#emerald blathers

[emerald-dragonflame]

Been watching The Apothecary Dairies and I gotta say, that’s gotta be one of the most feminine shows I’ve seen in a while (and I say this as a compliment). I didn’t realize how much I’ve needed to watch something very obviously made by and for woman, that isn’t “girl power” bull. My Lord, it’s such a breath of fresh air.

I’m not really smart enough to explain what I mean by this, but if you got the time to watch it, the anime is 9 episodes atm, and the dub is at episode 7 at the time of me writing this. Go give it a watch

[emerald-dragonflame]

Fairytale deconstructions always sound like villains wrote them. It's all about power, and "finding yourself" or some bullshit like that. I have seen superhero deconstructions work (Watchmen), but I have never, never seen a fairytale deconstruction work. because the whole point of a fairytale is that good triumphs, but only with a hero with a heart of gold.

That love is worth fighting for, that cruelty and evil will not rule for eternity, that the lust for power will be squashed by righteousness. To remove that, is to make it no longer a fairytale.

[stachehand]

Shadow Generations: Hedgehog Fighting - Alternate Dialogue

Specifically talking about the first part of this cutscene.

Here's what I would've written:

Sonic: "Long time no see, Shadow!"

Shadow: "Sonic. Bad birthday party, I presume?"

Sonic: "Yeah, but I'm fixing it. Speaking of which, you have something I need to do it."

Shadow: "Why the rush? I have my own needs for it."

Sonic: "Sorry, but that Chaos Emerald and I have a date with a time destroying monster!"

Shadow (cracking a devious smile, remembering the fake he has on hand): "If you want it, stop blathering and try prying it off of me!"

And then they fight.

Was there really a need to quote Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes? Flynn, we you know you're a fan of Sonic! Sega knows you're a fan of Sonic! You write for the games themselves now! You have nothing left to prove, man! Calm down, pack it in and just be proud of your fandom, because you can really bring creativity and heart into this franchise when you're laser-focused!

There's also a bit of wasted story potential in this game, but that's a talk for another post.

[violetganache42]

A few days ago, Pirate Steven from DuckTalks/LorcanaTalks sent a DM notifying me that he and PostItPat had an upcoming card reveal for "Archazia's Island"! That excited me because I had a feeling that would mean DuckTales (2017) was returning to Lorcana, which was indeed the case with the Legendary Scrooge card earlier this week.

If you saw on the LorcanaTalks accounts, a certain card had been causing trouble, from stealing a card for Pirate Steven's portfolio to vandalizing Webby, Louie, and McDuck Manor's cards. Earlier today, Scrooge McDuck - Afficionado of Antiquities arrived to help, but he ended up getting surrounded by Glomgold, Magica, and the mysterious card. That alone strongly hinting at who in his rogues gallery was responsible: THE BEAGLE BOYS, specifically Bouncer and Big Time! Fortunately, they got apprehended in time for the reveals. That's right. Reveals. LorcanaTalks revealed not one, but TWO DuckTales cards! They shared that the one who helped apprehend the Beagle Boys is none other than… GIZMODUCK! The Hero of Duckburg is finally in the game after his Gizmosuit joined as an Item card in "Into the Inklands"! Lemme tell you, that bonus reveal was such a surprise, but definitely a welcome one!

Beagle Boys - Small-Time Crooks

Ink Cost: 4 (Inkable) Card Type: Character Ink: Ruby/Sapphire Classification: Storyborn • Villain Strength: 3 Willpower: 3 Lore: 2 Rarity: Uncommon [HURRY IT UP!] Whenever this character quests, chosen character of yours gains Rush and Resist +1 this turn. (They can challenge the turn they’re played. Damage dealt to them is reduced by 1.)

Art by Lauren Barger

* * *

Gizmoduck - Suited Up

Ink Cost: 4 (Inkable) Card Type: Character Ink: Emerald/Steel Classification: Storyborn • Inventor Strength: 4 Willpower: 3 Lore: 1 Rarity: Uncommon Resist +1 (Damage dealt to this character is reduced by 1.) [BLATHERING BLATHERSKITE] This character can challenge ready damaged characters.

Art by Cam Kendell

[thekingofthenameless]

I HAVE 1,000 FOLLOWERS!!! Thank you guys so much 🥺

First banner is made by @honeyxmonkey :D

Second one is made by ✨yours truly✨

To celebrate, I’m going to do a Q&A about TKN! (TKN is an abbreviation for my original work, The King of the Nameless.) It isn’t fanfiction, lol. Please don’t call it a fic.

I’ve been writing for four years, give or take? Before TKN, I was writing a fanfiction based on Tales of Arcadia, and it kept straying further away from canon, especially in regards to Merlin and Charlie. I had trouble actually completing a chapter, making drafts again and again until I took an unintentional hiatus after getting a ton of burnout.

I finally came back in January of this year, and while I’d actually had the idea of making the formerly titled Emerald Embers an original story for a while, this time it wouldn’t let go. It took about three days before I said “screw it” and started revamping everything.

And then I had trouble completing anything for this too 😭. I finally just decided to do some of this year’s writing events and not worry about continuity for now: Flufftober and Angstober! I also have a draft for Whumptober eventually lol.

My Ao3!

Sorry if this seems like meaningless blather to some of y’all, but I’m sick of somehow still being known for ToA, and by extent, Emerald Embers. ToA, I don’t mind as much, because I do still like the series and reblog content occasionally. But with Emerald Embers, I do. I was fifteen years old when I started that, and it’s been discontinued for about nine months. I had two ToA related likes yesterday, and one of them was for Emerald Embers, and I don’t know how y’all keep finding it but I do not want to be known for that. I meant to keep it up as an archive, but I’m getting annoyed with the people who somehow find EE content, and then only like that and nothing else… at least most people know TKN isn’t a ToA fanfiction now?

Anyways, the two main characters:

Merlin Caledonensis Ambrosius. Black trans aroace icon. Would probably look good in anything and has endless drip in his regular outfit. A highly empathetic, dignified, mellow, and smart person who struggles with schizophrenia, psychosis (as a result of his schizophrenia), anxiety, C-PTSD, and misophonia, but is still kind because he doesn’t want others to suffer what he’s been through. Secretly the God of Magic walking among mortals. Raised a literal dragon.

Charlemagne William Ambrosius. Giant dragon. Serious, brave, protective (of Merlin), compassionate (towards Merlin), as well as fierce but loving and loyal, who sometimes takes a little bit longer to care about people due to personality differences. Will readily state his opinions and start arguments without caring. Has no qualms about staring people down while gauging their personality and threat level. Was at first completely normal but is now Fucked Up too.

And here’s the (current) blurb describing TKN! Idk if it’ll fit eventually lol

The King of the Nameless is an adaptation of Arthurian Legend, except… it takes place in an entirely fantasy world. Wizards, demons, dragons, mermaids, and spirits are just five of the magical creatures that inhabit Galdorcræft. Alongside magic being everywhere, corruption runs just as deep in the country of Avalon. Seaside towns that imported benign items like silk are now infamous for attracting contract killers and magic hunters. The idea of murdering magical creatures for their body parts, as well being a falsely presumed threat to humanity, is slowly becoming more widespread through rumors of what their magic can do to heal and harm, no matter how much Merlin Ambrosius tries to stop it. He’s a wizard himself, of course. Everybody knows that. What they don’t know is that he’s hiding a lot of secrets: being the God of Magic and Justice, being born a girl, and trying to cope with madness that makes it difficult to tell falsehoods from reality, for one thing. However, he has his dragon familiar and found family, Charlemagne Ambrosius, to keep him grounded and understand him when no one else will. Unbeknownst to them, the very heart of corruption is in Camelot itself. Uther Pendragon has just become king after his father’s death, and he’s been waiting for this. Maybe now that he’s ruling, he can finally kill Merlin and rid himself of the rebellious, soft, mad advisor. With the most powerful wizard in the land dead, then no one will be able to stop him from killing the monsters that plague it.

Art dump of Merlin and Charlie! You can see how much they’ve both changed from their original designs (first images for both) lol.

Rules for the Q&A:

In order to participate, you don’t have to be following me! Just send an ask about TKN with whatever question you have! Anon is turned on :) If y’all want to ask about how their designs changed so much and stuff… 👀

I might do this for.. a month? Idk it depends on how long people have questions lol, but again, I still feel like a lot of people still know me for ToA 😭

Artist credits: Soberana Art (on Artstation), @cat-gh0ul, NaldThal (on Ko-Fi), @heropaws, @gaylightisminetocommand, @biposi, @honeyxmonkey, @azurewildflight, @theeio

Links to their individual posts, if applicable: Current Merlin, Original Charlie, Birthday gift, Forest, Cuddles, Sploot, Meadow, Embrace

Taglist: @gaylightisminetocommand, @the-arson-author-gamer, @honeyxmonkey, @danhengsbestie

Also before I answer any other questions I’ll answer @thecomfywriter’s first, since she sent me a dm asking about TKN ages ago and then I forgot to complete a post 😭 It's still sitting around somewhere and I'm so sorry

If you'd like to be on the TKN taglist, just let me know! You can dm me, reply to this, or shoot me an ask. I'm also on Discord as the same username if you want to chat about TKN, get my rambling before you see me make a post, brainstorm with me, etc :)

And I have a TKN server, actually! I should really just. Revamp it idk I have forgotten to keep it updated with my Tumblr and Ao3 content

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

Majexatli Fics Masterpost

Grove (Act 1, Gen):

For a Druid, Majexatli seemed remarkably uncomfortable at the Emerald Grove. 

Nightmare (Act 1, Gen):

“Wake now, you’ll feel better,”

The Poor Thing in the Road (Act 1, Wyll/Majexatli) [Ao3 Link]:

Returning from camp after dealing with the gnolls and the fire at Waukeen’s Rest, Majexatli dropped their pack and staff at their tent and immediately went off into the trees without looking back.

Somewhere Between A Hangman's Knot and Three Mouths To Feed (Act 1, Wyll/Majexatli) [AO3 Link]:

The joyous din of the party was distant as Wyll sat by the riverside. Wyll hadn’t strayed too far from the camp, but the celebrations and singing felt miles away, a lifetime away.

Untitled (Act 2, Karlach/Majexatli):

The abandoned house by camp wasn’t what most would call romantic, but compared to the hells or a bedroll in the wilderness, it felt like a mansion. A month ago, Karlach could never have pictured herself like this, curled up on warm furs before a fireplace, head pillowed on someone’s shoulder, legs tangled together.

Druidic Echoes (Act 2, Halsin/Majexatli, Past OCxOC):

The gentle breeze brought the smell of wildflowers and grass, the sun warming Majexatli’s skin as they walked through the clearing. Pausing, they looked around nervously, expecting to see something but there were only the trees and tall grass.

Mirror (Act 2, Astarion/Majexatli) [Ao3 Link]:

Majexatli always set up their tent a little farther away from the center of camp than the others, something Halsin did as well. Astarion chalked it up to some druidic strangeness, no doubt if he asked either of them they could blather on about nature.

Reflections in the Dark (Act 2, Wyll/Majexatli) [AO3 Link]:

The ballroom was as stunning as it always was, filled with light and music, and people dressed in all manner of colors as they danced about and talked amongst themselves.

Hunger (Act 2/3, Gen) [AO3 Link]:

Majexatli wondered, sometimes, what drew them to the hunt. 

Alchemy (Pre-Canon, OC / OC):

“I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t care about you, Asha,” 

[kwardo]

Day 3 / August 24

Well, today was quite uneventful, but Animal Crossing is like that in general. That's the beauty of the franchise, really, it doesn't swallow up your whole day like Runescape. I kinda skimmed through the day, though, because my hands were exhausted from playing too much Mario Kart.

Finally got this darned letter I've been expecting for so long. I now have the liberty to have my fossils inspected, yay!

Not only is the whole "mailing your fossils" thing excruciatingly slow, but this also happens. I understand patience is a virtue, but this is too much. Pelly goes on to say that she will "Page" Pete (the delivery pelican) which makes me wanna buy a pager now. Maybe I won't, no, I definitely won't use it, but I just wanna have one. Maybe I'll frame it.

Old mama got into gardening and she sent one apple my way. Just one. Thanks, mom. This proves to be quite useful, though, as one piece of foreign fruit sells for 500 bells instead of the usual 100. I plan on replacing all cherry tries (cherry is my native fruit) with apple tries, all but one. Gotta wait for the first pair to grow, though. Usually, I would time travel, but I decided to be a good boy, just this once.

We have a new face in town (two, actually). She moved in one acre east of Spike. Poor lady doesn't know what she's getting herself into. I had to be a white knight, just this once.

I did it for the baby kangaroo. Turns out this guy is a massive bitch. He'd just run away and beg me to stop hitting him with my net, whilst making sorry attempts at threatening me. We're getting closer to kicking him out, woo.

I know I'm generous. There's birch flooring attached in the letter. Pretty sure she already has birch flooring in her home, but having a bountiful supply never hurts. She's so gonna fall for me.

Had to buy some more stationary, which left me broke, at only 20 bells. I'll barely get by. Making money in this game is pretty difficult, actually. You can bury money trees, sure, but you need a good supply of bells first, cause it might not sprout out money if you don't bury enough bells. Pretty sure the best way to make money is by selling fossils, but I wanna fill out my museum, so it's not a valid option right now, unless I'm really desperate. Anyway, I saw Pete as I was making my way out of the Post Office, and he saw me, too. He stares at you as he flies away, which is pretty creepy of him to do. I'm not sure if you can interact with him at all. I remember shooting him down in Wild World once and I felt pretty shitty about it. Spent the whole day sulking.

How could I not? Look at that face of a disgruntled pigeon.

Found Emerald standing near the edge of this cliff. Getting real worried for her now.. I don't remember what I did for her to receive this gift, but I appreciate it, cause I currently have bamboo flooring in my house.

This was a pretty exciting discovery, but I'm not sure if it serves a function. Tents are, like, a summer exclusive thing in this game (you get igloos in the winter) but you can't throw rocks at them or anything engaging like that. You can only really pester the "tourist" inside.

And this one was really unlikable. It's not like anyone's forcing you to go camping, lady. She mentioned a "Mt. Katos" which I can only assume is the cliff north of her tent. I will try and visit her tent really late at night and I'll report back if something interesting happens.

I picked up this Umbrella from the Police Station earlier, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in this low-poly world. Seriously, why does it look so good compared to everything else? Is this where their budget went? Anyway, the cop at "guarding" the Police Station informed me that we're gonna be getting a visit from this freaky carpet-trader tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.

There's one last thing I wanna complain about before ending this. If you wanna donate something to the museum, you have to donate every item one by one. I'd be fine with this if Blathers said something interesting about each specimen I deliver, but he just makes comments like that one. City Folk had these these drawn out yapping sessions every time you donated something, and it was fun. This just feels like a drag. And that's all. I found this cheat code that lets you bypass the requirement of owning a Gameboy Advance to visit "the Island", so I'm gonna check it out tomorrow. Hopefully there's an endless supply of tropical babes there!

[featherchan]

In a dark alley, a small burst of light suddenly appeared, forming into the shape of an octagon, where multiple layers of the shape in different shades of color began to form and solidify. Shortly, a portal began to form as multiple layers of octagons rotated in various directions and at varying speeds. Two figures emerge from the portal, which promptly closes as their feet make contact with the solid ground. As they walked down the street, one of them asked. "So, where are we?" With a glance at her wristwatch, it swiftly processed the details before it displayed the information on its small projected screen. "According to the scanners, it's Earth G-48126, Japan, Tokyo." "Wow! Really..." Pulling down her dark green hood, she revealed herself to be a woman with short, raven-colored hair and brilliant, emerald-green eyes. "Looks like home..." Her name was Noburu Makoto, a.k.a Onyx. Nodding, she agreed with her friend. "At the same time, it's not..." Taking in the sight. "...it's too different." Next, the woman pulled down her burgundy hood, revealing a long, loosely braided, raven-colored hair. Her name was Kanako Ryuuzaki, also known as Spider-Lily. She appeared to be slightly pale, with faint dark circles under her dull amethyst eyes.

Noticing a couple of people strolling by, they couldn't help but overhear their whispers. Their intentions were quite obvious, as their distinct fashion statement set them apart from the crowd, as they were dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, but with a modern twist. Quickly and discreetly, Noboru changed into a black leather jacket, fitted black jeans, a ripped white T-shirt, and a pair of black Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers. "I will forever be envious of your 'quick wardrobe changes'..." The Lioness spoke in annoyance. Returning a grin. "Ha!" And before Noburu could respond with a smug remark, someone interrupted them. With lightning-fast reflexes, Noburu stretched out her arms to halt Kanako, who instinctively assumed a defensive posture.

As the duo listened to the stranger blather on and refer to them as 'blueberries,' they exchanged a puzzled look. Leaning to the side and whispered. "Are we supposed to know this guy?" Raising an eyebrow, Kanako studied him from head to toe before tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I don't recall a flamboyant idiot in my journal." Noburu soon pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh as the Lioness wasn't exactly quiet about it. Quickly gathering her self-control to regain her composure. "What should we do?" She mumbled. "Act natural..." "Okay." Winking back at best friend. "Um...Hi, whoever you are..." Kanako soon immediately grimaced and instinctively brought her hand to her temple.

[ Starter for @calmlythrilling + @mitchftw n @aonokumura ]

[morningpages]

               he's speaking, heart thudding in his throat whilst he blows the cobwebs off a ten-year-old secret, but still, marcus is enamored with her face. he watches a smile tug at her lips, spreading into a grin and hanging there for a while until a blush paints her cheeks. he's still watching when she moves away and her smile fades. even as chandler's face twists in stern disapproval, marcus remains enamored. regardless of the half bottle of champagne in his system, he catches the present-tense.    have.    i have a crush on you.   he ignores the way the words explode in his ears, too vividly aware of the mess he's already caused to highlight it – for now. “ it was only one semester! " it's argued with mouth agape and a real gusto, like it mattered. the course was arduous, barely covered interpretations, and ultimately elongated his methodical degree plan. at the end of it all, he learned that sleep-talking isn't a truth elixir. sometimes it was a cohesive train of thought influenced by dreams; sometimes it was anxiety or stress expression, but mostly it was just utter nonsense. he couldn't hang his life on a subconscious confession. “ chandler, where are you going? ” marcus asks helplessly, repositioning so he sat at the edge of the bed, facing the door to the bathroom once she enters it. a tiny crack of light between the two rooms separated them now. although this wasn't new and he'd been here so many times before, it felt different now. he was different. scared of losing this, angry he had finally shown his cards, and devastatingly curious. “ when would have been a good time to talk about it? ” ten years ago, maybe. staring at his hands, marcus' mind spins. how many minutes ago had her head just been sitting in his lap? doe-eyed hazel's refracting, pulling emerald and gold when they stole the right light. these were the certain nuances that he could wax poetic about, but his mouth would betray his internal monologue every time. when she reappears in the doorway his internal monologue becomes unintelligible. of all the ridiculous t-shirts they had acquired on all of their trips, of course chandler had packed that shirt. marcus thought about that trip often, even now. she had been a good sport then, as he dragged her up and down those halls, too wide-eyed and mesmerized to really notice her misery. she listened, discreet in the way that her eyes glazed over as he blathered about the philosophical significance of ‘the death of socrates’, only commenting on the aeration of their robes an appropriate amount. the photo he took of her in front of ‘water lilies’ remained his favorite photo of her to date. but no photo beat the real thing, and nothing really beat this. there was no doubt in his mind that divine punishment was real, and this was his, for a sin so assuredly horrible even if he couldn't recall it. there's such a concentrated effort in keeping his eyes up, not permitting himself to focus on the physics of where the hem of her shirt ended and everything else began, that he can barely register the words that leave her mouth. “ there is not a single thing on you that's repulsive to me. ” he swallows hard as his pulse quickens. nowhere to hide anymore. if it all fell apart here, he could try to pick up the pieces on the twelve-hour flight home. “ we have to talk about it. " tone is a somber one, eyes anchored on her tiny frame. he doesn't move from his spot, legs spreading wide apart, hands clasped between them to conceal their shake. “ i know where i've stood for the past ten years, but i need to hear it from your mouth. ”

she was sure to shoot him a nasty look at the mention of her rambling ways, but remained silent. if marcus was willing to entertain her nosiness, the least chandler could do was shut her trap for long enough to listen. he always talked far less than her, but far more around her than with anyone else. though she’d sit through a million nerdy little tangents about the pros and cons of plexiglass in museums, she much preferred the nights when he told her a story. whether she was sick in bed, or bored on a long flight, nothing hooked chandler quite like a story from marcus. she watched him carefully as he spoke, grinning wider at each word. felt a blush heat her cheeks at the mention of being prettier. it was bold, but not untrue. marcus deserved the best, and to a young chandler, she was the best in every category. yet to be humbled by the harshness of life. the second the words left his mouth, chandler pulled herself up, unable to control the mortified look on her face. she said duh? even worse, she admitted it in her sleep. which meant he knew. even fucking worse — he’s known for years. “you took a class?” she laughed nervously, piecing together his words one by one. “you… i…” with another laugh, she squinted at the other in confusion. “i admitted that i have a crush on you in my sleep and instead of asking me about it once over the past decade, you… you took a class on dreams?” ignores the use of have rather than had as she pinched her brow. when it’s all laid out in front of them, it sounded idiotic — likely because it was. a stupid miscommunication between friends. one that chandler would be happy to correct if she wasn’t so hurt. feet sunk into the carpet as she paced, unzipping her carry on to grab her pajamas. she rolled her eyes at the oversized t-shirt and flannel shorts. another endless tradition of theirs. sleeping in the shirts they picked up on their first vacation together. she huffed as she entered the bathroom, leaving the door ajar as a habit. one that formed in school, when they got tired of muffled conversations between doors. for fucks sake — her life was full of little traditions and habits. all tarnished with the same intrusive thought — marcus knew. this whole time, he had a feeling of how she felt, and he never acted on it. not once. it was obvious he didn’t feel the same way. chandler pulled the shirt over her head, frowning in the mirror when she saw the metropolitan museum of art sprawled across her chest. it was baggy, always made her look pantless (though she always coincidentally packed her shortest shorts), and represented the exact touristy bullshit she tried to avoid in the city now. but it was tradition. even at her angriest, she knew she’d regret it if she wore something else. she was quiet for a minute before she spoke, pulling her hair back with a claw clip as she stood in the doorway. “well,” chandler started, acutely aware of the fight she was picking. “thank god i never mentioned it. the thought of us being more than friends must be a repulsive thought if you swore yourself to secrecy for a decade.”

[emerald-dragonflame]

I’m an artist, I can draw or write anything I want. I can make a TF2 Engie x oc Pride and Prejudice AU…

I can make a TF2 Engie x OC Pride and Prejudice AU

[huidol]

hmm i dont feel good i think its time to rewatch the same four snapcube playthroughs for the 300th time in a row

[high-functioning-lokipath]

Marriage with a Spin - Loki x Reader - Words: 2,613

A/N: Enemies-ish to Relationship & Fake Relationship trope-ish LOL…Pic below is not mine but simply is for reference about rings...this was the best basis I could find 🤣 I'm using the Spin and Zero rings in this oneshot

Also! A big thanks for @ladylulu143 for helping my come up with a title and for proofreading this for me! 💖💖��🤗

"Alright, this is the latest alien artifact we have found," Steve said. He held up a gold ring with a small blue stone. "When on, the wearer can decelerate time around them, appearing to be at superspeed to those watching."

"So what's the deal now?" You asked. Tony brought a picture of another ring on the screen behind Cap.

"This recently popped up on our radar. By the readings we're getting from it, it seems to be related to this guy here. However, it's being held in this mansion," Tony said, clicking to the next picture. "Owned by billionaire Samuel Thatcher."

"So what am I doing here again?" Loki asked flippantly.

"Mr. Thatcher is holding a gala tomorrow night. You and Miss Y/L/N will be attending and will conveniently slip away at some point during the evening to retrieve the ring from his vault."

"Loki and me?" You exclaimed. "Why? Would you fit in much better at one of those swanky parties?"

"Everyone knows me, Y/N," Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"What about Steve then? He knows how to dance and be all proper! He's from the 40's for goodness sake!"

"Have you ever seen me try to fit in at one of those, how did you say it, swanky parties?" Steve asked with a smirk. "You two have enough class to fit in. Besides, the vault is secured by a fingerprint and retinal scan. The only person here who could pull that off is Loki."

"That is true," Loki replied with a smirk.

"Fine. What time is it?" You groan.

"6pm tomorrow," Steve answered. You nodded and got up to leave. "Oh! And one more thing!" You turned around suspiciously and saw an unnerving smile plastered across the face of America's Golden Boy. "You're going as Mr. & Mrs. Hank and Audrey Williams."

"Mister and Misses?" You both exclaimed. Steve nodded and Tony was smirking.

"Don't forget this!" Tony said, tossing the ring to you.

"Is this supposed to be my wedding ring?" You asked sarcastically.

"Actually no," Steve said. "It would seem that the ring only works on the right middle finger."

"Great. So what am I supposed to do about this?" You asked, wriggling your left fingers.

"No need to worry, darling," Loki replied. He waved his hand and a beautiful gold and emerald wedding band appeared on your finger. "Now, shall we go to my room and prepare for the rest of this delightful mission?" He asked, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"Of course, my dear," You replied, rolling your eyes.

The next day, Loki came to your room at about 3 in the afternoon. "What do you want, Loki?" You growled, quite annoyed that he was bothering your 'me-time'.

"Change into your uniform and meet me in my room in 5 minutes. We need to prepare." He turned to walk away but you grabbed his arm.

"Why? We should be resting before our mission tonight! I thought we already did all our planning yesterday!"

"Tactical, yes. But not practical." He once again turned away and started down the hallway. You groaned and ran after him.

"What do you mean practically? We get fancied up, we go, we get the ring, we leave. If we get in any sort of confrontation, we fight and then we leave! Simple!"

"What are you going to wear?"

"Well I can't show up in tactical so I have this old party dress. It's not perfect but it'll do I guess."

"No it will not. Where will you put your weapons? What if you need to run? Or fight?" Loki listed off his objections quickly and tutted at you. "No, no. That simply will not do."

"Well what do you suggest, oh great fashion god," You replied sarcastically. Loki rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "Oh my!" You gasped. He'd transformed your current outfit into a lovely floor length, emerald green dress. He even outfitted you with jewelry!

"And I can do the same with your-what did you call it? Tactical gear?"

"Ok, ok," you chuckled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." You smiled genuinely and, for a moment, you thought he would return the sentiment. But he kept his disinterested demeanor and whooshed away the dress.

"I'll return it later when you're ready. You will need to do your own hair and makeup." You nodded and headed back to your room till the evening.

That night, you stood at your mirror adding the finishing touches to your mascara when suddenly there was noise beside you. Jumping in surprise, you accidentally smeared the mascara on your face. "Loki!" You exclaimed, seeing the mischievous prince standing in your room. "You scared me!"

"Well, I am naturally terrifying." You rolled your eyes and turned back to the mirror to fix your face.

"There! All done," You announced. "Well, with the exception of my dress and-" Before you could even finish he had cast his illusion upon your clothing.

"Enough with your blathering. Let's go."

"Hmph. And here I had hope you'd finally removed your head from your-"

Later at the Gala, Loki was being the perfect gentleman. Very suave and debonair. You were impressed. Of course you had to play your part too. You were smiling at his side, holding his arm. You both mingled for a while, trying to get a feel of the room, before he asked if you wished to dance. A bit surprised, you simply nodded. He whisked you out to the dance floor gracefully and pulled you close.

"The vault is downstairs. We need to find an excuse to slip out soon," He whispered to you.

"What if I pretend to be ill?" You offered.

"Someone would undoubtedly take you upstairs to one of the bedrooms to rest. That is the opposite of what we're trying to accomplish."

"But what if I'm afraid of heights?" You countered. He quirked an eyebrow at you and chuckled lowly.

"That is a terrible idea. Only you would think of it."

"I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered. And I think the problem is I have really fantastic bad ideas." He smirked and shook his head in disbelief.

"At least you own up to it," He teased. You grinned, unable to help yourself from staring at him. Though you were on a mission, he seemed so relaxed. This was definitely his element. "You're staring, my dear."

“You are very attractive. Therefore I will stare at you," You admitted. He blushed brightly and looked away but then his eyes lit up.

"I've got it!" He stepped back and led you off the dance floor towards the open bar. "Follow my lead," He hissed. "Would you get me a drink, sweet? You know what I like," He said, somewhat loudly.

"Of course, darling," You replied. When you returned with your drinks you noticed Loki was staring at a group of young women. They had noticed him too and were smiling back at him. "What are you looking at?" You asked innocently, handing him his glass.

"Oh nothing," He replied quickly, turning away. You made a point of following his previous line of sight and made eye-contact with the still giggling females.

"Nothing?" You yelled. "You call that nothing? You were flirting again! Staring at some other woman!"

"I find them very attractive. Therefore I will stare at them," He replied. You held back a laugh, realizing what gave him the idea. "You know how I am," He purred, trying to move closer to you again.

"Get away from me!" You yelled, stepping back and throwing your glass on the floor. This drew everyone's attention. "You disgust me, Hank. This was your last chance and you botched it up! I'm going home!" You turned on your heel and stormed out.

"Audrey! Audrey! Please wait!" He called out. He ran after you into the grand hallway where you were pretending to be searching for your keys. You both noticed the small collection of men, including Mr. Thatcher, who were watching you from the ballroom doors. "Please, darling, can't we discuss this?"

"At home," You finally said. He nodded and held the front door for you. You both stepped outside, out of view, and then you activated the ring. It felt weird, time slowing around you, but you moved past your surprise and got to work. You ran back into the ballroom and very carefully chipped a very important supporting piece of one of the ice sculptures on the table. Giving it a small tap, you then ran back out to the main entrance and positioned yourself just outside the doors where you could still have a view of the main hallway. You deactivated the ring and heard the crash of the ice. Immediately, the men looking into the hallway ran back in, leaving the hallway unwatched. You and Loki were now free to sneak back into the mansion.

"The vault is downstairs but only accessed here," Loki murmured, leading you to a hidden staircase.

"Typical," You chucked, only mildly surprised by the motif. When you got down there, you noticed there were three levels of security. A key, a fingerprint scanner, and a retinal scanner. "Oh great! How are we supposed to get through that?"

"Never fear, my darling," Loki replied with a smirk. "Remember why they chose me?" He then changed, taking on the appearance of the party's host, Mr. Thatcher. He quickly got past the fingerprint and retinal scan but the key was still needed. Changing back to himself, he said, "The guards have keys."

"There are guards down here?" You whisper-yelled. Loki rolled his eyes frustratedly but before he could reply you heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Follow my lead!" Loki demanded.

"Wha-" Loki interrupted you with a kiss and pushed you against the wall. You gasped in surprise but you had to admit to yourself he was talented.

"What are you doing down here?" The guard exclaimed. Loki slowly pulled away from you with the guiltiest expression on his face. You knew it was fake of course, but the guard was tricked.

"Were we not to be here?" He asked, voice slightly higher than usual. "We were only trying to find a-" He paused, smirking slightly. "A more private location." The guard shook his head and chuckled.

"Whatever floats your boat, man," He replied. "But I would suggest exploring the upstairs bedrooms." He gave them both a little wave and headed back around the corner.

"I’m going to strangle you," You said as soon as the guard was out of earshot.

"Oh please! You can’t even reach my neck," Loki replied. You grabbed his tie and pulled him down, pretending to be moving for another kiss. However, you tapped his neck lightly and smirked.

"Gotcha!" You giggled quietly and then held out your hand. "Oh! And look what I got!" She held up the key ring for the door. "While you were busy embarrassing yourself, I used my telekinesis and got the key!"

"Of course you did! That was my plan all along," Loki replied.

"Pretending to love you is like a walk in the park. Jurassic Park," You grumbled. Loki grabbed your sides and growled in your ear as you opened the vault door. "You're so weird!" You hissed, walking in and trying to find the ring.

"And you’re so weird it’s attractive," He retorted, finding the box immediately and tossing it to you.

"Well, if I’m weird with you, I’m comfortable," You admitted. Loki looked at you in surprise but you just shrugged. "Look, you really piss me off sometimes, but," you paused. "Somehow I still like you."

"And I you, my dear," He replied. "Now as much as I would love to continue this discussion I do suggest you figure out how to use that thing and we get out of here!" You put on the ring, trying it on a few different fingers before you found the correct one.

"Ok, let's see what it does." When you activated it, it shot a cold blast at the shelf in front of you, encasing it in ice. "Cool!" You joked. Loki shook his head and grabbed your arm, trying to hurry out. Just as you got to the top of the stairs, you heard footsteps.

"Well well well," Mr. Thatcher growled, blocking your exit. A few of his goons stood behind him as well. "Mr. & Mrs. Williams was it? I don't think so," he sneered.

"Well, I don't think so either but we're not doing this today!" You shot them all with the ice and Loki shoved them out of the way. You both heard more footsteps down the hallway and looked at each other nervously. "Do you trust me?" You asked. Loki nodded.

"With my life." You gave him a tight smile and activated the Spin ring. You ran down the hallway and found where the other goons were at. You tried to use the Zero ring, with the ice powers, but found yourself unable to control it's aim.

"Well that's fantastic," you grianed. Rethinking your plan, you went back to get Loki. There was no way you'd both be able to get out of there at normal speed so you had one option. Lug Loki out yourself at super-speed.

"What the heck? Do you weigh 500 pounds or something?" You groaned when you couldn't pull or carry him. "Ok, last option. I hope this works," You muttered. You focused almost all your energy on moving Loki using your telekinesis. It was slow going, but at super-speed, you still would beat the bad guys. By the time you got him out the door to safety, you were exhausted. You immediately disengaged the ring and he looked around confused.

"How did I get here?"

"Talk later, run now," You gasped, trying to stop the dizziness that had overtaken you.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly. You were about to reply when you collapsed, simply too drained to continue.

When you woke up, you felt a cool cloth on your forehead and soft blankets around you. "Where am I?" You groaned.

"I brought you back to the tower. I told the Captain his debriefing could wait," Loki replied. You sat up slowly and looked around. Raising an eyebrow, you stared at Loki questioningly. "Yes, this is my room. I wanted to keep an eye on you while you recovered. I informed the Captain that those rings are very dangerous and should not be used. They obviously were too much for you to handle and-"

"It wasn't the rings," You interrupted. You looked away, somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I was still in super-speed, but I used my telekinesis to get you out. We probably would have been shot otherwise. It used a lot of my energy but it was worth it."

"Oh darling," Loki sighed, gently pushing a stand of hair off your face. "You-" He leaned forward, giving you a quick kiss on your forehead. "You're amazing. I never expected you or anyone to care so much for me!"

"Of course I care!" You replied. "Look, you still drive me insane with some of your tricks. But you're a good guy," You smiled.

"And you're a wonderful woman," He said. You grinned at him happily, still tired but already feeling much better. "So what do you think, should we give us a try?"

"Why not? It may be the first really fantastic bad idea of mine that works out!" Loki smiled and gave you a kiss. You sighed contentedly and leaned on his shoulder when you pulled away.

"Oh darling? One more thing. It was my idea."

Loki Taglist

@lucywrites02

@delightfulheartdream

@serpentargo

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@weasley-main-lover

@up-to-mischief

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Marvel (all characters) Taglist

@bartv21

@another-crazy-fangirl

@whatafuckingdumbass

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[rose7420]

Words Can Hurt

A request from @lokiismyhubby! Hope you like it!

Hello!! Can you write a story where Loki is friends with a tiny girl who loves hanging out with him? Wherever Loki is, Y/n is always with him. Loki loves the girl to death, but he also loves acting like she’s bothering him. Whenever she talks to him, he always acts like he’s annoyed, says things like, “Why must you talk to me all the time?”, or "Can't you find something to do rather than talk to me?" (Idk, anything that has to deal with her hanging around him a lot😂), he sighs like he’s irritated, and even rolls his eyes. Deep down, Loki adores his small friend, but he goes too far with the annoyed expressions and remarks, resulting in hurting her feelings, and making her cry. She could run towards the wall crying because she thinks that Loki doesn't want to be her friend anymore, but he grabs her (kind of rough but it's by accident only cause he doesn't want to lose her as a friend) and she becomes afraid of him.

Y/N lay on the undulating platform of Loki’s chest. The gentle ins and outs of his breathing rocking her slightly. Asleep and dead to the world, light snores escaped his lips causing Y/N to grin even wider. She read a book, skimming the pages relishing the calm scent of the battered paperback. A change in his breathing rhythm alerted her that he was awake. 

“Don’t you have anywhere else to be?” He teased feeling the slight weight upon his chest.

A rush of pain shot through her chest from the tease. She actually didn’t have anywhere else to go. Loki was all she had, all she wanted. She drew her knees up to her chest as if she could block out all the negativity, forgetting about her book.

Loki thinks you’re pathetic.

Practically nothing.

She shut down her intrusive thoughts shaking her head. 

“You’re funny Loki. But you know I love spending time with you.” She admitted walking towards his face. 

He poked her stomach, a very ticklish spot. She immediately fell down to her knees in laughter, pushing his finger away with no result. 

He relented his teasing, seeing how tired she had made herself. 

She reached his chin, as he was still lying down it was easy to grasp and pull herself onto. 

“Oh yes, very daunting Little One, whatever shall you do now?”

She laughed completely forgetting about her previous doubts and focusing on the mischief that was at hand. 

Later that day Loki and Y/N sat on the floor rearranging his books upon the shelves. He had gotten tired of how they looked originally and decided to change the setting. Of course, Y/N was too small to help but she sat upon Loki’s shoulder talking passionately of the books she adored. Loki picked up a rather heavy volume placing it upon the shelf, as he bent down Y/N held tightly to his shirt collar preventing her from a fatal fall.

“Mercy child, do you ever stop blathering on?” Loki teased. 

Sharp pain stabbed through her chest, her breath becoming thin. He didn’t relent his efforts.

“Don’t you ever stop speaking?” 

Unwanted tears escaped her eyes. She remembered her mother saying the same words to her at what felt like ages. But truly was only a year ago.

“Don’t you ever stop speaking?” Her mother turned around and yelled as they were folding linens. Y/N had been rambling on about her favorite author and how they wrote so beautifully. She shrunk back from the harsh words of her mother. 

“I’m sorry Mama.” Y/N softy said with tightness in her chest. The only one who would ever have listened to her go on for ages was her Papa. He had died a year ago. Books were the only thing that truly brung her happiness. 

“No more books y/n, I mean it. You should be borrowing more often winter months are coming. Now get to work.” Winter months meant the humans stayed inside longer, making it harder for borrowers to gather supplies. 

The next day she came back from a borrowing trip to find all her books gone. She rushed to Mama, in a panic. 

“Mama, Mama where are my books?” Mama reached up for a can in the cupboard; sparing her no glance as she said, “I got rid of them.” Y/N slowly walked back to her room to stare at the empty box where her books once sat. Her last remembrance of Papa as he had stolen each and every one of them for her when he came across a miniaturized one. 

She felt empty.

Truly, desperately alone.

She cried herself to sleep that night.

She slid down Loki’s arm ungracefully, stumbling across the floor to get to a safe, non-vulnerable place. 

“Y/N?” Loki’s voice called, not feeling her tiny weight upon his shoulder any longer. She began running as fast as she could to evade his approaching form. 

“Y/N! Where are you going? Come back this instance!” His voice was demanding and loud. 

She refused but that didn’t prevent him from getting what he wanted.

A rough, heavy hand pounded before her stopping her instantly. She was caught in his grasp unable to overpower just his fingers.

She was so weak, unimportant...so flawed. Why would a powerful being such as Loki even want her if her mother had thrown her out by her lonesome.

Loki’s grip became tighter and tighter, unrelenting. Her lungs were crushed, unable to expand in order to breathe fresh air in. 

“Loki…” She wheezed pathetically in a last attempt to persuade him to loosen his deadly grip. Black coated her vision, her arms went slack draped over his comparatively large knuckles. 

Darker

Darker

The night sky waited to welcome her with gloomy arms.

And then, breath.

Oh, how thankful she was for the expansion of her lungs and the clearness of her sight. 

“Are you okay Y/N?” She heard a voice faintly. 

“Y/N?” She was held up to those emerald eyes, boring into her very soul.

“I-I can’t believe I hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

He carried her in a flat palm to deposit her onto the tabletop. The cool wood was a refreshed feeling against her battered body. She lie there taking deep breaths, worried air would escape her grasp again. 

A finger brushed her arm. She flinched away. The appendage retreated. 

Loki watched his tiny friend lay limp on the table. Her chest rising and falling rapidly with desperate breaths. He brushed his fingers over where her tiny fists had hit his knuckles with an anguished release. 

He hadn’t even known he was holding her so tightly. He reached a tentative fingertip out to brush her arm and she flinched back. He did too from the obvious rejection. 

He waited patiently for her to regain her awareness. 

She spoke without any encouragement from him. 

“I don’t like it when you tease me. It makes me feel unwanted and not appreciated. If that’s how you really feel then I’ll go, but if not..” She couldn't finish the rest of the sentence, her voice thick with tears. 

An enormous ache of guilt ran through Loki’s heart.

“I meant no harm to you Little One, I will stop the teasing. And I do want you around, please do not feel unwanted.”

“I know I can ramble a lot and it’s annoying, so I’ll do my best to stop.” She wrung her little hands together. 

“Absolutely not,” Loki ordered. “Do not change who you are because of my unkind comments. I want to hear all about what interests you, and what you are passionate about.” He reached out a gentle finger to nudge her back. She whimpered. He pulled back immediately.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have done that,” Loki said with guilt.

She quickly shook her head, “No, no that’s fine its just… my mother used to tell me to be quiet too. She didn’t care about what I liked.”

Loki listened attentively to her past, his heart wrenching with pain with all she had suffered through.

He slowly reached forward to cradle her in his palms, pressing her gently to his chest.

“Shhh, my Little Dove. I’m here and I will always be here. I will never take anything of yours nor leave you by yourself.” He felt tiny fists through the fabric of his shirt as she held to him tightly. 

He pulled her away from his chest, holding her level with his eyes, “We are a team, you and I, we stick together.”

She smiled a smile that warmed his heart tremendously and held out her fist. 

“What is this Little One?” He questioned unfamiliar with the gesture.

“Hold out your fist,” she squeaked. And so he did and laughed when her pinprick of a fist bumped into his middle finger. 

“Come on cowboy we got books to sort.” She commanded with a bit of sass. 

He obliged. 

[emerald-dragonflame]

5”69”

nice~

posted a tik tok 40 minutes ago and it already has 569 views…

i a famuz

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain:  Chapter 808:  Coffee:  Part III / III

"So tell me?," Taj asked from the cockpit, "what is your plan, here?"

Both Mercury and Emerald looked to Cinder. "Oh?" Cinder asked, "Find a place to disappear."

"Well, Vacuo is certainly the place for that." Taj stated. "You're headed for the lower Athabasca, which is even easier to hide in."

"And that means?" Mercury asked.

"Badlands." Taj replied.

"What's it like in Vacuo?" Emerald asked.

"Oh?" Taj asked, hit a couple buttons, and turned back, "Where did you grow up, again?"

"Vale." Emerald quietly voiced.

"Growing up as a street rat in Vale might seem like it's rough, and the end of the world, but Vacuo is SO much worse. The government of Vacuo has two purposes, keeping armies out, and keeping Grimm out, and for the latter, they just help pay for Grimm bounties. If things get a little hot, they might send out a lawman to calm things down. You might think your life didn't mean much in Vale, but in Vacuo it means zip."

"Strength is the only thing we have." Mercury added.

"Good thing we have enough to spare." Cinder said with a bright smile that Emerald got lost in.

"Problem, though," Taj said, and they turned to looked at him, "you guys don't look like your the type to build your own home."

"If?.." Emerald nervously asked, "the Kingdoms doesn't... how do they feel about drugs, prostitution, theft?.."

"Oh, well, in theory," Taj stated, "it's all illegal. Well, except the prostitution part. The most they really do for the others is pay bounties." Emerald looked down until something occured to her. She then looked at Cinder whom had a wicked grin looking at Mercury. Emerald looked to Mercury who had the same look.

"Is that what we're doing?" Emerald asked. "We're going to be bounty hunters?"

"We kill the drug lord," Mercury stated, "take his money. Take the body into the authorities and get more money. Everything we do is nice and legal."

"Then all we'll have to do," Cinder added, "is find someone to build us a nice, lovely, giant house."

"I recommend you go underground," Taj stated, "Vacuo can get pretty hot during the daytime."

"Maybe something hidden in a badlands?" Cinder asked, and Emerald looked at her with shock. She breathed in deep.

"Of course you had this planned." Emerald shyly said to her, "You're plans always work."

Cinder gave her a bright smile for a moment. "Thank you. They do." she said, and Emerald gave her a shocked look. "The only question was what I wanted?"

"Apparently a mansion in the Vacuan badlands." Taj added.

* * *

Yang and Weiss walked down the stairs. "Nora, Ren." Weiss greeted, and Nora jumped up. Ren quickly stood up behind her.

"I believe it was going to be Blake and Weiss?" Ren asked.

"They had to do... something?.." Yang asked. "Instead of Ladybug you got Freezerburn." she stated, and Neo looked at her questioningly.

"Ruby and Blake are Ladybug." Weiss stated as they walked up, "Yang and myself are Freezerburn."

Again, Neo looked at them questioningly. "Because I'm hot," Yang said, and looked at Weiss, "and she's..."

"An ice queen." Weiss said neutrally, causing Yang to develop a surprised look. Weiss was flushing both light and dark blue. "I have learned to accept my role as the team's wet blanket."

"You're RWBY's Jaune!" Nora exclaimed, and Weiss looked at her with uncertainty for a moment.

"Yes?" Weiss asked.

"Someone has to keep us from jumping in head first." Yang said.

"If that is at all possible?" Weiss neutrally asked.

"So?" Yang asked, "Anything interesting happen?"

"Oh?" Nora asked, "Jaune came in, hugged Neo, and told her how he feels her pain or something."

Weiss lookded at Neo, "Indeed?" she asked. Neo glared at her for a few moments before finally nodding.

"That does sound like him." Yang added.

"He did walk in and just pull my sister into a hug." Weiss said.

"That does sound like Leader." Nora added.

"Really makes me jealous." Yang stated.

"Of Jaune or Winter?" Ren asked, causing Yang to flush orange. "We will take our leave." Ren finished, and then grabbed Nora's hand, gently tugging her to a stairs. Yang walked up to the hole in the cell while Weiss walked over to the crates before elegantly sitting up upon one.

"So, tell me?" Yang eagerly asked, and Neo looked at her curiously. "Jaune's hug. I know they can come and go in an instant, but in that time, it feels like time stands still, doesn't it?" she asked, and Neo's face softened. "So, warm, wrapping all around you, firm, but yielding, like it knows what you want."

Neo started to shift about.

"If he talked about feeling your pain," Weiss stated, "he probably meant to try and take it away. He has made all of our burdens so much lighter. And you would be mayhap not the first ne'er-do-well we've reformed."

"That's a fancy way of saying," Yang added, and Neo sneered at her, "he likes helping the helpless" Yang paused and hung her head, "Like me." This caused Weiss to let out a loud scoff. Yang turned her head up to look at her. "Let's face it, you're an ice queen, but I'm just broken." Yang reached her left hand over to grab where the right had been cut, but couldnt' seem to find the place. "The hell?"

"It seems your break has been mending." Weiss said, and when Yang looked over, Weiss was standing right in front of her. She grabbed Yang's hand and looked up into her eyes, though a couple of things did make that a bit difficult. "Despite my flaws, I find myself getting lost in you, and I can assure you that you are the same. We are not one, but five." Neo gestured with her hand to make fun of the blather, and Weiss turned towards her. "Oh, really, you have not found anyone to lose your flaws in?" she asked. Neo blushed and then looked around. She looked back to Weiss, giving her an evil gaze. "Glower all you want, it simply proves my assertion to be true. I assume that when Jaune ripped the bars off of your cell, he was expecting to no longer need them." Neo jumped up to the other side of the opening, and stood Augustly. Unfortunately, her minute frame was not especially intimidating.

"Uh-huh?" Yang asked, as she stepped up, "Look me in the tits and say that."

Weiss let out a scoff, and Neo developed a neutral expression as he looked between the two. "Must you be so crass?" Neo developed a mild smirk before quickly quashing it.

"She's the one trying to eye me down from tit-height." Yang said to her.

"Perhaps we could talk about this?" Weiss said to her.

"Over coffee?" Yang asked.

"That does sound lovely."

"I didn't mean..." Yang said, but Weiss had moved in to kiss her on the cheek. Before Yang knew it, Weiss was back up the stairs.

* * *

"Weiss?" Jaune asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"We have decided to discuss this over coffee." Weiss stated, and Jaune stepped back to let her pass.

* * *

Weiss walked out of the kitchen with tray with coffee in hand.

"Are you not concerned?" Ren asked, and Jaune turned around to pull him into a hug.

"This is fantastic!" Jaune exclaimed.

* * *

Weiss placed the tray on a crate, poured two cups, before elegantly sitting up on another crate. Yang sat on the ground with her back to the crate, and they both momentarily enjoyed their coffee. Neo tried to give them an evil look, as satisfied looks appeared on their own faces, but instead it came across as jealous. "Did you want some coffee?" Weiss asked.

Yang took another sip, "It's really good coffee."

Neo continued to look on them with jeaslousy.

"You simply have to ask." Weiss simply stated. Neo looked at them for a moment longer before turning around, sitting down, and crossing her arms in a huff.

Yang moaned as she took another sip. "Really good coffee." Neo briefly looked over her shoulder before looking back.

"The way I look at it," Weiss said, causing Neo to look over her shoulder, "you could either let Jaune-dear hug you, or spend the rest of your life in prison." Neo turned her upper body to glare at her. "Oh, feeling agrieved are we?" Weiss asked, "Then why exactly are you here?" Neo turned back away. "You could have gone anywhere. You could have done anything, but instead you hired mercenaries and came to join us here?"

"We could have turned you over to General Clank, and you would probably be put in a hole, never to be seen again." Yang said, and then took another sip of her coffee and letting out another moan. She then turned to Weiss, "You really make good coffee, Linnet."

"Thank you." Weiss replied, and Yang leaned over to kiss Weiss' leg. She then turned to Neo, "Remember, you are here because Jaune-dear thought it was good to do so. General Ironwood would have simply had you tried, and with the plethora of evidence, no doubt convicted."

"You know why you're in a cage, don't you?" Yang asked, and Neo turned to glare at her. "Because you wanted to. Ladykiller gave you a choice, and you wanted to hide back in your little box."

Neo turned to give them a questioning glare. "If you are wondering why we are guarding you is because you made the choice to stay our enemy." Weiss simply said to her.

"If you want to come out, we'll give you some of Linnet's wonderful coffee." Yang said enticingly.

"Or, perphaps?" Weiss asked, "We could call the General?" Neo huffed and turned away, every few seconds turning back to glance at them. She eventually breathed in deep, walked over to the hole in the cell, and just stood there. "Yes?" Weiss asked. "Did you want something." Neo crossed her arms with a huff, looking away. Eventually she looked Weiss in the eyes, nudging her head to the coffee. "Very well." Weiss stated, and jumped down from her crate. Weiss poured the coffee and looked at Neo, "Cream or Sugar?" Neo nodded and held up two fingers. Weiss stirred them into her cup and then walked towards the hole in the cell. "Now, if you promise to be on your very best behaviour..."

"No stabbing." Yang stated.

"Then we can let you out of your cell."

Neo looked at her questioningly for a moment before looking at and reaching for the coffee.

"Very well." Weiss said. Neo grabbed the coffee and turned back into her cell.

* * *

Hildegard Bont walked into James Ironwood's office. Ironwood stood up and rushed over to close the door, "Do you have any idea how inappropriate it is for you to see me outside of the council?"

"Does the chair of the judiciary have any idea how inappropriate this is?" Hildegard asked, "I'm here because I have something important enough to say." James walked back around to the other side of his desk, and sat down, leaning hard upon his desk with both of his hands. "Easy, James." she said to him. "You've had to have seen this coming?"

"I was just doing..."

"What you thought was right, yes." Hildegard said to him. "What you could to save Remnant, and by closing the borders, you made yourself vulnerable to everyone who's ever had a grudge against you, and to everyone that you're in the way of."

"Do - you think I?.." James asked.

"If you will let me say what I came here to say?" Hildegard asked, and he breathed in deep.

"Go - on." James stated.

"There's no way that Bluebonnet did not know what was going on."

"Do you think I don't know that?" James asked.

"No." Hildegard replied, "But now you know we're on the same page."

[dandelionflower]

Felix Month Day 2

Thief

A thief had been plaguing the castle for months and Felix was sick of it.

He was sick of sitting idly by as the militia and guards told him the same thing; the spotted bandit had gotten away.

But mostly, he was sick of the little notes left for him, mocking his attempts to catch them.

Better luck next time, Prince Felix. Don’t worry, the gemstones will go to a good cause.

Terribly sorry to have missed you, dear prince, not as sorry as I’m sure you are for having missed me.

The Lost Emerald is my favorite book, how did you know? Thanks for lending it to me.

Felix, I’m so sorry for your loss. If it means anything, I’m sure you’ll make a great king.

...so maybe Felix had been corresponding with the spotted bandit for a few weeks months. Maybe his interest in personally catching the thief had more to do with an... emotional interest than a dedication to justice.

But that was irrelevant now. He had more important things to do for his kingdom, things expected of a king.

Like the all important matter of personally planning a ball.

Not to mention the enthralling duty of attending said ball.

—

“Your majesty, I can’t tell you how honored I am to meet you...”

Another duke bowed at him, likely hoping to become a member of the royal court with enough flattery.

Felix’s eyes roamed the crowds as the man blathered on about his opinions on the state of the kingdom.

“...and of course, we must be harsher on our enemies. Your mother was a wonderful queen, but forgive me for saying she was a little lenient.”

His eyes danced across the people, finally landing on someone he didn’t recognize.

A woman, dark hair in a bun, stood towards the edge of the crowd, hidden partially in the shadows.

Normally, he wouldn’t have given her a second thought, but her dress was familiar to him. On it was the flower pattern that stood in place of a signature on every letter the spotted bandit left him.

Sure enough, the red shawl the woman had adorning her shoulders had a slight discoloration in certain areas, areas that looked like spots.

“So, what do you think?”

Felix coughed. “I’m terribly sorry, sir, but I’m afraid I have some business to attend to.”

“Of course, of course.”

Felix made a beeline to the bandit, praying that it was indeed her.

“Excuse me,”

She looked up and smiled. “Oh, hello, your majesty.”

“I’m sorry to say I cannot recognize you, but I noticed that you have a very lovely dress. Do you mind if I ask who made it?”

She glanced from side to side. “I don’t mind telling you, but I do mind telling most people in this room. Do you have anywhere we can go away from prying eyes?”

“Of course, the balcony is right this way.”

“Thank you.”

—

The stars twinkled effortlessly, as Felix closed the door and joined the bandit by the railing.

“Is that what you used the gemstones for?”

“Huh?”

“The gemstones?”

“Oh,” she laughed, “those. No, I used them to help out a fishing village over by...” she caught herself, “I mean... what gemstones?”

“You can cut the act. I know who you are, Spot.”

She huffed. “I told you, I hate that nickname?”

“Do you have anything better for me to call you?”

“Marinette.”

“Well then, Marinette, will you do me the honor of becoming a member of my counsel?”

“W-what?”

She pushed off the railing and looked around nervously, like it was all a trick intended on capturing her.

“In your letters you tell me about problems people have within the kingdom; poverty and crime that escapes the eyes of the officials.

“I don’t want to be a blind king who is led off a cliff by the people I need to trust. I need advisors who want to better the kingdom and the people in it.”

“And a thief can do that?”

“Yes.”

Marinette squinted at him. “I’m not gonna be arrested for my... moonlighting, will I?”

He held a hand in the air. “I swear that your record will be wiped clean.”

“Then you have a deal.” She held out a hand.

He shook it. “Welcome to the court of the Miraculous.”

The rumor of the thief who had joined the royal court spiraled, but the kingdom had grown so prosperous no one could complain. And if later, the alleged thief marries into the royal family? Then that was no one’s business but the court’s.