Broken Boy

«La douleur ne disparaît jamais, on apprend juste à vivre avec» || Eddie, son of Edgar Balthazar || part of the askstorykidshq roleplay group || penned by Kat

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie glances at Iris and smiles brightly, putting his hands on his knees so he could be at her level. Their height difference always amused him greatly.

Meanwhile, he looks back at Stina and kinda laughs. “Oh, that class again…. I’m like this close to being done with it, I believe. Considering I wasn’t even supposed to take it, I think it’s about time, but what do I know, right?”

Iris smiles and happily kisses his cheek. At his comment about remedial goodness, she rolls her eyes. “ti ni eb dluow uoy fo enon ,yaw ym ti dah I fI. wonk reven lliw I ,gnikniht ssabmud-doG yriaF tahW. In any case, I’m glad you’re almost out. How heavy are you still in there, Stina?”

But Stina is blinking in rapid shock and confusion at Iris, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion and glancing to Eddie as if asking silently if he had any idea what just happened there.

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie snorts as he stands up. “Yeah, well, I feel like if things would be better if they were ‘your way’ as you said, because none of us ever know what FG is thinking either. I feel like that class somewhat made sense at first— when bringing VKs over was new and that Auradonians were iffy about us and shit. But after everything, after every new reform, the fact that the class still exists feels like a slap in the face. We’re reforming villains, some of which were actual criminals, but somehow we draw the line at letting their kids off the hook? Yeah, right” he scoffs, not even realizing Stina’s confusion at first.

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie didn’t even need to look up from where he was to know exactly who was calling him. A smile grows on his face as he makes his way towards the two girls. He’s taken aback, though, when he notices that Stina is here too. Were they friends? Iris didn’t really seem to be her type of person. Still, he greets them both, waving specifically at Stina when he notices her waving.

“Hey! Wasn’t expecting to see you two here.”

Iris smiles happily and giggles, shrugging. “Snickers needed to get out and I had the time. Hihi!” She stretches up to try and kiss his cheek and then pouts, reaching up and gently grabbing at his shirt and tugging just slightly, silently telling him to meet her.

Stina shrugs. “I was just… working on my Remedial Goodness homework. Can’t get out of the class if you’re intentionally tanking it, right?”

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie glances at Iris and smiles brightly, putting his hands on his knees so he could be at her level. Their height difference always amused him greatly.

Meanwhile, he looks back at Stina and kinda laughs. “Oh, that class again.... I’m like this close to being done with it, I believe. Considering I wasn’t even supposed to take it, I think it’s about time, but what do I know, right?”

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Double Closed Starter: I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend (Iris/Stina/Eddie)

“Oh, uh, hey, hey… Iris,” Stina offers as awkward greeting as the girl passes.

Iris. Iris. What the fuck did he even see in the other? She was so…

Well, Iris.

“Oh, hi Stina! How’s it going?” The girl bounces to a stop, and Snickers, feeling her slow down, turns back and goes to sit at her feet again with a bark.

Stina shrugs a bit and clears her throat. Pretty shit, considering somehow the guy I’ve liked basically forever somehow ended up head over heels for YOU of all people. Seriously, what even is that math? “It’s okay, I guess. Um, still having trouble slotting in socially sometimes. Most VKs don’t wanna give me a second chance and… well, you know Auradon.”

“That’s true. You know you can always come talk to me if someone gives you trouble,” Iris remarks, glancing to the side at movement… and lighting up. “Eddie!”

Stina looks up, smiling faintly and waving a little before catching herself, pulling her hand down. Idiot. You don’t need to be so obvious. Especially when his girlfriend is right in front of you.

@just-a-broken-artist​

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie didn’t even need to look up from where he was to know exactly who was calling him. A smile grows on his face as he makes his way towards the two girls. He’s taken aback, though, when he notices that Stina is here too. Were they friends? Iris didn’t really seem to be her type of person. Still, he greets them both, waving specifically at Stina when he notices her waving.

“Hey! Wasn’t expecting to see you two here.”

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie glanced up at Fairy Godmother, who was so into whatever she was saying that she didn’t notice that more than half the class had stopped listening ages ago. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

‘Talk about hypocrisy. Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. It makes no sense to me, because most AKs I’ve met were much meaner than the VKs — and they didn’t even have the “I had it rough” argument because they had the sweetest parents and all the money they could want. I just don’t get it. Isn’t the point of Beast’s whole story that beauty is on the inside or whatever? What happened to that?’ he writes, and he doodles a miniature Beast, along with the witch that cursed him, a bubble over her head that says “you never learned, didn’t you?” Since the piece of paper was full, he slides it back to Stina, and tears out another one to write the rest. 

‘Her name is Iris. Iris Wonder. Short girl, literal ball of energy— I am 98% sure you’ve at least spotted her once on campus, she loves meeting new people’ 

Stina rolls his eyes at the first part, biting her lip and smiling at the doodle. She raises an eyebrow at his next note, pausing to herself.

Iris. The little girl with the braids and the candy and the dog? Huh.

Dad had mentioned her when she went to visit him. She was apparently really good. With all of the villains. She had ways of doing things that actually seemed to work, and sometimes, he told her, sometimes she seems like the only one who actually wants to get the villains through rehab instead of just leaving them locked in forever.

Makes sense.

‘Oh, they’re only being mean to us,’ she notes, making another one of her Fairy Godmother doodles and adding in the speech bubble, “not anything important or anything” before continuing to write, ‘So it probably doesn’t count to them. It’s not socially acceptable for adults to bully kids, so they’re gonna let the kids get away with murder, I guess. Iris, huh? I’ve mostly only met her by proxy– the candy bags, and dad told me a little bit about her when I went to see him and mom. I’ll have to meet her at some point. She seems really sweet, I’m happy for you.’

Oh, those words hurt her to write, but she never shows it.

[just-a-broken-artist]

‘Yeah, well, I think it’s stupid. Especially since, in some cases, the concept of hero and villain is very.... morally grey. Some people seem to forget that some villains were actually in the right, in certain cases, they just used the wrong methods to express it’ Eddie actually had a few names in mind, but he stopped himself from listing them all, especially knowing there were probably more. Reading over that last part, he can’t help but smile. 

‘That sounds like her, alright. She has this contagious excitement, to the point where even the villains seem to appreciate it, from what I’ve heard. You should definitely meet her, she’s probably one of the only people in Auradon that I know won’t stab me in the back at some point.’

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

‘Clearly. They probably expected them to be shipped back off first thing, which probably would’ve happened had coronation not happened and Ben hadn’t fallen in love with Mal. Hell, I’m pretty sure the only reason any of this is happening is because they’re unable to contradict Ben, their king. We both know damn well they don’t want anything to do with us’

At that last part, Eddie is unable to bite back a small smile. ‘Yeah, well that’s because I didn’t have one the last time you saw me. She’s an AK, and she was one of the first ones to officially befriend me when I first got here’

‘If I’ve heard the rumors correctly, Fairy Godmother has more than tried on a few occasions, but then at the last minute found out the VKs were doing something “for Ben” or something so she had to step down. All smiles and pastels till you put a toe out of line, I guess.’

Stina’s eyes barely blur over the other part. An AK, she’s not sure she should be surprised by that. She forces herself not to sigh. Realistically? She always knew she’d long since blown her chance.

But…

No. Not here, not now.

‘Aw, sounds super sweet. Who is she?’

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie glanced up at Fairy Godmother, who was so into whatever she was saying that she didn’t notice that more than half the class had stopped listening ages ago. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

‘Talk about hypocrisy. Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. It makes no sense to me, because most AKs I’ve met were much meaner than the VKs — and they didn’t even have the “I had it rough” argument because they had the sweetest parents and all the money they could want. I just don’t get it. Isn’t the point of Beast’s whole story that beauty is on the inside or whatever? What happened to that?’ he writes, and he doodles a miniature Beast, along with the witch that cursed him, a bubble over her head that says “you never learned, didn’t you?” Since the piece of paper was full, he slides it back to Stina, and tears out another one to write the rest. 

‘Her name is Iris. Iris Wonder. Short girl, literal ball of energy— I am 98% sure you’ve at least spotted her once on campus, she loves meeting new people’ 

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie takes the paper, and looks it over, almost scoffing as he read it. Oh yeah, he definitely noticed. He thinks for a bit before writing back.

‘No kidding. I do somewhat understand Audrey’s motivations, but knowing damn well how they would’ve reacted if it had been one of us, either she got off too easy or they go too harshly on us— probably a bit of both. I mean, are we gonna gloss over the fact that my father was banished to an island full of trash for attempting to banish freaking cats, and that a bunch of villains were sent there for petty crimes, but a girl who took over the entire kingdom just got a little lecture and rehab? What kind of lesson are they teaching us? Daddy’s money fixes everything? Please.’ Next to his text, he draws a pile of money, to which he adds eyes and a mouth, with a text bubble that says ‘Who needs morals when you have me!’ before sliding the paper back to Stina.

‘Definitely a little bit of both,’ she writes on the back of the paper now, ‘The lack of a proper justice system in this country is more scary than it should be, and that’s coming from an uncivilized horrible monster child who knows nothing about fairness or righteousness.’

She smiles a bit at the doodle before sliding it back to him.

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie bites back a slight chuckle at that last part. 

‘Oh, yeah, definitely. For a place that’s all about preaching goodness and ‘accepting people how they are’ they sure are doing a shit job at it. Hell, I don’t think they even had a fucking plan for how they were gonna rehabilitate the villains— which, I don’t blame Ben for because he’s trying, but more the adults around him who are supposed to advise him. Like, until my girlfriend decided to step in and volunteer to help the villains, I think no one was planning on taking the task. It’s like they see them— and us— as burdens. It speaks volumes on how much they mean their little vanilla motto’ he draws a little bubble, in which he writes “bunch of hypocrites” before sliding the paper back to her.

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie bites back a smile at the doodle, looking up at the board to check if Fairy Godmother was looking or not. He innocently smiles when she briefly glances his way, and quietly tears out another piece of paper.

‘It’s funny though, right, because apparently we’re the bad guys, and yet all the last takeovers have been because of their own people. Really makes you think’ taking out his inner artist, he draws a small doodle of a bunch of kids, standing there doing nothing, identified as ‘VKS’ with an arrow, being watched by a bunch of people, labelled as ‘adults’ with the ‘AKS’ that he drew at the back with exaggerated arm movements to show that they’re just doing whatever. He slowly hands it back to Stina, keeping an eye on Fairy Godmother who was flaring her arms in the air dramatically while explaining something he definitely didn’t listen to.

Stina does her best to hold back her laugh at the drawing, choking a bit and faking a cough briefly, holding up a hand to Fairy Godmother and waving for her to continue the lesson as she settles herself.

She smiles to herself as she writes back. ‘Ever pay attention to how differently they’re treating them against how they’re treating us? This whole thing is just ridiculous– you know, King Ben apparently is just best friends with Audrey again, after everything she’s been involved in.’

And with that, she slides it back to him.

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie takes the paper, and looks it over, almost scoffing as he read it. Oh yeah, he definitely noticed. He thinks for a bit before writing back.

‘No kidding. I do somewhat understand Audrey's motivations, but knowing damn well how they would’ve reacted if it had been one of us, either she got off too easy or they go too harshly on us— probably a bit of both. I mean, are we gonna gloss over the fact that my father was banished to an island full of trash for attempting to banish freaking cats, and that a bunch of villains were sent there for petty crimes, but a girl who took over the entire kingdom just got a little lecture and rehab? What kind of lesson are they teaching us? Daddy’s money fixes everything? Please.’ Next to his text, he draws a pile of money, to which he adds eyes and a mouth, with a text bubble that says ‘Who needs morals when you have me!’ before sliding the paper back to Stina.

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie smiles a bit, and nods. “That too. You don’t even need to learn shit, you just gotta learn to answer what you know they expect you to answer, and then never apply it in your everyday life. Great life lesson! If anything, they’re teaching us to fake it till you make it” he rolls his eyes, and leans back against his chair, crossing his arms.

“Of course they won’t ask us for our opinion— they think we ‘don’t know better’  or whatever. If you ask me, though, interacting with people who live by the lifestyle you’re trying to promote is much more efficient. Take it from someone who’s been here for months, and… drastically changed because of the people I met…. it’s not only less insulting, but it helps students learn things on their own accord. They choose to change, instead of being imposed to” one of the biggest things he’d learn from living in Auradon was forgiveness. A few months ago, Eddie would’ve actively ran off, or just completely avoided any type of contact with Stina. Now, however, it didn’t bother him as much, or at least, definitely not like he’d thought it would. The Isle was a different place, the past was a different time, and he was most definitely willing to put literally everything that had happened to him behind— especially since he’s changed so much since. Unlike before, he was able to stand up for himself now, and he had much less hatred inside of him too. 

“Forcing people to do stuff never works. Thought they learned their lesson after quite literally everything that has been happening in Auradon, but guess not” 

Oh, that smile. Stina giggles a bit and shrugs. “Maybe they’re saying that’s all they’re doing. Then again,” she nods to Fairy Godmother. “She does look like she’s compensating for something, right? Lack of personality or lack of taste, do you think?”

She nods in agreement at the rest of it, sighing. “Obviously not. The worst part is you’d think they’d at least pay attention when it’s their own, but nope, they just stuck them in rehab and called it a d–”

“Mr. Balthazar, Miss Stina, is there something you two would like to share with the class?” Fairy Godmother asks.

Stina glances up quickly with a sickly sweet smile. “Oh, no, I’m so sorry Fairy Godmother, Eddie and I were just discussing hosting a study group for other kids in remedial goodness if we have the spare time. We’re both doing really well and we were weighing our schedules.”

The headmistress meets Stina’s smile with a very warm one of her own. “Oh, how lovely! But, I do you need you two to be paying attention to keep those good grades. You can discuss it after class, I’d be happy to help you out!”

“Thank you so much, but I think we can figure it out. Sorry again,” Stina answers before seemingly attentively going back to her notes.

Pulling out a loose sheet of paper, she writes, As you said, they’re at least teaching us to fake it till we make it.

Sliding it over just slightly, she nudges his arm with it.

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie snorts in the attempts to stop himself from laughing in the middle of class, and clears his throat to mask his obvious amusement. He grimaced when Fairy Godmother calls out on him— god, he hates it when people call him by his last name— but settles down, especially when Stina decides to do all the talking. As he’s preparing himself to actually listen for once, he feels something nudging his arm. 

Amused, he took the piece of paper from Stina’s hand and flipped it over.

‘Apparently, we’re doing a pretty good job, because they can’t even tell when we’re lying right in their teeth.’ He wrote, before sliding it back to her subtly. 

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

Eddie laughs at her response, looking over at her. 

“Yeah, sounds about right.” While Auradon was improving in everything Isle related, there was still a long way to go. This ‘Remedial Goodness’ class was the prime example of that. 

“I just think none of this makes sense. I have to suffer through these classes, when I’m just as much of an AK than I am a VK. They don’t even try to sort people out in any way— just throw us all in the same basket. And then, in the end, no one learns anything of value. Ever heard of nature versus nurture? Yeah, cus they definitely didn’t” Eddie wasn’t the type to get carried away on things, but this specific topic particularly had an importance to him, and quite frankly pissed him off.

“Yeah, exactly, right?” Stina laughs a bit. “And, and for those who aren’t, y’know, angels,” she glances up a couple rows at Sabrine Eastwind who had been forced to sit in the front row today, then back to him, “I mean, it’s not hard to pass this class. You’d have to be an idiot not to realize how you’re supposed to answer these questions, right?”

They… they were getting along. After everything, he was actually… laughing, at her jokes? He was engaging in conversation after everything she’d done? Oh, her heart’s beating like a dryer with shoes in it (she’d learned that noise the hard way, and no one could prove she’d screamed at the sound). She shakes her head. “You’d think they’d at least ask us so they don’t end up talking down to us. How old do they think we are?”

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie smiles a bit, and nods. “That too. You don’t even need to learn shit, you just gotta learn to answer what you know they expect you to answer, and then never apply it in your everyday life. Great life lesson! If anything, they’re teaching us to fake it till you make it” he rolls his eyes, and leans back against his chair, crossing his arms.

“Of course they won’t ask us for our opinion— they think we ‘don’t know better’  or whatever. If you ask me, though, interacting with people who live by the lifestyle you’re trying to promote is much more efficient. Take it from someone who’s been here for months, and... drastically changed because of the people I met.... it’s not only less insulting, but it helps students learn things on their own accord. They choose to change, instead of being imposed to” one of the biggest things he’d learn from living in Auradon was forgiveness. A few months ago, Eddie would’ve actively ran off, or just completely avoided any type of contact with Stina. Now, however, it didn’t bother him as much, or at least, definitely not like he’d thought it would. The Isle was a different place, the past was a different time, and he was most definitely willing to put literally everything that had happened to him behind— especially since he’s changed so much since. Unlike before, he was able to stand up for himself now, and he had much less hatred inside of him too. 

“Forcing people to do stuff never works. Thought they learned their lesson after quite literally everything that has been happening in Auradon, but guess not” 

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

just-a-broken-artist​:

“I’ve always believed that the concept of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ was stupid” Eddie shrugged, twirling his own pencil with his fingers. “I mean, no one is completely good or completely evil, we’re all the mix of both, so why the fuck does any of this matter anyways?” His voice was quiet as usual, but he truly meant every word of what he was saying. “This whole class is stupid, if you ask me”

Stina feels her heart thump when she hears the response. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh.

She wasn’t expecting him to respond. She settles herself. “You’re not wrong,” she murmurs in response. “But y’know, guess because fate frowned on you so you were born on that shithole rock, according to the powers-that-be here in Auradon you learned nothing and you’re totally uncivilized and apparently painfully stupid.”

[just-a-broken-artist]

Eddie laughs at her response, looking over at her. 

“Yeah, sounds about right.” While Auradon was improving in everything Isle related, there was still a long way to go. This ‘Remedial Goodness’ class was the prime example of that. 

“I just think none of this makes sense. I have to suffer through these classes, when I’m just as much of an AK than I am a VK. They don’t even try to sort people out in any way— just throw us all in the same basket. And then, in the end, no one learns anything of value. Ever heard of nature versus nurture? Yeah, cus they definitely didn’t” Eddie wasn’t the type to get carried away on things, but this specific topic particularly had an importance to him, and quite frankly pissed him off.

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

Open Starter: Identity Crisis (Stina)

Stina sighs, snapping her pencil lead against the table in frustration. “I give up. How am I supposed to pass Remedial Goodness when I can’t even decide where I fall in terms of good and evil?”

[just-a-broken-artist]

“I’ve always believed that the concept of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ was stupid” Eddie shrugged, twirling his own pencil with his fingers. “I mean, no one is completely good or completely evil, we’re all the mix of both, so why the fuck does any of this matter anyways?” His voice was quiet as usual, but he truly meant every word of what he was saying. “This whole class is stupid, if you ask me”

[wxking-thelions-inme]

“So… I have seen the truth, and it doesn’t make sense.”

[just-a-broken-artist]

“Define what this ‘truth’ is. Maybe I could help?” Eddie knew that Teresa had been doing a lot of self discovery lately, and while he had been busy and hadn’t been able to help her then, he could definitely help her now. 

[rpmusings-galore]

i keep waiting for it to get easier

    but the memories still come

                                  they still chase me back into the shadows 

                                 still keep me from trusting, believing, living…  

i keep waiting for it to get easier

      but the fear still comes 

                                          it still freezes me in place 

                                             still tells me not to risk

i keep waiting for it to get easier

why isn’t it getting easier? 

[tvstrangerthings]

#mood

[incorrectatdhqquotes]

I’m the living embodiment of “it could be worse”

Eddie (via incorrectatdhqquotes)

[impish-wxys]

Are you going to the Winter Ball?

“That… really depends on Eddie.” Iris bites her lip. She didn’t exactly have good luck with the last school dance she went to, so she wasn’t sure she wanted to, but if he did then of course she’d go with him.

@just-a-broken-artist

[impish-wxys]

just-a-broken-artist‌:

“Well, I’m going to be honest with you, school dances are definitely not my thing.” Eddie admitted, scratching the back of his head. “But I’d be willing to go if you really want.”

“Then let’s skip it. I don’t want to go either. We can do something else. Anything else. I just thought no matter what, that night we can spend time together and if you don’t want to go either then we’re not going.”

[just-a-broken-artist]

“Oh, thank god. Because I really didn’t feel like going. Skipping it sounds like plan to me! I think anything else sounds much more appealing”

[impish-wxys]

Are you going to the Winter Ball?

“That… really depends on Eddie.” Iris bites her lip. She didn’t exactly have good luck with the last school dance she went to, so she wasn’t sure she wanted to, but if he did then of course she’d go with him.

@just-a-broken-artist

[just-a-broken-artist]

“Well, I’m going to be honest with you, school dances are definitely not my thing.” Eddie admitted, scratching the back of his head. “But I’d be willing to go if you really want.”