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creativeskullcreations · 3 years

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Buddy’s Problem part 2

Okay! Part two is done! Part three probably isn't gonna be until after the New Year, though, but it should be the final part.

Enjoy the story, and have a Merry Christmas! :D

As it turned out, being a campaign manager was pretty difficult, especially when Buddy had to travel to a whole different town for it. Filbo lived in a small farming town called Kinsing. Several other members of the expedition lived there too, though Wiggle, Gramble, and Cromdo lived in Gippsenburg. Either way, apparently Filbo wasn't very well known, having moved to Kinsing recently.

That was useful, and Buddy could totally work with that.

First was getting him nominated, which was easy as anyone could throw their name in. Filbo actually did that himself, though he needed some coaxing from Buddy to actually put it into the box. They then went out for burgers(not Bungers, thankfully) afterwards. They were joined by Beffica, who was shocked that Filbo was running for a real political position.

"Like, seriously? That's awesome you squeeb!" She gave him a soft punch to the arm, which he winced at. She didn't notice, or maybe just ignored it. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Well, I mean, I ended up doing pretty good back at Snax- on Snaktooth, so I figured I might as well try for the real thing." He told her, rubbing the soon-to-be-bruise. "Worst thing that could happen is I'll lose to Robbzoni."

"Ugh, Robbzoni. He's the worst." She helped herself to Buddy's fries, even as he tried to yank the plate away from her. "He's the real reason we don't have anymore flowers by the roads. He kept stealing them, so eventually the town stopped replacing them."

"How the grump did you find that out, Beff?" Buddy asked before shoving the whole handful of remaining fries into his mouth. She just shrugged and went for Filbo's plate instead.

"I snooped, Bestie. Just like I always do. Did." She corrected herself quickly, looking away. "I, uh, used to do that."

"So..." Buddy searched for a new topic. "What do you do now, anyways?"

"Oh, I got hired as a reporter at CGN. It's a bit of a commute, but not so bad." She shrugged. "And my coworkers aren't so bad, either."

Ah, the rival for GNN. Buddy remembered all the fights that had broken out between reporters at events. He also remembered the time he raided their office with some of his coworkers and stole all of their paperclips. It was in retaliation for them stealing all the rubber-bands at GNN. Which was to get back at them for stealing all of CGN's staples.

Good times.

"Here." He dug out a bottle of pepper-spray and handed it to the shorter Grumpus. "You'll need this."

"Uh." She looked between him and the large canister. "... Thanks. I think."

"No problem." He took a long drag on his soda as the conversation drifted away from him. Which was just fine, as he was busy brainstorming anyways, writing down plans and ideas into his journal. So far he didn't have a lot, but he'd talk to Filbo about it later and see what they could do.

Maybe a party? Filbo always seemed to like them, back on Snaktooth, so maybe that would be a good way to win him some votes.

The rest of the time passed by in a blur. Events were held, debates, parties, even a couple of bake sales that reminded Buddy of his school days. Speeches were made, each carefully crafted to have the best effect on the small populace of the town.

Wambus was actually a big help with that. As a farmer himself, he knew what to say to get and keep the farmers on Filbo's side. So they ended up conferring with him a lot, which meant going to his and Triffany's house a lot.

He was a surprisingly good cook, honestly. The meals they shared there were some of the best Buddy ever ate. He really would miss those nights when everything was done here, but that was no reason not to continue the "quest" for Filbo.

It was one such night, where Wambus had grilled some delicious steaks and corn on the cobs. He also had some homegrown sauces that he'd brought from Snaktooth, which made Buddy a little uneasy. But, the older farmer seemed to know what he was doing with that so he let it go for now.

"You seem to be getting pretty popular, dear." Triffany was saying to Filbo as Buddy doodled in his journal. He flipped it around to show Wambus his idea of a steak-based Bugsnax, only for the farmer to just grunt in acknowledgement. That was good enough for him though and he put the book aside to eat some more.

"Heh, yeah." Filbo rolled his corn on the cob in some butter. "It's all thanks to Buddy, though. He's doing great on the whole 'campaign manager' thing."

"It's not that hard." Buddy shrugged. "Not like you're running for Minister of the Public or something. It's just a few events to plan, and, like, two debates."

"True, but it still seems like a lot of work." Filbo actually looked kind of concerned, but Buddy waved it off.

"It's... it's really not." He told them, even though it kind of was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a full night's sleep, but it was definitely before Snaktooth.

"It would be tiring to be around all those people all the time." Wambus agreed. "I could never do that."

"Of course not, dear." Triffany agreed. "That's why you're a farmer."

"Yep."

Buddy watched the exchange with a small smile as Filbo took over the conversation, asking after the sauce crops. Whatever problems the couple had, he was glad they were working them out. He didn't want to even think about what would've happened if their marriage had broken up like...

Well, it wasn't good to dwell on it.

Wambus was right though; it was tiring being a campaign manager. He was almost glad the elections were ending soon, if only so he could get some more sleep. And then focus on finding a real job, as his savings were starting to run a little dry.

Still, as he watched his three companions, he felt content with how it was shaping up. Filbo was excitedly explaining all his plans for being Mayor, from replanting the flowers around the walking paths to finally getting the pot holes fixed. He even started explaining his plans to renovate the park in detail before Wambus finally reminded him to actually eat his steak.

"Oh, heh. Right." He cut a piece off, then opened his mouth to keep talking. Buddy took the opportunity to grab his wrist and shove the fork into his mouth.

"Eat it." He told him firmly, to quiet giggling from Triffany. Filbo shot him a glare, but obeyed, chewing quietly. Buddy then grabbed a forkful of his own steak to chew on, ignoring Triffany's pointed look.

The rest of the night passed without incident. In Buddy's opinion, it ended too soon. But then, it always did. And soon enough Buddy was back at his table in his apartment, drawing up more plans for the campaign. Luckily, the people seemed to really like Filbo. Or maybe they just hated Robbzoni that much more. Either way, according to the mid election survey Filbo was looking to be the popular candidate.

Still, he couldn't relax yet, there was still too much to do. The election itself was tomorrow. People would vote in the morning and the results would be announced both that afternoon, and in the next morning's paper. There would be one last speech before the vote though, and Buddy wanted to make sure it was perfect.

However as the time got later, and he had started the speech pretty later anyways, he found himself unwillingly drawn into sleep. Even as he tried to fight it off with copious amounts of caffeine, he inevitably passed out.

When he woke up, it was to Filbo calling him. In a panic, he grabbed his papers and raced out the door, practically flying down the stairs and into his car. He broke several traffic laws, but he managed to get to Kinsing Town Hall just barely on time. As he ran inside, he tried desperately to sort through the garbled mess of a speech he'd written.

He made his way to the backstage area, where Filbo was talking to... someone. Buddy felt like he should know the other Grumpus, but his exhausted mind just refused to make the connection. In any case, as soon as the Grumpus had left he was rushing up to Filbo, rapidly spewing apologies all the way.

"Sorry, sorry! I think I still have some time to, uh, to-to fix this? Maybe?!" His voice rose an octave and he quickly cleared his throat and tried to laugh off the rising panic. "I was up too late I think. Working. On this." He gave another short laugh, internally wincing at how off it sounded.

"Hey hey, it's okay." Filbo had to grab his shoulders, forcing them down from where Buddy had unconsciously hunched into himself. "I've got this one." He told him. Buddy blinked in surprise, hands lowering and almost dropping his papers.

"... You... you 'got' this?" Just what did he mean by that? Was Buddy unneeded? Had he been unneeded this whole time?

"Yeah. Since you've been working so hard lately, I figured I'd just, y'know, handle my own speech for today. " He gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I probably should've told you sooner-Oh!" He jumped at something the Grumpus on stage was saying. "There's my cue! See ya later!" He gave a quick wave before rushing off to get on stage, oblivious to Buddy's aborted attempt to reach for him.

'He didn't need me...' Quietly, Buddy dropped his speech into the trash. He then went for the snack table they had set up to get some coffee. 'I don't know why I even tried.'

The speeches were said, and then the voting happened. The surprising part, at least to Buddy, was that as they each voted the other members of the expedition would come up to them. A couple offered a "Good luck" or two, but none of them really left afterwards. They all hung around, and talked.

It made Buddy feel even more like he shouldn't have come. Filbo had plenty of people to keep him company for this, he didn't need Buddy Nobody did anymore.

So he sat just a little bit outside of the group, speaking only when someone talked to him directly. Other than that, he just drank his coffee quietly and wondered when would be a good time for him to leave.

It turned out never. The others never forgot about him for long enough for him to be able to slip away. Floofty in particular seemed intent on watching him, and they weren't blinking. He knew this because he straight up had a staring contest with the mad scientist, and they didn't blink once.

Soon enough, voting had closed and the votes were being counted. Poor Filbo was anxious through the whole thing, but never said anything about regretting running for mayor. Buddy was actually kind of proud of him for that, if he was being honest. He knew how hard the light blue Grumpus could be on himself, and he was glad he had gained some confidence at least.

Even if it was just another sign that he wasn't a help to him anymore. That he wasn't a help to anyone here anymore.

But, when they announced that Filbo had won, that he'd done it and beat out longtime Mayor Robbzoni, everyone present cheered. And not just the ones from Snaxburg, either, but everyone else who was hanging around. As everyone congratulated the new Mayor, and the MC announced when the official swearing in ceremony would take place, Buddy gave a quiet sigh into his coffee. Mentally, he ticked this quest as complete, but no new objectives came to mind.

"Hey, Buddy!" He looked up to see Filbo waving at him, and gave a small wave back. "We'll all going to Gramble's place to celebrate. You coming?"

Would he go? No. There wasn't anything for him to do there and besides, he had to get started on job hunting.

"... You guys go on ahead. I'll... I'll catch up with you later." There. Now he could go home and the others could get started on whatever came next for them.

Filbo hesitated a moment, searching Buddy's face intently. Then he shrugged and turned to follow the others. "Well, okay. If you're sure."

And then he was gone, along with the rest. Buddy put down his still full cup and stood up, dusting his fur off. He went to his car, a tiny little red thing that really needed to be traded in, and drove down the road back to Gippsenburg. He had a stop to make before he went home to his apartment, and then maybe he could finally work on forgetting everything.

#bugsnax #buddy's problem #the journalist #buddy copperbottom #filbo fiddlepie #beffica winklesnoot #wambus troubleham #triffany lottablog #floofty fizzlebean

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fantastic-nonsense · 4 years

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Winners and Losers of the 6th Democratic Debate

Winners:

Biden: Surprised the hell out of me and actually sounded competent and actually put together tonight. Still had some really weird and skeevy af answers, but overall came out sounding pretty good. Points deducted for unnecessary shouting, being dragged by Bernie a couple of times on his foreign policy, his inability to articulate his record on military policy, and the really odd and awkward segue into the story about the kid with the stutter.

Warren: Liz desperately needed a comeback night after her drop in the polls and god did she deliver. She sounded coherent and put together, was on message, was far more aggressive than she had been in previous debates (but effectively so and not needlessly so), and played as a very effective first round to take out Buttigieg so that Bernie and Yang could take the slam dunk shot and victory laps respectively. She was also able to effectively articulate pretty much everything, including a very well done answer on how she would exercise executive power in a divided Congress.

Bonus points for her responses on corruption/how corruption keeps progressive policies from getting passed and her response to the “are you too old to be president” question with “Well I would be the youngest female president ever elected.” Points deducted for not being able to answer Buttigieg's ‘are you corrupted Senator’ question, the slightly odd repetition of the “selfie line” line, and the slight zone out during the closing statements.

Bernie: also sounded far better and more coherent than he has at the past few debates. Simultaneously played peacemaker/argument-finisher and agitator to great effect. Highlights: getting the slam dunk on Buttigieg after the Warren-Buttigieg fight, shutting the Biden-Klobuchar fight down, and his comments on Israel-Palestine. Multiple points deducted for giving the mods the complete runaround on healthcare and not saying what he would do if he couldn’t get his bills passed in the Senate.

Middle of the Pack/“Almost Winners”:

Yang: I will never be convinced to vote for him, but having fewer candidates on the stage definitely worked to Yang’s advantage. Generally speaking, he had fairly compelling points and was able to articulate his thoughts quite a bit more. However, I’m dinging him significantly for all of those times that he stopped and visibly waited for applause; it came off as very Jeb “please clap” Bush, and I’m not about that life. He also completely missed the point on multiple occasions and reminded me that he’s not a politician with no political experience, and thus no real practical understanding of how to wield political power. I’m glad he’s there for the issues he’s articulating, but I would never vote for him for a federal-level office before he has served at a local, county, or state level.

Amy Klobuchar: okay before I get into her performance can I just say how weird it is that she’s polling at like 2% nationally and has had the most/second most speaking time at 2 debates in a row now??? Anyway Klobuchar was basically…the same, which means that she was kind of obnoxious and inserted herself and her opinions into everything, as usual. Lots of focus on “I can get it done” and “we need a Midwesterner” and obviously forced jokes (like Amy, I get it, you’re the “hello fellow kids” candidate, but you really don’t need to go that hard by name-dropping the “Notorious RBG” on live national television), not a lot of focus on how to actually move us forward into the future. She got some good shots in and sounded forceful, but nothing particularly substantial was said. Highlight of her night was her absolutely ending Buttigieg over the question of his experience. So she did much better than she has in previous debates, but not enough to actually put her into the 'winners' category.

The Losers:

Buttigieg: tonight was Dunk on Buttigieg night and he was obviously not prepared for it. He was able to semi-effectively combat Warren, but he had no response to Bernie and Yang coming after him using the opening provided by her attacks and Klobuchar coming back around to solidly end him. Also the “wine cellar” moment is already meme-ing its way around Tumblr and Twitter, which is not going to help him a bit either. He gave his usual “sound good but incredibly vague with no concrete answers” spiels, and still doesn’t seem to understand why universal public services should be free to everyone and not just poor/middle-class people; I don’t care if I’m paying for a rich kid to go to college or get healthcare, because they in turn are paying for me to go to college and get healthcare. Public services are for everyone to enjoy and profit from, not just poor people. He had multiple good moments, but they were overshadowed by his bad ones.

Tom Steyer: the entire time I just kept thinking “why are you here and peddling your false ‘I am the only one who has done anything’ nonsense???” Steyer imo came off as passionate about the issues and willing to put his money where his mouth is but condescending, pretentious, and dismissive of the work that everyone else on stage has done to advance various issues. Not a good look, but also not terribly surprising.

General Thoughts:

This debate was so much better and far more substantive than previous debates. The moderators weren’t particularly great, but they asked really meaty and tough questions and did hold the candidates accountable when they were giving the runaround. I particularly loved how this debate focused more on foreign policy, the area over which the President traditionally holds the most direct influence. Still waiting on some substantive questions on women’s issues other than abortion and birth control.

I’m so tired of watching Bernie and Biden yell at each other. Someone please save me.

Booker, Castro, and Steyer need to drop now. I'm content to put up with Yang until Iowa (when he obviously needs to drop out), and obviously Buttigieg isn't going anywhere until the first four states (at least) have voted.

As predicted, Biden, Sanders, and Warren are and continue to be the three frontrunners and the race is very likely to end up as either a three-way race to a contested convention or a Biden vs. Sanders or Warren (depending on which progressive candidate can garner more votes). I don't see Buttigieg managing to overtake Biden as the leading moderate in the race after tonight, which dings my original prediction that the race was going to end up as Biden and Buttigieg vs. Sanders and Warren fighting between whether the moderates or progressives were going to win the primary.

What really depresses me about Warren asking for forgiveness for getting too heated over issues is that it's such a female thing to do, especially female politicians, who constantly have to apologize and explain their angry words and confrontational speech where everyone accepts it wholesale from men and male politicians. That wasn't interview-level cringiness, that was a genuine belief that she should apologize for sounding angry.

Also the fact that the two women on stage both asked for forgiveness (and both for “getting too emotional over the issues”) and all of the men shrugged and were like ‘gifts! Buy my book.’ That last question is going to get analyzed quite a bit in the coming days, and it’s hopefully going to spark some conversation about the different standards we hold male and female politicians to

PBS noting in their post-debate discussion that Biden, Sanders, and Warren all came from less money than Buttigieg and that they didn't earn their money until their 40s when discussing the Warren-Buttigieg "you're worth more than I am" moment like lmao go off

#democratic debate #2020 election #personal #politics liveblogging

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thecooperanderson-blog1 · 6 years

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Family Matters

Characters: Cassandra Dearing and Cooper Anderson Date: 2nd August, 2018. Place: A restaurant in New York City. Summary: Cooper has lunch with his mother. Triggers/Content warning: None.

Cooper is waiting in a restaurant, after talking with Blaine, he called his mother. She has been on his mind since he saw her face on the 29th, and even if he had come to some realizations on who he considers more of a mother figure, which in a way was perturbing, he still needed to see her. It was an impulse inside, to just be with her one more time and see she was okay. It wasn't like the Anderson told each other that they loved each other often, or never, but at least he wanted to show his affection to her. It didn't matter how distant their relationship actually was, how they didn't even meet somewhere familiar or warm but a restaurant, either way he loved Cassandra, she was his mother, and he always told himself she did what was best for him, she did what she could. When he saw her arrive, he stood up to receive her, and in an unnatural gesture on his part he leaned in to almost hug her but just gave her a kiss on her cheek.

Cassandra doesn't know this restaurant. The atmosphere suggests it's high end, frou frou. A place where her parents, now departed, would have considered a suitable choice for a public meeting. The interest wouldn't be in the food or the company but being seen with the food and the company. How bloodlines worked back when she was merely a teen to her presently in her mid-fifties is trying to distinguish eyelash from eyelash. In a well-lit corner of the restaurant, quiet and airy, sits her son. Dressed perfectly, dark hair and blue eyes, he looks to be Jonathan Anderson's son as well. She tilts her head to receive a kiss from him, subtly eyeing the floating hands on Cooper, wondering what action they were intended but has been aborted. "Cooper," she takes her seat, "I haven't been here before, you have the recommendations ready, don't you? No meat for me." She skims on the lightest of conversation starters. Her flaw, pointed out by mother and mother-in-law is her discernible lack of joyful light chat.

Cooper moves the chair for his mother for her to seat and then sits down himself. "Of course" he simply replies to her, he suddenly feels the distance between them again, but for some reason he smiles. This is what he knows, this is how their relationship works "I remember what you like, and that's why I choose this restaurant, they have many vegetarian options I thought you would enjoy" he shows her the page of the menu and let her read it. He feels like he should say something, ask her something, tell her how much he cares, but he doesn't know if he should, that's not how things are "How have you been?" he finally let's out.

Cassandra picks the roasted vegetables off the bat. She isn't one to ponder about needless, unimportant things. Putting the menu aside, Cassandra's blue eyes shift from unaware to slightly curious to Cooper's question. "Fine," she replies, the thin wrinkles around her lips pulling into a bemused smirk. "My research is at a road block. We're trying to decipher the difference in genomes between bloodlines, new ages, and commons. Looking for the mutation which makes people born with magic, technically. I know we're on the edge of something but our technology isn't enough." She drinks her water. "Roschard from analytics tells me I should look elsewhere than this particular strand of DNA, but he always tells me I should look elsewhere. How is your tenure at NYADA. It still surprises me you're into teaching, Cooper."

Cooper choses a delicious looking mushroom risotto, and to drink he order red wine, he thought the flavours would go well together and he always enjoyed wine anyway. He smiles at his mother after he listens to her reply, and takes a sip of his glass of wine that has just been filled by the waiter "What does Roschard know anyway?" he chuckles remembering that name has come up in conversations before and it seemed like his mother didn't like him and his ideas very much "Is there something I could do to help you out? Find investors?" he comments taking anoher sip. He is suprised his mother ask something like that, though it still sounded like business talk, but he prefered that than nothing "I'm doing fine, I was actually surprised to find teaches so interesting, I just wanted to give it a chance because i have learned so much all these years, I thought I could give back to the younger generations" he explains as if it was a real reason, like a lie he has started to believe "and I'm glad I can see my brother more often" he admits.

Cassandra replied, "Genetics, Cooper. Roschard knows genetic engineering." She didn't see the joke in his tone and refused to see it; Cassandra Dearing was a serious woman, and it was this seriousness and focus outside of trite pleasantry which made her a difficult conversationalist when she was forced to go to the Anderson galas. Cooper, her son, was actually better than this than her. She was glad; she liked that her son was better than her. An Anderson heir worth note in exchange for the Dearing line. "You could charm the suit and tie off of an investor, I know that, but no, Cooper. I don't need new investors, just smart people." She listened to him talk, analyzed the information, created her hypothesis, and generated a query, whilst reaching for her red wine. "What are you giving back to the younger generation?" She sipped and paused when Cooper mentioned the younger brother. "How is Blaine Devon." She smirked.

Cooper takes a long sip at his glass of wine feeling the awkwardness he always felt when his mother reacted to his jokes in such a serious manner. "Well" he coughs softly "I could try to find you smart people too" he smiles. He just wished he could be more useful for his mother. He always had to be under Regina's shadow, doing what she wanted exactly how she wanted, and if not he was made to work for his father, as a Cardine, following his steps, though that was also undirectly pretty much Regina's doing. So he felt like he never was of use for Cassandra, maybe he could do something for her, show her he was interested in her life, and in her as a person. She was his family too. Wasn't she? Wasn't family something important? He felt like he was starting to sound like his brother. He was about to say something more when his mother asked something that made him freeze for a second. He was a charmer, but in her eyes he wasn't good enough, was he? Maybe she had expected more from him to be like her, maybe she felt like he was siding with the wrong part of the family, or maybe he was being over dramatic. "Well, my many years of experience s a Cardine and studies in criminology, apart from my training in different aereas of magic, and experience in the field back me up to give a lot of back to the younger generations, to help them be prepared, and to learn how to develop their magic, and in this case their interest for criminology" he explains taking another long sip from his wine. Aether."Blaine is good as always, very cheerful, enjoying his youth and his years of college, with a lot of friends..." he says casually, though he avoids the whole lusus boyfriend part of it. He pauses for a while, thinking about his brother reminds him of that woman, the woman he had an idea of who could be, but he was too afraid to admit it to himself "Mom..." he says normally, he rarely called her mom or even mother "there is something I wanted to ask you... though I never thought there was a good moment, but maybe there isn't, and I just have to ask it.... when Blaine... when Jonathan... what happened?" he asks in the most confusing terrible way.

Cassandra cuts through the fat of the conversation. "That's nice for a college application, Cooper, but what do you really want to give back to the younger generation. You had a better life, pay, and respect as a Cardine. Don't say teaching will be the end of your days." She knew there was a reason why Cooper was held at NYADA, and that reason sounded more and more like Regina Isolde Anderson, the matriarch of that cursed bloodline family, and the mother of her once husband. Blaine Devon having friends sounded like a pleasantry, things she wasn't used to, but didn't fight for they were nice and had no need to be debated. "Just like you, I remember your years at NYADA to be the height of the Anderson summit." She remembered back to days where she would count down the clock to Blaine Devon's own NYADA admittance, when the deal would set her free. She paused for the second time when Cooper called her "mom".It tugged inside her a feeling she couldn't parse. "You'd have to be clearer than that, Cooper. You are a Cardine, interrogate me like you would to get information out." She sipped the wine and dug into her risotto, with a smile. That was her idea of a joke, but it was hard to tell since she was so deadpan. "I am joking." She deliberately told Cooper so her son wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Are you talking about when Blaine Devon came into our family? That night when you saw your brother for the first time? What brought this on? It's as I told you, dear. The nurse from the hospital came in." That was the story to tell Cooper, crafted by her and Regina, as part of their deal.

Cooper shrugs, he is going to bullshit his way through this question and he knows it, and he hopes his mother can let it pass, but probably she won't "Well, I'm on my thirties, soon I may get married, have some kids, do you really think I want to have a dangerous job like that all my life?" he asks taking another sip of his wine "I think being a teacher gives me the best of both worlds, I can have fieldwork, but I also have office work, and my life doesn't have o be at risk" he explains with a smile at all time trying to sell his story. He laughs "Yeah, I was pretty popular, but Blaine has friends for real" he let it slip. He notices a slight change in tone from his mother, and he doesn't know what to feel, her jokes were rare, like a crystal dragon from ancients time walking through central park, but he didn't want her to feel like her sense of humor was unnoticed so he laughed softly, and it wasn't fake, he actually felt happy to share something like that with her, even though what followed wasn't as pleasant. He knew she was lying, and he didn't want things to be like that anymore, he needed answers too, because things had never been normal in this aether damn family, and he was tired of it. He never knew for sure, but he always had a suspicion that there was something about Blaine that wasn't 100% what their parents and grandmother made them believe, there were obvious clues, like his magic circle or his affinity, and things that were more subtle, like those small details that he had after his father, but the general resemblance to someone else who he had never known, and now Cooper suspected he had seen the face of who that was. "I don't know exactly what it is, but I'm sure that is a lie" those words come out of his mouth before he can stop himself.

Cassandra's risotto is placed before her, and she digs into it with a spoon as well as her son with her words. "You could start teaching when you actually retired from the field, Cooper. I am certain you're still an active member, ready to be called on duty whenever the Director calls?" She's referring to her ex-husband of twenty four years. That's how old Cooper was when they decided to split; it was also when young Blaine Devon turned the age of eighteen: a legal adult. "If you want to fool me, at least give me something that confirms the evidence, Cooper." She scoops the creamy food into her mouth, letting her brain run. Taste isn't something she cares for much, as long as it's pleasantly edible. Her spoon dunks into the risotto as during her son's accusation. Smiling, she eats without tension. "Tell me then, Cooper, what is your hypothesis. You seem to know so much, dear."

Cooper eats some more risotto as well, and takes a drink of his wine. He lets the flavor sink in, he enjoys the food, and for a moment he tries to believe he is having a normal relationship with his mother, but then he can't stop lying, and she can't either. He sighs, glass in hand, and takes another sip. "I think..." he was jumping directly to the topic that mattered, it wasn't like he was going to be honest about his career anyway "I have this theory... that she wasn't a nurse" he says very seriously, wondering if whatever he says next would have any type of effect or consequence "I think she was... his biological mother" he says without saying a name in case someone could be paying attention to the conversation in that very moment. He knew better than admit in public his family's secrets.

Cassandra eats her food as if she is hearing about another family, not hers, as if she never felt the initial shock of betrayal when that woman demanded entry at their door, because she didn't. And she doesn't. In mid-chew, Cassandra briefly entertains a repeat thought she had: did Jonathan love this woman because of her passion? Does he still? "Interesting theory. Your food will get cold if you let it, Cooper." She says, wine in her hand. She takes a sip to wash away the stickiness in her throat, but something clings on. "Why are you asking about your brother?"

Cooper looks at his mother waiting for an actual reply, an honest one even, but she just makes a remark about the food and he looks down to his plate, frustrated. He takes some rice and eats it slowly, thinking what he should say next, her question intrigues him. Does she even care? "Does it matter why? Do you even care?" he can't stop himself from asking "I'm worried about him, I think Blaine maybe questioning things too, and this may sound outrageous, but I think he deserves to know the truth"

Cassandra is almost done her meal. She's been a quick person, though she leans toward the term efficient. However, swears on magic circles are not efficient. They are counterintuitive. "Would you hate me if I said I didn't? If the time to care about those things has passed?" Her nonchalance has passed like the seconds spent in this conversation with Cooper. Her voice takes an edge, a reality. "If he deserves the truth, he will come to find them. If you want to tell him, you should go tell him. Why are you asking about your brother to me? I wasn't any mother to him. Much less to you."

Cooper chuckles, though it's not a happy reaction "I don't hate you..." he says bitterly, maybe it was for the best, to be honest for once "but sometimes I don't understand you" he pauses. He thinks about it, maybe she is right, maybe he shouldn't ask things anymore, but he is so used to asking for permission he forgot it was an option "Maybe I had a hope you would at least care about me, and give me an answer" he said sadly "I just wanted to confirm my suspicion was right, and instead of removing our family's secret, I wanted an answer from the source"

Cassandra smiles, bitter too. Cooper has become a man, and one better than her husband. It's her fault for picturing Jonathan when the body in front of her is Cooper. She sees it now, and with that phrase, its shadow looming underneath tags her it's too late. "I can't give you an answer, Cooper. I don't expect you to understand me, as I don't understand you... but I can try. Aether knows I gave up." She looks at her son, admission making her slow-tongued. "I know I wasn't present. In your life. I know I was there but I wasn't there for you. If I have any guilt about the past, it's this. I don't love you. But I do like you, Cooper. Have you confirmed your suspicion, and I ask this, do you love your brother less knowing this secret?"

Cooper feels his emotions building on his chest, he looks down, he bites his lower lip, he doesn't like showing his emotions, and he won't. He looks up and he tries to look serious, but he is afraid maybe she can see the pain in his eyes. "I don't love you, but I do like you" he hears in his head again, and he almost breaks down, but he doesn't show it "There is nothing that would ever change how much I love my brother" he says, and he says it so secure of himself, he hasn't felt so sure about something ever before.

Cassandra wipes her lips with her napkin. "Then my hypothesis was also correct." She doesn't have any loyalty to the Andersons anymore, but she feels something new with Cooper. "I can't be bothered with cell phones, but I check my email." She says as a way of introducing the concept of doing this one on one lunch with her son again.

Cooper smiles, even if he still feels sad about it, he appreciates her trying. Maybe they could actually communicate for once, and maybe that will lead to more “I’m more of an email person too” he says casually.

#p: family matters

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calligraphist-artemisia · 6 years

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I’ll Take Her Place (Chapter 6)

Summary: AU. When Allura breaks the news that she is to wed Prince Lotor in order to continue the peaceful relationship between Altea and Daibazaal, Pidge knows that she has to do something to change that. And so, with a little help, she comes up with a new plan. A better plan

Pairings: Keith/Pidge (main) ; Shiro/Allura (minor), Hunk/Lance (minor) ; Lotor/Allura (one-sided)

Chapter 1 - Previous - Masterpost

Also posted on AO3 and fanfiction.net

I'm so sorry this one is later than I said! Work's been kind of crazy, which leaves me with less time to write. It should calm down soon. In the meantime, enjoy an extra-long chapter!

Chapter 6

Pidge felt the Green Lion recede to the back of her mind, easing the heavy weight of despair they shared over missing loved ones. She didn't move from where she was slumped against the wall until she was sure she was fully back in control. Tears continued to flow, even as she opened her eyes and tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling.

“Pidge?”

She lowered her gaze to find Keith standing in front of her, looking down in concern. She could feel the heated rush of embarrassment rise in her chest and settle in her cheeks at being caught sitting in the hall, crying like a pathetic child.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. Pidge forced her body to move, using the wall to support her shaking legs.

She couldn't stay there. She couldn't face Prince Keithir in her emotional state. She needed to get to Hunk. To Lance. To Shiro. Pidge needed her friends.

She felt warm hands on her arm, stabilizing her as she started to sway.

“Pidge, what happened? Are you hurt?” Keith asked, his worry clear. “You should sit down.”

She shook her head and immediately regretted it as her vision swam. She tightly grasped Keith's arm, mentally cursing herself for ignoring her Lion the first time she tried reaching out. “No, not here. The kitchen.”

Keith frowned. “That's too far. Just come inside for a minute.”

“I can't.” Pidge held firm, but didn't let go of him in fear of falling over. “Please.”

He hesitated just long enough that she was sure he would refuse and continue trying to talk her into sitting down someplace closer, but then he carefully moved to the side of her and adjusted his hold on her so he had one arm around her waist. He lifted her hand to rest higher on his shoulder. “It's the smaller one, right?”

Relief crashed over her harder than she thought it would as they began to walk. It was slow going at first, as Pidge felt as though her legs were as heavy as lead, but as weak as the food goo Coran had fed them when they first arrived. The feeling wore off more and more with every step she took, until she was sure she could manage on her own.

Keith stayed at her side regardless.

There was only one thing Pidge forgot to take into consideration: walking in on her own in such an emotionally wrecked state would have been enough for her friends to worry, but walking in with a complete stranger guiding her was sure to raise every single protective urge they had.

She had just enough time to register Hunk standing at his usual place at the counter, while Lance and Shiro sat at the table with their breakfast before they spotted her.

“Pidge!”

There was the sound of a chair scooting against the floor and then Lance was in front of her, closely examining her tear-stained face. “What happened? What's wrong?” His eyes snapped to Keith as the half-Galra servant began to back away. “Who the quiznak are you? What did you do to Pidge?!”

“I didn't do anything!” Keith snapped back.

Lance pushed Pidge behind him, hiding her from view. “Well, she didn't do it to herself!”

Pidge scowled as she brushed past Lance to stand protectively in front of Keith, her arms crossed over her chest. “Keith didn't do anything! He was just helping me keep from falling on my face, so don't yell at him for being a good friend!”

“What am I supposed to think happened when you come in here looking like that?!” Lance argued back. “Who is he, anyway? And why does he look human?”

“He can here you,” Keith growled.

Shiro finally got up from the table and moved to intervene before tempers could really flare. “Alright, that's enough, Lance. Give them time to explain before you jump to conclusions. Pidge, what happened?”

“I-!” The words caught in her throat as she debated what to say. “Greenie and I had a disagreement, that's all. I guess I haven't really spent time with her for a while... Keith found me and helped me walk here.”

Shiro frowned in disapproval. “You shouldn't bottle everything in like that, Pidge.”

She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. “I know. And I'm going to go see her. I wasn't ready yet.”

“Do it after breakfast,” Shiro instructed. “We're having a training drill with the Lions tomorrow. And that goes for everyone. Spend some time in your hangars today. Whatever Allura has set up for us tomorrow will not be easy.” He looked to Hunk and Lance to make sure they understood and then turned his attention to Keith, who shifted uneasily with the focus back on him. “It's Keith, right?”

He nodded jerkily. “Yeah. I'm, uh, Prince Keithir's servant.”

Hunk raised an eyebrow as she looked to Pidge to see her reaction. She gave none.

Shiro's gaze remained unwavering as he examined the stranger.

“Wait, so your name is Keith? And you work for Prince Keithir? Isn't that weird?” Lance asked, looking to his fellow Paladins for confirmation. He got only blank or confused expressions in response. With a dramatic sigh, he tried to elaborate. “Keith and Keithir? Hello, their names are practically the same! Does no one else find that strange?”

“It's not that weird. We had three Johnathan's and two Christine's in class with us at the Garrison,” Pidge pointed out. “And yours isn't exactly uncommon either.”

Lance opened his mouth to argue back, but realized she had a good point and quickly aborted the potential argument.

“Does anyone want to actually eat food or are you all here to keep me company?” Hunk asked, seeing the end of that particular conversation. “Keith, you can join us. I made plenty.”

Keith looked surprised to be included. “Oh, thanks, but I already ate. Actually, I should go. I have chores and stuff.”

“I'll walk you back,” Shiro volunteered. “If anyone finds you walking alone on this side of the castle, it could cause problems. I was heading out anyway.”

Pidge could only watch as Shiro escorted her new friend away from the kitchen, realizing too late that she hadn't thanked Keith for his help. She quietly groaned as she mentally added him to her growing list of people she needed to talk to. (She'd missed out on apologizing to Shiro as well.)

Hunk walked around the counter and forced a plate of food into her hands. “Eat. Then please go see your Lion. I've been getting these weird worried vibes from Yellow again and it's starting to mess with me. Like, am I being paranoid or it is just his emotions leaking over?”

“Normally, I'd say it's just you being paranoid, but I'm getting the same feelings from Blue,” Lance said. “Whatever's going on between you and Green, we need you to fix it. Because if you don't, you're going to have Blue going all mother-lion on you two and that's the last thing we need right now.”

“Yeah, I know. I will,” Pidge promised.

“Is there a reason why you're disguising yourself, Prince Keithir?”

Keith's heart lurched in his throat at the question. Wide-eyed, he looked up at the man walking alongside of him. He tried to keep cool, but everything Thace had taught him over the years about maintaining cover and keeping his emotions in check fled his mind in an instant.

Shiro chuckled. “It's fine. I won't tell anyone. Though in the future, you might want to consider using a less similar name.”

“I didn't mean to. Lady Katherine surprised me and it was the first thing I could think of,” Keith admitted. Suddenly worried, he asked: “You won't tell her, will you?”

“No, it's not my place to. But Pidge is smart. She hasn't put it together yet, but she will. If I were you, I'd tell her before that happens,” Shiro said.

“I – yeah.”

It was as close to a promise as Keith could make. She knew it was something he'd have to do eventually, especially after meeting her for a second time in his human form.

How did he always get himself into such weird situations?

“You're being really calm about this,” Keith said, daring to look up at the Black Paladin. “Shouldn't you be mad? I'm lying to her.”

“Why are you pretending to be a servant?” Shiro asked instead of giving him a straight answer.

There was something about Shiro that made Keith want to trust him. Maybe it was the obvious care he displayed towards his team, treating them not as common soldiers, but as friends. Maybe it was the thought that if things were going to work even reasonably well between him and Lady Katherine, he would need this man's trust. Maybe it was how he didn't leap immediately to conclusions, but instead waited for the facts to be presented to him. Maybe it was just that there was something that reminded him of Thace, who had been there for him since he was a cub.

Keith rubbed his thumb over his index finger as he began to talk. “At first, I just wanted some time to myself. Everyone recognizes me as Keithir, but like this I'm practically invisible around here. No one takes a second look. I didn't meant to find her while I look like this. I just needed space. Some time to think. It's all I can do here.”

Shiro hummed. “What do you do at home?”

“I spar. Usually with my – my mentor,” Keith said, stopping himself from revealing too much.

“Are you going to keep seeing Pidge like this?” Shiro asked as he turned left down an unfamiliar hall.

“I don't know.” Keith frowned as he hesitated at the juncture, looking first down the way he knew he needed to go, and then to where Shiro was continuing to walk. Was he expected to follow? Was it some kind of test?

Taking a risk, Keith jogged to catch up to him. “Where are we going? This isn't the right way.”

A small smile was all Shiro gave in response, which did nothing to put Keith at ease. In fact, it had the exact opposite effect, as a burst of worry began to gnaw at his gut. He reminded himself that Shiro was a Paladin of Voltron – one of the good guys. He wasn't going to do anything that would jeopardize the peace, even if it turned out that he was vehemently against his marriage to Lady Katherine.

There wasn't much more talking between them as Shiro led the way to a pair of large doors, where he stopped to hit a sequence of Altean numbers on the keypad. The doors slid open and as they walked inside, the room illuminated itself little-by-little.

Keith found himself staring in awe at the training deck, left more than a little breathless by how beautiful it was.

“We don't have a regular training schedule and to use any of the programs you'll want someone up in the control room, but you're welcome to use it whenever you need to,” Shiro told him. “I wouldn't recommend coming in when Lance or Hunk are doing target practice, but you're welcome to join me in the mornings until Allura gets you keyed in.”

Keith stood there, utterly gobsmacked by the trust that had been placed in him. “You'd let me...? Just like that? But why?”

“The way I understand it, you'll be staying here until the wedding and possibly after that. The details are still being worked out,” Shiro said. “It wouldn't be fair to ask that of you, but not give you a place to train.”

“This is incredible,” Keith said softly, looking around.

Daibazaal may have been equal in terms of technology to Altea in terms of functionality, but there was something more sophisticated about the entire castle than anything back home. For the most part, the Galra he trained with preferred sparring with an actual living person rather than a robot or a simulation, though even the most traditional of them could admit that it had its uses for training purposes. (Or for when Commander Sendak got a new, deadly upgrade to his arm and called for volunteers to help him test it.)

“Want to try it out?” Shiro asked. “You'll need a weapon. We have – oh.”

With an easy movement, Keith had his knife free of its sheath and ready in his hand. He grinned at the surprised expression on Shiro's face, a little pleased that he'd taken the Paladin off guard. “Already have one.”

Shiro recovered quickly and there was a small grin on his face as he stiffly tapped a finger against a device wrapped around his left hand. “Computer, activate training level four!”

Keith got into position as a droid dropped from the ceiling and advanced on him with a staff the moment its feet hit the floor. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he met it blow for blow, dancing around it in search of weakness.

At last, he was able to work away the stress that had built up since his arrival on Altea; the stress that had begun the moment he received the call from his father.

He was aware of Shiro standing nearby, watching carefully in case anything went wrong. Or perhaps judging his abilities. Keith wasn't sure.

Keith tried to push the thought aside, focusing solely on the robot. Nothing mattered except beating it. Everything else was just background noise, faded in the distance. He couldn't let anything else get to him. He had to prove... something.

No! Focus!

Keith struck hard and fast at the first opportunity he found, but the droid was faster, knocking him down and his blade away before swinging its staff in an overhead arch straight for him.

He froze.

“End sequence!” Shiro barked out.

The gladiator shuddered as it came to a full stop. It stepped back and lowered its weapon before fully deactivating.

Keith sat in the floor, still stunned by how fast he'd gone down. He was aware of Shiro moving around him and then his knife was being held out to him, grasped firmly by the man's non-prosthetic hand.

“Not bad. You did better than anyone else on their first time. Even I have trouble starting out on that level.”

Keith scowled as he took back his weapon. “I failed.”

“And it's through failure, not success, that we learn and grow stronger,” Shiro said, sounding as though it was something he'd repeated more than once. “Sometimes your first opportunity to strike isn't the one you should take. Remember, patience yields focus.”

“Now you sound like Thace,” Keith grumbled, a little bitter that he'd let himself get taken down so easily. “Why don't you show me how it's done?”

Shiro held up his right arm and Keith could hear the mechanical pieces grinding together with the simple movement. His cheeks went a little pink as he began to explain. “I took a beating trying to spar with Allura the other day. I've been meaning to ask Pidge to take a look at it, but things have been hectic lately. Beyond basic movement, it's practically useless.”

“If I find someone who can fix it, would you give Thace access to this place too?” Keith asked. He stood up and sheathed his knife.

“I'd have to double check with Allura, but I don't see why not,” Shiro agreed easily. “You know, you don't have to bribe me like that. All you have to do is ask, Keith. Although...” He curled and uncurled the fingers of his right hand, wincing at the strain even that produced. “I won't turn down the offer, if you have someone who knows more about this. Pidge mentioned last time that it's a bit beyond her area of expertise.”

Keith still wasn't sure what to make of Shiro. He was... unexpectedly friendly. Anyone else would have asked for a favor in return, but Shiro was willing to give him access to what had only been available to the Paladins for three years, just so he'd have a space where he was more comfortable. His original plan had been to take Shiro to Ulaz, but there was someone else who knew even more about that sort of technology.

He pulled out a small communication device not unlike the ones the Paladins used and sent off a quick message, receiving a ping back almost immediately. “Want to meet them now?” Keith asked, even as he sent back a reply that they'd be there soon.

“Already?” Shiro looked surprised for a second time. “They're here in the castle?”

“She's down in the med-bay right now,” Keith confirmed, deliberately being cryptic. He suspected that Ulaz was also down there, though he hadn't gotten a clear answer when he'd asked over breakfast. With two experts in the same place, Shiro's arm was bound to get fixed even sooner.

And maybe, if he was lucky, Shiro would let him come back up to the training deck and show him around some more. That little taste of combat had only left him eager for more.

“I'm not going to get a straight answer from you, am I?” Shiro asked, sounding amused. “That's fair. You lead this time.”

Keith gladly did so.

Before leaving the training room, Keithir remembered to shift back into his Galra form. Shiro had turned his back to the younger man as it happened, feeling it was a more private thing than the prince let on. Once he was done, Keithir led the way down through the halls to the med-bay.

The doors swished open at their approach, allowing them entry. They could hear hushed voices as they stepped inside.

“...think it's sabotage?”

“I cannot think of what else it could be,” Ulaz said, before turning to face the newcomers. He raised an eyebrow when he saw who it was. “Well, this is an unexpected sight. What brings the two of you here? No injuries, I hope.”

“Not exactly,” Keithir replied, gesturing to Shiro. “Could you and mother take a look at Shiro's arm?”

Shiro barely had time to process exactly who the prince had brought him to see before Empress Honerva was at his side, lifting his prosthetic arm to get a better look at it. He was a little flustered at her intense interest, but pulled himself together enough to demonstrate the problem to her by flexing his fingers.

She tutted softly and asked him to stop.

“The craftsmanship is remarkable,” Ulaz said as he and Coran joined them. “Whose work is this?”

“I don't know,” Shiro replied, thankful to have at least one familiar face nearby. It had been some time since he'd last talked to Coran, but that didn't make his fondness for the Altean any less. “I can't remember anything about my capture. Not fully, anyway. It's just bits and pieces.”

“Memory loss from trauma?” Coran suggested

Honerva hummed, her eyes flickering to the shock of white hair hanging almost in his eyes. “Possible, but it was more likely intentional.”

“It could be a side effect from linking the new arm to his nervous system. Memory loss is a fairly common problem when it comes to this sort of thing. Do you remember Commander Sendak's first arm?” Ulaz asked.

“He spent a week believing we were attempting to replace his entire body with robotic parts,” Honerva said, sounding as though she was trying not to laugh. “But I'm not sure that is what is happening here. It feels more... deliberate.” She looked up and Shiro found himself fighting not to break eye contact. “Alfor says you spent several months in captivity, and yet you have little memory of your time there? No recollection of who held you there?”

“Nothing clear,” Shiro responded. “All I know is that they took all three of us at the same time. I tried to reason with them and got knocked out. When I came around, Matt was the only one with me. I don't know where they moved Commander Holt.”

Keithir made a surprised sound, reminding them that he was still there. “Holt?”

Shiro hesitated, unsure of how much to say. It was Pidge's story to tell, and even though he thought the two needed a helping hand here and there if they were ever going to make their marriage work, there were some lines he was unwilling to cross. But perhaps... he didn't need to detail Pidge's determination to find her family. Just explaining some of it could be enough to smooth the path to understanding between them.

“Commander Holt is Pidge's father,” Coran said before Shiro could speak up. “And Matt is her older brother. We've spent the last three years looking into their whereabouts, but, sadly, we haven't had much luck.”

“Uh, yeah. It's one of our missions as Paladins, to find them,” Shiro said. He winced as Ulaz pried up one of the panels on his arm so he and Honerva could get a better look at the sensitive insides. The two were leaning close and speaking rapidly in Galran, their expressions suddenly serious. “Is everything alright?”

“The technology is stolen,” Honerva said, her tone clipped. “It was an incomplete version that was taken. Whoever did this filled in the pieces they didn't know with inferior, untested data. This is why your arm lacks in strength.”

A bout of worry spun in Shiro's gut.

“It is surprising that it had lasted this long,” Ulaz added, glancing up. “Worry not, young one. It will take some work, but we can fix this.”

“Fix it?” Honerva arched an eyebrow as she looked at her fellow scientist. “I fully intend on replacing this. A Paladin of Voltron should not be fighting with faulty equipment! If this had been brought to my attention sooner...”

The idea of a new arm, one built by the Empress herself, if he was understanding correctly, was too much for Shiro. “Please, you don't need to do this.”

“I want to,” Honerva said fiercely. “And I will not accept 'no' as an answer. Coran, go fetch Alfor. We will need his help with this.”

Coran saluted her, quickly hopping into action. “Right away! I'll be back faster than an angry klanmuirl!”

“You should sit,” Ulaz advised Shiro as the Altean adviser went racing from the room. “This will take some time.”

No one noticed Keithir quietly slip away.

Pidge almost expected to see a particle barrier up around the Green Lion when she finally made it down to her hangar. It was what the Lion did the last time she wanted to express her disapproval over something Pidge had done. It was her own way of saying: “I'm mad at you right now. Go away.”

Pidge wouldn't have blamed her if she did. But there was her Lion, sitting patiently, waiting for her to get her act together. She took a deep breath and slowly approached, stopping when she reached the front of Green's massive paws.

“Hey, girl. I... I'm sorry. About earlier. I just...” She placed a hand on the left paw. “I know you were just trying to help and I shut you out anyway. I shouldn't have and I'm so sorry.” Pidge lifted her head to look up at Green's face when she received no response. “Greenie?”

Her Lion shifted under her hand and Pidge took a few steps back as Green lowered her head to the floor and opened her mouth so her Paladin could step inside. Pidge swallowed heavily, feeling some trepidation as she entered the cockpit and sat down. It took her several long minutes before she could bring herself to reach out and grasp the controls with both hands.

“Okay, I'm ready. What do you need to show me?” Pidge asked, closing her eyes and opening her end of their bond.

She was bombarded by images – memories. Some of her own. Some from Green's past.

Her parents, smiling and laughing together. Her dad, standing proud in his uniform. Her mom, helping her build her first robot. Matt, encouraging her to keep learning. Matt, supporting her when she felt like giving up. Matt, reminding her that it was okay to laugh and have fun. Matt and her dad, leaving for space. The news of the crash. Hearing there were no survivors...

Black. Blue. Yellow. Green. Red. Five Lions, working in harmony. Black, leading the way to victory. Blue, moving swiftly and providing defense. Yellow, taking the brunt of hits. Green and Red, racing alongside of each other. Five Lions, forced apart.

Waiting.

Waiting for so long.

The joy of flying again.

Black. Blue. Yellow. Green.

But not Red. Gone, their bond broken. A deep loss felt through them all, but none stronger than Green. Friend. Family. Partner. Only heartbreak left.

Bright flashes of color. Hunk and Lance, accepting her as a teammate despite her attempts at pushing them away. Lance, inviting her along on crazy adventures after curfew. Hunk, volunteering as a study buddy and making sure she remembered to eat. Shiro, alive and proving that there was more to the story than they'd been told. Allura, strong and stubborn, pushing them to do better, to be better. Coran, with his colorful personality, inspiring them all.

Bonds forged stronger. Black. Blue. Yellow. Green.

Hope for the future.

Pidge bowed her head and let their combined anguish flow freely.

Empress Honerva returned to her room late in the day, exhausted but pleased with the work she, Alfor, and Ulaz had achieved together. It had taken some convincing and no small amount of favors being called in, but within the next few days the Black Paladin would have a new and better arm to replace the cobbled-together monstrosity that had been hidden behind a pretty shell for far too long. She was sure he wasn't pleased that she had commandeered the old one for further study, leaving him with nothing until the new one was ready, but she was rather happy about it. She wanted him nowhere near the old one until she could pull it apart, piece-by-piece and analyze every detail until she could find out exactly who dared to butcher one of her old designs.

“I know that look. Have you found a new project, my love?” Zarkon's tone was filled with fondness as he watched her move around their room.

“Several,” Honerva said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind a pointed ear. She deposited a bag of her equipment on a nearby table and began digging through it. “How has your day been?”

“Dreadfully boring. It seems someone requested Alfor's help elsewhere on a very important matter, leaving me to handle wedding talks with only Alanna being of any help,” Zarkon said. He walked over to his wife and pulled her into his arms, planting a gentle kiss on top of her head. “I have missed you, as well.”

Honerva laughed, twisting in his arms so she could stand on tiptoe and kiss him properly. “You saw me this morning.”

Zarkon continued to hold her close. “I hardly think that counts when you spent the entirety of breakfast staring at a screen and giving me single word answers.”

Honerva smiled as she looped her arms around his neck. “You may be right. I apologize, dear husband. Perhaps I could make it up to you now?”

“Perhaps,” Zarkon agreed. He kissed her again. “Do you think I have made the right choice?”

“About what?” Honerva asked, taken aback by the sudden change in topic.

“The wedding. Requesting Keithir's attendance in hopes he would accept the proposal. I feel as though I have betrayed our sons.”

Honerva caressed his cheek with one hand. “You are only doing what you believe to be right. Keithir will be fine, given enough time to get to know his bride. And Lotor... he will understand one day. I have faith in him.”

“I hope you are right,” Zarkon murmured, leading down to rest his forehead against hers. “But I fear my actions have only hastened his plans.”

“And we will figure them out and stop them before they progress,” Honerva said. “Kolivan and his men are already aware of what is happening, correct?”

“Yes.”

“God. Then there is little more we can do at this moment.” Honerva pulled away from her husband after one last long, lingering kiss. “No more talk of this tonight. Now, it is just you and me, and I wish to enjoy some time together.”

“That sounds like a very good idea,” Zarkon agreed.

#voltron #fanfiction #kidge #arranged marriage au #keidge #shiro and keith have a bonding moment #because it didn't feel right not to #also some fluffy Zarkon/Honerva

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taco-calamitous · 7 years

Link

Ha-HA! Have THIS long-ass shit on your page!

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polarizeapps-blog · 7 years

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alex gaskarth

the writer !!

just wanna apologise here too cos the submit box won’t let me edit the full layout of the app or stay that way when i copy and paste… fml.

name/alias: eve pronouns: she/her timezone: GMT other characters: nope! anything else you want us to know: i’m in another group so my activity could fluctuate but i imagine i’ll be on the dash pretty often!

the muse !!

name: alex gaskarth age + birthday: 29, 14th december job: vocalist of all time low gender + pronouns: cis male, he/him

faceclaim: n/a

secret: I just want to apologise for how long this is… Alex’s secrets kinda grew arms and legs the longer I played him. So, it’s summarised, and then the full version is below it, along with a bit of history about he and John O’Callaghan’s relationship since it’s relevant (I should be joining with the Johno reserve but if they don’t join then I’ll edit some things later!). BUT I’M REALLY SORRY BECAUSE IT’S HUGE.

SUMMARY

Alex’s first girlfriend falls pregnant with their child aged sixteen, but aborts it without his knowledge. After their break-up, Alex suffers a groin injury in gym class that leaves him infertile, and heartbroken over the idea that he could have been a father had it not been for the abortion.

Later in life, Alex’s second girlfriend falls pregnant after sleeping with him and an unknown man around the same time. They were, however, not together at the time, and she is unaware of his slim-to-none chances of conceiving. She’s aware he doesn’t want to be with her and is too afraid to reveal the child could be his, and chooses to raise it never attempting to find out who the real father is. They remain friends and Alex dotes on the little girl he calls his niece.

A twisted, drug-fuelled relationship with a third girl on tour results in her six-year-old son accidentally consuming ecstasy belonging to Alex while in his care. He saves his life after the child suffers a heart attack but the mother is understandably sickened and furious with Alex, refusing to let him see the boy ever again and cutting all contact with him.

Alex sleeps around even more to cope afterwards, including with fans of his band (never underage though), and is eventually diagnosed with Histronic Personality Disorder and sex addiction to go alongside his lifelong struggle with anxiety.

Lastly, Alex got together with John O’Callaghan in the summer three years ago. At first it was just sex but soon became more. At one point, John was struggling with the idea of falling in love with Alex, and broke up with him. The abandonment sent Alex into a downward spiral and he was taking more drugs than he ever had. He eventually overdosed by accident and ended up in hospital; John attempted to visit but to no avail. Days after being released, Alex overdosed again – this time, purposefully. The mixture of drugs in his system gave him a heart attack. Despite refusing rehab or therapy, Alex went on to make a full recovery these past few months, and he and John got back together whilst he was in hospital. They’ve been going steady for a while now, openly in love with each other, but Alex still struggles to fight his demons. His addictions still taunt him daily. His boyfriend doesn’t know his second overdose was an attempted suicide, either.

DETAILS

At aged fourteen, Alex got his first girlfriend, whom he lost his virginity to at fifteen, and that relationship went on to last until he was sixteen. They broke up due to feeling like they needed to explore new things – they were only young, after all.

At least, that was what they told everyone. And while it was partly true, their relationship had grown particularly strained after Alex got her pregnant recently after they turned sixteen. There was some debate about whether she should abort or not, and she ended up doing so without fully consulting Alex first. They had agreed to leave it for a weekend and think about what they both wanted, make a decision from there… but she went with her mother to the clinic and got the baby aborted on the Saturday afternoon. Her parents had always hated Alex, and her older brother thought he was bad news too. Alex was heartbroken, but he understood it was ultimately not his decision, and they would have struggled to handle a baby at their age anyway. Though, he couldn’t help but feel her parents had talked her into it to spite him, and the fact she’d went through with it was painful to think about. Even so, their relationship continued for a few more months after that, and only their parents ever knew about the pregnancy. Despite their relationship ending on a fairly mutual note, they didn’t keep in touch after high school.

Soon after the break-up, however, when Alex was just barely seventeen, he suffered an injury in gym class to his groin – hit in the balls by a baseball, something he would’ve laughed about, had it not been so serious. It rendered him infertile. There was little to no chance he would ever conceive a child. Alex was only young, but he’d always pictured himself being a dad someday. He was crushed to think that if his ex hadn’t aborted, he could have had his chance to be a father, before it was too late. His whole life would have been very different, but he could’ve had a kid. He kept that to himself though, too hurt to explain it to everyone – too much of a long story to spill to his friends that he’d gotten his girlfriend pregnant and hidden it from everyone. It wasn’t like he was in a relationship with anybody who wanted a child; he didn’t see any need to talk about it. Not even to his parents.

When Alex was eighteen, he met a girl a couple of years older than him, and she soon became a serious girlfriend of his, lasting until he was twenty-three. In that time, his band took off, he bought a house… he grew up. He and this second girlfriend had a mutual break-up upon realising they had no time for each other, with their careers both needing serious focus to stay afloat, but subsequently stayed firm friends. Secretly, Alex also wanted to lead more of a ‘rockstar’ lifestyle – it was only after this break-up that he became truly promiscuous.

Some time later, when home from tour, he went through a short period of hooking up with this ex. Her feelings for him began to resurface, but it was more than obvious Alex wasn’t looking to rekindle anything. Upset, she goes out drinking and has a drunken one-night stand with a nameless man in an attempt to feel better. Only after this does she realise she’s fallen pregnant. Unaware of Alex’s infertility, she was embarrassed and alone and scared. Convincing herself that even if the child was Alex’s, he wouldn’t be interested, she fabricated a lie for her friends and family about the father, telling them he was simply a man she’d been in the early stages of dating who didn’t want to know. She made her peace with never knowing if the daughter she gave birth to months later was fathered by Alex or her nameless hook-up. She and Alex stayed friends, and he didn’t think twice about the dates lining up, because why would that beautiful little girl be his?

When Alex was twenty-four, he entered a rather complex relationship with a single mother, her son only six years old at the time. She worked in the music industry and home-schooled him due to their sporadic travelling – his father had been out of the picture since he was very young, so she and her child were even closer than most mothers and sons.

This woman dabbled in drugs occasionally for recreational purposes – Alex understood it to be an escape for her. Their fling began when he shared his coke with her one night, finding there to be a connection, and not just because of their high. They slept together and it was the beginning of several long months of sex, drugs, and growing ever-closer to her and her son. The pair were a little more than friends-with-benefits, but never in love. Never ‘together.’ Neither could commit… through fear or just not wanting to. But Alex doted on her son and became a huge part of his life for a while. The three of them seemed to just amble along like a fake family. And it was actually quite lovely, for a time. Just what Alex needed, though it made him ache for a child of his own.

It was near perfect.

Until Alex fucked up.

Often, he would get high when she slept over and chose not to do it with him. She would sleep and he would snort. One night, he left out a small clear bag of his ecstasy pills, passing out in a stupor before he could store them safely; something he rarely forgot to do. Alex had promised to watch over her son that morning, as she had things to do, but Alex barely awake when the child arose. He got to the ecstasy pills before Alex even noticed they were still out – and subsequently had a heart attack.

It was only Alex’s quick reactions that saved the fitting child and got him to a hospital, but his mother was understandably not thankful for this.

She screamed at Alex that evening once her son was stable, tearing him apart for almost killing him, her baby, her whole world. Alex’s guilt was something that ‘consumed’ seemed too small a word to describe. He was completely heartbroken; he loved that boy, would never do a thing to intentionally hurt him.

The mother kept the story away from the press once popular music magazines caught snippets of why there had been ambulances on the tour, and Alex’s involvement in it was near enough erased. She didn’t want her child’s face and name plastered all over the internet, and she didn’t want a damn thing to do with Alex (or drugs) ever again. And a story like that would keep her forever tied to him. Hopeless Records got involved, helped she and Alex form a lie about some unknown person from the ensemble tour leaving drugs lying around (not on the All Time Low bus), to save Alex’s career and the band’s image, and keep his now ex-fling happy. She cut all contact and threatened Alex to stay away from her son, not even allowing the guilt-ridden man to say goodbye to the child he’d fallen in love with over her.

Alex entered a period of sleeping with anyone and everyone after the incident left him completely devastated. He had been promiscuous before, but this time, he was almost always drunk and/or high, and he wasn’t opposed to sleeping with fans. He lost count of the amount of All Time Low ‘groupies’ he fucked. They were never under-age, but he targeted them because they were often easier than seeking someone out in a bar after a show. It was too much effort for how depressed he was – he just wanted to fuck and forget. Rumours of it circulated the internet, but he ignored them, as did his record label, but none of it helped All Time Low’s image.

Slowly, though, that faded to black. He got a hold of himself again, though it took a while. He got better. As better as he could manage be. He totalled that he had slept with around a hundred-odd people in his lifetime, with the number increasing every time he felt too sad or just wanted a little fun.

Alex had suffered from anxiety his entire life, but was only after everything happened with the boy and his bouts of using sex to cover his emotions that Alex got diagnosed with something else – Histronic Personality Disorder (HPD). He was told it was on a more minor level, but he was still a sufferer, paired with a mild sex addiction. Read more about HPD here.

To this day, Alex struggles with everything that’s happened to him, but he tries not to let it swallow his life up. Sometimes he fails.

JOHN/ALEX HISTORY

In August of 2014, Alex began hooking up with The Maine frontman, John O’Callaghan. They grew closer over the following months, friendship blossoming when Alex went to stay in Arizona for a while that autumn, and then making their relationship official in February 2015 and announcing it to social media and their friends March 2015.

They helped each other. They healed each other.

Things were plain sailing until, that October, Alex finally admitted to John that he was in love with him. John panicked and left the house for several hours, returning to an upset Alex to say he loved him too. For Alex, the most blissful week of his entire life followed… until John sat him down, telling him things were too overwhelming, and that it didn’t feel right – he didn’t love him, and he felt they should spend some time apart. Crushed, Alex fell into a pit of depression. He tried to cover it with his old ways, partying and sex, but he was often drunk and never far from any sort of drug he could get his hands on. John had to watch from a distance as Alex slowly destroyed himself.

Finally, John realised he was in fact in love with Alex, but talking to him was impossible. Every time he tried, Alex was high, and talked nonsense until he grew hysterically upset. And in turn, John couldn’t handle that.

It was only when Alex took things too far and ended up in hospital on an overdose that John finally came to see him, but Alex screamed and got so upset that John thought it best he just leave again. Days after being released, Alex hadn’t learned his lesson. He overdosed again – purposefully this time. It resulted in a heart attack but he was taken to hospital a second time and now, months later, has went on to make a full recovery despite refusing therapy or rehab afterwards.

He never told John that he tried to kill himself with that second overdose. He didn’t think he needed to know. But Alex still battles his demons daily, despite finally going steady with John and getting his life a little more on track. His addictions taunt him. His fans and family and friends don’t know just how bad things were, either. They knew he had a bit of an addiction going on, knew that he’d went to hospital for taking it too far, but didn’t know it was a heart attack. Didn’t know he wanted to die that night. It was too upsetting – Alex didn’t see the need to let them all know.

He can’t give into everything though. He won’t. It would kill him for real this time.

the interview !!

*answer the first two questions ic or ooc! these do not have to have lengthy answers. a few sentences will do just fine!

how hard is your character trying to keep this a secret?: since alex has a variant of secrets… he very much wants all of them to stay on the down-low. but he would be most devastated if people knew just how much of a wreck he was in his personal life because he tries so hard to seem positive and like a good influence.

how would your character react if the secret got out to everyone?: he would be crushed, embarrassed, humiliated, angry… you name a negative emotion, he’d probably feel it. alex can be a dramatic boy at the best of times and he’s still kind of fragile so anything major could push him back towards the addictions that call to him so loudly.

are you okay with your character being talked about on the gossip blog?: yes!

the accounts !!

main blog: http://alxandr.tumblr.com/ hangouts account: [email protected] sideblog: http://thornedboy.tumblr.com/

anything else?

the john o’callaghan reserve should be joining with me! alex and john have been in a long-term relationship for a while now. and thanks for reading over my app! also, i’m sorry if his secret sounds a bit disjointed/strangely written here and there, it’s been written and re-written for so many apps now, sometimes i miss things when i’m editing it!

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