#bow dee

[veinsfullofstars]

What about lil meta? Doesn't he have a family?

In the traditional sense? Not exactly. Certainly none that he remembers…

… then again, a family doesn’t have to be connected by blood, now, does it?

Sketch started 5/27/25, sketch finished 06/11/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

[veinsfullofstars]

🌅 MetaDede Week 2024 Day 5 & 6: AU & Secrets 🌅

(ID: Kirby series fanart comic of a moment in King Dedede and Meta Knight’s youth, when - during a trip to the beach with their friends - the teenaged penguin realizes that he might feel more than just friendship for his little winged buddy. Transcript in Alt Text. END ID.)

Oh.

Previous Day | Next Day | Prompt List (made by @/mtddweek)

Started 08/20/24, finished 08/24/24. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

[veinsfullofstars]

Meet the Families: Bebebe & Jojojo

Everyone, say hi to Dedede’s mama and papa - a pair of lovebirds as different as day and night! Check below the cut for more deets and fun facts!

(OC info updated as of 03/17/26.)

Started 04/14/25, finished 04/20/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

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✨ Bebebe's Origins ✨

-Born in the autumn-kissed fields of Planet Earthfall, Bee came from a loud and loving household. She got her daddy's eyes, her mama's smart mouth, and a temper that only contact sports could tame, growing up country-girl strong from years of helping raise Gips on her family's humble farm. It was a simple life, hectic and far from the lap of luxury, but it was always home, and she loved every moment she spent in it all the same.

-In time, though, as the wonder of childhood faded into the liminal uncertainty of her teen years, Bee's eye began to wander away from the comfortable repetitiveness of life on the farm, drifting instead towards the distant, unknown horizon. In the market square, she'd chat with strangers about the foreign lands they haled from. At the bookshop, she'd skim through travel guides for neighboring planetoids and astroid belts. At night, she'd climb up to the loft of the family's big barn and lay on a bed of hay to watch the skies, hoping to catch sight of starships entering and leaving the atmosphere like shooting stars, her eyes alight with longing and her feet growing more restless by the day.

-Then, on the cusp of adulthood, a handsome drifter (whose name she's long since forgotten) caught her eye and captured her heart with tales of life beyond the stars, filling her imagination with places and and people and opportunities she could only dream of knowing firsthand. Though he'd promised to take her there "someday," Bee found that she was no longer content to just wait to reach those faraway stars. In the end, she would set out on her own, leaving home with tears and hugs and well wishes aplenty, her heart hammering with fear and giddiness in turn as the ship she'd boarded lifted her into the cosmos for the first time...

-Bee would spend many, many long years adrift around the galaxy - no set path, no destination in mind, just a hungry sense of wanderlust pulling her along like a dowsing rod. She traveled light, rarely settling in one place longer than a few weeks, taking her rest in interstellar hostels or inns when she wasn't camping out under an alien sky. When funds were slim, she took odd jobs to support herself - usually some kind of manual labor that only added to her impressive strength and endurance over time. In time, she slowed her whirlwind pace and learned to savor her time in each new locale she found herself in, immersing herself in cultures so vastly different from her own, making friends from all walks of life both temporary and long-lasting, and tasting more exotic and delicious meals than she ever thought she would.

-It was not always an... easy road to travel, especially at the start, when youthful naiveté still shielded Bee from the worst of what places beyond the homestead had to offer. She faced more than her fair share of misfortune out in that great cosmic unknown. Danger and misdirection, hunger and homesickness - some that left scars, some that don't show...

-But Bee had been raised to be tough, in both body and in heart. Out in the world, she learned how to take care of herself. How to survive, how to protect herself, how to fight when there was no other option. She also learned a bit about humility, when to not fight back, when to ask for help when she needed it. No matter how dark her circumstances were, Bee's outlook remained bright and full of hope, for she believed - and still does - that the universe was so much bigger and more beautiful than its shortcomings would suggest. (Of course, if those shortcomings ever wanted to get up in her face about it... well, her daddy always said she had the meanest right hook in the county.)

-At some point during her far-flung travels, Bee found herself revisiting an old passion from her childhood: the world of spectacle fights. As a young girl predisposed to punching her problems away, she'd been fascinated by the concept, devouring any book or magazine she could get her hands on about masked fighters and bloody rivalries and the fervor of a crowd cheering for their favorite in the ring. She wouldn't get to see a real match in person until much later, and when she finally did - crammed sardine-tight in a crowd of screaming strangers, watching cape-wearing, weapon-wielding, showboating fighters duke it out in smoke and light and, well, spectacle - it was like something she hadn't known she was missing clicked snugly into place. So, completely on a whim, Bee dropped everything and signed up for the interstellar wrestling circuit.

-A quick demonstration of her well-honed strength and lively personality was more than enough to impress both the recruiting team and the trainers assigned to her, securing her an official spot on the circuit within only a few months' time. But getting in was the easy part. There were many years where the losses outweighed the wins, her raw power outclassed by experience and finesse in the field, the training unlike anything she'd endured before... Still, she was undaunted, moving slowly but surely through ranked matches and tournaments of increasing size and acclaim. She forged alliances and rivalries (largely for the crowd's benefit - behind the scenes, she was close fiends with many of her opponents) and even earned a good bit of fame for a time thanks to her fiery persona, remarkable strength, and skill with her weapon of choice, the greathammer. By the time she held her first championship belt in her hands, she felt like she was on top of the world.

-It was some time during the height of her career that she met Jojojo, spotting him standing stiff-backed and stoic amongst a group of visiting Star Warriors who’d seen her latest match. It'd taken several conversations with the man to get him to give her more than a grunt or a one-word response, which only served to pique Bee's interest in him even more. She likes to talk about how much she enjoyed the process of slowly cracking open Jo's hardened soldier exterior, of seeing just what it took to make him scoff or roll his eyes or crack a smile. She'd tease him about his strict adherence to protocol and propriety, her heart warming when he'd splutter indignantly or try to hide the hint of red darkening his feathers. She'd even gotten him to spar with her a time or two, and found herself quite impressed by his own fighting prowess (even if she did win most of the time).

-With enough time and gently-built trust, Bee learned more about the man beneath the armor - the cold home he'd haled from, the arduous years he's endured under a knight's heavy helm, the cynicism, the exhaustion, the loneliness that had encased him. It touched her in a way few others have, especially when she caught glimpses of Jo's more nurturing side, the parts of himself kept hidden for so long out of shame or repression... until she started coaxing it out of him again. She can still remember the look of awestruck surprise on Jo's face when - as he channeled magic into his sword - green vines twined around its blade instead of frost. It was beautiful (as was the sword).

-Their courtship was a long but comfortable one, filled with a soft-burning affection and the respect of equals. There was conflict and compromise, as there is in any relationship, but - in keeping with Bee’s ever-agreeable outlook - the good always seemed to outweigh the bad. She would be the one to propose some years later, and Jo (once he’d collected himself) would present her with a pair of rings - an old tradition from his homeland, he’d explained, one he'd always found rather charming but not one she need adhere to if she found it disagreeable. She’d only laughed and kissed him, saying she didn’t mind if it made him happy, letting him slip the ring over her finger before doing the same for him.

-The years would pass at a wild, whirlwind pace, not dissimilar to Bee's initial trek into the stars. And, though she'd loved every second of her time in the circuit, it came as no surprise when the burnout started to creep in, her eye once again looking towards the horizon, her fingers fiddling restlessly with the ring on her finger. She tried to push through for the sake of her reputation (and at some not-so-helpful urging from the circuit's dispassionate higher-ups), but even her fellow fighters could see the dip in her spirits. And, when Jo had his accident, Bee had no choice but to sit herself down and, for the first time in a good long while, really think about the future ahead of her.

-In the end, planning for retirement from the circuit hadn't been nearly as daunting as she'd thought it be, though there were still tears and hugs and well wishes aplenty. She felt that old wanderlust kicking in once again, not quite the same as what she'd started out with, seeking to find a place to rest for a while, to nest and build a home with a man who - in her eyes - deserved better than the one he came from.

✨ Bebebe Fun Facts ✨

-Bee - being the kind and gregarious woman that she is - is well-liked by just about everyone in the quaint little village they've made their nest in, able to make friends of even the grouchiest souls (if her choice of partner is any indication). Though, despite having a veritable well of patience, it would not be wise to push her buttons too much or talk smack about anyone she cares about. There’s a reason they used to call her Madame Caldera in her wrestling days…

-Bee loves food just as much as her son, having discovered and devoured many exotic dishes during her travels (though she still has a soft spot for the southern comfort food of her homeland). She is a regular customer over at the bakery run by Para's dad and jokes that she would’ve probably been an intergalactic foodie if she hadn’t joined the fighting circuit instead.

-Much as she needed the break from the high-energy world of spectacle fights for a while, Bee finds that retirement life can get a bit boring if she has nothing proactive to fill it with. So, in addition to helping out with community events, Bee takes a part-time position as a PE teacher and sports coach for the children of the village. It's a daunting job, trying to wrangle all those young'ns, but she thinks it's more than worth it to help keep them all happy, healthy, and active.

-Before meeting Jo, Bee had never thought of herself as the motherly type. She's always been good with kids - having minded both the animals and her smaller cousins back on the farm - but tended to shy away from the idea of raising one of her own (who's got time to settle down when there's still so much everything out there?). Spending time with Jo and building a home with him on Popstar seemed to assuage that concern somewhat, as did befriending the other parents-to-be in the neighborhood. In the end, they only had the one child together, but Bee has loved her precious little Dedede from the moment she first held him. In fact, one of the very few points of contention between her and her husband is just how much she "coddles" the boy, often accused of "spoiling him rotten" and letting him get away with "just about anything." She personally wouldn't go that far, reminding Jo of all the times she's had to raise her voice to her little troublemaker of a son, too... though, she won't deny that she's more prone to treating her boy with affection that discipline. Hard not to after seeing her pride-and-joy rush up to her with stars in his eyes one day, begging to learn how to wrestle like her.

-Even after decades of marriage, Bee still knows how to fluster her prim-and-proper husband.

✨ Jojojo's Origins ✨

-Born in the endless winter of Shiver Star, Jo came from wealth, raised in a home rebuilt from the ruins of another - half an intricately-carved manor of magically-insulated ice and stone, half the bones of something old and industrial from a time long gone. It was a magnificent house, but a cold one, and not just from the ever-present winter outside. His family ran in elite circles both on- and off-world, projecting an air of austere dignity to whatever guests they sought to impress. With Jo, however, they were simply distant, routinely leaving him in the care of housekeepers when they weren't making offhand critiques about his posture or his manners or his technique during fencing lessons. When he did do something to earn their approval, it felt like a sliver of sunlight peeking through a heavy curtain, a warmth he craved for how fleeting it was.

-And so, for years, Jo molded himself into a the shape of a "good son," seeking and hoarding those effervescent moments of parental approval like bits of treasure, all while channeling his growing resentment and loneliness into other, more constructive avenues. Reading, swordplay, piano lessons, anything to occupy his hands so his father would not call them "idle." He also began spending time in the family's greenhouse, an exceedingly rare luxury on his icy home planet and a little space of warm, quiet solitude for him to escape to. He can still recall his small fingers brushing over leaves and petals that would never survive outside, feeling the green-scented life pulsing within, imagining the worlds without snow where they'd been taken from. He hesitates to admit it, but those might've been the only times in his childhood when he felt even a semblance of happiness...

-Jo had grown up well aware of the Galaxy Soldier Army and its doings, his mother being a veteran herself and his father a regular financial contributor to their cause. It was practically drilled into him that he would join once he came of age, and he never felt the need to dispute it (though he never exactly agreed either). In hindsight, it feels like his parents couldn't wait to be rid of him, practically shoving him onto the starship barely a day into his legal adulthood, smothering him with farewells and good-lucks and all the love they'd never given him as a child, a brittle and fickle parting gift. In the decades to follow, correspondence between them would slow to a trickle until the letters simply stopped coming. He would never set foot in that icy manor house again, nor return to the planet it'd been built upon. Even to this day, Jo cannot say with certainty how he feels about that.

-Jo would go on to spend much of his adult life under the GSA's roof. Any arrogance or reluctance his privileged upbringing might've fostered in him was swiftly worn down once training began. Fortunately, he's always been more resilient than some would give him credit for, not to mention quite adept at following orders. In time, he found his footing as a soldier, rising through the Star Warrior ranks at an admirable clip, the years ahead of him filled with victories and hardships aplenty. He earned respect among his commanders and found friendship among his comrades (begrudging though it might've been), surprising them all when he displayed an aptitude for magical conductivity, learning to weave the very elements around him into his weapon of choice, the longsword.

-Meeting Bebebe was an... unexpected development. He'd had little interest in courting even before his time in the military, and encountering this brash and noisy woman during some downtime between missions did little to change that (even if her skill with a greathammer was rather impressive). He hadn't expected to see her again after the first meeting... only to bump into her time and again by pure happenstance, his squad stationed on the same planet or astroid colony or space station as her circuit's tour route. It had taken a bit of getting used to, her gregariousness, her teasing honesty, her loud and... infectious laughter. Hard to say when he started looking forward to seeing her, listening to the stories of her travels and letting himself laugh along with her.

-She was so... different from him, Jo would find himself musing. Fascinating in a way he struggled to articulate. This farm girl turned cosmic wanderer turned renowned prize fighter, as hungry for life and for connection as she was for food, always craving more but still willing to share what she did have with others. It made something in him ache, a part of himself he'd closed off for years under the mantle of a good son, the turmoil of a soldier's duty, the battleground dirt and stardust caked under his nails... He doesn't think he'll ever fully share her boundless love for life, but he does appreciate certain aspects of it - a warm breeze, a cup of coffee, the scent of rich loam and healthy leaves in a well-tended garden.

-Time seemed to pass at a pace both too fast and too slow for Jo. He continued his work in the GSA, taking on missions of higher priority and even volunteering to train new recruits. He'd earned many a medal on his lapel and even some commander privileges, practically on track to become a General at the rate he was going. This and other news he would share with Bee whenever he was able, comfortable enough to be a bit more open with her, not to mention appreciative of her attention and considerate feedback. There were not many sunny days in the life of a Star Warrior, but, for Jo, she was another rare ray of light peeking through the cloud cover. And, unlike some, she did not flee at every sign of rain. She proved as much when she proposed some years into their courtship. (She had to steady his hand as he slipped the ring over her finger.)

-Though Jo has many an exciting and grisly tale from his time overstars, his recounts are often... dry, monotonous, focused more on the "cold, hard facts" of what transpired as opposed to his own subjective experience within it. Not to say the scars are quiet under his feathers, or that the memories don't often play through his own mind in far more vivid detail...

-His last mission, for example, had been a harrowing one. Through a rather alarming distress signal, the higher-ups learned of a planetoid in a nearby star system being ravage by violent earthquakes and sent Jo and his company to assist the local GSA branch with civilian recovery. The response time was fast, thank stars, the casualties kept to a minimum... but he can still remember the state of that doomed place, not simply the work of your average natural disaster, but a full-blown cataclysm. He recalls how the land quaked as if in seizure, cracked and split right down to the red-blazing core of the planet. He saw roads, homes, forests, fields, and even entire mountains and oceans swallowed by the fissures, lit briefly from below before disappearing into the fiery slag. He can still recall how he'd been the one to steady his crew as they headed bravely into the fray, keeping the pulse-pounding horror that nestled in his chest locked tight behind the ironclad countenance of a commander.

-He'd been guiding one of the last civilians into the rescue ship when it happened. It wasn't even the worse one he'd felt that day, the tremor that knocked him off his feet, but the fall that followed felt like an eternity, the heat of the planet's carved-open core racing to embrace him as he bounced off the jagged shelves of rock on either side of the fissure, knocked unconscious before he could even utter a prayer to the stars overhead...

-He awoke a day later in the main GSA infirmary, a bandaged-wrapped mound of matted feathers, cussing, and pain that he could hardly swallow down without feeling sick. Apparently, one of the more reckless rookies in his unit had thought it wise to follow their captain down into the fissure on a warp star, plucking him from the fiery jaws of death just in the nick of time. Jo had some strong feelings about the commendation the kid received for nearly getting themself killed along with their commander... but reason - and, above all else, gratitude - would eventually prevail over a bit of wounded pride (especially once the painkillers kicked in).

-The recovery that followed was long and grueling, softened somewhat thanks to frequent visits from Bee and his closer squadmates. Once Jo could walk again, he found himself with a limp that hadn't been there before, along with a new scar on his left foot that twinged something awful when he put too much stress on it. He tried to ignore it at first, returning to his training and other duties as usual, but the new pain in his foot - along with the myriad of other scars (physical and otherwise) left by decades of martial combat - made that nearly impossible. In the end, it was Bee who convinced him that it might be time to "hang up the helmet," a truth that shamed and terrified him, but made bearable thanks to her gentle reasoning, her promise to stick with him no matter what comes next. It made the retirement party his company would surprise him with a bit easier to endure (and enjoy).

-Believe it or not, moving to Popstar together had been Jo's idea. He'd visited the planet once or twice on non-combat missions, fascinated by its natural beauty, if a tad suspicious of it strange, almost utopic serenity (especially once he learned where it stemmed from). Coming there again so many years later, feeling the grass under his feet and the sunshine on his face, his aches and pains reduced to afterthoughts, his unquiet mind allowed moments of peaceful dreaming... well, perhaps he could get used to it. If not for himself, then definitely for his sweet and radiant Bee who, in his opinion, deserved the world and beyond.

✨ Jojojo Fun Facts ✨

-Jo has always been a rather introverted soul, valuing the peace of solitude over the disorder of the social interaction. He is civil and respectful with most of his neighbors, if a bit brusk and standoffish. He can talk mechanics with Bow's mom, discuss herbalism with Para’s mother, or trade tales of time overstars with Sir Tort (through whom he also keeps in contact with his old commanders and war buddies back in the GSA... definitely just for correspondence and not for long-distance contract work to fill the void left by his unexpected retirement). Curiously, he's also found camaraderie with Whispy Woods of all people, the old tree offering Jo wisdom when he comes seeking answers or advice, and patience when he just needs some space or a place to vent.

-With more time on his hands and more encouragement from his wife, Jo has taken a position over at the local apothecary in the village run by Para’s mother, further rekindling his love of plants and nature to the point of taking up gardening again in his own time. He practically fills their home with potted plants of all sorts, even giving his favorite ones names (don't laugh - he takes his plants very seriously).

-When he's not busy at the apothecary or away on *ahem* off-the-clock GSA business, Jo occasionally makes time to train some of the older children in the way of the sword should they be interested (and his bad foot permitting). He's not exactly a patient instructor, nor a terribly kind one, but he can be an effective one to the right students (as showcased by Meta and his - in Jo's words - remarkable aptitude for swordplay).

-Jo’s relationship with his son is… strained, to put it lightly. For as much as he resents the strictness and neglect of his own upbringing - and would never willingly bring harm to his own boy - some of it still manages to bleed, if unconsciously, into his own style of parenting. He has a habit of piling expectations upon poor Dedede, many well-intended but verging on unreasonable, often followed up with curt critiques and passive-aggressive disappointment whenever his "layabout son" fails to meet them. And, unlike his father, Dedede has no desire to fit into someone else's idea of what a "good son" should be, more inclined to shout back or storm off or go cry about it to his mother, childish acts of rebellion and perceived weakness that only serve to reinforce Jo’s frustration with him. Bee does her best to mediate things between them, to foster patience and encourage understanding, but there is only so much she can do for her "sweet, oh-so-stubborn boys."

-Even decades into their marriage, Jo is ever the gentleman and treats his wife with the utmost respect.

[veinsfullofstars]

✨🐠⭐️ BOW DEE ⭐️⚓️✨

FULL CHARACTER REFERENCE

🌟 Updated as of 06/07/26 🌟 | Features yet to be added: Skillset, Wardrobe, Links to other OC refs

✨🐠⭐️ General Info ⭐️⚓️✨

💙 Bow Dee is an energetic Waddle Dee with a bubbly spirit, a courageous heart, a fiery temper, & a knack for fearlessly rushing headlong into trouble (along with most of their friends). 🌊⛵️✨

🩵 Likes: Swimming, fishies!, spicy food, literally every sport, being outside, energetic dance music 💙 Dislikes: Bugs, sitting still, being yelled at, math, unseasoned vegetables 🩵 Birthday: March 21 ♈️ 💙 Place of Origin: The City (but raised primarily in Green Greens) 🩵 Relatives: Gear Dee (birth mother), Eva (adoptive mother), Treble Dee (older brother), unnamed birth father, Daffodil (family pet, only in Adult Years), Bandana Dee (godchild, only in Adult Years) 💙 Features in: Childhood Friends AU (CFAU) 🩵 First Appearance: This post (Oct 19, 2023)

✨🐠⭐️ CFAU Era: Kid Years ⭐️⚓️✨

Additional Details (Kid Years): 🩵 Named (unsurprisingly) for the bow she’s worn since infancy 💙 Born with Copy Abilities atypical for Waddle Dees (struggles to control them as a result) 🩵 Known for her boundless energy & ear​nest enthusiasm (along with a rather reckless sense of bravery) 💙 Has trouble focusing & sitting still, as well as prone to emotional outbursts 🩵 Will challenge just about anything to a fight if it makes her angry enough (even if it's ten times her size... unless it's bugs) 💙 Will follow her friends just about anywhere i​f it seems like fun (including directly into danger) 🩵 Friends: Dedede, Meta, Para Dee, Ace, Fringe

✨🐠⭐️ CFAU Era: Teen Years ⭐️⚓️✨

Additional Details (Teen Years): 🩵 Entering her rebellious phase (thanks to the many "bad influences" they hang out with) 💙 Still generally a joyful, social, & energetic kid 🩵 Experimenting with their identity (inspired by some real-talk with Ace) 💙 Starting to get a better handle on her powers (sorta) 🩵 Witness to some family trouble happening at home (dealing with a lot of complicated feelings about it) 💙 Dealing with some friend drama as well (frustrated ​at having to choose sides) 🩵 Friends: Dedede, Meta, Para Dee | ⚡️ | Ace, Fringe

✨🐠⭐️ CFAU Era: Adult Years ⭐️⚓️✨

Additional Details (Adult Years): 🩵 Joins the Galaxy Soldier Army with Meta, Ace, & Fringe (though quickly discovers it mig​​ht not be the right path for them) 💙 Does well enough in their naval training to be granted the title of Sailor Waddle Dee (though friends & family can still call them Bow) 🩵 Drops out of the GSA after a particularly traumatic mission, returning home for a time to figure out what they want to do next (as well as make an unexpected family reconnection) 💙 Keeps in touch with their buddies overstars, learning about the independent unit they've formed under Meta's leadership, and - realizing how much they miss their old crew - decides to join the Meta-Knights (if only in a kind of part-time-ish way) 🩵 Participates in extreme sports tourneys in their spare time 💙 Is a little more disciplined than they used to be (though their focus and their temper still drift from time to time) 🩵 Has finally mastered their Water abilities (...more or less, anyway) 💙 Has perhaps lost the last vestiges of their naiveté (turns out there are some scary things out there in the cosmos, some of which leave scars you can't even see...) 🩵 But also has plenty of support & camaraderie around them, giving them the strength to end​ure & to face the future with hope ​ 💙 Friends: King Dedede, Para Dee, Reedee, Bandana Dee 🩵 Coworkers: Meta Knight, Captain Vul, Axe Knight, Mace Knight, Javelin Knight, Trident Knight, Ace (Blade Knight), Fringe (Sword Knight)

For more fun facts & story details about Bow Dee, check out the Childhood Friends AU Masterpost as well as the tag #bow dee. Also crossposted on Art Fight. If you have any questions about Bow, their friends & family, or the CFAU in general, feel free to send me an Ask.

Bow Dee by © VeinsFullOfStars, 2023-2026. Ref sketches made btw 01/30/26 and 02/08/26. Ref renders made btw 03/09/26 and 04/03/26. Additional refs TBD.

[veinsfullofstars]

Meet the Families: Breadee & Medee

Now, to round out the introductions, let’s meet the proud parents of our sweet boy Para (and his many siblings)! Check below the cut for more deets and fun facts!

(OC info updated as of 02/28/26.)

Started 05/11/25, finished 5/26/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

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✨ Breadee's Origins ✨

-Born to a big family and raised in a close-knit village in Green Greens, Breadee was always considered a sweet boy, friendly and joyful if a bit... absentminded. He had a tendency to get distracted or startled easily, always wandering off for one reason or another (much to his family’s dismay). In fact, he got his name at the tender age of two, when he’d wandered away from his parent’s watchful eye and ended up taking a nap inside the hollowed-out crust of a bread bowl on their kitchen counter.

-In his youth, merchant caravans would pass through the village every other week, setting up stalls and trading goods from all across the land, something that always delighted Breadee to no end. One weekend, his wandering eye snagged on one wagon in particular, draped in bright colors and fancy lighting with the words “The Kawasaki Special” written along the side, set up like a cross between a mobile stage and a fancy kitchen. There, sitting on his mother’s lap in the audience that gathered, he saw his very first cooking show, watching slack-jawed and starry-eyed as the chef on stage prepared a series of meals with all the spectacle of a theater performer, slicing and dicing, mixing and mincing, leaving the square smelling absolutely decedent for hours after. He remembers chewing on a cookie he’d been given after the show, his body alight with an oncoming sugar rush and his eyes sparkling with wonder as the chef shook hands with folks in the crowd. "Who knows, little fella," he'd told little Breadee with an award-winning smile. "If you play your cards right, you could be a great chef, too, one day."

-From that day on, Breadee’s interest in food and cooking skyrocketed, becoming one of the few subjects that could hold to his notoriously short attention span. He read through all of the family’s old cookbooks and watched his mother - who'd used to work in food service - avidly when she cooked, listening to her ramble on about flavor profiles, cook times, the different between a pinch of salt and a dash of salt, and so much more. He learned how to properly wash and peel veggies, how to measure out dry and liquid ingredients, and what sides paired well with which dishes, becoming a regular sight in the family kitchen by the time he’d reached his teen years. Desserts quickly became his favorite things to make, especially cupcakes.

-Other than his culinary obsession, the rest of Breadee’s youth passed by rather uneventfully. He finished his homeschooling, helped out around the house, and grew into a fine young man, soft-spoken and caring if a bit scatterbrained (even bordering on oblivious depending on who you asked). He also developed a love of dad jokes somewhere down the line, much to the delight of his own father and the irritation of his siblings.

-One day in his adulthood, Breadee heard through the grapevine that a certain renowned chef had set up shop over in Peanut Plains and - upon checking the notice board in the town square - was currently looking for an apprentice. Not one to waste such a serendipitous opportunity (to the point of perhaps not thinking it all the way through), he grabbed his scooter - a reliable old thing he's had since he was a kid - and hightailed it to the neighboring region in record time... which was still a good hour or so away from Green Greens. He found himself standing before a small but lavish little homestead just before sundown, knocking on the door incessantly until a grouchy-faced old man in an impeccable apron and chef's hat finally answered. Standing before the figure who had inspired him as a boy, Breadee tried to contain his excitement, explaining his reason for being there and practically begging for the apprentice position.

-At first, the old chef was not impressed, implying that he'd had "plenty of hopefuls" approach him lately, many of "considerable culinary talent" - what made Breadee so special that the great Kawasaki should even spare him the time of day? Breadee hesitated a little under the man's snappish tone - he'd been so nice all those years ago - but he quickly shook it off, listing off his various self-taught skills, his years of practice in the kitchen, his ability to work under pressure and to improvise on the fly, even offering a sample of his own baking - a soft-baked peanut butter cookie - to prove his worth. The chef who’d changed his life remained skeptical, clearly ready to go on with his day and send the desperate young man home empty-handed... but a single begrudging bite melted his stern features into something almost surprised. Then, after a long, nerve-wracking pause, the chef sighed, deciding - to Breadee's immeasurable joy - to give the young baker a chance (at a more reasonable hour, anyway).

-Working under Chef Kawasaki Sr. was far from the glamorous profession he’d always imagined - the man himself being far less amicable than his showbiz persona had suggested - but it was still the most fulfilling year-and-a-half of Breadee’s life. He learned plenty under his mentor’s guidance, from the secrets of the spiciest curry to the exact taste of umami, even earning the title of Baker Dee in the process (though most folks still just called him Breadee). There were days where the grueling criticism or demanding instruction weighed heavy on his gentle heart, making him question his skills enough to want to put his hat away for good... but he'd always bounce back, his love for the craft more than enough to keep his enthusiasm high and his optimism bright. It certainly helped that most of his hard work was rewarded time and again with approving hums and almost-smiles. (He’d yet to land a joke with the ornery old chef, though, but that was fine. Can't win 'em all, as they say.)

-Towards the end of his apprenticeship, Breadee was instructed by his old mentor to "set out on a journey of discovery" in order to “expand your knowledge and perfect your skills in the culinary arts." It wouldn't occur to him until much, much later (and only after someone else pointed it out for him) that this miiight’ve just been a thinly-veiled attempt by Chef Kawasaki to get the annoyingly-chipper Waddle Dee out of his hair once and for all. At the time, though, all Breadee could think of was how excited he was to begin this new quest and how proud his mentor would be once he returned as a wiser, more competent chef-in-the-making. So, packing his bag and dropping a hasty note on the kitchen table, Breadee stepped outside, picked a direction, and started walking. Again, it wouldn't occur to him until much later that he probably should've asked where he was supposed to be going. At the very least, he should've thought to bring a map.

-It wasn’t a long trek - only a couple weeks at best - but it sure felt like one to poor Breadee, filled with all kinds of distractions and wrong turns and narrowly-avoided hazards across a good portion of what would someday be called Dream Land. His wanderings took him over rivers and up mountains and even above the clouds, where winding vines from overhead led him to the floating islands of Floralia and, eventually, the candy-coated landscape of Lollipop Land. He spent a good bit of time there, marveling at the naturally-occurring desserts and fields of sugary flora... before he stumbled into a licorice bramble and had to be rescued by a passing Waddle Dee with cute glasses and vines tattooed on her hands. They talked for a while as she led him back to civilization. She was the first one after his own father who actually laughed at his jokes, and her smile made his heart skip a beat. By the time his worried family arrived to bring him home, he and Medee had become fast friends, trading addresses and promising to keep in touch.

-Sending letters was nice for a little while... but hearing stories of his new friend’s life up in the clouds - combined with his recent and rather thrilling excursion out into the wider world - only made Breadee’s feet even more restless. He started wandering again, this time on purpose (usually), scaling the cliffs and cloudy ridges back up to the vine-lined edge of the Floralian islands, where he’d wave to petal-headed strangers and stroll through the verdant trails until, inevitably, he’d stumble into Medee. She’d always tease him for "getting lost again," and he’d apologize and crack a joke that would make her roll her eyes and smile. Then they’d walk together and chat until the sun went down, where she’d tell him all about the nature of pop flowers and the movement of the stars, and he’d share his dreams of opening a patisserie of his own someday. Over the years, he’d even start bringing gifts for her - little bags of checkered cookies or a big slice of apple pie (her favorite) or pretty-smelling flowers pressed between the pages of a book. In return, she’d given him homemade teabags, ointment for his mother’s joint pain, and an enamel pin in the shape of a cupcake that he still wears on his hat to this day.

-One cloudless night a handful of months later, where he'd brought Medee down to visit his family and see the sights around Green Greens, she’d taken his hand, halting whatever it was he'd been rambling about to her, fixed him with her starry, green-touched eyes, and kissed him, gigging at his starstruck expression and cracking a joke so bad he thought he might turn to stardust right on the spot. He's rather thankful that he didn't.

-Breadee didn’t fully understand the situation in Floralia’s upper echelon (he never was one for politics, least of all those of flower- and bug-folk who live on islands in the sky), but he could hear the worry growing in Medee’s voice with each day that passed, especially after he'd gone with her to see that fortune-telling fellow she apparently knew. He hadn't been able to make heads or tails of what the cloth-draped, incense-smelling figure told them, but Medee seemed to, and, when she later confided in him her concerns and fears for her family... well, how could he not do everything he could to help?

-They’d talked about moving in together before, pretty much since they'd started dating. Granted, it had originally been just about her moving in with him, close to his family but with enough space just for themselves... But now, thanks to the Floralia situation, that plan needed quite a bit of reshuffling. The did return to the village down on Popstar, and they did move in together close to Breadee's family... but so did much of Medee's family as well, making their close-knit little neighborhood even closer and more crowded (not to mention the rough transition some of them had going from high altitudes to low plains). Breadee personally loved the new additions to him home, getting to know all his new neighbors and future in-laws with his usual easy affability, finding much joy in entertaining the children. Though he could tell Medee missed her old home, the few relatives who'd stubbornly stayed behind, Breadee did his best to comfort her, to make their new life a happy one, to ensure she always had something to smile about (even if it was only a small one).

-In time, they married, had children of their own, built a little bakery and apothecary with the village’s help, and settled into the peaceful, uneventful rhythm that characterized the Popstar lifestyle.

✨ Breadee Fun Facts ✨

-Breadee’s cooking is legendary around the village, the highlight of potlucks and holidays and the welcoming of new neighbors. Bebebe and her son might be his most regular customers.

-Breadee doesn’t wander as much as he used to, kept busy with his business and a whole house of rambunctious children to take care of... but it doesn’t stop his attention from drifting on occasion, be it towards a bumblebee buzzing out his window or a pleasant tune on the radio or the surprise clap of thunder overhead. It’s usually up to his wife (or patient Eva if she's nearby) to bring him back to the present.

-Breadee jokes that he might’ve been born to be a father, taking to each new addition to the family with the utmost joy and affection in his heart. He can barely keep track of all the Dad Things™ he's accumulated over the years (mugs, hats, ties, fishing rods, fancy spatulas, you name it). He admits that it hasn't exactly been a cakewalk, rearing so many, and he certainly doesn’t mind passing them off to their relatives or neighbors when he and Medee need a break... but, for someone like Breadee, who's lived amidst the chaos of a big, extended family for pretty much all his life, there's nothing that warms his heart more than seeing all his little 'Dees play and run and laugh in this little haven they'e build for themselves. (Now, if only he could get Medee to see it that way...)

-Though fond of all his kids, his middlemost boy, Para, tends to stand out in his mind. Perhaps because he is a little microcosm of both his parents, full of big words and bigger worries and the light of the stars above reflecting in his glasses. Or maybe because he's friends with a group of kids notorious for their penchant for trouble. Either way, he's a good kid, kind and smart just like his mama. Breadee can already tell that boy's going to do great things one day, he can just tell.

-Breadee likes to “speculate” about what happened to Medee during her pilgrimage in the jungle, telling their children wild stories about how his wife found an ancient relic in an old ruin or swam through a magical swamp on a single breath or even came face to face with a deity of nature who gave her its blessing. She has about as much patience for these stories as she does for his jokes (which can be plenty or none at all depending on her mood, though this has yet to stop him either way).

✨ Medee's Origins ✨

-Born in the lush, rolling hills of Fine Fields way up in Floralia, she grew up surrounded by nature. She positively lived for the outdoors, going on hikes or picking herbs with her extended family of aunties and cousins, or peering into the gardens of her neighbors, the People of the Sky. The latter in particular captivated the young Waddle Dee, who would spend hours watching them tend to their flowers with magic that sparkled like starlight and smelled of spring rain and freshly-turned earth, wishing she could do such miraculous things, too.

-Tragedy struck when, during her teen years, a sudden sickness passed through her home and claimed one of her grandmothers, a family matriarch beloved by all, who'd taught the young Waddle Dee so much about life, nature, and the magic of the cosmos. The unexpected loss devastated her, struck her with a grief so vast it threatened to hollow her out and leave her numb. She found herself shuffling listlessly through her daily routines, past neighbors and still-living relatives, all quiet and uncharacteristically somber with collective mourning.

-Feeling lost, bitter, and maybe a little desperate, she consulted a local fortune-teller for advice, receiving some vague (and, frankly, overpriced) platitudes about life and death and finding purpose. At first, she was disappointed, this newfound grief making her more skeptical, more pessimistic, than she'd been as a child taken in by crystal balls and dramatic prognostications. As she spent the next week chewing her fortune over, however, consulting star charts and her grandmother's old divination books (which, her aunts had told her from birth, she was never to tell anyone about)... the hidden wisdom behind those unhelpful words began to seep through. It left her surprised, contemplative, exhilarated to the point of terror, and she eventually came to a rather abrupt yet determined decision.

-When her family awoke the next morning, they found her bed empty and her pack missing, with a note on the table explaining simply that she was “going to commune with nature” and would return “in good time.”

-The search for the missing Waddle Dee had been frantic but fruitless, and the family had nearly given up hope as the weeks turned to months. Then, one autumn morning nearly three months later, she returned, quietly and without fanfare, stepping through the door like she'd just returned from a grocery run... save for the way she swayed on her feet, her face filthy and fur mussed with leaves and twigs, her eyes heavy with exhaustion and now carrying a curious hint of green where before there had only been brown.

-She collapsed into the arms of her shocked and eternally-relieved family, given a hot bath and a warm meal and a variety of homemade ointments rubbed into the scrapes and cuts that littered her. She listened patiently, once lucidity returned to her, as her relatives bombarded her with all kinds of questions, some irritated at her sudden departure, some worried about her state of mind. She answered them all calmly and truthfully, though she remained curiously vague on the details. Per the fortune-teller’s “direction,” she explained, she'd packed a bag and travelled up to the island of Wild World, where she’d lost herself in the dense jungles and damp caverns, searching for something, anything, that might give her "purpose." And, eventually, she’d found it. When asked - after a pregnant pause - what she'd found exactly, she just smiled serenely, the new green in her eyes vivid and warm, and shook her head. “That," she told them, "is between me and the stars.”

-Once she recovered from her spiritual sojourn, she wasted no time in pursuing this newfound purpose of hers, which - she would go on to explain more plainly - was to become a healer. One who works with "the earth itself" to facilitate growth and recovery, who studies disease and bodily affliction alongside natural remedies so that she may "better keep them at bay." Her family - much versed in the healing and apothecary arts themselves - were pleased to hear her plans and did what they could to support her... though, they could not afford to send her for more formal training off-world. She assured them that she didn't mind, honestly couldn't imagine herself in working in the sterile, metallic confines of a modern medical facility. "Besides," she'd add with a bittersweet grin, "I'm well accustomed to figuring things out on my own. Grandmother taught me well."

-So life resumed in earnest for this driven, divinely-inspired Waddle Dee. She'd already learned so much from her aunts in her youth - how to prepare reagents and grind powders and mix salves for everything from paper cuts to poison oak - and consulted them often for advice and assistance. On her own, she read everything she could on her new field of study - herbalism, biology, natural medicine, even a bit of mindfulness and cosmic theology. She studied nature with a more critical eye and learned how to identify all kinds of plants and fungi both native and exotic, developing a particular fascination with the more... carnivorous ones. She even performed triage and field dressing on her old toys as practice for the real thing. By the time she reached adulthood, she'd earned a reputation as a skilled doctor and apothecary, even finding a name that suited her at last: Medicine Waddle Dee, or, simply, Medee.

-Beyond just practical knowledge and skill, Medee also sought other avenues in the ways of healing, specifically those known to the People in the Sky. It was quite the challenge learning magic from scratch, without even a Copy Ability to ease her into it... but Medee tackled it with the same patient determination as her other passions, reading, observing, and experimenting until the first feeble sparks of green twinkled at her fingertips. She never quite got the hang of the more complex spells, such as the ones for removing disease or mending broken bones, but she could manage those areas easily enough with potions and bandages. And, anyway, just mastering a handful of small spells - ones that allowed her to cool fevers, soothe chronic pain, and even close small wounds with just a touch - filled Medee with such an immense sense of pride and spiritual fulfillment.

-One day, on a small research excursion through the candy landscapes of Lollipop Land, Medee happened upon a Waddle Dee who’d gotten himself stuck in a licorice bush. After freeing the poor man from his sticky predicament, she learned his name was Breadee, and he was a baker’s apprentice from down in Green Greens. When asked what he was doing all the way up in Floralia, he proudly explained that he was on a “journey of discovery” - he said with disproportionate enthusiasm - traveling the land in search of "culinary knowledge" and "secret delicacies" and other nonsensical-sounding things that made Medee raise a quizzical eyebrow... except he'd gotten rather distracted along the way, took a few wrong turns, and, well, here he was, with his "head in the clouds," as it were. Medee smiled despite herself, both baffled and amused by this man's utterly blasé outlook for his strange circumstances. Eventually, she offered to lead him back to Fine Fields so he could call his people and return home safely, for which he was very grateful.

-Along the way, they got to chatting, finding common ground in talk of spices and mushrooms, even if they both had very different uses for each. When the young man cracked a joke or three, they were so hammy and groan-inducing that Medee couldn’t help but giggle. He didn't strike her as the brightest fellow, or the most observant, but he seemed sweet enough, charming in a clumsy sort of way, and he treated everyone he met with kindness and curiosity. There was something special about him, she found herself thinking, a brightness in his Soul that - though odd - seemed to resonate with her own. She had a feeling, seeing him off later that day, that this wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths.

-In the years to come, Breadee would “get lost” on the various islands of Floralia several more times (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not), and Medee would find him without fail each time. Sometimes with the help of her grandmother's old tarot, sometimes purely by chance, but always a delight either way. She showed him around her home island or brought him along on trips to neighboring ones (though, she purposefully steered clear of Wild World for reasons she chose not to divulge). She introduced him to her aunties, who seemed to intimidate him at first, then overwhelm him with all their matronly cooing and fussing that Medee had known all her life. Even her plants took a shine to him after a while.

-It was a subtle thing, her falling for him. A small quickening of her heart with each freckled smile or awful joke or soft brush of his hand in hers. She would've been be hard-pressed to call him a... perfect match, as a partner or even as a friend, and she consulted the stars often in those early days just to be absolutely sure she wasn’t making a mistake in pursuing him... Still, she knew herself, knew her feelings, and she knew that she did genuinely care about this odd, kind, flour-dusted man who'd wandered blithely into her life. So, as she'd always done, she bore the rough patches with patience, clinging to those omens of joy and love they shared together, hinted at in the twinkling patterns dotting the night sky.

-Then, on the night of a waxing moon, when he’d taken her on her first trip down to the planet’s surface, when she'd seen the way the starlight danced in his gentle brown eyes, she made yet another impulsive decision and kissed him. She still thinks about his moon-faced shock, his freckled cheeks flushed dark and red, the laughter they shared as she made her best attempt at a joke cornier than his under that twinkling sky, so far from home...

-They were just starting to consider living together when news arrived from Royal Road of the newly-forged alliance between the People of the Sky and the insect tribe who’d long lived alongside them. There was much discussion and debate among their neighbors, a sense of curiosity mingling with nervous suspicion as the new arachnid rulers were crowned. Medee - sensing an ill-omen on the air - did what she always does in times of uncertainty and got her fortune read, bringing her partner along to steady her nerves. It was, as before, vague and esoteric and full of mystical nonsense... but the message that Medee gleaned from between those words seemed to spell out disaster, aligned so strongly with that she felt and what she'd seen in the stars and the cards that she nearly wept. It is the first of exactly three times in her life that her intuition proved genuinely premonitory.

-Convincing her family to move was no small feat. Some of them saw the writing on the wall as she did, others didn't know what to make of it. Even as the news grew increasingly ominous - the spiders gaining a more prominent foothold in their society, enacting new laws that began to restrict and divide - a handful of her relatives simply refused to budge, attached to the overgrown homestead that had belonged to generations of grandmothers and aunties and sisters long before them. "This is our home," one of Medee's more stubborn aunties had said, rubbing a soothing circle into the weeping girl's palm. "We will not tear out the roots we've planted here." It saddened her to know that only a few loved ones would be coming with her, shamed her to flee rather than stand firm like her neighbors chose to do... but the dread in her gut - the palpable weight of disaster on the horizon - was too much for even Medee's resilience to bear.

-The move down to Green Greens was tricky, cumbersome with so many people and their belongings making their way down to terra firma from high above the cloud line. The locals of Breadee's village were warm and welcoming, more than eager to help everyone get settled in, even building them a little house of their own... one that quickly became far more crowded than Medee would have liked. As much as she adored the verdant landscape out her new windows, taken in the natural beauty and abundance and magic of his land... she does still cast her eyes up from time to time, checking the lines between the stars, praying for the safety of those she left behind...

✨ Medee Fun Facts ✨

-Medee is typically viewed as a calm and intelligent presence, often sought out by those in need of a word of wisdom (maybe a tarot reading if she’s feeling generous). She’s one of the few folks in the village who gets on well with stoic Jojojo, and not just for his interest in plant life. That said, once the doctor hat goes on, she goes into full focus mode, no-nonsense and firm with her directions, almost scarily so. Her bedside manner ranges from stiff kindness to cold honesty depending on the affliction - and the patient - she’s treating. Very few have seen her lose her temper, but the occasional icy simmer behind her glasses has been enough to wither even the most petulant of souls.

-Medee reestablished her apothecary business alongside the grand opening of her husband’s beloved bakery, permanently gracing their side of town with the scents of baked bread or mint leaf depending on which way the wind blows. The greenhouse she keeps behind the building is absolutely packed with all manner of local and exotic flora - everything from the medicinal to the decorative, as well as some of... let's say "questionable" legality. Because of this, she handles all the plant care largely on her own (though will occasionally allow help from Jo) and insists that no one enter the greenhouse without her permission. Despite her many, many warnings, she's still had to pull many an overcurious child or delinquent teenager (not all of whom were Bow) out of the clutches of a reaching vine or a thorny maw.

-Motherhood has been... a very, very mixed bag for Medee. She'd had no particular desire for it, either in her youth or after meeting Breadee. Her affection she felt for him was just that - for him - and didn't seem to extend beyond that. When the cards began to suggest her path would be going in such a direction... well, she's never been one to question the wisdom of her beloved stars, but this time... it was hard not to feel conflicted. Is this truly my future, she'd wonder, all my ambitions set aside, my potential reduced to fit the family mold, forced into the shape of caregiver and housewife? Despite her... misgivings, she came to understand that family was deeply important to her sweet Breadee, and seeing his eyes fill with joyful tears as he held their first child... well, perhaps she could simply learn to live with it. That's just a part of life, is it not? A little discomfort, uncertainty.

-And, truly, it hasn't been all bad, growing their little family one precious little wanya at a time. They've blessed her with so many small moments of joy and affection - first words, stumbling steps, burbling laughter, scribbled drawings to paper the walls, little hands catching fireflies to show mama and dada, the glimpses of the people they might one day become as they grow and learn...

-Still, even the happiest moments in this new stage of Medee's life have been routinely eclipsed by the constant and ever-changing challenges of parenthood. She's found that she can't always muster up the patience for screaming or questions or demands for a snack. Wishing someone else would pick up toys and tidy up the house rather than assume "mama" will do it every time. Sometimes, her mask of professional calm will fall askew, and she'll snap at a rowdy little one or her well-meaning husband... always wincing under the guilt that inevitably follows.

-Sometimes, when she just needs a little time to herself, she sends her husband out on an errand and her brood off to some relative or another, then retreats into her greenhouse. There she finds a nice shady spot to sit and be still for a while, breathing in the heady scent of rich soil and dew-heavy leaves, feeling the more lively plants shift closer like loyal pets. Sometimes, she finds peace in these meditations, a soft reset to help her return to the life and family she does genuinely care about. Other times, she is... pensive, melancholic, thinking about the home and people she left behind, the decisions that lead her here. On bad days, she spends hours secluded in the misty foliage, curled up with her nuzzling snapdragons and flytraps, maybe nibbling on a special herb or bit of dried mushroom from her private stash... Those are the days when she can't help but think about about the jungle again, all the beautiful and terrifying things only she saw within its swampy depths, wondering in hazy despair if the stars were truly right in leading her away from it...

-Medee says she doesn’t like to pick favorites when it comes to her children... but something about her middlest boy, Para, captured her heart in a way none of her other children have. Bright as sunshine and skittish as his father, she's watched with great pride as his intellectual curiosity continues to grow, filled with a hunger for knowledge and understanding she'd felt at his age as well. If his interest leans more towards astronomy than astrology, it warms her heart to know there is at least some appreciation for the stars in him. (Now, if only he’d stop taking apart their appliances without asking first…)

-Even when she’s cross with him, it's hard for Medee not to at least crack a smile at Breadee’s terrible jokes.

[veinsfullofstars]

Meet the Families: Gear Dee, Eva, & Treble Dee

You guys might’ve heard me talk about Bow’s extremely cool moms before (and maybe mention her sullen older brother once or twice), and now I finally get to introduce you to them! Check below the cut for more deets and fun facts!

(OC info updated as of 04/01/26.)

Started 04/22/25, finished 05/06/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

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✨ Gear Dee's Origins ✨

-Raised in a certain City off-world from her birth planet of Popstar, Gear grew up deep in the heart of Air Ride culture, surrounded by roughnecks and gearheads who absolutely adored her. She learned swear words and vehicle terminology before she could write her own name, and she spent more time running around garages than playgrounds (of which there were few in those urban environs). Her father, a trophy-winning racer and all-around decent fellow, taught her all the tools of the trade - mechanics, vehicle operation, pyrotechnics, etc. - and fostered in her a lifelong love of fast starships, faster races, and the heart-stopping thrill of demolition. (He maaaay have also let her test out the Machines before she was old enough to drive one... but the authorities never found out, and she's always been something of a natural behind the wheel, so surely there was no harm done.)

-Once she was old enough to enter, Gear quickly made a name for herself in local Air Ride competitions, her vehicles of choice being the Turbo Star, the Formula Star, and anything else that put speed above all else (including - to her father's near-constant concern - handling and brake efficiency). On the track and in interviews after, she put her bombastic personality front and center, a bold smack-talker with a perpetually-windblown mohawk and a penchant for leaving skid marks a little too close to the sidelines just to keep the crowd on their toes. Though she had plenty of wins under her belt, she lived more for the rush of racing itself rather than victory. Whether she'd win or lose, she'd always have the time of her life, inviting her fellow racers back to her favorite watering hole for a round of drinks and no-hard-feelings.

-Her first relationship was… a messy one. During her early days running in the City Trials, she fell head-over-heels for an awkward but charming Waddle Dee who always showed up for her races, taken in by gifts, pretty words, and - though she didn’t know at the time - empty promises. Her father never approved of him, and her friends would always give her looks that seemed to ask, "Seriously? This loser?" All this did was make Gear double down on her decision, pursing their courtship at a speed coming dangerously close to her personal best on the track, eventually agreeing to move into his grungy apartment once they learned they had a kid on the way. It wasn't the first mistake Gear's made in her life... but it might've been one of the worst.

-She did try to make it work - stars above, did she try - if not for the sake of her pride, then at least for the sake of that sweet little boy they'd brought into the world together. And, if she can be honest with herself, things weren't so bad... at least, for a little while. Unfortunately, her partner was not so conscientious. While he played at parenthood for some of the time - taking Treble on unscheduled trips around the City and spoiling him with gifts they absolutely could not afford - it was usually Gear that shouldered the bulk of their responsibilities, most of which left her tired and overworked and more snappish than usual at the end of each day. It only worsened when her partner began staying out of the apartment more and more, and she started noticing the increasing amount of withdrawals from their shared Point Star account. Of course, when questioned about all this, he'd just put on that winsome charm of his and give her all the reassurance in the world that everything was fine... which only worked until his debts became her problem, the lies both outright and by omission made painfully clear with each overdue bill and collector call.

-By the time they had their second child, the love was curdling fast, sweet nothings turned to shouting matches, punctuated frequently by slammed doors, broken plates, and frustrated tears. Gear's work in the races suffered, her career prospects flagging with each low ranking or busted Machine. It felt like she was holding her life together by the tips of her fingers, losing her grip day by day, feeling her friends' misgivings and her father's warnings taunt her in the back of her mind. She hated the part of her that wanted to run back to him now for help, to choke on her pride and admit she was wrong and cry into his chest until he made it all better. She knew he would do it, too, without question... which is exactly why she wouldn't let herself get to that point. She could handle this, she would get through this, and she'd do it on her own.

-She hadn't been expecting company the day the loan sharks came. She'd just gone to answer the brisk knock at the door and found several tall strangers standing on her doormat. Their suits were sharp, their fins and smiles even sharper, smelling of wealth, cigar smoke, and the stink of a blood-washed sea. They were looking for "her man," their leader had explained as they calmly yet firmly let themselves inside. Apparently, he had a couple "outstanding payments" they'd been waiting on. Figured they'd make a little "house call" to see if his financial situation was really as dire as he kept claiming.

-Gear - astonished and irritated at the audacity of these well-dressed strangers (and her good-for-nothing partner for not telling her any of this) - tried to speak up, her usual fire and assertiveness ready to give these bastards what for, to demand that they get the heck out of her home... but they barely even acknowledged her, walking around the tiny apartment like they owned the place, casually rifling through every drawer and closet and storage chest they found, pilfering what few Point Stars she'd had stashed away along with one of her only 1st-place racing trophies. When baby Bow toddled over to see what the fuss was about - passing by the bedroom door where her older brother had hidden himself away during all of this - the biggest of the sharks leaned down and patted her on the head with a friendly smile, making her giggle and jibber happily. Gear felt sick, watching these men so confidently invade her home and lay hands on her children right in front of her, the threat plain as day. The leader even had the gall to thank her for her "cooperation," apologizing for the "inconvenience" and asking her to tell her partner that they'd "be in touch." Once they left, she practically collapsed to the floor, breathing hard and blinking back angry, terrified tears. Enough, she thought. Stars damn it all, I've had enough.

-The little flake came home an hour later to find Gear packing her bags. When he started with the stammering and concern-dripping questions, she favored him with an icy glare, passing on the loan shark's message. Not gonna lie, there was a small satisfaction in seeing his face pale in realization and horror - felt like her first real victory in years. She ignored his attempted explanations as she put a squirming Bow into the baby carrier. She ignored his desperate apologies as she shoved Treble's duffel bag into his protesting arms. She ignored his pitiful cries from the stairwell begging for another chance, please, just give him another chance, as she ferried her kids and her things into the nearest hovertaxi. She had just enough loose change to get the three of them across town - not to the garage where her father still lived and worked (the very same that she'd grown up in) but to yet another grungy apartment where a certain friend of hers lived. A seamstress who - upon receiving Gear's tearful phone call earlier that day - did not even hesitate to promise them refuge...

-Things improved slowly after that. Gear had to suffer through a mountain of paperwork and phone calls just to finalize her separation (and to get out of her former partner's debts), but it was worth it to regain some control over her life, to finally feel like she could breathe again. She'd hoped to return to full-time racing... but raising to two kids basically on her own quickly made that dream an impossibility. It was a hard reality to accept (especially given who's fault it was), but Gear could at least stay close to the races by doing some ancillary mechanic work in the garages like she used to. Eva had suggested that, even offering to watch the kids while she was out. She did a lot to help out in those months of dread and instability, more than Gear could've ever asked of her, more than she could've ever thanked her for.

-As their situation settled back into something of a normal rhythm, Gear's friendship with her roommate gently blossomed into something... more. More than just gratitude for the support of a good friend in her time of need. Gear found so much to appreciate about Eva - her intelligence, her resilience, her passion for what she loved, all things Gear only got to see as their connection grew. It delighted her to see Eva’s meek demeanor open into something bright and personable over time, to know that the pressure of "big city life" had eased off of her friend, that she'd finally found her footing within it. Gear didn't know squat about fashion or textiles or fabric quality or things like that, but listening to Eva gush about all that and more, with a sparkle in her big blue eyes and a fervor in her voice that only came when she was at her happiest... stars above. It sparked something in Gear, plain and simple - a flame coaxed back to life from the ashes left at the bottom of her heart, less the fast-burning rush of a wildfire and more the gently-crackling hearth of home-sweet-home...

-When the phone calls came, Gear blocked his number. When the letters arrived, she tore them up. When he appeared one day on Eva’s doorstep - teary-eyed with his pockets turned out, offering the same empty apologies and poor excuses as before - she slammed the door in his face. No matter how many times she turned the little bastard away, he just kept coming back, begging and pleading and demanding and threatening and right back to begging again. Even the restraining order did little to deter him.

-There were a good few nights spent stifling tears against Eva's shoulder, wrapped tight in her soft, protective wings. They discussed their options in hushed tones late into each night, with arguments always close to sparking... but cooling down before they could (nothing at all like the explosive fights she'd had with him). In the end, it all seemed to point to the one thing Gear dreaded the most: for the safety of her kids, herself, and her own peace of mind, the four of them would have to leave the City.

-So, almost a year to the day that she'd walked out on her old life, Gear found herself preparing to leave another one, packing her things slower and more reluctantly than the first time. She said her goodbyes in secret, receiving bone-crushing hugs from old friends and firm promises to keep in touch (and that no one would tell him where she was going). She hugged her father the longest, seeing him cry for maybe the first time in her whole life as he told her he loved her, was proud of her, and hoped that, wherever she ended up, that she'd be happy there.

-The next morning, before the sun even could even kiss the horizon, she and her little family boarded the next starship out of the City, her hair a mess, her makeup smudged, her heart wrung dry. Bow squirmed and whined on her lap. Treble stared fixedly out the window, headphones on. Eva sat calm and resolute at her side, squeezing Gear's hand and letting her rest her weary head on her feather-soft shoulder as they made the long, long trip down to the planet she'd been born on...

✨ Gear Dee Fun Facts ✨

-It’d taken some time for Gear to get used to the whole "rustic living" thing, but she'd learn soon enough that Popstar - for all its much-discussed peace and quiet - is not without its own avenues of entertainment and thrill. She's made plenty of friends in the quaint little village they've settled in, like jovial Bebebe, fun-loving Breadee, and a former-racer Wheelie named Roadburn who'd been on the same starship as Gear and her family. She's always happy to help out during holidays and other events, even becoming the resident fireworks-handler alongside her neighbors, the Poppy Bros. family. Plus, there’s always need for a handywoman around, whether it’s to fix a busted toaster or build a new fence or see what’s wrong with the family warp star (spoiler - it's probably the result of Para's overcurious tinkering).

-She never quite stops missing the City, though - the lively streets, the sunlit skyline, the bustling City Center with its bass-thumping clubs and hole-in-the-wall restaurants that only locals knew about, the nights alive with the sound of jazz and the scent of fried food and the neon lights of Air Ride Machines whizzing down the streets... Stars, she misses the races. The ones they have here are fun and all, but... not quite the same. She has so many letters from back home, asking how she's doing, if she needs anything, if she's ever planning on coming by for a visit. She wishes she could give a better answer than just "Maybe" or "We'll see." Much as she wants so badly to go back, even for a single day... she can't quite bring herself to. Not yet. (Not while he's still there.)

-Gear isn’t entirely sure what happened between her and Treble. He's always been something of a quiet boy, sure, but he used to be so sweet before… well, everything. She’s tried to talk with him about it, to put things into perspective and help him understand why it was so necessary that they leave... but he never wants to hear it, either brushing her off or slipping his headphones back on or starting another shouting match before storming off to go hide in his room or hang out with his friends. It's frustrating, and disheartening, and reminds her far too much herself at that age. Maybe that's why it strains her patience with him to its limit so often. (That, or seeing his father in those blue eyes...)

-Raising Bow has been... well, it's own kind of journey, one that Gear wasn’t entirely prepared for - nothing in those stupid parenting books about atypical Copy Abilities. If it hadn’t been for Eva’s help, she has no idea how she would’ve managed. Even now, Bow’s still a handful, always running off and making noise and getting into all kinds of trouble, especially when she's with her friends... but she’s also Gear’s little firecracker, a tiny spark of excitement and energy who loves fun and danger just as much as her mama does. One day, when she's ready, she wants to take her bubbly little baby with her to visit the City and see the races. She hopes she can, anyway. She's sure that Bow would absolutely love it there, just like she did.

-Gear will never stop talking about how cool her wife is, even when Eva turns into a flustered, feather-fluffed mess about it.

✨ Eva's Origins ✨

-Eva doesn’t talk about her life before the City. Full stop. For all she cares, her years as a hatchling belonged to someone else, and her life only truly began when, desperate and without a single Point Star to her name, she hitched a ride on a passing starship and stepped out a dozen hours later into the blinding lights of that sprawling metropolis.

-The City was hardly kind to her in those early years, destitute and barely scraping by, learning to run with tough crowds and make even tougher choices in order to survive... but she did survive, finding within herself an adaptability and resilience that only had a chance to shine out in the midst of these mean streets. Over time, she found steady work, affordable shelter, good friends, and even the promise of purpose waiting just ahead of her. It was never quite perfect - never quite home - but, compared to the nest she’d clawed her way out of? Well, it might as well have been paradise.

-While working in a laundromat to pay for her meager apartment, Eva bumped into a very punk-rock Waddle Dee who introduced herself as Gear Dee, one of the many Air Ride racers that populate the city. Eva wasn't exactly a fan of the races, put off by all the noise and senseless destruction, not to mention the rowdy behavior she'd observed in some of the more popular riders... That said, Gear proved far more pleasant and engaging than her wild hair and blue language would suggest. They chatted through almost half of Eva's shift until her manager popped in to politely tell her to "save the social calls for after work." Gear seemed ready to give the guy a piece of her mind about that, but Eva quickly slapped on her well-practiced, sales-ready smile and assured her boss that she would get right on it, thanking Gear for her patronage with a not-so-subtle flick of her eyes towards the door. She seemed to get the message... but not before promising to continue their conversation "once my laundry's done." Watching the Waddle Dee walk casually back out into the busy streets, Eva couldn't help but notice that Gear hadn't actually brought any laundry in with her that day...

-In the weeks and months and years to come, Eva would bump into her new friend seemingly all over the City. The bank, the corner store, the wharf, the rail stations, even the skid-marked steps up to City Hall - always, it seemed, she'd spot that tuft of vibrant hair somewhere in the rush-hour crowd, or hear that booming voice calling out to her from down the street. They did finish their initial conversation, only to start many, many more after, sometimes over coffee or street tacos or the best damn margaritas she's ever had at this dingy hole-in-the-wall bar she never would've found without Gear's directions - she seemed to know just about everyone in the area, from the hardworking small business owners to the sax-playing buskers stationed on the corner. An intimidating realization, to be sure. After all, Gear could've hung out with anyone she wanted to... yet here she was, hanging out with meek little wallflower Eva instead.

-In time, she learned all about Gear and her life in the City - her interest in mechanics, her unmidigated love of racing, her hope of one day building a Machine faster than the legendary Dragoon. Again, much of it flew over Eva's head, but Gear spoke with such passion, such joy for the things she did, the people she knew, the life she lived here in this grimy, smog-choked place... Eva could already feel her heart reaching, yearning, her dreams colored rose-pink and her thoughts drifting during the workday towards hopes that left her blushing behind her wings. It took some time before she feel brave enough to share bits of herself, to talk about her tumultuous life in the City, to only hint at what came before.

-Eva also learned of Gear's two kids, her partner, the disintegrating state of their relationship. Eva saw the frustration and misery in those warm eyes, felt her heart bleed even more for what was quickly becoming the dearest friend she'd ever had... but she was afraid to push too hard. Even if her partner was a flake, even if Gear and her kids deserved so much better... well, Eva couldn't stomach the idea of barging into her friend's life like that, to risk breaking it even further... That said, she couldn't just sit back and watch Gear suffer either, so - as a friend - she offered what advice she could, acting as a voice of reason and reassurance, a shoulder to cry on, all the while begging the stars above to let Gear hear what she truly meant beneath it all, the words she couldn't bring herself to say out loud...

-The call came in late one evening, sudden and unexpected. Hearing Gear weep over the phone had scared Eva half to death, but - once she knew why she was crying - it filled her with the biggest sense of relief she'd ever known.

-She'd entertained the idea before - of inviting her dear friend and the kids to just... come and live with her - but never with any real intent or hope that it might actually happen. So, when that exact scenario suddenly became a reality... well, turns out she was a lot less prepared for it than she'd thought. Her life seemed to tilt and turn like a ship in stormy waters as they all struggled to settle into Eva's tiny apartment, full of sleepless nights, empty pantries, and more calls to the plumber than she ever thought she'd need to make... Thankfully, adapting to sudden storms has always been her forte. With time and a little effort, she and Gear made it work, sharing the weight of this new arrangement as evenly as they could. She did her best to give her friend space, to be there when she needed it, and to help put the pieces of her life back together into something... maybe not the same as before, but just as worth living.

-Eva watched in quiet awe as the life slowly returned to Gear’s eyes, her drive returning in earnest as she pursued her passions once again (even if they did have to be tweaked a bit). It was Gear who used her connections in town to help Eva land a job with an esteemed boutique, a dream she’d had since coming to the city. It was Gear who took her to get her first piercing, and the second, and the little skull-and-lotus tattoo on the back of her neck. It was Gear who saved up for months just to take her to the Garden in the Sky, where the smog of the City could not reach, and she finally saw the beautiful, glimmering stars again. After all that, well... how could she not fall deeply and hopelessly in love?

-She'd brought it up on occasion, the idea of leaving the City, long before the calls and letters even started. Nothing serious, usually - just a hypothetical Eva would toss out as casually as she could, trying to hide the fidget in her wings, the urge to pull at her feathers . She didn't hate the City, exactly. Not entirely. In the years it'd been her home, she'd found plenty of little things to appreciate about it - the light displays during the holidays, the variety of drinks at her favorite bar, the feet of real satin between her primaries, and so much more... But, the thing is... Eva might have come to the City seeking a fresh start, and learned so much in her time living there... but, despite her best efforts, it's never been home for her, not in the same way it was for Gear.

-When she tried to put this feeling into words, Gear had listened, and considered, and tried her best to be sympathetic... but Eva could see the reluctance in her, how she talked so insistently about the "good parts" of this City, how she defended aspects of it that Eva never would have. She understood, of course. After all, Gear had grown up here, had family here, dozens of friends and connections, even a potential career. Eva would never want tear her or her kids away from all that... Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if there might be a better home for them all elsewhere, where the air was clear and the streets were safe and the roof didn't leak every time the baby cried and they could all be happy together…

-It was only when Gear’s ex started coming by that the prospect changed from hypothetical to happening. suddenly Eva was back on the road again, leaving an entire life behind her like a pile of preened feathers, this time with a bag at her feet, a screaming toddler in her ear, and her best friend - affectionately referred to as her "wife" now - passed out against her side. She did her best, in that cramped little starship, to be a bulwark for her new little family, to face the unnervingly-wide-open future ahead of them as she always has - eyes front, wings steady, head held high - for their sake and for her own.

✨ Eva Fun Facts ✨

-Eva would quickly find that the sprawling, verdant countrysides of Popstar suited her so much better than the urban sardine can she'd left behind. Even after they'd settled in to the quaint little village, she still finds herself enamored with it all. The spring-sweet air, the vast blue skies, the flocks of birds and curlicue clouds and the utter lack of skyline - just trees, fields, and sunrise. She’d been so used to the roar of vehicles and commuters that she’d almost forgotten what genuine silence was like, and how much she adored the soft, furtive, living sounds of nature. If there was ever a place that she could comfortably call home... well, this might be the closest she'll ever get.

-Though she still takes commissions for custom outfits and accessories, Eva has mostly relegated her clothing passions to the comfort of a beloved hobby. Most of her time these days is spent working as a community organizer, helping folks like Dedede's mama and Para's dad with holiday setup and event planning for the village (a far cry from the nervous wallflower she'd been during her first year in the city). That said, she’s still the first on call when someone needs fashion advice or a rip repaired, and she’s knitted at least one sweater for almost everyone in the neighborhood.

-Back in the City, Eva had (accidentally) garnered a reputation as being a good listener, the one most folks in her or Gear's social circles would go to when they sought advice of a more... emotional nature. In the village, she's fallen into a similar role. When kids have hard questions their parents can't seem to answer, or a neighbor mentions trouble in their relationship, or a friend stops by simply needing a shoulder to cry on, Eva will do what she can to help out, whether that means offering advice, suggesting a new perspective, or simply letting them get it out of their system. She appreciates the trust people place in her, how they've come to value her compassion and her point-of-view, how her words alone can encourage growth and reflection and positivity her new community... even if the role itself does get rather draining sometimes. She thanks the stars she has Gear to remind her that she's allowed to say no sometimes, that she's not a therapist, and that having a big heart doesn't mean she has to give it away bit by bit.

-If Gear had been unprepared for a sulky pre-teen and a hydrokinetic baby, then Eva even less so. Make no mistake, she loves Bow and Treble dearly, cares for them as if they were her own… but, stars, they can both be a handful sometimes. In entirely different ways. It’s so hard to keep up with Bow’s energy, and Treble looks at her like she’s personally responsible for every bad thing in his life. She tries not to let the hurt of that particular sentiment show through. She understands, or tries to, but... well, what does he want her to say? She didn't ask to be a mother. Heck, she didn't ask for a lot of the things that've happened in her life. But they still happened! And, she had to slog through them all the same! Because what else would she do? What else can she do, when everything in the entire starsdamn universe is just so... so... Hah. Anyway, it’s fine. It's fine. If her time in the City has left her with anything, it’s that she can handle anything life throws at her. She can be patient. She can be strong. And, if she needs to, then she can be a good mother to these kids who absolutely deserve the world and more.

-Eva likes to call Gear her wife despite the fact that they never officially got married (and don't plan to).

✨ Treble Dee's Origins ✨

-Unlike Bow, who was too young to remember her brief time in the City, Treble has no trouble recalling his early childhood. He remembers their tiny apartment, with its faded wallpaper and water damage stains that looked like animals if he squinted. He remembers his dad carrying him on his back out by the lakeshore, telling him stories and showing him the lighthouse and buying him the best ice cream he’d ever had. He remember his mom coming home smelling like motor oil and letting him play with toy spaceships she brought back from the races. He remembers having friends and going to school and hearing music on the street all the time. He remembers being happy there.

-He remembers his dad being gone a lot, while his mom paced and fumed over the bills on the tiny kitchen table. He remembers hearing them argue a lot through the walls when he was supposed to be asleep. He remembers peering down into the crib with the tiny Waddle Dee inside, feeling crowded despite how small she was.

-His dad would buy him a lot of gifts when he was little. Little expensive things like toys, sweets, the pin he wears on his hat. even a fancy wristwatch once (which he was not to tell his mother about). But all of that pales in comparison to the ukulele his dad gave him for one of his birthdays. He loved that little uke more than any gift he'd ever gotten and played around with it all the time. His mom - in one of her more tolerable moods - taught him how to play it, promising to teach him how to play her own guitar when he got bigger. He even started making up silly little songs in his spare time and performing for anyone who would listen. They always made his dad laugh and cheer the most, exclaiming, "Looks like we got a little star in the making, hehehe!"

-When his mom told him and Bow that they had to leave, that they weren't coming back, he didn't have time to bring the ukulele with him. Sometime he wonders if it’s still there, in his old room, where he left it.

-He didn’t like Eva’s apartment. It smelled weird, and the water stains in the ceiling looked like faces laughing at him. He had to share a room with Bow. She cried a lot, so much that she broke one of the pipes in the kitchen. She did more than once in all the time they lived there. During the first night there, Treble had a nightmare he's long since forgotten and woke up crying for his dad. When Eva found him instead and tried to console him with a hug, he pulled away, embarrassed and angry and demanding to be left alone. He never got to say goodbye.

-Treble didn’t cry when they left the City a year later. Just sat with his cheek pressed against the window of the starship, watching the only home he’d ever known fade behind the clouds, and then the stars. He kept his favorite headphones on and turned up loud so he couldn’t hear Bow crying or his mom talking to Eva.

✨ Treble Dee Fun Facts ✨

-Treble learned to play bass on his own. Mostly out of spite, if we’re being honest. (Gear’s too proud of him to see it that way, though.) Yes, he’s aware of the irony of being named Treble and playing the bass - stop bringing it up. Oh, and not like it's a big deal or anything, but... he and his buddies started a band. Called the Mellow Dees. The name was his idea. It's pretty cool. Mostly, they just hang out together and noodle around on their instruments (maybe pick through Treble's lyric notes if he's feeling confident), but they've already gotten some banger tunes in the works. Nothing finished yet, unfortunately, not even enough for a demo tape... but that's fine. Every big-name star had to start somewhere, right? He knows they're gonna make it big one day, once they're old enough to start booking gigs at some high-end off-world music venues. You'll see.

-He wishes his mom didn’t push her interests onto him all the time. Yeah, it’s cool that she taught him how to write music and dye his hair and stuff, and she lets him swear more than the neighbors do... but then she wants him to listen to all her weird old-people music or go skateboarding with her and Bow or some other dumb thing he doesn’t care about. Then she gets on his case for staying inside all day and not spending time with people. He is spending time with people, just not her. He has a life, y’know? Friends his own age who actually like the things he likes. He’s not gonna hang out with his parents all the time. That’s so lame.

-He wishes Eva wasn’t so nosy. It doesn’t matter that she’s nice or whatever, she’s such a starsdamn busybody. Always asking what he’s doing or what he’s working on or does he want a snack and ugh, stars, just take a hint already. Does she think he’s still a baby or something? Just leave him alone. He doesn’t want to talk to her. He never wants to talk to her.

-He thinks his baby sister is annoying and wishes she’d stop bothering him when he’d busy doing his own thing. Her friends are just as bad, the little brats. Stars, he hates it here.

-Well… okay, maybe he doesn’t hate it here, living in the village. It’s… fine, he guesses. The weather’s always nice. Food’s good. And, his new friends are actually pretty cool. He just… misses the City sometimes, is all. The lights, the music, the tall buildings, the crowds of people, even the greasy smell of the alleyways. He doesn’t miss the races, though. Not even a little bit.

-He does miss his dad sometimes.

[veinsfullofstars]

May we see Madame Caldera, please? c: I would like to see the wrestling mom.

Absolutely! Bee's got plenty of photos from her days in the circuit, not to mention a million-and-one stories to go with them. She went by many names over the years - Firebird, Beebee Big Hit, even The Meteor - but Madame Caldera is the one that rocketed her to stardom.

The kids love to hear her tales just as much as she enjoys telling them. Dedede's heard most of them at least twice by now (but certainly wouldn't mind hearing them all again).

Sketch started 04/27/25, finished 04/29/25. | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

[veinsfullofstars]

18. 💓 How did they tell their friends that they were together/do their friends know or is their relationship a secret?

for metadede?

this one might be hard to extract from your childhood friends AU (and i admittedly am mostly thinking about bow and para when i ask), but you said you'd prefer to avoid AU stuff so if you don't want to answer this for that reason let me know and i can send a different one!! 💖

Oh, it’s not a problem, Starflung - I’m finding that my general headcanons and my AU headcanons match up more than I thought for some of these prompts, haha. And, luckily, I have an AU answer for this one! Er, kind of. After all, we’ve only gotten a teeny tiny glimpse at the day it happened, and I do very much want to explore the full context of that at a later point (*winces at the 80k wordcount in my notes*). But I think I’m okay with sharing this: that spontaneous first kiss was very much out in the open and happened in front of a few significant people. This is what happened approximately ten minutes after, both on Popstar-

-and on the GSA recruitment ship leaving the planet.

Plenty of teasing for only just now getting their acts together, but also a lot of love and support. DDD’s mama is elated to see “her boys” finally take the next step (though she does worry about the long-distance thing). Para is relieved to no longer have to carry the secret DDD confided in him not so long ago. Bow is… processing things, both about their friends and themself. Ace and Fringe are still trying to navigate how to be nice to the kid they spent years treating like dirt. Where they go from here, well… that’s for another time, I’m afraid. We still have much to learn about how they even got here let alone fell in love along the way…

Sketch started 02/20/25, sketch finished 02/22/25. | Kirby Ship Ask Game (made by @/sweetandglovelyart) and alternate questions | Childhood Friends AU Masterpost

(there was no more room in the tags, so I'll just drop my extra comments down here:)

#this does feel a bit spoilery… but I guess I did already show the kiss and said from the start this was pre-ship so #someday we’ll learn about all the [REDACTED] that lead to this moment… #little sack of potatoes DDD #tiny bundle of bat wings Meta #also some unexpected character reveals yay! #(after spending approximately forever chipping away at them in the Concept Mines... and even then I'm not sure I'm fully sold on 'em yet) #(might need another pass or two before I consider them finalized... but anyway) #say hi to Bebebe - DDD’s mama; and Ace and Fringe - MK’s “friends” (at least at this point in the story) #they are IMPORTANT and hopefully I will have the energy to tell you why someday #(though don’t let that stop you from asking about them if you’re curious - I'm sure I got tidbits)