chance's commission archive ;;

[angelfangs]

Wolf's character information
Fletch
personality: Fetch is a very... Paranoid person. He believes in a wide range of conspiracy theories, and he thinks that everyone is out to get him and his brother. He can be often seen talking animatedly to his friends, strangers, and even no one, about secrets that the government doesn't want us to know. Of course, these secrets are all mere theories and are not at all fact. Fletch is also very forceful in these beliefs. He will fight and argue tooth and nail to insist that the moon landing was faked, celebrities are part of the Illuminati, and all sorts of other conspiracies.

history: see brother's history

likes: YouTube, 4chan, "cursed" images, motivational quotes

dislikes: pasta, My Little Pony, creepypastas, cellphones

Ampersand
personality: Ampersand is the grounding of the two brothers. He is very down to earth and is generally very calm. His voice is monotone, and while he is relaxing, he is certainly not boring. He believes in one or two conspiracy theories that Fletch argues over, and he always has a quirky comment to add to a conversation. Ampersand has a good sense of humor, but his humor is more dark and satirical than most. The mutt can often be seen calming down his brother after one of his panic episodes after someone walks by talking on the phone.

history: Both of the pups were raised in a good home, like any other. However, one day, both of them were sent away from their home when Fletch turned 15. His parents claimed, "It's time for you to see the world. We've sheltered you both far too much." So, they left. They traveled on foot with money their parents had given them, clothes and necessities, and one cell phone. Fletch of course, did not touch this. All phone-related activities were left to Ampersand.

likes: papayas, smoothies, beach movies, plays

dislikes: the majority of the Internet, popcorn, cheesy movies, trombones

[angelfangs]

Wolf's character information
Aprepos
personality: If someone could lose their head, it'd be Aprepos. She is very absent-minded. Sometimes, in the middle of when she's speaking, she'll forget what she was talking about halfway through. Aprepos also loses pretty much everything she owns. Because of this, she's a complete slob in her living space. However, while she is an extreme airhead, she certainly isn't dumb. Aprepos is very good at chemistry and math, and she hopes to make it as a big scientist someday.

history: Aprepos grew up with a single father. Her mother died at a young age due to complications with her birth. It took a while for her father to get over this, but when he did, he was amazing. Aprepos' dad was extremely patient. He always helped her find her things, kept lists for her, and doted on her as much as he could. He was very, very supportive growing up as well. He taught her all he knew, and supported her when she wanted to stay after school to learn even more.

likes: books, vaporwave, painting, juice

dislikes: english, scary stories, doctor offices, pomegranates

Kanaka
personality: Ya know that one person in the grocery store that asks random people what they think of a product? Yeah, that's Kanaka. Kanaka is a very friendly, inquisitive person. If she has a question, she asks it. Unfortunately for her, Kanaka does not have a filter. This can lead to very uncomfortable situations, as she'll just say and ask what she's thinking about. The wolf is also very passive. She shrugs her shoulders if someone's upset at her or someone else. She goes by her motto of, "Why be sad when you can be rad?"

history: Kanaka grew up in foster care. She went to several foster homes, but due to difficulties, she never really stayed with anyone. They'd all been fairly alright, but one woman she'd stayed with really clicked with her. The woman was a professional scuba diver. She took Kanaka to her work often and showed her the many wonders of marine biology. This woman, Tuffy, was very laid back as well, so part of her motto came from her. Kanaka stayed with her the longest but had to move on when Tuffy had to travel to the other side of the world.

likes: fish, chips, umbrellas, tumblr

dislikes: sharks, closets, hammocks, home depot

Max
personality: A rain cloud is the best way to describe Max. No matter what, he always has a negative comment. Due to this, he finds it very hard to make friends. He's the definition of a pessimist. Max, as obnoxious as it is, also thinks he is always right. He's very confident in himself, as he is extremely witty, smart, and sarcastic. Looking past all of that, Max has a very good sense of justice. He can come off as having a superiority complex, but he will call people out when they are being unfair or mean to people.

history: Max grew up with a rough life. He lived on his own for the most part. He was sent to live with his uncle because his mother and father couldn't support him the way he needed. Max's uncle wasn't mean or anything like that, but he did the bare minimum when it came to taking care of him. There was no extra anything. Part of his pessimistic attitude comes from his childhood.

likes: rain, the forest, reading, oranges

dislikes: hot weather, chihuahuas, dirty clothes, smelly people

Anais
personality: Anais is quiet. That's the first impression many have of her. She doesn't generally speak unless spoken to. However, when she does speak, people cannot contain themselves. She makes hilarious comments. Anais is an observer. She watches what happens around her. She is a very gentle creature, really. Anais takes the time to appreciate things most people wouldn't. Quiet she may be,the Shiba Inu is extremely opinionated. The female has lots of strong thoughts and voices on many topics. If asked, she will say what she thinks, and will even participate in a debate. Anais is quiet, not shy.

history: Anais grew up with her mother and father in a very nice home. Both her parents made more money than the average Joe, so her family lived in comfort. Her parents, while making lots, taught her to be very modest. They detested rich people who bragged and were loud and proud about their earnings. Part of her quiet, modest personality came from the way she was raised.

likes: chocolate, coffee, snow, mint gum

dislikes: ham, mettalic sounds, braggarts, rough textures

[angelfangs]

afflated artist's short story
Ted pouted at Arsen. Things had seemed... Off lately. Arsen, while being a quiet and kinda passive aggressive person, hadn't been as talkative. Okay, sure, Arsen didn't talk all that much. Usually, Ted kept all of the conversations going. He could talk enough for the both of them. But, really, Arsen hadn't said much the last few days.

"What if his feelings are..." he began to think, chewing nervously on his nails. Ted immediately exhaled slowly. He was trying to get better on his over-thinking issues. Arsen had always been there to help him through it. It was just... What if he was leaning too much on Arsen? He didn't want to make him feel like he was his parent or something. His worst fear was being Arsen's burden. So... "I guess I'll just give him space," he thought to himself. "Where he'll have more time to think of getting rid of me."

Poor Ted's face was getting pale and red all at the same time, getting all sorts of flustered. Whirlpools and tornados of scary thoughts swirled in his head at an alarming rate. Arsen was his whole world. His rock. He couldn't bear the idea of losing him.

Meanwhile, Arsen stared at the wall blankly. Ted sneaked a peek at him from the couch. Why did he look so serious? Okay, Arsen always looked sorta serious. Except when that light melted into his eyes when Ted did any number of Ted-related things. But Arsen wasn't doing that. It seemed like Arsen had forgotten Ted's existence.

Worry lines taking over his face, Rover, who had peacefully been taking a nap on the floor in a patch of sunlight, chuffed. She slapped her head down in Ted's lap. Her big eyes looked up at him with affection and worry. Ted couldn't help but smile a little. How could he not with the big kitty cat being so affectionate? Scratching her behind the ears, he absentmindedly thought about all the things that could be happening in Arsen's head right this second. He could always ask... But Arsen seemed to want to be left alone... Right?

Deciding that being around the source of the problem would be absolutely no help to his mental health, Ted stood up abruptly. "I'm gonna go with Rover to the river," he said, his voice squeaking slightly. Arsen blinked and snapped out of his haze and nodded. "Be careful," he commanded. "I don't want to have to fish you out of there. Take your phone with you!"

Ted grinned a little. Things couldn't be too bad if he still worried about him. "Alright, you got it boss," he responded, a bit more chipper. Arsen grunted in response and continued to stare at nothing in particular.

Rover nudged the back of Ted's knee, urging him forward. "Sheesh, alright, alright," he said. "I'm going, I'm going." The pair walked out of the small cabin and out into the woods.

Humming as he skipped over rocks and sticks, Ted walked beside Rover as she hopped into the air, slashing at a passing butterfly. "Hey!" Ted protested. He playfully grabbed at her tail. "Leave the butterfly alone, Rover." The cat turned around and glared at him unappreciatively. "Don't gimme that face, missy," he said snippily. She continued to give him that face until Ted passed her.

The river wasn't all that far away, luckily. Ted liked to be outdoors, but it was getting sort of late. He didn't want to make a long trek in the dark. He did have Rover, and she was protective of him, but he was a little clumsy. Ted scrunched his nose at the idea of additional scrapes and bruises. He'd already earned a few of those on his job.

Last week, a little girl had tripped and fallen into a fast-paced current. It hadn't been all that deep, and she wasn't in really any danger, but the poor yelp she had made had sent Ted into fall rescue mode. The poor ranger had tripped, fallen, and scrambled to her on his hands and knees all over the dirt and rocks until he had picked her up out of the river.

Her parents had been very grateful, and they had scolded their daughter for not being more careful. Ted didn't mind at all, but his skin had certainly minded.

Yawning, Ted arrived at the river and sat down on his favorite boulder. It was pretty big, but not all that tall. It happened to be Rover's favorite spot too. Ted and Rover sat at the boulder until the sun began to set.

Once it started to get chilly, Ted stood up. His mind and nerves had been calmed by the soothing nature around him, but he was a little anxious to get back home. He didn't want to have to be worried about him and Arsen. "It's better if I just ask," he said decidedly. Rover let out a rumble of agreement.

Heading home, Ted took extra care to avoid sticks and branches that jutted out to catch his feet. This time, he made it home without falling at all!

Rover nudged him in the door and he turned around, brows furrowed. "Be patient, Rover," he chided. "You're gonna knock me dow-" His eyes widened. Inside the living room was Arsen accompanied by a foldout table, two chairs, and a huge birthday cake.

There stood Arsen, a bit awkwardly, but happily. "Happy birthday, kiddo," he said with a grin. Ted nearly started crying. Arsen must have noticed because his eyes widened and he started talking quickly. "I wanted it to be a surprise, and you know me too well, and I knew that I'd blow it if I was too obvious, and I always end up spilling surprises, so I had to be kinda like a dummy and have no personality the past two days."

Ted jumped into Arsen's arms, tears already forming in the corner of his eyes. "My brain was being mean to me, all for this!" he exclaimed. "Man, find a different way to not spoil a surprise! You gave me like 20% of the attention you usually do!"

Arsen blinked and blushed. "Hmph, whatever," he grumbled quietly, kissing the top of Ted's head. "I think I did alright. It isn't often that I openly do sweet stuff for you." Taking Ted's face in his hands, he made him look at him. "And just tell me if you're overthinking, Teddy," he said softly. "I don't want you to think anything other than the fact I love you." Arsen's face glowed bright red in embarrassment. It wasn't often he said this mushy of stuff. He did all sorts of mushy stuff for Ted, but he didn't outright say these things.

"Okay," Ted responded affectionately. Leaning down, he left a quick, loving kiss to Arsen's lips. He stopped due to the sound of licking behind him. Turning, Ted caught Rover who was licking frosting off of her paws from the cake. "Hey!" they both exclaimed.

[angelfangs]

termina's short story:
Florence sniffed at the flowers, her eyes squinting. "These are not what I ordered," she said. The poor sales woman looked like she was about to drop dead. "R- Really?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I'm terribly sorry! Could I see your receipt?" Florence sat into her hip. "I swear, some businesses are so incompetent," she muttered bitterly.

As she was fishing around in her purse, Erik awkward came up behind her. "Flowers are flowers," he said softly. "I don't really mind." Florence whipped around and poked him in the chest. "Excuse me," she started. "My boyfriend is going to get his favorite flowers. I'm not gonna settle for some second-rate posies or roses or lilacs. It just isn't happening." Erik pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Glancing to the saleswoman, he was about to apologize until she saw his face. Erik's eye twitched. He was very tired of that face. The one that portrayed confusion and hints of disgust all too openly. Even if people tried to hide it, it was still there. It didn't matter if he wore clothes that made him look cheerful, or if he smiled at random strangers on the street. Erik didn't really mind what people thought about him. He was just sick of getting looked at all the time. Of course, he grew up with it, but it was still obnoxious as all hell.

His girlfriend quickly picked up on his discomfort. Erik was about to stand up for himself, as he usually did, until Florence practically seethed. Fluffing up like an angry cat, she took a step towards the lady. "So let me get this straight," she hissed. "You're gonna give me the wrong flowers, and stare like that at my lover?" The woman squeaked and took several steps back. "I- I'm sorry," she apologized profusely. "I just... I haven't..." Florence cut her off and stepped behind her, where the shelves of flowers sat.

Grabbing the correct flowers, pink carnations, Florence narrowed her eyes. "Save it," she said, her eyes glinting like steel. "I don't wanna hear it." Turning to Erik, she pecked his cheek and gave him the bouquet of flowers. "We're going home," she declared. "And we're gonna have a nice dinner and watch a nice movie and surround ourselves with..." She stared at the saleswoman. "Nice people."

With that, the pair exited the store and began their walk home. Erik held her hand gratefully. "You don't have to be so aggressive you know," he mentioned. "You're supposed to be the soft and sweet one." Florence rolled her eyes. "I am soft and sweet. To you." she responded. Erik sighed as they turned the corner. Rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand, he held the flowers with his free hand to his chest. "Thanks for helping me out though," he muttered. "I appreciate it." Florence smiled up at him sweetly. "I'll be aggressive so you don't have to be. As much," she said.

Laughing, the couple made their way inside their small house. It wasn't much, but it was home. He glanced at the couch. It had been there that Erik had trusted Florence enough to admit that he was tired of being so angry all the time. The adorable little dame had put her own notions aside and had boldly declared that she would hold some of his anger for him. She had been so sweet and earnest that he couldn't have possibly said no. Since then, the past few days, Florence had stuck true to her word and had become a lot more confrontational.

Of course, Florence was still Florence. She whined for Erik to open the jar of pickles, she took steps behind Erik when they were out at night, and she always wanted to be the little spoon.

Grabbing the vase that they had recently bought, he filled it with water and set the flowers gingerly inside. Florence hummed on the couch as she searched for a movie to watch together. "Since it is our anniversary, and I already got you flowers, I want a back rub and to pick the movie," she said. Erik grinned. "Okay, okay," he chuckled.

Sitting down on the couch, Florence moved ahead of him. He began to knead her back while she flipped through the channels. Eventually, she settled on a cutesy romance film between a vampire and a human. She knocked her head back against his chest. "Technically, I'm a vampire," she said. Erik nodded. "Yes, you are," he agreed. Florence playfully hissed at him and flicked her tiny fangs out. "So that means I'm the stronger and more dominant one!" she said.

Erik took off his mask and smiled toothily. "Boo!" he said loudly. "I'm the monster here, sweetheart. Can't take that one away from me!" Florence sighed and kissed under his chin. "Whatever, you're the cutest monster that ever lived," she grumbled. He stopped rubbing her back and poked at her sides.

"Yeah, okay sure. Says the one with the adorable little fangs," he responded. Florence giggled and poked him back. Wrapping his arms around her, he yawned and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Hey," he said softly. Florence snuggled into him. "What?" she asked. "I love you tons." he said.

Erik watched as the tips of her ears got red. "I love you too," she responded. "Even if you do wear a weird mask. I vote a cuter one," she said. "Like a bunny or something." He laughed loudly. "Maybe I should get one of your face then," he said teasingly. Florence scrunched her nose. "Ew!" she said. "No! That'd be super weird."

Snickering in her ear, Erik played with her sides and stomach. "Nope," he said. "I'm getting a new mask. It's too late." Florence groaned and pouted. "Hmph," she grumbled. The male nudged her towards the TV screen. "Stop being a grumpy butt and watch the dumb movie that you picked," he said.

"I am watching it," she said defensively. Erik raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Okay, then what's been happening then, hm?" he challenged. The woman got quiet. "That's what I thought missy," he said. The succubus huffed.

The couple sat in silence as their attention was slowly drawn to the movie. It wasn't that great, but it was at least entertaining. The vampire was a teenage "bad" boy. The human was a teenage "good" girl. Both were cliches and had "surprise" twists to them. "Not to ruin your anniversary, but I have a better plan than whatever the hell this is," he said, unraveling himself from her.

Florence rolled out of his lap onto her stomach. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?" she asked, yawning tiredly. Erik grinned and pulled her to her feet. "Just come with me," he said. The woman rolled her eyes but had a huge smile on her face.

Holding her hand and guiding her outside in their backyard, Erik grabbed a candle and lighter from the counter. He stood proudly in front of the ladder that led to the roof. "Go on up," he said, nudging her towards it. Florence grinned. "Alriiiiight," she said, hints of excitement all over her voice.

She climbed the ladder with Erik right behind her. On the roof of their house were blankets, two pillows, two wine glasses, and wine. "Aww, Erik!" she exclaimed. "Better than a vampire movie?" he asked. Florence smiled and nodded as she sat down. The sun was just beginning to set -- what Erik had been waiting on. Sitting beside her, Erik poured her a glass and himself a glass.

Florence sipped at the liquid gingerly, watching the sunset with wide eyes. "Thanks, Erik," she said fondly. He showed a softer side of him as he pulled her just a bit closer. "You didn't think I wasn't going to do anything on our anniversary, did you?" he asked. Florence set down her glass. "Knowing you and your extra self, I figured you had something up your sleeve," she said.

"The great Erik always has something under his sleeve," he said. With that, just for measure, he took out the chocolates he'd been keeping in his overcoat. "Technically it wasn't in my sleeve, but it's pretty much the same thing," he explained. His girlfriend grinned and grabbed the sweets, kissing his cheek. "You're ridiculous," she chuckled.

"I do wear a mask everywhere I go," he joked. "How could I not be?" Florence rolled her eyes, a wide smile on her face. The pair shared the chocolate and drank wine until the sunset.

After it got cold, Florence turned to Erik. "Now can we watch my movie?" she whined. He threw his hands up in mock exasperation. "And you call me ridiculous," he said exaggeratively.

[angelfangs]

pinnacle's character information
Bagel
Personality: Bagel isn't problematic. Luckily for his friends, he's the kinda guy who asks everyone, "Do I really care?" The answer is 99.9% no. He picks and chooses his battles extremely carefully. Every now and then, he'll add a snarky comment here and there, just to get the better of someone. Of course, he isn't all that snippy. He's just a little bit sarcastic -- in a refreshing way. Bagel is also very intelligent and is certainly a problem solver. He's eager to give advice and help people just "let go." Many aspire to be like the male since he doesn't hold grudges, he doesn't spend his time being angry or upset with other people, and he is generally unbothered by people's antics. He's the person you read so much about on self-care Twitter threads.

Past his unbothered exterior, on the inside, he isn't all that much different. Bagel isn't super talkative, but he isn't super quiet either. Most of the thoughts in his head are calculating, honest, and a little mean if it really comes down to it. Then again, Bagel picks and chooses his battles very well. Most of the things he thinks don't ever leave his head. (His friends joke that he could be a serial killer and they would never know.)

When it comes down to the down and dirty, Bagel will say it how it is. He's nice and all, but he won't spare someone's feelings if they need to hear the truth. After the shocked look on the person's face, Bagel will attempt to do damage control. It isn't always that effective, considering that he just laid down straight facts on them. He can be a little awkward when it comes to comforting people after all.

If faced with someone that is crying, Bagel will rationalize the situation for them. He will give them logical reasons that it's alright and that they shouldn't be so bothered at all. Most people feel a bit better because they don't often have someone telling them to pretty much "suck it up, buttercup." Bagel has more tact than this, but this is essentially what he conveys. If the situation is 100% deserving of tears, Bagel sits beside them and talks to them about anything or nothing at all. He does his best to comfort people, even if it's a little weird for the both of them.

Bagel's sense of humor isn't all that great, in all honesty. Most of his jokes are pointing out people's flaws and just a whole bunch of sarcasm. His jokes are never out of a bad place of heart, but rather he feels comfortable enough with his friends to give them a hard time. It takes a while to get used to, but Bagel gets a few good laughs out of people.

If someone calls Bagel out... Boo, best believe that this is him. He doesn't take crap from anyone, especially if he knows that he's right. Sometimes though, Bagel has issues in believing he is always right in arguments. It's hard to convince him of his mistakes, and it's even harder to get him to give a sincere apology. He'll give an apology, but it'll be about as real as his edited selfies.

Likes: puzzles, social media, twitter arguments, running his self-care threads and youtube channel, dark clothing, lavender candles, veggie pizza, cacti, chapstick, and christmas themed pajamas

Dislikes: sandals, swimming, doing the laundry, ignorance, mangos, fruit-flavored chapstick, most male-targeted shampoos, purple makeup, statues, and most modern art

[angelfangs]

toxic wolf's character information:
Echo Evelyne
Personality: A silent thinker is who Echo is. On the outside, she presents as a very calm, cool and collected individual. For example, if someone bumps into her and they apologize, she gives a polite smile and a "no problem!" In her head? Completely different story. In her head, it's, "I hope you trip and break your ankle. (:" Of course, she doesn't actually mean those things. It just feels good to think stuff like that. Instead of letting loose her anger into the material world, it's much easier and safer to keep it in her head.

Due to her ability to keep things to herself, Echo is awesome at keeping things under wraps. No one knows about her absolute hatred for being in large crowds. She presents like nothing bothers her, but every time someone gets in her bubble in a large crowd, she on the DL freaks out. Only her very close friends are aware of this, and they do their best to steer her away from any major social crowds and situations.

Because Echo is in her head a whole lot of the time, her mind often runs rampant. It isn't often she can focus on one thing for all too long. The poor girl gets distracted all too easily. Any minor distraction, like someone humming, completely sets her off. It is quite difficult for her to push past it, but if she pops in some headphones and jams out, she can manage.

Out of her head with people she actually likes to be around, Echo is pretty funny. Well, her humor is dry and sarcastic and is usually at someone's expense, but she's pretty funny! Not only that, but Echo is 100% passive aggressive. She loves to add little comments here and there that barely just make the person question how Echo thinks of them. After all, it is pretty damn hard to read her.

[angelfangs]

irina's short story
Jamie had gone to bed at exactly 9:00 PM. Their parents had a strict bedtime, and that was more than fine with them. They were never one to stay up late. When they did, it always ended in them either a) getting sick, or b) being a grump the next day. So, they listened to the bedtime rule. Who were they trying to kid, anyway? They followed all of the rules that were given. It was apparent that their sister did not.

Being roughly awakened by a paw to the face, Jamie shot up out of bed, terrified. They looked around the room wildly, their eyes as wide as dinner plates. There stood their sister, Jackie, standing proudly. Jamie furrowed their eyebrows. "What is wrong with you?" she hissed. "We are supposed to be sleeping! Mom and Dad will kill us if they find out!"

Jackie, as per usual, giggled and rolled her eyes. She was only a year younger than Jamie, but she was definitely the troublemaker between the two. It was supposed to be the older one sneaking out and doing dumb things, wasn't it?

"That's the fun of it!" she whispered loudly. "Come outside with me! There's a whole bunch of fireflies out right now!" Jamie pinched the bridge of their muzzle. "First of all, quit yelling," they said, lowering their voice significantly. "Second of all, you're lucky that I like fireflies. You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for that." Jackie didn't respond and instead yanked Jamie to their paws.

It was horribly terrifying padding through the creaky, small, old house. "Any second now..." they would think. "Any second now, Dad is going to come out of his room and catch us."

"It's a miracle that Mom and Dad haven't woken up," they whispered, elbowing their sister harshly. Jackie grinned. "It's a miracle you're being fun!" she exclaimed quietly. Grumbling under their breath, she slunk out of the house behind their little sister. This was a disaster.

Just before the siblings exited the front door, Jamie glanced at the clock. 2 AM. They sighed loudly. "Great," she groaned. Jackie, who had flounced far into the field in front of their house, jumped about. "It IS great!" she yelled happily. Jamie shushed her loudly, to no avail. Their sister continued to run around in circles in the dark, chasing after the small balls of light that buzzed about in the air.

They trotted after their sister. As soon as they felt the warm, summer breeze on their face, everything was just a little less scary. Breaking the rules could be okay sometimes... Right?

Jamie began to giggle as she chased after Jackie, who was catching fireflies like a pro left and right in her paws. Even the rule follower had to admit -- this was pretty fun. Glancing behind them, the siblings' house was nearly a speck on the hill that seemed so far away.

"Maybe we should head back, Jackie," they said cautiously. "We're pretty far away." Jackie ignored her response. Jamie turned around and squinted for their sister. All of a sudden, everything stopped. Jackie was teetering on the edge of the rocks that their Father had warned them over and over again not to play on. In shock, they stumbled over their own feet as they haphazardly ran to Jackie.

Just as Jamie reached Jackie, she fell. Jamie watched in horror as their sister screamed for help as she fell and fell and fell... Until she reached the water.

--- 8 months later ---

"Excuse me?" they asked, narrowing their eyes. The male cleared his throat and stood up taller. "I said," he started, venom coursing through his words. "You won't do it. That's just not like you." Their eye twitched. Jackie's voice echoed in her head. "It's a miracle you're being fun!" Jackie echoed in her head. "I think..." they started out. "That you should eat crap. And that I can do whatever I want." Jackie's soul cheered vividly inside their head.

Larry's eyes widened. "What happened to you, Jamie?" he asked, his voice angry. "You used to be so nice and cool. Now you're-" Jamie's eyes flashed. "Now I stick up for myself and have my own voice. Now I don't care what you say or what you want me to do. Now I do what feels right," they said in a rush, taking a step toward Larry with every word.

"I don't have to listen to you, and I never had to. I wish someone would have told me that sooner. I wish I didn't have to go through-" they shouted, their words being swallowed. Larry blinked at them with shock and pity in his eyes. He stopped talking and looked down.

--- 4 more months later --

Jamie sat tiredly on the porch of their house. They watched the scenery with dull eyes. Hills of lost childhood memories sprawled out before them. Sniffling quietly, Jamie wrapped their tail around themselves.

After quite a few minutes, the now only sibling stood up slowly. A jar balanced on their head, Jamie walked out to the empty field. Mom and Dad had held their own thing with Jamie. Their own way of grieving Jackie. But this was her way. This was Jackie and their way. It always would be.

Like every year, Jamie caught as many fireflies as they could in that jar. And like every year, she could have sworn she heard Jackie's laugh -- just out of her reach. It hurt, but it was relieving. It itched a scratch she couldn't ever quite reach.

Once Jamie could no longer fit any more fireflies, they carried it to the rocks where... They gulped. "I miss you," they said quietly. "So do our fireflies." They set down the jar on the edge of the rock. Jamie laid down beside the jar, refusing to look over the edge of the granite that had betrayed their sister. Just like every year, they closed their eyes. Just like every year, they could feel fur that wasn't theirs against their side. Just like every year, they fell asleep to their sister's soft breathing that couldn't possibly be there... Right?