourne Beach, just a drive away from the city of Melbourne? It’s all good. You get to enjoy the feeling of sand between your toes.
I made certain to check my gear to ensure everything was operational. I took a breath from the regulator and found no problems. While everyone else was testing their tanks and regulators, I went into the cabin to plot out a course for ourselves using a nautical map.
Now, Cape Canaveral itself is not an ideal place for diving. Consulting the guidebook, I had two options: either explore a natural reef twenty miles out of Port Canaveral in an area called Pelican Flats, or explore the wrecked Dutch steamship Laertes, the Allied cargo vessel sunk by a German U-109 in May 1942. We couldn’t tackle both at once, as those two were a mile apart. As I looked further through the book to see if there were other reefs, it turned out there are plenty of other wrecks along the waters off A1A, some of them much, much older.
My mind was made up: we would be exploring a reef that day. …Or at least, I thought! Maybe some of the gang wanted a change of scene early. If there were other natural reefs along the coast, they were hard to come by. So, I told them we’d go to the reef.
After agreeing amongst ourselves on 90 feet for 40 minutes with a seven-minute decompression stop, we geared up for our journey into the depths in our familiar way: tanks secured to harnesses; harnesses worn and buckled securely; fins snugly worn; mask lenses spat-at-and-rinsed before donning; regulators being given a final check.
Tumblr media
art by Kandlin
After a final safety briefing and the dropping of the anchor line, we were about to back-roll into the ocean when an Atlantic flyingfish flew up from the water and landed right on Breezly’s lap. We all had a terrific laugh over it, even after Breezly non-chalantly threw the fish back in the ocean, toward where the little fella had hoped to go.
“We could’ve had some lunch!” Lippy laughed. “Why’d you throw it back?”
“I didn’t want to punish him for one simple mistake!” Breezly replied with a warm smile to match his warm heart.
After that slight delay, we back-rolled into the water and slowly followed the anchor line down to the ocean floor, right next to where the reef was located.
Immediately the ten of us split up into several groups, giving us several times the opportunities for fun things to happen, though the feeling of water against one’s skin or fur is always a source of delight, regardless of the results of these dives.
One thing we noticed was that the reef was not a coral reef as some of us had hoped. Instead, we found plenty of short seagrass, an important source of nutrition for some of the aquatic life. The lack of coral gave me the first impression that the reef resembled a formation of mossy rocks and boulders one would perhaps find in the woods.
On the ocean floor nearby, Hardy swam close to what appeared to be a small, wide formation. It looked like it was a little smooth to the touch, unlike coral, so he brushed a few fingers along the length. The “formation” moved slightly, causing Hardy to jump back a little. The thing Hardy touched was a Florida sea cucumber, one of many such invertebrates found along Florida’s waters. To reassure Hardy, Lippy gently picked it up and showed its underside, with its many rows of tube feet, and the oral tentacles on the front side. Hardy nodded, having fully understood.
Meanwhile, Hokey and Wally, apparently not yet over their hunger pangs, scoped out a sizable group of lobsters congregating beneath a portion of the reef. With no net with which to catch them, and no way to bring them back, lest they carry it with them throughout the dive and even the decompression stop, they were at a loss. Even so, they were not about to be defeated.
Hokey beckoned for Loopy to swim over. Once Loopy joined the pair, Hokey pointed to the lobsters that were taking cover, then rubbed his belly to communicate everyone’s favorite language—food.
Loopy looked at Hokey quizzically, pointing up to the surface: did Hokey really intend to take his dinner up to the boat? When Hokey and Wally nodded in the affirmative, Loopy shook his head, not wanting anything to do with it.
Wally, however, had a plan, and he started to take off Loopy’s scarf, despite the wolf’s objections. Once Hokey got into the mess, Loopy had no chance. He then laid down one end of the scarf by the lobsters, waiting on one of them to take the bait. It didn’t take long, as one of them gripped the scarf.
Excitedly, Hokey pulled the scarf out, but the lobster, sensing what was happening, let go and rejoined the others.
Wally laid out the bait again, but before a lobster could hook onto it, Loopy, disgruntled, snatched the scarf away and swam far from them in order to put it back on. So much for lunch.
Meanwhile, our camera-octopus, Squiddly, located a gorgeous queen angelfish swimming alongside me. The somewhat fluorescent-looking colors on its body make it stand out from most of the other fish. Getting to experience seeing one up close is exciting enough, but when about a dozen more show up in the vicinity, you get worried about whether or not you actually loaded the film into the camera!
Some of the others were able to witness a loggerhead sea turtle swim by them. Mildew started off by following it, with Loopy instinctively joining his lupine companion. Soon, Lippy and Hardy were on the chase as well, though I do believe they just wanted to pet it. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just get it over with and form a conga line.
I followed Magilla and Breezly when they decided to stray a little from the reef. We had reached a sandy area where the two of them went fish-watching, without any of the others getting in the way.
We were able to witness a group of African pompanos on their way to the reef. While the juveniles prefer to go where the ocean currents lead them, adults prefer the coastline, in depths of up to 100 meters.
Outside of that, we were unable to find many fish of interest, outside of a solitary cocoa damselfish that swam right between the polar bear’s and gorilla’s bodies. The two of them turned around in unison just as the fish passed them; perhaps those two should have signed up for synchronized swimming instead.
We were about to rejoin the group when we saw what appeared to be a large school of fish—at least from a distance. As they drew ever closer, however, we realized they weren’t fish, but a group of about three dozen manta rays swimming towards us and above us. We quickly turned around, kicking our legs as quickly as we could, swim fins waving up and down, so that we could alert the others. We were going to get a chance to swim along with the rays.
Tumblr media
art by Enookie
Squiddly got in front of us so he could capture this epic scene. I positioned the other camera at a different angle, and we were on our way.
As we followed the group of rays, we were awestruck by the graceful movement of their pectoral fins. Taken individually, it’s a gorgeous sight, but to witness over thirty of them doing it was like viewing real-life natural art.
Mildew had the right idea when he swam the backstroke. The rays’ movements, combined with the limited light of the sun, made for the best viewing experience.
The mantas have a pair of horn-like cephalic fins on either side of their mouth. When the manta forages for food, these fins flatten in order to channel food into their mouths. At the surface they will feed on zooplankton such as shrimp and krill. At deeper depths such as these, they will feed on small or medium-sized fish.
As were were approaching a variety of fish, we had no choice but to let them be. Squiddly kept filming, yet kept a safe distance. As the rays fed on the sundry fish, I discovered, while editing this film for broadcast, that one of the rays may very have well feasted on that same cocoa damselfish Magilla and Breezly saw earlier. That’s the way life goes for an animal: one day you’re minding your own business, and the next day you’re gone. I would talk about life’s fleeting mortality, but that’s for some other show. It was time for us to ascend, anyway.
In deep dives, nitrogen starts to accumulate in the diver’s body. If a diver ascends like one usually would in a relatively shallow swimming pool, these nitrogen gases could turn into bubbles, thereby causing decompression sickness, which can be potentially fatal.
To help relieve the pressure, the diver’s ascent must be approximately thirty feet per minute. Depending on the details of the dive, a decompression stop may also be necessary fifteen feet from the surface. In this case, because of a 90-foot dive for 40 minutes, our wait was seven minutes. Even in dives at shorter depths, precautionary safety stops of three minutes may be required.
Because of the potential for danger, it is advised that dives are planned carefully. Use the most conservative figures when consulting dive tables. Know how much air you have, and do not plan lengthy dives if you don’t have the air to do a safety or decompression stop.
Squiddly Diddly, bless him, doesn’t have those disadvantages we mammals have. While we waited to ascend again, the good old octopus took the time to take one last tour of Pelican Flats, showcasing all its flora and fauna in its glory, however fleeting it may be. Who knows—maybe the fish Squiddly caught on camera could be the next to be swallowed up by a manta ray!
After the decompression stop, we made our final ascent to the boat, where we climbed out of the ocean, one at a time. Some of us laid back, gear still on, a little worn out from overstimulation.
“All those wasted years of trying to catch lambs,” Mildew chuckled. “Now this is living!”
“Who woulda thought? Swimming with manta rays!” Magilla said giddily, removing the gear one piece at a time and drying himself off.
“I think all of us needed that spark in our lives where we truly got to experience something special,” said I, stacking my fins and mask together as Squiddly climbed back onto the boat, the last to do so. “We’ve all forgotten how much of a thrill life could be. All we’ve been doing before is trying to survive.”
Lippy and Hardy, having known the feeling for years, nodded in agreement.
I slowly arose from the ledge and walked to the cabin. “All right. Let’s get this boat back, we get the gear back in, get our tanks refilled, and then finally we relax. I hear there are some good seafood places here.”
“How about a lobster?” Hokey said, smiling, eager for something exquisite.
“Me, too!” Wally added.
“Eh, we’ll see,” I said with a laugh, and the others were pretty much amused.
Once back on shore, we got the tanks refilled and all the gear loaded back onto the trailer. We bade farewell to Cape Canaveral and continued further south along A1A. Although Cape Canaveral isn’t a haven for divers, what we did see was good enough to warrant a visit, and the beaches are still very exquisite. If you would like to get to know NASA’s space program up-close and get wet and sandy—preferably not at the same time—set aside some time to visit the Space Coast.
Although we never got a chance to explore the Laertes shipwreck, a greater opportunity arose pre-dive when I learned of an early 18th-century Spanish ship, part of the doomed 1715 Treasure Fleet that transported goods and treasure from Spain’s territories back to the mainland. In our next episode, in which we travel to Florida’s Treasure Coast, we will explore one of those ships lost to a hurricane, the Urca de Lima, and perhaps come away with some treasure of our own.
11 notes · View notes
worryinglyinnocent · 4 years
Text
Ficlet: Turkey Tribulations
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Lab Nights fic and everyone’s favourite interfering elderly relative, Aunt Elvira. Just a little quick ficlet this year as I completely forgot about it until this morning.
The series so far can be found here. This fic takes place two years after part six.
Summary: Emma and Bae are hosting Christmas for the first time, and it’s not going exactly to plan.
Rated: G
======
Turkey Tribulations
"This is a disaster!"
"It really isn't."
"It is! They're arriving in ten minutes and the stuffing's burning and the potatoes are still raw and the turkey's going backwards!"
"Emma, calm down, everything's going to be fine, I promise."
"It's not! This is terrible!"
Bae grabbed Emma's wildly flailing arms before she could knock the pan of carrots off the stove.
"Em, please just breathe. It's just Christmas dinner. It's not the end of the world."
"I know, but..."
"No buts."
"But it's not going to be as good as Aunt Elvira's!"
There it was, the entire reason why Emma was having a mini nervous breakdown at the prospect of burnt stuffing and raw potatoes.
It was the first time that Bae and Emma were hosting Christmas lunch, and Emma had been in a complete tizz about it for the entire day, to the point of entering meltdown mode now with Gold, Belle and Rosie about to arrive.
She sighed; she really hadn't wanted to admit to Bae what was bothering her. She'd gone through her entire life not really caring too much what everyone thought of her, and now she was here, fretting about not having Christmas dinner to the perfect standard that she'd always had it at Bae's house. Why was she even that worried? It made no sense!
"Aunt Elvira isn't coming," Bae said, trying to mollify her and failing miserably. "She's on a Christmas Markets tour with her Knit and Natter group. She's in Lübeck right now."
"That doesn't make it any better! You've all been used to Aunt Elvira's amazing Christmas dinners since forever and now I've come along and ruined Christmas forever."
"You haven't, because I was the one in charge of the roast potatoes so it's a joint effort at ruination."
"Bae, you're not helping!"
"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. Honestly, Em, it's going to be fine."
Emma let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping. "Why did we agree to do this?"
"Because we're Christmasochists." In spite of herself, Emma laughed. "Because we thought that doing Christmas was the ultimate test of adulthood? I don't know. Still, we're in it together, and the car's just pulled up so I'm going to go and waylay them and then I'll come back and we'll make a plan for rescuing this turkey."
Bae kissed her forehead and left the kitchen, and Emma leaned back against the cabinets, sinking down onto the floor with a groan. She knew that attempting to cook Christmas dinner in their tiny kitchen in their tiny flat was a bad idea. They should have waited until they were in a bigger place, but neither of them were exactly raking it in at the moment and she had no idea when that would be. She didn’t want to live her entire life in a state of ‘we’ll do it when there’s enough money/space/time’ because the way things were going, there never would be, and then she’d have missed out on all of life’s experiences.
Perhaps this was one she wouldn’t have minded missing out on.
In the living room beyond, she could hear Bae welcoming his parents and little sister, and getting them settled with drinks and things. At least the table was already laid so it looked like they were ready to host, even if the food was an entirely different story.
For a moment, Emma found herself wishing that Aunt Elvira had come after all and hadn’t taken advantage of not being designated caterer to go on holiday. Not that Emma begrudged her the holiday; Aunt Elvira had cooked Christmas dinner in the Gold household every year for the past thirty years, aside from the year she fell down the stairs and dislocated her collarbone on Christmas morning.
But if Aunt Elvira had come, then Emma would be able to ask her for cooking tips.
She grabbed her phone and stared at it for a long time. When Aunt Elvira had adopted her into the family, she’d given Emma her phone number, saying that she could always call if she needed a mad old woman’s advice at any time.
It was Christmas Day and Aunt Elvira was probably eating her own Christmas lunch at a very nice hotel in northern Germany, but it was a culinary emergency, and until Emma had met Bae and his family, she’d never been in a position whereby she had someone she could call on when she was at the end of her tether.
She dialled Aunt Elvira.
The phone rang for a very long time, and Emma was beginning to give up hope, before a familiar Scottish voice answered.
“Hello, Elvira Gold speaking. Sorry, I couldn’t find the phone in my knitting bag and then it got tangled up in the crochet pot plant holder. In fact it’s still tangled up in the crochet pot plant holder, I look like a right wally with all this pink wool stuck to my ear.”
“Hello, Aunt Elvira. Merry Christmas. It’s Emma.”
“Emma! How are you? Merry Christmas! It’s lovely to hear from you. How’s Christmas dinner going?”
“Well, that’s actually the reason I called you. It’s, well, not going. Nothing looks like it’s cooking and the roast potatoes just won’t roast.”
“All right, let’s see what we can do to salvage this then. I’m sure everything will be fine. Where’s that errant nephew of mine? Either of them. Actually, both of them. The secret to a great Christmas dinner is delegation. All hands on deck now!”
Emma called Bae into the kitchen, and put Aunt Elvira on speakerphone as she handed out sage advice. It was clear that the other women in the Knit and Natter group were also getting in on the action, and Emma wondered how many sweaters and crochet plant pot holders she and Bae were going to get next year.
Finally, the meal was coming along nicely, with all disasters recovered. And, as Emma looked around at the pots and pans, she reflected they hadn’t really been all that disastrous.
“Thank you, Aunt Elvira.”
“Think nothing of it, my dear. It was a team effort, after all. I’m sure that it will taste wonderful, and remember that even if it doesn’t, it’s really not the turkey that everyone’s going to remember. It’s the day itself.”
Although Emma was really not the hugging type, she was definitely going to hug Aunt Elvira when she saw her at Hogmanay. 
18 notes · View notes
Text
Infinity: chapter 3- A way out.
Time to start the “where did this character end up?” game.
---
To Allison Pendle, immortality has been a blessing, but also a curse. In the past century since her transformation, she’d seen the downfall of Joey Drew Studios, joined a gang in which she worked under Lacie Benton and Shawn Flynn, gone through rehab, seen a multitude a countries, been a singer, an actress, a missionary, a mother, and a drug dealer, rubbed shoulders with Wally as a performing circus freak, gone to rehab, been rich, been homeless, tried almost every hobby imaginable, read more books, met more people, done more drugs, and had generally lived life to the fullest. The past little bit, though, she was bored with it. She’d begun to envy older people, who were able to slow down with age, and eventually die. And so, she eventually returned to Brightdale.
Brightdale as Allison remembered it, was a small and mostly unnotable little town, but it was a very significant place to Allison. It was where, in her time randomly traveling the country in her early twenties, she’d first discovered that witchcraft was real.
In present, the place had been deserted entirely. As Allison walked the empty streets lined with overgrowth, a delightfully haunted feeling came over her. She’d have to explore these dusty houses when she was finished with her mission. It was on the edge of town that she found the house of the witch she had stayed with and stolen from. Its windows and doors were thoroughly grown over with vines roots at this point. Thankfully, Allison had half-way expected the place would be patroled by some sort of guardian creature and had thus come prepared with a shotgun and a machete. There was nothing special about the foliage and it gave way fairly easily, allowing Allison in.
Within it, Allison found the place nearly untouched- nicely lit, no dust, nothing. Was the witch still here? Allison raised her gun and listened as creaking wooden steps gave away the old woman's presence. "I have a reversal shield on me. Don't try anything," Allison asserted. It was a lie, but not one to be taken lightly- casting a spell, especially an offensive one, on a reversal shield could very easily prove deadly.
"Allison?" the witch growled. "Very well, you fucking thief. What do want from me?"
"Ingredient number 30."
The old woman went to her spice cabinet, took out the ingredient, and threw it at Allison. "Anything else?"
"Well, there is something I'd like to ask you. You don't actually look like that, do you?"
The witch smiled wryly. "No... I actually look quite a bit like you. But you see, if I looked like you, then boys would be following me home all the time, getting to learn my secrets because they're after the one between my legs. It's protective to look like this."
Allison nodded. "That's what I thought. So," she pulled a recipe of sorts out of her pocket, "do you think this could kill you?"
The witch stared on in fear.
"Not that I want to kill you. I just think we should have the option."
---
It was the middle of the day when Henry received that very important letter (not the first Very Important Letter he'd received from someone in that bygone studio!). He had been in his office at the official headquarters of Disney, and the letter had been brought to him by his wife, Elaine. It read:
Dear Henry Stein,
This is  one of the immortals. I have found a potion that can cure our immortality. If you'd like it, or just like to see the rest of us again, me in Brightdale, Ohio at seven at night exactly one week from today.
See you soon (oops, that sounds ominous),
-Allison Pendle
"What is it, honey?" Elaine asked. Elaine knew that Henry was immortal, along with with pretty much everything else about him. They'd been married for fifteen years now, from her late twenties to her early forties, and had fostered many children together. Henry loved her, and certainly didn't think of her as some mayfly pet. But he wouldn't have wanted to talk about this with anyone.
"Nothing," Henry responded, perfectly calm.
"Okay," Elaine said, leaving with a look on her face that suggested that she suspected things maybe weren't.
Henry immediately tossed the letter in the trash and attempted to focus on the paperwork on his desk- fourums on the theme park he was planning on building with the help of Bertrum Piedmont. Finding he couldn't, Henry turned over the sheet and turned to his oldest coping mechanism- drawing. He was good now- all that time loop stuff was forgotten. But he was never in a million, billion, trillion years going to risk seeing Joey Drew's face again. Infinity didn't scare him much nowadays, and it scared him infinitely less than that.
---
The next house that the letter found its way to was a big, but run-down. Not many knew it, but it was where a pair of extremely well-established drug lords operated. As of right now, there were several people passed out on the crack-dusted leather couches, one of them being Lacie Benton, who was hungover from having used more substances than she could name the night before. "Hey Lacie. Letter from your old lover is here," Shawn called.
"Which one?" Lacie returned.
"The Raven."
Lacie rolled her eyes. "It was one kiss. She wanted to try it. Are you going to tease me about that until the very ends of time?"
"Probably," Shawn replied, gathering up some crack from the end table and snorting it. He couldn't wait until their next shipment would arrive, later in the afternoon.
Groggy, she got up and took the letter from Shawn's hands.
"Oh my God."
"What? Is she coming back to us?"
"No, it's better than that. She wants to give us a suicide drug!"
Shawn shared her excitement. At this point, they were both due for life-sentences, and for them, that would mean jail for centuries or millennia. Not anymore. Not with these. They were going to that meeting.
---
"So, Samuel Lawrence, explain to us why we should allow you, a man currently on parole and with many, many felonies in your past however distant, become a priest."
Sammy took a deep breath. In a similar courtroom to the one he now stood in, he'd answered the same question five years ago when he'd argued why he should be allowed in a seminary. now he had to argue it again in order to be licensed. At very least, the church where he'd done his practicum had agreed to hire him if he got through this, so he wouldn't have to make this same speech a third time.
"Your honour. I do not deny my crimes. However, as you said, they took place now nearly a century ago. I led unofficial church groups in prison which turned many people to better behaviour. I has released from my sentence- 7 charges of attempted murder at eight years each and seven charges of first degree murder at twenty years each- literal centuries early for my good behaviour, an absolutely unprecedented decision. And as one of my letters of recommendation will tell you, I stayed in prison an extra year to support the people I'd met there. What's more, and I know this is old news to you, I am immortal. The amount of life experience I could gain is immense, and I want to climb my way up through the catholic church system so that I can pass it on. Even now, I am 133 years old. Through prison and in my music career before it, I heard the stories of more people than I can count. I have experience in dealing with the worst sinners, and as we all know, a church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. There are few people with as much life experience as me and fewer whose minds are still sharp. In short, I have made a positive impact on people's lives, and I want to get myself in a position where I'll be able to do that for as many people as possible. Thank you."
Sammy was breathing heavily from emotion as he finished his speech and sat back down. The judge said some words that Sammy barely registered about letting the jury decide. Sammy's stomach knotted up and he felt like either screaming or disappearing.
Half an hour later, he emerged from the courthouse elated, as a licensed priest. The letter was in his mailbox once he got home. Sammy laughed, then ripped it up. Today was the first step on the path to his destiny. Why would he in a million years want to die?
---
A copy of the letter came to Bickmore Insane asylum. The receptionist opened it and saw that it was addressed to one of the patients, Joseph "Joey" Drew. The receptionist did not feel badly for reading the patient's mail. For one thing, Joseph couldn't have read it anyhow. For another, Joseph honestly deserved it.
Rumour had it that decades ago- and it was decades, since Joseph was one of the immortals- Joseph had been given l a sentence spanning centuries for seven charges of attempted murder, twenty-something charges of murder, and innumerable charges of unlawful imprisonment. One of his victims had been the murder of a seventeen-year-old boy, and as a result, prison was not at all kind to Joseph. The other prisoners would beat the life out of him regularly, doing things to him that would kill most people, including giving him severe brain damage and forcing him to stumble around for hours on end as his brain repaired itself. As a result, Joseph was quickly moved to protective custody, and then to solitary confinement.
After the trauma of his treatment by the other prisoners and the solitary confinement had left him far too anxious and aggressive to be kept with the others, he was sent to Bickmore, where he at first seemed to make a quick recovery. There was, after all, a physical component to trauma, and Joseph's brain was just as resilient as the rest of him. But every time he seemed nearly ready to be transferred back to prison, he would cause a scene with panic visible in his eyes. He would begin to scream nonsense about beetles in his veins, throw objects, and attack faculty members and fellow patients. It didn't matter how many times it was explained to Joseph that he would be transferred right back to protective custody this time and the other prisoners would not be able to hurt him. Joseph did not want to go back to prison, and would do anything to buy himself more time.
As time went on, Joseph's apparent breaks from reality became more and more realistic. He would question faculty members about whether he was going back to prison, and attack them out of suspicion. The final straw, however, was when, on the first day he'd been allowed near other patients unsupervised since his last outburst, stabbed a 60-year-old schizophrenia patient with a butter knife and then a fork because he was convinced she was a spy for "the prison system." Joseph was pulled off of her, put into permanent solitary confinement, and sedated. Even now, he was in solitary, treated with the extreme care one would use for a dangerous beast, and kept heavily sedated.
Of course, the secretary didn't know any of that. Unless one had access to his files, that was all rumour- myth. She passed the letter onto her superior, who called Allison to ask that she send the drug. It was about time that someone put Joseph Drew out of his misery.
---
Thomas Connor had been making pancakes for his family when Boris brought him the mail in his mouth. Thomas smiled and took it with no word but a pat on Boris' head. The mail that day consisted of two letters and a newspaper. The first letter was just a bill, but the second one was from Allison Pendle.
What could that crazy bitch want from him? Thomas didn't know. A while ago he would have been mad, but now it had been so long that he honestly didn't feel anything. At least he had Alice to talk to if it was romantic. "Boris, could you take over for me?" he asked, moving over to the kitchen table to open the letter. Once he'd read it over, he crumpled it up, then uncrumpled it and found a fresh sheet of paper on which to write a reply.
Dear Allison
Thomas paused. He supposed he ought to keep this formal, at least at first, and wrote down her last name before continuing.
What are you up to? I don’t think I’ve seen you in person since that one time with the New York City Police.
Me, I’m still an engineer. Not for GENT- they went out of business a while after I left them. I’d worked for a few different places, but most recently (ha- “recently.” It was decades ago!) I’ve been  hired by an elite team of researchers who were looking into the ink machine. We eventually figured out how to save the people within these ink shells. You see, some of them have a human soul and a toon presence, and some get a third, demonic presence mixed in. We just had to separate them and give them separate bodies. Or cubes, in the case of the demons and toons. Don’t want them running away on us, do we? Anyhow, the humans took first priority. I saved that Buddy kid that we met and kept him at my house for a few years so that he could finish his schooling. After we were done with the people though, some bleeding heart thought we should give proper bodies to the cartoons because they “had over two decades of life experience, could feel pain and emotion,” you see where this is going. I thought it was stupid, but I was being paid to be an engineer, and if this was to be my project, so be it.
Thomas stopped and looked up. An Edgar (yes, an. Thomas had two) was playing Snakes and Ladders with Bendy and Alice on the floor. Dog, who was one one of his three Borises and the only one who walked on four legs like, well, a dog, was currently getting confronted by two sets of Charleys and Barleys for making his other Edgar cry. The Boris lowered himself to the ground in a doglike show of submission and apology, which the butcher gang members seemed to accept.
I guess they were right. Bringing them all back was a gradual process, and we could adopt some of them out. You’d be surprised how few people want to adopt a bunch of living cartoons with a truckload of trauma and no knowledge of the real world, though. I ended up with eleven of them. And it was supposed to be temporary, but now there’s a whole bunch of em’ I don’t want to separate (butcher gang trios especially) and, well, I guess I’m stuck with them. Not that I don’t like them, but I kind of wish I weren’t so tied down. I feel like I could do great things as an engineer, and while I love my kids, I kind of don’t want them to be my eternity, you know?
So that’s all to say, no. I can’t die. Can’t abandon my kids. But I’d love to see you again. Maybe I could come into town and meet up?
-Your fellow immortal, Thomas Connor
3 notes · View notes