Hiii!!! I was wondering about the laurel hell verse a lil bit, would you be able to provide a small overview of what the characters look like/designs in that au?? For educational purposes, of courseâŠtotally no fan art involvedâŠ/nf
aww hello!!!! that's so so sweet!!!! i have some VERY disorganised descriptions of the sides in this series in my documents. i'll try to organise it better in this ask!! thats so so kind, ohhghgh my god. i'll put full descriptions below, there's no artwork on my end - as i cannot draw to save my life. so hopefully these descriptions suffice! honestly, i love seeing people take artistic liberties with these!
Janus: Janus and Patton are both white, though Janus is visibly paler. Hair cut by himself (with the assistance of Remus), brunette but has dyed very chunky blonde highlights through it. More like blonde Stripes through his hair. Hair is longer down his neck but trimmed shorter around the sides (not shaved, but not Long). It's obvious that it's cut at home, though it's not awful. Usually wears a hat of some kind when outside. He has a crescent moon shaped birthmark around his left eye. Hazel brown eyes. Heâs about 5â8, does grow facial hair but typically keeps it shaved. Unless heâs Extremely depressed in which case heâs got a bit of chin stubble and upper lip stubble. Lean and mean. Not particularly muscular but he can hold his own. Lithe, lithe is a good word. Sloped nose, has a longer, thinner face shape.
Patton: Patton is a little more tanned, spends a lot of time outside. Probably has a farmers tan in the summers, though most of this series takes place in the winter. Caramel coloured curly hair, longish curls. Not super loose, but not very tight curls either. Comes down to his ears, kinda floppy yk. Deep brown eyes. Heâs a little taller, probably about 5â10? 5â11? Big guy, this is a fat hairy man okay. Yes heâs like 22, but heâs chubby and he has arm and chest hair. Freckles, freckles on his cheeks, his shoulders, his chest!! Little bit of stubble, but he keeps it short. He looks super happy (we know he isnât but he looks it.) he needs to look bright and excited and sparkly. He isnât, but he needs to look it. Big wide grin, big hands, scrunched up eyes when he smiles, etc.Â
Logan: Logan is a black man, heâs the tallest of everyone. 6â1, 6â2? Something around there. Black hair, dark brown eyes. Heâs dark-skinned, cool undertones Iâd imagine. Itâs hard to describe his hair. Sort of curly, not extremely. He usually keeps it gelled/styled back. Sort of a slicked-back kind of style. More defined jaw than Patton or Remus, keeps his face shaved (probably sensory reasons. This is an autistic man.) Broad shouldered, if weâre saying a proper body-type then probably an inverted triangle. This man is fairly strong. Thereâs no way heâs this smart without also keeping himself in pretty decent shape. Not 'defined abs' shape, but decent back and arm muscles.
Remus: Piercings. He has slightly stretched ears, probably around 8g. Expressed interest in eyebrow piercing, will have one in future fics but as of ânobody butters me upâŠâ he doesnât have one. Also very clearly cuts his own hair, though itâs hard to tell if heâs better or worse at it than Janus. His hairstyle is deliberate messiness. Think mullet but not as buzzed at the sides. The length of a mullet though, messy fringe with that choppily self-dyed silver patch. Olive skin, both he and Roman are mixed, though Remus doesnât spend enough time in the sun so heâs paler than his brother. White + Mexican. He has his moustache. Green eyes I reckon! Around 5â9, but usually wears boots that make him taller. Not chubby but not stick thin, not particularly muscular either. A man who is perfectly pleased with his appearance. Always has smudged eyeliner and chipped nail polish.
Roman: Roman and Remus are identical twins. Roman is also mixed, obv. Heâs more tanned than his brother, green eyes as well. Theyâre the same height. Roman keeps himself clean shaven. He has a more defined jaw too, definitely more muscular. Doing something performance based at college, lots of dancing, spends a lot of his free time in the gym. (Probably closest to Thomasâ actual body type!) Shortest hair of the group, short back and sides, long on top type deal. Darker brunette, kind of wavy in the front. Both Remus and Roman have Roman noses â very important to me. Keeps his nails manicured and isnât afraid to cover pimples in concealer, even just to sit in his room. Traditional pretty boy. There's just a glow to him!
Virgil: Virgil is Korean! He has that iconic scemo hair style, long, kinda spikey (?), overexaggerated side fringe. His hair is black, aside from his fringe which is usually dyed purple. Spider bite piercings. Second tallest of the group, around 5â11, though he slouches a lot. Terrible posture, truly. He DOES go outside, heâs just always smothered in sun-cream out of fear of skin cancer. Thin but broad? Broad shoulders, long limbs, always in massively oversized clothes so itâs sort of hard to tell what he looks like. Which is exactly what heâs going for. Yeah he has dark circles, and yeah heâs accentuating them with dark eyeshadow. So what!
hopefully these descriptions are okay... thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble more about laurel hell!
^^^ i Promise there are. Kind of plot reasons for this. more so Character reasons. i Promise.
also for how detailed i make my fics i completely brushed over the fact that while i say "obviously self cut" i do not Equate this with Bad. its hard. to explain.
the character reasons (which Will be mentioned in a future fic) are essentially along the lines of. received a bad haircut. "fixed it" himself. too annoyed to go back to the hairdresser that fucked it up. too insecure to go to a barber. too proud to just get over it. now trims it himself. it doesnt look Bad but it doesnt look Professional. hence the wearing of hats. the dye job was mentioned as a result from a minor breakdown and then he grew quite fond of the style.
also i Pray none of this comes across as like. passive aggressive!!! i just thought the tags made a good point and its something i thought was interesting to expand on!! sometimes i forget not everyone has access to my brain and my google doc of random laurel hell verse notes :)
roman: server. actually only applied for the job so he could get free bowling for him and his friends. peppy and good at upselling. makes the most money with the league bowlers bc he's very friendly and is not opposed to flirting w/ the customers (both to make better tips and bc he would love to meet a new partner through workplace banter). shit at cleaning his section/doing sidework tho
virgil: front counter attendant, which basically means he greets guests and controls the lanes and takes payment and handles all the shoes and answers the phone and manages the arcade. it's too fucking much sometimes and he's pissed when he doesn't have enough help but also Hates when people try to help up front and mess up his system
patton: event host. books parties and is the first point of contact for reservations and big groups. loves setting up decorations for birthday parties (light-up letters, bowling pins, balloons, etc). can jump behind the bar or in the kitchen if necessary to help a server taking a party but is Not good at it lol. always makes sure every birthday kid gets to pick a prize out of the big claw machine.
janus: bartender. makes the best drinks in the building. does not give a fuckkkk if you think the prices are too high (they are, obviously) and will not Ever let someone walk out on their tab. makes very pointed comments about the etiquette of Tipping culture when a customer is closing their tab. hates all of the servers so goddamn much, except the ones who tip him out, in which case he overpours all of their drinks
logan: (general) manager. works Way too much but is the only competent manager in the building. has built the team from the ground up and treats his long term employees well. makes the most efficient and effective schedules possible. knows every position and can drop in at a moment's notice. is Always on the walkie talkie and gets very annoyed when his employee don't respond lmfao. also can bowl a 300 game but never actually bowls for fun bc he can't be bothered.
remus: mechanic. stays behind the lanes amongst the giant clunking dangerous machinery. talks to the pinsetters like they're his babies. knows how to get into every room in the building, including the ceiling. loves to regale virgil with tales about how fucked up and broken all of the equipment is (killing virgil dead). one time got electrocuted from working on a lane and then kept working on it and got electrocuted 2 more times
realised i forgot to post this here last night #oops
this is an au of the movie Eternity, which i have not watched but seems like the most gorgeous and heartbreaking premise ever, so i've stolen all of the plot i could gather from the trailer and made it into romoceit
also, ellipsus kindly informed my that this is my 200th document. which means i have 200 fanfiction wips and i've only ever posted like 35. i should get on that. this is also my 30th posted fanfic in the sanders sides fandom. 2025 has been a good year for me writing-wise
Read on AO3
Summary: Roman had been his first love, his first kiss, his first dance, his first everything.
And Janus gave him everything heâd ever known â his home, his children, his grandchildren. Janus understood him in a way nobody else ever could.
OR: after patton died, he didn't have just one husband waiting for him. he had two, and the most impossible decision he'd ever been asked to make
Warnings: grief/mourning, mentions of dying at war, mentions/discussions of suicide (none of the main 3 committed), really REALLY hard decisions to make
Words: 3060
Chapters: 1
The day Patton died was sunny and bright. It wasnât a sad day. Heâd lived a long and happy life, filled to the brim with love and experience and culture. His husband had died the year before, and heâd really only wanted to be with him again. The funeral was packed with all the people heâd loved â his children and grandchildren, his neighbours, his old friends and colleagues. While death is always an intrinsically sad affair, Patton had the one most can only dream of and pray for.
He had simply gone to sleep one night, warm in his bed after a day spent with his family, and didnât wake up. His next door neighbour had called a well-being check for him when he didn't open his blinds the next morning. Heâd only been dead a few hours, the doctors said. It was a good death. Peaceful, painless, quick.
When Patton died, he woke up in a bedroom he didnât recognise. None of the weight was attached to his limbs, none of the stiffness creaking in his joints, none of the dryness in his eyes. He sat up easily, quickly, and he didnât find himself dizzy.
âPatton?â a voice asked, soft and slow. He turned to the side and found a lady with warm eyes and a welcoming smile and he returned it on instinct.
She was dressed professionally â a neat, knee-length pencil skirt and a blazer. She was holding a clipboard, hands holding it lightly.
âHello,â he said politely.
âHi! My nameâs Missy.â
âWell, itâs lovely to meet you. Iâm Patton, but you seem to know that already.â
She inclined her head. âI do. Do you understand whatâs going on, Patton?â
âUm⊠Well, no, not really,â he said, smiling politely, if puzzled. âI feelâ Well, I feel good! Really good. Like Iâm twenty again!â
âPatton. Iâm afraid to say you died last night.â
The smile fell from his lips. He stared at her for a moment, and blinked. âIâ I did?â
âYou did.â
Slowly, Patton began to shake his head. âBut Iâ My kids, myââ
Missy looked down at her clipboard, lifting a page to peek underneath. âAh, yes. Thatâs⊠two sons, yes? Virgil and Thomas.â
âThey still need me.â
âDo they?â Missy asked, head tilting. âI think you raised them perfectly, if I do say so myself. Perfectly enough, and for long enough, that I think theyâre going to be just fine without you.â
Patton blinked at her. He laughed, slightly dizzy, pressing a hand to his chest and trying not to start blubbing. âWell, I⊠I suppose it was a long old life, wasnât it?â
âIt was.â
âAnd theyâ theyâre good boys. Good brothers. They love each other, theyâll look after each other. I know they will. And theyâve got Logan, and Nico, and the boys⊠theyâll be okay. Theyâll be okay.â
âIâm sure they will.â
Patton sniffled, and then gasped. âOhâ Oh, is he here? Is my Janus here?â
âHe is. Heâs been waiting for you. Would you like to see him?â
âCan I? Can I really? You promise heâs here, youâre not messing with me?â
Missy smiled brightly. âOf course! Come with me, Iâll take you to him.â
Immediately, his heart pounding â was that right? Surely his heart wasnât pounding if he was dead, but it sure felt like it was doing some kind of nervous little dance deep in his chest â Patton shot to his feet and rushed after Missy. She led him out of the room, into a large corridor. It looked like a hotel, really, he thought, with rows of doors closed tight on either side. The carpet was plush and dark â an intricate, weaving pattern that sort of reminded him of the rug he and Janus had lugged through their first three houses, before it had been set on fire on Thomasâs fourth birthday, when Patton had tripped up whilst carrying the cake in.
He tried to take deep breaths as they walked. They turned a corner, and then there was a wide, grand set of stairs. It was sort of like the stairs youâd see in a rich wedding, or maybe a period piece with a ball, where the princess descends in her gorgeous dress and meets the eyes of her masked suitor.
Missy stopped at the top, and gestured for Patton to go ahead. He froze, staring at her, and his breath hitched. âYou promise?â
âI promise.â
Pattonâs hands shook, and he gripped the bannister tightly. Walking down stairs hadnât been this easy since before his first grandkids were born, and yet his legs shook violently as he went. What if he wasnât there? What if this was some sort of deeply elaborate and deeply cruel prank?
He walked slowly, following the curve of the stairs, eyes catching on the glistening chandelier, and then he raked them down, and froze.
The man had his back to Patton. He was wearing a black suit, but the bowler hat was one heâd had the whole time Patton knew him, one Patton had given to Virgil when he died. He turned, and it happened like it was slow motion, first his body, then his head, and thenâ
His eyes met Pattonâs, and he was so young again, almost as young as when theyâd first met. His face split into a bright grin, stretching the scars that lay across the left side of his face.
Patton felt like he was flying. The rest of the steps seemed to disappear from beneath him, and he soared through the air, light as a feather and vision blurred with tears. He collided with Janus, who caught him with arms around his neck, and Patton span him around, laughing and crying all at once and he felt like the day theyâd gotten married. He pressed a kiss to Janusâ mouth, squeezing him around the waist, and Janus laughed against him.
âYou werenât meant to be here so early,â Janus said, and Patton set him down.
âEarly? I waited a whole year! Oh, Janny, look at you. Youâre gorgeous.â
Janus scoffed, rolling his eyes. âPlease, I lookââ
âWell, start believing it. Because youâve got the rest of eternity toââ
A voice interrupted him, curt and professional, and Patton remembered they technically had an audience. âActually,â Missy said. âThere may be a⊠slight bump in your road to shared eternal happiness.â
Patton frowned, and Janus scoffed, and he was glaring at her so viciously that it actually startled Patton, too, and he squeezed his shoulders comfortingly. âExcuse me?â Janus spat, like he didnât even feel Pattonâs hands. âWhat the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you saying we arenât good enough for heaven? I waited here forââ
âHello, my dear, sweet prince.â
Another voice had interrupted Janus. Low and smooth and rich, and so violently, achingly familiar that Patton felt it like a tug deep inside him. The air caught in his chest, and he turned in the other direction, where a man stood, his eyes locked onto Patton.
âUh⊠whoâs this?â Janus asked, as Pattonâs hands fell off his shoulders. He couldnât bring himself to speak. He wasnât sure he knew how, his tongue heavy in his mouth as he shuffled closer to the man.
He was taller than Patton â and heâd forgotten that, actually, the fact that heâd once been shorter â with broad shoulders and a square jaw. His hair was perfectly swooping, auburn locks glinting in the light. His teeth were bright and white, his full lips curving around them.
And his eyes. Oh, his eyes. The day coloured photos became commonplace, Patton had sobbed like a baby, because heâd have given anything to be able to show people how violently green his eyes had been. Patton moved closer to him like he was in a trance, and he heard Missy say something to Janus, but he couldnât really hear over the roaring in his ears as he stood before him. His fingers trembled as he lifted them to gently poke at the manâs cheek.
âOh, my goodness,â he whispered, voice shaking. âOh, itâsâ Itâs you.â
âAh!â Janus cried with false cheer. âOf course, itâsâ Itâs our bartender! Jack! Jack, old pal, howâve youââ
Patton didnât mean to interrupt him. But he just couldnât keep it in. âI never even dreamed you this clearly,â he choked.
âYou are exactly as I remember,â Roman said, his hands holding Pattonâs face between them, and he was so warm, so real, right there in front of him.
Behind him, Patton heard Janus choke on a scoff. âNo. Now, hold on,â he said. âRoman had a moustache.â
âPatty always hated it,â Roman said, not looking away from him even as he addressed Janus. âSo I shave it off every morning in the hopes that that will be the day he arrives.â
Behind him, Missy said, âAnd today is,â her voice thick, but Patton didnât even really hear her.
âRemus grew one after,â he said.
Roman let out a hearty laugh. âI know he did. I saw him, when he came through. I must admit, he wears it far better than I did., although you can never tell him I said so.â
Patton choked back a sob, biting down on his bottom lip. âI tried to help him. Roman, sweetheart, I tried so hard.â
âOh, I know. I know, my dear. It wasnât your fault. I never blamed you. And neither did he. Not for a second.â
âI am. And so are you. Together once more, my sweet.â
âHey, hello. Also here,â Janus snapped behind them, and Patton gasped, turning to look at him with wide eyes.
âAh, yes,â Roman drawled. âWho, exactly, are you?â
âThis is the second husband,â Missy answered, and Janus turned to glare at her.
âCurrent husband,â he snarled, and Patton reached out to lay a hand on his arm. When had he gotten so close?
Missy smiled that polite, customer-service smile that Thomas used to give the neighbours when they were being too rude to Virgil. âOf course. But, technically, death did you all part. None of you are current husbands.â
Roman scoffed. He wrapped his arms around Pattonâs waist and swayed him back and forth, and when Patton squirmed, embarrassed, his hold tightened. âA lifelong love is not to be paused by the mere ending of oneâs life!â he cried. Janus was glaring daggers at him, and Patton swallowed. He squirmed again, and Romanâs arms fell away.
Patton had loved being held like that. It made him feel safe, and warm. He used to laugh so hard his eyes would prick with tears as Roman squeezed and squeezed. He closed his eyes tightly and stepped away from both Janus and Roman, towards Missy, his breathing quick and shallow.
âJustâ Hold on, okay?â he said tightly. âWhatâ Missy, dear, could you explain what⊠well, whatâs going on here?â
âWell, now you get to pick!â she said brightly.
Everything seemed to freeze. Patton stared at her, a touch lightheaded, and he tilted his head in confusion. âSorry, pick?â he asked. âWhatâ What does that mean, exactly?â
A hand brushed against his, and he flinched, clutching it to his chest and glancing at Janus. Janus raised an eyebrow, studying Patton carefully, and Patton smiled weakly and nodded, even though his hands were shaking where he had them clasped at his chest and he felt oddly like his knees were going to buckle.
âYou see,â Missy explained, her voice still bright, âyou get to choose who youâll spend your eternity with. Roman, or Janus!â
Patton felt like his heart had stopped all over again. Choose? How on Earth was anyone supposed toâ
What a ridiculous idea. What a cruel idea. Surely, he wasnât the first person to be in his position. Surely, the others had refused. Anyone would refuse! How could anyone just pick?
He shook his head. âI canât do that.â
âWell⊠Iâm afraid you have to. Roman had the option to move on, you see, but he chose to wait here for you. Same for Janus. That means you get to pick!â
This wasnât fair. It wasnât right. Was he in Hell? This certainly felt like torture. It wasâ
He couldnâtâ
It wasnât fair! Heâd waited a year, a whole year, to see Janus again, and they barely gave him ten seconds beforeâ
And Roman, Roman who heâd never forgotten about, of course he hadnât, Roman had been his first love, his first kiss, his first dance, his first everything.
And he was so, so glad he was here. He was so beautiful. And Patton had lay awake, sometimes, even beside Janus, wondering what his life would have looked like if Roman hadnât died. Hadnât been killed. He would never have traded it, of course, Janus gave him everything heâd ever known â his home, his children, his grandchildren. Janus understood him in a way nobody else ever could.
But Roman. His tragic, heroic Roman. Heâd wanted all of that, too. Kids, a family, love. He would have given it to Patton, if heâd been able. He could have understood him like Janus did. It wasnât his fault that the chance was taken from him. And heâd waited here. Heâd waited here, ignoring his own potential heaven so he could share it with Patton. For nearly seventy years he sat here waiting, and what was that beside the mere year Patton had waited around for Janus? How could Patton possibly pick between them?
âI⊠Hold on, I thinkâŠâ he began, breathless.
Two hands landed on Pattonâs shoulders, squeezing and massaging, but they only make him jump slightly. âMy dear prince, is everything alright?â Romanâs voice asked, low and worried in his ear. âSurely you yearn for the life we could have had.â
âTake your hands off him,â Janus snapped, but then he reached forwards and grabbed Pattonâs arm, trying to pull him away.
âExcuse me, but Iâm his husband!â
âSo am I! And I can see heâs clearly not in the slightest bit overwhelmed.â
âJanusââ Patton croaked, as Roman tightened his grip.
âPatton, I think itâs best you make this decision quickly,â Missy said, as Roman and Janus started arguing properly.
Patton closed his eyes tightly. Their hands were pulling at him, and he was sure a couple of them had to be around his throat, because he just couldnât work out how to draw a proper breath. Were they getting louder? None of them would ever choke him, of course, there was no way! Why were they yelling?
He opened his eyes and looked at Missy. âI canât,â he choked, and everything went quiet. âI donât know how, that isnât something you can just ask me to do like itâs easy, please.â
âPat,â Janus began slowly, like it was obvious, and, Patton supposed, to him it was. âWeâ Our whole lives, Patton. We had decades, we had children, grandchildren. Youâ Iâm your husband, me.â
âYou only got that because I died when I was barely old enough to legally drink!â Roman shrieked, and Patton felt his face crumple, his eyes locked on Missy.
âPlease,â he whispered. âCanât Iâ I mean, canât⊠why do I have to choose?â
âYou can only go to one eternity,â she said, like he was dumb.
âOver your⊠husband? He isnât a dog. Look, howâs this: you donât have to pick immediately. We can⊠How about, they each put on a day, a great day, where they try their very best to impress you, and then you can see which youâd rather spend eternity with!â
Patton stared at her, and he thought he might be sick. âA competition?â he whispered, and Roman crowed delightedly behind him, âA contest!â
Janus scoffed. âHere? Weâre in a hotel, how are we supposed to show himââ
âOh, youâd get full creative control. We can create anything you describe exactly as you describe it. Wellâ As long as it existed in the world before you died, that is.â
He scoffed again, clearly disapproving of the idea, but didnât utter another word in protest. Patton shrugged the hands off him, eyes huge. âI canât,â he repeated, because nobody much seemed to be understanding him.
âYou gotta,â Missy said with a shrug. âBesides, thisâll be fun!â
âA wonderful day with me, after so long!â Roman cried, and Pattonâs stomach flipped as he shot him a bright, crooked grin. âWhat could go wrong?â
Patton smiled up at him, reaching to hold his cheek gently. âItâs not so much that anything will go wrong, Ro, I justâŠâ
âThrow caution to the wind, my dearest! We will have one beautiful day together, just like we did so often in our youths, and then we can spend eternity together.â
With a shaky sigh, Patton turned to Janus. The man was watching them, eyes flicking between Patton and Roman, until he met Pattonâs eyes. He quirked a brow, and for the first time in his life, Patton wasnât entirely sure what it meant.
âItâs⊠well. I suppose itâs your choice, isnât it?â
Patton sniffed weakly. âI donât know what to do,â he said.
âWell, your options are between pick now and forever hold your peace, or give them both a trial run,â Missy answered, and she was starting to lose the brightness, lose her patience.
He nodded. âOkay, okay. Iâm sorry, okay, fine. We canâ We can do theâ the contestââ His voice cracked. âBut whatâ what about the rest of today? Do we justâ all three of us justâ sit around? Together?â
Missy shrugged. âI guess. Or you could start right now.â
Immediately, Patton shook his head. âNo, Iâ please, can I justâ both, for right now, please?â He turned to them, and there must have been something in his eyes, or on his face, because both of them flinched for a second before surging closer.
âOf course,â Roman assured, as Janus started nodding quickly. âOf course, dearest, anything you want.â
Patton sighed shakily and nodded, and each of his hands were being held by one of the only two men heâd ever loved. He squeezed them, his eyes closed tightly, even as they shot glares at each other past his head.
Hope you guys enjoy this! took me far longer than It should have sorry about that!! between this blog, my rp blog, my comissions and just trying to bidaily post its quite a bit!! So I hope this will keep you fed for a little!!
Also sorry if theres any misspelling or gramatical errors, english is my first language im just stupid
i know weâre both just messing around pretending to be whole but look at me. if the train was coming would you move. if the ground was falling from under your feet would you even notice or would it just be another tuesday for you. if somebody stabbed you could it hurt worse than you already do. what iâm saying is that i love you but i think we both drive over the speed limit when itâs raining. what iâm saying is that i want to hold your hand and i understand about how you sometimes have to sit down in the shower. what iâm saying is that iâm here for you and if the train comes please move.