#the standout

[ashlien-oc-askblog]

[christiancageadvocate]

OCTOBER TWENTY FIFTH TWENTY TWENTY

[ash-lien]

It's Just a Cup.

Original OC Story by ash-lien. TW for themes of child abuse (physical and mental) and PTSD flashbacks. I myself have never gone through these things, I am relying on the research I have done. If this is inaccurate in anyway, please kindly tell me and give me constructive criticism.

“I’m kinda thirsty, I’m gonna go get a drink.”

Cherri stood up from her spot on the red-and-cream colored rug, momentarily abandoning the game of UNO currently sitting in front of them.

“Sure, go ahead, take anything you want from the fridge.” Amber pointed at the refrigerator next to the stovetop. She was spread out on the couch, observing her cards with a focused gaze. Cherri had stopped trying mid-round. She already knew Amber was going to win anyway.

She walked towards the fridge and opened the door, cold air hitting her face. The insides were filled with various food items, leftovers Amber had plastic-wrapped and kept in the fridge, pre-prepared lunches for Star with a sticky note on them. The drinks were in the back, spread out in every color of the rainbow. 

Truth be told, Cherri was still getting used to a full fridge. She had memories of reaching into the empty one in her house for plain cheddar cheese. It was a good snack. She still ate it like that, cold and tinged with the taste of musty refrigerator-air. Sometimes, there’d be a tortilla in there, and she could make a microwave quesadilla. She could imagine Luna’s disappointed expression already, but there wasn’t much else to eat.

“Uhhh…what can I take?”

“I said you could take anything. Also, uno.”

“I’ll…just pour myself a glass of water.” Cherri grabbed a cup from one of the cupboards high up, filling it with the weird freaky water-pouring machine that was part of the fridge. Where did the water even come from?

After a few minutes of tapping random buttons and messing around with the machine, she managed to get the blasted thing to work.

Cherri turned around to return to the group. “I’m ba…” Her voice faded as she watched Luna tackling and punching Amber on the couch.

“Why are you hitting me!?”

“Stop winning! It isn’t nice!”

“It’s not my fault I’m smart!”

“YOU SOUND LIKE DERRICK!!”

Evan was rolling around and giggling on the floor, his laughter music to Cherri’s ears. She hadn’t seen him so happy in a while. She hadn’t seen any of them so happy in a while. They really were just three troubled teenagers. 

She smiled lightly, leaning on the kitchen island—

And the cup slipped from her hand.

She reached out to catch it, but it just kept falling, falling, falling—

Crack.

“▄▋█▉▀▇, what the fuck did you do this time!?”

Shards of glass rest on the ground. Two small feet rest next to them, bleeding slightly from small cuts. Look what you did, ▄▋█▉▀▇.

“I—I’m sorry mama, I’ll clean it—”

Pick up the glass. Pick it up now, quickly, before she raises her hand.

Don’t look up. Don’t look her in the eye.

“You don’t appreciate any of the things I give you.”

“I do, I swear!”

The shards and the words sink into your skin. They sting. 

You’re moving before you can register it. Grab the paper. Wipe the juice before she can say any more. You don’t want to hear it. You don’t want to hear her.

“You hate me, don’t you!? I give you juice, you drop it. Stupid child.”

“I love you mama, I really do—”

The paper soaks up the orange juice, like a nice warm hug. You want a hug right now.

You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know how to clean the floor. You’re only six. 

“No you don’t. You’re ungrateful, you little brat.”

“I—”

She walks closer. Her hand raises. Her hand raises. You can’t look up. You know what’s going to happen next. All you can do is shy away—

“CHERRI!”

It’s cold.

Wet.

…Smokey?

A scent of smoke fills Cherri’s nose. She used to smell like smoke. The whole house used to smell like smoke, really. Was she moving? She couldn’t really tell. Her hands were wet, and her wrists were sore, and she seemed to be kneeling, but all she could smell was smoke. 

It made her sick. Nauseous.

The smell of smoke makes you sick. You hate it. Everything smells like smoke. The couches, the beds, the toilets. You can’t wash it off.

You wander around, hunger being the only thing on your mind. You’ve already checked the fridge. And the front door’s locked. You can’t sneak out this time.

“▄▋█▉▀▇, come here, will ya?”

You stiffen subconsciously.

“Yes, mama.”

Your eyes water as you enter the living room. The smoke is even stronger. You want to gag. You can’t.

“Come closer, you dumbass.”

So you step closer.

She pulls something out of her mouth. There’s more smoke coming out of it, but you stand still.

Her hand comes near, but it isn’t raised. That’s good. As long as it doesn’t rise.

She rams the end of the smoking stick into your arm.

“OW!”

You yelp. You don’t mean to. You look up, you hope she didn’t hear it.

“Be quiet, you little shit!”

She darts her eyes to the window, as if she’s scared, as if she’s as scared as you are right now, and you take the chance to look down at your arm. There’s a small mark, red and raw and burning, brighter than the dark purple bruises that litter the rest of your body.

She looks back at you, and holds the stick up. What’s wrong with her face? It’s all…muddled. Blurry. 

She’s going to do it again. You want to run. You should run.

“Stay still.”

Cherri?

“And don’t be a whining bitch about it this time.”

Cherri, what’s wrong!?

“Mama, I don’t want to…”

Cherri, what’s wrong!?

“I don’t care, ▄▋█▉▀▇.”

“CHERRI!”

Luna’s face fills her vision and she feels their hands on her shoulders.

The weight grounds her.

So does the cold marble floor.

So does the ice water soaking into her hands.

She looks down. A shattered cup rests on the ground.

“What…?”

“OH THANK GOD, YOU’RE OKAY!” They’re…crying? 

“Why are you crying?” She wraps her hands around them, feeling their dead, fried, over-bleached hair on her arms.

“Why are you crying?” Amber sounds more confused than anything, but there’s a poorly hidden twinge of concern in her voice.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not—” She reaches up to touch her face, and it’s wet. Really, more of an annoyance than a concern. She wasn’t looking forward to having to redo her makeup.

“Is my mascara ruined?

“IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT RIGHT NOW!?”

“I don’t even know what happened!”

Amber hit Cherri’s hand slightly with a broom. “Move your hands.” She started sweeping the shards of glass away. “You started getting all panicky after you dropped the cup. Crying, shaking. Mumbling something in a language I don’t understand—”

“Mumbling something in German.”

“Oh my GOD, we get it Evan, you miss Germany.”

Amber continued to sweep in silence, and Cherri felt a sense of discomfort settling in her chest. And embarrassment. She couldn’t believe that happened, that she just broke down like that. She thought she’d already moved past all that, the flashbacks and the nightmares and the crying and shaking. She was supposed to be the friend that comforted people, the one the rest of them looked up to, an example for a healed person. Not…whatever that was.

“If you’re worried about money, it’s not a problem. I have enough to buy, like, six thousand of them.”

“No, it’s not that, I just…”

“It’s just a cup, Cherri.”

Cherri shifted in her spot. Did she really have to get into this? Now? Couldn’t Evan tell them? He was there, he already knew everything anyways.

She looked to Evan, at the uncomfortable expression spreading across his face, another secret he had to hide building up at the tip of his tongue.

No.

She didn’t have to tell them. 

Cups shatter every now and then, but they can be taped back together. A broken glass can still be used.

“...Yeah. It’s just a cup.”

[ashlien-oc-askblog]

OFFICIAL EC BLOG: 2026 REVAMP.

WELCOME TO ELLINGTON CORNER, THE ASKBLOG FOR ALL OF MY (@ash-lien 's) OCS!!!! (in this universe, at least.) (Edited 4/21/26)

Some ocs have more lore which will be slowly revealed through lore posts and asks. You can also ask them about their lore, but they have the option not to answer if you ask rudely.

Join Ellington Corner Cinematic Universe Fanclub • Community on Tumblr

GWAA 💔

MCs:

🍒 Cherri: 16, THE it girl. A rising celebrity on the web, if you will. Transfem and bisexual. Likes: Her followers, cute clothes, bright colors, stray cats. Dislikes: Her mom, the government, being interrupted, being silenced and feeling inferior. Tag: #the internet girl.

🌼 Evan: 16, blind, and has sickle cell anemia. Your average school student, if you ignore everything else. Pansexual and closeted/unaware demiboy. Likes: Manatees/marine life, flowers, ballet, nature, mac n cheese. Dislikes: Loud noises, weird textures, being babied, the hospital, medicine. Tag: #the wilting flower

🌈 Luna: 16, the most awkward scenecore teenager in the world. Non-binary/Xenogender and bisexual. Likes: Invader Zim, Deltarune, their mom's cooking, Alex G and bright colors. Dislikes: Hot weather, pricks, being bullied. Tag: #the standout

🔥Amber: 17, the world's troubled pop star songwriter with the worst backstory in the history of backstories. Lesbian. Likes: Her sisters, red velvet cupcakes, rainy days, singing for fun, nighttime and caffeine. Dislikes: Memories, people she doesn't know, being forced to sing. Tag: #a slowly dying fire

THE ELLINGTON CHILDREN:

🎀 Mimi: 6, the sassiest kindergartner you'll ever meet. Likes: ballet(?), crafts, drawing, new crayons, sunny days. Dislikes: Math classes, ballet(?), being told what to do, bugs. Tags: #the last dancer

📝 Derrick: 18, and the next Einstein. Transmasc and bisexual. Likes: Science, school, reading, white noise, Star Trek, libraries. Dislikes: Childhood photos, being outsmarted, emotion. Tag: #the prodigy

☁️ Jenny: 16, Evan’s “perfect” twin sister. Used to do ballet, but quit when Evan left. She wants to take over the bakery one day. Popular, smart, funny and kind, (though a bit judgy), Jenny is everything you would want in a person. Likes: Needohs, pop music, quoting brainrot at her brothers, baking and annoying her mom. Dislikes: Spiders, “weird cringe stuff”, going to school. Tag: #the golden girl

THE ADULTS!

🍰 Caroline: 42, a real life wild mother bear in the woods. The owner of a somewhat successful bakery. Caroline tries to take the best care of her complicated children, all while hiding a secret from the whole family that eats her up. Pansexual. Likes: Baking, hot showers, orchestra music, ballet, her kids. Dislikes: Fires, raccoons, diseases, garbage and dirty things. Tag: #the grieving mother

🩺 Daniel: 40, a real life teddy bear, nurse and war veteran, believe it or not. Straight Ally and cis male, but he REALLY REALLY tries to understand his kids. (He messes up Luna's pronouns a lot, but not intentionally.) Likes: Cooking, his co-workers, hikes, spoiling his family. Dislikes: Alcohol, using his cane, loud noises. #the healer

⭐️ “Joyce”: 34. Works at an orphanage in New York, mothering tons of children except her own. Despite her modest job, Joyce wants nothing more except to be a movie star, a famous diva, to be young and dumb and a child again. Likes: Old movies, bright lipstick, gold jewelry. Dislikes: Using social media, thinking of her husband. Tag: #the runaway

🩺 Carmen: 56. Carmen wants nothing more than what’s best for her child, even if they don’t see eye to eye often. As a successful single mother and doctor, she wants Luna to follow in her footsteps and surround themselves with the right friends and the right lifestyle. Likes: her patients, cooking, hanging out with her friends and coworkers. Dislikes: Luna’s father, Luna’s friends (except Evan), people who don’t listen. Tag: #the puppetmaster

THE OTHER TWO I DONT HAVE A LABEL FOR:

💎 Angela Chen-Williams: 18, child of rich people, a nepo baby through and through, though she wants to live the romanticized life of “common man.” Pansexual. Likes: jewelry, designer fashion, pugs, elaborate dinners. Dislikes: bugs, cramped spaces, dirty things. Tag: #just a teenage girl

🌲 Aspen: 19. A college student coming from Italy, Aspen works at his local restaurant during the year, at the Ellington Bakery during the summer. Transmasc and pansexual, Aspen is good friends with Derrick despite their large differences in personality. Likes: loud music, getting tattoos, designing tattoos, getting piercings that hurt, DnD. Dislikes: Churches, jeans, brushing his hair. Tag: #the pessimist

THE GHOSTS!!:

TW for slight blood and a grayish sickly looking corpse kinda

💖 Xavier Kim-Miller: 17, the life of the party! Well, until he died, that is. Angela's cousin. Had bipolar disorder, and was diagnosed very close before his time of death. Pansexual. Liked: Glitter, drag performances, makeup, barbecue. Disliked: Being bullied, being outcast, meat and carbs. Tag: #a star taken too soon.

🦌 Samantha Green: 16. Amber’s “little doe”, Samantha never cared for fame or money. She was a kind soul, though she did like pulling harmless pranks and mischief. Liked: Mice, photography, deers, soft colors. Disliked: Poachers, her teachers. Tag: the little doe

🪐 ooc (ash's) answers are tagged with #the author

@buzzshaws or @joen-lenawley mentions: #the three musketeers

buzz's ocs: #buzz's ocs

joen's ocs: #joen's ocs

oc fun fact of the day: #OC FUN FACTS!!!

Doodles and drawings: #ash's scribbles

RULES

Magic anons are allowed!! (nothing too extreme though)

NO NSFW!! owner is a minor, all ocs are a minor (or dead/old). Suggestive asks are fine, but nothing explicit. I am aware this isn't very clear. If i don't answer a suggestive/NSFW question within a week you can assume I deleted it.

No pedophiles, homophobes, transphobes, or any of that problematic shit

No reviving people (You can talk to dead characters already they'll just be ghosts)

Please don't spam asks! It gets pretty annoying.

Please direct asks to either Me (the owner) or the characters. I will wither not answer or choose a random character of my choosing if you do not specify which one(s) you're speaking to.

NO BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL

ANONS:

Nightshade Anon

YouDontKnowMe Anon

Magician Anon

The Therapist Luna Hired

T h e GAMER Anon

EXTRA NOTES:

All (except Joyce, Aspen during the year and Angela) live in Southern California, and just recently moved to a new town. The Ellingtons and Cherri are from Germany, Luna is from Indiana, Amber and Angela are from New York, and Aspen is from Italy.

If you are an original, or you scrolled down far enough, you might’ve seen a character named “Anne” who had the tag #the puppet. Anne was recently retconned, and all posts containing her existence are now no longer canon.

[ashlien-oc-askblog]

people on this blog seem to like amber. her posts tend to get more like than anyone else's (which is unfair. free my son evan from no-likes jail.) so i gotta ask

which one of my ocs is your favorite (you dont gotta answer i alrdy asked you this)

Evan

Cherri

Luna

Amber

Mimi

Daniel

Caroline

Derrick

Angela

Xavier

Samantha

Jenny

Voting ended onMar 6

[ash-lien]

what do my ocs smell like?

im so glad you asked (literally nobody asked for this)

🌼 Evan - Soil and Lavender

🍒 Cherri - Cotton Candy

🌈 Luna - Monster energy

🔥 Amber - Smoke and ash

🎀 Mimi - Crayons

🩺 Daniel - Coffee

🍰 Caroline - Sugar and Vanilla

📝 Derrick - Books

💎 Angela - Some kind of really rich popular sweet smelling perfume

☕ Anne - Metal and fresh laundry

💖 Xavier - A dead person

☁️ Jenny - A dead person

🦌 Samantha - A dead person

[ashlien-oc-askblog]

Brodskys…I don’t lie…I’ve been having…a sort of dilemma…would you mind helping?

Would you rather have unlimited bacon but no games or games games games but no games..?

— t h e GAMER