Does Older Jack have a partner? I remember you mention Jack had one🤔
yes, yes indeed... this ask has reignited the two of them for me i can't even lie. meet Varga.
she's an ogre, which in this universe, average around 12-16 feet in height. Varga is a pretty firm 14 feet, and she's Jacks bodyguard.
"oh but why does Jack need a bodyguard?" WELLLLLLLLL... (yapping under the cut here)
He and Hendrick are travel together pretty frequently when Jack is an adult, because even though he's grown up and wants to move out, Roger is still extremely paranoid about him being harmed, scared, or even just feeling lonely (Mabel worries about this too but her feelings are far less extreme, she knows EXACTLY what it's like. That paranoia has caused a few minor arguments between the two of them, so Hendrick stepped in and offered that he could watch over Jack. The only reason Jack was okay with this was because he knows that Hendrick will allow him to do his own thing and wander off for long periods of time. The two go on trips as often as they can but unfortunately Jack does have a knack for getting into trouble.
Both Bucky and Hendrick instilled a "do no harm, take no shit" mentality, and being a slightly chubby man with long hair often leaves him subject to taunting by other (insecure) men. This will lead to him insulting them back, which then typically starts a fight, and yeah... Jack doesn't win very often. A lot of times the hecklers are with friends and Jack is alone, which means he gets jumped the minute he attempts to defend himself. Hendrick always ends up finding him and saving him (being a well-respected knight has it's perks, after all). That by itself wasn't too bad... but Jack also gravitates towards animals and mythical creatures, which can lead to two situations that turn out badly for him. 1, people mistreating animals or mythical creatures really bothers Jack, and he'll either end up giving them a piece of his mind or freeing the animal/creature. Naturally this really bothers the vendor, getting him in trouble. Though, he did manage to befriend a pheonix that he takes care of because of this (which in this world is something often thought impossible because of the pheonix's high standards for companionship). The other situation is him getting just a little too curious about mythical creatures he's unfamiliar with. He's fallen prey to many vampires because he likes to believe that there's good in most people, he's attempted to reason with a wyvern after accidentally thinking it was a dragon, he found a lost griffin cub and tried to return them, and many many more instances where Hendrick had to rescue him.
So eventually Hendrick has a conversation with Jack and hires a bodyguard to watch over him. That conversation goes a little something like this.
Jack: "Uncle, come on, I can handle myself. I don't need a bodyguard."
Hendrick: "Just... think of them as a sort of... built in companion."
Jack: "... Uncle Hendrick I'm not an idiot."
ANYWAY. Hendrick hires Varga after a brief interview process. Varga's services are a little more different than most other bodyguards, as most bodyguards aren't exactly 14 feet tall. In her contract it states that she will never use her size against the client, only to protect them, and that's in there because she generally just does not like touching the smaller species. It makes her incredibly anxious, as not only is she tall, she's incredibly strong as well. Hendrick introduces the two to each other, and the minute he leaves Jack is very clear with her that he believes her services aren't that necessary because he really doesn't get into that much trouble. Unfortunately this point doesn't come across very well, as while he's saying this he has several bruises healing. She sees right through his bullshit because of this, but allows him to finish his thought. She soon figures out just how much trouble he actually is when he attempts to free a captured mermaid from a circus who is obviously exploiting her. He's successful, but only because Varga intervened in the fight, ensuring that Jack was able to get the mermaid to a river.
Varga ends up falling first, but Jack falls harder (I love this trope btw you will see it again). Varga admires his gentility despite the hardships he's faced, the kindness he emits even though he has no reason to be, and his ability to be genuine about his emotions and past with her. Jack admires both her physical and mental strength to not let things get to her, her ability to speak plainly with everyone so easily, and how kind she actually is no matter what she says about herself. They're very sweet with each other.
Roger hasn't yet met Varga, she's incredibly anxious about being around someone so much larger than her, as she's used to being the biggest thing around for the most part. Roger does trust her though, since Mabel and Hendrick have both had really good interactions with her. Varga had concerns about human relationship standards being very different from ogre ones, but Mabel is happy to help her learn when she feels she's asked Jack too many questions. Jack also isn't the best person to ask when it comes to relationships either, his perspective is very much "idk but whatever my caretakers had going on was sweet so i'm just going to mimic the two of them and quietly have a crisis about my identity but I love you and that's enough !!" which isn't always the most helpful for the sake of Varga feeling secure. Mabel is very good at soothing her and assuring her about things (she became the person she wished she'd had when she was navigating her relationship...)
i think about them to epic three [they danced] from hadestown btw (more on this later probably because... whoa... i have a visual in my head for this) also come home with me... also wedding song... because while Varga's feelings came first, she is incredibly good at acting like they aren't there. she is afraid of being in love with someone for a few different reasons, but its also because, in a way, Jack scares her. He's affectionate and sweet to her, even when he has nothing to gain. He has this belief she mistakes for naivety that there is good in everyone, when instead it is a belief born from someone who is exhausted of being scared and angry (more on this later too I'm actually incredibly excited to dig into this in some one shots). She fears this belief, because it contradicts everything she thinks about herself. it contradicts everything she was forced to learn as a mercenary for hire, and yet she craves to have that same belief. She, too, wants to feel the sun on her skin the same way he does and just allow herself to exist without question. she is tough because she must be. she never thought that she could survive any other way.
is there a reason the ao3 has noticably less chapters than the tumblr?
oh that's easy !! i keep forgeting... i'm working on updating it right now since you left that comment. ao3's formatting for things like italics is different from my usual writing software, so I just have to add <em> </em> over and over again wherever I use italics. thanks for the reminder though, i do genuinely appreciate it
Sorry if you been asked a question like this but!!!
Would Mabel and Roger adopt another kid after both them and jack were comfortable?
Would Edmund or Hendrick ever adopt a kid?
NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR AN ASK !!!! (that was kinda aggressive) never apologize for an ask !!!! i like seeing them in my inbox !!!!
Mabel and Roger would probably consider it, and Jack wouldn't mind having a sibling after about a year or two. I can see it potentially happening in the modern au because they'd already be set up with the foster system, but in actual canon I doubt they'd be able to. They'd be interested, though.
Edmund is shockingly not great with young kids. Teenagers he's fine with but bring anyone under the age of like 12 around him and he's REALLY bad at taking care of them. Because of this, he had never really considered it. He has his bakery, and now both of his close friends have kids (he's actually the godfather of Alice and Josey's child), so he'd only really go for it if his partner wanted a kid.
Hendrick, oh Hendrick, he's great with kids, but he has extremely complicated feelings about himself raising children. He was raised with some extremely harmful ideas, and his father was always very clear about how it was Hendricks destiny to marry a woman and give her children. Until Edmund, he had never considered being able to do anything else. On top of that, he's terrified of turning out like either of his parents. However, he has a lot of experience with it. He actually takes care of Terrins younger siblings frequently after Terrin dies, so he has experience with kids of all ages. He does want kids but he knows he can't right now. Maybe one day...
CW: screaming, non graphic implied death, non graphic depictions of death, siren
so... about Hektor not dying... I may have lied... (post I'm referring to)
THIS TREND IS AWESOME. I LOVE IT. this is actually the smoothest animation I've ever made. i don't usually animate for real (i don't even know how to tween lol) so this was a big step for me but i actually really really like it. I spent around 14 hours on this, which is way longer than I usually spend on my art, but maybe I'll start working on doing more developed stuff, because it's really fun even though it's tedious.
but uh yeah, expect to see more of these three in the future. They have some really REALLY fun g/t dynamics to play around with. oh and with my little poll series, you'll see the two around his head pretty soon. mueheheheheheee...
Roger's pupils are extremely dilated because you know what they say... (if you don't, the pupils dilate a lot when you're looking at something you love) Was this just an excuse to draw victorian wedding attire.... noooooo of course noottt. (yapping and full outfit sketches under the cut)
losing my mind over Mabel's dress I had ZERO confidence in my ability to combine the elements I wanted in it and somehow I did. The bodice is taken from queen victoria's wedding dress (center image), and then I really liked the layering of the top dress + the veil length, and I adored the plush fabric of the bottom dress, so I did my best to combine them and I absolutely LOVE this dress actually. There's Roger in his overcomplicated ruffle covered shirt which I didn't think would turn out well either AND THEN IT DIDDDDD. can you tell i'm bad at backgrounds? thank you ibis effects feature for the sunset in the very back lol, but all i can draw is trees from memory. if i had picked out a reference photo I probably could've done better but I couldn't find one I liked and im not great at a lot of posing software. HOWEVER. i REALLY like how it turned out. one final thing but the bottom rendering of mabels dress actually turned out really well wow just looking at it i like it even more YEAH OKAY I GUESS I CAN DRAW CLOTHES OTHER THAN T-SHIRTS. also.
WHAT???? HOW???? THIS IS CRAZY (and also probably why my back hurts rn lol) AND THIS ISN'T EVEN A FULL RENDER HOW DO Y'ALL DO IT
I know currently in the story, Jack is a pretty good kid, but once he gets comfortable he can be extremely stubborn when it comes to building new habits. He struggles with lots of basic hygiene stuff on account of his mother never really teaching him to have those habits. He also doesn't see any point in going to the doctor unless he's actively in extreme pain, because it would always just be brushed off unless the situation required a doctor. This stubbornness tends to get on Roger's nerves because Jack fully takes advantage of the fact that the giant refuses to grab him without consent (or Jack being in active peril). Roger never blows up at him for this, because in part, it isn't really Jack's fault, but Roger does throw his hands up in the air in frustration and pace away from the table muttering to himself. Often Mabel steps in and scolds Jack for using Roger's weakness against him, and the teen relents and apologizes for doing it.
giants having emotional outbursts and meltdowns that ultimately end up in the tiny being hurt (emotionally or physically) and the giant profusely apologizing...
I meaaaan we all have had our moments where we snap at someone we love only to sit up at night and think, "why did I say that?" or "why did I act that way?". we've all hurt a loved one at some point. I'd imagine it's not too different for g/t. it's just that there's so much more at stake, and so many huge (no pun intended) factors that play into everything.
YESSS okay I like it when giants hurt tinies they love and I love seeing said giants becoming sobbing messes for forgiveness. however while I really like this I also really like when tinies say terrible, hurtful things to giants.
I like it when tinies are kind of just cruel to a giant in an argument. maybe the tiny thinks they'll get off without the giant retaliating. the giant wouldn't hurt them, and maybe the giant just isn't the type to say hurtful things.
when tinies continuously just push and push and push.. just egging on a giant with so many horrible, hurtful things only to be snatched up and screamed at. probably a really scary experience and this exact scenario is TOTALLY not being written in my story ..
If every (main) character from Beyond the Beanstalk had one free wish (no restrictions, for example they are allowed to change the past and so on) what would they wish for?
hoo boy... now THAT'S a good question. I'm going to do this as where these characters currently are at in the main story, as their wishes would be very different at the very end of the story. hey, this is going to get heavy under the cut. I'm serious. content warning for suicidal ideation, abusive relationships, and wishing for someone else's death. these will just be mentions, not graphic descriptions. please take care of yourself first, and remember that you are not alone.
Roger wouldn't know what to wish for a long time. Before Hendrick, he was in a pretty good place with Mabel and Jack. But now, his fear of being an overprotective, dangerous monster has been reawakened. If he were to do it on a whim, he would wish to be human, or wish that his grandfather had never spoken to him, or wish that his parents had never gotten divorced. But if he thought about it for more than a moment, that isn't actually what he wants. He wants to be what Mabel and Jack need, but he isn't sure how to do that. He knows, because of Mabel herself, that his past doesn't have to hold him back from that, and he's willing to come to terms with it to become a more stable person. That would be what he would wish for, basically. He would wish to be a better man who could be everything his family needed. (and, in a funny twist of fate, almost nothing would change.)
Mabel's thought about this a lot. She has too many wishes on her mind, conflicted between wishing for someone else or wishing for herself. She could wish for her parents to live the rest of their lives to the fullest, wish for Bucky to finally find his people, wish for Roger to accept his flaws and embrace being who he wants to be, wish for Jack to be eternally happy and safe... but she'd inevitably use the wish for herself after a lot of consideration. If she were even a few weeks younger, she no doubt would have wished to be a better guide to the people around her. But now, she would wish to feel that her accomplishments were genuine.
Jack. Oh, Jack. He knows it's a stupid wish, but his first idea for a wish would be to wish that Beatrice was never abusive, and that she really loved him. He'll never get over that idea in his head that she could have loved him. She could have cared for him. She could have nurtured him, been kind to him, been gentle to him. All he wants is to feel like he doesn't ruin everything. He knows that he was the one to ruin his mother. He sees it in his uncles eyes whenever they talk about her. Hendrick is softly grieving a woman Jack never really knew, one who was capable of loving him. And he hates it about himself. And then he thinks about Mabel and Roger, how they have been practically everything he wished his mother could have been, and he realizes that he doesn't need to wish something like that. He has two people now who seemingly want to care for him the way he used to wish for, even though he's too quiet and causes more trouble than he's probably worth. With his uncle arriving and starting a fight with Roger, he worries even more that he won't be wanted here anymore. So instead, he wishes to not ruin it this time.
Edmund's first wish idea would catch in his throat at the quick realization of how horrible it is. He wants nothing more than for Hendrick to come back and love him, but he knows that rips the knights autonomy away from him. It would be practically a life ending wish for the human, even though it's all Edmund wants. He doesn't want Hendrick to be trapped, and so instead, he wishes that one day the knight will return to him. Hendrick having undying, requited feelings matters a lot less to Edmund than knowing the knight is alive and happy.
Hendrick. Many wishes come to his mind the moment he's allowed one. The first, of course, being a wish that his father had died soon after Beatrice became pregnant. If that had happened, she would have received his fortune as the will would not have been changed to exclude her yet, and Jack would have been raised in a noble's household with maids to bring him up. He considers wishing for his father to die a slow, horrible death now, as even that could solve many of the things that trouble him, but he shakes it off with trembling hands, knowing deep down that inflicting pain onto his father will not fix anything. His next idea. That his squire brothers had not died. Feeling as though that is too much to ask for, he considers a trade. His life is not worth all that much, and he doesn't feel as though he particularly matters to anyone. Jack has Mabel and Roger now, and he was never really in the boys life to begin with. He convinces himself that the boy doesn't want or need him. But Terrin's family still needs help taking care of their children and the farm, Andreas' father is old and needs a caretaker, and Lambert... it really should have been Hendrick instead. He would've wished to trade his life for theirs, if his train of thought had not been interrupted with the image of Edmund's smiling face. The giant baker was someone he very much wanted, but knows he could never have. A love just out of his reach, all because of his size and status. Would it be easier if he had never met Edmund? He had clearly had some sort of impact on the giant, though he would constantly convince himself that impact wasn't the romantic sort, so maybe it would be easier for both of them if the pair had never met at all. But maybe there was a better wish to make for Edmund. So, Hendrick wishes for Edmund to be happy, whether he's there or not.
well, here it is guys, the little Bucky short, in all it's glory !! please enjoy !!
The rain continued on, even as the dirt began to reject it, even as the creeks overflowed and destroyed small saplings with their rushing waters. Zinnia had long since gotten her wings soaked through, and was now trapped in one of those small saplings, holding on for dear life as she barreled past every spot she recognized. Her village was long since left behind, and she didn’t dare to look back over her shoulder, as she knew that would bring her focus away from what might lay ahead. It was all a green blur around her, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to try and calm herself. She had to survive this, she just had to. Her brood was depending on her to come back home, and she fought back tears as she buzzed to herself quietly. It was a gentle soothing gesture her mother would use when she was younger, and it eased her only a little. She kept buzzing until the sapling she was sailing on crashed into the side of the bank and tumbled down to the sopping wet grass. She opened her eyes, feeling the world spin as she struggled to stand, wobbling to and fro before stumbling back down.
Zinnia blinked up at the sky, the edge of her vision beginning to blur and darken as she crawled forwards. She needed to find somewhere higher than here, and soon. She vibrated her wings, drying them only a little before a few fat raindrops soaked them again. She stared up at the sky, her vision being suddenly eclipsed by a massive hand. She jolted back, feeling herself sink deeper into the mud. Humans were the only thing she was supposed to avoid besides the rain, and she had already failed to avoid the rain.
“Easy, easy, little one, it’s alright.” A soft voice reached her ears, one without a faeries signature buzzing tone, and she felt herself begin to tremble. The words were comforting, sure, but the tone was completely foreign to her, and she hated it. Fleshy fingers cupped behind her, and she felt her wings bend to their will. She jolted forwards, trying to avoid that feeling. “Please, you’re going to drown out here, you need help.” The voice rumbled around her, and eventually she spotted the human's face. She blinked, staring at his slightly pointed ears. This wasn’t a human, was it? The idea eased her further, noting the strange hue of his golden eyes, and how many of his teeth seemed to straighten into a point. It felt odd to be comforted by such features, but it was much better than a human's. She paused, allowing the fingers behind her to scoop her up, her vision still shaky. She blinked, everything going black for longer than usual as she was brought up off of the muddy ground. A finger brushed at her face, and she leaned back to try and avoid it. She blinked again, the darkness lasting longer this time. Her head began to feel woozy, and she started to slump back, much to the concern of the person holding her.
“Hey, hey, hold on!” His voice echoed in her head as she slipped into the blackness behind her eyelids. “It’s going to be okay!” The last sensation she felt was the wind blowing through her hair as she was rushed away from what could have been her watery grave. And then, it all went quiet.
----
Bucky raced home, feeling a little furrier than before. He glanced at the sky just to remind himself that tonight wasn’t a full moon before continuing his sprint. Still, he knew it was rapidly approaching, as his senses were more heightened than usual. He could feel his bones start to ache, and he hoped desperately that he wouldn’t turn too much tonight. That would just make tomorrow all the more terrible. He peeked down into his cupped hands, spotting the little faery girl resting peacefully in his hands. His ears bent towards her as he tried to detect her heartbeat. It was much harder than he remembered it being, and once he locked onto the sound, he realized her heart was racing like a bird’s. He picked up the pace, powerful legs slamming into the mud before he took a leap over a fence. He cleared it easily, ensuring he was gentle with the landing. He paused for a millisecond to check over the body in his hands, ensuring that she was alright before continuing his sprint. His vision shifted quickly as his nose picked up on the heavenly smell of the sheep he knew were nearby, and he could feel as his nails stretched into claws. He jolted his fingers away from the tiny girl in his palms, desperately trying to remain focused and get her into some sort of shelter so that she could dry off. His home was soon in sights, and with a final burst of speed, he made it to his front porch. He opened his front door, the rainwater dripping off of him, and set her gently on the nearest table before closing the door again. He needed to dry off, at least a little. So, without a second thought, his entire body shook from side to side like a dog’s. Once he was satisfied, he stepped into his home and scooped up the little girl again. She was still soaked, her sopping wet wings twitching against his fingers. His currently clawed fingers. Better to put her down again. He set her down on his countertop before grabbing a towel to try and help her dry off. The minute he tried to grab one, he felt his finger go straight through it.
“Dammit.” He mumbled, drawing his hand away. He needed to clip his claws first, apparently. With a moderate pace, he stepped to his living room and opened a few drawers before finding his clippers. He made quick work of his claws, even though he knew they’d just be back tomorrow. The job was messy, and he cringed as he felt the fabric of the towel touch the tips of his fingers unevenly. He quickly stepped back to his countertop and scooped her up into the towel, gently rubbing at her skin. He was careful to avoid the delicate crystal wings on her back out of fear of ripping them. Once he was satisfied, he wrapped her up in the towel and placed her back on the counter, figuring that it would be best to try and make something for her to eat. He moved towards his tiny kitchen, grabbing a pot and filling it with water from the large basin he kept on his counter. He walked over to his fireplace, pausing when he realized that he hadn’t yet lit the fire. With a groan, he set the pot down and quickly used his shard of flint to spark a fire to life before placing the pot over it. He left it to boil, padding back over to the girl. He moved to scoop her up again, realizing that his knuckles had quickly sprouted fur. He growled, moving towards a mirror to see how badly he had transformed from the sheer anxiety of it all. His ears had already begun to stretch and bear fur, and his fangs were sticking out of his lips. Bucky scratched at the hair that had appeared on his chin, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight of face. He thanked the wolfsbane by the door as he passed it to grab his razor, as that had clearly been the only thing stopping his bones from cracking apart and rearranging. He grabbed both his clippers and his razor and returned to sit by the faery girl as he worked. He nicked his skin a few times with the razor in his fervor, but the gentle sting barely stopped his work. He glanced over at the towel a few times, but the little girl's head was turned away from his. He exhaled, wishing that she would wake up soon. If there was any sort of genuine damage, he would have to go get his mother, and he really didn’t want to bother her so late. His ears straightened at the sound of the pot coming to a boil, and he returned to the kitchen to look at the ingredients he had. He had a pretty meager selection of vegetables, and he wasn’t keen on retrieving the meat he kept in the underground cellar. After the encounter with the sheep, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself. His head snapped to the side at the quiet sound of rustling, and he jolted towards the counter. The faery girl screeched, and Bucky froze, his ears pinning back at the sound.
“I’m sorry human! I-I don’t know how I got here! Please don’t cook me!” She screamed with a buzz of her wings, clearly trying to lift herself off the counter and flee, but her wings were still wet. The lycanthrope felt his ears droop. He supposed he should have been used to it by now, but it still hurt. He approached slowly, keeping his hands in the girls line of sight.
“It’s okay, little faery, I don’t want to, well, it’s not my intention to harm you.” He explained anxiously. It would be a far way to fall to his floor, and he knew a fall from that height onto a hardwood surface would be catastrophic for her. “My name is Bucky, alright? I found you soaking wet in the mud, so I brought you here to dry you off. The pot is for food. Do you have a taste for anything in particular?” He asked, hoping his word-vomit wasn’t too overwhelming for her. He cringed at himself internally. If only Mabel were here. Even if she didn’t seem to believe it, she was always much better at calming children down than he was. Happy children he was excellent with, but frightened ones?
“What… What are you?” She asked, her voice wobbling, and Bucky froze, his ears raising even though he wanted them to stay still. She blinked at him, and though she was trembling, she stepped closer to him.
“I-I…” He was always terrible with that question. He had been human once, a long time ago, before his disease had taken hold. He liked to think that he wasn’t just a lycanthrope. There was more to him than the illness.
“You can tell me, sir.” She buzzed her wings again, still steady in her approach. She seemed almost curious as the fear seemed to fade away. “I don’t like humans either.” He once again cringed internally at the thought of that. He hoped she hadn’t been harmed by someone before.
“I… am a lycanthrope.” He admitted, staying completely still. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and he furrowed his eyebrows. How could that be a comfort to anyone? It meant he was occasionally dangerous and had a difficult time staying in conscious control of his own body, how could that put anyone, especially a little faery, at ease?
“Mother taught me about lycanth-ro…” she paused, looking at her mouth as she struggled with the word, eventually giving up. “Werewolves. You’re a guardian of the wild. Right?” She guessed, crossing her legs as she sat down gracefully. Bucky blinked. He supposed in a way he was, he frequented the woods ever since Cedric had lost his leg to a beartrap because of him. He would remove as many poaching traps as he possibly could, scared off hunters chasing after wild unicorns. Of course, he had also defended the town as many times as he needed, leading away the scarier beasts that were a little more bloodthirsty.
“I am.” He admitted, more to himself than to her. She smiled.
“Great!” She buzzed. “Then you can help me find my Mother, can’t you?” She buzzed her wings with excitement, lifting herself off the ground and shakily doing a small twirl.
“Uh, yes, I believe I could. But not now. It’s still too stormy for you to be safe.” He noted, finally unfreezing and stepping closer to the girl. She flopped herself into his hands, and he jolted at the feeling. She sighed deeply.
“I guess that’s okay…” She rolled her eyes, nestling herself into his hands. He blinked at her, incredibly confused. She looked at him sadly. “You don’t think my Mother will be upset, do you?”
“I doubt it.” He replied, keeping his eyes trained on her. Internally he reminded himself to ease up when it came to teasing Roger about his anxieties with smaller folk. This was mortifying. Her life was in his hands, and she was just so casual about it. It almost reminded him of how easily Mabel had warmed up to him as a little girl, completely unafraid of him. “I know my Mother would just be happy I had come home, no matter how long it took me.” He said honestly. She sat up, cocking her head to the side.
“Why are you telling me so much about yourself? You gave me your name so readily, and now you’re telling me about your Mother?” She questioned, and Bucky’s ears pinned back as he realized what she meant. It was incredibly stupid of him to give a faery his name, and Gwen would probably scold him for it. But at the same time, this girl was a child who likely wouldn’t hold it against him… right?
“Ah well, I was trying to put you at ease. But maybe… you can tell me your name?” He goaded her, both genuinely curious and trying to slip back into his usual persona.
“Hm. Fine.” She shrugged with a buzzy giggle. “Zinnia.” She smiled brightly, her eyes closing.
“That’s a much prettier name than Bucky.” He chuckled, and she giggled with him.
“Well you should have been born when a prettier flower bloomed!” She joked, and though Bucky didn’t quite get it, he laughed anyway. It was funny, at least until his ears perked up at the sound of his pot boiling over. He jolted, quickly stepping over to it.
“Ah, wait, please don’t boil me because of a terrible joke!” She yelped, covering her eyes, and he brought his hands away from the fire.
“I won’t, I won’t!” He was quick to assure her, even though his attention was much more focused on the boiling water spilling onto the stone of his fireplace. He kicked soot onto the fire to make it die down as he continued to try and soothe her. “It’s alright, Zinnia, the water just boiled over, I’m not a great cook when I get distracted.” The words stumbled out of his mouth. She peeked between her strange looking fingers at him.
“Really?” She mumbled.
“Of course. I don’t want to make you into soup.” He replied, offering her a small smile. He was sure the sight of his teeth poking out of his lip wasn’t very helpful, though.
“Oh, that’s good.” She sighed, relaxing. “So… things I have a taste for, right?” She seemed to be angling for food now, and Bucky let out a small exhale of relief.
“Yes. I have carrots, some rhubarb, and other vegetables… maybe.” He looked back towards his kitchen and winced.
“Oh, um… I don’t really… Do you have any Willow bark?” She asked. Bucky blinked.
“...What?”
“That’s okay, I’m not picky. Oak or Maple is fine either.” Zinnia shrugged, and once again the lycanthrope furrowed his brows.
“I can go get some if you want? Do you not eat vegetables?” He asked, and the girl burst out into laughter. He just stared at her as she slowly realized that he was being serious.
“Don’t you know faeries like me feed on the sap in plants?” She asked, seeming a little worried. Bucky shook his head. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel stupid.” She laughed to herself, her face flushing a slight rosy pink color.
“I have Maple Syrup I think? Would you want that?” Zinnia’s wings perked up and buzzed, but she cocked her head to the side. “It couldn’t hurt to try. It’s made with Maple sap and sugar.” Her eyes widened.
“Sugar? Mother hardly lets me have sugar…” She murmured, though her smile grew mischievous.
“Do you want it warmed or anything?” Bucky asked, moving to the kitchen and placing her on top of his water basin. He reached into his cabinet, pushing aside the many jars of wolfsbane and lavender until his fingers found the right bottle.
“Warmed would be nice.” She grinned, that mischievous glint still in her eye. Bucky looked over the bottle to ensure it was glass, before deciding to put it into the pot full of water, which had luckily stopped boiling but was still hot.
They spent the rest of the night talking, and though it seemed Zinnia had assumed she would get a rush from the sugar, the warm syrup had only made her sleepy. She eventually passed out right there in Bucky’s hands, and he carefully slid her off into the towel again, tucking her in like it was a bed. He then pushed his old, ripped armchair against the counter she was laid on, and laid himself in it with a thin blanket. He closed his eyes, grateful for the girl's bubbly personality. It revitalized him in a genuine way, almost making him forget about the horrors he would endure because of the full moon tomorrow night. Though he knew she wouldn’t hear him, he still felt the need to tell her one final thing.
“Goodnight, Zinnia.”
----
btw, if anyone has questions about how i use my versions of faeries, don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask or something, this is something i made long before beyond the beanstalk was even an idea in my head, and i do really enjoy talking about it. if you've ever seen the Lore link on my masterpost, that's also where you can find information on faeries... though it's a much more simplified version...
yes, but not for any weird reasons or anything like that. it was an ask that said something along the lines of "i dont even know what storm you're talking about lol." and it sat in my inbox for a long time until I eventually just deleted it because i didn't know what that anon meant at all lol 😭
if you've sent an ask to me and i haven't answered it, its not because i've deleted it. sometimes im just not sure how to respond to them, or i really want to answer them with an art piece so they get put off for a long time. but i do REALLY want to get to every ask I get because I really appreciate getting asks !! i have not yet gotten any asks that make me uncomfortable or anything like that, and I really doubt that I'll ever get one (unless it's like... sexual nsfw or v0re) since I have characters that explore some darker topics, which I don't post about that often because i want to ensure i tag them properly lol
Feel free to ignore this ask but I started reading Beyond the Beanstalk, Love it so far 💗
But even in a Yandere AU, would the abuse Jack’s mother inflicted onto him be apparent to Roger? And if so what drastic measures would be taken to keep him safe?
anon I will NEVER ignore a good ask. don't ever apologize to me again !! anyway. heavier topics ahead.
yes, I hadn't quite gotten to it in the original post, but the abuse Jack suffered would be visible enough that Roger would take notice. He wouldn't exactly put the pieces together at first, as his blinding adoration for the people in his "collection" makes him incredibly dense when it comes to the source of their suffering. He is keen on listening to their conversations though, and he'd put the pieces together from Hendrick, Mabel, and Bucky being incredibly cryptic about it. It would enrage him that nobody said anything to him, as he is the person who can do something about it.
now for his measures to try and keep Jack safe... He develops a full plan to hunt down Jack's mother and kill her, only stopped by Mabel begging him to stay as she claims he will be hunted and killed by every knight in the lands. She is of course, more worried about the havoc he will cause in his pursuit blinded by rage than his own life, but she knows that she can use the slight empathy she has for him to keep other people safe. Roger relents for her, of course, but he never really stops his mutterings about killing Jack's mother.
Jack in all of this is incredibly disturbed over it. He knows its wrong for him to feel this way, but he doesn't want his mother to die just because of what happened to him. His feelings about his mother across all universes are incredibly complicated, because he feels bad for loving her despite the abuse he suffered, and it's made a lot worse in this particular universe because he's (pretty quickly) thrust into another incredibly tense and abusive situation, so he doesn't even really have time to process these feelings. On top of that, Roger becomes more clingy with him, as the giant still has that feeling of wanting Jack to be happier here, wanting to be Jack's safe space. His twisted ideas of protection are why Jack ends up being incredibly isolated from the other adults, because Roger believes that he's the only one who could actually fix the teen. But, y'know, that can't really happen here because of Roger's yandere nature. It frustrates the giant to no end, causing small outbursts of rage that just makes everything worse.
...and Roger went home that day covered in strange purple spots and sneezing. Luckily it was a minor hex, but he still suffered for the next 24 hours for startling the unicorn lol.
Roger originally wanted Jack to safely observe mythical creatures FROM A DISTANCE and IN HIS HANDS, but of course Jack didn't obey. Roger sort of had this idea in his mind of this nice bonding activity with Jack, they'd get to hang out together for a little bit, and Jack would excitedly ask the giant about all the creatures and Roger would explain. His father used to do the same with him, of course, and well... his little dream didn't really come true. Jack's curiosity gets the best of him and he skedaddles off on his own, Roger should honestly count himself lucky that his son didn't stumble upon something more dangerous.
g/t july day 21 + 25 - worthy + promise (from this post)
the final part of the little g/t july short I had planned for this month !! (one/two/three/four)
Hendrick felt strange as he listened to the giant's quiet breathing. Why had he said that? There was no reason to be so angry with Edmund, and yet, he had been. Perhaps he never should have hidden the injury in the first place. He curled in tighter on himself as he mulled the conversation over in his mind. There were so many things he could have done better, easing Edmund instead of just aggravating him. If he had just allowed himself to be-
A soft sniffle caught his attention, snapping out of his thoughts and forcing his head up. The soft glow of the moonlight against the ceiling was all he could see from here, but he knew that something was definitely up with the giant. He glanced to the covers draping to the floor for a moment, and without truly thinking, he began climbing. He paused once he realized due to the sharp pain in his side, but continued on. He couldn’t stop now. He needed to fix this somehow. He heaved himself onto the mattress, taking a moment to catch his breath and feel around his injury for any sort of blood. He sighed, finding himself lucky that the wound hadn’t reopened. He took a few steps closer, before pausing again. He was miniscule here, looking upon Edmund as though he were some sort of massive hill he would have to climb. Hendrick clenched his hands into fists, considering that maybe he had ruined it all. Now, the giant wouldn’t want anything to do with him. There was no use in courting a damaged, puny man like himself. But just as he moved to turn, he was rendered frozen at the sound of Edmund’s inhale.
“I’m sorry for losing my temper with you.” He said, and Hendrick unfroze quickly to get in his word, only to realize that the giant still had more to say. “It wasn’t kind of me to call you selfish. I…” He drew in a deep breath. “It just… worries me. You seem so careless with yourself, it’s like you think you… don’t matter. But, Hendrick, you matter to me.” The giant shifted as slowly as he could, turning to look at the knight, who couldn’t look him in the eye. The two sat there in silence as the blonde considered his words, picking carefully from the several swirling thoughts in his mind. One of Edmund’s fingers snaked around him, and he was grateful for the contact that seemed to push out his reply.
“I’m still… getting used to this.” Hendrick sighed, allowing himself to be vulnerable as he stared up at the ceiling.
“Getting used to what?” Edmund asked, and the human sighed softly, rubbing the giant finger curled around him gently. He liked to think of it as though the two were holding hands, and he was using a finger to slowly trace his partners. It made him feel better about himself, if only a little. It made him feel like he was actually worth something to the giant, even if it was only pretend. But Edmund wouldn’t like to hear that. The giant seemed to actually like him for who he was, not just who he pretended to be. It was strange to be in a place so warm after being in one so numbingly cold as long as he could remember.
“Us.” He said softly, closing his eyes to try and steel himself. “I am getting used to us. Being with you… it… everything is so easy and comfortable and I’m… scared? No, that isn’t the right word.” Hendrick moved to turn around, regretting it when Edmund’s finger pulled away. He finally grew the courage to make eye contact, his want for his partner clear in his expression. The hand quickly returned, and Hendrick curled his fingers around one of the giant’s. “I don’t… want to worry you. Not ever. You shouldn’t have to worry about me. If I were your size, you probably wouldn’t even-”
“Wait. Are-Are you…?” Edmund seemed to lean closer to him, and Hendrick had to use every ounce of adoration he had to keep his cowardice from showing through. “Angel,” the pet name made the blonde soften, “I’d worry about you no matter what we were, because I love you.” Hendrick’s breath hitched.
“Ah.” He breathed, a weight lifting off of his entire body. He leaned further onto Edmund's fingers for support as he continued. “I-I suppose… I should have guessed that.” He looked down, finding himself once again unable to look the giant in the eye.
“Did you really think I couldn’t love you as much as you love me?” The baker asked genuinely, his fingers twitching to life to try and stroke Hendrick’s hair comfortingly. The blonde allowed it.
“I don’t… I’m unable to do much for you.” He explained himself upon suddenly feeling compelled to. “I cannot truly… express… my affections for you in the ways I want to, and then I just have to… leave. There’s no reason for you to… love me the same way.” He was once again grateful for the support he got from the physical contact. Being this vulnerable almost made him feel sick to his stomach with the way every word squirmed around inside of him.
“I don’t need a reason, Hendrick. I love you because of the simple things, you know? You always make me laugh, you bring me thoughtful gifts every time you come back, you do your best to keep me looking on the bright side of things, your eyes are the reason my favorite color is green-” Hendrick whined slightly, his eyes welling up with tears. He thought about the ring he wanted to get made, realizing that he knew exactly what it should be for and exactly what color stones to have laid in it.. A thumb brushed against his cheek, trying to wipe his tears away before they had fallen. He closed his eyes gently, leaning into the touch. “I… I hope this gets easier for you.” The giant mumbled, still softly rubbing little circles on the knight’s cheek. It was astonishing how such large fingers could be so precise, so gentle.
“I promise you, it will.” Hendrick mumbled back, pressing his mouth against the pad of Edmund’s thumb, feeling the swirled ridges of his thumbprint against his lips. A promise ring. He had heard of them before, and only now realized that they weren’t as silly as he originally thought they were. “I promise, I’ll be better about taking care of myself.” He stared right into Edmund’s eyes as he pressed his lips into his thumb again. “I love you.” He mumbled in between kisses. He couldn’t help himself. Edmund’s cheeks flushed a deep red.
I'm big and greedy when it comes to g/t angst pleeaaaassuhhh I love it when giants get angry at tinies and instill (or reignite) a deep rooted fear in them. it's still gooduhhhh.
i like it when giants hurt tinies to the point the GIANT is permanently scarred and refuses to be intimate with or even touch them again even though the tiny (seemingly) doesn't care. they do. it's just that they hate to see their friend/partner this way and put their own feelings to the side. they can't ignore it forever.
I like it when tinies can't get over the weirddd primal fear that makes the hair on the back of their neck stand up and raises goosebumps all along their arms when around the giant they've grown close with. it's not on purpose, and they know they'd never be put in harms way. I like when that fear is brought to light and it strains their relationship.
I like tinies feeling left behind and scared that they can't keep up. I like it when giants feel so disgusting and unwelcome in any space they're in.
I like the awkward silence when one of them brings up how they can never be normal together, how their relationship is unconventional and they need to hide it from the world. or maybe they choose not to, and they're both shunned from their respective communities. how they can never be intimate together, how they yearn to have a normal hug and feel one another equally.
I like it when they get into fights and storm off for days. the giant can't find tinies after said fight, and eventually thinks they're gone for good. they could be anywhere. and while that tiny hides away, quiet and shivering, maybe even hearing creatures or bugs wherever they may have hid. they've grown so used to the comfortable warmth and safety that they forgot just how cruel the outside world could be.
I like codependent, mentally ill g/t pairings.
for all the fluff in this trope, at some point we gotta delve into the hurtful stuff .. then maybe some fluff after it #imweak
GUHHHHHHHH FOUND FAMILY TROPE NEEDS TO BE INJECTED INTO MY VEINSSSSSS
finally i've dropped what roger's mother(Abigail) and father(Luther) look like (gonna be real the og sketch was in my drafts for a LONGG time and I finally did it in a way that I like). unfortunately this means i have to lean towards why they had a divorce, which meant that Roger didn't really see his father again :(. his early childhood just wasn't that great, but he's so grateful to have Mabel and Jack now :). also... if you have keen eyes you may notice that Luther wears a small pair of spectacles. if you've seen a few of my older posts, you may know that glasses are incredibly rare in giant communities, which is why Roger never really realized that he needed them when he was younger. the divorce and its messy aftermath is one of the factors that prevented him from getting glasses as a child. Luther and Abigail were never good for each other, though, but that doesn't stop a young Roger from wishing they had made it work :(
Mabel is just chillaxed like she usually is, she and her family had a few photos taken of them while she was growing up, and she remembered the experience fondly and was actually the one to suggest getting a family photo after a certain event happens in canon... (muheheheheee).
JACK, oh my boy, he's never had a family photo before, but he's genuinely so excited that he's finally getting one with the two people he feels completely and utterly safe with :)
